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Post by snarfdude on May 2, 2009 19:19:29 GMT -5
Obviously, I have no idea, as I don't work for Stern. But I'd imagine they had a bunch of pieces of Casey's voice pulled out of his programs. There's no way Casey would have participated in, nor otherwise endorsed, such a prank. no kiddin...... those are his tracks though. those could come from anywhere. maybe stern had those on hand from a time casey cut something for him..who knows.. a lot of radio automation software has what are called "hot keys" these are usually buttons tied to the keyboard or maybe buttons on a touch screen where someone can instantly hit a hot key tied to one of the voice tracks. like playing a piano, you can hit a key in response to someone on the other end of the phone, and voila, all of a sudden you're piecing a conversation together on the fly. you can actually get similar software for your home PC and play around with it that way. assign a wav file/track to one button or key and press it in response to someone on the phone. It beats using tape carts, but that's also a way to do it in the analog world. I've heard similar prank calls where instead of casey's voice, lines from movies, and particular actors, like joe peche were used. over the phone, you really have no idea who might be calling you on initial listening, so it can catch people.
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Post by snarfdude on May 2, 2009 18:56:53 GMT -5
Depending on who you talk to, Mp3pro is a dead and/or dying technology for streaming. Mp3 is the standard, with 128kbps being the minimum for anyone wanting quality. I'm running a small internet streaming station myself and after surfing around a few sites, that's the consensus that it seemed to come to. Mp3 pro isn't as common as you might think. Winamp (which is all I use) does have a plug in (unless it still supports it, I lost track) to use, but you're out of luck with windows media. still, this is not to say the format isn't ok. That's very subjective. You can download the free winamp plug in, or a free player here: www.mp3prozone.com/download.htmby the way, how do you grab the ultimate oldies countdown off their site? is it the real audio file stream? the wav link doesn't seem to work...and i'd probably have to cut it up to cover the breaks anyway. I'm running some older syndicated programming (non AT40) that I''ve collected over the years in radio, and my weekly 1/2 hr show "cheeze pleeze" and music of course on my stream...
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Post by snarfdude on May 2, 2009 14:29:02 GMT -5
Here's a secret, delilah in canada is NOT live.....it's a mp3 download, the FULL show with music, DAILY!
The Reason? I can speculate on this, but likely to make it more generic, and less american, in addition to be more music friend to canadian stations (which MUST play 35% canadian content in all dayparts!)
My guess it's recorded, repackaged in toronto, for FTP download. A friend who works at a canadian delilah affiliate told me this...they are actually paying cash for it and it's tanking in the ratings...
This is also done with MG Kelly's "amazing 80's" with another company...repackaged with canadian content...even MG VTing the intros to some canadian songs....kinda funny.
This isn't always happening, in the earlier days before canadian representation, canadian stations dealt with the US syndicators directly, often paying cash for the shows stations would have to cut the US spots on them in house. Nowadays, they're repackaged.
Premiere puts out 2 versions of AT40 weekly, one for international and one for domestic US stations I'm told, much like ABC watermark did with AT40 in the 80's and 90s, and also did with Dees when they had it.
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Post by snarfdude on May 2, 2009 14:15:02 GMT -5
hosting is one thing, behind the scenes is another. obviously, he might have been behind the console on the production side of things.
God knows someone has to sit there for at least 4 hours in real time to piece the voice tracks, jingles and music the hard way.
Digital editing can be a lot easier, and faster then real time, and easier to fix a mistake then the old analog reel VT, music on vinyl, jingles on cart way of doing things...
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Post by snarfdude on May 2, 2009 14:09:12 GMT -5
Yeah, flipped it on when I was doing errands in the car....I guess nothing is available for the first weekend in may for the 70's?
the al kasha/joel hirchhorn story on writing hit songs was interesting...as "The Morning After" was one of my favs from the 70's, one of two disaster movie songs (poseidon adventure) that he won academy awards for, the other was "We May Never Love Like This Again" both with Maureen Mcgovern. I remember reading how he wrote his first one over a weekend.
Also ironic, winning awards after what I vaguely remember him being credited for writing the theme for what is considered the worst sitcom produced in TV history "The Trouble With Tracy" a canadian sitcom produced to tape circa 1970. I just remember watching the credit crawl as a kid and seeing kasha/herchhorn credited and it stuck with me. I really should try to research it more to confirm, but I'm pretty sure...
These retro shows are getting me back into being a fan of the show...I was hard core in the 80's, writing to watermark and everything...autographed pic from casey, free sample show and brochure, they were pretty decent to me. I don't think I'll ever be super hard core ever again, but certainly do respect those who are and the casey years.
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Post by snarfdude on Apr 29, 2009 17:10:52 GMT -5
This is taken from the canadian rep for premiere, soundsource, @soundsource.ca which reps numerous american shows from various networks and various canadian produced shows for clearing on canadian stations...it seems they are a bit more detailed then premiere as to delivery:
"On Air with Ryan Seacrest"
On Air with Ryan Seacrest, is a new 3 hour daily show focusing on all aspects of the entertainment industry, highlighting top talent from the worlds of music, film and television. In conjunction with the launch of "On air With Ryan Seacrest", Ryan's website RyanSeacrest.com has been re-launched as a universal place for listeners to interact and connect.
