smays.com

The future of local news?

I stumbled across this on one of the Wired blogs (Epicenter). Have you heard of Topix? It's a news aggregator that uses a geolocating algorithm they've developed to get all the news relevant to any zip code or city from all of its 50,000 news sources. Punch in the coordinates for Jefferson City and you get all the stories out of all the local papers, without repeats, in one place.

You can also use Topix to search 5,500 public company and industry verticals, 48,000 celebrities and musicians, 1,500 sports teams and personalities. You used to have to pay big money to do a Lexis-Nexis search to get info like this or pay a clipping service like Burrelles. Now anyone can do it for free.

According to Epicenter (a Wired blog), Topix is backed by Tribune, Gannett and McClatchy. This is one of those things that's hard to describe but kind of cool in practice. Check it out.

Clear Channel does deal with Reuters for web content

Clear Channel Radio’s online division has announced that it will add news and video content from Reuters to its News on Demand service on CC Web sites.

"Clear Channel Radio’s News on Demand product combines on-demand video and text feeds from Reuters with CCR’s 24/7 coverage of breaking news, business/financial stories, entertainment news and human-interest features. The product also allows CCR stations to upload their own local news to their sites, giving both local and national news coverage from station sites on demand."

I'd love to see exactly what "on demand" means but I can't argue with the strategy. I hope more of our affiliates will get their online act together and inlcude our our state news and sports content on their sites. And I wonder where AP was/is in this mix. Too pricey perhaps? I'd love to hear more about this. SteveMays at Gmail dot com [Radio and Records]

Up in the sky...

They held a little celebration in Metropolis, Illinois, to mark the release of the "Superman Returns" DVD. UPI photographer Bill Greenblatt shares this photo of one Superman "look-a-like" adjusting the cape of another Man of Steel dead-ringer.

I have to wonder if Bill was being ironic when he captioned this image with "A wooden cut-out of Superman hangs on a building as hundreds lineup for a free DVD on the release date of "Superman Returns" in Metropolis, Illinois on November 28, 2006. Metropolis is the adopted home of Superman."

The hopeless boredom on the faces of the people in line... the "Man of Plywood" missing an arm... thank you, Bill... thank you.

Three new Get A Mac ads

Apple has three new ads for their Get A Mac series and Justin Long is still part of the campaign. But John Hodgeman clearly seems to be the star of the series.

I couldn't help thinking of these ads as I watched the pathetic TV spots for the Microsoft Zune. Like the Supreme Court justice said about porn ("I know it when I see it.)... most people know "cool" when the see it. The Zune might eventually be a technical and financial success, but it has a ways to go before becoming cool.

60 Minutes segment: A Pill to Forget

In May of 2004 I posted: "If you experienced the worst day of your life... something truly horrible...and there was a drug that made you forget the previous 24 hours, would you take it? If not, why?"

Last Sunday on 60 Minutes, Lesley Stahl did a segment titled "A Pill to Forget?" From the 60 Minutes website:

"If there were something you could take after experiencing a painful or traumatic event that would permanently weaken your memory of what had just happened, would you take it?"

Turns out there is such a pill. Sort of. It's called propranolol, a medication commonly used for high blood pressure ... and unofficially for stage fright.

It turns out our memories are sort of like Jello – they take time to solidify in our brains. And while they're setting, it's possible to make them stronger or weaker. It all depends on the stress hormone adrenaline. Propranolol seems to make the memories less intense.

The people in the 60 Minutes story had no trouble answering the question I posed back in 2004: Hell yes!

What is smays.com?

As we approach the fifth anniversary (February 3) of this journal, I think we need to restate just what it is we're doing here.

My original tag line was "I've really got to start writing some of this down." This would be a place I could jot down quotes from and links to interesting articles or websites; my thoughts on books or movies; photos; quotations... whatever.

I could have saved all of this to a folder on my computer but I was moving back and forth between several computers (still am) and I wanted to be able to send someone a link to something I found interesting. A blog was perfect for this.

As this journal has grown to more than 2,000 posts, a few themes have evolved. You can see them under CATEGORIES in the sidebar. But this began and remains a completely personal endeavor.

You are one of about 200 people that visit smays.com each day. I have no idea why you come or what you expect to find here. Many are friends who find this a convenient way to keep up with what Barb and I are doing.

