September 2007 Highlights

Feature: Gunning For My Job

by Craig Jackman

For the first time in almost five years, one of my guys decided to move on. It wasn’t much of a surprise as it was something we had talked about for a while. I’ve always been told that a good manager encourages his employees to grow; even if that means that they may wind up leaving the company. Mike was certainly welcome to stay, the PD of the station he was imaging loved his work and team ethic, clients and reps loved his commercial work, and his work habits were great. But, he was always going to be stuck in his spot on the ladder unless someone in front of him decided to leave, which was frankly quite unlikely. He left to go to the main competitor, to concentrate on their imaging, but more importantly to get far away from his 5am to noon shifts. I certainly wish him well, and to quote the PD, look forward to kicking his station’s butt. Ironically, the position he’s taking was vacated by the first producer I had the pleasure of hiring. That meant that I had to hire someone else, and as we were coming into Christmas rush, hire someone quickly.

Interview: Anthony Mendez, "Hispanic-American Urban Cool", New York, NY

by Jerry Vigil

Times are a-changing out there. Not long ago, Spanish stations could only be found on the AM dial. Now, it’s quite common to see Hispanic targeted stations in the top 5, beating out some of radio’s historically unbeatable stations and formats. How has this affected the voice-over business? For one, it has created a fast-growing market for people like Anthony Mendez, who only decided to jump into the VO biz three years ago. His timing could not have been more perfect. In this month’s RAP Interview, Anthony gives us some insights into this growing market, how it has changed and what’s to come. Check out this month’s RAP CD for a sample of Anthony’s VO work.

Test Drive: REAPER Multitrack Recorder and Editor

by Steve Cunningham

I stumbled across REAPER during one of my marathon web-surfing excursions in the wee hours of the morning. Like many of us, I probably spend too much time on the Internet. Sometimes I even feel a little guilty, although if I wait a bit the feeling passes. But in this instance I found something on the web that promised to make all that “research” seem worthwhile. I found an inexpensive software editor for Windows called REAPER that can be had for as little as $40. That’s right, forty bucks. The obvious question: what kind of multitrack editor could you possibly buy for forty dollars? As it turns out, a surprisingly good one with very few things missing.

Production 212: Where the Men are Men and the Sheep are Scared

by Dave Foxx

Hi Dave,
My name is Kieran Bell, I’m currently studying at the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch, New Zealand and am beginning my level 3 Thesis research project. I am conducting an applied project on ‘what makes good CHR Radio Imaging’ then I am going to apply my research findings to create an imaging package for ZM here in NZ.
The reason I am contacting you is that I have ALL the RAP Magazines back to 2001 and was wondering if off the top of your head you can recommend any issues that may be of some aid to my chosen topic OR even better, any literature about building a brand image for CHR formats or literature on imaging specifically.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I love production and always look forward to reading your Production 212 article in RAP. Thanks so much.
Regards,
Kieran Bell

Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks!

What are the top tricks or techniques you use in Pro Tools?

Q It Up: This question is for Pro Tools users exclusively: What are the top tricks or techniques you use in Pro Tools — the secret techniques or shortcuts you employ that others might have never heard about? The stuff that isn’t in the manual or is only deep in the manual, or things you only read about deep in forums. These are also the tricks and tips that now you can’t imagine ever living without.

Radio Hed: The Secret Life of Clients

by Jeffrey Hedquist

Beyond the business life of each of your clients is another life filled with stories, interesting facts and material that just might make interesting and effective radio commercials.
I’ve talked in depth about going beyond the typical client needs analysis questions and to do an audience needs analysis (R.A.P. April 2004 & July 2004) to unlock good story material from your client. You can go a step further and gather input that will give the audience a way to connect with the client as a person. This technique won’t work with every client, but for some, it’ll be the most powerful approach you could take.

...And Make It Real Creative: Making Noise - Part 7

by Trent Rentsch

If you’ll allow me an Andy Rooney moment, why is it so hard to connect? Even the most simple, basic connections can be fraught with incompatibility, miscommunication… basically, no spark. Of course, I’m talking about all those poor souls who have been turned down flat by EHarmony.com, but the same could be said of making MIDI controllers connect with your computer and the software inside. It all seems so simple. Plug in a couple of cables, you’re up and running, right? If only. Like those wayward romantics who EHarmony never found a match for, not all hardware and software make a connection, and even if they do, sometimes, not so well.

 

Monday Morning Memo: The Origin of Creativity

by Roy H. Williams

I like to think God said, “Let there be…” and then paused to think for a moment. Suddenly it came to him, “Light!” If you accept the book of Genesis, then God is a creator by nature. And he created us in his image, little miniatures of himself. That means we’re creators by nature, too. Creativity is our heritage. It’s in our DNA. When we create, we’re being Godlike. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do. Musicians, inventors, landscapers, cooks, beauticians and actors and writers of books are just following the call of a creative plan and fulfilling the destiny of a thing called Man. What do you create?

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