Wrapping Up 2007

On today's Houston Business Show I visited with Andy Valadez of Marketing Dynamics and Jim Driscoll of the Houston Business Media Group and GoalAchieversClub.com to discuss several things, including how to bring the year to a close with a bang.

Of particular interest was our focus on goals versus resolutions, which is always an interesting topic. At some point virtually all adults have made resolutions, which I define as often vague statements about the way people wish things were. As people age they typically no longer pursue such, not because they don't want the changes, but because resolutions don't work. Enter the need for goals.

The difference between goals and many resolutions is multi-fold:

* Goals are achievable. They are something that the person who makes such is capable of accomplishing. Such isn't always the case with resolutions. This is because resolutions often come with poor planning as they will try to "solve" all of their problems in one sweeping move.

* Goals are quantifiable. This means they are specific and can even include a minimum goal and a superior goal. Resolutions are often vague and lack a specific measure.

* Goals have a specific time frame. They state when the desired changed will be accomplished. Some times the goals are short term, mid term, or long term, but they are always dated. Goals without dates are really mere dreams. This is the most important attribute of goal setting, in my opinion.

* Goals are written. This helps memory and makes one accountable.

They are more attributes to goal setting that Jim Driscoll will be writing about in his blog at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Keep track of his content and other information at the What's New Page of that web site.

The bottom line is that the change you desire is worth pursuing. The best way of pursuing such is through very specific goals.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show on CNN 650 (M-F at 11 AM) and can be heard live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Keep up with all of our media activities by subscribing to the Houston Business Review. The above video is of Jim Driscoll, Calvin Brown, and Steve Chaloupka being interviewed by Kevin Price on the Movers and Shakers Segment of the HoustonManufacturers.com TV Show. Each are Business Show Advisors at HoustonBusinessShow.com.

Bhutto and the US Race for the Presidency

The terrible murder of Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan is having a ripple effect felt right here in the US. Besides a wildly volatile stock market that is concerned how the actions on the other side of the earth might affect us right here, there is also discussions on how the terrorism will shake up the US race for the presidency.

The winners appear to be the candidates who have taken the strongest positions on the war on terror. With over 45 percent of Pakistanis supporting Al Qaeda (according to CNN) and the possibility that they were behind this act (though no one has claimed it at the time of this writing), US candidates who have had the strongest positions on the war on terror are the biggest "beneficiaries" of what has happened in Pakistan. I know, it sounds tasteless, but I'm not sure how to describe it any more clearly.

Generally speaking, the political prognosticators are arguing that the biggest winners will be Sen. Hillary Clinton among Democrats (because of her long term relationship with Bhutto and the fact she is probably the most Conservative among that liberal group) and Sen. John McCain, who has had the strongest and most consistent views on the war on terror. I have a slightly different spin. I think the biggest winners are any Republican contender and the losers are any Democrat, because all of the former have had stronger positions on terrorism than any of the latter. Whether or not there will be any lasting impression will take weeks, if not months, to see.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Get a free subscription to that newsletter by clicking here.

New Way to Buy and Sell Real Estate

Andy Valadez of Marketing Dynamics likes to say -- "For Sale By Realtor, What a Novel Idea!" He's right, Realtors have taken a beating in recent years due to the rise of the "for sale by owner" concept. It blows my mind. I can't imagine anyone taking the risk of buying or selling a home without the help of an expert. Expertise is exactly what Realtors provide. Unfortunately all they tend to convey is selling information.

It is because of this situation that I have developed, with Andy, "HoustonsNeighborhoods.com." This innovative program replaces sales rhetoric with authoritative information. Moves the Realtor from mere promoter to expert. And provides information and serious opinion where one could only find propaganda.


On today's Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM at CNN 650), Jason Higham of Veritas Mortgage, Donald Leonard of ReMax Northwest, Andy Valadez and I discussed this exciting new paradigm that will change the way Real Estate is sold. Multimedia in scope (video, photos, audios, radio, articles, and more), we believe it will become the first place Houstonians will go for information.

Expect more information on this innovative concept in the weeks and months to come.

