THAT'S SO DALLAS 
The largest independently owned advertising firm in the United States really stepped in it. Dallas-based The Richards Group was fired by two of its biggest clients, Motel 6 and Home Depot, after its 88-year-old founder said in a meeting last week that a proposed campaign for the Carrollton-based hotel chain was "too black." Three anonymous sources who attended the meeting with about 40 people told Ad Age that the firm's namesake, Stan Richards, also said the work wouldn't appeal to the hospitality company's "significant white supremacist constituency." Motel 6, looking to shed the old-white-guy vibes of TRG's 34-year-old tag "We'll leave the lights on for you," had asked for a multicultural campaign and wasn't present at the meeting. Motel 6 is "outraged,". Home Depot axed the agency less than 12 hours after the news broke. Richards issued several apologies. He's staying with the company, but now directors can decide whether to allow him into their meetings. The unbelievable kicker to this story? The agency currently is pursuing a new client, Cracker Barrel. The jokes write themselves. (Dallas Morning News)

THE CATCH-UP
Coronavirus: Dallas County reported 504 additional cases including 11 backlogged cases and 50 probable cases and one death Oct. 14. About 15% of all emergency visits on Oct. 13 was for COVID-19 like symptoms. (Details

Crying: Dallas reverted back to the red "danger" level after the continual spike of coronavirus cases. The average number of cases has increased for CDC week 40. Yep, it's been 40 dang weeks. Hope you're staying positive and testing negative. (Clay Jenkins on Twitter)

Investment: Mehrdad Moayedi's Centurion American Development just bought property in the Crystal Lagoon Bayside development in the 'burbs. The developer plans on breaking ground in the next 60 days. (Dallas Morning News)
🏖 The project has been in the works for more than five years. The first phase of the resort-styled multi-use development is expected in 2023. 
🏖 If Moayedi's name sounds familiar, it's because he's behind the redevelopment of The Statler, some of the most ostentatious houses on Strait Lane and more than 70 suburban communities.

About time: Dallas approved the $450,000 price tag to clean up Shingle Mountian. (KRLD)

Podcast revenue is becoming less about listeners and more about how devices are listening to you. Advertisers are projected to spend more than $800 million on podcasts in 2020, and next year's revenue is looking to be a cool billion. The duo behind "My Favorite Murder" made $15 million in 2019 talking about death. For a long time, podcast profits have come from old-school advertising. But hosting services now use IP addresses, track URLs and skip the traditional RSS feed for better data. The podcast world is shooketh, since they previously managed to skirt Big Tech's sketchy use of people's personal business. (The Markup)

🎙A few of Dallas' own successful podcasts: Spoofing classic rock songs, true crime, a missing mother from a meth capital, Good God for the holy, history, from not-that Lindsey Graham and even Korean music.