Monthly Archives: July 2021

Geo’s Media Blog. (Bucket-Listing My Life Away. ) Special Update 7/22/21

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I’ve just arrived back in Burbank after doing a week-long college shopping trip up the west coast on the train with my Grandson Nathaniel.
Nathaniel, who is an incoming junior at Polytechnic in Pasadena and I had a great time. (photo of us above waiting for the train in Burbank)

Our first stop was San Jose where the Hilliards picked us up at the train station and took us for dinner at BJs. (photo below),
The next day we had lunch with retired Marine Colonel Bill Peacock who wanted to talk to Nathaniel about going to Princeton when he graduated.

The Colonel turned out to be a great guy and I was proud of how my Grandson answered all of his questions.
Oh, before we left he gave Nathaniel the phone number of his best friend who is a retired General that served on the President’s staff and wanted to talk to my Grandson about going to West Point.

After lunch, we headed to Stanford (see above) where we drove around the campus for a while before heading across the bridge to Berkeley.
After checking out Cals football stadium,(see below) it was time to check out the Embarcodara Center in downtown San Francisco which Nathaniel just loved. The next day we got back on the train for a nice leisurely ride to Seattle that turned out to be anything but leisurely.
It seems that a bridge we needed to cross to go California to Oregon caught on fire so when we reached Sacramento, they put us on a 6-hour bus ride to Klamath Falls in Oregon in the middle of the night.

Talk about hell, it was the worst, and when we finally got back on the train again we were whipped. and when we reached Seattle later that night, it was right to bed.
The next morning good guy Ivan Braker picked us up for brunch and then took us on a great tour of the beautiful University Of Washington. Wow! (see N below in front of Husky Stadium)
Then after seeing the University of Seattle, Ivan took us to a park in the Cascades. (see below)
Oh, did I mention that it was sunshine, blue skies, and 80 degrees and when it’s like that in Seattle, you can’t help but say, “Hey, I’ve gotta live here?What a great time we had in Seattle thanks to Ivan and after he dropped us off we headed over to the Space Needle. (see Nathaniel right below)
Then the next morning, we were up bright and early to catch the train back to Burbank. However, looming soon was those dreaded busses. The plan after getting Nathaniel home and off to Cleveland with his Dad was to re-board the train again but with my daughter Candis this time and head back to Seattle. (see her with me below)
However, there was no way I would get her on those busses, so I canceled the trip.

Now my new plan is to hang out with her in LA and do some art things like visiting the Getty Museum. Then I’m gonna head up to Bob and Jan’s in Camarillo for a couple of days and drink Martinis. Pray for me.

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, Politics, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting are encouraged and appreciated.

Geo’s Media Blog (Seth’s Blog) Under Construction

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Seth Godin Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline I came across this blog by Seth Godin the other day and thought I would share it.

A coaching paradox

At the top tier of just about any sort of endeavor, you’ll find that the performers have coaches.
Pianists, orators, and athletes all have coaches. In fact, it would be weird if we heard of someone on stage or on the field who didn’t have one.

And yet, in the world of business, they’re seen as the exception.
Part of the reason is that work feels like an extension of something we’ve been doing our whole lives. Figure skating isn’t like school, but showing up at work seems to be. “I’ve got this” is a badge of honor.

And part of the reason is that a few coaches have made claims that stretch belief, and we’re not actually sure what they do. It doesn’t help that there’s no easy way to identify what sort of coach we need or what we’re going to get…
It turns out that the people with the potential to benefit the most from a coach are often the most hesitant precisely because of what coaching involves.

Talking about our challenges. Setting goals. Acknowledging that we can get better. Eagerly seeking responsibility…
And yet we avert our eyes and hesitate. It might be because having a coach might be interpreted as a sign of weakness. And what if we acknowledge our challenges but fail to overcome them? It could be that we don’t want to cause change to happen or that we’re worried that we will.

