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This is off the subject but I thought was worthy of comment. Re the "speeding up of songs". I was recently travelling from Toowoomba to Brisbane and doing a bit of channel hopping on the radio in the process. As coincidence would have it, i heard the song "She will be loved by Maroon 5" on Nova 106.9, River 949 and B105 in the span of about 20 minutes of so. I have to say that the version I heard on B105 (which was between the Nova and River versions) sounded ridiculous as it sounded like Maroon 5 needed a coffee break and were trying to get through the song as quickly as possible. Had a bit of a chipmunk punk sound to it!. Then B105 followed that up with their new? positioning statement "Hit Music Station". Whilst I realise that this is a positioning statement used by Today nationally, its a bit of a joke in Brisbane given that it has been used by an opposing station in South East Qld (River) since 2001 and immediately brings that station to mind. I beleive a similar slogan was/is also being used by the Edge in Sydney ).
Austereo has done a great job revamping Triple M but I think if the Austereo CEO wants to quote "Keep his stations fresh" (or something similar) I think it would be better to come up with original slogans and perhaps not destroy great songs by great artists in the process.
My prediction - Nova Brisbane is going to follow its Sydney and Melbourne sister stations and "kick butt". The reality is that listeners are not interested in listening to poor quality speeded up versions of songs so that a station can fit in some extra adds - we will just flick stations!.
Hi Warren,
Edited versions of song seemed to be the norm a while ago too, and I still hear the odd edit on stations like 2WS. Whether or not this is done to fit in a certain time frame I don't know, but I do remember seeing a cart at a local station with '(station name) edited version' on the label :-)
Radio stations weren't the only ones though - anyone that picks up a K-Tel compilation album from the 70's will notice the same thing. For example, "Girls Talk" by Dave Edmunds that appears on the Full Boar album - the whole second verse and chorus is missing, although then there was a big push to get 20 songs on a vinyl album, 10 per side. But I digress.
Greetings radio people :-)
Does anyone reading these forums own a 1" audio deck? I'm about to get sent down a reel from a mate who picked it up second hand and apparently there are labels on the reel itself with artists such as bette midler and barry manilow with the words "2 takes" - it may be a master for radio ID's, it may not. Is anyone here able to transfer 1" reels onto say DAT or CD? I'd gladly pay to have it transferred (if it hasn't been erased) - get in touch at [email protected] if you can help. Thanks! :-)
Across the Macquarie Regional Radioworks Network we are broadcasting our own appeal this afternoon on the National Localworks stream and the Reachout to Asia Appeal on the Hit Music Stream on Saturday night.
I just want to know what happend to Renee from the Macquarie Radioworks' Fat 30? She's not on air anymore.
How about "Another non-stop block of Rock"?!
...Or "23 degrees in the Sydney Breeze" or perhaps "5,000 watts of power at the tower" and not forgetting "In the chair & on the air"!
Not radio related but I remember one from channel 9 way back when..."channel 9 where the viewing's fine!"
Hi RadioInfo folks.
I'm researching for my next monthly "radio" page in "Broadcast and Engineering News" magazine (BEN). Can anyone remember, or give me some background, on the inferior quality Ampex audio recording tape that was dumped on Australia back in the 70's and has since caused much historical material to be lost forever due to tape breakdown?
Ian MacRae
92.9 is also taking the arvo show
Hi Camel Thanks for your response re. audio tape breaking down. I believe the ovens that are used to bake the tape are not your kitchen version but specially designed ovens for the task. What I'm trying to establish is was a whole container load of sub-standard Ampex tape dumped on Australia to get rid of it in the 70's or is that just an urban myth?
Ian
Hi Macca. The problem with Ampex (and some Scotch) tapes was the breaking down of the 'binder'- the material which bonded the oxide, etc. to the plastic base(mylar). It's true that baking the tapes will revive them, but only for one or two passes. Quantegy (formerly Ampex) provided this service, using special purpose built 'ovens'.
I have heard, however, of individuals using the good old kitchen oven to varying - if you'll pardon the pun - degrees of success. What's that saying? - "If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a tape!"
Warren,
If you haven't had any luck with someone locally, get in touch and I'll have a go. Happy to do them for you at no cost if you're game enough sending 'em to Sydney (courier?).
PS: The banjo format is looking good ;-) lol
Compiling Mt Gambier's news in Bendigo would be an absolute disgrace. For goodness sake, this isn't just about protecting jobs, what about servicing the local community?
This is something that has bugged me for years because I believe people in regional Australia are being shortchanged when it comes to their local news.
Listeners deserve to hear national bulletins AND comprehensive local news compiled by journos who live in their community and are able to develop contacts and keep abreast of what's happening on the ground.
2WEB in Bourke-where I was employed to do just that in 1993/95-recognises this need. Check out its website outbackradio.com.au and
you'll see that not only does it run networked news on the hour but it has something like 6 bulletins of locally produced news for the western region which is produced by a journalist who lives in Bourke, not Bendigo!
Thanks to all who kindly responded to my question re. tape breakdown. It's obvious there are a lot of tapes out there, some containing irreplacable material, that have been affected by the problem. I have a couple of packing boxes myself. I guess we should get 'em all baked and tranferred as soon as possible before reel to reel recoders totally disappear from the planet.
Of course radio stations should reveal the facts about contests. It's called credibility and integrity. If we want respect from our listeners, respect them. Mr Walkenden may understand this type of competition, but intelligent people know differently.
Just weighing in on the discussion of open reel tapes and their associated equipment. Don't throw away those ol' Ampex reels folks, they CAN be saved. I was lucky enough to find approximately 200 reels of tape in a storage facility, all of it Ampex 406 and 456, that was once the property of radio 2UW.
A lot of it was promo masters and I knew material from this great station was worth saving no matter what form it was in (heck, if the stuff came on carts I'd do the same thing!). It was known after the fact these were thrown away and I just said to myself right, these are coming home with me. Earliest one I had was on Scotch from 1979, and the latest one on Ampex from 1990. Yep, ALL the ampex stock was sticky and I started on my massive task of restoring the material on the whole lot. It took me close to a year to do as each one had to be baked and then transferred, but it was worth it.
Every one is now safe and sound on digital (no, not DAT :-)) and for those that would like to relive the 2UW days, feel free to jump onto my website where a tape or two each week is put up in its' entirety. (http://members.optusnet.com.au/soundz29).
Given the success I had with these disintegrating monsters, I'd like to invite anyone who may have stuff on Ampex stock they wanna preserve onto something like CD and are having next to no luck (indeed a great deal of difficulty) trying to get the stuff off them, PM me and we'll take it from there. (at least anything on quarter-inch anyway). Take heart, folks - your precious masters can be saved.
I believe Studio 301 in Sydney offer a 'tape-baking' service also www.studios301.com for more info but once it's baked, you only get a couple of passes and that's pretty much it from what I'm told!
Just found out also the quantegy will bake a tape for $20 each...they said don't do it @ home...can just make matters worse.
www.quantegy.com.au
I realise there are ‘proper’ technical procedures for baking tapes but here are my tips and you make of it what you will. Keep in mind I’ve been restoring tapes as part of my research into Australian radio since about 1997 therefore, I have a fair bit of experience.
I had read that the idea of the baking process was to dry out the glue or binding chemical that holds the oxide to the actual tape. When I first heard about this I thought I’d try it: literally.
I took three Ampex tapes (circa’78) containing nothing of value – my airchecks, he he he! They were VERY sticky – wouldn’t play at all. Much to my wife’s horror, I placed them on a middle tray of our fan-forced oven baking them at 50-60 degrees for three to four hours. I checked them a few times in that period turning them over each time. They were subsequently removed allowing about 15 minutes for a cool down. Taking a ‘here goes’ type breath I laced one up on my trusty 1970s model Cue Master machine. It played like a new one. Ditto for the other two I baked that day.
Yes it was all very unscientific but I’ve done this so many times since that I’ve lost count. Only one reel was so far gone (shedding oxide) to be rendered useless.
Based on my extensive experience I’d urge Macca and others who have precious old reels to give it go. What have you got to loose? Sticky tapes are unplayable period. At least baking enables you to get the material transferred or just to listen and check what’s on the tape before deciding whether to chuck it.
