Lets do a quick look at some radio central news....
Geico, which has traditionally been radio’s biggest-volume advertiser each week, is back on top. Media Monitorsreports that, after 18 consecutive weeks, The Home Depot slid to No. 4. Geico was No. 1 with 43,136 ads on radio last week, followed by Safelite AutoGlassand Wal-Mart.
Cox Media made a huge announcement that it would be selling off several radio and television properties, including its Birminghamand Greenville, SCclusters, which have high profile, well performing Urban outlets. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk among Urban broadcasters, asking, “Are there any African Americanbroadcasters, or entrepreneurs, who could step up and buy these properties?” And if not, should we be concerned?
Cox Media made the announcement, that it will focus on larger markets and "cross-media collaboration,” meaning it’s selling off its radio and TV-only markets, including radio clusters in Birmingham, Greenville-Spartanburg SC, Hawaii, Louisville, Richmond and Southern Connecticut.
I read about Jill Abramson in More magazine (March 2012 issue. Article by Nina Burleigh) and wanted to feature her today. Her story struck me - hard work, intelligence, tenacity, and a love of words. She's only fifty-eight, a mother of two, and has a book published about her dog. She never plotted to get to the top - intensity, probing questions, and results steered her path.
October 2011, Jill Abramson became executive editor of The New York Times. She's the first female leader of THE paper, and must work hard to keep it relevant in changing times. Her background is Harvard, then investigative reporting, and finally her position as Washington bureau chief during the 9/11 Pentagon attack proved her mettle. She remained calm and directed all aspects of the coverage of that terrible day.
"I have always had a strong desire to get to the bottom of the facts, especially when people say the facts are unknowable," she says of her decision to become a journalist.
"Every word that you write about someone is branded on them, and words are not casual things." I love this quote.
"There are new challenges every hour," she acknowledges. She's working to be more accessible, and looks at innovation and newsroom integration (digital and print) as prime issues for The New York Times. Survival in the publishing industry is key. Sounds to me like they've got the right person for the job.
I've been heart broken by the rash of young people killing themselves because they are having a hard time believing that living life is worth it. They have all taken their own lives because they have been ruthlessly bullied for being gay I think what I'm feeling and what many other's are feeling is magnified by what we had to deal with in school. Listening to the stories of young people as young as 12 who have given up and let the bullies win makes me feel like I've some how let them down. That our community has let them down somehow.
There is a wonderful group on youtube called the It Gets Better Project. It was started by columnist Dan Savage and his husband to let young people know that life gets better. People can download videos to post their stories so they can tell young gay men and women that life is worth living and to not give up. Since I don't have a video camera right now I felt I needed to do something on my blog. I'm not sure how many young people, who I'm going to addressing this post to, will be reading this, but if only one teenager reads it and is helped by it, it's worth it to me.
I also wanted to share with you the video that convinced me that I had to say something about this. After watching it I needed to put into words what I'm feeling right now or I was going to feel powerless to help. Joel Burns, who is a member of the city council of Fort Worth, TX, addressed the issue and I couldn't stop crying throughout the video.
The rest of what I write is going to be directed at any young person who is dealing with growing up gay in a world that still doesn't quite understand you. I want you to know that you aren't alone, that you have a large community of people that love you and accept you for who you are. We want to help you in any way we can and that we will be here for you when you need us. If you ever need to talk, my email address is fforgnayr@yahoo.com and I'm always willing to listen. I want you to understand that you aren't alone.
I wish I had the opportunity to tell you in person that yeah it's hard right now. That you have to deal with a lot of shit and people being cruel to you. You may have to deal with adults that aren't willing or able to protect you. Teachers and parents who either don't care, understand, or know how to deal with it. I wish I could be there for you to hold your hand and protect you from all the pain you are going to deal with over the next few years. It hurts knowing that I can't keep you from being hurt, that I can't stop the bullies who are going to call you names and tell you that your life is worth nothing. I can't stop the bigots from calling you a faggot or dyke. I can't force your parents to protect you or your teachers to be there for you when you need them. What I can do is tell you that no matter what is going on now, that not allowing them to win, that living your life is so worth it.
High school was hard for me too, I wasn't picked on that much but I felt alone and isolated. I wasn't all that popular but I wasn't on the bottom of the ladder either. I was one of those kids that showed up for school, had a couple of friends, but never really fit in beyond that. I tried to join different groups so I wouldn't feel so strange but even then I never felt all that welcome.
I joined a church because I couldn't understand why God would make me gay to only have people tell me that it was evil and that I would go to Hell. I would pray every night for almost two years that if me being gay was wrong that if God really did hate me for it, that I would just die in my sleep. I didn't want God to hate me. I didn't want other people to hate me for that matter. I wanted to be just like everyone else, I wanted to be normal. Over that period of two years I started to feel better about myself. That maybe God doesn't hate me, that he in fact loves me for who I am. Then I realized that if God loves me for me, that maybe I should love myself. So I started to come out to a few people that I thought I could trust and for the most part I could trust them. I know it kept me from being friends with certain people but luckily I found people that accepted me for who I am. I'm not saying it was easy though. I still wrestled with thoughts of ending it but I realized that while the pain can seem oppressing at times that high school doesn't lat forever. That eventually I would be able to get out in the world and create my own family.
