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DCRTV Mailbag - June 8 to June 14, 2007
Latest messages listed first.....
\/ June 14 Messages \/
As an alumnus of the University of Maryland it is very regrettable that the games are on WJFK. 106.7 is NOT receivable in the northern MD suburbs. If the games were on 106.5 it would a different case. 105.7 is also hard to pick up because of 105.9 . This won't work any better next season than in the 90's when it was on 106.7. After following the Terps since 1971, next season I won't bother trying to pick up the broadcast on a weak station. (6/14/07)
Hey Rusty! I lurk in the mailbag every other day now but don't post as much. Thanks for asking about me. P.S. I'm soooo relieved that the Terps games are not on WMAL anymore! Yee-Ha! -Silvie in Waldorf- (6/14/07)
Congrads to the U of Md going on 106.7, They have now joined the Orioles in being on a station a lot of listeners can't receive. Thats why they make the big Money. (6/14/07)
to those who bitch about WMAL going off the air in overnight...they are doing work to upgrade things. You bitch about reception problems, sound issues, yet you bitch when a station goes off the air for some repairs. Jesus, shut up and deal with it. (6/14/07)
So, the entire Don and Mike show is now available via podcast from their website. Does that mean we can now avoid all the ads on their show? I mean, the podcasts don't have ads, do they? If I can hear the show ad-free I'm going podcast, baby. Radio? I don't need no stinkin' radio. - Jim (6/14/07)
Attention all WMAL Advertisers - When I go to bed at night I turn the radio on to talk shows. First Choice WMAL however is WMAL is off the air I put WTNT on instead, In the morning when I wake up whatever station I put on the night before is the one I listen to until I go to work at 9AM. John T. Henneman (6/14/07)
Fear The Turtle! Even if you can't hear the turtle. Sorry to see the Terps shift back to JFK-FM. You think XXX radio has coverage problems. Try picking up a UM game on Route 1 near the campus. Damn near impossible on Washington's "Free-FM". Oh well.
Tom (6/14/07)Dave's response: This is the 106.7 coverage map (right) that was part of today's University Of Maryland radio afffiliate press release. Of course, no mention is made of all those cheapo car radios that lock onto Baltimore's closely-spaced 106.5 as you drive through the College Park area.....
Love 'em or hate 'em, at least Mark and Kris came up with their own ORIGINAL content. They didn't have to use radio 101 gimmicks. (6/14/07)
Fab news about 'JFK snagging the Terps with my friend Johnny Holiday behind the mic. And Johnny if you're reading this, it truly was a pleasure to see former O's great Don ("Groove") Baylor co-hosting "Nats Access" with you in place of Ray Knight. I now see why that Don became a Major League manager. It's just too bad the decision makers in the warehouse at Camden Yards couldn't (or didn't) see it too. Rusty Gibson (6/14/07)
Far from being boring or unwatchable, I regard CSN's Washington Post Live as the textbook example of how a local sports roundtable show should be done. Moderator Russ Thaler goes out of his way to ensure that all the major pro and college teams in the area get some run, case in point being Tuesday's broadcast which featured an interview with the Post's DC United beat writer, extensive discussion of the Nationals and other baseball topics with panelists Phil Wood and Dave Sheinin and even a chat with the president of the Washington Bayhawks (a pro lacrosse team recently relocated here from Baltimore). Certain local sports radio hosts would be strongly advised to take notice. Tony Kornheiser seems to have a problem with people not affiliated with the Post appearing as guests on that program, fascinating in view of the fact that he has non-Post reporters and commentators on his radio show all the time - David Aldridge (TNT), David DuPree (USA Today), Joe Barber (WETA), Arch Campbell (Channel 7) and Bob Ryan (Boston Globe) among others. On WTEM's Sports Reporters (which goes head-to-head with WPL for 90 minutes), Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban are apparently so bored with what's happening in sports right now that they recently spent two segments discussing talk shows in other cities. Frankly, I could care less about the sports radio scene in Chicago and would much rather hear about what's going on here in Washington, DC. Speculation that the Nats might be interested in acquiring Elijah Dukes (a player with a lengthy rap sheet) from Tampa Bay would seem to be a slam dunk caller topic, but no! - they have this pathological aversion to going to the phones on anything Nats related other than the quality of the hot dogs at RFK. Speaking of 980, Jerry Coleman deserves to be chewed out for including the story of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James' girlfriend giving birth to a child on one of his updates today. Since the birth had no impact on James' participation in the ongoing NBA Finals, Coleman was out of line to mention it in a sports report. Mike, Fairfax (6/14/07)
With Don Cheadle in DC for the premiere of "Talk To Me", it's high time that we revisited the newly enhanced video of Petey Greene's famous "Be Yourself" sermon on eating watermelon from 1982 at: www.youtube.com... Thanks to the efforts of many folks, the original blocky VHS video and audio has been cleaned-up... with a new tribute to Petey added to the end. And, to see how far we've come in twenty-five years, check-out this female counterpart of Petey who broadcasts from Atlanta: www.youtube.com... What a damn shame that she and Petey will never do a show together! I'd pay money to see that. (6/14/07)Dave's response: I never heard Petey Greene's WOL radio show, but my friends and I caught him regularly on Sunday nights on Channel 20. What a great show, and what a great station, back then! I'll never forget then DC101er Howard Stern's guest shot on Petey's show. (Can we get a YouTube clip of that?) If you stayed up late enough, you could even catch the great God man Gene Scott on 20's Sunday overnights - in his white suit and Panama hat, chomping on a cigar, playing his sax, and marching an army of tin monkeys around the studio, which represented the FCC, which stripped him of his broadcast TV station licenses. Throw in Count Gore and Captain 20, some "Star Trek" reruns, and WDCA was one helluva of a TV station back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.....
Uncle Tony, thanks for speaking the truth! Only shows that might be WORSE are MASN's pathetic O's/Nats pre-game and post-game shows. MASN's Ravens Xtra post game is awful as well!......."It's awful. ... It's unwatchable" – The Washington Post’s Tony Kornheiser, on the paper’s "Washington Post Live" sports show on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic (“The Tony Kornheiser Show,” Washington Post Radio, 6/13) (6/14/07)
The cross chat on the FOX 5 Noon News is enough to make me want to vomit. That Gwen lady told everyone how watching a segment on "Strawberry Shortcake" made her oh so hungry! So forced, so contrived, so fake! If you want cross chat with depth, smarts and focus, one should take a lesson form JC Hayward. Also, Brian Bolter needs to put some sun block on his face when he goes golfing. He was peeling under all that makeup last night and although FOX 5 is not HD, my tv shows all. XO. Poodle (6/14/07)
Has WMAL been going off intermittently on the overnight broadcasts this week? Genghis Cohen (6/14/07)
Dave's response: Yes, it's part of Citadel's new cost-cutting "We're Not There When You Need 630" campaign.....
Hey "Mike" in Waldorf. Do ya know (or know what became of) previous "Mailbagger" Sylvie(also from Waldorf)? Just curious and wondering if she was O-K as she used to post regularly. Rusty Gibson (6/14/07)
Dave's response: We just heard from Sylvie a few days ago.....
Of course MASN's numbers are higher than ComcastSportsNet's were last year. MASN is the ONLY place you can watch Orioles games. Last year, ComcastSportsNet only carried about half of the Orioles games (but at least they were available in High-Def!) and the other half were carried over the air (by MASN) or by ESPN or FOX. Now, O's and Nats fans have no choice but to watch MASN all of the time, even if a High-Definition signal is available via ESPN due to blackout restrictions. It's like saying that more people used Bell Telephone than AT&T...when you have a monopoly people have to use you! (6/14/07)
Who at TWP planted that comment about the TWT being only 25 yrs old and having problems? The commenter went on to note that its competitor (aka TWP) is over a century old. Well, that may be true. But since TWP is having the same issues as TWT, that means that the grand old dame has fallen to more or less the same level of poverty as the youngster. Which means the oldie is no longer the goodie, and has fallen farther than the youngster to get to the same level. Justice is served. When CBS fires Katie Courosive, maybe she can assume the throne at TWP of another former Kate. At least the liberal bias will remain the same. TWP, what an delusional embarrasment. (6/14/07)
To Charles in Winchester: The FCC's supposed campaign to explain the February, 2009 TV changeover IS bad. I was at the NAB in Las Vegas in April. Outside the convention center was a NAB promotion van and a girl handing out a pamphlet about February, 2009. Not much info in the pamphlet. I asked her a couple of questions and she responded that she doesn't know anything about all this and that she was only hired "to pass out the material." WHOA! That's a pretty bad way to promote something that will affect millions of TV viewers. There you have it Charles, first hand. The FCC is way off the mark in public relations. (6/14/07)
FTVLive is wrong in terms of VJs in major markets. MyNetworkTV affiliate KRON in San Francisco already uses VJs. Everett W. (6/14/07)
Since I didn't see a direct answer to these specific questions... "..with the analog vs digital changes. Does it mean that my three analog tv's will suddenly become obsolete if I don't choose to buy three of Comcast's digital boxes?" -- A. Any form of cable TV will continue to work with your current TVs. The satellite services, Dish Network and DirecTV will also continue to work. The changeover affects broadcast TV only. However, you will surely have noticed that Comcast is trying to 'persuade' its customers to move to digital cable, by dropping channels from analog cable and raising prices. -- "Does it mean that I will have to buy three new tv's before then?" -- A. No. If you ONLY use an antenna to watch those TVs, there will be set-top converter boxes available before the changeover, and government-issued coupons to help pay for the boxes. Essentially, people who use antennas will end up with more channels than they have now. -- "What happens if I convert to Directv....will that make any difference?" -- A. Both satellite services will continue to support older TVs. Check the channel offerings on both and, if possible, the user interface on both before committing to either. (6/14/07)
How much does Kane make anyway? He is BAAAAAAAAAAAAAD I think he is the rudest, egotistical of them all. Who cares how hot his wife is, or how many times people say his name on Access. Me thinks he talks to much… You would not need to harp on your accomplishments or hotness of your wife if the content was true. PL (6/14/07)
Dave's response: Won't comment on Kane, but a lot of the Clear Channel radio talent in DC sounds quite "small market." Especially some of those DC101 weekenders. Sounds like they should be working somewhere like Spokanne or Wilkes Barre. I guess they come cheap.....
