Social Media

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batmanAre you serious America?  There is a FURY about Ben Affleck being chosen as the new Batman?  Let me be the one that breaks some terrible news to you…….Batman is not real.  There isn’t a Joker.  Catwoman doesn’t exist and if ya wanna see a penguin ya better go to the zoo.  I do have good news…I found Commissioner Gordon…but he’s not in Gotham City.  He’s the High Commissioner for Canada.

Ben Affleck is an actor.  He has a wife and a family.  HE IS NOT BATMAN!!!  He lives in a very large home and not in a freaking cave.  Am I the only sane one in this lunatic parade?   Life is tough.  We all face various trials and tribulations on a daily basis.  There are many things happening in this messed up world that we should be upset about.  NOT FREAKING BATMAN!!!

Seriously….if Ben Affleck as Batman still doesn’t seem to be a mondo jovial type tundra to you….you need to go to the bat phone and call a shrink.  Put the comic book down, move out of your parent’s house, stop riding your skateboard and be an adult.  There is a world out there.  You CAN make a difference.  If this still hasn’t registered with you then at least I gave it a try.  Now go back to clearing another level on Candy Crush.

 

Danny Czekalinski hosts an internet radio show called DANNYLAND on mysourceradio.com    Listen on Thursdays at 9AM EST.  Show archives can be found HERE

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out of workI haven’t worked since January of 2011 and I truly am thankful.  I have learned so much.  I am a workaholic by nature so it forced me to reinvent myself.  I have become a social media freak.  This truly is the way people will market and make money in the future.  Embrace it or be left behind.

I have created my own show prep site.  I have taken my late father’s passion of being an ex cop and being disgusted by police brutality and corruption and made it a web site.  I have polished my talk radio skills by establishing an internet radio show.   I have been able to spend a lot of time with my mother and she truly is an amazing human being.  I’m about to launch a new business in the next two weeks.   Things happen for a reason.

I truly was miserable in my last year of working.  I had compromised who I was and what I truly believe.  I want to make a difference.  I care about people.  I think these are turbulent times and I firmly believe that we can all learn something new each day by interacting with others.

I’m opinionated.  I know that.  I also am very open to different views  because we need to stop and listen to each other as it’s clear that no one has this “figured all out.”  Things in the past that I would dismiss I now stop and analyze.

I want this world to be a nicer place.  I want to hear “please” and “thank you.”  I want people to smile.  I think holding the door open for someone is natural.  I want to make a difference.

I’ve made mistakes and I think we all do on a daily basis.  A mistake really is an opportunity to learn and grow.  I needed to stop, listen, look around, and truly take inventory of what happens around me.  I vehemently believe that radio is a great opportunity to bond with the listener.  We are all in this together.  We all have our struggles.  We all can learn from each other.  Being caller “number nine” or hearing the latest Katy Perry song has nothing to do with this.

I used to never flinch on dropping $150 on a dinner.  Now I know when chicken breasts are on sale at my local grocery store.  I am ready for the next stage in life and my career.  I hate to say it…but I think I have finally grown up.

Danny Czekalinski hosts a weekly radio internet show called “Dannyland”   heard Thursdays at 9AM on mysourceradio.com  Show archives can be found HERE

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coffinSo what is killing radio??  Simple….radio.  In this socially media active society there are many things that compete for someone’s attention.  Radio can save radio if it just embraces the change in technology and uses social media to promote their content.    CONTENT.  Content is now more important than ever.

Content doesn’t mean music.  If you have a smart phone you basically have your own music station in your hand.  People get up in the morning and they check their facebook page.  They are not sitting on the couch with some Funions listening to your radio show.  Use facebook to promote what you will have that is worth tuning in when they get in the car but make sure it’s on facebook before they get up and hit their news feed.

Use twitter to remind them why they should tune in when they are out the door and on the road but ya better deliver.  If I tune into a radio station I want one of three things:  1)  to laugh  2)  to learn  3) or to agree/disagree on a topic.  People want to be ENTERTAINED.

There is a reason that music radio stations are slowly disappearing and being replaced by talk and sports stations.  Technology is here to get the music for free while not having to wait for your favorite song or sit through commercials.   Great content, however, will give them a reason to tune in and sit through the screaming car dealership ads.

Competition for an individual’s attention (listenership) will increase ten- fold when the internet is available in vehicles.  Think that won’t affect radio?  Look what the internet has done to newspapers.

