This just pisses me off, I hate these terrible press releases that try and put a positive spin on taking a local primetime job away and replacing it with a guy who has probably never even heard of Calgary and is 3000kms away. Chad Martin can jerk himself off all he wants over "ryan seacrest and his awesome star power", but its basically a cheap way to fill air. If you're going to air a show like this, air it in the evenings or overnight hours...not middays. terrible.
From Milkman:
Calgary’s #1 Hit Music Station, Vibe 98-5 launches On Air with Ryan Seacrest starting August 18th. This start studded music and entertainment program will air from 10am to 2pm, Monday through Friday. Seacrest will focus on all aspects of the entertainment industry, highlighting and interviewing top talent from the worlds of music, film and television. In addition, VIBE 98-5 listeners can visit http://www.RyanSeacrest.com to interact and connect with the show and get their daily entertainment and lifestyle news. The site will also feature photos, videos and social networking.
“Vibe 98-5 is proud to welcome Ryan Seacrest to our daily on air line up” says VIBE 98-5 Program Director Chad Martin, “Never before has Calgary had the opportunity to listen to a radio show with so much star power and hit music, and now Ryan will deliver it straight from Hollywood to Calgary every single weekday”
So what is the show? Is it a tape delay of Seacrest's morning show? New syndicated show on the Seacrest brand? Has to be something new cause his morning show has WAY too much talk to run in Mid-Day.
It is a dead guess, but don't rule out some corporate muscling here. Calgary is a strange market to experiment with especially with The Vibe doing so well...but bringing in a US mid-day show is right up the alley "Mr. If It Works There It Will Work Here".....the Astral VP Programming-English. If they do the same thing on MIX 99 Toronto after experimenting in Calgary...you have your answer.
Chad is a fan of local radio and has done a great job building The Vibe from scratch. I wouldn't be surprised if he had to eat this. Don't worry, Chad, you'll eventually be rewarded for your loyalty. Just ask Standard alums Eric Sammuels and Gord Taylor.
This stuff absolutely sickens me, as well, and Astral seems to be famous for it. I know that, in Manitoba at least, they've been using Triple-R to its full potential by sharing jocks at QX104 Winnipeg and sister 101.1 The Farm Brandon. Absolutely makes me ill to see jobs taken away like that.
As if there isn't enough Paris Hilton/Britney Spears/Miley Cyrus news already, we've gotta add this claptrap to the mix....
(Insert Sarcasm) I can't believe this. I've read so many MESSAGE BOARDS. The EXPERTS kept telling me LOCAL is king. Local is what our radio's about. (End Sarcasm).
The World's Local. Entertainment. Gossip. Trash. Sex. And, all the adjectives that go with those topics sell, gain and retain attention. We, in radio might not like it. I think, for the most part, we don't like it because our employers won't pay for trips to conventions, learning tutorials, Access Panels, or anything else that could network our shows. Seacrest has the backing and he always has. You might not like his vanilla delivery, but it goes to show that money can work wonders. What pisses me off is the fact that we have a ton of talent in this country who could do the same thing with their shows in small to medium markets, but guess what? We don't have the money. We don't go the workshops, access panels, networking conventions (so we can actually meet these celebrities on press junkets with their Publicists), and we'd be laughed at for even asking it, even though it clearly drives the revenues in prime ad spots. See, you invest in your product too, you don't just sell it. I know this is only one station so far, but how many examples of Rick Dees, John Tesh, Leeza Gibbons shows do you need to get it through your skull - LOCAL WAS KING. LOCAL is now a global empire. Seacrest in Calgary, and Seacrest on E Canada should be, yet, another huge hint of that fact.
At what point do we start outsourcing the VT work to China or India to be done by someone who is fluent in the English language? Why pay Seacrest's parent company the big bucks corporate radio, if you can get it ALL done for $2 a day? It's laughable to say "water cooler" talk is the new Local. What kind of society are we becoming when you have NO IDEA what's happening in your town this long weekend (or any weekend for that matter) but you can sure as HELL enlighten the masses on the latest gossip on Brangelina, Britney, Lindsay and Miley. Who ARE these people that just HAVE to know every STEP and bowel movement of the rich and famous but couldn't care less what's happening at City Hall, the School Board office, the local Junior hockey team, etc.
