Day Parting Model

[dlee]

After recent discussions, I am in favor of day parting. But the schedule that Burr originally proposed has some flaws. Limiting a genre to one time of day severely limits using volunteer resources. Also, three-hour shows would be difficult for most volunteers to do on a weekly basis.

So, I propose shows be two hours in length, with shows for each department scheduled at different times of day. Jazz, for instance, might have a two hour show in the AM, and one in in the evening. Rock might have one in the afternoon and one in the evening. Of course each of these might have more, depending on how the four departments' shares of air time get apportioned.

[goldfinger]

Maybe this is another example of the disjointed means of disseminating communication from the GM, but the only schedule I've seen was via the email I received from Mr. Beard... blocks of specialty programming, and his plan for classical/jazz, late-night rock. I was HOPING to see one of those PowerPoint slides with the blocks he'd proposed, so we could have a visual example to debate against. I capitalize "hoping", because I HATE PowerPoint presentations. And bogus Arbitron graphs. And impenetrable radio marketing lingo. They need subtitles.

It looks like Rock is getting the short end of the stick, here... and might be in jeopardy, since Mr. Beard ambiguously announced his willingness to let a "genre" go in the interests of "change". Mike Friend will be laughing all the way to the bank.

[annette]

I think the length of the shows should be what suits the listeners, even if the announcers will need to be flexible in scheduling.

[eventidalwave]

I agree that a more "zebra-like" approach to the schedule (consistent during the M-F week) would be less-disruptive and more interesting, for example: 6-9amClassical / 9am-12pmJazz /12-2pmFolk / 2-4pmRock / 4-5News / 5-7pmClassical / 7-9pmJazz / 9-11pmFolk / 11pm-3amRock. It would be predictable and accessible in scheduling terms, and would provide a variety of times for talented announcers with limited free time.

If a genre is to be sacrificed, I would put more money on them getting rid of Classical, since Burr obviously has no experience or knowledge about Classical music or listeners. He comes from a Folk background, so that will stay, and Jazz and Rock are necessary to form his "cool" (hip, happenin', rad, whatever) New WTJU and appeal to (his and the administration's concept of) "the students." I take it that when they speak of students, they are ignoring the mass of grad students who also pay the student activities fee, as well as those students who prefer music that goes beyond the trendy mainstream.

[Smilin Tyler]

So you would be going for a more striped-schedule than a blocked one. This is basically what we have now. I think that the whole "we turn it on and don't know WHAT we'll hear" card is overplayed. We don't change our basic scheduling format every day. Our schedule is, at the moment, striped. What Burr and the administration wish to do is create a blocked schedule, with what amounts to a new department holding every weekday from 6 AM to 4PM.

As for what would be played in that block, yeah, we don't know what. It would be good to get a specific on that.

[goldfinger]

...but then the Classical Dept. will counter with the fact that they bring in so much $ from their marathons. This whole thing is so much about the money, to begin with.
"Something" needs to happen to the schedule. The mid-week split between the Classical and Folk blocks is maddening to me, one can scarcely imagine how a casual listener would feel about it. What of those "listeners", anyway. When do we hear from them?

[Smilin Tyler]

Well, I'd like it if some of those listeners joined up here. Feel free to invite some!

[robsheff]

Jun 25, 2010 11:03:33 GMT -5 goldfinger said:

...but then the Classical Dept. will counter with the fact that they bring in so much $ from their marathons. This whole thing is so much about the money, to begin with.

this is an interesting point, and it makes me wonder because “increased revenue” and “increased student involvement” seem to be different and (in many ways) contradictory goals. Classical and jazz bring in revenue; rock brings in the kids and the students who are living (in the words of Patton Oswalt) the “can’t I pay for my sandwich with a song?” lifestyle. Axing classical makes sense if they’re trying to increase the proportion of students and “young down the demo,” but classical is a significant revenue stream; axing rock makes sense if they’re trying to get rid of students.

