Late Night Talk Shows - Innovation, Small Business, Politics, or Economics

The other day, I was at Starbucks and I was talking to a gentleman who was quite distraught, as he was going through all of the ads in the newspaper to go find a job. He had popped into Starbucks due to the air-conditioning, grabbed himself the newspaper out of the newspaper "already read" newspaper rack, bought the cheapest coffee of the day, and pulled out his highlighter and a yellow notepad. Personally, I applaud this level of hard work to go find a job, rather than just collecting unemployment benefits. Okay so let's talk about this shall we?

You see, the gentleman in question had run out of his unemployment benefits and therefore he is not counted in the 8.2% unemployment rate, but he is definitely out of work, and he is stressing to the max. As I talked with him and gave him suggestions of places to go to find a job on this side of our Valley, he admitted to me that he wasn't getting much sleep that night. I told him he could always listen to late-night radio, and he told me he did, but the only really good shows on were the conspiracy theory shows, and that wasn't doing him any good either.

He was working hard to keep his mental sanity, but what he really needed was a psychological uplift, and a way to get good sleep at night so he was sharp, motivated, and ready to go as he was looking for work during the day. The bills were piling up, and if the stress didn't kill him, he would be homeless pushing a shopping cart soon enough. This got me to thinking that we need more late-night talk shows which are positive, things which talk about innovation, small business topics, economics, and what's going on in the political structure.

Folks need to be able to make sense of the world, but it's quite hard with the politicians saying one thing, and the economy responds doing another. Many folks who can't find work should probably be thinking about starting their own business, or perhaps they've had a lot of time on their hands to think of a new innovative concept that they can bring to market, so they can achieve their life's dreams and goals.

Wouldn't it be great if there were more of these types of late-night talk shows that dealt with the positive nature of free markets, small business, and then perhaps we could get our economy moving again with or without the help of the podium pushing politicians. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

We Need More Radio Shows Highlighting Small Business Innovation

I think by now everyone knows that for our economy to properly recover and to get job growth really cooking again, we need to start focusing on small business. You see, even though corporations when they do hire, hire people by the hundreds, it is the small companies that hire the most number of people. Some might contend that those jobs are not as good as corporate jobs because they may not come with all the benefits, but if you need a job, and the economy is good, a small business will be glad to have you. Okay so let's talk about this for second shall we?

Now then, exactly how might we do more to help the situation? Indeed, I don't believe that offering more small business loans or throwing a bone here and there for smaller companies in government contracting is the answer, oh sure that's nice, but it's only a drop in the bucker of what we really need to do. You see, that only helps a limited number of companies, and the vast number of smaller firms out there is astronomical. For instance, prior to retirement I was in the car washing industry, and there was an estimated 96,000 of them in the United States.

We hear a lot of talk from venture capitalists that they need less regulation so they can move new innovations forward faster. That may be so, although new innovation in the marketplace is also somewhat disruptive. However, let's say for instance that someone developed an easier way to wash cars, a new piece of equipment for a carwash for instance. Well, if that existed then all those 96,000 carwashes would want one, and they would get a faster return on their investments by becoming more efficient, making more money, and therefore, they would hire more people. At least in theory that's how it works right?

I mean we really are talking about free-market economics here. We need more ways to promote and highlight the smaller companies, innovators, inventors, and entrepreneurs that come out with better ways to become more efficient. We have seen some interesting TV shows where they award the best innovator or the best invention with a prize at the end of the show. Those are quite good, but they can only help out perhaps 10 or 20 new inventions or innovations each show. What might be better is to have radio shows highlighting small business innovations.

Think if there were radio shows on every single night in every single market and region with local entrepreneurs, introducing them to the audience, to movers and shakers, corporations that might license those innovations, local venture capitalists, and Angel investors? It seems we just need more of that, and as others small time entrepreneurs see innovators succeeding they too are more apt to go forward and try. That would be a good thing for America, so I am bringing this to your attention. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

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Mobile Command Vehicles Are Enhanced by Man-Portable Devices

In today's grim budget environment, every government first responder dollar counts. Their field missions require effective and rapid deployments in order to save lives, protect people and property, ensure safety and relieve suffering. A traditional responder relies upon traditional vans, trailers or custom built vehicle mobile command systems.

In addition to high initial acquisition costs, these legacy systems require significant ancillary support costs such as insurance, engine overhaul, oil/gas, and drivers with specialized licensing. In addition, large vehicles cannot access many disaster areas such as muddy fields, streets clogged with earthquake or hurricane debris, narrow mountain roads, or snow drifted highways. Burdened by these drawbacks, many smaller agencies cannot deploy the significant communications capabilities inherent in a legacy command vehicle platform.

