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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - January 1 to January 4, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ January 4 Messages \/ Although WTOP is the only terresterial radio signal I regularly listen to amymore, I still have yet to hear Neil Augenstein's segments on lost rock houses. I hope he does a report on "the place where louie dwells" that was in Bailey's Crossroads... Or, am I the only one old enough to remember it? (1/4/07) Dave's response: Check out the excellent series at www.wtopnews.com..... I live out of town now, but I am intregued about who has replaced Susan Kidd on News4@5. Has a permanent replacement been selected yet, or is Wendy flying solo? Thanks. Dean, Miami (1/4/07) Dave, about the Brit Hume-Megyn Kendall rumored affair: that's all it is - a nasty rumor. The quote on your source clearly states: "There is no evidence to suggest that the rumors are true. Of the half-dozen sources who relayed the allegation to Radar, none could claim first-hand knowledge, and several Fox insiders said they believed it to be false." I know that Brit is a thorn on the Democrats' side, but don't these people have an agenda to run now that they're in power instead of making up stories of possible affairs amongst newscasters? -Silvie in Waldorf- (1/4/07) Don@Mike show was great today. Thanks for the great show.If you do not like ,change the dial,its that easy.Its only a radio show .......With many others to chose from..Dan Stafford Va (1/4/07) The Junkies are absolutely in the power position at WJFK. While many have complained about the incessant posting about Don & Mike, frankly unless many are being deleted, there have been precious few posts about and concerning their return, as opposed to the number of posts about their self-imposed absence. While most of my info about D&M is culled from this site, I did take the time to listen to the first 45 minutes of their return. I have to say I feel sorry for Don Geronimo, the fire is gone. His claimed personal problems aside, the first thing the radio executives did to mollify him was to offer him the morning gig...contingent on the Junkies acquiescence. Instead of saying, he didn't want it, or that wasn't the issue, he waits until he gets the answer that Junkies don't want to do a flip-flop, at which time then tells the listeners...that wasn't the problem anyhow..that his anger and grief issues are still the dominant factor in his quitting..hmmm. He then goes on to tell us that sitting at home wasn't bad at all, and that he liked doing nothing, then why return? Mixed in is some vague babble about him coming to terms with his anger, guilt, and the seeking of professional help...etc. Meantime, apparently, Mike and others were making plans to return to broadcasting in some form or another, sans Donni. After some weeks he magically comes to grips with his issues, rounds up the old crew and makes tracks for a triumphant return. I don't know the guy or what his issues are, but I can say I would have happily had his retirement remain permanent, leaving room for something else, or even a Mike and friends show. After his long winded and sad apologetic mea culpa on Tuesday, they tried to return to their normal show. After about 5 minutes, it was Click, and on to other entertainment programming. I felt like I was watching Willie Mays hobble along in the outfield during his last sad moments as a ballplayer. Opinions to the contrary aside, I do think the two fat men have left the barn door open and many of the horses have escaped. I think the numbers will prove this in the future. These guys used to get press when they married a group of idiots, or dipped themselves in chocolate. Now they disappear for 7 weeks and not even a blurb in any local press, outside of DCRTV. Besides a few overactive and involved posters on this site, I really do think many have moved on to better or different programming. (1/4/07) Dave's response: I haven't deleted any D&M posts (pro or con) in the past month or so. I have edited a few to remove what I've deemed to be tasteless or unnecessary references to Don's late wife..... (Regarding Don and Mike:) Tonight they are running the homo fag routine. I understand that they run the corporate attack teeth dejure and that they probably could care less about fags but it does conger disbelief that life-suffering bereaved Donimgo is able to sling out hate in his days of self-suffering. I hope this creepy 'I swear to Christ on the grave ' low life psychoprick is able to continue running this window on corporate pattypant sweets. (1/4/07) I love these Baltimorons coming out of the woodwork with their revisionism to ease their consciences about stealing a team from the much better football city of Cleveland. Fact is, Modell was always known as one of the sleaziest owners in the NFL and proved it in that case. (1/4/07) Shawn Yancy calling Michelle Fenty a "transexual attorney" instead of a "transactual attorney"... although to Yancy's credit, she corrected herself immediately... good catch, Shawn! (1/4/07) Greetings Dave, Just a reminder that Arch Campbell makes his Internet debut on Creature Feature the Weekly Web Program this Saturday night at www.countgore.com! He's co-hosting "The Wasp Woman" with Count Gore De Vol and while he does try some stand up routines, he shines at coffin comedy! The show will run for two weeks... Dick Dyszel (1/4/07) Well it looks like Don & Mike's sabbatical has killed their ad sales. I'm listening to their 5pm commercial break over the air and with all the non-paying PSAs that they're running it's beginning to sound like their internet feed. Yikes. (1/4/07) I likes me some Baltomorons. They sher iz sensitive. (1/4/07) Dave's response: Marty Bass, is that you? A FACTOID to Tim Phares........ #1 Anyone who types "BaltiMORON" is not only a moron himself, but an INSULTING ARROGANT IDIOT as well. It's BaltiMOREAN. Write it down idiot............ #2 Neither Baltimore or Cleveland EVER offered a REAL stadium proposal to EITHER owner, hence BOTH CITIES LOST THEIR NFL TEAMS. It's that simple really when you look at the facts. Whether either decision was justified is debatable.............. #3 What's not debatable is that the details are certainly different despite what you might hear from revisionist history Cleveland apologist idiots like NBC's Bob Costas........... To even begin to compare Bob Irsay to Art Modell is beyond even the most unbelievable form of revisionist history known to mankind, but I'm sure arrogant idiots like BOB COSTAS and yourself will always do so in stupidity for eternity. So let's set the facts straight.... The differences were/are simple and if WBAL 11's late sportscaster Chris Thomas were here today, he'd give you this earful better than I can....... 1 owner was a before noon 7 day a week falling down drunk making complicated NFL team decisions with no mental capacity to do so. I mean, seriously, would a non-intoxicated person make a decision to call moving vans in the middle of the night during a huge snowstorm to move an NFL team and its equipment or trade away John Elway without consulting anyone in the organization while in a drunken stupor and barely remember even doing it the next day?!? Would Art Modell call a press conference at BWI airport as he got off a plane from Phoenix and curse at reporters live on local TV before fans and children just getting home from grade school, claiming he was just back from Chicago (all the while footage of the bastard helicoptering into a sold-out stadium to negotiate the move of the team to a different city plays in the backround)? I watched this fiasco live on WJZ so I remember as if it were yesterday. I even remember that the airport board showing flights just in didn't even HAVE a Chicago flight on it! Did Art Modell ever do an interview and claim he graduated from a college and played football and was Catholic and not Jewish (all of which was untrue, source: ESPN)? I mean, c'mon, this man was clown college material at best! I don't even have to defend Art Modell to win this argument. You can say anything you want about Art Modell hurting the fans of Cleveland, etc, etc, etc, but you'll NEVER be able to say anything like what I just typed about the man. Art Modell WILL eventually go into the NFL Hall of Fame for what he's done for the NFL (and it has nothing to do with Baltimore or Cleveland), DESPITE IDIOTS LIKE BOB COSTAS AND YOU. Trust me, HELL will surely freeze over before either Bob Irsay or his smart-ass "Give me a million dollars and you can have the Colts name and legacy" son Jimmy ass-crack gets into the NFL Hall of Fame. Rant over. (1/4/07) Dave: Thanks for the response concerning Johnny Dark; seems like a shame that people in the U.S.A. cannot listen to this legend! Tom in Denton. MMD. (1/4/06) Dave's response: Yeah, Johnny discussed that sad fact in our discussion on Rusty Gibson's WEBR show a few months ago. Worldspace is not available within the USA, even though Johnny does his show from Silver Spring..... (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Sales Sponsorship Manager - Comcast SportsNet-Mid Atlantic, a 24-hour regional cable television network is seeking a Sales Sponsorship Manager sell advertising and sports sponsorship campaigns for Comcast SportsNet, with heavy emphasis on play by play products such as the Washington Wizards, Washington Capitals, DC United, Washington Mystics, NCAA Football and ACC/NCAA Basketball. For more information and to apply, please go to www.ComcastSportsNet.com - Employment Opportunities. Comcast is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Drug-free workplace employer. (1/4/07) You know, the arguing over the relative merits of XM vs. Sirius is getting as obnoxious as the verbal wanking that's going on between the lovers and haters of Don and Mike. I remember two friends, brothers actually getting into a fistfight over whether Molson Golden was better tasting than Molson Ice (no contest, Golden wins). Principle seems the same. I don't see either company going away anytime soon. Whether Howard Stern has pumped up Sirius' numbers, and/or whether Oprah or O&A or whomever is over XM has helped or not helped, it doesn't matter. I have XM, and I enjoy it for the music (Bluesville, Fine Tuning and the 80's to whit), not the babbleheads. A coworker of mine has Sirius, and she digs the music, particularly Little Steven's Underground Garage. She could care less about Hoo-Hoo Howard. So to put a point on it, shut up and stop bitching! They both exist, they will exist and you'll just have to live with it. Kind of how D&M still exist, despite the wailings of some who hate them so much they have to listen every day to find something else to complain about. Vicki (1/4/07) It is funny to see Wendy go wild in this clip. (Check the first :50 sec) www.youtube.com (1/4/07) Dave, Why are you protecting Donnie G by altering user emails before you post them? The big guy slaughtered you in his online blog and also insulted the memory of your mother in a round about way. He mentioned sex with his new woman on the air. I mention it in an email and you delete it? Come on dude, fight fire with fire! (1/4/07) "I think all of the D&M bashers should get a life. If you do not like them FINE. DO NOT LISTEN! If you do then listen. The radio has more than just one station even though that the DC market is horrible when It comes to radio. No one but Don can understand or feel what he is personally is going through even if you lost someone that you loved each situation is different based on that person and that relationship. It is him and his life not yours so stop acting like children." -- Thank You! Well Said! (1/4/07) ("I find it so amusing that all the people that posted on this site a few weeks ago, demanding an apology from D&M, now have nothing to say about that!" Why would there be anything else to say?! An apology was given by D&M, which is enough. Would you like to say "something extra"? Be our guest.) Okay = You asked for it. I beg to differ that an apology was issued. Oh sure, they said the words, but did they comment on leaving the "WTF" posted for so long and explain what it meant? Did they say "Listeners, we are sorry for the way we took you for granted"? Did they really do more than just say the words "We're sorry"? As promised, I did not listen when they returned, so I may have missed something that was said that I didn't read about. Two final points. One = Mike is a talent who could have carried the show until 2 Jan. Two = Don is such a hypocrite, in that he claims to have had these feelings for some time, yet every show is a detailed account of his every action since the last show. (Some talent, huh?) Isn't it funny that he never mentioned any of this on the air, if his life is so open as he claims. Hey, I believe Don is sincere (yeah right) when he says my feelings "this and that" for my deceased wife, soooooooo I think I will take a mont h and a half PAID vacation and move my new "slice" into to shack up with me. That should help me cope. What, the listeners have problems with coping and feeling like they have been left hanging = F*** the listeners. Let's remember WHO is important here. Good thing that you didn't turn back to drugs to help you cope Donnie, or ????? It is your turn to defend this poor scum bag. Be my guest. Mike in Sterling (1/4/07) Dave, didn't you predict over a year ago that 104.1 would go sports/talk? (1/4/07) Dave's response: At least that long ago..... If the Junkies have more "power" than Don & Mike, Don & Mike should definitely leave WJFK in 2008, when their contract expires. Why should they stick around to be second banannas to the Junkies? The Junkies will never be as good as Howard Stern. They aren't as good as Don & Mike, who blow. Maybe the stupid assed station will be sold and both the Junkies and Don & Mike will have to look for work elsewhere. Has any radio station ever tried to put on a 24/7 hard-core heavy metal lineup? I mean Real Metal, not the watered down crap DC 101 plays. WJFK has a good signal that would be perfect to blast heavy metal throughout the D.C. area. (1/4/07) Dave's response: If CBS was smart, it would sell WJFK-FM to Redskins owner Dan Snyder for $44,999,999.99 - one penny less than what Bonneville's rumored to be asking for WGMS..... I suddenly find Wendy Rieger sexy. (1/4/07) Yes, I too heard the Junks confirm that they had been asked to "throw (Don) a bone" and said NO! Bravo boys - all past sins have been forgiven, I love you guys!! **Now** let's see if chubby Donnie has the stones to go to war with the Junks since they've aired a bit JFK dirty laundry. Yes, a good radio war, that's just what we need to start '07 - but, in the end, I doubt Donnie is going to have the clout to bump the Junks off the air as he did with Peter Rosenberg. As for D&M waddling thier way to XM or Sirius - I don't see it. Neither satrad business is short of talkers, and at XM, O&A and Ron and Fez have gone **back** to broadcast radio. If Donnie G. does get $2 mill a year from CBS, what kind of audience numbers would he and his tired