Re: "Essentially, [Comcast is] legally stealing our money to pay their own tax." Oh, come on. EVERY business does that. There is no such thing as a tax on any business--it's ALL passed along to the customer. The only thing that may be different in some cases is whether the business comes out and says the tax is the reason for the higher price. Econ 101. (6/14/07)
NAB BANNER EXPLAINED: Perhaps the big NAB banner is explained not by a new effort to influence the public, but to show off for their own radio board: This is from Radio and Records... Withers Voted Head Of NAB Radio Board... By Jeffrey Yorke... The NAB's board of directors concluded two days of meetings in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (June 13), following the association's annual "Service to America" bash on Monday evening. At the meetings, Withers Broadcasting Cos. owner Russ Withers was unanimously elected Radio Board chairman following a nomination by Saga CEO Ed Christian. Commonwealth Broadcasting president Steve Newberry was unanimously elected Radio Board vice chairman, and Inner City Broadcasting president Charles Warfield was tapped as Radio Board second vice chairman. The board heard an update from board member and Beasley Broadcasting executive VP/CFO Caroline Beasley on various NAB initiatives in support of the continued rollout of HD Radio. HD Digital Radio Alliance chief Peter Ferrara then briefed the board on the marketing and public relations initiatives being undertaken to promote HD. NAB executive VP of legal and regulatory affairs Marsha MacBride reported on the status of a pending NAB request to the FCC to allow AM stations to use FM translators, and, along with NAB director of government relations Mike Mullen, updated the board on NAB actions related to the proposed merger of satcasters Sirius and XM. NAB executive VP/CFO Mike Williams provided an overview of the recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board to dramatically increase the royalties to be paid to record labels and artists for music streamed over the Internet and reported on the Internet Radio Equality Act, offered in the House by Rep. Jay Inslee. The legislation, which is mirrored in pending Senate legislation, would roll back the CRB rate hikes and has attracted more than 100 co-sponsors in the House. The board also heard from Radio Board member Bruce Goldsen, who chairs the Performance Tax Task Force, about message-development efforts that will be employed to thwart the RIAA's efforts to set a performance royalty for radio. David Rehr, who as a procedural matter was re-elected president and CEO of the NAB, updated the Radio Board on a variety of advocacy initiatives the NAB is undertaking to advance radio's interests on Capitol Hill and on Wall Street. Clearly the new head of NAB, David Rehr, is making a big deal of this for his own internal politics. If the merger is shot down, he'll take the credit. Since the merger probably was DOA anyway it's a good bet. If the merger goes through, he looks pretty toothless, but if it's squashed, everyone will forget about Eddie Fritz. By the way, don't you need a permit from DC to trash up the side of your building like that ? (6/14/07)
On this date in 1922, Warren G. Harding became the first president heard on radio, as Baltimore station WEAR broadcast his speech dedicating the Francis Scott Key memorial at Fort McHenry. (6/14/07)
Had the misfortune of having to sit through a lengthy discourse by Lindsay Czarniak at the Centreville High School commencement exercises this (Wednesday) afternoon. She was the principal commencement speaker and rambled on about herself and her career and other things relevant to herself until I and others in the audience zoned out. Couldn't figure out where her speech was going or what the devil she was trying to tell the graduates. What a major disappointment...she did tell a funny story about how someone drew a mustache on her press card pass picture at the NASCAR races recently but didn't connect it to anything else that she spoke about. (6/14/07)
/\ June 14 Messages /\
\/ June 13 Messages \/
Under current law, digital TV becomes mandatory on Tuesday, February 17, 2009. The choice of the date makes sense when you think about it: 1) The next president will get the blame, 2) it's a week or two after the Super Bowl so millions won't be deprived of the biggest TV day of the year and 3) it's one day after the President's Day Holiday -- which will likely become the biggest TV sale day in history. Not a day to call in sick at Best Buy. (6/13/07)
From All Access: Nights in Baltimore. WIYY(98Rock) is looking for it's next big night show. Solo, teams, and guys or girls. We don't care! If you have some experience and want to live in B-more, just send your stuff. Apply to Dave Hill, Program Director. dshill@hearst.com. EEO. (6/13/07)
Hey Rusty: Thanks so much for providing the link to the Zimmer's singing "My Generation" on You Tube. This is a must see for all baby boomers. Heartfelt thanks to Rock and Leebo for having me as a guest this past Saturday on WVIE along with lovely psychic Sandi Athey (WCBM) and Lois Carrigan of the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland. Talk about amazing ladies. It was fun playing "oldies" trivia with them (Sorry Leebo that the songs were "too old" for you) Kids! I swear. It was also an honor sharing about some of the performers who made rock and roll great. Guys, you made a dream come true at least for one night on 1370 AM. I'll take it. Blessings to all. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (6/13/07)
What are the chances that Sirius offers Howard Stern another $500.000.000 when his current contract expires? Do the current subscription rates for satellite radio predict a bright future for the medium? JOHN IN STAFFORD (6/13/07)
Good luck to everyone because the publicity on this [change to digital television] is horrible or non-existent. FCC to blame I would think..... WHAT? They have been talking about this for YEARS. They have put it off a couple of times already. With the latest delay until 2009, you are still hearing about it nearly two years before it takes effect. It’s not the FCC’s fault if you don’t read the tons of news stories or look on the Internet for more information about this changeover. Geeez. Charles in Winchester (6/13/07)
Is it well known that Kane on Hot 99.5 fakes most of his bits? His "War Of The Roses" calls are all actors from a comedy service that he records and pretends they are real. Is he doing that with a lot of his stuff? If he is faking that much stuff, wouldn't you think he would at least fake entertaining things. (6/13/07)
If the person would have read the entire article, they would have realized that Channel 9 has a contest for the screening of "Evan Almighty", hence why it was on the front page. It amazes me so many people don't have the guts to leave their name but think they can bust on everyone in radio/TV in this area. Mike in Waldorf (6/13/07)
"It's actually worse. $600,000 for FOUR months' work. March, April, May and June. That's it." Not sure if this is true either...my sworcess (as Ken Beatrice used to say) tell me that TK get a million a year from his radio deal...so for the time he was on the radio...about 4 months and a week or 2 (didn't he start late Feb.?), that would equal about $360,000+. And contray to other posters who feel "younger, less expensive people can be brought in", it sounds like Post Radio put some money in a proven radio talent that has definitely brought ratings and exposure to a station looking for an identity. Just look how many people talk about TK and WTWP on this site alone! I have been posting for more than a year and WTWP is getting more chatter today than it was getting 8 months ago. (6/13/07)
Comcrap rates have a hidden increase in Montgomery County and maybe others. My bill was up about $1.70 from last month. I called the county's office of cable complaints and was told that Comcrap has to pay a 5% fee on gross revenues to the county as part of their franchise fee and that this fee can be passed onto the rate payers. What really sucks is that this also includes any revenue generated by advertising or commissions it receives from shopping channels. Essentially, they're legally stealing our money to pay their own tax. I don't know if Verizon FIOS does this, but it's just another reason to hate Comcrap, those lousy bloodsuckers! Howard (6/13/07)
For TV viewers in February, 2009, the way understand it: A) If you watch TV over the air (no cable/dish), you will need a converter box unless you buy an HD TV. B) If you have cable and NO box presently, you will need to get a converter box, unless you have an HD TV. C) If you have analog TVs and you do the right thing with the converter boxes, you will have a border on top and bottom of your TV screen. HD televisions DO NOT have the borders. Good luck to everyone because the publicity on this is horrible or non-existent. FCC to blame I would think. (6/13/07)
Hey Dave,
Hope all is well. I thought you might be interested in my latest career move. I'ts very exciting!
Dick Dyszel (6/13/07)(Regarding Tony Kornheiser: Apparently that's his radio deal. His contract with Washington Post Radio is up at the end of June and he'll be free to negotiate with another radio company early next year, when his "MNF" work is done.) That's flat out wrong. Whoever told you that lied. (6/13/07)
"dude, you probably write more about TK than any person in the world"...and what is more interesting is that Dave seems to "hate" the show. it has been accurately pointed out before that many radio programs would love to have that many "haters". JC (6/13/07)
This is especially for "Sister" Joyce Conroy (& the captain) plus all of my fave Baltimore Jocks. This vid is the current rave. of the UK! www.youtube.com... Rusty Gibson (6/13/07)
Today's "Hiring Freeze Hits Washington Times" headline made me think... am I the only one who laughs at the sight of the Times logo, proudly saying "Founded 1982"??? 25 whole years... wow, congratulations on that. Seems very strange for them to think 25 years means anything when their rival has been in business an entire century longer. -- Dave (6/13/07)
Sorry to see that Baltimore's WMAR-TV is losing Duarte Geraldino. I have watched him many times shortly after 5am with live shots and late at night. This gentleman is heading for bigger and better things. He is one smooth reporter. Good luck guy to you and your family. Since Bob Barker has retired from The Price Is Right, should be interesting to see how the new host (after a few months of Bob and repeat shows) will affect WJZ's 12 noon news. Time to send a check to Dave for this great site. (6/13/07)
Talk about burying the lead. So the supposed "outcry" over O&A's suspension resulted in only 5,000 cancellations. Interesting. I seem to recall some outlandish claims that people were on hold for hours in the day or so after the suspension. That something like 60,000 people had cancelled. As with everything circulating around the clones, the truth is usually far less interesting than the myth. When is the media going to wake up to the fact that these two barely register on talk radio anymore. They are STILL living of a reputation wasted 5 years ago in a church pew and have done nothing to show they can draw anything other than flies when actually on the air. (6/13/07)
Can someone help me out here? I cannot understand what is going to happen in 2009 with the analog vs digital changes. Does it mean that my three analog tv's will suddenly become obsolete if I don't choose to buy three of Comcast's digital boxes? Does it mean that I will have to buy three new tv's before then? What happens if I convert to Directv....will that make any difference? (6/13/07)
ABC News Reporter Planning Tell-All "DC Madam" Book? bigheaddc.com (6/13/07)
Check out WUSA's web site right now.... Evan Almighty a top story? Mike (6/13/07)
Heard on the Kane show (99.5) today at about 9:25 AM. He is going to increase the wattage to the transmitter to 140KW. Probably a prank! As a side note - What a train wreck of a show! (6/13/07)
Dave's response: I'm not a radio engineer, but with an FM signal the antenna height is inversely proportional to the power of the transmitter. Basically, if you're on a very high tower (like on Mount Wilson or on the Empire State Building) you can run less wattage to get the same coverage. Likewise, if the transmitter tower is on top of Kane's Montgomery County mansion, it would take 140kW (or more) to get the same 50kW-ish signal coverage that 99.5 now has. Although, Clear Channel would have a heftier power bill. But I guess they could take it out of Kane's salary. Brilliant.....
Above is the statement I've given to the press. June 12, 2007, Tim Franklin, (Baltimore Sun) Editor & Senior Vice President, 501 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21276, Dear Tim; Thank you for your response to my letter of June 9, 2007. I don’t want this to become a back forth letter writing campaign instead this will be my last to the “spearchuckers” incident. I believe that for the Sun Paper and the staff to move forward there are several items that should be done. 1. I would suggest you share the Content Survey with ABMW, NABJ, Poynter, or the Maynard Institute to receive feedback be it positive or negative. 2. I suggest you continue to hold forums with groups like the NAACP and others to take the pulse of what you’re doing right and wrong. 3. In lieu of the current questions over ownership, buyouts and labor negotiations I would suggest that an outside entity sit-in on Diversity Committee meetings from time to time. The stress of these forces is stifling honest discussions. Once again this can come from any of the organizations I have mentioned or bring in seasoned veterans who’ve retired from the Sun Papers. 4. We accept Childs Walker’s apology, however I respectfully disagree, he has “poisoned” the newsroom for all reporters. Mr. Walker must personally redeem his own credibility with his colleagues, sources, and the public. The columnist has learned a tough lesson and it should be a lesson to all, “that such work is inexcusable” at this level of journalism. I don’t believe he should be fired, but a suspension is in order, and that should extend to all those involved (copy editors included). I didn’t know “'spearchuckers' has long been used as a racial epithet” is not cover, he should have known. He gets no sympathy from this organization that the term, which was the bain of a previous generation, doesn’t hold sway with people his age. 5. Lastly, I want to commend you on being proactive. I want you to stay proactive. Trumpet the achievements of all those who work for you. It must be exciting, frustrating, and rewarding to lead a newspaper in one of the most difficult and trying times in the newspaper industry. I believe you are on the right track and these suggestions will hopefully take the Baltimore Sun Papers to the next level. Sincerely, Charles Robinson. President, ABMW... This website will give you the background and context: www.maynardije.org (6/13/07)
Let's be real. O&A have impulse control problems. We all know someone who takes the joke too far or says something a bit too creepy. You try joking about committing a crime on a national official and see how long it takes for the Secret Service to come a'knocking. As for Howard, I think he has some sort of delay in case someone says something libelous. (6/13/07)
I really thought that the music delivery revolution (MP3s, I Pods, Satellite Radio, the Internet, Cell Phones, and DVDs) would force Terra-radio to become relevant. Especially that major market stations would have to give the listeners something they couldn’t do without. Something like information and entertainment that related to the local situation. Who needs music flow, when you can create the exact music flow you want? I always think a little ahead of the curve, knowing that, I understand that music flow still works for the big broadcast chains, and they won’t change until it doesn't work anymore. But, they will have to change. I can still enjoy the radio, but I really want to hear Ken Merson, Johnny Holliday, Dan Ingraham, John Landecker, Jim Lowe, Jean Shepherd, or someone else that is new and exciting, talking to me while I enjoy the music and information. If I’m stuck in traffic, I want someone to amuse me. A few local stations do that, because they are not music stations, and the urban stations do a great job of relating to the listeners. The first big chain that makes the change will establish themselves as market leaders and will be hard to knock off. There are at least five formats that could move into the top ten. We will just have to wait. Ed Graham (by the way it isn’t Tony’s fault the WTWP is stupid) (6/13/07)
Interesting post about Don of D&M being so into himself he doesn't notice the "barbs" being thrown by his own team. You know you have to walk a mile in someone's shoes" to recognize the pain he must be going through. I don't think anyone realizes that he's been in this business for decades without a break, and his share of tragedy. He could well be totally burned out and need a break. Agreed, he's not the nicest person on the planet, in fact he's made more enemys along the path than most. But, still a bit of compassion might be in order. He should take a long vacation with his son. Clear his thoughts and maybe return. Let's face it, he's NOT that old. ANG (6/13/07)
dude, you probably write more about TK than any person in the world. (6/13/07)
I actually listened to this KHZ business on WYRE-810 this morning. According to their announcement they are on exactly 3 radio stations, 810 Annapolis (though they said Baltimore in the announcement), 1590 Ocean City, and 1580 (KBLA) in Los Angeles on weekends. All their ads seem to be for small music industry related businesses in LA. They played a Johnny Cash song that was so old it was on an Edison cylinder. They claim to present new "unsigned" music of the future. I can't tell if this "network" is a pipe dream or the beginning of some great idea for AM radio (is that why its KHZ, for KiloHertz?). But if every one of their (currently 3) stations can only be heard for 8 miles around without starting to fade, it's not going to be easy. And they seem to be a marketing business for musicians rather than what I would think of as real radio. It sounds very anonymous and automated. I am amazed that I can hear excellent traditional radio for music or talk on the Internet from fore ign countries, and it is getting harder to hear the same in the US anymore. -- Carl in Olney (6/13/07)
"Does anyone still listen to the Don and Mike show? In the past, I would see a lot of posts regarding the show on your web site and now I can barely find anything." You don't see many posts about WPGC on here. All this means is that a small group of people that posts may not listen or those that listen got tired of posting and having to deal with retards. Paul (6/13/07)
The O&A fans sure showed the XM brass just who has the leverage. From XM itself, "In protest to the suspension of O&A 500,000........... um 50,000..... um 5000 subscribers cancelled their subscriptions". Maybe it would have been better to say 14% of their original fan base cancelled. (6/13/07)
Someone had mentioned WYRE in an earlier post. As a youngster living in the Annapolis/Baltimore area in the mid to early 60's, I can well remember when WYRE was attempting to challenge WCAO for "Land Of Pleasant Living" bragging rights. Though in my heart WCAO (& Johnny Dark) will always be #1 ! Rusty Gibson (6/13/07)
RE: [ " I am back in Baltimore for a visit, and noticed that WYRE/810 is now playing something called "KHZ Radio." When did they switch from spanish programming? Does anyone know who is doing better in mornings, 98 roc or HFS? " ]......... As far as I know, that's just brokered programming and the station is still owned by Hispanic interests and will ultimately be Baltimore's 1st Hispanic owned & operated radio station. However, it appears that some toothless Essex-necks (or more accurately Chesacopark-necks) are attempting to stage some type of phony zoning complaint to stop the station from moving from Annapolis claiming it will endanger wildlife. Gee, now that's a laugh. Some of the wildlife around these parts are more cleanshaven & upstanding than the humans! It reminds me of the Dundalk LNG plant opposition. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist an opportunity to type this again)... OH ma Gawd Hon, ma howse is gonna be all BLEWED UP by dat dere Ellen-G plant AND NOW da raydeeo torror is gonna gim ma kids da canser! :-) (6/13/07)
[XM says that about 5,000 subscribers have canceled their subscriptions in protest of the suspension.] 5,000? That's it? Not much of a base. (6/13/07)
Does anyone still listen to the Don and Mike show? In the past, I would see a lot of posts regarding the show on your web site and now I can barely find anything. It would seem to me that this is not a good sign for that shows popularity. Even the people who hated the show don’t care enough to comment anymore. I have read before that the show still sells many ads but how much longer can you say that when the rating are so horrible? (6/13/07)
Get over it Don, your chick just isnt that interesting. I would like to thank Buzz, Rob and Mike for not being so egotestical to think we actually give a "F" about their women. The longer Don rambles about himself, the more I sympathize with the rest of the cast for having to sit there and pretend they care about Don's chick or whatever Don is crying about. Does Don even hear the jabs Mike, Buzz and Rob unload on him daily? It's becoming the best part of the show. Don is so far gone into himself, he doesn't even notice his own team is sick of him. They will never admit it, thats the fun part about teasing the tard on the air. Don is a lot like Jerry Lewis. He THINKS he is respected and admired. Truth is, he just isn't quick enough to pick up his own team insulting him daily. THAT is the punchline of The Don and Mike Show. (6/13/07)
"Tony Kornholer is making $600,000 for six months' work at WTWP and has no contractual obligations beyond that?" It's actually worse. $600,000 for FOUR months' work. March, April, May and June. That's it. (6/13/07)
I am back in Baltimore for a visit, and noticed that WYRE/810 is now playing something called "KHZ Radio." When did they switch from spanish programming? Does anyone know who is doing better in mornings, 98 roc or HFS? Chris (6/13/07)
Dave's response: We have been reporting rumblings that area radio great Bill Parris was planning to relay his WKHZ 1590 Ocean City on Annapolis's 810 and maybe even on Potomac's 950.....
