radio
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The Future of Radio is the Past
In the Golden Age of radio, the 1930’s and 1940’s, radio actors created theater of the mind. Each night a different character in a different radio drama from Sherlock Holmes to the Shadow. Foley artists brought the shows to life. Game shows were launched. And news was the backbone bone of a growing entertainment industry.…
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Cirque du Radio
Kooza is a Cirque du Soleil show currently underway in Vancouver. It combines two great traditions of the circus: mind-blowing acrobatic performances with the art of clowning. Take a minute and watch this video. I was at the show last night and saw this awesome assembly of remarkable talent. It’s a really, really talented troupe.…
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Recipe to Make Radio Fun Again
I remember when I first got into radio the studios were magical. I’d spend hours with a grease pencil, a razor blade, and splicing tape to execute just the right edit on a bit that would come and go in 60 seconds. I’d cue up records and practice talking up the post. We’d all hang…
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Broadcast Interview Scruples
The relationship between a broadcaster and an interview subject has triggered my curiosity. Let me tell you why. About 6 days before the Canadian election, Prime Minister Stephen Harper reached out to the radio station I work with and made himself available for an interview. He rarely talks to media and it was certainly topical…
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The Naked Truth
The news is devastating to the 13-year old boy inside us all: Playboy magazine will no longer print nude pictures. The magazine that coined the word “centerfold,” will no longer have a use for the word it originated. Playboy without nudes? That’s like getting money from a bank without having to talk to a teller,…
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Ego, Greed and Power
This week on the Radio Stuff Podcast (Episode 115), I spend 40 minutes examining the rise and fall of Cumulus founders Lew & John Dickey. The board of directors staged a coup last week and they are no longer running the company they founded in 1997. The Dickey’s fall from grace is a thousand miles…
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Here’s The Thing About Breaking News
If you are going to go into “breaking news” coverage – own it. That’s the thing about breaking news. At least that is my thing about breaking news. If a talent asks me, “Did we do too much on the breaking news story?” My answer will almost certainly be, “impossible.” When a story warrants being…
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I was Kidnapped by Burger King for 45 Minutes
On Friday, after a day of travel I pulled into a Burger King drive-thru. I was 30 minutes into my 2 1/2 hour drive from the airport to home. I didn’t eat on the plane and needed a quick fueling. The man with the headset took my order and told me to pull up to…
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If Radio Was Like Blueberries…
I spent a good half-hour talking to a blueberry farmer the other day. He was passionate, knowledgeable, and eager to discuss the business. He talk about how blueberries are becoming more popular internationally in China and some countries in Africa in addition to North & South America and Australia. He knew all about his competitors…