afternoon zoo bring to XM or Siri for that kind of money? I don't see XM mall kiosks or Radio Shack stores being overrun with the "Radio Gods" Army devotees eager to sign up so they don't miss an episode of the excitement! As I've always believed, unless you are Howard Stern, the numbers in satrad will kill any talker looking for an audience - take XM, 120 or so channels, times 7 million customers, times three time zones leaves you with the infamous 30,000 number for Q&A when XM wanted $3.95 a month for their content. Satrad doesn't publish ratings numbers for good reason. I'll bet Ron and Fez reach more listeners on their 6 to 9pm shift @ 92.3 in NYC than they ever did live from 12 to 2:45 on XM 202... DAPJDJinVA07 - now bereft of guilt that the DCRTV check is in the mail - really Dave!! (1/4/07) Dave's response: Gracias..... I know this doesn't have anything to do with the general purpose of the site Dave, so I apologize in advance. I HAD to respond to Tim Phares, and his post regarding the Colts/Browns situation. I don't know how old you are Tim, but I went to those Colts games in the early 80's. Me, and maybe 35,000 other people. The team was not well supported in the last 4 years it was here. The only sellout the Colts had in their last 3 years in Baltimore, was when a rookie quarterback named John Elway started a game here in September of 1983. Mike White, and the city council of Cleveland NEVER made a proposal to Art Modell for a publicly funded stadium in Cleveland. They proposed a low interest loan to Modell so he could fix that hell hole on Lake Erie, but they wanted him to do it on his own. People have to remember, Robert Irsay's main source of revenue was not his football team. It was his businesses in Chicago. Jimmy Irsay could retire now on what his old man left him, and never have to worry about paying his bills. Art Modell is 1 of only a handful of majority owners of major sports teams, that relied solely on his franchise, and what that franchise could generate, cash wise, for his livelihood. The football team is/was the family business. He made a decision to relocate his business. This happens in corporate America hundreds of times each year. It's only when civic pride becomes involved, like it did in the Browns move, to people come out of the woodwork to piss and moan. The man did what he had to do to save his business. You and I, faced with the same decision, would do the same thing, in order to save our business. At least I would. Bruce in Bel Air (1/4/07) If Bonneville sells 103.9/104.1, what makes you think that they will automatically give-up the intellectual property/brand which is WGMS- Classical? Don't be surprised if they stick the classical format/brand on their poorly performing stick at 107.7 and let wash post radio go it alone on 1500? (1/4/07) (___"Will the big mouth from Bonneville who bragged about Snyder overpaying be let go? I can't believe a big corporation like Bonneville would allow someone to say that."___) I was wondering the same thing. Normally big corporations muzzle their employees, especially when a big deal is involved. When Beatrice Foods bought Sarah Lee, not a peep was heard until after the deal. When Clear Channel bought KFGO in Fargo, everyone was told to be quiet. It sounds like Bonneville has a loose canon walking around. This person just cost Bonneville a lot of money. (1/4/07) The Junkies this morning confirmed that management asked them to "throw [Don] a bone" in regards to D&M moving to mornings. They flatly said no. Hmm. Don and Mike have been on the air (at different stations) for 25 years but it seems that The Junkies have more "power" at JFK than them. Interesting... Darren (1/4/07) Okay, HERE'S the difference between the Colts moving from Baltimore and the Browns moving from Cleveland. Cleveland was allowed to KEEP THEIR TEAM HISTORY. If you go onto the Cleveland Browns website, you can see the 60th Anniversary celebration of the franchise, all of the team's history is in tact. Cleveland was granted an expansion franchise within three seasons. THREE SEASONS!!!!! The uniforms, retired numbers and championship trophies (oops, strike that last one) are in Cleveland. The Colts stole everything from Baltimore. The history, the retired numbers, the uniforms, were all taken away in the dead of night. The Hall of Fame in Canton has Johnny Unitas and the Super Bowl III & V trophies under the "Indianapolis" Colts. If you go onto the Indianapolis Colts website, you get the history of the team from Indy's prespective and they are celebrating over 50 years in the NFL. I don't deny that both teams were stolen from their cities, but Baltimore tried for YEARS to legitimately get a team via expansion and the NFL jerked us around every time. Come on, does Jacksonville really deserve an NFL franchise? We're not hypocrites, we are the original victims. (1/4/07) I watched the Wendy Reiger Youtube.com video...what is she doing, if people haven't seen it, you should totally look at it on the web!! It is awesome to watch her and your mind can go anywhere it takes you! Lastly, D&M go to H E double Hockey Sticks!!! (1/4/07) What former lover was the inspiration for Carly Simon's #1 hit, You're So Vain? Answer, Carly will not admit who the song is about. If she finally does admit it, the world will know; speculation is it a combination of, or, one of, the following-Cat Stevens, Warren Beatty, Kris Kristofferson, (her unfaithful fiancé) William Donaldson, or possibly Simon's ex-husband, James Taylor (not likely). Or it could be no one in particular. 2) Is that really the ghost of a nine-year-old boy seen through a window in the film Three Men and a Baby? Answer, No, it is a large card board cut out picture of a boy that had been explained earlier, but, unfortunately, in a deleted scene. Did the cast of Green Acres barbecue and eat the pig that played Arnold Ziffel? Answer, Animal trainers in Hollywood NEVER turn over trained animals for consumption, Never ever. Would Rudd or Frank Weatherwax ever turn over a Lassie to be a beast of burden? Of course not. You now can go to bed early next Wednesday, nothing new here. (1/4/07) Is anyone else noticing how happy Joe Krebs has looked these last few days co-anchoring with Shannon Bream? He seems perky and even a little flirty at 6 am without having to prop up Barbara Harrison. WRC should keep Shannon Bream at this spot and phase out Harrison...Please! (1/4/07) Dave 1st off,Happy New Year... It's Dumb&Mike basher time again..They're back SO WHAT?? Who cares??I don't listen so I don't give a shit about why they were gone ETC. Please don't let the awesome mailbag turn in to the DUMB&MIKE DOUCHEBAG...It's a new year, we don't need to read @ the same old boring shit that these 2 fat worthless assholes seem to generate..Thanks I feel better now.. Let the bashing continue and to all you fans of the show.. I wish you luck in the new year...AMF from Delmarva............. (1/4/07) Why the fuck is WJFK ending O&A at 12:46pm yet AGAIN?!?!?!?! Piece of shit station! (1/4/07) Dave's response: To cram in 14 minutes of ads for sponsors who have bought spots "within" O&A's show. JFK does the same thing with D&M, who pull their vehicles out of the Hubbard Drive office complex parking lot at a quarter to 7..... (...If the deal with Snyder falls though, "nothing changes at WGMS...) What about the 3 sales people who were let go? Will they be "invited" back like the lacrosse players at Duke? Will all charges be dropped? Will there be a secial prosecuter assigned to investigate excessive feet dragging? Will the big mouth from Bonneville who bragged about Snyder overpaying be let go? I can't believe a big corporation like Bonneville would allow someone to say that. According to the Post, the comment about 50% more than it's worth was a red flag for Snyder. I don't blame Snyder a bit. No one likes to be made a fool of. I honestly hope that the deal falls through, and everyone loses their jobs. Enough is enough. Pioneer Day is right around the corner. (1/4/07) To the post: "Ed Grahan, how well could you tweak with the giant bureaucracy at The Washington Post as your "partner."????" All PDs have to program within the owners restrictions. Good ones know how and don't make excuses. You just have to make it the best station you can. Lee Abrams could "Fix" WTWP, WJFK, or any other format in DC. So could 25 other PDs that I know. Shame, none of them work in DC. Ed Graham (1/4/07) I'm listening to the top 100 of all time on www.ultimateoldies.com compiled by the lovely Janet and announced by the lovely Bob Mathers. It's really good stuff. You should look to this site for some nice music while you work. Bob sounds a little like Ken Merson, so tune in and get your fix. Shame we have to turn to the Internet, or SatRad to hear good radio. Ed Graham (1/4/07) (..."Bonneville is absolutely committed to doing everything possible to keep classical music in this market,"...) Notice how he says "market", and not station. It's clear that they would rather have WETA pick up the burden of playing classical warhorses all day. I don't blame them. (1/4/07) I think all of the D&M bashers should get a life. If you do not like them FINE. DO NOT LISTEN! If you do then listen. The radio has more than just one station even though that the DC market is horrible when I t comes to radio. No one but Don can understand or feel what he is personally is going through even if you lost someone that you loved each situation is different based on that person and that relationship. It is him and his life not yours so stop acting like children. (1/4/07) I love the way that Baltimorons think Bob Irsay was a bad guy for jerking the Colts away from them (which he was) but they seem to think that Art Modell is a good guy for doing the same thing to Cleveland. What a bunch of hypocrites. Both teams were being well supported and neither should have been jerked away from its fans. What makes it worse is that Modell blew off the Cleveland officials when they offered a new stadium and he spoke against expansion to Baltimore. But none of that seems to matter to the folks at ESPN 1300. Just because he served their interests (at the expense of the state of Maryland), he's some kind of saint. no, he does not belong in the Hall of Fame any more than Irsay does. Tim Phares (1/4/07) Have a question: I read the article on Johnny Dark yesterday..and am wondering..is this satellite service available to the general public? And if so, what exactly is it..and who would the general public get it? Thanks! Tom in Denton, MD. (1/4/07) Dave's response: Johnny's on Worldspace satellite radio, which is not available in the USA. You have to be in places like India and Europe to hear it..... Dave, Great shot of Willard! I wonder what ever happened to his daughter (my elementary school classmate) Mary. Anyone know? To the poster who provided the Wendy Rieger "rumpshaker" youtube link---priceless! I wonder if anyone has pics of our favorite newsbabe when she used to be makeupless and kinda' frumpy (when she was a weekend reporter)? Love to see those! (1/4/07) RE: WJFK-AM's selling of Art Modell for the HoF. I hope Art Modell does get elected into the Hall of Fame. As a Browns fan, I hate the bastard for what he did to my team and the best football fans in the country, but there is little denying what he did for the game as a whole. I also hope he goes to Canton, Ohio for the induction ceremony in person, but I bet he doesn't. (1/4/07) RE: INTERESTING WFMD/WFRE NOTICE OF SALE... I got a kick out of the first part of the Public Notice... "Clear Channel Communications, Inc., the corporate parent of Capstar TX Limited Partnership... (t)he general partner of Capstar TX Limited Partnership is AMFM Shamrock Texas, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Capstar Radio Operating Company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMFM Texas Broadcasting, L.P., whose general partner is AMFM Broadcasting, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMFM Radio Group, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMFM Operating, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Capstar Broadcasting Partners, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMFM Holdings, Inc., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of AMFM, Inc., which is wholly owned by Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a publicly-traded company..." (1/4/07) Hey Jack Diamond !! Go ahead and stay on vacation, Carson has everything under control. I think Carson, Erica or (Kristie) and the young one McFly make a great morning team, the show is "fresh" and up-beat. ABC (or whatever its going to be) if your listening, make the switch and for gods sake get rid of the "Jack Diamond in the mornings yesterday replay" yesterday is just that "yesterday", not 2 months or 6 months ago. Hell, I thought I heard Chilli on one of the replays. Hasn't she been gone for a while now? Just play music until 5:30, and then Carson can crack the mic. (1/4/07) The Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts were owned by Bob Irsay. The Cleveland Browns, later Baltimore Ravens were owned by Art Modell. BTW, I listened to DC101, Big 100 & WMZQ last night and they had the same generic traffic reporter who didn't give her name. Has Clear Channel wiped out the traffic dept? (1/4/07) Dave's response: The blurb has been fixed..... I too find it interesting (to use Bob Kur's favorite, all-purpose adjective) that WTWP is apparently moving David Burd to a weekday spot. His show is, unquestionably, the only morning show worth listening to on the weekends and he will be sorely missed. Could his producer, Kate Brown, be possibly taking his place? She's filled in quite capably in his absence before. And yes, I can see David Burd paired with Mike Moss in the morning--it would make the show more personality-driven and more of a direct competitor to Grandy and Andy on WMAL. But Victoria Jones? She reminds me of that Brit lady on the tv quiz show a few seasons back--but without the charm.