But please know that I'm not writing for you...or at you. I'm not trying to convince or persuade you of anything. So, when I post something you find silly or stupid, don't take it personally. You probably were not the inspiration for the post.

The Bush Legacy

Rolling Stone's Jann Wenner talks with Peter Hart and David Gergen about why the Republicans lost the 2006 election. The interview concludes with Peter Hart's take how Bush will be remembered politically:

"The Bush presidency will be a the bottom of the heap, period. It will be not only a presidency without accomplishments but a presidency that put America on the wrong track. This is an administration that knew how to play politics but didn't understand the sweep of history. The next administration and the administration after that will be digging out from everything that Bush has left us. Iraq, civil liberties, human rights, basic domestic policies -- in each and every case, they played the political card rather than the American card."

Peter Hart has done public-opinion research for thirty governors and forty U.S. senators, from Hubert Humphrey to Jay Rockefeller. You can read the entire interview in the November 30, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone. I'm still searching for a link.

Bonus link: Matt Taibbi on why Rick Santorum lost his senate seat.

Will we see "local" radio again?

So Clear Channel is going to sell 400+ radio stations. Will these stations become more local? Mark Ramsey says it depends on who buys the stations and the "models of success" they try to follow:

1. Quality local talent with local connection and high entertainment value
2. Quality syndicated talent with high entertainment value
3. Low cost or no talent - regardless of its source (i.e., nothing matters but the music)

He concludes his post with the question: "Of those, which do you think is the toughest to achieve? And which is the cheapest?"

When I started in radio (1972), a lot of radio stations were still trying for #1. Not all of the local talent was "quality" and I'm not sure how "entertaining" we were. But syndicated programs were still a few years away and most communties weren't ready to let you get away with juke box-ing the station.

But I think Ramsey sums up the options accurately and we'd see more station owners try #1 if #2 and #3 weren't such attactive (short-term) options.

"Leaving Iraq, Honorably"

Chuck Hagel, Republican senator from Nebraska:
"The time for more U.S. troops in Iraq has passed. We do not have more troops to send and, even if we did, they would not bring a resolution to Iraq. Militaries are built to fight and win wars, not bind together failing nations. We are once again learning a very hard lesson in foreign affairs: America cannot impose a democracy on any nation -- regardless of our noble purpose.

We have misunderstood, misread, misplanned and mismanaged our honorable intentions in Iraq with an arrogant self-delusion reminiscent of Vietnam. Honorable intentions are not policies and plans. Iraq belongs to the 25 million Iraqis who live there. They will decide their fate and form of government." [washingtonpost.com]

"He's old but I like to call him experienced."

I don't recall Scott Adams dealing with age in the Dilbert cartoon strip, but then I've only been reading it for a couple of years.

It was a little jarring to note that I'm a few years older than the character in the first panel but I like the direction these appear to be taking. Panel 1, Panel 2, Panel 3.

Mayo Clinic developing a "Treadmill Workstation"

"Instead of sitting in chairs, workers stand in front of a raised workstation and slowly walk on a treadmill. Normally Levine keeps to a one-mile-per-hour pace, which requires little effort or concentration, allowing him to focus his attention on work. But the speed is fast enough to do some good, burning an extra 100 calories an hour - 8,000 calories over a 40 hour work week."

"The researcher behind the project, Dr. James Levine, says his recent research shows that thin people tend to be on their feet an average of two and a half hours a day more than people who are overweight. Getting office workers up out of their chairs led him to build a prototype 'treadmill workstation'." [ConsumerAffairs.com]

No good for me. I can listen to the nano on the treadmill but that's about it. I see others reading and I've tried it but just get dizzy. I can't even listen to music while working. Just can't concentrate.

Thank you! Thank you all!

I thought I might share a few thoughts of thanksgiving. Maybe a list of the people and things for which I am grateful. But where to begin? It would sound (read) like one of those frantic "I'd like to thank my agent and my publicist and..." Oscar acceptance speeches. And I'd forget someone or something.

As I click by through the archives here at smays.com, I see frequent posts that far better chronicle my many blessings. If you're a regular reader, you have a pretty good idea of how fortunate I am.

