Congratulations to WING and a really big "thank you" for recreating the audio quality originally made famous by using 2 Dixie cups and a really long piece of string. The sound on tonight's Piqua-Troy football game set radio back 50 years. It's just horrifying that a radio station like WING takes so little pride in their on-air product. Enjoying that 1-share guys?
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WING's football sound quality
- Thread starter TANKSBACK
- Start date
OK "Tanks" who told you their secret? Investigations will ensue! ;D
Think about it though, a Dixiecup just about exactly fits over the business end of most modern mikes, the only problem must have been keeping the string taut.
Think about it though, a Dixiecup just about exactly fits over the business end of most modern mikes, the only problem must have been keeping the string taut.
WING can not be heard in the Cincinnati suburbs at night so I am unable to know the precise sound quality (or lack thereof) that you are referring to. I wonder what process is used to send the remote signal back to the studios for airing: marti? phone line? cell phone? QKT? or?
Yea, it's true that the "glory days" of this station are sadly in the past, as is many AM'S, but the heritage station such as "High Flying WING" is deserves much better that this. The current ownership is doing nothing but "grounding" it. It would be nice is someone really interested in the station could get it and at least, try to re-create some of the magic. A high energy, good oldies format using some of the old PAMS Jingles and lots of promotion might be worth a try I would think.
Surely would be better than the death it is dying now.
Surely would be better than the death it is dying now.
WING Radio is a perfect example of a company that only cares about their FM's. The station only exists with no real effort or financail support of it. I agree that the ownership either doesn't care and or know what to with the station.
I am fed up with these stations that they think they can just put ESPN or total network Talk lineup on the air and they will come. Be real.
Main Line should show some respect for what this station has met for the city that they should sell it now! I wish I could afford to buy it because there is so much potential for bringing listeners back to the station but also added revenue. Main Line has consultants but apparently they have no experience in AM Radio.
As to the bad sound quality of the game there is NO excuse. There are so many stations that sound very good with their sound quality of doing high school broadcasts. I have heard stations through out southwest Ohio who do high school sports that sound a lot better than WING does.
The only way things will change is when someone else makes an offer to buy the station. I hope that if this happens the new ownership will have a true passion for AM Radio. The station is not dead and can be brought back but for now it is on live support. Give me six months and some people I know who care about AM and there will be a different view of the
I am fed up with these stations that they think they can just put ESPN or total network Talk lineup on the air and they will come. Be real.
Main Line should show some respect for what this station has met for the city that they should sell it now! I wish I could afford to buy it because there is so much potential for bringing listeners back to the station but also added revenue. Main Line has consultants but apparently they have no experience in AM Radio.
As to the bad sound quality of the game there is NO excuse. There are so many stations that sound very good with their sound quality of doing high school broadcasts. I have heard stations through out southwest Ohio who do high school sports that sound a lot better than WING does.
The only way things will change is when someone else makes an offer to buy the station. I hope that if this happens the new ownership will have a true passion for AM Radio. The station is not dead and can be brought back but for now it is on live support. Give me six months and some people I know who care about AM and there will be a different view of the
Does it sound that way every week, or just last night?
Maybe they had technical issues. Maybe they forgot the Comrex Access or something like that, and did the best they could with what they had.
I'm aware that Mainline is really "frugal", but I'd be surprised if they only sent a cell phone to a ball game and intentionally made it sound that bad. But all of us have had issues where we use the second or third option to make it on the air. (Especially when it's sold out.)
Maybe they had technical issues. Maybe they forgot the Comrex Access or something like that, and did the best they could with what they had.
I'm aware that Mainline is really "frugal", but I'd be surprised if they only sent a cell phone to a ball game and intentionally made it sound that bad. But all of us have had issues where we use the second or third option to make it on the air. (Especially when it's sold out.)
Dear Mainline management:
...can you say "Tieline Commander?"
AM 1410 is deplorable...and the tinny sounding audio makes me wonder if the PBP was done over a cheap cel phone? A Tieline Commander (or a similar POTS/CODEC unit)used over a conventional analog dial-up phone line would be much better sounding than this!
I gave up on this station shortly after Kirkie retired...it hasn't been the same since.
As said before on these boards...Dayton's first has become Dayton's worst!
...can you say "Tieline Commander?"
AM 1410 is deplorable...and the tinny sounding audio makes me wonder if the PBP was done over a cheap cel phone? A Tieline Commander (or a similar POTS/CODEC unit)used over a conventional analog dial-up phone line would be much better sounding than this!
I gave up on this station shortly after Kirkie retired...it hasn't been the same since.
As said before on these boards...Dayton's first has become Dayton's worst!
I got a look at what they were using at the Wayne-Trotwood game a few weeks ago. They had a Marti there as well as a Tieline I-Mix. I'm not sure what was the primary and what was the backup. It was probably a case of "stuff happens" with the codec connection and they had to drop to POTS or cell phone as a method of last resort.
I do the Wayne games on WSWO-LP which feeds broadcasts over a Comrex Access. We got hit with problems during the pregame show at Beavercreek and had to switch to the backup cell phone connection for a few minutes. Something was up with Verizon 4G and the problem was cured by forcing the aircard to 3G/EVDO mode. At least it's been a lot better than using Sprint, which was absolutely horrible for network problems last season. The Sprint aircard would show 100% signal but the throughput would drop to zero for up to 30 seconds at a time.
Sometimes it's better to have a good old fashioned Marti. But when that or your codec craps out, POTS or cell at least gets something on the air.
