That EVERYONE who's been substituting for the 7-10 pm weeknight "host" for KFI is actually BETTER than the regular host? Who would've known? Maybe most of us.. Common sense.
Even when the last "vacation" came around and Mark Thompson and Stephanie Miller filled in, the sound and flow of the evening shows was much easier to take... Easier on the ear and they both (in my humble opinion) handled their segments without stuttering or trying to clear their collective throats many times in a 5 minute period.. Sounded like real good radio. And I can't be the only one who's noticed this. Not by a long shot..
So the question remains: Why does everyone who fills in for "jr." better and smoother than "jr.?"
(Stephanie Miller hasn't been in radio as long as "jr." and sounds so much more together, politics aside)
Just one of those unexplainable things in the universe that continues to confound the programming staff at KFI. Oh, by the way.. While we're hitting home with at least a stand up double, a response to Mr. Eduardo, who responded in kind to one of my previous posts..
No one is contesting your somewhat anal need to be correct and no one is disputing your facts and figures re: ratings/TSL/history in L.A. or anything you provide to this forum.. Certainly not this writer. But your response to me sounded like you thought that I was tearing apart KFI and defaming them someway as a less then adequate station.. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I never attacked KFI as a station and for the most part, they do well for whatever it is they're doing at the time they decide to do it..
All I have ever done in writing, when it came to KFI, was to point out that their 7-10 pm weeknight "host" is not mentally or physically capable of doing an important shift like 7-10 pm, and was so myopic that almost every show revolved around about 5 subjects, all related to either his vices or his life is some way or another.. That's all I said about KFI as a station..
Rest assured that I'm NOT attacking the station as a whole, or what it provides as entertainment or whatever they decide to do on a moment's notice when Robin has a spate of clear thinking..
You may now rest easy.. At ease, soldier.
So, why does everyone who fills in for "jr." sound more capable of conducting themselves like a true radio host than "jr." does?
Just a simple question. And once again, I can't be the only one who's noticed. Maybe the only one who's got the stones to continually point it out in writing or otherwise..
And last year, we listened to Gina and Randy fill in.. And they kept it moving, sounded like they were glad to be there, and had subjects to tackle and bring up. And once they seemed done with one subject, either Randy or Gina had another one to hand out to the audience.. In the business, it's called "Prep" or preparation. Wait a minute... That would mean that neither one of them HAD to visit the track daily to lose money, and hence make it back home to explain their bitter fortune to their significant other.. WOW. That's a concept.. No wonder "jr." comes in and sounds like he's heard it from Jenn when he starts his show..
Am I the only one who's also noticed this? That Mark Thompson or Stephanie Miller or whoever shows up in that chair, lacking a medical card, sounds as though they really WANT TO BE THERE!
Yeah, "jr." isn't really all that bright and no matter how many parades he talks himself and others about getting into, it still boils down to the fact that IF he's not throwing out the same stories and anecdotes that we've all heard over and over, there really isn't much show..
How many times have we heard about when you're most likely to get murdered in a city like L.A?
We know because it's a weekly reminder.. All that medical stuff, borderline alcoholic fervor, and loss of gray matter over the years let's "jr." think that EACH TIME he tells a story or anecdote --- it's the FIRST TIME you've heard it.. Because in HIS mind, it's the FIRST TIME he's mentioned it.
So how come everyone who substitutes for "jr." when he's on "vacation" in Oregon sounds like they've got it together and are easier to listen to than "jr.?"
Just one of those imponderables that maybe has no logical explanation.. Here's a thought..
Thompson hasn't done radio since the 80's.. So, it's natural that he'd be a little rusty.. But he's really not.. Very listenable and self-deprecating in a very amusing way.. And Gina and Randy aren't exactly NEW to the studio or a microphone.. And THEY sounded more together than "jr." on an average night, which by coincidence is less than average. Don't get me started on his needing to sing off key like a kid in an elementary school chorus trying to stand out and get attention from his embarrassed parents in the audience of the auditorium..
Oh wait.. THAT IS "jr.".. Always trying to get approval from his parents at almost age 50 and still at it.. His verbiage and delivery are all something Freud would have a field day with..
So, why is everyone who fills in for "jr." when he's on "vacation" better and more together with their show prep and ability to think fast and off the top of their head, than "jr." is?
