Can it be that 12 years have passed since the woman who was my life partner passed from this earth? The calendar says that is so, but my heart counts it as an eternity.
Delena Maria Carson Kelley, you remain with me every day of my life.
Missing you, babe.
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re treading seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far.
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
— Rafael Negron, circa 2000
The year 2003 saw the end of my love affair with Radio.
As I left my final management position in broadcasting, I somehow recognized the media I loved had changed. It was no longer the innovative, challenging, and “fun” vocation it had been during the 30 previous years. Instead, Radio had become a “bottom line” only industry. Entertaining interaction with listeners: Gone. Immediate reaction to local events with creative solutions: Gotta check with corporate first. What a way to drive a dagger into the heart of that magical medium known as Radio.
Okay, all things have a beginning and an end. I wistfully moved on to other endeavors, cherishing the many meaningful moments that comprised my Radio experience. Now on the “listener side” of Radio, I can’t help but notice how diminished that media has become.
As fate would have it, in 2012 I became involved in a software project for advertising agencies. The program we’ve developed generates advertising orders and traffic for media. So now, indirectly, I’m involved once again with Radio…but without all the headaches direct involvement would generate.
Even this association reveals the confusion that is Radio in 2023. Stations have created multiple convoluted methods to deal with the latest metamorphosis of Radio, including complex schedules that involve streaming across multiple platforms and markets. Fortunately, the software we’ve developed is able to handle all these confusing permutations.
What is troubling is that Radio has to resort to these machinations in order to survive.
Okay, I have been out the business for 20 years, and I haven’t been involved in the day-to-day decisions that have brought Radio to this point. So I can’t be too critical, yet I recall how well Radio performed for local advertisers back in “the day” regardless of the market competition.
Things have changed, but has the core of Radio changed that much? Can Radio still deliver good value to listeners and advertisers alike? And do it with style, creativity, and fun?
Perhaps it is good I left Radio 20 years ago. Were I still in that industry today, I would be exceedingly sad to be part of what it has become.
Ooo, bring back the days when we were crazy in love
I need to feel that way again
Remember when we were crazy in love.
We were more than best of friends
We were crazy in love
— Conway Twitty, Crazy In Love
I only know that when I’m with you, you’re my sunshine, you’re my rain.
The sweetest thing I’ve ever known is loving you.
— Juice Newton, The Sweetest Thing
And only a lonely heart knows
How the heartache, it grows and grows
Oh, how long does it take till the heartache goes?
Only a lonely, only a lonely heart knows
— Barbara Mandrell, Only A Lonely Heart Knows
With the release of the 6th version of SCOOTER, we’ve introduced a number of new features. This post will outline some of them, but you’ll need to download the new version to learn them all.
First of all, SCOOTER remains FREE in the “basic” version. If you haven’t purchased a license key for SCOOTER, you’ll be happy to know that downloading version 6 will give you 30 days of SCOOTER 6 Pro so you can try out the new features.
SCOOTER 6 is installed as a new, separate program from SCOOTER 5. This allows you to continue using SCOOTER 5 if, for some reason, you don’t prefer all the new stuff we’ve added. If you have SCOOTER 5 installed, SCOOTER 6 will ask if you would like to import all your clients, schedules, and settings from version 5 into version 6. We highly recommend this option. Also, if you have a license for SCOOTER 5, your version of SCOOTER 6 will be automatically registered. Easy peasy!
Okay, new features: SCOOTER 6 has a new scheduling grid that is lightning fast. This makes entering schedules even speedier. In SCOOTER Pro, the new grid allows you to block select a group of rows/columns and copy or delete the contents.
SCOOTER 6 features SCOOTER Mail, the program’s own email client. SCOOTER Mail uses your own email server, user name, and password and features “mail templates” so you can compose standard email messages to send with your attached schedules. The templates feature text substitution, so text that reads “schedule attached for <%CLIENT%>” is transformed to “schedule attached for Mason Chevrolet” (or whatever your particular client). You can create unlimited templates in SCOOTER Mail. And, if you are using a web-based account, such as GMail, Yahoo, HotMail, etc., you can send from that email address using the email account provided by your ISP. SCOOTER 6’s extensive help file explains this step-by-step.
And speaking of help, SCOOTER 6 features instant context sensitive help. Just position your mouse pointer over whatever you need more information on and press the F1 function key. Bingo! Help opens to that exact topic.
There’s more; a “floating” navigation tool bar, revised “Unit Class” options, improved printing options, an updated spell checker, improved email validation, and dozens of other little tweaks to make your sales life easier.
We hope you’ll enjoy SCOOTER 6, and thanks for your support and feedback. Happy selling!
Version 5.0.9.0 of SCOOTER was released today, addressing two issues brought to our attention by users (just like you!).
The first was a problem with the sizing and centering of station logos when schedules were generated for previewing or emailing. Depending on the proportions of the logo, it was possible that the resulting sized image would appear slightly off-center or, in some cases, fail to appear on the page at all. We’ve revised the sizing code to be more intelligent and in testing with a variety of logo sizes and proportions this issue appears to be resolved.
The second issue addressed by this update is the use of email domains of more than three characters. Initially, the software would accept .com, .co and the like. But additions of domains such as .info and .asia would cause SCOOTER to complain that an apparently “invalid” email address had been entered. SCOOTER 5.0.9.0 fixes this issue.
This SCOOTER update will be rolled out over the next 10 days as — when you execute SCOOTER — it periodically checks for new versions. If you can’t wait, just open SCOOTER and from the main menu select Help -> Check for Program Update.
Writing computer code is fun (if you’re a geek). But it’s also work.
When you bury yourself deep in the middle of functions and procedures, trying to solve a problem or find an elusive bug, the minutes and hours can slip away. But too much work without a meaningful break is not a good thing, long term.
Fortunately, I have a friend who drops by to encourage me to take that meaningful break.
His name is Chico.
He’s a chihuahua mix and, whenever he feels the time is right, he comes over to my chair and plants his paws on my thigh. Then, he give me this look that says: “Time to take a break, dude!”
How he knows I’m in need of that break is beyond me. But in less than 30 seconds, I’m on the floor with him while he growls and pretends to bite my hand. It’s a playful exchange that has developed over the years he’s been with me. And there’s no sign this routine is changing anytime soon.
As you’re chugging along at work, I hope you have your version of Chico — dog, feline, or human — to help you take a break and clear your head.
And maybe, keep your sanity.
Following Donald Trump’s election, half of the country has gone nuts. Or, perhaps they were already nuts and now it’s just more obvious.
The liberal/progressive/media have reacted as though their favored football team has lost the Super Bowl. And that reaction has included rioting on the field, screaming obscenities at officials, writing slanted and untrue news stories, and threatening to have the winning quarterback kicked out of the NFL.
I always wonder how such people would react if the situation were reversed; the “shoe was on the other foot”, as some say. If Hillary was president, would conservatives have rioted, smashed windows, burned cars, written negative and factually false articles, and screamed “not my president!”? Well, we know the answer to that. Barack Obama won two terms in the White House. He was a less than stellar president. People on the right did not like his policies. But he was the president, and even though conservatives didn’t always go along with him, they didn’t cry out to de-legitimize his presidency.
But now the liberal/progressive’s shoe is on the other foot. And for them — especially the media — it’s more than uncomfortable. It’s intolerable.
Interesting times.