The TRX Weekly Report: July 5, 2008

Hi everyone, I posted an episode to my podcast, The TRX Weekly Report.

Click this link to check it out:
The TRX Weekly Report: July 5, 2008

- TalkRadioX

The TRX Weekly Report: June 10, 2008

Okay it's not very weekly but trust me, it sounds better that way. Anyway a new edition of The TRX Weekly Report is out.



Click this link to check it out:

The TRX Weekly Report: June 10, 2008

We're in this together!

Hey, it's Jacque Jo. On the road. On borrowed Internets. God help me.

This blog's been a little lax lately because I've got some "workplace" restrictions and my life's been a little upside down lately.

But that's neither here nor there. I'm here to talk about one thing.

Spreading the word.

In the last post, Dan talked about the I Want My TRX campaign.

Well, really ... it's true. It's you. It starts there.

We're lucky to have the platform and the programming. It's useless unless people know about it.

So, remember that awful movie "Wayne's World"? (This may have even been "Wayne's World 2" so help me ... I'm that lame). But anyway, there was a segment of the movie that involved how rumors got started.

"They tell two friends. And then they tell two friends. And then so on. And so on. And so on."

That's what we're looking for here. We have hosts booking big-named guests. We have original comedy. We've got some of the most unique voices out there.

So tell a friend. Or two. Put stickers up somewhere. E-mail Sirius. Even if you've never heard us and you stumbled on this blog by accident ... give us a listen.

And then tell two friends.

Everyone all together now: I Want My TRX!

Hey everyone, Dan here filling in for Jacque, with a very important message for other hosts, listeners and anyone else who might read this on accident.

The Sirius/XM merger picked up a little speed when it was recently approved by the Department of Justice. This means added bandwith which potentially means more channels. Quite honestly the programmers at Sirius do a good job. I've been a subscriber since 2005 and I really enjoy it. That said there is something that is a little lacking there...the talk stations. Sure they have a few decent channels there, they are the home of Howard Stern, but past that it's bogged down with a number of news channels (do you really need CNN, Fox News, CNBC, BBC, WRN, and Bloomberg Radio?). Really now more than ever the time is right for Sirius to do something radical, something that's right, and makes sense: Add TalkRadioX!

Oh sure it may sound crazy but when you think about it, it all makes perfect sense. TRX has a small (and I mean small) handful of shortcomings, but nothing that a handful of Sirius influence couldn't fix. The shows here at the TRX I would stack against a number of shows already on Sirius. A little production value added in would make a huge difference in the TRX quality and consistency.

In February Sirius launched a political channel, Indie Talk, that relies heavily on blogs. See, they are already looking to the net for content! TRX is on the net! TRX has content! It all makes sense!

Now this pipe dream isn't going to get off the ground unless YOU (yeah, I mean you, pal) get involved and help out. That's right, you'll have to do something. But I promise, it won't be hard and it won't take long. Let Sirius know that you are serious about getting TRX on satellite radio. Send an email to non-music_prog@sirius-radio.com. Tell them "I want my TRX!". Let them know you have the solution to their programming problems. It's okay to lie a little here.

If you're really bold you can go ahead and give them a call and let them know about your favorite talk station. Call Sirius at 1-888-539-7474 .

So let Sirius know that you want your TRX! And if you do that warm feeling you get afterwards will last all day long. I promise.

Marketing ... It can make a difference.

Hey, everybody! It's resident blogger and human resources extraordinaire Jacque Jo. :)

So, I'm always on the lookout for good ideas.

Saturday night in my hometown (well, kinda hometown) I saw one.

See that thing to the right?

That's a Moondog bobblehead doll.

Moondog's a bit of a Wheeling, W.Va., legend. Moondog, whose legal name is Charles Waldrum, is just one of those city characters. An urban legend in his own right. Moondog cruises the streets of Wheeling on his bike (completely adorned with more than 20 flags flying in the back) and his miner's helmet. For as long as I can remember, he always rode his bike at the end of every parade in Wheeling.

On Saturday night, the Wheeling Nailers, an East Coast Hockey League team, had "Moondog Bobblehead Night."

Here's the deal ... The first 2,500 fans got their own doll.

We have one at our house now.

Here's why it's noteworthy:

The Nailers, while being an average team, barely draw 2,000 fans a game. The attendance at home games has been on the decline since the early 1990s when the team first came to town. Despite being an affiliate of a successful NHL franchise -- the nearby Pittsburgh Penguins -- nobody fills WesBanco arena when the home team plays.

I'm a huge minor league sports fan, so I go every chance I get. On Saturday night as we got to Wheeling, I let my sister and B-Dub off in front of the Wheeling Civic Center where the line stretched a half-mile down the street more than two hours before faceoff.

I literally couldn't believe what I was seeing. Not since the glory days of Wheeling hockey -- and trust me, those are long ago -- have I seen a crowd like this. As we took our seats close to the ice, I told B-Dub that I honestly couldn't remember seeing a crowd like this in 10 years. I also said, "Holy hell, their marketing department has a freakin' slam dunk with this promotion."

In total, 5,131 people showed up Saturday night for the game and the chance to get a Moondog bobblehead. Only half of us went home with one, but the real winner is the Nailers who drew in more people in one night than they had in years.

What are you doing to market your show?

Not even just your show ... but TalkRadioX?

Imagine if you could come up with ONE thing that totally launched you into a realm you hadn't ever seen before. Maybe it something sitting right in front of you ... something that's always been there. In the Wheeling Nailers' case, it was a guy who's been there longer than the team.

Maybe thinking outside the box would do us all good, so let's use each other to brainstorm. I know I could always do a better job as a show host marketing our show and I love thinking of new ways to expand TalkRadioX's audience.

So, I'm curious ... let's hear it!

Pick THIS!

Granted, this is a little old -- there are candidates on here that have long gone the way of the 8-track player -- but I still found it kind of interesting. My friend from college who now spends his days as a "political scientist" sent this to me as one of many sites he used in one of the classes he teaches.

2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues

Maybe I'm a little geeked out because I've got both Democratic contenders coming to my town within 24 hours of each other. I still haven't made my mind up, really, but I'd really like the chance to hear all of them at some point.

Two in 24 hours? I didn't realize anybody actually cared that much about West Virginia. :)

I know, Dan. They don't!

But to hear it around these parts, they're likening it to 1960 when Kennedy spent a huge amount of time here. Hey, be easy on us. It's not like we got a whole lot else going on!

Because Antubert got me thinking about the economy ...

Sorry for the woefully inadequate posting. Some work obligations have put me on the road recently and I've barely had time to catch my breath.

On The Live Test Show tonight, Antubert and Freek are talking about the economy, and that got me thinking a little.

Just last Saturday, I had to go fill up the Satellite of Love. I pulled into the ghetto mart, and noticed that the price per gallon was $3.46. This amazed B-Dub, who in Tennessee never paid that much per gallon.

Grand total for that stop? FIFTY SIX FREAKING DOLLARS.

I clearly remember paying 99 cents per gallon back when I was in college at WVU during the summer of 1999.

I know, I know, Grandma. Tell us how it was in the old day.

So, I found this site that has gas prices for everywhere across the country. It's pretty interesting to see what people are paying in different states.

I noticed I'm getting F-ed in the A.

I'm not so much interested in the why ... On any given day you can find 500 theories (some cracked, some legit) on why the prices are what they are. I just know that they are what they are. I can't do anything about it.

So, continue to hurt me ... What are you paying?