People can sense bullshit.  People want honesty.  People want to be engaged and they want to freaking laugh or react.  One thing that everyone has is an opinion.  Radio needs to utilize that simple fact to stay relevant.

I could go on and on but a radio station playing in the background is asking for caller number nine to win a $100 laser hair removal gift certificate.  Compelling huh????   NOT!

Danny Czekalinski is the host of DANNYLAND heard Thursdays at 9AM EST on mysourceradio.com

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fearFreedom of speech.  Many soldiers have lost their lives defending that right yet we have become a nation that is afraid to voice their opinion for the fear of offending others.  An opinion is just that…no matter how absurd it may be it really can’t be wrong to the person who voices it.  What also disturbs me is that people no longer seem to respect the opinion of others and that’s probably the number one reason no one seems to communicate any more.

I’ll throw a few things at ya right now so I’m not a hypocrite.  I don’t think we went to the moon.  Our President is a socialist.  Gay marriage is fine with me and I don’t think it’s a chosen lifestyle at all.  I strongly believe in the second amendment.  I think the police are corrupt and don’t trust them one bit.  Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are racists.   Pat Robertson is nuts.  I think marijuana and prostitution should be legalized.  It’s sad that Trayvon Martin lost his life but I agree with the jury.  I’m a man and I don’t think I have the right to tell a woman what to do with her body…hence I believe in the woman’s right to choose.  I think Affirmative Action is ridiculous….try applying that to the NBA.  If you get attacked by a shark I won’t feel sorry for ya—YOU chose to go into the water.  Democracy works for us but we have no right insisting other countries change their government….it’s no wonder we are hated around the world.

Those are just some of the things I believe in at this moment.  I’m not gonna hide from my opinion because I want to hear yours.  Civil communication and mutual respect need to return to our society.  If you don’t agree with that….I guess you’ll defriend me on facebook  :).

 

Danny Czekalinski does a live internet radio show every Thursday at 10AM EST on mysoureradio.com.  Past shows are archived on the Dannyland link.

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I knew what I wanted to do when I was thirteen years old growing up just outside of Cleveland, Ohio.  I used to listen to Pete Franklin on WWWE talking sports EVERY night.  Then I listened to those silly FM air-personalities in the morning and they seemed to be having soooo much fun.  The one thing I never liked on the radio was music.  I took up time for what I wanted to do.  I wanted to talk to people, laugh, make people react, learn something, teach something, share something but most of all INVOLVE the listeners.  Sadly….today we call that facebook.

I don’t care about the song of the day, the high-low cash game, the phrase that pays, the secret sound, “Horriblescopes” or “Dirt-Alerts.”  I have enough drama in my life so why do I need to know which Real Housewife is in re-hab, which one got arrested, which one got a black eye, how big her engagement ring is or what she looks like in South Beach in a bikini?  It’s embarrassing to say….but somewhere I actually grew up.  I’m not ashamed to admit I like that “Call Me Maybe” song.  I don’t know who sings it.  I don’t care.  I just know that her mp3 is inside my smart phone and I can listen to it when I want to.

I worry….I worry a lot.  I used to be a real jerk…maybe I still am.  I never really paid attention in school because I just wanted to make people laugh.  Now I’m obsessed with knowledge, I have become a news junkie and I really try to think of others before myself (I’ll admit that I’m not really fond of that).  I love sports bars for two reasons….I love sports and I love beer.  I ride a Harley, have a few crazy tattoos and I really believe the government does not have our best interests in mind.  I was a selfish boyfriend/husband and now that I have my act together I couldn’t care less about dating.  I’ve made more mistakes in life than you have but I also know that has provided me with incredible stories.

Many nice people have offered me jobs in great cities playing ten songs an hour,  I’d be able to make great money but would it be fair to them or more importantly to who I am and what I want to do to take that job?  Integrity has become important to me.  I can’t lie to them and I can’t lie to myself.  All these “experts” will say ‘People wanna hear music.’  Really?  I think they are wrong. People want to communicate.  They want to be heard.  People want to contribute.  How much music are you getting on facebook?  How many songs are played on Twitter?  I’m not down on radio at all.  I see an INCREDIBLE opportunity.  Radio needs to ENGAGE the listener.  React in some way.  Laugh, agree, disagree, get mad,think back to a memory, relate, learn something….I’m rambling now but I guess this is more like one of those word documents ya get in a holiday card every year that tells ya what that status of someone’s family is.  This is where I came from, this is what I am about,and this is where I am determined to go.   Thanks for reading. 🙂

