I think it's time for Joint-Chinese to step forward.

[Skynet74]

Does anybody know what the hell Holland just said? The only thing I understood is that Joe Pantoliano from the Sopranos is in town to eat. That made sense. The rest of the post sounded like kjuhfhhd ushubf uhsfrir nbfrrjr. woisks chddh chdswjkd, dhdhawd jturtik eekfc.

 

[someplacesomewhere]

Thats the whole point. He tries to confuse you into agreeing with him. One solid, believable fact thrown into the mix so you understand something leaves then less bright people thinking they are smart and know all the mumbo jumbo.

 

[Holland Cooke]

That's it!

He tries to confuse you into agreeing with him.

You've got it!
The-very-DEFINITION-of "consultant!"

Or was that the-very-definition of "talk show host?"

And, for the record, "kjuhfhhd ushubf uhsfrir nbfrrjr" is a New York City cab driver.

 

[meggaradioman]

Holland Cookes posts are in co hear ant. This is the person who gave us Dave Barber. And Barbra Hayes still has a job.. There's a sucker born every second..

 

[Holland Cooke]

"This is the person who gave us Dave Barber."

Unlikely-as-it-is that WPRO will ask my advice again, I PROMISE:
When I see their number in Caller ID, I won't answer!

I continue to suggest to his friends that Matt Allen deserves-better-than your-perpetuating-this-conversation.
But -- because you do -- and for those-just-tuning-in -- here we go again...

Not-to-talk-about-Matt-like-he's-not-in-the-room...but since you were nice enough to ask...here's the dish, a MUCH-misunderstood turn-of-events.

Matt's previous PD, David Bernstein, is a longtime pal of mine.
Several years ago, I congratulated David on FINDING young talent.
Face it, radio's farm team has gone-to-hell since the 1996 Telecom Act.
Consolidation, automation, and syndication have scared-away lots of folks Matt's age.
There are just fewer entry level jobs now.

Fast-forward to about-two-years-ago..

There I was, at the Minneapolis airport, connecting to-or-from I-forget-where, yet-another radio consulting road trip. When my phone rang. MY phone rang. I didn't dial-out.

David told me "Steve Kass is leaving. Any suggestions?"

The rest, as The Providence Journal reported, is history.

In addition to David-and-I going-back, I knew station manager Barbara Haynes.
She and I worked together at WSNE 82-84.

I recommended Dave Barber to WPRO...TWICE.
By the time WPRO hired him, they'd changed PDs.
And all-the-while, Matt kept-on-keeping-on.

Having been on-air as long as I was, I know how being an interim host as long as Matt was can be unsettling. But, to his credit, Matt (as consultants say) "made the show his very own."

Clearly, the-passion-of his-fans-who-post-here speaks volumes.
In some cases, "passion" is the polite word.

But, MY phone rang, that morning in The Twin Cities.
I didn't dial-out.
Honest.

Dave Barber and I had worked together at a station in Michigan which I consulted.
NOBODY I've ever coached runs my playbook better.

I have used aircheck you will hear at http://hollandcooke.com/WPRO-DaveBarber.wma as a coaching tool at lots of client stations (including one in NYNY). And they always howl.

And they always note the caller who says "Hello Dave. It's Dave, right?"

And they always say "Hmmm!" when I point out WHY the caller asked, [because that show was Dave's on-air audition, the show that got him hired].

WPRO was my third on-air job.
I moved 5 times for radio.
It's an occupational hazard.
A couple of those moves were because I didn't get the job I wanted at-the-station-I-was-at.
Including when I left WPRO, in 1980, after they passed me over for PD...twice.
"We need someone with more experience," they told me.

So I went somewhere else and got the experience.
Nobody could make that decision for me.

Supportive posts here suggest Matt could go to WHJJ.
I'll go ya one better...

I always wince when I hear the term, but it's handy, so I'll use it here:
I could hear Matt do what's been called "FM Talk."
A station that talks to people-younger-than-the-people-local-AMs-talk-to, y'know?
I don't know that there are any of those stations here.
But I know of stations elsewhere that would KILL to find The Next New Voice.

And -- having had to confront the decision to leave a station as special as WPRO will always be, to ANY of us who've worked there -- I wouldn't presume to recommend what Matt should do.

But I do concur with David Bernstein's ear, his vision.
And with what Dave Barber said on his first show, acknowledging Matt's extended interim stint:
"His future in this business is bright."

If this were a legal proceeding, we could subpoena my Verizon Wireless call log, to prove that those were INCOMING calls.

