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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - June 26 to June 30, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ June 30 Messages \/ "...with Ferraro's huge war chest of money to promote HD he is doing a crappy job...." His name is Peter Ferrara. If you're going to criticize someone, get the name right. (6/30/07) Looks likely no Morrissey at WolfTrap, apparently not feeling too perky. That's several shows at Wolftrap cancelled due to illness this season. Mary Chapin Carpenter cancelled, I've heard she developed a lung embolism. Hootie of the Blowfish cancelled cause Hootie has one of them nasty staph infections we keep hearing more and more about, has had several surgeries to clean the infection out........funny about the Globe for a couple a daze there I heard the Beatles played, why they hardly ever played the Beatles when the format was classic rock, but last few days no hear Beatles no more. Who is this computer that programs the Globe? Perhaps an interview with DCRTV Dave is in the offing with the Computer?......and recently found out that long time stalwart on the D.C. music scene Tim Eyerman passed away. Washington Area Music Association newsletter tinyurl.com. Scan towards bottom of page for the story. www.allaboutjazz.com. I believe Mr. Eyerman later taught music at Chantilly High and in the spring they'd have this big blowout jazz concert. Don't know if that continues? The Jolly Ox in toothless Fairfax. Old Times, Good Times. Where have the people gone? ....DCRTV Dave any consideration of taking over Mr. Gibson's friday radio slot till he feels better?...and yes Don and Mike on summer vacation. O'Meara headed for his 30th high school reunion and Stanley Carlson. And Don was going to cruise the high C's again. Meanwhile, we get to enjoy the stumbling, bumbling stylings of Slo Joe Ardinger. He's a member of the"it's 6 o'clock somewhere club", don't you know. (6/30/07) Dave's response: Very often those "illness" cancellations are due to poor ticket sales. I love Morrissey, but I can't see him being a very big draw at a "suburban" venue like WT. That's fine. I'll just stay at home Monday and catch the latest episode of "Big Love." Oh, I could never fill the great Rusty's shoes on his WEBR show. Plus, the traffic in Merrifield on Friday afternoons is a bitch..... Many thanks for the memories of Bill Johnson, Paul Halliet, and Bill Malone. While on the subject of those long gone from our midst, I remember when I was about ten years old, seeing a Hughes 300 helicopter attempting to take off from a field near a place called "Kelley's Midget Kitchen", while my parents and I were driving up to Lanham to shop at the Super Fiant that was there. The 'copter didn't gain much height on this occasion (We'd seen it there a number of rimes before... must've been a coffee stop!) and we got to see it crash in flames. It was a sight I still remember. Especially because the 'copter was better known as "Copter 1260" of then Top-40 WWDC. IIRC, both the pilot and "Marie" (the reporter) were killed in the crash. WWDC originally had two traffic reporters, "Dee" and "Ma! rie", with "Dee" leaving not long after Copter 1260 started. Following a blizzard, Marie and her pilot received commendations from several humane societies around the region for dropping feed to stranded horses and such. Also, I recall WTOP having a plane (I believe a C-172) that crashed into a house in Vienna back in the fall of 1979. Thankfully, both reporter Steve Thompson and pilot "Wick" Wixker survived. Besides the folks we have today flying for Metro Networks, plus "Captain Dan" Rosensen (WWDC and WMAL), and of course the late Walt Starling (WAVA, WASH, WLTT, etc.!), who else has done aerial traffic reports for D.C. radio stations on a regular basis? Also as I recall, didn't WPGC have a traffic plane in the mid-1970's? (6/30/07) How about going to the Washington Post and offering to be in charge of radio listings in exchange for publishing a link to DCRTV? You've earned the credibility of this radio market. MAS (6/30/07) Dave's response: Hmmm..... How I'd Fix WHFS. It will never happen. Just the same, I'd buy the call letters back from CBS, move the station back to Bethesda, keep Weasel and Cerphe. Bring back Damian and some of the other on-air people from the old Bethesda days. Add new on-air people with fresh perspectives on music for their shows. Get rid of the mandated playlist that the later WHFS put on the air. Let the jocks play what they want to play again. It was the draw to the station to begin with, and the minute they strayed from it, it was the downfall for WHFS to me, and probably to most people who liked it in the first place. JOHN IN STAFFORD (6/30/07) Dave's response: I agree. It would be wonderful if 94.7 could get the WHFS calls back, but CBS/Baltimore won't give 'em up. While I think the alt adult rockish sound of the Globe is great, if CBS really wants a lasting presence with the station it needs to actively build on that "HFS heritage." It's kind of halfway there, right now, but what they're doing right now won't be enough to get 94.7 out of about 15th place in the ratings. The Globe's on-air imaging needs a whole revamp and they need to solidify a DJ lineup, something that should have been done by now. Yeah, Weasel and Cerphe are the "anchors," but the rest of the on air personalities are still largely in flux. And the music - expand the horizons. More current stuff. Still way too much old Pink Floyd and the Police. C'mon, Michael Hughes, you're halfway there. Don't drop the ball..... Instead of adding MASN, Comcast continues to drop channels in the Shenandoah Valley. First it was ESPNU, and now it's American Life TV, which I could frankly take or leave until recently. Apparently, they got the whole MTM library, because they have been showing "Hill Street Blues," "St. Elsewhere," and "LA Law," and now, two days after Comcast drops the channel tonight, they will start showing both Bob Newhart series along with the flagship "Mary Tyler Moore" show and "WKRP in Cincinnati." Considering that the DVD set of the first season was a hack job, it would have been nice to see "WKRP" with its original music intact. Thanks again, Comcrap. Charles in Winchester. Oh yeah....."Booger!" (6/30/07) The sad circumstances of Bill Malone's passing can be read in his March 9th, 1973 Wash Post obituary: dcmemories.com... (Born "William Poglace", Malone used his mother's maiden name for broadcasting) Few people realize that Bill's decision in 1960 to leave WMAL for a more lucrative announcer's gig in NYC was indirectly responsible for creating DC radio's longest-running team. dcmemories.com... Malone vacated the morning drive slot at AM 63 which was filled by Frank Harden & Jackson Weaver from March 1960 until Jack's death in October of 1992. dcmemories.com... (6/30/07) I found a DCRTV rss feed at feed43.com (6/30/07) Hey Dave, it's the other Conroy here. That's Tom with the legendary Hy Lit. The night that Tom had dinner with Hy and Sam Lit, I received a call. On the other end, a voice booms out "this is "Hyski O'Roonie McVoutie O'Zoot." It was such an honor to speak with him. In addition to being a broadcast legend, Hy is a real gentleman with more rock n roll knowledge than all the rafters in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When Tom was syndicating his gospel program on WCZN in Chester, PA, he had absolutely no problem convincing me to deliver tapes. I can remember pulling into a Burger King off the Marcus Hook exit, ordering a double Whopper and turning the radio up full blast while listening to Hyski on WOGL. Ah, life was good. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC). P.S. Still love Hy and rock n roll, but decided to lose the double Whoppers. (6/30/07) Problems with the HIDEF feed over at the NBC Color Plant this Saturday morning. At eight o'clock, The Today Show began. The first 3-4 minutes were broadcast in silence. A few minutes later, a story on the floods out west faded to black, leaving only the time/temperature bug visible. The program resumed in the midst of the local weather cut-in. Then, color bars. Wow! (6/30/07) (Regarding DCRTV's 6/30 Rant:) Radio listings in newspapers are hardly a priority for most editiorial staffs. And considering the state of terrestrial radio, and declining listening, it's also easy to understand why they wouldn't be. As to why the Post got the 820 change so quickly, how about this - Jim Farley probably called the guy in charge of the listings and asked for the change. My guess is the other stations that haven't been changed don't care enough to pick up the phone or send an email to ask for the change. JMO (6/30/07) Dave's response: Oh, I get it. Newspapers only fix an error when somebody complains directly to them about it. I guess that's why the Post never "corrected" the article, a few weeks back, when Tom Shales referred to "Joe Scarborough" (Imus's likely replacement) as "Chuck Scarborough" (the NYC TV news anchor). Nobody complained directly to them. Hmmm..... Hi Dave, Last summer before my move, I had the chance to spend some time with Philadelphia radio legend, Hy Lit. He's a guy, like Johnny Dark in Baltimore, that truly had a big impact in that radio market, and quite a few stories to tell. Hy developed Parkinson's a few years back, and pretty much got forced out of traditional radio. He and his son Sam do a great job with hylitradio.com, a project they both love. While in Philadelphia, I was fortunate to visit many of the heritage AM's and a few transmitter sites. Hy is remarkably sharp mentally, and has a wealth of rock and roll history to tell. That visit was one I'll never forget. Tom Conroy (6/30/07) Dave's response: Tom, I presume that's you and Hy (right). Tom sent along some other Philly radio memory pics and I'll get them up on the site real soon. I lived in the Philadelphia area until the early 1970s, and do recall Hy on radio and TV up there. A broadcast legend, to be sure..... Bill Johnson and Paul Hallett are fondly remembered here. As I recall "the change to "The Stooges" (circa '65 I think) was because of the seemingly constant revolving door for the third stooge after Curly and Shemp died. Paul used to host a cartoon show and would sometimes draw his own on a large sketch pad. I can remember him explaining why Channel 5 used to sound a tone at the top of each hour. Both were entertaining guys when I was a youngster. Rusty Gibson (6/30/07) " I'm not sure why you think Stephen Hunter's reviews of left-leaning movies movies, such as Michael Moore's efforts, are his only bugaboo. Stephen Hunter also hates comic book movies... God forbid that the Washington Post actually hired a reviewer who saw the movie with open eyes and not pre-conceived hatreds." - Yea, kinda like thier reporters and editorial staff. None of them have any preconceived hatreds do they? (6/30/07) Re: Ch 9 in HD: 9.1 and 9.2 are coming in fine for me up here in southern B'more County. I wish I could help you more with your reception problem. Digital TV is very susceptible to multipath problems (what we used to call "ghosts" will prevent a set from locking onto a signal), so re-orienting your antenna is my best suggestion right now. (6/30/07) While looking over DCRTV+ late this evening, there are some folks and places that are (so far) missing from the tributes... D.C. TV announcing pioneer Bill Malone, who I recall lost his life (his fiancee' was also killed) in a DWI crash on the New Jersey Turnpike in the 1970's (They were the victims, IIRC)... WTTG announcers Bill Johnson and Paul Halliet who did seemingly everything from presenting "The Three Stooges" (Anyone else remember the mercifully brief period when the show was simply called "The Stooges" and shorts w/a duo called "Mac 'n' Meyer for Hire" were shown on alternate days?) to booth announcing and reading the news? How about the Raleigh Hotel, where WTTG had its studios and offices! until they moved into 5151 Wisconsin in 1966 or thereabouts? For that matter, does anyone have pix of "The Evening Star Television Center" at 4461 Connecticut Ave? Just a few thoughts... Also, Dave should remind folks what a bargain DCRTV+ is. For $50 a year, it's on of the best values on the Internet! (6/30/07) /\ June 30 Messages /\ \/ June 29 Messages \/ RE: "Dave's response: WMAL is the only AM radio station I get strong enough at my location to pick up its HD Radio signal. Absolutely no luck with WTNT, WTEM, or WTNT....." Wow good things Creep Channel got rid of Tom Shedlick as an engineer. Tom's only been there 2 - 3 weeks (ABC/Citadel) and already WMAL is entering the current millenium. (6/29/07) Savage’s real