Welcome to Extreme Networking

No one doubts the value of networking and the radio show demonstrated how to take this concept to new heights. Earlier this week we did a remote at the 1308 Cantina in Houston, which brought over 100 guests to this exciting event.

Doing events such as this is fairly common. People standing around the media personality and doing a little meeting and greeting. For the price of some of the finest Mexican food in town, it is a great event in and of itself. This was so much more than that.

Andy Valadez of Marketing Dynamics and I have been working extensively on the importance of the convergence of media in building a business. That is why the Houston business Media Group includes a radio show (The Houston Business Show, M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650), an ezine (the Houston Business Review), television (Movers and Shakers on Phonoscope), and other media. We brought many of these elements to El Tiempo.

So the large crowd came for great food and exchange cards, but instead received so much more. Many did short interviews on the radio show where they gave their message to thousands online and on the radio. We are talking about twenty such guests. Others still were interviewed via video and will be promoted in my ezine and on the radio (like I did of the interview with Jessica Colon of Young Republicans and Fox News). Others are being promoted at the What's New Page at Houston Business Show What's New Page and the Houston Business Review. Many will put the audio and video on their website, creating a level of credibility that is hard to come by and long term exposure that is simply hard to come by. I don't know what you call this approach to business development, but I call it Extreme Networking.

The feedback about the event was overwhelmingly positive. People enjoyed great food and fun. More importantly, many of them were able to redefine networking by getting their message out directly to thousands and over a much longer of period of time. We are excited about making a difference in the way people network.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

The All American Football League: A Novel Approach to Pro Sports

On Tuesday of this week's Houston Business Show I interviewed Mike Pede of the All American Football League. Any regular listener of my show or reader of this blog knows that I'm a big fan of sports and to those teams that are aspiring to attract fans against the very competitive major leagues.

The problem with most of these leagues is that they either pretend to be on the same tier as the major teams, play the same time of the year as when they play, or don't offer any unique features to make fans interested. I think that the new All American Football League may have addressed these issues effectively:

* The season begins right after the NFL season ends. Soon enough where people are still thinking about football, late enough not to interfere with the "big boys."

* You actually have to be a college graduate to participate in this league. Being educated is one of the elements to being a good example. This is a positive for young fans.

* The salaries will attract higher quality people, but people who are still hungry. Each team will have six players who make $100,000 a year and around 40 who will make $50,000. This is similar to the Arena Football League.

* They give a great "college feel" that provides an excellent -- and unique -- niche. They plan on only operating in college stadiums (Houston's team will play at Rice University's stadium). In fact, they go to great lengths to align players to teams that are close to where they went to school.

All in all, it is too early to say whether this approach is going to work, but I'm optimistic. I love sports and particularly those teams filled with hungry players that desire to take it to the next level. It will be interesting to see how this new league matures.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Remembering Louie Welch

As most readers of this blog or listeners of my show know, I graduated from Abilene Christian University. ACU is well respected -- a top 3 for Master's level universities in Texas and in the top 25 in the South and West according to US News & World Reports, but it isn't well known. Furthermore, we lack the list of prestigious alumni that universities tend to hunger for.

One of those alumni that made a difference was Louie Welch, former mayor of Houston. Welch served four years on the city council before finally winning mayor. Who wouldn't leave that latter position until he finished an impressive five terms. He took over that spot during the turbulent 1960s and his tenure was filled with defusing the tensions between a white population that wasn't ready for equal rights and the African American population that rightfully demanded such.

In the end, he made significant progress on that front, quietly playing a part in protests on the behalf of minorities and overseeing major changes in attitudes. He was, without question, one of the most progressive Southern mayors in the 1960s.

He tried a political comeback in the 1980s and found himself in trouble over statements on homosexuality. In spite of this controversy, Welch is remembered fondly by the Houston community and is a great ACU alum who has made a difference.

