The sound of silence…and the sounds of silence
January 1st, 2007 at 04:42pm
I know people at 2CC read this site, and I would like to let you all know that I am now at breaking point. Today has been an unmitigated disaster, with a strange attempt to fill in breakfast air time when the network programming didn’t come through, and now a complete failure of the automation and a constant repeating of the emergency tape’s copy of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sounds Of Silence”, not to mention yesterday’s failure to broadcast orange warning emergency information.
As for this afternoon, John B1_B5 made these comments a short time ago in the Rain, Hail, Blue and Orange Alerts post.
But let me just say this – I’m getting sick and tired of hearing them play “The Sound of Silence” every time they come back from a news break !
I’ve heard “The Sound Of Silence” being played 15 times in the past 2 hours !
They’re now playing it whenever thay go to an ad break as well.Somebody obviously needs a swift kick up the rear end !
I then wrote:
It’s the emergency tape John…I hear it every now and then during New Day Australia, but today has been an absolute shocker for 2CC.
They obvious haven’t bothered to employ a panel operator today, they are automated, and either the pulses aren’t coming through from Sydney, or somebody killed the 2CC computer, or forgot to program the ad breaks…but that’s irrelevant, 2UE traffic and weather are coming through during the news, they need a panel operator for this show, and don’t have one.
I thought it was bad when they scheduled half the Christmas day ad breaks to be a minute overtime, drowning out 2UE with a cacophony of noise, but today is clearly worse.
I’m very disappointed with 2CC today, and for a fair bit of the last week, I’m surprised that the program director (whoever it is these days) didn’t recognise the need for a panel operator today.
In my opinion, senior staff should be monitoring the station, and the emergency tape should be setup to send a text message off to someone if it gets started…and if something like this happens, somebody should go to the station and fix things up.
In all seriousness, if I was a panel operator for 2CC, I would be making my way into 2CC right now (well, about two hours ago) to either panel until 6pm, or fix the automation.
2CC have been doing very well for the half a year or so, with minimal problems, and a strong commitment to making the station sound good…they should be ashamed of this latest effort…or lack thereof.
And I’m sorry, but the irony of “The Sounds Of Silence” being on an emergency tape triggered by 15 seconds of silence has well and truly worn off.
The only good thing about this afternoon is that we haven’t heard yesterday’s weather report since Murray Olds started, but I would prefer to hear it than yet another repeat of the bloody sounds of silence.
The bottom line on this is that if we have a repeat performance of today’s disaster, 2CC risk losing me to the horrid local ABC station…it might be filled with insane people, but at least they have local weather, don’t play yesterday’s weather, and aren’t going to play the same song 500 times a day.
If I, as a staunch supporter of 2CC, am considering switching station, think about how many people you have already lost.
Samuel
Update 6:12pm: The normally automated shows appear to have scheduled ad breaks…Sports Today has ads! Hooray! End Update
Entry Filed under: Bizarreness,Canberra Stories,Samuel's Editorials,TV/Radio/Media
31 Comments
1. John B1_B5 | January 1st, 2007 at 5:02 pm
And I posted this on the other thread —
Hmmm … so that’s why we keep hearing that depressing song all the time.
It’s an absolute disgrace. Makes them sound like a ‘Mickey Mouse’ station.
And all because they’re too mean to hire a panel operator for the afternoon ?
God, looks like that person (no names mentioned) who accused 2CC of being a “mob of pennypinchers” wasn’t far off the mark !
I WAS going to listen until 6pm, but I don’t think I could stand
any more of “The Sound of Silence” !
2. Samuel | January 1st, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I’ve call 2UE to inform them of the problems, the found them quite amusing and concerning…but alas there have been no fixes, which indicates that it’s definitely not 2UE at fault. This is a tad more than an oops on 2CC.
I will elaborate on the 2UE promo we have heard a few times today…”2UE (and 2CC by automated relay), where Sydney comes to talk (and Canberra comes to scream)”.
3. John B1_B5 | January 1st, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I turned the radio off 30 minutes ago. I couldn’t stand it any more !
4. Samuel | January 1st, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Fair enough, I’ve been focussing on other things for a while, and been keeping an ear out for an ad…bad news, 6pm has rolled around and there was no news intro. Looks like 2CC’s computer has crashed (or been muted…now that would be embarassing)
5. Samuel | January 1st, 2007 at 6:08 pm
I think 2UE are being nice to 2CC now…they just sent through half of Sydney traffic and all of Sydney weather. Normally these wouldn’t got to the network after 6pm, so I can only assume that 2UE are trying to keep 2CC on the air.
6. Samuel | January 1st, 2007 at 6:12 pm
ADS! Hooray, we finally have ads…looks like the Sports Today ads were programmed.
No more silence…or sounds thereof.
7. John B1_B5 | January 1st, 2007 at 6:52 pm
Good, but that doesn’t let 2CC off the hook for its disgraceful
performance today.
SHAME 2CC , SHAME !
8. John B1_B5 | January 1st, 2007 at 8:39 pm
But wait , there’s more !