last name is Weiner, so Levin uses that. They have a real feud between them. -S from W- (6/29/07) Here's another way to attack the issue of reporters, political contributions, and bias. Instead of pretending all reporters are objective, why not take the exact opposite approach? Imagine a uniform on-line profile that lists the political interests, social causes supported or opposed, and religious preferences of each reporters, Here's another way to address the issue of reporters and personal bias. Create a uniform on-line profile that lists the political preferences, social causes supported and opposed, and religious preferences of reporters, correspondents, columnists, etc. This wasn't practical before the web but it would be a great, *voluntary* standard for the news business. Get enough people to participate and it would cut at the credibility of the non-participants. I'm glad to know that Stephen Hunter supports right wing politics. It helped me better understand his review of Sicko. I'm glad DCRTV Dave wears his liberal politics on his cyber sleeve. It's a heck of a lot more honest than pretending that news people play it down the middle. (6/29/07) OK I know I'm slow but who is Mark Levin calling weiner/weiner nation? My guess is Michael Savage. (6/29/07) Well Dave , now you can hear , Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Chris Core, Mark Levin. And the big Morning Show, ' The Grandy and Andy Show' " In big "HD RADIO" You are a lucky man! .... HA HA ! Doug (6/29/07) Dave's response: WMAL is the only AM radio station I get strong enough at my location to pick up its HD Radio signal. Absolutely no luck with WTNT, WTEM, or WTNT..... At around 6:50-ish in the morning on HFS during a commercial break, I overheard through the commercials what sounded to be a phone call with a ditzy teenage girl talking about some personal stuff, including eating a sandwich from Royal Farms which was "f***ing delicious". I thought I was hearing nearby cell-chatter interfering with my radio, but then right before it stopped I heard the girl clearly state "HFS.", like she was a secretary recieving a call or such. Anyone else hear this? --Stahi (6/29/07) Hmmmm ... Ross Overdrive: Not Ready for Prime Time? "Ross explains that the dynamic nature of network playout is best handled by more-traditional master-control gear and a dose of human intervention. “With the network operation, you could be going from stuff you know about far in advance to having a news interrupt, where you have to take multiple networks [that is, east, west and regional feeds] and collapse them into a single network for 10 minutes, then go back again. You don't do that with a computer in a box,” he says. “You do it with buttons in a switcher, and you manually push those buttons. It's the traditional broadcast workflow we've known for years.” CBS VP of East Coast Operations Bob Ross source: Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/16/2007 (6/29/07) I'm not sure why you think Stephen Hunter's reviews of left-leaning movies movies, such as Michael Moore's efforts, are his only bugaboo. Stephen Hunter also hates comic book movies. In over a decade, I can't recall seeing Hunter ever write a nice thing about any movie based on comics. Batman, Spiderman, Hulk, Superman, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, etc. Hunter hated them all. And the reason always seemed to be because he hates comic books. God forbid that the Washington Post actually hired a reviewer who saw the movie with open eyes and not pre-conceived hatreds. (6/29/07) Hey Dave, love the website. Have you heard of any complaints about WUSA 9's HD channel? I have a HDTV antenna, for broadcast stations, and I can't get 9.1 (the HD channel) to come in anymore. Thanks. Jay (6/29/07) Dave's response: I don't have HDTV. Anybody want to chime in? Dave, Have you considered setting up RSS on your site? Chris (6/29/07) Dave's response: If someone knows of a good and inexpensive RSS feed generator for an old fashioned hand-coded website, let me know..... Hey Booger here you are gonna need this real soon! www.uhaul.com. Great Job! And to the speed bumps,keep drinking the Kool-Aid.... (6/29/07) Lissening to Don and Mike and they running PSA(?) for Inova Blood Services having a blood drive in Rockville with Robbay making an appearance at same(I hope he's in his pilgrum outfit). Ain't Inova Blood Services a branch of Inova hospital in toothless Fairfax County? Ain't Inova reaching into maryland to gather blood ticking off blood gatherers in Montgomery County? Want to send shout out to Don and Mike and their rise in the latest ratings!....DCRTV Dave if you would give a ride to Tom Gavin I understand he could get you in to see Morrissey. And The Cure is coming to the Patriot Center. You know. (6/29/07) Dave's response: Aren't D&M away on their 4th of July break? (Philadelphia's) YSP hasn't flipped back to rock like 92.3. It's still talk during the week, rock on weekends. They seem to promote their talk shows heavily. Their afternoon guy Kidd Chris seems to have a big following (and he's funny), although I have no idea what kind of ratings he pulls (do you know?). I'm curious to see if they'll end up flipping back to rock before clear channel's new rocker 104.5 gains any traction. I for one hope not. The more choices the better. (6/29/07) Attached is the new logo for WRNR in Annapolis. I'm not sure why they dropped the 103.1 for just "103"... It's kind of retro looking. (6/29/07) Dave sez..."And then we find out that one, who has given money to righties, is assigned to review a movie from a lefty. Just seems a bit hypocritical, doncha think?" No, we let you review WMAL, Rush, Hanity and Coulter don't we? You come into the dance knowing who swings, who the wallflowers are, and who goes both ways, if you know what I mean. If that's the DCRTV global standard we're going to live by then I guess Chris Matthews can't cover the Republicans, Bruce Willis can never be reviewed by Stephen Hunter and Bill Maher should just STFU. (6/29/07) Dave's response: Hey, I'm not covered by the "Washington Post's Fairness Doctrine" so I can give away my cash at will to any political group and write about what I want here on DCRTV. So there..... Ann Coulter denies calling Jon Edwards a faggot on The Tom Desabla show today. She tried to dictate how the interview would go and ended up hanging up after being reprimanded by the host. Kinda funny. You can check it out on WMET1160.com in the 1 o'clock hour. (6/29/07) Dave, you're a fair guy, so as regards Hunter's political leanings and his movie reviews, you ask a fair question. One I'm sure you've asked about the movie reviews written by all other film critics, who, speaking as a part-time film critic myself, are 99.999999999999999999% liberals, right? No politics ever seep into their reviews. Then there are the journalistic outfits that wouldn't dare do something as outrageous as assign a movie from a left-wing filmmaker to a right-leaning film critic. Say, Salon.com, for instance, which assigned a previous Moore film to one of its then critics, Charles Taylor, a LIBERAL who wrote a negative-leaning review, only to have it rewritten by the editor to make it sound as though Taylor *liked* the movie, and who then terminated Mr. Taylor. That's where journalistic fairness lies: on the Left. Christian (6/29/07) The following message was forwarded to DCRTV..... Dear Friend: Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this radio station and your letters of support. Your prayers and letters have given us continued strength through this difficult time. As you know several offers have been made to purchase the station from Columbia Union College - our parent organization (WGTS is a self-supporting subsidiary of Columbia Union College). Based on the college's financial situation, they are looking seriously at these offers. While there are other offers, I am glad to tell you that there are two offers that would allow WGTS to operate and be programmed just as it is now. Please note that no decision on selling the station has been made yet, the College Board of Trustees was not able to meet on the dates listed in the letter you received, but plans to consider these offers within the next month. It's a pivotal time for the WGTS family - your prayer of support is welcomed. As a financial contributor to WGTS myself, I understand the reluctance some have voiced to continue giving when the long-term future is unclear. Even as these discussions occur, our operational costs continue. The power company still sends a bill each month, we still pay rent for our building, our programming costs continue, and we still need to pay the staff for their work. The immediate future is clear, however, God is changing lives - right now - today - and your gift of support makes that possible. I promise you that I'll let you know the minute we have any news that will affect the station's ownership situation. While we at WGTS have been asked not to go into details, if you have any questions or concerns about what is happening, a pledge you have made or a gift you have sent in please let us know by writing to wgts@wgts919.com and we'll try and do all we can to help you. WGTS is God's radio station and always has been. We've all done our share of worrying about the future of WGTS in recent days, but you know what, God is completely in control. We have nothing to worry about. He has a purpose for WGTS and that purpose is being worked out every step of the way. As we await the decision to be made by the Columbia Union College Board of Trustees, the WGTS 91.9 staff will continue to bring you the songs you love, reaching and encouraging all we can in our community. If you know of someone who has questions about what is going on, please share this email with them. Thank you again for your prayers and support. Sincerely, John Konrad, General Manager (6/29/07) I was so saddened to hear of the passing of Walt Teas. Over the years I worked with Walt on many commercials and narrations. There simply was not a better person to be teamed up with. He was the consumate pro and such a nice man. He will be missed. Johnny Holliday (6/29/07) Boyce Watkins, Keyonna Summers join site www.reddingnewsreview.com... Robert "Rob" Redding Jr., Redding News Review (6/29/07) "Dave's response: Yeah, but Michael Moore doesn't work for the Washington Post....." Of course the left leaning tendencies of the Post and most of its journalists never bias their reporting. (6/29/07) Dave's response: I'm just pointing out that the Post has a company policy forbiding its reporters and columnists from making political contributions. And then we find out that one, who has given money to righties, is assigned to review a movie from a lefty. Just seems a bit hypocritical, doncha think? Congratulations to the WJFK afternoon team for their bump up in the monthly trends (from 12 to 11)! (6/29/07) Dave's response: You're wrong! They went from 11th to 10th..... One thing dc & Baltimore sports fans can agree on!! (lol) images.google.com (6/29/07) Did Michael Moore let his politics influence his film...??? NAH..!! (6/29/07) Dave's response: Yeah, but Michael Moore doesn't work for the Washington Post..... RE: "Never has a technical initiative met with so much dull-drum on the side of radio then HD." Well, now, I wouldn't say that... The current HD scene seems to me very similar to the AM Stereo debacle of 20+ years ago. We all know how everyone just adored AM Stereo. I recently bought an HD receiver and promptly sent it back due to lousy build quality, but what I sampled during the time it worked left me completely uninterested in buying another one. If HD really is expensive to run, it's no wonder there's so little programming. With no programming, people won't buy receivers. It does indeed seem like the extinction cycle. (6/29/07) RE: "So getting stations to get on the band wagon with HD2 is the least of their worries right now." I am pretty sure I read somewhere that all CC stations (at least those left after the sell off) that had no serious technical issues against it, would be HD by the end of 2008..that includes markets such as Winchester and Roanoke, etc. Now back to your single minded rant. (6/29/07) re: "Next they will tell us that the is only one communication link from the source(s) to the ground station." Often there is, depending on what you mean by source. If you mean from the true program originator (other than say ABC in the example from yesterday where Hannity I guess was coming from WABC in Manhattan), often the providers are using ISDN to get the feed to the TOC in New York. No back up. If it goes down, there is silence and you have to wait until you