Just out of curiosity...if a company is trying to stay afloat in a terrible economy, why are they "cheap" as opposed to fiscally prudent? Is the News Journal cheap (several rounds of layoffs over the past year)? Is the state cheap (pay cuts for employees after no raises for three years)? MBNA had layoffs, Dupont had layoffs, many small businesses have had layoffs...are they all cheap or just trying to do their best?
You said it better than I, but this was the point I was trying to make. All of us who either work, have worked, or simply love radio hate to see less live people involved, especially local live people. I remember reading about how radio dramatically changed in the early 1950's when magnetic tape first became available. Now commericals could be recorded and used over and over via a reel to reel tape recorder thus cutting out the need for live singers, musicians, announcers, sound effects people, etc at radio stations for jingles, spots, etc. Then cart machines came into being, look at the changes that made, then computers and electronic recording, voice tracking, etc. Just as in industry, technology requires fewer people to do what was previously done before the technology arrived.
As Delaware is a very small state and both Delmarva and CC Delaware both have upper and lower Delaware stations, it has surprised me greatly that neither has done more statewide network broadcasts or if you will simulcasting to cut on air music/ news staff in half possibly. Think how many "secretaries" (today's administrative assistants) were needed a few years ago prior to the computer's arrival in the business world? Today all employees, generally, have access to a computer so they type their own memos, other than the biggest exects who still get the perk of having an Admin Assistant. At least in this case, WSTW is still live and not pre-recorded or a network feed from LA, but a simulcast or statewide network feed from Milford. If Delmarva really wanted to save more money, they could have gone to the bird for a syndicated music show, unless the Milford pay scale is so low that it is a better cost savings to use a Milford jock than a satellite feed from LA or wherever from a national network. But in any case, it still is a live Delaware music show, it just originates from "exciting, vibrant, beautiful downtown Milford" (or wherever the station is located down there) rather than in North Wilmington. The thing most of us radio geeks forget is that the audience really doesn't care about this. All they want is the music they like with a good sounding jock who doesn't stumble over the few words he should be limited in saying.
