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DCRTV Mailbag - July 7 to July 11, 2007
Latest messages listed first.....
\/ July 11 Messages \/
Unsigned corporate suit here once again. TNX to PLB for the kind words. And, understanding! Problem is, were it not for this board, 99% of my management presentations and forecasts would be strictly translated to bean-counter English! Now that the constructive 106.7 bashing has started up again, there’s another much neglected facility that has been discussed here only peripherally: WINC-FM. Yes, it’s a great Winchester radio station. However, it has much unrealized potential. While DCRTV Dave has voiced support for a Northern Virginia clone of NJ101.5, I’d go a little bit further. Awhile back when I was running around with a a girl whose family lived not too far from the Seabright Dunes, I got to listen to NJ101.5. A lot. And, it would require so much modification to make it work here, it would be a cross between unwieldy and unworkable. So, let’s start w/a clean sheet of paper! The easy things would be to change the call. How about WNVR? (We’re North! ern Virginia Radio) If the call is already assigned, buy it off the current user. (Why not? It worked for Captain Outrageous, didn’t it?) Keep the current transmitter site. There’s value in grandfathering! Do Northern Virginia news (Every hour and twice an hour in M-F drive) -not just National and World. But with a real news department and a bureau in Alexandria, Arlington, or Fairfax, and stringers in other suburban cities and Fredericksburg. Don’t just cover sports… carry sports! Nationals, Redskins, Caps, and Wizards. Be traffic intensive and not just in M-F Drive! But, concentrate coverage on the intra-suburban Northern Virginia commuter. Recognize that a growing number of Northern Virginians commute from one VA suburb to another. And, don’t just do drop-ins every :10! If something major happens in traffic during drive, carry it immediately and repeatedly! As for format, look to the WASH of the 1970’s for inspiration –but no further! (Espec! ially by ditching the phone booth-sized “WASH Newsroom” of the 70â ™s!) Hire personalities who entertain and communicate with the audience, not antagonize it! (See my future rant on why “conservative” talk radio is so successful!) I’d look for modern day equivalents of Eddie Gallaher, Jerry Clark, Bob Duckman, and Ed Rodriguez. (No Len Hathaway clones, please!) Good ones are out there. You just have to find them and cultivate them. Dave Randall of KRTH-101 is a good example of a 21st century radio entertainer. Of course, promote the hell out of the place! Basically, keep it local, relevant, entertaining, tight, bright, and non-controversial. What would I not do? With the exception of top of the hour news, sports, and perhaps “Coast-to-Coast AM”, carry nothing network or syndicated! Downsides? You bet! A wide coverage FM w/a Northern Virginia focus would be extremely controversial unto itself! The political types would view that focus as being divisive and perhaps destructive to the concept of a “Metropolitan Wash! ington”. Its coverage of urban, suburban, and still-rural Northern Virginia would likely also be feared in Richmond, as there are nascent rumblings of secession of Northern Virginia from the rest of the state. It has been proven in other places that one respected broadcaster can be a unifying political force in many ways. Thus, politicians from counties like Wise or Salem would fear a popular Northern Virginia radio station with a credible and relatively unbiased News/Public Affairs Department. Why? Rural Virginia politicians realize that Northern Virginia (And, to a lesser extent Hampton Roads and environs.) is the cash cow that keeps the rest of Virginia financially afloat. Without the tax dollars from Northern Virginia, the rest of the state would make Mississippi’s wealth look like California by comparison! Finally, the D.C. area broadcasters would detest such a station! First, for much the same reason Virginia’s downstate politicians would: Your demograph! ics would not just get smaller, they’d get “poorer”! The first big losers here would be WMAL, WTOP, WASH, and WRQX. Second, this would likely spur the creation of an additional "focused" broadcaster or two. Montgomery & Freerick Counties would be a natural for a similat station. Is this a new concept? Nope. With only a few changes to reflect the contemporary scene, these were thrashed out over lots of beers at a party one night at “The Bee Hive” with a fellow suit (John Morgan (Let’s see who recognizes him! Or, “The Bee Hive”, for that matter!) who gave me lots of still-useful advice on my media career. (7/11/07)
Dave...there is no way Don is really retiring. I know him too well. My guess is he is playing out his contract with WJFK.and perhaps going to XM or some place where he can curse up a storm. My bet is Mike will soon follow. Don would not know what to do without being a "Radio God"... I am not a huge fan of his...but he is a radio guy through and through... he is not signing off at age 48. A DCRTV fan. (7/11/07)
To the people that responded....when I lived in Arlington, I had a Comcast cable bill and the few times there was a channel shift, I received something in the mail at least a month before they did it. I would think Comcast would be consistent in letting people know when a channel or channels will be moved. So, that is where my opinion comes from. Mike in Waldorf (7/11/07)
I'm retiring January 31, 2020, in case anyone cares. Gary Helton, WHFC-FM, Bel Air (7/11/07)
Hey, Mike in Waldorf. I actually look at what comes with my Comcast bill. They rarely announce channel changes in advance. But, at least twice in the last couple of years they have sent out notices with incorrect information about the changes they actually made. What really amuses me about Comcast are the slides they put up claiming that The Weather Channel is on 21B. TWC was moved away from 21B mabye 20 years ago, and they completely killed the B cable several years. Dave thinks the Post is bad about promply updating radio listings, but Comcast can't even get their own lineup right after a couple of decades. Diane in PG (7/11/07)
"I bet if you looked at your Comcast bill, you would know what is going on. Also, they mail fliers way before the channel change to let people know what is going on." Nothing in last month's bill(Baltimore County); this month's bill will arrive later, and if the line-up change is mentioned, it'll be just a tad late, no? Did get a sports related flier, mentioning the relocation of Golf and MASN to chs 3 & 4, but nothing about any other shuffling. Jumped on their website: nothing. Called: CSR knew nothing, could find nothing. and the TV Guide scroll is Still not updated. Mark in CharmCity - A Complainer! (7/11/07)
KT Harris has the feelers out for another radio gig or some V/O work, huh? I hope she taps something soon, but it raises a curious question -- why is it that so many "underemployed" radio folks have little or nothing in the way of fallbacks? Think about all the jocks that got consolidated right out of their jobs back in '96. Where are they now? God forbid I end up without a job by this Friday, but I have a solid *technical* background as well as performance in radio and TV; I do photography, carpentry and masonry; I have advanced computer skills including Windows and Linux; I can write and edit; run theatrical lighting and audio boards, and if I have to I can squeeze a frosting tube like a sumbitch in the bakery at my nearest Giant. I'll never have to worry about meeting the mortgage, even if it means I wont be quoting snippets from Entertainment Weekly magazine between songs for awhile. To anyone who thinks they'll be spinning songs well into their '60s, better learn a secondary skill soon. And good luck KT - I mean that. (7/11/07)
The reason most jocks would stay is because they are one step from being fired and replaced by a voice track. Bryslock, you are right on the money. I am sure corporate bean counters use this argument in support of voice tracking. Computers don't call in sick, they don't bitch about the air condition or heat being broken, they don't tell programers how to do their jobs, they follow the instructions given to them without complaint, and there are no taxes, Social Security, Etc. to pay. Am I for all this? HECK NO. I sure hope there will be a day when live and local personalities will once again be back at the mics for each and every shift. Just trying to make some sense of why radio as we knew it, is being destroyed. SJ (7/11/07)
I read your note on KT Harris at Mix 107.3 today and it got me wondering whatever happened to Celeste Clark? Tom (7/11/07)
(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Ocean City's 1590 WKHZ is looking for producers and on-air talent. We are firing back up again and are looking for a few good men (or women) to entertain the East Coast's favorite vacation destination. There will be plenty of remotes, on-air appearances and the chance to make plenty of $$. Beginners are welcomed, we will train! Email your resume now to WKHZ Station Manager, wkhz1590@yahoo.com. RBC is an equal opportunity employer. (7/11/07)
I noticed the movement of channels on Comcast-Harford County yesterday too. Thanks for the update Greg. They used to put a scroll on the Weather Channel whenever they made similar switches, but not this time. Oh, and Comcast apologist Mike in Waldorf...would this be the same Comcast that now has 2 vacant channels (71 and 64) that just last year couldn't add MASN because they "didn't have any available space to add additional networks" ?. Couldn't be ! Doug in Bel Air (7/11/07)
(RE: Why in the world would they change WQSR in Baltimore back to "Oldies"? The station is Top 10, ages 25 - 54 and is currently tied with sister station MIX1065! While we'd all like to hear the great DJ's and incredible production WQSR used to have, Jack has ratings and reveune. The best thing CBS could do is switch their HD2 channel to the WQSR Oldies format or start an online stream of the station.) QSR is nowhere near tied with Mix in that demo...... (7/11/07)
"Thanks Greg from Perry Hall for the SUCKCAST update, but one question begs to be answered, COULDN'T THEY UPDATE THEIR OWN TV GUIDE CHANNEL TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON ??? Comcast TV Guide Channel still has all the old channels and programs on the same channel numbers/locations. Beyond pathetic IMHO." I bet if you looked at your Comcast bill, you would know what is going on. Also, they mail fliers way before the channel change to let people know what is going on. Figures someone would complain that can't leave a name. Mike in Waldorf (formerly of Arlington) (7/11/07)
RE: [ " the Waldorf licensed 104.1 " ]...... Ahem.... CANNOT be heard in Baltimore city very easily and soon it will NOT BE HEARD AT ALL! RE: [ " The reason to move Mix 106.5 to 99.1 has a lot to do with the large number of Latinos in Northern Prince George's County, Eastern Montgomery County, Frederick City " ]......... The Baltimore market (even Latinos excepted) is much bigger than that specific population group you mentioned and SIGNIFICANTLY! And you completely forgot WIYY's great signal towards DC! You did get a couple things right though, the 102.7 signal travels unbelievably well south and the sleeper station for a great Washington/Baltimore signal might just be the highly directional (but towards both Baltimore & DC) WRBS 95.1 which now owns Baltimore's AM 1230. They also have plenty of FM translators in nearby PA & DE as well. One wonders if now that they own WRBS AM 1230, might they consider selling 95.1 or swap it for a DC-rimshot type signal? I would imagine that they'll be needing to raise money soon to replace some of the aging equipment for both FM95.1 and AM1230 since it doesn't appear much has been done for either station in quite some time. Same situation for FM107.9 in Annapolis too maybe? (7/11/07)
Considering CBS Radio replaced that "high profile" failure with an equally high profile failure of people who ACTUALLY HAD radio experience, what difference does it make? (7/11/07)
“I have updated the Front Pages of the NYC and Boston subsites” Dave, New York isn’t a subsite to anything! Boston, maybe. - PB (7/11/07)
Since dumping the digital after Sporanos ended, my Comast system has NBC4 audio out of phase, as well as other local channels, no audio on USA or TBS, and signal on CW that looks like it's coming from Mars. (7/11/07)
Interesting - KT Harris has off on Wednesday's? www.mix1073fm.com (7/11/07)
(Regarding the NYC page report about Boomer Esiason replacing Don Imus:) please don't make us suffering jets fans suffer more by calling boomer a "jet great". (7/11/07)
Dave's response: What's with CBS giving high-profile radio jobs to non-radio people? Didn't they learn anything from the David Lee Roth fiasco?
Thanks Greg from Perry Hall for the SUCKCAST update, but one question begs to be answered, COULDN'T THEY UPDATE THEIR OWN TV GUIDE CHANNEL TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON ??? Comcast TV Guide Channel still has all the old channels and programs on the same channel numbers/locations. Beyond pathetic IMHO. (7/11/07)
Dave's response: Hey, my Comcast cable system still carries the Fairfax County Library channel on cable channel 29 (black screen), and still labeled as such by the electronic program guide, even though that channel was discontinued almost two years ago.....
Dave, Yesterday, you inquired about the morning #'s for KMS in response to a user's post. I'd also be curious to know what they are...the original KML on 98 Rock was solid morning radio, but the 105.7 morning show is painful. I'm not here to pump any other morning shows, but I gave KMS a chance for 1 week, and it was a yawner. Then again, the only person that laughs at anything Mark Ondayko says is.....Mark Ondayko. I'd rather have a tooth extraction than listen to him. Painful. Sorry, Kirk - you should've made a clean break when given the opportunity. Brian in Towson (7/11/07)
RE: *SNIP* John- Lots of people would care if Rush put his 1-year notice in. Rush has been #1 in many markets for a long time. Don't let your hate blind you to facts. Just go listen to Howard and refrain from more ignorant statements. Thanks! TOM IN ARLINGTON /// Right you are Tom, a lot of people would care if Rush retired, but the original post was clearly a joke based on a front page news blurb. Hate? Ignorant? It's just an opinion man...John in Stafford saw an opportunity for a joke...lighten up. I am continually amazed how conservatives and liberals both spend so much time claiming the other side doesn't have a sense of humor. It's OK when the lampooning and jibes are going one way, but when it's two way traffic, it's hateful, meanspirited, and viscous. Insinuating that Rushbo is a flabby windbag is pretty lightweight stuff, me thinks. Calling him a drug addicted draft dodging Viagra using sex vacationing thrice divorced hypocrite would be much more hateful, but I wouldn't say that. (7/11/07)
Shaping up for an excellent week in the mailbag. Lots of cool, inside radio thought and opinion. Plus the added entertainment of ANG and Bryslock poking their nogs out of the trench, resulting in the proper en masse cyber disciplining these two petulant and persistent dunderheads deserve and receive each time they put their talons to the keyboard. (7/11/07)
Dave's response: That vile thread has been expunged.....
Thanks for the plug (recent Front Page news item)! Rudy Brewington sent it to me. In return, I'm
sending you a photo of me acting besieged at some charity fundraiser
over here. (I was terrible!)
