SoukMC

For about three months now, I have been doing a Field Trips with Sue segment on CBS  Better Mornings Atlanta. The idea was that it would give the blog exposure and increase traffic, as well as lend traditional media credibility to my online publication. The station in turn gets fresh, local content for free.

The past few weeks, I was getting a little bummed about the free part. The blog itself is a lot of work and getting up at 4 a.m. twice a month to do a morning show, after going to bed at midnight preparing for said show, and then having to go out and earn a living at the same time, had me questioning the value of what I was getting out of this arrangement. To be frank, I get more traffic on Field Trips with Sue from the fill in work I did for WXIA this summer than I do from the somewhat regular segments I’m doing for WGCL.

Then I did my segment this morning and I’m energized again. Here’s why:

1. Many times while I’m waiting for my segment, I meet the in-studio guests, AND their publicists. Generally these folks are from attractions or events that I would be interested in featuring on Field Trips with Sue. FTWS offered a ticket give-a-way recently. This opportunity came from a relationship started in the green room at CBS Better Mornings Atlanta. This week’s guests were from Netherworld, which I wouldn’t feature on FTWS because it scares the bagibbers out of me. However, the publicist has other clients that I would feature. BTW, In the end I did post pictures I took of the Netherworld folks on FTWS because they amused me. I also posted them to the FTWS Facebook page. So I said I wouldn’t feature them, but in reality, I really did.
2. You never know when the publicist you meet might need a little freelance assistance. The market’s got to rebound sometime, right? It’s a lot cheaper to hire someone for what you need than to hire an employee.
3. Even at 5:40 am, you never know who is watching. After today’s segment, I got a call from a former colleague. She saw the segment and just wanted to call and say she thought it was informative and interesting. Beyond the fact that everyone likes a compliment, this is someone I haven’t talked to in several months, but this appearance has made me top-of-mind again.

So those are a few reasons why I do the Better Mornings Atlanta segment. That and once I’m up, I really do enjoy it.