Weekly Chart Report (10/21/11)

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Jesse Keith Whitley (L) visits with Gordon Stack of WOWF WOW-FM in Crossville, TN. Whitley’s latest single “Kentucky Thunder” is currently No. 61 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart.

 

 

RADIO NEWS
RJ Jordan has joined CountryBreakout reporting station WCJW/Warsaw, NY as PD following the recent exit of Lee Richey. Most recently he was with Max Media’s WWBE/Selinsgrove, PA, and previously held promotion positions with Stroudavarious, 903 and Country Thunder. Reach out to him here.

SPIN ZONE
The folks over at Big Machine Label Group might be feeling pretty happy about this edition of the CountryBreakout Chart, because Taylor Swift’s “Sparks Fly” just hit No. 1 and Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide” is occupying the No. 2 spot. Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned The Night” will likely soon give them some competition as it moves up to No. 3, as will Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim” at No. 4. Jason Aldean’s “Tattoos On This Town” and Eric Church’s “Drink In My Hand” are also moving quickly, and add an amped up sensibility to the Top 10 at No. 7 and 8.

Kenny Chesney’s “Reality” experiences a second consecutive increase of 500+ spins, which propels it onward to No. 23 in its third week charting. Brad Paisley’s three-week-old “Camouflage” is pretty much keeping pace with it at No. 27 after a 446 spin gain. Toby Keith’s unofficial single “Red Solo Cup” seems to have intoxicated programmers, as it leaps on the chart at No. 50. Also appearing for the first time is Keith Urban’s “You Gonna Fly,” pulling in enough stations to debut at No. 60.

Other chart debuts include Taylor Made’s “Good Love” at No. 77, Donny and Marie’s “A Beautiful Life” at No. 78, and Clay Dustin’s “I’ll Take That Job” at No. 80.

Frozen Playlists: KTTI, KTWI, KYKX, WBKR, WBYZ, WKWS, WMEV, WUCZ, WQNZ

Upcoming Singles
October 24
Gloriana/(Kissed You) Good Night/Emblem/WMN
Bill Gentry/This Letter/Tenacity

October 31
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog – Universal
Katie Armiger/Scream/Cold River
Uncle Kracker/My Hometown/Top Dog/Atlantic/BPG

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 50
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 60
Taylor Made/Good Love — 77
Donny and Marie Osmond/A Beautiful Life/MPCA — 78
Clay Dustin/I’ll Take That Job/Pure Heart Records — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 511
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 495
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 446
Billy Currington/Like My Dog/Mercury — 359
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 349

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Toby Keith/Red Solo Cup/Show Dog-Univeral — 42
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 30
Billy Currington/Like My Dog/Mercury — 25
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 21
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 19
Neal McCoy/A—Ok/Blaster Records — 13
Trace Adkins/Million Dollar View/Show Dog-Universal — 13
Rodney Atkins/He’s Mine/Curb — 12
Jake Owen/Alone With You/RCA — 11

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Landon Michael/Might As Well Be Me/Big Dog Records — 166
Corey Wagar/I Hate My Boyfriend/GTR — 156
Erica Nicole/Shave/Heaven Records — 148
Attwater/Never Gonna Happen/Twenty Ten Music — 143
Casey James/Let’s Don’t Call It A Night/BNA — 141

EMI Records Nashville artist Eric Paslay recently paid a visit to KIIM/Tucson in support of his debut single “Never Really Wanted, which lands at No. 31 on the CountryBreakout Chart this week. (L-R) EMI Nashville’s Ron Bradley, Paslay, KIIM PD Buzz Jackson

Bold Gold Media’s WDNB/Liberty, NY “Thunder 102” recently raised over $42,000 for St. Jude in its first ever Country Cares For St. Jude Radiothon. Sponsors for the event held Sept. 15-16 included M & M Auto Group, Yellow Cab, Formaggio Cheese, Catskill Regional Medical Center, Hilltop Homes and Bethel Woods Center For the Arts. (L-R): WDNB’s Paul Ciliberto, Regina Hensley, Mike Sakell, Michelle Semerano, and St. Jude’s Courtney Lynch.

