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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - March 28 to April 3, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ April 3 Messages \/ No MASN2 Orioles Game as promised via Verizon Fios - I live in Anne Arundel County & was not able to pick up the Orioles game this evening even though MASN.TV states it would be broadcast on Verion Fios channel 1 tonight. I called Verizon to complain & they said they were aware of the marketing of the extra/overlapping games being broadcast on an additional channel but nothing was in place yet! WTF – They have had all off season to get this together. Now I get to see the Nats games & not the O’s. What will it be next year no baseball @ all? Ed in Crofton (4/3/07) Three jeers for Comedycast and their equally respectable political partners, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. I live in Reston and decided see about upgrading from "dial-up" to broadband for my internet. Given the questionable (at best) ethics of Verizon, I decided to call Concast to see what services they offer for high-speed internet in my home. The answer? $19.99 for the first three months and $57.99 per month thereafter! Why such a high price? Because I "dare" to have a dish. And, when I asked about speeds, I was told, only one speed, 6 mbps. Why is Comcast allowed by its franchise to offer only one speed in Reston when my friends who have Cox can choose from not just several different speeds, but a better deal on rates for those who live in the rest of the County? In addition, the sales rep from Comacast refused to take "no" for an answer when I said that all I was interested in was internet, and that I was happy with my current TV (DirecTV) and phone (MCI) providers. He told me that if I didn't take TV and phone, he couldn't help me with internet. Fairfax County needs to stop treating Reston like a bastard stepchild and have one county-wide franchise where all citizens of the County are treated equally. No doubt I'll eventually have to buy my high-speed internet from Comcast. But, the response I got from my encounter over the phone with their rep on 4/2 will delay things a bit. (4/3/07) Dave's response: Reston, being a "planned community" with an allergy to rooftop antennas, has had cable TV since the 1960s. The rest of Fairfax County didn't get it until the 1980s. And then county cable provider, Media General (now Cox), decided not to bid on Reston, which already had cable (Warner, Jones, now Comcast). That's why there are two franchise areas in the county. There was some talk a few years back about Cox taking over the Reston area from Comcast, but Comcast was recently granted a franchise extension. And I haven't heard any more talk about that..... For all those whining about MASN for not running what they (the whiners) call HD... MASN will be using HD! You need to remember that the original MASN plan was to transmit the Washington Nationals games with the "Invented in Washington" technology of Charles Francis Jenkins on a video standard of 60p (60 lines, with "reliable" mechanical progressive scanning, l-r, t-b) at 20 frames per second and a "fan-friendly" aspect ratio of 6:5, while the games of the baseball team in Baltimore will be shown in the daringly experimental medium of 525 lines and electronic scanning. Neon-lamps, motors, and 78 rpm records will be all the Washington Nationals fan needs to see the games of their favorite team! No doubt, there are future plans for the Washington Nationals games to be televised in the time-tested a! nd economically-efficient standards of 405i or 819i, given the ready availability of low-cost transmitting and receiving equipment in those standards. Many thanks to the owner of the baseball team that plays its “home” games in Baltimore, but owns the broadcast territory of the Washington Nationals. And, people wonder why I’ve not spent so much as a dime in Baltimore since the MASN fiasco was foisted on Washington baseball fans? Those who live in Baltimore deserve better. Not just a better team. But, a better team owner. The pity is, the same thing could be said of Washington football. (4/3/07) Living in Howard County, just switched to Verizon FiOS, MASN 2 is supposed to be on Channel 1. Only problem is that channel is not part of the guide?? Guess I have to wait until someone gets it right or switch back to Comcast. Are the O’s on C-Span 2 on Comcast tonight?? I really wanted to watch Boof Bonser pitch tonight!!! (4/3/07) Dave's response: Yes. The O's are on MASN2 on my Comcast system in Reston..... there seems to be a lot of moaning and griping (but what would the mailbag be without that though??).. about not having MASN on the dish network--i have direct tv and the nats game was right there.and you get the Sunday ticket too, during the nfl season--which is great! so dump the dish and get direct! also tim in stafford CHILL dude, CHILL (4/3/07) RE: “Do you have any info on whether MASN will be offered on Dish Network?” I’ve been in touch with both MASN and Dish Network telling them I want to see Nats games on my dish, and all I got for my trouble was a not-too-subtle F.O. yawn from both. I guess I’m real old school—y’know, thinking that the customer’s opinion actually has some meaning—but still, I was stunned at both company’s inability to give a damn. The Dish Network reps acted like I was a total retard for wanting something to watch on their system. Guess they figure 8 shopping channels and 24-hour-a-day Emeril crap should soothe me as I write my $60 check every month. The dorks at MASN were no better, giving me this stellar advice when I asked if they had any plans to get Nationals games onto Dish: (this is a verbatim quote, swear to god): “Is that some kind of baseball or something?” Obviously I was not dealing with the upper echelons of the telecommunications industry. My advice: dump the dish, toss your TV out the window, and listen to the games on the radio. They’re better that way anyway. Dave In Sterling (4/3/07) A few observations... I heard Albie Dee talking to KMS on HFS yesterday (Monday) morning, promoting his guest stint on MIX1065 later that morning. I too hope he lands a permanent gig in local radio soon. I remember his days on the former B102.7XYV as well as HOT99.5. I've noticed lately that MIX has been playing quite a few more current pop hits than they previously did. I hope MIX or another station in Baltimore adopts a top 40/dance format real soon... Speaking of HFS, I was listening to the beginning of their Orioles broadcast last night. Joe Angel and Fred Manfra sounded like they were calling the game in a tunnel! I don't know if it's because the game took place in the Metrodome, but I heard a couple of their spring training games last month that sounded much clearer! I hope HFS can improve on the quality of the audio. Actually, I can't complain too much. Listening to the O's games on FM is much nicer than on the AM... Later, I watched most of the rest of the game on MASN. I didn't notice any technical glitches the times that I tuned in and I thought Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez did a fine job. Even though I like Amber Theoharis, I think the sideline reporting role is unnecessary (in any sport, for that matter). -Greg in Perry Hall (4/3/07) There are probably thousands of O's fans flipping around today in search of some separate MASN2 channel on their cable/satellite systems and not finding it. Many prospective viewers will be lost for those initial games until they can get up to speed. Everett W. (4/3/07) (Morale Sinks At 7 As Lord Tries To Boost News Numbers) I don't think even the Almighty can right that sinking ship over in Rosslyn. Here are some suggestions, anyways: 1. Allison Starling as a permanent Kathleen Matthews replacement..... 2. Break open the piggy bank and buy some HD equipment before you completely fall behind your rivals and start to trail My 20 and CW 50..... 3. Allbritton sells the station..... (4/3/07) Do you have any info on whether MASN will be offered on Dish Network? Thank You, Mark (4/3/07) Dave's response: Ahhh, no..... Just want to commend the poster who said that Warren Brown's departure from the airwaves isn't a huge loss, since he's not as effective on the radio as he is in print. Just want to say again--radio is all about the sound that comes out of the speakers. Good broadcasters and management types are trained to understand that. Just because someone has a level of expertise in a subject doesn't mean he or she will be a good broadcaster. Just sayin'. (4/3/07) Has anybody else had issues picking up a decent signal from 980 lately in NoVa? I’m in Fairfax, and the signal’s never been GREAT, but the last couple of months have been dreadful – I can barely pick it up at all. (No comments, please, regarding how lucky I am – I do like to listen to the Sports Reporters. It’d be fine by me if they went COMPLETELY off the air the rest of the time.). Anybody else? Sincerely, TMU (4/3/07) Dave's response: 980's nighttime signal here in Reston is dreadful. As usual..... Well, now that MASN's flacks and the Angelos-hater cult members have posted, can a broadcast professional offer an impartial critique of MASN's regular season debut with the Orioles last night? It wasn't very good. I was watching on DirecTV, there were frequent video drop-outs (which I saw on the replay this morning), the audio was frequently over-modulated (both the announcers and the crowd), and the pre and post game shows looked like they were produced in the studio of a high school TV class. One positive I took away from the broadcast: Gary Thorne is a much better play-by-play guy than Jim Hunter. (4/3/07) Re: “Morale Sinks At 7 As Lord Tries To Boost News Numbers” – whoever posted this misses a broader point. OF COURSE LOTS OF REPORTERS ARE INEXPERIENCED. That’s because news outlets -- television news, radio news and newspapers – don’t pay enough to keep experienced people around. Or the bean counters won’t allow it. The hypocrisy of many of these outlets is that they think they can pay peanuts while maintaining high standards. Viewers and listeners know better. Local TV news, local radio news, even the once great Washington Post, is of the superficial, low-hanging-fruit variety. Look around any newsroom – it’s mostly kids being managed by a few overworked adults. The kids are making jack and the adults (many dreaming of escape) – not a hell of a lot more. Experience? That is what is walking out the door. Paul (4/3/07) Dave, Albie Dee DOES have a permanent gig - he has a daily slot on XM 30 (XM Hitlist). He's even got a bio on the website: www.xmradio.com (4/3/07) Dave's response: I meant a permanent local radio gig..... Thought I'd share this with everyone regarding MASN. One of my co-workers was lamenting the fact that she couldn't find the Orioles on TV, Comcast in her case, last night. She complained that it wasn't on ESPN "either". Said the same thing about her brother in Frederick. In this case, these are college educated people who don't have the time or interest in keeping up with media changes. I find it hard to believe that the MASN move escaped people, but obviously it did. I wonder how many others out there had the same comments at their workplace today. So, are the Orioles on MASN2 tonight? That's going to make it even more interesting for the casual fan. It's sort of like years back when NASCAR moved away from ESPN, and started showing up on FOX/FX/TNT/NBC, and wherever else. Unless you were truly devoted, it wasn't easy to keep up with. On a side note, a caller on WNST mentioned this morning that MASN would have to run their own cable at Camden Yards. He claimed that the existing cable belonged to Comcast, and they won't let MASN use it. Anyone know more about this? Doug in Bel Air (4/3/07) Wow, did I ever hear a blast from the past yesterday. Albie Dee was on MIX1065 yesterday doing fill in work. Is he coming back to Baltimore, and will MIX go to a full blown CHR station? Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (4/3/07) Dave's response: Since he got canned from afternoon drive at Clear Channel's Hot 99.5 last fall, Albie's been doing fill-in work for CBS Radio. He's been heard on WPGC-FM, WJFK-FM, and WARW (now WTGB) in DC, and, now, I guess, WWMX in Baltimore, too. It's a shame that such a local radio legend can't land a permanent gig..... Hope nobody in Baltimore is looking forward to hearing Don & Mike's return from Spring Break on Monday. They'll be pre-empted by the Orioles home opener which airs at exactly the time D&M hit the airwaves. You'll need to catch the stream from the internet if you want to hear the Radio Gods return on 4/9. (4/3/07) Sangina from American Idol would make an excellent model at Jockstrap Central when his Idol run is over. The Tooz (4/3/07) Dave's response: Now now now, no cheap shots at our advertisers. They help pay the bills..... As a close friend and onetime co-worker, it is beyond me how anyone can say Amber Theoharis "s****d" at Fox". She did an outstanding job at WBFF, and built up an enthusiastic following in Baltimore. So much so that when her contract was up, she was one of the first hires MASN made for it's Orioles coverage. She is a true professional and a fine person, and does not deserve to be assaulted like that by an (of course) unsigned poster. (4/3/07) Small point of order regarding NPR and 87.9 MHz: the status is "Accepted for Filing." There is no permit for operation, yet, as the FCC hasn't even looked at the application. (4/3/07) If that is Janet Elliot, then Tony K has met his match. She does the strict mother thing quite well. (4/3/07) Someone mentioned the IPOD FM attachment. I bought two of them about 9 months ago, because I'm pretty rough on the earphones generally. I paid $28 for each. I browsed at BB or CC a few months after and saw the EXACT item for $50! I'd strangle Steve Jobs with the cord itself and choke him with the Ipod before I'd pay that much. I love how corporations mark popular items up much higher than the cost of inflation just to pad the bottom line. And yes, I understand capitalizm and supply and demand. It's still annoying. (4/3/07) I watched the O's game on MASN via Directv and the audio sounded OK. Jim Z. - Baltimore (4/3/07) OK Dave and "MontCo" I'm relaxing by saying goodbye to DCRTV and the Mailbag. This used to be a fun and interesting site, but the malevolence, ignorance and viciousness that has steadily increased in the Mailbag have ruined it for me. Calling for standards of decorum and decency is NOT censorship. Goodbye and Good Luck. Rick in B.Q. (4/3/07) Dave's response: My memory may be faulty, but I can't recall a time when the Mailbag lacked "malevolence, ignorance, and viciousness"..... The disgruntled anonymous Channel 7 source claiming knowledge of Bill Lord's head on the block obviously has his/her own axe to grind. By any objective measurement, channel 7 is much, much better than it was before Bill Lord arrived at the station. (4/3/07) To the person from yesterday’s Mailbag who was lamenting the loss of Warren Brown from the WaPo airwaves, I