--Rick from Alexandria (1/4/07) This is why it makes no sense to argue facts with some people. How can XM both be "maintaining" their subscription numbers and also lowering guidance, which, according to you, everyone does. Let me guess your retort ..but SIRI lowered their guidance. Actually, they did not. At the end of 2005, they predicted 6 million subscribers. They then bumped up the guidance in early 2006 to 6.3 million and then lowered it (essentially) back down to the original forecast a few weeks ago. Guess what? They HIT that number. XM, on the other hand, lowered guidance twice and ultimately is likely to even MISS that lower target. The bottom line is that SIRI now controls 60 percent of new additions, whereas before Stern, XM controlled 60 percent. That's a HUGE shift. If you think SIRI is just "catching up" what do you attribute that too? Before Howard announced, SIRI had only 600,000 subscribers. They've now increased that by an order of magnitude while XM is treading water. Also, Stern's contract has already paid for itself. The millions he has brought over, plus additional revenue from advertising covers that contract. Panero was too dumb to realize what a goldmine Stern is and passed. If XM had signed Howard, there wouldn't be a SIRI right now. Think about all the promotion, all the attempts to get people interested in O&A and now Ron and Fez by giving away "exclusive" content on the "free" airwaves. What has it done? Nothing. Where's the Oprah effect? Oh right, we don't mention that. Finally, quoting some line from a Biz Week article about stock prices doesn't prove a point. XM is down even more than SIRI is. From a high of more than 40 to round about 15 dollars a share. The only thing holding XM up at this point is the hope that people who buy new cars will not cancel their subscriptions to XM when the free trial period is over. That's not a business strategy, that's desperation. (1/4/07) "I am still boycotting the mailbag, but this is for whatever you want to do with it otherwise"... If you send an e-mail to the mailbag, then you are not boycotting it, Tom. Ditto if you respond to this post! I'll look for you in the hat. Good flick. (1/4/07) "BT Triple Crown Merger Company" is the name of the buyout company, a combination of all of the private equity firms, that is buying all of the Clear Channel stations and not an individual buyer for FRE/FMD. Those stations may be sold at some point but this is not that deal. (1/4/07) You should be aware that the filing in Frederick that you refer to for CC's Frederick stations is the transfer of all of CC to its new owners, the private equity funds. BT Triple Crown is the name of the buying entity. So, this is not a spin-off of the Federick stations just yet. It is simply part of the sale of CC to its new owners. (1/4/07) "BT Triple Crown Merger Company" is the entity that is taking Clear Channel private. The same legal notice ran in the Washington Post for the DC area stations. The ad has nothing to do with any potential WFRE/WFMD spinoff. (1/4/07) INTERESTING WFMD/WFRE NOTICE OF SALE www.fredericknewspost.com (1/4/07) Dave's response: What's the BT Triple Crown Merger Company? dunno what kind of stupidity THIS is--but... z104 takes EVERYONE off the air because the morning show's contract talks are stalled? i think there's a format change in the offing... "Z-104 personalities off the air By David Nicholson, Daily Press, January 3 2007, The management of WNVZ-FM, "Z-104," has taken all of its radio personalities off the air because of stalled contract negotiations with the hosts of the station's morning show, "The Z Morning Zoo with Nick, Tricia and Shaggy." The station's on-air talent has temporarily been replaced with continuous music and commercial breaks. "This process has been going on behind the scenes for months," said Program Director Michael Bryan. "They're a great team, and we're going to do everything in our power to keep them." The three personalities have been together for three years, said Bryan. The decision to take them off the air came after they discussed the negotiations on the Wednesday morning show." (1/4/07) Regarding the impact Stern has had on Sirius…….this is from the ‘UPFRONT’ column in the current issue of Business Week on failed predictions for 2006: Prediction: “Satellite radio will succeed….Trust me. With me, it’s a lock.” (Howard Stern 12-22-05) The Reality: The stock of Sirius Satellite Radio, Stern’s new employer, is down 40% since he began broadcasting. In the first nine months of 2006, Sirius lost nearly $900 million.” Personally, I wonder when XM and Sirius report their subscriber numbers, if they would ever break down those numbers to show how many are new car buyers who activated their first year of free service (paid by the automaker) and how many renewed their service after the freebie period passed. My guess is that with the slump in new car sales, the new activations for the freebie year are not high enough to easily offset the number of non-renewals. (1/4/07) Well, I see David Aldridge was a victim of the staff slashings at the Philly Inquirer. Would be nice if he could come back to Wash Post to replace mediocritizes like Sally Jenkins or Mike Wise. And that ombudsperson at Post is ,well, there she goes again editorializing, sheesh, and what exactly is her journalistic background, hey look at me no proper punctuation........hey Burt in Denton did you attend North Carolina Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, N.C.? Did you know big push on to make the college part of the University of North Carolina system? And they successfully started a nice little football program at NCWC a few years back, it's a shame George Mason couldn't do same.......I'd forgotten but wasn't Mr. Karvellas a big supporter of soccer in the early days of pro soccer in this area? and remember when Gus Johnson shattered that backboard with one of his monster dunks..... that Michael Graham may be on fast track to obvilion but he must have a great p.r. person cause he still shows up with some frequency on Imus show and some other MSNBC shows...John Harker...bite me! (1/4/07) If your still feeling funky about the passing of James Brown here's a 6 hour tribute from xmas 2001 from WFMU wfmu.org... And speaking of Bootsy Collins did he make that New Year's Eve gig he had in D.C.? Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You. Good god, y'all! Foster MacKenzie 1 (1/4/07) I am still boycotting the mailbag, but this is for whatever you want to do with it otherwise: In response to a few people's question that I have been getting for the past couple weeks, yes, that is me behind Matt Damon on the bus scene in "The Good Shepherd." I did extra work on the film, and I thought they had cut that out... apparently not. DeNiro personally picked the extras for the scene and kept telling the costume lady to give me a new hat. What's funny is that if I had worn one of my own fedoras, he might have liked it. Another interesting tidbit... Anthony Williams, DC mayor, visited the set for 20 minutes at one point during the shoot. Tom Moore, Host, "The AES Tom Moore Show", Talk Radio 680 WCBM (1/4/07) Dave's response: Really? Was that you? Loved the flick. Oh, keep boycotting the 'bag..... /\ January 4 Messages /\ \/ January 3 Messages \/ I have been a Don and Mike listener from the start and I was very happy to hear them on January 2nd and for 20 years 106.7 WJFK has been my favorite radio station. I loved it when it had Howard Stern all mornings, Don and MIke all afternoon, G. Gordon Liddy middays and The Greaseman at nite. When Greaseman moved to 94.7 and the Sports Junkies came along thought they were great too. Then there they left to and there was some shuffling of Don and Mike to make room for Opie and Anthony. Did not care for O and A then but i listened. Then Ron and Fez came along to nites on WJFK. They were great. Then they left for XM. The line up WJKF has now with Junkies mornings, O and A mid-days, then to 2 hours of O'Reily which sucks, then Radio Gods. Don and MIke are always great. I think there are 2 shows that would fix perfect in the 7-9 pm hours. Either pick up Ron and Fez who now do the 6:00-9:00 pm shift on 92.3 free fm in New York or Tom Leylis which he is on 97.1 free fm in Los Angels. I listen to both on line at night. Either would be a perfect fit. Then move the Penn show to 9:00-10:00pm then Love Line after that. What does it take for Micheal Hugh to get off his ass and try to fix nites on WJFK? "Not a sermon just a thought" Jeff in Fredericksburg (1/3/07) Why the hell is WUSA 9 running a 5 second bumper promo for their frumpy traffic lady and not even mention in the promo that she's just the freaking traffic reporter (and a lousy one at that)???!!! All it said was Nicole O'Brian (sic?) weekday mornings. WHOOPDEDOO!!! I saw it right before Topper's weather report about 7:10 on the Derek McGinty show. She's no Julie Wright!!! Also, my wish list for the dream teams at WTOP is David Burd and and Hillary Howard in the am, a midday political program with Mark Plotkin and Mighty Moss so he can finally step out of the GOP closet, and Bob Kur and Victoria Jones in the afternoon. They could replace the Burd weekend show am with the Mike O'Meara as this would be about the time he'd come stumbling in still freshly boozed up and maybe pair him up with Tom Gavin or Dennis Murphy. (1/3/07) OFF TOPIC: I saw the series premiere of "The Dirt" last night on FX... it's about the rags and tabloids, starring Courteney Cox as the evil editor/journalist... I think it's going to be a good show... I've had serious FX withdrawals since "The Shield" season five ended last June... still waiting for new episodes, hopefully soon! -Silvie- (1/3/07) Check out a young Wendy reiger in the first :50 sec shaking her stuff in this blooper reel. www.youtube.com (1/3/07) As a young sports talk show host at the old WSBY 960-am in Salisbury, I had the pleasure of getting to know Jim Karvellas very well. We played golf together on many occasions, including 9 holes with Spiro Agnew one day at Ocean City Yacht and Country Club. Jim remarked on one of the tees that never in his wildest dreams would he ever believe that he was playing in a group with two Spiro's. One of my first radio jobs was producing Phil Woods' 10 to midnight show on WCBM in the early 80's, after moving to Salisbury, I stayed in touch with Phil. He called me one day and asked if I could fill in for him on a Friday night. I told him I would have to check with management at my station. They said fine as long as I found a replacement for my 6-8 pm talkshow. I was playing golf with Jim the next day and told him of my dilema. He said he would love to fill in for me. As I was driving to Baltimore that night fulfilling a dream of being on the radio in my hometown, I thought to myself here I am a nobody going to do a talk show on one of the highest rated stations in town, while possibly the greatest basketball play-by-play man in the country was filling in for me on my little nothing talkshow. My condolences to Chris, Jamie and the rest of the Karvellas family. In a business full of egomaniacs and talentless boobs. Jim was as classy as they get. Spiro Morekas (1/3/07) I listened to Don N Mike for years. I stopped listening about 6 months ago because he had another woman so quickly after his wifes passing also he lied stating he would not put the woman on the air an he just could not contain himself he threw her on the radio YUKK...... today my brother told me he moved her in his house way to go DON... Good Luck with your ratings..... (1/3/07) To Dave in Sterling. You are so right about Bram Weinstein, he is a jackass. First, i could not ( for the life of me) understand, what was so funny about a 112 year old woman died. Maybe i just don't get it. Doug (1/3/07) I agree with Mike in Fairfax. Pollin sounded absolutely pathetic with his repeated comments to Kornheiser that he is keeping the chair warm for him. I suspect that WTEM is third on his list behind Triple X and Washington Post radio. Pollin acts as if he's completely lost without Kornheiser to kiss up to. (1/3/07) Well, it certainly took the Sirius fan long enough to get back here on my previous post. Let's take a closer look at your facts: 1. Does it really matter so much that Sirius is getting more new subscribers? XM is maintaining their levels, Sirius is catching up. Fine. That does not mean XM is going down the tubes, and is ripe for takeover. 2. Are you really so sure that all those new subscribers is due to Howard? He certainly had a hand in upping the numbers, but all due to Howard? I doubt it. 3. Positive cash flow in only the fourth quarter of 2006 (as opposed to negative cash flow for many quarters past) is not enough to say they're out of the woods. 4. Panero and XM did not want Howard. Not his $500 million package deal, his demand for control and his huge ego, nor anything else. 5. XM's lowering of the end of guidance...so what? Companies do that all the time, what makes it so different in XM's case? 6. Yes, you're right, 'better programming' is a subjective term. So you're saying that Sirius is winning the battle is also subjective. You are wrong about the NHL...XM will take that over completely, while Sirius takes NASCAR. And by the way, notice how Stern is always at the fore front of your thoughts. 7. O&A are not the only focus of XM. All the eggs have not been put in one basket for them, whereas you seem to think Sirius = Howard and everything else is just kind of there. In sum, competition is good for business. Despite this person's assertions, just because Sirius appears to be getting stronger does not mean it can take over XM, nor does it mean that XM will die. Does it really matter so much in that person's eyes, that Sirius and Howard reign supreme and that all other's must be destroyed by childish sniping and attacks? I don't care if Sirius exists; if you like Sirius, more power to you. I like what I listen to and I don't mind what you like. Free country for Heaven's Sake. (1/3/07) "I find it so amusing that all the people that posted on this site a few weeks ago, demanding an apology from D&M, now have nothing to say about that!" Why would there be anything else to say?! An apology was given by D&M, which is enough. Would you like to say "something extra"? Be our guest. (1/3/07) This a first visit to the 'rtv' site after having listened to the Don/Mike Radio show for two years; I am impressed at the words and opinions. I admit to a sordid fascination with the psycho trainwreck that has rocked the radio downhill tracks over past months. I have enjoyed listening to these two wealthy pattycakes sandbox little boys blow their alcoholic NFL breaths out over corporate Fairfax County's comfortable contagions. I enjoy the image of Donmingo wearing his Packers socks while locked in a death Madden internet struggle with a another thirteen year old in his late night basement. Don's disrespectful psychiatric disconnects in dialog with Mike begs me to consider the price would I pay to swallow my pride and let a lesser brain run his predictable self enabling loudmouth newfound family values drivel. My real fascination about these numbnuts who are stupid enough to run over their own beloved animals with their expensive SUVs is the horror that these pud dicks, who couldn't escape a self induced fireplace fire, mirror US all. (1/3/06) Website for WRBS-AM 1230 in B'more; www.wrbsam.com (1/3/07) "And to the guy who claims to listen to Don and Mike only during commercial breaks from WTOP: At three commercial breaks per hour (on the quarters) at an estimated 4 minutes per break, that's an average of 12 minutes per hour." You don't know what you are talking about, Buddy. WTOP does not do 4-minute spot breaks. Most are 70 seconds (including a :10) or 2:10. (1/3/07) I find it so amusing that all the people that posted on this site a few weeks ago, demanding an apology from D&M, now have nothing to say about that! They did apologize – profusely!! They did what you wanted and you’re still complaining. Don has said all along that no one can replace Freda but he’s found a nice person he cares about and she understands completely that you can’t just put someone out of your mind after all those years of marriage. I thought they were very humble yesterday and tried to get back in the “groove” without spending the entire show trying to explain. Cathy M. (1/3/07) Don't you people get it? They're doing a parody of a really bad radio "zoo" show. Washed up hacks doing tired old bits. Brilliant! - Mindy (1/3/07) QUOTE: "It's wild how Donni G's life seems to parallel Art Bell's". Let's just hope Don's wife/girlfriend is not pregnant, though. Sometimes people think that bringing a baby into the mix will solve all matters pertaining to depression and sadness. It does not. While I do not listen to D&M, I do wish all those involved with this show well.