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I don't think of myself as "expert" in any field. If there were an area where I have some experience and might once have considered myself proficient, perhaps it would have been affiliate relations. Specifically, state radio network affiliate relations. I did a lot of that over a 17 year period, mostly with good results.
While I'll never write the book, I can at least see what the cover might look like. [Larger image] Make your own.
Ford Motor Company and Microsoft are expected to announce new "Windows Automotive" software called "Sync," that will make it possible (easier?) to make hands-free cell phone calls and download music or receive email.
From Mark Ramsey at Hear 2.0: "If you can use your car to download music, you can also use it to stream music. And if you can stream music then you can do so from any number of music providers, not just your radio station."
"What is YOUR group doing to be in front of this trend? What is YOUR group doing to be in every car in every way in 2007 and beyond? What content do you have that every Ford will want to stream?"
If I were still a radio station program director, I might grab a program schedule and go through the day asking that question about each programming element. I think there will be lots of stuff folks in my local market will want to hear (news, weather, sports, etc) but they won't want to make an appointment to listen to it. They'll want to have it automatically downloaded to their cars so they can hear it when they want it. Podcasts.
The promotion, which is sponsored by Chevrolet, will celebrate New Year's as it happens around the world with new videos featured every hour from New Zealand to Los Angeles. Users can upload their videos in a special New Year's YouTube group. [News.com]
This sounds a lot more interesting than Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest. Chevrolet likes the idea well enough to sponsor it.
Sheryl Crow received (a couple of weeks ago) a Golden Globe nomination (Best Original Song) for her performance of Try Not to Remember from the film "Home of the Brave."
The movie tells the story of returning Iraqi war veterans who have to adjust to life again. I had not heard the song but just watched/listened to a "behind the lyrics" video at TMZ.com. A pretty --and heavy-- song.
This blog is first and foremost a personal journal. A place for notes on what I'm reading, watching and thinking. I took a few minutes to click and scroll back through 2006:
I posted on podcasting with some regularity and tried my hand at it with Dr. Domke's Living Healthy Podcast.
I am more fascinated with blogging than ever and persuaded our company to start a blog. I'd like to think I played a small, behind-the-scenes role in the launch of the best veterinarian blog on the net.
We did some interviews: Ben Brogdon (Original cast of Best Little Whore House in Texas); Dan Shelley (Executive Editor of Digital Media for WCBS-TV); Dan Arnall (Business Editor, ABC News) and Kevin O'Keefe (Lex Blog).
Kasie had a birthday and I (almost) had my first cigarette.
I was overcome with Mac Lust and bought my first Mac and became a "slider" (someone that slides back and forth between PC and Mac).
I read, wrote and thought about radio. I discovered that politics matters to me more than I thought.
Blogging and surfing cut into my reading time. I only read 24 books. I came up with a couple of good ideas for screenplays that had everything but the ending. Fortunately, Kay was able to provide those.
I discovered the formula for The Perfect Day; I came to grips with the reality that I am not a team player; I worried about how much I worry; I watched two good friends build a tree house and concluded that work is your real life.
I'm blessed with a few good friends; one great partner; two sweet pups; the best job in the world and high-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes for 2007.
I stumbled across this a couple of nights ago while mindlessly surfing the cable channels. A fascinating documentary on the Sundance Channel. In Blog Wars, filmmakers James Rogan and Phil Craig examine how online democratic activism is shaping important elections by focusing on the decisive Connecticut senate race and Ned Lamont's challenge to incumbent Joe Lieberman.
So reads the headline at WashingtonPost.com. I mention it here because Edwards was one of the keynote speakers (video) last July at Gnomedex, a tech conference held the last couple of years in Seattle. Politicians don't usually court such a geeky audience. Looks like he might be the first major candidate (since Howard Dean?) to take a serious stab at harnessing some of the new media elements for his campaign.
When it came up in his Gnomedex appearance that he didn't actually write his blog, the crowd jumped on him. Be interesting to see what he does with his official website.
Update: Just popped over for a look at his blog where the latest news was their ranking (#4) on YouTube. I sampled a few minutes of video from last night's town hall meeting in Des Moines and realized that he (and other candidates) no longer have to rely on MSM to show a few seconds of an appearance in a newscast. They just post everything. At least, everything positive.
