Winter Beater Pt 2
Back in the day at KKRC-FM we did the Winter Beater contest where we gave away a not so new, not so shiny, beater to get you around for the winter without messing up your own nice new vehicle. 356 cubic inches of drift busting power and a new battery as often as you needed it made our car a compelling and quite sought after Grand Prize. We had no idea that one day such a prize might be considered a $4,500.00 prize! That might have taken almost all of the fun out of the contest!
Once again, I smell a promotion here. Just a little creativity and you have some very topical prizes to load up and some real fun with the content on-air. Which reminds me, what was the last promotion you did just because the live mentions could be so funny? As talent we always love the creative license that came with cracked promotions and as a result, the audience had a blast with it too (as a programmer we grimaced a lot at some of the mentions, but knew it was worth it)! Think of the tweets this could generate too!
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines! This could be a fun ride.
What Are You Listening To?
Sound Thinking from our friend Durr Boyles serving in Afghanistan
Sent: Tue, Jun 30, 2009 8:27 am
Good Morning,
As I’m typing this latest letter to you, an F-15 fighter is taking off
outside my office.
In Afghanistan, ground operations are supported by air operations
constantly and many times these aircraft engage the enemy as the enemy
is engaging our guys on the ground. This gives us a real advantage; an
advantage that is feared by the insurgents. The F-15’s travel in pairs;
so, when we hear one jet take off there is always a second jet to
follow. Why? Its safer to travel with two. Not only is the sound they
make as loud as any engine you’ve heard, the noise shakes the buiding as
the jet rumbles past and hits its afterburners. Many will tell you -
this is a “Sound of Freedom.”
I share a room with transient officers who travel through Bagram Air
Base. Imagine their surprise at 2 am or 4 am (depending on the time of
the mission) when the building begins shaking to the sound of aircraft
taking off for aerial patrol. Quite a sound. I’ve actually gotten to
the point where I can sleep through it; but, I’ve often joked with my
peers, that at home I’ll need a sound machine to sleep by that has the
same effect.
In the evenings as we enjoy taking a little time off before we return to
our jobs, a handful of us will gather on our 20 foot tall deck
overlooking the airfield and an Afghanistan sunset. We can hear prayers
(salaats) being chanted from the two nearby villages. Hmmmmmmm, I
assume these are prayers of Islam; although, I’m not sure of the true
sect or dialect. Sunni Afghan’s represent aboot 80% – 85% of the
population while the Shi’a make up another 15%. Most of us understand
that there is a difference although we know very little about their
differences. I understand that when Muhammed died there was no plan of
succession – so dependng on who you thought at the time should follow
Muhammed – identified you as a member of one group or the other.
Nevertheless, the chanting is a reminder that we are not at home.
Bagram Air Field and many other locations in Afghanistan are surrounded
by mines used by the Russian army to provide security during their
presence here. The international community represented through NATO and
the Internatinal Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have mine action teams
who are involved in clearing and thus “recapture” the land occupied by
the mine fields around the old bases. One of several forms of clearing
these mines is blowing them in place, so its not unusual throughout the
day to hear 3 – 5 explosions. Do people jump or run? No, its part of
our routine – except for the visitors who often have looks of concern on
their faces.
Life around any military air base is going to be full of the sounds you
customarily associate with an airfield; helicopters, large, small and
executive “fixed” wings, continually landing and taking off day and
night. We also hear the trucks and equipment moving cargo on and off
the field; or, the sounds of construction equipment which indicates this
place is not yet fully constructed or completed; and, the sound of
constant conversation as soldiers and civilian contractors “walk” from
here to there whether they have a destination or not.
But – The real sound that is a luxury here is “silence.” It is very
special when we have the time to pause and absorb an uncommon moment of
quiet in this place.
And……in this moment, I am reminded that I am surrounded by young
soldiers who are as little as a few months out of high school, going
about accomplishing complex tasks under difficult circumstances. They
are accompanied by seasoned soldiers who have for the most part
volunteered or “re-upped” to mentor these future leaders in our armed
forces. Young and old they emerge from our American towns, cities, and
rural farm lands to be here.
On this anniversary of the signing of our “Declaration of Independence,”
I am also reminded of a few young soldiers, their mentors and leaders,
who also emerged from towns, cities, and rural farm lands to camp on
the banks of a river at Valley Forge, and the expectation they must have
experienced as they crossed the Delaware River in “silence.”
Perhaps, it too is a “sound of freedom.”
Boyles
Storm 8
Our thoughts and prayers are with all who are serving our country this holiday! Garry Leigh
Last weeks big news…….
TMZ? Really! Traditional media was simply irrelevant yesterday when it came to real time news gathering. Twitter and Facebook are now the “go to” media in a crisis to instantly check with those we trust and see if they are reacting. If so, it’s real and if not, we IM or text those most in the know to double check. Radio, Television and even the Washington Post simply reported TMZ’s coverage if they bothered to break in at all. TMZ! Really. I was on the air when Elvis died and heard the alarm bells got the bulletin on an AP Teletype. Yesterday I heard my phone chirp and at my computer I got the tweet from TMZ and the reality of real time instant access hit home. Twitter was exploding for hours and there was no corroboration from any traditional source which in effect took them out of their role and redefined for many their new “go to” sources for news. How did our outlets fare? Those who have made the switch to real time awareness on social media sites did fine and utilized them for added dimension. We could eavesdrop on an entire world reacting to the news together in real time with no moderator, all looking to each other for guidance and help and not relying on some authority figure to tell us what was going on or tell us how to react. Those authority figures were busy following the book and trying to get multiple sources confirmation before saying anything. It’s refreshing on many levels, but also means the rules have changed dramatically. Already this morning the news headlines in Dallas have shifted from Michael to Idol auditions as the lead. Welcome to real time. Welcome to our new reality. Let’s get busy. I’ve gotta get back to Twitscoop to see who is covering the mass moonwalk at 6pm today @ Liverpool St.
Garry Leigh
2009 Radio Mercury Awards without radio?!
OK… So it’s the Radio Mercury Awards and sorry, there will be no awards in certain categories…but we are keeping the entry fees anyway. So what happens when they give an awards show and no one enters or shows up? I have a feeling we’ll find out next year! Amazing.
If the judges believe there is such a spectacular lack of creativity, whey aren’t they filling the void and making millions with their creativity? I could go on for days but this is a SNAFU so self-evident that I just wanted to post a picture of the award we’ll probably never see again.
Garry Leigh Snafu Consulting
OK…. Had to do two this week. U.S. Senator John Ensign resigned from a party leadership post Wednesday after he admitted an affair with a female staffer whose husband also worked for him. But wait, it gets better. Ensign and his mistress worked together at Battle Born PAC…. yes, a Christian family values centered PAC.
check the link http://www.battlebornpac.com/about-john-ensign Is it just me, or does this remind you of the movie Birdcage? Remember with Robin Williams?
