What a great Idea! Let's kick mainstream media to the curb again!

The second part of the piece is really interesting. I learned a lot a about Native American's that knew before and that folks are working hard to bring something to people's attention.

This is essentially a feel good, David and Goliath story where David strikes the killer blow with Podcasting.

Funny how Podcasting is somehow going to save culture.

Over all this is a fine piece written for specific audience. It will work on other mainstream stations too. But the beginning is a bit elementary. There is a bad phone line with one of the interview guests that hinders the listeners ability to pay attention.

I appreciate the hosts wonderfully comforting voice. Their is a deftness here that really resonates and keeps you in a great comfort zone.

The second part, where we get to the content of what Native American's will hear on the podcasts is really interesting. But the interviewer does not provide us with a sense of scale. We never learn just how many folks are hearing this material through alternative delivery.

There are some station materials that should be provided too. Unless I'm missing something, no website is given or orther method for us to find and subscribe to this podcast. Heck, I might have gone and checked it out.

Are We Training the Next Generation to Be Just Like Us?

I wonder. This is a really nice piece. It's totally produced to the T that we like in our NPR pieces. Yet, we know that NPR programming, and public radio in general, is loosing audience.

There is the nice NPR pacing, the nice NPR writing. This kid is going to get a well deserved A in her internship

The subject is a nice juxtapose. The Bluest of Bluegrass stations playing punk rock. But it's presented like we're supposed be tickled that this has happened. I don't really know why this is an important piece.

The writing is great. The Narration wonderful for young voice. But frankly I wonder with the edge is. Punk Rock is angry...powerful. This piece has that dull NPR edge to it. Why not go hog wild and scream this piece out?

So the bottom line is any public radio station can air this piece. I would like to say I have to dare stations to air this piece, but instead I think I will dare the folks at NPR training these people to let their passion show and not grade them on their ability to be as boring as NPR has become in our listeners diminishing number of ears.

Did you know Gen X is 40 Years Old?

Thank god someone did this interview. Look, sure, Wolfmother is hardcore alternative. The kind of music us boomers used to call head banger. Sure the NPR PHD Snobs out there are wondering why this is on public radio. Sure the Alternative commercial station in your market plays this band. Well, so have a few non comm AAA stations too. This is the future? OYE

That's because we're old the the 40 year olds with money to give love this stuff.

But back to the piece-It's a good piece, strong artist cuts and the narrator has a quirky, appealing quality. Slow down a bit maybe, would be my only note.

I got the same sense of insightfulness about this band through this piece as I would with other, shall we say, softer sounding bands. I really appreciate that the approach to piece is traditional, even if the subject is not what we think of as public radio.

So all you brave, fearless PDs who claim to want to attract a younger hipper audience---I double dare you to air this piece!

This is a piece that makes you want to learn more about the subject.

This piece has a tough job to do, make you care about someone you don't know, and, as the piece indicates itself, not many folks do.

Yet this piece does do that. You kind of want to get to Ralph a bit better. The banjo version of Israelites is worth the listen. Core values are in play in this piece and is evident in the writing and pacing of the piece.

He's Texas baby and this piece is heaped up with context the size of the Lone Star State. I like the honesty of this piece, it's all over the place from Ralph himself to the guests that are interviewed.

If your station has a significant Americana component, air this piece!

Well if One is Good---Six Must Better!

This is a well intentioned piece and series. However, I was kind of like screaming in my head when the announcer told me we were going to hear the same song six times over. Does anyone know if this breaks those nasty RIAA rules? (That was a joke people!)

The goal of this show is to showcase how one great song can be reinterpreted by various artists to change the mood and nuance of the piece. Great idea, but by the 4th version, I was just worn out. All of the piece are classic jazz...I searched Lush Life on iTunes and was surprised to find no Rocker/Country or other versions.

I do appreciate the facts about the composer. They are insightful and round out the music well. I also love that a modern artist, not generally considered a Public Radio artist, is included. I think the host is grandfatherly and warm to the ear and that's a plus.

I guess I'm conflicted. Sure it's a great song and great idea...but will radio listeners sit there for 30 minutes and listen to the same song over and over again? I suspect not. I think folks who are there at the start of the show will tune out half way through. Folks do want knowledge, which this piece provides, but radio is about entertainment this piece, as any with just one song, wears thin.

And all The People Were Singing....

I love specials like this. I love musical Icons. I love being able to, credibly, brow beat my PD into listening to and airing these kinds of specials. He's going to read this review and close his door when he sees me coming! Because this hour does not disappoint!

