August 2002 RAP
August 2002 Highlights
Feature: I Love You Mr. Moneybags
By John Pellegrini
One of the many phrases that most production people hate to hear from
sales reps: "When you're done with the spots, call the client and play them
for him." Ranks right up there with, "I know this is kind of last minute"
and "I promised the client your spots could run on the other stations in
town for free." I hear it time and again from so many production people in
radio; they absolutely despise having to call up the client and establishing
any kind of personal relationship with them. Why is this attitude out there?
Interview: Chuck Blore, The Chuck Blore Company, Los
Angeles
By Jerry Vigil
Broadcasting Magazine calls Chuck Blore "...a legend in the radio and TV
industry." Regarded as one of the originators of "Top Forty" broadcasting,
Chuck was named Broadcastings Man-Of-The-Year three successive years for
"Original concepts elevating both the entertainment and the communication
levels of broadcasting." His "Color Radio" concepts for KFWB in Los Angeles
transformed the face of modem broadcasting and made KFWB the most listened
to station... ever. Before or since. The station averaged over a 30-share of
the Southern California audience for over six years until Chuck left to form
his own creative services company.
The Chuck Blore Company has won over 400 major radio and television awards
making it, what Adweek Magazine called, "Probably the most honored company
in the history of broadcast advertising." In 1976 he created "The Remarkable
Mouth" TV commercials for radio stations which have been on the air,
somewhere in the world ever since. 2001 marked the 25th year of continuous
exposure for "The Mouth." That's gotta be a record.
Chuck is the only person ever to have won both of the most coveted awards
the Television Promotion Industry can bestow: The Professional Achievement
Award and induction into the Hall of Fame. The radio industry also honored
him with the Lifetime Achievement Award and induction into The Hall of Fame.
Imaging, branding, and corporate positioning are other arenas in which the
work of CBC has been honored. The launch campaign for The Learning Channel
swept the International Film Festival Awards in Houston winning the Gold,
Silver and Bronze awards. Corporate Films for Tri-Star, Columbia and ABC TV
have been recognized for the "Level of significant achievement." NBC, CBS,
ABC, FOX, DISCOVERY, TLC, CNBC, TLN, and many others have used the creative
services of CBC.
The Chuck Blore Company expanded into program production in 1995, when Chuck
wrote, produced and directed (with a little help form some friends) a
60-minute TV special, "The New Adventures of Mother Goose" featuring Sally
Struthers and Emmanuel Lewis. Chuck received an Emmy nomination for "Best
Directorial Achievement."
Chuck has taught at UCLA, USC, and CSUN. He has spoken to advertising,
broadcast and cable groups in every major city in America and in almost
every English speaking country in the world where there is commercial
broadcasting.
There's a lot more stuff but that's probably enough for now. This months RAP
Interview gets some insight into both the programming and production side of
Chucks legendary career. And we get a sneak peek at Chucks latest offering,
Chucks Kids, a library of voice tracks and more from Chucks amazing archive
of commercials involving child voice talents, a library that puts the core
elements of some of Chucks most successful radio commercials into the hands
of producers everywhere.
Read, assimilate, create.
Radio Hed: Slice of Lifestyle
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Since the most effective radio commercials are stories about your
intended audience, the more you know about that audiences lifestyle, the
more convincing your story will be. Unfortunately, most of the commercials
they hear sound like commercials. So if you can create a story so that the
listener says to themselves, "Yeah, that's what its like," or "Hey, that's
me!" you will have established some immediate rapport with them. That's the
first step.
Test Drive: Vegas Video 3.0 from Sonic Foundry
By Steve Cunningham
Why would anyone involved in radio production ever consider using a
software editor with the word "Video" in its name? If the product is from
Sonic Foundry, purveyors of the industry-standard Sound Forge stereo audio
editor, you'd know enough to consider it. Even given that the products full
moniker is Vegas Video, Ill bet that you'd give it a go, and you'd be right
to do so.
Production 212: Compression De-mystified
By Dave Foxx
For the last couple of months, we've been soliciting people to let us
critique their work in future issues. So far, the response has been about
300 requests for private critiques and 0 for public. {sigh} I guess we
should have seen that one coming. However, there is an interesting thread
I've noticed throughout the private sessions. Just about every response I've
made has mentioned compression. Some have been all about compression; some
mentioned it in passing. It seems that most people need more. So, lets talk
a bit about what compression really is and what it really does because I'm
learning that a lot of people really don't know.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Dealing with
Agency/Client Scripts Requiring Kids' Voices - Part 2
By Jerry Vigil
Q It Up: What do you do when the client or agency comes
up with a script that has children in it? Do you explain the child labor
laws in your area, which prevent you from having a child on staff, and make
them change the script? Do you drag your kids in from school to cut the
spot? Do your kids get compensated? Do you make the sales rep or agency
people provide the child talent? Or do you put that pitch shifter to good
use?
Production Library Review: Organism III from Alien
Imaging
By John Pellegrini
From Jeff Schmidt at KFOG comes a new package of production elements that
should be considered for use at any Alternative or Active Rock station
around the globe. Though you could also make a strong case in using this
package for Urban, CHR, Rhythmic CHR, Hot AC, Modern AC, and Jeff says he's
even sold one to a Classic Rocker. ORGANISM III (more on that number in a
bit) from Alien Imaging (Jeff's production service company) is a collection
of 240 wild elements that can add loads of just the right weirdness to
anyone's sound. They're all on one 98 track CD, with proper indexing for
ease of access.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
Funny how even familiar things can cause so much fear and anxiety. The
act of pushing past the boundaries of our comfort zone, trying new things
and accepting new challenges can scare the hell out of us. even in a place
that's been home, with characters who have been a part of our lives for a
long time. For a Creative, trying new things should be a way of life, but
there's still that inbred human fear of the unknown that can get in the way.
"What if this comes back to bite me?" "What if I screw up?" "What if I look
stupid?" "What if I lose any shred of credibility I've ever had?" You know
what? "What ifs" are just stop signs our minds put up that keep us from
trying to get better. Yes, we all make mistakes and some attempts beyond
ones comfort zone will be horrible, but even those attempts are a learning
and growing experience.
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