First off, for those of you who took the time to read this blog in the past, my apologies for the time between posts. Truth be told, I probably wrote about three different entries over the past six weeks or so. But after careful evaluation, I decided not to hit "publish". All three had to do with crime stories and how media covers them, and seemed to be "too soon". I have the ideas saved for future reference and may come back to them at some point.
Now on to the subject matter at hand. I do want to preface it a little bit by saying that the title is obviously pretty tongue in cheek. There's this weird belief out there that there's a "concensus media" that has a pre-determined agenda that it wants to push on the public. Yes. We (reporters) meet every morning, sipping on champagne and eating fine caviar while deliberating how we are going to cover each story. Is that enough sarcasm for you?
That being said, there are times it would be kind of nice to have a "media consortium" of sorts. Not to discuss what story ideas everyone has. Rather, it would be a way to gather and, maybe, just maybe, come to an agreement on when stories aren't really stories anymore. You know those times when you say "when will this story just go away?" For those exact times. Not to debate whether or not the Rob Ford saga should continue getting air-time. But for those "filler" days.
Let me elaborate. The "it's snowing" stories. Don't get me wrong, weather affects a lot of people, but does that mean we need full-out coverage of the fact we got an inch of snow? Call me Albertan, but it snows here. Every year. And yet, we are subjected to the same stories year after year (and day after day during the winter) about how the City of Calgary responds to snow. How many times can you possibly hear one of the spokespeople say "we'll start with the Priority One routes and then move onto the Priority Two routes" in a year? I was kind of hoping one of the spokespeople would say "this time we're going to switch it up and do the Priority Two routes first, just for a change of pace". In this situation, I'd love to have a consortium in place that would agree not to do those token winter stories. And anyone breaking the agreement would have to pay a small fine. Or apologize on-air. Something fun. And yes, the same rules would be in place for those "it's warm out so how are people like the patio" stories.
Here's another example: polls. It's been a hot-button topic of late thanks to the municipal election in Calgary in 2010 and the latest provincial elections in Alberta and BC. It's had many asking the question about how legitimate the polls are, but it's begged the question in many newsrooms about how much weight they will be putting into said polls. We have another municipal election in Alberta coming up, but do you think those polls will be abandoned? Not a chance. Especially in Edmonton, where Mayor Stephen Mandel won't be running again, so every media outlet is going to be trying to grab a poll or two to find out which newcomer has the "early lead" or "who has the momentum in the early going". We almost need that consortium to come to an agreement that, while the polls are good snapshots, please don't make it the top story. Otherwise, we'll be getting the same story post-election, about how the polls were "wrong again".
Although, it does give us even more stories after the election. Maybe we'll have to discuss these merits at tomorrow's wine and caviar session...
Monday, May 27, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
Frogger: The Real Game
Some people believe that being a reporter or in the media is "glamorous". They think it's "so cool". And for the most part, they're right. It's not a bad job at all. But this past week reminded me of the stupid situations we can find ourselves in.
Remember the game "Frogger"? It was an early computer game built on the premise that you control the main frog character as you dodge traffic to get from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen. You gotta deal with all sorts of vehicles and obstacles to get to your destination. Well, there's a real-life version of it. It's called "Reporter". The goal is to cross as many lanes of traffic as possible, on foot, trying to get to an incident or get to a potential interviewee.
Last week, I had the unenviable task of covering a fatal semi-truck crash on Deerfoot Trail in Calgary. I was fortunate in the sense that I arrived early enough to avoid the main traffic backups. I parked inside the grass part of the "cloverleaf" intersection and proceeded to do my job. What I failed to realize (at the time) was that I had parked on the wrong side of 17th Avenue/Blackfoot Trail to get a picture. And I wasn't about to hop in my vehicle just to cross the road. So I figured it shouldn't be an issue trying to cross. At that particular location though, it was crossing six lanes of traffic. On foot. If this were Twitter, I'd hashtag it #fatkidproblems. I got it done and lived to see another day.
The next day, I was sent out to the Trans-Canada Highway for several rollovers. The icy conditions were wreaking havoc on traffic heading in and out of the city. Not a big deal, until I realized that all of the crashes were in the eastbound lanes and I was heading westbound. So I pulled into an approach and figured I'd get some pictures and try to get the attention of an RCMP officer to do an interview about how busy it was for them. I figured traffic was going slow enough that I could cross the highway easy enough. But the road was icy enough that getting proper traction on my size-11 shoes was tough. So there's me, illegally crossing a highway in front of a bunch of emergency crews, trying to avoid oncoming traffic. Not my finest moment.
This isn't the only time I've willingly put my life in harm's way. I remember one of my first weekends in Calgary in '07, I was called out to a bomb threat at city hall. There I was, the newest reporter in the big city, driving into the downtown, when I wondered out loud "what if this bomb is real?" Word of caution for any reporter caught in a similar situation: don't call your mom to say you love her. You just scare the crap out of her. She'd rather not know what you've been doing until AFTER the situation is given the all-clear.
I also had a couple of brushes with, how shall I put it, non-law abiding citizens. Back in the heat of the gang wars, I remember covering a couple of funerals (we'd cover them as they drew heavy police presence for fear of retribution killings). At one particular funeral, I remember having a gun pointed in my general direction. If memory serves me right, it was the brother of the deceased who was taking issue with how close some of us media types were getting to the funeral home. We took that as a solid hint to back up a bit. I also know I was followed home by someone after another funeral. I proceeded to keep driving until it was obvious that he knew that I knew he was following me. But it was freaky to know he knew what I drove. I was later told he was only "sending a message". Yeah. I got that message alright. Cripes.
The stupid, STUPID things we do to get a story sometimes.
Remember the game "Frogger"? It was an early computer game built on the premise that you control the main frog character as you dodge traffic to get from the bottom of the screen to the top of the screen. You gotta deal with all sorts of vehicles and obstacles to get to your destination. Well, there's a real-life version of it. It's called "Reporter". The goal is to cross as many lanes of traffic as possible, on foot, trying to get to an incident or get to a potential interviewee.
