EOTM Radio News: Live Spoken Word or Die Unheard

Are you a poet? Call into EOTMRadio.com on May 4th for your chance to share your skills — 1st 10 callers — live on air!

Call into Studio line starting at 7pm PST/10pm EST

718-664-6543

with your host Carla B.

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Poetry has always been an oral art form, going back in history to the time of Homer reading “The Odyssey.” Poets, storytellers, and others would travel from town to town, reading their work and getting their poetry heard. Things are not much different centuries later….

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Stop by and help EOTMRadio.com celebrate Spoken Word – TODAY!

Call in and share your thoughts on the poets/spoken word artist being featured.

Click here to set a reminder and stream live tonight, May 4th @ 7pm PST

Call 718-664-6543 for your chance to be live on air

Greg Mortenson’s – Three Cups of Tea

By: Tanya Blake

Greg Mortenson

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Greg Mortenson responds to ’60 Minutes’ questions about his ‘Three Cups of Tea’ story —

Bestselling author Greg Mortenson has issued a written response to a “60 Minutes” report calling into question his philanthropic practices and his experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Mortenson chronicled those experiences in the books “Three Cups of Tea” and “Stones Into Schools” and leads the Central Asia Institute, an international charity that supports schools in remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Steve Kroft’s “60 Minutes” report cited accounts that contradicted essential parts of Mortenson’s story, and calls into question the way funds are allocated by the charity. The report, which aired Sunday night, is embedded above; “60 Minutes” posted Mortenson’s response on its website. The following is from that statement.

60 Minutes’ question: Did you really stumble into Korphe after failing to summit K2? The two porters who accompanied you on your journey down from K2 have told us you did not. We have three other sources that support the porters’ accounts. The evidence suggests that you did not step foot in Korphe until a year later.

Greg Mortenson: Yes, I first visited Korphe village, Braldu valley, Baltistan, Pakistan, after failing to summit K2 in 1993, and met Haji Ali, a long time dear mentor and friend. My second visit to Korphe was in 1994. I made two visits to Korphe in 1995, the year we built the bridge over the Braldu River. And I again made two visits to Korphe in 1996, the year we built the Korphe School.

Mortenson further told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, “The time about our final days on K2 and ongoing journey to Korphe village and Skardu is a compressed version of events that took place in the fall of 1993.” He also told the paper, “As the co-author of the book, along with David Oliver Relin, I am responsible for the content in the book. There were many people involved in the story and also those who produced the manuscript. What was done was to simplify the sequence of events for the purposes of telling what was, at times, a complicated story.”

Mortenson’s written response continued:

It is important to know that Balti people have a completely different notion about time. Even the Balti language — an archaic dialect of Tibetan — has only a vague concept of tenses and time. For example, “now” can mean immediately or sometime over the course of a whole long season. The concept of past and future is rarely of concern. Often tenses are left out of discussion, although everyone knows what is implied. And if a person is a day or a week late or early it doesn’t matter. The Balti consider the western notion of time quite amusing.

Language and perceptions of time seem to be coming into some kind of conflict. In his written statement, Mortenson looks to language, and an underlying difference in worldview, to blame for accounts that contradict his own. That’s the same position he takes when responding to the television show’s next question.

Question: Were you kidnapped for eight days by the Taliban in Waziristan in 1996? Three of the men in the photo you published in “Stones Into Schools” deny that they kidnapped you and say they are not Taliban. We have two other sources of information that support their account.

Mortenson: Yes, I was detained for eight days in Waziristan in 1996. It was against my will, and my passport and money were taken from me. I was not mistreated or harmed, but I was also not allowed to leave. A blanket was put over my head any time I was moved by vehicle. A “Talib” means student in Arabic, and, yes, there were Taliban in the region. Waziristan is an area where tribal factions and clan ties run deep. Some people are Taliban, some are not, and affiliations change overnight often on a whim. The Pathan people of Waziristan are proud people who I greatly admire. In speaking to American audiences, I often talk about my admiration for their concepts of Pashtunwali, their unwritten code of honor and conduct, and Nenawastay, hospitality.

The answer doesn’t exactly address the question. Read the responses from the Central Asia Institute’s (at www.ikat.org) board of directors and Mortenson’s responses to the television show’s other questions here.

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Publicists with a real flair for creativity and an approach to measurement and transparency that means the client is in control.

EOTM PR generates positive word of mouth about the brand among online influencers.

Contact EOTM Today. Visit our PR site and request your free consultation.

A Star is Born

Top 10 Tips for Unsigned Artists

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKmIY7FmyX4

As an unsigned artist, publicity is a huge driving force when you’re looking at success in the music industry. Although it’s definitely beneficial to retain a publicist once you have your music career in gear, you can still manage to create a little buzz on your own in the meantime. Below are the top ten tips for generating your own publicity as a music artist.

1. Make sure you have a press kit that includes a well-written bio, an 8X10 photo, CD and contact info.
2. Go local. Local press is by far the easiest press to get. Let them know your story and send in a CD. Shoot for the music editor or columnist and if they don’t have one assigned specifically, contact the entertainment editor.
3. Social networking sites are all about music these days. For example, Myspace and Facebook’s  reach is incredible for gaining new fans. Where else can you find people to listen to your music in the convenience of their own home? Make sure you are updating your music, adding friends, keeping them all posted, and updating the tour dates.
4. Internet radio is a great way to share your music with the masses. You don’t have to approach the big ones—you can see success with air play on smaller stations as well. Send in your mp3’s to local DJs and look up college radio shows nationally and see if they’ll spin your music. EOTM radio is picking up these days too… Queensofinternetradio.com is a great option for the indie artist it doesn’t cost much and it gets your music heard.
5. Music licensing is a great way to make money and get publicity. Try contacting some music supervisors on TV shows for a start. Send them an inquiry with your information and a link to your music. If you get placed, you can use it for press—and it becomes a story!
6. Music websites and e-zines are always looking for music to review. Look up their websites and send emails to their editors. Tell them why you’re a fit for their magazine and ask if you can send in a CD. Again, try to make contact first… sending in a random package may be useless.
7. Youtube.com outlets to share your music. Try to do something charismatic and original. Reaching out to people online can do wonders. Create a music video, a video blog, sing an acoustic set, take a stab at some comedy– anything… Just remember, first impressions are everything.
8. Be philanthropic. Charity does wonders for publicity outreach. Find something you believe in and offer to play at their event or donate proceeds to their cause. Not only does it get you out there and give you a story angle… but it feels good to help out.
9. Send your CDs to appropriate magazines for your music’s genre. Make sure you call ahead and find out the right contact, unsolicited packages get lost in the shuffle. A good rule of thumb is to look up specific writers you feel would enjoy your music and find out how to reach them.
10. Try to book shows in different towns, that way you can easily label the cluster of shows as a tour and contact local newspapers and radio stations and offer them merch in exchange for promotions/articles.

Note that PR is about being smart and creative. It’s about finding a reason for people to care about you and your music. Sure, great music and a good look are helpful, but you also need to reach out to the public and come up with stories. Think outside of the box and you’ll really benefit from the results in no time!

In an effort to help the Indie Artist be it Music, Entertainment, etc. EOTM will be airing a show on this very subject matter November 9^th @ 7pm est. Our studio lines will be open for artists to call in and speak with our PR reps. We look forwarding to helping increase your network and inturn increasing your networth. Save this number (718-664-6543) and we will hear you on November 9th @ 7pm est.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/EntrepreneursOnTheMove/2009/11/10/Do-You-Want-To-Know-Why-You-Need-PR