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MONDAY RADIO COMMERCIAL SMACKDOWN: TERRIFIC STATION IMAGING

In a radio world in which almost all “emotion” that appears in advertising or imaging is “faux emotion,” this piece by Astral Media Vancouver’s John Masecar is a reminder that there is such a thing as honest emotion that doesn’t rely some announcer trying oh-so-hard to sound “sincere.”

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  • Dan O'Day March 19, 2012, 9:39 am

    I just learned that, ironically, John’s job at Astral has been eliminated, thanks to Astral’s being purchased by Bell, Canada’s largest media conglomerate.

    At an International Radio Creative & Production Summit a few years ago, Jamie Watson was one of my guest panelists for an all-star radio imaging session.

    Afterward, Jamie emailed me to say, “I saw John Masecar in the audience. I can’t believe you didn’t have him on the panel with the rest of us. He’s a brilliant producer and technician — famous across Canada for his work.”

    This might be a rare opportunity for a radio company to hire one of the best in the business.

  • Dave Kampel March 19, 2012, 10:33 am

    A prime example of a compelling, well-thought-out piece that was produced perfectly. Your minds eye virtually sees the scene as each narrating soldier tells his story. A “More is More” approach, as opposed to “Less is More”. This piece is 2 mins long..unheard of in a PPM/TSL world..except when executed in this manner. Great content has no time limits or constraints. Great content pulls you in and holds your attention. Could it be edited down to several :15 sweeps? No. Not if you actually listen and appreciate the flow of the story. As well as the artistry of the piece as a whole. Excellent work, John.

  • Jamie Montgomery March 21, 2012, 6:58 am

    Dan

    Thank you for posting this on your blog. As a young producer in the industry John Masecar has been my go to guy for advice and help. John is a extremely talented and has help me craft my skills

    thanks for posting this

    Cheers

    Jamie Montgomery

  • Neal Angell March 21, 2012, 12:37 pm

    Ditto to Dave’s comment. I can’t remember the last time (if any) that a piece of station imaging got me a little misty-eyed. My dad (soon to be 86 years old) was in the Navy during WWII and thankfully made it through unscathed – I find my mind lingering on the little boy in the story who wasn’t so lucky. Very moving, very powerful piece of work.

    Incidentally, not only can my mind’s eye picture the scene – my mind’s eye can also easily picture some dim-witted PD saying, “We can’t air that. Nobody will sit through it. Way too long.” My sympathies to imaging pros who work for people like that – I know you’ve had some of your best work never make it to air because of those “time constraints.”