I got the opportunity to meet Mr. Welch while we were both waiting for planes at the airport. He was polite and extremely friendly. He was absolutely thrilled that we both shared ACU in common and that I appreciated his service to the city. He was just that kind of person.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Florida Democratic Debate Has Highest Ratings To Date

It appearst that people finally seem interested in the 2008 race for the presidency. Will, that's the impression you get from a recent article in MediaBistro:

Last night's MSNBC debate in Florida was the highest rated debate that MSNBC has aired in this presidential election cycle. The previous high was the Democratic debate on January 15.

The debate averaged 2,636,000 million total viewers and 876,000 in the A25-54 demo (using Nielson Live + SD figures).

Why the sudden surge in interest? I believe the elimination of candidates is making the race far more interesting to viewers. We are finally "getting rid of the riffraff," making it something worth watching.

Before we get too excited about the results, 2.6 million is less than 1 percent of the population. But for MSNBC, this is huge.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Do Democrats Fear John McCain?

Do Democrats fear John McCain? According to the latest web commercial from the John McCain commercial, the answer is overwhelmingly, "yes." In the commercial, found at JohnMcCain.com, individuals see a series of quotes from individuals expressing who Democrats fear most in this election. Without exception, the answer is Senator McCain.

In my friendships and business relationships, I get a similar response. The prospect of a McCain candidacy keeps the Democrats up at night, I am told.

I'm not buying it. Sure, he will likely make the Democrats life difficult when he talks about national defense and terrorism. As a former POW and veteran, and heroic in many respects, he will be tough to tackle on those issues. Furthermore, he has been consistently right on the war from the beginning and the Democrats have become remarkably quiet about it in recent weeks. Why? Because Americans seem to be interested in winning again rather than merely getting out in a hurry.

However, on numerous other issues, there is a little difference between him and the Democrats. He has been terribly inconsistent on taxes, soft on spending issues, and has flip-flopped on immigration. My view is, if you have a choice between a Democrat or a Democrat impersonator, you will choose the original article.

I can't help but think that there is a little bit of reverse psychology in the quotes by these Democrat leaders in this commercial. Would they sincerely express who they really fear or would they give the impression they fear one in the effort to get the GOP to choose that candidate? My gut tells me that the latter is the case. By the way, those Republicans e.g., Robert Novak) who are saying the same thing in the ad are merely quoting what Democrats are telling them. The Democrats want McCain because he will likely do a poor job to motivate the Republican base that are so crucial in getting someone elected.

I believe that the Democrats fear Mitt Romney the most. Why? He has the important Governor credential that has been the most common characteristic of every successful Presidential candidate since the 1970s. In fact, only one candidate since Carter hasn't had that credential -- George H.W. Bush -- who sat from the lofty position of sitting Vice President. He has proven that he can win in one of the toughest states for Republicans in the country. This is no small accomplishment. Furthermore, McCain is on the brink of financial ruin. Romney has plenty of cash to sail smoothly into the general election. Romney, who does have his own flip flop problems, has the strongest favorable positions on the issues that motivate the Republican faithful. This will be crucial come November.

I am not sure any of these Republicans are worthy to cause the Democrats to be fearful. But if there is one, it isn't McCain.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Sprint Cuts Jobs and Stores

Recently I wrote a post critical of Sprint's creepy TV commercial showing individuals with several "mini mes" designed to get things done. Those little helpers were due to the great resources people get from their Sprint phone. I'm beginning to feel bad for my comments, considering the news I saw regarding Sprints current circumstances.

According to Mediabistro:

Fortune is reporting that Sprint plans to cut 4,000 jobs and shut down 125 retail locations this year:

"The news keeps getting worse at Sprint. The struggling wireless telco suffered its worst quarter yet for customer defections, saying a staggering 683,000 post-paid users headed for the door in the fourth quarter. Sprint's churn, reflecting the rate of monthly subscriber loss, rose to 2.3 percent, which is more than double the rates recently posted at the fastest-growing big carrier, Verizon Wireless."