One company I admire believes in coaches so much that they’ve put several on staff, ensuring that their leadership all benefit from one. But mostly, it’s something we have to pay for ourselves.
And so, paying for a coach, for something that’s hard to measure, which might be socially awkward, to get better at something that feels normal—combine that with a hesitancy to ask for help—it’s a wonder anyone has a coach.

The paradox is that the very things that hold us back are the reasons we need a coach in the first place.
Seth Godin

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Why do companies bother sending you emails that you can’t reply to?

It’s a lot easier to believe the truth when you see it.

The roots of the present may lie deep in the past but that may not be true of the future.

Sometimes when your cup runneth over, you just needed a bigger cup.

PPM not only doesn’t measure psychographics it doesn’t capture the 23% of the population who are trendsetters.

The term “Born To Lead,” is truer than you realize.

If I didnt say it yesterday, it’s probably not true anymore.

Why do I think that Covid 19 will fade away if we vote correctly in the midterms?

Fear will freeze you, action will free you.

Figuring out what a person really means when they are talking is a difficult task.

Having the ability to make a person see what you are saying is what it’s all about on the radio. Otherwise, you’re just quacking.

Truth is truth and not what we perceive it to be.

Bob Marks claims that senior sex is best because you no longer care who came before or who’s still there, you only care about your getting yours.

If you can’t laugh at yourself, others will do it for you.

Time travels at the speed of light so adjust accordingly.

I wonder which of today’s laws is going to appear stupid tomorrow?

We all wake up in the morning and go to bed at night but it’s what we do in between that separates us.

You are who you are, not who you think you are.

It’s not the size of the budget it’s the size of the idea.

I don’t remember any anti-vaxers when Polio hit North America.

Even though my children are grown, to me, they’re still kids.

Have you noticed that ever since they deregulated the airlines, how much the airlines have regulated us?

Opinions are not necessarily the truth, only the truth is the truth. 

COMMENTS

Hollis Duncan: Hey George, Speaking of Buckets, it looks like the former WIBC is preparing to kick it. Jeff Smulyan Strikes Again! (Bucket Listing My Life Away)
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/210922/wfni-to-move-to-translators-only-following-land-sale/?fbclid=IwAR1mf4iGQgfve-67lS-wx__f2NcbxRZpt0Bz_p219PmGidtAx4mK3W8Cn9k Geo: Very sad, Hollis.

Jenn Jenn: You’re the bestest!! I can’t even begin to comment on my favorites because you hit the mark for me on everything! (Adult Content)
Geo: Just working my way into your heart Babe!(Bucket Listing)
Sheldon Swartz: Loved the Fairbanks group. It was Radio done right, from the processing chain on up.(TONS of compression!).
I worked for WJNO/WRMF (Richard M. Fairbanks) in W. Palm Beach, where Mr. Fairbanks’ picture was proudly hung in the lobby. People busted themselves to do him a good job, and now it’s all gone. Very sad. (Bucket Listing)
Geo: Sad indeed, Sheldon.
Nick Alexander: George – thanks for posting this aircheck. It brings back many memories. In 74, I was across the turnpike at KXOL Ft. Worth doing mid-days. Back then, separate rating books were issued for Dallas and Ft. Worth. The Ft. Worth battle was between KFJZ and KXOL. But I would always learn by listening to Ron in the mornings rather than Casey & Duckie! It would be 10 years before my career would bring me to KVIL as Operations Manager. It was the station I always wanted to work at and was the high point of my radio career. It lasted until Mel bought the place and ultimately ran it into the ground. (Ron Chapman)
Geo: I feel your pain, Nick.
Doug Herman: George, I know you grew up in Canada and now live in Florida, with some significant stops between the two. But deep down, you’re a California guy. You know you miss it! (Bucket-Listing Up Date.)
Geo: I’m definitely a Californian, Doug, that’s why I never bought a place in Florida for 13 years. I always thought that I was going to go back. Living in California was a lifelong dream of mine.
Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, Politics, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting are encouraged and appreciated.

