doowopvault said:
David, the only person who thinks unmanned robotic radio stations can be or are a good thing.....are people who own or have owned a radio station...ie PROFIT!!!
Profit is what sustains any programming... that which you like and that which you don't like but which others may prefer.
I have heard many, many instances of voice tracked and automated stations that sound better than live stations. In part, everything is a tighter fit, material is more carefully chosen, and elements can be better placed in the hour. And in another part, the technology allows the use of otherwise un-costable talent even in the less desirable dayparts.
You said "voice tracking can be better than live. There was no way to tell it was not live". REALLY....well let's start off with taking REQUESTS,
Gee, let's let someone whose only qualification for programming a radio station is having a phone and let them run the radio station. Great idea.
For decades, stations have taped or prerecorded requests, thrown out the ones that don't fit the format or the playlist or which have been played recently, and run the request when the requested song comes up in rotation.
And anyone with about 30 minutes of on-air or in-studio experience at a station with an audience knows that it is very common to a) get a request for a song you are playing right now or, b) get a request for a song you played 3 minutes ago. Requests are, in general, the arsenic of programming.
THE DJ INTERACTING WITH THE LISTENING AUDIENCE, PUTTING LISTENERS LIVE ON THE AIR TO ANNOUNCE BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARY, ENGAGEMENT ETC, having listeners feel like they are put of the show. Can robotic radio do that?
Actually, automated radio stations can do some of that with the use of recordings and a board op. But the real question is "why would you want to?" As another poster mentioned, with FB and Twitter and email, this kind of stuff is very old school today. In fact, for most people, the phone itself is old school.
How bout the mystery song contest, you know.....if you are caller #9 etc, having the DJ announce the winner live...OR ANY CONTEST FOR THAT MATTER!!!
A "mystery song" is generally a stiff. If it were easily recognizable, it would be a hit...
In any case, I've been putting winners on the air on voice tracked stations for 35 years. The result is tighter and smoother than the alternative.
can an automation system to that? please David, it's as I said, and the listeners agree, it's people like you who are destroying radio.
You are trying to apply 50's radio to the new media era. This is a bell you can not un-ring.