Boortz in the bathroom

Rockdale County, Georgia's Salem High School (SHS) Principal Robert Cresswell again caught the attention of Atlanta-based national radio talk show personality Neal Boortz last Thursday when a SHS parent reportedly called Boortz’s show to complain about Salem’s bathroom policy.

According to Cresswell, the controversy erupted when a SHS student asked to use the bathroom during classroom instruction, and a teacher told the student his parent would be contacted.

Boortz and his call-in audience reportedly blasted Cresswell for having the student’s parents called (read more - Rockdale Citizen - http://www.rockdalecitizen.net/archive/2004/2390.htm)

(Less Is) "More" Kent Burkhart

I've been fortunate to consult as a partner over the years with many of the best. Michael O'Malley, Drake-Chenault, Edie Hilliard, Les Smith, The Jones Radio Networks crew, McVay Media and some of the best clients on earth. Having said that, one of the highlights of my career life was being on the Burkhart-Douglas team in the mid-1980s and I know just how savvy the great team Kent put together was.

When you're looking for inspiration and ideas, go to: http://www.kentburkhart.com/ and read his many terrific "I Was There" memoirs.

See #39 to learn how less always has been MORE.

Adopt a Troop - BIG in Reno

Mike O'Malley client station 94.5 Cub Country, Reno, just wrapped up a very successful drive to collect new and used CD's and DVD's. The event - part of their ongoing "Cub Care Adopt a Troop" program.

The results: http://www.cubcountry945.com/skin/graphic.php?sectionId=194&contentId=73606

Reno's Channel Two News (http://www.ktvn.com/) and other local media covered it.

For more info, contact PD at Valeri Ferrari val@cubcountry945.com.

Psychology made fun = Dr. Buff

If you're every looking for a psychologist to interview, check out http://www.drbuff.com/index.htm. Dr. Perry W. Buffington loves doing radio and it shows. Contact him: 904 261-4214.

He is also a great motivational and educational public speaker.

Some testimonials:

Dr. Buff hits the mark! He is one of our most popular features and delivers sound advice in an entertaining way.
— David EdgarDirector of FM OperationsEmmis, Indianapolis

Buff has the unique ability of making the impossible sound possible and making common sense seem sensible, all in a very compelling and memorable fashion.
— Vance DillardDir Adult Contemporary OperationsSouth Central Communications

I made my friends read [Cheap Psychological Tricks] after I [finished]. I couldn't put it down and I'm not even a big psychology fan.
— an Amazon reader

I have never seen my colleagues so inspired by one speaker...It doesn't get any better than this!
— Angela ThomasPremier Events Specialist, London

Radio Advertising Effectiveness

Check out - http://www.radioadlab.org/research.htm

RAEL Research Report: The Benefits of Synergy

Click Here

Other new releases worth a look..

The just-published RAEL Guide to Commercial Testing Services, a directory of companies which provide ad testing services oriented toward Radio (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

The RAEL Research Compendium

RAEL’s series of published White Papers, which summarize published research

And the latest publication series from RAEL, Case Studies based on proprietary research provided by advertisers.

Generation Jones

Thanks to Y94, Syracuse PD Kathy Rowe (http://www.y94fm.com/morningshow.html) for this link that's a great resource for any personality targeting 36 to 47 year olds, born between 1954 and 1965: http://generationjones.com/

A few highlights from the site:

* Boomers are mostly the offspring of The World War II Generation, Jonesers are mostly the offspring of The Silent Generation, and Xers are mostly the offspring of the Boomers.

* Not only have we been anonymous, but we are also the largest generation in American history. Our 53 million members constitute more than 1out of 4 adults in the U.S. today.

* Between the personality extremes of the Boomers' idealism and the Xers' cynicism lies our more balanced mainstream "Jones" character.

* To "get it", you need a postmodern sensibility: that swirl of irony, deconstruction and pastiche that our generation's coming of age in the 70s fueled from the margins to the malls.

* "Jonesin'" is a hip, passionate slang word that means a strong craving for something or someone.

* Our generation's popular culture since the 70s has been filled with this theme of craving, unrequited love, and perseverance. Here's just a few examples:

Songs
Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen, '75)
Dream On (Aerosmith, '76)
Dream Weaver (Gary Wright, '76)
Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees, '78)
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor, '79)
Fame (Irene Cara, '80)
Hungry Heart (Bruce Springsteen, '80)
Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran, '83)
Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2, '87)

Movies
Bless the Beasts and Children ('72)
Breaking Away ('79)
Fame ('80)
Personal Best ('82)
Perfect ('85)
Top Gun ('86)
Wall Street ('87)
Working Girl ('88)
Sleepless in Seatle ('93)
Jerry Maguire ('95)

Our generation has the jones. As children in the 60s, at the absolute height of America's post-World War II affluence and confidence, Jonesers were promised the moon. Then, in the 70s, as the nation's mood turned from hope to fear, we were abandoned. While Boomers began with big expectations that were often realized, and Xers were never given much of anything to expect, it was our generation that was filled with the highest hopes and then confronted with the most dramatically different reality.