Dave, That’s funny coming from Tony. You should have seen the pilot he did for ch. 7 in the 80’s or early 90’s….. baaaaaaaaaad. Aren’t you getting sick of his negative, whiny, boorish comments? Do people really need to hear this? peace. (6/13/07)
Dave's response: I have to admit that I'm now finding Tony Kornheiser more funny than Don Geronimo. Yup, the boorish Tony definitely "grows" on you. I'll actually be sorry to see him leave the radio for "MNF" at the end of the month.....
Dave, You saw this earlier. Just sending it in view of the writer who said Tony's numbers are not available yet. In the pursuit of facts. Specific hours ARE KNOWN for the Winter Book (of which Tony was only the air about six weeks) and the numbers increased significantly. The last month of the Winter book was March. When you look at the first month of the Spring Book the numbers grew even more impressively 6-10 (can't break out hours until the full book is released) That signals a very strong increase for Tony AND David Burd and Jessica Doyle. I worry about the writers of these knee jerk comments, pretty soon they will need knee and joint replacement. (perhaps the joint is the problem). (6/13/07)
"Membership in CAIR, the Council On American-Islamic Relations, has declined more than 90 percent since the 2001 terrorist attacks, according to tax documents obtained by the Washington Times." While the good people at the Moonie Times and, umm, other dentally-challenged members of the majority community are certainly free to pat each other on the back over this great victory in the War on Terra, this has nothing to do with CAIR's "not representing the Muslim community." Muslim Americans simply believe that if their name appears on the membership roll of an explicitly Muslim organization, there is no guarantee that they won't be going on an unexpected vacation to a certain infamous corner of the lovely island of Cuba. (6/13/07)
In Tom Shales' item today about Dan Rather's remark about Katie Couric "dumbing down and tarting up the news", he wrote: Rather said that he never planned an attack on the 'Evening News' or on Couric, but that he was asked about it by Chuck Scarborough, who has replaced the deposed Don Imus on morning radio and MSNBC-TV. "He asked me directly what I thought," Rather said. "It is my wont to answer a question directly. It was not planned." Chuck Scarborough is the long-time local news anchor on WNBC in New York. www.wnbc.com (6/13/07)
Dave's response: Ah, Tom, it's Joe Scarborough.....
RE: "Were my ears deceiving me, or was that really Andrea Mitchell - Mrs. Alan Greenspan - Anchoring on WTOP after 10PM tonight? " You are probably thinking of Adrienne Mitchell - she frequently anchors evenings and weekends on WTOP. Brian in Fairfax (6/13/07)
Don and Mike have been properly spayed and knackered so please stop beating on a dead horse. They are mired in the mud of 14th place and trying to limp in past the finish line in Sept. 2008. For Gawd's sake you people go away now. Love % Kisses, Major Barbaro........ Man this old horse is sh8t faced from the Hey it's me, it's Albie Dee game. That's so cool! How grate is that? (6/13/07)
Every Wednesday is WGTB Day on www.wgay.fm. Airchecks from 1969 - 1979 are webcast. When you get to the site, go to "Listen WGAY Now". Enjoy! -Barlow T. Shagnasty (6/13/07)
Many DC broadcasters will attend the funeral for Margie Perkins today. Margie spent many years as the traffic director with Channel 7, WASH FM and recently Red Zebra. Margie was a warm hearted person in a cold hearted business. She was unflappable. Crazy sales managers and unorganized program directors as well as hundreds of sales people will all miss the "don't worry I will get it done" attitude that Margie had every day. She was truly unique and loved by everyone she touched. (6/13/07)
I have MASN and MASN2 on in my media room (along with CNN and ESPNews) (that's right 4 TVs) the Orioles - Nationals game on MASN2 is 7 seconds behind MASN. (6/13/07)
I start to wonder if Moonves planted the earlier detour claiming viewers don't want to watch a female anchor. Point to anything but the fact she doesn't anchor well. So here's the sexism card again, tossed to avoid answering the fact the show has gone soft on news. Maybe if CBS had more women in his kind of job they could find a better anchor for that chair? He probably picked her because she's a woman, not that she's qualified. (6/13/07)
re:" If I read the implied language of your post correctly, you are saying that comedy based commentary on “certain highly placed administration officials” is out of bounds. As a huge fan of standup comedy, I don’t see where anything is out of bounds as long as it gets the majority of laughs from the audience" //// No, that is not exactly what I said. I guess we can play semantics on what one considers "commentary," but I thought we were talking about supposed comedy. I would suggest if you get on XM, Sirius, or any terrestrial radio station and talk in descriptive and vulgar terms about putting the wood to the First Lady or Condoleezza Rice, you are skating on thin ice. What is funny and what isn't, is a subjective matter. Kudos for being a man of principle and canceling your XM subs, but what now? If Opie and Anthony are your be all and end all to why you subscribed to XM, and this incident was enough to make you ditch them, it seems like O&A are the ultimate losers. Unless you think O&A fans canceling on principle is going to put XM in enough financial hardship to make them beg to get you to re-up. Even if that did happen, it won't come with an apology or any promises. But the crux of the matter was a supposed debate on Censorship. If you purchased XM and thought O&A could say anything, at any time, without XM ultimately being able to punish them, I think events proved you wrong. Ultimately they do have the right as employers to reign them in, if they so choose. You can quit, you can protest, and do anything else to cause XM hardship, but this is not a Constitutional issue, that's all. XM has a lot more in the hopper than pleasing O&A fans, and imho they were getting ahead of the curve on a PR issue with negative potential, as the Feds are ruminating and preparing to pass judgment on the proposed merger. O&A very well may have become convenient sacrificial lambs in the big picture, a point worth considering if the survival of satellite radio hangs in the balance. As far as stand up comedy and comedy clubs: I don't think comedy clubs are shoving each other out of the way to hire the comedic genius of Michael Richards, living proof that you can actually screw up at a comedy club. But lets' for argument sake say Michael Richard's rave out had a majority of the audience rolling in the aisles, do you really think he would have been held over for another night for more N-word hilarity? Certainly club owners have the right to not hire or rehire stand ups for any variety of reasons, which patrons will likely never know. What is heard or said at a singular comedy club is not really comparable or analogous the XM debate. (6/13/07)
www.youtube.com - Here's a neat video of Bob Ryan in 1977 explaining how the weather is presented on WCVB in Boston, before weather graphics. Tom in DC (6/13/07)
Were my ears deceiving me, or was that really Andrea Mitchell - Mrs. Alan Greenspan - Anchoring on WTOP after 10PM tonight? (6/13/07)
Dave's response: Adrienne Mitchell, not Andrea. Adrienne is a longtime anchor on WTOP.....
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as for Tony being the highest rated show on WTWP...NOBODY KNOWS! He has not been there for a full segment that can be pulled from the raw numbers. The truth is WTWP has awful numbers...worse in 25-54...and nobody knows what Tony's numbers are. (6/12/07)
It appears WMAL has filed another signal change app with the FCC, this time to change their new 10,000 watt daytime pattern just slightly with more augmentation of the signal in Virginia, particularly towards the Richmond area. (6/12/07)
RE: “You answer your own question, and yet you somehow still don't seem to understand. I suggest you complain or cancel your subscription to XM, or ask them to explain their guidelines and standards to learn what is and what isn't allowed.” My 4 subscriptions were cancelled the day following the suspension as per a previous post. I have certainly complained to XM but their only appeasement was to send me an email saying they would return on replay earlier than expected. If I read the implied language of your post correctly, you are saying that comedy based commentary on “certain highly placed administration officials” is out of bounds. As a huge fan of standup comedy, I don’t see where anything is out of bounds as long as it gets the majority of laughs from the audience. -Stu, Fairfax (6/12/07)
RE: "I certainly see your point about companies having the legal right to impose their own regulations upon employees. However, this is XM Satellite Radio where one of the major selling points was/is the promise of delivering “uncensored radio”. /// You answer your own question, and yet you somehow still don't seem to understand. I suggest you complain or cancel your subscription to XM, or ask them to explain their guidelines and standards to learn what is and what isn't allowed. At a minimum, you know that O&A better not, or let others indulge in explicit sexual fantasies or verbiage about certain highly placed administration officials. Maybe Barney Frank and Mark Foley are still allowable targets for funnin, who knows? In the meantime, O&A will still be able to curse freely, suck each other, and lampoon just about everyone else. I suggest spending a lot more time wondering why, if one of the many suggestions about XM's motives which have been prior discussed and suggested in this forum doesn't satisfy you, is just a waste of time. I can understand why the uber-fan thinks it unfair, but so are a lot of things in life. Considering the alternative, things are pretty good. (6/12/07)
Is it only me or does it seem that WTEM's Scott Lynn does not know what a period or comma is? If you listen to his sports reports, or even worse, his commercials, it is one huge one run-on sentence. I'm not trying to trash him...I'm just wondering if I am the only person who has ever noticed this? I like WTEM, but it is difficult to listen to him not take pauses and when he does, he is usually in the middle of a sentence...which sounds equally bad. (6/12/07)
To the poster who wrote “As has been stated numerous times before, O&A were not censored.” I certainly see your point about companies having the legal right to impose their own regulations upon employees. However, this is XM Satellite Radio where one of the major selling points was/is the promise of delivering “uncensored radio”. The channel that O&A are on is one of several XL (explicit language) channels. We all know that the language used by some of the artists on the XL Rap channels is just as bad if not worse than what was said on the O&A show and it was said by a guest (Homeless Charlie). Furthermore, the Opie and Anthony show is a comedy radio show. They were only trying to deliver funny to their audiences that day. Beyond that, who was harmed by what was said? I see what has/is happening to them as censoring an explicit language show. -Stu, Fairfax (6/12/07)
Not-So-Strange Bedfellows: "DC Madam" Supports Larry Flynt's Effort to Out Philandering Politicos bigheaddc.com (6/12/07)
Dave, A trade publication is doing a series of articles on Examiner newspapers - one about the Examiner's next big move which looks to be LA, also one on how the Baltimore Examiner is finding a market in Charm City and next week it will be a story on how the DC Examiner has passed the Washington Times in readership, billing and how the paper is becoming a pain to the POST. Not a big time challenger but taking local ads and building a growing readership. By the way a great story on Korny today! www.medialifemagazine.com (6/12/07)
Nice to hear a listener today call Geronimo on the carpet for another pointless and meandering story about his girlfriend. The radio god and his fat sidekick got quite defensive about someone realizing (ding) that their show is increasingly reliant on retread bits. (6/12/07)
Ok... here's the thing. As has been stated numerous times before, O&A were not censored. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States does not regulate what private companies permit their employees to do, or prevent them from doing. XM is perfectly within its rights to restrict what its employees do in the course of performing their jobs. The suspension of O&A is in no way an abrogation ( www.answers.com ) of anyone's Constutionally guaranteed rights to anything for one very simple reason... XM is a private company and can enforce standards for the behavior of its employees. Censorship never came into play. --djmr (6/12/07)
"What a greedy jerk." - Spoken like a true malcontent. Jesus – if you could make that kind of money, ya would, wouldn’t you? No – I suppose you’d ask for a meager salary and have the rest spread around to deserving employees. We all love to hate people that do better than us, don’t we? (6/12/07)
Re O&A: "F-bombs, live sex, and the like will still be allowed, but no more rants regarding political leaders." Funny, I could swear that the whole point of the 1st Amendment was to ensure that while we can't scream "FIRE!" in a crowded threater, that we could make whatever statements we wanted about politicians and the political establishment. (6/12/07)
Moonves shoots back at Rather re Couric www.breitbart.com (6/12/07)
RE: "Does Howard have a 3 second dump?" Depends on his diet. (6/12/07)
Dave's response: Bada bing.....
