Tales of the Radio Traveler - Softcover

Johnson, Russell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0985256516 ISBN 13: 9780985256517

Publisher: Travelmedia Communications, 2018

Synopsis

Russell Johnson tunes into the wavelengths of the world as he blends radio lore, science, and wry, sometimes irreverent humor in travel adventures in 18 countries. As a child growing up in Midwestern America, radio was his window on the world and the universe. Hearing the faint radio beeps of Sputnik passing overhead, the oily propagandists of Radio Moscow, a ham radio operator in Borneo, the million watt voices of preachers and hucksters, and Wolfman Jack howling at America from across the Mexican border demonstrated that there was a world far beyond his neighborhood – even the grip of gravity – a world he wanted to see for himself. The story begins under a radio tower in a Minnesota swamp on the first day of duck hunting season, ventures out through the jungles of Nepal in pursuit of the mother of all chickens, and to the Fiji islands where he broadcasts a coup d'etat. He travels to South Korea where he helps its president save face, to Sri Lanka to watch Arthur C. Clarke redesign Mars, Munich where he joins a flea circus, and California's far north where radio telescopes and crystal gazers seek signs of alien life. On a more serious note, he also examines the impacts of tourism on cultures and environments, painfully watching the destruction of Southeast Asian rain forests over the many times he has flown over them, and the over development of Bali since he attended the wedding of a prince there in 1992

About this title

About the Author:

Russell Johnson is an award-winning writer, media producer, and photographer. After a career as a radio and TV broadcaster and journalist, he took to the road and the skies, traveling to 60 countries on projects ranging from quirky radio features to documentary films, videos, and books for clients including the UN, the Asian Development Bank, American Express, and the tourism organizations of numerous countries. An internet pioneer, he developed some of the web’s first travel sites, including his own magazine, connectedtraveler.com, which Lonely Planet called “Armchair travel at its best”, which continues to offer stories videos, and audio features from around the world.

Review:

"Russ Johnson's vivid imagery and storytelling reveal a world out there we seldom hear about. These one-off stories meander just enough to keep us off guard with anticipation while arrow straight in their humor and irreverence, of facts and folly, and of of all the sheer stuff of being an alive observer."
RICK ANTONSON- AUTHOR OF TO TIMBUKTU FOR A HAIRCUT AND ROUTE 66 STILL KICKS

"If you're an armchair traveler, fasten your seat belt before starting this book. It will shoot you off to the most exotic places before plunking you down in situations that will leave you laughing or shaking your head."
DON AND PETIE KLADSTRUP, AUTHORS OF CHANPAGNE AND WINE AND WAR

"Russ doesn't have to climb mountains to find adventure. He finds it in everyting from a flea circus to exploring a city dump."
MANDIP SINGH SOIND, EXPLORER/MOUNTAINEER, FELLOW OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

"You can almost hear Russ Johnson's voice as he shares funny, well-versed stories about radio lore, his life on the air, and his adventures in sometimes hidden, often odd, yet always interesting places around the world."
LARRY MAGID ON AIR TECH ANALYST, CBS NEWS RADIO

About this edition

• Publisher: Travelmedia Communications
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0985256516
• ISBN 13: 9780985256517
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 313