Sprint is the nation's third largest carrier, with approximately 54 million subscribers. AT&T and Verizon are neck and neck, with 66 and 64 million respectively. T-Mobile brings up the rear (of the four major carriers) with 28 million customers.

I doubt seriously that the "creepy ad" I referred to in a recent post played any role. But I'm also sure that their weak campaigns have done little in winning the defections war. Of the big four, I think Verizon has the most effective commercials and the only theme that is memorable. With their long term use of "can you hear me now?," we know exactly what they are talking about and the message resonates. Yet they have been clever enough to tie it to different themes to prevent us getting bored.

I know that personal stories are less than reliable, but there seemed to be a time when virtually everyone I knew used Sprint. Those days seems to be long gone.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Eagerly Waiting Recession

I love the movie "The Matrix." It is smart and imaginative. Yes, it's violent, but even that seemed to have a purpose. I love the scene where Agent Smith tells Neo the truth about the world he has always known. He tells the hero that in earlier attempts the machines attempted to make a perfect virtual world so that humans would be happy while they waited to be batteries for the machines. Smith goes on to say that it made the humans miserable and they had to give us the current world plagued with challenges and problems in order to make us content. We lived for bad things, he argued, and the Matrix accomodates such.

I like to consider myself an optimist, but there is a part of this story rings true. One of my earliest posts was on the "Real Economy." Back in July of 2006, when the economy was booming, I wrote that "any way, the news isn't good, but the economy keeps on chugging along at excellent levels." In spite of the news today, we only have a very slight drop in the economy over the last month. According to economists, it takes six months of decline to be called a "receission." But believe me, we will keep hearing recession talk, even if February shows a dramatic up swing. The media business is actually the bad news business. They thrive as long as the media is bad, in their opinion.

I'm not ready to buy the recession rhetoric, regardless of how strongly it is pushed down my throat. A recession requires six month of economic decline. We have only seen a soft month. I believe we had years of recession rhetoric, yet continued prosperity. We should continue to determine our economic destiny.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

When will Christmas Commercials End?

Usually I complain about Christmas starting too early. I saw commercials as early as October last year. Well, here we are late in January and we are still seeing Christmas theme ads.

No, it is not that "Christmas is right around the corner" spot and you better order online quickly, it wasn't a reminder to pick up something for an in-law, or a list of suggested stocking items. Instead we are told by Special K that you can stop looking like Santa Claus by choosing a large variety of their weight conscious products.

Tonight, I saw a Verizon commercial that reminds me that you can still find their cell phones still on sale. This ad comes with Christmas lights, music, and even a festive phone that reminds us of the season.

I like Christmas. I actually hate to see the season end. But I am not sure what I will do if I see one more Christmas spot.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Edwards is Changing His Mind About Fox?

That is what MediaBistro.com is speculating about. Several months ago former Senator John Edwards went over the deep end because of his discuss over the "bias" that he had seen at Fox News. He made it clear, no true democrat should grace the stage or studio of anything "Fox." This was odd, because he had been a guest many times until his last interview on January 23, 2007. Had there been a major shift in Fox's editorial approach at that point or was he simply looking for a way to differentiate himself from the rest of the pack?

Portfolio's Jeff Bercovici writes "shortly after last night's Democratic debate on MSNBC, Eric Schultz, Edwards's national press secretary, sent out an email blast to reporters touting the results of a Frank Luntz focus group conducted on Fox. Schultz's email follows."

