This question has been discussed and debated for many years. When I first got into the radio business it was dominated by males with big deep voices. If you couldn’t rattle the glass in the studio with your dulcet tones you were never going to make it to the major markets. Years later we found out through research and focus groups that these big male voices actually frightened listeners, especially if they were younger and/or female.
So radio stations went looking for a new solution and we had to live through the “morning zoo” period when lots of hyped up jocks , typically two males in morning drive, used all kinds of wacky sound effects and noise to create “mayhem in the AM.” Over time, broadcasters worked out that this was not the secret to success, given the average household in the morning was noisy and crazy enough as it was without adding a wacky sounding morning radio program to all the noise.
Next came the trend to pair a male and a female together who sounded like they could be a married couple, and in some cases they were, or in fact became a couple as time went on.
Today, many of the most successful radio announcers sound like “real people” and what they say (the content) has become more important than the way you sound.
I am still frequently asked why the way someone sounds is important. Clearly, to be successful, any radio announcer must have a good grasp of the language they are speaking, be intelligent, well read and have that ability to relate to the majority of the target audience. That is the minimum standard and those that have the X factor are often the ones who become more successful than others. Helping radio announcers to become more successful is one of the things we do at ByrnesMedia.
Now there is some new research out (released 19 February 2014) that may in part answer the age old question why are some voices more attractive than others? One of the conclusions of this research is that we are attracted to voices that are similar to our own. It seems that the similarity makes us feel that we’re part of a certain social group.
“The voice is an amazingly flexible tool that we use to construct our identity,” Dr. Molly Babel, a linguistics professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada and the lead author of the new study. “Very few things in our voices are immutable, so we felt that our preferences had to be about more than a person’s shape and size.”
You can read more about this interesting research thanks to an article in the Huffington Post. If you would like to dig into the full study you can do so here thanks to PLOS One.
“National Nutrition Month”: See www.dieticians.ca
“National Kidney Month”: For info see www.kidney.ca.
“Employee Spirit Month”: This month seeks to inspire the most vital part of any organization: the employees. Motivate your employees – create employee spirit. For info and tips, call Harriet Meyerson 214-373-0080. email Harriet@ConfidenceCenter.com.
“National Epilepsy Month”: See www.epilepsy.ca for info.
“International Fraud Prevention Month”: See the Ontario Securities Commission for info www.osc.gov.on.ca.
“National Red Cross Month”: See www.redcross.ca.
“International Ideas Month”: Without constant new ideas, progress and people stagnate. Call Sylvia Henderson 301-260-1538, email sylvia@springboardtraining.com, see www.springboardtraining.com.
“International Listening Awareness Month”: Dedicated to learning more about the impact listening has on all human activity. Call Nanette Johnson-Curiskis 877-854-7836 or 952-594-5697, see www.listen.org
“International Mirth Month”: A time to show people how to use humor to deal with not-so-funny stuff. Call Alan Klein 415-431-1913, email humor@allenklein.com, see www.allenklein.com.
“Optimism Month”: Research proves optimists achieve more health, prosperity and happiness than pessimists. For a free tips sheet and to set up an interview with Dr Michael Mercer call 847-382-0690, email drmercer@mercersystems.com, www.DrMercer.com.
Mar 1“World Compliment Day”: Appreciate with words instead of gifts – brighten everyone’s day. For info, email hans@withcompliments.com. See www.worldcomplimentday.com.
Mar 2-8 “Celebrate Your Name Week”: Your name identifies you to the world. Make sure it isn’t an ignored part of your personhood. A different name-related theme each day at celebrateyournameweek@gmail.com. For info contact Jerry Hill by email. www.namesuniverse.com.
Mar 2-8 “Read an E-Book Week”: A week set aside to learn about and/or read an electronic book. Call Rita Toews 204-661-2734, email r.toews@shaw.ca. See www.ebookweek.com.
