Rick Gary

[pkingnews]

Can't believe nobody has posted on Rick being inducted into the NYS Broadcasters Hall of Fame! It's a HUGE honor and I am proud to have work for and with him during my time in Syracuse(I was a WOLF part timer in '78). He personifies what i like best about Syr....longevity for so many radio and TV people. Like comfort food, always good to know he's on the radio. I LOVED working there for my decade-plus(1980-90-WHEN). Great people, great listeners, and the fact that so many people stay there for so long speaks volumes as to what a great radio town it is. COngratulations Rick! And enjoy!

 

[jefflaurence]

I had not heard that either Peter..thanks for posting that. How the hell are ya? Rick Gary was one of those personalities that became Syracuse..he was able to measure what the buzz was in the market and more closely reflect that "listener biorhythm" than anyone else. What a talent, and a nice guy too..Total package. Congrats Rick..

Jeff Laurence
WOLF 1973-1974
WHEN 1974-1976

 

[CNYRadio.com]

More details here, for anyone interested.

http://www.cnyradio.com/2009/10/06/nysba-adding-rick-gary-to-hall-of-fame/

 

[Time Traveler]

I'm not a local, but I used to listen to Rick on the old 1510-WMEX Boston, back in 1973...

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Rick is a bit of a pervert but a great radio man

 

[jefflaurence]

Pervert huh? Care to elaberate on that?

 

[SeenItAll]

That comment from a guy whos been in Moms basement for 10 years working on "the next big thing".

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Please excuse me for being such an outspoken conservative. If you have ever LISTENED TO RICK GARY on the air, many moons ago he was quite the cutting-edge type artist. He sounds great on 102.5 these days, and calling Ron a Flubber Head a long time ago was always a part of the routine. So again, if you really actually LISTENED to these radio guys you would know that they enjoy the razzing as much as being polite. I don't personally know Rick, but would guess that being called a pervert doesn't offend him, especially from a pervert who started an internet station in his grandparents basement which today is in his family room with a huge window looking at the lake, an avalanche and boat parked outside as well and plenty of listeners around the world. My mom is dead thanks.
You local guys sound pretty good too, I know the fcc and community makes razzing difficult. -Enjoy your day!

 

[jefflaurence]

Good lord! I do know Rick and was worried that I was pals with a pervert...wow you have an avalanche? How do you like it? AND an internet station in your family room? The station sounds much better than a PC running on shoutcast! kudos!

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Thanks Jeff,
I may be wrong but I feel as if maybe the locals have misjudged how far ahead of the curve I was when I stated the internet project and kept it out there for ten years without giving up. Many seem to have written me off as a wacko when It's kind of the same thing as the insult to Rick, they can be a bit out of touch themselves. We are all like that because we cant KNOW EVERYTHING and I think it is hard on them because of the current environment for an fcc run radio station. Dont get me wrong on this either, no one understands the (CNY) rules better than I do, and on an FM here in CNY I would take one of these stations and return it to glory. The sounds of phones-a-ringin with advertisers lining up must not be the goal for them I guess. But it is for me and I can also do it on my own. Any opinion out there hasnt put me on the air recently, for a midnight spec shift or even a two minute phone call for that matter so the shoe has to be put on their foot in saying back to them.....what do you know? LOL. Anyway, Im glad you tuned in and enjoyed it. The music is HEAVEN. We Recently Paid Dave Laird a good buck to do the imaging and that made it sound very good too. Kudo's to you too! Stay on Radio-info and I will get a commercial from you if the need is there.
Rick Gary is one of the Best! We listen to him on the Boat at 102.5.
-Brian

 

[jefflaurence]

Hey Brian..I do imaging for a LOT of major market stations..and many are moving to using the radio station as a "barker" to get people to go to thier website..It's bizzarre that now..stations that USED to use thier websites to promote thier stations are NOW using the stations to drive web traffic. Just listen to the local stations..no longer using the phone to get the 10th caller..nearly all contests are conducted ON LINE.

That makes it clear that the Internet is the new AM/FM radio..more choices, many many different types of entertainment..AND the playing field is LEVEL..Consider this

There is no longer a need for towers, real estate..HUGE electric bills etc..and conceivably YOUR station (COULD BE) the MOST listened to station in the WORLD at any given time..some kid running a radio station out of his bedroom COULD actually have many more online listeners than WCBS-FM, or KRTH, or KLUV..IF you or that kid played JUST the right muisc, and made the station compelling you would have just as much of a chance to garner listners as ANY other radio station online..and now with the news that GM is adding WiFi to thier automotive offerings..the possibilities are endless..try connecting an iPhone to the AUX input of the car and using the Tuner 2 app..radio IS fun again! If you don't have a WiFi radio..GET ONE http://www.ccrane.com/radios/wifi-radios/ They work like a clock radio..no computer needed and YEARS of listening without ever hearing the same thing twice!

