Bob Curran Consultant

OFF TO DALLAS

2011-04-05T08:15:00.000-07:00

I'm embarking on one more great life adventure as I begin a new career in sales at the CBS Radio and TV affiliate there.
WWW.CBSDFW.COM is their TV affiliate and 1080AM KRLD is the news radio station and 103.5FM 'The Fan' is their 100,000-watt Sports/talk station.

As the expression goes: "I'm going to REALLY hit it!!!
bob@bob-curran-consultant.com
www.bob-curran-consultant.com
Bob Curran

www.FRUGALPOP.COM

2010-12-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

I've discovered a great new coupon/discount/specials online coupon website called:
www.fruglapop.com.
To watch a 3 minute video please go to my personal website:
www.bob-curran-consultant.com and click on "FRUGALPOP"on the side bar to watch the video. over 100,000 unique visitors per month, a double opt in list of over 20,000 different people and all for just $600 for an entire year with your own backdoor password that allows you to change or update your online coupon offer 24/7/365.
Bob Curran

Also, please navigate the site to see some very large partners already on board!

www.toplevelposition.com/BOBCURRAN

2010-11-04T05:09:00.000-07:00

My last post was May 9th since I've been on a 7-day per week ride through what is left of the "radio industry" since May 17th.
I'll find out more about this new business opportunity this Friday, the 5th but you can check it out yourself at:
www.toplevelposition.com/BOB CURRAN.
It costs nothing to 'get in line' so it's well worth a peek.
BOB

BUDDHA on "Anger"

2010-05-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

"Holding anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
--BUDDHA, quoted in the Salt Lake City Desert Morning News

POWER OF THE MIND

2010-04-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've recently explored several modalities relating to mind control and mind over matter from the legendary Jose' Silva.
I have a fervent belief in this type of of mental discipline and plan to carry it forward in my new career in media sales.
As with anything else this discipline takes repetition and practice. But we media people know this instinctively since this is how a commercial message is absorbed into the listeners mind.

In an nutshell, "Make the rest of your life the BEST of your life."
No "sales pitch" here, just a very powerful idea for everyone on the planet!

"RUST OF THE SOUL"

2010-04-09T02:52:00.000-07:00

"Sorrow is the mere rust of the soul. Activity will cleanse and brighten it."
--Samuel Johnson,

I plan on doing just that over the next 72 hours, all the way to Dallas and back!!

ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHER, ARISTOTLE

2010-04-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, was quoted in Time Magazine, as having once wrote:
"Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope."

It just shows that history continuously repeats itself and that we continuously fail to learn from it.

BEST LESSONS LEARNED

2010-03-23T03:23:00.000-07:00

"Our bravest and best lessons are not learned through success, but through misadventure."
---American educator, Amos Bronson Alcott, quoted in Forbes.com

I've learned many such lessons lately and in this manner.

SHOULD I MOVE TO DALLAS, TEXAS?

2010-03-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Not sales-pitch or self-promotion here? Nope. Just looking for your opinion. www.bob@bob-curran-consultant.com
Tampa Bay Unemployment rate: 13.1% but I have almost no household expenses since my condo is paid off. Offer on the table for radio sales of approximately $3,000 per month in a market that they say won't recover for many years.

Dallas, Texas Unemployment rate of just 8.0% with a growing, vibrant economy with 2o times the GDP of Tampa Bay. Journey into the unknown, household expenses approximately $1,000 per month, with an unknown offer that will most likely be around $4,500-$6,000 per month.

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work."
---Thomas Edison, quoted in the Las Vegas Sun

Wit and Wisdom for Friday, March 19th

2010-03-19T06:45:00.000-07:00

"In times like the present men should utter nothing for which they would not willingly be responsible through time and eternity."
--Abraham Lincoln, quoted in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

How much more relevant is that statement today in the age of 24/7 news and the Internet?!

It's all covered in my upcoming book: "Dead Air" by iUniverse Publications.
-Bob Curran

CHECK OUT WWW.BOB-VURRAN-CONSULTANT.COM

2010-03-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

And you'll catch a glimpse of the final cover of "Dead Air" a treatise that will open your mind to the realities of media today.

David Lear takes you on a roller coaster ride you'll never forget!

