Morning Glory: First Light Consciousness December 24, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in 1, Life, Spirituality, religion.Tags: Christmas, higher consciousness, Light, love one another, Spirituality, world
add a comment
I love waking up in the pre-dawn hours. The essence of being completely awake and alert in time to see the first light of God’s new day is exhilarating and empowering. Each day, I seek to detect the very moment that the sun pierces the veil of night’s darkness… The exact instance when the Sun’s ray’s explode over the horizon.
I’m not talking about that totally visible and dramatic moment of sunrise that we have seen in photographs, film and video… no… I’m talking about that short moment in time just before dawn’s explosion of light. The nano-second when the molecules of light first collide with and overtake the molecules of darkness. It is a moment that seemingly cannot be detected by video or photography. It is a moment that must be perceived and observed with your Third Eye… It is the moment just before your physical eye can behold the morning glory that is the rising sun as it illuminates the heavens and the stars which shone so brightly moments before but are now making a hasty exit 1 by 1…
” And God said, ‘Let there be light…’ ” Gen. 1;3
On most mornings, I am up meditating and excercising. 4 Am and I am outside embarking on my morning run. Usually a 7-10 mile run on most days. It is so still and quiet. The last vestiges of night’s denizens have gone in and the world seems to be completely still. Fully night. The darkest hour… I rise… I pray…. I run…. I listen. … I listen to the quiet. I am listening for God… He is there… I know it… I want to hear Him…and I want Him to hear me…At this hour there is nothing to do but be quiet and listen….. to the quiet….. listen……
And then, in a twinkling of an eye, the light comes. In that instant, I can actually hear the light colliding with the dark. I can perceive the light… it’s on but yet it is still dark… Have you ever been in a room or place where someone is taking photos with a flash, but you are not in the room or in direct view of the flash… you are just periphally conscious of the sudden burst of light. That’s what the instant of morning looks like to me… I see the light.. it’s like the flash but it does not diminish. It does not go away. It remains on… There is a discernable light all around me. But then I notice that not only is the light coming from the rising sun, there is a light emanating from my soul.
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12
When the sun’s light hits my consciousness, my inner light is energized. Like a solar battery is energized when exposed to sunlight, my inner light is energized. I am alive, recharged and powered up…ready for the new day… God has given me another day to share my light with the world for inside this light, He lives… This light is the force of God’s essence. This light is life’s energy…. for all things on the earth need sunshine. We need the light to see… We need it to share…. Light is the essential element for sight. We need to see… inside and out.
This morning light I have described is pure for it is at this moment the energy is untainted from evil thoughts, bad vibes and malicious intentions of those who dwell in the shadows. and so in the morning I run… I breathe, I open my heart and mind, my spiritual and physical consciousness to receive the pure essence of first light. The light empowers me and charges my life to do, think, act, and love… The light is the nucleus of my soul…
Now I know that most folk reading this are not up and moving about at this early hour. Most are turning over in their beds trying to capture a last hour or two of sleep. But think about it for a moment. There’s that instant in the morning when you awaken. You have been sleep all night and there is that moment when you wake up. You just open your eyes. It still dark, but nonetheless your eyes open…. You may glance at the clock, you may turn over and get even more cozy under your covers… and go back to sleep. But nonetheless you eyes opened and you did not rise to see the first instance of illumination. You went back to sleep. But the exact moment of God’s new day erasing the unconsciousness of night has not escaped you. Because after all, you heard the moment of first light in your consciousness. Yes, you heard it. Because in an instant.. in the early morning you were awakened by the voice of God from a deep sleep. Sleep so deep, that the next stage would be death. In that instant the solar batteries in your soul were charged and powered on… In that instant God turned on the light and whispered your name in your ear, telling you that another day is nigh… another day to act, think, do and love….God’s will. Get up and do something…. Yes. God called your name, you woke and opened your eyes.. but did you hop to? Did you get up to answer God’s call? or did you again close your eyes, roll over and go back to sleep????……
Some folk never see the light. It is all around them but they still cannot see… . Some folk never step out into the light…. we remain depressed, sitting in the dark… curtains drawn…. keeping God’s light out of their consciousness….. The solar battery in their soul has not been charged and needs a jumpstart. And so since they cannot get started with the light, they introduce alternative substances into the powertrain thinking that this will take the place of the light… abuse of drugs illegal and prescription..abuse of alcohol… sex addictions and perversions… other vices which seemingly replace the light inside thier soul. but in reality these things only dims the light and in the worst cases… completely extinguishes the light.