I do the Wayne games on WSWO-LP which feeds broadcasts over a Comrex Access. We got hit with problems during the pregame show at Beavercreek and had to switch to the backup cell phone connection for a few minutes. Something was up with Verizon 4G and the problem was cured by forcing the aircard to 3G/EVDO mode. At least it's been a lot better than using Sprint, which was absolutely horrible for network problems last season. The Sprint aircard would show 100% signal but the throughput would drop to zero for up to 30 seconds at a time.
Sometimes it's better to have a good old fashioned Marti. But when that or your codec craps out, POTS or cell at least gets something on the air.
greg.hahn said:
I think you are correct and that it was probably a case where other options didn't work (see my previous post for what I have seen them using in the past). If it was at Troy, the phone lines in the auxiliary press box on the visitor's side have never worked as long as I can recall, so maybe they wound up over there and don't have an air card for their Tieline. Miami County was likely out of Marti range for them.
You may be correct about the technical issues. All I knoiw is that I checked out WONE, WBZI-FM and a couple of the Cincinnati stations that were also carrying high school games and they were all vastly better sound quality than WING. I will check again next Friday to see if it was just a one night thing or if they are consistently this bad.
Good to hear the sound quality of the football broadcast on WING was improved.
One of the complaints I have of some braodcasts of high school football games is the lack of crowd noise. Sometimes it has seemed as though the only microphones being used are those with the announcers inside the pressbox with none outside. I realize this involves arriving at the site early and having enough cable to run a mike outside (any more it seems so many pressboxes have the thick glass with windows that don't open) but away from the public address speakers. That also requires watching the levels (actually listening to them is best) so the crowd noise doesn't override the announcers. As noted, this involves a little more set up time and equipment, but it does allow the radio listener to be more a part of the broadcast. I remember once listening to a high school football game and the announcer said, "the crowd is going wide". Unfortunately, he and the microphone(s) were apparently inside a closed pressbox and nothing could be heard but his voice.
I realize this post was about the quality of the broadcast and how it was being relayed back to the station, but I felt this should be added in at some point. Hopefully, my doing so at this point is okay.
One of the complaints I have of some braodcasts of high school football games is the lack of crowd noise. Sometimes it has seemed as though the only microphones being used are those with the announcers inside the pressbox with none outside. I realize this involves arriving at the site early and having enough cable to run a mike outside (any more it seems so many pressboxes have the thick glass with windows that don't open) but away from the public address speakers. That also requires watching the levels (actually listening to them is best) so the crowd noise doesn't override the announcers. As noted, this involves a little more set up time and equipment, but it does allow the radio listener to be more a part of the broadcast. I remember once listening to a high school football game and the announcer said, "the crowd is going wide". Unfortunately, he and the microphone(s) were apparently inside a closed pressbox and nothing could be heard but his voice.
I realize this post was about the quality of the broadcast and how it was being relayed back to the station, but I felt this should be added in at some point. Hopefully, my doing so at this point is okay.
Cincinnati Kid said:
In my view, we want to provide the entire "game experience" so there should be a crowd noise pickup. Fortunately most press boxes around Dayton have windows that open. I've had good results placing a cheap Apex brand shotgun mic on top of the press box or with just the nose sticking out the window if there's rain in the forecast. I prefer a location on top of the box so the mic is less likely to pick up individual conversations from the seats right in front of the window. The directional nature of the mic also helps catch the whistles and occasional pad crack from the field, although for good field audio you need a parabolic on the sideline which is too much effort and budget for a high school broadcast. Loud PA systems can be a problem, and you need to watch the level at the half when the band plays or the announcers will get buried under that.
Some of the local stadiums mic the refs too. It's a nice touch when you can find a kindly sound guy that will let you tap into the ref mic feed to use on the air.
The best football crowd sounds that I have experienced came when I placed a good-sized hand microphone on a stand that had an attached horizontal arm on it. The mike was at the end of the three-foot arm, with the stand placed on the all-weather track and aimed toward the field. To be safe, I tied the stand to a fence there so it would not tip over. The play-by-play was done in the pressbox with a headset type of microphone. As the broadcast would be heard by delay later that same night, everything was run through a small amplifier into a cassette recorder.
Having the entire game on tape did enable me to listen to it closely when it aired a couple of hours later. It was interesting to hear how well everything sounded on that field microphone. For one thing, the public address system could be heard, but didn't drown everything else out. The sounds of the crowd and cheerleaders from the pressbox side of the field sounded good; however, the thing that I do remember hearing was a small combo of musicians from the visiting school playing their instruments in the stands on the opposite side of the field.
While it takes a little bit of time to set something like this up, along with enough microphone cable to reach from the pressbox down to the track and arranged in a safe way so it doesn't trip someone or otherwise present a hazard, the overall variety of the sounds heard and the quality seemed to make it well worth the effort.
Having the entire game on tape did enable me to listen to it closely when it aired a couple of hours later. It was interesting to hear how well everything sounded on that field microphone. For one thing, the public address system could be heard, but didn't drown everything else out. The sounds of the crowd and cheerleaders from the pressbox side of the field sounded good; however, the thing that I do remember hearing was a small combo of musicians from the visiting school playing their instruments in the stands on the opposite side of the field.
While it takes a little bit of time to set something like this up, along with enough microphone cable to reach from the pressbox down to the track and arranged in a safe way so it doesn't trip someone or otherwise present a hazard, the overall variety of the sounds heard and the quality seemed to make it well worth the effort.
Unless someone has big bucks and wants a very expensive hobby, don't expect WING to ever be a stand-alone. WDAO is fighting the good fight but with a very specialized audience.
T
tcsnrayp
Guest
who else thinks tanksback was being sarcastic when he said "Congratulations to WING and a really big thank you for recreating the audio quality "???
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