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Steven L. Lubetkin, Managing Partner
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Lubetkin & Co. Communications Launches New Podcast Focusing on Book Authors
Philadelphia Inquirer Reporter DiStefano, Author of Book on Comcast, Is Premiere Guest
CHERRY HILL, NJ – December 20, 2005 – Philadelphia Inquirer business writer Joseph N. DiStefano, the author of COMCASTed: How Ralph and Brian Roberts Took Over America’s TV, One Deal at a Time, is the premiere guest interviewed on a new Lubetkin & Co. Communications audio podcast program, “The Middle Chamber Books Podcast,” which features interviews with authors and offers them an opportunity to discuss their books in a podcast environment.
DiStefano covers banking and finance for the Inquirer. His book, published by Camino Books, a Philadelphia publisher (ISBN: 0940159821), is available for sale on Lubetkin & Co.’s Middle Chamber Bookstore website, at www.middlechamberbooks.com.
In the podcast interview, DiStefano describes his research for the book, the challenges of writing about one of Philadelphia’s largest companies, and Comcast’s reaction to the book – including a humorous experience when Suzanne Roberts and her daughter actually attended one of DiStefano’s book signings at a local book store.
"COMCASTed has been reviewed in magazines and newspapers, and blogged on the Web. I've spoken about it in colleges, libraries and bookstores, and appeared on TV and radio programs. But this is the first time I've ever been podcasted," said DiStefano. "Steve Lubetkin has done a very cool thing. He has years of careful experience in radio, reporting, and business, and it really shows in his work. It's great that Lubetkin's smart and efficient use of technology has made his brand of media entrepreneurship accessible to so many."
“Like Joe, we believe podcasting offers a unique and valuable opportunity for authors to discuss their work in a controlled environment, while giving interested readers some real insight into the thinking and personality of writers whose works they might like to sample,” said Steven L. Lubetkin, managing partner of Lubetkin & Co. “Our Middle Chamber Book Store, an Amazon.com partner, will also benefit by making available to our customers podcast interviews providing additional insight into the authors whose books we sell. We expect to be seeking opportunities to partner with publishers on advertising and promotional opportunities in connection with these podcasts in the future.”
Middle Chamber Books (www.middlechamberbooks.com) is an online bookstore affiliated with Amazon.com and managed by Lubetkin & Co.’s publishing division. DiStefano’s COMCASTed book is a featured selection at Middle Chamber Books. (“Middle Chamber” is an allegorical reference to a location deep within King Solomon’s Temple, where, according to legend, initiates were taught the seven liberal arts and sciences. Middle Chamber Books features books in these genres, Lubetkin said.)
Podcasts are digital audio programs distributed via the Internet. Listeners can download podcasts and play them on their computers or transfer them to digital music devices. The programs got their name from the popular practice of transferring them to the Apple iPod music device. Podcasts are either posted to a website, a weblog (“blog”), or made available through a technology called “Really Simple Syndication” (RSS) that lets listeners subscribe to specific podcasts and automatically download them into their portable digital audio players. The Middle Chamber Books Podcast is available in all three methods (see Editors Note below for specifics).
Publishers and authors interested in scheduling authors’ appearances on the podcast should contact Lubetkin & Co. via email (steve@lubetkin.net) or through the bookstore website.
In December 2005, Lubetkin & Co. produced the first in a series of location podcast recordings for the New Jersey Bankers Association, an economic outlook program.
Lubetkin, who hosts the Middle Chamber Books podcasts, is a veteran broadcast anchor and corporate communications executive for Bank of America, Fleet, Summit Bank, Standard & Poor’s, Unisys, and Conrail. His firm specializes in strategic communications and technology advice for corporate clients, executives, and other organizations. Its website is www.lubetkin.net.
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Editors, note: The podcast interview with Joe DiStefano is available as an MP3 digital audio file.
You may download it at http://www.middlechamberbooks.com, or at the Middle Chamber Book Store Blog (http://middlechamberbookstore.blogspot.com).
The podcast is also distributed on an RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/MiddleChamberBooks.
