Chunk & Punk in the Morning Blog

GM's Missed Marks

2009-06-02T06:04:00.000-05:00

GM's Junk Heap

By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com senior writer

Chevrolet Corvair

Over its history General Motors has made its share of bad products. Some were poorly built, some were badly executed, others suffered from lousy timing. Here’s a look at some of GM’s biggest misses over the years.

Chevrolet Corvair

Brought out in the early 1960s, the Corvair was designed to compete against sporty European cars that were making inroads with American drivers. Its innovative rear-engined design was supposed to give it sporty handling.

In early versions, though, the Corvair's rear suspension design seemed unsuited to the job. The car had dangerously dicey handling in turns.

MORE AT CNNMONEY.COM

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader featured the Corvair in part of his famous book "Unsafe at Any Speed." which pilloried the U.S. auto industry for emphasizing design over safety.

GM ultimately improved the Corvair's suspension design, which was a good move. What wasn't so good: hiring private investigators to dig up dirt on Nader. Nader noticed the stalkers, of course, forcing executives to publicly apologize and making GM look all the worse.

Chevrolet Vega

In the early 1970s, following the shock of the Arab oil embargo, American automakers needed to show they could compete against Asia's popular compact cars.

The Chevrolet Vega may not have consumed a lot of gasoline, but it earned a bad reputation for burning through motor oil. The Vega's light-weight aluminum engine was the culprit.

Besides that it also had a reputation for being badly built. It was probably a bad sign when, eight miles into a test run on GM's proving track, a Vega literally fell apart, according to John DeLorean recalling his days a GM executive in his book 'On a Clear Day you can see General Motors.'

Along with cars like the Ford Pinto, the Vega helped cement the idea that Detroit just didn't know how to build a good small car.

Cadillac Cimarron

The most important part of any luxury brand is its image and one bad model can ruin it. In the early 1980s, Cadillac joined other luxury brands in trying to attract more entry-level buyers with a smaller, more fuel-efficient car.

Instead of coming out with a truly new product, GM added the Cadillac crest to what was, in all important respects, a Chevrolet Cavalier. It also added thousands to the price tag.

In all, it was neither a good Cadillac nor a good value. Even GM executives will readily admit today that this was a really bad idea.

Cadillac did manage to bounce back from this mistake and has returned to respectability as America's only true luxury brand. The underlying good news here is that if GM can pull Cadillac back on its feet, this company itself may be able to bounce back.

EV1

It's been said that "No good deed goes unpunished" and the EV1 is a prime example.

GM introduced the EV1 in 1996 as a production version of a 1991 concept car called the Impact. It sold mostly in California, where state regulations at that time required manufacturers to offer a certain number of zero-emission vehicles.

Unlike electric vehicles offered by other automakers, the EV1 was not a retrofitted version of a gas- powered model. It was designed, from the wheels up, to be an electric car. Only two parts were carried over from any existing GM vehicle: The radio and the door handles, said GM engineer John Berisa.

Despite high hopes, the EV1 ended up being a money-loser for GM. The battery packs alone cost about $35,000 each to produce.

Customers leased EV1's on a three-year basis. In 2003, after California changed rules that required the vehicles, GM took the leased vehicles back and stopped the program, along with other car companies.

"The people who were leasing those cars for $350 a month were getting a killer deal," he said. "They just didn't know it."

GM's decision to end the EV1 later made the company infamous as the villain of the documentary, "Who killed the electric car?"

Other car companies had also stopped selling their electric cars but because GM struck a chord with its product, it was stuck with the "killer" distinction.

Pontiac Aztek

On certain rare occasions a car company can produce a model that many people find unattractive and yet, somehow, it ends up finding a large market.

For some reason, it just didn't work for the Aztek. Introduced in 2001, it's still regarded as simply a hideous odd-ball. Those who own them do love them for their undeniable utility but most car shoppers avoided the Aztek. Over its five-year production run, just 115,000 were sold.

After this, Pontiac returned to a safer design scheme that made the cars largely indistinguishable from one another but for the size. A pavement scorching Pontiac GTO looked very much like a tame Pontiac G6. Lack of any real brand identity, aside from vague aspirations to "performance", choked off the brand's value. GM announced recently it was killing off the Pontiac brand.

Saturn L-Series

It's not that the Saturn sedan was such a bad car, it just wasn't terribly interesting, attractive or exciting.

In that, it was a perfect example of what had become of the Saturn brand 20 years after it was founded in the early 1980s.

GM founded Saturn in the hopes that "A different kind of car company" would bring foreign-car fans to GM. And, in that respect, it actually worked. Most Saturn buyers had never bought any GM car before. In fact, many owners didn't even realize they had a GM product in their driveway.

Owners were attracted by Saturn's friendly no-haggle vehicle pricing policy. The brand also earned a reputation for fuel economy and dependability, despite the fact that its cars were actually about as dependable and efficient as similar cars from other GM divisions.

