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  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

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  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

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  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

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  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

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  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

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Should You Pay for Media Exposure?

This ad came to me recently in an email:

TELL THOUSAND'S OF LISTENERS ABOUT WHAT YOU DO! BE ON THE AIR FOR AN AIR TIME 15 MINUTE SEGMENT FOR ONLY $125! SEGMENTS CAN BE BOOKED FOR A LATER DATE! TIME IS RUNNING OUT! SPECIAL ENDS DEC. 30TH!!  GET HEARD BY THOUSANDS OF LISTENERS! 15 MIN SEGMENT ON THE RADIO FOR ONLY $125!

O.K.-let me break this down:  First, I will overlook the fact that there are grammatical errors in this email.  The sender (radio host) clearly states she is offering 15 minutes of airtime on a radio show for $125.  That breaks down to about $8.35 per minute so if you consider that the average :60 second commercial spot can run you anywhere from $50 to $200, that's not a bad deal.  If it's a Q&A interview, your 15 minutes might only be about 12 minutes and if you have a "chatty cathy" for a host and other announcements are played during that time period, your time could be even less.

You'll be heard by thousands of listeners:  If the host can prove it with the station's arbitron ratings, that's another good deal but just because the station can be heard by thousands doesn't necessarily mean thousands are actually listening.

And what else do you get for your $125?  The email doesn't say but you should ask if the show is "live" or recorded and if you are entitled to a copy of the interview.  You also want to know if the host will be promoting your appearance and what media outlets they'll be using.

If the host books 4 guests in an hour time slot, she can make $600 per hour, while you get the chance to be heard by thousands.

I do not charge my guests to appear on my radio show, The Boomer Beat, but I do offer a promotional package if you want it.  My interview package includes a press release announcing their appearance, posts on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn with a podcast to follow and upload to Blogtalk Radio, along with a link for you to promote your appearance long after the show is over.  Cost:  $99  Value: $575.

And no, I don't guarantee you'll be heard by thousands (even though the station has a 50-thousand listener radius) but I do guarantee you'll get plenty of exposure for your ONE HOUR interview.  Be my radio guest:  The Boomer Beat on WCOM