Interview: Tim Burt, Commercial Production Director, KYKY-FM & KEZK-FM, and "Commercial Professor", St. Louis, MO
by Jerry Vigil
Tired of producing boring, ineffective commercial scripts that come from your clients and/or salespeople? There is something you can do. Educate them. Tim Burt is the Commercial Production Director at CBS Radio’s very successful cluster in St. Louis. Tim takes the success of a commercial very seriously and has discovered ways to achieve that objective. A chance meeting with an out of town visitor taking a tour of the station has catapulted Tim’s drive for the better commercial to a side business that appears to be exploding. He’s “The Commercial Professor”, and he’s gone global! Tim has a ton to share, and we only scratch this surface in this month’s RAP Interview. But you’re sure to find several nuggets of valuable info you can start using today to create more effective spots for your station and your station’s clients. Be sure to check out Tim’s audio on this month’s RAP CD for more tips & commercial samples from Tim! It's a free mini seminar!
Whither Audio?
by John Pellegrini
One of the interesting factors of no longer being a ‘radio station employee’ is I no longer listen to radio like a radio industry professional. Instead, I find myself “listening like a radio listener”. Quite frankly, and unfortunately, a lot of what I’m hearing is appalling.
Production 212: FIVE Tips on the Smallish Side
by Dave Foxx
A few years ago, the powers-that-be in my company decided that “Less Is More” would become the mantra for all production and promotion people. Instead of 45 or 60-second promos, all promos could no longer exceed 30-seconds. I worried to my PD that I didn’t think I could get the job done in 30-seconds and that it would constantly be a question of stuffing 10 pounds of poo in a 5 pound bag. He laughed and told me I needed to live up to the word “Creative” in my job title.
Technology: Windows XP Sunsets While SSD Prices Drop (and a brief word about HeartBleed)
by Steve Cunningham
As part of an early spring cleaning effort, I’ve been updating and upgrading some of my older computers, particularly those that have been running Windows XP. Microsoft’s support and bug fixes for XP has just come to an end, so it seemed time to see if I can get a bit more life from some of these potential antiques while they still function.
“...And Make It Real Creative!”: With Friends Like These...
by Trent Rentsch
I've found over the years that those who are most insistent that “radio is dying” are those who, whether by choice or company cut-backs, are no longer in the business. Lord knows they aren’t shy about their opinions… “Consolidation screwed it up for everybody!! Less people, doing more… and all of the good people were fired! Who was left? The flunkies making jack squat per hour! Syndicated, automated CRAP, that’s all that’s left! NOBODY CARES ANYMORE!!” And I wonder why I find it hard to talk to my ex-radio buddies.
Radio Hed: Bait Your Commercial’s Hook to Engage the Listener
by Jeffrey Hedquist
If the characters, voices and situations in your commercial are ones your intended audience can identify with, root for or relate to, then that audience will bite. Those elements need to be distinct, real. Remember, an emotional story will be much more memorable than one that isn't.
Personal Computing: Keys to Your PC Productivity
by Reid Goldsborough
One of the most used, and most overlooked, pieces of digital hardware is the keyboard. Full-size physical keyboards are what most distinguish laptop and desktop PCs from their smaller cousins, tablets and smartphones. Until voice recognition becomes several orders of magnitude better than it currently is, keyboards will remain the quickest, most productive way to input data into a computing device. There are many ways you’re probably not using your keyboard as productively as you could.
The Monday Morning Memo: The Apathy of Leisure
by Roy H. Williams
A person capable of creating is happiest when they are creating. Artists create visual and auditory artifacts that affect our thoughts, moods and attitudes. Riddle-solvers perform feats of engineering and invention. Teachers create new understanding in the minds of their students. Entrepreneurs create businesses that offer us new and different experiences. Communicators create stories and speeches and ads. Made in the image of God, humans are creators by nature. All humans. Yes, that includes you.