Of course, someone will ask, "But who's watching YouTube?" And the answer is not "everybody," but "anybody."
Do you think there is any chance in hell that Edwards will pull a bone-head stunt like "macaca?"
If not apparant, I should emphasize that my interest here is media, not politics. I'm eager to see what role bloggers and podcasters and YouTube and other forms of social media play in the 2008 (and all future) election.
Another update: Jake Ludington posts video of Q&A with a handful of bloggers prior to the town hall meeting.
The second major snowstorm in a week pounded Colorado, burying the foothills under another 60 to 70 centimetres of snow, shutting down highways and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Denver airport. (story and pix)
Co-worker Phil is trapped in Colorado with his family. Okay, he's probably not trapped but he reports drifts of 4-5 feet with forcasts of additional 2 feet of snow and a blizzard warning for tonight. Brrr.
For some really amazing photographs, stop by the Rozier Gallery here in Jefferson City for a tandem show by Dr. Henry Domke and his good friend Vaughn Wascovich, a Professor of Photography at the University of Missouri. The opening is January 6 but their work will be exhibited through February 24. Henry has captured some beautiful images of lichen, while Wascovich "celebrates the power of photography and the land in our backyards."
The Rozier Gallery (map) is located in the Union Hotel at 101 Jefferson Street. Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (subscription) that a single iPod vending machine sold thousand dollars worth of iPods in one month. A VP of Business Traveler Services is quoted as saying, "We've done about $55,000 in a month in gross sales just for the one on Concourse A.
From usability expert Jakob Nielsen's useit.com. I'll plead guilty to #2 and #5 on a few of our sites. I'm iffy on a couple more. If you have a blog (or any kind of website), this is a handy check-list.
1. Bad Search
2. PDF Files for Online Reading
3. Not Changing the Color of Visited Links
4. Non-Scannable Text
5. Fixed Font Size
6. Page Titles With Low Search Engine Visibility
7. Anything That Looks Like an Advertisement
8. Violating Design Conventions
9. Opening New Browser Windows
10. Not Answering Users' Questions
"The iPod Revolution (Discovery Channel) goes behind the scenes to uncover how Steve Jobs brought Apple back from the grave to create one of the most popular electronics devices ever made: the iPod."
This was a really interesting hour that did a nice job of explaining how the iPod came to be what someone called "The Perfect Thing."
Barb and her brothers and sisters grew up attending the First Presbyterian Church in Kennett. When she and I started dating (1972) I attended a few services with her. The Big Event is the Christmas Eve service. Dr. Everett Mobley (Your Pet's Best Friend) blogs this update:
Seated in the choir, we noticed what appeared to be an outlaw biker in the back of the balcony. It proved to be Trent Tomlinson, seated in an unobtrusive spot, but wearing black leather and a do-rag on his head. My guess is that this is an image thing, just like never seeing Roy Rogers without a cowboy hat, or the Lone Ranger without his mask and silver bullets.
Since Sheryl Crow and Lance Armstrong split, Sheryl is back in Kennett for Christmas. She helped anchor the soprano section with her sister and her mother. Despite being a glamorous rock star, she pulled out the reading glasses to see the music. One of the middle-aged (my age) ladies in the choir commented that it showed Sheryl was just like the rest of us. What she was really thinking (as she looked out over her own bifocals) was, "I look like a rock-star." Maybe she does. I look more like Barney Fife, myself.
It remains one of Kennett's endearing charms that such well-known musicians can sing in the church choir (or sit in the balcony) and not be bothered.
I picked up a little airplane cold on my trip to Dallas last week. Nothing serious but it reminds me of all the nasty shit we have to breath while jammed in an airplane. I have no doubt a 49 cent surgical mask would have protected me.
Dr. Domke and I discussed this once and he confessed he actually wore a mask on a flight but his wife said she would fly with him again if he insisted on wearing it. I think more of us would take this sensible precaution if the masks could be made more interesting.
The first thing I thought of was a chimp mask (they would look better than my feeble Photoshop effort). But you could also do a Mr. Sardonicus... or maybe a nice big smile filled with hip-hop bling? Comments are open if you have a suggestion.
