Posts Tagged ‘GoErie.com’

Poll: is the Erie ad market resurging?

July 19th, 2010 joel

When we asked P&T readers what locally sourced online news product they used most, exactly half said that they most often read local portal ErieBlogs.com for Erie news. In second was the ETN’s GoErie.com, with the three TV station sites polling less than a quarter of the readership combined.

We just entered the third quarter of 2010, and there seems to be some signs of optimism and increased revenue in the Erie ad market. It could be that there is real consumer activity out there, or maybe retailers and service providers have enough of a cash cushion that they can now reinvigorate their brand.

Or I could just be Pollyanna.

What do you think? In addition, I would love to hear some anecdotes from the sales, production, and account manager folks about the types of deals out there, leaving the names out to protect the innocent.

On a scale of 1 to 4, how's Erie's advertising climate doing going into the 2nd half of 2010?

  • 3: We have made modest gains and are definately ahead of last year (40%, 6 Votes)
  • 2: continues to be challenging, no real gain from a year ago (27%, 4 Votes)
  • 1: it's terrible. We have yet to see the bottom of the ad depression. (27%, 4 Votes)
  • 4: Erie advertising is back, and we are set for one of our best years (6%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 15

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , No Comments »

Poll: where do you go online for Erie news?

July 5th, 2010 joel

Folks who responded to our P&T poll about the potential Hamot merger with UPMC were split, with over 40% feeling that the health system was dropping the ball when it comes to the public relations and communications efforts over the merger. About another third said that it was too early to tell, with a quarter saying that Hamot was doing just fine with getting its message out there.

This week we want to know where you get your news online. So many of us now have iPhones, Androids, and Blackberrys and never have to wait until the morning paper or the 6 o’clock news to get up to date on what’s happening in Erie. However, the quality of the websites for those who originate local news content vary greatly, from quite good to downright poor. And I would add that smartphone compatibility for Erie’s news sites is quite lacking, with only ErieBlogs providing a mobile version of their site at all (along with Press and Tower, of course).

So, what say you?

Which online Erie news site do you use most?

  • ErieBlogs.com (50%, 32 Votes)
  • GoErie.com (27%, 17 Votes)
  • YourErie.com (14%, 9 Votes)
  • WICU12.com (6%, 4 Votes)
  • WSEE.tv (3%, 2 Votes)

Total Voters: 64

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

Erie media remembers Albion tornado 25 years later

May 31st, 2010 joel

It just might be the singular defining event in modern Erie media history.

May 31, 1985: the Albion tornado.

Today local media people are remembering the devastating scene, and the soaring spirit of a community.

First, my story: I was working the evening air shift at WDOE/Dunkirk, NY when the weather radio and AP wire went berserk with tornado warnings for the region. We were giving regular updates, although our listening area in Northern Chautauqua County was not affected as much as the rest of the region. I called into WJET radio where I had worked part-time to get a report on the destruction in Albion as well as the Union City/Corry area.

This morning the Erie Times-News did an anniversary report, and Val Myers weighed in on the memories of that day. 106.3 WCTL had a special Memorial Day edition of its morning show remembering the tornadoes.  WJET/WFXP shows archive video of the worst weather event in Erie history and talked to survivors and NOAA weather forecasters, and WSEE’s Scott Bremner remembers the day.

Earlier this year, Tony Victor who was a reporter at WJET-TV remembered on P&T becoming a journalist/first-responder:

Bob Neely and I drove up on Cranesville only to see it raining down attic insulation from when the tornado actually hit. Many of the news crews were pressed into EMS duties, holding IVs for rescue crews while photogs rolled.

When I say that the Albion tornado was a defining event, I mean that the media response to our public service mandate definitely changed after that day. Soon after WSEE purchased an expensive radar tower, the first in Erie. The master Emergency Broadcast Plan was totally revised in the subsequent years. And no one would take another tornado warning for granted.

If you wish to read an excellent synopsis of all of the events of that day 25 years ago, go to pahighways.com for Jeff Kitsko’s account.

I’d like to hear your remembrances of the Albion tornado.

Posted in From The Editor Tags: , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments »

Poll: Concerned about Facebook privacy?

May 24th, 2010 joel

The 80/20 rule came into play in last week’s P&T poll.

We asked readers if GoErie.com should once again allow comments on their articles. 80% of respondents said yes and over half of all respondents said that they would participate responsibly. That’s good considering that the paper would know who you were through a registration process. BTW, the folks at GoErie tell me that the comments issue is one of several elements to the website that are in process of review and upgrade. More to come later.

Big news last week is the backlash by users of Facebook over personal privacy concerns. It seems that the developers of the hugely-popular social network are fighting amongst themselves over the balance of privacy and freedom of expression and community.

Where do you come down?

On a scale from 1 to 5, how concerned are you about your privacy on Facebook?

