Robotic newscasts on WIBC

[Slurp]

I think there is a difference between polished and robotic. Sherry Fisher sounds polished, but she also sounds like she has a personality behind the voice. Amber sounds like any personality she might have is being faked and its coming off as robotic, at least from a listener's standpoint. I also think she sounds kind of nasally.

But, WIBC seems to love her-I also heard her anchoring the 4:30 yesterday afternoon with Joe something or other. I do find it interesting that WIBC seems to be putting more emphasis on their female voices (Sherry, Amber, etc).

 

[radioho]

There you have my biggest issue with WIBC and virtually every other N/T station..."where news comes first" only applies as long as there isn't a ball game on. So much for the 24 hour news center...

I've also come up on more than a few traffic snarls/stopped interstate traffic while listening to Rush with NO mention by IBC about traffic backups. Why only give traffic every 10 minutes AFTER 4pm? Thousands of listeners (I assume) are listening while driving the interstates trying to get to appointments, children, etc. BEFORE 4pm, or the top of the hour.

Can't they cut in for 30-seconds when there is a major traffic stoppage (ANY stoppage on 465, 65, 70 is major when you're on your way to an appointment). Doesn't have to be every 10 minutes - just when there IS something happening. Is this laziness on the station's part, or contractual agreement with Rush? If contractual agreement, sure didn't stop them from airing those stupid track reports all month!

 

[TalkRadioGeek]

It's about money... Why take out avails for traffic during the most lucrative avails in the city? You can hardly fault them for that. If your station could make what IBC probably makes on the Rush spots, you would.

And have you honestly ever used a traffic report? We are wasting our time with them. The only time I've ever used a traffic report is when I am stuck in the mess and want to know why. Traffic is the most useless element of our business...

 

[radioho]

It's about money... Why take out avails for traffic during the most lucrative avails in the city? You can hardly fault them for that. If your station could make what IBC probably makes on the Rush spots, you would.

I disagree. If YOU call YOURSELF the news, sports, traffic, weather station, you should GIVE the news, sports, traffic, weather! Here's a thought - SELL sponsorship for the traffic report - DUH!

And have you honestly ever used a traffic report? We are wasting our time with them. The only time I've ever used a traffic report is when I am stuck in the mess and want to know why. Traffic is the most useless element of our business...

Do you DRIVE in this town. That is the MOST ridiculous post I have EVER seen on this forum! Including MINE!

heading south on 65 ("there's a backup on 65 at Southport Road") okay, this tells me NOT to go that way.

how can you drive in this city and NOT pay attention to traffic reports. A semi overturns almost two-three times per week in this city - I'd like to know when an idiot truck driver (who shouldn't have been given a license) is laying on his side stopping traffic.

You OBVIOUSLY do not drive during Rush Hour (no pun intended) in Indianapolis. I can't count how many times I've diverted to another road due to traffic reports.

Reporting on Paris Hilton is the most USELESS element of your business - traffic is the #1 necessity for those who spend their day driving the city roads.

 

[justalurker]

Radioho, your posts are contradictory.

Here are the facts:

Hour 3 of Rush gives a 6 minute window from 0:00 to 6:00 at the top of the hour (generally news), a floating 3 1/2 minute break at about 16 past (first minute network), a hard 3 1/2 minute break at exactly 29:30, another floating 3 1/2 minute break at about 43 past (first 90 seconds network) and a final floating 3 1/2 minute break at about 53 past (first 90 seconds network). The program ends at 58:50. That gives the station 7 1/2 minutes to sell or use in the second half of the hour (8 1/2 if you count the minute after the show). Two of those three breaks start with 90 seconds of national commercials (where listeners are likely to be changing to other stations if they are stuck in traffic before they listen to 90 seconds of commercial for a traffic report). The only break for coming out of rush straight into traffic is at 29:30 ... halfway through the hour.

The first two hours of Rush are similar except the break at 29:30 starts with a required network commercial ... making local stations wait until 30:00 for local content.

You want to cut in for 30 seconds for a traffic report "when needed". On a network show that is limited to the local cutaways. By the time the next local cutaway comes up (at the end of a national spot break) the traffic report is old. The 30 seconds of time it consumes has already been scheduled to be used by a paying advertiser. WIBC would have to bump a paying spot.

The ONLY way to drop in traffic in a network show is to schedule it ... whether needed or not. How many reports do you want to set aside for that hour? One? Three? Every report consumes time and since "when needed" needs to be planned for in advance WIBC would have to schedule traffic breaks in advance ... needed or not.

