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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - July 1 to July 6, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ July 6 Messages \/ (Talk about getting "two for the price of one"...) Here's a 1964 bit from Jimmy Dean's ABC-TV show with a painfully short glimpse (watch carefully) of the late great Boots Randolph who just crossed-over last week: www.youtube.com (7/6/07) CBS is flipping NY's 101.1 is the right move. The Jack FM's are as bad as the Free FM's and no matter how somenoe tries to spin it Jack-FM still stinks. I would hope that Dan Mason starts dumping these stations and gonig back to their Oldies format or something similar. 102.7 flipping to Jack was a bad idea in 2005 and it's still a bad station in 2007. I don't know how the new Oldies 101.1 will sound or what types of music it will feature but even an updated oldies playlist while still keeping a good portion of 60's and 70's tossing in some Classic Rock would work pretty well I'd think. WCBS's ad billing dropped 31% in 2006 from 2005 when it was still oldies. I think Baltimore's Jack should be the next to go or be moved to WQSR HD-2, while 102.7 goes back to Oldies. First there was the listener uproar of the format flip on 102.7 when it first happened, then 101.9 picking up Oldies on weekends, they then tried to dump the Flashback weekend after Labor Day of 2005 but it returned only 2 weeks later due to the success it had, and obviously listeners voicing their opinions. The flashback weekends are still going strong even with the very limited playlist. Open up the 60's and 70's playlist some put it on 102.7 toss in a little bit Classic Hits with some ELO, Eagles, Oueen, 10cc, etc to go with the Motown, soul, and rock and roll. Even throw in some pre-1964 stuff every once in a while as well. Just all my opinion. Chris in Hanover, PA (7/6/07) Ed Rod's rant brought tears to my eyes. The Washington regional top 40 stations were fun and filled with talent. Let's not forget Barry Richards, Ron Starr, or Bob Edson at WINX. And WOL was the best! And, to the north, I hope the rumors about CBS-FM are true. That 2005 move in NYC was, without a doubt, one of the worst ever. Bobby Dee (with the goodies) (7/6/07) "This song did not hit the Hot 100, but was a top 30 hit in KC. Unfortunately I don't have any other clues on this one, because this was truly a One "Hit" Wonder. If no one comes up with the answer, I guarantee that you will say, who? Ed Jones, Bel Air MD" Ok all you geezers stuck in the past. This is about DC area radio and tv, not where are they now for never were. Just stop with the trivia. Go to the lost in past forum please. Thank you and God bless. Bryslock (7/6/07) WRNR in Annapolis has been changing their advertisements lately. Instead of being 103.1 WRNR they've been calling themselves 103 RNR. Simple change but they also changed their logo on their webpage at wrnr.com. (7/6/07) Re: Amazon weatherwomen- Lori Pinson (formerly of WBFF) was definitely taller than 6 feet. (7/6/07) Dave's response: Yes, but UHF cuts about 3 inches from your height and adds about 30 pounds to your girth..... Ed Rodriguez..made a lot of good points. He also made a lot of bad comparisons. If anytime after 1968 you compared WEAM, WINX and WPGC..the "Goodguys" kicked butt. WPGC drafted Jocks from WINX, giggled at WEAM..WPGC Triumphed continuously, book after book. Double digit ratings annually. WPGC was as good as ABC, CFL, IBG, et al. The Goodguys that worked there were among the best in the USA...Harve Moore..Bob Peyton..Bob Raleigh..Charlie Scheu..Big Wilson...Davy Jones...Jim Collinson...Joel Denver...Jack Alix..Columbus (Bill Price)..and the beat went on. ANG (7/6/07) Ok, if we are going to talk about the future of various persons on the D&M show, obviously Don is outta WJFK. If Mike was to do a show on his own with no one else from the current D&M show, would anyone listen? Would it be on WJFK? What would it be about? How about the same questions with Robbay and/or Buzz? (7/6/07) Re:"...good-bye (not “farewell”) to Bill O’Reilly, pompous windbag of pompous windbags. Bad news: The return to D.C.’s airwaves of sports windbag Jim “The Endless . . . . Pause” Rome" //// Agreed. Rome's act has already been tested here, and for some reason, apparently didn't catch on. His puffed up, fake voice staccato pronouncements on all things to do with Sports, reek of a guy who never made the JV team. The pregnant pauses for dramatic effect, his entourage of SoCal speaking ranters, and the endless interviews with dumb jocks who can barely construct a sentence, is old hat. I guess replacing O'Reilly makes sense in some thematic way, but I certainly don't think it's likely that I will listen more because of the addition of Jim Rome. I don't dislike Rome, he's a professional, and has at times entertained me, but I didn't miss him when he was sacked by WTEM a few years ago. Although O'Reilly is a schweenbag hard-on, the topicality of his show interested me more than Rome divining "Rack Him" status on guys who recite lengthy scripted Dennis Millersque sports related rants without stumbling. It's so California, Bra... I guess it won't take much to improve Loofah boy's ratings though, so if it works.. good for WJFK. (7/6/07) Vincent wrote: "Moreover, any Washington oldies station would have to be done right,not the predictable bore that WBIG was in its final years. Unlike NewYork, Chicago, Philadelphia or Los Angeles, Washington doesn't reallyhave a strong Top 40 tradition; WEAM or WPGC were not WABC, WCFL, WIBG or KHJ in their primes. You'd have to bring in some knowledgeableout-of-towners, with the hope they could give the station a distinctive sound and not just a generalized "good times, great oldies" playlist." --- First, my friend, if I recall my 60's and 70's trivia correctly, it's recommended that you change the bong water occasionally! While I wholeheartedly agree with you on how tight and unoriginal WBIG had become, I take GREAT exception on a couple of other points. I have heard people with little or no expreience in the field repeat the flawed adage; "Top 40 has never gotten a foothold in Washington" until I wanted to vomit. In fact, I think I have projectiled a few times in response to that BS statement! WPGC and WEAM were two darned good stations and, while they were not at the level of a WABC, KHJ or KFRC, many of WEAM and WPGC's people progressed to that level and those stations. I would put WEAM up against WIBG anytime, anywhere ('N-E-W!" Oops! Sorry... spent too long as a Metromedia employee to EVER get THOSE jingles outta my head). In fact, I always found WIBG, WEAM and WCAO to be playing at the same level, although WEAM and WIBG were more structured and a bit more modern sounding. WCAO had board ops, but I think, since I was told that their minimum age was 103, that they actually slowed the pace of the station. I also invite you to do an A/B comparison of WPGC and WMCA. An astute observer will hear similiarities in their entertainment philosophies, music philosophies and even audio! KHJ, while I have the utmost repsect for Bill Drake and what he created, had two other intangibles going for it that amounted to "catching lightning in a bottle." They were a balding, manic, ingenious little program director named Ron Jacobs, who could make WDCT sound "World Class," and a line-up of talent that will NEVER be duplicated. WCFL, while stellar under John Rook's consulting work, had it's ups and downs, too. I can recall times when WINX and WEEL sounded better! Between 1965 and 1969, two Washington stations sounded so compelling and entertaining that I believe they could have competed in any of the top three markets if they had had competitive signals. WOL, WEAM and WPGC were managed and programmed by names like Ted Atkins, Bill Sherard, Harv Moore, the yin and yang team of the late Paul Christy and Ted Clark, Mike Michaels and, love them or hate them, the Nixonian-paranoid geniuses of Bob Howard and Harry H. Averill. They could be scary and even evil at times, but their "trains ran on time!" Ted J became a legend at CKLW, KHJ and really reinvented modern MOR for Pittsburgh's WTAE. Bill Sherard gained national recognition when he transformed and upgraded Atlanta's WQXI. Now, let's examine the talent that WPGC and WEAM sent forth! To WLS: the GREAT Tommy Edwards, the late Paul Clarke (news), and the voiceover man's voiceover guy, Bill Price. To WMCA: the late Dean Anthony. To WABC: Steve O'Brien and Liz Kiley. To CKLW: Bill Gable (who also went to KHJ), Eddie Rogers and engineer Ed Buterbaugh. To KFRC: Chris James/ Jack Friday. You, and others who drink the "Anti-Top 40 Washington Kool-Aid" also seem to leave the brief success that WRC enjoyed in the format out (after the party had clearly moved to FM!) and the astounding success of ABC's Q-107. And, because it's Friday, because I like ya, kid (you've got spunk!) and because I don't wanna feel like a bully... I won't even mention WAVA! So no, Vincente, mi compadre, Washington is NOT where Top 40 comes to die. It is where the format can get hard to sustain when programmers get nervous and where jocks depart for more lucrative markets that do not have a Right-to-Work, wage-suppressing moat dividing it. I wanted to leave and make lotsa money in a market that values it's talent more, but this my home. So now, I am the luckiest boy in town because I get to work in the two-book suburbs for a company that insists on doing radio for radio's sake! I'll part by suggesting you do some comparison listening to the Great Ricky Irwin's "Reelradio.com" website. I found that "The Best" of my youth was not quite as good as I remembered and that "The Worst" of my youth was not quite as bad! As always, your response is welcomed! Best Soundoff of the Week wins $10. Send yours to SOUNDOFF, WPGC, Box 8550, Washington. And remember... Marriages are made in Heaven, but homes begin at State Furniture! - Proudly, WEAM Team Redcoat Ed Rodriguez (7/6/07) Enjoy the unintentional humor here, as the Sports Junkies get taken in by EveryDayShouldBeSaturday.com. www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com... www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com... (7/6/07) Hello, All. It's time for another trivia question. I promise to go deep on this on. This is another Kansas City record that may or may not have been played in this area in the early 70's. The question: Who recorded Big Legged Woman (With a Short Short Mini Skirt)? This song did not hit the Hot 100, but was a top 30 hit in KC. Unfortunately I don't have any other clues on this one, because this was truly a One "Hit" Wonder. If no one comes up with the answer, I guarantee that you will say, who? Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (7/6/07) Kim Martucci is about 5'11. I saw her in a store in Leesbug back in April and I have to ay she is much more attractive in person than on TV. (7/6/07) To the poster who mentioned the old Jimmy Dean shows that came out of Washington: I sure hope that some footage still exists of those old shows! I've heard about that show all my life; although we could get the channel that carried it, I was a bit too young to really remember it, thus, I've never seen those shows! I have, of course, seen Jimmy's show that he did in the 60s for ABC; fact is, RFD-TV ran some footage of those shows not too long ago (I captured them on videotape)..but would love to see the ones that Jimmy did when he was still in D.C.! Tom in Denton, MD (7/6/07) Watching WUSA9 news and there was just a segment with Jan Fox..HMMMM..Not aging well at all..Maybe it's just a bad day for her..But, she was really scary today..And how tall is Kim Martucci?..She looks huge!! (7/6/07) (Regarding today's Flashback pic:) Dave, I can assure that picture from WTOP is not from 1981. It is after January, 1982. That is me next to Jamie McIntyre apparently trying to teach him something about this business. Whatever happened to him? Dave Statter (7/6/07) Random thoughts from wet and muggy Prince William County….As the only child of concentration camp survivors, all I can say is "Thank God!" Unzipped got pulled. What a smarmy, neurotic, narcissistic and stereotypical pair. These are the kind of self-loathing annoyances that lead the goyim to say (with no small justification) "Never Again?!? Hell, Next Time Get It Right!" I'm a radio geek, but white noise has been preferable to this crap….Rush and the other Talk Radio icons may not pull it in from the District, but they still ride high in VA and show respectable results in MD. The negative socialist aspects of federal employment as a last resort aren't just evident in DC. I remember when I was clerking for a New York Supreme (i.e., Trial) Court Justice in Manhattan when I was slogging through my last year in good old Brooklyn Law School. The Federal Building was right across from the Court House (yes, it's the same one you see numerous times during the showings of the various "Law and Order" franchises), and I used to eat in the fed cafeteria to save money. One lunch time I encountered literally cheering federal workers as I was leaving the building. When I asked what was going on, one of them replied that "that old bastard Reagan just got shot". At that moment, I think I grew up politically. There is nothing so sobering as the entitlement attitude of over-promoted, self-serving clerks. The amazing thing is not that conservative, anti-big government thought places in the ratings at all in the DC market, but that it does so well. There are few more hostile demographics than DC to that kind of doctrine, so the tenacious hold it demonstrates says a lot as to its' market viability….Has anybody else been encountering wild variances on overnight reception of WMAL? Nulls are one thing and expected, but it seems to be worse than ever. Happy 4th, Genghis Cohen (7/6/07) Just wanted to mention that we lost another rock n roll/R&B great. Bill Pinkney, who was one of the original Drifters, passed away suddenly. I had a chance to see Bill perform and he was an absolute dynamo. Bill was scheduled to perform on the 4th and was also slated to perform in the southwest Virginia area where I reside. Bill was one of the performers who fought to preserve the integrity of great acts like the Drifters from being ripped off by imitators calling themselves the originals. I will always cherish my copy of "White Christmas" where Bill performed the lead. He was also active in TJ Lubinsky's shows and Bill recently received an honorary doctrine from Coastal Carolina University in Fine Arts. Bless you Bill, your legacy speaks for itself and will not be forgotten. