August 28, 2010
January 14, 2010
A Pioneer Passes
"Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY!!!"
The style may be passé, but it set the standard for announcing car shows, monster truck events, and even concert promos for decades. Jan C. Gabriel, the originator of the high-energy voice delivery for those formats, passed away this past Sunday.
He couldn't have timed it better.
January 11, 2010
Jeffrey Kafer Talks VO on TV
My friend and VO colleague Jeffrey Kafer appeared on Mike Huckabee's cable show this past weekend, to talk about making the transition from day-job exile to full-time voiceover artist. He shares the segment with another guest, but Jeff is the far more telegenic and compelling of the two.
It's a great bit of self-promotion for Jeff, and it underscores the fact that working to market your VO business can pay off. Jeff had issued a press release on his blog about his jump from layoff-world to an audiobook career, and it caught the eye of the show's producers. Here's hoping it leads to more gigs for this talented voice-talker.
April 13, 2009
Harry Kalas: 1936 - 2009
Much of today's news coverage on the passing of Harry Kalas focuses on his longtime announcer gig with the Philadelphia Phillies. For this football fan, however, it's the NFL Films productions that will never quite be the same again. He turned the narratives of week-in week-out games into grand epics, all in that signature baritone that seemed as old as the game itself (but never lost its love of the sport).
April 07, 2009
Press Release: Voiceover Artist David Houston Chosen for New Callaway Golf TV Spots
| NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Austin, TX, United States, 04/07/2009 - Professional voice actor and audio producer David Houston provides voice in new TV spots for Callaway Golf's "Comparison" campaign. | ||
| Professional voice actor and audio producer David Houston was chosen to voice new TV spots for Callaway Golf's "Comparison" campaign. |
Link: http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/49102/
December 02, 2008
Where It All Began
I fired up the scanner recently to get more of my old photos in digital format. A couple of them stood out; these are the production and on-air studios at KELI-FM radio in San Angelo, where I got my broadcasting feet wet:
Both are from 1987. (There! I dated myself.) It turned out to be an ideal place to learn about radio, from broadcasting to production and everything in between. I started out babysitting the semi-automated reel-to-reel machine, moved to doing top-of-the-hour news and weather, and got on the mic as much as possible without skewering the station's easy-listening format. I eventually took on production duties, and wrote ad copy as the Creative Services Director.
I went on to other air talent and production gigs at Top 40 and Country stations, but the above studios hold my fondest radio memories.
December 01, 2008
Bill Drake: R.I.P.
Bill Drake, who helped revolutionize Top 40 radio and co-founded the radio syndication company Drake-Chenault, passed away on Saturday at the age of 71 from lung cancer. Drake (real name: Phillip Yarbrough) started in radio in the late '50's at WAKE/Atlanta, and ended up on the West Coast a few years later.
At KYNO/Fresno, Drake met Gene Chenault, and the pair helped create a tighter, more streamlined Top 40/CHR format, as well as the "Boss Jocks" and "Boss Radio" at KHJ/Los Angeles in the '60's. The programming pair brought more organization to on-air formatting, including tighter playlists of the current hits, less talk from jocks and musical production elements sung by the Johnny Mann Singers. Drake is credited as the first programmer to use market research as well. Drake and Chenault formed their own syndication company in the late '60's, which specialized in jingles and automated FM formats.
Drake also spent time in his career programming in San Francisco, New York, San Diego, Detroit Tulsa, Boston, Memphis and other markets.
November 25, 2008
Satellite Radio on Life-Support?
According to columnist Mike Elgan, it hasn't got long. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out, and how that outcome will affect voiceover artists.