I read the Twin Cities Business Journal on a regular basis, and this morning, I read an article that caught my attention; apparently, the Twin Cities has too many professional sports teams.
The study was conducted by Portfolio.com, and they tested 82 markets to determine the financial capacity of cities in both the United States and Canada to support professional sports. The professional sports they studied are teams in baseball, football, basketball, football and soccer.
Here in the Twin Cities, we have a Major League Baseball (MLB) team, the Twins. We have a team in the National Football League (NFL), the Vikings. A team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Timberwolves, and finally, a team in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Wild.
This is the second time the Twin Cities has had four teams, in four major leagues. This region had four teams from 1989-1993. The Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves and our old NHL team, the North Stars. Of course, the North Stars moved to Dallas at the end of the 1993 season.
So, we've done this before, and we've done well - in my estimation. The reason the North Stars left had nothing to do with attendance (having been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs a couple years earlier). The move had a little to do with the arena (the Met Center was getting old, and with the Timberwolves' new Target Center having opened a year earlier, made it hard for the Bloomington arena to stay competitive). The move had a great deal to do with Stars' owner Norm Green and personal issues he was dealing with, including his marriage.
I read somewhere that Norm's wife (I believe it was in Jay Weiner's 2000 book Stadium Games) gave Norm an ultimatum: either sell the team, or move to Dallas. And to the disappointment of many Minnesotans, Green chose the latter.
The Twin Cities got an NHL franchise back on June 22, 1997, to begin play in 2000, and we've been a four-team market ever since. The Twins stuck it out and waited 11 years to get a new ballpark to keep them competitive. The Wild sell out every game at the Xcel Energy Center. The Timberwolves are happy, just uncompetitive on the court.
This is just my opinion, but instead of complaining about having too many teams, wouldn't that be considered a good business model? A market this size, supporting four teams? The Twin Cities isn't the size of Los Angeles, and yet, we have an NFL team, Los Angeles doesn't. Saint Louis is a good-sized market, as is Kansas City; and neither has an NBA team. Kansas City had all four teams back in the 70s, but lost their NBA team to Sacramento in 1985; and their three-year-old NHL team to Denver in 1975.
I don't quite understand why soccer was thrown into the mix. Yes, we do have a pro soccer team here, the Minnesota Thunder, but they are in a minor-league type situation. They are not a member franchise of MLS (Major League Soccer), which sometimes uses NFL stadiums for their games; although, many teams are building smaller, soccer-specific stadiums.
With the stadium issue of the Minnesota Vikings once again waiting to rear its head in the 2010 Minnesota State Legislative session, and the NFL deciding to cut its revenue-sharing program for smaller-market teams (i.e. the Vikings), it will be interesting to see how much longer the Twin Cities will remain a market with four (five if you throw in the Thunder) pro teams. But, so far, I think we're doing well.
To read the article from the Twin Cities Business Journal, click here:
http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/12/14/story9.html
Thanks for reading, and have a great Christmas season.
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Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Minnesota Twins PR Part 2 - Rebranding
In my second installment of analyzing the Minnesota Twins' PR, on the way to opening their new ballpark, I'd like to discuss their recent re-branding efforts, as they are headed into their 50th season of baseball in Minnesota.
The Twins re-branding effort does not have too many major changes. There are some small changes. The new primary logo is similar to what they have now, with the exception of the word "Minnesota Twins Baseball Club" added to it. This is a little strange to me. I think most people, especially those in Minnesota and neighboring states, understand full well that the Twins are a baseball team.
This is my opinion, but if your product is good (this applies to all business), if your company is respectable or if your company has been around for 50 years or more, you shouldn't have to tell people what it is. For instance, the big, cursive, capital G is the logo for General Mills. The logo says it all. People know the logo, they trust the products with that logo on it and they purchase products with that logo on it. General Mills' logo speaks for itself, they don't need to add to their logo "cereal company."
A good corporate brand should be able to speak for itself.
The Twins have also designed a commemorative logo to honor both their 50th season in Minnesota and their inaugural season at Target Field. Both were designed very well. The inaugural logo is maybe a tad overboard on the blue tones; but still looks nice. The colors on the 50-year logo blend very nicely together and create a sharp, distinctive image.
Lastly, there have been some more noticeable changes on the uniforms for the 2010 season. The road uniform seems to have undergone the most significant changes. It is a slightly lighter shade of grey (the Grateful Dead song is probably coming to mind right about now) than the previous road uniform that has been used since the 1987 season. The pinstripes on the road uniform are also gone. Instead of a block-letter "Minnesota" across the chest of the uniform, "Minnesota" now stands out in a very nice script logo.
The primary home uniform is virtually unchanged, but I've saved the best for last. Last season, the final season at the Dome, the Twins designed an alternate home uniform that replicated the uniforms the Twins wore the first year in the Dome in 1982. The Twins have designed another "throwback" home uniform that replicates the home uniforms worn in the 1960s at Met Stadium, when Twins fans cheered on Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew. The color scheme, script logo and sleeve logo from the 1960s jersey is replicated in this new alternate jersey that will be worn for Saturday home games.
All in all, the Twins have done a good job in re-branding themselves for the next generation of baseball here in Minnesota. To take a look at the changes yourself, click this link: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/photogallery/year_2009/month_11/day_16/cf7673110.html
The Twins re-branding effort does not have too many major changes. There are some small changes. The new primary logo is similar to what they have now, with the exception of the word "Minnesota Twins Baseball Club" added to it. This is a little strange to me. I think most people, especially those in Minnesota and neighboring states, understand full well that the Twins are a baseball team.
This is my opinion, but if your product is good (this applies to all business), if your company is respectable or if your company has been around for 50 years or more, you shouldn't have to tell people what it is. For instance, the big, cursive, capital G is the logo for General Mills. The logo says it all. People know the logo, they trust the products with that logo on it and they purchase products with that logo on it. General Mills' logo speaks for itself, they don't need to add to their logo "cereal company."
A good corporate brand should be able to speak for itself.
The Twins have also designed a commemorative logo to honor both their 50th season in Minnesota and their inaugural season at Target Field. Both were designed very well. The inaugural logo is maybe a tad overboard on the blue tones; but still looks nice. The colors on the 50-year logo blend very nicely together and create a sharp, distinctive image.
Lastly, there have been some more noticeable changes on the uniforms for the 2010 season. The road uniform seems to have undergone the most significant changes. It is a slightly lighter shade of grey (the Grateful Dead song is probably coming to mind right about now) than the previous road uniform that has been used since the 1987 season. The pinstripes on the road uniform are also gone. Instead of a block-letter "Minnesota" across the chest of the uniform, "Minnesota" now stands out in a very nice script logo.
The primary home uniform is virtually unchanged, but I've saved the best for last. Last season, the final season at the Dome, the Twins designed an alternate home uniform that replicated the uniforms the Twins wore the first year in the Dome in 1982. The Twins have designed another "throwback" home uniform that replicates the home uniforms worn in the 1960s at Met Stadium, when Twins fans cheered on Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew. The color scheme, script logo and sleeve logo from the 1960s jersey is replicated in this new alternate jersey that will be worn for Saturday home games.
All in all, the Twins have done a good job in re-branding themselves for the next generation of baseball here in Minnesota. To take a look at the changes yourself, click this link: http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/min/photogallery/year_2009/month_11/day_16/cf7673110.html
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Minnesota Twins' moving sale
Again, I'm sorry for my absence in writing. It's just that I've waited for something to write about. I thought over my next couple entries, it might be fun to analyze the PR of the Minnesota Twins organization in getting ready for their move to Target Field next season. So, I will attempt to do that over my next few entries.
The first PR move that I thought would be good to talk about was last weekend's "moving sale." Not to be degrading or anything, (I think most of my readers will find this funny), do you want to know how to win a Minnesotan’s heart? Tell them there’s a garage sale.
I am technically not from Minnesota. I was born in South Dakota. But, being that I’ve lived in Minnesota since I was 6 months old, I do know that Minnesotans love garage sales. Last weekend, the Minnesota Twins had a "garage sale" – unloading 28 years worth of stuff accumulated during their tenure at the Metrodome.
Call it what you want – garage sale, moving sale, rummage sale (actually all of those terms were used to describe it) – the Twins did something I have not seen another team do before moving to a new stadium. I try to be very on top of who is getting new stadiums, arenas, ballparks; and this is the first time I’ve heard of a team unloading years worth of stuff for their fans’ benefit.
I thought the Twins organized this event very well. I got there early enough to be standing in line in front of Gate D (I’ll admit, the line went further back than that). The entry was Gate F. The Twins offered free parking in their surface lot, which as you can imagine was full. I arrived at the stadium at 9:30 and it still took me until 10:15 to get inside. They also made sure that everyone didn't enter at the same time. They did let people enter in shifts, so as to prevent over-crowding in the 22-foot-wide concourses.
The Twins had everything: pennants, baseballs, caps, shirts, posters, publications, banners…you name it, they probably had it. The strange part was that all this paraphernalia was inside the concourse. I thought, “why not have it on the field?” Well, the tape recording on the outside of the stadium told us why: there was an Augsburg-Saint Johns football game at 11.
Inside, while being crowded, was also very organized. At each table, you told the volunteers what items you wanted, they bagged it up for you, and you pushed your way through the concourse – table after table, until you got to the cashiers in front of Gate H. At least they didn’t make people pay at every table. It was hard enough trying to see over everyone’s shoulder trying to see what was there.
Some of the items were of no interest to me; I’ve never been a collector of bobbleheads. I know collectors love them and they go for hundreds of dollars on eBay, but I was after the “harder to find” things. For instance, I was able to snag a program from the groundbreaking of Target Field – the original date. The Twins had to move the groundbreaking ceremony back three weeks in 2007 in respect for the victims of the 35W bridge collapse. The program I got had the original August 2, 2007 date on it.
There were promotional items from the final season at the Dome I picked up, including plastic ticket holders (which, if you read a blog entry I did about the final Twins game at the Dome, you can understand why I got these). Also in the mix I got a Target Field calendar, a 2009 opening day pennant, a Kirby Puckett Weekend program, and some other small things.
This event was supposed to go from 10am to 4pm. A gentleman I spoke with in the line to pay told me he didn’t think the sale would go until 4pm, the way things were going. The Twins said that anything that wasn’t sold would be saved for other events like TwinsFest. And some items would be placed in a museum at Target Field.
Overall, as impromptu as this event was (I believe the full details were announced only about a week before the actual sale), it was a success; and really was a good PR move by the Twins. It provided a once-in-a-lifetime (for some) opportunity to get items that most teams would probably throw away. If the Minnesota Vikings ever get their new stadium built, hopefully they took notes on how well this event turned out for the Twins.
For November 7, the weather was nice for everyone standing outside waiting to get in. It was probably a major factor in why 15,000 people came. Amidst our ill-conceived idea to build a ballpark sans-retractable roof, it’s possible the weather gnomes will begin to show us favor. Either that or they’re gearing up to pull a real good one on us come April 12, 2010, the scheduled opener for Target Field against the Boston Red Sox, and dump six inches of snow about the same time Joe Mauer steps to the plate for the first time.
The first PR move that I thought would be good to talk about was last weekend's "moving sale." Not to be degrading or anything, (I think most of my readers will find this funny), do you want to know how to win a Minnesotan’s heart? Tell them there’s a garage sale.
I am technically not from Minnesota. I was born in South Dakota. But, being that I’ve lived in Minnesota since I was 6 months old, I do know that Minnesotans love garage sales. Last weekend, the Minnesota Twins had a "garage sale" – unloading 28 years worth of stuff accumulated during their tenure at the Metrodome.
Call it what you want – garage sale, moving sale, rummage sale (actually all of those terms were used to describe it) – the Twins did something I have not seen another team do before moving to a new stadium. I try to be very on top of who is getting new stadiums, arenas, ballparks; and this is the first time I’ve heard of a team unloading years worth of stuff for their fans’ benefit.
I thought the Twins organized this event very well. I got there early enough to be standing in line in front of Gate D (I’ll admit, the line went further back than that). The entry was Gate F. The Twins offered free parking in their surface lot, which as you can imagine was full. I arrived at the stadium at 9:30 and it still took me until 10:15 to get inside. They also made sure that everyone didn't enter at the same time. They did let people enter in shifts, so as to prevent over-crowding in the 22-foot-wide concourses.
The Twins had everything: pennants, baseballs, caps, shirts, posters, publications, banners…you name it, they probably had it. The strange part was that all this paraphernalia was inside the concourse. I thought, “why not have it on the field?” Well, the tape recording on the outside of the stadium told us why: there was an Augsburg-Saint Johns football game at 11.
Inside, while being crowded, was also very organized. At each table, you told the volunteers what items you wanted, they bagged it up for you, and you pushed your way through the concourse – table after table, until you got to the cashiers in front of Gate H. At least they didn’t make people pay at every table. It was hard enough trying to see over everyone’s shoulder trying to see what was there.
Some of the items were of no interest to me; I’ve never been a collector of bobbleheads. I know collectors love them and they go for hundreds of dollars on eBay, but I was after the “harder to find” things. For instance, I was able to snag a program from the groundbreaking of Target Field – the original date. The Twins had to move the groundbreaking ceremony back three weeks in 2007 in respect for the victims of the 35W bridge collapse. The program I got had the original August 2, 2007 date on it.
There were promotional items from the final season at the Dome I picked up, including plastic ticket holders (which, if you read a blog entry I did about the final Twins game at the Dome, you can understand why I got these). Also in the mix I got a Target Field calendar, a 2009 opening day pennant, a Kirby Puckett Weekend program, and some other small things.
This event was supposed to go from 10am to 4pm. A gentleman I spoke with in the line to pay told me he didn’t think the sale would go until 4pm, the way things were going. The Twins said that anything that wasn’t sold would be saved for other events like TwinsFest. And some items would be placed in a museum at Target Field.
Overall, as impromptu as this event was (I believe the full details were announced only about a week before the actual sale), it was a success; and really was a good PR move by the Twins. It provided a once-in-a-lifetime (for some) opportunity to get items that most teams would probably throw away. If the Minnesota Vikings ever get their new stadium built, hopefully they took notes on how well this event turned out for the Twins.
