Here are the notes I took from this month’s SMA meeting at Itta Bena. Note that it’s 11:30 PM as I type this and I’m kinda drunk, so please excuse spelling/typos/comments that have nothing to do with the meeting.
2009 president Brandon Herrington called 2010 president-elect Carol Lott up, and she presented the proposed board for 2010. Passed unanimously, or at least if there were any “nays” I didn’t hear them.
Joe from the Blues Foundation came up. Fri 11/27 after Trolley Tour, they will have their annual fundraiser at the Warehouse at Front and GE Patterson. Food by Majestic, beer by Boscos, Joe and some other guy playing blues, $10 at the door.
Marcy came up. On Sunday, 11/22 she will have an open house at her place, 514 S. Main. It’s called “The Power of Protein,” a fund and food raiser for the Food Bank. Bring anything protein: canned chicken, tuna, ham, or salmon, dried beans (1 lb bags preferred), peanut butter. Most importantly, bring a check for $20 made out to the Mid-South Food Bank. Do this and you’ll enjoy Marci’s hospitality, with food, beer, and wine. For more info, contant Marcy at 830-7526. Every $1 donated = $4.76 purchasing power for the Food Bank. Goal is $3000 in donations this year.
Janet from Clean Memphis came up. Help clean up Downtown – meet Sat 11/4 at Jefferson Davis Park 8:45 AM to check in. You’ll be shuttled to cleanup sites, then back Downtown at noon. 300 people have signed up so far including corporate teams – Autozone, Baker-Donelson, etc. but individuals are welcome too. Post-cleanup, there will be a party at the park. South Main is cooking, Ghost River Beer, Jason D. Williams providing the entertainment. janet@cleanmemphis.org to RSVP.
David from the Symphony came up. They’ll have Beethoven’s Fifth at the Cannon Center on the 21st and a Home for the Holidays sing-along with kids 10 and under free on 12/5.
The Memphis Holiday Parade will be 12/5. No SMA float this year, but a group of South Main residents will be walking in the parade.
December Trolley Tour has been moved to 12/18 since 12/25 is Christmas.
Ken Neill, founder of Contemporary Media, Inc. came up. (Memphis Flyer/Memphis magazine/Memphis Parent/Memphis Business Quarterly) Their offices have been at 460 Tennessee since 1981. MBQ is going to 6 times a year in Feb 10.
Then he explained the origin of the Memphis Flyer’s name. There used to be a train called the Dixie Flyer that went from Dallas to Nashville. In the ’70s there was a Highland Strip paper called the Dixie Flyer after the train. The name The Memphis Flyer was done in homage to that paper.
20th anniversary Flyer issue out tomorrow. Actual 20th anniversary was in February, but they delayed because non one felt like celebrating due to the economy. CMI is the largest locally owned media company in Memphis. 96% of their free papers are picked up.
Then he discussed changes in the media. Most Memphians do not get their breaking news from newspapers anymore. They go online. This shift of eyeballs is the #1 trend in the media.
Is print dead? Not exactly.
Is print media going to be the same as it’s always been? Absolutely not.
Some papers will make it, some won’t.
Two trends regarding the Internet.
1) Let a hundred flowers bloom. Yeah there’s something of a quality control issue, but overall this is a Golden Age of media.
2) Print media has relied on advertising. Now more ads are online. That’s where the hundred flowers are a problem. “The Web converts media dollars to media dimes.” Many dailies have operated as monopolies for decades. Now they’re not, where ad dollars are concerned, and are struggling to adjust.
However, Ken feels the franchises the dailies have are more valuable than ever, because of trust and the strength of existing brands. “If you want to know the Grizzlies score before you go to bed, you know you can find it on the CA’s site.” The power of well branded web/media combinations will enhance the power of the dailies.
The Flyer (although a weekly not a daily) has transformed itself into such a hybrid, with fresh blogs going up almost hourly. The Wed. print Flyer is a snapshot of what’s going on at the time. But, “it’s easier to take a printed product to the bedroom, the bar, the beach, and the bathroom.”
In response to an audience question, Ken said that everyone in the room needs to learn basic Web and graphic design skills if they don’t have them already. You won’t be able to get by without them in 5 years’ time.
After the meeting ended, Deni from the Majestic Grille pulled me aside. She told me they’re doing an art opening Wed 11/18 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Sophoran McRae, a photo designer, will be exhibiting. “She does graphic design without using a computer, and it’s very beautiful.” Booze, food, the usual. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. The artist’s husband is the Main Street Hot Dogs guy.
Speaking of which: Nuh-Uh Girl report: She was just about the first person to get a plate of food. After that she hid for a while, catching the servers as they were bringing food out and picking what she wanted off their trays. Shortly before the presentation started, she went back for a second plate. After the presentation, she went back for a third. I left at that point, and was told that she had one or possibly two more plates after I left. So, somewhere between 4 and 5 1/2 plates total. She told me she’s going to Felicia Suzanne’s for Downtown Dining Week tomorrow.
About 7:30 I changed venue to the Saucer, where John D was captaining the remains of the trivia team. We put in a valiant effort but missed third place by 5 points. While standing at the bar, I heard a tourist ask Brittney for beer recommendations. “Which 3 beers do you like best?” The first beer Brittney recommended was Lazy Magnolia Southern Pecan. Oh, the irony.
Now I’m home. Going to go to sleep and dream about what a great airport we have. See you tomorrow, or actually, the clock is past midnight since I started typing, so see you later today.