This isn't TV ... you can't shrink the screen and run a crawl ... this is radio. One must wait for a break in programming, on a national programmer's schedule. They can't just ask Rush to stop talking for 30 seconds for one market's local station to run a report. And if they interrupt the feed it BETTER be for a real emergency (EAS level) and not because a few listeners might be inconvenienced.

 

[ZV]

I do find it interesting that WIBC seems to be putting more emphasis on their female voices (Sherry, Amber, etc).

I'm sure you do. I'm fascinated just reading about it.

 

[radioho]

Takes less than 5 seconds coming back in from a break to say "avoid the backup on 65 south at Southport Road due to an overturned semi."

I'm saying Interstate backups - not every fender bender.

AND in the real world of course they aren't going to waste 5 seconds on ME the listener. But as this forum is FULL of threads regarding why radio is losing it's grip, and why listen to radio instead of XM, TRAFFIC is something XM will not give you.

But don't change anything. Stay the course!

 

[PTBoardOp94]

Amber Stearns sounds good to me. And Joe somebody is Joe Ullery. I think he's relatively new in the IBC Newsroom.

I don't work for WIBC, but I sure have broken into the middle of a syndicated program to provide "emergency information". Saves me from answering a dozen phone calls about the power outage in Deer Path.

 

[ASO]

And have you honestly ever used a traffic report? We are wasting our time with them. The only time I've ever used a traffic report is when I am stuck in the mess and want to know why. Traffic is the most useless element of our business...

I disagree. I listen to WIBC because of traffic reports, instead of music radio if I'm out at busy times of the day.

 

[justalurker]

Takes less than 5 seconds coming back in from a break to say "avoid the backup on 65 south at Southport Road due to an overturned semi."

I'm going to take that as agreement that the "30 seconds" you were requesting before will not work.

Yes, they could use the return bumper for something simple ... remembering that they only return at 19:30 float, 33:00, 46:30 float and 56:30 float and Rush's clock only allows for 10 seconds over the bumper. There are also pre-break bumpers available at 16:00 float, 43:00 float and 53:00 float ... but they are only 5 seconds (barely enough to say "You're listening to Rush Limbaugh on WIBC" in radio enunciation). But not the 30 seconds you were demanding.

The most likely listener response to a very short traffic report would be "huh, what did he say?" You need time to let these things sink in, perhaps even give the location twice ... otherwise you're just annoying.

 

[radioho]

Yes, they could use the return bumper for something simple ... remembering that they only return at 19:30 float, 33:00, 46:30 float and 56:30 float and Rush's clock only allows for 10 seconds over the bumper. There are also pre-break bumpers available at 16:00 float, 43:00 float and 53:00 float ... but they are only 5 seconds (barely enough to say "You're listening to Rush Limbaugh on WIBC" in radio enunciation). But not the 30 seconds you were demanding.

Again, you're thinking in terms of a typical program/station manager - I realize they do what they do based on the clock wheel, etc. I'm saying give the LISTENER what they need - not contractual excuses. I'm fine with your disagreement, but you continue to miss my overall point. They do things the way they do, and all come up through the system taught to do things the way they are, and there is NEVER any creativity or "listener first" mentality. Radio stations need commercial breaks to make money - LESS commercial breaks do NOT get people to listen longer or more if the content doesn't WORK for them.

I NEED traffic reports during Rush, I'm not alone, I don't get them. If someone else offered them, I'd likely have to begin switching over to that station, or STAY on the station offering reports, it's that important to me (and others I assume).

That's all I'm saying. You don't need to give me a Radio 101 lesson. Been there, done that! I was bored being treated as a computer (which ALL PD's are) and continue to watch as radio goes by the wayside due to contemporary management/personnel with blinders on.

The most likely listener response to a very short traffic report would be "huh, what did he say?" You need time to let these things sink in, perhaps even give the location twice ... otherwise you're just annoying.

If you drive the city, you know where you're headed. If you can't understand the names of the roads in the city, then you likely aren't driving long distances, therefore, your comments about not needing traffic would apply to you. But NOT to the rest of us who DO drive the entire city, KNOW the names of the major roads, or at least know the roads we're on or soon to be.

 

[KevinFodor]

Or..another way to do it:

Stop paying attention to format clocks, bumpers, breaks, etc.

If you're the news station and a "major" traffic event is going on...interrupt Limbaugh and air your traffic info!

