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Someone please help WXNT!

J

Jinglefreak

I'm trying to be a "loyal listener", but the automation system spazzed out again tonight in a big way! First, no Laura Ingraham for 10 minutes, then...2-3 things playing at once! Laura Ingraham, prerecorded Gary Hummell, FOX network news...all playing at the same time! Not very cool for a medium to large market. :-(

My question is why that type of mistake is allowed to go on for 15-20 minutes before someone, anyone figures it out and fixes it. Does the station owner have to call in?

If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are limited to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little frustrating as a listener.
 
Maybe nobody is there?

But look what I found on allaccess. Maybe someone will be there soon?

PART TIME OPENINGS AT ENTERCOM INDIANAPOLIS

Entercom Indianapolis currently has 2 part time openings for News Talk 1430 WXNT. Duties will include board operating syndicated programming, scheduling automation, monitoring news feeds, production, and possible on-air work for the right candidates. Shifts are evening and overnight hours. Must be responsible, dependable, and serious about your responsibilities.

This is a great opportunity for those looking to get into radio - you'll learn a lot about several facets of the business.

Residents in the Central Indiana area preferred. E-mail your resume to [email protected].

Entercom Communications is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by pprd on 09/23/05 04:16 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Rumour has it that cluster is on auto-pilot from 7p to 5am or so now after they dumped the one live body they had (Mike O'brien). There are no live voices on ZPL or WTPI except in the daytime. WXNT sounds like they are only live in the morning since even their daytime news seems recorded. Isn't penny pinching great?


> I'm trying to be a "loyal listener", but the automation
> system spazzed out again tonight in a big way! First, no
> Laura Ingraham for 10 minutes, then...2-3 things playing at
> once! Laura Ingraham, prerecorded Gary Hummell, FOX
> network news...all playing at the same time! Not very cool
> for a medium to large market. :-(
>
> My question is why that type of mistake is allowed to go on
> for 15-20 minutes before someone, anyone figures it out and
> fixes it. Does the station owner have to call in?
>
> If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are limited
> to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are
> probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little
> frustrating as a listener.
>
 
>
> If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are limited
> to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are
> probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little
> frustrating as a listener.
>
I think Audio Vault (which is what WXNT uses-can anyone confirm?) totally and utterly sucks. I worked with it at another station (yep-in the business here)and it was God awful. But, it's cheaper compared against other automation systems. So there's probably not much they can do.
 
> Maybe nobody is there?
>

Top 50 markets bring us what? No one at the station between 10pm and 4:50am. (Hope robberies don't start as a result fo this knowledge).

Not so new, not a revelation. Save money when ros spots run. Management philosphy: If we're off the air for 4 hours overnight we don't have ratings or sales, what's the problem? Make up the spots another night. they're only ros.

If you have a jock (as opposed to someone who will pay attention to the entire operation)(and they probably are told thye are in charge of everything but a brain can only process one maybe 2 stations at once), do you think someone who is a jock on WZPL will listen (or be able to listen)to WXNT?

Stations have a nifty device made by Sine Systems which senses silence but if 15 things play at once it doesn't detect this...
 
WXNT has always been on autopilot. They do the morning show and that is the last warm-blooded body in that studio for the day. There are silence sensors that go off to alert people to a problem, but they just fired the person that took care of that after the business doors close for the day. You would think that they could get it right since they hired one of the techs away from Audio Vault over a year ago. I guess he cannot even get it to work. As previously stated, if there is double audio the silence sensor never goes off. The news is dumped into the Audio Vault, the weather is dumped into the Audio Vault, and every satellite show is automatically dumped into the Audio Vault. The problem has always been that they were too cheap to hire a board-op at $6 an hour to sit there and baby-sit the station. It looks like that might finally change with the job posting. I guess now it will be WTPI and WZPL that will have the problems since they got rid of Mike. I guess I would trust the lowest paid employee to watch my three stations?
 