'DEAD AIR" NOW IN PRODUCTION

2010-02-23T08:51:00.000-08:00

A publishing company called "iUniverse" is now completing the final design and layout of "Dead Air" about how the radio business and grow, thrive and gain relevancy by the use of new technologies and new social media. Check it out at www.bob-curran-consultant.com

The 7 Deadly Sins of News Releases

2010-02-06T07:33:00.000-08:00

A news release is often your only chance to make a great first impression.

Newspapers, magazines and trade publications receive them by the truckload. That means sloppy, inaccurate, pointless releases are the first to hit the newsroom wastebasket. To make sure yours isn't one of them, avoid these 7 Deadly Sins:

1. Providing insufficient or wrong information on your news releases, particularly telephone numbers. Releases must be complete, accurate and specific. (Note: A news release is the same as a press release.)

2. Writing too long. They should be no longer than a page.

3. Sending it too late. Mail or fax it to local media at least two weeks before an event, preferably three or four. Major magazines work four to six months ahead of time.

4. Sending a release with no news value. News is what happens that is different. If it isn't different, it isn't news.

5. Blatant commercialism. Avoid hackneyed words and phrases such as spectacular, incredible, the only one of its kind, breakthrough, cutting-edge, unique and state-of-the-art.

6. Omitting a contact name and phone number. At the top of the first page in the left corner, let editors know who they can call if they have questions. Include day, evening and cell phone numbers.

7. Calling after you send a release. Questions like "Did you get my news release?" or "Do you know when it will be printed?" will brand you as a pest. Don't follow up with a phone call to see if the media got your release, unless you are absolutely sure that someone will check for you. Most reporters and editors don't have time. If you do follow up, make sure you have a reason to call. Suggest a particular angle to your story, or ask the media people if they need any other information.

Need More Help with News Releases?

Special Report #39: How to Write Eye-Catching Headlines for Your News Releases and Articles gives you dozens of ideas on how to create sizzling headlines for your press releases, just like the professional copywriters do.

The Do-it-Yourself Press Release Makeover: How to Turn a So-so Press Release Into a Wildly Successful One shows you the most common mistakes you can make when writing a press release--and explains how to avoid them. Joan Stewart interviews author Marcia Yudkin who explains how she writes compelling, attention-grabbing news releases that result in media coverage.

How to Write Killer News Releases That Stop Reporters in Their Tracks shows you how to write news releases that don't end up in the newsroom wastebasket. Joan Stewart interviews publicity expert Paul Hartunian, who shares the secrets of how to capture the attention of busy reporters and editors--and do it on no more than one page.

Fail-Proof Ways to Follow Up After Sending a News Release or Pitch Letter explains in step-by-step detail how to follow up after you send a news release. Joan Stewart interviews author Jill Lublin who tell you how to contact the media after you send a release, and how to entice them with a few other nuggets of information that aren't in the news release.

Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
JStewart@PublicityHound.com

How to Write a Press Release for Buyers, Not Just for Journalists

2010-02-06T07:29:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days, finally, when the success of a press release you've written is determined by how many journalists deem the releases worthy of their time and attention.

Houston publicist Sharon Dotson, president of Bayou City Public Relations, knows that better than anybody.

Sharon says a press release she wrote for her client, Disc Inc., a Houston data conversion and recovery company, explained how the company duplicates CD and DVD labels that print as beautifully as silkscreen, but in small quantities. But apparently that isn't an interesting enough story for the local daily newspaper or business journal. Not even the local business magazines.

So is Sharon in trouble with the client? No way.

When people search the Internet using the keywords "CDs and DVD labels," the search engines are finding the release online and bringing plenty of new customers to the company's doorstep. That's because Sharon used that phrase in the headline, in the first paragraph and throughout the release.

"Before I started doing the press releases for Disc Inc., their website wasn't on the first page of Google for anything," Sharon said. "Not true anymore. The press releases are now on the first page for relevant keywords."

"How to write a press release" rules have changed

In the old days, we wrote press releases only for journalists. Today, smart PR people write press releases to attract buyers, not only journalists, and post them online.

Buyers who find your press release online can click on the link within the release that leads them to your website. And they can buy products and services you offer, even if a newspaper hasn't published the press release.

And if the media eventually cover the story?

As Sharon says: "Well, that's just gravy."

Here's how the rules for writing press releases have changed:

--We no longer write press releases only when we have "legitimate" news that we think is worthy of media attention.

--We no longer have to use the "who, what, when, where and why" formula high in the press release.

--We no longer have to write short press releases.

