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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - December 8 to December 12, 2006 Latest messages listed first..... \/ December 12 Messages \/ WTF?!!? Red Zebra started up 6 months ago and they are already laying off people? Maybe BZ was just so used to laying people off from his Clear Channel days that he missed squishing people just before Christmas. (12/12/06) To Mike in Fairfax. What is there to talk about, there is nothing going on in sports. Nats have done nothing, the Redskins are bad. Hockey team is "so so" Wizards are 9-11. The only thing to talk about is Danny Boy. (12/12/06) I am from a small town otside of Wichita Ks and we have an awesome radio station but there only down fall is to carry the Don and Mke show. I have heard nothing but reruns for the last month which is I really don't care but why can't these idiots do a live show. I heard somewhere that don was braggining that he makes over 2 million dollars a year. I guess he has plenty of time to spend his money from what i understand he only works about 6 months out of the year. I wished that the wichita station would find another show to put into the 4 hour time slot. How could any reasonable thinking person could say this is entertainment. Death not to the two but death to the show! (12/12/06) QUOTE: "Ch. 9 not reporting on minor Metro bus accident." I must say that Andrea and Mike in the mornings have grown on me in recent weeks. I stopped watching News4 altogether in the a.m. because it's just too painful to watch. -Silvie in Waldorf- (12/12/06) "Does anyone know if WJFK will be airing Opie and Anthony’s Homeless Shopping Spree live this Saturday? "----Please...WJFK can't even run the god damn tape delayed show all the way through..example...today..."JFK imposed" end of the show at 12:44pm. If they can;t even get the tape delay right, do you honestly think they'll bother with airing a live show? Not a chance....In fact..they'll butcher the hell out of the "re-run" Homeless Shopping Spree show on Monday afternoon...No doubt cut it off at 12:36pm.....WJFK is th worst station in DC. Period. They refuse to run their best rated show all the way through for the sake of Bill O'Reilly....Their morning show sucks major ass...Their afternoon show committed ratings suicide a little over a month ago..and they now basically let college radio do shows at night...If WJFK was a horse, they'd have put a bullet in it already! (12/12/06) Has anyone else with a HDTV noticed the stuck yellow pixel on one of Channel 9 News's cameras (the one on the left side that usually focuses on people like Brett Haber?) or it just me? At first I thought I had a stuck pixel on my cheap Walmart black friday and thought I was going to have to drag mine back in for an exchange, but I only notice it when they use that one camera. Speaking of HD news, I can wait to see Doreen Gentzler's wrinkles and Bob Ryan's roots in glorious HD when they debut that new swanky set that the blood of the sacrificial lambs (i.e. Arch, Susan K., I.J. Hudson, etc). (12/12/06) Why doesn't CBS just sell WJFK? Howard Stern was their flagship show. With him gone, why keep it afloat? Everyone else was in his shadow. I never would have tuned in if Howard wasn't on that station. Whatever that station's best show is now, can never beat Howard at his peak. I still listen here and there to see how long it takes for WJFK to meltdown to nothing. (12/12/06) The best hockey coverage in this town is Elliott on DC101. Knows the sport. Embraces the sport. And talks to the players. He's also the only one that even mentions soccer. He tracked down Nick Rimando and Freddy Adu about leaving DC United today. His football coverage with Boomer Esiason on Fridays is a great 45 minutes. His downside is, he openly HATES the Wizards and doesn't talk hoops. (12/12/06) I think I'm going to take advantage of a D&M sponsor and name some stars after Don & Mike! Makes sense...two gigantic balls of hot gas that are millions of miles away from all of their listeners who are only visible a few hours of the day. Another thing about this "Name a Star after Somebody" scam...isn't it the height of human arrogance to think that we can name a star after somebody? I mean, is anyone concerned that the very Sun that gives warmth and life to our enitre eco-system could possible be called "Bob Smith" on some distant planet that's had the same dumb scheme of an idea that we have? Greg in Reisterstown, MD (12/12/06) Does anyone know if WJFK will be airing Opie and Anthony’s Homeless Shopping Spree live this Saturday? As I hear, it will be airing live on XM and WFNY from 2-6pm. I think airing it live would be a great idea since WJFK is largely a wasteland of infomercials on weekends. -Stu, Fairfax (12/12/06) Dave's response: You don't expect Michael Hughes to give up the revenue from that colon cleanse infomercial, do you? I agree with the poster who critiqued Marc Fisher's article on WWRC's programming changes. Jones Radio built their brand slowly and in the old fashioned way of syndicating to individual stations. It seems to have served them well. It also helps that Jones' anchor personality, Ed Schultz, has pretty much set up his show's format in much the same way that talk programming has traditionally been done. His show, despite a difference in point of view from the current standard, isn't as jarring or surprising as Rhodes or others at AAR can be. I'm also guessing that, in the case of WWRC, a decision was made that AAR's new morning team didn't meet the demo of the WWRC audience. Thus, the change to the familiar Bill Press. Howie (12/12/06) Re: Ch. 9 not reporting on minor Metro bus accident. Who cares beyond the ten people on the bus? That’s why Channel 9 was the only local station to gain audience from last November. Most people are not watching local news anymore. For most stations it's a brainless competition to see who can produce the biggest “BREAKING NEWS” graphic to go with a minor car crash. Andy in Silver Spring (12/12/06) Mike in Fairfax is basically correct, but Mike, don't you think there's better host alternatives to the names you mentioned? Koken's okay - his play-by-play experience gives him a leg up on anyone else in the market. Sterne comes across as a guy who knows his way around fantasy baseball and little else. He shows me nothing in the way of depth or historic perspective for a game that calls for just that. There must be other options around - maybe someone who covers the Nationals for print. I've gotta beieve that the Nats new radio deal will include some daily talk show during the season, not just a Saturday morning deal. This is the big leagues! (12/12/06) There is a new episode of "The Burto & Dubs Show" (basement radio at its finest) available at www.BadRadioShow.com... The boys do some man-on-the-street interviews of the local idiots that camped out on Black Friday for cheap TVs and digital cameras. Enjoy! (12/12/06) A heads up for anybody who listens to theclassicalstations dot org, that is the internet presence of WCPE, a public radio station run by a near maniacal general manager who has done more to extinguish local classical radio than most corporate owners. She continually badgers non-comm licensees to drop local classical and pick up her satellite stream, and if they refuse, she starts applying for frequencies in their area. If that doesn't work, she badgers any board of directors associated with the station. If she does get a CP, "volunteers" handle the installation, frequently ignoring FCC directions, fudging power, location, and height restrictions. She's perfectly happy to draw ten percent of the audience away, adding some to her empire and possibly crippling the local station with a 10% drop in revenue. If you want a truly decent online classical station with top announcers, and breadth of playlist, go to www.wdav.org... (12/12/06) A heartfelt wish goes out to my dear friend and fellow "Mailbagger" Sister Joyce Conroy for a Happy Birthday. B/T/W, we'll be seeing you and The Captain and Gregory very soon Love, Rusty Gibson (12/12/06) OK you legal eagles looking in, I have a question: The rules for Part 15 low-power broadcasting are fairly well known to most broadcasters and a handful of pirates -- 100 mW with antenna + ground not exceeding 10 feet on the AM band, for example. I need to know: is there a Part 15 sub-section dealing with low-power short-range television, like TV that only goes 3 blocks, then dies? "Why do I want to know?" Oh-h, no reason ... -g- (12/12/06) RE: Wimax "Any argument you can make in favor of Wi-Max can be made in favor of HD as well. Any argument you can make against HD, can be made against Wi-Max. The big problem with HD is not necessarily the technical aspect of it, but the programming side IMO. WiMax will allow you to pick up commercial or personal stations that are streaming on the Internet. These stations are already programmed and even some of the privately run streaming stations are light years ahead of HD in programming. Plus, there is an incalculable amount of stations to choose from. Here is an un-biased link on Wi-Max computer.howstuffworks.com. People don't care so much about quality of sound as opposed to diversity of content. As I have said before. Commercial stations cannot support so many multiple formats out there and when the dust settles analog and streaming will be left. (12/12/06) Hi Dave, How can you support The Hideout? It’s awful! The show last night (Unzipped?) was weak sauce, but they had their phone problems as well. Seem familiar? Maybe JFK can’t take care of anyone…Also, as a loyal DnM fan, I must say that these Best Ofs are getting very old. Please just replace them with something, anything, until January. Strip trivia on replay? Very weak selection, Joe. (12/12/06) Re: Ron and Fez & O&A back in NYC…Good for them. Why would DnM even care at this point about where their show is aired? They have money, a fanbase, and an outlet for their show. F NYC. I like the fact that DnM are too old to care anymore. We’re more likely then ever to hear something we’re not supposed to, the closer they get to the end. I look forward to January. E from Ellicott city. (12/12/06) Looks like a new (studio) set for News4 debuted today...and HD! (12/12/06) Dave I lived and worked in POCOMOKE CITY......Its a C not a K......Keep up the great work and happy holidays... (12/12/06) Do you guys have a complete list of Washington/Baltimore Area radio stations (FM and AM) that broker radio air time? Frank B. Simpson (12/12/06) Dave's response: Where can Frank go for such info? Anyone know? Sympathies to the family of John Jones and his radio family at Radio One. John was a 1986 graduate and former football teammate of mine at Southern High. He graduated from the Naval Academy, was a marine, and then graduated from the University of Maryland Law School. He was also part of the legal counsel for Radio One. John passed away last week from a heart attack at age 38. He was a class guy and a super role model in any communty. Pete Medhurst (12/12/06) Marc Fisher’s profile of Air America’s woes in Sunday’s Post again demonstrates his mile-wide/inch-deep understanding of the radio business—and complete ineptitude as a reporter. Rather than focus on WWRC’s shift to additional Jones Radio Network content—with Bill Press joining Stephanie Miller & Ed Schultz in the 1260 lineup—and, logically, Jones’ emergence as the SUCCESSFUL progressive talk source, Fisher’s story revolves around AA’s problems. He seems to buy into Bill Hess’s explanation that liberal talk in Washington is “not doing so well as we’d like” (sic)—not because WWRC’s signal is the lousiest in the market—but because it’s not “fun” like Rush Limbaugh! Hess apparently has never listened to Miller (probably can’t pick up 1260), or—more likely—just doesn’t like her humor. You know, “liberal” humor. (BTW, for us liberal listeners, Franken is pretty damn funny, too). Hess also finds Randi Rhodes “harsh,” but presumably finds Rush, Bill O’Reilly & Sean Hannity “fun.” And he’s the guy in charge of WWRC’s programming! Fisher, meanwhile, finds no apparent link between Air America’s red ink and the Big Corporate advertiser boycott, despite their support of rightwing radio, or—for that matter—any link between Clear Channel’s well-known role in George W. Bush’s gubernatorial and presidential campaigns and their recent trashing of progressive talk in Madison, Ann Arbor and other liberal hotbeds. Plenty of interesting stories to be told, but Marc missed them all. (12/12/06) Why so much hate for the junkies in the mail bag here. Do people hate everything about WJFK, I admit I listened to Don and Mike and can understand why everyone hates them, I hardly listen anymore (and if anyone knows of other good programming on that time a day let me know) but why does everyone hate on the Junkies I think their show is funny and great for my morning commute, they are nice guys unlike Don and Mike, so Hate WFJK, and Don and Mike not the Junkies. (12/12/06) Have to agree that the media coverage of hockey in this area is woeful. Perhaps it can be excused when the Caps are terrible and don't have any stars. But they are currently an up and coming team that is very entertaining to watch and they have one of the biggest superstars in the sport in Alex Ovechkin. And they still get treated like crap by the local media, with WTEM's lousy coverage (as their "flagship" station) leading the list. (12/12/06) Don and Mike may "only" have Sacramento, but they've got 10x the listeners there than Old Lady Stern has. Washed up old Howie's got nothing. NOTHING. More people watched JP get his pretty face smashed in last Friday than have listened to Hoo-Hoo Howie in the past year. He's the King of No Media! (12/12/06) The name of the morning guy on WYRX "97-7 The Rocket- Southern Maryland's Rock Station" is "Mojo". The station plays a better variety of rock than any other station in the listening area. Dean in St. Mary's. (12/12/06) "One of the main reasons the local "sports" talk stations do not spend much time, other than the token segment once in a while, discussing baseball or hockey is that the hosts don't know enough about those sports to say much about them." Then the stations need to take better advantage of the few hosts on their payroll that actually know those sports - more air time on WTEM for Mark Sterne to talk baseball and Al Koken hockey, for example. Bram Weinstein has been largely limited to Redskins yak since signing on with Triple X - hopefully he'll get a chance to do more wide ranging sports talk once the season's over. On his Skins reports yesterday, 980's beat guy was signing off by saying "Covering the 4-9 Redskins, this is Jerry Coleman." Why in the world would you advertise the fact that the team you're covering has such a dismal record? Of course Coleman's from Baltimore and worked the Ravens beat for a number of years - perhaps he's reveling in the Skins' misery. On the other hand, WTEM's recent discussions of the team (especially on Sports Reporters) have been characterized by acrimomy, vitriol and a tinge of gallows humor. Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban often seem more interested in taking shots at the team's management and coaching staff than offering constructive advice, and Czaban in particular has shown outright disrespect for the local icon Joe Gibbs. While their counterparts on Triple X such as Kevin Sheehan and John Riggins have been highly critical of the Redskins at times, they rarely if ever sound angry or bitter about it - there's more of a "we're all in this together" feel to their commentary. Perhaps DC's more established sports talker is deriving some perverse enjoyment out of the fact that a mere four months into its existence, Dan Snyder's network (which snatched away some key members of 980's staff) is closely linked to one of the NFL's biggest disappointments. Mike, Fairfax (12/12/06) the show they were trying out last night on JFK sucks! they need to bring back the Hide Out or DeeDee's Basement, those two have been the best so far. Rick in DC (12/12/06) Dave's response: My dream 106.7 line-up (revised): 6 AM Opie and Anthony, 11 AM Ron and Fez, 3 PM Don and Mike, 7 PM Sports Junkies, 10 PM El Jefe and J-Dubs..... ("Anyone know what happened to Steve Czaban's First Team on FOX Producer Jay Cottrell? He's been off the air for a couple weeks. I thought he added a lot to the show and he'll be missed.") I've wondered the exact same thing. The Notorious JAY was a big addition to Czabe's FSN show. (12/12/06) Is WRC shelling out for a new news set with all the dough they're saving from personnel cuts? Walt in Lewes (12/12/06) Ron and Fez and Opie and Anthony are all back on in New York, the numero uno market. And what do Don and Mike have? Sack Town. Way to go guys! (12/12/06) You can tell from first glance that the two WMAR 1948 mobile units are from the same bus builder, but there are some subtle cosmetic differences... For instance, 1) the outside rearview mirrors are different, 2) the windshield wipers are different, 3) the "V" on the front of one unit is painted white while the other is not, 4) one unit has an external air horn mounted above the driver while the other does not, 5) on the destination sign, the "WMAR" is larger on one unit while the word "Television" is larger on the other unit, 6) one unit has a reflector mounted on the fender below the driver while the other does not... etc... Bob (12/12/06) Ed Rodriguez: Thanks for the piece on your work at the Mighty 1390… You guys were partially the kick-ass for us at WMAL. “The New WEAM” helped move us out of the stodginess of the 1950’s and ‘60’s. My hero (Big Dan) at WABC moved me along very fast! Tom Gauger (12/12/06) Here's a pretty decent classical music station out of Chapel Hill. www.theclassicalstation.org... Of course, this station became the only classical station in the Triangle after WUNC ,of the university, went the same route as WETA up here...gee wonder who gave them that idear...WUNC does have an excellent folk music show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights...sorry Mary Cliff....Say if any of the dudes on Comcast Sports get pregnant will they be allowed maternity leave with all the returning privileges?...... DnM will have podcasts...they are pods....they'e already here, they're already here.....maybe RadioBBQ might arise from the tossed aside charcoal briquets and broadcast classical music? (12/12/06) Anyone know what happened to Steve Czaban's First Team on FOX Producer Jay Cottrell? He's been off the air for a couple weeks. I thought he added a lot to the show and he'll be missed. (12/12/06) One of the main reasons the local "sports" talk stations do not spend much time, other than the token segment once in a while, discussing baseball or hockey is that the hosts don't know enough about those sports to say much about them. Pollin. Czaban. Mitchell. Thompson. Walker. Riggo. None of them are decent all around sports guys. (12/12/06) It seems that public television stations tend to run their best programming when they have pledge drives. No shit. Whenever I find a show that interests me on a public tv station, it's always accompanied by several pledge breaks. For example, I can't rmember the last time I watched one of those shows without it being interrupted by a long break asking for something like $200. for a CD/DVD combo of some performer I'm watching on a public tv station. I can get the same thing for a fraction of the cost on Amazon. Are public tv stations for real? If people stopped donating to them, I wonder how long they'd last. What is the percentage of funding they get from the federal government now? I'm no Republican, but maybe Newt Gingrich was right when he wanted to cut federal funding for public tv and radio in the 1990's. Is there really value for money when a viewer is asked to pay $200. for a program that can be bought for $20. in the private sector? (12/12/06) Jill Sorenson should grow her hair out - she would be pretty hot. Not Shannon Bream with her hair grown out hot, but much more appealing nonetheless... (12/12/06) Once again Channel 9 brings up the rear. Last night around 10 pm there was a metro bus versus suv accident on Wilson Blvd in Arlington. It was one of those typical accidents that makes good television. There was alot of damage with a few people in the bus treated for injuries. Plus, the driver of the suv was arrested for DWI. Channel 7 had the obvious advantage as they were right next door and were on the scene. Channels 4 and 5 mentioned it and said they were sending crews. Channel 9 had no mention of the accident. Couldn't they even take the time to monitor the competition? That's why they are where they are, in last place. (12/12/06) /\ December 12 Messages /\ \/ December 11 Messages \/ "turnouts for recent [Caps] home games have been respectable including a near sellout against Buffalo." If the Caps, with a star like Ovechkin, can't sellout for the best team in the Eastern Conference, then it's NOT respectable. It doesn't look like they sold out for the Penguin game with Crosby and Malkin in town. (12/11/06) Jill Sorenson was on maternity leave and just had a baby. That's a good reason to celebrate her return. Sage Steele and Carol Maloney did the same the thing and so did Chris McHendry (Ex- Ch 7) at ESPN. By the way, Jill, congratulations! (12/11/06) A poster writes, "WI-Max, which will uncouple broadcasting from bandwidth". When you figure out how to do this, you can power it for free with cold fusion too. The first concern, as is clearly noted in the technical literature of Wi-Max, at 10GHz, line of sight from transmitter to receiver is a MUST. While theroretically the extremely wide bandwidth of Wi-Max decreases concerns of multipath, it greatly increases LOS concerns. While it is true that Wi-Max does not take fixed bandwidth and single point of origination transmitters in the traditional sense of analog broadcasting, it most certainly does take bandwidth, and a considerable amount of transmitters and bandwidth to duplicate the ubiquitous analog service. Because the bandwidth is allocated dynamically in a sort of reduced hierarchy, and is designed for point-multipoint (essentially wireless UDP), it is theoretically possible to get multiple streams in a given amount of bandwidth with a trade off between error correction, buffering and latency that are optimized to put the payload concerns at the receiver, rather than transmitter. Thus, better reception is the customer's problem and not the service provider's problem. The higher frequency WiMax channels have sufficient bandwidth to feed forward multiple very wide data blocks that reduce the need for typical handshaking methods of data flow control, thus increasing speed while reducing overhead because the ultimate reception of the full data packet rests at the receiver with little assistance from the transmitter. Hunting for a signal amount multiple transmitters will increase the latency. Already those who provide EVDO services are cringing at the problem of service bounce-bounce where multiple streams from competing carriers hit a card at the same time, or even hit (as may be found more frequently) both receivers in a given device at the same time. Thus, the single biggest obstacle to ubiquitous Wi-Max is Quality of Service- QoS. Under QoS comes all the same problems as fixed, wired WAN systems, all the same problems as regular broadcast (reduced power, interrupted operation etc) and the realities of RF physics. Wi-Max is a very long way from being a threat to broadcast in terms of providing the amount of content in a reliable platform to millions of listeners. Yes, it is true that the pilot projects are encouraging, but everyone of those projects is heavily subsidized, not yet paying royalties, free of competition, regulated by the local community, and not yet subject to FCC public-interest-compliance. It also takes specific purpose receivers and antennas. HD is an excellent weapon against this. It already has the high power, huge footprint, wide bandwidth, multiple program streams per channel and error correction that Wi-Max does not have. 2 watts of HD at 100MHz still covers a lot more ground than 2 Watts of Wi-Max at 10 GHz. It's too bad programmers feel they need to meddle in distribution technologies rather that sticking to providing content to the distribution channel. Any argument you can make in favor of Wi-Max can be made in favor of HD as well. Any argument you can make against HD, can be made against Wi-Max. Regardless of methodology, they both are subject to the laws of physics and the realities of spread spectrum digital communications. (12/11/06) Classical music on AM/FM is certainly dead in many major markets and near death in others. One can find it and other other niche formats if willing to directly support it by subscribing to a satellite radio service. I feel that XM covers more of the niches than Serious, certainly some that I care about are only on XM. Curiously, classics survive on non-coms in lesser markets such as Salisbury, MD. (12/11/06) It's not that "no one listens to classical". Radio is a business and classical music doesn't bring in as many bucks as the same station could make with other formats (or at least think they could). The major big-city non-coms are also into the money business or in some cases the business of "spreading the word" - political or otherwise. (12/11/06) WDAV – SP’06 2.0 Share (17th place) SU’06 1.3 Share (21st place) – So rumors are as usual CRAP. Just for perspective WRCM a Christian Music Station in Charlotte that is formatted like WGTS carries a 3 share. It really isn’t that people won’t listen to classical, for non-commercial radio station they need to be able to raise money from listeners, and like it or not, except for a few, classical music listeners are cheap, and they want it for free or for as little money as they can donate. Back to some Rachmaninov (or do you prefer Rachmaninoff?) on CD, which sounds way better then any radio station can play it… (12/11/06) Jill Sorenson back tonight on CSN?..What's that all about?..Haven't watched CSN for awhile.. (12/11/06) As the CC ax continues to swing, here's what's happening at WFMD-AM in Frederick, "Frederick's News Station": * ND Caroline Wood is leaving to take a job outside radio and may or may not be replaced... * Reporter Rachel Hejnal has already left and will not be replaced... * ProdDir (for WFMD and WFRE) Sue Dischel is gone... Pure speculation: I would not at all be surprised if WFMD went all-syndicated talk with just some rip-and-read news in the morning a la WTNT. I could even see them ditching Bob Miller's morning show for Imus or somesuch. (12/11/06) I admit I will tune in to hear what the Bloated Gods have to say. But here is the thing, like I have in the past, I don’t listen until Don has created some kind of viral buzz. The first hour of the show will be great, entertaining radio. And that entertainment is not based on talent, but hardcore curiosity. Then the show will go back to the same garbage it has been for a long while now. And then I listen to the O&A replay on XM. (12/11/06) Posters repeatedly rave about how classical music is dead, and has no popularity, yet WGMS-FM has been one of the more highly rated stations in DC for years, sometimes as high as 3 overall, and ALWAYS outdrawing stations such as DC101, and the highly acclaimed WJFK-FM. Here in Charlotte, non-commercial WDAV-FM, which is 24 hr classical music, is rumored to regularly rate about 5th overall. How do these ratings square with the idea that nobody listens to classical? (12/11/06) The mention of the Tower closing story in the Post brought to mind another take on the Tower experience, as seen through the eyes of a former employee and music enthusiast. From the eNewsletter of Stereophile Magazine, second item here: www.stereophile.com... MarkP/CharmCity (12/11/06) If Don and Mike go to satellite, will they still offer Podcasts? -JR (12/11/06) Hey Larry Michael. It would be nice if you would tell us the score of the game at least once every thirty seconds instead of once every five minutes. And when you do announce the score, it is totally meaningless to say "The score is fourteen to three". If that's all your going to say, don't bother. DId you ever consider that your poor listener just tuning in has no frigging clue who's ahead?!!! Duh!!! It's obvious Michael got this job without going through Sports Broadcasting 101. What a bonehead! (12/11/06) Face it: all you D&M haters are gonna have your ears glued to your radios, just before 3 p.m. on 1/2/07 to find out what happens. Admit it, you're going to do it. (12/11/06) "______________If WGTS were to accept the music and make a change, wouldn't they be stabbing all of those contributors in the back?___________" This poster is correct. WAMU did the same thing when they switched form classical to blugrass. They flat out lied to their listeners. They had a big fundraiser and then immediately switched to bluegrass. A lot of people told their banks to stop payment on the checks. Public radio is notorious for lying to their listeners. At least Dan Snyder is being honest about the format change. The sad fact is that classical radio is dead in the U.S. It is not a viable business model. Classical music lives on however, in the concert hall and on ipods. In some cases classical music has actually become more popular. Miami now has the Cleveland Orchestra in residence. Donations and subcriptions for the Philadelphia Orchestra have increased. We can only hope that the Redskins improve because of this. (12/11/06) All this discussion of radio and of HD Radio. Recently, I attended a DJ discussion at a convention and they all basically said that HD Radio was not as good as touted and that the real story, the "Elephant in the Room", to cite an old cliche, is WI-Max, which will uncouple broadcasting from bandwidth and leave the billion dollar players and the 500 million to one billion dollar major market worth of stations worth considerably less. Also, the reason that the progressive talk in this area is having problems is because CC is not taking it seriously-Station going off, sudden reductions of power, sudden interruptions of programs for sporting events that had not been promoted, Zero local content, infomercials for liver cleanse or intestine flush or whatever will cough up money. Of course the big story in this town is the lack of triple-A or Americana or most other species of music, including local, allegedly, per the PD's this has all been researched and tested, and we don't want such things. Well, so it goes. (12/11/06) Dave, You mentioned in December 8's news that Daniel Snyder might be willing to contribute all the classical music to several stations including WGTS. WGTS recently had their annual Friendraiser and raised a large amount of money to keep the station going for the next year. All those contributors gave their money to the station because they like the format the way it is. If WGTS were to accept the music and make a change, wouldn't they be stabbing all of those contributors in the back? I for one would be flabbergasted if they were to do that. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (12/11/06) Dave's response: Frankly, I can't see WGTS going back to the classical format it once had. I think they do very well, and have a very loyal following, with Christian contemporary. Although that kinda music isn't my "cup of tea," they do a nice job with it production-wise..... (speaking of jingles) These items sound like great "stocking stuffers" for all you jingle freaks out there in Radioland! www.danoday.com... And, here's a nifty link for some vintage jingle montages normanb.net... (12/11/06) Nigerians have levied scams on the world (especially the banking world) for years. Who hasn't rec'd that sob story E-Mail recounting a tragic "family death"f from someone begging for bank account information to receive the promise of the big 30 million payoff? As a former banker, I used to see this crap all of the time! Rusty Gibson (12/11/06) Rumor: Jill Sorenson will be back on CSN tonight!! (12/11/06) Re: "Dave's response: I could imagine renaming the planet Jupiter, basically a ball of turbulent gas, after a certain JFKer. Ha ha ha....." Bill O'Reilly? Eric Bickel? Penn Jillette? Gregg "Opie" Hughes? You'll run out of planets quickly before you even get around to making your ubiquitously obsessive dig. (12/11/06) Dave, while your FM station page still has WMDM 97.7, your colleagues at VARTV have updated information with the new WYRX: northernneck.vartv.com... I can't remember the name of WYRX's new morning guy, but he sounds like he's doing a Greaseman impression without the schtick. (12/11/06) ("While listening to WJFK..a commercial came on for the "International Star Registry" gift of naming a star after someone. This gave me a thought. Is there any gift worst that naming a star after someone??") It's a real scam...if you listen carefully, the spot says "...the name of your star will be registered, in book form, with the U.S. Copyright Office." All that really means is that they will print out one copy of the list of people who got caught up in this, bind it into a book, and Copyright the book! All those people who think they are actually NAMEING a real star after their loved one are being taken for a $50+ ride! (12/11/06) RE: [While listening to WJFK..a commercial came on for the "International Star Registry" gift of naming a star after someone. This gave me a thought. Is there any gift worst that naming a star after someone?? (12/11/06)] Hands down, nothing says "I thought enough of you to stop off at CVS to buy your gift on my way over here" like a friggin' ChiaPet. Worst gift from someone who you have been intimate with? New underwear. I'm not talking lingerie, I mean daily BVDs. Worst housewarming gift? Anything contained in a box with a picture of George Foreman, Ron Popeil, or the words "As Seen On T.V!" on the lid. Worst gift for your parents? Anything with a U.S.B. connection. Give your parents anything with a USB connection and once the wrapping paper comes off, they will stare at it with the same dumbstruck awe as the apes in the opening credits of "2001: A Space Odessy". Worst possible gift ever? It's a tie....1) A $49.95 gift subscription to the Limbaugh Letter, or 2) a "Culture Warrior" doormat ($31.95 at www.billoreilly.com) or for that matter, ANYTHING from the "no spin" store at billoreilly.com... (12/11/06) The International Star Registry is the biggest scam going outside of Nigerian e-mails. The ISR has every bit as much “right” to name stars as YOU do. They take your money, say, “Yo, dawg, THIS star is yours”, and send you a chart and a certificate. Astronomers HATE the ISG, because they’re total free-lancers outside of the astronomy profession. How do I know this? Because after we lost a close family member once, I thought about “naming” a star in honor of that person, until I checked it out. Pure scamness. Of course, last year, after a child on MY kids’ swim team died, and the swim team bought the family . . . a star from ISR. I only found out after the fact and I held my tongue, thank God. Sincerely, TMU (12/11/06) Just a poke at fixing this.... WMAL Radio of Washington D.C. is looking for an energetic, hard-working, enthusiastic team player. A strong work is required. Candidates must be solution oriented, creative and self-motivated. Must have strong verbal and written communication skills. 1 year of related broadcast experience preferred...... WMAL Radio[,] of Washington[,] DC[,] is looking for an energetic, hard-working [] enthusiastic team player. A strong work [ethic] is required (passive voice). Candidates must be solution[-]oriented, creative and self-motivated. (Subject?) Must have strong verbal and written communication skills. [One] year of related broadcast experience (is) preferred (passive voice). -- Jason (12/11/06) While listening to WJFK..a commercial came on for the "International Star Registry" gift of naming a star after someone. This gave me a thought. Is there any gift worst that naming a star after someone?? (12/11/06) Dave's response: I could imagine renaming the planet Jupiter, basically a ball of turbulent gas, after a certain JFKer. Ha ha ha..... At 6:00 PM yesterday, I turned on WJZW's second digital channel and heard a continuous clicking and music loop like a CD was skipping. It continued over 30 minutes. Because I am a friend of radio, I called the studio at Jennifer street for WJZW, and then WRQX to tell them of the problem, but, received no answer at each number. I had an idea; I will call the news department at WMAL, they can get to the right person. I called and got a live person. I told him I was sorry for calling him but I couldn't get anyone else and there was a major problem on WJZW's HD channel, something is really wrong, "its stuck," I said. He thanked me for calling and hung up. As of this morning, the WJZW HD feed is still all whacked out, clicking etc. Here is the problem; in the early days of XM or Sirius, if someone alerted either service of a problem with the equipment and the feed, I assume they cared about their listeners' positive experience, and would fix the problem immediately. ABC Radio (or whatever they call themselves, these days) in DC really dropped the ball, and it appears they don't care about positive radio listening experiences in this new venture. And speaking of ABC Radio in DC, from their website is a job description for an account executive for WMAL. Since the job requires "strong written communication skills," for fun, see how many grammatical errors are in this paragraph; WMAL Radio of Washington D.C. is looking for an energetic, hard-working, enthusiastic team player. A strong work is required. Candidates must be solution oriented, creative and self-motivated. Must have strong verbal and written communication skills. 1 year of related broadcast experience preferred. (12/11/06) These days, public radio = liberal radio. Same pretty much goes for public TV. They don't care about serving the public, its about serving the liberal agenda (e.g. NPR). WETA's move to all news a while back is an example of this. As someone else stated, it would be in their best interest to play classical music again, especially with the probable demise of classical WGMS. Who needs two NPR stations in the same market? I've even seen WAMU and WETA run the same program at the same time? Is that really serving in the the public's best interest? No wonder why when I get those donation letters in the mail from WETA that they somehow immediately find their way to the trash can. Of the two PBS stations I can get on cable, I'd much rather donate to Richmond's WCVE than DC's WETA. Dave in Fredericksburg (12/11/06) Hello, Just wanted to let you know that I have a recap off all the action that took place this past Saturday at the Patriot Center including JP Flaim's bout on my blog, Boxing Along the Beltway. The address to the blog is on my signature. Thanks, Gary "Digital" Williams, Feature Writer, Fightnews.com..... For the latest in DC-area boxing news,visit Boxing Along The Beltway at boxingalongthebetlway.blogspot.com (12/11/06) "Last time I checked no one in this city really gives a shit about [the Caps] and probably never will. Wizards might be discussed for about 20 minutes or so." Once local TV and radio stop treating hockey like gum on the bottom of your shoe (as Al Koken would say), perhaps the Capitals will start attracting a sizable following. Notwithstanding, turnouts for recent home games have been respectable including a near sellout against Buffalo. Meanwhile, with Redskin playoff hopes now officially kaput it would be nice if DC sports talk radio didn't subject us to a month of endless post mortems on their season. While there's a contingent of Skins fans who could care less about anything else, others are turning their attention to the Wizards, Caps, local college hoops or (dare I say) counting the days until the Nationals report to spring training. I caught some of WJFK-AM's (Baltimore) sports talk programming on MASN and they were all over last week's baseball winter meetings, including lengthy appearances by Oriole execs Jim Duquette and Mike Flanagan on the Saturday show hosted by Tom Davis and Phil Wood and plenty of O's talk on Anita Marks' show as well. By contrast, WTEM treated the whole thing like an afterthought - one or two interviews with reporters but little or no interaction with listeners regarding trade rumors involving the Nats and Jose Guillen's departure for Seattle. Even Mark Sterne's Saturday baseball show (down to one hour during the offseason) spent fifteen minutes shmoozing with King George from Channel 4 instead of taking calls. So 980 can't seem to tear itself away from a football team going absolutely nowhere, whereas sports talk radio forty miles up the road shows much more respect for the baseball fan despite the fact that the Ravens are headed for a possible Super Bowl run. Go figure. Mike, Fairfax (12/11/06) WETA-FM has become a total disaster. The station used to pull between a 3 - 5 share with almost no promotion, when the station was playing classical music. Now the station has become more or less a WAMU clone and can barely pull a 2 share with a transmitter so powerful, it touches 5 states. I have a friend who worked there and they told me that Sharon Rockefeller is to blame for this mess over there, not GM Dan DeVany. Dan DeVany was told to make the change from classical music to all news or to leave, so I guess he choose to keep his job. In the "old" days of public radio, someone like Sharon Rockefeller, with connections to politics and money was good for a station like WETA. Today's media market now requires quick thinking and someone with knowledge of Radio and Television programming,market data, and vision. Sharon Rockefeller doesn't have that knowledge or any kind of vision. As a previous poster pointed out, WETA + WGMS used to have a combined 8 share in this market. Now that 8 share is floating out there in space ripe for the picking. If Sharon Rockefeller had any sense, she would flip WETA back to classical music or even go farther than that and become Washington DC's Arts station and expand into traditional jazz and actually produce shows where people to get to hear from the artists (local and national) that are filling the concert halls and theatres in this town. WETA has forgotten that it is a PUBLIC radio station. I would argue that providing something that listeners can't get anywhere else will be better received and a better public service, than the endless blather that you here on WETA now and that you can get from a million news sources in the news capitol of the world. (12/11/06) Re: Jay and "Is it me, or has the DC market lost an NFL game every Sunday? " According to the NFL's convoluted blackout rules, whenever a Redskins HOME game is televised in DC on the network that does NOT have the doubleheader that week (in yesterday's case, FOX), no other game can be broadcast on the other network (CBS) at the same time. (12/11/06) To answer Vincent in Triangle: Prior to the "Fake Drake" WEAM format in the spring of 1968, WEAM was pretty much in the style of WABC and WFIL. All three stations had had consulting relationships with Mike Joseph from time to time. WEAM and WPGC were always trying to be the first to get new PAMS jingle packages when they became available. WPGC had the early Series 18 and later "Jet Set" package of 1964-65, while WEAM used "Radio-a-Go-Go," "Fun" and "Music Power." The "Music Power" jingles were the ones that Paul McGonigle (sp?) (Lee Stevens) chopped down, with one "Fun" cut being used for the "Fake-Drake" ID, that was voice by Music Director/ Morning Man Paul Christy. While Drake's delivery sounded intense and urgent, "...and the hits... just KEEP ON COMIN'") Paul's delivery was very warm and friendly. By June 15 or so, Mr. Averill had purchased a set of PAMS acapellas that actually employed the Drake signature. (The prior "sig" had been the "1390/W-E-A-M" tune from "I'll Take Manhattan," just like WABC.) WPGC used a sig very similar to KLIF in Dallas and their sister station, WMEX in Boston. By the end of 1968, Mr. Averill had bought jingles from a company called National Recorders or something like that. The vocals wern't very good; not rich or thick at all. But, the singers NAILED the tempo and intensity of the WRKO Johnny Mann's. Oddly, though, that package resumed the use of the WABC sig! In the summer of 1970, the Program Director, Mike (John Galanses) Michaels bought the actual WLS/ PAMS acapellas, complete with the WLS sig, modified for four call letters. A few other notes, WEAM used lots of reverb before Fake Drake and less after. They (we) ran news at the top and bottom of the hour prior and "1390 News" (13 minutes and 90 seconds... in other words, at 14:30). I think "20/20 News" had been service marked by RKO or Drake-Chenault. Whichever incarnation you prefer, the old gal was a Washington radio legend from 1957 until 1976 and, as a kid who cut his radio teeth on 1390 RF, joined as a weekend DJ and rose to Program Director, before being the guy who had to turn out the lights on rock and roll in late 1976, I really appreciate the interest in those four sticks on Crimmins Lane and the chance to recall some the lore of the Mighty 1390! - Ed. Rodriguez (12/11/06) Shouldn't that be Ombudsperson Deborah Howell? And is she not writing what could be called an editorial? Is this the job of the Ombudsperson at a newspaper? I've grown tired of the Post shoving it's agenda down this reader's throat with nearly every edition. BTWS, Ms. Howell who does your hair and those glasses, they're just