XM/Sirius Deep Tracks Questions please

[oldrocker]

Hi everyone:

Hope it's been a good week.

A few questions about Deep Tracks. When Earle Bailey was working the morning shift and then would come back again in the early evening would he pre-record if not both at least 1 of the programs? It would seem to be in the building all those hours would be impossible.

When a show is pre-recorded do you think the announcers only record the voice parts and the music is inserted later? Yesterday Meg was talking about the baseball standings and was 1 day behind so it was obvious she wasn't live in the morning.

Finally why do you think there are times a song gets repeated in under 24 hours? If a station works on a playlist the computer is picking the music, if the staff has freedom they would write down the tunes played. In the past couple of days there were repeats from the Doobie Brothers "Another Park Another Sunday", a cool 70's band Gypsy, and Robin Trower.

Thank you for your time,
Old Rocker

[bjbigplayer]

It's called voice tracking. Yes, the DJ's just record the breaks ahead of time and insert them into the computer jukebox to play at the appropriate time. Jim Ladd is the only show that is guaranteed to be live, there may be some other live shows, but for the most part the music playlist is computer generated and edited by a human and then the breaks are pre-recorded voice tracks.

It's the only way a handful of DJ's can run multiple radio channels at the same time.

[oldrocker]

Hi BJ Big Player:

Thank you for the information. It makes total sense based on jocks having mutiple shifts or working at two stations.

The one follow-up question is aren't the jocks (especially each having worked in the free form no playlist progressive rock era) allowed to pick some if not all of the music during the show?

It would seem difficult to entice them otherwise and in addition if the music was picked by a computer they could save endless money in payroll by being automated.

I appreciate you taking the time to answer and being the only one kind enough to do so.

Have a great Thursday,
Old Rocker

[bjbigplayer]

That, I do not know what rules the DJ's have to follow. I would guess it ranges from zero freedom on Classic Vinyl/Rewind, so some freedom to improvise on the playlist on Deep Tracks to total freedom on The Loft.