So let me just say that I'm honored just to be nominated and I share this award with all of the nominees for Most Thankful. (Music up. Six foot blond leads me off stage)

When I grow up I want to be in advertising (reprise)

A co-worker emailed a (YouTube) link to this brilliant Monster.com spoof. It was familiar because I posted it here in November, 2004. Certainly worth another look and another link. How much great stuff is getting a fresh look because of YouTube?

The Daily Show for conservatives

Fox News Channel is teaming with the exec producer of "24" to produce a news satire show for conservatives. Joel Surnow, co-creator of "24," is shooting two half-hour pilots described as " 'The Daily Show' for conservatives," due to air in primetime on Saturdays in January.

The pilot segments will be co-anchored by comedians Kurt Long and Susan Yeagley and feature a family of correspondents. "There will be some elements of 'The Daily Show' and some of 'Weekend Update,' " Surnow said.

Sounds like a hoot.

Ole Camp Meetin' Time

Nostalgia Alert: We're going back to 1947 in this post.

When KBOA went on the air (July 19, 1947), one of their first --and most popular-- programs was "Ole Camp Meetin' Time." It was the creation of Ray Van (Hooser), the station's first program director. The program featured hymns and gospel music but was far more than a "record show." And it was immediately and immensly popular.

Sometime in the early '50's, Rudy Pylant ("Mr. Rudy") took over Ole Camp Meetin' Time and gave it his own special flavor (think Will Rogers-meets-Jerry Clower). The program continued to be hugely popular.

I was reminded of Ole Camp Meetin' Time this week when my (life-long Kennett) friend Joann sent me one of the original Ole Camp Meetin' Time Song Books. Published in late 1947, the radio staiton gave away thousands of these. Seems hopelessly quaint now but in 1947, these were like iPods.

If you grew up anywhere within a hundred miles or so of Kennett, Missouri, in the late 40's or '50s... you probably have memories of sitting at the breakfast table listening to Ole Camp Meetin' Time. As I write this, I realize I don't have the skill (or perhaps it is not possible) to convey how important this radio program was to the people that listened to it every monring. But, fortunately, I have some oral history that might come close.

• Ray Van talks about putting KBOA on the air and the creation of Ole Camp Meetin' Time
• Joe Bankhead remembers the programs biggest and best known sponsor, Gobler Mercantile
• Mr. Rudy on his tenure as the host of Ole Camp Meetin' Time

You can read the introduction to the song book by station manager Paul C. Jones, after the jump.

So here we are sixty years later (gulp!) and it ain't your father's radio anymore. I have no illusions about returning to those days. But as I listen to the men that built KBOA talk about their love of radio (I'm not sure they would have said "the business" of radio)... I wonder if that same passion still exists today. I'm not in many stations these days so the flame might be burning brightly and I would not know. I've turned the comments on for this post for those than might.

Two kinds of Republicanism

In a Rolling Stone article titlled "Ohio Burning," Matt Taibbi offers one explanation of what happened November 7th.

There were really two kinds of Republicanism in the Bush years. There was the Bush/Rove/DeLay revolution, a brilliant perpetual plan for winning elections, raising money and concentrating power. Even if they were never verbalized, everyone implicitly understood the revolution's prime directives: support the president blindly, demonize the opposition and never break ranks. It wasn't hard to be this kind of Republican. If you could read at a fourth-grade level, pray to Jesus and exhibit genuine terror before photos of men holding hands, you could ride the revolution all the way to Washington with a ten-point cushion. There was room for even the very dumbest in this revolution.

The other Republicanism was the old-school conservatism that supposedly provided the revolution's ideological underpinnings. But somewhere along the line, the Bush revolutionaries broke free of those principles and sailed off into the unknown.

I really like the way Mr. Taibbi writes. Maybe it's just seeing his words in Rolling Stone, but they reminded me of Hunter Thompson. I would give an appendage-to-be-named-later to write so well.

George Carlin on mindless marketing blather

AdRants points us to a wonderful 4 min bit of a George Carlin performance:

More than half of what comes out of your mouth in that client presentation is mindless, pointless, idiotic sounding, space-filling blather. Don't you want meetings to be shorter? Aren't you sick of fake words that mean nothing? Wouldn't you rather be actually creating something rather than killing it with the boatload of words you throw at it before you ever show it to the client? Of course you would. So stop talking like an idiot.

