Live Callers on Local Radio Stations - Music vs. Listener Call in

[nmoore6676]

Sorry, RF, but, I must respond to this hijacking......

The listeners seem to love the music the PD is playing.

The ratings sure don't reflect this?

I believe the ratings are not just suffering from the playlist, they are suffering for other reasons as stated in the KKGO ratings thread. The playlist is a tight one now, no room for requests or add ons etc. There is some redundant music being overplayed ie; Garth... and many other things that the listeners seem to be steering away from the station because of.

As to whether Shawn Parr would listen to suggestion or feedback and follow through with what Tonya Campos may want or suggest to him is something I believe ONLY Shawn knows for sure.

I was just informed on another thread here the KKGO is on the high end of the number of titles played weekly which from my listening I always thought. As for Garth there is a concert in January at the Staples Center which they are promoting. I would imagine that the Pond People and KHAY are doing likewise. They are likewise heavily promoting Dolly Parton for her new CD release in February.

I have made requests and they have been played so I am not sure how tight the playlist is. If they are trying to have some cohesive sound the fact that they dropped Dial Global programming and cut back Whitney Allen to Saturdays and are now mostly using local talent seems to mean that is where they are going. If they are smart they will note requests and add to the list accordingly.

I still do not know why people have such a dislike for Shawn Parr. If he is not the best morning person in the market he is definitely not the worst either. Being well liked by listeners didn't seem to do much for Charley Tuna nor to be getting Rick Dees to the top at Movin. If there are internal problems with management I'm sure that will be considered at contract renewal time.

 

[hillbillyRockstar]

I think there are some good reasons for airing callers.  I didn't really notice them being gone at first, but after a while I realized it.

The callers fit in with what radio needs to be:
- based on the music
- local DJs that give you quick, timely, local info
- local listeners calling in now and again

I don't really care to hear a caller from five states away saying how much they like some song.  I want to hear a caller from this area telling me how much fun the concert was last night.

The callers shouldn't be on all the time, but they shouldn't be off all the time either. 

I don't think they were removed because of one person. I initially thought they were removed because the station got more popular and more people were calling in--and the DJs couldn't handle answering their own phones anymore.

 

[kgoddess]

I listen (via streaming) to other stations at times, especially HighwayCountry.com, & they DO play live callers. I know from personal experience that the calls are edited before being aired.

I know KKGO's stated reason for not having live callers is so that they can play more music. However, I do think that playing contest winners & maybe on other caller per hour would give a more local feel.

I do know that even though the calls aren't currently on the air, most of the dj's do take calls, & enjoy talking to people.

 

[ceejay]

I listen (via streaming) to other stations at times, especially HighwayCountry.com, & they DO play live callers. I know from personal experience that the calls are edited before being aired.

I know KKGO's stated reason for not having live callers is so that they can play more music. However, I do think that playing contest winners & maybe on other caller per hour would give a more local feel.

I do know that even though the calls aren't currently on the air, most of the dj's do take calls, & enjoy talking to people.

That is very nice to know. however it is next to impossible to get through to Todd Baker!

 

[shirleyschmidt]

I agree with you about the contest winners, especially now that they have tickets to events that people really want. It was a bit contrived I thought when they had the callers on the air and all they got was a CD. My personal preference is for music with a little current info and traffic but I wouldn't tune out if they had some listeners on the air as well.

Maybe someone will notice and take note.

Though I might guess that excitement reached beyond just winning the CD and incorporated the excitement of being able to win a CD on a local Country Music station (after being apart of the KZLA flip and not having one). However, it can get a little annoying or contrived as you put it.

 

[shirleyschmidt]

And why do we care about this topic???? Please Mr. Levine... make these 10 people at countryboards happy and air their phone calls!!! Maybe then they'll stop complaining!!!! And maybe that rude air personality was rude because of these crazy listeners pestering him all morning.. or afternoon!!

I'm just sayin'!

Too Funny RecPlayer. Do you write for a comedy show? If not consider it.

Isn't their a formula, like if 1 person writes in then another 100 feel the same way? Just wondering and posing the question.

Why bother with a local station at all and why pay on-air talent at all? Why no tjust can some phrases and track a few song titles and keep using those over and over? It worked well for KZLA when they sent country music to streaming. Don't need rude DJs.

A DJ is the front line of a radio station, being rude is not in their contracts. Any talent for that matter needs to be very aware of what they are saying and to whom. Yes they are human, and if they can not handle listeners or fans, then calls need to be screened.

If I am not mistaken (and someone here can correct this) the DJ in question also referred to his listeners in a derogatory term on air (maybe a couple of times). Is that correct?

 

[shirleyschmidt]

And why do we care about this topic???? Please Mr. Levine... make these 10 people at countryboards happy and air their phone calls!!! Maybe then they'll stop complaining!!!! And maybe that rude air personality was rude because of these crazy listeners pestering him all morning.. or afternoon!!