Last week, I had the unenviable task of covering a fatal semi-truck crash on Deerfoot Trail in Calgary. I was fortunate in the sense that I arrived early enough to avoid the main traffic backups. I parked inside the grass part of the "cloverleaf" intersection and proceeded to do my job. What I failed to realize (at the time) was that I had parked on the wrong side of 17th Avenue/Blackfoot Trail to get a picture. And I wasn't about to hop in my vehicle just to cross the road. So I figured it shouldn't be an issue trying to cross. At that particular location though, it was crossing six lanes of traffic. On foot. If this were Twitter, I'd hashtag it #fatkidproblems. I got it done and lived to see another day.
The next day, I was sent out to the Trans-Canada Highway for several rollovers. The icy conditions were wreaking havoc on traffic heading in and out of the city. Not a big deal, until I realized that all of the crashes were in the eastbound lanes and I was heading westbound. So I pulled into an approach and figured I'd get some pictures and try to get the attention of an RCMP officer to do an interview about how busy it was for them. I figured traffic was going slow enough that I could cross the highway easy enough. But the road was icy enough that getting proper traction on my size-11 shoes was tough. So there's me, illegally crossing a highway in front of a bunch of emergency crews, trying to avoid oncoming traffic. Not my finest moment.
This isn't the only time I've willingly put my life in harm's way. I remember one of my first weekends in Calgary in '07, I was called out to a bomb threat at city hall. There I was, the newest reporter in the big city, driving into the downtown, when I wondered out loud "what if this bomb is real?" Word of caution for any reporter caught in a similar situation: don't call your mom to say you love her. You just scare the crap out of her. She'd rather not know what you've been doing until AFTER the situation is given the all-clear.
I also had a couple of brushes with, how shall I put it, non-law abiding citizens. Back in the heat of the gang wars, I remember covering a couple of funerals (we'd cover them as they drew heavy police presence for fear of retribution killings). At one particular funeral, I remember having a gun pointed in my general direction. If memory serves me right, it was the brother of the deceased who was taking issue with how close some of us media types were getting to the funeral home. We took that as a solid hint to back up a bit. I also know I was followed home by someone after another funeral. I proceeded to keep driving until it was obvious that he knew that I knew he was following me. But it was freaky to know he knew what I drove. I was later told he was only "sending a message". Yeah. I got that message alright. Cripes.
The stupid, STUPID things we do to get a story sometimes.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Everyone's Favorite Cash Cow
Am I the only one who finds the arguments around photo radar, especially online, to be rather amusing? There's no "in-between" on it. Those who comment are either staunchly for it or staunchly opposed. Not that there's anything wrong with either side. Debate is never a bad thing. But I do enjoy poking the bear. So here we go again.
I have no issue with photo radar whatsoever. Fact is, I've received four little envelopes in my life. Three were in Lethbridge and one was in Medicine Hat. I remember exactly where I got the tickets, the circumstances behind getting the tickets and how fast I was actually going. I paid the tickets and went about my jolly little way. I did the crime so I had to pay the dime.
Here's a harsh reality that some people simply don't want to grasp: without that photo radar revenue, everyone's taxes would be going up. You want to complain that it's a cash cow with $XX-million generated? Without that money, the local police service will be asking your town/city council for that money somewhere else. It's almost as if some people believe that police are padding their own wallets with the extra cash they're collecting from your law-breaking ways. Yes. You were caught breaking the law and you don't like it. Call it a "cash cow" or a "stupidity tax" or whatever you'd like. We could argue until the cows come home about other ways of taxation. But as long as you keep speeding, those little cameras will keep snapping photos of your license plate.
It's almost as if some people believe it's their right to speed. They don't want to pony up unless they have an officer pulling them over. To me, this seems ludicrous. Is this not like being upset that you were caught by a security camera stealing a piece of candy and not by a security guard? I completely agree with the notion that if you don't want a photo radar ticket, then don't speed.
Another argument I've already seen on Facebook is that photo radar was supposed to be a deterrant to speeding and it was supposed to help curb the number of crashes happening in high-impact locations. To that I won't disagree. It WAS supposed to do those things. But it doesn't anymore. Why? Multiple reasons, ranging from wilfully ignorant to being too much in a rush to the speed limits being too slow. So drivers continue to speed. And they continue to get into crashes. The old saying kind of goes here: people are dumb.
Now here's where things get fun. Let me play devil's advocate for a second. Should police cease the use of photo radar and other devices simply because people don't seem to want to pay attention to them? The argument seems to go "well if it's not stopping speeding or crashes then it's completely useless". But why would police stop that revenue from coming in (which, remember, is helping to pay for things that would otherwise have to be covered through even more property taxes)? I know you don't like that answer. But it's a reality.
There could be a happy ending in all of this. If you truly want to see the end of photo radar as we know it, then STOP SPEEDING. If the police noticed that they weren't sending out your happy picture in the mail anymore, they wouldn't feel the need to keep the van on the side of the road capturing said picture. Novel idea, don't you think?
I have no issue with photo radar whatsoever. Fact is, I've received four little envelopes in my life. Three were in Lethbridge and one was in Medicine Hat. I remember exactly where I got the tickets, the circumstances behind getting the tickets and how fast I was actually going. I paid the tickets and went about my jolly little way. I did the crime so I had to pay the dime.
Here's a harsh reality that some people simply don't want to grasp: without that photo radar revenue, everyone's taxes would be going up. You want to complain that it's a cash cow with $XX-million generated? Without that money, the local police service will be asking your town/city council for that money somewhere else. It's almost as if some people believe that police are padding their own wallets with the extra cash they're collecting from your law-breaking ways. Yes. You were caught breaking the law and you don't like it. Call it a "cash cow" or a "stupidity tax" or whatever you'd like. We could argue until the cows come home about other ways of taxation. But as long as you keep speeding, those little cameras will keep snapping photos of your license plate.
It's almost as if some people believe it's their right to speed. They don't want to pony up unless they have an officer pulling them over. To me, this seems ludicrous. Is this not like being upset that you were caught by a security camera stealing a piece of candy and not by a security guard? I completely agree with the notion that if you don't want a photo radar ticket, then don't speed.
