URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2005/june/77866.html

Ever dream of having a talk-show gig? It may not be so far-fetched. According to Chris Witting, president of Syndication Networks Corp. in Morton Grove, Illinois, there are 10,000 radio stations, a burgeoning internet-radio market and satellite-radio stations that need programming.

"You don't need broadcasting experience," says Witting. "What you really need is an area of expertise that people want to hear about."

Beth Gallob, 53, and Monica Mariani, 42, did it. Their show, Beth & Monica's Small Business Marketplace, airs once a month on Fountain Hills, Arizona-based KFHX. They got the gig when Gallob met one of the station's volunteers, who mentioned the need for new shows. Gallob asked Mariani, who owns a graphic design and consulting company and with whom she had collaborated on a few projects, to develop the idea with her, and before long, they were on the air.

"We wanted to find a venue that could help small businesses and help us find new ways of promoting our own businesses," says Gallob, who owns a marketing communications firm.

Think radio is for you? Witting shares these tips:

• Put your show concept on paper, including potential topics, guests, show length and format.

• Approach small stations. They're usually more eager for programming.

• Once on the air, offer your show to stations in other markets. Self-syndicating can be a far-reaching way of promoting your business--or maybe even generating a revenue stream.

Quick Pick

There are blogs on virtually every topic, including marketing. Here's a short list of the cream of the crop:

• Smallbusinessbranding: Although it bills itself as part website, part blog, it's really more of the latter, with great content that doesn't just take marketing advice at face value. Every small business will find some take-away value.

• MarketingVOX: Read this blog (or better yet, have it e-mailed to you daily), and your colleagues will wonder how you know about every major marketing story in the media.

• Brand Autopsy: Irreverent and smart, this marketing catch-all narrative probes everything from your brand's phone voice to the secret power of NPR sponsorships. And its recaps of the latest and greatest marketing titles will have you frequenting your local bookstore.

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