I've been working hard in recent years to do more listening than talking in meetings with clients. I'm not there. I still talk too much. But I'm making progress.

The experiment I'm dying to try is to record (audio) one of the client presentations. And then transcribe it. That is when we will see just how mindless and pointless most of our blather is. The simple truth is, we can't hear how dumb we sound while we're talking.

Website: Expense or investment?

Mark Ramsey poses the following questions to broadcasters:

1. Is the purpose of your website just to put online what is already on the air, or is it something else?
2. Are we investing the necessary resources and talent in the development of our website, or are we having an intern update stuff in his spare time?
3. Are we giving people what they go to our station for in all its shapes and sizes on the web? Or are we offering one stream and a bunch of photos of our personalities?
4. If the content described in this article (Fast Company) can generate considerable traffic, can we convert that traffic to revenue? If so, why aren't we investing for traffic instead of seeing our websites as expensive necessities?
5. If we keep crowing about how "local" our radio station is, exactly how does our website express that or service that?

A couple of days ago, a broadcaster called me for advice on possible speakers/topics for an association meeting next spring. She wanted someone to come talk to them about "new media." I asked her why?

"Uh, we need to figure out how to make some more money." Or words to that effect.

I imagined thirsty villagers taking buckets and empty containers to a nearby well in hopes of finding water for their thirsty families.

I suggested that before you'd have anything to sell (to advertisers), you'd need to build an audience and that would take time and money. An investment.

"No, our owners won't let us spend any money. We need to find some more money. That's why we were thinking about the Internet."

To completely exhaust the metaphor... if you don't have the will or the resources to drill a new well... pray for rain.

Why you didn't get the business

Mary Schmidt ("Business Developer, Marketing Troubleshooter") explains why you didn't get her business. Her original list grew so long she's posting these little goodies in three parts. Here are a few of my favorites from her first batch:

4. Your web site looks abandoned. (Copyright 2004? Are you even still in business?)
5. Your web site doesn’t tell me how to call you.
6. You never, ever answer your phone. It always go to voice mail.
7. You did more talking than I did in our first meeting.
8. You insisted on going through your entire sales presentation, slide by slide, line by line – even when I said, “I already know that” and “Yes, I already saw that.”
9. You talk about “solutions” but never tell me how you’re going to solve my problem.
10. You’re “invisible.” Like it or not, showing up in a Google search (or not) is a credibility factor these days.
11. You only call or email when you’re trying to sell me something.
12. You think having my business card with my email address is the same as having my permission to flood my inbox with junk.
16. Your “free education seminar” was nothing more than a sales pitch

This should be required reading before every sales presentation. Thanks to David for the pointer.

KBOA, Studio A

I'm fortunate to have many photos from the early days of KBOA (Kennett, MO). This one of John Mays, cueing a record in the control room, was taken by Johnny Mack Reeder or Bob Miles. Probably in the early 50's.

You can see into Studio B which served a number of purposes over the years. Live newscasts and commercials orginated from Studio B. Later it house a large "disc cutter" used for recording spots.

I'll never forget the pleasantly musty smell of these ancient rooms with their massive doors

John Mayer on Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow and John Mayer recently toured together and during the next-to-last date, John Mayer come onstage during SC's set, dressed as a bear. The following night, Ms. Crow interrupted his set, wearing a bikini and waving around a baton (I'm pretty sure she was a twirler in high school). Based on this post from Mr. Mayer's blog (10/12/06), they had a good time:

"Sheryl - I hope you realize, even if for a fleeting moment just once a day, that everything you've ever hoped you would be, you are. I've never heard you sing a sour note, your record collection could freeze a Lower East Side hipster dead in his tracks and you have one of the hardest to find traits in a musician; you believe that nice isn't the opposite of bad-ass. Add to that the great people you surround yourself with, and it's no wonder I walk away from every conversation with you feeling like I expend twice the energy but say half as much as you do."

Ms. Crow looks pretty good (for any age). There's no permalink to the specific post on the Mayer blog.

HBO documentary films

While channel surfing last night, I came across a documentary on HBO. "Thin" is the story of four women with eating disorders who are "dying to be thin." Heartbreaking.

Tonight I watched "Hacking Democracy" which exposes gaping holes in the security of America's electronic voting system. If you voted in 2004 --or ever plan to vote again-- you should watch "Hacking Democracy."

