I don’t know a lot about automation software when it comes to running a radio station. But I often wonder why it works perfectly in some places and is less than wonderful in others.
 
Case in point – the automation that triggers the breaks on GNR 640’s talk shows that originate elsewhere. The worst is probably on Roy Green’s afternoon weekend show out of CHML Hamilton. I listen to this show quite often and in all the years it’s been around, I don’t think I’ve heard a single throw to break that doesn’t include the start of a spot on CHML, only to hear it muted after two seconds and the proper ad fired over 640. Listen on either Saturday or Sunday between 2-4 PM and you’ll hear it right away.
 
Then there’s the occasional issue that plagues Charles Adler’s show on weeknights after 10 PM. Most nights, it works pretty well, but I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard Adler apparently talk past a designated timed break period and he’s cut off mid-sentence, interrupted by the scheduled spot. It happens at least four or five times a show – and maybe more, because I rarely listen to the whole thing.
 
What causes these glitches and why can’t they seem to fix them? It doesn’t sound very professional when the pauses and the rejoins are handled so poorly. I’ve heard live syndicated programming on other stations and this almost never happens. What is Corus or 640 doing wrong? And does it happen on other stations on the network?