Owner: Bill Grady's Blog URL:http://www.myfortdodge.com/profiles/blog/list?user=starcompatio Join Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 09:56:20 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Thoughts and observations by Bill Grady on new media, social networking, and small business advertising from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Site statistics:Click here
Radio InkTank: Lessons From Dean 2009-01-17 14:24:06 Eric Rhoads from Radio
Ink has just reprinted a blog I wrote here on MyFortDodge.com a couple of years ago called "Lessons
From Dean".
I thought I'd share Eric's blog with you: Lessons From Dean
Thanks Eric. Dean is one of my true heroes, and this is a nice tribute to the "Dean of Small Market Radio" and a genuinely good man.
Just in case you haven't seen them before, below are a couple of "v
2009 Prediction: A Disastrous Year For Local Radio 2009-01-09 12:08:27 After listening to the local radio stations recently and having an insight into "why they do what they do", one message comes through clear as a bell to me.
Panic.
Show me a group that does multiple format changes over a short period of time, and I'll show you a group that is trying to fix a sales staff problem with a programming solution.
In all my years in radio management and ownership I've Read more:Radio
, Prediction
, Disastrous
, Local
You Are The Guest: Bill Richardson Podcast Featured in The Huffington Post 2009-01-05 10:24:01 As I was going through the podcast stats this morning, I noticed that my podcast You Are The Guest
was getting pounded today by requests.
The reason: We were featured in a story about Bill Richardson
in The Huffington
Post.
To read the story, follow this link to Richardson's Lies Have Finally Caught Up To Him
You'll see the link on the 12th paragraph in the line "Back in New Mexico, Richardson Read more:Podcast
, Featured
, Bill Richardson
The Undeniable Link Between Debt and Depression 2009-01-02 12:07:28 For some people the lack of financial knowledge, as in not knowing how to manage their money or not knowing how to restructure their financial situation once it becomes bad could not only cost them huge amounts of interest fees, but could end up costing them their own lives.
According to CreditCard.com, there are some chilling economic facts that would depress just about anyone:
1) A record 272
Study: Young Americans Watch Less TV While Consuming The Most Media 2008-12-24 10:46:19 Unlike their parents and grandparents, young Americans
are watching less TV yet they are the highest users of media in the world today.
The generation of 14- to 25-year-olds, also known as millennials, watch just 10.5 hours of TV a week. That's about half the amount as compared to their parents and grandparents. They also spend less time watching DVDs than any other age group according to a new Read more:Study
Finding Lost Friends 2008-12-19 16:50:40 One of the things I'm most grateful for this past year was being able to reconnect with friends that I haven't seen or talked to in years.
One of the best parts of sites like MyFortDodge.com is that when you connect with someone, it also allows someone else to find that same person too. I've found many lost friends by finding them on other people's profiles.
The holidays are a great time to rec Read more:Friends
Local Newspaper Shifts From Mostly-Paper to Mostly-Online 2008-12-18 10:25:41 In what the newspaper deems a "groundbreaking" move, the Detroit Free Press and News announced that they are cutting home delivery to three days per week.
The Free Press and The Detroit News are the first “big city papers” to make the shift from mostly-paper to mostly-online news publishing, citing a steep decline in advertising revenue and a dawning realization for its publishers that tradi Read more:Local
, Newspaper
A Million Dollars in Credit Card Debt 2008-11-29 11:52:03 Hard to believe isn't it, that someone you know could dig themselves into a hole where one day they have a credit card liability over $1,000,000.
On You Are The Guest I talk with author Harrine Freeman from Washington D.C. about an important holiday topic, the credit card business.
1) Harrine and I discuss why the credit card companies target undergraduate students and individuals who will most Read more:Credit Card
, Credit Card Debt
Holding The American Economy For Ransom 2008-11-18 18:21:57 How did we reach a point in time where if a big time CEO fails in running their business, they look to the American
taxpayer to bail them out? How did the American taxpayer become their solution?