Coy Taylor (Flying Island/Twang City) toasts WTHT in Portland, ME during his recent visit to support his current single, ‘Fall For You.” (L-R): Corey Garrison (WTHT MD), Michelle Taylor (APD and morning host), Coy Taylor, and Dave Winsor (morning host)

Charlie Cook On Air

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Arbitron just released its new “Radio Today” 2011 edition. There are a number of things in the report that will be interesting to MusicRow readers beyond radio personnel.

There is a lot of good news, like the fact that Country Radio is the number one format. Arbitron lists Country + New Country as scoring 12.7 percent (with persons 25-54) of all listening to radio. Country Radio is way ahead of the number two format, Adult Contemporary, with 9.5 percent.

Country is the number two format in terms of number of outlets, when you add in HD and streaming. News and Talk is number one by a huge number but Country has almost three times more outlets on the FM dial versus News and Talk. And FM is still the number one source of listener usage.

In fact, Country Radio reaches more than 65 millions listeners each week and a fourth of all radio listeners in non-metro countries. The places where people still visit Wal-Mart and Target to buy their music.

Radio has given away usage in the house. I work with stations every day trying to recapture listening in the home, particularly in the morning. As more and more radio stations have gone away from providing news and information in the morning, TV has come and taken away that position. Now TV is the source for school closings, weather and even traffic information during early morning hours.

In fact, two thirds of Country Radio listening is done away from home. This has been the trend for six years now.

What I like about this information is that Arbitron reaches out and talks to people engaged with radio. You can quote a number of researchers and you might find some different results but Arbitron talks to people that are most important to me—people who have agreed to carry a meter or fill out a diary to track their media usage.

We should all care about these people because they are the kind of people that are willing to participate. They wouldn’t have agreed to participate in the ratings process if they weren’t active.

Nearly 50 percent of Country listeners live in households earning at least $50,000 a year. According to the report, this might be because our listeners are becoming increasingly more educated. Funny how one follows the other.

Similar information has come out of CMA studies that also show the growing income and educational levels.

Loyalty to the format has been so important for artists and radio stations through the years. Arbitron publishes numbers based on Time Spent Listening (TSL) to specific radio stations. As a station programmer you have two goals: attract as many people as possible to the station and then keep them there as long as possible.

The first is called cume, which is the total number of different persons who tune in during the course of a daypart for at least five minutes. Remember when I wrote a few weeks ago that making songs like “Need You Now” and “Remind Me” would be good for radio? That’s why.

TSL is an estimate of the amount of time the average listener spent with a station during a particular daypart. The explanation was made to point out that Country Radio is ranked first among English-language music formats. This is a format that appeals to its fans way beyond any other format.

I suspect that many in the music community do some sort of perceptual research on their artists and their music. But I wonder how many do research on the listeners. What do the listeners do with their discretionary time?

Again, using the new Arbitron information, we can learn a lot about those same people who spend so much time with Country Radio. The most popular recreational experiences and hobbies are camping, fishing and sewing/crafts. Swimming, bowling and photography are also high on the list.

Coupons are really big with the Country core, and I suspect every American today. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents use grocery coupons and 54 percent use coupons for other goods and services. Does it make sense to partner with radio stations and provide coupons for CDs/downloads and or concerts?

Despite what you see at concerts, remote broadcasts, and NASCAR, light beer is preferred over regular beer. And like at my house, salty snacks, candy and ice cream are very popular.

Where are you going to find these folks? At a country concert, rodeo, monster truck rally, or NHRA drag racing event. The Country radio listener is more likely to be a Republican than a Democrat and less likely to embrace environmental causes.

None of the above is earth-shattering information, but hopefully some of it is enlightening when thinking about how to interact with your listeners and your fans. We don’t tell our radio stations to adjust their thinking or to put on a front if they don’t understand or participate in the same things.

But you are more likely to run into your fans in a bowling alley than you are at an Occupy Yazoo City rally.

Lady A Tickets for CRS Attendees

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Lady Antebellum has set aside a block of seats at its Nashville Own The Night Tour date Feb. 22 for Country Radio Seminar attendees. The band wants to thank radio for its support, and is making a donation to CRS programs for scholarships, seminars and the Country Radio Hall of Fame.

