Share

About once a year (maybe twice if I’m actually in the mood for it) I remember I need to update the voice over blog roll that you see to the right of this post. (No, no, your other right!)

It contains a list of all the voice over talents who have blogs. Well now that isn’t entirely true, you see, because there are some voice talents who have blogs but seem to be blogging impaired (they start a blog in 2007, write one post and that’s it) or who have content that is regularly so far off the voice over path that it doesn’t qualify for what I want to list.

None the less, either the amont of voice over bloggers has grown enormously recently or I haven’t been keeping up. Now since you and I know that I am perfect and without fault, let’s just say the list has grown.

When doing research on any project its always best to either start with Google or start at the library. In the world of voice over, that library is found at the internet intersection of Bob and Souer where the land’s most popular voice over blog resides. Bob has over 1 million subscribers.

Here? Well there’s just you and me but I pay you a pretty penny to pretend you like reading this stuff so I don’t want to hear any complaints!

Anyway, over at Bob’s blog I found a ton of new blogs (people email him their links to new blogs because, you know, people actually read his blog). So while I won’t say I actually stole my updated voice-over blog roll listing from Bob’s blog, let’s just say I “borrowed” liberally – along the same lines as radio stations borrow their morning newscast scripts from the morning newspaper.

Now bloggers, listen up – many of you have made wonderful efforts in your posts. The graphics are also lovely. But I have one question: where is your “subscribe” button? Do you have one? Do you know that having a blog without a subscribe button is akin to having an Oreo without milk? Correct…it’s just not done or if it is done, it’s just not right!

Some of you have a little text post in teeny tiny letters that whisper “subscribe” on a side panel or worse that the very bottom of the blog. All the while a possible subscriber is hunting all over the place. What’s worse are you poor souls that have no subscribe button at all. RSS is the blogger’s golden ticket, folks! Note the nice big orange logo on the upper right corner of this blog! People will not click on a link to find your posts everyday- blog aficionados use blog readers. And if someone can’t subscribe to your blog, chances are I am not linking to you on this site. Just a little tough love to help your blog’s readership.

OK, rant completed and it is now my pleasure to welcome the following people to the voiceover blog roll (all of whom are welcome to link back to THIS blog, if they haven’t already). But worry not, my link is not a quid pro quo. So please enjoy reading:

alan bainbridge’s blog

amy snively’s blog

anthony mendez’s blog

marc cashman’s blog

dan lenard’s blog

dana detrick-clark’s blog

dave deandrea’s blog

dave temple’s blog

donna reed’s blog

emma clarke’s blog

erik sheppard’s blog

jamee t. perkin’s blog

kat kessling’s blog

lance blair’s blog

lindsay reiss’ blog

matt anothony’s blog

michael flowers’ blog

michael minetree’s blog

mike cooper’s blog

mitch phillips’ blog

russ renshaw’s blog

scott larson’s blog

steve anthony’s blog

t.j. jones’ blog

tom tolces’ blog

Welcome all. Your talents are grand and your insights are immeasurable.

I’m glad to have in this space and to know you as my peer.

Tags: announcers, blogs, commentary, rants, social media, technology by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
4 Comments »

Share

I feel bad for writers covering the business of radio these days and I’m really not kidding.

Given the fact that the radio business has been tanking for sometime now (ad sales are down everywhere) combined with the other fact that radio is coming in a tight second to newspapers in the race for “worst hurt by the economic crap-down” (meltdown doesn’t seem quite descriptive enough for me), these poor writers have been posting stories that read more like obits.

Check out the various “People On the Move” or “In Brief” sections of major industry pubs and there’s one word you see over and over: exits.

Oh you see other words too: “leaves”, “departs” “let go”, “shown the door”, “resigns”. I only wish I was kidding.

That’s gotta suck. Usually people who write for industry trades have at least a passing interest in their prime directive but my experience has been that people who write for radio trades like All Access.com, FMQB, Radio and Records and the like – really have the radio bug that infects so many of us.

They have a passion for radio. Many people do.

Today the Buffalo News, itself prey to budget cuts and bloodletting, wrote a front page story about the recent disc jockey carnage that local owners Entercom, Citadel and Regent Communications have laid waste to in the past 12 months. Combine low ad revenues with corporations (notice I didn’t say broadcasters…there’s a difference) who spent reserves unwisely and the top radio station expense lines are the first to go: salaries and benefits.

As is the national trend, these local stations all replaced the departed with either syndicated fare or weirdly extended shifts. One station here has at present two on-air personalities working from 5:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Is there voice tracking involved? I would have to think so.