darling, honey. And the argumentative tactic you take in your editroial column, what's that called again? Men BAD, white men BADDER! god bless Oprah (12/11/06) Here is another video of JP's fight with some before and after scenes too. It took a lot of guts for him to get in that ring. Keep up the good work on the site. www.youtube.com (12/11/06) About UMD post-games shows on WMAL: What is the real need for a post-game show if, say, the team wins or even loses for that matter? Forget that it's WMAL -- if you just sat through a game where UMD just lost, why would you want to listen to people yakking about how they lost? I was listening to the latter part of the game last night only because I was waiting for Matt Drudge's live show to come on the air. Maybe the post-game show can be broadcast on a sports radio station? -Silvie in Waldorf- (12/11/06) Bill Smith: I by no means called you a "bitch". I merely said that a "Mailbagger" was "bitching" about the content of my last show. If offense was personally taken then I apologize. Peace. Rusty Gibson (12/11/06) Dear,Dave,I like your website . You know myself use to live in washington,D.C. Sincerely,Joshua Major (12/11/06) RE: the poster who complained about the Terps post game show. This is not the mess up of Westwood One, but that of just plain ol CBS Radio. Much like all of thier sports broadcasts, they milk and stretch them WAYYYYY too long. Why? Not to include compelling interviews, but to include more sponsors. They get TOP DOLLAR from adversisers for the games, so they stretch out the post game show. They "take" callers, but in reality-they have problems getting people to call in. I'm sorry, but 8 hours for a gd college football broadcast is a little too much-since only 5.5 hours carries quality content. (12/11/06) /\ December 11 Messages /\ \/ December 10 Messages \/ Mailbagger Smith here, I listened to Maryland Terps BB game tonite on WMAL(do I smell another so-so year for the Terps?) and they have a delay between the tv and radio too, and I previously registered complaint that WMAL didn't stick with entire post game show , forget it, the post game show use to have more content with longer interviews with a Maryland player and Gary Williams, now it seems to have devolved into an endless series of commercials, not worth bothering with, is this the Westwood 1 mentality? don't they orchestrate the Maryland radio presentations? thank you Larry Michael, yuk....and Mr Rusty you are the eagle I am the fly don't lower yourself in responding to that jerk...hey wait a minute......and basically Justin in McLean I know that...what made you think I didn't know that......and I'm always overwhelmed by yoko's acts of charity.........ah baby I don't want no glass bottomed boat, I just want a Kung Fu Xmas.......Bill Smythe.......don't worry, don't worry, don't worry (12/10/06) JP is staring as the red headed step-child on Youtube.com (12/10/06) Many thanks Dave! We've gotten some great response in signing up contestants for the "Funniest Radio Personality in DC" contest coming up at the Improv on April 25th. But for all you WJFK fans, be aware that we haven't heard a word from anyone over there. Hoping to hear from the Junks and maybe, just maybe Don and Mike. Whatssamatter -- are you CHICKEN?? It's just five minutes of stand up comedy, and proceeds from ticket sales go to some great causes. WRITE ME at jillnado@hotmail.com. (12/10/06) Better ratings stunt... throwing a tantrum and running best of for 2 months of the Fall ratings book, or putting your balls on the line and getting tons of press for a boxing match that draws several thousand people? He may have gotten knocked out in 1 round, but the guy from the Junkies got in a ton of newspapers and likely raised awareness of his show during the most important few weeks of the year. For a show that gets knocked for being an "amateur hour," it seems like they may have come up with the best ratings stunt in quite some time. (12/10/06) wonder if any of the Allbrittons (Joe, Robert, Barbie) will be going to Chile for the funeral of Augusto Pinochet??? (12/10/06) ("better leave boxing AND radio to the pros") YEAH, LET'S SEE D&M TAG-TEAM THIS GUY. WHAT A JOKE. THEY'RE REAL RADIO PRO'S ALRIGHT...PANSIES. (12/10/06) "more diversity would make the Post a richer paper" What a bunch of liberal gobbledygook. Just what the hell does that mean? (12/10/06) Is it me, or has the DC market lost an NFL game every Sunday? I seem to remember quite a few times this year the Redskins and Ravens being on at the same time in the 1pm slot, followed by a "national" game in the 4pm slot on whichever network had that game. It seems like recently there's just been 1 game on each network. Does this have to do with the new NFL network, WUSA not picking up a game, or just a lucky interpretation of the NFL's rules for broadcasts? Thx, Jay! (12/10/06) I heard snyder paid 45M for the two (WGMS) sticks. (12/10/06) Imagine that, a Junkie getting his ass kicked. They seem to do it good enough on the radio against other stations, now they're doing it physically. Bunch of lousy pussies, send em packing along with O&A. (12/10/06) Dave's response: Hey, part of life is trying new things. New experiences. OK, so JP got his ass kicked. But he gave it his best. He had the guts to try something new, to live his dream. More power to him..... Ahhh... the WGMS Deathwatch... It truly is sad to see another great Washington radio institution go away. But, WGMS has been on life-support ever since RKO General was forced to get rid of it. Remember "Classical Acquizitions"? How about Ver Standig's alleged stewardship with the place? (I guess Madame Wellingion's jewwlry veracity was more acceptable to the FCC than RKO's!) As a survivor of WGMS/RKO General (Namely someone who managed to work for RKO and didn't get fired by them!), I think we need to start remembering what WGMS brought to this area. In the early 1980's, the production studio was still suitable for live concerts... complete with a Baldwin baby grand piano. The original AM transmitter site out on Bells Mills Road in Potomac still had the original late 1940's kitchen applia! nces in therewhen I worked for RKO 1981-84. The old rigs were gone (The Amplifuzz went to Amherst, VA while the original Collins went out of the country.), but a lot of old test and processing equipment remained. There was also a 1947-vintage RCA BTF-10 which was used as a backup FM rig into the mid 1980's. The old RCA ('Martha' -"Speak softly to her and kindly of her" as the 3" X 5" card on the front panel read...) was eventually moved to the "new" AM building. Speaking of the "new" AM building, there was a bottle of Heineken in the fridge that was there the entire time I worked for RKO! Of course we remember the WGMS tragedies along the way... Roofing tar being poured into the AM Day phasor... The fire which gutted the Wisconsin Ave studios which were across the street from WTTG/WASH... Losing the newly-relocated FM for a considerable period of time when a general aviation aircraft hit the AU tower with the loss of all on board (As I recall, ironically the plane was ! owned by another broadcaster, WBNS Radio & TV of Columbus, Ohio.). .. Then, there were the true brilliance that the place attracted! How about Frank Tollin? Am I the only one who remembers him? We also can't forget Fred Siffrin who was a gentleman and a genius. My first encounter with WGMS was pre-1963 when they were located in the old Harrington Hotel, complete with a WGMS neon sign hanging over the street corner. As for WGMS going Top-40 on the AM, it truly would've been beautiful! WROQ was to be the call, Johnny Mann jingles were cut (I've talked with people who claim to have heard 'em!), Spec tapes were also cut (again, I've talked with people who claimed to have heard 'em!), and Charlie Tuna was supposedly tabbed to launch things by doing AM drive. Alas, it was all nor naught. With all the trouble RKO was already in, an unpopular format change on a a comparatively insignificant small-market station was the last thing RKO needed at the time! RKO's last gasp at trying to buy anything was the abortive attempt to buy KBPI-FM in De! nver. But, that never came to fruition. Perhaps the strangest WGMS/RKO story that "didn't happen" occurred in the late 1950's-early 1960's: NBC and RKO got together and were going to do a complex station swap: RKO would've gotten WRC AM-FM-TV in D.C. and NBC would've gotten WRKO AM-FM and WNAC-TV in Boston. Of course, WGMS would've been sold. RKO was cash-strapped at the time, and would've gotten big bucks from NBC and some cash for WGMS in the deal, not to mention gaining a TV and better AM and FM facilities in D.C. NBC would've gotten an O&O in Boston, something it covets to this day. Just imagine if that deal had happened with 980's around the Beltway coverage going Top-40 on 1965? WEAM would've been made as irellevant back then as car radios are today! WPGC would've struggled because of the lack of FM penetration and a 10KW daytimer. It would've been a classic situation. Why didn't it happen? I've heard lots of stories. Perhaps it really boils down to rg! os: RKO was as much a part of Boston as Fenway Park or the Kennedys. And, RCA/NBC in the form of General David Sarnoff, coveted a Federal Government presence in the Nations Capital. Remember that the 1958 dedication Washington Color Plant at 4001 Nebraska Ave, had both David Sarnoff and Dwight Eisenhower participating. (I remember watching the program!) Butm hetting back to WGMS, let's not forget some of the other personalities that graced the place: How about Kathy Keenan? Lynn Alper? Lore Lowe? And, of course, Dennis Owens! Dennis's gift of comedy was much underutilized at WGMS. He seemed to have an on-air nickname for everyone. How many recall "Precious Nagnolia"? "Baltimore Bella"? "Himself"? Unless a miracle happens soon, I think we'll wax nostalgic about WGMS for awhile. And then it'll be gone. Just sign me "Faithful Engineer"... (12/10/06) "So...does the FCC get involved when Fox shows a guy in the stands with a "F*** Philly" shirt on during the Redskins game?" ---I don't know, but if Fox showed that... Eagles fan who changes jerseys depending on the O or D being on the field one more damn time, I was going to kick my TV in...Jesus Fox, if you love that guy so much...f**king hire him!! I'm sure there is some piece of shit reality show he could host! (12/10/06) The guy in for George Michael on Friday around 6:50 p.m. is a Michael clone. The BIG news of the day was Ladell Betts signing a new contract with the Redskins. This guy leads with something like "they shot the eyes out of the basket last night in the NBA" speaking of two teams that scored a lot of points. In double overtime, folks. Who cares. Old news and fake fan noise on sports highlights. How bad can it get at Ch. 4. Glad Jim and Doreen are still there. They and Bob Ryan are outstanding. (12/10/06) Dave-- Try to get your hands on more shirtless pics of JP! He's HOT!!! --Scott (12/10/06) JP---getting TKO'd.... better leave boxing AND radio to the pros... go back to your little cable access show (12/10/06) Congratulations to The Latin Donkey. You lasted 10 seconds into the first round before getting knocked on your ass. Good showing. -- Brett (12/10/06) So...does the FCC get involved when Fox shows a guy in the stands with a "F*** Philly" shirt on during the Redskins game? (I censored it, the shirt did not.) (12/10/06) "JP Gets TKO'd In 1st"------ BWHAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAA... That's teriffic.... That's teriffic...... Didn't see this coming!! *rolls eyes* (12/10/06) Dave - Here's how the endlessly creative James Bartel tipped off his listeners on Friday morning that yes, he'd heard about the station's sale to the Redskins organization. (38-second mp3 audio clip is attached.) The bit was clever, funny ironic, and bittersweet. Amazing that he could continue to perform at that level under such dreadful circumstances. If the station does indeed drop classical music, Bartel's departure will mean the loss to the DC airwaves of one of the wittiest and most delightful and knowledgeable radio personalities ever heard in the nation's capital. - Eli (12/10/06) Dave's response: Thanks for the clip. For copyright and bandwidth reasons I'm not posting it..... Apologies to Latins and Donkeys everywhere, you have been disgraced. As always, talking about something and actually doing it, are two different propositions. Kudos to JP for getting in the ring and proving the point. Better stick to your best sport boyz.....online gambling. (12/10/06) Weeks of training, hours of drinking water, getting his ass ko'd priceless. leave the boxing to the pros. (12/10/06) "You know melodically I like John Lennon's song "Imagine" but lyrically not so much...I mean "imagine there's no heaven"....geez with the puke fest humankind generally is, not having a Heaven too look forward too is a big downer imo.." -- I think you might be missing the point of the lyrics of the song. Lennon wasn't proposing that "no heaven" would be a good thing. He was saying, basically, imagine if there wasn't a heaven, and people were just "living for today" instead of just based on an awaited afterlife. That is, if people treated this life like that was it, that they should make the most of it because there wasn't something else to look forward to, perhaps it wouldn't be such a "puke fest" down here (a point Lennon would have made I'm sure if he could have found something that rhymes with "puke fest"). - Justin in McLean (12/10/06) To the mailbagger who says that it's fine not to like the team, but don't make it personal with Danny Boy Snyder, you have it backwards. Many, if not most, people who love the team and always have, HATE the owner. It is entirely personal. All the radio stations in the world won't change that. (12/10/06) Should have mentioned that good lookin' hometown hero Jimmy Lange's (of Contender fame) title fight ended with the title still vacant. Bout went twelve rounds, and finished in a split decision ending in a draw, so nobody got the title. Best description of the Flaim fight came from a fan on their MySpace account, who actually predicted this pre-fight: "He'll go down like an accordion player in a biker bar." Also, you can link here to JP Flaim's official boxing record www.boxrec.com. JP, don't feel bad! I swear you made us proud. Everyone was rooting for you, and it took total guts to climb into that ring. Sure wish you could have gone a little longer, but hey----at least you gave the dude less time to pummel yer pretty face, donkey. (12/10/06) 1 more thing to the Mailbagger that said he (or she) heard my show on Friday. If as you say I didn't give Mr. Lennon enough of a tribute. Than you would have known that I opened the show with "Give Peace A Chance" and closed it with "Imagine". Though I still hope you can listen again. Rusty Gibson WEBR Radio/Fairfax (12/10/06) Kudos to Junkie JP Flaim for putting on a fine---but all too brief---match at the Patriot Center tonight! He was a crowd favorite, led in by a live rapping dj (the kid who does their theme song) with lots of flashing lights and music (including stuff you'd recognize from their show) and a confetti cannon. The kid he was fighting (who's done time for 'maiming', they say) was fit as a fiddle and quick fisted. Just outclassed our poor JP at his debut. Wasn't fair really. JP looked buff (bit of a six pack) and seemed to have good upper body strength, but his legs were weak. He fell down a few times early on (I really do think he slipped, except for the one time a blow sent him reeling and he staggered back about 10 feet into his corner! Ref checked his eyes to make sure he didn't have a concussion, and sent him back in). The Latin Donkey fought his heart out, and even gave the other guy a few good licks, but after he went down again late in the round the ref stopped the fight. JP Flaim, TKO'd in round one. He looked distraught. He was so upset that he didn't make it thru the round, just really ticked at himself. He came out later for the Jimmy Lange fight and pressed the flesh with the crowd, and I shook his hand and asked him if he planned to do it again, and he said "No!". We also learned that he'd just lost his father in law, a WWII vet, but bravely came out to fight anyway. Oh yeah, and Chuck Zito, of "Oz" fame, was in da house. Good job, JP! Seriously. They should have given you that big slug who fought in the heavyweight bout instead of that tight little pro . You actually could have creamed that big fat slug (disgustingly out of shape old dude with rolls of fat hanging off---blech!). (12/10/06) QUOTE: "Now they (WJFK) are having a "Men's sexlife from a woman's perspective" show." Count your blessings. Some stations carry a full hour of colon-cleansing product infomercials on Sat. or Sun. mornings. 