The above video includes Andy Valadez, Donald Leonard and Cisco Dowdell (also of Marketing Dynamics) on the HoustonsNeighborhoods.com concept. Just click the photo above and then click the "Movers and Shakers" segment. Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650). To get the best in business news and information subscribe to the weekly HoustonBusinessReview.com newsletter, which is available at no charge.

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas. That's Christmas with no apologies. I was trying so hard to not get political in this post, but these days, even Christmas is controversial. Anyway, Merry Christmas -- and make it the best ever!

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Time Magazine's Best Lists: The Top Bad Choices, Nonfiction Books

I've had plenty to say about Time's choices of religious stories for 2007 and am now going to look at a couple of its choices for nonfiction books.

It's number one choice, The World Without Us (by Alan Weisman), actually makes the case that the planet would be better off without humans. It is the typical environmental extremism discredited by the mainstream of society, with a more sophisticated writing style. The message is the same. According to Weisman, we need to leave. I wonder if he would be the first to volunter to leave?

Then there is Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA (by Tim Weiner). Another in the untold thousands of books trashing US intelligence. I've reviewed several such books on the topic and this is no more impressive than the others. When you read such you almost conclude that we would be better off without the resources such agencies provide. Such critics of the agency offer few suggestions on how to make it better. We need intelligence, develop something better than the CIA and don't merely be a critic.

There are a few choices that I liked and saw their value (especially Steve Martin's Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life). But the obvious political agenda in its other choices and incredibly overtly liberal agenda, made this list difficult to stomach.

Alex Frankel's Unique View of Brands

On yesterday's Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 on CNN 650), I had the opportunity to interview Alex Frankel, author of the popular book, Punching In. He provided interesting insights on the development of brands today and has appeared on ABC News, Wall Street Journal, and in USA Today. He applied for and served in entry level positions at UPS. Enterprise, Gap, Starbucks, and Apple. At those companies he got to see the relationship customers have with business at the most common meeting place -- through front line employees.

In it, he discusses the training experiences (all but Enterprise primarily had on the job training exclusively). On a personal level, he found Apple the most interesting (it is made up of people who are passionate and informed about the product) and Gap the least interesting (where he actually remembers the exact number of clothes he folded on a single day, which was the primary activity of the store's employees).

In it, he also assesses the value of the training employees received and the struggle each of these companies had keeping employees in the long term. I believe that this book's approach is one of the most valuable insights into the challenges in the way brands are developed. One would have to pay thousands to acquire this kind of information through traditional research. I suggest people save the money and pick up this interesting book online. If you are an employer looking for what works and what doesn't when it comes to your employees and branding, this book is excellent for you.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Time Magazine's Best Lists: The Top Bad Choices, Religious Stories

I like to consider myself fairly positive. I like to think I look at a glass as half full versus half empty. But I really disliked Time Magazines "Best Lists". They were smug, sometimes anti-American, and hostile to traditional values. This post will be about the bad choices because my only problem will be where to stop. In fact, there are so many, the negative will take a few more posts. It will be far more difficult to find some good choices to write about, which I will try to do in the future.

The top ten worst? Where do I start? The religious section struck me as particularly disturbing. Here's the worst, in my opinion, of their best:

* Mother Teresa's "crisis" of faith. She wrote about how she wished she could had felt God's presence more, Time interprets this as doubting her faith. This woman put her faith to action for decades and allowed her head to rule rather than a heart saddened by the poverty she witnessed daily. Quite a leap on Time's part indeed!

* The "greening" of Evangelicalism. The impression you get from reading Time is that churches throughout the US are passionately proselytizing in the pursuit of a better environment. The near religious fervor behind Global Warming has overflowed into Christian churches, we are told. I go to church and am something of a student of what is going on in church culture. I'm surprised to find the "reach" described by Time. Furthermore, the hodge podge category included criticism of evangelicals for failing to support Sen. Sam Brownback because he converted to Catholicism. Confused? Join the club. By the way, I have watched this 2008 race closely and had no idea Brownback was Catholic. I assumed voters didn't support him for the same reason as me -- he didn't have a prayer.

