Potpourri From This Week..

Today, I thought I'd wrap up all the loose ends from the week. It's been a hectic one, and a difficult one, but we've slogged on through.

To so many who sent emails, cards, letters, and flowers on to me and the family, we want to say "Thank you." We have a scrapbook of momentos underway.

To the Rev. James Peacock, known in the family as "Uncle Sonny," thank you for the beautiful service you performed. We've received many compliments and comments on your behalf and it is only right to let you know how much you are appreciated. Thank you!

By Friday night, I found myself just literally and emotionally exhausted. I'm going to have to take some time today to clean up my own house. Chores kind of went by the wayside for a few days. It wasn't easy to write for those first couple of days.

The family is doing well for the most part. Yes, we know GG is in a better place and if there are any kitchens in heaven, she'll be right there in the middle of it all. But, there's quite a hole that she left, that will never be filled in quite the same way again.

Of course, life goes on. She would be proud to know that:

I'm intensifying my studies in the copywriting field. I'm simultaneously taking
the original accelarated course I started with, plus now a seminar that should take the new business on to a higher level.

The two radio stations have, combined, reached many listeners all over the world with more than 13, 700 streams..and growing.

I'm a way better cook today, due in part to things I learned from her. I never DID get her knack for making gravy, though!!

******************************************************************

I'm amazed at the number of people who have read through this blog so far. I have heard from radio people, copywriters, advertising account executives, International Harvester fans, relatives..and even people I only know through their "usernames" on radio forums and such. I'm answering every email, so if you haven't received a personal reply yet, I assure you, you will.

The daily blog resumes tomorrow so don't go away!

GG's Checked Out of the Nursing Home..

I've lost one of the best friends I ever had this week.

Gramma Geraldine, or affectionately, "GG" to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, passed away sometime shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday morning.
She was 88. Even when you know someone's nearing the end of their life, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when the appointed time finally arrives. I spent most of Tuesday alternately remembering the good times, then weeping.

I suspect she's having a family reunion up in heaven right now with Uncle Arthur, her sister Nellie, who died when she was only 19, Mamie and the other relatives who've gone on before.

Geraldine Louise (Howell) McCall was a fine one, as grandmothers go. But she never, ever wanted to be called "Grandmother."

"Call me Gramma..or just GG," she'd say whenever we introduced her to our
friends. The question soon to follow was "You want something to eat?"

Gramma was pretty much always around for me. She loved ice cream and one of our special things to do together was what she called "having a party." Her
version of "having a party" meant a trip down to Wendy's for a Frosty, or if there was no Wendy's, an ice cream store. We pretty much ruled out Monticello, Fla.,
a small town 25 miles east of Tallahassee, as being a good place to live because "they don't have an ice cream shop in the place."

During my growing up years, I often went to spend the weekend with Gramma. We went exploring new places; we went on fishing trips; we went to visit relatives that we didn't often get to see; we grew a garden together a number of times; and the list goes on and on.

When I first moved out into a small rented trailer (wasn't nothing mobile about that ancient little place) the cupboards, were, at one point, pretty bare.
Gramma must have noticed, for unbeknownst to me, she came by with some groceries, saying, "A little birdie told me you needed this." I suppose a lot of little birdies must have conversed with Gramma.

Gramma always believed in me. She helped fund equipment for the radio stations, and was still sending a $20 every month, "just to help that radio station." She bought the original streaming computer, and donated the current one last summer when she said, "I ain't gonna be using it no more." I'm writing today's blog on the computer she gave me.

I am thankful for all the time we spent together. I don't regret one moment for anything I missed because I was spending some time with Gramma.

Our last visit together earlier this month was very pleasant. She asked about the stations, what other things I was up to, and the family. She was having a good day, and my last memory is therefore a good one.

GG was very independent. I'm sure the dependancy of living in a nursing home was not easy for her.

I'm glad she's checked out of the nursing home. I'm sad that it means she won't be here to share more of those grits and collard greens along with those stories of growing up and living through the Depression era.

I'll miss you, Gramma. I love you.

Low Power Radio - The Good, The Bad..

There's an interesting development underway regarding Low Power AM (especially the little stations known as "Part 15."

An FCC filing is to be made this coming Friday that proposes a power level of 10 watts, with an antenna height of 50 feet. This would be an improvement over the current 100 milliwatt (1/10th of a watt) level with the 3 meters (about 10 feet) antenna.

Basically, these stations would operate under provisions similar to Travelers Information Stations, or TIS, facilities. This will make the process less cumbersome for the FCC to consider, and hopefully, implement, at sme point before the year 2070. The previous LPAM proposal, filed last year, appeared to be totally dead and headed to nowhere.

The new proposal is a compromise of sorts, among a number of parties involved with LPAM and Part 15 broadcasting. Kudos to Don Schellhardt
for his hard work in drafting this new proposal.

I like it enough that I would put my Part 15 back on the air with one of the new frequency and power level allotments.

I think the proposal is a good one.

The bad could come from things like FCC indecision, competing applications that could possible get stalled for months, or years, abuse by a few who always want 'More Power, more watts' and operate at pirate levels, and such.

There is such misunderstanding and lack of knowledge about Part 15. Part 15
radio stations are NOT piractes. They are NOT illegal.

I operated a LPAM carrier current station from 1991 to 1996 and a Part 15 from 2003 until April 10 of last year, which I wrote about here on the blog on April 10, 2006. Not one complaint. Not one visit from the FCC. No interference
to other stations. Clear Channel (yes, THAT big radio conglomerate) bought time on the Part 15 station to promote a Gaither concert. The reason? We had the niche audience that none of their five stations were reaching. And, we gave away the concert tickets that were provided with that ad campaign.

