More than 20 years ago, my then-radio station manager and I (I'm still the GM) cooked up the idea of putting a camera in our main radio control room and piping the video to a cable channel that we programmed in town. We were excited about it, but when the radio air staff got wind of it, there was a full-scale revolt. You'd have thought we were asking them to do it in their underwear. I think of that when I watch the Imus in the Morning radio program on MSNBC if I'm back east or up early here at home. Today, Richard Siklos writes:
... The nation’s commercial radio stations have seen the future, and it is in, of all things, video. As a result, the stereotype of a silken-voiced jockey like Mr. [Ted] Stryker [DJ at KROQ], slumped and disheveled in the studio chair, may never be the same. ¶ Across the country, radio stations are putting up video fare on their Web sites, ranging from a simple camera in the broadcast booth to exclusive coverage of events like the Super Bowl to music videos, news clips and Web-only musical performances. ...
Link: New York Times. All of my radio staff is new since that time, and I thank one of the very able current members, Gillian Coldsnow, for the tip.
Updated 19 Feb. 2007:
Mark Ramsey has some perceptive comments on this story, Video kissed the Radio Star. Link: Hear 2.0. --Dennis
Great stuff! Too bad our station is fully automated about 18 hours of the average broadcast day, with no one in sight. Kinda spooky, really. But I suppose we could show off our sexy Wheatstone control surfaces. I mean, they are shiny, and you can watch the little needles jiggle and LEDs light up...
Posted by: John Proffitt | Thursday, 15 February 2007 at 02:52