Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

The Weather Channel

Let's be honest...The Weather Channel has turned into Reality TV. Not really sure when it happened (maybe it was this moment when Jim Cantore lost his shit with Thundersnow), but I used to rely on The Weather Channel for.....ummm, weather.

Clearly with the Winter Storm Event called Olive, there will be travel delays. I'd kinda like to know how the ice storm is impacting DTW tonight. How double digit snow totals will snarl MSP tomorrow. And, which interstates are closed to me.

Instead, I've just endured an hour of correspondents marveling at how the wind is creating snowdrifts in Green Bay and Minneapolis.

I know I live where that happens every winter...but can I get some news I can use?

Or, is it time for the Weather Travel Channel?

Jim Dandy to the Rescue

Not sure why I can't get the Black Oak Arkansas classic out of my head...but isn't that what Destination Leadership Organizations have become in the past three years? Coming to the rescue of local businesses that need a helping hand in times of crisis?

That's exactly what the Pinehurst, Southern Pines & Aberdeen CVB did when their power grid was attacked by vandals as their communities entered the all too crucial holiday shopping season. Within hours, Phil Werz and his staff hatched a plan to support their area merchants in a time of acute need.

You can hear about "Moore Miracles" and much more about how that DLO is rockin' their destination on the latest episode of the DMOU podcast.

Cool stuff.

The Unknown Blues Singer

The beauty and the curse of the news media is that it is generally populated with talent in their 20s. Sure, the on air talking heads are in their 40s and above, but the masses of content generators are young...generally because media outlets pay shit wages. And, most of those of us that started our post-college careers in media said, "screw it," and moved on to make a more livable level of scratch.

Now, the beauty side is that they bring a fresh perspective to stuff to which Xers and Boomers have become numb. The downside is that they have no idea of what went down before the turn of the century. And, this was never more evident than Sunday night, when media coverage of the Grammys produced one of the stupidest comments ever from the Daily Mail when they called Bonnie Raitt an "unknown blues singer."

14 Grammys and last year's Lifetime Achievement Award? Unknown? That's the WTF.

Not that the author of that insipid line will see this blog...but, let's luxuriate in the beauty this "unknown talent" has brought into our world (yeah...this might take a while):

David Crosby's Favorite Singer in the World

The Most Heartbreaking Break-Up Song Ever

The Starting Up with Someone New Song

Channeling Randy Newman

Channeling Del Shannon

And Channelling John Prine

And, possibly my favorite, from an early album called Streetlights. I heard it first after a college friend had died in a car crash. We were DJ's at the campus radio station and a fellow DJ eulogized Tom with this song. And, I think of him every time I hear it.

Bonnie's voice can always touch your heart in ways you'd never expect. Especially if you think she's an unknown blues singer.

Going Vertical

As TikTok continues to be attacked in some quarters over privacy and security concerns, there's one thing that can't be ignored. It has re-oriented video content from horizontal to vertical .

On Monday, our friends Dave Serino and Brian Matson of TwoSix Digital posted a video in which they discuss best practices for DMOs in utilizing vertical content on TikTok, Reels and Shorts with Nick and Andy Behling from MI Playground. If you've yet to take the plunge or are unsure of your first steps in Vertical Media, this video is a must.

While timing in at 57 minutes might be off-putting for some, the conversation gets really good at the 36:30 mark. But trust me, if you jump ahead, you'll likely go back to the beginning to see what you missed.

As the video does not feature visual examples, you could listen to the whole thing on your commute or workout, just as you would a podcast like DMOU (which, sorry for the delay...we had some issues with our platform provider and just posted our newest episode with Vail Ross yesterday).

Thanks TwoSix. Always leading us forward.

Radio Radio

Radio was always the bomb when it came to advertising. Less expensive than TV and much more targeted than print, radio ruled the land before digital.

But, did we abandon it too fast? According to a study by eMarketer, radio is still a safe bet for advertisers and marketers, losing only a fraction of its audience over the past 15 years. And, with the majority of radio listening taking place in vehicles, eMarketer suggests the evolution of the connected car will impact radio listenership.