With current fiscal constraints in mind, to meet their initial entry communication needs forward thinking teams are now deploying cost effective alternatives to a traditional mobile command vehicle. A single man portable system can replicate the functionality of a traditional mobile command vehicle, for approximately 1/20th the cost.

For example, the Virginia Guard recently demonstrated their forward thinking nature, and accepted delivery of the latest TAC-PAK Ultra-Agile Mobile Command System. This deployment was planned to ensure effective and efficient communications between the Virginia Guard and local, state, private sector, non-governmental organizations and related Federal partners. Pushing the performance envelope even farther, their new system replicates a traditional command vehicle in functionality, yet is packaged into a self-contained case only 22in x 14in x 9in. This gives new meaning to the term "Ultra-Agile", and enables TACPAK use in situations typically requiring a costly command vehicle.

The Virginia Guard customized each of their mobile command systems to support the robust nature of their mission. Local hurricane, ice storm, and flooding disasters provide operational challenges to VAANG troops, who immediately deploy the briefcase command system by quickly throwing it into the back of a Humvee or snowmobile. When deployed through streets blocked with water, hurricane debris or ice, and without any existing power or data infrastructure, VAANG troops simply flip a switch and immediately establish high speed cellular(up to 21Mbps bandwidth) and satellite voice/data connections. These Internet reachback connections can be shared by up to 25 local troops via built-in WiFi and support multiple operations including videoconferencing, local and worldwide radio interoperability, and much more. Guard troops are also now in the power utility business, and can provide both AC and DC onboard power to charge other Team member electronic devices.

"Wheels are out, briefcases are in" is the new mantra in today's mobile field communications and command world.

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Portable Radio Hire or Mobile Phone Charges?

Communication has gone through different changes over the years. Many different ways of communication have been developed. A Radio could seem like an old technology, but over the years they have been used for many different purposes. Nowadays, you find a radio not only in the car, but also in households. A two-way portable radio is still widely being used for communication. For example, park rangers and the police use walkie-talkies to communicate with each other.

Portable radios can be used in many other work places. It is a good device for communication between employees, and can replace mobile phones in such situations. Over the years, mobile phone charges have increased. Companies have to pay large amounts because of the constant use of mobile phones. Due to this, companies have started to re-evaluate mobile phone usage and are trying to find the best economical device.

As a result, portable radios have started to come back into the picture Due to the inflow of many other devices that were claiming to make communication better portable hand held radios were side lined for a while. With a portable radio, you just have to buy or hire the radio and get a UHF/VHF license and you are set to go. No monthly or talk time charges are paid after this. Radio hire has become the standard for many security firms and event organizers where a good communication network is needed for a set contract.

Here are some of the main areas to consider before you buy or hire portable radio devices:

Range
Standard radios are available in high frequency, very high frequency and ultra high frequency ranges. You can set the frequency according to your workplace and the distance at which you will communicate. Authorized dealers can help you select which radio would be best for your work location.

Durability
The radios are usually designed to be durable. They will not break easily and communication will not be lost if you drop them accidentally. The radios are also designed to withstand extreme weather changes. Some radio models are designed to work under water for at least 30 minutes. For example, scuba divers or deep sea researchers can also use this device. Check for the Ingress Protection (IP) Rating when buying radios that can be used in wet conditions. Look for an IP 57 rating.

Battery Life
A regular battery can last for up to eight hours a day. If you use lithium ion batteries, then you will have a battery lasting up to twenty hours. Depending on the size of radios, batteries can last from up to a few hours to the whole day.

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Is Your Radio Advertising Message Effective?

Nothing drives a focused person like myself more crazy than an unfocused person who has no idea what is best for themselves.

You know what I'm talking about. The type of person who has all the information laid out in front of them, they are one step away from making the right decision and yet, they still can't decide or just make bad choices time after time. I have a person in my life who is like this...

Granted, that person is a 5 year old girl... It still drives me crazy.

"I want that piece of the pizza", she will say as she grabs the largest slice of the pie and puts it on her plate. Thirty minutes later, two bites have been taken out of it and she is "full", yet wants to take a second slice and eat the very same type of pizza off other peoples plates.

