[BC] Fallout from Unattended Operation

[Alan Peterson]

The Washington DC area Radio TV website DCRTV.COM is abuzz this Monday with gripes about significant automation meltdowns on two highly visible stations.

According to reports on the site's newspage, Citadel's WJZW and CC's WBIG had a troublesome weekend with dead air, blown legal IDs, multiple songs and multiple spots playing over each other. Many of the posters to DCRTV had plenty to say about unmanned operation at these stations during the dayparts when the disasters began; how a real live person onsite could have brought the problems under control, or at least phoned someone who could.

Automation fluffs on underperforming AMs are typical no matter where you go, and are often shaken off. But these are two prominent DC FM'ers and a lot of articulate and opinionated people sat up and took notice.

Maybe the idea of attended automated operation is not a bad one; but a better unattended system is still needed, no matter what.

Alan Peterson
Washington DC