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David Belanger pulls a Johnny Carson- AKA, a Classy Exit!

  • Thread starter KenJacksonZ100Mornings
  • Start date

K

KenJacksonZ100Mornings

Guest
Hello everyone--

While I didn't hear it personally this evening, I had a few people tell me that my friend and former
Traffic-Reporting-Funny-Guy, David Belanger has ended his traffic reporting position, at least in the
Providence area. Matt Allen was praising his professionalism after 6pm this evening. And I couldn't
agree more-- Can anyone confirm this departure??

I will tell you that while the consultants told me time and time again that I shouldn't
converse with David when I did my breaks, I respectfully disagreed, and the outcome was
some of the funniest stuff that a dual frequency station could have produced.

And I don't take any of the credit for it!

It was definately David's timing and sense of humor that made the mornings at Z100
in 2000. He is definately a class act-- ON or OFF the air!

I have quite a few hours on tape I would love to forward to David, if anyone would pass along this
posting to him, as well as my e-mail address- "[email protected]"

David- Good Luck to you! I know it's been a while, but I wanted to be the first on this
message board to wish you all the best, with whatever plans you have.....


I hope to talk with you soon!

Ken Jackson
 
I have to agree. Dave was a consummate professional at Metro but also strove for perfection in the information he gave. I remember he & Sheridan would rattle off street names I'd never heard of. It was like between the two of them you had a complete atlas of Rhode Island!
 
Having produced mornings at Metro for almost 8 years before being let go last month as part of Metro's cutbacks, I have nothing but respect for David! I dont think you realise just how much David would do during the morning shift. As well as his WPRO-AM reports every 10 minutes, Dave also juggled 790, and Fun 107 reports as well as other 'housekeeping' duties within the office.

Geoff
 
Can ANYBODY tell me?

THIS will REALLY seem consultant-nerdy, but many listeners choose radio stations because of traffic reports.
That's research data, not an opinion.

Traffic is the most perishable information on the air.
If you do it right, it's wrong...moments later.

Yet many GMs only hear traffic reports when-they're-NOT-there.
The sounder plays...the host intros the traffic reporter...and he/she isn't there.
The sounder trails for a few seconds...the host mumbles something and hits a spot.

The GM -- saddled with managing-more-stations-than-anyone-can-listen-to -- wants to hear:
1. sounder
2. intro traffic reporter
3. that-second-voice comes on and talks for 30-60 seconds
4. :18 spot that's-supposed-to-be a :10.

To the GM -- who's either (a) already-at-work/at-home; or (b) otherwise-unimpacted-by the-traffic-snafu-that-can-change-Homer/Marge's-entire-day -- just needs to hear "avoidance of dead air" and "the avail."

The information itself -- if it's right -- can be more-relevant-than anything-else-coming-out-the-speaker at-that-moment.
And habituating-people-to-getting-that, "...ON THE EIGHTS, LIKE CLOCKWORK," or however-else-we-describe-it, can be powerful.

IS the information...
1. correct?
2. STILL correct?
3. about-the-most-important-places?
4. location-before-condition?

Nerdy?
As Sarah Palin would say, "you betcha!"
But actually being as "DEPENDABLE" as station promos promise is Arbitron gold.

And consistency can make traffic reports useful to people-not-even-driving!
Someone like Belanger just-showing-up, "LIKE CLOCKWORK," helps make the station sound "DEPENDABLE" and self-referencing.
If I'm at-such-and-such-intersection, and the traffic is on, I'm on time.
If it's already been on, I better get my butt in gear.
If it hasn't come on yet, I'm a-little-ahread-of-the-game this morning.
Thus the way consultants and PDs nag the talent to follow the clock.
But if you own a cat, you already know what happens when you move the litter box.

As I write this, I'm listening to the 6A hour (7A here) of client WDAY/Fargo.
Their ag reporter Lyle Romine is "the David Belanger of North Dakota" in that way.
I don't care about market data for crops and livestock.
Heck, I bet that people-who-DO care get-much-of-that-data elsewhere (i.e., PDA, online, etc.).
But Lyle just-being-there, in the Steady Eddie way Belanger was, makes the station sound "DEPENDABLE."

So I'll ask again, where did Belanger go?

Good morning from Block Island,
HC
www.HollandCooke.com
 
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