The Testimonial Trust Test
Posted at 5:30 AM on October 1, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(22 Comments)
Happy Thursday to you, blog crew!
We're entering an experimental zone, something weird but necessary when you're involved in a let's-try-this operation like Radio Heartland.
I am going to take a week and a half's worth of vacation, starting today. I'll return to live work in the studio on Monday, October 12th. In the interim, I have allowed an unnecessary portion of my brain to be half-absorbed into JASPER. Under Mike's guidance, JASPER will play back scheduled music and my recorded voice will identify the tunes. To the casual listener, it will seem like I am truly present, but the attentive Heartlander will notice that I seem weirdly disconnected from my radio environment, with no apparent awareness of live blog comments or the day's weather. Please forgive this lapse. It was the only way to get a few days off.
At my invitation, a group of blog readers stepped forward to write guest entries for the days I'm gone. Elinor, Barbara in Robbinsdale, That Guy In The Hat, Mike In Albert Lea, Donna and Barb in Blackhoof will be my Trial Balloon substitutes, starting tomorrow. I'm excited at the prospect of letting these strong voices carry the ball for a while. I hope it will provide a model for how we can keep the blog interesting and fun for everyone during all the future vacations I hope to take, so if you'd like to be added to my prospective guest blogger list, send an e-mail to dale@radioheartland.org.
And for instant extra involvement, here's something you can do right now.
Our member drive starts October 22nd, and here at Radio Heartland we are looking at what has worked and not worked as we prepare to make the case for individual listeners to contribute in support of this service.
On the plus side: The music is great and there is a growing sense of community.
We've successfully presented some fine concerts (Susan Werner & Cheryl Wheeler, Dan Chouinard, Jearlyn Steele) and we have more in the works. HD radio is becoming more available in the Twin Cities area. The blog is lively and people respond!
On the minus side: I was overly optimistic about the timetable for adding national programs (though we're getting very close) and it's monotonous to hear the same announcer voice over and over.
As a partial solution to that last one, here's your chance to add your voice to Radio Heartland for the member drive. Call (651) 290 1515 to record a brief testimonial.
What do you like about Radio Heartland? Why do you listen?
It doesn't have to be long or profound. We'll edit your comments and put them on the air to energize others during the member drive. You'll have to trust us to edit wisely. After all, we depend on you for support, so we'd be pretty foolish to do anything that would embarrass you, right? It will be great to hear fresh voices speaking up for Radio Heartland. And it will serve as proof to doubters that there are actually listeners for a service that is only heard online, through smartphone apps and on HD radio.
Still unsure? Try posting a few sentences about why you listen, or why somebody else should listen. If you can write it here, I bet you can read it into the phone and share it with other listeners too! If nothing else, perhaps your thoughts will provide some inspiration for another Heartlander who is itching to make the call, but doesn't know what to say.
Call (651) 290-1515, and follow the recorded instructions.
I'm looking forward to hearing your voice!
Comments (22)
Good Morning, All. i figure we did 30 pounds of tomatoes yesterday and will do the 25 # left today. grape juice made and ready for jam, double batch of chevre ready to drain this morning.. apples, potatoes, carrots, onions next. yeah, Barbara in Robinsdale, there were hundreds. fortunate.
monotonous? Dale? i think not. have a great vacation. i so look forward to RH and TB each day. tuesday i was unable to access RH so was left to the car-radio stations. uffda. i can't get "Karma Chameleon" out of my head,
Dale, it seems you and Mike have been very busy doing all kinds of things to provide this service and improve it. I think the way you get listeners involved is very good.
I don't think I should volunteer as a substitute for writing the blog, but I will try to come up with comments to the efforts of the volunteer bloggers. I think I will try to write about why I listen.
I have also been busy, like Barb, with getting things in from the garden and have been doing some freezing and canning. Not as much as Barb. I guess you have been very busy, Barb.
A testimonial thru song titles:
Radio Heartland is my Sugar Bee. It's my New Paint, my Spring Wind and my Heavenly Day. It's my Candle light and Prairie Sun. It's my Black Coffee and Lifesavers. It's my Heart and Soul, my Rainbow Connection and my 5 Beer Moon. It's the Crayola That Doesn't Make a Color For Your Eyes. It's the Story of My Life, What I Know and Can't Let Go.
Yep - that about covers it.
Music, music, music! I'm a music addict and greatly appreciate the fact that I can hear old music and discover new music in one place!
I did, however, begin listening to The Morning Show in 1989 when I moved to Minneapolis from Alabama. The style of the show and its hosts appealed to me, and the same holds true for RadioHeartland and The Dale Connelly Show!
Now checking the blog has become part of my routine. It's fun to see what the discussion will be each day and to check back to see how folks have responded.
Finally, I listen to drown out the chitchat of my co-workers in the cube farm. They know this, so I can say it in a public comment space. ;-)
Donna, I can't wait to hear you voice that clever testimonial! Talk about cute.......
as for me, I'm one of those people who can't bear to hear a recording of my own voice. I even have a hard time setting up my voicemail.....sad.
I have been listening to MPR - first Morning Show and now RH - since before "Karma Chameleon" first hit the airwaves (Barb in Blackhoof - you have my sympathies, once that earworm hits, it's hard to get rid of).
