James Loving - National Radio Text Service

 

A look back into the past brings about some surprise revelations. Features rule with sports and television reviews dominating. Cambodian stories make noise securing four top 10 spots. This report includes material from our published print material from the 1980's prior to our launch of our Internet service in 1997

 

Monday July 13, 2009

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

Big changes in this edition of the NR Top 10 as we look at the overall picture of the most read stories over the years on an accrue basis which turned up a few surprises. This report includes material from our published print material from the 1980's prior to our launch of our Internet service in 1997.

Our television review column Video Beat took two of the Top 10 spots with a feature on the Pinoy Dream Academy taking the number one position. That story THE PERSECUTION OF LAARNI took on a life of its own resulting in an eight part series. The series exposed the mistreatment and abuse of one of the program's contestants which was obviously a blatant violation of respect. What was intended to be a television review became a human interest story and series.

As the TV series progressed the programs contestants continued to verbally abuse Laarni and cut her off socially while talking behind her back making snide remarks… ON CAMERA!!! The irony being that she had come from an abusive background.

The shows mentors berated this lady who had tremendous talent though they tried to convince her otherwise. She toughed it out and dealt with the abuse. When all was said and done her talent won over the viewing public as she received the majority of the viewer's votes and won the competition.

The second spot was in tune with the times as it pointed out the then Real Madrid superstar squad with Figo, Zidane, Beckham, Raul and Ronaldo wasn't as super as it was hoped to be regardless of the money the club spent to acquire players. Fast forward to today ask yourself…does that sound familiar?

Six feature stories were ranked in the Top 10. The feature on famed Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jim Murray notched the 3rd spot followed by Cambodia's Dr. Beat Richner 4th, former Cambodian national football team star Hok Sochetra ranked 5th, CNN's legendary talk show host Larry King took the 6th spot and as a result he is ranked first in the BIZ WHO IS category of the website. In doing so he outranked billionaire Warren Buffett.

Another interesting feature ranked 9th overall was that of Bill Herod a long time resident of Cambodia who bought the Internet to the country and trained young Khmers how to build web sites and use the Internet. In turn that contribution helped bring Cambodia out of the dark ages and established a pathway for the country to recover form its horrid past.

His contributions provided a means for more jobs for Cambodians as well as new businesses and an improved commerce given the communication benefits the Internet provides.

We previously published a story about Herod's Internet contributions but that is somewhere in Internet heaven and lost in space. This feature is about Herod's next contribution to Cambodia by repatriating Cambodian citizens who fell foul of the law in the USA who were deported to Cambodia how to make the transition and adjustment into the Cambodian society and job market.

The irony here is after interviewing numerous Cambodians is his contributions and efforts have gone unappreciated as they don't know who he is nor realize the value the Internet is in their lives. The government fails to recognize his contributions as he continues his humanitarian work in the country while with his NGO Village Focus International (www.villagefocus.org) who lend money to new business start-ups and train Khmers in rural areas how to earn a living with their crafts. Training areas include healthcare, sustainable agriculture, natural resource management, and legal protection to communities with the greatest needs and the least access to assistance and more.

The 10th spot was taken by our feature on Beatle Ringo Starr going on tour. The story also reveals how the influence of the Beatles music helped a Beatles fan from Taiwan learn the English language.

The Jim Murray story first published in 1998 is our oldest on our overall Internet era list. That story was released on three platforms, print, Internet and radio. The most recent most viewed story is the Dream Academy report from September 2008 followed by the Ringo Starr article which was published in June 2008.

The oldest most read pre Internet story on the site is a print feature from August 1981 with MTV's first president James Pittman prior to the launch of MTV. That interview was originally done and written in November 1980 but the publication didn't print it until MTV officially announced their launch the following August.

To put that report into perspective with the most current hot topic in the news regarding Michael Jackson's death it was Pittman who refused to play black artists videos on MTV. Jackson's Thriller video was the first black artist's video to break that racial barrier.

The oldest sports story viewed during our Internet era was a feature titled Asian Soccer Fit To Be Thai'd about how the Thai national football rose from the disgrace of quitting a Tiger Cup match when they didn't have the will to win because they were afraid of their opponent to be resurrected by their then new English coach Peter Withe to rise up with courage and pride and defeat South Korea in the Asian Games. At that time Korea's team had returned from participating in the World Cup.

Though not in the Top 10 but a fast riser was a recent sports story in June regarding Ronaldo's continued drama as to where he wanted to play football. Shortly after that situation was sorted out as he signed with Real Madrid for a record breaking transfer fee.

In the most visited sections category the three most visited sections were Cambodian Sports followed by BIZ WHO IS and our Feature sections.

Overall in the long term the public has been interested in our feature stories. Two other features which previously remained in the Top 10 for over a year but never made it to the number one spot were features on former NFL star Walter Payton and Cambodia's Royal Palace. Next month we will return to our regular survey of our most recent Top 10 Stories.

