Sizing Me Up
This week in Our London, I told everybody what size clothing I wear. But my weight? You’ll never get that out of me. …
Working
Moving Pieces
Lisa’s Pieces pieces have been on the move. Here’s an update on where to find us when you’re in London. …
Text-ament to the Innermost Thoughts of Some Listeners
And now, more excerpts from the listener text file. …
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Text-ament to the Innermost Thoughts of Some Listeners Read More »
Throwback Thursday – The Beautiful Simplicity of the Gentle Giant
My first two full-time on-air radio jobs found me in country music radio, first in Red Deer, Alberta and then in Prince George, BC. I had some earlier experience with what was then called country & western, through my Mom and Dad and my cousin Wayne’s country band. But my exposure was limited and carefully curated. I grew to love Waylon Jennings and appreciate Conway Twitty. But some of the nasally, twangy stuff made me climb the walls. John Anderson’s Swingin’, anyone? …
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Throwback Thursday – The Beautiful Simplicity of the Gentle Giant Read More »
Freelancing 101
The new (not so new anymore) online marketplace is supposed to be a boon for anyone who’s doing freelance work as a full-time endeavor or a sideline. The voice-work realm is probably like any other aspect of creative work in this regard. There’s a bit of wheat and a whole lot of chaff. I’ve been making the rounds for several months and find them mostly wanting. …
Talk Talk
The TV promos we shot for News/Talk 1290 CJBK are on the air. The idea is to inspire listeners to discuss the reasons why news and talk are important. The promos drive viewers to our website where there’s a forum for discussion. Yeah, I know, a discussion on the Internet. What could possibly go wrong? …
(It Felt Like) Five Seconds of Summer
Summer isn’t my favourite season. I much prefer the spring and fall. In fact, while everyone else in Ontario complains that this was the summer that wasn’t, I’m the rare bird who’s quite pleased with Mother Nature’s work. A little cooler, a little drier; alright by me. …
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The Vocal Minority
Does everyone get the Sunday Night Blues? Generally, I just get on with it, but sometimes I feel a bit of dread about Monday. I enjoy my job, really I do, but the longer I do it, the more concern I have about peoples’ states of mind. …
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“The scariest moment is always just before you start” ~Stephen King
Writing an opinion column is hard. Writing a daily blog is hard. Writing is hard! …
“The scariest moment is always just before you start” ~Stephen KingRead More »
“The scariest moment is always just before you start” ~Stephen King Read More »
Starsky & Hutch, Turner & Hootch, Ken & Lisa
Ken and I are shooting a TV commercial this morning. It’s not just for our Morning Show on CJBK; afternoon drive host Andy Oudman is also in it and although the script is a closely guarded secret, I gather we are taking part in a mock debate, so it sounds like it will be fun. I will post it here once it’s finished and on the air. …
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Owen Armstrong, Caring Kidpreneur
I try to leave the work-week on a high note. Our news/talk morning show receives a constant stream of texts and if we get a terrific one near the end of the show on a Friday, I’ll close the text window and just soak it in like a mental bubble bath. It’s a relief from the barrage of political rants, wackos and those who want the radio station to return to the way it was in the 1960s.
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“Never work with animals or children.” WC Fields
On Thursdays, we have a segment on the show called Ask Me Anything. Someone with a fascinating hobby or profession comes in and answers anything we and our listeners want to know about what they do. We’ve had a funeral director, a gun fanatic, a veterinarian, a former police chief and other interesting people. This week, I invited intuitive medium – psychic, if you like – Tania Thomas. She knew from the outset that I was a skeptic and she loves to talk about her work. But the result was unpredictable for another reason altogether. …
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Kissing A Fool
Mistakes happen in voice-over like they happen anywhere else. Sometimes the lips don’t follow through with their task, and you need to redo a line. Or two. Or seven. That’s why most voice-overs are pre-recorded and not done live. …
Wearing Thin
Many people think sexism is a thing of the past. More women than ever are doing whatever they want -working or raising kids or a mixture of both – so they reason that it must mean they’re treated equally. Oh I wish it were true! Many individuals and companies aren’t sexist but some industries are still overwhelmingly that way, including my own: Media. …
Facebook is Stalking Me
If you’ve never had reason to buy advertising on Facebook, let me tell you that it works. You can micro-target your ad to reach the narrowest of demographics. Do you want to appeal only to Moms in their 30s with two children who belong to Pinterest and eat only organic arugula? Done. Or you can blanket the whole FB population. You control it and you set the budget. You pay by the click. It’s cheap and it’s effective. …
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Review: The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
This novel was one of the darlings of Canadian publishing last year. It was nominated for this, won that, short-listed for something else – does it bother you that I didn’t even share the specific prizes? That’s kind of what reading this book is like. …
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Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Misfortune
When Ken’s away, I’ll do whatever it takes to not be boring.  Our morning show – a talk show, may I remind you – eats up so much more content when there’s just one person at the helm. Without Ken there to keep the conversation going, there’s only so much I can do alone that’s interesting. Oh, I could prattle on incessantly if I loved the sound of my own voice a bit more! But “interesting” is the key! …
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Fire the Sky II
A few months ago, a journalist with The Toronto Star contacted me for permission to use parts of a blog post I wrote last year about the Symphony of Fire, the fireworks competition that used to be held at Ontario Place. …