Front Page - Mailbag - BW2007 - BW2006 - BW2005 - BW2004 - BW2003 - BW2002 - BW2001 - BW2000 - Support DCRTVBEST: Dave Durian in the morning, Ron Smith in the afternoon. Both know and respect their audiences. WBAL'S radio news team. WNST for local sports. WRNR still going strong, wish they had a better signal. Reruns of WKRP finally on cable!! Classic98rock on the internet.
WORST: WZBA for firing Chris Emry and replacing him with Bob and Tom. WLIF/WQSR/WWMX for playing too much of the same music. Anita Marks, please return to Miami this weekend and don't come back! WJZ Eyewitness news for running promotions for Entertainment Tonight DURING the news. This month's version of The Globe for playing too much 80's hair metal. Christmas music that begins in October but ends promptly at noon Christmas day. The national media for their love affair with the new President-Elect and their inability to ask him any substantive questions. The ever-shrinking Baltimore Sun that only takes 5 minutes to read. The Baltimore Examiner for having plenty of well placed, empty paper boxes around town. FREECREDITREPORT.COM commercials every 5 minutes. Anything Clear Channel does. 98 Talk. NBC news' Global Warming story that showed penguins floating on the ice near the north pole. Fewer and fewer local people on the radio. Too many commercials and not enough music. Dave, thanks for giving us something interesting to read. No wonder the Post is so afraid of you!!!
BEST: WTOP, Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 7 Weather, Channel 4 dumping George Michael, Imodium, The Clique Books and MSNBC. River Road Rapids coverage on Channel 4 with play by play by Babs Harrison and that guy who was filling in that morning (the one who yells at the camera).
Worst: Union employees of Channel 9 and AFTRA for caving into Gannett’s demands to go “one man band,” Shame on them! The downfall of WUSA, rotating anchors, fluff "Living Well" franchises, bald 7PM anchor and his mailbag.
BEST: The Daily Czabe, and all things Czaban. The most original, creative and compelling voice in local radio sports (anywhere in America). Too bad he's not available in AM drive anymore. Smokin' Al Koken is also consistently excellent, as he has been for many a year. Rob Spewak--as fast, funny and fantastic a sidekick as Bernard McGuirk (Imus in the Morning) used to be. Too bad Robbay has so little to work with anymore. Adam Carolla (podcasts available via iTunes)--on a daily basis almost as excellent as Don & Mike in their heyday, and a reliable "methadone" for those of us who are still looking to replace the high of D&M.
WORST: Mike, without Don. We know you're trying the best you can to put on a brave face, pal...but like the widow who continues to set the table for two every night, even though she's dining alone, it's all just so pathetically sad. And, oh, dear God...can't we all just agree to file some kind of class action suit against WTOP, or obtain a court-ordered cease-and-decist injunction to prevent Lisa Baden from doing even one more traffic report? Seriously, I'd like to personally meet whomever is perpetuating the stubbornly pervasive urban myth that this aggressively untalented hack is "refreshing" or even "listenable" (preferably in a dark alley). Go ahead, listen very closely--what you'll hear is a sleep-deprived borderline-unstable loon whose phony-baloney over-annunciation and stream-of-unconsciousness-on-the-8's has been allowed to "pass" for creativity for far too long. Enough.
Best: WTOP traffic and weather together on the 8s; Nationals Radio with George Wallace and Craig Heist; Brian Egan and Jenni Chase in the morning
Worst: Hillary Howard's gaffes and mangled pronunciations
Worst: local radio. It's very sad that it's become so homogenized and bland. Personality and creativity have become a thing of the past. I don't think it can ever recover. The corporate owners have turned local radio into something that most people don't even think about any longer. Normal folks grab their Ipod and go about their daily life. WMAL is nothing but syndicated shows with no local focus. WASH is elevator music and I can't think of one person who can tell me the names of any of their jocks. Maureen MacClean is the worst. She makes middays a joke. Loo and Bill are longtime favorites but have to "dumb down" to keep their jobs. Mix is so boring that I can go weeks without hearing it anywhere! I like some of the songs on True Oldies but Scott Shannon 24/7 is so painful. Local TV is also in a sorry state. Channel 9 needs to be euthanized TODAY. Goff, Walter and company are like watching Glen Burnie TV. Kim M. is OK but gets lost in the horrible excuse of a morning show. WRC-TV needs to put Babs Harrison out to pasture. Joe, Jerry and Tom are fine and get the job done. What WRC did to George Michael and James Adams is beyond pathetic. Craig Melvin is the worst hire in DC TV in 20 years. The man needs to go to a tiny market somewhere and get a good speech coach.
Best: Ron Smith, WBAL. I am a liberal democrat but still listen to Ron because of his deep intellect and curiosity. WTOP- not the best radio station but at least they are TRYING to be local and cover local issues.
OK, I am now out of good things to say which is why I have almost completely stopped watching local TV and listening to local radio. I was always a media/news junkie and worked in Washington radio and TV for 30+ years. It's devastating to see what our industry has become.
Best of 2009 - The "merger" of Sportstalk 980 and Triple X ESPN Radio into ESPN 980. Surprisingly, no major on-air losses incurred (other than Colin Cowherd's objections in losing air time to Redskins GM? Vinny Cerrato), most of the objectivity was retained, but unfortunately ratings are still not blockbuster. The merger of Sirius and XM. If satellite radio is to be successful, I'm sorry but this was necessary folks. I am also most happy that the Contemporary Jazz channel of Watercolors was not lost in the merger but not happy about the potential for Howard Stern to invade my air space. Praise 104.1 - The area's newest gospel station brought some of the powerhouse congregations of D.C., Prince George's County, and Norther Virginia. And other than a few glitches (was that Robin Breedon, I heard on PRS for a hot second or two?), the launch has been successful. I successfully obtained two DTV coupons from the Government was before the current consumer rush at 2008's end. Though, other than a great feed of WTOP Radio on WJLA 7-2, I am not sure what the big deal is about yet. Comcast SportsNet and to some degree MASN for their commitment and coverage of local sports. Although it still would make better sense to have the Nationals on Comcast, since it seems CSN has aligned itself as Washington's regional sports network and MASN has aligned with mainly Baltimore teams. The DVR-defeating Internet and the various websites (Fancast, Veoh, Joost, Hulu, etc.) that allows us to time-shift our favorite programs (will there be such sites for local TV soon or now?) The new but unfamiliar faces gracing the airwaves in local news. Some respect now coming due to the powerful but long-suffering (ratings wise) Black Political Talk Radio and its voices (such as WOL's the Power, Joe Madison, etc.) as the pending Obama Administration comes forth.
Worst of 2009 - Channel 4's surprising lack of tact is letting George Michael go. WRC's loss will be Comcast SportsNet's (more likely as official cable network of the 'Skins) or MASN's gain. The demise of print newspapers. Hopefully, they will figure out how to survive in the digital world but in the meantime, I still am a subscriber to the paper version of the Post, but I do like to download text versions of the Post articles for further reading/archiving. The demise of Washington Post Radio - a noble but unsuccessful attempt to NPR-ize local news. Tony Kornheiser not having a radio home in D.C. and his "retirement" from the Post. Hopefully, there's room for you on ESPN 980 or maybe a secret new Sports Talk station in the works (hint: Bonneville folks, hello?) Michael Wilbon's heart attack scare -- take care of yourself Mike, we don't need to lose another strong black sports voice in Washington. The lack of a noble competitor to ESPN 980 (Hey, I like the station but I think competition keeps them on your toes). With other sports properties, Nationals, Capitals, GW under the Bonneville umbrella, there seems to be a glaring opportunity for a nemesis/competition to the ESPN radio freight train a la Fox Sports Radio in D.C, The glut of Sports Talk Radio in Baltimore -- no NBA, WNBA, or NHL or new arena, but 3(!) Sports Talk stations. How much Ravens or Os news is there to talk about in B-more? The apparent pending loss of J.C. Hayward (your graciousness and warmth will be missed on our airwaves) from 9News. The pending impact of the so-called recession (but don't call it a near-depression) on local broadcast and print news operations. The reduction in publishing of voices of the weekly local newspapers (Gazette, Bowie Blade-News, Annapolis' the Capital) due to economic concerns and impact (print costs and advertising costs). The buyouts of Washington Post staff, post-Pulitzer and other victories for the publication. Hopefully, Katherine Weymouth can find a way to reinvent the great paper without sacrificing its journalistic quality and integrity. Finally, I've said it before, I'll say it again. Can anyone in radio figure out what to do with HD Radio? The concept seems to have so much potential but (as with the digital TV subchannels), no one seems to have figured out what to do with the radio subchannels yet.
Peace, Love, and God-willing, economic prosperity in your 2009 CD in DC (actually Bowie, MD but the former sounds cooler)
Best- Thomas Rongen and Dave Johnson with Comcast SportsNet calling the D.C United games. "IT'S IN THE NET!" They don't only bring game commentary to the game but also make it very enjoyable to watch the D.C. United games. Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier also with Comcast but calling the Wizards games on T.V. Again Dave Johnson with both WTOP and for the Wizards. The Sports Reporters on ESPN 980 always good for a laugh on the drive home with Andy and Steve. Ivan Carter of the Washington Post.
Worst- Work-outs and game performances of the Redskins...
Adam G.-Rockville, MD
Best: DC station for information, WTOP, especially Lisa Baden, Bob Marbourg and Bruce Allen Best DC station for music, WASH-FM. (when it's not all Christmas) Best Baltimore station for information, WBAL. Dave Durian does a great morning show! Best Baltimore station for music, WLIF-FM. Best regional station, WNAV in Annapolis, very local and mostly live. Terrific local news and sports coverage, and plays some good oldies too.
Worst: Radio Corporations that don't permit their local PD's to do their jobs.
Worst-Larry Michael, any media appearance by Tony Kornheiser, any media appearance by George Michael, Kevin Sheehan, The John Thompson Show, Dave Johnson. Frank Hanrahan. Kornheiser in Ocean City. Kornheiser after his car was stolen. The Vinny Cerrato Show.( I especially like it when they take an angry call and have no reply whatsoever.) Jim Palmer and Buck Martinez on O's baseball. Sonny Jurgensen-for continuing to pick the Skins to win each week-did he pick them to go 16-0 before the season?. Testimonial ads by personalities eg.. Chris Core, Dave Johnson, Andy Pollin, Steve Czaban, Doc Walker, Sonny Jurgensen, Larry Michael etc.-they are nauseating. ESPN 980, for sounding like a small-town station instead of a major city affiliate-they've screwed it up completely. The dozens of typos and factual errors in the otherwise entertaining Pollin/Shapiro book. Who proofread this anyway? The dozens of on-air personalities at WTOP "Radio" who can't pronounce the letter "W" correctly. ( it should be pronounced 'double-U' )( Do an air check to see if you're one of them )
Best- George Michael's Dismissal-An Xmas gift to remember. Doc Walker-for "coming strong to the mic" on criticism of the Skins. He might be the Skins' most outspoken critic.
