Now We Are One

James turned one on Friday and had a birthdaypalooza of a weekend, including a lunchtime birthday party at Ellis Truss (also a celebration of his cousin Kasey’s 3rd birthday), Saturday at Knott’s Berry Farm (concentrating on their Camp Snoopy kid’s area) and then a Sunday cookout at the home of Beatriz Valenzuela-Davalos, the editor of Fresh !nk, celebrating her birthday.

Monday’s part of the celebration was less fun: He got his one year vaccination shots. You can’t win them all.

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Bryant Park Project cancelled

NPR is pulling the plug on its alternative to its respected-but-ultra-stodgy Morning Edition, the Bryant Park Project:

National Public Radio officials are expected on Monday to tell the staff members of “Bryant Park Project� that their experimental weekday morning program, designed to draw a younger audience to public radio and capture listeners who had moved online, is being canceled.

The last broadcast of this New York-based program, which many listeners tuned into at npr.org rather than over the air, is expected to be on July 25. It’s an expensive failure — the first-year budget was more than $2 million — and comes at a time when NPR is facing the same financial constraints as other news media thanks to higher costs and a downturn in underwriting.

Like other news organizations, NPR has been grappling with how best to capture the online audience, and “Bryant Park Project,� which had its debut on Oct. 1, was one of its boldest attempts. The live two-hour program ranged through news and cultural topics in an informal, conversational manner and differed from more traditional NPR broadcasts, which rely heavily on prepackaged reports.

“Bryant Park Project� includes cheeky features like “Make Me Care,� which points up news reports’ real-life relevance. It also has a robust Web presence that is updated with blog posts throughout the day and also includes video.

They confirmed it on-air this morning.

I’ve been listening to the BPP for months now, and find it’s a great hybrid of the smarts of Morning Edition with the more irreverent and current vibe of a commercial morning program, without spending stupid amounts of time on meaningless crap. It’s just about the perfect news show.

According to the NYT article quoted above, they’ve gotten a much bigger audience than anticipated, which raises a pretty basic question: Where was the pledge drive? NPR holds the damned things on their stations more or less constantly, and some of the more popular podcasted shows do it as well. (On the Media and The Sound of Young America both spring immediately to mind here.) If everyone who listened the BPP tossed in $2, they would have covered their costs. What’s the deal, NPR? Without the BPP, the network is still focusing on an older demographic at a time when younger people are turning away from radio entirely, as I have, in favor of the iPod and podcasts.

I guess after next Friday’s sign-off, I’ll switch over to the WNYC/PRI take on the same concept, The Takeaway. Hopefully they’ll actually try a pledge drive before pulling the plug due to lack of funds.

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I’m not here to make friends

Jenn and I actually have called America’s Next Top Model “America’s Next Top Best Friend” since that Jade freak-out session a few years ago. (Yes, it’s a very guilty pleasure.)

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Friday is free Slurpee day

Really.

It’s that time of year when the sun is hot and the Slurpee® drinks are free-zing – emphasis on the FREE part. July 11, aka 7/11, is the day that 7-Eleven, Inc., the world’s premier convenience retailer, celebrates its birthday and says “thank you� to its customers with free Slurpee drinks at participating stores. This year’s 7-Eleven® Day marks the company’s 81st birthday. Customers can pour their favorite Slurpee flavor in colorful, 7.11-ounce “Birthday� cups throughout the day, while cup supplies last.

7-Eleven is the home of the Big Bite® Oscar-Mayer all-beef hot dog and the number-one retailer of grilled hot dogs. And to celebrate National Hot Dog Month in July, participating 7-Eleven stores are offering a quarter-pound Big Bite hot dog and Big Gulp® drink for just $1.99 throughout the entire month, a real value at a time when consumers’ incomes may be stretched dog-gone thin.

But there’s more… New for July is the first ever Monster Energy Slurpee drink, called Black Ice. Black Ice is a black-colored energy Slurpee drink packed with a full load of Monster’s potent energy blend. This is the first frozen Monster beverage and the first variety not sold in a can.

“In appreciation of our loyal customer base, we started giving away Slurpee drinks on our 75th birthday in 2002,� said Jay Wilkins, 7-Eleven brand manager for Slurpee and Big Gulp® fountain drinks. “Customers thanked us, and we’ve been doing it ever since. Now July 11, or 7-Eleven Day, has become Customer Appreciation Day or try-your-favorite-Slurpee-on-us day.�

Viral marketing through the newly redesigned www.slurpee.com web site with its Slurpee Nation social network along with Slurpee street teams in select cities and store events across the U.S. play a big part in spreading the “7-Eleven Birthday/Customer Appreciation/Free Slurpee� message.

It’s nice of 7-Eleven to celebrate James’ birthday this way. (We’ll be going to Knott’s Berry Farm on Saturday for our celebration.)

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More Liz Phair interviews

One of the good things about the 15th anniversary reissue of Exile in Guyville (and I’m liking the three bonus tracks, although other than “Ant in Alaska,” none of them really had a shot at being on the original version of the album) is that it’s an opportunity for new Liz interviews:

Bryant Park Project: 15 Years Later, Liz Phair Revisits ‘Guyville’ – The BPP replayed this on the Fourth of July, which was good, since I somehow missed it the first time around. One of my favorite interviews she’s done, although her voice spookily sounds almost exactly like someone I know.

Pitchfork: Interview: Liz Phair

NY Magazine: Liz Phair on ‘Guyville’ and the Secret to a Successful Topless Photo Shoot

I haven’t had the chance to watch the documentary DVD yet, but I’m looking forward to it.