TV Newser ed hired by NY Times www.baltimoresun.com... (6/12/07)
Dave's response: We got a Front Page blurb up earlier today. Congrats to Brian Stelter. DCRTV was there when he started his CableNewser blog in early 2004. Despite the fact that when it later became TVNewser under the MediaBistro banner it dropped all links to DCRTV (we're just a silly little local site), we wish him all the best. His TVNewser blog is one of the best and a daily must-read. I only wish to give young Brian one bit of advice that he must never forget - Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes are evil. But, one good thing about the NY Times, they already know that.....
Hey there's a full-time board operator's position at WAVA that pays $10 - $13 a hour. Maybe one of the highly talented people that Kornheiser displaced with his massive ego...er, salary...can call Rich Lee and beg for a resume building, welfare inducing job. Thanks Tony! We can't wait for your return! Schmuck. (6/12/07)
$600,000 for a guy who pulls a 1.9 for six months out of the year on a frequency that used to pull 3.5's and up?!?! That would be 12 people, maybe 15 if you stretched it out to part-timers and new hires, who might be working right now to make WaPoRad a better product with a more complete staff instead of the mess it is now. Kornheiser Circus for half the day and depleted resources with reduced staffing and hours the rest of the time. Gawd damn I love capitalism! Of course, that'll be nothing when compared to the bloodletting at Citadel when they start swinging the axe at former ABC stations. Time to hide the resume paper at Bonneville and Citadel. (6/12/07)
WTF is going on at WTWP this afternoon? I figure that they must keep a short bench of reserve air talent in order to control costs, but who had the bright idea to put Marc 'Nigel' Sterne on the air by himself? While his schtick on Mr. Tony's show is somewhat entertaining, he was an absolute jerk during his baseball show on WTEM and he continues to act and sound like a frat boy. Is this the future of WTWP? If so, maybe I really should start looking into a XM receiver for my office. Sheesh! (6/12/07)
Hi.. I’m trying to figure out what station broadcasts TBS in the DC area. If you have a chance, will you let me know? Have a great day! Leah (6/12/07)
Dave's response: TBS is not broadcast. It is a basic cable network available from Cox, Comcast, Verizon, RCN, DirecTV, and others.....
HOLD THE PHONE. Tony Kornholer is making $600,000 for six months' work at WTWP and has no contractual obligations beyond that? Who did that deal for Bonneville, Helen Keller? You think Mike Moss, Bruce Allan, Diane Kepley and Sean Anderson are makiing a hundred thou' per month on a top-rated station in the market? Poor Tony has "no incentive" to call in from the road from time to time. How about good faith and helping ensure that there's a station to come back to? What a greedy jerk. Speaking of greedy jerks... I keep seeing statements on this board that Bonneville doesn't fire anyone except for cause. The problem is that some of the managers are very good at "manufacturing" cause to get rid of more experienced talent when younger, less expensive people can be brought in to fill the dead air. Of course the people at AFTRA have done little to save these people's jobs because they are still getting dues from the newbie. It's pathetic. Bradley (6/12/07)
Dave's response: Apparently that's his radio deal. His contract with Washington Post Radio is up at the end of June and he'll be free to negotiate with another radio company early next year, when his "MNF" work is done. If I was WMAL or WJFK-FM, I'd definitely be interested in hiring Kornheiser for morning drive. But, again, it would have to be for the 6 AM to 9 AM shift on a full-year basis. And that would mean Kornheiser giving up some of his TV sports duties.....
Hi Dave, Here's an interesting piece about big radio trying to kill their internet competitors from today's New York Times. www.nytimes.com... Tom (6/12/07)
Re: "Is it my imagination or is the local news no longer doing "new" news stories." This certainly help explain the recent Post report and discussion of declining "news' viewers. When I turn on the news, I expect news, not olds. Also, the editorial quality of the news products seems to be declining. The 12:18 pm update of this News 4 story ( www.nbc4.com) leads with "Prince George's County police said a man was killed Monday night in Suitland, Md." Two sentences later, it has "Officers arrived and found a woman with trauma to the upper body, investigators said. She was pronounced dead at the scene." So, was the victim a man or a woman? Diane in PG (and near the scene of the killing). (6/12/07)
It's such a shame really....I used to love reading Kornheiser in the Post (both the Sports and Style articles). But now I find myself just wanting him to go away. (6/12/07)
RE: "Are the stations so tight on money they can't go out to get "New" news or , to be more exact, current or updated news stories?" It's called supply and demand. The number of "new" stories is the same as it has always been. However the demand is greater because of the expansion of the amount of time news organizations are on the air. And there are fewer reporters actually out on the street tracking down stories. With fewer reporters, there is less time to do the legwork necessary to generate enterprise stories, thus the stories that can be done with a quick standup at a location within a mile or two of a station are a lot easier (and cheaper) than others. In addition, in the dinosaur age when there were only nightly newscasts, a story had a fair chance of being aired only once or twice. Now that we have evolved into a 24 hour news cycle, local TVs with perhaps six shows a day or the cables with news on all day need something to fill the time. Either they recycle stories, reporters do slightly different versions of them, or the stories are replace with featurey fluff pieces. The perception of repitition is a battle constantly being waged by all broadcast news organizations. (6/12/07)
I talked to an engineer from XM's Washington headquarters who helps engineer Opie and Anthony's broadcast. He told me that OnA's broadcast will now be censored with a 3 second delay. That way if they go into a rant about a particular subject that XM may find overly offensive, they can dump it. F-Bombs, live sex and the like will still be allowed, but no more rants regarding political leaders. Apparently we (the listeners) won't be able to tell. Does Howard have a 3 second dump? I don't think so... ShaneinBelAir (6/12/07)
Dear DCRTV: Is it my imagination or is the local news no longer doing "new" news stories. For example I am an avid News 4 watcher but I have noticed a story that I heard live on 6PM show becomes a package used on the 11PM, then 5-7 am morning show the next day, and again on 11pm broadcast 24 hours later (of course live has been removed) Are the stations so tight on money they can't go out to get "New" news or , to be more exact, current or updated news stories? Thanks (6/12/07)
Hi Dave, I was listening to the Kane show when he aired the interview his intern had just conducted with Katherine McPhee. The young lady crafted a memorable little chat with Kat by asking personal questions with a subtle mix of innocence and cattiness. It was fabulously funny and reminiscent of Stern's style with celebrities. Katherine should lighten up and make up with Kane and his intern by showing up for an in-studio conversation and being real and having fun with it just as celebrities learned to do with Stern. Kat will have to get off the red carpet to do it but that is the point. Get close to the mike and closer to her fans. Robb in Capitol Heights (6/12/07)
When I first heard Al Rokers comment I thought it was in bad taste, but an apology would be sufficient. But, after hearing his apology I'm more disgusted then before. He made a half hearted apology and even had the nerve to say that he wasn't making jokes about epileptics. Thats just a pure lie. Who else would be shaking so much that they can't get on that poll?? Why did Mat Lauer and Ann Curry find those comments funny? They wouldn't have laughed it was about cancer or aids. He also did the "sorry to anyone that was offended speech". All he had to do was be a man and admit he made a mistake. Don Imus seemed more sincere in his apology and was fired by nbc, so why should Al Roker keep his job with a half hearted apology. I will be watching today and hope he will give a sincere apology. (6/12/07)
From Tuesday's New York Times: Big Radio Makes a Grab for Internet Listeners "Last week a radio D.J. known as Vibegrrl, who works the midday shift on Hot 99.5, a Washington pop station, offered her listeners the chance to receive tickets to see the rock band Hinder. But to win, they had to do more than dial in at the right moment. They first had to visit Hot 99.5’s Web site and identify the woman wearing a thong, as shown from behind, and then call the studio." www.nytimes.com (6/12/07)
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Good point about Al Roker's on-air insults about epiletics. Is he getting a free pass on this? (6/11/07)
al roker the next imus hmmmm www.fmqb.com (6/11/07)
Dave, It is way too early to deem MASN a great success however new (Baltimore Oriole) numbers just out from Nielsen Local Markets Sports Report. It is 50% and not the 27% that we first were told by MASN executives. 2006 April O's HH rating (CSN) 3.0..... 2007 April O's HH rating (MASN) 4.5..... Meanwhile the 6 share at WHFS-FM over on the radio side was still impressive. The team and the CBS Radio suits were very happy. WBAL executives were quick to say that their numbers were better in the 18-34 range last April. That said and we all know how tough things get in the radio world, the key thing here is that both the team and their radio partner are very happy together now. More at www.examiner.com... - Jim Williams (6/11/07)
Hi, My name is Dr. Bao Nguyen. I am interested in more information on radio advertising for channel 1310 - WDCT - Korean talk/music - Fairfax VA. Please email me info and do you have a phone number and contact person? Thanks. Dr. Nguyen (6/11/07)
Hey Dave . . . two really interesting pieces of news over the weekend... The Associated Press Sports Editors, in conjunction with the NFL Writers, is protesting the NFL's new rule that non-NFL websites (meaning sites such as Post.com,) can have only 45 seconds of player or coaches audio/video per day. apse.dallasnews.com... Of course, this is an absurd policy. Basically, it's okay for radio and TV to get their footage but the Internet news organizations cannot--except for 45 seconds... Something that also happened over the weekend: Interesting fight shaping up for those who enjoy the in-game blogs. Louisville Courier-Journal reporter Brian Bennett was ejected from the NCAA Super Regional baseball tournament for live blogging the game. Looks as if the C-J will fight this. Live blogging during games is becoming huge for the beat reporters throughout sports. www.courier-journal.com... Interesting how there's this great new push to Internet news with podcasts and video reports, plus interactive blogging, but now two major sports entities--the NFL and NCAA--are saying no mas! The Dim-Witted Poster (6/11/07)
New book, written by a former Rep. Patrick Kennedy staffer, is a "witty, illustrated, tell-all tribute to poo." It promises to demystify "the inner workings of the digestive tract and provides medical explanations for what one can learn about their health and well-being by studying what's in the bowl." bigheaddc.com (6/11/07)
To the poster with the question about the Baltimore Examiner distributing more papers a day, yes it is true, on an average daily circulation basis. The Examiner is doing better than The Sun or others thought they would in Baltimore. The print & pictures look better than the Sun & the ink doesn't rub off on your hands. There was a story at www.medialifmagazine that talks about the Examiner's 1st year: www.medialifemagazine.com... The same website, on it's home page says the next place that Clarity Media is going with the Examiner brand is LA to take on the LA Times, another vulnerable Tribune paper. (6/11/07)
Re: Your comments on 6/10 about Washington Pest Radio: "Dave's response: Coming 6/28 - "The Tony Kornheiser Show Without Tony Kornheiser." Gawd, what a loser of a station....." Dave!(?) I thought you LIKED David Burd! BTW, I agree with your 6/10 rant ("Bad Bedmates"). The Washington Post had it's chance when it owned WTOP years ago. Why in the world would Oxley/Farley give 'em another free shot? Without the strings of ownership. --RB (6/11/07)
Lets face it gang; The endless promos being run by WHFS will not be going away anytime soon. They sunk a boatload of money into the talent less hacks that used to work with Lopez. Now they have to over promote in an effort to get people to listen. It might even work. But nobody will stay and listen for very long. Hell even Big O and Dukes were funnier. Dave, You folks in Virginia are not missing a single thing on WHFS. They may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread but you do have the Junkies. (6/11/07)
"Contrary to what many of you bleeding heart liberals think, letting people go is an unfortunate part of business." It may be an unfortunate part of doing business, but what has happened on Idaho Ave also smacks of sex discrimination. All six of the most recent firings have been women, while the station heavily promotes white men. Interesting turn of events, wouldn't you say? (6/11/07)