Another argument I've already seen on Facebook is that photo radar was supposed to be a deterrant to speeding and it was supposed to help curb the number of crashes happening in high-impact locations. To that I won't disagree. It WAS supposed to do those things. But it doesn't anymore. Why? Multiple reasons, ranging from wilfully ignorant to being too much in a rush to the speed limits being too slow. So drivers continue to speed. And they continue to get into crashes. The old saying kind of goes here: people are dumb.
Now here's where things get fun. Let me play devil's advocate for a second. Should police cease the use of photo radar and other devices simply because people don't seem to want to pay attention to them? The argument seems to go "well if it's not stopping speeding or crashes then it's completely useless". But why would police stop that revenue from coming in (which, remember, is helping to pay for things that would otherwise have to be covered through even more property taxes)? I know you don't like that answer. But it's a reality.
There could be a happy ending in all of this. If you truly want to see the end of photo radar as we know it, then STOP SPEEDING. If the police noticed that they weren't sending out your happy picture in the mail anymore, they wouldn't feel the need to keep the van on the side of the road capturing said picture. Novel idea, don't you think?
Friday, February 8, 2013
Are We Spoiled?
Let me ask you a question: are Albertans spoiled?
Before I go any further, I'd like to preface this post by saying this is something that came out of a few recent conversations where I've played the part of devil's advocate. I'm simply offering another viewpoint on this whole situation, maybe a more simplistic one. Here it goes...
Alberta's in the midst of what might become one of the most contentious budget discussions I've ever seen. To sum it up, the province is saying "some tough decisions will have to be made", meaning there's a cash-flow problem (blame it on revenues or spending, everyone has their opinion on that and I'm not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole).
Now here's where things get dicey. We have a wish-list the length of the Keystone XL pipeline. You name it and someone wants money. Just look at how many promises and issues were addressed during the last election campaign.
Say what you will about whether too many promises were made, but let's face a few facts here as well. Alberta is still trying to catch up from the boom of five years ago (and some would argue we're still semi-booming). That means we're still building hospitals, roads, schools and all the other infrastructure you and I need. Why are we building it? Because we had so many people move into the province over the last few years, building homes and setting up businesses in new communities within towns and cities all across Alberta.
Don't get me wrong. The province spent a LOT of money over the course of the original boom trying to keep up. And that's where I think at least part of the problem is. Is it possible for Alberta to catch up on all of the original projects that needed to be done, plus continue the regular up-keep plus put new projects on the books, all without facing the budgetary consequences?
So we have all these factors weighing in, plus you have a ton of promises that "need to be kept", and if they're not, someone's going to end up being the bad guy. That's where I wonder if we're not just a little bit spoiled. It feels like there's this expectation that we're going to get the best of everything, but get it for the least amount of dollars.
Call me simplistic, but I'm one of those people that doesn't spend a lot of money if I don't have it. I have one credit card with about $200 on it. My loan and vehicle are paid off. I don't own a house but that'll be down the road when I can afford to take the plunge. Somewhere along the line, it feels like Albertans forgot about that aspect of it, as they wanted everything delivered on a silver platter. And now that the silver platter looks rusty and scuffed up, they want their money back.
Before I go any further, I'd like to preface this post by saying this is something that came out of a few recent conversations where I've played the part of devil's advocate. I'm simply offering another viewpoint on this whole situation, maybe a more simplistic one. Here it goes...
Alberta's in the midst of what might become one of the most contentious budget discussions I've ever seen. To sum it up, the province is saying "some tough decisions will have to be made", meaning there's a cash-flow problem (blame it on revenues or spending, everyone has their opinion on that and I'm not going to touch that one with a ten-foot pole).
Now here's where things get dicey. We have a wish-list the length of the Keystone XL pipeline. You name it and someone wants money. Just look at how many promises and issues were addressed during the last election campaign.
Say what you will about whether too many promises were made, but let's face a few facts here as well. Alberta is still trying to catch up from the boom of five years ago (and some would argue we're still semi-booming). That means we're still building hospitals, roads, schools and all the other infrastructure you and I need. Why are we building it? Because we had so many people move into the province over the last few years, building homes and setting up businesses in new communities within towns and cities all across Alberta.
Don't get me wrong. The province spent a LOT of money over the course of the original boom trying to keep up. And that's where I think at least part of the problem is. Is it possible for Alberta to catch up on all of the original projects that needed to be done, plus continue the regular up-keep plus put new projects on the books, all without facing the budgetary consequences?
So we have all these factors weighing in, plus you have a ton of promises that "need to be kept", and if they're not, someone's going to end up being the bad guy. That's where I wonder if we're not just a little bit spoiled. It feels like there's this expectation that we're going to get the best of everything, but get it for the least amount of dollars.
Call me simplistic, but I'm one of those people that doesn't spend a lot of money if I don't have it. I have one credit card with about $200 on it. My loan and vehicle are paid off. I don't own a house but that'll be down the road when I can afford to take the plunge. Somewhere along the line, it feels like Albertans forgot about that aspect of it, as they wanted everything delivered on a silver platter. And now that the silver platter looks rusty and scuffed up, they want their money back.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Rinse, Lather, Repeat
It'd be easy for me to step up on a pedestal and say "if you're guilty, just admit it and move on". You see it so very often in the court system, where someone drags their case through every possible delay imaginable, finally see their case go to trial, they're found guilty and then they appeal. Rinse, lather and repeat.
A major point of contention in Alberta's justice system of late has been the lengthy delays some cases have seen. Some have resulted in stays (meaning the Crown could bring the charges back up within a year) or the charges are dropped altogether. Sometimes it's warranted. Other times, not so much. What's happened is the issue has become political. Some blame it on the lack of prosecutors. Others blame it on the shortage of judges, who are being forced to go to circuit courts in smaller centres, which increases their workloads even further. Others say it's the criminals who continually bog down the system with needless delays.
And you know what? Everyone's actually right. There is no silver bullet in this discussion.
Here's how a typical court case goes nowadays. Little Jimmy gets charged with robbing the 7-11 down the street. He's locked up for a couple of days, sometimes a couple of weeks, in order to get a lawyer. Then Jimmy and his lawyer wait for the Crown to get them disclosure (all the paperwork surrounding witnesses, police, evidence, etc). Depending on how big of a file that is, it could be a couple of more weeks, maybe a month. The defense will think it over and figure out if it's worth trying to have a bail hearing. That could take a couple of weeks. The lawyers may want to do an early psychiatric evaluation to see if Little Jimmy is even fit to go through the process. That could be upwards of 60 days.
