It won't clothe or feed you. Won't give you a place to live. What it will do is help you find all three necessities of life. With revenue dollars harder to find than ever, Internet advertising has hit another high. The Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers (couldn't they find another name to squeeze in?) co-sponsored a survey (survey says) that shows the Web topping $10 billion - a new record - in the first half of the year. Revenue is up 26% from $7.9 billion in the year-earlier period, according to the survey...
Internet advertising is mainstream and a major part of the marketing revenue mix. It's no surprise that the biggest revenue gain (54%) was in consumer-related advertising. Retailers and car companies were the biggest spenders. I guarantee you that places to buy clothes, groceries and real estate were in the mix. Other big spenders included banks, mortgage lenders, insurance providers and others which accounted for about 15% of the total. I don't know where the remaining 31% went but 69% spent on consumer-related advertising is a huge slab of the pie...
Granted, like television, the Web offers sight and sound while radio is one-dimensional but radio is also mobile - that's an advantage. If the day ever comes when they can safely include the Internet in cars, it's all over for radio...
10 Timeline Memories:
- 1921] Talking baseball: The World Series is broadcast on radio for the first time. The Giants beat the Yankees, 5 games to 3, back in the day of the 8-game WS...1967] Carl Yastrzemski hits 2 home runs leading the "Impossible Dream" Red Sox to a 5-0 shutout win for Jim Lonborg (now a dentist in New England) to even the WS with the Cardinals at a game a piece. I was at that game at Fenway and loved it a lot...2001] Barry Bonds sets a new mark for home runs by hitting #71 and #72. He hits #73 on October 7. That wasn't water in the water cooler either...
- 1950] Premiered on this date: "You Bet Your Life", hosted by "the one, the only" Groucho Marx. Here's a clip of one of the funniest game shows of all-time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtIMk63NEis ...
- 1970] Musical Egyptian Presidents: Anwar Sadat takes office as President of Egypt, replacing Gamal Abdel Nasser...
- 1982] Dropping the puck: The New Jersey Devils tie the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first game in the Meadowlands...
- 1983] That's mighty Nobel of you: Lech Walesa wins the Nobel Peace Prize for his effortless work in helping the workers of Poland...
- 1985] Coach of a lifetime: Grambling's Eddie Robinson becomes the winningest coach in college history with his 324th victory...
- 1988] Shooting Quayle: Presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen makes his famous "I knew Jack Kennedy" retort to Dan Quayle and here's the clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-7gpgXNWYI ...
- 1989] Fraud sighting: Jim Bakker is convicted of using his television show to defraud his viewers...
- 1999] Wedding Bells: MCI and Sprint announce plans to merge in a $115 billion deal. How bad is that commercial with the two network hordes???
- 2005] Can you say Abu Ghraib?: Defying the House, the Senate votes 90-9 to approve an amendment that would prohibit the use of "cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment" against anyone in U.S. government custody...
Music Memories:
- 1968] Released on this date: "White Room" - Cream (on their final tour at the time)...1968] "Magic Carpet Ride" - Steppenwolf...1975] "Cats in the Cradle" - Harry Chapin, as seen on this live performance clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlHdjjHNEC8 (especially poignant if you have a son like I do)...
- 1969] Live from the 'Ed Sullivan Theater': The Who make an appearance. Did they follow the plate twirler or Kate Smith???
Commentary...
Paul Power raised a very good point in response to our "Family Guy" lawsuit feature: "If you slander (or plagiarize) the lyrics to a song, especially a standard, you leave yourself wide open." That's a charge in itself, although nothing to do with whether or not "Family Guy" "went too far"...I'm happy with the results of the baseball playoffs so far. TBS reports higher ratings than last year's coverage on ESPN...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Nicky Hilton (24), Kate Winslet (32), Mario Lemieux (42), Bernie Mac (50), Bob Geldof (53), Karen Allen (56), Steve Miller (64), Arlene (Chantels) Smith (66) - Arlene and the girls are included in this 'Vocal Group Hall of Fame" clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9kHt_LmOsM and Bill ("My name, Jose Jimenez") Dana (83)...
Timeline Countdown: 19 days until the 1st game of the World Series, 26 nights until Halloween, 30 days until Daylight Savings Time ends and 41 days until Thanksgiving...
