Finish Product

This is the finished product. I've said a lot of what I needed to say in the other posts, but I honestly am a big fan of this story about a guy crashing and burning and then rising like the phoenix to become better than ever and I hope you are too.

My interviews for the project. Ray's interview went really well I though. He was incredibly articulate and was able to knock down every single detail of the story with such great imagery. I honestly wish I could have just played this clip instead of doing the package, not because I didn't want to do the project, but because of how good this came out. Really powerful stuff and it takes you inside the situation and what happened afterwards. The other three interviews were more supporting interviews as opposed to main events. I used them to add an outsider's perspective to various stories. At the end of the day, outside of Steve, I didn't feel the need to use a ton of their content, but they really hit home the image of how Ray went through a total shift in every facet of his life as well as how proud people close to him are that he was able to recover from his injury.

Initial Thoughts

This project was originally supposed to be about how tough it is for college students to get a job once they graduate. I was going to interview someone who got their dream job right away, someone who had a job in their field but wasn't particularly good or what they wanted and someone else who 100% bombed and is doing nothing. There were going to be some talk with an expert as well. However, this project would have been incredibly boring, not to mention it didn't really fit the format of the class and project. I needed something different. Something that made you feel. Something real. I came across the story of Ray Hoffmeister, who suffered a server head injury a few years ago. He was told by doctors that he should either be dead or in a coma. It knocked him out of school. It had effects that lingered for months. In time, with a strong rehab and some help from doctors, he was able to make a full recovery from a absolutely debilitating social, mental and physical injury. It is not what I originally planned on doing, but I hope you enjoy the story of Ray as much as I did. - Luke

Blog Summary

This year in RTVF 131 I learned some new things, expanded my knowledge on a few subjects I wasn't really up to knowledge on and learned some brand new stuff altogether. I came into this class thinking I really knew the subject and it wound up really kicking me in the ass and it made me really research everything and come away a much smarter student at the subject when it was all said and done.

When I signed up for this class, I figured I knew a lot about the subject. It was just talking about radio. I know TV very, very well and I knew a enough about radio that I thought it could get me by. When I actually took the first class I realized that while I knew a solid amount, the rest of the class were experts. If I were to hold my own in this class, I would really have to put the pedal to the metal and really crack down and read a ton of information just so I could discuss things in class and not sound like I had no idea what I was talking about. I thank my fellow classmates for indirectly motivating me to become more well-versed in the subject.

One of my favorite things about this class has been the weekly blog posts. I feel that this was a much more effective way of gaging our knowledge of the subject as opposed to any other method I've seen in a class I've taken. It allows us to be ourselves and regurgitate what we know about the subject without having to be too formal about it. I feel the ability to be informal allows us as students to use language we would not otherwise use on an academic level and therefore have an easier time getting our thoughts from head to computer. I also was a fan of the length each entry was required to be. While most teachers would say to put 2-3 pages per entry, you allowed us to put enough that would allow us to make a commentary on the subject that was thorough and well thought out, which could be 1-2 paragraphs or 1-2 pages. The flexibility there allowed me to stay away from the bullshitting that happens on so many levels in college and just stick to the facts.

I feel I really got what I was supposed to get out of this class and I feel I'm coming out of this class a smarter person not only on the subject but as a whole because I was exposed to this new "system" that helped push aside the bullshit and get straight to the facts.

SiriusXM Announce Lineup Changes

SiriusXM announced changes to their lineup that will take place May 4th.

Sirius XM Satellite Radio has announced it is reorganizing and reordering many of its channels. A statement from the satcaster says the changes "will make it simpler to navigate through the lineup so you'll spend less time searching and more time listening to what you like the most." The new changes take effect next Wednesday, May 4. Sirius XM subscribers' receivers will download and update the new channel information on May 4 once they are turned on that day.

Among the changes to Sirius XM's channel lineup: XM radios will now receive "SiriusXM Hits 1," which was previously available only on Sirius radios and XM Radio Online. "20 on 20," previously only available on XM radios and Sirius Internet Radio, will be available on Sirius radios beginning May 20th (Channel 3). For Sirius and XM radios, "SiriusXM Limited Engagements" on Channel 18 will be the new, dedicated home for our unique and exclusive 'pop-up' channels featuring music, comedy, talk and more.