-Silvie- (1/3/07) If David Burd moves to weekdays, any ideas as to what will fill his weekend morning slots?? Will WTWP go with the “colon cleansing” shows that David currently mocks out ?? I know it would be a promotion for him but I will be sorry to lose him on the weekends AGAIN! Oh well, time will tell. Pam H. (1/3/07) Typical lazy (and inaccurate) posting re: SIRIUS by an anonymous writer a few days ago. Let's get some facts out there people. (1) SIRI has beaten XM in new net subscribers for 4 straight quarters (and teeing up #5 as soon as XM announces its 4th Q. numbers this week). (2) Since Howard announced his move, SIRI has added 5.4 million new subscribers, XM less than 5 million. (3) SIRI achieved cash flow positive results in Q42006 just as Mel promised. (4) XM CEO Panero is the true idiot. He could have signed Stern and buried SIRI back in 2004. (5) XM lowered their end of 2006 guidance from 9 million (when the year started) to 7.7 to 7.9 million - a roughly 15 percent reduction. (6) "Better programming" is subjective and it appears that in that measurement, it is SIRI and not XM that is winning the battle. The only major sport XM still has is MLB, while SIRI has the NFL, NASCAR, NBA, and NHL, on top of Stern. (7) O&A have added no value to XM's bottom line and XM has been so displeased with the $25 million these two are getting that they gave away exclusive content to CBS Radio to try and build an audience that has obviously not come. In the long run, there is no question that SIRI is the better bet and but for XM's head start in technology, brand awareness, and car contracts, XM would be out of business. (1/3/07) [ I didn't stay with it long enough to find out if they did extend their contract to 2010, as was rumored on this website.] According to Don on yesterday's show, D&M's contract does go to 2010 and always has. However, they have an option clause in the contract that allows the duo to leave in 2008 (dunno if that means January or December), which is why Don keeps mentioning "2008". Which I fully expect Don to exercise so they can go to either XM or Sirius. Don will not retire. (1/3/07) My deepest sympathy to the family of Jim Karvellas. Another great broadcaster whose presence will be sorely missed. Although I didn't know Chuck Thompson or Jim personally, they had a way of making you feel like a friend during their broadcasts. The philosophy of the broadcasting companies and conglomerates who diminish the contribution of the radio personality in favor of the music alone is very sad to say the least. I can remember listening to Joe Knight on WCBM while driving home on an icy road and feeling a sense of comfort. It also made that song he was introducing very special. When I hear songs like "Stay In My Corner" by the Dells or "MacArthur Park", I think of listening to Johnny Dark during his days on WCAO while trying to balance the transistor radio on my bicycle. If only the conglomerates could understand a simple philosophy that the radio personality, the music and the artist compliment each other. I'm not an expert by any ways, but that's radio worth listening to. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC/WYTI). (1/3/07) OK, I always knew Bram Weinstein was a lame on air 'talent,' but I never really understood what a low life jackass he is until today. After reading on air that a 112 year old woman who had seen Babe Ruth play (remember, this is ultra-exciting sports talk radio) had died, Weinstein couldn't stop giggling like a school girl. "I don't know why I think it's so funny that a 112 year old woman died--but I do!" Weinstein said, over and over and over. What a dumb ass. Personally, I don't know why I think it's so funny that a 35 year old man is working 20 hour shifts at a station covering the sports world's most embarassing mediocrity--but I do! Dave In Sterling (1/3/07) How laughable is it that in order for the needlessly angry folks who post hate mail about Don and Mike to gather cannon fodder they must listen to the show that they hate so much. Now, who needs professional help? And to the guy who claims to listen to Don and Mike only during commercial breaks from WTOP: At three commercial breaks per hour (on the quarters) at an estimated 4 minutes per break, that's an average of 12 minutes per hour assuming they are not on a commercial break at least once when you switch over. How can 12 minutes per hour possibly be enough to gather evidence with which to fuel your disdain? I don't believe you. I think it's the other way around. (1/3/07) Tony Kornheiser's return to radio after the end of the football season appears to be far from imminent (or even a sure thing). On WTEM's Sports Reporters today, he told Andy Polllin that any such decision must wait until he's made up his mind regarding another season of Monday Night Football on ESPN. Retiring New York Giants running back Tiki Barber is apparently in line to take Kornheiser's place in the booth should he choose not to return. Pollin needs to stop saying "we're keeping the chair warm for you" every time Mr. Tony comes on the show - starting to sound a bit pathetic in view of Red Zebra's rumored courtship of the Post columnist. But if he accepted a paycheck from Dan Snyder, wouldn't there be a conflict of interest associated with doing national broadcasts of NFL games? I see that Triple X is still airing the noontime Redskins Lunch show hosted by Larry Michael and Bram Weinstein. You have to wonder how long that will continue, as it's hard to envision a daily Skins oriented show being sustained throughout the offseason. Should the Ravens advance through the NFL playoffs, it'll be interesting to see if Washington media outlets suddenly start covering them like a local team as was the case during Baltimore's Super Bowl run six years ago. Back then as now, the Redskins had experienced a very disappointing season. TV sports directors in DC must have assumed that many disgruntled burgundy and gold supporters would hop on the Raven bandwagon. Mike, Fairfax (1/3/07) I would like to see Post Radio pair Bob Kur and ex-weather-chick Hillary Howard in the afternoon. And I'd like to see David Burd and a female partner in the morning. I like Mike Moss, but a man and a woman combo works better to my ears. (1/3/07) Re: (Dave's response: The only way you can legally say the "f-word" on the airwaves - "Nor F*CK"...) Reminds me of our old school cheer at Norfolk U. 'We don't smoke, we don't drink...Nor-FOLK!! Nor-FOLK!! Nor-FOLK-U!!' Brian/Reston (1/3/07) Geeeeeeze, WNEW once a Metromedia Powerhouse reduced to music, music, music.!!! Rick Martini??? Who the f**k is he? Old? Young? Stupid?....Radio used to be for the masses...ENTERTAINMENT/INFORMATION...Now, it's--- keep humans out of it.. I've said it before and I'll say it again...they've done to radio what they've done to education. DUMMIED IT DOWN. No content, no information, no adrenaline, no pacing, no laughter, no creativity...no NOTHING. When is someone going to wake up and realize the reasons radio ratings are a joke is because there's no one smart enough to PROGRAM A GREAT SOUND. Give someone like Ed Graham, Pat Murphy, Bruce Kelly, Davy/Davie Jones, Ken Merson and Johnny Dark back on the air in a format that moves forward, drives listeners and is just plain fun to listen to....God what an Idea. A REAL RADIO STATION WITH A REAL RADIO SOUND AND FEEL. AMEN! ANG (1/3/07) Jim Karvellas was one of my favorite sportscasters in the Baltimore/DC market. I can recall my college days in Rocky Mount, NC, listening to the Baltimore Bullets late at night on WBAL 1090, and feeling like I was back home. Jim had a way of making you feel right there with the players, instead of using last names, he often used first names of players, Wes (Unseld), Earl (Monroe), or Gus(Johnson). A truly fine announcer he was, the only one better in the area was Chuck Thompson. Burt in Denton, MD (1/3/07) 'Twas a shame that 'Bal decided to discontimue th'walden Ponderings"!). Man that guyhad (has)a hulluva set of pipes! If I could afford him, he could "intro" me anytime! Rusty Gibson (1/3/07) To the person who wrote that they were going to write a complaint to the FCC regarding an expletive being aired on Fox News, well go ahead but it won't do any good. Cable stations choose to follow the FCC guidelines but they do not fall under their discipline. So the VJ from MTV who said "fucking" live on the air on New Years Eve is also safe from the FCC. Only broadcast stations are FCC regulated. (1/3/07) I completely agree with Johnny Dark about the "lack of personalities between the songs". I just read an article in R&R about the latest format flip at WNEW-FM up in NY, and the genius PD has this brilliant game plan: "PD Rick Martini added, "The music will be what drives Fresh 102.7, and the on-air presentation will be subtle yet unique. As we evolve, talent will be integrated into the station’s presentation without taking anything away from the music. We are excited to be making this move and taking the chance to own the modern-day soft music position." Great, another "it's about the music" approach. Well, it's not about the music anymore. Music fans have I-Pods, Satellite Radio, CD players, etc. for "the music". Radio fans (and there is a difference) have nothing. In the case of "Fresh 102.7", they are playing the hits from people like Sheryl Crow and Rob Thomas that can be heard anywhere else. It's what is between the songs that counts to set yourself apart. They don't get it, so in another year they will adopt some new variation of the format, fire all of the jocks, and proclaim how innovative they are going to be by playing different pop artists with info-only jocks. Is there any PD or consultant reading this that can explain why zero personality between the nothing special music is the way to go? There is a reason that listenership is dropping, and it ain't the music. Radio should be fun and unique, not an I-Pod with a liner card reader. Unfortunately, this is the case for pretty much every format from AC to Classic Rock. (1/3/07) (Regarding a previous post about a WTEMer getting a coaching job:) It was supposed to be a goofy joke to the sports posters in the mailbag. Nick Saban, Steve Czaban. Sorry about that. (1/3/07) Grief.....it's a terrible thing. No matter how you feel about Geronimo personally, your heart has to go out to him on the latest series of issues. I personally can't imagine losing a true love the way he did. The loss must be ominious. His life, his reactions, his relationships must all be in a terrible state. I pray he heals. I hope he's read and re-read the book I sent to him. It surley is part of the healing if he really believes. anonymous..... (1/3/07) Something strange is going on with WGMS. All of a sudden they are playing complete works, but with the same crappy playlist. (1/3/07) Dave's response: Well, they've already fired the ad sales staff so they probably have more time to play longer works..... I also listened to Don's rambling explanation of why they were off the air and admit to tuning it off after the first break. Somehow I just don't buy into the whole "dealing with grief" thing as a reason for a temper tantrum that went into a major meltdown. He certainly didn't waste any time "replacing" his deceased wife with another woman. From my calculations, he went right into another relationship within six months of her passing. I've known people who waited a year or longer to adopt a puppy after their dog of 11 or 12 years has died. It's a convenient "spin" to put out there that he was having grief issues that were causing his erratic behavior. Maybe he should have waited longer before returning after his wife died and maybe he should have taken more time for himself with some counseling before jumping into a relationship right away. Whatever the reasons, there is a perfect quote from Livia Soprano for Don..."Poor You!" Now enough with excuses...can we have some decent PM drive radio again? (1/3/07) Any news on WJFK picking up a new night show? With all those test shows before the holidays, I thought they were supposed to make a decision by the new year. I was really hoping "The Hideout" would come back to the D.C. airwaves, I thought they had a great audition week. Is that just wishful thinking, or will Senor Hughes actually bring some talent back to JFK? Glenn-Waldorf (1/3/07) Ed Grahan, how well could you tweak with the giant bureaucracy at The Washington Post as your "partner."