dcrtv.com - Mailbag - January 20 to January 23, 2007

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DCRTV Mailbag - January 20 to January 23, 2007

Latest messages listed first.....
\/ January 23 Messages \/

hi... im searching for any info on 97.7 the rocket out of southern maryland, and/or contact info for SOMAR communications inc...their parent company. thank you! (1/23/07)

What?! The Post newspaper people promised Tony any co-host he wants? Tony doesn't like Burd and won't work with him? Ben Bradlee begged Tony to go to WPR? See the pattern? Looks like we know who's really the boss at that place. Jim Farley, if you think you are running WPR, you better think again. I do like Korny though. WIll be good to hear him again. At least this new topic gets xm/sirius out of the mailbag. That was getting boring. (1/23/07)

I never post here, but I worked for Bonneville, and proudly so, in the late 1990's. And to this day I honestly can't remember them ever airing a show on tape delay (not to mention playing the same show back to back), as they are for the second two-hours of TK, on 1500 or 107.7 during prime dayparts. If Jim Farley and his braintrust can't come up with anything better to run on two 50kW sticks, then what the hell are they getting paid for??? Oh yeah, I already forgot....George! (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Gee, with all that's gone on today, it's a wonder that they didn't make it Tony 104.....

"How is that deck chair rearranging going, Bonneville?" Great analogy...but with the multi-million dollar hit they've taken in both share and revenue, they ought to be paying more attention to the lifeboats. (1/23/07)

Dave's response: But, like the Titanic, there aren't enough.....

WTWP 2006: NPR on steroids! WTWP 2007: The old WTEM Tony Kornheiser show, followed by a repeat of same! How is that deck chair rearranging going, Bonneville? (1/23/07)

Washington Post Radio is not going to work. They get Tony Kornheiser. Ok that is fine. What are they going to do the rest of the day. This format is not going to work. The numbers will go up a little, in the next book. But in the end it will crash. (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Kornheiser has a long history of being on WTEM, a station that has never seen great ratings.....

Isn't it hilarious that Kornheiser stooge, Andy Pollin, not only won't be able to join his master for the six month run on WTWP but will actually be competing against him? (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Apparently, Andy is under contract to WTEM owner Clear Channel. 'Nuff said.....

("Even if Tony gives them the ratings boost they are looking for, he will be gone by the time they can sell it. Media buyers aren't that dumb and WMAL sales folks won't let them be"...) There are no good Sales people left at WMAL. The good ones went to TOP or Post Radio well ahead of Ghengis Farid. (1/23/07)

Awfully big of Paul Farhi to announce the Kornheiser deal during his online chat. Will Korny now forgive Farhi for DARING to critique Tony's "MNF" appearances? Maybe Farhi would be the perfect co-host for Tony in the mornings. They could yell at each other, then throw coffee on each other's laps. Christian (1/23/07)

Tony K, my advice to you is to do lots of Larry King bits. You'll get killer ratings with them. God speed! - Doni (1/23/07)

I was doing research today for my third book for Arcadia Publishing when I stumbled upon this. That's Jack ("Turkey Legs") Edwards and The WCAO Good Guys vs. the Sparrows Point High faculty in 1969. Gary Helton, WHFC-FM (1/23/07)

I don't know the name of his co-host on WTOP but she is a former editor of his from the Post who is supposed to be very funny. By the way, I heard that if he went to RZ, the Post was going to fire him. By the way, I feel for Andy. (1/23/07)

Dave- Excuse me for not being able to find this, but I see references to your flashback pix of the day in the mailbag and I can't find them. I seem to remember a flashback link somehow...... Can you give me a hint? Thanks, Mike (1/23/07)

Dave's response: It's the "pre-Mailbag" page that you can reach by clicking on the Mailbag link on the Front Page or by clicking here.....

"Dave, you gonna do a Rant or analysis of Tony K going to Post Radio?" Why would Bonneville shake up WaPo radio AGAIN, let alone pay for something that will be completely worthless to them in the end? Even if Tony gives them the ratings boost they are looking for, he will be gone by the time they can sell it. Media buyers aren't that dumb and WMAL sales folks won't let them be. Its about as desperate as it gets over on Idaho Ave. these days. (1/23/07)

Dear Dave-(yes you the one that called intelligent successful individuals "Geezers". Get a life. If you and I were to co-create a format for broadcast, you'd be running the coffees and lunches and we "old Geezers" would be creating successful formats. Christ, even legends in programming are currently falling all over themselves trying to come up with something, anything new..old...CHEAP! To succeed you must take risks. Little do you know of me or my past, you're just flinging shit, insulting people that care about the state of the industry and making a total ass of yourself. Go for-ANG (1/23/07)

is jim williams on crack?? he said ravens xtra on masn was a quality show that he hopes they do next year on the road as well... really? that was by far one of the worse examples of a postgame show... (1/23/07)

re: "That list of "experts" does include that dumbass poster quoted above expressing his opinion. I guess we should leave all our idiotic views at the front door. Shut the mailbag down, Dave."---It would take basic reading comprehension skills to realize I offered no opinion about the flip. Too soon, too many variables. I only come here for the comic relief & the occasional nugget of wisdom. For the record, yours is not one of the nuggets. (1/23/07)

"it's like 40+ years ago when programs started making the "revolutionary" jump to color from black and white, some are slow to respond." That's very true. NBC started broadcasting Bonanza in color on Sep 12th 1959, and the network color-tv revolution really started when Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color hit the airwaves on Sep 24th, 1961. My last year in High School I started working as a "relief" 1st Class engineer at WSYR in Syracuse NY (in September 1962) when it was the NBC outlet. We were all black & white except for the NBC network feed and one RCA "film chain" which had a 16mm movie projector, a 2-barrel 35mm slide projector, and a color TV camera on a massive optical bench. We had our video station ID slide in color usually cued up for station breaks during the color network shows, and started running a few color commercials (on 16mm film) for a premium price before, between, and after the network color shows. Our own "Saturday night at the movies" also started running color movies. These were spliced together on massive 16 inch reels so that a 2-hour movie (inclding commercials) would all fit on one reel. We'd flip to the slide projector for voice-over-stills spots and the station ID by flipping a power-driven mirror inside the optical bench. This was still the setup when I left for higher paying part-time work for my last two years in college. Bill (1/23/07)

Hey Dave, how do you feel about putting another Top 40 CHR station on 104.1? All us ex-HOT listeners still haven't quite relocated, and HOT could use a little competition in their lives. After all, their definition of a NEW hit is a song that came out about 3 months ago. (1/23/07)

Dave's response: I'd like to see an adult alternative rocker on the DC radio dial. Something like WRNR or WTMD.....

Why are they saying "KMS" to "HFS"? Isn't it just K & M? That annoying, no-talent Josh Speigel (The "S") is still at 98 Rock right? (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Maybe KMS stands for the Kirk and Mark show.....

"Couple of things: Is WPR still connected to Bonneville?" Yes. They own it, not The Post. (1/23/07)

Isn't the state of Sports Talk on radio, and non-live sporting events programming on TV a sad state of affairs? We have MASN simulcasting Anita Marks, plus Tom and Phil on Saturdays, plus simulcasting ESPN News early mornings on weekends, which most cable systems already have. We have ESPN 2 simulcasting Mike and Mike. Now we have XXX/ESPN airing PTI. What's next..."Around the Horn"? Do you think that this format has reached the saturation point in both mediums? Not enough talent or fresh ideas to go around? Are we to the point where quality and originality are completely lost? Sure seems that way in the DC/Balt markets. Doug in Bel Air (1/23/07)

Dave, you gonna do a Rant or analysis of Tony K going to Post Radio? You said last week he'd be going to TEM. Yesterday you said he was going to Dead Zebra. Seems like almost all posters in the mailbag agreed with you, that he'd go to one of those guys and not Post Radio. Thoughts? (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Hey, we've, at one point or another, said TK was going to all three stations. And his "PTI" is going to be heard on Triple X. So, we were "correct" two-thirds (that's 66.666 percent) of the time. Not a bad percentage for bald-faced rumor mongering.....

Yeah, it seems unlikely IMHO that Kornheiser and Burd would work onair together...didn't they used to say something about oil and water...seems to me better to (presuming, pray God, they don't bring in Andy Pollin) to pair Kornheiser with Jessica Doyle...or maybe with Victoria Jones, who will now lose the 10-to-12 gig she just started and who I would hate to see leave altogether. (1/23/07)

Mr. Tony in the mornings! Thanks be to WAPO for getting this done. Doing for the kids Mr. Tony is back!! Now I won't be getting any work done. But I am sad to read that Andy "Polely" won't be in on the fun ship. Maybe Burd can hold his tongue long enough for Tony to not yell and scream at him. (1/23/07)

(Less that 24 hours after a station flips, the critics have descended upon the scene to offer their two cents. ANG (geezer rants are hilarious) & assorted others have already predicted its demise. Joel O, Jim F, etc. must be dumbasses. I'm sure they're second guessing themselves now that the experts in the DCRTV mailbag have expressed their displeasure. Classic…) That list of "experts" does include that dumbass poster quoted above expressing his opinion. I guess we should leave all our idiotic views at the front door. Shut the mailbag down, Dave. (1/23/07)

(Dave's response: Just curious, what were the two "current" songs you heard?) Just heard Kelly Clarkson's since you've been gone and recently heard Daniel Powter's Bad day...I'm not a PD so I don't know if "current" is the definition of these songs, but I don't need to be a PD to know they aren't oldies! Also, should we believe your reporting that the TK announce is official this time? you have certainly been "moving our cheese" a bunch in the past few days! BA (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Hey dude, if you want to see news being "made," messy and all, then DCRTV is the place to be. Tony was talking to a variety of parties - and we reported about the day-to-day negotiations. If that uncertainty bothers you, and if you want stuff only after the press release gets released, try the more "traditional" mainstream pubs. Sheesh. Some people just don't get what the internet is about.....

("RE: “You can get the Local channels in HD right now) Some non-network shows, such as Jeopardy! and Wheel are not shown in HD even though they are now available in that format. WJLA does not have the equipment yet to downlink HD content yet (nothing new for Allbritton) Other than WUSA-9, seems like the others are lagging a bit. (might not be a bad idea for a DCRTV page on HD status in the area). it's like 40+ years ago when programs started making the "revolutionary" jump to color from black and white, some are slow to respond. (1/23/07)

(What have you been hearing as to George's successor at WRC?) Didn't he move to 103.9/104.1 yesterday? The songs seemed a little slow... Speaking of "George 104" if I want to hear John O'Hurley, I'll go watch "Seinfeld" - on DVD, or "Family Feud" (1/23/07)

Less that 24 hours after a station flips, the critics have descended upon the scene to offer their two cents. ANG (geezer rants are hilarious) & assorted others have already predicted its demise. Joel O, Jim F, etc. must be dumbasses. I'm sure they're second guessing themselves now that the experts in the DCRTV mailbag have expressed their displeasure. Classic... (1/23/07)

I'm sure you saw this from..."Paul Farhi: Wait...This just in: Tony's coming to WashPost radio! He'll be on weekdays from 8:30-10:30, with a two-hour rebroadcast right after. You read it here first. I think...... scooped?: The Sports Bog on the front page of washingtonpost.com is reporting that Tony Kornheiser is joining Washington Post Radio. Shouldn't that be coming up here rather than there?..... Paul Farhi: Okay. Second." -- Odd time, tho, 8:30-10:30 a.m. --RB (1/23/07)

Dave's response: It's going to be real interesting to see Tony hosting on a morning when there's a major news event (non sports) breaking. Hmmm.....

Re: The two missing teens. Even the Montgomery County Police Department Press Release is not correct... "Detectives believe they may possibly have gone to Charlestown, West Virginia". It is Charles Town. (1/23/07)

Dave,I hear that Maryland Thomsic got an e-mail that states that Jack died in a hostital in Richmond,VA.Did you hear this...and what was the cause of death.Jack and I go back to our days as kids in the same section of Chicago.He was always in touch with the school during his time in Richmond.We worked together back in the 1990s here at the Columbia School of Broadcasting. Thanks for your help, Jim Lashley (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Jack died in November. Check out the 11/15 newsblurb in DCRTV's News Archive.....

Regarding Mary Cliff, I wouldn't be surprised if she lands on her feet at XM. Three of the satellite radio company's channels (Folk Village, Bluegrass Junction and Bluesville) feature musical genres that Cliff routinely played on Saturday nights. When WETA-FM cancelled the weekly Songs for Aging Children program (which focused on singer/songwriters of the 60s and 70s) several years ago, it was resurrected on XM by its creator Robert Aubry Davis who programs both the folk and vocal classical channels. Mike, Fairfax (1/23/07)

Re: The "good and bad" (and the UGLY) of the WGMS, WETA, George104 deal: The Ugly, of course, is "...all the good people who lost their jobs at WGMS and WETA..." Let's hope some, if not all of them are picked up by other stations in the region. BTW, didn't Renee Chaney once work for WETA? --RB (1/23/07)

So, who else happened to be in Philly in 1998, when their long-time classical station, WFLN, went pop, with a similar "arrangement" with a non-profit radio station "to keep classical alive?" (In their case they took Temple University's all-jazz station and split it to 12-hours of classical--what a win-win, huh, since, clearly jazz and classical are all the same.) Anyway, as anyone who has heard that break from WFLN nearly a decade knows, the first song of their new format was: Sheryl Crow's "A Change Would Do You Good." My, radio has just been cracklin' with new and original ideas these past ten years, hasn't it. (1/23/07)

("Any idea on how much an upgrade would cost? I just bought the HD DVR in July and not sure I want too fork over more cash for a new HD DVR.") The best way to find out is to call DirecTV's customer service number, explain what you currently have (including quantity and model numbers of your receiver box(es), number of feed horns on your dish (2. 3. or 5), etc.) and tell them you want to upgrade to the 5-satellite dish and receiver(s) to get the local channels in HD. Ask them about getting the new Hight Definition DVR as part of the package. I had two receivers changed out to HD20s (no DVR) for a one-time charge of $99 each and that included their installer going up on the roof and changing my 3-feed dish to a 5-feed dish. The HD package surcharge is $5 per month for each High Definition receiver box. If you subscribe to any of the premium movie channels, the HD package includes the HD feed of those same channels. Bill (1/23/07)

Dave, this is a question for you. What have you been hearing as to George's successor at WRC? There's got to be some buzz going around. Do you think management has the testicular fortitude to put a woman in the job? Of the obvious candidates, who do you think should get it vs. who will get it? Any chance they will look out of town? Bob from College Park (1/23/07)

Dave's response: I'd like to see 4 pick Lindsay Czarniak, but it could be newcomer Dan Hellie. Both are good.....