Huge expectations left unfulfilled have deeply entrenched a jonesin' in us. This jonesin' has made us strikingly driven and persevering, and has given our generation a certain non-comittal, pending flavor as we've continued to hold out for our original dreams.

Author of the definitive book about Gen Jones is Jonathan Pontell. To book him contact Jim Casey at 310 854-2000.

Kidd Kraddick's Magical Christmas Wish

Kidd Kraddick's show granted a Magical Christmas Wish Tuesday. After receiving a letter from two different people regarding the same family in need, Kraddick took action by reading the letter on the air and asking for listeners to help. The father of four is battling Pancreatic Cancer and is about to begin another round of Chemo Therapy. The nationwide audience of Kidd Kraddick in the Morning rallied around the family to donate thousands of dollars, tickets to The Disney World Resorts, hotel rooms, and even a private airplane.

For more visit: http://www.kiddlive.com/

Kevin & Bean Lend A Helping Hand

From: http://fmqb.com/: Tearing a page from ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition TV show, KROQ/Los Angeles morning men Kevin & Bean extended a helping hand this Christmas to a listener in desperate need of some home remodeling. Twenty-one-year-old Roxanne Delgado recently reached out to K&B after she and her three younger siblings lost both of their parents to cancer. The Delgado family were living in an uncompleted house that was undergoing an expansion with rooms open to the elements. To help the listener and her family finish their house in time for Christmas, Kevin & Bean have started a campaign called "Roxanne's Home For The Holidays."

Crawford Construction has donated contractor services and Home Depot is kicking in supplies and materials K&B also got Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn involved by helping to expedite the proper permits needed for the remodel. The show has raised more than $8,000 via on-air auction of KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas tickets and are currently urging listeners to help out Roxanne with donations and services to help finish up the project.

For more details or to make a donation for "Roxanne's Home For The Holidays," click here.

MIND BOGGLERS

Q. What does Ursinus College have in its football end zone that no other college in the U.S. has?
A. A tree

Q. What fluoride toothpaste was introduced in 1955?
A. Crest

Q. Who said, “I’ve been on a calendar, but never on time?”
A. Marilyn Monroe

Q. What word was coined in 1888 to describe a motherless calf?
A. “Dogie”

Q. What did Hugh Downs and Frank Sinatra both have transplants for?
A. Hair

Q. Who is the most-often-portrayed western character in movies?
A. Buffalo Bill Cody

MIKE BUTTS CREATIVE

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS AT HOME:

THIS SEEMED TO BE THE BIG WEEKEND FOR FOLKS IN MY NEIGHBOR HOOD PUTTING UP THEIR OUTSIDE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS.

IF YOU REALLY GO ALL OUT IN YOUR CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS AND YOU DON’T LIVE IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, I SAY, “ CONGRATULATIONS”.

IF YOU DO LIVE BY ME I’D LIKE TO SAY, REMEMBER NO BODY LIKES A SHOWOFF!!

TIPS FOR SURVIVING HOLIDAYS?

YOU SEE ARTICLES IN PAPERS AND MAGAZINES . . . LOTS OF STORIES TRYING TO HELP YOU AND I ‘Survive” THE HOLIDAYS. ISN’T THAT SILLY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT?

SURVIVE? YOU AND I HAVE A WARM-DRY PLACE TO LIVE, WE’VE GOT OUR STUFF, LOVED ONES . . . YET THOUSANDS ARE HOMELESS, OR OUT OF WORK, OR AT WAR DEFENDING THE REST OF US. BE THANKFUL!

ANOTHER HEADLINE SAID: HOW TO COPE WITH CRAZY RELATIVES? WE ALL HAVE THEM I KNOW. BUT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE NO FAMILY . . . AND ARE GETTING SHOT AT. I SAY EMBRACE AUNT BETTY AND HER WEIRD CHRISTMAS SWEATER WITH THE BELLS ON IT.

AND WHININ' ABOUT CROWDED AIRPORTS . . . MILLIONS OF PEOPLE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TO BUY A BUS TICKET LET ALONE BUY A ROUND TRIP TICKET TO CHICAGO, OR ORLANDO, OR ANYPLACE ELSE.