Low power AM can work. This proposal deserves its day.

Good work, Don!

Cy Bahakel..RIP

Broadcaster Cy Bahakel, the founder of Bahakel Communications, passed away last Thursday following a stroke. He was 87.

Bahakel Communications now owns 11 radio stations, six television stations and real estate holdings.

Condolences to the family, employees, and also those associated with the Bahakel broadcasting properties.

Bear's Birthday; Big D-Day; and Happy Monday To You

Bear, one of my best friends and confidantes, celebrates a birthday today.
Okay, he's the Chihuahua. I'm still considering baking a cake..any reason will do.

I received a couple of really interesting email stories in regards to the International "Loadstars" post. I'm going to have to come back and revisit the Loadstar topic some more. A couple of these stories are just plain fascinating.

On Friday, I sent my immediate family an email called "Big D-Day." This is in reference to the big decision to really move forward in the new copywriting and marketing business. On Friday, with my folks' help, I ordered the H & T DVD Seminar set. It's not cheap. But I believe it's exactly what I need to get to where I'm aiming to go.

I'm not going to rewrite the personal email. But the gist of it, is that I want them to know what's happening with not only the training, but the progression of the business..what I'm working on..what's doing well..what's a flop. They have enabled me to get the training, and this is a way of being accountable.

So, I'm going to share the copywriting journey here on the blog. When things are going great..I'll share it. When the bottom falls out..I'll share it. If I fall on my face..I'll share it. If I knock the ball out of the park..I'll take the family out to eat, then..I'll share it!

Here's my plan for the next few months:
1.) Continue on and complete the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI) copywriting course.
2.) Simultaneously, study the H & T Seminar and implement the things they teach. (Realizing, of course, without implementation, all the knowledge in the world is useless. Knowledge + inactivity = 0)
3.) I've already begun bidding on small jobs to get things started. I've bid on 4 smaller projects in the past week.

Sunday night, I designed and submitted a flyer for a Home Depot contest in Wisconsin. I did this for the practice of doing a quick job under a deadline and did the entire thing, from discovering the contest announcement to rewriting the flyer and submitting it, in just over two hours. I'll post the results when I know what happens.

I WILL continue to write on other subjects, just like I've been doing. Today, a popular radio forum underwent a MAJOR change, that I think is not for the better. Live365 has a new broadcaster in Mississippi, thanks in part to some information I provided to them. I still like screen porches and country life. I still do a live radio show at least once a week. I still believe in the free enterprise system. I believe in America, where we are free to choose our own career path.

I'm sure the journey will be an interesting ride, for sure. FULL SPEED AHEAD.

A Little "Down" Time

I decided that today, I'd best spend a little "down time" for myself. Sometimes things just get too..well, intense..and I don't handle it well.
The combined pressures of Gramma's adjustments to nursing home care, my sister's surgery this week, additional expenses to pay during the month of May along with my pay cut for the same time period, my wife's crashing computer, the pressures of starting a new business in a new field, operating the two radio stations and just an overall lack of personal privacy at home..kind of pushed me into the danger zone last night. I snapped at family members over something trivial, but then apologized, saying "Sorry, guys, I'm just stressed out."
..Then later on, I just stepped out into the night air, did some crying, and just let the quietness of the nighttime sink in until I felt more at peace again.
I knew I needed some "down time" today.
This morning, I stayed in from church, and everything else. Spent some fun time with my two young grandsons. Got involved in playing with the sandbox toys with them. And, no, I don't feel guilty. This afternoon, I feel WAY better.
Even though none of the problems I mentioned have changed in any way, or been resolved, they just don't seem quite as mountainous as they did last night while I was mentally fatigued and physically worn out.
I know I have to just keep everything in life balanced.

International Harvester "Loadstars"

Psst..don't tell my wife, but I've been having a love affair since my teenage years..oh, wait..
She already knows about it.
Since 7th grade, I have been fascinated and intrigued with the International Harvester trucks known as "Loadstars." They were made in several size models..the 1600, 1700, and 1800 series, with various models under each series.
The school bus in 7th grade was an International Loadstar 1700. I believe my love affair with IH and Loadstars began then.
I've already told you here on the blog that I have a visual disability. I can't take a vehicle on the highway, at least not legally.
"G.T." sent me an email yesterday about Loadstars, and one that he located about 2 miles away from home. He told the story about finding it, working on it, fixing it up and such..all over the past nine years.
I finally got my truck last summer..from eBay, of all places.
Yep, I was one nervous bidder. I figured the bids would go high and put it into the "higher than I want to go" category, since there are older trucks. I located one I liked on eBay last June, and placed a bid at the starting amount, $499,
just minutes before time on the item expired.
That $499 bid was the winning bid! Boy, was I a happy camper.
This truck was not 2 miles away from home. It was in Pennsylvania. I'm not close to PA at all. So it cost another $1100-ish to have it hauled here.
I actually love this old truck. It's a 1974 Loadstar 1600 farm truck, with a flatbed and stake sides and a seat in the cab that could use an upholstery job. I've cleaned years of farm dust out of the interior. The brakes don't work right.
It needs windshield wipers. Some rust-o-leum and a coat of paint wouldn't hurt.
However, it starts good, although it could use a new battery. It's drivable around the farm. I've used it to haul tree limbs away, out of the long driveway and our yard.
You won't be finding THIS truck listed on eBay anytime soon, if ever.

Snake Oil Salesmen and Lousy Products..