Mar 4 “Courageous Follower Day”: To dispel the myth that followers are passive and to raise awareness that good followership is energetic and at times courageous. Call Ira Chaleff 301-933-3752, email ira.chaleff@exe-coach.com, seewww.exe-coach.com.
Mar 4 “Mardi Gras”: Literally, “Fat Tuesday” this is the last feast day before Lent in the Christian calendar.
Mar 8 “International (Working) Women’s Day”: A day to honour women, especially working women. Widely adopted and observed in many nations. In Russia it is a national holiday and flowers or gifts are presented to women workers. www.swc-cfc.gc.ca
Mar 9 “Check Your Batteries Day”: Check the batteries in your smoke detector, carbon monoxide detector, HVAC thermostat, audio/visual remote controls and other electronic devices. Annually, the 2nd Sunday in March.
Mar 9 “Daylight Saving Time Begins”: From 2am on the second Sunday in March until 2am on the first Sunday in November.
Mar 10 “Mario Day”: A day for all people named Mario to celebrate [Mar10 is the day and it spells out the name as well!] Call Mario Fascitelli 505-293-2634, email C21Allied@aol.com.
Mar 11 “Dream 2014 Day”: To focus attention on the new millennium – so that all humans, nations and institutions devote this year to unparalleled dreams for a better world and thinking, action, inspiration, determination and love to solve the remaining problems and to achieve a peaceful, united human family on Earth. Call Barbara Gaughen-Muller 805-968-8567, email Robert@robertmuller.org, www.robertmuller.org or www.goodmorningworld.org.
Mar 11 “Organize Your Home Office Day”: Find files, purge papers and tackle to-do lists. Call Lisa Kanarek, HomeOfficeLife.com, 214-361-0556, email lisa@homeofficelife.com. See www.homeofficelife.com.
Mar 15 “Ides of March”: This was the day that Julius Ceasar was assassinated in 44 BC. In the Roman calendar the days of the month were not numbered sequentially. Instead, each month had three division days [Kalends, Nones and Ides]. Days were numbered from these divisions [IV for Nones and III for Ides]. The Ides occurred on the 15th of the month [or the 13th in the months that had less than 31 days].
Mar 17 “St Patrick’s Day”: National holiday in the Republic of Ireland, and a great excuse to drink green beer in most every other country in the world. It commemorates the patron saint of Ireland, Bishop Patrick [AD389-461] who in 432 introduced Christianity to Ireland.
March 20 “Snowman Burning”: Reading of poetry heralding the end of winter and the arrival of Spring, followed by sacrifice in effigy, toasts and cheers. Call Lake Superior State University 906-635-2315, www.lssu.edu/snowman.
Mar 20 “Proposal Day”: Vernal Equinox – a day for single people to find the courage to propose to the one they love. But if you’re not ready for the big leap, use this day to send a gift to the one you love. The list of the world’s ten most eligible celebrity singles is available any time after March 1 at www.proposalday.com. Call John O’Loughlin 972-258-4996, email lldjohn@aol.com.
Mar 20 “Spring”: In the Northern Hemisphere Spring begins today.
Mar 21 “World Down Syndrome Day”: see www.worlddownsyndromeday.org.
Mar 25 “Bed-In for Peace: 45th Anniversary”: After their March 20 wedding, John Lennon and Yoko Ono celebrated their honeymoon with a bed-in for peace in their hotel room.
Mar 26 “Legal Assistants Day”: A day recognizing the many contributions made to the legal profession by legal assistants. Call Claudia A. Evart 212-779-2227, email paralegalcaevart@earthlink.net.
Mar 27 “World Theatre Day”: For info go to www.world-theatre-day.org.
Mar 29 “Earth Hour”: Communities, businesses and governments around the world are invited to switch off lights for one hour at 8:30pm local time. See www.earthhour.org.
Mar 29 “National Mom and Pop Business Owners Day”: A day recognizing those very special husband-and-wife business owner teams that work and commune together. Call Rick/Margie Segel 781-272-9995, email rick@ricksegel.com.