Sirius XM has also combined "Sirius Left" and "American Left" to create "SiriusXM Left" (Channel 127). "Willie's Place" has joined forces with "The Roadhouse" to become "Willie's Roadhouse," on Sirius XM Channel 56, featuring music from Willie Nelson, along with other classic country artists.

Despite being merged for years, Sirius and XM have remained drastically different over the years, both relucting to take on many of their partner's channels. This move signals one of the first real changes in that stance since the two sides merged back in 2007. How this plans to affect future lineup changes and channel realignment is yet to be seen but it shows that the two sides are becoming more open to each other's content.

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Nick Cannon: The Next Big Radio Mogul?

Move over Ryan Seacrest, there could be a new king of top 40 radio. CBS Radio announced that Nick Cannon will be getting his own nationally syndicated talk show within the month.

CBS Radio announces that actor, comedian, TV and WXRK (92.3 NOW)/New York morning host Nick Cannon will host of a new weekly countdown show to be broadcast on CBS stations and syndicated by Citadel Media. Cannon's Countdown will be available for both CHR Pop/Rhythmic and Urban stations, featuring a mix of music and celebrity interviews. The four-hour and three-hour shows, respectively, will debut in two dozen markets including New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, New Orleans and Little Rock the weekend of April 23.

Launching in conjunction with Cannon's Countdown is cannonscountdown.com, an online destination showcasing the program’s weekly list of the most popular Urban or CHR Pop/Rhythmic songs. The show will be available for streaming online at cannonscountdown.com and through the Radio.com mobile application. National over-the-air advertising and syndication will be managed by Citadel Media. Dom Theodore, Vice President of CHR/Top 40 Programming for CBS Radio, will serve as executive producer of the programs.

"CBS Radio has been an incredible partner," says Cannon. "With the success that we’ve had together with my morning show on 92.3 NOW in the New York City tri-state I am thrilled to now have the opportunity to reach radio listeners nationwide with my new Cannon’s Countdown show."

CBS Radio SVP of Programming Chris Oliviero added, "Nick is a unique personality who is a trusted source when it comes to music and pop culture for this generation. His uncanny sense of humor and engaging style will bring a new and modern twist to the countdown format and allows him to speak candidly while interviewing guests and breaking down celebrity gossip. With the launch of www.cannonscountdown, Nick will give his audience a 360-degree experience on-air and online while sharing his latest interests and insights via the web."

"Nick Cannon represents a dynamic brand and provides an ideal vehicle for advertisers wanting to reach the young-end consumer," said Ed Rivera, SVP of Sales for Citadel Media. "He has demonstrated his ability to attract top level advertisers and seamlessly integrate their messaging while affording them a connection to his loyal fans. Cannon’s Countdown will offer significant opportunities for sponsorships and product integration and our team is looking forward to leading the national sales effort."

Cannon, who currently hosts the morning show on WXRK in New York, will have his show featured on more then 20 stations around the country in markets such as NYC, Chicago and San Francisco. That show will be picked up by CBS Radio as well as Citadel Broadcasting, giving the show a large listener base right off the bat.

Cannon, is an actor and musician as well as being a radio host. His show on WXRK is the station's highest rated show and 2nd in it's time slot to z100's Elvis Duran Morning Show.

Clear Channel To Acquire Playlist.com?

According to reports, Clear Channel is interested in purchasing the popular website Playlist.com

Clear Channel is reportedly interested in the assets of Playlist.com, a digital music service that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2010. A source tells CNet that Clear Channel is interested in Playlist's user interface and some other technology assets belonging the the service, which allowed users to create and share music playlists with their friends.

I fail to see how the addition of Playlist.com would help Clear Channel. The only way I could see it making an impact would be to completely alter the way the website functions. The way it works now, you put a song or artists into a search engine and it finds the URL of the song on the internet and adds it to your playlist. There are no restrictions at all, just as long as your song is on the internet you can add it to a playlist. What I feel could possibly happen is that Clear Channel could replace that option and make it exclusive to songs that are on the Clear Channel playlist or that have been green-lit by the channel, holding other record companies hostage and allowing them to get the deal they want so they can not only get their music on the site but on the Clear Channel affiliates as well.

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