WORST - EVEN THE MENTION OF FRANK HERZOOOOOG COMING BACK TO RADIO AS DEADSKINS, ANNOUNCER ,,BUT HE DOES HAVE A FACE FOR RADIO ONLY
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL
BEST - IS THE HOTTIES ON THE FOX NEWS NETWORK, COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT THEM... MARTHA AND MEGYN YOU ALL ROCK
Best: Jack FM, WJZ's Jessica Kartalija and Weijia Jiang( promote them before you lose them), Candace Dold and Sarah Caldwell's traffic, Deborah Weiner's lips( best in Balto.),WBFF's Jennifer Gilbert and Karen Parks, Rob Carlins's sports
Worst: Too much weather!!( if it's just raining it's not the lead story), reporters at police hdqrts.( nothing happens there....go to the actual scene), Denise Koch and Sally Thorner( time to move on...see Best), Gerry Sandusky's play-by-play( please bring back Scott Garceau) WBFF losing another hottie sports reporter...please hire another! Glenn.....Harford County
Best: EITM; WTOP, especially Hillary Howard and Lisa Baden; Allison Starling; Derek & Romaine and Alexis & Jennifer on Sirius
Worst: Bob Marbourg's pronunciation of the word 'crash;' Jack Diamond; WaPo's decreasing relevance; Xmas muzik on the radio before Thxgiving
Best: Charlie Slowes and Dave Jaegler on the Nats radio broadcasts. The Nats had a dreadful season, and it would have been easy for Charlie and Dave to just take a "mail it in" approach to their broadcast work. But they did not vary their approach to each broadcast, working to stay fresh, keep the baseball listener informed, and maintain the same level of professionalism and enthusiasm for their work from first pitch to final out. Also, kudos to Steve Ray and Jack Hicks for their production work. They all are great...my DirecTV subscription which gives me the channels I want without service interruption (or even a service call in the 8 years I've been a subscriber) for a price better than what I would have with Comcast...my XM subscription. No, I don't think the merger is a good thing simply because competition naturally produces a quality product. At the same time there isn't anything on terrestrial radio compelling enough for me to want to listen (except for WTOP's traffic and weather on the eights). I also like the fact that I can now listen to Cousin Brucie and imagine myself in another time...Phil Wood for his knowledge of baseball, especially that of Washington baseball history, and his non-confrontational approach to discussion on his broadcasts...PBS' low-key approach in the coverage of the presidential debates, including the analysis provided by Mark Shields and David Brooks...David Brooks in general. He's conservative, but he makes his cases on issues in the New York Times in a way that is reasoned out and not confrontational, and in a way in which you sometimes will learn something you didn't know before or look at things in a way you may not have considered before...Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert, and Saturday Night Live for their hilarious takes on this year's election...hats off to Bob Edwards, Frank Herzog, Ed Walker, Bob Marbourg, Doug Hill, the Car Guys, Vin Scully for still turning out poetic play-by-play calls during his LA Dodger broadcas ts...my obligatory salute to my Dad for his work on NPR's hourly newscasts and "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me", as well as his announcing work during last night's Kennedy Center Honors broadcast on CBS...and, finally, this web site.
Worst: Add me to the chorus of those who dislike Larry Michael...WTEM for jettisoning DC's only baseball talk program (the Phil Wood show). What? The station couldn't spare the two hours of the week the program aired just so they can talk more football?...WTEM in general for their treating of anything non-Redskin related as an annoyance at best and nothing worth mentioning at worse. This is not just the the Nats, but also the Caps with the absolutely incredible Alexander Ovechkin...Chris Matthews on MSNBC. He was a over-the-top insofar as President-elect Obama is concerned (I voted for Obama, but I found Matthews embarrassing) ...Rush Limbaugh for being Rush Limbaugh...the various bloodbaths at radio and television organizations and newspapers that have resulted in many, many talented people being left without a job.
Happy New Year everybody! Here's to the best for all of us in 2009! Sincerely, Joe Kasell
Here's my nomination of Best and Worst of 2008.
Best: Although Channel 2's news leaves a lot to be desired, I have to say their "Dirty Dining" Reports are the best thing going for it, so I have to say the "Dirty Dining" reports are the best for 2997. Channel 11's news (All of their newscasts). The Tim Watts Show on Magic 95.9. I love the special features he does on his show.
Worst: Neal Estano's leaving Channel 11; MIX 1065 releasing (budget cutting) T. J. Roberts, and cancelling of their Saturday Night "In the MIX" show.
Ed Jones, Bel Air MD
BEST: Wizards Radio Dave Johnson, calls a great game and does a better job than anyone else in the area keeping the audience informed on individual player stats during the game. FOX5 Dave Feldman and Dave Ross. Sports are fun, these guys seem to really enjoy what they do and they bring out the best in the people they interview. NBC4 Lindsey and Dan are local products doing a great job replacing a legend. Wilbon and Kornheiser on PTI never disappoint! Frank Hanrahan was a very nice addition as the 980 Redskins reporter.
WORST: The productions coming out of Redskins Park are painful to watch. The next time a sideline reporter actually adds something to a local broadcast will be the first time.
Best: The annual Polar Bear Plunge on WBAL 11.
Worst: Meteorologists Bernadette Woods and Tim Williams at WJZ 13 have to share their airtime with Bob Turk and Marty Bass.
Best –Local TV News: WJLA; FM Rocker WRQX; Christian Station: Tie between WFAX and WGTS. Now that Columbia Union College realizes what an opportunity it has with WGTS, it has gotten better. And, WFAX keeps chuggin’ away with some of the best “preachin’ and teachin”. Close second: WRBS; Radio News Department: WTOP. OK, so they are the only radio news department in D.C. But, Jim Farley has them acting like they have serious competition –Which is something D.C. seriously needs. While it’s accepted that the concept of the “two-newspaper town” is passe’, is the concept of a “two news stations town” equally passe’?; PBS Station: WHUT. It is what Public Broadcasting was envisioned to be when the Public Broadcasting Act was passed. Pity WETA, MPB, WNVC/WNVT have all forgotten about that.; Cable Operator: Cox. From what I’ve seen, they seem to do almost everything right. Except, they don’t serve all of any one jurisdiction around here except the City of Fredericksburg itself. (See “Worst”!); Owner/Operator: Bonneville. They are a class act. Now, if only they’d get their cojones back and start doing what they know full well how to do. (See “Worst”!)
Worst –Local TV News: WUSA. WETA does a better local newscast; Oldies Station: WJZW. Steve Allan is doing the best he’s allowed to do. However, $hitadel needs to give him the creative freedom and resources to do what he’s so capable of doing: A very successful oldies station. Right now, he must be the most frustrated PD in the ‘biz; Owner/Operator: Toss-up between $hitadel and Bonneville, $hitadel is such a no-brainer nothing more need be said. However, Bonneville gets a thumbs-down for being too over-cautious. Letting 102.7 in Baltimore get away and going through with the sale of 104.1 were the worst M&A events of this market this year. The Elders need to be inspired by the daring of Saints like Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and be ready to close deals in a timely manner rather than let “once in a lifetime” opportunities slip away, Cose second: Salem. I’ll discuss them later…; Deal: Acquisition of XM by Sirius. Killing off “edgy” channels, killing audio by reducing the bitrate, and other madness is good for terrestrial radio. But, bad for paying customers. HR Event: The pervasive culture of layoffs. Chris Core and John Matthews were only the most visible ones around here. The good thing about broadcasting is that because of the lack of effective competition, we don’t really have to worry about somebody being laid-off and going to work for somebody else. However, I don’t think the cable people have that luxury. Although I’m no fan of Verizon, I’m sure they’d love to hire anyone laid-off by a “traditional” cable company. Especially someone who has a track record of bringing in revenue. Why? Anyone here remember WWII? The Japanese admiral, who conceived the attack on Pearl Harbor is quoted as saying after hearing of the attack, "I fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant and filled him with a terrible resolve." I can easily imagine someone laid-off from a cable company getting a job with Verizon and proceed to eat cable’s breakfast, l unch, dinner, and midnight snack. Why? The destruction of a person, their family, and their career that is caused by a layoff is so thorough that I can easily see success at a competitor being the “revenge” against the former employer who laid them off. Participating in the demise of that former employer would no doubt be complete vengeance. When the economy recovers (as it will) this would become a long-term problem for the company (Maybe even the industry?) which did the layoff. Why? The customer/vendor relationship in the cable world seems so fragile that Comcast immediately transferred me to what would be called a “closer” or “saver” in another business to try and “save” me as a customer when I went satellite. (It didn’t work…) I can also say that the relationship is also more long-term in that I’ve been with DirecTV since 1999. Again, thanks to Comcast; Regulatory Action: The transition to ATSC DTV. This will make AM Stereo look like a resounding success. If the FCC had any brains, they would’ve “re-farmed” the 76-88 MHz spectrum for an additional 60 channels of conventional FM broadcasting and first re-allocate the short-spaced stations there and then open-up license competition for new stations. Note that I said competition as opposed to “highest bidder”. Highest bidder has not always produced the best broadcasters. Also, encourage through regulation, licenses held by educational institutions to be used for educational purposes. WGTB was a good example of such a station. WAMU is not. NPR station: WAMU. PBS Station: All except for WHUT; Cable Operator: Comcast. They are to Cable TV everything $hitadel is to radio. Funny thing is, they both have one thing in common: They’ve both bid in the past for different parts of ABC. However, a cautionary eye needs to be cast upon Cox. Why? First for only serving part of Fairfax County and Fredericksburg and some surrounding areas. And second, because they’ve done so much so exceedingly well over the years that when they screw-up (As everyone eventually does.) it’ll likely be disastrous for them. And, monumental.; Radio Station: WMAL. If there ever were a current FCC licensee deserving of being declared “Unfit”, Citadel would meet the definition. Between their past of content censorship and air talent dismissal at the behest of a sponsor, the termination without notice of such talents as Chris Core and John Matthews, and the gross abandonment of local non-infomercial programming to the point where the callsign should be changed to WABC/R as it not much more than a high in/low out WABC repeater that WMAL is not even a faint shadow of its former self. I know Bonneville is reluctant about AM. But, if they got 630 and put Joel Oxley and Jim Farley in charge, I could easily see WMAL prove that a well-programmed/well-managed AM can still succeed; Christian Station: Once again, WAVA wins this distinction. I find very little about this station that is truly “Christian”. Yes, I’m sure it’s one of Salem’s top billers. But, it sounds so much like a “WMAL-FM” it makes me pray that God will see fit for a new licensee for 105.1. However, nipping at WAVA’s heels is WFSI! OK, let’s put aside the jokes about “the Gospel according to Harold Camping” with his missed predictions of Christ’s return, the presentations of “Unshackled”, and take a serious look at both of these stations. They prove a truism that NRB members have long known: It’s not your cume, but your billing that matters. And, if your “pull” goes down, you’re toast. Basically, you don’t care if you have a sizable audience. You only care that ministries are paying their bills, or if you’re collecting directly, the little old ladies, terminally ill, etc, are sending in enough cash and checks to make that ministry’s airtime on your station worthwhile. Paid religion is basically the original infomercial format. And, it’s very profitable. (To an extent that Jack$hit can only dream about!) So profitable that I can think of several radio “ministries that have outlived their founders, although they’ve attained “eternal” airtime by still being on the air (via recording) years and even decades after earthly death. Lester Roloff and John Douglas are among those who immediately come to mind; Regulatory Agency: Toss-up between the FCC and the Fairfax County Cable Communications and Consumer Protection Agency! The FCC’s sins are so manifold that I’ll list only the ones so often forgotten in the shadow of the most egregious. How about licensing more stations than necessary? There are far too many FM and AM stations for the economy to support. How about requiring AM stations that should be (and were historically) daytimers to operate after sunset with absurd powers like 12 watts! This is idiocy. Especially with a day power of 10 KW or even 50KW! AM’s should be licensed with 1KW, 5 KW, 10 KW, 25 KW, and 50KW. The FCC should become more of a technical standards enforcement agency. Not a “guardian of morality/decency” The marketplace is the place where morality should be decided –not by political hacks! Now for Fairfax County… I may be mistaken (And, I know I’ll be corrected if I am!) but I seriously doubt if there is another jurisdiction in the DCRTV ADI that has telecommunications redlining where two so distinctly different cable communications companies operate with one providing superior (but probably not perfect) service while the other provides service more akin to that a cow receives from a bull in the barnyard. I am of course referring to Cox and Comcast, respectively. Indeed, as I write this I’m looking at my just-received copy of a “well-known consumer magazine” and in their reader’s evaluations of cable providers, Cox is at or near the top of every category while Comcast is at or near the bottom. What is it about Reston that compels Fairfax County to tolerate poor service in one part of the County (Reston) while seemingly demanding a higher level of service for the rest of the county. This is immoral if not illegal. Most Unusual - Fox and NBC’s “arrangement” to share video. What’s next? Newscasts? Back office functions?
