April 2007 RAP
April 2007 Highlights
The ballots are in, and your votes have been counted! This year's
competition was another close race with ties in three categories. Please
join us in congratulating the winners, runners-up and finalists of the 17th
Annual Radio And Production Awards!
Click here to see
winners list.
Production 212: "Do It Yourself" Production
By Dave Foxx
Have you ever wished there was a place like Home Depot™ for radio
producers? You could walk into a big, cavernous warehouse that’s full of
cool gear and loads of raw material, with experts at every aisle, ready to
help answer every question you have about how to "do-it-yourself." I know
what my first stop would be… well, maybe after I check out the Apple 30-inch
monitors. I think I’d find an expert on building the perfect sweeper.
Obviously, what counts as perfect for me would be different for someone at
another station, but the expert would know all this and be able to answer
all my questions.
Interview: Susanna K. Hutcheson, Wichita, Kansas
By Jerry Vigil
We talk about “creative” ads and “theatre of the mind” commercials on a
regular basis in these pages. But if you think about it, you’ve probably
heard a very straight-forward ad on the radio, for a product you had an
interest in, and you responded to that ad, by visiting the client’s website,
going to his store, and/or buying his product. In short, the straightforward
commercial worked, and they continue to work for advertisers every day. As
veteran copywriter Susanna Hutcheson would say, it’s not about the
creativity in the spot, it’s about the salesmanship in the copy. It’s about
selling with words. Susanna has been doing this successfully for 15 years,
writing everything from sales letters and radio commercials, to website copy
and direct e-mail, for such clients as Bell Atlantic/NYNEX, Direct Mobile,
The National Enquirer, the American Red Cross, Sears Automotive, Remax
Realty, and a host of others. She is written about in numerous books and
publications, including Marketing Online by Marcia Yudkin and in some of the
famous Jay Conrad Levinson Guerrilla marketing books. She also appears on a
number of radio and television programs to discuss advertising, marketing
and public relations. This month’s RAP Interview takes a look at this
“other” side of writing radio copy as Susanna shares her methods and
explains what makes her commercial copy work for her clients. Be sure to
check out this month’s RAP CD for a few samples of radio spots written by
Susanna.
Feature: Did You Ever Have That Dream?
by Ed Thompson
Okay, I’ll ‘fess up. It has taken a long time, but I am a firm believer
in the fact that words matter, and words matter most in the radio production
world. Cool music beds, fancy production techniques and sound effects, all
blended together by the latest and greatest software in a big hairy state of
the art computer are all great fun to play with, but the words move the
target customer into action. The most effective way to move someone with
advertising or station imaging always involves the right script, performed
by the right voice, delivering the right emotional connection.
Quick Tips: Timesavers
by Don Elliot
In SAW and the new SawStudio: If you would like quick access to your
soundfiles by not having to prowl through many choices of drives and
locations in a myriad of dropdown items, try this next idea Ron Shapiro at
Clear Channel in LA advises: Under "options" in Directory Path Setup: Browse
to set up the default path for opening soundfiles, EDLs and Recording
soundfiles. Then remember to "save preferences" under the "file" pull down.
Test Drive: Sony Vegas 7
By Steve Cunningham
It’s been nearly five years since we looked at Sony’s Vegas multitrack
audio editor (and video production suite). Back then we reviewed Vegas Video
3.0, produced by the boutique-sized Sonic Foundry company. Media giant Sony
bought the Vegas product line in 2003, along with Acid Pro, Sound Forge and
others, and they’ve released regular upgrades for all of them. Vegas Video
3.0 is also the last version installed on my laptop, so it’s high time we
took a fresh look at an editor that’s still widely used in the production
community.
Feature: I'm an Infomaniac!
by Neil Holmes
I have an addiction. That’s the first step toward healing, right, admit
you have an addiction? I have an addiction. It was made plain a couple days
ago when my router died. I am addicted to the Internet and my email. At home
my wife checks her email a couple times a week. I have to check my email a
couple times an hour. My daughter, she’s addicted to instant messaging. Not
me. If it can’t wait for an email, I’ll pick up the phone and call. That’s
what the phone is there for, like sales making an intercom call down the
hall to production.
Radio Hed: Parity Advertisers Aren't All Alike
By Jeffrey Hedquist
Sometimes it seems that there is nothing to distinguish your client from
all the other advertisers in their category. Typical clients who seem to
fall into the "parity pit" are travel agents, cell phone service providers,
mortgage brokers, independent insurance agents, automobile dealers, mattress
retailers, home heating dealers and appliance stores.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks! - If you could talk to
the programmers of Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Sony Vegas and the others,
what program modifications would you ask for? -- Part 2
Q It Up: When the digital world took over our radio
production rooms, only Orban’s Audicy was created for "us", and it had a
good run (and continues to survive in many studios), but it is quickly
becoming extinct. With the discontinuation of that DAW, we have all been
left to work our craft on software programs designed primarily for music and
video post production. What are your major complaints about these
workstations? What would you like to see in the way of improvements to make
them more "radio" friendly? If you could talk to the programmers of Pro
Tools, Adobe Audition, Sony Vegas and the others, and could have anything
you wanted, what modifications would you ask for?
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
Our historical journey to modern day synthesis continues this month, with
our first stop somewhere in Europe in the 11th century, and the birth an
instrument made infamous by a Donovan song back in the 1960’s. The Hurdy
Gurdy, or "Organistrum," as it was originally called, began as a large,
guitar-shaped affair strung with 3 strings, a long neck set with keys (that
were pulled, rather than pushed) and a crank that, when turned, rotated a
wheel to make the strings drone. It took 2 people to play the thing, and it
was really only suited to accompany slow, choral dirges during the
Renaissance. Eventually, a one player version was created (with the new and
exciting PUSH keys), and Hurdy Gurdy men across Europe were strapping on
this early "guitar synth." Variations came and went, and while it’s been
centuries since there’s been a Hurdy Gurdy front man, there are still fans
out there… in fact, I found a couple for sale on Ebay this morning.
The Monday Morning Memo: How to Buy Word of Mouth
By Roy H. Williams
The price of making a powerful statement is cheap compared to the cost of
ads that don’t work. So make a statement that counts. This is the best
advice I can give you. I’m not talking about making a grand and sweeping
claim, such as, "Lowest prices anywhere. We won’t be undersold." No one
believes hype anymore. I’m talking about a statement that is bona fide, no
loopholes, easy to experience. And it only takes one such statement to put a
business over the top. This is why you should designate a percentage of your
ad budget to purchase word-of-mouth advertising.
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