In reference to the two missing high school students in Montgomery County I am amazed (again) about how almost every media outlet in this area has gotten an important part of the story wrong. The police have issued a press release saying that the girls are believed to have been in Charles Town, West Virginia. I have seen this spelled Charleston, Charlestown, and Charlesten. Hello? Charles Town is in the panhandle of West Virginia. Charleston is the capitol city and is hundreds of miles away. There is no such city as Charlesten. Who writes these things? (1/23/07)

Well another sigal gone poooooop! "George"..what the hell is this??? The music sucks..the signal is weak, there's no brightness to the elements of the PROGRAMMING?????? What in the world does GEORGE mean? I swear to God, whoever is attempting to program music radio has "Helen Keller Syndrome" or "Pinball Wizard" elemental programming skills. Deak Dumb and Blind...ANG (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Yeah, but we are treated to the voice of "Mr. Peterman" (a la "Seinfeld") every now and then.....

Red Zebra's PTI replay is likely a byproduct of their ESPN Radio deal. WTEM had it once upon a time. It is not Kornheiser's much-ballyhooed return to radio. The smokescreen is no more than a weak desperation move. RZ's failure to land Tony is somewhat of a shock and yet another kick to their nuts. (1/23/07)

Julie Wright presents the traffic on the Greaseman's show. Ain't that an oldies show? Holy doodads batman the hydrawlics seem to be malfunctioning! You could say at least Greaseman puts more show prep into one of his shows than the don and mike do with a month of chocolate pies.....for those of you going to miss Mary Cliff and "Traditions", and count me amongst'em, WUNC has a very good folk and new acoustic show on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights from 8pm-midnite wunc.org sorry no podcasts, will have listen to live stream, which ain't that bad ....... John Tuttle (1/23/07)

hey Dave, aside from Danny boy trying to buy all those new stations for ESPN Radio, any update on them pulling away because they cant be heard anywhere around here at night? (1/23/07)

Dave's response: I haven't heard anything specific, but I'm sure that ESPN Radio can't be happy they're on a DC sports talker with such low ratings.....

I agree with Dave about the target audience on the so called "new" WETA. It reminds me of when Warner Wolf came back to channel 9, and it didn't work. Society had changed. One of the reasons Bonneville ditched classical was because the old fogey audience didn't generate enough revenue to justify the bloated salaries of the announcers. I doubt if these same people will support a format that didn't work in the past on WETA. I'm not saying that 90.9 does a bad job. Warner did a good job when he came back. It's just that it didn't work anymore. This won't work either. The old fogies didn't donate then, and they won't donate now. WETA should consider a partnership with Dan Snyder, and go all sports. "Hail to the Redskins, ................" (1/23/07)

DAVE SAID: "You better believe that the change to classical at WETA-FM will benefit the Post - and its news talk Washington Post Radio. The Post is no longer "an observer." It's "a player." Treat it as such....." Couple of things: Is WPR still connected to Bonneville? Leading with my ignorance (how else to correct it!): What happened to the point and purpose of WETA's original charter? Who's calling these shots now? (1/23/07)

With "Prairie Home Companion" now off WETA, WAMU has a problem. Does it take in the program on Saturday evenings and thus alienate listeners of its popular longtime show, "Hot Jazz Saturday Night," by slicing some of its three-hour length? All in all, the WGMS shift is an interesting one for Bonneville, although I wish they had called Snyder's bluff and instituted their own sports-talk station at 103.9/104.1. -- Vincent in Triangle (1/23/07)

The RDS at 104.1 has been changed. The signal seems not strong enough here for it to display correctly. It says something like "WE WANT 104 70'S 80'S AND," bus it's not scrollintg right. (1/23/07)

"70'S 80'S AND WHATEVER WE WANT GEORGE 104" is the new RDS at 104.1 (1/23/07)

Re Julie Wright and "oldies": I've heard her on occasion doing traffic for WGRQ, an oldies station in Colonial Beach that I listen to during much of my morning commute. -alr (1/23/07)

RE: “You can get the Local channels in HD right now “ Thanks Bill. Any idea on how much an upgrade would cost? I just bought the HD DVR in July and not sure I want too fork over more cash for a new HD DVR. Dude in olney. (1/23/07)

"WETA is back to where it was several years ago - providing classical music to an aging audience, who'll be spending more of their disposable income on assisted living expenses." C'mon Dave--we're all getting older, but I've been listening to classical since I was in high school. Surely I can't be a unique phenomenon. Does WXGG appeal to that much of a younger audience? If, as stated in the Post Sunday, people's musical tastes freeze around the age of 20, those 70's oldies are aimed at folks in their mid-50s. (But if the terrestrial broadcasters don't like their audience, the satellite folks are still willing to take our money for both classical and oldies.) WETA-FM used to be a real class act, providing not only classical music but producing original classical programming as well, for national syndication. I hope they can regain some of their better days--although the apparent single-mindedness of the new format doesn't bode well. Mary Cliff was an important part of the mix, (as were the other "off format" shows, such as the comedy shows). Ah, off format shows... now I am sounding like an old fogey. (1/23/07)

I listened to 104.1 yesterday and could not understand some of the blends that were being put together. I also could not believe some of the pure junk that they had on their first day. Did the cart machine or stacks of wax get knocked over?? If they keep this up 94.7 should have nothing to worry about. Big has slowly but surely stepped up their play list from Elton John and Billy Joel around the clock to more worthwhile blends, but they have a LOOONNNG way to go. Last weekend their theme was "Rockers that support Chevy" or some other nonsense??!! Seriously? So the local Chevy dealers got an entire weekend promotion?! Were they're no other ideas from the boobs at Big??!! "British Invasion XXMMILL" would have been better than back to back Seager B-sides! (1/23/07)

Dave - Your condescending, stupid and wholly misguided crack about WETA's now having to play to an aging audience that must use its disposable income for assisted living expenses demonstrates only the depth of your cretinism. I can only pray that you live long enough to require assisted living, and not be able to afford it or to find anyone willing to take care of you regardless of cost. RBJamison (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Gee, I was only jooooooking.....

I said yesterday that with 2 non-comm classical signals available to me now I might be spending a bit less time with the satellite radio. I see from the Mailbag that others might be better off with a satellite radio--Sirius has both Car Talk (several times per week) and APHC (live on Saturday nights). And if folks go to Sirius, I recommend The Vinyl Cafe on Sirius' CBC1 channel on Sunday afternoons. Somewhat similar to what I remember of APHC, but much more enjoyable to me. (1/23/07)

I am very happy for WETA. I really am. I just hope they see this as an opportunity to move foward, and not backward. The last thing we need are retreads from 104.1. We need and want fresh faces and fresh voices. The Bonneville era was a disaster. Good riddence. (1/23/07)

Re: “A couple quick points... No other team "…well said, Bravo! (standing and applauding) I just ordered my customized Ravens Black jersey with UNITAS #19. Taking back “our” history must begin as a grass roots effort from Baltimore football fans!!!!! What happens in Baltimore STAYS in Baltimore! (1/23/07)

Bonneville also runs 106.5 the Arch in STL---which has been a ratings leader in 12+, as well as the all important 25-54 adult demo. They also have the Peak in Arizona. I'm sure they will have jocks on, since all of the other Adult Hit stations that they own have jocks. (1/23/07)

Dave's response: In DC, George 104 will be on a weakish pair of signals and be up against Mix 107.3, Big 100.3, and Arrow 94.7 - all of which have stronger signals. Not great prospects for George, whatever the format. Look at how much better Clear Channel contemporary hit Hot 99.5 has done with Bonneville's old Z104 format simply because it has a great inside-the-Beltway signal.....

It’s interesting that all of the recent posts in the mailbag have been about George 104 and nothing about the “BIG” announcement from Danny’s Triple X about what seems like a replay of the audio from TK’s ESPN show PTI at 7PM and 5:30 AM (the following day) when many of us can’t hear Danny’s stations. I guess that others have the same reaction as do I, BFD!!! As much as Korny says he likes doing radio (and the $$ it puts into his pocket) I can’t believe that this was the best he could do. But this deal may keep the Wash Post off his back, since he is not “officially” working for Danny/the Skins and my keep his WP health insurance in place, though I haven’t seen any words from TK in the Post for many, many weeks. I should add that I really have enjoyed TK’s previous radio work and was looking forward to hearing it again, even for only a few months. He said that he would be back, but unless he has cut another deal with another station (unlikely I’d guess), sadly that won’t be the case. Bill R. (1/23/07)

An absolutely pitiful opening to last night's George Michael sports report at 6:50pm. He chose to lead with the Bill Parcells story instead of the playoff games. Then we are treated to a 30-second clip of Parcells opening and closing his mouth in super slow motion. It looked like Howdy Doody in slow motion or a scene from from a Chucky movie. But my bad..I normally have switched to ABC news by 6:50. It is important that March 1 will bring us a complete revamping of the writing and production values on this sports report. I'm crossing my fingers. Regards Biff (1/23/07)

For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Bonneville did what they did with this “same old, same old” rock format. It’s stunning. Do they really think that there’s a need for more of this genre here?? At least they could have gone a bit R & B a la Smokey, Marvin, James Brown etc. since there’s nothing like that on commercial radio after BIG went Classic Rock. Just amazing. My choice for best radio format currently? WPFW, 89.3 FM. Their Saturday blues in the AM/early afternoon followed by fabulous old school R & B later in the day is fantastic. And Sunday mornings are great too with jazz and acoustic guitar from Appalaicha and the like. Too bad they have to beg for bucks, they should be rewarded for their efforts in carving a niche untapped in the market. Oh well. Back to my ipod, I give up. (1/23/07)

From what I've heard so far, George is better than Mix 107.3. With a little luck, this will be the beginning of the end of Jack Diamond. (1/23/07)

“Tom Godfrey?” Wasn’t he on WJSV? Sheesh… (1/23/07)

I'm not big on the (mostly liberal) Public Radio shows, but Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion are two exceptions. I hope they find new homes at WAMU or other DC area station. I can listen to APHC on line, but still would like to hear it in the car. Dave in Fredericksburg. (1/23/07)

While watching Fox 5 Morning News, Julie Wright, one of the traffic reporters mentioned to Tony Perkins that she worked "occasionally at an oldies station". Since when did WARW become an "oldies" stations; I always thought they were a Classic Rock station. Kristin. (and I am fully aware of the fact that this will never see the pages of your website. If printed I am certain you would lose your inside source for both Metro Traffic Control and WARW, you know, Julie Wright herself) (1/23/07)

Dave's response: Julie works for Metro Traffic and does traffic reports for several radio stations, along with Channel 5. Julie has never been a news source for DCRTV, although I did get to meet her at the Washington Quarter Century Broadcasters dinner last November. She is charming. As for WARW, it is classic rock. I guess you could loosely call it "oldies," but not in the way radio formatists would classify the term. WARW's 94.7 used to be adult contemporary WLTT and easy listening WJMD.....

