VGN Radio
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| Video Gaming News Radio | |
| Hosting | Kevin Baird Brian Baird Don Anderson Larry Mac |
|---|---|
| Updates | Weekly (Bi-weekly in summer) |
| Genre | Video Games, Comedy |
| Website | http://videogamenews.com |
Video Game News Radio (shortened to VGN Radio) is also known as Medispective and is a gaming podcast that now covers a range of topics on media in general. The show is hosted by Kevin Baird, Brian Baird, Don Anderson, and Larry Mac. VGN is incorporated in Cleveland, Ohio and has been online for 10 years with the podcast running since mid 2004. They have done NPR interviews and have appeared on television as point-counter point on national news shows.[1] Kevin Baird also maintains the iPodder games directory listing.
After going bi-weekly for half of 2006, VGN now produces a weekly podcast, except in the summer (when it will once again be bi-weekly). Normally the latest show is posted on Tuesday or Wednesday of the same week.
The show is also a part of the All Games Radio network, and airs Tuesdays at 9:30pm EST at: www.allgames.com
According to recent numbers provided by Podtrac, there are currently 1,500 or more individual listeners to VGN Radio.
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
"Perspective from the working class, where the purchase of a video game is judged not on its quality, but how you can justify its price to your wife/girlfriend. And how manly you look to others while waving around a pink controller to make an ape do flips on the screen. " --About the Show, All Games.com
The basic format of the show consists of Kevin Baird listing the week's gaming news and press releases to Don and Brian, to which they react in myriad different ways. One or more segments generally follow the news (see Segments below).
[edit] The Hosts
- Kevin Baird
Kevin has had many blue-collar jobs, including working as a barback at Christie's Cabaret, Grocery Store Bagger, Dishwasher, and spent 6 years cooking food for various restaurants. A self-taught computer programmer, Kevin founded Video Game News in 1995 and has hosted VGNRadio since July of 2004. He owns a console collection (160+ systems in total, including the Gizmondo) and is comfortable talking about all platform and all genres. Kevin generally plays the role of facilitator, as Don and Brian sometimes don't have extensive knowledge of specific games or issues related to the games industry. Not having any kids (unlike Don and Brian), he generally has more time and money to spend on video games. Kevin also has several preexisting relationships with video game publishers and developers and will often get free games/merchandise that is usually given away as part of a contest.
- Brian Baird
Brian is Kevin's older brother. Formerly in the Navy, he's an interstate truck driver for a hardware store. Father of three daughters, he has tattoos, piercings, and bad haircuts. Brian provides commentary and movie/music/game reviews for a devoted crowd. Brian is an avid lover of zombies and horror movies in general. He and Kevin grew up in a catholic home. Because of that, Brian began to like the ominous things he wasn't supposed to like as a kid. If there's an insult or comment to be made on VGN, he's the first to say it. Brian is an avid player of World of Warcraft.
- Don Anderson
Don is a general laborer and has worked as a brick layer and steel worker. Don spends more time repairing his house than he does on entertainment. He is former guitarist for heavy metal bands, comedian, bartender, and pizza deliveryman. He has stories about everything and everyone. Now married with two daughters, Don lives in a very rural area of Ohio. Don is easily the quietest of the three (some callers ironically address the show trio as "Don and Crew"), sometimes not saying anything for long periods of time. In earlier episodes his phone connection would constantly cut out causing him to miss segments of the show, or need to delay the show to be reconnected. On January 7, 2007, Kevin announced that Don would no longer be a regular host, though he's still welcome to return as a guest.
- Larry Mac
Larry Mac has been friends with the VGN hosts for years. He has a strong connection to the Cleveland music scene and has provided the podcast with much of its background music. A sports fan who talks quietly, gets disconnected, and is frequently absent, Larry's contribution to the show is similar to Don's. November 26, 2006 marked his first appearance as a regular host of VGN. He was supposed to make VGN a 4-man show, but with Don's departure the 4 hosts have only recorded one show all together.
- Guest Hosts
Jedihillis(the master), Karate Dog, and Akuma have guest hosted the show multiple times and are often fill-ins for Brian and Larry.
[edit] Segments
- Schizo Letter Bag- Each week one of the hosts comes up with a question to ask the audience, and Kevin (and now Brian) reads their responses at the end of the next show. It was briefly discontinued in May 2006, but was brought back in October in place of Brian's Five Minute's of Fame. Answers to the questions are submitted to the MediSpective contest entry page. The people who write in are entered into a prize giveaway contest for that week.
- Top 25 titles of the Week- Occasionally Top 10 and Top 20, Kevin lists off the top selling games, hardware and expansion packs of the week from amazon.com. Regular mentions are various iterations of Madden, various games from The Sims series, console bundles, and, surprisingly, Nancy Drew games.
- State Watch- Kevin reports when states propose law pertaining to video games. An example would be Michigan's proposal to make selling mature games to minors unconstitutional. A related topic is the laws passed in Australia that make more and more restrictions to gaming.
