Q & A With the Judges: Jay Allison
We've been emailing back and forth with the Talent Quest judges, picking their brains for answers to The Big Questions: what were you looking for? What makes good radio? And what is hostiness, anyway?
To kick off this series of blog posts, here's Jay Allison.
What made you want to be a Talent Quest judge?
Jay Allison: No brainer. It's a chance to hear what's out there, a chance to hear all the pent up voices. Cliking around in the site was like bringing a net up from the deep sea. Helping to create the Quest is also the logical extension of all my past work INVITING more people in -- Transom.org, PRX.org, Lost and Found Sound, This I Believe, etc. It's an open door.
What surprised you the most in what you heard?
JA: The overall level of ENERGY. People really threw themselves into this -- not just in their auditions, but on the site. They made it matter.
What were you looking for in the Talent Quest entries? What made a semi-finalist, to you?
JA: Someone I really wanted to hear more from. Obviously, each judge had pets that didn't make it, and not every finalist was favored by all, but so what! I still feel like we ended up with a great group. Honestly, though, we could have dug down and come up with completely different groups of ten that would also have been great.
What was the most difficult thing about judging the entries and choosing your final recommendations?
JA: Juggling all the variables. This wasn't just about personal taste, but also about trying to get a diverse collection, not just in gender, race, age, etc., but also in tone, genre, and creative spirit. At the same time, we're well aware of the realities of public radio, and knew we needed finalists that might have an actual chance of making it to the air.
What do you want to change about the sound of public radio?
JA: I want it to be more surprising. I want to be made wide awake when I'm listening. I want to hear to hear more highs, and if I have to hear more lows to get 'em, so be it.
How has your experience in public radio shaped what you want to hear?
JA: I listen to a LOT of public radio. I founded the station here on Cape Cod and so I'm always listening critically to what's on and what's not. I love localism and connection to actual community, but for the Quest, I'm listening for things that can exist in a national context and extend what we're already doing into new directions and styles.
You can read more about Jay on the Judges page.
delicious
diggThanks to all who made this contest possible.
It was a very empowering experience. I can see myself doing more now, going to the sites that Jay has started and participating and creating new work in a medium that was one of the few I hadn't tried until leading up to my entry submission.
I just can't get over how valuable this information of what people were looking for would have been, prior to the entry deadline. How would it have changes people's approach? I know it would have changed mine. I'd like to see an extra round in between the first and finals, so that those with some degree of voice talent can grow and learn with a bit of mentoring to do a few different creative pieces. Otherwise, it feels like the pros will advance and the amateurs don't really have much of a chance to become pros.
But regardless, I am grateful for the experience.
~Aikimuse
Thanks to everyone who took the time to listen, give feedback, and share their creative ideas in sound with us! Good luck, Finalists.
~www.publicradioquest.com/node/1855.
Hi Jay,
I was one of the PRTQ entrants. It was This I Believe that led me take a shot at being a national radio show host.
I’m a bit in the dark, I don’t know if you got to listen to my submission, or if you’ve ever had a chance to read my TIB essays. But as I believe strongly in what I believe, I thought I go for broke and send you this email asking you to please give me a listen and a read if you have not already done so.
Thanks,
Steve Stokes
http://www.publicradioquest.com/audio/user/2345
Philosophic Conversation
http://thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?lastname=Stokes&uid=18044&star...
Most Important Beliefs
http://thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?lastname=Stokes&uid=15100&star...
Steve
We can philosophize together until the words fail us.
I'm glad you did this Q&A.
In it, I was reminded of a high school survey about whether life would be better if it were...
...a roller coaster -- with highs and lows and exciting -- or...
...more like a train, steadily moving forward going up and going down -- not unexpectedly -- allowing time to enjoy the scenery and plan for what was coming up next.
At the time, I was building my well-roundedness, and I answered, "Train."
Love struck, and I came to appreciate the roller coaster, and especially appreciate it in what I like to do, make, and be.
Now, I don't see Life as train or roller coaster because I no longer accept binary thinking (Yes/No, Republican/Democrat, With_Us/Against_Us), and that's made Life a lot richer... framing it as "analog."
But I am struck some times when listening to NPR that its tracks were once more like that of a roller coaster -- scrappy, full of energy, surprises (Ira Glass used to be on the news shows!) -- and has become...well, a train: nice scenery (good writing, solid content), but I'm not eagerly anticipating what's next because I can see what's coming around the bend (knowing the clock, analyzing the formula, I take my listening very seriously and I like to know how things work).
While I appreciate all the effort that's gone into making Public Radio what it is -- and I'm a big fan and even an occasional contributor -- I'm really glad to hear that with the PRTQ you all are laying the tracks for a roller coaster.
"All aboard!" No, wait... "Strap in!"
-Robert Frederick
I especially like your answer to the question, "What do you want to change about the sound of public radio?".
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