http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl? http://www.eblah.com en http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283700247/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1283700247/#num1 Marty's Musings...


          Marty Forbes
WAB Broadcaster of the Year 2009

The Name Game

By Marty Forbes
   RadioWiseInc
    September 5, 2010

I was watching tennis this morning and thinking it's a good thing some of these players didn't play a 'team' game because their names are so long they'd go from elbow to elbow on their jerseys and the play by play guys would have a fit pronouncing them.

Then I got to thinking about how important your last name is.

On my last visit to see Mom in Toronto I asked her to sit down and tell me about her extended family. Her Mom. Her Father. Grandfather. Grandmother. Etc. Mom is over 80 years old so I was expecting a foggy memory but it was amazing how quickly and clearly she went back to her childhood and gave me some great insight into how she (I) got to our lives here in Canada.

My Dad died too young for me to be wise enough to ask that same question so I don't have that opportunity to search the other side of the clan.

Luckily he must have had some interest in it too because there was a Genealogy folder in his house when he passed away and it chronicled the "Forbes" legacy going back hundreds of years to Scotland. It's how I know the family credo "Grace Me Guide" and for my former interest in a certain local libation.

A scan through the 'tree' is a fascinating adventure and you can easily dream up some entertaining fantasy from hundreds of years ago that your family members were probably involved in.

I get two questions, mostly about my name.

1) Are you related to the Forbes Magazine family (answer: I wish) and
2) Are you related to Mugsy Forbes (no: but he gets the same one about me)

I'm happy to say the Forbes name carries a quality perception due to what my family has accomplished in our chosen industry.

My late father left us in 1981 and his legacy with CHED and Santa's Anonymous is being recognized in the building of the Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit. http://www.jerryforbescentre.ca As I'm sure you can imagine his image in the business carried brothers Gord and Gerry to an expected height.

The two biggest compliments I ever received were:

1) "The name is as close to royalty in Canadian radio as possible.
2) "The name is synonymous with success."

Thank you gentlemen.

The unfortunate part for the Forbes clan now is that I have two daughters who, when they marry, will most likely drop the Forbes name. Brother Gerry has been banned from having children (I Jest) and that's a good thing. Brother Gord also has a daughter and thankfully a son (Joel) who carries the name. We indeed will put great pressure upon him to have 12 children - all boys - (I don't mean it in a sexist way) so that they can carry the Forbes torch into the next century and so that his children can sit down one day and wonder why a European tennis player would use a hyphenated name that had a letter count well into the 20 digit area and also so that his kids can share a little historical pride in his heritage too.

Your name has 'great' importance and the more you know about it the more it rewards you.

I'm damn proud of the Forbes name and hope you are of yours too.

Ask your Mom and Dad the same question - Grampa and Granny if you can too - and I'm sure their faces will well up with pride when they unfold your interesting path from the past.

http://radiowiseinc.blogspot.com/2010/09/name-game.html?zx=1b28564e7ec283ec

.]]> Sun, 5 Sep 2010 08:24:07 B Control http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1282575166/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1282575166/#num1 Lots of other happenings around town


By Marty Forbes
EdmontonSun.com
August 23, 2010

Calgary may have the legendary Stampede but Edmonton soon gets the Canadian Country Music Awards.

The CCMA’s are a big deal here, attracting the cream of both the music and radio industry. Several Edmonton radio performers (and radio stations) have carried prestigious awards home from past CCMA’s and this year should be no different.

The 2010 CCMA Awards Show takes place on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Rexall Place and will be broadcast nationally on CBC and CMT.

Marathon man

Over the past few months I have had the great pleasure to work with the Telus World of Science management team of president George Smith and COO Steve Baker. George is off on a nice holiday break now and Steve is running the show.

If you know Steve you know he is a total dichotomy. By day he’s a dynamic leader and on nights and weekends he turns into the “marathon man” and is one of very few people who has just completed his 10th consecutive Death Race in Grand Cache. This is one of the toughest marathons and is gruelling on a body.

After running through the mountains I guess it’s truly ironic that the latest Imax attraction is tied to a legendary mountain, the legendary peak of Mount Everest. If you get a chance to see the Conquest of Everest, I highly recommend it. It’s a full 90-minute joy ride that is both visually and educationally inspiring.