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The Top 10 most visited sections are:

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NATIONAL RADIO TEXT PUBLISHED IN 5 LANGUAGES

National Radio is published in five languages, Thai, French, Russian, Khmer (Cambodian language) and English, Any of our foreign language material and our Roman Wanderaugh columns are legally available ONLY on our National Radio site.

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1.	NATIONAL RADIO TOP 10 - JULY 2009
	TV - VIDEO BEAT - THE PINOY DREAM ACADEMY'S PERSECUTION OF LAARNI - August, 2008 The plot thickens as the Pinoy Dream (Nightmare) Academy mentors continue to persecute Laarni the abused girl from a very poor background who is trying to make her way through life as a singer in hopes of becoming someone who is recognized for her talent so she can earn enough money to return to her home and help her family - BBC THE FOOL? The catch for me was the setup when the BBC indicated that after the Beatles Boutique closed in July 1968 the FOOL disappeared and didn't surface until the BBC did its report 40 years later. I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT - IT'S ON!!! GLORY ROAD - THE COMMITMENTS - HE GOT GAME - Recommended TV Listings .... Entertainment - TV Previous - Sports Notes - MAN U MESSI'D UP - BARCELONA CHAMPS - MAY, 2009 On the day Messi was the superior performer over FIFA Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo who was displeased by the Ferguson's game plan - IS REAL MADRID FOR REAL? - ORLANDO MAGIC'S DETERMINATORS - FIFA TOP 10
2.	Sports Notes EXTRA - REAL MADRID Stars Attrition - October 2006 Los Galácticos... No Mo - NBA MAX French Readers - Cambodian Football on the road - Thailand's Thavatchai Sajakul Dreams - Who is Khemara's Douglas - MLB's Buck O'Neil full story - More FIFA News.- More Football/Soccer Previous - Sports Notes - NBA PLAYOFFS BEGIN - APRIL, 2009 Key Player Injuries Rule Outlook - The defending champion Boston Celtics finished with the leagues third best record 62-20. Their hopes are bleak as their star player Kevin Garnett is deemed out for the playoffs due to an injured knee - The noise surrounding 14 time All Star selection baseball player Alex Rodriguez reached frenzy - FIFA TOP 10
3.	Feature - Jim Murray (1919-1998) - Pulitzer Prize columnist and cofounder of Sports Illustrated Magazine - My recollection of my first encounter with Murray was in the Rose Bowl press box, early on in my sports journalism career when he graciously shared his thoughts on writing. Here was an legend in his own time taking time to share his thoughts with someone who was new in the business and trying to figure out what was going on. Previous -. TV - VIDEO BEAT - AMERICAN IDOL SAYS GOOD-BYE TO THE BIKINI GIRL- February, 2009 THE GRAMMY AWARDS SHOW - WHO WILL WEAR THE CROWNS OF SANJAYA AND ANTONELLA? - CELEBRITY APPRENTICE FINISHED - Recommended TV Listings
4.	Feature - "Dr. Beat" - Free Health Care For Cambodian Children "He gave his life for this," an American from the city of Chicago said of the performer of a music concert. . He…is, Dr. Beat Richner who was about to perform a solo cello concert. The this... the tourist was referring to, be Jayavarman VII Hospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia. For the past ten years Richner has raised funds and has overseen construction of three Kantha Bopha Children's Hospitals in Cambodia. He is the founder and acting head of the facilities that give medical treatment to Cambodia's children FOR FREE. Previous - 2008 YEAR IN REVIEW Part 2 - 2nd Quarter April to June - January, 2009 Part 2 - What was hot for the quarter? Luiz Filepe Scolari dominated the quarter taking the top story prize when he announced that it was he and not Ronaldo who was moving on and taking the mangers post at Chelsea. Former Beatle Ringo Starr defying all odds (particularly mine) as he went on tour at the ripe old age of 67. David Cook won the American Idol title in somewhat of a shocker as runner-up David Archuleta was perceived to be the winner prior to the votes being tallied. Talk show host Larry King continues to be one of our top stories of interest... Part 1 -
5.	Sports Notes - Hok Sochetra On The Ball In a world where football players are receiving multi million dollar contracts to play the beautiful game there are some players that continue to play for the LOVE of the sport. Former Cambodian national team player Hok 'Jet' Sochetra falls into the LOVE category. ESPN/Star Sports football analyst Scott O'Donnell said Sochetra was one of the two best strikers in South East Asia with Thailand's Kiatisuk Senamaung being the other.... Entertainment - TV - More Cambodian Sports Previous - Sports Notes - TRANSFER THIS - January, 2009 Of the 2008 FIFA World Player nominees which will be handed out at the Zurich Opera House January 12th Kaká ( Brazil ), Lionel Messi ( Argentina ), Cristiano Ronaldo ( Portugal ), Fernando Torres ( Spain ), and Xavi ( Spain ) the name that keeps coming up the most to help out Robinho at Man City is KaKa... ESPN LOST THE PLOT - NBA TRIVIA - PETER WITHE - Entertainment - TV
