Your programming petpieves

[bobdavcav]

What are some things that bother you that stations do? Here's my list,
1. Legal ID, I don't like it between spots, especially when listening to a clip on tophour, of a station you don't know. Let's say station KXXX in market X buries the legal in a commercial break, and it is put up on tophour. Then someone in market Y browsing tophour stumbles across that clip, maybe the station has changed calls and is now KXYZ. Maybe the listener has heard of KXYZ, and looked it up on Wikipedia as I do stations, but the Wikipedia article is one of those that all it says is KXYZ is a radio station broadcasting on X frequency licensed to serve the city of X, you may or may not have a history of call letters. So you click play on this clip because you are curious as to what the format was. If the ID is in the break though, you don't know what the format was, whereas if it is in a music set, there are songs on either side, so you can tell what the format is, and they usually say there brand name if it is in a music set.
2. Doing the ID early. We all know what the rules say about this, so I am not going to restate them. There are exceptions I can get used to, like KHKS doing it consistantly at 53 or 54, especially when they have stuff that starts at the top of the hour, and I'm still undecided about WQSM. What really bothers me about my local 92.5 though, is they don't only offend on this one, but my point above. The ID runs consistantly a minute before the break at the 45 ends, usually between the 49 and 51.
3. This is a new one for me, the scrolling RDS message. I was down at my grandparents' house a couple weeks ago, and for the first time I had a radio that I could make the screen reader read the RDS. The message was something like check out Johnny, weekday mornings on 105.7 The Jet. I would rather have seen that message in two parts on the two different lines, and then that would dissappear in a minute and put the other message, "Thank you for making The Jet the number one radio station in the harbor," on one line like it was, and I'm not sure what to put on the other line. What bothers you?

 

[Bongwater]

What are some things that bother you that stations do? Here's my list,
1. Legal ID, I don't like it between spots, especially when listening to a clip on tophour, of a station you don't know. Let's say station KXXX in market X buries the legal in a commercial break, and it is put up on tophour. Then someone in market Y browsing tophour stumbles across that clip, maybe the station has changed calls and is now KXYZ. Maybe the listener has heard of KXYZ, and looked it up on Wikipedia as I do stations, but the Wikipedia article is one of those that all it says is KXYZ is a radio station broadcasting on X frequency licensed to serve the city of X, you may or may not have a history of call letters. So you click play on this clip because you are curious as to what the format was. If the ID is in the break though, you don't know what the format was, whereas if it is in a music set, there are songs on either side, so you can tell what the format is, and they usually say there brand name if it is in a music set.
2. Doing the ID early. We all know what the rules say about this, so I am not going to restate them. There are exceptions I can get used to, like KHKS doing it consistantly at 53 or 54, especially when they have stuff that starts at the top of the hour, and I'm still undecided about WQSM. What really bothers me about my local 92.5 though, is they don't only offend on this one, but my point above. The ID runs consistantly a minute before the break at the 45 ends, usually between the 49 and 51.
3. This is a new one for me, the scrolling RDS message. I was down at my grandparents' house a couple weeks ago, and for the first time I had a radio that I could make the screen reader read the RDS. The message was something like check out Johnny, weekday mornings on 105.7 The Jet. I would rather have seen that message in two parts on the two different lines, and then that would dissappear in a minute and put the other message, "Thank you for making The Jet the number one radio station in the harbor," on one line like it was, and I'm not sure what to put on the other line. What bothers you?

- Classic Rock stations that have RIDICULOUSLY tight playlists (ahem, KISM....)

- AC stations that play far too much CHR.

- Any station that uses a moniker (The Wolf, Star, Kiss, Warm, Jack, etc. etc.) instead of call letters.

- Any station still promoting HD Radio without mentioning anything good specifically they're running on it.

- Alternative stations that play Fall Out Boy

- "Gangnam Style" 'Nuff said.

 

[bobdavcav]

What are some things that bother you that stations do? Here's my list,
1. Legal ID, I don't like it between spots, especially when listening to a clip on tophour, of a station you don't know. Let's say station KXXX in market X buries the legal in a commercial break, and it is put up on tophour. Then someone in market Y browsing tophour stumbles across that clip, maybe the station has changed calls and is now KXYZ. Maybe the listener has heard of KXYZ, and looked it up on Wikipedia as I do stations, but the Wikipedia article is one of those that all it says is KXYZ is a radio station broadcasting on X frequency licensed to serve the city of X, you may or may not have a history of call letters. So you click play on this clip because you are curious as to what the format was. If the ID is in the break though, you don't know what the format was, whereas if it is in a music set, there are songs on either side, so you can tell what the format is, and they usually say there brand name if it is in a music set.
2. Doing the ID early. We all know what the rules say about this, so I am not going to restate them. There are exceptions I can get used to, like KHKS doing it consistantly at 53 or 54, especially when they have stuff that starts at the top of the hour, and I'm still undecided about WQSM. What really bothers me about my local 92.5 though, is they don't only offend on this one, but my point above. The ID runs consistantly a minute before the break at the 45 ends, usually between the 49 and 51.
3. This is a new one for me, the scrolling RDS message. I was down at my grandparents' house a couple weeks ago, and for the first time I had a radio that I could make the screen reader read the RDS. The message was something like check out Johnny, weekday mornings on 105.7 The Jet. I would rather have seen that message in two parts on the two different lines, and then that would dissappear in a minute and put the other message, "Thank you for making The Jet the number one radio station in the harbor," on one line like it was, and I'm not sure what to put on the other line. What bothers you?