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/6/07) (Saw Jeopardy today on WJLA in HD for the first time. Final credits after commercial were in standard definition, strange. Looked wonderful. Did not watch early enough to see if Wheel of Fortune was in HD.) Wheel and Jeopardy! are both (finally) being shown in HD here as of 7/5. A post here (www.avsforum.com) explains why the end credits switched back to SD (the fee plugs for Jeopardy! are never shown so WJLA can cram a few more commercials in)- so they can do their usual promotion of "Oprah" (7/6/07) The recent events at WJFK sound like a series of good news/bad news jokes. Good news: good-bye (not “farewell”) to Bill O’Reilly, pompous windbag of pompous windbags. Bad news: The return to D.C.’s airwaves of sports windbag Jim “The Endless . . . . Pause” Rome. Good news: A show that’s a LITTLE more compatible with the rest of the WJFK schedule. Bad news: the notion that the station is “grooming” Big O and Dukes to take over for D&M. Uh, wouldn’t you want D&M’s replacement to have succeeded somewhere? Anywhere? Say what you want about D&M, but they’ve been pulling in a strong male demographic for a VERY long time. Also, it’s always been my understanding that Mike won’t retire when Don walks off into the sunset (or over to Sirius, whichever it is). Heck, Mike’s got two ex-wives and two young children (and a young girlfriend who still talks about wanting kids); I’m not sure retirement’s really in the cards for him. Post D&M, if there’s not going to be a “Mike and Robbay, featuring Buzz Burbank Show”, I’m still of the view that if you’re going to have O&A on your station (and I wouldn’t), you might as well take them live in the a.m. THEN you have Rome, THEN have the Junks as your PM drive set, THEN have Big O & Dukes in the evenings. That might work. Sincerely, TMU (7/6/07) Apparently John Riggins' radio show has been in 'best of' mode for the past two weeks - perhaps he's on extended vacation until Redskins training camp opens in a few weeks. Why Triple X won't use substitute hosts in afternoon drive instead of replaying dated material is beyond me, but it underscores the fact that Dan Snyder's network exists for the sole purpose of covering (and promoting) one local team and could care less about all the others. Recall that they didn't provide a single minute of live, local programming the week Georgetown was in the Final Four. Meanwhile, WTEM's been all over this new golf tournament hosted by Tiger Woods in Bethesda. All the station's local shows are on site at Congressional, although none has managed to secure an interview with the world's top golfer as of yet. Comcast SportsNet did provide such an interview Tuesday on its Tee Time show (at 7 PM) hosted by Chick Hernadez and Terps hoops coach Gary Williams. On 980's Sports Reporters, Andy Pollin would do well to retire that lame Nicklaus imitation - he works it in every time the golf legend's name comes up and it's getting very tired (not to mention a bit disrespectful). The other day, he was debating Steve Czaban on the issue of private use of fireworks. Incredibly, Czaban tried to use the mishap that took place at Vienna's Fourth of July celebration (where several people were injured) to bolster his argument that it's perfectly okay for kids to light them. The fact that something went wrong at a professional fireworks display UNDERSCORES the hazards associated with these pyrotechnic devices. Czaban's defense (and giddy celebration) of an activity that's caused countless serious injuries to children over the years was totally irresponsible. Mike, Fairfax (7/6/07) I am pleased Chris Berry admitted the programming on WMAL is not geared towards smart people. Memo to Chris Berry, you may want to keep your mouth shut; That's two stupid quotes from you in about two weeks. (7/6/07) "The Post can't even name properly HALF of the Washington markets' radio stations over the past several years in it's OWN NEWSPAPER's radio listings!?!?" It's "market's" and "its". No biggie, those apostrophes can be tricky, but it kind of stands out in a post where you rant you "could have written this story in grade school and it would be more factually correct." Yet, your babbling after this statement doesn't call into question any fact in particular. Indeed, you seem to agree with the argument that this isn't a good market for right-wing radio, and that's it's not because DC is a liberal city. (The article points out the format does well in liberal-leaning Seattle and San Francisco.) "The only place to live that could be more scary than DC would be if all the sleezy lawyers lived in one city. Oh, that's right, they do, it's called Washington, DC! I rest my case." Yes, please rest it. You're not making any sense. -- mari frost (7/6/07) to the individual who mentioned a femmes/gin blossoms show perhaps being the HFStival? not so much. it's this: blocktoberfest.com... HFStival is still in the works, but a def date hasn't been chosen, but a month has been..... (7/6/07) I hear Matt Davis doing the news on the TJMS every morning on Majik, but I only hear him once in awhile on the Parr Show on KYS. Dave do you know why? Is it because he's a regular on Joynor. His stories are much better than who they have on everyday. I would think since it's all Radio One, they would share. He's what the late David Haynes was to PGC on MMJ . He knows the stories and the community. Just thinkin out loud. Herb/Lanham (7/6/07) Dave's response: Hmmm..... RE: [ " DC's No Mecca For Righty Radio Talk - 7/6 - In Friday's DC Post, Paul Farhi " ]......... Ok, so due to The Washington Post's esteemed reputation, we're supposed to read and believe this story as if it came down on a stone tablet from Mt. Sinai, but all the while, the Post can't even name properly HALF of the Washington markets' radio stations over the past several years in it's OWN NEWSPAPER's radio listings!?!? Give me a break. I could have written this story in grade school and it would be more factually correct. Anyone with a brain knows that the metro area with the largest concentration & numbers of government workers is going to be the LEAST Repub-Radio friendly. Anyone remember Ronald Reagan's "less government is more" deal? DUH! Believe me, government workers never forget who promises to not sign more of their paychecks whether they follow through on that promise or not. So not surprisingly, this type of radio does poorly in ClubFED, USA, but pretty well in nearly every other market you could name, big or small, liberal or conservative. No, sorry WMAL's Chris Berry, DC is not the smartest market in the country, it's just the largest market of people milking the "Great Society" programs system. Yes, people who know where their bread is buttered are smart, but surely you have no clue how to program a radio station for such a market or you're just lieing because the truth hurts so bad and you've run out of excuses. Good try, but no dice. And yes, more proof that Washington, DC is truly a more nutty, scary place than Hollywood or practically anywhere else in the U.S. The only place to live that could be more scary than DC would be if all the sleezy lawyers lived in one city. Oh, that's right, they do, it's called Washington, DC! I rest my case. :-) (7/6/07) I don't remember Jim Rome ever being on WJFK/106.7. He was on WTEM/980 and during its short-lived sports talk format, WWRC/1260. Rome was bounced form the D.C. market when 1260 switched to liberal talk. Everett W. (7/6/07) Re; Jim Bohannon. Frequently,while driving back to Fairfax from So.Md. from band gigs in the wee hours of the a.m. during the late 70's, I would listen to Jim fill in for Larry King from time to time. All I had in my Dodge Charger was an 8 Track Player and an AM radio. So, suffice to say, I've been enjoying Jim's fine work for years. I could tell even back then, before I got my little cable access show that the guy had something and was going to be around for a long time. Though I've always wondered if he was related to MLB pitcher Brian Bohannon.B/T/W, for those that were wondering, my Melody is scheduled to be released from the hospital tomorrow. Thanks to all for your prayers (they helped!) Rusty Gibson (7/6/07) I saw the "Mid-day News" on FOX5 today for the first time, and talk about irritating. WHEW..Holly needs to just stay out in the field. At one point in the broadcast, they had some segment called "watercooler" and I can't even tell you what they were talking about since they were all talking at the same time, particularly Holly..Only because I was off did I even see the broadcast..I'm also off tomorrow, but in NO WAY will watch that news show. (7/6/07) Saw Jeopardy today on WJLA in HD for the first time. Final credits after commercial were in standard definition, strange. Looked wonderful. Did not watch early enough to see if Wheel of Fortune was in HD. - John (7/6/07) "Oldies in New York?! Word floats that CBS-FM is going back where it belongs -- Oldies! Hopefully the CBS suits smarten up and do the same in the Washington, DC area. I think 94.7 FM is ripe for an oldies format. That would certainly ROCK THE RADIO WORLD in our nation's capital, wouldn't it?" I love oldies, and would be delighted to see WCBS-FM go back to that format (though I'm certain there would be some differences between the new oldies 101.1 and the station that existed through early June 2005). And D.C. could indeed use an oldies station. However, I wouldn't necessarily dump 94.7's current format for it, since with some tweaking, it could be as good a rock station as the old WHFS was in its prime. Moreover, any Washington oldies station would have to be done right, not the predictable bore that WBIG was in its final years. Unlike New York, Chicago, Philadelphia or Los Angeles, Washington doesn't really have a strong Top 40 tradition; WEAM or WPGC were not WABC, WCFL, WIBG or KHJ in their primes. You'd have to bring in some knowledgeable out-of-towners, with the hope they could give the station a distinctive sound and not just a generalized "good times, great oldies" playlist. -- Vincent in Triangle (7/6/07) Wasn't Rome on WJFK before? I agree with him quite a bit, it's his schtick I find hard to stomach. The Big O and Dooks,doesn't Don not like one'em very bad? And regarding a replacement for the retiring Don & Juan, I thought it was Don retiring with Mike continuing on his broadcast career? Surely, O'Meara has gotten better going solo spork's fans?.....and thanks for info on the availability of Milt Grant's Record Hop, some other interesting stuff at that site. Would I be wrong to assume that no video exists of the old Jimmy Dean and later Roy Clark D.C. based tv shows of the 1950's and they to met a similar fate in some dumpster ? Nothing in the late Connie B. Gay's estate? (7/6/07) /\ July 6 Messages /\ \/ July 5 Messages \/ Westwood One's Jim Bohannon is indeed carried on WTWP weeknights, 10:06PM-1AM (after the Nats games when they're on) and 2:06AM-530AM. And he fills in now and then on their local shows, such as 12noon-3PM next week. (7/5/07) Dan PAtrick - Do you have anything on the rumor of him leaving ESPN for self-syndication? Jim Haug, Williston VT (7/5/07) I do not know if this has been reported on your site or not, but Pollstar is listing a show with the Gin Blossoms and the Violent Femmes on Saturday October 6 at RFK Stadium. I checked the Nationals schedule and they list their last game at the end of September and DC United pretty much starts playing at RFK on Oct 13th. Could this be an attempted HFStival? Gin Blossoms and Violent Femmes alone could draw upwards of 900 people! Mark in Annandale (7/5/07) If I were Les Moonves this is how I'd fix CBS Corporation, first I would make Dan Patrick the anchor for CBS Evening News. Right Now, he's the hottest broadcasting free agent out there now that he's leaving ESPN. After that I would try to do what NBC did to get Al Michaels. I would trade Katie Couric, Greg Gumbel, Bill Cowher, Hannah Storm ,the rights to any of the CBS personalities during the Olympics, 10 NCAA college basketball tournament games per year and one SEC college football