Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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Google’s Wendy Gonzalez Gives Advice On Sharpening Your Digital Skills At WCBS Small Business Breakfast
STAMFORD, Conn. (WCBS 880) — Participants learned how to take full advantage of the digital tools available for their business at the WCBS Small Business Breakfast Wednesday morning.
.@JoeConnollybiz and @GoogleSmallBiz expert Wendy Gonzalez, our featured guest at the WCBS #SmallBusinessBreakfast, discuss what they learned from small business owners this morning on how to “expand your digital presence” and transcend it into sales. pic.twitter.com/YzQs62D3R6
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) March 28, 2018
Joining WCBS 880 Morning Business Anchor Joe Connolly at the Stamford Hilton was Google Small Business Marketing Expert Wendy Gonzalez. Guests heard tips on how to grow their business online and to sharpen their social media strategy.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1499906383465333/
Among the pieces of advice Gonzalez passed along was how to make the social media presence for a business engaging and personable – even if the business itself might seem to be on the dry side. Connolly mentioned one man he knew who worked as an accountant, and engaged potential clients on social media by showing himself coaching his Little League team on the weekends.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/posts/1499781796811125
“For a lot of people, the whole world in accounting is very scary, and it’s something that is the last thing on your to-do list to deal with. But everybody has to deal with taxes and business. You’ve got to deal with your finances – of course, you’ve got to deal with your finances,” Gonzalez said. “So you want to work with somebody who seems personable. The video can show that.”
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/posts/1499709043485067
She noted that no matter what the business, there is always something in that lends itself to video and social engagement.
“The first step, really, is to take a step back and say, ‘What’s our goal here?’ Because I think you can also see a lot of YouTube channels where they have a lot of videos, but none are very interesting. None feel very authentic. None feel like you’re getting information,” Gonzalez said. “So I think the first step is to say, ‘Well what’s the point? What am I really trying to do here?’ So in the case of that accountant, I think my goal would be, I am trying to show that I’m somebody that you want to hang with. I’m somebody that you can relate to. I’m coaching Little League. This is what I do on weekends. That is going to lead to a different video strategy and social media strategy, and someone who wants to show these products, or someone who wants to show these customer stories. It all depends a little bit on what your goal is.”
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1499698876819417/
Following the discussion, Gonzalez said the most important takeaway was that businesses are looking for ways to find customers the same as ever, but with new tools at their disposal.
“To me, it’s still the bread and butter of business that people are looking for customers. And people are looking for customers now on all sorts of different platforms, and approaches and strategies on how to find those customers, but ultimately, that is still what people are looking to do, and digital is a great way to find those customers now,” she said.
Gonzalez noted that when it comes to digital strategy, businesses are going well beyond the “hours and directions” box on Google.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1499942043461767/
“When a business pops up on the right-hand side, that’s run through a program called ‘Google My Business.’ So business owners can claim that listing, and they can add their hours, and they can add photos, and respond to reviews, and we have a new feature called ‘local posts,’ where people can post information that’ll last for about a week, including videos – so just more engagement; new ways that people can – as a business owner – engage with their customers, right at those moments when customers are looking for them,” she said.
Google AdWords were also a major topic of interest at the breakfast. One man noted that if AdWord number one is too expensive, taking the second slot is not a bad idea.
“Ultimately, we are always trying to deliver a relevant experience to a user, so looking at your search term; looking at the ad text; looking at your website; finding what is relevant to whoever is searching, and sometimes that is the number two ad position,” Gonzalez said. “So of course, number one is great, but I think he made a great point that he sees a lot of success by sometimes being the number two search result.”
Now in its 23rd year, the WCBS Newsradio 880 Small Business Breakfast is the longest running small business event series in the New York area.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s multi-media coverage of the Small Business Breakfast and assisted in organizing the event in Stamford, CT on March 28, 2018. All WCBS 880 videos and social media posts were written, edited and published by Neil A. Carousso.
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March For Our Lives: In Sound
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Hundreds of thousands gathered across the country to demand gun reform.
