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Shadedmuse
03-10-2002, 5:29 PM
Since Shaw and Clear channel radio stations are avaible on Starchoice, I feel this belongs here. This is what Clear channel is doing and do you think Shaw will be right behind and follow their lead? after all somone on this board said Shaw is the Clear channel of Canada.When are local DJs not local DJs?

When they are doing something called voice-tracking, an increasingly common trend in the radio business.

Voice-tracking has arrived in Spokane, where several popular DJs and radio teams are recording their "Spokane" shows from hundreds of miles away.

For instance, the KIXZ-FM (KIX 96) morning team, Tim Hattrick & Willy D. Loon, operate out of a Clear Channel station in Phoenix. Every day, they send a customized version of their show, complete with local references about the weather and upcoming concerts, to KIX 96, which is also a Clear Channel station.

This goes beyond syndication, in which a station buys a national show and puts it on the air. According to Kosta Panidis, Spokane's Clear Channel general manager, it's "better than syndication."

"It allows us to have major-market talent customized for this market," said Panidis. "We couldn't afford them for this market. But this is the best of both worlds. We're not just sticking a syndicated show in there."

In Spokane, Clear Channel also imports a DJ named Mazzy from California for the 7 p.m.-to-midnight show on KCDA-FM (The Mix, 103.1).

A local announcer in the studio does the time-and-temperature duties and feeds the DJs with local information. Digital technology allows them to record all of the talk for an entire five-hour show in about an hour. If done right, it sounds local.

It can also be controversial. A recent Wall Street Journal story reported that a Clear Channel DJ in San Diego told his listeners in Boise about how he was "hanging out" in a Boise nightclub, when, in fact, he had never set foot in Boise.

Clear Channel is the industry leader in voice-tracking, but it's not the only one doing it here.

Kari Bushman, who does the midday show on Citadel's KAEP-FM (The Peak. 105.7), is actually in Salt Lake City. And Scott Valentine, who does the midday show at the KXLY Broadcast Group's KXLY-FM (Classy 99.9) does his show out of Seattle. In both cases, however, these were Spokane DJs who moved to a different city and whose Spokane stations are using the new technology to keep them "here."

Neither Citadel nor the KXLY group are as enthusiastic as Clear Channel about the virtues of voice-tracking.

"We want to be able to get out and meet our listeners," said Jim Richmond, the local Citadel general manager.

"A station committed to being a local entertainment source will have the greatest impact over the long term," said Brew Michaels, the director of programming for KXLY's FM stations.

However, Panidis said that radio is changing, and stations will increasingly use the new technology.

By the way, voice-tracking can work both ways. Lyn Daniels of KIX 96 exports her show from Spokane to a sister station in Yakima. And Laura Palmer of Mix 103.1 exports her show from Spokane to four other stations.

**DONOTDELETE**
03-10-2002, 5:44 PM
Freaky.

**DONOTDELETE**
03-10-2002, 6:02 PM
Thankee-sai for the very interesting info Shadedmuse!

I did not know that Kari Bushman-"Princess of the Mid-day" on The Peak-Spokane is now beaming in from Salt lake City /forums/images/icons/tongue.gif

The Peak's big time talent....Darian O'Toole www.darianotoole.com (http://www.darianotoole.com) is in Spokane.

NovaMan
03-10-2002, 6:15 PM
This is done in Canada too.
One example I know of is the CKCB (Corner Brook, NF)Oldies Show on Sunday is done from Alberta, complete with all the local commercials and content. I can't remember the name of the DJ, can anyone else help me out here. He also does a
program for an Antigonish, NS radio station. I've heard him on drives to Cape Breton.

topdogz401
03-10-2002, 6:31 PM
You might be able to find the Antigonish guy by going to the CJFX website. at http://www.cjfx.ca

**DONOTDELETE**
03-10-2002, 6:56 PM
When you really think about it, this could be done on a much wider scale. Almost all of the English speaking world could be served via New York, London, and Los Angeles, with expensive & famous talent + plus local references.

I'm sure it is coming.

BCTripster
03-10-2002, 9:46 PM
I recall a few years ago that one of the AM stations in Edmonton went almost 100% automated, they actually only had 2 or 3 staff members total once the gutting was completed.

There is something holding back the Corus types of Canada from doing a total remote operation, local competition. It doesn't take much to beat the competition if you can show a much larger local presence in the community.

Another thing to watch for is that in most markets the sleepy local AM stations are being switched to shiny new FM licenses, in our area you can just barely move frequency and you hit another FM station.

For years now I've listed to CFMI/CFOX/XFM and KISM (Bellingham) while cruising in the vehicle, but in the last year or so 3 sleepy AM's have moved to FM and all have changed formats accordingly. So, now I can choose from the above stations plus several others in this local area while driving. The most recent is The Wolf from Nanaimo which plays a nice mix of rock, it's more local to me so I tend to listen to it more.