???? (1/3/07) Don't know if anyone was watching Fox News right after midnight on New Year's Day. I was flipping through all the coverage when I paused there because the "Amazing" (Lunatic) Kreskin was on. To make a long story short he "hypnotized" a couple of dolts on the street to think they were seeing UFOs over Times Square. When the dopey Fox News Chick asked the first woman what she saw, she said, "Oh SHIT!!!......" followed by the audio going down way low. I wonder if the FCC knows about this. Hmmmm. Maybe I need to write to them. Let's see how "fair and balanced" they are with their buddy Rupert. (1/3/07) Sad to see Jims death. I worked with Jim at WTTG back in the 70s. In fact, in the photo you have on DCRTV, mine is next to him. He was a good guy, knew sports backwards and forwards and had a great sense of humor. Our prayers and thoughts are with his family . I'll hold the memories of conversations with Jim in the WTTG Cafeteria laughing about management. Pat Murphy (1/3/07) Dave's response: Pat, here's the orignal graphic (right) that I took the Karvellas photo from..... Why don't Don & Mike just pack it in? It's obvious that Don doesn't want to be there because he's still dealing with grief over the death of his wife. I listened to part of the show yesterday to get their side of the story about why they were off the air. I didn't stay with it long enough to find out if they did extend their contract to 2010, as was rumored on this website. I wonder how they'll make it to the finish line on their old contract, much less an extended one. When will Don quit again? Does anybody think he'll make it to 2010 without another walkoff? (1/3/07) Wow, huge news that Czaban is going to take the Alabama head coaching gig. Guess Scotty will be the new First Team on Fox radio host. (1/3/07) I, too, was saddened to hear of the passing of Jim Karvellas. Had the pleasure of working with and for him at WTTG in the late '70's. Jim was one of the most entertaining and exciting basketball play-by-play men. I can vividly remember his signiture "bullseye" as he called the games for the old Baltimore Bullets featuring Earl Monroe and Gus Johnson. A good man and fine broadcaster. Bob Duckman (1/3/07) WTWP - - Now you tweak? The station should have gone on the air in top shape 9 months ago. A three month lead in is more time than most PDs get to develop a new format. By the way, "tweaking" should be a continous process, unless you are perfect, and the market is frozen in time. I hope to hear a great radio station after the changes. That would require massive change. *** WJFK still sucks in both cities. *** If you want to hear a great, local sports talk show - - Rob Long on WNST (afternoon drive) Ed Graham (1/3/07) It's wild how Donni G's life seems to parallel Art Bell's. Both tragically lose their beloved second wives, both respond to their grief by jumping headfirst into a new relationship, both later have a sort of nervous breakdown (Art moved back to the US after realizing wtf he'd done, Donni quit the show and then had his goil move in). Not saying there's anything wrong with it, godnoze they both had terrible grief to bear, it's just interesting how similar their lives are tracking. (1/3/07) You really want to get the "dynamic duo" and their followers pissed. Don't post anything about them for about 6 days, nothing! Knowing Don's ego, he'll rant and rave and give you lots of promotion by bad-mouthing you and the site..just a thought....Happy New Year (1/3/07) Real close Dave, but it’s “NAW'-f*ck” (1/3/06) Cudos to ABC for pool coverage at the Washington Cathedral yesterday. The pictures and sound were magnificent! Walt in Lewes (1/3/06) Dave's response: Kudos to MSNBC, which stuck with Ford funeral coverage from Michigan past 4-5 PM yesterday. Over on Faux Nudes, Neil Cavuto was busy doing his nightly "egofest," mainly interviewing tramps and whores..... Sorry to hear about the death of Jim Karvellas. Like the great Johnny Dark, I was also a neighbor of Jim's, but briefly. In 1968, when I was 13, my family moved from our house in the Lochearn section of Baltimore County to a townhouse a half mile up Liberty Road at the Balmoral Apartments. The move to King James Court was a temporary move until our new apartment in Pikesville was ready. It turned out Jim Karvellas and his young family lived a few doors down. Of course, Jim Karvellas was already familiar to me, having seen him on TV, and having sat behind him at the Civic Center as he worked Baltimore Bullets games (I still have a Baltimore Bullets ashtray and a coffee mug with the little dog on it). While I didn't get to know him well, Jim often invited me and others from the neighborhood to join him as he played soccer behind the townhouses with his son Chris. In my neighborhood up the road we didn't play much soccer, so I had a bit to learn about the game (not that I was good at baseball or football either). But it was clear soccer was something Jim was passionate about and he loved to teach the sport to all of the kids. Besides his many other talents, Jim clearly was well ahead of the curve on getting young people interested in soccer. Dave Statter (1/3/07) Jim Karvellas was a good friend, a neighbor for several years, and truly a class act. We spent a lot of time together when he was doing the Bullets' broadcasts and I was the public address announcer. Frequently, after the games, Jim, Vince Bagli and I would talk sports at the old diner on Reisterstown Road. Those are treasured remembrances in my memory bank. My prayers to Jim's family....Johnny Dark (1/3/07) Good move going with anchor teams on Post Radio. Shows they are investing in the product. I notice David Burd is already on there some weekday mornings. He and Mike Moss sound great together. I'm a fan of both. (1/3/06) Dave's response: Moss and Burd in mornings, Kur and Victoria Jones in afternoons. That's what I'd do. Actually, I'd pair Burd and Jones in mornings, but Moss probably is "wired" (Bonneville-wise) for the morning gig..... I believe that Tony Roberts did the Bullets' play-by-play between Jim Karvellas and Frank Herzog. WTOP picked up the Bullets games beginning in the 1975-76 season. Jim Karvellas was a true original. He loved the gig, and devoted an inordinate amount of time - and his own money - trying to make soccer a major sport in this country. He never forgot a face or a name, and was unfailingly kind to one and all, inside and outside of the business. (1/3/07) Dave's response: Tony was particularly good in all those Woody Allen pictures, including "Annie Hall." Especially at the end, where he dons a plutonium visor while driving around LA. I know, different Tony..... Would it be possible for on-air performers to correctly pronounce the names of these three cities---Louisville, New Orleans, and Norfolk? If you don't know how to pronounce them just ask any resident of these cities. While I'm on the subject, how about if hundreds(if not more) of local and national performers learn how to correctly say the letter "W". It is pronounced "Double-U". That is what the letter is named for--a double U. It is not pronounced "dub-ee-you" "dub-a-you""dub-ya" "dub-you"or any other ignorant variant.(special attn. to literally a score of announcers at WTOP (radio) who mispronounce this letter.)(Names furnished upon request) Regards Biff (1/3/07) Dave's response: The only way you can legally say the "f-word" on the airwaves - "Nor F*CK"..... Vincent, i can rebember Frank Herzog doing play-by-play. Remember the " The Fat Lady" - Doug (1/3/07) I mourn the passing of Jim Karvellas, but a question: Did Frank Herzog directly succeed him as the radio voice of the Bullets (how many in this area are even aware he did play-by-play of a team other than the Redskins?), or was there someone in the interim? -- Vincent in Triangle (1/3/07) Just read this Ben Fong Torres article mentioned at Radio Daily News tinyurl.com he writes that radio listenership was down 14% last year. If that's the case then radio seems to be in a freefall similar to the newspaper industry, don't it? And now a lengthy commercial break....... So Don Juan wasn't feeling too perky emotionally wise huh, some of us mailbaggers expected the crack-up with his mounting displays of anger since his wifes' passing.... but if he is a better person for realizing his anger and depression and getting some help he still seems to be sticking his big foot in Lake Me as always.... Robbay, my boy,my boy, working for Don Juan might be the death of you yet.... does Washington,D.C. have a radio/tv hall of fame like San Fran has?.... how about them fried apples....... Bob Smith...... sorry to hear about Mr. Karvellas' passing..... I'd say he would be a good candidate for a tv hall of fame! (1/3/07) I think it was ironic that Don & Mike came back to work on a national day of mourning. What a bunch of crap. May the D&M Show rest in peace. I hope Don (and Mike) get some professional help. (1/3/07) I came across this today... a bit embarrassing: www.foxbaltimore.com... Meet Amy Fadool, WBFF's new sports anchor and Amber Theoharis replacement. It would have been nice if the folks at WBFF updated her bio. She can't wait to report on sports teams in Nashville, where she worked for the Sinclair affiliate before coming to Baltimore. (1/3/07) en.wikipedia.org... Clearly, something something strange is going on with the sale of 104.1 and 103.9. On one hand, someone claims in an article on Wikipedia that the sale was called off. I don't know where the author got his or her information, (perhaps from DCRTV). On the other hand Viva la Voce is still not accepting new subscribers. You would think that if the sale were called off, they would resume subscriptions. Nothing has been mentioned in any local media. Not even WTOP. Does anyone know what is going on? What ever happened to Jim Farley? Didn't he used to write posts here? Doesn't the Post have any info? If the deal was called off, why don't they say so? Why the big secret? (1/3/07) Dave's response: The deal hasn't been "called off." From what I hear, Redskins owner Dan Snyder has backed away from his original offer to buy the station. Possibly to get the price lowered. Possibly to see if some other area stations with better signals will come on the market..... Sorry, but you give up your excuse of "bereavement" when you start [seeing] another woman and move her into your shack. That's just the way things are. So quit with the lame excuse and give us the real story: You fell off the wagon and then had a hissy fit when you didn't get your way at the station. (1/3/07) /\ January 3 Messages /\ \/ January 2 Messages \/ While traveling and staying in a crappy hotel room in Florence, SC, I flipped on the 11:00 news. All of the sudden I saw this Sorority chick bop on the screen and do a report. Sorry, DCRTVers, this is a news babe. www.wistv.com. (1/2/07) To the poster with the clearchannel.com address: The great thing about Dave's website is you don't actually have to listen to a show to have an idea of what's going on. With all of the D&G postings today I feel like I heard the show. In fact, I probably have heard the same show on broadcast in some form similar to today's show (ha, ha)! Too bad Dave's site doesn't count with Arbitron. As an aside, since Stern went pay-per-listen, I don't know what's happening on his show as not much is written about it on Dave's site anymore. Dave, your site is a pretty good measure of what is relevant! Mike in Maryland City (1/2/07) Dave I was very saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Karvellas. It was only a few short months ago,as you, Johnny Dark and Yours Truly were discussing of how he was such a basketball"play/by/play "pioneer" in this area with the (then) Baltimore Bullets And how he belonged in The Basketball Hall Of Fame for bringing the "voice" of basketball to both Baltimore and Washington. He was certainly a class act! It's too damn bad the NBA has yet recognize that. yet! Rusty Gibson WEBR Radio/Fairfax (1/2/07) Dave's response: Just found the pic (left) in the massive DCRTV photo archive..... Sorry to hear about Karvellas. A very very good play by play guy. (1/2/07) In answer to the question about Beverly Burke: she does traffic for XM, and hosts a weekend show on XM 155 called "For Heaven's Sake." (1/2/07) Dave, thanks for the picture of Beverly Burke..Thought she was a really good anchor/reporter..Where's she now?? (1/2/07) Dave's response: Didn't I hear that she was with Metro Traffic? So, it a nutshell, what exactly did Donnie G say today?? (1/2/07) I aged out awhile back from active fandom of his show but Don Geronimo's story certainly seems credible. By coincidence, WJLA/7 just ran a story about college-age children going through their own bouts of guilt over the financial aid they received after their father died in the Sego Mine. The account matched in many respects what I heard from Don Geronimo during the first hour of his return this week. People can and do suffer through bouts of undeserved anguish at times when they should be able to embrace the joys of life. Have we really become too cynical here on the DCRTV mailbag to understand that basic human reality? Everett W. (1/2/07) Yes, Laura Evans was at Ford's funeral..She has a post on FOX5's blog site..An excerpt: " I had the unique opportunity today of personally attending President Ford's funeral. It was an incredible experience not only to be a fly on the wall at a moment in history... but to be in the same room as Washington's power elite through the past decades. We had to arrive at 9am, the service wouldn't start until 10:30. For the hour and a half before the funeral, everyone was looking at everyone else... spotting power players in every pew" (1/2/07) I want to echo the statement of the former Master Control td .I'm also an ex master control TD.WRC hasn't given it's soul to New York.New York controls what goes at CH. 4, for just a little more profit.The public good be damned. We should make it a law that there should be a person locally in control of any radio or TV station. (1/2/07) Hey Channel 4 you are getting embarrassing 6:23pm. Breaking News. Police officer shoots a pit bull. A story that won't even make the Post unless some bozo complains about the police. 6:30 Breaking News. Smoke in Union Station. 6:33 Breaking News. No smoke in Union Station. 6:50 pm Lindsay commenting on "negative publicity" that the Redskins are getting in the past two days and doesn't have the integrity to credit the Washington Post for their articles. Why do I watch? Because the other channels suck worse. (1/2/07) Unemployed Kris Gamble has to sell her house and had to re-model the kitchen. She only moved in earlier in 2006 blog.myspace.com... Arch Campbell, Susan Kidd, and I.J. Hudson from NBC 4 had a going away party at Guapos downtown. Mark Kaye attended blog.myspace.com (1/2/07) Some observations about today's train wreck. I, too, think we are getting only the partial. The fact that they were considering covering up the reason for the extended absence of Domingo is enough for me to never listen to that sinking ship ever again. I think that Don does have issues, but that they are from Mike's underwhelming performance on the show since his marriage to the washed up skater began to fail. I'm surprised more attention hasn't been paid to Mike's comment about looking forward to coming to work today (perhaps another lie) and that it seemed to be rare thing for Mike. I think Don was fed up with Mike and that they were hardly talking. Don really wanted to quit but took time off to consider things over. His pals Buzz and Robbay would left in the cold. I believe Don did seek professional help and even felt sympathetic towards Mike who has an ex-wife, two children, a girlfriend barely old enough to drink and and restaurant all sucking the money out of his wallet. So, I believe Don came back to finish out the contract more for his pals and it would be easy money for him and he's using anger over Freda's death to cover the fact (perhaps subconsciously) he had issues with Mike. Oh well, my new iPod will sound even sweeter between 3-6 pm from now on. On another note, was anyone else outraged by Marion Barry's comments aired on 9 news at 6 about most eulogies are exaggerated or flat out lies (this was outside National Cathedral for Ford's funeral). This man has no respect for even the dead. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since he has gotten to where he is through lies and cheating other people. I wish the media would focus more on what was said by Barry today. Way to go to Ward 8. (1/2/07) “I cannot think of anyone who deserved tragedy…” Sorry, but it’s pretty obvious from that statement who the “vile, sad human being who contributes much more negativity than anything else” really is. Cut the guy some frikkin’ slack. Just because you’re addicted to his show doesn’t mean he can’t take some time off when the world is closing in. Depression is a medical condition and requires treatment, and going to work every day to entertain asses like you isn’t part of the prescription…..dumbass says ‘what’? Dave In Sterling (1/2/07) (Regarding today's Rant and 4 dumping out of Ford funeral coverage just past noon:) as a former master control technical director, the new york hub merely joined scheduled programming after the network signed off from the funeral. the local station no longer controls the moment to moment on air switching which is why i am a former master control td (1/2/07) Reagan sent out a letter saying he had Alzheimer's. Peter Jennings told his viewers he had lung cancer. Every celebrity that clocks in to alcohol or drug rehab makes sure everybody in the known galaxy is aware. So why the "WTF" for two months on the D&M website? I still think the show is toothless, but I'd have had a lot more respect for it had they leveled with their listeners up front. (1/2/07) I love it! No matter if you bought what Don said today or not, YOU ALL LISTENED AND ARE STILL LISTENING. ITS 6pm and YOU ARE STILL LISTENING! LOVE THEM, HATE THEM, YOU ARE LISTENING! I'm actually not a huge Don & Mike fan. I like Opie & Anthony BUT I listened to Don & Mike just like you did today! Great Radio! (1/2/07) Dave's response: By the way, the above message came from someone with a clearchannel.com e-mail address..... "It is UNFATHOMABLE that anyone could say anything about "spirit, dedication, or love." when discussing Don Geronimo. I know him personally." You know him so well, do you? You sound credible by being anonymous. Just shut the fuck up. As for Mr. Sorce's explanation, it make sense. His heart wasn't in it and it showed. He was honest and it was appreciated. Now bring back honk for cash! Bryslock (1/2/07) "What a bunch of sad sap BS from Doni G today.. This is almost laughable. This guy wants us to believe that prior to him "quitting", he was having bereavement-related issues? That's odd. He had no problem desribing the new woman in his life... in the weeks leading up to his disappearance from the air waves." --- I pray sincerely that you never lose a loved one. It doesn't go away, no matter how brave a face you put on it. My mother-in-law still dreams of her husband 15 years gone. Another good friend breaks up on the anniversary of the death of his lover. I lost two best friends young and it still pains me to this day. You, sir, are demonstrating churlish behavior; I hope you come to realize that Don and Mike are neither radio gods or clay pots you can break at your will. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (1/2/07) I buy Don's story. I've had some lapses into depression it took me a while to fess up to them. As for allegations or assertions that he has a drinking problem, it's not any of our business. Other than when it was the topic of the show, Don does not sound intoxicated to me and he certainly does not have any of the tell-tale signs, like frequently-missed shows due to mystery illnesses. (1/2/07) To Michael Hoffman: RIGHT ON! a friend, lost his son in the war. He is still going to counseling. You are right "I hope Don's critics NEVER face his trauma"... Doug (1/2/07) It is UNFATHOMABLE that anyone could say anything about "spirit, dedication, or love." when discussing Don Geronimo. I know him personally. He is a vile, sad human being who contributes much more negativity than anything else. I cannot think of anyone who deserved tragedy more, and yet still responded to it pathetically. He has not grown an inch or become the least bit nicer or more humble since losing (his wife).... He is a failure in so many more ways than one. (1/2/07) You people who continually profess to hate D&M sure do spend a lot of time listening to their show. My feeling is that you whiners are a bunch of no-talent wanna-be radio personalities who can't seem to get your "big break." I do understand that this is a forum to discuss DC area radio and tv, but you people are pathetic on your attacks of D&M. Here are a couple suggestions: 1) Get a life. It seems yours revolve around a radio show; 2) Change stations: there are little buttons on your radio that you can push so you can be entertained by all the other fantastic, original shows out there. Paul in Bakersfield (1/2/07) Hey, I am not a regular listener but I think Don's explanation is on the level (been there). And I thought their return was great radio (I listened thanks to all the negativity voiced on DCRTV). Say what you will, but these guys know their radio, and they seem to do it with class (the radio version of class). Seems to me that a lot of local talk shows would do well to listen and learn. Thanks DCRTV. I have now found a radio show that in DC that is worth listening to. (1/2/07) I don’t question their motives for a second. I’d claim a breakdown too if I realized that my reward for 20+ years of trying to be funny was that when something better came along I got overlooked. But that’s the harsh reality of life, and the business they choose to be in. They are just tired, old and not funny. And please…innovative?original? Have you forgotten the days when Howard was on. You could miss it and know full well that you’d hear every bit he did on the D&M show, otherwise known as the Howard replay without the talent. Still happening today, right down to Rob’s current butt issues. Remember a guy named stuttering John? 2008 can’t come fast enough. (1/2/07) "Please pardon my ignorance but who is Laura Evans?" Only the hottest newsbabe currently breathing on Fox 5. Didn't she win some sort of "Hottest NewsBabe" contest in this here Mailbag a couple of years back? (1/2/07) Having listened to D&M for 20+ years, and having been in studio with them, not only do I totally believe Don (and Mike), but I fully sympathize with Don. Grief from losing a loved one takes many forms, produces many reactions, and varies from individual to individual. I hope all his critics in this mailbag NEVER face the trauma he's been through. For him to function as well as he did, and keep the show at a high level for as long as he did, prior to serious counseling, is a testament to his indomitable spirit, his dedication to the show and its listeners, his love for his show colleagues, and his everlasting love for Freda. To the mailbaggers questioning his motives, I urge you to stop listening to the D&M Show and find another innovative, original radio program between 3-7 EST--if you can. Your vicious attacks on Don only demean yourselves.--Michael Hoffman (Mike the Chanukah Guy) (1/2/07) Can you believe that D&M actually had the nuts to mock Favre whining about looming retirement after just having spewed out his own version? When will Geronimo stop his pouting about not getting the morning slot at JFK? You know that his incessant whining is just an adult temper tantrum over his belief that he paid his dues and deserves the morning spot. Get over it Donnie!!!! The Junkies kick your butt from an entertainment standpoint and in the few years they’ve been around have earned a strong following. I actually laugh while I listen to their show which is more than I can say for your “WTOP commercial break filler piece of crap.” You’re my favorite thing to listen to when everything else is in commercials. You’d never hear the dribble that was put out there today from any of the Junks, they’d just honestly say that they tried to fight for a spot and lost. Grow up!! They won, you lost. End of story. – Pukingonthebeltway. (1/2/07) "unless you've walked in someone's shoes don't be such a butthead and be so quick to judge." Is that why they were just joking about Betty Ford and her past alcohol problems? Don’s not the only one to have lost a loved one or fell on hard times and had to carry on. I too thought the echo adds a real sense of legitimacy to the whole thing. AMF boys! (1/2/07) What a bunch of sad sap BS from Doni G today.. This is almost laughable. This guy wants us to believe that prior to him "quitting", he was having bereavement-related issues? That's odd. He had no problem desribing the new woman in his life... in the weeks leading up to his disappearance from the air waves. (1/2/07) Lindsey is so skinny, no wonder she's only a mere "piece." I'd prefer a fuller serving. (1/2/07) Just before the switchover on channel 4 after the funeral, Brian Williams said, "SOME of you will be leaving us now..." Well, if the network's owned-and-operated station in the Nation's Capital where all of the activity was taking place with likely the highest viewership possible wasn't willing to continue the coverage, who the heck got to see it? (1/2/07) re: Laura Evans. I have no idea if Laura Evans was at the funeral as I neither watched, nor am I sure what she looks like. But I do know her in-laws. she is married to a third generation lobbyist, so it wouldn't be a stretch for her married family to be known to the Ford family. Her father-in-law was an undersecretary of commerce for Carter, his father was an important lobbyist during the Johnson administration. I seem to remember some Humphrey connection, too. Keep in mind, this was when "lobbyist" was not a dirty word. (1/2/07) Regarding the post from the person who reference 'Don's [deleted]-related breakdown." Here's the deal: unless you've walked in someone's shoes don't be such a butthead and be so quick to judge. I think his honest and frank discussion of what happened/what he was going through made sense. It takes a strong person to confront their issues...ESPECIALLY in the public arena. He hit his 'boiling point' and had some revelations about his life. Losing a spouse is a terrible and traumatic event; couple that with the way he integrated his late wife in the show. It's easy to see how that could happen. My heart goes out to him and wish him the best. Sacramento Listener (1/2/07) Alcohol Problem - I bet – Don G (1/2/07) Don Geronimo, or Mike Source, sounds like he is lying through his teeth. If this were really the case, he should have said something to his fans, or the media, and everyone would have understood. Unfortunatly, Don/Mike is the boy who has cried wolf, and has done it too many times. One sentence to the media or one interview, would have been sincere. This is not. They had over a month to come up with a good story, and this is a really bad one. (1/2/07) I've already turned off the Don and Mike show about ten minutes into Don's long-winded story. It just sounds pitiful and lame. Who really cares about his justifications and explanations? Anyway, I already decided that if the reverb is on, the Don and Mike show would be off. The only thing more embarassing than listening to Don's sob story, is listening to it as if it came from a cave or a broom closet. What a fool Don is, and he doesn't even know it. (1/2/07) Dave's response: Was 106.7 on low power this afternoon? I was listening in the 3 PM hour and the signal faded completely away several times. And I'm six miles (as the crow flies) from the Merrifield transmitter. Hmmm..... Listening to D&M now and I wonder where I can send Dons' bill for the psychiatric care that we are giving him by listening to this? (1/2/07) [I'm gonna wager that Don says he had a DAVEYOUREAPUSSY-related nervous breakdown and needed a "mental health break".] Ahh, I love producing a winner. (1/2/07) Ohhhh Booo whoo!! I’m listening to D&M right now and I’m about to puke! These guys took their listeners for granted and there is no way around it. As much as most of listen to them daily, at the end of the day D&M do not know us, and we do not know them personally. Therefore I relationship is a “business relationship” aka DJ / listeners. D&M clearly neglected the relationship and despite how my “D” get on the airs and with this “boo-whoo” story. If they want to be men…just come clean and admit it…it was a power-play, a power-play that backfired, a power-play that was ultimately resolved to their benefit and the benefit of the station…not benefit to the listener. D&M just went to break and I’m turning the station off. I was more curious to see how they would explain themselves today…and as expected…they really came with the B.S. Later D&M. Satellite has much more to offer than guys. After 10 years I’ve had enough of the drama! (1/2/07) Please pardon my ignorance but who is Laura Evans? JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (1/2/07) Channel 4 may have stooped to a massive bad-taste programming transition in today's post-funeral coverage, but the "cluess spoiled brat" award has to go the the Junkies amateur hour this morning. "WHO CARES!!" brays one of the pups when mention of President Ford's passing is made. "AND WHY IS TOM BROKAW SPEAKING AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE?!?!?" screams "JP","Cakes" or Moe. (Luckily, Curly, er, "Lurch" (the disposable donkey) thankfully didn't make today's show.) Well boys, "Who cares"? Seems like plenty of citizens cared enough to venture the the Capital routunda yesterday before and after my visit. Susan Ford and her brother cared enough to personally greet thousands of mouners who fondly remembered their father. And Tom Brokaw? Well, if you had watched the news boys, you might have a clue - but you don't. All, in all, a pretty shameful performance boys. But one oh-so-worthy of WJFK. PJDJinVA07. (1/2/07) Typical lazy journalism, the NY Times scribe trotting out all the platitudes fed him by Mel Karmazin and the Sirius backbenchers. Mel is desperately trying to save his ass, once again as he has again destroyed another company by drowning it in debt and forcing changes that were unnecessary. Now he is doing all he can to force a merger with XM so he can again sit in another cushy office, force a company that is just getting out of debt back into it and then he'll run like hell to the next company for him to destroy. This is nothing more than Mel-speak; first of all, the feds will not allow the merger (a certain thing called anti-trust), and they can't force satellite radio to heel to their edicts. Sirius if they had any balls would get rid of Mel, keep Howard and stop trying to run a satellite version of Cheap Channel. XM beats Sirius hands down for music programming, better traffic services, better sports programming (except for NFL lovers, of course) and all in all is a more stable company. Even Jim Cramer, who loves to let everyone know how much he and Mel are buddies, keeps saying don't buy Sirius stock. (1/2/07) (Rant on WRC): Did WBAL abruptly cut off the NBC network coverage (seemingly early) as well to show the insipid ivillage show? The way things are going over at WRC, the next step will be remote offshore ops from Bangalore, India running the show, sadly. (1/2/07) Re:::Quite funny how you typed that statement about OTHERS making "environmentalist" a radical politicized word, yet at the same time you stated something quite radical and politicized yourself! HAHA, what a hypocrit! //// The only thing funny, is your reading comprehension, which must be that of a four year old. By the way, the word you were searching for is "hypocrite," not hypocrit. While your historical fantasy about George Washington was entertaining it has nothing to do with the subject at hand. The fact that term Environmentalist has been hijacked to mean something else for many than it's true definition, is clear. My own feelings about matters