The state of radio is not all bad but there is so much opportunity to do better, especially if the “right” people are in place given limited hires/payroll. Voice tracking, while a reality today, needs to be done very well and not when listeners demand something more than a juke box. We so often hear less is more. Where I get frustrated is that radio doesn’t maximize its talent pool to include those with proven skills and understanding of the market. I’ll say more on this in just a bit.
When I look at AM drive, without question the Jacksonville Morning News on WOKV gets top honors. In my opinion, it is the best local program on Jacksonville radio – period. When I’m out and about weekday mornings I can literally set my watch to them knowing what is coming up next. They get great numbers because they earn them everyday. I often hear Tom Murphy doing traffic and in my humble opinion, he is under utilized. Again, with the less is more way of doing things, he could certainly wear many hats and be an asset to any radio station given his experiences.
The morning shows on WEJZ, WQIK and WGNE earn high marks as well. Interesting that what they all have in common is a team concept (multiple salaries). All these programs perform well because listeners apparently like the chemistry and the local appeal. I think it becomes obvious just how important morning shows are in attracting listeners and keeping them tuned to the station later in the day. At WGNE, Steve Sutton, Eden Kendell and Amadeus have a following and they apparently have what it takes to attract, retain and grow an audience. These guys have not been promoted big time as was the case with WQIK yet they are doing well. That deserves to be acknowledged. I can only imagine that some bean-counter is working on an analysis to reduce morning drive payroll. I hope it doesn’t happen for any of these programs but it wouldn't be the first time a bad decision is made where profit is the only consideration.
In early December as I was driving around listening to the holiday tunes on WEJZ, I heard “Matt” a number of times in midday. He was warm, friendly, engaging and his rapport and interaction with the listeners/callers was right on the money for that time of day. Even now, I recall a brilliant conversation with a caller where he was discussing the origin of one of the Christmas songs played. It was so interesting that I literally kept the radio on even when I reached my destination in the parking lot because I had to hear the outcome. This is radio at its best. Pardon the sarcasm here but I wonder if management was out of town that day. It seems they don’t go much for this type radio but it worked beautifully and apparently the professional Matt is pulled it off. At any rate, this is just a fiine example of good radio. It saddens me to see middays not treated as the important daypart it really is. The automation and dull voice tracking or what sounds like voice tracking is a turn-off.
Speaking of voice tracking, I get the feeling hardly anyone is on live in PM drive? Could this be possible? What the heck is going on here? When people are getting off work, they are looking for an upbeat program and someone to give them the info they need in the drive home. I don’t listen much to FM music anymore and now I can understand why. Dull for the most part. I’m sure there are exceptions but overall programming needs to better reflect the time of day and my goodness, let the talent speak up a bit more (and be live) as people need to know what is going on when they are heading home in the afternoon/early evening.
Finally, I'd like to share this with all of you. The other day, I finally got the opportunity to meet a guy I have had tremendous respect for over the years – Pat Garrett. While private conversations should be just that, I’d like to share one thing I learned to make a point. I wanted to understand some of the tricks of voice tracking and I was curious how he was able to broadcast hourly temperature readings on his weekend v/t show. It turns out that when Pat was in town, he voice tracked just a few hours before air time meaning he came in on the weekend. He checked with the weather channel hourly observations to be as accurate as possible. This says a lot, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m old-fashioned but caring that much about the listener and ensuring your station’s credibility isn’t compromised is worth a lot to me and it should be for virtually every station as well - especially in lean times.
There are others like Pat and I hope they can eventually find their way back to radio. Yes, we are working with less is more and there are still some bright spots in Jax radio. There are a lot of dedicated professionals on the air but we need more of them if radio is to survive. If I were running a station and there were only 3 talent salaries, I’d want to make sure there was no one on just going through the motions. No one can afford that and it's a disservice to those who have earned their place. I don't profess to be a know-it-all, I just think it makes good business sense that your radio team be dedicated, understand the market, have talent and have a winning track record. This can make a positive difference even with limited resources. Think about it!
When I look at AM drive, without question the Jacksonville Morning News on WOKV gets top honors. In my opinion, it is the best local program on Jacksonville radio – period. When I’m out and about weekday mornings I can literally set my watch to them knowing what is coming up next. They get great numbers because they earn them everyday. I often hear Tom Murphy doing traffic and in my humble opinion, he is under utilized. Again, with the less is more way of doing things, he could certainly wear many hats and be an asset to any radio station given his experiences.
The morning shows on WEJZ, WQIK and WGNE earn high marks as well. Interesting that what they all have in common is a team concept (multiple salaries). All these programs perform well because listeners apparently like the chemistry and the local appeal. I think it becomes obvious just how important morning shows are in attracting listeners and keeping them tuned to the station later in the day. At WGNE, Steve Sutton, Eden Kendell and Amadeus have a following and they apparently have what it takes to attract, retain and grow an audience. These guys have not been promoted big time as was the case with WQIK yet they are doing well. That deserves to be acknowledged. I can only imagine that some bean-counter is working on an analysis to reduce morning drive payroll. I hope it doesn’t happen for any of these programs but it wouldn't be the first time a bad decision is made where profit is the only consideration.
In early December as I was driving around listening to the holiday tunes on WEJZ, I heard “Matt” a number of times in midday. He was warm, friendly, engaging and his rapport and interaction with the listeners/callers was right on the money for that time of day. Even now, I recall a brilliant conversation with a caller where he was discussing the origin of one of the Christmas songs played. It was so interesting that I literally kept the radio on even when I reached my destination in the parking lot because I had to hear the outcome. This is radio at its best. Pardon the sarcasm here but I wonder if management was out of town that day. It seems they don’t go much for this type radio but it worked beautifully and apparently the professional Matt is pulled it off. At any rate, this is just a fiine example of good radio. It saddens me to see middays not treated as the important daypart it really is. The automation and dull voice tracking or what sounds like voice tracking is a turn-off.
Speaking of voice tracking, I get the feeling hardly anyone is on live in PM drive? Could this be possible? What the heck is going on here? When people are getting off work, they are looking for an upbeat program and someone to give them the info they need in the drive home. I don’t listen much to FM music anymore and now I can understand why. Dull for the most part. I’m sure there are exceptions but overall programming needs to better reflect the time of day and my goodness, let the talent speak up a bit more (and be live) as people need to know what is going on when they are heading home in the afternoon/early evening.
Finally, I'd like to share this with all of you. The other day, I finally got the opportunity to meet a guy I have had tremendous respect for over the years – Pat Garrett. While private conversations should be just that, I’d like to share one thing I learned to make a point. I wanted to understand some of the tricks of voice tracking and I was curious how he was able to broadcast hourly temperature readings on his weekend v/t show. It turns out that when Pat was in town, he voice tracked just a few hours before air time meaning he came in on the weekend. He checked with the weather channel hourly observations to be as accurate as possible. This says a lot, doesn’t it? Maybe I’m old-fashioned but caring that much about the listener and ensuring your station’s credibility isn’t compromised is worth a lot to me and it should be for virtually every station as well - especially in lean times.
There are others like Pat and I hope they can eventually find their way back to radio. Yes, we are working with less is more and there are still some bright spots in Jax radio. There are a lot of dedicated professionals on the air but we need more of them if radio is to survive. If I were running a station and there were only 3 talent salaries, I’d want to make sure there was no one on just going through the motions. No one can afford that and it's a disservice to those who have earned their place. I don't profess to be a know-it-all, I just think it makes good business sense that your radio team be dedicated, understand the market, have talent and have a winning track record. This can make a positive difference even with limited resources. Think about it!
