"My father was in charge of the men's lavatory at the Ritz Hotel. My mother was a chambermaid at the same hotel. I was educated at the London School of Economics." First paragraph of the best job application letter David Ogilvy said he ever received

Glenn Beck beats Chris Matthews, 25-54, 7pm show, Sept numbers: 149,000 to 132,000. Chris still leads in total viewers.


Gary Pahigian, president of the Saga stations in Portland, Maine is interviewed by Mike Kinosian via IR here. Bravo to Mike - good job. Congrats to Gary, one of radio's best (lucky Saga).

The latest findings from the Radio Advertising Effectiveness Lab are available, via PDF, good stuff here

Stupid with no excuse. Last week my flight on American to Dallas was cancelled. The American folks, as usual, were great. I was on the next United flight. Once we were in the air the lead attendant made an announcement. "Economy Plus seating" she told us, was reserved for only those passengers who purchased Economy Plus seats in advance of departure. As this was my first time flying United since they created their Economy Plus program the announcement came across as a bit harsh. The vibe was "stay where you are", DO NOT move to one of the empty rows, remain in your Economy Minus middle seat. So what's the deal? They can sell beverages in flight, sell phone calls in flight, sell snacks in flight, yet United claims they are not able to sell you an upgrade in flight? They're wrong - being in a crowded middle seat aware of unoccupied three seat rows provides the perfect motivation to upgrade.

Rabbi walks into a bar with a frog on his shoulder. Bartender says "Where did you get that?" Frog says "Brooklyn, there are hundreds of them." (In memory of the great Norm Goldsmith)

1. What I Should Have Said. 2.What I Said. (with thanks to Mary Ann Madden)

1. "Look, there's a lot of traffic, and he's probably been stuck in a meeting all day and didn't get your message, or he'd have called. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."
2. "Maybe he's dead."

1. "How can I ever thank you for pulling my grandson from that icy river?"
2. "Where are his mittens?"

1. "The house, the Mercedes and $500,00."
2. "Please don't leave me."

Paul Heine leads a good discussion of FM talk, video via R&R here. Good job Paul!

The closer: Dr. Jerry Boulding writes...

"Winning radio stations have to be inspiring, passionate, imaginative and caring. And they must offer compelling content. They should become something the audience looks forward to every morning and goes to bed with every night. They should be a part of the very fabric of people's lives."

Bravo Dr. B! Well said. You can enjoy more of the good doctor's wisdom via Joel Denver's always engaging, ever fresh AllAccess here (free sub req)