February 18, 2004
I had my neighbor JD come by on Sunday night to look at my driveway and offer suggestions on my plan to lay-in natural stones and river rock to create a cobblestone effect like I saw all over Spain. JD gave me some good information and offered to help. He’s retired, and a tractor nut who loves the slightest excuse to use it.

Also got a heads up from a reader of this blog who warned me of an environmental group who were coming out for a hike to the cave on Saturday. My double-agent friend, suggested I not be in the river bottom picking up rocks when they arrive. I heeded the advice, but Sheesh, I could pick the phone and order a dump truck full of river rock (from downstream). I don’t get it, what’s the difference? Anyway I appreciated the warning and I probably shouldn’t even be talking about it in here. I half expect a squad of eco-terrorists to come liberate my pile.

Received the tear sheets for the April issue. Robert pointed out several weak photos that are definitely thin. Makes us look bush. The problem is on our end, not the printer. We need to get better photos, or original art, as opposed to secondary sources. Not an easy problem to solve because two of the weak images (of the Mormon handcart expedition) came from the museum where the art is, and they sent slides of the art! All agreed we need to be more selective in what we use.

Everyone thinks Maxim was an overnight success (myself included), but listen to this from the pages of Folio: “‘the idea that the first couple of issues flew off the newsstands and that it was an overnight success is inaccurate,’ says Steven Colvin, president of Dennis Publishing in the U.S. ‘It was not until we tapped into parties, events and [radio] DJs as our secret weapon that the magazine took off. DJs were desperate for short, humorous nuggets of information for their shows. We were a good source for that.’”

I can back Mr. Colvin up on one major truth: radio DJs are “desperate” for material. Having been a “morning radio personality” for almost a decade I know first hand just how hard pressed most on-air “talent” really is. What a genius way to market a magazine.

I think we might do something similiar and get some daily hits on air across the country if we comped subscriptions to selected radio stations, with maybe a focus on morning shows like Tim & Willy, Imus, etc.

“Sometimes it pays to send the steak rather than simply trying to sell the sizzle.”
—Monitor magazine, on sending out a magazine rather than sending an offer for one.