From: Eric SchultzSubject: Frank Luntz Focus Group of Undecided Nevada Voters: EDWARDS WINNER. Edwards Declared the Winner by a Focus Group of Undecided Nevada Voters. On Fox News, Frank Luntz' focus group from Las Vegas of thirty undecided Nevada Democrats declared Edwards the winner. Luntz:"How many of you thought John Edwards won?" [1/2 crowd raises hand]"How many of you came in supporting Senator Edwards?" [About 3 people raise hand]"On issue after issue, we're going to show this to you tomorrow night, his language actually scored better than Senator Clinton and Senator Obama." [Fox News, 1/15/08]

I'm sure the Senator has to be happy about Fox's new found "enlightenment." But can he easily have a change of heart? The jury is still out on that.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Oprah Creates Television Network

I am ashamed to admit, but I was surprised to hear that Oprah has decided to create her own television network. Silly me! What should really surprise me is that it has taken this long to happen. That shouldn't surprise me either, because Oprah rarely does anything unless she can do it with excellence. That is the secret of her success.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the talk show queen has been dreaming the idea of a 24/7 TV network for around 20 years. Now she plans on making that dream into a reality. She has said that she has been wanting to share her approach to media and her influence all the time (literally all the time). She didn't want to be limited by a show, or a magazine, or even a continuously updated website. She wanted her fans to turn on the tube and see her media at any time. This will be her way to do just that.

The name of the new channel will be OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. How appropriate, because if she keeps this up she will own virtually everything.

On the Oprah site, the media leader announced:

In an unprecedented deal, Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications announced plans today to create OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. The new multi-platform media venture will be designed to entertain, inform and inspire people to live their best lives. OWN will debut in 2009 in more than 70 million homes, on what is currently the Discovery Health Channel. The venture will also include the award-winning digital platform, Oprah.com.

According to Forbes, Oprah Winfrey is worth over $2.5 billion. She clearly isn't motivated by money alone (note: I don't believe anyone ever makes "enough money," so please don't interpret my remarks as such). I believe Oprah wants to be an agent for change and influence. I believe she wants to continue to add to her legacy. I think she wants to get a TV gig for her best friend, Gayle King. Okay, just kidding, but I'm sure that is going to happen, just as Gayle has largely taken over Oprah's show on satellite radio (Oprah and Friends on XM).

Whatever the reasons, I'm confident that this effort will be as successful as virtually everything else Oprah puts her hands on.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Sprint's Creepy Commercial

I typically like Sprint's commercials. Yes, they are low key and they don't stick with you for a long time, but they are fun and get to the point. The most memorable one to date for me is the "Crime Deterrent" one where the phone user throws his phone to show that fighting crime is one of its functions (see video).

The latest one has individuals being able to do so much more, it is like having many "mini mes." I'm sorry, I found the ad a little creepy. I'm usually spending most of my time simply looking at it, rather than hearing the message.

On the other hand, I did hear enough to know what it was. It is also one of those ads that people will write and talk about (like here). So who knows, maybe it is a little effective. However, it isn't the type of ad for me. I would love to get the thoughts of others.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

In the Future, Not All New Media Will Be Short

I have noticed that most of the videos and audios you find online are typically very short. I've been told by media experts that the magic number is four minutes. "More than four and the viewer gets bored." This had something to do, I'm sure, with the time restrictions placed by YouTube. Wired Magazine says we live in a "snack culture" that simply doesn't want to consume anything of substance when it comes to media.

Others argue that four is too many. There is the "One Minute How To" (designed to explain how to do something), the "One Minute Tip" (on technology), the "Sixty Second Investor" and many more. The assumption is that people simply are not going to spend that much time on a single video. It is the ADHD frenzy that is pervasive in online.

I personally believe this is about to change and the new International CES validates that assumption. This electronic expo is demonstrating numerous devices that make the link between the computer and the TV is becoming much more narrow. Soon, we will all be able to simply transmit what we want to watch from our computer to the TV. If we watch online programming on our TV and continue to emphasize short programs, we will have to do a great deal of work just developing a program line up.

I envision the growth of programming that will especially for the Internet. Weekly series that our 30 minutes or an hour long. Netflix, which has movies available online that most are watching on their computers, will become increasingly more relevent as people find it easier to transfer the images on a TV screen.