The big corps can streamline all they want, but the little stations will just get more listeners as consumers tire of the crap the corps are broadcasting in the name of saving a few bucks and putting even more folks out of work. Frankly they all should be forced to have a majority of their airtime tended to by local employees and on-air folks. If that isn't viable then they shouldn't be in the radio business in the first place as the market obviously can't support them.

Also, owning more than one station should be capped again, the gutting at CFOX/CFMI is not in the best interests of people who work in the broadcasting industry. Essentially they've cut the staffing levels at those stations down to the equivalent of one station, with mostly CFOX employees being let go, including some with 20+ years of service.

**DONOTDELETE**
03-10-2002, 10:09 PM
The bottom line is cost. I know at least here in Ottawa the Chum stations have some syndicated voice over shows.
Kool FM- Rick Dee's Top 40 out of Los Angles

Kool FM- Casey Casam Top American 40 out of Los Angles

Kool FM- DJ ???(can't recall his name,but he got British accent a plays dance Muisic, has got this pony tail, and its not MC Mario out of Montreal on Mix 96)

MAJIC FM- Liz Gibbons Hollywood confordential out of Los Angles

CFRA- Overnight talk show(??? BEll or Bell ??? something like that. I think its done somewhere out west)

The Team 1200- some of the shows I believe are done out of toronto

There some other ones too.

CKOY(W1310-OLDIES) I was told its done out of Toronto, with only Ottawa-news,sports,weather,and traffic done only out of Ottawa. Not sure if thats true or not, but thats what I've been told.

I persume more and more stations will be going that way, as a way of saving money.

PEACE UP TOM /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

Shadedmuse
03-10-2002, 11:17 PM
Darien O'toole would be a great Canidate for Voice tracking, she could her show from the back of a barn in Montana and be heard in major markets. all you need is a broad band T1 conection and your set that is my guess radio stations are using T1 lines to link each other up.

astrosfancbeaver
03-11-2002, 12:39 AM
I know of an Indinapolis DJ who runs out of W. Palm Beach.
I first heard of this in an Indy Star article. I don't have the link.

DC_Guy
03-11-2002, 12:40 AM
There's a big difference between network shows (ie. AT40, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, Coast-to-Coast AM) and voice-tracking... and actually, we should use the correct term as "cyber-tracking", because that's what its becoming known in the industry as -- and there's a big difference.

In the radio industry, the practice of "voice-tracking" is when you have local talent pre-record breaks. Through the use of computer automation systems like the Scott ( <a target="_blank" href=http://www.scottstudios.com>www.scottstudios.com</a> ) System, entire 3-4 hour shows can be pre-recorded within a 1 hour timeframe. What does this do? It creates more flexibility to get the jocks out in the community, getting them doing remotes, etc... Does it sound canned? Not if its done right. Does the average listener notice? Nope - unless they're waiting for a time/temp check.

Now, with Cyber-Casting, we enter an entirely different ballgame. The biggest advent of cybercasting has come with the continual spread of Clear Channel's "KISS" CHR format across the United States (don't confuse this with Kiss 92 Toronto.)

Some of the KISS stations in smaller markets are entirely cyber-tracked. You might have a network show like Rick Dees in the Morning, then various jocks from other Clear Channel outlets like KIIS, Z100, etc., fill in the rest of the day. Does it sound canned? Sometimes. Does the average local listener notice? Sometimes.

Cybercasting has started in Canada, but amazingly not with Corus (note that I don't count Energy FM here because it works more like a network than a cyber-cast setup, as the announcer breaks are intended for a wider region instead of a local audience.) Instead, we're seeing Cybercasting start in BC in the Rogers group. Over at Mountain FM in Whistler, a good chunk of the programming is cyber-casted out of 97 KISS FM and XFM in Vancouver. I believe a small amount is also done for Rogers' Starfm stations.

Other than that, there is very little cyber-casting that goes on here in the Great White North -- and I seriously think that Corus won't touch it just yet - at least not in its larger markets. Its a little too controversial, and (luckily) they still have many in their ranks who know that good radio is LOCAL radio.

Back to network shows for a sec - for the most part, you'll find a handful of networked shows among Canadian music stations... AT40/AT20, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, Canadian Hot 20, Leeza Gibbons Countdown, Chris Sheppard, World Chart Show, and Ellen K's Countdown are really the only big ones (TRL and Carson Daly's Most Requested both haven't caught on fire across most of the country)

On the information side, there are many syndicated shows from coast to coast including Coast-To-Coast AM with Art Bell, Peter Warren, Sterling Faux, Rutherford (along Corus stations only), then the American syndies provided through CHUM Radio Network.

Shadedmuse
03-11-2002, 2:21 AM
Carter Brown, Roger Rhodes and Gerry Forbes would be great Canidates to Voice track their shows into other markets. they are really talented D.J's, Now what about Ronda Raskin in Vancouver? is she really in Vancouver or Elk Snout Montana?