April 2005 RAP
April 2005 Highlights
The ballots are in, and your votes have been counted! This year's
competition was as tough as any, and the races were close, resulting in ties
for 1st Place in two categories and 1st Runner-up in one category. "Ad
Wizards" Jason Skaggs and Timothy Miles battled it out in Small Market
Commercials virtually splitting all the awards in that category. Rob Frazier
and Yaman Coskun had a similar battle in the Large Market Commercial
category. Stewart Byars made RAP Awards history by being the first person to
tie himself for first place in a category, netting himself two RAP Trophies
for the Small Market Promo category. It doesn't get any sweeter than that!
Please join us in congratulating the winners, runners-up and finalists of
the 15th Annual Radio And Production Awards!
Interview: Maureen Bulley, The Radio Store, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
By Jerry Vigil
We last interviewed Maureen Bulley ten years ago [December 1995 RAP],
shortly after she left her radio gig to start her own company, The Radio
Store, a consulting firm that helps Media companies create more effective
advertising and promotional copy. Today, The Radio Store is thriving.
Maureen has trained hundreds of writers and producers to write more
effective commercials, and helped a variety of broadcasters develop
"in-house agencies" to better serve their direct clients. She has authored 3
major training initiatives including the Radio Power Tools program and the
Certified Radio Copywriter program: the official industry certification
course. Her latest book is entitled "Write Good Copy, Fast!" Maureen has
been working in the broadcast industry for over two decades at a variety of
radio and television stations. She is one of the most-awarded Creative
Directors in North America with several Clio and International Radio
Festival Awards to her credit. Maureen is a frequent presenter at State
Association, RAB and NAB Conventions worldwide, and is a regular contributor
to a variety of industry publications. Maureen is a Certified Print
Production Practitioner and Certified Advertising Agency Practitioner,
industry designations awarded by the Institute of Canadian Advertising. She
is also a Professor of Media Studies at Humber College in Toronto. We catch
up with Maureen in this months RAP Interview as she shares some highlights
of the past decade and gives us some insights into dealing with those direct
accounts.
Test Drive: Sound Forge Version 8
By Steve Cunningham
New software versions are funny things sometimes they add significant
features and coolness, and sometimes they don't. When the upgrade to Sound
Forge version 7 came along, I took a pass on it. There were some cool
features added in v7, like the Explorer-type window that allows drag and
drop for loading and pasting, VU meters, and effect automation. But they
just weren't compelling enough for me to spend the upgrade fee, so I've kept
chugging along happily on Forge 6.
Meanwhile, Sony bought the assets of Sonic Foundry soon after Forge 6 was
released, and in fact one of the v6 upgrades involved little more than
changing the splash screen from Sonic Foundry to Sony. While some of us were
initially concerned that Forge might languish under Sony, this has not been
the case. Sony continued to improve and update the program, and has just
released Sound Forge version 8.
Production 212: A Mass Communications Refresher
By Dave Foxx
I recently had the chance to travel to Morgantown, West "by gawd"
Virginia to speak to the West Virginia Broadcasters Association. I don't
think I've ever gotten a warmer reception from any group of people in my
life. I want to thank every one of them personally for what turned out to be
a terrific learning experience for me. For the next few issues of RAP, Ill
be going over some of the material I presented there in this column. Some of
you might find it rather basic, but it might help you understand better
where my head is as I pass out my own brand of imaging advice on these
pages. So sharpen your pencils, sit up straight and get ready for an Imaging
101 refresher course.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks - What are some of your
favorite plug-ins?
Q It Up: Time to get an update on your favorite plugs!
What are some of your favorite 3rd party plug-ins? Who makes them? What do
they do? Any new plugs on your wish list?
Feature: Got Parody?
By Blaine Parker
Kragen tried to do it again. Seems like the millionth time. I explained
why it was a lousy idea. He wouldn't believe me. To make my case, I finally
had to go online and pull down legal decisions from the California Supreme
Court.
Radio Hed: Directing Voice Talent III
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Should you give scripts to your talent in advance of the session? This
can make sense if its talent you've worked with and trust. The danger is
that sometimes they'll get stuck in an interpretation that might be
difficult to get them out of. If you do give them scripts in advance, at
least talk with them so they understand the interpretation you want.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
They found him still clutching the phone. Some said that the expression
frozen on his face was terror; others said no, it was more like hysteria.
Still others said that it was surprise deadly surprise. The mystery deepened
when they found the person who had been on the other end of the phone. "We
were talking, there was this crazy laugh, then THUD! and the line went
dead." Could it be something they were discussing that brought this on? "I
cant imagine," said the Sales Rep. "We were just talking about a spot he'd
been working on for one of my clients.
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