Building and Protecting your Reputation |
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I mentioned last week that Neil Young had removed his music from Spotify as he objected to the presence of a podcast by Joe Rogan, who's podcast has contained misinformation about COVID-19.
Neil's action has now been followed by a number of other artists, and as a result the Spotify share price has dipped sharply. But it's not only Spotify that has suffered. There are a number of funds which invest in the rights to musician's catalogues, and they've fallen too.
Furthermore, the UK government is taking a close look into streaming services and how they operate.
My web radio show is on Spotify and several other streaming services. In fact, there's over one hundred and fifty hours of my audio content dating back to 2005. However, I don't think removing it would put too much pressure on them, so I'll leave it be for now. |
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Sometimes it's the right thing to do to say sorry and reverse an unpopular decision (Spotify take note).
Scottish football club Raith Rovers announced a very controversial signing this week, with striker David Goodwillie arriving from Clyde.
David Goodwillie was ruled to be a rapist and ordered to pay damages in a civil case in 2017, despite the police saying there wasn't enough evidence to charge him with an offence.
A couple of days later, in the wake of huge protests, the club issued a statement apologising "wholeheartedly" to fans, sponsors and players for the "anguish and anger caused over the past few days".
Chairman John Sim said "I can therefore confirm that, following a meeting of the board, the player will not be selected by Raith Rovers and we will enter into discussions with the player regarding his contractual position."
Author Val McDermid (pictured) - who has a stand at the club's Starks Park stadium in Kirkcaldy named after her and is the team's shirt sponsor - ended her support of Raith on Tuesday in protest at the move.
Responding to the U-turn on Thursday, she said it was "a victory of sorts of the hundreds of people who make the club, who were appalled a the original decision".
At least the club had the good sense to reverse their decision. But what made them think it was a good idea to sign him in the first place? |
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 | My radio show guest this week is Blair Dunlop, an award-winning British singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has now released 4 albums 2 ep’s and toured around the globe.
I met Blair a couple of months ago at a concert in King's Place, London and I was immediately impressed by his playing and singing - so impressed that I immediately bought a double album from him at the merchandise stall. He has some great stories to tell, as you will hear.
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Of course, I'm featuring one of Blair Dunlop's songs - Spices from the East. |
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MediaMaestro, MediaMug of the Week |
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It's eight-year-old Dillon Helbig, whose first book has become a surprise hit in his Idaho town of Boise.
He placed his 81-page handwritten Christmas tale onto a bookshelf at his local library without anyone noticing.But to the surprise of both himself and his parents, 56 people have joined the library's waiting list to read it.
The fictional novel tells the story of how Dillon was decorating his Christmas tree when it exploded, magically transporting him back to the year 1621.The year is a reference to when the Thanksgiving holiday was first celebrated in the US, a fact he checked with his mother while working on the book over the winter holidays.
He already has plans for a sequel. He told interested reporters that his next book will be "based on actual events". And he has already decided on a title for it - The Jacket-Eating Closet.
Good luck Dillon! |
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The MediaMug this week was suggested by another old pal of mine, Niels Brabandt,
It's GB News, who took the extraordinary step of interviewing a Winston Churchill impersonator as though he was the real thing.
During a segment on Sunday's programme marking the 50th anniversary of the wartime PM's funeral, presenters Anne Diamond and Stephen Dixon took to interviewing Stan Streather - aka 'Winstan Churchill' - not only in character but as if he were the man himself.
Anne Diamond cited people saying "if Churchill were in charge" before asking Streather "why do you think there is still so much admiration for you?" Streather responds by saying "I was the right man at the right moment", before adding that "I don't think I could probably survive in the current climate, although one would give it a go, of course".
GB News claims to be a news channel.
And as you can see below, I wasn't making it up... |
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Speaking Tip of the week - Don't peak too late |
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I'm sure that your speeches contain some great lines. Sometimes when you deliver a phrase, you get a reaction like a laugh or a gasp of amazement, maybe both. Alas, those lines don't work every time, but you soon learn the ones that nearly always hit the sweet spot.
The trick is to know when to use lines like that. There may be a temptation to save them all for the big finish, so you can get on a roll and leave your audience in hysterics, or roaring with approval at your well-honed insights. That's if they are still with you of course.
And that's where the potential problem lies. You need to grab the attention of your audience at the start, and not let go until your speech is over. A big finish is still important, but you want to make sure that you are still in the race.
Stand-up comedians will often start their set with their second-best gag, and close with their best. That always gives them the option of delivering the closing gag second if the opening gag doesn't work (and then hoping that the audience laughs).
In a speech, it's important to bang in some great lines right at the start. if you want to be remembered, you have to get the attention of your audience immediately and take them with you all the way.
Don't peak too late! |
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Media Tip of the week - Mind your Media Manners |
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My grandmother always used to tell me that good manners cost nothing. How right she was. There's no need to ever be bad mannered, especially when dealing with the media.
Alas, some people forget that when they are speaking with journalists. It may be that they are worried about being misquoted, or are slightly annoyed about the questions being asked. However, none of that matters when a reporter is simply trying to get a quote from you before their deadline.
So here are a few simple rules that will endear you to journalists, that I think my grandmother would also approve of:
- Be polite and respectful. Understand that reporters are simply doing a job, and it's your role to help them
- Do your homework. Make sure that you have any facts they may ask about and that you are as informed as possible about the topic of the interview
- Never exaggerate or make overblown claims. They will come back to bite you
- Never lie. Never. That's an absolute rule, but you'd be amazed how many people ignore it
- Always follow up with anything you have promised to supply, and do it as quickly as possible.
And here's a bonus rule 6. Be playful and friendly. Inject some humour into your interviews and you'll be much more likely to be regarded as a valuable source. |
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Social Media Tip of the week - Don't rant! |
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It can be extremely tempting to let off steam on social media, whether it's about sport, politics, or the person who stole your car parking space in Sainsbury's.
But beware. It's extremely easy for your clients and potential clients to search through your comments and make a judgement about whether you'd be a good person to work with. Back in the day, people used to try and keep their work and social feeds separate. However, that never really worked, and today most people post social and work-related content in the same social networks.
I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't express strong view from time to time. People like to see that you have firm opinions. But if you are going to go off on one about a person in front of you in a queue who took to long to pay for their shopping, or a cyclist who went through a red light, then people must just think you get angry quickly and often.
So next time you feel like a rant, type it out and let it rest for a few minutes before posting it. You probably won't post it at all, but you may have got rid of your frustration. |
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Speaker coaching - a reminder |
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A reminder about my speaker coaching programme for 2022 - find out more at the link or reply to this email
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The information in this ezine may be freely re-used in any online or offline publication, provided it is accompanied by the following credit line - "This information was written by Alan Stevens, and originally appeared in "The MediaCoach", his free weekly ezine, available at www.mediacoach.co.uk." |
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