I'll get off my soapbox now and await the "give your head a shake" replies that are to follow from the corporate loving radio employees *sigh*.
At what point do we start outsourcing the VT work to China or India to be done by someone who is fluent in the English language? Why pay Seacrest's parent company the big bucks corporate radio, if you can get it ALL done for $2 a day? It's laughable to say "water cooler" talk is the new Local. What kind of society are we becoming when you have NO IDEA what's happening in your town this long weekend (or any weekend for that matter) but you can sure as HELL enlighten the masses on the latest gossip on Brangelina, Britney, Lindsay and Miley. Who ARE these people that just HAVE to know every STEP and bowel movement of the rich and famous but couldn't care less what's happening at City Hall, the School Board office, the local Junior hockey team, etc.
Rick Dees, John Tesh, Leeza Gibbons shows do you need to get it through your skull - LOCAL WAS KING
Radio like anything else is all about fads and phases...at one time AMERICAN IDOL was the powerhouse that know one could come close to. Now it's power is slipping and soon it too will air it's last show. Then what? Will people still want to listen to Ryan Seacrest? Maybe. If not then what? Wait until other stations in the market kick your ass and you end up doing what you did before but are behind everyone else in your market? Howard Stern was once the KING OF ALL MEDIA...now...not so much. The stations he was on were left trying to fill the hole he left. Not all were able and some even have crashed and burned from what I hear.
This Ryan Seacrest thing is interesting because unlike Rick Dees he will be 5 days a week in a prime shift. It could work very well for a short while but over the long term?...I guess we'll all just have to wait and see. I don't know much about John Tesh, Leeza Gibbons to say if they dominate the market or not. Do they? Just because they are slapped on later at night (I'm guessing here) doesn't mean they are any measure the rest of us should go by. It could just be a cause of a bunch of lazy PD's wanting to fill air-space with someone they don't have to worry about. This can't be good.
It's not that "LOCAL WAS KING"...it's more of a "local is taking a smaller piece of a differently cut up pie". Local is still very important at it's all about the overall product. If I'm going to watch the news chances are it's going to be one of the locat stations. If I'm in traffic I'm going to go local to get that update. If I don't want either of these, yes I could be off somewhere else, or maybe not. I now have many choices to pick from. Does that mean that local is dead. No. It simply means it's ONE of the many things I can pick from. But if everyone starts to believe that local is now a global empire then everyone will start to program the same (that's already going on...Prince George, Kamloops, Vancouver all used to have different sounds...now...not so much) and the overall choice wouldn't be there if everyone sounds the same.
How will all this mass sameness help any but a few? The more you network this stuff the more you end up pushing people away. The more people they added on-air at Crave the more the ratings went up. Yes there are other factors but more on-air is one. Look at the Q in Victoria. Would they be the powerhouse that it is if it was VT'd all the time or was Ryan Seacrested? I don't think so. Can someone in Hollywood relate to someone in Calgary? Maybe in the summer...but in the winter...?
Local isn't just traffic and news...it's relating too and being apart of who is listening to you. Local has alway been a global empire in that way. I'll use 9/11 as an example here. After a couple of days of CNN I wanted to hear people closer to me tell there stories, hear what they were feeling. The event was global but it was local that I turned to. Same goes for any major event. And it's not that local can do it better all the time...where local excels is it makes me feel better in that I'm not alone...in that others in the area I live are feeling the same way. Be it TV or radio. And that's just one reason why local still NEEDS to be king.
Using one station and yelling LOCAL WAS KING is just a wee bit premature. It's just not that black and white anymore...if it ever was.
People are going to surf the choices they have...that's not a new thing. The amount of new things to surf is new. And what radio and TV programmers are going to have to come to grips with...same pie...cut in a different way.
I'm sure eventually every single CHR/Hot AC station will air Seacrest, all Country Station will air Casey Clarke, and all Rock stations can play Strombo...I'm going to go buy a speak and spell and start working on a syndicated show.
