Endorsements

It seems like everyone has an endorsement proclamation to share, so I decided I wanted one too.

Mine is simple and based on something rational, for a change, like the rule of law.  And in order to restore the rule of law, we need leaders focused on limiting government to only the powers permitted under this nation's charter.

We have been drawn so far from these core American values that they seem radical, naive, dangerous and idealistic by today's standards. But returning to these standards must be our aim if we are to preserve this republic.

Foreign Policy
It was never the founders' conception that the US government would intervene in matters of other sovereign nations.  We know that doing so causes unintended blowback.  One example came to us in 1967 during the six day war, when Israel blasted the USS Liberty, a ship sent to the Sinai  Peninsula on a listening mission.  Candidates who demonize non-interventionism, characterizing it as isolationism, either don't understand history or they fully understand, but count on your ignorance to get away with it.  Wanting to withdraw standing armies deployed overseas is not naive or dangerous, but necessary to restore America's dignity in world affairs.  Denying foreign countries' access to our earnings is not disrespectful toward our supposed foreign allies, but an equitable human rights policy inside our borders.

Domestic Policy
Rejecting federal interference in states' sovereignty is completely proper.  Restoring sanity in monetary policy is critical to America's common welfare and failing to do so is a national security crisis.  It's immoral for the US to embark on policies that cause suffering on entire segments of our population.  To create laws that are tantamount to racist is repulsive.  Federal regulation of marriage and medicine is an indignity on families and individuals that cannot be allowed to persist.

There's only one candidate that will resist entering the homes and pocketbooks of American families, whose aim is to put a leash on federal reach, and seek to bring costs of government back to a rational level.

The only candidate with the integrity and honor to hold the office of President of the United States of America is Dr. Ron Paul, the Republican Representative from Texas.  I urge you to help me restore America to its former prestige by participating in caucusing and voting for candidates for all elected offices in this country that hold firm the principles I've outlined above, beginning with Dr. Paul.

Beware of detractors like Newt Gingrich who use inflammatory tactics to paint Dr. Paul in a poor light.  They say he will not be the nominee because he is for the legalization of drugs; he blames 9/11 on America; he thinks it doesn't matter if Iran gets nuclear weapons; he seems totally unwilling to defend Israel; he basically came out for the abolition of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security; he can't defend and won't take responsibility for his own newsletter, even when they have very negative, very destructive things in them.  Newt is conning people into voting for him.  It doesn't take much research to see through each of these cheap tactics he is using.

Let's face it, if you say you believe in the federal government staying out of states' rights, then you will be accused of supporting the legalization of whatever the federal government had been improperly regulating.  If you say the government should not intervene in certain foreign matters, then you are for the destruction of our allies.  If you criticize a popular government program whose very existence is unconstitutional, then you're too radical.  The irony here is that every other candidate will spit on the very doctrine many of them have already sworn to uphold.  That tells me that in American politics today, if you truly honor America, you'll be vilified by the establishment.

I would love to see Mr. Gingrich to lay his finger on that part of the Constitution that properly lays down the power for our government to legally prevent Iran from developing weapons of its choosing.  I want to know where Newt thinks the federal government gets its authority to supersede a state's right to regulate plant-life.

In reality the Republican Party has become a bastardized version of itself.  Its members used to purport to want to stop overreaching policies that facilitated welfare programs aimed at subsidizing individuals or subsets of society, and instead encouraged volunteerism, philanthropy and the good will of fellow citizens.  This compulsory charity is now so engrained in our system that it takes radical thinkers to remind us what the charter we celebrate every Fourth of July actually says.  This new version of American politics preys on the ignorance of its citizens to leverage personal gain and advance illegal policies that cause suffering within its populous.

We should ignore pundits who try to replace your intelligence with their propaganda, polling data and social engineering efforts.  We should be less concerned about who is electable and more proactive about what this country needs most right now.  Let's get together and start coming up with similar answers to the most important questions facing America today.  Let's fire the establishment and bring equitable change to this beloved republic.  We must not sit on the sidelines for yet another election cycle.