The story of the Band and Robbie's solo and multi faceted career is deep and hugely interesting. The interview with Robbie is fascinating. Hearing him tell the stories himself adds such a delightful level of interest.

The trouble with interviewing stars though, is that they, like all of us, revert back in time and tend to ramble a bit. Since this is a live interview, it is a bit tough to edit "focus" into it. But no matter, all this time with Robbie will be a treat to listeners.

The interview focuses a lot on the famous Dylan Go Electric period and that story alone is worth the listen.

I'm not sure what?s what with the 51 min run time. It's not standardized and will require editing and filling. That's easy with these kind of pieces, but a producer supplied list of fill songs to time would be helpful.

Would you pay to come into the middle of a movie?

There is no intro for station provided for this piece and the interview starts in the middle of question. I had to rewind this piece several times to make sure I wan't missing some sort of high art introduction. I didn't. This is just a poorly produced piece.

With some simple, basic broadcasting rules, this could be a really compelling piece. An intro, a set up by the reporter, something! Please!

The listener is simply eavesdropping on a couple of people goofing over coffee or wine. Sure, there are some great questions and some insightful answers, but they come so far into segment that i doubt any listeners would be actively engaged by the piece by the time the sizzle calms down and we start chewing on the steak.

The piece ends as jerky as it starts. Nearly mid sentence. With no resolution or conclusion or summation.

But people need a reason to care about the piece and the basic rules of broadcasting are rules to help reinforce the listeners experience. I just got bored by this piece because, partially, these rules were not followed.

Better suited for a classic country commercial station, but a nice performance piece.

I'm not sure what kind of public radio station would air this series. It's not suited for a News station, a jazz station or a classical station. There are very few AAA stations that could air this either. If you don't air any bluegrass, there isn't really an affinity for this program.

It's a nice country music mini concert that sounds like great Merle and Willie, but there are so few public stations that can fit this in their overall programming. It is a well produced piece, conjuring up Loretta and George and bringing a great Americana sound to life.

Why don't we just call it Public Radio Idol?

This piece is a microcosm of all that is wrong with public radio's facination with the Internet and alternative distribution methods.

First the radio review--KUOW is a great station and the host is competant, relaxing, smart, perfect! Though the production is local and should have been recut if national distribution is desired. But I would have no problem using this piece as part of a themed local news magazine.

However, the host fails to ask the guest one simple question. The piece is about a musician who simply wants to make money by distributing his music over the net with voluntary contributions. His promo plan? Write a Song a week until someone gives him some money and makes him semi-famous.

The unasked question the host should have asked from the get go? "Is your music any good.?" How can you write a quality song every week on a schedule?" What is your inspiration for making music?" I went to the site and listened to many songs to find out.

In short, this is all about the Internet and not the music. The same way Public Radio as an industry is more concerned about the distribution pipes than the QUALITY CONTENT! Thank god for PRX where we have an abundance of content to explore!

So if the Internet is all powerful, why isn't this guy famous and rich by now? Because his music is horrible. It's mostly novelty songs and repetitive folk rock clich?s. In the interview the host and guest talk about his most popular song to date being a folk rock reinterpretation of a misogynistic rap song "Baby Got Back"

While this piece is good, we must focus on the content of what we cover, not the pipes and marketing plan.

The fact that this piece got a strong reaction from me is a sure sign it's a great piece of radio that will push our listeners to think for themselves.

We must always remember to deliver on our promises.

This piece promises us an hour history surrounding the Punk Rock generation, but fails to deliver more than a needle drop show with very little history or insight into one of the most politically based, anger laden music genres created.

The songs chosen are fine for the most part. There are few radio hits, a few semi-obscure and few "oh god get that off the air" songs. And the last kind is always needed in this kind of piece because we always want to take our listeners to the edge of their comfort zone then real them back.

However, the host brings little to the table to provide insight and sense of place. Mostly, there are topline factioids. There is no real mention of the political atmosphere of the late 70s and 80s that aided in the creation of this music. Was it a reaction to politics, a reaction to the disco era, a bunch of drug addict kids with nothing much to do? Where are these folks now? Who else did they work with?

Public radio listeners weather it's classical music or punk rock expect the New York Times version of the story and this show is more like the USA today version.

Two technical notes. There is a reference to the "Evil Record Label" in the set up. Record Labels are my station's friends. They help provide opportunities to us so I groan at the blanket statement which makes me not want to consider this piece for our air. Sure, we don't shy away from the story when an artist and a label fight, but we don't bring it up needlessly.

