Wikipedia has been one of the most important resources for me on the internet. If I’ve ever had a question regarding historical facts or even something as simplistic as who was on the Red Sox’ 2004 roster, Wikipedia has the answers. I had never tried editing a Wiki page on my own, but doing so was a very interesting experience.
For starters, I decided to try posting something on the page of my hometown. It’s one place that I know a lot about so I figured if there was any chance of my post remaining up it would be there. So, I went to the page and decided to edit the ‘Notable Residents’ category and specifically the information about Bill Russell and Chris Pizzoti. Unfortunately none of the edits remained on Wikipedia so that was a bit of a failure.
The next page I decided to edit was the University of Massachusetts page. For this one I didn’t pick any particular category to edit and felt it would be easiest to contribute a few facts spread out around the page. Once again no luck with any of my information staying on the page but it was interesting trying to edit the information about the university I attend.
The last page I tried to edit was the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship. I figured since March Madness was on my mind. I had heard some rumors about how the field may be expanded next year. So I went onto the page and found a place where I thought a good edit of this would be. This post surprisingly stayed up for a decent amount of time. I checked back 12 hours later and the post was still there. However later the next day the post was gone. I was so close.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Radio Call-in Post (Assignment 2)
I’ve listened to plenty of radio shows before. One of the most popular radio stations back where I’m from is WEEI station 850 around the Boston area. I started listening to WEEI when I was around 12 years old. I started out only listening to it when I went to sleep (usually Boston College basketball games) but as I’ve gotten older I’ve found myself listening to the programs it broadcasts throughout the day.
The one show I’ve always wanted to call into was The Big Show with Glenn Ordway. He’s always talking about sports headlines that pertain to the local teams (Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, Patriots) that I follow. Did I mention Glenn Ordway is also my second cousin?
Yeah I had no idea until I was about 15 years old that he was related to me. Somehow it came up one day when I was talking to my father. I’ve never actually talked to the man before (my father has) but ever since learning that I’ve always wanted to call into the program and try to get on the air. This assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to try and do just that.
Monday’s show was of particular interest to me because Ordway was talking to Cedric Maxwell, former Boston Celtics basketball great and current color commentator for the Celtics on WEEI. Also on the show Monday was one of my favorite people to hate and disagree with Lou Merloni. This really was an opportunity I could not pass up.
The Big Show is on Monday-Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm. So after I got out of my 2:30 class I headed back to my dorm and began listening to the program on my laptop. Ordway was still talking to Maxwell about the Celtics when I began listening. They were talking about the emergence of Rondo and how he would soon break the Celtics single-season assists record which had been held by Bob Cousy for 50 years. It was at this point that I decided to call in and give my opinion on how I felt about Rondo.
So I called the number and reached the screening producer of the show. I was put on hold at this point for probably a solid 10 minutes before someone began talking to me again. It was at this point that I was asked to give my name and where I was calling from. So I gave them my information and was put on hold again. Thinking back at it now it probably didn’t help that I said I was calling in from Amherst because I never actually made it on the air. After about 15 minutes on hold someone then came on the line and told me I wouldn’t be able to make it onto the air.
Was I disappointed? Sure I was. It would have been kind of cool to get on air and let my opinion get heard. But what I realized during that time on hold is that topics move very quickly on talk radio, especially during a show that has so many people calling in. All in all it was an interesting experience. I wish I had been able to get on the air and say my piece (and the high grade on the assignment would have been nice) but either way it was still worthwhile to try and do.
The one show I’ve always wanted to call into was The Big Show with Glenn Ordway. He’s always talking about sports headlines that pertain to the local teams (Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics, Patriots) that I follow. Did I mention Glenn Ordway is also my second cousin?
Yeah I had no idea until I was about 15 years old that he was related to me. Somehow it came up one day when I was talking to my father. I’ve never actually talked to the man before (my father has) but ever since learning that I’ve always wanted to call into the program and try to get on the air. This assignment gave me the perfect opportunity to try and do just that.
Monday’s show was of particular interest to me because Ordway was talking to Cedric Maxwell, former Boston Celtics basketball great and current color commentator for the Celtics on WEEI. Also on the show Monday was one of my favorite people to hate and disagree with Lou Merloni. This really was an opportunity I could not pass up.
