More reasons why radio sucks

[DougD]

But sorry, I don't think radio sucks. And I don't think satellite will be the death of radio. At the way
sales of the receivers are declining, and with renewal subscription rates not knocking anybody socks off, one has to wonder how long the present business model for the satcasters will survive. I do think satellite radio is marketable. But there will be changes if things continue as they are.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this. The original posting on this thread was about the sh+++y attitude and actions radio's owners (ala CLEAR CHANNEL) treat their employees.

Pay them barely enough to live on. VT overnights so no newbies are brought in to learn the craft. Gut the newsroom to bare minumum.

Then kick their buts out of the door right before the holidays.

THAT reason should be enough to prove that radio sucks.

Jim Fisher from Cumulus has been brought in to oversee KLIF as APD.

Christmas is just around the corner and Cumulus LOVES to give itself early Christmas presents - in the form of lay-offs. The folks at the former Susquehanna stations better watch out - Christmas time lay-offs are Cumulus' m.o.

You read about this sh-- happening all over the place. What a bunch of heartless SOBs running radio.
[/quote]

Try getting severe weather information in certain areas of the country. There have been posts here and other places online about stations being automated at night and not fulfilling its public service commitments like weather warnings.

I once lived in a market where the major MAGIC-108 FM was running DELILAH at 7:00 pm while the city of its license was under a tornado warning. Not one mention of the problem. Oh, there was the canned recorded forecast from the TV weatherman but no information. Other stations, however, were running warnings as was TV.

Just ask the listeners. View the blogs. Do a search on clear channel and oldies. YOu will quickly learn how beloved radio's lousy taskmasters are.

Radio DOES suck because it treats its workers like dirt. Those actions are therefore evident in the lame programming.

 

[davideduardo]

Try getting severe weather information in certain areas of the country. There have been posts here and other places online about stations being automated at night and not fulfilling its public service commitments like weather warnings.

Ah, the power of an urban legend. This comment stems from one single incident, where the county and city officials in Minot were so badly trained they could not activate the EAS system at 2 AM in the morning when a train derailed. Of course, let's blame it on the stations who had working EAS systems ready to automatically broadcast the notice... and not the fools who did not know how to make it happen in city government.

And, in any case, in that market maybe 200 persons might be listening to radio at 2 AM. They could have broadcast the notice over and over for 3 hours and nearly nobody would know.

Back in the 60's, most stations signed off at midnight or before... so you are asking for a "return" to service that did not exist.

 

[DougD]

Try getting severe weather information in certain areas of the country. There have been posts here and other places online about stations being automated at night and not fulfilling its public service commitments like weather warnings.

Ah, the power of an urban legend. This comment stems from one single incident, where the county and city officials in Minot were so badly trained they could not activate the EAS system at 2 AM in the morning when a train derailed. Of course, let's blame it on the stations who had working EAS systems ready to automatically broadcast the notice... and not the fools who did not know how to make it happen in city government.

And, in any case, in that market maybe 200 persons might be listening to radio at 2 AM. They could have broadcast the notice over and over for 3 hours and nearly nobody would know.

Back in the 60's, most stations signed off at midnight or before... so you are asking for a "return" to service that did not exist.

I wasn't talking about Minot, ND. My incident wasn't an urban legend. I emailed the PD who I knew and she apologized profusely. The "intern" they had working wasn't paying attention, had left the building early, yada yada yada. This was at 7 p.m. on a weeknight.

I once lived in a market where the major MAGIC-108 FM was running DELILAH at 7:00 pm while the city of its license was under a tornado warning. Not one mention of the problem. Oh, there was the canned recorded forecast from the TV weatherman but no information. Other stations, however, were running warnings as was TV..

This wasn't a major market but it wasn't tiny either. Had several other FMs and AMs. No excuse for what happened that night.

 

[davideduardo]

I wasn't talking about Minot, ND. My incident wasn't an urban legend. I emailed the PD who I knew and she apologized profusely. The "intern" they had working wasn't paying attention, had left the building early, yada yada yada. This was at 7 p.m. on a weeknight.

Then I appologize for jumping to a conclusion. But your example is even worse. Human error exists in every field of endeavor. Surgeons leave scalpels in patients, etc., etc. The whole reason for the EAS is to make sure staitons run emergency bulletins. If there was a storm warning or tornado alert, why was there no EAS alert?

