Monthly Archives: December 2017

#1 All Time. Radio Geo’s Media Blog. (Unthinkable Trump) Published, 12/28/17

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In January 2011, I published my first “Radio Geo’s Media Blog,” and since then, I’ve written over a thousand posts which has produced more than five thousand comments.
What I find most interesting is, how many of all the Life-Liners that have popped into my head over the years I’ve changed my mind about.

Now, as we head towards the twelve days of Christmas, I thought it would be as good a time as any to repost my most-read blogs.
So, without further ado, may I present my all-time most-read Blog.

Sitting here in the middle of the political scene as a Centrist, I get to see both sides of everything.
However, there appears to be only one side to the Donald Trump story, and even though I’m not a big fan of Trump, the way the Liberals have been pounding him has made me more than just a little suspicious.

I don’t remember reading a lot of bad stuff about Obama, and as I recall, his first term didn’t go all that well.
In fact, had the Republicans not run a rich guy against him (the one-percenters were not the soup du jour at the time), he may not have had a second term.

Figuring that enough people liked Trump to elect him as our president, I thought there’s got to be another side to this story, so I went looking for it.
Finally, I came across this article written by Liz Crokin, an award-winning author and a seasoned journalist who is also an advocate for sex crime victims.

Liz began her journey at the University of Iowa, where she received a bachelor’s in journalism and political science.

Trump Does The Unthinkable by Liz Crokin.

Donald Trump is a racist, bigot, sexist, xenophobe, anti-Semitic, and Islamophobe — did I miss anything?…. Oh, Right, he is also deplorable.
The left and the media launch these hideous kinds of attacks at Trump every day, yet nothing could be further from the truth about the real estate mogul.

As an entertainment journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to cover Trump for over a decade, and in all my years covering him, I’ve never heard anything negative about the man until he announced he was running for president.


Keep in mind, I got paid a lot of money to dig up dirt on celebrities like Trump for a living, so a scandalous story on the famous billionaire could’ve potentially sold a lot of magazines and would’ve been a Huge feather in my cap.

Instead, I found he doesn’t drink alcohol or do drugs; he’s a hardworking businessman.
On top of that, he’s one of the most generous celebrities in the world, with a heart filled with more gold than his $100 million New York penthouse.

Since the media has failed so miserably at reporting the truth about Trump, I decided to put together some acts of kindness he’s committed over three decades, which have gone virtually unnoticed or fallen on deaf ears.

 
• In 1986, Trump prevented the foreclosure of Annabell Hill’s family farm after her husband committed suicide. Trump personally phoned down to the auction to stop the sale of her home and offered the widow money. Trump decided to take action after he saw Hill’s pleas for help in news reports.
 
• In 1988, a commercial airline refused to fly Andrew Ten, a sick Orthodox Jewish child with a rare illness, across the country to get medical care because he had to travel with an elaborate life-support system. His grief-stricken parents contacted Trump for help and he didn’t hesitate to send his own plane to take the child from Los Angeles to New York so he could get his treatment.
 
• In 1991, 200 Marines who served in Operation Desert Storm spent time at Camp Jejune in North Carolina before they were scheduled to return home to their families. However, the Marines were told that a mistake had been made and an aircraft would not be able to take them home on their scheduled departure date. When Trump got wind of this, he sent his plane to make two trips from North Carolina to Miami to safely return the Gulf War Marines to their loved ones.
 
• In 1995, a motorist stopped to help Trump after the limo he was traveling in got a flat tire. Trump asked the Good Samaritan how he could repay him for his help. All the man asked for was a bouquet of flowers for his wife. A few weeks later, Trump sent the flowers with a note reading: We’ve paid off your mortgage.
 
• In 1996, Trump filed a lawsuit against the city of Palm Beach, Florida, accusing the town of discriminating against his Mar-a-Lago resort club because it allowed Jews and blacks. Abraham Foxman, who was the Anti-Defamation League Director at the time, said Trump put the light on Palm Beach not on the beauty and the glitter but on its seamier side of discrimination. Foxman also noted that Trump’s charge had a trickle-down effect because other clubs followed his lead and began admitting Jews and blacks.
 