Unsigned Corporate Suit
Best : The whole weekday WJFK line up. The disfunctional WJFK Family show was great. Eun Yang for being hot, Leslie Foster for being hot, Angie Goff for being hot. Shawn Yancy, Allison Starling, Allison Seymore, Maureen Uhmeh all for being hot. Peter Rosenberg for doing his thing in the NYC. Russ Parr & The Donnie Simpson Show
Worst: The Kane Show! Everybody on the Kane Show! Ryan Seacrest, and the Kane Show!
Best: WJLA makes the jump to HD news… in stages (graphics, field reports to come later in HD). Doug Hill, Bob Ryan. The end of the Bush regime. Lindsay Czarniak, DCR-TV Dave. MASN finally airing HD games (with even more in 2009) of the O's and Nats. The Capitals play so far this season.
Worst: Cheap NBC 4 news still in SD, NBC 4's "filmed reports," especially sports highlights as though they were old newsreels. WRC's degraded digital signal to save money (coming up next: Black and White returns!), Barbara Harrison, NBC suits refusing to let NBC4 download HD syndicated shows on network owned equipment. The shrinking down and overall death spiral of the Washington Post. WTTG also stuck in the dark ages of SD news. Tim Russert and Tony Snow's passing. DirecTV still not providing PBS locals in HD. Endless pre-emptions of ABC programming by WJLA to bring in extra ad bucks, WJLA Infomercial overkill on the weekends, absolutely shameful. Redskins collapse at the end of the season. My 20, ION logo overkill television. Promo bugs, especially on cable for shows weeks in advance, plus distracting animated ads taking over the screen, for the same shows just plugged during commercial breaks and/or the promo bug.
Best - Justin Burke for weather prognostication (Channel 2). For news, can't top Channel 11. Barry Simms and I=Team are very professional and dig deep. Sports has to be Mr. Viviano on Channel 13. Professional yet passionate. Don Scott-excellent5 news reporter in the morning.
Worst: Marty Bass for weather (Channel 13). I listen to the weather to be informed, not entertained. Sports---weekend sports reporter Stan Saunders. Both Mr Bass and Mr. Saunders need to be replaced.
Terry in Bel Air, MD
Unfortunately, best and worst r on the same station.
Evening, worst is the "mommy" newscaster Leslie from 9, (credibility, folks) and you need a guy.
Best is Leon Harris from 7...but...best sports is Brett Haber. We will miss old best...George Michael. Weather goes to Doug Hill. Mike Walters and Andrea Roan...best morning anchor team bar none.
But who can sit through the ditz girls? Valley traffic girl idiot and jolly green who never stops blogggggggggggging, they are the worst! Please someone...tell them just the weather...no "go to my blog" BEGGING!. Nobody cares! I find it hard to watch 9 anymore.. Worst morning anchor team, grandma voice Starling and lispy McKellway.
Must watch Lisa Baden...best traffic who knows her stuff and is fun, and weather goes to Brian Vandergraph who sticks to the weather usually. Maybe channel 7 & 9 could swap out traffic & weather we'd have a really good show to watch.
WORST - Jack Diamond and the entire station, Channel 9 news(since Tracey is gone), but I do like Brett, Tony Perkins weather. Tucker is MUCH MUCH better and watchable, Channel 7 News (except for Dough Hill and the guys we like them at least on WTOP). CHRIS CORE on WTOP and all his ads for things GET RID OF HIM Mike B was at least funny at times.
BEST - Fox 5 News (except for Tony), WTOP and Lisa Baden Traffic and Dough Hill and his weather groupies from 7. Sammie on The Kane Show is pretty funny at times.
Best - WJFK's Mike O'Meara Show: While Don Geronimo specialized in tearing everything apart Mike O'Meara has not indulged in the negativism and cruelty that were Don's hallmarks. Mike's tolerance of other viewpoints and not shoving it down your throat is a refreshing change. Mike has let us in on his family life much more so than the old show. Don seemed to muzzle him and his stories got the short shrift. Mike's inclusion of a wide variety of guest hosts has been very cool. They have everyone on from political pundits to dream analysts to Redskins players for interviews. There is always someone interesting coming on. The guest list has been diverse and thought provoking. The various games Mike and Rob come up with are always side splittingly funny. Rob Spewak and his pop culture references are the bomb, obviously he is the class of the musical theater set! The Buzz Babe angle also adds a new twist to the show. Speaking of Buzz his selection of news/gossip stories is topical and always amusing. Beth Anne's return is welcome and just adds to the fun. Clearly the best new show of 2008.
Worst - Patricia Gualdalupe......does she have a mouth full of marbles or what.
Sam - Springfield, VA
Best - This simply must begin with Angie Goff. What a knockout. Outgoing, energetic, a lot of fun to watch in the AM. WUSA should really do its part and promote the HELL out of Angie. I'd probably sit there and watch Angie do the dishes for two hours every morning. A few media All-Stars in my book: Lindsay Czarniak, Jennifer Ryan, Eun Yang, Gary "keepin it" Reals, Andrea Roane, Brian VanderGraff, Sarah Lee (somebody put her on at a decent hour!), Julie Parker (needs to be full time anchor), Jim Vance, Gordon Peterson, Derek McGinty, Gurvir Dhindsa, Leslie Foster. Well, this should probably end with Angie Goff as well. Did I mention how gorgeous she is?
Worst - Gregg Toland: it's bad enough that his name is so close to the villan's in "Just One of the Guys," but his accent and horrible delivery make me cringe. What market are we again? -Start Rant- The Junkies overall. Fellas, your days might be numbered. That would be fine with me. I think EB's recent commercial about how he gets "hooked" with free cars is just what cash-strapped listeners need to hear. We aren't gonna get the same deal as you...so why do you tell us we will? JP "I'm a Professional Athlete" gets points for trying to knock him down a bit. And what's the deal with Cakes? Lerch, after 20 minutes of Cakes silence "Hey Cakes, can you believe that draft pick?" "Owwww, it was mon-eeeey!" What is he doing in there? Staring blankly into space until on of the Junkies engages him? Is his ADD that bad?
Best: Ed Norris, C4 and the Erhlich Show --- diverse opinions and entertaining radio, LaDawn Black on 92Q --- the only reason to actually listen to the station and the only night show in DC/Balt that gets the love advice and music thing right, WEAA/WTMD for just being different from your canned music stations.
Worst: Ron Smith, Most of the rest of the WFAN line-up and the weekend brokered time (lawyer/mortgage shows) that need someone to show them how to give out info and entertain, Mike without Don, loss of the Big Phat Morning Show which led me to Norris for a local morning show, the death of Love Talk and Slow Jams on WPGC (not even worth listening to) and the overall gutting of radio and tv in the DC/Balt market.
Best: What's left of the NBC4 news team with a few exceptions. Doug McKelway, Allison Starling, Maureen Bunyan and Gordon Peterson on 7. On radio, WTOP is the absolute best. It's difficult to live in this area without them, especially Bob Marbourg. WAMU and WPFW also are tops in their respective niches.
Worst: Craig Melvin on NBC4, is virtually unwatchable/unlistenable. And Craig paired with Barbara Harrison the morning of the water main break was a disaster. If they think he's slotted to take Vance's place when he retires, they are sadly mistaken. Also worst, is getting rid of James Adams. Other worsts include most of DC area music radio.
Worst: Tim Brant - Will he ever learn to start a story without saying "Hey!"? Even James Brown got over his "Indeed" crutch eventually. WMAL - Hate radio for the nation's capital. Newscasts at channels 5 & 9 - Why do they even bother--they're horrible. Larry Michael - Hideous, just hideous.
Best: WTOP. WPFW. Leon Harris. Doug Hill. Joe Beninati. Bob Marburgh. Frank Herzog. Johnny Holliday.
Best: WBAL TV 11's, Stan Stovall stands alone!
Worst: Meteorologist Neal Estano just left WBAL TV 11. "11 News Today" will not be the same without him! WBAL has let another "good one" get away! I thought they were supposed to gain viewers, instead of losing them to the competition! Good luck to Mr. Estano. He'll truly be missed!
Best: Well far and away DCRTV is the best thing about local media imo and I ain't no brown noser but I don't believe in grammar. Other Bests, The return of the John Batchelor show to WMAL. The Curtis Sliwa show also evenings on WMAL. G- Strings hosted by Tom Cole on WPFW Sunday mornings for what seems forever. Reprograming of WPFW to more straight ahead Jazz shows. The Lil' Steven Underground show on The Glob Sunday evenings. The Sports Reporters on WTEM with Czaban and Pollin and a big nod to Tom Lavarro(?). Well sort of Don Imus. My favorite thing about the show is when they gang up on Imus after he acts like an ass, and also Warner Wolf! The Big Broadcast with Ed Walker Sunday evenings, man I got conflicts on Sunday nights. And of course Pat Goss. Hey but I kid. Actually haven't listened to the cranky one at all since his return to WJFK. Oh yeah, the Joe Ardinger show. ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha
jason 5001
Best: 94.7 returning to the classic rock format, although i thought the AAA format was great too. Im glad Weasel left 94.7 mornings, because i just cant stand his voice....Albie Dee is a much better morning man. Also, hearing oldies again in DC is awesome, but i wish it did not kill the smooth jazz on 105.9. It was great to hear the Greaseman on DC101, until cheapchannel took him out.
Worst: another right-leaning talker at 1580, WHFS.....we already have WMAL and WTNT, do we really need a third one while there isnt a left-leaning station with a large coverage area? (WWRC cant come in because WKDL kills the signal here in manassas) There isn't a decent rock station anywhere in DC, except WIYY in Baltimore, but its all static where i live. The merge between XXX ESPN Radio and Sportstalk 980 was a stupid idea as well. Let's hope we get a WFQX or WWRT/WWRE-like rock station in North-East-VA sometime in 2009.....
Worst: The Mike O'Meara Show. Such a fall backwards from the original Don & Mike Show... It has almost no heart, direction and minute-to-minute entertainment value. Mike was always second fiddle to Doni's show, but what Geronimo possessed as a leader of a Band Merry Idiots, O'Meara lacks fully and seemingly unapologetically. The show is aimless and swings and misses much more than it connects. This is not even a Beth Anne problem, Mike is simply playing outside of his role: he was one thing with D&M, and now he is trying to be something that he can not pull off in TMOS. Robb and Buzz almost seemed to be hindered by Mike's over the top rants and raves and his lame bits and his apparent disdain to do voices, the very thing that built his career. Also, when someone explains over and over and OVER that they DON'T have an agenda, it starts to make you think that he does (Obama commercial is right).
-Karl in Seattle, WA
Best: Channel 9's Angie Goff-most talented DC traffic person by far
Worst: Channel 9's Kim Martucci-where do I begin...........
-- Cheers, Jay in DC
Worst: Can’t hardly pick-up Hitman McKay & Martin morning show on the low powered fm 107.9 in Ocean City, Md.
Best: Now I can hear the Hitman McKay & Martin morning show on my i-phone, I get mySports, Local News and Oldies every morning. Who needs a freeking xmtr anymore?
Mike D. in West OC
BEST: 1. Bob Ryan. Hands down the most professional and straightforward meteorologist. 2. Mike O'Meara, Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak. WJFK 3-7 hasn't missed a beat since Don retired. Their show is great.
