Ric Chetter - From Radioland

Ric is back in the studio with new episodes of From Radioland. Now that Spring has sprung, there are a lot of new things happening in the world and this show is one of them. For those that are not in the know, Ric is a co-host of Radio Memphis in The Morning. In case you missed any of last week's shows, we have taken a bit from each day to show just how the week went. Also in the episode, new voices. You'll hear Monica who helps Ric & ElJay deal with the show and all of the world events. And if that wasn't enough, Rosie makes her return to the air in this episode. (Hint: You are going to be hearing a lot more of her at Radio Memphis)

In this episode, Ric talks of the impending situation regarding artificial intelligence. Should you worry? Judging by what is being rolled out, probably not. Ric thinks of it as kind of a parlor trick. Sure, it can do a lot of things. But, it doesn't do any of them very well.

Ric takes a look at the coming new year. Sure, we can all speculate. But not like Ric.

First it was radio that was dying. Now it looks like broadcast television is on life support. At the very least local TV seems to be the first to start seeing the throes of closure. 

Dealing with digital personal assistants is not what we were promised.

"If I could do what you do, I wouldn't be doing this." That is a line a lot of us have used over the years when we have met someone with extraordinary skill and talent. Some of us have heard that line said to us as well. That really is a special moment when that does happen. But, understand what our path is life really is supposed to be is what makes us all unique.  NEXT WEEK: Shut Up, Alexa  

The Earthly population has eight billion humans. That is a lot of people. Or, is it? In this episode, Ric takes a look at just how many people that really is and what impact that number has on a few things. Even hopes and dreams can suffer under a number like that. NEXT WEEK: Green with Envy

You might want to re-think the whole traditional Thanksgiving feast. The price of butter alone should make you think twice. If you want to have some real fun, search Butterball Turkey in Amazon. Something certainly seems off this year and it would appear that all of this talk of Avian Flu may just be an excuse to raise the price on the star of your dinner table. Fish sticks anyone? NEXT WEEK: Eight Billion

If it is one thing about corporate America, it is that all of them hate everybody and each other. It is a sad, yet amusing thing and all any of us can do is accept that. In this episode, Ric relates his time with corporate radio and how working for just the paycheck and the experience is never what you hope it is to be. Also, even away from the corporate game, we are all still players in this messed up world. NEXT WEEK: Your Turkey Sucks  

There is a fair amount of upheaval happening in the world of streaming television. All the things we as cord cutters ran from has already re-formed in to package deals some with ads and some without. You know what this is like? Cable television. Just like old times. What is the same is that there is still nothing on. What is different? The content seems to have gotten worse.  NEXT WEEK: Corporate America is Killing All of Us.

Inflation by it's natural definition is an inflated price of things. These days, there is a bit more to the concept. Sure, things have gone up in price for a number of reasons. Could be shipping, supply issues and the like. But, let's call our current situation what it really is. Corporate greed. NEXT WEEK: The Never Ending Streaming Wars  

Journalistic integrity is a lost art. We are all so attuned to bad reporting that some of us wouldn't know good reporting if they actually saw it. What's more is that bad reporting and writing is destroying local newspapers and has made local television news unwatchable. In this episode, Ric delves into this sometimes controversial topic and does his best in explaining what we are all seeing. NEXT WEEK: Call it what it is, Corporate Greed  

It would appear that all things are not well in the Metaverse. For the uninitiated, you are apparently not missing anything. Now with talk there are very few people who are using the platform and more people have shown extraordinary apathy to the thing, Zuckerberg seems to have chosen the hill on which to die upon. Add to the mix that Facebook (Meta) stocks are dropping and the company is losing a lot of cash, one has to wonder if this is truly the end for the once giant monster in the room. NEXT WEEK: Journalistic Integrity... or the lack thereof.

After a 9 week summer hiatus, Ric is back in Radioland with a new episode and regular production schedule. In this episode, Ric not only explains the break but takes this time to take on the phenomenon of the rise of various hate groups in America. It hit home recently when the Proud Boys showed up to protest their perceived menace that was a small group of drag queens. As absurd as that sounds, their perceptions of whatever social dangers they think they see are nothing more than a display of their own fear.   NEXT WEEK: Zuckerberg has issues. 

Ric spent some of his formative years in South Texas. He also spent a little time in Uvalde, Texas. The scene of a horrific school mass shooting. In this special episode, Ric tries to make sense of the situation. He also tries to understand what it was that happened. Join him for a bit of therapy if you need to find the things he's looking for, too. This is the episode that aired on Radio Memphis on 25 May, 2022. NEXT WEEK: 6% of You Are Stupid  

If you have ever spent any time with someone from a previous generation, they might tell you that "the whole world has gone to hell." For some younger people, that is rather off putting. Ric gets it. Here is a little secret. EVERY generation says the same thing to the younger generation. Surprise! Nothing has changed. NEXT WEEK: Uvalde, Texas  

Perhaps an interesting test of the power of an unfiltered internet comes in the everyday coverage of a war. That is precisely what is happening now. Among the cat videos, self-affirmation memes, and random political falsehoods one can find fascinating threads of the war in Ukraine being posted by those actually participating in the thing. The important thing for anyone to remember is the fact that most large events portrayed among the feeds of any social media may either be too much information or merely a reflection of the facts at hand. Ric's advice to anyone cruising this form of coverage should beware, it's like trying to drink out of a fire hydrant. NEXT WEEK: The World is Always Going to Hell.

In a sort of continued thought from last week, Ric talks about the notion that forward progress can be a good thing. However, for that to work, people should lose the things we no longer need. Nostalgia is fun to think about, but sometimes things last only for so long. Drawing from the example Netflix is setting up, some decisions are easier to make than others. If there is one takeaway from all of this, don't let others tell you what you like. NEXT WEEK: War, Social Media Style

Part of an advancement of society means some sort of progress, ideally. Never ending references to the way things used to be have become tiring to many people. Now, we must look to the way things are going to be. In that the world is approaching a post-pandemic situation, the old thing of "the new norm" is now. Most of the world has changed. Some changes are not so great while others are pretty good. Here, Ric takes a look at how the inherent resistance to change tends to slow things down. We aren't going back, and that is not a bad thing. NEXT WEEK: Not all things are worth keeping.

The "rise" of virtual reality seems more like a dud than the latest and greatest thing. Mark Zuckerberg thinks people will come flocking back to Facebook as a result. The issue it seems, is that virtual reality is having the same trajectory as 3D movies have had. Cute trick, but not a necessary thing. Headaches aside, the whole notion of entering a virtual world cut off from real society is just not all that appealing. Then again, is "Zuck Bucks" going to be the right answer? NEXT WEEK: Post Pandemic Norms