Recording Date: 01.20.2002
Station: 104.7 KIXR (KQSN) Ponca City OK (Wikipedia) (KQSN Website)
Format: Adult Hits
Branded: “Power 104.7”
Featured Air Personality: “Mark”
Contributor: Anonymous
Total Time: 18:53
Aircheck #1,587
Curator’s Notes:
Proving that not everything on Airchexx.com is ancient, this recording from 2002 will remind some of our listeners that jockless isn’t always a bad thing in today’s radio world. I know nothing about the jock on this tape, but this was a Sunday afternoon, and it SOUNDS as if it might have been mechanically tracked into one of those reel to reel automation systems, with cart decks for playing commercials, jingles and imaging. Now, I could be wrong about this, but considering that there are long pauses between when the music stops and the jock starts talking, either the jock (Mark) isn’t really familiar with computer voice tracking, or there is indeed an old mechanical automation system there where the tapes aren’t properly toned to make the jock banter start two seconds earlier. Or… it’s live assist and the jock has no way of knowing for sure when the studio mic is hot or not (hey, your curator worked with a system very similar to what I just described and the studio was an ‘event’ in the computer’s clock).
Another telltale sign, at least from how I remember these systems, that commercials are on TAPE, instead of a PC hard drive, some of the spots are very distorted. As if the levels are too high (or some nitwit doesn’t know how to dub spots onto cart!!).
Of course, this is all technical stuff which the average listener probably would never know or care to know. Ponca City, in the heart of Tornado Alley, is a long way from New York or Chicago or L.A…. but for a CITY station?!!! Well, I think were I the P.D. I’d either train the jock a bit better or just go jockless. Seriously…
…hope you’re havin a great one, as I SPEAK to ya on the airwaves
Well, okay. He’s new. Or green. And please, say something ELSE every time you crack the mic.
Just kidding. I’m not a talent coach and I really HOPE this jock doesn’t come here and read my comments on this tape from 13 years ago. I think I mentioned it because while this wasn’t the dawn of the PC automation era, it was evolving from live assist to completely auto, and programmers were beginning to just have tracks recorded instead of live jocks. So I poke a bit of fun at it.