 

[BobRoss]

Hey Brian..I do imaging for a LOT of major market stations..and many are moving to using the radio station as a "barker" to get people to go to thier website..It's bizzarre that now..stations that USED to use thier websites to promote thier stations are NOW using the stations to drive web traffic.

Aside from the prospects of WiFi broadcasting, websites also let radio stations (and advertisers) collect much more information about listener activity. We all know diary-based ratings really aren't accurate. When you're working at a station that's doing well, you tend to brush those imperfections under the rug, but when your numbers are down, you could easily list 100 reasons why the diary is a poor method.

When you have listeners call the request lines for a contest, you know there are enough people to get to caller #10, but you really have no true idea of how many other people out there were trying to get through. Whenever you run a stopset, there's absolutely no way to tell how many people are paying attention to a specific spot, or how many will actually respond (by buying product or taking whatever other action is encouraged). The diary only gives you a rough idea how many people are listening during quarter-hours, and an "average" of how long listeners are staying tuned. And even then, you only get broad ranges like W 25-54 or M 35-44.

Online changes the marketing and sales side of radio big time.

When you have contests, you know how many people are entering, not just caller 10 and the 9 losing callers... and you collect demographic info about ALL the entrants, not just the name and address of the winning caller. If you contest entry form includes automatic enrollment for your e-mail blast list, you've got a very good way to not only build the list, but to make sure you're always reaching your listeners even if they change their e-mail addresses.

When you have a web stream, you can tell how many people are listening at specific times, and how long they are listening. If the software is sophisticated enough, you could even use the web stream to see which songs, spots or other elements cause people to tune out. (With a grain of salt, of course -- tuneout may just be due to the fact the person has other things to do, or they are mobile and lost their connection.)

I've seen some web streams where the "player" knows to display album cover images during songs, and a customized banner ad for most clients during stopsets. In these cases, the station can usually pick up a cut of the action if someone clicks through to buy an MP3 download of a song -- something stations don't get when on-air listeners like a song and go buy it in a store or online themselves. You can also track how many listeners are inspired enough by various spots to click on the banner ad to visit clients' websites. This is the kind of info programmers and advertisers would love to have, but it's impossible to provide with just the diary.

 

[jefflaurence]

So Bob..whee is the need for a transmitter and towers in a couple years? No need for licenses..not need for all that electricity, and radiation either. Sounds like the new medium is becoming more mainstream faster than anyone ever thought.

And a question..is it "possible" that the major players are purposely sabotaging the archaic "radio station" to enable massive selloffs..of tower sites..land, etc. or to just post a huge loss in order to decrease tax liability? After all..younger listeners are paying less attention to the old time radio..and more to thier own hand held radio stations (iPods) and to a large extent they are conditioned to getting thier entertainment from the Internet..soon there will be generations that remember the traditional "radio" as something granpa listened to..

Oh..to stay true to the thread..I got a nice note from Rick Gary..it was a blast to hear from him.

 

[BobRoss]

So Bob..whee is the need for a transmitter and towers in a couple years? No need for licenses..not need for all that electricity, and radiation either. Sounds like the new medium is becoming more mainstream faster than anyone ever thought.

Before I started writing what you're reading here, I actually had 3 other versions I wrote and then deleted because this scenario of no more transmitters and towers really does make one think about all the different possibilities offered by the growing availability of wireless internet. I don't know if internet radio will take over in just a couple years, but I think it has a good shot at happening within the next 5-10 years.

But transmitters, towers, electricity and radiation will still be here... we're just trading in one wireless technology for another. In order for internet-based radio to overtake terrestrial radio, high-speed internet needs to be made more accessible in more places. Sure, there's no problem getting WiFi signals in office buildings or college campuses... and that's great as long as you plan on sitting in one place with a desktop or laptop computer. But if you're going to be driving around (where a sizeable chunk of listening happens) then WiFi, as it exists right now, isn't going to cut it.

WiFi, in the traditional sense, has a range of only a few hundred feet at best, assuming optimal conditions -- such as no major obstacles between your device and the WiFi access point, and your device being able to transmit WiFi signals just as powerfully as the access point does.

When you're talking about driving around town, across the state or across the country, sure, you can access those online radio stations from just about anywhere... but only if you have a smartphone capable of accessing those streams AND the unlimited data plan to go with it. So, in today's technology, you're needing at least $100 to get in, and at least $50-60 (or more) per month for the service. And even then, there is not ONE cell phone company that can guarantee full, high-quality signal coverage everywhere you go. Terrestrial radio, on the other hand, has no monthly access fee, you can get the required device (a radio) for little or no money, and the signals are often pretty reliable, even in areas where cell phone service is non-existent.

Bottom line: yes, internet radio could take over, but first, we need the infrastructure to make it happen. And that'll likely mean the need for towers, licenses, transmitters and radiation. Radio owners could actually make a pretty penny selling their broadcast facilities to cell phone companies, who can then re-use the towers to increase the reach of wireless internet coverage.