On the claim that “once a tape is baked it’s only good for one or two passes”, that HAS NOT been my experience. I’ve needed to return to baked tapes – for various reasons – sometimes years after they first done. They played fine. If I found them to be sticky, I re-baked them. However, I will concede that continual baking is undesirable.
So guys, get out in that kitchen and rattle those pots and pans! No mixing desk pun intended.
Happy Baking
I have recently contacted quantegy ( http://www.quantegy.com.au ) and found that they do indeed still sell analogue audio tape.
There are way too many high quality professional studios that use tape for there not to be a demand for this good.
Ahhh the J's
Thank God for them and the ever changing face of Australian radio
You always need someone to be stirring up the establishment and 2JJ did just that but these days I believe JJJ is trying to win ratings and sound too commercial WHY ???
Throw the formats out the door and let the passionate music lovers talk up what they love
There's a girl in our copy department where I work that could turn the J's on their head with her music knowledge, taste and on air style
I'd hate to think of commercial radio destroying her uniqueness
Come on JJJ be as daring as Ron Moss originally was in the 70's
there are 42 commments on this board and only 3 relate to the current topic .. what's with that?
The understated presentation of Chris Winter and the music of John Mayall, Dr John, Madder Lake, Carson, Hugh Masekela and a legion of extraordinary performers got me hooked on "Room to Move" and in the early '70s became the template for myself and a whole bunch of broadcasters involved in the emerging community radio sector. The advent of the J's appeared to confirm our ambitions to connect with like minded people undervalued by commercial radio at the time. It wasn't just the music, it was the message. The station talked about ideas, issues and events in which we were interested and involved but didn't make the 'mainstream' media. It also spoke in a language that wasn't squeezed by 'sales' or a serious 'suit'. I always felt I'd like to work there and applied for presentation jobs once or twice. Later, I won a short season as General Manager, while Barry Chapman was away on leave. When Marius was cleaning his desk to leave the ABC he found and sent me a copy of an early air-check, "for the grand children". They don't need to hear it! An old bloke needs to retain some dignity.
David
The reason there are only 3 comments on JJJ? Could it be that it's not that interesting? Maybe it's because it does say:
"It’s your Forum You can respond to this week's topics, choose your own topic, or respond to others!"
Freedom of expression is a wonderful thing!!!
By the way I am listening to Triple M a lot more here in Brisbane, when they play music! Still don't like the chat sessions, but at least now there are three adult alternatives on FM, so then I give 97.3 or River 94.9 a bash.
Must be hard for B105 being given a run for their money by a radio station coming from a laptop computer! Makes you wonder if radio stations need to spend all the money they do on their buildings?
The next Brisbane ratings will be interesting, maybe other FM will actually be No 1! Amazing at how many places you hear Nova 106.9 playing! The comment I hear most is that people like the fact that they play more music and don't talk. I agree with Brian Chew I am also not in their target audience, but I enjoy listening, as they play some different music.
Re John's comments: I've heard Nova being played alot around Brisbane as well. It's going to do well. Agree with your comments that the Brisbane ratings will be interesting this time around. The MMM product is great and I'm guessing will consolidate its lead. Most of my family and friends in my age group (30's) are sharing their listening between MMM and River (MMM has a great sound & River's got the biggest/best playlist in South E Qld). The 97.3 playlist is too small and amazingly repetitive - gave it the flick about 6 months ago. The best programs on Brisbane Radio - The Cage on MMM (for entertainment) and Afterdark with DT on River (great music)
i know nova106.9 is testing but didn;t dmg get that95.3 licence in sydney before it.so that radio station should be on air around end of april. as the aba gives a new licence a year to go to air.am i right ?
Could the Radioinfo website developers give us a REAL forum board, not this stupid threaeded like one.
You would get alot more interactivity
It's not just the young that get "pushed around" like that. It is everyone. One of the few constants in this game is change. And this constant change and unsettling environment is one of the many things that is contributing to the lack of fresh talent in the pool. There is a perception amongst those I started radio school with years ago that radio is not a viable career option... to my radio school mates, it doesn't pay enough, it is too unstable... and even if you do get somewhere, you can be pushed out by the next big brother evictee or stand-up comedian very suddenly.
Of course, this is only their opinions, yet I am making an ok living out of radio in a regional market. There are many things wrong with our industry... but a bit of tenacity, patience and a whole lot of hard work still have some part to play in making your radio career work for you.
Oh, and hi! First-time posting for me!
DSJ
I just wanna put in a plug for my new website URL - from next week, you can access it at http://frankster.zanyspace.com - means I can fit more on there than before. 2UW fans cruise on in as there'll be more room now to put up more than one complete master in full. Enjoy :-) Should be operational by this time next week. Thanks!
Warren, would love to hear EON-FM, Triple M, 3AW, 3AK & 3XY from the eras mentioned. Also, well done to Frank on his work to date with the 2UW site. America has some really choice Internet aircheck locations (Uncle Ricky's 'REELRADIO' site in particular) and it will be great to see Oz follow suit. Regards, IAN WRIGHT, SEN1323 Adelaide.
Hi Wazza, no worries! Take your time - and love the lil' hint there, I'd love to put them up! Thanks Ian as well, the site should be up from the 26th of February :-)
Guys, please think of the National Film and Sound Archives.. we would love to get decent air checks of radio from the sixties and seventies... we will rejuvenate (bake) the tapes properly and preserve the content for future generations.. We're even happy to borrow the tapes and give them back after we've copied them. Baking in a home oven may, I repeat may, work, but i've also heard the stories of the times when that precious tape came out even worse than when it went in. If you have air checks my email is [email protected]
Following the death of Grantley Dee last week, I was thinking about the number of professional australian radio announcers who have recorded songs commercially., I can think of some like Grantley, John Vincent, Ward Austin, Cameron and Donna, Bob Cooke and Richard Moore, Andrew Ogilvie ... can your readers think of any others... they have to be professional radio announcers who have recorded a proper disc, not some in-house jingle. I'd love to have the list
Uh oh, what have I started... Guys, Nick's suggestion is a good one, and I don't have a problem with it. What I do have a problem with is the copying and retrieval fees Screensound charge. I got quoted over $100 for getting something simple as Sherbet radio jingles copied, and the fact a few of the things I wanted were listed under restricted access on Screensound's online catalogue. I also tried to get hold of a couple of older 70's Paul Hogan shows but also got quoted a price which was out of my reach, and the fact I had to jump through a few hoops just to get clearance from copyright holders. It would appear that my site has caused a bit of controversy already, with one guestbook entry wondering where mp3 copies of ads I had were on the site, and then signed off with the fact they couldn't work the site out. I'm doing this because I love doing it - it's a hobby for me, and because I had the material in the first place I thought people would be glad to cruise in and hear what I managed to recover off the 2UW tapes I mentioned in earlier posts. At the moment, it would appear all its' doing is stirring people up, something I hoped would NOT happen, especially after paying for bandwidth on a new server to be able to bring the goodies out in the first place (previously I had it hosted on Optus as part of my broadband account, of which the space I had allocated was free). All I have to say is fine, send your tapes over to Nick, cool - but the point of the site was to create somewhere people could go to hear some of the sounds I had recovered and stored. I'm someone that likes to help people out, and that's evidenced by the fact that Warren K had a bit of difficulty trying to get material off old tapes. As I'd been doing it for so long I thought I'd give him a hand. If I didn't have any knowledge about what I was doing, or the equipment at my home to do all this on, I wouldn't have gone ahead. But unfortunately, all that's happening now is people complaining they can't work the site out (what's so hard?? the material gets changed/updated from time to time so there's always new stuff to listen to, and how hard is it to click-listen-enjoy?). Makes me wanna give up, to be honest. If you think you can do better, then set up a site yourself and let's hear what YOU'VE got stored away. At least I won't be paying bandwidth for people that just wanna whinge and complain. Do I sound angry? Hope so, because I'm absolutely off the wall about the fact I've gone to a lot of effort to get the damn site going in the first place, and what I hoped wouldn't happen bloody well did. There are millions upon billions of places on the net to go - if you don't like what I do, DON'T VISIT! At least it'll save the bandwidth for those who actually WANT to visit.
