Halloween Party 2011

I went to a fun and festive Halloween party!

Of course I brought along the ol' Kenparazzi camera for some photos.

New Job at Fox 11: Day One

I started my job and immediately searched for the most important part of my workplace:  The KENding machines.

One has snacks and the other has 20 oz. bottles of Coca-Cola products including Diet Coke!

Vending machines.
How Ken Carr survives at work.

ebee's: There's an app for that

I was driving by the Applebee's at Grant and Swan in Tucson tonight and the 'l' is burned out on their sign.

It looked like it was an ebee's App!  There's an App for that!

The Kenparazzi photo:

There's an App for that!

Isn't that ironic? - Part 2

David Hatfield of Inside Tucson Business write a column about Tucson media.

He updates readers about each Arbitron ratings period and radio station's performance.

I posted a couple of weeks ago that Mega ended its Summer ratings period ranked 7th with 25-54 year olds and 8th overall in Tucson.

I learned an additional piece of information today:  I was also in the top ten in morning drive.

I said this before and I still stand by it:  I really do wish the company and the station the best.  However, I find the ratings have a bit of irony considering the circumstances.

It doesn't suck ending a job successfully.  It really doesn't.

To read the article, click here.

I start my new job today!

I'm starting my new job today at Fox 11.

Starting a new job reminds me of the first day of school.  Will the other kids be cool?  What should I wear?  Where do I go?  Will I be liked by the popular kids?

Ok, maybe its not quite like the first day of school.  But, it has a little bit of that element.

I'm excited for the opportunity!  I'll let you know how it goes!

By the way, I am hoping they have cool vending machines.

Ken Carr: Coca-Cola Freestyle Fan of the Week!

I was chosen as the Coca-Cola Freestyle Fan of the Week on their Facebook page! (To visit their fan page, click here).

They choose someone's photo with a Coca-Cola Freestyle soda machine each week to be 'Fan of the Week'.  I posed for a photo with the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine at the El Taco Tote near my apartment on Wilmot recently and it was chosen to be fan of the week.  To see the original blog post, click here.

Here's the photo!  Woohoo!

Mega 106.3 is now 106.3 The Groove

Today is the day that Mega 106.3 has been switched to 106.3 The Groove.

While I'm aware of the reasons the decision was made, due to contractual obligations I can't say much about the switch.  I'm obviously not involved anymore and it wouldn't really be appropriate to do so.  The one thing that I will say is that its remarkably similar to what it was yesterday (after listening for a couple of hours).

As far as my lack of involvement, I'm reminded of a few people I've worked with or heard about during my career.  They had been let go due to station format changes or other reasons outside of their control.  They trashed their former employers in the media, left being bitter human beings, or even have been as crazy as attempting to erase whole music libraries before they walked out the door.

I'm not that kind of person.

I have always believed its much better to be well thought of.  The world is getting smaller every day.  You never know who knows who and thanks to the internet its getting smaller all the time.  I left my last job knowing I did my best and tried as hard as I could with what I was given to work with.  I have always believed that if I did that I'd always have a chance.  The final radio ratings proved the work I did still had an audience.  I'll also admit I made mistakes.  I took on every work task that was suggested.  I thought it would make me more valuable.  Maybe it did but in the end it wasn't enough to keep me employed there.  I'll always be disappointed I didn't leave on my own terms but life isn't always fair.

Opportunities are created and chance is left to lotteries and drawings.  Its also true that working harder than most people pays off.  I learned that from my dad.  He worked really hard and I admired that about him.  I got my work ethic from him.  He worked harder than anybody I've ever encountered in my lifetime.  He's always been my hero.  I've known that hard work isn't enough so one thing I've added is a creative side.  Its been a combination that has worked for me.

I wish the best to 106.3 The Groove.

As I embark on the next chapter of my career starting Wednesday at Fox 11, I'm hoping they enjoy and appreciate what I do, who I am, and my work ethic.

Here's to success for everybody!

Unemployed Tour 2011: Furry hat

A shopping trip to Target on one of the last stops of the Unemployed Tour 2011.

Winter's coming.  Maybe I need a hat.

That's real fake fur I'm wearing!

Unemployed Tour 2011: Cosmic Bingo

The last few days of the Ken Carr Unemployed Tour 2011!

I went to Cosmic Bingo at Casino Del Sol.  I won $100!

Maybe my luck is changing since I've got a new job starting Wednesday.

Here's what my bingo machine screen looked like when I got the win and then a bonus photo of my buddy Clem rolling the big ass dice to win free bingo comps:

Winner!

Clem the big ass dice roller

Unemployed Tour 2011: Target

The last few days of the Ken Carr Unemployed Tour 2011 featured a stop at Target.

Maybe I should buy some ruby red slippers to wear at my new job.

I'm not in Kansas anymore!