Hello, Fellow Posters. I just returned from vacation in Kansas City, Phoenix, and L.A. I saw former Fox 45 weather person Lisa Teachman in Kansas City on KMBC TV9. She was looking good, and doing the weather in a professional manner (Contrary to some posters). It was a pleasure to see her again on TV. Now, time for another trivia question, this song I'll ask about was another local Kansas City hit in 1972, and hit the top 20 there. This song did not hit the Hot 100 charts. The song: One Good Woman. Who recorded it? I'm looking forward to seeing your guesses, and possible correct answer. I read Bob Mathers letter to Nick Mangione, and I agree 100% with it. Mr. Mathers did well while at WITH. WITH would have done better, if the owners would have given it a chance. Mr. Mathers also put WAMD on the map. If given an opportunity, he could put life into an AM station (WVIE) with an oldie format that would give us something worthwhile to listen in the way of oldies radio. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (6/11/07)
I found Chris’ observations on the Martinsburg, WV radio market interesting—if a little uninformed. Regarding market population and Arbitron status, Martinsburg/Berkeley County is actually half of the fairly new official “Hagerstown-Martinsburg” standard metropolitan statistical area created by the Office of Management & Budget (OMB). But Martinsburg is not part of the Hagerstown-Chambersburg-Waynesboro Arbitron metro—which has been around for about 30 years. Like a lot of smaller radio markets (Winchester is another example), this one was designed by radio people to fit their signals and it’s worked out well for those stations. And Arbitron doesn’t care what the OMB says is a “market” or not a “market.” Meanwhile, since Clear Channel effectively moved the Charles Town stations to Virginia, there probably aren’t enough stations/companies left to support a separate Martinsburg book. Regarding baseball—95.9 is a Williamsport, Maryland (suburban Hagerstown) station, so Suns’ baseball does make sense—and most minor league teams pay their “flagship” station to carry their games—another reason it might make sense. Regarding the two little AM stations and their talk shows—they are pretty good, aren’t they? But Chris’ notion that WRNR & WEPM should ditch their network fare and do more local talk is a daydream. Outside of major markets, most AM is dead—and these two little teapots are just hanging on. (6/11/07)
Hello, all - Reminder to those of you who have reservations: Tina Brown will be the guest at The Q&A Cafe this Thursday, June 14, to answer questions about her new book on Princess Diana, "The Diana Chronicles." Please reconfirm with Jon Moss at 202.338.2000 as this lunch is sold out with a fat wait list. Also, it's our last lunch before the summer. If you missed the Fred Grandy/David Burd lunch, please give it a look at the Q&A Cafe TV link on the website. Thanks, Carol www.nathansgeorgetown.com (6/11/07)
Larry Flynt has already received 200 sex tips on Washington power players in exchange for his promise of a $1 million bounty in a recent WaPo ad. bigheaddc.com (6/11/07)
Vincent -- re baseball on TV and radio. Funny you should mention Harry Kalas as someone who varies his call on TV versus radio, because back in the day (c. 1975-80) WCAU used to simulcast the games that were on TV, so Kalas had to strike a balance between the two. The radio audience would hear Harry and his broadcast partners reference replays, and the TV viewers got a little more description than they might normally. So it can be done. I agree, as a purist, it shouldn't be done. But then again, the first TV play-by-play guys were just transplanted radio guys, and it took them a while to adapt to the new medium. And at that, for years the same announcers did TV and radio, alternating 4.5 innings on each (at least in our local Chuck-and-Bill days). If they used a few words too many on TV or too few on radio from time to time, it didn't seem to matter much. All I'm saying is, we needn't get too wadded up about the possibility -- just remind whoever is doing the radio to give the score and inning every three minutes (the old egg-timer trick). --rw (6/11/07)
why all the "debate" over whether or not WTOP/WFED/WTWP has recently "laid off" people or not? Contrary to what many of you bleeding heart liberals think, letting people go is an unfortunate part of business. Sometimes, you need to re-structure, sometimes, you need save money and more often than not, people who get "laid off" deserved to be fired because they are not doing a good job. If you are worried about getting fired, go work for the government. BA (6/11/07)
At the Tony Awards, most of the performers not standing at the presentation mic were wearing wireless packs. The microphones themselves have gotten so small s to be almost invisible. The transmitter is very small, about the size of a woman’s compact. The huge number of wireless mics at events like this requires careful management or radio frequencies. Large scale numbers, such as the opening “One” from A Chorus Line appeared to have been pre-recorded. Tom Gauger (6/11/07)
Lindsay Czarniak was on Elliott last week and she is doing both her WRC and TNT duties. G. Michael did both his sports director and bull-riding for years. Not sure what the issue is. (6/11/07)
(QUOTE) I watched the Tonys on CBS Sunday night ... how the hell are these performers "miked"??? (END QUOTE) A very good question. Unless an actor is buck nekkid on stage, there is always a place to conceal a microphone. One technique is to use a flesh-toned microminiature "lav" mic - check out how small they make them now (www.countryman.com, and read the heading marked "Applications") - and glue it down against an actor's hairline, run it thru a wig, or clip it to a lapel or as a tie-clip. With careful color matching and a performer always in motion, it is hard to spot such mics. Broadway actors are used to being miked up this way for the stage, and to lip-synch a performance on live TV is an abomination to these performers. Hope that helps. -ap (6/11/07)
Dave, the other day someone from Bonneville told you that "There have been no layoffs at WTOP or WFED." They "forgot" to mention Austin O'Neill. Check it out. (6/11/07)
The video of the Q&A Cafe interview with David Burd and Fred Grandy is now up on Q&A Cafe TV link at www.nathansgeorgetown.com. (6/11/07)
I watched the Tonys on CBS Sunday night (something I'd never done before). While I enjoyed the dancing and the singing and all the glitz, I kept wondering about how the vocals are done. They don't seem to be lip-syncd, so how the hell are these performers "miked"??? (6/11/07)
Dave's response: I watched Tony Soprano instead. Through it all, "the family" - as in Tony, Carm, AJ, and Meadow - survives, and even thrives. The way it ended, we could be in for a movie or even a resumption of the series in a few years.....
What is the radio station of the year award that 100.7 The Bay won? I'm not a regular listener because I'm just tired of classic rock, but it is a good station to have on during a party for various reasons, so it was on today. Yeah, the music for me is played-out, but the station made it fun and the on air guy wasn't the average encyclopedia boring guy. He was tying the old stuff into current pop culture and was actually pretty funny, especially with the callers. It made hearing those same few classic rock songs at least interesting for me, and my friends that are not real music buffs were really liking the music selection and the on air guys wit, I guess you can call it. Congrats on winning an award to them for presenting the oldies in a new light of sorts. They are definitely a good station to play for a party anyway. -S.J. (6/11/07)
Was that Albie Dee last evening (around 6pm) on WWMX in B-mo? Ears don't lie, bay-bee!-Tom Soul (from an undisclosed location in redneck Pennsylvania-keep it under yer hat). (6/11/07)
Dave's response: We have reported that Mr. Dee is doing fill-in work at CBS's Mix 106.5.....
For the most part, programming from TV's "Golden Age" was seen once and the original signals, to this very day, continue to zoom out into deep space. Sunday's Los Angeles Times has an interesting article about the vintage TV shows and commercials that WERE filmed. They're now showing up online - to the cheers of fans and the jeers of legal eagles. www.latimes.com (6/11/07)
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\/ June 10 Messages \/
Once again, negative comments about Rick Dempsey come from someone without the guts to sign the post. Mazilli's biggest problem was he had no tailor to fit his uni like he did with the Mets plus the fact that he was a clone of Scott Baio. There was no way in hell that "Demper" was waiting in the wings. It was then and will always be, Davey Johnson.You know I'm right. don't you?!?! (6/10/07)
The Tony Awards are arguably the most entertaining and unpredictable of all of the many award shows telecast. How could CBS-Television, once the “Tiffany Network” and with a Broadway Theater named after one of its stars, Ed Sullivan, not do the show in high definition? This would be a walk in the park for CBS with its headquarters a few blocks away. It’s what we used to call an “out-the-window remote,” where you just throw the cables out the window and over to the Music Hall. The 1930’s Radio City Music Hall cleans up nicely for TV, a long parade of non-Hollywood people put on a great show… and CBS does it in 1970’s technology? ABC would have done it right. Tom Gauger (6/10/07)
Someone posted on www.skyscrapercity.com that the Baltimore Examiner is actually distributing more newspapers on a daily basis than the Baltimore Sun. I realize that's not actual papers that are being read by people, but it's still hard to believe since I never see a copy anywhere near my house in the Baltimore suburbs. Can anyone confirm that that is true? (6/10/07)
Sorry Rusty, a good guy wouldn't continually stab his new boss in the back just because he was passed over for a promotion, the way Dempsey did to Lee Mazzilli. Maybe Dempsey is nice to you, but he was not anything close to being a team player while he was a coach in Baltimore. The only place he should be wearing his #24 is in beer league softball and old timer's day celebrations. I was a fan of his too growing up, until I started hearing stories about his disruptive behavior while he was an O's coach. The guy is more of a fraud and a clown than a baseball legend. (6/10/07)
On MASN's Nationals post game show, why do Ray Knight and Byron Kerr (?) stand at little podiums across the room from one another? It looks more like a presidential debate than a baseball show. (6/10/07)
Not sure if this is actual news, but it's news to me. Just heard Lindsey Czarniak calling the Pocono 500 on TNT. I think she was reporting from a pit. (6/10/07)
I do not remember baseball team announcers taking vacation during the season. When I was a kid in the 50s/60s. I listened to a lot of baseball on the radio. That's when powerful AM stations carried games from Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York, Boston sometimes, Baltimore, Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota, Detroit, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and even Washington, DC. I just don't remember Byram Saam, Bob Prince, Mel Allen, Vin Scully (the best still), Ernie Harwell, Chuck Thompson and more taking a day or days off. I could be in error. If so, flash the "E" up on the scoreboard. Thanks. (6/10/07)
My Dear Friends, To this e-mail I have attached a copy of a letter I sent to CWA President, Larry Cohen. I am forwarding this correspondence to each of you as I would expect you might have the same feelings on the subject. If you are so inclined to agree with the sentiment of the letter, please copy the letter (cut and paste if you would like) and forward it to Mr. Cohen at lcohen@cwa-union.org or call him at (202) 434-1100. Feel free to add your own comments to the letter. The message should be clear, as Daily Hires our dues afford us equality. The words “staff” and “daily hire” in our by-laws, or anywhere else for that matter, must be abolished just as gender reference has been modified in all documents. We are Union “members”… period. I was prompted to write the letter to Mr. Cohen because of the unexpected turmoil that has erupted in our NABET-CWA Local 31. Officers, Dave Parr, Treasurer, and Jim Lee, Vice President have vocalized and written that Daily Hires are not viable candidates to fill an Executive Board seat for a unit in which they work. President, Carl Mayers informed me that I could not run for an E-Board seat “because I am a Daily Hire.” In early March I properly petitioned my unit, MCT and appealed to the Executive Board to recognize Daily Hires as “members” of our Union. In the LMRDA issued by the department of labor it is clearly stated: “Federal Law provides that every union member in good standing is eligible to be a candidate and hold office subject to reasonable qualifications … Any qualifications must be applied uniformly to all candidates.” (PITFALL: Failing to consider part-time employment and periods of disability and lay-off status in determining whether a member is “working at the trade.”) “Any qualification which restricts a member’s right to seek or hold office must be in the union’s constitution and bylaws or other union rules. Unwritten requirements may not be used to disqualify a candidate. Since unions must give reasonable notice of nominations, all members should be informed in advance of new candidate eligibility requirements and any changes to the requirements.” “All candidate eligibility requirements must be applied uniformly to all nominees.” RIGHT TO SEEK ELECTED OFFICE: 29CFR 452.35 Qualifications for Candidacy; 29CFE 452.36 Reasonableness of Qualifications; 29 CFR 452.41 Working at the Trade If you do not wish to participate in sending notification to Mr. Cohen than please ignore this correspondence and I am sorry to have contacted you. However if you feel, as I do, that this is of the utmost importance to the continued recognition of equality for the daily hire worker in this Union, please send your e-mails to Mr. Cohen at lcohen@cwa-union.org, or call his office at (202)434-1100. (you could also contact Barbara Easterling, CWA Secretary-Treasurer, at easterling@cwa-union.org her phone number is (202)434-1481/ fax: (202)434-1414 and Pete Catucci, CWA District 2 Vice President, at pcatucci@cwa-union.org his phone number is (301)562-8131/ fax: (301)563-8155.) I truly feel this could be a chance to actuate more equalities at all levels for “daily hires” and set in motion an influential alliance to obtain more protections and job securities to be negotiated into contracts. Lastly… Please pass this on to all of the “daily hires” or “staff” that you believe might be interested in participating. Remember… there is strength in numbers. We as “daily hires” are a majority of this Union, we are “members,” and can be a powerful voice if united for cause!! (6/10/07)