[David Lee]

Jun 25, 2010 11:01:32 GMT -5 Smilin Tyler said:

So you would be going for a more striped-schedule than a blocked one. This is basically what we have now. I think that the whole "we turn it on and don't know WHAT we'll hear" card is overplayed. We don't change our basic scheduling format every day. Our schedule is, at the moment, striped. What Burr and the administration wish to do is create a blocked schedule, with what amounts to a new department holding every weekday from 6 AM to 4PM.

Tyler, I believe I heard our current programming referred to as "block" - no? And I don't get your "with what amounts to a new department holding every weekday from 6-4." I don't know what that means, and don't remember anything like that suggested. . .?

-DL

[Smilin Tyler]

From what I can figure out, he wants similar programming from 6AM to 4PM, which will draw on many different departments. But I can't see it being wholly under any of the existing departments.

As for what the programming is called, last night he referred to it as "stripes."

[eventidalwave]

Yes, the striped model seems to be the perfect way to showcase our diversity, and the sequence classical-jazz-folk-rock provides a gradual development over the course of the day (unless you're talking experimental jazz...)

As one of those Classical announcers on the chopping block (since I have an evening show and cannot host during the day), my 14-year announcing career will be over if Burr's proposed evening schedule goes through. To be clear, I would almost be relieved at this point not to deal with all of the crap, but I feel that it is foolhardy to alienate the bulk of the early-evening audience that tunes in for Classical when no other stations in Central Virginia provide that possibility. I would certainly not gripe if the Classical evening were cut back to 5-7 pm (M-F), even if my own show joins the dustbin of history. It just seems intelligent to have the same genre during drive time, since people who have their car radios tuned to TJU in the morning will be likely to *keep* the radios tuned to TJU if they hear the same genre in the evening.

[zengomi]

Must programming cater to the lazy and/or clueless? Anyone who is interested enough to tune/click in to TJU should be assumed to be similarly motivated to find out what the schedule is. It's online.

This station should continue to operate under the assumption that regular listeners happily make an effort to figure out what's happening.

The dumbing down of WTJU must end at this juncture.

[Smilin Tyler]

Like I guess I hinted at before, I think the whole "confusing schedule" thing is a red herring. Burr wants to have one format during the times that most people listen (6AM-4PM) so he can present a consistent schedule, one where someone can listen throughout the working day and not have any major shifts in tempo, tone, dynamic range... in short, something a little more conducive to being background listening. Most people leave the station on while they do other things, perking up to hear the songs they like, shutting it out when it's something they don't like... but never turning it off. This is what Burr wants: people listening for long blocks of time. A striped schedule wouldn't give that to him, or not as much as he wants. What he doesn't want is people listening to just their favorite shows. We can't get enough "WTJU identity" repeated that way.

In other words, it doesn't matter that the people who listen to WTJU tend to REALLY LOVE those shows they listen to. Burr wants a station that people LIKE, all the time. Hence a move towards a more homogenized 6AM-4PM block: this is safer programming. Is it better programming? Unfortunately, beside the point, and not under consideration.

[eventidalwave]

Well said, Tyler!

At this point, perhaps we should all focus on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s memorable words from his 1841 essay, “Self-Reliance”:

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. ‘Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.’ Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.

[robsheff]

Jun 25, 2010 22:27:52 GMT -5 Smilin Tyler said:

What he doesn't want is people listening to just their favorite shows. We can't get enough "WTJU identity" repeated that way.

In other words, it doesn't matter that the people who listen to WTJU tend to REALLY LOVE those shows they listen to. Burr wants a station that people LIKE, all the time.

the fact that "Leftover Biscuits" gets FIVE TIMES the listenership of all other shows, which blows my funky mind, would seem to have a lot to say about what "WTJU identity" IS. in radio talk it's going for the "niche," rather than the "cume." Leftover Biscuits doesn't cater to jazz fans or rock fans or classical fans (the "cume") because it pulls in absolutely everybody who likes old-time country (the "niche"). if that isn't "WTJU identity," what is?