WORST: 1. Eric Bickel. Contradictory, arrogant, holier-than-thou, clueless, ignorant, unintelligent. Adds nothing whatsoever to the Junkies. 2. Barbara Harrison. Constantly flustered on air, makes multiple linguistic missteps with every broadcast. Every day, she reminds me of a high school or college news anchor who is in front of the camera for the first time in her life. How she continues to hold her job, especially during NBC4's cutbacks, I will never understand. 3. Fox 5 News. Incessant fear mongering, feature stories that bear no resemblance to journalism. Replacing syndicated sitcoms with 5PM, 6PM, and 11PM news was one of the worst changes in DC broadcasting history.
-- DM in Merrifield
Best - THE PEOPLE OF LOUDON COUNTY HANDS DOWN... The best ever is that the Redskin Report is finally gone, but what are these fools going to do with no more rehearsing for the show, which is taped on Tuesday night and aired on Saturday. Maybe my kids can watch something now with a lot less cussing in it. Terrible for prime time GOOD BYE GEORGE AND YOUR HORSES TOO.
Worst - The three Daves and throw all the anchors on local Washinton TV under the bus, and as they say in Deadskin land Quote>>>This is a must win, maybe the biggest of the year>>>Unquote>>>>Thank goodness for the Fox and the CNN news networks...no local crap for me
Bill Leesburg Va
Best-Toronto's AM740 (which can be received easily after sundown-not the Gordon Lightfoot song, but when the sun actually goes down); of course, DCRTV!!
Worst-The hideous voice-over person who torments us from both radio and TV, during which one could actually envy the hearing-impaired.
heres a sort of underrated worst.. the Washington Post combining the 2 comics sections on Sunday! I loved the 2 comic sections!
BEST: The support of so many of you as I battled cancer this year and, good Lord willing, continue to fight it for a long time. AFTRA's health insurance fund that has kept me from living in a cardboard box due to medical expenses. Westwood One for not being too quick to give away my part-time gig when surgery kept me out longer than expected. The crew at WTOP... still the best must-have utility in town and still the home of many good friends. Local television stations that focus on what is going on in this town and the suburbs, especially during high school football season. Dave Hughes for giving all of us DCRTV; a place to vent, stay informed and stay connected even as forces try to homogenize, pastuerize and thinly slice whatever is left of us.
WORST: All the negativism in the business. Hard to blame on recent trends because too many of us in this business have always seen the glass as half-empty. The merger of XM and Sirius. Too many good people put out on the streets after being part of something that promised to be different and innovative and just turned out to be more of the same old thing when it came to the business side. The lack of a good new swear word that can really shock people since we are now numb to the old ones.
Sprawl and Crawl Steve
Best: WTOP. Lisa Baden great, and Dave Johnson is absolutely the best in the business. Alison Starling on ABC 7. She's a natural. Sportsnite on Comcast Sportsnet. Michael Jenkins and Chick Hernandez are particularly good. Dan Hellie on 4, who is always solid. DCRTV, of course.
Worst: Chris Core's ads on WTOP. Anything Larry Michael does. He makes Redskins even more of a joke. Lindsay Czarniak. If she wasn't so pretty, I wonder if she would get half as much praise as she does. The journalism chops don't seem to be there. Finally, 3WT. We hardly knew ye.
Best: Paul Harris, one of the best DJs to have graced the DC airwaves, to pop up occasionally on the air. ESPN 980, Dan Snyder's new toy, for actually allowing the on air talent to talk about how bad the Redskins really are. WPFW 89.3 FM for actually playing music you can't hear on any other station in the DC area. Blues Plate Special is wonderful. FIOS TV for not compressing their video signals like Comcast does. CSPAN Radio for offering unfiltered politicians.
Worst: Colin Cowherd. He whines more than a convention hall full of Republicans. WBIG for their tiny playlist. Why are they playing Jimmy Buffett every morning in the middle of winter? 3WT for not sticking it out longer. The morning team leaned to the right. But not as stupidly as Grandy & Andy.
The bests usually get taken for granted, but I think Bruce Allen and Frank Herzog (and he is just relegated to fill in work???) are the only good things about WTOP. Best news is still Channel 4, but even that is getting watered down by all the canned segments they are from "Anywhere, USA” by cookie-cutter announcers. I LOVE George Michael and gang, really hate to see him get the boot.
The worsts: Patreeseeeya WADalooooopay on WTOP; please, please, PLEASE take her air rights away from her, I change the channel whenever she happens to come one with her strange voice and elongated, uneven pronunciations. Of course, I also change the channel when Chris Core whores himself on yet another add or that smarmy-guy-erectile-dysfunction ads come on as well – my next vehicle WILL have satellite radio.
Best: Anchors: Stan Stovall and Donna Hamilton at WBAL 11, Reporters: Jennifer Franciotti, Kerry Cavanaugh, John Sherman, and Lowell Melser at WBAL 11. Weather: Neal Estano and Tom Tasselmyer at WBAL 11, Bernadette Woods at WJZ 13, and Norm Lewis at WMAR 2. Sports: Gerry Sandusky at WBAL 11. Traffic: Sarah Caldwell at WBAL 11, Angela Foster at WMAR 2, and Sharon Gibala at WJZ 13. News Helicopter: Captain Roy Taylor at WBAL 11.
Worst: Station: WMAR- (ABC 2)...BORING!!! Anchor/ Weather: Marty Bass at WJZ 13...ANNOYING!!! Weather: Jay Kendrick at WBAL 11...VOICE IRRITATES ME!!! Noon News: WBAL 11...ZZZZZZ (WAKE ME UP JUST BEFORE THE LOTTERY COMES ON!!!)
BEST: WRC for finaling showing George Michaels the door. Dan and Lyndsey really do a great job. I love the way they walk the line between being "homers" and being objective. Bruce Allan and Dimitri Sotis on WTOP... soft and yet authoritative voices without the "listen to the sound of MY voice" approach. Don Cheadle's brilliant portrayal of Petey Greene left me with a huge smile because I didn't see it until it was on cable this year. PPM's for showing that the success of "urban radio" even in a town with Washington's demographics was probably a myth.
WORST: Dave Johnson. Awful, really. He needs to reduce the number of sports jobs he has... ideally to zero. He gets worse every year even though there appears to be a campaign to build him up on this page (must be contract time). He speaks as if he has a mouth full of tapioca and gets scores wrong a surprising number of times -- these are scores that haven't changed in 8, 9, 10 or more hours. Mike O'Meara. He needs to realize that it's not working without Don and find another way to make fun of people. Chris Core's "Chris Core" ads on WTOP... they blow. Barton Eckart's fill-in work for the Washington Business Journal sounds like somebody just woke him up from a nap. Too many "uh's" and pauses and a total lack of preparation. Lastly, the fact that JC Haywood and Barbara Harrison still have jobs when there are qualified people still looking.
BEST: Ron Smith; Bruce Elliott; The Week in Review with C4. WBAL's horse racing coverage. 98 Rock's morning show.
WORST: 94.7's quasi format change. I must've been the only one who liked the mix of the old and the new.
Dawn
Among the best Play by play voices Steve Buckhantz, Gerry Sandusky, Johnny Holliday..... Best TV Sportscasters Dan Hellie, Greg Toland, Glen Harris... Best News anchors Doreen Genzler, Gordon Peterson, Jim Vance, Maureen Bunyan... Best radio station WTOP, WAMU...
Worst TV Sportscasters Brett Haber. MIchael Jenkins... Worst radio station WMAL WTEM... Among the worst play by play voices Larry Michael, Dave Johnson, Chick Hernandez. Steve Colby
I consider Dave Johnson to be the best play-by-play basketball announcer that I have ever heard. He doesn't miss a thing and makes sure that his audience doesn't miss anything either. He is accurate, clear and concise. It is a pleasure to listen to him do a Wizards game.
Best - HFS-2. 102.7 Jack-FM & the Totally 80's Weekends. 101.9 WLIF's Flashback Weekends. Elliot & Channel 104.3's Playlist, WCBS-FM in New York
Worst - 102.7 being traded to Cheap Channel, HFS's Alt rock not being on an a regular FM channel frequency. No oldies/classic hits on an FM Frequency in Balitmore.The fact that Rouse and his Company is still gone after 3 years, they are irreplaceable even though they probably could have pulled it off being on Jack-FM. Channel 104.3's VT'd DJ's. WJFK-FM (look at the PPM's must I say more?). WJZ-AM (Baltimore already has sports on the FM why run ESPN syndicate on the AM? When there's much better options?). BIG100.3, This was an upgrade from Oldies? Cut me a break! The oldies before 100.3 flipped to classic rock sounded 1000x better. 94.7, Michael Hughes & CBS Washington, CBS Washington is 10x worse than LaBrozzi & Phillips in Baltimore, 94.7 is WARW with a new name, El Zol's & WJFK's true colors shine with PPM's, and HFS hasn't had the comeback it deserves, the flunkies, D&M/Mike O'Meara are all way overpaid and should be shown the door. Mickey, Ameila & Speigel and everything that makes 98Rock into 98Talk. 101.9's 100 song weekday boring playlist.
BEST: ABC7 News in HD, Comcast SportsNet's new state-of-the-art set (debuted 08/08/08), CSN's "Washington Post Live," "Redskins Nation" & "SportsNite" -- all look great in HD, FNC's "Special Report with Brit Hume," CNBC's "Fast Money" live broadcast at DAR Constitution Hall in DC last November, WTOP Radio, ESPN 980, Federal News Radio on 1500 AM, Capitals' ratings on CSN, Anita Marks Show on MASN -- Does she look good on TV or what?
WORST: 3WT, Citadel (WMAL, True Oldies & Mix's parent company), DC50, Tribune Co. (DC50's parent company), WWE SmackDown on my20, Nationals' baseball ratings on TV & radio, NBC4's decade-plus old news set, FOX5 News not yet in HD (or lack thereof), DC50 (then The CW Washington) airing high school basketball over the WWE last March, The Globe, MASN
BEST- Big O and Dukes mid days on WJFK, two up and comers who enjoy radio and stay fresh and funny.New blood is what radio needs, O and Dukes are it!...Dennis Miller on WTNT-esoteric,obscure and funny as hell- a great fit for DM after so many failed outings (MNF,MSNBC etc)...
WORST- Mike O'Meara's dismal performance, less than enthusiastic guests and arrogant contempt for the audience that made him rich in the first place. WJFK will die because of this miserable show...Early and untimely deaths of Tim Russert and Tony Snow...Lack of imagination amongst Righty AM hosts (save Dennis Miller on WTNT) same ideas,same approach,different voices-BORING!!...Lack of objectivity on tne part of the networks in POTUS Campaign 2008-If Russert had lived,Obama may NOT have!!
Worst - all of music stations in the Wash/Balt area. They are programmed by remote control and sound like it. WTNT - a huge technical mess. How hard is it to make sure your automation can handle spots, promos and network joins cleanly? Chris Plante on WMAL. The next time I hear a conservative talk show host criticize Obama for his speech pattern, I'll send him a copy of this guy's ineptitude in putting together a cohesive thought. Any station that runs E.D. spots. I never knew that many men had that many problems. All the shrill voices on the right AND the left. The demise of objectivity in news reporting on radio and TV and in the newspapers. It's time to get back to the basics and stop trying to whitewash bias by calling it commentary and analysis. I stopped paying attention to local TV news a long time ago. WTOP for covering the easy stories (new roads under construction, Metro fare hikes, etc) and failing to have its reporters go in depth on local issues on a regular basis. Is there anyone there with a regular beat who knows how to develop sources and do more than just spot news? Any news organization that tries to improve its bottom line by laying off its experienced people, and keeping the inexperienced.