• In 2000, Maury Povich featured a little girl named Megan who struggled with Brittle Bone Disease on his show, and Trump happened to be watching. Trump said the little girl’s story and positive attitude touched his heart. So he contacted Maury and gifted the little girl and her family with a very generous check.
 
• In 2008, After Jennifer Hudson’s family members were tragically murdered in Chicago, Trump put the Oscar-winning actress and her family up at his Windy City hotel for free. In addition, Trump’s security took extra measures to ensure Hudson and her family members were safe during such a difficult time.
 
• In 2013, New York bus driver Darnell Barton spotted a woman close to the edge of a bridge staring at traffic below as he drove by. He stopped the bus, got out, put his arm around the woman, and saved her life by convincing her not to jump. When Trump heard about this story, he sent the hero bus driver a check simply because he believed his good deed deserved to be rewarded.
 
• In 2014, Trump gave $25,000 to Sgt. Andrew Tamoressi after he spent seven months in a Mexican jail for accidentally crossing the US-Mexico border. President Obama couldn’t even be bothered to make one phone call to assist with the United States Marine’s release; however, Trump opened his pocketbook to help this serviceman get back on his feet.
 
• In 2016, Melissa Consin Young attended a Trump rally and tearfully thanked Trump for changing her life. She said she proudly stood on stage with Trump as Miss Wisconsin USA in 2005.
However, years later, she found herself struggling with an incurable illness, and during her darkest days, she explained that she received a handwritten letter from Trump telling her she was the bravest woman I know. She said the opportunities that she got from Trump and his organizations ultimately provided her Mexican-American son with a full ride to college.
 
 Lynne Patton, a black female executive for the Trump Organization, released a statement in 2016 defending her boss against accusations that he’s a racist and a bigot. She tearfully revealed how she’s struggled with substance abuse and addiction for years. Instead of kicking her to the curb, she said the Trump Organization and his entire family loyally stood by her through immensely difficult times. 

Donald Trump’s kindness knows no bounds, and his generosity has and continues to touch the lives of people of every sex, race, and religion. When Trump sees someone in need, he wants to help.

Two decades ago, Oprah asked Trump in a TV interview if he’d run for president. He said: If it got so bad, I would never want to rule it out totally because I really am tired of seeing what’s happening with this country.
That day has come. Trump sees that America is in need, and he wants to help. How unthinkable!

On the other hand, have you ever heard of Hillary or Obama ever doing such things with their own resources?

Beginning Monday, January 1, I begin counting down my top ten blogs from 2023.

Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
For a peek at upcoming Blogs or to see some you may have missed, go to GeorgeJohns.com.
On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
If you’d like to subscribe, email your address to radiogeo@gmail.com.

 

 

My Most Read Blogs Of The Year. #1 “Nuthin’ On But The Radio” (March 06/17)

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I’ve been reading with interest the advice my fellow consultants have been giving the broadcast industry about Millennials and Generation Z. Many of them claim that the only way to ascertain what they like and what they don’t like would be through various forms of research. I agree with some of that, but I must admit that I’m leaning more towards the Henry Ford and Steve Jobs way of thinking. Hank said that had he asked the folks what they wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse, not a car. Steve Jobs took it even further when he stated that most people don’t have any idea about what the hell they want. He then went on to say, “It’s not the consumer’s job to come up with a list of their desires, it’s the visionary’s job to create some new stuff and then figure out how to convince the public that they need it later.”
I don’t know why radio keeps on dumbing itself down. Broadway continues to come up with new plays or at least do an exciting new version of an old one. Singers are still singing new songs every day and Hollywood comes out with new blockbusters just so they can compete with Cable Companies. What if HBO, Showtime, Netflix and others had radio’s attitude, would they have created addictive shows like the Sopranos, Game Of Thrones or House Of Cards? Hey, and who haven’t seen Breaking Bad?
It’s time for radio to take the blinders off and get the hell out of the forest so they can breathe some fresh air. We need to begin creating some new radio. All the stuff I’m hearing on the radio today, I’ve heard before. The radio industry needs create something so new and compelling that its listeners can’t resist telling their friends and co-workers all about it. Well, that’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it!

