September 2007 RAP
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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