I have created that family for myself. I am surrounded by friends who love me and that I can count on to be there for me when I need them. I have a son that I adore and that I thank God for everyday of my life. He alone makes high school worth it. I'm single right now but I've been in love before I know the joy of having that in my life and I know that I will have it again at some point. I have a decent job, a good car, hobbies that I love to do, and interests that keeps me living a full life.
I want to let you know that if you don't let them win, if you fight through and allow yourself to experience life, you won't regret. There is a whole world out there for you to discover. You will fall in love and have your heart broken but you will learn from it every time. You will find a group of friends that will support you and love you and be there for you whenever you need them. You will create a life for yourself that while it won't always be rosy, will be your own. You have some many choices ahead of you that I'm wanting you to understand that please, no matter what, don't give up. Give yourself the opportunity to find out what life is all about for yourself. I'm begging you to believe us when we tell you that it does get better. That you will be happy and loved, that you are worth having around and that all of our lives will be a little emptier without you in it. Please, please just give yourself the chance to discover it for yourself.
Now to the adults out there that are reading this, I want you to look at yourself and at those around you. I want you to pay attention to what's going on and protect these kids. Let them know that they can count on you to save them from the worst of what they are dealing with. Let them know that they are loved and cherished and that their lives are worth living. Just be there for them, please.
There is another wonderful organization called The Trevor Project that provides a suicide hotline that gives LBGT young people someone to listen to them and to help them deal with what they are feeling. Their number is 1-866-488-7386.
I'm going to totally honest right now by saying that while I've been hearing about this idiot's plans to burn the Qur'an, I really haven't paid that much attention to it. For those of you who may not know what I'm talking about, the picture is that of Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center, a church of about 50 people. Pastor Fox and his "followers" feel it's appropriate to burnt he Qur'an, this Saturday in remembrance of Sept. 11.
As a book lover I find the idea of burning any book disgusting and abhorrent. The destruction of any written word just because you don't like it or not understand it is cowardly, shameful, and just about any other negative adjective I feel like using. The fact that he is supposedly doing this to remember those killed on that day is a slap in the face to those who died and to this country. It goes against what this country stands for at it's core and pretends that there were not Muslims in the Twin Towers when they came down.
What does this idiot think will happen in the Muslim world when the news carries pictures of Americans burning the Qur'an. Does he think that they will embrace our men and women in uniform in the streets of Afghanistan and thank them for it? Does he not realize that most of the world lives within countries where a government can stop this disgusting public display from happening? Does he not get that a lot of Muslims will see this and assume that not only the government of the United States but it's citizens condone the vileness of burning a book that is viewed as Holy by over a billion people world wide?
I'm not saying I think the government should step in and stop it and I will defend his right to do it. What I am saying is that he should feel the moral outrage of a nation and it's people, that sheer public desire should put a stop to this. I also realize that nothing anyone says is going to stop him from going through with his plans, I just hope he is willing to take responsibility for the damage he is going to cause.
Truthfully, I've never read the Qur'an and while I may have been curious about it in the past, I've never felt a strong urge to read it either. Well thanks to Pastor Jones I will be reading it in the near future. I will not let an idiot like him make this country look bad or intolerant. I just hope that those who are like minded find it within themselves to read the Qur'an and not burn it. I want to understand it in the way I understand the Bible. Maybe if those in the Muslim world see more Americans reading the Qur'an and not burning it, we will show them that we really are a nation of religious tolerance and not one of hatred and stupidity.
I'm not normally political, actually I am but I've been trying to leave it off my blog. I wanted to focus on books, movies, and music; the fun stuff that brings us together as a community. I didn't want to spout off my political views though I have many, and as anyone who knows me can attest too I'm not normally shy about sharing them.
I've actually toyed with the idea of starting a political blog but I don't think I would have the time to be as active on it as I would want to. So now I'm having to post this here, on this blog, because I need somewhere to put my reactions to this story I just read.
Here is the link, I'm not going to try and clean it up because if I do, I know I will mess up and break it somehow.
It is from the Journal Sentinel Online website. The Journal Sentinel is a paper out of Milwaukee, WI and one that I visit from time to time.
I found myself getting rather emotional over this story and more than a bit frustrated. The story is about a family who is having to make hard, hard choices just to make sure they have health insurance. The wife has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and is having a rough go of it. The husband had lost his job, his severance package was expiring, he has not been able to find a job, and their health insurance was about to get too expensive for them to afford.
The needed the insurance though to cover the cost of the wife's chemo and medical bills. So what does the husband and father of three find himself doing at the age of 39 and while his wife is sick and suffering a relapse of the cancer.
He joins the Army, which is a heroic thing to do, but it should not be the last option for a husband to make in order to have health insurance for his family. He has to be away from his family for 4 years while his wife suffers without him being there. No family, No individual should ever have to make this choice.
We need universal health care in this country so families don't have to tear themselves apart in order to get coverage. I'm tired of the bickering and fighting over the issue and wish those fighting the idea of providing health coverage for everyone would realize that there are real people, real families that suffer due to the lack of health insurance. I wish they would realize that doing nothing is not an option anymore, that those who die every year simply because they lack coverage are victims of a system in disorder. That living in a country where millions of people without health insurance is a problem. That it is an economic, moral, and public policy emergency that needs to be fixed so situations like this never happen again.