Eventually the web will cover the whole scope of media in terms of size and type. I also believe that TV will become a mere display tool, but the real media will be the Internet itself.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Criticism of Today Show and Richard Cohen's Book

Media Bistro has pointed out that the Poynter Institute has come out swinging against the way the popular Today Show did a series on people fighting chronic illness. The problem? The book was by Richard Cohen who is also the husband of Meredith Viera, co-host of Today. That's the source of the controversy. Here's what Media Bistro Reported:

With the conclusion of Today's three-part segment on chronic illness, the AP's David Bauder reports that a Poynter Institute expert is questioning the ethics of the series, inspired by a new book by Richard Cohen, Meredith Vieira's husband.

Cohen, who has Multiple Sclerosis, has written Strong at the Broken Places, about people living with illness. Vieira, who stated on-air that Cohen is her husband, interviewed him Wednesday in-studio, along with some of the book's subjects.

The Poynter Institute's Bob Steele tells Bauer that Today could have given the story to Matt Lauer or Ann Curry. Bauer writes that "there's also the issue of providing Cohen with three days of publicity on the top-rated morning news show..."

Today Executive Producer Jim Bell tells Bauer, "In a way I think it would have drawn more attention to it if (Vieira) did not do (the story)."

Bell also says Cohen's book addresses important subject matter, of interest to viewers. "If the guy was writing a book on a topic we didn't care about, or if he wasn't an accomplished author or if it wasn't getting attention at other places, I think it would be an issue. But I don't think that was the case here."

I think this is ridiculous. The story was about people who courageously live with chronic illness. That is something Meredith Vieria does daily. She's a very solid interviewer and all the better because, in this case, she was also a very empathetic one. Instead of criticizing the fine work done by the Today Show in this case, we should be commending them by providing a quality story on an important subject rather than bringing us another Lindsay Lohan disaster headline.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Time Magazine's Best Lists: Worst Business Deals

I have been summarizing my thoughts on Time Magazine's Best Lists over the last several weeks and hadn't even touched their business lists. Until now. I found the magazine's Worst Business Deals" very interesting.

* The Blackstone Group going public. It looked hot after years of some rather amazing deals, but lost 38 percent of its value in no time after going public. In my experience, VC firms are the epitome of feast and famine. It isn't the kind of place one puts the family nest egg in. However, you can't count these guys out yet. The stock market is a long term game. It is only a bad deal if you cash in from the early highs.

* DaimlerChrysler pays to unload Chrysler. After an amazing array of mathematic antics, Daimler actually paid $2 billion to unload the company to Cerberus. With mathematic geniuses like this, is there any question as to why Daimler was going broke?

* Microsoft overpays for Facebook. First it was MySpace and Murdoch, then it was Google and YouTube. Microsoft simply had to get into the social networking phenomenon. The one it bought a stake in was Facebook for $240 million. The deal gives Facebook an implied value of $17 million, but is only expected to make $30 million a year. Time Magazine fears it looks like AOL a few years ago. I agree.

* KKR and Goldman Sach's pull the plug on Harman Industries International. Time notes that "Private equity shop Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group's private equity unit pulled out of their $8 billion offer to buy high-end audio equipment manufacturer Harman Industries International, claiming a "material adverse change" in Harman's business. Harman's stock plummeted more than 20%." Harsh indeed!

* Bank of America dumps $2 billion dollars into Countrywide. "Better make that $1 billion — at least that's what B of A's investment was worth as of December 1. Bank of America thought it had picked an opportune time in August to invest in Countrywide's mortgage machine, but the mortgage mess hadn't bottomed out yet." Bank of America was already limping along due to its troubling approach to providing credit to its clients. This situation only makes matters worse.

Some of these stories are not as entertaining or as sexy as some of the others covered, but their implications are far reaching financially. And they are far reaching to investors, customers, and obviously the employees

Barometers Versus Leaders

I'm not a fan of a Mike Huckabee, Barack Obama, or John Edwards. I disagree with Huckabee on most issues and Edwards and Obama on virtually every issues. However, at least these guys have been extremely consistent.

