Aircheck: 2010

31 December 2010

My Wish

Aircheck is an emotional clearing house; valuable, free therapy throughout the year for me, the writer. Right now, I'm listening again to a popular Raschal Flatts song from 2006:

"I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get,

Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,

And you always give more than you take."

I do not glean all my advice from Country songs; today it is apropos. The My Wish lyric speaks my resolution. In 2011, I resolve not to "look back" as much while remaining keenly aware of my lessons learned the hard way. In yet another Country hit from 1993; Vince Gill sharpens my point singing, "There ain't no future in the past."

Better now than a year ago, twenty-eleven promises abundant topical, opinionated, and reflective Aircheck posts that evolve as this blogger does. Happy New Year.

Stay tuned

28 December 2010

Snowy Vista

I woke up this morning to a majestic view of the Great Smoky Mountains. There is nothing I could add to God's creation, so here's a glimpse.

Holiday Zoo Crew

Today marks the 25th anniversary of a show from my personal aircheck archive. It features me and two co-hosts in an impromptu chat show, post Christmas 1985. Click play below or down load here.

Stay tuned
©2010 Neal Rhoden, Aircheck blog. All righs reserved.

26 December 2010

Sunday Grazing

It is a little unsettling having a major holiday like Christmas on the weekend. It throws my internal clock out of sync. As a remedy Angie and I took down the tree early this morning. Church services were called due to snow and possible black ice on the roadways. We're getting the house ready for New Years: throwing up a new Chick-fil-a "cow" calendar, tossing away boxes, and general housekeeping. Here's to a happy 2011.

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25 December 2010

White Christmas

What a difference a day makes. After a typically chaotic Christmas Eve with my other relatives, today is an amazing celebration of the 25th with the kids, my wife, and our mothers. And a bonus to boot: snow! For the first time since 1882, we have a white Christmas in Atlanta (rare indeed.)

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24 December 2010

White Elephant

Tonight around our household we officially celebrate Christmas with some early gift-giving with the extended family: my younger sister, the nieces, my four, mom, dad’s two surviving sisters, and whoever else we can cram into the party. Of course there will be plenty of room at my youngest sister’s place. The deafening sound of all the little ones unwrapping their treasures simultaneously makes the place only seem smaller.

My wife, Angie, was introduced to our clan’s frenzied attack of unsuspecting gifts some 9 years ago. Her family opens each present individually with quiet respect; each child taking his or her turn. How weird, it turns out my family are the strange bunch: go figure. Thankfully, I adopted her more sane approach with our kids when Santa’s surprises are unveiled Christmas morning.

For the adults, it is a relatively new tradition of a gift giving game called “White Elephant.” Each participant draws a number, keeping and trading wrapped items until satisfied to have found the most appropriate or valuable thing (higher drawn numbers are an advantage.) It is all in good fun. None of the items cost more than $10. This year my thrifty Angie is re-gifting; costing us zero.

Stay tuned

23 December 2010

Rise Up

This commercial sure fired up this Falcons fan for 2010.

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22 December 2010

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Aircheck family. We've got some great ideas for posts coming very soon, so keep it here for the details.

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21 December 2010

Dynasty in the Making

My beloved Atlanta Falcons are number one in the NFC and tied for first place with the New England Patriots of the AFC—both teams 12 and 2. The Pats are supposedly the better team, as most of the northern biased sports press would lead you to believe. Well, I disagree. At the risk of being labeled a “Homer”, I think the Falcons have a better chance because they are the underdogs. Even us loyal fans have gone through an inferiority complex over the years. We have been conditioned to lose. It’s high time to change our thinking. The Mike Smith era has brought about the necessary paradigm shift, just like Bobby Cox did in the early 90’s for the Braves.

Whether the Falcons will become the dynasty the Braves organization has become remains to be seen; our new coach has brought a winning attitude to the club not previously known in these parts. And that includes Dan Reeves’ team of the late 90’s and our sole Superbowl appearance on January 31st, 1999.

Wait. In my excitement, I got way ahead of myself. There is a small matter of the playoffs. Neither we nor New England are guaranteed a Superbowl appearance. Aircheck will refine its forecast as the playoffs begin.

Stay tuned

20 December 2010

Google Me

Man, am I excited! Today I just received my new Google notebook computer. I and many others are trying out the device as testers for the new Internet based Google operating system. Right now I am learning the highly intuitive device; my new toy. Did I mention it was free? More to come.

Stay tuned

16 December 2010

The Hi-Fi

Back in the late 1950’s or early 60’s my paternal grandparents bought a new General Electric stereo. It contained an automatic record changer, AM/FM stereo tuner, amplifier (not solid-state, but genuine tube electronics), and loudspeakers. All of these components were housed in a massive, handsome wood veneer cabinet.

Flash forward to Independence Day 2009 my dad’s younger sister asked me if I wanted the Hi-fi that their parents owned. I had been eying the unit for many years: in its various homes, near and far. Honestly, I was afraid the console had been lost over the years but was surprised that it had found its way into my Aunt Bonnie’s storage shed.

