[geeks] So what is a "Frankenmac"?

[Bill Bradford]

On Thu, Jul 26, 2001 at 03:44:52PM -0400, joshua d boyd wrote:
> I have a friend who works at a local radio station.  Most of the equipment
> is much newer than what you described, but still not as automated.  They
> have a computer for the station clock and playing promos, but all the
> songs are on CDs that get changed between 2 CD players.  

Thats what we did before the automation system - two consumer-grade
CD players wired to the mixer board, and the DJ (me) did all the CD
swapping.  Fortunately, the playlist had all the songs by index
number (cd # / track) so it wasnt hard to find the next song.  All
the CDs were numbered (we had around 400 at one point)..

> go pull it.  Bleh.  They also have MDs for stuff (I think the DJ sound
> bed, but don't remeber), and overnight stuff (and other programs) are
> recorded to HiFi VHS during the day in the second studio, and just played
> from a normal VCR.

VHS - thats interesting.  Never heard of that being used.  Of course,
half the equipment at the station I was at was late-60s/early 70s.

> Despite all the new gear, it is suprisingly low tech.  Heck, they still
> use records for at least one of their shows.

I was one of the last few generations of DJs who knew how to properly cue
up a record for on-air playback.. I remember the day that we switched
100% to CDs from vinyl (it had been a mixture till then).  They took all
the records, put them in a big pile in the staff break room, with a sign
that said "free".

There was also the time we took the cd of "Achy Breaky Heart" and 
zapped it in the microwave, when the CEO said "we're never playing
that song again"....

Bill

-- 
Bill Bradford
mrbill at mrbill.net
Austin, TX