One of the growing number of services being planned by the Association of Low Power Broadcasters (ALPB) is a radio program distribution system to link stations with a choice of programming.
One of the growing number of services being planned by the Association of Low Power Broadcasters (ALPB) is a radio program distribution system to link stations with a choice of programming.
Worldround Radio (KDX1) has opened a new 10-minute program called “Blare OnAir Lite”, scheduled for 7-day-a-week production, and serving two purposes…
One use might be a daily program feature on some stations, the other use being a 10-minute filler program which our own experience has found to be useful for open spaces in the schedule.
The first two programs are posted and available for use, and we will appreciate feedback from stations who use the show, and will publish an affiliates list for all stations who schedule the program.
http://www.kdxradio.com/blare_lite.html
Umm…I might be doing it wrong…
Carl,
I can’t get either of the two links to open. Am I doing something wrong? Also, you can count me in as an affiliate in anything you broadcast/record…thanks!
On the Job
Thank you very much Mister amradioman.
I just did a test and also see that the two .mp3 files are somehow not coming up.
Setting this up was a little tricky, so I must have goofed, and am now canceling my date with a blonde who is begging me to pay attention to her, but I am busy solving this problem on behalf of ALPB.
FIXED!!!
What I found is that the character “#” cannot be part of an mp3 file name. To make it stranger, it works in some applications, but it does NOT work in audiofile download links.
Does anyone have actual “knowledge” about this problem of the “#”?
“The Freedom of Thoughtless
“The Freedom of Thoughtless Talk” – What a great name for a show! Listen to episode 1 right now.
As for # symbol.. I’m pretty sure that you can not use any symbol at all in any file name other than “-” and “_”
But of course, I could be mistaken.
Ok, I just did a
Ok, I just did a google..
Most common characters can be used in naming files. However, the following characters are reserved and cannot be used in a file name: < > : ” / | ? *
I was surprised the # symbol was not mentioned, nor for that matter was ~ ! @ $ % ^ & ‘ ( ) or =
Wow, shows what I know!
Nuthin’
Got both of them and they are
Got both of them and they are on rotation right now.
Thanks Carl.
The ALPB is coming to life ..
My Shows will be starting in about two weeks.
You will be able to capture them live or grab the MP3’s for later use.
Fill In
One thing about good programing is having your programs time out correctly so one does not overlap over another program, robbing it of its allocated airtime.
One of the policies at K-Rocks is that all program providers MUST adhere to the 55 rule. Meaning if the program is an hour long program, it MUST at least be 55 minutes. If it is a 2 hour program it MUST at least be 1 hour 55 minutes, etc etc. And no matter what, they cannot go over-time unless pre-approved, otherwise the program will be chopped down (edited) or dumped.
Professionally produced programs never go over or come up too short.
If they do..they don’t air on K-Rocks as I won’t go chasing after fill in material because of laziness in the program producer.
Their program simply won’t air and something else that adheres to high standards will.
All of the producers of the programs airing on K-Rocks have no problem meeting that requirement.
Perhaps others might tell their program producers the same. Save a lot of headache.
RFB
Let’s Talk Timing
For a long time my self-produced shows, Blare OnAir and The Low Power Hour, were done on a very loose time plan amounting to “about an hour”. But the actual finished times varied somewhat widely.
Then I heard back that some stations have a 55-minute preference, to allow news and spot schedules during the remaining 5-minutes.
Since that time my long length shows have been at most 55-minutes, but often somewhat less, by 15, 30, or more seconds.
Based on what RFB just posted, I probably should perfect the timing so it is within a very precise time window. I will work on this.
The new 10-minute “filler edition” of Blare OnAir Lite grows out of my own frequent need for a 10-minute fill program, which is generally hard to find. But what I’d like to learn is whether that is a good fill length for other stations…
Comments are welcome.
Common Practice
The common practice is observing that 5 minute window for network news, which usually lasts about 3 minutes, and 2 minutes for local news and spots. At least it was common practice back in the days when I sat behind the console as a DJ.
I loved that era. We used to have to “back-time” up to the hour during our shows so that we would not end up using “fill instrumental music” or blabber for minutes to meet the “BING” of the top of the hour to go to network for the newscast.
The “55 rule” I have for my stations is more like a “safety margin” for the shows. They can end anywhere within that 5 minute window of 55 till the hour, even a little less..say 53 at least. Anything before that or going past the hour mark is no-go.
I once didn’t care about that, till I started getting complaints by other program producers wondering why their programs aren’t starting when scheduled and being “pre-empted” or “bumped” by the previous shows going over.
Got tired of it and tired of mucking with the schedule to bring things back on track. Suddenly after those specific shows started seeing their shows being hacked up or not aired, they got the hint and started adhering to the 55 rule.
Works out for everyone in the long run. And it sounds a whole heck of a lot more professional too.
RFB
Talking with other LPFM
Talking with other LPFM operators down here, we tend to not be worried if a show goes over or cuts short of the hour.
The only show I have that starts bang on the top of the hour is a show that gets networked to another station in NZ and then it would be out anyway because of the stream loss in time.
They hook into my stream before that time and not worry about a track ending too soon before the stream starts. Its the same at the end of the show, they drop when they see fit. I always play an instrumental for my last track so it dosnt matter where it cuts out. Myself I dont worry as well about the time. Sometimes I can get to about 10 minutes or so over by the end of the day.
We just dont get hung up on it down here. Not many of the LPFM stations play ad’s anyway and if they run news, its downloaded to the pc and it dosnt matter if it starts a few minutes late unless they have the software to sort their tracks out to end on time and some just cut the playing track short if its not a show. We have to play a contact file of how to get in touch with the station at least once an hour, but it can be any time in the hour (part of our LPFM rules).