Wheeling and Dealing

This week I have been invited to help out with Family Fun Night at my church as a booth announcer for a live version of the classic TV game show Let’s Make a Deal. It sounds like a lot of fun is in store for families. Donated prizes are promised and, of course, there will be “Zonks.” Will it be curtain number one, two or three? Our live version will only have two curtains, but the game is the same.

I’ll take lots of photos and post them here. I can’t wait to see all the crazy costumes, which you’ll see here on The Peanut Whistle. Look out world.

See my Facebook profile for the details. If you’re in the area come and join us!

Stay tuned

© 2010 Neal Rhoden and The Peanut Whistle

Radio on TV

“Baby if you ever wondered / Wondered whatever became of me / I'm livin' on the air in Cincinnati / Cincinnati WKRP.” Over 40? You remember the show in first run like I do or maybe you became a fan later in re-runs on TV Land. Whatever the case WKRP in Cincinnati is one of my favorite TV shows about radio.

At the start of my radio career the show was still on CBS and I'd often compare the situations and characters to real life at my little dysfunctional radio family. There was a Mr. Carlson, a real life Venus Fly Trap, a Herb Tarlek and a few mini Doctor Johnny Fever's running around. We even had our version of the Loni Anderson character, the hot receptionist Jennifer Marlowe. While the show was somewhat accurate in its depiction of radio culture I though the equipment props and the way the actors handled the technical details of broadcasting fell short. It's a silly quibble, I know; the show is dang funny.

WKRP basis was a real radio station, my hometown, Atlanta's WQXI-AM. Their “Skinny” Bobby Harper was the Dr. Johnny Fever prototype. WQXI (known locally as “Quixie in Dixie”) was a popular Top-40 outfit in the late 60' and early '70's. Many of the episodes are based on actual events experienced by series creator, Hugh Wilson, former Atlanta ad man.

That brings me to wonder what other shows that I can remember that had radio themes. Most obvious is Frasier on 11 seasons with NBC. With a much more high brow appeal than 'KRP, the series chronicles the life of psychiatrist / radio talk show host Frasier Crane played by Kelsey Grammer. The show had some of the best written episodes of any show, period. It remained an excellent example of great TV and proved consistent over all eleven seasons. What I loved about Frasier was that it involved more than just radio related themes with deep character development and very funny situations. The production values were unequaled and satisfied my technical side with real identifiable radio equipment props that satisfied the techno geek in me.

This is far from an exhaustive survey of TV shows about radio; I've only touched on two. Others that come to mind are: News Radio on NBC in the mid-90's staring SNL alum Phil Hartman who was murdered in 1998 by his wife in real life. (The show only lasted one more season following his passing. It was never again the same without his comic genius.) A 2008 show on CBS; Gary Unmarried, involves recently divorced Gary Brooks, played by Jay Mohr, who finds himself switching careers from a house painter to his dream job as host on an all-sports station. Unfortunately, the show has been canceled by CBS despite well written scripts and a great cast. It's all about the ratings, baby!

Stay tuned

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.

Today's Radio Rant

Mark Twain once quipped, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," after his premature obituary had been published in the New York Journal. His exact quote has been a matter of academic contention over the years but I quote (or paraphrase) him today to prove a point about radio.

Reading the radio trades these days can be a bit discouraging; they're constantly reporting its demise, especially in Internet forums. They bemoan the corporate take overs, the absence of local talent with hometown appeal, and lack of public interest as causes. While these are valid arguments, radio isn't dead -- yet.

My podcast hobby has been a mostly effective panacea for my radio jones; much like reading about the Superbowl and actually being there, my hobby pales next to the real thing. I'm strictly an armchair quarterback. In fact, hordes of radio people with more marketable resumés are unemployed or in unrelated fields now.

Surely careers have died, but the industry as a whole will continue to exist--only in a different form. Music and information will be delivered in a way unknown currently to AM, FM and even TV professionals. The recent switch to digital TV from analog last year is only the beginning of change. Traditional radio is on life support; but, I'm afraid as soon as cheap (or free) high speed wireless Internet is available to the masses (on a scale equal to the ubiquitous transistor radio of old) the plug will be pulled.

In other words: the end will be when these new media technologies are truly mobile and free everywhere, just as radio has been for generations.

I believe my anonymous grandchildren will witness this event in their lifetimes. However, this grim prognosis was forecast when television debuted in the late 1940's. MTV threatened in the '80's. Radio kept on kicking. Bottom line: who knows? Like the Digital Mandate illustrates, our government authorities will continue to press us all into the 21st century like it or not. Radio is not immune.

Stay tuned 

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Is There a Doctor in the House

My search for the reset button continues. The summer coming on with four kids in tow is going to be very exciting; time to dust of the home gym and get into shape. I got the weight off about 15 years ago and kept it off; for the most part. Ten years ago I gained back a few pounds. Long story short, I dropped the extra baggage when, at age 40, I developed acute appendicitis and required emergency surgery. Usually, much younger people have trouble with their appendix. Leave it to me... 

I don't recommend this sort of diet plan. But it turned out as a blessing in disguise. We got a funny story out of it.

You see, my wife Angie was 9 months pregnant with our baby daughter. One Tuesday morning during this time I developed an intense pain on my lower right side. To say it was intense is an understatement. Anyway, I went on to work. My work ethic is so strong (or maybe, I'm stupid or just fear doctors) that I suffered 8 hours in awful gut wrenching pain. As I was to learn later my appendix had already perforated. I could have died, but this gets funnier. Pain pills had no effect as the symptoms grew worse. Angie, with resolute calm drove me to the nearest emergency room. By the time we were called the attending nurses swarmed...Angie. "Let's get you up stairs immediately, honey!" they addressed my wife, visibly expecting. "No, it's my husband!" she replied. Hours passed and the next day I had laproscopically delivered my appendix to the world thus upstaging my wife and new daughter by just a week or so. On a serious side; I am forever in my wife's debt for her unselfish companionship during this scary episode four years ago.

Stay tuned

©2010 The Peanut Whistle. All rights reserved.

Home Where I Belong

It's been crazy around here for a while. Blogging had to take the back burner and simmer a little. I've been transitioning back to my home church from the new work that had directed my energies a few weeks. I felt the mission would continue for at least a year; but, I could not get the rest of the family on board. It turns out that my wife and I both missed the old church but neither knew until I blurted out that the novelty had wore off. We agreed that we'd return home. And we did, not looking back. I worked to 100% of my abilities for the short time I was there building my skill set.

While we didn't regret our decision to return I did question why we left in the first place. As "luck" would have it on Sunday night the music pastor invited me to join the media team and introduced me to the person in charge; guess what? The new skills I learned at my most recent short time excursion I was able to intelligently  discuss with her. In fact, she observed that I could possibly teach their team the Pro Presenter software I had just experienced first hand. A mystery solved: the purpose for our diversion was learning a wholly new way of integrating sound, video and scheduling logistics for worship and bringing back those highly effective methods to our church. For the last decade I have craved some sort of synergy of my hobbies and talents. I realize how vague this all seems; but, I assure you, long suffering reader, it is coming together.

Stay tuned

©2010 Gospel Aircheck. All rights reserved.