Fall Book Promos: President or VP?

70° - overcast at 9:09am

Good Morning and Happy Friday from Michigan.

Fall book begins in less than a week. Starting to see some promotional activity around the country....I'm certain more stations will roll out there first phase plans early next week. Here's what I've seen so far:

Buffalo's WGRF is giving its listeners an opportunity to become the "President of 97 Rock". The station used imagination and resources to put together a great prize package that looks like a modest cash outlay. See here.

WAXQ/New York is offering listeners a chance to become the "VP of Rock"...in a twist of the Workforce Payroll promo. Also adds a CGM element to the mix as listeners get to make their favorite classic rock song part of the contest. See the web execution here.

Very cool in Detroit: WCSX is giving its younger listeners a chance to go to the "School of Rock" with a song-of-the-day promotion. Plus win an autographed guitar. Another high-impact/low-cost promo! More here.

KGB/San Diego and its Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw morning show (one of the best, IMHO) is offering listeners $1000 a day in September. Here.

With AC/DC hitting the road to support their new release, there's opportunities for lots of station promos and tie-ins this fall. Have seen a few already around the country. WBLM/Portland is one of 'em - offering listeners a chance to attend a "secret dress rehearsal show". Here.
AC/DC tour dates

More promos as I see 'em!

The Weekend Classic Rock FM

80° - light rain at 11:27am

Good Morning from downtown Lansing.

My 9-year old. For the past couple of weeks, he's been roaming around the house singing/humming "Carry On My Wayward Son"...courtesy of Guitar Hero.

Last weekend, I got him a CD of the Kansas album "Leftoverture"...perhaps he'll discover the rest of the album. My classic rock kid!

Even more PPM explained. Last week I passed along a link to Paragon Media Strategies - explaining the first ten of "20 More Things You Need to Know About PPM", as presented at the Morning Show Bootcamp.

Paragon's now posted narrative for another five of the twenty. Here.

Being an old album rock guy from the 70s - one caught my eye: "The art of the musical segue will be re-born in PPM. Keep ‘em listening, and don’t give ‘em reasons to tune out."

President of Radio. I've been following Fred Jacobs and his very clever and much needed session/discussion at upcoming Jacobs Media Summit. Fred has announced two more names for the panel; plus has published the entries for the 10th panelist (or "President"). Great stuff.

See the ideas here. Details on the session here.

Good Read: "Radio Law Is Meant To Be Broken (Strategically)". Edison Media's Sean Ross writes here.

Your station website. Earlier this week Broadcast Attorney David Oxenford posted a great piece on his Broadcast Law Blog regarding websites and localism. Copy and take to your next website strategy meeting. Here.

Bob & Tom TV. Randy Michaels and company brings some of radio's best to the tube via WGN America beginning in November. More here.

New AC/DC. Bob Leftsetz writes a great review here. Having read Bob's blog for several years now, I know his enthusiasm is genuine.

Have a great one.

Wednesday Blogs

41° - overcast at 8:25am

Good Morning from Okemos.

AC/DC on Classic Hits. Sean Ross writes about a classic rock/classic hits station that decided to test a few AC/DC titles with surprising results. Read here.

Perhaps surprising to them; but as a one-time PD of a "classic rock that rocks" station, its not surprising at all. A quick look at Mediabase should give you an idea of the variety of titles being played on classic rock stations around the country as well as the gold on the mainstream AORs.

Free Webinar Today: 2pm eastern. Edison Media's Tom Webster and Arbitron's Pierre Bouvard will present a session titled "2008 edition of The Infinite Dial: Radio's Digital Platforms". I'm trying to arrange my schedule to catch as much as possible. Get info and sign up here.

Jay Marvin. Jay writes about this week in 1967 when Tom Donahue put KMPX in San Francisco on the air and started the underground format - which evolved to progressive rock, then AOR...and later classic rock and AAA. Quoting Jay:

"Today when radio publications have conferences they invite big name guests who don't know shit about radio. Sorry but it's true. Why not find what old heads are left and have them talk about what they did, and how they did it."

I couldn't agree more. Read Jay's piece here. And I'll extend that to include later programmers like Jay Blackburn, Frank Felix and Mike Joseph. Just to name a few. Added: OMG - there's soooo many more I could add - with just some casual thought.

Full disclosure: I'm reminded of Frank Felix (and Mike Joseph) by Sean Ross here. And Jay Blackburn - I spoke to him on the phone just yesterday.

Monday Monday

82° - sunny at 1:08pm

Good afternoon.

AC/DC and Verizon Wireless: "....another reminder about how critically important mobile phones and Classic Rock are in the new media scheme of things." - Fred Jacobs.

Read here.


Great Monday Ideas

From Jaye Albright's Breakfast Blog: "Watch the latest web video from Lynch & Meyers as they prep their show for The Brew/Milwaukee. Thanks to Sean Lynch for sending it along."

"WSSL/Greenville was the first station (almost 15 years ago now) that I heard put their daily morning show promo on the station's music on hold, so everyone who calls the station hears a plug for tomorrow's morning show while they wait for their party at the station."

Thanks Jaye. Love the Brew/Milwaukee morning prep video. Reminds me of a few morning drive moments in my career!

And we have this thought from Dave Martin's PPM News & Comment Blog: "The early days of PPM include a growing store of advice, counsel on how to win in a PPM world. My thought is one of the most important and effective strategies not yet getting the attention deserved. Keep a diary.

As a practical matter keeping a diary, or journal if you prefer, affords an outstanding return on investment. Your diary will prove invaluable in gaining an understanding of PPM data. What is happening? What is not happening? What are the players doing to influence the action?"

PPM is giving us insights we never had before about our audience; continuing education for everyone. A great idea Dave - thank you!


Personal note: a few weeks back I wrote here about the passing of WITL's Jay J McCrae. Jay a program director I had the privilege of working in the same building with at the Citadel cluster in Lansing, Michigan.

I mentioned that Jay's wife and partner of 25 years - Jordan Lee - also handles middays on the station.

A post on the Michigan Radio Buzzboard noted Jordan's return to work this morning saying on air: "...Jay was not only my husband, but one of the toughest program directors to work for and I can hear him saying get back to work... so here we go." Welcome back Jordan.

More here tomorrow.