Living On Air: Adventures in Broadcasting

This was a cool insight to the life and progression of a "voice" I have listened to since I was child. Most of the time without even knowing it was him!

My favorite character is the only character really, but my favorite part of his life/book would be when he was a kid learning to be a DJ. It's the time when he was still young and innocent to the ways of adult life and it amazed me how sure Dave was about what he wanted to do. As he said, with some determination and a TON of luck, you can make you dreams come true. What a great way to achieve it!

Usually, I only listen to unabridged, straightforward narrations. A little change in voice for different characters is good, but once all the sound effects and drama re-enactments come in to play, I tend to lose interest. However, in this book, the sound effects were used so well, it really took you back in time to the moments that Dave was talking about. I truly felt the "era" of each sound. In a chronological piece like this, it worked perfectly. It also really helped the comedy stand out and brought you into the stories.

I laughed a ton, a few times out loud. Which isn't something books can often do for me. I think the fact that this was read by one of the world's best voice artist just drew me into the book and helped make it so real. Sometimes narrators can lose and audiences interest. That didn't happen once for me the whole time!

I'd say this is a definite great listen! Not like any other biography I've read or listened to, this feels almost like a novel. I would highly recommend it!

There were many reasons why Living on Air is a really great read/listen. I'll save the most important for last and start with what first attracted me to it. I am a huge fan of radio, always have been since I was a kid, I started listening to Jack Benny and other great Old Time Radio shows when I was nine years old and went on to study the history of the medium in great depth. I was all but ignorant, though, about what life was like in radio after the disc jockey stage began. Joe and Ann Cipriano crafted a love letter to that era and I found myself entranced. Not merely with the descriptions, though there were many (including a great lesson in exactly why you'd get all those strange noises sometimes while adjusting your dial), but I was fascinated as well by the clips they included. Sometimes they were actual snippets of broadcasts; other times they went back to the people involved in the story and had them record their part of it. The result is a wonderful amalgam of the types of audiobooks we typically find here on Audible--a single narrator read with a healthy mix of a multi-voice performance.

As for the real reason I find this to be a great listening experience, it's because in the world Joe and Ann are describing--the world of advertising promos and live in-show announcing--Joe is simply The Man. No two ways about it. And if you're like me, you don't have to work in a particular field in order to glean a great deal of wisdom from a book that tells you exactly WHY someone at the top of their field is so successful. I don't care what the field is, if someone is wildly successful in it I want to know more about why. You may never do a voiceover in your life, but if you pay attention to Joe's business acumen and the attitude he brings to his job you will find yourself with incredibly valuable insights into how to succeed in your own field.

Learning about an aspect of voiceover I know very little about. Joe goes to great lengths to mention and celebrate his peers, as well as those voiceover artists who shepherded him along in his journey. Since many of those people are now gone, it was great to hear Joe's stories about them.

I'm not aware of any other books Joe has done before or since, but if he winds up doing more, I'm in.

I did, I found myself looking forward to the activities where I typically listen (driving or hiking), simply so I could find out what happened next. I listen to audiobooks a great deal and that eager feeling of wanting to hear more is all too rare.

I think what I love most about this book is that it isn't a typical audiobook. It's not strictly a single narrator read nor a multi-voice performance, and Joe doesn't sound like most audiobook narrators sound, which is exactly why I loved it so much. Joe sounds like himself, he's a promo guy and will sound like one no matter what, and I love it that he presented himself exactly as he is.

It's extremely rare that I listen to a book twice, but I think there's definitely another listen of Living on Air in my future. Looking forward to it.

Living On Air was a fun listen. Joe Cipriano's absolute JOY with his chosen profession was obvious in every syllable. I truly enjoy biographies, and this was no exception. Not only did Joe bring his story to life, it was as if he was telling ME the story, not just reading the book. I'm hoping (are you listening, Joe??) that there will be a sequel! Or, at the very least, that Joe will decide to do another audiobook.

I loved the honesty and the obvious happiness of the author/storyteller. I felt like I've know him forever, as if we were family. I also liked the periodic "hybrid" quality of the old microphone sound effect, some well-placed (not overdone) use of other voices.

Everything. Again, the "hybrid" quality of using different microphones, a few sound effects, and the honesty of his delivery.

It would have to be Joe and his wife Anne. What a team! I bet they have some fabulous stories to tell.

I've been a fan of Joe for a long time while working in radio and now voice over. He is an amazing talent with great perspective on life! The airchecks and jingles in the audio really brought back some great memories working in radio! Joe's narration really brings it home!

Nothing compares! I've never been able to relate to a story as much as this.

Jerry Wolfe. The DJ that gave Joe his start. Those of us in radio will never forget those great guys who opened the doors for us making our dream a reality.

Joe Cipriano. I felt like I was right there next to him experiencing his life.

Awesome! Entertaining! Delightful!

It shows that hard work, dedication and a little luck can take you very far in this business.

Listening to Joe talk about his relationship with the late Don LaFontaine

Joe Cipriano. Because he walks you through his life from the start of his career until now.

I would recommend this book to anyone that has a passion for radio or voiceover work. It is a great story. It shows that with enough hard work, dedication and luck, that anyone can make it.

The audio version is so much fun to listen to, Joe brings so much humor to this listening experience. I couldn't imagine just reading it.

PpJoe has a great sense of humor and you can tell that a lot of time and care went into the production of this piece.

The sound effects seemed to put you to the right time and place as he re-examined his life journey!

I listened to Joe's story and it reminded me of myself as a child and loving radio, having the feeling that "I have to be on the air"...

Myself not even close as Joe's carrier took him, I seemed to live vicariously through his travels, took me back in time before MS took most of my vision and made it more difficult for me to travel from town to town in radio.

Most important, at 43, Joe gave me a new outlook on my carrier and the optimist spirit that Joe puts into his life, I now think I can do what I thought was unimaginable!!!

This book is truly funny and uplifting, even if your travels don't take you into radio or TV, it's just as fun to listen to.

This is a great story and you can't beat the narration by the great Joe Cip! It's funny, touching and an all around good read (listen). The fact that he turned the audio version into more of a production than an ordinary audio book really brings it to life.

I'm new to audiobooks, but I think Joe Cipriano's book "Living On Air" should set the standard for all autobiographical audiobooks. Joe's performance was engrossing. You could tell he enjoyed sharing his personal story. Not everyone has the advantage of bringing in key players to share their side of the story too, but Joe makes the most of those opportunities and also uses sounds and music to really bring the listener close to the action. Check it out!

Educational. Inspiring. Fun.

Don Pardo

Joe tells his story in a fun and inspiring manner. He shares his dreams, fears, accomplishments and failures throughout his youth and career and offers great insight to the world of voiceover. But this wasn't just Joe's story, or a book about voiceover; for me it was a reminder and a call to action to keep pressing forward. There are risks and rewards in life, and having listened to Joe's story, I can see how Joe's "luck" in the industry came down to preparation meeting opportunity. He's VERY gifted, but in the end, it came down to Joe never giving up and doing whatever he needed to do to fulfill his vision of becoming one of the top voice artists in the world. Well done, Joe!

Joe has a great story. It's very inspiring. This audio book is incredibly produced as well. 5 stars!! Love it