Mar 30 “Doctors’ Day”: To honour physicians on the anniversary of the occasion when Dr. Crawford W. Long became the first acclaimed physician to use ether as an anesthetic agent in a surgical technique, Mar 30, 1842. The red carnation has been designated the official flower of Doctors’ Day.
Researchers tell us that there are 23 million vehicles on the market today that are connected to the Internet. By 2020 this number will grow by 600% to 152 million vehicles. Consumers are demanding them, authorities want them because of better safety, and carmakers are embracing the idea because they can see the revenue potential. This means the connected car is quickly becoming the hottest “must have” thing in cars in 2014. 39% of car buyers today say they want better In-vehicle technology compared to the 14% who say they make a purchasing decision based on traditional performance measures such as power and speed, according to a study by consulting firm Accenture released in December 2013.
So I recently attended the Toronto Autoshow to see how many 2014 vehicles being sold in Canada are indeed connected to the Internet. Sadly, I was disappointed because many of the new features being touted as the next big thing at the recent Detroit Autoshow were not being shown in Canada. I was told by more than one car representative that this was because automakers have not as yet reached agreements with the CRTC in Canada, and until that happens they cannot activate those features in vehicles sold in the Canadian market.
What I did find was the AutoConnect showcase with vehicles from Lexis, Ford, Mazda, Mercedes and Subaru, showing off their various safety features which connect and communicate with other vehicles and their surroundings via cellular, GPS, radar, laser, infrared, microwave and camera-based technologies. Several manufacturers are now offering adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, lane departure warning and intervention, plus forward collision alert with the most advanced actually breaking and steering by themselves when they detect a potential problem.
I spent time in a Mercedes S Class and experienced many of these safety features in a simulator which created a realistic driver experience. It was both impressive and nerve racking as the car steered itself out of potential danger without my hands being on the wheel. Toyota, through their luxury brand Lexis, are using radar to look two or three vehicles ahead and adjust your speed based on what is happening beyond what you can see. As the technology improves and becomes more prevalent in vehicles, we should see the number of auto accidents drop. This could even lead to lower insurance rates and fewer deaths, but it could be several years before the majority of vehicles on the road will have this technology. It may also take that long for standards to be developed and a clear safety leader to emerge, so that similar technology is present in all vehicles.
Yet, despite the marketing promise that I would see examples of the “connected car” there were none to be found, at least at the Toronto Autoshow. Frankly, I think that is a good thing for the radio industry, given the car is the place that most radio in consumed today. However, there were lots of indications that car manufacturers are eager to put more content on the dashboard and unless our industry works with those manufacturers, I fear that the radio buttons will become less and less prominent and may even disappear altogether. In some vehicles you can plug your smart phone into a dock while others allow you to use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to connect your phone directly to the car’s entertainment system. Listening to music stored on your phone is standard in many cars today, but seeing some of your favourite apps showing up on the car console, and being able to control them via voice or touch is not a reality today as far as I could see, but I suspect it will not be far off.
On the positive side, I found lots of cars on display with improved voice activation tools that enable the driver to turn on the radio, change the volume, and even change the channel without ever taking their hands off the wheel. I did this myself in a Ford, a Lexus and a BMW and I am happy to report that voice activation is working a lot better in the 2014 models than in the past. Still, I could not see any evidence of the apps Ford has been promoting at other shows, and was told it will be several months before we see the next version of the software in Canada. When released it should include apps such as Habu which was introduced at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This is a mood-music app for its Sync system that finds music playlists to match drivers’ moods, including when they’re feeling angry, somber or even sexy! Ford promises other apps will appear on their Sync system that will allow drivers to order a pizza from Dominos (USA only at this point) or reserve a parking spot via Parkopedia, which includes parking information for all major Canadian cities. Ford says 94% of their 2014 model vehicles are equipped with Sync. Ford has their own app developer program and an app approval process similar to Apple’s. However, it is unclear how open Ford will be to allowing a radio station developed app to become visible on their app store.
