TRHOF

Someone has nominated me for induction into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame this year.  What an honor!

Here's some background info that may be useful:

I came to Texas as news director/morning anchor at KLIF/KPLX in 1981.  GM Tom Donnelly had also hired a DJ out of Dayton named Terry Dorsey.  Later came a 2-year stint at WOAI before it was back to Dallas and KLIF/KPLX working news for the likes of Dorsey, Kevin McCarthy, and David Gold.  Then anchoring news for Ken Barnett and Larry Dixon at KVIL for three years.  Two years at Charlotte's WBT/WLNK led back to Dallas and KRLD and later, WBAP.  Folks like AP, UPI, RTNDA, the Press Club of Dallas, and the Dallas Bar Association have recognized my work over the years.  

It's a genuine honor to be nominated to the TRHOF, and I would appreciate your vote.

Harry Lives On

A FB Friend posted this, and it seemed suitable here.  -mw

https://www.facebook.com/will.giddens/posts/1810747328950819

President Trump

So, it begins.  

A blizzard of executive orders the first few weeks, a still-confounded press trying to do its job, and half the nation still in disbelief and anguish.  Many Democrats (and handsomely paid professional protesters and troublemakers) coalesce to incite violence and foment rebellion.

The average American is foundering in a flood of information and opinions on the Internet, much of it without context.  The news media have been outflanked by social media.  Problem is, most of the latter is not trustworthy.  Much of the former has been unmasked as biased.

We used to trust the traditional broadcast news media.  Then came guys like CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC, all with political agendas.  Conservative talk radio gave voice to tens of millions of listeners.  And the polls?  Tainted, if not rigged.

An informed electorate is vital to our survival.  We have homework to do.  We must get informed.and stay informed.  It takes time and effort, but it is our duty as U.S. citizens.  Therefore, choose your news sources wisely.  Some traditional, some non-traditional.  Read the stories, not just the Facebook or Twitter headlines.

So whom should we trust?  I asked some friends, and two came to mind: The Wall Street Journal and the BBC.  Personally, I would add CBS Radio News* and NPR, and certain folks on Twitter and Facebook.

* I worked news for CBS in the 2000s.

The Sad State of the Estate

Ted Koppel on the Fourth Estate with Charlie Rose 10-28-16: 

 "(Journalism) is a real disaster... 

"There was a day when people in our end of the business (broadcast journalism) genuinely felt that we had a mission out there to give the American public the news that it needed...  

"ABC, NBC, CBS -- among the three of them -- had more than a hundred correspondents forty years ago -- a hundred! -- based all around the world, gathering information. These days, I'd be surprised if they have twenty among the three of them... 

 "Listen to NPR in the morning and listen to the BBC for an hour. And just take note of how many important events are taking place around the world that are never covered on American radio and television.

 ---- 

I and my brethren have bemoaned the decline of journalism for many years. For me, this sense of woe is not so much about us as it is about Americans' growing disinterest in learning and keeping up on news and issues that matter, whether they realize it or not. 

Khrushchev once vowed to conquer the U.S. from within. Although he didn't live to see it happen, Americans' present madness of gossip, rumor, and titillation which permeates today's "news" is doing it for him.

EXACTING

Excessive use of the word, "exact," has watered down its meaning to near nothing.

They're looking for the (exact) cause of the fire.
They don't know the (exact) location of the bank robber.
Who do you think you are, exactly?!

Removing the unnecessary descriptors allows each sentence to stand on its own.

Same with a long list of embellishments the "news media" use to startle, unnerve, and rattle viewers and listeners, including:

devastating
deadly
massive
tragic

Consultants infected broadcast journalism many decades ago.  TV and radio stations hired these guys to recommend ways to improve ratings.  Based on those recommendations, management commanded reporters, editors, and writers to "Be more urgent!"  Make it sound exciting, they said.  And, oh, yeah, give the news department a sexy name:

"Eyewitness News"
"News Now"
"Action News"

Fox News caught on with very attractive anchors in short skirts.  High heels, shapely legs and exposed thighs racked up the ratings.  Hoo, boy!  Gimme that Fox News Alert!

