November 2005 RAP
November 2005 Highlights
Feature: Artist Endorsement
By Steve Pigott
Celebrities are all around us. We see them every single day. On TV, in
store windows, on billboards, back of busses, magazines, t-shirts, even
streets are named after stars. Let’s face it, celebrities form part of
everyday life; there is no getting away from it. The retail world is
dominated by products that are endorsed by stars. Why? Simply because it
works! Everybody at some point in there life has connected in some way with
a celebrity. Everyone has an idol. Everyone has someone they admire. You may
not want to admit it anymore, but once you too had posters on your bedroom
wall, and wore shoes simply because your favourite singer endorsed them.
This is why artist endorsement works so well in radio.
Interview: Brian Price, WDVE-FM, Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania
By Jerry Vigil
You can’t talk about monster, heritage rock stations without talking
about WDVE in Pittsburgh. Clear Channel’s pride and joy in Steel Town
continues to dominate, and this month we visit with Brian Price who has been
imaging the station for the past 14 years. It’s another story of a dream job
and one of those guys who’s a “veteran” in the biz, even though he’s only
worked at one station his entire career. Brian gives us the inside scoop on
imaging ‘DVE and we chat a little about his latest venture, Category Five
Sound, his new imaging library company. Be sure to check out Brian’s imaging
demo on this month’s RAP CD!
Test Drive: Steinberg's Nuendo 3
By Steve Cunningham
It’s been almost two years since we looked at Nuendo 2 (see the January
2004 issue of RAP), Steinberg’s last major version of what they call their
Media Production System (or Pro Tools killer, depending on whom you’re
speaking to). Since version 2 the company has been acquired by Yamaha, but
Nuendo’s development has continued apace. It’s a slick and satisfying
product whose only downside is it’s price — now a breathtaking $2499 list.
This month we’ll take a look at what’s new and improved in what is arguably
the most powerful and most expensive of all the native (or non-DSP) DAWs on
the market.
Production 212: One Could Call it Plagiarism (if one
knew how to spell it)
By Dave Foxx
I guess that since I started writing this column, I’ve been averaging
about 12 to 15 emails a week from producers worldwide. Most are full of
praise for a column (read: ass-kissing), some contain constructive criticism
(always welcome), a few have taken issue with what I’ve said (sometimes good
points) and a handful have questioned my immediate heritage. (I can assure
you that I am not illegitimate. I knew both my parents.) One question I’ve
been asked a lot is how much “pre-produced” material finds its way into my
production from services like Chase Cuts™ and Frostbytes Online™.
Feature: Money Funny
By Blaine Parker
As many of you know, I’m ridiculously tuned in to mortgage ads on the
radio. (That’s “tuned in” as opposed to “turned on.” Tuning in to mortgage
ads is business. Getting aroused by them is merely sad.) Anyway, I recently
heard an ad for a company we’ll call Mountainview Mortgage (not their real
name). Hilarious. Top-flight Los Angeles voice talent. One of those snarky,
big-announcer parodies — kind of a low-key Don Pardo with a nudge and a
wink. A really piercing, smartass job. Knew immediately who produced it and
knew it was a noted company that creates brilliant, award-winning radio. So,
I hear this commercial for Mountainview Mortgage (not their real name), and
I think two things. One, that’s damn funny and it’s gonna win some awards.
And two, will it actually work?
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
I remember one evening early in my radio career. Middle of the night,
production orders piled beside me, humming Simon and Garfunkel’s “I am a
Rock.” In those days, unless there was another production junkie in the
building, you really were an island. Several years later, two tools appeared
nearly simultaneously that built a bridge to the other radio Creatives in
the world. The first you are holding in your hands, the second you probably
cruise on your computer every day. Between Radio And Production and the
Internet, I discovered a world of like-minded Creatives to learn from, share
with… commiserate with. They not only changed the way I worked, they also
changed where I worked... and who I was married to.
Radio Hed: Find the Pain
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Your radio commercial, as much as it needs to capture the audience’s
attention by being entertaining, interesting, informative and relevant, is a
sales presentation. Instead of being made in person, it’s made to lots of
individual psyches simultaneously, with the hope that each is participating
while listening.
Monday Morning Memo: 60's, 30's, 15's, or Mentions?
By Roy H. Williams
Shakespeare would argue for fifteen-second radio ads, “Brevity is the
soul of wit.” But W.C. Fields would suggest sixties, “If you can’t dazzle
them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.” I agree with both. When people
ask me, “What’s the best length radio ad?” I always think of Abe Lincoln’s
answer when asked, “How long should a man’s legs be?” Long enough to reach
the ground. In other words, a radio ad should be exactly as long as it takes
to say what needs to be said.
|