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DCRTV Mailbag - April 18 to April 23, 2007
Latest messages listed first.....
\/ April 23 Messages \/
Happy Birthday to Ed Walker!! PLAY IT AGAIN, ED! (4/23/07)
From the 'Who Gets To Say What' Department, The New York Times reports: "CBS Radio suspended two hosts from an FM station in New York City today after an Asian-American advocacy organization complained about the broadcast of a six-minute prank phone call to a Chinese restaurant that was peppered with ethnic and sexual slurs." www.nytimes.com (4/23/07)
Are all the music request callers on the Globe the same guy? (4/23/07)
To the person "Regarding HD Radio" Can't they make a radio that you just turn on and it works. You had to purchased 22db amp. antenna. Juat to get the thing to work. HD radio needs a lot of work, if they want the average person to buy one. Just make a radio that you turn on, and it works. (4/23/07)
I’m old fat, white, opinionated, insensitive, politically incorrect, loud, obnoxious, funny and quite humble. I still have a decent set of pipes. My question is this, should I come out of retirement now, for the I-mans job or wait for Rush to quit. G Broadcast Spokesman (4/23/07)
Re: Your Pat Collins picture (on today's DCRTV Plus Flashback):
If it's from 1975, it's not from WRC. He didn't start at WRC until 1986 (check his bio). He worked at 9 and 7 before he left for Chicago, and then started at 4 when he returned. I'm not sure if he was at 9 or 7 in '75, though. (4/23/07)Dave's response: Anybody know more?
Nice laaaaaaaaaazy kid you raised Don. Don't spend your all of your 10 million, he's gonna need some of it.....wow (4/23/07)
re: Whereabouts of Dave Kellogg? (Robert Rice
"Dave Kellogg") Last heard he was selling real estate in Ft. Myers, Florida for Remax. (4/23/07)It looks like WIOO Carlisle PA is not giving up in its efforts to move to AM 1010 @5000 watts in south central PA despite its impact on Baltimore's AM 1010. They've re-filed their recently dismissed application with additional photos to support their claim that Radio One has abandoned its WOLB AM 1010 licensed facilities and is "warehousing" their licensed 1000 watt contour while operating at a much lower power indefinitely (which is apparently exactly what Radio One is doing). If they succeed & their FCC waiver is granted, WOLB 1010's signal would most definitely be affected to the northwest of Baltimore. Anyone know the reason why Radio One has not been able to complete the diplexed facilities for WWIN 1400/WOLB 1010? Technical or monetary reasons? (4/23/07)
Turns out it's Brian Mitchell's show that got shortened from three hours to two in order to fit Doc Walker into the morning mix on WTEM (no schedule change for either John Thompson's program or Sports Reporters). The producer and sidekick for Walker's new show is Jay Cotrell, formerly part of Steve Czaban's First Team on Fox. Walker is going head to head against Tony Kornheiser on Post Radio, attracting the hardcore sports fans who aren't all that interested in hearing in depth critiques of American Idol. So three general interest sports talk shows in Washington, DC are now hosted by ex-Redkins - Walker, Mitchell and John Riggins. I'd be surprised if there's another city in the US where a similar situation exists. Fortunately, all three have been more than willing to deal with non-football sports topics, although it's clear that Riggins doesn't devote much time to brushing up on the other sports and has to rely on his sidekicks when they're being discussed. Sports Reporters really seems to be getting off course these days, with Czaban allowed to get away with far too much sleazy nonsense. Last Friday's show was a total disgrace that included an entire segment spent discussing Alec Baldwin's angry cell phone message to his daughter. To make matters worse, Czaban later played a salacious soundbyte from one of the ESPN anchors (who doubtless never expected it to see the light). Meanwhile, he and Andy Pollin barely discussed the NBA playoffs (other than Wiz/Cavs) and never even mentioned the NHL playoffs, Nats or upcoming Yankees-Red Sox series. Not that they ever talk seriously about hockey, but come on - Alec Baldwin?? Mike, Fairfax (4/23/07)
Regarding HD radio: To the individual who mentoned that he got an Accurian HD Radio and isn't satisfied with the reception and onlu=y uses the standard DiPole antenna that came with it. You get what you pay for. Radio shack does some products very well and others, poorly. Radio Shack carries the Accurian HD Radio and The Boston Acoustics Receptor radio. Both retail for between 200.00 and 300.00. I chose not to purchase either one. I have the Radiosophy Multistream HD which retails for 269.00. It is a tabletop with some innovative features. radiosophy.com... They just introduced their less expensive HD-100 for 119.00. They seem to be more oriented to the audiofile and not the masses. If you have a question, they do answer the phone, Live! I am very happy with the product and the company. However, the antennas that come with the product are not enough to pull in the HD signals if you live in a fringe area like I do. I am 25 miles NW of Boston. I needed a strong antenna. So I went to Radio Shack and shelled out 32.00 and purchased their VHF/UHF/HD/FM antenna that has a 22db amplifier with gain control. You still have to point the rabbit ears in the general direction of the signal, but once you lock it in, and turn gain control to the limit, it comes in just fine for any station within 50 miles. Remember that you have to receive the main signal well before you can get the HD signal and then the HD-2 transmission. The Radiosophy model has many special effects to elimate the "tinniness" and a USB dock to connect to the internet to download upgrades when they are available. As far as HD technology goes, I assume that the reception problem will be improved with time, and down't throw the baby out with the bath water. HD radio is broadcast radio's only hope to compete with satellite radio. (4/23/07)
Does anyone know whatever became of former WPGC, WEEL (& many more stations I'm sure) personality Dave Kellogg? What a great set of pipes he had! Rusty Gibson (4/23/07)
Leebo - Hey Rock, did you know Dave Hughes is a chiseled Black dude?..... Rock - What makes you say such a rediculous thing Leebo?..... Leebo- I saw his photo on the Mailbag page?..... Rock- Yea Leebo, and that's also Dave, well hung with the bald hairdo wearing Liddy's thong. Leebo, just tell the Mailbaggers about our show..... Leebo- The Rock & Leebo Show, Sundays..... Rock- No! That's Saturdays..... Leebo - Oh yea...at 5PM.... Rock- 6PM you rube!..... Leebo - That's right...on the B, 13-something...... Rock- It's TheV -1370AM. Fun family entertainment...until Leebo opens his mouth...... Leebo- That Dave Hughes is a God..... Rock- Finally something we can agree on!..... Well hung radio! The Rock & Leebo Show, Saturdays, 6P, 1370AM WVIE Balmer...streaming live: www.V1370.com (4/23/07)
Dave's response: Oooookay. Hey, I saw G. Gordon Liddy on coverage of the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. Man, he has big ears. Inhumanly large, in fact.....
No, No. Paulie says "Chevy Chase, what ever happened to him" - Not whatever happened to the DJ. Chris in SOMD. (4/23/07)
Gotta hand it to CBS. Pulls the rug out from under their affliates by dumping a morning show for doing what it has always done....and then sues a 1400 watt AM station which tried to make the best of a bad situation and pull off a last hurrah. YOU DICKS. Steve from Iowa (4/23/07)
In my opinion, if Washington's 99.5 is having transmission difficulties from spillover from a nearby station, complaining to 99.9 in Frederick is a case of looking in the wrong direction. It seems to be that 99.1 from Annapolis constantly pins the meter in its sound; it always seems to sound distrorted from being right at 100% loudness. It never sounded that way when it was WHFS, and certainly not when it was WNAV-FM (your elevator music station). And it can't be the format, because Latin FM stations in Miami and New York sound perfectly clear and great to listen to when zipping along the Turnpike (NJ or FL) with the windows open. Does CBS really think the Spanish speakers prefer distorted sound? I can't believe that they do. -- Carl in Olney (4/23/07)
There are several posts about how bad AM radio is in Washington, D.C. today. I agree with them. I can't find much that is interesting to listen to on the AM dial. However, I give credit to WMAL for pretty much getting listeners by aiming its broadcasts to a large consevative audience in the D.C. area. That core audience will always be there for them. I would put the same material on the air if I owned the station. I have heard WTNT. Could it be considered a WMAL wannabe? Michael Savage is so over the top that he almost seems like a cartoon. Is he the 2007 equivalent of Archie Bunker? JOHN IN STAFFORD (4/23/07)
Re: 4/23 rant. dave, for someone that hates Kornheiser's show, you sure do listen a lot. As you would say...hmmm (4/23/07)
Dave's response: I support the troops but am against the war. Look, what Tony needs is a producer who'd advise him to go ahead and do the WHCA party bit, but don't lead with it. You'll sound like a pompous ass. Granted, radio is a tough business. The Posties are still on the learning curve. And they still have got a long way to go. Tony's got to realize that he's no longer on that AM sports talker which almost no one listens to. He's now on an FMer with a tower in Warrenton (golly). It's big time radio, baby.....
RE: NBC4's "full color four" Here's the complete list Rusty.., MAC McGARRY,RAY MICHAEL,WILLARD SCOTT,GENE ARCHER,PAUL ANTHONY,HOLLY RIGHT,MAURY HIGDON,KENNEDY LUDLUM, LEE DAYTON, STEWART FINLEY and PHIL GAINES. I think that’s it at least that's all the names my Father rattled off when asked the Question. As noted in another post BRYSON RASH was never part of the full color four he was a newsman. Where are they now???? Jim Simpson spends his time between Scottsdale Arizona and the island of ST. Croix. We ran into him last summer at dinner in downtown Bethany beach Delaware at Sedona restaurant.. He looks great. If I should see him again this summer I'll tell him to send a post to DCRTV.............Thanks. MARK McGARRY (4/23/07)
Hey Rupert, What's with the hardon you now seem to have for Tony Kornheiser? Do you dream of being tag teamed by him and Doni G.? (4/23/07)
Dave's response: When will you "little brains" realize! Buzz Burbank's the man for me! It's those tight t-shirts and that lefty mind! Yum!
I agree with those who are singing Charlie Slowes' praises. He is excellent. His partner comes across as a bit stiff to me, but he really isn't bad. Overall, they are a pretty good team. (4/23/07)
I wrote WETA about using their HD signals, and they have "no plans at this time". With all the great public radio content out there, they can't be bothered; meanwhile, WAMU is using both their HD signals to bring good content to the area that can't be found elsewhere on the dial. WETA already broadcasts in HD, so it can't be an equipment cost upgrade issue. More likely, they're lazy and don't care. Lame. (4/23/07)
If you listen closely in this week's "Sopranos," you'll hear a radio ID of Fredericksburg classic rocker WWUZ, 96.9, during Tony and Paulie's drive from New Jersey to Miami. Paulie even wonders "whatever happened to him" as they pass the Chevy Chase exit on the Beltway. (4/23/07)
Here... This is for the people who can't get over John Chester's picture being in black and white on WETA's site. The aspect of the site that bothers me is the site designer specified the wrong height value for the picture, making Mr. Chester look like he has a squinky eye (at least according to the way my particular browser re-sizes the picture). And all the pictures need tweaking to make them not look like they came from a dozen different sources. And... ~~CA in BC (4/23/07)"WETA made a terrible mistake by switching to classical music. WAMU is now the premiere public station in the area." If that's true, explain to me why the entire WAMU news department quit leaving only a news direector and some student interns? (4/23/07)
WFRE is reducing power by about 5% to allow co-owned WBIG to move to the WMZQ tower at full power. I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference in WFRE's signal. One or the other station could have installed a directional antenna. In truth "nondirectional" FM antennas very often differ by more than 5% from nondirectional once mounted on a tower. The FCC goes along with the fiction that they are really nondirectional. (4/23/07)
Dear Dave: Just wanted to echo the thoughts of SR (I'm assuming Steve Ray) regarding Charlie Slowes, and I'm writing this as one who has no personal or professional relationship with anybody on the Nationals broadcast team. When the move of the Nats to DC was announced, naturally I was wondering who would do the play-by-play. I was a little bit familiar with Charlie Slowes' work, but didn't know how well he would do in calling baseball. As a listener, I've been very pleased. One of the beauties about baseball is that you don't need a ticket to a game or a television to easily visualize in your mind what is happening on the field. But for that to happen you need a good play-by-play guy. For my money Charlie Slowes does a great job of describing a game that I can very easily picture in my mind what is happening and not feel like I've missed anything. Most importantly, his approach is such that the game being broadcast is what is of importance, and not himself (unlike certain play-by-play guys of other teams, and I don't mean just baseball). He also comes across as a friendly sounding person, so much so that you would feel comfortable inviting him into your home. I don't know who the listener is who is critical of him (and, typically, the post is unsigned) or of those who are like-minded, but I can attest just by word of mouth as well as through the various Nationals chat boards the past three years that the critics are in minority. Among Nationals fans, the phrase "Bang-zoom go the fireworks...a curly W is in the books" will live for quite a while. Now if the pitching staff can develop over the course of this season, then... Great site Dave! (And good Lord! Have I been really posting on this board for the past 10 years?!?!?) Sincerely, Joe Kasell (4/23/07)
Dave's response: The very first DCRTV Mailbag occurred in September 1997. Ten years of your life you'll never get back.....