For November 7, the weather was nice for everyone standing outside waiting to get in. It was probably a major factor in why 15,000 people came. Amidst our ill-conceived idea to build a ballpark sans-retractable roof, it’s possible the weather gnomes will begin to show us favor. Either that or they’re gearing up to pull a real good one on us come April 12, 2010, the scheduled opener for Target Field against the Boston Red Sox, and dump six inches of snow about the same time Joe Mauer steps to the plate for the first time.
Friday, October 9, 2009
When tragedy strikes at the arena
Some of you might have heard it on SportsCenter this morning, like I did. As fans were leaving the St. Louis Blues' (NHL) game at the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, one of the escalators carrying fans malfunctioned and several were injured in the accident.
No one was killed, thankfully. Thirteen people were injured, according to the story at http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/958726.html . Things do happen, even at the sports arena. Several years ago, Wayne Gretzky's wife was struck in the head by a piece of plexiglass that had come loose after a hockey player slammed an opponent into it. About 12 years ago, a section of bleachers, loaded with fans collapsed at a San Jose Sharks home game. And in 2002, a 13-year-old girl was killed by an errant hockey puck that flew over the plexiglass, and hit her in the head.
These incidents have just happened in the National Hockey League (NHL). Other professional sports have had similar incidents at their games in various arenas.
A gentleman from Belleville, IL, Shayne Hill, was seriously hurt in the accident. His foot got caught at the bottom of the escalator where two of the stairs collapsed into each other. His shoe had to be cut off to get him free. If being caught at the bottom of an escalator, "with nowhere to go" as he put it wasn't bad enough, other fans on the escalator had started falling on top of him.
Another fan had pushed the emergency stop on the escalator to prevent further injuries. If that hadn't happened, Hill said, "It could have been a lot worse." The Blues, while seemingly not issuing much in the news release category (at least that I saw) did spring into action. Dave Checketts, an executive with the team visited injured persons in the hospital. “He apologized for the incident in person, which I thought was a very nice gesture," Hill said.
Hill also said that he had tickets for this Saturday's (Oct. 10) game in the 300 level of the arena. With an injured foot, it's all but an impossibility to get up there. "[The Blues] graciously offered to upgrade my seats to be (team President) John Davidson's personal guest in his suite," Hill said.
I did not see a written statement or a news release on the Saint Louis Blues website. This surprised me; just because so many people were involved, and if nothing else, to reassure fans attending future Blues games at the Scottrade Center, that it is safe to attend events there.
"The safety of our fans is always our first and foremost concern. We are hopeful that they are well and being taken care of and we have already begun to investigate the cause of the accident," was the only 'statement' I could find regarding the incident (quoted in the article link above). It was made by Eric Gelfand, a spokesman for SCP Worldwide - the group that manages the Scottrade Center.
However, FOX2 in Saint Louis, reports that Peter McLoughlin, CEO of Blues Enterprises did make a statement saying, "The safety of our fans and customers is always first and most in our minds." That is almost identical to what Gelfand said.
Actions do speak louder than words-or a press release even. The Blues organization did visit injured fans in the hospital. The Blues president did make a very nice gesture to Hill by allowing him to sit in the owner's suite as a replacement for his Saturday game tickets. But, what about someone like Kim Muren, also of Belleville and injured in the accident, who said in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she, "never plans to ride an escalator again after this."
So, given Muren's comment, it seems that a little damage control is in order for the Saint Louis Blues. Which leads me back to my statement earlier, that a press release or a written statement by the organization posted on the website would have gone a long way for fans like Muren, who now, will think twice when deciding where to buy seats for events at the Scottrade Center.
No one was killed, thankfully. Thirteen people were injured, according to the story at http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/958726.html . Things do happen, even at the sports arena. Several years ago, Wayne Gretzky's wife was struck in the head by a piece of plexiglass that had come loose after a hockey player slammed an opponent into it. About 12 years ago, a section of bleachers, loaded with fans collapsed at a San Jose Sharks home game. And in 2002, a 13-year-old girl was killed by an errant hockey puck that flew over the plexiglass, and hit her in the head.
These incidents have just happened in the National Hockey League (NHL). Other professional sports have had similar incidents at their games in various arenas.
A gentleman from Belleville, IL, Shayne Hill, was seriously hurt in the accident. His foot got caught at the bottom of the escalator where two of the stairs collapsed into each other. His shoe had to be cut off to get him free. If being caught at the bottom of an escalator, "with nowhere to go" as he put it wasn't bad enough, other fans on the escalator had started falling on top of him.
Another fan had pushed the emergency stop on the escalator to prevent further injuries. If that hadn't happened, Hill said, "It could have been a lot worse." The Blues, while seemingly not issuing much in the news release category (at least that I saw) did spring into action. Dave Checketts, an executive with the team visited injured persons in the hospital. “He apologized for the incident in person, which I thought was a very nice gesture," Hill said.
Hill also said that he had tickets for this Saturday's (Oct. 10) game in the 300 level of the arena. With an injured foot, it's all but an impossibility to get up there. "[The Blues] graciously offered to upgrade my seats to be (team President) John Davidson's personal guest in his suite," Hill said.
I did not see a written statement or a news release on the Saint Louis Blues website. This surprised me; just because so many people were involved, and if nothing else, to reassure fans attending future Blues games at the Scottrade Center, that it is safe to attend events there.
"The safety of our fans is always our first and foremost concern. We are hopeful that they are well and being taken care of and we have already begun to investigate the cause of the accident," was the only 'statement' I could find regarding the incident (quoted in the article link above). It was made by Eric Gelfand, a spokesman for SCP Worldwide - the group that manages the Scottrade Center.
However, FOX2 in Saint Louis, reports that Peter McLoughlin, CEO of Blues Enterprises did make a statement saying, "The safety of our fans and customers is always first and most in our minds." That is almost identical to what Gelfand said.
Actions do speak louder than words-or a press release even. The Blues organization did visit injured fans in the hospital. The Blues president did make a very nice gesture to Hill by allowing him to sit in the owner's suite as a replacement for his Saturday game tickets. But, what about someone like Kim Muren, also of Belleville and injured in the accident, who said in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch that she, "never plans to ride an escalator again after this."
So, given Muren's comment, it seems that a little damage control is in order for the Saint Louis Blues. Which leads me back to my statement earlier, that a press release or a written statement by the organization posted on the website would have gone a long way for fans like Muren, who now, will think twice when deciding where to buy seats for events at the Scottrade Center.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Memories of the Metrodome
Or what we thought was the final game at the Dome. Final regular-season game it turned out to be.
I am a collector of sports stuff from inaugural games, final games, etc. Back in April, I perused eBay for a ticket from the "Final Dome Opener," and am still on my quest to find one, even though I wasn't there. But one fellow eBayer emailed me and said "I'd be willing to sell you tickets to the last game, and you can keep the tickets as souvenirs."
So, he did. We settled on a fair price, which he informed me was about the cheapest I'd find them. So, I was one of 51,400 fans present at the Dome on October 4, 2009.
It truly was a great game. Even though it wasn't the "final" game, it was still exciting and felt very much like 1987. Here are just some of my thoughts on the final regular-season game at the Dome.
Being amongst that many fans is a Twins experience I've had maybe once. I was at the Dome in 1987 awaiting the team's arrival with 55,000 fans. This was after the Twins beat Detroit and was on their way home for the World Series.
The crowd was electric. I was up in Section 232 Row 19 with my brother. We'd been planning this outing for months. It dawned on me in the bottom of the 3rd inning, that my dad and I sat in Section 232 for the first Twins game I ever went to back in 1986.
I don't know how the Vikings cope with sellout crowds in the claustrophobic concourses at the Dome. And the Vikes draw 15,000 more than the Twins did on Sunday. It took quite some time to get to the concession stands; and if you wanted to go to the restroom...forget it.
We had a gentleman in our section who really made it a fun night. He bought out two vendors' supply. Early on in the game, he bought one vendor's supply of cotton candy, and just threw bags of whipped sugar to folks in Sec. 232, and even one in Sec. 233. Later on, he did the same to the Cracker Jack vendor, and distributed Cracker Jack in the same manner. One comment that came from a fan above us, "When's the beer coming?"
You couldn't ask for a more fitting regular-season finale. Twins 13 Royals 4. Incidentally, the final game at Met Stadium in 1981 was also against the Royals. Apparently, only 16,000 showed up for that game. And, a tie-breaker playoff game to boot. Considering the Twins lost their inaugural home opener at the Dome in 1982, and went on to have an abysmal 60-102 record, it only seemed fitting to close the place out with a playoff appearance.
Surprisingly, only about 30,000 stayed for the post-game ceremony. My brother and I were going to stay until the very end. The ceremony was terrific. Seeing all the old "Dome-era" players on the field was really something. Emotions started to rise, goosebumps and lumps in the throat formed when radio announcer John Gordon, who was the ceremony's emcee announced, "There is only one member of the All Metrodome Team who is not with us." That of course being Kirby Puckett, who died in 2006. They even played an old tape of the Twins' original PA announcer Bob Casey (who also passed away several years ago) calling out the infamous announcement, "Batting third, center-fielder, number 34, Kirbeeeeeee Puckett!"
And, the number one moment in the Top 100 Metrodome Moments countdown, which they've done live at the games all season, was the now infamous home run by Puckett in game six, with Jack Buck's call, "and we'll see ya, tomorrow night." Also, beginning last season, a countdown placard over in left field counted down from 162 (2 home seasons of 81 games each, also a full Major League season). I went to TwinsFest this year, when the placard was at 81. And, seeing the final number come off the sign was exciting. The sign reads "Countdown to Outdoor Baseball." Under the number one, was a bulls-eye, the logo for the Twins' new ballpark naming sponsor, Target.
There was also a video presentation live from Target Field where other Twins greats, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva raised Twins flags at the ballpark site.
Kent Hrbek made some comments about the game - including the fact that it was not going to be the last of the last games at the Dome. "You guys screwed up my whole speech," he said. But, even with the "stupid roof" as he called it, there were great memories at the Metrodome. In preparing the crowd for the tie-breaker game, Hrbek said, "It gives us a chance to drink some more beer!"
Who knows how much longer the Dome will last for the Twins. Already, the Vikings are re-doing signage outside the stadium, with large pictures of Vikings players above the gates, and all across the top of the stadium, purple banners; some of which bear the stadium's new moniker: Mall of America Field. There is very little evidence remaining outside of the stadium that a baseball team ever played there.
The only negative of the day, on my way out, the tickets I used to get inside the stadium, fell out of my program as I went through the revolving door.
I am a collector of sports stuff from inaugural games, final games, etc. Back in April, I perused eBay for a ticket from the "Final Dome Opener," and am still on my quest to find one, even though I wasn't there. But one fellow eBayer emailed me and said "I'd be willing to sell you tickets to the last game, and you can keep the tickets as souvenirs."
So, he did. We settled on a fair price, which he informed me was about the cheapest I'd find them. So, I was one of 51,400 fans present at the Dome on October 4, 2009.
It truly was a great game. Even though it wasn't the "final" game, it was still exciting and felt very much like 1987. Here are just some of my thoughts on the final regular-season game at the Dome.
Being amongst that many fans is a Twins experience I've had maybe once. I was at the Dome in 1987 awaiting the team's arrival with 55,000 fans. This was after the Twins beat Detroit and was on their way home for the World Series.
The crowd was electric. I was up in Section 232 Row 19 with my brother. We'd been planning this outing for months. It dawned on me in the bottom of the 3rd inning, that my dad and I sat in Section 232 for the first Twins game I ever went to back in 1986.
I don't know how the Vikings cope with sellout crowds in the claustrophobic concourses at the Dome. And the Vikes draw 15,000 more than the Twins did on Sunday. It took quite some time to get to the concession stands; and if you wanted to go to the restroom...forget it.
We had a gentleman in our section who really made it a fun night. He bought out two vendors' supply. Early on in the game, he bought one vendor's supply of cotton candy, and just threw bags of whipped sugar to folks in Sec. 232, and even one in Sec. 233. Later on, he did the same to the Cracker Jack vendor, and distributed Cracker Jack in the same manner. One comment that came from a fan above us, "When's the beer coming?"
You couldn't ask for a more fitting regular-season finale. Twins 13 Royals 4. Incidentally, the final game at Met Stadium in 1981 was also against the Royals. Apparently, only 16,000 showed up for that game. And, a tie-breaker playoff game to boot. Considering the Twins lost their inaugural home opener at the Dome in 1982, and went on to have an abysmal 60-102 record, it only seemed fitting to close the place out with a playoff appearance.
Surprisingly, only about 30,000 stayed for the post-game ceremony. My brother and I were going to stay until the very end. The ceremony was terrific. Seeing all the old "Dome-era" players on the field was really something. Emotions started to rise, goosebumps and lumps in the throat formed when radio announcer John Gordon, who was the ceremony's emcee announced, "There is only one member of the All Metrodome Team who is not with us." That of course being Kirby Puckett, who died in 2006. They even played an old tape of the Twins' original PA announcer Bob Casey (who also passed away several years ago) calling out the infamous announcement, "Batting third, center-fielder, number 34, Kirbeeeeeee Puckett!"
And, the number one moment in the Top 100 Metrodome Moments countdown, which they've done live at the games all season, was the now infamous home run by Puckett in game six, with Jack Buck's call, "and we'll see ya, tomorrow night." Also, beginning last season, a countdown placard over in left field counted down from 162 (2 home seasons of 81 games each, also a full Major League season). I went to TwinsFest this year, when the placard was at 81. And, seeing the final number come off the sign was exciting. The sign reads "Countdown to Outdoor Baseball." Under the number one, was a bulls-eye, the logo for the Twins' new ballpark naming sponsor, Target.
There was also a video presentation live from Target Field where other Twins greats, Harmon Killebrew and Tony Oliva raised Twins flags at the ballpark site.