Geo’s Media Blog. (Bucket-Listing My Life Away. ) Special Bucket List Edition. 7/13/21

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I’ll never forget the advice my world-class running coach Thom Hunt gave me years ago, “When you’re in a race, and you feel pain, stop because it could lead to a serious injury.
However,” he then went on to say, “If you can see the finish line, fuck the pain, hit it!”

Now that my Doctors have discovered that I have a heart murmur, and they have me on blood thinners and blood pressure pills, I’m taking Thom’s advice because I really do believe that I can see the finish line.

It all started last July when I decided that a “Bucket-List” trip was in order, but unfortunately, we were in the middle of the pandemic, so I waited.
Finally, at the end of September, I said the hell with it, and after visiting my family near Burbank, I boarded a train and headed out across America.

What a great trip, I got off in San Jose and visited with bast friends Jim and Barb Hilliard, then dinner with Craig Walker and John Erickson in Portland, drinks with John Gehron in Chicago, 7 bars with Bob Thomas in Sayre, and a side trip to Tampa for some gambling my Nephew, Jamie Boychuk.

Since then, I’ve made a secret bucket list trip that I can’t talk about other than to say that it was the best trip of my life and it had nothing to do with the Beatles. 🙂

As you read this, I’ve just arrived back in Burbank, where me and my Grandson Nathaniel who is going to be a junior next year at Polytechnic, are getting ready to board the train to go college shopping all up the west coast. (see a photo of us above)

Our first stop is San Jose, where we’ll hook up with the Hilliard’s to see Stanford and Berkley (see the Hilliards just below), then lunch with retired Marine Colonel Bill Peacock who wants to talk to Nathaniel about going to Princeton.
Oh, and his best friend who is a retired General wants to recruit him for West Point. How cool is all that? Next, it’s back on the train for Seattle, where good friend Ivan Breaker is nice enough to squire us around to a couple of colleges that Nathaniel is interested in seeing. (see Ivan just below)
Hey, and if time permits, we also may get to see old friends Delilah and Bruce Murdock. When we get back to Burbank, Nathaniel is going on vacation with his Dad to Cleveland, and I’m getting back on the train again with his Mother.
Candis loves trains even more than I do, so we’re headed back to Seattle, but this time there will be no stops; we’re just gonna turn right back around again and return to Burbank. Once back in Burbank, I’ll head a few miles north, to Camarillo, to spend a couple of days with Bob Christy and Jan Hall, where I’ll try to handle Bob’s enormous Martinis and check out Jan’s new flower arrangements. (see Jan and Bob above)Then it’ll be time to head home again and get ready to jump on a plane and visit my friend Jim Daniel who lives near St. Louis. )see Jim above)
Jim has a lakeside cottage where we’ll do a little drinkin’, and when we’re well lubed, we’ll go and see old friends Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings in concert.

I’ll arrive back in West Palm again just in time to start packing again because I’ll be taking my Daughter Cami to New York for a photoshoot.
Whew! Just writing this is exhausting me, but it’s like Thom Hunt said, “If you can see the finish line, fuck the pain, hit it!

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

When you add up the money the middle class earns, it dwarfs the rich. Unfortunately, the government is well aware, so when they claim, “We’re only going to chase the rich for more tax dollars.” They’re lying!

The more time you spend with great people, the greater you become.

When you give a good singer a great song, they’re set for life.

<If you want to be successful, you need to hang out with someone successful. They’ll tell you what not to do.

Speaking of success, Brent Farris of KZST recently reminded me, “Success is a team sport, but failure sure ain’t!”

COMMENTS

Larry Macinnis: George, you are so right about “The fewer the words, the greater the impact.” All good comedy writers know that. So did Lincoln. So did Churchill. It was the first and best lesson by my first boss at CHUM, Mike Kornfeld. (Under Construction)
Geo: Ahh, watching me while I work, Larry. 🙂

Ken Barnett: When I was at my first station, KFRO Longview, Texas, I heard an aircheck of KCBQ and The Last Contest. I remember thinking how much I would like to work for a station like that! Thanks for the memories, George. (The Last Contest)
Geo: And you did work at such a place, Ken; we just spelled it differently, K-V-I-L.