Whoever the knucklehead is who posted the critical comments about Charlie Slowes has no idea what he/she is talking about, doesn't know baseball, and doesn't know baseball broadcasting. Charlie and Dave make the game interesting when the team is often hapless, they know strategies, and know the nuances of the game. I refuse to watch MASN because of Angelos, but I have heard both Carpenter and Sutton. Carpenter is adequate; but Sutton has been a shameless homer, more interested in pleasing his bosses than calling the game objectively. (Shawn in DC) (4/23/07)
Monday's New York Times has an article about Clear Channel's KZPS-FM in Dallas. The station will no longer run traditional 30- or 60-second advertisements. Instead, advertisers sponsor an hour of programming, during which a D.J. will promote its product conversationally in what the company calls integration. Everything old is new again! In the golden age of radio and TV, ad agencies "owned" various hours or half-hours that were sponsored by a particular product or company. Yet another desperate move by Clear Channel to fix radio - after wrecking it in the first place! XM, Sirius and iPods keep looking better and better. www.nytimes.com (4/23/07)
I took my 61 Chrysler out over the weekend (first run since last fall). All it has is an AM radio, and the awakening was rather rude. 1500 had Pat Goss on, and he's about as tough to listen to (and put up with) as anyone I've ever heard on the radio. He's a genius in his field (I dealt with him 30+ years ago when I was in auto parts and have run across him off and on since) but he's way out of his league. The really bad news is that the choices that remained were horrible. WMAL's offering was pretty lame, and everything else was either sports or a language I didn't recognize. The bottom line: by moving WTOP off the AM side, Bonneville has formally made that band completely useless. I'm taking that car to a lot of shows this season, and I'm not a happy camper. (4/23/07)
Dave's response: AMen! The AM band in Washington DC is officially dead. Except for the occasional "post mortem" twitch from Andy and Grandy (oh, wait, it's Grandy and Andy - sorry Fred).....
Did Bonneville sell 104.1 to Radio One or reached an agreement by which Radio One programs the station and I guess pays Bonneville a fee?...I presume Maryland Public Tv has canned the Brit Coms on Saturday nights for continuous infomercials. Same thing on Saturday mornings. Watched the end of Bleak House on channel 26 last night and they ran a GEICO caveman commercial with Talia Shire(Rocky's wife) as the shrink at the end...is this crossing the rubicon in terms of showing commercials on public tv?.....Lonnie Solomon quit blowing all the cash getting this radio airtime to toot your horn, instead use the money to help po' folks...not a sermon just a prayer...well i've gave the Glob one last time after 1 am and it's now commercials du jour and same sh9tty song selection as daytime...eff you Glob....looking for alternatives try WFMU or WMVY online....which if John Simson & CRB get their way won't be on line for long. I'll be reduced to going in backyard and beating on an old paint can for my musical entertainment watchit! (4/23/07)
Dave's response: So far, Bonneville's merely renting out 104.1 to Radio One. Remember, up in NYC, the NY Times rented out 1560 (heard here at night - Radio Disney) to ABC for a number of years before agreeing to sell it.....
I've noticed with my HD radio that certain stations disappear and then come back days later. Stations that I get a very strong, reliable HD signal from normally (100.3, 101.1) will suddenly go to very strong stereo for no reason and then days later reappear. I'm not talking about the usual reception issues, that's not the case here, I can be in the middle of downtown or anywhere else during one of these periods, and nothing. Anyone else notice this? (4/23/07)
Dave's response: I've had my HD Radio for about two weeks, and have yet to hear WBIG 100.3 deliver HD. And it's one of the strongest signals at my location. So, if it was offering it I should be getting it. Right? Maybe it has something to do with it moving off Arlington's WAVA tower (which is being torn down) to Falls Church's WMZQ tower?
"......They are the type of folks who are only happy when they complain...." Why would a true whiner bother posting on a message board that no one reads? WETA has become another irrelevant black hole on the FM band. I don't know anyone who listens. What few people do listen certainly don't donate. A certified whiner goes for maximum whine exposure. I can't believe they took the message board down. I thought only WTEM did stuff like that. Wasn't the black and white photo always in black and white? It certainly does look silly. It gives the impression that no one cares over there. I don't blame them. We don't care either. (4/23/07)
I can't believe that an announcer at WETA simply wouldn't show up for a shift. On the other hand, why didn't they go to sattelite on Saturday night instead of hauling another announcer in? The black and white photo clearly doesn't fit in with the other photos. It does give one the impression that someone doesn't know what they are doing there. I bet the people at 90.9 are laughing at the posts and speculations. They know their jobs are safe so they probably don't care. Thank God for WAMU and WBJC. (4/23/07)
(WFRE has) been asked to cut power back to accommodate Hot 99.5. Can you say "up for sale?" (4/23/07)
Dave's response: Would "cutting back the power" at 99.9 really help 99.5? And what would the FCC have to say about that?
In Huntington on Saturday (04/21) the West Virginia bureau of the Associated Press held its annual awards banquet. Shenandoah Communications' TalkRadio WRNR AM 740 earned four first-place awards - Outstanding News Operation, Outstanding Sports Operation, Best Sports Talk Show and Best Regularly-scheduled Sportscast. The Martinsburg station also earned two Honorable Mentions - Best Regularly-scheduled Newscast and Best Talk Show. Earlier, WRNR-AM earned three awards from the West Virginia Broadcasters Association. Regards, Al McGilvray, News Director, TalkRadio WRNR AM 740 (4/23/07)
/\ April 23 Messages /\
\/ April 22 Messages \/
The staff announcers at WRC-TV were also staff announcers at WRC AM/FM and some of them had major air shifts. McGarry did afternoon drive IIRC. (4/22/07)
(snip) HD radio issues aside, NOBODY tunes into to listen to Charlie & Dave over Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton during the Nationals games. None of us can figure out WHY the Nats keep him. He is TERRIBLE. You can't discuss Bob and Charlie as play by announcers in the same sentence, it is an INSULT to Bob. Just think what your ratings might be if you replaced Charlie with an announcer that we could listen to and respect? He is just awful. (end snip) Sorry, but by using words like "NOBODY" and "TERRIBLE" and generalizing everything as 100% fact to describe your personal preference you lose the discussion. If you look at recent fan forum discussions on the Nationals website, as well as on NatsFanatics.com and other fan driven blogs you'll find exactly the reverse. When a fan made similar comments about hating Charlie's voice on the Nationals official fan forum he was overwhelming contradicted by forum posters who not only liked Charlie's pace, content and vocal style but felt much more at home with him than they did with Don Sutton's flat delivery. Even the best are not for everybody. There are Los Angelinos who feel that Vin Scully is too old school, there are Baltimore and Bay Area fans who never liked the story telling abilities and sing song delivery of Jon Miller, and there are, of course, Chicagoans who thought Harry Carey was a parody of his former self as he got older. Charlie Slowes probably does more with the team performance he is given to describe and the constraints of the live reads and features he has to read contractually during the broadcast than any other announcer I've worked with in over 20 years of producing major sports broadcasts...and that includes my all-time favorite, the late Bob Starr, who did more with a live Snapple read in the middle of Angels play-by-play at KMPC than most could do with a grand slam home run call. His "Bang Zoom there go the fireworks!" and "Put another Curly W in the books" are now as much a part of Nationals team history and lore as The Wilk, Soriano and Zimmerman. You might think I'm biased because I am Charlie's friend, but I don't need the job enough to kiss Charlie's ass. Straight up is how Charlie, Dave, Jack & I deal with each other and he knows I don't NEED to defend him here. You have your opinion and although it may be in the minority, it's still a valid one if it's based in fact - not misconceptions and ranting generalizations. I happened to have liked Tom Paciorek on last year's MASN team, but the team thought differently. I love the fact that Johnny Holliday is on the MASN pregame show, you couldn't ask for a better local legend. Ray Knight stepped in it with DC fans when he talked about "loving the Baltimore crabcakes" on his first telecast, so he needs to learn a bit more about the area's rivalries. And it's a well known fact that I preferred Phil Wood and Craig Heist to do a long-form Nationals program on off days and in the off-season, because I know they 1) are at the ballpark everyday and 2) in Phil's case, have an encyclopedic knowledge of DC sports history, but my single opinion is just that and I don't spout it as if it were the gospel according to every ass in the seats. Give us some insight as to why you don't like Slowes instead and you might just raise an issue we can work on to improve or a feature to change. - SR (4/22/07)
Rusty, Full Color 4's announcer was Mac MacGarry. Bryson Rash had become the Public Affairs Director by then and, IIRC, also did an occasional commentary. Jim Simpson, who also did morning sports updates for WASH-FM during that time, left NBC to join the brand new sign-on staff of ESPN. We were flabbergasted that a network would try to program sports 24 hours a day and even more flabbergasted when Jim told us how much he was getting to go there! At the end of the negotiation, the contract offers were identical. So, Simpson asked them both to include his wife's travel expenses. NBC said they didn't want to set a precedent and ESPN agreed to pay. That was sometime around 1980 or 81. After ESPN, Jim did play-by-play with Brooks Robinson on the Orioles' TV broadcasts. Last I heard, Jim was retired and living in the Caribbean; St. Croix or St. John. And, Dave, Simpson never owned WFMD/WFRE. That was the late Jim GIBBONS. who used to do the Redskins broadcasts on WTOP with Eddie Gallaher as color-man. Gibbons and his wife, "Beans," both passed away within the last 5-10 years and, shortly after that, his family sold the stations to Clear Channel. One more item for those who had not heard: the oldest surviving Gibbons son, Tommy, passed away last year from cancer. Jimmy died much earlier, in a fall from the old Cabin John Bridge in Glen Echo. Ed. Rodriguez (4/22/07)
Nothing wrong with Charlie Slowes calling Nationals games. His partner is so stiff that he sounds scripted. Like he has specific lines for certain situations. Good voice but too stiff. TV's Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton are excellent. Nats are trying and hopefully they'll win some games along the way. (4/22/07)
The staff (booth) announcers at WRC-TV in the '60s included Ray Michael, Gene Archer, Maury Higdon, Mac McGarry, Lee Dayton and Willard Scott. Pretty plush gig when you consider that most of the time, they were simply saying "Full Color Four" over the Channel 4 logo for the legal IDs every 30 minutes. Bryson Rash was a newsman not a staff announcer. By the mid-'60s, Jim Simpson was working for NBC sports. He was the #2 play-by-play man for AFL (American not Arena!) games behind Curt Gowdy. As Simpson's career was winding down at NBC in 1979, he was signed by the then-fledgling ESPN. According to Wikipedia, Simpson retired to the Virgin Islands. Jim SIMPSON never owned WFMD. Jim GIBBONS, another local sportscaster who did time at WRC-TV in the mid-'60s, DID own WFMD and WFRE as well as stations in Roanoke. Gibbons sold his broadcast properties to Capstar in 1998. As a result of several consolidation transactions, the stations are now owned by Clear Channel. (4/22/07)
Dear friends, Please book a seat for this week's Q&A Cafe. The guest on Thursday, April 26, is DC City Administrator Dan Tangherlini. I understand city government isn't the most exciting subject to mull at lunch, but I promise better than that. Also, if you are a DC resident, or work in DC, or play in DC, or shop or eat in DC, or get medical attention in DC, or pay any tax to DC, it won't hurt to learn more about the agenda of the Fenty Administration. Dan Tangherlini is one of the smartest people in city government - in this or any other city. He was head of DC's office of Transportation at the time of the 9/11 attacks and helped to devise the city's emergency preparedness plan. He oversaw the so-called "Georgetown Project," in which Wisconsin and M streets, and some adjacent thoroughfares were rebuilt. He was briefly interim head of Metro until Adrian Fenty asked him to be the city's new administrator. Seriously. Please book a seat. Right now we have ten reservations. So, you know, I'm almost on bended knee here, asking for an hour of your time on Thursday and $35 for a good meal, too. For reservations please call Jon Moss at 202.338.2000. Last week's interviews with Harlan Ullman and Jeff Gannon should be up on Q&A Cafe TV by tonight or tomorrow. If you weren't there, please give them a look. Also, remember: if you have bookmarked nathanslunch.com, please change it to nathansgeorgetown.com, and clean out your cookies, too. In a few days, nathanslunch.com will be defunct. Thanks ... and I hope to see you this Thursday. Carol Joynt (4/22/07)
Some strange goings-on. On Friday I was driving west on the Pennsylvania Turnpike about 8:00am listening to WFAN from New York when suddenly the signal dropped out and for fifteen minutes I was treated to a Christian radio station from Spartensburg, SC. (yes I know that at daybreak some weak signals can carry far outside their normal range but this was at least an hour after sunrise). Then at 9pm that night I was in a motel room near Johnstown, Pa when I tried to get the Nats game on 1500AM with no luck and by chance turned the dial to 1200AM and for fifteen minutes heard the game on WAGE from Leesburg. (4/22/07)
Am trying to remember whom the "Full Color Four" staff announcer was during the sixties. I'm guessing either Mac McGarry or Bryson Rash. And on another note, does anyone know whatever happened to Channel 4 part time sports guy (&ocassional NBC play-play-man) Jim Simpson? His nieces were high school classmates of mine(@ W.T.Woodson). Rusty Gibson (4/22/07)
Dave's response: Didn't Jim Simpson once own WFMD/WFRE in Frederick?