Yeah, some hard core right-wingers will complain and accuse you of trying to "silence" Rush. Reality is, though..Rush to a talk station is what music is to a music station...he's the "entertainment". If you have something really important going on that people absolutely need to know about, interrupt!

The dittoheads will get over it. And there's nothing in a contract with Premiere Radio that says you can't interrupt the program in the event of something big happening locally.

I'm not suggesting you do this for normal traffic reports...just the important breaking stuff.

 

[radioho]

If there's an explosion or major fire burning in the city, don't tell me IBC won't break into syndication to give that news. A traffic backup is not a major fire or disaster, but if there is stopped traffic on the interstate in this town, it's not only the responsibility of the News and Information Station to break in for five seconds to say this, but ALL talk stations should be doing it.

There is not a major backup everyday, this is being blown out of proportion - I'm talking about STOPPED "INTERSTATE" traffic.

And what is EIB going to do, MOVE the program to that power house AM 1430 because IBC gives a traffic break?

The problem with radio in general is the "by the book" way it is run from top to bottom. Whether the station is corporate owned, or INDIVIDUALLY owned, they are ALL the same!

No more room for creativity in this business - even if it would result in more profit - gotta be the way it's ALWAYS been. Why? Because that is how radio personnel today are TAUGHT to do it.

 

[Hoosierky]

If there's an explosion or major fire burning in the city, don't tell me IBC won't break into syndication to give that news. A traffic backup is not a major fire or disaster, but if there is stopped traffic on the interstate in this town, it's not only the responsibility of the News and Information Station to break in for five seconds to say this, but ALL talk stations should be doing it.

There is not a major backup everyday, this is being blown out of proportion - I'm talking about STOPPED "INTERSTATE" traffic.

And what is EIB going to do, MOVE the program to that power house AM 1430 because IBC gives a traffic break?

The problem with radio in general is the "by the book" way it is run from top to bottom. Whether the station is corporate owned, or INDIVIDUALLY owned, they are ALL the same!

No more room for creativity in this business - even if it would result in more profit - gotta be the way it's ALWAYS been. Why? Because that is how radio personnel today are TAUGHT to do it.

Ok, I am puzzled. First Rush (and a majority of talk programs) are recorded. They are NOT live! Couldn't the powers that be simply pause the program, tell about the event happening, go back, and catch up at the top (or bottom) of the hour by pulling the feel good story or rescheduling a thirty second spot?

Just wondering.

 

[justalurker]

Again, you're thinking in terms of a typical program/station manager - I realize they do what they do based on the clock wheel, etc. I'm saying give the LISTENER what they need - not contractual excuses.

The listeners NEED to listen to Rush. That is why they tuned in - to hear Rush. Rush isn't just filler while waiting for something better to air.

I NEED traffic reports during Rush, I'm not alone, I don't get them. If someone else offered them, I'd likely have to begin switching over to that station, or STAY on the station offering reports, it's that important to me (and others I assume).

So are you saying you would leave Rush for traffic reports? Are you saying that no one else is offering traffic reports? Both statements could be distilled from your words above.

Been there, done that! I was bored being treated as a computer (which ALL PD's are) and continue to watch as radio goes by the wayside due to contemporary management/personnel with blinders on.

As a PD you don't believe that "teasing" people with 5-10 second traffic reports doesn't just drive them to another station that is offering fuller coverage? Creativity is good. But you need to be creative in ways that don't drive listeners away.

The most likely listener response to a very short traffic report would be "huh, what did he say?" You need time to let these things sink in, perhaps even give the location twice ... otherwise you're just annoying.

If you drive the city, you know where you're headed. If you can't understand the names of the roads in the city, then you likely aren't driving long distances, therefore, your comments about not needing traffic would apply to you. But NOT to the rest of us who DO drive the entire city, KNOW the names of the major roads, or at least know the roads we're on or soon to be.

Non-responsive. The complaint isn't that you don't know where you are, it is that the message was so short that you don't know where the problem is.

There is not a major backup everyday, this is being blown out of proportion - I'm talking about STOPPED "INTERSTATE" traffic.

Unfortunately your definition of major is "affects me". Your earlier post made it sound like it WAS an every day event (just in a different place). If it truely is major news (chemical spill, etc) I'm sure WIBC will cover it.

Perhaps someone should go to a free form afternoon show where everything is live, local and the entire program seems to be an interruption. Buy a station in the market and make it so.