> I'm trying to be a "loyal listener", but the automation
> system spazzed out again tonight in a big way! First, no
> Laura Ingraham for 10 minutes, then...2-3 things playing at
> once! Laura Ingraham, prerecorded Gary Hummell, FOX
> network news...all playing at the same time! Not very cool
> for a medium to large market. :-(
>
> My question is why that type of mistake is allowed to go on
> for 15-20 minutes before someone, anyone figures it out and
> fixes it. Does the station owner have to call in?
>
> If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are limited
> to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are
> probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little
> frustrating as a listener.

You know, there are so many reasons TO listen to WXNT, that it seems kind of petty to talk about writing them off, because of a technical glitch, in the evening, that can easily be fixed. They've got a great, local morning show. They've got some of the best syndicated programs in the business, right now. Plus, they have Fox News, which is tailor made for the talk radio audience. So, if this is your biggest complaint, then I would say that you don't have a whole lot to complain about.
 
I agree. WXNT has a great lineup and even though the rating number don't show it yet, they are making great strides in Indy talk radio.

I guess coming from a radio family, I appreciate a good quality presentation of the product sometimes as much as the product itself. Of course, I also notice things like music flow and most other production elements. That must make me a radio geek, since most of the general listening population could probably care less! :)




> > I'm trying to be a "loyal listener", but the automation
> > system spazzed out again tonight in a big way! First, no
> > Laura Ingraham for 10 minutes, then...2-3 things playing
> at
> > once! Laura Ingraham, prerecorded Gary Hummell, FOX
> > network news...all playing at the same time! Not very
> cool
> > for a medium to large market. :-(
> >
> > My question is why that type of mistake is allowed to go
> on
> > for 15-20 minutes before someone, anyone figures it out
> and
> > fixes it. Does the station owner have to call in?
> >
> > If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are
> limited
> > to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are
> > probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little
> > frustrating as a listener.
>
> You know, there are so many reasons TO listen to WXNT, that
> it seems kind of petty to talk about writing them off,
> because of a technical glitch, in the evening, that can
> easily be fixed. They've got a great, local morning show.
> They've got some of the best syndicated programs in the
> business, right now. Plus, they have Fox News, which is
> tailor made for the talk radio audience. So, if this is
> your biggest complaint, then I would say that you don't have
> a whole lot to complain about.
>
 
> >
> > If any of you work the board at WXNT, I know you are
> limited
> > to the effectiveness of your automation system. You are
> > probably doing the best you can, but it gets a little
> > frustrating as a listener.
> >
> I think Audio Vault (which is what WXNT uses-can anyone
> confirm?) totally and utterly sucks. I worked with it at
> another station (yep-in the business here)and it was God
> awful. But, it's cheaper compared against other automation
> systems. So there's probably not much they can do.
>
I've used AudioVault, Scott, BSI/Simian & the old reliable Digi-Link. They ALL have their troubles and headaches. I am surprised however, that there doesn't seem to at least be a "watcher" on duty when the cluster is running unattended. One cluster I know, hires college students to come in, do their homework, and just be there, to put another nickle in the jukebox in case the money runs out.
 
> Rumour has it that cluster is on auto-pilot from 7p to 5am
> or so now after they dumped the one live body they had (Mike
> O'brien). There are no live voices on ZPL or WTPI except in
> the daytime. WXNT sounds like they are only live in the
> morning since even their daytime news seems recorded. Isn't
> penny pinching great?
>
One of the things I don't understand is the trend towards stations in medium-large and major markets to shut down as soon as PM Drive is over. Some of the great 50Kw stations are doing nothing more than running syndicated stuff at night. WJR in Detroit, used to be live 24-7, now they're down to I believe, just 3 local people. Paul W. Smith, Frank Beckman & Mitch Albom. WABC in NY is similar. Many others are going the same way. The bigger cities should be ORIGINATING great programming, not just running something from a syndicator.
 
i disagree.

the talk audience will NOT put up with technical problems...think about it....if listener A was a WIBC person and decided to give XNT a try at that moment...they heard that mess and would never go back

listeners don't care about our "small tech" problems..they just turn the dial
 
>
> Stations have a nifty device made by Sine Systems which
> senses silence but if 15 things play at once it doesn't
> detect this...
>
good point....the beeping doesn't go off for multiple things on air...maybe we should work on something like that
 
Yes....the sad, sad, sad, state of American radio. It never was great, but
now it is possibly the lowest form of media in our country today.