I once lived in a market where the major MAGIC-108 FM was running DELILAH at 7:00 pm while the city of its license was under a tornado warning. Not one mention of the problem. Oh, there was the canned recorded forecast from the TV weatherman but no information. Other stations, however, were running warnings as was TV..

This wasn't a major market but it wasn't tiny either. Had several other FMs and AMs. No excuse for what happened that night.
[/quote]

Again, the EAS is suposed to take care of this. Jocks talk on the phone, troll for girlfrineds, chat with their friends, browse the internet... EAS is the way to get alerts to listeners of every station.

 

[radiofriend1]

But sorry, I don't think radio sucks. And I don't think satellite will be the death of radio. At the way
sales of the receivers are declining, and with renewal subscription rates not knocking anybody socks off, one has to wonder how long the present business model for the satcasters will survive. I do think satellite radio is marketable. But there will be changes if things continue as they are.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with this. The original posting on this thread was about the sh+++y attitude and actions radio's owners (ala CLEAR CHANNEL) treat their employees.

Pay them barely enough to live on. VT overnights so no newbies are brought in to learn the craft. Gut the newsroom to bare minumum.

Then kick their buts out of the door right before the holidays.

THAT reason should be enough to prove that radio sucks.

Jim Fisher from Cumulus has been brought in to oversee KLIF as APD.

Christmas is just around the corner and Cumulus LOVES to give itself early Christmas presents - in the form of lay-offs. The folks at the former Susquehanna stations better watch out - Christmas time lay-offs are Cumulus' m.o.

You read about this sh-- happening all over the place. What a bunch of heartless SOBs running radio.

Try getting severe weather information in certain areas of the country. There have been posts here and other places online about stations being automated at night and not fulfilling its public service commitments like weather warnings.

I once lived in a market where the major MAGIC-108 FM was running DELILAH at 7:00 pm while the city of its license was under a tornado warning. Not one mention of the problem. Oh, there was the canned recorded forecast from the TV weatherman but no information. Other stations, however, were running warnings as was TV.

Just ask the listeners. View the blogs. Do a search on clear channel and oldies. YOu will quickly learn how beloved radio's lousy taskmasters are.

Radio DOES suck because it treats its workers like dirt. Those actions are therefore evident in the lame programming.
[/quote]

well then pls. save us the tears AND GET OUT.

 

[DougD]

well then pls. save us the tears AND GET OUT.

I'm not in radio now, though I did work in the field as a news director.

I guess we know you're on the side of keeping the status quo. Gee, it's working so well for your other colleagues.

 

[radiofriend1]

well then pls. save us the tears AND GET OUT.

I'm not in radio now, though I did work in the field as a news director.

I guess we know you're on the side of keeping the status quo. Gee, it's working so well for your other colleagues.

what *staus quo* are u talking about???????????

 

[gr8oldies]

Of course the assumption is that before Clear Channel came along, radio stations didn't fire people or pay crap wages. C'mon giys, you know better than that.

 

[DougD]

No problem, Dave. I regret generalizing about the whole industry based on one event.
It was just a point I used in my overall statement. Obviously, I don't like the state of the industry - from a workers' or a listeners' perspective.

I also apologize for getting too graphic in my language earlier.

I wasn't talking about Minot, ND. My incident wasn't an urban legend. I emailed the PD who I knew and she apologized profusely. The "intern" they had working wasn't paying attention, had left the building early, yada yada yada. This was at 7 p.m. on a weeknight.

Then I appologize for jumping to a conclusion. But your example is even worse. Human error exists in every field of endeavor. Surgeons leave scalpels in patients, etc., etc. The whole reason for the EAS is to make sure staitons run emergency bulletins. If there was a storm warning or tornado alert, why was there no EAS alert?

I once lived in a market where the major MAGIC-108 FM was running DELILAH at 7:00 pm while the city of its license was under a tornado warning. Not one mention of the problem. Oh, there was the canned recorded forecast from the TV weatherman but no information. Other stations, however, were running warnings as was TV..

This wasn't a major market but it wasn't tiny either. Had several other FMs and AMs. No excuse for what happened that night.

 

[DougD]

Of course the assumption is that before Clear Channel came along, radio stations didn't fire people or pay crap wages. C'mon giys, you know better than that.

Nope but it sure has been happening much more intensively and with more frequency than in the past, many believe.

It's not just CC but Cumulus, Susquehanna, et. al.

It's all the same. Same ownership across the board. Same boring formats. Lifeless jocks.

This consolidation, while supposedly it would help produce better formats, has actually constricted listeners options.