To those who've read (or not) all-of-this several times, thank you, on behalf of those who haven't, for your patience.
'Sure seems like "a re-run" to me.

As I've also offered here several times: At some point, this "poor Matt" stuff embarasses Matt.
He seems to be a smart guy.
He'll do what's right for him.
To my ear, he sure has options.

'Seems unseemly for us to use what-the-timeline-above demonstrates-to-be nearly-two-year-old-events to keep casting Matt as a victim. Life is full of choices, and Matt is making his. His fans would be fairer to him by letting him do so without yet-more prodding here, however well-intended.

People-who-hire-people-who-do-what-Matt-does do two things:
1. listen-in to markets like Providence, looking for talent; and
2. read other markets' radio-info boards, to learn more about voices-they've-heard.

Matt's friends wouldn't want THOSE PEOPLE, potential Matt mentors, to infer that he has settled for role of understudy.

As related, for the umpteenth time, above, one of the things I do for stations is recommend talent.
Networking.

Those on-the-network have an expresssion: "probably no longer portable."
Meaning, he/she-has-been-somewhere-long-enough-that-he/she-probably-isn't-worth-inviting-to-move.
Friends wouldn't want to cast Matt that way.

I didn't find myself in Rhode Island by the happy accident of birth.
I CHOSE to live in The Ocean State...three times.
Nobody has to tell ME why-someone-would-want-to-stay-here.
I only left (twice) for a better work opportunity, when limited local opportunities were a cul-de-sac.
And I chose not-to-leave lots-of-times.

Arguably, Matt will have more choices without the spotlight here.

But none of this matters!
APPLAUSE to both "Joint" and "Chinese" for entertaining us here these last few months.
You're both very clever, and everyone here has had a chance to blow-off some steam, which is healthy.
(Although I think that some of the personal attacks on other people are out-of-bounds.)

But it's all a sideshow, a diversion.
As I offered elsewhere here:

THIS WEB SITE IS A USEFUL TOOL, a "virtual conversation" that replaces the actual conversation, the shop talk, that used to occur when there were more-people-around, at stations and conventions, to-talk-shop-with.

Even the anonymity is useful.
Sure, anonymity enables the snipes that can clog the conversation here.
But filter-out the drek, and this is STILL a useful forum.

Less-so on this Providence board, where the conversation tends to clog more than other markets' boards you can peruse here. And the format-specific boards (i.e., News/Talk, etc.) tend to be more-light-than-heat too. But even here, the graffiti is just graffiti.

Observation: People-who-populate Internet media tend to snipe-at-each-other-less. In that-medium-that-is chipping-away-at radio listening, and leapfrogging radio's revenue growth, the conversation is lots more collegial. Much of the anger you read here is an expression of radio's iffy status quo.

The energy/mojo/vibe among bloggers-and-podcasters is EXCITING. Explosive growth in that arena, and being-able-to-do-what-you-want-without-corporate-suits'-permission, and show-the-whole-world, at-little-or-no-expese, makes for a more welcoming and sharing culture.

See-and-hear for yourself, at this HIGHLY-recommended event: http://newmediaexpo.com (as if you needed an excuse to go to Vegas).


HC
http://hollandcooke.com/08June.pdf

For-the-record: I don't make a dime if you register for that convention. And if you do, you'll probably see me LOSE a dime at the tables. But check it out. You will emerge newly enabled...to do YOUR thing here online, while radio's blah blah blah, and the conversation here online, drone on. If you find that drone more-coherent-than what-I-say-above, God bless.

 

[alfieradioguy]

I'm sorry.. What was that you said HOLLAND? I was letting the dog out.. : :

 

[Holland Cooke]

RE "What was that you said?"

I was letting the dog out.

WHO let the dogs out?

While-you-were-doing-THAT, I spent a couple TORTUROUS hours getting-the-dang dinghy outboard to start.
After one impromptu carburetor disassembly-cleaning-reassembly -- ON THE BEACH, mind you -- we eventually got 'er fired-up.

Common-ground:
Best dog if you're a boater?
SMALL dog...IF-you-know-what-I-mean...

Most-enduringly-warm sight you see where boaters gather, DOGS-in-dinghies.
That hood-ornament pose they strike in the bow is adorable.
And you KNOW they're lovin' it even more than "ride in car."
It's gotta be an olfactory treat.

