Round 3 Entry for April Baer
* What a natural, engage interview style and great, meaty exchange, good choice of subject as well. I like how easily she discusses the underlying issues and also doesn’t pander to a politically correct, liberal thing by asking pretty provocative question. Generally feels fresh to me and bold.
* April is very composed and comfortable as a host. Line of questioning is strong and she has an ability to get intimate with subject and guest very quickly. When interviewed answers are strong and perspectives are clear and well-voiced. Another very strong presentation.
* Intro was a but forced, stilted. Questions were much more conversational. She asks smart questions of her guest. I drifted away after the midpoint in the conversation.
* She sounds soooo much more relaxed when she is interviewed. Good personal story about father Jim - I leaned into the radio. Did not really answer the struggle question. Want to spend time with her.
* I love this woman’s voice. But beyond the obvious, she’s a natural talent and good conversationalist. She picked a great guest, a challenging topic, asked good questions in a segment I’d certainly listen to. She’s also a decent storyteller, offering personal reflections with honesty. I wonder how deep she can get. How much does she really have to say?
* Companionable, confident sound. I'd be happy to have her on my local station. If anything, she sounds too much like existing NPR hosts, which may not be the best use of the Talent Quest.
American DJ? I love it, I can't believe I didn't find this site earlier, I can't believe I actually listened to all of them.
I feel like everyone of them is competent but I also felt like they all need to listen to themselves a bit more critically. Each of them is speaking either too far from the mic or too close leaving each of them sounding either tinny, hollow, nasal or with a lisp.
The women are all a bit soprano for my taste and should practice speaking from deeper down a bit more towards the Ki. Terri Gross didn't set the standard here but she certainly understands it.
Several need to slow down particularly with weighty subjects like quantum physics, its radio not a coffee break at Fermi Labs.
Michael Jordan practiced free throws every day, a DJ should practice their voice.
They all handled their subject matters well and came off sounding knowledgeable, but the big key is making your guest sound interesting. To that end you need to sound engaged more so than knowledgeable.
All that said, Rebecca gets my vote but good luck to all of you.
somebody izZz fine tuned. f*ckin' exceptional.
bee jellyfish
http://www.beejellyfish.com
http://www.myspace.com/beejellyfish
i think april is a very strong, very competent radio presence. i liked that she was intimately familiar with the person she interviewed, in the sense that she had just recently attended a show of hers, and she was very natural in the interview. she was also strong in the interview she gave. i'm glad she's on the radio and i rated her highly here; still, there wasn't quite the "wow" factor that i would be looking for in the winner of this contest.
Whether you like the topic or not, you have to recognize and appreciate April's solid performance. She's articulate, fluent, direct, honest and confident. This was evident in each section of this third round.
She has a lovely voice, but no energy. It's exactly what public radio needs less of. And I hate to say it, but she's gives off that boring liberal pretention that is so common among people from Portland, Brooklyn, etc.... Hey, I hate George Bush too, as I'm sure April does, but please give us something NEW!
Everybody has intangibles. Things that bug you or things you find endearing. April Baer does not engage me.
She's not a bad person, or even boring. I just don't dig her take. This a contest to find a new voice from the regular people of America. Does April fit that bill?
She is mildly annoying. I am sure she wouldn't do a bad job if she won, but would we be any richer???
I may have to leave the midwest just to get my April fill. Well done, thanks for taking on a tough topic.
Five stars - four-plus stars for the interview (a little "in the head"?), and about nine or ten stars for part 2, just being April. I'd listen to her read the phone book!
it is great to see someone go into the issues of race that so much of our culture is afraid to address. great work!
I don't drive a car much any more in the morning - thanks to the Portland bike thang. But whenever I do--I'm listening to April.
There's something really telling about the fact that her stories & interviews are the only thing I miss about the convenience of driving. She crisp, she's clean and her style is memorable...
Anyway-as long as winning this contest doesn't take her away from our fair city...my vote is for April.
Couldn't start my day without the mellifluous tones of our Ms. April! The
whole world should be so lucky to wake up to the ever-so-soothing sound! Carry on, April, and win this hands down!
...is "just right". Two thumbs up for this Goldilocks.
PART ONE: I initially turned off this piece because of repeated upturned "question" notes at the end of every phrase in the beginning of the piece which made me not want to listen further. This type of inflection in my opinion is not appropriate in radio, and it sounds uncertain and lacks confidence in any forum. I did, however, return to the piece to listen to the entire thing because I like April's voice a lot. What I found was that April sounds in the interview of her guest as if she lacks confidence, and she stammers and says "um" and "uh" frequently enough that it is uncomfortable to listen to and distracts from the interview. It almost seems rushed, as if she is nervous. On the other hand, when April herself is being interviewed, her tone changes and she sounds entirely comfortable and professional. Perhaps it is that she is speaking about familiar material and experiences. I would like to give her a higher vote, but these issues are definitely obstacles for me as a listener. She should own her interviews more and sound more interested/informed on the issues at hand, her questions should sound more natural, as if she just thought of them during the discussion.
