Top 10 Things You No Longer Hear at Radio Stations

[WCWalker]

Teletype Machines in the background during newscasts. Last time I heard that was on 1010 WINS in NYC. It is or was probably the last station in the country to do so. Have not listened for several years due to being out of earshot though and don't know if they still do it or not.

 

[imhomerjay]

KYW in Philadelphia still uses them.

 

[Tom Wells]

KYW in Philadelphia still uses them.

And I greatly appreciate them, having maintained an at-home smash-n-crash model 15 and have some ascii to baudot software and kept a particular laptop with fixed machine cyles in order to run it for fun.

It's far more amazing to me to watch it bit pick 5 bit codes, than to watch the disk light flicker on this laptop.

The teletypes sound GOOD here in Chicago, KYW!


Another:

"Someone run out to the weather station and take readings. "

(An actual official ,white, open slat, sloped roof weather station with min/max thermometers, etc .)

 

[Bill Myers]

We should do 10 Things you No Longer See on TV Stations:
(but that's a whole 'nother thread and another place).

10. The EBS test. (hearing the 2tone as opposed to that warbly sound that is currently activated by the EAS).

9. Hearing the record intro backwards as it's being cue'd by the jock.

8. Hearing a record skip on the air or the snap, crackle and pop of an old '45.

7. Hearing a 2 second intro of the same spot that just aired because somebody carted it too tight.

6. Hearing the close first instead of the open. (On a cart labeled OPEN/CLOSE).

5. Hearing the song garbled because the tape is getting fed into the cart machine.

4. Hearing somebody tell you they bulk/erased the cart. (The hum of the bulk/eraser).

3. Hearing the reel to reel deck fast forwarding in the cue mode.

2. The Top of the Hour time tone. Once at the top and twice at the bottom of the hour. (One station I worked at didn't have a time tone generator so we played the tone off of a cart at the top of the hour.)

1. Your ratings have been superb, your a market leader and we'd like to put you in for a raise.

** extras**
Intro of a song (like the drum beat or base run) under the station jingle with the post to be hit with a year sing or singing artist name)

Reverb

Hearing a jock on the air that doesn't sound like he/she could be in Anytown, USA.

The sound of the pinch roller coming up in the cart machine.

Local News personalities doing voice overs for the jock.
Ex: Hi, this is (newsperson) from (news station) and you're listening to (Johnny Jock) on (station call letters) and then into song.

That's all I can think of. Sorry if I ran over the 10 limit.

Bill

 

[Obtuse1]

Cue Burn, esp. on a CBS/Columbia 45.

 

[chas108]

Cue Burn, esp. on a CBS/Columbia 45.

Also most early 70's ABC pressings, Warner Bros. and energy crisis-era Elektra-Asylum 45's...but CBS plastic records were the worst...

 

[JimMcGrath]

I miss getting the messages from Satan when I spun the record backwards. CDs put a damper on his communications from Hell.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Cue Burn, esp. on a CBS/Columbia 45.

Also most early 70's ABC pressings, Warner Bros. and energy crisis-era Elektra-Asylum 45's...but CBS plastic records were the worst...

As an engineer with a background in chemistry explained, some of this had to do with the plastic-to-vinyl composition of the 45. The cheaper 45s were drop-pressed on plastic while the better 45s were injection-pressed on vinyl. (When he began explaining polymers, resins and carbon to hydrogen atoms my eyelids became heavy and I played the "I have a mess of production to do" card.)

Columbia 45s, as Chas noted, were often "one q wonders" pressed on plastic. But q-burn also had to do with how well the tonearms were balanced (or not) and the cartridge/stylus that was used. Stanton and Shure were common in most (AM) stations, while FMs resorted to the Stanton 6600E series. From the Pastrick Archives (aka that radio junk in the basement), I selected Chicago's "Saturday In The Park" 45 (b/w "Alma Mater") on Columbia (brittle plastic) and the Carpenters' "I Won't Last A Day Without You" (DJ copy, mono/stereo, flexible vinyl) on A&M. No q-burn on the Carpenters, mild q-burn on Chicago.

And what about the jocks who were Chronic Cue-ers... the guys who cue'd a record a dozen times before playing it on the air. Those guys sent thousand of 45s to an early death (or the staff members' record collection.) Whenever we installed new styli/cartridges, we'd check the tonearm balance with the gram-meter (not to be used for illicit substances) and proofed it with a 45 rpm stiff from a label known to press chintzy 45s.

