Monthly Archives: August 2019

Geo’s Media Blog (Our Good Economy Is Good For Whom?) New for 3//2/20

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Back when Barack Obama was President, he claimed that the economy was good, and Trump now says that it’s even better. My only question is, the good economy is good for whom?

Hell, when I grew up during the ’50s, the economy was much better. My Mom didn’t have to work, and my Dad bought a new car every two years. My Mom got one every three, and we built a new house every five, plus had a cabin at the lake.

Everything, including prescription drugs, was reasonably priced, and even though gas was only 20 cents a gallon, the oil barons still managed to become multi-millionaires

I believe that the economy was much better back then because it served all the people, not just a select few. Oh, and did I mention that there was also very little crime?

Hell, even the ’60s were better than now. Case in point, when I got married in the mid-sixties, I only worked part-time at a radio station and played with my band on the weekends. Not only did I have the biggest house on the block (shown above still standing after 50 years), but I also drove a brand new convertible. (shown above) What 23-year-old can do that today?


Today’s good economy must only be good for the 1% ers because I don’t see the rest of us smiling.
GEO’S LIFE-LINES
The thing I find the most amazing about living in America is that no matter what terrible things you’ve done, apologize, go to rehab, and all is forgiven. Amazing! 

Ford, The Beatles, and Jobs didn’t give us what we wanted; they gave us what they wanted us to have.

A lot of the nobodies who became somebody also turned out to be assholes because they couldn’t handle success. 

The first time your being on the earth becomes somewhat essential is when you have an impact on other people’s lives. 

Most radio GM’s version of your getting out in the community to serve the public is doing remotes at a tire store. 

If you need to get something done, give it to a person who is too busy to do it. 

A Muslim comedian recently said it best, “Hey, I’m a 7-11 Muslim, not a 9-11.” 

A leader’s first responsibility is to define the goal; his ultimate responsibility is to thank the crew for getting them there.

When I was growing up in Transcona, after walking our girlfriends home from the community club dances, my buddies and I would meet at the local Diner for a Burger before going back home. Then we didn’t?

Anyone can do a presentation to three people; it’s the thought of doing one to a hundred or so that keeps you up at night. 

Something to think about, Jesus wasn’t a Christian, Mohammad wasn’t a Muslim, and Budda wasn’t a Buddhist. Maybe we should follow who they were all following?

Rich people without rules tend to do the wrong thing.

What I like best about social media is that it exposes all the evil celebrities allowing karma to catch up with them a lot quicker.

It is so weird out there these days that I’d advise looking both ways before crossing a one-way street.

I wish Trump would stop talking and walk the talk instead.

Not having to buy into everything lame thing either party claims is the best thing about being a centrist.

Just trying harder doesn’t make bad stuff work any better.

Figuring out what you did right when you win is a lot tougher than figuring out what you did wrong when you don’t. 

COMMENTS

Patrick Stelzner: “Remember when a sales person’s job was mostly to get the money? Now they also have to figure out how to get the money to fit the system.” Amen Bro (I Felt The Earth Move)

John McQuaker: Hi George: I enjoy reading your stories. I worked at CKY FM, and then CKY 580 from 1966-1971. Worked with some of the people you name, such as Frank Roberts, Bill Grogan, George Dawes, and Embree McDermid, probably many others whose names I don’t always remember. I got into the news side in about 1970, and I think John Pierce was the news director, these days it’s hard to imagine that the big 3 AM stations in WPG (CKY, CKRC, and CJOB) each had an eight-person news team. Keep up the excellent work. (Comments)

Jim Harper: Hey George,
I love this blog-post. Especially: “Radio should stop worrying about its image and just get on with the entertainment!”I’ve learned by listening as a civilian, that when a station runs an image promo for itself, it’s just noise and another interruption. The same goes for local TV. You’re already there…you’re already engaged, you don’t need to be sold on having made a good decision. (Fear)

Buzz Barnett: RadioGeo, Travel back in time to September 2004 as Hurricane Frances approached Palm Beach & WRMF went into Emergency Broadcast mode inside a Control Room core that was wrapped tightly by thick plywood sheets put up by Ric Rieke…..Mike Calhoun prepped His coverage team after Paul Cavenaugh purchased supplies at the Publix next door on Congress Ave….baloney & bread….mayo & mustard….cheese & crackers….chips & dips (sorry, Amy)….hundreds of $$$ in booze…. it was never revealed just Who provided the soothing sweet smoke that got Us thru the 72-hours spent together as Frances churned & howled & nearly blew Our legendary house down….& it was only a warm-up as Hurricane Jeanne jumped ashore some three weeks later @ 120-mph sustained! (Hurricane Mathew)


Nat Humphries: “If what one has to say is not better than silence, then one should keep silent”- Confucius, 511 BC 
“Ask yourself if that bit you’re about to do is better than ‘Hey, Jude.’ If it’s not, play ‘Hey, Jude’”. – George Johns, 1974 AD.

