Last week I talked a lot about how much I dislike talk radio. Some of you left comments agreeing with me, and others listed some of the radio shows they liked to listen to. I figured this week would be a good week to talk about a form of talk radio that I actually do enjoy and completely forgot about… Twins Radio.
My family and I are huge Minnesota Twins fans. Whenever I get the chance I am watching a game on television, getting stats online (usually during class around noon or one o’clock), or listening to the game on the radio in the car. Considering they have their own radio network, it is very easy to find the game on the radio in the car.
The Minnesota Twins, in conjunction with the Minnesota News Network, announced that the Twins Radio Network has grown to include nearly 70 stations that will broadcast throughout Twins Territory. Historically, the Twins Radio Network has been one of the largest in all of Major League Baseball with hometown radio partners bringing Twins baseball to fans across five states, and the network continues to grow. In 2007, the Twins assumed control and development of the Twins Radio Network. Not bad for the upper Midwest!
There is a link to listen to Twins Radio on the Minnesota Twins website. The radio stations for Twins Radio provide listeners with pre-game shows, play-by-play action during the game, and then the post game show. Some of the specialty shows on the stations include “Talkin’ Twins” with Matt Thomas, and “The Ron Gardenhire Show” with Ron himself. Along with regular season games, a lot of the stations also have spring training coverage as well.
So, I guess I spoke to soon; there IS a form of talk radio that I enjoy. If you are around the Fargo/Moorhead area like me, and enjoy listening to the Twins games, you can turn on KFGO Fargo, 790 on am radio. Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Communicating Through the Radio
It is strange to think how the media is everywhere. To use myself as an example, depending on the day, I watch a few hours of television. On Sundays if I am home I read the Fargo Forum and my local town’s newspaper. I have the radio on, music playing on my computer, or my i-pod plugged into my ears constantly throughout the day. It is easy to see why we are so affected by it. Even if I am not fully paying attention, the television is on in the background of a conversation I am having or my computer is playing some music while I do my homework. At the moment, I am listening to Crazy by one of my favorite bands, Aerosmith. I love listening to all sorts of music, and that is why I chose music/radio to be my medium for the blogs for this class.
I say music/radio because in a sense I find music to be its own medium. The radio brings us not only music, but talk radio, news, sports, etc. I cannot stand to listen to talk radio. I do not enjoy listening to people who use their position on the radio to get up on their soapbox and complain all day. However how boring and annoying it is, this is a way of mass communication using the radio.
My favorite part about the radio is music. Radio communicates with us using the news and talk radio, but I feel that songs communicate to us as well. Artists speak out and communicate with their audiences by the lyrics in their songs. It is amazing how one song can have multiple meanings to different people. Some songs can remind you of a certain time, place, or person in your life. Some songs make you laugh and others make you cry. Music is a powerful medium. So, because I feel these are two sorts of different mediums that coincide together, I will be writing a bit about both from week to week.
I say music/radio because in a sense I find music to be its own medium. The radio brings us not only music, but talk radio, news, sports, etc. I cannot stand to listen to talk radio. I do not enjoy listening to people who use their position on the radio to get up on their soapbox and complain all day. However how boring and annoying it is, this is a way of mass communication using the radio.
My favorite part about the radio is music. Radio communicates with us using the news and talk radio, but I feel that songs communicate to us as well. Artists speak out and communicate with their audiences by the lyrics in their songs. It is amazing how one song can have multiple meanings to different people. Some songs can remind you of a certain time, place, or person in your life. Some songs make you laugh and others make you cry. Music is a powerful medium. So, because I feel these are two sorts of different mediums that coincide together, I will be writing a bit about both from week to week.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Stars Shine in 2009: Changes in We-Fest Over the Years
The first WE Fest was held in 1983. Since then, the three-day concert madness has attracted more and more people each year. In 2007 and 2008 it was recorded that over 80,000 people traveled to the Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes Minnesota to enjoy some country music and camping with friends.
The line up for “Stars Shine in 2009” promises to bring an even bigger crowd to the concert festival this year, with headliners Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, and Toby Keith. Young stars within the country music are also performing at we-fest as well. Taylor Swift was a favorite amongst concert goers last year. I was there, and she put on a great show! I am glad to see she is coming back. Sawyer Brown is an old favorite and has played We-Fest before, as well as the North Dakota Wintershow, The Red River Valley Fair, and the State Fair; we like him in North Dakota. To check out more of the 2009 lineup, visit this link: http://www.wefest.com/2009/home.php
Before my friends and I started attending We-Fest, my parents were avid goers of the festival. That being said, that is probably the main reason I was not allowed to attend We-Fest in high school: my parents knew what happened there.
A lot has changed since the early 80’s when my parents attended the concerts. The most obvious would be prices. Last year when I attended We-Fest I paid $180 for my three day concert pass, and $60 for my three day camping pass. My mother recalls getting her three day concert pass for “maybe 40 bucks.” She also told me that there was no reserved seating. “You woke up at the crack of dawn and got in line with your lawn chair,” she said, “they opened the gates and you RAN to the stage. First come, first serve.”
She went on to explain how there was no VIP seating, and not nearly as many vendors as there are today. Money, money, money... Prices for tickets, camping, drinks, food, and souvenirs have increased dramatically over the past couple of years. “Just like everything else today, it seems like it (We-Fest) is more about the money than anything else,” my mom said.
To find We-Fest tickets for this summer visit: http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&q=we-fest
The line up for “Stars Shine in 2009” promises to bring an even bigger crowd to the concert festival this year, with headliners Tim McGraw, Brooks and Dunn, and Toby Keith. Young stars within the country music are also performing at we-fest as well. Taylor Swift was a favorite amongst concert goers last year. I was there, and she put on a great show! I am glad to see she is coming back. Sawyer Brown is an old favorite and has played We-Fest before, as well as the North Dakota Wintershow, The Red River Valley Fair, and the State Fair; we like him in North Dakota. To check out more of the 2009 lineup, visit this link: http://www.wefest.com/2009/home.php
Before my friends and I started attending We-Fest, my parents were avid goers of the festival. That being said, that is probably the main reason I was not allowed to attend We-Fest in high school: my parents knew what happened there.
A lot has changed since the early 80’s when my parents attended the concerts. The most obvious would be prices. Last year when I attended We-Fest I paid $180 for my three day concert pass, and $60 for my three day camping pass. My mother recalls getting her three day concert pass for “maybe 40 bucks.” She also told me that there was no reserved seating. “You woke up at the crack of dawn and got in line with your lawn chair,” she said, “they opened the gates and you RAN to the stage. First come, first serve.”
She went on to explain how there was no VIP seating, and not nearly as many vendors as there are today. Money, money, money... Prices for tickets, camping, drinks, food, and souvenirs have increased dramatically over the past couple of years. “Just like everything else today, it seems like it (We-Fest) is more about the money than anything else,” my mom said.
To find We-Fest tickets for this summer visit: http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_header_search&q=we-fest
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