So 3-4 months after the crime, we MIGHT be ready for a bail hearing. Once that's done, then there's the decisions of whether to have a trial by judge or judge and jury. Then they might opt to have a preliminary hearing, which is to determine if there's enough evidence to go to trial. That can sometimes last a week or two, depending on the severity of the crime. So maybe six months after the crime, we're now ready to find a trial date(s).
Here's the thing: lawyers are busy people. Crown prosecutors are working on any number of files, putting disclosure together, preparing cases, etc. Defense lawyers are running from courtroom to courtroom trying to keep tabs on every single file they have decided to take on. So getting them into a room together (at the same time) can be like eating soup with a fork. Now try sitting them down to figure out what dates they are both available. Sometimes, they might be working together on "possible resolution" (a fancy way of saying plea bargain). That can last a month or two, depending on how in-depth the conversations are and how serious the two sides are at trying to reach a compromise or agreement on what exactly happened in the crime.
Now we're 8-9 months after the crime and the lawyers have finally agreed that they can't come up with any kind of agreement and it's time to send Little Jimmy to a trial. Well, right off the bat you're facing backlogs in the system with courtrooms booked solid for a few months. It's January 21st today, so the earliest a judge is available is August. Nope. Defense lawyer has a 4-week trial starting. Alright. How about September? Can't do it. A key witness isn't available. Mid-October's the next available date, how about that? The assigned prosecutor now isn't available. Before you know it, we're into January 2014 before everyone's available at the exact same time. Almost two years after the crime. If you're lucky.
What we've seen happen is cases "brought forward" because all of a sudden something comes up and the trial dates need to be vacated. Before you know it, you're scheduling trials into April and May of 2014. I'm not kidding.
So Little Jimmy gets tried and is found guilty. But wait! His lawyer (which is actually his third lawyer as he's fired/lost contact with his last two and they parted ways) says something in the process was flawed. APPEAL!!! So a few months later, the case is back in court on an appeal.
It might lose. It might also win. And you guessed it: start the process all over again.
And everyone wonders why the justice system is bogged down and you're seeing trial dates years in the making. Rinse, lather and repeat...
A major point of contention in Alberta's justice system of late has been the lengthy delays some cases have seen. Some have resulted in stays (meaning the Crown could bring the charges back up within a year) or the charges are dropped altogether. Sometimes it's warranted. Other times, not so much. What's happened is the issue has become political. Some blame it on the lack of prosecutors. Others blame it on the shortage of judges, who are being forced to go to circuit courts in smaller centres, which increases their workloads even further. Others say it's the criminals who continually bog down the system with needless delays.
And you know what? Everyone's actually right. There is no silver bullet in this discussion.
Here's how a typical court case goes nowadays. Little Jimmy gets charged with robbing the 7-11 down the street. He's locked up for a couple of days, sometimes a couple of weeks, in order to get a lawyer. Then Jimmy and his lawyer wait for the Crown to get them disclosure (all the paperwork surrounding witnesses, police, evidence, etc). Depending on how big of a file that is, it could be a couple of more weeks, maybe a month. The defense will think it over and figure out if it's worth trying to have a bail hearing. That could take a couple of weeks. The lawyers may want to do an early psychiatric evaluation to see if Little Jimmy is even fit to go through the process. That could be upwards of 60 days.
So 3-4 months after the crime, we MIGHT be ready for a bail hearing. Once that's done, then there's the decisions of whether to have a trial by judge or judge and jury. Then they might opt to have a preliminary hearing, which is to determine if there's enough evidence to go to trial. That can sometimes last a week or two, depending on the severity of the crime. So maybe six months after the crime, we're now ready to find a trial date(s).
Here's the thing: lawyers are busy people. Crown prosecutors are working on any number of files, putting disclosure together, preparing cases, etc. Defense lawyers are running from courtroom to courtroom trying to keep tabs on every single file they have decided to take on. So getting them into a room together (at the same time) can be like eating soup with a fork. Now try sitting them down to figure out what dates they are both available. Sometimes, they might be working together on "possible resolution" (a fancy way of saying plea bargain). That can last a month or two, depending on how in-depth the conversations are and how serious the two sides are at trying to reach a compromise or agreement on what exactly happened in the crime.
Now we're 8-9 months after the crime and the lawyers have finally agreed that they can't come up with any kind of agreement and it's time to send Little Jimmy to a trial. Well, right off the bat you're facing backlogs in the system with courtrooms booked solid for a few months. It's January 21st today, so the earliest a judge is available is August. Nope. Defense lawyer has a 4-week trial starting. Alright. How about September? Can't do it. A key witness isn't available. Mid-October's the next available date, how about that? The assigned prosecutor now isn't available. Before you know it, we're into January 2014 before everyone's available at the exact same time. Almost two years after the crime. If you're lucky.
What we've seen happen is cases "brought forward" because all of a sudden something comes up and the trial dates need to be vacated. Before you know it, you're scheduling trials into April and May of 2014. I'm not kidding.
So Little Jimmy gets tried and is found guilty. But wait! His lawyer (which is actually his third lawyer as he's fired/lost contact with his last two and they parted ways) says something in the process was flawed. APPEAL!!! So a few months later, the case is back in court on an appeal.
It might lose. It might also win. And you guessed it: start the process all over again.
And everyone wonders why the justice system is bogged down and you're seeing trial dates years in the making. Rinse, lather and repeat...
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
OFFBEAT: Top 12 Albums of '12
Here's my first non-news post. See what I did with the title? Hahaha! (for those of you not in media circles, reporters are sometimes given "beats" like city hall or crime, so I thought it was fitting that I was going off my beat to talk about music). Yup. I'm a nerd.