Best - my own iPod music shuffle. Laura Ingraham on WTNT. Despite the technical nightmare at that station, I listen to Ingraham because she offers an informed point of view in an entertaining way. I don't necessarily agree with her, but I am entertained by her. WTOP by default. There simply isn't any other station to listen to where I can get traffic and weather 24/7. Other than the CBS hourly, the rest of the station's programming is just fill until I can find out what I need to know for my commute.
Best: wtop, wash, whur
Worst: MIKE O MEARA SHOW How much did Don G do? Everything it seems. It was an evergreen show, now it is DEAD LAST bottom of the pile filler shit. I thought all those years Mike was the talented one, now the curtain has been pulled away and it was all Don. Sad for a once great show AND station. His interviews are NOT "pay for play" by Cbs or advertisters. He's just lazy, and takes whatever crap Beth Ann throws at him. Shameful. His 60% pay cut when Don left was not enough. And he nutered Rob, who was once also funny. CBS will pull the plug shortly.
Best...to Dick Gelfman for bringing in a jaded, out of work, semi-retired jock and allowing him to have fun and really do radio again as well as for his commitment to making his station a part of the community.
Worst...to all of the owners and corporations who have changed radio from an information and entertainment medium into a marketing enterprise.
Keith Thompson, WCTR in Chestertown
Best: ABC2 cancelling its noon news in favor of "Good Morning Maryland at 9am"; WBAL-TV11 not airing the fourth hour of "The Today Show"; WJZ-TV13 downplaying Marty Bass in its "First Warning Weather" ads; FOX45 airing its newscasts in HD; CBS Radio Baltimore changing 105.7 to mostly sports and its calls from WHFS-FM to WJZ-FM; 1370AM in Baltimore flipping from women's talk to Fox Sports Radio; Sirius XM replacing Fred's classic alternative rock playlist with 1st Wave.
Worst: ABC2 airing infomericals throughout most of the weekend afternoons when ABC Sports is not on; WBAL-DT11 flipping between side-letterbox-view and widescreen going in and out of their commercials during their newscasts; WJZ-TV13 keeping Stan Saunders as a weekend sportscaster; FOX-45.2 choosing the new This TV over RTN; Sirius XM not emulating Area more like The System, outside of the mix shows.
-Merry Christmas to all from Greg in Perry Hall!
Worst - Chris Core.............
Best: WNCW, WTMD, WXPN, WFUV, WPFW (News & Jazz) & FolkAlley.com. Being able to stream internet radio on my iPhone. DCRTV.com. Channel 4 News & Weather. Thom Hartman & Ed Schultz on WWRC. Keith Olbermann & Rachel Maddow on MSNBC. The picture quality of Channel 9's HD local news, Channel 7's 720p is not as good.
Worst: Losing WTMD's 105.5 relay. Washington not having a Public Radio AAA Music Station. Sirius killing off "Sirius Disorder" and turning it into "The Loft" which is not as good. The poor audio quality of Sirius music channels because they try to cram so many channels into such a small bandwidth. Channel 4's lack of HD local news. Michael Savage on WTNT. Everything on WMAL HATE RADIO!!! WWRC removing Thom Hartman from afternoon drive leaving him only the 3AM slot. WWRC's weak signal. Channel 26's really bad quality HDTV channel. Get with it WETA and get rid of those useless sub channels and give us real HDTV. People who pay money for HDTVs don't want to look at tons of pixelation and poor resolution.
Bob Fairfax
Best: WTOP’s traffic and weather reliably on the 8’s. Silly Lisa Baden. Diane’s Dirt. Buzz Burbanks news.
Worst: The annoying fake disc jockey voices that all the WTOP reporters use. The 50 minutes of commercials per hour on WTOP. All the advertising on WAMU and NPR. The snake oil infomercials on weekend mornings on WJFK. The industry seriously expecting people to pay $300 for an HD radio when it’s just another advertising delivery device.
Best: 88.1/WYPR for giving us NPR out here in Hagerstown since WETA/WGMS went all-Classical on us (for a few weeks we just stared at the radio and thought “WTF?”). And I’ll second Marty Madden’s nomination of the Mount St. Mary’s University radio commercials. Go Mounties!
Worst: Larry Michael. You know, back when Frank Herzog was doing the p-b-p, even when the Skins were getting clocked, it was fun to listen. Even Sonny & Sam were better with Frank.
Mike McGough, Hagerstown/State College
Worst: Russ Thaler on Washington Post Live. Russ, we don’t care about tennis. I am surprised Washington Post hasn’t made Mike Wise or even Ivan Carter the host of this show. It could do so much better. Channel 4’s Sports. Its like watching two sports anchors who are just starting out in a smaller market. And Brett Haber, that guy should be on ESPN, oh wait, that’s right. I forgot. Hey Brett what ever happened with you and the PBR Rodeo. I just hope you don’t miss any more flights.
Best: Joe Beninati. This guy is the best around. And the best thing is, is that he is not a homer. Craig Laughlin is great as a color analyst as well. Ted Leonsis. Ted, thanks for hanging in there with the Caps. Elliot in the Morning. It’s a great ride into work in the mornings, even if I am stuck in traffic. James Brown. Lets just say, the world needs a lot more people like this man.
Best: CBS flipping 105.7 to Sports; WLIF's processing; WZBA's few good trends; WTOP; Flashback Weekends on WLIF; BBC Radio 1 on Sirius; KMS finally being put to rest well past their prime; WCBM getting a leg up over WBAL
Worst: All other XM/Siruis Channels; HD Radio (it is NOT the answer!!); The bloodbaths at Citadel in DC and CBS Radio in Baltimore; 98 ROCK---its like a 50,000 watt signal targeting Dundalk!; WYRE attempting to run Top 40 and can't manage to ever stay on the air!; WBIG; WTGB; WJZW; Scott Shannon and his Ego-Network; CBS trading WQSR to Clear Channel; Consultants fucking up this industry; WMAR TV; WUTB TV; Comcast; having 5 sports signals in Baltimore; WVIE; Jack Diamond
Predictions: WLZL moving to 106.7; Sports Talk coming to 94.7; JACK FM moving from WQSR to 99.1; WJZW being sold/traded; Boneville buying WLIF/WJZ-FM/WWMX and WLIF goes to a fresher AC and WJZ-FM goes News; If CBS stays in Baltimore, everyting except for PM/AM drive will be tracked on WWMX/WLIF; WCHH flips to CHR
BEST - 105.7 change to all sports, Ed Norris, Amber Theoharris, Megan Pringle on ABC 2, watching Candice Dold do traffic on Fox 45 Mornings, C4 in the afternoons on WBAL (a great forum for all ideas)
WORST - By far, Anita Marks (will someone at 105.7 PLEASE get rid of her!!), right behind her Damon "I know nothing, but you're an idiot" Yaffe and third Steve Davis (who actually presented an idea on the air that the Ravens ban tailgating!!) ,Kirk & Mark (What happened?? A great show on 98 Rock went to crap on HFS, it was horrible!), WNST, all of the Ravens player shows...
Best Baltimore TV Station: WJZ-13, but has room for improvement. WBAL a close second, but many daily stories aren't that great. Best Baltimore Anchors: Sally Thorner, Donna Hamilton, Marty Bass (he's unique), Adam May, Kelly Lynn, Mary Beth at 2, and the smoking hot Mary Bubala! Best Baltimore Reporters: Jayne Miller (even though she hasn't broke a big story for a while), Derrick Valcourt, Susan Collins, Christian Schaffer, Melissa Carlson.
Worst Baltimore TV Station. Fox 45. They go HD, but keep the worst graphics in news. Worst Baltimore Anchor: Too many to list. Every station should make some changes. Worst Baltimore Reporters: Names would be mean, so lets just say a few 11pm news reporters.
2009 Predictions: More of the same. Budget cuts, layoffs and more crime news because its cheap to cover.
Bests: WTOP - can't get going (AM) or get home (PM) without them; Channel 4 News - still the best, and the Czarniak/Hellie team has made us forget George Michael (though what happens when Vance finally retires?); Channel 7 News - a strong contender; classic clips on You Tube.
Worsts: Red Zebra Radio - Dan Snyder and Larry Michael, a deadly combination; the XM/Sirius merger - a net loss for listeners; WMAL - the loony talk radio wing of the GOP, out of touch with DC area politics and reality; Chris Core on WTOP - insipid commentaries and endless sleazy home improvement ads; Channel 9 news - how the mighty have fallen; Fox 5 News - if it bleeds......; The Economy - if there was any hope that radio might make a comeback, this just about kills it.
Best Sports: Dave Johnson, as sports director for WTOP -- succinct, witty, informative AND as play-by-play announcer for the Washington Wizards. Despite a difficult/losing season, Dave remains upbeat and positive, making the games fun and exciting for the avid and occasional fan. Additional kudos to Dave for blogging LIVE simultaneously! The Washington area is lucky to have Dave Johnson.
Best: The addition of Megan Pringle to Good Morning Maryland at ABC2. The entire WBAL TV news team. The annual Polar Bear Plunge on WBAL. Manic Monday segments on WJZ.
Worst: Marty Bass At WJZ talks too much. Big Phat Morning Show at WERQ FM 92.3 being taken off the air.
Best: Locally: WTOP, Lisa Baden & Bob Marburgh traffic reports. Also, at night do some serious radio DXing. WGN 720 in Chicago and WBZ 1030 in Boston offer GREAT light talk radio- especially on the weekends. CHWO 740 in Toronto is my clear winner for Oldies variety.
Worst: Agreed Sirius-XM dropping Matt The Cat, Ken Smith, Bobby Bennett and Pat Clarke from their music channels. They substituted intelligence for pizazz. (Yeah, I know, it's all about saving money.) As much as I enjoy Cousin Brucie, he's monopolized the 50's and 60's Sirius-XM decades channels. Locally, WMAL , WBIG, WJZW, and WGTB need major format revitalization. How anybody who cares for talk radio and music from the 60's and 70's can listen to the same garbage day in and day out really needs a check up from the neck up. Can't forget Harvey Fisher, I mean Jack Diamond Alley and his cast of AM kiss-asses. The Mix of Everything is like crashing a phone party line. Really, what drives one to listen to their daily bullshit is truly nauseating.
BTW, I really miss Mike Sorce (Don Geronimo). I hope and pray all is well with him down in OC. Best Wishes For A Safe, Happy & Healthy Holiday Season, Dave in Waldorf, MD
Best - Gordon Peterson and Johnny Holliday Two of Washington's classiest broadcasters! Let's not forget Doug Hill, Willard Scott, Doreen Genzler, Frank Herzog, Dave Statter, Bob Schieffer, Cokie Roberts, Wendy Rieger.
Worst - Larry Michael. No one else even close!
Best: 1) The mid-day blues and jazz music on WPFW (although Pacifica pretty much completed its national death spiral in 2008). 2) John Chester on WETA. 3) About 80 percent of Dave Ross's features. 4) Bruce Alan on WTOP. 5) About 70 percent of what's on WAMU (a far higher percentage than other DC radio stations). 6) "Deep Tracks", the burned-out hippy channel on Sirius-XM (Mel's messing with it, but it's still great for long road trips) 7) About 75 percent of what's on NPR (a far higher percentage than other networks). 8) The ghost of Jean Shepherd.
Worst: 1) Chris Core on WTOP shilling for ANYTHING! Windows, credit unions, gutter products. Is endless flackery a "Core value"? 2) WMAL. Worst. Station. Ever. 3) No adult alternative music radio station in Washington, DC - the nation's CAPITAL?? Even South Fort Polk, Louisiana has one! I mean, come ON! 4) A lack of imagination and courage on the part of most DC radio programmers. Over the years, radio was reinvented by people like Todd Storz, Alan Freed, Tom Donahue and Bill Drake. We're in desperate need of someone willing to spend some long-term money and take some risks to create something worth listening to.