“We feel like it was just yesterday when we heard our first single on the radio for the first time. Here we are four years later with so much gratitude and love in our hearts for our friends at Country radio,” said Lady A’s Hillary Scott. “With our Own The Night Tour going on this spring, we thought what better time to play Nashville than during CRS…we want this to be a huge party to celebrate our relationship with Country radio, our hometown, and OWNING THE NIGHT!”

All CRS 2012 attendees will receive a ticket to the show in their on-site registration packets. Shuttle buses will transport attendees to and from the venue (TBD) following the seminar’s Artist/Attendee Welcome Reception at the Nashville Convention Center on Wednesday evening.

CRS 2012 will be held Feb. 22-24 in downtown Nashville.

In related news, Country Radio Seminar is honoring the perpetual crisis management efforts of Country radio with its “Radio Responds: A Tribute to Country Radio” presentation at CRS 2012. CRS is requesting digital format materials from stations around the country that will be included in a special salute honoring Country radio and shown at various events throughout the seminar. These materials can include presentations, news video, on-air aircheck segments or anything that effectively demonstrates a station’s efforts to help those in need. Please send materials in digital format only to: [email protected].

The CRS 2012 $399 Early Bird registration rate, which is the cheapest registration rate of the year, is set to expire on Nov. 15. Beginning Wed., Nov. 16, the price will increase to the $499 Regular Rate. Registration is available at www.CountryRadioSeminar.com or by calling (615) 327-4487.

Strait’s 58th No. 1 Is Also A First

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George Strait’s “Here For A Good Time” has become his 58th career No. 1 hit, following its ascent to the top of the CountryBreakout (on Sept. 16 and Sept. 23) and Mediabase charts. The song was co-written by George with his son Bubba and Dean Dillon and, surprisingly, marks his first No. 1 as a songwriter.

Strait has been a model of consistency over his legendary career, and holds the record for notching the most No. 1 singles of any artist in history, more than even Elvis and the Beatles. Eighty-four of his 89 radio singles have reached the top 10, and 73 of those were Top 5 or better. His career sales total almost 69 million records, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

“Here For A Good Time” is the title track from Strait’s latest album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and at No. 3 on The Billboard 200, behind Lil Wayne and Adele. Strait also has several headlining dates scheduled on his 2012 U.S. tour, featuring guest Martina McBride.

CMA National Broadcast Personality Winner Revealed

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Kix Brooks

Kix Brooks scored his second CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year award. Good friend Tim McGraw surprised Brooks by calling him during last night’s (10/18) taping of syndicated radio show “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks.”

McGraw’s call wrapped up a day of surprises for several radio stations and broadcast professionals across the United States after Taylor Swift and Kid Rock also helped share the good news by calling radio stations. Yesterday morning Swift called Station and Broadcast Personality of the Year winners in Major, Large, Medium, and Small Markets.

Later in the afternoon, Detroit, Mich. native Kid Rock surprised Chuck Edwards and Linda Lee of WYCD’s “Edwards and Lee” by calling in with news of their Major Market Broadcast Personality Year win. WYCD was announced as Major Market Station of the Year winner by Swift earlier in the morning.

This year’s list of winners is filled with new faces. With the exception of the National Broadcast Personality of the Year, all of the 2011 CMA Broadcast Award recipients are first time winners in their categories.

The recipients will be recognized during “The 45th Annual CMA Awards,” hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood and airing live Wednesday, Nov. 9 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.

 

Initial CMA Broadcast Winners Revealed

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Several country stations and broadcasters received a nice surprise this morning, when Taylor Swift called to personally notify them of their CMA Broadcast Award wins. Swift notified stations from Major, Large, Medium and Small markets of their wins, as well as Broadcast Personality of the Year winners from Large, Medium and Small Markets.

The Major Market Broadcast Personality winners were notified this afternoon by Kid Rock, and the National Broadcast Personality winner will be revealed tomorrow morning (Oct. 18).