Anyways, most people know that I have two big loves of my life: news/sports and music. To say I'm in the right line of work would be an understatement. Anyways, I still listen to full albums. I still buy CDs (although I've purchased nearly 1,000 songs on iTunes too). I have an addiction. And the only cure: this list (you thought I was gonna say cowbell, didn't you?). Without further adieu:
#12. Meat Loaf - Hell In A Handbasket
I remember watching some sort of movie or documentary about how messed up his situation was. But one of my favorite songs growing up was "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" just because of how epic it sounded. Just like something out of a movie. And while this album doesn't have that same swagger, it's still really good. And it delves into some unknown terrain, including an interesting "Blue Sky/Mad Mad World/The Good God Is A Woman And She Don't Like Ugly". Yup. Partly a Tom Cochrane cover. We also have a tune with Trace Adkins, Mark McGrath and Lil Jon. Patti Russo also returns, which is NEVER a bad thing. It may be all over the map, but it's an enjoyable album. Favorite song: All Of Me
#11. Tremonti - All I Was
If you like hard rock/metal, this might be your album. You've probably never heard the band but you probably know the namesake. Mark Tremonti is the lead guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge. Before you write this off as some sort of knock-off of either band, listen to the first single "You Waste Your Time". That's pretty much the album in a nutshell. It has some "softer" moments, but it's high-octane. You hear hints of this in his other two bands, but nothing full-on like this. Favorite song: So You're Afraid
#10. Offspring - Days Go By
To say there were a ton of "pop-punk" bands that came back in some way in 2012 would be an understatement. We had Eve 6, Lit, Green Day (x3) and a host of others. But none got my attention like this one. The first single "Days Go By" I found to be a pretty good driving song (always a key selling point). But the whole album is good. Sure, there are some "interesting" tunes like "Cruising California", but it's almost expected out of Offspring. A very good album that hits a nice happy medium between the "old school" stuff and the newer stuff. Favorite song: Secrets From The Underground
#9. Eric Church - Chief
I know what you're thinking. "Joe, you like rock, what the heck is a country album doing on your list?" Trust me. I'm almost as confused as you are. But let's look at one undisputable fact: this album is catchy as hell. The first song that caught my attention was "Homeboy" and thought it was pretty good. Then I bought "Springsteen" and I was a little more convinced. The weirdness of "Creepin'" was enough to make me buy the album. I appreciate good and catchy songwriting and it's on full display here. And yes, I realize it was released mid-2011. But many of the songs got big in 2012. And I didn't hear it until this year. And it's my list. So there... Favorite song: Homeboy
#8. Lostprophets - Weapons
Another one of those bands you're probably asking yourself "who?" Long story short, these guys have been around for a while (2001). They had some marginal success in the US but didn't make much of a blip on the Canadian radar. Part of the problem was they were hard to pigeonhole into a specific genre. They're sort of punk, sort of rock. All kinds of catchy though. This album is just solid from front to back and it kind of makes you want to go for a drive. I'm always posting live songs onto Facebook because this Welsh band seems to have a crazy following abroad. Overseas music festival anyone? Favorite song: A Song From Where I'm From
#7. Big Wreck - Albatross
Two "Big" re-emergences on the Canadian music scene this year: Big Wreck and Big Sugar (see what I did there?). Big Wreck is headed up by Ian Thornley, one of the best guitarists this country has produced. I was excited when I heard this album was coming out and it didn't disappoint. It's exactly what I expected. A little less "commercial" than what I thought but it has that trademark guitarwork and the band sounds tight. They might be one of my favorite acts to see live and this album would just add to what would surely be a wicked playlist. Favorite song: All Is Fair
#6. Stone Sour - House Of Gold And Bones (Part 1)
For those of you who don't know who Stone Sour is, think "tamer Slipknot". The lead singer is among the Slipknot members in this project. I'd say that Slipknot is a side-project for Stone Sour, but that'd offend a LOT of Slipknot fans. I'm a much-bigger Stone Sour fan. OK, that all out of the way, this is just a wicked album. You start off with a song like "Gone Sovereign" and you know what you're gonna get. But this album has many different levels to it. Corey Taylor (singer) does a phenomenal job with the lyrics and puts himself as one of the top vocalists in rock. Favorite song: Tired
#5. Halestorm - The Strange Case Of...
Full disclosure here: I have a full-on crush on Lzzy Hale. She's not only gorgeous but she plays guitar and has an unbelievable voice. This album has a few too many ballad-like songs for my liking, but the rockers absolutely melt your face. The first song "Love Bites (So Do I)" is exactly that. "Freak Like Me" also ranks right up there. But I'm going to spoil the "favorite song" part of this one. Because "American Boys" showcases a lot of what this band is all about. A catchy riff, solid rhythms and Hale's phenomenal voice. Check it out. Favorite song: American Boys
#4. Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
This was one of those albums that you listen to for the first time and I couldn't get into it. But the more I listened, the more I liked it. Then I saw them live and that upped the ante even more. These guys are obviously very talented and write some very good songs. While it's not as "heavy" as I typically go, I can't deny good songwriting. Their cover of "Sliver" is something to behold and I've really taken to "You Got Lucky". But again, this is one of those "front to back" kinds of good albums. Favorite song: Handwritten
#3. Thousand Foot Krutch - The End Is Where We Begin
In "The Introduction", the voice says "if you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything". And in that moment, I realized this album was going to blow my mind. And I was right. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've really started to pay attention to TFK. This album is the catchiest they've put out, but in a weird way, it's also one of the heaviest. "Let The Sparks Fly" is one of those driving songs. But two songs really stand out for me. One is "Be Somebody", one of the sappy tunes that really resonated with me over the course of the year. "War of Change" has been my favorite since day one though. Starts slow and lighter, then kicks into high gear with a solid chorus. Favorite song: War of Change
#2. Shinedown - Amaryllis
No one will probably be surprised by this. Managed to see these guys live for the first time this past year and it was as good as I thought it'd be. But this album has had my attention since before it even dropped. "Bully" hit right around the time the issue hit the mainstream and struck a lot of chords. One of the things about this band is their message, which is generally positive. Nowhere is that more evident than in "Amaryllis" and "Unity". I've really become a fan of "Enemies" and "Adrenaline" for the "straight-up rock" aspect of it. Brent Smith is among my top two or three vocalists in rock right now and the rest of the band works extremely well together. In any other year, this would have been my #1 album. But it came the same year as the behemoth that you're about to read about. Favorite song: Amaryllis
#1. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators - Apocalyptic Love
I recently watched a "making of" this record and what amazes me is that you have all these different talents coming together to making a straight-up rock record. From Slash, you wouldn't expect anything less. But it's the other part of the band that really works together. I've always been a fan of Myles Kennedy, with his work with Mayfield Four and then Alter Bridge. Todd Kerns is on bass (formerly of Age of Electric and Static in Stereo) and drummer Brent Fitz has been all over the place, including Theory of a Deadman, Econoline Crush and a session musician for a ton of other artists (I think Vince Neil's among them). I don't know if there's a weak song on this album. To tell you the truth, one of my "least favorites" (if you want to call it that) is the single "You're a Lie". The harmonies in the chorus for "No More Heroes" coupled with the guitar is awesome. "Standing In The Sun" has a cool groove to it. And to spoil the "favorite" part once again, is "Crazy Life". It has a stellar guitar part right off the top, we have a little cowbell and it has this rhythm to it that makes me wanna go to a lake and pin the volume to 11. Do yourself a favor and buy this whole CD (or the whole album on iTunes). You won't be disappointed.
