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Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - July 21 to July 25, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ July 25 Messages \/ "With all this WaPo Radio bashing, how does Red Zebra not receive "equal time"?" What the heck does Red Zebra have to do with WaPo's woes, unless of course Danny Boy is the one buying it? WaPo Radio just plain sucks the life right out of you, where ESPN and Washington Redskins Radio are both proven commodities in this town, not some lame 'experiment'. I'm sure if you gave Danny Boy two 50kW signals and promoted his station 24/7 via the Post and WTOP, he'd be looking at close to a 3.0 share. There is no comparison between the two, nobody really cares about WaPo Radio. I mean so what if you can't here it, what would you really be missing? But on the otherhand who DOESN'T want to be able to listen the Redskins? The issues are completely opposite WaPo: great signal/horrific content, TripleX: horrible signal/great content. (7/25/07) "the amount of posts on this site about WaPo Radio would prove otherwise...that people are listening" Are you from Bonneville? Wouldn't have expected such an ignorant comment from one who was - really. (7/25/07) Mike Nesmith. A very underrated musician and songwriter. Along with Graham Parsons, he really pioneered the country rock genre. Little known trivia. His mother invented Liquid Paper. (7/25/07) Dave's response: I thought it was his aunt..... It must be Christmas in July because WASH-FM 97-1 is playing Christmas music today. If you go to their website it says Washington's home for the holidays. (7/25/07) I really think Nesmith looks like BURD. (7/25/07) If Chip Franklin is leaving I think a show worth putting on from 9am-noon (if possible) is what WBAL runs during the overnight-Brian and the Judge from Fox Radio. Granted its not local but they do an excellent job of covering the national political scene...While probably not likely to happen, what about putting former Gov. Bob Ehrlich on from noon-3pm or 9am-noon...Dumping Rush was probably not the greatest of ideas but I refuse to believe they cannot find a suitable replacement to do a local show. Rob Douglas seemed a better fit for mid mornings or evenings, (probably best though as a co-host) not a guy to go up against Rush though. -Michael (7/25/07) Umm... no. Postings in the DCRTV mailbag do NOT prove people are listening to Post Radio. They prove that people in the industry and interested in the industry in the DC area are puzzled as to why Bonneville's local management has been on a tear bound and determined to suddenly destroy previously successful stations. ARBITRON proves people are listening to WaPo Radio. In fact it proves that very FEW people are listening. As for Red Zebra, Riggo is kind of growing on me. (7/25/07) DCRTV Dave wrote regarding Hearst that...Clear Channel, with only three radio stations in Baltimore, would seem to be the most-likely suitor for Hearst's 1090 and 97.9, me thinks. Although, with them preoccupied with their buyout thingo, the BAL/IYY duo may bo to someone else. Salem anyone? Oh, nevermind....." Actually, I'm thinking more in lines of Entercom or Cumulus since both have made previous Baltimore market overtures. (7/25/07) Dave's response: Nassau? Bonneville? Radio One? Man, the 1090 signal would be a big boost for WOLB! RE: "the amount of posts on this site about WaPo Radio would prove otherwise...that people are listening. " The amount of posts on dcrtv have nothing to do with Arbitron numbers or the number of people listening. Simply because a handful of people in the industry check out a station does not mean it is gaining listeners. Actually, it's kind of like watching a train wreck or an accident on the Beltway - hard to turn away. Jut waiting for the next catastrophe - JS (7/25/07) DCRTV received the following from a WTOPer..... Twice this morning WTOP tried to send the required monthly EAS test to the "daisy chain" of EAS stations in the DC market, but instead of the monthly test, a Child Abduction Alert (CAE, or "Amber Alert") event was sent instead. This was not operator error on the part of anyone at TOP. What happened was the programming on TOP's TFT EAS911 encoder somehow became corrupt, and the only emergency or test events the unit would send were Child Abduction Alerts. Most engineers with TFT