GOOD LORD FOLKS . . . IF YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW . . . WE’RE VERY FORTUNATE.

CRAZY CHRISMAS GIFT: GOT $195.00? HAVE A HANKERING TO FLY IN A 2-SEATER WORLD WAR 2 T6-- TEXAN WARBIRD? CALL EXEC 1 AVIATION 800-257-1636 www.natg.com.

WHO DO YOU KNOW?

"Who Do You Know?" is our weekly adventure where we challenge listeners to have a celebrity call on their behalf. We give $1000 to the finder of the biggest celebrity (plus $500 to the celebrities favorite charity). If you're in a city with some fun celebrities, it's a great bit!

BATTLE OF THE SEXES

For Men:

According to the book "Colors For Your Every Mood," a guy with which color bed sheets will make a better lover? Striped, plain white, or solid colors ***.

What 80's TV show featured two men who were best friends but had to dress up as women just to have a place to live. "Bosom Buddies" ***, "Bachelor Party," or "My Two Dads."

This is your platinum anniversary 20 years together, what should you according to tradition buy your wife? Silver, china ***, or crystal.

On which cable channel would find the show "Trading Spaces?" Discovery, Home & Garden Television (HGTV), or The Learning Channel (TLC) ***.

In what sport did April Heinrich become the first female Hall-Of-Famer in 1998? Golf, ice skating or soccer ***.

For Women:

What does the organization Man-To-Man Inc. do? Testicular cancer support group, prostate cancer support group ***, or male pattern baldness support group.

Which of the following actors never starred as a "Blues Brother" on film? John Belusi, John Goodman, or Bill Murray ***.

According to Men's Health magazine, when giving a foot massage, where should you start? The arch of the foot, the heel and ankle ***, or the big toe.

On the 70's TV show "The Magician" what kind of car did Bill Bixby drive? White Corvette ***, Black Mustang, or Midnight Blue Jaguar.

For what NBA team did Larry Bird play? Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics ***, or Philadelphia 76ers.

Idea - use Edison Research story to get local publicity

From The New York Post

WORST HOLIDAY SONGS
By JOHN MAINELLI

New Jersey researchers have named the six worst Christmas songs of all time, as picked by holiday-music fans who were asked to rate more than 600 yule tunes.

The biggest lump of coal goes to "O Holy Night" as sung by the foul-mouthed Cartman from "South Park," according to Edison Media Research.

Close behind are Seymour Swine & the Squealers' butchered "Blue Christmas," "Jingle Bells" by The Singing Dogs and, separately, Barbra Streisand — and "12 Days of Guido Christmas" by the Ha Ya Doin' Boys.

"We play — very lightly — the Barbra Streisand version of 'Jingle Bells' because she's got a following in New York," says Jim Ryan, programmer of top-rated Lite FM (WLTW/106.7).

"People tend not to like it because it's a really fast, up-tempo version of 'Jingle Bells' — almost like she did it as a goof," Ryan told The Post.

WPLJ (95.5 FM) music director Tony Mascaro says his research turned up a sixth song that listeners can't stand: Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer."
The Top 5: Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song," Burl Ives' "Holly Jolly Christmas," Celine Dion's "O Holy Night," Bobby Helms' "Jingle Bell Rock" and John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)."

Back to: Entertainment

INTERVIEWS/GUESTS

With thanks to www.Radio-Online's Ron Chase:

When it comes to choosing gifts for the biggest names in entertainment, no one knows how to please stars better than gift specialist, CJ Fogozo. She has worked as a sales manager for Donum Gifts for two years and has assisted with gift selection and sales to VIP and celebrity client relations, special events and media relations. Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, George Clooney, among many others, are just a few of her gift recipients. Find out the hottest gifts this year, most difficult request, plus, the kind of gifts people buy when money isn't an object. Call Laura Baddish now at 212-221-7611, ext. 304

Gil Gross he has anchored ABC Radio News coverage of 9-11, the execution of Timothy McVeigh and the War With Iraq. His essays on the history of New York City won awards at WABC and WOR. To schedule and interview, please contact Sara Walker at 212-576-2700, ext. 245 or e-mail swalker@goodmanmedia.com.

Alvin Kupperman has some great holiday gift ideas. Call Bob Bovie at 323-962-3944
Pam Anderson, Food Columnist for USA Weekend, has great mouthwatering holiday recipes. E-mail Katie at katiebookdirect@yahoo.com.