There you have it. My "Top 12 albums of '12". Feel free to add your two cents. Maybe I missed an album somewhere in the midst. But here's hoping that we get the "Rise of Rock and Roll" in 2013!
Anyways, most people know that I have two big loves of my life: news/sports and music. To say I'm in the right line of work would be an understatement. Anyways, I still listen to full albums. I still buy CDs (although I've purchased nearly 1,000 songs on iTunes too). I have an addiction. And the only cure: this list (you thought I was gonna say cowbell, didn't you?). Without further adieu:
#12. Meat Loaf - Hell In A Handbasket
I remember watching some sort of movie or documentary about how messed up his situation was. But one of my favorite songs growing up was "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" just because of how epic it sounded. Just like something out of a movie. And while this album doesn't have that same swagger, it's still really good. And it delves into some unknown terrain, including an interesting "Blue Sky/Mad Mad World/The Good God Is A Woman And She Don't Like Ugly". Yup. Partly a Tom Cochrane cover. We also have a tune with Trace Adkins, Mark McGrath and Lil Jon. Patti Russo also returns, which is NEVER a bad thing. It may be all over the map, but it's an enjoyable album. Favorite song: All Of Me
#11. Tremonti - All I Was
If you like hard rock/metal, this might be your album. You've probably never heard the band but you probably know the namesake. Mark Tremonti is the lead guitarist of Creed and Alter Bridge. Before you write this off as some sort of knock-off of either band, listen to the first single "You Waste Your Time". That's pretty much the album in a nutshell. It has some "softer" moments, but it's high-octane. You hear hints of this in his other two bands, but nothing full-on like this. Favorite song: So You're Afraid
#10. Offspring - Days Go By
To say there were a ton of "pop-punk" bands that came back in some way in 2012 would be an understatement. We had Eve 6, Lit, Green Day (x3) and a host of others. But none got my attention like this one. The first single "Days Go By" I found to be a pretty good driving song (always a key selling point). But the whole album is good. Sure, there are some "interesting" tunes like "Cruising California", but it's almost expected out of Offspring. A very good album that hits a nice happy medium between the "old school" stuff and the newer stuff. Favorite song: Secrets From The Underground
#9. Eric Church - Chief
I know what you're thinking. "Joe, you like rock, what the heck is a country album doing on your list?" Trust me. I'm almost as confused as you are. But let's look at one undisputable fact: this album is catchy as hell. The first song that caught my attention was "Homeboy" and thought it was pretty good. Then I bought "Springsteen" and I was a little more convinced. The weirdness of "Creepin'" was enough to make me buy the album. I appreciate good and catchy songwriting and it's on full display here. And yes, I realize it was released mid-2011. But many of the songs got big in 2012. And I didn't hear it until this year. And it's my list. So there... Favorite song: Homeboy
#8. Lostprophets - Weapons
Another one of those bands you're probably asking yourself "who?" Long story short, these guys have been around for a while (2001). They had some marginal success in the US but didn't make much of a blip on the Canadian radar. Part of the problem was they were hard to pigeonhole into a specific genre. They're sort of punk, sort of rock. All kinds of catchy though. This album is just solid from front to back and it kind of makes you want to go for a drive. I'm always posting live songs onto Facebook because this Welsh band seems to have a crazy following abroad. Overseas music festival anyone? Favorite song: A Song From Where I'm From
#7. Big Wreck - Albatross
Two "Big" re-emergences on the Canadian music scene this year: Big Wreck and Big Sugar (see what I did there?). Big Wreck is headed up by Ian Thornley, one of the best guitarists this country has produced. I was excited when I heard this album was coming out and it didn't disappoint. It's exactly what I expected. A little less "commercial" than what I thought but it has that trademark guitarwork and the band sounds tight. They might be one of my favorite acts to see live and this album would just add to what would surely be a wicked playlist. Favorite song: All Is Fair
#6. Stone Sour - House Of Gold And Bones (Part 1)
For those of you who don't know who Stone Sour is, think "tamer Slipknot". The lead singer is among the Slipknot members in this project. I'd say that Slipknot is a side-project for Stone Sour, but that'd offend a LOT of Slipknot fans. I'm a much-bigger Stone Sour fan. OK, that all out of the way, this is just a wicked album. You start off with a song like "Gone Sovereign" and you know what you're gonna get. But this album has many different levels to it. Corey Taylor (singer) does a phenomenal job with the lyrics and puts himself as one of the top vocalists in rock. Favorite song: Tired
#5. Halestorm - The Strange Case Of...