Both films are powerful. Thank you HBO.

The best anti-smoking ad yet

Just when you think you've seen every possible take on the subject of smoking... If this little ditty doesn't scare the butt out of your hand, nothing will. You don't always die from tobacco. Gulp. [via Doc Searles]

ESPN launches local podcast network

ESPN is launching a local podcasting network. Sounds like they're starting with shows from their five owned-and-operated stations while inviting affiliates to be part of the podcast network.

For more than a year, ESPN has been offering about 20 podcasts of national ESPN programming through PodCenter and selling advertisers two spots, one 15-second spot rolling prior to the content and a 30-second post-content spot. The new local podcasting network provides advertisers the opportunity to buy a local podcasting network or target individual markets or regions. Participating affiliates will get a share of the network revenue sold.

The local stations could (and may be) podcasting on their own but I have to believe this approach (whole greater than sum of parts) makes sense. Once clearance becomes a non-issue, there might be an explosion of such podcast networks. [Mediaweek via Radio and Records]

Scott Adams on The Future of Voting

I’d also want to see the list of experts lined up on both sides of every argument, along with their political affiliations. If 90% of economists favored one fiscal policy over another, that would sway me. If 90% of recently retired generals supported one method of fighting a war, that would sway me too.

I’d also like to see opinion poll results that are limited to independent voters above a certain IQ range who have passed a knowledge test on the specific issue. It doesn’t help me to know that 80% of the ignorant, brainwashed masses support something. I want to know what the well-informed, bright, independents think. That way if I don’t have the time or interest to study an issue, I can still decide to vote with the bright, informed people.

Read the full post here. And, yes, I realize smays.com is becoming little more than a series of links to smarter, more clever bloggers.

And the rocket's red glare

Newly elected congressman John Hall joins Stephen Colbert in singing the national anthem. Like a number of incumbent politicians, Hall's opponent declined (wisely?) to come on The Colbert Report. Hall came on...held his own with Colbert and then, later, at the polls. In this encore, he managed to keep his dignity while still having fun. VIDEO

Apple selling lots of iPods and Macs

At least one consumer electronics analyst predicts Apple's sales this quarter will break $7 billion.

"...mature products are the ones that make big dollars. Apple is well on its way to reaping the profits from five years of investments in music and retail. And because few other companies have invested as much for as long, it will also take years for anyone to dislodge it from its now dominant position."

I'm looking forward to the buying public's reaction to the Zune.

Wild Fire

From Nelson DeMille's latest novel, Wild Fire:

During the Reagan administration, the American government devised and put into place this secret protocol named Wild Fire. What Wild Fire is, is the nuclear obliteration of the entire Islamic world by means of American nuclear missiles, in response to a nuclear terrorist attack on America.

For Wild Fire to be a reliable deterrent, as Mutually Assured Destruction was, it cannot be kept a complete secret. In fact, since the Wild Fire plan was implemented, the heads of all Islamic governments have been notified by succeeding administrations in Washington that an attack on an American city with a weapon of mass destruction would automatically ensure an American nuclear retaliation against fifty to one hundred cities and other targets in the Islamic world.

Wild Fire is seen by the American government as a very strong incentive for these countries to control the terrorists in their midsts, to induce these countries to share information with American intelligence agencies, and to do whatever they need to do to keep themselves from being vaporized.

In DeMille's story, some right-wing loonies get their hands on some Soviet suitcase nukes and decide to blow up a couple of American cities, blame it on the terrorists, and turn Sand Land into molten glass.

I googled "Wild Fire" and found myself on the Library of Congress website, looking at Senate Report 105-200 - Department of Defense Appropriation Bill, 1999. Just search the page for "Wild Fire" and you'll find the reference but no explanation. Probably nothing but figured I'd note it here.

This is just something an imaginative writer came up with, right? Like most of DeMille's novels... Wild Fire is a thriller.

Wild Fire is a nice companion read to Scott Adams' The Religion War.

Cronkite and Murrow for an ironic millennium

From Maureen Dowd's interview with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in the current issue of Rolling Stone.

Stewart: "The cornerstone of politics these days is grievance. It's really hard to keep that going when you're in power. I've admired their ability to hold on to that idea of being aggrieved while maintaining almost absolute control of all functions of government. I love it."