don’t understand your frustration. I found Mr. Brown to be highly unpolished as an on-air talent. He marble-mouthed his words to the point where much of what he said was unintelligible. Most of his automotive information with regards to repair and preventative maintenance was simply incorrect. In addition, he made several negative references to Pat Goss joining their weekend lineup, something I have never heard Mr. Goss do. Warren appeared to be jealous of Pat’s knowledge and much higher profile in the Washington D.C. area. Frankly I am glad to see him go, and hope that his timeslot gets filled with more Goss’ Garage. –Bill from Sterling- (4/3/07) TURN THE VOLUME DOWN, you folks who don't like the poor audio emanating from MASN. Be thankful you get the Nats & O's. We Dish Network customers don't have MASN poor audio because we DON'T have MASN. We would like to have MASN but Echostar (Dish's corporate) won't get it. DUMP THE DISH! DUMP THE DISH! So, to you folks who have MASN, enjoy baseball in quiet and you will have no complaints. (4/3/07) Heard DJ Flexx make the announcement during afternoon drive yesterday. Tigger starts Monday. (4/3/07) Hey Rick in BQ, relax. Dave's format is great. He lets opinions flow, warts and all. Leftwing or rightwing, all censorship is obnoxious! -MontCo (4/3/07) Dave's response: Exactly. If someone wants to post something stupid and ignorant, let 'em do it..... Hi Dave: I'm an avid reader every day. Did you see this in Phil Swann's blog - MASN is one of the two hold outs in moving to HDTV for baseball? Keep up the good work! Mark B... www.tvpredictions.com (4/3/07) Did anyone else have problems listening to DC101 and The Globe this morning? I'm in Annapolis, and on 101.1 I got B101 from somewhere and 94.7 was The River. Still at 11am it hasn't switched. Now, I know at night I can sometimes pick up Delaware, New Jersey, and New York stations, but never in the daytime. Anyone got any insight on this? Thanks, Tony - Annapolis (4/3/07) Dave's response: Expect strange FM propagation because there's a weather front stalled over the area, with sunny and 80 degree temperatures in Northern Virginia and cloudy and in the 50s near Baltimore. That was probably the 94.7 from Dover, Delaware, and the 101.1 from Philly. By the way, anybody else hear about 15 seconds of WTWP's Tony Kornheiser on WTOP at 11:18 AM? I thought my car radio was malfunctioning..... Thank you Mr. Ange"lose" for making sure that the HD feed from ESPN2 for last night's Orioles game was blacked-out. The coverage from MASN was so much better than that clear crisp HD picture ESPN2 had and thanks for denying me the chance to listen to 5.1 Surround Sound as well. And the fact that the video on MASN is about 5 seconds behind the audio...that was a stroke of genius! I can't wait for the black & white pictures & mono sound! Maybe soon you'll even provide us with an LP record to buy of our favorite Orioles highlights. Why don't you go suck up some of that asbestos and save us all the frustration of allowing you to destroy the franchise that we've loved for 53 years! I can't wait to watch the Orioles lose tonight...if I can see and hear the game? I'll make sure to watch on my old Zenith television from the 1970s so I can get the best picture you provide. (MASN - Making Athletics Suck Now) (4/3/07) Is the Janet on Tony K’s show the Janet that used to be on Z104 in the mornings? Her voice is very familiar. ELLE (4/3/07) Greetings and Happy Passover and upcoming Easter: In New York, Barnard College (the women's college of Columbia University) is using 87.9 MHz (because there is no Channel 6 in New York) for WBAR, which may or may not be their real call letters. I thnk it is a very low power station, and it might only be even Carrier Current. But, if it's actually over the air, maybe this will start a trend, which sounds like a great idea to me. It could add an extra FM frequency to many cities in the US. But why would NPR be asking for a frequency? Why should they be allowed to use all those government and tax-deductible contributions to run a station that can be heard in only one city? Also, I am surprised that it is a big deal that IPods may have an FM tuner someday. Many non-IPod MP3 players already have FM tuners and some even have FM recording capability. And they cost about 1/4 the price of an IPod. Next thing you know, the IPod will allow you to add an SD card to it to incre ase its memory, which many non-IPods allow already, again at 1/4 the price. Somewhat like the Apple vs. Microsoft ads, but in reverse. -- Carl in Olney (4/3/07) Dave's response: There used to be a quite strong Spanish religious pirate on 87.9 in the Tysons Corner area..... What’s happening with afternoon drive at WPGC 95.5? Regards, Karrain (4/3/07) Any word on Big Tigger returning to WPGC 95.5 from 2-6.....he's replacing Adimu. What happened ?? Where is Adimu headed now??? Thanx, Laura (4/3/07) Don't you just love how the NAB and radio consulting firms are falling all over themselves to try to prove that terrestrial radio isn't in serious trouble? The aforementioned Jacobs Media poll is totally bogus. By putting the poll exclusively on radio station web sites, they skewed the results. This purposely limited the survey to primarily terrestrial radio listeners. (The chance that a non-listener would be visiting a radio station's web site are pretty slim.) Of course a large amount of respondants will say they want an FM tuner in an iPod if you're only polling terrestrial radio fans. I can guarantee you if they had just picked a random sample of people off the street, the number would have been much lower, and if you put the same poll on XM's web site or Sirius's, you'd get a pretty large amount of respondants saying they want a satellite radio tuner in the next iPod. What a joke! Apple's not stupid enough to fall for such a "survey," so don't look for an FM tuner in the iPod any time soon. They tend to abandon dying technology a little too early, rather than too late (see the floppy disk and non-USB ports). If you want to find out how bleak the future of terrestrial radio is, poll the 18 and under crowd of music fans about their listening habits. I know my kids (14 and 11) and almost all of their friends very rarely listen to the radio. They learn about new and old music from sharing MP3s and from video game and movie soundtracks. (4/3/07) The iPod and iPod nano already have FM tuners built in. You just have to pay $50 for an accessory to activate and use them. store.apple.com... - Ari (4/3/07) Mike Hambrick currently hosts "America's Business", a weekly one-hour radio news digest covering the American manufacturing scene. The program is produced at Radio America on 15th St in DC, and airs weekends locally on WTNT-AM. (4/3/07) Okay, so Stevens 2.0 (whoever came up with THAT moniker should be exiled from radio FOREVER) is leaving the globe. This MUST mean a Stevens and Medley return to the airwaves. I just hope to God it is in another market. They gave the words “lame” and “hacks” new meaning. Tim in Stafford (4/3/07) I’m a Mr. Tony fan from his WTEM/ESPN days but I just can’t take the new show and the laughing hyenas in the background. Who the hell are those people anyway??? (4/3/07) Good for FM. Very bad for AM...... If Apple does it......Wow for the FM dial..... "iPod Owners Want FM Tuners - JACOBS MEDIA indicates that iPOD/personal mp3 player growth continues to be impressive, according to the company's web poll "TECH SURVEY III" study conducted with more than 25,000 respondents from over 69 Rock-formatted stations in late-FEBRUARY through early-MARCH. The study says iPOD owners -- in particular -- want an FM radio in that next NANO or SHUFFLE. The personal mp3 player ownership skyrocketed 34% from last year to 47% of the Rock sample in the 2007 study. And among Alternative listeners, two-thirds (67%) now own an IPOD-like device. Nearly half (45%) of the IPOD-less respondents say they are very or somewhat likely to take the plunge. The study asked about the most important new feature that consumers desire in their next personal mp3 player. Overwhelmingly, these respondents want an FM tuner (33%). JACOBS MEDIA President FRED JACOBS explains, "IPODS are showing no sigs of stopping. Last year, our data showed that the growth of personal mp3 players was far from over. This year, our new study confirms that this phenomenon continues to have lots of life, and we expect strong growth throughout ’07." (4/3/07) Okay, now this latest flashback is just a little weird! Mike Hambrick was my program director at WBMJ in San Juan about 100 years ago. (Here's a hint: I think our chief engineer was a guy named Marconi. Or, Ed Bukont.) Ed. Rodriguez (4/3/07) Some people will believe ANYthing. Roxanne Roberts did not blow her nose on-air on Washington Post Radio. That was David Burd playing a sound effect. So what he attempted WORKED. That poster should call to get his Arbitrton listener number! (4/3/07) I think that the chances of Theisman coming back to do local TV is slim to none. He’s been offered a national gig with ESPN doing college games. He isn’t thrilled about being away from pro football, but it’s still a lot better than doing daily local TV and there is always the chance he could get back into pro football on ESPN, CBS or Fox if he stays in the national spotlight. I don’t think this particular source was very reliable. (4/3/07) Has anyone checked out the new morning show on WZBH in Delaware? I caught a few minutes of it--WOW, small market at it's worst! All I heard was pre-packaged parodies and comedy bits--the kind of things that you subscribe to, or rip off another station's morning show CD. Wow, the glory days of ZBH mornings are past. Also, how is 96 Rock doing in the morning? I hear it's solidifying. (4/3/07) If anyone heard a loud crashing sound near the Beltway, that was Washington Post Radio hitting rock bottom. I heard the most inane ten-minute stretch at 7:20 this morning. First, David and Jessica ask listeners to call their "listener line" so they can be issued "an Arbitron listener number"! Are they out of their mind? Can you say "corruption"? Then in the same segment they had one of their lackey columnists on, Roxanne, who was blowing her nose ON THE AIR! I've heard of a "virus spreading" on radio, but this is ridiculous. Well, as the talking heads on WTWP would say, "CLEARLY they are reaching!" Just save whatever is left of your dignity and put on infomercials in the morning. (4/3/07) Other stations on 87.9 include at least KSFH, Mt View, Calif 10W St Francis High School, K200AA Sun Valley,NV, 28W Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls (who own hundreds of translators), and WA2XNX Brazos,TX 1W Federal Signal Corp. That's an experimental call, not an ordinary broadcasting call. A person in Congress can get a station an exception to the normal allocation rules such as an FM translator for an AM station, legalize "pirate" FM translators without going through the normal application process, etc. (4/3/07) ummm.....Peter Asbestos is Greek not Jewish. (4/3/07) Dave's response: Get me a gyro. Love 'em..... "Leave it to Peter Asbestos to bring out his jewish flavor and go cheap with the broadcasting". This is offensive on so many levels I don't know where to begin. Dave, you really have to start cleaning up the mailbag, It's bad enough that I can't read the mailbag at work anymore due to the excessive and childish use of profanity, now you're letting this garbage on the site. Bye the way genius Angelos is Greek Orthodox. Rick in B.Q. (4/3/07) RE: [ " Dave's response: 87.9? " ]........ Yes, 87.9 FM, not a typo. The new station will be called WX200A-FM, run by NPR, National Public Radio. Where are all those WMUC 88.1 College Park whiners when you need them? Obviously another government-related non-profit entity had no trouble getting the 87.9 frequency, if only temporary. Does anyone know if there are full-time permanent stations on the 87.9 frequency in other markets? This frequency is certainly not used in the DC area as it is in Philly & Richmond for a TV6. (4/3/07) How absolutely nice it is to read something positive about a radio guy I have truly missed hearing every day. What a wonderful turn of events to find this online news blurb today (04/02/07) at allaccess.com…“Ken Merson VO Biz Adds Two…Longtime Baltimore radio vet Ken Merson’s newly inaugurated Merson Person Voice Tracks voiceover service is on the move. Early believers include Entercom Rhythmic AC WSNA (SNAP! 94.1)/Memphis and Entercom Classic Hits WOLX/Madison. For more info, reach out to Ken at mpvt123@verizon.net or (410) 790-3675”… This is terrific news about a well-liked and respected talent who’s “back on the block” doing what he was born to do. Too bad the Merson Person’s isn’t currently on XM, Sirius or even a Baltimore or DC terrestrial station because I honest to God miss him. I checked out the web sites for both of his stations and each stream their audio live. It’s not quite the same as hearing him emanate from my car stereo speakers, but at least I can now hear him again if I’m near a computer. The station web site addresses are snap941.com and wolx.com. Mo in Perry Hall, Maryland (4/3/07) /\ April 3 Messages /\ \/ April 2 Messages \/ Wow. That was my first reaction to watching the Orioles and their "ace" (term used loosely) Erik Be-Tard get worked over by the Twins on "Massin". This has to be the absolute worst production ever. Leave it to Peter Asbestos to bring out his Jewish flavor and go cheap with the broadcasting. You can start with the lousy voices in the booth. At first I thought I was watching the Discovery Channel and a tribute to Jesus Christ, the way they were talking up Twins Pitcher Santana. They made him sound like he was the next coming or something. And that little wannabe-hottie on the field... Amber Theoharris. She sucked on Fox and she sucks even more on "massin, my massuh." Give me WJZ anyday and anytime! (4/2/07) Well once again Brett proved that what he calls big news is hardly worth the time. Jim Bowden has written a weekly column for the Examiner for two years... (4/2/07) Ok so the "BIG" announcement on 9 sports' "Monday Madness" show is Jim Bowden joining the "sports team" every Tuesday from their studios. Great, I'm excited! What's next, the Washington Post and Comcast SportsNet teaming up with a 90 minute waste of time, featuring pale, geeky sports writers that struggle to improvise a discussion on local sports. Oh wait, uh never mind... Denesh (4/2/07) QUOTE: "What ever happened to Silvie in Waldorf? Was "she" unmasked?" - I still read DCRTV every other day. I just don't have the time to post and explain that I'm not Chris Plante posting as "Silvie in Waldorf". Love, -The Real Silvie in Waldorf- (4/2/07) Re: "I really don't get why WUSA's newscasts have such low ratings." Simple answer - the anchors suck. The smart ones left for other stations, either in the DC market or elsewhere in the US. HD won't fix a broken ship. WJLA may have a washed-out color, but they have a better newscast than that HD newscast. Lately, I've been turning off WRC for WJLA, especially