redial. I have even heard the Limbaugh show from his Florida bunker crap out on the back haul from Florida (one of the 'most' listened to shows :) and be dead while they redial the ISDN box or whatever Phone link they are using. For the automated stations carrying the show, you got to hear the handshake on air! And FOX radio news crapped out one day last week at 8am due to a router outage ahead of the Premiere TOC, it was rerouted - but not instantly and the net was down for 10 minutes or so...Again for most of this stuff, there doesn't seem to be "hot swaps" available. And on the other end its worse. Maybe large markets duplicate their receiver plant and have easily re-aimed dishes - but most don't - nor do they have staff available to reroute everything instantly. The deal with ABC yesterday looked like sunspot activity on the local receivers (although it was known NOT to be due to the season) - signal strength dropped, sync was lost as the storm passed and then signal strength increased and sync restored - very much akin to your DIRECT-TV receivers in your bunkers out there. Except this was on the sending end, not the receiving end. As for hot swappable instantly available TOC feeds to the bird for each provider, I do not think they exist...but someone may be lurking that can better answer the question. What's really interesting is if you live in fly over country and 'someone' lites up some AWACs nearby for training...Poof! you lose sat service. Try proving that...when you call TOC and you have no sync and a few other stations in the immediate area don't either but the rest of the country does. (6/29/07) To: Roddy Freeman - - I always enjoy reading your posts and I want to update Frank Holston's Walt Teas story. WFBR had just gone through a nasty AFTRA strike. Management fought to break the union and picketers were called in from DC and even Philadelphia. I was working at WCAO and I walked the line after work every night. One memorable event was the appearance of Connie B. Gay (then owner of WGAY). He pulled up in a limo and walked the line. Unusual for an owner. Now, here's what happened to Walt. He had a habit (like many morning men at the time) of showing up for work a few minutes late. Sounds strange, but I can tell you that it was not unusual top hear a few records segued from 5 am to 5:15. I have heard that happen on many shows. Lee Case, Rouse, and others. A few days after the strike was settled, Walt came in a few minutes late and was vindictively fired as a warning to the staff. Walt was great on the show, but moving into free lance was the best thing that could have happened to him. It would have been nice if Walt had made the move on his own. A lot of VO talent get in the mood for a job by thinking about how they want to sound on a recording. Walt told me that he modeled his airport announcing on the Mel Blank train announcing on the Jack Benny show. It's a shame didn't get to say, "...and Cuc...............................amonga." Ed Graham (6/29/07) In my new ventures as a Baltimore radio jock, I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was last night to be one of the guest bartenders at Putty Hill Station last night in a benefit to raise money for the Metropolitan Fire Firefighters Burn Center Fund along with fellow jocks from 98 Rock, 100.7 The Bay and Smooth Jazz WSMJ 104.3. We all had a great time and raised over $2,000. I am really getting this guest bartending gig down, I might just have to get a bartending gig of my own. I love being out there and meeting the listeners in person. (It reminds me of all the remotes I did on the Eastern Shore for Great Scott Broadcasting, I even did a remote/pep rally from Laurel High School in Delaware, I remember donning a jersey and playing some catch with the team before the game. It brought me back to my old playing days in high school) Anyway, Trish Hennessey--It was a pleasure meeting you last night, we both finally got to put a face to name. Congrats on the afternoon gig on WSMJ and great to hear on how well your son is doing. -Michael Popovec (Sports Talk 1570 WNST) (6/29/07) Re: "The Centennial - Mid Atlantic deal in Winchester and Fredricksburg has a Petition to Deny filed at the FCC." A search of the FCC database shows the filing of an informal objection on June 18. That's a far cry from a Petition To Deny. In all likelihood, the objection will be addressed (and dismissed) at the staff level when the applications for the assignment of licenses are approved without causing any substantial delay. (6/29/07) Baltimore radio legend Jack Gale is off the air, again. He has sold his station in Alabama a mere 3 months after going on the air. The airstaff , veterans of radio who had worked with Jack before, were informed by phone Monday morning. The station had no sales and a poor signal. It was apparent that Jack was going to flip the station anyway. Word is he is looking for another station to do the same with. A re;igious group has bought the station that they will operate from one room and a computer as an LMA until the sale is final. (6/29/07) Very sad to hear about Walt Teas' death. His son may have hit it on the head when he said no one outside his family and co-workers knew him, but his voice was heard by millions. Walt could do ten spots in a row and no two would sound like the same voice. He was a remarkable talent. My dad did lots of work with him back in the day. Walt was huge in the Washington/Baltimore AFTRA local; sat on the board for years, I think. He'll be missed. If anyone wants to hear how voiceovers should be done; Walt Teas is a good place to start. sean hall (6/29/07) RE: "Dave's response: If HD Radio's going to be a success, ALL area stations need to get on the bandwagon. Still nothing from DC's WBIG, WAVA, WKYS, WPRS, WPFW, and WLZL. And no additional digital (HD2, HD3) streams from WETA-FM, WJFK-FM, WRQX, WMMJ, and WCSP....." I can tell you as a matter of professional experience in radio for 20 years that it ain't happening. Never has a technical initiative met with so much dull-drum on the side of radio then HD. It's expensive, it's sounds like crap, there is no programming effort being put behind it, and it's labor intensive. Then there's streaming. It's cheap (believe me the fees are much cheaper than HD), it's easy to set up (most are now turn key operations), and it needs very little if any programming maintenance. And in closing with Ferraro's huge war chest of money to promote HD he is doing a crappy job. No kiosks, no freebie give-aways, etc... HD is doomed to ex tincti on. So getting stations to get on the band wagon with HD2 is the least of their worries right now. (6/29/07) Washington. June 26 2007 Mr. Clark: I find your directives taken against Local 31 disgraceful. Who are you to threaten Local 31 like a dictator? It is inappropriate and excessive for you and the SEC to threaten to put Local 31 under Trusteeship. In fact your letter to the President of Local 31 is not only actionable, but also preposterous and simply put, ridiculous Who do you think you are by sending messages to the President of the Local, telling him how to run the Local through your side-kick clown Mr. Lee? If you need to talk to the President, you do so, but not with the help of your side-kicks. If you and your side-kick clowns Mr. Lee and Mr. Parr do not like what the Executive Board does, it is just too bad. This is not a mafia family and you are not the boss, with those two clowns Mr. Lee and Mr. Parr as your enforcers. Quite to the contrary Mr. Clark; This is an organization run by the members, all the members, and when the majority wants changes, those changes are made whether the minority likes it or not, as long as those changes are legal. Whether you or your side-kick clowns Mr. Lee and Mr. Parr like it or not, Freelance/Daily Hires will be equal to everybody in the Local. Freelance/Daily Hires are now the majority in this union, and we expect that our rights will be protected when we choose to participate in union affairs. Some questions: How many times a week do you go to your “office” in DC? How many times a week do you go to your “office” in NY? How much do these offices and their staff cost this Union? How many times have you visited any of the Units in DC? What did you do before you became a Union Official and how long did you do it? Have you ever been a daily hire? What do you know about my job? You are no more than a no show ghost employee of the Union. Let me assure you Mr.Clark, that I intend to start a petition with all the freelancers to file a complaint with the Labor Department. There will be no discrimination against the freelancers. We are the majority. Juan E. Ureta, Member in good standing NABET Local 31... cc: L. Cohen, B. Easterling, D. Mahoney, P. Catucci, Freelancers/Daily Hires (6/29/07) Re: " I saw a commercial on WTTG promoting FOX 5 News Midday at 11am . . ." Just think, another half hour for their American Idol infomercials. Diane in PG (6/29/07) Dave, I'm glad to see you are expanding. Here's something that might be appropriate for your Boston site. Ron Randry who worked at WBZ in the late 1960s began his career at WJMA in Orange. I've put a page of information about him on the WJMA site. I'd love to add more information, pictures or audio. Perhaps Boston readers might have something to add. www.wjma.radiohistory.net... Ross Hunter, Orange, VA (6/29/07) WBIG's HD2 Oldies stream is still off the air; it's been several months. Is there anywhere I can get an update as to if/when it will return? (6/29/07) Dave's response: If HD Radio's going to be a success, ALL area stations need to get on the bandwagon. Still nothing from DC's WBIG, WAVA, WKYS, WPRS, WPFW, and WLZL. And no additional digital (HD2, HD3) streams from WETA-FM, WJFK-FM, WRQX, WMMJ, and WCSP..... More on "The question is why there was no back-up satellite feed available."... nearly all digital automation/storage systems at the station level have the ability to run a *second* audio channel parallel to the first, as well as built-in silence sense. If a program - let's say a capture of the show from 2 days prior - is loaded into that second channel, it can automatically deadroll at the start of the hour and run in the background without going on the air. If the main channel fails, the silence sense takes over and switches in the second channel. The audience experiences a sense of deja vu, but the station is still on the air without interruption. Need a free software program that can dependably handle audio capture on a s**tbox computer without human intervention? Visit linuxappfinder.com. Jeez, do I have to think of everything? (6/29/07) re: "The question is why there was no back-up satellite feed available." Not as stupid a question as suggested. Why not a backup ground station? I know of other satellite-based systems that have backup ground stations. The satellite is a single point of failure, but the ground station doesn't have to be. Next they will tell us that the is only one communication link from the source(s) to the ground station. (6/29/07) re: "The question is why there was no back-up satellite feed available." I am not sure if you are asking a serious question or not? Everything ABC distributes went down - and that includes everything from ABC and everything else (NOT ABC or Citadel) that is carried on their system (anybody who rents time from ABC - which is a huge clientele)...as I understand it, it was at their uplink in Jersey where the severe weather cell passed over in about 12 minutes. How could there be a back up for everything going to the bird? At times of longer outages (hours) - some feeders will provide an ISDN phone feed - but most of the Hannity affiliates have their feeds on a switcher to air and have to have closures and such for automation. Its the nature of the beast, you live without a back-up. Sort of like when we get sun spots in the spring and fall - nothing you can do about it since its the only way we get audio to the stations. If the bird in the sky dies (as what happened a couple of years back to the bird that NPR uses), there are contingency plans to move to another bird, but then dishes have to be re-aimed (usually) and receivers changed and such - no easy or certainly, quick task. Not to spin this too much like the "sky is falling" but if sat uplinks were taken out via ABC, Premiere, WWO and even Jones, most of the stations in the nation would NOT be connected to the outside world, except for internet or to put the mic in front of the TV speaker :-) (6/29/07) I saw a commercial on WTTG promoting FOX 5 News Midday at 11am with Allison Seymour and Holly Morris starting next Monday, July 2. Looking at the TV listings page on their