980 is the worst run station in the area. They are just reheating leftovers with the new doc walker show and not trying anything new. Rather sad since they have potential there, they just keeping making bad decisions. Gene (4/22/07)
"the whiners who posted on the message board are the same people who donate when they are happy." - No they are just whiners. They are the type of folks who are only happy when they complain. (4/22/07)
HD radio issues aside, NOBODY tunes into to listen to Charlie & Dave over Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton during the Nationals games. Charlie's radio voice is like nails on a chalk board and his calls are minor league at best. I have had this discussion with several Nats fans. None of us can figure out WHY the Nats keep him. He is TERRIBLE. You can't discuss Bob and Charlie as play by announcers in the same sentence, it is an INSULT to Bob. Just think what your ratings might be if you replaced Charlie with an announcer that we could listen to and respect? He is just awful. (4/22/07)
...to the " I have been a broadcast journalist in this town for over 28 years" poster: It's Edward R. MURROW; not Edward R. MORROW. And you call yourself a broadcast journalist? Ed Murrow may forgive broadcast journalism for its coverage of the VT shootings, but certainly won't forgive you for misspelling his name! Yeesh! (4/22/07)
Classcial music no longer belongs on the FM band. WETA is a good example of the worst of both worlds. Bored former commercial announcers presenting boring music. I don't blame the evening announcer for not showing up. I wouldn't either. I hope he didn't bother to call. Classical music belongs on HD radio. Great music with no announcers. WETA used to be an exciting public station. Now it's a bland commercial reject. The whiners who posted on the message board are the same people who donate when they are happy. (4/22/07)
Ok. I was trying really hard to keep my mouth shut. But, there have been several "HD Radio is crap" posts commenting on signal coverage. First, the 'cause' has nothing to do with HD per se. It has to do with certain constraints of the laws of physics, laws of regulatory bodies and those who refuse to admit that receiver design options have improved far more than have transmission options in the last 50 years since the FCC rules were created. HD is really the only advance in transmission since FM Stereo. HD, for the time being, transmits at 1/100, yes, 1% of the station's allowed ERP. Pretty amazing when you think about it. Yes, we can make it higher, but we aren't. Second, I have a table top radio, the Accurian, sitting on the first floor of my home, in Eastern PG County outside the Beltway. I pick up every Washington HD signal, including WJZW which is clear on the other side of the Beltway. I can pick up most of the Baltimore stations as well. WIYY comes in just fine in the middle of the WMAL antenna field!! I can drive all of the signals. I can drive WCSP from DC to the Habor tunnel in Baltimore. At least one DC station makes it nearly to the other side of that tunnel. If you can't pick up an HD signal or have to stand on the roof, your radio might be defective, you might have the wrong antenna connected (yup, got a nice service call out of that one where someone was sure the HD transmitter wasn't working) or the station you are seeking might not be transmitting in HD. Or, you could just by a Luddite trying to spread disinformation. (4/22/07)
Dave's response: You have nailed the problem - HD Radio's great if you're a radio engineer who has the time and energy to endlessly fiddle with receivers and antennas. For the average "Lou Luddite," HD Radio is just too much of a pain in the arse. He's just spent $300 for a receiver that can't get 1/20th what he can get on XM or Sirius. I'm on the second (top) floor of a condo that's at about 500 feet elevation about halfway between Tysons and Dulles and am using two different antennas. And I still have trouble picking up reliable HD signals on 90.1, 90.9, 102.3 - all strong analog signals at my location. Just today, I was listening to WTMD via WAMU HD2 and experienced dropouts until I spent about five minutes fiddling with the antenna. By the way, I didn't know they'd named a tunnel after "Brett Habor".....
''So I Bought a New HD Radio" - You are so right. HD Radio is crap. I have to stand on the roof , to get it to work. HD IS CRAP! (4/22/07)
An excellent article by Paul Harris of KMOX in St. Louis, as linked below, concerning the baseball fan's recent dilemma with delayed radio play-by-play. To further lift the curtain for Nats fans who wonder why there were slight delays in the WTWP broadcasts, historically we never turned the HD signal off. Now, to prepare for a Nationals broadcast...especially during a home game...not only is the traditional "curse" delay ramped down before the game but our esteemed Field Engineer Jack Hicks remotely turns off the HD portion of the signal to give RFK listeners as live of a play-by-play experience as we can. MLB.com listeners have up to a 12 second delay online, XM listeners can have as much as an 18 second delay between the relay of the home team flagship audio to XM studios then up to the XM satellites and back down again, and forget about Dish & Direct TV viewers trying to sync up radio audio with the MASN vision...it's never gonna happen with a delay that long. One of the competitive advantages the Nationals radio team has had from the beginning was purely by default. With the TV deal being manipulated by Peter Angelos the first season, most people tuned into Charlie & Dave 1.0 (Dave Shea) no matter how bad the old Z104/WFED combo signals were, since the fans were just happy to hear ANY Washington baseball after it being gone for so long. Now with the switch to a great 1500 AM signal and a clear fill-in FM on 107.7, Charlie and Dave 2.0 (Dave Jageler) have kept most of those early listeners and continue to add to that fan base as the true voices of the team. Each year the TV team changes faces, channels and availability and we've become the place most tune to for the tgames with a number of fans telling us they still watch TV games with the sound off and Charlie & Dave on. And as a side note, it's great to finally have a deal in place that gives the fans "Nats Talk Live" after the postgame to give the very knowledgeable and supportive fans of the radio broadcasts a place to vent and question and celebrate...and yes, we do ramp up the "curse" delay again when "NTL" is on the air. I would recommend reading that Paul Harris article linked below, as it not only explains that the delay there isn't there to protect against any profanity but more of a technical problem with HD radio, which we have solved quite nicely for the Nationals fans. - Steve Ray - Producer/Washington Nationals Radio Network www.harrisonline.com (4/22/07)
WTWP ramps down both its HD and profanity delays before home Nationals games so that folks listening to Charlie and Dave in the stands will hear the broadcast in real time. -Brian (4/22/07)
I agree totally with the posted comments on April 20th concerning news coverage. I have been a broadcast journalist in this town for over 28 years and I must say the coverage of the Virginia Tech. tragedy has brought me to write this comment. The two biggest offenders for the worst and over done coverage has to go to MSNBC and the Fox News Channel who have been humping this story like they did with the death of Anna Nicole Smith past it's shelf life. When a news story turns into entertainment with special music and graphics, what can you say but, Edward R. Morrow, please forgive them. Like the Fox News Channel who chimes in with there "FOX NEWS ALERT" only after thinking what's the ALERT! It is usually is followed by a mundane story like, "Child's Lemonade Stand robbed in New Jersey". Come on people use that journalism degree you got a long ago for something other than a wall display. (4/22/07)
WETA made a terrible mistake by switching to classical music. They were clearly tricked by Bonneville into picking up a format that no one listens to anymore. No one except old fogies who don't buy anything or donate. WAMU is now the premiere public station in the area. Several months ago a poster warned about using 104.1 retreads including the program director. Now you see the results. The good news is that you can still pick up George 104.1 on HD radio. Instead of donating to WETA, save your money and buy a new HD radio. Maybe Bonneville can donate George to WETA. How about George 90.9? (4/22/07)
RE WETA – is everything rosy there, probably not (no I don’t work there), however I was reading the blog comments and they were ridiculous. They were a couple of folks who wanted music that would destroy any audience for WETA, I looked over what they wanted to hear and was thinking to myself “Good God I hope not”. There was nothing constructive in the posts at all, just a few whiners. So I would not judge that part of it being a problem. If WETA is going to see any success in the Classical format they definitely can’t be playing what those folks wanted to hear. Right now WETA is boring, not because of the music, but Jim Allison needs to get the hosts to put some personality into what they do (or coach them to do it if they are so stuck in the NPR way of life). (4/22/07)
The trouble with Washington sports talk radio is that neither WTEM nor Triple-X has the freewheeling likes of a Mike and the Mad Dog here, or even a Howard Eskin, obnoxious as he may often be. Instead, the primary shows for each station (John Thompson, John Riggins) are hosted by ex-sports stars (the latter on a station whose owner also runs a franchise), and as a result there are sacred cows, e.g., you can't discuss why Georgetown won't play GWU or Maryland. I don't think too many other major markets have a comparable situation. Perhaps this is why Phil Wood can't find a regular gig here, whereas if he had a similar background in Philadelphia, New York or Boston he'd be a major contributor. -- Vincent in Triangle (4/22/07)
So I bought a new HD radio yesterday. TOTALLY not worth it. I was semi-excited about this, but not now. The signals sucks, even the main channel on most stations I could hear in HD and none of the HD channels in Baltimore are doing anything worth listening too. I think I should have went with a good ipod. Anybody else have signal issues??? (4/22/07)
Dave's response: As I said on my HD Radio page, "signal issues" are a HUGE problem with HD Radio. Here in Reston, I can only get HD signals for the DC area's strongest FM stations. And even with some of them, I have to "dance around" with the antenna to get the "HD light" on the receiver to stop flashing and "lock on" to a station. If a station doesn't have a strong signal in your area, like Baltimore FMers in Northern Virginia, forget about receiving its HD signal. And forget about getting HD on AM - where it could really be useful - unless you're within sight of a station's towers. Additionally, if you can get a solid HD signal, the quality of the audio on the multicasts sounds compressed or "tinny." Not particularly good for music.....
Am I the only one who thinks the idea of a White House Correspondents Dinner, a Gridiron Dinner or any other social get together between journalists and politicians is distasteful? Shouldn't the journalists keep their distance from the people they cover? For example, how silly did it look when David Gregory was onstage laughing and dancing with Karl Rove, when he did his goofball rap and cartoonish dance, a few weeks ago? JOHN IN STAFFORD (4/22/07)
Dave's response: You are definitely not the only one. Granted, when you work in Washington, some "hob-nobbing" is required, I guess, in order to develop sources. However, too many "journalists" now become "superstar celebrities" and start "making news" instead of just reporting it. But, alas, the great "Corporate Media Machine" will eventually dispose of them. Once their ratings fade and their faces sag, they'll disappear from our high-def screens and be quickly forgotten.....
