Memorial Day Programming

58° - sunny/clear at 9:45am

Hello from Michigan. Home today with a sore sinus/throat thing. My 9-year old had something similar for the past few days - so I be thinkin' that I got it from him.

Memorial Day. See lots of stations getting ready to hit Memorial Day Weekend with Top 500 Countdowns. KUFX/San Jose is soliciting listener votes for their countdown with a chance to win Police tix. Here.

KCFX/Kansas City now collecting votes for their Memorial 500 here.

KSAN/San Francisco also compiling listener votes; though its limited to their "Bonehead" club members.

In Fort Myers, WARO is doing a "Top 400" for Memorial Day weekend - with a list to vote from online here.

In Philadelphia, WMGK has started the voting process for its "Philly 500" with a complete (?) list of titles, plus an opportunity to "write in" a vote. See how they're doing it here.

WAQY/Springfield also with the Top 500 this Memorial Day. Here. Kudos to them on a great graphic:

KLOS/LA is spending the long weekend with listener-suggested sets of music as a "My Tunes" weekend. Very cool. See the entry process here. In the Windy City, Mainstream rocker WLUP is doing a "Loyal Looper 500". See here.

One of my favorite stations - WGRF/Buffalo is letting the listeners vote - and discuss their Memorial Day 500 list.

Incentive for voting is a chance at a trip to the Hard Rock Park. Schweet! See the layout and listener comments here.

More Memorial Day Programming as I come across it.

Follow-up file: This morning I did spot one station doing "The Harley Days of May". Here.

2008 Spring Book Promos - Part 1

45° - rain at 10:45pm

Spring book began today; while we haven't spotted a ton of spring promotions (makes one think of budget woes) - I did run across a few worth mention.

WAXQ/New York is repeating their "Music Director" promotion - where listeners enter a five-song set of music and when they hear it on the air they can call in to win $104. A variation on the "Workforce Payroll" promotion.

All cash winners go into a grand prize drawing for $40,000 to be used toward a summer beach house rental along the Jersey Shore or Long Island. A little inspiration for the beach house rental is seen to the right.

See the complete promotion on the Q104.3 website here.

WZLX/Boston is doing the Workforce Payroll - with "all new hires on Workforce Payday Thursdays earn the maximum wage of $500 per hour!!" Likewise with KRXO/Oklahoma City with Workforce Payroll $100/hour giveaways.

In Tulsa, KJSR (Star 103) also doing the promo as "The At Work Network Payroll" with $100 an hour.

A few weeks back, I wrote here about WCSX/Detroit and its "Stimulus Package" promo. The stimulus now showing up on WKLH/Milwaukee with $600 cash prizes.

WKLH also doing van runs giving out checks for 96 cents to remind people to listen. Checks have reminder to winners "not to spend it all at once". LOL. See here.

WAQY/Springfield will also featuring the stimulus package soon. Tease on the website here. Also on the stimulus promo bus is KLPX/Tucson.

And WWUZ/Fredericksburg is offering a "stimulus package" with the "Workforce Cash Artist of the Day." See here.

More promos to come.

Monday Monday

-3° - scattered clouds at 11:22pm

Late Edition. Long day following a long weekend. Lots of chatter in the blogosphere in the last day over Jim Cramer's declaration last week about "the end of radio."

The best perspective on Cramer's comments come from the mind of David Martin - who wrote this morning:

"With all due respect, I disagree with the comments of those blogging Cramer as having delivered news of radio's death. Those bloggers are missing JC's bigger point, they're plainly wrong, it's radio equities that suck not radio. Owning broadcast and cable assets, bought right, remains a very good business."

"So, no matter what some have said, Cramer is not down on the radio business, he's down on you putting your money into any of the traded radio securities. He's right."

Dave's complete remarks here.

Just this past Saturday Night I was sitting in a brew pub in with a couple of small market radio owners.

One of them remarked that the problems of the big companies are simply Wall Street problems and have little direct impact on their operations. They continue to see growth in cash flow and remain highly optimistic about the medium's future.

After last week's layoff news, hanging out with these guys was extremely uplifting. Brewpub: Jamesport Brewing Company. Highlights: the Amber Steam (exceptional) and Scottish Ale. I'll try others next trip to Michigan's "West Coast".

