dcrtv.com - Mailbag - January 24 to January 28, 2007

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DCRTV Mailbag - January 24 to January 28, 2007

Latest messages listed first.....
\/ January 28 Messages \/

WIN-RADIO owner of WCTN is headed by Dr. Yoon, an "ASS" Doctor with an office in Queens, New York. He owns WNYH 740 in Huntington, Long Island. (WNYH was once the mighty WGSM). The collection of oldies currently being played on WCTN were previous being heard on WNYH. WNYH is now Adult Standards interspersed with Snake Oil infomercials and announcements for buying time. A waste of WNYH's 25,000 watt signal that covers a portion of 3 states (during the day anyway). Marc (1/28/07)

Where is "Your Next ...!" Know-it-all Sportstalker Ken Beatrice these days ? And what is he doing ? Thank you. Bill K (1/28/07)

Tony Kornheisers first shot on Radio was with Johnny Holliday on WMAL. Johnny and Tony hosted the Redskins pre game show for a year. It was great!! Then the station dumped Tony, claiming the Two had wayyyyy to much fun on the air. Nice move MAL. Come to think of it, Tony K and Johnny H on Washington Post Radio would be a great combination. Sean, Bethesda (1/28/07)

I was jonesing for some oldies today, so I dialed around and found some on 950 AM WCTN, Cabin John MD. I don't know what kind of playback system is handling weekend duties there, but what an abysmal mix on an abysmal signal. People gripe about their 'favorite' stations playing the same songs over & over again; how about the same oldies with less than 1 hour separation? I can't tell you how often today I heard "Cathy's Clown" and "What Does It Take to Win Your Love for Me." Segues were ragged and often happened before a song had ended. The only human voice heard was a recorded message telling me how I can buy my own brokered show, and an occasional ID. Is it really that difficult to pop in a jingle, a liner or a laser zap? SOMETHING to make it interesting?? The audio was also incredibly muddy with a very loud 60 Hz hum, like a guitar cable with a short. WinRadio Corp., for goodness sake, please do something about this station. It is doing nothing to alter the already-damaged public opinion of AM radio. (1/28/07)

Dave's response: Damn, I heard Falco on George today. One day I hate him, the next day I love him. Rock me Amadeus.....

Since WHFS changes morning shows this week, getting rid of The Junkies, I think we should look at how The Junkies leave things for Kirk And Mark. The Fall ratings book recently came out and here is how Baltimore lines up in the morning. 18-34: WERQ is number 1. 98 Rock is number 2, but the last month of the book really took a hit with Mickey And Amelia running the show. WPOC is 3rd. DC101 is 4th with Elliott actually beating 98Rock in the third month. (keep in mind, DC101 doesn’t cover the entire Baltimore market) WLIF rounds out the top 5. CONGRATULATIONS to The Junkies. You finished in 11th place. 25-54: Here are the top 5, in order: WWIN, WPOC, 98Rock, WERQ and WLIF. Again, 98Rock’s third month was very weak compared to the first two. DC101 is in 7th, not covering the whole market. CONGRATULATIONS! The Junkies finish in 14th place. Way to go guys. Save all your patting yourselves on the back about how well you are doing in the post-Howard era. You are off in Baltimore for one reason: you are losing horribly. CBS went out and hired a more successful show to replace the garbage numbers you are printing. I expect they will be doing the same thing in Washington, DC. (ie: Elliott In The Morning) That would be Elliott in AM Drive, Opie And Anthony in middays, and Don And Mike in PM Drive. Now, that is MOONNNNNEY. -- Brett (1/28/07)

Dave's response: That's why I love doing DCRTV. It's such a fuckin' lovefest.....

Can I sue Fox 5 for mental anguish over their new morning show at 9? Rachel Ray nearly had me wanting to put a pistol in my mouth but these 2 morons are close to driving me over the edge? Paul (1/28/07)

I think it would be totally ridiculous to put the Junkies on 102.7. I tuned in a couple times to the Junkies on 105.7 HFS and it was pretty bad. They stink on HFS, and how they have even lasted on WJFK this long, I have no idea. Maybe CBS should put them on 1300 in the morning? I'd rather there be no DJ's at all than the Flunkies. (1/28/07)

Tony Pann and Justin Berk announced on "Weather Talk" today that they will be doing all of the weather reporting on WCBM and WVIE, starting at midnight. They will be replacing The Weather Channel reports. (1/28/07)

Sorry but I think Jason Kidd is a hack, everything he has touched has turned to shit. Why do they keep bringing him back? Id like a job where I can screw up repeatedly and get brought back under another title. HFS is screwing itself by dropping music. Well its screwing itself by the music its playing. Im hearing like all kinds of crap from the 80's and early 90's. Sounds like one of the engineers has his gay brothers I-pod hooked into the board. Play some decent music like the station did when the HFS'tival used to sell out in 15 minutes. People are going to tune into KMS Minus Spiegel, so just KM, then turn it right off. I hope that the wonderful talented people huddled in the Infinity compound can pull a miracle out of their corporate asses, hell, I'd settle for a small rabbit. Please see the light! -Joe Schmo (1/28/07)

Re: your rant about the Post referring to the Fox News Network. I noticed that at the bottom of foxnews.com, they do refer to the corporate entity as Fox News Network, LLC. Perhaps this is why they referred to it that way? " This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. © 2007 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. All market data delayed 20 minutes." (1/28/07)

Dave's response: That may be, but the cable/satellite TV news service, which was referred to in today's DC Post editorial (a la comments about Barack Obama by Steve Doocy and John Gibson), is called the Fox News Channel. I guess that and the website are all part of the Fox News Network. I still think the Post got it wrong.....

As I recall, TMU, the first station in DC that TK ever appeared on was WTOP-1500. He and John Feinstein used to appear on Phil Wood's show there in the early 1980's. So essentially, he's come full circle. (1/28/07)

This goes to any PD or former PD out there. I wanted to get your take on element placement within a given hour of programming. I was brought up in the PD school of thought that all spots should be placed at :19, :35 and :50, far away from the quarter hour as possible. Although, many clusters, including network (music) programming break at :16, :28 and :46, which falls at the quarter hour mark. I know the basic philosophy is to play your hot records at the quarter hour, to usher the listener into another quarter hour of listening, but what is your thought on spot placement. Also, I have encountered some PDs that hark on spot placement within breaks, which is also important. One particular PD told me that he wants all :30s first, including PSAs. If I was a client, I would not be too happy about my paid spot running after a public service announcement. I have always been schooled about running PSAs last in the break. Here is what I have been taught... Promo first... Hightly produced :60 first (usually agency)... Least produced :60... then :Highly produced :30... least produced :30... then end with the dry, horrible, or shortest spots... Then you sweep back into music QUICK, usually a quick forecast--then you're back into a medium or heavy rotation song. I am curious to get some PROFESSIONAL input on this. Gracias! SJ (1/28/07)

Last night, a poster wrote about how Arbitron gives credit for listening. The thrust of his missive was to suggest that, with poor PD's and MD's constantly in the hot seat for their jobs (and, I will be the first to grant that, along with performers, they generally are) I think the observation was a bit skewed. Here's why. It's true that Arbitron credits listening through the hour as the writer described. HOWEVER, the fly in the ointment is now and has always been the way the listening is recorded! No one sits in traffic, writing down every dial punch. Most diary keepers dedicate a half hour a week (at most) to jotting down what they THINK they listened to in the past seven days. About 100 years ago at a WABA luncheon, I was lucky enough to listen in the corner as WMAL's Andy Ockershausen, WRC's Gordon Peil, WGMS' Jerry Lyman and WASH-FM's Bob Hughes discussed Arbitron methodology. (Was I lucky, or what? What a brain trust!) The conclusion drawn was that we were all being measured 24x7x365 on what we had done in the past SIX MONTHS. It's shocking, but this means programming is a constant and not decided moment-by-moment with instantaneous reaction. No one is suggesting playing music no one knows or truly bad product. Only loosening up beyond the 100 safest songs of all time! So, programmers, I can personally guarantee that if someone slips "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" into an oldies rotation once in awhile, instead of that damned annoying "Joy to the World" Bullfrog Song (Damn you, Hoyt Axton) you will not be jettisoned from your swivel chair by some ejector seat switch in Columbia... at least, not until that stupid Purple Personal People Meter experiment gets under way! - Ed. Rodriguez (1/28/07)

Saw Tony K. on King George's Full Court Press last night (memo to Wilbon: lose the turtlenecks). TK says (a) the story that Ben Bradlee called him to lure him to WP Radio was completely false; and (b) he went to WTWP because he's been a Postie for 27 years, "and that's called loyalty, baby." Great, TK. I'll pass that along to Andy Polley. TK's been SO loyal to the Post that he rarely appears in the paper anymore, preferring the cash from ESPN and MNF. Meanwhile, the station that put him on the radio FIRST, and let him make his bones there, gets to whistle in the breeze. Nice loyalty, TK. Sincerely, TMU (1/28/07)

A follow up to the radio research thread...Don't take the Starbucks ref so literally. If you google 'market research' you'll see thousands of companies that do consumer based research. It is pervasive and infects all aspects of consumer society,. (Oh, and the coffee analogy was appropriate. I would venture to say people are more passionate about their coffee than their favorite song). Further, give the programmers their due. When they conduct research projects they actually do carefully select the participants. But the real red meat here is the music and why radio stations play the same songs over and over again. You can try the argument that they test the same stuff. Only partially true. Any good music programmer is constantly searching for fresh songs to add to their mix. Unfortunately, the needle invariably points back to the hits.(And don'[t try the 'play the stuff they don't know. Listeners will learn to like it. No, they won't. YOU want to hear songs YOU know and YOU like. It's YOUR personal playlist.) Another point of comparison was made about Detroit. 'Try new concepts' this poster opined. Great idea! Unfortunately, most people can only comment on what they know and see - not on what they want. This is especially true about emotional products - like music and cars. Asking people to predict what they will like is a fool's errand - they simply cannot do that. It is up to the radio programmer to take data and mix it with their ecperience to produce an entertaining product. Look, there are a lot of people on this board who relish lambasting radio programmers in this town. They' solve' the problems with generic platitudes like 'be more interesting' or 'play different songs (like the ones on THEIR iPods). But not one puts forth real, actionable solutions. Which is fine - complaining is an inalienable American right (article 12 of the Bill of Rights, I believe) (1/28/07)

To Chris, looking to record Kirk & Mark via computer - You might be interested in this: www.totalrecorder.com (1/28/07)

(Dave queried) Does Harry Wayne Casey own stock in Bonneville? (End query) I recently saw KC on one of those half-hour Time-Life music collection TV infomercials, humping Disco-era tunes. That poor sonobavitch has had one too many facelifts and looks like a cross between Rick Dees and a rubber fingertip puppet. If he nicks himself shaving, his face will snap off his skull like a burst balloon. (1/28/07)

Dave's response: Hey, how about TOP musicman Neal Augenstein in a white bell-bottomed KC "dance suit." Hmmm.....

Does anyone know what happened to Amber Theoharris on Fox 45 sports? She has seemingly been replaced by a blonde clone. Also, is Josh leaving 98 Rock to go with Kirk and Mark? (1/28/07)

Dave's response: There are rumblings that Amber may end up at MASN. Apparently, the "S" in the new WHFS-bound "KMS" stands for their new producer, and not newsman Josh Spiegel.....

Would someone be so kind as to record the first day of Kirk and Mark on WHFS? I won't be near a computer that morning, and I can't assume my girlfriend will understand my recording instructions. -laughing- If this is doable, e-mail me at: chrispaulus@gmail.com (1/28/07)

All this talk about the importance of the Arbytrons makes this old mailbagger scratch his slack jaw, ain't there some radio stations that still do quite respectable in ad revenue but their arbytrons ratings ain't really all that, like 'JFK or 'TEM for instance? How is advertising arranged by individual advertisers or ad agencies representing a mess of clients? Do salespeople and ad agency reps enjoy cocktails together while making a deal? Are some advertisers not crazy about being stuck in a 9 1/2 minute commercial or say an auto dealership is mixed together with 3 other car dealerships ads in a commercial break?.........and for Mary Cliff fans here's a folk music blog that discusses the end of her show on 'ETA and the state of folk music on radio these days tinyurl.com .......not a sermon, just some incoherent thought patterns (1/28/07)

WOL is looking to dump their entire MALE, big names but little success in the number's game, 10a-7p line up. Also being considered for one of the soon to be empty slots is a hometown GIRL and former NBCer who left to gain popularity on the internet. Sunny James will be substituting for the vacationing Joe Madison in the 6-10 AM slot several days this week. Never, never, never give up... (1/28/07)

Comcast Sets Switched-Video Rollout.... Read the full article at: www.multichannel.com (1/28/07)

Dave's response: So, Comcast would save precious cable system bandwidth by sending the subscriber only the channel he or she is watching. Is that right? Hmmm.....