Long story short, that fourth of July, I became heir to the stereo. I was not expecting the nearly 50 year old relic to even turn on. To my surprise, after replacing the frayed power cord, the old GE energized and was soon filling the air with high-fidelity music. The FM and AM worked well. The Turntable was a different story. Records played off-speed and faint. Ever the tinkerer, over the next weeks, I disassembled the electronics. The “head” unit (pre-amp / tuner) was problematic. Most of the contacts needed cleaning. The wiring was suspect. I discovered that the record player was rim-drive. The “tire” (illustrated above) that turns the platter was way out of round; a part probably not currently available. The left speaker sounded cracked. Sure enough, it had some irreparable moisture damage. I decided the the cabinet was the only part worth saving, so I gutted the ancient electronics. Most purist collectors might cringe, but I replaced the tube amp and speakers with (relatively) newer solid-state electronics: a 100 watt Sony receiver, belt-drive turntable, and dropped in a pair of Yamaha bookshelf speakers inside. The one remaining original speaker, which I kept as a souvenir, is in fairly good shape. Besides the cracked woofer, I did not throw away anything. I just threw the old parts inside. I intend to make future improvements to the Hi-fi. I consider this project a restomod, similar to the way car builders take a rust bucket, add modern performance speed parts and produce a classic with new guts.

Stay tuned

14 December 2010

Keep it Simple, Stupid

At this point in my life one thing has become clear: it is time to simplify. For most of my adult life, shoot all my life, I have been a packrat. Well, it is time to purge. Most of my mess is in small things I’ve kept such as audio cassette mix tapes, tiny electronic parts (patch cords and adapters galore), the list goes on: hand tools, doo-dads, and what-nots. I justified all this clutter by saying, “It’ll come in handy or be worth something some day.” Well, it seldom did. Today, while browsing my Netflix queue I stumbled upon a show that is right up my alley called American Pickers. A new show featured on the History Channel, it follows two guys on a mission to buy junk that they can later sell for a profit. They go around the countryside of the American Mid-west finding individuals willing to part with some of their clutter (for a price). Sign me up for their jobs. I identify both as a hoarder and a seeker.

This brings me to my mission with this particular blog. The statistics feature in the backbone software of Aircheck and the Peanut Whistle weblogs has been a marvelous tool. It has directed me in the types of posts that you, the reader, like to read. In fact, the number of readers and how they discovered this little blog is part of the Blogger software. I have not quite learned how to interpret all the numbers, but I have a pretty good idea that we’re not setting the blogosphere on fire. That is why big changes are coming to this site in the next few days or weeks. Look for my two Blogger blogs to consolidate into one. The Peanut Whistle will become part of the Aircheck instead of a separate site. I had considered shutting down both altogether. Merging the two is the more logical course. “Less clutter, more sanity” is my new motto.

Stay tuned

10 December 2010

Nerd-feast

It is hard to believe that we’re winding down another year. Twenty-eleven: I like the sound of that. It seems like yesterday that this blog posted a close-out message for 2009. At the risk of sounding trite, time flies.

Let’s get to today’s point. There is a new feature to the Aircheck main page. Written especially for techno-nerds such as myself is the Aircheck Knowhow page, listed right below the header. It is (almost) all the detail I could throw into the topic of recording an aircheck, along with one of my harebrained ideas that might find use among like-minded folks.

Thanks dear readers for a fantastic 2010. There is some life left to this year, along with a few more posts, should inspiration strike.

Stay tuned

07 December 2010

Cloak and Dagger

In what seems to be a segment on one of those Saturday Night Live fake commercials the CIA is now openly recruiting through television ads. About a month ago I saw one of their commercials for the first time and thought it was a joke—the production values of the spots are first rate, like a mini-movie. Maybe it is part of some new transparency in our government. Recently I visited the website and found out that the American international clandestine service, the Central Intelligence Agency is in fact looking for new recruits. Bravo.

Stay tuned

06 December 2010

Stage Freight

Yesterday was a blast. At the risk of bragging, my kids really did their old man proud. First, Sunday morning, my four year old daughter was superb as a singing “bible girl”. Although she was a statue for most of the performance, my little Mattie glowed. She knew her part very well but succumbed to stage freight.

Later, in the evening performance, the first through sixth graders had their Christmas play, Arrest These Merry Gentlemen. My two middle kids then had a turn. My daughter Abbey, 7, delighted us with an uninhibited solo of an original song, He is the One, from the play. My son Luke, who is six, played multiple roles singing and signing (as in, using American Sign language) like an expert, without fear. I can’t wait to see how these talents develop over the years; their dad (just like my baby daughter) never mustered up enough courage to perform live, especially as well as they. Congratulations, little ones.

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Duh

About this time every year—at least here in the Northern Hemisphere—it gets cold. To most thinking people this climate change comes as no surprise. The mercury drops naturally in late autumn into winter. This would seem logical to most people. That is what we call “common sense.” The news media treats the transition as if this is something completely novel. This morning I was watching my local ABC affiliate pronouncing, “It’s cold, but it’s really colder than that.” What on Earth does that mean? Yeah right, Wind Chill Factor must have been the meaning of this charming non sequitur. Give me a break. I know it is cold; just walk outside.

Stay tuned

02 December 2010

Rabbit Ears Updated

A repost from the Peanut Whistle:

Wow! I love the new technological age we live in now—especially High Definition TV. What I like about it is, digital TV returns free television—truly no cost—back to all of us with just old fashioned “rabbit ears”.