I am also hearing that Ford will base the next-generation Sync system on the Blackberry QNX technology and move away from using the Microsoft Windows platform. Apparently using the QNX system will be less expensive than licensing Microsoft technology and will improve the flexibility and speed of the next Sync system. Ford has been receiving a growing number of customer complaints about the Microsoft Sync system who report the touch screen is not responsive. Blackberry’s QNX software can be found in cars made by Audi, Volkswagen and BMW.
GM, Volkswagen and Audi are all promising Web connections in their cars, including Wi-Fi hot spots for tablets and laptops, but none were on display in Toronto. The person I spoke to at Audi told me they have a SIM card they need to insert to make this active, but until they get CRTC permission this feature will not be offered in Canada. Both General Motors and Audi will be selling 4G LTE-connected cars before the end of 2014, but this may only be in the USA, and the impact of 4G in cars could be far reaching, because it aids both entertainment, including live video streaming, and better navigation with improved real time traffic information. This may also mean that your address book on your phone will be searchable on your car’s screen and selecting a location will enable your GPS system to take you there. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the major Canadian cell phone companies spent 5.3 billion dollars in the last round of cellular spectrum auction to get access to the 700 MHz band of wireless airwaves. This is considered to be a higher quality of spectrum able to travel greater distances, penetrate buildings more easily, and handle vast amounts of data at higher speeds.
At the Detroit Autoshow, the big three American automakers demonstrated their latest high-tech features. In addition to its 4G connectivity, GM is rolling out new applications including iHeartRadio, the Weather Channel and NPR. Chrysler showed off Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs with built-in Internet connections that allow drivers to seek services or information that show up on an 8.4 inch (21 cm) dashboard touch screen. While the same models were on display in Toronto these features were conspicuously absent. GM officials did tell me that they are offering similar GPS map systems in the Canadian models that are voice activated so if you say “where is the nearest coffee shop” it will pull up a list of coffee shops and allow you to select one and then navigate to your preferred cup of Joe. We can expect to see more real time traffic data on these screens and perhaps offers and incentives to stop into nearby retail stores to purchase goods or services. Lexus is already offering a subscription-based personal assistant service that will book restaurants for you or make reservations at the theatre. They can also remotely unlock your car, send destination directions to your phone, and even warn you via a text message should you exceed the speed limit.
By 2017, 25% of all automakers will earn money from e-commerce transactions drivers make from their car. A recent study found that 22% of U.S. vehicle owners say they want to make in-car purchases of songs, audio books and movies for their passengers. Automakers want a cut of these transactions because it will occur on their device platform. The possibility of automakers increasing their profit margins is why they are pouring billions of dollars into developing connected cars, according to the Center For Automotive Research.
At CES, Google announced an alliance with GM, Honda Motor Co., Hyundai Motor Co. and chipmaker Nvidia Corp. to bring the Android operating system to cars. Apple is already working with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, GM, Nissan, Honda and others to bring its iOS operating system to cars through devices such as the iPhone.
By 2018, one in five cars on the road will be “self-aware” and able to discern and share information on their mechanical health, their global position, and status of their surroundings. “Consumers are increasingly looking for solutions that allow them to stay connected to their digital lives wherever they are,” said Thilo Koslowski, auto analyst for researcher Gartner Inc. “In the future, your car may actually tell you to stay in bed 30 minutes longer because the traffic situation isn’t as bad as it usually is,” Koslowski said. “Your car can talk to your alarm clock and reset it 30 minutes later so you can stay in bed without doing anything.”
Auto and technology companies are battling over a slice of coveted radio waves, with carmakers arguing the potential for lifesaving crash-avoidance systems should take precedence over more Wi-Fi for Web data and video. Regulators will need to balance the desire to reduce the 30,000 deaths that occur on U.S. highways each year against the needs of data-hungry businesses and consumers, as the shrinking amount of open spectrum leaves little room for new uses that don’t bump up against others. On February 13, Google, Microsoft and Comcast joined together to announce a new advocacy group, WiFiForward, to push for expanded access to airwaves.
