The Bruce Sallan Radio Show – First Details

Posted on May 1, 2010 by Bruce Sallan

It’s really mostly good news, for sure, but it’s also more of a business proposition than I’d originally thought. Just another challenge and, truly, a great opportunity. Plus, I wanted an excuse to post the great Theme from the movie, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”. First Details.

Here’s how it works, nowadays, with local radio. The stations can no longer afford to pay for and provide programming on a regular basis. They just don’t get the advertising anymore! So, the model is changing in the following manner.

They essentially sell the whole time slot to a host/program. That person or entity then pays for the studio time, engineering, and does their own promotion AND owns the show. That, of course, is “the good news.” There’s much more good news than bad, btw, but “the bad news” is I have to work to sell the show via my various social media outlets, my own salesmanship, and friends and colleagues that can help. So, with all the web-sites and newspapers that carry my “A Dad’s Point-of-View” column, all my readers, my Facebook page, Twitter “followers,” and former showbiz contacts, I do have a good “rollodex” of people to mine. BUT, that is not why I went into this new career of mine (to be a salesman), but I have those chops and the end-game is worth it. Listen Now

Do Women Need Men?

Posted on March 16, 2010 by Bruce Sallan

There was a slogan in the early days of the feminist movement that went something like, “A woman needs a man as much as a fish needs a bicycle.” I was part of that generation, that also said, “Don’t trust anyone over 30,” among other things equally foolish. I seem to remember that whoever said that, about not trusting someone over 30, was a rock ‘n’ roll star that still tours, now in his 60’s. I wonder if he’s changed his mind? For my money, the only good thing that came out of the sixties was the music. I just wish more performers and Hollywood in general would just stick to their craft!

My former showbiz life coincided with the breaking of the so-called glass ceiling, which was quite real for a long time. Many women were now reaching the corporate and other hierarchies that had heretofore been denied them. However, instead of bringing their feminine instincts, skills, and traits to these newfound positions, many were adopting the worst of the existing masculine behaviors and habits. They were going to be just as tough, just as hard working, and just as ruthless.

Just A Guy Declaring Raising Kids Takes Luck!

Posted on November 14, 2009 by Bruce Sallan

It isn’t just a factor in Vegas. It’s a factor in everything in life. And, I believe it’s one of the biggest influences in how our kids turn out. Yes, every yuppie thinks they will do it better than every generation before and many of us do make parenting a bigger priority, but I assert raising kids takes luck!

Coming from a showbiz background, I saw how luck was a contributor to so many people’s success. Why did one actor “luck out” and get a career-making role like J.Lo in “Selena” while another whose name we don’t even remember got their “break” in what turned out to be a flop? Luck.

Cosmo, the wonderful Donald O’Connor star of “Singin’ In The Rain” sang “Make ‘Em Laugh” in that seminal musical number, but I say “Give ‘Em Luck,” for life and kid success. A little laughter along the way won’t hurt though. In fact, I’d suggest watching that number whenever you need a lift. We all know parents that have done everything “right” yet have kids who are addicts, failures at school, and more. We also know many lazy, lousy parents whose kids turned out great.

I don’t believe we should just rely on luck, but don’t discount it either. And, don’t beat yourself up when your kids disappoints and blame yourself or your spouse, or your divorce, or your own problems. That can make a difference, of course, and we all should do our best job at parenting. Luck is a non-negotiable, uncontrollable factor but, what do I know; I’m just a guy. But I will still assert – raising kids takes luck!

Just A Guy Frustrated With E-Mail

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Bruce Sallan

I completely love e-mail, as I dislike the phone–cell or hard-line. My former career in showbiz was spent on the phone so now I love the freedom of answering and responding to e-mail whenever I want. However, I am frustrated with e-mail as it is fraught with problems and, as I just read, is rapidly becoming anachronistic as more immediate forms of communication, such as IMs and Twitter, are taking over (among the younger generation specifically).

The thing that I keep on forgetting and can’t seem to learn is how e-mail is not the same as direct dialogue. Subtlety rarely comes across and sarcasm usually is lost. Then, there are the bigger risks when dealing with the opposite gender of being misunderstood and accused of flirting or the like.

In-Laws, Second Marriages, and Baggage

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Bruce Sallan

I believe all clichés are generally true. How else could something become a cliché in the first place? Not surprisingly, then, all the clichés about second marriages are true. Indeed, comedy careers have been built around jokes about a second set of in-laws, second husbands or wives, and blended families. For good reason: in-law jokes, and family relationship humor can be hysterical–sometimes.

In a second marriage, couples want to believe that they’ve learned something from the first one and they’re going to take all that hard-earned experience and apply it, making the second marriage work beautifully. Hmmm, is that why there’s a higher incidence of divorce in second marriages and an even higher divorce rate in third and fourth marriages? It is sad, but true.