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On Wed, 17 May 1995, Eric K. Meyer wrote:

> Let's see, now. The last time we were all aquiver with a great 
> equalizer, a great individual-to-individual communicator, a great 
> interactive medium everyone was flocking to, it was CB radio.

I was the "blabbermouth" who let the general public know that truckers used
CB radios to beat speed traps.  The year was 1974, I was 18 years old,
selling electronic parts at Burstein-Applebee in Cinderella City (Englewood
Colorado). The speed-limit had just been lowered to 55MPH and nearly every
car and truck was geared to give peak performance at 70.  Within 3 months, My
Parts counter went from 3 transcievers to an entire "department" and sales
went from 1/month to 5/day.  I even got an "Attaboy".

I went back to college that winter, Burstein-Applebee found itself with new
competition, and suppliers were unable to keep up with the demand.  
The following summer, I wrote orders and sold 40-channel units (even 
though everyone only wanted channel 19) as fast as I could get them.  I 
was back-ordered for weeks.

The truckers now have a private network, radar detectors that can "smell" 
a gun from 10 miles away, a new speed limit of 65, and smaller cars and 
more fuel-efficient trucks have reduced the demand for "ole channel 19".

The key is that CB-Radios provided an access to fullfilling a key need.  
The interesting thing is that I discovered this tidbit when I was 
pitching a CB to a trucker.  He wanted to know how to get more range, 
and I kept asking him why that mattered.  When he told me what he used it 
for, I knew I had found the gold.

The internet fulfills a key need (ability to get best price/availability 
within minutes, and the ability to communicate with a focused group 
determined by very specific interests).

> Well, breaker, breaker, good buddy, anybody got a rig that's 
> standing by the side, gathering dust, 10-4?

Of course, if I'm travelling down I-80 past the Pennsylvania-Jersey 
border, I've "got my ears on".
> ____________________________________________________
> 

	Rex Ballard
	Standard & Poor's/McGraw-Hill
	Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect
	the Management of the McGraw-Hill Companies.




From rballard@cnj.digex.net Mon May 22 22:50:32 1995