Automakers say they’ve spent tens of millions of dollars developing technology using their airwaves that will let cars talk to each other and with highway sensors at short range. They’ll be able to let drivers know when two vehicles are approaching an intersection simultaneously or about to collide in adjacent lanes, or if they’re approaching a vehicle ahead too quickly. The systems could be installed in new cars, at a cost of about $100 per vehicle, or sold as aftermarket devices.
By 2015, all cars in Europe must be equipped with eCall, a system that automatically contacts emergency services and directs them to the vehicle location in the event of a serious crash. This is similar to the GM product OnStar that has been available in North America for several years. This type of system may become mandatory in vehicles in North America and other countries within a few years.
Picking up your new car may require the dealer to spend more time training you on the car’s advanced technology. Last week one of my neighbours picked up a new Mercedes Benz and told me he has three appointments spread over two weeks so the dealer can train him on the technology that is on his new car. Expect to see more how-to videos and help screens as part of your car’s information system.
One of the great debates raging currently in the automotive industry is the question of built in or brought in and which is the best way to connect the car to the web. I regularly connect my iPhone via a USB cable to my vehicle’s entertainment system so I can listen to out of market radio stations via apps or Tuned In Radio. We recently purchased a new Toyota Camry Hybrid for my wife and the functions and features offered on this new car verses my 2007 BMW are impressive. It was a simple task to pair my phone to the Toyota and now when I get into the car my phone is automatically connected to the entertainment system via Bluetooth. I can access the last 10 numbers I dialed via the touch screen and play music that is stored on my iPhone. It also means I can listen to radio stations from all over the world. I still have to select the station on my phone, but it may not be too long before some of my iPhone’s apps will be available on the car’s touch screen to make it even more convenient. I can report that the audio experience of listening to radio stations via my iPhone is decent most of the time, but I do get drop outs and occasionally a lost connection. Also, while I was initially excited about listening to a radio station from England, Australia or Germany, I found I also have to balance the requirement of knowing what is going on locally, so from time to time I tune to terrestrial stations to catch the latest traffic, and weather and frequently find myself wanting to listen to a news story that is being teased.
What will be interesting moving forward is who pays for what. Consumers are used to a one-time purchase for a vehicle, but in this new connected world may be required to also pay a monthly roaming or data fee. Perhaps your car will be added as a device to your existing mobile phone bill.
Another question that needs to be resolved is how many apps on a car’s dashboard will be allowed. I try to keep my iPhone to just 4 screens (36 apps) and from time to time have to make the decision as to which app I delete when I want to add a new one. Having access to lots of screens on the car’s entertainment system could be a distraction and cause accidents if the driver is allowed to scroll or move between screens looking for a particular app. Indications from the people I spoke to at the Autoshow are that car manufacturers will be very cautious about what they allow to show up on the dashboard, and government regulators may want to legislate this as well. I did speak to one manufacturer who told me that they will make Facebook and Twitter accounts available on their in car entertainment system starting in late 2014.
So we already have vehicles in 2014 that slow down or brake when they sense danger and with the improvements in GPS systems there may come a time when hands-free driving is a reality. We may also see self-driving cars in our lifetime which will mean the driver will have lots of time to browse apps, check email or do office work while the car worries about getting the vehicle to the desired destination safely. Google has had a fleet of about a dozen self-driving test cars since 2010 that have collectively driven more than 500,000 miles without crashing in beta tests. By the way, if you watch the movie “The Internship” there is a scene at the Google Campus where the Google Car drives by with no one it in and it catches Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn by surprise.
Google has been involved with the connected car project for a while now, but to take its efforts in car connectivity even further, in January this year they announced the formation of the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA), that aims to boost the uptake of its Android operating system in cars. The OAA is also working towards developing new Android platform features that will enable the car itself to become a connected Android device in the near future.
