For Darin and JW
Anniversary #28. Halfway point.
Barb and I dated for six years before we got married so we’ve been together for 34 years. Looks like a lotta years as I type it but seems like no time at all in my head.
I can’t distill my affection down to single blog post but if you dig around here at smays.com, you’ll discover how much better life is with a friend and partner like Barb.
Chimps Kissing Test
You know I’m a sucker for chimps.
Jeff McVey studies Kung Fu in China
Back in May, I posted on Jeff McVey and his wife (Deborah) who I live in a martial arts academy in a small village in the mountains outside of Yantai, China… studying Kung Fu from the Shaolin Monks who teach there. (I shit you not)
“I had my first kickboxing match this week. I think I did pretty well. They weren’t actually keeping points, but I controlled the fight and got in some good hits. It’s a little nerve racking to just put on a pair of gloves and go at someone. I know we practice this stuff daily, but it’s a different story when someone is trying to knock you out. However, I really liked it. It’s the best practice you can do for that sort of thing. I think I’ll be a bit more confident the next time we do this.”
Can radio go home again?
Jeff Jarvis is doing the Snoopy Dance over this story in the NYT about Clear Channel:
Clear Channel, the poster child for evil media conglomerates, bought up stations and sucked cash out of them but now there’s not much left to suck. Consolidation is the act of a dying industry. Well, broadcast won’t die. But it sure as hell won’t grow.
I was in a lot of small and medium market radio stations before and during the The Great Consolidation. I saw a lot of locally owned stations get gobbled up by Clear Channel. I thought it was a bad idea then and haven’t changed my mind. But I’m a “hometown radio” guy. Local ownership. Local programming. I want to see the station owner at Rotary.
But it’s all moot now. The Internet and related technologies have changed the media landscape forever. I’m not sure radio can go home again. I hope so.