mikemcguff.com blog

DFW gets new indie radio station Monday

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:07:00 PST

That new indie public radio station KXT radio (91.7 FM) from KERA I told you about signs on in Dallas-Fort Worth tomorrow. The Dallas Observer has more:

"We're just putting together playlists of things that we think will sound good," [Gini] Mascorro says, while acknowledging that the station will mostly play a mixture of alternative, indie and alt-country music. "Hopefully, it's gonna be a gumbo of a lot of different styles. A lot of the artists that don't get played on commercial radio, we're trying to give them an outlet for that." READ MORE

RELATED
DFW gets new public radio station

Thanks to the Guy Expo Houston

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:11:00 PST

I want to take the time to thank the Guy Expo Houston for being an advertiser on the mikemcguff.com blog! It was a fantastic ride.

And oh yeah, the Guy Expo Houston kicks off this evening through the weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

The Guy Expo runs Friday, November 6th from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 7th from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday, November 8th from 11 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are $8 for adults, free for kids 12 and under. Police, fire and military get in free, along with anyone wearing an Elvis jumpsuit.

For more information about The Guy Expo Houston, please visit www.theguyexpo.com.

How former Hot 95.7 DJ Mo' Bounce got his Houston gig

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:23:00 PST

Mo' Bounce (aka Jon-Paul Coriaty) left Houston's 95.7 KKHH recently for Z100 in New York. That's a nice landing spot. Interestingly enough, The St. Petersburg Times has a profile on Mr. Bounce and how he got his job at Hot 95.7. He has chutzpah:

[W]hen his Clear Channel station in San Antonio went through budget cuts in 2007, Coriaty was out of a job. At first he was optimistic. He sent out hundreds of demo tapes. Something would come up, he thought. Nothing did.

He and Raquel ate through their savings. Coriaty began to second-guess his career choice. Maybe it was time to hang up the headphones. They began to worry. Coriaty felt depressed. San Antonio was hiring police officers. Coriaty took the necessary exams, applied to the academy and got accepted. He was relieved. He could earn a living again.

Before he started, however, a friend called and urged him to apply to a new radio station in Houston. "You're close. You should just drive there," he said.

It seemed crazy. He was wary of spending money on the gas. But he grabbed his demo tape and CD and drove anyway, wearing the shorts and T-shirt he had on.

The vice president and general manager were playing mini-golf in their office. On a whim, they agreed to see him.

"In a desperate, passionate move, I had cold-called a new station and now was sitting on their leather couch in my shorts and T-shirt," Coriaty recalled.

They liked his material and asked him to come back for a tryout show. READ THE REST

The rest his history. Can you imagine being pulled over by Officer Bounce anyway?

RELATED
- Mo' Bounce leaves Hot 95.7 Houston for Z100 New York
- Hot 95.7's Mo' Bounce has a big voice

SportsRadio 610 KILT changes do some good for station

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:20:28 PST

The Houston Chronicle's David Barron reports that the addition of John Lopez to SportsRadio 610 might have done some damage to the competition in the ratings:

For the first time in more than a year, KILT (610 AM) has retaken the morning drive team lead among Houston’s four sports radio stations.
Arbitron’s October ratings period for Sept. 17 through Oct. 14 includes a month’s worth of Texans talk and two weeks with John Lopez in his new morning slot alongside Marc Vandermeer. KILT’s morning drive share among men 25-54, the key advertising demo for sports radio, improved by six-tenths of a point over September while KGOW (1560 AM) dropped by a half-point. READ MORE

VIDEO: The car that drives on water - literally

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:41:00 PST

This is called the WaterCar for good reason. It drives on streets and then right into a lake. This video makes it appear girls in bikinis cannot resist the car either. They will board it like a band of hungry pirates. Maybe it works better than a BMW? Anyway, the creators call the WaterCar a chick magnet.

http://www.watercar.com/

(Thanks Michael P.)