EAS units have seen this before...corrupted or lost programming is a chronic problem with the TFT. The FCC should yank its certification on those boxes, they are so unreliable. WTOP's encoder was temporarily re-programmed and this afternoon the monthly test was sent successfully. Just yesterday WTOP placed an order for a new, state-of-the-art Linux-based EAS encoder/decoder, which should be installed and operating in the next 4-6 weeks. (7/25/07) With all this WaPo Radio bashing, how does Red Zebra not receive "equal time"? (7/25/07) "It's been said before, but it's worth pointing out again...the amount of posts on this site about WaPo Radio would prove otherwise...that people are listening" Most of who post on this board are IN the business so can never be considered listeners as far as Arbitron is concerned. Nor can most of us sign our posts for fear of retribution from management. But its becuase we are in the business that we cared enough to listen, at first for competitive reasons, but now purely out of the morbid curiosity of David Burd trying to save his job tomorrow when that station's death knell sounded long before Jaffe even thought about putting pen to paper. I think most of us, or at least 99% of us, just want it to be over already. (7/25/07) (Don't you get it, it's because your station SUCKS, that's why no one is listening...) It's been said before, but it's worth pointing out again...the amount of posts on this site about WaPo Radio would prove otherwise...that people are listening. As many listeners as a WPGC or WTOP? no, but this station seems to evoke a lot of emotion and multiple daily posts. if nobody is listening, why all the attention??? JC (7/25/07) Hello, Thought you might be interested in taking a look at and linking to a report, which was just posted by American University School of Communication Center for Social Media, re: Public Radio’s Social Media Experiments: Risk, Opportunity, Challenge. Here's the link with more information and to download the full report: www.centerforsocialmedia.org... The report analyzes the results of a survey of public radio stations and highlights the successes and challenges of integrating new social media tools into the mission of public radio. (7/25/07) To the dude in Reisterstown complaining about being interviewed by Channel 5 at Camden Yards: Get with it, last night was all about Cal Ripken and reporters were all over the place from all over as well. It was a newsworthy and sports worthy event, whether it was in Baltimore or Timbuktu. It amazes me how some people can not see the whole picture. Burt/Denton (7/25/07) This was in the Romenesko daily e-mail, which has a somewhat different take, and somewhat more detail, on the "Chicago Reader/City Paper" takeover than that in the "City Paper": Chicago Reader staff "discombobulated" by change of owners (www.chicagotribune.com) Chicago Tribune, chicagoreader.com..... Reader press critic Michael Miner says there's much angst among the alt-weekly's journalists about whether the new out-of-town owners, Creative Loafing Inc. will maintain the paper's eclectic mix of features, criticism and investigative stories. "This has been a very insular paper," he says. "We've seen other papers buffeted by change that hasn't affected us until now." More (blogs.chicagoreader.com) from Miner. (7/25/07) Alan Prell-EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeK. Chip Franklin is bad enough. Prell has a voice like a chalkboard. His humor is childish, he's a pompous ass. Wherever he is..someone please chain him to a tree. I meant this in the nicest way.. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek! (7/25/07) WHO IS THIS MAN? JUST STOP A MINUTE AND THINK. YOU KNOW YOU'VE SEEN HIM BEFORE. A) German Ambassador to the United States? B) Former rock and roll star? C) Spokane, Washington serial killer? D) Announced Presidential candidate in 2008? E) CEO of Halliburton? THE ANSWER IS: Hey Hey I'm a Monkee .... (7/25/07) You know Dave, for a station that allegedly has no listeners (WTWP) you sure do get allot of unsigned mail postings from folks who are listening. Oh! They're bashing, but they're listening. If the station is so bad, why do they bother to post on this site. As far as listening to Burd is concerned, I love his style and his humor. He is the perfect host to sit in for Tony K. One of the reasons I like Burd is