With the recent passing of my father, I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from the podcast. I’ll be back soon. Meantime, iTunes put the program in its New and Notable section.
The Bad Guys are the Fun Guys
Radio is definitely a business, but the best radio hosts are true artists, not unlike actors, bands, or comedians. Often the most talented, and popular artists in those fields are a “bit quirky.” Radi
Radio Life Interview
I was interviewed last year for a radio industry website. Here’s the transcript:
How did your radio passion begin?
I loved listening to the radio as a child. It started with CHUM FM, when it was still a rock station. I remember calling up the morning show as a little kid with a joke: “How can you tell Ronald McDonald at a nudist camp? By the sesame seeds on his buns.” I loved Dr. Demento and the Sunday Funnies with Rick Hodge. In my teens, it was CFNY, and CFRB. CFNY was one of the first great heritage alternative stations in North America. My parents listened to CFRB, one of the great heritage talk stations at the time. I suppose it was lucky to be in the Toronto market when I was young. I loved talk radio, and often called up the ‘RB talk shows during my teen years; mostly Wayne McLean and Ed Needham.
Great State of Radio Piece
This appeared on Bill McMahon’s Personality Radio blog. It pretty much encapsulates much of what’s wrong with terrestrial radio today.
The Problem with Ryan Seacrest
“On-Air with Ryan Seacrest”is a microcosm of what’s wrong with radio right now. The problem has nothing to do with the show being created in Hollywood and syndicated to local radio stations across the country. The trouble is the show’s content. It’s ordinary, average, and forgettable.
Scamming Scammers
A few weeks ago I decided to sell my bicycle. It was a really sweet ride, that I bought when I was living out in Calgary. I just wasn’t getting enough use out of it here, and I’ve moved to a place where I have to store it outside uncovered. And for occasional bicycling, BIXI came along this summer. I posted this ad on Craigslist.
This was the first response I got:
Thinking it was a sincere inquiry, I wrote back:
What’s a Roast?
The Toronto Star had a writer in the audience for the recent Charlie Sheen Roast. Here’s his review:
The guest of honour endured a career’s worth of taunts during Saturday night’s taping of the Comedy
Personality Radio
Music-based formats on terrestrial radio are in a losing fight, and many are reluctant to use the biggest weapon available – personality. In a world filled with a myriad of musical sources – iPods, sa