WPOP Giants broadcast

[hmglaz@webtv.net (H Glazer)]

Strictly amateur night at ESPN Radio WPOP for its first game on the NY
Giants network. Consistently late getting back for commercials. At ID
time, its "10-second" ID consistently ran about 15 seconds, costing the
listeners more play-by-play.

Most incredible was the snafu at the start of the second half. From 5:51
to 5:59, by my clock, while the first five or six minutes of the half
were being played -- and broadcast on WFAN -- WPOP treated its audience
to eight minutes of open mike, from somewhere in the stadium, I guess. I
heard the Doobie Brothers' "China Grove" in its entirety, thumping away
in the background, followed by another unidentifiable piece of classic
frat-boy rock, along with mostly unintelligible shouts. The only thing I
understood was "C'mon, let's go!" shouted by someone apparently quite
close to the mike, wherever it was.

At about 5:55, this useless feed was interrupted for the "ESPN Radio
1410, WPOP Hartford, an AM/FM Inc. station" ID, then back to open mike.
Finally, at 5:59, the play-by-play became audible and the thumping
background music disappeared.

How Mickey Mouse was this? You'd think AM/FM Inc. would at least have a
live voice on duty, or some sort of filler to put on the air while the
problem was ironed out. Instead, it sounded to me as though nobody was
on the board and the station was unaware any problem existed. And why
did the Giants network send a crowd mike feed -- or whatever it was --
down the line in the first place?


Howard

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