Stephen A. Smith
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When Life Gives You Parkinson’s…
April is Parkinson’s awareness month. I used my media connections and talents (such as they are) to share my story of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s in my 40’s, with a son, a wife and a career. I wrote a blog piece, created a podcast, appeared on multiple radio and TV shows (here, here, here and…
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Would Your Listeners Vote For You?
I’ve been thinking about how running a Presidential campaign is similar to being a radio personality. We are judged each day by listeners who vote for us by listening and against us by switching to the competition. We are running a never ending campaign for more listeners, more time, more engagement, more loyalty, more recall, and…
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Radio Might Just Be Rocket Science
Over the course of the last few months, I’ve had the honor and responsibility to help launch new News-Talk radio shows on air in Vancouver and Winnipeg. Not that I’d know, but it seems a bit like launching a space shuttle. A huge team, lots of planning, excitement, adrenaline, nerves, back timing, countdowns, someone is…
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RTDNA Takeaways
These are reminders, thoughts, takeaways, interesting observations and things I want to remember from the national RTDNA Canada conference. Tell Stories… Great stories are built around moments, take the audience somewhere and decode jargon or spin. Those three areas are what have helped to make CBC journalist Susan Ormiston such an impactful international correspondent. She…
Apps, Brand, conference, Leadership, News, News-Talk, Programming, Radio, Radio News, story, strategy, Talent -
Our Multi-Platform World
It is certainly not a new idea, but from the first answer of the first session “in the Bear Pit,” at the 2016 RTDNA Canada National convention in Toronto, “multi-platform” was on the tip of everyone’s tongue. A big priority for Troy Reeb, Corus /Global VP of News, Radio and Station Operations, is to “build out…
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Oh, Canada!
I am moving to Canada. (This is me and the view from my new office.) —> Let’s get the two most popular questions out of the way first. No, I’m not hightailing north of the border in anticipation of a Trump presidency. Yes, you can crash on my couch when YOU want to escape Trump’s…
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Navigating Change
Change is scary and uncomfortable for most people. It just is. Humans like to know they are safe and secure. We want to know we have enough money for food and someplace hospitable to rest our head at night. So, when pink slips start flying like they did at KGO last week in San Francisco…
Larry Gifford 