2) JOKE TIME! From December's Playboy Party Jokes: There's a new radio station on the airwaves called WPMS. It has a monthly programming cycle that gives you three weeks of the blues and then one week of ragtime. -Silvie in Waldorf- (12/10/06) "Mailbagger" Bill Smith here .....Rusty Gibson you calling me a "Bitch"? Well if so, I can truly say Satan has had her way again...You know melodically I like John Lennon's song "Imagine" but lyrically not so much...I mean "imagine there's no heaven"....geez with the puke fest humankind generally is, not having a Heaven too look forward too is a big downer imo.. did anyone catch the Nigella Lawson show on Food Network Sat. nite? She was tossing a salad with her bare hands........a show I really enjoy on WEBR is Michael Jonathan's Woodsongs show....if you like the singer/songwriter, alt. country and folk genre you can't beat this show...it is offered for broadcast to public radio stations but none in this area carries . Problem is WEBR runs the show a little too early for me to drag my fat arse out of bed that early on a weekend morn. Anyways "Woodsongs" has a fantastic website with many past shows available for listening www.woodsongs.com ......... Also I my listening list is noted D.C. crime/mystery novelist George Pelecanos who I tracked down giving an interview last summer on wonderful WFMU wfmu.org... I think of WFMU as being a bit like old WGTB if it had lasted..........and a correction to previous post, the "I'm Bram Weinstein" and Dexter Manley show is after the John Riggins show on Tripe X espn radio but Mr. Dexter's comment about tying him to a truck and dragging him was really voiced by Mr. Dexter, in jest I'm sure......if we make it thru December , everything 's gonna be alright, I know..."I'm Bill Smith" ...... I'm your Huckleberry....forever teen don juan (12/10/06) It does not take quality to make a successful business anon. Take a look at Walmart and McDonald's. Did Danny do Greatest Redskins Night or did team officials? No one said Danny is not a good businessman. I respect that. He has one of if not the most profitable team in all of sports. Is it a quality organization or is efficient? I have never been a Redskins fan but I respected the organization as a quality team. Danny buys it and what happens? They were a contender and now are just pretenders. They do make a profit. Just don't try to sell your tickets for a profit. They will shut that down. Try to walk to the stadium? Can't do that; have to pay $25 for parking. Smart? Yes. Quality? No. If you want a quality owner, look at Mark Cuban. He gives players and fans what they want. He increased attendance when overall attendance was going down. He built a innovative Network with HDNet. Danny gives us Red Zebra. Have I heard it? Like most people I have not and cannot. Do I care to hear it? Like most people, no. Bryslock (12/10/06) I didn't move to the D.C. area until the fall of 1970, so I was unaware that RKO wanted to convert WGMS-AM to Top 40 in 1968. Fascinating story of how WEAM thwarted the potential challenge. I visited Washington in 1969 and recall that WEAM had a Drake-like sound, so what was it like before it got wind of RKO's planned change? Did it sound similar to WABC or WMCA in New York, neither of which had a Drake feel? Also, does anyone know what the new call letters of the Top 40 station would have been in '72, or who would have been among the on-air talent? -- Vincent in Triangle (12/10/06) /\ December 10 Messages /\ \/ December 9 Messages \/ RKO's proposed format change of WGMS(AM) from classical to Top 40 has been discussed in this forum several times in the past. For those just tuning in, here's a rehash. RKO actually planned to flip the format on two occasions; first in 1968 and later in 1972. The first time, RKO openly disclosed its plans several months in advance. The shift was aborted when Harry Averill, "legendary" VP/GM of WEAM, learned of the plan, flew to Boston, hunkered down in a hotel, and spent several days taping WRKO. Upon returning to Washington, Averill tasked Lee Stevens (Paul McGonigal) with creating Drake-like jingles by cutting the WEAM sig from the station's PAMS jingle packages. The WEAM "fake Drake" format hit the air in the spring of 1968. Averill's plan worked. RKO decided it would look like the imitator if it went ahead with its format change, and backed off. RKO decided to try again in 1972 when the FCC's non-duplication rule limited the amount of programming that could be simulcast on co-owned AM/FM combos. RKO realized it would not be economically feasible to run two separate classical formats. The outcry from listeners concerned about losing the ability to listen to classical music on AM was swift and vocal. Remember, this was happening in Washington, DC, where, regardless of where in the country you were from, your U-S Congressman or Senator was only a local phone call away. Keep in mind as well that, at that time, format changes were allowed to be grounds for challenging a broadcast station's license renewal. In response to the public reaction, including press coverage and demonstrations on the U-S Capitol steps, the FCC made the unprecedented offer to RKO of permitting a waiver of its AM/FM non-duplication rules for the asking. At the time, RKO was battling challenges to the renewals of its TV stations in Boston and Los Angeles over the failure of RKO to disclose in the license renewal applications that parent company, General Tire & Rubber, had been fined by the U-S Government for illegal overseas contributions. Rather than face a third license renewal challenge, RKO decided to take the waiver and keep the classical simulcast. At the time, new calls for WGMS(AM) had been selected, air and support staffs had been hired, Johnny Mann jingles had been produced, and new studios were under construction. Paul Drew, who was brought in from KFRC/SF to be the PD for the Top 40 format, has since said that although the station would have been an "artistic success", the financial success of the station would have been questionable due to the "rate whoring" in the DC market at that time that continues to this day. Whether or not the omission of the General Tire & Rubber misconduct was intentional or inadvertent, the results were disastrous all the same. The FCC found that RKO had shown a "lack of candor" in its renewal applications. The TV licenses in LA and Boston were revoked with the likelihood that the licenses of the other RKO properties would encounter the same fate as those renewals came due. In the 1980s, RKO's remaining stations were sold under the FCC's distress sale policy. And before we close, let's add CKLW to the list of legendary RKO calls that remain today. In the late-'60s, the CRTC (Canada's FCC) instituted a policy that non-Canadian entities could own no more than 20% of a Canadian station. RKO sold CKLW-AM/FM/TV in 1970. (12/9/06) I wonder what it's like in the NBC4 sports production room as they try to sync their prerecorded sound of the final buzzer with the clips of the final shot of a half or game. It must be neato torpedo. Do they all toast each other if it comes out ok? They did it twice in this morning's sportscast. I must say I'm impressed...not. Regards Biff (12/9/06) What a running joke WJFK has become. Even after finally making the right decision to put The Hideout in the evenings, they still are going to have other "test" shows! What the hell is wrong with WJFK? Now they are having a "Men's sexlife from a woman's perspective" show. Ugh! I thought WJFK already had Loveline on! Is the station really trying to self implode? I'm sure WJFK is gonna go with some boring DJ who "is no stranger to the D.C. area". Enough, there is no good talent in D.C (I'm looking right at you Don Geronimo). At this point, I don't even want The Hideout to be on WJFK. They need to go somewhere they'll be appriciated, not just kicked around. I would love to see them on XM radio with Ron & Fez and O&A. WJFK is a junk station. Nothing worth listening. I don't give a damn about Don & Mike's return! They wont even put O&A live because they dont want to mess with the local boys in the mornings. Psst, WJFK Program Director... You're an idiot! Carlos (12/9/06) "When RKO owned WGMS AM/FM, they had actually made plans to flip 570 to a Top 40, along the lines of their other success stories (KHJ in Los Angeles, KFRC/San Francisco, WRKO Boston). They were going to leave the Classics only on 103.5. Pressure from the Beltway was so much that nothing ever came of it." I remember that -- it was the spring of '72, I believe. At the time, Washington Top 40 was there for the taking; WEAM was beginning to deflate, WPGC still was essentially an FM with an AM daytimer, and WINX and WEEL were too suburban to make any major impact. 570 had a stronger signal than any of its potential AM rivals, and done right, a Top 40 there might have made for interesting listening, for a few years at least. But the conversion was scuttled -- I recall the Post ran an editorial decrying the potential change. One by-product of it not going through was that in the fall of '72, NBC changed WRC's format from middle-of-the-road to Top 40. One wonders whether that would have happened had RKO proceeded with its own change. -- Vincent in Triangle (12/9/06) Regarding your rant, what makes you think lil Danny's sportstalk stations are going to run WTEM out of it's format? Riggins show is okay but there isn't much else there and all the Redskins all the time won't wash. If WTEM plays their cards right, gets rid of dead wood like Pollin, and doesn't pretend like the Redskins and Maryland basketball are the only sports that matter, they'll do fine. BTW, I agree with those posters who said Czaban got screwed by COMCAST and COMCAST is as gutless as it gets. There was nothing inappropriate about Czaban's questions of Brunnell and it is truly amazing what thin hides Danny Boy, Gibbs and company have. (12/9/06) Somebody ranted, "Quality is something Danny has never understood." If you don't like his team or what he has done with it, I've got no problem with that. But, to make it personal and say the guy has never understood quality is an extremely unrealistic and undeserved statement. I don't know the guy peronally, however, I do know that you don't build the kind of businesses he has built without understand a lot of things. And "quality" is one of them. I also know that he when he put on the "Greastest Redskins of All Time" event a couple years ago, it was a quality event. One of my best friends was there. Her dad, now deceased, was one of the all-time great Redskins being honored. As a matter of fact, Dan Snyder went way out of his way to personally make sure my friend and her mother were comfortable and treated like royalty. So lets back off on the accusations. If you don't like his team, fine. (12/9/06) (For "David", concerning "FM station 99.5 WCFM") Unless an early devotee of FM radio just happened to roll a tape of your dad's piano performance, you are regrettably out-of-luck. WCFM, aka "Washington's Cooperative FM", was only on-the-air from October 1948 'til October 1954 as explained in this obituary from The WaPost and Times Herald www.dcmemories.com... A certain well-known Bozo got his start in broadcasting at that station as anchor of a weekly high school news program, soon followed by a Saturday night dance party. www.dcmemories.com... Incidentally, a look at the Post listings from October 1954 shows "Frank and Jackson" (later paired as "Harden & Weaver") on WMAL, "Mac McGarry" on WRC, "Jack Rowzie" on WWDC, and "Eddie Gallaher" on WTOP, all competing for the same Saturday night radio audience. (And, hey, just one buck was enough for a service call from "Heart TV Service" to fix your 17" Philco on the fritz.) (12/9/06) "We will never get there however without the support of courageous and loyal users of terrestrial radio who are willing to buy the radio now with the promise of more mobile listening AND mobile data choices tomorrow." -- That sounds like a plea from the broadcasters. However, I am NOT getting value from the Boston Acoustic radio I bought. I can't hear the bluegrass channel WAMU sends. I can't hear WGMS-2- or couldn't; I don't know if they're still on the air. I bought it to hear Viva La Voce, and Bonneville pulled it off the air. I can't hear anything. And what will guarantee that there will be 8 separate programming streams on any station? I don't see it. 7 of the streams would be jukebox, anyway, with voice tracking if we are lucky. I wasted my money on HD. It's time for the stations to make their move. "Courageous and loyal" translates to SUCKER in my book. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (12/9/06) WASH-FM has started an HD-2 station, and today they're playing Easy Listening and Nostalgia. Let's hope this isn't just a test! - Dave of www.wgay.fm (12/9/06) Dave's response: How about Loo Radioo on WASH's digital signal? To the "Mailbagger" bitching about me not devoting enough time to acknowledge John's passing. Well, last year, I did a full 2 hours (on the 25th anniv. 