I agree with ya Zane and others. It totally sucks this kind of crap is taking place. We work hard at our crafts only be told over and over again BE LOCAL. It's not my intention to diminish the importance of local radio, it's more of a frustration on my part. I come on this board and it discourages the very drive and initiative I've worked hard to build up over the years. By no means am I saying I'm the greatest broadcaster, but I do have a tendency to believe and trust my PD's over the past 8 years. It's now been the past year I've grown annoyed, not jealous or envious, simply annoyed at the success of the 'ass kissers' who give in to the corporate simplicity that's running an Art that is supposed to be based on creativity. The business argument comes into play, and we young broadcasters listen. In between the lines, we hear the rumblings of LOCAL, we do it. We try. We live beyond our means to ensure we're taking part in community events. We're filling our gas tanks (if we can afford a car), we go the bar to drink our face off because we want to fit in (cuz if we don't, we're not team players. We're being anti social). We go out to buy into these game consoles, music players, cell phones, etc. Stuff the company ain't paying for, but we are doing this so we can be a part of either, the team, or the community. Many of us would be afraid to agree with this, because we think it's the way it's 'supposed to be'. If you think about the dollars that come out of your paycheque as you try and perfect your passion, your art, and link it to 'getting ahead', I bet you most of TODAY'S broadcasters would tell you, "We have to LIVE BEYOND our means to simply TRY to get ahead". To try and fit in. Even then, success isn't a given. All of these talented young broadcasters following invalid advice. Being local. Spending their money, without having it. In the name of being local. As I read back on this rant, I can easily identify the impending argument, "this guy's only concerned about money". Okay, a few threads back, we were told being LOCAL is more than reading a PSA about a Garage Sale. Everything in life is about money. It's about living. It's about a world outside of a studio with a microphone in it. If we all could live in a fancy bunker outside the radio station, everything would be peachy, right? Money makes the world go around and if you have the backing, or access to it, you can do anything. Seacrest is just one example for our industry. How many people INSIDE this business do you know who can't stand Seacrest. They call his delivery Vanilla or Bland. Again, it's a rant. I've found this page useful for it. In my 8 years of hard work and dedication and dreaming, I've formed this opinion. The Successful NEW RADIO people have: A) Financial Backing and Support. (Silver Spoon In Mouth) B) Access to Industry Networking and Functions. C) Figured out that, beyond the microphone, listeners or average people, pay for the Tabloids, and now have been trained like dogs to tilt their head when the trash is presented.
I don't know why. I wish I did. It's frustrating for a lot of us. This board gets me riled up and allows me to vent, but let's be honest, outside of our business and our success and failure, the average person doesn't even know about this site, much less the state of the 'art form' they get for free everyday on the way to work. I really, really feel bad for the talented young broadcasters who feel the same way, but can't say it because the "Old School" is still in session.
Howard Stern was once the KING OF ALL MEDIA...now...not so much. The stations he was on were left trying to fill the hole he left. Not all were able and some even have crashed and burned from what I hear....
... The more people they added on-air at Crave the more the ratings went up....
Actually, I think Howard Stern is still doing OK. I don't see that they fired Amber Lee so hopefully they'll keep her on in some other capacity, at least they appear to be taking care of their people.
And finally Zane, I wouldn't be too sure that the plan isn't to have Seacrest on Crave. I can't see Astral shelling out the bucks to bring him into only one of their markets.
JACK used to crush mid-days in certain markets with NO mid-day host so who's to say that local content is that big a deal outside the drive times anyway.
Hank...I have no idea what they have planned for 95Crave...I just used that as an example to make a point.
And you're right...Jack USED to crush in many markets...so what they were doing worked...for a bit. The Q has ruled for what...20 years now...I think i would want to use something that has worked for more then a couple of years as the example that I'd want to copy or defend.
Of course Howard is still doing well...I could live a life-time on what he gets in a month. But I think you know that's not what I was trying to say.