in the mornings. Can't stand Babs Mumbles. Dave in Fredericksburg (4/2/07) This really disturbs me. Is public television THIS desperate? mdlottery.com (4/2/07) Does anyone else get turned off by the banter between Doug Hill and the afternoon folks on WTOP? I actually had to flip stations today when the back and forth about Doug "giving" us good weather and "punishing" us for bad weather just went on and on. I was dying to hear the traffic report but I just couldnt handle it anymore. -Jay (4/2/07) I was wondering if there was an email address for the O's Extra on MASN? I am wanting to contact Rick Dempsey and I understand that he is now broadcasting on this station for the Orioles. any help would be greatly appreciated. (4/2/07) I am rather bummed that Warren Brown won't be on a "real" radio channel anymore. I like listening to Warren and his cohorts talk about eveything inside the car world. I do not have XM and won't be paying for radio so I can't understand why they would get rid of him. I cannot listen to Goss and his whiny voice talk to callers about their car troubles. Does anyone else think this is a bad idea for a station that is fairly new and needs listeners? It isn't like they do ratings for the weekends anyway...just one chick's point of view. (4/2/07) As far as MASN goes.. or is it Comcrap? The Opening Day coverage has been nothing but a bust. The audio is like listening to the adults in a Peanuts cartoon.. you know.. MUA WAWA WAWA WA WA... While we get to watch the game in stunningly beautiful SD and with the Peanut adults audio feed.. i have the MASN sound turned down while listening to one of the best voices in the game in John Gordon for the Twins with an audio delay of 5 seconds on XM.. ESPN2 would be better off showing Abbott and Costello's Who's On First. Congratulations Comcrap, Peter Angelos and MLB, once again, you have managed to piss off an entire region. (4/2/07) Gotta love the guys on Riggins' radio show whining and carrying on about how the Nationals should be disappointed that there wasn't a sellout for opening day. Hmm, let me see, yup, 40,389 in attendance according to the box score here: sports.yahoo.com... In most ballparks that is quite the impressive attendance mark. Granted, RFK holds approximately 2,300 (give or take) more than that for it's baseball configuration, but that is still a decent number. Perhaps the folks on Riggins' radio show should be more concerned with trying to figure out where in the hell their listenership is? Something tells me that Dan Snyder and company would be quite thrilled to be able to count 40,000+ as listeners for that triad of stations he's using. -big wide evil grin- Bcd (4/2/07) That SD Orioles game on MASN sure looks good. Thank you Mr. Angelos and MASN for blacking out the HD feed on ESPN 2. Between them and WJLA, who can be the furthest behind the HD curve. (4/2/07) Dave's response: That's really funny. The game's in HD on ESPN and you can't see it thanks to MASN. Ha ha ha..... I really don't get why WUSA's newscasts have such low ratings. Aside from the weird "9 News Now" branding, which they should just change to CBS 9 News or revert to the old branding, I like their newscasts alot better than most of the others. This is especially true in the mornings, when they have a very nice, friendly feel to the news. At nights, it's not the best thing in the world, but it seems to me that since all the newscasts in the evenings are pretty much the same, I might as well watch the one in HD, which becomes a deciding factor when you can choose between that and WJLA's "shot using VHS tape" look. (4/2/07) Was listening to Fred Thompson on Paul Harvey's slot today and was thinking ... why in the hell would that guy want to run for President and have to deal with that hassle every day? Thompson is a shoe-in as Paul Harvey's replacement when Paul exits the studio for the final time. Thompson will have a high-profile gravy job (awakening each morning at 3am notwithstanding) and make ten times more money than he would as President. C'mon, Fred. You'll have the best job in the world when Mr. Harvey retires. Don't louse it up for the worst job in the world. JA (4/2/07) Dave's response: Amen! The US presidency is the worst job in the universe. Why would anyone want it? George Bush has become a shriveled up old prune while Al Gore is pleasantly plump and having a ball as he galavants around the globe on his celebrity quest to quell global warming..... FCC notes... NPR just got an experimental permit for Washington, DC on 87.9 FM, not sure what for............. NEW AM station approved for Maryland's eastern shore on AM 1070 @500 watts. I believe it's the same people who have an LMA agreement with Birach Broadcasting to program AM 540, WGOP, also in Pocomoke City, well up until the time when they move AM 540 to Washington, DC, which is probably never. (4/2/07) Dave's response: 87.9? Isn't that where we find Howard Stern these days? 1) Radio newscasters who I can hear breathe while they're on the air. WAMU, I'm looking at you. Trained broadcasters know when to time their breaths and don't keep their face in front of the mics when they take in air. It's gross to hear a "gasp" between sentences. This also goes for lipsmacking...same deal. 2) WTOP weekend "talent." Sat and sun middays -- horrific. Stumbles, bumbles, weird pauses, cringe-worthy live interviews, etc. Ugh. Unlistenable. 3) Fairfax public access and their infomercial on "how to find your way to court." Is this for real? 4) Babs Harrison. SHE survived the NBC corporate downsizing? Nobody claimed she was Edward R. Murrow, but shouldn't the ability to a) remember the date, b) read a teleprompter, and c) be coherent be part of the job description? There's a very deep weekend bench at 4, and they should seriously think about promoting someone. Methinks the Today Show buoys that lineup, and mgmt is hesitant to mess with it. (4/2/07) Dave's response: Regarding #3, that's probably something you saw on channel 16, the Fairfax County government channel. Not on Fairfax Public Access, channels 10, 30, and 37 (27 in Reston)..... Dave, I first want to thank you for the publicity for the added lineup on Sports Talk 1570 WNST. WNST has made a committment to get more local on the weekends and with the addition of Mark Suchy, Thryl Nelson and Rex Snider they have done that well. Today is the day I make my official Baltimore radio debut on Sports Talk 1570 WNST. I have been on filling in as a co-host here and there on WNST during the midday and afternoon so its been a nice tune-up for my debut. We have a packed show for tonight, I can't wait! I want to thank everyone for the nice comments and well wishes. I hope to be able to provide an informative fun and entertaining show. I am hoping to find my own niche in the market as I know the 6-8pm slot will go up against Steve Davis on WBAL and Anita Marks and or Orioles pre-game on 105-7 HFS/ESPN 1300. Starting next week we relaunch the WNST website which will be amazing and the kickoff to my themed shows, details on the way. If anyone is interested feel free to check out my blog at www.wnst.net... I had the pleasure of meeting Johnny Holliday at the Ed Block Courage Awards a few weeks back. I want to thank Johnny for taking the time to talk with me and for giving me his autograph and for his well wishes. He is truly one of the great ones. I hope to have Johnny on my show one day soon...Hope to hear from you via the phone or e-mail, 410-481-1570, michael@wnst.net For all you ESRTV fans, I will be penning articles on my great experiance as a DJ in the market. We'll see if I have the time from there to get that back up and going. See you on the radio tonight. -Michael Popovec 'Sports Night' M-F, 6-8pm Sports Talk 1570 WNST (4/2/07) What ever happened to Silvie in Waldorf? Was "she" unmasked? (4/2/07) Dave's response: Yeah, whatever happened to Silvie? Hmmm..... So glad the baseball season is here. Now I can watch my games in Standard Definition with 2.0 audio that isn't syncronized to the grainy video. Gee, I'm so glad the Washington Expos have come around and brought about the creation of MASN with them. It's so much nicer than having that nasty High Definition clear picture that CSN had and that clear Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound that made me feel like I was at the ballpark is now completely gone. Thanks DC, once again you've made all of our lives better. Just like the politicians, you take a good idea and screw it up. (I know, it's really Angelos' and Comcast's fault that all this came about, if DC were allowed to have its own network and the O's theirs, we would all be treated the way we should be...it's a real crock for both Nats and O's fans regionwide.) (4/2/07) Dave - I'd have to agree with your comments on The Globe. At first, the "new" music they added in was great....but now, just the same stuff over and over. How many times a week can they possibly play Death Cab for Cutie, KT Tunstall, Gnarles Barkley...not to mention the "cutting edge" stuff from The Police for example. Their pledges of music diversity, deeper tracks, less repetition are a joke given their current selection....all of which are simply missing in action. (4/2/07) Dave's response: The Globe is a wonderful idea for a radio station - mixing the underplayed great rock and alternative rock of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, when some new, adventuresome rock of today. Now that we've got a few months "under our belts" and have adjusted to "the concept," CBS really ought to be "pushing the envelope" and taking the station into bold "new territory." Perhaps it could start with one steadfast rule - no more than one airing per week of any song more than two years old. If you heard Pink Floyd's "Welcome To The Machine" today, Monday, 4/2, you will not hear it again on 94.7 until sometime after Monday 4/9. It's OK to play newer stuff more often. Call it "forced diversity." But it's desperately needed..... "On the XM portion of The Opie and Anthony Show...etc" leave ant alone he can do and say what he wants you are a queer (4/2/07) Dave had a chance to listen to the "TURD" oops I mean the GLOBE. GEEEEEEEZZZZZZZZZZ Would someone please put schelby(sp) out to pasture. It's bad enough that I can't pull over in traffic to scream at the top of my lungs. She is awful..I was willing to give them a shot at least while I am in D.C. but I can't do it and the stupid reading of song phrases and then telling me that these and other observations can be heard @ the "TURD" is stupid.... I agree w/ the other people who are tired of the same old shitty songs played to death. Hell CERPHE probably own's a million records why not let him break out some strange shit and make it interesting for a change. Nope the same assholes who run chain restaurants must be sending them "market research" stats to bore us radio people to death... For anyone who hasn't checked out 92.5WINC/FM out of winchester VA.during lunch should give it a try at least they mix it up a little.. Mark from B-TOWN (4/2/07) Dave's response: Oh yeah, WINC-FM. The station that sounds like Mix 107.3 - only better..... Ed Graham and "News expertise" mentioned in the same posting. Now there's an oxymoron for you. (4/2/07) THANK YOU!!!!! For your rant about sirens. I too have heard what I thought was an emergency vehicle approaching only to realize it was on the radio. I did not know where to go to vent my anger. As a nurse, I have seen all kinds of traffic related injuries and I believe that any little thing that we can do to make the roads safer is a GREAT thing. That does not include contributing to hazards by having safety minded citizens respond appropriately to what they think is a real ambulance or fire truck only to find out it was an ad on the radio or a dj trying to be funny. AGAIN, THANK YOU, Barbara Streufert (4/2/07) To the person fixated over 950 am WCTN and the repeated plays of the same oldie songs over and over. Turn Off the radio Now! I happen to know agents have identified you and have been sending subliminal messages to you by replaying "Love Grows Were My Rosemary Goes" Watch It!, the next time you hear that song it will prompt your head to Esplode clean off......and to the Clay Anderson naysayers out there is the more happy than any person should be Stevie Villanueva what you were looking for......Hell why didn't channel 4 go all the way and hire the winking and blinking weatherman Carlos Jaoquin from WFDC...can't WEBR set up something for Mr. Gibson to do his show from home like the award winning? Doug Goffus rack n' roll espress?........and over in the Cox cable tv land of toothless fairfax they've dropped the Discovery Health channel on the analog side to make way for more sh8tty beisbol on the masn 2 .Come on d9mn dummies the quality of beisbol has sucked for over a decade or so now, quit harking back to your yutes and thinking today's beisbol players are at all the the hustling and fundamentally sound players of yesteryear. Why beisbol ain't even the national pastime no more. Plus now I don't get to see all them conjoined twins, poor souls with huge things on their faces, and all the mommies giving births that make up most of the programming on the Discovery Health channel.........oh yeah the guy who's been doing nights since the Weasal moved to mornings on WTGB, I think he had been part of the morning team on WARW, bid adieu on friday night after 2 !