Winners in all categories will be recognized during the 45th Annual CMA Awards, Nov. 9 at 7 pm CT on ABC.

2011 CMA Broadcast Personality of the Year winners:
Large Market: Chris Carr, Jeffrey “Maverick” Bolen, and Jason Statt, “Chris Carr & Company,” WUBE/Cincinnati, Ohio.
Medium Market: Brian Pierce and Kellie Michaels, “Mornings with Brian and Kellie,” KFDI/Wichita, Kan.
Small Market: Scotty Cox and Carissa Loethen, “Scotty and Carissa in the Morning,” KCLR/Columbia, Mo.

2011 CMA Radio Station of the Year winners:
Major Market: WYCD/Detroit, Mich.
Large Market: WQDR/Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Medium Market: KATM/Modesto, Calif.
Small Market: KCLR/Columbia, Mo.

Major Market Broadcast Personality:
“Edwards & Lee” (Chuck Edwards and Linda Lee) – WYCD, Detroit, Mich.

Nominees for National Broadcast Personality:
“American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks” (Kix Brooks) –  Citadel Media
“Big D & Bubba Show” (Derek Haskins and Sean Powell) – Premiere Radio Networks
“The Lia Show” (Lia Knight)  – Dial Global

Industry Ink Friday

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David Andersen

• Show Dog-Universal Music has appointed David “Bubba” Berry to the position of Regional Promotion & Marketing Director, Midwest, it was announced by SDU VP Promotion Rick Moxley. Berry fills the slot recently vacated by the departing Jordan Pettit, and will continue to be based out of Texas. “Bubba is a seasoned professional,” says Moxley. “His passion for the business and extensive knowledge of country music is unmatched. He’s worked with several of our staff already and will be an easy fit.” Berry was most recently in the promotion department of BNA Records. Congratulate him here.

• David Andersen offers his fourth jazz album, Revelations. Recorded with The Revelations Jazz Band, it salutes jazz pioneers such as Louis Armstrong, WC Handy and Jelly Roll Morton. It was recorded in front of a live audience in Anaheim, Calif.

• Entries for the NSAI Song Contest Presented by CMT are due by Oct. 31. The Grand Prize Winner will receive an exclusive mentoring session with Charlie Daniels. For more information, visit nsai.cmt.com.

• Our thoughts are with IFCO’s Kay Johnson, who is being treated for Large B Cell Lymphoma at Vanderbilt Hospital.

• The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will dim the lights on its mega-popular, critically acclaimed exhibition Family Tradition: The Williams Family Legacy, Presented by SunTrust, on Dec. 31. In anticipation of the exhibit’s close, the museum is presenting several Family Tradition-themed programs in the coming weeks, including an Oct. 29 panel discussion on southern rock that will feature Bonnie Bramlett, Charlie Daniels, Jimmy Hall, Mike Hyland and Ed King.

• Nashville-based Howling Music Group composer David Grow recently completed the score to a new documentary, Free Throw. The film is scheduled to premiere in October at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.

Larry Murray

• Larry Murray is leaving his gig at Triple 8 Management, where he serves as day-to-day manager for Joe Nichols and Eli Young Band. His new role is Director of Operations for The Boot Campaign.

• Film composer George S. Clinton, the man behind the music of Mortal Kombat, The Santa Clause 2 and the Austin Powers films, will share his expertise with MTSU Oct. 19-20 as the 2011 Department of Recording Industry Artist-in-Residence.

• SESAC recently partnered with Belmont University on an educational panel featuring some of Christian music’s most successful songwriters. The symposium offered Belmont University students a chance to hear professional insight from Christian songwriters Seth Mosley (writer of hits for Newsboys, Peter Furler), Aaron Rice (writer of hits for tobyMac, Krystal Meyers) and A.J. Babcock (writer and member of Christian group, House Of Heroes).