You could sell these in the news shops near the airport gates. Think how much fun it would be to fly on a plane filled with passengers wearing these.
I did a quick search, thinking someone is already selling these but found nothing. Send me a link if you find something.
A google search of "sars masks" turned up some nice masks but not as appealing as the chimp face. [Thanks, Andy]
Can Google Audio Ads be as easy and effesctive as Google AdWords? That was the question Donna Bogatin (Digital Markets) put to André Bergeron, owner/operator of Babble-On Recording Studios. She wanted "a radio production talent insider take" on how the Google Ad Creation Marketplace will impact the radio advertising industry. Bergeron seems to know what he's talking about.
"Dollar-A-Holler Radio ads have been around forever. The local Hi-Fi Store owner could always go into the local station and bark off a series of sale prices in shrill tones that would annoy anyone within earshot. This would be no different, really. There is so much more to effective messaging, to branding, to understanding how people listen to the radio than simply writing down "for all your underwear needs" and handing it off to Johnny promo voice to record.
Part of why people can't stand listening to the radio is the quality of the ads, they're, by most estimations, shouted, boring, and insultingly simplistic, and, if there are a lot of them, it just magnifies the mind-numbing nature of them."
I think that sentence really sums it up. That reality will ultimately prove to be The Big Problem for radio going forward. Shitty commercials in an era when we no longer have to listen to them in order to hear the news and music we want.
Andre Bergeron emails an additional thought:
"Throughout a programming day, the station dresses itself with a carefully crafted image using music, personalities, promotions, etc – to create “a brand”, if you will. Then a stopset comes on and it’s like the advertisers are allowed to dress the station in clown’s clothes, leisure suites or horizontal stripes."
Henry wants to know my ten favorite podcasts and blogs. I read a lot more than 10 blogs a day, but if I had to pick 10, they would be:
Scripting News, Boing Boing, Dilbert Blog, Doc Searls, Jeff Jarvis, Mark Ramsey, Micro Persuasion, Podcasting News, Seth Godin, and GrowLearfield.com + all of the Learfield blogs. Links to the right.
As for podcasts, I don't think I listen to 10 on a regular basis, only because I don't have time. I sample others from time to time bu the ones I listen to regularly are:
MacCast, Keith and the Girl, Podcast 411, This Week in Tech, Diggnation, NPR Technology, This American Life, Cutting Edge (Business Week).
All are weekly except Keith and the Girl which is daily. Usually an hour.
Tired of Miracle on 34th Street and Going My Way? One of the cable channels is showing Falling Down on Christmas Eve. If you haven't seen this 1993 film starring Michael Douglas and Robert Duval, it is depressing and violent. My favorite line:
"Now you're gonna die, wearing that stupid little hat. How does it feel?"
JP Rangaswami asks: "As we move to an age where the only true advertisements are recommendations, what is the role of the traditional advertisement going forward? Recommendations I understand. They can come in many shapes and forms. People you know and trust telling you about products and services they like ... A matching engine that takes your “buying” intentions and connects them with someone else’s “selling” intentions." [via gaping void]
What are we going to do with all of our :30s and :60s?
A company called QuickPlay has come up with a way to stream podcasts directly from a central server, instead of downloading and storing on space-limited memory cards. They say they have lined up some high-profile content providers, ranging from ABC News to the Wall Street Journal. The service is available immediately for $8 per month and requires an existing BlackBerry connected to a cellular provider's data plan.
It's going to get easier and easier to watch/listen stuff on portable devices. Once that happens, I think we'll stop using the term podcast. [electronista]
XM Ben points us to this "Outsider's Guide to XM" at washingtonpost.com. It does indeed sound like a fun place to work.
Come on, tell the truth. Isn't sitting by the hearth just a little more cozy when you're watching five thousand pathetic souls stranded in an airport for two days? No? Then it's just me.
And in that spirit of holiday schadenfreude, here's a little two minute video greeting 
to you, the loyal readers of smays.com.