The guy who said it was a dreadful idea to spin off parts of the unlistenable John Thompson Show to scatter about other WTEM dayparts, was spot on. The fact that this has-been local hoops coach was the worst sports radio "listen" in the country was at least somewhat hidden by the former 3-5 daypart. Then, the show was at least "hidden" and "contained." I.E. all three hosts were terrible together, but they just kind of killed off a "2-hour minor" in the 3-5 slot where most people are actually working hard trying to finish their day. Now, Doc, alone??? Egad. Get your cliche-o-meter ready. I know they can't get out of Thompson's "lifetime contract" but can't they have these clowns do the show, record it, and then just never air it? You know, like farmers, getting paid by the government NOT to farm? The Rockville suits might want to give it a serious look. (4/22/07)
I saw the Glob 94.7 mobile parked outside the Shark Club in Merrifield last night. I understand a lot of them pool and spuds fans are also heavy into the environment. At least the Glob mobile was a hybrid suv. I actually heard the ebile Rod Stewart played on the Glob as I ate my arby's roast beef(product placement) and eyed the Glob mobile. It's same old sh9t on the Glob. I was listening overnites cause they had very few commercials and actually some variety in songs played but that's over with now so back to Joey Reynolds on WKBW. I'm certainly glad that Mary Cliff's "Traditions" show found a new home on WAMU.( I just heard Gary Henderson exclaim that they have two new cd players in the studio replacing the 15 year old ones. Maybe that's why all the news staff has left, so WAMU could afford new cd players.) Anyways back to Mary Cliff, like I said I'm glad she found new home, I think folk music needs some voice out there in D.C. radio but I never have cared much for Ms. Cliff's musical selections. Just too much really obscure stuff and I'm a folk music fan. I mean I dig artists like John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, Bill Morrisey, Bill Staines, Dave Mallett, the late Dave Von Ronk, the late Townes Van Zandt etc, I know Who? and what folk music isn't obscure! Well I can only take so many sea shantys and Scottish ballads. So I never listened much and lately the show seems to be an endless litany of upcoming concerts. A tad ponderous imo, folks can go to her website for the latest in upcoming gigs or perchance bring back the old WAMU Bluegrass phone line and make it the WAMU Folk Music line for them people who ain't got computer access. That way more music and less about where Pete Papageorge is playing this week. Was Eddie Stubbs shoved out by WAMU or he needed a break for his WSM radio gig and his announcing for the Grand Ole Opry? Johnson Mt. Boys getting back together? Did Georgeinstein create Czarniak late one night in his laboratory? She seems have learned his whole act but of course you numbnuts who couldn't stand Michael's act think it's okay for the girl with the big smile and dyed hair to do same I presume. And there was Julie Parker acting all butch as she did the sport's on channel 7/8 last night. What exactly does Glenn Harris do at channel 8 and the other 3 guys in the sport's department at channel 7 were busy? (4/22/07)
Every year when baseball season begins, there's always a post or two about why the radio play-by-play doesn't sync-up with the action on the diamond. Those affected, listen at the ballpark to a radio or sometimes it's noticed by those at home, who watch the action on TV and listen to the game being called on a radio. Thanks to Mark Evanier's News From Me - a weblog about TV, Movies, Comics, Theater, News, Politics and other forms of fantasy - I found what may be the definitive answer about "Delaying Tactics/Radio Delay" from Paul Harris of KMOX in St. Louis. www.newsfromme.com (4/22/07)
/\ April 22 Messages /\
\/ April 21 Messages \/
Ernie: In defense of NBC (which is VERY hard for me to do, because I can't stand the network -- except for Chris Hansen), the reason that the fire extinguisher story didn't make the news was because, fortunately, no one was killed. And then again, how can a fire extinguisher fall all by itself from the roof? Methinks this is more in the lines of "foul play". (4/21/07)
My sincerest apologies to Washington’s greatest anchorman, Neil Boggs. I figured that if Glenn were gone, so was Neil. Nice to see that Neil is still among us! I wish he could come back to the Washington Color Plant and teach the NBC of today what real broadcasting is all about! (4/21/07)
I remember well back in the mid-1960s, WRC-TV presented a local television newscast anchored by Neil Boggs and Jean Smith. NBC had just introduced a filmed, animated open to go with the filmed, animated legal id. (The full-time staff announcer would intone "Full Color Four" as an animated FOUR would draw itself next to the WRC-TV calls and Washington, D.C. city of licensure. Every hour.) It was a straightforward, news broadcast with anchors reading introductions to stories and throwing control to a segment filmed earlier by a station camera crew in low-def color. Reporters doing such stand-ups would always close with something like "Abraham Zaprudder, Channel 4 News, reporting from the District Courthouse." There was none of the excessive thanking of everyone. This was before Happy Time News was invented in which suits discovered that cutting up on the set meant ratings. The old news broadcasts were sponsored, but not big revenue producers. They were do-gooder projects that made the FCC public inspection file impressively luscious and fat. I liked Neil Boggs' no nonsense approach. He never fully adapted to the anchor as good ol' boy format. (4/21/07)
A portion of the Imus show survives. I was listening to WFAN on Friday morning and Charles McCord apparently has been added to the "Mike and Madog" show. He reads the news and occasionally has comments like he did when working with Imus. Glad to see that he has survived this purge. (4/21/07)
Al Koken -- Yes, he's lovey dovey with John Thompson. But it's Thompson's show and Al is a supporting character. As for his sports knowledge, he probably has the best overall knowledge about the "major" US sports than any other electronic media guy or gal in town. (4/21/07)
re-WQMR... I myself dont think the actual programming sucks although Oreilly has gotten tiresome.Ive enjoyed many hours . I do think the way they run the station does suck. Ive actually seen them go over 2 weeks straight with dead air on the Power Talk rerun during the am hours. As I said before this has gone on with the station for several years. (4/21/07)
There are a couple of problems with Koken. First of all, he's a blowhard and doesn't know much about sports other than hockey. Second, he kisses Thompson's ass constantly. Third, he is another example of the expression "media ethics" being an oxymoron. He also has a regular gig as the between period and post game announcer for the Capitals games on COMCAST and the guy never, ever criticizes the Capitals on the WTEM radio show. He just won't do it. The Capitals are every bit as screwed up as the Redskins, maybe more so because the owner won't spend any money. And Koken will rant and rave about Dan Snyder but Ted Leonsis and George McPhee (the Caps GM) are off limits. Very hypocritical. (4/21/07)
From Warren Brown's online chat Friday: "By the way, I'm back on the air: "On Wheels With Warren Brown," produced by On Wheels Inc., the biggest communications company covering the product news, business developments, and personalities of people of color in the global auto industry. The show launches Tuesday, May 1, 12 noon to 1, on WMET World Radio, 1160 AM on your radio dial, www.wmet1160.com on your laptop. People of color? Black, brown, red, yellow, olive, white... because white is a color, too...gays, straights, believers and non-believers. We want everybody to come to the party, especially those people normally left out or overlooked on car talk shows. This won't be your typical boy-racer zoom-zoom program. Nor will we pretend to repair your car on air, free of charge, just for that asking. We'll send you to garages that do that sort of thing. We'll talk politics, products, environment, energy, regulation, corporate and technological developments. Join us. Gonna be a blast." (4/21/07)
To the poster who wrote "This isn't who I think it is ... is it? djdelights.djintelligence.com/index/". No, it's not the same Tom Gavin. This one is a mobile DJ in the Baltimore area, but no relation to the Tom Gavin of Don and Mike fame. I do know that he has had more than his share of confusion over the years, and probably a lot of lost sales. (4/21/07)
Though I've, never listened to WTEM on a regular basis, I've never had a problem with Al Koken in all of the years he has spent in this town. As far as Coach Thompson goes, his legacy (in mu humble opinion) is he is the Father of the current Hoyas' coach. Tom Davis brought up an interesting piece of irony on his show today. In '82 in the deciding game of the AL crown (I was there), Jim Palmer faced Don Sutton. Now both are working for MASN. Go figure. Rusty Gibson (4/21/07)
One does have to wonder what WTEM is thinking. The only thing worse than Thompson, Walker and Koken together is any one of them alone. And now Walker, who has gotten more mileage out of being primarily a career backup than any other former athlete alive, gets his own show. Didn't the Thompson show just get bounced out of evening drive in favor of Czaban/Pollin, presumably because the show was performing satisfactorily in the ratings? So by what logic do you spin off one of the hosts of a poorly rated show? (4/21/07)
On January 2, 2007, I visited the Today Show in New York City. My family and I were standing in the outdoor courtyard watching the live cut-ins, which on this day featured cowboys and a mechanical bull because the rodeo was in town. In between breaks, I heard a loud thud about 20 feet to my left. A metal fire extinguisher has fallen to the ground and was crushed on impact. The fire extinguisher grazed an elderly woman but thankfully no one was injured. The courtyard is in between two skyscrapers. Both buildings are used by NBC. Both buildings have windows that can not be opened. The fire extinguisher must have fallen from the roof, many stories above. Police came, asked a lot of questions, searched the buildings, and did what they do in such a case. The Today Show had the group of people I was with move to the other side of the courtyard. The broadcast went on. Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer came out and talked to several of the people gathered, and interviewed many live on the air. They even talked to the woman who had been grazed, but the fire extinguisher incident was never mentioned, even though someone had come very close to being killed. By the way, it was also on this day that an NYC subway passenger rescued another who was having a seizure on the tracks. The subway incident received lots of publicity. I thought NBC's and the police departments actions made sense, because they obviously did not want to cause a panic and inspire copycats. Then, Virginia Tech happened. I now believe NBC News makes their decisions based on what is good for NBC News first and foremost. The Virginia Tech killer mention the Columbine killers in the videos that NBC released, only giving credence to the notion of the copycat syndrome. NBC wanted to make the most out of what fell in to their hands. When it was an NBC fire extinguisher, and an NBC problem, no one was to know, even though it happened during a live NBC semi-news program and to a live NBC audience. When it's somebody else's problem, NBC chooses to exploit it for their own gain. Ernie Kyger (4/21/07)
While I’m not sure what brought up the name of “Full Color Four’s Neil Boggs,” I can personally attest that he’s reasonably well and alive in the small new Mexico town of Belen, a little south of Albuquerque. I visited him a few months ago and he still has the incisive dry wit and sharp news eye as he had on WRC-TV when anchoring with the late Glenn Rinker in the 1970’s. He does not use computers for EMAIL, but is always interested in hearing from people. Neil is originally from West Virginia. Tom Gauger (4/21/07)
/\ April 21 Messages /\
\/ April 20 Messages \/
This isn't who I think it is ... is it? djdelights.djintelligence.com/index/ (4/20/07)
Dave, I hate to disagree with you (who am I kidding? I disagree with you on a number of issues, ranging from A to Z!) but The Globe has better music on than any other non-classical station in the area! I never hear Rod Stewart on the station. Are you sure it's not a Fig Newton of your imagination? -- GAB in the Airless Cublicle (4/20/07)
Dave's response: I did hear Rod Stewart on the Globe! Hey, I might start liking them again if they played "Satellite" by Guster, currently at the top of the DCRTV Hit Parade.....
Speaking of press whores...you mean Bruce Johnson, the same guy who represents himself as the pillar of objectivity in one breath and then MCs the new Mayoral and City Council Inauguration festivities? The same Bruce Johnson that was glad handing, drinking and celebrating with Fenty and the DC Council and then went back to covering them the next day without mentioning it in his report? He has as much credibility as Andrea Mitchell if she covered the Federal Reserve or Derrick McGinty at a date rape counseling center. What a joke! (4/20/07)
In response to Bruce Johnson wanting to cancel the White House Press Dinner so the press can show that they grieve too….Is this the same press that whored out the whole Virginia Tech story all week long for the sake of ratings? Is this the same press that constantly showed the disturbing pictures of Cho with no regard to the victims families, Virginia Tech staff, the students and alumni? Just curious. Rob (4/20/07)
Since it was just released that WJFK is one of the top billers in DC, why do they need "fixing"? (4/20/07)
Fixing WJFK is simple - O&A live in the mornings, so that people in DC can interact with the show. Something, anything on mid-day. Hell, no one listens then anyway. That's why O&A don't have great ratings - no one has "great" numbers then. D&M from 4-7 and the Junks from 7-11, just like the old days. If that's not to people's liking then move the Junks to mid-day and put Ron & Fez back on evenings. (4/20/07)
Dear Dave, Please don't make fun about having a Boil on the butt. Thanks, George Brett (4/20/07)
Dave, you've noted two times now that the CBS suits are not happy with O&A's mid-day ratings @ JFK - but what are they gonna do? Would bumping the Junks from 6 to 9am and replacing them with O&A solve the problem? I don't think so, it doesn't appear the "Virus" is taking America's airwaves by storm. There's enough talent in the CBS talkers inventory to revive JFK, but the dopes @ CBS don't seem to be eager/prepared or competent enough to make a change. Sigh, why do I care? XM gets the majority of my time in the AM and PM anyway. dapjdjinva. (4/20/07)
Dave's response: Did anyone hear Don's throw away jest at the beginning of today's show about "the rocker that talks"? Or was it "the talker that rocks"? Or something like that. Is something up with 106.7? Hmmm.....
Replacing Imus with Michael Smerconish is akin to replacing your old, grouchy dog with a stupid dog that has no control over its bowel movements. (4/20/07)
As a former Hokie and Woovit-eer (WUVT AM 640) in the early 70's - along with Ernie Kyger (DC-101) - the whole mess takes on a new life - images of campus - gentle nature of The Burg ...etc. But the "press kit" sent to NBC from Cho and the subsequent saturation on-air is no different than the non-stop images we've been bombarded with since 9-11. Cable specials - documentaries - Hollywood theatrical releases, et. al....... 57 Channels and we better make sure SOMETHING'S on. The cat has long been out of the bag and Pandora's Box is forever pried open. Bruce Kelly - Gettysburg PA. - moving soon to fun in the sun. (4/20/07)
Doc Walker is getting his own show. That is incredible. It is amazing how someone with so little talent not only keeps his job, but gets more responsibility. Considering WTEM signed Thompson to a "lifetime" contract and they allow the Brian Mitchell show to continue, I shouldn't be surprised. The sports reporters is great...too bad their show isn't longer. BA (4/20/07)
Liberals are not at all resposible for leukemia...they'll just be responsible for the spread of it once they institute Nationalized/Socialized Health Care. (4/20/07)
Dave's response: Hey, don't mean to get too "off-topic" here, but with all the HMOs, PPOs, corporate hospital chains, big drug companies, insurance companies, prescription drug providers, Medicare, Medicaid, etc., we kind of have a "defacto nationalized/socialized" health care system here in America, doncha think. You kinda gotta go through a dozen or so bureaucratic hoops to get approval (payment) for medical treatment for just about anything more serious than a boil on your butt. Right?