Although this would add competition to KMS on 'HFS (but the numbers would stay within the cluster) and its well known that Bob Phillips is not a Junkies fan and vice versa; while probably not likely, but still a chance, don't be totally surprised especially if some higher ups than Bob have some say if the Junkies don't end up on 102-7 JACK-FM for mornings. Yes I said 102-7 JACK-FM. (1/28/07)

Dave's response: I realize that CBS Radio is rather clueless, and nothing against the Junks, but Jack is a cool oldies station. Don't ruin it with talk. Gawd. Oh, is it true Jason Kidd (not the b-ball player) is back in town? Hmmm.....

could this stem from loosing the o's and not getting the nats and not stopping masn from could counter programming. additionally, sam promised management that he convinced the techs not to go union. not only did they go union, the techs had to do a one day strike to get sam to a contract... buh bye... " As you know, Sam has announced that he is leaving his position as executive vice president and general manager of Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic and will return to Philadelphia, where he will be working with me and our management team to evaluate new opportunities for our growing family of regional sports networks. During his tenure in Bethesda, Comcast SportsNet has grown tremendously in the areas of news and feature programming, live sporting events, and our relationships within the community. Sam has also been a valuable business associate and personal friend of mine for over twenty years. He will remain in Bethesda while we conduct a search for a replacement, and work closely with the new general manager to ensure a smooth transition. Please join me in congratulating him on his accomplishments and on his new position. Jack Williams, President & CEO, Comcast SportsNet" (1/28/07)

/\ January 28 Messages /\

\/ January 27 Messages \/

Abyone know whatever happened to "MatchMaker Tommy Curtis" after his Yacht Club went underwater? Also, Others from the early days of WMAL-FM. Guys like Pete Larkin, and (we've talked about this before), the simulcast w/ ABC w/ :"In Concert". Damn I miss those days! Some Fine memories there, Rusty Gibson (1/27/07)

Dave's response: The return of Rhinestone Rusty Gibson to the worldwide "airwaves" of WEBR - Friday February 2 at 3 PM. Stay tuned.....

Checked out George 104 online, and the voice guy is the same as 106.5 The Arch in STL, and 95.7 BEN FM in Philly. (1/27/07)

Dave's response: This morning, in the car, I heard George 104 playing "Get Down Tonight" by KC And The Sunshine Band. This afternoon, in the car, I heard George 104 playing "I'm Your Boogie Man" by KC And the Sunshine Band. Does Harry Wayne Casey own stock in Bonneville?

FYI - anyone who has listened to "The Junkies" lately has probably heard them tease that they *may* have something in the works for Baltimore after they go off 105.7 later this week. I went to their "Farewell Baltimore Happy Hour" last night and heard directly from Jason Bishop (aka "Lurch") that they'll be re-broadcast at nights on 105.7 soon. He described it as a "short term fix" until they get back on in Baltimore live in the mornings in some capacity. TG in Bel Air, MD (1/27/07)

"As the saying goes, don't hate the player, hate the game... " Should be interesting to see how the way the game is played changes in the next few years. Get ready, the Portable People Meter is on its way. The schedule is for Philadelphia to go to PPM now, New York this fall, and D.C. next year. (1/27/07)

"The FCC under various Republican administrations also bears much of the blame. Tom Gauger" - Let's not forget that Telecom '96 was signed with ringing endorsement by Bill Clinton! We should, IMHO, ALWAYS be mindful, as voters, participants, consumers and constituents, that the penultimate goal of every political party is no different than that of every government, religion or corporation: self-perpetration! Anarchists unite! (I know... it's a very old joke... but it certainly harbors a strong element of truth.) Ed Rodriguez (1/27/07)

I think it's ironic that Starbucks was chosen as an example of the unstoppable focus group mentality. Tell me if I'm wrong, but I thought I read a few weeks ago that Starbucks, big and important as it is, does NOT use focus groups. The owners decide what would likely work in the long run and just DO it. That's what radio listeners are thirsty for. I've always thought the radio focus group's methodology jabs the participant merely to push a high number depending on how painfully FAMILIAR the song might be. That could certainly explain why we're hearing what we do on the radio these days. -Pilot of the Airwaves (1/27/07)

Saw Amy Robach on the Today show this morning and she was SMOKIN' HOT!!!.. New York was definately a good move for her.. (1/27/07)

Tom Gauger makes a good case for the state of radio news. Excellent book he recommends. While our bodies may be getting old Tom, we can remain immature, until death! Pat Murphy (1/27/07)

Re: The Changes: WGMS/The New George -- Not bad. Like the mix. Just can't stand John O'Herlihy doing J. Peterman -- ick. WETA - Glad they have the classical back. Just didn't realize they would be jettisoning the things that made them a really great public station--- BBC in the AM, Writers' Almanac, Morning Edition, Fresh Air, ATC, Prairie Home Companion, as well as the wonderful locally produced programming and NPR/PRI musical programs. Very sad about that. TK - Not a lot of love for Mr. Tony in the local radio community -- especially on Rockville Pike. Will cluster management allow on-air "discussion" of the new competition?? LO (1/27/07)

Dave's response: Everytime "I turn George on" (perverted sounding, huh), it's John Cougar Mellonball. And I hit the button for Gulag 100.3 and it's tired old Elton John. Frustrated while driving, I pop in a CD burned from iTunes downloads. Bliss, at last.....

Kudos to the person that explained how ratings work : "don't hate the player, hate the game". Succinctly put. Very sad situation though. I'm a believer in taking chances, always have been. To me formatics are an issue of blend, timing, presence, involvement, communication and information. Music within a format can contradict itself..that can be done and done well if the Music Director/Program Director understand the scales, blending, pace and of course popularity of the piece of music that's played. If within a certain type of music...rock, pop..blues...etc a programmer and music director know how to blend, (segue) two types of music and they compliment one another it's "ear candy". If they clash, well that's a mistake. I know this is simplified, but, I also know that if a song was a top 10 song it was appreciated by the masses and probably sold very well. Commercial placement, news and information MUST be structured, (that's not done anymore) because, few know how. Well, I've rambled on enough. Agree or disagree...I doesn''t matter to me. PLB (1/27/07)

I agree with Marcus, and I have said it a few times on here. Why not drop RON and FEZ into the 7-9pm shift on WJFK? or Tom Leyis out of Los Angeles who is on a bumch of Free FM stations already. I listen to both on line often and either one would be a better fit then Dennis Miller. Wonder why Micheal Hugh From WJFK would not see that either one of these shows would be better to run then reruns? Just a thought... Jeff In Fredericksburg (1/27/07)

Dave's response: Look, Michael Hughes simply takes orders from CBS in NYC. They want O'Reilly - and probably Miller, too. By the way, could a new "fresh" breeze be blowing soon at CBS's 94.7? Hmmm.....

"This poster obviously has never been a PD or MD, and knows nothing about how the Arbitron ratings game is played." Obviously. The Federal Income Tax system has pervasive and pernicious impact on how businesses are run. For example, executives pay scrupulous attention to quarterly numbers, because taxes are paid quarterly. This acts to de-incentivize a long term view (longer than a quarter) during which actual progress toward increased profits might be arranged. Instead, managers play a numbers game where strange things happen, like a February with 33 days in it. Advertisers have concocted a quantification system that claims to measure who is listening to what commercials and in what numbers. Radio is an audience delivery business, pure and simple. And so, programming has become an academic science in which nothing can be left to chance. Play by the rules or die. Now THAT'S programming "in the public interest." Or is it? (1/27/07)

does anyone know the rusty ford and mancow story? just a thought from a chocolate pie and purple kool aid imbiber (1/27/07)

I think he forgot Bonnie Bernstein tinyurl.com "In College Park, The Play-by-Play's The Thing" (1/27/07)

City Paper gives DCRTV Dave a nod in article - "Media: Longtime Folk DJ Gets the Boot Posted by Dave Nuttycombe" www.washingtoncitypaper.com (1/27/07)

Dave's response: Golly. Thanks.....

Not exactly media 'cept for the big impact the Redskin's have on the D.C. market I bet many a fan and reader of the old mailbag will find this redskin blog entry interesting curlyr.blogspot.com... Hadn't gotten around to friday WaPo www.washingtonpost.com (1/27/07)

/\ January 27 Messages /\

\/ January 26 Messages \/

"Radio stations can program a wider range of music without incurring serious costs if a mistake is made." This poster obviously has never been a PD or MD, and knows nothing about how the Arbitron ratings game is played. Ratings are a combination of CUME (how many people are listening) and TSL (Time Spent Listening - how long people listen). TSL is measured in quarter-hours; in order to get "credit" for a quarter-hour of listening from a particular diary-keeper, that person must write down that they listened for 5 continuous minutes WITHIN a quarter-hour. So if a person writes down that they listened to your station from, say, 10:10 to 10:20, you get credit for 2 quarter-hours of listening. But if they write down that they listened from 10:11 to 10:19, you get NOTHING. Nada. Zilch. There's a lot you can say about this methodology, but that's the way it is, and it boils down to 2 important points: 1) PD's harp on "clock maintenance" and "music flow" for a reason - the placement of elements and songs within the hour (and making sure that they air on time) is CRITICAL; 2) Every time a person with an Arbitron diary hits that button to switch to another station, it costs you dearly...and measurably. Any GM or GSM can tell you, in actual dollars, how much every tenth of a ratings point lost costs the radio station in advertising. And when you consider that only a few hundred people in a market have an Arbitron diary at any given time, your fate rests with a handful of people...maybe a dozen or fewer. This is why so few PDs are willing to take chances on songs that don't test well. Again, I'm not defending the system, just explaining how it works. As the saying goes, don't hate the player, hate the game... (1/26/07)

Head for the hills, media employees!! -- or at least start learning some new and marketable skills. The following study came out today: U.S. media job cuts surged 88 percent in 2006 from the previous year, a downsizing trend expected to continue this year, a survey said Thursday. The media industry slashed 17,809 jobs last year, a nearly two-fold increase from the 9,453 cuts in 2005, outplacement consultancy Challenger Gray & Christmas said. The figure was the industry's largest annual job-cut total since 43,420 media job cuts accompanied the collapse of the technology bubble in 2001, the survey said. "A sea change in the way people get and read news, not to mention the way they search for jobs, used cars and consumer products, was the primary contributor," the company said. Media companies, including the New York Times Co. and Time Inc., have already laid off 2,000 employees in 2007, Challenger noted, saying the cuts suggested the downsizing trend would continue. "These organizations will continue to make adjustments as their focus shifts from print to electronic," Chief Executive John Challenger said. "Until they can figure out a way to make as much money from their online services as they are losing from the print side, it is going to be an uphill battle." -- PB (1/26/07)

Most of what I read here about the current state of broadcast news is pretty negative. What really concerns me most is that those of us who remember the beginning of radio and television news are getting very old. In many cases the current management of broadcast news operations haven’t a clue to what radio and television journalism really is. To that end I highly recommend an excellent book by Bob Edwards, formerly of NPR’s Morning Edition. Bob’s book, “Edward R. Murrow and the birth of Broadcast Journalism” is an easy read and ought to be required study in J-class. Published in 2004, this tightly written and rather short book at only 166 pages shows the glaring problems with today’s broadcast news and Bob is not shy about pointing fingers at culprits. Among them is the founder of Clear Channel Communications Lowry Mays, “who declares that his firm is ‘not in the business of providing news and information’.” There is no doubt that Ed Murrow had problems dealing with the reality of business and broadcasting. However, Bob Edward’s book will tell you how broadcast news came about and how standards have eroded away. The FCC under various Republican administrations also bears much of the blame. Tom Gauger (1/26/07)

I read your page every once and awhile after it was mentioned on Don and Mike - it's interesting reading. In any case, read your quick note on Dennis Miller potentially coming to WJFK (which I think would be awful, he's not funny) and wanted to see if you know anything about Ron & Fez, and if they were potentials for the evening slot? I know they are playing on a NY station on just about the same slot (6-9 I think), even though they are on XM. Thanks, marcus (1/26/07)

Dave's response: I love Ron and Fez and would love to hear them again on WJFK-FM. But if the station was planning to put them on, it would have done so already. Right?

I just purchased "Something in the Air" by Marc Fisher from Amazon.com. I look forward to reading it. (1/26/07)

Dave's response: Buy it via the amazon.com link on the right side of the main Mailbag page and help make me rich.....

Watched part of ABC's overnight news program, World News Now and saw a former local reporter, Kristianne Klein..She was subbing for the regular anchor and was paired up w/this guy who is the other regular anchor..He comes off as really arrogant..It appeared that Kristainne was trying her best to be cordial, joke a little bit, keep it lighthearted and fit in, but the other guy seemed to be annoyed that she was even there.. (1/26/07)

wow. dave, this is why we continue to come back again and again to the MAILBAG. the poster writing about music research, why and how it occurs and the end results--is DEAD ON!! that is exactly , for better or worse, why research and focus groups happen. you can almost compare mass appeal radio product to what has (unfortunately) happened to the auto industry. take Ford and GM for example. years and years of bland, mass appeal product lines, coupled with intransigent and "corporate" thinking have led to sales declines and consumer boredom. saw a news report on Ford last night , saying that the hope of that company lies in exciting NEW products that are still a few years away. there is hope for terrestial radio---but we must find new ways or exciting ways to promote the product! and the product itself must be energized and given new life as well..easier said than done...but , to continue the car analogy, look at NISSAN--they completely revitalized the company when new designs were launched and new thinking was incorporated! it is not too late to do the same for radio! keep up the good work dave... (1/26/07)

Dave's response: Well, how about your support? As of 6:30 PM Friday, DCRTV's just $69.81 short of our end-of-January fundraising goal. Thanks to all those who've helped us this month.....

