Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Radio With (Not Just Mental) Pictures

Great minds. Fred Jacobs' piece on the disappearance of Theater Of The Mind hit my computer at almost exactly the same time as this item from Englewood, Colorado-based talent coach/consultant Doug Erickson:

You’ve seen the video. Paul, the cell phone salesman from Cardiff. Pudgy guy with bad teeth who stutters a bit and wants to sing opera.

Now, Nessun dorma is pretty powerful. But, this performance moves you because it is unexpected. Because, once we hear Paul’s story, once we feel his vulnerability to judgment and shame, we are invested in his outcome. We can imagine how much courage it takes to do what he’s doing. We can imagine having a dream of a life different from the life we’ve led. And his story took 4:10 to tell, including the music.

Does your station have 4:10 to move your audience to a standing ovation? Can your Morning Show find a frog it can help turn into a prince?

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