game per year, for the next 10 years, access to 60 Minutes interviews before they come on air and cash considerations in exchange for Matt Lauer, Tiki Barber, Campbell Brown's expiring contract and Keith Olbermann. After that I would make Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick co-anchors for the CBS Evening News. I would also re-sign Campbell Brown to a new deal and move her to the Early Show together with Julie Chen, Harry Smith, Matt Lauer, and Tiki Barber. I would then sign a deal to bring Rosie O'Donnell to the corporation and as part of the deal she would be a contributor to the Early Show, host 60 Minutes specials on autism, co-host the Saturday Early Show with James Brown, host the Price Is Right together with John O'Hurley and host her own show after the Price is Right and local news at noon, I would cancel all of the soaps and replace them with Rosie's show, I would keep the soaps by either putting them online, on the same channel on DirecTV "Passions" comes on or on SoapNet, I would have a 10-year deal for millions of millions of dollars. I would also start a CBS Sports Radio Network together with Dan, Keith and Westwood One and they would have their own show on their. James Brown and Tim Brando would move their shows to the network and the 2 Live Stews would be added. I would also sign an agreement with Fox worth as much money as they want to have a debate with Dan Patrick and Keith Olbermann vs. John Gibson and Bill O'Rielly. It would air in primetime and it would be debates about issues facing America today. Maybe I would put it on the same night as the CNN/YouTube debates. We already know how Katie and Hannah will be replaced and we know that Tiki Barber will take Bill Cowher's spot but how will Greg be replaced? Well Dan Patrick will call the NFL games from now on and will host the coverage of college basketball together with Olbermann. Olbermann will also provide commentary on NFL Today. I have so many other ideas but I figured this is long enough. What's your response Dave? (7/5/07) Dave's response: Interesting. As for John Gibson, he deserves to be put in charge of Fox's news bureau on Mars. What an idiot..... RE: "New Calls For 103.9" (WTLP): That's all well and good, but The Pest has the SAME call letters ("WTWP") listed for BOTH 820 AM and 1500 AM! (They were also listing both 103.5 AND 103.9 as "WTOP.") Nice try, but it won't fly! --RB (7/5/07) Dave's response: In the real America, stations on the same radio band cannot share the same call letters. But in the Post's warped America, they can..... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, I ENJOY. (7/5/07) Dan Patrick has been let out of his contract at ESPN and will pursue a syndicated talk show produced by his own people. This announcement will air on July 6th at 2pm est... Dan Patrick will be replacing Katie Couric on the CBS Evening News starting on August 12th. She will be a permanent fixture on 60 Minutes and the Early Show. She will host the Early Show together with Hannah Storm and Harry Smith, Julie Chen is out but will continue to host Big Brother... (7/5/07) I hated Unzipped sooooooo much, especially Michelle Jerson. Nothing worse than an unmarried jewish chick trying to give relationship advice. I am not an O & Dukes fan, but I will try to listen...Anything is better than Unzipped. GOOD RIDDANCE! (7/5/07) ust wondering if you have seen thise little promotional spots on ch. 5 for 'my five' another internet push... i bet one day we don't even have tv anymore. nice eye candy though also whats the deal with the mid day news, the commercials look like they are from the 1970's! just moved to the area and love the site! keep it up! (7/5/07) First Rosenberg was let go, now Michelle and Chekoway are gone from the airwaves. Now, where can I, a married goy with two kids, get bad relationship and flirting advice as well as learn all about Jewish dating in the new millennium? Oy Vey, I said, Oy Vey! (7/5/07) "I've always enjoyed Jim Bohannon and would love to have his show on a local station." Bohannon does overnights on WTWP (and occasional local fill-in work, too), and with the end of the "Nats at night" rebroadcasts, you can hear him regularly. -- Vincent in Triangle (7/5/07) Re the telecast of the 4th of July fireworks, it seemed to me that the applause for the orchestra was canned. At the completion of the 1812 Overture, wild unrestrained applause came over my TV, but the crowd seen in the background wasn't exactly dancing naked in delight. (7/5/07) Oldies in New York?! Word floats that CBS-FM is going back where it belongs -- Oldies! Hopefully the CBS suits smarten up and do the same in the Washington, DC area. I think 94.7 FM is ripe for an oldies format. That would certainly ROCK THE RADIO WORLD in our nation's capital, wouldn't it? (7/5/07) We picked up your scoop on Rome and 106.7 today. www.sportsbusinessdaily.com (7/5/07) What happened to the comedy segment called “Huggie Low-down” on the Donnie Simpson Show? Bettyrose Henery-Tremble (7/5/07) O'Reilly: Rack Em' . WJFK's moves says more about the available talent than anything else. I guess they are moving towards primarily sports, but the two "new" shows reminds me of how professional sports teams seem to recycle and rehire the same coaching talent over and over again. *Sigh*..at least it's not Rosenberg (7/5/07) I think the 2 moves WJFK made today were great. Like him or not, Rome has an audience, and fits with the Junkies in the morning, and their new affiliation with UMD Terps sports. The question is now, which of the 2 sports stations is going to be the first to go? Putting Rome on in middays and adding the Terps is a direct shot at XXX ESPN and WTEM. WJFK must have realized that both of those products are weak right now, and it's time to swoop in and overpower them. WTEM is down to a 1.1 in the latest trend. As far as Big O and Dukes go, I'm not familiar with them. But nights is the slot to put the young-leaning show on the air, let them build an audience, and get some seasoning. And Unzipped was unlistenable, and never should have been on the air in D.C. Jersey maybe, but not D.C. (7/5/07) Thanks to all who straightened me out about the song "Percolator." Yes..I'm sure that this "instrumental" is the one I was thinking about! Not that anybody would care, but I remember it because, at the time it was being played a lot, I had been home from school with the measles..I would have to stay on the couch (as opposed to going to bed)...my folks brought the kitchen radio (a big ole General Electric); they sat it on the coffee table which was located right by the couch..and I'd listen to WCAO; "Percolator" was a tune that got played pretty often back then! Thanks again guys for straightening me out! Tom in Denton, MD (7/5/07) Three cheers for Big O and Dukes returning to the area. The show in PHX was allowed to develop to a point where it feels much more natural than it ever did in Baltimore. I can't wait to hear and interact with it again live. ...of course they may just be the 2-horsemen of the format change...but I'll listen while I can. Ar! (7/5/07) Cal Thomas doesn't write for the Washington Times, he writes for a newspaper syndicate. The Times is just one of a multitude of newspapers that picks up his column. The idea that Thomas would turn down a Post Radio deal if it was ever offered to him because of some loyalty to the #3 local newspaper is ridiculous. As for what I'm smoking, it's reality. Everett W. (7/5/07) I actually enjoy O'Reilly. I watch The Factor and enjoyed the show. I will admit that he didn't fit the scheme of JFK. He would be much more accepted on WTNT along with Glen Beck. I don't think Jim Rome is going to be the answer either. He doesn't hold much interest for me, but they are headed in a sports dominated direction, then that's a good move. I've always enjoyed Jim Bohannon and would love to have his show on a local station. He's a local guy and has a great show. Though once again, not quite what JFK seems to lean toward. They do have his America in the Morning show on before the Junkies. I must say that JFK seems to be the worst run station in the Metro area. - Craig HF/WV (7/5/07) Well, I have to say that although I disagreed with Mr O'Reilly's views most of the time, I always found him entertaining to listen to on my way home from work every day. It's kind of a drag, because now there is yet ANOTHER sports talk show. Yawn!! Especially Jim Rome...give me a break. I agree with some of the other posters who were throwing out the idea of some kind of locally produced show to take O'Reilly's place. But, obviously that would be too much work for the management at WJFK. A word to the suits at 106.7...not all men 18-35 are sports fiends. Ya'll lost another listener here in mid-days. And O & Dukes....well, i couldn't stand them when they were here the last time. They would have been better served to get Ron & Fez back. (7/5/07) Jim Rome would have to be an improvement or at least marginally more relevant to the WJFK-FM format than Bill O'Reilly. The same would go for Big O and Dukes over the universally derided Unzipped. Look, WJFK-FM does need to groom a replacement show for Don and Mike. Unzipped certainly wasn't going to be it. If Big O and Dukes can't cut it, the station can always try another option. As for Bill O'Reilly, it seems doubtful that we've heard the last of him just yet. I'd bet that a well-known conservative name like O'Reilly won't stay out of commission on local radio all that long. Everett W. (7/5/07) “we are excited to bring these great new shows to 106.7 WJFK," said WJFK Program Director Chris Kinard. "Jim Rome and Big O and Dukes are a great next step in the evolution of our station." Evolution to what, obscurity? You Greenies should be calling for the cessation of WJFK. What a waste of electricity. (7/5/07) Way to go WJFK....Nice upgrade!!! While replacing Rome for O'Reilly is a very good move...You conversely retain the title as "DC's worst station" for replacing one pile of dog crap in "Unzipped" with a yet even bigger pile of dog crap in "Big O and Douche"...Congrats WJFK...You've helped me yet again stay away from your station at 7pm...Just close up shop already! (7/5/07) It's nice that PBS televises the July 4 fireworks for those of us who can't make it down to the National Mall, but why do they not show it to its climactic finish? Just as the fireworks display was nearing its end, a long list of credits rolled and the program ended. When you're down on the mall, the finish is the best part of the show. (7/5/07) Dave's response: I've heard that WETA televises the "Capitol 4th" musical entertainment program live, but the fireworks are actually a tape from the previous year, since it requires some post-production to make the pyrotechnics look good. That's what I've heard anyway. Am I right? You haven't heard any news on the Hideout front lately have you? (7/5/07) Dave's response: I'm hearing nothing. They did an evening audition on JFK-FM in late 2006, but it didn't land them a 2007 gig on the station..... The O'Reilly Radio Flatulence finally gone from local airwaves. Thank you, Baby Jesus! Thank you, Baby Jesus! Thank you, Baby Jesus! (7/5/07) With the recent passing of saxophonist, Boots Randolph, several people have posted about his best-known number, "Yakety Sax". I wanted to also mention a gem of a CD by him that I just discovered - "A Whole New Ballgame". It was apparently only just released in May, 2007. While all twelve songs on the CD are good, there were six titles I downloaded, and that deserve special mention: "Billie's Bounce", "Round Midnight", "Dream Dancing", "Cry Me a River", "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and a swinging version of (believe it or not) "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". You can check 'em out on iTunes, but the 30-second samples don't really do justice to his final offering of standards served up with a jazz/swing flavor. (7/5/07) Yes! The bloviating asshole is gone from JFK. Good riddance Bill. You sir are a scumbag, and I hope you don't find a station in the DC area to take your crappy show. Rich Deermeat (7/5/07) Audio signal level very attenuated on the WETA HIDEF feed on Comcast Montgomery cable. WTF? At this time of transition, it seems HIDEF broadcasts regularly suffer from inexplicable technical faults. I gather air monitoring still relies on the analog signal. The boardmen (and they were all men) of 1960s WQMR/WGAY would do their air monitoring from the 1050AM Silver Spring signal. The FM transmitter could burn up (and did) and who at the station would know? During the Today Show HIDEF folly from the NBC Color Plant on Monday, a nubile young lady was shown doing a rehearsal for a news broadcast. A technician was shown adjusting her IFB, lightly brushing her beautiful blonde her back in place before he departed the set. She greated people she heard through her IFB and visitors to the set. She was advised to align her belly button with a piece of tape that had been strategically placed on the edge of the desk behind which she was seated. She complained lightly about mascara in her eyes and about a Prompter that had not been turned on. A technician leaned into the shot to power up the aid to broadcast reading. Obviously, none of this was intended for broadcast. WOT FUN! (7/5/07) Jim Rome? Is there no such thing as local talent