Podcasting is also predicted to grow in listeners and time spent listening...which is good for DMOs utilizing the format.

And, of course for our podcast (DMOU), which is on winter break until next year and is just about to cross 25,000 downloads. If you haven't yet...join the in crowd.

Long live radio.

Can You Get Your Offers Straight?

Last Summer, the Chicago Tribune offered me online access to their content for a buck a month (or something like that). I knew that at the end of three months, they'd jack me to $15.99/month...which is where I am, questioning the true value. 

But, last week, I received two e-mails from the Trib within the same minute. One asked me to "come back" for 25 cents a week for 6 months. The other asked me to come back for $1 for 6 months (click to enlarge image).

Of course, when we called to ask if we could get the deal being offered, we were told no...that we were already a subscriber. But, errr, you asked us to come back.

And we are also being asked to trust the journalism of a newspaper that can't figure out the most basic tenets of customer service.

I get that newspapers are struggling...but, really?

Sounds Like Puerto Rico

Last week on the DMOU Podcast, Discover Puerto Rico's CEO Brad Dean humbly predicted his DMO would win one of the 5 Emmys for which they had been nominated for the series, Sounds Like Puerto Rico.

Last night, they took home 3.

Congratulations to the in-house team that made Puerto Rico sing. We couldn't be happier for your success in making Puerto Rico one of the most visible travel brands in the world. And, New Year's Rockin' Eve from San Juan is just around the corner.

Check out Brad's episode to hear how they did it.

DMOs as Storytellers

Last week, I was on a Zoom call with a DMO Board as we snugged up their updated Strategic Plan. And it was, to be sure, a one-off comment from one of the Board members...but it struck a nerve with me.

"Newspapers used to tell the story of our communities," they said. "They don't anymore...they just shine a light on our warts."

True 'dat. As newspapers fight for survival in the digital age, they have increasingly moved to covering the negative stories to score more clicks. The celebratory stories of community pride are sadly fewer and fewer in number.

Which got me to thinking. Destination Marketing Organizations, more than any other community agency, are in the "good news" business. And, in a time that we all need good news, is this a role that DMOs are designed to play in the months and years ahead?

A few years ago, we were working with a DMO that had a toxic relationship with its local paper. One of its reporters broke ranks and shared that their management was routinely killing good news stories to focus on bad news clicks. She offered to head up a good news digital paper to balance the community conversation. 

It never happened...but the concept has stuck with me. Does it resonate with you?

The Hits Keep on Coming

Since transitioning to Discover Puerto Rico for its Destination Marketing and leadership, the island, despite natural and man-made setbacks, has made significant progress in becoming a top-of-mind travel destination.

And, they've done it again. Last week, it was announced that the 50th edition of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve will ring in its first Spanish-language countdown from San Juan's exciting new entertainment district.

Cheers to Brad Dean and his team for another transformative win.

The First Guitar

I was actually "in the room" in a hotel in Chicago on August 1st, 1981 when a bunch of music and media executives unveiled the live launch of MTV. I was programing an FM rocker on the southside of the city and cringed a bit when the first video played was "Video Killed the Radio Star." But, everyone in the room knew it was prescient.

I drove back home to find my cable company (like so many in the country) hadn't yet signed onto the fledgling network. The next day, I learned that management there had no intention of offering the channel. So, my Team at the station hustled up a plan to take our morning show and simulcast it, offering viewers news, interviews with locals and at least a smattering of videos to at least tip our hat to what was to come.

Cable management rejected our notion out of hand saying, "nobody wants to watch that trash." C'est la vie. It was a cool idea.

So...on this Music Friday, we offer up a great trivia question. Who was the first guitarist featured on the launch of MTV?

Most will say it was the Buggles, as they were the first video played. But, the Buggles were a synth band with a bass player.

No...the first guitarist featured was Spider Giraldo (in which he takes great pride) with Pat Benatar on the second video.

Here's the original video...and here they are, tearing it down live.

They're back on tour this summer...and it's a great show. Go.