“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. ” 2 cor. 4:6
Some folk receive the light but keep the light shuttered within thier soul. They do not allow the light to reflect as a beacon to humankind… Selfish. But the light is meant to be shared. The light is meant to be seen so that your light may be a help to all mankind. It is meant to help, guide and empower each of us through us. Love One Another…
Just think… those folk who do not see the light are fumbling around in the dark and maybe just maybe they need a little light to shine so that they can find thier way…. Your light is an essential element to other folk’s sight…. It may be in the kind words you say… the smile on your face… that encouraging word….. the most inconsequential action of lovingkindness emanating from the light you carry inside your soul could represent that initial pure light that pierces the veil of their darkness.. The solar battery of thier sou is powered on… And then the sun rises inside them… the dawn of a new day……. They can see….. no longer in darkness but inside the light because you shared your light……
” Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16
Morning Glory……..
A Tiger’s Tale: Do we really care?? December 4, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in 1, Life, entertainment, news.Tags: affair, argument, gambling, golf, Tiger Woods, wife
add a comment
Here's aview of the damage done as Tiger wrecks his ride after fight with wife...
This week’s news is peppered with accounts, recounts, conjecture and speculation of Tiger Woods’ crash in his front yard. Somehow, he ran his escalade over a fire hydrant and into a tree. Then his wife takes one of his golf clubs and smashes his windows out – stating she dragged him out of the wreckage of the car and to safety… yeah right!!
They didn’t fool anybody as, everyone has suspected a rat and we now know that Tiger was stepping out on his woman.. he’s got chicks on the side. The cold part about it is that one of these chicks released a recording of one of Tiger’s voice mails to her imploring her to remove her name from the phone as his wife is going through his phone and will more than likely call her and confront the issue of her man….
So Tiger’s been busted and is getting humiliated. While I wish that the public and the news media will let him alone to deal with his scorned woman and allow them to try and patch up their family, I can’t help but see that the public wants to denigrate this man and put him in the same category as an OJ Simpson. We are supposed to be shocked and appalled at this behavior that Tiger is displaying.. How dare he forsake his children for the attention of some fast women which he has met in his travels…
But who made Tiger a saint? I mean the stories of his philandering are far and wide and one of his favorite past times is gambling. In fact, I read an article that described how he was being honored at a formal banquet in Las Vegas and left his mom alone on the dais with the CEOS and such who were honoring him while he chilled in the High Rollers lounge putting down hundreds of thousands of dollars in bets on his favorite gaming table. That reads of a man who enjoys the fast, sporting life, not the sedentary life of a guy who comes home every night and snuggles with his wife and plays with the kids… He is not living the Huxtables’ lifestyle.
So, Tiger is a bad boy. And has been for a long time. So who decided he was a role model?? It is an assumption we put on this man. And so when he doesn’t live up to the assumptions and qualities we put on him, we are hurt miserably. I am not making excuses for Tiger’s behavior, I’m just saying that we may be expecting too much from him when we want him to be this wholesome image of American family.
Should we care about Tiger Woods? Well, there’s certainly a lot of items to worry about in our culture that weigh more heavily on the consciousness of the masses than whether Tiger is faithful to his fam or not. So in the end, we expect Tiger to be honest, faithful, diligent and a all around good boy. But let’s face it: He gambles…. He likes the company of beautiful women…. He probably cusses…. But we expect him to be wholesome…..because why? Because we have invented this facade for him. He’s a jet setter with no patriarchal influence coming his way…..
