Archive for January, 2009
Indie 103.1 is Dead. Long live Indie 103.1
New logo for a new Indie 103.1 - now going all web-based
Driving to work this morning I was a little surprised to hear Sinatra’s My Way on Indie 103.1 FM. Not too terribly surprised, mind you. Free from the usual constrained playlists, Indie was capable of anything.
What followed the last trailing strings of the Anka-penned tune was very disheartening for me. A promo that Indie 103.1 was leaving the radio dial and becoming an internet-only broadcaster.
I don’t know how this change will effect their revenues and budget, and worry that the array of hosts won’t stick around for web only broadcasting.  WIll this be goodbye to Jonesy, Rollins, and the other great jocks Indie has had picking and spinning records since going on the air a few years back?
Aside from losing a great voice for independent, new and local music on the Los Angeles airwaves; I always take stations changing formats hard. I grew up around the radio business. Since he was seventeen – not too long before I was born! – my dad has been a disc jockey. A station changing formats hits a radio station like a factory closing. People and families who work there are thrust into a very uncertain situation.
So here’s the best to Indie 103.1 in its new incarnation, and to the staff and their families who will be effected by this change. May Marconi smile down on you from the radio heavens.
I’ll leave you with an in studio acoustic performance by The TIng Tings on Indie 103.1 (including That’s Not My Name):
Behold! It’s Your Congress on YouTube
In a pair of advertising-free zones within the YouTube-iverse, your United State House and Senate are embarking on an adventurous new way of communicating with the American people.
Here’s how YouTube lays it out:
So, why are your elected leaders coming to YouTube? The short answer is: you. Your use of YouTube and other online platforms to speak up on political issues and hold your leaders accountable has shown just how powerful this medium can be. You’ve shown your elected officials that in order to be in contact with you, they need to come to the platforms you use most, and engage with you directly. (YouTube Blog)
The Introductory video is suffers a little from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s performance – if this video is Valkyrie, McConnell is Tom Cruise – but Reid, Pelosi and Boehner are game and do a good (albeit stiff) job of sharing the thinking behind this project.
I took a few minutes to check out some of the other clips, and one Member’s work surprised me. Republican Representative Howard “Buck” McKeown, from California’s 25th Congressional District.
The good folks at TechPresident also took notice of the Man From Santa Clarita:
McKeon introduces his interns, legislative staff, and the person who will answer your call should you ask for information on a congressional tour. At one point, McKeon even turns the camera on his startled “new media guy” named Robert. It’s well worth a watch to see Hill staffers in their natural habitat. (TechPresident)
What is it about Latter Day Saints officeholders that makes them such natural YouTube stars? MittTV was a gem in the primaries, and now Buck McKeon (of all people!) is turning in interesting product in the sphere.
I may never watch a video with any of the congressional leadership again, but I’ll be keeping an eye on that Congressman directly to my north. Sadly, I may be the only one…McKeon’s 13 videos (dating back seven months) total up to less than a thousand views; 862 at the time of my writing this.
The Scariest Email I Have Ever Recieved (Ever)
So, I’ve been Twittering a bit more lately.
Follow my tweets and you’ll be in good interesting company, none other than Bush’s Brain: Karl Rove.
Yesterday, my inbox was visited by the scariest email I have ever received:
Hi, Jeremy D. Thompson (Reelpolitik).
Karl Rove (KarlRove) is now following your updates on Twitter.
Check out Karl Rove’s profile here:
http://twitter.com/KarlRove
Best,
I doubt there is much insight I can provide to Karl (there’s no denying his acumen), but maybe every so often I can put a smile on his face.
My Candidate Statement for California Democratic State Central Committee
In 2010, California Democrats face two statewide contests that could require an unprecedented marshaling of resources:
- It is likely that the Republican gubernatorial nominee will be extremely wealthy and capable of self-funding their campaign.
- Rumors persist that Governor Schwarzenegger will mount a challenge Senator Boxer for her seat.
On their own, either of these races would present a challenging fight. In 2010 we may be called upon to respond to both.
Answering these challenges will demand a recommitment to local organizing in all 58 counties and enhancement of CDP’s use of technology for direct voter contact and messaging.
As an Assembly District Delegate to the State Central Committee, I will advocate for CDP’s better engagement in the grassroots and netroots to successfully defend Senator Boxer’s seat and take back the Capitol.
Drawing on more than a decade’s worth of campaign experience – beginning as a field organizer, and most recently as Senior New Media Advisor to the Obama campaign in California – I will bring a combination of tested techniques and willingness to experiment with evolving tools to carry out the mission of the California Democratic Party – to win elections.