- Classic Rock stations that have RIDICULOUSLY tight playlists (ahem, KISM....)

- AC stations that play far too much CHR.

- Any station that uses a moniker (The Wolf, Star, Kiss, Warm, Jack, etc. etc.) instead of call letters.

- Any station still promoting HD Radio without mentioning anything good specifically they're running on it.

- Alternative stations that play Fall Out Boy

- "Gangnam Style" 'Nuff said.

I don't know how old you are, but I would guess you are not in the target demo for CHR. I am actually getting to like the song. I always thought KZOK was the better of the two classic rock stations in this area, when we first discovered KISM several years ago, I did not like them because they played really long songs. They seem to have cut back on that, though. What's wrong with a name? What does bug me about not using call letters is the stations that use Abacast. A typical URL there is v5.player.abacast.com/index.php?uid=4855. There is no way to tell what station that is. On the other hand, you can tell what station that is just by looking at the URL, player.streamtheworld.com/liveplayer.php?callsign=KBFFFM.

 

[RDO]

Production talent that still voice commercials in first person, even when they aren't a paid spokesperson.

 

[davideduardo]

Production talent that still voice commercials in first person, even when they aren't a paid spokesperson.

Every station employee is a "paid spokesperson" for every client of a station. It really does not matter if separate and additional compensation is involved.

In many cases, management may ask a host, jock or station announcer to use first person in an ad "because we need to make the sale" or "the client requires it" or some-such reason. Generally, talent will agree to the occasional pseudo-endorsement.

 

[Bongwater]

Production talent that still voice commercials in first person, even when they aren't a paid spokesperson.

Every station employee is a "paid spokesperson" for every client of a station. It really does not matter if separate and additional compensation is involved.

In many cases, management may ask a host, jock or station announcer to use first person in an ad "because we need to make the sale" or "the client requires it" or some-such reason. Generally, talent will agree to the occasional pseudo-endorsement.

Early on in this biz, I was actually told NOT to do that. Why? "Because listeners are stupid. They will assume the radio station has the sale on paper towels and whole chicken fryers if you announce it in the first person" This was in 1989.

I could be wrong. But I know of no cases of that actually happening. It would be very hard to mistake a radio station for a supermarket. Maybe someone from the sales department can clear it up.

But on the other hand, I would really HATE to be "the voice" for the local restaurant that made everybody sick. Or the stock broker that ripped everybody off. Or the most horribly incompetent mayor the city has ever had.

If your voice is really recognizable and you're a popular local radio personality (or aspiring to be), you really don't want to spend much of your time in public dodging flying eggs and lynch mobs.

Just my observation.......

 

[RDO]

David, I know you have a long career in radio and are very active on these boards. But, I have to strongly disagree with your philosophy. On air people are not a paid spokesperson for every client. That is my opinion and programming philosophy. On air talent is there to entertain and work for the radio station - the radio station that plays music or talks, etc. While they are a part of the station's programming, commercials are a different entity and we should keep them separate.

On air talent should never do a commercial in first person unless they are paid extra to do so. And when they do, they should identify it as such. "Hi. this is Joe for Local Store"...

 

[davideduardo]

David, I know you have a long career in radio and are very active on these boards. But, I have to strongly disagree with your philosophy. On air people are not a paid spokesperson for every client. That is my opinion and programming philosophy. On air talent is there to entertain and work for the radio station - the radio station that plays music or talks, etc. While they are a part of the station's programming, commercials are a different entity and we should keep them separate.

On air talent should never do a commercial in first person unless they are paid extra to do so. And when they do, they should identify it as such. "Hi. this is Joe for Local Store"...

There is a difference between philosophy and reality.

In today's radio, with revenues off about 25% from the 2006 pre-recession level and where income is threatened by new media, everyone is doing things they did not do 10 years ago.

I've always felt that it is not right for a station personality to do endorsements unless specifically engaged by the client with the station approval to do so. I've also felt that news people should not do endorsements of any kind.

I've mostly been in large markets with, fortunately, well rated stations... ones that could set certain conditions and abide by them and which could turn down business if it did not meet set standards.

But reality has changed even larger market radio. The "I've seen the great selection of used cars they have, and you should, too!" type statement is not actually an endorsement, just a statement of fact or, at worse, puffery. It's become acceptable if not a requirement.

In smaller markets, where owning a station is simply a form of guaranteed employment, a station has to be flexible to keep the few remaining local accounts. Standards have to be flexible when it comes to doing things like "I know you'll find something you like at a terrific price at Anderson's annual housewares clearance sale..." Is it an endorsement, or just "personalization"? In this day and age, I'd accept that kind of thing instantly if I were in Prescott or Traverse City or Pocatello because the other option is going out of business.