Listen back to our coverage of the March for Our Lives Rally in Washington, D.C. and here at home:
CBS Correspondent Bill Rehkopf reports from Washington, D.C. where Parkland survivors take the stage and speak out on gun reform:
CBS Correspondent Bill Rehkopf reports on the March For Our Lives in Washington, D.C., where thousands gathered against gun violence:
WCBS Reporter John Metaxas walks alongside crowds of demonstrators who are calling for gun reform at New York City’s March For Our Lives:
WCBS Reporter Ethan Harp speaks with the organizer of New York City’s March For Our Lives:
WCBS Reporter Ethan Harp listens to Governor Cuomo speak on gun reform at New York City’s March For Our Lives:
CBS Correspondent Bill Rehkopf reports from Washington, D.C. where the March For Our Lives has brought massive crowds calling for an end to gun violence:
CBS Correspondent Don Dahler talks gun laws, the possibilty for reform and the place of the Second Amendment in history:
WCBS Reporter Ethan Harp covers New York City’s March For Our Lives where student protesters are calling for gun control following the Parkland massacre:
WCBS Reporter Ethan Harp meets demonstrators at New York City’s March For Our Lives on Saturday, March 24:
CBS Correspondent Bill Rehkopf reports from Washington, D.C. where the protesters are demanding gun control at the March For Our Lives:
WCBS Reporter Ethan Harp speaks to Long Island high schoolers who are rallying for gun reform at New York City’s March For Our Lives on Satuday, March 24th:
Rep. Peter King (R-NY) joins WCBS Newsradio 880 Anchor Cheryl Simone live as “March for Our Lives” protesters gather around the nation to call for gun control measures. Congressman King says it shouldn’t be a Democrat vs. Republican issue or a “gun or anti-gun issue.”
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s breaking news coverage of the nationwide “March for Our Lives” protest on Saturday, March 24, 2018. All live interviews and content were produced, written and booked by Neil A. Carousso.
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NYC Steps Up Fight Against Opioid Crisis
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — This week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced $22 million more will go to fight opioid overdoses in New York City.
That brings total funding for the HealingNYC program, which was estabished last March, to $60 million.
“We are expanding things that are working and we are also adding some new interventions,” New York City Health and Human Services Deputy Mayor Dr. Herminia Palacio tells WCBS Newsradio 880 Producer Neil A. Carousso. “This is a complex problem and as we learn things we’re adding things to help address it.”
City officials say more New Yorkers die from drug overdoses than suicides, homicides and car crashes combined.
Palacio says HealingNYC aims to reduce opioid overdose deaths 35 percent by 2022.
“We’re starting to see a flattening across the city, from 2015 to 2016 we saw a very rapid increase in the number of opioid deaths by about 50 percent — this increase was largely related to the rapid introduction of fentanyl into the drug supply system and after we initiated HealingNYC we’re very optimistic that we’ve seen a flattening,” Palacio said. “The increase from 2016 to 2017 was only about 5 percent so we still have much, much work to do but we are hopeful that some of our work is really starting to get some traction.”
The next step is more access to naloxone, the life-saving drug that opens receptors in the brain that close when someone uses a drug like heroin. People stop breathing when the brain’s receptors close.
The city Health Department is visiting independent pharmacies throughout the five boroughs over the next month to encourage them to offer naloxone, also known as narcan.
“We have already distributed 100,000 naloxone kits through HealingNYC,” Palacio said. “We have good partnerships with many of the chain pharmacies but in New York City, especially in the boroughs, there’s many independent pharmacies that are still very vibrant parts of the communitiy and through this next initiative the Department of Health is working with approximately 800 independent pharmacies to make sure that they’re aware of the commissioner’s order to make sure that they feel comfortable giving naloxone to people who seek it without a prescription.”
Palacio says the goal of this HealingNYC initiative is to put the life-saving drug in the hands of regular people who can save a life before medics can get to the person.
“So that people can protect themselves, protect their friends, protect their family members. We can’t get you to treatment if you suffered a fatal overdose,” Palacio said. “So this is really about saving a life.”
