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KJR AM - The Lights Are On, But No One's Home...
- Thread starter CorporateSuit
- Start date
If you could use dtmf to control the automation from the game itself if you are the ones originating right from the field that would solve many problems I have seen with unexpected breaks.
Oh, ok, so during a game when a break can be taken at ANY time and are not "scheduled" by time on a clock like say 1:20 or 2:35 tell me how that's easy to automate?
Also, how do you account for O.T.? what happens if a game in particular a basketball game goes into O.T. or double O.T.?
It's not like network programming that have hard breaks they must hit because most stations automate network programming where you know what you have for spot breaks and when so they can be hit.
PxP is completely different, also let's not forget about highlights too, when I worked at KJR one of the duties we had in addition to running the board for any PxP was to actively listen to the game so that we could get the best highlights and have them in prophet for both station archive purposes and for the update booth to have access to for the week.
If you want to go with just the canned highlights you can get off networks then fine but when you're dealing with sports fans, die hards, they want more and in fact a lot of sports fans will go to your site to download and listen to highlights which is an opportunity for sales to get an advertiser in front of those fans.
Paying a board op minimum wage at the least is not expensive and a board op. empowered to do more than just push buttons when it's time to go to break is a board op who will run a tight board for a game, make it sound seamless and will give the station the highlights it needs & wants for it's programming for the following week.
Also, how do you account for O.T.? what happens if a game in particular a basketball game goes into O.T. or double O.T.?
It's not like network programming that have hard breaks they must hit because most stations automate network programming where you know what you have for spot breaks and when so they can be hit.
PxP is completely different, also let's not forget about highlights too, when I worked at KJR one of the duties we had in addition to running the board for any PxP was to actively listen to the game so that we could get the best highlights and have them in prophet for both station archive purposes and for the update booth to have access to for the week.
If you want to go with just the canned highlights you can get off networks then fine but when you're dealing with sports fans, die hards, they want more and in fact a lot of sports fans will go to your site to download and listen to highlights which is an opportunity for sales to get an advertiser in front of those fans.
Paying a board op minimum wage at the least is not expensive and a board op. empowered to do more than just push buttons when it's time to go to break is a board op who will run a tight board for a game, make it sound seamless and will give the station the highlights it needs & wants for it's programming for the following week.
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
Pretty sure he meant by "timed" break the DURATION of the break ... not when it starts. In other words, have a collection of :15's :10's etc. that are fired when there is local cutaway.
Other sports providers are also set up for automation as well. Again... fixed number of breaks... fixed length breaks.
The compromise is that if you have overtime, you don't break away when you're done with the fixed number of breaks. One closure is required for the breaks, one closure for top of hour id, and one closure for "end of game" to adjust for real time and jump to appropriate place in the log.
The compromise is that if you have overtime, you don't break away when you're done with the fixed number of breaks. One closure is required for the breaks, one closure for top of hour id, and one closure for "end of game" to adjust for real time and jump to appropriate place in the log.
My understanding is that's essentially how TV automation is done these days. Different automation cues for nearly every kind of event ... like breaking news net cutaways, return to local, local "stopset" begin, rejoin net, etc.
With all that golly-gee capability ... I'm still amazed that the weather trigger KING-TV uses sounds like a 1964 TV remote with every event advance. "Looking at the <KER-CLUNK> Doppler we see <KER-CLUNK>....."
With all that golly-gee capability ... I'm still amazed that the weather trigger KING-TV uses sounds like a 1964 TV remote with every event advance. "Looking at the <KER-CLUNK> Doppler we see <KER-CLUNK>....."
You could bring your commercials with you to the game & do your own breaks, let your automation tape the news for playback after the game, or during half time if you can trigger that remotely, depending on the automation of course. Timers can start recorders for the news later
CorporateSuit said:
Softy in the past has had a national Saturday gig for Fox Sports Radio, as well as filling in for some of the national syndicated hosts on Fox sports radio. I am sure he has gotten a ton of offers from much larger sports radio stations
Mitch in the Morning was offered, and accepted the Fox Sports Radio National Morning show years back, but declined it because he wanted to stay and live in Seattle. (I'm sure he got a nice pay raise from that as well).
I would listen to Softy before I would listen to Petros and Matt Smith ANY day of the week, sure he gets a bit too much of the homer in him but part of me likes that in a sports talk host in particular a mid day host because those who listen during the mid day are like those who listen at night - die hards!
Mitch, I love listening to Mitch, I listened to Mitch when I lived out of market via the 'net.
I will admit that sometimes he goes way too long when the traffic music is played but he always does an entertaining show, and great interviews.
I also think Sandy is very underrated as well, he's a solid pro who compliments Mitch well.
Mitch, I love listening to Mitch, I listened to Mitch when I lived out of market via the 'net.
