Voiceover Blog

In a world where local radio is cutting back the personnel and personality of their product, believing that the younger demo would be just as happy without, There’s someone from the other side of the microphone making waves.

A listener, yes, a live, breathing, smack in the middle of the demo listener actually likes local personalities!  Josh Curtis has started a Facebook page to protest Rock WGTZ/Dayton flipping to an adult hits format, and banishing personality from it’s presentation.  Josh says, “I’m not saying (the new format) is horrible, but there’s no personalities on there. I think that’s what really makes a radio station.”

Make note of that last sentence. It’s what great Program Directors have said ever since Todd Storz watched a waitress drop a nickle into a jukebox. Would KHJ have been the same without Robert W. Morgan, or WABC without Cousin Brucie?
Unfortuntely, there are very few programmers left who know how to train and motivate good jocks to become outstanding personalities.  And with ad revenues headed south, it might not be long before someone puts two and two together.

Let’s hope so.

Thanks for reading.

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I’m envious.  Peter O’Connell has come up with a great publicity tool.

Peter watches the NBC Nightly News and thought there was something a little off about the way Michael Douglas delivers the show’s open.  I have to admit, I’ve heard better myself.  Apparently, Michael wasn’t in his “Gordon Gecko” mode during that session.  At any rate, Peter, and his blog, recently held a mock open audition for some of us to do our own version of the NBC Nightly News opening.

From NBC World Headquarters in New York, this is NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.

Who wouldn’t love to have THAT on his resume?

About 40 of us “auditioned”. And now, anyone can vote. If this had been the real deal, and I was sitting in a waiting room with some of these guys, it could get a bit unnerving, to say the least.  And - surprise! - I actually got a few votes, as well as some very nice comments.  Brian Haymond from Charlotte wrote:  ”..(this) fella should be swamped with TV imaging work.”  Thanks, Brian.  I’m working on it!

This was actually a great exercise to hear the same script performed by so many different talents.  And it’s probably going to get Peter some amazing publicity.

If you’d like to hear the auditions and vote (hint-hint), Peter’s Blog is here.
And Brian Haymond’s site is here.