Individuals seeking support or treatment for themselves or their loved ones can contact NYC Well by calling 1-888-NYC-WELL, texting “WELL” to 65173 or going to nyc.gov/nycwell.
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NYPD Support Group Raises Awarness, Fights Stigmas During Developmental Disabilities Month
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — March is Developmental Disabilities Month, and the NYPD is out to raise awareness.
NYPD Officer Vincent Tieniber of the Transit K9 Unit has an 11-year-old daughter, Hailey, with cerebral palsy. He and several other officers run an organization that connects police with the community affected by special needs – and he is also fighting to defeat stereotypes and stigmas about those with disabilities.
“My daughter, she’s 11 years old. She was born with cerebral palsy. Throughout her life, she’s been to a lot of therapies to get her to where she is today, where she’s a thriving young girl; to interact with the rest of the community,” Tieniber told WCBS 880 Producer Neil A. Carousso. “She looks like a typical child. She goes through her daily regimen where some days are better than others. But we’ve had a great support group I have within my command, as well as my family members, things go very well on a daily basis.”
March is Developmental Disabilities Month. Here's a photo of @NYPDTransitOfficer Tienibar with his daughter, Hailey. She was born with Cerebral Palsy. Join us in raising awareness and fighting the stigma of people who have developmental disabilities.#DDawareness18 @nyc_cares pic.twitter.com/1BW0FGt80G
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 8, 2018
Tieniber and several other officers run a support group called NYPD C.A.R.E.S. – Cops for Autism-Related Education Services. He said the group meets monthly at the Police Academy, “and we talk to each other and give us what each other needs to help our everyday lives as police officers, as well as parents, for those kids who have special needs and need our help.
“And we also interact every once in a while with the community, and take our police officer hat off, and talk to other members of the community as parents, and see and talk to them, and it helps a lot for a parent by talking to another parent who goes through their everyday struggles, to understand that they’re not alone,” Tieniber said.
He explained that the general public needs to know that when it comes to a person with special needs, you can’t judge a book by its cover.
“If a child has a rough day – in my daughter’s case – just the way she looks typical, and sometimes she does things that not a typical child would do. Instead of staring at that kid, you know, maybe ask that individual if they need help, and maybe speak to the parents, ‘Do you need help or anything?’ or, ‘Can we help you?’” Tieniber said. “It goes more in the long range if we can help each other instead of putting each other out there and, you know, ‘Oh, that’s his problem not mine.’ You know, we help bring more younger adults together if we help them instead of dividing them.”
He said people should help each other, and step in and offer help if they see someone struggling.
“Give them a hug, or just say hi to them. As a special needs child… they just want to be like everybody else. They want to be included in anything,” Tieniber said. “Just say hi to them, and most of the time you’ll get a big smile. They want to interact with the community. So as a community, we should all get together and help each other.”
NYPD C.A.R.E.S. is focusing all month on members of the NYPD and within the communities they serve wo are affected by a disability, diagnosis or illness.
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Low Voter Turnout Expected in New York, Virtual Democrat Monopoly
By Neil A. Carousso
It’s Election Day, but you may not be aware.
Voting turnout in the 2013 New York City election was a record low 23 percent. A mere 14 percent of voters showed up for the September primary.
NYC VOTES: TERRORISM AND TRANSPORTATION AMONG IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR VOTERS, CANIDATES
Compound this with Comptroller Scott M. Stringer’s recent audit showing problems at 90 percent of 156 polling sites examined.
“What we found was just outrageous,” Comptroller Stringer said, citing, “People turned away at the polls, poll workers not realizing how they can get people to vote, ballots were voided.”
Throughout New York State, only about 15 races of 213 legislative seats are competitive in any given year. Comptroller Stringer aims to increase voter participation.
Republicans do not hold any seats in Manhattan. Besides Staten Island and parts of the State, one party holds a virtual monopoly of each district.
The polls in New York City are open until 9 PM.
NYC COMPTROLLER STRINGER AND CANDIDATE REV. FAULKNER VIE FOR CFO JOB
Featured Image: New York Daily News Photo.