- Game Reviews- Don, Brian, and Kevin review current or next-gen titles. There's no consistency with the games chosen. Once in a while they'll both wind up doing a separate review for a game (example: Evil Dead Regeneration). When it comes to Don's review, the segment is referred to as "The Game Don Didn't Play This Week" because he often neglects to pick up a game to review, or will have selected a game but was unable to find time to play it. When he does review games, he rarely recommends them unless its price has dropped significantly.
- Don & Brian's Five Minute Movie Review- Like the game-reviews portion, Don often doesn't watch a movie. A lot of the time, he either doesn't finish the game or sleeps through part of it. Brian's movie choice is mostly horror or sci-fi, specifically with zombie movies making a consistent appearance. Hosts that sub for Don/Brian generally review movies in his place.
- In Brief- Basically it's Kevin cutting to the heart of regular news, where he'll start the dialog between hosts. When the news is business-related, it's renamed "Business Brief".
- Press Junket- Beginning in September of 2006, Kevin began the Press Junket segment in an effort to get more game-related news into the show. Basically, he reads video game-related press releases, while all of the hosts react. This segment replaced "In Brief."
- Games Coming Soon- As the title suggests, Kevin lists off the upcoming titles of the week for all the platforms. At the end of 2005, it was discontinued simply because the upcoming games weren't highly anticipated or particularly great (Example: Prison Tycoon, Nancy Drew: Secret of the Old Clock, 187 Ride or Die).
- The Pirates Cove- Covers any news about piracy or illegal technology such as MAME emulators or PSP Emulators.
- Schizo Callers- Same thing as above, where they call in to talk about generic topics and ask the hosts various questions.
- This Week in the World of Warcraft- Brian's segment about the WoW, he rarely does it anymore.
- Don's Corner- Don's newest segment where he gets a chance to talk about whatever is on his mind. Usually any topic-starter with Don has to do with his life as a homeowner or married man.
- Five Minutes of Fame- Brian's newest segment, which is basically the same as Don's.
- Larry Mac's Musical Interlude - Larry Mac discusses the Cleveland music scene and the specific band providing music for the episode. Some of the featured bands include: At No End, Opus Dai, and The Ghost of Antigone.
[edit] Running Gags
- Opening/Ending- In reference to Brian's zombie obsession as well as the fact that recorded podcasts are not technically "Live from...", every show begins with Kevin saying, "Undead from Cleveland, this is Video Game News Radio" and then gives the rundown of what will be on the show. When it ends, he states the locations where the live feeds can be heard and then says that "you have been listening to three guys who are not paid off by the gaming industry, but we'd like to be." And right before the feed cuts off, Don ends each episode with "Peace!".
- Kevin ranting-
- VGN Drinking Game- this is what Kevin Baird posted on the website as the official rules.
You must drink if...
1. Someone writes in and complains about our "Undead From Cleveland" opening phrase.
2. Someone mentions that we should use Skype, or some other computer centric voice conferencing system (Like GoogleTalk) that assumes all three of us own computers. (Don does not.)
3. Someone complains about the music.
4. Someone complains about the language.
5. You must drink the whole bottle if someone writes in and complains about us stereotyping them or their culture. (Such as people in other countries, or gay men.)
6. Those who intend to get really trashed should drink whenever Brian mentions anything that has to do with Zombies.
[edit] Medispective
Around June of 2006, Kevin decided to change the name and tweak the format of the show. With it the "Schizo Letter Bag" segment went discontinued, in place of different segments. Kevin stated that the show would be bi-weekly instead of weekly and that the show's name would be changed officially to Medispective. However, since he owns the name of the site "Video Game News" or "Gaming News".com the domain remains VGN. On all the sites links the show remains VGN, and for the most part it's known as VGN everywhere.
On the forums, Kevin Baird explained the new name:
"I feel, ultimately, that the name of our show betrays us. Because we're not 100% gaming, and those that might be interested in what we talk about skip the show in the listings because, well, they don't care that much about video games (And have no idea we cover other topics), and those that do like video games skip us, because we don't cover ONLY gaming. So I've decided to change the name of the show. VGNR will now be known as Medispective. And yes, I've already registered Medispective.com Medi is short for Media, and Spective is short for Perspective. So basically, our perspective on various media. Nothing about the show will change really. Officially, the show is still VGNR, because it is Video Game News's radio show. (Since that is the owning company.) But a slow transition will be made to start calling it Medispective. But, if you want to keep calling it VGNR, you are more than welcome to. Medispective is just more indicative of what we're talking about, so that's why the name change."
[edit] VGN store
In January 2008, the VGN store was added to the site. It includes new and used games, books, toys, computer parts, and various other items. Power users who enter the contest can pick any item from the store $20 or less for their prize. Kevin has stated that in some contests you will not be able to pick a prize, and those contests will operate in the same way that contests from the past have.
[edit] References
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This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
[edit] External links
- VGN Radio homepage: www.videogamenews.com
- Archive episodes available at: www.gaming-news.info/modules/mydownloads/topten.php?rate=1
VGN Web designer: http://www.digitalalias.net- Cleveland entertainment site: http://www.domaincleveland.com
- VGN Store: [2]
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