Re: Lowry Mays speaks

["Steve West" <stevewest106@hotmail.com>]

> Replacing locally-originated/oriented programming, personalities, news,
> etc with technology-inspired format-in-a-can took away a certain "je ne
> sais quoi" from much of modern-day radio. Switching from linotype to
> current technology I'd consider analogus to the change from using carts to
> CD's. It's the delivery of the content, not the content itself.
>

I think the technical side of this arguement is valid.  I don't have a
problem with the technology - it's how its used that frosts me.  Can anyone
who was around to remember playing cue-burned 45s, muffled, half worn out
carts and editing phoners on reel-to-reel with a razor blade imagine what we
could've done on the air quality-wise if we had all the tools available to
us such as a Shortcut 360 or Scott Studios?

Its NOT the voice track that bothers me, either.  VTs are a valuable tool
when used to fill a time slot where (figuratively speaking here) nobody's
listening.  But the VT tool is so abused today it ain't funny.  Much the
same as the old Harris-Automated (with 5 reels & 3 cart carousels system)
stations did thinking they were serving their audience.  That's why those
stations, such as WFMP (WXLO today) trashed em and went live.

The sad part is, the audience has been so dumbed down over the last 10 years
that I doubt the average listener knows or cares what good, live radio
sounds like.  In that regard, it may be what the originator of this thread
said.... it's not the method of delivery but the product that today's
listener cares about, and for those who wanna hear more Nelly and J-Lo
songs, I guess that's true.  For me, I was there when it was good, and I
remember.

> Don't get me wrong - I do think that automation techniques available today
> make many stations viable when otherwise they wouldn't be. I am certainly
> no Luddite. It's just that they can be taken that one step too far, into
> bland programming-with-a-shotgun-spread.

Yes... as with my point above.  How many 'old timers' remember the most
worn-out record in the station library was about 7 minutes long, just so
jocks could use the can?  Today's systems make that situation unheard of
today.   Hmmm, I have 3 songs before my next talk over break.... I can use
the can and grab a smoke ...

> Just you wait until many of the top-20 markets have ubiquitous decent
> wireless bandwidth for a reasonable monthly cost - then mobile streamed
> audio will provide a real alternative - with all the choices you get at
> your desktop now.
>
Perhaps, but not as long as Hilary Rosen has her way.