Unlike some of the tirades I’ve seen on message boards like Radio-info.com, I’m not pointing fingers or trying to stomp up and down at the injustice of it all (easier for me as I’ve not lost my job…had I, I too might stomp a bit). It IS a business and it must be managed that way.

But for lack of a better term – broadcasting is a public trust and these companies and their local managers (in every market) owe their communities local content and information. It is what makes this communication tool valuable and special. Syndication and voice tracking does not serve that public trust. But I also wonder if the public really cares.

You may accuse me here of romanticizing the business of radio a bit and you may have cause. I do love what radio is and could be. Maybe its usefulness is coming to a close or maybe it’s simply evolving into something different that no one yet can predict.

But the constant loss – sales, market share, audience, talented staff (valued co-workers) and maybe even prestige hurts everyone who cares about radio. That includes a lot of us but the numbers seem to indicate it’s not the majority of U.S.

I’d love to hear what your thoughts/stories are on all this is…maybe its just me.

Tags: advertising, announcers, commentary, commercials, media, radio, voice talent by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
Comments Off on radio = exit

Share

My business resolution in 2009 was/is actually only one word: execute.

Too often in a business day, I’ll get started in six different directions and lucky if I find the finish line on two of those starts. Same thing the next day to the point where (if you follow the math) lots of stuff didn’t get done.

Well on day to day business, that’s going to happen sometimes but this year (he said with vigor and emphasis!) not on projects or important tasks – not related to clients (their stuff always gets done…money first!)

But like every business person, I’m always studying my business’ trends, activity in the industry etc.

While doing that, a thought occurred to me…should I keep my listings on the pay to play (P2P) voice over web sites?

I do not have a paid listing on the pay to play web sites like Voice 123 because I think these sites qualitatively, quantitatively and financially devalue the voiceover profession. I could rant forever on that but will spare you unless you ask in the comments.

I did keep a free page for SEO/SEM considerations. But the thought had occurred to me on more than one occasion: am I hurting my brand through even a free association with such sites?

Further, by being listed even in a free listing, am I offering an implied endorsement of these types of sites?

Today I got my answer.

On the VO-BB, there was yet another debate about the P2P sites. In the thread I brought up my conundrum. A voice talent friend of mine offered this observation:

“The way I see it, if people in the biz that I look up to are on them (and there are a few folks that are… and do gigs from them) then it’s good enough for me.”

I highly doubt that this person was referring to me in the quote but after reading it I did not doubt that one could see my participation on a P2P site as an endorsement. It was time to execute (I love when the signs are crystal clear).

Voice 123 was very helpful in their (possibly third-world based) on-line chat room with the deletion of my account. In fact, in my history of dealings with the company, this may have been their most impressive display of customer service. For that only, I thank them.

Tags: announcers, branding, commentary, marketing, peter o'connell, search engine marketing, voice 123, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover advice by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
2 Comments »

Share

With my sincere thanks to the 80 participants in this faux-dition and the gracious judges (all of whom admitted to some tough decisions) there are now terrific 10 nominees for you to vote on.

First, a little housekeeping (PLEASE READ)

THE RULES FOR VOTING ON NOMINEES

1. The decision of audio’connell voice over talent is final

2. Nobody has a chance to get the real announcer job at Late Night With Jimmy Fallon because of this unofficial and very silly contest…plus the job has already been filled

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.
______________________________________________________
As always, thanks for visiting the voxmarketising blog. If you haven’t already, we (well me really) hope you’ll subscribe using the orange RSS button on the top right column of this page. It’s free and every time someone subscribes to this blog, an angel gets its wings (hey, worth a shot ;).

Tags: announcers, commentary, fauxdition, NBC Television Network, silliness, tv, unofficial audition, voice casting, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
82 Comments »

Share

Stand by to to this blog see the top 10 finalists.

Then you can vote for your winner.

The judges ballots are due very soon!

Tags: announcers, fauxdition, NBC Television Network, silliness, tv, unofficial audition, voice talent, voiceover by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
1 Comment »

Share

What a great treat it was to meet St. Louis based voice talent Donna Postel and her husband John tonight for dinner at the famous Blueberry Hill restaurant.

What a fabulous career in radio she had and now she enjoys a terrific voice over career.

And the best news of all is she’ll have her new web site up by April 15th of this year. Look for it!

Tags: announcers, audio'connell voice over talent, commentary, internet, radio, voice actors, voice talent, voiceover, voiceover meet-ups by peter k. o'connell, your friendly, neighborhood voice-over talent
2 Comments »