Kent Hrbek made some comments about the game - including the fact that it was not going to be the last of the last games at the Dome. "You guys screwed up my whole speech," he said. But, even with the "stupid roof" as he called it, there were great memories at the Metrodome. In preparing the crowd for the tie-breaker game, Hrbek said, "It gives us a chance to drink some more beer!"
Who knows how much longer the Dome will last for the Twins. Already, the Vikings are re-doing signage outside the stadium, with large pictures of Vikings players above the gates, and all across the top of the stadium, purple banners; some of which bear the stadium's new moniker: Mall of America Field. There is very little evidence remaining outside of the stadium that a baseball team ever played there.
The only negative of the day, on my way out, the tickets I used to get inside the stadium, fell out of my program as I went through the revolving door.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
The Metrodome Gets a New Name
Imagine my shock today, when I looked at my daily email from the Twin Cities Business Journal saying that the Vikings have sold the field naming rights to the Mall of America.(http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2009/09/28/daily47.html?ed=2009-10-01&ana=e_du_pub)
Call it what you want, the Hump, the Dump, the Humpty Dumpty...this one does take me by surprise. I know why they named the place the way they did back in 1982: after Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. But, the Dome seems to be a mediocre tribute to a famous Minnesota politician.
The article cites reasons why the Vikings did it: they are the only tenant left in the Dome as of next Monday (Oct. 5). The Gophers are gone, and the Twins will be moving into their new Target Field next April; however, the transition of the Twins offices to the new ballpark will probably take place much sooner. This deal is at least one means of making some extra revenue for the Vikings - now that they don't have 81 guaranteed nights of revenue from concessions, tickets, advertising and so forth.
The article begs the question, why would the Vikings ink a deal like this, with only a year-and-a-half left on their lease? They've been telling us for years, at the end of the 2011 season, their time is up. So, will a naming rights deal with the Mall of America really make that much of a difference?
There seems to be a catch, however. The naming deal does not expire until February 2012. According to the article, "the [Vikings] described the arrangements as a short-term rebranding effort." The fact that it is a "rebranding effort" piques my curiosity. I know that there has been some light talk as of late about a renovated Metrodome which the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (the group that operates the Dome) touts as "Metrodome Next."
So, is this to suggest that the wheels are spinning for "Metrodome Next" to come to fruition; and the naming deal with the Mall of America is an inroad to the future of the Vikings and the Metrodome? I'm not entirely sure what is meant by a "short-term rebranding effort," usually, if you re-brand something, it's should stick for more than three years. Are the Vikings suggesting that a much larger re-branding effort is in the works somewhere?
The new naming rights deal will be unveiled on Monday Oct. 5 (the day after the Twins' final home game) during the Monday Night Football (R) matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Call it what you want, the Hump, the Dump, the Humpty Dumpty...this one does take me by surprise. I know why they named the place the way they did back in 1982: after Senator Hubert H. Humphrey. But, the Dome seems to be a mediocre tribute to a famous Minnesota politician.
The article cites reasons why the Vikings did it: they are the only tenant left in the Dome as of next Monday (Oct. 5). The Gophers are gone, and the Twins will be moving into their new Target Field next April; however, the transition of the Twins offices to the new ballpark will probably take place much sooner. This deal is at least one means of making some extra revenue for the Vikings - now that they don't have 81 guaranteed nights of revenue from concessions, tickets, advertising and so forth.
The article begs the question, why would the Vikings ink a deal like this, with only a year-and-a-half left on their lease? They've been telling us for years, at the end of the 2011 season, their time is up. So, will a naming rights deal with the Mall of America really make that much of a difference?
There seems to be a catch, however. The naming deal does not expire until February 2012. According to the article, "the [Vikings] described the arrangements as a short-term rebranding effort." The fact that it is a "rebranding effort" piques my curiosity. I know that there has been some light talk as of late about a renovated Metrodome which the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (the group that operates the Dome) touts as "Metrodome Next."
So, is this to suggest that the wheels are spinning for "Metrodome Next" to come to fruition; and the naming deal with the Mall of America is an inroad to the future of the Vikings and the Metrodome? I'm not entirely sure what is meant by a "short-term rebranding effort," usually, if you re-brand something, it's should stick for more than three years. Are the Vikings suggesting that a much larger re-branding effort is in the works somewhere?
The new naming rights deal will be unveiled on Monday Oct. 5 (the day after the Twins' final home game) during the Monday Night Football (R) matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Finally, back on campus
Well, unfortunately, I wasn't at the Gophers-Air Force game on Sept. 12 to welcome on-campus football back to the University of Minnesota. But, I can proudly say, I watched the entire game on the Big Ten Network; and for me, it was fun seeing a Gopher home game in a setting other than the Metrodome.
The commentators raved all night long about how the stadium "was done right." Still, others have commented to me that TCF Bank Stadium, "looks just like the old one." Well, maybe not EXACTLY like the old one.
Memorial Stadium was the last on-campus stadium at the U of M, vacated in 1981 for the sterile Metrodome a couple miles away. And, there were plenty of things missing in that stadium that are present in TCF Bank Stadium. Memorial Stadium, aka "the brickhouse" had all bench seating. TCF Stadium has about half bench seating, half chair-back seating. However, the University has taken an interesting approach to the bleacher seating. For a little over $40 a year, season ticket holders in the bleacher areas of the stadium can have a stadium seat installed professionally.
This site: http://www.twinsballpark2010.com in a post entitled "A Football Place - Nuts and Bolts" has some good pictures of what the installed stadium seats look like.
And of course, TCF Stadium has a much larger, hi-def video scoreboard, private suites, artificial turf (that really does look like grass) - all amenities that were absent at Memorial Stadium.
Amidst the excitement of being back on campus, and high praise from TV commentators, the opening was not without a few glitches. Many reports said that entry into the stadium was slow - with security measures and all. A big complaint was the concession operations. Apparently, the concession stands at the stadium don't have cash registers. They use a barcode system for each concession item, then add the total on your basic Texas Instrument calculator.
Hmm...almost $300 million to build the place, and no cash registers. Alcohol is also absent from the stadium. You might remember there was a big discussion about alcohol sales at the stadium, whether it should be available in the high-priced seats only, or to everyone. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty basically put it all into perspective, "it's available to everybody, or nobody." So, they went with nobody.
Parking can also be a nightmare over at the U. Matter of fact, TCF Stadium was built over four very sizable parking lots. Many were told to park in ramps on the west side of the river and take a shuttle to the stadium. You can take the Hiawatha Light Rail to the Metrodome station, and take a Metro Transit bus to the stadium as well.
We will just have to wait and see how the U handles these small little glitches. Hey, every stadium and arena in the country has at least a couple on opening night. And, the university is already dealing with noise complaints from neighbors around the stadium, saying the public address system is too loud.
Perhaps, maybe college football stadiums do concessions and gate entry procedures differently. The Metrodome, the home for the Gophers for the last 27 years, hires union employees to take tickets, sell hot dogs and show people where their seats are. Most if not all of the people working at TCF Stadium, are student volunteers.
It seems that there are some opportunities for the U to ramp up the PR, and do what they can to solve the small glitches as much as they can.
In any event, Gopher football is back on campus, the excitement is back, the Gophers have probably won several fans back, and gained new ones. And, we're undefeated in our new home.
Ski-U-Mah.
The commentators raved all night long about how the stadium "was done right." Still, others have commented to me that TCF Bank Stadium, "looks just like the old one." Well, maybe not EXACTLY like the old one.
Memorial Stadium was the last on-campus stadium at the U of M, vacated in 1981 for the sterile Metrodome a couple miles away. And, there were plenty of things missing in that stadium that are present in TCF Bank Stadium. Memorial Stadium, aka "the brickhouse" had all bench seating. TCF Stadium has about half bench seating, half chair-back seating. However, the University has taken an interesting approach to the bleacher seating. For a little over $40 a year, season ticket holders in the bleacher areas of the stadium can have a stadium seat installed professionally.
This site: http://www.twinsballpark2010.com in a post entitled "A Football Place - Nuts and Bolts" has some good pictures of what the installed stadium seats look like.
And of course, TCF Stadium has a much larger, hi-def video scoreboard, private suites, artificial turf (that really does look like grass) - all amenities that were absent at Memorial Stadium.
Amidst the excitement of being back on campus, and high praise from TV commentators, the opening was not without a few glitches. Many reports said that entry into the stadium was slow - with security measures and all. A big complaint was the concession operations. Apparently, the concession stands at the stadium don't have cash registers. They use a barcode system for each concession item, then add the total on your basic Texas Instrument calculator.
Hmm...almost $300 million to build the place, and no cash registers. Alcohol is also absent from the stadium. You might remember there was a big discussion about alcohol sales at the stadium, whether it should be available in the high-priced seats only, or to everyone. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty basically put it all into perspective, "it's available to everybody, or nobody." So, they went with nobody.
Parking can also be a nightmare over at the U. Matter of fact, TCF Stadium was built over four very sizable parking lots. Many were told to park in ramps on the west side of the river and take a shuttle to the stadium. You can take the Hiawatha Light Rail to the Metrodome station, and take a Metro Transit bus to the stadium as well.
We will just have to wait and see how the U handles these small little glitches. Hey, every stadium and arena in the country has at least a couple on opening night. And, the university is already dealing with noise complaints from neighbors around the stadium, saying the public address system is too loud.
Perhaps, maybe college football stadiums do concessions and gate entry procedures differently. The Metrodome, the home for the Gophers for the last 27 years, hires union employees to take tickets, sell hot dogs and show people where their seats are. Most if not all of the people working at TCF Stadium, are student volunteers.
It seems that there are some opportunities for the U to ramp up the PR, and do what they can to solve the small glitches as much as they can.
In any event, Gopher football is back on campus, the excitement is back, the Gophers have probably won several fans back, and gained new ones. And, we're undefeated in our new home.
Ski-U-Mah.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
PR challenges of a new mode of transit
Taking a cue from a recent article in the StarTribune about the new Northstar Commuter Rail (http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/56664627.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU) I thought I would make some comments regarding what the editorial was talking about.
To summarize the article, the writer felt that Metro Transit has a challenge ahead of them in the PR department regarding the new Northstar Commuter rail that will start officially on November 16. The challenge is how to educate people on using the rail line, a mode of transportation that is new to the Twin Cities area.
Putting it simply, light rail and commuter rail can be differentiated by capacity and frequency. This is the issue that Metro Transit will have to deal with, come November 16. Light rail offers high frequency, but lower capacity (each car, like a city bus could probably hold 90 people safely, sitting and standing). When the Hiawatha line opened in 2004, Metro Transit did a great deal to educate customers on the use of light rail, which in 2004 was also new to the Twin Cities area.
The authority released pamphlets on "how to ride" the rail: from describing that fares were paid before boarding the train instead of fareboxes that you see on buses, to the frequency of the light rail, that at times, even surpassed bus frequency.
Here's the issue with the commuter rail that Metro Transit will need to work with. Commuter rail is about capacity, not frequency. Commuter rail is designed to transport a large number of people at an optimal time during the day - rush hour. Metro Transit will need to inform people that it is very unlike the light rail, in that, there won't be a train waiting every 7 1/2 minutes.
The article in the Tribune talked about Twins games at the new Target Field. The Northstar Commuter Rail will stop at an "intermodal" (several modes of transit, light rail, buses, commuter rail and the Cedar Bike Trail will converge here) station on the north side of the ballpark. Fans will need to understand that, the Northstar will not operate with the frequency the light rail does; so considering the Northstar as an option to a Twins game, might not be the option of choice, especially during the midday games, when the Northstar will only run one trip.
Also, remember this is the first run of the Northstar rail line. If the ridership surpasses the projections (the Hiawatha light rail has already surpassed ridership projections for the year 2030, after being open for only five years), the schedule may be adjusted to allow for more. Metro Transit had to specifically negotiate the schedule with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad - because the Northstar line will operate on tracks owned by BNSF.
Metro Transit could only operate at certain times, because the BNSF tracks are still very active. The transit authority did its best to operate to coincide with times that people regularly start work: 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8 and 8:45 am. Conversely, they did the same with the return trip times, running at 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5 and 5:30 pm.
Informing customers that the Northstar line will be used for what it was designed for, commuters, will be a big task for Metro Transit. It needs to be done. I'd hate to live in Big Lake (where the line will start) take a train down to a Twins game that goes extra innings, and lets out at 10:30, and there's no Northstar train to take me back.
Metro Transit did a great job informing this area about light rail. How to use it, the changes it proposed for other drivers (especially downtown), how often it ran, etc. I can only think that they will do just as good a job when the Northstar Commuter rail opens in November.
To summarize the article, the writer felt that Metro Transit has a challenge ahead of them in the PR department regarding the new Northstar Commuter rail that will start officially on November 16. The challenge is how to educate people on using the rail line, a mode of transportation that is new to the Twin Cities area.
Putting it simply, light rail and commuter rail can be differentiated by capacity and frequency. This is the issue that Metro Transit will have to deal with, come November 16. Light rail offers high frequency, but lower capacity (each car, like a city bus could probably hold 90 people safely, sitting and standing). When the Hiawatha line opened in 2004, Metro Transit did a great deal to educate customers on the use of light rail, which in 2004 was also new to the Twin Cities area.
The authority released pamphlets on "how to ride" the rail: from describing that fares were paid before boarding the train instead of fareboxes that you see on buses, to the frequency of the light rail, that at times, even surpassed bus frequency.
Here's the issue with the commuter rail that Metro Transit will need to work with. Commuter rail is about capacity, not frequency. Commuter rail is designed to transport a large number of people at an optimal time during the day - rush hour. Metro Transit will need to inform people that it is very unlike the light rail, in that, there won't be a train waiting every 7 1/2 minutes.
The article in the Tribune talked about Twins games at the new Target Field. The Northstar Commuter Rail will stop at an "intermodal" (several modes of transit, light rail, buses, commuter rail and the Cedar Bike Trail will converge here) station on the north side of the ballpark. Fans will need to understand that, the Northstar will not operate with the frequency the light rail does; so considering the Northstar as an option to a Twins game, might not be the option of choice, especially during the midday games, when the Northstar will only run one trip.
