'Scaper Footsoldiers needed in Major Metropolitan Areas

[dalantmm]

OK, 'Scapers. I'm recruiting foot soldiers to do some legwork supporting the Guerrilla Radio Campaign. Back in October, we received word from Blockbuster Video that all corporate stores had been issued copies of the Best of Season One box set when it was released earlier this year. This project is a follow-up on that information. It should only take a few hours on the phone with local Blockbuster stores. And if you're wondering if this is legit, here's the response I received from Feldman (one of the Guerrilla Radio project organizers):

Dear David,
Thank you so much for your help with the Guerrilla Radio project! This survey is an excellent idea and can be a real boon to make this project as effective as possible. If you need any more info from me, please let me know. I've copied the list of cities at the bottom of this email.

WHO: Individuals in each of the 20 cities targeted by by the initiative (see below)
MISSION: Research Farscape DVD availability at Blockbuster Video stores
PHASE I: Locate Blockbuster Video stores in broadcast range of participating radio stations
PHASE II: Conduct unofficial inventory of Farscape DVDs in each store
PHASE III: Compile data from all 20 cities
PHASE IV: Present data to Blockbuster Video
OBJECTIVE: Blockbuster's restocking of lost or damaged disks

If you would like to volunteer, please email me at dalantmm@hotmail.com, and I will give you more details about Phase I. If you have questions, please post them here so everyone can read the answers. Here's a list of the 20 targeted cities:
New York
Los Angeles
Chicago
Philadelphia
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
Boston
Dallas-Ft. Worth
Washington, DC
Atlanta
Detroit
Houston
Seattle-Tacoma
Tampa-St. Pete
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Cleveland-Akron
Phoenix
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale
Denver
Sacramento
Orlando-Daytona Beach

Time is critical, gang, so let's get started.

[SeasonOfDeath]

If you go to Blockbuster.com you can find and use a "Store Locator" that, when provided with a City&State or Zipcode, will output a list of stores in your surrounding area.

Here's the URL:

http://www.blockbuster.com/bb/store_locator/locate_store_enter/0,7391,,00.html?

[SeasonOfDeath]

If you want to get REAL technical, you can cross reference your list and outputted map of Blockbuster stores with a coverage pattern map at radio-locator.com . The Blockbuster map is probably sufficient for major metropolitan areas, though.

Enter your City, State.. it will return with a page of Stations in the area specified. Click on the "i" (information icon) next to the desired Station call letters. This will return an information page..
click on the "View Coverage" link to get the coverage pattern map.

URL: http://www.radio-locator.com/

[dalantmm]

There are a number of ways to search for the stores, but I would like for people to sign up for this so we're not duplicating each other's work. Come on people. :help: :help:

[blue]

I just tried that locator above for NYC but it didn't work--so I tried the phone book business listings-I counted 22 listed in Manhattan (not counting corporate offices and not counting Blockbuster, rather than Blockbuster Video)-I don't have Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, or Staten Island information. Perhaps this could be broken up for big cities into smaller chunks? I already posted once that of the two Blockbusters in my neighborhood, only one had Best of Farscape, and both only had the first disk of each of the first two seasons.

[LiLOrion]

A few questions...

First, is the project in the Philly area targeting ONE radio station or more than one? and...which radio station(s) is/are being targeted.

Two, I know this goes for other areas as well but for instance station 102 in Philly can also be heard in parts of New Jersey (and Delaware I think). So does that mean that you would not only need Blockbusters in and around Philly but New Jersey and Delaware as well? Thats a whole lot of Blockbusters. I have three around me (within a 10-15 mile radius) and I'm 20 minutes outside Philly.

Just wanted to know what I would be getting myself into is all.

Thanks

[dalantmm]

I have a plan, if people will just email me that they wish to volunteer. It does involve breaking up the larger metropolitan areas into smaller pieces. The search areas will be defined by the broadcast radius of the participating stations. Feldman is currently compiling this data so we can pinpoint exactly where we're to focus. Please do not start calling the stores and asking questions. I'm trying to go at this in an organized manner so we're not all tripping over ourselves as we scramble for information. So far I haven't received an email from anybody.

[blue]

Perhaps you could give a few more details of your plan to see how much time and effort you are talking about. Does conducting an unofficial inventory involve a visit? Or just a phone call?

[dalantmm]

I wish I could give more definitive numbers regarding time requirements. That is going to depend on two factors: A) Radio station broadcast radius and B) Number of volunteers. The ideal situation would be as follows:

Using compiled radio station data, we determine how many stores in each market will be polled. We then divide those stores among the volunteers in that market. If the number of stores per volunteer is too large, we can either reduce the polling radius or recruit more volunteers. We're going to depend on the volunteers' knowledge of the area to make these choices. This will be a dynamic process, specific to each market.

