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VoiceTracking in SF
- Thread starter 1069_KIFR
- Start date
1069_KIFR said:
I'd guess that Clear Channel stations do the most voice-tracking. There was a brisk discussion on another thread about KISQ - I assumed that everybody outside of morning drive was voice-tracked, but a poster with more inside knowledge said that even Renel (in the morning) is voice-tracked, though that may be to accomodate her second career as the Giants' stadium announcer. The same poster insists that Morris Knight in the afternoon really is live. If so, he sounds voice-tracked (very little DJ content), so you have to ask - what's the point of being live?
Most CC stations follow this pattern - they are primarily voice-tracked. It's been a long time since I've listened to CBS's music stations (Alice, Live 105, etc) but my memory is that most of their jocks are live, unless that's changed.
Lkeller said:
Llew:
I had a tour of the CC cluster in Phoenix a few months ago. Apart from morning drives, all their stations are voice-tracked. And since then, KYOT has flipped from smooth jazz to old school and mornings are tracked in San Francisco.
Clear Channel is probably the most voicetracked especially with Star (every daypart but mornings). Entercom is next with K-FOX and KOIT heavily voicetracked in nights and weekends. Cumulus tracks weekends. CBS has the most live shifts.
michael hagerty said:
Michael - I wouldn't be surprised if KYOT is VTed by either Tony Sandoval or Lisa St. Regis. I know Sandoval originates in SF - not sure about St. Regis. But if you check websites for the other CC "Old School" stations, you'll find their pics and biographies on most of them.
Lkeller said:
Llew: It's three jocks...Chino, Sana G and Melissa the Midnight Mamacita are all VTing KYOT from CC properties in the Bay Area. Two oftheir talents, Melissa Sharpe and Tony Evans, are local, but they track their shows too.
Sana G does afternoons on KMEL. Not sure about the other 2.
crainbebo said:
Hey crainbebo, what kind of antenna and receiver do you use? I ask since I'm a technology geek.
I pick up Bay Area stations quite well at 169 miles away. It helps that I live on top of a mountain at 4000' in elevation. I'm using a Weinguard FM antenna (60 feet up a tree), about 200 feet of coax, and a Bose waveradio. Nothing fancy but it works.
The thing about voice tracking I don't get is why they do it in Major Markets. To me, exporting voices from a major market to the smaller ones is the logical way to do it. Really, other than market size, most major market stations don't sound much different than stations in smaller markets now. The smaller markets might sound better for it, but there's not too much that is special about the stations in big cities anymore... Used to be that the best talent rose to the top, now I hear a lot of really small sounding talent in markets like New York, Chicago, LA and SF, sad....
SFStatic said:
But for that matter, do people really care about DJs? Sirius/XM has been pushing the DJs on several of their channels, much to the chagrin of listeners. A cafe where I hang out has Sirius and the customers get quite annoyed when some doofus comes on and talks about Crosby Stills and Nash or Beyonce. Last night on one of their channels a DJ was going on, "Well, we just got past Mother's day and before you know it it'll be Memorial Day. Time is really passing fast..." as another customer rolled her eyes at me.
People prefer jukeboxes! Give 'em jukeboxes and Joe McConnell for traffic.
DavidKaye said:
I've seen that kind of behavior from listeners before, but I've also seen the other side of it. There are still people who like to hear a human voice with their music. However they may be in the minority now. I think it has to be something more than what you described. That's where true talent comes in. Satellite radio has to have great talent if it's going to use a host. If they aren't the best, why have them. It's not like Sirius/XM is promoting anything on their spot free music channels, or doing live spots, since they don't do them at all. So if the talent is going to be added to the music it has to be good, has to entertain or deliver real compelling information, has to bring something other than a lesson on what day it is... I know people who work at Dial Global and they demand you bring something to the table, content is key there.
recto101 said:
I loved Maria Lopez.
Regardless, some of the smaller market "jocks" are just as good, if not even better, than the major market announcers. They may want to be residing in the smaller markets, or maybe not aggressively marketing themselves for the major markets. Either way, there is a lot of voice talent out there, and maybe some of the majors should be seeking out the talent in the smaller markets, and not the other way around. The majors might find a real gem in the process.
The honcho is absolutely correct. That said, so far I haven't heard many (maybe one or two) who were from out of market smaller markets that didn't sound green and bad compared to the SF talent around. A long time ago, we had a great 'farm system' that groomed smaller market talent, and when the good ones were ready, they moved up. Tracking has, to a great extent, destroyed this.
SFStatic said:
I've said this before, but the problem with voice-tracking is not that it's local or non-local - a non-local jock can inform him or herself about Bay Area culture and events, and talk about it. The problem is - so much VTing is devoid of almost all content. These VTed DJs open the mike about every 4th song for about 10 seconds, and they no longer talk into the stop set - that's always some pre-recorded plug for the station.
Ryan Seacrest is an exception. Love him or hate him, they edit and re-purpose his KIIS-FM morning show into a show that actually has content. But the vast majority of VTed shows have almost no content at all beyond the music. Who cares if it's local - or who can even tell?
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