For years, GM didn't seem to know what to do with Saturn and the brand languished with cars like this one, lacking inspiration and appeal.

Finally, GM decided to make Saturns just as it made other GM models - basing them on the same underlying engineering as its other cars - but making the designs more eye-catching. By 2008, the change-over was complete and Saturn had all new cars. Then the economy tanked, marketing money dried up and with Saturn sales not budging, GM decided to sell of the brand.

Hummer H2

Shortly after "Operation Desert Shield," also known as "the first Iraq war," GM bought the rights to the Hummer name from A.M. General, the company that made military Humvee used to carry American troops.

First, Hummer sold the vehicle that became known as the H1. This was a sprawling off-roader that barely fit within a single traffic lane. That was followed by the H2, a still-hulking full-size SUV that was at least better suited to driving on real roads. Finally, in 2006, came the Hummer H3, a midsized SUV with a five-cylinder engine. Even with its smaller engine, the H3's fuel economy was still relatively poor.

Hummer has always been what's politely called a "polarizing" brand. In other words, you either love it or you hate it. And many people who love it especially love that everyone else hates it.

GM tried to clean up Hummer's image by touting its utility in disaster areas - these vehicles do have genuine off-road skills - but it's not a pitch that attracted real buyers.

As gas prices rose in 2008 and with America mired in an increasingly unpopular second Iraq war, the Hummer haters began to get the upper hand. Hummer sales dwindled to a mere pittance. Beyond that, GM could no longer afford Hummer's bad public image. Finally, Hummer became a victim of restructuring and GM is selling off the brand.

32 Weird Scholarships Almost Anyone Can Get

2009-05-29T08:12:00.000-05:00

5/29/09

Just like any high school senior, you’ll try to get some extra cash for college any way you can. There are loads of scholarships available for students based on grades and need. However, there are some really strange and unique scholarships out there that one would do well to consider applying for. Almost anyone could qualify for, and possibly receive at least one of these 32 bizarre scholarships.

Click here for the full list...

Masked Idiot...

2009-05-29T08:09:00.001-05:00

5/27/09

Because I Said I Would...

2009-05-29T07:57:00.003-05:00

5/14/09

I opened my big mouth this morning and said that I would post pictures from my childhood....I may regret this!

This is me pretending to be mysterious


This is me being totally awesome
This is the first band I was ever in "Negative Charlie" I am the portly gentleman in the middle! I think I was 15 in each of these pictures
Today was the last day for our intern Dan, we opted for the super cheesy passing the burnt CD pose as I hand him a copy of his final performance on KIWA-FM, Good Luck Dan!

And now you know:

A) Why I am so mal-adjusted

and

B) Why I am in Radio and NOT Television

Have a great weekend!

- Punk

Does Anyone Out There Twitter?

2009-05-29T07:54:00.002-05:00

4/29/09

We got engaged in a lengthy discussion on the merits of using the internet messaging service "Twitter." From there we also wondered who did the whole "facebook" thing and overall, how much people are on the internet in general in Northwest Iowa?

I feel I am a bit behind the curve as far as this technology stuff goes, I spoke with our intern Dan about what the "kids" are doing nowadays and it appears that by and large, facebook is the preferred means of communication. When I asked him about Twitter, he said that heard about it, but only from the media and didn't actually know anyone who was actively using the service. I decided I would give it a try, so anyone who uses twitter can "follow" me:

http://twitter.com/waynebarahona

From what I have been able to gather, the point is to communicate with other users using short "status updates" like "I am eating a sandwich" or "I am having ham for dinner tonight." (Wow, I must be hungry, all of my analogies are food related!) People do have conversations, they are short but go back and forth and are a matter of public record. (They don't have to be is you direct message, but that's another lecture for another time!)

So I now have a myspace, a facebook and now a twitter. When the heck do I actually talk to people in person? I am even using the web to talk to you right now! I just had an old friend call me out of the blue a few minutes ago and we do try and keep up with each other on facebook, however she decided that sometimes you just need to pick up the phone and actually SPEAK to someone, to which I say, kudos!

Do you know what I am talking about, or perhaps I am just babbling and stuck in a world all by myself? (its been suggested)

Let us know! E-mail us: chunkandpunk@kiwaradio.com or message us or friend us or follow us or…even a phone call would work!

Thanks for the time, I KNOW you have better things to do!

-Punk

Pop vs. Soda

2009-05-29T07:50:00.001-05:00

A Study in Dialect - Pop vs. Soda
4/1/09

Alright, enough is enough. I decided I would try and win an un-winnable pop vs. soda argument so, I did some searching on the internet...(yeah, that's how I roll during the workday!)

It appears that Chunk and I are not the first or only people that have ever opened up this debate! There is actually a website out there called popvssoda.com that has opened up a nationwide survey on this very subject! And the conclusion? People who say Pop are much cooler! (Seriously, it's what it says!)

Want to know who says what where? Here's a COUNTY-BY-COUNTY breakdown of carbonated beverage references for the ENTIRE country!