With digital the signal is delivered with astounding picture and sound quality never experienced in analog.

One thing Washington got right for a change was mandating the Switch to DTV last year.

Living in the Metro Atlanta area we can receive over 30 channels of free over-the-air TV—most of them in HD. This is all without a cable bill. I said, “Goodbye and good riddance” to Comcast months ago when I discovered this secret cable companies don’t want us knowing. Plus, suppose I install an honest to goodness roof-top setup—I believe many more channels would come in. You see, each TV station has the ability to transmit one or more additional channels along with their primary signal. There is one local station that has 10 or so extra “virtual” channels. For example our WSB-TV transmits their primary signal on virtual channel 2.1 in HD along with “Retro TV” on channel 2.2 in standard definition. Your new digital set “sees” WSB (now actually reassigned on channel 39) as 2.1 and 2.2 respectively. Through the magic of digital technology, “Channel 2” (their name since 1950) WSB retains its identity although their frequency flipped.

Digital TV has a few minor quirks; signal strength is important. Make sure your antenna is pointed correctly. Go to the FCC’s website for exact compass directions of local TV stations from your address. The site includes very helpful information. This aiming process is fairly easy, though. In addition, search YouTube for more information under, “Homemade HDTV antenna,” as well. I opted for Walmart™ and a less than $50 price point. For other programming such as sports and movies we have opted for the Internet and Netflix (more on that in a future post.)

Before I go, here is one more thing about cable you should know. You’re not getting real High Definition TV on any of your channels, when you subscribe to basic service; true HD costs extra with an additional cable box. Simple rabbit ears feed genuine HD to that new plasma or LCD screen when the stations’ signal allows, 100% of the time. Put some extra cash in your wallet this holiday season, cut the cable cord.

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Get a Job, the Final Chapter

A short while back in the Whistle I wrote about a job interview that I participated in. It has come to my attention that the individuals who interviewed me for the position had done very few, if any, of these sessions where a panel of four would ask questions. They were pre-written inquiries that each department head asked. With due respect to the job, its requirements were less of a challenge to me than almost anything I had ever done. I believed that the job would be a shoo-in.

My qualifications were more than enough. My answers were quick, concise and honest. But the company, call them “Acme”, went another direction. They didn’t even have the courtesy of a return phone call. In times past, I was on the other side of the interview being the one who hired. My training dictated that we remain neutral during the process—not giving up hope or despair to an interviewee, no matter how good or bad he seemed. We were instructed to say to each applicant at the close, “Thank you for coming in, we are interviewing others and we will make a decision soon. If you have not heard from us in five days then assume that we decided to hire someone else.” That is one policy my former employer got right. Finding a good job seems impossible these days. Acme Corp needs to get their act together. In fact, corporate America should invest in the best person for the job without regard to age (especially) or any other factor. I say damn the quotas! Get some experienced individuals in position.

Now I’ll step down off my Acme® Soap Box.

Stay tuned

30 November 2010

God Must Be a Steelers Fan

I have put up with athletes for years thanking God for a fine performance; a touchdown, a homerun, a GOAL. This past weekend in the NFL takes the cake. I have had enough of the God crutch these players rely on. No question of their free exercise of faith; what I do take issue with is blaming the Almighty for dropping a pass in the end zone. It was an easy catch that would have won the game in overtime for the virtually winless Buffalo Bills against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Wide receiver Stevie Johnson bitterly blamed God for the loss. Later he “tweeted:”

I PRAISE YOU 24/7!!!!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!! EVER!!! THX THO...

Blasphemy!

Next time I see someone “cross” themselves in the end zone, I am changing the channel.

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What Now?

Here we are at the end of another month. My, time flies. Keeping up a daily blog is a chore this time of year. I feel like it is in a constant state of development and evolution. Right now, I am considering 2011 and how the Peanut Whistle will change. One thing is for sure; we will become a more “general interest” weblog. Along with my original Aircheck blog this little enterprise will have a broader appeal relying less on themes that had previously captured my attention. True to my nature, this blog will reflect my own constant flux. I have gone through many phases and suppose this won’t change as I mature.

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Big Fan

Today’s post just goes to show you what little it takes to excite me. One of my favorite radio stations here in Atlanta is 680, the Fan. As you may have guessed it is an all sports-talk station. I have been listening to their coverage of the local and national sports scene for quite some time now. What gets me going right now is that their signal is getting a boost, literally. They have added a simulcast to their original 680 AM on 93.7 FM. Now, no matter what time, day or night, I can hear the Fan (static free). Yes! This turn of events is all thanks to the FCC’s recent ruling on allowing some AM stations an FM translator in addition to their normal frequency.

Stay tuned

17 November 2010

Glam Country

I saw Keith Urban this morning on the Today Show. He did a great job in the interview and the song that followed. Thanks to High Definition, I noticed generous use of stage make-up and wondered how old Waylon Jennings or Willie Nelson would think of this new-fangled Country style. Today’s Country is more like the Glam Rock of the early 1970’s. Urban appeared more like David Bowie than he did the Outlaws he tried to emulate (not to mention he’s Australian, for crying out loud). Don’t get me wrong I am a little bit Country and a little bit Rock-n-Roll. Okay, maybe calling new Country “Glam” is a bit extreme, but it’s not the real deal.

