Entries Tagged as 'ABC News'

the end is near — for the faux-ditions anyway

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The voting for the unofficial casting call for “world news with diane sawyer” will end on Friday, February 5th at 17:00 hrs eastern US time.

If’n ya taint voted yet, vote now here.

nominees for world news with diane sawyer fauxdition announced

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With my sincere thanks to the record 96 participants in this faux-dition and the gracious judges (all of whom said the process was very difficult) there are now terrific 11 nominees for you to vote on (11 because there was a tie for 10th spot and 11 is a bigger number than 10 and because I said so.)

First, a little housekeeping (PLEASE READ)

THE RULES FOR VOTING ON NOMINEES

1. The decision of audio’connell voice over talent (that would be me) is final

2. Nobody has a chance to get the real announcer job at World News with Diane Sawyer as the job has long ago been ably filled and because this is an unofficial and very silly contest.

3. Please choose your top three choices, numbering them 1, 2, 3 with your first choice (1) being your favorite (three different announcers, NOT three votes for one person, etc.)

4. Type your vote in the comment section of this blog post below

5. You may only vote once and you are on the honor system

6. Voting will end when I say it does, probably a couple of weeks I’m guessing

OK, the floor is yours. Have fun! Click HERE to listen to the nominees then please come back to vote below in the comment box.
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unofficial casting call deadline is monday, january 4, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. et

abcworldnews_dianesawyer

How’s that for an informative, succinct headline?

For those of you still unsure of its meaning: the 2009 Unofficial Casting Call for the Announcer for ABC’s “World News with Diane Sawyer” will end THIS MONDAY, (January 4th in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Ten). At 5:00 p.m. eastern time (1700 hrs)….”that’s all there is, there isn’t any more.”

After that time, the judges will whittle all the fake auditions (faux-ditions, if you will) submissions down to their 10 best; voting will then begin.

No, you won’t get the real job and no there is no prize except for bragging rights.

If you haven’t yet submitted your faux-dition (you lazy so and so!), you can read all the details here on how to submit. We’d love to hear your take on the job!

And if you think you’re too cool or too talented to submit for a phony audition…you’re not. You’re just a yella bellied chicken!

game on! unofficial audition for world news announcer continues

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I have been talked in off the ledge (so to speak) on this forum and on others regarding yesterday’s post about whether to continue with the Unofficial Voice Over Casting Call for World News with Diane Sawyer.

Last night, during the debut, there WAS a new announcer, ending the decades old reign of the great announcer Bill Rice. I wasn’t sure, given the circumstances then, if it would be in good taste to continue the fun event.

I am told (repeatedly and unanimously now) it is in perfectly good taste so we shall carry on and gladly accept your continued submissions probably up until the first of the year (January 1, 2010).

Tell a buddy, bring a friend… game on for faux-ditions, baby!

world news with diane sawyer evidently DOES have a new announcer

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Well color me surprised and perplexed.

I did not expect that with so many changes NOT being made (set, theme) that ABC News would replace Bill Rice with a new announcer for World News with Diane Sawyer.

I said so. I meant it!

This made me feel that we would be in good taste running our unofficial audition for the announcer job for World News with Diane Sawyer. It would be fun, harmless fun which is the point of the whole exercise.

I didn’t see the first show tonight but reports are coming in that indeed there IS a new announcer. No video yet as I think we have to wait for the west coast feed to be done at 9:30 PM ET. I’ll update it when I find it.

I am stunned and feel kind of bad about the whole thing.

Nobody and I mean NOBODY was gunning for Bill’s job with this silly event and in fact I think to a person we all respected his work. But somebody at ABC decided on a new voice and made that call.

So should we continue with the faux-ditions or is it now in bad taste? Is it a matter of ‘that’s the way our business goes’ or should we, as peers show more respect?

Kudos to the new person who got the gig. I hope it turns out to be one of my friends who has kept a great secret.

Were we merely being naively prescient with this new outcome or are we now dancing on a great announcer’s career if we keep this going?

Seriously, give me your thoughts!

P.S. 12/22/09: Here is the first video I could find of the new open.

paul harvey…..good bye!

<em>Paul Harvey, photographed in the Chicago Tribune photo studio in 2002. (Tribune photo by Chris Walker)</em>

Paul Harvey, photographed in the Chicago Tribune photo studio in 2002. (Tribune photo by Chris Walker)

[audio:http://audioconnell.com/clientuploads/mp3/090301_PaulHarvey.MP3]
Click here to download.

During my travels and travails today, I saw the news on my phone of the death of legendary radio broadcaster Paul Harvey.

I’m heart sick for the loss of a broadcasting era with Paul’s passing.

Nobody wrote news copy like Paul Harvey. Nobody had the on-air delivery of Paul Harvey and rarely did anyone’s broadcast stop the scanning of the radio dial like Paul Harvey News and Comment. The cadence, the volume, the articulation and yes even the dramatic silence.

He was every true broadcaster’s joy to listen to including the famous “Rest of the Story” segments and even his live commercials. I never heard of Husqvarna Chain saws before I heard about them on Harvey’s broadcasts…the Bose Wave…Wal-Mart….I didn’t just today read about his sponsors….this list is just off the top of my head, so memorable were his spots for me. What other modern day national radio broadcaster made you remember a commercial like that?!

The broadcasts were old school, not in relation to the newsman’s age but rather to his style. And maybe that’s the thing that will be most missed – the style of the Paul Harvey broadcast and all that that involved.

He was the most listened to man in broadcasting – literally.

Most young people won’t get what Paul Harvey’s broadcasts meant to the fabric of America. They have their own ways to gather the news and that’s as it should be.

But his is an historic broadcasting passing that most won’t understand today but hopefully will as time passes and as history is considered. I’m pleased in an odd way that I’m ahead of the curve on this one…but what a sad curve it is to lead.

Thanks Paul and God bless your Angel too. Requiescat in pace.