--No longer do we have to consider a press release a failure if it gets no media attention. If it brings people into our sales funnel, we can proclaim the release a success.

--Under the new rules, we don't measure the success of our releases by the number of clippings it has generated but by whether the press release has been able to change people's behavior.

Free tutorial and sample press releases show you how

My free email course called "89 Ways to Write Powerful Press Releases" shows you how to write direct-to-consumer press releases for the Internet--press releases that even the media will love.

Every day for 89 days in a row, I’ll give you one lesson, delivered via email, on how to write and distribute a press release. Each day, I’ll also give you one opportunity to write a release. For example, if you’re rolling out a new product, that’s one opportunity. Each day’s lesson will take you just a few minutes to read. You'll also see lots of sample press releases, including sample press releases that were rewritten and improved.

By the time you’re done, you’ll learn everything you need to start writing releases not only for journalists, but for the end user. And I’ll show you how to use your press releases to change people’s behavior. That is, to encourage people to do whatever you want them to do: buy tickets to your event, make a donation, test-drive your new product, see your catalog at your website, visit you at a trade show, or whatever.

You’ll see sample press releases for books, sample press releases for events, sample press releases for products, sample press releases for services, sample press releases for causes, and sample press releases for issues, and lots more. And you’ll get tips from some of the very best publicists, PR practitioners and Publicity Hounds on the planet. In fact, Sharon's release about the CDs and DVD labels is one of the sample press releases featured in the course.

You can start the tutorial at any time, and you can opt out of it at any time. Each week, I’ll concentrate on one specific aspect of press releases. The sample press releases are sprinkled throughout the course.

Spread the word about this press release writing course

Bloggers and ezine publishers should tell their readers about this course. If you work for a trade association, let your members know about this course. Companies can share this with their public relations departments. If you have a publicist or a PR agency that does your publicity, be sure to let them know about my tutorial. Be sure you show them the sample press releases and the "before" and "after" makeovers.

I’ve had a blast creating the press release course, and I can hardly wait to share it with you. Sign up for the free course here.

Direct comments or questions about this article, including requests for reprint rights, to:

Joan Stewart
The Publicity Hound
3434 County KK
Port Washington, WI 53074
Phone: 262-284-7451
Email

COME UP FOR SOME "AIR"

2010-01-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

"DEAD AIR" that is. It falls into the category of: "If it wasn't so sad I'd be funny." It's the story of the radio business and what's happened to it since the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 to the present. Millions upon millions of poor souls thrown into the abyss, the book will take you through some tragic tales of woe in the world of Media.

As a "funny house" announcer yelled over a microphone at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City many years ago:
"You'll laugh, you'll scream, you'll like it all right...the old funny house is now going on!"

ECONOMY GOT YOU DOWN?

2010-01-18T09:07:00.000-08:00

Your savings and 401 in the nearest toilet? You'll laugh yourself right into a rubber room when you order a copy of my e-book: "DEAD AIR" The destruction of the radio industry, now available at:
www.bob-curran-consultant.com.

"DEAD AIR" NOW IN LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

2009-12-24T05:25:00.000-08:00

"DEAD AIR" a story about the sad demise of the radio industry is now available through several web sites:
www.ebooksand.com
www.bob-curran-consultant.com

"DEAD AIR" CHAPTER ONE, AN INTRODUCTION

2009-12-14T07:05:00.000-08:00

One sunny March morning general sales manager Matthew Garcia was bounced down three flights of stairs and out into the parking lot on his ass from “Crux Communications” in Tampa, Florida. The “three flight bounce” was just a metaphor, an inside joke of an expression we were all using since this had become almost a weekly phenomena in Tampa both from Crux as well as their consolidated competitors, all throughout 2008 and 2009 as the recession deepened.

Matt was one of the most intelligent, creative, successful, educated and knowledgeable managers I had ever had the pleasure of working for. And with a black belt in Kung-Fu as well as history of being a successful boxer, the “stair bounce” would have taken me as well as several other 200 pound men to even come close to achieve.

It was, of course, to “save money” for the company since Matthew had negotiated a salary far superior to some other managers at the company and was thus an ‘easy target’ as he put it. And he was worth it. He had more then doubled the average commercial rate for the radio station we both worked for since we both began our careers there in 2004. I had ‘retired’ the month before to write this book.

