Re: WMWM taking a week off...

["Aaron 'Bishop' Read" <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 07:25 PM 12/19/2002, Larry Weil wrote:
>At 07:12 PM 12/19/02 -0500, SteveOrdinetz wrote:
>
>>Now there's a sophisticated automation system.  Of course, it would 
>>requrire a PC with enough mp3s in it to keep repeats to a minimum.  Is 
>>there an automatic playlist generator/randomizer for Winamp or would 
>>someone actually have to "schedule" 8 days worth of music?
>
>But, if the purpose of this station is to provide the students with 
>experience in running a radio station, how would having it run on 
>automation for over a week contribute to that that purpose?
>--
>Larry Weil
>Lake Wobegone, NH

The purpose of the station is to serve their listeners FIRST....the SECOND 
priority is to provide experience to the students.  Granted it's second 
only by a small notch, but it is second...not first.    Dead air NEVER 
serves your listeners better than programming of some sort...and it will 
drive away listeners in droves.  Or worse, if another station comes in 
while you're off, and the listeners start to like it...eek!

Besides, what experience are you giving your students by having them work 
at a station nobody listens to?

I fight this battle over and over at every station it seems.   LISTENERS DO 
NOT CARE ABOUT *WHO* IS DOING THE AIR...they don't care if it's a student, 
or a community volunteer, or a computer.   They don't care what kind of 
music it is, they don't care if it's formatted, more likely than not they 
don't even care that the same song just played three hours ago (because, as 
Arbitron and Kiss108 have taught us, most listeners only listen for about 
90-120 minutes).

THE ONLY THING a listener cares about is whether or not they like what 
they're hearing *right now*.   EVERYTHING else has to come from that 
first!   Oh sure, you can probably sustain a listener through one, perhaps 
two, 4-5 minute songs they think are just "so-so" if they just came off 
something they really like.  MAYBE you can do that.  But beyond that, 
forget it.

You've got to do GOOD air first.  Preferably with a live person (to take 
listener calls if nothing else), but a properly-programmed computer will 
do.   But if your live DJ's suck, then a computer will be better 
appreciated by your listeners - I guarantee it.


_________________________________________________________
Aaron "Bishop" Read       aread@speakeasy.net
Fried Bagels Consulting   www.friedbagels.com
AOL-IM: ReadAaron         Brighton, MA 02135