Also, remember this is the first run of the Northstar rail line. If the ridership surpasses the projections (the Hiawatha light rail has already surpassed ridership projections for the year 2030, after being open for only five years), the schedule may be adjusted to allow for more. Metro Transit had to specifically negotiate the schedule with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad - because the Northstar line will operate on tracks owned by BNSF.
Metro Transit could only operate at certain times, because the BNSF tracks are still very active. The transit authority did its best to operate to coincide with times that people regularly start work: 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8 and 8:45 am. Conversely, they did the same with the return trip times, running at 3:30, 4, 4:30, 5 and 5:30 pm.
Informing customers that the Northstar line will be used for what it was designed for, commuters, will be a big task for Metro Transit. It needs to be done. I'd hate to live in Big Lake (where the line will start) take a train down to a Twins game that goes extra innings, and lets out at 10:30, and there's no Northstar train to take me back.
Metro Transit did a great job informing this area about light rail. How to use it, the changes it proposed for other drivers (especially downtown), how often it ran, etc. I can only think that they will do just as good a job when the Northstar Commuter rail opens in November.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A&E buys Lifetime
Daily, I get emails from AdWeek about things that are going on in the world of advertising. It's one of several daily email newsletters I sort through once I'm home from work. Recently, one article caught my attention, "A&E acquires Lifetime."
I like this merger by A&E. I like A&E (Arts & Entertainment) television. I like their programming. A&E is the cable network where you can find shows such as Paranormal State (a personal favorite) and Intervention (also a personal favorite).
This merger also includes the Lifetime Movie Network, which has also produced some good, made-for-TV movies.
A&E also owns History (formerly The History Channel), which is a personal favorite cable channel in our household. According to the AdWeek article (found here: http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3id9eac057de820fdc81d518e33fd20296) all three networks, A&E, Lifetime and History will remain "intact."
However, I wonder, with this merger, whether the female demographic of Lifetime will change. Lifetime has always been known as "Television for Women." With this merger, I am curious whether or not the female demographic will change.
Of course, there are other female-oriented cable channels. Women's Entertainment (We) and Oxygen! also have female-centric demographics. So, even if A&E does change the demographic a little, the type of programming for the female demographics won't disappear entirely.
I'm curious to see, when the merger is finalized (the article does not mention a specific closing date), what changes A&E will bring to Lifetime, good or bad.
Thanks for reading.
I like this merger by A&E. I like A&E (Arts & Entertainment) television. I like their programming. A&E is the cable network where you can find shows such as Paranormal State (a personal favorite) and Intervention (also a personal favorite).
This merger also includes the Lifetime Movie Network, which has also produced some good, made-for-TV movies.
A&E also owns History (formerly The History Channel), which is a personal favorite cable channel in our household. According to the AdWeek article (found here: http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3id9eac057de820fdc81d518e33fd20296) all three networks, A&E, Lifetime and History will remain "intact."
However, I wonder, with this merger, whether the female demographic of Lifetime will change. Lifetime has always been known as "Television for Women." With this merger, I am curious whether or not the female demographic will change.
Of course, there are other female-oriented cable channels. Women's Entertainment (We) and Oxygen! also have female-centric demographics. So, even if A&E does change the demographic a little, the type of programming for the female demographics won't disappear entirely.
I'm curious to see, when the merger is finalized (the article does not mention a specific closing date), what changes A&E will bring to Lifetime, good or bad.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
A 3rd jersey for the Minnesota Wild?
A ha, finally. an issue I love to write about: sports and corporate branding.
It has been announced that the Minnesota Wild (NHL) will unveil a "third" jersey to be worn this season. The unveiling will happen next Sunday at the Minnesota State Fair. There are speculations about what the jersey might look like. One can be found here: http://media.photobucket.com/image/Wild%20green%20jersey/puckdrawn/Concepts/MinnesottaWildConcept.png, and another can be found here: http://www.wildpuckbanter.com/2009/08/new-wild-jersey.html.
This is an interesting concept to me, sports teams have been using "alternate" jerseys for many years now. Some have been successful, and others have been total flops. However, the Wild had an alternate jersey a few years ago. The jersey seen here: http://www.icejerseys.com/item_details.php?id=5354.
What happened was, the NHL had switched jersey manufacturers. The league contracted with Reebok and their new Edge line of jerseys. The "Rbk Edge" was a custom-fit jersey, which was supposed to supply better comfort for players. And, the NHL made a rule that teams had to scrap whatever third jerseys they had, and couldn't unveil a new one for two years.
The Wild kept their white jersey, and opted to keep the red "alternate" jersey http://www.icejerseys.com/item_details.php?id=5354 and got rid of the original green sweater.
Here's what bothers me about the red sweater they kept. The logo on the front. In my estimation, a good and respectable corporate brand, should not have to tell you what it is. You will notice that the words "Minnesota Wild" surround it. Earlier in the franchise's history, the words "NHL Hockey" even appeared on a secondary logo the team was going to use.
If you see the logo for GM, you know that it's for General Motors. They make cars. The company does not need to put "auto manufacturer" on the logo. If you see an oblong "G" surrounded by a green and gold oval, you know that logo is for the Green Bay Packers. They don't need to put "We play football in Green Bay" on the logo. Let's not forget the Golden Arches. These are respectable, reputable, trustworthy corporations, that do not need to label what they are, or what they do, to get the point across.
I feel the Minnesota Wild made a mistake when choosing what sweater to keep. The Minnesota Wild have some of the best merchandise sales, if not the best merchandise sales in the National Hockey League. The only problem, most people can't figure out what animal the head belongs to, that you see on the front of the jersey. Is it a bobcat, cougar, a panther? No one knows. But, they DO know that logo.
On the other hand, looking at some of the concept drawings people have conjured up in their minds (the ones with a script font "Minnesota"), many sports teams in all professional leagues are putting the city or state of origin on their road jerseys.
Personally, I think the Wild should ditch the red jersey with the circle "Minnesota Wild" surrounding the cougar head (I'll call it a cougar). The Wild have made a name for themselves in the National Hockey League, in their ten years of existence - on the basis of their enormous fan base, merchandise sales and team ownership.
I feel that it is in the best interest, not just of the Wild, not just of sports teams, but of all corporations, to do their very best to cultivate a corporate brand, a corporate logo that is immediately recognizable - without being told what it represents.
It has been announced that the Minnesota Wild (NHL) will unveil a "third" jersey to be worn this season. The unveiling will happen next Sunday at the Minnesota State Fair. There are speculations about what the jersey might look like. One can be found here: http://media.photobucket.com/image/Wild%20green%20jersey/puckdrawn/Concepts/MinnesottaWildConcept.png, and another can be found here: http://www.wildpuckbanter.com/2009/08/new-wild-jersey.html.
This is an interesting concept to me, sports teams have been using "alternate" jerseys for many years now. Some have been successful, and others have been total flops. However, the Wild had an alternate jersey a few years ago. The jersey seen here: http://www.icejerseys.com/item_details.php?id=5354.
What happened was, the NHL had switched jersey manufacturers. The league contracted with Reebok and their new Edge line of jerseys. The "Rbk Edge" was a custom-fit jersey, which was supposed to supply better comfort for players. And, the NHL made a rule that teams had to scrap whatever third jerseys they had, and couldn't unveil a new one for two years.
The Wild kept their white jersey, and opted to keep the red "alternate" jersey http://www.icejerseys.com/item_details.php?id=5354 and got rid of the original green sweater.
Here's what bothers me about the red sweater they kept. The logo on the front. In my estimation, a good and respectable corporate brand, should not have to tell you what it is. You will notice that the words "Minnesota Wild" surround it. Earlier in the franchise's history, the words "NHL Hockey" even appeared on a secondary logo the team was going to use.
If you see the logo for GM, you know that it's for General Motors. They make cars. The company does not need to put "auto manufacturer" on the logo. If you see an oblong "G" surrounded by a green and gold oval, you know that logo is for the Green Bay Packers. They don't need to put "We play football in Green Bay" on the logo. Let's not forget the Golden Arches. These are respectable, reputable, trustworthy corporations, that do not need to label what they are, or what they do, to get the point across.
I feel the Minnesota Wild made a mistake when choosing what sweater to keep. The Minnesota Wild have some of the best merchandise sales, if not the best merchandise sales in the National Hockey League. The only problem, most people can't figure out what animal the head belongs to, that you see on the front of the jersey. Is it a bobcat, cougar, a panther? No one knows. But, they DO know that logo.
On the other hand, looking at some of the concept drawings people have conjured up in their minds (the ones with a script font "Minnesota"), many sports teams in all professional leagues are putting the city or state of origin on their road jerseys.
Personally, I think the Wild should ditch the red jersey with the circle "Minnesota Wild" surrounding the cougar head (I'll call it a cougar). The Wild have made a name for themselves in the National Hockey League, in their ten years of existence - on the basis of their enormous fan base, merchandise sales and team ownership.
I feel that it is in the best interest, not just of the Wild, not just of sports teams, but of all corporations, to do their very best to cultivate a corporate brand, a corporate logo that is immediately recognizable - without being told what it represents.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Rare, yes. Impossible, not really.
Sorry it's been so long since I wrote. Of course, I haven't had too much to write about, at least that I could think of. Until yesterday that is.
Hopefully, everyone made it home OK after the surprise tornado that hit Minneapolis yesterday. The National Weather Service has now confirmed that it was in fact, a tornado. It was all over the news yesterday, and even WCCO having a piece about the myth of, "tornados don't hit urban areas."
They certainly do. Yesterday's storm in Minneapolis may not have been as catastrophic as it could have been, but other downtowns in metro areas across the country have been much less fortunate, and just in the last few years. 1999, a massive F5 tornado tears through downtown Oklahoma City. In 1997, a tornado touched down near downtown Miami.
A tornado ripped through Fort Worth, TX in 2000. Just last year, a tornado tore through downtown Atlanta in March. If that wasn't unusual enough, a tornado had NEVER touched down in downtown Atlanta prior to last year's storm, which happened amidst the SEC college basketball tournament. And, stranger still, several years ago, a "microburst" hit downtown Salt Lake City. A funnel cloud that disappeared as quickly as it came down, but not before doing some small damage to the area, including the Delta Center (now the Energy Solutions Arena).
Yesterday's storm ripped through a neighborhood not too far from my office. Matter of fact, a good portion of the damage was just on the other side of 35W from us. At about 2pm, on what was just a normal day, our power went out. It had been raining steadily all day, but nothing prepared us (or anyone for that matter) for what was to come. We heard reports that a tornado was somewhere in the area.
As we moved downstairs, then the sirens decided to sound. Add to that, a belated birthday party, in a darkened basement with just a few candles and a flashlight. Everyone, including myself, on cell phones trying to get the latest from family members. It truly was a day to remember.
Incidentally, I remember the last tornado that touched down in that area, in 1981. I was all of 3 years old, but I remember that day vividly. We lived in a four-plex on Garfield Avenue South in Minneapolis. I vaguely remember hearing the EBS sound on TV, our power went out, and we went downstairs. The tornado hopped over our four-plex, but did some damage about four blocks from us. This was the same storm that took the roof off of Har Mar Mall in Roseville.
Funny, we spent all of August 18 talking about Brett Favre. How quickly the news can change. Oddly enough, the last time a big sports story happened in the Twin Cities, another incident took it's place shortly after. Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics on Monday, July 30, 2007. Two days later, the 35W bridge collapsed.
Hopefully, everyone made it home OK after the surprise tornado that hit Minneapolis yesterday. The National Weather Service has now confirmed that it was in fact, a tornado. It was all over the news yesterday, and even WCCO having a piece about the myth of, "tornados don't hit urban areas."
They certainly do. Yesterday's storm in Minneapolis may not have been as catastrophic as it could have been, but other downtowns in metro areas across the country have been much less fortunate, and just in the last few years. 1999, a massive F5 tornado tears through downtown Oklahoma City. In 1997, a tornado touched down near downtown Miami.
A tornado ripped through Fort Worth, TX in 2000. Just last year, a tornado tore through downtown Atlanta in March. If that wasn't unusual enough, a tornado had NEVER touched down in downtown Atlanta prior to last year's storm, which happened amidst the SEC college basketball tournament. And, stranger still, several years ago, a "microburst" hit downtown Salt Lake City. A funnel cloud that disappeared as quickly as it came down, but not before doing some small damage to the area, including the Delta Center (now the Energy Solutions Arena).
Yesterday's storm ripped through a neighborhood not too far from my office. Matter of fact, a good portion of the damage was just on the other side of 35W from us. At about 2pm, on what was just a normal day, our power went out. It had been raining steadily all day, but nothing prepared us (or anyone for that matter) for what was to come. We heard reports that a tornado was somewhere in the area.
As we moved downstairs, then the sirens decided to sound. Add to that, a belated birthday party, in a darkened basement with just a few candles and a flashlight. Everyone, including myself, on cell phones trying to get the latest from family members. It truly was a day to remember.
Incidentally, I remember the last tornado that touched down in that area, in 1981. I was all of 3 years old, but I remember that day vividly. We lived in a four-plex on Garfield Avenue South in Minneapolis. I vaguely remember hearing the EBS sound on TV, our power went out, and we went downstairs. The tornado hopped over our four-plex, but did some damage about four blocks from us. This was the same storm that took the roof off of Har Mar Mall in Roseville.
Funny, we spent all of August 18 talking about Brett Favre. How quickly the news can change. Oddly enough, the last time a big sports story happened in the Twin Cities, another incident took it's place shortly after. Kevin Garnett was traded to the Boston Celtics on Monday, July 30, 2007. Two days later, the 35W bridge collapsed.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Good-bye "Uncle Walter"
I'm sure we've all heard by now, an icon in journalism passed away yesterday. Walter Cronkite, a man to whom the term "anchor" was coined, died on July 17. He was 92.
Watching the news yesterday, I heard a snippet about the term "news anchor" and it was a term given to Cronkite when he covered a political convention for CBS.