Apple has its ‘iOS in The Car’ (iOSitC) initiative aimed at allowing iOS owners to use their Apple devices inside the car for performing functions such as playing music, displaying maps and dictating messages. Several car manufacturers have shown interest in this and Honda has already announced that the 2014 Civic and the 2015 Fit models in the US and Canada will feature iOSitC integration through the HondaLink service – their cloud-based in-car connectivity system. iPhone in the Car knows when you’re leaving home or work and will automatically display directions, traffic conditions and your ETA. Siri will be used to handle calls, play your voicemail and even return the calls and text messages you miss. You’ll be able to listen to iTunes music and perhaps iRadio as well as using any third party apps to stay entertained. Finally, you’ll be able to get directions easily through Maps or any other navigation apps like Google Maps.
But where does radio fit into all this? All the vehicles I saw at the Toronto Autoshow had AM, FM and many had HD Radio all prominently displayed on the in-dash screen or via the traditional looking radio console. But there are some who feel that unless the radio industry is more proactive and works with Auto manufactures, the radio that typically occupies some important real estate on the car dashboard may soon be replaced with something else altogether, especially in Canada where we cannot seem to make up our minds about which HD Radio platform will be the standard. In late February (2014), 34 automakers publicly announced plans to incorporate HD Radio in more than 170 models by year-end, with more than 80 models featuring HD Radio receivers as standard equipment. This includes Acura, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini USA, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ram, Rolls-Royce, Scion, SRT, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo. The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class with HD Radio is already available in the Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
Subaru announced at the recent Chicago Autoshow that it will offer HD Radio in all 2015 Legacys. The Legacy is the third Subaru vehicle to offer HD Radio as a standard feature along with the BRZ and WRX. The vehicle is expected to arrive at dealers during this summer of. Hyundai had their top of the line Genesis sedan on display in Toronto and it comes with HD Radio as a standard feature. Hyundai will also incorporate Artist Experience on select systems, allowing listeners to view images such as album art on their radio displays in their 2015 models. The Genesis is the fourth Hyundai vehicle to offer HD Radio as a standard feature along with the Equus, Azera, and Santa Fe. Canada needs to get on board with HD Radio or we will be left behind. While we know that HD Radio does not have the coverage of FM we still need to do something.
Conclusion: From my research and from visiting the Toronto Automotive Show, it is clear that the cars being sold today have better voice activation controls and offer lots more standard or optional safety features. But what they do not have at this moment is the ability to be connected 24/7 and provide the passengers with access to data and rich content like streaming movies that consumers now get via their cell phone being somehow connected to the vehicle. So the notion of the connected car is still not a reality in Canada today as far as I can tell. However, I suspect it will not be too many years before that changes. The Mercedes expert told me that they are offering docking stations on some models so you can fix an iPad to the back of the front seats that allows passengers in the back to watch movies and other content already stored on those devices. The battle for the eyes and ears of the in-car driver and passenger is heating up, and the radio industry needs to be proactive if we are to protect our advantage.
With Justin Bieber quickly becoming the celebrity people love to hate, at least in the USA, an Atlanta rock radio station 100.5 managed to pull off a stunt that got lots of attention in the city and beyond.
A rumor circulated that Justin Bieber was considering moving to a suburb of Atlanta. His “potential neighbors” preempted the move with a planned protest.
But it was the radio station morning show who organised a fake protest outside a house on the market in Buckhead. They admitted to creating the entire protest under the name the “Buckhead Neighborhood Coalition” with radio show personality Tim Andrews from the morning show pretending to be Harold White, a spokesman for the group.
National news and entertainment outlets including CNN, TMZ and Perez Hilton and even the BBC ran the story.
What is interesting is this radio station did not send out any press releases, and used social media to get the word out. This is a timely reminder to check your facts before running such a story.
It seems Scott Shannon didn’t have any sort of non-compete clause when he retired/got booted from WPLJ, New York a couple weeks ago. New York is a “right to work” state where non-competes are not legal. All Access reported today that Shannon will be back on the air at WCBS-FM this coming Monday. You can read the article here.
Most lawyers will tell you that non-competes can be difficult to enforce, even in states/provinces where they are legal. Nevertheless, it still makes sense to include them in the contracts of your top talent, where possible.