Interesting article in January Radio on Ravens broadcast on WBAL. beradio.com (1/23/07)

Regarding WETA program changes...I'm a classical music listener, so most of this shift/tumble/churn is fine by me. But I'm wondering if WETA will continue to carry Prairie Home Companion. That show hasn't had an original idea in about 10 years. It would be very, very sad if PHC stays while Mary Cliff gets the boot. Larry in Vienna (1/23/07)

To the poster who thought he was speaking on behalf of Baltimore.. BUDDY, stop living in 1984 and join the rest of us in 2007. The Colts are gone ass. (1/23/07)

"Ahhh, time to drop a deuce on WGMS, its listeners and its employees" - love Jim "George" Farley. Another clone radio station in DC, thanks a lot Bonneville. (1/23/07)

I already knew the details of the two format flips but still listened with attention when NBC 4 covered it on the 11pm news. They could not have screwed it up more! There was no mention of WGMS at all. They said that classical music was starting on WETA and, get this, that Z-104 was changing to George-104. Z-104, which has been gone for what, two years? Does anyone over there have a clue that there is media other than television? Of course, they had some laughs with George Michael over the whole thing. (1/23/07)

Another sign of a station not stupid enough to release a big change before it happens, was then fabricated story of WGMS going to Sports. Why would they do that, DC is not THAT big of a sports city to support all of those signals. Adult Hits makes sense, you have Arrow and BIG--but they are slow on the game. I'm glad to see someone grab it before CC and CBS finally got thier heads out of thier ass. (1/23/07)

Two things on the big format switch (Monday). First, I don't think George is a stunt. The format is successful in other markets. It only makes sense to go commercial free. They were going to lose every client anyway with the format change, along with the audience. It makes sense to do what you can to have a good spring Arbitron, and going commercial free will do that. How many they lose after the spots come back is a question. Second, WETA is clearly going to a lower cost operation. It looks like they have dropped all NPR and PRI programming (except the NPR hourly newscasts). The only things that are not classical music are 'The Newshour with Jim Lehrer" which is produced at the station, and the Metropolitan Opera which fits in with the new format. High priced shows that are gone: Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion. This will save millions in dues. I'm shocked at the dropping of APHC, but the other ones were predictable since WAMU had them and was getting a larger audience. (1/23/07)

That is reprehensible! I hope that you will continue to exhibit good taste by deleting any and all e-mails that refer to Jerry Edward's breasts. PS- There used to be a young man who looked like your Key Lime Pie judge working at one of the radio stations in Washington. Dad and I can't recall if it was WMAL or WRC. His name was either Godfrey of Gauger... something like that. Oh! It was so long ago. Do you suppose he is still alive or nearly as nice looking? You know, that Lyle Waggoner aged well. Sincerely, The Cleavers (1/23/07)

Dave's response: It's the great Tom Gauger.....

Just received this email note... From Mary Cliff: "WETA has just informed me that I'm no longer on staff as of Friday, January 26. Looks like I'll get a last show Saturday night from 8 to 1. Mary Cliff, TRADITIONS soon-to-be-formerly WETA Radio I don't know about the rest of you but this makes me more than a little bit angry. What is more than 30 years worth Let em know how it makes you feel www.weta.org" (1/23/07)

Dave's response: You might want to also think about canceling your subscription to the Washington Post, because they have their hands in this mess. You better believe that the change to classical at WETA-FM will benefit the Post - and its news talk Washington Post Radio. The Post is no longer "an observer." It's "a player." Treat it as such.....

I'm surprised no one's mentioned that Bonneville runs another "adult hits" (Jack-clone) station in San Francisco, and has for some time: "MAX FM" 957maxfm.com... Of course, they're about to give it up, along with all their SF stations, to Entercom, in that big swap announced the other day. But...they have a long-term investment in the format in at least one other market. Well, as long term as you can get for "variety hits", at any rate. (1/23/07)

OK, what's the TRUE reason behind WETA's sudden change to classical music? After two years their board gave up suddenly on a news talk format that was supposed to be more successful than the "aged" classical music format? (1/23/07)

"Another format change to note: WNAV-1430AM is now playing 50's, 60's and early 70's oldies." That's great, but I wish they'd back announce their damned songs. Coming out of their 5pm newsblock, the woman on in the afternoon sweeps three, opens her mic with the time and calls, promos the weather coming up next, and launches spots. And, I don't think it's the format there, because even though he doesn't back announce everything, at least Duckman backannounces more than she does. It's pretty damned arrogant to assume either that a) everybody knows who all of these artists are; or b) all the listeners are as bored as the jocks. I'm hoping the new music at WNAV comes with a strong PD and solid format. (1/23/07)

How stupid is Bonneville? The closing of WGMS is a disaster for Washington radio listeners. Perhaps when they finally realize that the Washington Post radio format has no listeners outside of 1150 15th St. NW, they'll understand the mistake they have made. And George is just a completely redundant format. They would have done better to flip to standards, sports, talk, or something that people actually like. There are two other stations in this market serving the same format and audience as George. Do these people think? And if they were going to do this, then why did they kill off Z-104 in the first place? How long do you think this stupid George format will last? I give it a month. Tim Phares (1/23/07)

"Yesterday, the Washington Post announced that it'll be running fiction on its website. Now, we hear that it will be jumping into bed with the publisher of a rag that runs fake news." No one will notice any difference. The Post has been running fiction and fake news for many years. Tim Phares (1/23/07)

Did anyone else notice the speech impediment that Terry Bradshaw had when he did his pregame "pull on the heartstrings" New Orleans piece? I figured he was drunk again (Marty Bass-olism). But he even had it during the live portion. Something with his "s's" that he could not make out. It sounded like he had some medical condition or his damn dentures were not fitting properly. And Juliette Huddy is so hot that I would lick from anus to navel and come back for seconds! (1/23/07)

/\ January 23 Messages /\

\/ January 22 Messages \/

Refreshing to see no dm posts. HD radio will take 6 to 10 years to be established, I remember a coworker talking about the wonders of dvd players in 1996. They cost 700 bucks then. Now you can buy them at Rite Aid for 69 bucks. Hd will go the same way. BTW Hey PLB If you were so good, why were you working Sunday nights????? And Overnights ay WBZ??? I've heard your airchecks on WPGC and I've heard more content on one JackFM in one break than you did in a whole show. Backsell, time, temperature, frontsell. Thats classic radio???. Sorry to bust on you. but go ahead and transcribe your air check and see what I mean. Hey you had a good run, and thats all we can hope for. but quit the legends bit ok? (1/22/07)

Dave's response: I haven't been deleting any posts of late. Except for one or two really tasteless ones about a certain TV traffic reporter's breasts.....

So, Bonneville unloads the classical format. It is no secret that ad agencies didn't throw many dollars in the direction of WGMS. It is also believed by some that it has become harder to sell enough direct business to make it worthwhile to operate this format in DC. In the process, Bonneville gets WETA to switch from NPR/news/talk and take away a competitor from its Washington Post Radio format. Although I question whether "George 104" will be the final answer, it at least allows them to get out from under the difficult to sell classical format fairly easily and potentially helps one of their other properties in the process. Its the beginning of a good move for Bonneville. (1/22/07)

"Ever since it went commercial, I always used it as a backup" - Yo, Doug! I'm as P.O.'ed as you are but let's keep it "Fair and Accurate," mate. WQQW cum WGMS was ALWAYS commercial... from the time the first iddy-biddy milliwatt slammed into a tube and exciter at 570 kilocycles. But, I agree with your sentiments about Bonneville! - R. Murdoch (1/22/07)

I'm wondering if George 104.1 is a stunt and a cost cutting move. Would firing the entire air staff and running what is essentially a jukebox format increase the value of the station to a potential buyer? In any case, so far George 104.1 is pretty good. I wonder how many songs that really have set to play and when the repeats start.... (1/22/07)

Just turned on George 104 on line and what's playing "Levon" by you know who. Good old Elton John.Great another station playing the same songs as the other stations. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Come on. How about playing "All The Girls Love Alice".....

Saw a classic Holly Morris moment this morning..She was interviewing, or trying to interview, some guy at one of the salt sites about his job, how long he's had to work in the past 24hrs in order to get the salt out on the streets, etc..and the guy seemd to have no clue what she was talking about. He spoke with an accent and whenever she would ask him a question, he'd give an answer that was TOTALLY unrelated to the question..It reminds me of the time she was out at Wolf Trap and was trying to interview someone who spoke NO English, but she kept asking questions and the guy just kept looking at ther like she had 3 heads..Guess she feels like the show must go on no matter how foolish she looks. (1/22/07)

Just out of curiosity, I dialed up George 104 this evening only momentarily to hear what they were playing: "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. Same as WASH, WARW, and most likely WBIG. In a parallel universe, I'm sure WGAY is also playing it. That nostalgia stuff on WMET is sounding better and better each day. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: George sounds an awful lot like Baltimore's Jack.....

First tune on WETA Classical: Quentin Marsalis doing a Vivaldi Trumpet Voluntary. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Yes, a very low profile debut. But, Gawd, the music is heavenly clear and pure. Far superior to the hissy and crackling WGMS on 104.1 and 103.9.....

I can't find an email address for Bonneville Int'l, but here is a link to their website: www.bonnint.com... Their phone number in Salt Lake City is 801.575.7500... I suggest that those of us who are dissatisfied with this change flood them with phone calls. Doug Kitchener, Gaithersburg (1/22/07)

(Regarding today's Flashback picture of Tom Gauger:) WMAL had over 10,000 entries in that “Best Key Lime Pie Recipe” contest. A LONG time ago! (1/22/07)

1.5 inches of snow and we have Darcey Spencer (channel 4) out in the frigid tundra of Fairfax County interviewing some know-nothing woman about how treacherous her street was and how it had not been plowed. Then Ms. Spencer quotes unnamed "authorities" who supposedly say that it is ok to keep your "kids" home if you think that it is dangerous. A suggestion. The next time it snows do your story from the mall or the movie theater and see how many "kids" and women are crowding the place. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Got to hand it to my condo complex. They had a crew out with snowblowers at 4 this morning. Woke me up.....

Anyone see the new Mike and Juliette show this morning??..Curious as to whether it was any good. (1/22/07)

A couple quick points... No other team that has moved from one city to another has ever played in "The Greatest Game Ever Played". The Indianapolis Colts did not play in that game, The Baltimore Colts did and none of those players will ever have anything to do with Indianapolis. Just like the initial Browns move, this is a black mark on NFL history. As for other teams and histories, name one that has played a "Greatest Game Ever Played". No, Oakland and Cleveland got their teams & histories back, so bad example. Even Washington could have had The Senators name and history if they wanted it. And as for the Cardinals, geez, that eternally mediocre franchise has moved so many times, who cares about their history anymore? I doubt anyone in St. Louis could give a rats ass about that history. The simple point is most people in Baltimore DO care and will continue to care, despite some of the posts here claiming to be from Baltimore or Ravens fans. If they didn't, you wouldn't have seen the overwhelming media hype that the national media is criticizing and you wouldn't often see a person at a Ravens game wearing a Colts Unitas jersey and a Ravens cap. I wonder, does anyone in St. Louis show up at a Rams game with a St. Louis Cardinals NFL jersey on??? Lets see, # of Cardinals NFL Championship or Super Bowl appearances..... (drum roll please)........ none. I rest my case. That's why people in Baltimore will always care. The NFL fixed an injustice with Cleveland, but they missed one here and people won't forget it no matter how many times somebody like arrogant Bob Costas looks down upon us. (1/22/07)

Air America saved by the "French". HA HA HA! (1/22/07)

Farewell, WGMS. Ever since it went commercial, I always used it as a backup, first to WETA and later to WBJC in Baltimore. The ads always bugged me, but at least they played classical music. Now it's like they never even existed, after, what, close to 60 years??? Even the website is gone, period. Bonneville, you suck. Thanks for nothing. DCRTV, if you have a way to contact the WGMS staff, please let us know, or at least convey to them my thanks, regards, and regrets. Doug Kitchener, Gaithersburg MD (1/22/07)

Looks like we've been duped. Or have we? 104.1/103.9 has gone Classic Rock/Classic Hits - at least for the moment. 104 days of no commercials? As others have theorized, it sounds like either a stunt or the station is in a holding pattern until a buyer can be found. My guess is the latter. They obviously haven't sold any time on the station, nor are they in the market to do so. My bet is that the station is still on the market to be sold, its that they changed from low-ratings Classical to (hopefully!) higher rated Classic Rock so they can squeeze more money out of the sale. Just my uneducated guess. Dave in Fredericksburg (1/22/07)

Dave's response: I've been listening to George and he ain't half bad. Depeche Mode, imagine that! Sounds like Gulag 100.3 with a healthy dose of creativity and verve. Glad that B'ville's not running it in mono flatness, as it did with the tragic Z104.....

Regarding WBIG: Even worse than then milquetoast playlist is the fact that it sounds piped in from another local (satellite perhaps?). The sound is much muddier than WARW’s – like listening through a pillow. And in response to the mailbag item about the Red Barn at Ballston – the structure is still there and has been used as a kabob place and Indian food place. Same barn architecture, though! (1/22/07)

Why are commercial breaks on the Sport Chunkies show 4 minutes and the ones on Dons and Mikes 91/2 minutes? And I didn't know former Dons and Mikes employee Bob Cesca is a contributor to Huffington Post. www.huffingtonpost.com. Say it ain't so, Mary Cliff is gone from WETA? (1/22/07)

It is fitting that Tony Kornhole should go to Triple-X. He's been in Danny-boy's back pocket for years - now they're just makng it official! (1/22/07)

I've been listening to George for the past 2 hours and to call this an oldies station as you have on your front page is a joke...what oldies stations play songs that were released in the past year? I have heard at least 2 songs in the past hour alone that would be defined by PD's as "currents". You might want to reconsider your labeling of the station. and to be fair, I kinda like it...and I love the no commercials...no matter what the reason is behind it! I don't think it is going after ARW and BIG, I would say it is going after EVERYONE...pretty wide variety of everything...I can't decide who it is most like. BA (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Just curious, what were the two "current" songs you heard?

Is it true that Mary Cliff's been let go by WETA? (1/22/07)

I thought you were reporting WGMS is going to go all sports. What happened? (1/22/06)

Dave's response: Ahhh, Jim Farley and Joel Oxley lacked the courage to make a really bold move on the DC radio dial. Imagine having the dominant all-newser (WTOP), a potentially up-and-coming long-form news talker (WTWP), and a potentially major sports talker (Score 104) - all on powerful FM. Properly done, it would have sent Triple X and WTEM to the radio scrap heap and positioned Bonneville's 104 to be the radio home of the Redskins - and much more.....