the fact that he says it the way it is without allot of sugar on it. This apparently upsets some of the pantie-waists who snipe on this board about him. His anger at the Washingtonian is justified as far as I'm concerned. How can the author say what he did without any supporting facts to back it up? No one else seems to have the balls to call this guy out, except Burd. I served in the first Gulf War in the Marines and there is one thing that I learned the hard way: Never fuck with a Drill Instructor. Listening to Burd go off on the Washingtonian gave me a flash back to my days at MCRD San Diego. That was D.I. 101. I loved it. David Burd must be doing something right, the harpies keep talking about him. Bob Riley, 5th Marines (1989-1993) Semper Fi (7/25/07) PREDICTION........ With WBAL 1090 ratings floudering, and without Limbaugh (and I don't miss him, that's for sure but he does draw ratings) and the Orioles (they don't win but they do provide ratings), WBAL AM will probably start cutting costs for Hearst to sell the station. It's not a big secret that Hearst is out of the radio business and for a LONG while. WIYY and WBAL are their ONLY radio properties and the cash cow days appear to be over. Ron Smith can only carry 1090 so far, the KML 98ROCK days are over. I bet Hearst accepts a lower price for both the AM & FM now that ratings have tanked, and personalities and sports teams are leaving or have left. Mark my words. (7/25/07) Dave's response: Clear Channel, with only three radio stations in Baltimore, would seem to be the most-likely suitor for Hearst's 1090 and 97.9, me thinks. Although, with them preoccupied with their buyout thingo, the BAL/IYY duo may bo to someone else. Salem anyone? Oh, nevermind..... "Every f***ing thing we do is criticized" Don't you get it, it's because your station SUCKS, that's why no one is listening, get over it already! (7/25/07) Maybe Shari Ellicker could be the new Elaine Stein? How about Shari and Uncle Allie 24/7? Or maybe WBAL could just simulcast WaPo Radio? Or, if you want to see Ron, Bruce and "The Champ" jump from the top of the antenna tower...Air America!!!! Howie (7/25/07) Dave's response: I was surfing the Sun the other day, and found this about Elane Stein - www.baltimoresun.com..... If a station wants to use "WHFS" as their programming identifier, there's nothing stopping them. The top of the hour, legal ID still has to be whatever their license says. But a station could do like WWRC did in the 1980s when NBC sold the place. They still used "WRC" throughout the hour, but when it came time to ID, they had a stuttering W all of a sudden, thanks to a bit of razor-blade and grease pencil production in the tape edit room. They even had the Washington Post "radio column" fooled for years into still calling them WRC. (NABET) (7/25/07) Dave's response: The letters "WHFS" are frequently mentioned on The Globe, especially with "vault" and "back in the day" retro tunes. I doubt there will be a lawsuit over it since CBS (Baltimore) would be suing CBS (Washington)..... "Every f***ing thing we do is criticized. They are going after the Post through us. Other than public radio, no one has been doing good local talk radio but us." Wow. I wonder which egoist said that? WTWP had a huge rollout, and fizzled. Every step of the way there's been a Bonneville brat explaining away the poor performance. "Great start for a brand new station!" "It takes a year for a new station to establish itself!" "We're gaining WMAL in key demos!" Now, a year later and many ratings points short, it's everybody else's fault. We're big meanies because we hate the Post, and they dismiss public radio with the quote. WAMU has the equivalent of about a 4 and a half share, WPFW has more listeners than WTWP, and Bonneville was going to overcome this.... how? Apparently by a series of poor decisions like hiring a part time morning man, ejecting Posties with actual radio experience like Warren Brown, blowing out a successful classical format and eventually losing Z104 as collateral damage of all the changes. So now where they had two top 5 performers, lower-middle of the pack Z104, and snoozy WFED, they now have one performer, a dead blowtorch signal, one less station, and snoozy WFED. Also, if you're really annoyed that folks are going after the Post through WTWP, maybe you shouldn't call your station WASHINGTON POST