I received a question via email yesterday that I've decided to share today.
The nuts-and-bolts of their question was:
"Would you write a super sales letter for a product that you KNEW was lousy?"
My answer, is, no, I wouldn't.
If you read my post yesterday, then you know that my family is barely treading water financially. I sometimes dream that I'm drowning in the ocean but somehow always manage to get another gulp of air. I suspect that that particular dream and the family's household bank account are related.
However, even that kind of desperation does not equal compromising your integrity. I just will not do it.
At present, the new business I introduced to you in Thursday's post is off to a decent start. I'm in the middle of a major project involving a real estate letter;
promo pieces for the radio stations; several affiliate program letters; a local
promotion from a national business; a postcard campaign for a Georgia company; plus, writing assignments for the course I'm taking.
So, IF I'm going to write a promotion or sales piece for any particular product, it must be a good product and live up to what the manufacturer or producer claims. I want to personally check the product out myself before I start writing about it.
Therefore, I've already said "pass" on at least two potential jobs. On one, the product seemed good, but the ordering process on their website was tedius and
confusing; on the second, the product was..maybe okay, but certainly not worth the hype they claimed and wanted to convey. On the second one, I also noted at least 17 errors in their current sales letter. Misspelled words, incomplete sentences and other inconsistencies did little to make me feel they had credibility.
We all make mistakes; I make typos lots of times, including here on the blog.
But for the real-deal jobs, I get at least one other--sometimes more--people to proofread the piece.
As I state on the website, I'm been known for honesty and integrity in the broadcast industry for many years. Now THERE'S a cutthroat industry, for sure. But I say, it's more important to maintain integrity no matter what line of work you may be in.
So, Regis, THAT's my final answer!

EEEEK! Unexpected Pay Cut!

One of our income sources is taking a pretty deep cut next month..then not quite so deep after that..
The source is my monthly disability pay. This actually started around the end of 2002, after the year or so it took to actually get it started. Bounced paychecks from my employer at the time (see post "When The Flip Is A Flop") along with
too much debt. finally drove me to the point of doing something I never thought I'd do - apply for disability pay. Even though I've probably totally qualified for all my life.
I have a form of congenital cataracts that makes me legally blind. I've always had it to deal with. And I've dealt with it by living as close to a normal like as posssible. Mainstream classes; community college; FSU; jobs; volleyball (for fun, not as a team sport!); marriage. With my vision at 20/400 I can't legally drive a car on the road. But I do almost everything else.
The pay is just over half of what I earned working full-time in radio - so that should tell you, it's not much pay. This week, the state sent notice that it is not covering the health care premium, and they've got to take $265 out of my already not-substantial pay to cover it. Starting in June, it'll be $88 a month out of it.
May is going to be a tough month financially. If I told you the actual amount
that'll be left, you'd wonder, "How in the world can anyone survive on THAT?"
I'm asking myself the same question.
The answer is: I can't, and my family can't.
This is exactly why I've plunged in and started my new business. I'd rather be working and paying my own way.
Blind Services offers you career choices of cafeteria work, cafeteria work or cafeteria work. I'll pass. Sounds like long hours and the same low pay.
Please check out this website to see where I'm heading!
http://www.pro-results-advertising.com

The Lost Art of Listening

I don't know about you, but I am finding it increasingly difficult to find people that really know how to listen anymore.
My general nature is a little bit on the quiet side anyway, so I'm a little more inclined to listen to WHAT people say. I'd prefer to give them a real answer to
their questions, if they ask me one, rather than just spout off things that may or may not be relevant since I was too busy thinking about what I was going to say next. Of course, this "spout off things" scenario seems to be more and more the norm.
Which led me to today's title..the lost art of listening. Nobody seems to know how to do it. I could be better at it myself, I'm sure. In my family-and-friends circle almost everyone is a talker. Some are big talkers. Some are
B-I-G talkers. Which sometimes makes it hard to get a word in edgewise, or complete a single thought, or sentence.
I've recently found myself a retreat of sorts. It's not in the house. Instead, it's outdoors. So if it rains, I'm outta luck! But I've found it a delightful idea. When things get too noisy, or I'm writing on a deadline, or need to be creative, or rest my ears, I often head for this place.
Bear, the Chihuahua, loves to go there with me. And he gets to go, because he never interrupts. He doesn't bark or make noise. He curls up next to me and enjoys it too. He's there, but in an unobtrusive way. And that, I like.
I've warned the family that you never know what I might write about on the blog, although I'll never name names or do anything to make fun of anyone.
I think the "talkaholism" that permeates our society and life, however, is frustrating.
So, why not LISTEN to someone today?
I would have told some folks about this topic and gotten their opinions..
......but I couldn't get a word in edgewise!!

Audio Adrenaline Is Saying "Adios"

From a press release from NRB, received yesterday:

Nashville, TN--One of the (Christian) industry's top bands, Audio Adrenaline, announces that it will add a final chapter to its substantial career with "Adios," which is slated to release later this year. After 15 years of music and mission, Audio Adrenaline is choosing to say "Adios," offering one more nod to its considerable fan base with the album and select live events. Audio Adrenaline frontman Mark Stuart, experiencing ongoing vocal challenges, will be unable to continue a consistent live performance schedule. Audio Adrenaline received a Grammy Award this year for 'Best Rock Gospel Album of the Year" for 'Until My Heart Caves In' (ForeFront Records).

Radio Stations: When The Flip Is A Flop

I'm aware that a good number of folks in the radio business visit this site; you should know that after many years in the radio business, I've worked for, and with, a good number of owners and managers. I've been an interim music director; operations manager; station manager; and an on-air personality,
handling every shift from overnights in the early days to morning drive at my last position.

Radio stations "flip" formats all the time, for any number of reasons: They think they can attract a larger audience, and more advertising revenue, by switching to different programming; they've researched the market and have found a void they believe they can fill; new owners come in, with their own program ideas and agendas; or it's an impulsive move that has NOT been thought through.