Letting the listeners program. WAQY/Springfield introduces their "Record & Tape Club" (very clever); clicking on the "virtual penny" allows a listener to submit their favorite album to be part of a special weekend of programming.

Last month - WGRF/Buffalo celebrated "JanYOUary". This month WCSX/Detroit is celebrating "FebYOUary" in the same style with listener-created sets of music.

Very cool. Making listeners part of the process gives them ownership; turning them into advocates.

Have a good night.

Sunday Morning Odds & Sods

50° - clear at 11:50am. Frost last night!

Happy Sunday. Morning coffee accompanied by radio via the 'net. The usual. Later: Kids flag football - plus pumpkin and costume shopping.

Halloween fun: "Dead Bass Player Days" - from KKZX/Spokane - here. I did laugh out loud...very clever!

This Weekend: WCSX/Detroit is offering listeners a "Monsters of Classic Rock" Weekend (4 song blocks) - here.

WAQY/Springfield is doing a "Ghosts of Rock" Weekend. Its dead rockers. Here.

What is your station doing on air for halloween?

More Ghoul Tube. We mentioned WGRF/Buffalo's "Ghoul Tube" here the other day. A couple other stations on-board with the concept too. WCSX/Detroit has theirs here. Likewise with Citadel's KHYT/Tucson.

Clear Channel has "scariest music videos" on many of their station websites. Click the link here to see. Look at clip #12. LOL!

Classic Rock A to Z. Watching television last night - it looks like Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" might have some clips suitable for letter "b" imaging. Find trailer and clips here. I'm just thinkin'....

Geico Caveman. Rachel Veness at Geico emails to tell me that the Caveman's Crib interactive website has been updated. Fun stuff. Check it out here and be ready to point and click.

And: the actor who plays the Caveman for Geico - John Lehr - has a website. See the transformation to Caveman here.

Have a great Sunday!

Here and There

Sun and 63° here at 10:30am

Listening this morning to KKZX/Spokane on the 'net. The "Radiomen" are on the air. Flashback host/VO pro Bill St. James is their imaging voice. sweet!

Mothers Day. Sunday. WMGK/Philadelphia is doing a Mother's Day Request Weekend. If your request is played, you'll also pick up a pair of Def Leppard/Styx tix. KSAN/San Francisco doing 3-song sets for mom on her day.

Practical. WAQY/Springfield giving listeners a chance to get all the junk out of their home. A prize a wife would love. Ends the nagging! Details here.

Another one: "Show Us Your Crack". KTWS/Bend, OR is looking for the biggest crack. Here.

Morning Show TV. KRFX/Denver AM drivers Lewis & Floorwax (aka "The Masters") take highlights of their radio show to Comcast Cable Wednesday through Friday Nights. Here. How many cable systems are looking for programming....??

Cool Spring Promotions - Part Two

The Spring Book begins today. But you knew that already.

More spring promotions we've noted:

More Workforce: WKLH/Milwaukee does their take on the Workforce Payroll with a chance to become the station's CEO. $96 an hour with a chance at a $10,000 CEO benefits package.

Tampa Bay's WXGL kicks off the Eagle Work Zone on Monday with $100 to be on the clock. Likewise with KGON/Portland. $100 an hour on the KGON Workforce Payroll.

Sacramento's KSEG with $100 an hour with The Workforce Payroll. WCHR/Monmouth County, NJ has The Job Squad with $105/hourly.

WSFR/Louisville does the SFR Payroll with $107.70 per hour. Can you guess their frequency? WJSR/Tulsa has the At Work Network Payroll at $50/hour; it doubles on Thursdays. In Knoxville, WIMZ offers $100/hour to a listener and a friend. Details here.

Beyond The Workforce Payroll:

WHTQ/Orlando is offering up $96 4x/daily with the "Classic Rocker Of The Day". Check it out here. In Nashville, WNRQ has $500 when the group of the day plays with "Cash For Classics". WHPT/Sarasota is doing the "Workforce Song Of The Day" - hear it and win $1000.

Springfield's WAQY began qualifying listeners this past Monday for a BMW Motorcycle.

WDGL/Baton Rouge is doing License To Win - $98 five times a day matching numbers with listener drivers licenses.

More spring promotions as we see 'em. Got one we missed? Share.