While searching the Internet for ideas, I came across two different articles about a band in New York and another in LA, who were both running TV commercials on MTV and VH-1 to promote their upcoming shows. According to the articles, both groups sold out their shows before they handed out the sample CDs you recommended. First of all, your friend has the right idea. If someone in your area is successful, find out what they are doing and see if you can use some of the same strategies to reach even greater results for your music. But don't copy everything they do.
Some artists do outrageous or strange things to get attention.
No matter how short lived the attention may be. What you need to do is quite simple. First, contact the advertising department at the local office of your cable provider and ask for a media kit. In it, you will find a coverage map of what area your cable company covers in your home market. Second, ask the advertising staff to include a breakdown of the demographics and the amount of people who watch which particular programs on both channels in your media kit.