Re: RKO...automated?

["Sid Schweiger" <sid@wrko.com>]

>>So riddle me this, you engineers on the list.  I was in Vermont and NH doing research last week, and I heard some incredibly bad radio from a technical standpoint-- spots playing over each other, elements not starting when they were supposed to, dead air... I thought a lot of stations these days are on hard drive and/or satellite (as opposed to the cheap-o 
automation some stations used to have), so why would these mistakes still be occurring?<<

Because too many people think that automation involves merely "plug it in and let it do all the work."  When setting up an automation system of any sort, attention must be paid to programming flow, just the same as if it were all being done live.  Spending lots of time with a system before it goes on the air pays off big.

I have also seen (and worked for one) low-budget operations which are unwilling to spend the money required for proper interfaces with network programming, and instead rely on timing...a guarantee of either dead air, double audio, or both.

Finally, as in any other aspect of life, you get what you pay for.  There are still some automation systems out there, particularly older ones and cheaper ones, that simply can't handle modern programming requirements, particularly network shows.  The lure of, let's say, a company like Arrakis giving away DigiLink (which I have another term for, one I will not repeat here...heh heh heh...) makes it attractive to an owner looking to shave costs, who then must live with the results...equipment that is either unreliable or not equal to the task, creating a sloppy on-air sound.

Broadcast automation is a LOOOOOOONG way from "plug and play."

Sid Schweiger
MIS Manager, Entercom Boston LLC
WAAF-WEEI-WQSX-WRKO-WVEI