Singing "Hit the Road Jack" in Market #1?

[SpareChange]

So maybe while there is still an opening for a more gold-heavy personality radio station in Buffalo, it's a smaller opening than the big hole in the New York market that WCBS-FM is starting to exploit.

It sounds like the gap for Oldies in Buffalo is getting more narrow. Let's say WLKK went Classic Hits tomorrow. It most likely wouldn't want to venture anywhere near an Oldies station. And if WBUF went to Classic Hits or Oldies, it likely would upset a pretty good number of listeners who like the station just the way it is and dare I say it, without live jocks. It's not that live jocks are bad, but WBUF has set and reinforced its image of the "no d-j station." I know more than a couple of people who say they liked the Lake the way it was BEFORE the station had live jocks. In that case, the Lake made a big mistake not hiring an airstaff before it went on the air with its current format. If the Lake went to Classic Hits, wouldn't WHTT simply adjust its music rotations to play more 70's and counter the Lake's move?

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Koss and Mike, you boys make some good points. Good jocks are NOT lazy. How many talk slots are there in any one given hour in, say afternoon drive. Rox says 4 or 5. I'd have thought it would be more than that. But let's say it IS four or five... not much you can do with those scheduled liners and promos, but to "enact" them with enthusiasm (and humor), localize them and all the while try to fit artist and title into the talkover without walking on the vocal. All this is 14 seconds. The pros make this sound natural... those who are lazy or can't do it (or don't show up) don't last long.

BTW Mike, it was probably a good idea on your part NOT to have added anything more to that Elton John-George Michael backsell... most listeners "don't get it" the first time. It's like they have to hear stuff repeated. In the old days, personality jocks could massage a bit over three, four or five songs to wring everything they could out of it. They also had more time and the freedom to stop down the music. These days, fugidaboudit! Plus, no matter how good the processing and boardwork is at your station, intricate stuff like that is usually lost on 90% of the audience. Even the P-1's who might pay more attention don't seem to get it. At least, that's what they tell me.

-9-

Where I work most of the jocks are crying to do more on the air. I added up all the breaks and out of a typical hour we get to talk for 90 seconds, most of it liners and promos. I push the envelope a little and so far no one has called me on it.

As for the listeners who don't get it I like the lines that go by so fast that some people never even notice but there's a payoff for those who do!