I work at the intersection of the arts and media, as a consultant in the radio and recording industries. What continually fascinates me is the balance between the aesthetic imperatives of the arts and the demands of a mass audience, and the parallel tradeoffs between public service and making a profit. The debates on those subjects often embody unspoken assumptions and stock narratives that aren't openly challenged. I hope to bring out some of those underlying issues, and their implications for the future of the arts in the mass media.
I've been fascinated by the media as long as I can remember. At the age of 9 I submitted a question to the network radio show "Ask CBS News," and it was answered on the air--which meant that my name was broadcast all over America, a notion that thrilled my youthful self. By the time I was 13 I was on the radio regularly as a "teen panelist" on the CBS station in my hometown of Hartford, CT. I got a job at that station at the age of 16, hosting talk shows a year later.
I was drawn to classical-music broadcasting under the influence of my college radio station, and became the host of the morning show on Boston's WCRB in 1972, when I was 21. Later I was the station's music director. After getting an MBA I went on to manage a few stations. I jumped to the recording industry as Diretor of U.S. Operations for the Teldec record label. For the past decade I've been a consultant, which I enjoy because it draws upon the full range of my experience...as I hope this blog will too!