NBC has released an uncensored version of an SNL skit starring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake, “A Special Christmas Box”. The video has been viewed more than four million times since its (censored) broadcast last Sunday. This raises my opinion of NBC, SNL and Justin Timberlake.
Nielsen Media Research has released findings from its 3rd Quarter Home Technology Report which show that MP3 players are now found in a quarter of US homes, and that more U.S. households now own DVD players (81.2% of all households) than VCRs (79.2% of households). The penetration of MP3 players has jumped by 150% in the last three years. [Podcasting News]
iPods are helping to drive increased demand for premium audio options in new cars. According to Telematics Research, 80% of 2007 models for sale in the U.S. will offer branded premium audio options from the likes of Bose and Harman/Kardon as optional or standard equipment up from 67% during the ’06 model year.
The most sought after feature in cars is support for Apple’s iPod. Last year, only 12% of vehicles for sale supported true iPod integration, while nearly 50% of the ’07 models support iPods. Meanwhile, auxiliary input is supported by nearly 60% of ’07 models. [Podcasting News]
Kevin at LexBlog thinks so: "It's a whole new generation of lawyers out there. Many younger lawyers feel more comfortable online than anywhere else. Law firms who hire some of the brightest and talented young professionals in the world have a hidden treasure of innovative Internet marketing ideas in these young people. It's time to unleash the talent you have. Law firms who do so will be rewarded in not only increased revenues but also in their recruiting efforts to land the best and brightest."
He links to some very good examples to support his position.
Disclosure: Life-Partner and Best Pal Barb is a lawyer. No interest in blogging. And, as far as she knows, none of the three or four hundred attorneys in her firm are blogging. At least not professionally.
Scott Adams asks: "...who would you rather have representing your country – a do-gooder who yammers about world peace, or the hot chick who’s trying to pin Miss Florida against the bar? America is all about freedom, not imposing your views on others. I say let Miss USA be free, like the great nation she represents. If we start restricting Miss USA’s right to party, the Taliban has won".
Because I don't own a Blackberry or "smart phone," I have not done any "texting" and have no thumb typing skills (I'm not even sure it's called that). But many people are very adept at this, including Learfield's own Tyne Morgan. Tyne is majoring in ag journalism at the University of Missouri and working part-time for one of our networks.
This little clip does not do justice to her amazing skill. She was keying --with one thumb-- as fast as many people type with all ten fingers. And she doesn't have to look at the keys. This might be more useful than the ability to make yourself invisible.
Computer usability expert Jakob Nielsen has compiled a top 10 list of the most egregious mistakes made by moviemakers. My favorites are:
The Hero Can Immediately Use Any UI
Break into a company -- possibly in a foreign country or on an alien planet -- and step up to the computer. How long does it take you to figure out the UI and use the new applications for the first time? Less than a minute if you're a movie star.
Integration is Easy, Data Interoperates
In the show 24, Jack Bauer calls his office to get plans and schematics for various buildings. Once these files have been transferred from outside sources to the agency's mainframe, Jack asks to have them downloaded to his PDA. And -- miracle of miracles -- the files are readable without any workarounds.
Remote Manipulators
In Tomorrow Never Dies, James Bond drives his BMW from the back seat with an Ericsson mobile phone that works as the car's remote control. And 007 drives fast, while also evading bad guys.
You've Got Mail is Always Good News
In the movies, checking your mail is a matter of picking out the one or two messages that are important to the plot. No information pollution or swamp of spam.
"This is Unix, It's Easy"
In the film Jurassic Park, a 12-year-old girl has to use the park's security system to keep everyone from being eaten by dinosaurs. She walks up to the control terminal and utters the immortal words, "This is a Unix system. I know this." And proceeds to (temporarily) save the day.
One of the things I find most interesting about bloggers is their willingness to share very personal feelings. I came across two examples of this last week.
My friend Chuck wrote about his daughter who was left paralyzed from an auto accident seven years ago. He links to her blog post which is very moving (and inspirational).
Equally touching was Everett Mobley's memories of his mother who died last week following a long battle with cancer.
They both felt moved to share very personal thoughts and feelings and their blogs offered a means for doing so. I've seen this time and time again.
I'm not sure what the point of this post is. Perhaps that there's something about the blog format that almost requires an openess and honesty.
