|
2003 South Florida Radio Program Awards Announced
The South Florida Radio Pages awards for 2003 include both local and syndicated shows, even a few that are no longer on the air.
(PRWEB) December 30, 2003 --The South Florida Radio Pages/Radio News and South Florida Radio History have announced their 2003 awards for the best and worst radio program names. Not radio programs. Radio program names!
Local radio historian David Citron, who has documented local and syndicated radio programs since 1995 on the South Florida Radio Pages web site (http://www.univox.com/radio), has wry observations about the best among the mostly-mundane program names. "The best radio program names" opines Citron "artfully communicate the content and purpose of the show. Not just the time of day or the deejay's name."
For 2003, Caribbean/urban station WSRF (1580) would win first prize for THE most clever and relevant name: WSRF's afternoon drive-time show was "Traffic Jamz With Mikey Mike." But that program is no longer on, so the prize will be recycled in 2004.
Second place is public access jazz station WDNA's (99.9) cleverly-named "Portraits in Blue," hosted by Bob Porter.
Third prize is shared by three nostalgia shows: Oldies station WMXJ's (102.7) "Beatle Brunch" and WAXY's (790) "Ken Held's Doo-Wop Shop" and "Chris MacDonald's Memories of Elvis." (MacDonald also stars in live shows, the next scheduled for January 9 in Coral Springs.) WAXY and WMXJ are both owned by the same company, Jefferson-Pilot.
The Double-Take Award for a novel program name is Joseph Cooper's "Topical Currents," a locally-produced Monday-Thursday afternoon interview show on NPR affiliate WLRN (91.3). You'll probably think it's TROPICAL Currents at first, until you realize the joke.
The most descriptive too-long name is Dick Robinson's syndicated "American Standards By The Sea," hosted from his yacht by the founder of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. It's heard on WJNA, WAXY, and NPR affiliate WXEL-FM (90.7) in south Florida.
The best too-long name in the "you gotta be kidding" subcategory is Greg Budell's and Don Agony's "Happy Good Morning Wake-Up Show" on WJNA: arguably the worst program name in 83 years of radio broadcasting history, but probably intended as such. All the good names were taken. (See http://www.univox.com/radio/mosallybudell.html.)
Honorable mentions for creative names are two shows which left the air in mid-2003: the pseudo-classical "Bach and Roll" on classical 1360 WKAT and Alan Diskin's nostalgia show, "Radio Rewound" on WSBR (740).
The best name for a show no longer heard in south Florida (and greatly missed) is Doctor Demento. (See http://www.univox.com/radio/demento.html.)
For the most meaningless radio program name, "George Noury's Coast to Coast," a syndicated overnight talk show heard on WIOD (610), takes the honors. Coast to coast could describe any nationally-syndicated show. In 2003, Noury replaced retiring host Art Bell. Just as boringly named is Zev Brenner's syndicated weeknight talk show, "Talkline," heard on WAXY.
Also worthy of mention are several great slogans of the recent past: Oldies station WMXJ has used "She'll have fun-fun-fun 'til her daddy takes the keyboard away" to promote its web site, one of the first radio station web sites in the Miami market.
"Don't touch that dial. It's got Schnitt all over it!" has been used by Clear Channel's syndicated talk host Todd Schnitt, heard locally on WIOD.
"But 'The greatest hits of the last seven centuries,' used by now-defunct classical station WTMI, may be the greatest radio station slogan of all time" says Citron. "At least it's one of the best radio slogans of the last 83 years."
Information about all these programs and many more may be found on The South Florida Radio Pages (http://www.univox.com/radio), South Florida's Most Comprehensive Source of Radio Program Information. Also featured are books by and about radio personalities and books for radio hobbyists and professionals.
Technical writer/copywriter David Citron is the founder and editor of the South Florida Radio Pages and Media Bias Web Site. He recently recorded a comedy CD with bandleader Gary Lawrence ... Saddam: The Pig Who Never Returned (http://www.glpmusic.com). Citron has written on technical and news topics for local newspapers, magazines, and trade journals.
For more info about south Florida radio every month and to subscribe to its new optional opt-in newsletter, visit the South Florida Radio Pages (http://www.univox.com/radio).
###
|
