And Here They Are!

Congrats to the winners. It looks like a pretty diversified non-NPR type group. For all of you worried about this including as many groups as possible - hey, you don't see any middle-aged folks, do you? Guess we should go look for work in the nursing home - LOL.

Seriously, good luck, you all. And come visit when you get a chance.

www.1womansvu.com

It has been an honor to be part of this amazing community and I wish you all the best of luck as you move ahead on your journey.

Love
MaryLynn

MaryLynn Schiavi
All Fired Up: exploring the modern worker and workplace
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/190

Great job and good luck to all of you. I am looking forward to the rest of the contest and plan on being a tough judge. I believe in the future of public radio and will do my best to ensure the winner of this contest is the best we have to offer.

DJ Barr
http://www.publicradioquest.com/user/3079

Nice job guys! We'll be listening to round 2, and I for one am looking forward to casting my vote.

Love comics? Anime? Sci fi? Gaming? Firefly? Star Wars? All the above? Then get Geek on NPR! Vote for Red Shirts Rising! http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1202

I've heard great demo's. There's strong production quality and an innovative use of sound in many ways. For me the problem is that that means that hostiness was not the sole and deciding factor. I don't see how it could have been. It was supposed to be. I don't want to reveal my hurt and anger. I don't what that to cloud this.

I love Ms. Glickman's and Mr. Washington's entries, especially. Work like theirs is why I stopped listening to my competitors' work. It intimidated me. I began to doubt myself. That was destructive.

When I spoke to Israel Smith before I submitted my entry, I commented on how public radio is dominated by Anglo's. He said that he would know they did something wrong if they won't up with mostly middle-aged Anglo men. The semi-finalists aren't middle-aged. Few of them are men. That's amazing for women who are usually ignored. I'm disappointed that there are only a few finalists who are people of color. Frankly, I feel that the reality of this Talent Quest fell well short of its promise. Perhaps I should be pleased that there are three colored people. Are the finalists different enough to make a strong enough change in public radio life?

I don't envy the work that the judges had to do. It's wonderful, brilliant and generous for someone to finally allow us, who adore public radio, to compete for a career, a life in it.