RE: Jocks recording songs. You can include - in no particular order -Peter Rudder, Malcolm T. Elliott, Johnny Fryer, Ron E. Sparx, Gregg Reese, Baz & Pilko, John Torv, Ian MacRae, Holger Brockman. Matt Ponsonby, Geoff Mullins, Graeme Roberts, Wayne Roberts, John Laws, Bob Rogers, Brian Henderson, David Day, Ken Sparks and (big breath) Doug Mulray. I'm sure there are more. Watch this space.
My God you two (Weare and Sinclair), what a Pandora’s Box you’ve opened here. Let me add a few.
Michael John, ex 2CA b/fast in the ’70s, did “Australia’s Santa Claus”. Greg Robson, who was doing 2CC b/fast in 1983 with Donna Lynch, released a red flexi-disc under the pseudonym: Con Tagious. The track “Can Berra” was a Canberra suburbs send-up of The Austen Tayshus hit, “Australiana”.
Think of Perth for a moment. I’m told ex 6KY b/fast man Lionel Lewis had a crack at Roy Clark’s “Yesterday When I Was Young”. Also at KY, Johnny Young – who stared out as a teenage singer in Perth also worked as a DJ at 6KY and later at 3XY. But, yeah, I guess he’s more of a singer who ‘jocked’ rather than a jock who sung. Oh, Tony Barber, ex 6PM would qualify. He was jocking in Perth long before his TV career. The question is: who has any of Tony’s records in their collection?
Didn’t Keith McGowan do something on Fable when he was 3MP? Can’t remember its name. And I wonder would Jimmy Hannan qualify? He was on UZ mornings for yonks.
And yes, I did one too, but fortunately as part of a group. The 2CC jocks of 1978 did a double A sided thing (actually it was a double C sided disc on the label…hehehe) The tracks were: “Christmas in Canberra” backed with “The 12 Australian Days of Christmas”. They’re awful to hear now (even then!) and we off our dials when we recorded it. The record was done for charity and we sold enough copies to unseat Frankie Valli’s “Grease” from the number one spot. Great fun.
Cheers
Wayne Mac
I'm fairly certain you can add ex-KO's David Jones to the list - Dave and the Derros, Nice Legs Shame About The Face.
Re Nick's query on professional Aussie broadcasters who have recorded commercially, one of my purchases as a young radio and music devotee was "Fairyland" by Donnie Sutherland on the gold Du Monde label. This was during Donnie's time with 2UW and his music television era, these days he works with 2KY. Memory tells me "Fairyland" (a big gutsy production, despite its' title) largely only got radio play in Sydney on 2UW because of the obvious cross town rivalry between the other Top 40 players, 2SM & 2UE.
Another one time professional broadcaster (on the old 3UZ) and singer of considerable talent is Johnny Chester who is a lovely bloke to boot. Also, ex 3BO Bendigo, 3GL Geelong and many other stations is country singer Gene Fisk or "Fisko", another top bloke who of course is the father of country singer Donna Fisk of 'Fisk & Christian'touring and recording fame.
As for Ian Wright, 34 years in the radio business...love music with a passion...can't sing...don't play an instrument, although it's never too late to take it up AND just maybe with a name like Ian Wright I could at least WRITE a hit song about my outstanding Soccer career, or is that another Ian Wright, Hmmm ?
Finally, to Frank and his 'labour of love' 2UW site...stay focused, work within what is possible, know your effort will be appreciated by the vast majority of thinking people (maybe they are the minority) and DON'T LET THE TURKEYS GET TO YOU ! Cheers from Adelaide.
Even more singing Jocks: David Jones (Dave & The Derros), Graham Kennedy (yes, he was an announcer prior to his TV career), Art 'Poppa' Ryan, and Ric Melbourne (as Vince Butchelli). I seem to remember, too, that Mike Walsh had a record out at some stage in the 60s.
And how about that doyen of football broadcasters, Frank Hyde? Not strictly an announcer, I know, but he may just scrape in. Perhaps we should get an adjudication from the touch judges!
AS for Johnny Chester, he was a singer who later became a jock, as were Johnny Young, Bobby Bright, Glenn Shorrock & John Paul Young. Hmmm, could this be the start of a new thread?: 'Singers who became announcers'.
Singing jocks? Easy! The Triple M'ers in the 80's released a single entitled "We wish you a MMMerry Christmas" and were named The Tremble M's. The bonus was the flip side contained the 2 minute Dr Dan jingle. I still have it somewhere...
Singers who became announcers ey? Apart from those mentioned by the ‘learned’ Mr Sinclair I can only add: Jimmy Hannan (‘Beach Ball’ 1964) later at 3UZ also Marty Rhone, Dennis Walter, Bob Hudson and Normie Rowe.
It might be drawing a long bow but George Moore of 2UE weekends might qualify…marginally at least. I believe he fronted a small-time band in Wagga circa 1970. Just don’t get me started about drummers who became announcers!!!
What next? 'Singers who became politicians' (John Schumann of Redgum and Peter Garrett of Midnight Oil) …no, OK then. Radio announcers who became politicians? ’Certainly a handful there. In various Federal parliaments of recent times that would include: Barry Jones, Eoin Cameron, David Jull, and Gary Hardgrave - the last two serving as we speak. Then in the State sphere you’ve got John Tingle, Stephen O’Doherty, (both NSW) Jim Cox and Ron Christie (Tas), the serving Chief Minister of the NT Clare Martin is ex ABC and who can forget former WA premier Brian Burke who was a 6PM newsman many moons ago.
I also read here on Radioinfo that good ol Mal Lees of C91.3 plans to stand as an independent candidate for the Werriwa by-election.
Hooly dooly – where to next? Prime Ministers who became announcers? Why not. Only one that I know of of... and he was a commentator, not a jock. 'Triple Word Score' if you can name him.
Regards
Wayne Mac
Wayne..
John Grey Gorton I think.
Forgot to add Bazz 'n' Pilko and Peter Plus with a single they released called "Bite Ya Bum", which was a sendup of Joe Dolce's "Shaddap you face" - on the flip side was Pilko singing Barry Manilow's "Mandy"! Another 45 I found recently...
Well done Alan. Ex PM Gorton was heard in daily commentary segments on 2GB in the '70s. Perhaps they were grooming him to be a latter day Eric Baume?? Given that Gorton's GB tenure was brief I guess that didn't happen.
I wonder if the time could be right for Paul Keating to start topping up his Super as a part-time commentator. You can just hear that familar PK rant as he sticks it to some unsuspecting scumbag!
"Radio National is broke; does anybody care?"
Judging by the number of posts, I'd say obviously not.
Hi everyone my name's krazy kevin and i present the breakfast show on Radio Bahrain in the middle east 5 mornings a week i'm coming over to Australia in April to visit my wife's family ( she's an Aussie and i'm afraid i'm a Pom...ha..!!)we'll be in Canberra for 3 weeks and if anyone wants to show me round any studio's or do any interviews with me i'm up for it.
Just recently radioinfo put a article about me on your website....i started doing a Tsunami relief " hands across the water" after a listener telephoned me and so far we've raised 45,000 dinars which is around 150,000 oz dollars and i'm looking dodgy with half a headshave ..!!
anyway i'm looking forward to any help with arranging to pop into some radio studio's!!
my e-mail is [email protected]
"Ego is NOT a dirty word"...the late Graeme "Shirley" Strachan of Skyhooks said it perfectly in song.
As to the question :"Ego management who is responsible ?" Well, my view is it MUST start at the top, however it is a team thing. A creative radio personality, be they really good or a wannabe need a GM & PD who have the guts and expertise to make the time to work with the talent and that includes both stroking, moulding, monitoring and at times re-directing the ego back to commercial radio reality. Even if the talent is working in the non-commercial sector the task of ego management is still a "from the top" down discipline.
Of course, if the talent won't take or doesn't believe in the benefits of a constructive ego makeover BOTH employer & employee have a problem. That's why I say ego management is a "team" focused exercise to bring the best out of the air personality WITHOUT stripping them of their individuality. The more respect on-air talent has for Management the more the benefits to be gained from their output.
The equation could read...Creativity + Confidence + Passion + Constructive Feedback = EGO GRATIFICATION + REWARDS.
Regards from Adelaide, the city of the grape and SEN1323 "Let's Talk Sport".
Warren, your item re comments etc. on previous call signs got me thinking. Of the 9 radio stations I have worked at since starting in 1971, 6 have changed call signs.
