I’m pleased to announce the debut of “Yesterday, Today,” a new public radio program that uses music, as well as news, sports and pop culture headlines to take listeners back to a specific date in the 1950s or ’60s.

The show is the creation of writer/producer Toby Oothoudt, and I’m happy to be the host. The first station to pick up the program is WVRU in Radford, Virginia. Eight new episodes are to be produced each year, and each will be available for airing on or around the time of our major holidays.

If you’d like to hear the first show - July 4, 1964 - visit www.prx.org and register. Then type in “Yesterday, Today” in the search box. If you’d like to learn more, contact Toby at tobyo@bex.net.

The recent link of salmonella poisoning to several types of tomatoes is sure to make life tough for many people over the next few weeks. So I’ve come up with a few helpful suggestions.

For instance, restaurants won’t be able to sell BLT sandwiches, so why not replace the T with another abbreviated food? Onions might be a good choice, though the BLO may be hard to order in mixed company.

Have tickets for a bad play this weekend? You won’t be able to throw tomatoes at the actors, so bring along something equally juicy to heave on stage, like a bagfull of grease or a wet hammer.

Once this scare subsides, tomato growers and marketers will be looking for ways to restore the bacteria-free shine to their product, so they may want to consider one of these new slogans:

When the abdominal cramping stops, eat more tomatoes! Odds are you won’t get another bad one for weeks.

Or maybe…

Tomatoes. Salmonella-free and only half the herpes virus of corn.

Is your pool cue in the pawn shop? Dance partner got a foot-full of corns? Sounds like you could use a pleasant diversion, friend!

Don’t take the Shoe Leather Express down to the corner tap. Just click here to visit the Miscellaneous Audio page. You’ll hear fun radio and TV spots featuring Amy and Scott. And your good shirt won’t smell like beer and Lucky Strikes after you’re all done.

Whadya’ say, Joe? Take a chance on fallin’ in love - with America’s favorite husband and wife voiceover team. Click here now!

While chaperoning an elementary school dance this weekend, I heard “The Hokey Pokey,” “The Chicken Dance,” and that perennial 3rd grade favorite “Brick House” by the Commodores.

Oh sure, the young kids of today love their 70’s funk, but I’m fairly certain the significance of the lyric “36-24-36, what a winning hand” was lost on most of the crowd.

Accuracy is important when writing marketing copy. I’m not referring to the “truthfulness” of the statements a copywriter crafts when touting a product or service, though, certainly, all claims and information should be accurate. I’m referring to how certain types of sentences are constructed.

Accuracy is defined as “the condition or quality of being correct, precise or exact.” So, to be an accurate writer means avoiding what I call “cause & effect” sentences, those in which a claim in the sentence is dependent on the reader’s condition or response. Here’s an example of a very common type of cause & effect sentence:

“If you need a muffler, we have hundreds in stock.”

But what if I don’t need a muffler? Does the muffler inventory suddenly vanish? Of course not. That’s why that sentence is inaccurate. The availability of the large muffler inventory is not dependent on whether or not the reader needs a muffler.

The sentence could be re-written this way:

“Need a muffler? We have hundreds in stock.”

See? A very simple change that makes a nice difference. As you proof your copy, look for those inaccurate cause & effect sentences. If you find them, take the time to rework them. Your copy will improve with the effort.

Your shoe’s untied.

It’s true! Rancid Mayonnaise makes any meal more deep-down satisfying. And because it’s aged in barrels for 11 weeks and a day, it has a unique consistency that makes it fun to spread.

Here’s a quick Rancid Mayonnaise recipe you can try for lunch today.

Take two slices of wholesome white bread from your bread box. Using your best tablespoon, scoop out a load of Rancid Mayonnaise, then apply it evenly to one slice of bread. Place the other slice of bread on top. Criss-cross cut into four pieces. Garnish with parsley.

Mmmm! Now that’s what I call a delicious mayonnaise sandwich. Check back often for more EZ recipes. Until then, have a super lunch.

I went to the Glass City Opry Monday night to see the band NewFound Road. The Opry is the Toledo area’s newest venue for live bluegrass music. I mention this not only to give the GCO any support I can, but to recognize the fine marketing job these folks are doing. 

Working with a pretty tight budget, they are really getting the word out about their monthly concerts. Along with their regularly updated website, they’re consistently sending flyers  and friendly email reminders about upcoming shows. They’ve pursued write-ups in The Blade, The City Paper and Toledo Free Press. And by attracting the attention of local TV stations, the Opry folks have scored some nice feature coverage on newscasts and weekend shows. They produce some good-looking collateral / take-away pieces too. Their efforts are a good example of how passion and perserverance can be just as effective as a big wad of marketing cash.

As any fan of the genre knows, bluegrass is exciting music - soulful and bluesy in its own unique way, spiritual, and often performed indescribably fast on instruments that were just meant to be played together - guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and bass. Once the “high lonseome” tenor and close vocal harmonies fall in, you’ve got a sound like no other. 

During the 1800s the music’s Scotch-Irish roots were transplanted in Kentucky and the mountains of Virginia, East Tennessee and the Carolinas. And more than 60 years after Bill Monroe named his band “The Blue Grass Boys,” the music is as vibrant and contemporary as ever, while still remaining an important link to the America of our great-grandparents. So, do yourself a favor: if you’re in the area, visit the Glass City Opry and treat yourself to the wonderful sound called bluegrass.

When writing copy do you ever find yourself torn between the words less and fewer? If so, you’re not alone. Here are two examples of how copywriters made the wrong choice.

1) A TV spot that’s airing in our market these days is urging the renewal of a local school levy. It reminds us that if the levy doesn’t pass kids will have “less classroom programs.”

2) A few years back a billboard for a local radio station touted that the station played “less commercials and more music.”

In both cases, the word less should be replaced with the word fewer.

There’s an easy way to remember when to use each word. If you can count the subject - 15 classroom programs or 8 commercials per hour - use the word fewer. If you can’t count the subject - air, water, pride - use the word less. You can count fewer. You can’t count less.

Here’s a more detailed explanation.

A few of my co-workers and I went to a restaurant for lunch today. While walking back to our cars, I started throwing snowballs at them. Ya’ know, just for some old-fashioned wintertime fun.

Three of them will be released from the hospital later today, but the other two are being held overnight for observation.

I’m sure they’ll be fine.