Tim Moore: George, the velvet sensitivity you bring to this global malady is appreciated. Depression hides in dark corners, and I’m guessing many more suffer from it than we know. I’m so fortunate never to have known it, but thinking about friends and colleagues, like you, I can now see patterns. Life can become a forced march through a minefield if we see it that way. Some don’t have much choice. Joni Mitchell may have had this in mind in the lyrics of a long lost ballad: “Dark with darker moods is he…and not a golden prince has come, of columbines and wizardry to talk of castles in the sun. In a Bleeker Street Cafe, she found someone to love today.” (Which Way Ya Going Billy Part Deux)

Wilson Parasiuk: Hi Cami, Congratulations on your graduation – from another product of the hallowed town of Transcona. Your Dad George was a curious, courageous guy who made his way in the big wide world. But he never forgot his roots and he never forgot the little guy. Go for it. Curiosity and zest for life will make your life fuller and meaningful. Willy. (Camera Graduates)

David Wolfe: Reunion Pre-amble…George – do I qualify?  I spent three years at Fairwest – went to STAR in Milwaukee to handle the incoming police calls and keep Cat calm, went to Norfolk with the gift catalog, went to Montreal with the interactive phone, went to Kansas with the credit card affinity program, went to Transtar to oversee the Music of Your Life music rotation and keep Gary calm, and on weekends ran 10ks with you via Reg’s Mercedes (the Mercedes went to Texas). San Diego would be a good location. (Class Reunion)

Geo: Nobody represents Class better than you do, David.

Grover: I think that everything posted made a great deal of sense. But what about this? What if you added a little information? I ain’t saying your content isn’t solid, however, suppose you added a title that makes people want more? I mean, Live From The Field Geo's Media Blog is a little vanilla. You should peek at Yahoo’s home page and note how they create news headlines to grab viewers interested. You might try adding a video or a pic or two to get readers interested about everything you’ve written. In my opinion, it might make your website a little livelier.

Geo: Thanks for all the input, Grover, but “Live From The Field” is not a Blog, it’s just a picture that I’m storing for future use in a real Blog. (Live From The Field)

Margaret Mayer: Nice one Geo- and great pics of you and Ermanno, Ed, and Willy. I also enjoyed the quotes, with the exception of the elbow to women. I will keep marching every year to remind you. I think Wilma and Lilly will too. See you at the Super Bowl!
xoxoxo with Love from the Berkeley Hills, looking over the San Francisco Bay. (Making Movies)

Geo: Back at ya, Margarita.

Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, 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 appreciated.

 

 

Chuck Dann plays The Jury, and Jimmy Darin discovers them. New 8/21/19 #8

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The year was 1965 and the British Invasion which was well underway in Winnipeg. The Beatles and others had forced all the Winnipeg bands to change their sound and with that new sound came a new dream. Got to get a record deal!
The Guess Who were the first ones to get one, followed by my band, and then The Deverons with a kid named Burton Cummings. (Neil Young was still a year away)

On the links below are some rare radio airchecks of Chuck Dann, and Jimmy Darin of CKY in Winnipeg who are playing The Jury on their respective radio shows. (pictured together above)
The first link is Chuck Dann in the winter of ’65 playing our first release, “Until You Do” The next is Jimmy Darin playing our third release, “Back In My World.”
“Chuck Dann_Instant Hit #4_The Jury_Until You Do.wav” on Dropbox.
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Geo’s Media Blog. (Maybe I’ll Get Lucky With #7)

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A couple of years ago I started writing an autobiography entitled, Guitars & Radio & Wild Wild Women, mostly for family and friends. However, when I finally got around to the wild wild women part, as fun as I’m sure they were, it turns out that I don’t remember them all that well. Who I do remember though, are the ones I fell in love with. As I began writing about them, I came to realize that falling in love is the best and worse thing that will ever happen to you. I know, I’ve done it six times. Luckily though, like any addiction, you can get over it which definitely makes it not worth dying for. (Daughters are a whole other story)
Even though I was in love six times, I only married once, got engaged twice, and oh yeah, also got friendship ringed once. In return, two of them gave me daughters.
They were all beautiful but other than that, the only other thing they had in common was me. (Four of the six are pictured above, the other two are in witness protection 🙂 ) 
My first love was an innocent, then a not so innocent, followed by a sexy fun one who was replaced by an intellectual. Next came the smart happy Meg Ryan type, and then the wild one. (I have a whole book in me itching to get out about her, including stuff like her great grandfather who was one of the Younger Brothers, rode with Jesse James)
As I look around me now though and because none of these ladies are present today, I’m beginning to think that maybe it’s me? Nah, couldn’t be!
 
GEO’S LIFE-LINES

Instead of the 10 original laws, we started with, we now have 17,000 pages of them. Did anything get better?