Full disclosure here: I have a full-on crush on Lzzy Hale. She's not only gorgeous but she plays guitar and has an unbelievable voice. This album has a few too many ballad-like songs for my liking, but the rockers absolutely melt your face. The first song "Love Bites (So Do I)" is exactly that. "Freak Like Me" also ranks right up there. But I'm going to spoil the "favorite song" part of this one. Because "American Boys" showcases a lot of what this band is all about. A catchy riff, solid rhythms and Hale's phenomenal voice. Check it out. Favorite song: American Boys
#4. Gaslight Anthem - Handwritten
This was one of those albums that you listen to for the first time and I couldn't get into it. But the more I listened, the more I liked it. Then I saw them live and that upped the ante even more. These guys are obviously very talented and write some very good songs. While it's not as "heavy" as I typically go, I can't deny good songwriting. Their cover of "Sliver" is something to behold and I've really taken to "You Got Lucky". But again, this is one of those "front to back" kinds of good albums. Favorite song: Handwritten
#3. Thousand Foot Krutch - The End Is Where We Begin
In "The Introduction", the voice says "if you don't stand for something, you might fall for anything". And in that moment, I realized this album was going to blow my mind. And I was right. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've really started to pay attention to TFK. This album is the catchiest they've put out, but in a weird way, it's also one of the heaviest. "Let The Sparks Fly" is one of those driving songs. But two songs really stand out for me. One is "Be Somebody", one of the sappy tunes that really resonated with me over the course of the year. "War of Change" has been my favorite since day one though. Starts slow and lighter, then kicks into high gear with a solid chorus. Favorite song: War of Change
#2. Shinedown - Amaryllis
No one will probably be surprised by this. Managed to see these guys live for the first time this past year and it was as good as I thought it'd be. But this album has had my attention since before it even dropped. "Bully" hit right around the time the issue hit the mainstream and struck a lot of chords. One of the things about this band is their message, which is generally positive. Nowhere is that more evident than in "Amaryllis" and "Unity". I've really become a fan of "Enemies" and "Adrenaline" for the "straight-up rock" aspect of it. Brent Smith is among my top two or three vocalists in rock right now and the rest of the band works extremely well together. In any other year, this would have been my #1 album. But it came the same year as the behemoth that you're about to read about. Favorite song: Amaryllis
#1. Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators - Apocalyptic Love
I recently watched a "making of" this record and what amazes me is that you have all these different talents coming together to making a straight-up rock record. From Slash, you wouldn't expect anything less. But it's the other part of the band that really works together. I've always been a fan of Myles Kennedy, with his work with Mayfield Four and then Alter Bridge. Todd Kerns is on bass (formerly of Age of Electric and Static in Stereo) and drummer Brent Fitz has been all over the place, including Theory of a Deadman, Econoline Crush and a session musician for a ton of other artists (I think Vince Neil's among them). I don't know if there's a weak song on this album. To tell you the truth, one of my "least favorites" (if you want to call it that) is the single "You're a Lie". The harmonies in the chorus for "No More Heroes" coupled with the guitar is awesome. "Standing In The Sun" has a cool groove to it. And to spoil the "favorite" part once again, is "Crazy Life". It has a stellar guitar part right off the top, we have a little cowbell and it has this rhythm to it that makes me wanna go to a lake and pin the volume to 11. Do yourself a favor and buy this whole CD (or the whole album on iTunes). You won't be disappointed.
There you have it. My "Top 12 albums of '12". Feel free to add your two cents. Maybe I missed an album somewhere in the midst. But here's hoping that we get the "Rise of Rock and Roll" in 2013!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
The Art of "The Scrum"
My apologies for keeping you waiting so long between posts. December was a bit more crazy than I gave it credit for. But I'll be back with vengeance for sure in 2013. We're just starting a couple of days early, that's all.
Let's talk about one of my favorite things in the whole world of reporting: the scrum. You see it in the TV news every night, especially in sports. It's when the interviewee has a handful, well, several handfuls of microphones in front of his/her face and they are being asked questions from the circle. It saves the interviewee from having to answer the same ten questions over and over again. It's also time-saving for those of us in the media who are usually on some sort of deadline. It works well. For the most part.
You see, there's a method to the madness, at least here in Calgary. As weird as it sounds, most media types get along really well with one another. There's this misconception that we're elbowing each other out of the way, tampering with each other's equipment and trying to yell and scream our questions over everyone else. The first two hardly ever happen (if at all) while the third does happen, especially when it comes to politicians. We're actually really polite. We let cameras get into as good of a position as possible, we let the TV reporters stand between the cameras, while the radio and print guys sort of fan off on each side. Hence why you always see me in the background. It's not that I like to be on TV, it's mainly for cross-promotional effect (get the logo on my jacket in the shot and people will hopefully listen to my radio station). Nifty, eh? It doesn't happen all the time (the order and cordial atmosphere), but it happens more often than not.
Now, not surprisingly, I have a few pet peeves when it comes to the scrum. In no particular order:
#1. The Political Supporter Scrum
This happens around election time or whenever there's a "good photo op". The party leader or the main speaker wants to have some of their supporters behind them. I understand the premise of it, but what they don't realize is that the TV cameras are almost always zoomed in. Which means the supporters are hardly ever in the shot. The big issue from my standpoint, is that it limits just how close we can get our microphones to the interviewee. Why? Because putting supporters behind you turns it from an almost full-circle around the interview to a semi-circle. And when you have multiple media outlets trying to get a mic in, it becomes a challenge. And that's when we break out the Gordie Howe elbows.
#2. The Overly Enthusiastic Mic Flash
Within the art of the scrum, there's the "Art of the Mic Placement". Over the years, it's come to my attention that a lot of people don't know where to hold the microphone near their interviewee. And chances are you've seen this on TV every so often. The mic flash (what the media outlets put on the microphone to let people see their logo) is in all sorts of ungodly spots around the interviewee's face. Some just don't know any better. Others have been told they need to boost ratings so "get that mic flash into everyone's shot, even if it means covering up most of the interviewee's face". Yes. I've seen it happen. The optimal position is 4"-6" down and away from the mouth of the interviewee. You get your clips and your recognition, while the interviewee isn't eating microphone.
#3. The Bored Reporter
How do you tell a reporter isn't really interested in the scrum they're taking part in? Watch their microphone. It bobs and weaves and wreaks havoc amongst all the other mics. The reporter might be taking a picture of the scrum to put up on Twitter, or they might be checking their email. Heck, I've seen some reporters take calls while in the midst of the scrum. It does look a little funny on TV. But where it becomes problematic is when their mic starts playing bumper cars with the others. Nothing like coming back to the station only to hear a clip like this: "I think we pla*bang*yed a good game*bang*. Their goal*bang*ie was stopping every*bang*thing and *bang* we just didn't get any bou*bang*nces." Not ideal for us radio folks.