This new MULTI PLATFORM venture, will create the enviable position of the ultimate resource for pop culture and entertainment for your station both on air and on line.
Show Details:
* 3 Hour show M-F. Designed to run in any 3 hour block between 10a and 10p in your time zone. * FTP delivery will be voice track only - allowing stations to use their own music.
in otherworks, stations download the mp3's which are voice tracks only......pretty easy to do....reuse the same files daily in the station automation system and voila....instant ryan...
this is no worse then having a station employee Voice track a daypart, except you have seacrest's celeb status on your station.....I'd personally never put him in AM or PM drive, maybe midday, or definitely evening as a hook to get people to listen in what is now largely a daypart that is voice tracked anyway in the small to medium markets..
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Post by snarfdude on Apr 29, 2009 16:54:44 GMT -5
That's bad music scheduling that usually causes shows playing out of order...
With the show being downloadable through premiere's FTP site, usually what happens is that it's downloaded right into the station automation system by a station production director or assistant. The same audio file #'s in the automation system are usually used week after week, when the new show is downloaded it writes over the old files, so if you only partially download the show, only part of the new countdown is there, and what is left over is likely old audio from the previous week.
Station production directors can easily get overwhelmed producing spots that something like this doesn't surprise me happening. for the most part, long gone are the days of a board op or jock actually running the show off vinyl or CDs.
Thanks for the comments about my analysis......I'm reading the book also again, as it's been almost 10 years....and don't remember that much from it...
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Post by snarfdude on Apr 27, 2009 8:01:44 GMT -5
I think is is the fault of the SXM editor, not Casey. Still pretty goofy, though, especially when the SXM D.J. (Jay Thomas) said ten minutes before the show started that Casey will play a show from 1974. Oh I totally agree - I know it's just a Casey AT 40 promo that SXM runs - I guess sometimes that kind of stuff happens. if it's the SXM promo's i've heard, if it says "This week in 197?" that's easily a scheduling problem....those are generic promos, he cuts one for every year of the 1970s, and just a matter of scheduling for that week.... I heard it, and was for 1974....don't really pay much attention to it, until it hits the air on SXM....then we know which one it si for sure...
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Post by snarfdude on Apr 4, 2009 20:13:45 GMT -5
Recently a friend of mine who works production at a AT40 affiliate burned an episode for me on CDR. I usually hate listening to the radio for syndicated shows, when I have access otherwise. No cue sheet dang, but enough to play on the ipod at lunch time at work, which is all I wanted.
I haven't heard the seacrest version in years. I still have the 1st seacrest show I VHS'd from OZ FM in St John's which was on my satellite TV feed...best way to catch it short of recording right to a computer. I whipped out the tape recently and yes, it's still there....LOL!
I've been listening to the retro stuff on sirius, mainly the 70's, some 80's but I have some of the original 80's show vinyl discs and I grew up straining my ears trying to pull in an out of market station to hear it weekly. some interesting memories.
If I had to say anything about the post kasem era, is that AT40 is forgettable. It's riding on Seacrest's star power, and little else. The guy is out to be the next dick clark and because of it, quality will be lost. Kasem's primary focus was ALWAYS the radio countdown, with the TV show secondary. It showcased the intimacy of the medium, the power of it. with engaging teases and stories. These days, it's same old entertainment stories that everyone is using to death. The 40 biggest hits with forgettable enteratinment fluff and ryan as your host. Is he trying to sound like Dees?
Still, despite my comments, I can see a reason. Premiere needed to do something with the property they own. Top 40 is for the hip, the young and they needed someone like their target demo to host and relate to. Also, as the young seem to be a superficial bunch so focused on the latest goings on of Lindsay Lohan, Miley or Britney, you have to focus again on that info. It's forgettable fluff like most of the music today that lacks real substance and longevity. From a business point of view, they really had no choice.
Classic AT40 with Kasem stands the test of time because of the power of Casey's delivery, the unique style of telling these stories that you're not necessarily going to find on entertainment tonight, and known the power of the intimacy of radio. That's not there with seacrest. How could it be? he's got his hand in too many things and could wear himself thin soon if not already.
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Post by snarfdude on Jan 15, 2009 13:36:10 GMT -5
still, it's fun to get my hands on the 1978 version....I listen to it on my ipod on my lunch break, hosted by the late bill drake himself. apparently there was a 1981 version also.
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Post by snarfdude on Dec 31, 2008 23:41:11 GMT -5
the 1978 version is floating around the internet as a torrent, which I happened to stumble across out of a fluke after doing a google search for info about the special. for it's time, it was well produced, and holds up well even today, given some of the questions asked and interviews done of those that have now passed on.