I worked for an AM daytimer for many years that had a loyal, if somewhat small, niche as a Christian formatted station, playing contemporary Christian music and a number of the daily 'preaching/teaching' programs, which basically were the bread and butter financially. However, in 2001, the management of this station made a programming decision, that not only wasn't sound, but began the road to that station's ultimate demise.

In April of that year, the station dropped all of its contemporary Christian shows (morning and afternoon drive, weekends) for talk programming because "there's a lot of money to be made in talk radio." At that point, the station's monthly billing averaged in the $10k neighborhood.

The CCM audience had a fit, and listeners tuned out in droves. The station had been able to maintain a decent audience before, but a new Christian AM station came to town, and, while not a CCM, it ate away at the audience. The talk show folks who had come in to run the "talk" side of things were spending money the station basically didn't have, but..they didn't know how to sell advertising time on the talk shows. My paychecks started bouncing.

After a number of "late" paychecks, I called it quits. The operations manager
that replaced me was, well, less than honest. The Christian programmers got irate calls from former listerners and threatened to cancel. A few did. Long-standing. loyal advertisers who had been with the station for years cancalled. The station's billing fell every month until..

March of 2002, when the local manager, who was, and still is, a close friend and colleague whom I respect and like very much, called and asked me to come back. I looked at the March billing, which hovered just over $4,000. It wasn't even getting to the break-even point.

In April, I went back as the operations manager and took out some of the talk programs and began doing a local southern gospel music morning show. It took a lot of work and two years, but by 2004 the station was billing around $9k a month. But that summer there was a decision made that soured me, and I walked away for good.

The owner came into town, heard some of the southern gospel music, and made a comment to my friend, the local manager, that his wife would be embarrased by the kind of music on the station. Of course, she was up North in another state where she'd never hear the station in a million years, but I was told to take the music off at the end of the week and put some talk shows back on.

I told my manager friend, "This will kill the station for good, when we do that."
The change was implemented, the few loyal southern gospel music listeners that the station had left, and I did as well, filing retirement papers and calling it quits in July of 2004.

That was a painful decision, but I left, and the station never gained steam again. It limped along for about another year, until it was leased out to a third party in August of 2005. Since then, it's been vandalized, damaged and basically destroyed. There's no studio equipment left, not even a microphone. It runs off a makeshift board from Radio Shack, a satellite system, a computer, and a portable Walkman-like CD player. It operates at less than half of its assigned power, making the signal weak.

It hurt to see that happen to a station where I spent many happy years, but back in 2001, I predicted disaster with that first format flip. Everything about that flip was a disaster.

Now, I've watched from afar as WDOD-AM in Chattanooga is poised for a similar fate, switching from adult standards to progressive talk, and losing their morning man, who had been with them since 1963, and their ratings, tumbling
totally off the Arbitron chart in only about six months time.

Go ahead and blow this one up, too, fellows. Send your listeners to me, we'll take good care of their ears.

WJJD ain't gonna be flippin' no format anytime soon! http://www.live365.com/stations/alanmccall

Easter Chuckles

Enjoy Easter with your family!

Here's a site for some Easter cartoon fun:

http://www.offthemark.com/easter/easter.htm

Where Do They Find All These Talented Folks?

I receive a lot of music regularly from a lot of places. Most of it, however, comes for possible airplay on internet station, Country Giant WJJD. Now, I play a lot of classic country, but I'm also adding a lot of the newer songs and artists, too.

Recently I became acquainted with an almost-local young lady named Jessica Dean. Jessica is from Marianna, Fla., and attended Florida State University. After graduation, she moved to Nashville (in 2003, if I remember correctly) to pursue her love of music.

Well, Jessica first emailed me back in January, shared a little bit of information about herself, and told me about a song she had coming out.
That song, "Almost Doesn't Count," arrived back in March. I liked it, and immediately put it into the playlist. The individual track ratings, which are figured out through listener preferences, is rated "above average" and is being well received by the WJJD audience.

Here's Jessica's site:

http://www.jessicadeanonline.com


I've also enjoyed the first two singles by Danielle Peck, first "I Don't" and now
her current new single called "Finding A Good Man." I'd never heard of Danialle before last fall, but I feel that she's got the talent to go a long way in the country music industry.

http://www.daniellepeck.com

Finally, 12 year old Aaron Kelly, who looks like a miniature cowboy, has already shared the stage with folks like..well, Charlie Daniels. Aaron's remake of the old
"Hey Baby" ("..I wanna know if you'll be my girl..") also made it to WJJD's playlist a couple of weeks ago, and is going great.

http://www.aaronkellymusic.com

There's great new talent out there. But, I didn't receive any singing talent when the "gifts of the talents" were being given out.

I was once asked to sing tenor at church. The invitation surprised me.

Until I discovered they meant "Ten or.." As in, ten or twelve miles away from the church building.

Learning Curves

As I delve deeper into the world of copywriting and direct response marketing, I can't help but notice that the more I learn, the more I find that I need to continue to learn.

My learning curve is genarally pretty fast. When I was faced with a radio control room for the first time, I found all the buttons, switches, knobs and dials a bit intimidating. One of the DJs
early on said, "Well, just think of all this as a giant stereo with ten volume controls."

I had it down and was on the air, operating the station in less than an hour. A few glitches, of course, during the learning process, but nevertheless, I knew the basics.

I'm on a learning curve with this blog, for instance. I've been looking at the various templates, trying to best decide which one fits this particular site the best. The original one I chose, was not my favorite..but it did help me get the site up, at least.