Click on the image for the full version

(Also note on this map that our entire listening area consists of "Pop" drinkers!)

Conversation #2: Sloppy Joe vs. Taverns

More internet research, yes I am actually getting PAID to do this!

From wikipedia.com:

The origins of this dish are unknown, but recipes for the dish date back at least to the 1700s. It dates in print to 1935. There is probably no Joe after whom it is named - but its rather messy appearance and tendency to drip off plate or roll makes "sloppy" an adequate description, and "Joe" is a name that would suggest, to an American, a person of proletarian character and unassailable genuineness, similar to how having a cup of 'joe' referred to coffee. There are many individual and regional variations on the dish.

Similarities to other sandwiches in the USA

In the Midwest (particularly in the state of Iowa where Roseanne Barr popularized the name Canteen style sandwich) a variant known as the loosemeat sandwich exists. In other parts of the Midwest, these are known as looseburgers or as Maid-Rites. This version of the sandwich is made with only seasoned ground beef, and does not include a tomato-based sauce.

According to The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, it was created in 1934 at Ye Olde Tavern Inn by Abraham and Bertha Kaled

At least now we have the origins of the argument! I (and a few other's I've talked to) still maintain that it is INDEED a sloppy joe!

So in conclusion, I am indeed right! The Internet says so! And if 26 years on the earth has taught me anything, it's that you should believe EVERYTHING you read!

-Punk

A Night With Shawn Mayer - 3/30/09

2009-05-29T07:35:00.002-05:00

This past Friday evening, Chunkette and I traveled to the Clay County Regional Event Center on the Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer for the first event in the three concert series of appearances by northwest Iowa's own Nashville Star, Shawn Mayer. All proceeds from these three shows, including upcoming dates in Cherokee, Iowa, as well as Vermillion, South Dakota, are going to the 9th District of the American Legion. It was refreshing to see a young person like Shawn, who is trying to further her musical career, take the time to promote something other than herself. It is obvious in listening to this young lady that she is doing more than just talking the talk in regards to America's soldiers and the job that they do. Far too people anymore seem to remember that freedom is far from free, and for the 200-plus years of this nation's existence our freedom has been purchased with the sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces. Ok, I'll crawl down from my soapbox now and get on with the report on Friday night's festivities.

Chunkette and I arrived at the venue at about 6:30 p.m., with a scheduled interview time with Shawn of 6:50. As it turned out, the five or so minutes that we expected was nowhere near as much as we received. As it turned out, we got to spend close to half an hour with this delightful young lady, and I am happy to report that she still appears to be the same small town girl who just a few short years ago was living in May City, Iowa, and dreaming of country music stardom!

When first approaching her, you can't help but notice the military-style dog tags that she wears proudly around her neck. During our conversation she told me that she had given a blank dog tag to an area veteran when she was in May City for her "hometown concert" during the run of the Nashville Star series. When she appeared at the Clay County Fair this fall, the same veteran returned the dog tag, now engraved with the legend, "We do what we did so that you can have the freedom to follow your dreams". To me that is the definition of military service.

As I mentioned earlier we had the opportunity to chat with this delightful young lady for close to half an hour, and even managed to make her blush while reminiscing about the first home-made Shawn Mayer CD that was delivered to the radio station a few years ago. The blush came from the reminder that we had played her music, even though the sound of crickets was clearly audible. She explained that fact with a self-conscious giggle by telling us that particular CD had been recorded in her garage. She has certainly come a long way since those days.

We were all having such a good time chatting, but alas there was a show that needed to be performed, and time has an annoying habit of marching on, even when you wish you could slow it to a crawl.

The show was an awesome experience, led off by O'Brien County's own Dave Fintel who performed several well-known country tunes, many of which leaned toward the patriotic, which I thought appropriate, considering the cause for which the show was being performed.

When Shawn Mayer took the stage she held the audience in the palm of her hand. This girl has a voice more powerful than a garlic milkshake!!! Chunkette and I were both blown away by the fact that such a huge voice could emit from such a little girl. If the only time you have heard Shawn Mayer sing was during the Nashville Star show, then you can't appreciate the voice that she possesses. TV simply is not able to do justice to that voice!!

Sadly, the concert passed as quickly as our private time with Shawn in the green room had passed, and it was time to head home. But very few people left!! The line for autographs was unbelievably long. And it was nice to see this up and coming country star take the time to return the affection to her fans that they so freely offer her.

All in all it was a great night!! We saw several people there we knew, and several listeners, as well. It was a great concert that raised money for a great cause. One of the most pleasant parts of the night, however, was the opportunity to see for ourselves that the success that has come Shawn's way over the past several months hasn't changed her from the sweet little small-town girl that she's always been. At a time when most performers are promoting themselves and working hard on their careers, she was willing to promote something bigger than herself and give something back to those who have sacrificed for all of us. My faith in the younger generation was renewed.

Click here to listen to the interview!