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?

The things you do to prepare?

So, I've been thinking ... and it's time for one of those "behind the scenes" blogs about what goes on here at TalkRadioX.

Despite the rumors you might have heard, these shows we have don't get put together by elfin' magic. People work hard -- every day -- to produce what you hear.

I'm a host. I'm a twice-a-week-in-one-day host. (Oh, yeah, if you're not listening to Happy Hour at 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Sundays, you should be.) That's not to say I don't work during the week on putting things together, but the bulk of my show prep comes Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Sometimes, I wonder how you daily guys do it. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I do get to see how one daily show gets put together, and there are times it still amazes me how it all comes together.

Because I'm curious and because I think it would be entertaining -- what do you do to prepare? Do you push it to the last minute or are you a planner? What did you find works the best?