Go to Washington. Get rich.

One of the reasons I enjoy working in the media is the perks.  At a large outdoor concert we put on, members of the staff and clients were shielded from long lines and the general filth that the "regular" goers endured.  We were treated to a better class of faire and impressive access backstage and the performers.

It's all perfectly legal, but if I were a standard ticketholder, I might not have the same appreciation for such perks, especially as I'm being herded like cattle.

The Wall Street Journal reported numerous examples where members of Congress, their staff, friends and family were able to enrich themselves through insider trading.  This elite class of folks can come to Washington with only a few bucks, but leave with millions more.

Is that fair?  Is it true that Congress is exempt from insider trading rules imposed on us "regular" folk?

Ron Paul recently spoke on the issue after 60 Minutes did an expose on how Nancy Pelosi and others were getting rich from this kind of criminal activity.

How the media distracts us from real issues

I'm often insulted when I see in the media that the most important issues are brushed under the rug and petty bickering makes the headlines.

On MSNBC's Martin Bashir program Friday (Oct. 27), Democratic analyst Karen Finney said of the white Republican base, "They think [Cain is] a black man who knows his place."



A cohort of mine subsequently shared a link to a Weekly Standard web page featuring the exchange and remarked, "Left wing racism rears it's ugly head again. Disgusting!"

Putting aside for a moment his misuse of the contraction, my friend uses circular reasoning to arrive at a conclusion that the Democratic analyst is racist for accusing the white Republican base of holding a racist viewpoint.

This is also a classic example of feigning dismay in order to arouse the right-wing base and distract them from the truly important issues of the day, like the poor economy and the high unemployment.  Anyone that's paying attention should recognize that Finney was exhibiting GOPism and not left-wing racism.

Finney's remarks are reminiscent of Rush Limbaugh's racial overtones when he made disparaging remarks about Philly quarterback Donovan McNabb:

"Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go," Limbaugh said. "I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

Was Limbaugh the racist here?  Or was he accusing the media of using race as a criteria for their desire to see McNabb do well?  I don't often come to the big guy's defense, but in this case, his statement was not racist.

Now onto a lesson on the use of its and it's in American English writing.

Spotify

In this rant: Why I dislike Spotify.

It's spyware and malware and junkware all wrapped up in one cute package.  Plus it incessantly announces to which song certain friends are listening, further advancing the wholesale distribution of useless information.

Join me next time as I rail against multiple entities reposting the same information to dozens of walls.

Fundamental Restructuring of the Tax Code

Michele Bachmann, John Huntsman and Sarah Palin are all saying how they'd help businesses create new jobs by lowering or eliminating corporate taxes, which would shift more of the federal revenue burden on the individuals.  They all mention a fundamental restructuring of the tax code.  I agree.

But how is shifting the responsibility for generating government revenue to the individuals good for the American people?

I'm running for president and I have my own plan.  It comes in two easy steps.

Individual income tax came about within the last century and it's resulted in a power and wealth shift toward big business and an explosive growth of government.

The fact is, the earners in this country that have the biggest need and the most to gain from lowering the federal overhead, but are the ones with the least power to influence a change, which creates a fundamental (some say fatal) flaw in the system.

Money flows in a circular fashion, from manufacturers to individuals to retailers and back to manufacturers. Government taps its revenue from various spigots to varying degrees. But because of special interests and corporate lobbies, the demand for more federal revenue is exploding because more of the money flows back to them from the tax coffers (through subsidies, loophole exemptions & reductions and bailouts). So the only way to reduce the governments appetite for money is to give big business incentive to encourage a more efficient government. And they will under my plan.

Step 1.  End individual taxes.

Since all government tax money is coming from the same stream, we're simply proposing that the corporate spigots be the only ones turned on...essentially pushing the taps upstream.

Initially business will shoulder a larger tax burden because government is top heavy. But as the heat is felt in Washington, new policies will be proposed that will shrink the size and scope of government and thereby lowering the overall tax burden on society.