Future leaders promise

In my quest to meet the up and coming leaders in our city, I was pleased to chat with Citytv’s bright and chipper Breakfast Television host Ryan Jesperson recently.

Ryan is the poster boy for enthusiasm and intelligence. He has a great handle on what’s right in Edmonton and what needs fixing and it doesn’t appear that he fears rolling his sleeves up and jumping in on any challenge.

Ryan is married to another high-profile media performer. Wife Kerry Skelton is part of the Rob and Audie morning show on Capital FM. So Edmonton community leaders, please feel free to make the invite. Ryan is waiting for a big call.

Dial twisting

We are only days away from the sign-on of another Edmonton radio station. The test signal should be heard shortly at 95.7 FM. The station is up on the Internet with some basic information and is calling calling itself The Sound. I’m not 100% sure of the format yet, but that will be known shortly.

Former Joe FM announcer Ryann Bradley will be heard doing mornings on the new station, and you may hear her former Bear announcer Jami Hendrix (Karen Kaye) as well. Plus long-time Newcap on-air personality Tim Reiss has just left Capital FM to join Rawlco’s Now Radio here in town.

Edmontonians elsewhere

Our city is a perennial gold mine for television and movie talent. The current hot guy is Edmonton’s own Nathan Fillian, who is starring in the very hot show Castle (Monday nights on CTV). But did you know that several other big stars have grown up or spent a significant amount time here? They include Tommy Chong and his daughter Rae Dawn Chong, Michael J. Fox, Jill Hennessy and Catherine Mary Stewart. As well Leslie Nielsen, Robert Goulet and Ponderosa pop Lorne Greene all worked here in radio in the fifties.

Nathan went to Holy Trinity school here, as well as the U of A and starred in soap operas for many years. Castle has that Moonlighting feeling with chemistry similar to what Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd had several years ago.

Change at the Arden

After 18 years at the helm of the Arden Theatre, Brenda Heatherington is heading east to open a theatre in Burlington, Ont. Her replacement is Casey Prescott, who joins the Arden after 10 years as the Banff Centre’s arts department program manager. Robert Cray is one of the lead acts this year and his show sold out in minutes. He is a frequent visitor to Edmonton and opened for Eric Clapton on his last tour through.

Iron butt ride

Global TV’s Gord Steinke just returned from an amazing 5,500-km motorcycle trip that took him just a few kilometres away from the Arctic Circle. Gord road a tough KTM motorcycle courtesy of Jim Roth at Cycle Works and reports the only casualty was “his butt.”

Gord’s a major history buff, as well as an adventurer, and his story and pictures are simply overwhelming. When Gord got back from his trek, he got some nice news. Watch for him doing some fill-in on the Global National newscast shortly. Check out his story and pictures at http://arcticmotorcycleadventure.blogspot.com/

Rock trivia

British rockers Procol Harum are teaming up with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Da Camera Singers for a concert Nov. 9 at the Winspear Centre, almost 39 years after their first visit to Edmonton. Those sharp of mind should remember that the last visit was part of ITV’s In Concert series. The producer was Senator Tommy Banks. The recording engineer was my brother Gord Forbes, now in Vancouver.

CKUA gem

I heard a great line from a musician being interviewed a week or so back describing how hard it is for her to keep her long-distance relationship together while on the road. “We now have a text-ual relationship.”

Marty Forbes is the president of Radiowise Inc, and can be reached by Email at mforbes07@shaw.ca

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/columnists/marty_forbes/2010/08/22/15106491.html

.]]> Mon, 23 Aug 2010 07:52:46 newsman http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1282514824/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1282514824/#num1 Courtesy The Edmonton Sun

Many people wrongly believe the Internet is a Wild West where freedom of speech is absolute and anonymity is guaranteed.

They post comments, blog, e-mail and tweet in ignorance of the law. But the law is clear.

The same laws that apply to old school media like newspapers, magazines, radio and television, apply to communication and publication via the Internet.

Yes, but many people don’t use their real names in Internet communications, so they are protected by their anonymity, right? No, that’s not right.

Whether you blog about someone you believe to be a “skank” or a “ho,” set up a fake Facebook page to harm someone’s reputation or post defamatory comments on a message board, all under an anonymous or fake name, the law is the same.

The person you’ve harmed has the right to apply to a judge for a court order compelling the release of information that can lead to your identity.