Mike McVay: The Last Contest is also probably the most imitated by air talent, at parties, trying to imitate Jack’s voice and a Rod Sterling-style of reading. My favorite that you did was The Prize Catalog. Spectacular!Well done, Mister Johns & McCoy. (The Last Contest.)
Geo: Thank you, Mike. The prize catalog was my first big promotion after leaving Fairbanks to begin my consulting career. Earlier though at Fairbanks, I’d done a very successful mailer called the “Magic Ticket,” which not only did our sales manager syndicate, it bought me my first Mercedes.
I realize now that I should have concentrated on creating more promotions that both sales and programming loved, rather than chasing those elusive ratings.
The Prize Catalog was the Last Contest and the Magic Ticket combined, and it lasted until my brother Reg’s rewards Program replaced it. His rewards program married the Prize Catalog with the American Airlines Advantage Program and became super successful.
Unfortunately, Mike, I don’t think you’ll ever hear those mind-blowing promotions ever again.

Space 513: Hmm, it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was super long), so I guess I’ll summarize what I submitted and say I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger, but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any suggestions for inexperienced blog writers? I’d definitely appreciate it. (Geo’s Bucket List Adventure)
Geo: I’m still learning myself, Space, unfortunately, I’m only a storyteller, not a writer, so like my fellow Winnipegger, Neil Young, who was constantly told that he couldn’t sing so he should give it up, I keep doing it.​​
Jerry Del Colliano: You are an inspiration as always. Let’s show the world what radio could be!!! Be well. (The Last Contest)
​Geo: You’re on, Jerry! The way things are going,​ pretty soon, radio stations will be free, and we will do what we want with them.

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, Politics, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting are encouraged and appreciated.

Geo’s Media Blog (Self Transcendence) New 8/9/21

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Back when I worked for Fairbanks Broadcasting we believed in inspiration more than motivation.
The problem with motivation is how time-consuming it is, whereas if you inspire someone, maybe they’ll self-motivate themselves right into the Hall Of Fame as many of them did. 

What we used was some basics from Maslow’s Pyramid. (shown above)
As most people at a radio station were usually at different levels, we couldn’t treat them all equally. Hey, There’s no sense trying to talk someone into becoming all they can be if they’re worried about where their next meal is coming from.

Once the basics are taken care of care of they usually move up to (safety) where they then start to worry about how to protect what they’ve got and some may want to start a union.
However, once some good ratings show up, all of a sudden, they love how they’re part of a winning team, and their co-workers become their best friends. (Love and Belonging)

What usually happens after they feel secure is, they need to be somebody. (Esteem) They start asking questions about what they have to do to become the Music Director or Assistant Program Director.
Then when they get a title, the next thing that happens to some of them is the need to be the very best. They know how to do everything, and they know how to do it well. It’s a kind of Conscious Competence sort of thing. (Self Actualisation)

The level above Self Actualisation is Self Trandsendance, and if you reach that, you’re in very rare air; only folks like Mozart, Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles, and Howard Stern live here.
They can’t really explain how they do what they do; they just do it. It’s kind of like trying to explain how to tie your shoes or how to ride a bike. They’re gifted and operate in a state of unconscious competence.

The only problem is, if anything is threatened at a level below, they immediately fall back down the pyramid.

When my consulting business exploded after launching “The Class/Classy” format in San Antonio, I definitely needed Maslow’s Pyramid to help keep things moving along.
There was no way I had time to motivate folks; they had to motivate themselves.

With 40 markets back then, I was very fortunate to have my brother Reg and my buddy Reid Reker helping me out.
Not only were they two of the best in the business, but they also believed in the same kind of radio that I did.