Oh yeah.. We're not supposed to bring it up or talk about it.. Like Robin's memos about dragging your personal life into your show, when there's nothing else to talk about.. IGNORED for the most part in the 7 - 10 pm weeknight shift at KFI.. Hey "jr."... We all know you have a daughter, so you can rest easy.. We all know that maybe you had sex once.. So, you can stop 'bragging' in that not-so-subtle way you have.. Most of us passed that milestone in our teens.. Again, anyone with a modicum of studying for their MFCC could pick that one out a mile away.. And why a mile away? Because "jr." has` told us many times (weekly, if not nightly) that he lives around a mile from the station and how long it takes him to get to his home after he leaves the station.. A mile.
It's bad radio psychology and bad product on the air to mention things like that over and over again.. Robin should've picked up on that, but programming isn't her forte. More like babysitting.. In case` "jr." reads this or Misty is back from the East Coast and sees this, here's a major market programming suggestion from a major market programmer. Not me, someone else..
IF you constantly talk about your home and how long it takes to get there and how many miles it is or isn't from the station, etc., it plants an idea in the listener's mind and ears. And that is: By mentioning your home and distance your home is from your work, you're telling the audience that you can't wait to get home and get out of there. Period. And that should not be a main priority for your show content.. Even though it DOES include something about YOU, and that is what it's all about, right?
But some of us know you pre-record your last break and use the last stop set to record what you need to get out of there, so you can have an extra 5 minute head start to that very busy multi- level parking structure that isn't at all busy at 10 pm .. So the next night, you can tell us that you only live a mile or so from the station and that you can catch George Noory and his first block before HIS first stop set, and be in your very own driveway in that 954 sq. foot shack of yours that you keep letting us know you've traded services out for, because you're really very cheap.
Unless you're at the track, and that takes us back to show prep, and your lack of same..
See, whether it's me talking about "jr." and his "vacation" to just outside of Portland, but not south of the city (like Beaverton.. Too expensive for someone who's cheap) it all comes back to his need to blow money at the track on an almost daily basis.. And that really doesn't bother me.. It's his trade out money, not mine.. Until it comes to a night that the Dodgers aren't playing and his lack of knowing what he's doing from one minute to the next.. And then it all becomes apparent..
IF/WHEN Misty leaves after the wedding, what will he do without a REAL babysitter.. You think he's confused about subject matter and timing now? Just wait.. Bender, are you ready to take on another position without extra pay, just to keep "jr." within the format and clock?
Oh, this should be fun for all concerned..
Thanks for reading, one and all .. It's appreciated..
Von Nupkins...
Even when the last "vacation" came around and Mark Thompson and Stephanie Miller filled in, the sound and flow of the evening shows was much easier to take... Easier on the ear and they both (in my humble opinion) handled their segments without stuttering or trying to clear their collective throats many times in a 5 minute period.. Sounded like real good radio. And I can't be the only one who's noticed this. Not by a long shot..
So the question remains: Why does everyone who fills in for "jr." better and smoother than "jr.?"
(Stephanie Miller hasn't been in radio as long as "jr." and sounds so much more together, politics aside)
Just one of those unexplainable things in the universe that continues to confound the programming staff at KFI. Oh, by the way.. While we're hitting home with at least a stand up double, a response to Mr. Eduardo, who responded in kind to one of my previous posts..
No one is contesting your somewhat anal need to be correct and no one is disputing your facts and figures re: ratings/TSL/history in L.A. or anything you provide to this forum.. Certainly not this writer. But your response to me sounded like you thought that I was tearing apart KFI and defaming them someway as a less then adequate station.. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I never attacked KFI as a station and for the most part, they do well for whatever it is they're doing at the time they decide to do it..
All I have ever done in writing, when it came to KFI, was to point out that their 7-10 pm weeknight "host" is not mentally or physically capable of doing an important shift like 7-10 pm, and was so myopic that almost every show revolved around about 5 subjects, all related to either his vices or his life is some way or another.. That's all I said about KFI as a station..
Rest assured that I'm NOT attacking the station as a whole, or what it provides as entertainment or whatever they decide to do on a moment's notice when Robin has a spate of clear thinking..
You may now rest easy.. At ease, soldier.
So, why does everyone who fills in for "jr." sound more capable of conducting themselves like a true radio host than "jr." does?
Just a simple question. And once again, I can't be the only one who's noticed. Maybe the only one who's got the stones to continually point it out in writing or otherwise..
And last year, we listened to Gina and Randy fill in.. And they kept it moving, sounded like they were glad to be there, and had subjects to tackle and bring up. And once they seemed done with one subject, either Randy or Gina had another one to hand out to the audience.. In the business, it's called "Prep" or preparation. Wait a minute... That would mean that neither one of them HAD to visit the track daily to lose money, and hence make it back home to explain their bitter fortune to their significant other.. WOW. That's a concept.. No wonder "jr." comes in and sounds like he's heard it from Jenn when he starts his show..