(L-R): Belmont’s Drew Ramsey, songwriter Seth Mosley, Belmont’s James Elliot, songwriters Aaron Rice and AJ Babcock and SESAC’s John Mullins. Photo: Donald Hedden

CountryBreakout No. 1 Song

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In 1965, entertainers Sonny & Cher recorded and released their signature No. 1 “I Got You Babe,” which would eventually become a touchstone of the free-lovin’ ’60s. It’s cute, fuzzy, and sweet on the surface, but underneath there’s a theme of the all-encompassing, saving power of young love that informs many of music’s greatest works. (See also: “Be My Baby,” “God Only Knows”).

Fast forward to the present day, 2011. Stoney Creek Records husband-wife duo Thompson Square has scored their second CountryBreakout Chart No. 1 hit with their similarly titled “I Got You.” Sonically and melodically it’s miles away from the Sonny & Cher track, but the same starry-eyed us against the world mentality shines through in every harmony. Someone in Keifer and Shawna Thompson’s camp clearly noticed the parallels, because the song’s video is a clever sendup of the The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour program with all parts played by the two band members. And in a reality-bending twist, Thompson Square even gets to play themselves as musical guests promoting a new single on the wacky variety show.

Thompson Square will surely be counted among 2011’s great country success stories, following their breakout No. 1 hit “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.” Since then, the duo has scored CMA nominations for New Artist of the Year and Vocal Duo of the Year, as well as a whopping seven (!) nominations for the American Country Awards scheduled for December. To date, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not” has sold over 1.5 million digital downloads and the pair has been out on the road with Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour. Later this Fall, they’ll join up with Darius Rucker’s tour for more live dates.

“The last year of our lives have been completely surreal,” says Keifer. “We’ve never had a dream come true before. We didn’t know what that felt like until recently.”

Kind of like having your own variety show, right?

Weekly Chart Report (10/14/11)

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RADIO NEWS
Marsh Johnson has taken over Programming and Music duties at KVAY/Lamar, CO. The 40 year radio veteran replaces Ross Alexander, who will continue to work with the station in another capacity. His music call times are Mondays from 10-11 Mtn. Email him here.

Way Out West artist Shawna Russell (L) recently spent some time with KFAV/Warrenton, MO PD Mike Thomas (R). Russell is currently on a seven-state radio tour to promote her sophomore album and single "Get Right Or Get Left."

SPIN ZONE
Everything can change in a day or two when it comes to radio charts. This week there’s a shift at the top, thanks to a new CountryBreakout No. 1 song with Thompson Square’s “I Got You.” Moving up with them are Taylor Swift’s “Sparks Fly” at No. 2, Brantley Gilbert’s “Country Must Be Country Wide” at No. 3, Miranda Lambert’s “Baggage Claim” at No. 4, and Lady Antebellum’s “We Owned The Night” at No. 5. New to the Top 10 is The Band Perry’s “All Your Life,” which scoots in at No. 9.

Debuting singles are a largely male crowd this go ‘round. Billy Currington’s “Like My Dog” leads the pack (get it?) at No. 71, followed by Lee Brice’s “A Woman Like You” at No. 72 and Neal McCoy’s “A-OK” at No. 73. A few spins behind are JD Malone & The Experts’ “Silver From (And You Still Want More)” at No. 77, newcomer Kip Moore’s “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” at No. 78 and Corey Smith’s “Maybe Next Year” at No. 80.

Frozen Playlists: KBCR, KTKS, KTWI, KYKX, WBKR, WCJW, WQNZ, WYVY

Upcoming Singles
October 17
Jake Owen/Alone With You/RCA
Lee Brice/Woman Like You/Curb
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista
Andy Velo/Southern Thing/Red Dirt/Turnpike
Johnny Solinger/Livin’ Out A Country Song/Red Dirt/Turnpike
The Farm/Home Sweet Home/All In/Elektra/New Revolution
Neal McCoy/A-OK/Blaster/Rodeowave
Lucas Hoge/Give A Damn/Animal House

October 24
Gloriana/(Kissed You) Good Night/Emblem/WMN

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New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Billy Currington/Like My Dog/Mercury — 71
Lee Brice/A Woman Like You/Curb — 72
Neal McCoy/A—Ok/Blaster Records — 73
J.D. Malone & The Experts/Silver From (And You Still Want More) — 77
Kip Moore/Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck/MCA — 78
Corey Smith/Maybe Next Year/Average Joe’s — 80