Colbert: "I think the way you said it the other day on your show was "Bush is not dumb. He speaks to us like we're dumb."

Stewart: "It was sort of like his trip to Baghdad. He went for four hours into the Green Zone and comes back and says Iraq is making great progress. It would be like if we went to the Olive Garden and started going, "I understand Italy."

Stewart: "I still don't consider myself political. People confuse political interest with interest in current events. The political industry is devoted to the electing and un-electing of officials, and that can be corrosive. If the Republicans don't lose either house, people will talk about Karl Rove's genius. There's no genius. It will be the triumph of machine and money and strategy over reality. I don't think that's anything to honor or enjoy.

Edit note: My original post earlier today included the first Q and A as placeholder until I could purchase and read the full Rolling Stone article.

"A Come-to-Daddy Moment"

I sure hope Maureen Dowd never has any reason to evaluate my job performance. From her Thursday column in the NYT:

"Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it. So now they’re taking it back. They are dragging W. away from those reckless older guys who have been such a bad influence and getting him some new minders who are a lot more practical."

Reno 911 - The Movie

One of my favorites TV shows is now a movie. In theaters in February. (trailer).

Apple ditches "Mac Guy" in new ads

Radar Online: Apple's "I'm a Mac" campaign is almost perfect: It's funny, memorable, and efficiently lays out the advantages of Macs over PCs. Its only defect: Virtually everyone who watches it comes away liking the "PC guy" while wanting to push the "Mac guy" under a bus.

Justin Long (the "Mac guy") is out. The campaign's other principals, director Phil Morrison and journo-humorist John Hodgman, are both returning for another round of spots.

According to Seth Stevenson, ad critic for Slate, Long is "just the sort of unshaven, hoodie-wearing, hands-in-pockets hipster we've always imagined when picturing a Mac enthusiast.... It's like Apple is parodying its own image while also cementing it." Of the polymathic Hodgman, Stevenson writes, "Even as he plays the chump in these Apple spots, his humor and likability are evident."

I didn't find the Mac guy 'a smug little twit.' Hmmm. I shudder to think what that says about moi.

Scott Adams happy to be greedy capitalist

"I’m happy that lots of people vote. The system would break down otherwise, and short of me being the dictator, I can’t think of a better system than imaginary democracy masking the naked ambitions of greedy capitalists. It sounds bad when you say it, but frankly I don’t have a better idea. I’m just happy I have a chance to be one of those greedy capitalists myself. Now go vote me some tax breaks." [The Dilbert Blog]

Google (still) moving into radio

Reuters: "Web search leader Google Inc. is hiring scores of radio sales people and is spending heavily in a bid to expand its position in the $20 billion radio industry. Google spokesman Michael Mayzel said this week that the company will begin a public test of Google Audio Ads by the end of the year. Advertisers will be able to go online and sign up for targeted radio ads using the same AdWords system they use to buy Web search ads."

Rumsfeld resigns

President Bush just announced that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is stepping down and former CIA Director Robert Gates will take over at the Pentagon and in prosecuting the war in Iraq. I hope they don't do that tar-and-feathers thing because it looks like it would really hurt.

2006 Midterm Election

What "Mission Accomplished" sign?

Did they really think nobody would notice? A little editing of W's "Mission Accomplished" speech.

Why I Have Not Blogged: Excuse #36

Suffering from a mild case of FLS (Feel Like Shit) for the last few days and --once again-- my blogging has suffered. And I've been spending a lot of time on blogs that are not mine (company blogs, client blogs, friends blogs). Feeling a little like the lady that spends every waking hour taking care of the the rich folks children, leaving no time for her own babies.

Thirty years of election coverage

The first election covered by The Missourinet (a network owned by the company I work for) was in 1976. News Director Bob Priddy orchestrated that first election night and every one since. Prior to The Missourinet, radio stations throughout the state focused on local races and relied on the wire services for news and numbers from throughout the state.

The Missourinet brought the sounds of election night from the state capitol and capaign headquarters throughout Missouri to the hometown audiences of our affiliates.

The technology has changed... and is changing... but insight and understanding Missourinet reporters bring to their election night coverage remains the focus of their reporting. Bob reflects on the past 30 years in this 10 minute video (40 meg).