website, it looks like this 60-minute newscast will replace their current 30-minute noon show. So I guess this is good news for those who can’t get enough of Holly Morris. I wonder if WRC will move their 10am news into the 11am timeslot when “Today” expands into a fourth hour this fall. Imagine that…Barbara Harrison and Holly Morris going head-to-head in the 11am hour… Brian in Fairfax (6/29/07) ABC Satellite's weather-related outage yesterday also stalled out USA Radio Network News at 5PM and ten minutes of the Greg Knapp Experience from Radio America. A lot of program originators go up to that bird. It was ugly, but not as bad as the spinout and loss of Galaxy III (or IV?) back in the late 90s which trashed NPR and piles of other providers. (6/29/07) I once boarded a flight at Dulles and Walt Teas had announced its departure. “American Airlines, (pause) Flight (pause, whatever) to Dallas/Fort Worth (pause) now departing (pause) (etc). Upon my arrival at DFW, booming over the PA was the voice of Walt Teas announcing the arrival of my flight. The voice of Walt Teas was everywhere! I think only Johnny Batchelder held a similar record for voice presence. He was for many years the voice you heard in the elevator ascending the Washington Monument. Walt Teas and Johnny Batch were amazing, their voices were smooth, pleasant to hear and never seemed to intrude on the space.. It was my delight to be able to work with another great Washington voice… the lovely and exciting Ed Walker. He used to joke on the air with me on WMAL about Walt Teas getting all the big jobs while Johnny “Batch” as we called him, was still doing the bowling show at the old WMAL-TV. (Yes, channel 7 actually had two bowling lanes in the big studio at 4461 Connecticut Avenue for Batch’s “Safeway’s Bowling for Dollars Show.) All this while another great voice, Mac McGarry, was still doing booth work at WRC-TV. “Full Color Four, Washington.” All of these guys had great careers in Washington Radio and TV. Sadly, some like Walt Teas never got to use their names on the air. Tom Gauger (6/29/07) The Centennial - Mid Atlantic deal in Winchester and Fredricksburg has a Petition to Deny filed at the FCC. This won't happen anytime soon. (6/29/07) Manassas Cable Service Is Poised for Upgrade www.washingtonpost.com (6/29/07) /\ June 29 Messages /\ \/ June 28 Messages \/ It would be interesting to hear an aircheck of Walt Teas. The Dulles Airport announcements are etched in my memory. Trans ... World ... Airlines ... Champagne Service ... to Honolulu ... now departing ... Gate 8. I thought he was astoundingly good. I also seem to remember Mrs. Lary Lewman at Dulles. The redoubtable Nancy Linehan. (6/28/07) Walt Teas had a very unique sound. Though I didn’t hear him in his WFBR days, I remember his numerous commercials well. As Jack Edwards said, it sounded like almost every local spot featured Walt Teas or Joe Knight. You can add Flo Ayres and Johnny Contino to those names; I believe they were all together at Flight 3 Studios on Cold Spring Lane. I remember in one commercial, following some lines voiced by Teas, Joe Knight chimed in, “Oh Walt, you’re such a tease,” a joke that very few people got. I remember Frank Holston telling our class that Teas, although a great morning man, had been fired from WFBR for calling in sick one too many times. Roddy Freeman (6/28/07) A small update for your HD Radio section: WASH-FM is now simulcasting Progressive Talk 1260 on their HD-3 stream. -jason (6/28/07) Dave's response: Just checked and you're right. Cool..... NBC's Dateline Takes it Up the Butt for Piss-Poor Sting-Ops ( Not really local but WRC4 is an NBC O&O so connected )..... news.aol.com (6/28/07) Cox has added some HD channels to it's lineup in the last few days but no announcements about it. Anyone know if they will add more or are they finished for now. Bob, Fairfax, VA (6/28/07) (Walt Teas) he was the voice of dulles airport (at least up to a few years ago) it was his voice.. canned.. automated .. that pieced together the overhead announcement ... TWA (click) FLIGHT (CLICK) 2 (CLICK) 2 (CLICK) 5, (CLICK) to Rome (CLICK) now boarding (click) at gate (click) 17 (6/28/07) Whoa, I made the serious error of turning the dial to 980 this afternoon, and it’s RE-RUNS of the Sports Reporters? RE-RUNS of sports talk? Would the last one to leave Sportstalk980 please turn out the lights? Is this really better than letting the young reporters on that station (and they do have some) take the mike for an hour or two? That’s a third-rate station, true, but I’m starting to think it’ll need to upgrade to GET to third-rate. Sincerely, TMU. (6/28/07) ANG- A “top notch” PR person probably wouldn’t so sneeringly slam those in the industry he will need to be pitching to. (6/28/07) Dave sez, "I realize that the narrow-minded news clowns on Fox News love to stereotype with the lie that all libs are in favor of a resurrection of the 'Fairness Doctrine.' Simply not true." Maybe not ALL libs, Dave, but most of the prominent ones who tend to shape the opinions of the lemmings are certainly in favor of it. Nor surprisingly, uber-lib John Kerry is the latest to call for a revival of the Doctrine. www.broadcastingcable.com (6/28/07) Dave's response: I know and I think John Kerry and other Dems are wrong on this issue..... Dave, Happy Summer to you!!!...Now that I am in talk radio or especially since I am in talk radio albeit sports, this Fairness Doctrine thing is ridiculous. I am an unabashed Conservative but in no way even if Liberal radio dominated the airwaves would I want this law passed either. Let the listeners decide what should be on the airwaves. This law prevents Free market enterprise and takes the power out of the listeners hands. It also continues to add to the laziness of this society--I don't need the government to step in and help me find an alternate point of view, I can watch PBS, or any of the three major networks news/talk programs or read the Washington Post, New York Times or I can tune into a liberal talk station via the web or the radio. I occasionally do this, even though they took my beloved oldies off of KB Radio 1520 in Buffalo and put on Air America, I tune in for an opposing view from time to time to see what the opposition is saying when I am driving at night. As a voter and a member of this democracy I think we all have a responsibility to take it upon ourselves to hear and or learn about all sides and opinions of the issues before making a decision. We don't need the government legislating free speech. -Michael Popovec-Evening Host-Sports Talk 1570 WNST (6/28/07) Memorial services for Walt Teas were held this past Saturday (6/23). Here's the link to the obituary in Thursday's (6/28) Baltimore Sun: www.baltimoresun.com (6/28/07) Man, I can't believe the angst toward Chuck Jackson! He is one of the best newscasters that ever worked the city of Baltimore. WBAL even asked him to come back, and they did re-hire him. Chuck is a dedicated advocate of fairness in broadcasting and heavily involved with the police community. I think he was expressing his disappointment in the lack of coverage of a tragic event that had a very sad ending. That's about all I can say. He's a good guy, a former neighbor and a top notch PR and newsman. ANG (6/28/07) (Because Rusty asked...) WTTG's experiment with "5:30 News" lasted only a little more than 14 months... with a debut on Monday, April 24th, 1967 and a final broadcast on Friday, June 28th, 1968. Alan Smith occupied the main anchor's chair (with solo billing in the printed Wash Post TV listings), but he was joined by John Willis and Maury Povich... basically the same team who helmed the very successful "10 O'Clock News" each weeknight. (At some point, Fred Knight was brought onboard to do the weather forecast.) On Monday, February 5th, 1968, WMAL-TV responded by shifting their 6:00pm local "News 7" cast with Harry K. Smith one half-hour earlier to 5:30, meeting Channel-5's cast head-on. dcmemories.com and dcmemories.com (6/28/07) I sure miss them oldies on WCTN! You were ebile to raise the issue of programming on 950 am. And over at 1160 am WMET they are quickly dropping the Music of Your Life programming for more of that etnic stuff. Ah well, nice while it lasted. I'm in heaven when I hear Levi Stubbs sing. Bernadette....... (6/28/07) Dave's response: Well, "that ethnic stuff" is what pays the bills at WMET..... Dave, Did you see that 94.1 WYSP has dropped "FreeFM" from its logo on its website? They now call themselves 94 WYSP Talks. I just hope that they keep the lineup intact. Sorry if you already covered this--I just discovered your NYC/Philly page. (6/28/07) Dave's response: I knew that YSP was going to drop the Free FM moniker but wasn't aware it had already happened. The station's still talk, isn't it? It hasn't gone back to rock like CBS's former Free FMer in NYC, 92.3? By the way, do check out our new NYC/Philadelphia news page with radio/TV coverage of Trenton, Wilmington, and Atlantic City, too..... Something tells me it's gonna be a long, LONG time before any story that Chuck Jackson has anything to do with makes the air at WJZ and/or WBAL. Hey Chuck, I've been in the business close to 35 years, and the way you're acting on here makes me ashamed of you. Taking your case to a message board? That's just pathetic. (6/28/07) New 100K+ per year Star mag editor is former Georgetown sex column plagiarist who banged FOX News talking head Harold Ford, Jr. bigheaddc.com (6/28/07) Speaking of "comical," I can't stop laughing at................. the pathetic, run on, endless, sentences from someone who has worked in the broadcast news business longer than most of the reporters and assignment editors blah, blah, blah. (6/28/07) Um, Chuck Jackson… the venom of your last post makes it pretty obvious that you have a disdain for the news business that probably pre-dates the recent funeral coverage by a couple decades. Thanks for revealing your own biases. Sorry that doing so simultaneously undermines the validity of your criticism. Does your group consist of an army of one bitter ex-newsman? (6/28/07) From WNST.net: WNST Sports Media is pleased to announce that we are now the flagship station of Towson University football. Look for comprehensive Towson Tigers coverage throughout the season, on the web, our live stream, and on AM 1570. WNST - We Never Stop Talking Towson Football! (6/28/07) Regarding your comment about Topper Shut being listed on IMDb from June 19th. IMDb can be updated by anyone, so who knows what's correct. He might have even listed the information himself, who knows. IMDb doesn’t research the information themselves; information is provided by internet users such as you and me. IMDb is a subsidiary of Amazon.com. I find it rather amusing that people find the information listed on this website as being factual. I use IMDb mostly for fun; if I read something that seems interesting then I’ll seek another source to prove it’s validity. (6/28/07) Has WNST's signal gotten worse? I love the station with its earthy, local flavor but if their their web stream isn't going down, it's the AM signal that can't be heard all over Baltimore City. I want to root for a guy like Aparicio but they are like a shortwave radio station. Some times you can hear them, sometimes you can't. Must be tough selling time. (6/28/07) Speaking of "comical," I can't stop laughing at the pathetic responses to my criticism over the lame news judgement in two of the television newsrooms in Baltimore, where, we are told, there are "walls of news awards" recognizing them for their journalistic achievements. Having worked in the broadcast news business longer than most of the reporters and assignment editors who book these newscasts have been on earth, I know all about those so called "awards" that are determined/judged by people of all levels of so-called "news judgement" in the news business, and not by those of us who are viewing this crap, basically, on the outside looking in; the same people who are surveyed or polled by the so-called ratings companies that provide us such a jaundiced, misguided ranking of newscast viewers that is meaningless, given the fact that no one I know has ever been surveyed or asked what stations they watch. As for the suggestion to call the news directors at WBAL and WJZ to voice these concerns, they are too busy worrying about where the next news award is going to come from, so they can keep bullying their way into the general manager's office in defense of the newsroom expenses, including those to fly all over Baltimore to bring us all that meaningless "breaking news" that we need to know about that keeps stories like Officer Wheeler's death from