KTVT general manager Steve Mauldin aims to make CBS 11 number 1

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:21:00 PST

Anyone who knows about Dallas-Fort Worth television knows it will be hard to take WFAA Channel 8's top ratings spot. Don't tell KTVT general manager Steve Mauldin that. He aims to make CBS 11 the number one station:

Steve Mauldin, president and general manager of KTVT-TV (CBS 11) and KTXA-TV (TXA 21), already has an advanced degree in adversity. He never knew his absentee father; has a daughter with autism, now 19; and he’s a six-year survivor of often fatal Stage 4 tongue cancer.

“When you have those kinds of experiences, they fill a gap in your life,” Mauldin, 60, says during an expansive interview in the stations’ Fort Worth offices. “They sensitize you to things you didn’t feel before. So I’m like everybody else. I’m a combination of all those bumps and bruises and whipped cream and cherries and all the other good stuff.” READ MORE

TV photographer truths

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:23:00 PST

The Fil-turd blog comes up with truths television photogs should live by after calling on 22 years of news experience:

Ask any photog who's been in the business long enough to develop a Popeye eye, there are certain things a photog can count on no matter the shop he is in. Stackers will demand the impossible. Reporters will never write to that really cool shot he got. And said tape ape will slip it in anyway.

Yesterday while I chauffeured an intern around chasing a flock of wild geese, I compiled a list of truisms -- warnings if you will -- to better equip the newbies out there. Here they are, in no particular order. SEE THE LIST

100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:16:00 PST

Bruce Buschel of the New York Times writes the 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do. READ IT

(Thanks Will-E)

Big Bird pulls in some serious cash

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:19:00 PST

According to Daily Finance (part of the AOL media empire) Caroll Spinney, 75, who plays Big Bird on Sesame Street is paid $317,657. This according to Sesame Workshop's 2008 filing to the IRS.

Anyone have some Styrofoam balls and feathers? I'm making myself a costume pronto!

READ THE ARTICLE: After 40 years, it's not always a sunny day on Sesame Street

(Flickr image courtesy of JenCarter)

KIAH 39 reporter Dennis Spellman leaves station

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:02:00 PST

Dennis Spellman, who has been a reporter at KIAH 39 in Houston since the station brought back its news department, is leaving the TV news business. He is the second Houston TV reporter to quit the television news industry in the past few weeks.

Spellman is leaving to work as the Vice President of External Affairs at the Houston Housing Authority where he will get to put his media knowledge to work.

It was an addition to the Spellman family that set the ball in motion for a career change (I understand his reasoning).

"Being a reporter will always be in my blood, but 13 months ago I became a Dad," Spellman told the mikemcguff.com blog. "That changed everything for my wife, and me. I'll be glad to be home at night, and still have a challenging job where I can utilize my understanding of the media."

Spellman starts his new gig next Tuesday. Congratulations to him and his family.

RELATED
KPRC Local 2 reporter Elizabeth Scarborough exits

Texas state senators use taxpayer cash to live it up

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:29:00 PST

TexasWatchDog.com is at it again:

Texas state senators have racked up tens of thousands of dollars on the taxpayer's tab jetting around the state in charter planes, relaxing in luxury hotels and hobnobbing at exclusive junkets.

Texas Watchdog reviewed state Senate travel records between January 1, 2008 and May of this year and found:

* One state senator who went on a $3,000 seven-day junket in Maui, staying at a hotel that boasts a spa that "sets a new standard for head-to-toe pampering in paradise."
* Another state senator who spent more than $1,100 for two nights at a Ritz-Carlton on Manhattan's waterfront.
* A state senator who was reimbursed more than $17,000 for trips he took using his private plane -- when cheaper commercial flights were available.

The story will be up this morning - probably by the time you click here.

Houston is now on the Culturemap - Web site that is

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:01:33 PST

I told you in October how Houston Chronicle society columnist Shelby Hodge left the newspaper for a new Web site called Culturemap.com (former Chron fashionisto Clifford Pugh is also there).

Well the new site debuts today and it looks...well different. I don't know what to think of it yet. I've never seen a site like it. They are calling it a "mapazine" which aptly describes it. There is a freakin' huge map in the middle of a page. Click on an article photo and it shows a point on the map where the story takes place with a link to read more. BTW, now we know what U2's Bono was up to while in Houston.