Best – The Globe for dumping its alternative format and finally bringing classic rock back to DC. Sorry BIG, your limited play list combined with Gordon Lightfoot and others who are by no means rockers doesn’t qualify.
Worst – the Washington Post, each year it becomes more of a rag. Maybe one day the sports section will again list a final score of a gain that begins after 4 p.m.
Best: Levan Reid being shown the door. Wendy Rieger's going green reports. Tim Brant. Bob Ryan. Jim Vance and Doreen Gentzler. Hair Cuttery's Hot Child
Worst: The Sourcemeter by Larry Michael. Right wing talk radio. DVMourtime. Babs Harrison. Craig Melvin. Steve Villanueva. Telecommunication and car ads.
Best, Mark Felt is dead. Bonneville is laying people off
Worst, Mark didn't die in prison. Citadel ruining ABC radio.
Best - Bill Worthington -- all-around good guy, who puts together a nice little afternoon show -- give it a listen. C-A-P-S! Love their broadcast team on MASN -- Joe B. & Laugher call a game just like it should be done. Love Coach Boudreau's commercials for American Service Center -- the guy is great for this town. Love that Uncle Ted is delivering on what he has promised Caps fans all along -- he is truly interested in the fan experience -- not the almighty dollar and absolute power. EITM - Say what you want about Elliot's laugh -- outside of that, it is a great show that continues to deliver, coming up on 10 years. Bottom line is that his listeners like him. Isn't that the object of the game? Oh and he has been a major Caps supporter/promoter from the moment he hit town. Even thru the rebuilding -- doesn't get the credit for that.
Worst -- Dan Snyder -- Ted Leonsis can teach you a thing or two about pro sports ownership. Starting with sell the radio stations and focus on your TEAM!!! No matter how you try right now -- you cannot control that message -- they suck. Tim Russert -- devastating loss, but NBC came very close to exploitation there. Rush needs to go. I still love my dead tree Washington Posts, but can't the Reliable Source learn to give credit where credit is due?
LO
BEST: Gordon Peterson
WORST: The Oct. 15 bloodbath at XM...especially the loss of Bobby Bennett, Ken Smith, & Matt The Cat.
Mike Berry WWW.98WRC.COM
Best: News, music and entertainment on the web.
Worst: News, music and entertainment on the air.
Best: Diane's Dirt-of-the-Day on Eliot in the Morning; Andy & Steve on the Sports Reporters on WTEM. They continue to keep the show fresh after nine years. Michael Savage's rants and raves on WTNT. Cerphe on 94.7.
Worst: Removing Thom Hartman on AM 1260; Larry Michael on Redskins' Radio; Vinny Cerrato on Redskins' radio and with the organization. Larry and Vinny must have pictures of Daniel Snyder. The Mike O'Meara show is bad I am sorry to say.
Best: Glenn Beck, Monica Crowley.
Worst: Steve Buckhantz. he's way to cliche as a play-by-play guy with the way he feels the need to talk about previous games between the wizards and whomever they are playing and their season series. Also "Dagger" just needs to go
Best: Dave Johnson and Glenn Consor on Wizards radio and Steve Buchantz and Phil Chenier on Wizards TV. Either way, you can't go wrong. Both do a great job. The addition of Consor to the radio broadcasts has made Johnson better than ever. Joe Beninati on Capitals TV, the best in the business. Craig Laughlin is not bad either. Steve Kolbe on Caps radio, getting better every year. Charlie Slowes and Dave Jaegler on Nats radio. Mark Gray of WOL-AM for the Sports Groove, the only Burgundy-and Gold-free sports radio. "The Black Eagle" Joe Madison on WOL for being a true shining light in Talk Radio. Rich Chvotkin (Georgetown Basketball) and Johnny Holliday (Maryland) for their longevity in calling basketball. Glenn Harris for his continued commitment to local sports. Larry Michael for Redskins Football.
Worst: Excluding Thom Loverro of the Washington Times and John Scheinman of the Washington Post, the total lack of boxing coverage in the DC/Baltimore area. 29 amateurs sent to the regional Silver Gloves championships and no coverage?! Great pro cards in the area all year and NO COVERAGE? RIDICULOUS!! Sam Huff on Redskins broadcasts -- he's really the issue, not Michael. Huff tends to seemingly watch a totally different game than Michael or Sonny Jurgensen at times. WUSA's decision to go to one-person crews. BIG MISTAKE!! Gary "Digital" Williams
Best: All the employees who work in the news business, struggling to keep their jobs and futures intact amid a sea of cuts by their employers.
Worst: The continued, and accelerating, diluting and dumbing down of editorial standards. Programmers and news directors at Ch. 4, 5, 7, 9, WTOP and WMAL: I am talking to you. You continue to dilute the quality of your reporting. Your reporters are encouraged to fill story quotas; the resulting emphasis on quantity comes at the expense of quality. There are fewer editors looking at scripts and less fact checking. You encourage older, higher-paid personnel to leave, taking their rolodexes and institutional memories with them. Younger kids making a fraction of their pay are eager to fill the gap - but the qualitative loss is more apparent than you might think. You reduce benefits while giving yourself raises and bonuses. You brag about all the awards you win - while not realizing (or admitting to yourselves, perhaps) how low the bar has truly sunk. Don't blame the bad ad market for all of this. Standards have been falling for years; the recent downturn is merely a convenient excuse to extend your horrid slash-and-burn tactics.
Best: Monica Crowley's show on WTNT going daily. NFL Network game replays during the week. The True Oldies Channel on 105.9. The return of Don Imus. Sarah Palin, the only bright spot during the election. Angie Goff and Kim Martucci on WUSA for obvious reasons. The Soup on E!.
Worst: The quasi-gay man-crushes the male anchors on MSNBC had for Barack Obama. The deaths of Tony Snow and Tim Russert. Too many reality shows on TV Land. The Presidential Debates (snoozers!). The over-saturation of campaign commercials during the election season.
Best: WJFK having an all day live line-up, everything Lindsay Czarniak is up to, Jim Zorn, Ron & Fez still killing on Sirius XM 202, and all the breaking news DCRTV Dave posts for us on his website.
Worst: WJFK neglecting to fill-out the station with The Hideout on at nights, as a result El Jefe and J-Dubs breaking up, everything WMAL is up to, Jim Zorn, Howard Stern doing the same "I'm quitting, I'm quitting" bit he's done for 20 years on Sirius XM 100, and all the terrible, unfunny, grammatically incorrect, and just plain stupid posts in the DCRTV mailbag.
5000 - Jason
Best - WTOP, especially in the morning drive in and afternoon drive home. 98 Rock for playing the best hard rock and metal. WETA for being the only classical bastion left.
Worst - The Globe, for dumping it's flawed but listenable format for one that I have since removed from my preselects. WUSA news for basically becoming a shell of their former selves.
John in Reston
BEST: WTOP hands down is the best RADIO station in the DC/ Baltimore market. Also on the best list for 2008 are the channel 4 news team, Gary Reals, Bruce Johnson and Dave Statter at channel 9, Leon Harris at channel 7, Allison Starling at channel 7, The Globe 94.7 returning to classic rock, WASH-FM for midday listening at work, Ed Rodriguez weekends at WMZQ, Bob Marbourg's traffic reports on WTOP, ESPN Radio's Sports Center AM Tom Boswell, Marc Fisher and Mike Wise's columns in the Post, Jim Williams at the DC Examiner, Politico, Dave Johnson's play by play of the Wizards and Steve Kolby's play by play of the Capitals.Charlie Slowes and Dave Jagler on Nationals games, Phil Wood on baseball for MASAN
WORST: Daniel Snyder and his ESPN 980, The Daniel Snyder run ( in to the ground) Redskins, Larry Michael ( how far up Snyder's ass are you?), Ray Knight, Bonneville for not flipping the 107.7 frequency to all sports, Elliott, channels 5 and 7 news, Jack Diamond, WMAL
Best: WTOP in general. Especially Bruce Alan (why doesn't he do the Ask The Shows anymore?), Dave Johnson and Jonathan Warner on sports, Lisa Baden, and Dave Ross's pieces. WPFW (when they play jazz and blues). Channel 4 news anchors Doreen Gentzler, Wendy Reiger, and Lindsay Czarniak on sports.
Worst: WTEM is the pits. And why can't some staion play jazz ALL the time?
Best: Bonneville (WTOP-WFED) for being a heads up company in what is a terrible time in the business of broadcasting. They look at the glass as half full and are not throwing their people under the proverbial bus. It's a time to build.. not cut. They see that!
Worst: WMAL running on a thimble of fumes... and for always looking at America's "Glass" as half-empty. Time to get this country together folks
Dave Johnson is the best, with his sports coverage on WTOP, and his awesome play-by-play for the Washington Wizards. Dave does an outstanding job of covering DC sports with his wit and humor in the morning on TOP and then gets into great court side coverage at the Phone Booth or on the road for the Wizards. Dave also does an awesome job on Comcast SportsNet and covering DC United and other soccer games throughout the year. Kudos to Dave! Big time props to Aemon Malone at NPR! May Aemon live long enough to one day see the Nationals as World Series Champs! Glenn Harris, who does Sports Talk on News Channel 8, along with his producer, Terry Cornwell, both deserve recognition for doing a great job at providing local area sports fans with interesting guests and interviews. Glenn, being a Washingtonian, is a fountain of knowledge, with him being a walking encyclopedia of DC sports history. I wish I had a buck for every time he has mentioned DC native, Reggie Rucker, on the air! Terry Cornwell is an outstanding producer for Glenn's show and would be a great asset to any sports news staff! The entire WJLA ABC 7 Sports Team has come on strong this year, giving WRC NBC 4, great competition. Tim Brant, Greg Toland are awesome sportscasters at JLA, and Alex Parker and Ross McCallum shine as their producers. Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier continue to do an outstanding job covering the Wizards on Comcast SportsNet. Johnny Holliday and Phil Wood both were tremendous assets in their coverage of the Washington Nationals. Johnny also is the best with his play-by-play coverage of Maryland Terps football and basketball! Phil Wood should get more air time, in the future, with his strong Washington/Baltimore baseball background!
Washington Sports Radio, overall, for 2008, was at its absolute worst. There isn't a good sports radio format in the entire DC metro area. Just how many times can you listen to how bad (add: Redskins, Nationals, Wizards, United, etc.) each team sucks? Part of the blame is that our local area sports teams (except for the Caps) are all in sad shape, which adds to the misery of listening to bad DC sports radio.
- Pat Malone, President, Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Club (www.AlexandriaAces.org), Alexandria, VA
Best; PPM for showing us Washington really IS a town of news junkies
Worst: Redskins Radio. Billion dollar sports franchise cheaping it out in radio. Sell already, and get paid rights fees for airing the games on a real full-market FM signal
Best on radio - Dave Johnson calling a Wizards game.
Worst on radio - Vinny Cerrato's unlistenable waste of air time.
Best--WPFW 89.3 (real jazz & blues), Michael Baisden, PPM's
Worst--DC101, HOT 99.5, WMAL, the fact that WMAL received a Marconi Award, WJZW flipping from Smooth Jazz to the crap oldies channel, everything Redskins, 98 Rock's morning show
Worst: Diane Rehm, Jim Vance, Kojo Nnamdi, The Globe.... and most of all "The Jack Diamond Morning Show"...how do people listen to the that group of people drone on??
Best: One of the best things about the Globe changing back to Jurassic rock was being done with that annoying Shelby. Otherwise the best are ... WIYY, WRNR, WTMD, Whitney at WWDC, WCSP, Doreen Gentzler, WXPN in Philly, KEXP in Seattle.