Cronkite's last broadcast on CBS was in 1981, to be succeeded by Dan Rather. So, for me, the only real knowledge I had about him was from what I heard from my parents and others. I was aware of the broadcast in 1963 when he announced the death of JFK. Matter of fact, I watched a five minute segment of that very broadcast on YouTube recently.
On the numerous newscasts last night, it was mentioned that the early bulletins of the JFK assassination were audio only, and the first broadcast interruption was during "As The World Turns" - which to me seemed ironic. The reason that the first bulletins were audio only is because they were waiting for a camera to warm up.
I was in high school when first I started hearing a great deal about Cronkite. I think he, and his legacy were just a couple of the many reasons I gained an interest in broadcasting and journalism.
Matter of fact, when I first started Brown College for broadcasting, I tried to think of my "hook." The phrase that I would use to close my mock broadcasts. I almost thought about using Uncle Walter's: "And that's the way it is." I didn't - that was his trademark. I needed to find something else. And on his last broadcast in 1981, he closed with, "And that's the way it will be."
The world of journalism has lost a true icon. Other anchors will come and go - but in my opinion, none will quite match the integrity that Mr. Cronkite brought to the TV medium.
Watching the news yesterday, I heard a snippet about the term "news anchor" and it was a term given to Cronkite when he covered a political convention for CBS.
Cronkite's last broadcast on CBS was in 1981, to be succeeded by Dan Rather. So, for me, the only real knowledge I had about him was from what I heard from my parents and others. I was aware of the broadcast in 1963 when he announced the death of JFK. Matter of fact, I watched a five minute segment of that very broadcast on YouTube recently.
On the numerous newscasts last night, it was mentioned that the early bulletins of the JFK assassination were audio only, and the first broadcast interruption was during "As The World Turns" - which to me seemed ironic. The reason that the first bulletins were audio only is because they were waiting for a camera to warm up.
I was in high school when first I started hearing a great deal about Cronkite. I think he, and his legacy were just a couple of the many reasons I gained an interest in broadcasting and journalism.
Matter of fact, when I first started Brown College for broadcasting, I tried to think of my "hook." The phrase that I would use to close my mock broadcasts. I almost thought about using Uncle Walter's: "And that's the way it is." I didn't - that was his trademark. I needed to find something else. And on his last broadcast in 1981, he closed with, "And that's the way it will be."
The world of journalism has lost a true icon. Other anchors will come and go - but in my opinion, none will quite match the integrity that Mr. Cronkite brought to the TV medium.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Newspapers being cut, and now newscasts?
Sorry it's been so long since I wrote.
Continuing with the theme from my last post, I read an article today on AdAge.com about WNBC in New York, which is cutting its 5pm newscast with a "lifestyle and entertainment show."
The change is being made to accomodate viewer trends, which the article cites as including other programming (movies and reruns of "popular shows"), cable TV news and, of course, the Internet.
But, a lifestyle and entertainment show? Isn't daytime TV filled with that kind of programming? Programs such as The View are as commonplace on daytime TV as informercials. I love the Internet and all the other means in which to obtain news; but I'm also an old-fashioned kind of guy who likes to see a good newscast every now and again.
Especially a 5pm newscast - as I've been at work all day and need to get caught up. Sure, after I get home from work, and my timeslot at the gym, I'll hop on Google News and check some news, stocks, and the like; but mostly the time is spent going through a day's worth of email.
I'm used to 5pm newscasts. I'm used to the workday starting early and ending early (I'm a 7 to 3 guy). My guess is that it's probably a safe bet that most New Yorkers are still at the office at 5pm, and work until 6 or later; or are on the subway coming home, and a 5pm newscast wouldn't reach alot of people.
I just think WNBC could have filled the time slot better, than putting in a type of show that is seen almost all day long; who needs another one?
The full article can be read here: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=137546
Thanks for reading.
Continuing with the theme from my last post, I read an article today on AdAge.com about WNBC in New York, which is cutting its 5pm newscast with a "lifestyle and entertainment show."
The change is being made to accomodate viewer trends, which the article cites as including other programming (movies and reruns of "popular shows"), cable TV news and, of course, the Internet.
But, a lifestyle and entertainment show? Isn't daytime TV filled with that kind of programming? Programs such as The View are as commonplace on daytime TV as informercials. I love the Internet and all the other means in which to obtain news; but I'm also an old-fashioned kind of guy who likes to see a good newscast every now and again.
Especially a 5pm newscast - as I've been at work all day and need to get caught up. Sure, after I get home from work, and my timeslot at the gym, I'll hop on Google News and check some news, stocks, and the like; but mostly the time is spent going through a day's worth of email.
I'm used to 5pm newscasts. I'm used to the workday starting early and ending early (I'm a 7 to 3 guy). My guess is that it's probably a safe bet that most New Yorkers are still at the office at 5pm, and work until 6 or later; or are on the subway coming home, and a 5pm newscast wouldn't reach alot of people.
I just think WNBC could have filled the time slot better, than putting in a type of show that is seen almost all day long; who needs another one?
The full article can be read here: http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=137546
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The future of local news
I looked through my daily email from the Public Relations Society of America - Issues and Trends - and found a neat little article about local news, and whether or not it's still proprietary.
The article suggests that though many consumers are now perusing the Internet, and other electronic mediums to get their news, there are segments of journalism that are still perceived as important. The quote du jour seemed to be this one, "The Pew report noted that audiences consider newspapers to be more valuable than before. In fact, news content has slightly increased in popularity during the recent months."
So it seems that journalism hasn't altogether vanished; but the article, written by Barbara Bry for the PRSA Tactics, also states that there needs to be a major change in the way traditional media distributes the news. If you think about how Twitter works, people who regularly use Twitter could find a piece of news, a press release or whatever - possibly quicker than they might be able to find it on a search engine, such as Google News.
Which leads to the main point of the article, that news is no longer proprietary, or exclusive. Bry mentioned bloggers who are increasingly putting forth news on their sites.
For example, yesterday, local news reports here in the Twin Cities brought forth a report about the new Budweiser Party Deck that will be constructed at Target Field - the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I frequent a blog at www.twinsballpark2010.com which, over the last three months or so, through pictures and guided tours from the blog's host, has suggested that something was going to be built out in the left field area of the ballpark.
So, it was really no surprise to me when I saw it in this morning's newspaper, or last night's 10pm newscast. This example seems to prove Ms. Bry's comments - that in order to be relevant, something will need to change in the way local news is presented.
Her full article, can be read here: http://www.prsa.org/supportfiles/news/viewNews.cfm?pNewsID=842348074
Thanks for reading.
The article suggests that though many consumers are now perusing the Internet, and other electronic mediums to get their news, there are segments of journalism that are still perceived as important. The quote du jour seemed to be this one, "The Pew report noted that audiences consider newspapers to be more valuable than before. In fact, news content has slightly increased in popularity during the recent months."
So it seems that journalism hasn't altogether vanished; but the article, written by Barbara Bry for the PRSA Tactics, also states that there needs to be a major change in the way traditional media distributes the news. If you think about how Twitter works, people who regularly use Twitter could find a piece of news, a press release or whatever - possibly quicker than they might be able to find it on a search engine, such as Google News.
Which leads to the main point of the article, that news is no longer proprietary, or exclusive. Bry mentioned bloggers who are increasingly putting forth news on their sites.
For example, yesterday, local news reports here in the Twin Cities brought forth a report about the new Budweiser Party Deck that will be constructed at Target Field - the new home of the Minnesota Twins. I frequent a blog at www.twinsballpark2010.com which, over the last three months or so, through pictures and guided tours from the blog's host, has suggested that something was going to be built out in the left field area of the ballpark.
So, it was really no surprise to me when I saw it in this morning's newspaper, or last night's 10pm newscast. This example seems to prove Ms. Bry's comments - that in order to be relevant, something will need to change in the way local news is presented.
Her full article, can be read here: http://www.prsa.org/supportfiles/news/viewNews.cfm?pNewsID=842348074
Thanks for reading.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Farewell, Williams Arena floor
After 81 years, the hardwood at Williams Arena on the University of Minnesota campus is being replaced.
I know it's not a widely-renowned playing surface, a la the grass court at Wimbledon, Amen Corner at Augusta National or even the infamous parquet floor on which the Boston Celtics play, which was even moved from the Boston Garden to the new arena across the street in 1995 (the place changes names so many times, I'm afraid if I use one here, it'll be obsolete by tomorrow); but, here in Minnesota, they're cutting up a piece of history at "The Barn."
It was on that very floor (which sits atop a concrete slab, raising it a couple feet, to improve sightlines) that the 1951 NCAA Basketball Championship was played. It was on that floor that players such as Randy Breuer, Kevin McHale and Mychal Thompson played their years of college hoops.
And above that very floor, hangs championship banners - and even empty spots in which banners were taken down because of NCAA sanctions (namely the banner for the Gophers' 1997 Final Four appearance).
The St. Cloud Times reported that the floor has been sanded and re-painted several times in the floor's history - but it will now be replaced by a floor with more "modern materials and a new paint job." And, the new floor will be raised, just like its predecessor.
So, now, the court sits under a white "dust shield" while the demolition continues. It looks a little bit like they're protecting the floor from a nuclear attack. The pieces will be cut up and sold as part of a fundraiser for the U of M Athletics Department.
Thanks for reading - and have a good holiday weekend.
I know it's not a widely-renowned playing surface, a la the grass court at Wimbledon, Amen Corner at Augusta National or even the infamous parquet floor on which the Boston Celtics play, which was even moved from the Boston Garden to the new arena across the street in 1995 (the place changes names so many times, I'm afraid if I use one here, it'll be obsolete by tomorrow); but, here in Minnesota, they're cutting up a piece of history at "The Barn."
It was on that very floor (which sits atop a concrete slab, raising it a couple feet, to improve sightlines) that the 1951 NCAA Basketball Championship was played. It was on that floor that players such as Randy Breuer, Kevin McHale and Mychal Thompson played their years of college hoops.
And above that very floor, hangs championship banners - and even empty spots in which banners were taken down because of NCAA sanctions (namely the banner for the Gophers' 1997 Final Four appearance).
The St. Cloud Times reported that the floor has been sanded and re-painted several times in the floor's history - but it will now be replaced by a floor with more "modern materials and a new paint job." And, the new floor will be raised, just like its predecessor.
So, now, the court sits under a white "dust shield" while the demolition continues. It looks a little bit like they're protecting the floor from a nuclear attack. The pieces will be cut up and sold as part of a fundraiser for the U of M Athletics Department.
Thanks for reading - and have a good holiday weekend.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Farewell, Rick Kupchella
You probably read it in the paper. As of June 7, Rick Kupchella of KARE 11 will move on to bigger and better things. Here's the sticky point: according to the 10PM newscast on 11 last night, they stated that Mr. Kupchella was going to pursue forming his own company. Apparently it will be called LE Network. That, according to this mornings Pioneer Press.
What they weren't so palpable about on last night's newscast, is, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story." According to the Pioneer Press article, the big issue was contract negotiations. Of course, it would not have been to Mike Pomeranz' or Julie Nelson's (the 10pm anchors) best interest to lay out the truth on air - Mr. Kupchella was at a contract stalemate with management.
"The two sides could not come to terms on a new contract...including finances that would not make it 'worthwhile' for him to renew," said Amy Gustafson in the Pioneer Press article. And, Kupchella also noted that two full-time jobs would be impossible - and the "new independent thing" would be a full-time job.
Kupchella has been in this market for over 20 years, according to the Twin Cities newspapers. Unfortunately, he's another Twin Cities newsroom standard - right along with anchors such as KSTP's Joe Schmit or former KARE 11 anchor Paul Magers - who no longer will be bringing us the news on a nightly basis.
To read a "farewell letter" from Kupchella - click on http://www.startribune.com/remoteisland . Best of luck to you Rick, we'll miss you.
Thanks for reading.
What they weren't so palpable about on last night's newscast, is, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story." According to the Pioneer Press article, the big issue was contract negotiations. Of course, it would not have been to Mike Pomeranz' or Julie Nelson's (the 10pm anchors) best interest to lay out the truth on air - Mr. Kupchella was at a contract stalemate with management.
"The two sides could not come to terms on a new contract...including finances that would not make it 'worthwhile' for him to renew," said Amy Gustafson in the Pioneer Press article. And, Kupchella also noted that two full-time jobs would be impossible - and the "new independent thing" would be a full-time job.
Kupchella has been in this market for over 20 years, according to the Twin Cities newspapers. Unfortunately, he's another Twin Cities newsroom standard - right along with anchors such as KSTP's Joe Schmit or former KARE 11 anchor Paul Magers - who no longer will be bringing us the news on a nightly basis.
To read a "farewell letter" from Kupchella - click on http://www.startribune.com/remoteisland . Best of luck to you Rick, we'll miss you.
Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Can the Kindle "re-kindle" the newspaper industry?
Thanks to my colleague and PRSA mentor Brant Skogrand, he suggested I write about Amazon's Kindle, and whether or not it might resurrect a dying newspaper industry.
I must be the craziest person on earth - as I know what Amazon's Kindle e-reader is. I've never seen one live, just in pictures. I'm not entirely sure how it even works to tell you the truth. Nonetheless, it is an interesting piece of technology.
The Kindle must REALLY be an amazing piece of technology. I read an article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger that claims students at Princeton will be receiving free Kindles, in lieu of textbooks. And a report from News 8 in Austin, TX says this, "Newspaper and magazine publishers are excited at the introduction of Amazon's new Kindle DX, a handheld reading device. Some speculators say the device, which sports a nearly 10-inch display that is more than twice the size of the standard Kindle, could help save the dying world of print media."
But, if the Kindle is really as popular as it seems, what will happen to libraries? What happens to publishing houses? And, will people pay a subscription price to read the newspaper on the Kindle, when they can get it for free on the paper's Web site? And, I don't think I even know anyone who has a Kindle.
There is a website called coverleaf.com, which publishes magazines online. There are the mainstays: Family Circle and Better Homes. There's the on-line specific ones, i.e. Sporting News Today, which I do "subscribe" to. And, I was very pleased to see an industry publication available on coverleaf.com: Advertising Age. They are also subscription-based.