These variables aside, the polling will be designed to be conducted over the phone (local calls only). However, a visit to the store to conduct the poll in person could make a bigger impact on the local management. That choice, obviously, will be each volunteer's to make. Each phone call shouldn't take more than five minutes, consisting of only a few quick questions. A follow-up call may be required to obtain information from the store's manager.

As each volunteer completes a phone call, he or she can either track the data from several calls and transmit it to me at one time or transmit the single poll result right away. This way, volunteers can sit down and make a bunch of calls, or fit a quick call in when they can spare a few minutes. Whatever is most convenient. I realize that a volunteer's time is the world's most precious commoditiy.

I'm currently investigating a website where everybody can post their results. That way, everyone will be able to track the progress of the campaign. However, I'm waiting to see what kind of response I get before I spend a lot of time on it.

I hope this answers some of your questions. I'm really not trying to be evasive or withhold information.

Thanks for your interest!

[Meltdown]

dalantmm,
I tried to email you earlier but my email kept having problems. Any way I PMed you here with my offer to volunteer for the Mpls/St. Paul area. Looking forward to doing what I can to help.

MD

[dalantmm]

I've received emails from about a dozen volunteers. Fantastic. Keep them coming.

[dalantmm]

AirForceScaper - I'm sorry you've had such a bad experience. But that's what this initiative is all about: getting an organized detailed inventory. The corporate office distributed the Best of Season One set to all their stores back in July. These copies may have been lost, stolen or damaged. We're trying to gather some specific data to submit to Blockbuster, in hopes that they'll see fit to restock the stores that are missing these DVDs. If you'd like to volunteer to ask a few specific questions at some specific stores, let me know.

[RescueFarscape]

And that is why we are working at this campaign.

Every single person we introduce to Farscape, even if it is only in passing, is one more potential viewer for the rest of season four:aok:

Every single person we introduce has the chance to lose their hearts to 'Farscape', just as *we* have.

Keep working at it, go in person where you can instead of over the phone.

Farscape business cards come in very handy. Fits nicely in your pocket, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I have never thrown out one single business card I've been given. Don't know what it is, but those things stick around FOREVER!

[dalantmm]

OK, gang. I still haven't heard from anybody in:
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose
Dallas-Ft. Worth
Washington, DC
Atlanta
Detroit
Houston
Tampa-St. Pete
Denver
Orlando-Daytona Beach

Anybody wanna help?

[Xenajules2]

Well, I don't live IN Detroit, but I'm in the metro area (sorta... if Hell can be said to be IN a metro area). There's been talk on DetroitScapers of maybe breaking the area up... like, I could do Ann Arbor, Brighton, etc if someone else does Detroit proper and someone else does Downriver.

Jules

[dalantmm]

Xenajules2 - I'm sure something could be worked out.

While I was looking for the ChicagoScaper web page, I noticed that the DetroitScapers have one as well, and had intended to visit there tonight. I would definitely like to correspond with someone who could liason with me to coordinate efforts in the Detroit area. Since I haven't been to the site yet, I'm not sure who that would be, but if you could have the appropriate person contact me at dalantmm@hotmail.com, I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks for your help!

[dalantmm]

OK, troops. I have at least one person in 15 of the 20 cities. I still need someone from:

Dallas-Ft. Worth
Houston
Tampa-St. Pete
Denver
Orlando-Daytona Beach

Regarding project status, we're on hold until Feldman is finished compiling the radio station data (No pressure, Feldman:aok: ). If you'd like to help in that process, Deneba has requested assistance in this thread (http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5673). As soon as I receive that data, we'll move on to the next step.

BTW, we're going to need more than one person in each city, so keep emailing me (dalantmm@hotmail.com).

Thanks for all those who have already volunteered. Spread the word to any other 'Scapers in your city that could help you and us.

[Ripley9]

Originally posted by LiLOrion
Two, I know this goes for other areas as well but for instance station 102 in Philly can also be heard in parts of New Jersey (and Delaware I think). So does that mean that you would not only need Blockbusters in and around Philly but New Jersey and Delaware as well? Thats a whole lot of Blockbusters. I have three around me (within a 10-15 mile radius) and I'm 20 minutes outside Philly.

Ooh! Ooh, ooh! Mr. Kotter, Mr. Kotter! :bounce:

(Sorry, had a childhood TV flashback there. I so rarely see my little state mentioned that I got a bit over-excited. OK, I'm calm now... well, calmer.)

Yes, northern Delaware is indeed in the extended listening area for all the bigger Philly radio stations. I could help with some of the northern DE Blockbusters (7 according to the phone book), or do all of them if I can visit a few and call the rest. I do know that my closest one had 2 "Best of S1" DVD sets and a few S1 & S2 DVDs last month (or whenever I rented the "Best of" for the To Do list).
So let me know if you still need help for my area (dalantmm, I'll email you too.) And "Hello up there" to LiLOrion. :hi:

Thanks for your time.

[dalantmm]

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