anymore? Rome is a pompous blowhard. So we are replacing one blowhard with another, just a different format? Please.. Rome has been on various other area stations over the years and his show has always tanked here. As for Oscar and Chad, been there done that. Their show is horrible. They can't even interview a guest properly, let alone entertain an audience for 4 hours at a time. *cue toilet flushing sounds* (7/5/07) Dave's response: Just one small step toward sports talk for 106.7? Boots Randolph did have a single (RCA 47-7395) of "Percolator" under the name Randy Randolph in 1958. I remembered the song because Boots was a favorite of my dad and he had the number on some old RCA Camden (RCA's budget label) collection. It sounded a lot like a Bill Haley number. I have no idea if the other recordings noted here were the same song or not. "Keep a-perking perculator/Come on and give it all you got/Keep a-perking perculator/You got to keep my coffee hot..." Howie (7/5/07) (Maybe I'm just getting too conspiratorial for my own good but this whole Cal Thomas controversy smells like a setup to get him on WTWP Post Radio.) What aree you smoking, Everett W? Cal's column is in the Washington Times. You think it is gonna be OK to run him on Washington Post Radio? (7/5/07) (Invest you money in a NOAA weather receiver. They are commercial-free and you never have to wonder if some corporate butt licker must approve a severe weather alert.) Or you could save your money and listen to WTOP which gets the information out like clockwork. (7/5/07) The Nats game was interrupted by the EAS on WTWP at 4:51 just as Charlie was talking about the big walk up crowd at RFK. I was surprised that it happened, but it was done automatically and then came right back to Slowes in mid-sentence. (7/5/07) Although I has noticed this once before and didn’t know what it was, yesterday when I flipped on my TV connected to a Comcast digital box, after the tornado watch has been issued, I got a series (I think 5 or 6) of red boxes flashed across the top of my screen filled with some sort of message. Not expecting this I didn’t have time to read what it said. Subsequently every hour these same red boxes appeared at the top of any channel I watched and they were an alert about the tornado watch in both English and Spanish. The problem is that the entire message comes and goes in about 5 seconds and is impossible to read, much less comprehend. Also I noticed that it appears that Comcast has lost the ability to do local inserts on The Weather Channel in Arlington. I didn’t see any local info on the tornado watch or severe t-storms there. (7/5/07) Operating a digital signal on today's AM channels is bullszht. A gimmick, with no advantage. As Dave has found out, the signal level needed to decode the datastream must be very strong for it to work. It takes only half that signal strength to get quality reception of an AM analog signal. Plus, don't get me started about interference caused by bleedover of that digital hash against real AM stations to either side of the perpetrator. Here's hoping it fails faster than AM Stereo. (7/5/07) Dave's response: I have a GE Superadio and WMAL sounds the same in the analog "wideband" mode as it does in HD. The only difference is that if there's an electrical buzzing on the frequency (probably caused by a neighbor's light dimmer), I can't hear that via HD. But, in both cases, you need a very strong signal. It would be better if ABC/Citadel ran WMAL on WRQX's HD2 channel. That would certainly improve WMAL's night coverage into places like Loudoun and Howard, if you get a strong enough signal of 107.3 to receive its HD..... Billy Joe & The Checkmates recorded the instrumental hit Percolator, on Dore Records, in 1962. It was #87 on the Top 100 Hits of 1962 www.musicoutfitters.com (7/5/07) Uh oh, Dave, prepare to catch hell--the Thought Police is gonna get you for "halitosis profiling" in the movie theatre. Good luck bro. -MontCo (7/5/07) Dave's response: Hey, I didn't say that all allegedly Turkish men have bad breath. Just the dude who sat next to me in the movie theater..... Maybe I'm just getting too conspiratorial for my own good but this whole Cal Thomas controversy smells like a setup to get him on WTWP Post Radio. It's a nice little circle jerk game that Bonneville can learn to play here. Market Thomas on WTWP as a voice too hot for WTOP that can only be heard on Post Radio, wait for him to say something controversial there then cover the ensuing controversy as a news story back on WTOP. Why sign a Glenn Beck when you can make your own version in-house? Everett W. (7/5/07) Dave's response: Bonneville is just itching to put righty talkers on Washington Post Radio - Cal Thomas and Glenn Beck. Ah, that great newspaper-on-the-radio experiment is looking more and more like WMAL every day..... Say it IS so, Dave, that Bill O’Lielly is finally getting the boot from WJFK. But they teased us with that promise before, until crybaby billy boy whined his way back on cuz he just HAD to be on in DC, wah! Fingers crossed that we’ll soon be saying goodbye to bad rubbish. Maybe then someone can right the good ship Titanic by putting on some decent programming. Sayyyyy, how about Ron & Fez? (7/5/07) I think the song Percolator was done by the Checkmates. Charlie Stinchcomb WNAV (7/5/07) EAS Tones on 100.3 at about 4:50pm on July 4th. The Tornaodo WARNING announcement (w/ 'TOP news reader voice) cut off abruptly after mentioning Olney (and I'm driving 5 minutes from Olney...). BTW, "The Globe" may care about global warming, but appears not to care about LOCAL catastrophes...94.7 DID NOT air the EAS announcement. Switched over to WTOP at 4:52. They were LIVE with one of the many weather folks, then the EAS tones came on...same 'TOP voice, same abrupt cutoff. Did not hear rest of announcement. The system is a failure. (7/5/07) OK… How long will it be before Messrs Oxley and/or Farley can Cal Thomas from the airwaves of WTOP because of his recent op-ed pieces? If not fired, then how about a “mutual and amicable confidential agreement for Mr. Thomas to leave WTOP in order to pursue other (journalistic or) professional opportunities”? And, the pressure from which sponsor(s) will precipitate this? Will it be an upscale car dealer as it was with Michael Graham? Will it be an impotence treatment clinic? Will it be a local decision? Or, will it come down from Salt Lake City? Perhaps even from The Council of the Twelve Apostles? Then again, does Bonneville have a higher standard of journalistic freedom than the former owner of Michael Graham’s former employer? Only time will tell… However, if Bonneville decide! s to keep Cal Thomas (a man with whom I rarely agree but whose right to free speech is as sacred as anyone’s), Bonneville will gain something which I dispense very judiciously: My professional and personal respect. (7/5/07) To Rusty: I remember the song "percolator; I didn't think it was Boots Randolph..are you thinking about the tune that was out..I'd say about march of 1962? Tom in Denton, MD (7/5/07) Yes folks, I heard the EAS tones and weather alerts on WTOP and nowhere else. However, before you start blaming the engineers, remember that nowdays, those decisions come from above. The public interest doctrine is extremely vague and airing Hanity without breaking format for the weather alert may indeed be satisfying that standard. Invest you money in a NOAA weather receiver. They are commercial-free and you never have to wonder if some corporate butt licker must approve a severe weather alert. (7/5/07) Did Cal Thomas play the character of Captain 20 back in the 70's? Hey but I keed! Maybe someone could post side by side photos of Captain 20 and Cal, with mustache? No not a painted on one, Watch It!......appreciate info on John Hickman. I certainly enjoy Mr. Walker but I remember the passion Mr. Hickman had in his voice hosting the show and he shouldn't be forgotten,imo. Here's a wonderful site for hearing old time radio,imo www.archive.org and if you search around you'll find a lot more neat stuff at this site...... Who's this pete mcrosenberger?.....I still miss the twinkling of the ivories by the late Floyd Cramer, really! (7/5/07) Dave's response: No, I think Cal Thomas played a klingon on the original "Star Trek" TV show..... So did WETA broadcast "A Capital Fourth" in Dolby Digtal 5.1? I certainly didn't receive the 5.1 audio on Cox Cable's WETA HD channel 726. Most of the other HD channels were in 5.1 during that time. The replay at 9:30pm did not have the 5.1 audio either. Doug (7/5/07) /\ July 5 Messages /\ \/ July 4 Messages \/ I use to like to listen to O'Reilly, he was different from G Gordon and added a bit more humor then Liddy. But in the end he is more of a blow hard then G Gordon and I would be glad to see Billy leave the airwaves. It would good to have some sort of local show and not a national politics show replace Billy. Maybe an intelligent sports show...whatever, anyting is better then Billy... PEACE OUT (7/4/07) I heard the EAS alert on WTOP about 4:30. I checked other stations in the area, and no other stations in the area were carrying the WTOP warnings about the storms. This should have been automatic, shouldn't it? If not, there should be some investigations and possibly fines. I know no one works on the engineering staff on the Fourth of July, but WAVA and WMAL and WTEM should have picked up the alert and relayed it, as EAS procedures dictate. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (7/4/07) Hope everyone on the Mailbag is having an enjoyable 4th. Rusty, really enjoyed your post about Homer "Boots" Randolph. Brenda Lee is one of my favorite performers and a real treat is hearing Boots' exquisite saxophone solo on "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Boots played on several of her early sessions at Decca and on hit songs like "Sweet Nothin's" and "Dum Dum". Of course, you can't forget the infamous "Yakety Sax" or "Lorenzo Stomp". Damn, another musical great that you just can't duplicate. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/4/07) Dave's response: I went to see "Live Free Or Die Hard" in a very crowded movie theater, and got caught sitting next to a foreign man (Turkish?) who was heavily doused in cheap cologne with very bad breath. A number of reference to DC's "Channel 2, WGWB"..... I am officially calling for a Rosenberg moratorium. It's pitiful, just pitiful that he promotes HIMSELF on this board like he does. Let's all ignore him....totally...and maybe he'll go away. Note to Rosenberg: you don't matter, so stop wasting our time and bandwith. (7/4/07) Thanks for the update on your career Peter, but the Peter Rosenburger show has to be on the air for more than a month or two before you can gloat too much. I hope you suckeed in NY, that way you wont be here to stink up our airwaves. I cant decide who's worse you or chad duke. Blech. (7/4/07) To make a correction from my prior post about Boots Randolph. I had said he had recorded "Coffee Pot" under the moniker of Randy Randolph. The song's correct name was "Percolator". All about coffee but I just wanted to set the record straight. R.I.P. Boots Happy 4th all! Rusty (7/4/07) A severe fault in the EAS (Emergency Alert System) revealed again Wednesday afternoon as tornado warnings rolled through the area. The National Weather Service sounds tones that allow alerting stations (like WTOP and WMAL) to physically put the warnings on radio and TV stations and cable sysems that choose to disseminate the potentially live-saving information. But the National Weather Service was also issuing a string of lesser thunderstorm warnings that either killed the start or end tones of the tornado warnings. EAS is a terrible system. Love to hear from some of our chief engineers out there. (7/4/07) DC television Independence Day flashback (from the 1960s)... "One of my favorite childhood summertime memories is of sitting at the dinner table eating my supper and watching Channel-5 with a fan droning in the background as Bill Gormly described the various fireworks assortment boxes lined up neatly before him on a long table. They were always hawked as 'safe and sane' (... as opposed to dangerous and crazy), were 'Available at all local area Dart Drug, Drug Fair, and High's stores!!!', and had names like 'Spirit of '76', 'Miss Liberty', 'Project Mercury', and 'Liberty Bell'. The Cadillac of all the assortments (and of course, the one all we kids dreamed of), came in a big red tube with a black cone on top, and looked like a rocket. After finally pestering our parents into getting them for us, all us kids in the neighborhood would take our fireworks out of the boxes, and then spend hours organizing, admiring, and playing with them, and showing them off to our friends, always for at least a week before the big night finally came." More at kidshow.dcmemories.com (7/4/07) Peter Rosenberg update - I am posting this to the mailbag to annoy the Peter Rosenberg haters. Let me just say - While he may suck at liberal politics, he has finally hit his groove in NYC on Hot 97. His show is getting a lot of love and his video work is getting damn good. You are going to see MORE of him...Anyway, just wanted to throw some salt in the wounds to all the losers out there that do nothing but HATE. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA (7/4/07) So I did not hear the Cal Thomas remarks, but did read them. What's all the hub bub? It certainly did not seem to reflect a political or religious belief to me. Seemed kind of like a question. How long do we allow supposed immigrants and others bent on killing anyone who they believe is an infidel free reign to destroy what we have built? Is the person who wrote the critical mailbag post of Thomas so blinded by political correctness that when the masked murderer comes to his home to slit his throat, he won't event fight back? Get some backbone and stand up to the obvious. If the Muslim community as a majority are to be believed that they are indeed against the radicals, then they better stand up and shout them down. From polls and interviews I have seen, it seems they non-radicals are a minority. (7/4/07) Concerning the availability of DVDs of Milt Grant's "Record Hop": Only a single 55-minute show has survived (featuring the teens from Silver Spring's Northwood High from Monday, May 27, 1957) and is available for purchase from two sources on the internet. As Don Smith nicely put it: "Anyone who ever spoke to Mr. Grant, certainly Marc Opsasnick, would know that Milt Grant left WTTG Channel 5 WITHOUT his films and when he attempted to collect them, they had already been destroyed. This is not only the common rumor I heard in high school in the 1980s, but Milt described it with some visible anger at the National Archives event in July 1990- after all, many documentary filmmakers would pay big bucks for 1950s TV footage of Link Wray- Milt lost serious coinage by not retaining those films. One kinescope was taken home by a crewmember and then released by film collecter Ira Gallen (www.tvdays.com) on VHS in the 1980s. It is the only surviving broadcast of the show and is pretty darn great- closing with Wailin' Bill Dell's monster 'You Gotta Be Loose.'" (7/4/07) I too find WBZ a station that is far to over rated. The Boston market is a very weird one, some formats are the best of the best here, such as sports talk, but then others are just far lacking from the bigger markets. It does shock me how WBZ continuously is at the top of the 12+ ratings when they are not even news all day. Kiss 108 has it's moments, but stations like WBCN and WAAF I find very bland. Maybe if I grew up with them I would feel differently, but I don't. (7/4/07) (Did anyone bother to tell Cal Thomas that the same Constitution that allows him to express his opinions on WTOP also allows people of differing viewpoints to practice their religion and express their views in this country? Or does the Bill of Rights only apply to those who agree with Thomas' point of view? I certainly hope Farley and company allow CAIR or any other organization which disagrees with Cal Thomas to also come on the air and express those views. JT) Sure enough Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR was on WTOP this morning. You can fault TOP for many things, but not for not knowing how to milk a controversy. (7/4/07) John Hickman (aka "Hanoi Hickman", as The Joy Boys used to call him during his tour with AFRTV) created the WAMU-FM program that later became "The Big Broadcast". Details from his 12/23/99 Washington Post obituary: "John Hickman, 55, a radio historian and former program host at WAMU-FM was found dead Dec. 10, 1999 at his home in Gaithersburg. He had a stroke in 1990 and had suffered from seizures and other health complications since then. Mr. Hickman joined the staff at WAMU-FM in 1964 when he created 'Recollections,' a program featuring vintage broadcasts from the 'golden age of radio.' This program later became 'The Big Broadcast,' which is hosted by Ed Walker and is WAMU's longest-running program. Until his stroke in 1990, Mr. Hickman was the show's host. He was born in Washington and graduated from St. John's College High School. He attended Belmont Abbey in North Carolina and graduated from American University. While still in high school, Mr. Hickman began his radio career, working part time at WRC radio, where he helped produce the 'Joy Boys,' which had as hosts Willard Scott and Walker. Later Mr. Hickman served in the Army as a broadcast teacher for Armed Forces Radio/TV. In this period and later while teaching broadcasting for ITT Educational Services in Washington and serving as a public information officer for the Veterans Administration, he continued to produce radio programs at WAMU. He left the VA in 1984. In 1994, Mr. Hickman gave American University his collection of radio memorabilia. This consisted of 10,000 audio tapes, phonograph records, electrical transcriptions, audio equipment, photographs and books, including episodes from early radio broadcast series such as 'The Shadow,' 'Burns and Allen,' 'Lum and Abner,' and 'Gunsmoke.' Also included were such original news broadcasts as Edward R. Murrow's World War II broadcasts from London. Mr. Hickman leaves no immediate survivors." Visit TheJoyBoys.com. (7/4/07) Like others, I too was saddened to read of the passing of Boots Randolph. Very briefly in the early 60's, I lived in Nashville. My Mom happened to be in a restaurant in downtown Nashville where Boots was performing. He briefly sat at her table and after listening to her ramble on about my love for "Yakety Sax" (via "Lorenzo" of course), he graciously signed a personalized autograph to me. 2 years ago Boots and I chatted via "E-Mail". He seemed quite happy enjoying retirement. And he got a laugh I think when I told him that I had an obscure single that he released as "Randy Randolph" called "Coffee Pot"Though I never met the man personally, I feel like I've lost a friend. Rusty Gibson (7/4/07) Don't count on those HD-2 and HD-3 digital HD radio channels being offered or free much longer. The broadcasters can use those extra channels for anything they damn well please; and the equipment industry is already in the process of developing conditional access cards and units that accept those cards -- meaning at some time it's pay thru the nose if you want whatever they offer. But hardly matters as so far, there is nada, zilch, zero listed on those channels that interest me. With the occasional exception of WETA when around DC and WBJC when around Baltimore, I'll stick with my XM radio in the truck and my DMX when at home. HD radio is merely more of the same old same old. (7/4/07) Was wondering with the recent passing of Milt Grant if some dvd's of The Record Hop might be making there way to the marketplace? Or is this something not enough in demand that it's unlikely that it'll ever happen even if video does exist?....Michael Hughes programming The Globe solely? Was he ever a deejay in a past life? Does he get any help from Weasal or Cerphe? What's the name of the computer program that's helps Mr. Hughes? Does the computer ever consider The Slickee Boys and their big hit "When I Go To The Beach"?.....Here's a recent interview with Ed Walker conducted by Dr. Lee Thornton of U. of Md. as seen on Research Channel or as known in Fairfax County as the George Mason U. channel on Cox cable. tinyurl.com .... What was name of the gnetleman who preceded Mr. Walker as host of the "Big Broadcast"? (7/4/07) Isn't it ironic, or in Angelos's case, moronic, that Gary Thorne misses games to do national work. Isn't that one of the reasons the O's owner gave for getting rid of the great Jon Miller? When you have quality announcers you want them branching out. Great for Thorne for being able to do this, but let's see how long he lasts. Matt N. (7/4/07) WUSA/9 probably blocks its sportscast from the Web because of licensing restrictions over the use of some sports footage and interviews. As noted over the past week, the NFL is particularly restrictive over what league related content can go out over non-NFL sites. Everett W. (7/4/07) O'Reilly off WJFK is the best news I've heard all day, if it pans out. As for HD gaining on satellite, which one sounds better? With HD, you're not paying monthy fees. With satellite, you get Howard Stern on Sirius, the only resaon I would pop for satellite. Too bad terrestrial radio doesn't look at the content of their competition and try to put some good stuff on the air. If terrestrial radio was intent on putting interesting stuff on the air, no one would pay attention to HD and satellite. Am I wrong? D.C. radio is the pits. JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/4/07) Re: "All that subscription money you save on "free" HD Radio you end up spending on fancy-schmancy antennae....." Well, actually, most satellite radios come with no antenna at all, so you have to buy a fancy-schmancy car kit and/or home kit just to receive anything. So you're still saving the subscription money because an antenna is an add-on cost for both types of radio. The cheesy little AM loops are like the hank-of-wire FM antennas: cheap, and they'll give you _some_ reception, but nothing like what the radio really needs. If the radio makers included real antennas, they'd price themselves out of the market and people who already have antennas would complain. And, like somebody said, people don't want to have to tune an antenna, they want it to just work. Well, you can have it that way, but in that case you don't get all the stations that you might. Take your pick. (7/4/07) WBZ, you're no WTOP, you're no WCBS either. The commercial talk stations in Boston are so god awful boring and conservative, that they are impossible to listen to at ANY time. We are forced to listen to that clap trap of a station, WBZ WBZ, for a station that calls itself all news, it sure is damn near impossible to get live, local up to the minute traffic,world and national news, and weather any time other than their 14 hour news block every day( now there's a nice round number for ya) The news, as well as the talk shows are all consistently watered down, and dumbed down. No in depth reporting, just a bunch of empty heads reading headlines all day long while trying to sound cute with insiped puns, and the talk at night is just too god damned family friendly and preachy to keep my attention. And I found the canonization of Gary PaPierre way over the top, and although I wish Paul Sullivan a full recovery and many more vital years, what can be more arrogant than a news -talk station becoming it's own story? WBZ is a legend in it's own mind. Even when they were a music station, they couldn't have sucked worse. Their whole legacy is compromise. At night, I tune in to the skywave of 1010 WINS for straight news, and WWKB for progressive talk. Fuck WBZ, Boston deserves better. And by the way, I don't invite rebuttal. I've heard it already BEFORE my rant. (7/4/07) Did anyone bother to tell Cal Thomas that the same Constitution that allows him to express his opinions on WTOP also allows people of differing viewpoints to practice their religion and express their views in this country? Or does the Bill of Rights only apply to those who agree with Thomas' point of view? I certainly hope Farley and company allow CAIR or any other organization which disagrees with Cal Thomas to also come on the air and express those views. JT (7/4/07) /\ July 4 Messages /\ \/ July 3 Messages \/ Sad news from Jack Edwards. Boots Randolf was a rock and roll legend and worked with some of the all time greats including Elvis. And Hy Zaret who wrote the lyrics for 'Unchained Melody' would have been 100 next month. That song, originally a movie instrumental, got new life from Hy as a hit for Al Hibbler, Roy Hamilton, and the Righteous Brothers. They just don't write them like they used to. Thanks for the memories Jack. RD (7/3/07) To the poster who was asking about the upcoming flick "Talk To Me" with Don Cheadle portraying Petey Greene, there's now a different (and tighter) trailer for the film at: www.imdb.com... The full-length trailer is still available at: www.youtube.com... And... yes... Petey is still giving his watermelon sermon at: www.youtube.com... (7/3/07) I take back my earlier comments about MSNBC. The last two nights have been must see TV. There’s nothing better than watching Olbermann literally foam at the mouth. What a hypercritical blowhard. Hey Keith, you’re taking yourself way too seriously. (7/3/07) Boots Randolph, 80 year old sax player for Momument Records died Tuesday at the age of 80. Boots had the #1 pop record for the year 1963 in the Baltimore area...Yakety Sax, later used on the Benny Hill TV show. The song also inspired a Baltimore kid's dance The Lorenzo Stomp. Even tho Boot's trademark song scored #1 for 9 consecutive weeks, it got very little Baltimore air play later as an oldie. Also today, the writer of the classic Righteous Brothers hit Unchained Melody passed at age 99. Those pop music fans might recall the original instrumental with some chorus version by Les Baxter in 1955 on Capitol records. Thanks, Jack Edwards (7/3/07) Why does WUSA block the 5:00pm to 6:00pm sportcast on the web? On another note word is that Huggy Low Down is going to Radio One and will work for the Russ Parr show. (7/3/07) I was watching Channel 8 news tonight and heard one of the reporters say, "In the Montgomery County mobile newsroom, I'm _______, Newschannel 8." What the fuck is that? Sounds like something you would hear in Ocean City or in Virginia Beach. (7/3/07) Huggy Lowdown has left the Donnie Simpson show?..Because my work hours have changed, I've not been able to listen to him lately, so I didn't know he had left