In employment order...2KM became 2MC
3LK became 3WM
5KA became 5KA FM which became Triple M
2BE became 2EC
5AD became 5AD FM which became MIX FM
Radio 1323 (previously 5AD's frequency) became The New 5DN which became 5DN which was transformed into SEN1323 "Let's Talk Sport" on February 1 '05.
My previous stations who still retain their original call letters are...2AD, 5AA & 5MU.
I'm sure there are many other examples and great stories out there just waiting to be flushed out ! Thanks for jogging the memory. IAN
You want to talk ‘ego management?’ John Brennan’s your man! In his long career he’s dealt with nearly every famous ego in the biz. He is on record with strong views about how performers need to be managed, i.e. HAVE TO BE managed, in the radio hothouse. I recall he used a line something like: “If they need their shoes shined to feel better better about their performance, then I’ll shine their bloody shoes”.
In my humble experience as a young PD in the ’80s, I felt ego management was implicit in the job description. However, it’s not a chore I welcomed. I was of the view that a PD dealt with ego issues day to day. If that failed – like, if things were right out of control – get the GM involved and attempt to mediate a workable situation.
I think it's desireable if a PD develops an environment where players are encouraged to contribute their ego in a positive way to energise the station. But, yeah, that all a bit 'perfect world' isn't it? The thing this: radio is a performance culture and ego is part ‘n’ parcel of the gig. Anyone who thinks ego might go away is dreaming.
P.S. Re: Warren Koglin's post (10 March) 'Stories of old stations'. All the stories you need, and much more, will come to light when my book on the life 'n' times of Australian commercial radio reaches the printing press. The most egos in one place at one time!!!
A "healthy" ego is always good and really you need it at times to stay sane in this crazy game!
A PD's job (on top of everything else) is to ensure the EGO doesn't affect other staff!
You can't have a personality thinking he's better than the receptionist or account exec and putting them down! NO!!!
That personality needs everyone else in the building to help him/ her!
The account exec to sell the airtime for the gig and the receptionist to make every person coming into that station feel like they're a VIP !
It's the listeners that make a personality what he/she is - same with clients as they are listeners as well but with a lot more invested in the radio station.
This might be off the point slightly but what I'm trying to say is that all the individuals add to the output of the building!!
Radioinfo. I noticed your news story about Sea FM on the Gold Coast giving away free fuel as their current survey promotion. Nice, but what's the full story? I noticed that Hot Tomato too are conducting a similar survey promotion.
http://www.1029hottomato.com.au/competition_bio&competitionID=14
Who did it first? Who is chasing who here? It annoys me when stations can't be innovative enough to come up with their own survey battle plan, rather than a "they're doing it, so let's do the same thing" strategy. This isn't exactly a simple case of 2 stations coincidently running "Secret Sound". But that's a whole other subject.
My point here is that by only mentioning the Sea FM promotion when there's obviously more to this story given the fact these two stations have agreed to take part in this particular survey, Radioinfo could be seen as showing favoritism to one of these stations. Let's read about the whole story. It's controvercial enough. Have I just made it more so?
Richard, radioinfo is keen to avoid bias and we are grateful to readers like you who blow the whistle on us for any that may have slipped through the cracks. On this occasion, however, our story of March 16, "First Gold Coast Survey etc..." quoted Hot Tomato's Hans Torv on their promotional activity and provided a link to their multi-page flier that went to local residents. The Sea-FM story balanced the books - ed
Having just caught up with all the memories going on here of Jocks recording songs..... the 70's were a great time... All the jocks wanted to be rock stars and the rock stars wanted to be jocks. I think it was this fantastic relationship that was built up between ourseleves - the jocks--- and the stars which dosen't seem to happen much anymore.
I remain great mates with those guys til this day. Swannee, Barnsey, Doc -- Doc did middawns for a while on the M's in Sydney..... I know I encouraged Jeff Cox and Doc and Red and certainly Shirley... now there's a mate I think about almost everyday. I got shirly his first gig at 2MW. Wanted him far away from me. He was pretty good. Once they got the hang of the studio you could sit in the corner, get pissed and they'd do a great job for ya.
John Vincent in Adelaide not only made a single he did two or three albums. Caught him the other night still working the clubs as the Ken Noath Orchestra. One of his songs "Having a barbie" was recorded by three or four country singers over the years too. By the way I did my single "My Little Friend" with Sherbet doing the backing. Thanks for remembering me Greg Sinclair.......
regards David Day.
With the current Radioinfo forum topic being Digital Radio: the future etc... we have to wonder whether Daisy's "My Little Friend" or Vinnie's 'ocker' classics will ever be played on some obscure oldies show that might be produced and offered to a digital broadcaster for their 'other' channel.
What's this 'other channel' stuff? Well, I hope the industry isn't relying on text displays and quality sound as the be all and end all of Digital radio. Won't it come down to variety/choice of program content? And I don't mean Better Music - Better Variety, I'm asking: will Digital radio provide program options not available through regular AM/FM services.
Perhaps I'm jumping the gun because I imagine content issues i.e. a station offering an alternative content service to its main service, will need to be sorted when Government and industry decide upon a framework to proceed with the implementation of Digital services.
In the meantime, everyone I speak with reckons 'content' will be the make or break issue of any Digital future. What do you think about content? What kind of content might we see, sorry, hear in a digital environment? Sky's the limit I guess...as long as it rates!
That's not to say though that you can't get decent sound at 160kbps though. Or maybe public radio, community radio etc etc will get variable bit rate? Just a thought.
Re the ACRAS (the Australian Commercial Radio Awards), firstly a shocking name.... "ACRAS" .... sounds more like a sheep drench or even one half of the saucy ditty "The Acras and the Bishop" !
Mind you, I was also never in favour of the name "RAWARDS", particularly when so many pronounced it as RAY-WARDS or RAR-WARDS. My suggestion at the time was the "MARCONIES" honouring a pioneer of radio's creation, just like TV has the "LOGIES". However, those in higher places decided Wright was Wrong and it never happened ! Interesting to note, I found out years later after making my suggestion that the USA had in fact established a series of prestigious radio awards, which they called (tympany roll please)......THE MARCONIES. I rest my case.
As for possible additions to the (bah) ACRAS, I'd suggest 2 voting categories for ALL RADIO INDUSTRY PEOPLE to vote on.
(1) The BEE Award for "Best Employer Encountered" and
(2) The WEE Award for "Worst Employer Encountered".
Trouble with the second category is you'd get some unanimous (bah)ACRAS nominations which would never see the light of day, due to possible defamation from the guilty parties!
As for my WEE nomination, talk to me privately.
My BEE nomination is probably Glenn Wheatley when he owned East Coast 2EC (Bega-Batemans Bay, N.S.W.) the station where I was GM/PM for nearly 12 years. I found Glenn to be commercially savvy, with a healthy understanding of the vital balance between the 'show' and the 'business', plus he's a good bloke who has experienced the ups and downs of being in business and bouncing back !
Happy Easter from Adelaide.
Perhaps an award for those who have had the guts to stand-up to management of highly profitable stations and say "No, I will not work additional hours for free, regardless of you saying that 'this is the industry we work in'".
Or maybe that's just my own bug-bear...
How about an award for "Highest Profile Sacking Of The Year" or "Victim Of Networking Of The Year".
The list is endless really.
From the person that brought you leftover Audiopak AA3 carts...
Now comes the great Frank giveaway! (well alright, enough of the radio script....and *I'm* not being given away, so you're safe!)..anyway, get in touch if you feel you have a use for used CD cases. There are over 400 I wanna get rid of. Not only that, I have 100 1/4" tape reels of mixed brands also to give away (a mixture of Sony PR-150, EMITape [blue outer case] and Maxell - mixture here of 35-90B and 25-120 reels).
On top of this are a few U-Matic format videotapes, and some VHS cassettes of mixed lengths. U-Matic's range from 5 to 60 minutes, and VHS's range from 15 minutes to 180 minutes, various brands.
All of it is FREE to good home because I'm having storage space troubles and need to get rid of some stuff.
Thanks!
Just wanted to comment on the Kyle and Jackie O thing.