It feels like our standard of living is being held for ransom; save us or the economy "gets it".
I wonder how many CEO's from the big banks, the auto industry, and the oil industry would be willing to
Why Bill Richardson Should Not Be on Obama's Potential Cabinet List 2008-11-12 12:03:39 There are many unanswered questions about Governor Bill Richardson
's relationship with famed artist RC Gorman.
In October of 1997, the FBI began collecting information regarding numerous suspected sexual relationships RC Gorman had with children that spanned over 20 years.
Did Bill Richardson know about RC Gorman's illegal activities that involved transporting children across state and internati Read more:Obama
, Potential
, Cabinet
Gain New Business by Being Your Customer's First Choice 2008-11-02 10:32:40 As it looks like we'll be facing an economic recession for the upcoming year, you still have an opportunity to boost your revenues by strengthening the relationship you have with your customers.
Those who are able to strengthen the relationship they have with their customers will not only survive, but they will have the opportunity to grow their business. Those who can't risk everything they've Read more:Business
, Customer
, First
, Choice
A Small Business Survival Kit 2008-10-27 13:17:22 The good times don't last forever, but neither do the bad. Much like the weather, these are the cycles that small business owners have little control over when they happen, yet must make the most of them as they occur.
Although you don't have control over the timing, you do have control over the fundamentals of how you'll run your business and adapt to the challenges ahead. There's also an opport Read more:Business
, Small
, Small Business
What's Important to Chamber Members 2008-10-17 16:35:50 During my daily Internet surfing for articles on sales and marketing, I came across this article which I thought I'd share with you.
What's Important to ChamberMembers
There were three fascinating parts of the article for me. The first one was this observation, "Most people don’t think they are using the web as well as they should and a similar number don’t believe they are spending their a
Political Bait and Switch 2008-10-10 10:57:41 While walking down the street one day a senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies.
His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the man.
"Well, I'
Giving Away Other People's Money 2008-09-19 14:36:44 There have been a few times in my life where I've hit the jackpot both personally and professionally. But in 1985 I almost gave away a big chunk of money that belonged to someone else on statewide television.
Back in 1985 the Iowa Lottery was still new and the marketing department for the lottery were trying different things to try create excitement for their statewide television program. One of Read more:Giving
, Money
Not Your Average Fall Fest 2008-09-03 15:30:23
Back in on an early morning in September 1992 before the very first Fall Fest, I remember walking down Central Avenue before the official start time wondering if anyone would show up. Back then I was just another volunteer who believed that Fort Dodge should have a fun event in the fall, and one that highlighted our downtown area. It was so gratifying to watch people throughout the day enjoy what Read more:Average
Triton Days 2008-08-30 15:10:38 There are times in our lives where the people we meet and the experiences we share shape us into who we later become. Such were my days at Iowa Central Community College.
If you remember that the Iowa Central football team used be known as the "Panthers", you're very much old school Iowa Central. I remember going to many football and basketball games as a kid and dreaming someday that I might be
Filed Under The "Not a Good Idea" Category 2008-08-23 11:53:16 Headline: Iowa college president defends booze on boat as harmless
Source: Des Moines Register, August 23, 2008
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
As I put on my journalistic hat as someone who was a part of the Fort Dodge mainstream media for many years to explore the "story behind the story", this is truly fascinating. Yet on a personal note, it's a very sad story.
On the Journ Read more:Category
How To Advertise Your Small Business On a Tight Budget 2008-08-03 11:31:33 Probably the most asked question I get from people who are just starting their own business is what’s the best way to advertise without spending a lot of money.
Although no one wants to spend a lot of money on advertising, it's a double-edged sword if you’re just starting out with a limited budget. You really can’t afford to advertise, and can’t afford not to advertise. My answer has alwa Read more:Business
, Small
, Small Business
, Advertise
Trials and Tribulations: The First Year of MyFortDodge.com 2008-07-16 16:46:46 When I started MyFortDodge.com, I remember wondering if anyone will "get it". The obvious answer one year later is "yes", but it was a slow process and one with many lessons and course changes along the way.
