Welcome back to "Stars Fell on Disney Fans from Alabama!" I'm very excited and honored to introduce to you my friend Eric Allen! Eric is not a Disney blogger, but he is a Disney fan who has his own radio show on Sorcerer Radio. Eric is from Birmingham, Alabama and is a graduate of Auburn University! I actually "knew" Eric for a while before I realized he was from Alabama. I'm not sure when that happened, but I do know he responded to a "War Eagle" tweet I sent out at the beginning of this football season and I knew I had an instant friend!
Eric is the host of the SorCom Review as heard on Sorcerer Radio Tuesday mornings at 8:00 a.m. ET, with encores at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and non ET on Sundays. You can reach him on Facebook at SorCom Review, on Twitter as @SorComReview and on the Sorcerer Radio web site and forums.
I have been
fortunate (“blessed” would probably be a better word) to have met a wide
variety of notable figures since my mother's doctor announced my arrival. I have made the acquaintance of
actors/actresses, musicians, politicians, artists, scholars, athletes, coaches
and even the occasional astronaut.
Heck, my parents tell me that I once met Michael Jackson when I was very
young and he was relatively normal.
I'm willing to take their word for it as I can't remember the one and
can't imagine the other.
However,
arguably the person on top of the list of people I never got to meet (but would
have liked to) would be none other than Walter Elias Disney himself. I blame this egregious oversight on the
fact that he died roughly 2-1/2 years before I was born – thus making a meeting
rather difficult and forcing me to PhotoShop him in over Alex Trebek in the
antique-style picture above as the only way to ever have my picture taken with
him.
What, you
don't believe I met Alex Trebek?
Fine, Mister Doubting Mustafa... here's the original picture. Happy now?
Anyway...
although we never met I, like many other Disney fans, have found many of Walt's
quoted sayings to contain a singular wisdom every bit as relevant today as they
were when he said them decades ago.
I've found that five of his quotations in particular apply very well to
what we do at Sorcerer Radio.
If It's
Worth Doing, It's Worth Doing Right.
"Get
a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and work it until it's done and done
right."
At Sorcerer Radio we care about Disney, we care about our
product, and we care about our listeners.
When you care about what you do and those for whom you do it (as Walt
obviously did), then you’re compelled to hold yourself to a high standard. You don’t want to produce a product –
in this case, a radio show – that’s anything less than the best as your
listeners deserve nothing less.
It’s kinda like with Gaston, only with a lot less narcissism involved.
Unfortunately, making each show or recorded audio clip means
going the proverbial extra mile and doing work that you probably wouldn’t do
otherwise. When I was working at
the campus radio station while in college, I could get away with arriving at
the station less than 30 minutes beforehand. I’d grab a soda, pull a news story, and pull a song or two
before the show started. Life was
good. Now I’ve gone from a local
station whose signal starts breaking up within 25-30 miles of the transmitter
to an organization with a global audience and a goal to be the best Disney
station on Earth. I learned very
early on that I couldn’t ‘wing it’ like I used to. Putting on a show involves a lot of preparation week in and
week out and a lot of it you’ll likely never see.
Well, of course you’ll likely never SEE it. I mean it IS radio, after all. I guess
it’s more accurate to say that you’ll likely never be aware of it if I’ve done
my job right.
Sure, it can get tedious at times and is definitely
time-consuming. But as a radio
listener myself, I really don’t want to hear a program that’s done
half-heartedly as if the one responsible shrugged and said “Aw, that’s good
enough.” Can you imagine listening
to a radio broadcast of your favorite football team and the play-by-play
announcer sounding like he’d rather be having a root canal than be in the press
box? Me neither! I want some PASSION in my on-air
personalities, dad gum it!
In other words, even if it does mean some extra work
involved you should never give your audience less than what you’d like to hear
yourself. Because it’s worth
it. THEY'RE worth it.
It's Not
A One-Man Show.
"Whatever
we accomplish is due to the combined effort. The organization must be with you
or you don't get it done... In my organization there is respect for every
individual, and we all have a keen respect for the public."
In broadcasting, success is a team effort. The powers that be must have a clear
vision of the station's goals and how to achieve them. Priorities must be clearly defined.
Benchmarks should be identified in both the short and the long term so that
progress can be measured.