* The "ROAR" of atheist Books. According to Time, atheism is hot. Every dinner party, every cocktail party, and every casual conversations includes discussions about books such as "Letter to a Christian Nation" and "God is Not Great." I guess I need to get out more often! I admit, I live in the Bible Belt, but I like to think I'm well read on what's going on outside of my neighborhood. This phenomenon is new to me and seems to almost support an agenda of the magazine.

* The trials of New Life Church. A single congregation and its personal drama is a top 10 religious story of 2007? Muslim religious leaders supporting democratic efforts in Iraq at the risk of death isn't on this list, but the falling of an evangelical leader (Ted Haggard) is? The same church was the recent victim of a gunman who killed two of it members. Very sad. leave these people alone, and get real about the choices.

* The Creation Museum opens. I found this particularly offensive and shows the magazine's agenda. It points out that the new institution has had huge numbers of visitors, but "reaffirms the scientific validity of the Flintstones." So much for objective media. Time doesn't believe that evolution is a theory (but is a "fact") and finds the fact that many Christians believe the planet was created by God and only around 6,000 years ago, ridiculous. Besides being bad journalism, the whoe approach to the article is impolite.

My next review will focus on the news stories. This will likely be a multi-part article on the bad side alone and I am afraid I will have little to say as far as good stories. We will have to see.

Kevin Price is the Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650). He is also Publisher of the Houston Business Review, which is available at no cost each week.

Time Magazine's Person of the Year

It's that time of the year again. The period of the year in which Time Magazine chooses its person of the year. It isn't always the person who has done the most good, but the one that has had the biggest impact, right or wrong. Sometimes it isn't even a person, with a computer winning one year and everyone winning last year.

This year's list is a little more conventional (in the order of the most popular):

J.K. Rowling

Al Gore

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Condolezza Rice

Steve Jobs

General David Petraeus

Vladimir Putin

Hu Jintao

In typical, smug, Time fashion, the list is made up of people whom the media elite believes are worthy of the "Person of the Year" title. Rowling, the author of one of the biggest selling books of all time. Al Gore the crowned king of nature. Ahmadinejad, the man most likely to get attention and terrorize his neighbors. Vladimir Putin, the dictator that won't go away.

There are a few that I think clearly make sense. Steve Jobs, certainly an entrepreneurial powerhouse. General David Petraeus, the man who has single handedly changed the debate on the war of Iraq. Hu Jintao, a man has transformed the Chinese economy and society. I have to eliminate Jobs because, although he continues to reinvent himself and his business in profound ways. I simply don't see his contribution as "Person of the Year" in scope. I think Jintao and Petraeus clearly qualify. They have both changed the world. But Time Magazine is an US Magazine and I'm an American, so guess who I voted for in Time's survey?

Petraeus has not only change the war in Iraq, but will possibly change the Presidential race of 2008 and US policy for years to come. Petraeus has become so successful that he is now forcing Democrats (who have staked their future on defeat) to come across as though they are running against the troops. Petraeus could change the political landscape for years to come.

What are the Five Worst Credit Card Companies?

According to Calvin Brown (of Credit Restore, Inc.), Houston Business Show Advisor on Credit Strategies, you are going to recognize them immediately.

On Friday's Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650), I interviewed our new Houston Business Show Advisor and Calvin pointed out the five worst credit card companies.
Here’s a quick run down of the five companies that have a reputation of destroying a client’s credit and even their financial reputations:

* Bank of America. The largest bank of America has a terrible reputation at damaging one's economy. The purchase of a smaller credit firm has weakened the economic structures of the larger company.

* Discover Financial. One of the hardest cards to get is one that you might want the least.

* Capital One. In spite the nifty commercials that position themselves as the savior of credit card users, they have a reputation of worsening one's credit situation.

* World Financial Network National Bank (WFNNB). You don't know this company because they underwrite the credit efforts of many other firms. But when you get something financed, they might be the ones underwriting it.

* Washington Mutual/Providian. Another company that has suffered from the practices of its acquisitions.

These companies’ are all noted for being unforgiving, rude customer service, overextending credit, and weak ID theft controls.

Calvin went into detail on these companies and has developed a report that he is making available upon request plus five others. For that list of the top ten and details why they were chosen, ask for a report at Info@HoustonBusinessShow.com.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show, M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650.