In 1992 I recorded a promo for a guy at a community radio station for his program, "Tuesday Night Rage", basically a show of dance music. That promo ended with the tag of "Sydney's fastest growing radio show" - so what happens? Well a few weeks ago, I'm reading the Daily Telegraph's "Confidential" section, and in it, Kyle and Jackie O's show was quoted as being "Sydney's fastest growing radio show"! Coincidence? I don't think so...This was just one of a string of stuff we recorded but then found it was more or less copied by 2DAY-FM, and it went on for years. I still have a master of the 1992 promo too. So I'm not surprised they pushed the boundaries really..they seem to think they can get away with anything the last decade, and that craps me off!
Perhaps Kyle had a "wardrobe malfunction" and Jackie said "O" ???
In any case.....the pro in the know was on their show, with the bottom of the barrel.....all systems go !!!
Not wanting to hog the Forum space, however this news hasn't been reported at Radioinfo as far as I can see.
Legendary US Top 40 Radio personality Dr. Don Rose passed away in his sleep on March 30 at the age of 70. "Dr. Donald D. Rose" peaked at the legendary San Francisco powerhouse KFRC in the mid to late 80's as a wacky, cornball, genuine good guy of the airwaves and off !!!
His show was ALWAYS up and full of gags, sound effects and great Top 40 music of the era on glorious AM..."The Big 610, KFRC". He is survived by his wife of 40 years and 5 children. Not only did Doctor Don influence so many "in" radio and "out" of radio people in the States, his influence was also experienced in Australia. I'm sure the likes of Don Lunn & Ken Sparkes could tell the story better than me.
Dr. Don Rose now swaps gags in Rock 'N' Roll Heaven with many radio greats including my broadcasting hero Robert W. Morgan. Come to think of it, I reckon Stan Rofe would be having a loud chuckle too !
Kyle and Jackie O have a prostitute on their show.
Ah yeah. As always in radio...everything old is new again.
During my Adelaide stint we had a pro as featured guest on the 5KA Macca and the Fox breakfast Show which instigated great phone and media reaction. The year? As I recall it...1984.
Ian MacRae
I would rather work for an Australian owned company but it really doesnt matter in the real world as we are in such a global state now. The important thing is that the owners appreciate and pay us the workers at the "coalface" what we are really worth and perhaps take a small cut in overall profits to keep the industry live and local.
But having said that it's still the best job on the world no matter where your working and I am very honoured to be a part of it.
I just wanted to put in my $0.02 about a topic that was covered here before - the art of speeding songs up on air. Doing it is just absolute BS. It makes the audio sound ****house, it really does.
The latest case is of something going on titled "Women In Voice" which features Jenny Morris's "She has to be loved" song as the backing track. This damn ad has the song speeded up by at LEAST 4% or higher. You people producing the ads need to be taught a skill in production - if the bed is too long to fit within 30 seconds, then edit it! Don't speed the song up so fast. Jenny sounds like a chipmunk! Drop a few seconds off the bed and there you are.
This ad so far is playing on 2UE, and whoever produced it ought to be shot. Speeding songs up to fit within a designated time frame is NOT cool, in fact it sounds stupid. To the people who produced this, PLEASE take it back into the studio and re-edit the bed, it gets on my nerves hearing it at an un-natural pitch. Hell, I'll do it if you want!
Hi Warren, it does sound fairly rushed unfortunately. The voice-over is perfect, coming from the consumate professional that is Robbie McGregor, but the bed just wrecks the whole thing. I agree with what you say about the power of a PC, I've done stuff I was never able to do years ago, absolutely amazing - but it has to be done properly...hehe...
how about mikey at breakfast .wendy in the mornings .arvos ian rogerson .mulray or denton in drive.nights paul murray for the new dmg fm line up.also the slogan just like 5aa interactive radio
Well Id put Andrew Denton on Breakfast, Wendy Harmer or Kate Economou in Mornings, Kevin Hillier in Afternoons and Barry Bissell in Drive. Maybe Andy Grace in nights?
I wonder how long it will be before one of these networks experiments with a 100% jock-free format, with only sweepers, promos and ads? I am sure it is on the way... what with the levels of networking and automation already. In fact, I am surprised that they haven't already tried this.
I used to love Macca and the Fox Ian..still have tapes of it somewhere...brilliant radio!
The increase in Radio's share of ad revenue is predominantly due to the growth of the NOVA network.
The incumbents always argue that new stations merely cannibalise the existing market, but clearly this is not the case.
Howdy folks. 95.3 FM Sydney is now testing as of 5.50pm April 26th. As I speak, a Neil Diamond track has just finished.
95.3 seems to also be looping some Dean Martin tracks. Heard "that's amore!" not long ago..heh..interesting loop :-) (CD on repeat? Seems to go back to the start exactly every 70 minutes or so)
95.3fm in sydney .what other music are they playing beside neil diamond.is wendy harmer still a guest on mike carlton breakfast.
I notice this forum often strays from the various introduced topics. 'Don't know why that is??? That being the case, I'll jump in here with a shameless self-plug safe in the knowledge that some Radioinfo subscribers will want the following information.
There'll be changes to www.waynemac.com week commencing Monday 9 May.
One of the changed items will be the three minute historic jingle montage which has proved popular. If you want to hear montage #1 before it's replaced, please visit the site before 9 May.
Apart from a different jingle mix, the site update will include: more photos and a new package of quotes.
Enjoy.
Wayne Mac
In the words of the Great One, "Hello world!"
After two years I've finally got around to updating my Faces for Radio profile featuring a newish snap of my ugly dial.
It also now features a short segment (2.45MB - so don't even think about downloading if you're on dial-up) of a breakfast session Wilbur Wilde and I did together for about eighteen months back in 1989 on 3UZ - just before they gave us the tijuana and went all sport(now THAT'S gotta work!)
15 years later, Willy and I still maintain the same mateship and comedic rapport (mainly on the golf course)
OK, so it's not side splitting stuff but at least we had fun, and (with little or no promotion) commanded a respectable 6% of a very conservative demographic and ... hang on, is this sounding like a re-invention job?
Anyhow, have a listen - would appreciate any feedback.
Best,
John Blackman
(Hey Hey It's Not On Any More)
Around 1990 and possibly even before, community stations were limited to what could be said in sponsorship announcments. All that could be mentioned was the name of the business, what they specialised in, where they were, the phone number and a tag, full stop.
Since the rules were relaxed to the point of 5 minutes of sponsorship per hour and this rule done away with, they could say a lot more in the announcements. The problem of course is going over the 5 minutes per hour (previously it was 4). Are there people out there who actually sit there with a stopwatch and find if the 5 minutes is breached by even 1 or 2 seconds (5'02" or so) that there's a case? I don't think so.
I've been in situations where a sponsor or two has been told about this 5 minute per hour rule, and lo and behold, what landed on my desk? A CD or DAT with 15 second ads. Unless you're from National Direct and almost always supply 60 seconders to stations - 5 of these per hour, and you're at your limit. So you go looking for 30's to use instead, and there aren't any.
It might be time to ditch the 60 seconders. (I've found with these guys the phone number is repeated 3 times, which fills at least 15 seconds at the end! Bit of a waste when you can cut all that info down and fit it to go in either 30 or 40 seconds).
So for example, one break would consist of 2 sponsorship announcements, both 60 seconds and probably a CSA or station promo - there goes 2 minutes of the hour. Repeat the formula not even 25 minutes later, there's 4 minutes gone. Repeat it again (say a few minutes to the top of the hour), and you've done 6 minutes. Now what happens if there are more sponsors and you've done your 5 minutes in that hour? You would have to offer them as ROS spots instead of the sponsor requesting what times they are to be played to fit in with the rule. Anyway, another meaningless $0.02 worth...
Sorry all, but I'd like to talk about the current topic - a bit unorthodox, I know.
As one who has worked in community radio for 3 years now (& in Sydney commercial radio for the previous 20) you might expect me to think that the ABA has been a bit harsh on the poor stations that got rapped over the knuckles for breaches of the regulations. But I believe that they did get what they deserve. The fact is you must obey the rules even if they're bad ones. I believe that the regulations should be reviewed to make it easier for the community sector to raise more funds via sponsorship/advertising so we don't have to rely so heavily on the financial support of listener donations.