One market I'm familiar with had a very popular heritage AM standards-oldies station. The owners finally gave in and sold it to a chain that quickly shut the format down and instituted bland right-wing talk radio. Wow. That was really different from what was offered on other stations. Right.

Interesting how the owners in a news story said they couldn't compete with the big chains that offer discounts for multiple buys on their MANY stations.

So the CC's, Susqs, Cums, etc., are "dumping" and pricing many smaller competitors out of the market.

As earlier posted, they VT overnights, thus barring development of new talent. They pay talent bare minimum. One jock quits one station and moves to another market. Guess what? That station has him VT for the station he left.
Is this crazy or what?

You tell me how THAT's helpful to broadcasting.

 

[gr8oldies]

This voice tracking isn't new, hundreds and hundreds of stations in the 60s and 70s purchased full-time syndicated programming from companies like Drake-Chenault or TM Productions. Just a generic announcer on tape bckselling song titles, sounding exactly the same from coast to coast. No, Mom and Pop didn't pay big bucks to overnight jocks, and for the most part couldn't afford benefits (exceptions would have been stations owned by large corporations that did something else for a living..examples being Nationwide Insurance, Avco Financial and RKO General).

 

[DougD]

This voice tracking isn't new, hundreds and hundreds of stations in the 60s and 70s purchased full-time syndicated programming from companies like Drake-Chenault or TM Productions. Just a generic announcer on tape bckselling song titles, sounding exactly the same from coast to coast. No, Mom and Pop didn't pay big bucks to overnight jocks, and for the most part couldn't afford benefits (exceptions would have been stations owned by large corporations that did something else for a living..examples being Nationwide Insurance, Avco Financial and RKO General).

But at least the jobs gave some a start in this business.
Though many stations were automated using reels, they often had a full-service sister station who DID employ real people.

I can't understand how those working in the god-awful business these days have become such big apologists for this mediocrity.

 

[DougD]

As earlier posted, they VT overnights, thus barring development of new talent. They pay talent bare minimum. One jock quits one station and moves to another market. Guess what? That station has him VT for the station he left.
Is this crazy or what?

You tell me how THAT's helpful to broadcasting.

I'm surprised no one has responded to this post.
Okay. Defend it all you want.

Pretty soon your announcer jobs will be out of a low-wage country. Laugh all the way to the unemployment line and keep sniveling at those who point out the obvious shortcomings with this very short-sighted industry.

"We can skip out on school, won't that be cool. Why go to hear the wisdom of fools..."

 

[lash]

Good posts Doug! Glad to see there are some other believers on this forum. There's a few guys who are either A) Corporate radio ass kissers B) Have lost their programming touch C) Completely hooked on satt. radio or D) all the above

I jocked at two stations in the 80's that used reel to reel programming services. These stations felt they were better than carts at the time. They were wrong. Darn things wouldn't stop, cue up etc. You'd press the remote play button and they would fast forward about half the time. It was trying, yet funny.

I'm really proud to say that I have three live and local dayparts with three talented jocks, one of which worked during the hey day of AM Top 40 in Buffalo and New Orleans. And for our night shift, we are going to use it for a training ground for young talent after January 1st.

Its how most of us broke into the business. Let me try to make one point.

I just said three live dayparts. This particular station is in a town of 3,000 people.

And you mean to tell me that CC, Entercom, Saga, Citadel etc. etc. can't put live talent on their AM stations in markets billing TEN times what we bill each month?

What a greedy load of crap!

 

[radiofriend1]

Good posts Doug! Glad to see there are some other believers on this forum. There's a few guys who are either A) Corporate radio ass kissers B) Have lost their programming touch C) Completely hooked on satt. radio or D) all the above

I jocked at two stations in the 80's that used reel to reel programming services. These stations felt they were better than carts at the time. They were wrong. Darn things wouldn't stop, cue up etc. You'd press the remote play button and they would fast forward about half the time. It was trying, yet funny.

I'm really proud to say that I have three live and local dayparts with three talented jocks, one of which worked during the hey day of AM Top 40 in Buffalo and New Orleans. And for our night shift, we are going to use it for a training ground for young talent after January 1st.

Its how most of us broke into the business. Let me try to make one point.

I just said three live dayparts. This particular station is in a town of 3,000 people.

And you mean to tell me that CC, Entercom, Saga, Citadel etc. etc. can't put live talent on their AM stations in markets billing TEN times what we bill each month?