 

[Debaser]

Here are a couple of things I've noticed that you don't hear at radio stations that I've been in over the past 15 years or so...

---the sound of people having a good time

---employees listening to the station on radios at their desks.

 

[chas108]

From the Pastrick Archives (aka that radio junk in the basement), I selected Chicago's "Saturday In The Park" 45 (b/w "Alma Mater") on Columbia (brittle plastic) and the Carpenters' "I Won't Last A Day Without You" (DJ copy, mono/stereo, flexible vinyl) on A&M. No q-burn on the Carpenters, mild q-burn on Chicago.

Memories...I have both of those 45's in my collection and for some reason had both a stock copy and DJ copy of "I Won't Last A Day Without You" - with the picture jacket. A&M, IIRC, was one of the ones who pressed vinyl copies for radio and plastic for the public. If you ever heard Q-burn on an RCA, Capitol or MCA pressing - they seemed to have the best vinyl - you knew that record had been played to death! ...or else played with a crappy stylus set at 5 grams...

I miss getting the messages from Satan when I spun the record backwards. CDs put a damper on his communications from Hell.

One night I sat in the OK-100/Cortland-Ithaca studio...about 3AM, playing an OK Fourplay..."Four in a row with no talk and no commercials!"...trying my durndest to find the supposed satanic message in "Stairway To Heaven". Spinning that Technics SL-1200 MK2 backwards with my finger until the strobe told me I was at something resembling 33 1/3 RPM in reverse...never could find it.

I later learned the message was apparently taken out of newer pressings of the album.

Of course today it's so easy...just pull it into the timeline on my Vegas Pro 8 and hit "reverse".

Here are a couple of things I've noticed that you don't hear at radio stations that I've been in over the past 15 years or so...

---the sound of people having a good time

---employees listening to the station on radios at their desks.

DB, it's well established that I'm insane...but I still enjoy the business.

True, I'm not there every day and not having to deal with all the internal politics makes it a much more enjoyable experience. But I'm fortunate to be in a place with no liner cards, and where an hour of prep before your show is expected - even on weekends.

I do miss working with a staff of people from whom I can pick up little things to make my show better (there are a couple but that's all)...but thankfully when I need inspiration there's plenty of airchecks online from people who were (and I imagine still are, given the opportunity) masters of emotional connection.

As far as listening to the station at your desk...I don't think I ever did that, except for when I was a PD and had to do it. Nowadays people in multi-station clusters (such as mine) just have the hall monitors playing everywhere in the building. But what really threw me was last week when I filled in for the production director - first time in eons...and I walked into Traffic Goddess land to get some prod orders. There where the radio had sat for years - was now an iPod docking station.

Sometimes reality just reached out and B-slaps ya...

 

[Element9]

Here are a couple of things I've noticed that you don't hear at radio stations that I've been in over the past 15 years or so...

---the sound of people having a good time

---employees listening to the station on radios at their desks.

Touchdown! How many times from my radio friends have I heard stories about sales people not knowing who's on the station(s) they sell. Was a time when sales people loved the stations they sold and knew everything about them. A friend tells a story about a highly rated station's best sales person who was overheard asking another, "what time is **** on the air?" The jock she was asking about was in his 7th year in the daypart.

Here are a couple of things I've noticed that you don't hear at radio stations that I've been in over the past 15 years or so...

---the sound of people having a good time

---employees listening to the station on radios at their desks.

Touchdown! My radio friends tell stories about sales people not knowing who's on the station they sell or what the station is doing. (Although with voice tracking this might be understandable.) A friend tells a story about a highly rated station's best sales person who was overheard asking another, "what time is **** on the air?" The jock she was asking about was in his 7th year in the daypart. I guess it's tougher these days because AEs are hawking four stations and their Internet streams plus who knows what else.

 

[Penrod Rightout]

1) Meter readings are to be taken EVERY HOUR! No Exceptions!

2) You must know how to run an EBS test: a) play the opener cart b) drop carrier c) hope the transmitter comes back up and play the close.

and...

Pull music from the front of the card file and file your albums in the right category.

3) A song must play in TWO OTHER DAYPARTS before you play it again!

 

[gr8oldies]

Warm up the filaments before you turn the plates on.

 

[Debaser]

1) Meter readings are to be taken EVERY HOUR! No Exceptions!