• End all taxes levied on individuals (not including capital gains from investments like stock, bonds, commodities, etc.)
• End all corporate taxes on foreign business.
• Uniformly tax all revenues derived from the US market without regard for the country of companies' headquarters.
• Fairly assess a sustainable road use tax on all commercial vehicles based on objective road wear studies.
• Insist on local community ownership of businesses where ever possible. This should not affect manufacturing, distribution, communications network backbone providers and the like.
• End federal drug laws.
• Criminally punish business owners for hiring illegal aliens and deceptive pricing and advertising practices.

Taxes include all money any government agency assesses on individuals, their purchases and property, including fuel, property & sales taxes, licensing & registration fees, telecommunications fees, etc.

Step 2.  Restore backed currency.

Rick Perry on the issues

Payroll taxes and partisan rhetoric

When a political party identifies itself as a champion against taxes, insisting on extending ten-year tax cuts that benefit rich folks indefinitely, then says it's OK to allow certain other tax cuts to expire (a payroll tax cut that would help low income earners), it becomes clear what the goal is.

The 6.2% Social Security payroll tax on employees that was temporarily reduced to 4.6% by Democrats is ending on schedule, thanks to Republicans, who want that particular tax to expire.

The tax cut only applies to the first $100,000 in earnings, meaning that a maximum of $2,000 will be gained by any earner.  That is to say, for millionaires it's not that significant of a cut to be concerned with.  Millionaires will forgive their Congress for such a petty loss.

But the gains for the federal coffers could be $120B.  So even if it is a tough chunk for earners to swallow, Republicans really have to show fiscal responsibility at this point in time.  They're running for the White House, afterall.

On the other hand, is this just a negotiating tactic?  For those of us that earn less than $100,000, are we going to have to give up something enormous just to gain back the 2% of the money we worked hard to earn?

Oh, the games people play with other people's money.

OPEN LETTER TO THE GOVERNMENT:

I think what Warren Buffet is saying is that we-the-people have failed the nation in regulating the money flow into the hands of the power class, that it's time to start taxing capital gains and commerce in a meaningful way and stop penalizing the hard work of the earners in America.  It's time to shift the purse strings from the individuals to the revenue generators -- the power class -- in this country.

So from all American earners, I say we are sincerely sorry for our weaknesses.  We thought we could hold their feet to the fire, to keep the power class honest, but through some misguided choices on our part, we have failed America.

Please help us and our nation by taking the purse strings back.

PS -- we're also returning the currency to you.  It's a little dinged up, so you'll have to fix that, too.  Please don't be too mad at us.

Does the Iowa Straw Poll mean anything?

While most of the local media is focused on the Butter Cow at the Iowa State Fair, the national press is counting down the days before the year's largest republican fundraiser.

You might think, judging by the media frenzy surrounding this early presidential contest, the GOP gathering at Hilton Coliseum is a critical badge to earn in order to become a US president; candidates who don't participate are hurting themselves.

Not so fast, pundit breath.

Only once in thirty years has the Iowa Straw Poll in Ames predicted a presidential election, when in August of 1999, George W. Bush walked away with seemingly all the honors: Iowa Straw Poll, Iowa caucuses, other US primaries and the general election itself.

John McCain, who eventually won his party's nod in '08, earned only a tenth-place showing at the money gala.

Needless to say, as a measuring stick, it has little meaning.  Only Bush 41 & 43 have eventually gone on to win the presidency after an Ames Straw Poll win -- and not necessarily in the same campaign year.

Even the early caucus and primary referendums don't indicate a winner in the general, so it makes you wonder what the fuss is all about.

National media coverage aside, the Iowa Straw Poll is a pointless exercise in the big campaign, so it's no wonder GOP frontrunners like Mitt Romney would choose to skip this particular dance.  Besides, Romney has already achieved what other candidates would hope to gain from the event, so why risk potential landmines (like this video and this issue) along the Iowa trail?

Audio killed the video

I'm not going to talk about the Buggles here, and how their video was the first ever to hit MTV.  So if you thought that's what this article was about, move along, slick!