Regarding the poster's comments on the Marc Fisher article. You say the same people want the same songs OVER AND OVER AGAIN? That's because today's research sessions only GIVE THEM the same songs to rate, over and over again. You're also leaving out a few things in your dissertation to us poor, unwashed amateur sleuths, like how you arrive at the criteria for picking your focus groups, throwing out limited 'hooks' of certain songs, and essentially stacking the cards to justify the continued ladling of pre-packaged pap and stale song selection to the audience. Makes it easier to 'wash and wear, set it and forget it'. It also takes the fun, spontaneity and excitement away. In fact, this long-established 'research' approach has seen Top 40 evolve from yesterday's ever-changing music variety to today's recurrent-based playlist. Just check the R&R CHR list every week. The chart position changes are about as static as book-to-book Arbitrons. By the way, one doesn't need to ask any 'real live working DJ' about what they get requests for in the studio. Without mentioning any names, several Baltimore-DC 'marquee' oldies broadcast talents in recent years would regularly lament to me about the MANY callers who asked for certain songs, only to be told they were...ahem...not on the list. You talk about who has the most listeners wins? Better go back and pardon the pun, 'research' the philosophy of radio stations in 2007. Ratings are static, scoring narrow demos are claimed as 'victories', and revenues acquired through the cluster buys from national accounts from Interrep and their ilk are still not enough to erode profit margins. Please keep this in mind. Corporate market managers get their big money on bonuses. When the gross revenues shrink, the talent shrinks and so do the sales commissions. All of which is to say, that radio stations have done it 'your' way for the last 10-15 years...and we certainly haven't seen all that much in the way of 'winning' results. Regarding playlists themselves, folks aren't saying to throw obscure low charters and collector's corner songs out there. What they ARE saying, is for today's stations to start listening to what the audience wants and open it up a little more. Programmers who did it in the old days did play to win the 'MASS' audience. Programmers today (in many cases) play to research idioms and corporate consultancies. Thanks, Bob Mathers (1/26/07)

Of course, Starbucks wouldn't attempt to sell coffee nobody likes. However, the music that gets played on the radio is intangible, unlike ground roast coffee. Radio stations can program a wider range of music without incurring serious costs if a mistake is made. The focus group process gives radio station management the false impression that the hits, and only the hits, are what people want to listen to. Thus the audience gets a very limited playlist and no introduction to the very fine product that didn't find an audience and, hence, cannot be called an "oldie" now. "Variety is the spice of life," said someone I'm too lazy to look up on Wikipedia. Yes. Sure. Play what the focus groups say audiences want to hear. But slip in a little stuff that, in your judgment, may be good enough to pass muster. See what happens. Take a chance. Would the world end tomorrow if you let Ella Fitzgerald mingle with Air Supply? (1/26/07)

same thing here in nyc - tryouts but rumors of d miller (on CBS's Free FM - WFNY) www.nydailynews.com (1/26/07)

When even the politically conservative Radio Equalizer is down on the idea of Dennis Miller as a talk show host, it just has to be a bad idea. Don't do it, JFK. Don't do it. Everett W. radioequalizer.blogspot.com (1/26/07)

Dave's response: Dennis is washed up. He simply isn't funny or engaging any more. File him under "Jay Severin" or "David Lee Roth." Or "Mancow".....

I was searching the 'net this afternoon and came across this... www.kirkandmark.com... Personally, I CAN'T WAIT! Rick in Edgewood (1/26/07)

Ok all you radio programming sleuths time to put on your souvenir thinking caps and play along with the people that do it for a living. Last week the Marc Fisher article talked about how music research has sucked the life out of radio. There is one small problem with this argument. To paraphrase Pogo - we have met the enemy and he is us. Market research is an accepted way of divining the tastes of consumers for any product. Let's substitute 'radio' and 'music' for 'Starbucks' and 'coffee'. I mean, with so many different kinds of beans out there you would think Starbucks would have a wider variety of coffees. So, the Starbucks programmers gather coffee drinkers and have them sample hundreds of different beans. Do you think - for a moment - they would brew the coffee most people hated? Radio music research works like this. You play, they rate. An odd thing happens- YOU (the consumer) ask for the SAME SONGS OVER AND OVER AGAIN. (I think that is why they call them hits...) So, what is the poor radio barista to do? Ignore the research and play all the crap YOU said YOU didn't like? (Don't believe me?Then look at sales figures for music. Some styles are niche for a reason. Or, ask any real live working DJ what people ask for when they call the studio.) I know what happens now- YOU start carping about how it was better when DJs picked their own songs or that YOU know better what people want to hear. Guess what - you are wrong on both counts. Anyone who thinks they know exactly the right flavor of music that will resonate with the largest audience is a fool. YOU may know what YOU like but do you know what HE likes or SHE likes? Because - if you do have that perfect market sense what the hell are you doing posting on this board. Get on the 'net and prove it. If there is a market there is money to be made and that is what this is all about. Radio is a MASS medium. He who has the MOST listeners wins. (1/26/07)

Hey Dave, According to the big FCC email, it appears that WAGE may be moving to AM1190. Not sure if I read that here, if not, there ya go:) Rock on, Tybois Uphold, Editor/News Director, SVRTV-Winchester, VA (1/26/07)

Anybody in the market for a top-notch AM/FM/Internet Radio receiver with time-shift recording for your PC? Griffin Technology has their "Radio Shark 2" on sale right now for $50 with FREE ground shipping at: www.griffintechnology.com. Cool beans, fer sure! (1/26/07)

Dennis Miller? Jesus WJFK you still haven't figured out political talk just ain't you? I gotta believe even the smallest of syndication fees for this show will still quadruple the cost of running with Jefe and Dubs instead, and not to mention the importance of actually grooming some new talent to take over whenever Don decides he really is done. Just when you think 'JFK has hit rock bottom, you find out there was a basement under the rock. Way to go Infinity. 5000 - Jason (1/26/07)

Speaking of pastry stories and TK, back when WTEM first went on the air ("The Team"), a local deli/bakery - Hofberg's, I think - sent a tray of pastries and bagels every morning and cold cuts in the afternoon. One day TK went on the air and ripped on the bagels as being hard and stale, and voila! no more free food at WTEM. It didn't matter to TK that everyone else was okay with what was being delivered, he didn't like it, and that was all that mattered to him. He didn't make a lot of friends at WTEM among the rest of the staff, I'm told, but didn't really care. Those people were the "littles" in his world, and he was a "big." (1/26/07)

Caught the end of the Brian Mitchell Show on WTEM and I thought I hard them say that Mark Sterne was leaving. I suppose he is going to work with Kornheiser and maybe some Nationals stuff on WTWP since Sterne was WTEM's only baseball guy. WTEM has been hurt by these raids. Weinstein, Sheehan and Sterne were among the better people they had. Yet WTEM fiddles and sticks with dreck like Andy Pollin. (1/26/07)

Just in time for WETA: Classical music sales are surging. Nielsen reports sales figures show a 22% rise in this category - as sales in other categories fall. Classical, Nielsen says, could be making a comeback. -- CM (1/26/07)

I can't decide if I'm dreading Mr. Tony's first day on the air or the 3 months of him kvetching before he leaves again in the fall for his throne on MNF. I would really like to have a down to earth and sincere professional on the air, but then again that person wouldn't be a personality and make noise. Too bad Tony, Tony, Tony can't have a smaller ego. He would still be writing and not pretending he is a newspaper man. Its also too bad the Bald and Orange isn't at WTEM where the boys from DC101 can't threaten and scare the old man. They all deserve to be in the same building with each other...hell is the same way. (1/26/07)

Wow. So much going on, all of a sudden. Here’s a few observations. Roddy’s right about the 107.7 COL shift; it no doubt portends an antenna move closer to DC, albeit an incremental one limited by 107.9. Too bad Bonneville can’t just buy WFSI, but the Christians probably consider the Mormons a “cult,” and wouldn’t take their tainted lucre. And, yeah, WFED’s change from Class D to Class B no doubt portends a hike in night time power. Most AMs aren’t worth sinking this much money into, but WFED’s dial position and physical location make it an exception. When they get done with this project (a couple of years?) it’ll be a good stick. I like Dave’s idea about swapping Frederick frequencies—makes sense. And don’t think decision-makers don’t read Mailbag. I recall discussion of the 1190/1200 gambit when WAGE was acquired by the WBIS folks, and now it’s happening. I recall discussion of western/northwestern suburban tower sites to enable AM upgrades and damn if RZ isn’t doing just that with 730. If the brains at CC would get their heads out of their asses, 980 and 1260 could be next to fire up improved signals. Rule #1: They can’t listen if they can’t hear it. As far as George 104 goes, it’s a “place-holder.” Just something to fill the carrier signal until they figure out what they really want to do. (1/26/07)

Ok, how long ago did I mention on this great site that oldies would make a comeback??? It is starting to happen! KOMY in California has just switched. There are many more changes coming. Though they may not go back to the early fifties, I'm telling you this is the beginning of an enlightened era in broadcasting. The "Geezers"...are spending big bucks, the "suits" are going "golly". Little Richard is singing "good golly". This move will expand be sure. Watch the East Coast, specifically the Northeast....ANG (1/26/07)

"I find Tanya Bennett of Metro Traffic on Channel 4 extremely annoying...her voice is syrupy..." She is what I would call a "low talker", Jerry Seinfeld, the Hamptons, NY. (1/26/07)

I bet ABC TV3 Winchester will be fully HD before the cheapskates over at ABC-7 Allbriton are in Rosslyn. Perhaps a few more pre-emptions for Billy Graham and old mildewy Bill Cosby movies will raise the cash needed for the additional HD equipment needed. (1/26/07)

Today's quiz answer: D) Barbara Harrison babbling thru AM newscasts. Please donate my prize to the DCR-TV museum in Wild West Fairfax. (1/26/07)

I know this isn't going to a popular view, but I wish Bonneville would have used the demise of WGMS to bring back its classic oldies station XTRA104. While us baby boomers are no longer in the age bracket most coveted by advertisers, oldies stations still do quite well in the ratings. WCBS-FM in New York has never recovered from being switched to JACK, and WQSR and WBIG, from what I've read, aren't doing as well either. I remember the free oldies concerts at the Equestrian Center, which were packed with loyal listeners. And the new XTRA104 shouldn't just play the same 50 old oldies songs that we're tired of. There were thousands of songs that cracked the Billboard Top 40 during the 1960s and 1970s, not to mention all of the Beatles songs that were on albums but never released as singles. Why not play all of them? Why not play add '80s songs by classic bands, such as the Moody Blues (which regularly sell out Wolf Trap), or the two new Beatles singles from the Beatles Anth ology? You'd have more variety than George or Jack or Ted or Alice, and you'd have the songs from an era that is still very popular with listeners, still does very well in the ratings and would stem the exodus of the largest generation in American history, the baby boomers, to satellite radio, which does play the music we grew up with. (1/26/07)

When you look at the aerial shot of the "Leesburg Real Estate - 10 Acres & Home" on the R. L. Rasmus Auction site (www.rasmus.com)...is it just me?...or do ya see the image of the horse's head (top center right)? "GOD-FODDAAAAAAAAH!!!" --RB (1/26/07)

Saw a fancy new promo for Channel 4 news last night - "Washington's News Leader" - it said. They're also Washington's leader in cutting staff jobs, cutting benefits. Most people there these days are freelancers because they can't (don't want to) hire people fulltime and give them benefits. How come young folks think TV is so glamorous, anyway? No money, no paid time off - and don't even think of getting sick. Lisa Rasmussen, for example - 20 years of working the worst hours - tossed away like a used Kleenex. Tony Dorsey, I.J. Hudson, Susan Kidd, Arch Campbell - quality walking or being pushed out the door. The model is phase out older, higher paid folks, replace them with younger folks willing to work for less. You can't blame management for cutting -- they know the resumes from newbies keep coming in. But who can blame me for not watching anymore or tolerating the eroding on-air quality? Wrong b-roll, misspelled chyrons, sloppy fullscreens, factual mistakes in the copy. What does Channel 4 really lead in? The race to the bottom. -- Thurston Howell III (1/26/07)