/2 years, so he said, at the WARW/ WTGB and the Albie Dee heard doing weekends on WTGB....McRosenberger, WTGB seems to go computer overnites maybe someone with your marvelous skills should see if they'd hired you and you could weave your magically delicious way to the late night D.C. plus the folks at mcdonalds can say you once worked there......man my head hurts, watch it! (4/2/07) Dave's response: Mark Stevens gone from 94.7? Who cares! I've been having difficulty listening to The Globe of late. I'm just sooooo tired of hearing tired Police tunes played over and over and over. CBS is trying oh so hard to make the new WTGB an abject ratings failure. Why, oh why? And a damn bore, too boot. The Globe is getting so bad that it makes DC101 look like a cutting-edge alt rocker, which it's not..... Ed Graham, what sort of News background do you have? I read your frequent knocks of WTOP and Post Radio and I am curious about your expertise in the field. You may well have tons of experience, but I just don't know your background. Thanks. Fen. (4/2/07) I am also having audio issues on MASN and I am NOT happy. (4/2/07) Regarding last week's story about Tom Joyner bringing his Sky Show to Morgan and donating big bucks to the "Charm City black school". Morgan State University is an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in northeast Baltimore around the historic neighborhoods of Morgan Park and Northwood. In this day and age, a school with a history as rich as Morgan's should not be called a "Charm City black school". Both of these are terms from the 60s. Angela Jackson, Baltimore (4/2/07) Dave's response: I have changed that newsblurb line to - "He was at the campus Friday to hand over the donation in person." Is that better? Some do still call the place Charm City, though..... On the XM portion of The Opie and Anthony Show, Anthony really went off on one of the O&A message boards, opieanthony.net. Yesterday on April First (hint, hint) someone posted that Anthony had a heart attack. Anthony reacted with much anger. In fact, he reminded me of the time Don Geronimo freaked out when somebody did something similar about him. The ironic thing is that the first time O&A were fired they said that the Mayor of Boston had been killed in a car accident. That too was on April Fool's Day. Anthony went on to say that they were going to get lawyers to get the website's name (opieanthony.net) taken away and redirect traffic to a gay porn site. The thing is, the site is really ronandfezshow.net. If anyone types in opieanthony.net, they are redirected automatically to ronandfezshow.net. The whole thing really smacks of pot-kettle-black. Saying Mayor Menino has died in a car crash is okay. Saying that Anthony had a heart attack (but is alive) is bad. I think Anthony is being a hypocrite. Rick (4/2/07) My ratings reference goes back several years, and I didn't really make my position clear. Limbaugh on WMAL is great (somebody has to carry him and WMAL is the right station). I was trying to say the dependence on the audience of Limbaugh sticking around for Limbaugh clones is a mistake. You can only hold an audience for so long. Midday Rush is great, but if you want to beat WTOP in drive time, Rush is not the answer. WMAL used to about tie WTOP, now WTOP wins by a couple of shares. You may disagree with me, but I do research. The current path of the morning show may be showing signs of improved ratings, but I think WMAL could do better. The competition is not as strong as it could be. Ed Graham (4/2/07) Regarding MASN’s continued delay of the John Riggins show, I mean seriously now this is getting old. How hard is it to put up a few cameras in a studio, and a plastic sign behind the anchors that says MASN and John Riggins Show. How many months has it been? Hell Youtubers are better organized! Denesh (4/2/07) Rumor has it, that everyone at WMAL is running around scared..Could management and sales be in panic mode? (4/2/07) This is being written at 12:27PM on Monday, Apr 2. 950 AM WCTN just played "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" for the third time in a half-hour. Composers Tony McCaulay and Barry Mason must be happier than pigs in poop with the royalties they must be making from this one station alone. (4/2/07) MASN audio issues continue through opening day.. The channel was almost unwatchable with the distorted audio issues a couple days ago with the exhibition game between the Orioles and Nationals. Now there is virtually no audio.. So I called MASN and they said they were having no issues. Comcast seems to think it is on my end, which is funny because other people here have complained about the same thing. and ESPN on Channel 42, one channel away, has always had a lower sound level than every channel on the dial. (4/2/07) Great clear signal for WFAN this morning between 4:30-5:30am on 101.1 fm (WQMR) What's up with that? - tell Jack Gillen to feed the poor hampsters damn it....Was that IMUS or a weekday at Bernies I heard on FAN? 20-20 Sports....hell haven't heard 20-20 since my old San Diego radio daze...."Hitman" (4/2/07) Tuned into MASN’s Nationals pre-game show (12:12PM) today and it sounds like the audio is over-modulated a bit. After seeing a couple of Comcast promos on the channel it seems as if MASN is over-modulating. Poor start, fellows!!! Thanks Pete! (4/2/07) WMAL has had some of its best books in years recently Ed. Limbaugh has lead his daypart for years both adults and 12+. Also, the morning show has been climbing dramatically in recent months. You should look at the data before you shoot your mouth off. (4/2/07) "the Chocolate Jesus statue, live on the Opie and Anthony Show. The two went back and forth for about a half hour" And you actually pay money so you can listen to this??? (4/2/07) Hi all, In case you missed it this morning, Bill Donohue from the Catholic League debated Cosimo Cavallaro, the artist responsible for â?oMy Sweet Lord", the Chocolate Jesus statue, live on the Opie and Anthony Show. The two went back and forth for about a half hour, and the audio is available online: www.foundrymusic.com... The audio file is listed below: files.foundrymusic.com (4/2/07) Mike in Fairfax is like a broken record when it comes to coverage of sports on WTEM and it is annoying. But he is also correct. The various hosts' coverage of baseball, hockey and anything other than the Redskins and basketball is woeful. On another point raised by a poster, opinions are like you know whats, but I always liked the Kiley and the Coach show. I much preferred that to anything WTEM has now....... (4/2/07) Does Clear Channel have a buyer for the Salisbury/Ocean City cluster? It's been several months since they announced they would sell all stations below the Top 100 Markets, I would think something would be happening soon. By the way they paid nearly $35 million for those 8 stations, and are leasing many tower sites. I think the 2nd quarter is going to be interesting. (4/2/07) Roddy, you are correct! The WOL Morning Man at the time WAS "Big Bill" Heywood. But, Murray never did mornings at WWDC... only afternoon drive. UNLESS, he might have been filling in for Johnny H. My cousin, the late Charlie Schrider, had moved from on-air board- op'ping to production engineering at WWDC by that time. I know that the 1971 switch swapped Murray and Bobby Bennett, but they did it for about two years. I think that Murray the K went from WWDC to WHFS in 1972. And, yes... WOL was on 1260 and WWDC was on 1450 until 1950, when the two stations swapped frequency. - Ed. Rodriguez (4/2/07) Re: WMAL cuts news. The folks at WTOP must love when WMAL does something stupid. Remember when MAL and TOP ran about even with 4 shares? WMAL should offer better versions of what TOP does. News, traffic, weather, business, and sports; and fill in the talk personalities - - as opposed to the weak fill stories that TOP uses. WMAL's dependence on Limbaugh and his local clones is slowly killing them. Ed Graham (4/2/07) Hey, Dave! Rumor has it the Clear Channel cluster in Salisbury has been sold. First heard the rumor on Friday. I've been keeping an eye on the mailbag, but I haven't seen anything yet (or maybe I'm late to the dance). Seen anything on the topic? (4/1/07) Dave's response: Anyone know more..... MASN HD??? Most of the Orioles games were in HD last year whats up this year? (4/2/07) Quick note: The ESPN2 feed of the Orioles game tonight will be blacked out in the Mid-Atlantic region to protect the local television territory rights. That's standard procedure for ESPN/ESPN2 baseball broadcasts, excepting the Sunday evening national games. Everett W. (4/2/07) More Television of the Early 1950's... Beginning April 6 through November 2007 the Radio and Television Museum of Bowie Maryland will again revisit the earliest days of network television with a second in a series retrospectives of programming of the 1950s. Many of these shows are long forgotten and since most were broadcast live, they have not been seen since they originally aired almost 60 years ago. All the shows have the original openings and closings, and many have the original commercials. The museum is open free of charge Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., or by appointment for groups of 10 or more, and is accessible for people with disabilities. Location: 2608 Mitchellville Road. Phone: (301) 390-1020 or visit us on the web at www.radiohistory.org. (4/2/07) On Channel 9 News this morning they said there would be an announcement of an addition to the Sports staff tonight on the “Monday Night Madness” show Brett Haber is hosting at 8:30. The Post ran another ad at the bottom of the Sports section front page today, this time for the Nats on MASN. (4/2/07) "Memo to Mike in Fairfax. There's NOTHING of note to discuss in regard to the Nats, you DOUCHEBAG... Go find a few Nats blogs, and you can thrash about on the propects of Nook Logan hitting better than .280 until you pass out in a pool of your own drool." Wouldn't be surprised if that post came from a certain host on WTEM, because it's similar in tone to the way he replies to e-mails complaining about not enough baseball talk on his shows (or hockey or soccer or women's hoops or anything other than the NFL, gambling and his precious golf). Obviously, that particular host has no appreciation for the traditions and lore of baseball and devotes little or no time to boning up on the game. But time and time again, it's been demonstrated that baseball fits the sports radio format better than just about anything else (even football which has complexities that go over the heads of many of its fans). "Nook Logan hitting better than .280" type talk involving the Yanks or Mets literally keeps New York's WFAN in business. I'd be surprised if there's a sports talk station in any major league city outside Washington that has a problem with going to the phones on baseball, so the geniuses at 980 who seem to think football and basketball are the only sports that can light up the lines are shooting themselves in the foot (not to mention doing a disservice to the listeners). On another topic, the TV schedule posted on MASN's website now lists an Apri l 10 debut for the 5-7 PM simulcast of Triple X's John Riggins show (the day after the telecast of the Orioles' home opener). Apparently WJFK-AM's Anita Marks will be moving the start of her Baltimore based show back an hour (to 3 PM) in order to accomodate MASN and Riggo. The latter's final half hour may get preempted frequently by O's or Nats pregame shows throughout the baseball season. Mike, Fairfax (4/2/07) Today marks the first opening day for Baseball in Washington since 1971 when the Senators beat the Oakland Athletics. Tony Roberts and Ron Menchine were the broadcasters with Johnny Holliday doing the pre game show with Manager Ted Williams. Today, 36 years later, Holliday will also do the pre game show, this time on MASN with the MVP of the 86 World Series Ray Knight. Will we still hear "That Little Ole Righthander" jingle WWDC used as the shows intro? Shawn, Bethesda (4/2/07) Here's another WAFY/Frederick Doctor office complaint. I had minor surgery about a year ago in a doctor's office that played WAFY throughout, even in the room where they were performing my surgery. Do they think it's funny when WAFY plays "The first cut is the deepest" when a very nervous person is going under the knife? Not funny! I hope to never ever have to hear that song again! (4/2/07) I wasn't aware of the WOL/WWDC April Fool's switch, which apparently took place a few years before the WOL/WMOD stunt. Great story. (I also believe that many years before all this, WOL was located at 1260 AM.) -- Vincent in Triangle (4/2/07) /\ April 2 Messages /\ \/ April 1 Messages \/ I heard the WOL/WWDC April Fools switch; I was still at the U of M at the time. But it had to be earlier than 1974 because I graduated in 1973. Murray the K was doing mornings on WWDC at the time; I don’t recall whether Johnny Holliday had already left the station. I think the WOL jock was Bill Haywood, but I’m not sure. But Murray identified himself as Bill Haywood (or whoever the WOL jock was), and Haywood gave his name as Murray the K. Murray went over to WOL with his ego intact. The WOL guy (who was on WWDC) called Murray (who was pretending to be Bill) on the WWDC air. Murray said, “Murray, I’m doing a salute to you and your great shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theater.” I knew we radio people thought the switch was really funny but figured regular listeners were probably scratching their head. Roddy Freeman (4/1/07) Dave's response: I have audio of the Howard Stern April Fools' Day 1981 gag in which he flipped DC101's rock format to adult contemporary. If anyone wants a CD copy, make a $25 donation to DCRTV and send me your postal address..... Wish we Dish Network subscribers had the channel confusion about MASN that DirecTV customers have. Baseball is underway and Dish does NOT have MASN. And no plans announced. Nothing. Shows how much Echostar's Charlie Ergen cares about his subscribers. He wants our money but doesn't want to communicate with his customers. We Dish folks shall be loud: DUMP THE DISH! DUMP THE DISH! DUMP THE DISH! (4/1/07) The anony-poster is correct! The stunt between R&B and MOR jocks took place on April 1, 1971. It was conceived and organized by the late Murray "the K" Kaufman, who was doing afternoons at WWDC at the time. Everybody from WOL and WWDC switched, used the correct jock name for the station and rolled for 24 hours, with the only break being during Fred Fiske's "Empathy" show from 10PM-12Midnight. The funniest part of the whole stunt was, ALL of the jocks involved were such pros that you had to hear two or three breaks before you realized that something was up! IIRC, the teams were: Johhny Holliday and Fred "Soulfinger" Correy in AM Drive; Fred Knight and either Carryl "Mr. C" Hinson or Rudy "The Tall, Tan Texan" Runnels in midday, Murray "the K" and Bobby "The Mighty Burner" Bennett in PM drive; "Tiger" Bob Raleigh and Bob "Nighthawk" Terry in the evenings; and either Earl Robbin or "Easy" Ed Hartley and either Chuck Stevens or Smmy "J" all night. THAT was fun radio to listen to! Also, a quick sidebar; Dr. Jerry Carroll was a good friend of the late John Bodnar and used to come visit John at WASH occasionally when JB was doing afternoons and I was doing nights. Carroll was a really nice guy and, while he loved the Crazy Eddie money, was pretty self-effacing about the spots. - Ed. Rodriguez (4/1/07) Another issue with MASN2 and DirecTV seems to be channel number assignment. My DirecTV receiver guide and directv.com's online listings both show the 4/3 Orioles MASN2 game and the 4/6 Nats MASN2 game on channel 659, not channel 671. Is anyone else seeing it that way? I think they also used 659 a few times last season to carry CSN overflow when the Orioles and Wizards were playing at the same time. (4/1/07) The poster who wrote the semi-literate rant about Faux News answers every question I have about that organization and the people who watch. (4/1/07) To the intellectually challenged responder to my post about Mike "The Douchebag" in Fairfax and his belief that the Nats should be STORY 1A on sports radio in this town, nobody ever said the Nats should NEVER be talked about. In fact, they ARE! Too MUCH if you ask me. Every time I hear Steve and Andy plow through the "where will this team get pitching" exercise, I want to mule kick my car radio in. The Nats are like a brown patch in your lawn where you just threw seeds down and watered. You don't want to be staring at it all day, wondering "is it growing?" The Sports Reporters and WTEM spend a representative amount of segments every week on our hometown baseball team. The point, is that Mike "Ken Burns" In Fairfax, has mistaken WTEM for the "Baseball Channel." Go call Phil Wood. He'll talk your ear off. (4/1/07) Whew! Dave, you really had me going. Again, we really appreciate you and DCRTV. Personally, I am going through a rough period of adjustment having moved a few months ago and DCRTV is one of my connections to Maryland. Just wanted to pass along a great article by Paul Seiple that appeared in the latest edition of "Showcase" magazine which is available here in southwest, Virginia. I'm sure many will remember the band "Looking Glass". "Brandy" was their claim to fame and I was surprised to read that the song was originally the B-side of "Don't It Make You Feel Good". Both songs were destined for oblivion and it was Harv Moore who decided to give "Brandy" a spin and the song took off. Way to go Harv. I remember hearing "Brandy" for the first time on WLPL as well as "Jimmy Loves Mary Ann". To PLB: Paul, I know you were one of the WPGC Good Guys. Do you remember talking to "Looking Glass". Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC/WYTI). (4/1/07) (regarding a previous post) "When Sonderling Broadcasting owned both WOL-AM and WMOD-FM (now WMZQ), the jocks switched stations for much of the day, although if I recall correctly, the stations still played their own music (soul and oldies, respectively)." I'm pretty sure that the prank involved WOL and WWDC. I know Johnny Holliday would remember, since he was there when it happened. (4/1/07) Seems like big goings on at Moonie Central. They unceremoniously canned their director of marketing, Bill Sutcliffe, last week, and are expecting a few more changes at the top. This is a week or two after they brought on a new president, Tom McDevitt. He left the Times a few years ago and went to the Points of Light Foundation. He took over and they sent Moonie lieutenant, Douglas Joo, out to pasture. There are rumors that there will be changes at the top of the flat lining advertising department in the next few months. This would be good for you to investigate. There are also new rumblings that Rev. Sung Yung Moon's Harvard educated son is being groomed to take over the empire. Tony Rome (4/1/07) Fox news needs a major shakeup the daytime lineup stinks. The generation who grew up watching the Simpsons is growing tired of the fox news banter and want the sexy chicks back (laurie duhe) and bridget quinn and fire that girl who works the morning shift and that chick who works with bill hemmer she needs a realty check she's not in the right profession. Most of us young people who like the fox news network watch because there like us young and think we're hipper than we really are. Fox news is becoming boring and trying to be like the other guys HEY the other guys stink go back and be different it's what made FOX news cool if news can be cool??? (4/1/07) Here's an April Fool's stunt some of you may recall: When Sonderling Broadcasting owned both WOL-AM and WMOD-FM (now WMZQ), the jocks switched stations for much of the day, although if I recall correctly, the stations still played their own music (soul and oldies, respectively). It took place in either 1974 or '75. BTW, nice DCRTV prank regarding Steve Doocy, although if we're going to bring anyone from Fox News to D.C., let it be his former "Fox & Friends" cohort, the lovely, leggy E.D. Hill. -- Vincent in Triangle (4/1/07) Answer: Global warming, a faithful wife and The Rock & Leebo Show. Question: What is, "You'd like to believe it but you're still not convinced". "It's new, it's fresh and it's worth listening to!", said Frank Snorgenson, Leebo's boss at the hospital laundry, who has wanted Leebo out for years. Saturdays, 6P-7P, 1370AM WVIE. 50kw...and we plan on using every one of them! Southeast NJ to NOVA. Streaming live: www.V1370.com... Please listen and get back to me. Mom died and quite frankly...I miss the criticism. Rock (4/1/07) "In fact, we ran the exact same story on April Fools' Day last year....." Uh, not quite. I remember that last year's joke was that Fox bought WMAL, intending to change the call letters to the initials of Rupert Murdoch, and fired most (or all?) of the current lineup, to put or keep Fox News personalities on most of the day (with the exception of Limbaugh, if I remember correctly). Knowing your distaste for Fox News, you might have fooled me this year if you claimed that it was some anchor from MSNBC or CNN. However, it might not be too bad if Doocy replaced McDermott at WUSA. McDermott could easily find another spot to anchor, right? Maybe there's going to be a prime opening at Gannett's KPNX/Phoenix and he can be transferred there? Right? Wouldn't he like the weather? Come on, warm winters and everything. Doesn't he love warm winters? Sincerely, Mike in Kensington.... P.S. Recalling that WUSA hoped that HD by itself would notably improve ratings demonstrates that you really know your stuff. Good job there (4/1/07) Dave's response: Damn, you keep track of my April Fool's Day gags better than I do! I did do a "Doocy to 9" one before. Maybe two years ago. Am I right? I have been a volunteer with the Washington Ear for several years. Your 3/25 article was pretty accurate, however, I don't know if the general public knows that the Washington Ear is a radio reading service for the blind and visually impaired for the Washington DC area. Cody Pfansteihl, the husband of the founder, Margaret Pfansteihl passed away very recently. His loss has been acutely felt by all who knew him. He and his wife with the administrative director provided a balanced situation which made the operation work. I'm afraid that the firing of the administrative director and the subcontractor for the guts of the computer based radio station reflect extreme behavior which frequently follows the loss of a spouse or close relative. I have worked closely with these two individuals who were fired, and have experienced their reliability and selfless service. Their loss is particularly untimely in light of the moving of the operation to a new facility. The administrative director coordinated, among other tasks, audio description for blind and visually impaired theater patrons. Describers are able to broadcast live description of action on the stage through either FM or infra red systems heard by the patrons who were using receivers supplied by the various theaters. Morale is low. Some volunteers have quit because they can't stomach this action. Some are staying to support the other paid employees of the Ear, who have been victimized by the firings. These good people depend on theirs jobs for their living, however, the bottom line is that the blind and visually impaired subscribers to this free service, are the ultimate victims of the action. I don't know if this is a tip or an editorial comment. f you should decide to print any of this information, please know that I would prefer to remain anonymous. I have decided to stay with the ear for the time being and ride it out. (4/1/07) [pull quote:] Hey "Al Peterson", what's a Noo Yawker? Are you from f*cking Boston? [end quote] Nope, New York. Thought that was abundantly clear the first time. Oh by the way, Rite-Aid called - your anger management meds and horse tranks are ready for pickup. (4/1/07) Even though it's a joke Steve anchoring the 6 and 11 on 9 would probably do pretty well. Heck it couldn't hurt! (4/1/07) Dave's response: I agree..... When is the FCC expected to make its decision about a merger between XM and Sirius? JOHN IN STAFFORD (4/1/07) Dave's response: Probably by late 2007..... Anyone notice that 950 AM WCTN plays seems to play the same old songs over and over, especially the Four Tops? Don't get me wrong, they are a legendary group and their music speaks a thousand words. However, for a radio station to play the same ones over and over and sometimes in the same order is pretty bad programming. Does anybody know what is going on over there other than promos to buy time on the station? (4/1/07) Hey " Al Peterson", what's a Noo Yawker? Are you from f*cking Boston? (4/1/07) Dave's response: Hey hey hey! Who do you think you are? Barbara Harrison? Watch your language..... Crazy Eddie was featured on Masterminds about master criminals on upn channel 20 a few weeks ago. (4/1/07) So is the Steve Doocy news an April Fools joke or what? (4/1/07) Dave's response: Looks like we fooled someone in the DC bureau of Fox News judging by the e-mail address of the above post. In fact, we ran the exact same story on April Fools' Day last year..... Kiley and the Coach was without argument, the worst sports talk show this market has ever produced. The self-proclaimed Coach struggled with the english language to the point where even if it was meant to be schtick, it couldn't be perceived as shtick because his words could not be understood without a translator. For his part, Kiley was far to flippant and not nearly as funny as he may have thought although his knowledge-level on football was pretty deep. (4/1/07) (Obviously taped at night, NOT Sunday morning..) 12:00am is indeed Sunday morning but I doubt Lindsay was still out there almost an hour after the Florida-UCLA game. (4/1/07) In the Washington Post sports page. George Soloman had a suggestion for WRC(Channel 4) Hire Joe Theismann. Hmmm.... (4/1/07) Dave's response: Yeah, I'm sure budget-strapped NBC4 is gonna pay big bucks for a big name like Theismann. Riiiiiight. It would be more likely that Theismann would end up at Triple X, SportsTalk 980, or Washington Post Radio..... Hey Dave--- Thank you so much for the publicity! Still enjoying your site, continued best wishes. Steve Doocy (4/1/07) Dave's response: The real Steve Doocy! Golly..... Steve Doocy to channel 9?..O.K..Dave, and what OTHER April Fool's joke can we expect?? (4/1/07) Dave's response: Oh, I don't know. Maybe Joe Theismann to get a local radio show? Maybe with Dan Snyder's Triple X? Hmmm..... Saw former FOX5's Amy Robach doing the Sunday Today show this morning and she was doing great..Like her MUCH more than Campbell Brown. (4/1/07) From the picky, picky file..I do realize that the majority of the time, the weekend NBC4 sports segment is taped the night before. However, I find it quite amusing that a few minutes ago when it came on, Lindsey starts the segment off saying "This Sunday morning" and she's sitting outside of the Georgia Dome and it's pitch dark!!!..Obviously taped at night, NOT Sunday morning.. (4/1/07) Memo to the exceptionally talented poster who wrote the earlier "Memo to Mike" ' based upon your witty repartee, and obvious sterling command of the language - I'm sure your family is quite proud - only winning teams in Washington are deserving of discussion on sports-oriented radio formats. Let's see here...well, that would eliminate the Redskins, who at 5-11, played to a winning percentage of .312...so much for the Caps, who are near rock bottom in their conference in the NHL...you've already seen fit to quell any Nationals' conversation...so, obviously, you'd be content to hear only about the Wizards and DC United. Or, perhaps you'd prefer to ignore DC pro sports altogether and pursue an advanced degree in rhetoric. Better yet, you could teach it, given your vast skills of persuasion. (4/1/07) Dave- So sorry to hear that DCRTV is going dark after all these years. You have provided a great service to the community that will be missed! Alphonse (4/1/07) Dave's response: As you may or may not know, I am working on a movie screenplay based on the local radio broadcasting business. I'm moving to Hollywood to devote my fulltime energies to getting it finished and "sell" it. We're in talks with Jim Belushi to play the main character..... Surprising story about Doocey. Equally surprising were the stories that have gone unreported today (4/1) including the arrival of heavy construction gear in Damascus early this morning to begin the Birach tower farm, the overnight merger agreement secretly signed and approved between XM and Sirius, Snyder buying WPWC-AM to reach those southern 'burbs after 6PM, and George Michael firing up his own 24/7 all-sports channel on low-power TV stick WOFU2 in rural Greenhorn, VA. Maybe Monday we'll hear more. (4/1/07) Dave's response: Actually, I was planning to run an AF gag regarding Don Geronimo buying DCRTV and shutting down the Mailbag. But I thought it might needlessly upset the radio god and, ultimately, decided against going with it. Anyhoo, we will have some DG memories this week at DCRTV Plus. No joke..... the Chris Matthews video is now up at www.interfacemediagroup.tv (4/1/07) It's bad enough that I've had to abide WAFY at Every Doctor's Office In Frederick, but I really want to strangle the PD. "Key 103" gleefully states that they have a "no-repeat work day," but what they don't tell you is how they play the same songs every day! I have heard all I'll ever need of "I Can Dream About You," "Hold On," "Walking in Memphis," and "Midnight Train To Georgia," among many others. Ever heard of, say, Suzanne Vega? I didn't think so. (4/1/07) Memo to Mike in Fairfax. There's NOTHING of note to discuss in regard to the Nats, you DOUCHEBAG. They are a 100-loss team, with AA/AAA talent right now. To somehow think they should command top "shelf-space" on radio - like they were the fucking Yankees with 27 world titles is absurd. This is why there's something called BLOGS, numnuts. Go find a few Nats blogs, and you can thrash about on the propects of Nook Logan hitting better than .280 until you pass out in a pool of your own drool. Shit. (4/1/07) I just happened to have surfed to wapo radio today when one of those car dudes was giving his farewell. "Greg, the checks...Greg, the checks....Greg, the checks." (What's that about?) Is this another personality change over there? What programming are they to put in to replace the car dudes? No one ever said, at least not on air. I still miss Mr. Burd on weekend mornings. He was to weekend mornings was Larry King once was to the middle of the night. (4/1/07) Dave's response: My guess is that they'll expand the expanded car guy Pat Goss into the Warren Brown slot. Unless, WaPo Radio is trying to sound more like WJFK-FM. Then maybe it's infomercials and replays of the weekday shows. A "best of" Tony Kornheiser for Saturdays? Argh. Oh, Burd is still heard on WaPo Radio. He does weekday mornings before Tony - 5:30 AM to 8:30 AM. He's just more of an "early Burd." Oh, nevermind..... (Dave asked) Anyone remember NYC's Crazy Eddie? (end question) Ah yes, starring legendary pitchman "Dr. Jerry" Carrol from the former WPIX-FM. --- Proud Noo Yawker and production madman Al Peterson (4/1/07) Here's an odd thing. In the Washington Edition of the New York Times over the past week or so, in their (Washington/Baltimore) TV listings, it lists the two local NBC stations as 4-WRC and 12-WPRI. In checking the Providence, RI, TV station's listings (it's a CBS station), it seems that the station name is the only error, because they then list WBAL's programs, such as "Conversations with Carlos Watson" at 7 PM and the NBC schedule following. It's not a big deal, but it's funny that the Newspaper of Record doesn't have a single