301 Useless Facts

1. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born on and died on days when Halley’s Comet can be seen. During his life he predicted that he would die when it could be seen.

2. US Dollar bills are made out of cotton and linen.

3. The “57″ on the Heinz ketchup bottle represents the number of pickle types the company once had.

4. Americans are responsible for about 1/5 of the world’s garbage annually. On average, that’s 3 pounds a day per person.

5. Giraffes and rats can last longer without water than camels.

6. Your stomach produces a new layer of mucus every two weeks so that it doesn’t digest itself.

7. 98% of all murders and rapes are by a close family member or friend of the victim.

8. A B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building on July 28, 1945.

9. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper.

10. The dot over the letter “i” is called a tittle.

The rest are HERE.

BE A ROCKSTAR

British rocker Pete Townshend on Wednesday unveiled an Internet-based software program that will help music fans compose personalized tracks at the click of a button.

The Who guitarist/songwriter said that with a voice recording, a digital image and a rhythm clapped into a microphone, his new "Method" software will create spontaneous digital music and allow anyone to be a composer, and possibly a rock star.

The project was developed by mathematician/composer Lawrence Ball and software developer Dave Snowdon.

From May 1, users will be able to get free access to the Web site (lifehouse-method.com) for three months, and will be able to compose instrumental tracks that they can e-mail or post on their Web sites. From August 1, it will become a subscription-based service.

WKRP DVD NOT OK-UPDATE

I got a copy of the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati and the news is not good. Which is disappointing to say, because I was lobbying for this release and believed – and still believe – that it would have been possible to reduce music costs without damaging the integrity of the show. That’s not what’s happened here. MORE

B-rock returning to re-rock KPOI-FM and lead sister stations

One of the nicest guys in radio returns to Paradise. WORJ alumnus Brock Whaley returns to Hawaii to guide Maui-based Visionary Related Entertainment's Honolulu cluster.
This from The Honolulu Star-Bulletin:

VETERAN Honolulu broadcaster Brock Whaley, known to rock radio listeners on the old KPOI-FM as "B-Rock," is returning to Honolulu to become director of programming for the five Oahu stations belonging to Maui-based Visionary Related Entertainment LLC.

The chance to work with a "truly local company, where the decisions are made locally and for the benefit of the local community, is a rare opportunity in today's radio industry," Whaley said Friday in a statement. More

Mister Midday

While reading Dan Kelley's excellent Blog at classicrockfm.blogspot.com today, I was reminded by Dan of something I discovered one day early in my tenure as P.D. of 93QFM in Milwaukee back in the early '80s. Dan wrote:

Last Night I read Lee Abrams' latest blog entry - and where he shares a memo from the early days of XM on the topic of creating memorable names for features and programming. Lee makes the point that "Historically, crazed inventive names GET REMEMBERED, and enhance your image." Its a great read.

With this thinking in mind: I've always liked the idea of creating memorable names for on-air staff. They can project an image and go a long way to burn your brand into the brains of your listeners.

One station doing this well is Clear Channel's WNRQ/Nashville. Listen to this line-up of air talent: "John Boy & Billy" (syndicated) in the morning; "Proud Mary" in middays; "Joe Elvis" does afternoons; "Squeegie" at night. The weekend line-up includes "Jimmy The K". (more at his blog)

When I first came to WQFM, I had each DJ come meet me in my office, individually, so that we could have some face time and get to know each other. At the end of the day, I realized that the only jock's name that I REMEMBERED, was TIM THE ROCK AND ROLL ANIMAL. No ones else's name stuck with me. As I have learned over the years, great concepts come from real life experiances. We immediately started re-naming the airstaff. Jeff Peterson became MISTER MIDDAY, Terry Gibson became Terry "12 String" Gibson, etc. 25 years later, folks in Milwaukee still call Jeff, Mr. Mid Day.
Dan and Lee Abrams are right on the money on this. If your staff have "normal" names, it's good programming to make those names memorable.

Earlier today I received this email from Al Gore pertaining to reserved tickets to Live Earth.

Following the successful delivery of more than 500,000 of your messages to Congress, I promised we would reserve a limited number of tickets to Live Earth for members of the AlGore.com community.

The concert is going to be an incredible experience you won't want to miss. More than 100 acts will perform on seven continents. In the United States it will be held at Giant's Stadium and feature bands ranging from The Police, to Dave Matthews Band, to Alicia Keys.

If you are interested in receiving information on how to purchase these special tickets, just fill out the Live Earth signup form at AlGore.com and I will send you an email before they go on sale.

http://algore.com/tickets.html

If you have friends interested in seeing the show who are not yet members of the AlGore.com community invite them to sign up as well. The more we grow, the more powerful our movement will become and the faster we will be able to force real change.

Thank you,

Al Gore

The U.S. show will feature live on stage:
AFI
AKON
ALICIA KEYS
BON JOVI
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
FALL OUT BOY
JOHN MAYER
KANYE WEST
KELLY CLARKSON
KT TUNSTALL
LUDACRIS
MELISSA ETHERIDGE
RIHANNA
ROGER WATERS
SHERYL CROW
SMASHING PUMPKINS
THE POLICE

(UPDATE)

U.S.: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
U.K.: Wembley Stadium, London
Brazil: Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro
South Africa: The Cradle of Human Kind, Maropeng near Johannesburg
Japan: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo
China: Steps of the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai
Australia: Aussie Stadium, Moore Park, Sydney

In London, fans will see the Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Damien Rice, Duran Duran, David Gray, Foo Fighters, Genesis, James Blunt, John Legend, Keane, Paolo Nutini, Snow Patrol and Razorlight.

Tickets for the New Jersey show will go on sale this Monday at 10 a.m. Proceeds raised by the Live Earth concerts will benefit the Alliance for Climate Protection, as well as other environmental organizations.

"We hope the energy created by Live Earth will jump start a massive public education effort," Gore said in a statement. "Live Earth will help us reach a tipping point that's needed to move corporations and governments to take decisive action to solve the climate crisis."

"Capping Live Earth with a blockbuster show like this will ensure we meet our challenge of building a mass audience to combat global warming," Live Earth founder and executive producer Kevin Wall added. "Live Earth will be a monumental event both in terms of entertainment and in turning the tide against global warming."

Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Retirement Home

A funny thing is happening on the way to the old people's home. Boomers -- those born between 1946 and 1964 -- and even their immediate predecessors are using their so-called golden years to indulge their passions, whether it's to start another career, go back to school, do charity work, travel, cook, play sports.

After conducting focus groups for Investment News, our publication for financial advisers, GfK Customer Research North America concluded, "It is clear that respondents' retirement years will be very different from the traditional view of the relaxed, sedentary retirement of their parents." Nearly all respondents expect to lead active, fulfilling lives.

The ad business is woefully out of touch with baby-boomer buying power. Young ad people think older people are stuck in their ways, so it's a waste of money to try to get them to change brands. But at the What's Next Boomer Business Summit, AARP's chief brand officer said 60% of people over 40 research different brands before making decisions. MORE