February 2004 RAP
February 2004 Highlights
Feature: What You've Wished Might Will Come True
By John Pellegrini
It happened again; you received the mp3 (or mp2) from THAT client the one
that always sends you the worst commercials you've ever heard. The client
who does his or her own commercials and who sounds like all their teeth are
falling out of their mouth while they speak. The client whose copy is so
loaded full of grammatical and pronunciation mistakes you begin to question
whether they've had a grade school education. The client who puts in so many
price points and phone numbers that you cant even figure out where their
store is located.
Interview: Mary Collins - The Collins Communications
Group, Morrisville, Vermont
By Jerry Vigil
This months RAP Interview checks in with another veteran in the business,
ten years after visiting with her in 1994. Mary Collins, as you may recall
from the June 1994 interview, had established a successful and profitable
"in-house ad agency" at the Knight Group of stations in Burlington, Vermont.
Since then, she has gone out on her own to form the Collins Communication
Group where she has successfully utilized her keen business and marketing
skills to make money both for herself and her clients. In this months
interview, Mary shares the secrets to her success and offers suggestions for
radio stations to help improve the quality of in-house produced commercials
and the bottom line. Her demo on this months RAP CD offers a great example
of the caliber of work coming from Mary Collins today.
Test Drive: More Freebies! - Downloadable Effects
Plug-ins
By Steve Cunningham
This month were going on a bit of a scavenger hunt. Were gonna scour the
World Wide (and often, time-wasting) Web looking for some things we can
really use more free effects! That's right, if you are willing to navigate
through hundreds of strange and sometimes poorly-designed web sites (not to
mention the odd porn site), then you too can find some great-sounding effect
plug-ins at a price even your GM will like. If you prefer, you can save
yourself all that time and eyestrain and just read this brief roundup.
Gathered here are three of my current favorite free plug-ins for your dining
and dancing pleasure.
Production 212: Processing the Final Mix
By Dave Foxx
Keeping with the line of thought from my last two columns, Id like to
drone on about compression again. This time, its overall compression on your
finished production, rather than individual tracks. Up front, I hafta say
that this does sound like a boring topic, but it has a real-world impact on
how your work sounds on the air. Hopefully it will also answer a lot of the
questions I've been getting from readers.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - What have you done
recently to improve the output of your studio?
Q It Up: You've probably heard the expression, "you're
only as good as your last promo or commercial." What have you done in the
past year or so to improve the output of your studio? Have you added some
new equipment or software? Have you added some new production libraries or
services? Have you attended some classes/seminars or read some helpful
books? Have you taken that workstation to new levels? Explored some new
plug-ins? What have you done to make yourself and your department more
valuable to your station(s) or company? What advice would you give fellow
Production/Creative Directors, writers, producers, and/or VO talents to do
the same?
...And Make It Real Creative: The Phone Call I Wish I
Had Made...
By Trent Rentsch
"Yes, hello? Id like to speak to your owner please. Me? Oh, I'm the guy
who produces your radio commercials what? Ah, no. That would be your sales
rep. He takes the information, gives it to me, and then I he told you that
he does it all? Gee, I'm stunned. Listen, may I speak to your owner?"
Radio Hed: Exaggerate
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Often, when were stuck for words when writing radio, we need to step back
and forget the script, and think about the idea. What about the product, the
service, the store, or the people inspire us? Often, tasting, touching,
researching or using a product or service will help us discover the most
powerful point to make.
Monday Morning Memo: The Death of Hype
By Roy H. Williams
Fourteen weeks ago I wrote you a memo that said, "The bad news is that
its going to get harder and harder to make ads work. The good news is that
advertisers are going to have to become a lot more honest. The generation
that will soon control the world is wise to all the old tricks."
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