It surprises people when I explain how audio may be more important than the quality of their video.  But it's painfully obvious when we sit together and watch a barely discernable presentation.

Watching a poorly lit video, or even one with harsh backlighting, is doable if the audio is outstanding.

Try it some time.  Watch a few tutorial videos where the presenter obviously has some sort of headset where he or she is practically spitting into the mic.  You hear every bad breath sound and can practically smell what was for lunch.  Or one where the presenter is talking from across the room.  The viewer turns up the volume only to hear a toilet flushing in the background.

The thing about video with horrible audio is that you can look away or become distracted from the visual cues, but the crappy noises permeate the air.

One super-easy fix is to treat your camcorder like a mic.  Hold it close -- within 2-3 feet from your mouth.  I know it sounds counter productive, but you have to stop treating your consumer-grade gear like it's top-of-the-line TV news gear.  You probably don't have a shotgun mic or lav mic, right?

Believe me, ENG gear takes a lot of practice to tune and adjust -- and it really is quite expensive to own and maintain.  Photojournalists have to work in some of the most challenging situations.  And that is the key.  If you don't present a challenge to your cheap gear, you'll have much better luck.  Try to create ideal situations for your video shoots, where audio is clear and decisive.

One step back on this topic: shaky video is hard to handle too, but we've covered that topic thoroughly in previous posts.

The courageous among the 2012 GOP contenders

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's "Mickelson in the Morning" by this point in the season -- like John McCain did in 2008 and George W Bush did in 2000 -- is the key to the convention floor.

To date I've met Rick Santorum, Tim Pawlenty, Roy Moore, Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann and, as of yesterday, George Pataki. Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich have bypassed the show altogether. The foregone conclusion for the latter frontrunners is failure.

UPDATE -- (Aug. 11, 2011) Former Speaker Newt Gingrich appeared with Simon Conway at the Iowa State Fair Wednesday.

Sarah Palin has become the Lady Gaga of politics; a professional celebrity with decent fundraising appeal. She would only hurt her credibility by having an authentic conversation with the Midwest's influential GOP leadership listening.

Mitt Romney is still licking wounds received in the 2008 wringer and isn't even bothering bringing his marbles to Iowa this time. His political baggage is heavy and his slick persona is not well received.

Newt Gingrich is seen as someone whose only aim is to burnish his brand, and thereby bolstering negotiating position, for better consulting gigs.

Pataki in Iowa

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.

Microblogging for business - keep it about customers

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".

Ron Paul says US should declare bankruptcy

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.

Does Romney have the integrity to be President?

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 Mormon and I get a little tire of coming on a show like yours and having it be all about Mormonism..."

When former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee surged in the polls, many felt it was because of concerns over Romney's mormonism.  So Romney rethought whether he needed to address religion, and subsequently made a high profile Kennedy-esque speech on the matter.

The "hidden camera"
"I get intense," the presidential hopeful told then CBS anchor Katie Couric when asked whether there was a time when the governor got angry.  Romney went on to give an example of the recent radio interview where the host had hidden a camera in the console.  You'll have to evaluate that for yourself.

Mitt Romney has shown he can play facts rather loosely at times, such as when he told us his father had walked with Rev. Martin Luther King, which, of course, was demonstrated to be untrue.  That claim was later characterized as a figure of speech.

Are Podcasts bad for Radio?

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 graduate to modern CRM facilities, so with virtually no order automation, $10 spots carry hefty cost of sales; our sale-by-appointment mentality cannot sustain digital.

In fact, many successful broadcasters are commanding $35 CPM for online video, says Brian Benedik, president of Katz 360, in a conversation he had recently with media consultant Mark Ramsey. The advertising agency predicts the real growth area will be on the local level where traditional media really needs to communicate the value of the digital audience.  Benedik sees the trends first hand, so his vantage point should be something direct marketers should appreciate.

It's easy to find stories of account executives coming back from client meetings and reporting buyers still don't understand the cost-benefits of partnering in the digital spaces.  Those clients and prospects see themselves as media savvy, many having a keen understanding of audience measurements and targeting.  They are paying attention, but are they provided valid data?  They aren't if they're not discussing Podcasting and online video that's significant and growing fast -- and available to advertisers right now.