I can understand that the commercial stations don't want to have to spread the pie around even more but in many cases the money that would go into community radio wouldn't be lost from commercial advertising. Eg, one of the recent naughty community stations, SWR FM at Blacktown, got into trouble for broadcasting advertisements in Punjabi & Sri Lankan programmes. Now whether that was for just not mentioning that they were actually "station sponsorships" or whether they exceded their 5 minutes of sponsorship in an hour is immaterial, I'm sure that any extra money SWR FM might earn in the "Punjabi Hour" if those regulations were relaxed would not be coming out of a budget otherwise spent on commercial radio.
I do agree that this is probably more true in metro markets where there is a large difference in advertising rates between the sectors. In regional areas there may be more competition.
Hey, even if the pie was sliced thinner I believe the commercial stations could afford it. One of the reasons I left commercial radio was the heavier & heavier emphasis given to larger profits each year resulting in less staff for the same or more work, cuts in community contact & projects & less personal contact with the listener through automation & networking.
The fact is many large advertisers should take off their "commercial blinkers" & take a look at the community sector. In Sydney survey #2 2005 11.8% of the total share of radio listening was not to the surveyed commecial & ABC stations.
The Sydney community station I work for is fortunate enough to be able to afford a 6-monthly "omnibus" survey by McNair that, over a number of surveys, gives us a bit of an idea of cume. Clients like Harvey Norman & Domayne are all over larger regional stations which have fewer listeners & larger spot rates yet we can't get past the front desk to talk to them because we're "community radio".
Community stations should not be breaching the rules, but they should be working hard to get the authorities to change the rules.
So 95.3 are playing Neil Diamond, I am not surprised when you read this:
The post-war baby boom generation that drove the 1960s pop explosion delivered a 'grey power' boost to Radio 2 yesterday, helping four veteran DJs with a combined age of 231 draw record audiences.
Radio Joint Audience Research figures show that 66-year-old Terry Wogan, with his "senior moments", easily remains Britain's favourite radio personality, attracting 40,000 new listeners since January and bringing his total to 8.09 million.
Steve Wright, 50, has added 400,000 to push his listeners to 6.8 million. Ken Bruce, 54, is at his heels with 6.63 million for his mid-morning programme while Johnnie Walker, 60, has an audience of 5.21 million for his drive-time show.
Mark Story, head of radio at Emap, said that his "heritage" stations in Manchester, Hull and Liverpool, which appeared to be in decline four years ago, were picking up new listeners.
He added: "There is also a very clear end to the generation gap.
"There was a time when young people instinctively hated the music of their parents. This is now no longer the case."
The trend for older music is most obvious in the charts, where Tony Christie remains at No 1 for a seventh week with the charity record Amarillo. In March it sold more copies in a week than in the whole of its 1971 run in the "hit parade".
No wonder Triple M is doing so well here! Maybe just maybe someone here will be smart enough to look at BBC Radio 2 and adapt the format for Australia. Perhaps that is too much to ask of commercial radio here, but surely the ABC could give it a go? With Nova now a national network do the under 15's really need Triple J?
On a different note don't miss the new Dr Who when it starts on the ABC on May 21st!!!
John Preston
Just devestated to hear of the death of Pete Ferrier. Did a heap of voce work with him and have to say he was the best producer i have ever worked with.
Cheers Kevin Hillier
sad to hear about pete ferrier,even though he was younger than me he was a bit of a mentor in my early days at 4ip... and he encouraged my foray into the vo scene. i hope to be at the funeral if his family dont mind. he was a spcial man and ill miss his chats and emails grant goldman
It is tough to raise the funds to keep community radio on-air but there are guidelines to follow and they are not hard to follow.
As for the CRA's messages working in the favour of community radio that is good for the community broadcasters and it also shows that the community sector of broadcasting are getting out there and being seen and heard.
I have spent many a year at community radio and believe it has a ligitimate place in the market. Being in commercial radio now I suppose we just have to work a little harder to keep ourselves on top. Perhaps commercial radio could take some lessons from the successful community stations and slow down on the networking from eastern states and the voice track shifts and get back to live local radio.
I'm interested to read all the criticism of the crap money being paid by stations in the sub metro area - it would seem after 36 years, nothing much has changed .
At the risk of sounding like a GOM, try this on for size you young whipper snappers.
At the age of 22 when I started out on the wireless at 2GN (way back in 1969) I was paid the princely sum of $39.50 per week (before tax) for a SIX day week which included announcing duties, visiting advertisers and writing their copy as well as compiling local news bulletins.
If I chose to work a seven day week, I could bump my earnings up to a mind boggling $42.50 per week before tax! In fact, at $39.50 per week I was being paid just $1.50 over the official Australian poverty line.
There wasn't much left after paying $15 a week rent for a 2 bedroom flat in Foster Street either - thank God I got free coffee from the Paragon Cafe in return for the odd on-air mention (yes folks, I was the pioneer of the "caffeine for cash" culture).
One thing I am grateful for though is that these "inhumane" working conditions provided the best incentive ever to get back to big smoke radio as soon as I could.
So I worked my arse off, learned and did everything I could, (screwed up a marriage) and improved my announcing techniques so I could get outa there ASAP.
Six months later I landed a job for double the dough at 2CA (met my current future ex-wife) and, after 12 months there and applying the same principles that got me out of Goulburn, got my first big city job at 3AW - it's wasn't rocket science.
So, instead of bleating about being ripped off, resolve to work your ring off, improve your broadcasting expertise and keep sending out the audition tapes - I promise you it won't happen overnight - but it will happen!
Blackers
I was concened
From Rhys Holleran
I am interested in the postings of anonymous people decrying the fact that there are no annoucers and shifts are automated.
Now, as the biggest employer of regional annoucers in the country the facts are that there are more annoucers now than in the old days. The reality is there are more services too and in a lot of regional markets there are less people.
We pride ourselves on talent development. Facts are in many markets people don't want to go and live there, or want to earn big bucks in their first radio gig. As for the level of wages - awards are there to protect minimum standards and I think they do it well.
As for automated shifts our group is live twenty four hours a day. Reality is ten years ago they used VHS tapes and automated.
There is a lot of good in the radio world and a stack of opportunity if you go out there and grab it. I encourage you to do so.
As far as I know, the Union I am a member of IS the Union for both ABC/SBS and Commercial Radio announcers. Correct me if I am wrong... as I may be paying Union fees for no reason... try the CPSU... www. cpsu.org.au. I have had a few issues raised with them already. Contacting the relevant Wageline in your state or Territory may be a good place to start to claim back any unpaid monies... and keep an accurate diary of all those times you have been made to work without pay. All these things together could see an underpaid announcer get what is due to them.
I agree with Nick/Rhys, there are networks that are doing the right thing... but there are also employers getting away with Industrial Relations Murder... and they only get away with it because no one stands up and takes the neccessary steps to challenge them.
Once you challenge them they cannot sack you simply out of spite. This is Australia. It doesn't work that way, and if they do, you have a mountain of legal recourse via Legal Aid, Wageline and Industrial relations processes to back you.
That is, of course, if you have been doing the right thing in your workplace and they have nothing solid on you.
Despite what contracts some employers are getting us to sign, in Australia you CANNOT sign away your rights, whatever the contract says. Read your contract. Join the relevant union if you wish, keep a diary, call Wageline and take ownership of your own situation.
They will only rip you off if you allow them to.
Hi everyone. It is an honour to be sharing words with passionate people. I have been watching the forum since I joined community radio at the beginning of this year. I have learned much about the industry and I would like to throw some ideas into the fire.
There are three issues that I believe I can add some ideas too. The things that people bitch about are the low wages, the mega networks and community radio.
I keep getting the feeling that we are on the verge of a radio revolution. As the mega networks are deserting the individual markets, this could be a great opportunity for community radio to take over as THE local station. Is it feasable to have a salesman/manager, an administrator and three underpaid jocks plus volunteers to do the rest and return radio to its roots. With three on air guys/girls covering 6AM-6PM , going out to the schools, sporting clubs etc and really getting into the community and a sales person to go and sell the message that we are REAL radio. Is this feasable? I think it could be in a lot of markets.
You could even have the paid staff on incentives to ensure the success of the station. As the station revenues rise, there would be some sort of split to reward the team for their efforts. Why should just sales people be on commission. Make the on air team responsible and accountable for their product and results as well.