What a greedy load of crap!

yeah in a town of 3k U can probably afford to do it. in atlanta or pittsburgh or denver U'd go broke unless U have a bunch of rookies or long-time veterans at the end of the line

 

[DougD]

Good posts Doug! Glad to see there are some other believers on this forum. There's a few guys who are either A) Corporate radio ass kissers B) Have lost their programming touch C) Completely hooked on satt. radio or D) all the above

I jocked at two stations in the 80's that used reel to reel programming services. These stations felt they were better than carts at the time. They were wrong. Darn things wouldn't stop, cue up etc. You'd press the remote play button and they would fast forward about half the time. It was trying, yet funny.

I'm really proud to say that I have three live and local dayparts with three talented jocks, one of which worked during the hey day of AM Top 40 in Buffalo and New Orleans. And for our night shift, we are going to use it for a training ground for young talent after January 1st.

Its how most of us broke into the business. Let me try to make one point.

I just said three live dayparts. This particular station is in a town of 3,000 people.

And you mean to tell me that CC, Entercom, Saga, Citadel etc. etc. can't put live talent on their AM stations in markets billing TEN times what we bill each month?

What a greedy load of crap!

yeah in a town of 3k U can probably afford to do it. in atlanta or pittsburgh or denver U'd go broke unless U have a bunch of rookies or long-time veterans at the end of the line

How would you go broke adding live and local presence?
After all, the stations bill gazillions more. Or does all the money go to corporate and not reinvested in the properties?

 

[XM RADIO]

Hey Radiofriendone, in response to your comment, as I see it Radio as we knew it is really going no where, and with out a doubt XM and Sirius are the way you will be listening ,The Bay Area is saturated with Stations that all sound the same!! KYLD, KMEL, KFRC, KIOI, KOIT, then you have The Max and The Bone, and Classical station !!And Talk Radio and Spanish! nothing to listen to for alot of people my age!! Personally I could care less about KFRC and their flip! Really I got XM and Sirius in fact Im alot happier with Sirius cause they have Sirius gold 50 s and early 60 s channel!! Youve got me all wrong, sorry KFRC had to terminate its staff, but the format they had Sucked!! How much can you take of The Pointer Sisters and Hotel California every day!! For me if all i had was to listen to Terrestrial radio in this Liberal Bay Area life would be boring!! Satelite radio is fun!! In fact Im getting another Sirius in my 1970 Olds, so my Silverado has it already so its XM and sirius for me Respectively!! Kenny in Concord

 

[radiofriend1]

kenny that is all great

if U like satellite, listen to it. great thing about living in america is we have choices. choices are a GOOD THING not a bad thing

terrestrial radio will not only survive but prosper. competition will make us all better at what we do and, in the end, the listeners have more choices

many in radio want to whine and cry about how much radio sucks only because there are now other choices. the state of radio did not cause satellite and iPods to be created. most of the whiners are that way because they got sooooo comfortable doing radio *back in the day* and could just get by. now there's real competition and many are simply not up to task

if they spent their time and energy making great radio our industry would be stronger. but its easier to complain, to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution

 

[DougD]

kenny that is all great


if they spent their time and energy making great radio our industry would be stronger. but its easier to complain, to be part of the problem rather than part of the solution

And how would one do that? It's not like the big conglommerates are hiring. THey're laying more people off.
I think the people who used to work in radio likely outnumber the current employees.

Even if you did get an on air job, it likely pays pennies. Big attraction there.

Buy a station. Wow. Pluck down $30 million. That's also in range.

Radio was starting to go bad even before any of the new technologies hit.

 

[XM RADIO]

Nice answer Radiofriend1, but i cant see how radio will prosper? Satellite and Ipods killed Tower records in the bay Area, Im not sure where your living but Tower was a big record chain that is going out of business,People are not buying CD s like they used to! I cant believe XM and Sirius hasnt hurt the advertising business due to commercial free radio!! You say they will prosper, I dont think alot of people are going to wait and see if radio will come around again they are movin onto other means of music!! You buy a new GM car or truck alot of them have XM already, This surely puts a damper on terrestrial radio, I always tell people once you hear it your "Hooked"!!!!! I predict in 2 years, the Bay Area will lose at least 2 stations that will go to Spanish, Talk or Religon which is fine with me but for that couple who spends alot of time on the road, you need somthing to listen to !! Go figure Kenny in Concord 6 XMs and one Sirius !!!!