I've read with great interest the article 'The Songs You Want to Hear Has audience research sucked all the life out of commercial radio?' I would have to answer yes!!!! We all know that radio has changed over the past 30 years, where formats have been fragmented and refragmented (if there's such a word). I loved the variety that we grew up listening to on Top 40 radio, although it was at the risk of being laughed at by some of my buddies back in the day, because they were either into album rock or R&B music, which I liked as well. Unfortunately, the variety we've listened to years ago on Top 40 radio, will not work on today's radio. The CHR stations either lean heavily to rock, dance, or hip hop. This is done to not alienate listeners. The oldies stations began playing the same 200 to 300 songs again and again. Why? Because of the "research" mentioned in the article. The article sums it all up this way: FINALLY, THE ORDEAL WAS OVER and the subjects were free to leave. But a dozen accepted the invitation to stay on and become a focus group, discussing their evening's work. Those who lingered pleaded for songs they could sing along with, songs that would "mellow me out," and, repeatedly, "my favorite songs." And then the same people complained that the stations they listen to play "the same songs over and over," that there are way too many commercials and that they are sick to death of Motown. The others came to see Allan's point. It was all about expectations and favorites. They realized they had just guaranteed themselves more of the same on their favorite station. So, we cannot complain about stations playing the same songs over and over if we're chosen to take part in this "research" and end up voting for the same songs that's already over saturating the airwaves. If we're not chosen to take part in the "research", then the alternatives are simple; either burn cd's from our personal vinyl collection, which I do, legally download music from various cites, or listen to satellite radio, like XM or Sirius. XM plays a great variety of music for the varied musical tastes out there. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (1/26/07)

Larry in Luray may be on to something there. I've been listening since the change Monday, and they seem to be slowly coming forth with the extras. Yesterday around 2pm they played "That's Good" by Devo...couldn't believe it! I've acquired a taste for what they're doing, if only the sellout threat weren't there. Given a few more weeks I think they'll have a strong listener base. We'll see. - Jim C. (1/26/07)

I've been in a rental car this week and have made-do with over the air non-sat radio for the first time in 14 months - a couple obvious observations from casual listening: The Junkies are as good as they ever were, but that doesn't mean they are great. More times than not they still come across as myopic homophobic, sexist idiots - morons, actually (one of them made a comment on Thursday about Jennifer Annisten never able to hang onto a "boyfriend," like Vince Vaugn or Brad Pitt, and if she had had her way she would have married either of them by now, but they keep getting away - of course, none of the frat boys thought to remind their pal that she and Brad were married) - nevertheless, they are local and it was good to hear them again - too many friggin commercials, though - Ballard on Big 100 was a nice surprise; if the music wasn't so bland and dull I might get into his show on a more regular basis when my car gets out of the shop - Elliott and Diamond are as awful as they ever were - tape delayed Opie & Anthony in the middays do not work at all, and obviously WJFK feels the same way, or they wouldn't have hacked the show off promptly at 1pm, in the middle of a requisite "American Idol" discussion - Don & Mike's interview on Wednesday with Mark Fisher was a lot of fun and could have gone on much longer, for my taste. (1/26/07)

Dave's response: Marc Fisher on D&M? I would have liked to have heard that. Gee, maybe I shouldn't have removed 106.7 from my presets.....

Did you hear Tony the K bitching on WAPO this morning about the “pastry” story(s)? Him & Burd – a sickening suck-fest! m (1/26/07)

So I checked out George 104 the other morning and they were playing "Rock Me Amadeus" - how ironic. I found the occasional disco tunes to be rather quaint, actually. Does anyone else feel that these "we play whatever we want" formats (Jack or George or Billy Bob or whatever) sound suspiciously like Top 40 radio used to be - a little something for everybody? If you were ambivelent about what was playing at a given moment, chances were you'd dig the next song. Ahhhhh, everything old is new again - - - - - Larry in Luray (1/26/07)

So . . . where would be a nice, wide open place to put an AM array? Hmm ... Let's see ... www.rasmus.com (1/26/07)

Quiz for this morning..Winner gets DVD Box Set of all previous broadcasts of Redskins Report and Full Court Press..Question..Which occurs most often on an NBC4 newscast? A) A Koons car commercial B) A plea to go to NBC4.com( to see ads) C) An actual news story without gimmicks. I don't know the answer but it's a close call. Regards Biff (1/26/07)

Is this what Tom Shales is doing these days with the lighter work load at WaPo www.tvweek.com... Sounds like Tommy has "man crush" on Anderson Cooper ........Btws will we ever hear why Tony Perkins left GMA? Not Robin "HHmmm PrimeTime" Roberts or prissy Diane Sawyer? ...... I see the University of Maryland at CP library has an exhibition on Jim Henson tinyurl.com... Here's some of them Jim Henson Wilkins Coffee ads from yesteryear tinyurl.com and then these tinyurl.com ........ Christianne Klein sighting, just got finished watching X-Files on TNT and did some channel serfing and came upon ABC World News Now, Ms. Klein and co-anchor were partaking in some happy talk about what she'd do if she had a gazillion dollars..... her answer, give to charity and buy shoes....ah that's a nice!...... how exactly did what I assume(i know,i know) a politically conservative outfit like Boneville and allegedly unfair and imbalanced WaPo (at least that's what Bill O'Rightly and the other purveyors of the "truth" over at Faux News claim) hook up together to launch a newstalk radio station? Do they have some timetable for reaching some goals? or is it a throw the pasta against the wall and see what might stick situation?.....boy that Clark Howard is hard hitting stuff, wished they'd carry Dr. Dean Edell......... John Tuttle........ah, this is the winter of our discontent (1/26/07)

107.9 'Napolis does kind of limit where 107.7 can move. On the other hand, it is said that Family Stations - which owns 107.9 - is slowly selling off stations to keep afloat financially. I don't quite see how this affects a Warrenton / Manassas move of COL. Maybe a move closer in with a rather directional antenna like WJFK's. WPXW's site, which has WJFK's backup, is a possibility. (1/26/07)

One of my best friends runs a car dealership in Winchester and another of my friends owns a restaurant in Front Royal. I am not sure if TV 3 WHSV contacted them or vice versa about advertising on TV 3 Winchester but the subject of "when are you going to be on dish" came up. Both pretty much said the same answer and that answer is NO. And both gave me the same answer. "Channel 7". My take on this and this is only a guess is that maybe there was some deal between WJLA and WHSV where for in order for TV 3 Winchester to be affiliated with ABC then they stay off the dish. In other words to limit the number of viewers to the new TV 3 to satisfy WJLA. Again I am taking a guess here but it doesn't come as a surprise. BTW, someone earlier said that TV 3 Winchester is a "cable only" channel. That isn't correct. You can actually pick them up on HDTV according to the TV 3 Winchester website. Shame this TV 3 Winchester won't be on dish. By looking at the pics of their set and reading the bios ( the woman who is doing their weather came from WTTG ), looks like it will be first class. (1/26/07)

Dave, I just heard Max Cacas do a piece on Morning Edition and would like to get in touch. The EMAIL address I have for him is wrong… can you help? Thanks! Tom (1/26/07)

Dave's response: I will if Max wants to be contacted. Do you want Tom to contact you, Max?

I caught 10 minutes of the ever-popular Don & Mike show today on the way home. I caught this really insightful bit on cougars, cougar hunting, what have you. I know we've been trained by the "radio gods" and their constant barrage of "Best Of" material, but today really through me off. I was wondering why I had heard this before and then realized it was last year on Elliot's show. Way to be the trendsetters D&M! Elliot did a bit over a couple of days on it and it was hysterical, because it was new and different. You guys need to realize your best days are behind you and make way for some young/fresh talent to give us something new to listen to. Not a sermon, just a wish. (1/26/07)

Stop hating on the Junkies, they are very entertaining and are doing well in ratings. From Junkiesradio.com: "We wanted to thank our listeners in the DC metro area for great Arbitron ratings this past quarter. It's a weird business as these Arbitron ratings are our quarterly report cards. Anyway, we did quite well finishing just 0.1 points behind Elliott in our target demographic of Persons 25-54. And we slayed in all the male demos finishing # 1 overall in Men 18-49 and # 3 in Men 25-54 behind only WTOP & WPGC. Thanks for supporting the show. Keep spreading the word!" (1/26/07)

Someone said: "Stick to your real job." All I'm saying is that 4 formats in 5 years is excessive for a pair of frequencies that aspire to be a big market signal. If most people agree that nobody is listening, and they play what "they" want, why not tinker with some free form stuff for a while - have people who actually listen program what they want for a day. Work it into a contest. If the whole George 104 thing is a rouge until someone buys, then it couldn't hurt short term. It's just a shame that Bonneville hasn't taken the signals and really done something interesting with them. My personal opinion? Clone WRNR. - Jim C. (1/26/07)

When a station requests a change in city of license, it’s usually the beginning of a strategy to move the transmitter location. FCC rules stipulate that a station throw a city-grade signal over its city of license. If 107.7 was granted a change in COL to Manassas, the station could move closer to DC because it no longer would have to city-grade (farther-away) Warrenton. The result would be a better signal over the more populous areas closer to the District. Of course, other factors—mainly protection of other stations on the same or adjacent channels—would come into play. But covering more of the immediate Washington area could be what the proposed 107.7 move is about. Roddy Freeman (1/26/07)

Dave's response: Here's an idea. Nassau buys Frederick's 103.9 from Bonneville (the George relay) and puts Frederick-based WAFY's Key 103 there. It can even keep the name since it's also on 103. And then Nassau takes Key 103's 103.1 frequency - which does make it into Montgomery, Loudoun, and Fairfax counties - and relays Annapolis's AAA WRNR (with which it has a marketing deal) from Frederick for a duo-cast on 103.1. WRNR's signal still won't cover the whole DC metro, but it will be an improvement. And, if Dan Snyder's not going to do a deal, at least Bonneville will have sold one of the two old WGMS frequencies.....

/\ January 26 Messages /\

\/ January 25 Messages \/

Now that the dust has settled a bit from an unusual couple of weeks here at Bonneville, I want to take the opportunity to pay tribute to the men and women I've had the pleasure to call "colleague" for the past ten years. The people who made up the WGMS crew are as a good of a group as you'll ever work with, both professionally and personally. From the behind the scenes folks like Jim Allison, Scott Thureen, and Andy Mitchell, to the voices you heard on the air -- James Bartel, Diana Hollander, John Chester, Renee Cheney, Chip Brienza, Bill Day, Bob Davis, and the great Dennis Owens -- they brought great passion to their jobs every day. They occupied a unique place in music radio in Washington. Their goal was to inform as well as entertain, and they took that mission seriously. I will miss my friends here on Idaho Avenue. One more note: there have been comments both positive and negative here about the format "swap"with WETA. Usually, when a radio station decides to change formats, the old format and its personalities are gone in a flash, never to be heard from again in that form again. This is the first time in my career that I've seen an organization try to "place" the substance of a format with another station. Was it a business decision for Bonneville to go away from classical music?? Yes. But did Bonneville also try to look out for the interests of classical music listeners in this city? The answer, you must admit, is also yes. The pressures of commerical radio made classical music a tough format to program and forced a lot of musical compromises. With WETA, the canvas is broader, and the opportunity is there for the longer pieces that classical lovers would like to hear. To that end, it's my wish that WETA will also take on the WGMS on-air crew. There is a lot of passion, knowledge and professionalism in that group, and our city would greatly benefit from hearing it on the air once again. Thanks. Shawn Anderson, WTOP Radio (1/25/07)

"How about pairing up Frank Herzog with Kornheiser?" Could it be because Tony Kornholer isn't talented enough carry Herzog's headphones or chamber pot? I've worked with both. I know! - Katherine Graham (1/25/07)

The WFED application for higher day power also asked for a change from Class D (daytimer) to Class B (full time operation). My friend who "lives" the FCC AM rules points out that this requires more power than WFED's present night power. The applicable rule states "Class B stations are authorized to operate with a minimum power of 0.25 kW (or, if less than 0.25 kW, an equivalent RMS antenna field of at least 141 mV/m at 1 km)...." Are we about to see a night application for WFED? (1/25/07)

Captain e'ffing Dan, I remember him coming to my elementary school. Cherry Hill in Landover, circa 71 or 72. That was the coolest thing. (1/25/07)

Is the Brian Wilson, the new FOX News bureau chief the same Brian Wilson who used to be an anchor/reporter for FOX5 years ago?..Also, any word on how the new morning show of Mike & Juliette is doing? (1/25/07)

Dave's response: Yes. But this Brian Wilson is not the former Baltimore radio personality (who is now in Toledo) or the Beach Boy.....