"I don't see that they fired Amber Lee so hopefully they'll keep her on in some other capacity, at least they appear to be taking care of their people"
Sorry... keep dreaming about them "taking care of their people"!! She's done as of August 18th when Seacrest hits the air.
wow... energy must be happy. cause we all know how well they did with their syndicated evening show that was being destroyed in virtually every market it was in. Give it time, seacrest will soon be "out" when 3 bad books come in and another sait/nait kid who talks insanely fast spitting out liners and backsells will fill the void at a fraction of the cost of a veteran pro like Ms Lee... but at least she will be local, right?
What bugs me isnt seacrest or a lack of locality or anything like what is being talked about here.. its this matter of PD's having some blind faith in this cookie cutter CHR formulaic sound...no originality anymore, just, "lets look at KIISfm.com and see what they are doing." .....that irks me, and not just as a person in the biz but as a listener.
This has been a shock (and not in a good way!) I wanted to say I feel sorry for the rest of the on -air staff there as well! For those people who have most likely worked hard to prove they can Fill that spot. Now their future at that station is likely over (with nowhere to go) and they must be feeling a little dejected at the moment and on the prowl to move to another company where they may have a chance to advance in their careers!
By going the Seacrest route, VT-ing after the morning show or reverting to the old jockless JACK, Corporate Radio runs the risk of losing listeners FOR GOOD. With newer model cars having plug-ins for iPods and MP3 players and the advent of Satellite Radio, once you've lost the local listener, they're GONE folks. They won't be coming back to check on the latest format change every few months either. They'll be playing a "bunch of songs in a row" that THEY like.
To borrow the "Field of Dreams" line, "If you build IT (locally focussed radio), they will COME!" I'd gladly drop my Satellite Radio subscription fee if you give me LOCAL radio in the morning/midday/afternoon drive. You wanna voice track, do it during evenings/weekends, but PLEASE don't make it SOUND like VT-ing. You can STILL make it LOCAL on VT-ing too. Think out of the box folks...challenge your corporate superiors.
As far as this local thing goes, most jocks can't do it because they aren't taught how to do it. To anyone on this board that pulls a regular shift, take your own advice and never mention "hollywood stuff" again. Do local, nothing else.
By telling Amber up front shows that Stew and Chad run that station with class. It's a tough spot for everyone involved. If it were a normal Calgary radio station being run into the ground by guys like Rhubarb Jones and Rob Mise they wouldn't have told her about til the morning Seacrest started probably 5 minutes before her shift.
As far as this local thing goes, most jocks can't do it because they aren't taught how to do it.
...and this is yet another reason why I believe that everyone needs to work in a tiny market when they're first starting out. A town with a population of 10,000 or less. THEN you learn what it's all about, because not only do you have to do local, and learn local during your show, but you have to get out there and do EVERYTHING.
You work at a small market like that, and you have a true appreciation later on down the road for all the Promotions folks who constantly pound the pavement, Engineers who fix all the stuff you break, the Copywriters who deal with bitchy clients, shit I even spent time answering phones and working the front desk a few times because the secretary was sick.
Too many people coming out of broadcast school thinking they're going to be Howard Stern or Ryan Seacrest...
well said Poppa. any budding young broadcaster doesn't wanna miss out on the small town experience. while you live from paycheque to paycheque while honing your skills in Butthole, BC or Armpit, Alta., your chances of benefitting from the experience are far better than going straight from broadcasting school into Major Market where your PD won't have the time to nurture you. Not to mention you get away with much more in Butthole or Armpit than you will in Vancouver or Calgary where the ability to be overly creative is shunned upon.
Well I hate to see this Seacrest thing in Calgary, sure bring in a flash in the pan American for a midday shift in Alberta. It's been drilled into my head since the day I started in radio to ' Be Local '. Great advise, but at the end of the day cost cutting measures is all that really matters. Over the past few years I've seen so many truley talented people leave radio because they hate what it's become. Shame on the Owners and GM'S and even PD'S for bringing in a syndicated American show to replace a live Canadian jock. ( GM - this seacrest, will he bring us in the numbers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, PD - yes sir he will,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,GM - well then, fire who ever does middays and bring in Seacrest.) Even Alice Cooper who I happen to like,,is he doing great radio every night?........NO. Any young announcer just out of college could do a better job and with local content. Those of us in radio talk about SAT RADIO and INTERENT RADIO and how we'll be effected, I'm not afraid of SAT RADIO. The fact of the matter is, Canadian Radio is being destroyed from the inside. Bring in Americans because there's no suitable talent in Canada. Gimme a break. Granted Seacrest will be a distant memory in a year or two,,,,, but another 'Fad Personality" will come along to take his place and a Canadian GM, who has never cracked a mic in his life, will be there to give him a job.