Ahoy from The Great Salt Pond,
HC
www.BlockIsland.TV
www.MyRI.TV

 

[uncleDJ]

Holland Cooke, you've got to be named the Providence market 'historian'...the treasures you manage to float to the surface from the pond of your mind are longtime cherished memories...my 100 year old Aunt Nella, a 7th Day Adventist, would be proud of your collection of all things RI radio...

...and yes, Rocky Point did get the heart pounding harder just going through the gate. Unfortunately any running I did there was to the bathroom for another reason: found out later in life I was allergic to shellfish. Sorry, shore dinner hall enthusiasts.

-Bill Alley

 

[Holland Cooke]

RE "longtime cherished memories..."

...found out later in life I was allergic to shellfish.

That Shore Dinner Hall was a classic.

And speaking-of-classics: Isn't it GREAT to hear the-songs-you-hear-on AM790 on AM radio again?

Those titles were later RE-MIXED for CD; but were originally mixed to-be-pushed-out an AM radio speaker.
You can hear the producers' craft, favoring midrange, and layering-tracks-together for monophonic consumption.

Brian Wilson, now solo-touring, was deaf-in-one-ear back when the Beach Boys classics were created.
What HE heard as he twirled-the-knobs mastering those timeless faves was "AM radio."

Since AM790 emanates from 1502 Wampanoag Trail, it'd be cool if Engineering could re-enact WPRO's mid-70s "secret sauce" audio chain, the result of endless tweaking by PD Jay Clark, constantly testing-the-patience of Chief Engineer Eddie "The Godfather of Rock" Policastri:

1. just-enough-reverb-that-it's-not-flat,
2. old-tech Audimax + Volumax, and
3. GENTLE EQ (the graph was like-the-curve-of-a-skinny-chick's-hip).

The DJ mic first went through a Kepex/Gain-Brain path...but that's when there was a local DJ...

 

[Skynet74]

I remember the days when WPRO had that echo. But honestly... it was a bit to much. On many days it sounded like they were broadcasting from a tunnel. A little echo is fine. But some days it was just complete overkill.

 

[Holland Cooke]

80s?

I remember the days when WPRO had that echo. But honestly... it was a bit to much. On many days it sounded like they were broadcasting from a tunnel. A little echo is fine. But some days it was just complete overkill.

I'm thinkin' that the-level-of-echo to-which-you-refer was early-80s, when Gary Berkowitz had returned as AM/FM PD?
Or are you referring to WPRO-FM, whose reverb was always higher than AM's?

In '77 (and earlier) is was much more subtle: http://members.aol.com/cookeh/WPRO77.wax

 

[Skynet74]

I listened to your sample from '77. That echo is fine. The one I remember from the 80's was much worse. Yes the FM side had it bad too. I've probably got tape of it here someplace.

 

[Holland Cooke]

"Crisp" but not "shrill."

In the 70s, when AM still ruled, the-name-of-the-game was LOUDNESS. FMs eventually followed the trend, sacrificing dynamic range and clarity for a more "juiced" sound, and Berko had "FM! WPRO-FM!" pretty cranked-up.

AM's sweet spot is mid-range, so "squishing" audio with severe processing wasn't sacrificing much on the low and high-end.

And, per my earlier post above, what's-cool-about hearing-these-oldies-on-AM790 is hearing how-it-all-comes-together in-the-middle. Record producers played-to AM's strengths-and-weaknesses, so their songs seemed to pop-out-of-the-radio. Yesterday, I heard 790 play "Groovin'" by The Rascals, and you could really hear that conga that Felix banged-on. And the vocal harmony sounded real sweet.

In its heyday, WGNG was wayyyyyyyy over-modulated, but they made-the-most-of their 1KW, and made it sound bigger-than-it-was.

WJAR (now WHJJ) seemed to be processing at-several-points along-the-audio-conveyor-belt. For starters, their jocks talked-into Neumann mics (THE best, very flattering), and processed 'em before-the-board. And their songs sounded like they went-on-cart already-compressed, then the whole mix got processed again. At Pro, we put songs onto the cart flat, straight-from-vinyl...with few exceptions. I remember carefully EQ-ing Springsteen's "Born To Run," so it was easier to understand the lyrics. You could hear him say "WENDY" better.

When JB-105 launched, they were flat-as-a-board. 'Sounded like doing-a-show-on-your-home-stereo.