Dear Jazz Fan: This week on www.jazzradiodc.com our featured artist are as follows... June 11 to June 17... Monday - Boney James, saxophonist... Tuesday - Harry "Sweets" Edison, trumpeter... Wednesday - Various artists... Thursday - John Hicks, pianist... part 2... Friday - Johnny Adams, blues vocalist... We're on the internet right now (24 hours a day) at www.jazzradiodc.com with our new and improved music player... it's easier to get to our most recent shows or download a podcast. In the DC area you'll find us on the radio Monday through Friday from 4 pm to 5 pm EST in Washington DC on WMET AM 1160. Listen often and tell a friend. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. We're here to promote jazz and keep this great art form alive and growing. Visit our website for what's happening in Washington DC and please check out our expanded photo gallery of the jazz scene in DC. On the internet you can check out a show you may have missed the day it originally aired or listen to it again. I suggest you check the website often because new shows are added daily. Please note we are a commercial venture and do accept advertising. If you would like to know more about selling your product or service on www.jazzradiodc.com please contact me by e-mail at cdf@jazzradiodc.com. Thanks, Carl David (6/10/07)
TNT's coverage of NASCAR is a six weekend deal. That can't possibly be enough to prompt Lindsay Czarniak to leave WRC/4. Everett W. (6/10/07)
Having known Rick Dempsey personally for years, I have to disagree with the "unfavorable comments made against him (his brother Pat is more deserving of those words). Though he may not be the best color commentator the O's ever had, he most definitely is a sound baseball man. I'll give you this, he belongs on the field at gametime in the coaching box with his familiar #24 on instead of a coat and tie. However, anyone is an improvement over the annoying Buck Martinez! Rusty Gibson (6/10/07)
A lot of out-of-town reporters are covering the Gay Pride event in DC this weekend. A few came voluntarily, but most got sucked into it. EWWWW-WW! (6/10/07)
NBC4's sports reporter & anchor Lindsay Czarniak has joined TNT as a pit reporter for the cable net's NASCAR Nextel Cup coverage. Incidentally, Turner Sports (owned by Time Warner) begins its 28th season of NASCAR coverage -- and TNT's 7th season -- today at the Pocono 500. It is unknown if Czarniak will continue her duties at NBC4. (6/10/07)
Ray Knight will team up with Bob Carpenter on MASN for the Nationals' series at Baltimore as Don Sutton takes a few days off. Agree with many of the comments made about WTWP; I'm guessing Bonneville believed the Nationals would be such a strong focal point that the rest of the programming could be built slowly around it. Well, it hasn't worked -- and the Post, whose branching out into cyberspace has been an unqualified success, hasn't been able to duplicate it on radio. (It's worked about as well as Bonneville trying to go into print.) Long-form news/talk radio could work in Washington, but let the radio people run it unfettered. -- Vincent in Triangle (6/10/07)
Okay, I'm guessing that Jim Williams did not proofread his most recent post. Everett W. (6/10/07)
Dave's response: Jim just had rotator cuff surgery and I guess he has a bit of difficulty getting those fingers to dance across the keyboard.....
It's to the point that Jim Williams just sucks up to anyone and everyone, I guess in case he needs a scoop or a favor, without bothering to really pay attention. Otherwise he'd no that the shill in the O's TV booth this weekend is Jim HUNTER, who has been around here for 10 merciless years as the great Jon Miller's replacement. If he actually watched the games he'd know that Hunter sucks, has no credibility, and if Jimmy ever talked to Hunter he'd know what a prick the guy is. Meanwhile Dempsey is clumsy at best in his role as color commentator, though to his credit he's gotten a bit better of late. Of course the crap he pulled when he was a coach on Lee Mazzilli's staff showed exactly the kind of person he was too. If you're watching the Orioles on TV this weekend, it's a great time to hit the mute button. (6/10/07)
A few weeks ago I was visiting my sister who lives in Inwood, WV just south of Martinsburg. Had the chance to listen to local Martinsburg radio. A few things about that market makes me curious. First, I must have heard from at least 100 people there that not only did Martinsburg recently passed nearby Winchester, VA in population but is expected to pass Hagerstown, MD as well sometime within the next year or two. Since both Winchester and Hagerstown ( with Chambersburg, PA ) have their own radio markets, why not Martinsburg? Well over 150,000 people live in West Virginia's Eastern Pandhandle, that is more than enough to be its own market. As far as the stations there go, While WLTF Lite 97.5 sounded great ( John Tesh AND Delilah on the same station ), the other stations there makes me wonder. Olides WICL-FM Cool 95.9,while the True Oldies format sounds great ( sad to hear that Gary Michaels is no long there ) I question the logic in them airing Hagerstown Sun baseball games. Why? Are the Suns THAT popular? Then you have Martinsburg's two AM stations ( 1340 WEPM and 740 WRNR ). Both are live in the mornings and both offer local talk shows as well full of politics, city and county issues. Quite unusal considering that really the closest "talk radio" Hagerstown has is Lou Scally's "House Party" on WJEJ 1240 and that is hardly what I call "talk radio". Actually it sounds more like an extra long PSA to me. Winchester on the other hand doesn't have any local talk shows to call its own. While both WRNR and WEPM's talk shows ( Panhandle Live and Eastern Panhandle Talk ) are both the two station's morning shows on the other hand, well they are not. Listening to Tom Tucker on WRNR gives me the impression that he thinks he knows everything but he sounds like he enjoys what he does. On the other hand there is WEPM's Jay Young. Sorry but he sounds like he is so bored like "..get me out of this god damn town". My sister's neighbors were telling me that Jay is so boring that he puts them to sleep, they don't listen anymore. Another reason I stopped listening to WEPM is their automation problems such as with WVU games. From what they were saying the automation problems there are so bad they have to listen to the games elsewhere between the dead air and missed breaks. Anyway I am curious at exactly how many listeners these two AM stations have? WRNR's signal iwhile great during the day is very poor at night. I couldnt even get them in Inwood at night. True they are on the local cable there but so many in and around Martinsburg have Direct TV, doesn't make that much of a difference. Just amazing that Martinsburg has TWO Am stations that are live in the mornings and both feature local talk. However with AM radio today being as it is, sooner or later one will give up. My hunch is it will be WEPM. Too bad the two stations don't merge to become one. Have Tom Tucker do mornings and combined Eastern Panhandle Talk with Panhandle Live, plus continue doing the local sports and cut back on the over-use of automation. That would make a great radio station. Chris (6/10/07)
Dave's response: WLTF, 97.5, puts in a good signal to much of Northern Virginia, including western Fairfax County. I miss the bygonne days when it was the location of rocker WKMZ. Yes, the panhandle's old country WXVA, 98.3, was recently assimilated by Clear Channel's Winchester cluster as Hot 99.5 clone Kiss 98.3, WKSI. Is sister nostalgic WMRE, Memories 1550, also studioed in Winchester?
"Can someone please ask WHFS to stop running the same worthless promos during the Orioles games?" What's wrong, can't look it up on the website or even call 411 to get a phone number?? Guess mommy still has to wipe your ass!! TELL THEM YOURSELF!!!" - ...and you wonder why some in Maryland are concerned about the closing of mental institutions here? Anger??? Off our meds, are we? (6/10/07)
Hooray! Opie and Anthony Best Of’s will be heard again on XM 202 starting at 6am tomorrow, 6/11. The will be heard live again on Friday, 6/15. Stu in Fairfax (6/10/07)
Dave's response: You mean there are still some O&A fans who haven't either cancelled their subscriptions and/or smashed their XM receivers because of the month-long suspension.....
To the Comcast ranter: Shoulda gone with Dish, man--simplicity itself. But for your mom, get one of those simplified remote controls they have in WalMart, KMart, etc etc. Channel, Volume, and not much else. Sounds like that's all your mother needs. (Or if all she really wants to do is watch a soap opera or two, get an antenna.) Check the cable box manual for a "favorite channel" setting or something similar--this will help with the channel changing when it's turned off. There should be "channel blocking" or skip or something similar as well--certainly the box should have a V-Chip or similar system to block channels based on content. I'm not a Comcast customer, but these should be basic features. But if your mother thinks you ordered obscene channels for her, you've got problems Comcast can't help with. (6/10/07)
Dave's response: Basically, my grandmother did very well, thank you, with two channels - CBS (soaps) and PBS (news). She didn't want cable and argued when her daughter (my aunt) got it for her.....
(Regarding Sunday's Rant:) I could not agree more with your assessment of Mr. Oxley and Mr. Farley. They know local radio, they know news and they know how to turn a profit. They also know when it's time to cut their losses & when to spend a buck. The upgrading and expansion of the entire studio facility at 3400 Idaho is a prime example. The launch and expansion of Federal News Radio is another. The unfortunate vacillating over Z104, "George 104" and WGMS tarnishes that record as a complete cluster, but until "Washington Post Radio" came along you really couldn't find much fault with their news/talk operations. (And I'm giving lots of leeway on the whole Lido Pizza Glass Enclosed Nerd Center!) There is a precedent for branding print content as audio, from "Playboy Radio" and "Newsweek On The Air" to New Yorker Magazine using Audible-dot-com to produce a separate audio edition every week. The problem here lies in the fact that the Post has way too much editorial control without offering up the news makers who are the subjects of the story and not much else from the reporters and editors who appear on WaPoRad beyond what is already almost a day old in the print edition. The smart money is on the idea that someone in the Bonneville juggernaut of creative minds there is already a contingency plan to find a way out of the Post contract, re-image the 1500/107.7 frequencies into an independent media voice that doesn't rely on syndicated programming outside of the excellent Jim Bohannon show, and develops the kind of strong intelligent listener responses that we hear glimpses of from the few phone calls that make it to air live now. There are excellent hosts there, intelligent people who have unquestioned news credibility, and up until about a week ago there were producers there who had large but virtually untapped rolodexs who were hamstrung by the Post's content restrictions. The Nationals and Kornheiser pull the best key demo numbers. By the end of the month Korny will be gone and the nighttime slot should be filled with long form sports features that wrap around the games & fill the off day and off season schedule. It's still unnerving to think that there is brokered programming on a station like this on the weekends, but maybe with time they can step away from that too. I still think WaPoRad was a great idea, but it was poorly executed and constrained by the very partner who should have been able to deliver much more compelling content from it's 800 person newsroom and bureaus around the globe. It's time to find the loophole, cut the umbilical to 15th St., distance itself from the Post and do news/talk in an intelligent, in-depth, unique way that sets the tone for the news cycle in DC like the original concept of WaPoRad might have envisioned. (6/10/07)
Dave's response: Coming 6/28 - "The Tony Kornheiser Show Without Tony Kornheiser." Gawd, what a loser of a station.....
