so at the MAB Annual meeting, banquet and lovefest...
The late, legendary Frank Fixaris, along with the affable and hugable Don Brown and Randi Kirshbaum were inducted into the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. all 3 most worthy of the honor.
and throughout the evening, radio and tv were noted for accomplishments in their endeavors. for those not aware, the local Broadcast Associations solicit "same day" entries from all radio & tv for judging in the annual awards. those entries (airchecks & video clips) are then judged by out-of-state Broadcast Associations. it removes the local possibility of favoritism. and it's one of those things for which you're not judged if you don't enter.
so... as working pros and casual listeners... to whom would you give props based on what you hear.
now - the stipulation is granted and accepted that you may not really care for what is available in your neighborhood, but it is what it is. it's all we got.
in an effort to keep this thread friendly - take no offense if you (the working stiff) are not mentioned. it's one of those "first things that pop into your head" things. and don't slam someone for their choice or opinion here. could be fun.
personally, i'll start....
news - radio - Mike Audet. hardest working news guy in the biz. and a current member of the MAB Hall of Fame. plus, if you're on his email list, he passes along some serious roflpmplmfao jokes.
news - tv - Dick Gosselin. sadly, lost on channel 8 but not on those who enjoy his work. he rolls up his sleeves and brings home a story concisely and succinctly, with that great polished delivery honed by his years of tv (and radio) news broadcasting. and for those who may not know, he's a major market talent, having spent far too many shuffling up&down the pike to work for WCVB in Boston before the price of gas went up.
on-air - radio - music format - Teddy McKay. on CHR Q 97 dot NINE!!!! (sidebar - this has nothing to do with Teddy but for those who wonder how tight a format can get, do a websearch on "nine," listen and enjoy radio brevity at its best). Teddy speaks with his audience like they are all adults. even the adults. and the guy gets paid to have that much fun on the air, just being Teddy. my sympathies to Teddy on this year's Red Sox.
on-air - radio - talk - Ken & Mike (WGAN). two polar opposites in oh so many ways, and not a lick of it is fake. the liberal and the conservative very well executed. and they're not afraid to agree on things, either, unlike previous incarnations who were most likely instructed to disagree, regardless. nothing sucks more on talk radio than insincerety. on a music station, you can sound happy for three seconds saying the words "Michael" and "Bolton" and then shut off the mic. in the talk format, you don't have 3 minutes, 45 seconds to go wash your mouth out, so whatever comes out had better not leave that bitter taste.
production - radio - (tie) Mark Matzell and Steve Schneider. both are pros with varied yet smooth deliveries on their local spots, and can really make a spot sing when they get to not worry about how they, personally, sound while letting others do the talking. and both write an "easy to listen to" spot, even one buried in a 7 set cluster.
best appearance of a radio guy on a tv spot - Dave Winsor. mark 'em down and move 'em out. and Thank God he has finally learned that Hyundai rhymes with Sunday. ('bout freakin' time, Dave.... i was worried you were gonna sprain your lips trying to say it the way you had been....)
promotions - radio - a crowded field, for sure. but sadly not a new idea in the bunch - either nationally syndicated or corporately tied-in. for what it's worth, though, the simple "mystery person/location" events keep a station local and extremely tied into the community. Q has executed a few of these in the past couple of years, very well. i thought the MGX Home MakeOver thing was an interesting approach, too. (for those too young to remember, MGX is now Coast 93-1)
best out-of-station - WTOP, Washington, DC (AM 1500). not just an 18 minute cycle of news. you'll usually have to listen for 90 minutes before you'll get any direct repeats. news casters are tight'n'bright writers & readers. features vary - from people and places to technology and lifestyle. redundancies such as weather and traffic, but for the average station, a tsl of better than 10 minutes is something most do not enjoy - so watch out for the back-up heading towards BWI. but wait til the sun goes down and you're away from Baxter Blvd. as much as i usually listen to WBZ, i have to give props to this station that is still live, 24/7. my sympathies to WTOP for having to live in the same city as The Nationals.
feel free to add some thoughts - be kind and tempered and good-natured in your salutes. and expand the categories, if the spirit moves ya.
i'm off to see if OPW has any MD2020 down there under the bridge. and if we're lucky, we'll get argy to bring his 88 and tinkle... the ivories, that is.