I see that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has expressed a desire to acquire ownership of NewsDay (New York City, NY) from Tribune. As for another Tribune property I could see News Corp. acquring onwership of... FOX-MyNet duopoly KCPQ and KMYQ (Seattle-Tacoma, WA). News Corp. was rumored to be interested in owning another FOX-MyNet operation on the west coast for several years. I don't know if they still are or not. With Tribune currently in a financial hardship, I could picture both KCPQ and KMYQ becoming a News Corp. property, and KCPQ's newscast getting the MyFOX makeover. News Corp. selling ownership of 3 of its stations to different companies. Those stations I could picture being sold... WOGX (Gainesville-Ocala, FL)... WOFL and WRBW (Orlando, FL). As for certain other Tribune properties... KHCW (Houston, TX)... I could picture Belo Corp. acquring ownership of the CW affiliate, and forming a duopioly with CBS affiliate KHOU. KHCW getting a new KHOU produced 9 p.m. newscast by early 2008. KPLR (St. Louis)... I could picture Landmark Communications acquring ownership of the CW affiliate, and possibly acquring ownership of ABC affiliate KDNL from Sinclair to form a duopoly. Then, Landmark move ABC to KPLR, and CW to KDNL. Landmark help improve KPLR's news department operations. WDCW (Washington, DC)... I could picture Gannett acquring ownership of CW Washington, and forming a duopoly with WUSA 9. WDCW getting a new WUSA produced 10 p.m. newscast by late 2007 or early 2008. (1/25/07)

Ditto to Carl's comment about All Things Considered on WAMU. ATC is a flagship program and there is no reason not to carry both full hours at some points instead of the same hour twice. -Jay (1/25/07)

Concerning an on air person mispronouncing words, Bobbie asked, "Doesn't anyone at Metro Traffic ever correct her?". Not dissing the reporter in question, but, Metro isn't about quality, its about quantity. As long as the client station doesn't complain, Metro could care less what their on-air product sounds like. Do you really think they have aircheck sessions over there? Ha! (1/25/07)

To the person looking for some AAA music, try WMVY-FM out of Martha's Vineyard, MA. They are online at mvyradio.com. Rock on, Tybois Uphold, Editor-SVRTV.net (1/25/07)

Sorry Jackson. Thank you John. BTW, my son Jason hosts "Iron Otaku" on World Space. He hopes to meet you some day--and so do I. Please give my best to Bob Moke. Gary Helton, WHFC (1/25/07)

I find Tanya Bennett of Metro Traffic on Channel 4 extremely annoying...her voice is syrupy, breathy and squeaky and she mispronounces words. She says "Galeeb Road" instead of "Glebe Road," and she uses the word "folks" more times than anyone I've ever heard, mispronouncing it everytime. Doesn't anyone at Metro Traffic ever correct her? The only excuse I can give her is that English is not her first language, and I suspect that may be the case. Whatever happened to Ken Forsythe, who I think was much better...and I hope Jerry Edwards is just on vacation and that she's not replacing him in the mornings. -- Bobbie (1/25/07)

I heard Elliot quickly mention earlier in the week that he was gone on Monday because he was in Los Angeles for the retirement ceremony for a friend of his who played in the NHL. I don't know who that guy is. And then I heard him tell Capitals GM George McPhee he was going to the NHL All Star game. His website says he is back on tomorrow. (1/25/07)

Ref: Mr. Tony's sidekick. I agree with the earlier poster's comments about David Burd being the obvious choice for Kornie's sideikick. Some may have forgotten the Baker & Burd show where Burd was not only the straight man, but wrote and produced all of the bits that they did. Baker did great immitations, but it was Burd's jokes that made that show. And as every comic knows, it's the straight man that sells the premise. Unfortunately for Mr. Tony I think his ego will get in the way of making the right choice. Those who are bad mouthing Post radio will be in for a shock when the ratings do in fact start coming in. They've made some adjustments and having Burd on the morning show is a good start. I'm listening now and look forward to hearing Tony follow Burd's show. And to the poster who thinks that Mr Tony is going to tell Burd to shut up about anything, you don't tell a former Marine Corps Drill Instructor's to shut up ...period, unless you're crazy and have a death wish. I think these two will get along despite the rumors posted on this site. Welcome back Tony, we've missed you. Richard, Great Falls (1/25/07)

Hmmmm..... Bonneville is also applying to change the city of license of WTWP 107.7 from Warrenton VA to Manassas VA with no technical changes to be made. The 2 technical maps in the app appear incomplete. Ok, now the $25,000 question... Why? The beginning of something else maybe? (1/25/07)

Owners of 1050 AM have been applying for power increases at least back to when Pat Robertson owned it. The FCC never grants it, due to potential interference. And a daytime power increase won't do it a whole lot of good if they still have to drop the power to 43 watts at night. I have light bulbs that put out more power than that! (1/25/07)

Maybe someone should buy WBIS and apply to move it to the extended AM. Then it would have a 10K signal in the daytime and (I think) 5K at night. You could really do something with that kind of signal. (1/25/07)

Can anyone with an HD radio give more info on WARW's HD2 stream of "adult alternative"? Who is programming this, and what is it comparable to? (1/25/07)

Glad to see "On The Media" survived the wholesale WAMU changes and that "American Routes" will not be cut in programming time. Good work on the fly by 88.5 FM. -- Vincent in Triangle (1/25/07)

NEWS FLASH--- DONNY G just said he was talking to a friend a Sirius, this must mean he wants to move to SatRad, right? This means he hates Mike, Right? This means he's fed up with WJFK and the last straw was the Junkeis staying on, right? Start the rumormongering... Bopper in Philly (1/25/07)

re:" I have an idea, let's go over there and show them what free-form radio really is. I'd take a couple days from my real job to play on the radio." Another classic moment in the mailbag. Truly, the essence of the mailbag on a daily basis. There was a time when, every Sunday, I thought I was a better head coach than about half the guys in the NFL. That's when I thought that all they did was call plays & run practice. Ha, too easy. C'mon, let's go to Skins Park show Gibbs how it's done!! Well, obviously, I'm wrong...and so are you. And, just for conversation's sake, when did they say it was 'free-form' radio? Is that what you get out of "70s, 80s and whatever we want"? Stick to your real job. (1/25/07)

Now this is disconcerting: Someone has to tell WAMU that by playing "All Things Considered" from 5-6:30 and 7-8, parts will never be heard in Washington ever again. There are 4 half-hour parts to the show, starting at 4 PM and repeated until the West coast has gotten it all, too. So we will get Parts 3, 4, and 1 from 5-6:30. We will get parts 3 and 4 from 7-8 and will never hear the 2nd half-hour of ATC in Washington, even though that's where the program originates from! There must be a better way. How about WAMU running ATC when first broadcast from 4-6, and put the World on some other time? Or how about WETA programming ATC the way they have done for the last 36 years until 3 days ago? WYPR in Baltimore/Frederick is the closest station that also carries it, and it can't be heard south of Columbia or south of Gaithersburg -- Carl in Olney (1/25/07)

eQB presents excerpts from the February FMQB magazine Up Close Interview with CBS Radio CEO Joel Hollander... In December 2005, CBS Corporation unveiled plans to re-brand its radio division, Infinity Broadcasting, as CBS Radio, adopting a new slogan: "Broadcast ... HD ... Streaming ... On-Demand." Just over a year later, CBS Radio has gone through more than a name modification. FMQB recently caught up with CBS Radio CEO Joel Hollander to discuss a year of change and heading into the future.... An assessment of CBS Radio’s past twelve months: "It’s been a very interesting twelve months. We have made an incredible amount of progress and started many new initiatives. Certainly there were some failures, and there have been some successes, like anything else. We’re very pleased with the progress we’re making across the board as a whole, between Opie & Anthony and Adam Corolla and The Junkies. We have some really good stories in Philadelphia, Boston and Phoenix on some of the Free-FM formats...." On CBS Radio in 2006: "Over the last year, there was an overall soft environment that got better throughout the year, advertising-wise. Put into the mix that we had some challenges on some big oceanfront property radio stations that we changed, a la the Free-FM formats. We’re very, very pleased where we are with our new Web platforms and streaming. It’s starting to be a meaningful number revenue-wise, so we’re very excited over the next two to five years where all of the new platforms and revenue are going to bring us...." On how the sell-off of the stations makes CBS Radio a more efficient company: "I thought it would be better to have a leaner, meaner company and a portfolio of about 150 radio stations, and be able to take the proceeds and put it back into the company. So, we’ve spent more money on advertising, promotion and capital expenditures than we have in the past. We need to keep doing that to keep up...." On CBS Radio’s current portfolio of stations: "We think it’s pretty optimal now. We don’t foresee more divestitures right now. We’d be very interested in getting bigger in San Diego, Atlanta and Houston, and we don’t operate radio stations in Miami, so we could be interested in furthering our footprint in the top 20 markets...." On the value of sports broadcast rights: "We’ve been very, very aggressive in redoing our deals that are more of a win-win for the individual radio stations and the ball clubs. We’re only going to do deals that benefit the radio station financially and ratings-wise. We’ve taken the tact that we don’t believe these deals are exclusive the way they were ten years ago. That’s nobody’s fault; that’s just the advent of all the new technology. There are so many different outlets to see and hear games. There are just more choices for the consumer and more choices for advertisers, which splinter it. So, again, we love the sports business. We love having content exclusively, but unfortunately it’s not as exclusive as it used to be...." On Free-FM's first year… "We’re very pleased with Free-FM. We believe the format is a very vibrant, strong format moving forward in the spoken word genre. It takes some time to grow; it doesn’t happen overnight. We have some stations that are doing better than others in certain markets...." On the partnership with XM Satellite Radio for The Opie & Anthony Show: "The relationship with XM is very strong. Opie & Anthony are doing fairly well on almost all of their radio stations, so there’s been no issue whatsoever. A lot of noise was made at the beginning, “Wow! How did you hire guys from satellite, and how are you letting them do a show on satellite too?” If you look at the media and all the convergence, it’s just not an issue. A perfect example: There was a big outcry when Opie & Anthony did the Homeless Shopping Spree. They’ve been doing it for four years. It’s interesting, the last two years nobody talked about it. Now they’re back on terrestrial and people are talking about it...." On what HD Radio needs to become fully viable: "We have [had the HD Radio Alliance] for about sixteen months now. If you look back, like any other business, there are stops and starts. You get out of the box fast and then it stops for a little bit until the next accelerator comes along. What the Alliance has done, and done a good job of, is branding HD. It’s out there in retail stores, but not as much as it should be, and certainly we have an incredibly long way to go in Detroit. That’s the next start. Once that accelerates a little bit, it will change drastically. It’s going to take time. Remember, it took satellite radio ten years to get off the ground. I’ve been consistent in saying this is a three to six-year project until it’s meaningful...." On CBS Radio’s settlement with Eliot Spitzer over his payola investigation: "It hasn’t affected how we deal with record companies. We’ve been very diligent as a company, always, on payola. We never admitted any wrongdoing. We had one isolated situation, and it got blown out of proportion as far as I’m concerned. It’s settled; it’s behind us and we’re moving on.... ** QB Content By Michael Parrish ** (1/25/07)

Dave's response: Congrats to the Junks as being the only (!) WJFK-FM local show to get a Commander Hollander mention. So, why are they getting dumped from CBS's Free FMer in Baltimore come February?

Re: Rush Limbaugh gleefully reported today that Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb's poll ratings are slumping after about two weeks in office. Look, if his numbers are low in five years' time, when he's coming up for re-election, maybe Webb should worry...//// Rush Limbaugh is Jeff Christie, simply deejay who found a niche in Right Wing talk radio. In fact, he has been so successful he has spearheaded a slew of imitators. He is a great and successful entertainer and nothing more. He is a shill who preaches to the choir, and irritates those who let his mockery and phony outrage offend their intellectual sensibilities. He could have just as easily said with a straight face, that if George Allen had been reelected as our Senator we would be dancing in the streets and praising Jesus. People who have a serious interest in political issues don't take Rush's babble to heart, nor let it irritate them. I suggest you stop wasting your time listening to a guy who has made a living tweaking folks like you, even if you recognize his pabulum as phony. Why bother patronizing this troubled individual in any way? (1/25/07)

Dave said: "Day 3 of George and he's already sounding stale. DC simply ain't a radio music town. Or Bonneville doesn't know shit about music. Or maybe both....." Agreed. Maybe they should have Guest DJs during this stunt, maybe even a contest to win the honor for a day. It certainly wouldn't cost them any money. I have an idea, let's go over there and show them what free-form radio really is. I'd take a couple days from my real job to play on the radio. - Jim C. (1/25/07)

Congrats to WAVA & Salem on their NRB award, I guess there`re no worries currently by Tom Moyer or anyone else at WAVA about the possibility of the FM station (105.1 FM) being sold/traded to Danny Snyder's Red Zebra? Unless there`s wheeling & dealing we don`t about at Salem corporate? (1/25/07)

Hey, TV3 Winchester never said that never would, ever, ever, ever be available on satellite. The main DirecTv satellite for Washington, DC is behind the GE Plant here in Winchester, so it is just a matter of time before TV3 is on there. As for Dish, I am not sure. I never said, nor thought, that people should climb up on their roofs and take down their dishes. I agree with you that Gordon and Doug on 7 are like family. I watch them myself nightly....but TV3 will air at 7p and 11p, so you will be able see Gordon, Doug, and the like and catch TV3 News at 7p. As for programming, TV3 Winchester will be airing the exact same thing (minus news and whatnot) that WHSV is already airing....so the programming is not that big of a stretch. Let them get their studios finished, get on the "air", then let them get on Dish/DirecTv. Give it time....Rome wasn't built in a day. ...and just to let people know, I am not employed by TV3 nor Gray. Rock on, Tybois Uphold, Editor/News Director, SVRTV-Winchester, VA (1/25/07)

Where's Elliott this week? I didn't catch any announcements (if they made one). Has anyone heard? Craig HF/WV (1/25/07)

WMAL's traffic and religion on the 5's. Dan Alpher gives us the traffic news and then tells us that we need to start the new year by improving our relationship with God. Praise the Lord, Dan! (1/25/07)

Mike and juliet are great! I TAPE THEM and watch later in the evening... (1/25/07)

At around 8:00 this morning, the Junkies devoted an entire segment – it had to be around 15 minutes – to letting “Bruce the Hugger”, their own personal pet retarded person, sing karaoke and jabber incoherently. God bless the guy; I hope he’s living a full life and that his status doesn’t hold him back too much. Unfortunately, he’s not entertaining. At all. Not even a little bit. Just like Tom Gavin’s not entertaining on D&M. Can anyone explain to me the fascination of the retarded to radio personalities? Look, Junks, if you really want to put Bruce the Hugger on the air, how about waiting until the 9:00 hour, when nobody’s listening, anyway? At 8:00, a lot of us are in our cars, and WE’D LIKE TO BE ENTERTAINED! Sheesh. Sincerely, TMU (1/25/07)

Dave's response: Hey, has anyone been watching "Extras" on HBO? Funniest show of the year, so far. This week's one with David Bowie, and next week's "Mongoloid" episode (both are available now on Comcast's HBO VOD), are absolute laugh riots.....