From a blog post titled "Iran's Smackdown on Dubya," by Matt Taibbi:
"And we also now can say for sure that the famed cold-blooded ruthlessness of the Bush-Rove-Cheney crew has been proven to be a crock. Those guys are ruthless when it comes to winning American elections. But when it comes to war and diplomacy, they're a bunch of kittens. You can't Swift-Boat Moqtada Al-Sadr. When it comes to real enemies, our leaders are useless."
Taibbi also writes a column ("Road Rage") for Rolling Stone. In the December 14, 2006 issue, he writes about John Ashcroft's recent appearance at the Department of Justice for the unveiling of a new portrait of himself.
"Ashcroft sat beneath the infamous "Spirit of Justice" statue --the great lady with the naked stone tit that the religious nutcase Ashcroft once ordered clothed. Now she was unclothed again, her big boob-cone honking at the audience of tight-assed law enforcement officials, and Ashcroft could do nothing but sit under it with a nervous smile on his face."
If you wonder "who cares?... you're not alone. Taibbi was the only reporter there.
Mark Ramsey asks: "Who cares if people are hearing the spots unless they're hearing those spots and acting on them or unless their opinions and intentions are being altered in such fashion that the advertising expenditure is an investment rather than money out the window?
We need to get past the issue of whether or not listeners stay tuned through a break and focus instead on giving the advertiser what they're paying for: Results, not ears."
BTW, if there's a better (or equally good) blog on the radio industry than Hear 2.0, please email the link. I post on and link to so much of Mark Ramsey's stuff I'm a little embarrassed. But he always gets it right.
Is it even remotely possible that Scott Adams is reading this blog? In October I offered some thoughts on worry:
We know --looking back-- that most of the things we worried about did NOT happen. The really bad shit that happens in life is almost always totally unexpected. Out of the blue (or black, if you prefer). Didn't see it coming at all.
Today, Dilbert's dad took the idea up a notch or two:
First, I’m not worried about any problem that we can see coming. If you look at the history of the world, almost any time we thought we knew something bad was going to happen AND we had years of warning, things turned out okay.
I'm just saying...
A bunch of consultants got together yesterday at the Arbitron Consultant's Fly-In, an annual event for programming consultants. One of them, Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs, scolded the industry for ignoring younger (12-24) listeners:
"We got away with ignoring them because there was no money there. Since we were the only game in town, they wound up eventually finding us. But today, there are all kinds of places for them to go. If they don't grow up with us, why would they come to us?" Jabobs added, "We are kind of screwed. We stand to lose a couple of generations."
Anybody got any ideas on how to program a radio station (in 2007) for that demo?
Update: Mark Ramsey post on the same article.
The folks at ZDNet's Digital Markets have some PowerPoint slides that illustrates how Google Audio Ads work. And this from Voices.com:
"Google has positioned the Audio Ads system to serve both top-level advertisers, as well as the advertising agencies themselves. The graphic also shows 75% of the transactions coming from the agencies, and only 25% from independent advertisers. This is likely because advertising agencies already have media planning and media buying personnel, not to mention existing relationships with local and regional radio stations."
The lables in the little blue rectangles are: Radio Stations, Networks and Rep Firms. Which suggests that advertisers will simply have another option for placing their ads on radio stations. And if Google can make it easier or cheaper or more effective (i.e. feedback, reports, etc)... they've added value to the process.
My favorite Peter Boyle scene is Puttin' on the Ritz from Young Frankenstein. Boyle who died today after battling Multiple Myeloma and Heart Disease. He was 71 years old.
More than a third of smokers who had surgery to remove early stage lung cancer were smoking again within a year. That's one of the findings of a new study involving patients who were forced to quit smoking for surgery. Many were puffing away within two months of the surgery, and nearly half eventually resumed the habit. [LiveScience]
AdAge.com: "The days of listening to two or three radio stations on a regular basis are long gone, a sign of the times Clear Channel is more than willing to acknowledge. In a direct nod to podcasts and satellite radio, the terrestrial leader is looking to expand its online reach by creating its own hyper-targeted programming for two of the most underserved niche audiences on the airwaves -- Nascar fans and the gay community."
