October 2000 RAP
October 2000 Highlights
Feature: Time to Refresh Your Production Library?
By Andrew Frame
Music Directors do it every week. They pore over the charts, take
schmooze calls from record reps, and then after (hopefully) listening to the
new crop of just-released songs, adds the precious few that will mean as
much for station ratings as it does for the record companies bottom line.
Production people get to do this very same thing to a greater extent, but
fortunately, not every week. I'm talking about refreshing the music in the
production library.
Interview: Matt Wolfe - XM Satellite Radio, Washington,
DC
By Jerry Vigil
After checking out Sirius Satellite Radio a few months ago, this months
RAP Interview gets a preview of the things going on at the other satellite
radio company about to make its debut. XM Satellite Radio is in the process
of building their studios, and satellite launches are planned for the fall.
Many key personnel are already in place, and the job of staffing the huge
production department has begun. One of the first producers to get on board
is Matt Wolfe, a 25-year veteran in the business who brings to XM something
that appears to be in high demand there... creativity.
Test Drive: Cool Edit 2000 from Syntrillium Software
By Steve Cunningham
Every now and then you come across a bargain that looks too good to be
true. In the case of Syntrillium Softwares Cool Edit 2000 audio editor for
Windows, this shareware wonder certainly fits that profile, but its
definitely for real. While it wont handle a huge multitrack session, it will
handle a lot of day-to-day production work and hey, it costs 69 bucks!
Production Libraries: 615 Music Library
By John Pellegrini
In this era of specialized music formats when rock radio can mean 10 or
more different genres, and country radio not far behind, having a production
library that can work in virtually any format is nearly impossible. Yet, 615
Music Library seems to fit that bill. Offering two separate libraries, the
Gold and Platinum Series, there's a wealth of styles available. Everything
from all the different styles of rock and country to jazz, big band swing,
children's music, New Age, and more are represented. They also offer custom
music creation, jingles, promos, and music beds, for station imaging or
client use.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Commercial Breaks:
Other Ways to Make Them Listener Friendly
By Jerry Vigil
Q It Up: Commercial breaks. We hate them; we love them.
And they're getting longer all the time. Unfortunately, many of us are
finding that were unable to control copy content the way we used to.
Especially now when the bottom line seems to be, "get it on the air no
matter what it sounds like cuz we need the money!" So, aside from doing the
best creative work you can under the circumstances, what else do you do to
make spot breaks as painless as possible, if not downright enjoyable? Does
your station "program" the spot breaks, with good production up front and
the dull ones buried? If so, what are the criteria? Do you play interesting
liners or "spot breakers" in the middle of the stopsets to plug the upcoming
music or other programming material? If so, how long are they, and what do
they say? How do you make your stations long commercial breaks tolerable? Or
is this something completely out of your control?
Radio Hed: Freeze and Switch
By Jeffrey Hedquist
The techniques of improvisational theatre can improve your radio writing.
Read about them, take a class, join a troupe, practice, and get on stage if
you want, but use these techniques. They'll give your right brain strength
and agility.
...And Make It Real Creative
By Trent Rentsch
I do not know one person whose life is not a juggling act these days.
What's important for Creatives to remember is that throwing a
Paisley-painted tennis shoe into the routine with those drab juggling balls
life keeps you tossing at you will not disturb the pattern. Rather, it will
make everything fresh, more interesting SAMENESS suddenly becomes DIFFERENT!
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