Fol don’t want to even connect race with this episode, but I think if you are conscious you can suppose that some if not most, mainstream America is going to see this episode as another opportunity to point and say look, the black man is not to be trusted. He cannot remain faithful to his woman and his family. It’s funny that this would be a concern because Tiger has never even claimed to be a black man.. He’s a Calibalasian… He’s not wanted anything to do with the culture. But yet, he would be right in the back of the bus with the rest of us.
Tiger Woods is not a role model. He messed up. and now has to make some hard choices of how he wants to live his life…. Is he a player? or not.
The Politics of Race December 3, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in 1, Life, Spirituality, politics.add a comment
There’s no denying that this is an interesting and challenging time to be black in America. We have elected a black man as President of the United States of America which means the conscious image of the Black make once reviled, is now the premiere representative image of America’s might and power, Her leadership and her global consciousness.
Yes, the black male image was once reviled. A dangerous, shifty, not to be trusted man who could not – no- would not work, or take care of his familial responsibilities. And yet, in an effort to stimulate much-needed change in American Society, we, the people, elected the black man to lead the way. An notable accomplishment for a nation built on a foundation of slavery, segregation, Jim Crow, miscegenation and outright racial terror. We have finally come to the moment, it seems, where Dr. King’s dream that we are judged by the content of our character, not by the color of our skin…
Even still, the politics of race has been energized through massive media outlets. The political rhetoric takes on a contentious tone reminding us just what grandma and them used to tell us while encouraging higher consciousness…” You have to be three times as good as them” It seems that every move of President Barack Obama is criticized, ostracized and minimized… There have been cartoons relating the President to a chimp… The watermelon jokes and other stereotypical literature..
The dishonoring of President Barack Obama is unconscionable. That is our President, the leader of the United States of America and he is due ALL the respect that you bestow on the one who holds that office.
That said, I have to ask, do we really expect white folk to suddenly stop having this feeling of supremacy and entitlement? We can change the laws of the land, but we cannot change the hearts of the people. The mistrust of the black male image is the underlining of the style of criticism we are seeing. The image of an African American man, highly educated, steadfastly married, father to his children, role model to millions is the image that most concerns mainstream America.
We cannot expect middle America to suddenly change their negative perception of the black people. We have to use this propitious opportunity to work on it ourselves… control how our images are presented to the world. Yes, they have their perception of us and that will always be present on the global media stage, but we control who we are and what we are.
Even those of us who choose to forget the stories past, certainly the images and rhetoric we see today should awaken that consciousness that says We cannot forget from whence we came in this country… we have to remember where we are and whose we are in this country, and stand strong to represent our progress.
For God has brought us this far along the way… delivering us, educating us, strengthening us, empowering us.. We owe it to Him to lift our image to higher heights.
Beyond the Wall November 30, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in Life, Spirituality, religion.Tags: God, health, inspiration, Life, Marathon, motivation
add a comment
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-32
Running a marathon is a daunting challenge. I still marvel at those who lead the packs of tens of thousands as they complete the run in just over two hours. Thus far my times have hovered in the six-hour range and for that I am thankful. I do not run for time.. I run to finish.
People often ask “what is it like?” And I always try to explain that it is a spiritual experience that words almost cannot explain. I mean, you train and train.. prepare and prepare… but still the obstacle comes… This is called “the wall”… The point in the run where your body is aching and your mind is questioning your sanity in even taking on such a task. The spirit of doubt starts whispering in your ear, telling you to quit… advising you that you will not make it to the end… This is where the conversation with God gets very real and very intense…
For me, this occurs right around mile 17 or 18. My legs are aching. My shoulders are sore from the back and forth motion. Even my beloved iPod music program is getting on my nerves… And then the conversation begins… I realize that it is at this moment that I have a direct line to the Almighty. God is ever-present. I start asking God to help me make it to the finish line. To give me the fortitude to stay the course. My body starts reacting, telling me to look at my hands.. I do. and they are swollen, looking like the mitts on the Pillsbury Doughboy.
