Maybe it’s time for a new UH PPV marketing plan

For the third consecutive year, sales of pay-per-view subscriptions for University of Hawaii sports games have declined, to 6,038 in 2010, from 7,347 in 2009, 8,318 in 2009 and 8,837 in 2007.

A UH official blamed the continuing poor economy, while an Oceanic Cable executive suggested several culprits, including "perhaps the price of the package overall."

How is it priced? You pay up to $500 to see all UH football, volleyball and basketball games during the season.

You want to watch only one of the three sports, like football? Too bad. You have to buy the package for all three.

You can buy football games one at a time, except that a season’s worth costs more than the package for all three sports.

Could this be discouraging sales? Hmmm …

…A possible solution? Break the PPV sports package into three parts: football, volleyball and basketball, and make the sub-packages cheaper than the three-sport package. Is this not worth a try?

Go Warriors!

Stay at the Obama hotel

The latest buzz on Kenyan news and blogging sites is that a new 25-room hotel is being built in Kogelo, home village of Barack Obama Sr.

The Daily Nation out of Nairobi reports that it’s a stone’s throw from the home of the president’s stepgrandmother, Sarah Obama — a target of fascination for birthers, who can’t be persuaded that the junior Obama was born in Hawaii.

The hotelier seems to believe it, though. One blogger quoted a hotel source as saying that Hawaii residents will be given a "kamaaina" welcome, and that the owner wants to display Hawaii collectibles to showcase Obama’s isle background.

Maybe they’ve got a spot saved for a framed copy of his birth certificate.