Here's a photo of the place where I built MyFortDodge.com during the summer of 2007. I used an older Toshiba laptop, a piece of white cardboard for a mouse pad, and then it was just me sittin Read more:First
, Trials
Fan Mail (Part 1) 2008-05-31 11:11:27 It's time for me to catch up on answering my fan mail for my podcast "You Are The Guest" , and I thought you might be interested in reading some of the e-mails that I get on a weekly basis.
Have You Heard
I checked out your show a while ago, and I wanted to email you because I think you have a really great concept. Your shows are interesting, and I've had fun listening through them. The episode
How To Request a Song From the Band 2008-05-18 21:47:05 Friends of the podcast, a band from Texas called Common Ground sent this to me, and it is absolutely dead on. Anyone who has ever played in a band knows it to be true, and the truth can be funnier than anything else you could possibly make up.
Thanks to Bill and everyone at Common Ground for their permission to republish, or re-plagerize this. Check out Common Ground in our player on the main p
The Cool Stuff (Part 2) 2008-03-30 14:19:39
Just a couple more insights into how the Internet is forcing the traditional mainstream mediums to conduct their business.
Is this particularly brand-new information? No, not really as predictions of trends like these have been coming for years. Heck, most people not involved in the media have seen it for years. But it is worthy of a conversation on how each needs the other to survive, and how
You Know, The Cool Stuff! (Part 1) 2008-03-16 12:44:47
The trend toward user-created media, such as the things you'll find here at MyFortDodge.com (blogs, podcasts, videos, etc.) continue to grow at an astonishing rate, and show no sign of slowing down in the near future. In fact, it's predicted that the US audience for podcasts will more than double in the next two years, growing from 6.5 million (active weekly downloaders) in 2007 to 14 million in
The Lights Are On 2008-02-10 13:03:22 I was cleaning out my hard drive this morning, and found and old audio file that I hadn't listened to in years.
Before I left the radio biz, I made a copy of the "All America City" broadcast and award presentation.
Back in 2001, about the only way you could listen to this was to have your own CD of the event. This was before podcasting, the availability of digital recording to the average guy, Read more:Lights
I Like To Rock 2008-01-19 11:10:13 That's right, I like to rock.
Rebels and rock and roll go just seem to go together. If everything's better with Coke, every situation I want to rebel against goes better with a rock and roll soundtrack. As I'm working out at the end of the day, I'll
find the most rocking, rebellious songs on my iPod, start the treadmill, and think about all the
things I should have stood up for that day if only I
Do You Have Sacks of Money To Burn on Advertising? 2007-10-08 11:44:55 Do you have sacks of money to burn on your marketing and
advertising? All of the small
businesses that I’ve come across say they don’t.
Yet
there are a good number of small businesses that have held
their
own marketing and advertising budget bonfires.How does this happen? A conclusion I’ve come to is that
many small
businesses burn sacks full of money in advertising with miserable
results be Read more:Money
, Advertising
Grady Meets the Wolfman 2007-09-10 15:26:52 I just created a new Group at MyFortDodge.com for my graduating class, FDSH Class of 1979. One of the video clips that I posted on the page features Wolfman
Jack on May 18, 1979, which was just a couple of weeks before the Wolfman came to Fort Dodge for Frontier Days.The Wolfman and I crossed paths a couple of times in our careers.The first time was back in 1979 when radio station 92.1 KTGA-FM (a
OK, It Can Stop Raining Now 2007-08-20 11:48:14 When the grass was dried up and dead, I thought a little rain is exactly what we needed.
Then we received the rain, and everything started to perk up. The one thing I was hoping wouldn't perk up was the sump pump. Today it's not only perked up, it's running a marathon.
It's no surprise to me that we're getting this much all at once. My theory has been that if it's really dry during a long stretch, Read more:Raining
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