The Big Show is on Monday-Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm. So after I got out of my 2:30 class I headed back to my dorm and began listening to the program on my laptop. Ordway was still talking to Maxwell about the Celtics when I began listening. They were talking about the emergence of Rondo and how he would soon break the Celtics single-season assists record which had been held by Bob Cousy for 50 years. It was at this point that I decided to call in and give my opinion on how I felt about Rondo.
So I called the number and reached the screening producer of the show. I was put on hold at this point for probably a solid 10 minutes before someone began talking to me again. It was at this point that I was asked to give my name and where I was calling from. So I gave them my information and was put on hold again. Thinking back at it now it probably didn’t help that I said I was calling in from Amherst because I never actually made it on the air. After about 15 minutes on hold someone then came on the line and told me I wouldn’t be able to make it onto the air.
Was I disappointed? Sure I was. It would have been kind of cool to get on air and let my opinion get heard. But what I realized during that time on hold is that topics move very quickly on talk radio, especially during a show that has so many people calling in. All in all it was an interesting experience. I wish I had been able to get on the air and say my piece (and the high grade on the assignment would have been nice) but either way it was still worthwhile to try and do.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Amazon Review of Bogosian's "Talk Radio"
I wasn't too excited about having to read a book over my Spring break this year. But once I started reading this book I was hooked. Eric Bogosian's superb writing style truly made this a quick and enjoyable read. The story's main focus, Barry Champlain, is a captivating talk radio host unafraid to tell people exactly what's on his mind. No matter who the caller or what he or she has to say Barry always has an opinion or crass comment to throw his or her way. People often times forget there is a person behind the voice when listening to radio and "Talk Radio" really helps provide the reader (or viewer) a glimpse into the life and mind of these people. Without a doubt a perfect read for anyone interested in radio or anyone who enjoys a read that takes our world to the "next level." That is to say, anyone who likes reading about the story behind the man, this is definitely a must-read for you.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Reaction to David Foster Wallace Quote
This quote in my mind represents all of what is wrong with the entertainment and media businesses in America nowadays. People need to be held accountable for the things they say. I completely understand that radio personalities are trying to keep audiences (if you don’t believe me you should read my last post) and that maintaining an audience is difficult. But under no circumstance should radio hosts not be held responsible for what they say during the air time they have been granted.
When radio hosts do hide behind their words this shows just how (for lack of a better word) disgusting the entertainment industry has become. Talk radio has become more about trying to keep an audience and less about informing the public. The main reason radio was put into use in the first place was to serve the public interest. If radio hosts are only saying the things they say in order to “stimulate” the audience and get higher ratings than something is seriously wrong with the telecommunications system in this country.
“Shock jocks” like Howard Stern and Don Imus know exactly what they’re saying when they say. Do they think about what they’re saying before they do? That’s debatable. Howard Stern was smart enough to realize that instead of having the FCC breathing down his neck constantly he should move to satellite radio where regulations are much much lower. If other radio hosts can’t take responsibility for the things they say (or are about to say) they should learn from Howard Stern and do exactly what he did: get the f*ck out.
When radio hosts do hide behind their words this shows just how (for lack of a better word) disgusting the entertainment industry has become. Talk radio has become more about trying to keep an audience and less about informing the public. The main reason radio was put into use in the first place was to serve the public interest. If radio hosts are only saying the things they say in order to “stimulate” the audience and get higher ratings than something is seriously wrong with the telecommunications system in this country.
“Shock jocks” like Howard Stern and Don Imus know exactly what they’re saying when they say. Do they think about what they’re saying before they do? That’s debatable. Howard Stern was smart enough to realize that instead of having the FCC breathing down his neck constantly he should move to satellite radio where regulations are much much lower. If other radio hosts can’t take responsibility for the things they say (or are about to say) they should learn from Howard Stern and do exactly what he did: get the f*ck out.
