October 2001 RAP
October 2001 Highlights
Feature: A Date With the Wizard
By Steve McKenzie
In June of this year, I attended the Wizard Academy, hosted by Roy H.
Williams Marketing in Austin, Texas. This three-day creative writing course
was a mind-bending, synapse-blowing, and thought-exploding event. I was
given some preview of what was to come by some associates who had attended
earlier. But, like any life-changing event, you don't fully know it until
you get there.
Radio Hed: Magic Pronouns
By Jeffrey Hedquist
"You're traveling through another dimension... a dimension not only of
sight and sound, but of mind... a journey into a wondrous land whose
boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead. Your next
stop... the Twilight Zone."
Remember those words? It wasn't just Rod Serling's distinctive delivery or
the music that made it so compelling, but the fact that it was about us, the
audience. Try reading it in the first or third person. It just doesn't have
the same impact.
Interview: Chadd Pierce - WBYR-FM, Fort Wayne, IN
By Jerry Vigil
Last months RAP CD featured a debut promo from Chadd Pierce called
"Contest Rules." The promo was very well done, but it was not produced by a
major market 10, 15 or 20-year veteran producer. On the contrary, Chadd, who
just recently turned 21, is a newcomer to the industry with just a couple of
years under his belt and still at his first radio station, WBYR "The Bear"
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, market #103. This months RAP Interview offers a
refreshing visit with a talented producer who has a pretty unique story of
how he got into radio. And if the caliber of his work today is any
indication of what's to come, his story is just beginning. Be sure to check
out his demo on this months RAP CD. And note that Chadd uses the air-name
"Dick" which helps to explain references on the demo to "The Bears Dick."
Test Drive: Tascam MX-2424 Hard Disc Recorder
By Steve Cunningham
Last months RAP CD featured a debut promo from Chadd Pierce called
"Contest Rules." The promo was very well done, but it was not produced by a
major market 10, 15 or 20-year veteran producer. On the contrary, Chadd, who
just recently turned 21, is a newcomer to the industry with just a couple of
years under his belt and still at his first radio station, WBYR "The Bear"
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, market #103. This months RAP Interview offers a
refreshing visit with a talented producer who has a pretty unique story of
how he got into radio. And if the caliber of his work today is any
indication of what's to come, his story is just beginning. Be sure to check
out his demo on this months RAP CD. And note that Chadd uses the air-name
"Dick" which helps to explain references on the demo to "The Bears Dick."
Feature: "Pro-sumer" vs. Pro
By Craig Jackman
One of the things that I've had to learn over the years is equipment. Not
how to use the stuff -- everyone has to do that -- but why one piece is
better than the other, or what is the better buy. In 15 years of being a
"Radio Professional," I've been involved to some degree in making over the
studio I work in a couple of times, built a 2nd studio, packed up, moved,
and re-installed both of them, plus helped a couple of former co-workers
with their home studios. About the only thing I haven't done, but somehow
always meant to, was build one for me (mostly money in case you are curious
as to why BTW). What is the one trick I've discovered? For production use,
you are wasting money -- and I mean A LOT OF MONEY -- if you are convinced
that you have to buy the traditional "radio" equipment. Hey, I like tube
mics and x-thousand dollar pre-amps as much as the next guy (maybe even
more), but economics these days demands that you do more with less. Know
what? You can, and after some acclimatization, you'll never know the
difference.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Dealing with Job
Changes - Part 2
By Jerry Vigil
Q It Up: No doubt, the last ten years have been full of
changes, particularly when it comes to job security. Did you quit or get
fired at some point in the past ten years? How did you deal with losing your
job or the fear of losing your job? Perhaps you quit without a new job to go
to. How did you handle the stress and fear of wondering where your next
paycheck was going to come from? What advice would you give to someone
concerned about their job security or someone desperately wanting to leave a
bad situation but afraid to?
RAP Forum: Avoiding On Air Burnout
By Tim Hopwood
Do you remember why you first got into this business? Think. Remember
that feeling you got the first time you stepped up to the mic? Remember how
good you felt when mom or dad heard you on the radio for the first time?
Okay, so they HAD to tell you how good you sounded. But wait, remember how
it felt when that first person you didn't know couldn't believe YOU were
that person on the radio? All of these things as well as many others got you
hooked. So, what happens when you get burned out? Maybe you're getting close
to the "burnt out" phase or worse, you're already there. GREAT! You're
career is over! Well, don't pack up your things just yet, and definitely
don't continue in that phase!
Feature: "Very Good, Sir"
By Ed Thompson
I've had an epiphany of sorts. A fundamental change of heart. A
revolutionary transformation in my way of thinking on what it is that I do.
I am not just a copywriter, producer, or voice. I am a servant.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
Meaningless words used to fill up seconds in a commercial certainly do
nothing to compel the listener to stay for the entire message. They are also
quite frankly wasting the time advertisers are paying for.
Before the words comes the meaning. What is THE message the commercial is
supposed to convey? It must come from the client, it must be asked for by
sales, it must be demanded by copywriters. Armed with this mission
statement, the direction of the words is clear and has focus.
|