Photo: JJjunki
mashup of original
image, Little Bo Peep on Market Street by
Thomas Hawk

Outstanding, thank you!


"Every production of genius must be the production of enthusiasm." Disraeli

Carl Hiaasen writes about Anna Nicole and the new dawn of modern journalism: "Don't make the mistake of dismissing the Smith story as an anomaly; it's a media watershed. If the death of a hapless, doped-up ex-model can knock two wars out of the headlines, there's no end to the squalid possibilities." Read We have seen the future, and it's not pretty via The Miami Herald here.

Apple unveils new product-unveiling product: "Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high-court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch." More via CNET News here.

The future of radio: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet holds a hearing today at 2:30 eastern. The Digital Future of the United States: Part II - The Future of Radio. Scheduled to appear Mel Karmazin, Peter Smyth, Robert Kimball, Geoffrey Blackwell, and Gene Kimmelman. Listen in via the committee site here.

What are we selling, what's being purchased? Points or demos or environments or formats or markets or stations: Fig sends along an email wherein he compares and contrasts the Google Audio initiative with the work of his firm Softwave Media Exchange (SWMX). Fig raises some important issues that merit attention and discussion. Thanks Fig. From his email...

"- Radio station audiences are NOT generic. They each have a target, just like advertisers products & services.

- Advertisers want demographic choice. Not bulk audience markets. It goes against the basic benefit of radio. Radio's ability to target makes it attractive. Selling advertising on radio only to have it not work (because of improper targeting) will drive advertisers away from radio. ("I bought the market using radio, it didn't work") 12+ is a family reunion, not an effective radio buy. (SWMX stations offer choice because over 1,800 stations representing 40+% of all radio 12+ average quarter hours (12.4 million listeners) in 248 markets allows advertisers to choose the correct demo's for the product.)

- What % of the current Google Advertisers are NEW to Radio? (ours is 90% - Is Google more?) If they are bringing new advertisers to radio, why hire radio sales people to call on radio buyers? Who are they selling against?

- Google can preserve a stations rate card integrity by selling the station for what it is worth. Then you don't have to "hide" the station and sell radio by the pound. Let me understand, if Google sells cheap spots and takes a 50% commission, it will cause other local, loyal, station advertisers to pay more. (This is why SWMX has offered "full flighted"options.)

- A 50% commission rate is good for Google. Not radio stations.

We (SWMX) love having Google (or anyone) selling the benefits of radio. But, NO RADIO MANAGER that I know of will allow,

- The sales department to sell a cluster without knowing what stations the advertiser is going to be on. How can you repeat a successful campaign if you don't know what stations worked? Hello?

- Please let me know where a sales person can earn 50% commission. We all want to work there! (Google charges 50% for every dollar they bring to radio. SWMX gives the station 85% of the buy.

Google can do much better for radio and advertisers if it takes the time to learn what radio is all about. Bring more money into the biz, that's great! But take the time to learn why radio is so special. Then get the rate to make radio advertising (and Google) worth more.

Radio can help itself by making it easier to buy. There is too much paper, too many hoops to jump through, too many people saying "no" and not enough attention being paid to the content value. As a MAJOR purchaser of radio, SWMX has made it easier for stations to "get money." If Google really wants to help, it can start by understanding the key benefits of radio, then make it easy for the stations (not Google) to get money."

Congrats & cheers: Alexandra Wallace named EP of NBC's Nightly News.