getting more than 90-seconds worth of airtime. Chuck Jackson Citizen Advocates for Safe & Efficient Travel, Ellicott City, MD (6/28/07) American University apparently has won out over a religious broadcaster in getting permission to build a new non-commercial radio station in Ocean City Maryland at FM 88.3 (presumably to be a relay of WAMU) svartifoss2.fcc.gov... svartifoss2.fcc.gov... (6/28/07) So Sorry to hear about the passing of Walt Teas. When I was in my early 30's and exclusively doing Voice Work..I had the pleasure of working with Walt on many occasions. He was the ultimate pro. He ruled the freelance voiceover colony. Add to this, he was a really nice guy too. Does anyone know the arrangements, for his passing? Funeral, viewing etc. I, for one would certainly want to express my sense of loss. PLB (6/28/07) If the Fairness Doctrine does come back, maybe WMAL can do what Rev. Carl McIntire did in 1973 when the FCC upheld the law in his case: Set up a pirate radio station on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean! For those too young to remember, here's the story www.carlmcintire.org (6/28/07) Dave's response: I realize that the narrow-minded news clowns on Fox News love to stereotype with the lie that all libs are in favor of a resurrection of the "Fairness Doctrine." Simply not true. This here lib continues to argue that the FCC and the feds stay out of all broadcast TV and radio program content regulation. It's OK to regulate ownership. And it's OK to regulate technical stuff. But stay out of idea/opinion censorship for any purpose - including "fairness." Period..... Re; postings about early afternoon newscasts. Does anyone remember when channel 5 (under Metromedia then) aired The 5:30 News? As I recall, it was anchored mainly by the late John Willis. And back to films shot in Virginia. there was one (a relatively "B" movie) filmed pretty much totally in Warrenton in 2000 called "Cherry Falls". I remember it because they were shooting it within a stones throw from the bank I was working for at the time. Rusty Gibson (6/28/07) ("My guess is that the five o'clock news starts at 4:59 to give the local stations extra time to sell spots.") Or 4:57/4:58 if you are WJLA, cutting off Oprah so we can see Leon Harris that much sooner and put a few more commercials in, like they do with other shows. (6/28/07) RACIST GROUP PLANS RALLY OUTSIDE PITTS' HOUSE www.reddingnewsreview.com... Robert "Rob" Redding Jr., Redding News Review (6/28/07) Dave, I wondered why all your Rants are about Bonneville, and then it dawned on me. They are the only ones doing anything new in local radio. They take chances, they experiment. Whether you agree with their decisions or not, they are least trying new things. Everybody else is playing it safe and conservative (or simply cost-cutting) and therefore they all the same and boring. (6/28/07) Dave's response: You've got to hand it to Bonneville. They do shake things up and try new stuff. CBS, too, with its rock music experiment of the Globe. The rest of DC radio is, well, pretty standard stuff..... The Baltimore/Washington area lost one of its greatest radio personalities/voice over artists...Walt Teas. During the early 50's before rock and roll showed its head, Baltimore's WFBR 1300 AM was one of the leading radio stations in Maryland with music by pop artists like Doris Day, Joni James, Guy Mitchell, Kay Starr. WFBR's on air line up included Dave Robinson, Mike James, Ralph Phillips, Bill Lafevre and the late WJZ TV's George Beauman (what a smooth voice with his nighttime Moonlight in Maryland.) Walt Teas was one of the brightest morning hosts ever to open a mike. With his newsman, the late Howard Streeter, the show was a joy to wake up to. Joe Knight joined the WFBR staff and for years it seemed every spot on the radio in the Baltimore area was the voice of Joe Knight or Walt Teas." Walt Teas if you please" will be missed. Thanks, Jack Edwards (6/28/07) See demure young lady in the Wonderbra at en.wikipedia.org... Candidate for HOTBODs? (6/28/07) To Paul: "If you're...confused...that channel's 4, 7 and 9 have started their newscast before 5, I suggest you get aquianted with your local library." I have cards to both the Handley Library in Winchester and the Martinsburg (WV) library. I have a discount card to "Book-a-Million." I shop at the Green Valley Book Fair every time it opens. I am, at any one time, reading at least four books - biography, history, current events and baseball (can't get into fiction - sorry). As the news director of a local AM radio station, I watch the evening news to see what the competition is covering. It just so happens that I noticed on several occasions that my TIVO told me I was watching Oprah, when, in fact, I was watching the news. That's when I began glancing up at the clock. So there. Al McGilvray (6/28/07) Regarding TJ’s post on Arbitron, the survey week STARTS on Thursday and ends on the next Wednesday. Though TJ is right when he says that some, maybe many, diarykeepers do wait until the end of the week or later to fill out the diary and then send it back. (6/28/07) I think the WBIG union situation is based on the fact they were the only non-union station in the cluster when Clear Channel was gobbling up their properties in the early 90's. All the others..WASH, MZQ, 101,WGAY already were under the union flag. (6/28/07) Confirmed: Tucker Carlson's 4 p.m. Show Cancelled; Now, Will Lou Dobbs Be Moving? bigheaddc.com (6/28/07) /\ June 28 Messages /\ \/ June 27 Messages \/ Back in the 1960s, local late news on WRC-TV ended at 11:15. Then the Johnny Carson show started and went to 1 a.m. A verrry long live on tape show. The first fifteen minutes of the Carson show disappeared when there were few stations that didn't have a 30 minute news show. Years later, the Carson show started at 11:35 to give the local stations extra time to sell spots. My guess is that the five o'clock news starts at 4:59 to give the local stations extra time to sell spots. Also, to get the news underway before the competition grabs attention with a Star Trek rerun or sumpin. (6/27/07) (Dave's response: So what does this mean? Are any of the other Clear Channel DC area radio stations unionized? Will WBIG have to move to a new studio location, a la how unionized WTGB is in a separate studio facility in Silver Spring, apart from CBS's other non-union stations in Lanham?) All the other CC FM's in DC are already union. (6/27/07) Does any one have any information about Mainline Broadcasting based in Philadelphia, PA? The look like a start up that owns stations in Hagerstown and bought stations from Radio One. What are they like to work for? (6/27/07) Dave's response: Aren't they owned by Arlington Capital Partners, based down here? Dave, you haver SUCH a huge hard-on for Bonneville. Why do you hate those guys so much? What did they ever do to you? (6/27/07) Dave's response: My latest Rant against the Washington Post questions why the newspaper fails to promote the greatness of the Bonneville radio personalities on Washington Post Radio. So, I'm actually promoting Bonneville. Chew on that..... "If Farley really wanted to solidify Top's numbers in Frederick on 820 for the SPRING book, he'd wait a week before pulling the plug." Once again, the would-be PD's on the board show they don't know how it works. It is true there is a lag in what a Diary keeper writes down (it is what they remember listening to lately). But to get credit for a simulcast, from Arbitron, you must simulcast from the very first day of a book to the last. If even one day is missed, Arbitron will report the stations separately, not as a combo or trombo. But I'm sure Jim thanks you for helping market the move here in the Mailgag.(6/27/07) (employees of Clear Channel WBIG have voted by a 6-1 margin to join AFTRA union) There are only 7 employees of WBIG?????? (6/27/07) Dave's response: Hell, I didn't know that there were that many. You mean there are more people working at WBIG than Jon Ballard, Lisa Berrigan, and the Hal 100.3 computer? HI Dave, On your movie debate. The movie out right now staring Steve Carell, "Evan Almighty" was partially filmed in Virginia. And as a poster noted earlier--the 80's classic "Dirty Dancing" was as well, much to the dismay to the folks in the Catskills where I was a small market news director at the time. (Remember Cousin Brucee's classic intro to that movie--as Jennifer Grey and Jerry Orbach and family drive up the Taconic State Parkway?) It was supposed to the Catskills but resort they used was actually in Virginia and the folks in the real Catskill were very annoyed about that. But the one that most people should remember, Loudoun county's own Robert Duval as Robert E Lee in "Gods and Generals". They used several real battlefield sites in Virginia. (He is a descendant of Lee by the way). Also, parts of "Arlington Road" (which was not a very good movie) were filmed along the George Washington Parkway. Oh..and one minor correction. Someone talked about the disaster flick with the asteroid or comet hitting the earth. The highway used was the Route 234 bypass in Prince William county..which had not yet opened at the time. It is NOW part of the Prince William Parkway. There are many more films which have used Virginia for settings. The film bureau in Richmond sends out a news release every time one comes out. Hank Silverberg (6/27/07) Dave's response: The 1999 Tim Robbins film "Arlington Road" was set in Reston, although the Reston scenes, including a trip to "the Reston Mall," were filmed in a suburb of Houston TX. Hey, as a kid in Woodbury NJ, they filmed "They Might Be Giants" with Al Lewis (grampa in "The Munsters") and Joanne Woodward (Mrs. Paul Newman) in a Pathmark grocery store near where I lived. TCM plays it once or twice a year, usually at 4 AM..... JohnnyinHanover: the upset people about the religious LPFMs in Harford County are people that have applied for that same LPFM license, only to find that thier application was rejected and was given to an out of state/area religious outfit, instead of a local agency or organization that actually serves the community they broadcast to. (6/27/07) Dave's response: Amen! (as opposed to a series of ads that featured - oh say - the other still largely unknown personalities on the low-rated station like David Burd, Hillard Howard, and Bob Kur) Do you really think that "featuring" Burd, Hillary, Bob, etc... will make people want to listen to WTWP? Any advertising campaign needs to provide a compelling reason to use the product being advertised. That being said, the entire WTWP ad campaign may be misguided (there isn't a compelling reason to tune in), but to be fair, your suggestion lacks any real substance and does more to demonstrate your continued attempts to knock WaPo Radio than anything else.-Takoma Tommy (6/27/07) About AFTRA and WBIG. According to All Access Dot Com, yes. Here's the story: WBIG Votes In AFTRA... Rumors become reality, as ALL ACCESS has confirmed CLEAR CHANNEL Classic Hits WBIG/WASHINGTON has elected to join a union. AFTRA spokesperson PATRICIA O'DONNELL said, "On JUNE 20, 2007, by a vote of 6-1 in an election conducted by the NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, AFTRA was certified as the collective bargaining agent for WBIG." (6/27/07) Dave's response: So what does this mean? Are any of the other Clear Channel DC area radio stations unionized? Will WBIG have to move to a new studio location, a la how unionized WTGB is in a separate studio facility in Silver Spring, apart from CBS's other non-union stations in Lanham? Anyone have any info on whether any of these stations can be picked up in DC at night? I'd love to hear the ramblings of Hendrie again.... www.philhendrieshow.com/Affiliates/ (6/27/07) Dave's response: No, it doesn't look like the signals of any of Hendrie's stations make it to the DC area. You can listen via the web, though..... I talked to the same XM employee that gave me the heads up regarding the OnA delay, and he gave me some free XM stuff and a link to a site where I can get $2 radios directly from XM, so I know he's legit. I may have been wrong about the length of the delay (60 seconds seems kinda long though, don't you think), but he wasn't just making it up. OnA are getting a new studio made in New York, which should be ready by the end of July. Maybe the delay will start when they start broadcasting from there, I don't know, but I thought that the delay would start last week with the arrival of OnA back on XM. The first day OnA were back on the air on XM, when they were doing their walkover, they touched on the delay subject but kinda skated around the issue, not outright denying it and saying it's whatever XM needs to do (or something to that tune.) In my opinion, the show won't be any different and it will be business as usual for the most part. We just won't have any instances like what happened last time. Long live OnA. ShaneinBelair (6/27/07) Dave's response: O&A have jested on their CBS Radio show that there's a several minute delay implemented by their Boston broadcast station..... If I may, I would like to comment on several peoples concerns. First, WJZ in Baltimore always begins each 5:00 P.M. newcast at 4:59 P.M. They have been doing this for a number of years. I have no problem with it. That is just a small amount of less commercial time. Secondly, there were several people upset because of a LPFM broadcasting Christian programing. The last time I checked, no one in Harford County is forced to listen. There is no law that I know of requiring you to. Do not listen. Find something else. I am sure they have many listeners who are more that happy to listen. All programing on the radio cannot be just for you. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (6/27/07) Two comments: TV shows starting precisely on time is a concept that's at least 25 years out of date. TBS made the biggest show of dropping the idea, but everything starts a little early or a little late and ends at random, too. Well, seemingly at random. It's all game playing to get the jump on the competition or to trick you into missing the start of a show on another channel. (Anybody remember the CBS top-of-the-hour tone? Sort of like a muffled bell.) Trust your atomic clock or tune a shortwave radio to WWV (or CHU). ... When I cancelled XM, I told them I was bored with it and they said fine, goodbye. No hassles, they just wanted to end the call. The radio was still working when I sold it 3 days later, so I don't know if the next person got oodles of free XM time or not. (6/27/07) If you're easily confused by looking at your atomic clock and seeing that channel's 4,5,7 and 9 have started their newscast before 5, you have far too much time on your hands. May I suggest you get aquianted with your local library or perhaps there are clubs you can join. Paul (6/27/07) The Greaseman is also heard Tue. through Friday, 7p - 9p on Thunder 104.5 in Fredericksburg. (6/27/07) In these trying political times we should re-think "GREASEMAN FOR PRESIDENT" Habbadoogagagagaga for everyone even our illegal immigrants who never had the chance to be "skewered" by the Grease. Hell like a former poster said he's done his 8 year sentence now lets bring him back for 4 more!!!! It's time. BTW Grease lives in Potomac too, maybe he just has a loyal following up there at the grocery store and he's been "servicing" some of the old female geeezeer's too.. AMF (6/27/07) I’m trying to remember the name of the traffic report who was popular in the mornings before Lisa Baden. I think she quit the traffic job to host the Am show at WASH. Anyone remember? (6/27/07) "The beginning of the summer book means the END of the Spring book which DOES include a Frederick breakout, dumbass. Farley wants to be sure TOP gets credit for any listening reported on 820 for the Spring. If he switched 820 to WaPo Radio before Thursday, TOP would get no credit for any 820 listening in the Spring book. " While we're spelling things out - most diary keepers do not automatically fill out their diaries on Thursday at the end of the ratings week. They wait a day or two, realize they haven't filled the damn thing out, and then try to remember what they listened to. What they often do is simply draw a line through a given number of hours and say they listened to a station, whether they really did for all that time or not. If Farley really wanted to solidify TOP's numbers in Frederick on 820 for the SPRING book, he'd wait a week before pulling the plug. One other point, TOP has been on in Frederick on 103.9 for weeks. If the station was marketed correctly, the listeners would already know that, and would know where to find the station. JT (6/27/07) Re: "I have an atomic clock in my kitchen. The clock reads 4:59pm when the channel 4, 5, 7 and 9 newscasts come on. Is my atomic clock not working, or do the local stations get a jump on their "5pm" newscasts?" ///// I have one of those black cat clocks on the wall, the kind where the tail hangs down and the eyes move left and right as it works. It's not that close to the TV, but as I run back and forth with the remote control in one hand checking the TV and then the clock, I have found that the local newscasts start at 13 seconds past 5 pm. Am I crazy ? What is up with that ? Should I buy a new figural clock ? Should I move it closer to the TV ? Will the earth continue to spin on it's axis ? (6/27/07) Dave's response: It's really 5 PM, but your atomic clock still shows 4:59 because the time signal from Boulder CO is being intercepted by a time warp high above the West Virginia panhandle, causing it to arrive at your clock receiver a fraction of a minute late. Didn't Steven Hawking discuss this phenomenon? Hey folks, where's a good place to find "Harden and Weaver" airchecks from the 1970's (or any era)? All tips are greatly appreciated! -MontCo (6/27/07) Arbitron. 1. Somebody asked how ratings work. Good question. Let us know if you find a plausible answer. Anybody in radio knows that ratings don't work, but since they are based upon the needs of advertisers, rather than broadcasters, we get no say in how they play. 2. As a good example of why they do not work and cannot be trusted. I have been on diary reviews. It is pretty amazing how Arbitron will allow 'urban' diaries to count that have been submitted from different households and yet filled out quite obviously by the same hand. Ratings are relevant to revenue only, they do nothing to reflect real listening nor real service to the community of licensce. (6/27/07) I'm on my 5th month of free XM. I called to cancel and they talked me into 3 free months. I didn't change my mind during that 3 months free, so I called again to cancel. They talked me into another 3 free months. Wonder what will happen will I call to cancel again? It's not a bad service--I just don't drive my car that much and at home there are so many free internet radio stations that sound better than XM. That article you linked to says you can cancel online. I have yet to figure out how. Jeffy (6/27/07) In response to Al's comment about the 5PM News on Channel's 4, 5, 7, and 9 starting at 4:59PM I wonder if this is a standard practice at TV stations up and down the east coast. I live in the Hartford-New Haven Market and the local 5PM Newscasts on 3, 8, and 30 all start at 4:59PM as well. The 6PM News starts at 5:59PM. The 6PM episode of The Simpsons on FOX 61 also seems to begin at 5:59PN as well. What's really annoying about the 6PM News starting at 5:59PM is the fact Channel 8's news is simulcasted on Middletown's 1150AM. They have a music show on during the 5PM hour and a lot of times they don't have it timed perfectly and the last song often gets cut-off abruptly and switches to Channel 8 News. Marc (6/27/07) (JOHN IN STAFFORD wrote: Has there been this much talk about Greaseman since his DC101 days?) YO MAMA! Let's go to the video: www.youtube.com... A nice hidden camera piece showing Doug Tracht at his finest. (6/27/07) I have an atomic clock in my kitchen. The clock reads 4:59pm when the channel 4, 5, 7 and 9 newscasts come on. Is my atomic clock not working, or do the local stations get a jump on their "5pm" newscasts? Al McGilvray (6/27/07) Every Wednesday is WGTB Day on www.wgay.fm. Airchecks from 1969 - 1979 are webcast. Today's broadcast features Fred "Boogie" Cresce from 1978. Bonus! Fred on WOHH in 1973. When you get to the site, go to "Listen WGAY Now". Feedback is always appreciated. Enjoy! -Barlow T. Shagnasty (6/27/07) So-Havre de Grace has two crappy stations (ok, three)--107.3, which is an LPFM owned by the MTA and runs boring talk about train tracks, 104.7-this church shit and AM 1330 WJSS-where it calls itself news talk, but is all preachers begging you to send then 500 dollars for a Jesus autographed bible. Come on now. Hey, at least WXCY is breathing some life into this community. Speaking of life, is WAMD still on life support? Can someone just "trip over" the plug and kill the place already. (6/27/07) I cerphed by Comcast Mid Atlantic the other night and they were running some silly boring story of Kelli Johnson playing putt putt golf with Reddskin's QB Jason Campbell. I thought Kelli Johnson was the Reddskin's beat reporter for CSN. What if a Reddskin player or team sucks, after getting so chummy with'em can Johnson be like totally objective? I've seen several more of these silly stories before on CSN, like another one with Ms. Sorenson kicking soccer balls in her uniform, Carmen Electra need not worry,yuck to that human interest crap! Of course, it seems CSN is having hard time filling up air time. How many times a day they going to rerun WaPo Live? CSN ain't Comedy Central which can getaway with running The Daily Report 5 times a day?.....and speaking of Surf, I thought everything played on The Globe was programmed by Hal 2000, how does Serf manage to get them phoners who just happen to request something he had already set to play? .....Grease, Grease, Grease still loving them upside down (6/27/07) "Excuse me, but did someone drop Jim Farley on his head? The summer book does not include a Frederick breakout. Duhhhh." I think YOU'RE the one who's been dropped on her head. The beginning of the summer book means the END of the Spring book which DOES include a Frederick breakout, dumbass. Farley wants to be sure TOP gets credit for any listening reported on 820 for the Spring. If he switched 820 to WaPo Radio before Thursday, TOP would get no credit for any 820 listening in the Spring book. Sheesh...I guess you just have to spell it out for some people. (6/27/07) Now let's not slight Baltimore FCC... We get, no not Liberty University all over the FM band like DC. No, we get The Hope Christian Church of Marlton NEW JOISEY!?!?!?!? AIIIIIIEEEEEEEE YAI YAIIIIIIIIIII! So, Congrats Havre DeGrace's FM 104.7 this week from the FCC, making your FM airwaves so much more saintly! WHAT A CROCK! (6/27/07) RE::Would might happen if Peter Angelos were able to coerce Comcast into broadcasting MASN in North Carolina? Angelos would probably declare North Carolina his territory. He would lobby against any attempt to bring a team to the area. He would demand that any new team join the MASN network, where he, Peter Angelos, would receive the bulk of the revenues. (6/26/07) Peter Angelos already has the cable rights to part of NC...the Orioles were broadcast in NC via HTS and Comcast for years. The Braves also have cable rights to part of NC. The state is split. (6/27/07) I read your site weekly, if not daily, but had a question about ratings. How the hell they do work?!? Also, I know you list them when they come out, but does Arbirton have a site that you can go to to check past ones? Thanks, Marcus (6/27/07) Dave's response: Please don't ask me to explain how the radio ratings work. I just report 'em. Radio And Records does carry some national radio ratings data. Just click on the "Ratings" tab. If you're looking for past DC and Baltimore radio and TV ratings, going back 10 years or so, you'll find them in DCRTV's News Archive. Mixed in with all the classic radio and TV news articles..... /\ June 27 Messages /\ \/ June 26 Messages \/ "820 To Flip To WaPo Radio - Why make the flip on Thursday? That's the first full day of the summer Arbitron ratings period." ----- Excuse me, but did someone drop Jim Farley on his head? The summer book does not include a Frederick breakout. Duhhhh. That, plus the fact that David Burd is a bore, the Ledo's Pizza name gracing an all-news broadcast facility and the murder of WGMS. Gheesh! What a maroon! Oh, and whomever nailed the possibility of Greaseman (or friends) filling out 50 surveys to come in at number 3 is smarter than Farley. THEY should be the new VP of Programming and Preening at WTOP. (6/26/07) Has there been this much talk about Greaseman since his DC101 days? JOHN IN STAFFORD (6/26/07) Would might happen if Peter Angelos were able to coerce Comcast into broadcasting MASN in North Carolina? Angelos would probably declare North Carolina his territory. He would lobby against any attempt to bring a team to the area. He would demand that any new team join the MASN network, where he, Peter Angelos, would receive the bulk of the revenues. (6/26/07) The number of "Corrections" in The Post have been on the increase in recent years. Some, like misspellings of names like "Brit Hume" are downright embarrassing. The