HOLD ON, IM NOT OFF MY SOAPBOX YET, HERE’S A FEW OTHER RADIO THINGS THAT POPPED INTO MY HEAD

Here’s the secret radio formula used by Howard Stern, Delilah, Jeff & Jer, Ron Chapman, Scott Shannon, Jim Harper, Craig Walker, Loren & Wally and a few other Hall of Famers to make millions.
“T + S= A + (p+i x t+ee) x P + I =$.”

In order For a radio station to be great it must show us a little love, put some joy on-the-air, throw a surprise or two at us, get angry at things now and then, add a touch of sadness, and then even scare us a time or two. In other words, emote baby!

Most successful radio personalities have a lot of character in their voices which adds to their charm and makes us wonder where they’ve been spending their nights.

Everybody sounds much better working with a script.

A lot of people hear the radio, but many of them aren’t listening.

The three steps to stardom begin with your being professional first and then try to become interesting. Then and only then would I ever attempt trying to be entertaining. Good luck!

The four most disliked words used in radio station are the words that radio can’t survive without … Show Prep & Cold Calls!

The first rule of Showbiz is “Be Noticed.”

Every radio station needs to be first, best, or different. If you can be all three, syndicate!

Great radio personalities stand for all things that are good and are against all things that are bad.

Successful morning show hosts are great storytellers, and their fans love to tell stories about them.

Fear is a great motivator, but inspiration is much better.

As I’ve written before, I know of only two-morning show concepts that work. The Jack Benny approach used by Johnny Carson and the Laurel & Hardy concept used by John Madden and Pat Summerall. 

Everything on the radio needs an attention-getting open, a little drama in the middle, and a killer close. If that’s too difficult to come up with, just have the killer close ready. Hell, even Sir Paul doesn’t fade “Hey Jude” when he does it live!

Every great radio station has three types of people. The Dreamer, The Business Man and The Son of a Bitch!

Your off the air job is to explore what’s unique about your community and then exploit the shit out of it.

The more gifted you are, the less local you need to be. However, if you’re both, you’re unbeatable.

Morning hosts should use the people around them including their callers to say the things that their image won’t allow them to say, but the show needs the content.

Evolution is the way to go; revolution scares owners, management, clients, the staff and the listeners.

USA Today isn’t even close to being the most read newspaper in your town.  If I were you, I would get my stuff out of the local rag.

Great actors cannot save a bad script, but bad actors can sure kill a good one.

“Alpha” types are good morning show hosts, others not so much.

Like the old song says, “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don’t mess with Mr. In-between.”

An air personality’s  job is to observe life and then comment on it.

Most successful radio stations start with some a “cause,” but making a buck, ain’t one of them.

Even a bad plan, well executed, has a decent shot at succeeding.

On-air people should spend some prep time writing down the five topics that they think the people are talking about today. Here’s a clue, they’re not talking about radio or music, only radio people do that.

You should do radio for the people who don’t give a damn about radio.

What the two themes that always work in the movies and will work on the radio are, “An unfamiliar path leading to a familiar ending and a familiar path leading to an unfamiliar ending.”

All the greats know how to make me see what they’re saying.

Most humor comes from the dark side.

Every manufactured bit needs to be 5 sensed before being put on the air.

If you don’t bring a little science to your performance, you’ll die penniless like Mozart did.

Humor without boundaries ain’t that funny.

You can’t force chemistry, I know, ’cause I’ve tried.

As Shakespeare said long ago, “The radio station is the thing.”

“Exaggerated Emotion” works really well on the radio.

If you can fake sincerity you’re wasting your time on the radio, Hollywood pays a lot more.

