Longtime readers of this blog may remember my dismay at Indianapolis Star writers balking at the idea of sometimes writing ad copy as a way to stymie the bleeding in the newspaper business. And while that particular initiative proved not to be one with any staying power, the Indy Star of late has been seen in the middle-market newspaper industry as an example of an organization that's getting it right. (My esteemed colleagues at NUVO would probably disagree on ideological terms... but that's another story.)

Anyway, here's a link to a very interesting piece from Ad Age that surveys the problems newspapers are facing. The most prescient quote comes right in the first paragraph. In simple words, it plainly sums up the way out and it's something that folks who operate media businesses should think about having tattooed on the back of their eyelids:

...traditional media in general must learn to shrink but newspapers in particular are a special case.

Amen to that ... says the guy with the fantasy of having his own mom-and-pop media property.

Back in the early 90's (when I used to do the BMG thing then cancel and do it again under a different name) I probably picked up a Juliana Hatfield album, but I can't be certain. I know I did own a Lemonheads disc. Anyway, I'm really coming around.

I tend to take the Nintendo approach to releasing things:

• A product should be 100% finished upon release
• Hitting a product release date is not as important as releasing a product of outstanding quality

Unfortunately, I also take the open-source software community's values to heart:

• Nothing is ever 'finished', only abandoned
• Direct community participation in the creation process yields higher-quality results than developing on a mountain top

With that in mind, I've come here to announce a new Indianapolis media property: Wakeup Naptown.

What is Wakeup Naptown? I'd tell you but I want to make sure that's self-apparent.

So please check it out. And tell me what you think. It is far, far from the level at which I'd be comfortable putting it out for general consumption, but word is starting to get around.

Guess what? Wilkes University in Pennsylvania is targeting individual high school students with recruitment advertising.

Just in case it's not clear what that means, consider the following excerpt from the linked article:

Justin Chung knew Wilkes University wanted him when he got one of its first acceptance letters in February. But he didn't know how badly until he saw the mall kiosk with his name on it.

And the pizza boxes.

And the commercial on MTV and VH1.

"Justin Chung of Council Rock South. As a weightlifter, you never push your limits without a spotter to help. Wilkes University feels the same way about your education. (We just use less talc.)"

The shout-out is part of a quirky advertising campaign targeting eight high-achieving seniors who were accepted to the relatively small liberal arts university in Wilkes-Barre but had not yet made up their minds.

Anyway, two questions spring to mind:

• Exactly how much is a student worth to Wilkes that they can turn a profit from these kind of highly-targeted campaigns?
• I demand that Indiana University retroactively run ads to lure me into its cash-grabbing diploma mill.

Okay, that last one was more of a statement than a question. And in reality doing an interesting campaign like this always nets dividends beyond the scope of the campaign itself -- a point often lost on organizations that don't value buzz. (Ever heard of Wilkes University? Well, you have now.) But still, in the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld, "Come on!"

Not too long ago, I decided I really wanted a Palm Centro. Unfortunately, the independent Sprint retailer I buy from would not sell me the Centro for its advertised price of $99, even though I had previously purchased from him and was willing to re-up my contract at a higher monthly rate for unlimited data. (I suspected that Sprint corporate might eventually acquiesce but as a customer I shouldn't have to make any kind of distinction between a Sprint-branded independent and the corporation ... nor should I have to raise a stink or go through multiple levels of customer service flunkies just to be treated like a valued customer.)

Anyway ... it turns out maybe this was all for the best. (Isn't it always?) After all, Sprint has just announced in a few short months they -- in partnership with Samsung, which is making some really kick-ass TVs right now -- will be releasing The Instinct, featuring iPhone-like capabilities at a decidedly un-iPhone-like price: $199.

Of course, the real challenge will be convincing Sprint to not be a dick because they already have me on contract. But they must be aware that they aren't the only game in town ... and that if they won't sell me the Instinct for $199 in June they can kiss me (and my monthly fee) goodbye in April of 2009.