to do with the environment have nothing to do with the above, or your claims of hypocrisy. I never claimed to be an Environmentalist, after all, did I ? In fact, I didn't say anything at all radical, or out of line with what most scientists agree with by consensus. The "trend" is towards global warming as measured by all empirical standards, it may turn around, time will tell. However, if it doesn't, certain things will happen by virtue of the earth's water warming, this is a fact. What exactly will happen is unknown. I offered two partial extreme theories based on what many expert's models predict, I didn't make this up. Your retort didn't acknowledge that I said experts disagree on what the long or short term effects of this "trend" might be, hardly a radical statement. I suggest you read: The Chicken Little Agenda: Debunking "Experts" Lies by Robert G. Williscroft, certainly not a treatise of the Left. I guess the question is when does a "trend" become "disturbing" ? Or when is a "trend" officially called something else, like reality? Certainly sooner to some than others, and if the current "trend" turns out to be more than a "trend," turning it around on a moments notice is not realistic, surely everyone can agree on that, even El Rushbo. (1/2/07) [I'd like to make my first prediction for 2007. Today at 3pm, the most loved/hated guys discussed in the mailbag make their infamous "return". Here's what's going to happen: Don is going to say that he had enough and that he quit (true).] I'm gonna wager that Don says he had a [deleted]-related nervous breakdown and needed a "mental health break". (1/2/07) Who cares about Don and Mike anymore? Seriously folks, they are yesterday's news. Walking off their show more than a month ago with a big "F you" to their audience has got to be the most unprofessional thing that happened in radio during all of 2006. Make a New Year's resolution and tune out the has-beens. It's Sirius and iPod for me from here on out. (1/2/07) I also thought I saw Laura Evans in the congregation at President Ford's service, although the camera wasn't on her for long...looks like someone else saw her too. I agree with you, Dave, about NBC's too abrupt and tacky way of leaving the service joining a silly program in progress. So I switched to MSNBC, and Chris Matthews and Keith Olberman were (are) doing a great job of commentary continuing the coverage at Andrews Air Force Base. -- Bobbie (1/2/07) Watching the Ford Funeral on CBS, boy is Katie Couric terrible. The only reason I kept CBS on was to listen to Bob Schieffer. Is CBS ever going to admit they made a mistake? (1/2/07) (Regarding today's Rant) CH.4 - Ford: Please dont' blame this on the techs. The techs only do what the producers tell them to. The producers didn't have any other, more tasteful, plan. So, please direct the fault where is actually is. (The real, underlying, problem is the cutbacks in the newsroom, the lack of seasoned producers, and the lack of producers/directors guiding this process.) Thanks. (1/2/07) Never thought much of Bryant Gumbel since he blindly jumped behind OJ Simpson along with a few other NBC cohorts like Don Ohlmeyer (all golfing buddies, apparently). I do sleep better at night though knowing that decent golfers/sportscasters are apparently incapable of committing murder. The only reason NFL Network picked Gumbel is because he was the ONLY big name available. Now we know the reason, he's no good. Since most people can't even see the games, I doubt the NFL even cares that he is screwing up at this point. When that deal with COMCAST is eventually made and everybody sees it, well then the S will hit the F and they'll probably lure somebody from one of the other networks. That's my 2 cents. (1/2/07) I listened to WMAL this morning and there was no mention of THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS. Is THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS over? Who won? Were there recommendations by a Christmas Study Group? How many Christmas insurgents were killed anyway? Was it revealed that former President Ford weighed in a few years ago with his concerns over THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS? How much time while in Crawford did the president spend on developing a "new stratergy" for THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS? Did Chris Plante get the opportunity to compare the time we spent in Kosovo to the amount of time now for THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS? Did we get all the needed insights from military expert Ollie North on THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS via the Sean Hannity show? I miss THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS. I am marking on the December 3, 2007, block of my new calendar "The start of THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS-(listen to WMAL for more details)." (1/2/07) RE: [ " An environmentalist used to be a nonpolitical word, which meant a person who studies the environment, before folks like Rush Limbaugh successfully tied the word to radical behavior. Most in the scientific community now recognize the earth's temperature is rising, where experts differ are the questions regarding the short term and long term effects of global warming. Extreme models predict the polar ice caps melting to the beginning of a new ice age, nothing will put a hurting on capitalism and Christian values like a good ice age. " ]....... Quite funny how you typed that statement about OTHERS making "environmentalist" a radical politicized word, yet at the same time you stated something quite radical and politicized yourself! HAHA, what a hypocrit! The only proven truth about global warming is that we are currently going through a very warm trend that has lasted too disturbingly long to some. The rest is all conjecture. If George Washington were to have studied the then recent cold weather trends of the late 1700s as many doomsday "environmentalists" do today, maybe he wouldn't have crossed the Delaware River afterall due to it being predicted to be frozen over and we'd all be speaking the "Kings English" today instead. Oh, that's right, that never turned into a full-blown ice-age or melt-down, but how dare I bring historical facts into this discussion. Obviously, the "environmentalists" know better than history. :-) (1/2/07) WHAT THE HECK? DID YOU WATCH ANY OF THE FUNERAL COVERAGE FOR FORMER PRESIDENT FORD? IF SO, DID YOU CATCH LAURA EVANS IN THE CROWD AT THE FUNERAL? I AM QUITE SURE I SAW HER SITTING IN THE PEWS WHILE DRESSED IN BLACK TALKING TO SOMEONE A MAN. WHO IS HER HUSBAND? IS HE HIGH-PROFILE, OR SOMETHING? IT IS HER BUSINESS AND BRAVO TO HER FOR HONORING THE MAN OF THE HOUSE, BUT I WAS JUST SHOCKED TO SEE HER THERE. (1/2/07) What should I do today at 3:00pm - listen to the bloated big mouths and their broken echo machine or watch Ford's casket get loaded on a plane at Andrews Air Force Base? HMMMM... Thats easy - Fox News here I come!!! (1/2/07) Happened to catch a minute of Rhea Feiken, on the weekly MPT pledge drive yesterday.She used to do kiddie shows on Baltimore TV when I was a kid and I'm 55 now. How old is she and how many face lifts has she had? This fine Jewish woman now looks like a frozen Asian. Wait...she must use Joan Rivers' doctor. Nevermind. (1/2/07) These days it seems that good and decent ordinary Americans are infrequently represented in the media - whether in politics, news, entertainment, sports, business or faith. As people enter a world of titillating wealth and fame, they tend to leave behind the best of what is good, ordinary and natural. A good family man called to be a good public servant of the American people during difficult days, Gerald R. Ford was - in America's greatest generation - an ordinary guy's natural guy, a sound mind's gentle vibe; a great nation's middle heartbeat. TC Hughes (1/2/07) Rush Limbaugh is foremost an entertainer. His show has very little to do with real political discussion. If you find him entertaining, great! If you love being irritated by bombast, and his lampooning everything to the left of Atilla the Hun, great too. My suggestion is make your home and car a Rush-Free zone if his shilling and pompous grandstanding irritates you, I have for over a decade now. An environmentalist used to be a nonpolitical word, which meant a person who studies the environment, before folks like Rush Limbaugh successfully tied the word to radical behavior. Most in the scientific community now recognize the earth's temperature is rising, where experts differ are the questions regarding the short term and long term effects of global warming. Extreme models predict the polar ice caps melting to the beginning of a new ice age, nothing will put a hurting on capitalism and Christian values like a good ice age. Disregard Rush's babble on this serious subject, as even most the most conservative and skeptical among us feel differently than your portrayal Rush Limbaugh's flippant remarks. (1/2/07) I'd like to make my first prediction for 2007. Today at 3pm, the most loved/hated guys discussed in the mailbag make their infamous "return". Here's what's going to happen: Don is going to say that he had enough and that he quit (true). After about a week or so, he realized he is lost without the show and came back on his hands and knees for the show to be back on the air (he won't admit to the hands and knees). Then, (and this may not be revealed on-air) he will say how he demanded Morning Drive on WJFK or WARW (he did make this demand). Hughes went to the Junkies (who hate D&M) and asked if they wanted PM Drive. Their response was a unanimous "hell no". Don said "no" to PM Drive and Infinity said "no problem. We'll start the 'Mike & Rob Show' in January, thanks for your time". Whether is a bluff or not is pointless. Anyone reading this and not believing it - I'm sorry to say, it's true... (1/2/07) “Lindsay Czarniak is a piece of ass” –Your mother, sister, daughter and all other women who are important in your life thank you for this enlightened point of view. Happy New Year. (1/2/07) Did the Pam Ward detractors note that the overpriced and just plain awful Bryant Gumbel was repeatedly calling a 4th down punt, "Turning the ball over on down!"? What an idiot! The NFL Network are a bunch of idiots. Doesn't anyone there care? They do about holding up cable companies for ransom! If the worst ratings in recent NFL broadcast history don't wake them up, how about an aircheck of Gumbel? Too bad because Collingsworth is pretty good! They should hire Pam Ward. She's a better broadcaster and is probably a better athlete than Gumbel too! AQH listener (1/2/07) Wow. Who is the real El Stupido, the one who openly states his opinion or the one who figures his (or her) handicapped child is a tool to use to promote his (or her) opinion? That was by far the saddest rant I have read in a long time. (1/2/07) So, just how badly do YOU want to get into show biz? washingtondc.craigslist.org. Eww-ww... (1/2/07) So typical of The Post to report what all the local TV stations are doing in the way of coverage of the President Ford funeral and totally ignore their own Washington Post Radio which is carrying the whole thing. The one plug I did see in the newspaper this weekend for WTWP was for Warren Browns show and the time was wrong. (1/2/06) Dave's response: The print Post has been running the wrong time for Warren Brown's show since early November, when Pat Goss joined the WTWP lineup. Look, if the pompous Post fixed the error it would be a humiliating admission that they're reading the criticism on DCRTV..... Wy cn't I typ correctly? Is it that psychadelik malebox logo blindin' me? Happy New Year Dave (1/2/07) "Has ANY one out there ever heard Giles' last name pronounced that way?" No, of course not. You are pronouncing it correctly. Hey how about Ken Merson and Alan Lee together on the radio? C'mon someone do it! I was listening to Chip Franklin today on WBAL Radio. He's pretty bad. I thought that he would improve. I was wrong. (1/2/07) I forgot that tuesday is a federal holiday in remembrance of President Ford, thus as is there custom Don and Mike will not be working today, methinks.......I swear el presidente shrub is a jackal.....he can't return from that ranchero to pay his respects to President Ford on Saturday night and when he shows up on Monday, he doesn't even stay for 30 seconds. Of course, democratic and republican members of congress presented some poor attendance themselves. Maybe they actually felt shame in honoring a man who exhibited dignity and class while most of them these days are pretty much pond scum. Although I must admit that the human sloth, cheney's words on Saturday night were the most eloquent I've ever heard him speak, it's a shame he can't practice any of the characteristics he attributed to President Ford. Also interesting to see David Hume Kennerly scurrying about like all the other photogs on Saturday night . Well my soapbox is falling over. Bam! (1/2/07) When do Don and Mike have there next vacation? Love, Jerry "I'm workin' it here" Louis (1/2/07) FYI, "The Tube" is also on Cox channel 804 in NoVA. Anyone know if it's on FiOS? Waiting for FiOS here in beautiful downtown Fairfax City. Anyone know the rollout date? (1/2/07) RE: "Carl Merson...Does this mean there are two Merson Persons in Maryland radio? Any relation to...Ken Merson who was on Baltimore radio forever?" You bet he is!!! I am proud to say that Carl is indeed my multi-talented brother heard Saturday evenings from 7:00 - midnight on 1430 WNAV in Annapolis. Even though he has a "real" Monday - Friday, Carl truly enjoys coming to the station, likes his co-workers and has fun being on the air - a rare trifecta in today's world of commercial radio. Plus, how many of us can say that they get to hang out with Pat Sajak (WNAV's nice guy owner) at their office Christmas party. We also share the unique honor and privilege of working with the great Bob Duckman. Happy New Year to all. Ken Merson / mersonperson@hotmail.com (1/2/07) /\ January 2 Messages /\ \/ January 1 Messages \/ QUOTE: "Lindsay Czarniak is a piece of ass..." Ugh, I'm sure whoever wrote this is quite a charming fella. On another topic, my mother was visiting this past weekend and saw Steve Villanueva on weather on News4. First words out of her mouth (in Spanish) were: "This guy looks quite lovely... is he Puerto Rican?" 