And that court order will be granted once the judge is satisfied there’s a reasonable case of defamation.

The court order can be directed to your Internet service provider, the owner of a blog, your e-mail provider or any other organization that might have information leading to your identity.

Right or wrong, courts are happily providing these orders.

The woman who called another model a skank and a ho was outed by Google following a court order.

A Halifax newspaper has been ordered to provide information on anonymous online posters.

An ISP has been ordered to provide information on a person who set up a fake Facebook page.

These are but three of many examples of such court orders. And some organizations holding information are releasing it without the necessity of a court order.

If you’ve defamed someone and an organization holds information that could lead to your identity, there’s little to stop that organization from releasing the information without a court order.

Also, while many ISPs insist upon receiving a court order before releasing information, they often won’t dispute the right of an aggrieved party to obtain the order.

Many believe the Internet should be a bastion of free anonymous speech.

But free speech doesn’t mean speech without repercussions, if you defame someone or break the law. There’s no more right to defame another or break the law via the Internet than in a newspaper.

As one judge has stated, “(T)here is no compelling public interest in allowing someone to libel and destroy the reputation of another, while hiding behind a cloak of anonymity.”

This applies even more to Internet communications which have the ability of moving around the globe while replicating at lightning speed.

A comment on one site can easily find its way to multiple sites and trying to effectively counter defamatory statements can resemble a game of whack-a-mole.

Once you’ve been identified and sued don’t think for a moment that a court will only impose a slap on the wrist.

After all, you may think, it’s just the Internet; people don’t take postings on the Internet seriously.

Maybe some don’t, but judges do.

A 2004 Ontario Court of Appeal decision awarded damages of $125,000 in favour of a mining company accused online of having committed fraud.

Earlier this year a British Columbia court awarded damages of $425,000 in favour of another mining company.

Sure, these plaintiffs might never get paid on their judgments. The defendant in the B.C. case is reportedly out of the country and collecting from him will be difficult; but do you want to leave Canada or declare bankruptcy to avoid a judgment?

So a word of advice to everyone, before you post your witty remarks, take a careful second look at what you’ve written.

Deleting it may be your best bet.

]]> Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:07:04 Marty Forbes http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1281365963/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1281365963/#num1 Edmonton

The city is full of future greatness

  
   By Marty Forbes
       EdmontonSun.com
         August 8, 2010 9:34pm

In my last column, I issued a challenge for future leaders to step up in our community, and, man, did they. I got several great e-mails from readers suggesting names, and the highlight was when one of Edmonton’s most respected young bloggers really took hold of the topic in his well- followed blog with his take on my statement.

This past week, Mack Male (known by his Twitter name, mastermaq) and I dined with Dean Hueman of Focuscom and we spent the bulk of our time discussing this interesting scenario and the keyword was “leadership.

We all agree that the venerable community leaders in our city have done an amazing job over the past few decades, but that it is time for not only new ideas, but new people to get into key community positions.

We also all agreed that it is often difficult to break in to these well-established organizations, especially if you are penalized simply for being young.

We discussed what leadership is all about and that we need to keep the focus on continuing to make Edmonton a great place to live on an ongoing basis.

It was an excellent discussion with three generations of different expressions, but all sharing the same ultimate goal of caring greatly about our city.

Business is indeed changing quickly, too. This shift to digital technology is dramatically changing the business landscape and it is often difficult for many senior business owners to keep up to technological changes and truly understand how the digital age is modifying how business is now being conducted in a mobile world.

So, again, we all agreed that it is time to “bridge the gap.”

We threw several ideas around and promised that we will hold subsequent meetings to move this platform of sharing and mentoring forward soon.

First thing I’m going to do is meet more young up-and-comers, so thanks for the list, Mack.

So keep the ideas flowing. Go old school to me — digital to Mack — and somewhere in between we’ll have some tangible ideas to expose on both of our chosen media platforms in the very near future.

I am indeed confident there is future greatness living in our city and that these people need mentoring and guidance from those of us at the tail-end of our careers.

■ I got the blues all over you. More details on Edmonton’s 12th annual Bluesfest, running Aug 20-22 at Hawrelak Park. By the time you read this the three day passes will likely be gone, but fret not, as there are individual day tickets available. Check out Jimmie Vaughen’s eight-piece band, or Canada’s brightest blues players, Monkey Junk. There’s lots of great food, a huge beer garden and park ’n’ ride is available. It’s just an amazing upbeat atmosphere, start to finish. Cam Hayden and Carol Dean search the globe for worldclass talent and every year this just gets better and better.

