Monday Memo: Robot vs. Robot
By Holland Cooke
Consultant
Radio stations used to announce the present temperature at the end of the weather forecast, empowering listeners who are heading out to dress accordingly. It’s the ultimate live-N-local information.
It was SO conspicuous that – in diary markets – competing stations would fib if the temperature was a competitor’s dial position. I was the 7-midnight DJ during WPRO’s 1970s Top 40 heyday — yep, a live voice at night, before the overnight guy took over. Our AM dial position was 63, a temperature never announced on WGNG (55) or WJAR (92). And vice-versa.
Back to the future: The forecast still airs on AM/FM radio, but often without a live temp’ at the end, because the station is robotic and the weather is canned. Common faux pas: At 4 pm, the forecast begins “Today will be…”
Listeners who want the temperature now get it – instantly – where Amazon Prime subscribers can also ask for 2 million songs…from a robot, Alexa.
In next week’s column here: How radio wins the future – not by becoming more like technology, but by becoming more human.
Holland Cooke (HollandCooke.com) is a consultant working the intersection of broadcasting and the Internet. Follow HC on Twitter @HollandCooke and connect on LinkedIn
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