We would also need a way to make sure internet-streamed radio is just as easily-accessible and FREE, as terrestrial radio. I can't see the FCC allowing terrestrial radio to vanish, because requiring everyone to buy high-tech devices and data service plans would likely leave many people in the dark... including poorer people who can't afford the technology and old people who either can't afford it or more likely just don't want to deal with learning newer technologies. (Look at how many don't understand DTV, and likely got taken to the cleaners when they walked into places like Best Buy or Radio Shack to seek help.) If there's a tornado warning, flood warning, etc. a lot of people could be left uninformed. It may take another 10-20 years before we're finally at a point where literally "everyone" is tech-savvy enough for the disappearance of terrestrial radio (and TV for that matter) to become a real possibility.

Anyway, it's getting late and I'm barely able to type. So to keep with the thread, anyone else see Rick's new TV commercials? He appears as a spokesman for Zerodraft. Nice to see him back on TV, just for the fact he's back on TV... but odd to see him dressed in the company's standard uniform and appearing just to hawk their product. I'd like to hope and think it's just gravy and the guy doesn't "need" the extra work, but then again, how much can Galaxy possibly be paying him?

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Rick said he likes working for Levine and that he gets treated well. Levine knows talent when he hears it although his studios were the most "Corporate Feeling" places I have been in. Maybe things are different these days but saying they are the only local owners? Sure didn't have the feel of WNDR in 1985 to me. Competetive guys like Levine have trouble understanding a long-haired country boy that is bull headed about the music and to be perfectly honest, the old two-market system they had in Bridgeport sucked. I couldn't hear clearly what I was doing so I just let the music roll. Levine probably thinks I still smoke pot when I havent since I was much younger and have a wife, teenagers and a lot of responsibility. I would be a GREAT, loyal worker at one of the FM's around here but would require an entire signal and creative control and helpers. If you turn on my internet station for the afternoon, you will see that I have a great ear for music that it is very CNY.
There are a lot of good points on this thread about Rick lol. One is Jeffs reference to the new medium developing on the IPhone. Getting into cars is a given and if GM is offering wi-fi in cars, its another expense for towers and licences that I don't have to pay for. Music licencing and server bandwidth are my only expenses so far.
Also, don't get me wrong. I am smart enough to know that my gig here isnt going to take over FM broadcasting but I do think it will have a place. I already can do the correct networking, sit and listen to the music because I love it and seg songs together without someone telling me to put the station on automation and go do production. The human aspect in segueing music alone, complete creative control etc are a big part of enjoying my time on a Radio Station. Not worrying about what the owner is going to say, because I am the Owner who makes mistakes and lets myself off the hook when I'm tired or having a bad day. People relate to mistakes, especially hard workers. Im critical enough on myself without a bunch of "Bosses" telling me how bad I am and after all, radio is recreation not work. Even if the listener is at work being perfect, they are playing the radio to "Get away from perfection" for a song. Humorous Rick Gary conveys theis VERY WELL on the air, doesn't he? My rated shifts were solid and my air name is one of the better known ones. There are a lot of good things about my internet radio station and there is no reason to just shut it off, I could easily just make it a URL directing to an FM stream like Brother Wease does at BrotherWease.com and collect a nice bunch of tech savvy listeners for an FM station at the same time. I also have a good amout of live broadcasting ideas which generat really good sales leads.
4G is coming which is unlimited broadband for cars. This presidents "Infrastructure" initiatives are exactly about "Last-Mile" wireless and updating the energy grid which is fiber optics (which a piece of the power fiber will be reserved for broadband for sure). All of the roads have pointed in this direction since day one of SyracuseBroadcast.com and yes we measure exactly how many people tune in at any given moment which keeps me honest and hustling some days. Now that social networks like FaceBook are out there with people signing up. I have listeners on Friday and Saturday night from all over the globe, and numbers fluctuating between 100 and 1000 listeners. I couldn't say that before the summer and It was me that did it. I, as an individual know all of the hurdles, ins and outs and what can go wrong on these broadcasts and how to correct it. The things i lack are promotion, advertisers, listeners (like everyone is looking for more listeners) and a tech savvy website. Im letting 4g get me the listeners in cars before investment in the others.

 

[Element9]

Gimme a 50kW city grade FM signal. The future is now. I'll get my stream up, running and perfected in due time. First things first. Jerry Lee has it right in Philly, "Show me the money, and where it comes from. That's what we take care of NOW."

 

[doctorcomputer3]

Im with ya element9. Two things about modern day radio people should be. #1 get of you fat a$$ and sell. #2 Get tons of numbers or be fired. I know I could be #1 in CNY with a bomb, based on the laziness of the air people alone. Not everyone, but believe me I can see plenty of sales lol.