Here is what the inaugural Culturemap.com email blast said:

Everyone wants to know what's going on. We want the inside scoop on the latest, the newest, the greatest. But in a world of non-stop information, it's often confusing to know where to turn.
We're here to change that.

More than a year and a half ago, a group of Houstonians talked about creating a digital media company that would sort through the clutter and offer a place for lively, intelligent discussion. That idea has evolved into CultureMap, which debuts today. It's Houston's—and we believe the nation's—first "mapazine," with all sorts of interesting features.

Our definition of "culture" is all encompassing, from high-brow events to pop culture happenings that dominate conversations. We'll concentrate on food, fashion, the arts, music, real estate and society. But just about anything Houstonians are talking about is fair game.

I actually was in talks to be a contributor for the site. It all went south while we were eating lunch at Tony's and I asked for the mustard instead of the Grey Poupon. I never got a call back. :)

http://culturemap.com

RELATED
- New On The Web! More Party Pics and Coverage of Rich People!
- Houston Chronicle society columnist Shelby Hodge exits

New Web site for KVUE - what about KHOU, WFAA and KENS?

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:26:46 PST

A report on the Internet says some Belo stations got new Web sites (KREM-TV and WWL-TV).
I just looked at the Texas Belo station sites and see that KVUE 24 in Austin has also flipped to the new design.

Guess we could see big Web changes for KHOU, WFAA and KENS too!

UPDATE
A source from KENS 5 says that site flips Thursday. So the others probably will follow soon.

KHOU flipped too on Thursday.

What are Twitter Lists and how Journalism and PR folks can use them

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:17:59 PST

Noticed a 'lists' link on your Twitter account recently?:

This new feature will enable you to create, manage and share lists of Twitter followers in your account. Let’s say you’d like to create a list of “My Favorite People on Twitter” for your other followers to see. In the past, you would have been limited to a “Follow Friday” shout out or a separate post on your blog. With this new feature, you can create a new list, add the Twitter users you want to share, and publish the list to your profile. Similar to features found in Twitter clients like TweetDeck or Seesmic, you can also create your own private lists of Twitter users, to help you manage your interactions more efficiently. In short, Twitter lists adds a new component to the viral nature of Twitter and is sure to increase usage and cross-pollination among users even further. READ MORE

The article talks about ways journalists and PR folks can utilize this new feature.

Return of the old movies for the 21st century

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:01:00 PST

Everything old is new again!

- Scream franchise is back
- Three Men and a Bride!
- Mad Max Is Back! Charlize Set To Star (Not As Max)
- Adam Sandler To Play Jack AND Jill!

BONUS
New Avatar Trailer

Why going too far can be bad

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:39:00 PST

Trust me, you just have to see this. WATCH

Where Disney is making a lot of its money

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:11:00 PST

Time magazine has an article on Disney's teen star manufacturing plant and I found this nugget interesting:

The Disney Teen Machine has become a finely tuned profit pump in an industry rife with unpredictability. The result is that Disney's cable networks represent the one slightly solid piece of earth among the entertainment giant's sinking properties. ABC is struggling, sales are way down at Disney's theme parks and stores, most of its non-Pixar movies have been wan performers, and revenue from DVDs is shriveling. The cable networks, which in addition to the Disney Channel include ESPN, ABC Family, Soapnet and Disney XD, brought in 26% of the company's $26.3 billion in revenue and 58% of its $4.8 billion in operating income during the nine months ending June 27. In the past three years, they have represented 80% of Disney's revenue growth. READ MORE

KHOU 11.2 becomes election central

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:17:51 PST

I like how KHOU 11.2 became a Houston election channel tonight. That is a great use of the extra bandwidth.

Instead of breaking in on the main channel and angering CBS viewers with a lackluster election, KHOU put anchors and bloggers like Charles Kuffner from Off the Kuff on to provide some political television coverage.

When station personnel were not on, full screen graphics aired showing election returns.

This makes sense, especially now that over the air (no cable/satellite) viewers receive this station post DTV transition (cable customers get it too).