I raise my hands above my head and the blood rushes back into my torso, giving me a rush of energy…. My lungs fill with fresh oxygen and suddenly I am stronger, I can make it…. I really can make it! The impact of fresh oxygenated blood fills my body and I move as if I have wings… yes, there’s pep in my step… I can fly!! I look around and people younger than me are stopping, quitting, throwing up, crying, giving in….
My legs are aching but I keep them moving. Like we used to sing as we ran in the Marine Corps.. “Pick ‘em up and put ‘em down, 40 inches all around… oooorah!!”
My mind’s state is on another level. I am not conscious of this world, for I am conversing with God. “Lord, just take me to the end, Lord… Help me overcome this… take me through this wilderness to the Promised Land… Lord make me new….. stronger, smarter, make me realize that as I complete this I will be a better person on the inside… I am running and not weary. As the old song says, Lord help me to hold out”
In the end, I cross the finish line and I break down in a frenzy of praise. I have never been able to contain my tears as I finish. I am ecstatic because I know that even with my strenuous preparation, I still need the Lord my God to take me through. And I thank Him!!! I praise Him!! Hallelujah!!!
In many ways, life is like this.. we prepare and prepare for our life’s goals and yet, we still find ourselves at that realization that we need the Lord. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. We have to pace ourselves, but then there is that time in our lives where we have been running and running… we’ve completed many miles but still have miles to go to get to the finish line… we are tired… aching, almost ready to toss it in…. but we wait on the Lord. We seek the voice of God… We inhale His ever-present essence. We converse with Him in a very serious and earnest way. And He energizes, revitalizes and we have not even broken stride in the run. Those that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength…..
In everyday life and on the marathon course, I need the Lord my God to take me Beyond the Wall….
This is It: a fitting introspect October 29, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in 1.Tags: Michael Jackson This is It movie King of Pop
add a comment
I had the honor of being at the Red Carpet Premiere of “Michael Jackson’s This is It” in Los Angeles. The Nokia Center was abuzz with papparazzi, crystal chandeliers and aerial artists as Hollywood came out to show support for this much anticipated movie.
The film is a documentary put together as Michael rehearsed for his “This is It” tour. The dates were announced in March of 2009 amid much hubbub and accolades… It would have been the King of Pop’s first concert tour in over a decade and as the apt title suggests, it would be his last… This is It….
Amid a hectic schedule of rehearsals and show development, Michael suddenly passed away on June 25, 2009. “This is It” the film is a journal of behind the scenes footage at those rehearals.
As a musicoloist of sorts, I have no problem saying Michael Jackson was truly one of the greatest if not the greatest entertainer of our time. That said, the journey I experienced through the viewing of “This is It” provided me with a newfound love for the entertainment genius that was Michael Jackson. Based on what I saw, the tour would have been his greatest ever… The music was tight, the singers, dancers, visual effects..even though we view this from a rehearsal standpoint, It was clear the MJ was about to blow it up across the globe.
The film also reinforces Michael’s concern for the health of our planet. a perspective finely woven into the essence of the film. He’s right, we must take care of this world or it will be consumed by Man’s greed for natural resources.
I was inspired, awed and impressed by the film. I loved seeing Michael in this light. He looked healthy, vibrant and still had his voice and his moves. I loved seeing a piece of the brainpower and effort that goes into a major production. I loved being reminded that Michael Jackson quite simply was and is…. THE KING OF POP!
Michael Jackson's This is It.... you must see this film....
BET Awards ‘09: Disappointment and Coonery June 30, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in 1, Life, entertainmen, entertainment, music, news.Tags: BET Awards, black, Drake, entertainment, jamie foxx, Joe Jackson, L'il Wayne, Michael Jackson, music, tribute, Ving Rhames
1 comment so far
The BET Awards has emerged to be the single most important awards show celebrating black entertainment accomplishment. And while I really don’t watch BET on a regular basis, I have recognized the awards show as the preeminent show for black music and entertainment. I know that the show was hugely anticipated as parties raged in LA all week and stars converged from all points to the City of Angels to imbibe in the festivities.