Aloha, Howard (Dicus) (7/11/07)Dave, are you feeling OK? No updates to the DCRTV front page? (7/11/07)
Dave's response: I have been busy with "family stuff" today (sis to doc, waiting for her prescriptions, blah, blah, blah). I am a wonderful human being, I know, I know. But, thankfully, there are no earthshattering news developments on the DC-Baltimore media news front today. As of mid-afternoon, I have updated the Front Pages of the NYC and Boston subsites.....
TOM has his panties in a wad because I made fun of his boy Rush. As for his suggestion that I refrain from what he terms "ignorant statements," NO. I disagree that they are ignorant. They are cynical and sarcastic, but not ignorant, as I am aware of Rush's popularity. Does his popularity innoculate him from criticism or ribbing from me or anyone else? No! TOM, there will be more remarks from me in the future about Rush, Don & Mike or anyone else I care to talk about. As for Howard Stern, I admit that I do like him. You want to take a swipe at him. I don't care. It's no skin off my ass. JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/11/07)
Why move 99.1 to 106.5? The 99.1 signal reaches across the entire Central Maryland area, as well into Delaware, the Eastern Shore, even down into Salisbury. So, 99.1 has a better reach. 106.5 would be limited to the Baltimore area, which does not have a large enough Hispanic market. As for other formats for that frequency, I say CHR/Top 40 would be golden on that stick. I say keep 99.1 Hispanic, make HFS true Alternative Rock, or sports talk (EPSN) and get rid of 1300. I would make WLIF a true Hot AC station, but with more gold-since 1065 would be CHR. Make 947 the new HFS for DC, with alt rock, which gets into some parts of Baltimore, and move the 947 format to 1067... (7/11/07)
Unsigned Corporate Poster..ABSOLUTELY on target! I don't think there's a suit in the market that will understand what you said, but you said it succinctly. Congrats, a GREAT read. PLB (7/11/07)
hats off to don, he has made millions off the stupidity of americans. (7/11/07)
Dave's response: Well, you could say the same thing about Rupert Murdoch or Bill Gates.....
The reason to move Mix 106.5 to 99.1 has a lot to do with the large number of Latinos in Northern Prince George's County, Eastern Montgomery County, Frederick City and the middle Eastern Shore. All places where the 106.5 signal comes in reasonably well (as well as or better than the 99.1 signal). The main problem with the 106.5 signal is it seems to "die out" quickly in Prince George's County, expecially South of MD 4. It also dies out quickly in DC. I can't think of any DC station, even the Waldorf licensed 104.1, that does not come in at least in most of Baltimore City. But with Baltimore area stations, we have both WHFS that barely reaches the Beltway, and a WWMX signal that barely works, the WSMJ, WZBA and WWIN signals that can't even be heard in central Prince George's County or DC. The only Baltimore signals that seem to work somewhat reliably in DC are the WRBS, WERQ, WPOC, WLIF, and WQSR signals. The WQSR signal is the best going South, it will make it into Hanover County VA, near Richmond. I guess the other option is to move Jack to 99.1 and Mix to 102.7? (7/11/07)
I applaud Donni G for announcing his retirement. I dont know anyone who wouldnt retire at 49 given the chance. I worry now that CBS won't give Mike the proper commitment to keep him around. I do think that Mike, Rob and Buzz could pull off a pretty funny show given the chance. But it means that Mike has slow down on his drinking and start working. Lets not kid ourselves here, Donni does all the prep for the show. But lets also not forget..."If its funny...Rob probably wrote it"....Anyway...Good luck Donni...thanks for the laughs...enjoy your retirement...you have earned it. WB Centreville, VA (7/11/07)
Predictable to see the vultures circling now that Donnie G. has apparently picked a departure date . . . like his departure will help DC radio, or make it better, or more interesting. Is the show less than it was? Sure. It’s still a boatload funnier and more interesting than anything that’s likely to come along any time soon. Oh, would you rather hear the Junkies interview wrestlers and poker players? How about Bram Weinstein’s Redskins love fest? The . . . pauses . . . of Jim Rome? THAT’S compelling radio . . . not. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve got to think that Don G. will take his box of records and wander over to Sirius, for Donnie G’s 70s Music Extravaganza. Say what you want about Don Geronimo, but he pulled a heck of a lot of listeners for a REAL long time, and it appeared he had some fun while he was doing it. I’ll enjoy this last year or so of the show with Don, and I hope Mike O’Meara keeps going with it when Don puts his feet up. Sincerely, TMU (7/11/07)
RE: " I need 20-30 minutes to get my complete fill of news/traffic/weather from TOP..." They're on a 10 minute cycle. Four of those minutes are commercials, two minutes are traffic and weather, two more are spent on mindless giggling and clumsy self-promotion--that leaves two minutes for them to read headlines out of the morning Post. You can actually stomach listening to that two or three times in a row? (7/11/07)
To answer the person's question about SUCKCAST, I mean COMCAST, removing MASN and the Golf Channel, both channels have actually been moved to other locations in Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County. In Baltimore County, MASN is now on Ch.4 (where ESPN Classic used to reside) and The Golf Channel is now on Ch.3 (former home of ESPN2). As a result, ESPN2 has been moved to Ch.5 (where ESPNEWS used to be), while ESPNEWS and ESPN Classic have been moved to digital cable. I noticed last night that G4 was residing on Ch.56 (The Golf Channel's former home) and TV1 was on Ch.64 (MASN's old home). Yet, these networks are also still shown on their old spots (Chs.69 and 68 respectively)! I hope COMCAST replaces two of these channels with two other networks. One network I'd like to see back on basic cable is GSN! I can understand ESPNEWS being moved to digital, since MASN simulcasts it throughout the day, but they could've kept ESPN Classic on basic. -Greg from Perry Hall (7/11/07)
Dan Patrick started doing his national radio show in 1999 but wasn't heard in the DC area until about four years later when he replaced Jim Rome on WTEM's schedule. At first he had former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Rob Dibble as a sidekick and there were some amusing bits such as a shouting match between the two (when they supposedly thought the mikes were turned off) that turned out to be an April Fool's joke. After Dibble left to help launch XM's baseball programming in 2005, the entertainment value of the show seemed to decline a bit. Patrick was eventually joined part time by his old SportsCenter co-anchor Keith Olbermann - initially on Fridays only but later expanded to all week long in the 2 PM hour. Despite the host's lofty status at ESPN, I never really considered his program appointment radio. While he provided a more cerebral approach than your typical sports talk host, there was a tendency to latch on to a particular topic and beat it to death, case in point being two years ago when Congress conducted hearings on steroid use in baseball. Patrick's show sounded like 'all steroid radio' for a week or two and his holier-than-thou attitude throughout that entire affair was somewhat of a turnoff. At times he'd make the mistake of assuming that a hot topic on New York or Boston sports radio would work for the national audience as well, once devoting the better part of two hours to the burning question of whether Yankee reliever Mariano Rivera had 'lost his edge' against the Red Sox. Of course the entire ESPN network overhypes the Yanks-Sox rivalry all the time. WTEM's switch to an all local daytime lineup after the departure of Tony Kornheiser early in 2006 marked the end of Patrick's run on the station, but his show resurfaced with the launch of Triple X about a year ago. You wonder whether Dan Snyder's network plans to continue carrying ESPN Radio in the entire 1-4 PM timeslot with whoever replaces Patrick. I assume that Larry Michael's Redskins Lunch program will return to the noon hour when training camp opens later this month, but perhaps Bram Weinstein (who co-hosts with Michael) will continue doing his own show in the 1 PM hour and Triple X can pick it up. Mike, Fairfax (7/11/07)
RE: "So, maybe some of you folks who loathe conservatism can tells me why you listen to conservative radio." I think most blanket statements about any point of view are an ineffective means of debating issues. People espousing liberal, moderate or conservative points of view are neither right nor wrong. They are simply expressing a point of view, whether on a radio station, TV show or elsewhere. Listening to someone else's point of view is called staying informed about opposing vewpoints. If someone only listens to one side or the other on an issue, he or she is limited in the information needed to establish their own ideas. JT (7/11/07)
Anyone know why SUCKCAST quietly removed MASN & GOLF Channels from it's Baltimore County system this week? It's been several days now so I've given up on the odd technical glitch possibility, even Comcast couldn't be that inept right? Hehe, nevermind. (7/11/07)
Dave's response: I can't imagine Comcast has dropped both channels. Are you sure they just haven't been moved to new locations?
*SNIP* RE: "Question: If a chubby, boring, unfunny radio ass that no one listens to gives his one year notice, does anyone care?" You mean you weren't talking about Rush Limbaugh? Damn! JOHN IN STAFFORD *SNIP* John- Lots of people would care if Rush put his 1-year notice in. Rush has been #1 in many markets for a long time. Don't let your hate blind you to facts. Just go listen to Howard and refrain from more ignorant statements. Thanks! TOM IN ARLINGTON (CAPS make me feel SO cool) PS Going 'Damn!' after an ignorant statement doesn't make it any less ignorant... (7/11/07)
RE: [ " El Zol on both 106.5 and 106.7 " ]........ Maybe El Zol on 106.7, but that would be economic suicide for 106.5. There are barely enough Hispanic people in the Baltimore market to support 1 AM Hispanic programmed station, let alone one of Baltimore's most powerful FM signals! Why treat 106.5 as if it's a rimshot signal? Neither 104.3 or 106.5 are rimshot signals in the Baltimore market. It's only 104.1 & 106.7 that are rimshot signals in the Washington market. Remember, 104.1 is licensed to Waldorf & 106.7 is licensed to Manassas, neither to Washington DC. Both 104.3 & 106.5 are licensed to Baltimore and that probably helped Clear Channel with its request to move to TV Hill (Baltimore city) from way out in the boonies of Kingsville, MD. How about HFS on both 106.7 AND 105.7 ? Since HFS did so well ratings-wise in the Baltimore market on 99.1 (which you could say is a rimshot signal in Baltimore), it seems to me that it would do at least as well on the slightly stronger 105.7 signal. Maybe call 106.7 WHFS and 105.7 WKTK or WLPL ? As for 102.7, the argument against fixing a Top 10 station that's not broken is powerful, but the old WQSR was at times a Top 5 station in Baltimore if I'm not mistaken. Does that difference allow for enough money to actually pay good people to make such an Oldies station an interesting lively station to listen to? The suits & accountants will probably say no. I will say 1 final thing about Labrozzi & Philips, they definitely know how to cut costs. But they've also succeeded in convincing me to listen less to all of those CBS Radio Baltimore stations that they've screwed around with over the past few years. I used to want to program more stations than I could fit on my car stereo. They've fixed that problem. Thanks. (7/11/07)
The FCC FM Query web site says that WCEI is "Licensed" (not just CP) at Wye Mills. See primary coverage map: www.fcc.gov (7/11/07)
Anyone else watch the All Star Game and notice Russell Martin yell “SHIT!!!” as he popped up to end the 6th inning? Break out the audio engineering awards for FOX…. (7/11/07)
Greetings from the unsigned corporate poster! First off, congrats to Mike Sorce on setting his retirement in the not-too-distant future. Let’s remember the hell he’s gone through since Freda’s tragic death and keep both him and Bart in our prayers. Alas, I’m four years away from my first pension eligibility. And, TNX to Ed (Not to mention Dave!) for understanding why some of us can’t sign our posts. In the almost 35 years since my dulcet tones first went out on a broadcast station with a real FCC license on the wall, with the exception of Promotions, I think I’ve worked in just about every facet of the biz (I’m including TV here, as well as radio…): Programming, Engineering (including facility and network design and construction), Sales, Government/Regulatory Affairs, and Busine! ss Operations. Having said all that, the reason I brought up some Top-40 stations of the past is that among the things they drill into your head in OCS are great battles of the past. They do this in the spirit of “Those who do not study the past are doomed to repeat its mistakes.” While radio sometimes engages in too much creativity and innovation inhibiting ancestor worship for its own good, it is also loath to learn from the mistakes of others. We’ve heard it over the years in radio. And, we’re still hearing it today. A good case in point would be to listen to the commercial-free “decade” music channels on XM. The most authentic presentations in my opinion are Flash Phelps on XM6 and Bobby Ocean on XM7. Both are very, very good and sound much as they did when they were on “real” radio (Apologies to Uncle Ricky!) back in the day. Another winner I’ve heard on XM is Bill Lee who cut his teeth on a string of stations from the midwest to California. ! Unfortunately, a sad case of the opposite is also on XM. I won’t i dentify the individual out of professional courtesy and respect as he’s had a rough personal life, as so many of us have. He tries to sound like he’s representing the era of which he’s on. But, even in that decade he would’ve been a curious anomaly. And, despite doing some good topical research (A key part of any programming effort!) he still often sounds like an overaged wanna-be teenager looking in a street-level studio window, and going home to “play radio” with a couple of turntables and perhaps a Part 15 transmitter. Sad… However, what WBIG was allowed to turn into was equally sad. When all that remained was the balls-to-the-wall legal ID, it was just “a matter of time”, as the M.D.’s say. However, this scenario also illustrates one of the downsides of today’s megalithic media business. When the FCC allowed the old 12-12-12 ownership of AM-FM-TV stations with one of each to a market, while you could possibly afford to either experiment with! a format or nurture a future service (Think about how many FM’s and UHF-TV’s died in the 1950’s and 1960’s!) you also had to turn a profit every way you could. And, yes I’ve heard the “justification” for multi-station ownership. But, the reason iPods, Sirius and XM radios, and CD players are so popular is because station owners are programming in response to focus group research (instead of taking advantage of an unserved audience), with the result being that the only people listening will likely be members of that focus group! Today, when you have one company as an O&O of so many stations in one market, you can either subsidize a desirable yet money-losing format with a profitable station or two, or you can “occupy” a frequency that would otherwise be a competitor by buying it and programming something with a very limited audience. Unfortunately, you see too much of the latter today and pitifully little of the former. And, with a few exceptions,! that seems to be what CBS is doing with 106.7! How many remember whe n Art Kellar’s 106.7 billed itself as “the most exciting station in the nation”? In the early-mid 1980’s, the battle it had with WAVA reminded me when Buzz Bennet escaped the “Boss Bat Cave” of KGB for KCBQ. B-106 reeked of hyper excitement. Unfortunately, like another successful (Ableit similarly short-lived) D.C. area station of the era, WCXR, B-106 was unable to sustain its initial excitement after the format and call change from Beautiful Music WEZR. I bring that up because if someone were to try re-introducing an oldies (as opposed to classic rock) format to the D.C. area, sustaining that excitement would be a serious challenge. Speaking of station excitement, who remembers what was ultimately WEZR’s “last contest”? They parked a Cadillac DeVille sedan in Tysons Corner Center and did the old “lucky key” schitck! Sorry this ended-up being so long. I guess I’ve spent too much time in proposal/presentation preparation! But, I'm enjoying th! e discussion on format and presentation theory. I only hope our peers are reading and learning from it! (7/11/07)
It's not torture to listen to conservative radio. It's a hilarious experience, especially when the hosts contort their views to reflect the current spin on a policy going haywire. Iraq is the best example of this point. How many conservative radio hosts take serious issue with White House policies on Iraq, especially when it comes to the different justifications of the war over the years, such as going from WMD to The Surge? Tucker Carlson is the only conservative pundit I can think of who has done a 180 on Iraq. The rest of the conservative pundits, mostly radio hosts, seem to follow Bush down whatever path he goes on to argue for pursuing the Iraq War If Bush suddenly announced a troop pullout from Iraq, and gave reasons completely opposite to those that he has given for keeping the war going over the course of the war, would all of those same conservative radio hosts agree with his new policy? JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/11/07)
I just got Siruis, and I've been checking out BBC 1. I am amazed by UK radio, tight formatics, good imaging, compelling content. I've been checking out Capital 98.6 and BBC 1 on the web. American radio needs to take some lessons from our brothers across the pond...great top 40 radio! (7/11/07)
Dave's response: I also listen to BBC's Radio 6 and London's XFM. Both available on the web and both very cool.....
