I had a very pleasant phone chat this morning with a producer from the offices of the Canadian Broadcasting Company based in Winnipeg (where one of Norman Rockwell Museum's traveling exhibitions opens next week). They are looking to conduct an interview with an authority on Norman Rockwell... the catch is that it needs to be done in French! I'm lost beyond "bonjour," so I had to turn to someone else to help facilitate. Luckily, one of Rockwell's models, who used to work at the Museum, speaks fairly fluently. I think it is a great choice, since she will obviously have a lot to talk about.
This producer seems to be a pretty interesting guy as well. He seems to really enjoy his job, and I can tell from his enthusiasm about the arts, culture, and history, that he must produce some pretty fascinating features.
Growing up close to Ontario, I too share a fondness for Canada. The culture seems, at times, more modest and thoughtful than that of the good old U.S., and I find that refreshing. Not long ago I stumbled upon a great program being produced on the CBC called Q– in fact, I was just listening to one of the show podcasts on the ride in today. The host, Jian Ghomeshi, covers everything from politics, literature, the arts, and music. The latter is particularly strong, and makes sense because the host also has a background as a musician. It was only after I started listening to his podcast that I realized he was, at one time, the lead singer for the band Moxy Fruvous, which I had enjoyed and seen in concert several times back in the late 90s–early 2000s. Maybe Ghomeshi's experience as a performer gives him an edge as a radio talk show host, but my CBC producer friend points out that he is also a great listener.
(surprise, surprise, huh? next to mine, one of the best interviews with these guys I have seen.)
I'm very interested in communications, both visual and verbal. I studied a fair share of public speaking back in college, and I'm fascinated by speakers who can help us understand topics we might not ordinarily take time to investigate. I would include people like Ralph Nader, Tim Russert, and even Barack Obama in this category. In terms of other high-profile communicators, I saw Regis Philbin on a special for Rachel Ray the other day, and he can still command an audience (better than Ray). Alan Chartock of WAMC, the Albany, New York, NPR station is also someone I listen to intently- he breaks things down quite well. I would say that communications is an art in itself, and it's very interesting to me as someone who communicates as an interviewer, artist, and performer.
I'm very interested in communications, both visual and verbal. I studied a fair share of public speaking back in college, and I'm fascinated by speakers who can help us understand topics we might not ordinarily take time to investigate. I would include people like Ralph Nader, Tim Russert, and even Barack Obama in this category. In terms of other high-profile communicators, I saw Regis Philbin on a special for Rachel Ray the other day, and he can still command an audience (better than Ray). Alan Chartock of WAMC, the Albany, New York, NPR station is also someone I listen to intently- he breaks things down quite well. I would say that communications is an art in itself, and it's very interesting to me as someone who communicates as an interviewer, artist, and performer.
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There is still something captivating about radio though. I have become quite a fan of NPR since I moved out to the Hudson Valley, and I think I understand now why back in the day, people from my hometown would go out of their way to try and pick up the CBC signal. The Los Angeles Times presented a story last fall about how CBC Radio has been so successful over the years in appealing to the widest possible audience-- in English, French, and eight aboriginal languages, while still linking the entire country. That is surely something to be proud of, and I think we could learn quite a bit from our neighboring North Americans. Now that we can tune into radio from around the world, we can do just that, eh?
Related Links:
"Cultural Exchange: CBC Radio links Canadians from shore to shore," Los Angeles Times, November 20, 2011
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