the show..I remember driving to work, sitting in my car in the garage when I got there, just to hear him do his segment..Really funny guy. (7/3/07) When you get a chance, check out the typo for " The Counting Crows" on WTGB's " Rock and Roll triple play" page www.947theglobe.com. These are the kind of Faux Pas' s that are hard to live down. LOL (7/3/07) Dave's response: The line in question - "Featuring the Cunting Crows, Live and Collective Soul"..... Gerarld, why don't you try to get WBZ on the net? WBZ NEWSRADIO 1030 - 4th of July Homepage www.wbz1030.com... CORY (7/3/07) I thought the Post article re: HD Radio was both wildly slanted and wholly supportive of Mel's argument regarding the SIRI/XM merger. Slanted in that the "gaining ground" argument is pretty laughable. A technology with 200K subscribers vs. a technology with 14 million plus is "gaining ground" b/c that 200K MIGHT be 1.5 million by end of 2007? What the author failed to note is that at current subscription pace (XM had abour 250K new subscribers in Q1, SIRI, 550K give or take), satellite radio will be up at 17 million or more by the end of 2007. So even if HD's numbers are legit, they are not exactly gaining ground. More importantly, the author then properly noted that the SIRI/XM merger is properly viewed in the context of the emerging market of audio options - HD, Internet, Ipod connections, "regular" radio (guess that whole "FREE" experiment is now dead, right?) - and not as a monopoly of an industry. Personally, I don't even think SIRI needs to acquire XM, which is essentially withering on the vine, but even so, to reject the merger would reflect some narrow thinking on the government's part. (7/3/07) Regarding that "Jim Fartley" WTOP "bit" that was replayed yesterday by JFK for the vacationing Don and Mike, back when it originally aired last year, D&M were in 5th or 6th place. They told their listeners that they'd be besting 1st place WTOP by the end of 2006. They didn't. Now, D&M are in 10th or 11th place, with even more distance between them and "Mr. Fartley." Way to go, radio gods! (7/3/07) Memo to Mark Levin listeners; If you heard him do a commercial read for Direct Buy, and if you are interested in becoming a member of Direct Buy, please be aware that in this commercial, Mark is, like in his political rants, leaving out critical information- membership in Direct Buy is about $5,000.00 for the first three years. Dave, you are a great American. Since Mr. Levin in the commercial claims he has been a member of Direct Buy for a while, do you think he paid the five grand upfront to be a member, or, do you think he is, akin to his political rants, being disingenuous to his listeners? And speaking of Mark Levin being disingenuous, it seems to me the longest gas lines were during the Nixon administration, not the Carter administration. Happy Independence Day everyone, I am glad this country was founded by a bunch of libs. Here is an oldie for you. "Dave Brown, according to Mike McKay, "always celebrates the fourth with a fifth." (7/3/07) Dave's response: I'm going to be spending my 4th downing a six-pack while listening to a CD of Paul Bicknell doing a 1994 shift on the old oldies outlet XTRA 104..... What happened to Huggy Lowdown? He was one of the funniest things about the Donnie Simpson morning show. Do you know why he left and what his real name is? Thomas (7/3/07) Starr and Buckwild morning show - What ever happened to Starr after he was fired from his morning show for the comments he made about another dj’s girlfriend? Thomas (7/3/07) almost a week has gone by since the "fairness" doctrine got a massive beatdown in the democratic house, and not a word from you about it. you upset we won't be getting more taxpayer funded left wing radio? (7/3/07) Dave's response: I've long been "on the record" that the government should not regulate program content on TV and radio. And that includes "indecency" fines from the right or a resurrection of the "fairness doctrine" from the left..... Mr. Hughes, Longtime reader of your website, love the information, contemplating paying for premium service but dont have money. I am a student, so money is hard to come by. Anyways I go to college in Massachusetts, and am pleased you have now have a Boston section on your site. I live here in DC, but about four years ago discovered WBZ-AM 1030 at night. As I call it the WTOP of Boston with talk radio from 8p to 5a. The best talk radio in my opinion hands down. I read on your site, and heard on WTOP that they are solely using WJLA-tv weather reporters for their weather forecasts on the 8's. I am an extremely observant person, WBZ-AM uses Accuweather for its forecasts, and well one of their forecasters is frequently on WTOP in the overnight hours, Carl Babinski. I have heard him on both WTOP and WBZ frequently on the same nights. As well I am curious, WBZ is owned by CBS radio, yet WTOP which is owned by Bonneville, yet WTOP sticks to the CBS format more so than the WBZ which is owned by them. The bumpers? for WTOP seem to mirror that of WCBS 880. Such as when the hourly newscast ends and local news begins, the part where WTOP uses the "Ledo Pizza glass enclosed...." sounds just like WCBS, BZ despite being owned by CBS doesnt use that. Also WTOP with its own reporters uses CBS Radio news for national things. While WBZ will throw in AP news, and ABC news. Just interesting in my eyes. Oh and WBZ only plays the hourly CBS radio news between midnight and four AM, and they only play the first part of it. WTOP plays it 24/7 and both all of the news. I dunno, perhaps I pay too much attention to the radio, etc! Just a quick story, while up in Canada in a bar, I took a glimpse at the TV playing the ESPN of Canada, showing Nationals highlights I saw a glimpse of a WTOP banner while the camera panned for a home run, brought a smile to my face! -Thank You, Gerald (7/3/07) Sigh, kids these days ;) Don't people aim AM radios to null out the din from computers, dimmers, and such? Oops, I forgot that most listening is in the car these days. Hey, we used to have to turn the radio to favor Chicago or New York to hear hit music at night. What's the big deal? (7/3/07) Dear Jazz Fan: Our featured artists line-up for the week ahead includes great blues singers, big band legends, and the free jazz sound... find out more by clicking here... jazzradiodc.com. Thanks, Carl David (7/3/07) Very good stuff!!! Don't blink, you may miss NFL interviews Video: John and Anna-Megan have a tough time trying to stay within the NFL's new 45-second rule link.brightcove.com (7/3/07) You gotta read the print edition, Dave. I had to dig to find this on washingtonpost.com ("Radio Royalties, Reprising Ol' Blue Eyes Battle"), after reading it in this morning's paper... (7/3/07) The typical American will crap himself if his precious little Internet connection doesn't load fast enough. Who among them - except for us real radio freaks - would endure the effort of aiming and zeroing an antenna for digital AM? (7/3/07) RE: Eisenberg and Gary Thorne ----- Eisenberg is retiring from the Sun. He wants to write books and do more free lance work, alledgedly (rumor has it that he got a buyout and a golden handshake from the Sun).. As for Gary Thorne, he still has another contract with ABC, to do various other sporting events. The O's knew this when they signed him on, so he does occasionally miss O's broadcasts while covering other events. I believe he even covered the college World Series recently for ESPN/ABC during one of his recent breaks. (7/3/07) Anyone know who at WJFK selects what will be played during "Best of DNM"? Yesterday's show featured "Meet the Fartleys" and included a bit where Don plays the part of a certain slobbering psycho webmaster that we all know and love. Funny stuff.. (7/3/07) Dave's response: When they say "best of" they mean "best of." Some damn good humor in those bits..... This week, D.C. is the site of the AT&T National -- the first golf tournament hosted by one Tiger Woods -- at Congressional Country Club. DC-based XM Radio will have sportscasters positioned throughout the course for play-by-play coverage on its all-golf radio channel, the PGA Tour Network. XM will also hand out free trial radios to spectators at Congressional. The first 1,000 people to visit the XM booth each day can pick up a portable radio and listen to the tournament for the day, no strings attached. The idea is to (1) make it easy for spectators standing in the gallery to follow what's happening all over the course and (2) let people take XM for a test spin. And yes, when XM launched this all-golf radio channel two years ago at DC's now-defunct Booz Allen tournament, there were skeptics. Oh, yes. But the channel's turned out to be one of the more popular sports choices on XM. (7/3/07) What is the radio station that plays the music to the fireworks as they are being displayed ? Kathleen (7/3/07) If your Hybrid Digital (HD) reception is poor on the AM band and your loop antenna is one of those lightweight 4-inch things, you would be amazed at what a tuned loop antenna will do for you. I can't say enough good things about the Select-A-Tenna (www.ccrane.com), which comes in different models that either work with a radio's built-in antenna or attach with wires (like those 4-inch lightweight loops). Yes, it's one more dial to turn--you have to tune the antenna to the frequency of the station, but it's not fussy because it's VERY obvious when you have it tuned right, and it's not powered so it doesn't drift. There are cheaper similar antennas, but the Select-A-Tenna has a higher "Q" than the cheaper ones, meaning it will eliminate adjacent- and alternate-channel interference if that happens to be a problem. (7/3/07) Dave's response: All that subscription money you save on "free" HD Radio you end up spending on fancy-schmancy antennae..... Rusty Sez: "To the "Mailbagger" about WAVA. Please don't get your knickers in a twist." - - - Was there a previous (removed) message ripping WAVA? All I can find is the one asking about Paul Wooten. (7/3/07) Dave's response: I haven't yanked any messages of late..... Where did John Eisenberg from the Sun go? Why has Gary Thorne off the Orioles broadcast so many times. he's on for a while than he off, what goes? (7/3/07) Re: "Giant Food is now sponsoring Rush Limpbag's show on WMAL. Guess where I'm no longer shopping." And how would you know? Did you listen to the show? Or did Giant put a number of banners in their stores stating this? Or some post on the mailbag? Not a sermon, just a thought. (7/3/07) "Giant Food is now sponsoring Rush Limpbag's show on WMAL. Guess where I'm no longer shopping." I wasn't aware of that. Guess where I'm going to start shopping? Thanks! (7/3/07) Dave, So what's WMAL like in HD? (7/3/07) Dave's response: Absolutely wonderful. I will tell you, HD Radio is huge improvement for AM radio. Almost sounds like FM. The problem is that you need a really strong AM signal to get HD. At my location in Reston, the only AMer that I can get HD from is WMAL - and I have to carefully position the loop antenna to get it. I can just barely get WTNT's HD signal, but only for a few seconds if I hold the antenna at an odd angle. Forget receiving WTEM or WTWP's HD - at least where I am..... To the "Mailbagger" about WAVA.Pease don't get your knickers in a twist. Rich Lee is a fine man and a compllete Pro! As he and I used to attend the same church. (his wife Sharon has a voice that has been brought to us from God! Sorry to lay the religion thing down but my wife has been in the hospital since last Thursday. Any prayers (for those that pray) would be GREATLY appreciated! Anyone that cares to, include My MELODY in your prayers tonite! Love to all of my "Mailbaggers", Rusty Gibson (7/3/07) Giant Food is now sponsoring Rush Limpbag's show on WMAL. Guess where I'm no longer shopping. (7/3/07) If Imus comes back, I hope WTNT picks him up again. I no longer listen to 570 without him. Steve in Rockville (7/3/07) /\ July 3 Messages /\ \/ July 2 Messages \/ Dear Mr. Berry GM of WMAL; Since you compared your format to NPR's news format, I would like to inform you of a mistake in news analysis from your host Mark Levin. Mr. Levin repeatedly said today that Scooter Libby did not leak the name Valerie Plame to Bob Novak. Yes, Mark Levin is right, Scooter did not leak it to Bob Novak. What Mr. Levin missed, or avoided, is according to testimony at the trial, Scooter did leak the name to at least two other journalists, including the NYT's Judith Miller, before Mr. Novak's column was printed. Did Mark Levin purposely leave this fact out of his rant or does he not read the newspapers? Also, Scooter was not on trial for leaking the name, he was on trial for perjury, making false statements, and obstruction of justice. Please inform Mark of his mistake or omission in his news analysis, and have him inform his audience of the omission just as NPR would do under the same circumstances. Thank you. (7/2/07) Re: Centennial - Mid Atlantic... If there is any type of objection to this deal it will delay the transaction. It takes the FCC 9 months to a year to read and reply to these sort of things especially during vacation and holiday periods. This will probably be out in the Spring of 08. (7/2/07) (clip) Salem names Michael Hamer as local ad sales manager (end clip) What happened to Paul Wooten? He's been with WAVA since, what, 2002? 