Too bad Bonneville gave up the WGMS calls. The could've stood for Washington's George Music Station! (1/22/07)

It seems to me that with Washington Post Radio in trouble and George 104/WGMS/Z104 (or whatever's on there next week) that 2/3 of Bonneville's radio properties here are in big trouble. The "104 Days of Non-Stop" music is also a way of admitting that they'll be without revenue for 104 days. More than an entire quarter -- with no revenue. Call me naive, but doing away with revenue generally isn't a sound business strategy. The overhead must be pretty low - but even that's a drag on the books. Who knows if the Snyder deal might have gone through if someone hadn't boasted to the Post's Paul Farhi that Snyder was paying way too much - and gee, wouldn't you know it, the Post, being a newsgathering organization and all, actually thought that was a newsworthy comment. Usually you keep quiet until the deal's done. Go figure. So Bonneville has now gone from the big bucks Snyder (apparently) was willing to pay to no revenue for an entire quarter - and uncertainty after that. George/WGMS/Z104 - when you change your identity that often, shuffling through multiple staffs in the process, you do significant damage to both your brand, your long term business model and the morale of the remaining survivors of the corporation. -- CM (1/22/07)

The flip to George 104 has stunt written all over it. The "Jack"-type format has had less than stellar results just about everywhere it has been launched, and there is an over-saturation of "male" stations in this market anyway. The Bonneville brain trust could not possibly think that there is a hole for them in this demo. If they were serious about a low-cost, jukebox format, they would have licensed "MOViN" which is the format du jour around the country, and targeted at 20-30 year old females. At least MOViN is something that isn't being already done in this market and it might have had a chance, but that would have taken an investment and commitment. The logo and web site looks like a 14 year old designed them in 30 minutes. I bet that George doesn't last through his first 104 days. (1/22/07)

I wasn't listening at 3 p.m. when the format change occurred. I have WGMS on a Radio Shack DX-398 now. This radio displays the RDS information. As I write at 4:20 p.m., WGMS's RDS scrolls "CLASSICAL WGMS -- 104.1" slowly. The RDS isn't working correctly, as an RDS display usually scrolls much more quickly. It's been stalled on "CLASSICA" (the full word won't display all at once on a DX-398) for a few minutes. I don't know what you call the format; it's a mix of stuff from previous decades. They call themselves "George 104;" I imagine the RDS will reflect this sooner or later. Someone with a digital camera might want to capture the display while it can still be done. The station now sounds like all the others. Oh, the RDS just moved; it must take about six minutes to complete the full display. WETA is still broadcasting NPR. Its format change will occur at 8 p.m., an announcement at WGMS just said. It's a shame. I hope somebody starts a gallery at DCRTV of the old posters WGMS used to distribute for Beethoven's birthday. I have one from 1973 and one from 1975. (1/22/07)

I just got an email from Chip Brienza, who was the last voice heard on WGMS just before they closed down at 3 pm. He says some of the presenters may be hired by WETA. (1/22/07)

WGMS LIVES!...if only as the identifier on the streaming site for George104... www.george104.com ...click on "listen now"... --RB (1/22/07)

I just discovered XM radio, and it is the shiznit! While on business travel last week in south Georgia, Avis hooked me up with a caddy CTS with XM radio. Wow… Nothing like driving through the Okeefenokee forest with no FM station within 100 miles, yet picking up a crystal clear satellite signal and listening to George Carlin spew the 7 dirty words on one of the comedy channels. I think I'm hooked. Bye bye FM!!! (1/22/07)

Hey Dave, I didn't want to write anything for the mailbag about the George 104 flip but... they really HAVE lost their minds, haven't they!? Or else, the Bonneville Fathers in SLC bought another Dan Vallie sales pitch. ("He's such a nice boy. And, even though he's not a Mormon, he IS a Christian.") I just don't get it. The WGMS audience psychographic studies showed such a well-educated, affluent consumer. And, the bunk about their demos trending up is such bunk. If anything, they've trended a bit down to flat. The only time they felt an "under 54" pinch was when they had 35-54 competition from WGAY, WRC-FM (and the original WKYS), WJMD, WEZR, WWDC-FM, WASH (to a lesser degree) and all the non-comms. Well, it really breaks my heart. I recall so much about that station. I'm not sure if the WQQW calls were still on that frequency when he worked there, or if it had morphed into WGMS but, Charles Osgood spent time as Program Director and on the air there. I think he was there from around 1956 to '59. And, the original Tuckerman Lane 570 AM site was built by the legendary (and crazy) Nick Chaconas of WHMC fame. In fact, it's sad that most have been torn down but, if you drove around the area and looked at the whitewashed cinder block tranny buildings of WHMC, WGMS, WHRN/WOHN, WCTN and certain others, you could see that they were all designed by Nick. In fact, they looked so much alike that Rob (KZIA/Cedar Radpids) Norton and I used to call them "Nick's Drive-Ins." Oh well... thanks for letting me vent. And, I STILL owe you a lunch!!! ER (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Lunch, yummy.....

Interesting to note that WBAL ratings for Ravens went up by 4X…the team was 4 times better in 2006 than 2005. Presentation on WBAL/98 Rock was better as well. (1/22/07)

I've been listening to George and I would not call this an oldies station. No Beach Boys, Beatles or Frankie Valli. No Dion or Ronnnettes of Shirelles. This isn't oldies. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: The term that's bantered about is "eclectic oldies." Technically, yes, they're oldies. But you'll hear more 1980s synth stuff (Kajagoogoo and Men Without Hats) in favor of "real" oldies by the bands you've mentioned. Kind of "newer oldies".....

This 'Whatever we want" which a freind of mine calls 'Friendly Jack' (it will probably have DJs fairly soon), has been very successful in St. Louis as WARH "The Arch". It's been #2 or #3 in the market for the past year or so. I don't think it's a stunt to wait for a sale to Dan Snyder....or if it gets ratings, the price when it does sell will be higher. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: It's pretty much the same format that Baltimore's WQSR has - Jack FM. And Charm City Jack barely squeeks into the "top 10." I can't see George FM getting much "traction" (doncha love that word) in the DC market - on a pair of rimshots with two stronger-signaled rivals doing variations of classic rock hits, not to mention Mix 107.3's "almost Jack" format. If I was Clear Channel, I'd tweak Big 100 to a slightly more "poppy" (more Tears For Fears less old Elton John) sound - and kick back and relax.....

Dave, George is not an Oldies format. (1/22/07)

Just wanted to let you know that wgms.com now brings you to weta.org (1/22/07)

I gotta say, while not surprised, I am disappointed at the demise of WGMS. My guess is that 104 George or whatever will be as popular as the other George in town. A sad day for the Nation's Capitol indeed. (1/22/07)

Another format change to note: WNAV-1430AM is now playing 50's, 60's and early 70's oldies, I've had it on all day and it's good to hear back on the radio again! I never thought that I'de ever be listening to music on AM again... (1/22/07)

Dave, you told us on Friday Tony K. was going to WTEM. Your told us today he was going to Triple X. Then you told us 104 was going Sports. So now we should believe your Rant that George won't work? Has Bonneville made the format work anywhere else? (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Apparently, Bonneville runs the same format in St. Louis (called The Arch) and Phoenix (called The Peak). And, yes, my sources at Bonneville are quite unreliable. I apologize for that. I'm in the proccess of recruiting new, far more credible ones.....

Is "George 104" a case of stunting? You know - clear the boards for when Snyder takes over it will be a fresh start? Not unusual to see this - play a temporary format to clear everything and start the new station afresh. Or maybe its a shot at Snyder - come back to the table or else we'll just program this frequency ourselves. Otherwise, why would a station run for 3+ months without commercials? Gotta be a "placeholder." Another wasted frequency in DC. On Friday morning last week, the "ducting" must have been in full force. At my home in rural Western Virginia (Purcellville) I was picking up Channel 8 from Richmond on my kitchen set! Fuzzy and black and white but the sound was perfect. Whoa! That's some DXing going on! Finally, I got XM Radio for Christmas. Amazing stuff. Any music genre you could possibly want, tons of great comedy and talk channels and come April - baseball! If you can afford the small price (basically the price of one lunch out a month) then grab it (or Sirius - no preference for me). The Helix brand radio I got records also. I record a couple of hours of material each morning before I leave the house and can listen to that the subway (no reception down there). Here's hoping that the courts don't take that feature away - all I am doing is "time shifting" your honor - just like back in the Sony betamax case. So I can listen to shows when its convenient. Who is that hurting? YJ (1/22/07)

Dave's response: George 104 could very well be an extended "stunt" or "placeholder." WETA-FM wanted to get the classical ball rolling now, and Dan Snyder is not yet ready to sign the papers to buy 104.1/103.9. In a couple of weeks or months, the 104 frequencies could very well flip to sports talk. Definitely a possibility.....

To the poster who thought he was speaking on behalf of Baltimore, tell me, what was the nickname of the team that played in Super Bowl's III and V? The Stallions? Same franchise, or no? Maybe Indy can travel by Mayflower to Miami. Hopefully when it's snowing. (1/22/07)

You can get the Local channels in HD right now on DirecTV. It will require getting the HD20 receiver and replacing the 3-satellite dish with the newer 5-satellite dish since the local HD channels are on one of the new birds. You will get the local channels serving your local area in both standard and HD. Here in the DC area I get two channel 4s, two 5s, two 7s and two 9s - one in 480I and the other in 1020I The numbers are the same but you just go up (or down) one on the remote to switch between them. Bill (1/22/07)

It's only because I know that WETA is switching back to classical at 8pm tonight that I can admit this: I'm kinda digging the George format so far. I started up a streaming audio feed from WGMS this morning, so I got to hear the big switchover live. Not quite as sad as hearing the end of WAVA back in 1992, but close. Any word on who will be picked up by WETA for on-air duties? If they've got any clue at all, they'll take the whole bunch. (1/22/07)

This is just a great. Another juke box on the dial. How 'bout an air staff guys.....GEORGE Michael, GEORGE Allen Jr., Georgous GEORGE, Phyliss GEORGE, and GEORGE Gobel. Geesh! Georgie Porgie (1/22/07)

Dave, Triple X ESPN, during its local reports, has released initials for us to descramble the special news: KP and IT on WTM. If you translate this, it becomes TK and MW on PTI. So the big news might just be they are going to air PTI on Triple X, to siphon the heat of TK's return to the radio. I posted this bit of info on my site, because I don't want to get people's hopes up. Thanks, Bill (1/22/07)

George??? Replacing GOOD music with George? What a waste! Diane in PG. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: You can already get Jack FM, WQSR, out of Baltimore down here in DC. In fact, 102.7's got a better signal in many areas of the National Capital than does 104.1 and 103.9.....

WGMS, the highest rated classical station in the country, is killed off "with tears of grief", then they tell us "a change will do you good". The good change in this case is WETA, which has been gone from my presets since they went all-yak. George 104? Funny name. Worth listening to? We'll have to see... (1/22/07)

Re: "It would be interesting to find out what the highest-rated station ever to have it's format changed in the DC market is, but WGMS is now a top candidate" I would wager when WAVA flipped from Top 40 to Christian broadcasting back in the winter of 1992. That was a dark day back at E. Brooke Lee Middle School. "The future has come to this." Gotta like that "George 104" started with "A Change Would Do You Good." (1/22/07)

Dave's response: Gee, how original. Like no other station's ever used that song during a format flip. Let's hope that Bonneville is still talking to Dan Snyder about selling the station.....

I've been hearing the big announcement. Now I think each sports update (I’m not listening, but I am at work) has a letter announcing the huge announcement on the “John Riggins Show.” The letters were KPITWTM. What I just figured out and, don’t hold me to this, but it’s the code TK and MW on PTI. My guess is the announcement is Tripe X is streaming repeats of PTI at 7PM after its initial broadcast on ESPN at 5:30PM. That’s my guess. Tracy (1/22/07)

Whether we in Baltimore want to admit it or not, this is the Colts' third trip to the Super Bowl. Yes, it is their first in Indianapolis, but it IS the franchise's THIRD trip to the Super Bowl. The Raiders went to the Super Bowl as both the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders. The Rams have gone as both the Los Angeles and St. Louis Rams. The Colts are going as both the Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning played a hell-of-a-game and should be commended. It's not like the Ravens didn't have the opportunity to stop the Colts from getting to the Big Show! They did, and they sucked! I don't like it anymore than anyone else in Baltimore, but the Colts are going and the Ravens aren't. The Colts played well and the Ravens didn't. At least we have a team now (no matter how we got them) and we have a chance to get there again...we didn't have that chance for 13 years. Ever forward...GO BEARS! (1/22/07)

"It would be interesting to find out what the highest-rated station ever to have it's format changed in the DC market is, but WGMS is now a top candidate. Do you suppose that the Bonniville Management in Salt Lake City is missing what is obvious to anyone who lives around here?" 12+ numbers were great. But 25-54 WGMS did only a 1.3 share in the Fall Book. And you know that story....... (1/22/07)

Its not hard to know more about sports than Pollin, Czaban, Riggins, etc...thats the problem with the stations on air now, Scott Jackson and Brian Mitchell are the only show that can talk about most sports in the area with decent knowledge. Mitchell has come along way...The Thompson show can at many times as well and has good guests. A new station, local from am drive through pm drive, would be better than either current station. (1/22/07)

Uh oh....2" of snow, a sheet of ice, school delays this morning...Roads all clear this afternoon...You know what that means.....Another excuse for Don and Mike not to come to work and run another "Best of" today! (1/22/07)