'twas the best show I've ever done!) sorry to disappoint yesterday. Please come back again Rusty Gibson WEBR Radio/Fairfax (12/9/06) Will this remark make it to the mailbag? F*CK DAN SNYDER! I don't care if the Redskins ever win another game as long as he owns the team. (12/9/06) I only catch DCRTV updates about once or twice a week since it's been blocked from network access at work. I don't check in that often since it's mostly D&M BS (some people should be happy with what they have, while they have it...especially when they are not all that relevant anymore). I just read here that Dave Marcum passed. I used to produce his morning show at 100.7 WGRX for a short while in '91-'92, as I was just getting into radio. He was just putting "Saint Dave and the Morning Zoo" behind him. Ron and Theresa were there with Captain Jack on traffic. I still have a copy of the Hawaiian Morning Zoo tune that he always used. I remember his morning calls to his wife and boys to make sure they were up and getting ready for the day. I remember an almost daily run across the street to Greg's Bagels. He always referred to PD Steve MacNee as "Fatboy", which always cracked me up, considering that I would run down to Chili's pretty often after they opened and would grab a bag or two of tortilla chips and salsa to munch on while I was working on show material or promotions (which I also interned for) in the office directly across from Steve's. Steve would then have to make small-talk to come over and munch down some chips. When I wanted Steve to look over my material, I put my resume and tape under a bag of tortilla chips on his desk. Dave was the one who taught me (as we all teach our underlings in radio) that it is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission, a credo that we put to the test a few times while I was there. After a handful of years on air, a wife and a couple kids on the Eastern Shore, I found myself working with Dave again at WMZQ. This time he was producing the morning show for Gary and Jess and I was an engineer. After the M&C move to BIG, Dave headed off for a PD gig in Austin and I lost touch again. Knowing what a small world radio is, I figured I'd run into him again one day...I guess maybe not. So I'm drinking as I write and toast the man, the radio talent, the teacher. Salut! Greg (12/9/06) "..................He's frantically trying to back-pedal to preserve WGMS on some channel.............." Says who? (12/9/06) "_________WRKO, KFRC, WOR and WHBQ are all that still exists today _____________" WHBQ is now all sports and doing very well. The ratings aren't great, but Flinn broadcasting makes a lot of money. (12/9/06) People can complain all they want about losing a classical music station but RADIO IS A BUSINESS! It is obvious that WGMS is doing terrible in the ratings! Oh I am wrong! They are a top ten in this market. This tells me only one thing. Danny is spending a shitload of money for a successful station. Personally, I could care less for classical radio but I don't see the point in getting rid of a profitable station. Does Danny think a better signal equals better ratings? He still needs to program quality. Quality is something Danny has never understood. Bryslock (12/9/06) Should the WGMS call letters change, it would be one of the last of the heritage call letters from the RKO General days... WRKO, KFRC, WOR and WHBQ are all that still exists today (or did I miss any?) KHJ doesn't really count since the call letters changed some time ago - though they are back on the air in LA. (12/9/06) Regarding weak HD Radio signals. The HD component is only weaker during this hybrid transition phase. Currently the ERP (power) is 1/100 of the analog signal. There is some discussion about raising that to 1/10th of the analog signal. Post-hybrid, the all digital channel will be the same 100% power and footprint as the analog, and allow up to 8X as many program channels in the same RF channel. We will never get there however without the support of courageous and loyal users of terrestrial radio who are willing to buy the radio now with the promise of more mobile listening AND mobile data choices tomorrow. (12/9/06) Someone wrote “More local ownership. Why all the bellyaching and feelings of doom? Be careful what you wish for is always good advice.” Of course we want local ownership. But, Snyder wants worldwide control. He owns the Skins, Red Zebra, Six Flags, and starting his own production company/potential studio with Tom Cruise. The only good thing about him is he is local, period. He’s trying to be the next Walt Disney, which for intended purposes, is very scary. Tracy (12/9/06) Dave's response: It's like saying all the Clear Channel radio stations in San Antonio are "locally owned" because Clear Channel is based there. It would be more apt to call for "independently" owned stations, ones that are not connected to large media-entertainment-sports corporations..... We keep being told that HD radio will save obscure formats. Well, I bought an HD radio, and I can't hear very many HD signals, because the signals are weaker. They tell us Sirius and XM will save classical radio. No. If they merge, and there's only 200 channels, 190 of them will be Stern clones or sports-talk. We are told podcasting and the Net will save classical radio. Not if your job doesn't allow streaming brodcasts and if you're listening in your car. Dan Snyder is already the most hated man in Washington. He's frantically trying to back-pedal to preserve WGMS on some channel. I think he doesn't have as many friends in the FCC as he thinks and he has many fewer friends in the new Congress. Well, Mr. Snyder, why not put WGMS on the outlying sticks? I can get 92.7 in my car. I have supported Snyder's heart in the past, even if he has made poor decisions, but this shows he is nothing but a Philistine and a Vandal, caring only for the Almighty Dollar. Damn you if I root for your football team if you take away the joys in my life. --- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (12/9/06) DC101's Sales Manager has left the building. Who's going to be crazy enough to go after that job? (12/9/06) My father gave a concert at the National Gallery of Art (piano) -- the 463rd Natl Gallery concert -- that was broadcast over FM station 99.5 (WCFM). Any chance there are archives or recordings of this broadcast? David (12/9/06) Not sure if this was already mentioned, so please forgive if its already been chewed on, but since Daniel Snyder is purchasing GMS et al, that would bring them under local control, right? Isn't that what many here are advocating? More local ownership. Why all the bellyaching and feelings of doom? Be careful what you wish for is always good advice. (12/9/06) WGMS has been a shadow of its old self for nearly fifteen years. Sad, but true. In its heyday; it was one of but a few classical outlets nationwide that did it the way it saw fit. It allowed its personalities to program their own shows. Its music library was extraordinary, featuring one-off test pressings and rare selections heard virtually nowhere else, except in a real classical audiophile's living room. Listeners would call and complain when a record had a scratch in it. Listeners would call and complain when the announcer used the wrong grammar! Its listeners were fiercely loyal and, when personalities changed--the collective 2 share at the time would rise up, much like it did when Felix Grant was canned the first time at WMAL. You couldn't argue with Dennis Owens, Renee Channey, John Chester (the first time around), Bob Davis and others who were that station's signature sound. Its client list was exclusive and eclectic--having no qualms about spending ad money for their niche businesses on their niche radio station. After Colfax bought it in 1992; the station downright tanked. Gone were the one-of-a-kind LPs (actually; some went in the studio fire, but that's for another time)...the personality; the long cuts, opera and the exclusive client list. Suddenly; it was 15 minutes of spots an hour and music was limited to single movements or snippets. But, it started making real money--and that's all the Rales' cared about. When Bonneville bought WGMS as part of the WTOP deal; it did make an effort to bring back some of the old shine, but it failed in the wake of making more money. In the past 8-10 years; WGMS has been a huge cash cow. However; the stick is not the same. WGMS's format is now on two marginal-at-best FM signals, more suited to suburban than city-grade coverage. I think Bonneville sees it this way: Its winner is now on its best signal. Its experiment, WAPO, is on its worst. Since it would be ludicrous to put its number-two on an AM signal; its only choice, given the $ thrown at it by Snyder--is to sell the baby FMs. Let Snyder be the bad guy and kill the format. Bonneville makes a financial killing, saves the salaries and washes its hands of the dirty work. IF WAPO fails; WTOP simply becomes a four-station network and has Pat Garrett recut the bumpers. The eventual death of commercial classical radio in DC will do four things: Make WETA change its format back to classical (which I believe will happen soon since its news-talk format isn't working); send classicophiles streaming to the stores for IPODs; send them to XM in droves with credit card in hand...and piss off tens of thousands of die-hard listeners. If you ever wanted to fragment the Washington market more; I don't think you could. Sad part is--if I were handed the keys to lavish retirement for a couple of marginal sticks; I'd sell, too. Broadcasting has always been about money. On-air people have always been fodder. Page one of Broadcasting 101. (12/9/06) I'm going to write it again here, but props to Steve Czaban for having the stones to ask the tough questions to these underachieving Redskin players like Mark Brunell. Rack Steve for not tossing the same softball questions at them like all the other local sports reporters do because, ooooohh, heaven forbid we offend these 4-8 Redskins and God...err Joe Gibbs and most important, the little dictator Daniel $nyder. Pretty sad that Comcast was gutless and suspended Czaban. This town needs more reporters like Steve and less ass kissing. Don't let it bring you down Steve, keep on keepin' on. (12/9/06) Thanks Dave for the flashback photo of Bret Haber when he was at Fox-5 years ago (wow, was that about 30 lbs ago or what?!). Anyway, speaking of Mr. Haber, it was always interesting how gently he was treated after his OLN open-mic gaffe (calling a bullrider competing in an event Haber was announcing, a "f--ing redneck"/"hillbilly" or whatever). I bet things would have been far different if rodeo clowns controlled the media. (Haha...smile folks, it's the weekend...and I think my point was made.) -Mr.DeepDish, MontCo, MD (12/9/06) Didn't Mr. Stern and his agent cash out their stock options way back at the beginning of the year and pulled in a couple $100 million thank youse very much and he's worked almost year at Sirrius so that must be a bunch of million's so I guess you "ninny" Stern is on his way to $500 "billion"....of course what do it say that Stern cashed in his stock so fast?....Rusty Gibson, dude, you scooted out the door a good 15 minutes early and this being the 26th anniversary of John Lennon's passing I'd a thought a little more of show would have been devoted to Lennon on the Magical History Tour radio show.......april wine hmmm?....here's a website for Larry Burnette of Firefall www.larryburnett.com ......was listening to John Riggins show this evening and the term "taking her to the red lobster" was mentioned on the show and Riggo said it meant something quite sexual in nature...I'm out of loop, what does "taking her to the red lobster", mean?....and the Redskin Report or whatever that show is after Riggins on WTEM Friday's is called with "I'm Bram Weinstein" and Dexter Manley...they were discussing the Brandon" immature, self centered, spoilt brat" Lloyd situation and Mr. Dexter suggested a way to deal with Lloyd should be tying him to back of pick up truck and dragging him around, in jest I'm sure....say didn't some dj in these parts get his arse in trouble over saying something like that?........"I'm Bill Smith"........Oh, What a Night, late december back in '63.......kicks just seem gettin' harder to find.......adios El Jefe and Goofy Dubbs....grease, grease, grease (12/9/06) Not sure if anyone has brought this up since it's not like this isn't much of a 'forgotten story', and I haven't gone through the whole site to see if this has been brought up before....Thought it would be good to, in light of the recent 104.1/Red Zebra happenings. When RKO owned WGMS AM/FM, they had actually made plans to flip 570 to a Top 40, along the lines of their other success stories (KHJ in Los Angeles, KFRC/San Francisco, WRKO Boston). They were going to leave the Classics only on 103.5. Pressure from the Beltway was so much that nothing ever came of it. On a note of 'what's to come', I would imagine, that, at the least, the WGMS format would survive on 103.5 HD-2, as the old WCBS-FM does, or KZLA in LA.... -Anthony S./Miami (12/9/06) "Steve Czaban is an asshole, that's all there is to it. His head is getting or is to big for him. He's full of himself. There's a way to conduct yourself as an asshole on the radio talking to his buddies,” Fine if you don't like Czaban but give me a friggin break on the rest. There was nothing inappropriate with the questions. Tough? Sure. You play like that and you should expect some tough questions. Would you rather have George Michael type softball quetions? That's what reporters (or sports commentators) do sometimes especially in situations like the Skins are in. The suits at Comcast should get a backbone. Looks like Danny has them under his thumb. You know damn well one of his goons raised hell and likely threatened to cut off some of their access to the team. Here's a suggestion. Spend more time worrying about winning a few games and less on the tough questions from the media in town! I really feel sorry for the Skins fans. That is one broke dick organization. (12/9/06) /\ December 9 Messages /\ \/ December 8 Messages \/ Steve Czaban is an asshole, that's all there is to it. His head is getting or is to big for him. He's full of himself. There's a way to conduct yourself as an asshole on the radio talking to his buddies, Andy. But when you're interviewing someone, there's no need to insult someone. The situation with Brunell was him showboating, the calling of someone a bonus-baby-gone-bad to the guys boss. This morning he called Sam Huff senile, I bet he wouldn't do that to Huff's face. Huff would knock the shit out of you. His remarks in the column show that he can't accept that he DID do something wrong. Czaban, if you this, I'm the one who e-mailed you back a couple weeks ago... You clearly need some mental health help. (12/8/06) Rumor has it that DannyBoy had to buy a radio station which reached more people or lose ESPN and that is the reason why he paid more for WGMS than it was worth. (12/8/06) www.dnronline.com... Eastern Mennonite University cuts funds for WEMC, (JMU's) WMRA to take over day to day operation. (12/8/06) Maybe the two or three mega-businesses that own broadcast properties in the United States can get the FCC to permit same-market simulcast of the two or three profitable formats. Clear Channel, for instance, can put the same popular tunes at the same popular times on all nine of their stations in each major market across the country. Think of the efficiencies! Think of the additional money to be made! All Rush All the Time! Hits of the nineties and the aughts! Rap! Goodbye Classical. Outsource the voice tracking to India. Let me call my broker. I smell big profits! (12/8/06) Okay so if it's a question for the "experts", then why are you saying he's paying 50% more than the value of the signals on the