[MartinS]

Manchester based Key103 is set to launch a major new line up next week… does anyone know if any new Jingles are on the cards?

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve noticed a few American Male voiceovers creeping in some sound John Wells, possibly dug out from the pre Brian James days, others sound Sean Caldwell, which is not suprising given him being used on Hallam when Ant Gay was there. There’s even a whole AVO trailer for the new line up. Shame they can’t bring Brian James back after a gap of almost exactly five years… I know it would bring a smile to a few faces in the north west.

With the Reelword custom package well over two years old and only the odd one or two more recent Shotgun jingles, they’re well due some new sung imaging. The six JK and Joel at Breakfast cuts will be completely redundant on Friday when the lads reunite on air for their last show. I’ve a suspicous feeling that there might be some new upbeat sung stuff for the new Mike Toolan breakfast show though!

Would appreciate any info from anyone in the know.

Mart

[danjamesuk]

If Reelworld are producing new material for Key 103, let’s hope it’s at least as good as their previous Key package, and certainly better than the new Viking custom, which has weak instrumentation, shallow vocals and a total overuse of the now dated “Cher Effect” (Antares Autotune to those in the know!).

Hey, we know Reelworld CAN produce some excellent material (just listen to this year’s Z100 custom – and WHY isn’t the Big Z airing it?!!), so let’s hear something fresh, unique and worthy of airing on Emap’s biggest station outside of London. (Emap management – point of note – don’t make ’em rush it… it’s a hand-crafted product, not a tin of beans!!)

As for American VOs, whilst the likes of Brian James, Sean Caldwell and John Wells all sound great, once again, it’s been done before… from the back end of the 80s until we realised we’d got some great talent of our own! So, let’s hear it for the likes of Rik Scott, Paul Daniels, Dave Kelly, Claire Anderson, Hannah Cox, Jez Durrant, etc etc, who are great BRIT voices for great BRIT stations! Are the Manchester big wigs ashamed of our own home-grown talent? Let’s hope not!

Someone pull the soapbox from under me before I go through it!

Happy days!

[RjM]

The re-introduction of American voices to Key 103 has in my opinion helped bring that ‘big’ sound back to the station, and they’ve managed to get the right balance by mixing with home talent. Hopefully we will hear more of this on Tuesday week.

They certainly remind me of the great days of the mid to late 90’s when Brian James was station voice, a period which Key themselves seem to be keen to get back to with their new schedule.

The Brit talent mentioned has now become the norm on every station in the country. Bringing in an American voice I feel will freshen up the sound, I mean, how many stations in the UK currently have an American station voice?

Talking about jingles for Mike Toolan, on Key’s recent 30th birthday Mike played one of his JAM cuts (‘The Best show’ resing) and mentioned that he’ll have to bring that back for the new breakfast show.

For those who want to hear a sample of the new voice here’s the promo for the new schedule currently on high rotation:

May the 4th Be With You
http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=19E2C70C25BA81C3301D4BC24BD68115

Is this voiced by Sean Caldwell?

[danjamesuk]

I see your point RjM, but can’t help thinking there’s someone at Key who is steeped in nostalgia and just wants American VOs back because they sounded good back in the 90s.

A Top 40 station, such as Key 103, has to remain in tune with its audience – it needs to keep abreast of changes in style, fashion etc – and this should be reflected in on-air branding as well as the playlist and their personalities (the latter point proven with Chris Tarrant’s increasingly dwindling audience at Capital – great jock, but out of tune with his 15-30 demographic).

Whilst the 90s were great for Key, I don’t see how it’s beneficial to take a step back in time just because it worked then! Many of today’s listeners won’t have listened to Key 103 back in the early 90s, and many more of them should, in theory, have moved onto Century, Smooth or even GMR.

However… I’m glad they haven’t completely ridded themselves of UK VOs!

Onto the promo you posted RjM… tricky one! Sounds like it COULD be Sean C, but if it is, he sounds a bit ballsier than he used to (perhaps down to some bloody good processing!). I’ll do some investigative work on this one I think!

[rakMember]

Talking of ‘nostalgia’ – I first heard that “May 4th be with you” line on the promos leading up to the lauch of Capital CFM – a whopping 18 years ago next month!!! Anyone got a copy of the CFM package? I’ve no idea at all who produced it. (This was the Sunday only FM opt for Capital Radio btw.)

I agree with Dan that the Viking package isn’t the best that Reelworld have produced, and along with some other posters not a patch on the “Radio Aire… LEEDS” Top of Hours.

Interesting that KEY are using a US V/O – goes against the rest of the Emap network. I drove up and down the A1 last week, and have to say that the Emap stations are by far sounding the hottest at the moment. Aire and Hallam especially.

