curtoid
12-19-2003, 05:22 AM
Hey all...
I am not here to rip down WB, but rather provide some suggestions he can take or ignore to help him be the best producer he can be for Ron and Fez for 2004. I still support a Jafter Administration, however (until that coup takes place), I want R&F to kick ass now, so here it goes - some end of the year musings.
One of the biggest problems I see is a myopic view of Washington and talk radio shows in general.
DC is not all politics, Redskins and hillbillies living beyond the $900,000 homes outside the beltway; the DC music scene isn't just Straight Edge and Go-Go; and not everyone in Washington is from someplace else. Having been in the DC area for a long time, Nu-Rory (sorry...I like spelling it that way!) and Perry's occasional appearances add some balance, to give the show an occasional DC/ institutional memory.
And how refreshing was the evolution of The Fastest Hour of Radio this year! Something that seemed like a sure fire cluster fuck has become (as others have said too) The Best and Funniest Hour of Radio! They really rolled with the punches, and came up with something that is addictive. Just further proof that not all change is bad - just another piece of evidence that R&F can adapt to any circumstance, and do not have to be painted into any one type of show. The thing they have that no one else has is themselves - they do not need to forever be this show or that show.
Simply from listening to the show from Tuesday, it sounded like one of Ron's biggest complaints was WB's inability to book guests to the show. While their's is a show that has never needed guests, on some level it's good to rotate people through, because it does get their name out there - outside of Washington, and outside the core group of listeners in DC.
The guests should be the easiest and funnest part of the job! This is, once again, a failure at only looking at radio and Washington and guests through one perspective.
Ron and Fez have proven that they can talk sports, movies, televison, politics, music and life with everything. They can help make bad interviews good too, which many can't, without resorting to being nasty and disrespectful.
sports - Papa Ted from the Capitals is primed to become their best friend, and vice versa...why hasn't he been on the show? He was a regular on The Junkies and they hated Hockey! He, seriously, is one phone call away - and he's a good guest. Might be kind of fun now that they suck so much. Also, there has to be someone out there on the national level that they can talk Football with? Again...not because they need anyone, but because they can and because they are good at it. I wouldn't suggest picking the games with these guest like they do on other shows, but developing some sort of relationship. Cameron should still know plenty of contacts along these lines of who were good guests and who were not. And since it's been a year since The Junks were on at night, why not bogart one of their old go-tos?
movies - Thinking about getting Tarrentino is not the worst idea, however why not looking at what's already going on here in Washington to see who is going to be in town doing promotion? While it's not NY or LA, DC does occasionally get people through, either through the Smithsonian or through the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre in Bethesda. Get on their mailing list and find out who they have coming in, and then become friends with the PR person over there. R&F would be excellent to promote these!
When they opened that theatre last spring Christopher Guest was in town with the WORLD PREMIERE of "A Mighty Wind." Why wasn't he on Ron and Fez, at least doing a phoner???
There are all sorts of film festivals in the area, and while not ever on the "A" list, they do bring celebs through all the time. Filmfest DC is every April; Georetown Film Fest is every August or September.
The Smithsonian has guest speakers all the time - do some piggyback work; many of the local stage theatres have noted film acrtors appear (again...not the scale of NY, but still some that
I am not here to rip down WB, but rather provide some suggestions he can take or ignore to help him be the best producer he can be for Ron and Fez for 2004. I still support a Jafter Administration, however (until that coup takes place), I want R&F to kick ass now, so here it goes - some end of the year musings.
One of the biggest problems I see is a myopic view of Washington and talk radio shows in general.
DC is not all politics, Redskins and hillbillies living beyond the $900,000 homes outside the beltway; the DC music scene isn't just Straight Edge and Go-Go; and not everyone in Washington is from someplace else. Having been in the DC area for a long time, Nu-Rory (sorry...I like spelling it that way!) and Perry's occasional appearances add some balance, to give the show an occasional DC/ institutional memory.
And how refreshing was the evolution of The Fastest Hour of Radio this year! Something that seemed like a sure fire cluster fuck has become (as others have said too) The Best and Funniest Hour of Radio! They really rolled with the punches, and came up with something that is addictive. Just further proof that not all change is bad - just another piece of evidence that R&F can adapt to any circumstance, and do not have to be painted into any one type of show. The thing they have that no one else has is themselves - they do not need to forever be this show or that show.
Simply from listening to the show from Tuesday, it sounded like one of Ron's biggest complaints was WB's inability to book guests to the show. While their's is a show that has never needed guests, on some level it's good to rotate people through, because it does get their name out there - outside of Washington, and outside the core group of listeners in DC.
The guests should be the easiest and funnest part of the job! This is, once again, a failure at only looking at radio and Washington and guests through one perspective.
Ron and Fez have proven that they can talk sports, movies, televison, politics, music and life with everything. They can help make bad interviews good too, which many can't, without resorting to being nasty and disrespectful.
sports - Papa Ted from the Capitals is primed to become their best friend, and vice versa...why hasn't he been on the show? He was a regular on The Junkies and they hated Hockey! He, seriously, is one phone call away - and he's a good guest. Might be kind of fun now that they suck so much. Also, there has to be someone out there on the national level that they can talk Football with? Again...not because they need anyone, but because they can and because they are good at it. I wouldn't suggest picking the games with these guest like they do on other shows, but developing some sort of relationship. Cameron should still know plenty of contacts along these lines of who were good guests and who were not. And since it's been a year since The Junks were on at night, why not bogart one of their old go-tos?
movies - Thinking about getting Tarrentino is not the worst idea, however why not looking at what's already going on here in Washington to see who is going to be in town doing promotion? While it's not NY or LA, DC does occasionally get people through, either through the Smithsonian or through the American Film Institute's Silver Theatre in Bethesda. Get on their mailing list and find out who they have coming in, and then become friends with the PR person over there. R&F would be excellent to promote these!
When they opened that theatre last spring Christopher Guest was in town with the WORLD PREMIERE of "A Mighty Wind." Why wasn't he on Ron and Fez, at least doing a phoner???
There are all sorts of film festivals in the area, and while not ever on the "A" list, they do bring celebs through all the time. Filmfest DC is every April; Georetown Film Fest is every August or September.
The Smithsonian has guest speakers all the time - do some piggyback work; many of the local stage theatres have noted film acrtors appear (again...not the scale of NY, but still some that