Creating the New Media

The Internet has turned the world upside down. Brick and mortar has been rapidly replaced by click and portal. People have huge businesses without a building and the hottest TV networks are online.

For example, YouTube wasn't just another "website", but was the first new major network of the 21st century. Clever websites are not purchased by companies like Google for over $1.6 billion. A completely new media platform that has the convenience of the web and the visual qualities of TV apparently are.

The changes going on through the Internet are becoming an obsession of mine, something I discuss on my radio show (see video above), write about in this blog, and even think about when I'm alone (while looking at websites that fuel this interest).

Adding to this Internet debate is a website I recently stumbled on called Brightcove.com. The purpose of the site is to help people and businesses to create online TV networks of their own. Their client list is impressive, including A&E and CBS News (broadcast and cable), The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal (newspapers), as well as Time and Prevention (magazines). However, the site's value isn't limited to companies in the media, but to any company trying to develop creative ways to attract and keep customers.

What is most interesting about Brightcove is that you don't have to be a mega corporation to create your own online network. Instead, they offer options that allows small businesses to have the platform at no cost and share revenue for advertisements that they can run on the site they give you (with plenty of room for additional inventory). This makes it possible to have a very powerful media platform with minimal investment.

In addition, the site offers several lengthy articles on how to make the most of this impressive tool. I've spent hours on the site and I suggest you spend time there too.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Jonathan Hoenig: Capitalist Pig?

Jonathan Hoenig -- known as the "Capitalist Pig" (and proud of it) and a regular contributor to Fox News and Fox Business -- was a guest today on the Houston Business Show. I have great guests all the time and Jonathan is one of my favorites.

I like Jonathan because he's not ashamed about his passion about free markets. He doesn't merely discuss economic efficiency, but economic morality, a greatly missed theme in discussions today. What do I mean by "economic morality"? There is a morality to everything, including political economy. When government gives something to one group "for free," they do it at the expense of others. This redistribution of wealth is immoral.

While others decry the fact that governments efforts in philanthropy (aka, "welfare") because they do an inefficient job, Hoenig argues that it is wrong. Period. It's fine to decry the terrible job the government does in redistributing wealth. But if government some how became efficient at it, would it some how make such actions "good"? I don't think so and neither does Jonathan Hoenig and his arguments are a refreshing edition to the political and economic debate.

Donald Trump's Business Challenges

No one is going to play violins or weep over Donald trump. He is strong headed , often arrogant, and conveys the perception that he can handle anything. Yet, he is a great marketer and his life is consumed with challanges that most could ever imagine. I began to appreciate this, recently when I reviewed some (of the dozens) of recent headlines about him at Google:

* Salmond 'unaware of Trump lifeline'The Press Association - The First Minister has said he had no idea Donald Trump's application for a £1 billion golf resort would be thrown a lifeline by the Scottish Government. ...See all stories on this topic. This is one of many articles on Trump's golf course struggles.

* Note to Israel in dealing with the Gaza: "Let those people go"OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USABefore I get into the next case, I want you who read this piece to listen to the words of Donald Trump who has called Bush “The worst president in history”. ...See all stories on this topic. Bush chimes in on international affairs.

* New Orleans needs our helpNewsday - Long Island,NY,USADonald Trump says the residents of Nassau County should welcome his catering hall to Jones Beach and make special concessions for variances, permits, ...See all stories on this topic. Trump leads a charge to save New Orleans.

* Bonnie Donny, The Isle o' Lewis Is Pining for YeWall Street Journal - USARocks to Riches: Donald Trump's mother grew up in a house now grassy ruins. Her son's properties are dotted round the US and include an apartment in Trump ...See all stories on this topic. Trump is used as a point of reference to prove the fame of someone else.

* TRUMP SUES PHILIPPINE PROPERTY FIRM FOR USING HIS NAMEPR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung) - Wien,AustriaBusiness tycoon DONALD TRUMP is suing a property company in the Philippines over the unauthorised use of his name in one of their housing projects. ...See all stories on this topic. When you feel sorry for how often Donald Trump is sued, remember, he can dish it out.

I think you get the idea. Sure, he has many people who manage these many battles for him. Furthermore, he is well compensated for all of these efforts. But I simply can't say that Trump's life is simple.