PART TWO: All the above is true for this piece, but WAIT A MINUTE! I realize this is no secret, but April Baer already reports for NPR, and has for quite some time. I just listened to her reporting on the NPR website, all of which sounds great. My question is, why is she a) allowed in this contest and b) needing to be in this contest? I feel like this is unfair. Is this contest just as rigged as any other "reality" show? What about UNDISCOVERED talent? I thought that was what this was based on. Guess not. I am a dissapointed. Also, I am pretty much unimpressed with the rest of the finalists, and heard MANY contenders in other rounds weeks/months ago who have been long eliminated but who were far better. Something doesn't seem right here.
I was not afforded the opportunity to swim through the many contestants because of dial-up. But my initial sentiments were similar in that way. Still, it's nice to be able to say something about what's left. Kinda reminds me of an old card trick. "Pick two suits"
I only wish I got DSL sooner.
April is the epitome of public radio... responsible, reliable, consistent, highly intelligent, witty, passionate, ecclectic, dedicated, engaging, interesting, seasoned and a consummate professional. What more could you possibly want?
How about someone who is answerable, trustworthy,uniform, highly comprehendable, funny, irascible, selective, devoted, engrossing, facinating, tasteful, and a perfect pro..., ah, but can I get salt and pepper with that?;)
April is a perfect balance of sophisticated and real. She makes you feel like you're sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee, chatting with her. At the same time, she approaches everything with class and style. Very easy to listen to.
america needs a buddhist president, that's my two sense
... you're going to have to own up to a significant number of your own original spelling creations in your posts. Maybe it's better to cut each other a little slack - bad spelling and grammar is fairly frequent around here.
Rich Meitin
www.richmeitin.com
http://www.publicradioquest.com/node/1038
if you want to be so technical, he didnt misspell the word he used the wrong word entirely....I guess theres a difference??
so do you want me to return my badge?
I don't understand the criticisms of experience or saying that someone would fit right in as if that is a BAD thing. NPR is not about being fashionable or new.
NPR is about presenting in depth news and information. I am sorely disappointed this contest even exists. NPR has recently taken on a couple amateurish-sounding reporters who sound like they are barely out of their nappies, and now we see this popularity contest.
If NPR goes the way of the more commercial networks in the quest for popularity, then there will no longer be a trustworthy source for news. NPR is the last hope. If ever there was a time we needed an objective news source, this is it. This is not the time for fun and games. World events should not be trivialized in such a crass manner for the sake of attracting the bubble gum crowd.
I strongly suggest the readers of this joke contest go to NPR and search on April Baer's name and see what real reportage sounds like. I think it is a travesty someone of her caliber has to submit herself to such this ridiculous "quest".
If I hurt anyone's feelings who is participating in this contest, I am sorry. But I don't think the way one gets to a position of national prominence on a major network should be by way of a game show.
Claggett -- I'm tingling from your for the kind word, but moved MUCH more by your question about why the contest is necessary. This is terribly important, and I'm kicking myself for not having said something about this sooner on my blog.
First off, I happen to think there's nothing structurally wrong with the public radio farm team system. Great hosting starts and ends with great reporting skills, and I've seen some world-class reporters fight their way up. My friend David Kestenbaum comes to mind. He rose through the ranks fast, simply because he's got a first-rate mind, affable personality, and abnormally good writing skills.
But very often, reporters careers hang on incredibly sketchy intangibles--like whether they have an advocate within the system. A reporter I worked with in Ohio--the biggest go-getter I know-- was interviewed for at least three reporting positions at NPR, spent countless weekends and holidays dashing off to DC to fill in, only to be passed over time and again. She ultimately took a job with a PRI show, and is doing very well for herself. A mutual friend with NPR connections remarked to me that he couldn't understand why this reporter hadn't just toughed it out. I was dumbfounded. We all understand that dues must be paid, but how long do good people have to wait to be asked to dance? Four years? Six years? Longer?
Now, about me.
I made conscious decisions at several points to steer away from reporting positions that might someday have led to the network, in favor of anchoring jobs at local stations. I did it because the work and the money were steady-- anyone willing to get up at 3AM need never worry about job security. And anchoring is an incredibly fulfilling job--you can get no more direct relationship with your listener.
I don't look back--much. But I'm as dismayed as anyone with how risk-averse the system has become at both the local and the national levels. I have a lot more to say about why chances aren't taken, and what we should do to fix it, but I think I should wrap up this overly-long message and take it over to a blog post.
I promise to get something up later today.
Meantime, anybody else got 2 cents?
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