Are You Interesting, Peculiar, A Story-teller?

"If radio news is to survive, it will be because of story-telling. If we can continue to tell compelling stories better than anyone else - which is what's behind the current surge in the popularity of talk radio - we will all remain viable.

"My high school aged son doesn't have a radio. He can't give you radio station call letters or dial positions. He finds radio to be kind of quaint and old. Meanwhile, he plays an iPod like a violin. So, I know if I am going to reach this young man, it's going to have to be through a different technology, such as podcasting or downloading the news to him on demand.

"I remember when radio news was full of peculiar people. Paul Harvey, John Cameron Swayzee, Edward R. Morrow. Peculiar is interesting. Different is interesting. Storytellers who fascinate me are interesting.

"Interesting is what will attract my son and his generation. Just being good, but vanilla, I don't think that cuts it anymore."

-- Jack Swanson, PD, KGO-KSFO, San Francisco at the R&R Talk Radio Seminar