At 8.24pm precisely, I heard Glen whats-his-name in Sydney
talking over the top of an advert that was playing on 2CC,
AND, at 8.34pm (precisely), I heard Glenn whats-his-name
talking over the top of a “true blue chemicals” advert
that was playing on 2CC.
The advert. was a TOTAL disaster – (Glad I wasn’t paying for it).
9. Samuel | January 1st, 2007 at 8:41 pm
2CC scheduling the wrong amount of ads per break!
10. John B1_B5 | January 1st, 2007 at 10:01 pm
By the way, somebody left a New Year message for 2CC here –
http://groups.msn.com/AnnextoAustralia-TheLandDownUnder/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=663
11. Craig-Dubious | January 2nd, 2007 at 11:59 am
I have serious reservations about 2CC’s long-term viability. Craig Dubious.
12. David-H-Eastwood | January 3rd, 2007 at 2:39 pm
2CC should hang their head in shame ! David Harold Eastwood.
13. Samuel | January 3rd, 2007 at 2:43 pm
I didn’t know they had Internet access for prisoners David.
14. John B1_B5 | January 3rd, 2007 at 6:16 pm
How do you know he’s a prisoner Samuel ?
15. Samuel | January 3rd, 2007 at 6:57 pm
No wonder I’m getting glasses…I misread the name, I thought it said “Eastman”.
16. John B1_B5 | January 3rd, 2007 at 7:46 pm
The fellow who was found guilty of shooting assistant police commissioner Colin Winchester in Canberra back in 1989 ?
Yes, it would be easy to mistake ‘Eastwood’ for ‘Eastman’, especially with a middle name of ‘Harold’.
17. Samuel | January 3rd, 2007 at 8:46 pm
That’s the one John!
18. John B1_B5 | January 4th, 2007 at 7:58 am
I called 2CC this morning to express my displeasure about the repetitive playing of “The sound of silence” , but the woman on the switchboard wouldn’t put me through !
2CC are loathe to cop ANY sort of criticism about themselves.
The station with teeth ? HAAAAAAA !
Cop this –
http://groups.msn.com/AnnextoAustralia-TheLandDownUnder/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=663
19. Craig-Dubious | January 4th, 2007 at 11:00 am
Getting an apology out of 2CC would be akin to getting blood out of a stone.
20. John B1_B5 | January 5th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Well, an apology would be the right thing to do, but as you say Craig ………
21. davky | January 5th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
They are obviously not going to want that kind of thing broadcast on air – especially as their boss may not be aware of it until he hears someone complaining about it on air.
I know we all rely on consistent and stable media, but if you put yourself in the shoes of the staff that work there – have a thought for them. The radio station being left understaffed is not something they are responsible for – it is something that they too are the victims of.
22. Samuel | January 5th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Who did you try to speak to John?
Davky, if John was trying to complain about it on-air, I can understand their reluctance, if he wanted to speak to the boss or another off-air person, then I find it odd that he wasn’t put through, or at least able to leave a message.
Yes, the staff are victims of it, they have probably heard a bit too much about it already (Kris McKenzie just said on-air that 2CC were on skeleton staff during the ESA’s Orange Warning, I think he meant the computer was in charge, same thing can be said about the lack of ad breaks).
I just hope they’ve learnt a lesson from it all, and for what it’s worth, since the majority of staff returned, they have been sounding quite professional.
23. John B1_B5 | January 5th, 2007 at 6:27 pm
“The woman” who answers the phone of course. I don’t know her name.
24. Samuel | January 5th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I just re-read your comment John, as you posted it at 7:58am, I assume that you called the 2CC Open Line, in which case I’m not surprised that they didn’t put you through. Of course, if you actually called reception (62411911) during business hours, then I’m shocked that they didn’t put you through.
25. John B1_B5 | January 5th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
No, I posted that message hours after the incident. I copped that woman who normally does the drive show.
26. John B1_B5 | January 5th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Naturally she wouldn’t put me through once I told her I was going to give them a ‘serve’ about the repetitive playing of The Sound Of Silence !
27. Samuel | January 5th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Ah OK, yes I’m not surprised that she didn’t put you through, although as you called the Drive Show, I hope the message was passed on to manager Doug Bell.
They seem to be shuffling producers around at the moment, Alison, Mike Welsh’s producer for a few months, left the station late last year, his new producer is “Michael”. I haven’t been able to work out who they’ve had producing shows over the last week or two.
28. John B1_B5 | January 5th, 2007 at 7:30 pm
It’s one hell of a mess, no doubt about that !
29. John B1_B5 | January 9th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Update – Anyway, they’ve ‘done their dash’ as far as I’m concerned – once and for all !
http://john33805.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F2B226DE742C41C9!4137.entry
30. John B1_B5 | January 9th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Try that link again –
http://john33805.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F2B226DE742C41C9!4137.entry
31. John B1_B5 | January 23rd, 2007 at 10:16 pm
If I never hear “The Sound of Silence” again, it will be much too soon !