Otherwise time and effort can be wasted chasing after dead ends or
pursuing things that aren't conducive to the station's growth.
Likewise, in order to succeed everyone else in the station
has to 'buy into' that vision and focus their efforts towards achieving the
station's goals. There are a
surprising number of roles that have to be played in order for even a station
the size of Sorcerer Radio to function efficiently – and although many may not
be as visible as others all of them are important. Moderators who delete forum spam and
ban those responsible for posting it help promote a positive online
environment. The secretary who
processes invoices and communicates with sponsors/partners helps maintain a
healthy relationship with the station.
Web designers improving the look and functionality of the website
promote a professional image and ensure that visitors can navigate the site
without confusion. These jobs and
others contribute to the overall experience for the listener.
It is this synergy -- with everyone clearly understanding
the goals and how their jobs contribute towards achieving them -- that propel
the station in the right direction like so many members of an Olympic rowing
team. Unfortunately, sometimes you have people within the organization who are
resistant to this vision or who for whatever reason prefer to go 'their own
way' instead. Having been on both
sides of this kind of situation, I can say with a certain amount of confidence
that good things rarely (if ever) ensue.
In fact, it downright stinks like underwear that you’ve been sporting
for a solid week straight.
An unnecessarily high level of dissent can split the organization and
hamper its efforts as different factions argue over what is 'the best
way.' Disgruntled individuals can
hinder (sometimes even sabotage) a station's efforts. At the very least they can cause a station's efforts to be
less efficient. In cases like this
an effort has to be made to determine and address the underlying cause of the
resistance. It may be as simple as
further explaining the goals. It
could be that a person is in a role that isn't as suited for their talents as
another. Only when all attempts at
rectifying the resistance have failed should the person be removed as their
departure can further negatively impact the station's efforts.
(I would just like to point out just for the record however
that I’ve never actually worn the same pair of underwear for an entire week
straight. 3 days is my record thus
far.)
Competition
Is A Fact Of Life.
"I
have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn't know how to get
along without it."
Sorcerer Radio isn’t the only game in town. On Live365.com alone there are several
other stations that play music from the Disney parks and resorts. Internet radio stations face
competition from broadcast radio stations. And radio itself faces competition from television, books,
video games, sporting events, work, travel, and a plethora of other activities
all trying to lay claim to a share of the 16 or so hours the average human
spends awake each day. Or if
you’re the average college student, the 23-1/2 hours or so spent partying
instead of studying like your parents THINK you’re doing.
Ironically enough, I believe that’s a GOOD thing. Competition in and of itself is not
inherently evil, but instead can be a useful tool if harnessed properly. It is the heat of competition that
tempers your product and makes it better.
It is the yardstick by which you can measure yourself and your
progress. It is the fact you have
to overcome said competition that makes success sweeter. Competition can help
you identify your strengths and weaknesses so you can accentuate one and
address the other (I’m sure you can figure out which one is which).
It is also the reminder that you cannot take your audience
for granted – for if you don’t take care of your listeners, someone else will
be all too happy to do so.
Don't
let naysayers distract you.
"We
are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the
public."
No matter where you go or what you do in life, there will be
detractors. Some will question
your character and your actions.
Some will attack you any way they can. Some will even go so far as to attack you while at the same
time copying what you do.
Sometimes it's enough to make you want to pull out your hair;
fortunately what little hair I have left is cut so short I can't get a good grip
on it.
However, while you definitely should set the record straight
when it becomes necessary it can be all too easy to get so focused on your
critics that you lose sight of what's truly important – your audience. Your listeners tune in because they want
to have an enjoyable listening experience and not because they want to hear you
rant and rave over a plethora of slights both real and imagined. Obsessing too much over the slings and
arrows of outrageous fortune tends to cause hurt feelings and lose listeners. Plus, as long as you harbor grudges
(and especially as long as you give voice to them and vent publicly about them)
the object of those grudges has a certain degree of power over you.
So whenever possible, be the ‘good guy.’ Put on that white cowboy hat and ride
that white horse. Give your
audience reasons to listen to you rather than reasons why you shouldn’t listen
to your critics (those are two VERY different things, but sadly many people
never fully grasp the concept).