Somebody(s) at Clear Channel has figured out "this Internet thing." This article is worth a read.
There are probably some NASCAR formats on the air but I've never heard one. And I sure don't expect to hear a station programmed for the gay community. I think this is a brilliant move and would like to hear some of the stuff they produce.
In a very short time, Rock, Country, Easy Listening, News/Talk and similar formats will seem quaint and anachronistic.
I know what you're thinking. Why not program for gay NASCAR drivers? Why indeed?
In the Sci Fi Channel's "The Lost Room" miniseries, homicide cop Joe Miller (Peter Krause) stumbles upon a key that turns any door into a gateway to this unassuming motel room that's been frozen in time. Aside from being able to access the room from anywhere, there's something else odd about it: no matter what you do inside it - sleep in the bed, set fire to the carpet or add an assortment of Ikea table lamps - it always "resets" itself to its original orderly configuration the next time you enter. [AZ Central]
The first (of three) installment of this miniseries was pretty damed good. Sci Fi is airing the first part again this evening at 6pm Central...followed by part two.
If you haven't purchased my Christmas present yet, I'd love to have one of these.
"Mythological brands make a spiritual connection with the user, delivering something that we can't find on our own... or, at the very least, giving us a slate we can use to write our own spirituality on. People use a Dell. They are an Apple." Seth's full post.
Barb is a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas trees. Always a real tree. Always trimmed one ornament at a time. A work of art in every sense of the word. This year's tree is beautifully shaped and tastefully decorated.
It was one of those perfect "catalog" weekends: dogs snoozing in front of a cozy fire. Hell, Barb even baked bread! Check out the larger image of the tree to get the full effect.
Our two Golden Retrievers love the snow. Lucy, the younger dog, cannot contain her excitement 1 min .mov, 6 meg
Speaking of dogs and cold weather... my favorite blogging veterinarian, Dr. Everett Mobley, provides a terrific overview for caring for you dog when the temperature falls.
I'm hoplessly ignorant about the stock market and finances and such but I always found Jim Cramer's radio feature kind of interesting. Didn't care for his TV show althought I gather it's very popular.
According to CyberJournalist.net, he's going to cancel is regular radio show so that he can focus on TheStreet.com video and multimedia initiatives, including appearing frequently in TheStreet.com video. Cramer broadcast his final nationally syndicated radio show, "RealMoney with Jim Cramer," last Friday.
There might be all sorts of behind-the-scenes reasons for the move but it just struck me as interesting. I mean, if you were on a bunch of radio stations...why would you give up that audience?
Interesting story at WSJ.com about how hand-held email devices (BlackBerry, Treo, etc) are cutting into quality time at home. I'm never far from a computer so I have no stones to throw, but there seems to be something even more addictive about these devices. They are just so easy to use. So handy. And Barb's Treo makes this insidious little tone when a new email comes in ("Check me! Check me!).
One ninth-grader (in the WSJ story) says she has caught her parents typing emails on their Treos during her eighth-grade awards ceremony, at dinner and in darkened movie theaters. "During my dance recital, I'm 99% sure they were emailing except while I was on stage," she says. "I think that's kind of rude."
Most of the senior managers in our company have BlackBerry's and I'll bet you a hot oil back rub on Oprah they're using the little buggers right up until bedtime.
Update: NPR interview with the reporter that did the story and some of the people she interviewed.
From Inside AdWords blog: "Over the last year, we've been working hard to integrate the dMarc advertising platform into Google AdWords. We're happy to announce that the integration is now complete and we've recently begun a U.S. beta test of Google Audio Ads with a small group of AdWords advertisers."
If you haven't been keeping up, here's how Google describes their Audio Ads:
"Google Audio Ads brings efficiency, accountability, and enhanced ROI to radio advertising by providing advertisers with an online interface for creating and launching radio campaigns. You'll be able to target your customers by location, station type, day of the week, and time of day. After the radio ads are run, you will be able to view online reports that tell you exactly when your ad played."
A couple of days ago, Mark Ramsey (Hear 2.0) pointed us to an application page on the Google website.