I'm just sayin'!

I care about this topic because after reading countryboards.com it is apparent that there are listeners and fans, the same ones that fought for a country radio station that are unhappy with the current status of things at that station. Complaining is how those fans got country music back in Los Angeles and Orange County, and this seems to be something they are passionate about now on the boards... so I posted it here as a question to other people on these boards who are familiar with the industry and how things work at OTHER stations... do they answer the phones or have producers that actually answer the phone, do stations air clips of callers or just contest winners or are most stations like KKGO and don't play any of them.

Maybe the radio personality or personality that was rude should be replaced if that is the case as to why they took off live callers?
I am sure there are those that call into a radio station every hour of every shift every day, and that is an issue that the station must deal with, but the listeners are the one that keep the station going with ratings so to punish a full listener base by not picking up the phone, no longer taking requests or being rude isn't the answer either. I stated in an earlier post that "I think if it is not overdone and if they don't play the SAME callers over and over, keep the clips of the calls short etc it would be workable... "

These boards are filled with radio industry people that are familiar with the ins and outs of different markets and formats...I was looking for feedback as to the "norm" of how radio works in the LA market when it comes to callers, I was NOT looking for drama...AND... if you didn't care about this topic, there is a button that says "Mark Read" you can use it and move on to a topic that more suits your interest at any given time.

Rebafan, ever think that certain DJs do not have editing abilities because they never learned how to do that? Some can't push the right buttons to turn their mic on and off - rare but true. Unless a station brings in a person to assist them, they are incapable. I'm just saying its something to think about.

 

[shirleyschmidt]

To be successful Go Country needs...

The Right Music!
The Right Marketing!
The Right Morning Show!

The PD is playing the WRONG music!
The station can't afford what it takes to market in LA/OC!
The Morning show needs guidence!

It's a darn Shame!

I need to ask, does the host have ANY responsiblity for their own show?

As I know many DJs throughout the biz and executives of large broadcast companies that will all say that the host does indeed have many responsibilities for their show and prep is one of them. Since KKGO has little additional cash to throw around for such prep services, the hosts can do some on their own as MANY a DJ does. It is flat out obvious to many that the morning show at KKGO does not do that.

Not sure why someone who has been at her job a few months is being blamed for everything and the preceding PD who is still there and now operations over the new PD is not mentioned in your posts. Confusing to me. As many people have posted all over this site how much they like the music of KKGO, therefore Tonya and Mike are doing well.

Why is blame being laid every where else, but none to a DJ who has been in the biz for over 20 years? Is there any team work going on at KKGO?

 

[Rebafan]

And why do we care about this topic???? Please Mr. Levine... make these 10 people at countryboards happy and air their phone calls!!! Maybe then they'll stop complaining!!!! And maybe that rude air personality was rude because of these crazy listeners pestering him all morning.. or afternoon!!

I'm just sayin'!

A DJ is the front line of a radio station, being rude is not in their contracts. Any talent for that matter needs to be very aware of what they are saying and to whom. Yes they are human, and if they can not handle listeners or fans, then calls need to be screened.

If I am not mistaken (and someone here can correct this) the DJ in question also referred to his listeners in a derogatory term on air (maybe a couple of times). Is that correct?

I agree that a radio personality should not be rude in contact with the listeners, how do they not know that it is a representative of a record label or possible advertiser for the station?

In early February a radio personality said both on the air as well as via phone that the countryboard members whiners, telling people who speak with them to “quit whining” and to start talking about “540/1260 shows”,
A countryboards member talked about how she called the show and posted "he said we whine too much, be thankful for what we have. I assured him that we are, but some of my friends aren't getting to hear him at all, & that's what we are asking for." Another member of those boards was quoted as saying that the DJ Said "everybody on countryboards was whining way too much about the FM." The listener also stated the radio personality wasn't too nice about it either and He hung-up on them. All of this was prior to the announcement of the upcoming FM which was made at the end of February).

Rudeness, name calling etc is NOT something that makes someone want to listen to someones airshift....

 

[Rebafan]

Rebafan, ever think that certain DJs do not have editing abilities because they never learned how to do that? Some can't push the right buttons to turn their mic on and off - rare but true. Unless a station brings in a person to assist them, they are incapable. I'm just saying its something to think about.

IF someone who works in radio cannot figure out how to do their job, I am sure there are many people fresh out of getting a major in broadcasting or having gone to broadcasting school that would be willing to get in the radio game...

 

[recplayer]

Here's my reply to various posts........

Having been in the radio business for many years including right now, I can assure you that message board people ARE COMPLAINERS!!! I'm one of them... I know that..... That's why we have message boards....TO COMPLAIN!!!!! Notice 99% of the time when there is a compliment about something.... not very many people reply.. but boy if you complain about something.... LOOK OUT!!!!