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I hate to waste time and I love social media.  Talk about two worlds colliding.  I try to post things that will be of interest to others or something that will spark a compelling thread.  Having said that I would like to address three issues:

1)  I DON’T HAVE TIME TO PLAY GAMES:  Just because you are successful in Farmville doesn’t mean you can relocate to the midwest and grow wheat for a living.  I don’t care if your black cow ran away because guess what…YOU DON’T HAVE A BLACK COW!!!  You’re not in the mafia either so don’t invite me to this so-called “war” you think you’re involved in.

2)  THE PEOPLE LISTED TO THE LEFT ARE JUST FRIENDS:  Don’t tell me we are all in a strip bar or on a school bus or going on a road trip and I have to match up the random friend with something they are supposedly doing.  If I want to think about something that will NEVER happen let me wonder about winning the lottery.

3)  A SONG IS A SONG ITS NOT YOUR STATUS!  I hate when I’m watching my news feed and someone posts “Do you like sugar?  One lump or two?  Did I miss my name getting called for karaoke?  Am I supposed to be onstage singing a Def Leppard song?  The answer is “no” and “no.”  Posting song lyrics as your status tells me this: “You’re a loser baby…..”

I’m glad I got that off my chest.  Time to be productive with the rest of my day.  I’m gonna grab my iPhone and play Words With Friends.  Have a great weekend!

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Years ago people laughed when they said “music will only be heard on the FM dial.”  Look what happened.  We, as the radio industry, are our own worst enemy.  You can’t fool the listener.  You can’t TELL the listener what they want.  So why not ASK the listener what they want.  I did that recently on my facebook page.  If interested the comment line is HERE

Morning radio USED to be the way people would start their day.  What happened?  Some stations cut back on talent and added more music.  Some stations got greedy and loaded up on commercials.   Technology has made it possible for the listeners to super serve themselves.  Most everyone has a smart phone.  That means they have access to Pandora and their own iPod.   If the aforementioned can provide the best music without commercial interruption MORE music is not the answer for morning radio.  More music in the morning will only accelerate the demise of that station.

The good news is there is a way to SAVE radio. Content will save radio.  Content cannot be duplicated.  Content is what the listener wants.  It HAS to be good content.  It HAS to be compelling content otherwise it’s just boring talk and the result will be the same;  “people shutting off the radio.”  I truly believe that in five years FM radio will be mostly content.  When I turn on the radio I’ve always want one of three things:  to laugh, to learn something or to be engaged in the conversation.  What listener is going to sit through five minutes of commercials to hear a Lady GaGa song they already have on their iPod.  Ask me to wait five minutes and I’ll learn how to drop ten pounds without exercising and I’ll excuse the commercials.  Getting people to LISTEN to the radio is not that difficult.   We better start listening to the listener or there won’t be any listeners left!

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Social media is a here to stay and it’s a necessary marketing tool for you and your business.  I’m a facebook junkie.  I always aim to engage my friends in some sort of discussion thread or entertainment element.   As a public service I offer the following that I urge all to STOP DOING ON FACEBOOK!

 1)  NO MORE PICTURES OF FOOD YOU ARE ABOUT TO EAT:  Being able to flag down a waiter, decide on an entre’, order it, then have it delivered to your table is hardly a magic trick.  Put down your iPhone, grab your fork Copperfield, and eat your freaking dinner.

2)  PUT A SHIRT ON AND GET AWAY FROM THE MIRROR:  Congratulations on shaving your chest and your twelve pack.  All that hard work in the gym has rewarded you with being alone on a Saturday night with your shirt off in front of your bathroom mirror and your cell phone in your hand.  Now go to your room, close the blinds and your door, and do what we know you need to do to yourself.

3)  STOP LOOKING LIKE A DUCK AND SMILE LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN BEING:  I’m not sure what makes the females think they are being seductive when they make this face.  It looks more like the sudden onset of bell’s palsy.  Unless you floss with a rope, open up your mouth and show me those pearly whites!.

Social Media is a great thing.  Follow me on Twitter HERE.  Be my facebook friend HERE.  That’s all for today.  I need to let everyone on Four Square know that I just walked into Home Depot!!