Rush Limbaugh gleefully reported today that Virginia Democratic Senator Jim Webb's poll ratings are slumping after about two weeks in office. Look, if his numbers are low in five years' time, when he's coming up for re-election, maybe Webb should worry. But only two weeks into his six-year term?!?!?! Come on Rush. (1/25/07)

I saw an ad posted yesterday on AllAccess for a morning show at WZBH (The Beach) in the OC area - any idea what happened to the old team? No mention of them on the website either... I'd be interested to know what happened. (1/25/07)

Dave's response: I'm hearing that the "old team" got canned. No details, though.....

My thanks to old friend and co-worker Jack Edwards for the kind words. The WCAO Good Guys basketball player with the skinny legs is none other than Max Byrd. Max was an old friend of Bob Bartel's and played many basketball games for us...Johnny Dark (1/25/07)

"And if that wasn't bad enough, [Andy Pollin] ridicules and insults fans of sports other than those HE wants to focus on, calling them Nat-zi's (people who want to talk Nationals baseball) or Capitals jihadists (people who want to talk hockey) or some such nonsense." Steve Czaban's the one who actually coined those terms - Pollin merely appropriated them as he's routinely done with Kornheiser's catch phrases in the past. He seems to assume that his personal sports preferences reflect those of the Washington area as a whole - hence we get caller segments on Sports Reporters devoted to the Maryland basketball team while fans of Georgetown, GW, GMU, etc. are left in the lurch. Last time I checked, DC's professional sports scene consisted of six teams. A rough estimate of proportion of discussion time devoted to each on Reporters is the following - Redskins (70%), Wizards (20%), Nationals (6%), Capitals (3%), Mystics (1%), DC United (0%). Perhaps they've done some sort of marketing study showing that the local sports interests break down similarly, but somehow I doubt that's the case. Mike, Fairfax (1/25/07)

I copied this from someone named Christoff on the messageboards at buzzlife.com: Washington Tries Its Best To Kill Internet Radio, www.medialoper.com (1/25/07)

How fucking boring can WJFK get? I tuned in Opie & Anthony for a short time today, and all they did was rag on Mancow. Who cares about him? I wonder if their ratings in D.C. are as shitty as their show. John in Stafford (1/25/07)

Dave's response: This is from Radio And Records:

In the wake of a petition filed with the FCC on Wednesday asking it to deny the transfer of 16 CBS radio stations to Entercom because of the water poisoning death of KDND-FM/Sacramento listener Jennifer Strange on Jan. 12, TRN-FM’s, Erich “Mancow” Muller announced Wednesday he is creating the “Foundation For Responsible Radio.” Mancow characterized Strange’s death as a “voyeuristic FM radio stunt.” Mancow said “small markets feel the need to do this to get ratings and it is wrong. Voyeuristic Radio has died or gone to satellite… America doesn’t want this stuff.” He added, “I want to set up a fund for this woman, I want to collect money for this woman’s family, three kids left behind.” Mancow is extending an invitation to the radio community to help in both raising funds for the family and the creation of his new organization the “Foundation For Responsible Radio.” Mancow told listeners Wednesday morning “our industry and its stupidity did this.” He says further information would be available soon on his web site www.mancow.com.

Concerning the WCTG 96.5, Chincoteague move...this is straight from the horse's mouth. Yes, we did file to change our city of license to Eden, MD. It would increase the number of people within our 60 dBu contour from 31,063 to 101,707, which would allow us to serve more than 3x as many people. There is no certainty whatsoever that our application will be granted, but trying to improve our coverage is a goal we'll continue to pursue. I very much appreciate Jeff C.'s comments and wish to assure him that we have no intention of abandoning Chincoteague. We will continue to provide a good signal to Chincoteague even if the move to Eden is granted and will continue our commitment to Chincoteague. We are in the process of looking for more studio space in Chincoteague, so that should say something about our ongoing commitment to the town. There are no plans to change format or to become a "slick," formatted, or over produced station. Thanks for listening. Wray Fitch, Sebago Broadcasting Company (1/25/07)

A few opinions and observations: About TV3 Winchester: basically, it's Harrisonburg's Channel 3 with local commercials for NW Virginia + local news, eventually. It's sort of a combination of most "basic cable" networks shown on cable systems with inserted local commercials, which are not seen by DirecTV and Dish viewers, and not too different from News Channel 8,which is also seen only only by cable and not by satellite viewers. If that business method works for basic cable and NC8, what is wrong with Ch. 3 trying that out for itself? I hope it does well, because it gives better service to the Winchester area. The only thing that can go wrong is if the station on balance loses money, but if they earn even only a small net profit, everyone gains. My second opinion is about WETA's classical change. I for one liked the fact that their version of Morning Edition actually carried almost all of its segments and the WETA announcers sounded less like they were reading from the s ame script every day. I feel that I am missing something when WAMU does its local 5-minute pieces replacing parts of ME. So while I will enjoy their classical music, I'll miss the BBC one-hour news shows and the full version of Morning Edition. My third opinion is that WMET 1160 has low listenership because they do almost no advertising or publicity. It has Music of Your Life nearly full-time now, but no one knows about it. Just a tiny ad on the Post's TV page, or in the local Gazette newspapers would probably improve their listenership. Also, even though they think they make money from those single hours of paid infomercial type programs, in the long run they lose by being inconsistent. If they acted like MOYL was their main source of programming, they could develop a loyal following. By acting as if it's a filler between 3rd-party fully-bought hours, they lose consistent listeners. 4th Opinion: It's a shame that WCTN 950 has a similar problem. They play oldies and practica lly predictably alternate between a Motown song and a rock song. The sound is somewhat thin, the announcements that any and every hour is available for 3rd-party paid programs, and the announcer speaking like it's 1956 and he's the 3rd-class licensed engineer who has to make the hourly ID make it hard to enjoy. The music itself is great; the predicability of it, the somewhat thin sound, and the annoying announcements make it sound dull. And again, a tad of advertising in print would help. I remember that day, back in 1970, that WCAU-FM in Philadelphia went to all oldies (oldies weren't even that old then, it did not even have a stereo signal, and it was voice tracked); they parked trucks with a huge billboard in front of the main dormitories of many of the local colleges and put an ad in every newspaper (there were 3 back then). That format has been consistently popular on 98.1 FM to this day. Finally: why doesn't this area (Balt. or Wash.) have any stations above 1600 , except for the one in Southern MD that can't be heard in Washington at all? If any area could use an extra station with its transmitter in the city's center, it's Washington. The small number of stations on those above-1600 frequencies usually means they can be heard for miles around. The not-so-strong station on 1680 in Princeton, NJ can be heard in both New York and Philadelphia, I believe. And extra finally, WAGE sure moves around a lot; it was originally on 1290, then moved to 1200 when the decision was made that WOAI in San Antonio didn't have to be the only station in the entire country on 1200, and now WAGE may move to 1190. Poor WOWO-1190 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which used to be a Westinghouse powerhouse, and now is just static in the night around here. -- Carl in Olney (1/25/07)

The picture in WAGE's application and on Google Earth looks like their proposed site is a turf farm - growing sod for new suburbs. It's right next to Broad Run and due west of the north end of Rte 28. (1/25/07)

Frank Herzog may be a DC "sports legend" based on his years doing the Redskins, but a sports talk host he's not. He simply hasn't kept up with sports beyond the NFL, and I really think DC is loaded with guys who fit that same general description. Pair Frank up with someone who knows their stuff? That has a shot, but not solo. (1/25/07)

"How about pairing up Frank Herzog with Kornheiser?" Frank Herzog has forgotten more about sports than Tony Kornheiser will ever know. If Post Radio is going to do more sports, than why not give Big Frank his own show? A sports call in, etc. Why not try it for an hour a night or on the weekend? Frank Herzog is a true Washington sports legend. Speaking of Kornheiser, just where did his bagel get rubbed by that engineer, anyway? -- Thurston Howell 3d (1/25/07)

Dave's response: Herzog's going to be doing mornings on Score 104, with George Michael's "Live From Comus" on during afternoons. No, wait, I must be delusional. Nevermind.....

Dear Dave: Regarding that WAGE signal boost and frequency shift application. That would result in a killer signal, as another poster said. Additionally (and sadly), it would also likely mean the disappearance of the local programming and sports and on-air "feel" that WAGE currently has. It makes no sense to have such a power boost without a significant on-air change because, quite frankly, a signal that can be picked up in Baltimore, Annapolis, and Frederick will be worthless to people who live there if the content other than syndicated programming is of Loudoun County news and events. There definitely is a lot more to this application, but I don't think this is a Dan Snyder/XXX project. Checking the lat/long coordinates in the application on file with the FCC, his was for property adjacent to Redskins Park on land just south of that facility. This new WAGE application (by Potomac Radio, LLC) is not for the same property, but for property not only north of Redskins Park, but north of and adjacent to the new Loudoun County Sanitation Authority's water reclamation facility, which is currently under construction along the Loudoun County Parkway. Makes you wonder what Potomac Radio has in mind. Also, is this area off of Loudoun County Parkway now viewed as a potential venue for transmitters? I can tell you as a person who lives West of Wild Western Fairfax County that there are no houses near there. As always, time will tell. Great site Dave! Sincerely, Joe Kasell (1/25/07)

Dave's response: Hey, WMET recently upgraded to a "killer" 50,000-watt daytime signal on 1160 and still can't find too many listeners. WAGE should use its signal hike to better blanket Loudoun, one of the region's fastest-growing counties. And continue being Loudoun's only local radio news source.....

I agree with the poster who is dubious of the success of TV 3 in Winchester. I think the station is ten years too late. Too many people have moved to satellite. It is my understanding that this station will only be accessible through the local cable company. A decade ago everyone had cable, now those numbers have dropped drastically. ALSO... I am truly upset about the news on WAGE. It appears another community radio station will be lost. (1/25/07)

Re: "96.5 WCTG The Island filing to move location" I guess it really is true that the era of small town stations is pretty much dead, which I find very sad. My family has vacationed on Chincoteague for a while and the addition of 96.5 has been something that has added even more flavor and enjoyment to our time spent there. For the owners to consider and attempt to move the station away from Chincoteague to apparently compete with the larger stations in Salisbury/Ocean City would be (in my opinion), a disaster. 96.5 would become just another radio station in an already saturated market. WCTG has found a niche that very few stations these days have done. A small market station that doesn't conform to the big boy formats of most other stations and caters to the local listener population. Although some may not appreciate that 96.5 is not the polished type of station that most of us are accostumed to, that ironically, is what makes it so attractive. One thing that I found impressive during our last vacation to Chincoteague was how the local island population has embraced the station as their own. No less than five times during our stay, waitresses and bartenders at local establishments were asked by other patrons what station was playing over the sound system. Each time, the response was " that's our island station", and were told where they could find it on the dial. For those who have not had the pleasure of visiting Chincoteague, the station is actually right on the main street, with a large window in front and the DJ's sitting in full view of passer-byer's, even interacting with the folks walking by on the street. Unfortunately, if permission is granted and the station is moved off Chincoteague, 96.5 WCTG will no longer be "The Island". What a shame. JeffC/Baltimore (1/25/07)

The way people talk about Sirius and XM on the net, you'd think it was the Ravens and Colts or something. And yet, nowhere can I find anything about this big Sirius translator shutdown, not even in the form of questions like, "what happened to my Sirius reception?" So, having been previously burned by things people said about Sirius that turned out to be untrue, I'll wait for a second source. (1/25/07)

The term "Public Radio" is clearly a misnomer. With rare exceptions, I have never known any public station to program what the public needs or wants. They always program what they want. I remember when WAMU switched to bluegrass right after a big classical fundraiser. It appears that WETA has now done the same thing by switching to classical right after a news fundraiser. The only loyal station in this area is WBJC. I can't imagine why anyone would donate to WETA. I never have, and never will. I bet they change format again by the end of the year. (1/25/07)