RE: [ " Dope " ]........ Meet Dope, you. Can't you even read what you cut and pasted?....... It doesn't say "National Brewery". It said "the Natty Boh brewery." Or maybe it should have said the "Colt 45 brewery". Regardless, that's the last place in Baltimore that they brewed the stuff. Who built it/owned it (a long list) is pretty irrelevant. The Natty Boh part is the important part that makes the story relevant from a Baltimore perspective and the reason the landmark even gets any attention. Anyone from Baltimore who read that Baltimore Sun story and read "Stroh Brewery" probably were shaking their heads wondering, "Where the hell was that thing?" (4/20/07)
Re: The unnamed poster who stated I’m thoughtless due to my thinking that child abuse is worse than a dinosaur making a stupid comment that certainly wasn’t heard (when broadcast) by the folks he was said to offend. If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it does the sound matter? What exactly were Imus’ ratings, and what percentage of his audience was anything other than over 50 white dudes? If I am currently under my breath mumbling that you are an insipid fool, what exactly are your damages? I’m certain more Americans would be offended by child abuse than an off color comment, if race wasn’t involved. G, Broadcast Spokesman (4/20/07)
Nice to see Limbaugh not blaming liberals for leukemia in his run-raise-a-thon today. If he can blame lefties for everything else bad in the world, why not blame libs for that, too! - SD (4/20/07)
It's nice to see that the good folks in Dallas were smart enough to realize that O&A have no fan base anymore. Opie and Anthony ...ZERO POINT ZERO. (4/20/07)
(snip) someone said "Isn't there a “Sewage Problem” at The Washington Times.." Obviously this write has limited education and has probably never read the paper. TWT is written for adults that at least finished high school. TWP is written to cater to people with political axe's to grind and/or limited education. Flame Over, now the real problems at TWT is their circulation people are incompetent, from the director down to the illegal alien filling the news stand. That's probably a major contributer to the abysmal circulation numbers. (end snip) Limited education? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black-this post looks like the work of an an under-performing fourth-grader. (4/20/07)
(RE: You know a Baltimore SUN reporter either does not know anything about Baltimore or didn't do her research when an essential point of the story is completely missed.... www.baltimoresun.com... It's the Natty BOH brewery hon! DUH! And, umm, that's also the reason it's a landmark and they sent you to do the story, hon, in the first place. :-)) Uhhh, that brewery in Halethorpe was built for Carling (Black Label). They later merged with National and finally Stroh's. The National Brewery was at Conkling and O'Donnell Streets. Dope. (4/20/07)
At the close of yesterday's John Thompson show on WTEM, they announced that Doc Walker's solo program will debut this coming Monday (9-11 AM). Whether Thompson will get a replacement co-host or work with just Al Koken remains to be seen. One of the three local shows that air between 10 AM and 7 PM now has to be shortened from three hours to two. Hopefully it's Sports Reporters - that first hour is rather weak due to Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban holding off on dealing with the big sports topics of the day until the guest arrives at 5 PM. I've been pleasantly surprised to hear some interviews regarding the NHL playoffs on both the Thompson and Brian Mitchell shows this week, especially considering that the Capitals didn't come close to qualifying. Apparently those hosts don't share Pollin and Czaban's view that talking hockey on sports radio is a surefire way to lose listeners. Mike, Fairfax (4/20/07)
So that's why Sanjaya got voted off this week -- so that he could be free to attend the WHCD. Wear your Pony-Hawk, Sanjy! (4/20/07)
Re: Bruce in BelAir's remarks on NBC - I think the poster who kind of slapped you down misses the point; it's not about how fast they took the opportunity to copy the killer's material, it's the fact that they did it in the first place. Especially before the authorities had the chance to completely review it first. While it may not actually contain anything to further the investigation much, it can be considered pertinent evidence. And it should have been the FBI/ State of VA to determine what, if any of it would be made public. NBC essentially confiscated the package first, taking a huge legal gamble just assuming that they would not be open to legal action at some later point. And for that matter, can they? The only possible saving grace for the network is that there will not be a trial as the suspect is dead. It escapes me as to what NBC truly had to gain by following through on this (ratings notwithstanding); to prove to us that the killer was mad at the world? That he was anti-social? That he was deranged? Thank you,NBC, but that wasn't necessary. He did all of that very effectively on Monday without any help at all. I think the network should admit to a case of gross irresponsibilty here. This is the same corporation that not even 2 weeks ago decided to find its moral compass suddenly by dropping Don Imus overboard. Well, that was nice while it lasted. Steve Capus,NBC News Pres., said on "Hardball" that they told the authorities what they were doing with the package's items, and that NBC fed them "chunks" of the video during those first few hours after discovery. This is where the real breakdown occured; he should have simply clamped down on the pack, physically secured it until the law arrived, and let them fine-comb it before airing so much as a second of it. Then, on the all-clear from the FBI, and if airing was chosen at all, use small snippets on a special episode of "Dateline" in maybe a week or two. What strikes me is that NBC may not have thought of what this all truly means. While they went the extra-tasteless route of stamping the clips with their "vanity logo", has it occured to them that this wackjob wasn't marking them as some bastion of authority he could trust his legacy with, but rather picked them as the gullible sell-outs who'd actually fall for it? The peacock should not be so proud today. (4/20/07)
To Steve Ember: WJZ-TV’s Claire Beach left Channel 13 circa 1964. She later worked (not certain, but think this is accurate) in Washington TV for awhile, and then went to work for Mutual Radio in their news department. She was out of the business by the beginning of the 70’s. Claire passed away a number of years ago after a lengthy illness. My good friend Buddy Deane knew Claire quite well and regaled me with many stories concerning her talents and persona. Claire was an extremely talented lady who battled some personal issues which sadly curtailed her career. Nevertheless, your recollection of her talent and loveliness are shared by those who remember her from back in the day. Steve, I’m not sure if you live in or around Baltimore…but I will be hosting a benefit oldies dance featuring dozens of dancers from the Buddy Deane Committee on June 2nd in Edgemere. For more information, email Joe Loverde of the Loverde Family Foundation at joe@realtyconcept.com. Bob Mathers – Seattle, Washington (4/20/07)
G, you may not be rude or a pig, but you certainly are thoughtless. Comparing Imus's comments (made during a RADIO SHOW broadcast to MILLIONS) to Baldwin's (made in a VOICE MAIL to ONE person, his DAUGHTER) is ridiculous. (4/20/07)
re: *snip*"the point I was trying to make was that NBC knew it had gold in that envelope. Come hell, high water.".*snip* Well, this is certainly true, and as every clip I saw had the NBC logo emblazoned upon it, I think they managed to capitalize as much as possible. What the arrangement with authorities was, if any, is unclear. I think it's safe to say, because the killer was dead, and an accomplice unlikely, the material does nothing to complete the investigation only titillates and confirms what we already knew. *snip* "NBC has every right to use that material as they deem appropriate. I guess now the debate can begin, as to what we deem as appropriate" *snip* The debate is already well underway, and some news organizations have pledged to limit or stop showing the madman's ramblings. If NBC hadn't copied the material, and handed it to the authorities right away, would we have seen the posed violent images and the madman's video justifications? It seems that the one lucid moment this freak had was to recognize that NBC, or probably any other news organization would fall over themselves in the rush to be first, and disseminate any fresh material before they considered who they were hurting or the potential negative effects of material which only serves to glorify and create a larger anti-hero. If I am correct, there are or were lawsuits and legal wrangling which may still be ongoing about material written and created by the Columbine killers, which took years or has yet to see the light of day. Certainly, the release of this sort of material long after a horrific event has less shock value, and of course would generate less interest. The media outlets who aired the killer's manifesto care more about their bottom line, than they do about the victims, the families, and whole VA Tech community at large. (4/20/07)
This morning Fox news said, "should NBC have released the video of the Gunmen?", basically chastising them. Yet they had no problem playing it over and over and over and over again on the Fox news Channel. Kettle...black? (4/20/07)
I wonder if NBC employees will be nearly as offended by Mr. Baldwin’s rant directed at his daughter as they were with Mr. Imus’s off the cuff remark? Wasn’t that MSNBC’s reason for dismissing him, the complaints of employees? Certainly their employees will be upset by his diatribe. If he is not fired could the reason be: 1. Children aren’t a protected minority or 2. Mr. Baldwin’s politics are much further to the left than the mostly moderate Imus? Where is the outrage, where are the Reverends Jackson and Sharpton demanding his firing? Am I the only one that is outraged and offended, or am I also a RUDE THOUGHTLESS PIG? G, Broadcast Spokesman (4/20/07)
Eliot this am around 9:15 went off ,and rightly so on Big 100 - seems a lot of their bonus's are tied to the website traffic and they put up a paper bracelet for the VT tragedy. Well according to Elliot, many staffers were bragging about the number of web hits and lost sight of the tragedy. (4/20/07)
“TWP is written to cater to people with political axe's to grind and/or limited education.” Evidently, you are one of the undereducated or you wouldn’t have placed an apostrophe before the “s” when you pluralized “axe.” It’s “axes,” doofus! (4/20/07)
To the unnamed poster to took me to task regarding the copying of the materials Cho sent to NBC. You missed my point. I know a little about "technology". I even know enough about it to hit spell check before I send an e-mail. "Techonolgy"? Might I suggest you take a refresher course on outlook, and use the tools bar like I did. Now that my spelling lesson is over, the point I was trying to make was that NBC knew it had gold in that envelope. Come hell, high water, or any other natural disaster, that material was going to reach the air. They had a duty to notify the authorities that they had received this material, and be very careful with it's contents. I'm sure a discussion went on somewhere between law enforcement, and the network as to when they could start airing footage from what they received. NBC has every right to use that material as they deem appropriate. I guess now the debate can begin, as to what we deem as appropriate. Bruce in Bel Air (4/20/07)
someone said "Isn't there a “Sewage Problem” at The Washington Times.." Obviously this write has limited education and has probably never read the paper. TWT is written for adults that at least finished high school. TWP is written to cater to people with political axe's to grind and/or limited education. Flame Over, now the real problems at TWT is their circulation people are incompetent, from the director down to the illegal alien filling the news stand. That's probably a major contributer to the abysmal circulation numbers. (4/20/07)
(regarding a previous post) "Shame on you, NBC/U! Neil Boggs must be spinning in his grave!" I could be mistaken, but as of 2006, former WRC anchorman, Neil Boggs, was alive and well in New Mexico. It's possible that he has gone to the Big News Desk in the Sky, but I don't recall seeing an obituary or other notice to that effect here in the DCRTV mailbag. Perhaps the poster is thinking of Glenn Rinker, Neil's co-anchor, who did pass away, back in the 1990s. (4/20/07)
Re: "NBC airing that narcissistic paranoid schizo killer rant from the grave is akin to al Jazeera showing the world the latest Osama bin Laden "message" rife with hidden messages to his terrorist flock. The Virginia Tech murderer's video madness....."/// Agreed ! I watched all the video footage yesterday, then realized l felt guilt and revulsion like I had been applauding the Freak Show at a 19th century carnival. It was fascinating, but newsworthy ? And what about the greater good ? With NBC leading the way, after the BS about weighing the good and the bad and their purported handwringing, the others followed in lock step to cash in on the ratings, and to give the muderer his calculated and dying wish, even more infamy. Showing Cho's videos clips and his posed photos, has only created a larger anti-hero for others on the edge. He sucessfully manipulated the media in the afterlife to further prove what we already knew. We didn't need to see his mad ramblings. The only thing it proved was that the greed of the collective media overruled their ethics. So, let's not be surprised when the next guy pops and goes blotto, and we find he created a whole media package worthy of a Paris fashion show opening. We helped give him the road map. (4/20/07)
Back Room score? Puuuhleeaze. That show was more unbearable than listening to Don & Mike verbally jerk each other off about their outfits, nails, or weight. I nearly ran off the road listening to their monotone voices. HFS ran a show the night before, the A-List with Amber Theoharris. Another bomb. If anything, it should be the C-list, or rather, the C-Cup. That's about the only thing attractive that Amber Theoharris brings to the station. She was a dud on Fox, and she's an even bigger waste of oxygen on MASN and HFS. The best part of that show was the caller who asked what the difference in pubes was between two players! (4/20/07)
Hello Dave, I'm amazed at the wealth of data on your site and I'm wondering if you might have any information on Claire Beach, whose work as a weather gal and anchor on WJZ-TV I've remembered after all these years. I grew up in Baltimore and can remember when the city still had the original streetcar system and Channel 13 was WAAM, staff announcer Ted Jaffee jumped up and down on plastic seat covers to prove their durability...and test patterns could be seen late at night or early in the AM. As a pre-teen, I'd hurry home from school to watch Buddy Deane's Bandstand program...and of course had a crush on one of the gal dancers. I remember Bobby Darin lip-synch-ing (badly) to "Splish-Splash!" and all the adventurous delights of TV before videotape. Among my very favorites of WJZ anchors was the lovely and very classy Claire Beach. I'm guessing the time frame would have been late '50s/early '60s. If I recall correctly, Ms. Beach did not only weather, but also co-anchored with another very classy legacy anchor, George Baumann. Funny how, after all these years, those names and faces (and, of course, voices) can stay with you. Just wanted to learn where Ms. Beach's career took her, before and after her too-brief time on WJZ. Thanks for any help you can provide. I'm happy to pay for any prints or scans you might be able to provide, as well as any bio or promotional material on Ms. Beach. Thank you. Sincerely, Steve Ember (4/20/07)
Dave's response: I do have lots of old pics from 13. I'll have to rummage through them to see if any are of Claire Beach. Stay tuned.....