Today, I have a different template. I like this one better, but then again, it may not be the final choice. Heck, no one in my family knows what a "template" is. Wonder what the old Funk and Wagnalls has under its definition. So, in the blogosphere world, I'm just entering first grade.

So, I hope you'll let me know things you like, or don't like, about the site. After all, in this changing world, there's no rule that says 'OK, this is your final edition.'

Have a wonderful Easter!

Mindset

Your mindset can make you or break you.

I suppose that's the reason some kids from "good" homes grow up and seem to have nothing but trouble, excuses and the need to blame everyone else for their problems. Yet, kids from "broken homes" with horrible circumstances have grown up and decided to put it behind them and rise above it all.

I keep a positive mindset most of the time. I mean, everyone, including me, is entitled to have a "bad day" every once in a while. I've noticed that even on the rare occasion when I have a bad day, it's usually due to some circumstance beyond my control.

I recently write a "mindset" piece as I was preparing myself mentally for the career adjustment to copywriting. One of the things I've been doing is writing every day. So, the following was not for publication, the course I'm taking, or anything like that.

Here's what I wrote:

"Becoming a copywriter is the smartest move I ever made. I only wish I'd discovered it back in my high school days.

It's not really a "job." It's fun and exciting..and even a bit of a new adventure.

I never know who I'll meet or what nifty project I'll find myself working on. I
have so many clients waiting in line that I can't possibly handle all the work. But it doesn't matter. They need me more than I need them.

My business is very profitable. Matter of fact, the money comes in so fast and furious, I haven't got the time to track it. I have my home office that's not in
my home that I've written about on an earlier occasion. It has one of those bank-tube thingies to handle the deposits!

My wife loves the copywriting business, which has helped to free her from all of those 12-hour days. She now has her days free to do what she wants. After a leisurely swim she sometimes goes and counsels people with disabilities, or visits with folks at the retirement community where she interned. If she doesn't feel like it, she doesn't have to.

Since our home has no mortgage, I don't work if I don't feel like it, either. I just take on the projects that I enjoy doing.

I love the copywriting business. My copy gets great results for other people's businesses. It gets great results for my own products and services. They win...I win..and everyone is better off due to the service I provide."

The day I wrote that was not one of my "good" days. The refrigerator had quit,
there was a bad leak in the bathroom, I did not have a single copywriting client
and not much money in the bank account.

Here's the situation today:

The home mortgage really is paid off.
We have a nice new refrigerator.
I paid off the last of a once $17,000 debt incurred over five years ago.
I paid off, and now own, a laptop I once leased.
My two internet radio stations are paid for and debt-free.
I'm getting close to having a neighboring office space to use when things are too rowdy at the house for me to write.
It's the 13th of the month and all the household bills are paid.
The copywriting business DOES have business. One project is related to real estate and is worth over $1 million to the "client." I have four other projects in
varying stages and worth varying amounts.

I still have a long way to go. The leaking bathroom has about rotted the floor.
The laundry room developed a leak of its own. Hornets have invaded the underside of the house in the back. So, no, I haven't "arrived" at the point where I need to be.

But it's coming.

I hope you develop a positive mindset for yourself. Make it a great day!

Kids needing clothes?

I've been working on a project for a short time now that will have a local marketing angle to it. It involves helping people who are less fortunate
purchase children's clothing at prices lower than you'll find in stores. There's
a lot more behind the scenes locally that I won't get into here, but the company will also make contributions to churches.charities and the like.

If you know of a family that needs inexpensive clothing for their children, or if you are such a person yourself, please visit the link below. It doesn't matter where you live.

Use the referral code MK21304 and take advantage of the discounts for yourself, your friends, church members or anyone that needs a price break.

Please be aware, the company will be closed on certain dates in April. But they're not going anywhere.

Kindest regards to all.

http://www.magickidsusa.com

Put Value On Your Time

One of the things that I keep seeing as I delve further into the copywriting business is the need to "put value on your time." In other words, don't slave
over jobs that don't pay, or pay poorly.

In addition to the writing for the course I'm currently completing, I also write
almost daily here on the blog; I recently had a freelance article published in Radio World, which I shared in an earlier post; and I have five projects going
at the moment.

My wife was just a little uncertain about the viability of copywriting, although she's been supportive of my career(s) generally. So my very first ad, I did for her.

She had a Ford Bronco that her father gave us back in 2001. It was a tough little
vehicle and almost indestructible. It was also a 1985 model, which for some reason, meant that no part on it was standard. We spent literally thousands of dollars on that Bronco, and we still had an old, worn-out, becoming-less-reliable-by-the-day vehicle.

The clincher came last March, when my wife didn't arrive home from work on time. Around 7:30 pm she called. The Bronco had broken down, and wouldn't move. It cranked, the engine ran, but it wouldn't move. Around 8:15 it arrived home, behind a tow truck. The towing folks left it in the back yard. And there it sat. And sat. And sat.

I'd go crank it periodically, which kept my wife and my father-in-law satisfied that it wasn't sitting there just rotting away. My wife got a new Corolla, with some financial help from her parents and my parents. At that point I was desperately trying to get the internet station to financially support us. It wasn't, and we were struggling to try to survive.

The Bronco was still sitting in the same spot where the tow truck left it in October. I hadn't even started the course in copywriting yet when I asked my wife about the future of the Bronco.

"Dad says he doesn't really care if I sell it," she said, "but it's been in the family a long time..."

I ended up writing an ad for the Bronco, which needed a new transmission and other things, and I put the ad in the free classified paper. We got a couple of calls but no real takers, until day 6.

A fellow and his little boy came out and looked at the Bronco. The fellow said, "I
LIKE it and can fix it up. Me and my boy here'll have fun doing it together."