(Re Rant: Another glitch of "glorious" HD Radio. Tried listening to the beginning of Rush Limbaugh's show on AMer WMAL's digital signal today, but the hi-fi HD audio kept cutting out. Very annoying. Must have been all that thunderstorm interference on the band today. Duh! Did the guys who designed and pushed for HD on AM realize that this would happen during the summer boomer season? Sheesh.) In this article you speak of the guy(s) who pushed HD radio. That would be Gary Kline, Corporate Director of Engineering for Cumulus Radio in Atlanta and chief spokesperson and snake oil salesman for The IBOC (in band on channel) HD Initiative. Call him for a quote. He's gotten real sensitive about this subject of late. (7/11/07)
/\ July 11 Messages /\
\/ July 10 Messages \/
So, maybe some of you folks who loathe conservatism can tells me why you listen to conservative radio. I can count on one hand the number of minutes I listen to stuff that makes my skin crawl. Stop torturing yourselves! I ask this as Dave once again says he was trying to listen to Rush on HD today. I read lots of posts here that are similar. (7/10/07)
Good luck and God speed to Don Geronimo. He'll retire at 49, a feat most of us can only imagine. I'm ten years behind him with a gig, and no retirement in sight. I may (given survival upon the next several buyouts, consolidations, and eliminations) retire in something better than a van down by the river. Congrats Don G! You did it, despite what the ankle munchers say. (7/10/07)
RE: "Question: If a chubby, boring, unfunny radio ass that no one listens to gives his one year notice, does anyone care?" You mean you weren't talking about Rush Limbaugh? Damn! JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/10/07)
Why the hate regarding Don and Mike? Seriously? I have been working in this market for 4 years now and I just don't get it. Is it just pure jealousy or what? I think its a shame that he is leaving radio. They do a good show and in this market the only time I'm not listening to XM is when I turn on Don and Mike. CW (7/10/07)
Since the bloated windbag Donnie is officially calling it quits and wants to do something different, how about team him up with Peter Rosenberg at Hot 97...Don said he was interested in playing a box of records...LOL... (7/10/07)
ANG---Aww, play nice. You don’t have to be professional to be successful, we’ve covered that one already. And I agree—Big Don O’Brien is one of the few professional successful jocks left, along with maybe the guys doing the Oldies “quasi”-radio in Chicago (Dick Biondi, John Landecker, etc.). Regardless, you’re missing the point—Don and Mike have earned their right to work in comfortable conditions based on their seniority and success. Now go wring out your panties and enjoy Beltway traffic—I’ll sit here with my head in the sand on the beach where Don will join me in a year, along with other SUCCESSFUL NON-PROFESSIONALS. Hmmm Dave, you think I can convince Don to do Oldies radio here in Tampa Bay? No Jack FM here (or George, Brenda, Hillary, Brock, Pete or Bill FM either). DCRTV rules (and listen to Kane on Hot 99.5 and 93.3 FLZ)! Josh’s Head in St. Pete’s Sand, FL (7/10/07)
Dave's response: Hey, can you pick up former Hot 99.5ers Mark and Kris in Jacksonville from where you are?
David Burd is a versatile guy. He did some great stuff afternoons on TOP, then did a weekend morning show that probably would ahve grown into a hit. Now he does a dman good morning show with Jessica Doyle plus he's filling in for Korny. David is not Korny. But he is an entertaining guy with his own style. I bet some of the sniping here comes from washed up jocks. Auggie (7/10/07)
Josh in St. Pete.....FYI I don't work radio. Part of being SUCCESSFUL is being PROFESSIONAL no matter what your occupation. There's a big difference between being a HATER and not respecting someone. OH, and by the way there are a lot of SUCCESSFUL jocks that are not PROFESSIONAL, and there are a lot of SUCCESSFUL JOCKS that DON'T (Aren't allowed to call their own shots). NO passion anywhere in BROADCASTING. Most of the passionate have left the building..cept maybe Big Don O'Brien. Jack Gale and a FEW others. The above mentioned are all SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONALS. Now, go stick your head in St. Pete's sand. ANG (7/10/07)
How about Scott Van Pelt as a replacement for Dan Patrick? When he has filled in on the radio he has been terrific. It would be a national show, but being from MoCo and U. of Maryland he would certainly have a local slant. Plus, he is a "name" that some people feel ESPN needs. Matt N. (7/10/07)
MASN can simulcast all the Washington radio shows that it wants. As long as it is owned by Angelos, it won't have a snowball's chance in hell with Washington viewers in situations where there is a choice. Which, of course, there isn't with the Nats. (7/10/07)
Does anyone know if 96.7 WCEI has moved their transmitter from Easton to Wye Mills yet? (7/10/07)
Interesting Post regarding DC’s “Radio God”. I thought Donnie G had retired already. Hasn’t he been phoning it in for a few years now? Jim in Chesapeake (7/10/07)
I am a big David Burd fan. I like his early show with Jessica and I like him filling in for Tony. Incredible to think that on the day the "radio gods" announce the nd of an era, there's moire interest or debate about Burd. Way to go, David! As for Don and Mike, why shoudl WJFK worry? The can just run best-of shows for years to come. Not much differemt from today. (7/10/07)
I need 20-30 minutes to get my complete fill of news/traffic/weather from TOP, then I spend the rest of the morning with David Burd. Very enjoyable way to commute. Who is better in morning radio? Nobody, as far as I am concerned. (7/10/07)
To dapjdjinva: I said LIVE on the radio—of course if I wanted to hear a podcast, I’d tune in. I’m talking about the DC radio dial. And in regards to passion, you’re right. I never said they were passionate about radio anymore. Again, they EARNED the right. What do you honestly think WJFK would put in its place? Honestly? Is there ANY afternoon drive comedy talk show out there which would bring in half the listeners they have over the years (even today)? And to ANG—obviously, you’re one of the HATERS. I wasn’t calling Don and Mike PROFESSIONAL. I was calling them SUCCESSFUL. Look at the state of radio today, you think any real PROFESSIONALS in radio are SUCCESSFUL? Just because you may be stuck doing crappy radio in a crappy studio while SUCCESSFUL jocks get to call the shots, doesn’t mean Don and Mike aren’t ENTITLED to comfortable working conditions. Don’t hate ANG, just find a new profession. It obviously ain’t working for ya. Can’t stand the heat? I hear KSAL in Salina, KS is looking for overnights. Josh in St. Pete, FL (7/10/07)
I'll echo the recent posts about David Burd. I've listened to him since the "Baker and Burd" days at WPGC, and I've never found the guy humorous. And he has this annoying monotone delivery of speaking. I guess his attempts at humor and his qualities behind the mike appeal to more people than me because he's remained in the market for quite a while now. A humanitarian I'm sure, but he's just not my cup of tea for the radio waves. And it looks like I'm not alone. (7/10/07)
"I also think if you surveyed most of the JOCKS in this area..they would STAY...SWEAT..and not BITCH, unless they we so full of themselves they thought they were above SWEATING. ANG" 98 degrees equals hot as balls. That I believe was about the temp in Rockville yesterday. This is what you do ANG: go into a room with no windows and close the door. Sit their for 4 hours and try to entertain. I work for the government and if the AC goes out, we go home. Same thing when I worked for a private company. The reason most jocks would stay is because they are one step from being fired and replaced by a voice track. A talk show is different than pressing a button to play a song. That is the reality of it. So enjoy Pete Moss and Les Humid. Bryslock (7/10/07)
I am a big fan of Tony and I wasn't sure what to make of Byrd sitting in for him, but I am pleasantly surprised. Though not the same type of humor as Tony, I am very impressed with Byrd's show and I find it very entertaining. I like the best of part of the show as well, because I feel like I missed many of those "bits" when they happened over the past 4 months. (7/10/07)
Caught up on mailbag. Are people hating D. Burd? I tune in and he's always talking about oldies but goodies rock music. What's that about? Sounds very AARP. I thought Tony was AARP, but this is that, too. Is this guidance from the bosses? What is their goal? I think they should let David do his Saty/Sundy morning show with the mix of interviews, characters, etc., at which he was good. The music thing eludes me. What does that have to do with the Washington Post and a "talk" radio format? (7/10/07)
Dave's response: "The Tony Kornheiser Show Starring David Burd" is the "family friendly" morning zoo show. No boobs or dicks like with Elliot or the Junks.....