Unemployed Tour 2011: Carl's Jr

Now that I've found a new job, I only have a few days left of the Unemployed Tour 2011.

Tonight's first stop was at Carl's Jr at Grant and Wilmot in Tucson.  I had chicKEN KENders!

I tried to get Anthony to pose for a photo.  I got the usual response when I pulled out the Kenparazzi camera.

Anthony doesn't appreciate the Kenparazzi.

I have a new job!

I posted 17 days ago that I was let go from my job of six years at Mega 106.3 / Journal Broadcast Group on October 5.  That started the Unemployment Tour 2011.  I will admit that I did enjoy the little vacation (if unemployment can be called a vacation) but its about to come to an end.

I'm proud to announce:  The Unemployment Tour 2011 ends.... Wednesday October 26!  I have a new job!

Everything in my life has some kind of story or unusual angle.  The story of how I got my new job is no different.

I have worked very hard in recent years to make new friends and connect with people on Myspace, Facebook and Twitter.  Social networking has given me lots of joy, given me a creative outlet that has gone beyond radio, gave me a place to share photos (which I love taking even though I'm nothing more than amateur photographer), and has been part of my effort to have more people recognize my name and work in media in Tucson and beyond.

The latest thing I can thank social networking for (Twitter specifically) is my new job.

I originally started my @kencarr Twitter account (http://twitter.com/kencarr) on 8/8/08.  Almost two years ago I was offered a second Twitter account by a wonderful woman named Leesa who I didn't know except through Twitter.  She had started @whatsuptucson (http://twitter.com/whatsuptucson) and was moving to Monterey, California.  She thought someone from Tucson should maintain it.

@whatsuptucson had about 2000 followers when Leesa gave it to me.  I had to figure out what to do with it and it ended up being a place I could post Twitter sized headlines and stuff I'd hear listening to the police scanner while continuing to use @kencarr for more comedy and behind the scenes Tweets about work and my life.  Many times while working at Mega late at night the posts I put up on @whatsuptucson ended up being the only place on Twitter in Tucson that posted info about breaking news stories.  I got a thrill out of being the first to post news on Twitter before Tucson's professional news organizations.  It's a fun hobby and broke the monotony of many of the long late nights I had working as much as I did while I was at Mega.

@whatsuptucson has grown to more than 4600 followers.  One follower in particular was how I got started on the path to a new job.

One week to the day after I was let go from Journal I got a Direct Message on Twitter from Bob, the managing editor of Fox 11 News here in Tucson.  He asked me to call him.  The phone call resulted in an invitation to go to Fox 11 for an interview.  Why did I get the call?  He had been reading what I Tweet and thought I'd make a good candidate for being a news producer based on my media background, that I know and love Tucson, and the Tweets I had posted over recent months and years.

Yesterday I was offered a news producer job at Fox 11 and I accepted!

I start my shiny new job this Wednesday October 26.  Three weeks to the day I was let go from Mega.

Twitter.... is..... AWESOME!

Unemployed Tour 2011: BJ's

Another stop on the Ken Carr Unemployed Tour 2011 tonight:  BJ's Brewhouse on Broadway Blvd in Tucson.

There's nothing more exciting on a Friday night then getting some BJ's!

Forgotten photo while working at Mega 106.3: One cloud

I discovered a photo today I had taken while working at Mega 106.3 / Journal Broadcast Group that I hadn't downloaded from one of my digital cameras.

The photo was taken on September 22 just before 10 a.m. in the east parking lot at the radio/tv building.  There was only one cloud in the sky and I thought it looked dramatic when I shot it.  I was on my way into the building for a department head meeting.

A lone cloud over northeast Tucson as seen from the east parking lot of
the Journal Broadcast Group building.

Walmart is out of vowels

I visted the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Valencia near Mission tonight in Tucson.

Apparently the store is out of vowels.

Who needs vowels in a sign?  Walmart does.

Unemployed Tour 2011: El Taco Tote and the Coca Cola Freestyle Machine

The latest stop on the Ken Carr Unemployed Tour 2011 was dinner at El Taco Tote on Wilmot north of Speedway in Tucson.

They have one of those amazing Coca-Cola Freestyle soda machines.  It has more than 100 combinations of soda that can be dispensed by choosing what kind you want from a touchscreen.  For example, you want a Coke?  Touch Coke.  Want it to be a Cherry Coke?  Touch the icon that says cherry.  How about a Peach coke?  Touch the icon that says peach.

Its a remarkable invention.  So remarkable, I had to express my love for it!

I was really happy to see the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine!  I gave it a hug.

I may have gotten a little too excited about the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.  It got a kiss, too.

Unemployed Tour 2011: Hosting Cosmic Bingo

I was a guest host at Casino Del Sol's Cosmic Bingo on October 15.

Its good to keep busy when you're unemployed!