He paid $350 cash for the Bronco and had it towed to his house. So hopefully
the Bronco will get a new lease on life, a father and son will spend time together
fixing it up..and I handed my wife $350 in cash.

That's the only job I have written for "free."

The five projects I have now, have values of varying levels. The total potential income to these clients totals over $1.5 million if you add them all together. So,
it's true that sometimes my writing for the course gets "bumped" when I have
paying projects going on. But I know that I WILL finish the course in good time.

As for my wife nowadays? I think she might like the copywriting business.

She bought me a new pack of pens.

Breaking Into The Radio Biz..

A little earlier this morning I wrote on the Radio-Info board about how I got my start in the radio business back in 1979. For you non R-I readers, here it is...

When I was trying to break into the industry for the first time, I was attending community college, where I worked at the student newspaper. I had no radio experience, but knew from about age 12 that radio was what I wanted to do.

I tried sending out the tape and resume to almost every station in town, but it seemed like there was never a response...not even an acknowledgement. I went in to the FM country station
it was WOMA then) one day and the PD had me record an audition tape, which he seemed to like. But...nothing.

One of the DJs at WOMA called me one day and said, "John (the PD) kind of liked you, but is probably not going to hire you. But he leaves every day at 5:00. Come in one night around 7:00
and I'll teach you the board."

I'll interject here that I have a visual disability. It's congenital cataracts, which have made me legally blind for all of my life. However, I participate in many activities, and about the only thing I can't do is legally drive a car. But I can certainly see well enough to operate a radio control board. So, I deduced that this was making the PD nervous. But he couldn't SAY that..

Over the next few months I did learn the board. I board op-d ball games and such and made friends with pretty much everyone there..after hours. The PD NEVER knew.

One day, one of the DJs there at WOMA told me about another station in town that I should try for. They had, of course, received some of my tape-and-resume packages in the past.

The PD/morning man/manager of the second station was doing a live remote from a movie theater one afternoon as my mom and I were driving past. I decided to go in and meet him in person..and I did. I introduced myself (nervous as all get-out, I might add) and he responded, "I think I have four or five of your resumes. I found them in my desk. I just took over managing this station and I will need to hire a part-timer soon."

Then he said, "What will you do if I DON'T hire you?"

"I'll keep applying until you do," I answered.

He kind of smiled and said, "I figured as much. Tell you what..come down next Friday around 9 in the evening. I'll have Stephen, our evening/night guy, give you some training on our board and we'll take it from there."

He did hire me, and I began at WTAL AM-1450 on October 12, 1979. That was the start of my roller-coaster ride in what we call a radio career.

How do you get started in radio now?

I think meeting or networking with people in the industry is about the best way nowadays.
Maybe it always has been.

It worked for me.

April 10: One Year Ago Today

I noticed that today's date is April 10.

One year ago today, my Part 15 AM radio station, which operated on 1160 AM,
broadcast for the last time. It wasn't intended to die, but...

A thunderstorm a few days before hit near the house, frying a couple of parts..an amplifier, for one, which I hurridly fixed at about 6:00 in the morning, finally getting on the air that day at 8:30 a.m. I'm guessing something in the transmitter was damaged that day, but the transmitter kept working..then.

April 10 started out apparently normal. But, just after 10:00 a.m. something seemed wrong. The transmitter's power hovered at just above 0 and the signal barely came in, even in the studio. About that time, POOF! A tube exploded in the transmitter, bringing the entire broadcasting operation to dead silence.

I discovered a broken line between the transmitter and the tuning box. I ordered a new line, and a new tube for the transmitter, and both arrived a few days later.

Sometime in late April, I don't know what day, I installed the new parts and fired the transmitter up. It came up and made power, when POOF! The same tube exploded once again.

I kept hoping that this transmitter would ultimately be fixed, but with the passing of the gentleman that built it, I don't know. I don't know how to fix it.

So it has sat in its same location, off the air, for one year today.

In some ways I miss the little AM station. Picking it up in a few places down the road, doing the live morning show and having folks write in and say 'Hey, I picked up 1160 while going down the Parkway, and your station was the only one on the AM dial with music..'

I don't miss getting up to sign on at sunrise, either rushing home or missing events just to sign it off at sunset, and the overall "I HAVE to..." that the whole thing caused. I HAVE to sign on, I HAVE to try to sell some ad time on it, I HAVE to..on and on and on.

RIP little 1160. In spite of it all, I enjoyed the run. It was a lot of fun while it lasted.

When Your Dreams Change..

My wife and I were talking about "having dreams" and aspirations one day recently. One of her dreams when we got married in January of 2001 was to
finally go to college. She began her quest for a degree the same week we got married and expects to graduate this August with a degree in rehab services.

It's been a hard road. She returned to college later in life. We sacrificed time
and things to make her dream come true. She's worked like a Trojan and made the Dean's list a number of times. She battled with algebra and lost, eventually
going through testing that showed that she had a learning disability in the area of math. She trudged on and is now interning. The end of the quest is in sight.

I'm really proud of her.

I fought very hard for a dream myself. For most of my teen and adult life I really wanted to own a broadcast station. About ten years ago, I seriously persued this, but found the cost of buying, owning and maintaining a station were just beyond the reach of the average American. It's even worse now.

A couple of days ago, I was looking at the website for a local broadcaster. I know this gentleman, and he has built a station basically from nothing. He's surviving
but then I saw this on the website:

"It costs (station name to remain anonymous) $34,311 per month, or about $1,128 per day to remain on the air." It went on to appeal for donations and support.

How in Sam Hill can a station with no Arbitron rating, in a less than great radio market, possibly sustain that kind of support over the long haul? At the last radio station I managed, it billed about $10K a month and had expenses of
$6000 to $7000 a month. It did make $30K during the November 2004 election spot buys.