Do we really need all these sports stations? How many people actually listen to sports radio? I can see maybe one station or two, but not three (or six if you consider all the multiple transmitters). I can't see how B'ville can make money on sports radio. What different or innovative programming can they have that Triple X and WTEM doesn't have now? What other major markets have multiple sports stations? I don't mean part time, I mean full time. And how many of them on the FM band? What's next? Cheap Channel converting WBIG to sports talk (and put WBIG on 980)? Then how about CBS getting into the act with WJFK-FM (putting D&M on WARW)? What's to stop them? Do all these radio people think that there's an audience for this kind of stuff? I don't listen to sports radio because I would rather WATCH a game on TV, not listen to it on the radio. Why is Danny Boy worried about his beloved Redskins and having a radio outlet (or three, or four - if you include VA Beach) for them? Same goes for the Nationals, Wizards and Capitals radio play by plays. Is there a radio play by play for the DC United? Maybe before TV, radio was great for bringing sports to the general audience - but with cable and satellite, do we REALLY care about radio? TV is where its at. Maybe Danny Boy will start his own version of a MASN like Angelos did. But with TV, we have too many sports stations. Regional, we have Comcrap Sports Net and MASN. Then the national stuff. How many ESPN multicasts are there now? Too many to keep count. And then we have all that sports talk on XM and Sirius. Same deal - too many stations. Enough is enough! (1/22/07)

It would be interesting to find out what the highest-rated station ever to have it's format changed in the DC market is, but WGMS is now a top candidate. Do you suppose that the Bonniville Management in Salt Lake City is missing what is obvious to anyone who lives around here? That, in this market, at least, there are commercial radio listeners, public radio listeners, and satillite radio listeners--Public listeners treat the FM band as though it ENDS at 92MHz. Commercial listeners treat the FM band as though it STARTS at 92MHZ, and satillite radio listeners don't bother with either one!! I see what they're doing, they apparently are laboring under the delusion that simply getting some of the news programming off WETA will send it's listeners to WTWP!! (As though WAMU didn't even exist!!) If there has ever been a colossal brain freeze in Washington Radio, this is it!! WRC's time as a Top 40 station has finally been outdone as a faux-pas! And that was the glory days of NBC!!! (1/22/07)

I heard on Washington Post Radio that WETA is going to classical 24/7. No more simulcasts with WAMU. Also heard on WGMS at 2PM that there will be an important announcement at just before 3PM. (1/22/07)

Triple X's ESPN programs are tedious. Mike and Mike are okay but Cowherd and Patrick are terrible. Riggins is improving but still has far to go. Weinstein suffers from his pairing with Skins employee Michael. He is nothing more than an extension of the Skins PR department. Weinstein does a credible job covering the Redskins especially on gameday where Triple X's lineup is first rate excluding Michael. (1/22/07)

(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) MANAGER, NEWS SERVICES - Top ranked Broadcast PR agency headquartered in the DC area is seeking an experienced radio news writer and producer to script, produce and oversee distribution of client-sponsored news reports, PSAs, short features, etc. Must have 5+ years in radio news, be an excellent radio news copywriter, understand the latest production software and be able to manage a small team and negotiate with vendors. Voice work experience is a plus. A thorough understanding of online radio, satellite radio and new media is preferred as is the ability to research and package new broadcast PR services. Salary + benefits. Salary commensurate with experience. Send resume along with copy writing samples to jobs@zpr.com. (1/22/07)

Has Freddy Krueger been spotted near the WTEM studio? This day has to be SportsTalk980's nightmare come to life. Everett W. (1/22/07)

Any word on if WETA will keep the block of Fresh Air, All Things Considered and Marketplace that used to fill the afternoons even when they were classical ? Surely they won't be dropping Car Talk and A Prairie Home Companion. (1/22/07)

Dave's response: My wild guess is that WETA-FM will sound a lot like it did before it went to news talk not all that long ago - the same reliable news talk NPR and other public shows in morning and afternoon drives, and in some weekend slots, and classical music the rest of the time.....

Abandoning WGMS certainly seems inconsistent with the Bonneville International 2006 Values Report - www.bonnint.com... I guess the Almighty Dollar supersedes their claimed values. Diane in PG (1/22/07)

I hope the folks at WETA increase the bandwidth of their current audio stream -- 20k is going to cut it with Classical... (1/22/07)

The Bonneville Deal is a win-win as Classical will remain on a high-powered stick. Hopefully, Sports 104 will take advantage of the great sports talent, not currently on either meager sports offerings in town. (1/22/07)

Suprise? Not really, Kornheiser to Triple X does make sense. He's worked for Zier and Cassleberry and doesn't have the same familiarity or history with those that are left at 980. 980 may have former sidekick Pollin but Triple X will likely make ex-cast members Braun and Sheehan available providing even more familiarity. If he went to the Post, a completly new cast ensemble would be required. Doubt that he wanted that. Still not sure how working for Snyder will sit with him but money talks. Get ready for Kornheiser on Triple X, hope they get a signal so we can hear it. (1/22/07)

A few thoughts-- When TripleXXX went on the air I deserted WTEM completely except for some game broadcasts. I'm generally pleased with TripleXXX. I like the ESPN network shows both during the week and the GameDay weekend shows. I would rather hear the final hour of Colin Cowherd than Redskins Lunch(in the off-season). Redskins Lunch grows more tedious each day. I'm very tired of Bram Weinstein. I think he just blathers and babbles on and on and I no longer care for his thoughts. For every 20 words Larry Michael speaks, Weinstein has 100. And I just don't think he has much of a "sports voice". I will say he's better than Rich " the coach " Gilgallon.(lol) So that would bring me to the possuble impending return of Tony K to TripleXXX. It would bother me greatly if his show bumped an ESPN show( and you know it will ). It would bother me greatly if he has both live and taped shows. It would bother me greatly to even hear him on TripleXXX at all. " Say it ain't so " is all I've got to say. I'm working on a well-defined rant on Tony K and will dispense it as needed. Regards Biff (1/22/07)

Those who feel nostalgia for radio stations might want to go to classical1035.com... NOW and save a copy of WGMS' "station history". (1/22/07)

The format switch for WETA is an almost unbelievable benefit for everyone. Even people up in Balmer will have more choice now since WETA covers the city very well. Not that WBJC is bad, not at all, but competition is good. Maybe I won't be listening to my satellite radio quite as much now. (1/22/07)

The Red Barn at Parkington (now Ballston) used to sell Pappy Parker's Firend Chicken. Good stuff! (1/22/07)

This past July I finally got rid of Comcast (it was Comcrappy!) and went to DirectTV. I’m very happy with the service but a bit ticked that I still have to get local network HD feeds from an external anttena. Can anyone bring me up to speed on DirectTV and when or if they will offer the HD network feeds via the dish? The anttena works better than I expected, but I think I would get less breakup if the signal was coning thru the dish. - A dude in Olney (1/22/07)

It is fitting that Kornweiser should go to Triple-X. He's got nothing to say, and he'll be on stations no one can hear! -Dinky B.(1/22/07)

Dave's response: Yeah, but Dan Snyder has promised him a private gold-plated urinal in the Triple X men's room.....

Dave, how do you determine whether a rumor is reliable? Some rumors are just flak put out by a PR department. The general public isn't served well by that. John in Arlington (1/22/07)

Dave's response: We consult a psychotic, er, psychic in Wheaton. Actually, about 90 percent of DCRTV's "rumors" are rooted in reality and do "pan out".....

Wait...I'm confused. So Baltimore fans won't allow that this is going to be the first Superbowl in as many years that the Colts have been to because of the disgraceful way that the team was sold out from under Baltimore but they have no problem taking credit for a Superbowl win by the Ravens who for all intents and purposes were the Browns and were sold out from under Cleveland in a most disgraceful way? Hello pot? It's the kettle...guess what color you are? (1/22/07)

I see that Larry cleared up the "Larry Bittner" problem. The ballplayer was Lawrence David Biittner (note the two 'i's). He was an OF/1B and managed to play 14 years and only hit 29 homers....Note to the guy about FiOS in AA and Howard Cos.: I heard (talk radio, probably) somewhere that there is a good chance that the NFL is going to declare Washington and Baltimore as one market for TV purposes-I think both teams favor that. If that happens, the Ravens and Redskins would be scheduled at different times and both cities would get both teams every Sunday. If not, try an OTA antenna. Howie (1/22/07)

Now that it looks like Kornheiser is going to Triple X, what was the major 980 pow wow Friday about? It looks like somebody played this board like a fiddle...John (1/22/07)

Dave's response: DCRTV has always been about "news being made." Hey, we report all reliable rumors we hear. If you want news after the press release comes out, stick with the DC Post.....

Verizon FIOS HDTV customers in Anne Arundel and Howard Counties—here we go again! Verizon FIOS TV is eliminating the Washington, DC High Definition content from its service, effective February 20th. We poor souls in these counties are destined to never see the light of a DC HD day because some 24-year-old decided in 1966 (www.ephronomedia.com) that we live in Baltimore. It never ends. If you’re a Redskins Fan with an HD set in either of these counties say goodbye to your team. If you want to watch the local DC news in HD, get used to what’s going on in Towson or Joppatowne or someplace you never go. It is and never has been about you as a customer with Comcast and now the same is true with Verizon. Competition? It’s all smoke and mirrors and it couldn't suck any more. (1/22/07)

Re: Someone referenced "Larry in Lenardtown (sic)"; I, the late James Lawrence Bittner, couldn't hit a baseball worth a ^%R#% but did build WNNT (690 AM) in 1948 and WKIK (1370 AM) in 1953 - and was the last original three owners of the latter. Larry-in-Leonardtown (1/22/07)

To the disgruntled Colts poster: I hear you (as what Irsay did was reprehensible), but the history/records of a team usually follow the franchise, so the Colts are going to their third Super Bowl (III and V), first in Indianapolis. Think about where the Ravens came from (the Browns) and how Modell screwed Cleveland over. Same hatred applies there. The Colts website goes back to 1946 when the team was moved from Miami (AAFC). Superbowl.com's standings page (www.superbowl.com) shows the Baltimore Colts being 1-1 so far. Two other teams that have moved are shown with both cities listed (the Raiders and the Rams). Over in MLB, the team history pages for the Orioles starts in 1954 and does not mention the NY Highlanders, and briefly mentions the St. Louis Browns. The Rangers' page starts in 1960 and does discuss the second Washington Senators franchise. (1/22/07)

One of the reasons the Waldorf TV 58 never got on the air were certain illegalities in their application,,,like including a set of coordinates for which they had done no actual coordination with other existing parties at the referenced site, including the site owner. And then using such referenced coordinates to attempt to block another application in the area due to an alleged prior coordination. The FCC takes a very dim view of such practices, especially once such is brought to their attention by consultant and legal services. (1/22/07)

To: "You know, it's a shame no one ever plays some of the nice standards anymore. Songs I would like to hear include "The Wheel of Fortune," "Cry," "It's All in the Game," and "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" Just call Jack Edwards and ask to be put on hold. Ed Graham (1/22/07)

The radio-locator plot of WZBH is correct, but the analysis of it is somewhat wrong. I often already get WZBH 93.5 at the Bay Bridge, not strong, but it's there. The directional signal of the CP actually is emphasized towards the west, adding more signal to the west and even northwest. No, it will never be a local signal in Annapolis, but the 93.5 frequency does not have a lot of same of 1st adjacent frequency interference competing with it, so I think the CP will make it much more listenable close to the bay and certainly to the bay bridge. That's my prediction, we'll see what happens this coming June. (1/22/07)

Let me be the VERY FIRST person to correct FOX, CBS, NBC & Bob Costas, ESPN, the local Washington & Baltimore sports media and various national newspaper sportswriters (before they even say this and Jim Nance has already fucked this up once already so this is a preemptive strike for truthfulness)................ NO, The Colts are NOT going to their 1st SUPER BOWL in 36 years! The Indianapolis Colts are going to their FIRST SUPER BOWL EVER! Get it right. If you think we were mad at losing to the Colts a few weeks ago, just keep saying that line wrong and John Waters is going to show up at your house with a hairdresser, box your ears, and beehive your hair! You have been warned! --------- Signed, The Citizens of Baltimore (1/22/07)

Believe it or not, the town of Waldorf once had its own full service TV allocation, channel 58. But I don't think it ever went on the air though. I believe it was non-commercial but Maryland Public Television never decided to use that allocation nor did anyone else to my knowledge. I imagine it is gone for good now with the HDTV conversion underway. What a shame as this area is so underserved in precious full service TV allocations compared to other comparably sized markets. (1/22/07)

To the anonymous poster who suggested the new WHFS lineup include more of Ed Norris from 2pm-6pm and take off Don & Mike you are a dope! Ed Norris show only appeals to the majority Republican white male audience and his show would not raise enough revenue in the afternoon time slot whereas Don & Mike does. I am sick of Maynard because he is so boring and an ass kisser for Ed Norris it is unbelievable. I agree with most of the posters concerning the Ravens Radio on WBAL…it is so awful and lack excitement whereas when it was on WHFS it was fun and entertaining with Scott Garceau, Tom Matte and Michael McCrary.Good luck Ravens in 2007.Reggie from Clinton (1/22/07)

Hey Dave, Your site sucks. Now please get a real job like Don & Mike. Thanks, Your old pal in Sacramento. - Steve Marks (1/22/07)

Ain't Tony Pan going to wear the sweater no more? Does Nancy Grace wear a wig? (1/22/07)

