And then There Was One

Today, as expected for several days, the final vote was cast by the FCC signing off on the merger between XM and Sirius, the two satellite radio services.

You can read a story about the swing vote here.

Those of you who, like me, are subscribers to one of the current services may be interested in what the two companies promised the FCC they will provide in exchange for merger approval.
Read the conditions that were provided by the companies earlier in the summer and approved virtually unchanged today (at least, that's what the B&C story says).


We'll see if it's too good to be true or if the wording is vague enough that consumers get the short end of it.

Whoa! Did you See That?!!!?

That's what I heard in 2004 during the SuperBowl Halftime show. I was at the home of a colleague, who was (is) a big Philadelphia Eagles fan and therefore hosting at Superbowl party. Not being a fan of Janet Jackson or Justin Timberlake, I was using the halftime as a way to go into the other room and sample the great guacamole that someone brought.

That's when "it" happened. The famous wardrobe malfunction . An event which sent the industry into a tailspin of wondering to what extent stations were responsible for the contents of live events. And an FCC fine of CBS-owned stations led to a creative chilling effect and had an indirect impact on Network/Affiliate relations...something we discuss in T344.

Yesterday, that fine was thrown out by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

Read all about it

And, today, the FCC responds saying they didn't think it was arbitrary.
Read the response from the FCC Chairman Martin.

This is your brain on media now online

I have 90% finished the syllabus for S105--The Intensive Freshmen Seminar Version. It's now online.

Took me a while to wrap my head around how to fill 3-hours of class time. There's NO WAY I was going to fill it all with lecture. Students would shoot me! But, with field trips and demonstrations and such, I'm really looking forward to it.

Of course, there's still a lot to do to prepare for in the remaining 2 weeks.

Spent the last half of the afternoon in the ICR with a couple of grad students. We're trying to figure out how to measure eye movements so we can use it as a basic eyetracker for those interested in such studies.

It's Hotter Outside than it is in Radio Sales

When the economy is bad, people cut back. I know, because at $4.19 a gallon, gas is too expensive for me to use to drive to the local Panerra to have lunch with a friend. I rode my bike. Yup, it's 90 degrees out with 90% humidity. Yup, I was a sweaty mess when I arrived, and had to bring another shirt. But, it's part of cutting back when times are tough.

Businesses cut back too, and one of the first places to feel the ax is advertising and marketing. Radio is feeling the pinch to an even greater extent than forecasters thought.

According to a new study by the Radio Advertising Bureau, local advertising sales was off 10% in June compared to last year. National radio plummeted 13%. Of course, much of this is an indication of radio advertising being perceived as less efficient than other forms. Posting of actual ratings performance for advertisers to actually evaluate (something which radio has never done) may help confidence in the future. But, for now, buyers aren't buying.

My Vietnam...Your Iraq

That's the name of a new documentary produced by IU-Telecomm professor Ron Osgood. Went to a screening last night and found it a very moving piece. It tells the stories of parents who are Vietnam vets and who have children deployed to Iraq. Unbelievable stories. You can find out more at the production's website.

If you get a chance to view it in the future, you certainly should.
I went home and hugged my kids tighter than usual afterwards.

Here's a way to get the juices flowing...or let your mind glaze over

Today was not as productive a day as I had hoped...either in the writing realm...or prepping for S105.

Got a slower start to the day due to thunderstorms.

Then, it was meetings! (Isn't this summer).

Still, tonight via Twitter, I was pointed to this site.

Check it out.

Very cool way to just relax...or let your artistic beach bum come out.

This is Sand

Time Flies During Washington State Vacation

Blogging has taken a hiatus while I took 3 weeks off to go to the great state of Washington. It's the state that both my wife and I grew up in, and the place where our parents still reside. And, so, every year we try to go and spend a good deal of time there.

This time we spent about 10 days in a place called Birch Bay. It's on the coast (with a name like that, imagine)...and the temperatures were colder than normal. So, it was rather chilly to those of us who have had their blood thinned by the midwest heat and humidity. Still, a wonderfully relaxing time filled with great beauty and the occassional sand sculpture and bald eagle.

Then the last week or so of our visit was spent in the Tri-Cities (Richland, Pasco, & Kennewick) visiting my folks. The Tri-cities is on the eastern side of the state, and it's a desert climate. So, after being lulled by temperatures in the 70s and 80s (and the occasional 60s!) on the coast, Richland woke us up with three strait days in the 100s!

Here time was spent looking for water to keep cool in. Here's a picture of me trying to keep track of my kids at the aquatic playground at Kennewick's Playground of Dreams

And, my dad & stepmom's neighbors had their grandkids visiting...and had set up an inflatable pool just right for jumpin'

Overall, a great trip with me ignoring work (for the most part).

I did do a major tidying up of the design of my homepage, though, using dreamweaver. I'm not a professional designer by any means, but I'm pretty proud of it.

Now, we're back in Bloomington and I'm getting ready for my Intensive Freshman Seminar...I've got LOTS of work to do to prepare for that, but I'm pretty excited about it.

And, expect more blog posts...hopefully.

I've given myself an incentive my including mention of the audioprof blog in the letter that was sent to the IFS students enrolled in my class...so I can't let it get too out of date!