Podcast 464

Welcome to Tennessee. Live from Bristol, Tennessee – The Birthplace Of Country Music. New Hampshire’s primary is history. Flush with new data and fresh story lines, every satellite news truck and reporter is rolling out of the Granite State headed for South Carolina, the third primary in election 2016. The Bob Davis Podcasts are already in the south, taking a break from the political craziness. Welcome to Tennessee, and to one of the coolest towns in Eastern Tennessee and Western Virginia: Bristol. Part of Bristol is in the Volunteer State of Tennessee and the other part is in the Old Dominion. This is a great introduction to South Carolina, because this part of Tennessee and Virginia are in the Appalachian Mountains, first settled by the Scots-Irish, English and Germans over two hundred years ago. They brought their culture with them including stories and music dating back centuries. Industrial growth from the late 1800’s and beginning of the twentieth century brought change to the people who call this part of the country home. In 1927 a Bristol area musician and performer recommended the town to a recording engineer and talent scout. The scout brought the latest recording technology to town, set up shop in a hat factory, placed an ad in a local newspaper and prepared to record. Ralph Peer’s Bristol Sessions turned out to be seminal in the development of American Roots music and the careers of artists who later became major country music stars. The Bristol Sessions are often referred to as ‘The Big Bang of Country Music’. The Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol celebrates the Bristol Sessions and so much more. Take a break from the endless political nonsense going on, to get a sense of the influence this part of the country has had on the rest of the United States, and the gift the people of Appalachia have given us all. Today the south is a major economic, social and political influence, equal or greater to any other part of the country. Get set for surprises after South Carolina votes, and after the mid south primaries on Super Tuesday. (Big Thanks to Renee Rogers and Charlene Baker for meeting me at the Museum office back door on a snowy Monday, and for doing an interview for this podcast.) Sponsored by X Government Cars, Pride of Homes and Luke Team Real Estate.

Podcast 440

New Radio Show. In a freewheeling discussion on Saturday night about talk radio, media and creativity, the new Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show on the Genesis Communications Network is announced. The Bob Davis Podcasts are content rich, so taking some of that content and reproducing it into a one hour weekly show available on the Westwood Satellite for radio stations, is a new idea. From here we talk about the current state of talk radio and media, as well as what’s planned for next year at The Bob Davis Podcasts. Some of the people who listen to these podcasts are interested in ‘behind the scenes’ stuff in radio. While there isn’t going to be any dirt thrown in this podcast, there is discussion about the fact that broadcast media, as well as some of the older style cable news channels really aren’t serving viewers and listeners anymore. It seems more and more as though the job of talkers is to get people angry and upset, or to gin up longer listening spans by talking about nothing, using emotional content in the worst sort of way. One of the things podcasters learn right away is, there is a lot more content in a half-hour podcast than you’ll ever hear in an hour on the radio or on cable TV News, and certainly in an hour of television news. What’s also surprising is the realization that being in business for yourself, and building the business, is sometimes more fun and engaging that actually doing the podcasts. Podcasting itself – while not brand new – is brand new to most people, especially for those long time talk radio listeners who find themselves with nothing to listen to. A new medium means new opportunities for business, which can be very exciting. The New Bob Davis Podcast Radio Show will feature content from the podcasts, which should become very dense after February 1st, as we begin official coverage of election 2016, by covering the Iowa Caucuses and then a grand trip through Mid South Super Tuesday States, to South Carolina (third in the nation primary state), Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas and north back to the Twin Cities. Of course, the podcasts will continue right here at thebobdavispodcasts.com. Watch this space for links and specifics regarding the new Bob Davis Podcasts Radio Show. Sponsored by Pride of Homes and Luke Team Real Estate, Hydrus, and Baklund R&D

Podcast 429

Politics as Sport. Millions of people watched the most recent Republican debate on CNBC this week, and everyone is talking about how the candidates ‘really gave it to the moderators’. The moderators had it coming, but was this a surprise? Do you mean say the media is biased? Really? How shocking if true, right? Meanwhile this week a US Destroyer sailed past man-made islands claimed by China provoking quite a response. While the US should challenge Chinese ‘ownership’ of these islands this is just the kind of incident that creates foreign policy crises seemingly ‘out of nowhere’. To add insult to injury House Republicans this week voted to increase federal spending by 50 billion dollars in 2016 and something like 30 billion in 2017. (Editor’s Note: Republicans were shocked and dismayed in the 1970’s when President Carter’s budget deficit hit 45 billion.) Talk about the GOP betrayal of their voters? No, let’s talk about media bias, again. Republican and Democrat candidates running for their party’s nomination to run for president – technically not running for president yet – continue to play to the biases and fears of their most vociferous supporters, as part of a sick and dangerous symbiosis between media, pollsters, and politicians. People watch to see who will be ‘thrown off the island last’. Indeed, politics is being covered not as sports as covered, but is in fact a sport in itself. Why not talk about video games and fantasy football at the debates? The election is already a fantasy football league or video game, or reality TV show, anyway. With most people getting their news in shards from social media, google searches, You Tube and other sources like this, the story about three deep space objects hiding behind the moon is perceived with the same credibility as the story of US Special Forces and Navy Helicopters being deployed to Syria, where they may be as likely to get into combat with Russians and Chinese troops as they are to fight ISIS. We’re ‘Cruisin For A Bruisin’ in the United States if this is how we expect to elect the next President, and subsequently run the country. Don’t forget to join The Bob Davis Podcasts and Jason Lewis for a live podcast Saturday, Halloween at 11:00 AM in Lakeville, Minnesota at the Main Street Cafe. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. (Editor’s Note: I refer to Russia Today, which is a propaganda outlet for the Russian Government as Russia Times. It’s RT or Russia Today.)