/\ April 20 Messages /\
\/ April 19 Messages \/
NBC airing that narcissistic paranoid schizo killer rant from the grave is akin to al Jazeera showing the world the latest Osama bin Laden "message" rife with hidden messages to his terrorist flock. The Virginia Tech murderer's video madness is a call to action for other inner-raging malcontents to follow his lead. The message speaks to other psychotics wringing their hands over perceived "persecution." Showing the photos of the psycho transformed from bland human wallpaper to Rambo encourages killers mulling punishing the world to emulate their new hero. All the secret buzzwords are there: persecution, martyrdom, hate, rage, rich, privileged, violence, pain, blame. NBC and Tee Vee news now running the persecution press kit wall-to-wall aren't looking at the big picture. The Virginia Tech madman's role models were the Columbine killers "martyrs." He says so himself from beyond. NBC is being played by a dead man. Just wait. We'll all suffer the consequences of NBC's triggering the dormant pyschos shuffling anonymously among us. This wouldn't have happened had he been committed 16 months ago. The court and shrinks gave him a pass paving the path for mass murder. Had he been committed he'd have a rap sheet preventing him from buying a gun in ten minutes. Try getting out of Starbucks with your coffee in ten minutes. Our call to action: Heed the warning signs. The buzzwords. Behavior. (4/19/07)
Very rarely in the 30+ years of Albritton control of Washington’s ABC-TV affiliate has there been even a scintilla of class. However, the decision not to show the self-aggrandizing images of the VPI mass murder is one such occasion. They are to be applauded! As for NBC/U, I’m not surprised as they’ve descended into the “if it bleeds it leads” school of infotainment which is not news, let alone journalism. Shame on you, NBC/U! Neil Boggs must be spinning in his grave! (4/19/07)
The following was forwarded to DCRTV.....
All Concerned: Effective immediately, WJLA-TV and NewsChannel 8 will discontinue broadcasting images and videotapes provided to the media by Virginia Tech mass murderer Cho Seung-Hui. The images are very disturbing to many of our viewers and we see no positive value in continuing to broadcast them. We believe this decision serves the best interests of our community. We will continue to broadcast the yearbook style photos of Cho Seung-Hui that aired prior to the images he sent to the media. Bill Lord (4/19/07)
Welcome to the year 2007 Bruce in Bel Air! It takes minutes if not seconds with the right equipment to copy digital media of any kind. NBC could have copied it in the amount of time it took the NYPD to ride the frikkin elevator, let alone drive there in NYC traffic! This new-fangled thing is something we call "techonology" Bruce. I would be willing to bet the Rockefeller Center mail guy & the mail receiving clerk spent more time with that package than anyone else at NBC. But, if NBC had needed more time to copy everything, I wouldn't put it past them to do it, but I doubt it was necessary. (4/19/07)
Christian is correct. Feinstein is a blowhard and does a disservice to the very cause he is trying to promote. I don't think there is anything wrong with reasonable regulation of gun ownership. But I also agree with the poster who suggested that this guy was so disturbed that no gun law would have made a difference in this case. Which makes it ironic that the gun control people are using this incident as their rallying cry. (4/19/07)
Isn't there a “Sewage Problem” at The Washington Times every day of the week? (4/19/07)
Turns out John Feinstein was ranting about his version of gun control on more than one station. I heard him on Washington Post Radio, emboldeneed and embodying the most extreme attitude of the gun-rights crowd. The Second Amendment should be repealed, he said, or "clarified" so that only law enforcement and military can have guns. The kicker was when he said, "Do we really need hunters? Do people really need to go out and shoot animals?" To use an awkward metaphor, Feinstein makes an easy target for NRA and gun-rights supporters. By taking his views to such absurd lengths, he's easily marginalized. The gun-control crowd should keep their distance from this guy. Christian (4/19/07)
Did I miss something during this NBC/VA Tech issue. It was my understanding that NBC notified the authorities in Virginia immediately after receiving the package? If that indeed is true, here's a question for the good folks at NBC.....when did you happen to make the color copies of his pictures, manifesto, and video CD? Before or after you called the cops? Let's all be honest, shall we? NBC got this package yesterday, reviewed it, copied it, and the assignment editors started to work on a package before the cops were called. For Steve Kapus to go on the air last night and say anything other than that, is disingenuous, at best. Bruce in Bel Air (4/19/07)
Dave, Winchester used to be a "mecca" for those who wanted to get married; a fact that is referenced continuously trumpeted on the "Winchester-Frederick County" visitors bureau video that runs on a continuous loop every couple of hours on the local cable channel. In fact, there are a still few (one or two) of what used to be many of the 'wedding only' chapels that still remain located near the current courthouse complex in downtown Winchester. They are very close to the "old Civil War era courthouse" that was used to sit on Loudoun Street, ie.,( still "Main Street" to older locals). The Courthouse is still open today in totally refurbished condition as a very nice little "museum" emphasizing Winchester's Civil War history (A largely unknown treasure in Winchester, that would make this area a popular weekend destination for day-trips, if anyone knew about it). The "Walking Mall" which was built abo ut fiv e years before the opening of the modern traditional suburban "Apple Blossom Mall" in the early eighties, and was one of the first of its kind in the nation. But, after the opening of the Apple Blossom Mall, I guess the concept of a walking mall was once considered 'ground-breaking urban planning', became to be considered rather unattractive as its existence was and is to this day totally ignored. The "Walking Mall" now exists after 5:00 p.m. on weekdays solely as under-utilitilized pedestrian hang-out for "bums and street people". (I have in fact seen the stereotypical shopping cart person on the "Old Towne" mall numerous times.) It is a shame, because it could me much like Caroline Street in Fredericksburg, which it closely resembles, with open and vibrant, with boutiques, antique shops and restaurants to attract the "yuppie shoppers" on weekends from the D.C. suburbs. But, don't get me started on that topic. Are you listening Winchester-Frederick County Chamber of Commerce?.Doug in Stephens City (4/19/07)
Gannett is reporting just how bad its own business is doing... www.greenbaypressgazette.com (4/19/07)
Showing the VT shooter’s video (to a point) IS the right thing to do, journalistically. Everyone wants to know how this happened, but those answers may never come, at least not to anyone’s real satisfaction. But in trying to understand how to prevent it from happening again, we can take this video for what value it actually has: Here is a look at someone who has snapped. This is as close to video evidence of “warning signs” as we may ever come. Will it really help anyone? Probably not, but just maybe it could make someone recognize similar tones/themes in someone they know and report them before this happens again. That’s arguably the most valuable mission the media serves. (4/19/07)
From the FCC files: WBIG has applied to move its primary transmitter from the WAVA tower in Arlington to the WMZQ tower in Falls Church. WFRE has applied to turn down its power just a smidge to allow WBIG's move. Also, the grant to NPR for experimental operations on 87.9 MHz specifies 50 watts from their Mass. Ave. studio building. The operations must also not interfere with WMUC, WYPR, or WAMU. (4/19/07)
What disturbs me most about NBC's handling of the shooter photos is not that they aired or released them, but that they have affixed their "NBC NEWS" logo to each of them. I'd be interested to hear, from someone in the business, why NBC felt the need to do this. In other cases where news outlets have "exclusive" content, I guess I can understand that they want to "protect" their content (read: they don't want competitors making money off it). In this case, seeing the NBC News logo with every image of the shooter is tacky and sickening, and I cannot imagine why they would want to further associate themselves with a presumed mass murderer. (4/19/07)
Mike in Fairfax's commented that Steve Czaban is "right wing" and then went on to imply that somehow Czaban should have been defending the right to bear arms during Feinstein's anti-gun rant. That's nonsense. As far as I know, Czaban has never discussed his views on gun control on the air and to suggest that ANYONE'S views on every issue can be characterized as straight "liberal" or "conservative" is really pretty ridiculous. I favor gun control and I don't own a gun, but I always vote Republican because I'm not a one issue voter. And I have to say that for the pro-gun control forces to be jumping on their political soapbox before the bodies are even cold is pretty distasteful. Downright disgusting, in fact. Let's face it, in this instance, this wacko would have gotten what he needed to do the deed regardless of what the laws had been. (4/19/07)
In his continuing effort today to politicize the Virginia Tech shootings to the max, Rush Limbaugh mistakenly claimed that some Virginia Tech students had set up a website to defend the shooter as being a human being, first, and a murderer, second. Hey, all you media whores, shut up!!!!! (4/19/07)
NBC made the wrong decision to air the VT killer's video. It is repulsive and disgusting and it just gives him the platform he wanted beyond the grave. I wonder if NBC employees felt as offended by this video as when they said they were offended by the Don Imus comments last week. I'm turning off NBC from now on. I'll get my news elsewhere. These people are media whores. (4/19/07)
Dave's response: Amen! Check out my Rant of yesterday.....
I think I've figured out why I'm troubled by repeated network airings of the video manifesto of the Blacksburg shooter. Initially it is relevant news, but ultimately it's news pornography, and perilously close to news snuff films. There has to be a better way to cover this and not celebritize a murderer while anestitizing everyone else to the evil he represents. Over and over is too much. Leave it to YouTube. Another version of this news pornography is the heavy-breathing instant media conviction of the Duke lacrosse players, but downplaying the later "innocent" verdict. It's news porno... (4/19/07)
Noted sports author John Feinstein got off a rant during his weekly appearance on WTEM's Sports Reporters yesterday regarding the need for stringent gun control. While sports talk radio should generally avoid hot button political issues, exceptions are understandable this week in light of what transpired down in Blacksburg. Interestingly, Steve Czaban (whose right wing views are no secret to that station's listeners) stayed silent and made no effort to rebut Feinstein. The pro-gun side of the issue is definitely reeling right now. Czaban did have a point when he remarked that the Nationals should perhaps not be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize because they wore VA Tech caps Tuesday night, although Chris Knoche and all the callers chastised him for it. On the TV side, I heard one of Channel 4's anchors call the Virginia Tech rampage the 'deadliest massacre in US history', but that's not technically correct inasmuch as 9-11 and Oklahoma City qualify as massacres according to the dictionary definition. Even if you restrict it to those involving guns, Monday's wasn't the worst since more than 300 men, women and children were shot to death in 1890 at a place called Wounded Knee. The media attention now be paid to the the killer really seems over the top right now. I know the networks and cable channels claim to be serving the public interest, but then again - they're the ones who brought us nonstop Anna Nicole hype for more than a month. They're the ones who made getting Don Imus off the air seem like an urgent national priority last week (how ridiculous does that now seem?). Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham calls it 'tragedy TV' - the exploitation of grief, fear and anguish for the sole purpose of pumping up ratings. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann came on Dan Patrick's radio show the other day and claimed to be doing responsible journalism out there, but it's his network that was hyping the shooter's manifesto all last night. You have to believe that the presence of 135 media trucks on campus (as of yesterday) doesn't exactly help with the healing process for the university community. Mike, Fairfax (4/19/07)
Here's one for the Rant file.... I find this horresdusly stupid. Thanks... Chesterfield schools discourage systemwide Hokie Day www.nbc12.com (4/19/07)
"HFS nights. Back room radio John and Troy scores again. Scott Donahoo, hot babes on hot seats, mindless chatter (mixed in with important news). I learned more about that car guy and hot chicks than that rock station. And they talked about THEM too. Refreshing." Refreshing? They are just awful. I was hoping that CBS would do a better job than WBAL but so far that isn't happening. Tom 'Giggles' Davis? Please??? WNST rejects? Hey CBS, what about Phil Wood? Somebody that actually knows something about baseball? (4/19/07)
It's interesting to see the Free Lance Star actually reporting on a radio station other than one that they own. (4/19/07)
Regarding The Washington Post Sports section, isn't it true the closer you live to the DC line, you "later" edition you receive. I know if you to CVS, 7-11, Safeway, or something along those lines, they tend to get later editions. Then again, that would defeat the purpose of home delivery. Mike in Arlington (4/19/07)
I was listening to Laura Ingraham on WVIE this morning, and our very own "Silvie in Waldorf" got through and spoke to Laura for a good 4 minutes or so (which for talk radio is good). Thank you for a good phone call. -- Carl in Olney (4/19/07)
Hey Dave, I just wanted to say keep up the great work and also the fact that just like they say in those aa meetings my name is Chris and I have Don and Mike free for four months now. I tuned in when they first came back heard Don whining and turned them off never looking back. I would rather listen to repeats of Opie and Anthony's show instead of the Assclowns from Virginia.Xm is the greatest thing out there. Chris Baltimore (4/19/07)
Dave's response: I've given up on the increasing flatulent-sounding "Globe."It was fun for a few weeks but when I heard them dusting off an old Rod Stewart song this morning (now THERE'S cutting-edge rock, huh!), I went about immediately reprogramming my cars's 94.7 presets. If I want to hear Rod I'll punch up WASH or WBIG or Mix 107.3. Further proof that CBS just doesn't know how to do a decent rock station (or a talk station). It's back to XM's XMU, Fred, Ethel, and Lucy for me. And WTMD via WAMU's HD signal.....