Paul in Reston
Best ..Radio stations WAMU WTOP WBAL, TV.. NBC4, Wendy Reiger, Gordon Peterson, Doreen Genzler, Doug Hill, Johnny Holliday, Frank Herzog, Bob Marborg, Dan Hellie, Gerry Sandusky, Brian Mitchell.
Worst...The loss of Tim Russert and Tony Snow. Larry Michael, Mike O'Meara show, Kevin Sheehan, Byron Kerr, WUSA, Chris Matthews, Tony Kornheiser, Dave Johnson, WMAL, The Junkies.
Shawn, Bethesda
Best: WTOP - overall, very professional, good audio processing and Tx quality!
Worst: WMAL (why are they still on the air?), WASH (waaaay over-processed sound), and then everyone else trying to mimic the competition instead of trying to do something (anything!) original.
Op3 in VA
Best: Junks, Sports Reporters(Czaban and Andy for not turning down their relentless attacks on Pretzel Boy and his cousin Vinny), Skins before week 9, Capitals, High School Football Coverage, Czarniak, Doug Hill, WTOP, Frank Herzog, Doc Walker on the Radio, B Mitch for calling a spade a spade, Ted Leonsis for his consistency with the Caps Experience. Coach L and the GMU Patriots, what a stable of stability, see Danny boy it is possible to keep someone employed for more that 5 mins and have consistency, maybe Tom O' Connor at GMU could teach you a lesson or two, maybe he could even buy the Redskins and build some Consistency, oh that's right you turned us in to your Billion Dollar Puppet Fantasy Football Team, no one could afford to buy the Crap you created!!!!
Worst: Pretzel Boy and his cousin Vinny, Larry Michael's period, especially on Redskins Radio (Please give us back Frank Herzog)!!! Did I mention Pretzel Boy and his cousin Vinny and Larry Michael's, they are terrible, the 3 freaking amigo's need to disappear and let someone else take over the Redskins. Maybe hire a real general manager, not one who drafts 3 receivers when you need line depth, line depth and more line depth! London Fletcher not getting in to the Pro Bowl, for goodness sakes, he is the Skins Defense, without him we would be worst than Detroit, Cinn(oh wait they did beat us), St. Louis(oh wait they beat us too), Cleveland, etc....
Mike in the Market (Haymarket)
Best: The only thing worth listening to on WHFS: The Commish, Ed Norris (wish WBAL would pick him up and replace Shari Ellicker); John Collins on WBALTV; me discovering WTOP (wish they would cover more Baltimore stuff since we get them now)
Worst: Tim Russert passing way too soon; The never ending political campaign. Yes, it was historic in many ways, but geez… I was tired of it 20 months ago!, and I’m a politics junkie!
BEST: WTOP, Doug Hill, Charlie Slowes & Dave Jageler, Politico, the WJLA news team, WFED moving to 1500AM, Amy Morris, Jim Farley, Steve Kolbe, Lindsay Czarniak, Julie Wright, Sara Walsh, Geronimo retiring, Lesli Foster, Brit Hume, Jim Bohannon, Dave Johnson (Wizards PBP and on WTOP), Kornheiser on the radio.
WORST: The passing of Tim Russert & Tony Snow, the merger of Sirius & XM, Mel Karmazin, The Washington Post, Anita Brikman, Brett Haber, Kevin Martin, everything about MSNBC, Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann (both so terrible they deserve their own mentions), Babs Harrison, AFTRA, Jim Vance's ridiculous-looking earring, Kornheiser on MNF.
Best: WTOP, Byron Kerr for GW basketball, Dave Koehn as the voice of UVa sports, The Politico's exceptional presidential campaign coverage, the pre-Red Zebra WTEM, WUSA election night coverage on digital 9-2, Charlie Slowes & Dave Jageler, the Washington Nationals and Redskins adding Spanish language radio calls.
Worst: Excessive Obama & McCain campaign ads, WUSA's attempt to shaft eastern WV panhandle basketball fans, Greaseman death rumors, WJZW dropping smooth jazz, Frank "woman-to-woman defense" Hanrahan, sports game broadcasts being pulled from WWWT 107.7, D.C. United radio stuck on 1050 AM, no live D.C. airing of final Warner/Gilmore debate, The Washington Post's biased political & incompetent sports coverage, hybrid crew MASN O's/Nats broadcasts, missing WTNT & WWRC Web sites, too many Baltimore sports talk stations, not enough Washington sports talk stations, Red Zebra for doing so many stupid things that I can't possibly list them all.
Everett W.
BEST: The JUNKIES, Lurches "My wife would rather swallow tacks than..." 98 Rock Morning Show (I live 80 miles from DC and drive in everyday).
Worst: The Obama extended infomercial aka the Mike O'Meara Show. What happened? It used to be funny. At least Don kept the humor and joy in it. Ow it is just whine whine whine.
Best: WETA, WPFW...I'm stretching to think of any "Best" items -- Washington radio and TV is stagnant, to say the least. There is almost nothing about any Washington area station that would leave listeners/viewers with the impression that they are listening/watching a local station. The FM dial, in particular, has become a sterile, dull, lifeless gray area, with nothing memorable or even very listenable running 24 hours a day.
Worst: (1) Don Geronimo's April 2008 retirement. The afternoons are a drab experience without him. (2) Anything and everything media-related that little Danny Snyder has touched. The guy can turn even the best traditions into over-priced mediocrities (the Redskins are ample evidence of that). The whole 'Redskin Radio' thing is a disaster. Larry Michael stands out as the worst football radio man in the NFL, but everything about Redskins-media is terrible. (3) WTGB....the walking dead. The station died a long time ago but doesn't seem to have noticed yet. When CBS announced the "Green-Focused" station in February 2007, it said "the DC Radio landscape changed forever..." That was a boatload of hype with nothing -- NOTHING -- to back it up. Weasel certainly deserves better than this.
Dave in Sterling
Worst: WJFK. The Mike O'Meara Show is simply dreadful, devoid of any humor or wit. What does JP do on The Junkies, anyway? Big O and Dukes are okay, but they are stuck in the Midday Dead Zone. WTEM - Dan Snyder has turned it from a "sports talker" into a 24/7 Redskins Infomercial. Listening to WTEM you sure wouldn't know that The Capitals are on a Stanley Cup run or that the Wizards have utterly collapsed or that the Nationals were toying with bidding for Mark Teixeira. And as far as college sports, all I can say is that the WTEM crew are big fans of NCAA - No College Athletics Allowed. The Globe team also gets slap for wimping out on their Alterna-Rock Experiment.
Best: WAMU finally getting the recognition it deserves with the PPM results. Don Geronimo jumping from the Titanic before it hit the iceberg.
Best: Agree with Shenandoah Valley... sports coverage is hands down NBC 4... good talent... most complete Skins coverage.... do the best with college sports and still leaving some time for actual storytelling (great piece on JMU football this week)... also what about TV3 Winchester's Sebastian Salazar??? don't know where he went, but last poster from Shenandoah Valley can vouch that he was great out here as our sports guy.
Worst: Larry Michael on TV with Jim Zorn for Redskins Nation... if there is a more awkward 10 minutes in television, I want to see it.
Best- Clearly it is Lindsay Czarniak…what great stroke…..getting a hometown persona, who has to fill the shoes of a true legend….and has done it before she gets to middle age…..outstanding…..the whole crew at NBC4…makes you wonder if anyone at Channel 9 is watching….Satellite Radio….even after the botched merger of Sirius/XM…..it sure is a benefit to not have to constantly change the stations while travelling…..best foresight…Joe Gibbs….seeing that not even he could fix the mess created by Papa Snyder….we should have been tipped off when they replaced Frank Herzog….(See below)
Worst – All of Channel 9….plastic hair, amazons doing on camera work, totally a textbook case of how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory…..remember how good they were…back in the day…now it is only a fleeting memory….let’s see……maybe they are in harmony with the ‘Skins owner….both got rid of the best, Frank Herzog…..for, now let’s see….I’ll trade you a Frank Herzog for Larry Michael????..or how about for Brett Haber….remember he was miserable as an anchor at ESPN….then radio, for which he has a perfect face…..so, I know….Channel 9 will be the perfect home…..what are they thinking (or smoking)…how about Gordon Peterson for Tracy, no Todd, no, now let’s try Anita, Derek, and Lesli…..anyone else want to try the anchor chair…..obviously no one has been able to fill it since the mass exodus to Channel 7……this msut be the training ground for the folks at CBS Network…..their news division is performing so well…..must be because of the farm system……
HAPPY HOLIDAYS from the Shenandoah Valley…..
Best - I wonder where to start with the best, but I would off hand have to say my family who supported me through my bout with cancer, being seventy-one years old, I guess the best is the gift of life, God has granted me to see so many things in the past years, depression, wars, a man on the moon, I could go on and on but, there is nothing better then life in the United States Of America GOD BLESS
Worst - I guess I would have to say the whole Redskin org. and The Redskin report on ch 4 on Saturday, I never have seen any team have more must wins then these so called football players. The Saturday night show is not rehearsed enough or I"m sure at a prime time hour they would not cuss, and talk about how drunk you can get to forget the losses this team has had. I see no change with the Z coaching and the S man owning
Larry ___Virginia
Best: WTOP hands-down the "go-to" station for me. WRNR for teaching me about new good music. Mickie, Amelia & Spiegel on 98 Rock for local fun low-brow chuckles. The PPM for actually showing what people listen too and Arbitron for not caving in to groups who are trying to bring back the same problems in sampling that the diaries have.
Worst: Bob & Tom on WZBA... just watch their ratings drop from that dumb move. WCHH for being a poor clone of DC101 who already covers most of the Baltimore area nicely and with local / live people. "Jack" for being nothing but an Ipod full of bad tunes. 98 Rock for becoming '98 Talk' and '98 Sports'. Religious stations that are not being listened to on full power signals (105.1, 95.1, 107.9, etc). The noisy mess that has become AM radio in our area.
Best--C-SPAN Radio WCSP 90.1, which proves most reporter coverage of events is irrelevant, especially during an election. Give me the speech or debate uninterrupted and without commentary. I can figure it out myself.... Best--Aaron Brown returns to television. He was too good for CNN and ABC so PBS will have to do.... Best--Charlie Slowes and Dave Jaeglar, the Nationals radio team. Major League talent wasted by minor league radio management. What's the name of the flagship station this week, B-ville suits?.... Best--Streaming Internet media. No longer do you have to suffer a lame local market--and it's ALL free (except certain sports coverage).... Best--"Marketplace," especially for the past several months....
Worst--6:35 a.m. Monday-Friday on WAMU--Garrison Keillor's "Pretentious Almanac." A shtick-filled waste of five minutes of valuable air time during "Morning Edition.".... Worst--WTOP political gasbag Mark "Can't Even Get Elected to D.C. City Council" Plotkin. Quite the expert.... Worst--Nats Talk Live. The postgame show, with out-of-touch cheerleader hosts taking calls from out-to-lunch "fans." Gary in Gainesville needs a friend.... Worst--"Meet the Press" hagiography. David "Bush nickname:'Stretch'" Gregory is the best they could do after Saint Tim? What news story has he ever broken? Why not "Ali the NBC Butler," the man celebrated by David Broder for serving shrimp and other delicacies to the on-air fops after each show?
Best- WETA-FM Listening to "dead composers" is a soothing way to get through the afternoon commute.
Worst- All the political ads drowning the airwaves in the closing weeks of this past election campaign.
Best: WTOP, WAMU (news department sounds like WMAL's back in the day), WBAL for all their local talk and information, WPFW for keepin it live and local 24/7. Shmoozin with Shumel on WMET AM (a bright new Jewish show).
