How do you manage Facebook friends?

In our P&T poll last week about the Erie ad climate, I guess I went into that post a bit more optimistic than our readers are. Over half of our respondents say that the advertising climate is at least as bad as last year or even worst. A decent percentage did say that modest gains are being made over last year. Maybe the people saying that we are still in the toilet need to work harder to get some of the sales that the people who are seeing improvement are getting!

I recently marked my 500th Facebook friend on my profile. I’m actually down a few today, either due to people bailing out of the social network, or just defriending me. Anyway, I’d like to get your take on how you manage friends on Facebook.  Below are multiple ways I’ve heard people request and accept Facebook friends.

What about you? You can click multiple answers as they apply to your opinion.

In Erie, its cutbacks and the economy which causes us to endure less than stellar picture quality from our TV stations, the same DJ voicetracking on multiple radio stations of different formats, and single reporters covering the entire local beat on the weekends for the newspaper. Lots of opportunities for messing up.

We can’t go back to the old days, but as media consumers we can demand better. Let your voice be heard hear on this open forum; leave a comment below, send me an e-mail or Tweet (don’t forget to follow @pressandtower).

Embrace the chaos!

Selena Wiles

WORKING…

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone.

Confirming reports that I received last week, Nexstar-Erie is advertising for a new anchor for 6 & 11 to replace the departing Selena Wiles, given the nickname “Sunshine” when appearing on Tri-Cities television in Tennessee and Virginia. According to sources, Wiles is heading back to her home state of West Virginia.

P&T has requested comment from WJET and Ms. Wiles.

Meanwhile, the duopoly has added three new faces to the JET airwaves. Earlier in the year, Meteorologist Jason Berry took over weekend weather duties when Amelia Segal made the big market jump from Erie to Buffalo and News 4. Jason comes to Erie from Bowling Green, KY (home of the Corvette) having learned about forecasting lake effect snow from his Ball State University professor and former Erie weatherman Dave Call.

Jason Berry

Alese Underwood

Ken Brown

More recently, general assignment reporters Alese Underwood and Ken Brown joined the roster. Underwood is a Pittsburgh native and May graduate of Chatham University. JET is her first pro gig, having intern at many major Pittsburgh market stations. Brown hails from Cleveland and attended Kent State University, having announcing duties at all major sports venues in C-Town.

Sounds like Steelers/Browns games will continue to be lively in the WJET newsroom.

We’ll have more on the departure of Selena Wiles as it comes available.

New Family Life Network station in Cambridge Springs, PA

After a complicated and far-flung settlement agreement that stretched across nearly 100 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, the big winner of the October 2007 Non-Commercial/Educational filing window for our area appears to be Family Life Ministries of Bath NY.

The Christian broadcasting and arts ministry, which owns stations and translators across the “twin-tiers” of NY & PA from Erie to Binghamton, has applied for a 8,000 watt B1 on 89.9 FM, WERG/Gannon’s old frequency. In addition, as part of the settlement, FLN will get a new directional B1 in Silver Creek, NY on the Chautauqua/Erie County NY border to more effectively cover the Buffalo south towns.

Also clear from the settlement is that Erie will get a new NCE FM at 89.5. However we don’t know who will be victorious once the FCC works out the elaborate point system for the still mutually-exclusive stations.

The big local losers in this settlement, who would have shut out on points anyway, include LECOM, the Seventh Day Adventist church, Greg Schlueter’s Vision IDX Catholic programming, and Inspiration Time/WCTL. I’ll try to get reaction from the winners and losers of this highly competitive quest of spectrum in later posts.

You can read my original coverage of this filing window and download who the original filers were within 50 Km of Erie on my Radio Free JoJo blog.

Blue Streak - Conneaut Lake Park

To get $250,000 for the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation, it took a huge community-wide effort fueled by enthusiastic support by Erie’s traditional and new media.

After a two-month break from voting, it looks like the area is ready to get behind another “idea” for the Pepsi Refresh project: the relaunching of the classic Blue Streak roller coaster at Conneaut Lake Park in Crawford County. The trustees of the park have entered the coaster, built in 1938,  in the competition for a $50,000 award this month, with the goals of:

•Raise funds to proceed with restoration
•Replace timbers, realign track, restore trains
•Reopen coaster
•Support local economy by attracting more visitors to the area.

As of this writing on Tuesday evening, their efforts have placed the drive in 19th place, with the top 10 get $50k each. Stories aired again tonight on WICU & WSEE, and reports on the voting have appeared on WJET/WFXP, in the Erie Times-News, and on All Things Erie on WQLN-FM, in addition to the jock chatter on the radio waves, and the blog mentions. If the Kanzius case study is any indication, a flurry of media activity in support of the social media engagement could help the Conneaut Lake Park cause quickly move up in the rankers.

Couple additional thoughts: I wouldn’t expect the kind of trash talk and controversy that was encountered in April by the Kanzius supporters, as the stakes were much higher with $250,000 going to only two victors. If CLP can make it into the top 10, there’s still nine others that will see cash.

If successful, CLP will need to prove itself worthy of public support by moving quickly to put the other gears in motion for getting the Blue Streak rehabilitated and online.

Finally, this is a good opportunity to express appreciation for the other local amusement park; one that hasn’t been in financial turmoil for decades, with its owners operating a community treasure with diligence and respect for the patrons it serves: Waldameer Park. It’s a testimony to the Nelson family who have made the investments needed to keep the dream alive, even to the point of delivering on the decades-old promise of a world-class coaster in Erie, The Ravine Flyer II. The community’s efforts to encourage our friends to the south do not negate the gratitude we feel for what Waldameer means to Erie, our economy, and our families.

To vote for the Blue Streak in the July Pepsi Refresh Project, go to refresheverything.com/conneautlakeparkbluestreak

We just entered the third quarter of 2010, and there seems to be some signs of optimism and increased revenue in the Erie ad market. It could be that there is real consumer activity out there, or maybe retailers and service providers have enough of a cash cushion that they can now reinvigorate their brand.

Or I could just be Pollyanna.

What do you think? In addition, I would love to hear some anecdotes from the sales, production, and account manager folks about the types of deals out there, leaving the names out to protect the innocent.

I had an “off-the-hook” birthday this week with well-wishers from across the country on my Facebook profile. I connected with my Mercyhurst Prep classmates about our upcoming class reunion in the Facebook group discussion. And I’m incredulously reTweeting the media news of the moment through the @pressandtower Twitter account.

Of course this blog is first and foremost a community media resource. Please use it to question and comment on what you feel strongly about regarding Erie media. Use the comment box below, e-mail me or send a tweet to @pressandtower (don’t forget to follow…that’s where the hour-to-hour updates are happening).

Embrace the chaos!