Word: compusa
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...think of anyone I'd rather share a foxhole with than Tom Joyner and Tavis Smiley. The host of the widely syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show and his commentator sidekick are very tough guys. Yet the victory they scored last week by persuading CompUSA Inc., the largest U.S. computer retailer, to dramatically expand its advertising in black-owned media really belongs to the show's 7 million, mostly African-American, listeners. They showed how powerful consumers can be in the fight for racial respect...
...first target was CompUSA, which didn't focus on black customers, even though blacks spend about $750 million a year on computer products. In August the two began urging listeners to send in sales receipts to prove that blacks shopped at CompUSA. They sent five big boxes to CompUSA but got no reply. Then Joyner read on the air an insulting letter that had been faxed to the show on CompUSA stationery. It turned out to be a hoax, and he had to apologize. It looked like the campaign might fizzle...
...weeks ago, Joyner and Smiley decided to up the ante. Smiley vowed that unless CompUSA responded to their demands within 48 hours, "we will shift into third gear"--an implied threat to launch a boycott. That got CompUSA's attention. The company complained to the ABC Radio Network, which syndicates Joyner's show, about the false letter Joyner had read. It's not clear what happened next. Though CompUSA's president and CEO, James Halpin, says he never told ABC he was planning legal action against Joyner, ABC got weak in the knees. According to Joyner and Smiley, the network...
...this was high noon. If we backed down, the next time we challenged anybody, the word would be out that if you call ABC, [it] will make us shut up." The next day, with Joyner's blessing, Smiley blasted ABC for threatening to cancel the show. ABC's and CompUSA's switchboards were overwhelmed with angry phone calls from Joyner's fans. Last week Halpin appeared on Joyner's show and promised to hire a black-owned ad agency and to give a 10% discount to those who had sent in CompUSA receipts. Everyone's happy...
...untrue. I've got three daughters, none yet 11 years old, who are hypersocial despite growing up amid all manner of video and computer gaming gear. We have a Sony PlayStation, a Nintendo 64, a couple of Game Boys and enough desktops and laptops to outfit a small CompUSA outlet. My girls can play as much as they want, and I've noticed nothing aberrant in their behavior...