The secret words you need to know to have a great morning show will also work later that night in bed. Passion & Imagination!

Successful on-air people are great interviewers.

You’re already halfway there if there is something unique about your voice.

Gifted and creative people all sound the same. Thankfully, unlike gifted, creativity can be taught.

People listen to radio one person at a time.

Great morning show hosts, marry and make love to the city that they live in.

The responsibility of the GM is to bring good news to the sales department; everything else pales in comparison.

No matter how softly you praise an air personality, they always hear it.

The best music system in the world is also the easiest. Simply play the tunes the folks like more often than the ones that they don’t.

If you force your program director to stay home and listen to your radio station once a week, I guarantee the ratings will go up.

How come broadcasters still aren’t upset about the fact that the PPM device misses at least 30 minutes of listening every morning?

Music is either up, or it’s not!

Everything great has a secret about it, including radio.

It takes courage to be different on the radio.

The selling of radio begins at home.

There are no small parts in radio, only small minded players.

When you substitute “You” for “I” the ratings always go up.

The folks know what they like and like what they know.

The world used to look to America for the new radio formats, but now it tries to sell us theirs.

Being normal on the radio buys you a ticket to nowhere.

Listening to advice requires a lot more wisdom than giving it does.

Much more @ GeorgeJohns.com and on Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Feel free to share and comment.

 

 

My Most Read Blogs Of The Year. #2 “Some Other Guy” (Aug 14/17)

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I was trading messages (rants) yesterday with my old friend from Detroit, the legendary Jim Harper whom I’d worked with at WNIC. (I kept the coffee cups full). Jim (pictured above) told me that he felt sorry for the young broadcasters today who don’t know who Johnny Carson is. He went on to say, “Unless you study the masters, you’re relegated to make the same miserable salary you’re paid today, or worse, get fired.”
I agree with Jim because for as long as I’ve been in radio I know of only two concepts that work in the morning and they both were created almost 100 years ago. Unfortunately, all you radio station owners, the much more music morning show ain’t one of them. However, if you’re a radio consultant, it’s the easiest concept in the world to sell to them. I’m not sure what Jim’s favorite is because he’s done both of them successfully. Mine is the one Jack Benny invented which Johnny Carson along with Jerry Seinfeld and several others copied as did Hall Of Famer Ron Chapman in Dallas at KVIL and Scott Shannon, another Hall Of Famer, at Z100 in New York. 
The other concept was conceived by Laurel and Hardy, and used by Abbott and Costello, Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Rowen and Martin, the Smothers Brothers, John Madden, and by Jeff & Jer on the radio in San Diego. Although Jeff  ‘n Jer, now that I think about it, kinda combined both of them as did Loren and Wally at WKLB in Boston. Anyway, once you come to understand these concepts, you’ll no longer have to be nice to management; they’ll have to be nice to you. But then again that only leads to tax problems.

SOME MORE RANTS

The only way you make any money working in radio is by making management afraid that you’re gonna leave. Hey don’t look now but from where I’m standing, they don’t look at all nervous.

I’ve always been comfortable being the “other guy.” Being the guy in a relationship is more expensive and you’re always worried about who the “other guy” is?

Sometimes giving reminders instead of instructions may be more productive.
 
How much land did Israel have in 1948 compared to today?
 
Are any of the folks who do hard drugs non-smokers?
 
Occasionally men grow weary of begging and need to be begged.
 
Transgender and Transsexual are not the same.
 
Why do the radio executives today make more money than those who came before them? Is it harder to lose money?
 
Is it better not to know what you’ll never have?
 
You’re always pretty good at what you like doing.
 
Success is located at the end of a long and winding road.
 
The most expensive women in the world are as follows:
(1) Your Wife
(2) Your Mistress
(3) Your Daughter
(4) Your Girlfriend
(5) Your Mom
(6) Your Sister
(7) An Acquaintance
 
I remember a time when some people thought they were hip because they didn’t dig The Beatles.
 
One of the smartest things Ted Rogers ever did in Canada was to buy CHLO in St. Thomas and then give it back to them. Albeit with a different frequency.
 