#1 - When does the 104.3 transmitter get moved to TV Hill? It seems like 104.3 comes in well enough in Waldorf, which is near the 104.1 transmitter as of late. I've also noticed that 103.7, WXCY has been coming in at night and in the morning in Waldorf too, which is a long ways out of it's normal radius..... #2 - Is 101.5 running off a backup transmitter? The fidelity of the signal is bloody awful the past two days..... #3 - Praise 104 seems to come in reasonably fine in Urbana, moreso in Germantown..... #4 - If I were CBS Radio, I'd move WJFK to 1580 and move WWMX from 106.5 to 99.1, and make El Zol on both 106.5 and 106.7. I'd dump HFS in its current form and flip it to a true Top 40 station. Why would I do this? #1, WPGC AM is being murdered by Praise 104. #2, Talk radio is better left on AM anyways. #3, 106.7 and 106.5 fight each other in many parts of Prince George's County, having them simulcast the same exact airplay should eliminate some of the interference and give better coverage to the Hispanic demographic. #4, the WWMX format would do well in both Baltimore and DC. #5 There are a lot of people in Baltimore that listen to Hot 99.5. (7/10/07)
Hey Josh....I think you've got you panties in wad for no legitimate reason. A REAL PROFESSIONAL does not take a day off because there's no AC. We've all worked in stations where the air died. In fact it did that a lot at one station in this market. Some summer's the jocks worked in tighty whiteys, BUT they didn't do a no show...or walk off. That, to me is totally un-professional. I also think if you surveyed most of the JOCKS in this area..they would STAY...SWEAT..and not BITCH, unless they we so full of themselves they thought they were above SWEATING. ANG (7/10/07)
Re: "This is directed at the moron who doesn't think that Burd is funny, or doing a good job filling in for TK. Pull your head out of your ass already. Are you listening to the same show I'm listening to? Don't think so. As a matter of fact, I think Burd is even funnier than TK." Wow--even funnier than Kornheiser? That's kind of like being prettier than a Harry Carey, isn't it? Not only is Burd not funny, he has a tendency to make stuff up in his futile attempts at humor. Yesterday he said the reason the Leesburg Town Council (who he insisted on calling "commissioners," for some reason) don't want drive-thru restaurants in town because the workers at drive-thrus "resent" their customers. That might be what Burd thinks, but nobody on the Town Council has ever said any such thing. Burd made it up--and then worked himself up into a lather about it. If you find that kind of stupidity funny, enjoy. It does nothing for me. By the way, if you were listening to Burd at the same time as I was, that gives him an audience of about 12 people. Now its 11. Dave In Sterling (7/10/07)
HERE ARE SOME LOCAL NEWS AND TIDBITS ABOUT RADIIO AND TV PEOPLE FROM THE DC AREA FROM ME, KEN WHEATON REAL NAME FRANK EVANS. I WAS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AT WHFS FOR MY PROGRAM, AFFIRMATION OF FAITH WAY BACK IN 1962 AND 1963 WHEN ALVIN JEWELER, JAY ALLEN ON AIR WAS GENERAL MANAAGER AT WHFS. WE BOTH ARE GRADURATES OF COOLIDGE HIGH SCHOOL IN DC ALONG WITH WARNER WOLF WHO WAS IN MY CLASS OF 1955. HERE ARE TIDBITS. JEFF LAWSON FROM WTTG NOW AT WVEC. BRUCE RADER FROM WHEATON NOW AT WAVY, TONY SYLVESTER FROM OLD WTOP WAS FORMALLY WITH WAVY AND MY BUDDY BRIAN FARRELL FROM WTKR NOW WVEC IS GETTING READY TO JOIN AFTRA. I'AM ALSO A MEMBER OF AFTRA IN DC AREA UNDER MY AKA KEN WHEATON........... (7/10/07)
So one thinks Burd is funny and one does not. Here's my take on him. His sense of humor is like that "Capitol Steps" type of humor. To me, I could get more laughs from watching a hearse pull out of Pumphrey's! I went out with ONE guy from the "Capitol Steps" ONE time and had much more fun getting a root canal. However, if you're into that David Burd/ Chris Core type humor... enjoy. Just, please, oh please, choose a different car than mine on the Metro or I will be forced to hurl on your shoes. I think those people know a lot of show-tunes, too! - Melanie (7/10/07)
Re: "they've EARNED that right not to work." So what you're saying is, they're more interested in a chance at a day off than in the opportunity to do a unique broadcast. It all comes down to the same "no passion" on the broadcasting side. (7/10/07)
Thoughts and prayers go out to Don "Mike Sorce" Geronimo on the two-year anniversary of his wife's tragic death. The show has not been the same since Freida died. Love him or hate him, no one deserves to have to go through that kind of tragedy. Greg in Reisterstown, MD (7/10/07)
"don’t tell me there’s something more compelling/fun/relaxing live on the radio anywhere in the country from 3-7pm everyday" - Hmmm, how about: podcosts of the Ron and Fez show; any XM rock channel (especially "Fred" and "UPOP"); "Broadminded" on XM 155 (every now and then); Junkies podcasts, to name a few. Perhaps the frequency of D&M posts on this mailbag can be attributed to a collective disappointment over D&M's abandonment of any hint of creativity and humor in deference to a show that's arrogantly self-centered, dark, and audience-hating. They were good once, but they've used up all of their good will. If you don't believe me, call the show, and have the unfortunate happenstance to not meet the "great" Don's expectations. Let us know what happens! The kindest thing I can say is that D&M need a change of scenery and some therapy. I've found tuning into anything **but** 106.7 after the (loveably lazy and sloppy) Junkies close up shop for the day ='s good entertainment!! dapjdjinva. (7/10/07)
The thing I always wondered, and even pose the question to the folks at Red Zebra, is why the Bram Weinstein show isn't broadcast in its entirety here in the DC area. I mean you can hear him for the full two hours in Virginia Beach as compared to only one hour in his own hometown. Personally, though I repspect Dan Patrick, I thought he was rather boring, especially his two minute pauses between thoughts. The wise move in my opinion is moving towards local programming. With more and more people buying satellite radio subscriptions, the option is given to the listener if they want to hear a nationally syndicated sports program. But what about those who don't subscribe to satellite, and care not to listen to the ever-boring, joe the fan on SportsTalk 980. Denesh (7/10/07)
Listen to all these people rant about the “two fat windbags” who can’t work because their AC is out. Yeah, well—they’ve EARNED that right not to work. You don’t have to listen to them, you don’t have to complain about them. You KNOW as well as I do, that if YOU were in their shoes, YOU’d be the same way. Maybe that’s the problem—people are so damn jealous that Mike Sorce and Mike O’Meara have incredibly fun jobs with incredible pay and even more incredible perks. Get over it. I’m personally saddened that Don Geronimo has announced his one year notice (especially when I’m FINALLY moving to an area where I can hear it live on the radio—from Tampa Bay to Palm Beach—for the first time since they worked at MY station in Harrisburg, PA TWELVE YEARS AGO). Bitch and moan all you want people; the guy is a radio legend (probably THE radio legend in Washington DC) and this is going to be a major loss. Hell, take a look at the past mailbags in this forum. Good OR bad, I’d bet the mortgage that there are MANY more references to “Don and Mike” than ANYTHING/ANYONE else. This is a big loss. I do admit that the show has lost a lot of edge the past two years, but even still, don’t tell me there’s something more compelling/fun/relaxing live on the radio anywhere in the country from 3-7pm everyday. There isn’t. I just hope Don doesn’t phone it in, because even if you phony haters out there won’t be listening, I will. Josh in St. Petersburg, FL (7/10/07)
This is directed at the moron who doesn't think that Burd is funny, or doing a good job filling in for TK. Pull your head out of your ass already. Are you listening to the same show I'm listening to? Don't think so. As a matter of fact, I think Burd is even funnier than TK. And the fact that he is not self-absorbed is one of his positives. I listen to the the morning show with Burd and the woman they have him teamed up with and it can't be easy going from that show to a show like Mr. Tony's. If there is anyone who can and is doing it it's David Burd. Burd is one of the fastest one-liner guys I've ever heard and he is the real deal when it comes to being funny. He doesn't need a week, it's workiing and I'm not the only one who thinks so. If you can be funny and relaxed doing someone else's show with folks you've never worked with before, then you have natural talent. I like the show better now, but I do miss Mr. Tony. But Tony's people have to love the fact that Burd is giving them more air time and isn't hogging the mike. (7/10/07)
We were talking about WGTS and you were asking why I suspected that Dan Synder might make a play for it. Well, one thought is this: Coach Joe was able to add a third car to his NASCAR stable because of FedEx sponsorship. How that came about, no idea, but his affiliation with the Redskins/FedEx surely helped and good for him, go team go. Coach Joe has some sort of home for troubled youth in rural Virginia, and I applaud that, nothing but net. An aside: In Cumberland, there is a ministry with a children's home called Ceder Ridge Ministries--I think--and they have a big non-com voice at 90.5 FM and they call it the Voice of Cedar Ridge. From what I recall from my channel scans, the format is light Christian pop with teaching/preaching programs. So, hmm, knowing that Coach Joe is ever the entreprenuer and thinking that Mr. Synder wouldn't mind having a big station in his quiver, in some way shape or form, it does stand to reason that perhaps Mr. Synder would buy the station, turn it over to Coach Joe's ministry to run, and who knows, air Redskins games in Spanish as a public service or something. Just a thought--just a kernel or two popping about. (7/10/07)
Oh Ali! Actress Ruins Chances to Permanenty Host ABC's The View bigheaddc.com (7/10/07)
Hey, David Burd asked for a week to settle in..GIVE IT TO HIM! I've known David for a long time. Think about it, "Korny" is a hard act to follow. You've gotta hate him more than you hated TK..lighten up. He'll either TANK-or SWIM. (7/10/07)
The good ship KMS is going down. This morning on my way to work I heard them interview a guy who wrote a book about hitting baseballs. ……………Huh. Oh sorry. I fell asleep writing about it. With their sister station in Washington having the Junkies and soon to have Big O and Dukes, Why can’t HFS just give up on KMS and give up the call letters. Put somebody, Anybody on other than KMS and give DC back WHFS. It’s only right. Ha Ha OOOHHHH I crack myself up. Baltimore radio doing something right. A voice crying out in the wilderness. Elkridge Steve (7/10/07)
If you subtract today from 05/30/2008 you get a result of "325" days until "Da Donnie G" mercifully exits the DC radio scene. But the news is probably far better than that! Why? Let's figure "Da DG" and his madcap "zoo" mates, get about six weeks of vacation before they hit the road, that reduces the number to "295" - but - take heart!, we can subtract about 40 weekend days and 10 holidays - now we are looking at a much brighter number - "245". But wait! It gets even better! If you figure, conservatively, that about 20 to 30 days will be accounted for by one of the following excuses: called in sick; Mike hangover; DG hissy-fit; DG's mad at CK or Michael Hughes and won't come to work; phones don't work; AC won't get cool enough; heat won't get warm enough; AC is **too** cold; heat is **too** warm, etc., etc. we may only be looking at 215 more D&M shows!! The horror!! That means we'll only get 107.5 more "Jew to Jew" or "E to E" segments? Probably only 430 Regis Philbin and Michael Gelman laff-a-thons? A precious 645 times before "Low Budget Jeapordy" comes to an end once and for all? Only 1,075 more times to hear exquisite details of the boy's trips to Costco, or their zany weekends in the OC? How sad, how truly, truly sad... A very depressed pjdjinnorthernvaalltoosoontobebereft of DonnieDaDJ (7/10/07)
The following is a suggestion I sent to Comcast SportsNet on how to improve the network: To many Baltimore sports fans Comcast SportsNet is a Washington bias sports network and to many Washington sports fans MASN is a Baltimore bias sports network. Let's break it down..... CSN= Wizards, Capitals, Bayhawks, United, Washington Post Live, Redskins..... MASN= Local Baltimore area colleges like Loyola, UMBC; The Anita Marks Show; Tom Davis Show; Ravens; Orioles; "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" with Tom Davis..... Now Washington fans can't say that MASN is all Baltimore bias because they do simulcast The John Riggins Show which is on a radio station owned by Washington's favorite sports team, they also show George Mason Athletics as well as Georgetown athletics and of course they are 32% owned by the Nats and broadcast Nats games. I have to give CSN props though they do have Baltimore Sun columnists on ocassion on "Washington Post Live" and on sister station CN8 they have one of Baltimore's most respected radio hosts in Rob Long and Baltimore Sun columnist David Steele on "Out of Bounds" and you do show Maryland athletics which D.C. fans love to. BUT THAT'S IT!!!! You can't let MASN take your land or you'll end up like FSN Chicago. FSN was the RSN king in the Chitown area before you guys came to town. FSN Chicago began to lose money and was forced to cease operations and the worst part about it is they gave all of their programming to Comcast! The same thing is happening here. MASN took your Ravens rights, your BB&T classic rights, your O's rights, your college lacrosse quarterfinals rights, and so much more. And the worst part about it for you guys is that you guys took this station away from CBS but now CBS is getting pure revenge on you guys. Their teaming up with the O's took take away the pride you guys once had as the king of sports TV in this region. You guys are soon going to have to cease operations if you don't start serving both Washington and Baltimore better, not just Washington! MASN has took both of B-more's big teams and have taken some of D.C.'s biggest schools (except for Maryland which you guys have, although that also serves Baltimore) but as CBS did when they first started this station, start small. Nowadays, RSN's are starting huge with the big teams like the RSN's you guys have in Sacremento and the one getting started in Portland. They start making huge money but end up bankrupt. You can start small by getting Baltimore's soccer fans and acquiring the rights to Crystal Palace FC and the Baltimore Blast and if you don't want to give up money for these small teams you can have a revenue-sharing deal. You could also acquire rights to the Baltimore Blackhawks. The college baseball season is ending soon so you could also get the rights to the Aberdeen IronBirds. Your national counterpart Versus already shows the Ripken World Series so it should be pretty easy to negogiate with them. You could also get sports fans in Southern PA by getting the rights to the York Revolution and the hockey team the Hershey Bears. These are just some ideas, you can also simulcast WNST programming and even SportsTalk 980 in DC. And all the programming you guys have On Demand, like for example the NASCAR Whelon Series that was in the Old Dominion Racetrak and the Blue-Gold high school football game. You can show all that stuff live. While MASN may have the majors, you guys can show the future of the nats and O's by acquiring the rights to all of their affiliates. The stuff that you guys do with Terappins Rising is great. You guys can continue to do that stuff with other colleges around town. You guys have a contract with the Redskins to be the official sports RSN of the 'Skins but the guys at MASN were smart enough to get around that deal and become the official sports RSN of the Redskins Radio Network, you guys can do the same thing by saying that you guys are the official RSN of the future of the O's and Nats even though they have the rights to the actual teams. You probably won't take my suggestions seriously but the people of this region don't pay that much money for their cable to see repeats of Washington Post Live every night, I have to admit though that you guys are doing good by deciding to air Wiz Kids summer games you guys can contact me anytime if you need a suggestion. (7/10/07)
Nothing could be finer than to wake at 5 AM and watch Kim Martucci in the morning. Sometimes she's sunny, sometimes rainy, but always smoking hot. (7/10/07)
Regarding an earlier post concerning Tony K taking over for Dan Patrick, Tony DID NOT have the best relations with ESPN Radio management when he was on the air with them. Though, I believe, some of the thorns in Tony’s side have left the four-letter-network, I think that Korny is just as happy doing a local show. (7/10/07)
AHH finally a light at the end of the fat bastard tunnel. Never was a fan of DUMB&MIKE but always a fan of the "bag. Now we have less than 1 year to cherish how all of their fans will whine and bitch and try to figure what the two overpaid fat bastards will do next. WHO CARES. Time for some new talent in the D.C. market. AMF from DELMARVA (7/10/07)
Greetings, Fellow Posters. Rusty Gibson, you've done it again. I'm completely stumped. I like it when I can be stumped on a trivia question. And for Joyce Conroy, it's great you played "A Piece of Paper" on your oldies show, and I'm glad you were inspired by my trivia question to play this classic forgotten 45. It's been eons since that song has been played on ANY radio station. Rusty, keep 'em coming. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (7/10/07)
What about George Michael for Dan Patrick's radio spot? It would work on Snyder's stations locally or nationally on ESPN. I guess Tony K will be available after football season. (7/10/07)
Dave's response: Apparently, Tony has a contract that calls for him to return to WaPo Radio in January or February.....