  • 4: I’m always watching what I post and check my privacy settings often, but will stay on Facebook (26%, 11 Votes)
  • 2: I'm not worried about it, as long as I take the normal precautions (24%, 10 Votes)
  • N/A: I don't Facebook (24%, 10 Votes)
  • 5: Facebook can’t be trusted with protecting my privacy and I’m considering dropping out of the network (21%, 9 Votes)
  • 1: Not at all concerned; I'm an open book. (2%, 1 Votes)
  • 3: I’m ambivalent either way (3%, 1 Votes)

Total Voters: 42

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , 1 Comment »

ETN joined by PIT papers with no comment policy

May 22nd, 2010 joel

A Press and Tower survey of major metro dailies in the Tri-state area shows that of the seven newspaper websites reviewed, four allow comments and just three do not. GoErie.com/Erie Times-News is joined by the websites of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review with a moratorium on reader comments.

However, the newspapers we looked at outside of the Commonwealth of  Pennsylvania all allowed reader comments. The breakdown:

  • Erie: Erie Times-News – GoErie.com
  • Akron: Akron Beacon Journal – Ohio.com
    • Comments by registered users
    • Share story tools by AddThis.com
  • Buffalo: Buffalo News – Buffalonews.com
    • Comments by registered users
    • Story ratings by registered users
    • Share story tools by AddThis.com
  • Cleveland: The Plain Dealer – Cleveland.com
    • Comments by registered users
    • Story recommendations by registered users
    • Custom share story tools
    • Extensive social networking tools that allow you to create a profile with likes, recommendations, etc.
  • Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Post-gazette.com
    • No comments
    • Custom share story tools
  • Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review – Pittsburghlive.com
    • No comments
    • Custom share story tools
  • Youngstown: Youngstown Vindicator – Vindy.com
    • Comments by registered users
    • Share story tools by AddThis.com

Finally, I think its funny that some of the sites don’t include Twitter as a top sharing tool. To me, Facebook and Twitter are the two social networking sites where I’ll find out about a story, as opposed to StumbleUpon or Digg.

Posted in Newspaper Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments »

How Marshall got his groove back

May 20th, 2010 joel

Erie hip-hop impresario Marshall Jones is determined to give voice to his favorite music on local airwaves.

His first attempt with a 50-watt FM transmitter was eventually met with a Notice of Unlicensed Operation from the FCC in February. Instead of quitting, Jones did the research on legal low-power options which has led to his powering up The Movement on AM 1700 in two locations in the City of Erie.

In Erica Erwin’s piece in the Wednesday Erie Times-News, Jones was quoted as saying he purchased “two AM transmitters from a distributor in Cary, NC for $1,675.” Cary is the home of the Hamilton Rangemaster AM1000, a manufacturer of transmitters for the Part 15 radio information service, which allows for 100 milliwatts into a three meter long transmission configuration.

Hamilton Rangemaster AM1000

Hamilton Rangemaster AM1000

While you might posit that 100 mw AM station can’t get past the back yard, think again. With proper grounding and placement of the antenna, the Rangemaster can cover 1 ½ miles in all directions. With a few of these stations strategically placed throughout the city, Jones can possibly exceed the listening base of his pirate station with little AM 1700’s that are totally legal and legit. Right now he is live in the heart of the Little Italy neighborhood and was adding the other transmitter at 21st & Parade.

The Part 15 radio strategy is being used more and more by alternative talk outlets in addition to the typical “Talking House” and construction zone utilizations.

The big question that is still out there is while The Movement may have come up with a solution that passes FCC muster, what about the real tough-guys: the performing rights organizations of ASCAP, BMI and SESAC? They are quite known for generating blood-dripping turnips through their aggressive auditing, logging and billing actions. He may have to get a Part 15 performance license, which in the case of BMI is $227 a year, and covers up to $10,000 in station revenue.

That said it will be quite interesting how The Movement does climbing the highest hurdle; getting young people to listen to music on AM radio. If Marshall Jones can accomplish that to any significant degree, then everyone should take notice.

Posted in Radio Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments »

Poll: should GoErie allow comments?

May 17th, 2010 joel

The city decided on a new logo and brand for Erie: The Flagship City. Nearly 1,000 people voted for the white Niagara on multi-colored blocks. But in our little poll on P&T the media experts here preferred the white Niagara on a blue oval.

In the past couple weeks we’ve had quite a few comments about comments, or the lack thereof, on the busiest media website in the market, GoErie.com. A few years ago, the website of the Erie Times-News newspaper linked to the topix.com site, but the toxic nature of that site caused the ETN to pull the plug and for whatever reason, they haven’t opened up the site again for comments.

Should GoErie.com leave well enough alone, or should they join the ranks of most major newspaper websites and allow moderated comments?

Should GoErie.com offer a comments section and would you responsibly participate in them?

  • Yes: comments should be allowed on GoErie and I'd participate in a responsible manner (57%, 17 Votes)
  • Yes: GoErie should allow comments, but I'm more a reader than writer (23%, 7 Votes)
  • No: GoErie is fine right now without the comments (20%, 6 Votes)

Total Voters: 30

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Posted in Polls Tags: , , , 11 Comments »
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