Dave, The Nationals are having a great time playing the Twins and Johnny Holiday who is subbing for Bob Carpenter is doing a great super job along side Don Sutton. Holiday who handles ABC Radio sports and is the voice of Maryland football and basketball seems at home doing baseball and he and Sutton have done a fine job while Carpenter is having some quality time at home for the weekend with his wife and family in Tulsa. Look for Carpenter and Sutton to be together again on Tuesday when the Nationals and the Orioles get together in Baltimore. Speaking of the Orioles, this weekend the team of Jim Durham and Rick Dempsey have been in the booth subbing as well. Both Durham and Dempsey are doing a fine time giving Gary Thorne, Buck Martinez and Jim Palmer a rest before all come back for the Battle of the Betway II come Tuesday. This really shows the deep the MASN broadcast bench is! www.examiner.com... Have a nice Sunday! Cheers, Jim (6/10/07)
Another anti-Comcast rant..... Well it's the end of Week 1 after my elderly mom was forced by Comcast to turn in her old cable box for Digital Cable against her will or lose cable TV completely (or pay $15 to keep cable) and things are not so good. How do I explain to mom that he she has no choice but to accept the free foul-mouthed rap music or nudity that is now on her TV without her asking but wasn't before (She thinks I'm the pervert who ordered it!)? How do I explain to her that when you turn the box off, then back on, it doesn't come back to the same channel and that's just the way it works? How do I teach her how to program the box or reset it (it seems to need that quite often)? Don't they even test out new technology for ease of use anymore? It's taken me several days to figure out the damn thing. How on earth do they expect an elderly person to figure these things out? There are 55 tiny buttons on the remote (some of which have multiple functions) and the print is unreadable to mom. And it's not like I have the dumbest mother on the earth. She uses a computer, but seriously, it's a steep learning curve for someone just to watch a frikkin TV soap opera once a day. Geez. I think I'm gonna have to have my home phone number automatically forwarded to Comcast customer support for the next month! Oh, and by the way, I noticed that the volume levels even on digital cable vary from channel to channel and sometimes from program to commercials as well just like on analog cable. So some things never change. Grrrrrrrrr. (6/10/07)
Dave's response: You make a good point! Comcast and other cable companies should be able to provide a box and a very simple remote for folks, including senior citizens, who only want to view a few channels and who don't need the features that a several dozen-button remote provides.....
"She did it again" about WTEM, an alleged sports station. Why listen to that station for sports? There are NO real sports radio stations in the Washington, DC, market. I thought everyone knew that. Maybe some day we will have one but it ain't today sports fans. And by the way, Johnny is hits a grand salami pinch-hitting for Bob Carpenter on National's TV games. He's a pro's pro. (6/10/07)
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\/ June 9 Messages \/
I have been involuntarily enrolled in a "who is the hotter blogger" contest at texas-gal.com. It's not that I'm losing in the first round; it's that Brien is beating me. I sent the worst picture of him that I could find, but he's up against a man with a bad porn moustache. The voting is close enough that YOU can push me over the edge. Please click here: texas-gal.com, scroll down to the 7th seed (me) and vote for ME. -- Jason B. Reddish east-coast-bias.blogspot.com (6/9/07)
Dave's response: Sorry, but I'm voting for #14.....
"Can someone please ask WHFS to stop running the same worthless promos during the Orioles games?" What's wrong, can't look it up on the website or even call 411 to get a phone number?? Guess mommy still has to wipe your ass!! TELL THEM YOURSELF!!! (6/9/07)
Thanks to the person identifying the "Mystery Lady" as Cynthia Dahl. I wasn't even thinking of the year of the photo (1954), which was the year that Mom (a drop dead gorgeous lady) graduated from High School on the Eastern Shore. I spoke with her about the photo yesterday and she had no memory of it though she said many mistook her for Ms. Dahl. My Mom (a R.N.) and Dad (a Md. Trooper) moved to Southern Maryland after I came along in '57 and my Grandparents were in Calvert County around the same time. Well, enough of "This is Your Life" (Where is Ralph Edwards?) - Rusty Gibson (6/9/07)
Dave, In regards to your rant about Paul Fahri too late... You were blogging before blogging was cool! Kinda like how you used to hear a real cool alt rock song on HFS months if not years before their mainstream rockin brethern. Keep up the good work. Kyle Shannon (6/9/07)
(regarding a previous post) This article in BusinessWeek magazine is about the many clever ways that cell phone towers are being disguised. images.businessweek.com... Out here in the San Diego area, a popular one is the Palm Tree Model. Scott Marinoff (grew up in Alexandria, now in Imperial Beach CA) (6/9/07)
Happy Birthday, Lester Polsfuss! Most of us probably know him by his professionial name, Les Paul. The guitar genius, was born on this date in 1915 - and he's still going strong at age 92! About his lasting impact on recording techniques, the electric guitar and pop music itself, Keith Richards said: " ...we must all own up that without Les Paul, generations of flash little punks like us would be in jail or cleaning toilets." Listen as Les Paul shares his youthful secrets in his 2005 Podcasting debut www.culturecatch.com (MP3). And here is the link for the official Les Paul website www.lespaulonline.com. (6/9/07)
Regarding "Montgomery County made us paint it green so you couldn't see it ... Can't wait for that plane crash"... it's all legal. a257.g.akamaitech.net (6/9/07)
This just in... The old ugly green WCTN antenna on the Falls Road Golf Course has now been replaced by this realistic eco-friendly tree tower which, as you can see, blends completely into the landscape. Why, those golfers are virtually oblivious to the ten-millionth repetition of "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" being transmitted in their midst. (6/9/07)Dave's response: That looks like one of those disguised cell phone towers. There's one like that on the Fairfax County Parkway near Franklin Farm Road.....
So, Ocean City is susposed to have an O's affiliate. I was down there for a few days and I tuned into 1590 and heard Justin Timberlake. No Birds. Do they still have the contract and if they do, shouldn't the games be on the air? (6/9/07)
With all due respect to Rusty Gibson's mom, the 1954 photo of the lovely blonde shown at Drum Point Beach was WTTG's Cindy Dahl. See that photo as it appeared in the Post at: dcmemories.com... Cindy spent about 18 months as Channel-5's "weather girl" starting in September '53 before trading her weather map in February '55 for a set of six-shooters as "Gal Foreman" on "Cindy Lou's Melody Ranch". Her show was direct competition for the DC-area kiddie-o audience with Channel-9's "Pick Temple's Giant Ranch". More at: kidshow.dcmemories.com (6/9/07)RE: [ " Montgomery County made us paint it green so you couldn't see it. The old towers were painted army green, the new tower is painted forest green. " ]........ Gee, I'm sure the FAA and pilots just love that. But hey, why not go one step better, what about pastel blue so it fits in better with the sky? Can't wait for that plane crash and "Montgomery Burns" County's explanation for why they NIMBIED up that clear and present danger. And you wonder why people make fun of big government and federal workers. It's not a coincidence nutjob things like that occur in the same county where all the NIMBY CLUB FED "DICTATOR OF MY OWN Private McMANSION" NUTJOBS live. Gotta love it. Oh, almost forgot... what about the birds that are confused into thinking its a tall tree? Isn't it now a danger to wildlife as well? And does this mean that the new ICC is going to be constructed with camoflauge painted concrete? Ok, I'm kiddin, but I bet I had a few MC people jumpin for a just a half second. Pysch! :-) PS: Club FED workers are now free to return to their jobs, i.e.: morning gym workout. (6/9/07)
She did it again! The sports report announcer on WTEM broadcast a clip from Friday night's MASN Nationals broadcast and announced it as "Bob Carpenter" ... when it actually was Johnny Holliday filling in for Bob, a person whose voice is familiar in this market for nearly four decades. Get with it, WTEM! -- Vincent in Triangle (6/9/07)
The Discovery Channel's emphasis on larger-than-life programming has led to one comment I heard at work which was very funny. One office mate was talking about a girl he had met at a club over one weekend, and trying to describe the fat friend that hitched along with her: "Man, she wasn't just fat, she was ... DISCOVERY CHANNEL fat!" Everyone got the picture immediately. It won't be long before someone takes credit for this and posts it to Urban Dictionary. Remember, you heard it here first. (6/9/07)
Dave's response: As far as commercial cable TV channels go, Discovery's The Science Channel is one of the best. I love the space stuff.....
The WITH standards idea for WVIE 1370 isn't that bad of an idea. I realize it's been done before, but it's important to understand the context. At one point both WITH AM 1230 and WWLG 1360/1370 were both competing in the format and both failing. Later WITH started moonlighting with standards while simultaneously running a brokered religious format, which also failed. Combine that with the demise of WQSR (and it's pretty decent ratings) and I think a lot of the standards/oldies people in the Baltimore market have been turned off by the format's ups and downs the past few years, so that doesn't necessarily mean it can't work on an AM station with a great signal like AM 1370 (which actually reaches DC quite nicely during the day amazingly). It just hasn't been done right in my opinion. Add to that the fact that the standards/oldies heritage calls of WITH are now available and will probably never ever be used again on AM1230 now that WRBS owns that station, and you have the perfect storm of an opportunity. The only problem is that I doubt the WCBM people who run AM 1370 are going to try or spend a dime on the station anymore. In fact, I almost wonder if the station is now just being used as a tax-writeoff. Sad. (6/9/07)
Dave's response: Hey, you can't hear former 98 Rockers Kirk and Mark any more down here in Northern Virginia with their move to WHFS 105.7. So, maybe CBS could buy 1370, which has a good signal well south of the Patuxent during daytime hours, and relay 105.7 on it. Not a sermon, just a thought.....
Can someone please ask WHFS to stop running the same worthless promos during the Orioles games? Over and over we have to hear about the KMS Morning Show. Then there is is stupid Pretendeners Concert. Do they we think we are idiots? It's bad enough that we hve to put uo with pre- and post- game shows with Tommy 'Giggles' Davis but this too?? (6/9/07)
The Nats wouldn't be able to use the coverage from XM. XM only carries the home games. When the Nats play out of town, the XM broadcast is from the other team. (6/9/07)
Dave: With regard to the missing tower at WCTN, here is the problem. Montgomery County made us paint it green so you couldn't see it. The old towers were painted army green, the new tower is painted forest green. The state also had us move the tower off of the dam at the golf course, so they could make it safe. When that happend the transmission cables inside the dam got messed up and new ones had to be put in. J.R.Richardson, Contract Engineer, WDCT (6/9/07)
"We know that the Rush Limbaugh fan and the Dr. Laura fan are very different people," proclaims Pettit..... Interesting, because I happen to be a fan of both and I know many people who are. Both Rush and Dr. Laura are among the top 5 rated talk-show hosts in America. 1. Rush Limbaugh... 2. Sean Hannity... 3. Michael Savage... 4. Dr. Laura... 5. Laura Ingraham... (6/9/07)
Of course, what's good for "CAIR" (or insert your favorite special interest group) is good for America right??? WRONG. (6/9/07)
Baltimore needs 1370 to drop that 1370 WVIE "The Joke". Change it to WITH and get Oldies and Standards back on it. I mean now. This VIE is a joke and a disgrace to your fine city. Dave from Buffalo (6/9/07)
/\ June 9 Messages /\
\/ June 8 Messages \/
(RE: "We know that the Rush Limbaugh fan and the Dr. Laura fan are very different people," proclaims Pettit.....") Too bad Bob doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. But, he sure as hell knows how to NOT run a radio station. Hi, I'm Bob Petit, GM of WVIE, I picked those call letters cause they make me think of the word vagina...and that makes me laugh. I figure all women would want to listen to thier vagina. (6/8/07)
On yesterday's "Mailbag" Dave, you posted a photo of 3 young ladies on the Drum Point Beach (in Calvert County). Well, I'm here to tell you that most of my family occupied that area for years and the pretty lady on the far right without a doubt is my Mom.
And to the individual that "identified" all in the photo, I'm quite sure I'm correct.
Rusty Gibson (6/8/07)Dave's response: Wow!
Johnny Holiday doing the play by play for the Nats this weekend. (6/8/07)
On his Monday radio show, Glenn Beck intimated that Rep. Dennis Kucinich's wife could be under the influence of "that date rape drug" so she wouldn't be repulsed while making out with the congressman. Maybe that's the kind of alleged humor that Bonneville wants aired on WTWP to bump up the ratings but the Washington Post should have no association with it. Everett W. mediamatters.org (6/8/07)
Dave's response: Bonneville's blown up WGMS and Z104. Then they blew a big sale to Dan Snyder. Hi, here's George. No, goodbye George. Now the self-destrictive company won't be happy until they take down WaPo Radio (and their relationship with the prestigious rag) by turning it into an ordinary right-leaning talk radio outlet like WMAL and WTNT. How can we save Bonneville from itself?
So let me get this straight. If Glen Beck makes inflammatory comments about anyone else but muslims, arabs, mexicans and female guests, he is okay? That is a bunch of crap. "Political Diversity" is out of control. No wonder why society is going to hell. Just imagine the outcry if a white baseball player made the comments that Gary Sheffield did. Your job with this blog should be to promote ALL speech and viewpoints. If you cant do that, then your blog is as bad as all the other slanted media outlets that exist. (6/8/07)
Dave's response: Turn on your brain, buddy. It was not me or "this blog" who made that comment. It was Media Matters For America and the Council For American-Islamic Relations. We simply reported their statements in today's Front Page newsblurb.....