According to my DIRECTV electronic on-screen guide, I just found out that "SportsRise" has moved up an hour -- from 6-10am to 5-9am -- as of last week. I was not aware of the change until last week. "SportsRise" is now seen from 5-9am on CSN Mid-Atlantic. Could you please update that on your "Shows" page? Christopher Fancher in Hyattsville, Maryland (7/10/07)
Dave's response: And then Christopher received this from CSN.....
"Thank you for the heads up. The change has been made. Webmaster"...
David Burd asked listeners to give him a week to settle into the Program Previously Known as the Tony Kornheiser Show. So I did, and it ain't happening. Burd isn't funny, can't do Self-Absorbed in a clever or entertaining manner, and has little or no chemistry with Tony's regular cast of characters. Add the fact that he can't muster the caliber of guest that routinely graced Tony's shows or interview them in a non-boring manner, the show is just plain bad radio. Let me know when Tony's back, and I'll be back. 'til then, bye-bye Washington Post radio. (7/10/07)
Question: If a chubby, boring, unfunny radio ass that no one listens to gives his one year notice, does anyone care? (7/10/07)
Dave's response: What has Jack Diamond ever done wrong to you?
Great news about BZ! So what does he call the new venture? "Red Albatross" or "Monochrome Zebra"? I'm sure he'll have plenty of instant clients from that long list of fellow broadcast brethern who consider him to be an upstanding member of the radio community. And Tyson's Corner as a location for the new digs! Brilliant! Spend a fortune on fancy offices and then you'll have a built in excuse to lay people off when things don't quite go as planned. Plus, you'll have the value added bonus of being able to take your clients out to lunch on all that unused "trade" chit without having to spend a penny on parking or food. Again, BRILLIANT! Gee I wish I were a disgruntled former employee so I could rail on forever about this major pantload, but alas I can only go by BZ's reputation. Sign me simply "Gruntled" (7/10/07)
Obviously, if Bryslock doesn't know something, it must not be worth knowing and is therefore a waste of time. He gives new meaning to "small minded." What a bitter individual. (7/10/07)
Bryslock, tracing music history often involves the consideration of obscure artists. Much of the music you hear today would be unthinkable without Raymond Scott, This Heat, John Oswald, Laurie Anderson, Faust, Throbbing Gristle, Last Poets, Wire,.... (7/10/07)
Dave's response: "Kidney Bingos." When's The Globe gonna start playing Wire?
"DC Madam" Case Reveals Serious ABC News Flaws bigheaddc.com (7/10/07)
Kirk and Mark have been on vacation? a fill-in show? who knew? It just seems all the same - poor attempts at being humerous and pointless stories. It's kind of like Saturday Night Live these days - doesn't matter what what the lineup is, you just know it will suck. (7/10/07)
Dave's response: I haven't seen any Baltimore radio ratings numbers for 105.7's mornings. Howzit doing?
Once again, to "Too Scared to Sign:" Here's the mailbag etiquette that those of us who've been here since the beginning appreciate. If your job precludes you from signing your post, kindly say that up front. We can all appeciate and understand that! (Most of us have been slaves to the corporate machine, too.) As far as "graduating to the suit and tie level," I'm still chuckling. If wearing a suit and tie is your pinnacle, I wish you all good happiness. For me, the entrepreneurial spirit drew me to management, then ownership, which was fun and has allowed me to pursue my personal passions... without that damned tie! Please continue to share your observations. Although a lot of your dates are a year of two off, here and there, you have some great insights into what makes formats tick. - Ed. Rodriguez (7/10/07)
That is a picture of Jim Lampley, NOT Dan Patrick.
You can’t just post erroneous information. Who are you, the Washington Post? - Michael (7/10/07)Dave's response: Well, I got the pic of Dan Patrick, right, from www.espnradio1310.com. That's Lampley on the left.....
"We owed it to our listeners. Meanwhile, D and M's AC unit went out. What's wrong with those two fat, overpaid bastards? How about driving all the way to Fairfax and going on the air from there? Those two disgust me. John" - That is if WJFK had the room or the facilities. All their shit is in Rockville. I tell you what you can do. Why don't you work today indoors with no AC and tough it out today. It would be an adventure wouldn't it? Bryslock (7/10/07)
Dave's response: Run over to Target for some big fans, a beach umbrella, and a kiddie pool, and have Don and Mike do their show in bathing suits from the parking lot with some refreshing "adult beverages." It would have made great radio. A missed opportunity. D&M really need a new producer! If BA was still there she'd have come up with that idea, fer sure.....
With everyone yearning for one radio station from the past or another (I'll toss in a nostalgic sigh for WDCU), perhaps it's time to figure out the basic reason for all the discontent with radio as it is now. Could it be we're all longing for a sense of passion, of knowledge, of love for what radio can do? When big deal morning hosts won't sweat a little to keep their show on the air, why should the listeners care about the show? When the same one "hit", from a group that turned out dozens of charting records, is played for the 4077th time, the "format" is beyond stale. And when staleness sets in, it spreads and it's hard to get that stench of staleness out of the listeners' noses. We want _radio_, while all the suits can think of is "formats". (7/10/07)
("Dave's response: I don't know, but the gospel signal of 104.1 sounds weaker here in Wild West Fairfax than it did back when it was adult hits George.....") There seems to be a lot of this going around lately...what was once a booming AM signal at 1500 for WTOP is now a weak whisper in the wind for WaPo Radio..and the same is true for 820 AM in Frederick MD. This seems like a strange way to build listenership and sell ad time..? I'm not a radio professional, just a listener, wondering what in the wild world of sports is going on here. Just call me Radio Bear. PS: It sure used to be great to be able to tune in WTOP from miles away while driving back to DC from up North...but, alas, no more. First, they took baseball off the blowtorch AMers, and now the strong signals themselves seem to be fading away....sad, very sad. (7/10/07)
Dave's response: It just seems that whenever a station gets bought by Radio One, the signal gets weaker. Maybe they're cutting back on the power to save some dough? I used to be able to get a weak signal of WOL and WYCB here in Wild West Fairfax. Now, they're gone completely.....
Good God!!! Yet another pointless trip down memory lane! The glory days of San Diego's KGB, KCBQ and KDEO happened 40 freakin' years ago! Can we PLEASE stay out of the stone age?!? It's nice that back then you could mail a first class letter for 5-cents and fill your gas tank for less than five-bucks, but look at the calendar, it's 2007! All this nostalgia is just not relevant. By the way, these days, KGB-AM is now KLSD, the local Air America Radio affiliate, [with a 2.2 - 12+ Winter]. KCBQ-AM runs conservative talk as a Salem O&O, [with a 0.7 - 12+ Winter]. KDEO-AM is now KECR-AM, Family Radio [an absolute ratings no-show - 12+ Winter]. To all of those who are stuck in this continual "reminiscence mode", please consider starting a "long-gone station tribute" or "music trivia" website of your own. (7/10/07)
So D and M are off (Monday). I remember my first radio job. It was in Oxford Ohio. We rented space in a, ummm, less fashionable building in town. One summer our electrical panel exploded and we were without electricity in our half of the building. We went over to Planned Parenthood and asked if we could plug our extension cord into their outlet so we could get back on the air. Needless to say, the air conditioner was totally out. We had the doors open and we were barely dressed but we stayed on the air. We owed it to our listeners. Meanwhile, D and M's AC unit went out. What's wrong with those two fat, overpaid bastards? How about driving all the way to Fairfax and going on the air from there? Those two disgust me. John (7/10/07)
Yes, that “rimshot” on 106.7 would still cover enough of the Hispanic population in Northern Virginia and D.C. to make up for any losses in Baltimore and elsewhere in MD. It would still bill rather handsomely. As for me, while my music tastes are more eclectic (California surf music –not be confused with Carolina beach music. The two are very different!) than anything WHFS ever played, and I rarely listened to WHFS except for Alan Lee’s occasional oldies show, I respect the format that WHFS had. And, more importantly the need for such a format in the D.C. area at that time. And, unlike perhaps some on this board, I remember not just WHFS on 102.3, but WGTB on 90.1 which both served a distinct artistic need in this market at that time. However, merely re-creating WHFS in 2007 would not ! be the same as WHFS was in say, 1973. To do so would likely be a flop. As an example, just look at the oldies stations that have been successful. And, more importantly, why they failed. Oldies is a lot like the old Top-40 format. If you don’t keep it lively and exciting, it’s going to die. A classic case of Top-40 going from boom to bust would be of course the old “Drake” format in San Diego. When KGB went Drake, they kicked 50KW KCBQ and local fave KDEO-910 all over the parking lot. This was in spite of KGB having a less than desirable night signal. After awhile, “Boss Boredom” set in. Drake committed apostasy; He fooled with the format! KCBQ saw this coming and had the brains to hire KGB PD Buzz Bennett. Bennett and KCBQ ate everybody’s lunch for years afterward! In the oldies world, the boredom of staleness is too easy to set in. That is what ultimately knocked-off WCBS-FM, and WBIG. As for XTRA-104, the slick polish of WBIG (when they first ! started) doomed what was still a La Plata, MD station, in spite of the best efforts of Jerry Ross Lyman when he had the place. As for the other oldies stations in D.C., of course WMOD went to a very successful country format in June 1977, while WWDC-FM went AoR in early 1974. And, both stations are still successful today with only minor tweaking of those formats. Perhaps the last great oldies station that is relatively intact is KRTH-101. Yes, they are playing stuff from the mid-1970’s. And, pre-1964 material is on a slow rotation. (I believe the oldest song on their “Firecracker 400” list of last week was “Surfin’ USA”…) But, there is a lot of well-researched listener involvement opportunity. That kind of audience respect is essential for a station of any format to survive, but especially oldies. A good example is “Love Songs” with Christina Kelley. She’s on a par with Glen Hollis, formerly of WASH. Plus, KRTH consistently promotes the hell out of the place with favorite promotions in rotation with new ones! Co! uld that work for an oldies station in D.C.? It’s worth a try. And, as for being “Too scared to sign” my earlier posting, I hope that one day you will reach a point in your career (as I and many of us who post anonymously have) where the responsibility and respect you’ve earned from your peers and superiors (including your competitors) carries with it the sound judgement that gets you to the suit and tie level. Unfortunately, that level also includes various contractual obligations, not to mention common sense. But, will hopefully keep you there until retirement! (7/10/07)
I'm afraid (as much as I would like to see an "oldies" station in Baltimore, if "Jack" flips back to "oldies", it won't be the "oldies" that we really want..you know: Johnny B Good by Chuck Berry..stuff like that; if it were going to be that way, (if they did switch back to "oldies"..I'd put it back in my presets! Somehow the idea of Baltimore without an "oldies" station just seems wrong to me! But if there's going to be one, it should (in my humble opinion), be true-to-form _not just the stuff from the 60s and 70s!_ But like someone else who posted earlier..I, too, am "out of the money!" Tom in Denton, MD (7/10/07)
/\ July 10 Messages /\
\/ July 9 Messages \/
Something that CE’s are reluctant to discuss regarding HD radio… the IBOC signal is pitifully low in power and is not going to get a dependable signal out very far. Tom Gauger (7/9/07)
Music trivia is as bad as sports trivia. What is the point? You need to live in the present. Good music is good music but asking about obscure artists that never broke is a waste of time. Speaking of wastes of time, what happened to Kemi, the Nigerian journalist? Bryslock (7/9/07)
Possible Dan Patrick replacements - Some names being talked about up here in the Bean, Steven A. Smith (currently has a show on o-n-o 1050 ESPN in New York) and Stuart Scott (just on sportscenter). The one thing that has been consistent is the fact that they want a name, not just a talent, they got the talent when they pulled Colin Cowherd out of the West Coast to replace Tony K, this time round they need a name. (7/9/07)
In case you haven’t already seen this, the WCBS-FM deal is a straight flip… Oldies to the analog signal and HD1, Jack to WCBS-HD2 and the web… www.cbsradio.com (7/9/07)
Why in the world would they change WQSR in Baltimore back to "Oldies"? The station is Top 10, ages 25 - 54 and is currently tied with sister station MIX1065! While we'd all like to hear the great DJ's and incredible production WQSR used to have, Jack has ratings and reveune. The best thing CBS could do is switch their HD2 channel to the WQSR Oldies format or start an online stream of the station. (7/9/07)
Hey Ed Jones: You inspired me to play "A Piece of Paper" by Gladstone on "Oldies Block Party" this past weekend. The trivia is lots of fun. C'mon! It doesn't hurt to have a few posts dealing with music. Besides, when a song is mentioned, I always think of the radio station where it was played. If you remember, our good friend the 7 East Lexington Street Rat had a good trivia game going here on DCRTV. Where is that sweet rodent? Regarding the heralded return of WCBS-FM, I have to agree with the speculation from "Someone Who's Out of the Money Demo". I highly doubt that you will hear the music from the rock and roll pioneers let alone any artist from the 50's. The same will probably hold true if WQSR should return to "oldies". I was once told by a fellow broadcaster that artists like Ronnie Dove are not played (despite numerous requests from listeners) because his music doesn't fit a national format. If corporate management would take the time to do the research (not talking so-called focus groups), Ronnie had several songs like "Right or Wrong" that charted on the Billboard Top 40. Also, broadcast legends like Johnny Dark, Jack Edwards, etc. know the music on an intimate level and that goes well beyond all book knowledge. It would be great to hear them again on terrestrial radio. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/9/07)
According to Radio and Records NY's Jack-FM will b ecomer the HD-2 of 101.1 and will keep streaming online at www.ilikejack.com. It seems that the new 101.1 will be Classic Hits with a focus on 60's and 70's oldies playing through late 80's music. Also it appears not many of the former WCBS'ers are coming back. Really I'd be even happy to see a Classic Hits format on either 102.7 or 105.7. Only time will tell what will happen with Baltimore's Jack-FM and B-More's other CBS owned FM Stations. (7/9/07)
Any guess whatever happened to Cherokee from 947? I have been to a couple of events and lately he has been a no show; there was a time where he and Cerphe were seemingly joined at the hip! Where did you go off to? Kristin (7/9/07)
Don't be surprised to see Dan Patrick hook up with ex Clear Channel honcho Jimmy DeCastro and his new syndication company. He will take the Price is Right job and DeCastro will syndicate his new radio show coast to coast. (7/9/07)
OK Ed Jones, here you go. These guys had a less than moderate Top-40 hit in the early 70's and their lead singer now fronts Paul Revere & The Raiders. Name the singer and the group. Rusty Gibson (7/9/07)
Just writing again to say I enjoyed reading the posts about WCAO and the other Top 40 giants from Jack Edwards, Johnny Dark, Joyce Conroy, and Erod. Keep the stories of these great stations coming, and I would like to thank you, Rusty Gibson your support, and by the way, I would like to see more trivia questions from you. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (7/9/07)
Hey Dave, I think you are wrong. Several times you have stated that WBIG does not have HD. I listen to their HD signal everyweekend at work via HS-2. Check it out. Steve (7/9/07)
Dave's response: Hey, I've had an HD Radio for two months and have never been able to pick up an HD signal from DC's 100.3. I hear the station used to feature one. Here in Reston, I get a very strong analog signal from WBIG so I should be able go pick up its HD. I do get HD signals from CC's four other DC FMers, although DC101's HD signal has recently started to suck signal-strength wise, with loads of drop-outs. And I'm only about 15 miles from the transmitter. HD Radio is a mess! Don't believe the hype.....