I retired from radio in 2004, shortly after setting up the buys for that $30K month, because the radio broadcast industry had become a non-win rat race to me. No matter what the station billed, it was never enough. No matter how much air time I sold, I did not get commissions, or even decent raises. I finally decided enough was enough and filed my retirement papers at age 46.

Frankly, my desire now to own a broadcast station has waned. I also had thought of being a foster or adoptive parent at one time, but I don't feel compelled to do that either.

Because I have a visual disability, I do have a desire to run a business from home. One that can help make a difference to people and improve their lives.
One that doesn't take $34,311 a month just to break even. That search has led me to explore copywriting and to the birth of Pro Results Advertising.

So what does the future hold? Right now, I think both my wife and I are at a crossroads. We can limp along like we are now, or we can explore new horizons.
We're both doing that now, she with a career serving senior citizens, and myself, with writing for both select clients as well as my own products and/or services.

We haven't lost our dreams. They've just changed as we've grown and learned new things.

Keep reaching for your dreams, too!

Ahh, The Delights of A Screen Porch..

Today my wife and I went to visit "Aunt Gwen" and "Uncle Frank," at their little beach house at Shell Point, FL. Gwen and Frank aren't blood relatives, but they
have been friends and neighbors with my family since..oh, about 1958 or so. Aunt Gwen and Mom used to swap kids for the day..so they really are like an aunt and uncle to me.

Their beach house has a screen porch across the front, complete with lawn and rocking chairs and a view of the road into the settlement (since there's not really any business there to speak of.) We spent the better part of four hours there on the porch, catching up with family news, swapping stories and the like. The wind was blowing pretty hard, and it was a little chilly, but nevertheless we spent the bulk of our time there.

Something about the overall frantic, frenzied pace of our society today bothers me. I have memories of spending a week, or sometimes two weeks, with my grandparents and great-grandparents while I was growing up. My great-grandparents had cows, and pastures, and an old barn, corn crib, and a house with a dog-trot in between the main house and the kitchen. No computers, video games and such..just the quiet summer days of farm life. I don't remember once ever being bored. There was land to explore; the grand cattle round-up the day Grandpa Nelson forgot to close a gate; bottled chocolate drinks; and a lot of love.

With the exception of GG in the nursing home, whom I wrote about on Wednesday of this week, my grandparents have all passed away. Those memories are all that's left. The dog-trot house burned down a number of years ago and Grandpa Nelson's daughter and family eventually built a new house on the old home site.

Aunt Gwen and Uncle Frank's screen porch brought back the good memories of
those times. I kind of miss those days...and who has time to visit anymore without the screech of the TV blaring away in the background?

My birthday's coming up..I'll take a screen porch with a slice of laid-back country life, if there's any left to be found.

Letter worked but the offer fell through..

One of the projects I've been doing involves a bit of real estate. I've sent a few letters
on behalf of my ("client" unnamed here) in an effort to help them sell some property.

The very first letter got a response, and a decent offer. The only problem was, the potential
buyers couldn't get around the fact that there's only a 30-foot easement into the property from the highway. Their deal fell through.

In the meantime, another contact I'd made expressed interest, and made an offer in the $1M
neighborhood. A contract was signed, an escrow payment was made, and this buyer had 90
days to get the permits and paperwork together..but, they ran into Leon County, I guess.
They couldn't get their permits through the system and ultimately, this deal fell through as well.

What'cha gonna do to sell property with a 30 foot easement when everyone needs 60 feet, and the owners in the front won't budge? THAT is the million dollar question!

Office? What office?

I was "out of the office" yesterday (Wednesday) since I decided to ride over to Madison, Fla.,
to visit with my grandmother ("GG") over in the nursing home there. I did meet the nursing home director of admissions, sales and marketing while I was there. The day was gorgeious, the visit with GG was pleasant, and I enjoyed the freedom of being able to take off on a Wednesday with no "calling in sick" or boss saying "You can't take the day off, I need you here."
I do keep disciplined. I'm usually up by 6:30 a.m. and do the internet radio station program changes first thing, so that's usually done by 7:30. The bulk of the day is spent on writing, working on getting projects, learning what I can from the course I'm taking and from going online to a couple of copywriting forums and keeping up with email.
One of the things that caught my attention recently was a thread on Michel Fortin's Copywriters Board entitled something like "Off Site or Home Office?" It debated the pros and cons of having an "office" versus working out of a home office.
I've decided I need a home office that's not in my house. My desk, which is a small one, is way too little for me to work at on writing projects. The computer there is a 1995 486 that
I use only to write and save certain letters and projects on. So, more often than not, I do my
writing either a) outdoors in a lawn chair, b) outdoors in the swing or c) sprawled all over the bed.
The outdoor options are great when the weather is nice. I think I do my best work in the outdoor settings. If the wind is blowing it gets a little harder, and if it's raining..ugh.
So, I'm thinking about something like a modular office that's not too big and not too small.
If there's room for the radio stations, so much the better. But, I'm thinking at least room for a desk and a table for spreading out projects that are in the works, a half-bath, and a working computer and printer would be wonderful. It could be located a stone's throw from the house, while providing a balance between work and home life. It's hard for me to have "down time"
with things piled there on the desk in the bedroom.
And, I think a porch on the modular office would be a perfect touch!