CNN, which earned its reputation on breaking news, now overpaints everything.  The "Breaking News" banner never goes away, rendering the term meaningless.

English is a wonderful language.  She is also a moody, demanding mistress.  But play by her rules and treat her with respect, and she will shower you with clarity, verve and beauty

THEY'RE COMING

I recently retired after more than 40 years in major-market radio news.  My wife and I moved to a place with a population one-tenth the population of the big-city suburb we came from.  Here, there are mountains, trees, lakes, wildlife, a slower pace, and -- most important -- good, gentle people.

A major highway runs right through the place.  It's just four lanes, and there are several stop lights along the way.  No big deal to us, but it's a pain in the butt to folks just passing through.  And to commuters.  A few miles down the road lies a handful of small cities that are home to some very big corporations.  Some of those people people live here and commute to there.  They are busy, on a schedule, and important.  Many of the folks here were once busy, on schedules, and important.  Today, they are just folks, many of them busy in more enjoyable ways.

Our little town is growing like crazy as word spreads about how nice it is here.  The future is coming like a runaway freight train, and some people here are very, very worried about the impact.

For what it's worth, I witnessed a similar change in the suburb I left in North Texas.  The townspeople didn't want city folks moving in, spoiling the peace and quiet and small town neighborhoods, and bringing their fancy cars, their kids, and their busy-ness.  The city fathers wrung their hands, examined their options, and designed a plan.  It went something like this:

Whether we like it or not, these people are coming.  We cannot stop them.  But they're also bringing their disposable incomes, so let's be smart and get ahead of the game.  They'll need good streets, grocery stores, doctors, schools, parks, and Lord knows what else.  Let's expand as much as we can before they get here.  Let's at least begin putting down infrastructure: streets, power, water and sewer.

Because they're coming.

And the city fathers did just that.  With hundreds of millions of dollars in bond money, mile after mile of brand new streets extended beyond the town, right out into what were dirt roads in farmland.  It was a sight to behold, and the townsfolk drooled over four- and six-lane concrete boulevards where there was nothing else.  Still more bonds went to schools, police and fire, etc.

And sure enough, the people came.  And they loved it.  They spent their money there, sent their kids to the new schools, attended churches, got their cars washed and their lawns mowed.  Multinational corporations moved their headquarters from out of state, bringing thousands and thousands of jobs.  Driving schools popped up for transplanted Yankees who didn't know how to drive because they'd never needed cars.

So, how did things work out for that once-small town?  There were the expected growing pains, but the word "success" applied for many, many years.  Today, it's a city of a quarter-million residents.  It has some of the attendant pains of a city that size, but fewer than most.  Now, more distant suburbs are the hip addresses in the market.  They, and the suburb I used to live in, are all part of the largest MSA in the South: more than seven million people in 13 counties.

My new address is in a beautiful little town founded in the early 20th century, and then only for people 55 and over.

But "they" are coming.  I know, because I am a "they."  I love this place and her people.  Sure, there are problems and rascals that I haven't learned of yet and yes, I miss some big-city conveniences.

This village is indeed a little slice of heaven.  It can retain its charm if our city leaders govern wisely and prudent.

Because they're coming.

Spell It

Have you noticed the prevalence of given names with unconventional spellings?  A waitress spells her name Cheyann.  Another pronounces her name, Sara, as "SAH-dah."  A man spells his name Byll.  They're like ants: they're everywhere.

Whenever a waiter or waitress comes to our table at a restaurant, my wife tries to shush me from asking.  Not only do I ask for the spelling, but also for the story behind it.  It's often an interesting tale.  One woman proudly explained that her mama was a hippie.  Another paid tribute to her redneck father.

Then there are the foreign names.  One East Asian's first name required two full lines of letters across her ID badge.  "Just call me Randy," she said.

Introductions sometimes catch me off guard, too.  If the person mumbles his or her name, I miss it.

Say again?

Jeff.

Jeff?  Spell it for me.  (Some shorten the British Geoffrey to Geoff.)

D-e-a-f.

Deaf?

Yeah.  Are you deaf??