Pat Courtenay writes for Radiowaves.FM

[KJ]

Y'all blind? :p

A great article and, from what I hear, the first in a regular series.

Here's the link for those of you who maybe just have the forum bookmarked and not the main site ...... no need to paste - just click on it


http://www.radiowaves.fm/PC/1.shtml


KJ


;)

[NoelRock]

Had read them all already KJ - methinks very few people from the forum actually visit the site itself, judging on the amount of people who talk about news...

[KJ]

The bit where Pat says

"Increasingly we find Television personalities and stand-up comedians getting the big Radio gigs" rings very true

Another good (funny) bit is when Pat goes on to say

"It seems the only others who profit from all this are the so-called Broadcasting Schools, who keep scalping thousands off the innocent, neglecting to tell them that they're now qualified for McDonald's. Apart from all that, what happens when there's a flood disaster in Ballykillferret and the local station's playing Buster Hymen and the Penetrations off a computer in Dublin?"

lol


Automation then, what do we make of it and what do yous make of Pat's thoughts? My own opinion is that it should begin and end with Overnights ........ if even that

Any thoughts?


KJ

;)

[Ger Roe]

I know there are good economic reasons for doing automation but as a listener I don't like it. I feel like I am being taken for a fool when voice tracking is intended to maintain the illusion of someone actually being there. I know we use it on Phantom but that is because of a resource issue and we don't try to convince anyone that there is a jock on air.

I remember the days when all stations went live through the night and they had a very specific listenership. Paul Vincent on ARD, and later Sunshine, was a master at the live all-nighter and managed to maintain a reaction from taxi drivers, night workers, insomniacs etc. It never was a big audience but at least the nightime listening public were getting a real service, one that they could influence through requests, phone in chats (not manufactured controversy) and competition entries. I would think that the potential all night audience would have to be bigger these days, but I am sure that it would be a hard slog to build it up again because the sector has been ignored for so long.

I would like to see more of the legit stations with the resources trying for it, but obviously the daytime reach is more important to them from a commercial viewpoint and maybe the night Owl's are happy with satellite TV and their own CD collections. Of course with webcasting these days there is a different potential audience to go after in the off peak hours but again there would be little commercial gain - it might be good fun and interesting radio though.

Ger Roe.

[KJ]

Interesting points there Ger. The one about a big market maybe been ignored is a valid one .......... apart from Mel Byrne on Energy and Jase on 104 what live overnight radio have we in Dublin?





but I am sure that it would be a hard slog to build it up again because the sector has been ignored for so long

True enough. Put someone like Greg Merriman on overnights again though (and the interactive content that he had) and word of mouth would spread fast.


Pat says in his article ............

The pattern overseas is usually to have a Breakfast Show which adheres to the Network format but features local jocks. The rest of the day is networked out of an automated studio in a galaxy far, far away

If groups like EMAP etc were to make serious inroads in Irish radio could we ever see a situation where someone like Steve Penk (excellent jock that he is) been networked across the country? Im not sure if EMAP own the Capital group but you get my drift

Food for thought?

KJ

;)