RH, the music and the TB blog, get me going in the morning gently, with humor, and with good music. During the day I stream (when I can) on my iPod - my cubemate does wonder though, why I sometimes giggle when the headphones are in...It's just good music, music that provides a rhythm to my day - and a community of fellow listeners and blog readers who appreciate the music, the silliness, and the everyday rhythms of the world.
Thanks to Dale and Mike (and JASPER) for making something so lovely!
Donna, you just GOTTA put that one on the phone - it's so clever and a great testimonial to the hard work of Dale and Mike. (and JASPER)
Elinor and Anna, you too! Jim and Kate, i sympathize - Steve says i'm a "low talker" like that Seinfeld episode - a woman who mumbled so that no one ever could understand what she said. blog is good for me - even though some might agree that i do mumble even in print :-)
Wow..you guys make it great to come in to work! Thanks for all of your comments about Radio Heartland. Everyone should have a job like mine!
It is kinda lonely here though without Dale. Its just me and JASPER, and he doesn't say much. But he doesn't require coffee, either!
Excellent testimonial, Donna. Can I riff on it? Radio Heartland is my Morning Train, my Capital Ship, my Red Staggerwing, Wabash Cannonball, City of New Orleans, Little Minivan, my Sloop John B, my Limo to Memphis. My 1952 Vincent Black Lightning, and my Mary Ellen Carter.
Dale,
Have a great vacation! You and Mike both deserve many congratulations and thanks for what you have built here. It must have been a charge into the great unknown when you started last December.
As to your pluses and minuses, I think that the many concerts and studio visits you have had over the past few months are a very big plus, and the lack of national programming is a very small minus. I’m excited to see how RH will grow over the next year, though.
I will try to think of something to record for you. I have been told I have a voice meant for radio. Or was that a face meant for radio? At any rate, I shall ponder the question. And yes, Donna, you should definitely record yours!
Linda, I’m looking forward to hearing yours, too!
I've been listening to some version of this Morning Show/Dale Connelley Show since 1979. (My son was actually born as we listened to Garrison's version of it.) I love how it keeps evolving, how I keep discovering more music I like that I didn't know about, and how the host's sense of humor and sense of adventure interweaves with the music. I love how the blog always has a new and interesting topic to think about. I miss it all when I'm not able to listen and participate.
Off topic to Shelly (see end of yesterday) re: slow roast tomatoes -- what temperature oven for overnight? Great idea.
RH has taught me to appreciate the many different kinds of "American" music and the rich history stretching to countries all over the world. The great music of the past still inspires artists today. Listen for style influencing artists. Listen to the stories in the songs. Listen to amazing music. Thanks so much!
Okay, here is an attempt at a message in support of Radio Heartland.
I think Dale and Mike have done a great job of keeping alive the tradition of the Morning Show, which I listened to for many years, and adding to this tradition. The good mix of music, interesting interviews, wonderful concerts, and very humorous writing are still there. I miss Jim Ed, but now there are many people responding to Dale, some what in the way Jim Ed did, by posting comments in response to Dale's clever blog entries.
bingo jim,
mike think of poor jasper, your not a real conversationalist either. thanks for holding down the fort. dale has an excellent liaison while away. keep them tunes coming. snappy patter form the bloggers should be a kick. i got on late today but i will be there tomorrow to see how its going. enjoy your 15 minutes of celebrity gang. good stuff.
I have been a little out of it this morning; hadn't checked the blog or listened too closely between 6 and 9. I am in my cubicle listening to RG like always and suddenly I hear Dale's voice introducing a song and when I see that it's 9:20 or something like that, and I am like "what the heck?" I was vert excited to think maybe they were adding another hour to the live show, so I have to admit that I was a little sad to find out what was really going on. But I have recovered from that and I support Dale having a vacation and seeing the blog being handled by such capable hands!
Stay dry today, Heartlanders and bless the rain!
Hey Mike -- I was just about to also say that I was wondering why Dale (pre-recorded) was still on after the show, but before the replay.
It's always lovely to hear Dale, but you can never sneak one by us!
Haven't been reading the blog much lately-- too busy. But have had RH on most days. I also was surprised to find Dale on "after hours", so I had to check out the blog and find out the scoop. Thanks for leaving us Pseudo-Dale with Mike, in your absence, Dale! Enjoy your vacation! Hope you are somewhere warm and sunny this grey, wet day. We saw a lovely full rainbow around 7 this morning as we walked the dog though.
I am finding it exceedingly hard to accomplish anything today though since Dale's voice and music choices are continuing into the morning instead of Jasper's choices. No HD radio upstairs and I hate to move it from the kitchen. Have a good day all! Maybe we'll see more rainbows later on?
Hey Mike -
Any way (based on Amy's post) to convince JASPER to play "Rainbow Connection?" It seems like a good day for a little Kermit the Frog. (Tomorrow looks like another gray day - so tomorrow would work, too.)
Hope it doesn't get too lonely there with just you and JASPER. Maybe you can convince JASPER to start making coffee for *you.*
Good for Dale to have a vacation, but does Mike ever get one?
Anna,
JASPER agreed to play "Rainbow Connection" at about 1:17pm today. I hope you hear it!
And Cindy, Yes I do get vacations, thankfully! Now, if JASPER takes a vacation we're all in trouble...
Thanks for slipping a little Kermit into the day! Banjo playing frogs are just what a person needs on a rainy day. ;>
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