If you can get the local media on side (if they aren’t part of a multi-national ) they would give the publicity to lift the community station to being OUR station, which gives it the branding it needs.
This is a simplified version of what is required, but can it deliver what is needed for the health of radio? I think it can. Love to hear your thoughts
From Hans Torv, Executive Director Hot Tomato
Jeez they are funny buggers at MacBank Radio on the Gold Coast. We see they are still in denial about the previous survey in 2003. Nick Scott is quoted as saying "This (survey 1 2005) was the first official Gold Coast radio survey for five years and the first since Hot Tomato entered the market."
Wrong. The last survey was in 2003. We have the previous survey, the ABC has the previous survey, so does Neilsen Media Research, and so did the Commercial Radio Australia auditors when they checked and approved it. Funny that. MacBank Radio don't have it because they didn't want to play or pay! And we know why.
If Nick wants to see it he can come around to Hot Tomato House for a cuppa and we'll show him the holes in Sea FM's 18-24s, Gold FM's 25-39 and 40-54. We'll also show him the 12 share increase in Hot Tomato's Grocery Buyers and ask where the missing 14 share of Gold's GB's actually went. When he gets here, we'll show him our favourite bits too. Tell him I'll put the kettle on, and we can discuss the start date for the next survey. September 2005 suits us fine.
sorry to get of the subject. but can anyone tell us what dmg 95.3fm test transmisson is doing now .
In reply to Michael Ross...
Michael, as of thursday night May 19th, 95.3 FM are off the air.
Yes, it's yet another off topic post from me..*Sigh*...
Any of you guys have recommendations for a mixing desk? My current one is slowly falling to pieces...the backlights on the VU's don't work, 2 channels are dead..grrrr...preferably the recommended one will have no more than 12 channels, eq, pfl and two sets of outputs. Considering a Mackie of some sort, but a few people have said "don't go for mack!!" so what is it about Mack's people hate? and for what price can I get a half decent desk? Thanks :-)
James,
I have it, but how do I get it to the rest of you...heh...
Shame Naomi doesn't use that sort of language on air - at least it would give the program some current affairs content!
Move Triple J to AM and give the FM network to a decent adult music format!
Why do radio stations use age demographics?
People's music tastes these days are younger and more catholic than 20 years ago. We have grown up on 'pop' music (which is given all sorts of labels these days)I listen to all the FM stations in Brisbane and I am 52. According to 'demograhics' and radio stations I should listen to 4BH! Ian Skippen on Triple M is 54, Jamie Dunn is at least mid 50's and on B105, and those on 97.3 must be 40's, and I am only talking breakfast - and they all try to sound young!!! At least Triple M are playing some mix of music, but why not the 60's as well? Is it because they all assume they know what music their listeners want? We know what assume does!
I am sure most listeners don't pigeon hole either themselves, or the music they like in a specific age group. My friend's 20 year old son loves sixties music, but doesn't hear it on FM radio!! Maybe 'Nova Oldies' stations will be an alternative - shame there won't be one in Brisbane - unless they change 97.3?
I just wanted to comment about Derryn Hinch's monologue about the death of Graham Kennedy. I think it's sad that in the event of the death of someone who held the iconic status that Graham did within the Australian entertainment industry, Derryn chose to speculate on his cause of death rather than celebrate the life of a bloke who posessed a truly remarkable gift for entertaining his audience.
It would seem that everyone interviewed by radio, TV or newspaper since Graham's death has chosen to focus on that remarkable talent, rather than any aspect of his private life. This isn't slavish fawning over the dearly departed I'm talking about.... these are journalists, playwrights, actors and media executives who knew and respected Graham for the person he was, and for the variety of roles he was adept at performing throughout his media career.
I was lucky enough to have worked with Graham at the end of his career, writing and producing radio commercials for him on behalf of one of my clients at 2ST. He was returning a favour. I didn't have to ask him to do the ads, he offered, (via fax of course). I helped him, he helped me, end of story.
He was being offered lots of money to return to TV at the time, but he simply wasn't interested. He didn't want any money. As he said at the time, (via fax of course), what was more important was getting in the studio, recording the ads, having lunch, a couple of beers and a bottle wine with the client and me, before being driven home in time to feed his beloved dog in the afternoon. A simple request, easily fulfilled and something as I recollect he seemed to enjoy very much on the occasions we did it.
I was never a fan of the TV Kennedy. Knew nothing of IMT, occasionally watched Blankety Blanks, Funniest Home Videos and Coast to Coast. I loved his film work, particularly Don's Party, The Club and Travelling North.I know it was something he was proud of because he considered himself an actor above anything else.
To work with him was a rare treat and a memory that I continue to treasure, because first hand experience showed me that Graham Kennedy was brilliantly funny, always the consumate professional and even after many years, still enjoyed getting behind a radio microphone.
I watched him waving from the verandah of his Canyonleigh home after I had dropped him off one afternoon. In the middle of his hundred acre property with his dog at his side, it struck me what a lonely figure he was and made me even more thankful for what I have.
I don't care how Graham Kennedy died or whether he liked men, women, chimpanzees or hyenas. In terms of his contribution to Australian culture, that's beside the point. With the luxury of being able to set his own agenda, Derryn Hinch can speculate about whatever he likes. But the King is dead and perhaps reflection on the joy he brought to the Australian public is a far better way to pay tribute to his contribution to our industry.
I write in response to Steve Anderson's generous post on his brush with Graham Kennedy. Bravo mate, it's a terrific memory for you to share with us on this forum.
I'm going to forward it to a dear old radio friend named Henry Gay (now there's a coincidence!) Seriously, Henry - a former PD of 3AK - was a personal friend and confidant of Graham, having known him since before he was famous on radio, let alone TV! They were young work mates at 3UZ in the '50s. He'll love to hear of your experience with GK.
It's unfortunate that Derryn chose to play the 'sensational' card on his 3AW program. But should we be surprised? It's not as if he hasn't done this type of thing before. I wonder what people might say about HIM when he goes?
But in the end whether it's Hinch on the morgue slab or GK, I don't give a stuff what they do/did in their private lives. Who the hell cares? I'm just grateful to have lived at a time to experience the wondrous entertainment phenomenon that was Gra Gra, The King. Let's have some respect by reflecting on his unmatched contribution and let him and his memory rest in peace.
Regards
WM
www.waynemac.com
Im hardly suprised that Derryn Hinch dragged out the Graham Kennedy tale, nor will I be suprised when he tells the story of John Howard actually wearing "Pink" underware every second Wednesday.
Frankly the only thing the majority of Australians care about is the the Passing of a Legend.
Derryn has built a name on Inuendo and Scum raking, for which most say "who cares" unlike Graham Kennedy who built a name of loyality, wit and a man who enjoyed credability with his peers and untold respect from a nation.
Ill remember Graham for who he was and what he taught.
Your Headline "What would we do without Derryn Hinch" Answer: Derryn WHO?
Stephan Kent
After leaving 3AW five years ago, I thought I had finally gotten over my anger about the homophobia that pervades the place both on and off the air...alas, that was until I heard about Derryn's "revelations."
I must say I wondered myself whether Graham Kennedy had died of AIDS but it seems to me to be inexcusable for Derryn to go to air with those comments yesterday given that the station was told about the recent blood test that came back HIV negative.
Hinch got it right with the David Hookes decision but it seems that this time he's made a terrible mistake.
Lets face it Graham Kennedy was the most amazing pioneer of entertainment in Australia. I would say everyone loved to watch his work no matter what it was. I think we as a country should remember the wonderful entertainment that he gave us. What he did in his private life is absolutely none of our business, who cares if he was gay or not.
The fact is he was the King of Australian Television and he was a terrific actor.
He kept to himself for what ever reason. Again who cares.
Derryn Hinch has no right and I can see no reason to drag up any sludge on Graham Kennedy at all. Whether it be true or not we dont need to know.
So Derryn what to do with you? Perhaps a extended time away from the airwaves with a trip home to NZ on a one way ticket. Let the Kiwi's have him back we dont need him.
I can fill his shift at AW just like hundred more broadcasters in Australia can do. BUT no one as yet can fill the shoes of the KING Graham Kennedy
See ya Derryn "Shame Shame Shame on You"
Dang, I knew there was a reason why this bloke's initials are D.H. ...