During the same period of time somewhere in Nebraska, again to save money, another one of the huge consolidators, “Carrier Wave Communications” was enthusiastically encouraging the listeners to their country station to “come on down here, y’all!!” to the fairgrounds where a huge country music fest was about to take place. Trouble was that, again to ‘save money’ the announcements had been pre-recorded two weeks prior and didn’t take into account the reality of the current weather situation. A huge hurricane was about to touch down right in the middle of the venue. Despite frantic warnings from the National Weather service, the fans ignored the ‘breaking news’, totally bought into the content of the two week old announcements, supposedly “live” and over 300 cars ended up under water or heavily damaged with mud as the banks of a neighboring river overflowed, the performers had long abandoned the stage and were “hunkered down” in their tour buses. It took 36 towing companies and the threat of a class action lawsuit for “Carrier Wave” to finally let go of their ‘act of God’ cowardice excuses and make good on all of the damages, well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Not to mention the skull cracked open of one fan, who dove from his vehicle into the torrent to retrieve his false buck teeth, smashing his head open on a boulder hidden by the rushing waters.

Within the same month a business manager, a lady who had been at “Nimbus” Communications for 13 years, drove into her garage, knowing that she HAD to quit her position since the cameras and the ‘big brother’ monitoring of every employee’s every keystroke, every computer action and every phone call---along with constant harassing threats from upper management each day---had broken her down into a semi catatonic state. She knew she had to quit but also knew that she’d lose her house if she did. So she simply left her car running and hit the garage door remote, quickly succumbing to carbon monoxide death. What happened with this once thriving business?

"DEAD AIR"

2009-12-14T07:02:00.000-08:00

CHAPTER ONE, coming to a blog near you.

"DEAD AIR"

2009-12-14T06:51:00.000-08:00

Basically a humorous autobiography of my first 10 years in the radio business and how it has changed since the "Telecommunications Act" of 1996 allowed giant consolidators took over and watered down the "product" this "VOLUME ONE" will take you on a roller coaster ride through several companies and states. What essentially happened was that these 'captains of industry' did a great disservice to what they had claimed were their three main groups of customers:
1. Their listeners
2. Their advertisers
3. Their employees.
You might as well as include their investors or stockholders as well since many of these huge monopolies are now facing bankruptcy. i suggest you subscribe to one of my mentor's free daily blogs for some continuous daily updates on the unfolding drama. it's "the professor" himself, Jerry Del Colliano's free daily blogs called INSIDE MUSIC MEDIA. The beauty of radio was that it once was "live and local." No more. My manuscript is being sent to the Library of Congress as we speak (post?) for copyright protection.

PROGRESS WITH MY NEW BOOK

2009-12-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

There are several agents and publishers interested in publishing my e-book "DEAD AIR" and will promote it on 24,000 web sites. The manuscript is complete.

Dead Air-The Destruction of the Radio Industry

2009-12-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

After 23 three years in the Radio/Advertising industry I have decided to write a book. If this subject interest you make sure to get a copy of my new book 'DEAD AIR' about the sad demise of the radio industry due to consolidation from the Telecommunications act of 1996. It will be available in e-book form and you'll either laugh or cry yourself to sleep after reading it.

Stay tuned to this blog. The ebook will be published shortly
-

Coming E-Book

2009-11-30T04:29:00.000-08:00

It's only days away the story everyone's been waiting for..DEAD AIR

Many Thanks

2009-10-29T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hats off to Peter Scribner of Cool Websites Today for his tireless efforts on my behalf in the confusing world of technology.

"DEAD AIR"

2009-10-29T09:26:00.001-07:00

Make sure to get a copy of my new book 'DEAD AIR' about the sad demise of the radio industry due to consolidation from the Telecommunications act of 1996. It will be available in e-book form and you'll either laugh or cry yourself to sleep after reading it.
--Bob

2009-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

"Discover How YOU Can Have Instant Access To Your Very Own Line Of Smoking Hot, In-Demand Products... Without Having To Spend Hundreds Of Dollars Or Weeks Of Writing!"

More information

Resume Writing Secrets

2009-10-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

"Discover The Hidden Rules and Secrets Of Crafting A Professional Resume That Will Never Require You To Follow The Rules You Hear From The Grapevine And Easily Find Your Dream Job To Fit Like A custom-made Suit!"

It doesn't matter if this is the first time you are trying to write a professional resume for finding your dream job, this guide will help you to get on a right track of resume writing. More information