I've dealt with many types of listeners / fans and what nots...... 99.9% are great, awesome and appreciative. But there's that .1% that most of us radio people believe are certifiably CRAZY, INSANE, or need to be committed!!! Nothing we do is right, like we never give out the contest number enough... even though we JUST GAVE IT OUT!!!! Or we never play their request, even though the song JUST PLAYED 15 MINUTES AGO!!! Oh and my favorite, the ones that call to correct a mistake!!!

Anyways... as a fellow complainer, I just want to say that I enjoy the fact that we have a place to come to vent our frustrations, and yes we can fight city hall!! But OH MY GOD enough with the live callers!!! I don't think there are any other stations in the country that get complaints for not airing live callers!!! Even the one I worked for for over 15 years!!!!!

I'm just sayin'!

 

[hillbillyRockstar]

Yeah, I agree with the complainer part.

I hope I'm not one of the complainers.

I'm also sayin'

 

[shirleyschmidt]

Well if you want something changed go to the advertisers. If you truly feel their is a lack of interest in what the listeners want and need, and it's not just venting (which chat sites are good for) then write the advertisers of the station and tell them what you want. Be respectful, and don't ask for unrealistic things.

 

[Rebafan]

Well if you want something changed go to the advertisers. If you truly feel their is a lack of interest in what the listeners want and need, and it's not just venting (which chat sites are good for) then write the advertisers of the station and tell them what you want. Be respectful, and don't ask for unrealistic things.

I like this idea.... if people turn away from the station, they can't hear the advertisements and realistically the advertisers would suffer because of it...

 

[cwfan]

There just aren’t enough people who care about live callers to warrant the station to sit up and take notice. The poll over on the KKGO boards shows 14 people voted that they wanted to hear callers on the air. Probably half of those votes came from the same person who has multiple screen names. Seven votes in favor of? Fourteen votes in favor of? Who knows? But either way it is an insignificant number. I hardly think these 7 or 14 people have the station and the advertisers running scared.

 

[shirleyschmidt]

A vote on a chat site that has maybe 20 posters means absolutely nothing at all. The error margin, statiscally speaking, is larger than the number of people voting.

I think it is interesting how some view chat sites and their memebers. The board in question is the board that rallied to bring country music back and was an outcry for an entire genre of music. Those "Complainers" you speak so little of had a passion for a family that was torn from them.

Adam Corolla fans have just created a message board for him which he is embracing. Why? Because anyone with any brains can tell you if handled right, a chat site can yield you a great deal of information that would cost you to seek out elsewhere. If moderated correctly, a board can be used on many levels and cost a station very little. If peoples concerns are addressed (not necessarily agreed too) then they know they have been heard and not ignored. That is all they are asking.

Again, this shows that radio is not grasping new technology. What a waste.

Now there is no Todd Baker.. (??)

 

[recplayer]

Here's a wakeup call..... The people at KKGO think the message boards are a joke! Especially because they're taking credit for getting country back.

Don't shoot the messenger! Just a reality check!

 

[ceejay]

Here's a wakeup call..... The people at KKGO think the message boards are a joke! Especially because they're taking credit for getting country back.

Don't shoot the messenger! Just a reality check!

LOL.... you're funny. If no one had said anything, do you by any stretch of the imagination think there would be a country station in LA? NO! ....... just a reality check.

You know, first hand, there were a lot of windbags, predicting no country station in LA. Maybe even some on these boards!

And now we find they have dismissed the DJ who was arguably the most popular air talent at KKGO. I'm not too sure I want to bother with a station steeped in such colossal stupidity.

It was always my notion, that super sized ego over there could never tolorate that kind of compitition...... I was right, again.

 

[kgoddess]

Here's a wakeup call..... The people at KKGO think the message boards are a joke! Especially because they're taking credit for getting country back.

Don't shoot the messenger! Just a reality check!

LOL.... you're funny. If no one had said anything, do you by any stretch of the imagination think there would be a country station in LA? NO! ....... just a reality check.

You know, first hand, there were a lot of windbags, predicting no country station in LA. Maybe even some on these boards!

And now we find they have dismissed the DJ who was arguably the most popular air talent at KKGO. I'm not too sure I want to bother with a station steeped in such colossal stupidity.

It was always my notion, that super sized ego over there could never tolorate that kind of competition...... I was right, again.

Ceejay, I believe you could be right about that super-sized ego; he has stabbed people in the back before. But in all the fuss, there is one part of the equation that we are forgetting...do you just think that its' possible that somebody offered Todd a better job & he decided to take it?

I'm still listening...& still posting...no longer really sure how I feel about the whole thing. Maybe I need a vacation.

 

[shirleyschmidt]

Here's a wakeup call..... The people at KKGO think the message boards are a joke! Especially because they're taking credit for getting country back.

Don't shoot the messenger! Just a reality check!

Let me correct that.... in my opinion the people at KKGO think their listeners are a joke as that is how they treat them. Funny though, a number of listeners think some talent is a joke.