#4. The Awful Audio Board
You'd be surprised how often this happens. Go to a news conference and instead of having a scrum for the announcement, the organizers have hired a "professional audio/video company", who have set up a podium and a single microphone, which goes to a little black box of sorts, which supplies everyone with an audio feed. Sounds good, right? Less stress on the arm, less microphones in the way, all that jazz. But then you listen to the audio and it's distorted, over-modulated, or just plain bad. The "professionals" have no idea what could be going wrong. These guys and gals supposedly do this many times a year. It's their set-up. yet they don't know what's wrong. So let this one be a lesson to all you PR folks out there. Invest in a good audio team if you want to go this route. Otherwise, we'll unplug from your feed and put the microphones on the podium. Even if you don't like that because "that's where the speech is supposed to go". (Bit of an inside joke of sorts: I had a "disagreement" with one PR rep for a high-ranking government official as he was adament that we don't put our mics on the podium, even though he failed to supply us with an audio box. So I told him that it'd be in his boss' best interests to rectify that situation if she wanted her speech in the news. Didn't happen. I'll let you guess which politician I'm talking about.)
I've been twisted up like a pretzel and been on my knees getting my mic into a scrum. I've held my arms in precarious positions for 15-20 minutes at a time and lost feeling in my limbs thanks to -40 temperatures. Never a dull moment while in the search for the big news stories of the day. I'm sure there's plenty of other scrum stories out there. So feel free to share in the comments. Until next time, my friends!
Let's talk about one of my favorite things in the whole world of reporting: the scrum. You see it in the TV news every night, especially in sports. It's when the interviewee has a handful, well, several handfuls of microphones in front of his/her face and they are being asked questions from the circle. It saves the interviewee from having to answer the same ten questions over and over again. It's also time-saving for those of us in the media who are usually on some sort of deadline. It works well. For the most part.
You see, there's a method to the madness, at least here in Calgary. As weird as it sounds, most media types get along really well with one another. There's this misconception that we're elbowing each other out of the way, tampering with each other's equipment and trying to yell and scream our questions over everyone else. The first two hardly ever happen (if at all) while the third does happen, especially when it comes to politicians. We're actually really polite. We let cameras get into as good of a position as possible, we let the TV reporters stand between the cameras, while the radio and print guys sort of fan off on each side. Hence why you always see me in the background. It's not that I like to be on TV, it's mainly for cross-promotional effect (get the logo on my jacket in the shot and people will hopefully listen to my radio station). Nifty, eh? It doesn't happen all the time (the order and cordial atmosphere), but it happens more often than not.
Now, not surprisingly, I have a few pet peeves when it comes to the scrum. In no particular order:
#1. The Political Supporter Scrum
This happens around election time or whenever there's a "good photo op". The party leader or the main speaker wants to have some of their supporters behind them. I understand the premise of it, but what they don't realize is that the TV cameras are almost always zoomed in. Which means the supporters are hardly ever in the shot. The big issue from my standpoint, is that it limits just how close we can get our microphones to the interviewee. Why? Because putting supporters behind you turns it from an almost full-circle around the interview to a semi-circle. And when you have multiple media outlets trying to get a mic in, it becomes a challenge. And that's when we break out the Gordie Howe elbows.
#2. The Overly Enthusiastic Mic Flash
Within the art of the scrum, there's the "Art of the Mic Placement". Over the years, it's come to my attention that a lot of people don't know where to hold the microphone near their interviewee. And chances are you've seen this on TV every so often. The mic flash (what the media outlets put on the microphone to let people see their logo) is in all sorts of ungodly spots around the interviewee's face. Some just don't know any better. Others have been told they need to boost ratings so "get that mic flash into everyone's shot, even if it means covering up most of the interviewee's face". Yes. I've seen it happen. The optimal position is 4"-6" down and away from the mouth of the interviewee. You get your clips and your recognition, while the interviewee isn't eating microphone.
#3. The Bored Reporter
How do you tell a reporter isn't really interested in the scrum they're taking part in? Watch their microphone. It bobs and weaves and wreaks havoc amongst all the other mics. The reporter might be taking a picture of the scrum to put up on Twitter, or they might be checking their email. Heck, I've seen some reporters take calls while in the midst of the scrum. It does look a little funny on TV. But where it becomes problematic is when their mic starts playing bumper cars with the others. Nothing like coming back to the station only to hear a clip like this: "I think we pla*bang*yed a good game*bang*. Their goal*bang*ie was stopping every*bang*thing and *bang* we just didn't get any bou*bang*nces." Not ideal for us radio folks.
#4. The Awful Audio Board
You'd be surprised how often this happens. Go to a news conference and instead of having a scrum for the announcement, the organizers have hired a "professional audio/video company", who have set up a podium and a single microphone, which goes to a little black box of sorts, which supplies everyone with an audio feed. Sounds good, right? Less stress on the arm, less microphones in the way, all that jazz. But then you listen to the audio and it's distorted, over-modulated, or just plain bad. The "professionals" have no idea what could be going wrong. These guys and gals supposedly do this many times a year. It's their set-up. yet they don't know what's wrong. So let this one be a lesson to all you PR folks out there. Invest in a good audio team if you want to go this route. Otherwise, we'll unplug from your feed and put the microphones on the podium. Even if you don't like that because "that's where the speech is supposed to go". (Bit of an inside joke of sorts: I had a "disagreement" with one PR rep for a high-ranking government official as he was adament that we don't put our mics on the podium, even though he failed to supply us with an audio box. So I told him that it'd be in his boss' best interests to rectify that situation if she wanted her speech in the news. Didn't happen. I'll let you guess which politician I'm talking about.)
I've been twisted up like a pretzel and been on my knees getting my mic into a scrum. I've held my arms in precarious positions for 15-20 minutes at a time and lost feeling in my limbs thanks to -40 temperatures. Never a dull moment while in the search for the big news stories of the day. I'm sure there's plenty of other scrum stories out there. So feel free to share in the comments. Until next time, my friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)