There is no such thing as local anymore. It's global. The days of walking into your Mom and Pop stationary store are over. It's Staples Now. Or the bar where everyone knows your name...done. The only way Local wins is if your company invests in the talent. Your jocks/talent have to be allowed to network, go to boot camps, focus groups, etc. It's here where they're taught to make their shows successful, which leads to listeners, and revenue. INVEST in your product, quit bitching about the access to the world. I know it sucks, a lot of us have never even stepped foot in a boot camp or a focus panel. We wouldn't even know where the next one is. It's a money game inside a Global Community.
There is no such thing as local anymore. It's global. The days of walking into your Mom and Pop stationary store are over. It's Staples Now.
Actually this reminds me of when the local hobby store was run outta town by a Michael's. GUESS WHAT HAPPENED? Within a year, the Michael's closed TOO because nobody shopped there. There's the message folks...have radio taken over by the suits in Toronto, who take a cookie cutter approach to radio (franchising the same sound everywhere, with NO ROOM FOR DEVIATION). After awhile, bodies start disappearing as you import the likes of Seacrest, Tesh & Gibbons or out of market VT-ing. Then guess WHAT? Your station becomes the radio version of our Michaels or on life support. But the suits don't care, look at all the money they're saving by NOT programming local!!!
There is no such thing as local anymore. It's global. The days of walking into your Mom and Pop stationary store are over. It's Staples Now. Or the bar where everyone knows your name...done. The only way Local wins is if your company invests in the talent. Your jocks/talent have to be allowed to network, go to boot camps, focus groups, etc. It's here where they're taught to make their shows successful, which leads to listeners, and revenue. INVEST in your product, quit bitching about the access to the world. I know it sucks, a lot of us have never even stepped foot in a boot camp or a focus panel. We wouldn't even know where the next one is. It's a money game inside a Global Community.
McWages, I agree 100% with everything you say. BUT... and I mean this in all seriousness, is there a company (at least in Western Canada) that actually invests the way you say they should? I haven't heard about anything like that but I'm also not privy to the inner workings of every company either.
Ok, just for fun I'm gonna throw this out there. What do people think of the AT40, Rick Dees and the weekly Top 40, Foxworthy, the CT20, Flashback...and the thousand other shows like them. Do we need to have this stuff on weekends and evenings taking up "local" time. I'm not saying they are good or bad, I just want to know what people think. Should stations do their own countdowns and special shows instead of these downloaded ones...or does that "take to much time and work." - I know I've heard that from a PD before. I don't even know what it costs to get the AT40 for example...what is it...$40, $50...$100 a week? Let me know you thoughts.
The small Northern Ontario town I grew up in had a "by your vote" nightly top 10 countdown. Can you imagine that gang, a small town station with a living, breathing DJ after 10 at night interacting with listeners taking their votes and running down the phone lines 'til he found someone who knew the names of all ten songs! Five nights a week too! YES it was a mom and pop radio station that believed there were people WORTH catering to until they signed off at midnight.
This just came to mind after reading the last addendum to this thread about Rick Dees and whether our stations should subscribe to it or come up with their own version.