While the electronic edition seems to be the new thing in the world of news, I still think there is much to be said about seeing something in print. Maybe it's the generation I'm from. When I was a kid, there were no such words as "internet" or "e-dition (electronic edition)" or even "online." The Kindle might be able to save a dying print industry; but I still think there's enough to still keep it going. At least for now.
Other than that, I'm stumped.
Thanks for reading.
I must be the craziest person on earth - as I know what Amazon's Kindle e-reader is. I've never seen one live, just in pictures. I'm not entirely sure how it even works to tell you the truth. Nonetheless, it is an interesting piece of technology.
The Kindle must REALLY be an amazing piece of technology. I read an article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger that claims students at Princeton will be receiving free Kindles, in lieu of textbooks. And a report from News 8 in Austin, TX says this, "Newspaper and magazine publishers are excited at the introduction of Amazon's new Kindle DX, a handheld reading device. Some speculators say the device, which sports a nearly 10-inch display that is more than twice the size of the standard Kindle, could help save the dying world of print media."
But, if the Kindle is really as popular as it seems, what will happen to libraries? What happens to publishing houses? And, will people pay a subscription price to read the newspaper on the Kindle, when they can get it for free on the paper's Web site? And, I don't think I even know anyone who has a Kindle.
There is a website called coverleaf.com, which publishes magazines online. There are the mainstays: Family Circle and Better Homes. There's the on-line specific ones, i.e. Sporting News Today, which I do "subscribe" to. And, I was very pleased to see an industry publication available on coverleaf.com: Advertising Age. They are also subscription-based.
While the electronic edition seems to be the new thing in the world of news, I still think there is much to be said about seeing something in print. Maybe it's the generation I'm from. When I was a kid, there were no such words as "internet" or "e-dition (electronic edition)" or even "online." The Kindle might be able to save a dying print industry; but I still think there's enough to still keep it going. At least for now.
Other than that, I'm stumped.
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Little bit of writer's block
Hello everybody.
I just realized today, how long it's been since I wrote. I do apologize for that.
But I also realized, I haven't really come up with any new topics to write about. I'm hoping to find some inspiration for something soon.
If any of my faithful followers have ideas, please comment on this post and give me your thoughts. Sometime this week, I'll plan on writing something. Part of the problem too, was that my computer crashed about two weeks ago, and it took about a week to fix it.
If you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know.
I just realized today, how long it's been since I wrote. I do apologize for that.
But I also realized, I haven't really come up with any new topics to write about. I'm hoping to find some inspiration for something soon.
If any of my faithful followers have ideas, please comment on this post and give me your thoughts. Sometime this week, I'll plan on writing something. Part of the problem too, was that my computer crashed about two weeks ago, and it took about a week to fix it.
If you have any ideas, please feel free to let me know.
Friday, April 24, 2009
What's Happening to Block E?
I know, this is a more local post, but it really irks me that GameWorks is leaving the Block E development in Downtown Minneapolis.
To give a little background, several years ago, a development was built across the street from Target Center, that included a hotel. It was designed to revitalize the entertainment district in downtown.
One of its anchors, Borders Books, already closed a couple years ago. And, it appears that GameWorks, another anchor, is going to follow suit.
In a letter to the editor published in the Minneapolis StarTribune today, the writer suggested they tear down Block E, move the Schubert Theatre there, relocate a bar, and plant trees where the Theatre stands now. In essence, his message was, put everything back the way it was in 1998.
What bothers me, is that Target Field opens in less than a year. There are no restaurants in close proximity to the stadium. Block E seems that it would have been a perfect pre- or post-game spot. Target Field, walk across 394 on Target Plaza, walk past Target Center, and there you are. Hard Rock Cafe and all.
It is unfortunate. Hopefully things will start to look up again for the Block E development. I would assume, that the Graves601 Hotel that is a part of that development will be the preferred hotel for opposing teams when they come to town.
What else would there be for the players to do in their free-time, if the arcade is shut down? God forbid you go over to CityCenter. There's nothing to do there either. I think the owners of GameWorks should have waited it out, to see if the ballpark would have created any new customers.
And, if all goes well, and the Twins score the 2014 MLB All Star Game, who knows what Block E could have provided for all the folks that come to town for that as well.
I guess we will never know.
Thanks for reading.
To give a little background, several years ago, a development was built across the street from Target Center, that included a hotel. It was designed to revitalize the entertainment district in downtown.
One of its anchors, Borders Books, already closed a couple years ago. And, it appears that GameWorks, another anchor, is going to follow suit.
In a letter to the editor published in the Minneapolis StarTribune today, the writer suggested they tear down Block E, move the Schubert Theatre there, relocate a bar, and plant trees where the Theatre stands now. In essence, his message was, put everything back the way it was in 1998.
What bothers me, is that Target Field opens in less than a year. There are no restaurants in close proximity to the stadium. Block E seems that it would have been a perfect pre- or post-game spot. Target Field, walk across 394 on Target Plaza, walk past Target Center, and there you are. Hard Rock Cafe and all.
It is unfortunate. Hopefully things will start to look up again for the Block E development. I would assume, that the Graves601 Hotel that is a part of that development will be the preferred hotel for opposing teams when they come to town.
What else would there be for the players to do in their free-time, if the arcade is shut down? God forbid you go over to CityCenter. There's nothing to do there either. I think the owners of GameWorks should have waited it out, to see if the ballpark would have created any new customers.
And, if all goes well, and the Twins score the 2014 MLB All Star Game, who knows what Block E could have provided for all the folks that come to town for that as well.
I guess we will never know.
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
A bailout, of journalism?
This one caught me by surprise. A couple days ago, I read an editorial in the Minneapolis Star Tribune that was re-printed from the Los Angeles Times. Apparently, this was Rosa Brooks' "last article" for the Times before embarking on a new job in Washington DC.
Essentially, she's asking for a bailout, of the newspaper industry. Yes, after the housing crunch, the banking crunch, the auto industry crunch, she says that newspapers need some cash, too.
And, yes, look around and newspapers everywhere are closing, soon to close, in eminent danger of closing, or declaring bankruptcy, as the Star Tribune did several months ago. So, on that front, she's right.
But, her article seems to claim that newspapers are the only place people get their news. She asks, "how will we recognize, or hope to forestall...pending [crises]?" She asks other questions very similar on other issues, including Iraq. I ask, are newspapers really that popular? Even Howard Beale, the iconic newsman in the 1970s classic "Network" screams at his viewing audience by saying, "less than HALF of you read newspapers!"
I read newspapers daily, as part of my job. Every once in a while, I'll go to the newspaper stand on the corner and buy one. However, some of the more interesting news stories you read, are the ones that don't fall into the category of "all the news that's fit to print," or maybe, there isn't enough room to print. They are the stories you'll find on Google News, Reuters and other Web sites like them.
I read through her editorial, and I included the link so you can as well, but I read through it hoping that she was talking "tongue and cheek." I hope she seriously didn't believe what she was saying. And, I know that the "yapping heads that dominate cable 'news'," as she so eloquently puts it, talk all the time about the "socialism" that seems to be creeping it's way into this country by all these governement bailouts. Let me ask, if the government did in fact bailout the newspapers, what then?
Would the government then dictate what is "fit to print?" That's just what we need, state-run media. Please understand, that was a sarcastic statement. We don't need government to bail out newspapers. Times are changing, the means by which people get their news are changing. You can simply use your cellphone to get news. Who needs a newspaper, that costs anywhere from a quarter to a dollar, when they can get it for free on the Internet?
Which leads me to an interesting poll I found on the website of the Twin Cities Business Journal (www.twincities.bizjournals.com). The poll question is as follows: Should people pay to read stories online? As of April 14, at 5:50 PM CDT, only 26% of respondants said "yes." Another 28% said "sometimes." Of course, in many cases, if you want to find archived articles, they are "pay-as-you-go." And, more and more newspapers are launching "E-ditions." Both Twin Cities newspapers offer electronic editions that are the exact same as the print edition. And, just as with the print edition, there is a subscription price.
Maybe it's the generation we're in. Society does things differently than they did 30 years ago. However, I believe that there is enough of an appetite in the general public for printed news. Believe it or not, there are people who are tired of the "yapping heads" on TV, and would rather read their news in print. More power to them. And, unlike online news, you can always save a clipping, and go back to it years down the road. Try finding a story that's twenty years old or more, online, for free. I'll bet it can't be done.
While newspapers are in fact sizing down, they're just going with the times. However, I still believe that if they print it, people will read. I think Ms. Brooks is wrong by saying that there needs to be a "journalism bailout." I think she's wrong when she seems to imply that newspapers will become nothing more than a paper filled with, "ads, entertainment features and crossword puzzles." The news is still the news, no matter how you tell it, and people will get it.
Thanks for reading.
Rosa Brooks' article can be found here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks9-2009apr09,0,7379164.column
Essentially, she's asking for a bailout, of the newspaper industry. Yes, after the housing crunch, the banking crunch, the auto industry crunch, she says that newspapers need some cash, too.
And, yes, look around and newspapers everywhere are closing, soon to close, in eminent danger of closing, or declaring bankruptcy, as the Star Tribune did several months ago. So, on that front, she's right.
But, her article seems to claim that newspapers are the only place people get their news. She asks, "how will we recognize, or hope to forestall...pending [crises]?" She asks other questions very similar on other issues, including Iraq. I ask, are newspapers really that popular? Even Howard Beale, the iconic newsman in the 1970s classic "Network" screams at his viewing audience by saying, "less than HALF of you read newspapers!"
I read newspapers daily, as part of my job. Every once in a while, I'll go to the newspaper stand on the corner and buy one. However, some of the more interesting news stories you read, are the ones that don't fall into the category of "all the news that's fit to print," or maybe, there isn't enough room to print. They are the stories you'll find on Google News, Reuters and other Web sites like them.
I read through her editorial, and I included the link so you can as well, but I read through it hoping that she was talking "tongue and cheek." I hope she seriously didn't believe what she was saying. And, I know that the "yapping heads that dominate cable 'news'," as she so eloquently puts it, talk all the time about the "socialism" that seems to be creeping it's way into this country by all these governement bailouts. Let me ask, if the government did in fact bailout the newspapers, what then?
Would the government then dictate what is "fit to print?" That's just what we need, state-run media. Please understand, that was a sarcastic statement. We don't need government to bail out newspapers. Times are changing, the means by which people get their news are changing. You can simply use your cellphone to get news. Who needs a newspaper, that costs anywhere from a quarter to a dollar, when they can get it for free on the Internet?
Which leads me to an interesting poll I found on the website of the Twin Cities Business Journal (www.twincities.bizjournals.com). The poll question is as follows: Should people pay to read stories online? As of April 14, at 5:50 PM CDT, only 26% of respondants said "yes." Another 28% said "sometimes." Of course, in many cases, if you want to find archived articles, they are "pay-as-you-go." And, more and more newspapers are launching "E-ditions." Both Twin Cities newspapers offer electronic editions that are the exact same as the print edition. And, just as with the print edition, there is a subscription price.
Maybe it's the generation we're in. Society does things differently than they did 30 years ago. However, I believe that there is enough of an appetite in the general public for printed news. Believe it or not, there are people who are tired of the "yapping heads" on TV, and would rather read their news in print. More power to them. And, unlike online news, you can always save a clipping, and go back to it years down the road. Try finding a story that's twenty years old or more, online, for free. I'll bet it can't be done.
While newspapers are in fact sizing down, they're just going with the times. However, I still believe that if they print it, people will read. I think Ms. Brooks is wrong by saying that there needs to be a "journalism bailout." I think she's wrong when she seems to imply that newspapers will become nothing more than a paper filled with, "ads, entertainment features and crossword puzzles." The news is still the news, no matter how you tell it, and people will get it.
Thanks for reading.
Rosa Brooks' article can be found here:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-brooks9-2009apr09,0,7379164.column
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Sports writing - a thing of the past?
Recently, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that shocked me a little, but not as much as I thought. The article ran in the April 7, 2009 issue in the sports section. It was titled, "Baseball Writers Brace for the End." The image is from 1962, a packed pressbox at Yankee Stadium.
The article goes on to tell how pressboxes at ballparks are getting emptier. Jack O'Connell, who is the secretary of the Baseball Writers Association of America was quoted in the article as saying, "I certainly see the dark clouds," in regards to the future of baseball beat writers.
But, what about other sports? Maybe it was just me, but at last weekend's NCAA Final Four in Detroit, I didn't see as many spots on press row as usual. Sure, maybe I didn't notice because the Final Four setup places the floor on a 14-inch-high platform, therefore press row seems to be in an orchestra pit. In past years, usually there are three rows of press tables along both sides of the floor. This year, I only saw two on either side.
The WSJ article went on to talk about the Beaver County Times, a paper published just outside of Pittsburgh, and that the paper is no longer covering Pittsburgh Pirates spring training, and is covering only a limited schedule of road games. The paper quoted the New York Times as spending $6,500 a month to cover the team on the road (the WSJ did not specify whether it was the Yankees or the Mets). And a trade-off seems to be in order in the nation's capital: the Washington Post will rely on the Baltimore Sun for coverage of the Baltimore Orioles; and the Post will rely on the Sun for coverage of the Washington Nationals.
This is just baseball. Of course, a baseball season is twice as long as an NHL or NBA season (162 games for Major League Baseball), so will this become something that happens to other sports coverage as well? Who knows? The WSJ article quoted Mark Cuban, the young, iconic owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who wrote in his blog recently that for newspapers to "die" would be a "recipe for disaster." Cuban believes that newspapers are the NBA's best medium to reach a large audience; and the decline as of late for newspapers can also hurt a team's marketing.
Here's one interesting statistic the WSJ wrote about papers in Detroit. Both of the city's newspapers (Detroit News, Detroit Free-Press) have cut their home delivery to three days a week. The Detroit Red Wings of the NHL conducted a survey, and they found that 65% of the team's season-ticket holders get their news from the newspaper.