Jay Leno opens up on bad press, David Letterman’s situation

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:32:00 PST

Leno opens up to Ben Grossman of Broadcasting and Cable on bad press, David Letterman’s situation and his feelings about leaving—and even returning—to 11:35. READ IT

Top 10 Weirdest CIA Programs

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:27:00 PST

I always have loved the gadgets that Q gave to James Bond before a mission. According to toptenz.net, the CIA also loves its gadgets and compiled a top ten list of some of the stranger ones. SEE THE LIST

How come this one didn't work?:

Acoustic Kitty
Most people wouldn’t think of the common house cat as being a potential master of espionage, but the CIA sure did. In the 1960s, American intelligence is said to have spent over $20 million on “Acoustic Kitty,” a top-secret project that used cats as recording devices. The project took a group of specially trained cats and surgically implanted microphones, antennae and batteries into their tails, and then set them loose near the Russian embassy. The idea was that an unassuming cat would be able to stride right up to groups of communist officials and listen in on their conversation, which it could then beam back to agents with its sophisticated radio equipment. The plan was eventually put into action, but the first cat sent into the field was supposedly run over by a taxi before it could make a recording, and operation ‘Acoustic Kitty” was abandoned shortly thereafter. SEE MORE

Inside Edition goes after Cheaters

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:13:00 PST

Uncle Barky reports on how Inside Edition is "investigating" the syndicated TV show Cheaters. That's like Bernie Madoff investigating Wall Street. READ MORE

Deborah Norville and gang are particularly looking at the big stabbing incident of host Joey Greco. When I interviewed Greco for this blog a few months ago, he would not answer any questions about that incident. That is all I can offer.

RELATED
'Cheaters' host Joey Greco talks to Mike McGuff about 10th season

(Image courtesy of laurentam2007)

Wings Over Houston Air Show 2009

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:29:50 PST

The annual Wings over Houston landed at Houston's Ellington Field this past weekend. Jay Lee aka The Bald Heretic was there to snap photos.

SEE THEM

RELATED
More photos

Houston's downtown tunnel system thrives unregulated

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:40:00 PST

When you go to downtown Houston it looks deserted on the streets even during the work day. That's because everyone is underground. Face it, it's usually hot and humid around here.

David Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle writes about the tunnels and how its unregulated business at its best:

The entire downtown Houston tunnel system has been developed and maintained with private money by each building developer.
The system was unplanned, Lord noted.
“There is no tunnel bureau,” she said. It just kept expanding, fueled by developers “acting in mutual self-interest.”
Houston's tunnel system is generally closed at night and on weekends. On weekdays, it is used by many of the 140,000 downtown workers searching for lunch, haircuts, doctors, lotto tickets or refuge from rain and heat. READ THE REST

RELATED
The New York Times gets lost in the Houston tunnels

(Image courtesy of Flickr user eschipul)

Yes there is a mayoral election tomorrow

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:37:00 PST

If you live in the Houston city limits, then you get to vote for mayor tomorrow. Didn't know? Don't worry, you are probably not alone this time.

Here are some resources to catch up on things before you push the button:

- 2009 Mayoral Race from the Houston Chronicle
- Miya Shay's Political blog
- On The Beat Blog with Mary Benton
- Slampo's Place 09 Mayoral-a-thon
- Mayoral Musings
- NYT covers Houston mayoral race (superficially)

Consider this post like medicine, it might taste good going down, but it's good for you.

Abby’s Book Corner Book Drive 2009

mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:22:00 PST

You might remember that my goddaughter died of pneumococcal meningitis in 2008. Now for the second year in a row, her family is holding a series of book drives.

This year it has expanded from Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas to the Medical Center of Plano and the Methodist Children's Hospital of South Texas in San Antonio.

I built a new Web site for the event you can see at abbysbookcorner.com. It is the least I could do for a good cause.

Make sure to see how you can donate to the event by clicking here. The drive lasts from SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1 – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14. If you are in the Dallas area, check out the special offers you can receive by donating. If you are not in DFW, you can easily donate via Amazon.com.

This event should expand to Houston next year. Anyone know of a children's hospital in the Houston area that needs children's books?