Above is a video by the people who spread the rumor about Trump's $10,000 tip (which proved to not be true. This is all part of Donald's interesting life.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Search Engine Friendly

I actually feel guilty that I, personally, only write around 10 or 11 articles a week (around 4 here and more at HoustonBusinessShow.com). I know, it sounds ridiculous, but when your blogs and web platforms have the reach we enjoy, I feel like I should be writing as long as I'm awake.

Articles on our web platform are found very high on Google searches and enjoy a very high response. In fact, dBusinessNews released information about the extent of our search engine optimization reach compared to other major media web sites such as the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Business Journal, and even national media sites.

Here is a comparison of the HoustonBusinessReview (which is media central on our sites) and other major websites:

Newspapers

Houston Chronicle. Chron.com has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 82%.
Houston Business Journal (HoustonBusinessJournal.com) has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 86%.

TV Stations

KPRC (Click2Houston.com) has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 87%.
KHOU (KHOU.TV) has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 57%.
KTRK (KTRK.com) has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 70%.

Radio

KTRH has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 59%.
KPRC has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 55%.
KSEV has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 80%.

News Websites

HoustonBusinessReview.com has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 92 percent.

HoustonBusinessReview.com is the only local website that has a DomainTools.com rating of an "A" (with 90% plus being an "A"). This rating is usually relegated to national media. For example:

Forbes.com has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 91%.
Fortune.com has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 92%.
CNNMoney.com has a Search Engine Optimization rating of 92%.

However, many prominent national media failed to reach the 90 percent threshold, including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, MSNBC.com, and many others.

Combined with all of our experts and the content I provide, we have a massive reach. Learning how to have search engine friendly content is crucial in web marketing. That will be the focus of posts in the future.

Pearl Harbor: The Date of Infamy

Franklin Roosevelt's Declaration of War against the Empire of Japan is one of my favorite speeches from the 20th Century. The line, "December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy" - is the most memorable of the speech and one of the best recalled in US history. However, the speech only begins there.

In this speech, relatively short by modern standards, Roosevelt persuasively and eloquently makes the case of war. In a chilling fashion he does an inventory of Japan's offensives. And, although the US was clearly a victim in this shameless act of aggression, Roosevelt maintains a position of strength. In essence, he doesn't cower, but says "you are missing with the wrong country."

Like I said, the speech is short, so I don't want my thoughts to be longer than the presentation itself; so here are the words of Roosevelt. His reminders, in light of our current conflict are very helpful today:

"Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its Government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific. Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.

It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.

Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.

Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.

And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.

Japan has, therefore, undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.

As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.

But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us. No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.

I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.

Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.

With confidence in our armed forces - with the unbounding determination of our people - we will gain the inevitable triumph - so help us God.

I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire."

Powerful reminders. War is challenging, but often necessary, when our country is attacked without provocation. Let us never forget the lessons of this December day.

Kevin Price is host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Get your free subscription while visiting here.

"Hope Now" Means Problems Tomorrow

It appears that the Bush Administration' plans to help struggling home owners fight off foreclosures is destined to happen. Hillary Clinton has offered a similar plan of her own and both Wall Street and policy wonks on both sides of the partisan aisle are embracing the concept. Simply put, it is being proposed that those who got subprime loans and are still current (but struggling with any increase in rates) will see a freeze at their current rate. The increases would be put on hold for as long as five years, according to most estimates. Others, still, are arguing for all the increases to be added to the back of the note through additional years. The reform promoted by the President is being called "Hope Now".

Although this idea is extremely popular and should have an immediate short-term benefit to the economy, I believe the long term effect could be chilling to the economy in general and future home buyers in particular.

When people got an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) they either (a) knew what they were getting or (b) should have read the contract to know what they were signing up for. They were signing up for a loan that would have future increases. That was the price they had to pay to get their loans because of their credit situation.

Investors back up money mortgages such as these because they thought that although some might foreclose (the risk of doing business), they would at least enjoy a higher rate during that process. Although there is no doubt in my mind that the President's plan is actually beneficial to some lending companies (which usually do well at financing homes, but are terrible at selling Real Estate), it is fundamentally wrong for the government to take such a coercive role.