And then we were all shocked by the news of the sudden death of Michael Jackson.
Now BET was front and center all over the world as THE place for a Michael Jackson tribute. CNN broadcast live from the red carpet.. All media, particularly those that wouldn’t normally cover BET were providing anticipation for what the BET Awards would be in terms of a tribute to the fallen MJ. The entire world was watching, through BET, how the black community would celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Michael Jackson..
And then, true to form, BET’s show fell short, providing the world with a confirmation that our people… our culture is full of coonery and buffoonery. What was BET thinking??
I followed the preshow comments on twitter. Everyone, fans and industry heads, were wondering what in tarnation was happening. It was an utter joke. An gargantuan display of stereotypes and musical garbage.
Now, to be fair, there were some great moments in the show. The O’Jay’s tribute: Tyrese, Johnny Gill and Trey Songz did a great job and they were followed by the O’Jays who were…well, the O’Jays.. pros, awesome pros…… the duet with Jamie Foxx and Neyo singing “I’ll Be There”… The icing on the cake for me was to watch Janet Jackson sum up enough courage to come out and speak briefly to everyone. That took strength and fortitude… She was elegant, articulate and I pray for her comfort in this time of bereavement. Her grief will take a lot of time to stabilize from…..For me that pretty much summed up the positives.
The show was ruined by:
Lil Wayne and this new guy called Drake… What was up with the little girls dancing all over those grown men?
Ving Rhames: What was up with him? On the red carpet he was trying to explain to CNN that the Rollin 60’s gang are misunderstood.. On the stage, he tried to contrast Michael with a gun..an analogy that went over everyone’s head… this just after he tried to re-enact his role in “Baby Boy” with a shocked Taraji P. Henson and Tyrese Gibson. These antics ruined the presentation of Video of the Year, which I suppose is the highlight of this awards show…
Soulja Boy Tellem: To be fair, I already hate the song “Turn Your Swag On”.. so I guess this is a jaded criticism… To me his raps smack of uneducated buffoonery. A fact even more exacerbated by the atmosphere of a tribute for Michael Jackson… They could have left him off the performance lineup.
Joe Jackson: I am sorely disappointed that he is using this tragic time to promote a new record label.
New Edition: As we get older gentlemen, we need regular exercise…
Tiny: Ghetto Fabulous at the highest level. And the gum smacking, southern drawl made her look really wack. Perhaps that’s just her way… But I’m just sayin’
Frankie and Neffie: Couldn’t BET find something more positive to promote? I’m just sayin’…
T-Pain: I already had a beef with this guy since I saw him at the Grammy Awards two years ago… Big Ass Chain and sipping from a red plastic cup??? Stepin Fetchit is a good comparison.
Jamie Foxx: Shameless plugs of his upcoming tour…. I get it. I’m speculating that maybe BET was short on his normal fee and to compensate they allowed him to promote his tour.. I ain’t mad, but it’s the way it was promoted… it could have been promoted with much more subtlety and with much more class. Other than that Jamie was…well, Jamie… I ain’t mad at the moonwalk!!!
In the end, I was really disappointed with BET. I have wondered for some years now if they are purposely promoting coonery to the world as a strategy to keep us dumbed down. I mean the shows and videos are proof in the pudding. But for the Awards I would think they would kick it up a notch. I understand that the suddenness of the times caused a huge re-write of things.. The Awards are a huge undertaking and have been in the planning for months… BUT it seems that they could have done a better job…
Or maybe it’s not BET that we’re shocked with. Maybe the reality of current African American Pop Culture is too much for us to bear. We are looking for a scapegoat in BET when maybe we ought to blame ourselves. We have not taken advantage of the times to promote more positive images of ourselves. We have allowed the pimp, the hoe, and the baller image to permeate our consciousness.. Being dumbed down, illiterate and ill-mannered is at the top of our consciousness while the well mannered, sensitive, cultured black person is pushed under the rug.
So in the end, is it BET that we should be disappointed with? After all, they just did what they do. Provide us with a front row seat to coonery.
