Broadcasts of this type are a style of radio that deserves preserving. This type of program, featuring a complete presentation by guest speakers plus interaction with the audience in attendance, is not nearly as common as it once was.
I enjoyed listening to the show and I learned a lot about the latest efforts of the guest speakers, Deborah and Carlos Santana. The subjects alone provided plenty of impetus to stay tuned.
This series has a somewhat quirky format of a guest (or guests) providing a short address to the audience, followed by a Q & A with a moderator...then audience questions relayed by the moderator. The show would be enhanced by allowing audience members to ask their own questions. Heck, why not make the show truly interactive and open the phones for non-attending listener questions or comments?
This series is community service of a type that has become rare on public radio stations. It embodies much of our Core Values.
I am not a fan of the "announcer" who does the program open, midpoint break and wrap-up. I really wish that an excellent series of this type had an announcer who better embodied the style of today's public radio. This guy's working too hard to sound like an "announcer," a technique that "worked" in the 1930's but comes off as abrasive on public radio in 2006. Plus (a personal peeve here) he can't pronounce the letter "W." I guess that's OK on the West Coast but he should particularly avoid web addresses with the "Dubya, Dubya, Dubya."
In addition the midpoint break is artificially inserted into the broadcast....slammed in over a round of applause, completely interrupting the train of thought. This break includes an appeal for listeners to "become a member and support the club." I'm personally uncomfortable with this call to action language and would prefer a more gentle and subtle reference to the fact that "membership and support information are available" etc.
I admire this series greatly and would listen to it if someone in my area aired it, but I'd really like to hear it brought into the 21st Century. How about a nice music bed for the open and close? If the mid-point announcement needs to happen, fade the applause to silence....do the announcement, another little pause and a fade back in. This production is done in a major metropolitan area but it needs some help in achieving "big city" production values.
Review of Carlos and Deborah Santana
John Hingsbergen
Posted on December 20, 2006 at 06:08 PM
Broadcasts of this type are a style of radio that deserves preserving. This type of program, featuring a complete presentation by guest speakers plus interaction with the audience in attendance, is not nearly as common as it once was.
I enjoyed listening to the show and I learned a lot about the latest efforts of the guest speakers, Deborah and Carlos Santana. The subjects alone provided plenty of impetus to stay tuned.
This series has a somewhat quirky format of a guest (or guests) providing a short address to the audience, followed by a Q & A with a moderator...then audience questions relayed by the moderator. The show would be enhanced by allowing audience members to ask their own questions. Heck, why not make the show truly interactive and open the phones for non-attending listener questions or comments?
This series is community service of a type that has become rare on public radio stations. It embodies much of our Core Values.
I am not a fan of the "announcer" who does the program open, midpoint break and wrap-up. I really wish that an excellent series of this type had an announcer who better embodied the style of today's public radio. This guy's working too hard to sound like an "announcer," a technique that "worked" in the 1930's but comes off as abrasive on public radio in 2006. Plus (a personal peeve here) he can't pronounce the letter "W." I guess that's OK on the West Coast but he should particularly avoid web addresses with the "Dubya, Dubya, Dubya."
In addition the midpoint break is artificially inserted into the broadcast....slammed in over a round of applause, completely interrupting the train of thought. This break includes an appeal for listeners to "become a member and support the club." I'm personally uncomfortable with this call to action language and would prefer a more gentle and subtle reference to the fact that "membership and support information are available" etc.
I admire this series greatly and would listen to it if someone in my area aired it, but I'd really like to hear it brought into the 21st Century. How about a nice music bed for the open and close? If the mid-point announcement needs to happen, fade the applause to silence....do the announcement, another little pause and a fade back in. This production is done in a major metropolitan area but it needs some help in achieving "big city" production values.