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Post by snarfdude on Dec 29, 2008 21:07:16 GMT -5
with the sirius XM merger, I can finally hear the AT40's 70's shows which sirius didn't have. I agree the quality sucks on satellite radio, laregly due to the stream rate and the codec used, it isn't mp3, but a unique compression scheme from lucent technologies which shows terrible artifacts with some audio, and virtually no stereo separation. hell, my mp3 stream sounds better then that.
still, while I really don't have the patience to record them, as no doubt XM/sirius will run them to death anyway, it's just nice to actually HEAR them, driving around in the car. I'm glad for just that.
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Post by snarfdude on Dec 28, 2008 9:31:14 GMT -5
The 80's seemed to be a bumpercrop of syndicated countdowns, no doubt largely because of the success of AT40 that other networks produced their own countdowns. As it's largely a business, no one really sees the value of documenting specifics of a particular show, as, well, you're out to make money. It's unfortunately, given the success of AT40 vintage countdowns...what's old is new again.
I still have to laugh when premiere uses "we've unlocked the vault" in their promo ad's for AT40 the 70's and 80's. There was never a vault. Thanks largely to fans, they have what they have. People being fanatical about anything, certainly can have it's benefits, but unfortunately, too many people view fanatics as just that.
most of the other countdowns survive as a vague memory or turn up because their original program discs end up in collector circles because some station didn't want to throw them out. good thing vinyl was the medium of the day, or we wouldn't have that. reel to reel tapes, besides being too bulky to ship, also have the ability of being erased and re recorded over, which working in a few stations I know too well.
I'll tell you a story sometime about a 2 hr john lennon special I saved and gave a copy back to the original producer 20 years after he produced it because he didn't have a copy. These tapes were supposed to be "rerecorded" over...and a christmas short form radio series I literally saved from the tape eraser and upon posting online years ago received emails from many fans of this host thanking me. It was a very obsecure series.
Let's not think about countdowns of today, which, despite delivered on CDR, are primarily mp3 downloaded to stations to load into their automation systems, then deleted. nothing is kept. good for the station, not for archival reasons (though something maybe kept at the producer level)
I've got a few shows of Top 30 USA, and Top 40 satellite survey with Dan Ingram...off ebay, but i'm mainly radio specials focused, music and interview type stuff, I did tape CT40 when I was working for a station in the late 80's. In canada, it was fed via satellite to stations, without the commericals and billboards. Some of the edits were terrible, the program was dubbed to reel tape from the original vinyl discs, and probably physically cut. The dubs overall are pretty clean though, largely due to the better WWONE pressings and the smart thinking of WWONE to spread out ther 4 hour show over 6 discs....pushing 24-30/side when the max amount you usually put on one side is 20, you lose quality.
I did get a few CT40 sets from the distributor in canada, it pays to get to knows them....I really don't want to tell you what I was told they did with some of the vinyl after it went to air.......would cringe a collector....
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Post by snarfdude on Dec 27, 2008 23:20:39 GMT -5
there's more mom and pop stations in the USA then up here in canada. regional and national chains are eliminating the independent owner. FM up here also has restrictions of hit and non hits ratios to protect AM oldies stations, to which there are still a few left, though the CRTC is rubber stamping AM's to flip to FM, and hopefully the restrictions for hit/non hit will eventually be eliminated. they'll never get rid of the 35% ratio every hour for canadian content though. some of the american syndicated shows that run up here can get "canadianized" by canadian producers adding canadian content to make them more station friendly and less hassle with meeting their quota.
was there a jeff healey tribute closer to the end of march? for my first time visit to the USA was easter weekend 2008, and I was in north conway NH (a 10 hour drive from my home here in Halifax NS) to take the wife outlet shopping and I was flipping the dial, and was there a better way to help me enjoy my visit after driving that distance then to find AT20 on the dial from the local Magic 104 in north conway? at this point I hadn't heard casey in years...and sort of grew out of it, but it peaked my interest. I remember a mention about jeff healey, but the airdates would be wrong, unless the station ran the wrong show....I still wouldn't mind trading for a copy for the sake of it being my first visit to the US....
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Post by snarfdude on Dec 27, 2008 23:04:34 GMT -5
I beg to differ for John Leader hosting Countdown America until 1987. I have 2 countdown america shows from 1986, may 10th and 24th, both of which are hosted by Dick Clark. and the jingle package states that "..with dick clark" so he wasn't filling in. I have one from 1988 and on CD from 1991 (saved from a station's trash pile) which also was dick, likely the AC versions, the 1986 episodes, state from Radio and Records charts, not Cashbox.
Countdown USA I remember being sold in collector circles. I never got into many countdowns as they are so dated, but have a small AT40 collection from the mid 80's when I new a station PD I could get them from, and have other radio specials and such....most of which are saved from the trash because I had the foresight of deciding to keep them. I pick the occasional oddity on ebay when it's cheap of late, but most of my stuff I got for nothing....
I always loved the jingle package for countdown america....and to a lesser degree NMS. I'd love to find a set of discs with the jingle bed on one side, as they occasionally did that for station production. AT40 did that too, but it was so inconsistent, it was like a needle in a haystack to find.
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