extremely outdated listing of AM/FM stations is inexcusable (DCRTV Dave will be happy make the needed corrections for a small fee). However, they have plenty of money to push their lame Post Points all over town. Does the Post even have anyone doing proofreading/fact checking anymore? (6/26/07) I don't suppose it's at all possible that certain people filled out multiple Washingtonian surveys with a Greasy name? Naw, who would ever stoop to a cheesy attempt to get some publicity? Certainly not Greaseman. (6/26/07) Dave...Washingtonian readers picking Greaseman is laughable. First of all, their readers are mostly over 60, hardly Grease potential. Secondly they live in snooty places like Potomac and Georgetown...again..not Grease's strong suit! Frankly, Washingtonian has become irrelevant in recent years. Its the same old, tired list of restaurants and private schools. ZZZZZZZZ. Grease probably bought about 50 copies of the magazine to vote for himself...and considering how few people actually read the magazine combined with how few fill out the vote forms...50 would do it! (6/26/07) You've mentioned the Washingtonian survey, which named the three Best Local Radio Personalities. In addition, the survey selected as the Most Annoying Radio Personality -- #1. Elliot in the Morning; #2. Jack Diamond; #3 Kane. -- Bobbie (#1 & #2 were also listed as Best.) (6/26/07) Dave's response: Most annoying? Andy Parks is tops in my book..... Dave feels the "silly Washingtonian is telling us that Doug Tracht is more popular than Don Geronimo", Dave, I'd say that in addition to Doug Tracht, Doug E. Fresh, Doug Williams, Doug Hill, Doug Gensler, Doreen Gensler, Doug Luzader, East Side Dave, Doug Sahm, Doug Kershaw, Douglas Yancey Funnie and Douglas Adams, for starters, are **all** more popular than the "Donnie G". ymhodapjdjenveeyaay. (6/26/07) It’s comical to see Chuck Jackson criticizing news organizations for not spending more time covering the police officer's funeral. Had it been the lead story on every station, someone would be posting here criticizing the media for too much coverage and sensationalizing the tragedy. More troubling is Jackson's suggestion that journalism organizations shouldn’t question whether police receive special treatment. It’s their job to question and probe. Thanks to some solid journalists, we've learned that crime numbers are phony, pension deals are sweet, police commissioners loot slush funds intended for officers, etc. The earlier poster pointed out a question of credibility now that Jackson represents an advocacy group. But ev en as a news anchor, I never heard him do an investigative story about police or their policies and procedures. All those years as state police spokesman --I guess you begin to believe your own spin is the truth. (6/26/07) Please take a moment of silence in tribute to our friends who provide us free internet radio. www.shoutcast.com (6/26/07) Just read the message on the lack of prominent local tv coverage for deceased officer Scott Wheeler authored by "Chuck Jackson, Citizen Advocates for Safe & Efficient Travel, Ellicott City." Wonder if this is the same "Chuck Jackson" who, if memory serves me correctly, was once a spokesman for the Maryland State Police? (6/26/07) [(As for the Post and its wondrous and accurate coverage of local radio, check out my 6/23 Rant). Which one!!!??? Since May 29th, you have written 11 out of 15 rants about the Washington Post and/or the Washington Post Radio. WOW..] It's Dave's website and he'll rant if he wants to! (6/26/07) Dave's response: As long as the Supreme Court still allows free speech (which might not be for too much longer) I will rant about what I want to rant about..... On the Next Hardball: Will Ann Coulter Get Pie in Her Eye? bigheaddc.com (6/26/07) Dave's response: Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin mud wrestling each other naked. Now that's what I'd like to see on MSNBC..... To Chuck Jackson: Both WBAL AND WJZ News are staffed with seasoned professionals whose job it is to choose the order of the rundown in a newscast. They have years of experience and walls full of awards. You have every right to question them if you choose, but when you are representing an advocacy group, the credibility of your complaint loses some credibility. Your story did not lead and you're upset....but why complain about it here? Call the News Directors at both stations, Gail Bending at JZ and Michelle Butt at BAL. (6/26/07) "The “silly” Washingtonian didn’t ask “Who is your favorite DC radio personality currently employed by a major FM station?” They just asked a simple question, and got a straight answer." Take Grease (who I still enjoy at times) out of the equation for a minute. How can you call the survey creditable when Jack Diamond is #2???? (6/26/07) Dave- The Washingtonian survey asks who is the best radio personality in DC. According to its educated, affluent readership, Greaseman is one of the best. Hey, it's not Arbitron, but I don't know how much faith I have in Arbitron anyway. (6/26/07) Re: (Sun Awarded For Crabmeat Investigation - 6/26 - Three Baltimore Sun journalists who produced the "revelatory" series "Crab Factory" ... have won a Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business and financial journalism) ... Not sure on the timeframe, Dave, but didn't the DC City Paper already run a feature/expose on this exact topic more than a year ago? (6/26/07) Yo MASN, really nice job with playballnow.org. (Bunch of morons.) Under the Virginia tab, it notes: “Comcast is refusing to carry MASN in the communities of Blacksburg, Lynchburg, Danville, Martinsville, Pulaski, Salem, and Stewartsville.” You MIGHT want to include that Comcast is still refusing to carry MASN in Front Royal and Winchester, which are only a hour or so from DC. Stop fighting so hard for people that are 200 miles from here and do something about the Northern Shenandoah Valley. They have no problem getting your network in eastern West Virginia. Why don’t you fight for us? No wonder TV3-Winchester was able to exert some sort of influence to get us dragged back into the Harrisonburg market. It’s getting harder to figure out which of these outfits is run by stupider people. Charles in Winchester (6/26/07) Boy, with Tony K. leaving WTWP this week, there will be precious little reason to tune in there. Since D&M are on vacation, I tuned in WTEM with Andy “Polley” Pollin at 4PM, and he couldn’t have sounded more bored, trying to talk baseball (about which he knows somewhere between nothing and darned near nothing). Czaban (who’s also on vacation) can at least summon a measure of enthusiasm for amusing non-football topics, but Andy can’t. I think I have the perfect solution – as Andy Polley only comes alive DURING football season, and that’s when TK will be gone, how about we take Andy OFF the air during football’s off-season, and bring him back when TK leaves each year (as football training camp approaches)? He’s Tony’s radio alter ego, anyway – just send him over to WTWP once Tony’s back on the tour bus. Andy will have February through June to charge his batteries; Tony will have the perfect fill-in. Yeah, I know it’s impossible. But it would work. Sincerely, TMU. (6/26/07) Dave's response: I think David Burd will be a great substitute for Tony K. Do check him out on WaPo Radio late mornings starting Monday. Or, you could try the great Chris Core on WMAL or the fantastic Chip Franklin on WBAL. And, O&A aren't half bad over on JFK-FM, even in tape delay. In the afternoons, the illustrious Ron Smith is always worthy on WBAL..... Your frontpage item - Washingtonian's "Best and Worst" - you say you "don't subscribe". The issue is on the newstands. Do you also not purchase magazines? (6/26/07) Dave's response: Hell no! I will read them at the newsstand. But I'm like Tony Soprano. I'll rip out a page if it has an interesting article or a cute body on it..... In Philly, KYW NewsRadio 1060 AM and WPHT, The Big Talker 1210 AM are now running HD. (6/26/07) Close, but no cigar - "I guess I lit my (victory) cigar prematurely": Rush Limbaugh (@12:40 PM 6/26) on the Senate reaching cloture on the so-called "immigration" bill. (6/26/07) Dave says “Hey, I like the Greaseman, too. But I just find it hard to believe that he's the third most favorite DC radio personality. I mean, silly Washingtonian is telling us that Doug Tracht is more popular than Don Geronimo, Tom Joyner, Fred Grandy, the Junkies, Russ Parr, or Donnie Simpson? Come on.....” Dave, you’re thinking conventionally. The “silly” Washingtonian didn’t ask “Who is your favorite DC radio personality currently employed by a major FM station?” They just asked a simple question, and got a straight answer. If I were one of the suits running those major FM stations in DC, I’d start looking for a slot for this guy. He’s served his 8-year sentence. Enough is enough. (6/26/07) In the ever-changing world of local television news, some things are never supposed to change, especially on a day a police officer is laid to rest after falling in the line of duty. I am referring to Friday, June 22, the day Howard County Police Officer Scott Wheeler was buried. It is supposed to be a day to stop what we are doing, to pause for a moment, and share the emotion, the trauma, and the loss to the officer's immediate family, and to the officer's family of fellow officers who came here from far away places out of respect, not entirely for them, but also for their profession. Perhaps the greatest loss is in the community, where the security blanket these fallen heroes wrap us in every day is torn deeper than our hearts over their loss. This is supposed to be a day that makes booking a newscast easy, because it is a news story that trumps all others as a lead, no questions asked. Well I have a few. Why did Channel 11 lead its 5pm news with Jayne Miller's investigative piece on the controversial pension package for the new head of Maryland's Transportation Authority Police? Why would Channel 13 lead with the funerals of the South Carolina firefighters? True, there were multiple deaths and that story was also very tragic, and we should also pause for those brave men, but did the stations down there lead with Officer Wheeler's funeral? And, where were the news helicopters? Available for a daily dose of so called "breaking news" involving minor fender benders, dumpster fires, and other spot news that is meaningless to most viewers, only one station provided a brief taped aerial shot of the funeral procession. A story "made for tv" with motorcycles leading a motorcade of hundreds of patrol cars as well as the fire apparatus on the beltway overpasses, their ladders extended and criss-crossed with a flag as the procession passed below, honor guards, color guards, bag pipers, people crying. etc etc. Where's the news judgement? Reminds me of when the news director of WBAL Radio questioned the "priority given law enforcement officers" for med-evac transport from motor vehicle crashes and other incidents where others were also injured, and why they had to be flown while other injured people were transported by land. I am not so sure they get "special treatment" but if they do, it's because they are special people who go out there every day and load up everyone else on backboards and gurneys, rescued from the mangled wreckage, twisted steel, and broken glass of car crashes and other traumatic situations. Wait until he needs help on the beltway at 3 in the morning, when his family and friends are asleep, and see who gets to fly out of that one. Not every station gets the "click"...WMAR (ABC2News) gets the kudos for its lead story on the officer. They had the sense and the professionalism to pause, and acknowledge this terrible tragedy, and give the rest of us who couldn't be at Officer Wheeler's funeral a chance to pay our respects, even if only in front of our television set in our living rooms. It is reassuring to know that at least one station understands the need for change, but not on a day an officer dies. Chuck Jackson, Citizen Advocates for Safe & Efficient Travel, Ellicott City (6/26/07) Just wanted to let you know that Greaseman is also heard on WGRX, a Fredericksburg VA country station. (6/26/07) I stand humbly corrected about Brian Eno. Just goes to prove that this site is, and the people who write on it are, smarter than the average bear. It also proves how far we've fallen in quality radio broadcasting over the past two decades, and how the race to the bottom has accelerated over the past few years. The first time I heard John Adams' "Nixon in China" was an excerpt of "The Chairman Dances" on a Friday late rush hour on WQXR out of New York. I was an