WPRO PD Jay Clark REALLY fussed over our chain...but he was careful to stop-short-of fatigue-inducing compression that was then en vogue. Thus that HINT-of-reverb you could barely hear in the clip I posted. I had a '73 Chevy Vega, with the Delco radio that came in LOTS of GM cars. We'd cruise Wampanoag Trail...listen...go back to the station and make agonizingly-SLIGHT adjustments...then cruise more. Our Chief' chose to be more-amused-than-vexed. He'd just laugh, and shake his head.

One morning, when Gary DeGraide was filling-in for vacationing Salty, he played Sammi Smith's "Help Me Make It Through The Night." Jay had him play-it-AGAIN in his final hour, so he could listen for any difference in that prominent bass note in the intro...before-and-after an adjustment. It was a Tuesday, and I remember that because Tuesday was music day (when all the record guys came). I was the Music Director, so the record guys didn't gobble-up Jay's whole day. So, every Tuesday, after doing my 7-midnight shift the night before, I'd be in at 9AM to start phoning record stores, etc. When I walked in at 9, Jay said "Let's go!" (to me) and he leaned into the studio and told Gary to play the Sammi Smith song again "in 5 minutes." And we ran to the Vega.

When I first started at WPRO in 1974, I was working full-time @ WSPR/Springfield, and weekends at WPRO...lots of miles on the Vega. 'SPR's audio was VERY "de-caffeinated." I did afternoons there; and my PD -- a GREAT coach -- once told me "I like you on afternoons, because you really cut-through the road noise." I THINK he meant that as a compliment.

And I'll never forget the-first-time-I-heard-myself through WPRO's audio chain.
The voice I heard sounded GREAT...and hauntingly familiar.
About two-sentences-in, I realized it was me.

All the sweetening we did wasn't to make you sound DIFFERENT.
It was to keep-the-process from-MAKING-you-sound-different.

 

[Skynet74]

Hey did you ever listen to WNBC's Time Machine? Overnights in the late 80's they would put that echo effect on full throttle as they played blasts from the past.

 

[Holland Cooke]

OR was it that long, long-ago reverb?

JUST remembered something, from so-long-ago it was before-my-time @ WPRO.

They had an old car reverb.
Remember those?
It was an aftermarket audio add-on, a monophonic reverb you'd install in the trunk.
Pretty cool effect...and NOT subtle.
"Riders On The Storm" sounded GREAT when you cranked it up.

Tail-end-of-the-60s/early-70s, WPRO had one hooked-up on-air, but the effect was SO exaggerated, that it was only used to emphasize the on-hour ID slogan-of-the-moment, i.e., "THE STATION THAT REACHES THE BEACHES," or "WE THINK CLEAN" (when the station was handing out those green Pro Ecology Bumperstickers). It sounded too amateurish to process music on-air, but then-PD Al Herskovitz used it to "drill-in" whatever-the-station-was-up-to as on-hour ID copy.

It as "a Mason Street era" thang. By the time Al left, and Jay arrived, and the station moved out to the transmitter on The Trail, the new audio chain in the new studio included the Fairchild spring-box you'll hear in that clip...

 

[uncleDJ]

I have from an old 8-track recording part of a 1974 Pro-FM aircheck where the echo issue hits the wall hard:

Tony Orlando & Dawn - 'He Don't Love You (Like I Love You)' with the full blast echo...made the music sound so alive, but it was in overdrive then - drumbeats sounding like raindrops! I have always been hooked on stations that use some of that reverb to freshen the sound - especially for oldies or rock formats, it gives the sound a crispness like a snapped fresh carrot.

Yeah, PRO-FM actually did play Tony Orlando in the 70s...and I have the proof.
-Bill Alley

 

[Holland Cooke]

That's the actual sound of SPRINGS SNAPPING inside the reverb unit.

drumbeats sounding like raindrops!

When WPRO A/F first relocated from Mason Street to The Trail, AM's audio processing chain was in a small rack, underneath the console, sitting on the studio floor.

I found a-certain-spot in the room where, if you stomped on the floor, you'd bang the springs, and whatever was on-air would RING.

 

[uncleDJ]

I remember that rack from a visit there many moons ago with one of the jocks there...sooooo that's how it was done...

 

[Skynet74]

I remember that rack from a visit there many moons ago with one of the jocks there...sooooo that's how it was done...

In the mid 70's my Summer Camp visited Salty Brine in the studio and we all said hello on the air. I don't remember any racks. But I do believe they offered us Donuts.

 

[Holland Cooke]

"...and I did NOT authorize this message."

http://www.news3online.com/index.php?code=2aN2Xyq14q9W1EOi9150