Stay tuned

16 November 2010

Big Surprise

*Spoiler Alert*

The popular music source iTunes proclaimed yesterday that they would be making an exciting announcement today at 10:00 eastern time. Well, news has been leaked that the Beatles catalog will finally be available on the popular music site. Legal feuding has been going on between Apple Computer and the Beatles’ Apple Records label since the late 1970’s. These disputes have reportedly been settled. For more information see the Wall Street Journal.

Stay tuned.

15 November 2010

Mugshot Bull

For the last decade and a half, I have worked in specialty retail wearing many hats. Most of that time was spent as a manager of some of craziest characters around. In 2007, One particular individual stands out. This guy named Richard, 81 and still working, claimed to have spent his youth running Prohibition Era booze for Al Capone then dashing off to WWII, having lied about his age.

His stories were very entertaining. Looking back, my research (and some basic math) have proved that the gangster stories, at least, were apocryphal. You see, Capone was active from the early 1920’s until 1931. If my friend was 81 that means he was born in 1926, making him five when the Boss of the Chicago Outfit was imprisoned. Unless Richard was Indiana Jones and Forrest Gump rolled up into one, his stories just do not add up. By the way, I have some beach front property in Nevada to sell.

Stay tuned.

The Pages

A ton of bricks hit me. Nobody cares to read radio shop talk. The weight has crushed the original focus of this blog. For those die-hard enthusiasts remaining, we will redirect future broadcast focused posts to one of our sub-pages called Radio Daze, just click on the link in the margin.

When we started this thing over a year and a half ago I set out to write what I know, as if it was the only thing I knew. A very short period in my life has been under the microscope far too long. I have grown beyond the topic of an irrelevant past and future postings will reflect the change. This week Gospel Aircheck will become simply, Aircheck.

Stay tuned

14 November 2010

The Birthday Truck Returns

In 1990 this blogger found himself mid-point in a radio career as program director at a 2,500 watt AM that served the Atlanta marketplace (barely). Our owner compelled me to begin a whacky morning show with a new female host. I hated the idea. A fluff show on a southern gospel station would not work; I had never seen (better heard) these type shows work. Our audience was very old. Why would they accept two kids in their mid-20’s droning on about the hot topics of the day? My new co-host was my age; lacked any radio experience, but was a natural talent, so she quickly caught on. I finally acclimated myself to the concept having actually putting in 100%. Despite our efforts, the show lasted mid-November until it tanked just before Christmas when the two of us had exhausted every idea for the old folks now switching off their radios en masse. In hindsight, the station’s format should have been changed altogether—perhaps talk or oldies—in order to make the morning show work. Today marks the 20th anniversary. To celebrate, Aircheck has posted a YouTube video. Exclusively available here:

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©2010 Neal Rhoden,Gospel Aircheck blog. All rights reserved.

12 November 2010

Jack Wagon

Here is a commercial from Geico Insurance that I love. It reminds me of the Eagles song Get Over It, especially the line: “I’d like to find your inner child and kick its little a—”

But I digress. The anti-psychobabble sentiment of this ad is the same.

R. Lee Ermey Geico Commercial

Stay tuned.

11 November 2010

Got Your Number

It seems that the phone company has discontinued the distribution of phonebooks citing Internet usage as the reason for the change. I’ve racked my brain trying remember the last time I looked up a number using print media. Probably when Bill Clinton was president. Hooray for progress. By the way, customers can request a hard copy of the phonebook (should they require it.)

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Get a Job, Part 2

The recession has done a number on each of us. In years past many found work quite easily. Many of us in our prime are faced with taking jobs for which we are way overqualified. And recently, I heard of new college grads taking starter jobs that would seem beneath us a generation ago. I do not envy these kids. A degree is no guarantee (to coin a phrase.) I entered the job market during a recession. Fortunately, we had Ronald Reagan to rescue us.

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Let’s Share

Yesterday on the other side of the house we shared an article that was written by a family friend about my parents and their new baby. It spotlights the challenges faced by a blind couple raising a child in 1960’s Atlanta. Obviously, this blogger is the baby in question. Today, Gospel Aircheck presents the article, reformatted, with corrections in the footnotes. Although generally accurate, the original got a few minor facts incorrect. Link over to read or download the whole article here.

Stay Tuned

10 November 2010

My Story

Here is a article written in 1966 from an Atlanta newspaper by a friend of my dad’s. It gives some background into my story. It is clippings such as these that provide some great family history research for my book project (in the making.) View and download here.

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Is This Thing On?

Over the years I have seen interviews and read articles about self-conscious actors who refused to watch themselves on film. I hardly ever heard of singers or disk jockeys who didn’t like to hear their voice on tape. Maybe a few, but that’s doubtful. (Especially DJ’s and radio hosts.) I confess that I listen to my own “airchecks”; many of them are nearly 30 years old. Why? When you figure that out, let me know.