2003? (7/2/07) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) NOTICE OF JOB OPENING: SUPERVISING PRODUCER - National Geographic Channel (NGC) seeks professional based in Washington, DC and reporting to Director. Responsibilities: establish/manage processes/systems; track/ensure smooth transition of programs through stages; deliver high quality to meet NGC style/quality; manage/oversee daily operations; track/manage workflow; provide editorial direction; create assignments. Must have BA or MA with at least 8 yrs documentary production experience or supervisory experience at TV network/independent production company. Also requires 2 yrs management experience; success at managing production team; full working knowledge of post production; proven leadership skills; prior script writing, broad knowledge of NCG content requirements; and knowledge of AVID capabilities & HD technical specs. Apply online at www.foxcareers.com; refer to FNG7524. (7/2/07) This just in... the Washington Post has the first and exclusive photo of C. Francis Jenkins' most recent invention, known as the radio camera, with which it will be possible to transmit cinema pictures by wireless. kidshow.dcmemories.com... All kidding aside, although the target for Jenkins' first regular broadcast was Monday July 2nd, 1928 as announced by the Post edition of 6/23/28, the official "inaugural broadcast" took place Friday, July 6th of that year, (according to the Post from July 7th). Also seen in the 7/7/28 Post, British inventor John Logie Baird was equally determined to bring his prototype mechanical television into widespread use on the other side of the pond. Fortunately, for U.S. lads, Lansburgh & Brother department stores proclaimed "Radio Has a Beneficial Effect on Boyhood... Instead of running the streets, keeping doubtful company and indulging in pernicious pastime, young America of today is tinkering with a Radio set, learning the practical side of a utility that has come to stay." kidshow.dcmemories.com... (7/2/07) Is Imus gonna be back on WFAN this September? Could be. Check it out: www.nypost.com (7/2/07) Dave's response: We did get a newsblurb up on DCRTV's new NYC media news page..... Hey I really enjoyed the negative shot at the Legendary Jack Gale. There's nothing like a disgruntled Ex-employee. I find it amazing how naive an ex can be. Did you ever think that Jack brought in great talent from far far away...JUST TO LET THEM GO??? I don't think so.ANG (7/2/07) www.wrnr.com --- New logo and imaging 103 WRNR "Where Music Matters"... But still no listen live link for those of us outside of the 15 mile FM signal radius... Dean in SOMD (7/2/07) Dave's response: Maybe WRNR could buy time on someone's HD Radio subchannel so they could be heard in DC? Maybe 100.3? Maybe 94.7? Hmmm..... ("Oh, anybody got a pic of Rush in a Speedo? Even Photoshopped. Love to see that.....") Dave - does it make you hot when Rush talks about every inch of his glorious naked body???? (7/2/07) Hey, what's the buzz on "Talk To Me," the new movie about Ralph Waldo "Petey" Green who was on WOL radio and WDCA-TV back in the last century? Saw a screening of it last week and found a couple of trailers (focusfeatures.com). Looks interesting and entertaining, especially for people who remember DC radio and TV back in the '60s, '70s and '80s! brian/reston (7/2/07) Dave's response: I've seen the trailer for it several times and it looks good. It'll be opening later this month. I just hope it's not a limited release that's confined to Landmark's Bethesda Row and E Street..... Bore me!!!!! Driving in to work today it dawned on me. I am a FM robot. I switch channels all morning listening to the same D.J. or format. One is the Wild and Wacky Morning Zoo. (Please say that in the DJ. voice) One is “Ohhhhhh Jimmy Ohhhhhh Jimmy” “God Bless you 13 arbitron listeners.” Another is the double L’s Loooo and Lori with there family “G” rated facts. Please Dave where that signal is for “Real” radio. I cannot stand it anymore!!!!!. PL (7/2/07) Dave's response: I hear they're piping in WASH to torture those suspected terrorists in Gitmo. And it's working..... Well, Dave? BTW, I really think you "caved" in to one stuffy-assed prig; BRING BACK the DCRTV boys, or hand over a percentage of the Plus fee. The masses of one have spoken. Thanks, Frank... DCRTV Plus member for, God, almost a few weeks now. My! (7/2/07) Dave's response: Huh? And then we got this from Frank..... Forgot to put a smiley or wink or some such nonsense, but I was referring to the mailbagger who chided you for the scantily clad/underwear clad boys in your promos. I've seen lots less of them lately, and I'm hoping it's not because some prick wrote you a homophobic posting. Jeez, my world is censored enough, thank you very much. I happen to like the scantily clad/underwear clad boys; they really brighten my day at work here in dull, lifeless Tyson's Fucking Corner. Great work as always on a wonderful site! Thanks, Frank (7/2/07) Dave's response: Don't make me mad or I'll re-post that hi-res pic of G. Gordon Liddy in a skimpy Speedo! Ha ha ha. Hey, we've got swimsuit pics of all four sexes at Hotbods. Oh, anybody got a pic of Rush in a Speedo? Even Photoshopped. Love to see that..... Dave...just to clarify from your 6/29 posting citing Tavis Smiley as a NPR/PBS host. Tavis hasn't been an employee of NPR is almost two years. His radio show is produced by PRI (Public Radio International). Just wanted to clarify that....I am sure Tavis would want to make sure that the line was clear, as well. Thanks! (7/2/07) Dave's response: NPR, PRI, what's the difference. I know, I know. No hate mail, please..... What happened to Jack Gale's station? (7/2/07) Sorry to scare people with the idea of picture degradation, but I'm pretty sure the incentive for broadcasters to go digital was the promise of multiple channels per station. Hi-Def is for prestige, but it's expensive, especially compared to 4 ad-bearing streams. Content is the key. There are a lot of programming services already existing that can't be found on cable, DirecTV or Dish--what a perfect opportunity for both those services and the local stations that aren't using the capabilities allotted to them. The mainstream cable channels like Discovery are driving people away, the networks are also losing viewers--crap shows in Hi-Def are still crap shows. Let's try something, anything, to break out of the doldrums. I'd bet American Life TV on 20.2 would outdraw anything from My Network TV on 20.1. Give us English-language versions on 14.2 of the Spanish shows on 14.1. Give Dick Dyszel 20.3. Let Jack Gale onto anybody's digital radio subchannel. Is anybody who owns a station actually interested in what can be done with it? From this side, it doesn't feel like it. (7/2/07) Let's not feel so sorry for Jack Gale. He is a talent and true legend. But the downfall of his radio station in Alabama was a great deal his own fault. Jack had great talent working for him but rarely took their advice on the programming. The music library was an eclectic mix of rock and pop oldies, country and songs from the rock era that may have had some airplay in their day but never charted. Oldies 700 could have been a killer station. Not though when you hear Gladys Knight, Bobby Bare and Bill Haley in the same set. Jack Gale wanted a station that played what HE wanted. A personal jukebox. That's fine, owners are entitled to that but when you have jocks with a combined experience of nearly a century, an open ear might have meant the difference between an early death and survival of oldies radio. Sales, or lack thereof, were the the nail in the coffin. In the 3 months on air, there were 2 different sales managers. Neither produced anything except for a handful of "introductory freebies" or a few spots that amounted to less than a buck per spot. (7/2/07) ("I watched 'Evan Almighty' last evening, and during the movie, in a media rush to interview 'Evan,' there was a Newschannel 8 microphone flag clearly seen in the shot. The same flag was seen again later! The only DC area flag seen. Granted all the networks were represented, but no local flags were used. Nice to see local tv, go national!") I haven't seen the movie yet (part of which was filmed in Waynesboro, where I used to work), but in a recent commercial for "Evan," I saw a WJLA "7" microphone flag. -- Vincent in Triangle (7/2/07) (Yet, the Post's radio list still has "WARW" and "classic rock" for CBS's 94.7, when it's been WTGB and adult alternative rock since February) There has been a lot of talk about the Post's Radio listings. I have been in the business for quite some time and I know many smart PD's who send their information (format, signal and call letter changes) directly to the Post and it always gets printed accurately. Not that they should need to, but I would bet that WARW has not notified the Post of their changes. (7/2/07) Dave's response: Seeing that the Globe is an advertiser on WaPo.com, you'd think some smartass over there would get the damn WaPo print radio listings updated..... To the guy who was inquiring about the digital channels on TV. What about radio? Is anybody listening to any of the HD 2 channels? Does anybody outside of media even care they exist? No. and the reason is, broadcast programming on TV and radio main channels sucks already, why get even worse. Until we get back to being local on both ends we will continue to suffer. More channels on TV and radio is not the answer, quality programming works, always has, always will. As a side note, TV digital may have it a little easier, since cable companies broadcast the second channels on the digital tier. Radio listeners have to go buy add on equipment. (7/2/07) RE: "Are there any local plans in the works to make digital TV more interesting? Right now in this area, 2, 4, 9, and 11 just have weather on their subchannels." Please, please, please do NOT encourage broadcasters to multicast their digital TV signals. We don't need any more picture degradation. (7/2/07) Today (July 2) is the 79th anniversary of the start of Charles Francis Jenkins' W3XK, America's (and Washington's) first television station. It was an experimental, mechanical television station, that was off the air by 1932, when electronic television replaced mechanical. Jenkins was from Dayton, OH, but is buried in Washington, DC, along with his wife. W3XK was located at 1519 Conn. Ave., NW (DuPont Circle) in a space now occupied by the Gallery 10 art gallery. Al McGilvray (7/2/07) Dave's response: Hey, next year, on the 80th anniversary, we'll all get on top of a tall DC building and throw off our old (soon to be useless) analog TV sets to commemorate W3XK. Anyone know of a good location? How about 5151 Wisconsin? Are there any local plans in the works to make digital TV more interesting? Right now in this area, 2, 4, 9, and 11 just have weather on their subchannels; 5, 13, 14, 20, 24, and 54 don't bother with subchannel programming (14 doesn't even bother with hi-def broadcasting). So that leaves just a handful offering anything extra: 7's occasionally interesting Local Point, MPT's varied programming, 45's part-time Good TV, and 50's The Tube. (Channels I didn't name don't make it to my home.) A couple of stations (11 and 24) have trouble figuring out how to properly broadcast on their main digital channel. I'd say the general state of digital TV is "languishing". Is the revolution over or hasn't it started yet? (7/2/07) I watched "Evan Almighty" last evening, and during the movie, in a media rush to interview "Evan", there was a Newschannel 8 microphone flag clearly seen in the shot. The same flag was seen again later! The only DC area flag seen. Granted all the networks were represented, but no local flags were used. Nice to see local tv, go national! (7/2/07) Saying he wants to spend his time with his new wife and daughter Art Bell again announced his retirement from Coast to CoastAM. This is about the fourth time Bell has retired over the last five years. When Bell got married last year he moved his broadcast facilities to Makati Manila Philippines.Then suddenly after Christmas 2006 Bell moved the broadcast back to the "desert". At the website Bell says he may occassionally do fill ins or specials www.coasttocoast.com... John T.Heneman (7/2/07) I recently traded my XM in for Siruis--and I've been impresses, thus far. I like the quality of Hits 1-sounds like listening to a real Top 40/CHR radio station, with a morning show, features and great imaging. I also have fallen in love with Octane, Alt Nation and Lithium (which is the new 90s Grunge and Alt rock channel). The audio quality from the plug and play is much better too, the only thing is that there seems to be blackouts when I pass under thick tree cover-but, radio can never be perfect. (7/2/07) Dear sir/madam, I'm interested in your domainname dcrtv.com and was wondering if you'd consider selling the domain. If so, kindly contact me with your price range so we can discuss a deal. Thank you in advance for your time and I look forward to speaking with you. Kind regards, Robert (7/2/07) Dave's response: Oh I don't know. A million bucks? Dave, UM basekball coach Garry Williams will change rolls and be a golf for CSN. He will be part "Tee Time at the National." He and Chick Hernandaz will host a half hour show each night from Congressional starting tonight. Also it looks like 9 News Now is chipping away the sports dominance on NBC4 in the post George Michael era. There numbers go up from 11:15pm to 11:35pm so they are making a dent (check the numbers in the story). www.examiner.com Cheers, Jim (7/2/07) /\ July 2 Messages /\ \/ July 1 Messages \/ MySpace rumblings and their own website point to Big & Dukes coming to WJFK on July 16th in the 7 pm timeslot. (7/1/07) Dave's response: That's JFK-FM. That would make sense..... Sad, really sad. The proof, Jack Gale goes dark. No one wants to listen to creative, fun....Perfectly segued...programmed professional radio anymore. The days of "rock jocks"...are gone. The kids of today don't have the patience to even take a moment to listen to fun...the spoken word is dead at least creatively. Death null......all is forgotten even on a 50K flamethrower. Signal...charisma...real radio is a thing of the past. The geezers will still listen, but the marketplace hasn't yet realized where the bucks are. PLB (7/1/07) To Tom in Denton: Thank you for listening to "Oldies Block Party" on your night off and hopefully I brought back some fond memories for you. I truly appreciate your kindness. The show is a real labor of love and I believe in presenting it with fun and feeling. I have such deep respect for the performers from the rock and roll era and the veteran broadcasters that I feel the need to share it. There were so many great country/pop crossovers and I promise to send something special out the next time when you are able to listen . Feel free to e-mail me at joyce7122@myway.com. Blessings always. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/1/07) WHFS? Just awful radio. If, as they say, they are the future of radio, we are doomed! Those morning guys. Yuck! They hire guys who couldn't cut it on WNST. So much great history with those calls but look at what Infinity/CBS is doing to it. And where are the sports call-in shows? Just on the weekends! We also get to listen to the Backdoor after the O's games. Is radio totally going to hell??? (7/1/07) Dave's rant ending with: "All thanks to the mighty FCC....." Follow the money. For many decades the FCC has been VERY sensitive to the phone call from the "Hill" "asking for information" - hint hint wink wink. People on the Hill have supporters / donors who want things from the FCC. 'nuff said. (7/1/07) Dave, here's how I'd fix WHFS: become indie 97.9, 98 Rock's HD-3 station. You can check it out at www.indie979.com if you havn't already. Lots of great new music (not necessarily indie, but maybe they're "indie" in spirit?), a little of some older alternative tracks (even some lesser known deeper ones). It's everything HFS needs to be, surpassing the current WHFS2 which is on 105.7 HD-2 and www.whfs2.com. Indie979 is commercial free like most HD multi-cast music stations, but they interject with local concert news and music news. A true music oriented station, and a real labor of love I'm sure. This Hearst station is better programmed than XM's Ethel and Lucy in my opinion and surpasses what WHFS has been since the early, early 90's. Great job. Dave check it out, you'd love it. KeninEaston (7/1/07) Dave's response: I'll have to check 'em out on the web because I can't get 97.9's HD channels here in Northern Virginia, and I can't get 105.7 at all..... Re: "...with Ferrara's huge war chest of money to promote HD he is doing a crappy job...." As I understand it, there is very little "real" money to promote HD radio. The huge sums batted about are the claimed value of ads run by participating stations. But these ads are run in otherwise unsold slots, "distressed inventory". In other words, they cost the HD promotion campaign nothing, they cost the station nothing. That's putting a price tag on free advertising. How many ads for HD radio have you seen on TV - where they would cost actual money? (7/1/07) Dave's response: The audio is rather tinny, the reception is poor, and only a handful of stations are doing anything halfway interesting with their HD channels. It's a joke! And another thing - the FM band is such a friggin' cluttered mess of short-spaced stations, too close adjacent channels, dipwad low-powered translators all over the place, and, now, digital "hash" that it makes it mighty difficult to get decent standard FM reception - and double difficult for HD FM reception. All thanks to the mighty FCC..... Thanks to the "Mailbagger" that provided the info. on Paul Hallett. I had no idea that he was the "voice" of "Chiller", a regular staple of our Saturday night TV viewing in our house as far back as I can remember (to this day my Mom and I both love scary flicks). Out of the question though when I was visiting my Grandparents! Great memories and thanks again. Rusty Gibson (7/1/07) re: Re: "The Centennial - Mid Atlantic deal in Winchester and Fredricksburg. In all likelihood, the objection will be addressed (and dismissed)..." Thank you JP Lewis! :) Perhaps you are correct. It is interesting that someone decided to give Mid Atlantic a taste of their own medicine though. How many times have the Lewis' filed against sales in their markets over the last 20 years? They must have known they were selling as they did not file against the recent CC moves in Winchester of the last few years (KISS and the power upgrade to FOX)...Its just funny that someone decided to draw a line in their sand for a change... (7/1/07) Sean you are incorrect. Johnny Holliday was seriously injured in the crash of a small plane at Bowie Airport. Not during a helicopter crash. (7/1/07) Dave's response: And Channel 9's Dave Statter was then a rescue worker who helped get Johnny and his daughter to the hospital for treatment..... From my blog tonight... I'm sending this only because it might interest you: SUNDAY, JULY 1 ...A particularly peculiar night at Nathans tonight, due to the place being "locked down" by police and fire after reports of a "suspicious package" in the general vicinity of the mall that's on the south side of M between Wisconsin Avenue and Potomac Street. I've been locked out of Nathans before, when the manhole covers exploded and police cordoned off our entire block, but this is my first official lock down. As I said to almost anyone who listened to me, consider the people coming out of the new BRUCE WILLIS film two blocks down at the Loews. They would think they walked into the movie. There were that many fire trucks, police cars, hazmat units, K9 units and God knows what else deployed to our relatively compact intersection, all with lights flashing and whirling. There were guys in bomb suits. It was a Hollywood caliber scene. Fortunately it also turned out to be a false alarm. Spencer and I, back from his lacrosse tournament, did the unusual thing of heading down to Nathans for dinner. This was mainly because the Washington Bayhawks lacrosse team would be there after their (losing) game to Rochester at Georgetown University. It's always fun at Nathans when the place is packed with handsome athletes. Friends who are fans were there, too. The place rocked. Half way into dinner I noticed a hook and ladder outside. This could have been 8:45-9 o'clock. I mentioned it to the folks at my table but no one paid me much mind. When some cop cars arrived, I asked floor manager STUART WADE if he would please find out if it was anything we needed to be concerned about. He returned and whispered in my ear, "there is a suspicious back pack a block down. They are evacuating the area." From the windows we saw people moving pretty much as they usually do on a Saturday night in Georgetown. There was no panic, no sense of urgency. I went outside myself, found a police officer, and asked a few questions. He said, "we're trying to keep everyone calm. We think there is a bomb down there," gesturing in the direction of the mall. I asked if 2nd District CMDR. ANDY SOLBERG was around, and was told he was in Boston. Later, I found a higher ranking officer. I asked if Chief CATHY LANIER would be on the scene. He said, "No, I certainly hope not, because if she comes here then we will have a problem." Wow. Curious. Did I catch a whiff of cop unrest? Back inside Nathans it was Saturday night business as usual, 4-5 deep at the bar. When the streets were cleared of all civilians, the police told me, "we may have to evacuate your customers. We don't know yet." We quieted the room and I made a brief announcement. "If we do get evcuated, please be calm and close out your tabs." Ha ha. Always the joker. Moments later, police had us close our doors and said no one could leave. The customers were cool about it. One woman was unnerved because her teenage daughter was somewhere outside. In the dining room, two tables of visitors from Northern Ireland took it in stride. The lacrosse players partied on. A former Secret Service agent called into the super secret command center and told me, "they know nothing about it." A good sign or a bad sign? Take your pick. By 10:45, in time for the 11 o'clock news, police gave the all clear. Some people departed, but more people stayed to eat and drink. Spencer and I headed home, at last. An interesting note is that when I called both Channel 4 and The Washington Post to find out whether they had more information, neither knew very much about the event. The Channel 4 assignment editor at first seemed confused by what I was saying. (Maybe that was my fault???) She said, "are you calling about Dulles? All our crews and our reporter are at Dulles." "What happened at Dulles?" I asked. She said they were doing a Glasgow react story. MARTY WEIL at the Post didn't know anything, either. This is typical for a Saturday night in the main stream news biz. For WRC, they had one crew and that crew was at Dulles. For the Post, the Sunday paper was virtually put to bed. It would have to be one helluva breaking story to bust everything open. Channel 7 was the only news outlet with a crew at the scene, and their photographer was in the intersection a good hour before any others arrived. I called ALEX LIKOWSKI, my friend who is a news director there, but Alex was only able to confirm what I already knew. CNN called from Atlanta, and the anchor said he was watching Nathans front door on the live feed from Channel 7. By and large, everyone was anxious but calm about the the goings on outside Nathans big windows. After the lockdown, many customers moved to the windows and watched the action, such as it was. Oddly, I was never worried. It seemed to me the police would have been far less casual had the threat been actual. Or at least I hope so. They took almost 30-40 minutes to clear the streets. I would want a much faster and emphatic sweep for a real bomb. Walking home, not meaning to be too dark, I said to Spencer, "a real bomb would have gone off before anyone noticed it was there." - Carol Joynt www.nathansgeorgetown.com (7/1/07) Message To Joyce Conroy: Finally had a chance to listen some to your show "Block Party." Wanted to tell you what a good job you were doing, so I sent you an email..which I got from the WHFC page. However I see that my email has bounced! So I'll just tell you here that I love your energy and your enthusiasm for the old "rock-N-Roll"..although I'm mostly a fan of country music, I got a good dose of WCAO and "The Buddy Dean Show" before I started school! Keep up the good work! Tom in Denton, MD (7/1/07) Paul Hallett came to Washington DC in 1950 as an announcer for WWDC-AM 1260. His talent as a cartoonist was well-known as seen in Bill Gold's 4/20/1951 and 1/5/1953 columns in the Wash Post. (He drew a comic strip for distribution to newspapers for a while.) Hallett got his feet wet in TV through sports hosting for WTTG in 1954, but he would switch to WTOP-AM/TV as their Sunday late night news anchor by November 1955. In March 1963, Hallett moved to WTTG where, in addition to general staff announcing duties, he subbed for the regular kid show hosts. When Lee Reynolds left the station in July 1966, "The Paul Hallett Show" filled the Saturday morning slot vacated by "Captain Lee and Mates" 'til the program's end in September 1967. For many years in the '60s, Hallett was also the unseen voice of "Chiller". Hallett served WTTG for over 33 years... ending around the time of Metromedia's sale to Rupert Murdoch's "Fox". His last day at Channel-5 was July 18, 1986. Read about it at: kidshow.dcmemories.com... (You'll need to scroll down quite a bit.) Hear Paul Hallett doing two typical WTTG voice-overs in the '80s (courtesy of Tom Buckley) at: www.youtube.com... (7/1/07) RE: [ " Plus, the traffic in Merrifield on Friday afternoons is a bitch... " ]...... You read my mind Dave, I was going to say maybe it's the horrendous Virginia traffic and roads that is causing performers to get limo-sick! :-) (7/1/07) I am working on an update for your NY-Philly Radio list would you like the websites for the stations also? From Northern Jersey and have listened to many of the statios in both areas as my son went to school up on the island. (7/1/07) Reading about the WWDC Helicopter crashing leads me to this question. If memory serves me correctly, Johnny Holliday was involved in a Copter crash with Captain Dan during Johnny's days at WWDC. I believe Capt Dan was at the controls when it went down, and both were seriously injured. Sean, Bethesda (7/1/07) /\ July 1 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....