employee in Washington who actually reads the TV listings and could point that out to them to fix it. -- Carl in Olney (4/1/07) Dave's response: I once picked up the "local" version of the NY Post, which is printed in Baltimore, and it had the TV listings for LA (KTLA, KCBS, KCAL, KTTV, KCOP, KNBC, KABC, etc.). Strange..... I remember Crazy Eddie for three reasons. I grew up in NJ, I purchased my first stereo cassette deck there and because of my first year of college. I had three roommates. One was Manny, the pot head, never went to class but finally left the dorm in handcuffs when the cops raided the place. One was Hector, the Hispanic lover of women, who was always willing to 'share", even years later when I ran into him. I was walking down the street in Hackensack, I hear someone calling my name and its Hector. He has three women with him. I crossed the street and first thing he says is "hey Eddie, not bad for a college dropout eh. Look at me, I am a businessman!!!" And then there was KeeChi, the Korean. Every time he saw me on campus he would scream like a banshee,,,"There goes Crazy Eddie,,,HE IS IN-SSSSANNNEEE". Ahhhh, New Jersey. EAB. (4/1/07) /\ April 1 Messages /\ \/ March 31 Messages \/ Dude, for a one time fee of fifty bucks to get dcrtv plus instead of a T shirt I would rather have access to some nude photo's of some of those media cuties! (smile!) alvin (3/31/07) Dave's response: Great idea! We'll start on the right and move left..... An early MASN/MASN2 snafu was reported already. From reading the Ballparkguys.com discussion, the Orioles' MASN2 feed didn't appear on DirecTV. The satellite service eventually placed the Nationals' MASN feed on the allotted MASN2 channel. The first MASN2 regular season broadcast is with the Orioles at the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night so the bugs in this MASN/MASN2 system better be eliminated real fast. Everett W. www.ballparkguys.com (3/31/07) ("Speaking of Jack Luskin- anybody remember his "Cheapest Guy In Town" ads?..... Anyone remember NYC's Crazy Eddie? His prices are so low "he's insaaaaaaannnneeeeee".....") Yeah, but "Nobody beats The Wiz!" (3/31/07) Just confirming that Warren Brown did say goodbye today. They spent the last fifteen minutes of the show saying goodbyes. Got to listen to it because I spent 1 hr on 95 South going 12 miles. Counted 30 NJ, NY, and PA plates in about 2 minutes. Kevin (3/31/07) Caught the debut of MASN 2 for today's O's/Nats game. The only glitches I picked up on were there was no audio during commercial breaks (which I'm sure didn't please the sponsors very much). Also, Rick Dempsey seemed very uncomfortable in his new role as co-host of the pre and post game shows (though I thought he did well as color commentator in yesterday's game). Rusty Gibson (3/31/07) Dave's response: I noticed that, too. The ad breaks featured audio that sounded like you were listening to a phonograph record with a lot of "fuzz" on it. The audio during the game was fine..... Dave, haven't seen this on the site yet. Heard Warren Brown say today was his last show on WTWP. I guess this was inevitable after Goss came in and Warren's show was shrunk to an hour. Its a shame, I prefered Warren Brown's car industry centered show to Pat Goss's dipstick caller centered show. (3/31/07) Rich " The Coach" Gilgallon , is in Palm Springs. His show is on KPSI 920, 4-6. The show is called "da-Coach." - Doug (3/31/07) Regarding an earlier post, I’d be surprised if Best Buys sells seconds. What some of the big box electronic retailers do to insure that they have the “lowest price” (and offer to beat any price and not worry about actually doing it) on a particular model is, because they buy so much merchandise from manufacturers, to have unique model numbers on the stuff they sell. So if you saw a TV at say Circuit City with a model number of XYZ-1234 the exactly the same TV, made on the same assembly line, might be for sale at Best Buys with a model of XYZ-A1234. Although the sets are identical in every way the retailers will tell you that that they are not because the model numbers aren’t identical. So they won’t match or beat the lower price one of the sets may have at another store. (3/31/07) Carolyn: I think you are referring to Rich "the Coach" Gilgallon, who was on WJFK for a while after he left WTEM. I think he's now at a radio station in Palm Springs. His show with Kevin Kiley on WTEM was terrific. The best show that station ever had. (3/31/07) Speaking of Jack Luskin- anybody remember his "Cheapest Guy In Town" ads? One I can still recall had him peeking through a fence to watch a baseball game, while the WTOP announcer said, "Meet Jack Luskin- the cheapest guy in town." (3/31/07) Dave's response: Anyone remember NYC's Crazy Eddie? His prices are so low "he's insaaaaaaannnneeeeee"..... (FCC violation to intentionally and capriciously broadcast a warning signal to the public)…. “Warning signals” refers to EAS warnings and transmissions via and two-way radios… NOT the broadcast of a siren in a radio commercial. Point to the specific FCC reg please (number and part) where this “law” is contained. You can’t because it doesn’t exist. It was simply an NAB code – and a long since forgotten code at that. (3/31/07) This year’s Early Television Convention will be held at the Early Television Museum (www.earlytelevision.org) in Hilliard, Ohio (a Columbus suburb) on May 4, 5, and 6, 2007 and will include the following presentations: The DuMont Years" as told by T.T. Goldsmith, Chief of Research of Dumont and builder of WTTG (TV) in Washington, D.C. Presented by Don Patterson. Dr. Goldsmith began working for DuMont in the early 1930's after receiving his Ph.D. At that time they were working on improving the cathode ray tube. As time went, Thomas became Chief of Research and they began to enter the television market. Their first manufacturing plant was built from funds derived by selling the magic eye patent to Sarnoff for $19,000k. Thomas was instrumental in developing the television standards of today and was a member of the NTS Committee. DuMont was formerly employed by Lee DeForest and on occasion he would come to visit. Thomas would listen to some of his theories, take him to lunch and pay him a consultation fee. There are many interesting stories to tell from his position up until they were purchased by Fairchild Camera in the 1960's...... Television at Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 1931-1952. Presented by George Lemaster. George will trace the history of television at Kansas State University: from experiments in 1937 in the 2 MHz band to operations on Channel 1 (Post WWII), and experiments with color TV (CBS Field Sequential) and UHF...... Ludwig Von Drake Meets the NBC Peacock: Walt Disney and the Color TV Revolution. Presented by Jim Fanning. In 1961, Walt Disney moved his popular TV hour from ABC to NBC, specifically to revel in the creative and promotional possibilities in that network’s “Living Color” broadcasting. In what has been called the single most important programming event in the establishment of color television, Walt premiered Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color, the first weekly television show designed to showcase color, and featuring the only animated character Walt ever created for television, Ludwig Von Drake. This presentation—including clips, stills and advertising material—will explore the creation, marketing and colorful details of Disney’s Emmy- and Peabody-winning series, and its enormous impact on the public and industry acceptance of color television...... John Battison's Recollections of His Career in Television. John grew up in England, and recalls skipping school to watch television on a mechanical receiver. Later, he went to work for Ekco, helping to develop their line of prewar TV receivers. John moved to the United States from England in 1945 and went to work in 1947 with ABC in New York, where he designed network TV and FM stations. In 1952 he became the Director of Education for the National Radio Institute in Washington, D.C.. In 1954 he became the director of engineering and general manager of CHCT-TV in Calgary, Alberta. During the 50’s and 60’s he produced Burl Ives on the ABC Network and produced two shows on Dumont, CBS and NBC Networks. In 1964 John founded the Society of Broadcast Engineers. From 1968 to 1970 he worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as chief engineer of Saudi Television. Later, John did consulting work all over the world. Later, John became Director of Engineering of WOSU-TV in Columbus...... How RCA’s WWII Military Television Development Shaped Modern Warfare. By: Maurice Schechter. Modern warfare using remote transmission of images as a means of weapons guidance and aerial reconnaissance has its roots before WWII, to an inventor who saw the possibilities of an emerging technology and his boss who supported its successful innovation. The men: Vladimir Zworykin and David Sarnoff of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). The technology: television. This presentation will trace the development of military television from a memo Zworykin wrote in 1934 to the end of the war, where practical TV-guided weapons were used in combat. Included in presentation will be a demonstration of the very rare restored WWII television equipment used to guide these weapons. The complete system from iconoscope camera to the bombardier’s monitor with its green image will be making pictures over the air as if it was 1944 Among his many images, he will be showing archival footage of the developmental TV bombs, filmed recordings / kinescopes from actual bombing runs and an interview with the developer of Army Air Forces GB-4 television guided bomb used in the European theatre...... The RCA Russian Television Project and Beyond. By Waldemar Poch. The Soviet Union was one of RCA’s earliest export customers for television equipment. This was not surprising; given that RCA chairman David Sarnoff was a Russian émigré’. These exports included cameras, transmitters, production equipment and even receivers. What is less well known, is how this early work would influence the development of television in the Soviet Union for years to come...... In addition, the extensive collection of the Early Television Museum will be on display, including many operating exhibits. For further information on the Convention, please contact Steve McVoy at the Museum via e-nail at etf@columbus.rr.com or telephone 614-771-0510. The museum is located at 5396 Franklin Street, Hilliard, OH 43026 USA... Please feel free to circulate this announcement! (3/31/07) “he really needs to stop with his stupid 'dagger!" line when he thinks the game is over.” – Relax, Buckhantz has made that his signature call, you and probably the rest of us thought it was over and probably loved it when he said it. Tough loss. No need to hammer Buckhantz. (3/31/07) It most certainly is an FCC violation to intentionally and capriciously broadcast a warning signal to the public. WTOP's sales people may not know better, but their production people do. And so does the Chief Operator. This is the sort of behavior the FCC should be investigating, not Janet Jackson. (3/31/07) ("At one time it was an FCC violation to use sirens in radio ads.") I could be wrong, but I don’t believe it was ever an FCC reg… it WAS an NAB code, however. (3/31/07) so im watching the wizards game last night and while it sucked that they lost, you know what else did? Steve Buckhantz! he really needs to stop with his stupid 'dagger!" line when he thinks the game is over. he used it a bit prematurely last night when he thought the Wizards won, just like Michael Ruffin. (3/31/07) Hey, anonymous poster... Nice information on the Tidewater name and area. And, about 70% was even correct! But, since I did you the honor of identifying myself, would you please do the same... especially, since you were addressing me, directly? Thanks! Ed. Rodriguez former WGH studio cleaner for the Tom Scott and George Crawford Shows. (3/31/07) (Re: "At one point, the NAB had a standing request that no radio station used sirens in their ads. As broadcasters and production personnel have been replaced by voicetracking and automation, the rule has pretty much been remaindered." Wrapping yourselves up in an outdated law is a thin defense for using a siren in a radio ad. Two words for you: COMMON SENSE.) Um, just so you know, I fully support that rule, and took offense the first time I heard it. I think it would be great if NAB would send out at least two (because the first gets thrown in the trash with nary a notice) reminders that sirens in ads are not cool. Call the NAB. Call WTOP. I just sent them an e-mail. But it is not a law. (3/31/07) /\ March 31 Messages /\ \/ March 30 Messages \/ I haven't been to Montgomery County for more than a year but more than once, I pulled to the side of the road when I heard that (Ourisman "fire sale") commercial on the old 1500. JohnnyuinHanover.Pa.