The Winter Olympics are over for another 4 years and chances are lots of people will be tuning around the dial looking for something good to listen to.
It is not unreasonable to think that as the interest in the Olympic games grew over the 13 days that radio tuning habits may have changed. More people would have been tuning to either radio or television stations that carried live Olympic coverage, and perhaps spending less time with their favourite radio station. Lots of people were changing their routine and getting up in the middle of the night to watch particular events or athletes compete. You may be one of the thousands of Canadians who got up as early as 4am in BC to watch the Men’s hockey final between Canada and Sweden on Sunday.
But now that it is all over, where will those people go? My belief is that many of them will be going through Olympic withdrawal and may be looking up and down the dial for something that catches their attention.
So here, then, are 10 things you might consider doing to to make your station stand out from the rest, post 2014 Sochi Olympics:
Lastly, make yourself a check list of things you need to do when the Olympics come around next, so you can be ready for them and sound even better. By the way, the next games will be the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 5-21 August, 2016. The next Winter Games will be in South Korea from 9-23 February, 2018.
Editing words from a celebrity together to make a song is nothing new. But on the Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon they have taken it to a new level with both words and video. Check out NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams raps The Sugar Hill Gang’s song “Rapper’s Delight.”
The CRTC are asking Canadians to provide their input on the difficult choices to be made regarding their television system by filling out the Let’s Talk TV survey called Choicebook. You can complete the survey which takes 10 to 15 minutes here: Choicebook.
In October the CRTC invited Canadians to express their personal views on the future of their television system and more than 3,100 people participated in Phase one of “Let’s Talk TV” by submitting comments, joining the online discussion forum, responding to a telephone survey or attending one of the 25 Flash! Conferences held.
This is the second phase of Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians. Choicebook is an interactive questionnaire that contains a series of scenarios that reflect the realities Canadians face daily with respect to the television system. The CRTC used the comments submitted in Phase 1 to prepare Choicebook.
While the purpose of Phase 1 was to collect more personal comments on what Canadians think of their television system, in Phase 2 Canadians are asked to consider the interests and needs of all Canadians. All Canadians—consumers, citizens and creators—are encouraged to present their views on the future of the Canadian television system. Whether or not they participated in Phase 1, all are encouraged to fill out Choicebook.
CRTC Chairman Jean-Pierre Blais will host a French-language Twitter Chat, February 19, 2014, from 10:00 – 10:45 a.m. EST, to answer questions about the Let’s Talk TV: A Conversation with Canadians initiative. Follow @CRTCfra and tweet questions with the hashtag #Parlonstele.
Mr. Blais will also host an English-language Twitter chat February 19, 2014, from 1:00 – 1:45 p.m. EST on the same topic. Follow @CRTCeng and tweet questions with the hashtag #TalkTV.
The survey can be access here and you have until 14 March to have your say.
This is a little embarrassing. KTLA TV reporter Sam Rubin, who is a respected L.A. entertainment reporter, mistook actor Samuel L. Jackson for Laurence Fishburne in a live interview on Channel 5.
He was interviewing Jackson about the new Robocop movie but started out the interview with a major faux pas. Jackson called him out on it live on television, but eventually things settled down and Rubin was able to conduct the interview.
The lesson here is make sure you do your research and write down the name of the person you are about to interview. Remember, a person’s first and last name are perhaps two of the most important words in the English language to them, so be sure to get them right and pronounce them properly.
The other lesson is when you make a mistake, own it line Sam Rubin did, and move on. Do not dwell on the mistake especially when you are live.
The BBC’s recently (1 February 2014) ran an interesting story about the unexpected survival of the radio on their respected Newsnight program.
The story mentions all the cool things that can be done with radio on smart phone as well as the ability to push information, offers and even coupons.
It points out that radio makes a personal connection that no other medium can offer and what happens between the records is what sets it apart form the other streaming services such as Pandora. It also questions if the future of radio is on FM, especially in England where DAB is gaining momentum.