I wouldn't be surprised if right now organizations such as the National Council of La Raza, the Arab American Insitute and the NAACP aren't planning some sort of protest and grassroots campaign to boycott advertisers, the Washington Post and Post Radio itself if Glenn Beck is added to the line up. There have been calls to take him off the air before and with the leak that he may be added to WTWP's line-up these groups have a leg up on keeping him off the air in Washington. www.aaiusa.org and www.aaiusa.org... And I don't blame them. Opinion is one thing, incitement and the demeaning of an entire race of people has no place on the air in this city. I would think that we would have learned our lessons in the broadcast community that no matter what side of the political fence you live on, hate speech under the guise of entertainment is not welcome on the public airwaves. (6/8/07)
Grandy's "Love Boat" Missing From DVD, Hell they haven't put "Newhart" on DVD yet, why worry about "The Love Boat"??? (6/8/07)
Dave's response: The older Bob Newhart show from the 1970s, when he played a shrink in Chicago, is out on DVD.....
Classic Farley quote to R&R concerning Farhi's journalistic "credibility" (reprinted on your Front Page)--"...I think he may have just bent over a little too far..." That's just too damn good to be completely innocuous. Actually, I think Farhi is very well accustomed to bending over. Signed, The Ghost. (6/8/07)
Re: "Re: Douchebag Danny. Someone out there is awfully jealous of Mr. Snyder's apparrent success, aren't we? Does it make you feel like a bigger person to slur somebody like that? JohnnyuinHanover,Pa" Not jealous at all, I enjoy capitalism. However, I do know a handful of people that work for the Redskins organization...he's not a good guy. (and these aren't the disgruntled employees) The way he treats people like pieces of property, not human beings is unbelievable. (6/8/07)
Don Geromino has been bitching the past two days about crummy service from his unmentioned internet service provider. The reason he doesn't mention Cox is because it's a major WJFK advertiser. According to Geronimo, it took three days from his complaint for the cable TV company to fix the problem. You don't treat a local radio celebrity like that! (6/8/07)
I agree with everything in Johnny Dark's post. That's why I listed things that would have to be done differently at WVIE. Management at that station has always killed any chance they might have for success. I do believe that a small AM station could do better than syndicated bad talk. A real investment in a major AM in Baltimore or DC with great DJs and full service news and community involvement might interest me. ...and to Gary Helton: I wouldn't buy 1370, nor would I work there. I need my money to bail you out of jail. Ed Graham (6/8/07)
We saps who still use rabbit ears to receive over-the-air TV broadcasts will soon have to buy converters, as broadcasters begin transmitting digital-only programming. www.nytimes.com... If anyone still is in the business of installing rooftop antennas, give a shoutout in the Mailbag (if Dave doesn't mind). I bougth a $15 Radio Shack antenna two years ago but would probably electrocute myself if I attempted to install it on my own. Christian (6/8/07)
Dave's response: Hey I don't mind. Look, you've still got almost two years until the 2009 analog broadcast cutoff. And, digital standard-def TVs aren't much more expensive than their analog sisters are. Plus, if you buy an LCD model, you'll probably save on your electricity bill - enough to justify buying a new set instead of a digital converter box, which aren't even available yet.....
I was looking at your new posting of that sexy photo of yourself, but I was wondering do you every wear anything that is not a white t-shirt (or sweatshirt) and cammo shorts/pants? It must get all the ladies! (6/8/07)
Dave's response: What do I care? My heart belongs to Buzz Burbank.....
With as cocky and high and mighty as Don And Mike are on the air, I took delight this morning in hearing Elliott pose the question, "Which of them is the bigger, fatter prick?" And then everyone agreeing that Don is bigger "crybaby". (6/8/07)
Re: The Saprano's and American Idol. I am very proud to say that I have never seen either of those shows and I never will. Re: Douchebag Danny. Someone out there is awfully jealous of Mr. Snyder's apparrent success, aren't we? Does it make you feel like a bigger person to slur somebody like that? JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (6/8/07)
Dave's response: Never cared for "AI," but I do like "The Sopranos." I highly recommend the first two brilliant seasons. The latter season episodes are hit-and-miss. But even a bad "Sopranos" episode is far better than much of the shit that passes for primetime drama on American TV these days.....
I appreciate Gary Helton & Johnny Dark for offering their comments about the former WITH and ‘Legends 1370’. Gary was there in morning drive when the change was made to oldies on WITH in May of ’97 and continued on the air throughout the run. I remember sitting in a client’s office on a sales call on that first day as WITH was playing in the building. Jack Edwards on his midday shift played the first rock and roll record in the format, ‘Stupid Cupid’ by Connie Francis. The client looked over me and displayed this big grin, saying ‘I like that!’ I told him, ‘Yeah, so do we!’ Helton grew up in Baltimore and understood that listeners wanted to hear ‘Joe & Eddie’ sing ‘There’s A Meeting Here Tonight’ and other local classics. Gary had a big hand in Ronnie Dove’s revival in the mid 90’s when he signed him to do a show on WITH on a weekly basis and helped with a number of appearances featuring national talent who came back to Baltimore. It is that kind of local ‘grass roots’ radio that is uniquely Baltimore and would work again. I don’t blame JD for venting about the missed opportunity on 1370. Here’s a guy who is the dean of all radio personalities in Baltimore’s Top 40 era…and if another ‘Deane’ were here (Buddy)…he’d no doubt agree with that...who probably thought he’d never witness the amazin’ developments on today’s oldies stations. The story about the GM riffing Lesley Gore’s ‘YDOM’ from 1370 reminds me of a former PD at WQSR who told me in a face to face meeting once that ‘Slow Twistin’ by Chubby & Dee Dee was ‘an obscure oldie that nobody remembers in Baltimore’. The same individual also referred to Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around The Clock’ as ‘a forgotten 45’. This strange malady of ‘manipulative memories’ needs a cure! Let me also mention Joyce Conroy. She has a passion for the music, era, and memories of the Baltimore scene. She’d be an asset to any oldies format that would find its way on to the Baltimore airwaves. On a happier note, our daily podcast on our little web site www.ultimateoldiesradio.com is all about jingles, including a 90 second montage at the end. Tune in, and smile. – Bob Mathers (6/8/07)
"Word is that the Nats plan to forego terrestrial radio completely after this season, and simply simulcast the TV audio from Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton on XM and MLB.com." I'll believe it when I see, er, hear it. First, no team in MLB does this; broadcasting for TV and radio are completely different entities. Listen to someone like Harry Kalas (veteran Phillies announcer) on the radio and on TV -- he adjusts his style for the particular medium. Simply put, doing TV-style baseball on radio doesn't work. There have been instances in the NHL and NBA in the past of radio-TV simulcasting, but that's largely gone by the wayside. Second, why would the Nationals forego a chance to make revenue through terrestrial radio (the selling of rights, ad time, affiliates, etc.)? To me, the entire idea is absurd, and I doubt it's going to happen. If anything, don't be surprised if Stan Kasten tries to gets at least a partial schedule of Nats' games on Spanish-language radio for 2008, to tap into growing area Hispanic enclaves such as Langley Park and Manassas. -- Vincent in Triangle (6/8/07)
"Word is that the Nats plan to forego terrestrial radio completely after this season, and simply simulcast the TV audio from Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton on XM and MLB.com." - That's ridiculous. Why would the Nats do that? They have two of the better radio play-by-play announcers in the game, and truly how many individuals own an XM radio? Especially lower income individuals who can't afford to subscribe to the satellite company. They've already pissed off a lot of people with higher ticket prices, I really can' t see them doing this. Denesh (6/8/07)
Dave's response: It would be interesting to see a percentage audience breakdown for a Nationals (or Orioles/Ravens/Redskins) game. What percentage of the audience is actually in the stadium, what percentage is listening on radio, and what percentage is watching on TV. And how each of those percentages is changing over time.....
"If Clear Channel is smart, it will acquire Nationals rights for 2008 and simulcast them on both 980 AM and 100.3 FM, giving up the FM broadcasts when the Redskins conflict. " Word is that the Nats plan to forego terrestrial radio completely after this season, and simply simulcast the TV audio from Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton on XM and MLB.com. (6/8/07)
A couple of things to get off my chest...First, to the poster who commented that Steve Allan was run out of town. There's no truth in that statement at all. (I'd address you by name but you didn't have the balls to sign your post) Steve was the victim of Clear channel cost-cutting. They let Steve go and replaced him with someone making significantly less. Many talented and dedicated professionals were let go because they wanted to save dollars. Look at what has happened since they took over on Rockville Pike. They've done an outstanding job of turning 1801 into a morass of mediocrity...Next, my comments to those who post regarding WVIE. Save your ideas regarding a format change back to "Oldies." With all due respect to Ed Graham and Bob Mathers, I know too much about the history of "Legends Radio" to think that will happen. How would you like to work for a GM who'd call and tell you to remove a song that he heard you playing because HE didn't remember it. FYI..The song in question was "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore. Her second all-time biggest hit, a #2 in early 1964. WWLG could have happened. It didn't because there was no direction at all. No promotion either. It was extremely disheartening to listen to the station and know that a terrific opportunity was being missed because the person in charge didn't have a clue about the format. Before I get off my soapbox, let me say "Welcome home Steve Allan." It's great to have you back in DC. An aside regarding Steve, he's the only program director I've ever worked with in my 54 years in this business that, when he says "Let's do lunch," virtually every member of the former "Oldies 100" staff shows up. I can think of no greater tribute than that.....Johnny Dark (World Space Satellite Radio) (6/8/07)
"In the first month of the Spring Book Washington Post Radio soundly beats WTEM and WWXX total week 25-54 and in morning drive, 6-10 a.m., Washington Post Radio beats WTEM and WWXX COMBINED 25-54. And that ain't horse@#$$" Yeah, but who will end up on top when it comes to the most important thing of all - $$$??? All the rest IS horse@#$$! (6/8/07)
"And RZ is almost a joke" - Almost? (6/8/07)
the ultimate indignity - getting a call from AFTRA asking for your back dues after you've been replaced by a newly hired intern and them asking if you still also work at another station in your ownership cluster that was dismantled & shuttered over 6 months ago. hey AFTRA! thanks for keeping up! maybe if you had been paying attention there wouldn't be 5 more of us on the street and more 'belt tightening' under the guise of overhiring and poor performance one day & crowing about improved sales & listenership the day after a mass housecleaning. vulture. (6/8/07)
WITH's mid-90's playlist stopped at the British Invasion, which is why we didn't play The Beatles. We did the same thing during my WFBR days during the late 80s under the great leadership of Bob Moke who, like Johnny Dark, is now at XM. Bob Mathers would be an excellent choice to run an oldies format on WVIE, providing he gets enough money from NM to do it right. Here's an idea--all us old guys buy WVIE, fix the reception issues (I live within 10 miles of their sticks and can't get it), and change the calls to WITH. Ed Graham's got enough money to pay cash for it! Gary Helton, WHFC (6/8/07)
WOW! Once again the Sun and the Examiner show how easily they can be manipulated. I suspect, more likely though, that this was lazy reporting from a press release. Compare Monday through Friday, 7p-midnight April numbers from 2006 (‘BAL) to April number from 2007 (‘HFS): Persons 12+ In ’06 BAL had a 9.0 share. In ’07 HFS had a 4.7 share. Take Persons 18-34. In ’06 BAL had a 7.6 share. In ’07, HFS has a 2.3 share (Yep, that’s right – BAL had more than THREE TIMES the audience in this YOUNGER and HIGLY SOUGHT demo) Persons 25-54. In ’06 BAL had a 5.1 share. In ’07, ‘HFS had a 6.0 share. In Persons 35-64, in ’06 BAL had a 5.9, and in ’07, HFS had a 6.6. Finally, look at cume for that daypart. In ’06, BAL had 97,100. In ’07, HFS had 82,200. That’s right BAL’s cume was 14,900 HIGHER than what HFS delivered. And Frager says HFS delivered “more ears?” What’s he going to do next? Tell us that the Sun’s circulat ion is rising sharply? These print guys write whatever someone else gives them. It’s easier than learning the radio business and doing some legwork. If you believe HFS is “delivering more ears,” then you must also believe Peter Angelos “doesn’t meddle in baseball affairs…” (6/8/07)
You wonder whether or not WBIG's broadcasts of Redskins games will be promoted at all on WTEM. For years, the sports talker has produced its own 'unofficial' Skins related programming before and after the games. Will the pregame show (most recently hosted by Scott Linn) be allowed to mention the fact that listeners can tune in 100.3 FM to hear the game? Will WBIG carry Red Zebra's pre and postgame shows hosted by Bram Weinstein, Kevin Sheehan and Joe Jacoby? Will this move have any effect on how various hosts on WTEM critique the team's roster moves and performance on the field? On another topic, this coming Monday marks a major milestone for local and national sports talk radio - absolutely the last time HBO's Sopranos show will ever be discussed (since the final episode airs Sunday night). The only sports radio show I can think of that never devoted a minute to the Sopranos is Ken Beatrice's Sports Call - and that's because he retired before the TV series debuted. Last year on WTEM