MMMM #388 - TV's First Commercial, and Radio with no people.

We just passed the 72nd anniversary of the first TV commercial.
Date: July 1, 1941
Advertiser: Bulova watches.
Program: A Baseball game between the Phillies and the Dodgers.

Cost: $9  (equivalent to $150 today)
Audience size: about 4,000

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     Having worked a few years in Radio, I had to laugh or cry over a comment by an radio executive in Birmingham at al.com as they launched a newly formatted music station. 

     “That’s the beauty of it – no disc jockeys, just the music,” David DuBose said about the station,  97.3 Y’all FM.

...and no DJ salaries or health insurance or tomfoolery (worst of all).
     Mr. Dubose, who I kinda worked for once, is the same manager who went to court last month seeking the $300k he says he is owed from a previous employer.

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     And "apps" may be the future of radio. The "I Heart Radio" campaign is an attempt to send potential listeners only to stations owned by Clear Channel Radio, which owns like a gazillion stations. 

     And The NY Times reports on other aps that allow listeners to sample local radio shows (with DJs) across the country.

[UPDATE: Gallup Poll finds 55% say TV is their main source for news.]

[The Monday Morning Media Memo is a regular feature of www.timlennox.com.]