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08 November 2010

Dirty Birds

One of the best games I saw this weekend involved my Atlanta Falcons at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thanks go to the Bucs coach for proclaiming their team was the best in the conference. Little did they know the Dirty Birds came to play! The highlight of the game was a last minute goal line stand preventing Tampa Bay from scoring a go-ahead touchdown. We return again this Thursday to face the Baltimore Ravens at the Georgia Dome.

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Little Peanuts

Last weekend was a blast! The kids had the best Halloween, ever. With the three youngest ones now all old enough to truly enjoy the holiday, they have really been a pleasure to watch. First on Saturday, the 30th was dress up for “Trunk or Treating”; then, on the 31st they found a—ahem—well to do neighborhood for traditional “trick-or-treating”. They all made out like bandits. Special thanks go to our 15 year old who helped mom get them there.

Our middle daughter was positively giddy going as Frenchy from her favorite movie, Grease. Our boy and baby girl were a hit as Mario and Luigi from the popular Mario Bros. Nintendo video games.

Stay tuned

07 November 2010

Pluggin’ Away

Born out of TV talk shows—probably, the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson—the term “plug” came to mean that an actor or performer came on the show to promote their latest project. Today I’m plugging my blogs with our latest YouTube vids.

Here’s the “stuff”

My TV promo. Be here!

Stay tuned

Peanut Promo

Here is our latest "shameless plug" of this blog. Take a look or go YouTube for the video if you have trouble viewing.

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©2010 Neal Rhoden, The Peanut Whistle Weblogs. All rights reserved.

06 November 2010

A Thousand Views

For many of you keeping track—and it’s really sad if you have—the YouTube video tour of one of my radio homes has reached well over 1,000 views. Link on over to my channel, Jim O’Neal has added a couple new videos there. Here’s to a million!

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On the (Writer’s) Block

From time to time I am stumped. Other times the words just flow. Over the past few months the former seemed to be true. Back in January I resolved to write every day in order to help myself improve. That resolution crumbled. I need help from the readers. What hooked you on this blog? What will keep you? Please comment; let us know what interests you and we’ll do our best to write about it. Check the archive for the posts that have met your expectations. If preferable e-mail us: nealrhoden@gospelaircheck.com

Stay tuned

05 November 2010

Brrrr!

Although it seemed the day would never come, cold weather is here! Global warming: yeah, right.

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03 November 2010

Click to Play

Make sure to explore the contents of this blog. If you currently subscribe through a reader we invite you to follow this link to our site. We have the podcast archive, pages,links and more for you to see.

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Explore Gospel Aircheck

You have landed on this humble weblog because of an interest in gospel music or maybe an interest in radio broadcasting. Whatever the reason, thanks for reading the posts. You are invited to explore the site as well. From time to time we change the look, but one constant remains: the content. In the side bars (or margins) of the page are the podcasts and various audio elements. Look (or listen) to the other pages. Go ahead. I dare you. Also, let your voice be heard. Leave comments. Thanks again.

Stay tuned

01 November 2010

YouTube Mashup

This morning I had some fun with the new online YouTube Video Editor. We joined a few of our popular uploads into one presentation, The Grand Tour, enjoy:

31 October 2010

Trunk or Treat

On Halloween in the US and probably many other parts of the globe, children of all ages don colorful costumes and go door-to-door asking neighbors for candy. Everyone knows about "Trick or Treating". In our area, and possibly all across America, churches are offering an alternative called "Trunk or Treating." Participants often fill a church parking lot and serve goodies to kids from their open car trunks. It's like speed dating for 9-year-olds. Plus it is easy on us parents. No more dark walks around unfamiliar cul-de-sacs. Our babies love it!

Stay tuned.

30 October 2010

Shoestring Broadcasting

Here is how it all began: that is, my experiment with Internet streaming of my radio show concept, the GRIN (Gospel Rewind Internet Network.) Last year we started our own Southern Gospel themed radio station on a shoestring budget (zero dollars). Record your comments below. You can listen or download to your computer here.

Big State, Little Store

We all have dreams. Some come true. Such is the case of my late grandparents. My mom's parents Ekron and Grace spent several years running their own neighborhood store in Lufkin, Texas. The article we're sharing today is from their local newspaper. I added some photos took on a visit out there in the early 90's. The store remained unchanged every time I returned. The store is no longer there, but serves as a charming throwback to a bygone era.

Download the article here.

Stay tuned

29 October 2010

Feudin’

Without a doubt one of my favorite pastimes is TV game shows. Years ago I’d spend hours watching the likes of Matchgame, The Price is Right, Press Your Luck, Jeopardy, The Joker’s Wild, Let’s Make a Deal, and the list goes on. None were, perhaps, as original as Family Feud starring Richard Dawson; the daytime version I began watching on ABC in the late 70’s. Hosts have come and gone, but I always considered Dawson the best, with Ray Combs a close second—until now. Steve Harvey has inherited hosting duties on the now syndicated version of the show. He is hilarious. Harvey brings back personality and a flawless sense of humor to the role that I found lacking in previous replacements. Also, the show is true to the original rules of the game. Just for fun here is my informal ranking of the hosts:

Steve Harvey (2010-present)
Richard Dawson (1976-1985 & 1994-1995)
Ray Combs (1988-1994)
Louis Anderson (1999-2002)
Richard Karn (2002-2006)
John O’Hurley (2006-2010)

