The 23rd Annual Radio And Production Awards - Congratulations Winners!
Please join us in congratulating the winners, runners-up and finalists of the 23rd Annual Radio And Production Awards! We have some newcomers to welcome to the Winner's Table! First time trophy winners include Jesse Simon, who tied himself for a rare double-win in the Medium Market Promo category, Sophie Jackson takes the Small Market Commercial category, and Jason Phelps claimed the Large Market Commercial category. And welcome back for return visits, Sideshow Mike Anderson, Jim Van Dusen, Sheldon Hovde, and Chris Pottage! Jim picked up his second trophy, and the other three each picked up their fourth trophy, putting them in the pack of a total of eight producers who are now all tied for fourth place for all time most trophies won by a producer. And hats off to the writers and voice talent, who in many cases are not the producer, but winners as well!
Q It Up: What's in the future for radio?
Q It Up: A recent editorial in Radio Ink quoted a representative of the automotive industry as saying that "AM and FM are being eliminated from the dash of two car companies within two years and will be eliminated from the dash of all cars within five years." A few days later, Inside Radio reported that GM, Ford and Chrysler all say they are committed to keeping broadcast radio in the dash. Where do you think radio is headed in the next 5 to 10 years? Will it fade into the sunset, or will values drop so low that Mom and Pop locals will emerge from the rubble and revive the industry by making stations viable in their communities again? What do you think the future holds for radio?
Radio Hed: Float Your Commercial in The Stream of Consciousness
by Jeffrey Hedquist
You're familiar with stream of consciousness because it's the way we think. Instead of writing a commercial that sounds like a commercial, create one that sounds like the thinking process – jumping without pause from one observation or reflection to the next. This kind of storytelling is usually first-person narration – a kind of Interior monologue that goes beyond rational thought, to include associations, impressions, and fragments. It's essentially one long run-on sentence. You can also create it from second person point of view.
Production 212: The Internship Continues
by Dave Foxx
So far, reaction to this 'intern' idea has leaned to the positive. Only a few responses, which is not unusual, but they've been pretty much a 'thumbs up'. One grizzled radio producer (his words) in Virginia even asked if his career would suddenly be brilliant when we're done. I make no promises but can assure you that as remedial as this all is for some, there will be a nugget or two you can take away. I've even surprised myself a few times. Just the act of sitting down and writing out things I know has exposed some ideas I had only suspected were there. The offer continues to have you write with questions or better insights to set me straight. My email is
Test Drive: Focusrite's Scarlett 2i2
by Steve Cunningham
The computers in the lab at USC, where we teach digital recording and editing, are in active use for up to 80 hours every week. They're used by students who know what they're doing, and by a substantial number who definitely do not. As a result, we routinely replace half the computers every summer, and the accessories nearly as often. Since we are an Avid-certified training school, we've been partial to Avid's products (and Digidesign's before the name change). Their Mboxes have generally been reliable, and have worked well with every software package we've used over the years. Nevertheless, our Mbox 2 units began to fail about six months ago; the primary point of failure is the USB jack, which becomes loose over time and begins to intermittently cut out, which in turn generates session-stopping errors and crashes with the software. The secondary failure point is the knobs, which become noisy and inaccurate. Since the latest version of Pro Tools no longer requires an Avid interface to run the software, we began an outside-the-box search for suitable replacements.
"...And Make It Real Creative!": The End?
by Trent Rentcsh
So it begins again. I'm sure you've heard the story by now, how new car models will no longer come standard with a radio. Oh, the wailing, the flailing of arms! "THAT'S IT!! RADIO IS FINALLY, REALLY AND FOR TRUE, ABOUT TO DIE FOREVER! Oh, the HUMANITY!!" The panic, oh, the panic! Liquor sales at bars lucky enough to be near radio stations are at an all-time high, as are applications at used car lots and steel siding companies.
The Monday Morning Memo: Why Ads Fail
by Roy H. Williams
I've never met a business owner whose advertising failed because they were reaching the wrong people. Let me say that again. I've never met a business owner whose advertising failed because they were reaching the wrong people. Advertising fails when people have: 1. no knowledge of the offer. The ad is easily ignored. 2. no interest in the offer. The offer is (A.) irrelevant or (B.) misunderstood. 3. no trust in the offer. The claims made in the ad are not credible.
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