The recent worldwide market withdrawal of Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for osteoarthritis, will potentially impact many of the nearly 21 million Americans and athletes affected by the disease. Available for interview is Dr. Michael Kelly, the co-director of the Insall Scott Kelly Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and the team physician for the NBA's New Jersey Nets since 1999. He's a specialist in treating patients with knee conditions. For more information or to book an interview on Friday, December 17, 8-10am ET, please call Laura Eckstein at Medialink, 317-580-9013, or e-mail lse123@earthlink.net

ABC's "The Bachelor" casting director Tad Frank is doing interviews for the show and about the open call. E-mail Jennifer Sprague at jennifer.sprague@nextent-tv.com
Actress Marlo Thomas is doing interviews for her holiday campaign Thanks & Giving. E-mail Karen at karenbookdirect@aol.com.

Travel Expert Amy Bohutinsky has some really good travel tips for the holiday season. E-mail Jeff at jsimonson@harbourmedia.com.

Our listeners love when we make things easy for them. So we ran down the top gifts to give this holiday season and to make it interesting, we got Judy Gordon from the "Today Show" to go on with us. You can get her list at thetrendreport.com. Or to contact her for an interview call 212-717-4810 or e-mail msbookdirect@rcn.com. http://www.thetrendreport.com

ASK THE PRO Get a guy who does whatever he does on the air. Lawyer, mechanic, garbage man, court stenographer, weather guy, anyone, and let them ask him or her questions. If you find the right person this could be very funny.

Submit a Guest

BEAT THE TOASTER!

From WIXY, Champaign (and www.interprep.com's) Steve Holstein:

When I drop the toaster lever you have ten seconds to list five things no one wants to receive for Christmas. Are you ready to Beat the Toaster? Here we go...
(Grab your Beat the Toaster sound effects here.)

AND, speaking of audio:

Charlie Brown: "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"isnt_there_anyone_who_knows_what_christmas_is_all_about.mp3

WHY SANTA CAN’T POSSIBLY BE A MAN

Men can't pack a bag.

Men would rather be dead than caught wearing red velvet.

Men would feel their masculinity is threatened, having to be seen with all those elves.

Men don't answer their mail.

Men would refuse to allow their physique to be described, even in jest, as anything remotely resembling a "bowlful of jelly."

Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.... I can buy the fact that other mythical holiday characters are men. Father Time shows up once a year unshaven and looking ominous. Definite guy. Cupid flies around carrying weapons. Uncle Sam is a politician who likes to point fingers. Any one of these individuals could pass the testosterone screening test. But not St. Nick. Not a chance.

HOW MUCH IS A BILLION?

What's the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire?

A million seconds is 13 days.
A billion seconds is 31 years!
A billion minutes ago was just after the time of Christ.
A billion hours ago man had not yet walked on earth. A billion dollars ago was yesterday at the U.S. Treasury.

Stress - killer? Or, motivator?

"Stress can actually be a good thing, provided we know how to deal with it," Salvatore Maddi, professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine, told reporter Catrine Johansson of The Orange County Register (www.ocregister.com/)

"Stress-hardy" people, Maddi said, see stress as a "provocation to learn rather than something that's wrong with life." After studying stress in the workplace since 1975 and writing academic books about it, Maddi and his wife, Deborah Khoshaba, have written a book intended for the public. The book, "Resilience at Work, How to Succeed No Matter What Life Throws at You," will be out in February.

Maddi on what it takes to use stress to your advantage:

Hardiness is key to being resilient under stress. Hardiness is a combination of attitude and skills that stress-hardy people use to turn stressful situations into opportunities rather than being undermined by it. People who are only concerned with being in control view failure as a disaster.

People who are stress-hardy see failure as a way to learn how to do better next time. Hardiness doesn't emphasize control; it emphasizes learning.

It's a big mistake trying to avoid stress. If you don't treat stress as something normal, and as a provocation to learn new things, pretty soon you are going to detach yourself from everything, and your life becomes the size of a postage stamp.

Stress has been implicated in heart disease, stroke, even cancer. It also plays a role in alcoholism and drug use. Studies show that the higher your stress-hardiness level, the fewer illnesses you have, regardless of the stress level. A dynamic achiever converts stress into fuel

Tips:

1. Keep to-do lists and cross off accomplished tasks. Gives a feeling of achievement and control.
2. Do one thing at a time. "Whatever you're doing," Ashworth said, "stay focused on that one thing. It relieves stress."