Ironically, Iowa has seen amazing success stories within the radio sphere, regularly producing digital CPM rates of $10 and often as high as $50.  That's what happens when you have personal relationships with the buyers that runs deeper than the rhetoric we're reading in ad pubs.

Building and growing those trust relationships with local direct customers, educating them, making sure they understand the weaknesses of old-fashioned ratings models so that they don't step over customers in pursuit of archaic ratings, seems like a pretty important thing to be talking about in sales meetings in every market.

I think it was Roy Williams who taught us that it's not the size of the audience that matters as much as super-selling the audience you can afford.  This is, I think, where partnering with local digital content can be a critical foothold for bourgeoning small businesses, the nation's economic engine.

CF City Council to residents: Hand over the keys!

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're all indentured to a misinformed majority and where mob rules apply.

I whole-heartedly disagree with the councilman who said "[the council has] the right..."  No.  The council has a responsibility to the people; in a constitutional republic the people have a right to have their interests represented by the elected body, and it shall consider and respect the reasonable will of the people.  The council's will, for the sake of convenience, should not trump the will of the people.

Maddow on Santorum on Weiner

I can appreciate MSNBC's Rachel Maddow when she articulates a subject and can call BS when it's due, but she loses me when she predicates an entire segment on a false premise.

Here she is telling us that Sen. Rick Santorum said Rep. Anthony Weiner should resign.


But that's not what the former PA Senator said -- if you can recognize the difference between saying what you would do and telling someone else what they should do. In fact, Mr. Santorum has been pretty explicit about the distinction -- and made it when he visited Des Moines Friday.

What's wrong with your video?

With so much video floating around, it's easy to be tempted to put some of your own out there. And a lot of business professionals have a pretty good reason to make video part of their marketing strategy. It can't be terribly complicated, right?

Somehow, $10,000 later, your videos aren't quite what you had invisioned. They sound terrible, the lighting isn't right and there's some jerking while panning and zooming.

Notice my first observation was bad sound. That seems to be the first thing we notice about bad video, which seems counter intuitive, but true. It's also the first thing the beginner shooter neglects. And unfortunately the fix often means a new camera or expensive audio recording gear (and an editing nightmare). The reason the audio isn't clear is because you're using the built-in microphone on the camcorder. So the camcorder becomes the mic, meaning for best results, you would have to hold the camera as if it were a mic. In that way, you capture the subject as the most prevelent source. But that makes for some extreme close-ups that would make even the most beautiful subject nervous.

The better solution is to start with a camcorder that has a microphone input. With that, you can choose a long wired mic or a wireless system for $20 to $200 (and up).

The next issue is lighting. The most common problem with poorly lit subjects is that the camcorder struggles with more light behind the object it's shooting than on the subject itself. For between $150 & $200 you can buy a professional softbox light that will give your star enough illumination to be clear and have nice color. Avoid shooting in front of windows indoors.

Finally, the jerky pans can be eliminated through creative technic and/or better stabilizing equipment. A handheld shooter should have a good grip on the camcorder, tuck in his or her elbows, find a shot and hold it as steady as possible. Operate with the zoom all the way out so you minimize the magnified motion. Try to reduce panning whenever possible. And the best answer here is to buy a professional tripod, like a Monfrotto, for $200 and up.

What you should walk away knowing about shooting good video is to create the ideal situation for your camacorder instead of settling on shooting in challenging situations. Given adequate sound, light and technique, even consumer camcorders can do a pretty amazing job.

With these tips, I can make a better video for $600 than others who have spent $10,000.

What's with my neighborhood?

Crime seems to love my neighborhood, especially police chases.  This is the second one that sped by my house in the past year, but the fourth that I know of to flee through my neighborhood.  There was also a wanted person being retrieved across the street and a murder six blocks away this month.

Giving up your passwords for a little gadgetiness

I came across a neat iPad app today that assembles aggregators' content into sets of print-style pages you can flip through, similar to a book reading app.  It's called Flipboard and it really cleans up some otherwise cluttery articles from their native homes.