front page as if it's news and not just some thinly veiled dig at Dan Snyder? I know it's popular to slam him on this site but lets be honest, I don't think your "source" has the slightest idea how much was actually paid for those signals. And probably has no substantial proof of what Red Zebra has in mind to DO with those signals. (12/8/06) Opie & Anthony are the best thing that's every hit WJFK & the radio in general. They bring radio to a whole new level. The Junkies, Don & Mike, Elliot, etc etc. are not even in their league. PLEASE WJFK...PUT O&A ON LIVE IN THE MORNINGS!!!! O&A PAAAARRRTTTYYYYY ROOOOOOOOOCK!!!!!!!!! (12/8/06) Danny wants to ruin another radio station. More sports talk. There's sound thinking. Another example of a ''suit'' who MAY know marketing but really knows very little about radio. IF it goes sports talk, what are they going to talk about after football season, Caps? Ummm..No. Last time I checked no one in this city really gives a shit about them and probably never will. Wizards might be discussed for about 20 minutes or so. Or you put in ESPN Radio and kill everyone's interest. WJFK won't bring on the ''Hideout'' because it IS a no brainer. Look at the example of 94.7. NO one at that station or who RUNS the station seems to be able to figure out why the ratings always suck. THESE are the same dopes who run the other CBS stations. How is it that you have a general manager and PD who run different stations with different formats who have even the FIRST clue as to what their listeners really want to hear? Simple. You don't. No GM or PD that runs any station in this area gives a flying fuck WHAT the radio consumer really wants. Talk the same stupid format over and over. Play the same 20 or 30 songs and sell, sell, sell! And while I'm on the subject of ''commercial'' radio, what fucking moron wrote the ad with a talking roll of toilet paper? I hope Santa AND Rudolph take craps in your stocking. Paul (12/8/06) Dave...you wrote on your front page that Dan Snyder offered Bonneville more than 50% of what the 2 WGMS signals were worth but I'm wondering what exactly your source believes they're worth? And also, it seems to me that when you buy a station, you buy the equipment and the library too which means Bonneville would not be in a position to actually donate the library. That would be the decision of Red Zebra no? (12/8/06) Dave's response: Those are questions for the experts. I guess it depends on the purchase contract for the station. I assume that it's for the FCC license and the towers/transmitters and maybe some of the "intellectual property" of the station (format, employees, etc.) but probably not the studio facilities, which are in Bonneville's broadcast complex on Idaho Avenue. Dan Snyder already has a broadcast complex for Triple X in Silver Spring. I suspect that if Snyder is planning to dump the classical format, he's not going to need a boatload of Beethoven records and the restroom beard trimmer once used by Dennis Owens. Oh, speaking of Mr. Owens, dig the next post (below)..... Hey Big Dave!!! Even in the hinterlands of S.W.Florida we follow your scribings!!! Noted today your report on developments at the olde homestead, WGMS!!! (Actually I still do some work for the On-Line service, Viva La Voce, which is a pre-recorded.computerized service) I’ll be waiting to see what ELSE you can find out!!! The big question among us who are interested must be ….are they gonna work out a swop of frequencies or simply take over the 104.1 frequency and ADD IT to whatever they have down the dial??!! By the way, radio is gawdawful here and TV is frequently not far behind!!! But, Nathan Roberts TOLD me it would be that way!!!!(He usta work in Florida!)... Classical Chortles, Former Morning Mogul, Dennis Owens (12/8/06) Oh good grief. I like WTWP, WTOP, and WGMS. The last thing I need on any radio station is Don & Mike (I grew out of them YEARS ago) or others like them. I’d like intelligent adult news radio and intelligent adult music. Those three stations are the ONLY ones providing much of that in the DC area. The LAST thing I need is more Redskins. And I don’t think I should have to pay for the privilege of adult radio. Put the Redskins on HD and leave the classical music alone…Mary in Centreville, VA (12/8/06) Dave's response: Thousands of DC area drivers (myself included) use WGMS to battle their "road rage" at the plethora of stupid drivers on area highways. I suspect it's going to be a lot more "nutso" out there on the Beltway without those calming classical sounds on the airwaves..... Re: WGMS. Sad for those of us who care for this type of music, and really sad in light of the improved programming GMS has shown over the last few months. Unfortunately, part of a growing trend. It really kicked off in the mid-90's when Philadelphia's commercial WFLN, a steady but unspectacular classical cash cow parked on a good signal that had massive FM and AM coverage from Delaware to Central NJ, was unceremoniously kicked to the curb by a management that literally said in their announcement "Classical music has no place on the commercial dial. If you're so upset about it, find a public or educational station and we'll give the record library to them". Face it: demographics talk, and the music walks. That's why NYC has only one commercial classical station left (and that's gone when former AIG big-wig "Felonious" Greenberg finally puts the syndicate together to take over the New York Times Media Empire, such as it is), no prog-rock, no standards, no cw and all the former good hosts who really knew the music on Sirius or XM. And that's the city that gave us Allison Steele, the NightBird, the Voice that launched a million teenaged masturbatory fantasies! This is why I recommend XM as "radio the way I remember it". Genghis Cohen (12/8/06) Ok, all of you crying about WGMS being sold to Danny boy. Face it nothing is the same. Lets bring back all the radio stations, WMAL FM, WEAM, WEEL. Things change. Like one post said, "you wanted Danny boy to get a station that you can hear. He gets WGMS ,and all of you cry. (12/8/06) I have listened to the Hideout for the last couple of nights and I have to say that they have really improved since they left. It seems to me like they would fit in with the station format at JFK. Come on Hughes! And to answer someone from yesterday - John Normand and Travis (O'Meara's fantasy football partner) both do voice work for commercials on WJFK. (12/8/06) "I swear 80% of the people that contribute to this mailbag really need a nice cup of STFU for Christmas." Christmas: Bringing Out the Best in People Since 0001. (12/8/06) (Regarding the sale of WGMS:) could you please post this on your web site so people can call bonneville, they are not giving any e-mails out , this information is posted on Washington post.com site as well. will appreciate if you keep it anonymous CALL OR WRITE TO COMPLAIN to Bonneville HQ, they are not giving out any e-mails. 801.575.7500... 55 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180 (12/8/06) I've really missed the Hideout since they've been gone - while it's been fun to hear them this week, it's a little disappointing that it might not continue. Hopefully if WJFK doesn't snap them up, someone else locally (or on satrad) will! Glen / Wheaton (12/8/06) Hideout - WHAT?! Welcome back boys! Great to have something cool to listen to again in the evenings again!! - JFK PLEASE HIRE THEM!!! PLEASE! I SAID PLEASE!!! 5000 (12/8/06) Meanwhile on the OTHER 104 front (WSMJ 104.3 Baltimore), Clear Channel just filed an amendment to their FCC CP request to move that station from Kingsville Maryland (well northeast of Baltimore) to Baltimore city's TV Hill (via the near 1300 foot FOX45 tower). The amendment lowers the power slightly and the antenna height to just under 1000 feet. I wonder if Red Zebra and/or Bonneville filed an objection of some kind. I know Dave Loudin will disagree, but from the newer revised signal plots, it still sure looks like Baltimore's 104.3 will be guilty of a little "encroachment" on DannyboyLand's new but not improved 104.1 signal from southern Maryland. I think Laurel to Columbia is still going to be a sore spot for Redskins fans but its certainly an improvement over the current situation. I now wonder if Snyder will still invest all that money in the WXTR AM730 upgrade now. It seems like he's pretty much bought himself out of that difficult and costly upgrade that would have taken possibly years to build. Maybe Dulles gets another industrial park instead of a tower farm? Wow, the battle's over even before the NIMBYs could organize a mob! :-) (12/8/06) Hi Dave, Thanks for the quick response on Nov 29. In order to update what you said re: Spanish language tv in the Balto/DC metro area, you are right, Telefutura 47 and Telemundo 64 is only available via a VERY expensive digital package on Comcast. Azteca America 69 isn't even on their lineup yet (despite the press release; see biz.yahoo.com) It makes no sense to me because they ARE local TV channels. ( I can't wait for FIOS to start doing apartments in Columbia!!!) However, I'd still like to know, (and if you or your readers know the answer that'd be great) why is it that WMDO Telefutura 47, WZDC Telemundo 64 and WQAW Azteca America 69 (which are LOCAL channels) are only available on low power OTA TV. What purpose does it serve them to transmit over such a small area? What can be done if at all, or what can they do to switch to high power, it just seems like it a case of serious disenfranchisement to be unable to serve your community in a large metropolitan area because the majority of viewers can't even see you. Whose signal would they interfere with anyway? There aren't any other stations transmitting on 47, 64, or 69 nearby to my knowledge. Heck I can even see Univision 14 and both Balto./DC English language stations w/o a problem here in Columbia. Just my two cents here. Take care and stay warm. Fabricio in Columbia (12/8/06) Dave's response: Local cable companies are only required to carry full-power TV stations within their own markets. In the DC market, only 14 is a "must carry" among the Spanish TV signals. Channels 47 and 64 are carried because Comcast wants to, or has made a deal to, and not because of any FCC rule. In the Baltimore market, which includes Columbia, Arlington VA-based 14 is not a "must carry" signal. Some stations, like local 47 and 64, simply have low-power licenses. It has to do with intereference issues involving other stations. In short, a station simply can't hike its power without FCC approval..... "Good job WJFK board op. Somebody screwed up commercials around 12:18pm" - Thanks for keeping an eye on that Sparky - let us know of any other errors you might hear on the radio... Christ, get a life. (12/8/06) Dave's response: From now on, if you hear any technical glitch on WJFK-FM, send your report to lmoonves@cbs.com. He'll really appreciate hearing from you..... Leslie Cornelius Arends (September 27, 1895 - July 17, 1985) Congressman Arends is dead and so is classical music. May they both rest in peace. Now can we please have some fun rooting for the Redskins? The people have spoken. We want Redskins. We want fun. We want sports. No more golden plates. We want golden plays. We want first downs. We want tochdowns. "Hail to the Redskins, Hail Victory..........................." (12/8/06) Had to chuckle this morning learning of the (soon to be) Red Zebra purchase of 104.1. In the 90's when BZ flipped 100.3 to Oldies 100, his entire marketing effort and strategy against XTRA was the poor 104.1 signal issue, which was very effective. So, here we are 13 years later and he's about to pitch the fact that Red Zebra will excel on 104.1 because of its superior signal. God, I love this business. (12/8/06) "Should be an interesting test to see if Snyder really cares about DC, or if he just cares about another buck." Look at the Redskin organization! What else needs to be said. (12/8/06) I'd love to hear The Hideout w/ El Jefe & JDubs back on WJFK on a regular basis. It makes perfect sense... (12/8/06) WJFK should definitely sign the Hideout. The week's test shows have been very entertaining and Shaffee is a good addition to the show. It's a no-braimer for the evening lineup. Garrafa/Falls Church (12/8/06) Snyder has another option, actually – if WGMS went digital (HD), he could continue the classical format on one of the subcarriers (WAMU is doing that now) – of course, that means folks would have to BUY radio capable of receiving digital signals.. but a give-away promotion of some kind could jump-start that.. then again, the older folks who listen to WGMS could well afford the cost.. OR Snyder could DONATE one of his lower power stations to a local non-profit and THEY could continue the format while HE gets a nifty tax write-off. Keep up the good work! Dave (12/8/06) NBC4's Steve Villanueva replied to my e-mail and told me that both his parents are from Argentina. So therefore, he's got an "Argentinian look" (thank goodness he's better looking than Diego Maradona!) He's a great guy with a wonderful sense of humor. Signed, -Silvie "Evita" in Waldorf- (12/8/06) HAHAHA! Even the zombie idiot who thinks Howard Stern is still relevant is obsessed with a Sirius merger with XM. If you really crave XM so bad, then just dump your crappy Sirius unit and buy XM. Its obvious you want to. It will be okay, creepy Uncle Mel won't mind. Once Sirius goes bankrupt and is out of business, no one will care. Hell, even Howie has XM in his limo... (12/8/06) All you people did was bitch bitch bitch about the Skins not having a decent broadcast signal for games and now that Dan Snyder is trying to rectify that by buying a station with a stronger signal, all you do is bitch bitch bitch about losing the classical format and have the audacity to BLAME him?!? I swear 80% of the people that contribute to this mailbag really need a nice cup of STFU for Christmas. (12/8/06) I agree with you about your WGMS rant. Another example is when they killed off WGAY and now no one is in this market with that format. Aren't WGMS's ratings better than those of WTWP? (That's the most boring format this side of NPR. Snooze radio.) They couldn't split the signal and have Post radio on one of the two frequencies (1500 or 107.7) and WGMS on the other? I guess that makes too much sense. Like baseball, it appears that radio is mostly run by people who have fixed ideas (mostly bad) and can't figure out their own business. Tim Phares (12/8/06) Will Don & Mike fit into one of your Best/Worst categories, Dave? (12/8/06) Dave's response: My theory is that Don isn't really Don. Since spring, his radio show has been done by an imposter..... Good job WJFK board op. Somebody screwed up commercials around 12:18pm. (12/8/06) There is a staff meeting (just called by Zier) at 10 AM for all Red Zebra employees. Hmmmmm...wonder what that could be about? (12/8/06) Don't you just love the radio biz? Here Bonneville has a classical station that produces a nice revenue stream. And while it does have an older audience, it shares that audience with the big money producer, WTOP (many P1 GMS listeners are P2 TOPers and vice versa). It also is a vehicle that can be used to drive audience to TOP. And then along