They have said from day one that they intended to be candidates of change. Unfortunately the only change that will likely be found is in our pockets after they confiscate huge amounts of income as they promote the tax legislation through the rhetoric (Obama and Edwards) and through the records (Obama, Edwards, and Huckabee).

The message for change is a sound one. There are certainly things that deserve a better approach. But more government and class conflict (popular themes of each of these candidates) are not a solution.

Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton took a different approach. Romney postured himself as a bastion of stability and a force for normalcy. Clinton mentioned change but, what you really got from her was "experience" (e.g., all the funerals she attended as First Lady). Now that the experience message isn't resonating, these candidates are making dramatic shifts toward populist rhetoric. Ironically, Clinton's shift may have worked in New Hampshire (that appears to be the case at the time of the writing).

Romeny and Clinton seem to make better barometers than leaders. They have sensed a change in the political weather and are trying to accommodate the storm rather than their principles. We need principled leadership and not mere gauges of temperament.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Charles Payne: Positive About the Markets

On today's Houston Business Show I interviewed Charles Payne, author of "Be Smart, Act Fast, Get Rich" and a regular contributor to the Fox Business Channel and Fox News. He is also the founder and President of Wall Street Strategies.

On today's program we discussed his fascinating background, his convictions about investment, and his strong optimism about the future of the economy.

Charles Payne epitomizes the spirit of the free enterprise system. He spent many years growing up as a "military brat," travelling constantly in fulfilling his father's obligations and enjoying relative affluence. Then, somewhat abruptly, his parents divorced and he found himself facing financial struggles that he had never experienced before. His single parent mom did the best she could to provide, but he struggled immensely through these years.

Instead of resentment, Payne joined the military himself and developed a love and a passion about Wall Street at an early age. He saw it as a place where one could pursue the American Dream and even own a part of some of the largest companies in the world at a very low cost.

His book makes an eloquent case for participating in that market. Furthermore, he provides the essential "how to" information for individuals to be able to participate by themselves. He actually demystifies the market and makes it accessible to virtually everyone. You don't need a "middle man" to pursue the market, just some sensible tools like those in this book.

Interviewing Charles Payne is a little like visiting with Warren Buffett. His philosophy is full of common sense. If you have passion about a particular product or service, shouldn't you make money from it and not merely spend money on it? You have a favorite clothing you like to wear? One which you promote to others? Why wouldn't you want to make money on it through investment rather than simply spending on it for immediate pleasure?

Charles is extremely optimistic about the future and the economy. Something I find refreshing for anyone working in the news media at any level. He acknowledges that most in the media don't behave as thought they are in the news business, but in the bad news business. In most every respect, this economy and this nation is something to be very positive about and that is exactly what he is on the air, in his book, and in his newsletters at Wall Street Strategies.

I suggest reading his book. Regardless of what level of investor you are, there is important information for you and your finances. We need to be spurred on to take advantage of the American Dream and that is exactly what this important book does.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Time Magazine's Best Lists: Magazine Covers

The lists of "top ten" articles by Time Magazine for 2007 is impressive, to say the least. Most will not find much attention here, but there are several I found worthy of review. One category that is worthy of note was their choice of the best magazine covers.

Their number one choice was Texas Monthly's "Bum Steer" issue in which they make fun of Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident. All I can do is yawn. This is a story that received way too much play and I think Time should be embarrassed that it gave it such high praise. It really wasn't that funny.

However, they recover from their first choice with a cover from the New Yorker of Iranian President Ahmadinejad getting his foot tapped while reading a newspaper while sitting on the toilet (think Senator Larry Craig). This came after a comment he made at Columbia University in which he told the audience that Iraq doesn't have "a problem" with homosexuality (thanks to a death penalty for such activities). Hilarious.

I liked their choice of Steve Jobs of Apple with the title "iGod" from New York magazine. It was clever and funny, two important elements to successful covers.