Worst: Chris Core being canned from WMAL. Even though he landed at TOP, he wa a fixture at 630. Citadel's bloodbath on Jennifer Street and for what? They are still about to lose their place at the NYSE, and their CEO gives himself a raise and kisses Imus's ass????? True Oldies 105.9. Loss of smooth jazz and Greaseman from the DC area airwaves. Clear Channel doesn't realize what they are missing from a talent like Grease but then again, they don't seem to want talent either. Everyone who was replaced by voice-tracking/satellite/automation.
Get out those old airchex.
Best: As someone who drive a minimum of 120 miles every week day…thank God for WJFK! Please Santa, bring me a PPM for Christmas! Big O and Dukes, Mike O'Meara, and The Junkies. Elliot being suspended, proof that PPMs aren’t telling the true story (I teach as an adjunct professor and the only radio station my students have ever discussed in class in 4 years behind the lectern is WJFK). HDTV coverage growing wider. FiOS availability spreading. WJMA, great little station in the sticks!
Worst: Culpeper phone commission not approving FiOS for existing Verizon customers! Wake up hicks, the service will make things BETTER in this town! PPMS, especially if the NY suits kill WJFK’s current lineup. The 10 + minute commercial breaks EVERY FREAKING TIME on WJFK! Can’t they instill some discipline and go 15-20/6 like ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL BROADCASTS! The Washington Post. Watching a storied newspaper die before our eyes. Journalism as a whole, we can no longer trust the press to report the truth without their politics. See WaPo if you need to understand if that model works! Rock radio if DC. Excuse me, but I think Sublime disbanded in 1996! Music radio in DC as a whole!
Tim in Beautiful Downtown Culpeper
Best: WJLA becoming an affiliate of RTN, WJLA launching an LP simulcast, Jeff Kapugi leaving DC CC, 94.7 going back to classic rock, Steve Rudin as weekend meteorologist at WJLA, Greaseman's short lived Saturday DC101 show, Tony Kornheiser leaving 3WT
Worst: The upcoming loss of Phyllis Armstrong and Gary Reals at WUSA, Kane at Hot 99.5, Ryan Seacrest on Hot 99.5 middays, DC101 without Saturday morning Greaseman, the loss of Tony Snow and Tim Russert, the loss of Al Santos and Smooth Jazz on 105.9.
Baltimore TV: Best News Anchor: Stan Stovall... Best Weather: John Collins... Best Sports : Mark Viviano... Favorite on air personality: Jennifer Franciotti... What I watch just because it's in High Def: WBFF 10 o'clock news... Best Late night: Jay Leno... Best Prime Time Comedy: Two and a Half Men
Unwatchable TV: FOX NEWS...especially Bill O'Rieley... Who makes me grab the remote and change channels: Marty Bass... Worst commercial: GEICO
Best: DC's ABC 7, and Baltimore's FOX 45 finally converting their newscasts to HD. David Gregory's appointment as Meet the Press moderator. The Newseum's grand opening.
Worst: Tim Russert's untimely death. The speculation over Katie Couric's future at the CBS Evening News. NBC and Tribune falling on very tough times. DC stations NBC 4 and FOX 5... as well as Baltimore's ABC 2, WBAL 11, and WJZ-TV still not broadcasting any HD news.
Eric from Atlanta
Best/Worst of Baltimore
Best Radio: Ed Norris on WHFS... Mickey and Amelia WIYY... Doni Glover WOLB... Anthony McCarthy WEAA... Sirius/XM in general...
Best TV: Norm Lewis weather WMAR... Christian Shaffer reporting WMAR... Mark Viviano sports WJZ... Barack Obama giving a speech... Stewart and Colbert on Comedy Central...
Worst: Dave's deification of Don Geronimo on dcrtv... Blatantly biased commentary of Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC... The liberal print and broadcast media's deification of Mr. Obama before he's ever stepped into office...
Tom Moore, Host, "The AES Tom Moore Show," Talk Radio 680 WCBM
Best ....Those Saturdays between April and October when the Greaseman was back on DC 101 & Mount St. Mary's University radio commercials.
Worst ....Radio commercials with "Mr. E.D."
Marty Madden, Prince Frederick
Bests: The PPM's—at least now, we're getting closer to the truth about what people actually listen to around here. To that end, WAMU is #2 in Washington! WHUR-FM—solid lineup; no further comment needed. Praise 104.1—at last, nice to have a contemporary gospel outlet that you can actually hear outside the beltway. With that out of the way, we go to…
Worsts: The bungled rush job of the music channel merger at SiriusXM radio—hey, you people could have at least let the subscribers know what your intentions were, and what channels were going to be cut before you made the switch. The continued decline of terrestrial radio, especially over at CBS and Clear Channel. Did Baltimore really need another rock station? The fact that while smooth jazz cannot be heard anywhere in the region, there's massive duplication of three or four major formats of music everywhere. Nothing against WPGC or WKYS, but…the music stinks. Same 25 horrible songs, played all day, and sometimes at the same exact time! HDRadio is not going to save this industry from portable music devices, whether MP3 or satellite, no matter how many commercials they run on WTOP or any other station. 3WT—never could identify itself, and is now gone. WTEM—you wanted the Redskins, you got them. Or, more accurately; they got you. WMAL is unlistenable today, compared with 1990, when they aired a variety of programs I enjoyed. And I was 10. The hysterical cable news channels and their "Choose Your Own Adventure" style of "reporting" news. WUSA-TV 9—just when I thought it couldn't get any worse…it manages to outdo itself. Your new, Gannett-authorized graphics pack and news theme stinks and your news operation has managed to go from must-watch to must-skip in less than two decades. And, finally, I still don't understand the DTV transition, as it relates to how it affects cable subscribers, and Cable doesn't seem to want to explain itself, beyond telling everyone their cable TV will still be on. We'll find out in two months if that is the case.
Worst: I second the nomination of Larry Michael as the worst thing on local broadcasting today. The man has no business being the voice of a professional football team, never mind the fact that he weaseled his way into the gig in the first place, much less putting his mug on TV and the Redskins.com site, and I bristle every time I hear his voice on ESPN980 promos. Anyone else remember that he used to do announcing for classics like "Battle Bots" PPVs or something like that? What a joke! Bring back Frank Herzog who knew how to call a football game and wasn't a lackey for the owner of this crap team. Let's keep the nominations growing for Larry to be officially the worst thing on radio and TV in this area. Time to get his ass out of town and hire a true professional broadcaster.
Best: WTOP traffic reporters not named Lisa Baden or Bob Marbourg. Why? Because they give the traffic straight up without the silly voices (LB) or giving us a long-winded rant about weather conditions (BM). Which is why "Detour" Dave Sandler in Baltimore is the true king of Baltimore-Washington traffic reporters.
Best: WTOP.
Worst: Washington Post. Watch a once-great newspaper shrink before your very eyes of self-inflicted wounds.
Best: WTMD and their strong commitment to indie rock. Keep growing, guys.
Worst – absolutely the most rotten thing on local radio: Anita Marks. Her initials say it all: She could scrape by on AM talk, but she has neither the basic skills nor the finesse to succeed in a modern sports format like The Fan. Her crimes are across the board: mispronouncing common words; abusing the mike; ranting; letting her ego get in the way of the topic. Her knowledge of sports at may be deep, but she does not have a clue how to tease it out and make it relevant to the conversation. We’ve been listening to her for long enough now to know there’s nothing behind the façade. The station should cut its losses before they get locked into this odd, grating personality, the way WAMU got caught up in the ridiculousness that is Diane Rehm.
Best: Nothing happened that I consider best. The entire broadcast industry fell flat on it's face. The spiral will continue fer sure.
Worst: XM/SIRIUS MERGER: Mel should be shot. He hurt an entire group of professionals. Second Worst-Mike O'Meara and his crowd trying to be funny.
Best: WTOP. HDTV getting cheaper.
Worst: The XM/Sirius merger and all the good people it put out of work. The purges at CBS, CC and Citadel. Tim Russert's untimely passing. Not a lot of good this year in the biz.
Best: 630 WMAL's local hosts, shows, producers & technical directors. Too many to name here, but you know who you are. Also, Chris Core's TV show; FOX5 News @ 5 and FOX5 NewsEdge @ 6.
Worst: Moving WMAL's Chris Plante from evenings to mornings, which I've made no secret of my dislike in this concept, but through the past 10 months I've been slowly trying to accept it. I still love ya, Chris!
-Silvie-
The Best 2008: 103 WRNR in Annapolis, 89.7 WTMD in Towson, 91.9 WNRN in Charlottesville, 101.3 WXJK in Farmville and Southern Maryland’s 97.7 The Rocket’s Smokin’ Joe rocking out every weekday morning.
The Worst of 2008: Sirius XM’s post merger line-up and the corresponding lack of customer notification. While Sirius XM’s Channel 12 Outlaw Country is pretty cool, XM’s Channel 12 X-Country was by far the better choice for my favorite Texas Music, Americana, and Alt Country artists. Thankfully, I have the ability to stream 95.9 The Ranch in Fort Worth, TX and FM92.1 KNBT in New Braunfels, TX along with Slacker’s Alt Country and Americana Channels.
Happy 2009 DCRTV Dave! Dean in SOMD
For worst of 2008, can we just start and end that with Larry Michael? Dude is aweful. They'll lose to the bengals and he'll still sit there and say the team has a chance. How can dan snyder walk around with larry michael so far up his rectum? ... Terrible
---- Patricia
DCRTV Dave:
Best: the Junkies, Big O and Dukes, Mike O'Meara and crew, Don Geronimo (we really miss you), Howard Stern, BBC Radio 1 and 6, DC101's HD2 erockster, Sirius XM's First Wave, the music on Hot 99.5, 98 Rock and its classic alternative HD channel, Sarah Fleischer, 105.9's cool oldies music, Fred Grandy, Julie Wright, Lisa Baden, Ron Smith, Chris Core, Diane Rehm, NPR's "Car Talk," Wendy Rieger, Al Santos, Paul Bicknell, Johnny Holliday, Cerphe, Weasel, Tom Sherwood, Tony Kornheiser, WTMD, WETA-FM, WAMU, WTOP, WYPR, WBAL's news, WRNR, Keith Olbermann, David Letterman, Donnie Simpson, Johnny Dark, Tim Russert (who died way too young), WFED to 1500, the Politico, CBS putting sports on 105.7 and co-branding it with WJZ-TV, HD news on 7 and 9, Doug Hill...
Worst: the yanking of WTMD from the 105.5 Great Falls VA relay, what's become of the Globe and the missed opportunity to resurrect the WHFS rock radio legacy, loser Rush Limbaugh and loser Sean Hannity and their non-stop "anti-Obama radio" which didn't work anyway, the unbelievably idiotic NAB for picking WMAL as "station of the year" even though it plugs into the satellite for much of its programming and cut veterans Chris Core and John Matthews this year, Chris Plante, Chris Berry, Farid Suleman, Imus on 105.9, the demise of live smooth jazz on 105.9, boring WBIG, Clear Channel killing off the smooth jazz from 104.3 and giving the Baltimore area its fifth rock station, Radio One canning the top-rated Marc Clarke from WERQ, Alfred Liggins and his big salary despite Radio One's slumping stock and personnel cuts, the lack of local voices on the new oldies 105.9, Paul Farhi and the Post's stunningly awful Style section, most local HD Radio channels, almost anything by the corporate media asskissers at MediaBistro, the demise of Olsson's, the embarrassing and overblown "royal funeral" for Tim Russert, the completely misdirected 3WT, Borders, oh so tired Matt Drudge and his Obama smears, Roger Ailes and his "Faux" News, Mel Karmazin, the demise of XMU and Fred and Ethel and Lucy and all the personnel cuts at XM, Dan Snyder the local radio owner (ha ha ha, can't even run his football team right)...
