Tag Archives: Radio Iowa

Convention blogging

Posted on by
Reply

Three of our reporters are heading for Boston to cover the Democratic Convention. As reporters for state news networks, they focus on the state delegations and do a lot of their work at the hotel where the delegates are staying. Along with our “regular” news coverage, each of the reporters will take a stab at blogging the four-day event as well. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson posted some wonderful reports (via email) from the 2000 convention, but we just didn’t have tools (or the word “blog”). The other two guys are experienced reporters but are new to this kind of writing (as far as I know). Should be interesting.

 

Funny people: Jim Obradovich

Posted on by
Reply

Jim Obradovich was high on my Unborn Blogs” list and he somehow discovered this (could he be reading this very post?). He hinted that he might be willing to take run at blogging and offered to send photos from his new part-time job.

“…beginning tomorrow evening at the Iowa State Fair Parade I will commence my duties as “Fairfield” the State Fair Mascot. Fairfield is a 6-foot blue ribbon of merriment. I will be undertaking my “Fairfield” duties for 2 to 3 hours a day, while the rest of the time I’ll be writing press releases on everything from sheep dog trials to the heaviest pigeon competition.”

 

Jolly good.

Posted on by
Reply

One of the reporters that works for our network in Des Moines (Matt Kelley) was interviewed by the BBC today. A British man was arrested in Fort Madison (Iowa) after flying there from England to rendezvous with a 14-year-old Iowa girl. The two met on the Internet three months ago. The man tried to pay his hotel tab with a check from a bank in England… a dispute arose… the cops were called and he mentioned the name of the girl who was staying with him. The girl had been reported missing by her parents as a runaway the day before. The BBC called the Radio Iowa newsroom and asked Matt Kelley to fill them in on the story. The busted Brit, by the way, is a radio deejay who –if convicted– could get 12 years in prison. I’ll see if Matt recorded the interview from his end. Doubt it.

So, what do you want to talk about?

Posted on by
Reply

In Des Moines for the Radio Iowa 15th anniversary party. Kay’s caterer backed out when she learned pork would be served. And we’re not talking those little bacon wraps on the cocktail weenies. These were huge, Iowa pork chops. Oy vey.

When I arrived at the hotel I learned that my room would not have HBO. (“We got Show Time, isn’t that the same thing?”) No, it’s not. HBO is showing the season finale of Sex and the City and The Wire. HBO is the home of Six Feet Under. And The Sopranos. And Band of Brothers. And just about everything I think is worth watching on…well, it’s not TV, it’s HBO. I cancelled my reservation and scooted across the street to a Fairfield Inn. “Do you have HBO?” I asked. “For another month or so,” replied the young lady at the registration desk. “The chain is getting rid of HBO because we’re pretty much a ‘family hotel’ and we got a lot of complaints about the adult content.”

So, one of two things is happening here. The parents are leaving their children alone in the hotel room where they can (could) hear Dennis Miller say “fuck”… or the parents are in the room with the kids but are unable stop them from watching HBO. But, hey, I give a shit. I get to watch the great HBO programming and that’s really all I care about.

You know what really amazes me? Not just how many people don’t have HBO, but how many people have never seen any of these shows. Or have any interest in finding out what all the buzz is about. The Sopranos? (“Yeah, I think I heard someone talking about that show. It’s a mob thing, right?”)

And it’s not just HBO. It’s all kinds of things. I’ve quit talking about XM Satellite Radio. I can’t stand the puzzled looks. (“So, it’s radio from a satellite or something? Huh.”) Now, I don’t expect everybody to run out and plop down a couple of hundred bucks for one of these, but how could you not have even heard about it? Same thing for blogging. Articles in Newsweek, Time, The Wall Street Journal… all over the Web. Never heard of it. (“So, it’s a web page…but different?”)

What are you people doing with your lives?

Radio Free Iowa.

Posted on by
Reply

They’re holding a little shindig in Des Moines on Sunday to mark the 15th anniversary of Radio Iowa. It’s one of the networks our company owns and operates and I’m going up for the party. Two of the original staff (O. Kay Henderson and Todd Kimm) are still with the network. That still seems amazing to me. I drove about 40,000 miles back and forth (up and down) across Iowa that first year, signing up radio stations for the network. But it was pretty easy. They all got idea and were eager to have such a service. I really believe I as the one –smartass that I am– that suggested Radio Free Iowa for the name. Once they threw out “Free,” the rest stuck.