Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, broadcasters have had to change the way in which they work. Whether by doing shows remotely and accepting the shortcomings that come with it, wearing a mask at all times in the facility, or taking frequent COVID-19 tests, the pandemic has required the industry to rethink the way it does business concurrent with stark changes in consumption trends.
Keeping oneself healthy, along with the spaces in which they work and interact with other people, has been a central focus throughout the pandemic, and radio is no exception. However, the physical space of a radio studio is not always deep-cleaned on a daily basis and can sometimes be filled with clutter and other materials that serve as an impediment to the comfort of producers and on-air talent.
Seldom is any radio broadcast space spotless – even the ones that are visible via a radio show’s simulcast on television or a streaming platform. That is something Clinton Yates of 710 ESPN Los Angeles would like to change.
With the first day of spring approximately one month away, Yates, who has been filling in this week for Allen Sliwa on Travis and Sliwa, voiced his concerns to co-host Travis Rodgers and the show producers about the cleanliness of the 710 ESPN Los Angeles studios after deep-cleaning them akin to a “spring cleaning” prior to Wednesday’s show.
“There are piles and piles of crap – headphones, pieces of paper, books, boxes, cords – and I was just like, ‘I’m sorry. This environment – I have to clean up a little – I have to tidy this bad-boy up,’” said Yates. “So yes – I deployed a little Lysol. I definitely wiped down a couple of things because I was moving stuff around.”
Rodgers then came up with the idea for a deep-cleaning and labeling session at the studios so people would know how to keep the space neat and organized. This got Yates thinking about ways he could maximize the opportunity in realizing his aspirations of maintaining a clean studio space while creating engaging content for social media.
“We should have a [session] where we come in, we organize everything and then we label it and then we have an instructional thing where we teach people, ‘This is where this stuff goes. This is all you have to do – just follow the checklist so the studio stays tidy,’” said Yates. “I would genuinely do this for a bit on social [media] if someone would join me. The full time lapse; we could detail the studio and organize things.”
After discussing trying to keep the studios clean, Yates arrived back at work Thursday morning, and with Rodgers working remotely, was immediately questioned whether he had engaged in another deep-cleaning of the space.
“I’m not in-studio, and that brings me right to kind of where I wanted to start this entire thing,” Rodgers said to open Thursday’s show. “Did you get out the power washer, the mop, what did you do because I was not in your way this morning to deep-clean the studio?”
“Since yesterday [when] I cleaned it, apparently the memo was gotten [and] nothing was added,” replied Yates. “This was a relatively clean space when I got here which is a good thing, so I’m happy about that.”
Rodgers proceeded to tell Yates that Mason and Ireland co-host Steve Mason was concerned about Yates, specifically because of the fastidious nature in which the studio was cleaned and the meticulous manner of the towel he folded. Mason called out Yates between shows for cleaning the studios, something Yates was taken aback by.
“I was like ‘Oh no. He was listening,’” said Yates. “It was embarrassing, but we’re good.”
“We are here to embarrass each other; [that’s] basically the role of these programs,” responded Rodgers.