Am I the only one who's also noticed this? That Mark Thompson or Stephanie Miller or whoever shows up in that chair, lacking a medical card, sounds as though they really WANT TO BE THERE!
Yeah, "jr." isn't really all that bright and no matter how many parades he talks himself and others about getting into, it still boils down to the fact that IF he's not throwing out the same stories and anecdotes that we've all heard over and over, there really isn't much show..
How many times have we heard about when you're most likely to get murdered in a city like L.A?
We know because it's a weekly reminder.. All that medical stuff, borderline alcoholic fervor, and loss of gray matter over the years let's "jr." think that EACH TIME he tells a story or anecdote --- it's the FIRST TIME you've heard it.. Because in HIS mind, it's the FIRST TIME he's mentioned it.
So how come everyone who substitutes for "jr." when he's on "vacation" in Oregon sounds like they've got it together and are easier to listen to than "jr.?"
Just one of those imponderables that maybe has no logical explanation.. Here's a thought..
Thompson hasn't done radio since the 80's.. So, it's natural that he'd be a little rusty.. But he's really not.. Very listenable and self-deprecating in a very amusing way.. And Gina and Randy aren't exactly NEW to the studio or a microphone.. And THEY sounded more together than "jr." on an average night, which by coincidence is less than average. Don't get me started on his needing to sing off key like a kid in an elementary school chorus trying to stand out and get attention from his embarrassed parents in the audience of the auditorium..
Oh wait.. THAT IS "jr.".. Always trying to get approval from his parents at almost age 50 and still at it.. His verbiage and delivery are all something Freud would have a field day with..
So, why is everyone who fills in for "jr." when he's on "vacation" better and more together with their show prep and ability to think fast and off the top of their head, than "jr." is?
Oh yeah.. We're not supposed to bring it up or talk about it.. Like Robin's memos about dragging your personal life into your show, when there's nothing else to talk about.. IGNORED for the most part in the 7 - 10 pm weeknight shift at KFI.. Hey "jr."... We all know you have a daughter, so you can rest easy.. We all know that maybe you had sex once.. So, you can stop 'bragging' in that not-so-subtle way you have.. Most of us passed that milestone in our teens.. Again, anyone with a modicum of studying for their MFCC could pick that one out a mile away.. And why a mile away? Because "jr." has` told us many times (weekly, if not nightly) that he lives around a mile from the station and how long it takes him to get to his home after he leaves the station.. A mile.
It's bad radio psychology and bad product on the air to mention things like that over and over again.. Robin should've picked up on that, but programming isn't her forte. More like babysitting.. In case` "jr." reads this or Misty is back from the East Coast and sees this, here's a major market programming suggestion from a major market programmer. Not me, someone else..
IF you constantly talk about your home and how long it takes to get there and how many miles it is or isn't from the station, etc., it plants an idea in the listener's mind and ears. And that is: By mentioning your home and distance your home is from your work, you're telling the audience that you can't wait to get home and get out of there. Period. And that should not be a main priority for your show content.. Even though it DOES include something about YOU, and that is what it's all about, right?
But some of us know you pre-record your last break and use the last stop set to record what you need to get out of there, so you can have an extra 5 minute head start to that very busy multi- level parking structure that isn't at all busy at 10 pm .. So the next night, you can tell us that you only live a mile or so from the station and that you can catch George Noory and his first block before HIS first stop set, and be in your very own driveway in that 954 sq. foot shack of yours that you keep letting us know you've traded services out for, because you're really very cheap.
Unless you're at the track, and that takes us back to show prep, and your lack of same..
See, whether it's me talking about "jr." and his "vacation" to just outside of Portland, but not south of the city (like Beaverton.. Too expensive for someone who's cheap) it all comes back to his need to blow money at the track on an almost daily basis.. And that really doesn't bother me.. It's his trade out money, not mine.. Until it comes to a night that the Dodgers aren't playing and his lack of knowing what he's doing from one minute to the next.. And then it all becomes apparent..
IF/WHEN Misty leaves after the wedding, what will he do without a REAL babysitter.. You think he's confused about subject matter and timing now? Just wait.. Bender, are you ready to take on another position without extra pay, just to keep "jr." within the format and clock?
Oh, this should be fun for all concerned..
Thanks for reading, one and all .. It's appreciated..
Von Nupkins...