 

[TalkRadioGeek]

Someone should tell WIBC that covering a random house fire, constant traffic, weather and AP copy are the exact reason that their station is completely uninteresting...

WXNT and WFT will, 5 or 6 years down the road, take WIBC's audience.

Interupt Rush for traffic and fire reports? You all are INSANE!

 

[radioho]

The listeners NEED to listen to Rush. That is why they tuned in - to hear Rush. Rush isn't just filler while waiting for something better to air.

So are you saying you would leave Rush for traffic reports? Are you saying that no one else is offering traffic reports? Both statements could be distilled from your words above.

As a PD you don't believe that "teasing" people with 5-10 second traffic reports doesn't just drive them to another station that is offering fuller coverage? Creativity is good. But you need to be creative in ways that don't drive listeners away.

Non-responsive. The complaint isn't that you don't know where you are, it is that the message was so short that you don't know where the problem is.

Perhaps someone should go to a free form afternoon show where everything is live, local and the entire program seems to be an interruption. Buy a station in the market and make it so.

Again, you're blowing ALL points above out of proportion.

If traffic is STOPPED on an interstate during the RUSH LIMBAUGH show, then when coming back from a scheduled break, make a quick 5-second report - simple as that. Sure 30-seconds for routine traffic is not an option, 5-seconds for a backup inside 465 is not too much to ask for the NEWS and INFORMATION station to provide.

You're telling me that will drive listeners away - you're simply arguing to argue without making any sense.

I listened to the reports today AFTER 4pm, they were quick, to the point and if you know the roads, not hard at all to understand. You say giving a quick report of a backup will entice people to go elsewhere for FULL coverage? - again, you don't make sense - WHERE will they go and why? They have the info, and we're back to Rush - I avoid a two hour backup, along with other IBC listeners.

Buy a station and make it happen? Again, my point is not that I'm boycotting IBC because of it, it was a SUGGESTION like others offered with changing of hosts, etc.,

Unless YOU are one of the hosts we suggested changing - maybe YOU are AMBER!

 

[TalkRadioGeek]

This isn't New York or Chi-town...

We don't have two hour back-ups in Indy, and if you hit it, there are plenty of outs on the highways and side streets. This is a very fluid town.

It takes a staff or metro traffic about 15 to 30 minutes to get the back up in the report.

Traffic more often then every 30 minutes in this town is a waste of time.

(And don't even mention Super 70, no one is silly enough to take that with the expectations of no back-ups.)

 

[radioho]

This isn't New York or Chi-town...

We don't have two hour back-ups in Indy, and if you hit it, there are plenty of outs on the highways and side streets. This is a very fluid town.

It takes a staff or metro traffic about 15 to 30 minutes to get the back up in the report.

Traffic more often then every 30 minutes in this town is a waste of time.

(And don't even mention Super 70, no one is silly enough to take that with the expectations of no back-ups.)

Again, I repeat, it's obvious you DON'T travel the interstates during daylight hours, and not well traveled in this city. If you were, you likely would have been caught in one of the Mt. Comfort Road area/I-70 overturned semi backups. There is at least one per week between I-69 on the north side, 74 heading west out of town, 65 in Lebanon area, or I-70 in Mount Comfort area - ALL with people trying to get home -- these DO have backups regularly many times per month - especially in the winter. If you HEARD any afternoon traffic reports you'd know this.

(btw, the I-70 east INSIDE 465 is GREAT even at 45mph without the truckers tipping over, driving two-abreast at 30mph, etc. I say let 'em STAY on 465! Haven't seen any traffic trouble there SINCE the SUPER 70 project began!)

Traffic over every 30 minutes is a waste of time? If you miss the report at that 30-minute interval, you're out of luck for another 1/2 hour? If you're driving home during Rush Hour - you LISTEN for the traffic to make sure you CAN divert to the side roads - which aren't really that FLUID as you say.

 

[bigtime]

WIBC has put major traffic updates inside the Rush show. There is a "duhhh" factor
with traffic updates. Unless you are concentrating on the report from the start you may miss whether it's 465 east side or west side. When people are driving they tend to tune out the radio while making a difficult turn or merge or looking at a bikini clad model on a billboard. That's why to be effective the information needs to be repeated. Even if they do the report every 15 minutes there are many listeners who will miss it. People who are concerned with traffic or interested in knowing why they are stopped will listen carefully at the times they promote, like "on the ones"; 4:11 4:21 4:31 etc.