John Ziegler vs. Other Radio Hosts
John Ziegler sounds like many of the talk show radio hosts I’ve listened to in my life. Most of these hosts are trying to do exactly what Ziegler does which is to stimulate and entertain his or her audience. Talk show hosts realize that if they don’t do this they won’t have a job for very long.
Television and radio talk shows come across as places where audiences are very difficult to maintain. The vast amount of channels and various personalities make it very hard for any particular host to try and maintain a large fan base. As the piece says about Ziegler, he is hosting a radio show at a time of night in a locale very non-conducive to large audiences. So the more outlandish and controversial his program is the more people in his audience are likely to talk about it, which in turn draws in new listeners.
In terms of his antics, Ziegler seems just like any other radio personality I can picture. Every time I listen to a talk show host getting really into the topic he’s talking about all I can picture is him or her flailing their arms around and screaming at their microphone. In a way though I actually appreciate this sort of imagery. I’m a typical radio listener who wants the host to be passionate about what he or she is talking about and not some boring, out of touch, old man sitting behind a desk blandly telling me what’s going on in the world.
Television and radio talk shows come across as places where audiences are very difficult to maintain. The vast amount of channels and various personalities make it very hard for any particular host to try and maintain a large fan base. As the piece says about Ziegler, he is hosting a radio show at a time of night in a locale very non-conducive to large audiences. So the more outlandish and controversial his program is the more people in his audience are likely to talk about it, which in turn draws in new listeners.
In terms of his antics, Ziegler seems just like any other radio personality I can picture. Every time I listen to a talk show host getting really into the topic he’s talking about all I can picture is him or her flailing their arms around and screaming at their microphone. In a way though I actually appreciate this sort of imagery. I’m a typical radio listener who wants the host to be passionate about what he or she is talking about and not some boring, out of touch, old man sitting behind a desk blandly telling me what’s going on in the world.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Following Twitter
Twitter is an interesting phenomenon to me. The more I looked at it over the course of the last week the more I began to think that people in today’s society don’t do anything other than update their Twitter accounts. Chad Ochocinco for example must ‘tweet’ at least 5-6 times a day. Many of these tweets are in regard to what he does every day. Other people like Doyle Brunson seem to use Twitter just to post jokes and funny things that seem to represent his personality.
I was most satisfied with people like Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Snoop especially seemed to use Twitter in a manner that I really enjoyed. I actually was able to download an entire mixtape that Snoop produced free of charge. Eminem did things similar to this before the new year. I’m a huge fan of artists who give away the stay the produce for free so seeing this on Twitter was refreshing.
I also enjoyed following Shaquille O’Neal and Larry Fitzgerald’s pages as well. Both of them would tweet about funny things that were happening in their lives that they felt were interesting. I really liked watching Shaq tweet about the updates throughout the Super Bowl. He was loving every minute of the Saints victory. Larry Fitzgerald seemed to be a fairly conservative person on Twitter and this was fine by me. He only posted things that he seemed to be really important, unlike say Chad Ochocinco.
News organizations were really helpful as well. I found breaking news stories as well as stories of importance in my life on Twitter and often times found myself following the links to read the stories. I was one of the most anti-Twitter people on the planet before opening an account, but since doing so my opinions has started to shift a little.
A little.
I was most satisfied with people like Eminem and Snoop Dogg. Snoop especially seemed to use Twitter in a manner that I really enjoyed. I actually was able to download an entire mixtape that Snoop produced free of charge. Eminem did things similar to this before the new year. I’m a huge fan of artists who give away the stay the produce for free so seeing this on Twitter was refreshing.
I also enjoyed following Shaquille O’Neal and Larry Fitzgerald’s pages as well. Both of them would tweet about funny things that were happening in their lives that they felt were interesting. I really liked watching Shaq tweet about the updates throughout the Super Bowl. He was loving every minute of the Saints victory. Larry Fitzgerald seemed to be a fairly conservative person on Twitter and this was fine by me. He only posted things that he seemed to be really important, unlike say Chad Ochocinco.
News organizations were really helpful as well. I found breaking news stories as well as stories of importance in my life on Twitter and often times found myself following the links to read the stories. I was one of the most anti-Twitter people on the planet before opening an account, but since doing so my opinions has started to shift a little.
A little.
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