Monday, March 23, 2009

Twittersultation

There's got to be a better word than that for consulting with people via Twitter. Regardless, I kicked an idea for a show out to my 1100 or so Twitter followers. I wanted to know what they would think of a show that was guided by a commitment AWAY FROM journalism, a show that was anything but the news. I figure the news is pretty well covered anyway and people might like to seek refuge from it. So what would that be?

Here are some responses:

A story on all those people I see in the coffee shops who look like writers and deep thinkers-What are they REALLY doing?

how about some travel pieces, ala Savvy Traveler. Could take many forms. Listeners/readers could contribute from worldwide locals.

Maybe it's because it's the kind of story I like to do, but I just want to hear stories about real people's lives, such as...
...how you met your spouse, how you got your kids to sleep, how you hated your dad, how you got fired, how you started a new life.
not to mention, what it's like to work your job, what it's like to be in your school, what it's like to live in your house...
Some of my favorite moments on WA were the listener responses to queries about anecdotes or scary movies, etc. More of that.

For someone who's ostensibly a journalist, I have minimal regard for both news & truth. But, Ledes/segues will b tough on NO NEWS.

Also, NO NEWS + NO THEMES

Trying to come up with something not news, not cars, not Radio Lab, not finance and politics, but still palatable to Minnesotans...

I'd like a show where people call in and complain about things & the recorded calls are played back w/o comment:The Bitching Hour.

Like Atlantic Monthly, NYT Mag topics minus headlines stuff. Books, film, culture. Skies the limit. Get ppl thinking critically!

i wanna tell the story of a dog i rescued from traffic. it was the most annoying dog ever and i regretted it... stories like that!

The problem with any non-news radio idea i have is it turns into This American Life.

all free range chicken songs, all the time.

(And then there's all this that came in one email from this guy Stewart) (!)

*Getting drunk and thinking it is a good idea to clean the chain on your bike. Then, when you try to put it back on, your chain turns into a Rubik's Cube and you spend 30 minutes putting it back on.
*Air. The band or the gas.
*Have goatees secretly become incredibly fashionable? Look around!
*People on Twitter who follow way less people than follow them. What is up with those people? Is that is good strategy?
*Interviews with authors of books who said that the stock market was going to keep going up! Up! UP!!! 2 or 3 years ago.
*What did you think about Bush when he stood on that rubble at the World Trade Center? What do you think about Obama? Does anything worry you when you compare the two thoughts?
*Are there less cardinals(birds) now?
*A primer on song bird songs that might be in your back yard and the mnemonic associated with them. EG: "Peter Peter Peter" for the tufted titmouse or "Miss Towhee" for the towhee. erm, I do not know how to spell towhee and it is not coming up in spell check and I am too lazy to check Google.
*What is the best way to use Pandora?
*How do you make radio really good for 10 seconds?
*With netbooks, are we moving back to the mainframe-client model?
*What is the story with Xeni?
*You know those word games where you get a word, change one letter at a time, and after you have changed all the words, you have a new word? Get a musician, David Byrne comes to mind, to do the same thing. Have him start with a chord, change one note at a time and come to a different chord.
*Is it okay if I think Ray Charles is just lame?
*Dictionary stands, who has them?
*The French Whispering Woman Singer genre.
*Self Promotion Time! http://www.photocatrace.com/ What is that all about?
*Reusing an idea but making it look brand new.
*Are functional alcoholics just incredibly fucking smart?
*Talk about your DUI
*How do you approach taboo words vs the way your parents approached taboo words.
*Don't you just love that woman on NPR that reports on the Supreme Court?
*I bought IKEA and they did me wrong
*I think my last boyfriend / girlfriend ruined me for life.
*I have a radio in my TV
*Seriously Boomers, you might not be listening to this show, but our music is much better than yours.
*The French and the letter Z
*What is up with dudes and strip clubs?
*Do oldsters go gay when they get Alzheimer's?
*Do you think your earliest memory is a real memory?
*Examples of people declaring "X words!" and then saying a different amount of words. EG: "Three words: John Moe's Radio Show!"
*When to use a colon.
*When to use v or vs.
*Ask the dude from Goldfrapp, "What is up with the chick from Goldfrapp?" Don't get crass.
*Did you know that Daylight Savings Time is stupid?
*What is up with Chicks and Cosmo? Is that like the dudes strip club?
*Can you put the the word "actually" anywhere in a sentence?
*Are (American) knickers coming back?
*Can we just call knickers clam diggers?
*Does Alzheimer's have an apostrophe?
*Is Frank Zappa dead?
*Is there a worse album than 'Thing Fish'?

**

5 comments:

Bill said...

OH.... you were looking for ideas with that Tweet.

I've always wanted to hear/see a show about/called "Top Floor."

When you travel through even the smallest of towns, there are many taller buildings. When tourists come to NYC and big cities they all crane their necks to look at the tops of these buildings.

I'd love to hear a show that details the lives of people who live or work on the "top floor" of tall buildings.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps you could take already successful shows from cable TV and turn it into radio.

I could see a dirty jobs rip-off where you record your experience filling various roles at MPR (producing, getting Eichten coffee, listening to Keillor talk about English)

If you wanted to appeal to MNs you could borrow from Deadliest Catch and record your experience fishing at each of the 10,000+ lakes. Perhaps you could make it more "deadly" by fishing with the afore mentioned Eichten and Keillor or other MPR personalities.

Unknown said...

this guy Stewart can be my producer any day

Anonymous said...

John,

I want to hear a show that tries to explain to me things that I just don't get. Things that must make sense to others, but not to me. Like Twitter. Or the reason for HD radio. The public's fascination with (insert person on cover of People Magazine here). Christmas trees. Men's ties. I mean, turn on NBC's Today Show any day of the week, and Meredith Viera will happily introduce a dozen stories about insanely pointless products, ventures or incidents. I know I should be interested (1.7 million Today Show viewers CAN'T BE WRONG!!!)... but WTF?

Dave Sailer said...

Aliens who wear spats in the dark.

Abducted virgins who aren't really.

Hmmm, let me think...

Possible genres already taken (with samples):
* Game show (Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!)
* Interviews (Bob Edwards Weekend)
* Stories (This America Life)
* Features (Hearing Voices).

Possible niches not yet filled:
* Blowing Into The Microphone (can get old tho)
* People Who Can Read Road Maps In A Falsetto (and yet be interesting, even with large maps)
* Strange Sounds Recorded In Closets Of The Famous (best in stereo)
* Dueling Words Of Wisdom (5-year-olds vs. the aged)
* Things That Can Be Dangerous (found in pants pockets)
* What Cats Really Think About (I especially like tabbies)
* The Real Story Behind The South Georgia Watermelon Hurling Festival (could work for John Moe, and other events too).