Or is it our fault for allowing coonery and debauchery come to the forefront when showcasing or describing our people?
I’m just sayin’…
The Soul of the Airwaves June 15, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in entertainmen, entertainment, music, news.Tags: black radio music portable people meter urban advertising broadcasters change
add a comment
All this talk about saving black radio is very interesting. There are many bloggers, prognosticators and pundits announcing the impending death of black radio and imploring the public to step forward and save it. They say black radio has lost sight of what it means to the community. Black Radio is becoming almost irrelevant.
Now, as a black radio veteran I can tell you that the medium is certainly important – a conduit to culturally relevant music, news and information. , Black radio is all about lifestyle. This is the history. But real business conditions affect the art and legacy of black radio:
With consolidation, we saw the soul of black radio change and, in a lot of cases, evaporate. Corporations are able to own multiple properties in a market, giving them powerful leverage in the sales and marketing arena. Music choices are made from a central headquarters location, corporate creative elements enter the airwaves, homogenizing the sound of local heritage properties…
The advent of syndication has removed the local appeal from black radio in critical dayparts. This is a key ingredient in the essence of black radio. Listeners want to connect with their station from a community level. And while nationally syndicated shows find success across the nation and some of them do a good job of connecting with the market, the casualty is that local feel that is so important to the community.
No Urban Dictates is a longstanding battle fought by black radio for years. The war for advertising revenue parity is a tough and gritty conflict. If you are in black radio and reading this, you need to take this moment and give one of those account executives a high five…
Portable People Meter has just changed the advertising game and is the main challenge of a major market black radio station. We were already in the throes of the aforementioned advertising battle and now they throw this in. They have changed the paradigm of how the audience is measured. The PPM does not accurately reflect who and how many people are listening.. They are under-sampling in the community and that short changes us at the bargaining table.
Performance Rights Act is making its rounds through Capitol Hill and possibly could become Law. H.R. 848 is sponsored by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan and would require stations to pay performing artists for playing their music. This will severely exacerbate the challenges faced by black radio. The argument is that the station benefits from the songs they come out with, therefore the station should pay the artist. If that is the case, then the playing of a song is like a commercial, because artists are hoping that the consumer will like the song and that will translate into the purchase of their CD. Like a commercial encourages the listener to buy the latest widget. If its hot, sales will soar… if it’s wack…. Speaking of wack, if the record is wack does radio get a refund???
These are just some of the real business issues facing the black radio station. The question is now how do we adapt and overcome market conditions in order to survive? The basic way we even operate as broadcasters has changed. The listener has so many more choices. And as we adapt to market conditions and changes in media consumption habits, our art changes…
Save Black Radio? Yes, Black Radio is in a state of strategic inflection. Change or cease to exist… And you know what? We(black radio) will survive.
The Circle of Life… March 29, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in Life, Spirituality.Tags: Circle of Life, Daughter, death, Grandchildren, laughter, love, memories, past
add a comment
I am at the stage in my life where I have to confront the unfinished business of my past. I have pushed to make a career as a broadcaster. I am fairly well known as a broadcast media marketer. I’ve been on the air occasionally as a host and co-host… I made my mom and dad proud…
And now, mom and dad have passed on… My dad made his transition on May 18, 2005… Mom left us suddenly on October 30, 2006. These events landed me in my hometown for lengths of time far longer than I have ever been since the age of seventeen, when I went off and joined the Marines…. Oh sure, I would come home for a weekend… talk to my dad and kiss my mom, but never in my adult life had I spent more than two – three days at home… or maybe a short leave of 14 days or so…
Now, here I am… In these brief years since my parent’s passing, I have spent more time in my hometown than ever before. I am like a fish out of water here… After a lifestyle of continuous music and media, I am now in the midst of quiet solitude. I am closing out my parent’s lifetime of success, spirituality and collections…
It is very very quiet here. I do not have any connections to any of my friends from back in the day. My home church is not the place as I feel I have outgrown it spiritually. And so I commute two hours on most Sundays so I can attend my church… or watch it on the Internet.