DCRTV: I hope your implication that Jack 102.7 is changing back to an oldies format is true. I am an older listener (you once referred to us as "ready for assisted living") and and can't stand today's music. My question: does this tie in with the fact that 102.7 has hired Murphy (from Murphy and Cash, who last worked for an oldies station) as their morning on-air personality? That makes me think a switch is coming. Roger S. (7/9/07)
Where do I find the ratings/market share of TV stations in the Washington metro area? Thanks. Al (7/9/07)
Dave, there's not much Mailbag commentary on the new Praise 104. To your credit, you've posted several news items about it. But where's the listener feedback in the Mailbag? More evidence that this is a white-dominated outlet dominated by discussion of white talk radio, but hey, I'm white myself, so who am I to talk? As for Praise 104, I just wanna say how REFRESHING it is. Sure, black gospel music can be as repetitive and monotonous as any CCM station, or any other music station in the D.C. market. But when it's good, it's *really* good -- a holy-rollin' rompin'-stompin' turn-it-up-and-shout-it-out good time on the dial! That's my two cents. Christian (7/9/07)
Dave's reponse: I don't know, but the gospel signal of 104.1 sounds weaker here in Wild West Fairfax than it did back when it was adult hits George.....
Limbaugh's Ditto Heads Attack Sen. Lindsey Graham's Wikipedia Page bigheaddc.com (7/9/07)
Dan Patrick’s major announcement is that he is leaving ESPN. Last day is August 17th. Said nothing about future plans, but seems to be an amicable parting with ESPN. (7/9/07)
Re WCBS-FM: People doing backflips over the return of “Oldies” at 1:01pm Thursday are going to be very, very disappointed by around, say, 1:05pm Thursday. That’s when they’ll discover that the new definition of “Oldies” is Billy Joel and John Mellencamp, not Dion and the Belmonts or the Flamingos. If “Hit the Road Jack” is the first song played, it’ll also be the last play for that or any song from that era. Take a look at the playlists of “Classic Hits” stations at yes.com. That format is as varied as any I’ve ever seen. Some stations lean rock and pop without soul, some play a little soul in the mix, some play rock and soul but no pop, and others, like Philadelphia’s WOGL, even play some current songs. None play anything before 1964, some nothing before 1967, and that’s not gonna sit well with the purists. Should there be a similar change at Baltimore’s WQSR, you can be sure there will be plenty of Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac but no Ronnie Dove or Shirelles; in short, almost exactly what WQSR was doing before the flip to Jack: some hits of the 60s, more hits of the 70s, plus the new addition of hits of the 80s. Would I like to see WQSR come back in some form? You bet. It was one of the best stations anywhere and even as Classic Hits it would be more exciting than Jack. But it ain't gonna happen in a way that's going to satisfy people who want the older stuff. And the same people will again be calling for Dave Labrozzi’s head. Just giving you a warning. Signed, Someone Who's Out Of The Money Demo. (7/9/07)
Dan Patrick announced that he is leaving ESPN. I wonder if Danny will go local in his slot or syndicate. Shawn in DC (7/9/07)
More bad news for Radio One's Praise 104.1 via Radio-Locator (maybe now we really know why Bonneville bailed on George 104.1 & WGMS 104.1?)......... Yes, even worse than Roger Waters singing at LIVE EARTH, here's another kick in the balls....... Radio-Locator's NEW WSMJ 104.3 signal plots from 1000 feet above Baltimore's famed TV Hill are even more damaging than the Recnet plots I previously posted at DCRTV...... (7/9/07)Is there really going to be a huge difference between Jack FM and the new format at WCBS? (7/9/07)
To Ed Jones: Please don't let the "Meanies" discourage you. Your trivia questions are among my favorite elements of Mailbag, When you were accused by others that these questions had nothing to do with broadcasting, these folks were dead wrong. As I would venture to say that the majority of the jocks that post here have played these tunes at one time or another. So, I'll say it again, KEEP 'EM COMING! Your friend, Rusty Gibson WEBR/Fairfax (7/9/07)
Another poster was suggesting of how WQSR would get together a group of jock's like it had before. The simplest answer and what would make sense for a cheap Company like CBS Radio would be to pull the 101.9 Weekenders to weekdays if possible. John Summers has been in broadcasting a long time in PA and is one of the most respected DJ's up that way. Dave Allan does a great job delivering the music as well. As for Rouse and Comapny That would be easy, Pull Steve, Diane Lyn, Maynard and TD to 102.7. Again it would be reasonable since all of them are on the CBS Radio Payroll already. In the evenings could there be a possiblity that Johnny Dark would comeback? If not then how about Merson Person? Or why not even Jack's morning DJ Gary Murphy? afterall he worked at WBIG when it was oldies. Chris in Hanover, PA (7/9/07)
Does anyone know when Don and Mike return from vacation? Carol (7/9/07)
Dave's response: Well, with the two-year anniversary tomorrow of that very sad day, perhaps Don should just take the whole week off.....
BOSTON- Dan Patrick is heard on 890 ESPN in Boston and 1400 ESPN in Lowell / Lawrence... Also interesting to note about the DP show, stations that are owned and operated by ESPN (ABC Radio) are required to broadcast at least two hours of his show, now WAMG and WLLH in the Boston market are not O-n-O nor is Triple X, but ESPN 1050 in NYC is an O-n-O. All stations that use the ESPN moniker (890 ESPN or Triple X ESPN Radio for example would have to broadcast MnM where as SportsRadio 850 would not be required to broadcast it, but if a station entered a market that wanted to be an ESPN affiliate they would get the priority since they are willing to use the moniker) are required to broadcast Mike and Mike in the Morning. keith (7/9/07)
Too scared to sign wrote - "I’d put WHFS back on 99.1, put WLZL on 106.7..." Yeah. I'd be all about taking the ONLY CBS property to crash into the Top FIVE and send it packing to a rimshot, while trying to resurrect a stick that only kissed a two share once or twice. WHFS SUCKED! Thom Grooms and Cerphe got decent numbers in the early 70's because they picked their music OBJECTIVELY... like pros. The rest of the station was a tomb! - Alvin Jeweler (7/9/07)
Dave's response: Yeah but that "rimshot" of 106.7 better covers the Hispanic neighborhoods of Northern Virginia. According to yesterday's Post, Prince William County is now 20 percent Latino! Oy vey! That would free up 99.1 to better serve the less Hispanic Baltimore area with something like, oh, how about hard rock and heavy metal? Underground 99.1 anyone?
From Inside Radio: re: WCBS-FM - The New York station billed roughly $40 million in 2004 - the last full year it was oldies. Last year its "Jack" successor pulled in just $16.1 million. A 60% free fall. No confirmation from CBS but insiders say "it's just a matter of time" and it's now a question of when - not if it'll drop its "Jack" format and flip to oldies. Steve (7/9/07)
Dave's response: The flip back to oldies will take place at 1:01 PM on Thursday.....
Boy, for a city with two sports talk stations, and a third station adding some sports talk, our choices sure are miserable. Right this minute, for instance, on WTEM, you have the privilege of listening to the Brian Mitchell Show, part of WTEM’s continuing “A Radio Show For Every Old Redskin” program. Pretty much unlistenable; preceded by the equally unlistenable Doc Walker Show; followed by the even more unlistenable John Thompson Show. You know a station’s hurting when the best show all day is a show featuring Steve Czaban and Andy Polley. Meanwhile, over at the TTDSRN (the “Teeny Tiny Dan Snyder Radio Network”), it’s Colin Cowherd on ESPN, who’s just dreadful, the classic generic sports show dope who says stupid “controversial” things so the blogs will mention his name. Can’t really go there. If Dan Patrick’s gone from ESPN, that’s another button freed up on your radio. Soon, WJFK will have Jim Rome, so we’ll have a chance to see Jim Rome fail on his THIRD (at least) D.C. station. It’s a pretty bleak landscape. Sincerely, TMU (7/9/07)
Hello, Fellow Posters. I asked a trivia question on Friday, who recorded "Big Legged Woman (With a Short Short Mini Skirt). The answer was Israel "Popper Stopper" Tolbert", a long forgotten 45 that did not chart on the Hot 100 Charts. I would like to respond to the following post: 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) My response: Bryslock, you are entitled to your opinion. But where were you when Rusty Gibson started asking musical trivia questions? If this is a problem for you to see musical trivia questions here, then don't attempt to answer them. The reasons I started posting musical trivia questions are: 1. Because I wanted to see if the big records in my hometown were played here. 2. I wanted to post things that would not invite mean spirited, nit picking posts that we see on this site, such as your response. 3. Rusty Gibson, Bob Mathers asked me to keep the trivia questions coming. This is done in the spirit of fun, and if you bother to read the posts here, you will see that discussions that deals with Top 40 radio's past are posted here, and they are pretty interesting and informative. I would like to conclude this by saying, if we're "geezers" stuck in the past, so be it. I love living in the present, and I keep up to date with today's music and current media. But there is nothing wrong with discussing the past; the past helped shape our present. The trivia questions will continue, unless Dave tells us to stop. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (7/9/07)
(Dave's response: Now that the new Dan Mason-headed CBS Radio is busy righting its many radio "wrongs" under Joel Hollander (returning alt rock to NYC's 92.3 and real oldies to NYC's 101.1), how about bringing back the legendary WHFS calls and progressive rock format to the DC market (94.7) where they belong.....) I'm working on that "righting that wrong" next, Joel Hollander is an idiot - Dr. Sam Beckett (7/9/07)
I don’t wish to piss on anybody’s parade, but I’ll believe the return of the “real” CBS Radio when I hear it. God be with Dan Mason as there’s a lot to clean up and rebuild. The question is of course, where first? And, I don’t think D.C. will get first crack. That’ll go to New York and L.A. I agree that Ray Charles’ classic “Hit the Road, Jack” should be the first play wherever “Jack” is put out of its misery. Besides WXRK and WCBS-FM, there’s fish in L.A. (KNX is sounding like a mere shell of its former self. There are times that NBC’s old NIS sounds better than KNX does today! And, there’s also what to do with “Jack” and “Free”, not to mention KRTH-101!), S.F., and Chicago not to mention others that need to be dealt with first. As for D.C./Baltimore! , I’d put WHFS back on 99.1, put WLZL on 106.7, real oldies on 94.7 and 102.7, and sports talk on 1300/105.7 since Baltimore is a market capable of supporting a sports talker, unlike D.C. (7/9/07)
Is Leslie Cook no longer anchoring the news readers desk on weekends on channel 7/8? Has been absent last two weekends. Replaced by Julie Parker. Why doesn't channel 7/8 save some money and let Ms. Parker also do the sport's......saw Rebecca Cooper filling in for Bruce Depuyt last week, I see from her talent bio she's married to a professional skateboarder? Wonder if her husband is an Op and Ant fan?...... Aaron Brown has finally been allowed to return from CNN's own Elba, one of the Sea Island's off the coast of Georgia, with the end of his contract. Hey but I kid. Wouldn't he be a nice fit for the CBS Evening News Anchor desk? I didn't know his ratings on CNN were better than Anderson Cooper's? I do think Mr. Cooper is a very good reporter.......Don't seem fair to me that MSNBC exists on all them prison documentaries that John Seigenthaler hosted and yet he's no longer with the NBC network. And I enjoy them Dirty Jobs show with Mike Rowe but geez isn't Discovery Channel a tad concerned of overexposing the show?...... Hey all the old farts Ian McLagen of Faces at Jammin' Java in Vienna Monday evening (7/9/07)
On a purely speculative level, if CBS-FM in New York actually dumps the miserable JACK format and reinstates some form of Oldies, would CBS Radio President Dan Mason have QSR follow suit? Should they bring in new deejays or attempt to bring back their glory days personalities. Rouse and Maynard are already in-house at LIF and HFS respectively. Still locally-based are: Ken Merson who's busy with on and off-air projects for Entercom Communications; Johnny Dark who tracks Oldies shows for World Space audiences in Asia and Africa; and Big Don O'Brien who's doing mornings at WINX on the Eastern Shore. Bob Worthington moved back to his hometown of Chicago to run his commercial voice over business. It's a safe bet that Rouse and Maynard - neither particularly happy with their current CBS Radio Baltimore assignments - would fall over themselves to revive the Rouse and Company franchise. However, one can only wonder if any of the other talent would even want to return considering the contemptuous way they were cut loose. Again, this is just speculation. (7/9/07)
The site is better than ever. Good luck moving up the coast to NYC and Beantown. (7/9/07)
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Re: The Return of CBS-FM... God is great. God is good. My prayers have been answered. Thank you, Mason. (7/8/07)
Dave's response: Now that the new Dan Mason-headed CBS Radio is busy righting its many radio "wrongs" under Joel Hollander (returning alt rock to NYC's 92.3 and real oldies to NYC's 101.1), how about bringing back the legendary WHFS calls and progressive rock format to the DC market (94.7) where they belong.....
