by Flip Michaels
IMPETUS - Drug of the creative: After years of intense, stereophonic therapy, I now have the strength to admit to you, on these pages of RAP, that when it comes to tapping creative juices, I'M ADDICTED. (WHEW!) It's true. In fact, I'm using it right now.
IMPETUS. (im\pi-tes), n: moving force; catalyst.
We, the creative, all possess tools of energy. Maybe you shoot "hoops" while brainstorming, or pull out your list of favorite phrases before writing. Either way, you're creating a blue-print, a commercial. And your spots represent you. Ever listen to the RAP Cassette wondering how it would sound if you re-did it? For every unique commercial, there are 10 borrowed ideas. Check out this month's Cassette. Featured are 3 top spots, all finalists in the Radio Mercury Awards: 1) "Conditioning/Record Alley Stores" from WEBN, Cincinnati, OH; 2) "Biff/Subaru" from KSSK, Honolulu, HI; and 3) "Arbitron's 'Great Radio Promotion #2' Award Winner from KNHN, Kansas City, KS. How many times have you walked out of an awards ceremony with a batch of new ideas? If you attended the Radio Mercury Awards, you'd definitely have these clever 3 in hand. (Plug in Cassette now.)
Did you listen to 'em? Joel Moss of WEBN uses the "shocker syndrome" (borrowed from everyone). Cliff Richards of KSSK made our sweet, lovable, Grover (Sesame Street) an auto-mechanic! Is the Greaseman in KANSAS? KNHN comes pprrrreeetttyyy close! All master-crafted award winners indeed. Now that's what I call impetus.
THE BEER BILL: (news sounder) This just in! Senate committee action has begun on legislation that would require warnings in all beer and wine ads. The Senate bill, S.674, would require all radio and TV ads to carry one of seven rotated health warnings (for TV, both visual and voice-over). Major brewers say they will terminate all radio and TV advertising if the legislation is passed.
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENTS: Larry Whitt, CSD at KRBE, Houston warns us: "Be very careful what you use, especially if there are no ASCAP/BMI markings on the disk." It turns out KRBE used :13 of a reggae instrumental track under a hotel spot. The composer/writer, who lives in the signal coverage area, taped the spot, passed it on to his attorney, and served the crew a heavy lawsuit! "Really, there is no way to cover yourself except by purchasing a license to use the piece...it cost the radio station ten grand and the hotel five! That's over $1,100 per second for the dub version of a song that was never a hit!" Thanks Larry. I'm now throwing out our station's "Russian Favorites" and "Latin Fantasies," and....
♦