Stay tuned

28 October 2010

The Beatles of Gospel

Repost from Gospel Aicheck blog December 2009:

A super group took the stage exactly two years to the day prior to my entry into the world. Jake Hess and the Imperials, a hand picked gathering of superstars of the gospel music industry. A band of ringers that included: Jake Hess on lead, Gary McSpadden on Baritone, Sherrill Nielsen tenor, and the incomparable Armond Morales with his trademark silky bass. The night was January 16th, 1964 in Hadleyville, Alabama, Jake’s home town. Gospel music was never again the same. This group was different, they sounded modern. A little too different at first for some. Jake is quoted as saying, “I don’t think we’re going to do it.” Armond lent some encouraging words, “Don’t limit God.” In a March, 1989 article from CCM magazine celebrating the groups’ 25th anniversary, the late Jake Hess concludes, “…If it hadn’t been for those three little words I don’t think there would be an Imperials today.”

Although singers came and went the Imperials sound remained consistently great. They backed Elvis Presley on stage and record, accompanied Jimmy Dean and many other stars of the music industry. The group has numerous Grammy and Dove awards; and in 1998 they were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame. They’re the Beatles of Gospel.

Founding member Armond Morales suffered through a battle with cancer a while back and relinquished the Imperials’ name to son Jason and a new generation of singers. Now the original group is known as the Classic Imperials. Following a miraculous recovery, Armond continues the heritage began in ‘64 along with Dave Will, Rick Evans and Paul Smith.

In 1983 I made my first Lp purchase for my new stereo. The record was Stand by Power by the Imperials featuring then new lead singer Paul Smith. The album produced many hits including: Lord of the Harvest, Because of Who You Are and Stand by the Power. I have been a fan ever since.

Of course I knew of the group through my dad’s record collection. He had a scratchy mono Lp copy of the first record, Introducing Jake Hess and the Imperials. As a teen I was thrilled to spin their new record that was in itself another triumph in redefining the Christian music art form. Somehow they managed to outdo themselves with every new album just as No Shortage, One More Song for You and Priority had done.

In December 2009, I had the opportunity to chat with new lead singer Rick Evans. We had a delightful conversation via Facebook about the forthcoming new album. I asked Rick how the new project was going, he said, “[It’s] a long process, but we are getting closer each day.” I replied that I could identify seeing that the creative process can be time consuming, my radio days and nights were often spent in countless hours on one 30 second spot. “We are lucky to be have a record company that is willing to take the time to make this right,” Evans continued. I asked if he could give me any glimpse into the songs included on the project. Rick replied, “Very different. We used some of the best writers in Nashville. They came up with a work of art. The record will actually be a journey of a person’s life. It is a cool concept and will be wonderful introduction back into the music marketplace.” Kind of like Styx and some of the other “concept” bands of the ‘70’s I jokingly referred. Not missing a beat the Classic Imperials new lead singer responded, “No actually you are on the right track. It is more like the Beatles and the Lonely Hearts [Club] Band thing. It will be GREAT!”

“It was twenty years ago today,

Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play

They've been going in and out of style

But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.

So may I introduce to you

The act you've known for all these years,

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

Funny how the Classic Imperials started about the same time the Lads from Liverpool made it big in the USA. The good news is we still have the Beatles of gospel here and now. Thanks to Rick and all the Classic Imperials for not only entertaining us, but more importantly ministering in ways those other guys never attempted.

Stay tuned.

27 October 2010

Light Chop on the Inland Waters

One of the fond memories of broadcasting in a coastal climate is reading the marine forecast. "Choppy waters tonight" must have been important to our fishermen, although I never understood the term. Today we are reposting a blog from August of 2009 concerning one of my radio heroes and adding a sample of his work that we recently found and edited for podcast on YouTube.

The radio station I listened to most as a kid was Z-102 in Savannah, Georgia. Now, I realize that the station was only another Z-100 New York clone. This CHR format over populated the FM dial all across the USA in the 1980’s. Yes it was derivative but I enjoyed the station and copied their style often when I became a Contemporary Christian Music DJ. One unique element of good old WZAT-FM was Burl Womack. His show “Breakfast with Burl” was on my car radio every morning on my way to high school. Burl was allowed to play Southern Gospel music along with Adult Contemporary and hits of the day. Strange combination of styles but it worked! Burl had the number one show on the number one station in the market for years.

Womack was a mature man with an easy going style and mellifluous baritone. He’d get to a point in the show where he would pour another cup of coffee (a sound effect from a cart tape, no doubt) address the topics of the day, read the school lunch menu and, as best as I can recall, played his choice of Gospel music until at least 8:00 AM. He seemed to be actually having breakfast with you. The show was aptly named. To this day I wonder why he didn’t make the jump to television, he reminded me of David Hartman, one time host of ABC’s Good Morning America. Here is a brief sample:

I met Burl on two separate occasions once at at the Savannah Skate Inn roller rink where I hosted a Christian Youth Skate and then again a few months later when he emceed a Dixie Melody Boys concert at a private school auditorium in Garden City. What struck me most about the main was his vocal power in person. His speaking voice was laid back and boomed even though he spoke softly. I was intimidated and our exchange was minimal, after all what did I as an 18 year old upstart have to offer? It was a mystery to me why he was at the skating rink and at the time I felt he gave me the brush off although he was probably hurried or surprisingly, shy. A few months later at the Gospel concert he did a splendid job as emcee and I saw a humorous side to the man not always evident on his radio show. That night I was asked to stand as representative of my radio station during the concert. Typical of me I was embarrassed, quickly stood, waved, said nothing and sat down.