To the person talking about WCTG 96.5 Chincoteague becoming a Salisbury/Ocean City radio station...... Well, you're half right, their latest FCC app (the last one was nixed by the FCC) proposes them moving into the Salisbury market, but still at Class A, meaning you won't hear this station in Ocean City still. Not unless they intend to still try the Class B upgrade a 2nd time over. (1/25/07)

www.nypost.com - DONALD Trump will never be a guest on "Opie & Anthony" again. The XM satellite radio duo begged him to come on recently to discuss his feud with Rosie O'Donnell. Trump agreed. But after his interview, the shock jocks sent out a press release claiming Trump had called into the show, implying he was hungry for publicity. "Everybody in the world was trying to get me on their show. I turned down Larry King," Trump told Page Six. "The idea that I called these two slobs is laughable." (1/25/07)

Here is why I think the WAGE 1190 upgrade will go through quickly (maybe much more quickly than AM 730 with the Canadian deal attached)... WBIS already had a 50,000 watt permit they'd been holding onto and modifying for years. WAGE 1200 was always the problem and the WBIS owners appeared to have settled on 5000 watts in Baltimore until they purchased WAGE 1200. Now it's the solution. Here's what the soon to be Washington's 50,000 watt signal looked like when it was originally proposed and accepted by the FCC for Baltimore... [picture] Obviously the proposed new WAGE 1190 is well within that previously accepted construction permit (with WBIS 1190 going dark of course). I wonder who's next on Dannyboy's list, isn't there a couple of other Canadian Class A daytimers in the DC area that he could tackle? Do you think he could fix the region's 1570/1580/1590/1600 1st adjacent AM interference problem? Imagine if he bought CBS's WPGC 1580 and moved it to Dulles. He could easily buy out 1 or 2 of the other 3, couldn't he? Last I checked, WNST 1570 was only worth about a couple cases of Natty Boh. :-) (1/25/07)

Re: Polley. "He not only refuses to talk about the Capitals and the Nats but when he does it is always insulting, condescending, and dismissive. On his own he is reduced to reading newspaper articles on the air and hoping that Czaban isn't delayed"...I couldn't agree more. Why is he reading newspaper articles on air? Is it because he can't generate any sports talk himself. Take calls from callers...oh wait, if it doesn't involve his beloved Redskins, he has no knowledge of it...I actually like Czaban and sometimes wonder how he can work with him. (1/25/07)

Commercial radio stations on line only streams simply can't be better than a real radio station. It's like an appology for being corporate bottom line worshiping sharks--we'll give it to you on line but we won't give it to you over the air because it won't make us money. WTMD is the best radio station Baltimore bar none because they actually want to run a radio station the listeners care about. And you can't stream in your car yet and most likely not for a long long time. (1/25/07)

So, hundreds of WETA-FM listeners who donated money to support NPR and BBC news programs say they "feel double-crossed"? Get in line. Hundreds of WETA-FM listeners who donated money years ago for classical music programming were double-crossed, too. Unfortunately, that's life. Do what I did back then -- stop giving. I may now open up my wallet again, after I wait & see. (1/25/07)

The signal pic on DCRTV for the proposed WAGE 1190 is a 0.5mV/m contour. If you compare that with WTWP 1500's daytime 0.5mV/m contour at radio-locator.com, you'll see that the proposed new 50,000 watt WAGE 1190 would actually have a much stronger Washington area daytime signal than even Washington Post radio 1500, an AM radio Class A station! And especially in Virginia. Only if you lived on the eastern shore of Maryland or Baltimore, would WTWP AM 1500 have a better signal than the proposed WAGE 1190. Now that upstages Bonneville in a whole new way. Also I found a footnote in the FCC app that says that the full nightime application is forthcoming in a separate FCC application as advised by "FCC staff." Next week maybe? Hmmmm. Somebody did their homework or has some serious FCC connections. WBIS 1190 Annapolis has been trying for more than TEN YEARS to upgrade to 50,000 watts. I wouldn't be surprised if Dannyboy does it in <10 months. Very interesting. (1/25/07)

Re: sidekicks for Tony the K: Andy Pollin is a no-talent, bloated hack. The only reason he has his job is because of his uncle - everybody knows that. As for Korny, every cut-up needs a straight man, and Burd would have made a good one, but I guess Tony has other ideas. The thing that makes David so talented is that he can play the funnyman OR the straight man equally well. Kornheiser is passing up a golden opportunity to get a sidekick who actually has the talent to make him sound better, instead of Pollin's usual act of "uh-huh", "yeah" and other equally-stimulating setup lines (then again, maybe that's why Tony likes him). The only problem is Burd seems to have a low tolerance for big egos, and TK's is a double-XL. -DB (1/25/07)

To JR re Gary Thorne – he does a hockey chat every week or two at USAToday.com. You could try posting your question there, or look for an e-mail address either there or at ESPN.com. (1/25/07)

Los Angeles Times cites its "creaky technology", compared to Washington Post's "aggressive push onto the Internet". www.latimes.com (1/25/07)

Just tried to tune into whfs2.com and couldn't get the stream going. Went over to indie979.com, stream started right up. If you want us to hear whfs2, you gotta have it WORKING CBS !!! Right now, after listening to both station rather extensively, I'd have to say that 98 Rock's indie 97.9 HD-3 has the newer, hipper playlist. Don't get me wrong, WHFS2 is a great station and they play some older stuff that so far indie979 dosn't play, but as far as new and hip goes, right now my money is on Baltimore's indie. The format needs to be tweeked a little on WHFS2, but really from what I've heard so far they're both better than anything on regular ol' radio. WAY BETTER. (yes, even better than WTMD and WRNR). XM and Sirius still has both beat just with the amount of rock stations and the sizes of their respective playlists (and how it's uncensored), but for free radio both WHFS2 and INDIE 979 are killer. KeninEaston (1/25/07)

Big Leesburg WAGE 1200 news.... They might be moving to AM 1190 and upgrading to 50,000 watts! If approved, co-owned WBIS 1190 Annapolis/Baltimore would go dark and it would be a killer daytime signal from Leesburg to Annapolis and Fredericksburg to Baltimore. The nightime portion of the application appears incomplete but seems to suggest 1300 watts from the current transmitter site. The 50,000 watt site would be brand new and, hmmm, just north of Dulles Airport, the same site proposed by Red Zebra for AM 730. Another Danny Snyder Triple XXX project? (1/25/07)

Busy week for Bonneville....... They also filed an FCC app to change WFED 1050 from a Class D daytimer AM station to a Class B at 3500 watts. Not a major change, but thats over 3 times the current daytime power. Nighttime signal appears unchanged. They are requesting an FCC waiver since this upgrade increases overall interference with Norfolk's AM 1050 WVXX. (1/25/07)

Just noticed something else on Scott Fybush's great site: Next week is a rare FCC window for major modifications to AM stations. Could Danny Snyder & his Red Zebra have even more tricks up their sleeves for Washington's AM dial next week? WBIS 1190 (same ownership as WAGE) already has a CP for 7000 watts nighttime from near Baltimore that they have not implemented. Washington (specifically Leesburg to Dulles) is even farther away from New York's WLIB 1190 than Baltimore. Seems hard to believe that the WAGE app is only going to propose 1300 watts nighttime from Leesburg with a 50,000 watt monster daytime signal from Dulles. Maybe 10,000+ watts nighttime applied for next week? Hmmm. Interesting. Leave it to Danny Snyder to shake up the sleepy Washington AM radio dial. Now if only he could figure out how to improve an NFL team. :-) (1/25/07)

Gertrude Entenmann tinyurl.com... Just one of the many women featured in the university of maryland library's exhibit on women in broadcasting: a history .......isn't Pete rosenberg rumored to be in line to take over for larry "frogman" king some day ...i mean peteie has strong rep on duh street and says he knows rakim ....word (1/25/07)

"Just visited youtube.com and watched the Peter Rosenberg video. If this is "entertainment" then perhaps he's finally found his calling....standing in the unemployment line! This guy isn't funny, clever or talented. Thank God the radio programmers in this area realize this and keep this moron where he belongs - Off the Air! Tom in Frederick" --- I wonder if Tom in Frederick is the kind of guy who would have any idea what makes a rap parody funny or if it's more likely that people like him are the reason we still have to hear boring trash like don and mike. It's now been months since Rosenberg was booted and JFK hasn't had a risky or thought provoking moment since. At least the guy takes a risk to do something potentially entertaining. ---Josh in Rockville (1/25/07)

About this so-called TV 3 Winchester, I have to agree with the person who sent in the original email. The local community there will not support it. However my reasons are differnet though. One thing I noticed Tybois Uphold left out was the fact the this new channel will NOT be available on either Dish Network or Direct TV. That is a BIG mistake !!! How in the hell can you expect a community to support a station if they can't even pick it up? Well you can't !! It would not surprise me at all if half of the television viewers in Frederick County, Virginia is a suscriber to one or even both services. Take a drive into one of the many local housing developments. Not hard to see that !! Even in Winchester itself, on every block one can easily see at least two or three homes with dishes. And chances are they don't have comcast or if they do its only for the internet, so its no TV 3 Winchester for them !! Well I guess Gray Television ( and maybe Tybois Uphold ) assume people will climb up their roofs, yank down their dishes, call Comcast and "sweet !!", they can kiss Gordon Peterson & Maureen Bunyan goodbye and say Hello to Bill DuVall and Denise Roberts Chandler. Nope !! That is not going to happen as long as WJLA is available on dish. Even those who do have cable and can pick up TV 3 Winchester, even being a local channel could still be a tough sell. Take Oprah for example, not only will it be on TV 3 Winchester, but the same show will be seen on THREE other stations on the same system. Unless TV 3 plans on blocking out Oprah on the other channels, what is the prupose? Hoping people will come to watch you because you are airing local Winchester spots? Besides viewers in the Winchester area have been watching the DC stations for so long people like Doug Hill and Gordon Peterson are like family to many so why make the switch for some unknowns. Its too bad TV 3 Winchester didn't go out and try to get a few local radio jocks there say Barry Lee, Chris Mitchell or Chuck Carroll to do the weather on Tv 3, you may get some interest there. But Sam Brock? Who is he? Sabastian Salazar? I would rather have seen Joe Pasquali or Randy Woodward be named as their sports anchor. At least they really know the local sports teams in the region. Again, I wish TV 3 Winchester well, and yeah I have heard people talk about them. And they too wish them luck but then again many of these same people are asking the question "..do we really need this". One local guy I know who owns a number of businesses in and around Winchester compares TV 3 Winchester to the new Target that is coming to the north of Winchester. As he told me ".....it will only satisfy a few". And by not being on satellite, he is right. To be a success you have to make yourself available to everyone. (1/25/07)

/\ January 25 Messages /\

\/ January 24 Messages \/

Just visited youtube.com and watched the Peter Rosenberg video. If this is "entertainment" then perhaps he's finally found his calling....standing in the unemployment line! This guy isn't funny, clever or talented. Thank God the radio programmers in this area realize this and keep this moron where he belongs - Off the Air! Tom in Frederick (1/24/07)

To B. Smith: Don Rickles was tremendous on Leno, ranking only below the ultimate comedian of all time-Gilbert Gottfried. To Joyce Conroy: I actually believe that Niles IS a jukebox. One day I kept trying to stick a quarter up his nose. Maybe it was just a bad dream. Wow, it feels like old times to hear from the ole WITH gang-Jack 'Mr Sandman' Edwards, Gary 'Half-a-Dozen' Helton and Ed ' Not a Cracker' Graham. Who's next, The Great Jack Gale, perhaps Tom D'Antoni? Sheesh, if I could only remember my name!!-Wedgie (1/24/07)

"EVERYTHING Bonneville does has been taken to an entirely new level over the past couple of days" that's called DESPERATION, ratings are built on consistency. (1/24/07)

From AP: Former Washington Nationals manager Frank Robinson will be a special analyst for ESPN as it celebrates the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color barrier. Frank Robinson, who is not related to Jackie, will appear on "SportsCenter," "Baseball Tonight" and "Cold Pizza." He also will work as a broadcaster during spring training. (1/24/07)

The story on Sirius repeater shutdowns is quite simple. Yes, XM had a dozen or two referenced, which they reported and some shut down. But Sirius had several HUNDRED shut down, after interference complaints, that they did not voluntarily shut off nor inform the FCC of the complaints. And they generate the most complaints to the FCC for the interference from their car FM adaptors. Again, not a problem that XM seems to be causing. No, I did not get this off the web, I was told of this by an FCC Official. (1/24/07)

George 104: Z-104 version 3.0. Kinda. This format may work out if they can keep up the randomness and not hold anything from the back shelf, and stay away from the recent flurry of pop sweetness and go easy on playing the complete Elton John. I did notice today that their EQ must still be set up for Classical - it doesn't clip nearly as bad as the other stations and actually has very good stereo separation. In fact from an audio perspective it sounds pretty darn good, almost like wearing headphones. I hope they leave the EQ right where it is. Pretty strong signal with little static while driving all over the Arlington area today. - Jim C. (1/24/07)

Dave's response: Day 3 of George and he's already sounding stale. DC simply ain't a radio music town. Or Bonneville doesn't know shit about music. Or maybe both.....