Second, there is a reference to Memorial Day at the end that dates this piece and makes it unusable. This should have been left out as the piece would then be green for stations to use whenever. The deaths it recognizes could have been the basis for much of the history that this show could have explored.

There is nothing worse than an aging parent or a radio segment that isn't well produced.

This is a quick feature produced by a commercial station to alert members of the aging and boomer age groups about the financial ramifications of getting older. It's good advice. Very good advice. In fact, it's advice that we've heard before. Basic information is good, but public radio listeners, mostly boomers, are very highly educated folks who require more than basic information to meet their needs. The aging folks in our audiences are pretty hip too and while I won't go so far as to say they would never get taken on a scam, they are pretty sophisticated...after all, look at what good parents they are.

You'll also hear very AM production values on this piece including paper ratteling. The narration, while fine for the most part, often has a bit of a paternal tone that made the back of neck tense up.

Swank is more than a Martini. Radio is more than a Good Idea.

Essentially a cocktail lounge monologue that intends to tell some sort of story mixed in with cocktail chatter. Half Sammy, Half Garrison, proving that there is oil an water in our industry. This piece just fails to mix up into a coherent, engaging piece.

I love the idea, cocktail culture is hot now. We see it in stores, on notebooks, heck, I take mine with Onions (I'm too swank for Olives), But a story isn't built on these things. They are just the wrapping paper and I am saddened to report that the story behind this piece just does not gel enough to hold a listener's interest through the 'too hip for the room' writing.

Some of the music is very nice though it does not advance the story very much. The concept is great though, and the host is certainly working very hard to construct an interesting half hour. This is the kind piece I would love to work with the producer on directly because you can see the golden nugget in here. You can hear a great entertaining piece.

My Partner is addicted to the Discovery Channel disaster of the week specials. Floods, Tsunamis, you name it. If' it's death by nature with bad computer graphics and pushes the limits of human integrity, he's on it.

Thank goodness we public radio treatments of this subject matter! This program is a wonderful example of how to weave the human voice of disaster victims into a portrait so rich in color and texture that you'll need the full hour to listen to this show. It's a TSL building show. Air it.

The narrator is serious, yet warm and inviting. This piece attempts to draw comparisons between the 1906 Quake, Katrina and 911. This is it's weakest point really. We have to shift our thinking back and forth and some times the transitions are not quite clear. The majority of the show is about the Quake and I think it would have made a clearer piece if focused on this one only. Or perhaps not use actualities from the other places. It's just a bit confusing....are we telling three stories or trying to compare one to the other? To listeners coming and going from the radio, they will lose their place.

That aside, the editing and recording is wonderful. The use of sound, historical and contemporary, packs a powerful punch.

News stations should use this program either as a stand alone or in conjunction with other programs analyzing disasters and our reactions to them.

Jeez, I really drew the PRX short straw this month...I have to review an independent producer (who lives in my signal area) and his piece on a core WTMD artist! I am afraid to look Jeff up in our membership database. I could be cutting my nose off to spite my Average Pledge!

Look, the producer knows how to tell stories. His credentials are astounding. He has the chops in TV and most of that transfers to radio. But, this piece, like most tributes falls a bit short. It's too much a love fest making it less accessible to the average listener who may not really know Nick Drake very well.

The narration is a bit sleepy, the story (much like a Nick Drake tune), but fails to deliver the emotional impact of his work. The production is a bit poppy and in need of a bit of leveling.

But the story is what really shines here. The thought of doing this crazy thing when you're a bit past your 28th Birthday is so invigorating...so exciting... remember, you don't regret what you do in live, you regret what you don't do. This producer has no reason for regrets!

Dying is easy, comedy is hard.

Answering machine pieces around in public radio. They're tough to do. First of all, you have to make sure your production is spot on. The listener must be able to understand the person leaving the message. This piece does not meet that standard. I had listen to the piece several times to make sure I heard it all.

That's enough to drive listeners to another station. Plus I am not srue of the point of this piece...even after listening to it several times. Listeners have to get the theme in 15 seconds or they tune out...to another station or mentally.

There is only person leaving messages for W on this piece. Jeb, the president's Brother. He comes off like a duff, when the popular perception is he's the smarter of the two. I just didn't get the humor. Jeb just sounded like a whining brother stoner type. There was no real insight or joke here.

Sorry gang, I wish I could more enthusiastic here, but I just don't see this as much more than Bush Bashing. Not that I mind that at all...but there has to be some there here.