CPR Promotional Check-Up - Mar 21, 2011

Almost Afraid To Look

In the true spirit of CSI, a company went and compiled a list of most commonly found items in computer keyboards when they're brought in for repair. In order? Breadcrumbs, pieces of potato chips, sugar, salt, nail clippings, glue, dirt and pubic hair. Thanks to Meredith Teplitz for this morning show topic inspiring information. I'm going to go and throw up now.

Fun From The Wedding Pages

The whole "putting the morning show in the wedding pages" bit is fairly old...unless it hasn't been done in your market. In which case, do it. The key is that you have to switch the sexes. Make the female be the groom and vice versa. The other option is just to punk the paper and slip in a fake ad for a totally fictitious couple. The LSM at Wired 96.5 in Philly sent me something a couple of years back from the local Sunday paper. A wedding announcement for Kevin Golden and Leah Showers. The heading? "Golden/Showers".

Your Summer Street Team

Now is the time to be bulking up for this Summer. Why? Because in a month all the good ones will already have nailed down summer employment. You want? Outgoing, eccentric, personable people. Skills like juggling or balloon art are added bonuses. You don't want? Shy, quiet, introverted people. And you especially don't want groupies. Fans are alright. But not anyone who is going to be hanging out in the studio all the time, bothering the jocks. I'm attaching a solicit they ran at Cayrock.

How many should you have? For a market the size of say, Charlotte? I'd get 15. You'll lose two immediately. Another three or four right after the Fourth and you limp into Labor Day with maybe five left.

So You Wanna Be In Movies?

Back in the day, Madonna threw it out to her fans to film her "True Blue" video. And I think it was some highschool girls whose audition tape impressed the artist enough to give them the shot. Truly an opportunity to have some fun and let the listeners get involved in the process of marketing the station.

Mancow Speaks

In the 19 years since we started the first Wild station in San Francisco, they've only once ever had a TV spot. Why? Because TV spots are a crutch. As soon as you buy TV, then you don't feel the need to be out marketing the station on the streets, which is what truly moves the needle.

The only spot they have ever had was something that Mancow put together on his own and that ran in traded cheap cable local availability for maybe a week. It was shot at Monterey Community College by film students. As a project. Thus? No expensive studio costs. The talent was Mancow. The total expense? The rental of a straight jacket.

The spot was Mancow, in a straight jacket, with duct tape over his mouth, sitting on a stool in a dark brick walled room, struggling to get out as "management" read a statement about how sorry they were for the morning guy's behavior and all that he'd said and done. While this is happening, there are quick close ups of 'cows face. Beads of sweat on his brow. His eyes darting back and forth. Finally, the "management" finished and said "I think that Mancow would like to apologize." A hand reached in and ripped the duct tape from his mouth. Mancow starts to say something, pauses, and screams in pain. And that's how it ended.

If you're going to do TV, then make it entertaining. Make it memorable. Like this. Brilliant and for a total cost of $200.