Those are the major topics in the current issue of my Radio Programming Letter.
I’ve created this post for any subscribers who would like to comment, disagree, or illuminate.
PROGRAMMERS’ ACHILLES HEEL, TIME CHECKS, TWITTER, PDs’ AIRCHECK PREFERENCES
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re: timechecks.
Does anyone even do them anymore? With syndication and voice-tracking, timechecks are a thing of the past.
BTW, I always instructed my staff to give them digitally.
When we’re live, we (WCLO, Janesville, WI) give them digitally. Its a discernible difference between our live and local programming and the syndicated “twenty minutes past the hour”.
BTW – sales guys – we also offer them as a sold position: “WCLO News time is 8:56 – a great time to get your car washed at SuperWash”.
We only do a max of one/hour that way, however.
I think it’s worth looking at what the listener is up to as to how accurate the time needs to be.
During breakfast and drive I will give the time to the minute, eg: 12 minutes past 7. People are more time sensitive as they need to get to work, catch the bus/train and therefore an accurate time is more important.
During the day, accuracy is less important, as the majority of the audience will be at work/home and don’t need “to the minute accuracy”. Therefore “just after 10 past 2” would be fine.
I don’t have set rules as to how I say the time – just however I would normally say it in real life, eg “quarter to 3”, “half past 4”, “10 to 5”, “9-17”.
As long as it sounds “normal” and the listener understands then the job has been done.
Guys,
In this day and age of atomic bombs, space age transistors and plastics, do we really need to do timechecks on the radio anymore?
In this day and age of atomic bombs, space age transistors and plastics, do we really need to do timechecks on the radio anymore?
You’re referring to the 1950s?
I believe that radio often helps people get through their day.
Giving people timechecks like “half past 3”, “10 ’til 5”, “13 minutes past the hour”, etc. is just being unnecessarily complicated.
Who wants to have to go through the process (however brief it may be) to convert what your saying into “regular” time, especially if they’re busy or in a hurry, or, even worse, when their not even sure what “the hour” is that it’s 13 minutes past?
I always just say it straight (“3:30”, “4:50”, etc.). Why beat around the bush about a time check?
~DeVill
Power98 on Guam
Rob here at Radio Rhema NZ, for time checks I use ‘just gone’ and ‘almost’, ‘nearly’ and ‘coming up to’ for my time checks, both live and voice-tracked.
As far as exact time goes, I think most of us know that we need to leave for work BEFORE a certain time. So If I say “It’s coming up to 20 past 7” and you know you need to leave by 7:20 then you know you need to get a move on.
I just heard a classical station give this rundown of the evenings program. “Coming up next is Hayden’s 1st organ concerto and then at about 13 minutes past 8 we’ll have Beethoven’s 9th. Around about 27 minutes to 9 is the Bach Quintet and then at 16 minutes past ten is our last piece for the night” I mean, COME ON!
Also analog versus digital, I think most of us [humans] still think in circular clocks. Twenty to nine gives a real visual picture of how long until nine o’clock. 4:40 needs interpretation.
daddy bosco
adom fm
for us this side of the globe, timechecks are really useful. for diary purposes, we advise our presenters to give the time digitally cos that’s as close as possible to how the times are recorded in the diary. we therefore prefer the digital format…
Funny you should bring up this topic. We have a 25 member listener group. We meet with them once every two months.
We hand out question sheets for the members to past along to friends, co-workers and family.
One of those question sheets asked them why they listen to radio.
Here they are in order.
1. Weather
2. Time
3. Local events
4. Music
5. Contest
6. Tell us the name of the songs and who sings them.
In the comments section.
The #1 item written in was:
Answer the phone when we call.
Give the time more often.
We love the stories the afternoon guy weaves in about the artist and the songs.
So we asked them which way they prefer the time. DIGITAL won hands down.
I remember setting my clocks to the radio to hourly “beeps” on the hour. Timechecks are a service radio used to provide a lot more reliably, often an important “reason to listen” that has gone away!
Beware of stereotyping lifestyles (everyone is getting ready for work in morning drive, everyone is at home middays, etc.) Somebody always cares about the time. I agree with the “how we say it in real life” contingent. Program directors who quibble about whether you say “7:20” or “twenty after seven” are micromanaging a bit too much. If you consider converting “10 to 5” to “regular time” to be a difficult chore for the listener, how stupid do you think your listeners are??
One thing that really bothers me, though: Have you ever heard of stations deliberately giving the wrong time (by a minute or two) so listeners think they listened longer and increase your AQH? I kid you not. What do you think?
However you give the time, realize that regular listeners don’t ever use the phrase “top of the hour” or “bottom of the hour”.
My siblings asked me what that meant, and as hard as I tried to explain it, they just could not understand.
The #1 item written in was:Answer the phone when we call
Everybody hear that? Anybody?
Have you ever heard of stations deliberately giving the wrong time (by a minute or two) so listeners think they listened longer and increase your AQH? I kid you not. What do you think?
Sure. It’s called “Time Warping.” It was stupid when some people did it 30 years ago, and if if someone actually still is doing it today — it’s still stupid.
Air Checks:
Air checks never really tell the true talent or lack of.
Send me a resume and some samples of spots (Audio).
I will send you some copy that I want you to put in your own words. Then go into the prod room or home studio and do a bit with the copy in your own words.
If you send a scoped AC I will only hear what your PD wants you to sound like.
I want to hear what you sound like. What you would like to do on my station.
Its time stations sound different.
i was told years ago not to do timechecks outside of morning drive…i find it amusing that i’m hearing references to the top of the hour on sports telecasts lately.
“top of the 10 o’ clock hour here in the east”…but i live in the central
david beningo
What are the most inportant areas to focus onfor an aircheck in todays industry???