Besides the fact that this is a violation of contract law (an idea clearly protected in the Constitution), this is also a modern form of Price Controls. When investors consider financing risky loans with the opportunity of failure (like sub-prime loans) they will remember the dollars lost due to government intervention. The loser in this process will be the same person "Hope Now" is meant to benefit -- the risky individual who needed the loan. This is the unintended consequences of bad policy. We won't see it today, but we will see likely see the affects in the future.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review.

Media, Advertising, and PR for Businesses in Houston

There is a reason why virtually every advertisement says "that's not all, oh no, that's not all" -- that type of message is very effective. People simply want more for their money and advertisers know it. Unfortunately, rarely do businesses get such offerings. A company I am with, the Houston Business Media Group, is actually doing something about it and is creating quite a stir.

In a recent post, I discussed a new multimedia program that offers radio, TV, web, and other media at a very small package price. Here are the major points of that post:

* 7 ads a day, M-F between 6 AM and Midnight on the hottest new channel in Comcast's interconnect -- Fox Business Network, which is in over 600,000 homes for 13 weeks

* Quarterly interview on the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650)

* Promotion of the ad campaign (and your business) on the radio show

* Campaign (and your business) featured on the home page of HoustonBusinessShow.com (under "As Seen on TV" link)

* Promoted in the Houston Business Review that goes to over 50,000 every week during the campaign

* All production costs are included

* This ad campaign is below market on the TV alone, but includes all these other excellent elements. This is an excellent opportunity to have a multimedia campaign at a very reasonable cost.

I find the single biggest challenge facing small businesses is how to reach new customers in an economically sensible fashion. That is exactly what the Houston Business Media Group offers through this innovative program. I suggest emailing Andy Valadez of Marketing Dynamics (the Media Group's ally in this program) at Andy@MarketingDynamics.org or call him at 713.560.3348. One could call out of the curiosity of how we do it.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Visit HBR to get your free subscription.

CNBC's Fox Business Channel Survey

According to MediaBistro.com, CNBC wants to know what Fox Business viewers think about the new company:

In what appears to be one of that newest CNBC viewer surveys, the network wants to know what you think of the competition. A screengrab posted yesterday on Inside Cable News by way of the Reportercaps message board showed a CNBC survey asking respondents to rate the CNBC and FBN personalities, in a rating from excellent to poor, or unfamiliar.
Some of the Fox Business anchors on the list were David Asman, Alexis Glick (formerly of CNBC), Dagen McDowell and Cody Willard.

It is interesting that news of such a survey comes from the CNBC camp rather than Fox. I expected to see such long before Fox Business was launched if, for no other reason, to know how to posture themselves in this new environment.

If I have said it before, I have said it many times, I like both CNBC and Fox Business. In fact, I'm watching The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch while working on this. But if I'm CNBC, I would be worried about Fox. The network is much more personality driven than CNBC, in my opinion and I believe most people find that attractive. It will be interesting to see how the battle between these two networks progresses.

Read the opinions of the Houston Business Show Experts by subscribing to the Houston Business Review.

Dow Breaks 13,000 Again -- in the Right Direction!

A few days ago I noted that the Stock Market broke 13,000 points, but in the wrong direction. The market is at it again, but this time it broke its way back up, all the way to 13,371.72. In fact, the last week was the best we have seen in months.

Still, with the amazing market volatility, I think Fox Business and CNBC should get Dramamine as a title sponsor of many of their programs. The wild roller coast ride called the Stock Market is enough to make anyone sick.

The recent stress in the stock market has been great news for the media. According to MediaBistro, the channels that specialize in reporting such are enjoying a surge in viewers (which is usually followed by advertising revenue). The market remains near an all time high, unemployment is incredibly low, and the economy as whole remains quite strong. Yet, you won't easily read, see, or hear such in the business media. Instead we will only by plagued by stories of sub-prime trauma and foreclosures. That's the news media we "enjoy" today.

Kevin Price is the Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and is publisher of the Houston Business Review. Request Kevin Price's report on the Business of Media by emailing info@HoustonBusinessShow.com.