EDITOR’S BLOG – I found out last night I was in the top seven percent in audience voting in the NPR Talent Quest (among 1450 entries). I also learned that not one of the nine judges thought my entry should be one of the ten finalists… I’ll find out today if I was the top vote-getter in the people’s choice slot, if not, I’m out of the quest… Time to get on with other quests? Meanwhile, in print, I was quoted in a major Sunday paper over the weekend, criticizing the media…
(PM UPDATE: I did not receive the most votes. Therefore, onward and upward.)
The quotes come in the wake of an 8-minute live radio segment I did a few weeks ago for a station near Madison, Wisconsin during which the host and I talked about the media coverage (wall-to-wall) of Anna Nicole, Don Imus and the twisted VA tech shooter — and the incessant media frenzy to display the dirty laundry of celebrities as news coverage. The article this Sunday was a Newsday column that devoted 7 paragraphs to my point of view that public voyeurism is "normal" in the way it is normal for a 2-year-old to scream for candy because her mother has been giving it to her since she could chew. (It’s simply habit.)
Choosing news that helps make us smarter rather than dumber: If the editors aren’t going to do it, we’ll have to do it ourselves. Choose wisely. Your time is your most valuable asset.
Hi Geri, Congrats on making the top 7% in ranking for the non judges, that is great. My brightmoment radio show did not make any judges selection as well, and the brightmoment show also features a positive focus on moving your life ahead. Like you I will continue to focus on finding ways to ignore those who only see the negative in the world and will keep my energy flowing into new outlets where “experts” don’t screen out the positive such as posting my One Minute Motivator on youtube.com. Anyone who wants to see the One Minute Motivator on youtube.com and go to: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_-HfcUX63B0. Thanks Ed Smith.
Maybe you should start out locally. Then later on you can approach the bigger radio stations and show em your results.
I think it’s wonderful that so many people heard your stuff, and the positive response from listeners suggests that a lot of people got the message. While NPR may not think that a focus on the positive “sells” yet, a lot of NPR’s listeners have gotten a taste of it and will be looking for more — either agitating to have the viewpoint represented in the media, or working to create more outlets for it themselves.
Keep up the good work, and congratulations!