RSS in Oprah speak : 'Ready for Some Stories'

Kevin O'Keefe (LexBlog) points to a really good explanation of RSS:

"RSS is a way online for you to get a quick list of the latest story headlines from all your favorite websites and blogs all in one place. How cool is that?

Suppose you have 50 sites and blogs that you like to visit regularly. Going to visit each website and blog everyday could take you hours. With RSS, you can ‘subscribe’ to a website or blog, and get ‘fed’ all the new headlines from all of these 50 sites and blogs in one list, and see what’s going on in minutes instead of hours. What a time saver!

That one place where your RSS list is created is called an RSS Reader, and it gathers all the headlines from all the websites and blogs you have subscribed to."

I'm told IE7 does a nice job with RSS but I suspect I'll stick with Google Reader.

Decision time

Radio Iowa News Director O. Kay Henderson has some excellent advice for those who haven't seen a debate, haven't met one of the candidates, and haven't a clue about how you're going to vote:

"Go to an "opinion leader" in your life, in your neighborhood, in your community. This could be a person you see tomorrow in church. It could be the person you're sitting beside at the high school play-off football game on Monday night. It could be a co-worker, or a life-long friend or the owner of the hardware store. Pick somebody whose opinion you respect (and who you suspect has been following the race) and ask them how they're going to vote and why.

I confess I am one of the clueless to whom Kay refers. I might presume to modify her advice just a tad. Instead of "opinion leader," I might seek out the smartest, best-informed, good person I can find, and ask him or her.

Take a moment to read Kay's post. It's a nice story.

Will November 8 be a GOP "sick day?"

Looks like there are only a few likely outcomes to Tuesday's mid-term elections. A) The Republicans hang on keep a slim majority in one or both of the houses. B) The Democrats take a narrow lead in one or both. Or, C) The Democrats win big in both. Scary (if you're a Republican) big.

I won't hazard a guess. What intrigues me is how the hard-core conservatives will respond to any or all of the possible outcomes. What's your line on Wednesday morning when you come into the office?

I assume there is some super-secret email list that will provide... what should we call them... talking points? Perhaps a website like this one, or this one, or they could borrow this list of excuses for John Kerry losing.

After the last couple of elections we heard, "The people have spoken!" If a whole bunch of those same people tell us something different this time, how do we respond?

I was going to offer some possible morning-after responses but I think I'll wait and take notes during the days following the election. I'll post some or all here.

Gannett "Information Centers"

The Des Moines Register is not a newspaper anymore, it's an "information center." Excerpts from a Gannett memo:

"What is it? The Information Center is a way to gather and disseminate news and information across all platforms, 24/7. The Information Center will let us gather the very local news and information that customers want, then distribute it when, where and how our customers seek it.

"The Information Center, frankly, is the newsroom of the future. It will fulfill today's needs for a more flexible, broader-based approach to the information gathering process. And it will be platform agnostic: News and information will be delivered to the right media -- be it newspapers, online, mobile, video or ones not yet invented -- at the right time. Our customers will decide which they prefer."

This caught my attention because one of our networks (Radio Iowa) is headquartered in Des Moines and I've had some dealings (nothing recent) over the years with the paper. The Register is a big deal in Iowa.

If I learn anything about how this new concept is playing in the newsroom... er, the "information center," I'll let you know.

Anyone have thoughts on what the radio "newsroom of the future" should look like? [E-Media Tidbits]

Use asterisk to cover naughty word's turgid genitalia

Scott Adams explains why the asterisk is "The Most Obscene Letter":

"Naked naughty words can destroy your brain and also society as a whole. However – and one would think this is obvious – It’s completely safe to THINK naughty words. And it’s safe to cause other people to think naughty words. But if you spell those naughty words without the asterisk loin cloth to protect your victims, you’re a danger to society. I know this to be true because I heard it from lots of people who have sh*t-for-brains."

When I write "WTF"... the little voice in your head says "What the fuck?" If I type "*ss hole," you hear "ass hole."

But they're just words. They can't really hurt you. If you don't believe me, read Adam's post.

Mike Neely: 1948-2006

Mike Neely died last week. I'm not sure about the date or just how he died. I'm told his health had not been good in recent years. I spoke with his mother, Myra, tonight and she said Mike and his family had visited in September. His death was "not real" to her yet.