Another excellent cover was of Stephen Colbert holding a "mini me" of himself on GQ. Colbert is hilarious and the vanity and audacity of the picture only adds to his amazing humor.

The Economist is one of my favorite magazines and its cover on the "End of Cheap Food" demonstrates why it is one of the smartest publications out there. A great choice of Time Magazine.

There are several others that I would have put in my ten and several of theirs that I would have eliminated, but I think the choices of magazine covers is better than other areas they ventured into.

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

Time Magazine's Best Lists: Commercials

In my recent "list of lists" on Time Magazine's "Best" series, I have been pretty critical. I have to admit though, I did like some of their choices for commercials in 2007.

On the upside for commercials, I love their choice of the David Letterman and Oprah Winfree "love fest" while watching TV together. The two have had a much publicized chilling relationship for years and to get them together made for an eye catching and humorous ad.

The "Impossible is Nothing" ad for Adidas made you laugh (when you saw the cute, little soccer player), made you cry (when you understood the challenges the subject had gone through), and made you proud (when you read how that person over came such). Great stuff!
One ad campaign that I love, but didn't get much air time, was Gatorade's "Thief" campaign. It is funny, smart, and memorable. A must see.

American Express' "Tina Fey" examines the numerous challenge facing a business woman, any of which could be devastating and how refreshing it was that someone rescued her from one without her having to break a sweat.

On the down side, they didn't include any of the great Geico conspiracy ads (like the one on the Flintstones) or any of the Cavemen ads that birthed a TV show (which died quickly, but still, leading to a TV show is impressive!). This is because Time Magazine tries to be some what "high brow" in the way it approaches things, I must conclude.

But overall, I was pleased with Time's choices in this category. I will be reviewing magazine covers in a future post.

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

Mike Huckabee is Trying to Have His Cake and Eat It Too

Mike Huckabee is trying to have his cake and eat it too. This isn't easy to accomplish in an environment that is difficult to even get a fair break.

For weeks Mitt Romney has opened his deep pockets in an effort to derail the Huckabee Express. The former governor from Arkansas has gone from minor player to the man to beat over the last few months. With an attitude that nears entitlement -- Romney has paid for this nomination after all -- he is throwing everything, including the kitchen sink at Huckabee.

Huckabee has based his campaign on being a nice guy, which has played no small role in fueling his success, in my opinion. Further, his wit and wisdom has made him stand out in an often unimpressive crowd.

It appears, though that Huckabee has had all he can tolerate and he has decided to go ugly, creating an ad that puts him on the offensive. He looked at it and concluded that it wasn't the kind of ad that Huckabee should run. It had the potential of doing more harm to his reputation than help it.

He was probably right, but ruined his good intentions by having a press conference announcing he wasn't going to run the ad and showing the media the “offensive” commercial his team had designed. The purpose was to say, "do you see what I could have unleashed on Romney?"

I assume Huckabee was hoping that the media would run the spot for him and give him free advertising, but with arms length distance from the campaign. There has been some play of the ad, but at the expense of his "good guy" image. This is not the kind of approach that has made Huckabee the serious contender he has become. It seems to be the results of a "Tier 2" operation representing what has become a "Tier 1" candidate. He might survive it, but if such tactics continue the future will not be bright for Huckabee, in my opinion.

As an aside, since people interpret such posts as endorsements or oppositions, I don't support Huckabee. In fact, his views on economic issues are very disconcerting (I suggest reading the Club for Growth reports of Huckabee and other candidates). I continue to strongly lean towards Fred Thompson and wait patiently for him to give me more reasons to do so.

Kevin Price is the Host of the Houston Business Show, M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650. You can hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Read his opinions at BizPlusBlog.com. He is also the Publisher of HoustonBusinessReview.com.

Happy New Year!

The saying is "when you are young the days are short and the years are long. When you are old, the days are long and the years are short." With this is mind, I must be some where in between. This has felt like the fastest year of my life and the 365 days that made it up were breathtaking. I hope this year was a great one for you and that next year is your best ever.