January 2004 RAP
January 2004 Highlights
Feature: Can You Tell a Story?
By Dick Orkin
When are radio commercials -- and the people who make them -- going to
get down to work and finally do better work? I mean work that will grab
attention, with content that gets heard by head as well as heart; that
fascinatingly informs, or even electrifies, or that produces smiles and
chuckles and, most importantly, gets indelibly remembered? Does it matter?
Yes. So don't raise the "hooray for radio" flag too high yet Bunky, because
the diminishment of the radio audience as one that seriously counts for
advertisers, may be nearer then you think.
Interview: Steve Pigott, Kiss 100, London, England
By Jerry Vigil
The RAP Interview decided to stay one more month in the UK. Last month,
in our chat with Hamish McLean at Urban Radio, Hamish mentioned that he
thought the production coming from Kiss 100 in London was some of the best
in the city. So, off we go to Kiss 100 to find out who's behind the imaging
there. Much to our surprise, it wasn't some 20-year production veteran we
found, but instead, a 21-year-old production wiz. And this wasn't a case of
one imaging guy who also images two or three other stations in the chain. On
the contrary, we found Steve Pigott as just one-half of an "imaging team"
working for just one station! Be sure to check out Steve's demo on this
months RAP CD, and be sure to check out Kiss 100 live online at
www.kiss100.com.
Feature: For All Your Radio Cliché Needs
By Todd Caruth
"You've tried the rest now buy the best." "Our service is second to
none." "A friendly knowledgeable staff!" Have you heard these words before?
Even worse, have you ever written those words before? "You heard me right!
You can save like never before because this is the sale you've been waiting
for." These quick little sayings that roll off the tongue and occasionally
contain a speck of truth are called clichés. Webster's defines a cliché as
"a trite expression or idea" originating from the French word, clicher
meaning "to stereotype."
Test Drive: Steinberg's Nuendo 2.0
By Steve Cunningham
The world of software DAWs has been significantly rocked in the past year
or so... IQS and SAW are essentially gone, Apple bought Emagic and
discontinued the PC version of Logic, Cool Edit Pro is now Adobe Audition
and Cool Edit 2K is history, and Sony owns all of Sonic Foundry's products.
Yikes! if you're not a fan of change, then this has been a tough year for
you. On the other hand, Pro Tools is still Pro Tools, and Digidesign
continues to maintain the largest user base in the audio industry. But if
you read the trade press, they've got competition, notably from Steinberg's
Nuendo package. And yeah, Steinberg was bought by video software maker
Pinnacle late last year. It figures.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - Creative Commercial
Success Stories - Part 2
Q It Up: Describe one of the most successful commercials
you've been involved with creatively. What was the concept? Where did the
idea come from? How successful was it for the client? Why do you think it
was so successful? Was there anything special about the production aspect of
the commercial? If you have a copy of the commercial, please feel free to
send it along with your answer, and well feature it on the RAP CD!
Radio Hed: Dialogue is Conversation
By Jeffrey Hedquist
If you make your commercial sound like real life, instead of sounding
like a commercial, you have a better chance of capturing the attention of
that over-communicated-to audience listening in. In natural conversation,
people just don't stay close-mic'd. They turn, bend and move. Try putting up
a few ambient mics in the studio fed to separate tracks to give your actors
a chance to do the same, while capturing their voices. These "off-mic" bits
of dialogue can help your commercial make a huge leap in believability.
Production 212: Popping the Phat VO
By Dave Foxx
I guess the number one question I get from production newbies is how to
get the voice track to pop without going through a lot of arduous ducking
and dodging. The number two question is how to "phatten" the VO to make it
sound huge, without obliterating the music and effects. Well, the two are
more closely linked than you might think. Getting the voice to pop first is
key to making it phat. Many regular readers will recognize this as a sort of
extension of what I talked about last month: textures. This month, Im
getting more into the nuts and bolts of voiceover processing.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
Habit is a dangerous thing for a Creative. Whether you think of yourself
dipping into a Creative well, mining a vein of Creative gold, or dancing
with your Creative Muse, you must expose yourself to new experiences.
Otherwise, the well will go dry, the mine will be stripped, and the Muse
will be off to find a partner with some new moves. Ive pounded that drum to
kindling over the years, yet I find myself guilty of it myself over and
over. There is comfort in the familiar, and deep down we desire that
comfort. But along with comfort and familiarity comes complacency, and that
is poison for a Creative.
RAP Forum: The 2004 Zero Expense Production Budget
By Jeff Ogden
If 20% of a sales reps list makes 80% of the station's revenue, what Real
Marketing Plan do you have on the table for each client next year? If 80% of
a sales reps list makes only 20% of the station's revenue, what Real
Marketing Plan do you have to grow those clients into bigger budgets for
next year?
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