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 539
Dierks Bentley/Home/Capitol — 449
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 438
Jason Aldean/Tattoos On This Town/Broken Bow — 253
Zac Brown Band/Keep Me In Mind/Southern Ground/Atlantic — 212

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Kenny Chesney/Reality/BNA — 36
Brad Paisley/Camouflage/Arista — 29
Dierks Bentley/Home/Capitol — 21
Billy Currington/Like My Dog/Mercury — 13
Neal McCoy/A—Ok/Blaster Records — 12
Jake Owen/Alone With You/RCA — 10

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Donny and Marie Osmond/A Beautiful Life/MPCA — 169
Clay Dustin/I’ll Take That Job/Pure Heart Records — 162
Erica Nicole/Shave/Heaven Records — 153
Landon Michael/Might As Well Be Me/Big Dog Records — 150
Vince Gill/Threaten Me With Heaven/MCA — 142
Taylor Made/Good Love — 136

Aussie sister trio The McClymonts recently visited with Fletcher Brown of WXFL/Florence, AL on their radio tour. The McClymonts’ single “Wrapped Up Good” is currently No. 36 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. (L-R): Mollie McClymont, Brown, Sam McClymont, Brooke McClymont

Katie Armiger has the staff of WIRK/West Palm Beach screaming for her new single, “Scream.” (L-R): Cold River SE Regional Halie Hampton, Armiger, WIRK MD Sammy Cruise (in mask), Cold River National Dir. Jim Dandy, and WIRK PD John O’Connell

Warner Music Nashville artist Brett Eldredge recently visited the staff of WOGK/Ocala. (L-R): WOGK MD/Mid-days Rick Brooks, WOGK Afternoons Lewis Stokes, W.A.R. SE Regional Jennifer Thorpe, and Eldredge

Charlie Cook On Air

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Facing the Challenge of the Cell Phone

I was recently in a meeting with a bunch of industry executives. I snuck in. Each of us was bemoaning the condition of our individual businesses. It was like if we’re going to get kicked in the teeth we wanted to have the worst smile when it was all done.

Radio people complained about the Japanese auto manufacturers not spending money this year on radio because of the tragedy they lived through. To heck with an earthquake, what about my bonus?

Record people complained that they were selling enough music to keep the lights on but that there was real question about the water and sewer bills coming due. Again, the bonus issue came up.

Tour operators complained that acts were asking for too much money and that the live business is not what it used to be. There are not as many sheds as in the good old days.

Publishers were strangely silent. That’s for another column.

I was thinking about how I could get in on this conversation. I don’t have a bonus plan that I could discuss. Then it hit me.

What has changed in the last 10 years that has really made things unbearable for our businesses? What is sucking up the money for live events and recorded music. What is a challenge for radio listening, even in the safe confines of the car?

The damn cell phone.

The overall problem is that families are now paying upwards of $200.00 a month to outfit the household with text machines, music players and even quasi-radios that masquerade as cellphones. The darn things are portable wrecking machines on every level.

I don’t know about your family but if you add something that costs $100-200 a month to the budget, something has to give. It might be that Friday night out for pizzas. It might be a Saturday night at the movies. Though they appear to have stayed level, revenue wise. But you can’t keep track of real ticket sales because the cost of a movie has skyrocketed even before factoring in 3D ripoffs for $4 a ticket more. Do you really need to see the Smurfs in 3D? How blue is blue?

I watch TV on my cell phone. I listen to Detroit Tiger games on MLB Live on my cell phone. I could listen to music on my cell phone.

If your kid is a video game addict you’re lucky. At least he or she is not “sexting” 15 hours a day with other kids. Teens have lost interest in anything not attached to a text.

In 2003 CDs accounted for 95 percent of recorded music sales. Today CDs are down to 49 percent. What has increased more than cellphones in those nine years?

So do we all agree that Napster, the Japanese earthquake and diva acts are getting a bad rap.

It’s Verizon, ATT and Sprint that we should be pissed at. And radio would be, except telecom is the number one radio account. Oh the conflict.