A purely 'commercial' thought on the radio future of Derryn Hinch. Either 3AW will directly decide if they still want his talent OR the audience will indirectly. It's all a matter of timing, taste and time !
For the record, having worked briefly with Derryn during his Adelaide radio days and having some other dealings with him, I find him to be a likeable bloke who DOES say what he feels both on & off air. Perhaps, like the early pioneers, if you stick your neck out far enough as a broadcaster you sometimes win and sometimes lose.
Stay tuned for the next episode from or about The Human Headline.
Having been in the media for over 20 years, it's it comes as no surprise that SOME people have no spine! Well done Derryn - just one question, why if you were so interested to get the truth. That was the sole purpose for your disgraceful coverage of one of the funniest men to bring life to the home viewers via TV was done after his death. Derryn - Graham is no longer here to defend himself or dipute your aligations. Couldn't you have used your time and resorces better and found something for us to have remembered one of the greatest ICONS of Australian telivision by, rather than gutter trash you've tried to feed us. Derryn fortunately for me I live in Brisbane and can't hear you and neither can Graham, but do Australia and your listeners a favour and say "I'm sorry - I was wrong". These humble words can and will show greatness in the worst of us, words any man can find and show his true integrity? just a thought.
Well, now what? Derryn Hinch has apologised for remarks about Graham Kennedy. (source: Steve Price show, 2UE @ 4:45pm 30th May)
Just a slight correction. There are 2 major stations that call the NRL in Sydney - 2GB & ABC 702.
As for Melbourne... you always hear how Melbourne is a "Sports-mad city" or "Love their sport". They are actually just an AFL-mad city. No other sport, especially NRL, seems to get a look-in. At least Sydney & Brisbane have some interest in AFL - much more sports-loving cities, generally speaking, than Melbourne.
I must agree David, re: Mathemagic tutor ads. My favourite version of that ad is the "interupting wife" one, where the husband is talking and then the wife butts in and takes over the conversation quite rudely. The main thing I think is "Huh? They actually ALLOWED this to go in the ad?". It sounds terrible.
And TPL numbers. My GOD. TPL numbers. The listener just does not care, and it has no meaning or relevance whatsoever. Sometimes it goes on for a third of a spot. Im sure its legally required, but its just shocking. A case of common sense out the window for the sake of red tape.
Xenium Mortgages and Whitehouse Securities both get on my nerves, but then again we remember the clients name! The whole purpose of advertising. Any ad where the client insists on reading the copy themselves always sound bad to me.I love to hate them.
I have to agree with David's first point regarding one man band agencies. When i worked at cap city stations, i couldn't believe what passed for "agency" commercials. Seeing stuff like that convinced me to start my own specialist radio creative agency to counteract the crap the small agencies were putting out.
I still find that the best way to get clients to accept a creative idea, is to go with the Sales Rep to visit the client, discuss ideas, go back and write the campaign and finally go back to see the client to get the scripts approved. You have to get the client excited about the idea, no-one else can do that for you.
If you think you don't have the time to do this, then make the time. It's good for radio and good for your sanity.
For some reason I love the current Bing Lee ads..who could ever forget good ol' Ken Lee stating to "Come and meet my team"..heheh..
Having been both behind the mic & and in account management for many many years in both regional and cap city markets, I've seen it from both sides of the camp. There is always two sides to every story? While yes there is some very creative teams and people out there, Why oh Why does everything have to fit into a nice clean & tidy 30 sec cubicle that we can pull out when we need to.
Now I know that going to ruffles some feathers, but come on - the very basic principle I was taught was that "Radio is the theatre of the mind" From my years spent on air, when I meet a client, diagnosed their needs, determine their budget and prescribe the best medicine for their business. There are times when the 30 sec pill just doesn't cut it and I make that very clear to them?
The client doesn’t want a drill, they want the hole. Yes I know we're not America, well at least not yet. But life can exist beyond the 30 sec barrier, just like man who once broke the 4-minute mile. Is the dog waging the tail or the tail waging the dog?
Managers, reps, creative & programming, need to speak more often - and in the same room about the needs of clients. Yes while commercial ad spend is up overall, what could it be? Should we ever break through this 30 sec or in the old scale the 4-minute mile? Just a thought!
Though not actually a radio ad, as an example of extremely creative and humorous writing it's hard to beat yesterday's survey press release from Austereo.
If a TV commercial can win a Siren Award (the Meat and Livestock ad for Lamb) then surely this brilliant piece from Austereo should also be eligible.
Here here I'm with you Wil and we salute the work of Paul Boddington. As with Wil Brakels comments I to worked along side Paul in the 80's at 4LM Mt Isa and prevously with Wil Brakels. You couldn't help but be touched by Paul's infectous nature, his smile,laughter and just such a great guy and down to earth. Paul was always prepared to help out, and what a professional in every way. Paul at 44 we are the same age, and I know you had so much more to give - yet we are all allocated a certain time here on earth. Paul my friend, you have with out a doubt left such an impression in the hearts of so many and will be sadly missed.
Paul Boddington (1961 - 2005) thanks for the memories?
To answer David Manning..
Seriously, I too believe advertising is more than just making you remember a client name.
As we all know, radio is all about repetition with the right message. But I still believe it’s much more than this?
When you said you wished the "Aussie default" was a 45 second commercial.
Why not make it that way – Someone has to start.
Now before everyone starts adopting this, I believe it comes from a very strong mindset and truly understanding your clients needs & requirements and having their full and utter trust – and not just aiming to get a signature to satisfy your budget or boss.
Yes we can churn out 30's day in day out- but as I said if the client is only interested in the end result and their depending on us, we dam well better get it right.
If it takes a 60 to do the job then, don’t make it sound so long. And as you said - if you have a script that runs "naturally" runs to about 36-8 seconds, Yet really loses it's magic when 'shrunk' down to 30. Don’t be afraid to tell the rep that’s ultimately responsible for the overall sale, which is to completion.
Having had both written and having had ads written for my clients for the sake of a few extra $$$$$ do what ever it takes - The client wins and you don’t have explain your self again. Simply tell of the success story you’ve had with client X and what we did for them.
And your math’s is spot on!
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A 45 sec is almost twice as effective, creatively speaking.
The Manning secret formula.?
If you have 30 seconds, and use 10 seconds for "tag" - you have 20 seconds for "convincing".
But with 45 seconds, if you use 10 seconds for "tag" - you end up with 35 seconds for "convincing".
(And 35 seconds is almost twice 20 seconds.)
Sorry secrets out
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You’re right – it’s not rocket science!
Mark Weare
I didn't know Paul Bodington, but obviously he was a really good guy and I trust he's now found the peace he craved. Thoughts go out to his family and friends.
Reading Camel's fine tribute to the man and his humor, I'd say Paul is looking down on the latest Forum topic "Are attention spans in radio getting shorter ?" with the reply...Well Ian, judging by the response to date, I'd say they lost the thread BEFORE soaking up the whole question !
Greetings from south of Adelaide, in downtown Victor Harbor.
I just wanna give my congratulations and thanks to 2GB for their absolutely excellent coverage of the London Underground blasts, in particular everyone on air there since the news was broken. They kept us informed at every minute and they were broadcasting everything in easily digestible form. Murray Wilton, Jason Morrison, Brian Wilshire and others, you guys are doing a FANTASTIC job. Let's hear it for 2GB!
Sorry for the off topic post once again. Is anyone interested in acquiring ten 40 minute Digital Betacam videotapes at all? Yours for free if you can transfer the contents off them to another format for me! Drop us a line if you can help at www.wirelessfodder.info
It's about time that 3AW and Magic 693 are Swapping Frequencies and give Southern Cross a Chance to Build a New Transmitter Site at Werribee for the 1278 Frequency and closedown the Old Transmitter Site at Lower Plenty.
One thing I have learned from launching a new radio station in Woodstock Ontario is how important a strong local news service is. We play a great A/C format, have lots of competitions and promotions, but what everyone talks about on the streets is how good the news is. Advertisers want an association with the news, so it is also a strong sales driver. In a market of 100,000 we have a newsroom of 3 fulltime and 2 part-time staff, and it is paying for itself. Local news is what makes local radio, and localism is what gives radio is unique place in people's lives.