59:59

Today I put together our country GRAMMY preview show. I enjoy doing free form shows where I don't have a format to follow, and can basically shape it however I see fit. However, this show, which will air on both Highway 16 and GRAMMY radio... has to be exactly one hour long. 59:59. Unlike absolutely every other show I work on, which is completely free form. New Music Roundup is roughly an hour... but if I'm 2 or 3 minutes off, it's no big deal.

So first step, pick the music. I put together a list of the music I wanted to use, with one song on "standby" in case I came up short. 46:34.

Then I wrote the production. Voiced by the lovely Amy Paige. Produced it myself, short sweet and to the point. Less than 2 minutes of production in the whole show.

Next I edited the soundbites I wanted to use. Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert. Came back from the Grammy party with a Gretchen bite, Little Big Town and yet more Carrie. I'm up to about 6 minutes in artist audio, with another bite on standby.

With the artist audio decided, I could polish up the script I wrote last week at Nashville Star. 11 segments. I built in places where I could edit Jon down if need be. Didn't even bother to time this out in my best Jon Anthony impersonation, just sent him the script and crossed my fingers.

So after he cut the audio today I chopped it all up into segments, MPA'd it, and was going to go home. But curiosity got the better of me.

Would it be too long? Would I have to loose the 2nd Carrie soundbite? What if it was short? I have another song... and another soundbite that goes with that song... but I can't just add the soundbite without adding the song. What if I'm like... 2 minutes short? Half a song? Do a medley? Write some more stuff for Jon to read?

I couldn't go home with such lingering questions haunting me all night. A few seconds here and there was manageable, but if it was off anywhere between 1-3 minutes, I was going to have trouble. If I was going to have to do a major overhaul on this show, I needed to know it now. So, I delved into the dreaded, evil GROUP function and put the show together. And when it was put together and mixed down, it came out to be.....




59:48.



I about turned cartwheels down Music Row. I wasn't crazy about my show close to begin with, so tomorrow I'm going to tweak it and add an XM audio logo and it will be done, Done and DONE!

This will air GRAMMY weekend, Feb 9 - 11th. I'll put up air times closer to the date. That also gives the 785 Carrie Underwood fans who came to visit me yesterday (Seriously, a record for this blog!) time to get their own XM Radio so they can hear the show themselves! (Just remember, don't pay full price, I have deals! ProducerJ at aol.com) And then they can listen to the Pre-Telecast (broadcast for the first time EVER!) live on GRAMMY Radio to hear all the categories that DON'T get announced on television. You can find out who wins say... Best Country Collaboration with Vocals the same time Garth and Trisha do. I **KNOW** the GarthNutts and TrishaWhateverY'allCallYourselves already have XM and will be listening.

And yes, like you need to ask, "Love Will Always Win" is in the show. It's the show closer actually. Not because I think like Garth and want to put my favorite song last, but because I had a good segway out of the song to wrap the show with. I'm not a GRAMMY voter, but if I was, I would probably vote for Jennifer Nettles and Bon Jovi on this one.

Although I did enjoy bringing things full circle from the first time the song played on XM just over a year ago (January 17th!) to be able to play it again as a GRAMMY Nominee.