Media Watch

By some measures, the 2012 republican presidential line-up has been set, and but for the primaries have staked their claim on the White House. Despite the media's bombardment of polling data, it's traditionally too early to tell who will lead the pack during the actual election year and some of today's shining stars are likely to be flushed after Iowa's Straw Pole next month. This is my second season shooting (with a camcorder, mind you) interviews of right-leaning candidates at WHO Radio, arguably the most identifiable radio station in the largest population center of the first-in-the-nation state of Iowa. This is where the momentum begins for every President elected in modern times. So it matters who shows up for the party. And while my list is growing almost by the day, a few high profile nomination seekers are conspicuously absent. If history is the best predictor of the future, then establishing a good ground game here with a personable appearance on WHO...

Former New York Governor George Pataki has been spending some time in Iowa and some are wondering if he's running for President.  WHO Radio's Jan Mickelson is one of them.

If all you do is tell followers what you're selling, then customers stop paying attention.  You can always improve your tweets & status updates by changing the focus from today's special on the menu to a special moment with customers, like photos from an event (preferably one that's related to your business over your nephew's ballgame). Burying the coupon code and saying something about a recent winner up front is more interesting.  Get the pitch in, but compelling or interesting factoids make you more of a friend than a "pitch person".

Last month Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) told Iowa radio host Jan Mickelson that the fix for the US debt crisis is to default on its debts as a way to save $1.7 trillion in interest payments -- effectively filing for bankruptcy -- and advance bond investments. Of course he also mentioned that we, like Greece, could see rioting in the streets by people losing their federal entitlements. "We're not immune from that," the 2012 GOP Presidential Candidate told Mickelson.

By August of '07, Former Massachusetts Governor W. Mitt Romney had attended more than 200 campaign events in Iowa as he appeared to lead the pack in the '08 GOP run-up, according to a statement during an interview with a radio host in Des Moines . "As you know, I enjoy getting together with Iowans all across the state." the candidate said in response to Jan Mickelson's final on-air question.  But the answer didn't fit Mickelson's query at all, which was actually an invitation to join him on the radio again, but for more than the eight minute heated discussion that ensued over whether Romney could reconcile his stance on abortion with his religion. All about being a Mormon "I'm happy to talk about my faith," says Gov. Romney multiple times while on the campaign trail.  But that doesn't square with his repeated theme in this interview , which is, "I'm not here to talk about Mormonism."  "No, I'm not running as a...

WTEM announced it would begin embargoing their Podcasts for 24-hours after the corresponding shows air -- essentially erecting a pay wall, according to the story on NTS. If you follow this thread, you begin to realize there's a huge under-appreciation for compelling local digital content amid fears of a declining traditional audience. And that seems to be the mentality.  Indy radio notable Jerry Lee ended WBEB's streaming because he sees it as a bad business model.  While I agree with the revenue challenges in digital, I think Lee misses the boat and is doing a disservice to his industry by rationalizing an inability to articulate a successful sales pitch to sell a valuable product.   My response: Jerry presumes it's not possible to sell enough advertising to support the platform, and I would have to ask, "why not?" There's a real and growing audience in streaming, so to feign failure in digital is to fail in sales. Radio is a culture that refuses to g...

The city council of Cefar Falls, Iowa is on its second of three readings before it casts a final vote on a law that requires commercial properties to supply keys to the city government.  It's my understanding that the revised ordinance may also require owners of residential rental property to also provide access. Not having the ordinance in front of me and not being a constitutional scholar, it's hard for me to pass judgment, but I was stunned watching council meeting highlights.  It leaves me wondering from where they think they get the power to control the citizens, for whom it works. Handing over your keys seems like giving wholesale compulsory consent, implied forfeiture of liberty.  It's CF residents'  & business owners' job to call BS on this. One of the council members said, "The merits of an idea do not depend on the number of people who hold that idea".  I agree with this, which is why our founders decided against a democracy where we...