Status of WTEM: Czaban and Pollin flat out stink. When sports radio hosts talk as much about the sports they hate as much as the sports they like, you're not a real sports person. John Thompson is just not a radio person, I love him but Doc & Al have to carry him through every day. B-Mitch has a good thing going though. he may know more about football than other sports, but he gives those sports their due and his co-host is pretty good. The Fox national stuff is awful though. Hey Dave, is XXX Radio going to do add a general sports show anytime soon? (1/24/07)

By now, Kornheiser's insecurities, pettiness, arrogance and self-importance is fairly legendary--whether at the Post, WTEM or Atlantic Video for PTI. But here's what I don't get: Why do we need so much Kornheiser? In the paper . . . on radio . . . three TV outlets . . . night and day. Honest to God, he's just not THAT popular (ratings say) and he's not THAT good (so says I). signed, The Dim-Witted Poster (1/24/07)

There is one possible element in this Kornheiser/Fahri episode that might have been overlooked--that Farhi was right. (1/24/07)

A few quick things cause I'm so busy and self important, braking news or rumor duh jour, Craig Kilborn is in running to take over for George Michael? Leading to a ratings battle royale with cheese between old nemesisis' Haber and Kilborn!?......... When the Doocy worked at channel 4 did he hide his feelings for all things right whiggish? does he present the weather in a fair and balanced manner? sort of like beth Mc on the U.S.S. don and mike hiding her political leanings?........ you know it's sad about don and mike...so this is how ends, not with fanfare just with a loathsome squeal...... hey skateboarders what's the snicker factor these days, see....... don't sarah walsh look a bit like liza herndone........ and when does lark catch that snowbird to the southwest...... j. tuttle (1/24/07)

Concerning the WCAO/60 Basketball team photo. Sorry, that’s NOT me. Kirby Scott is on the left and the other two players might be "ringers" outside of the station. Because there were NOT enough on air players (air personalities) , outside friends were recruited. I have to give all credit to Johnny Dark who managed, organized and scheduled the games and raised a large amount of money for the local schools. During my 15 years at WCAO, I only played in a few games with my famous bath robe with hundreds of 45's glued to it. Johnny felt I was much better back at the studio than on the court...ah, that good ole all night show. Thanks, Jack Edwards (1/24/07)

Here is a mock music video (think Weird Al) of Peter Rosenberg doing "Throwing Some D's" by Rich Boy. He is exploring different forms of entertainment until he can find a new radio gig. This might be humorous to the haters or fans of his old WJFK show. www.youtube.com (1/24/07)

Re: About the post saying Sirius has had land repeaters shut down by the FCC--I can't find a source for this story anywhere on the net. I found one from last December saying that this happened to BOTH XM and Sirius. So, what's the story here? (1/24/07)

"Don't really understand the giant negativity about Andy Pollin. He's knowledgeable..." Nice joke. Oh wait, you weren't joking. Andy Pollin is knowledgeable about what he reads from the Post and ESPN's site about the Redskins. That's it. I'm a season ticket holder for the Skins and I got tired of his banter. I wish he would talk about something else. Anything else. But, like others have pointed out, he's no good for Nationals or Caps talk. They barely talk about le Boulez, even though the team was/is broadcast from WTEM? Some might say that Triple X is too biased as well. They have an excuse, they are owned by Dan Snyder. And with Mike & Mike, Colin Cowherd (btw, I can't stand him), and Dan Patrick, at least they talk about other sports. I'd even venture a guess that an average hour on Triple X will have more non-Redskins local sports references than WTEM. There's a reason that many of us stopped listening to WTEM when Triple X started. While it might not have been Andy Pollin, he didn't help. TL (1/24/07)

So, Kornheiser won't talk to people at the very company that pays him? That proves what I've always felt: he's an arrogant, self-centered prima donna. While I admit I think he does on occasion have an interesting take on sports, he has been allowed to believe that he is special and can do no wrong, in large part to the fawning over him by the likes of Andy Pollin, who apparently has a pretty low opinion of himself if all he can do is stroke "Mr. Tony" and continue to carry a torch for him. I have no inclination to listen to Kornheiser, read his crap books or his columns, and I turn off PTI when I see he's on it. Kornheiser needs to learn the world does not revolve around him; unfortunately too many people in the media have been told otherwise too many times and can no longer see the real world for the false...I could name other names, hm, Donnie G. comes to mind. The RCL (1/24/07)

"Rumor has it that 96.5CTG "The Island" is moving it's stick and studios from Chincoteague, Va to just south of Salisbury, Md...If so that would put a sweet signal into the Salisbury-Pocomoke-Ocean City market huh, heard anything about this yet?" Should this be true, it would have a serious impact on Salisbury University's low power student operated station at 96.3. It would probably force them off the air. LP FM would not be protected in this move but WCEI at 96.7 in Easton may have some say. Joe E/Salisbury (1/24/07)

GOD EVERYBODY ! is acting like Howard Stern , is coming back to radio. It is only Tony Kornheiser, his numbers where not great when he was with WTEM. (1/24/07)

Dave, I will assume that you wrote the comment about classical music being for "an aging audience, who'll be spending more of their disposable income on assisted living expenses." I would like to suggest that your stereotypical view of folks that like classical music is not right on target, especially in a town like Washington, D.C. I will concede classical music lovers do have more money, education and power, but to suggest you have to be old to love Bach may be indicative of a certain lack of immersion within a higher class of people. peace bro. Gary Michaels/Prettyman broadcasting (1/24/07)

Anybody with an internet connection can check out "rumors" concerning station facility changes by searching the FCC's database directly. Here is the search for WCTG, which shows that the owners have been trying to upgrade/move the signal since August. First, there was a laughably defective request to upgrade to B1 class from A that got dismissed. Next, a move to a site near Stockton, MD, was proposed that would put a city-grade signal over Chincoteague and Snow Hill. Before the merits of that request could be evaluated, an amendment to change the community of license to Eden, MD, and place the antenna about halfway between Princess Anne and Pocomoke City was filed. This amendment takes advantage of a recent change to FCC regulations that adds redefines a COL change as a "minor change." There are a lot of applications that have been filed this month to take advantage of this relaxation in the rules. If this goes through, then WCTG will completely cease to be a Chincoteague station. (1/24/07)

Speaking of 97.7 The Rocket, the station's morning guy often sounds like the Greaseman in his speaking style. Also, who is doing mornings on the sister station, Star 98.3? (1/24/07)

do you think it's possible for XXX radio to ever quit telling us that XXX espn radio is 94.3, 92.7 and 730 am ALL OVER DC.... seriously, if you don't know by now, then you don't give a shit. and that lady who whispers "you're listening to the new XXX espn radio" is that necessary during an interview I'm trying to hear? so annoying ... also dave, can you please eliminate the flashback pictures when clicking the mailbag, that's a little tiresome also... thanks, love the site... JIM (1/24/07)

Post Radio isn't even a year old yet. Chill, people! It took Swenson and Farley (and Oxley was a part of the team and don't forget Dave Garner or I'll get flamed) 2-3 years to turn WTOP around, but then it became the biggest biller in the market (ahead of everybody including PGC the last few years). So Post Radio was boring at first. Maybe the Post reporters themselves were boring. Maybe the Post tried to exert control and keep the station from doing anything interesting. The WTOP team has shown they know how to get ratings. My hunch is they will turn things around with their new line-up and Tony K. I'll say it again: Post radio hasn't even been around for a year yet. It's still freaking new! (1/24/07)

MSNBC is proving Bill O'Reilly right this afternoon. They have stuck for almost an hour with a John Kerry bully pulpit speech from the Senate. They are carrying it because apparently Kerry is going to announce he is not running for President. Even CNN saw through his opportunistic speech and announced they will come back to him when he actually gets to the news he was supposed to be making. MSNBC is becoming Fox News for liberals. (1/24/07)

Rumor has it that 96.5CTG "The Island" is moving it's stick and studios from Chincoteague, Va to just south of Salisbury, Md...If so that would put a sweet signal into the Salisbury-Pocomoke-Ocean City market huh, heard anything about this yet? Maybe the Hitman is moving on up like the Jefferson's, They wouldn't move a station just so the morning man doesn't have to drive 100 miles each day would they? Please let me know - TONY K. in Ocean City, Md. (1/24/07)

Don't really understand the giant negativity about Andy Pollin. He's knowledgeable, has a good sense of humor, and seems to have a relatively high degree of integrity for this business. At the same time, I'm sad that he won't be reunited with Mr. Tony. And, I must say, Mr. Tony is dropped down a notch in my book after he was so clear that he would never work without Andy. Of course, I'll still listen... (1/24/07)

Why do people not like Andy Pollin? In my case because I consider him a shameless no-talent hack whose only merit is laughing like an idiot at Kornhole's tired jokes. He is the main reason that WTEM is in such bad shape. He not only refuses to talk about the Capitals and the Nats but when he does it is always insulting, condescending, and dismissive. On his own he is reduced to reading newspaper articles on the air and hoping that Czaban isn't delayed. The past two years while working with Jacoby on the post-game show he was always defending Gibbs and blindly parroting Jacoby's biased views. This season he was all criticism after Gibb's and Jacoby snubbed them. Hopefully Pollin will be fired soon and WTEM can improve it's programming. (1/24/07)

Marc Fisher for an hour on Kojo Namdi show at 1 pm. Worth a mention on this site, if we can stop discussing the most handsome man in radio, Tony Kornheiser, for more than a couple minutes. (1/24/07)

Dave's response: No no no. Mike O'Meara (right) is far and away the most handsome man in local radio.....

It will be good to be able to listen to Mr. Tony again in the mornings. The only downside to me is that Andy Pollie won't be with him. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (1/24/07)

Now that Tony Kornheiser's going to WTWP, will Clear Channel tinker with WTEM's schedule or even add a big name host to try and compete with the guy who was that station's meal ticket for so many years? The first hour of Sports Reporters (before the guest du jour arrives) is rather weak and will soon be up against Kornheiser with a half hour head start. Perhaps either the Brian Mitchell or John Thompson show could be moved to the 9-12 AM timeslot, with Reporters returning to afternoon drive. Hopefully they won't even think about bringing back Jim Rome to try and make a splash. While Kornheiser's penchant for devoting lengthy portions of his program to non-sports topics such as American Idol, the Academy Awards and politics was annoying to those WTEM listeners who wanted to hear more about the local teams, he can probably do the same thing on Washingon Post radio without inspiring much ire. Inasmuch as his new station happens to be the flagship for the Washington Nationals, local baseball fans can only hope that he'll provide regular features on the team such as a weekly interview with Manny Acta during the season. Hours after the big news was announced yesterday, Triple X was still running promos saying "we've got Tony" (referring to the PTI replays it's now airing). With two of 980's competitors now laying claim to at least a piece of the veteran Post sportswriter, perhaps Andy Pollin could start reciting old Kornheiser columns on Sports Reporters to try and even the score. Mike, Fairfax (1/24/07)

I have read a few comments about repeating Tony's show...what short memories people have...when Tony left WTEM his show ran 9a-11a (which also answers some of the questions people have posted about "why not start him earlier"...it seems that 8:30 IS actually earlier than he was EVER on before) and if I'm not mistaken, his show was then RE-BROADCASTED from 11a-1p. boy...the questioning of EVERYTHING Bonneville does has been taken to an entirely new level over the past couple of days. It is amazing that a company willing to spend money, make changes and be somewhat of a pioneer with new products and promotions like commercial free music for a valuable amount of time is met with so much negativity. My conclusion is that the postings in this mailbag are often from failed radio people. because if they were so smart they would still be in the business and then everything would be perfect, wouldn't it?! (1/24/07)

I believe I've heard Kornheiser say, and also read interviews where he said, he'd "never" do a radio show without Andy Pollin. So much for integrity. Which brings up the point that Kornheiser seems to do well when he has chemistry with people that he can work off of. For example, Wilbon on PTI and Pollin, Braun and Mark "Nigel" Sterne on WTEM. He's terrible on MNF because he has zilch chemistry with Theismann and Tirico. One wonders if his show will suck since he presumably won't be bringing any of his WTEM supporting cast with him. (1/24/07)

How about Kornheiser and Mike Buchanan on WTWP? Or Kornheiser and Hilary Howard? Why doesn't he want to work with Burd though? That would have been a good team. (1/24/07)

With all this talk about Korny, I thought I’d offer this little anecdote…..but first a disclaimer; these events are true. The names and locations have been cloaked to protect the guilty. I worked with Korny at DC’s first three station cluster, in Rockville, about 10 years ago, in a managerial capacity. Every morning a huge plate of breakfast goodies was delivered to the lunchroom in the studio area where he worked. There were bagels, Danish, fruit, and other goodies on this plate, with enough to feed at least 50. Also on this plate was a small pastry box, tied with a string that no one was to touch; it was for Korny! Many of the rank and file were not very fond of him to begin with, and the idea that he couldn’t feed from the communal plate just enraged them. “Who does he think he is, this Korny?”. Well, one enterprising young board op thought he’d provide a little extra “jam” to go with Korny’s bagels. Every morning for about three weeks, this lad would carefully open the box containing Korny’s morning bagel, and proceed to bring it in contact with his….er…..nether region. Fluids were not transferred; contact seemed to be enough to make this young man happy. He then put them back in the box, and retied the string. Mr. K was never the wiser, and in fact even commented on more than one occasion about the tasty quality of the goods. Not one to k