Out of the box it comes with some preset feeds, including facebook, twitter and Google Reader modules, all setup and waiting for you to...login.  Yep, just supply usernames & passwords for your accounts and it'll take you for a spin around your social network.

But wait.  Where does that login information go?  On one hand, you have journalists telling you, "Never share your private information," and others extolling the virtue of this new whiz-bang newsreader.

That's a problem because this data mining operation, no matter how well trusted, could be compromised by hackers, same as credit card companies.  Recently dozens of institutions had egg on their faces when they were forced to reveal to their customers that the company to whom they supplied customer lists was hacked.

So, not only do you have to wonder if your account credentials at facebook or twitter or Google is well guarded, but all of the other trollers you give up your information to, like this whiz-bangy, gadgety thing called Flipboard.

For me, I like the app, but have pushed aside the pre-built social media modules that need my password to function properly.

Ten Commandments Judge Roy Moore announces Presidential aspirations

Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore visited Iowa today.

Known as "Ten Commandments Judge", Moore made the announcement on WHO Radio in Des Moines this morning.  During an interview with conservative talk show host Jan Mickelson, he said he's forming an exploratory committee for a possible presidential run.

Moore is perhaps best known for refusing to remove a monument bearing the Ten Commandments from the Alabama state courthouse.

Watch raw video from this morning's interview.

Pawlenty on coal

Former Minnesota Governor and possible GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty spoke with Iowa radio talkshow host Jan Mickelson on Friday, April 1. Here is the dialog.




Mickelson: A number of people emailed me this question. You mentioned clean coal. What the heck is that?

Pawlenty: Ha ha. In South Dakota, they were willing to put up a coal plant that had the best technology of today. We approved it because they needed to run the lines through Minnesota. And it was the best of coal technology as it exists today -- or back then, 2010. And within thirty days or so of us approving that project, the Obama administration put a hold on it. And the investors said we’re not going to have this much delay and this much problem. They fled and the project got killed. So clean coal, I think, can be defined as, we need to use coal, but we...if someone wants to come forward and invest in the best-of-class technology as it exists today and build a coal plant, I think that’s something we should be inclined to do.

Mickelson: Here in Iowa we pulled the plug on one just a few months ago.

Pawlenty: Well they’ve pulled the plug all over, Jan, but there is...

Mickelson: Same way with nukes. You can’t get a nuclear power facility started. Some people are thinking about it and pre-collecting some of the funds to build a modular nuclear power facility. Would you encourage that, if you had that opportunity, at least to ponder it?

Pawlenty: Well, you know, other countries do this. By modular, what I take you to mean is this: there are certain packages or pre-existing technologies that have already been approved in other places and they don’t have to be approved from scratch every time they come through the system.

Mickelson: And they’re smaller-scale.

Pawlenty: And they’re smaller-scale, and so they’re repeatable, scalable, and you can bring them through the process without having to reinvent the wheel every time. I think it’s a good idea.

Mickelson: But as you said earlier, we should let the market decide. If the market-only were involved in energy choices, would nuclear power be on the scale? Which do you think would be the most economic, top to bottom, if the marketplace-only...

Pawlenty: I think the answer to that, going forward in the near and intermediate term, is probably going to be natural gas. And it’s here. We can Americanize it. It burns cleaner than coal, obviously. It’s less controversial than nuclear and we’ve got a boatload of it.

Mickelson: We already have something of a delivery system.

Pawlenty: We already do. And by the way, some of these old coal plants, if people choose, and think it’s economically viable, they can be converted to natural gas. We did that in Minnesota to some of our old coal plants. It reduced mercury emissions, SO2/NOx emissions. And it was a successful conversion from what I call old coal to a cleaner, better, more available and frankly more affordable energy source.

Pawlenty in Iowa

Former Minnesota Governor and possible 2012 GOP Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty was a guest on WHO Radio's Jan Mickelson Friday, April 1, 2011.