Young and old alike will listen to a young deejay, but only the old will listen to someone who doesn’t sound young.
 
Is it just me or did Dick Chaney always look evil?
 
I understand why Mr. Businessman wants the government to send millions of dollars to other countries, what I don’t understand is why they think we do?
 
I wonder how much money businesses are losing while saving money not having enough staff to serve their customers?
 
Knowing what you should do and your doing it, is light years apart.
 

Somewhere between the Republicans and the Democrats lies the truth.

The most exhilarating thing that you can do is accomplish a task that previously looked impossible.

Guys are a hell of a lot more fun to hang with than women, just ask the girls.

It’s true that the folks listen to the radio, they don’t watch it, but if you don’t get them to look at it once in a while, find a new trade.

Unless you’ve got skin in the game, your opinion doesn’t count.

The only break that means anything on the radio is the one you’ve got coming up.

Wow, bad boy, Jay Cutler signed with the Dolphins. I hope they told him that they were paying him ten mill for his arm, not his mouth.

I’ve always been a student of radio but it ain’t been teaching me nuthin’ lately

Much More @ GeorgeJohns.com and on Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio #1 tomorrow

 

 

My Most Read Blogs Of The Year. #3 “The Greater Good.” (Dec 04/17)

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Now that KVIL has been killed off by Wall Street, I think it’s about time for some of the inside stories to come out. About a year after launching America’s first ever Adult Contemporary format on 103.7 you heard it everywhere. If you asked any woman between the age of 17 and 50 what her favorite radio station was in Dallas or Fort Worth, you could bet on her saying KVIL. In fact, whenever I was flying and heard that Dallas accent on a flight attendant, I would win free drinks from my fellow passengers just by predicting what radio station she listened to. 
Hearing KVIL pouring out of cars and the stores in the malls was very encouraging and also made us very optimistic about our chances in the upcoming rating book. However, when the new rating book finally arrived, we discovered that KLIF killed us and I was devastated.
The contests KVIL ran during the survey were called, “The Big Snatch” and “The KLIF Call Girl” which I was convinced would turn most women off. According to the new rating book though I knew nothing about women because KLIF had them all. Luckily our fearless leader, Jim Hilliard, was a lot smarter than the rest of us because all he said about our terrible showing was, “Johns, I need you to go on vacation because I’m not letting you touch KVIL, it’s perfect.”
We found out later from a newsman we hired from KLIF that when his shift was over, his job was to deliver TV sets to lucky listeners. The way it worked was that the station had started a new thing called “call out” music research where they would call people all over the DFW area to find out what their favorite music was. After finishing the music part, they were then asked, “Have you been contacted by anybody recently about your radio listening habits?” If the person answered yes, they won a color TV. However, when the next rating book came out, KVIL began an over thirty-year dominance of Dallas/Ft. Worth and I don’t think KLIF even made the book.

OK HERE’S A FEW OTHER CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS FOR YOU TO PONDER

Just who is it that decides what the “greater good” is?
 
Waking up one day and realizing how many things you don’t have will either motivate or demoralize you. But it’s still your choice.
 
Paul McCartney’s band is so much better than the Beatles ever were but they ain’t the Beatles man! 
 
I wonder why people other than whites aren’t outed for their racist behavior?  
 
The best thing about experts is that most of them are eventually proved wrong.
 
The easiest way to win is by surrounding yourself with people who have already won.
 
Whenever a Superstar reveals his or her political leanings, I immediately begin to think less of their performances.
 
There is no one in football bigger than football.
 
Ignorantly forging ahead is still much better than stupidly just standing there.
 
What I’ve never figured out is when a radio station suspends a talent for saying something that they find offensive, what are the listeners supposed to do during the suspension.
 
The great thing about America is that you can question its greatness out loud.
 
I just read that some US colleges have so much money that they are hiding it in offshore accounts.
 
I feel sorry for people who have to remain a Republican or Democrat for their whole life.
 
