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by robinr from News

Last Post 5 days, 2 hours Ago


Now Hear This ..
Jul 20, 2007 | 9:54 PM
Category: News
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THRIVE ON LIVE

MUSIC! Chicago's reputation as the Blues Capitol of the World should really be expanded to include all kinds of crowd pleasing tunes. As I was rackin' my brain to come up with the answer to "why" I love Chicago for this series we've been running on Fridays, there were just too many restaurants, shops, people, festivals, neighborhoods, events, landmarks, etc for me to possibly choose! But music is the soundtrack behind much of what we enjoy in this fabulous city. Thank goodness we support the local artists so they can share their gifts until (or in-case-they-don't) make it "big". I do wish radio stations would take a chance on good music that doesn't come packaged with major label marketing. Maybe we can make an impact there by calling and writing and requesting local original artistry? I'm betting some smart radio programmers turned away Kanye West, or Billy Corrigan! I won't even comment on the anti-talent forced into our ears because a record company convinces a broadcast company it has "what it takes" to be a hit -- I wish I could hit back! New technology and internet sales are making an impact in favor of the many independent artists who are amazingly talented. Still, it would be so much easier to just turn the dial and hear new, real talent! Haven't you heard a band or a musician or a vocalist in some lounge who SHOULD be heard worldwide?
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Mark_Allen read my blog view my photos
Jul 21, 2007 | 6:24 PM

Lets start Neighborhood Idol where we could feature more local artists who deerve some airplay in theor hometown. It would work with your support. If you're for real, lets do it!!
cynthiaG
Jul 26, 2007 | 3:31 PM

NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
With confirmed attendance from prominent members of the NAACP, Illinois Government, Playboy Corp., Sprint Corp., The Darfur Coalition of Wisconsin, Chicago Urban League, Chicago Coalition to Save Darfur, and MANY more - it is now EVERYONE's opportunity to make a difference.

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AvatarOfUrDreams read my blog view my photos
Jul 26, 2007 | 4:24 PM

I love Chicago because I was born here but did most of my growing up in Arizona.

Phoenix was an odd culture to grow up in… It has no real “cultural diversity” and in that I mean you are basically “White”, “Black”, “Mexican”, or “Other” while here in Chicago Everyone’s heritage is celebrated to the utmost!

We have Greek Town, Little Italy, China Town, Korean Town, the various Polish Neighborhoods, each type of “Latino” has it’s own distinct neighborhood and it’s own distinct festivals and cultural events… The list goes on and on and on…

You are encouraged to not only “Coexist” or cope with the multitudes of varieties of backgrounds but it is considered common to learn about the cultures and the wonderful variations of the humans on this planet.

In Arizona it felt odd to even mention your heritage if you were not Mexican. No one cared… There wasn’t a Grandma to tell you about your heritage or a neighbor that came to this country with your relatives… I was the only person I knew that still had Sunday Dinner with my Grandparents and only because they moved out to the Phoenix Area.

Everyone else was from EVERYWHERE else… And so our histories became lost…

It became a McDonald’s world… Everything was the same no matter where you went…

I’ll admit that I have a greater understanding of Mexican and other Latino cultures as a result of my life in Arizona but to truly experience the pride of each of the different “Neighborhoods” in Chicago really made me realize how cut off, culturally, I was in AZ.

If you were to do a segment on each of the cultural neighbor
AvatarOfUrDreams read my blog view my photos
Jul 26, 2007 | 4:25 PM

Cont:

If you were to do a segment on each of the cultural neighborhoods of Chicago and the wonderful diversity of people we have it would be a great boon to those in the burbs that don’t realize how specialized each neighborhood can be.

Heck… You could spend a whole week on each neighborhood… One night on the food, (Though probably 2 with the variety! LOL) one night on the stores and products brought from “Over There”, one night on the festivals and cultural events… The list goes on and on and on…

Our diversity is the reason that we have such a great city and the fact that each remains distinct and has not just melted together and lost it’s unique properties truly sets us apart from most of the US.

Sincerely,
Mary - Loop
Mark_Allen read my blog view my photos
Jul 29, 2007 | 7:11 AM

Hey Robin:

Suggestions: Why not begin to interview the various program directors of these stations and get their public commitments to give Chicago artists a chance. There are some stations who used to have popular segments called "Chicago Home Jams."

Also you could take submissions and begin to convince Fox to uise the music during their morning shows. That would also generate very good visibility for the artists and thre local music shops where the mataerial can be purchased.
robinr read my blog
Jul 30, 2007 | 10:02 PM

Sorry I missed the Thursday night at Boutique and I hope the Bortz group will let us know of future events to benefit rescue in Darfur and awareness about the human crisis there.

Chicago neighborhoods are absolutely the cornerstone of our unique and treasured civic character. Don't you worry that in time, the distinct cultural pictures will blur? I guess we better profile them before that happens!

Featuring local musicians is something we already do on Fox news in the Morning -- I'm sure we could do more but, realistically, will you stick around when we say "John Doe coming up with a song you've never heard before"?
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robinr

Robin Robinson has been anchoring the evening broadcast at Fox News Chicago since it debuted in 1987. A veteran reporter and constant suppporter of efforts to improve the quality of life in what she considers the world's greatest city, Robin can also be heard each weekday evening during the 5pm hour on WGCI FM, 107.5 with a preview of the stories in the works for Fox News Chicago at 9.

Member Since: 11/15/2006


 

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