Digital ad: web metrics vs. impressions and click-through

Media companies like to monetize special areas of their websites by co-branding them with their advertisers.  It wouldn't be fair to hold these sponsorships to the same performance standards as one would expect with banner campaigns.  Nevertheless, advertisers come along after the campaign and demand metrics.

Web page metrics are not calculated in the same way an ad server would measure impressions and click-through rates for banner campaign.

The best way to manage this post-campaign misery is to spell out the standards up front, in writing and in conversation.  It must be made clear, provably, that simple web page sponsor graphics aren't for everyone, that impression and click-through data cannot be tracked or reported.  If the advertiser recognizes the value of associating a particular web page and do not require performance metrics, only then should they consider placing an order for these areas.

Knowing and fully understanding this, g ahead and ask for pageviews for a given page.  If it's not possible for the target web server to obtain referrer data, then you'll have to guess what a possible click-through range might be.

Where do you start when it comes to estimating click-through rates?  A Michigan State University study reported the national average click-through rate is between .2% and .3%, but are largely affected by the quality and relevance of the ad, value of the offer or promise and other subjective factors.

iMedia's Andrew Stern gives great advice to AEs and advertisers in his article 8 ways to improve your click-through rate.

Off the fence

Those that follow politics know that former Gov. Mitt Romney was well established as a frontrunner in the 2008 Presidential race leading the Iowa State Fair in August of 2007, by which time Law & Order star Sen. Fred Thompson had not yet announced his candidacy.

Heading into March Madness 2010, nearly all of the 2012 republican field is in place, although none are frontrunners.

The historic timeline will be drilled by talking heads over the next six months and the twelve months that follow will see regulars' eyes glaze over in rhetorical overload.  But the Ames Straw Poll is still a half year out.

So who will the players be?  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee can't balance his TV & radio gigs with a real candidacy, so he's waiting in the wings.  Rick Santorum made his way here some months ago, but was skiddish about undertaking the role.  Sarah Palin is on the lips of many teapartiers.  Michele Bachman, Tim Pawlenty and others have streaked through the Caucus state recently.  But none have impressed the party yet.

So who's it gonna be?  Romney will fair no better this round than last.  Palin couldn't pass gas here, much less the muster it would take to win Iowa.  With Huckabee aligned with Bob Vander Plaats, he appears more concerned about stopping same-gender marriage than child rape.  It appears no one, at this point, is willing to boldly pursue the Presidency.

Streaming radio pitted against Pandora

As the country's most formidable broadcaster of online streaming radio -- that is the company that actually provides the network bandwidth to the stations -- releases its audience metrics, some are comparing radio to a ubiquitous music provider, a measuring stick that doesn't get to America's economic momentum.

The leading provider of local information in the US, the one that gets consumers on their daily commutes,  is radio.  There is no more relevant ad placement for local business, the very engine that pushes the US economy.  Yet analysts are suggesting that the national brand may play a more critical role for advertisers.

While that may have the potential for significant impact for national brands like Pepsi and McDonald's, Big Tomato Pizza, a Des Moines brand, would find itself drowning in a sea of clutter if it turned to Pandora for its recognition.

They say all politics is local.  While the subjects of politics and local business differ substantially, the reason is identical.  The only thing that matters to local brands is local clientele.  And the best way to reach locals is through local media.  And nobody does local media better than Clear Channel Radio and its bevy of local streamers.

In our city, the number one source of online information is the local CBS affiliate.  By chance, it happened to step up to the plate in sheer manpower from the outset of the Internet boom of the 90s.  They had the staff and resources to assign the task of producing local content.  As marketers, we recognize that the first cows to the trough are the ones best fed.  But the truth in American media is that TV is the second biggest loser when it comes to lost audiences -- right behind all things print.

The most valuable player to local businesses is radio, whether the digital product or its terrestrial counterpart.  And that's why Clear Channel is still the biggest competitor to TV in local markets.

So you may break down the comparison between Pandora and everyone else in American media all you like; you can't hide the relevance of local online streaming media powerhouse Clear Channel Radio.