Your listeners are listening to you because they like what
you do. Keep the focus on them and
in the long run it really won’t matter all that much what the critics say. After all, nobody has ever erected a
monument to a critic.
There's
Always Room For Improvement.
"In
this volatile business of ours, we can ill afford to rest on our laurels, even
to pause in retrospect. Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must
keep our aim constantly focused on the future."
Walt may have been referring to a different industry when he
said it, but this quote may be the most appropriate of all. To call the business of broadcasting
'volatile,' especially online radio broadcasting, is like saying someone struck
by lightning is 'feeling under the weather' – it just doesn't do it justice.
Technology seems to grow by quantum leaps on a regular basis
(my iPhone has more hard drive space than my first three computers
combined). A person can now do
with computer and a broadband internet connection what not so long ago required
an entire control room full of equipment.
Aside from making people like me feel really old – an accomplishment
achieved with a most annoying degree of efficiency and frequency – the rate at
which technology advances make it necessary to always be looking to see what
new developments may be coming down the pike.
And technology isn't the only aspect of broadcasting that
changes rapidly. The radio
landscape can vary dramatically in the proverbial blink of an eye. People can come and go at your station.
Stations themselves can come and go (I've seen one station go from startup to
shutdown within the space of only a week). The number of hours spent listening to your station can
fluctuate wildly at times throughout the year. It's a wild roller coaster ride with all the dramatic highs
and lows of the Dow Jones Average when the quarterly reports are released.
2011 has been an exciting year for Sorcerer Radio. We currently have our strongest lineup
ever in terms of programs and on-air personalities. We have introduced new ways for listeners to enjoy our programs such as our stand-alone app for the
iPhone available in the App Store.
Exclusive original Disney-inspired music from DJ Sorcey is now available
for purchase on iTunes. We
introduced the live interactive vidcast “WDW After Dark” offering Disney discussion
with more adult-oriented perspectives.
And we have developed positive working relationships with various
organizations in the Disney community (including elements within the Walt
Disney Company itself), which has allowed us greater opportunities to enhance the Sorcerer Radio listening
experience for our audience. And
our listeners have responded in kind; people are spending more hours listening
to the station than ever before.
That tells me we're moving in the right direction and that the innovations
we've introduced over the course of this year have been well worth the
effort.
And we're going to continue looking at ways we can further
enhance the experience for our listeners in the months and years ahead. One of the great things about the
volatility of the broadcasting landscape is that you never know what may be
right around the corner.
And there
you have it. Honestly, if you want
to get technical these quotes, as with many of Walt's words of wisdom, would be
pretty applicable in many areas of interest (I imagine that first one in
particular would be extremely useful in the field of brain surgery,
demolitions, or rocket science).
I'm sure I'm just one of millions of Disney fans who would have really
liked to have had the chance of sitting down with Walt for even just a couple
of minutes. Walt seemed to possess
a unique gift of vision which has left an indelible mark on the hearts and
minds of untold millions (if not billions) of people the world over. I don't think it'd be unfair to say
that even decades after his death he still commands a global recognition than
many heads of state. Don't believe
me? Then tell me, who was the
first Prime Minister of Nigeria?
Hmm? See, you can't
remember him either.
For all his
fame and hype, however, I like to hold to the notion that deep down Walt was at
heart a regular joe with his own particular set of strengths and weaknesses
like every one of us. I get this
notion primarily from the quotes that have been attributed to him over the
years. They present to me the
image of a man who didn't try to talk down to others or talk above their heads,
but rather boiled things down to their purest simplicity. It is this simplicity, I think, that
makes these quotes so applicable to so many situations.
Thanks so much for sharing today Eric! It's perfect! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me, Beth! I'm flattered to have been asked and I greatly appreciate the opportunity!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I, too, wish I had had the opportunity to meet Walt Disney. We love so many of his quotes!
ReplyDeleteLoved it Beth & Eric!! Great Disney quotes, I love the way you relate them to the radio business Eric!!
ReplyDeleteWOW Eric! What a great article. I absolutely agree that what we do is a team effort. I think it's amazing that even though some of us have never met in person we still work as though we are together all the time.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many great Walt quotes! Like you and many other Disney fans I too would have love to have met Walt. Walt and so many other heads of companies were great people who took the time to get to know their employees and their guests/customers. It saddens me that things have changed so much.