I'd like to send a mention out to Kevin Sterne. He was the eagle scout who fashioned a turnequet out of electrical cord in order to stop the blood loss when his leg was shot in the German class at Norris Hall. His femural artery had been torn, and these actions saved his life. As of last night he was still in the ICU but has stabilized and is expected to make a full recovery. Kevin has been featured on CNN and other media outlets, but none have mentioned that he is also the chief engineer at WUVT-FM [90.7], the 3 kW student-run station at Virginia Tech. I remember many a nights spent at WUVT when I was a student at Tech... most of them were spent cursing at the old rotary-pot console and a "mostly working" Optimod 8100. This week I've been listening to WUVT for the first time in years... the programming staff there has really pulled together and did a good job holding up this week through both the tragedy and the ensuing national media spotlight. Mike Sica [WJFK] (4/19/07)
WJLA YANKS VIDEO - WANTED YOU TO SEE THEIR WEBSITE. SAW IT WALKING BY THEIR JUMBOTRON. (4/19/07)
You know a Baltimore SUN reporter either does not know anything about Baltimore or didn't do her research when an essential point of the story is completely missed.... www.baltimoresun.com... It's the Natty BOH brewery hon! DUH! And, umm, that's also the reason it's a landmark and they sent you to do the story, hon, in the first place. :-) (4/19/07)
Dave, My mom was a Penn grad. I went to Temple. Ted (4/19/07)
Dave's response: Yeah, my mom, dad, and granddad all went to Penn. Dad (who transferred there after a year at Lehigh and a year at NYU) always wanted me to go there, but I got "wait listed" and went to JMU instead. Anyhow, I wanted to "break the mold".....
"I think comparing Columbine to Virginia Tech might be a little off." -- Off? The VT shooter spoke of "Eric" (Harris) and "Dylan" (Klebold) in his rambling diatribe to NBC. He spoke of his hatred for others, as they did. The VT Killer (I can't even use his name) emulated the Columbine massacre - he just killed 20 more people. (4/19/07)
To Paul- I wasn't comparing the event that occurred in Blacksburg to what happened in Waco. I was merely comparing the word association. Nothing ever happened in Waco before David Koresh came along and nothing has happened since. Nothing of note, that is. Same with Ruby Ridge and Columbine. So it's easy to associate those places with the one event that allowed them to gain national recognition. However, with Blacksburg and Virginia Tech, they are a football powerhouse that's in contention for a BCS bowl game every, a basketball team that gets several nationally televised games per season, and a school with an engineering department that is well recognized across the country. That's why I was saying it was 'a little off'. I just don't think a school as well known as Tech will be put in the same category as one of the aforementioned towns. John, Annapolis (4/19/07)
What’s with the Washington Post sports section becoming a total rag? I’ve lived in this area for 20 years, but the last two months they’ve started putting it to press early and all the games are marked “late game” unless they were played the previous afternoon. What gives? Are they trying to tick off their already dwindling reader base? Paul in Waldorf (4/19/07)
Dave's response: Oh that Post. It's one of the best newspapers in the country for its superb coverage of national and international news. But then you have the sloppy, sometimes downright dopey Style section. I don't spend a lot of time with the Sports section, though. However, I will sometimes take two or three seconds to read Tony Kornheiser's dictated paragraph.....
I wanted to share with you the blog of Julia Campbell she dedicated the blog to those who chose not to follow her to a road less traveled. Now she has been lifted up on eagles wings to her next journey.... juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com... Be not afraid........ John (4/19/07)
Here are more links for the Peace Corp worker very sad story. www.manilatimes.net, globalnation.inquirer.net (4/19/07)
(Virginia Governor) Tim Kaine has declared Friday as a day of mourning and for all to take a pause in our lives at Noon for a moment of silence. I hope the word gets around, I don't know anyone personally that was involved, but it really has affected me. We need to show all the support we can for those kids still in school so they can move on. They'll never forget, but they can move on. (4/19/07)
Another article of the sale of Mid-Atlantic to Centennial Broadcasting: www.fredericksburg.com (4/19/07)
Dave's response: The article says that there are negotiations to sell WINC, WBQB, etc., but still no final deal.....
Hey Dave: Tragic news about Julia Campbell. I was fortunate to work with her when she was with the Springfield/Burke Connection newspapers in the late 80s. She was a wonderful talent and a tremendous woman. I was not surprised to read that she dedicated her life to the Peace Corps in the Phillipines. An amazing woman, and she will be missed. Joe Doc (4/19/07)
Ref "Blind Item" ah I think nobody gives a shit....tell ya the truth !! (4/19/07)
RE: "And I think comparing Waco and Columbine to Virginia Tech might be a little off." -- the comparison here isn't between the two events, which were obviously quite different. It is simply what one first thinks of when the word "Waco" is uttered. Unfortunately, "Blacksburg" will be linked for quite some time with this horrible, horrible event. Virginia Tech is such a great school with such great people - but it will take a long time for this association to fade - as "JFK and "Dallas" has for some, as the poster points out. Paul (4/19/07)
Full service radio?! Are you mad? Do you know HOW MUCH that would cost? We'd have to hire an air staff, and maybe a news department. As for the SAT trucks descending on Centreville, Virginia: sounds to me like the camp-outs on astronaut family's front lawns that television reporters executed during the early space launches. Vaguely, tangentially relevant. A faux human interest angle. Highly irritating to the families. And hugely uninteresting to much of the viewing public. But it filled air time. (Tell me, little lady, what does it feel like to be an astronaut's wife?) (4/19/07)
Speaking of cube farms, an interesting side note. Cube farms are office furniture that can be depreciated faster than leasehold improvements like doors and walls. So tax treatment of business costs governs whether you sit comfortably in an office with a door you can close or uncomfortably in a cube where you can hear everything your neighbors are doing: snoring, burping, f*rting, talking on the phone, humming to themselves. Clear Channel may further reduce costs by firing the entire sales staff and putting up an offshore web site to sell spots. Goodbye cube farm. Let's eliminate taxes. (4/19/07)
HFS nights. Back room radio John and Troy scores again. Scott Donahoo, hot babes on hot seats, mindless chatter (mixed in with important news). I learned more about that car guy and hot chicks than that rock station. And they talked about THEM too. Refreshing. R Belair (4/19/07)
I returned to the Winchester area, near where I was born in 1961, five years ago after nearly 40 years in the D.C. suburbs (Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford). Now, in just a few years, this area is virtually unrecognizable, with the addition of roads and thousands of people since 2002. For example, there are sixteen townhouses on my row and directly across from me in my 94 townhouse development just outside Stephens City; of which fourteen have changed hands in the last twenty months. There is one remaining resident from when I moved-in five years ago, whereas there were few changes in this development from its construction in 1996 until 2004, the only constant since then has been change. I for one will be sorry if WINC changes format or on air personalities.....God forbid, if "The Boy Owner", aka, Danny "Boy"...I used my "Daddy's Money and Good Timing" Snyder (his internet marketing company that he sold to buy the S kins, is now a shell of its former self), buys WINC as his boku millions in equity from the Redskins to get his powerful station FM that the Redskins network needs.. I wouldn't be surprised if "The Boy Owner" ended-up with WINC when all was said and done, ....and I have run out of counties to move to. I can hear the banjo playing the theme from Deliverance, right now as I consider (horrors) a move to West "By God" to escape the invasion of "Foreigners", who lack a true Virginia pedigree.. (4/19/07)
Dave's response: Did you know that my parents, who were students at the University Of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, got married in Winchester in 1956. They'd planned to elope and heard they could easily tie the knot in Maryland. But, when they ran into a snag in Elkton, they made tracks for the next state - Virginia. And Winchester. Little did they know that their son, some 50 years later, would be famous in Winchester (at least among the radio people there). Ha ha ha.....
I would like to thank Mrs HTG (from ron and fez) for her great speech on censorship during the paltalk conference on News Talk online. It seems that her motivtion is ruined by the people that support her. I bought a subscription to paltalk and went in the opie and anthony room only to be bounced because my free speech did not meet the criteria for the opie and anthony room? can we say hiporacy? I guess free speech is only in paltalk as long as the idiots in the room think it is okay. I am going to include this in my piece for the Washington Times. Thank you, John (4/19/07)
R.I.P. Niles Lathem, whom I worked with at the old Paterson News in the late seventies. A good journalist despite working at a place that really wasn't conductive to that sort of work. He will be missed. P.S., I love the idea of a "Northern Virginia 92.3," as long as their morning man is a little less crusty than WKXW's Jim Gerhart. Then again, who isn't? -- Vincent in Triangle (4/19/07)
Dave's response: Ah, Baltimore's WERQ might just have a problem with "Northern Virginia 92.3." It would have to be on 92.5.....
/\ April 19 Messages /\
\/ April 18 Messages \/
Baltimore Blind Item: Good guess with Amber Theoharris but wrong. Think more urban, a lot hotter and late nights. (4/18/07)
"Nothing Like a Blind Item to start the day: Which Baltimore personality is about to drop a bomb on the station? Not only has he/she just signed a TV development deal with a major studio, he/she has also signed on to be the face of a national haircare line and is really close to signing a syndication deal with a company outside of her station's parent company? Will the company stop the growth because he/she may become bigger than the station? Hint: the person is not really a radio personality -- more of an "expert" ... Okay, I'm going to guess Amber Theoharis. Also, you kind of give it away as being a "she" when you say "her station's parent company." (4/18/07)
NBC is saying they have received a "media manifesto" from the shooter of the Virginia Tech massacre. It includes 23 Quicktime videos and displays the shooter and was sent at 9:01 am Monday morning. More on msnbc.com... Denesh (4/18/07)
A question to all of the media outlets who have set up shop in Centreville -- can we do the same thing in your communities? In your front yard? At your kids' schools? This is a HORRIFIC event and the families, the survivors and the respective communities deserve a certain amount of space and respect. The two victims from Westfields graduated last year -- the school is teeming with people that knew and loved them -- their losses are raw. Their murderer graduated 4 years ago -- not many people remember him. Other than sensationalizing the tragedy, what is the point of this vulturous behavior? ENOUGH!!!! LO (4/18/07)
Dave's response: On Fox News just before 6 PM today, former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg was being questioned on the Virginia Tech massacre. And, believe it or not, he even found time to pitch his new book via amazon.com. Gawd! What a worthless piece of shit Goldberg is.....
RE:"CBS...I don't think I've ever tuned into a radio station cause of ad I've seen on a bus....." That's how I actually turned into the Don and Mike show. I was behind a Metro Bus going on route 1 to UMCP and saw the ad for the Redskins on WJFK. When I turned into the station, it was the Don, from the Don and Mike show, talking about a fridge that was given to him as a gift or something like that. I remember Freda calling and she was sick, had a cold, and her voice was horrible. I've seen also a Don and Mike ad on a metro bus within the last 6 months as well. (4/18/07)Dave's response: Back when G. Gordon Liddy was on WMET, the station ran bus ads that featured the G-Man's face taking up the ENTIRE SIDE (!) of the bus. Very frightening. Oh, that reminds me. We haven't run the pic of Liddy in his Speedo lately. Enjoy.....
In response to Rick's blasting of the Virginia Tech Police Chief, I happen to know the guy and I'm sure he is quite torn up about what happened and I'm sure he feels like they could have done better. As to getting the news out to radio, let me add to what the other mailbaggers said. As someone who is familiar with the radio market in the New River Valley...none of the local stations really cater to the student population and besides, the stations in Roanoke are much more listened to than the New River Valley stations are. Keith (4/18/07)
(Dave's response: I was thinking. You know what would be a really great format for WINC-FM? How about Northern Virginia Radio! Have a talk, news, and music "full service" format geared to Northern Virginians and Northern Virginians only - from Winchester to the DC suburbs down to the Warrrenton area...") Just like New Jersey 101.5 "Not New York. Not Philadelphia. Proud to be New Jersey 101.5" It was the brainchild of radio consultant Walter Sabo and VERY successful... (4/18/07)
Dave's response: Exactly. 92.5 could never be a full DC market station because its signal isn't that good on the "other" side of the Potomac. But, here in Reston, it's one of the strongest FMers and yet it's not even targeted at my local area. I'm telling you, WINC-FM would be a gold mine, advertising-wise, if it was properly programmed for Virginia's very affluent suburbs of DC. Look at Loudoun: a rich and rapidly growing population of a quarter-million - and only one truly local radio station, Leesburg AMer WAGE. Is there any local radio station that even bothers to cover the news and issues of Prince William County, which has even more people than Loudoun? I think not. Not since WPRW in Manassas went away.....