(3/30/07) Dave's response: Shouldn't an ad agency inform its client that it shouldn't be running a radio ad with a siren in it? Sheesh..... Mushnick can whine about the morality of this and that after he stops taking paychecks from a guy who has topless women on page 3 of one of his papers. (3/30/07) Dave's response: I like Phil Musnick. But he seems to criticize ESPN (and CBS and NBC) about 10 times more than Fox Sports. It wouldn't be because his newspaper is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who owns Fox? Nah..... At one time it was an FCC violation to use sirens in radio ads. (3/30/07) Hey, Ed, there is no city named "Hampton Roads". I think you meant the city of Hampton (it is the oldest continuous, English speaking city in America - Jamestown and Croatian were abandoned by the English settlers). Also, Tidewater includes York County, Mathews County, James City County (a county), Isle of Wight County, and the city of Poquoson, and I believe the city of Franklin. The name of the harbor where the James River and Chesapeake Bay meet (right next to the Atlantic) is called Hampton Roads (it goes back to colonial days, however, it was spelled Rhoads by the Brits. In the 1980's the spelling was Americanized. You can still find articles from the 1970's Daily Press newspaper talking about "Hampton Rhoads". "Rhodes" refers to the shipping lanes. It has nothing to do with highways. The area got the name "Tidewater" because the fresh water is affected by the tides (the water level rises and falls based on the gravitational pull of the moon. This does not happen in most fresh water areas). I have also seen the name spelled "Hampton Rhodes") The local chambers of commerce stated using the term "Hampton Roads" as a way of making the area larger to marketers and government funding. Back in the day, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Portsmouth was called "The Southside" and Hampton, Newport News, York County, and Poquoson was called "The Peninsula". These two terms are still used today, however, chambers and other leaders prefer to use "Hampton Roads". (3/30/07) Trying to find some of the technical stuff - HDTV channel assignments, etc. but all the links seem to be circular, right back to the same page. i.e. DCRTV Plus. -- Paul L. Howard (3/30/07) Dave's response: Yes, we've moved many of our "tech specs" to our Plus side. It's only $5 a month. You can also find local HDTV channel assigments on our free side via our main Station List..... Luskins? Do I hear bait & switch! Oy, oy, oy. And I wouldn't walk into Worst Buy with your money, or yours, or even yours. I read a couple of years ago that Worst Buy sells seconds; unbelievable if true. Ever hear that? I think it was a Wash Post. story. Also, back in the late 90s bought a computer at Worst Buy. Hard drive died within the first 2 weeks. The manager at Worst Buy didn't want to help; told me to call the company's tech folks (I bought the home tech service). I did. They transferred me to Compaq who agreed to send a technician to my house and I got a new hard drive; no charge. Stay away from Worst Buy. Just an awful place. (3/30/07) Dave's response: Amen! I'd have to say the best electronics retailer in the area is Microcenter in Fairfax. Nice and knowledgeable people but still not the perfect buying experience. Too much reliance on mail-in rebates and sometimes a hellishly slow checkout. I have a PowerSpec (Microcenter's store brand) bargain-priced computer that has run flawlessly going into its fifth year. Knock on wood..... Man, if ANYBODY earned the right to say "shit" on live TV, it's Meredith Viera. Did you see what happened to her? www.break.com (3/30/07) I strongly agree with todays rant about banning sirens in advertising and as some shows use for background effects. I’ve said this to my wife for years. It does pose a danger while driving. When I hear a FCC no-no word on the radio atleast it does not cause me to slam on the breaks and looks around. We have enough problems with Ahole drivers as it is! (3/30/07) Dave's response: Add to that ads with certain beeping noises which mimic the beeps that cars deliver when something's wrong..... Why the concern that O&A are queers? I'll still listen. They are intellegent. Just axe 'em... (3/30/07) Re: "At one point, the NAB had a standing request that no radio station used sirens in their ads. As broadcasters and production personnel have been replaced by voicetracking and automation, the rule has pretty much been remaindered." Wrapping yourselves up in an outdated law is a thin defense for using a siren in a radio ad. Two words for you: COMMON SENSE. (3/30/07) Amen to your rant about sirens on radio commercials. Heard that same Ourisman ad on WTOP this afternoon. It was especially scary because the siren is faint, so it really does sound like it could be coming from outside. I usually direct my ire toward the advertiser (I know where I won’t go shopping for a car…, but I think it would be a great idea for radio stations to voluntarily ban these types of spot. – amy in germantown (3/30/07) Dave...another "rant" about a Bonneville station. WOW! I actually agree with you...there isn't a place in commercials for sirens, horns, etc... But to also be fair to WTOP, this isn't something I can remember ever hearing before on WTOP. however, I do hear this often on other stations...most recently, just the other day on WJFK...and it wasn't in a commercial (3/30/07) What the heck is the deal with these TV people falling asleep all the damned time? Is it that boring of a job? Last month, a top-rated WABC anchor was canned for dozing off. And now this poor schmuck .... kutv.com (3/30/07) Hey Dave: This was in this morning’s Roanoke Times --- about a few cable companies refusing to carry…. The National Pastime…! www.roanoke.com... Not all getting O's new network... Some cable providers in SW Virginia are passing on MASN, which owns the Orioles' TV rights. (3/30/07) Re: "At one point, the NAB had a standing request that no radio station used sirens in their ads. As broadcasters and production personnel have been replaced by voicetracking and automation, the rule has pretty much been remaindered." It wasn't voicetracking and automation that did in the NAB Code. The NAB withdrew the Code in the 1980s after the Department of Justice took NAB to court claiming that the limitations of the amount of commercial time broadcast stations could air was a restraint of trade. Even though the legal issue had nothing to do with sirens, the baby was thrown out with the bathwater.-Vincent Wasilewski (3/30/07) WMAL is now sending out a weekly "e-mail" to subscribers. Mine just arrived. Al McGilvray (3/30/07) Dave's response: Lucky you..... I'm listening to Ron and Fez on XM202 today. They were celebrating Fez's birthday when Ron said that regular guest and the show's Firday movie critic, Paul O., was calling in to make an announcement. Paul O., in a sad sobbing voice, said that his wife, known on the R&F show as Gail O., died on Wed., apparently (but not actually said) of a suicide. Gail O. was known on Ron and Fez as being mentally unstable for a number of years and was an ocassional show guest herself. Paul O. said that there would be a memorial service for Gail O. in Tampa on April 14th. Didn't know if you had this info yet. Chuck in Illinois (3/30/07) The Sexiest Local Newscaster comes out next moth. Great. My vote is for Tracy Neale. JOHN IN STAFFORD (3/30/07) DC’s XM Radio is putting its marathon broadcast of baseball music and vintage audio on the Internet for free. XM launched the channel “Play Ball!” this morning at 6:00 am ET with the song “Play Ball!” by DC native Bill Kirchen. The temporary channel will air through Monday, April 2, at 5:00 pm ET to mark the start of baseball season. The channel is available as part of a free, 72-hour trial service on the Internet at listen.xmradio.com. For XM customers, Play Ball! is located at XM channel 200. The creative minds behind the channel are XM chief creative officer Lee Abrams and senior program director (and former WHFS morning drive host) Lou Brutus. XM airs every game for every Major League Baseball team. It will carry three feeds for Sunday’s opening night game on separate channels: the St. Louis Cardinals feed, the New York Mets feed, and the ESPN feed. (3/30/07) (Regarding today's Rant about WTOP running an ad with a siren sound:) At one point, the NAB had a standing request that no radio station used sirens in their ads. As broadcasters and production personnel have been replaced by voicetracking and automation, the rule has pretty much been remaindered. (3/30/07) If you go to foxnews.com and click on the "pop tarts" link the first two stories are that P. Diddy can last 30 hours while having sex with his girlfriend and that Lindsey Lohan goes braless. The haadline for that one was Lindsay likes frozen nipples,accompanies with photos. HOW IS THIS NEWS AGAIN. I doubt Lindsay Lohan likes frozen nipples, I'm sure Brit Hume does though. (3/30/07) TONY: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. Regards, Fluffy (3/30/07) Dave's response: Paul Farhi's eyeballs..... Remember when WJFK had a Saturday morning Redskin show with Michaels, Charles Mann and another guy I remember being called Coach. He moved to CA to do a sports show. Whatever happened to him? I always thought he was great. Thanks, Carolyn (3/30/07) Putting aside the fact that WTWP will be stuck with Kornheiser's extended sabbaticals while he does MNF, his current radio show just isn't very good. The woman he has with him is terrible and her hysterical laughing at Kornheiser's lamest attempts at humor comes across as annoying and forced. He also misses some of his co-hosts that he had at WTEM. (3/30/07) "to all the people below who say they dont care about o and a are queers" use your caps and grammar more better. signed a queer (3/30/07) Sirius tv service coming to a car near you? From engadget.com: “Sirius spilled quite a few details on its self-descriptive Backseat TV service back at CES, but the company's now thrown up a bit more info on its website, along with the news that the setup will be exclusive to Chrysler vehicles for the 2008 model year. That deal will apparently begin with the 2008 Chrysler Town & Country and 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan minivans, followed by other Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles later in the year. It also looks like the system will be a tad more expensive than was earlier reported, with the factory installed option now carrying an MSRP of $470. In addition to the necessary hardware, that price will net you a one-year subscription to the service (which now includes Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network), after which you'll have to fork over $7.95 a month on top of the $12.95/month for the standard Sirius radio service.” Not appealing to me; I just use my slingbox to stream my Comcast cable on my treo. Ok, the screen’s not as big, but it gets the job done. (3/30/07) When Best Buy entered the DC/Balto market and our area was experiencing a similar expansion by Circuit City (nee: "Dixie Hi-Fi Warehouse"/"Custom Hi-Fi"... originally owned by the Ward family of Richmond), the Jack Luskin's stores quietly closed their doors... only to be quickly re-tooled as "The Big Screen Store". Another privately-owned regional chain which bit the dust around that time was "Reliable Home Appliances" or "RHA". (Interesting fact: Jack Luskin got his start in Charm City of the late '40s by offering to install a rooftop antenna with every TV he sold. Luskin hired antenna installers from the ranks of Baltimore's firemen who were accustomed to climbing atop high buildings!) (3/30/07) Is Rob Spewak on the Kornheiser show? Who the hell is behind that annoying laugh? (3/30/07) Barbara Harrison would be a good spokesperson for those annoying VW commercials where "SAFE HAPPENS" (3/30/07) (Tony Kornheiser today apologized for the flow of yesterday's show (Idol, cancer lady, more Idol). He must have read the mailbag critique from yesterday.) What, he didn't want to have his pet squirrel scratch the eyeballs out of all his loyal listeners (after it got done with Paul Farhi)? (3/30/07) What no mention of WJLA HD status…:) They will soon be the only market in the top 12 not showing Wheel and Jeopardy! in HD. A few more showings of "Karate Kid II" might get enough cash in Joe's piggy bank to buy some HD equipment, perhaps from a underpaid sales associate at Circuit City. (3/30/07) AM 1260 and the Bill Press Show. Pat on the back a job well done comment (which is rare, it seems in radio these days) Just listened to some fast paced, with listener phone calls, intelligent talk---between Bill Press and his fans. And, it sounded great! Bill was asking whether he should speak at a scheduled 'Impeach Bush' rally on Capitol Hill. The comments that were broadcast from callers seemed well formed, and clear headed. I'm not a loyal listener to any radio talk shows these days. But, I was impressed by the pace of the show and how well the the segues between local traffic and weather were handled on WWRC. Rita, Silver Spring (3/30/07) Thanks for the Georgetown mini-rant below. Sometimes it's hard to state even the obvious. Regards Biff (3/30/07) Just wondering if there were any updates in regard to WTTG or WRC upgrading their newscasts to HD. I saw a press release a while ago (like back in July) stating that WTTG had gotten an equipment order, and, judging by the visual quality of the newscast lately, has installed some of it. WRC, on the other hand, is facing an eventual corporate-forced upgrade. Back when WNBC went HD, DCRTV reported that they were towards the end of the list--maybe even at the end. I still find that hard to fathom that, given that they have such a push on local news there, and recently underwent that long and expensive lighting upgrade for HDTV. Love the site, BTW. It's one of the first things I chcek every day. (3/30/07) to all the people below who say they dont care about o and a are queers (3/30/07) Who is the best dealer of electronics? More accurately, where can a person go to get the best advice without bullshit? Is SACD dead? JOHN IN STAFFORD (3/30/07) Dave's response: Where's Jack Luskin these days? "What ever happened to Stacey Cohan?" I saw her last week locked up in Roger Ailes' basement... Who friggin knows: it's "Fox" News. Actually, here is her last posted report: www.myfoxdc.com... Now: about Don & Mike.... (3/30/07) The Back Room(?). You stuffed shirts missed some great radio last night. Troy & John on HFS with CC Deville was out of control. These guys are wacked. How they get so much out of a show is either brilliant or the best "accident" I've heard in a long time. CC talked of the British prisoners and his brush with flying turds in the big house in the span of 8 minutes. Don't know if these guys are that good or just lucky, but I'll be listening from now on just to find out. Robert, Baltimore (3/30/07) Comcast SportsNet is pleased to announce that Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty will mix it up with Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Michael Coleman about Saturday's Final Four game between the Georgetown Hoyas and Ohio State Buckeyes. Comcast SportsNet's Russ Thaler will moderate. "Mixing it Up: Politics and Sports" will air during Friday's Washington Post Live, which airs live on Comcast SportsNet from 5-6:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. (3/30/07) Dave's response: Will Dan Steinberg do his Tony Kornheiser impersonation on the show again? Love to see that..... /\ March 30 Messages /\ \/ March 29 Messages \/ (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) CAT COUNTRY and MAX 92.5/Salisbury have immediate openings for part time air talent and board operators. Please contact Joe Edwards at joee@radiocenter.com or at 410-219-3500. Delmarva Broadcasting is an EOE. (3/29/07) I see that it is the same old story at Georgetown just twenty three years later. An all-black team (with the same token white who never plays), a black coach, an all white student body that fawns over the players but in fact would never be caught dead near them if they weren't basketball players going to the Final Four. And the same clueless white sports people that report breathlessly from wherever this team is playing. Same thing in 1984, repeat in 2007. (3/29/07) Fox 5 has to be the only station in town where people are hired, work awhile and then just disappear. Someone previously asked about Karen Myers who mysteriously just stopped appearing on the newscast..And now someone asked about Stacey Cohan. I had pretty much forgotten about her since I hadn't seen her in awhile..And now, it appears that Lark McCarthy may be "weaning" herself off the morning broadcasts since it seems that she's only working a few days a week now..So, just as Karen Myers and Stacey Cohan have just disappeared, more reporters will begin to show up and then disappear..Really strange. (3/29/07) I never lived in the Tidewater area..aw..but from where I live, back in the late 60s/early 70s, I have fond memories of listening to what I feel was a great country station there (WCMS)..I drove my folks crazy