I'd like to call on RAP readers for some ideas to help with a facelift of our talk studio here at WHO. We don't plan to install any new equipment or furniture. We just want to make the best use of our available space. So I'll set the scene for RAP readers, and if anyone has ideas that might save us some space, I would love to hear them.
We have an 11' x 13' studio with glass into the control room along one 13' wall. The table is roughly half an octagon attached to the wall under the glass. Here's the real problem: cluttering the tabletop are a Gentner phone interface, the phone itself, two VDT's, four mike booms mounted to the edge of the table, an on-air light, event clock, mike on/off switches and a computer keyboard. Whew! And that's before the talent gets their notes and materials spread out!
What I'd like are any ideas readers may have for cleaning up this mess. Unfortunately, all the big stuff listed above is necessary and can't be removed. It CAN be moved, however.
If anyone has ideas on mounting mikes, solutions to get VDT's off the tabletop, flush mounting switches without losing them under papers and materials, etc., etc., I'd love to hear them. There aren't any big, glamorous prizes being offered, but I'll see what may be hiding in the deepest recesses of the prize closet. Thanks in advance for your help.
Craig Rogers, Production Director
WHO-AM, Des Moines, IA
Dear Craig,
Sounds like a busy little room! The first things that come to mind are to consider mounting the mike booms on the wall or from the ceiling. Can the phone interface be installed UNDER the table? Can the phone be wall mounted? We'll throw your plea out to the rest of our readers and see what you get. Good luck!
...Dennis Daniel is right about [comedic] morning legal ID's and promos [Jan. '91 R.A.P./Tales of the Tape]. We've been doing it here for the past eighteen months, and the response has been great. The jocks get a kick out of hearing them and playing off of them, and our morning show team of Geoff and Dan get a real creative release working on them...
Craig Jackman, Production Director
CHEZ-FM, Ottawa, Canada
Here are a few responses we had to a letter in the February issue from a non-subscriber who was concerned that Radio And Production was "over the heads" of people in smaller markets with poorly equipped production studios:
This is in response to the two fold question posed to you in the February issue. Good answer! The subscription solution is sure to make him a believer.
I am Production Director at a "micro" small market station. Our only respectable piece of studio equipment is an Otari MX-5050 reel-to-reel which is run through a mono board. Our vintage ITC cart machines and turntable are also mono.
Every "Ma and Pa" merchant in town wants their "buck-a-hawler spot" to sound like "LA" with effects and all! So you learn to make due with what you have. My subscription to R.A.P. comes out of my own pocket, and I couldn't live without it! The facts, reviews, interviews and cassettes keep me in touch with the techniques and philosophies of those in the real world. I highly recommend R.A.P. for those who have to deal with "Ma and Pa's" weekly laundry lists of copy changes as well as those jocks who write, rewrite and produce a mountain of spots after each air shift in small markets.
Regardless of the size of your market or the caliber of the equipment, everything should be done to the best of your ability and better than the guys across town.
Thanks for the advice, incentive and informative articles in R.A.P.. We who use scotch tape on capstans for pitch control, telephone lines for EQ's, and triple-deck cart machines to add effects and beds to the final mix are pining for the 90's to be realized in our own production studios.
Michael Day, "Flintstone Radio"
KFLG-FM/KRHS-AM, Bullhead City, AZ
Just a quick note on Jon Rose's letter in February's R.A.P..
I also only have a 2-track studio and limited effects equipment to work with, but I have found RAP a great asset, both as information and inspiration. Each issue has much to offer for a 2-track reader. I also feel having The Cassette has helped to raise my level of production by having things to compare my work to.
I value RAP enough that my subscription comes out of my pocket, NOT from the station.
Leo Haggerty, Program Director
WCBA-AM/FM, Corning, NY
Another great issue landed on my desk this morning. As usual, I stopped everything to read it! Your response to Jon Rose in "Letters" was on target. Feel free to refer any small market skeptics to me. I've found that a creative mind can take ANY valid production tip and adapt it to their specific needs.
Greg Scott Fisher, Operations Manager/Production Director
WZZB/WQKC, Seymour, IN
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