And don't forget those third class tickets we used to have to get...just so we could take the meter readings!

hahahahaha...good times.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

You still have to know how to do an EBS test or I guess now it's call EANS test. I had been in radio for 20 years out of the biz for 10 and when I got back in somebody had to show me how to do an EANS test. I was so embarrassed.

Something not heard at radio stations, lets see, how about CARTS!

 

[heydaybegone]

You still have to know how to do an EBS test or I guess now it's call EANS test. I had been in radio for 20 years out of the biz for 10 and when I got back in somebody had to show me how to do an EANS test. I was so embarrassed.

No need for embarrassment (IMHO)!! The parties that be don't have a clue of "the blast from the past"...so let them think what they may!!
I was good friends with Craig Kingcaid, an engineer that had a role in implementing the EANS test...way back. (don't know EXACTLY how much he was into it...but heck it was like the late 80's or early 90's ???) Feel free to correct me.
I digress
Penrod...those 3rd class tickets used to be the ticket IN (showing a desire for the business). You're right "good times"!! Few 16 year olds hiked to the Fed Building in Buffalo to take the "quiz"...but that cut the mustard when I was able to start a 20 year career!! Nothing like that anymore!!! (Any questions about why things are so screwy now?)
I know MANY of the posters have their 3rd Class stories to tell, and use this thread or start another...but it's part of the lowering of the bar....

HDBG

 

[oldschooler1]

Another top ten list:

10. Reading the complete list of school closings on a snow day, read over the intro to Ace's "How Long.".

9. It took me two tries to pass my element nine. How about you?

8. Leave us on high power for awhile. I want my buddy in Virginia to hear me tonight.

7. When the midnight jock signs onto the log, hearing him say "You forgot to change pattern!"

6. Call the FAA. One of our tower lights is burned out.

5. The "vuh-vum, vuh-vum, vuh-vum" of a cart not bulked properly.

4. I hate how this teletype ribbon ink never washes off...

3. Three bells for an urgent, four bells for a bulletin, five for a flash.

2. "This is the ABC Information Network."

1. Now, with 62 WHEN Air traffic, here's Captain Scott King...

 

[chas108]

1. Now, with 62 WHEN Air traffic, here's Captain Scott King...

62 WHEN...One of THE great CNY personality full-service Hot AC stations! Almost makes me want to cry when I drive back to Syracuse and the personality's...gone.

Maybe I should come up during the week instead of over a weekend when it's all guaranteed VT and canned programming.

You still have to know how to do an EBS test or I guess now it's call EANS test. I had been in radio for 20 years out of the biz for 10 and when I got back in somebody had to show me how to do an EANS test. I was so embarrassed.

You haven't lived until you've got a killer break prepared and 20 seconds before you key the mic the EAS goes off with a two-minute weather warning and you can't mute it. And then you have up to 10 minutes to re-send the warning or the unit simply takes over the air signal and sends it on its own.

Kinda defeats the idea of the on-air studio being a "control room", doesn't it?

Penrod...those 3rd class tickets used to be the ticket IN (showing a desire for the business). You're right "good times"!! Few 16 year olds hiked to the Fed Building in Buffalo to take the "quiz"...but that cut the mustard when I was able to start a 20 year career!! Nothing like that anymore!!! (Any questions about why things are so screwy now?)
I know MANY of the posters have their 3rd Class stories to tell, and use this thread or start another...but it's part of the lowering of the bar....

HDBG

I remember going to the local Radio Shack in Brattleboro, VT to buy my training book...trying to understand what Elements 1 & 2 had to do with anything I needed. Of course those were the two elements I passed...had to go back a second time to finally pass Element 9. Both times having to drive to Boston - 120 miles each way. The one thing I remember about the second trip was that it was during WRKO's fetish with playing NOTHING over three minutes. Which in the days of Elton John's 5-minute masterpieces made for some pretty awful edits!

 

[Element9]

Penrod...those 3rd class tickets used to be the ticket IN (showing a desire for the business). You're right "good times"!! Few 16 year olds hiked to the Fed Building in Buffalo to take the "quiz"... HDBG

I remember going to the local Radio Shack in Brattleboro, VT to buy my training book...trying to understand what Elements 1 & 2 had to do with anything I needed. Of course those were the two elements I passed...had to go back a second time to finally pass Element 9.

The test that separated the pretenders from the contenders. P=I2R, P=IxExF, Volts, Amps, Plates, Filaments and all that real radio stuff. My contribution, this post: "Legal, withing 2, top and bottom."

 

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