The Law-yah is back ... this time on "Hot Talk 910"

[DJBigOne]

Let me expand on the reading ahead thing. In radio you have to read a lot of cold copy, that is, copy you've never seen before. Most people who aren't used to doing it will say the words as they read them. That's fine if you're totally used to the writing style, such as AP style, etc., but it fails badly if you are unfamiliar with the sentence structure or the copy contains lots of words you're not familiar with.

The trick is to read several words ahead of what you speak. It doesn't sound possible, but with lots of practice many people can do it so well that as a listener you could swear they're just talking spontaneously. So, you get a few moments to figure out the flow of the sentence, pronunciations, etc., before they actually come out of your mouth. It's like the talkshow 7-second delay, but you are delaying it about a second or two and it's all in your head.

Well said David. It should sound conversational, not as if you're discovering each word as you read it.

Disclaimer: I don't claim to be a good news reader, nor do I play one on the radio.
When I did news, I read it first before going on-air.

 

[chris319]

L.A. used to have KNX and KFWB doing all news. Viacom ditched all-news on KFWB, which is now way the heck down in the ratings, below even KABC. I imagine KABC's demos are much like KGO's were under the news-talk format.

KROQ has dropped way down in the ratings since the last time I looked. PPMs? David Eduardo?

 

[HCochet]

.......................

As for lineups, I do hope Karel will be removed for doing his level best part in making it a much weaker talk lineup in KGO's history.

I agree, but the problem with so many people (including me) saying that is it makes the person is question famous. The radio station owners LOVE it when so many people dislike their hosts. It supposedly means people are listening. However, I'd say Karel is an exception in this case. He's just plain bad. Terrible. Double un good. He's no Ray Talaiferro. He's no Michael Savage, He's no Rush, He's no Alan Berg, he's no Howard Stern, he's no Dennis Errectus, etc. I'm positive I could do a better job than him and I've never tried. I only have a HS education, not particularly articulate, but I know Larry the meat cutter is a better talk show host than Karel.

 

[MC]

Of course people should keep in mind who and what they like may not get the best ratings and advertisers. More news is going to smart phones and traffic info is going to GPS units and phones as well. Copying each other is what the big three auto makers did in their era. I think KGO will drop more in ratings, 910 will increase slightly.

 

[confusedlistener]

.......................

As for lineups, I do hope Karel will be removed for doing his level best part in making it a much weaker talk lineup in KGO's history.

I agree, but the problem with so many people (including me) saying that is it makes the person is question famous. The radio station owners LOVE it when so many people dislike their hosts. It supposedly means people are listening. However, I'd say Karel is an exception in this case. He's just plain bad. Terrible. Double un good. He's no Ray Talaiferro. He's no Michael Savage, He's no Rush, He's no Alan Berg, he's no Howard Stern, he's no Dennis Errectus, etc. I'm positive I could do a better job than him and I've never tried. I only have a HS education, not particularly articulate, but I know Larry the meat cutter is a better talk show host than Karel.

If I don't like (or hate) someone I don't turn on the radio (or on their station at least). And I know of others who also don't listen. So they are naive.

And Karel is just plain unlistenable, regardless of his political views. Not everyone can be a broadcaster (or at least should go to broadcasting school first).

 

[DavidKaye]

Of course people should keep in mind who and what they like may not get the best ratings and advertisers. More news is going to smart phones and traffic info is going to GPS units and phones as well. Copying each other is what the big three auto makers did in their era. I think KGO will drop more in ratings, 910 will increase slightly.

I think KNEW 910 will increase ratings but not necessarily in the demographics they want. But something is better than nothing. I think KGO's ratings will increase because the station now sounds fresher. My only complaint to far (except for the terrible audio problem with Kim Foster) is that the newswheel repeats too often. They need more stories. But I think they're doing a pretty good job just a few weeks out of the starting gate.

 

[oaktree]

I know Larry the meat cutter is a better talk show host than Karel.

Even Larry's meat is a better talk show host than Karel.

 

[HCochet]

.......................

As for lineups, I do hope Karel will be removed for doing his level best part in making it a much weaker talk lineup in KGO's history.

I agree, but the problem with so many people (including me) saying that is it makes the person is question famous. The radio station owners LOVE it when so many people dislike their hosts. It supposedly means people are listening. However, I'd say Karel is an exception in this case. He's just plain bad. Terrible. Double un good. He's no Ray Talaiferro. He's no Michael Savage, He's no Rush, He's no Alan Berg, he's no Howard Stern, he's no Dennis Errectus, etc. I'm positive I could do a better job than him and I've never tried. I only have a HS education, not particularly articulate, but I know Larry the meat cutter is a better talk show host than Karel.

If I don't like (or hate) someone I don't turn on the radio (or on their station at least). And I know of others who also don't listen. So they are naive.

And Karel is just plain unlistenable, regardless of his political views. Not everyone can be a broadcaster (or at least should go to broadcasting school first).

I too will listen to hosts I don't agree with if they do a good show. I don't care for Rush or Savage, but I can see how some people would like them. I don't really listen to them, but I have in the past. I don't really like their shows, but I admit they are good at what they do. However, I can listen to Hannity or Bill O'Reilly (sp?). I don't like their politics. They are second choice to me at best. All the fired KGO hosts would be first choice over them. Karel just shouldn't be in radio. Not on the air anyway. Maybe he can answer the phone at a station but I don't know if he'd be good at it. Karel is for sure the worst radio show host I've ever heard.

 

[HCochet]

I know Larry the meat cutter is a better talk show host than Karel.

Even Larry's meat is a better talk show host than Karel.