Once you stop learning you stop living.

Figure out what you can get away with and then do it!

Being good keeps you from being great.

In the last fifty years, has there ever been a movie star or a rock star that has convinced anybody to change their vote?

Is there anybody more unqualified to dispense advice or make recommendations than Mrs. Doctor,  Mrs. President or Mrs. CEO?

When is Congress going to realize that they’re not a big deal? Almost every person in sports is much more popular than they are. Sad!

Most optimists are a little disappointed about how things turn out but not the pessimists.

Any apology that’s followed by an excuse automatically cancels the apology.

What percentage of Americans do you suppose, buy into everything that the Democrats or on the other side, what the Republicans want to do?

Sometimes it just isn’t about us.

Have you ever noticed that rich people always seem to be angry?

If you buy things to impress, that’s called scoreboarding. Letting everybody know that you don’t have fancy things ’cause you’re not into that sorta thing, is also called scoreboarding.

The way it works as a runner is; Do long slow training runs and you will become faster. It works the same way in life.

Mysterious women are only exciting until you fall in love with them.

COMMENTS

Randy White: If you want to know what’s going on in a radio station, ask the engineer. They’re always around sticking a screwdriver into something, running a wire, being ignored – but listening or overhearing… (The Voice)

Lauren: So much truth to your comment, “The two hardest things to find in life are loyal friends and true love.” (I Prefer Torture)

Tom Hoyt: Loved the KFROG story as I was there for 14 years under three owners, Amaturo Group, ARS…then CBS. CBS sells everything radio to Entercom. Based on what I know, Entercom should be called Entercom for all the BS that was passed out to the loyal KFROG staffers….some of whom are there now, I worked with and were there before me!  Severance does nothing to compensate for the years of market-leading revenues…likely not now and without local leadership in all things a market-leading station should be. Soon, a Morning Show from San Diego that has no relevance to the Inland Empire. All the cuts haven’t done much for the stock price but certainly has destroyed a solid local station in the 25th market. Riddle me this grasshopper?! (Money Not Brains)

Geo: And the FCC is actually considering letting the big corporations who already ruined radio, have even fewer restrictions. Someone should remind the FCC, that their obligation is to protect the people Tom, not big business.

Bob DeCarlo: George, you made the last half of my days in radio so much more fun than the years before. I never did thank you enough for all you taught me (and a lot of other folks, too).Kudos for your blog. (Wanna Fool Around)

Jo Myers: So, your baby girl is back from college and living with you, hopefully, you’ll be okay, Geo. 🙂
If I went to vote without knowing who the Democrat or who the Republican was… I’d still know (by their talk and walk) and vote how I always do. 🙂

Enjoyed the blog! (I Felt The Earth Move)

John Forsythe: I just retired this year after 50 years in radio. Hanging out in Hawaii right now where radio still sounds original and fun. (although KKCN in Honolulu is big and is programmed like stateside stations but with local music)
I agree that original and fun is always better but comparing kids in the ’60s to kids today, come on, get real. Kids today have so many media choices. A boss jock “posting” a 42-second intro would not interest them. They will respond to a true talent making them laugh and sharing a social media or website video that they can share with friends. There is talent out there but it is a multilayered challenge that most of didn’t have to face in the past.
While in Orlando for the back-patting, check out The News Junkie on Real Radio or evenings on XL 106.7. Some talent is still connecting. (Radio, It’s Over)

Steve Eberhart: Reminds me of a time in the late 70’s when Ron Chapman got the entire on-air staff (none of which lived in Ft. Worth) in a 10 passenger van and drove us to Fort Worth to “tour” Fort Worth in order for us to familiarize ourselves with the “other half” of our huge KVIL audience.  (KVIL was the first ‘Dallas’ station to not only acknowledge but engage and marry Ft Worth, while other ‘Dallas’ stations ignored it or made fun of “Cowtown”.)  We spent all day going by and getting first-hand observations of the city Dallas radio forgot about.  The effect was tremendous and now we were so much more aware of our area and diverse lifestyles of the audience we talk about and to.

It was on the way back Ron finally turned the radio in the van on KVIL and some part-time weekender was filling in with instructions to play it cool and keep it simple.  The first break we all heard was a blown break.  At that point, Ron said, “you know guys if a truck hits this van and wipes us all out, that guy is the new morning man and the station is toast!” That got quite a laugh – as it was so very true! (Designated Survivor)

Geo: Steve, we were the only radio station that was designed for the new DFW rating book, Steve. As I recall, we were #3 in the Dallas only book and #5 in Fort Worth’s which made us #1 in the DFW book.

Doug Herman: RE your comment about doctors who didn’t graduate at the top of their class. The late George Carlin had a great truth (actually, he had many), which was, “Somewhere there is the world’s very worst doctor and he has patients.” (Which One’s the…)

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