WTOP was mentioned in a New York Times article on Thursday or Friday regarding personailized traffic reporting. (7/8/07)
Will radio programmers ever get their heads out of their asses and bring back true Top 40 radio? JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/8/07)
Mason Adams, who possessed the inimitable pipes behind ""With a name like Smuckers, it has to be good!," crossed-over to that great jam factory in the sky in 2005. I don't know whether Willard has an exclusive deal, but he's become the new de facto Smuckers spokesperson as they sponsor his long-running 100th-year birthday shtick on NBC's The Today Show. www.msnbc.msn.com... And while we've got Wee Willie Scott in the footlights, catch a 26-second glimpse of his Bozo days, almost a half-a-century ago at KaptainKidshow.com... So, ever wonder who NBC will get to announce Willard's 100th birthday? No problem, he'll probably still be working for the Red Network... as he has done steadily with only minor interruptions since 1950. (That baby in Willard's arms will soon celebrate HER 50th birthday!) (7/8/07)thoughts about WCBS-FM return to Oldies - My phone has been ringing non-stop from my New York friends. Excitement is in the air throughout the Tri-State area. Everyone waiting for the song "Hit the Road Jack." Could it be the return of Bob Shannon, Bobby Jay, Cousin Brucie, Harry Harrison, Randy Davis, Mike McCann, etc. If it is true than Dan Mason, CBS Radio, Allan Sniffen and the New York Radio board along with New York's loyal listeners are all to be congratulated for bringing back Oldies to New York. If this is true, than kudos to you, CBS for owning your mistake about JACK on CBS-FM and for giving your listeners what has been desired for two long years: their New York oldies station that is so loved and so treasured by so many people. Carol Mason (7/8/07)
Dave's response: No relation to CBS honcho (and DC area resident) Dan Mason, I trust. Hey, if Dan can get Bill O'Reilly yanked off of CBS's WJFK-FM in DC, then it'll be easy for him to get "real oldies" restored to their rightful place on the NYC radio dial - 101.1. Next stop, Baltimore's 102.7.....
Quoting rob sidney's web site; "...I got my first taste of rock ‘n’ roll radio at age 15 in the dank, decrepit studios of WLPL Baltimore (right under the Cottman Transmission Shop)... " www.robsidney.com... He confirms the notion that Richard Eaton's operators had to squeek-by on a shoestring, but still had a ton o' fun. (As somebody was heard to say; "It's the hallmark of a true Dick Eaton station!") rob continues "My dad designed their new logo... and asked if there were any summer jobs open for his kid. I wound up as a gofer for Baltimore’s low-budget but legendary top-40 FM and its sister 1000-watt AM daytimer. For $2.90 an hour, I scraped labels off carts, filed logs and hung around, making a productive nuisance of myself all summer. Then they needed a substitute news anchor on the AM... and I became the sole caucasian voice on an all-black oldies station. I sucked as a newscaster. But that didn’t stop me from moving over to weekends on the FM... where I also sucked as a jock. And that didn’t stop me from getting fired in March ‘80." (7/8/07)A big hello to Big Don. You are, and have always been, one of my favorite people in this business. Without making this a marathon post, let me say that I totally agree with my old friend Jack Edwards regarding the engineers on staff at WCAO. Sure, some of them were a little slow responding to your cues. However, once you got to know each one, you made the necessary adjustment and the show would flow the way that you wanted it to. Another thing about my almost 30 years at the BIG 60, the staffs were almost always comprised of some of the most professional people I've ever worked with. Occasionally there would be a bad hire but we always knew that their stay would be a short one. Things always worked out.....From time to time, I get asked about today's radio and what I feel is wrong with the product. The one word that always comes to mind is "passion." It's lacking from so many formats in virtually every market. It's been stripped away by the mega-conglomerates. Big Don is right when he says that we've always loved what we do. One poster said that he knew when he listened to Jack Edwards that he knew that Jack loved what he did. I will attest to that. He looked forward to every shift and playing the music he loved. Many of us couldn't imagine doing anything else. Some of us can't let it go even after 54 years behind the mike. Over the years, the Washington-Baltimore area has enjoyed some truly stellar performers, too many for me to list for fear of leaving someone out. Not just great air-talent but wonderful people. They all have a special place in my memory book....Johnny Dark (WorldSpace Satellite Radio) (7/8/07)
To Tom in Denton regarding when radio stations first started using carts. Carts were used at small market stations on the Eastern Shore in the early 60's, not for music but for commercials, PSA's, jingles & ID's, and news items. I'd assume the larger market stations had them earlier. Terry in Salisbury (7/8/07)
Uncle Ricky at reelradio.com penned this item about "The MacKenzie Repeater", which was apparently the technology in use prior to carts, at radio stations and even Disneyland. www.reelradio.com (7/8/07)
Hey Dave! I can't believe the people that are posting saying that Washington/Baltimore doesn't have a Top 40 heritage. Most of the people you hear on the air today are on because of our heroes on WPGC,WEAM,WEEL,WINX, WCAO and WASH. I can remember listening to WCFL,WLS,WABC etc...after I got off my shift at WPGC with Steve Drepperd,Steve KIngston,Rob Norton,Marty Dempsy,Ed Modlin,Loo katz..and many I'm sure I left out I'm sorry. The point is.. we lived breathed and listened to radio. It was and is our life. To say we couldn't program a great top 40 oldie's station is nuts. BTW I work for Steve Kingston now at WINX-FM on the Easton Shore. We are still the friends we were as teen agers and would love to show the Washington area what a real oldies station should sound like...with the same DJ's that are still in the area...Hello Johnny Dark . Big Don O'Brien WINX FM (7/8/07)
Tom in Denton- Jim Titus of WJEJ in Hagerstown told me that WMAX in Grand Rapids (then a 5kw daytimer on 1480, and the first station WABC and Hot Hits guy, Mike Joseph, ever consulted) beta-tested one of the first batches of cart machines for Sparta in 1958 and 59 when he worked there. He said you'd jam the cart until the pinch roller thunked into place and immediately played. There was no start or stop switch and, because of the rudimentary mechanics, they would either "wow" on the air, or the audio would be a second later than needed. - ERod (7/8/07)
Dave, as I've mentioned before, DCRTV is also a great research tool. So much cherished history from Jack Edwards et al. on WCAO, WLPL and the picture of Barry Richards is a keeper. Regarding WLPL, I had a chance to speak with Scott Harris several years back when I was doing volunteer promotions for a non-profit group. We mentioned the old WLPL studios at 6623 Reisterstown Road which I believe was in the UniRoyal Tire Building. I understand that when the guys were taking the cars off the lifts that you could hear the action in the WLPL studios. Priceless! Thanks for the memories everyone. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/8/07)
So none of the video clips shown of Patsy Cline are from the Town & Country show? Hasn't Jimmy Dean lived down in the Richmond, Va. area for several years now?.......I seem to recall the Moon Man hosting a dance show on WHUR in the late 1980's or early 90's?.........I sort of like JACK FM, has a harder edge to it than the GEORGE did. Even though I'm in toothless fairfax area I pick up JACK from Baltimore pretty darn good on the car stereo. Sure wish that JACKFEST concert they got up there in Baltimore in a few weeks was in these parts. ZZ TOP, Pretenders and Stray Cats seems like a great lineup, boy D.C. area sure seems to miss out on a lot of acts. Crowded House touring U.S.first time in 10 years, I believe, and no date in D.C.? .......And wasn't The Globe promoting the heck out of that Live Eart concerts but it sure seemed like Cerphe spent more time saying what was coming up than actually hearing the music and then these cut and paste interviews by Schelby, she apparently thinks outside the box don't you know, were lame. You know questioned asked insert remarks previously recorded here type of thing. I even got the feeling the music they played was prerecorded stuff. That's bogus man....for gawd sakes you Viacom numbnuts please stop playing that 1-hit Wonders show hosted by William Shatner on VH-1 again and again and again and again. Hell they had a decent Monterey Pop Festival documentary on a few weeks ago rerun that for gawd sakes you turkeys....oh geez Peter Fonda sighting in new Time Life infomercial called Flower Power ugh! .....Say is Willard Scott the voice of Smuckers?....did Barry Richards promote rock shows in the area like Stephen (7/8/07)
FYI - July 5, 2007 - Pension Reform Bill Could Thwart ABC Attack... Corporations that give executives lavish retirement plans would have to provide a guaranteed, defined benefit pension for their other employees under a CWA-supported Senate bill (S.1725) that aims to fix problems created by the federal Pension Protection Act of 2006. The bill, introduced last week by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), could impact ABC's scheme to freeze the pensions of NABET-CWA members. The network sprang the pension demand on NABET several weeks into contract talks in March, prompting members to vote strike authorization. "'ABC wants to take our healthy, successful, well-funded pension plan and freeze it, and they're using the current Pension Protection Act as an excuse to do it," NABET-CWA President John Clark said. "This law needs to be changed and we commend Senator Harkin for his efforts in that direction." Clark and other critics of the 2006 pension legislation say that rather than ensure a secure retirement for workers, the law has led even hugely profitable companies such as ABC-Disney, Lockheed Martin and IBM to freeze their defined benefit plans; Verizon froze its defined beneift plan for non-union employees. The problem is that under the bill's funding requirements, many companies would have to make large contributions to their pension funds in a short period of time. Instead, some are simply dumping their plans. "This is just plain wrong," Harkin said. "If a company is profitable enough to afford gold-plated pensions for executives, then it can provide a pension for workers who generated the profits by paying for those pensions." CWA research economist, Bob Patrician, who spoke about the ABC situation at a news conference with Harkin on June 28, said the threatened freeze "would reduce the benefits that our members will receive by 25 percent - a minimum of $18,000 per year at age 65." ABC-Disney, which earned more than $4.5 billion in profit last year and had more than $35 billion in revenue, sponsors several other defined benefit plans for employee groups as well as pension benefits for its executives in the form of deferred compensation. The network has said nothing about changes to those plans. "According to the company's 2007 proxy statement, the combination of Disney's qualified plan for salaried employees and the deferred compensation plan for executives will pay Robert Iger, president and CEO of the Disney Company, $972,291 per year beginning at age 65 - after seven years of service," Patrician said. The Harkin bill would further protect workers by establishing a pension participant advocacy office at the Department of Labor to identify and fix recurrent pension problems. It would also prevent employers from using mergers as an excuse to dump promised early-retirement pensions, among other protections. "The premise of this bill is that pensions are critical to retirement security and companies should not raid or slash pensions in order to cut costs or boost profits," Harkin said. (7/8/07)
Wow! This is really getting to be FUN! I guess my ability to stir up emotions comes from the severe flatulence I suffered in church as a child... darned lactose intolerance! Anyway, Jimbo, you are SO right about the date that 'PGC went 24 hours and you immediately transported me back to our basement, sitting in front of the only FM radio in the house, a mono CONSOLE model, to hear the Richmond Brothers' first DC area all night show. Nobody's had much to say about Scott Carpenter but I still find him to be one of the most natural, engaging jocks in mass-appeal radio. I'm listening to him online at 1050/ CHUM right now and he is completely in the game! As his PD on UpCountry at WorldSpace, I can tell you that he ALWAYS brought and delivered more than I ever asked of him... a consummate pro. He consumes beer, women, cars... rimshot. Roddy Freeman, you are an awesome historian! However, in the world of kid with a brand new license and a picture of a hot girl Scotch-taped to the dashboard of my '59 Opel, the PRE 1965 WCBM was what we called "funeral radio." The Metromedia WNEW/ WIP clone was "old peoples' radio" and Popular 68 was so close to what we craved in area where the other DC and Baltimore stations could not be heard. Dude! We could listen to Dan Donovan and Paul Rogers back-to-back... at NIGHT! I had already fallen in love with KFRC when I visited my sister in SF and WEAM and WCBM were as close to The Big 610 as any station in this area ever came. Except for WASH-FM in the 70's, when we beat KFRC for Billboard's Station of the Year and Bob Hughes beat the late, great Michael Spears for Grand International PD of the Year! I'd forgotten about JOE Kelly and was referencing GM Don Kelley, the guy who preceded Cliff Barrett. In 1961, only the Big Time stations used carts. That's why WCAO had'em! And, Jack, thank you for mentioning Charlie Purcell! Didn't he also voice a lot of the ID's and intros for the Classical format? I would have loved to hear him doing that format ALL the time! Someone doubted whether the people for "my station" would be "available" but, we're playing in the fantasy leagues here! Just like the jingle at WEAM used to say... "Just for FUN... Just for FUN..." It's something that us old radio guys do now and then. If Ed Gursky was good enough for Paul Drew at the still-born WGMS, he's good enough for me. And, finally, did anyone else find it odd that Bicknell posted, dissing a bunch of pros as "ANG," then yelled at "ANG" as "PLB?" There's something about that on WebMD, I think. Hey... I'm just sayin'... By the way, CR, we need some more Cokes and chips in here and the old ladies from your Fan Club are here for the tour! You know... the ones who couldn't make the bus to Charlotte last night! ERod, c/o Thoms Broadcasting, 2131 Crimmins Lane, Falls Church, Virginia. And, please, do NOT park in Mr. Averill's spot!!! (7/8/07)