[danjamesuk]

He he! The Yorkshire Radio Network did exactly the same thing too, when they re-launched Radio Hallam, Pennine Radio and Viking Radio as Hallam FM, Pennine FM and Viking FM. I remember the “May the 4th Be With You” promos for them too – voiced by none other than the excellent Liam Quigley! Plus, of course, I remember the jingles they re-launched with… loved ’em! Resings of an old Power 95 (WPLJ) package. But what the hell was that “up front, in front” vocal all about, eh?!!

Anyway, back to Key 103, now that I’ve gone off topic again… sorry!

[rakMember]

Slightly off topic again, but I’ve put a few CFM cuts at http://u4.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=C89BF26FA30CE2ECFFCC9FF3071379DA to see if it jogs anyone’s memory? (Plus part of a slower Capital theme that’s not on the copy of the 1984 package I’ve got – all off air I’m afraid)

[Admin]

danjamesuk wrote: Onto the promo you posted RjM… tricky one! Sounds like it COULD be Sean C

Its not Sean Caldwell. The voice is Sam O Neill based in Las Vegas (he is the station voice here at Channel 4 too). Emap used Sean Caldwell last year though at Metro. He was the voice of the ‘Topless For Summer’ promotion they were running during the summer.

danjamesuk wrote: Hey, we know Reelworld CAN produce some excellent material (just listen to this year’s Z100 custom – and WHY isn’t the Big Z airing it?!!

Z100 are only using elements of the Top Of Hour Cuts. The current TOH is a mix of both the cuts from Z100 2004. Reason for them not airing the full package is because Z100 was used as the ‘guinea pig’ for demo purposes only.

Neal

[MartinS]

First of all, thanks RJM for posting the ‘May the 4th be with you promo’. When I heard it more carefully at 10 last night, before James Stanage, I realised that it probably wasn’t either Sean Caldwell nor John Wells. So, thanks Neal for confirming the ‘mystery’ identity.

In terms of using American Voiceovers… I’ve a feeling some of them may be for promo reasons only and not necessarily a sound of things to come, especially with the ‘big screen’ style. Thinking about it, I remember Hallam FM having a competition promo with Sean Caldwell (pretty sure) voiceover around last xmas – but that was it.

In terms of using American Voicovers on UK stations today, I really do think they still provide that metropolis feel to the station. Plus, with an AVO, it’s usually clear that it’s not the DJ that’s speaking.

In fact, I would sooner hear American v/os on a top 40 local station than British voiceovers of an accent not in fitting with the town/city that the station is broadcasting from. On this note, despite Radio Aire having to lose some of the ‘Leeds No1. Hit Music Station’ vocals they have replaced this bit of the top of the hour with local accents – ‘The station for Wakefield, Castleford…etc. etc.’ which I reckon sound fab. Mixing local v/os with AVOs did seem to work well in the late 90s for both Radio Aire and Key103.

Dan, I can undertsand your points about top 40 radio needing to be cutting edge and why use something just becasue it sounded good in the past. However, there’s plenty of programming elements that sounded good in the 90s that are still in use today, e.g. ‘Top 10 at 10s’ so why is it any different with re-using imaging styles that have been used in past? I understand that periodic change is necessary to freshen up the sound… but we’re talking about a gap of five years since Key103 last used American voiceovers. I can still remember where I was when I tuned in and discovered that BJ and that fab ALFA top of the hour had been taken off air.

Sorry to get on soapbox.. but my listening is influenced equally by the music, entertainment factor and imaging of a station. Although I listen to a variety of local/regional stations in Yorkshire and the North West, I honestly am more swayed to listen to one station more than another due to the imaging.

Martin

[RjM]

I hope Key finally get themselves a proper top of hour sequence next week. The current IQ Beats jingle straight out of the ad’s and into the news just can’t compete with the late 90’s Brian James/ALFA TOH ‘Live from the heart of Manchester, with today’s best music, this is the North West’s #1…’ already mentioned above by Martin. I know I’m probably living in the past but I don’t care, It sounded great, and as Martin said imaging can sway a listener.

Have also noticed that there has been loads of local sweepers introduced in the last two months ‘from the MEN arena to the Reebok stadium, Boddingtons Brewery to Barton….’ Loads of variations on this, they sound good on air and emphasise who they are broadcasting to.

Example here: http://s11.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=A0619D0F2D0D8BF096339C4615B5A71A

[NickySMember]

Well as is posted somewhere else on the site – new jingles from Music4 are on the way.