One of my favorite things that I loved to do was sit down with a new morning host and ask, “If you could have any car in the world, what would it be?
Once I found that out, I would explain that all he had to do was follow a few simple guidelines and before he knew it he’d be buckling up in his dream car. Then, when I heard any on-air progress, I would call him up and say, “Man, I can smell the leather from here!”

Then one day, I got a desperate call from Reid, who said, “Hey, man, what do I do now? The morning guy just told me that he wants a Ford Taurus. Hell, he can afford that now!”

GEO’S LIFE-LINERS

Revenge may be wrong, but it sure feels right.

First, it was “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never shame me” to go down. Now Simone Biles has torn up. “Winners never quit, and quitters never win. What’s next?

For whatever reason, men seldom talk about who they’ve bedded, whereas women brag about it.

What beautiful woman has ever been intimidated by a man?

Women don’t want equal rights; what they really want is what beautiful women already have.

The thing about men is, we’re ok with being jived until we’re not.

It’s our mistakes that make us who we are.

What you think can only be used against you when you say it.

In China, they don’t watch the news because it’s propaganda. Listen up, America!

So how many countries do you suppose would elect a black president?

I love watching movies where a guy’s children become bigger than him.

The fewer the words, the larger the impact.

When sons leave home, they leave.

A great idea without action is just another idea.

I hear that it’s so hot up north that the folks are coming down here to South Florida to cool off.

When is the last time somebody defected from Russia?

Freedom ain’t free, and it also has its responsibilities.

Radio has to bottom out before it will change because the executives who run radio do it one year at a time. Their only mission is to hang on to their enormous salaries, which they do by making cuts each year. In other words, they’re not trying to fix radio.

What I don’t get is, the whole world was shut down for a year and a half, and yet Climate Change got worse?

Don’t you find it a little strange that the same old shit is still going on, but now that Trump’s not President, you don’t hear about it anymore?

Can anyone truly leave a marriage without somebody else waiting in the wings?

Politicians are pretty simple folks; they’ve for everything that gets them elected and against everything that doesn’t.

Your reputation only comes from your walkin’ the talk.

You’ll never solve the mystery of the universe by using what you already know.

Running in place gets you nowhere.

Winnipeg wins its opening game against Hamilton. Go Bombers!

Speaking of Canada, the Canadian Women just won their first gold medal ever in soccer at the Olympics.

Speaking of gold, do I have this right? The US women’s soccer team thinks that they not only have the right to dis America but also dis Canada’s team who won the gold?
COMMENTS
Doug Herman: George, I had a pretty damned good career as the “detail guy” with my business partner and super “idea guy” Jack McCoy. I always enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how to “make it happen.” The position offers zero time in the spotlight but a ton of satisfaction when a project takes flight. (This Isn’t For Publication, Right?)
Geo: Without guys like you, Doug, no project would ever get off the ground.

Kay Wright Dante, aka the former Mrs. Chuck Riley: I must admit, I find myself looking forward to your blog. I love reading about the days of radio past, especially the names of those people in the business I had the pleasure of meeting. I’ve lost contact with so many over the years but have managed to hang on to a few who are near and dear to my heart. Thanks for some wonderful memories, George. (This Isn’t For Publication, Right?)
Geo: Thanks for the reads, KT.

Jed Duval: It may be that after F.D.R., the only Presidents who left office and lived without the trappings of wealth were Harry S Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower. They would occasionally give speeches, but I don’t think they received much other than their pensions. Of course, Eisenhower’s military pension was much more than Truman’s. (It Was 34 Years Ago Today)

Ken Barnett: Good read, as usual, George. The part about your career going by in a flash is one of the truest things ever said! (It Was 34 Years Ago Today)
Geo: And it did, Ken!

Jerry Baker: George: I assume you have heard by now that that genius programmer, Jeff Smulyan, has killed off 1070. I guess I simply have little or no understanding of today’s radio or what’s left of it.
Geo: Sadly, I have, Jerry. Big Mama was real good to a bunch of us.

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, Politics, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is encouraged and appreciated.