The good thing is that I have connected with my daughter (from my first marriage) in a way that we have never been connected before. She is a young woman with four (yes. 4) children. Wow!! I have four beautiful grandchildren. I have been able to help her in times of trouble, but it is still a work in progress… pray for me here…. Nonetheless I am able to spend time with the young ones… and that is a huge blessing!!!
I learned about my first love. I have often wondered where she was and how she was doing… Over the years I had even found myself looking for her on the Internet…. I found her sister on Classmates.com, and we made contact… I learned that my friend was murdered more than ten years ago and her body has never been found. I was devastated. I had to share with them the news of my parents as they knew them too… My mom and her mom were in the Navy together… They shared tidbits of the story with me…. This event tripped me out because I did not know… I had not heard the news… I even wonder if our episode in life caused her to make the choices in life… Was I the cause of her destructive lifestyle?
In the ’70’s, When I went away to the Marine Corps, I had no real claim to a girlfriend. But this girl and I had an unspoken love between us… In high school we went on quite a few dates… We spent quality time together… And in the years after school, even when I did not purpose to see her when I came home on leave, we would run into each other, and go out….
Somehow, I planned to marry my baby’s momma. I really should have never done this, but hey that’s a whole blog by itself…. I ran into my friend and asked her to dinner specifically for the purpose of telling her I was going to get married… I even had the rings in my pocket. We went to a nice place… we even got on the subject of marriage, but I did not have the courage to tell her…. On my wedding day, there was a reception in the hall next to mine… Coincidentally it was the wedding of a young lady who went to school with me… I kissed my mom and thanked her for pulling together such a beautiful wedding ceremony and went to change my clothes… As I turned from my mom, I bumped into someone… it was my friend…. I was devastated. I really did not know what to say… She was visibly hurt…. deeply hurt.
I never saw her again……
I talked to her on the phone once or twice.. just to see how she was doing and to apologize… My marriage lasted a few months and I moved on to Los Angeles.
This was years ago…. and as time has passed I have wondered every now and again how she was doing, was she happy… how many children did she have… did she ever realize her dream of being a veterinarian…. But instead of all that, I learned of her demise… And I did not learn of it until more than ten years after her death.
I have to admit, I cried for an entire weekend after learning this.
I have been married for more than 23 years. My spouse is my best friend, no doubt. She is rolling through this part of my life right with me… The passing of my parents changed her too as she was really close to them particularly my dad.
The passing of my parents has been a life changing experience. I am back in my hometown now… commuting to the City for work, church and events… I am spending quality time with my daughter and her children… I am in a space of quiet solitude where I can hone and increase my creative gifts…
I don’t know how long this will last…. This town is not me… But for now, it is what it is… and the next generation needs me….
wow. The Circle of Life…
What Happened to the Soul of the Airwaves? March 24, 2009
Posted by hannibaltharadio in entertainment, music, news, politics.Tags: airwaves, Arbitron, black, music, news, Portable People Meter, soul, urban radio
add a comment
I work at a major market station which is one of the last independent, black owned and operated stations in the nation. I am fiercely proud of this urban radio heritage.
Radio is often the first media choice of black people looking for culturally relevant content, music, news and information. During morning drivetime, the format is mostly the last bastion of culture for the African American driving into the workplace before they assimilate into general market America for the day. A captive audience for the exchange of information. In the home, the radio stays locked to the station for hours as the music, news and information speaks directly to the lifestyle of the African American consumer.
I have always marveled at how Arbitron measures the radio audience, particularly the black audience. The radio audience measuring company has always seemed to pride itself on its efforts to deliver accurate results when measuring the urban radio listener. At best, the diary system was a shaky yet agreeable method by which to measure the listening audience.
Now, they’ve come with the Portable People Meter. This new technology is being heralded as the best thing since sliced bread. General market stations love it’s so-called accuracy. And Arbitron reps are really looking to convince us that it is a much more effective method to measure audience than the diary system.The Portable People Meter (PPM) is a pager like device that is worn daily by the respondent.