> and that is the last warm-blooded body in that studio for
> the day. There are silence sensors that go off to alert
> people to a problem, but they just fired the person that
> took care of that after the business doors close for the
> day. You would think that they could get it right since they
> hired one of the techs away from Audio Vault over a year
> ago. I guess he cannot even get it to work. As previously
> stated, if there is double audio the silence sensor never
> goes off. The news is dumped into the Audio Vault, the
> weather is dumped into the Audio Vault, and every satellite
> show is automatically dumped into the Audio Vault. The
> problem has always been that they were too cheap to hire a
> board-op at $6 an hour to sit there and baby-sit the
> station. It looks like that might finally change with the
> job posting. I guess now it will be WTPI and WZPL that will
> have the problems since they got rid of Mike. I guess I
> would trust the lowest paid employee to watch my three
> stations?
>
 
> i disagree.
>
> the talk audience will NOT put up with technical
> problems...think about it....if listener A was a WIBC person
> and decided to give XNT a try at that moment...they heard
> that mess and would never go back
>
> listeners don't care about our "small tech" problems..they
> just turn the dial

Of course the "Talk Audience" will want the technical problems fixed, the same as the "Music Audience" would, and I'm sure they'll get fixed. BUT, the most important thing to the "Talk Audience" is quality programming. That is the single most important thing, and WXNT has that. Besides, if the "Talk Audience" is turning away from WIBC, at that moment, then the bigger problem is with WIBC, and what they are putting on the air. And, since there is something on WIBC that is causing the "Talk Audience" to turn the dial, I think WXNT will get a second, third, and fourth chance to fix their problems.

By the way, if the only thing you are going after, as a talk station, is the "Talk Audience," you are going to lose, big time. You'll find that most talk stations are programmed, and paced, to compete with music stations. Usually, but not always, classic rock or oldies.
 
They've had many months to fix things but they don't. How can the talk audience respect a station that doesn't respect the audience. Their imaging voice sounds like he can't string together more than 3 words at a time. They're bellowing about being the only place for "the truth". Making claims they can't, don't and won't back up creates a lack of credibility. Hearing Abdul try to squeeze the word "friend" in as many times as possible in 60 seconds is almost as irritating as hearing the same promos over & over. They do carry some compelling content, but they don't execute worth a damn at the local level.


> > i disagree.
> >
> > the talk audience will NOT put up with technical
> > problems...think about it....if listener A was a WIBC
> person
> > and decided to give XNT a try at that moment...they heard
> > that mess and would never go back
> >
> > listeners don't care about our "small tech" problems..they
>
> > just turn the dial
>
> Of course the "Talk Audience" will want the technical
> problems fixed, the same as the "Music Audience" would, and
> I'm sure they'll get fixed. BUT, the most important thing
> to the "Talk Audience" is quality programming. That is the
> single most important thing, and WXNT has that. Besides, if
> the "Talk Audience" is turning away from WIBC, at that
> moment, then the bigger problem is with WIBC, and what they
> are putting on the air. And, since there is something on
> WIBC that is causing the "Talk Audience" to turn the dial, I
> think WXNT will get a second, third, and fourth chance to
> fix their problems.
>
> By the way, if the only thing you are going after, as a talk
> station, is the "Talk Audience," you are going to lose, big
> time. You'll find that most talk stations are programmed,
> and paced, to compete with music stations. Usually, but not
> always, classic rock or oldies.
>
 
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