assistant Judge Advocate at Fort Dix at the time, and was finishing up some paperwork at my office listening on my great old General Electric Super Radio. That 10 minute excerpt attracted more different types of people into my office than you would normally expect to reflect the average opera lover. Sadly to say, that kind of programming is becoming extremely rare even on the few remaining mid-dial private sector classicals. The Washington radio premiere of Phillip Glass' "Fall of the House of Usher" took place on GMS in the late 1990's. Now, with the exception of college radio (a vastly overlooked resource for unique niche programming-take a look at Princeton University's long-running Sunday evening "Music You Can't hear on the Radio" program on WPRB ), this kind of stuff just isn't happening on the airwaves. The people with money are migrating to satellite radio because XM and Sirius are programming to their tastes, and the same can be said for cable services like Music Choice or More Music. They may skew to older demographics, but they also tend to be either more affluent or more determined to seek out and purchase what they want. Personally, I prefer XM of the two, because they seem to fill more niches that attract me than Sirius. But God Bless both of them, and I hope they survive in one form or another. Between internet radio and satellite, classical programming is relatively alive and well, if not as accessible as it used to be. Genghis Cohen (who privately admits to liking the Greaseman), sweating it out in Hot and Humid Northern Virginia. (6/26/07) Dave, Here's the link from the Virginia Film Office if your visitors want to see everything filmed in the Old Dominion. This list does not include 2007 projects but pretty much everything before.. Keep up the great work! www.film.virginia.org... (6/26/07) Maybe Greaseman can consult for Imus on the best way to resurrect a broadcast career following a horrendous on-air gaffe with racist overtones. Wonder if Greaseman would still be able to get a job if he had made his Lauren Hill comments in the current climate instead of a few years ago… (6/26/07) BUSTED: PBS Tells Producer Not To Hire Conservatives. This clip was captured during the special presentation on FOX News of Muslims Against Jihad , a program that was banned by PBS. According to Frank Gaffney, a producer, PBS didn’t even feign to screen tonight’s program before rejecting it. Worse yet... is the blatant bias of PBS that was caught on tape. Producer Martyn Burke said this during the airing of the special on the liberal agenda at PBS: The first thing they (PBS) told me- "Fire your partners... Because they are conservatives." www.foxnews.com (6/26/07) Dave: You might like to know that Doug (The Greaseman) reaches over 60 different countries via the Web monthly. Lots of listeners in USA as well (outside of the DC Marketplace). We have stats if you'd like to see them. Thanks for the mention-re: Washingtonian Magazine! Regards, Dennis (6/26/07) Dave's response: Hey, I like the Greaseman, too. But I just find it hard to believe that he's the third most favorite DC radio personality. I mean, silly Washingtonian is telling us that Doug Tracht is more popular than Don Geronimo, Tom Joyner, Fred Grandy, the Junkies, Russ Parr, or Donnie Simpson? Come on..... Michael Graham www.bostonherald.com/blogs/messengerBlog (6/26/07) The Chicks are proud to announce the SECOND ANNUAL 4th of July Flag Cake Smackdown 2007, the annual bake-off with ChickChat Radio style and attitude. This is not your grandmother's bake-off! "It's big, it's bad, and it's above all the most patriotic thing we can do in America," said co-host Heidi Hanzel. "Flag Cakes aren't just for middle America anymore - it's hip and it's hot!" "The Flag Cake Smackdown is for the people," co-host Lara Dyan stated. The contest is open to anyone with a digital camera, Internet access, and mad decorating skills. We can't wait to see what everyone submits!" In addition, the Chicks would like to challenge all other radio show hosts who call themselves true Americans. "We'd like to see them get their game on," Hanzel added, "because does more flag waving than the political talk radio types? " "We'd like to see what kind of Flag Cake Rush Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham and Sean Hannity would make. That goes for Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, and Dr. Laura too," added Dyan. Contestants create a Flag Cake for the 4th of July, and enter by emailing a picture of their creation to thechicks@chickchatradio.com between today and Sunday July 8 2007. Judgment Day will be broadcast live the week of Monday, July 9 2007 on ChickChat Radio. The judging will be done by an independent expert in the food industry. The winner will get bragging rights for the year - and if you've listened to ChickChat Radio, you know how powerful that can be. ChickChat is a contemporary, relevant, stylish, unique, non-political, entertaining, not for-women-only radio show hosted by Heidi and Lara -- two women with no loss for words or opinions. About Heidi Hanzel and Lara Dyan: While they have vastly different backgrounds and lives, the hosts share a strong connection built from a friendship formed over ten years ago. Heidi is married and lives in the country outside of Washington D.C.; Lara is engaged and lives in downtown Boston MA... ChickChat Radio is a nationally syndicated, female-hosted talk show for the 25-54 demographic. Co-hosts Heidi and Lara are often featured on the national Fox News Channel and have appeared on D.C. Channel 9 WUSA. (6/26/07) On June 25, 2007, Mr. Genghis Cohen scribed: "We're living in a new golden age of American composers; would it kill the de-facto NPR "flag-ship" to run some Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams or Brian Eno every now and then?" -------------------- OK, good call! One correction though, Mr. Brian Peter Eno was born in Suffolk, England. But he's still near and dear to my heart (I dare anyone to try and take my copy of "Here Come The Warm Jets" away from me!). While we're talking about composers that should be played on NPR (and for that matter, XM and Sirus)....how about: Conlon Nancarrow, Morton Feldman, Paul Panhuysen, Terry Riley, John Cage, Iannis Xenakis, K. Stockhausen, Alvin Lucier, Jon Rose, etc. etc. :) Carl From Laurel (6/26/07) From Tom Taylor’s Radio-info.net blog: "In the air: Did the on-air staffers at CC's WBIG-FM, Washington vote for AFTRA? Classic hits WBIG-FM was the only station in the Clear Channel cluster that wasn't union, and there may've been concern about the growth in voicetracking on various airshifts - and worries about protection under a privately-held Clear Channel." (6/26/07) Every Tuesday is Oldies Day on www.wgay.fm. Today's show is hosted by "Big" Wilson (WINX, WPGC). Enjoy! -Barlow T. Shagnasty (6/26/07) Dave's response: We're told that the real "Big Wilson" passed away about a decade ago..... Web site asks fans to lobby for MASN www.playballnow.org/northcarolina (6/26/07) The incomplete "Filmed in Baltimore" list.... 207.114.6.204..... Baltimore, like many cities has been used as New York to Seattle, you name it, in films! But doing so can be tricky. I've always hated that 1 Die Hard movie for the HUGE LOCATION/PLOT MISTAKE where they're riding snowmobiles around Dulles Airport not realizing that there could never be such a terrorist attack at Dulles with snowmobiles in the planning since snow in DC is never predictable!!! DOH! If only terrorists were as dumb as B-movie producers. :-) At least Baltimore has the perfect combination of location, low cost, experienced people, downtown city skyscrapers & water views, city crime & dirt, & thank god for John Waters, Barry Levinson, & HBO! :-) (6/26/07) RE: "Have there been any TV shows filmed in Virginia? Movies?" Deep Impact - the 1997 disaster flick with Tea Leoni, Morgan Freeman, and Elijah Wood - had some scenes that were taking place on the road to the Virginia beaches. It's where all the people end up stuck in traffic when the first meteor hits. That was actually filmed (if I remember correctly) along the Prince William Parkway. I was working at Arrow 94.7 and we put out a call for wannabe extras. Also, didn't the homegrown terror movie "Arlington Road" with Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges take place somewhere in Virginia? Not in Arlington, despite the title if I remember correctly. Although IMDB says it was filmed in Houston. (6/26/07) Dave's response: I was there when they closed the Key Bridge for a day to film Tea driving across it..... Live Free or Die Hard in BALTIMORE Hon! www.baltimoresun.com (6/26/07) Washingtonian magazine's "Best and Worst of 2007" says the best radio personalities are 1) Elliot In The Morning, 2) Jack Diamond, and 3) GREASEMAN! If Grease can make things work that well on an AM daytimer, imagine if he had a flamethrower like DC101. (6/26/07) Dave's response: It's almost as bad as the local Emmys..... Hey Dave, Tom and I recently found out that the movie "What About Bob" with Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray was filmed in the town of Moneta which is near Smith Mountain Lake here in southwest Virginia. Apparently the filming was to take place near a lake in New Hampshire, but the leaves were changing and Smith Mountain Lake was an ideal substitute location. I'm waiting to see the remake of "Hairspray". Personally, I'm partial to the original because Buddy Deane had a small role in the film. I love the DVD of the original because John Waters shares some memorable moments about the film and Baltimore in general. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC). (6/26/07) The 1980's film classic Dirty Dancing was filmed in Virginia. The 1985 bio movie on Patsy Cline "Sweet Dreams" was almost filmed in Winchester but wasn't because her mother Hilda Hensley had this hatred for that town ( she always claimed that Winchester treated her daughter very bad when Patsy was living ) and since I believe she owned the image of Pasty the movie people rather than fight with Mrs. Hensley decided to go up the road to Martinsburg, WV and film there instead. Interesting that "The Death of Ocean View Park" was brought up. I just saw that movie the other night. Just your average TV movie from the 70's but the way they tried to appeal to DC and Baltimore viewers rather than Norfolk was quite clear. In one scene a woman mentions that she was home watching the Baltimore Orioles on TV. Their games weren't available on TV in Hampton Roads ( Norfolk ) at the time since their local affiliate back in the early 80's WTVZ channel 33 wasn't even on the air yet. And there was another scene in that movie were a teenage girl made a claim that she bought a pair of pants at "Garfinkels Department Store". Could it be the DC store of the same name? If so that wouldn't have made sense since that chain didn't even have a store there. It would have made more sense to say "Miller & Rhodes" or even "Thalhimers" since even though both were Richmond based, both chains had stores in that part of Virginia at that time. Oh I believe the Washington Redskins and Hot Shoppes was mentioned in the movie. Neither of which means nothing to most of the people in Norfolk, well the Skins do somewhat. Looking back now, I think it would have had made more sense to make that movie at Marshall Hall Amusement Part if they wanted that "Washington" feel since that park I believe was still around at the time of the filming of The Death Of Ocean View Park. (6/26/07) the virus is really spreading ...KROCK ratings leaped from a 1.3 all the way to a 1.4. Great job boyzzzzzz (6/26/07) Dave, The Apostle was filmed around Dallas, Texas and Louisiana. Doesn’t look like any filming was done in Virginia. (6/26/07) The 1993 film Sommersby starring Richard Gere and Jodie Foster was filmed almost entirely on location in Lexington, VA - home of Washington & Lee University (Go Generals!) and Virginia Military Institute. (6/26/07) Dave's response: A wonderful TV movie, 1985's "Finnegan Begin Again," starring Mary Tyler Moore and Robert Preston, was set and filmed on location in Richmond. More at imdb.com. And then, guess what, I found that imdb.com has a listing of all the movies that were filmed in the Virginia capital - and there are hundreds listed! Imagine that! Including "My Dinner With Andre," "Hannibal," "Cold Mountain," "Mission Impossible III," and "Skeleton Key." Damn, Hollywood on the James..... FYI...June 26 is "Day of Silence" by webcasters, including some pretty big ones like Live365, Pandora, Rhapsody, etc. launch.groups.yahoo.com. Mike (6/26/07) /\ June 26 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....