Sunday, May 21, 2006

Kids Activity Queen on KHOU = Missed Opportunity

So I've gotten a lot of questions about my appearance on Great Day Houston last week. Honestly, it was frustrating.

The producer Marc Isaacs was very helpful. I'll say that. But, the host Whitney Casey confused my book 100+ Activities for Houston Kids with another competing book. For example, Whitney talked about the Cry Baby Matinee, saying that it was recommended by the other book when, in fact, it's recommended by mine. Plus, I was actually on site to talk to Whitney about fun kids activities but the other book's author was not.

Another frustration is that the show asked author Just Jackie to discuss the kids activities. Jackie was on the air talking about activities highlighted in my guidebook, rather than asking me, the author, to discuss them. I've actually been to these activities with kids so I have firsthand knowledge of what Houston families need & want to know. It seems like a missed opportunity for me and for KHOU. The majority of the activities that the show discussed were actually taken directly from my book. (Cry Baby Matinee, Cockrell Butterfly Exhibit, Alley Theatre) Wow! That's frustrating. Better luck next time for us all.

As for the weekend recap: the Strawberry Festival was fun Saturday but it's expensive and far. After a long drive, we found the entry fee had been changed from $8 per person to $10 per person. The student discount was no longer accepted even though the Web site and brochure described it. That left a sour taste in my mouth. The festival had a ton of fun rides. My daughter loved the rubber duck game and the carousel. My sister loved the strawberry shortcake. My husband & I loved the weather. But then, we packed up for the long drive back to central Houston. With gas prices so high, I wish the Strawberry Festival would have lowered its prices.