A few weeks back, I discovered that running an ad on late night cable is dirt cheap. I began daydreaming about cobbling together a 30 second spot for Comedy Central but figured I would never bother to pursue it any further. At the very least, it made for interesting blog fodder. A few readers sent in comments and suggestions. Here's one from Bryan, currently stationed overseas:

"I'm pretty much counting on you to do this. You alone can restore my faith in America in these troubled times."

And how could I turn down the opportunity to boost military morale in Iraq, even if on a minuscule level and despite the fact he was obviously being factious? Regardless, I know consider it my patriotic duty to make this thing happen.

I finally made my way over to Comcast Spotlight earlier this afternoon, a skin and bones site that offers scant info on what it takes to air an ad. After running around the site for a good 15 minutes, I finally tracked down a number for the regional sales office. I left a message but I doubt I'll get a call back. If I do, the conversation will probably go a little something like this:

THEM: "You want to air an ad for a what now?"
ME: "A blog. It's sort of like a newspaper column that I self publish on the internet."
THEM: "How many times would you like to run this ad."
ME: "Oh, just once."
THEM: "I've never heard of...what did you call it? A blog? If you actually want to do this, the production expenses could be quite costly."
ME: "I was hoping to edit it on my computer, transfer it to tape and send it off to you guys. That's what many small businesses do, right?"
THEM: "Hold please."

15 minutes later...

SOMEONE ELSE: "You want to air an ad for a what now?"

Only time will tell.