Hello, everyone! Yes, it's been awhile since we've had the time to say "hello" and renew old acquaintances here on the Community Bulletin Board with our fellow radio fans. However, Dad's gout has been giving him fits and did not like taking the Castor Oil the Dr. suggested. So, I've been slipping a little into his Ovaltine and Tang. Say, do any of you recall the program where you could identify a sound from the city or a bit of a song for wonderful prizes and premiums? We cannot recall whether it was on WEAR or WCBM when they were on the 1370 dial spot. It seemed like Chuck Thompson or Jay Grayson may have hosted it, but Dad thinks it was Garry Morven before he went to New York and became Garry Moore (as though he could fool anyone into thinking he was Irish with THAT nose!). I believe that Royal Parker or Ken Waylath might have been the announcer and was just getting a start in radio. Well, I mention that show because I correctly identified the sound of the Bromo Seltzer "jar" being removed from atop the big Bromo Seltzer clock downtown. I could not have made the guess without the help of our neighbor, Mrs. Kopecki. She had a dial telephone and let me use it to ring the radio station. I won a year's supply of Statler Tissues from Read's Drugs. It was very exciting. Dad and Mrs. Kopecki and I had to "run right to Read's" to pick up our prize. When the boxes did fit in Dad's Pontiac coupe, we had to borrow Mr. Grabowski's Studebaker Station Wagon. It was quite nice with a very good radio. It was a Saturday and he showed us that he could pick up the NBC programs from WDEL, all the way in Wilmington! Now, I have become confused over something. The other day, Dad needed something from a lumber yard in Glen Burnie and we were listening to a station that said they were WFBR. But, they were way up by the police station calls, and it did not sound like WFBR at all. The people were talking jibberish and I told Dad that I thought it might that crazy Johnny Walker playing a trick on someone. We also noticed that Lee Case is no longer on WCBM, but I don't know why. He has a lovely voice. Now, none of the local radio outlets have been discussing this but wouldn't it help the President and the boys overseas if we revived the Victory Garden program? We could send them the surplus fresh produce while they are fighting and try to keep their spirits up. I hope that one of the radio stations will pick this idea up and broadcast it. Now, I will mention one more thing, then leave the space to someone with much more pressing issues. That Joyce Conroy who writes in... I think, from the description of their shopping itinerary, that I know who you are... or, at least who you were as a child. And, forgive me for saying so because I am sure that you have grown into a lovely young woman but, I think you may have been a little red-haired hellion as a child. If you are the little Joyce I am thinking of, I can recall you throwing a terrible tantrum one summer day and just beating a poor little gumball machine to a pulp right in the from vestibule of the Two Guys store! Oh! You kicked and hit and screamed and punched that poor machine because you were sure it had taken your penny for nothing. If that was you, an Auxiliary Policeman had to ask your folks to take you out to the car and you fought every inch of the way like a little longshoreman! Was that you, Joyce? I think it was. Oh! It was a terrible thing to witness. People working in the Aberdeen Two Guys store were even retelling the tale in their store. Well, I like to think that you would never do anything like that now. You know, it's a shame no one ever plays some of the nice standards anymore. Songs I would like to hear include "The Wheel of Fortune," "Cry," "It's All in the Game," and "How Much is That Doggie in the Window?" There are no more Polish or Italian shows with Polka Music anymore either. Well, thank you all for being fans of the radio. It truly is a wonderful invention! Stay well... and, little Joyce, you behave yourself, hon! Sincerely, The Cleavers from German Hill (1/22/07)

As far as Peter Schmuck rooting for the Colts and asking the fans of balitmore to "get over it", seems as though he did indeed pick a winner. Schmuck also knows that most fans in Baltimore will never let go of the "Baltimore Colts" but also realizes there is life outside the 695 Beltway and the Indianapolis Colts are a great story this year for a number of reasons, most of all their coach and quarterback. Too bad they can't "let it go" or they would understand. Being from Baltimore (and yes I remember the colts move and every rotten thing that went with it) its time to get over it people. (1/22/07)

I believe (or blieve for you in Baltimore) that Craig Kilborn said it best when he stated, "Baltimore, a city with the urban decay of the north and the bigotry of the south." Bryslock (1/22/07)

That lady in the blue puffy shirt looks familiar and the late Dale Solly. www.youtube.com (1/22/07)

To Michael P and Joyce C: Your comments about my recent post sparked some more trips down memory lane for sure! Remember WJDY and "RT" who reminded me of an eastern shore version of Charlie Eckman. I can recall 100.9 I believe being WKHI and would put it on the radio leaving Easton for OC and play it all the way to the beach. 93.5 was WSEA, a Top 40 station that was one of my favorites. One thing that may have made me a radio fan for life. When I was about 9 or 10, my father used to drop off my Mom, sister and me at Harundale Mall and he would go into Baltimore on business. In the mall, about 2 hours in the middle of the day, Tony Donald used to spin tunes for WNAV. One day he invited my sister and me in to sit in on the broadcast. It was truly exciting for me! Tony Donald went on to work at a couple of other radio stations, WCEM and WYRE AM. I think he passed away in the late 70s or early 80s. I will probably add more memories in another post soon. Burt in Denton (1/22/07)

Someone referenced "Larry in Lenardtown" as being "Larry Bittner". Thwas a "Larry Bittner" that played with the old Washington Senators. I was just wondering if he was the same guy. And to those of you trashing Waldorf. It's a fine community. Though the "King of The Trailer Parks" would be Manassas. Rusty Gibson (1/22/07)

/\ January 22 Messages /\

\/ January 21 Messages \/

As for Waldorf being referenced as a trailer park, I don't know if this is the celebrity you're thinking about, but Hilary Duff used to date a member of the group Good Charlotte who, I think, was from Waldorf and she called the city "ghetto". (1/21/07)

"Burger Chef may have had the same prices, but I remember McDonald’s advertising the 47c meal – fries were 12c, burger and shake were 15c and 20c (not sure which was which)…" I'll take your word for it. It's been a few years since I ate at the Mt. Vernon Avenue Burger Chef. (1/21/07)

QUOTE: "What was name of the celebrity who referenced Waldorf as a "trailer park in Maryland?"" That would be the Katharine Hepburn of the new generation, Lady Hilary Duff. -Silvie- (1/21/07)

The Baltmore Sun is covering all bases today. Peter Schmuck writes a "Get Over It" by rooting for the Colts story in the same edition! Looks like the schmuck has been hangin out with the snobby national sports media elite again. What a shame. Does this guy ever pick a winner? (1/21/07)

Sorry to say, but 93.5 WZBH "The Beach" won't reach the Bay Bridge, let alnoe Annapolis, unless the weather is funky. Their tower is too far south/east, and the signal is directional in a way that will limit it in that direction a bit. Here's the Radio-Locator map which is probably close. Anything outside of the purple line is very weak to non-existant: www.radio-locator.com... Too bad because I would love to have another option too. They will definately pick up Easton-Cambridge though. (1/21/07)

Finally, The Sun takes a critical look at whether they over-hyped the Ravens-Colts game in today's Sun, even going so far as to admit it was a mistake to give that terrible Jim Irsay half-hearted apology story such prominence and mentioning the fact that the national media (and plenty of people here at DCRTV) couldn't stop screaming "Get Over It!"... www.baltimoresun.com... Once again I'll disagree with the national media, sure it was over-hyped, but the Cleveland/Baltimore comparison doesn't hold water for the reasons I've already argued on this board: Baltimore still does not have its team name, history, Super Bowl trophy, or Hall of Fame place in Canton. Cleveland does. BIG DIFFERENCE! So, to people like arrogant Bob Costas I say, NO, YOU GET A CLUE! This sentiment in Baltimore will never change because its been passed down from the last generation to the next. My father taught me just as I spread it to today's generation until the NFL corrects this injustice by at least restoring the Baltimore Colts history to Canton Ohio and symbolically giving that Super Bowl history back to Baltimore. It's the right thing to do. Even an idiot like Bob Costas should understand that. (1/21/07)

What was name of the celebrity who referenced Waldorf as a "trailer park in Maryland?" Signed, the people of Bucharest. (1/21/07)

Good news about 93.5 upgrading to 50k watts. I hope they come in in Annapolis. Regarding other 50k watts Eastern Shore stations, 94.7 is either The River out of Dover or The Arrow depending on the weather in Annapolis. If I aim the antenna towards the east I can hear The River 94.7 at my house near the bay in Annapolis. If only Ocean 98.1 had a killer signal, also. Cheers, Kevin in Annapolis. (1/21/07)

Dave's response: Well, Ocean 98.1 is kinda wedged in between Philly's WOGL and Richmond's WTVR.....

To the person who posted the line-up for MY-20, I believe this is the last week Megan Mullaly is going to be airing. I heard it's been cancelled and won't be sent to the stations after Friday 1/26. Marc (1/21/07)

I'm pissed! WAMU 88.5 has removed Michael Feldman's "Whaddya Know" from it's schedule. I used to love listening on Saturday mornings in the garage while puttering with car issues. I'm surprised they would drop a show like this - intelligent show!!! Chris in Gaithersburg (1/21/07)

Yeah like I put in my post , I was referring to the Eastern Shore of MD stations because I know 50,000 watter WESR-FM out of VA was put on the in mid-50s or early 60s. Then for Delaware, I know WRDX (formerly called WDSD) is 50,000 watts, not sure what year they put that on however...I had seen paper work on the FCC website to get WZBH up to 50,000 watts but it never seemed to go through or was delayed or something like that, I don't really know, that is news to me that its going to happen, good for them. -Michael (1/21/07)

RE: El Zol's rating's rise because of the other spanish radio stations dissappearance. Did the same thing happened when WHFS dissappeared? Did 98 Rock and DC 101 ratings go up? (1/21/07)

Dave's response: I don't think so.....

Another great speech and call to action from Bill Moyers at the National Conference for Media Reform this week in Memphis, Tennessee. He completely nails Michael Powell's FCC, noting that his FCC allowed the huge media consolidations that we now have, and that the company that he is now advising has just put in bid for The Tribune Company and Clear Channel . . . www.freepress.net... Click on session recordings for audio, and video footage for video. (1/21/07)

Seeing the note from Larry in Leonardtown . . . makes me wonder what happened to the old WKIK on 1370 on Route 5 just north of Leonardtown. And, is this "Larry in Leonardtown" Larry Bittner, who used to own WKIK? I know it was on the air til at least 1980 or so. George Clark and Dick Myers -- Sound Media Broadcasting -- sold it around 1977 to a guy from Harrisonburg, VA . . . and that's the last I heard of it . . . until a few years ago, when I drove past and the towers were down, the frequency was dark, and the calls were on something over in LaPlata, I think . . . (1/21/07)

Dave - What happened to Tech Specs? I miss them. Rich Loeb, WA3SOVm (1/21/07)

Dave's response: They and a bunch of new and improved features will be introduced in February. Stay tuned.....

To Michael (formerly of ESRTV)...... The station formerly known as WSEA 93.5 Georgetown, Delaware (now known as WZBH, boy did they screw up on that call letter change!) will soon become a 50,000 watter by upgrading once again (they were formerly a Class A if memory serves me correct). They're going from B1 to Class B (11,000 to 50,000). CP expires June 4, 2007, so expect a much bigger signaled "THE BEACH" this coming season. From the looks of it, you might be able to listen to WZBH all the way from the bay bridge to the beach and from the Lewes Ferry all the way to The Wildwoods, NJ! Now if only they can get rid of that Columbia, MD IBOC/HD Radio 93.5 testing station. Even before this upgrade (but after the upgrade from Class A to B1), I often was able to pick up 93.5 near the bay not far from Baltimore. This should be an easy signal to pickup in Annapolis after this as well. (1/21/07)

To the poster who responded to me: Many broadcasters who read DCRTV are Hams. Many you'd know by name immediately. Someone else made the original comment and I simply responded to it. I don't disagree the license requirements need to change, but I'm not sure taking CW out of the picture entirely is the way to go. 5 wpm code would take hardly any time to learn for most people. Most I've taught it to can pass the test within two weeks, tops. I've had several students start on Monday and pass their 5 wpm test the following Saturday at the VE session. I would be more in favor of cutting back the technical requirements. If the FCC wants more "operators," it should cut back on some of the technical knowlege required and concentrate on rules, regulations and etiquette. If newbies want to learn more after that--there are always publications, online work and the local amateur radio club, which to me, is how it should be these days. It's a plug-and-play world now. You get a license, buy a rig and accessories, put up your antenna and get on the air. Knowing what to do with that box you just spend 3 grand on is probably more important these days than what's inside it. Chances are you'll just send it back to Kenwood to get it repaired, anyway. One can learn that stuff later. Good luck getting your ticket. Once you do; you'll see what I mean when I liken the hobby to a special club. It's an accomplishment many people never achieve, hobby or not. /sean hall (1/21/07)

Currently watching Julie Parker interview Gilbert Arenas..BORRRINNG!!!!..zzzzzz..Not her forte' at all..She keeps looking down at her papers as if she's going down a checklist to make sure she asks all the questions listed.. (1/21/07)

I live in Waldorf but I'm not from here. Anyhoo, I'll take Waldorf any day before moving to some of those pleasant and aromatic D.C. neighborhoods... -Silvie- (1/21/07)