Burl was nominated in 2009 for a lifetime Career Achievement Award by the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. Mr. Womack, however deserving, did not win. His many years on the Savannah airwaves are fondly remembered by many, including me.

Stay tuned.

26 October 2010

Merry Halloween

Don’t get me wrong: I love Christmas and the songs of the season. This is ridiculous. It appears that on Monday a radio programmer in the Chicago market has already started round-the-clock Christmas music! It’s still a week before Halloween. Back in 1987 I was forced by my station owner to do this on November 15th and though it was crazy. Believe me, it is not because stations like this one in Chicago like the music, per se. There is huge revenue to be made in the nations number 3 market. it won’t be long before our Atlanta, number 7 market, follows suit. Christmas just gets earlier and earlier every year. If only we could start hearing carols sometime around Valentine’s Day. Ho, Ho, Ho! Will you be my Valentine?

Stay tuned

25 October 2010

Deferred

An all too common problem in this day and age is project follow through. That is, this blogger specifically. Our most popular post over the last six months was one we shared concerning a book that I started to write. Well, I wrote—really wrote, rewrote, polished, then trashed, and started over—a chapter of my memoir. It was an uphill battle that in the final analysis was beyond my talents as a writer to complete. My hat is off to any successful author. Writing a book is harder than it looks. It is easy to write, but the struggle is in polishing the work: removing the blemishes, ironing out the wrinkles and making my words universally appealing, flowing logically. When I was done polishing what remained was decidedly unsatisfying. Let’s go back to the drawing board. The project is stalled for now.

Tied for second and third place are posts that concern my podcasts done over the last year and my review of a local radio show now streaming on the Internet. Another failed enterprise is the podcasts because of lack of the availability of new, original material. Most of my podcasts were rehashed radio shows and personal tapes I had done years ago. I do intend to continue writing reviews of shows on the air and the Internet.

Maybe it is me. I have had too many hobbies and interests over the years.

Stay tuned

24 October 2010

Wisdom of Fools

Yesterday's post might have left the impression that Jim O'Neal didn't have any fun at radio home number two. Well, on-air we were made to be quite stiff. The format was strict. At the time the program director took herself way too seriously. In her spare time she came into the production room to record her voice reciting scripture and self affirmations for listening to later at home in "quiet time." Remember Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live, my program director, Kelley, was the female fundamentalist Christian counterpart of the beloved Al Franken character. She was only 8 years my senior, but acted as though she was a sage.

It was in the very same production room that I was allowed to really let my hair down. I was 21 at the time and felt pressed to act much older in the control room. (I've learned that being serious is not necessarily the same as actual maturity.) Unlike what you heard in the previous post I enjoyed life. The real "Jim" is better expressed in the example below in a spot for a skating rink party my station presented back in 1987, surely considered too hot by Kelley's standards. Commercials like this one was my passive-aggressive punch at the establishment.

Stay tuned

Lazy Sunday

I was very surprised this morning when I checked the statistics for our companion blog, Gospel Aircheck. It has seen the single biggest jump in readership since I started the dang thing 19 months ago. The funny thing is that we have no idea how that happened. The only difference is that more audio clips have been featured. Maybe it is due to offering more frequent posts. Just how big a jump, you ask? Well, about 50 times the readers on average over the last two days alone! The amount of new international guests to the site is staggering—many of them from countries that are traditionally non-English speaking. Internet discovery is a very tricky thing; you can’t make people find you. I think it’s luck. Here’s to many more posts to come.

Stay tuned

23 October 2010

The Sounds of "Praize"

Transitioning to a new job isn't always easy. Back in 1987 I began what would be a three year association with a 1,000 watt AM radio station in metro Atlanta, Georgia. At least three staff members had listened to and enjoyed my aircheck tape. Three interviews later, the job was mine. The station's morning man had resigned. They wanted the guy on the tape but vowed to retrain my voice. My contemporary hard sell DJ sound was too hot for their format. Ever the compliant one I took the show, adapted my style, and adopted the pseudonym, Jim O'Neal. "Jim" wound up sounding like a host on an NPR station or a somber funeral director. Ownership lacked the sense of humor I was accustomed to at my previous employer. What could I say? My salary was doubled, so I allowed them to mold me in their image. Branded as the Sounds of Praise, WSPZ strictly forced out any personality in Jim. I was dull on air. My Program Director saw to that. To this day many of the recordings made of my early shows there serve as an example of my "going through the motions" as a DJ; forced to be super-religious. Over my 3 year run I was able to re-evolve into my former persona, somewhat. Today's aircheck is from the '87 Christmas season, my first as newly promoted program director. (Even then, in a position of authority, I was forced by rigid ownership to play 100% Christmas music from Tranksgiving forward. This was before the time when stations commonly become Christmas formatted around the holidays.) Check out the example below.