[mbMember]

Yes I had to listen twice…I think the new Mike Toolan stuff is well just…… dull

[RjM]

Here’s a few very short clips of past Brian James imaging from Key 103 (’95?). The first clip makes great use of a JAM ‘energy’ cut.

They are all bad quality, recorded off air, and transferred from a cassette, but thought some might be interested…

Key 103 – Hot in the City – Call the giant jukebox now 0161 236 0103
http://www.aoov41.dsl.pipex.com/jingles/Key1.mp3

Survey after survey – Always #1 rated – Key 103 – The Key 103 giant jukebox
http://www.aoov41.dsl.pipex.com/jingles/Key2.mp3

More continuous music on 103FM – Manchester’s Key 103

[jaybee]

Key 103 audio is now on Music4 website.

[MartinS]

Just noticed that the Music4 website has finally been updated with the latest Key 103 imaging!

Slightly different to the last lot now that they seem to be again repostioning themselves within the market.

Mart

[Gabes]

Neal” wrote:

Onto the promo you posted RjM… tricky one! Sounds like it COULD be Sean C

Its not Sean Caldwell. The voice is Sam O Neill based in Las Vegas (he is the station voice here at Channel 4 too).
Neal

Err, no – I made all that stuff at the time, and the voice over is Mike McKay. He’s a good vo, but we only used him that once. I don’t work there anymore though.

MG

[Admin]

I stand corrected then, although he DOES sound very alike to Sam.

[Gabes]

Not having heard Sam, I can’t disagree with you. Personally, I’m a big fan of re-incorporating the odd US voice back into the mix of a stations sound. Some people are dead set against it, but I find it’s about the only way you can make something sound ABSOLUTELY enormous! Take the Chris Moyles imaging on R1 – Sung jingles and US voice overs, but only for the breakfast show – Back to the way Radio USED to be, and sounding great around that show, but still fairly bog standard and zappy everywhere else. I think station sound wise, that’s a really good mix. Sorry, veered off Key 103 there, but it helped make the point I suppose!

[MartinS]

Hi – does anyone know which company has produced the gospel style jingles for Toolan in the Morning?

There is now an example of one under the downlods section of the Key103 website.

This download area seems good idea btw. Perhaps some of the other emap stations will put up jingles/idents, given the generic format of all the
Emap ‘big city’ station websites.

Please post if you know.. I’m just assuming it’s Music4, like the other current Key103 stuff.

Cheers,
Martin

[MartinS]

Hi – does anyone know which company has produced the gospel style jingles for Toolan in the Morning?

There is now an example of one under the downlods section of the Key103 website.

This download area seems good idea btw. Perhaps some of the other emap stations will put up jingles/idents, given the generic format of all the
Emap ‘big city’ station websites.

Please post if you know.. I’m just assuming it’s Music4, like the other current Key103 stuff.

Cheers,
Martin

[MartinS]

Hi – does anyone know which company has produced the gospel style jingles for Toolan in the Morning?

There is now an example of one under the downlods section of the Key103 website.

This download area seems good idea btw. Perhaps some of the other emap stations will put up jingles/idents, given the generic format of all the
Emap ‘big city’ station websites.

Please post if you know.. I’m just assuming it’s Music4, like the other current Key103 stuff.

Cheers,
Martin

[DevawebMember]

Hi Martin,They’re from TM Century… from the “Hallejulah It’s Morning” packages that they offer, designed for morning shows.PS – I can’t spell Hallelujah! Halleluyah? Pah! I give up!

[DevawebMember]

Hi Martin,They’re from TM Century… from the “Hallejulah It’s Morning” packages that they offer, designed for morning shows.PS – I can’t spell Hallelujah! Halleluyah? Pah! I give up!

[DevawebMember]

Hi Martin,They’re from TM Century… from the “Hallejulah It’s Morning” packages that they offer, designed for morning shows.PS – I can’t spell Hallelujah! Halleluyah? Pah! I give up!

[MartinS]

Devaweb wrote: Hi Martin,They’re from TM Century… from the “Hallejulah It’s Morning” packages that they offer, designed for morning shows.PS – I can’t spell Hallelujah! Halleluyah? Pah! I give up!

Thanks Chris – I would never have guessed they were from TM Century – that’s probably why I’ve been hunting around for weeks!

The example on the Key103 website and one of the others are indeed cuts 1 and 12 from TM Century’s Hallelujah It’s morning (can only spell hallelujah myslef after visiting the site).

I had to dig around a bit for the third (and my favourite) example. Found it to be cut 8 from Joyful Noise. I’ll post an off air recording of this one later in the week if I can manage to tidy the (Daniel Powter contaminated) ending up using the demo!

Martin

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