Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)

We’re sure you have a lot of questions about HitOldies. Here are the most frequently asked. Read through this, perhaps we’ll have the answer to your question here.

How does HitOldies work ?

It is an easy and accessible concept. On the programming end, it’s as easy as you putting any internet based audio on the air. We provide you with a private and easy to access URL. You can click us on at the defined moment. The HitOldies announcer can also access your studio directly through software programs such as VNC and trigger the on-air feature remotely. Some stations can even get this done automatically by programming preset on-air and off-air times via the studio computer.

HitOldies broadcasts a standardized, lossless compression and encoding scheme for digital audio (128k MP3 or AAC). These are dedicated streams from our announcer studios. The shows originate 100% from our studios. Our announcers maintain digital music libraries. HitOldies imports your mp3 based imaging, jingles and commercials and play these according to your logged demands. Music mix adjustments are easy to make on the fly and it’s simple for us to adapt the sound to your requests.

Why use HitOldies ?

In a time of recession and reduced revenue, many radio stations have turned to voice tracking in order to meet budget constraints. The trade off is an inability to provide local, energetic, live programming during non-peak day parts. HitOldies is a perfect combination of quality and value. We provide skilled, enthusiastic professional announcers who will work from home at rates that are far less than what would be charged if travel or re-location were necessary.

Can’t I get anyone to do this ?

You probably could but as a team we offer really cool features; Announcers that work with us are all proven pro’s with many years of on-air experience. The HitOldies formula has been tried and tested successfully over the air at real radio stations for over two years. Our home studios contain professional broadcast equipment that rivals anything you would find in any broadcast studio. The kinks and proper levels have been worked out and the tests are conclusive. Our team has been trained and battle tested ensuring our partners a limited number of startup issues and adjustments.

What about vacations or sickness ?

When we commit to filling a time slot, you can be assured that we will be there. Our team coordinator ensures the announcer is available. The size of our cooperative ensures a replacement is always available if needed. We guarantee it.

How does the Audience and the program director interact with the announcer ?

The announcer will often invite the listener to go to our website and contact us via the chatroom. It’s a great way to take song requests and communicate directly with the fans.

The announcers personal e-mail and phone is provided to your key station personnel. Communication is quite simple.

How do you announce local events ?

We start by having you fill out our fact sheet. We want to know what the names of the main streets are and what the main shopping centers and various attractions are too. Tell us about the local sports teams. We also want to know the correct pronunciation. Every day or week we ask that you mail us community events, PSA’s and promos. We will integrate these in our shows plus include things you don’t hear on the radio anymore; like local weather, the time and breaking news. Our announcers also do a lot of pop culture stuff in our sets. We will adapt our shows to your format and replicate what you do with stop sets, imaging and jingles.

What about the over the air quality ?

The HitOldies audio feed is very straightforward with very little compression originating from our studio equipment. Your station’s regular sound is unaltered. Amazingly, program directors and seasoned engineers have joined HitOldies and the preliminary doubts quickly gave way to enthusiastic reviews. We’re all very excited about the possibilities. Also, in case your wondering, the dedicated high quality stream has ensured virtually 0 buffering issues.

What about Cancon compliance and reports generation ?

We use the same music management software that radio stations use and can easily generate post show log and music reports that can be e-mailed to you.

What else can HitOldies do for us ?

We have imaging pro’s and can also write and produce ads at unbeatable rates.

How do you get paid ?

We use pay pal for any money exchange. There are various flexible packages available to radio stations. These include options ranging from fully dedicated content to a ‘network’ type broadcast that will include national ads providing our remuneration.