Thanks to Jack Edwards for all of his posts to the mailbag, just great stuff! I can remember visiting CAO and standing next to the engineer running the board while Jack was on the air. I believe I did the same with Paul Rogers and with Kerby Scott. And, oh yes, I certainly remember the days at WLPL. I worked there twice, once under Jim Tice, and then for Michael Q. Anthony (Bill Quinn), Jerry St.James, and the 10 record playlist guy, Bill Parris. I must admit, the non-existence of a budget LPL did kick some ass. Some great fun...with guys like Joe Pachino, Hal Martin (Schenker), and Norm Dym. Steve Miller (7/8/07)
Thank you, Jack Edwards....for straightening me out about when carts were used at WCAO; I found your post most interesting and informative! I've never worked a day in radio..aw but I've always been fascinated with that industry..and have a lot of respect for what you (as well as so many like you) have contributed! Now I have another question: was WCAO one of the first stations to go with carts? If not, then does anybody know when radio stations started using them? Thanks for taking the time to read my post..and thank you, Dave, for providing a place where radio people (or people like me who never worked in radio) a place to learn about what goes on (and went on back in the day! Tom in Denton, MD (7/8/07)
(Barry Richards was a "one of a kind rocker".) In video provided by Skip McCloskey, the great BR rocks-on in this all-too-brief "Rockn'soul" excerpt... introduced by Johnny Holliday and snagged from Channel-20's Christmas 1978 gag reel. www.youtube.com... Preceding BR's appearance are two equally short clips of Baltimore DJ "Moon Man" who hosted "Soul of the City" and "Moon Man Connection" on WDCA-TV three decades ago. Sadly, these snippets may be the only surviving video of these two enterprising broadcast personalities. (7/8/07)Dear Jazz Lover: Our featured artists line-up for the week ahead includes a fusion forefather, a couple of jazzy ladies and some grand masters of the art form... find out more by clicking here... jazzradiodc.com. Thanks, Carl David (7/8/07)
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Dave, I am ecstatic that WCBS-FM may bring back the oldies in NY on their regular frequency. I loved my trips on the road where I would go through Philadelphia and listen to WOGL and to NYC to listen to WCBS-FM. I know I may be one of a dying breed even though I am 27 but I miss the personalities, the great jingles and oldies music. I was hoping WQSR would put oldies on their HD 2 station or stream them on-line at wqsr2.com but it wasn't to be. Its great to see that CBS- NYC realized the error of their ways at least in that market and will go back to what the NY listeners want and love. I love listening on-line to wcbsfm.com and can't wait to hear it on the regualr 101.1 in NYC if this truly is what will happen. -Michael Popovec (7/7/07)
Wow! I had just read DCRTV after being out of town, driving my mobile medical van, helping invalids with their dialysis machines. I'm happy that I can be Ed R's bitch. I've been waiting for so long...HI-YO!!!!! CR (7/7/07)
A couple of the comments from Ed Rodriquez and Jack Edwards brought to mind some thoughts about WCAO, WCBM and WLPL. Ed, you said that Joe Kelly changed WCBM from a “very sleepy middle of the road station into…the format we now call hot adult contemporary.” The “sleepy middle of the road station” part of that statement is not quite correct. In the early ’60’s, WCBM was indeed a sleepy middle-of-the-road station, when the Roeders owned it. It was also quite informal and non-structured. One time, after newscaster Fred Neil read a newscast, evening personality Bill Neal came on and explained the reason Fred’s news was cut short was because the rest of it had blown out the window. This was when WCBM was in the Community House next to Sears at North and Harford. It was not uncommon in those days to hear fire and ambulance sirens when the mike was on. When Metromedia bought WCBM around 1965, things began to change. Somebody at Metromedia had a brilliant insight: A lot of adults who listened to top 40 would listen to middle-of-the-road stations if the MOR stations played youthful music that the top 40’s were playing but left out the hard stuff. This also coincided with the release of more adult-friendly top 40, such as Yesterday by the Beatles. WNEW and WIP very successfully integrated younger music, and Metromedia brought the strategy to WCBM, which became an early AC station. WCAO, which in the early ‘60’s was such an exciting station and dominated the ratings, was forced to react and daypart its music. In 1966, Gene Creasy was brought in as PD to perfect this. In my opinion, when this all started happening, WCAO did not sound anywhere near as good as it did in the early ‘60’s, and WEAM and WPGC, which pretty much maintained the same kind of sound day and night, broke away as better-sounding stations than WCAO in the mid-to-late ‘60’s. What WCAO did, however, was similar to what major top-40 stations across the U.S. were forced to do. And yes, when Joe Kelly arrived in 1968, WCBM needed a fresh shot in the arm, and he substantially changed its sound, installing what was a Bill Drake-inspired format without the hard rock. And personalities such as Mike March and Larry Walton were replaced with the likes of Dan Donovan, Larry Hall and Dennis Murray. Of course, Lee Case survived all of WCBM’s changes including Bruce Holberg’s gold-based AC sound in the mid-‘70’s (supposedly to Mr. Holberg’s dismay). Now…while WCAO lost a good deal of its audience to WCBM and later WLPL, WCAO really had decent numbers through the 1970’s and the Ron Riley regime (at least that’s what Nick Zaharis used to tell me!). As happened with top-40 stations in virtually all markets, FM top 40’s dominance of teens forced WCAO to evolve to the adult side of top 40. And I think this really was evident when Jack Edwards took over the 7-midnight shift from Frank Young around 1970. And while Jim Tice certainly did an excellent job with WLPL within the confines of what he had to work with, WLPL in my opinion was a rather low-budget-sounding station. By the way, Jack Edwards was one of my favorites; when you listened to him, you knew he loved the music. His show wasn’t just a job; it was his love. Roddy Freeman (7/7/07)
Barry Richards now resides in Los Angeles, He is a successful record promoter. He has battled cancer and won. He's happy, and I agree he was a "one of a kind rocker". Early in my career I had differences with him but, I went to Joel Denver's 50th birthday party and had the opportunity to talk with him at length. He's one of the most interesting of the "old school' of rock jocks. He idolized "The Geter with the Heater" Jerry Blavat out of Philly. Leave him alone, he's paid his dues....PLB (7/7/07)
What studio at XM are you in........... Cause D&M are only sent to special studios (7/7/07)
Weird. I'm sitting in my XM studio, flipping the channels on the directv and I hear a replay of Don and Mike on an DirecTV channel that scrolls all the DirecTV sports packages. HUH? when did DirecTV start picking up WJFK? Anyone... (7/7/07)
In regards to WCAO switching to all carts, the year was 1961.Runaway, Tossin' and Turnin', Lion Sleeps Tonight. The engineers also used fresh tape to make their own size carts from :40 sec to 4 1/2 mins (depending on the length of the song.) Spots also were placed on carts and the news room used many :40 sec and :70sec carts. They tried using a very large cart (12 X 6) that would hold a 1/2 hour public affairs program to be played back in a cart machine specially made to hold the long program. It did NOT last long because the cart of that size would drag and slow down the whole program. The Beatles Hey Jude song on cart ran over 7 mins as I recall and was played frequently beside being #1.and a nice break record. A Seeburg 45 juke box was used on my one night off...Saturday night into Sunday morning with the late Charlie Purcell's voice on cart and an engineer board operating that shift. Charlie was a holdover from the old CBS radio days until Plough bought the station in 1956 and Charlie was on the air with the new top forty format for a few months and later became public service director. The record librarian would send the engineers a typed note once a week with the new adds /45's attached to be carted unless something red hot came in and was added immediately. Engineers took pride in carted music because in many cases the time on the record was off by seconds and they knew it should be right on the money. Do you think I could wait til the next night to play the new add on's? Don't think so. For a long while, jingles were on a reel to reel tape that the engineers had to cue .The Golden Galaxy (oldies) in the beginning were about 6 oldies that got changed every week. They were 45's and usually one a show was allowed. The engineers also had to babysit the WCAO-FM classical music station with large reels of taped classics made at the Plough headquarters in Memphis. Usually with several tape machines, that part of their job was not too demanding. WCAO-FM later switched to a dance/disco format and it was a huge success. WLPL 92 FM came along around 1970/71 with Jim Tice as one of their PD's and that was the beginning of the end of Big 60 WCAO. Jim called me with the first full ratings for WLPL and they went thru the roof and were #1 in a very short time. Why listen to CAO when LPL was broadcasting the latest top 40 hits in STEREO. That line was thrown in my face by every teen I ran into at a dance or phone call. Johnny Dark was there what seemed like a lifetime and I am sue he could add more to the above. Did not mean to grab so much space and hope EVERYONE reading this great site will support Dave and the tremendous amount of work he puts into it. Thanks again, Jack Edwards (7/7/07)
Don't diss Barry Richards! I have fond memories of "The Rrrrrre'azar" back on WEEL in the 70's and later on WDON. He was a legend. There is a great aircheck of him at Power 98 in Myrtle Beach in 1989 at www.thatwasradio.com. Does anyone know where "The Boss With The Hot Sauce" is these days? (7/7/07)
I remember The Glove announcing the Live Earth concert here in DC, don't you? It was about the same time all the other locations were announced, about 1 month ago. I was surprised when Al Gore was on CNN the other night and didn't announce the DC one, but then said there was a surprise location. I even remember The Globe giving out tickets for the event here in DC. (7/7/07)
Jim (Bohannon) Great seeing a post from you. We (WPGC) really suffered a loss not getting you, but Uncle Sam was the boss. I've known you for most of my 30+ years in DC and I thank you for getting the information straight about WPGC going 24 hours in "68"..As for the numbers that were mentioned by my pal EdR...a bit off. "PGC" ruled in 12 plus almost constantly, not just in teens. Check out www.amandfmmorningside.com. "Those were the days my friend we thought they'd never end" Also a big hey to Jerry Clark....Johnny Holliday, Johnny Dark...three of my favorites. (not necessarily in that order) PLB:0) (7/7/07)
Hey, to the "no name" that called me and Barry Richards Pukers?? How did we even get into this? I read posts, comment once in a while..and, I happen to admire all of the jocks mentioned including Barry...there were lot's of others that have not been mentioned.....Steve HIdey(Famous Amos) Rolf Rykken (Handy Andy)..Jim Collinson (Mark West/Jim Collins. STOP with the nasty comments about the pros ...Dowling...Clark...Bodner (rest in peace) Simon Trane...Grease....All were significant peices of RADIO history. Some had more than others but, all should be applauded for their contributions to the greatest era in rock radio. PLB:0) (7/7/07)
Message for MR. Jack Edwards: Jack: you said, "WCAO played 45 records (and wore out hundreds from cue burn/scratch) until they switched to music on carts in 1961" Did you mean "1971?" Or did stations really use carts for their music as far as 1961...I didn't realize that they would have been using carts that far back! Is an honor to see you posting on this site as I, like many others on this board, know of your work! Tom in Denton, MD (7/7/07)
Okay..so the video clip of Homer and Jethro was from Jimmy Dean's "ABC" show? Okay..somehow I was thinking (and hoping) that I was finally seeing stuff from the old "town And Country" shows! Darn! Still a great video..and yes..Homer And Jethro were great musicians! Tom in Denton, MD (7/7/07)
Referencing: "ERod, You're GREAT OLDIES STATION??????? YAWN. That combination would put a nervous chipmunk to sleep. Granted some of the people mentioned are good jocks, (lot of pukers) not one of them was an adrenaline pumper."... Who's the "puker" on this list? Certainly not Johnny Dark, Jerry Clark, Bob Duckman, et al. When the term "puker" comes up I immediately think of someone like Davy Jones or Barry Richards. (7/7/07)
ERod, You're GREAT OLDIES STATION??????? YAWN. That combination would put a nervous chipmunk to sleep. Granted some of the people mentioned are good jocks, (lot of pukers) not one of them was an adrenaline pumper. Except Holliday...he's the best. The rest are "WASH" middle of the roaders. Johnny Holliday would be my selection for PM Drive, Johnny Dark I'd agree with to a certain extent. But in the 6PM to 10PM slot. You, instead of Harve Moore..hahahahaha, Harve is still playing the hits in Buffalo and doing VERY well. The traffic and music elements are good, but you'd never get Lisa. Now, Gursky, he's knowledgable but would probably put together a batch of hits that would put a listener to sleep. Just my musings. Remember we all have opinions...ANG (7/7/07)
Hey E-Rod! Thanks for the jangling of my nostalgia nerve. But WPGC-FM went 24 hours in late 1968, and I should know: When the army brought me here from Vietnam July 3rd, 1968, I had applied everywhere, and gotten 2 offers of parttime work: WINX at $2.50 an hour, rockin' like I did back in Missouri, 2 Sunday shifts; or WGAY, elevator music, but more hours and $3.00 an hour (we were AFTRA). Poverty stricken on army pay, I took WGAY, but just a few months later, around September or so I think, WPGC called and said they were going 24 hours and were adding a 12Mid-3AM shift for a "Famous Amos" and 3-6AM shift for a "Handy Andy". Would I like to be Handy Andy? I gave a big yes, but my army sergeant said no to 5 days a week parttime work (and I was stationed in Warrenton, Va, so it would have been a hike). So, I stayed at WGAY, then went to WTOP, WRC, WCFL, and where I am today: Jim Bohannon, Westwood One. How little things impact your future li