Western-wear outlet broadcasts its history
Looking to celebrate its 100th anniversary in style, the F.M. Light & Sons store in Steamboat Springs has teamed up with KRAI-FM, a northwestern Colorado radio station, to do something a little wacky.
For 100 hours straight – from 2 p.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Saturday – KRAI morning personality Mike Fuller will broadcast live from the front window of F.M. Light.
“It’s all about the stunt,” he said. “It’s the perfect opportunity to get some notoriety for the radio station and for F.M. Light.”
Fuller will have a bed, a desk and a phone, and he will give live hourly reports from the store, including interviews with local old-timers about the Western- wear outlet.
But don’t worry. Fuller will be allowed to leave his perch for quick bathroom breaks.
“It probably is going to be kind of difficult,” he said. “But it’s not like I’m going to be spending 100 hours alone in the wilderness. I’ll be furnished, I’ll be fed, and I’ll most likely be doing sponge baths in the bathroom.”
F.M. Light has occupied the same space in downtown Steamboat since it opened for business on Nov. 5, 1905. It is now run by members of the Light family’s fourth generation, brothers Ty and Del Lockhart.
Industry chiefs less confident, too
With consumer confidence at its lowest level in two years, it appears the nation’s chief executives are also feeling pessimistic about the U.S. economy.
According to a survey of 100 CEOs in a wide range of industries, their confidence is at the lowest level since the final quarter of 2001.
About 32 percent of CEOs said economic conditions have deteriorated in the past few months, up from 19 percent in the second quarter.
When CEOs were asked about their own industries, assessments were slightly better, with 29 percent saying conditions were worse.
Overall, CEO confidence fell to a 50 rating, down from 55 in the second quarter. A rating of more than 50 reflects more positive than negative responses, according to the Conference Board, which conducted the survey.
Wal-Mart readies its holiday strategy
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., long known for folksy advertisements featuring its workers, will unveil an aggressive holiday advertising campaign that spotlights Destiny’s Child and Garth Brooks in an effort to avoid last year’s stumbles.
The campaign, called “Home for the Holidays,” debuts Tuesday, chief marketing officer John Fleming said at the company’s analyst conference near its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters. Fleming called it “the earliest and most aggressive campaign in our history.”
The world’s largest retailer struggled last year when it failed to discount prices early and found itself making last-minute reductions on popular items.
The company’s other mistake was to focus on promoting only its cheaper goods, chief executive H. Lee Scott said at the conference. “We can’t do what we did last year, when we decided that we were going to focus on a buck at a time.”
Nothing bankrupt about pilot’s humor
Showtime’s chief executive, Matthew Blank, reports flying from New York City to Denver on a recent United Airlines flight. The takeoff was delayed 2 1/2 hours, and when the plane finally took off from JFK Airport, the pilot had this to say to the passengers: “We appreciate your patience. We know you have a choice in bankrupt airlines, and we thank you for flying United.”
That commentary on airline finances made the New York Post, with this response from Blank. “Everyone was p.o.’d,” he said, “and it made us all laugh.”
KBCO Studio C music just a few clicks away
Boulder-based radio station KBCO made a name for itself nationwide with its Studio C albums, which are released annually in Colorado.
Now fans of the station can use their PCs to listen to the near-legendary live recordings anytime they want.
The station recently launched “KBCO 2: The Studio C Channel,” a website that plays only music recorded at the station’s Studio C in Boulder. Favorites include Sarah McLachlan, Elvis Costello, Matchbox Twenty and Sheryl Crow. To listen, you must first register at the station’s website, www.kbco.com.
Coors Brewing pitches an insult, takes a prize
The old reverse-psychology ploy worked very effectively for Coors Brewing Co. at the recent Great American Beer Festival in Denver.
The best way to curry favor with judges in the brewing competition? Insult them. How else can you explain the company’s silver medal in the “European- style pilsener” category?
Those wacky brewmeisters at Coors’ Sandlot Brewery at Coors Field came up with a name for the pilsener that was sure to resonate with the judges: “Most Beer Judges are Bone Heads.” Yes, that was the name of the award-winning beer.
Other Sandlot brews that won medals included Barmen Pilsener, Melvis Easly’s Special Lager, Second Hand Smoke, Goat Rancher and Wild Pitch Hefe weizen.
In other beer news …
Brewers such as Coors and Anheuser-Busch were quick to jump on the short-lived low- carb craze with Aspen Edge and Michelob Ultra.
But now comes the news that even regular beer can be part of a low-carb diet, according to a report released recently by the University of California, Davis.
Regular beer, in moderation, contains “relatively low levels of carbohydrates” and is “a good source of soluble fiber and prebiotic substances that promote digestion,” according to Charles Bamforth, chair of the school’s department of food science and technology.
Consumers should instead focus on the number of calories in their hops – and the food they eat along with it, Bamforth said.
“The scientific literature features conflicting data as to whether there truly is a simple correlation between beer intake and body-mass index,” he said. “The beer belly probably has more to do with the French fries and sausages eaten alongside than the beer.”
