2012: The Year in Review
By far, the best thing we did this year was to adopt Spice.  After so much hemming and hawing and hesitation we acted at the right time and got the right cat. We got our cat and he’s a little love of our lives. …
December 2012
App Update
When I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a weight-loss app that was working for me, I heard from several people who were either going to give it a try or were already using it. Â …
Review: Little Girl Blue, The Life of Karen Carpenter by Randy L. Schmidt
A highlight of the holidays for me is the opportunity to forget about the clock and curl up with my Kobo and read something compelling. This book came out a couple of years ago but it’s new to Kobo (and probably Kindle). Â Â …
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Blissful Holiday
It goes so quickly doesn’t it? Â The trick is to enjoy it while you’re in it and on that count, it was a wonderful Christmas! Â …
NRA = No Rational Attitude
I talked to a local gun expert on Thursday. The interview was the “pro gun” part of our show, The Big Picture, as we looked at both sides of the gun control issue this week in the wake of the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Â …
My Latest Randt – Christmas Music!
Join me if you will as we listen to this week’s Brandt’s Randt from 98.1 Free FM. Â …
Tales Out of School
Hundreds of broadcasters have said they’ll write books about behind-the-scenes of radio. Very few have followed through.  I think it’s time. …
Review: How I Slept My Way to the Middle by Kevin Pollak
Kevin Pollak’s name might not be of the household variety but trust me, you know his work. Â He’s a legend in stand-up comedy who does the best impressions (according to his fellow comics) of Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson and others. Â He’s also a familiar face in dozens of movies like A Few Good Men, The Usual Suspects and Casino. Â …
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Who We Are, What We Do, How to Speak to Us
Today I’m presenting a media training session at Mission Services here in London. Â They’ve asked me to come and talk to them about how to talk to the media. Â We are a necessary evil to organizations and it helps everyone on both sides if we know what we’re dealing with. Â …
Santa’s Selfless Helpers
This happened on Saturday and it was going to be my Saturday blog post until the tragedy in Connecticut shook everything up. Â Â …
Incomprehensible Tragedy
We ask all of the usual questions in the wake of yesterday’s mass shooting at a Connecticut school: Why did this happen? How can it possibly have happened again? Why would anyone execute innocent children – or anybody at all? And when will Americans finally realize that the right to bear arms is at the heart of these horrific incidents? Â …
The Battle of the Shopping Sexes
I don’t understand something about men. Yes, I’m generalizing. There are some men who love to shop but I haven’t met those men yet. Â So the men I’m talking about are the ones who hate it and love to hate it more than ever at this time of year. Â …
Finally: The Key
To weight loss, that is. I have been struggling with about 20 extra pounds for the past few years. Â I’ve lost 5 or 6 only to put on 8 or 9 and just couldn’t get control of the darn thing. Until my pal Jenn introduced me to My Fitness Pal. Â …
Say It Isn’t So Dave: Yuuuuuuuuup!
Storage Wars is rigged? Great finds are planted inside the storage lockers for certain cast members to pretend to find?  So says Dave Hester, the master of the yuuuup, who is suing the company behind the hit show because he says he was fired after complaining about the deception. …
Brandt’s Randts
We’ve started a new weekly (or so) feature on The Big Show called Brandt’s Randt. Â Basically I spout off a bit about something that’s bothering me. Â It’s about entertainment, pure and simple. It’s meant for listeners to identify with and sometimes take issue with – I’ve had all sorts of reactions but as long as people react, it’s worth doing! Occasionally I will share the text of a Randt – like today’s, about people who park in no-parking zones. Â And there’s a bit of a kicker at the end! …
Pranks and Pranksters
There has been plenty of discussion among broadcasters since a nurse in England killed herself on Friday. If you missed the story, she was the nurse who accepted a call from a prankster radio host in Australia and, believing the caller was the Queen, put her through to another nurse who gave the caller details about Kate’s condition as Prince William’s wife was being treated for a severe form of morning sickness. …
A Reader Writes About Radio
Hi Lisa, I was wondering if you could answer a question for me.  …
Dogs Behind the Wheel
I had to look at the calendar – is it April first? Â The SPCA in New Zealand is teaching dogs to drive. Â …