People Are Not Eggs

My stepson came to live with us in February. He's 28 and has what we believe is a form of autistic spectrum disorder. He's aware of the world around him but
isn't quite to the "totally independent" stage of his development.
He attends a local center program each weekday and the transportation is through a private service that sends a bus of sorts to pick him up and bring him home.
A couple of times things have gotten changed around, mostly involving who's riding which bus. A couple of times things have gotten changed around, in one instance, causing him to have to spend the whole day at home.
Now, in radio, I was alone at the station; now, as an internet radio station owner and copywriter, I'm alone at home, at least for most of the day, so it doesn't bother me at all. It about drove him crazy, and not because I was home as well. It was just too laid-back for him. I mean, watching someone else work at the computer for several hours doesn't excite me either!
Today he had a different ride while "insurance" or something or other was being changed. He doesn't care much for change of any sort, so I just asked if they had scrambled things up again. He kind of chuckled when I said, "They keep scrambling things up, don't they?"
For him, he'd prefer to have things not so scrambled.
He's a good kid, or maybe I should say, "a good egg."

Jumping into the Copywriting World..

For the past few weeks, I have been hard at work on the launch of my
copywriting business. I've done a good bit of writing, even in my radio
days with WTAL and WCVC, so it really is just a new twist and some new
things to learn..but I'm finding it enjoyable to be writing on a more regular basis again.
I'm enrolled in a course, but I'll tell you, reading what the pros do, and applying
their advice, is like taking a graduate course at the same time.
The copywriting business already has several "live" paying projects. Matter of fact, I've had two before finally deciding to put up a new website. It looks like
I'll have three projects going on simultaneously in April alone, so I definitely
see a future in it for me. I turned one down, they wanted a bunch of letters done for something like $30! For $30 they can just do their own because they won't find anyone worth their salt even looking at it.
One of the projects involves a real estate letter that's potentially worth over a
million to the client. One is a postcard campaign for a company in Georgia
and the third is still pending but involves a few press releases.
I do pick and choose clients carefully, and only take the ones I feel I can genuinely help.http://www.pro-results-advertising.com

Sowing good seeds and helping others

No matter what you do for a living, I hope that you take time to help others when they ask
for help. I don't mean just give away money you may not have to every guy on the street, but
when you can share things like your knowledge..

A few weeks ago, a fellow that I've never met, and don't personally know, wrote to a radio
message forum asking for some help and advice with a broadcasting venture. I wrote him a
personal email, plus put some public advice and suggestions on the forum, explaining
some of the things I have done that worked well, especially for someone on a tight budget.

The pay for that? Well, here's something he wrote this past weekend..

"Alan,

We need to meet just to shake hands! You are indeed a great friend and someone who understands the (budget) thingie!....If your (sic) ever in Atlanta look me up."

Atlanta friend, I hope your venture turns out splendidly for you!

I'll give you a shout-out next time we're in the area!

Recapturing the 'Country Giant'

I recently wrote a short commentary which was published in the January 4, 2006 edition of Radio World. Since Radio World primarily goes to people inside the radio industry, I've decided to share that article here as well.

_____________________

I grew up in Tallahassee, Fla., in a home where my parents listened to the radio regularly - mostly country music on WMEN(AM) 1330 and Paul Harvey over on Top 40 station WTAL(AM) 1450. However, it wasn't until 1969, when I was 11, that I truly discovered radio for myself during a summer trip to the beach.

Hooked on a format
My grandfather's house was located on Mexico Beach, between Port St. Joe and Panama City, Fla. That summer, I happened to take along a small transsistor radio and tuned into "Big Joe Radio", officially WJOE(AM) on 1080,
operating with 1,000 watts of country music. WJOE programmed both new and classic country, along with a daily dose of community news, the twice-daily "Swap Shop," weather forecasts and tide information and a few morning preachers.
Somehow, during that week, I became hooked - not only to WJOE, but also
the "country giant" breed of station in general.
Over the next few years, I discovered lots of these stations, both in our area and later in other parts of the country. My favorite was WLOR (AM) 730, located 6/10 of a mile from the city of Thomasville, Ga., in an old farmhouse.
WLOR had gospel music and preaching shows in the midmorning, agriculture reports at noon, and their version of the "Swap Shop" at 1 p.m.
Like WJOE, the Thomasville station had a lot of the old Pepper-Tanner
jingles that managed to sing out "country giant" along with the call letters and frequency. I heard similar sounding packages on WFIV(AM) 1080 in Kissimmee, Fla; WGKR(AM) 1310 in Perry, Fla., and later WJRZ in New Jersey and KFOX in California.
(I'm editing out part of the story here..)
Most of those stations are gone now. WJOE and WGKR have been silent for years; WLOR is now WSTT with gospel music, WMEN is now WCVC running EWTN Catholic talk.
After retiring from WCVC in 2004 due to its impending format change, I prepared to launch a tribute to these great stations. I chose WJJD as my station of choice, due to its high profile and the fact that many of the stations about which I wrote patterened their programming after WJJD's.
In September (2005) I relaunched the webcast of WJJD, The Country Giant.
A colleague, Erwin O'Conner, who worked at Chattanooga's WDOD (AM/FM)
in its earlier days, donated a classic country music collection dating to the 1950s.
(another edit for brevity!)
For you radio buffs who miss the "country giant" style of programming, I think you will discover the broadcasts to be quite retro-sounding, and yes, quite different and laid-back compared to many of today's radio stations. I hope you enjoy it, and I want to say thank you to the fine folks who have helped bring this project to reality.
The webcast for WJJD is available at http://www.live365.com/stations/alanmccall http://www.live365.com/stations/alanmccall

Welcome..I've joined the blogging world

Well, hello everyone,

I finally decided to join the rest of the bloggers and share some of my ongoing adventures in the media world - radio, copywriting, freelance writing and
whatever else happens along the way that seems interesting.

I'll be back soon to post my first "real" item. For now, welcome aboard!