That's my profession and my name. I'm a meat cutter. That wouldn't be the name of, or topic of my show. Maybe I could once in a while talk about labor/unions/wal mart (bad? good?). I like Brian Copelands style. I'd chose the sort of topics he does. No way could I be as good as him. But he can't do manual labor as good as me.

 

[RadioStarOne]

The all new News/Talk 910 and the addition of Rush, Len Tillem, and Gene Burns, along with Armstrong and Getty now is being promoted on 910 minus the new calls of KKSF.

 

[Questor]

Let me expand on the reading ahead thing. In radio you have to read a lot of cold copy, that is, copy you've never seen before. Most people who aren't used to doing it will say the words as they read them. That's fine if you're totally used to the writing style, such as AP style, etc., but it fails badly if you are unfamiliar with the sentence structure or the copy contains lots of words you're not familiar with.

The trick is to read several words ahead of what you speak. It doesn't sound possible, but with lots of practice many people can do it so well that as a listener you could swear they're just talking spontaneously. So, you get a few moments to figure out the flow of the sentence, pronunciations, etc., before they actually come out of your mouth.

Musicians do something similar called "sight reading," at least the ones who can read music. (Why some musicians take pride in not knowing how to read music, I'll never understand. Ignorance is bliss, perhaps?)

Very similar tricks are used to sight read competently. You don't just look at the notes that you must play immediately, you also look at the ones ahead. Certain musical constructions are readily recognizable so your fingers and mind know what's coming. You can also "cheat" and look at the whole page of music when it's first given to you to see where tricky parts with large skips occur.

Sheet music sometimes appears in what's called "fake books," because that's what musicians do, they fake it. Sometimes when talk show hosts change stations, they too fake it for while in a new landscape and sound completely after a few measures.

 

[DavidKaye]

Musicians do something similar called "sight reading," at least the ones who can read music. (Why some musicians take pride in not knowing how to read music, I'll never understand. Ignorance is bliss, perhaps?)

No, not at all. Different kinds of music demand different techniques. Noted violin prodigy Joshua Bell would LOVE to be able to play bluegrass by ear, but he can't. He needs charts. That's how he learned his instrument. While there are lots of musicians who can both sight read and play by ear, the virtuosos tend to do one or the other, not both.

For myself, I can sight read for clarinet because I learned that way, but I can't play clarinet by ear. On the other hand I can play violin and button accordion by ear but can't sight read for them.

There is nothing "better" about sight reading music; in fact in any music genre that depends on improvisation such as jazz, blues, bluegrass, etc., sight reading would be a serious hindrance.

The radio equivalent would be reading a newscast but being unable to tell the news story.

 

[SFStatic]

How is sight reading a hinderance? Having played in bands and orchestras for decades for pay, I can tell you if you can't read, you're screwed. Most fine jazz players, and even just average ones read well...you have to read the chart, then you can blow your jazz solo over chord changes as indicated in the chart. That's how a great deal of big band and combo jazz is. When name artists come in to play a gig with a pick up local band, all the players have to read...you have generally one run through rehearsal, and then the gigs!

 

[DavidKaye]

How is sight reading a hinderance?

As a player you know that it takes different brain functions to sight read versus playing by ear. And as I think I said, virtuosos tend to do one or the other well, but seldom both. Joshua Bell is an example. He can't improvise worth a damn, though he wants to.

 

[SFStatic]

I know several virtuosos who do both well, and have played with them on stage. Sorry, I disagree.

 

[Rusty Muck]

Maybe Jan. 3rd is the day Cumulus blows up Hot Talk 560 and goes back to playing the oldies with the newly out of retirement Gene Nelson and Celeste Perry for wake up duties? Just a little wishful thinking by myself and a few others. But with all the insane decisions by Cumulus management here in the bay area anything could happen. "Watch out cause here they come" as Sir Paul sang in Helter Skelter!

Or they flip KSFO to "KNBR 560," electing to jettison off KTCT/1050 in the process. Or flip KTCT to an ethnic format.

 

[Rusty Muck]

L.A. used to have KNX and KFWB doing all news. Viacom ditched all-news on KFWB, which is now way the heck down in the ratings, below even KABC. I imagine KABC's demos are much like KGO's were under the news-talk format.

KROQ has dropped way down in the ratings since the last time I looked. PPMs? David Eduardo?

The demise of KFWB is more direct than that. The all-news format was axed because, after CBS bought a second TV O&O in LA, KFWB put them over the ownership limit. And KFWB has a terribly weak signal in comparison to KNX.

So... CBS keeps management control of KFWB (it is currently in a trust set up by Viacom) but has to run KFWB so that it isn't competitive. All the while trying to sell it. Yeah, that's the ticket!

As per KABC... well, that station has been poorly managed over the past decade or two. They have been doing hideously in the ratings over the past few years.

 

[lolbrat]

Listened to Len's first show on the new station. Laughed a few times. Most callers were from the Bay Area and asked questions he's answered many times before.

Kinda funny how he wouldn't say on the air KGO when his new station is owned by the same company.

Still I'm glad he's back on the air.

(And when did KKSF go from FM to AM? I remember listening to it back in the 1990s, when it was all alternative rock. Forget the name of the then DJ, but once late at night, just before he cued Judy Collins' "My Father," the DJ talked about his late father -- probably the only poignant FM radio moment for me that made me tear up.)

 

[DavidKaye]

Kinda funny how he wouldn't say on the air KGO when his new station is owned by the same company.

Huh? KGO is now owned by Cumulus Media. KKSF, the former kNEW, is owned by Clear Channel, clearly two different companies in direct competition.

 

[OhioMediaWatch]

I didn't hear Dr. Bill tonight (7-10 PM ET), but it was a great idea to have ex-KGOers lined up to fill in for Gene Burns.