Mike lived next door and we were best buds all through grade school. His family moved to California about the time we were starting high school. I think he did a couple of years of junior college before enlisting in the air force and serving in Thailand. After his discharge he moved back to Kennett and attended college at Arkansas State where he got an accounting degree. He went to work for some big accounting firm (Frost?) and they sent him to St. Thomas, VI. He and Jeanine have been there ever since.

Many of my best childhood memories include Mike. He was something of a golden boy. Great at all sports. Popular. He was a good kid. (He's on the left in the photo above)

Mike and I could always make each other laugh. I'm talking about hysterical, gasping, tears-streaming-down-your-cheeks, can't-get-your-breath laughter that literally leaves you rolling on the floor.

We didn't keep in touch in recent years, as is often the case with childhood friends. I regret that. I might never laugh that hard again.

Mike and his wife, Jeanine, have two sons, Luke and Jake.

Do you have your cover story ready?

CNN: "The Rev. Ted Haggard, who has resigned as one of the nation's top evangelical leaders, admitted Friday he had contacted a male prostitute for a massage and bought methamphetamine.

"I was buying it for me, but I never used it," said Haggard, 50, sitting in the driver's seat of a car with his wife, Gayle, at his side during an impromptu interview with CNN Denver affiliate KUSA-TV.

"I never kept it very long because it was wrong. I was tempted. I bought it. But I never used it." Haggard also acknowledged contacting Mike Jones but has denied Jones' accusation that the two men regularly had sex over three years."

I bought the meth but didn't use it. I knew the gay prostitute but we never had sex. He just gave me a massage.

As all naughty children know, before you do something you shouldn't, get your "what-if-I-get-caught" story ready. You might want to try in on a friend to see how it flies.

Better/cheaper than a Super Bowl spot

Mark Ramsey points to an article in Advertising Age that hints at how/why advertising is changing. The subject is a 75-second viral film that has been viewed 1.7 million times on YouTube. Three times more views than their Super Bowl ad (and it didn't cost anything).

The short film is very well done and makes its point very effectively. A really good idea...well executed. Let's face it, 99% of TV ads are crap. They're not putting them on YouTube because they know nobody would watch them by choice.

What if ...in the future... only the good stuff gets through. Gets seen. For companies like ours... that produce commercials... the question becomes: can we produce something like the film in the AdAge story? Can we make the cream that will rise to the surface?

Or perhaps something like SpotRunner will meet this need.

With the explosion of cable and other local media, there is a huge inventory of local ads, which means that they're cheap. So businesses that might not never have run TV ads (local real estate brokers, or IT geek squads) are buying local TV. Just because it's local doesn't mean it has to be bad.

SpotRunner has a slew of beautifully-filmed innocuous ads on file. Find one, they personalize it at the end and you're in business. (Seth Godin)

Britons: Bush threat to world peace

"British voters see US President Bush as a greater threat to world peace than either the North Korean leader or the Iranian president, according to a poll." (Guardian)

Should Google buy Clear Channel?

Article in AdAge briefly explores that question. The phrase that jumped out of the story at me was, "automated sale of remnant ads."

Right now, through Google's year-ago acquisition of dMarc, a radio systems company, it has been able to create an automated way to sell what is mostly remnant radio inventory, which remains unsold until the last minute. But, noted Mr. Bank, Google Audio is making several high-profile hires in the radio sales field in major radio markets. Now why, if Google Audio's selling of remnant ad time is so automated, would there need to be so many high-priced radio ad sales folks?

I'm pretty sure a big chunk of my salary for the past 20 years has come from acquiring and selling "remnant radio inventory." Should companies that trade services for commercials on radio stations (we call it barter) be concerned about this? My guess is most station managers would rather have cash for his unsold commercials.

The Google-Clear Channel idea is an interesting one. CC has lot of stations and Google has figured some things out about advertising.

Help! I've fallen and I can't blog!

Almost two full days since I posted. Aaaarggh! And it's red-lining my Stress-o-meter. No good excuse other than work. Every waking moment has been spent way down in Mine #6 here at the Learfield Coal Company. My canary just died and I smell gas.

Prolly gonna be the weekend before I strap on the keyboard again. Just didn't want you to worry about me.