|
|
|
|
Radio And Production
February 2009
February 2009 Highlights
2008 RAP Awards:
R.A.P. Members Vote Next Month!
Next month, the 19th Annual Radio And
Production Awards finalists will appear on
the March RAP CD, complete with a ballot, and RAP
members around the world will have the privilege of
casting their votes to select this year’s best. Get all the details here.
Feature: Tough Times = Good Times?
by Craig Jackman
So here we are facing the worst global economic downturn
since The Great Depression of the 1930s, a time of, at best,
your grandparents or great-grandparents. The big three
automakers are asking for billions in handouts. The US
government buying into banks and insurance companies to the tune
of trillions of dollars. The amounts of money being handed out
will make you go “Oooooooh” just reading all the zeros. The
economy is teetering on the edge of the dumper everywhere, with
a record number of mortgages in foreclosure. Hell, my daughter’s
college education fund lost 40% of its value in 7 weeks. So what
do we do about it?
Interview:
Eric Chase, Eric Chase Creative Services,
Houston, Texas
by Jerry Vigil
As you may be aware, Radio And Production had its 20th birthday
this past November. It was 20 years ago this month that the
first Radio And Production “Cassette” found its way into the
mailboxes of our few charter members. On that cassette was a
promo for the Glenn Beck show on KRBE in Houston, Texas, sent to
us by KRBE’s Production Director, Eric Chase. Wait. Don’t get
confused. There’s more than one Eric Chase. In fact, there are
three well known Eric Chase’s in our industry. We sort all that
out in this month’s RAP Interview with the Eric Chase that
landed at some of radio’s greatest radio stations in his
illustrious career and now does his own thing in the voiceover
and production world through Eric Chase Creative Services, which
has been servicing radio clients and more for nearly two
decades. Find out more about this Eric Chase at www.eccsvox.com,
and be sure to check out some of Eric’s demos on this month’s
RAP CD.
Test Drive:
Digidesign Pro Tools Version 8
by Steve Cunningham
As I write this I’m fully ensconced in my annual Pro Tools
re-training session at Digidesign, consisting of three solid
days of lectures by the company’s training staff and product
managers. Digi recently began shipping version 8 so that is our
focus, and there is a lot of material to cover. Version 8
represents a significant rethink of the program, and contains
changes that should draw a positive response from the production
folks who use it. Heck, it may even generate some converts. Most
of these changes help speed workflow and improve the program’s
ease of use, although as you can see from figure 1, even in a
black and white screenshot, that there’s a fair amount of new
eye candy as well.
Production 212:
Pizza? Who Said Anything About Pizza?
by Dave Foxx
I got a tremendous response to last month’s column about the
“Rules of Production,” mainly from producers who’ve been in the
business for a while and have other producers working for them.
Almost uniformly, they said they passed it on to their
underlings to help them burn their ears in, as most of them are
fairly new to producing. I got one other response a few days
later from one of those underlings working for a UK production
group, asking about Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and how to
discern what it should be. It’s a fair question, and one that
even some very seasoned producers could use some help with.
Radio Hed:
Passion
by Jeffrey Hedquist
What are you passionate about? What do you do for fun? What
would you do for the rest of your life without getting paid? The
answers to those questions are what many of your clients do for
a living. They’re passionate about their enterprises, which
often began as hobbies, interests, or skills that they turned
into businesses.
...And Make
It Real Creative
by Trent Rentsch
It’s been a year since I joined the ranks of the unemployed.
As it turns out, I was a snowflake on the tip of the iceberg.
Downsizing and crumbling companies have put millions out of work
and into the job market this past year. Old news. In fact, the
biggest chorus of “Duh” ever heard is probably ringing through
RAP’s subscription base right now. We’ve all watched and waited,
holding our breath, as the market bounced around, the experts
shook their heads, and the pundits suggested anything from a
probable depression to Armageddon. It seems like there’s never
been a New Year celebration where I’ve heard the phrase, “Here’s
to a better year” than this past one. Bleak times? Oh yeah.
Monday Morning Memo: Ready. Angle. Frame.
by Roy H. Williams
Advertising begins only after you win the
attention of your target, a difficult thing to do in this
overcommunicated world. May I suggest you do it like the Great
Ones? When you’re ready to tell your story, choose an angle of
approach. Then frame the scene. Decide what to include, what to
leave out:
Q It Up:
The RAP Network Speaks -
How has the worldwide economic crisis
affected you?
Q It Up: How has the
worldwide economic crisis affected your business (if you’re an
independent) or your job (if employed)? And what steps have you
taken to adjust and prepare for the challenging year ahead?
Please add any other thoughts you have on the subject including
any advice you might have for fellow producers around the world.
If you have a question for the RAP Network, email it to
jv@rapmag.com!
Paul Hardy: 1952-2008
by Andrew Frame
This past November, my bride and I were off
for our first vacation in two years, and something was wrong.
There was a sadness, the proverbial dark cloud hanging over what
should have been a happy departure to sea. We couldn’t identify
it. Sometimes Brandi or I have this kind of mood individually,
but this time, we felt it together. In the middle of the second
night of our trip, my phone rang. It was my mate Jason, from
Toowoomba, letting me know that our longtime colleague and
dearly beloved brother, Paul Hardy had died of a heart attack at
the age of 56.
Chris Quinn: 1949-2008
by Nick Tozzi
Cleveland lost one of its most talented,
versatile and passionate radio professionals on September 27,
2008 when Chris "The Mighty" Quinn passed away. Chris worked
at legendary Cleveland stations WIXY, WGAR and WMJI, where he
held #1 ratings in the 7-Midnight slot as a jock in the mid
90's. Chris also spent time during his career as a PD, MD and
Chief Engineer. "The Mighty One" was respected and loved by
listeners and radio pros alike. He will be missed.
|
|
|