You have to say "no" and show her why that type of choice is wrong, time and time again until it registers in her little brain. That's what being a parent is all about though. Continued, repeated guidance and repetition to help the little one fully understand what type of decision they are making and what would be most beneficial for them. After some time and accurate guidance, most children will begin to be able to make good choices.

As a parent you breath a huge sigh of relief, and then move onto the next behavioral flaw you want to improve with the ones you are charged with preparing for the world. Does this process remind you of anything that goes on in your business?

Essentially what you are doing is "marketing" good choices to your children. You show them why it would be best to do what you want them to do and eventually they do it. Key-word, EVENTUALLY... Quite often they don't take your advice the first time it is presented.

Neither do new customers.

When you are advertising or marketing your own products or services, you know better than anyone what an obvious choice it "should be" for select customers. The people who are hearing your message may not pick up on the obvious so quickly though. That is why mediums like radio and TV act as the "parent" and continue to repeat and reenforce the message you want to communicate.

Just as you try to keep your message to your children clear and to the point, the message you put out on radio and TV should be on target and clearly show your the potential customer why your offering is the best solution to their problem. Do this time and time again, and you will very quickly find yourself in the company of well behaved children... or... customers. That how it should work "most of the time" anyway.

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Putting a Great Radio Shift Together

With modern technology, networking and automation the good old days of starting in radio hosting a mid-dawn shift so you can learn the craft is all but dead. Community can sometimes be a great place to hone your craft but can foster bad habits when if you don't have a great program director helping you along with feedback. I've been involved with media and entertainment for my whole life and as a current breakfast radio host I'm going to share with you some things I've learnt along the way.

Radio school is a great place to start if you've got no (or limited) experience and want to hit the ground with a running head start. Not only do you learn the basics and have a chance to hone skills with experienced industry professionals but they'll generally have an established network of industry people who can help find you a job.

You really need to learn who your audience is - what age is your average listener? What gender? What did they watch on tv last night? What sports are they fans of? Questions like these will help you narrow down the types of topics you should be talking about. If you're unsure of who your listening audience is then ask around the station - someone will be able to tell you about the "target demographic".

Be relevant and local. It's tempting to talk about the funny stories in the world news, the quirky odd spots. It's also tempting to talk about celebrities and what they're up to. But unless you are a national show networked through a number of cities then people would rather hear about what's going on in THEIR town. If you are are doing an international story then do your best to localise it: "a big star shouted everyone drinks in a hollywood bar, imagine if they did that in "

Keep your breaks brief - yes you are interesting and funny but we'd rather hear the short version of your story, then the punchline and then move on!

Preparation. "If I had 8 hours to cut down a tree I'd spend six of them sharpening my axe". The hard work in your shift is done before the first break. You know your topics and you've cut out all the superfluous information. You have emergency stories if you need fillers for time. You have mapped out approximately how the breaks will fall into your hours and now you're ready to have a great time in your shift! Chookas!

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Should You Write Your Own Radio Commercial?

It's a question that many business owners face it some point or another when working on their marketing plans. Should they write their own radio commercial scripts?

Of course the person who knows more about the products and services being offered and sold is the business owner. At least, usually it is. However could too much knowledge be a bad thing when it comes to marketing the product or service itself? Often times the answer is yes.

Once a consumer has the product or service in their possession, the person with this knowledge would undoubtedly be the number one source to go to with questions or concerns. However this may not be the person to pitch the product or service to a potential new customer or client. This is especially true if that business owner has no background in marketing or promotions. There is a method to the madness when it comes to promoting a product or service, with no understanding of that method, often times a radio commercial crafted by someone who does not know how to execute that madness, will crash and burn. They then sit back wondering what happened or what went wrong.

Having a third-party come in and analyze the product or service that you want to promote is often times the best way to craft an effective radio commercial. A fresh perspective is what you are looking for. This person will take the time to get to know the product or service and can give you honest feedback as to what attracted them to it and what features stand out as a newcomer. These will very likely be the same features that stand out to a potential buyer of your product or service.

You can probably see how these may be hard to identify if you are too engrossed in your product or service and know every bit of it inside and out. Identifying specific traits that stand out and attract customers may not be so easy to spot. This is not something that an expert on that product or service needs to be ashamed of. It is simply a result of the passion and knowledge built up over years of crafting something that other consumers can use.

In conclusion, if you're looking at writing your own radio commercial is a way to save money, this will likely not be the result of your actions. It will likely cost you more in wasted airtime if an ineffective message is put on the air versus simply investing a small amount up front to have an expert craft your radio commercial for you.

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