To the guy calling out the other poster about the broken femur- sounds to me like you just want to make an ass of him. I think his point was that when the reporter went from a specific bone to a less specific area, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. If she said 'He broke his femur and incurred other significant damage to his leg' then I don't think any comment would have been made. But it really didn't make much sense to say he broke his femur and his leg. "I feel for you, but unfortunately, VT has been branded in an awful way – just as Dallas is still remembered as the place where JFK was killed and Columbine High School is linked with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Waco’s a nice Texas town, but what comes to mind when you hear that word? David Koresh and the Branch Davidians." I don't know how old you are, but when I think of Dallas, JFK is not the first thing that comes to mind. I'm 25 so maybe it's a generational thing. And I think comparing Waco and Columbine to Virginia Tech might be a little off. Simply because Virginia Tech is extremely well known, whether for its athletic program or its engineering program. While Blacksburg may be a small town like Waco or Columbine, I think the history and prominence of Tech will outshine this tragedy. I hope so, at least. (4/18/07)
"Someone armed in that building could have ended this tragedy with a clean shot between the eyes. But all you narrow-minded Neanderthal libs just don't get it. You are on the wrong side of every issue of importance to society. Reap what you sew." More Kool-Aid over to this fellow, please. As usual, the typical Republican talking points (and don't forget those insults) from robots who cannot think for themselves. The issue has been beaten to death already, and I agree with Dave in his rant about making a hero out of this deranged young man. But of course the Kool-Aid drinkers could care less about the suffering of the victims and their families...it's all about touting their favorite issue and making sure they get on the radio and TV to babble about it. Grow up. (4/18/07)
Breaking news - Don Geronimo now weighs 213. No comment from Mike about his weight. (4/18/07)
Charles in Winchester: Any bets on who gets shown the door when the new owners take over WINC AM/FM and Real Classic Rock? Al McGilvray (4/18/07)
Dave's response: I was thinking. You know what would be a really great format for WINC-FM? How about Northern Virginia Radio! Have a talk, news, and music "full service" format geared to Northern Virginians and Northern Virginians only - from Winchester to the DC suburbs down to the Warrrenton area. Kind of like the way the old WEEL at 1310 was in the 1970s. Have a Northern Virginia-based morning show that would focus on commuting, sprawl, the Fairfax and Loudoun Board Of Supervisors, and Virginia politics like WEEL's old "Murphy In The Morning" show did on 1310 back in the day. With a Fairfax "satellite" studio. You could run some other locally-focused talk shows during the day with the likes of folks like Allan Prell, who also worked on WEEL, and former WMALer Charlie Warren. And then flip to hot adult contemporary music at night and on the weekends. It would also carry GMU, UVA, and JMU sports. 92.5 puts out such a great signal into Fairfax County. It's a shame that WINC can't exploit that advertiser base by "moving in a bit closer" to the DC suburbs. There are something like 2 million-plus people in Northern Virginia that are "underserved" by DC's radio stations. The rest of Mid-Atlantic's Winchester radio cluster (104.9, 105.5, 1400) would remain Winchester-only.....
When will the doc walker show start on sportstalk 980. Also, any idea who will replace Imus permanently on WTNT? (4/18/07)
Dave's response: I will have to re-consult with my SportsTalk 980 source. Stay tuned. Although I hate his guts, Mancow might just be the ticket for WTNT mornings.....
Actually, breaking your femur is not the same thing as breaking your leg, exactly. There are three bones in the leg: Femur, Tibia, and Fibula. It is quite possible that at 91mph and unbelted, he had extensive damage to his leg, not just the femur. You shat: Babbles Harrison today reported that "New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine broke his femur and his leg in a crash on the Garden State Parkway." Uh, that's the same thing. (4/18/07)
Dave, While I initially agreed with your rant about the coverage of Cho and while I see where you're coming from about feeding his celebrity, I still think this guy and his life needs to be covered. A lot of us have come into contact with people similar to this, though none of them who did something this atrocious. We need to read about this guy to see the warning signs of behavior like this and to get those people help. Do we need to know exactly where his house is in Centreville? No. But we need to know about his behavior and issues that could help us point these people out and get them help before they harm themselves (and in Cho's case, many others). Nick. Arlington, VA (4/18/07)
Dave's response: I agree that the story needs to be covered. But I think the Post was dangerously close to "hype mode" by placing the shooter profile across the top of the entire front page. I'd have run it lower on the front page - a bit less prominently.....
Rush Limbaugh says its time to "walk the talk" (?) and have a while male MSNBC host resign in favor of a minority. He's got a poll up at rushlimbaugh.com to determine whether Tucker Carlson, Chris Matthews or Keith Olbermann should go. (4/18/07)
Rhetorical question. With seemingly 20 on-air people from every national media outlet, plus crews, plus print reporters, plus local TV reporters and crews all in Blacksburg, and assuming you are a parent of a deceased, injured, or grieving student, where are you going to stay in Blacksburg? I'm sure our esteemed "media" have every hotel room booked anywhere close to Blacksburg. (4/18/07)
Dave's response: There is a hotel - The Inn At Virginia Tech - on the campus, and I believe the university reserved rooms there for the families of the shooting victims.....
Yesterday, America's talking bag of fertilizer warned the drive-by media not to politicize the Virgina Tech shootings. So, what did Rush do today? He blamed the shootings on the "political correctness" of the lefties. Rush did exactly what he warned the media not to do - he politicized the situation. - JKR (4/18/07)
Absolutely a classy move by the Nats to wear the Virginia Tech hats and show solidarity with the folks in Blacksburg after this terrible incident. Too bad most of the folks with cable down there only found out about it when the highlights were shown after the fact........ Charles in Winchester (4/18/07)
Reminder: Tomorrow at The Q&A Cafe, we have a double feature. At 12:30: HARLAN K. ULLMAN, who devised the "shock and awe" strategy that kicked off the Iraq war. No longer a supporter of Bush, we'll talk about whether the "surge" has worked. We'll ask also about how it felt to have the so-called "DC Madam" allege he was a client. At 1:00: "JEFF GANNON" who became famous as a White House correspondent who other press reps called a fraud because of his "softball" questions, and who also lived a double life as a gay escort. Who is Jeff Gannon? He'll tell us. We have seats available and we hope you'll join us. For reservations, please call Jon Moss at 202.338.2000. The fee is $35, all inclusive. The doors open at Noon. Carol Joynt (4/18/07)
Re: “I wish the media would stop referring to it as ‘the Virginia Tech massacre’". I feel for you, but unfortunately, VT has been branded in an awful way – just as Dallas is still remembered as the place where JFK was killed and Columbine High School is linked with Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Waco’s a nice Texas town, but what comes to mind when you hear that word? David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. (4/18/07)
Thought it was a classy move on the part of the Nats to don Va. Tech caps last night. Rusty Gibson (4/18/07)
This may not stay up long (unauthorized use of the televised accounts of Major League Baseball blahblahblah) but you have to see this clip: what looked like fan interference with a foul ball ends up with a slice of ballpark pizza being flung at a fan. Hilarious! www.break.com (4/18/07)
I wish the media would stop referring to it as "the Virginia Tech massacre". that label could stick. I'm an alumnus of Virginia Tech. It's very important to me. I fear this will overshadow the institution Virginia Tech really is. ernie kyger (4/18/07)
re: "saw a Metro bus with ad on side for The Glob 94.7. Is this the a first for a CBS Radio station to do advertising?" Far from it. When WJFK made the switch to "FreeFM" both "The Don and Mike Show" and "The Junkies" had billboards and busses covered with catchy slogans ("As good as they say they are" "Four Play"). Before that was a bus that covered the full line up from Stern, to D&M, to Bill O'Reilly and then to Ron and Fez; and back in 2001 there was one that pushed both O&A and D&M. (4/18/07)
Dave's response: There's a Fairfax Connector bus stop right in front of the DCRTV World Headquarters. And I often see Don and Mike's huge faces out my window first thing in the morning. Scary.....
The Baltimore Sun's Michael Dresser shows what a complete idiot he is in today's SUN with this headline and gun control thesis... Law didn't hamper suspect's gun buy www.baltimoresun.com... Of course, one of the guns was purchased illegally, meaning the same thing most likely would have occured with or without gun control. The only difference is, he wouldn't have had a backup weapon if the 1st one jammed. Geez, I'll feel safe once gun control is enacted. NOT! Maybe, instead of gun control, The SUN & other local and national media should spend more time investigating why it is that our nation's colleges & universities have a history of educating terrorists. Just think, if Maryland's Governor had gotten his way, this kid could have gotten discounted tuition to the U of Maryland instead. Oh, drats, that's right, he had a green card, making him much safer than O'Malley's Illegal Education March. When is The SUN going to do a story on the O'Malley administration jeopardizing Maryland's and specifically the Port of Baltimore's safety with hiring illegals, all the while promoting education discounts for illegals? Some irony huh with O'Malley getting national press criticizing the Bush administration on port security??? DUH! Where's THAT story Mr. Dresser? Well evidently that's not important for SUN writers as it doesn't fit their "agenda". What a pathetic excuse for a newspaper. (4/18/07)
“Re: ‘you reap what you sew’ No, actually you wear what you sew. You reap what you SOW. Neanderthal. Now, lets get back to trashing Tom Shedlick, or that 87.9 frequency discussion.” Anonymous poster, bless you! Mother Hubbard, Grammar Hammer extraordinaire (4/18/07)
As of Friday I noticed WYRE AM 810 was no longer carrying Spanish programming. It had been replaced with some type of contemporary music format from KHZTV.COM with station ID of Ocean City, Md WKHZ and Annapolis/Baltimore WYRE. The music continued commercial free past 7:45PM signoff and into Saturday. I live about a mile from their tower on Silopanna Rd. so it might have been on very low power. Now on Wednesday April 18 there is no programming but the signal is on. Have you heard of any ownership change? Great sight ! I just joined DCRTV PLUS. Ron in Annapolis (4/18/07)
Dave's response: Thanks Ron! Yeah, who owns WYRE these days? Are we about to witness the birth of a local "AM superstation" via OC's 1590, Annapolis's 810, and Potomac's 950? Remember that great oldies station Bill Parris had on Rockville's old WINX 1600 and on 94.3 from Warrenton in the late 1990s? Very cool. Hmmm.....
Nothing Like a Blind Item to start the day: Which Baltimore personality is about to drop a bomb on the station? Not only has he/she just signed a TV development deal with a major studio, he/she has also signed on to be the face of a national haircare line and is really close to signing a syndication deal with a company outside of her station's parent company? Will the company stop the growth because he/she may become bigger than the station? Hint: the person is not really a radio personality -- more of an "expert"... (4/18/07)
The Alexandria Aces Collegiate Summer Baseball Program Extends Our Heartfelt Thoughts and Prayers to Our Extended Virginia Tech Family... Today, together, we are all Hokies... www.AlexandriaAces.org (4/18/07)
Dave's response: Amen! From a graduate of JMU, just up "the valley".....
CC has taken all the personality & human element of radio out of it's air product. Look out cube farm, sales is next. All programming will be handled on a national or regional level with a couple of grunts to do production or upload the spots to Prophet. All sales will be done regionally as well with a couple of AE's handling the local workload. Keep a couple of continuity people on hand to schedule, and sell the last minute avails to google so you sell out all stopsets. You've cut your workforce even more and now you've found a way to keep commisions low too. Also, Re: WQSR, ratings mean diddly squat now. It's all about selling the cluster and selling the demo of the station. QSR will always make a profit because they have next to no expenses. No talent, no promotions = no costs. One or two people to make sure the jukebox keeps running and count the money. One more thing. According to City-Data.com, Blacksburg had 4 murders between 2001 & 2005. Much like a terrorist attack, a shooting spree like this can't be planned for. The media either fail to realize this, or choose to ignore it in the name of pointing a finger and retaining viewers. College age kids don't use TV, radio & newspapers as much as older Americans. If you want to alert them of anything, use the cell phone or computer. That's where they get the bulk of their information. Under very trying conditions, the officials in Blacksburg & VT are doing a fantastic job, and seeing the way national media & mailbaggers attack these people is truly pathetic. (4/18/07)
"Those eagles on his collar indicate he is a full Colonel, not a Sergeant." And, THIS bird indicates that we don't care if he's a private part or a major malfunction... he is a loser and a poor excuse for a law enforcement officer who failed to secure the crime scene of a double murder, and failed to establish a geographical perimeter, resulting in the deaths of thirty more innocent people. "Sgt. Whistledick" is a very generous promotion to that dweeb! And, Dave, I have to disagree with you about the coverage/hype issue. As much as WE get inculcated with the story and every angle, non media people only spend a teeny, tiny fraction of the that we do, watching and listening to media outlets. For those who recall, ALL electronic media played funereal music, suspended commercials and carried as much news coverage as was available, for the entire weekend after the assassination of President Kennedy. - D. Dooright, RCMP (4/18/07)
"I was listening to Sgt. Whistledick, the head security guy at Tech explain why it was impossible to lock down the campus" Those eagles on his collar indicate he is a full Colonel, not a Sergeant. (4/18/07)
About the only thing left FOX 5 can do with their increasingly annoying news logo is to add sound effects like the "Fox Fanfare" every time the spotlights come up to illuminate the "5" in the middle (especially inappropriate with recent tragic events) and an old "Concentration" board sound for the rotating trillion each time the temp/time changes. The top portion of the logo looks like a car wash sign the way it slowly rotates. Oh, and F*** Rush. (4/18/07)
Interesting move by Clear Channel to partner with Google in an effort to sell more commercials. This a clear admission that CC can't sell, and a last ditch effort to boot. The more that radio commercials turn into a commodity sale, the more the business will suffer. If you can't sell your own inventory ,than either the product stinks or the sales effort stinks. In CC's case...I think it is both. Hey CC...Did you ever think of making the product better...training the sales people...hiring sales managers that can lead and giving clients a solid place to market their products? Oh, I forgot, that is the old way of doing things and change is good. Enjoy all those $25 dollar spots. (4/18/07)
Recent government action has dramatically increased the fees internet radio companies must pay to play the music you enjoy and threatens the future of internet radio. You can help, let your voice be heard. This should be of interest to people on DCRTV since if the new fee structure for internet radio goes throu