Podcast 226

ASMR. Say what? How has communicating on the radio changed over the years, from the glory days of AM Rock Radio, to Progressive FM Radio, to today’s Talk Radio Ghetto on AM. Are internet delivered on-demand-audio broadcasts changing how we communicate? Autonomous sensory meridian response is a fancy name for getting tingles when you hear certain people speak. ASMR is pretty big on You Tube, with ASMR ‘artists’ garnering millions of views and shares, and likes, for their ASMR videos. Some of them talk about issues, some of them role play, some of them tell stories. One thing is for sure. They don’t yell and pound, and they don’t take calls. With public radio stations in many major markets now garnering a higher share than commercial news and talk radio, it may be that a softer vocal approach, while delivering information on heavy issues, delivered on-demand, over the Internet is ‘The New Talk’. (Editor’s note: I certainly think so!). This podcast includes a sample of favorite ASMR artists, plus some audio nostalgia, with air checks of the Late Great Larry Lujack at WLS in the early 70’s, and George Michael at WFIL around the same time period. Plus, a bonus sample of early – and rare – ‘Progressive’ FM Radio Giant, KSAN-FM in San Francisco, in 1969. Some people laugh at ASMR artists, but they’re using the new tools, in a completely different way, to have fun with sound, and media, and technology, and they’re clearly speaking to a new generation of ‘audio’ listeners. Are offerings like ASMR changing the way we communicate with media? How might that eventually change what we see and hear from politicians, cable news channels, podcasts, broadcast and internet radio, and each other? Time for a fun podcast about something new. Sponsored by X Government Cars, and by Depot Star

Podcast 222

2014 Election Coverage. One month away from Election 2014, The Bob Davis Podcasts begins its coverage. All the pundits and big networks have developed story lines for the election this year: What’s going to happen on election night. What is Bob Davis’ story line for the evening of November 4th, 2014, when election results start pouring in across the country. Will it be a Republican Wave? That’s the story line. Is it true? What about Minnesota state elections for state-wide offices and the legislature? How do ‘regular’ people decipher what the polls say, and what they mean? Does any analyst have a handle on what people are thinking going into this election. While voters are dissatisfied with President Obama, they are also dissatisfied with the House of Representatives, the Republican Party and the US Senate. Moreover, with 435 local congressional district elections, 1/3rd of the Senate and local elections across the country, the results may depend on local personalities and local issues. Republicans point to leads in some states they hope to pick up Senate seats in, but are those leads wide enough to overcome democrat turn out advantages. Do Democrats really have a turn-out advantage? And what about those polls? Are they to be believed? Is there a rule of thumb observers can use? Where to go to find the polling data, and the averages all in one place. What will be the big story on election night? Republican take over of the US Senate? Or will the Democrats hold? Will Republicans win state-wide races and the legislature in Minnesota? We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding coverage via the comments section at the Bob Davis Podcasts. And, introducing the over-the-top theme for Election 2014 coverage from the Bob Davis Podcasts. Sponsored by X Government Cars

Podcast 203

Being Right. An email sparks some thoughts about the political discourse in The United States. Should a person who puts themselves out in the public eye as a commentator always be right, as in ‘correct’? Should everything they say be required to be proven ‘correct’ at a later date? Should a major league ball player leave the game if he fails to make an important catch? What does it mean to take a risk? What lessons have been learned in almost twenty years of talk radio? Political figures, writers, musicians, actors, comedians, and especially talk and podcast hosts take risks and put themselves ‘out there’ everyday. Should a person decline to use their talents because they are afraid of being ‘wrong’? Moreover, does the country gain from the increasing practice of demonizing and trying to destroy people who say things others disagree with, or are ‘shocked’ by? How has talk radio, and cable television (which has stolen the talk radio format) turned the body politic into tribes that demand their point of view, and only their point of view, be heard. Why radio and TV managers are suddenly terrified by opinions. How podcasting is changing this. And, a pitch for contributions to the Bob Davis Podcasts for the Podcast Van. Sponsored by Baklund R & D.