The following column on accountability in voicetracking is a special guest submission courtesy of @ShittyRadioJock on Instagram. To share your insights with the media industry through Barrett Media, email your ideas to Jason@BarrettMedia.com. We can’t promise it will be published but we review all content sent our way.
Programmers love to talk about innovation at conferences, but here’s the truth, a lot of PDs still don’t fully get it. With CRS a few months away, now feels like the right time to bring up something that never makes the agenda at these events: Accountability in voicetracking.
Who’s being held responsible for poor tracking? It’s a question that should come up every year but never does. Maybe it’s time we finally talk about it and start holding PDs accountable for letting this epidemic of bad tracking spread across markets and formats.
Every week I hear voicetracked shows that sound empty, disconnected, and lifeless. I keep wondering why are so many PDs allowing this? Anyone can record breaks but it takes a personality with drive and a PD who actually gives two shits to take the time to coach talent into creating content that feels alive and interactive. If a tracked show sounds hollow, it’s not just the jock’s fault, it’s a leadership problem. The blame sits with the PDs, format captains, and GMs who allow this garbage to hit the air.
Are there jocks who are killing it? Absolutely. But for every one that gets it right, there’s a pile who don’t, and some who just don’t care. The bigger problem is leadership keeps letting it slide. If the person running the brand accepts subpar tracking, that’s a reflection of them. Too many jocks are missing what makes voicetracking work in the first place – connection. Some aren’t even trying to connect at all. They sound more focused on pretending they’re local when everyone knows they’re not.
So my question is, why? Why are so many voicetrackers obsessed with hiding the truth instead of focusing on creating something worth listening to? Is that coming from PDs? Corporate? Consultants?
Everyone knows bad tracking sounds awful but somehow the same people keep defending it. When they get called out, middle managers always reach for the same tired excuse – budget cuts or staffing issues. So what? Everyone’s dealing with that. It doesn’t excuse subpar radio. The jocks who make their shows sound alive and are actually entertaining are working with the same restraints. They just refuse to let the limitations they’re facing dictate the sound of their show or their personal brand.
It’s easy to blame corporate for killing radio. God knows they’ve earned plenty of it. But you can’t blame corporate when a PD in Little Rock or Rockford lets subpar/lazy tracking hit the air. That’s not a corporate problem, that’s leadership failure. You’re letting jocks turn in weak content and then acting surprised when your numbers fall apart. Stop blaming corporate. This one’s on you. Middle management. The ones who look the other way, protect their titles, and forget the product. Every time a PD or format captain ignores bad, boring voicetracks, the brand takes the hit, and the jock wears it publicly.
Over the years, on my Instagram page @ShittyRadioJock, I’ve asked quite a few jocks who voicetrack shows why they’re pretending to be local. Almost every time I hear the same thing “That’s what my PD wants.” That’s your advice to your jock? Jesus Christ. The goal is connection but what you’re creating with that directive is meaningless fluff listeners don’t give a shit about and won’t remember ten seconds later. You’re not just hurting your station’s brand, you’re burning your jocks’ credibility too.
Not long ago I heard a voicetracked show where every single break was recorded too hot and distorted. This was in a top 30 market. The PD never pulled any of the tracks, just let them all play. Then they went live afterwards, meaning he was in the building the whole time. Tell me again how that helps your brand or your jock’s brand. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
If you hear distorted breaks or there’s an issue, take them out and just play music. No one‘s NOT coming back because you were playing the hits. They don’t come back when you let hours of distorted voicetracks play. Then you’ve got jocks mispronouncing little cities in the DMA they clearly just Googled or are shouting out “the west side” in a market where locals just call it “the West.” But hey, their picture’s on the website, so I’m sure it’s fine, right?
If the PD doesn’t care, why should the listener? A couple weeks ago I heard a jock back sell Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” What a waste. Why? Everyone already knows who it is and the name of the song. They used an entire break to back sell a song that’s over 20 years old. Why? So they didn’t have to find content and do a real break. Why are PDs allowing this shit? Where is the accountability for the poor management of the jock? Either fill the break with content or insert a sweeper and move on.
And before anyone says “Well, that’s probably just small market radio,” let me stop you. I’ve heard some small market jocks who sound more alive, connected, and creative than some of the bigger national voicetrackers. They care about how their show sounds, and they’re not just doing it to get the paycheck. Sure they don’t have consultants or big budgets, but they’ve got pride. That’s what’s missing in a lot of markets I hear with poor tracking. When you have jocks who are front selling and back selling golds and re-currents to avoid creating breaks with content in them, or jocks who brag about knocking out tracking multiple stations in “less than an hour” that’s who you want on your station representing your brand? That’s who your going to rely on to hit your bonuses?
Look at Tino Cochino Radio. Sure, it’s a syndicated show, but the premise is the same as voicetracking. They build content in advance, produce segments, edit calls, and deliver connection through tight execution. Why is the show successful? Because they’ve got the blueprint down. It sounds connected, it’s engaging, and it’s fun to listen to. They include calls, content, and real teases that aren’t just ripped from TMZ headlines your listener saw yesterday. They’re not pretending to be local. Local isn’t what wins, content is.
It’s the same thing with Elvis Duran and The Morning Show. It runs on the same foundation as any other voicetracked or syndicated show, it’s just done with honesty and consistency. Elvis isn’t pretending he’s in Little Rock, he owns where he’s at. The connection’s in the chemistry, not the ZIP code.
One final example is The Bobby Bones Show. Bobby’s not trying to fool anyone into thinking he’s down the street. He leans into who he is and where he is. That honesty is what makes it work. These shows prove it’s not the process that’s broken, it’s the people using it wrong.
They all have the same secret, they’re real. They’ve got the blueprint down. They create content worth believing in. Real. Entertaining. Interactive. Listeners can forgive distance but they won’t forgive fake. And they definitely won’t come back for boring voicetracked shows day after day.
The fix is simple, even if it’s not easy. PDs, format captains, and consultants have to teach jocks who don’t have the blueprint down yet how to make content worth believing in. How to make content that makes listeners want to come back every day. Front selling and back selling songs ain’t gonna do that.
PDs need to set time aside for real coaching. Take responsibility for the tracking on your station. If you can make time for a dinner with a rep, you can make time to help your jocks sound alive. We make time in our life for what we value. If your product matters, act like it. Set the bar. Give feedback that’s specific and actionable. Require proof of life in every shift.
It starts with middle management taking ownership of the brands they run instead of hiding behind excuses and blaming jocks and corporate cutbacks for their failures. If your voicetracking doesn’t sound live and it’s not entertaining or interactive, then it’s not being done right. PERIOD.
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