Question For Joyce Conroy: Hope I'm not being too personal here..but I'm wondering..is Joyce Conroy married to (or otherwise related to) a fella named Tom Conroy? I ask, because I remember listening to Tom Conroy on WPOC in the 80s; also believe he was on WCAO on Saturday mornings, during the period when WCAO was programming country music; Tom was on WPOC during what I call the "glory days" of that station; Bob Raleigh was on in the mornings, followed by Todd Grimstead did mid-days, a guy named Johnny Olsen (hope I spelled that right)..later, Olsen left..and Trish Hennessey took over the afternoon drive shift. About "White Coffee Pot: I remember that chain; we sometimes would stop there on my way home from school (I went to the Maryland School For The Blind)..and often, we'd stop there either going up..or coming home; they had this neat little jukebox at the tables! Tom in Denton, MD (1/21/07)

Burger Chef may have had the same prices, but I remember McDonald’s advertising the 47c meal – fries were 12c, burger and shake were 15c and 20c (not sure which was which)… the reason I remember, McDonald’s put out a map of the Capital Beltway when it first opened in the mid-60s (I don’t have it anymore unfortunately), but it showed all the McD’s locations in the area (relatively few, and none in DC proper) and had the ad with the prices on the back. Also, the Red Barn in Ballston ended up as a Roy Rogers for a long time. There was also a Red Barn on Route 1 south of Alexandria. (To bring this back to TV, Mariette Hartley only appeared on The Rockford Files once, according to IMDB. But everyone remembers those Polaroid ads, which I believe were a few years later.) (1/21/07)

for all those who can't get enough of Burger Chef: www.freewebs.com (1/21/07)

Burt in Denton, you bet that I remember GC Murphy. We had a nice one in the Erdman Shopping Center in Belair-Edison. Whenever I exhausted the WCAO request line and the Seeburg (no relation to Niles, I don't think) jukeboxes in the White Coffee Pot, it was off to Murphy's to buy some great records. I bought my first 45 at Murphy's for about 69 cents and kept the tag on it for quite a while. Then, I would run right to Read's for the latest 16 Magazine of which I still have a number of pictures in my scrapbook (it's a sickness). We also had a Gino's on Edison Highway where my dad would pick up Gino Giants on Friday. There was a Robert Hall store on Edison Highway and Two Guys in what I believe is now the Belair Edison Crossing. One Scott Fitzgerald of WZBA worked in the record department there. Roddy Freeman mentioned the William Cook funeral parlor. Mr. Jeppi, the President of the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland shared that BIM's building was once a funeral home and I believe it was Cook's. Broadcasters and funerals...NAH! Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC/WYTI) (1/21/07)

I realize this forum is for Radio and TV, not hobbies, so I'll make this my only mention on the topic then move on: I welcome the changes to the ham radio service. The code "requirement" doesnt keep out the riffraff and never has. Many learn code to pass the tests then switch to computer keyers and decoders instead of having to pound a key. It's a hobby for goodness sake, not a secret handshake society! For everyone who endured Sam Morse's rite of initiation over the decades, I have the utmost respect for you. But like gaslamp-lighters, ice delivery men and gramophone repair shops, some things just hit a point where they no longer remain viable or relevant. CW has just encountered that signpost. I'm a pro broadcaster who's been interested in amateur radio since age 13, but always despised the code requirement and never tried for a license. I especially despised the part that said I had to improve my code abilities after one year or they wouldn't let me have my license anymore. What kind of "hobby" puts that sort of restriction on an enthusiast? So now that the requirement is tentatively set to die, you can bet I will be signing up for the technical part of the test and joining the ranks as a serious participant and not some nut that outgrew his Cobra CB set. (1/21/07)

Dave, First, I don't have a FAT ASS. So i like to watch Court Shows all day. You see Dave i don't have a life. .. DJ (1/21/07)

Dave's response: Rupert Murdoch - the King Of Dumbed-Down Television - is your savior.....

As an Extra-class Ham; I'm a more than sad the FCC is dropping the code requirement for HF band privileges. I got my Extra when the code requirement was still 20 wpm. It was a badge of honor. I've always enjoyed hamming and think it's a great hobby, although some of the people in it need to be institutionalized. CW is a language all its own and was fun to learn. The FCC isn't dropping Morse code because it has to. It was pressured from the ham radio equipment makers...all of which have lost their ass because of the Internet. The Internet nearly killed the hobby. Why get a license, buy a rig, put up an antenna--when you can otherwise talk to someone in Malaysia with a $20 headset and a sound card? The big radio makers found that out the hard way--and that's why their top-of-the-line rigs now cost $10,000 and up, instead of a couple of grand. The technology inside is, comparitively, inexpensive. But there's no profit margin anymore--and fewer and fewer people are getting licenses because the tests, for them, are too challenging. Bad enough the FCC eliminated all but 5 wpm code. Now--the feds are dropping that requirement altogether. Sad for the hobby. It'll bring more operators, but part of the mystique of Ham Radio has always been CW. The die-hards won't stop using CW, but the newbies won't even have to try it. It's not that there's anything wrong with "phone." It's just the satisfaction of being part of the club without going in the back door. /sean hall (K4DBX) (1/21/07)

FOX 5's NEW DAYTIME LINEUP IS AS FOLLOWS: 9am: The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet... 10am: Rachael Ray... 11am: The Tyra Banks Show... noon: FOX 5 News @ Noon... 12:30pm: TBD... 1pm: Divorce Court... 1:30pm: Cristina's Court... 2pm & 2:30pm: Judge Hatchett... 3pm & 3:30: Judge Alex... 4pm: Judge Joe Brown... 4:30pm: Judge Judy... my20's NEW DAYTIME LINEUP IS AS FOLLOWS: 9am: Dr. Keith Ablow... 10am: Divorce Court... 10:30am: Cristina's Court... 11am: The Megan Mullally Show... noon & 12:30pm: Family Feud... 1pm: My Games Fever... 3pm: Home Improvement... 3:30pm: Girlfriends... 4pm & 4:30pm: One on One... 5pm & 5:30pm: That's 70's Show... 6pm & 6:30pm: Scrubs... 7pm: Judge Joe Brown... 7:30pm: Judge Judy... (1/21/07)

Dave's response: I'm calling Comcast right now to have 5 and 20 removed from my lineup - at least during daytime hours. Nothing there for me. There must be something really wrong with someone who gets up in the morning, plants their big fat butt in front of the TV, and watches "court shows" all day. Sheeesh.....

Hey Full Court Press hosted by George Michael is back, with Wilbon, Kornholio and David DuPree. All you totem poler's I think Czarniak got the ringing endorsement to take over for Mr. Michael's Why not Michael Chen? Nick Charles, ok I'm kidding. Has the ship sailed on one of them Smilovitz brother's coming back to D.C.? What if say Entertainment Tonight called Ms.Czarniak and said," babe your cute and sassy and have spunk, want to takeover for Mary Hart!" You think any male sport's anchor or reporter is going to get a call like that, well okay maybe Will Thomas. I just think this is going down a slippery slope. Then again how much sport's experience did Michael's have when he started.... CCCCChhhhiiiiiccccaaaggggoooo! ...... and another pleasant surprise late Saturday eve is channel 50 is running the Best of Soul Train, back when the show had decent dancer's. Last nights music guests were Patrice Rushen and the Sugarhill Gang. Didn't Don Cornelius decide to give up hosting the show or was he pushed out? I thought he owned the show?.....and finally DCRTV Dave remember that Seinfeld episode were George's bride to be dies from the glue on the envelopes? The shirt George wore in that episode looked strangely like a shirt my Dad bought at Raleigh's many years ago or it might have been Woodward & Lothrop? But I kid. Hey you watch them tv shows a dozen or 50 times well you notice stuff. Did anyone see Rickles on the Jay Leano show Friday he started making fun of Jerry Lewis Telethon shtick a bit......B. Smith (1/21/07)

re: "Bucharest is the shithole. -Silvie in Waldorf-" Wow...A hack from Waldorf calling Bucharest a shithole. Pinche pendeja. Back to your meds, Sylvania (but not the brightest bulb...) (1/21/07)

Dave's response: So, WMAL has connections to Eastern Europe. Perhaps the station is a Commie plot from the right. I hear Chris Core is growing one of those Lenin goatees and Fred Grandy is a big fan of Marx. And I don't mean Groucho. Hmmm.....

Last night on FCP, King George ask TK , about WTEM and Red Zebra Triple X Radio. TK told King George "Don't Go There George"... Maybe, Tony will end up at Red Zebra radio. (1/21/07)

Dave's response: Tony's allergic to Zebra hair.....

First we read on this site a report of Issac Hayes calling a radio show host 'Rockfish'. Any die-hard fan of 'The Rockford Files' knows that in several episodes of the show, Issac Hayes portrayed an actual character named Gandolph 'Gandy' Fitch who constantly called Rockford, 'Rockfish'. Then we read of a reference to the show itself in which Jimbo drives past a Magruder's supermarket. What is DCRTV coming to? Actually, it's kind of cool. DCRTV. Where one good story leads to another! (1/21/07)

Dave's response: Mariette Hartley. Wasn't she in a few "Rockford Files"? Didn't she do some Polaroid ads with James Garner, where people really thought she was his wife. Wasn't she on the CBS morning news way back when? Whoa, DCRTV Mailbag stream-of-consciousnesses. Man, an acid trip of media nostalgia.....

Was that a Burger Chef at the intersection of Braddock Road and Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, across from GW High School? I seem to recall that a three-course meal could be had there for 47 cents. (1/21/07)

{RE: Dave's response: Finally, a hint of sanity at CBS Radio. Free FM is the worst piece of branding in recent memory. Second only to the horrid MyNetworkTV.....} In New York, they got rid of the great K-ROCK for this Free FM crap, and now, they've gotten rid of the WNEW calls. You're right. CBS radio is insane. (1/21/07)

Dave's response: Please please please CBS! First, fire Michael Hughes. Then, flip JFK (that horribly dysfunctional station needs to be euthanized) to female soft rock as Fresh 106.7, and make 94.7 a mix of eclectic classic rock and adult alternative with the WHFS calls returning to the DC market. Mix WPGC-AM's gospel into WPGC-FM's urban format, and make 1580 Bill O'Reilly Radio.....

Burt in Denton: Hey its Michael formerly of ESRTV. Do you remember the old hotel and Off Site Betting Parlor where the Wawa now stands in Cambridge. That Hardees in Cambridge reminds me of going down to the ocean as a kid and stopping there for roast beef sandwiches and man I loved their Big Cookies! I remember having my old red GE Walkman listening to all the different stations in the back seat like the old 100 KHI, at the time called Lite Rock Q105, the old Y-99 The Oldies Station later half of the old A/C Station-Double Y FM 98.5 and 98.9, and The Wave when it was just on 105.5. I also remember that old OC-104 billboard in Salisbury up high on the left hand side of the road, you could see it heading west as you pass the light at Church Street and right before you go under the overpass. OC-104 had the gold lettering, the red trim and the purple backdrop and it mentioned it's Top 40 format with ABC News at the top of the hour and Paul Harvey at the time. Then there was that stretch of highway on Rt. 50 a few miles east of Salisbury, I want to say at Mile Market 121 where their was that row of billboards and there was the triangle and the yellow block letters of Super Hits 100 KHI and then Q105 had a billboard, I think 93-5 The Beach had one as well. Lastly I remember on the boardwalk if you were walking south and heading towards the inlet, there was an old 96 Rock WWTR sign on a wall that led to the beach and went up the side right near what is now Ripley's Do You Believe It. Wheww you guys are sparking the memories...Oh and Walt the repeater or LP-FM relay of Joy 102-5, is at 94.9 in OC, I believe its antenna is at the top of the Holiday Inn on 66th Street, WOLC is celebrating its 31st year or will be as it went on the air Christmas Eve 1976 and I believe was just the second 50,000 watter on the Eastern Shore of Maryland as WBOC-FM (now WQHQ-FM, Q105) changed frequencies for the third time, this time from I believe 94.3 (formerly 97.5 when the FM initially went on the air in the mid to late 40s) and went on to the 104.7, 50,000 watt signal in 1968 or 1969. 99.9 WKHI later followed as the third and I believe last (on the Eastern Shore of MD) 50,000 watter in 1978. -Michael Popovec (1/21/07)

/\ January 21 Messages /\

\/ January 20 Messages \/

The mention of Burger Chef and other defunct places brought back lots of memories. I can remember riding up Ritchie Highway with the Mcds signs advertising 15 cent burgers. I too miss the Gino Giant, the only burger that comes close to it taste-wise is the Hardee's Twin Burger. The only Burger Chef in the area at the time I was growing up in Easton was on Rt 50 in Cambridge where I believe it is now a hair salon. Does anyone remember the Champs burger chain that was located around Baltimore(one was later across from Salisbury State College(now Salisbury U) on Rt 13, which is now an Arbys. How about these places, Robert Hall, Epsteins, Korvettes,Hutzlers, Stewarts, Reads(run right to ), Hamburgers, Brager-Gutmans, Pollack Blums, Fradkins Bros, Harundale Mall, York Steak House, Horn and Horn, Pixie Pizza Parlors, Kresge's,McCrorys, W.T Grant, G.C Murphy,Luskins,Pimlico Hotel. And there are probably others as well. Burt in Denton (1/20/07)

Memo to the Weather Channel: Please know the difference between Budapest and Bucharest. Budapest is an international, cosmopolitan city. Bucharest is the shithole. -Silvie in Waldorf- (1/20/07)