CRS, cool story involving the Michael's line, but until I see a Michael's go tit's up because they MOVED into a city I live in, or have lived in, I'll believe it when I see it. I'm sure we can all agree it's all relative, Micheal's is hardly a good example here. Yeah, it's a chain, but take McD's or Burger King, etc. They'll close out the local hamburger shop, but even if the townsfolk say they'll boycott it, they'll be shopping there as soon as their public lynching is over. As for Scorp's rebuttal about stations 'investing' in their talent? You have got to be kidding? Are you working for one like that? Cuz jump aboard man, as I said there are a few of us who have never been offered the 'genuine' opportunity to grow their talent, for sure. Just so I don't get too enthronged in a reply, I'll just say, if you really, and truly want an answer to that question, ask for numbers from the groups offering the material, and then shoot out some 'general' feelers to the prime day part jocks in medium to major market stations. Don't ask the flat feet. If they acknowledge it, guess what happens then? Believe me, I have more than a few chums who regularly (annually) are given the chance to hone their skills and honestly, the success of their shows is hardly about LOCAL as it is COMPELLING.
CRS, I feel your pain. I remember hearing about the days of creativity. The days of one or two guys (or girls) in a room with a microphone competing with a little black and white tv are over. That tv is suddenly bigger with more channels and in some cases, hi def. You can find out what's happening in Beijing with a click of a computer mouse. As for that radio guy or gal rippin' and readin' the newspaper, and then adding a one liner- Because it's local? OVER. The jocks who can keep up with the World's Hot Topics and keep 'em brief and engaging, while utilizing the technology will be the 'commodities' at this time. Totally frustrating for those of us who believe in LOCAL. Sometimes, it's just best to stay quiet and go with the flow.
I don't know if this is the same for everyone, but something I've noticed. I've always been intrigued when someone tells me about their latest 'favorite' video or 'cool' picture they found. Once they post it, whether it's through an email, or their own website, I always find it interesting to take note of the person and the 'subject'. It's almost like an insight into their Favorites on their computer. It doesn't have to be a radio person, but what if.....what if... Listeners feel the same way? What if they're tuned to the station, listening to 'your interest', and suddenly they wonder a bit more about you?" In between promos and liners, you toss out one of these 'lifelines'. Once or twice an hour. You could love those tearful email forwards. You could love the nasty filthy blue material. Or, you could love animals or anime. If you make it part of your identity, just a part of your 'focus', you just might be getting listeners based on their own curiosity. If you focus on Hollywood and you have the money backing you to make the connections to include in your show, eventually it will become you. (See Seacrest, Dees, and other jocks we're bitching about). I might be way off base, but more times than not, I've always tried to find one or two things I can 'throw' out there on the show and it's cool to hear the feedback or the questions for days after. They didn't phone at the time. They didn't email immediately. (Both are things some Programmers use to gauge success. My thought is: it's 2008, people are way too busy to call radio stations unless you're 'Breaking the Bank'. Course, if you've taken the boot camps, seminars, etc, you have two or three friends who 'plant' calls. The more voices and opinions they have, the better. Listeners are none the wiser. Hell, why not even 'say' you got an email or emails? They teach this stuff in broadcasting school now right? Sure, for us, we know when the jock's full of crap, but the listener doesn't.) Then again, most times, the average listener didn't even hear the entire 'bit'. But they have questions and they know who to talk to for the whole story. To me, it means they're tuned to the station and we've driven some kind of curiosity. Hollywood, Local, LifeStyle, or a mix of all 3, those are the elements that make a radio person interesting in this day and age. I can't help but notice all that stuff with these 'Vanilla' jocks we're referencing. The difference being, the money and investment they recieve. Plus, the support of their employers, past and present. As Scorpio pointed out, for most of us, we don't get that opportunity. Hell, some people don't even believe it exists. Sad, very sad.
It is a dead guess, but don't rule out some corporate muscling here. Calgary is a strange market to experiment with especially with The Vibe doing so well...but bringing in a US mid-day show is right up the alley "Mr. If It Works There It Will Work Here".....the Astral VP Programming-English. If they do the same thing on MIX 99 Toronto after experimenting in Calgary...you have your answer.
Sorry for quoting myself...but there is your Calgary answer. It was a corporate deal. Seacrest is rolling through BC and in Toronto.
It was all Ross Davies. Chad didn't have a choice. He probably loves that!
Maybe Ross will put a national sports network on Astral's remaining AM's like he did for CHUM. That worked out GREAT!
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(My last add to this thread)