Ad Specialist Application -- Thank you for your interest in joining the Google Ad Creation Marketplace. We're looking for some of the top audio ad specialists to join our Ad Creation Marketplace – a searchable directory of talent to help AdWords advertisers to create radio advertisements. For advertisers new to the radio space, or who are starting a new campaign, the Marketplace provides an invaluable starting point for finding the talent they need.
So, I decide to buy some Google Audio Ads. I search the Google Ad Creation Marketplace database for someone to write and produce my spot. We agree on a price. I send some copy. They email back an MP3 file. I'm off to the races. Maybe. Mr. Ramsey is skeptical and I confess I am too. But if it works... it could have a profound change on how advertiser buy and place ads.
Update: According to News.com, the radio ads are running in more than 260 metropolitan markets, covering about 87 percent of the country
That's one of the headlines in the latest issue of the StateNets newsletter. StateNets --formerly the National Association of State Radio Networks -- is the marketing arm for most of the state radio networks in the country.
Jim Underwood of the Florida Radio Network wonders if it's time to drop "radio" from their name.
"First of all, we are not really in the radio business, the broadcasting business or even the network radio broadcasting business. We are in the business of supplying information to people and charging clients a fee to include their message with that information.
We produce a lot of valuable, exclusive content about our states every day and we need to devise new ways to make that information available to people everywhere who may be interested in it. (We're) working on software to make FRN - er rather maybe Florida Information Network - content available to websites of affiliates, then maybe newspapers. Why not supply State Government sites with the content?"
Such a rude question would have been considered heresy just a short time ago. Based on all that I've seen/heard, the future of state radio networks (including ours) is closely tied to that of the radio stations we serve. I'm convinced there are other markets for our content, but I still haven't seen the business model that will replace --dollar for dollar-- the revenue state networks have come to depend on. Stay tuned.
One of my rationalizations for buying a new iPod nano was the Voice Memo feature. Plug a mic in and record directly to the iPod. I had no idea how well this would work until tonight when I plugged in a tiny little mic called the iTalk Pro from Griffin Technology.
Pops into the bottom of the iPod and records in mono or stereo. The interface on the iPod is a wonder of simple design.
I'll let you decide on the quality but I can certainly imagine recording an interview with this delightful little gadget. And I've always got the nano with me anyway, so...
I made the jump from Blogger to Typepad a couple of years ago because Blogger was driving me nuts. All kind of problems and missing features. A number of Learfield bloggers and friends are still using the service so this link is for you. It's an interview (video) with Eric Case who works on the Blogger team at Google. I'm posting here because it's easier than trying to remember who to email.
This morning one of our networks posted a story about how last weeks snow and ice storm has caused millions of dollars in damage to docks, marinas, and boats at the Lake of the Ozarks. A short time later, someone forwarded a link to a web page featuring photos of the damage. I called the guy that put the page up and got his permission to use one of the images (and linked our story to his page).
I only mention this because, starting tomorrow, users will be able to upload photos and videos to a section of Yahoo called You Witness News. All of the submissions will appear on Flickr or a similar site for video. Editors at both Reuters and Yahoo will review the submissions and select some to place on pages with relevant news articles, just as professional photographs and video clips are woven into their news sites today.
According to the story at NYTimes.com, users will not be paid for images displayed on the Yahoo and Reuters sites. But people whose photos or videos are selected for distribution to Reuters clients will receive a payment.
The piece goes on to say that Yahoo plans to use the images on its sports and entertainment sites. Over time, it wants to expand to local news and high school sports. And it will consider allowing users to contribute articles as well as images.
Now, before you tell me that the public won't be smart enough or take the time to upload a photo or video... let me just say: YouTube.
Who might use the Yahoo/Reuters service? Well, we struggle to come up with photos for the stories our networks cover. We're radio guys and we're still figuring out how to get good images for our stories. And we haven't touched video. If the Yahoo/Reuters service was easy and affordable, yeah... I'd be interested.
And here's a question for radio station webmasters: If some of your listeners have great photos and video of last night's local high school football game... and they're willing (eager!) to share them with you... do you have the wherewithal to add them to your website? Or, better question... do YOU have anything about the big game on your site? Mark my words... someone will make a place for that very local content.
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