edit to incorporate the word "get" in last sentence, in case you wuz curious
The late, legendary Frank Fixaris, along with the affable and hugable Don Brown and Randi Kirshbaum were inducted into the Maine Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. all 3 most worthy of the honor.
and throughout the evening, radio and tv were noted for accomplishments in their endeavors. for those not aware, the local Broadcast Associations solicit "same day" entries from all radio & tv for judging in the annual awards. those entries (airchecks & video clips) are then judged by out-of-state Broadcast Associations. it removes the local possibility of favoritism. and it's one of those things for which you're not judged if you don't enter.
so... as working pros and casual listeners... to whom would you give props based on what you hear.
now - the stipulation is granted and accepted that you may not really care for what is available in your neighborhood, but it is what it is. it's all we got.
in an effort to keep this thread friendly - take no offense if you (the working stiff) are not mentioned. it's one of those "first things that pop into your head" things. and don't slam someone for their choice or opinion here. could be fun.
personally, i'll start....
news - radio - Mike Audet. hardest working news guy in the biz. and a current member of the MAB Hall of Fame. plus, if you're on his email list, he passes along some serious roflpmplmfao jokes.
news - tv - Dick Gosselin. sadly, lost on channel 8 but not on those who enjoy his work. he rolls up his sleeves and brings home a story concisely and succinctly, with that great polished delivery honed by his years of tv (and radio) news broadcasting. and for those who may not know, he's a major market talent, having spent far too many shuffling up&down the pike to work for WCVB in Boston before the price of gas went up.
on-air - radio - music format - Teddy McKay. on CHR Q 97 dot NINE!!!! (sidebar - this has nothing to do with Teddy but for those who wonder how tight a format can get, do a websearch on "nine," listen and enjoy radio brevity at its best). Teddy speaks with his audience like they are all adults. even the adults. and the guy gets paid to have that much fun on the air, just being Teddy. my sympathies to Teddy on this year's Red Sox.
on-air - radio - talk - Ken & Mike (WGAN). two polar opposites in oh so many ways, and not a lick of it is fake. the liberal and the conservative very well executed. and they're not afraid to agree on things, either, unlike previous incarnations who were most likely instructed to disagree, regardless. nothing sucks more on talk radio than insincerety. on a music station, you can sound happy for three seconds saying the words "Michael" and "Bolton" and then shut off the mic. in the talk format, you don't have 3 minutes, 45 seconds to go wash your mouth out, so whatever comes out had better not leave that bitter taste.
production - radio - (tie) Mark Matzell and Steve Schneider. both are pros with varied yet smooth deliveries on their local spots, and can really make a spot sing when they get to not worry about how they, personally, sound while letting others do the talking. and both write an "easy to listen to" spot, even one buried in a 7 set cluster.
best appearance of a radio guy on a tv spot - Dave Winsor. mark 'em down and move 'em out. and Thank God he has finally learned that Hyundai rhymes with Sunday. ('bout freakin' time, Dave.... i was worried you were gonna sprain your lips trying to say it the way you had been....)
promotions - radio - a crowded field, for sure. but sadly not a new idea in the bunch - either nationally syndicated or corporately tied-in. for what it's worth, though, the simple "mystery person/location" events keep a station local and extremely tied into the community. Q has executed a few of these in the past couple of years, very well. i thought the MGX Home MakeOver thing was an interesting approach, too. (for those too young to remember, MGX is now Coast 93-1)
best out-of-station - WTOP, Washington, DC (AM 1500). not just an 18 minute cycle of news. you'll usually have to listen for 90 minutes before you'll get any direct repeats. news casters are tight'n'bright writers & readers. features vary - from people and places to technology and lifestyle. redundancies such as weather and traffic, but for the average station, a tsl of better than 10 minutes is something most do not enjoy - so watch out for the back-up heading towards BWI. but wait til the sun goes down and you're away from Baxter Blvd. as much as i usually listen to WBZ, i have to give props to this station that is still live, 24/7. my sympathies to WTOP for having to live in the same city as The Nationals.
feel free to add some thoughts - be kind and tempered and good-natured in your salutes. and expand the categories, if the spirit moves ya.
i'm off to see if OPW has any MD2020 down there under the bridge. and if we're lucky, we'll get argy to bring his 88 and tinkle... the ivories, that is.
edit to incorporate the word "get" in last sentence, in case you wuz curious