The device measures what the respondent is exposed to, not what the respondent actually listens to.
Consider this: Typical African American woman from the community participates in the program. We know that her primary station is the local black radio station. If she could, she would listen all day because the station is culturally relevant, and provides honest and trustworthy information on products and services, plus the news and public affairs keeps her aware of issues and concerns in her community, from her perspective.She turns on the device at 7:30 am as she darts to her car, thereby eliminating the detection of the first two-three hours she was listening to radio while getting ready for work. Nonetheless, the meter hears her favorite station in her car. It registers the applicable info.
On her way to work, she has to stop at Starbucks. The radio inside the store is tuned to the top forty station. Not her choice, but just because she visited this establishment, the meter records this as as one of her stations.
At lunch, she stops at Home Depot because she needs some stuff for her home. In the Depot, the local country and western station is blaring. A station she would never listen to but because she was in the store for more than five minutes, her meter records the station as one of hers…
When she arrives at her place of employment, she conforms from the chocolate diva from around the way to capable chocolate corporate…. The radio at her workplace stays on a station that she doesn’t listen to and probably is not really listening to because it does not play the music she likes or provides information that matters or speaks to her directly. But the meter records this station as one of hers…
Is this theory of exposure an accurate measurement of this woman’s radio consumption? Even though she is exposed to these out of home formats, does that mean she is a listener? How does this exposure translate into real advertising dollars? I mean if the station does not speak to her, how then does she really hear the advertising and take action to patronize the product or service? Is exposure an indicator of real listening? Or a by-product of where the respondent happens to go as she moves about this world.
In the diary system, the respondent was able to reinforce their listening habits through comments. They would document the personalities and times that they listen, thereby giving radio stations a seemingly more in-depth analysis of the audience. The listener could describe the emotional connection they have with their primary radio station choice. In black radio, the emotional connection is the gold. The music of the community, the news of the community and in some cases, the personalities with whom the listeners could relate because they were the brothas or sistas that lived in their neighborhood or went to church or school with. The soul of the airwaves is captured through the ability of the station to be culturally relevant.
With PPM, the soul of the airwaves is muted through a emotionless technological advancement that shows how a listener is exposed to media no matter where he or she goes.. It eliminates all consideration of that listeners qualitative proclivities. The cultural relevance of black radio is silenced. It’s personalities now forced to an even more minimal on-air role as the quest to get exposed by whatever people meters are out there becomes all important. This means desensitizing your broadcast presentation to become more vanilla, transparent and soul-less.
And while this may sound good in a world where multiculturalism is the goal, I submit that we can still achieve the goals of multiculturalism by remaining true to who we are as black or urban radio. Those who seek us desire the rhythm of our format. And most importantly they crave the cultural consciousness of our broadcast flow. We don’t care who is listening, just as long as they listen and they listen because they can identify with the essence of the station. Does random exposure generate results for advertisers? I mean if the respondent is only half listening to whatever radio station is ambient at the time and location they are in, then how does that spur the listener to take action at the cash register?
Is the PPM holder more likely to respond to advertising on the ambient radio station? or to advertising on their P1 choice??
How many PPM’s are in the field? More to the point, in a city like Los Angeles, how many PPM’s are on black women 25-54? In Philadelphia, they said there were two (yes, two!) in the entire market. and each person represented more than 50,000 people. That seems like a huge guess!! I mean who validates this information? How is this acceptable?
I wish I had answers here, but I don’t. What I do have is a perspective. One that is centered with the experience of marketing black radio. And like it or not, PPM is here. And so how do we cannibalize black radio to become more of the general market so that we can show up on the PPM rankers? Is the age of the personality dead? And what of the emotional connection forged by black radio through news, public affairs and the music? Does PPM kill black radio? Do we abandon the heritage of doing black radio? Is the art form of radio dead? These are the issues of the day. The Soul of the Airwaves is dead. Do we resurrect it? Or is it a bygone legend of the past??
Lord help us.