Here's link to article in Halifax newspaper that provides good information on Denny Doherty. thechronicleherald.ca... He had a gig back in December in Rockville. Must have been right before he became ill from aneurysm of the abdomen. (This same type of illness almost caused Gordon Lightfoot's death a few year's back. I think this also was cause of Charlie Rich and yes, Conway "hello darlin" Twitty deaths).........back to Burger Chef I just can't place were it was in Annandale but I know I always looked forward to going there on the way to S. Klein's or Landmark Shopping Center or even G.E.M.'s. I definitely remember the one in Tysons Corner. The building is still there, a bit changed. Right across street from were the Borders is now located. Hey Borders hope you do like Best Buy and move out of that building to something more accessible. Like the old Tower Records store? Now what was the Burger Chef that Donnie G. said he worked at?....... as for the Handy Dandy markets, there was one in toothless Fairfax and in my yute would go there frequently. I remember craving those Coke bottle caps with Washington Redskin's. Why I still have a Charley Taylor and Sam "short end of the stick" Huff. As I grew older and began cruising the wild streets of Fairfax County I came upon that one in Burke. Just a few years back the Washington Post had an article in the business section about the Handy Dandy market down in Woodbridge. It's about a block off of Route 123 right before it meets Route 1. If you look to your left at the intersection you'll also see a long shuttered Roy Rogers. Speaking of Roy Rogers here's a site about the current day Roy Rogers chain, now run by the gentleman who was initially involved with Roy Rogers and Marriott back nearly 40 years ago. tinyurl.com... Anyways, back to Handy Dandy in Woodbridge the newspaper article went on to say the gentleman who ran it had owned it many years. I tried to get there when he might be in the store but always failed. I wanted to ask about the history of Handy Dandy. But you know part of me doesn't really want to know. I think the place is now run by his son. The store is still a step back in time which is getting rarer and rarer here in overdeveloped Fairfax. Now who owned Topps? I remember one in toothless Fairfax at Fairfax Circle area. I can't quite remember if it was were the Dunkin' Donuts is now or the Korean restaurant, that in a previous incarnation was a Gino's. Btws, I forget who bought out Gino's chain? I found curious the mentioning of a People's Drug Store in Iowa. As far as I know wasn't People's a regional chain here in Va., Md., D.C. area? This kind of reminds me of the time I was watching an old "Rockford Files" and Jimbo drives right by a Magruder's grocery store, with the same sign design as the one's in these parts. I always thought the Magruder chain was just in the D.C. area? What gives?....... now that I've drifted far askew and probably upsetting you anal retentive on topic folks....ain't a lot of this stuff intertwined with media....I mean the commercials embedded a lot these places in our minds..... I'd be curious as what ad agencies in the D.C. area made radio and tv commercials back in the 60's and '70's........ B. Smith... NNNNoooobbbbooooddddyyyy! (1/20/07)

Dave's response: In one "Rockford Files," Jim gets in a big fight in front of a radio station's studios - and a sign featuring Ksomethingorother on a frequency of something like 72.5. C'mon.....

Dave, you be happy to know, THEWBALCHANNEL.com is no more. Wiser heads must have prevailed. It's now simply WBALTV.com. :-) (1/20/07)

Dave's response: Thank God.....

Re: Red Barn. If you want to know about the history of Red Barn, you can go here. barnbuster.homestead.com. There's a picture of what the Red Barn in Ballston looks like now. (1/20/07)

WHEN THE HUNGRIES HIT, HIT THE RED BARN. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (1/20/07)

John Phillips attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, possibly to avoid service in Vietnam. Weasel told a story about how John was trying to get expelled by culling too many demerits. He was very close when the Queen of England visited the academy. During an official ceremony, the Queen, exercising an almost unknown but legitimate right of the Monarch, thinking she was doing everyone a favor, announced she was expunging all demerits for that year. John was pissed. (1/20/07)

"The individual that I would like to see a book from would be that of Secret Service Agent Clint Hill" -- Rusty, Clint Hill actually lives in a Maryland suburb and, with the exception of Mike Wallace, rarely speaks with the media. The Kennedy assassination left him deepy traumatized and Hill, years later, regrets not being half a second faster - and says he would have been glad to take Oswald's third bullet. -- Paul (1/20/07)

Richard in Cambridge: I'm sure our bantering back and forth is getting a little old to the other "Mailbaggers". You see I consider myself a JFK Assassination "Buff" as I have some rather "interesting" theories over the whole thing. I was in Nashville on that fateful day (in the 1st grade), though I remember it it like it was yesterday! And b/t/w how did you end up in Cambridge from Northern Va? (I was born in Easton). Perhaps DCRTV could put us in touch. Rusty (1/20/07)

We had both Burger Chef and Red Barn here in my Northeast Ohio suburb. Neither was my favorite fast food chain...we're blessed here with local burger chains that are better than any of the national ones. But I did stop in from time to time, more to Red Barn than Burger Chef. I seem to recall that Red Barn had some sort of "special sauce" on their burgers. Anyway, at least a couple of the local Red Barn locations were kept as far as the actual building goes, and one of them locally - complete with the roof - is a Sprint store. And to keep it on topic here, does anyone remember if either chain did radio or TV advertising? I seem to recall Red Barn had a jingle going something like "come on down to the Red Barn!"... (1/20/07)

March 14th 1966, The Mamas & The Papas were guest on Hullaballoo along with Dionne Warwick, Bobby Rydell and Noel Harrison. Gary Lewis was the host for that particular show. As the announcer for the show, I'd spend time with the acts before and after the Taping. Denny Doherty was among the most down to earth of the performers that I ever ran across. There is a complete set of Hullaballoo shows available on VHS, 8 volumes in all, and they are priceless with such acts as Franke Avalon, The Supremes, Sonny and Cher, The Byrds, The Hollies, The Rollings Stones... and the list goes on an on. Johnny Holliday (1/20/07)

I remember the Red Barns in Burtonsville and Laurel both became Mattress Barns or something like that. Eventually, I believe, the one in Laurel then became a furniture barn, orsomething like that. I guess little remodeling on the outside was necessary. (1/20/07)

Creeque Alley is definitely about the history of the Mamas and Papas and the connection to Loving Spoonful, Byrds and other artists. Check out this website www.songfacts.com. BTW I visited the street in St. Thomas Virgin Islands called Creeque Alley. It was in a very crowded section of the island. Once Kathy Whiteside did a "my three songs" about Washington musicans. (1/20/07)

Bad journalism alert!!! Ray Frager’s column in the Sun, about Ravens radio broadcast ratings, is completely wrong. He clearly took what WBAL/WIYY told him without checking facts. Hey Ray, you want some facts? …. How about these… You reported a 400% increase in audience to 166,000 average listeners. The new Ravens broadcast did show significant improvement, growing the audience from an average, in round numbers, of 43,000 to 60,000 cume, Adults 18+. The numbers represent an increase of about 40%, most likely due to the quality of play on the field. (1/20/07)

CC making Bill Hess PD of the AMs. If that's not writing on the wall; I don't know what is. Bill's a nice guy and shouldn't be treated that way--but again; that's CC for ya. Wasn't there a Burger Chef in Fairfax near WEEL? I believe that became a Burger King after a while. I liked Burger Chef. Back then, though--there were so many burger places it was hard to keep track. Ollie's Trolley was the best IMHO--but there weren't any close by. Closest one to me was on Columbia Pike. Nice to hear Mike Kelly on the air on BIG100 last night. TK back on TEM? Wonder who initiated those talks...and what price they came up with? Betcha it wasn't what it used to be. (1/20/07)

RE: [ " All I remember about the restaurant was it was very dirty and fly-infested. " ]....... Ok, I'll admit I've enjoyed the off-topic Fast Food down Memory Lane series of posts, but enough is ENOUGH! At LEAST, make it something pleasant to remember! Otherwise, I'll be forced to start a Finer Restaurants Gone Bad series, including 1 of the most expensive restaurants in the Washington/Baltimore area where i once watched a cook drop an expensive steak on the filthy greasy slimy floor and throw it right back on a plate and hand to a waiter! No lie. (1/20/07)

The Sun today looks back at Baltimore's inferiority complex through national sports media coverage www.baltimoresun.com (1/20/07)

I just came across an un-edited WPGC air check from Easter Sunday 1969 of Tiger Bob Raleigh and Davy Jones/Paul Bicknell. That's UNEDITED. I (Jones) was supposd to come on at noon, and for some reason I was late, (don't know why?) There are commercials for Gino's, Arbys, Hot Shoppes, Temple Academy Computer School in DC and lots of other interesting things. What a blast to listen to.PLB (1/20/07)

Regarding the Mamas & the Papas' ties to the Washington area: Many years ago, I was doing some unrelated research using microfilm of the Montgomery County Sentinel, and discovered that in 1964, the Mugwumps made an appearance at the Rockville Drive-In off Route 355. Not sure what picture was showing there at the time. (The drive-in, located near the main Rockville post office, continued through the at least the mid-'70s; a housing subdivision is there now.) -- Vincent in Triangle (1/20/07)

Does any one remember the "Redbarn" chain of Fastfood Restaurants in the D.C. area. I remember that they had one near the Ballston Subway stop in the early eighties. The restaurants were all shaped like barns, with hipped roofs. When the chain was in its "hey-day" in the sixties the used to advertise on T.V. I remember I last ate at a Red Barn during that time period, when I found myself with only a few coins in my pocket (literally), while at Ballston while waiting for a Metrobus after taking the subway downtown for a Stanley Kaplas LSAT prep course. Those few coins was enough to buy two little hamburgers. All I remember about the restaurant was it was very dirty and fly-infested. Mmm, Mmm, good. Doug in Stephens City (1/20/07)

Susan Kidd - Any idea of where she has decided to go? Thanks, Betty (1/20/07)

Had the CBS Early Show. They went to the Weather Man out side. He said it was cold, he ask the people outside with him who is going to win the game today . New England or Indianapolis on CBS. Well the game is Sunday. Not today! (1/20/07)

Rusty Gibson, yes, a book from Mr. Hill would be most interesting. I don't think Mr. Kilduff ever wrote a book on the assassination. During my brief association with him, JFK's death was one topic I really wanted to learn more about and one he adamantly refused to discuss. The only detail I can remember hearing from Mac was that he was riding about 2 cars behind JFK on that fateful Friday. I was a 9th grader at the time, in Hyattsville, and quite surprised 12 years later to meet the new manager at Drug Fair, Langley Park: Mac Kilduff. How he landed there after serving in the White House is history. I understand he went on to serve as editor of one or more newspapers in Kentucky. The last time I spoke to Mac was on the 20th anniversary of JFK's death. Mac appeared on WTTG 5's Maury Povich show. I called him at the WTTG studio to say hi. I had refused to sell him a car I owned when I knew him, a Lincoln he wanted badly. He had not forgotten I would not let that car go. As I wrote previously, Mac Kilduff was a good guy, one who did not take himself too seriously, often poking fun at himself. I missed the most recent TV program you mentioned. I'll look for a re-broadcast of it. Thanks. Richard in Cambridge (1/20/07)

Caught a little bit of the John Thompson show (Friday) afternoon, around about the time the email supposedly came out and he while he was interviewing a guest, the topic of decision-making came up and Thompson made several comments about who makes decisions and alluded to who makes decisions at the station and then Doc and Al joked with him about stirring stuff up. This may have been a reference to Chris Johnson possibly not being the PD anymore. Johnson was the producer of his show before becoming the PD. It'll be good to have TK back on the radio wherever he lands. It seems like they programmed the station to accomodate TK if he came back with the throwaway first hour of the Sports Reporters and the repeat hour of the John Thompson show at 6. If I were the program director (I just play one thorugh email)...I'd have TK 6-9 (Czaban Fox show would return when TK goes back to MNF), Reporters 9-11, give James Brown (local guy) a show from 11-1, Brian Mitchell 1-3 and Thompson 3-6, best of TK, thompson or reporters from 6-7 and then Wizards/Capitals/Hoyas/Orioles games. The station would then truly be local. (1/20/07)

"Burger Chef is one thing (remember their ad characters Burger Chef & Jeff?), but who remembers Carrol's Drive Inn. There was one in Annandale on Columbia Pike" Carrol's in the Washington area? That's a new one on me. I was born and raised in Syracuse, and Carrol's was the dominant burger chain in central New York in the 1960s; it regularly advertised on Syracuse's Top 40 stations, WNDR and WOLF. As fate would have it, I also lived for nearly a decade in New Jersey near Fanwood (in Westfield), and can fill in a few things: first, I don't believe the New Jersey Drug Fair chain is related to the former D.C. chain of the same name (although I could be wrong), but unless things have changed in the past two-plus years, you can indeed buy beer at the Fanwood A&P. Another note from my travels: I attended graduate school at Iowa State in the mid-'80s, and just across the street from the campus, on Lincoln Way, was a Peoples Drug Store. -- Vincent in Triangle (1/20/07)

so whfs2 is finally online. whfs2.com is updated with the slogan "what you've been missing". looks like music on whfs is just about dead. the online stream sounds pretty decent. i mean if this was on regular radio, and not some format no one has (or cares about) it would get pretty good ratings, that is assuming it was properly promoted unlike the current station. also word is that the HFStival will be turned over to mix 1065 since whfs will no longer have music. lets just hope richard branson buys the whfs calls and does the legacy justice. (1/20/07)

The voice of "The Singing Panda" on the hot shoppes commercials was none other than the multi talented Johnny Holliday, who also was 'Rudy the Reindeer " on the Springfield Mall commercials. The announcer with Johnny on the Hot Shoppes spots was Brian Clark, Father of the late Celeste Clark of WRQX. While