The Other O'Reilly

You hear a lot about broadcaster Bill O'Reilly. People either love him or they hate him. (In the case of Stephen Colbert, they also parody him but that's another story altogether.) As one of the few remaining dinosaurs who possess neither cable nor satellite television, I only get a chance to watch The O'Reilly Factor when I am staying in a hotel. To be honest, I don't pine for the show because one episode pretty well seems the same as every other one.

That is not true for the other O'Reilly, the well-respected voiceover director Terry O'Reilly. O'Reilly and the Art of Persuasion, like its predecessor O'Reilly on Advertising, is another one of the little gems that are hidden throughout the CBC Radio One schedule.

The Art of Persuasion looks at the nature of advertising, with a specific emphasis on how advertisements have an impact on -- or are impacted by -- the culture we live in. For example, yesterday's show included an entertaining look at how male-female relationships were portrayed in ads. (Hint to aspiring commercial writers: if someone has to come off looking stupid in the ad, you had better make it the guy.) As was the case with O'Reilly on Advertising, the host makes his points by looking at actual ads that succeeded spectacularly or failed miserably.

One of the things that I particularly like about The Art of Persuasion is how it stands alone. It doesn't matter whether I listen to the entire show or turn on the radio after the program has already started, it is always informative and thought-provoking. And if I miss an episode, I can wait for it to repeat, because each show is a self-contained unit.

Check it out -- you just might be surprised by what you learn. You can hear O'Reilly and the Art of Persuasion on CBC Radio One on Thursdays from 11:30 AM to noon or Saturdays from 4:00 to 4:30 PM.

(Disclaimer: I am not an employee of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, nor am I affiliated with Terry O'Reilly in any way. I just like the show.)