19 October 2010

The GRIN Two Point Oh!

Shortly after Easter 2009 I came to the realization that the many gremlins plaguing it would spell an end of my Internet radio stream known as the GRIN (Gospel Rewind Internet). A few months following its demise I finally discovered that a bad DSL modem was the culprit. Too little too late, I had moved on. But, I never abandoned the ideas behind my web station: playing gospel music that was out of print, not played on radio anymore, and a true variety of songs (secular and gospel, old and new) that mixed well. Over the last year I've toyed around with various ways of bringing back the show. Premiering today on Gospel Aircheck is The GRIN 2.0, a 45 minute glimpse into how the new 24/7 GRIN might sound; allow a moment or two for the podcast to load, press play and enjoy.

Stay tuned

16 October 2010

Wings Over Atlanta

Every other year Dobbins Airforce Reserve base in nearby Marietta, Georgia, puts on an awesome air show. In 2008 we didn’t get to attend the show, but living within a few miles of the base we were able to get a glimpse of the jets’ acrobatic displays. I was very excited this year when my son, Luke, went with me to get up close to the action. The best thing of all, the show was free. My best buddy and I packed our lawn chairs 7:00 this morning and bounded for Wings Over Atlanta. Off site parking was available with free shuttle buss service to the base. I had not seen the Navy Blue Angels since 1979 when I was 13, so I was probably more excited than my 6 year old.

The first show was at 10:00. It turned out to be only a preview. The Blue Angels would not perform until 3:00 in the afternoon. Luke had become bored by this time, so we left and were shuttle-bussed back to our car by noon. The show we saw did not compare to the one I attended in ‘79, but Luke was thrilled nevertheless. We had a great time. I missed the Blue Angels this time; we’ll try again in 2012.

Stay tuned

15 October 2010

The Vault

Back again to the Gospel Aircheck vault for today's post. The year is 1993 and it is my final broadcast from radio home number four. In September of that year new ownership was about to take over the station. The new owners wanted me to stay and offered me a small bump in salary. The station had been operating on an LMA or local management agreement: that's where an individual or company buys all the air time on a radio station and manages operations in place of the owner. A former colleague from radio homes two and three had an LMA on this station. He hired me the previous year to replace the afternoon DJ. I felt no chemistry with the new owners, so I declined their offer and eventually found myself at an FM station doing a Sunday morning gospel music show where I finished my radio career in 1995. My final announcement is below; it features my theme song Jesus, Be Jesus in Me by Newsong.

Stay tuned

11 October 2010

Get a Job

This weblog provides a great hobby for me. But, it does not pay the bills. I’m ok with that. With my last little one in school Mister Mom is compelled to go back into the workforce.

A couple of years ago Angie and I decided to switch roles. She would work while I kept our four babies in check at home. Guys, being a house-husband is not easy! On Monday I reported for an interview that I believe will produce a j-o-b for this blogger.

I have worked most of my teens and all my adult life, so returning to work should be a breeze. The thing is this is only the second time I have had a panel interview. The company that is considering me had four, count them four, supervisors drill me on work related questions. None of the inquiries were yes/no, I was expected to give in depth essay answers. when I was younger thinking on my feet was second nature. The problem is that a majority of my days are spent with the kids. I have fallen out of practice conversing with adults. Quickly I acclimated to their questions: I felt grown-up again. We’ll see…

Stay tuned

Want Fries with That?

I began my radio career at a religious radio station in 1983 when I was 17. I started out as a button pusher at this AM/FM combo on the AM side in scenic Savannah, GA. Often the jocks from either station would leave to get lunch alternately while the other stayed behind to babysit the board late in the afternoon after the administrative staff had clocked out. It was my turn to buy lunch, so I left the place in good hands--or so I thought. Unknown at the time, I had improperly threaded the Revox A-77 tape machine that was to play a 30 minute preacher show. The broadcast rolled and I was on my way to a nearby fast food establishment. By the time I was on my way back, listening via my car radio, to my horror the tape had been dragging to a stop—dead air! I arrived inside the studio to find my GM hovering bewildered over the board, tapping her foot nervously red with anger. She never said a word. I just knew I was fired. The only words I could muster were, "Want a McNugget?" Well, I dodged a bullet that day and the incident wasn't ever mentioned again. Maybe my food bribe paid off. The preacher in question had called the manager at home (she lived within walking distance.) He was perhaps our biggest client and a perfectionist to boot who, incidentally, had a studio better equipped than our own within his church. To this day I don't know why I was spared the ax.

stay tuned

07 October 2010

It’s Not So Unusual?

Now I have heard it all! The Welsh-born, leather clad lounge singer of such 1960’s hits as “It’s Not Unusual,” “Delilah,” and “What’s New Pussycat,” Tom Jones, has recorded a gospel album. With a career that spans 6 decades the 70 year old singer shows no sign of slowing down as he takes inspiration from Mahalia Jackson and Elvis Presley in recording a CD of inspirational tunes called, “Praise and Blame.” The album charted at number 2 in England, but has had slow sales here in the states.

Don’t get me wrong, Tom Jones’ voice is amazing. His powerful baritone has not diminished with age. Vocal power is a plus in singing gospel music, obviously. But, can he pull it off?

Stay tuned