Author Archive for Jack Allen
A self-proclaimed dreamer, raconteur, rapscallion and radio guy, Jack got his start in radio, a second career, in 1992 at WMRA in Harrisonburg, Virginia. His first career was displaying art in an upstate NY gallery. The second career involves pushing art through speakers. He wears the mantle of "listener advocate" proudly. The broadcasting ethers have carried him through stints in St. Paul and Austin. He can now be found leading the amazing team at All Classical Public Media, KQAC in Portland, Oregon.
The Great Conversation
I hadn’t thought of it like this before but the scenery completely changes with a gift to these wonderful music services of ours.
Old broadcasters never die…
When I was about 10 years old someone teased my parents and said, “That kid was vaccinated with a Victrola needle”, meaning I talked a lot. Given my Irish heritage, I was told it was something to be proud of. “You have a gift for the gab”.
Just sayin’.
We’re drowning in a river of words: blogs, emails, text messages, tweets, comments, speeches, oratory, rhetoric, verbal engineering, commentary, and spin, spin, spin. Sure, we contribute our fair share right here on Scanning the Dial, but our contribution to the torrent hopefully sets just the right tone, is just clever enough and feels just right. [...]
Kicking the tires of philanthropy.
To give or not to give, that is the question.
Not-for-profit radio stations around the country are entering into the spring fund-raising season, facing the same challenges as last year and the year before that, and the year before that. The perennial challenge is engaging the listener in a conversation about the relevance of the station [...]
“In this economy”
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times, “We’ll be lucky to achieve our goals in this economy”.
We’re all in the same boat, this challenging economic boat – in the doldrums yet relatively secure, generally insulated, and comparatively safe – not untouched mind you, but our lifestyles are barely altered – we’re [...]
And a Child Shall Lead Them
So, by now you’ve probably heard about the new kid on the block in Seattle. Alexander Prior, no relation to the comedian but a crazy connection to the world of method acting, is just 17 but apparently no joke. His great-great grandfather was Stanislavsky, the famous founder of a system from which method acting was [...]
Redefining Intimacy
Dear all of you,
Most New Year’s resolutions involve weight loss so this is not meant to offend. When I think of all of me, a resolution or least some resolve to lose a little weight may be in order for this blogger. Not a lot, just enough to make my new jeans more comfortable. Now, [...]
Welcome, Jack Allen
Co-author’s welcome: I don’t want to steal any of Jack’s thunder, so I’m just going to say a few words and then get out of the way. Jack is one of those people I turn to for wisdom and advice. He is on the ground doing the actual work of running a station which makes his perspective invaluable. [...]
