May 2006 RAP
May 2006 Highlights
Feature: Creative is Dead... if you're still doing it
the old fashioned way
by Yaman Coskun
A few years ago, I woke up to a depressing thought. I believed, the final
frontier of "radio creative" had been reached. After two decades of doing
this, I thought, whatever could have been done was done. All envelopes were
pushed beyond limit. All creative barriers were broken. Digital technology
combined with cutting edge thinking had given birth to a style of writing
and production which could not be topped. I thought, where do you go from
the Eric Chases of the world? What else is left to scale when you are on top
of the creative mountain? Where else do you turn when your new method is to
recycle your old ideas? How do you shock an audience who is comfortably
numb? How do you help a client who wants to talk to intellectually deaf
ears?
Interview: Eric Weiss, The Eric Weiss Agency, Los
Angeles, CA
By Don Elliot
Eric Weiss is a man of many talents. The thread that goes through this
broadcast agent/consultant/broker’s responsibilities is that he is dedicated
to the world of radio and he represents many LARP (LA Radio People). I
recently had lunch with Eric at his Pacific Palisades office that has an
incredible view of the Pacific Ocean. I sat down to interview Eric Weiss at
his office in a wing of the old Charles Laughton Estate sitting on a bluff
top over PCH in Pacific Palisades. The infinity-edged panoramic ocean view
is as spectacular as any I have seen on the coast of California. Eric claims
he hasn’t had the opportunity to relax in these chairs since our
interview... yeah right! Eric had mentored me on a couple of deals, and I
just one day woke up and thought that some of his sage advice should be
shared with other LARPs for their benefit as well!
Test Drive: Adobe Audition 2.0
By Craig Jackman
Adobe Audition, grown from its roots as Cool Edit and Cool Edit Pro, has
become one of the most trusted digital audio workstations in radio
production. Combining a wide user base with an exceedingly generous amount
of standard features for a modest price, for a number of stations and
individual producers wanting high performance and good value, it is the only
choice. The newest incarnation, Audition 2.0, has been released, and it is
arguably the most different since the original CEP 1.0. What is it, and is
it better than version 1.5 that preceded it?
Production 212: Ouija Boards and Palmistry
By Dave Foxx
Ever have an idea almost at exactly the same time as someone else? I’d
imagine there’s a word for that; something like synchronicity or
serendipity… weird might work too. Well, it happened to me this morning. I
was actually typing a script for sweepers that would promote an upcoming
appearance of an artist on Z100, when my APD waltzed in and said, "We need
some sweepers that will promote an upcoming appearance of an artist on
Z100." Now, Sharon Dastur either thinks I’m psychic or realized that great
minds think alike, because I showed her the mostly finished script that I
was typing when she walked in. Personally, I believe she’s thinking more
along the lines of crystal balls and Tarot cards. She’s been saying for
years that I was psychotic, although I’m sure she means psychic. At least I
think that’s what she means.
Q It Up: The RAP Network Speaks! - How do you backup
your work? Part 2
Q It Up: How do you backup your work? Do you carry an
external drive in your briefcase? Do you backup to a network drive? Do you
have offsite backup? How often do you backup your workstation files and
other important audio? What about your computer’s "system" files; are they
backed up regularly? Perhaps you have a horror story about NOT backing up
your work that will help scare others into the good practice of regularly
backing up! Please add any thoughts and suggestions on the subject.
Radio Hed: Take the Commercial Apart and See How It
Works
By Jeffrey Hedquist
One of the ways to improve your skills in any field of expression whether
it’s visual art, poetry, songwriting, filmmaking or writing is to analyze
the work of the masters in each medium and discover the principles that make
the piece successful. Will it work for radio commercials? In my experience,
yes. Whether you use it as a way to break writers’ block, or as a continuing
method to improve your writing, this exercise may be useful.
Feature: Radio Producers Take Their Act on the Road
By Gregg Singer
It used to be that you could tell the difference between a producer who
works in radio advertising from someone who produces spots for TV by looking
at their tans. While the TV guy might be bronzed from location shoots in the
Rockies and the Bahamas, the radio producer would unfailingly look pale,
having spent all of his or her working hours cooped up in a studio that may
not even have a window. That’s not so true anymore. Due to changing
technology and a desire on the part of some advertisers to inject a touch of
realism into their spots, radio producers are increasingly venturing out of
the studio to record their spots in the real world.
...And Make It Real Creative:
By Trent Rentsch
...I suppose it’s that I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to using
tools unwisely. Not long ago I destroyed the last evidence of the first
month I learned how to apply tape echo. Every one of my voice-overs that
month swam in it, as did the background music… as did the MIX, I’m sad to
admit. It didn’t take long for my Program Director to take me aside and ask
me to knock it off, and thank goodness he did! I was abusing an effect,
turning off our listeners, and stifling my own progress as a Producer.
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