May 1999 RAP
May 1999 Highlights
Feature: Start at the End
By John Pellegrini
In our profession, we tend to have different concepts of what it is we
do. We’re audio producers. We’re technical wizards. We’re funny, wacky
creatives. All of these titles are secondary to our primary job: we are
writers. Even if you don’t write copy at your station, you’re still a
writer, because you edit the copy you are handed to make it flow better—at
least you try to, except in the case of the two or three brain dead moron
clients every single radio station seems to have, whose copy contains no
adjectives or pronouns, yet is nothing short of the living word of God,
dictated by them, and how dare you tamper with it! Nonetheless, we are all
writers, first and foremost.
Interview: Jimbo Kipping, LBJS Broadcasting, Austin,
Texas
By Jerry Vigil
MPEG1-Layer 3, or MPEG3, or MP3. They all stand for the same thing, and
while the technology itself is not new, they are the new buzzwords on the
Internet. MP3 appears to be one solution to making digital audio files small
enough to travel the Internet while maintaining broadcast quality. We
touched on the uses and potential of MP3 in an interview with Bumper Morgan
last year [November 1998 RAP], and it was clear this compression format
offered many uses for radio. Jimbo Kipping, Director of Production at LBJS
Broadcasting in Austin, Texas is also putting MP3 to good use and has taken
things a step further by organizing a network of MP3 users in the market.
This month’s RAP Interview takes a look at LBJS Broadcasting in Austin and
how Jimbo and company are taking today’s technology by the horns and
applying it to radio production. Get more detailed info on MP3 in this issue
from the article "The Future…For Now" by Craig Jackman.
Technology: AKAI DPS12 Digital Personal Studio - User
Review
by Scotty Webb
The Akai DPS12 is a 12-track disk-based system that’s small enough to fit
on your lap, yet it features a built in mixer with 13 faders (12 tracks, 1
master), full editing and transport controls, and a graphical display. The
DPS12 looks small, and the price is quite affordable—$1,499 for the basic
model. But don’t be fooled by the size and price. This is a powerful unit.
It combines the simple use of old style multitrack tape decks with features
found in high-end digital audio workstations.
Feature: The Future...For Now
By Craig Jackman
You can ask them yourself. The main reason that the management of CHEZ-FM
finally got a computer system was to send audio material to our sister
station in Smiths Falls, Ontario (digital editing was just a nice bonus).
For years we had either been sending tapes with people who were driving that
way anyway, or put tapes on the bus, until D.C.I. came along. Not to knock
D.C.I.—which works great—but management really got quite sick of spending
over $500 a month on it. When you added in the lost tapes, and time wasted
at either end going to the bus station to pickup/drop off the tapes, we
needed an alternative, and thanks to music lovers on the ‘net, there was one
ready made for us.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - What is the most
common reason why spots are missed at your station?
By Jerry Vigil
The Deadly Missed Spot Syndrome: Have you ever counted just how many
spots get processed and dubbed at your station(s) over a single month? You
would probably be surprised. For many, the number is in the thousands. Yet,
when just one of those spots is missed over the period of a month, it’s as
though some great system has come crashing down, costing the station and the
salesperson loads of money, and perhaps the client as well. In sets the fear
of missing that next one. Memos get written and words are exchanged. And the
fact of the matter is, one in a thousand is a pretty exceptional percentage.
Fortunately, the blame for missed spots is falling elsewhere these days, not
just on the production crew. But regardless of whose fault it is, as one of
our respondents below replied, "to miss a spot is bad." So this month we try
to shed some light on the reasons spots are missed in these hi-tech days,
and what stations are doing to prevent it from happening again.
Q It Up: What is the most common reason why spots are
missed at your station, and what steps have been taken to prevent spots from
being missed for this reason in the future? Do tapes come from the agencies
too late? Is it human error in the production department? Is it
malfunctioning equipment? Is it on-air staff mistakes? And if your station
is one where spots are rarely or never missed, to what do you attribute this
degree of excellence?
Radio HED: Life: Take Notes
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Everywhere you go, every situation you’re in, every interaction you have
is potential material for a radio commercial. Keep a notebook handy, or
carry a hand-held recorder. During the day, simply note your activities:
called wrong number, argued with lawyer, met with child’s teacher, got stuck
in traffic, lost messages on answering machine.
...And Make It Real Creative
By Andy Capp
The tables have turned, and let me assure you that despite what you might
think, it’s no fun being on the receiving end either. If you’ve been reading
the Adventures of Capp for any length of time, you know that there is
nothing as constant in my life as change. The latest is a part-time gig,
helping a cable TV station get off the ground. It’s exciting. It’s a chance
to create, and frankly (don’t be disheartened by this), I think that this
radio with pictures thing is really going to take off one of these days.
The Monday Morning Memo: Sight vs. Sound
By Roy H. Williams
Have you ever stopped to consider why congress voted in 1970 to outlaw
the use of sound to sell tobacco? No one in America has heard a radio or
television ad for tobacco since January 1, 1971, yet most adults born prior
to 1960 can still sing, "Winston tastes good, like a...," though not a
single one of us ever intended to learn that melody.
RAP Forum:The Creative is Most Important
By Richard Risor
Forget about selling packages. If you have great ratings, you’re in the
minority, because there are many more stations in your market that aren’t in
the top five, and they manage to fill a pretty good sack ‘o cash without
once mentioning their standing. Let’s talk about what really gets new
business on the books.
Way Off The Mark: A Tribute to Will Jeffrey
By Mark Margulies
This is a personal tribute written to a man I had the pleasure of working
with for four very wonderful years. It was originally run in the April
version of our BENMAReview newsletter, and I’m reprinting it here. Please
excuse the personal indulgence in this month’s article.
March 30, 1999 may have been a little tempestuous for you in regards to
contacting us or talking to us personally. There’s a reason for that. The
evening before, in Washington, DC, Will Jeffrey passed away.