Archive for March, 2009

Insuring Yourself After News

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

This is a posting about my moves into the insurance field. It might be something for some former news folks.

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 30, 2009) – Deep Throat in the movie version of “All The President’s Men” told Woodward and Bernstein, “Follow the money.” Ironically, the real Deep Throat – Mark Felt – never said that. The line was written by screenwriter William Goldman.

Despite the line being Hollywood fiction, it still made sense to me – especially when covering politics or crime. Money, as we heard in the musical Cabaret, makes the world go round.

As a result, I was always drawn to financial and consumer news.

That’s one of the reasons in February I studied and passed the Nevada Insurance License test. It’s only been a month since I received my license, so I’m in the process of working with some investment and insurance companies. This post will show you my plan. See if it’s something like that might work for you.

The first thing you should do is call one of the insurance schools in your area. I used Kaplan and was very pleased. I took the five-day course. On that Friday, I passed the Kaplan required test and then the next day, a Saturday, I passed the state test.

It wasn’t easy. It required some studying and plenty of concentration in the classes. Fortunately, I had plenty of experience with insurance.

But it wasn’t difficult either. What made it easy for me was to dedicate a whole week to the course and completing all the requirements.

Any questions, just respond in the comment section here or at JohnDalyInsurance.

Why My Life After News?

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

This is a posting about the reasons for this website.

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 30, 2009) – Why not? Think of all those folks losing their jobs in newspapers, radio, and television.

The economy is changing and so is the media. Old line newspapers are either closing or collapsing into websites – even though they haven’t figured out how to monetize that part of their business. And TV stations are jettisoning reporters and anchors like they were dead weight on a sinking ship.

Because of technology, we are getting our news and information in very different ways. The major news organizations – and many journalists – have not heeded those warnings. In fact, those clarion calls seemed further away until the economic crisis hit leading to a massive drop in ad revenues.

Sadly, there are many talented people sitting on the sidelines. These are folks who know how to write, research, and communicate in many ways with a wide audience – something many businesses would love to do.

More importantly, news folks work on tight deadlines. They have to deliver everyday or once an hour. That was the trouble I had in business was the long lag time. It got you antsy. For employers hiring news folks, it’s a welcome surprise to see someone who knows how to work constantly and efficiently. They know how to get it done now.

So, why not create a website that might offer help, encouragement, and direction to journalists who are either out of jobs or wanting to change careers. I did it and so have many others.

You’ll hear from people I know.

Ron Futrell, my sports guy at KTNV, is now a marketing consultant for an investment firm while also the creator of a great website called LocalsLoveVegas.

Doug Bradford, a former TV journalist at KLAS-TV, is one of the top PR specialists in the country. His business models are still in use by many departments in Clark County, Nevada. In addition, Doug is a successful real estate agent.

Another post-news success story is another good friend Michael Geeser, also from KTNV and KLAS. “Geese” is the chief spokesperson and lobbyists for AAA of Nevada and Northern California. In addition, he has a successful production company called Poppy Productions.

Besides hearing from folks like that, I will show you some good business opportunities. For instance, I have a column on getting into the insurance business and also starting your own internet studio. I also have information on a new e-commerce technology – the reverse auction.

I need your input. So, if you’re out of a job in the news business and you need some help or you just want to vent, feel free. If you’re out of the news business and you have some advice, offer it as well. If you’re in the business and you still like it, we want to hear from you also.

To post a column here, write to me at info@johndaly.tv

Build Your Own Studio

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

This is a posting I wrote at JohnDalyConsulting about helping businesses save money on marketing costs by building their own Internet Studio.  For the news broadcaster with technical capabilities and some on-camera skills, there is a whole lot of money to be made.  Of course, you need to find the right investor.  In addition, I also show you how to use this studio idea with the small and mid-size financial firms at JohnDalyInsurance.