Jack Allen

Jack Allen is a self-proclaimed dreamer, raconteur, rapscallion and radio guy. He got his start in radio, a second career, in 1992 at WMRA in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The broadcasting ethers have carried him through stints in St. Paul and Austin. He can now be found leading the team at All Classical Public Media, KQAC in Portland, Oregon.

“The Tweaker”

by

I had a friend years ago that hired a decorator to come in and arrange his living room furniture. Mind you, nothing new was purchased, the consultant just re-arranged the room with the same pieces of furniture and accessories. Surprisingly, it actually looked really good. I was astounded, as was he. All this familiar stuff was pulled from the room and re-assembled in a way that looked completely new. Vision. Steve Jobs did that with technology. If you haven’t seen the recent Malcolm Gladwell piece on Steve Jobs “real genius,” it’s worth … Continue Reading

Shelf Life

by

When is the right time to pull the plug on a radio program? When is a good thing, too much of a good thing? If one show goes away, do we revert to format (DJ and great tunes) or do we plug in another program…locally produced or off the shelf from one of the big distributors. National or local, brand new or long in tooth, the answer lies with square one, adequate concept development. If we apply start-up program criteria to existing programs or those we want to acquire, we end up with the same result – relevancy.

Continue Reading

The Man Who Would Be Kling

by

Published on Current.org, April 20, 2011 By Mike Janssen Kling’s successor at American Public Media and MPR: Jon McTaggart “American Public Media Group, parent of American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio, announced April 20 that Chief Operating Officer Jon McTaggart will succeed Bill Kling as president and c.e.o. The unanimous choice of the APMG Board, McTaggart has worked for MPR since 1983, save for two three-year stints in other fields. His promotion July 1 will conclude Kling’s 44-year tenure as the media organization’s first and only leader. APMG operates 42 stations, … Continue Reading

Classical Music Radio Icon Passes

by

Arthur would have scoffed at that title. Icon. He wasn’t much for titles, mantles, or even accolades. Too “effete”. He hated pomp or ceremony. Loathed pretension. Back in the late 90’s, the title “Chief Announcer” was suggested to Arthur at Minnesota Public Radio, and he smiled deliciously. That smile spoke a thousand words and you could hear it on the radio. Arthur had been the godfather, mentor, muse, and yes, chief for almost 40 years, not just at MPR, but to countless other broadcasters, and especially his audience. An official title was completely unnecessary.

Continue Reading

Send this to a friend