6.	Sports Notes: Cambodia Plays 1st International Game In Four Years On Home Soil - Khemera Wins Cambodian Premiere League Title - October, 2005 Singapore's Tiger Cup Championship Side Win 2-0 - International Helps Khemera To Cambodian Premiere League Title - Tiger Cup Champions Singapore Come To Cambodia - Cambodian Coach O'Donnell Has Second Chance - Hok Sochetra Dedicated To Coaching - Disabled World Volleyball Championships - NR Top 10 According To Google - FIFA Top 10 - More..... Previous - TV - VIDEO BEAT EXTRA EXTRA - THE AMAZING RACE FINAL IS ON!!! - May, 2009 This Monday May 11th in eastern Asia the Amazing Race final will feature three very different teams. The brother sister team Victor and Tammy Jih have been the most consistent first place finishers over the competition. They are of Asian decent and both are lawyers who live in the USA. - Recommended TV Listings
7.	TV - VIDEO BEAT EXTRA EXTRA - IT'S ON!!! THREE SEASON PREMIERS - October, 2008 The Best of Saturday Night Live, America's Next Top Model with Tyra Banks and the Celebrity Apprentice will make its season debut this week. Also on tap is the final of the US presidential debates between Barack Obama and John McCain - AMAZING RACE ASIA IN TROUBLE... - Recommended TV Listings Previous - TV - VIDEO BEAT EXTRA - GRAMMY AWARDS BLAND - February, 2009 A 60-year-old Robert Plant who was formerly the lead singer for the English Rock band Led Zeppelin in the 60's won the 2009 Grammy Award for Record of the Year and the coveted Album of the Year for their 2008 effort with American bluegrass soprano Alison Krauss. - AMERICAN IDOL'S ADBUL, KARA DioGuardi BIKINI GIRL REVELATIONS AND EXPECTATIONS. Could there be a DioGuardi vs. the Bikini Girl in a Pay Per View Mud Wrestling Competition? WHY NOT? - Recommended TV Listings
8.	BIZ WHO IS - LARRY KING - JUNE 2007 King was named both the fourth-greatest radio talk show host of all time and the top television talk show host of all time. King is the only person to place in the top ten on both lists. LARRY KING TAKES ON THE WORLD - TV - Business Internet Technology Previous - TV - VIDEO BEAT - IS AMERICAN IDOL A RIP OFF? - June, 2009 More strange American Idol happenings. American television talk show host Larry King usually interviews the Top 10 American Idols within days after the winner is decided. Last week the program aired and King was missing without explanation. In his place was American Idol host Ryan Seacrest interviewing the same people that he has been involved for several months.- WHAT'S UP WITH AMERICAN IDOL? - AMERICAN IDOLS TALK - SUSAN BOYLE RECEIVES FIRST KISS - AMERICANS ADJUST - Recommended TV Listings
9.	Travel Tips - Phnom Penh (Ah) - Bill Herod Assists Repatriated Cambodians - September, 2003 Herod is best known as the person that brought the Internet to Cambodia. Herod has now taken on a new challenge, he formed Return Assistance Project (RAP) that helps repatriated Cambodians adjust to their country. Finding out what they can do and where they can be placed is the task at hand. ""We have to keep trying ideas one at a time until it works," Herod said. "We brainstorm basically. It's not unusual for them to say they have no skills, they've been in gangs and jails." - AP's Chris Dechard Rehabs - Love FM Changes - More Phnom Penh... Previous - Sports Notes EXTRA - BECKHAM SAYS LATER TO GALAXY - March, 2009 Playing at Milan with superstars such as KaKa and Ronaldinho will certainly enhance his chances of being prepared for World Cup and national team competition. - United Football League Announces Former NFL Coaches Jim Fassel, Dennis Green, Jim Haslett & Ted Cottrell as Head Coaches for “UFL Premiere” Season - FIFA TOP 10
10.	Entertainment BEAT EXTRA: BEATLES RINGO STARR ROCK N ROLLS ON TOUR - June, 2008 Brian Epstein took over as the Beatles manager in January 1962 and led The Beatles' quest for a British recording contract. In August 1962 the band asked Ringo Starr (born Richard Starkey), the drummer for one of the top Merseybeat groups, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, to join the band - RINGO STARR'S TOUR SCHEDULE - Sports --- TV Previous - TV - VIDEO BEAT MAX - Has AMERICAN IDOL judge Paula Abdul lost the plot? - March, 2009 Grace is out and Paula Abdul makes a fool out of herself - Top 10 consists of seven males and only three females - DAVID FOSTER & Friends a MUST WATCH. - Recommended TV Listings
ARCHIVE STORY	Feature - Asian Soccer Fit To Be Thai'd Going up against a full strength Korean team it seemed the best the Thai's could do was to hold on in hopes for a shoot out. Thai coach Peter Withe had other ideas he wanted his team to be aggressive and keep on kicking for a winning goal.