Indiana RadioWatch: November 11, 2011
Here's a selection of test results in our usual geographic format, along with two employment ads, at the bottom.
We also received this quote, which answer some questions:
"The test was pretty much a failure from the FEMA EOC in DC. The execution by the stations in the state of Indiana was pretty good, the issue was there was not any audio in the EAN message from FEMA, so that pretty much soured the
test. Some had audio but it was plagued with back ground EAS bursts and tones. In Indiana, the PEP station is WLW in Cincinnati and the audio that arrived to the WLW transmitter site in Mason was without audio (Just white noise) so
most of Indiana sounded the same. In Northwest Indiana for that EAS region that monitors WLS they received about 2 seconds of audio followed by 20 plus seconds of white noise, so the state of Indiana was pretty consistent in the way
it sounded on the air."
Northeast
"We received the alert, followed by about 30 seconds of white noise - Its my understanding that most broadcasters in the area shared a similar experience."
"Took over our air as it should right at 2pm with the tones followed by no audio just dead air for about 30 to 45 seconds then the footers. And we all moved on! :)"
"[I]t went off as planned but had no audio on any TV or radio stations that we could pick up."
"We had the proper tones (from what I could tell) but no audio."
From the TV side: "We prepared a crawl that informed viewers of the test. It ran over the regular signal to our Comcast and Frontier FiOS feeds. We observed that there was no visible indication of anything different than the usual
Comcast signal we monitor. The Frontier FiOS signal disappeared and in its place there was a full-screen message of white text information over a black background. Frontier returned our regular program to air after about a minute of
interruption."
Northcentral
"[N]ever received anything. So not sure what happened. We have all the new equipment and everything."
"Did not receive test from WSBT-AM 960. Did not transmit or retransmit EAN alert 11/9. Endec working properly. Looking into a new source radio for AM monitor station."
Northwest
"No problems here. It was just a tad of static. But much better than a RWT from the weather service."
Several responses sounded like this: "[N]ationally originated audio was distorted as received at all locations"
"[O]ur test went as planned. The only problem was that the announcement was very scratchy and hard to understand."
"We joined the test "in progress" and then 3 sets of "duck noises", 10 seconds of tone and then no audio (just noise) , and then the EOM that killed it after 15 seconds....That was using an original TFT E911."
Eastcentral
"Test received with tones but no audio."
"Test received, no audio, but it did release and go back to normal programming."
Central
Dan Mettler, Clear Channel's SVP/Engineering - Central Region talks with Radio World. The interview is here.
From an Indianapolis AT&T U-Verse subscriber, "WISH/WNDY and WIPX had nothing. Just normal programming. I did do a quick scan. AT&T was normal programming. However, AT&T did put out an notice that because of the 30 second duration,
they could not comply."
"We decoded properly from WIBC, but there was no audio. What WAS there sounded like an open-circuit telco loop."
"The test fired on time, but there was nothing but static where the audio should have been. :("
"We got the alert signals at the beginning and end, but like the others, didn't get the message in the middle."
"All five of our new SAGE Digital Endecs engaged and terminated properly... but the audio received and relayed was all white noise. Not sure what happened.... But I would say the system still needs "a bit of tweaking!". I guess that
why they call it a TEST."
Westcentral
"WTHI-FM received the EAN from WLW/Cincinnati, and immediately began relaying the test. What was received was the Header Code followed by the two-tone signal, followed by repeating two-tone signals (a common problem if your levels are
too hot on a Sage Digital) followed by the EOM Code. Our unit responded exactly the way it was deisgned. The audio portion was absent however. But I dont believe that WLW was problem. I believe that wherever their source audio was
from, failed to provide the announcement."
Southcentral
"We didn't even receive the static reported by other stations across the state."
"All had data tones and static where the audio message was to be heard. None of our stations received any test from the Grace system."
"We received the message header and the EOM message, but in between all we got was 30 seconds of hiss. We retransmitted the same message with 30 seconds of hiss."
Southwest
"[W]e did not hear a thing across our normal monitoring assigned to us."
"Our equipment received and sent the tones fine. However, the message in between was nothing but static."
Employment Opportunities
News Talk 1190 WOWO and 1380 ESPN-WKJG have opportunities for top sales position.
In order to sell media advertising, you must do three things well:
One... be proactive in developing your own prospects, not simply fielding calls.
Two... you need to call on top-level decision-makers.
Three... you have to uncover a client's marketing challenge and develop a SOLID solution.
Do you always do what you say you will do? Are you someone who is a risk-taker and loves big challenges? Do you always want to be #1 and are never satisfied with your current level of achievement? Do you have a sense of urgency
about everything you do and have a lot of structure in your life? Are you a natural at moving a sale along and are always decisive? If you can answer "yes" to all of these questions, let's talk. We're looking for qualified
candidates for an advertising sales position. You will work directly with clients and be paid on a base plus commission. Candidates must have computer skills and be able to write effectively. College degree in business or marketing
fields preferred. If you're a top sales performer, let's explore how you may be a fit at WOWO.
Candidates should submit resume to Ben Saurer at bsaurer at wowo dot com
Y106, South Central Indiana's #1 rock station, is looking for our next morning show superstar. Do you possess these characteristics and skills?
* The desire to do and say the things on air that are important to our listeners lives or at least entertain the hell out of 'em.
* Put in the show prep time required to be successful.
* Have the initiative and drive to seek out local relatable stuff for the show.
* Understand the importance of the web, Facebook & Twitter - and how to communicate effectively using them.
* Understands there's no I in TEAM.
* Live the rock lifestyle, legally.
Is this you? Other responsibilities include voicetracking a shift for another station in the cluster. You'll also be expected to get out of the building when the show is over and create opportunities to be in our listening communities
through appearances, organizations and speaking engagements. Yes, that means weekends, too. Do we demand a lot from our morning host? Damn straight. But you'll be the person setting the table for the rest of the day. You'll work in
state-of-the-art facilities and live in a great community, especially if you have kiddos. Wow us with your resume and air-check. E-mail your best stuff to jobs at y106 dot com. EOE.
That's all for this issue. Thank you for your continued support.
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