BellGab.com Archive

Quote from: Quick Karl on July 20, 2015, 10:27:58 AM
I am going to defer to Art's expertise on this one -- redacted sounded fantastic, and I am sure that Art knows what he is doing. Once she gets past her first-time jitters you will eat your words.

I think it's great that you enjoyed it. Overall I think most people would say they did enjoy the show. But nobody who has ever worked professionally would say she sounded "fantastic" -- nor would they ever say she was terrible (a label I might use on some of the podcasts prior to Art). It was simply a critique of things she can improve on; crutches she routinely displayed in both the test broadcast and the interview she did. These are things that lowered the overall quality and rhythm even if they went unnoticed by many. Thankfully I've never seen anyone need to eat accurate words

But, in case you misinterpreted, I certainly don't mean to sound overly critical as if I think she sucked. She did not. I have no idea what her background or her experience is but I do know how incredibly awkward and nerve-wracking that position can be even for people who have been on-air for 5 or 10 years. But I didn't critique the jitters. I critiqued the crutches. I noted and stated that she has potential... possibly a ton of it. I wouldn't have kicked into critique mode if she didn't have that. Her voice is great w/o the inflection thing. She could likely sound VERY good with a couple of self-monitored tweaks and lots of practice. Maybe even sound "fantastic" on day? Who knows.

In hopes to better understand what I'm saying, looking at the conversation between Art and the gentlemen who later said he used to work in news. That was a smooth, naturally flowing exchange that was entertaining to listen to even if it had little substance. Those are also two people who have both spent a lot of time working on their "delivery". Talk can definitely be an art form.

Quote from: CornyCrow on July 20, 2015, 07:03:57 AM
Redacted is a total lightweight.
I think all of her comments but one (the disappearing sofa) were merely rehashes of the statements before hers. 
At one point I really think she thought that George W was running for the presidency - which means she has no knowledge of Jeb.
I don't know what Art was doing with her on the show, maybe he lost a bet.
If he seriously thought she'd be a good fit, he's just as delusional as was John McCain when he chose his running mate.  A thing like that could ruin you.
I don't mind a co-host, but it has to be someone who has an inquiring mind over a variety of subjects and not a high school cheerleader.

Speaking with years of broadcast experience, I'd have to concur that Redacted isn't ready for prime-time and I noticed the same thing when he mentioned "Bush" and she seemed genuinely stumped and tried to verbally cover. That said, she does have pretty good vocal quality when she stops loving the sound of her own voice (which doesn't necessary mean exactly that, but rather a common issue with amateur broadcasters who seem to be listening to what they are saying while they speak -- typically due to trying to sound a certain way and monitoring themselves as they talk).

She has common crutches (the "And uhhh.." and "thee uhhh...") which happens to everyone (even Howard Stern has developed one - "In the sense that..."), but that does clash with Art's crutch-less, smooth style. There's also a curious inflection change that occurs which might be due to her listening to herself. All of these were noticeable on the Bell interview as well. She also likes to repeat what was just said or repeat it in expanded form with a few more adjectives added in. As you noted, she regurgitates it as part of a reply or comment. Whether that is meant to make it sound more like she is knowledgeable of the subject/topic or to buy her more time to think of her own comment, it's another crutch and it defies the K.I.S.S. rule of broadcasting. Given those things and what I'd imagine was a high level of nervousness, she didn't blend very well with a polished pro like Art. But it was also a test and not "the show".

As Zetaspeak points out, it makes complete sense, professionally, for Art to have done that. She was a "safety net" in case technical problems forced Art to be on without any callers and her being there allowed Art to have a dedicated tester for Skype functionality. That is, after all, part of what needed to be tested. And what a cool, unique opportunity to be part of something like that with someone who is a legend. Who could blame her for doing it?

I highly doubt she's a mainstay but she also does have broadcasting potential. There were times toward the end of the show where she chimed in, seemingly instinctively, and it sounded decent and flowed pretty well. She missed a great opportunity for playful banter with the gentleman who thought feral was fertile but those are instincts that develop over time. The issue there is that it's very difficult to do a multi-person show without visual cues letting you know that you can talk without stepping on someone else. In fact, she appeared to try to avoid that which is why we heard Art pulling her into the conversation ("What do you think Redacted?") multiple times. Maybe it's doable with Skype now but even a fraction of a second of video lag would affect the natural flow.

Overall, I think his test did exactly what it was supposed to do and a bit of what it wasn't supposed to do: namely calling into question the reliability of a microwave internet connection. Regardless of that, it was pretty awesome to hear Art once again.

Quote from: Gingerwatch on July 20, 2015, 09:35:19 AM
Bantering between co-hosts is super amateur in my opinion - I listen to a LOT of podcasts.

Most podcasts aren't hosted by experienced broadcasters or people who have any broadcast experience. The most successful satellite/radio shows tend to have multiple people and they sound just fine when they banter. It's an issue of experience.