■ Another treat night for Mr. and Mrs. Forbes was visiting Il Forno, which has been an institution in the west end for decades with media pal Steve Hogle and his wife Kathy. Steve is settling in nicely in his new gig with the Katz Group and confidently carries the Hogle family respect that has been present in Edmonton media for three generations.

■ Cowboys to oil: I think it’s an interesting fact that former longtime Edmonton club and restaurant owner Paul Vickers moved to Calgary and “branched out” from the club business several years ago. One of his businesses now is called US Flood Control and it was actually involved in the BP cleanup, so I guess if you had beer and wings at Cowboys in the past you’ve helped fund this titanic ecological repair.

■ My bad on the mall. A correction note courtesy of Sherri Clegg from WEM. “Bourbon Street remains Bourbon Street. Entertainment Alley refers to the entertainment venues on Level Two of the mall which have outside entrances to the parking lot — Ed’s Rec Room, Edmonton Event Centre and Empire Ballroom, for example. They are all in one area.”

■ Now for something entirely different. The Rock and Roll Society of Edmonton is proud to support the third annual Celtic Festival scheduled for Saturday at Hawrelak Park in the Amphitheatre. In addition to Celtic rockers and acoustic acts, the day-long event also features a lively mix of Celtic fare including dancers and a traditional pipe band.

■ Edmontonians elsewhere: When I ran The Bear during the ’90s, one of our best-rated shows on the station was the Matt and Jake afternoon drive show. Matt Mauler (Cundill) is now program director at Corus Radio’s Power 97 in Winnipeg. Matt checked in with this: “Kim and the kids are loving Winnipeg. They do wish an NHL team were here, though. We will always be connected to Edmonton because we had the twins, Andrew and Jacob, followed by Daniel, at the Grey Nuns. Kim still wears her Oiler blue. When we were moving to Winnipeg from Montreal, we passed by the Chris Pronger Arena in Dryden, Ont., and she had her middle finger raised. (She’s an Oiler fan, alright)” More on the other half of the team, Jake Daniels (Greg Brown) later.

Marty Forbes is the President of Radiowise Inc, a media and marketing company. He is reachable at mforbes07@shaw.ca

http://www.edmontonsun.com/news/columnists/marty_forbes/2010/08/08/14963521.html
.]]> Mon, 9 Aug 2010 07:59:23 Voice Over http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1280869677/ http://www.pugetsoundradio.com/cgi-bin/forum/Blah.pl?m-1280869677/#num1
Marty Forbes
RadioWise Inc.
August 3rd, 2010

One of the most precious things that I valued in my career is the friendships that I have made that have endured through corporate change, competition, and mostly "time."

One friendship I have greatly valued over the years is with Bob Dearborn, a gent who has had a great career on both sides of the border and for a very long time.

I met Bob when I was doing a format flip in Edmonton and was searching for an expert in nostalgia radio. I called Bob out of the blue when he was running a great station in Seattle, Washington and I hopped a plane down for a face to face discussion.

Bob opened the door for me, sharing both his massive expertise and contacts to help me get the format up and established in Edmonton.  Several times over the first year I had to reach out for further assistance and Bob was there for me each and every time and "unquestioned."

Over the years we've had that "once or twice a year" type contact and we remain friends to this very day.  

Bob now lives back east in Canada and, for the past few years, has had to deal with family health issues which impacted heavily on his career.

Rather than complain about his lot in life Bob turned his attention to a great project that will ultimately benefit radio types and again "unselfishly."

Please check this link.

http://oldediscjockeysalmanac.blogspot.com/

That's Bobs FREE daily prep site.

That's right...free.   It's jam packed with great information, and updated daily.  You'd pay a bundle for this information elsewhere.

Also, please take the time to check out Bob's amazing breakout on the lyrics to American Pie.  It's extremely interesting.

Enjoy, but please do me a favour and send Bob a "thank you" email if you use the site.  

I know he would appreciate it and you might even make yourself a valued friend like I did.

Great job Bob. No surprise to me.

.
]]> Tue, 3 Aug 2010 14:07:57 Marty Forbes