Re: Verizon coverage and sponsorships

[Dave Faneuf <tklaundry@juno.com>]

On Fri, 18 Aug 2000 17:04:35 EDT Chuckigo@aol.com writes:
> In a message dated 08/18/2000 1:15:54 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
>
> With all due respect to both Larry and Dave, there are stations that 
> demand a  level of compentency of their staff.independently and do not
always have >the benefit of "time" on our sides when snap-decisions are
made, nor do we have 
> managers in the building 24/7. 

	Two issues with this,  this assumes that, as the only jock in the
building,
	you have your eyes glued to a tv set or wire.  It has been my experience
that
	jocks do not check wires during their shift even when (IF the station is
even
	set up with one) a flashing light goes off on the board that indicates
the wire
	needs attention.  As a matter of fact I have come into the newsroom on a

	Monday morning and found someone had taped the alarm reset button down
	to prevent it from going off, (Jocks don't want to be distracted from
those 
	annoying flashing red lights)

	Second, Verizon strike not withstanding, even if a jock does find out
about an 	airline disaster that requires such a decision, managers are
available 24/7, 	they are at most 10 numbers away via telephone.

>    as the promos at WBZ like to remind us, news happens on the 
> weekends.     additionally, news happens at night.  and during
vacations.  and 
> usually  when the person to whom you'd need to direct your concern is
the 
> least  available.

	Agreed, but I think you can count on one hand the number of stations in
Greater Boston (suburbs included) that have any kind of coverage during
these times.

>    as Roger pointed out, some radio stations have, or had, standing 
> orders to  cover potential conflicts, such as a major plane disaster 

	Ahhh yes, the good old days when stations did those things,  How many
	"music" stations covered the Concorde or JFK Jr. plane crash outside of
	regularly scheduled MORNING newscasts? (since most if not all don't have
	any newscasts scheduled at the times Chuck listed above) 

> as to my present employer, we would have to get "authorization" 
> to blow  off a spot.  

	Just my point, this is now the rule, not the execption.

df