comes Danny Boy with a suitcase apparently filled with more cash than Oxley has ever seen before and says "do you mind if I take that radio station off your hands? I really need a better signal for the Redskins." Now Oxley, being a long-time Redskins fan, apparently says, "Oh my! That's a lot of money. And it's going to help the Redskins? Of course we'll take the money!" And what is Oxley left with? Buying out fine folks like Diana Hollander, James Bartell, John Chester, et al, (certainly hope Bonnevile shows its "family values" and takes care of them), and a radio station that so far has not caught on with listeners, WaPoRad. As part of that deal, Oxley and company have to deal with a newspaper that has falling subscription numbers, that has cut staff to save money, and that has no idea how to market a radio station and apparently doesn't want to know. Wouldn't anyone jump at that opportunity? (12/8/06) Dave's response: Let's face it, while there are some cool folks (Burd, Moss, Howard, Levey, Kur) on WTWP, the Washington Post Radio thingo will never catch on. Not unless they hire Elliot for mornings and Don and Mike for afternoons. With WGMS cut loose, the only success Farley and Oxley will be left with is newser WTOP. One station. Uno. Solomente. Yeah, it gets great ratings, but it is very costly. Wouldn't surprise me to see Bonneville sell it and a new owner flip it to female-oriented adult contemporary (Movin'). With Clear Channel's sports talk WTEM, fresh from a Triple X ratings whoopin', flipping to a news talk mix, modeled after Richmond's WRVA..... Dear Dave: Regarding WGMS: smart move by Dan Snyder to address signal deficiencies of his current stations (especially in Ashburn, where the Redskins practice), but a sad situation in that another area station with a legacy format may well be on the way out. Nature of the modern-day broadcasting beast, I guess, and another reason why I'm smiling each time I turn on my XM receiver. So many things are different in the industry to the point that I wonder if my Dad would have been able to successfully start his career today rather than when he did so 56 years ago. BTW, Dave, are you doing a "Best/Worst" this year? Sincerely, Joe Kasell (12/8/06) Dave's response: Yes, we will kick off our annual end-of-the-year B/W funfest next week..... so... by a conservative calculation, a signal combo like 104.1/103.9 is worth easily 60-70 Mil in the #8 market in America. so who's saying Snyder paid 120 Mil for these? that would be Al Saunders/Greg Williams money, eh? Bennett Zier may be callin' plays from the sidelines next year for Dan chippin' in that kinda money. WOW~! (12/8/06) If Sirius fails, I wonder if Howard Stern will end up with the $500 billion he got in his contract. (12/8/06) Should be an interesting test to see if Snyder really cares about DC, or if he just cares about another buck. If he cares about the town, he should try to put the classical format on his orginial stations, keeping it alive in some respect. Or he could do what I suspect that he will do, which is turn around and sell the old stations one by one. I for one would have liked him to have swapped stations (103.9/104.1 for 94.3/92.7/730 and cash) so that Bonneville could keep the commercial classical station in the market somehow. But I'm guessing that the format will finally be let to die, with the music library going to the likes of WETA-FM. Allen Seth Dunn (12/8/06) As the front page says, "not done at the local level". Just like other decisions like not running lottery commercials and MORE. If you think millions are left in the hands of Farley and Oxley, just because things are going well and they are they ONLY news station in town, I've got some land I'd like to sell you. Make that two "empty suits" and one XXX large. Ken/Silver Spring (12/8/06) Great to hear Jefe and Dubs back on local radio again! The Hideout is a great addition to WJFK, and the guys have successfully morphed into true professionals, while retaining their unique personalities - really hope they are invited back SOON. Maybe the best night time show ever on D.C. radio! (12/8/06) Dave's response: Come on Michael Hughes, sign the "Hideout" guys to an evening deal on JFK. A no-brainer..... Why do people feel the need to bash XM or Sirius because they subscribe to the other? I don't get it. It's just SatRad...choose the one whose content is more appealing. But don't waste your time bashing the other one (and at times, their subscribers). Unless you work at XM or Sirius, you have no vested interested in trying to sway peoples opinion one way or the other. Even if you're a stockholder...your attempts at swaying opinions will not earn your one red cent on your investments. Hate to break it to you...but that's just the way it is. You all sound like a bunch of propaganda-influenced lemmings. (12/8/06) Where are the stories of how no one believed this time last year that Howard would have an impact with Sirius, and 4+ million subscribers later they've narrowed the gap with XM and this time next year could very well pull ahead? Where are the stories about the declining numbers of new XM subs, even after creating the Oprah Channel? Or the zero impact O&A have made on new subs, even though they are now on 26 terestrial stations, giving free commercials? Sirius, not XM, is in the drivers seat these days, and Papa Mel sees the writing on the wall that there very well may be a finite number of people willing to pay for satellite radiounder the current situation of competing companies. How many people subscribe to both? I'd guess maybe 1/4 of Sirius also get XM, so maybe when all is shook out we're looking at maybe 10-11 million people who get the systems. Ultimately Stern & Baseball & XMU & Football & Fungus & Jim Bruer & Ron and Fez & NBA & Bob Dylan & Bubba The Love Sponge & NHL & Farrell & Willie Nelson all on one system would completely and totally rule, and would be an excellent united front against the threats of HD Radio and any provider, like Apple, that can develope sexy internet radio receivers. (12/8/06) Oh, the hazards of an open microphone ... News Channel 8's reporting of the floor collapse in Rosslyn was going just fine, but on the handoff back to the studio a little after 11AM, a loud female voice from the scene was heard to say, "Girl, I cain't feel mah L-L-LEGS!" Hopefully, that was a comment related to the cold temperatures and not a mockery of the workers trapped under building debris. Either way, someone's got some 'splainin' to do. (12/8/06) Dave's response: Well, it was cooooooooold out there, with the wind whipping down the concreate canyons of "beautiful" Rosslyn..... "To Justin in McLean: Your lame explanation is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with this country today. If you're hurt by the N-word it's because you're over-sensitive, soft and weak. Point-blank! People need to toughen up in this country or political correctness will destroy us." - Excuse me, but really, give me a break. "The embodiment of everything that is wrong with this country today"? Wow. So basically, things were much better when white people were calling black people the N-word, and black people didn't complain about it for fear of being lynched? It doesn't make me over- sensitive, soft or weak to think that white people should not use the "N-word" to refer to black people. And it sure as hell doesn't make a black person who has a problem with a white person using that word towards them "over-sensitive, soft and weak", and that is pretty disgusting to say that, frankly. People can be plenty tough and still have a problem with the historical implications of the word. The "n-word" isn't just about the word itself, but how and why white people used it to refer to black people. It's a term used to express racial dominance, and there is a reason most white people don't use it now, beyond "political correctness". Political correctness will "destroy us"? Again, give me a break. Certainly political correctness can be taken too far sometimes, but in terms of not using blatantly derogatory and demeaning words, and showing some damned respect to fellow human beings, it's hardly going to destroy us. Seriously, how the hell does it destroy us, and how does it represent everything that is wrong with this country that we at least try to curb racism and lack of respect for our fellow citizens? - Justin in McLean (12/8/06) I agree with the other poster—Sirius does seem desperate. I want to be able to have a choice of providers when it comes to satellite radio. Competition will make the industry healthier in the long-term. Plus, I don’t want to pay the freight for that Petri dish known as Howard Stern. (12/8/06) Ratings disaster Washington Post Radio is sucking incredible amounts of cash from Bonneville. It's damn expensive to run a live and local news talk format, even if you have the news resources of the paper at your disposal. So, the sale of underperforming classical WGMS will bring a pile of cash and look good on the Bonneville's 2006 balance sheets, especially as it's coming before the end of the year. The death of WGMS can be blamed on the Washington Post and its dopey radio dreams. (12/8/06) This is really a sad day and truly marked that money and big media will win out over the listeners. I thought Bonneville would be higher than that, but I guess I was wrong. I didn’t mind WP Radio because it was different and were trying to compete against NPR. However, by taking out WGMS, you’re losing on not only a moneymaker, but the company or station that says “You stand out from the rest.” And this HD Radio stuff…that is load of crap. One, who is ever going to pay attention to a secondary station and no one will buy HD Radio because does it has better sound, its clearer, can you hear announcers breathe or eating? HD Radio is vastly overrated. Oh, if I were the people at WETA-FM radio, I would make the move back to classical, immediately. Since you alienated everyone, now it’s time to make peace and bring a new audience because some of us (my father included who loved WGMS) would want their classical music, and they will actually pledge. Well, at least this news is thumping the D&M mailbag (oh wait…I spoke too soon). Tracy (12/8/06) Dave's response: I hear Jim Farley was negotiating to land Don and Mike for WGMS's morning drive. "The Radio Gods (Don and Mike) All Morning, The Music Gods (Beethoven and Bach) All Day." But when that deal fell through, he decided to ditch the station. Just jooooooking..... Since we're all assuming that the sale is going through and the classical station is going to cease to exist, it's time to look forward. If you think this is a bad move, then e-mail/call/mail the other local stations advocating that they pick up some classical music to take up the slack. Sample some of the classical music stations being streamed on the web and increase their traffic. Let the local sports teams know that - if they go on Red Zebra - you won't buy tickets to their games, buy their merchandise, or watch them on TV or radio. Set up an outdoor antenna to pull in the Ravens games on 13 and 45. Just shut out all the teams and stores that in one way or another support Red Zebra. Of course, there are enough local stations struggling in the ratings that it'd make sense for someone to flip to classical to pull in the disaffected audience. - Benjamin Elliott (12/8/06) (Bonneville co-owned) WTOP is running a story about the (WGMS) deal. It mentions that "both sides confirm the deal is in the final stages" and that "employees of WGMS were informed" of the situation. Here's the link to the story on the WTOPNews.com website: www.wtopnews.com... (12/8/06) Why is Sirius so desperate for a merger? Every time a Sirius executive gets in front of a microphone, all they can talk about is how great a merger would be, how beneficial a merger would be to them, and how wonderful a merger would work. Joining XM is all Sirius can think about. They're obsessed with XM. Notice that you NEVER hear an XM executive talk about the benefits of a merger. Why? Because the XM business plan is working. XM is lowering their cost-to-add subscribers at a rapid pace, they are leveraging relationships with GM and Honda to put more units in automobiles, and XM is on target to be cash-flow-positive by the Q1 2007. That's right - positive cash flow is less than 6 months away. Seems the only people who would benefit from a merger would be the Sirius executive board - because they're all headed for unemployment at this rate. (12/8/06) Is there any chance that Bonneville would keep the GMS format on the web like Vivalavoce?? A victory for Danny Boy and Redskins fans, a big loss for lovers of classical music in DC. (12/8/06) Dave's response: Ahhh, Danny. DC's own Napoleon..... Who runs Bartertown? www.washingtonpost.com... Tim in Warrenton (12/8/06) Dave's response: Hey, a Sirius-XM merger would be great. I'd love to hear Howard on XM. Just don't fuck with my XMU. Okay?!?! Nobody in Utah is giving any direction to Oxley nor Farley. They have never taken orders from there, and they never will. As long as they bring in the money and bring no shame to the church, they can do whatever they want, as well they have. A loss of classical is not going to bring shame to the church, no matter how vocal some local members may be. I do hope the classical format lives on in HD on WTOP-2. Bonneville wanted to get rid of 104.1 almost from the day they purchased it. It is why certain projects were on hold for nearly a year. Former market mangler Kari Winston showed neither remorse nor reticence in voicing her digust for the station and desire to be rid of it through any means possible. Bonneville has only owned it for ten years. The irony is they originally purchased it as leverage to get WGMS, and Evergreen made them take WTOP in that deal. (12/8/06) Interesting comment about the FCC not picking on Big Radio here lately. The FCC mandated the massive Rebanding of the 800 MHz public safety and cellular bands about 2 years ago. They had no clue what they were getting themselves into. Nextel is footing the bill for the nationwide project in exchange for some valuable spectrum farther up the band. Big problem is that the licensee's are all fighting with Nextel over funding, and a big percentage of these cases are going up to the FCC for rulings. Couple that with the DTV 700 MHz mandate and requirements of Public Safety licensees to file their spectrum plans for the 700 space, and well you get the picture. The FCC really doesn't have much time left on their hands to worry about picking on radio stations for questionable broadcasting. (12/8/06) "RADIO HAS DIED....AND WILL CONTINUE TO DIE, until someone comes along that goes back to LOCAL news, weather, great music and great personalities..ANG" -- I share your feelings, Ang, but those days are gone. In this era of media conglomerates owning nearly all the stations, consultants who know nothing about the business dictating what songs get played (in bed with the incestuous entertainment companies, who dictate who the "next big thing" will be), the only thing that matters is the bottom line. What listeners want is merely secondary to how much money the big companies can make and how little they have to spend in order to make it