listening to that station; they programmed country music 24 hours a day; 7 days a week (something that was sort of rare back then)..but this was only true..if you listened on FM! I wonder if long-time morning man Joe Hopple is still on the air in the "Tidewater" area? He was on WCMS for a long time; he was there until the owners decided to switch the format from country to classic rock; it seems to me that Joe went to the "AM" side for a short while; then..it seems as though he did a "country classic" show on what was then a new country station at 93.7 (I understand that they've ditched that format for sometime now)..anyhow..back when I listened to WCMS (as well as all the rest of the stations in that area, they all called it "Tidewater! I don't know who or why it got changed to "Hampton Roads! Tom in Denton, MD (3/29/07) Man, reading the Mailbag lately is like stepping into a steaming pile of 1998: Mancow? Howard Stern? Don Geronimo? Could there be a worse pack of has-beens? Oh yeh….Opie and Anthony, the never-weres. It never ceases to amaze me that the least listened to people on radio get the most play in the Mailbag. Can anyone say “masturbation”? (3/29/07) Due to overwhelming response The CW Washington and WKYS-FM will hold an open casting call for the hit show "America's Next Top Model" this Saturday, March 31st at H2O Bar and Restaurant between 7 - 9 pm. We're looking for women from the Washington Metropolitan Area ages 18 to 27, at least five foot seven in height and from diverse backgrounds. One lucky woman will be chosen to represent the region and will have her shot at meeting with a Hollywood casting director for cycle 9 of "America's Next Top Model." For more information please visit The CW Washington website at www.thecwdc.com and click on the "America's Next Top Model" Casting Call icon. The ninth season of America's Next Top Model airs this fall on The CW Washington, WDCW-TV. (3/29/07) I too worked at a Circuit City many years ago. The sales people then were paid by "spiff", a commission based upon margin and availability. If the product had good margin and lots of stock, then the spiff was high, otherwise the spiff was low. Sony televisions had the worst spiff - as low as 75 cents on a $500 unit - JVC then had the best spiff - a similar $500 tv would pay $15 or more. Right before the re branded themselves a few years ago, they ran a report and found their top 20% salespeople - and fired them as a cost cutting measure. Further layoffs followed soon after. The fired people knew how to use the spiff to their advantage! Maybe that was why Bait and Switch was always mentioned - though when I worked their if a customer came in and asked about the advertised product you were required to show it to them and offer to sell it to them even though the spiff was probably pathetic on that piece. Oh - at least back then the commission was 20-33% of the Extended Warranty sale. The manager loved or hated you based solely on whether you could sell that piece of crap. Oh there super secret spiff code was in the order screen on the computer. The column said something like "stock". H meant 50 cents, Q meant a quarter, and whole numbers were themselves, and reversing the next two numbers gave you the margin. So if the stock column read 4Q02 that meant 20% margin and $4.25 spiff. I will not buy from them either. (3/29/07) I grew up in the Norfolk market. It is, always has been and always will be "Tidewater." Also, the NAW-folk pronunciation is largely a creation of local broadcasters. I remember as a kid, all of us said "NOR-folk"...the only ones saying "NAW-folk" were people on TV and Radio. You can debate it all you like, but I lived it. (3/29/07) In answer to Everett W.'s concern about the Nats being dropped from WTRI...both the Nationals and the Frederick Keys have a shared radio home on Vegas Radio/WTRI. We've been the home of the Nationals for the area covering Frederick and Loudon Counties since day one season one & are very happy to now offer the Frederick Keys a radio flagship as well. We'll have Charlie & Dave for 24 day games for the Nationals & Adam Pohl will continue doing play-by-play for the Keys on-air for a limited 28 games schedule of day games as well as online at their website for the entire season. See the press release and schedule here: www.frederickkeys.com - Steve Ray - Middays/Music Director - Vegas Radio/1520 AM WTRI (3/29/07) You may not want to go to the Q&A with Jeff Gannon, or James Guckert, or whatever he calls himself these days. Mr. Gannon/Guckert, with his nefarious press credentials, had taken every opportunity he had to publicly lie. He lied on his resume. He lied in framing questions to the president's press secretary and the president. He lied to the White House Press Corps. And, he continually lied to the American people on Sean Hannity's radio and television shows (After Guckert would lie about the Democrat-du jour, Hannity would call him "A terrific White House Bureau Chief.") Partisan political swipes are one thing, but to "bear false witness," against the opposition party, which Mr. Guckert did on many occasions on national television and radio, is quite another. There is no need to hear this liar speak. And before some yahoo comes along and states it is my "opinion" (or some crap like that) that Guckert "lied," Senator Reid never talked about "soup lines," and Senator Clinton never spoke about the ecconomy being "on the verge of collapse," as Guckert claimed they did. Oh, yes, and don't get me started on his fabricated "War on Christmas" news. You want more? (3/29/07) People, people, people... I was unaware that some "squatters" had moved into the area and begun playing fast and loose with the names. Here's the deal, from a veteran of the World's Greatest Harbor... WGH: Tidewater is the regional name for the Six City area which, as I count, has about seven or eight actual cities. Norfolk (Pronounced perfectly by the lovely and talented Fat Ammon as, "NAW-fuk!"), Newport News (pr: "Newpert News"), Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Hampton Roads, Williamsburg or Suffolk. Number Six has always been kind of a multiple choice! Good luck, good news and good grief! Do you all really think Murrow was that sanctimonious? He was still at CBS when the put that game show host and infomercial-shill Mike Wallace on to do hard news! It's broadcasting. It's supposed to be fun. - Ed. Rodriguez, WGH Newpert News/ NAW-fuk, Class of '76... 10PM-1AM. (3/29/07) Is it me, or is the front page to washingtonpost.com redone a little. Denesh (3/29/07) Dave's response: Yeah. Looks a tad "cleaner." Look, I don't mind ads on website. I realize that they help "pay the bills." But I hate those nasty Post site ones that clog up the entire top of the page for what seems like the better part of a minute, obscuring the story I'm trying to read. Let's hope they've jettisoned those with this revamping..... RE: "OH look-Booger and the speed bumps at HOT 995 are doing the same old promotion of pick a purse. Is this all your "inner circle" can come up with. The same sh-- over and over again. Just like your music rotations. Is that what research told you? It's been now a year since you came to the market. Have you had an up ratings book? Can't wait to see your next trend." I'm NOT a Hot 99.5 hater, but the level of incompetence there is absolutely amazing. This IS their research. This IS their music rotations. You CAN'T make this stuff up! I'm stunned, considering the reputation these people came to town with. For those of you who miss Z104 (circa 2001-death), just tune into Hot 99.5. Oops... my bad, all 2 shares of you do! Fascinating...kind of like watching Britney Spears these days, or even better, the late Anna Nicole Smith. What a FUSTERCLUCK! (3/29/07) Dave's response: Hey folks. Watch your language. This is not NBC4..... What ever happened to Stacey Cohan? She jumped from Channel 9 to Fox, to be the morning 'features reporter', but appears to have vanished lately. (3/29/07) Woooo...O&A going after Mancow...it's war, they say? There isn't a damn bit of difference between the three of them. They'll say and do anything to get attention, just like most of the others out there. Who cares? (3/29/07) Hey Dave I don't listen to OPIE AND ASSHOLE but I do listen to the 'COW quite often here in Ocean city and who really cares about O&A anyway. I mean they got fired years ago for their stunt at the church and then got hired back on to normal radio BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH...It's the same old shit with them. At least Mancow's show moves along and he keeps plenty of listener's entertained on their ride to work or while they are just tuning in to hear some decent radio for a change. O&A and D&M are all the same anyway THEY SUCK..At least the cow is interesting to listen to. If you don't like him then turn the channel..It's pretty simple. AMF my friend from DELMARVA........... (3/29/07) Congratulations are in order for Shawn Stepner, and all station staff, for the recognition Shawn and the station has received by winning a Regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. The competition for this type of recognition is fierce yet the quality of Shawn's piece rose to the top! This is the second year in a row that NBC25 has been recognized for it's "Sports Reporting". Great work. Have a great day! Hugh J. Breslin, III, VP/GM/GSM, Hagerstown, MD (3/29/07) While I didn't hear it, that most have been some edgy radio this morning, Anthony and Opie going after the one any only Mancow. WOW! Those guys are crazy. Wait until the skateboarders get out of school today and find out. (3/29/07) Tony Korheiser today apoligized for the flow of yesterday's show (Idol, cancer lady, more Idol). He must have read the mailbag critique from yesterday. (3/29/07) Ah. Now I understand why my Rochester Red Wings no longer play the Tidewater Tides in the International League. (And a PS to all you Angelos-haters down there in Baltimore...you've got plenty of company up here, where we're now much happier being affiliated with the Twins. Shame, too. It was a good long run the Wings had with the O's for all those decades.) - Scott Fybush, NorthEast Radio Watch, Rochester NY (3/29/07) Dear all, The Q&A with Chris Matthews that happened Tuesday is now up on the website at Q&A CAFE TV at www.interfacemediagroup.tv. If you missed the lunch, here's your chance to be there. We look forward to Wednesday, April 4, with sportscaster George Michael, who will give us a look back at "March Madness," a look at the home stretch of the pro basketball season, and a look ahead to the season of major league baseball, and specifically Washington Nationals baseball, and very likely an update on the Redskins, too. We'll also talk about what happened with his job at Channel 4. It's going to be an interesting and entertaining lunch, and we hope you'll be there. The following week, Thursday, April 12, we welcome John F. Harris, editor of The Politico, and author of books on the '08 presidential campaign and the life and times of Bill Clinton. Yes, we will ask him what happened with his paper's botched "Edwards quitting the campaign" story, but there's loads more '08 campaign politics to talk about, too. This race evolves daily. Jeff Gannon will be the Q&A on Thursday, April 19. The one-time White House correspondent for "Talon News," Jeff is currently writing a book about his sensational experiences in Washington as a man with a hard pass and access to the most exclusive briefing room in the world, while also working as a male escort and featured attraction on hotmilitarystud.com. Upcoming in May: Mark Shields, Peter Greenberg; in June: Tina Brown. As always, the doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30, the fee is $35, all inclusive, and for reservations please contact Jon Moss during weekday business hours at 202.338.2000. I hope to see you at the Q&A Cafe Carol Joynt (3/29/07) Dave's response: Oh, do not click on hotmilitarystud.com if you're at work. Or if there are children present. Or if your wife or mother is nearby..... How slow are men in Slow Hill, Maryland? My husband keeps tuning in to watch the Anita Marx Show on MASN (Miami Area Sports Net) waiting for the good looking girl to show up on screen, I keep telling him that the good looking one is not Anita it's the one that does the Pre-Post game stuff and I can't think of her name right now, But I know she does have three of them (names that is...) My question is with all of the talent in the Baltimore/Washington area did we have to import a Miami (by way of Longggggg Island I'am sure) girl with little or no talent ? Maureen Angela in Snow Hill, Md. (3/29/07) I am so sick of radio stations like Jack fm being so sloppily programmed. This morning on their 9 at 9, they played nine songs from 1980 and went into Carrie by Europe. They should call themselves "Joke FM"... (3/29/07) This news just came out a week ago but I just found it while searching now. The Frederick Keys minor league baseball team signed a deal with WTRI/1520 for expanded game coverage this season to include all Keys afternoon games. The Keys will webcast nighttime games on frederickkeys.com. Of course, the flip side problem is that if WTRI airs the Keys in the afternoon, it can't air the Washington Nationals. We may want to find out if the Nationals have been officially dropped from WTRI. Everett W. www.frederickkeys.com (3/29/07) OH look-Booger and the speed bumps at HOT 995 are doing the same old promotion of pick a purse. Is this all your "inner circle" can come up with. The same sh-- over and over again. Just like your music rotations. Is that what research told you? It's been now a year since you came to the market. Have you had an up ratings book? Can't wait to see your next trend. (3/29/07) Ain't the Imus show racheted up the number of commercials on the show? It' makes for some frustrating listening, that Imus is a stupid pathetic moron idiot who snorks coke and cheats on his nasally sounding wife......and the Glob during the days does seem to have taken on a playlist tighter than that old nun's.....boring....and why do folks continue to attribute a hipness factor to SERF( i know how it spelt) that ain't been ther in decades, he left 'hfs for bigger tings didn't he.....hell even dumbarses like don and mike saw the jive factor in the dud e.....hey that's very cool........anyone catch the faux morning show on channel 5 this morn, Wayne Newton and Joe Pisscepo were the guests and it appears that Joe is now going to the same hairdresser that dyes Newton's hair only Pisscepo appears to have shaved his eyebrows off and paints new ones on with a black sharpie......say any chance that Mr. Hughes might hire Ashley Alexander, most lovely intern on the Imus show, to replace the numbnut on Unzipped...I'd be the old 2 inches from my transistor...the problem is if circuit city goes blooey that just leaves best buy, yuk!....without this here internet the buying choices of the consumer out there on the streets sucks.....any word on Virgin Music opening a store in D.C. area....geez I miss Tower! (3/29