Why doesn’t my amazon tablet like free WiFi?
 
Little of the good you do today will come up tomorrow, but you can count on the bad hanging around.
 
Even people who can’t sing love to sing.
 
Technology without product is just a tool rusting as it sits there waiting for something to happen.
 
Only the people who already have everything for some reason feel the need to start wars.
 
I dislike the people of all races with “attitude.”
 

The thing about Florida is, I’ve lived in my place for ten years now and still don’t know if the heat works.

What I can’t understand is why no matter how many great radio stations have been ruined, the people who ran them into the ground continue to survive?

I think the best deterrent that I have come up with to prevent someone from harming either of my daughters is their ability to convince their attackers that I will track them down and kill them if they don’t walk away right now.

Speaking of daughters, when it comes to the, he said she said part of the trial, I only believe what she said, so if the court doesn’t get it right, see above. 
 
Unfortunately, guns are the only thing that makes us equal.
 
I find that the older you get the more fearless you become.
 
Even though Hollywood shows it more and more, I don’t see a lot of white men out and about with black ladies.
 

Much more and some sneak peeks too @ GeorgeJohns.com and on Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. #2 Posts Tomorrow.

 

My Most Read Blogs Of The Year. #4 “A Hit Is A Hit Is A Hit” (July 24/17)

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  A while back I heard a replay of an interview with Frank Zappa where he stated that even he’s not immune to a hit. He said while driving through Hollywood one day on his way to Burbank to meet with his record company he had the top down and was listening to the radio. At some point, he had to stop for a red light and while sitting there waiting for the light to change he was singing along to the radio and just enjoying the beautiful California sunshine. Before long, another car pulled into the next lane and as he sat there tapping his fingers on the steering wheel he noticed that the couple in the car who had pulled up beside him were staring at him in utter horror. That was the first time he realized that he’d been singing along rather loudly to “Sugar Sugar.”

SOME OTHER STUFF… 

Most of the problems in America today began back when Senior George first sent troops to help out some country called Kuwait. Does anybody know if we even get a Christmas card from them now? 

Why doesn’t the CIA do something useful like make a deal with China to get rid of NK’s leader instead of whatever the hell it is they are doing at the moment?

The person who never makes a mistake most likely answers to a person who makes a lot of them.

Gangs are a place cowards go to hide.
 
The thing about running is that it is a sport where there is no gray area, you’re either running, or you’re not.
 
The only result that’s guaranteed, if you do nothing, nothing will happen.
 
Your time on earth is limited, don’t waste a moment of it living someone else’s dream.
 
The older you get, the stronger the resistance to where you want to go appears to be.
 
40% of voting Americans are Democrats and 40% are Republicans. The other 20% are Centrists like me and I’m feeling the power!
 
Too bad the people who claim to know how this country should run, are too busy playing guitars to do so.
 
How the hell do illegal aliens live in California? I know I sure can’t afford to.
 
It wasn’t the rich who made America great; it was the middle class.
 
So many emails so few worth reading.
 
I know many men who would die for a woman, but I know so few worthy of it. 
 
The bigger the problem, the bigger the reward for the solution.
 
Most folks will try to talk you out of you wanting that which is difficult to deliver. 
 
Detroit proved that paying workers what they believed they were worth destroyed a city.
 
I wonder if food manufacturers realize that we noticed a long time ago that they’ve been making their packages smaller.
 
I wish the geeks would slow down on the inventing of new technology until what we have works as well as cars.
 
I was confused until I figured out that thesalespeople at a radio station work for the client. We just happen to pay them.
 
If you do your radio show for people who don’t know who you are, they soon will.
 
Unfortunately, things can always get worse.
 
You may think you’re alone, but Karma is always watching you.

You are what you remember.

Nothing is as frightening as you imagine it to be, in fact, there is nothing scarier than our own thoughts.

I’m very curious about most things until somebody tries to teach me something.

Much more at GeorgeJohns.com and on twitter @GeoOfTheRadio #4 plays here tomorrow.