Alexander and Associates Inc.

Social Media Yak brings ideas, tips and advice to Treasure Valley radio market beginning Saturday, Feb. 18
Idaho public relations company teams with Peak Broadcasting for Saturday morning talk radio show dedicated to social media

For more information:
Martin Johncox, Alexander and Associates, 208-658-9100
martin@alexanderandassociates.com
facebook.com/alexandermarketing
twitter.com/alexandermktng

Jan. 31, 2012

Listeners can find radio talk shows about politics, relationships, finance, cars, health, gadgets, dogs, firearms and cigars. Starting Saturday, February 18, they’ll have a radio show dedicated to social media.

“About half the population of the U.S. uses Facebook and millions more use Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and others, so the time is right for a radio talk show about social media,” said Martin Johncox, host of Social Media Yak, which will run from 7 to 7:30 a.m. on KIDO 580 AM, covering Idaho’s Treasure Valley.  “Social media are fundamentally changing the way people relate to each other and there’s a huge desire to learn more about it.”

The show will cover the best practices for Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google+, GetGlue, MySpace, Yelp!, Foursquare and others, with an emphasis on how-to tips. Topics will include personal branding, bullying, privacy, security, business pages, social activism, apps, new research and more. Guests will include experts in various aspects of social media, as well as local businesses and individuals who successfully use it. The show will be geared toward individuals as well as businesses. Social Media Yak features will include the “Facebook Agitation Report,” a regular update on the ever-changing format and privacy settings of the most popular social media site.

Recently, the Treasure Valley ranked in the top 20 most socially networked cities and Johncox said it is likely Idahoans in general rely on social media – and radio – more than most Americans due to the state’s dispersed population.

Social Media Yak will be nested inside the show of Kevin Miller, a popular Treasure Valley radio show host. Johncox will appear as a guest on Miller’s show at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, to introduce Social Media Yak.

Dave Tester, KIDO sales manager, said encouraging development of promising new shows is one of the duties of local broadcasters.

“We are pleased to have someone with Martin’s experience and enthusiasm,” Tester said. “Social media is obviously an area of high public interest and we are proud to be among the first stations to provide listeners with advice and discussion about it.”

Listeners will be invited to call in with questions. Parallel discussions will take place at www.facebook.com/socialmediayak and on Twitter @socialmediayak. The current Web page for the show is at www.alexanderandassociates.com/social-media-yak.

A recurring topic will be the best use for each social medium.

“I like to say that Facebook is the backyard barbecue of social media, LinkedIn is the business meeting, Twitter is the cocktail party and MySpace is the smokers in the alley,” Johncox said. “The goal of Social Media Yak show is to stay on top of – and ahead of – what’s changing, and which medium is best for what part of your life.”

Johncox is a former Idaho newspaper journalist and holds a B.A. in Rhetoric from the University of California at Berkeley and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Oregon. Since 2001, he has been public relations director for Alexander and Associates Inc. in Boise. His social media work has won industry awards and he regularly makes presentations to chambers of commerce and business groups on getting started and moving forward with social media. Since 2009, Johncox has voiced sponsor spots for Boise State Public Radio.