There are surely hundreds of fellow competitors whose work was amazing, inspired and innovative in their creativity. I'm sure they feel as I do. I write of we who are neither in the top ten nor the top one or two hundred. My heart is a little bit torn and singed by this experience.

~~~~

Wright's Words start conversations...
...to Inform, Enlighten and Inspire.

Future NPR narrative journalist

WrightsWords.com

wrig0358@umn.edu

Congratulations for the top ten. A very well diverse group that will amke it hard on us. Its like picking for Best Picture. To the Top Ten, the fun now begins and hopefully you can step up in the next round(s).

faN.tastic mann! ..

we all did it! .. both the winners and the people that didn't win.. we all got through this round 1 with shinning results... what a crowd that gathered in this contest.. i have to say.. this whole eX.perience was.. as i say in 'the final word' ..

innovative

so coN.grats to those who organized this quest.. and those that made it.. but my coN.grats really goes to all that participated.. you all made this something great to eX.perience.. and hopefully motivates and inspires some to move ahead with their dreams..

am so happy for carrie!.. i thought she wHas eX.cellent.. and even though i didn't make it to the top listing.. i wHas soooo eX.cited to see my quote on her winning comments page featured... it's kinda like winning.. right? .. heh! ..

and that Al guy.. wowo! .. gooooood looookin! ... lol!..

good luck to all of you..
i will be around for the rest of the quest.. to see the inspirations.. and the beauty of your next challenge.. and to be inspired myself.. and to know.. that i had a hand as well as others in the final results..

tHat to me.. is a total...

teChno-boNer!...

reX. boW....

reX. booth
take it to realiTy!
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1679
www.rexsworld.com
rex@rexsworld.com

I'm so happy for you all - good luck on the challenges! I'll enjoy listening.

GREAT JOB, FOLKS - both the entrants and the judges!

Welcome to HipHop U!
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/8590

The Skepchick made it!! Woohoo! Thought you all might enjoy my blog post called Brainy grrls have more fun! from last February where I referenced the Skepchick... (She will be fun to watch).

Congrats to The Ten and best of luck to you all. Your pieces are all great.

I, for one, anticipate spending a couple of days getting over a range of emotions that includes:

• a little jealousy,
• a little relief at not being chosen,
• a little chagrin at all the things that have been put on hold during this quest,
• a little letdown now that the excitement has subsided.

Then I'll be ready to come back and enjoy Round 2, learn more about making radio, and have a great time doing it!

Thanks to CPB, PRX, judges, pre-screening folks, et al for making this happen - and good luck to you too!

It no easy!

-sam

Samantha Clemens
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/3257
www.causeandeffectworld.com
Getting to the bottom of things...

I think maybe next time--if there is a next time--I won't lead off my piece by describing myself as a middle-aged white guy. :-)

Don't get me wrong: These ten are the best of the best, absolutely. And I hold no brief for middle-aged white guys. M.A.W.G. have been in charge of things for far too long.

In fact, when I think about it, if I were a judge I would not vote for me. Putting a new on-air personality into harness is a serious investment--and how much are you going to get back for investing in somebody who is ostensibly nine years from retirement age?

But enough about me. How about them Cavs?

Again: Congratulations to all. You guys rock!

Just wanted to offer my congrats to the Top 10. Great job, you guys, and best of luck in Round 2!

Cats & Kitties,

thanks so much for all the love. I'm still walking around in a daze about this, and I think most of the others feel the same.

PINCH ME!!!!

I heard so many phenomenal entries, and at risk of sounding like Dilana on Rock Star Supernova--it's just totally humbling and gratifying to be here.

With pine-fresh love from Portland,
ab

The Round one finalists,
Of this here Talent Quest,
Have lots of awesomeness,
We know they'll do their best!

So give a big hurray,
Hear what they have to say,
When Round 2's underway,
I'll vote that day!

(sung to Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-Der-é, or the Howdy Doody theme song)

Awesome. Be proud, you've made the leap and everything begins now.

Great audio entries...I just listened to all 10. I'm especially excited to follow Chris (fellow austinite), Bee, and Chuck.

Thanks PRTQ for giving us all the opportunity to submit our best...looking forward to giving my all in next year's competition, if and when there is one.

thanks again, good luck top 10!! You all deserve to be there...

~mary
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1067

Looks like a good group! Want to wish all of you the very best in the second round. Keep up the fine work.

Scott Schuppan

Great stuff here, and a nice range. Best of success to all of you--we all are waiting in anticipation of the wonderful stuff you are going to produce....need any help? Call me...

Vicki Flaugher
creator of http://www.SmartWomanGuides.com

First, though, congrats to us all...

...and to the top-10, good luck!

We'll be listening and thinking about your upcoming entries in the subsequent rounds and wondering about what the future of public radio will be.

Thanks to spreadsheets and extremely small amounts of data, I'm pleased to share with you a few conclusions about that possible future.

These conclusions are based on a few simple calculations that I've made as a math/science guy (it's part of my well-roundedness).

Of course, no one should take any drastic steps based on these calculations, because these calculations all depend on my ability to count... and while "The Count" was (no "IS") my favorite Sesame Street character... he/it never counted to 1451... so I make no claim to accuracy.

The majority of people entering the PRTQ wanted to be "Talk" show hosts, but statistically, the Judges preferred "Entertainment" in their group selections:

In their top-78, the Judges chose, out of 1451 entries,

32, or 4.3% of the 741 from "Talk"
41, or 6.7% of the 616 from "Entertainment," and
5, or 5.3% of the 94 from "Music."

From that, the Judges wrangled to come up with their top-9, of which,

4 out of 9 were from "Talk,"
4 out of 9 were from "Entertainment," and
1 out of 9 were from "Music."

The popular vote appears to have gone to a "Talk" winner who had a lot of Affiliate points and has a podcast. Skepticism and curiosity are definitely needed -- good luck Ms. Watson, a.k.a., "Skepchick"!

And if "Music" is to survive as a category, then Ms. Trivedi, you've got it made.

From these simple calculations, it's very hard to make any more conclusions than we've already made... except to point out...

4 out of 741 "Talk" entries is 0.54%,
4 out of 616 "Entertainment" entries is 0.65%, and
1 out of 94 "Music" entries is 1.1%

...so, if you were in the "Talk" category this time and want to improve your odds for making it to the top ten of the next PRTQ (IF there is a next time), you might think about entering in "Entertainment" or "Music."

No... actually you can't say that at all. And Skepchick would point that out, I'm sure.

Good luck, all!

Thanks for making this Talent Quest work.

This is sooo neat. Have fun with it you ten. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night. (Margo Channing (Bettie Davis) All About Eve)

Speechguy

I detest cheap sentiment. (as above) (I just love that movie for quotes. Here is anther one.)
Heaven help me. I love a psychotic!

http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/840

Did you feel certain that you just might be a semi-finalist? Sigh... me, too...
I am of course happy for those that won, may they long endure quack quack quack...
I am searching now for conspiracies as to why I was not selected. I am old and the oldest selection is a blind dude in his 40s... So it's an ageist conspiracy, right? First I was sure it was antisemitism, then I listened to Ms Glickman. Oops, so much for antisemitism. Then I thought it might be because I am black but then I realized that I'm white, so the hell with that theory. Could it be that I just didnt make the cut? Absurd! Impossible! I demand a recount. Wait what was I talking about? Ageists, beware...

It looks like we have an exciting group to lead us into the future. I'm looking forward to the next round. May it be as entertaining as the first.
Theresa

I'm very happy for you and wish you the very best of luck in your very bright futures.

Jimmy Bear
----

and they are all so stunningly beautiful too! putting that whole "face for radio" stereotype to bed once and for all. congratulations!

to all, especially April, my hometown girl! You all rock.
--
Julie
DIY Nation

Which person did "the people" choose?

Janie
"Why is Alabama like it is?" http://www.publicradioquest.com/user/3002
"The most important attitude to be formed is that of desire to go on learning." John Dewey