3. Remember that you can be whatever you want to be and that you are in control of your own life.

4. Make sure you don't make the same mistakes over and over.

WKHX, Atlanta - Redneck Woman contest

Bandy and Bailey in the morning at KIX recently crowned a local lady Atlanta's Redneck Woman. Michael and Jason report: (Bandy911@aol.com) "We got chicks in the studio that thought they were the biggest “redneck woman.”..talent, swimsuit, formal wear, interview (ala miss america) etc."

This is True

I have become addicted to the weekly www.thisistrue.com emails from syndicated newspaper columnist Randy Cassingham.

He added a personal note to the usual zany developments in the news this week:

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT the plane crash last weekend in Montrose, Colorado, mainly because a "celebrity" was aboard (NBC Sports head Dick Ebersol). Three people were killed. Montrose is the small airport I fly out of; it's the "big" town around here, but it's still pretty small -- the population is around 12,000. I live in the next county; by contrast, my entire county only recently passed 4,000 residents in its 550 square miles. So, obviously, the crash is The Talk of the area. There are two main topics of conversation: why in the world the pilot decided to use the short runway, especially considering a pilot's advisory had just been issued noting the runways were slushy, and the much-longer runway was only a 3-minute taxi away, and the way the news media is acting.

"National" news crews swarmed on the town. The local police and county sheriff actually had to pull cops off patrol to guard the crash scene because camera crews were trying to sneak into the scene. I've mentioned I'm a first responder for the local volunteer fire department, so I have radios where I can hear all the cops talking. And I've heard the alerts about camera crews trying to get around the blockades to get closer looks.

A plane crash scene is large: planes hit the ground going very fast, and the pieces spread out. Only by recovering as many of those pieces as possible do investigators reconstruct what happened, and here these idiots are trying to get in there and trample evidence buried in snow.

If that's not bad enough, Ebersol's 14-year-old son was in that wreckage until the next day. What were they trying to do, get video of the coroner removing his charred body? "Thanks," guys, for making me ashamed to be associated with your "profession".

Here is a more representative sample of his normally-lighter material emailed this week:

HANDS-ON EDUCATION: "We all call him Dr. Devon now," says Taru Mills of Oakland, Calif. Her son Devon, 5, helped her deliver his baby sister on the stairs of their apartment building when his mother couldn't make it to the hospital. "Devon's eyes were as big as his head, but he didn't panic at all," mom says. Was the boy scared? "Nope," he answered the reporter's question directly. Does he want to be a doctor? "Yep." And does the 5-year-old know where babies come from? "Yep," he said, finally adding some detail: "No storks." (Oakland Tribune) ...Well, that's more than most teens know.

RECESS IS CANCELED: At an assembly of 13-year-olds at St Matthew's High School in Moston, Manchester, England, a teacher told students an asteroid was on a collision course with Earth. The stunned children were told they would be able to leave school early to say their "final farewells" to family members. "Unfortunately a small number of pupils took the story literally," says Headteacher Kevin Hogan -- the end-of- the-world threat was meant as a lesson for students to "live each day to the full." When it became apparent that some of the children were crying, "the head of year visited every year-9 class and again told students that the story was untrue and made every effort to ensure that those students who had been anxious were reassured." (Manchester Evening News) ...Right. Everyone knows doomsday would only come after finals.

ON THE WRONG TRACK: Patricia M. Frankhouser says she was walking along the railroad tracks in Pittsburgh, Penn., when a train passed by and clipped her, injuring her finger. Rather than curse her own stupidity, she sought out a lawyer; Harry F. Smail Jr. filed suit against Norfolk Southern Corp., charging that the railroad failed to put up warning signs to notify pedestrians "of the dangers of walking near train tracks and that the tracks were actively in use" which "negligently provided plaintiff with the belief she was safe in walking near the train tracks." The suit seeks unspecified damages in excess of $30,000. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) ...And here all her friends thought she was untrainable.

CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME: Michael Parks, 49, of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, donated some clothing to Age Concern, a charity for the elderly. When he realized that one of the coats in the pile had 1,200 pounds (US$2,250) in a pocket, he asked for the cash to be returned. "They said they had taken legal advice and the money was considered a donation so they were keeping it." A spokeswoman for the charity says they "hope that this isolated incident doesn't deter members of the public from donating to their local Age Concern shop." (AFP) ...The sad part is, she's serious.

ONE DOWN, THOUSANDS TO GO: "Lawyer Going to Jail for Telling Witness to Lie" -- Nashville Tennessean headline

SUBSCRIPTIONS to "This is True" are free: sign up on the www.thisistrue.com web site. Published weekly by ThisIsTrue.Inc, PO Box 666, Ridgway CO 81432 USA since 1994 (ISSN 1521-1932).