'Nuff said. -Silvie in Waldorf- (1/1/07) finally! the DON AND MIKE return is only hours away and i cant wait!!! come 3:00 tomorrow afternoon, i'll be sitting infront of my radio (taking a sick day from work) drinking coffee from my D&M mug and wearing my $119 D&M baseball jacket with my ron mexico shirt underneath. needless to say, i'm a fanatic, through the thick and thin. as far as all you radio god haters go, you KNOW you're going to be listening as well. you cant help it! you talk the talk, but if you ever met them in person, you'd be kissing their butts! they wouldnt be on the radio this long if they werent any good. and thats a FACT! people always say they disrespect their callers. maybe they do, but it's the callers that call THEM. and if they listen to the show, they should know that might happen. especially when they're so asinine sometimes. you want happy, go listen to jack diamond. i'm sure people will dispute what i say, but like i said, they'll all be next to their radio tomorrow afternoon listening to every.. single.. word. welcome back radio gods. F all the haters. they're just jealous. ps. does Kane run 5 miles before broadcasting every morning? he keeps taking deep breaths between sentences and it makes me want to go insane (1/1/07) I tried Don Geronimo in the DCRTV.org search, powered by googles, and got zippy? (1/1/07) Dave's response: Who? Lindsay Czarniak is a piece of ass and also a pretty good sports chick and much easier on the eyes than the other chick on the Sports Machine. The only reason I'll continue to tune into the Sports Machine once a month (for the plays of the month), is if Lindsay Czarniak is hosting after George leaves. (1/1/07) Anyone aware of any upgrades at WBFF-46? Both the 720p and 420p signals are pounding-in here in North Reston. Reception is actually better than the ion mess or WNVT. None of the other Baltimore DTV's are coming in, so it must be more than just cinditions... (1/1/07) I was listening to 94.7 this afternoon a bit before 2 PM and was listening to their top 94 party songs (or something to that effect). When the DJ announced the song "Centerfold," he said it was by the J 'Jiles' Band (he pronounced the hard 'G' like "Jello."). After he said it a second time later during the set (I thought at first that it was a quick read thing), I called him up to let him know it's proper pronounciaton. He said to me, "Tomato, ToMATo." He then went on to say that he had actually heard people pronounce it BOTH ways. I know this was a part-timer, but Max... AT LEAST get announcers that KNOW the product. Has ANY one out there ever heard Giles' last name pronounced that way? Tim in Stafford (1/1/07) Two items from the NY Times that might interest the DCRTV readers: "Loaded With Personalities, Now Satellite Radio May Try a Merger" www.nytimes.com and "Music of the Hemispheres" www.nytimes.com (1/1/07) Dear Rush, I have a six year old son with cerebral palsy and my wife and I work hard to give him the love and care he needs to live a normal life. Remember the Disney character Dumbo? Everybody loves the lovable Dumbo - the big eared baby elephant - because he overcame a major physical handicap to soar through the air with his big ears. But nobody loves a Stupido, a person of intellect who makes stupid, ignorant ridiculous remarks on the airwaves. Rush: A few minutes ago you had a mono-tirade and said the planet is warming, but there's no way man and civilization could be causing any part of it. I understand you are scientifically challenged, so let's use a scientific analogy to make a point. Ready? Do me a favor and pick up an apple. Yeah, pick up an apple. Now, look at the apple. For the sake of this analogy, the Earth is the size of an apple. Okay? Now! How thick is Earth's atmosphere is relationship to the apple? Do you know? No? I'll tell you how thick the atmosphere in relationship to an apple. The Earth's atmosphere is thinner than the apple skin itself. Now, you tell me how the Earth's upper atmosphere - which has accumulated over 25% more greenhouse gases primarily due to human activities in the past 100 years - you tell me how we've had no impact on the global warming. A few minutes later you made some stupid, ignorant over-generalizations typical of your mono-tirades. You went on to say that the environmental movement seeks to destroy capitalism and traditional Christan values. Well - I guess Christian environmentalists who believe in intelligent design by our God and Creator just don't exist in your mind. Rush: I nickname you the GOP's Stupido! The big elephant on the airwaves whose ears grow with every lie he tells. Do me a favor - be an intelligent capitalist with your material riches - go buy a hybrid car, energy efficient appliances and compact fluorescent light bulbs for your home. Now - excuse me while I spend the next 30 minutes giving my son (with cerebral palsy) some physical therapy. Happy New Year! Regards, TC Hughes (1/1/07) would everyone please stop with the lindsay czarniak love fest. she really isn't that good, and for all those who thinks she's cute, she isn't. She might be a very nice person, but stop it, when george leaves does that mean all the BS in the sportscast leaves too, i.e. slow mo highlights, fake nats, telling you the outcome in the lead in, "taking me out" to somewhere. I only watch 4 sometime to see how truly poor their sports broadcast truly is. I'll stick with watching the shows on CSN. (1/1/07) Speaking of NFL Network, I think Gumbel's voice just ain't made for play by play. I think his brother Greg would be far better. But having seen NFL Network games a couple a times now it is a work in progress but I do like that they don't splatter the screen with graphics upon graphics that seems the norm these days and I think some of the camera angles are better than what the major networks use. Especially the rear view angle were you can see the play developing......I must say it's nice that MASN seems to have dropped the horrible crawl that distorts the picture image. But alas I fear its return cause hell more and more and more graphics is hip these days........I caught a bit of the Ravens post game show on MASN, well at least Ms. Theoharis has a more pleasant personality than the ballbuster at MASN but I guess in depth knowledge of sport's ain't really a qualification no more.......and speaking of mom and pop music stores I believe CD Cellar has a good reputation cdcellar.net ....have recently seen Stan Stovall hosting a program dealing with Medicare drug prescription program. Now there's a guy with great pipes, which sadly doesn't seem to matter in voiceover work anymore..... and have seen Rhea Blakely hosting a program on Discovery Health. Does Discovery channel et al have studios in Maryland and do they use a lot of local talent in it's productions? ........... and my wish for the New Year is a Search function for DCRTV website.........Charlie Ferguson (1/1/07) Dave's response: We do have this..... I have a few comments to make… first I met Susan Kidd a few years ago in Georgetown and she was so nice she held a brief conversation with me. I wish nothing but the best for Susan… second what is going on here? Mel Gibson gets drunk and swears at the Jews, Rush says Michael J. Fox is acting when Mr. Fox is doing a commercial for stem cell research for the Parkinson disease he suffers from, then Faux/News Corp wants to do a television interview with O.J. Simpson about his new book “If I Did It” but they were smart enough to cancel this mess after the outcry from the public and the Faux local stations…I saw the Michael Richards video in which he said some stupid things during his alleged comedy routine and he fucked up big time not only his statements but his comedy was not funny. I saw him on Letterman apologizing for the comments he made and he will be buried for this incident for a long time. I will give him credit by not going into rehab and blame it on drinking. Finally I listened to the Junkies on the 6th of November saying they will be leaving WHFS and what I couldn’t believe is they said Big O and Dukes had great ratings in Baltimore and the general manager pulled them off the air….WHAT??? Big O and Dukes show sucked big time and was replaced by Ed Norris. With of the exception of the Junkies bashing the Redskins they lost credibility with me...I stopped listening to them when Bobby Ehrlich appeared on the show (I loved the show when he appeared on the 10th of November after getting his ass kicked by O’ Malley in the governors’ race!) Reggie from Clinton (1/1/07) So, the dreaded E/I rule is behind the plug being pulled on The Tube, the best thing to happen to Baltimore TV in a long time. Yes, I know the fault is ultimately Sinclair's, but some of the worst crap on TV only survives because it carries the E/I label. Government mandates like that do not work. (1/1/07) The WashPost article you liked to on 12/29 Messages to Spies Are Coded but Not Hidden, appears to be a rehashed boiled down version of a very interesting Was Post article from 2004, The Shortwave And the Calling, by David Segal that appeared in print and on line on Tuesday, August 3, 2004; Page C01.(1/1/07) According to the WMET webpage: WMET-AM streams (On-Air and Music of Your Life) are temporarily suspended as a result of our facility relocation. Anyone know where this new facility is? Are they moving out of M St.? (1/1/07) Dave's response: We reported a while back that WMET is moving to new studio digs in Silver Spring..... Sinclair is, as usual, being a little less than fully truthful about why they pulled The Tube off all their stations (including WUHF up here in Rochester). What's really happening is this: the FCC has new rules that take effect today on EAS capability and educational/instructional programming on DTV (and HD Radio) multicasts. DTV stations are now required to provide the mandatory amount of E/I programming (I think it's 3 hours a week) on each subchannel of their multicast, or an equivalent total amount on one subchannel, and all digital stations must now be able to insert EAS on every subchannel. Tribune appears to be willing to comply on WDCW. Sinclair doesn't want to be bothered - and for once, I can't completely blame them. The FCC has been issuing some nasty steep fines for violations of both the EAS and E/I rules. Why take the risk? - Scott Fybush, www.fybush.com (1/1/06) [Dave's response: The only "mom and pop record store" I'm aware of in Northern Virginia is the Record And Tape Exchange in Fairfax - www.recordandtapeexchange.com.....] Umm, don't forget Orpheus Records ( www.orpheusrecords.com ) in Clarendon. Lords knows the number of hours I spent at Orpheus in the 80s when they were in Georgetown. 20 years later it's still owned by the same "pop", Rick the barefoot hippie. (1/1/07) Dave's response: I should have said Fairfax County and not Northern Virginia. I stopped going to Clarendon several years back because of the over-zealous parking ticket officers. I swear, if you parked 29 minutes at a 30-minute meter, there'd be a fucking ticket on your car. There are a couple of great Vietnamese restaurants, a now out-of-biz sci-fi store, and, of course, Orpheus that I no longer patronize because of that frustration..... Now that 7 is doing the revolving anchor at 5, why not give Julie Parker at it? Solid reporter, competent AND falling over for beautiful. C'MON 7, everyone else has sat in that chair. Paul (1/1/07) I was a little shocked to hear the announcer break in with a few seconds left in the game to say, "because of NFL contractual obligations....." All I could think of is "Heidi". Somebody's switchboard or email box was flooded with complaints. Also, the Steelers/Bengals Game absolutely did have both play-off and news implications -- a Cincinnati win and Denver's eventual OT loss to the Niners would have put the Bengals into the play-offs. But you also had the defending Super Bowl Champs playing in what could have been their last game under Bill Cowher. I do think the Steelers have a pretty significant fan base in this area -- probably more so than Cincinnati -- they are not lemmings and don't live and die by the game results of the "hometeam" -- so they probably cared. Happy New Year...LO (1/1/07) On 54.2 instead of The Tube there's a notice directed to WNUV viewers saying that The Tube will no longer be on the station due to "contractural terms". My reception tonight won't let me pick up 50.2 to see what's going on there. Did Sinclair not pay their bill? (1/1/07) Dave's response: Just checked Comcast 207 here in Reston and Channel 50 DT is still relaying The Tube in DC in 2007. It was playing "Let's Go To Bed" by The Cure. I love that channel..... FYI...From AFTRA/SAG website. "Tom Sater was an award-winning meteorologist at Fox 5 in Washington, DC. After almost 7 years of service, management at WTTG-TV (the Fox O&O in Washington, DC) decided it was time for him to leave, even though he was very popular with the viewers, and had won 5 Emmys. Management claimed 'gross misconduct' and terminated Tom’s employment without notice or severance pay. AFTRA investigated, and concluded that gross misconduct had not occurred, and demanded that the station pay Tom his notice pay and severance pay, under the terms of the AFTRA contract. Although AFTRA and WTTG have a long history of being able to resolve their disputes, this case proved different. AFTRA filed for its first-ever arbitration with WTTG, and the two-day hearing was held in July 2006. The arbitrator found that WTTG had not met its burden of proof, and that any performance issues involved were 'ordinary' and did not rise to the level of gross misconduct. As a result of the arbitrator’s ruling, AFTRA was able to recoup over $70,000 in notice and severance pay for Mr. Sater"... (1/1/07) To all that help make DCRTV.com the best webSite on the planet, a heartfelt Happy New Year! Rusty Gibson (1/1/07) RE: [ " Me first, I want to be the first to send Dave a note on this! Cincy and Pittsburgh go to OT in a game that has playoff implications and THEY TAKE US TO BALTIMORE. " ]........ NO, ME FIRST!..... I want to be the 1st to say that HINDSIGHT IS 20/20. Turns out the Cincy/Pitt game had NO playoff implications afterall, as NEITHER ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS AT ALL! But, once again, in hindsight, The Ravens game had absolute certain playoff implications in this area because if they did not win, they might not have a 1st round bye in the Playoffs, changing all of the current AFC playoff matchups (very sorry your Washington Deadskins, Pittsburgh Squealers, & Cincinnati Bungles aren't included). So thank you CBS, WJZ 13, and WUSA 9 for making the RIGHT CALL! PS: Only an annoying out-of-towner relocated to Washington, DC type would want to see an out of market game of hopeless dieing rust-belts fighting for minimal hope of survival (oh, I meant the teams, not the cities, but if the shoe fits........... :-) (1/1/07) If I'm not mistaken, George Dietrich's father worked at or ran, and may have started, WEMD, which is now WCEI AM and FM in Easton. I believe he was also involved with WJRO, AM 1590 in Glen Burnie. Check it out. Bob (1/1/07) Hey David, Looked at your contents page for the first time even though I've been reading your site for years now... Found that your WCCO link actually gos to their TV station...the correct domain is wccoradio.com. Thought I'd give you the heads up on that one and wish you a happy New Year at the same time. Take care, Dave (1/1/07) Dave's response: Thanks Dave. One of our new year resolutions is a major revamping of our "internal" pages including the nostalgia/history stuff, as well as the station listings. Hopefully, we'll be ready to unveil some way cool shit by the middle or end of January. Stay tuned..... /\ January 1 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Acrhive Index.....