Saturday-Sunday, October 6-7, 2007
10 Timeline Memories:
- 1927] Premiered on this date (10/6): "The Jazz Singer" starring Al Jolson. The first "talkie" is based on the short story, "The Day of Atonement" by Samson Raphaelson...1959] "Pillow Talk" starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson (the first of three films starring these two box-office favorites)...1960] Premiered on this date (10/7): 1960] "Route 66" starring George Maharis, Glenn Corbett and Martin Milner (will run 4 seasons). Here's a clip of an episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_DadAmhfRM ... 1982] "Cats" screeches in at the Wintergarden Theater on Broadway and lasts entirely too long (the longest running show in Broadway history) meow...1995] Boston's Fleet (Fleece?) Center opens with a 4-4 tie between the Bruins and Islanders despite Cam Neely's 3 goals...
- 1945] Talking World Series: The "Billy Goat Curse" begins in Chicago when a Cubs fan is refused admission to a World Series game because he had his pet goat with him (the nerve). William "Billy Goat" Sianis, local tavern owner puts a curse on the Cubs. Not only do the Cubs lose the WS, they never win another one. Last WS Cubs victory? 1908 (10/6)...1952] Yankees second-baseman Billy Martin makes a game-saving catch as the Yankees win their 4th straight World Series, beating Brooklyn in Game 7 (10/7)...1967] Game 3 of the World Series between Boston and St. Louis goes to the Cardinals who beat the Red Sox in St. Louis to go one game up with a 2-1 edge in the WS (10/7)...
- 1956] Sabin the world from Polio: Dr. Albert Sabin discovers the oral polio vaccine which just about eradicates the disease (10/6)...
- 1960] Round Two: JFK and Richard Nixon square off in their second presidential debate (10/7). JFK wins this one too...
- 1977] Talking playoff baseball: The Yankees win the AL pennant when Chris Chambliss hits a dramatic home run against Kansas City at Yankee Stadium (10/6)...
- 1978] Wedding Bells: Benny Andersson and Frida Lyngstad of ABBA rock down the aisle singing 'Mamma Mia' (10/6)...1991] Larry Fortensky becomes Liz Taylor victim #8 (10/6)...1996] Faith Hill and Tim McGraw become a duo (10/6)...
- 1981] "Happy Trails": Egyptian President Anwar-el Sadat, 63, is assassinated at a military rally in Cairo by Muslim extremists (10/6)...1983] Cardinal Terrence Cooke of New York succumbs to cancer at 62 (10/6)...1989] Bette Davis dies from cancer in France at 81 (10/6)...
- 1985] High Seas terror: Four Palestinian terrorists hijack the Achille Lauro. They surrender after 2 days but push wheelchair bound passenger Leon Klinghofer off the boat (10/7)...
- 1988] "You're fired": Lou Piniella is fired as Yankees manager by George Steinbrenner for the second time (creating 'Billy V"). All Piniella does is win the World Series as Reds manager in 1990. I have to say he turned dumb the other day when he pulled his best pitcher, Carlos Zambrano from game one of the Cubs play-offs too early to save him for game four. Earth to Piniella: with your team down 0-2, there may not be a game four (10/7)...
- 1988] W(eNd)BC: At 5:30 pm October 7, 1988 the station that started as experimental 2XB in 1919 went off the air, never to return. This was a sad day for a legendary radio station. I'm so glad I had a chance to be one of the station's program directors (1976-1977). R.I.P WNBC (1919-1988)...
Music Memories:
- 1970] Number One on this date (10/6): "Cracklin' Rosie" - Neil Diamond, seen doing it live in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZEjaXvsIjM ...
- 1976] Gold Standard: "Disco Duck" - Rick Dees (10/6)...
- 1978] Released on this date (10/7): "Hold The Line" - Toto ...1979] "Heartache Tonight" - The Eagles (10/6)...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
(10/6) Elisabeth Shue (44), Tony Dungy (52), Kevin (REO) Cronin (56), Millie Small (61) "My Boy Lollipop": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqcpt-BKZBM and Britt Ekland (65)...
(10/7) Toni Braxton (41), Simon Cowell (48), Yo-Yo Ma (52), John Mellencamp (55), Oliver North (64), Desmond Tutu (76) and Al Martino (80)...
Timeline Countdown for Sunday, October 7: 17 days until the first game of the World Series, 24 nights until Halloween, 28 days until the end of Daylight Savings Time and 39 days until Thanksgiving...
