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March 1, 2020 8:40 pm  #1


The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

With apologies to the company's late founder, I accidentally uncovered an Evanov Radio website that probably shouldn’t be accessible to the public – but it is.
 
It contains instructions on what to do in the event of an emergency and it’s kind of eye opening about what it expects from its employees.
 
The site appears to be an old one and I’m pretty sure it’s no longer in use. There’s a “How To” section, that tells you how to get on everything from its email system to “How to reset your sling box/TV receivers."
 
But it’s the area called “Operators” that’s most interesting to me. It begins with an ugly green font that reads, “If there is a problem please FAULT it FIRST!!"
 
There’s also an eye opening set of emergency instructions you can download under the “Operators' Manual.” Among them, what to do if you suspect one of their stations in the GTA is off the air. (The spelling is as is.)
 
First off the difference between “off air” and “dead air.”
 
“All three stations have air feeds. These are fed by receivers that are picking up the actual airwaves off the transmitter. If either station is “off the air” then all you will hear is static and noise. (In the case of Z103, you will likely hear 103.3 the edge in Buffalo).
 
“If we are “off the air” there is a problem with the transmitter. Dead air means there is no audio getting from the studio to the transmitter – absolute silence. This can be due to a number of factors which are covered below.
 
(The following is assuming that operator error hasn’t resulted in the afore mentioned pot being down or auto switch being off)... 
 
“Anything longer then 10 seconds is considered dead air.”
 
They make no bones about the fact that dead air is a cardinal sin.
 
“…no one who is reading this e-mail needs to be reminded that being on the air is absolutely imperative for the survival of a radio station. With that in mind, I urge each and every one of you to take an active role in ensuring that some form of audio is being broadcast during computer problems or other technical glitches. Complacency and a “the computer is broken, so it’s not my problem” attitude does no one any good.”
 
The manual is divided by their stations in the GTA, beginning with AM 530, and I assume some of these are because it’s a leased time station:
 
Fault reports for AM530 should contain things such as:
 
• Producer did not show up or was late
• Producer did not leave a backup CD so you played instrumentals
• Logs are not where they are supposed to be, have gone missing or have been taken

• A Producer would not abide by the “5 minute rule” and vacate the chair at the console to give you or the next Producer adequate time to set up.
• Commercials were not played and why
• Producers give you arguments about playing station commercials logged in their hours.
• Too many people in the studio
• Disrespectful or rude behaviour, sexual harassment, etc.
 
For Z103.5, operators are advised to grab a special binder in the event of an emergency:
 
“The binder has day part specific backup CDs. If the ON Air machine fails for any reason, grab a CD and get it on the air ASAP. Then try and get iMediaPix up and running.
 
“If you can’t get iMediaPix running because the network has gone down, continue to play CDs and get on the phone to the After Hours On Call line…”
 
And check out what they have prepared if Jewel 88.5 goes down:
 
“Backup CDs for The Jewel are located in the studio, on the desktop to the right of the On Air screen. They are day part specific and are clearly labeled for:
 
Morning Show – individual tracks, no IDs – 2 hours
Middays/Weekends – 3 x 20 minute continuous sweeps with IDs
Afternoon Drive – Individual tracks

Crooners(The Lounge) – sweeps – 2 hours
Instrumentals – sweeps – 2 hours
Overnights – continuous sweeps – IDs”
 
There’s lots and lots more, including a very specific and detailed list of CanCon requirements (they have to play 35%.)
 
But perhaps this one is my favorite, especially for those poor souls working overnights and apparently in charge of all three stations at once:
 
“Under NO circumstances is anyone to leave leftover food/wrappers/garbage in any of the control rooms. Take your garbage with you. If it is brought to the attention of Operations/Engineering or Management that this is happening, we will have no choice but to BAN all food from the studios.
 
“Under NO circumstances is liquid of any kind to be within 5 feet of an on air console or any other electronic equipment. Drinks must be in re-sealable containers and must be kept well away from the equipment….
 
Paul Evanov has stated that any liquids found within 5 feet of ant critical equipment is grounds for immediate dismissal and that pertains to all on air staff as well as Operators.”  
 
As noted, I’m pretty sure this is old and no longer used. But it’s still a fascinating look into how they operate – or operated. This site may be taken down after this posting, so check it out soon if you want to see all of it.

In the end, there’s nothing that unusual here. All station groups have a manual that covers various circumstances. It’s just generally not on a public site without needing a password. 
 
You can find the site here.
 
The Operators' Manual is here.

 

March 1, 2020 10:47 pm  #2


Re: The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

His corpse isn't cold and you're ripping into him. The Blatchford spirit lives on.

 

March 1, 2020 10:58 pm  #3


Re: The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

Actually, it has nothing to do with him, per se. If you re-read the post, there's not a word of criticism of him anywhere in it or of his family.

I just found their operations manual of interest. Every station does it differently, but you rarely get a chance to see it unless you've worked there.

     Thread Starter
 

March 1, 2020 11:08 pm  #4


Re: The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

The AM530 daily op manuals are amazing. "They know what they're doing" being my favourite recurring quote.

Overall, I don't think I've ever worked anywhere that left so much specific information for employees as easily available.
 

 

March 2, 2020 12:53 pm  #5


Re: The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

it appears the links have been taken down....   likely someone noticed it on here..   

 

 

March 2, 2020 1:23 pm  #6


Re: The Website Evanov Radio Never Wanted You To See

I was still able to access the manual, but you're right, the other one is gone. I had a feeling that might happen. It was still interesting to see it while it lasted. 

If you really want to (and I'm not sure why anyone would) you can download and save the .pdf manual to your local PC or tablet to read before it's gone too. That's where the most interesting stuff is anyway

     Thread Starter