Let's hope this PD won't be 'asleep at the wheel' at this new station and properly steering his on-air talent!
Is it just me, or is it lately, most jocks I've heard on local stations seem to be dropping most of the "radio basics"....when you open the mike, it's usually call letters, time, jock name, and temp, in no particular order, but at least mention these!
You never know who's listening and who just might have a BBM ballot...
I think "the basics" have changed. Is time/temp really relevant anymore? Most people are able to check these things at a glance. Outside of a morning show, I don't think it's all that necessary.
Just noticed that the Olds station is now testing (simulcasting) on 96.5/97.7. They are putting a very solid signal into north Calgary on the car radio on 96.5 (97.7 not quite as strong). They were asking for any reports of interference on their new frequency.
It states that the Olds station is allowed 3 months simulcast time on 96.5/97.7. It also states that Rawlco cannot launch in Calgary until the simulcast period is complete.
If this holds, it means that Rawlco cannot even begin testing on 97.7 until May. Consequently, I suppose a launch sometime well into May at the earliest.
"Time & Temp" per se, wasn't about providing information so much as it was a tangible demonstration of a "live" jock.... in the local market. A Calgary jock could say a chinook arch was formed in the west and that the temp was about to jump 20 degrees before supper. Now, that ... was a feel-good moment. And delivered in real-time.
When people outside of the industry ask me to say something in my "radio voice" I usually tell them that anyone can have a "radio voice". All you have to do is state the time and temp whenever you start talking to someone.
imho, I think it's old school, not usefull, a crutch, and impersonal. but that's just me.
the only occassion where temp might be usefull is if it's of interest (a high or low extreme).
A major survay was conducted across North America asking people what was there biggest bitch about radio.(I'm paraphrasing) The general view of the listener was that every station said the same thing over and over. The station I'm currently at goes straight into the bit. No calls, they're covered by splitters several times an hour, no backsell, no time or temp, except in the morning run and scheduled weather breaks. The idea here is to offer something no other station in the market offers. It seems to be working, but I'm still working on making my three months, and have to work hard at it, as I've spent my entire career doing calls, time, backsell. When the ratings are delivered this new presentation will prove its merit or die the death of many new formats.
Funny I've never heard that complaint ever. An interesting strategy but I think you're missing out on a few key elements. People really do want to hear the title of that new song just played, so much so that we get calls all the time when a new song is being played. The wisest thing you can do is put your newest music last in a sweep, so that the backsell is only that new song. It cuts down on clutter. I hear so many stations doing that completely backwards these days, frontselling new music. By the time the listener realizes they like the song what you said 2 minutes ago is already well out of their memory if they were even listening closely to begin with. The other thing is weather. Yeah it's pretty pedestrian but I see no harm in quick weather hits in every break. Especially in Canada in the winter, weather is the biggest thing on people's minds. It defines what their plans are.
I don't know. As a listener, it pi$$es me off when the DJ doesn't tell me what time it is or tell me what song just played. Because it's usually about that time that it's a new song that I've never heard before but want to know what CD I'm going to buy/song I'm going to download. Legally
Backsell, time check, temp, jock name...........generally in that order...............virtually every time I open the mic. Maybe I spent too much time in a MS where it was really really important, but it's something that will never leave me. To me, if you get rid of the time and temp, then terrestrial radio is dead. We may as well be satellite radio. If we can't offer the listener something LOCAL and CURRENT, then they have no reason to listen to terrestrial radio anymore.
Another thought on backselling, which I still think is valuable but not not always done effectively. There isn't always the need to backsell the secondary CanCon but backselling your core artists only might help to reinforce the fact that you are the station that specializes in those artists. It'll take some very persuasive arguments for me to get past the fact that your call letters next to a core artist is a hell of a great way of keeping your 'brand' going.
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