So, maybe some good news still remains for sports beat writers in our local daily newspapers. But with the increasing use of social-networking sites, blogs and other user-created mediums, the president of the Baseball Writers Association of America might not be too far-fetched when he was quoted as saying, "We're waiting for that first domino to fall...."
You can read the full WSJ article by clicking on this link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123906424665995337.html.
I apologize to any of my readers if you have been unable to post comments on this blog. In re-vamping the look of my blog recently, I discovered that the comment posting permissions weren't set correctly. It has been rectified and you should be able to comment without having to be a "registered user."
Thanks for reading.
The article goes on to tell how pressboxes at ballparks are getting emptier. Jack O'Connell, who is the secretary of the Baseball Writers Association of America was quoted in the article as saying, "I certainly see the dark clouds," in regards to the future of baseball beat writers.
But, what about other sports? Maybe it was just me, but at last weekend's NCAA Final Four in Detroit, I didn't see as many spots on press row as usual. Sure, maybe I didn't notice because the Final Four setup places the floor on a 14-inch-high platform, therefore press row seems to be in an orchestra pit. In past years, usually there are three rows of press tables along both sides of the floor. This year, I only saw two on either side.
The WSJ article went on to talk about the Beaver County Times, a paper published just outside of Pittsburgh, and that the paper is no longer covering Pittsburgh Pirates spring training, and is covering only a limited schedule of road games. The paper quoted the New York Times as spending $6,500 a month to cover the team on the road (the WSJ did not specify whether it was the Yankees or the Mets). And a trade-off seems to be in order in the nation's capital: the Washington Post will rely on the Baltimore Sun for coverage of the Baltimore Orioles; and the Post will rely on the Sun for coverage of the Washington Nationals.
This is just baseball. Of course, a baseball season is twice as long as an NHL or NBA season (162 games for Major League Baseball), so will this become something that happens to other sports coverage as well? Who knows? The WSJ article quoted Mark Cuban, the young, iconic owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, who wrote in his blog recently that for newspapers to "die" would be a "recipe for disaster." Cuban believes that newspapers are the NBA's best medium to reach a large audience; and the decline as of late for newspapers can also hurt a team's marketing.
Here's one interesting statistic the WSJ wrote about papers in Detroit. Both of the city's newspapers (Detroit News, Detroit Free-Press) have cut their home delivery to three days a week. The Detroit Red Wings of the NHL conducted a survey, and they found that 65% of the team's season-ticket holders get their news from the newspaper.
So, maybe some good news still remains for sports beat writers in our local daily newspapers. But with the increasing use of social-networking sites, blogs and other user-created mediums, the president of the Baseball Writers Association of America might not be too far-fetched when he was quoted as saying, "We're waiting for that first domino to fall...."
You can read the full WSJ article by clicking on this link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123906424665995337.html.
I apologize to any of my readers if you have been unable to post comments on this blog. In re-vamping the look of my blog recently, I discovered that the comment posting permissions weren't set correctly. It has been rectified and you should be able to comment without having to be a "registered user."
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Same URL, different name
Well, I think I've come up with something that is unique, and exemplifies the manner in which I hope to write.
I've always liked the word "treatise." Go ahead, check it out in the MS Word thesaurus, you know you want to. It's an older word that has been replaced of late as a written discourse, thesis or dissertation. The first time I heard it was on an episode of Cheers, the eminent psychiatrist Frasier Crane was discussing a paper that he wrote during his days at Oxford University, and described it using the word "treatise." I thought it sounded different and unique.
I even had to check the word in the dictionary, just to make sure the Charles brothers (Glen and Les, writers of Cheers) weren't just yanking our chains when they put that word in that particular episode's script.
The URL for my blog will stay the same. I didn't want to set up another blog, just so I could get the cool URL. So, I remain at http://lukesdiscussions.blogspot.com.
I hope the new name doesn't confuse anyone. Hopefully my faithful followers will like the change.
I thought I could either do "The Treatise," or if I really wanted to have some fun, "L'auteur heureux." French for,"The Happy Writer," roughly translated of course.
I've always liked the word "treatise." Go ahead, check it out in the MS Word thesaurus, you know you want to. It's an older word that has been replaced of late as a written discourse, thesis or dissertation. The first time I heard it was on an episode of Cheers, the eminent psychiatrist Frasier Crane was discussing a paper that he wrote during his days at Oxford University, and described it using the word "treatise." I thought it sounded different and unique.
I even had to check the word in the dictionary, just to make sure the Charles brothers (Glen and Les, writers of Cheers) weren't just yanking our chains when they put that word in that particular episode's script.
The URL for my blog will stay the same. I didn't want to set up another blog, just so I could get the cool URL. So, I remain at http://lukesdiscussions.blogspot.com.
I hope the new name doesn't confuse anyone. Hopefully my faithful followers will like the change.
I thought I could either do "The Treatise," or if I really wanted to have some fun, "L'auteur heureux." French for,"The Happy Writer," roughly translated of course.
Friday, April 3, 2009
One year from now...
Within the next 365 days, the Twins will be relocating to open-air Target Field. After years of struggling to get a new ballpark, the dream will become reality next spring.
I'm still trying to figure out how outdoor baseball will work here in Minnesota. And given that now the last two years, the first couple days of April has brought unseasonable cold, and wet snow, I'm really concerned. I'm part of a generation that doesn't remember Met Stadium, but remembers watching baseball under a teflon roof, played on AstroTurf; making for a guaranteed opening day without fear of cancellation. And, let's not forget about games in late September/early October (or even later if we have a playoff-bound team).
I wish I had statistics on opening days whilst at the Met from 1961-1981. It can be cold, rainy and sometimes snowy during the first week of April in these parts. I've always told myself that Kansas City, Saint Louis, both Chicagos and Boston, just to name a few, can have wild weather this time of year too, and those locales do just fine with open-air ballparks.
Recently on my Facebook account, I posted a muse that someone told me was funny, the way The Onion is funny. Some highlights included:
April 1 - For the third year in a row, snow and cold befalls upon Minnesota. 15 inches of snow to be exact. Therefore, the Twins' home opener at Target Field is delayed. The last time the Twins "delayed" a game was Aug. 2, 2007, after the bridge collapse.
April 9 - A small flood befalls Target Field now because of all the melting snow. The Twins are seriously considering moving to Dallas.
April 13 - The Twins figure that games may not be played at all at Target Field at least until June 1, to allow time to repair all the damage. The Twins drop the Dallas talks and talk about moving BACK to the Metrodome.
April 27 - After lying to everybody about how great Target Field was going to be, the Twins immediately tear off the Inaugural Season sleeve patches in a rousing ceremony at the Metrodome in front of approximately 1,000 people. The Twins lose their "Target Field home opener" 4-2 to the Boston Red Sox.
April 28 - Dave St. Peter scratches his head and thinks to himself, "What in holy heck just happened here?"
Apparently, I'm not the only one who wonders what next year will bring. The Minneapolis StarTribune had a rather lengthy article on April 2, detailing the opening day temperatures for the last 27 years, the number of years the Twins have played indoors. The warmest opening day whilst at the Dome was April 8, 1988 with a high of 77. The coldest opening day was a mere six years ago, April 4, 2003 with a bone-chilling 29 as a high.
And this morning (April 3), in Charley Walters' column in the PioneerPress, the last segment of his column read as follows, "Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc., asked about the weather if the Twins open Target Field next year at this time: 'The answer is that we won't be playing at home a year from now. We'll be on the road for at least six games. We thought of that too."
So, let's just put that in perspective. The 2009 Major League (MLB) season opens Sunday, April 5, and the Twins "Dome Opener" is Monday, April 6. So, let's figure those six games Bell spoke of: two three-game series', one day to travel to the first city, another to travel to the next, then the last day to travel home. So, we're looking at a nine-day stretch. Which would mean, if this was next year, the Twins would open Target Field on April 15.
Of course, not every April is cold and dreary like that of this year, last year, or even 2003. However, the Twins can't always guess what it's going to be like, and so they might opt to open on the road every year from 2010 on. I read an article a couple months ago (I think it was another Walters article) saying that teams must apply to MLB well in advance, in order to open on the road. So, either the Twins do that, or opt to play the first couple weeks of the season just like the Cubs played all 81 of their home games prior to Wrigley Field installing lights in 1989: play day games.
Enjoy early home openers while you can, I think we're in for some late ones in the years to come.
I'm still trying to figure out how outdoor baseball will work here in Minnesota. And given that now the last two years, the first couple days of April has brought unseasonable cold, and wet snow, I'm really concerned. I'm part of a generation that doesn't remember Met Stadium, but remembers watching baseball under a teflon roof, played on AstroTurf; making for a guaranteed opening day without fear of cancellation. And, let's not forget about games in late September/early October (or even later if we have a playoff-bound team).
I wish I had statistics on opening days whilst at the Met from 1961-1981. It can be cold, rainy and sometimes snowy during the first week of April in these parts. I've always told myself that Kansas City, Saint Louis, both Chicagos and Boston, just to name a few, can have wild weather this time of year too, and those locales do just fine with open-air ballparks.
Recently on my Facebook account, I posted a muse that someone told me was funny, the way The Onion is funny. Some highlights included:
April 1 - For the third year in a row, snow and cold befalls upon Minnesota. 15 inches of snow to be exact. Therefore, the Twins' home opener at Target Field is delayed. The last time the Twins "delayed" a game was Aug. 2, 2007, after the bridge collapse.
April 9 - A small flood befalls Target Field now because of all the melting snow. The Twins are seriously considering moving to Dallas.
April 13 - The Twins figure that games may not be played at all at Target Field at least until June 1, to allow time to repair all the damage. The Twins drop the Dallas talks and talk about moving BACK to the Metrodome.
April 27 - After lying to everybody about how great Target Field was going to be, the Twins immediately tear off the Inaugural Season sleeve patches in a rousing ceremony at the Metrodome in front of approximately 1,000 people. The Twins lose their "Target Field home opener" 4-2 to the Boston Red Sox.
April 28 - Dave St. Peter scratches his head and thinks to himself, "What in holy heck just happened here?"
Apparently, I'm not the only one who wonders what next year will bring. The Minneapolis StarTribune had a rather lengthy article on April 2, detailing the opening day temperatures for the last 27 years, the number of years the Twins have played indoors. The warmest opening day whilst at the Dome was April 8, 1988 with a high of 77. The coldest opening day was a mere six years ago, April 4, 2003 with a bone-chilling 29 as a high.
And this morning (April 3), in Charley Walters' column in the PioneerPress, the last segment of his column read as follows, "Jerry Bell, president of Twins Sports Inc., asked about the weather if the Twins open Target Field next year at this time: 'The answer is that we won't be playing at home a year from now. We'll be on the road for at least six games. We thought of that too."
So, let's just put that in perspective. The 2009 Major League (MLB) season opens Sunday, April 5, and the Twins "Dome Opener" is Monday, April 6. So, let's figure those six games Bell spoke of: two three-game series', one day to travel to the first city, another to travel to the next, then the last day to travel home. So, we're looking at a nine-day stretch. Which would mean, if this was next year, the Twins would open Target Field on April 15.
Of course, not every April is cold and dreary like that of this year, last year, or even 2003. However, the Twins can't always guess what it's going to be like, and so they might opt to open on the road every year from 2010 on. I read an article a couple months ago (I think it was another Walters article) saying that teams must apply to MLB well in advance, in order to open on the road. So, either the Twins do that, or opt to play the first couple weeks of the season just like the Cubs played all 81 of their home games prior to Wrigley Field installing lights in 1989: play day games.
Enjoy early home openers while you can, I think we're in for some late ones in the years to come.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Writing Style
Hopefully, I'm not "preaching to the choir" on this post. Recently, PRSA Tactics (a monthly publication of the Public Relations Society of America) titled their Feb. 2009 issue "The write way." They've done a couple of these, and to me, reading about the latest "trends" if you will in writing style is very interesting.
I should preface this by saying that a colleague of mine told me something very valuable a couple years ago. He said that there's a big difference between writing for college papers and journalistic writing. Through my four years of college, I got accustomed to APA (American Psychological Association) Style. APA Style consists of long paragraphs and punctuation like you wouldn't believe.
Which was part of my problem. My English professor, bless her heart, drilled APA Style very hard. So much to the point that I became "comma crazy." Not just commas, mind you, punctuation altogether. But this colleague of mine reminded me that "less is more" and also that you don't want an incredible amount of punctuation to slow down your readers.
Another piece of writing style that drives me crazy is which words are hyphenated; and which are not. This colleague of mine once again taught me something very valuable - if the combination of words are written in an adjective form, then they are hyphenated. For example, "low-income housing."
Here's writing style you probably wouldn't see in an AP Stylebook; but would find in the PRSA Tactics January 2009 issue (15 for '09 - New media terms for a new year): media terminology. For instance, "cell phone" is two words; yet, BlackBerry is one word, note the upper-case letters. The same rule applies to MySpace, YouTube, and one that really drives me crazy: LinkedIn. Every time I see that one in an e-mail, I have to look twice. For me, the lower-case "d" and upper-case "I" being so close together makes it hard to read sometimes.
For the record, your Yahoo, Gmail or POP Mail accounts would be written as "e-mail." Here's one that was interesting to me, "blog," is short for "Web log," and therefore is not capitalized, neither is "podcast" or "videocast."
As we move into a world with less newspapers, and more blogs and social-networking sites; it is fun to examine how the rules are changing, right before our eyes.
I should preface this by saying that a colleague of mine told me something very valuable a couple years ago. He said that there's a big difference between writing for college papers and journalistic writing. Through my four years of college, I got accustomed to APA (American Psychological Association) Style. APA Style consists of long paragraphs and punctuation like you wouldn't believe.
Which was part of my problem. My English professor, bless her heart, drilled APA Style very hard. So much to the point that I became "comma crazy." Not just commas, mind you, punctuation altogether. But this colleague of mine reminded me that "less is more" and also that you don't want an incredible amount of punctuation to slow down your readers.
Another piece of writing style that drives me crazy is which words are hyphenated; and which are not. This colleague of mine once again taught me something very valuable - if the combination of words are written in an adjective form, then they are hyphenated. For example, "low-income housing."