I will admit that sometimes he goes way too long when the traffic music is played but he always does an entertaining show, and great interviews.
I also think Sandy is very underrated as well, he's a solid pro who compliments Mitch well.
Superdeluxe said:
Minimum Wage board op alone at the station invites laziness, sleeping in the studio, unless you get a die hard fan of the sports you cover. DTMF tones can be generated by a cell phone, to command the DTMF decoder, have a normal phone line installed at the studio or maybe use a spare line temporarily for games, then the listeners won't hear the tones. You would want a DTMF decoder with a PIN # login so accidental calls to that line won't trip the automation to: Next event. Your automation manufacturer may have an add on for remote control if you don't have one.GenXRadio said:
If you are using a stereo remote for a game you are broadcasting in mono then you can use the extra channel to send the command tones to studio. I am speaking of 80's technology here your chief engineer can set up. There may be simpler options now, I have not built automation since then.
I find it interesting how many here have chimed in with how radio sports networks send some cue down the line requiring no studio operator, but how many actually do it? What about rain delays in baseball? What about extended injury timeout in the NFL? Again, this is one of the Seattle Radio Board group know better than what exists in reality.
Shocking to some, but Automation systems have progressed since the 80's.
No, Nobody uses the right audio channel for cue tones, subaudible tones a relic these days.
Now there are optically isolated relay closures on a separate dedicated channel, and they even include closures for rain delay in baseball, nascar etc. And yes, there is a corresponding closure for resumption of play/race etc. as well as end of game, local break, end of break, TOH ID, etc.
Fully automated sporting events are quite common even in the largest markets.
Since KJR AM just got a new networked audio system it makes sense that they would be trying get that working to its maximum efficiency.
No, Nobody uses the right audio channel for cue tones, subaudible tones a relic these days.
Now there are optically isolated relay closures on a separate dedicated channel, and they even include closures for rain delay in baseball, nascar etc. And yes, there is a corresponding closure for resumption of play/race etc. as well as end of game, local break, end of break, TOH ID, etc.
Fully automated sporting events are quite common even in the largest markets.
Since KJR AM just got a new networked audio system it makes sense that they would be trying get that working to its maximum efficiency.
You can just log into the automation computer over the internet then and control everything right there at the game, no need for relays as it would all be on the hard drive, you would just have to be your own board op to save $ Remember PC anywhere?notalent said:
So why would one shell out all that money on a networked automation system if they still got to pay someone to run the board? The complaint is dead air on KJR, and I am just kicking some ideas around, you need to share your tricks this is an open forum after all.notalent said:
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
No doubt more automation and less people equal more $$$ Web based automation is out there at every scale from small the small Webcaster to full blown broadcast operations...
Cheap, Efficient, and doesn't ask for vacation days or a raise....
In my experience in the broadcasting industry, I have manually been a radio station board op and master control operator for many professional and college sports. My very first job in radio was running Denver Bronco Football games on a phone line at 15-years old. From there, I've ran on both radio and television for Idaho Vandal Football and Basketball games. I've been the satellite repeater for games, I've been the originator of network broadcasts on the television side from Idaho Public TV's Network operations center that feeds 3 regions and 5 TV stations in the state of Idaho. I've also ran Mariners Network games and Pre-Season Seahawk games as a repeater for a Boise TV station, usually taking a dirty feed from KING5. An operator and his format sheet..That's it!
No where in that line of being behind the board and controls of those broadcasts did I experience any automation until running ESPN and ESPN+ game feeds. The DTMF tones are tuned to certain frequencies that are supposed to run select elements when a tone is cued down the audio sub-channel. I've programmed two different automation systems in the past to run LIVE events yet the management I worked for in Boise wasn't confident in the automation system to get the job done properly. Even when a different person tried to accomplish the same goal of automating a live sporting event, it just ended up sounding like garbage.
Nothing beats a real, LIVE person behind the board when it comes to running sporting events. Clear Channel trying to automate LIVE events shows you how much they actually respect the air product and image of their properties. In their eyes, games that are on the ESPN Feed are just filling up airtime until Monday.
No where in that line of being behind the board and controls of those broadcasts did I experience any automation until running ESPN and ESPN+ game feeds. The DTMF tones are tuned to certain frequencies that are supposed to run select elements when a tone is cued down the audio sub-channel. I've programmed two different automation systems in the past to run LIVE events yet the management I worked for in Boise wasn't confident in the automation system to get the job done properly. Even when a different person tried to accomplish the same goal of automating a live sporting event, it just ended up sounding like garbage.
Nothing beats a real, LIVE person behind the board when it comes to running sporting events. Clear Channel trying to automate LIVE events shows you how much they actually respect the air product and image of their properties. In their eyes, games that are on the ESPN Feed are just filling up airtime until Monday.
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