Here's writing style you probably wouldn't see in an AP Stylebook; but would find in the PRSA Tactics January 2009 issue (15 for '09 - New media terms for a new year): media terminology. For instance, "cell phone" is two words; yet, BlackBerry is one word, note the upper-case letters. The same rule applies to MySpace, YouTube, and one that really drives me crazy: LinkedIn. Every time I see that one in an e-mail, I have to look twice. For me, the lower-case "d" and upper-case "I" being so close together makes it hard to read sometimes.
For the record, your Yahoo, Gmail or POP Mail accounts would be written as "e-mail." Here's one that was interesting to me, "blog," is short for "Web log," and therefore is not capitalized, neither is "podcast" or "videocast."
As we move into a world with less newspapers, and more blogs and social-networking sites; it is fun to examine how the rules are changing, right before our eyes.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
What's on your MP3 player?
How about that for an icebreaker question at your next networking event or "meet-and-greet" event? Hoping that I'm not breaking any copyright rules by somewhat taking a page out of CapitalOne's ad campaign...I thought it was an interesting question.
I also thought I'd take the safe route and not alienate a whole group of people who don't specifically use an iPod. Me, personally, I don't have an iPod, I use my LG Chocolate 3 from Verizon Wireless.
There are dozens of Facebook groups that ask the same question. I vaguely remember someone even sending me a Facebook message once about the "soundtrack of your life." Basically, you take the music on your iPod, and press "shuffle." Apparently it says alot about who you are as a person.
MP3 players of all persuasions are fun tools. You literally have a commercial-free radio station, with a format that is out of style in today's radio market: all-over-the-road, or AOR. Personally, I have everything from classical to hard rock. Top 40 to the obscure. The Berlin Philharmonic to Metallica.
I haven't figured out what the music on my MP3 player says about me. though. I have one CD that I imported through my PC to my phone that has 44 tracks on it; so pressing "shuffle" gives me alot of tracks from that one CD all at once.
Try playing the "soundtrack of your life" sometime. It can be interesting, and fun. Of course, every time you press "shuffle," you'll end up with something different. And, the next time you're at a networking event, try asking the question; you might be surprised what you find out.
I also thought I'd take the safe route and not alienate a whole group of people who don't specifically use an iPod. Me, personally, I don't have an iPod, I use my LG Chocolate 3 from Verizon Wireless.
There are dozens of Facebook groups that ask the same question. I vaguely remember someone even sending me a Facebook message once about the "soundtrack of your life." Basically, you take the music on your iPod, and press "shuffle." Apparently it says alot about who you are as a person.
MP3 players of all persuasions are fun tools. You literally have a commercial-free radio station, with a format that is out of style in today's radio market: all-over-the-road, or AOR. Personally, I have everything from classical to hard rock. Top 40 to the obscure. The Berlin Philharmonic to Metallica.
I haven't figured out what the music on my MP3 player says about me. though. I have one CD that I imported through my PC to my phone that has 44 tracks on it; so pressing "shuffle" gives me alot of tracks from that one CD all at once.
Try playing the "soundtrack of your life" sometime. It can be interesting, and fun. Of course, every time you press "shuffle," you'll end up with something different. And, the next time you're at a networking event, try asking the question; you might be surprised what you find out.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Extra, Extra! Read all about it - somewhere else
It is a tough time for many industries; but the one that seems to be hardest hit is newspapers. Especially in the last month or two, it's really getting tough. First the Rocky Mountain News closes, then the Seattle Post-Intelligencer ceases print operations, and becomes online-exclusive.
Other newspapers, such as the San Francisco Chronicle are also in danger of ceasing operation; and the Minneapolis Star Tribune declared bankruptcy last month. Is this a result of the sagging economy, or a shift in the way people get their news? Might I suggest it's a little of both; but probably more of the latter, as opposed to the former.
When the Saint Paul Pioneer Press re-designed its paper last year, I saw so many posts on their website about "[There's] a print edition?" or people saying "I just read it online" messages like that were aplenty after the paper re-designed. People even went so far to say that they would cancel their subscriptions because of the re-design.
I have caught myself wondering whether or not the two Twin Cities papers would actually merge. The Pioneer Press is increasingly combining several sections into one. The front page, Local and Business are combined more often than not. The Star Tribune combines its front page and Local section on Mondays.
Fladung told me in an interview for an article I wrote for the June 2008 issue of PRSA Quarterly, the chapter newslettter of the Minnesota PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), "[The papers] could merge tomorrow...can the Twin Cities be a one-paper market?"
I'm not entirely certain we could be a one-paper market. Fladung also told me about news "agnostics," people who demand that their paper come from one source, and one source only.
The Twin Cities has lots of people like that. There are people who wouldn't be caught dead reading the Pioneer Press; and vice versa with the Star Tribune. And, after over 140 years, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer became an online-exclusive newspaper earlier this month. To some degree, with all the young, tech-savvy people in Seattle, I'm surprised the Post-Intelligencer didn't take that step sooner. Not to be guilty of insider trading, but reports say the Ann Arbor News in Ann Arbor, MI will follow the Post-Intelligencer's route in July, after 174 years of print publication. Even college newspapers are being hit. The Minnesota Daily, a newspaper published by students at the University of Minnesota, ceased the Friday print edition in December, 2008.
Get your print editions of newspapers now, they might not exist in a couple years. At least, we can still get a print copy of The Onion. But for how long?
Other newspapers, such as the San Francisco Chronicle are also in danger of ceasing operation; and the Minneapolis Star Tribune declared bankruptcy last month. Is this a result of the sagging economy, or a shift in the way people get their news? Might I suggest it's a little of both; but probably more of the latter, as opposed to the former.
When the Saint Paul Pioneer Press re-designed its paper last year, I saw so many posts on their website about "[There's] a print edition?" or people saying "I just read it online" messages like that were aplenty after the paper re-designed. People even went so far to say that they would cancel their subscriptions because of the re-design.
I have caught myself wondering whether or not the two Twin Cities papers would actually merge. The Pioneer Press is increasingly combining several sections into one. The front page, Local and Business are combined more often than not. The Star Tribune combines its front page and Local section on Mondays.
Fladung told me in an interview for an article I wrote for the June 2008 issue of PRSA Quarterly, the chapter newslettter of the Minnesota PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), "[The papers] could merge tomorrow...can the Twin Cities be a one-paper market?"
I'm not entirely certain we could be a one-paper market. Fladung also told me about news "agnostics," people who demand that their paper come from one source, and one source only.
The Twin Cities has lots of people like that. There are people who wouldn't be caught dead reading the Pioneer Press; and vice versa with the Star Tribune. And, after over 140 years, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer became an online-exclusive newspaper earlier this month. To some degree, with all the young, tech-savvy people in Seattle, I'm surprised the Post-Intelligencer didn't take that step sooner. Not to be guilty of insider trading, but reports say the Ann Arbor News in Ann Arbor, MI will follow the Post-Intelligencer's route in July, after 174 years of print publication. Even college newspapers are being hit. The Minnesota Daily, a newspaper published by students at the University of Minnesota, ceased the Friday print edition in December, 2008.
Get your print editions of newspapers now, they might not exist in a couple years. At least, we can still get a print copy of The Onion. But for how long?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Timberwolves' Pledge
I'm sure we've all seen it by now, the TV spot featuring Glen Taylor, owner of a beleaguered Timberwolves team, sitting center-court, in a darkened Target Center, telling folks about season tickets for next year. "Season tickets as low as $5 per game" is the marketing ploy for the 2009-10 season ticket campaign.
If you have turned on a Timberwolves game lately, there have been lots of empty seats. And, it's not just four seats here, three seats there that are empty; there are entire sections of seats that are empty.
Think back 20 years, when the Timberwolves, one of the newest expansion franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing in front of very large crowds at the Metrodome. As a matter of fact, in their inaugural season of 1989-90, they set an all-time NBA season attendance record of over 1 million people.
But now, the Timberwolves are changing things up for their 2009-10 season ticket campaign. In a letter penned by Glen Taylor (and also mentioned in the TV spot), the Timberwolves have reduced prices on 95% of the seats in Target Center. I looked on the Timberwolves website, they have reduced ticket prices dramatically. Glen Taylor's letter to the fans can be found at http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/tickets/200910_Glen_Taylor_Letter.html .
Don't get too excited, however. The $5-per-game tickets are way up at the top of the arena, on the ends. And, those are season ticket prices; not single-game prices. What's more, the "Early Bird" deal, as they are calling it, lasts only until July.
This might be a bad thought, but I wonder whether or not the Timberwolves are lowering ticket prices to match the product on the court. Gone are the days of the NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Gone is our beloved Kevin Garnett, who for so many years got us to the playoffs. Now. it seems as though they're starting all over again.
Perhaps, in this bad economy, which is cited as a main reason for the ticket price reduction, that's exactly what the Timberwolves should be doing from a PR standpoint. They aren't asking for a billion dollars to build a new arena; they are trying to get their fan base back. What's more, they are trying to do that amidst a bad economy and a poor team.
Another part of this new campaign is the "no-risk pledge." This confused me at first. The pledge was, that if you lost your job, you wouldn't have to pay for the season tickets; you'd get your money back. According to the letter and the website, folks who lose their jobs will be refunded the money from the unused tickets. It's unusual, if not unprecedented in professional sports. But, I'm happy the Timberwolves have made that pledge.
In this world of billion-dollar stadiums, skyrocketing ticket prices, and the increasing luxury that is professional sports, it is refreshing to see a professional team make a PR move like this. I hope that this campaign is successful for the Timberwolves. I also hope that it will set a standard for other teams to consider; instead of always wanting more from their fans, to give a little back.
In my opinion, that is what keeps a fan base.
If you have turned on a Timberwolves game lately, there have been lots of empty seats. And, it's not just four seats here, three seats there that are empty; there are entire sections of seats that are empty.
Think back 20 years, when the Timberwolves, one of the newest expansion franchises in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing in front of very large crowds at the Metrodome. As a matter of fact, in their inaugural season of 1989-90, they set an all-time NBA season attendance record of over 1 million people.
But now, the Timberwolves are changing things up for their 2009-10 season ticket campaign. In a letter penned by Glen Taylor (and also mentioned in the TV spot), the Timberwolves have reduced prices on 95% of the seats in Target Center. I looked on the Timberwolves website, they have reduced ticket prices dramatically. Glen Taylor's letter to the fans can be found at http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/tickets/200910_Glen_Taylor_Letter.html .
Don't get too excited, however. The $5-per-game tickets are way up at the top of the arena, on the ends. And, those are season ticket prices; not single-game prices. What's more, the "Early Bird" deal, as they are calling it, lasts only until July.
This might be a bad thought, but I wonder whether or not the Timberwolves are lowering ticket prices to match the product on the court. Gone are the days of the NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Gone is our beloved Kevin Garnett, who for so many years got us to the playoffs. Now. it seems as though they're starting all over again.
Perhaps, in this bad economy, which is cited as a main reason for the ticket price reduction, that's exactly what the Timberwolves should be doing from a PR standpoint. They aren't asking for a billion dollars to build a new arena; they are trying to get their fan base back. What's more, they are trying to do that amidst a bad economy and a poor team.
Another part of this new campaign is the "no-risk pledge." This confused me at first. The pledge was, that if you lost your job, you wouldn't have to pay for the season tickets; you'd get your money back. According to the letter and the website, folks who lose their jobs will be refunded the money from the unused tickets. It's unusual, if not unprecedented in professional sports. But, I'm happy the Timberwolves have made that pledge.
In this world of billion-dollar stadiums, skyrocketing ticket prices, and the increasing luxury that is professional sports, it is refreshing to see a professional team make a PR move like this. I hope that this campaign is successful for the Timberwolves. I also hope that it will set a standard for other teams to consider; instead of always wanting more from their fans, to give a little back.
In my opinion, that is what keeps a fan base.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Facebook - as a resume tool?
An interesting thought came to me as I was eating dinner recently with a colleague that I met in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The thought was this: to what extent is Facebook a good tool to post a resume?
The ultimate question that came to my mind was, "how much do I want a potential employer to see?"
Social networking sites are great tools. I know it's a cliche, but it seems to me that these days, "everybody's doing it." If you can't find people on Facebook, they'll be on MySpace. If not there, try LinkedIn or Twitter.
However, Facebook is a different monster from the aforementioned social networking sites. Facebook has games, applications, groups - things that if a potential employer saw some of them, might sound an alarm.
Profile photos could raise red flags also. In my early days on Facebook, I had some strange profile pictures. Me making strange faces, me and my brother making strange faces, my cat, me and my brother making strange faces at the cat; you get the idea. Recently, I changed my profile picture to a more professional looking, suit-and-tie picture. I have to say, that's the one I'm keeping.
Making funny pictures, strange groups, games - it's all in good fun on Facebook. But, be careful, you never know who might see "the real you" posted on Facebook. Twitter is a great alternative, as you only get 140 characters to work with to get your point across.
Bottom line, it's probably better if you keep the resume off Facebook. Someone, anyone could use it against you.
The ultimate question that came to my mind was, "how much do I want a potential employer to see?"
Social networking sites are great tools. I know it's a cliche, but it seems to me that these days, "everybody's doing it." If you can't find people on Facebook, they'll be on MySpace. If not there, try LinkedIn or Twitter.
However, Facebook is a different monster from the aforementioned social networking sites. Facebook has games, applications, groups - things that if a potential employer saw some of them, might sound an alarm.
Profile photos could raise red flags also. In my early days on Facebook, I had some strange profile pictures. Me making strange faces, me and my brother making strange faces, my cat, me and my brother making strange faces at the cat; you get the idea. Recently, I changed my profile picture to a more professional looking, suit-and-tie picture. I have to say, that's the one I'm keeping.
Making funny pictures, strange groups, games - it's all in good fun on Facebook. But, be careful, you never know who might see "the real you" posted on Facebook. Twitter is a great alternative, as you only get 140 characters to work with to get your point across.
Bottom line, it's probably better if you keep the resume off Facebook. Someone, anyone could use it against you.
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