RADIO. (7/25/07) David Burd wears out after a few hours. He starts to sound pompous (HE IS). His humor is supposed to be of the intellectual type..IT IS. B-O-R-I-N-G! (7/25/07) To G.J. in Reisterstown. You must not be a very big fan of the Orioles. Channel 5 was there to cover Cal Ripken Jr. inductee in the Hall of Fame. Just like ESPN, FOX SPORTS. Try reading the paper. No what game you where going to. It has been Hall of Fame week. (7/25/07) If Chip Franklin really is going to San Diego, can he take Marty Bass with him ?? That would be the proverbial "Kill two birds with one stone." Bring back Uncle Allie !! Doug in Bel Air (7/25/07) Hey Dave, juicy this!? (Pun intended!): WASH looking for APD: (clearcareers.clearchannel.com). BTW, CC's also looking for announcers for all of its DC cluster stations; sale reps, too. They're apparently on a hiring binge! Hahaha! brian/reston (7/25/07) Dave's response: Speaking of Clear Channel, what's with the chick who does middays on DC101? All she does is talk about men's butts. Today, she did a bit on men wearing ass-exposing chaps. I immediately flipped over to the far more cultured Schelby on the Globe, who talks about sedate stuff like dentists and cable TV shows..... Technically speaking, those 'heritage calls' of WHFS belong on 102.3 MHz.(7/25/07) Dave's response: That might work with the station's current adult urban format. Washington's Home For Soul, 102.3..... If Chip Franklin is San Diego bound?(Didn't Mr. Franklin grow up in D.C. area?) Might this make way for the return of Alan Prell to WBAL?....Seems to me that a lot of the jocks on WBIG sound like the "Maze", the jock who's tapes Don and Mike use to play in mockery. I say the playlist for WBIG and Globe ain't all that different, 'cept Globe plays a few more songs of current vintage. Btws, is Dire Straits turning into the new Led Zepplin amongst today's boring radio programmers?........Does John Waters get a piece of the action on the new "Hairspray"? I just didn't think there was a need to remake it and there's the Travolta factor. I find him annoyingly pompous as all get out. Is it the scientology thing? Hope this mention doesn't bring down the wrath of Hubbard's flock down on dcrtv.......if Mr. Carlson was running WMAL he wouldn't allow them tasteless funeral ads on the air! And Don Geromino, would Jennifer Marlowe qualify in your "hot as balls"( a strange expression in this listener's opinion) category.....strange message on my answering machine, a Tony from Turkey says he has a package for me. But I don't know no Tony from Turkey and ain't expecting no package. I'm curious but I also saw that Brad Davis movie. (7/25/07) Get the rumor mill churning- Could Shari Elliker be the great estrogen filled hope for the aging WBAL? (Full disclosure- I'm NOT Shari Elliker, but I have been a long time fan ever since she was on WHFS and Don & Mike). I've really enjoyed listening to her Sunday show on BAL, and she's been filling in for Chip Franklin recently, plus she really stands out on her show on XM. Face it- WBAL needs something new, and a woman as smart and funny as Shari might be the answer. It's definitely NOT what I expect from WBAL, but I think they need to start changing things up over there. Their audience is getting older than Matlocks! Signed, Jack Welby (7/25/07) re; "We Got to Do Better" premieres tonight at 10:30 PM on BET. That would be nice....and they can start by using correct English! (7/25/07) I think I've figured out what it is I don't like about The Tony Kornheiser Show Without Tony Kornheiser. David Burd is giving us WMAL Lite - from the attempt to resurrect the dull Victoria Jones' career to the phony live testimonial ad reads. If I wanted to listen to boring radio, I could tune to 630 and hear Chris Core do the same lame act. This program is devoid of wit and personality and bite. No wonder, most of Tony's regular on-air "posse" (another Burd-ism that Mr. Tony would never use) and guests have deserted for the hiatus. No wonder the few who are left (Stern/Nigel, Joe Barber, Kevin Stanfield) sound so uncomfortable when Burd tries too hard to do what Tony does, and fails. The ratings aren't out yet, but I'll be shocked if the listeners haven't deserted, too. (7/25/07) Most of channel 5's newscasts are simulcast on Baltimore's channel 24 so in a weird way, taping footage of fans at an Orioles game makes sense. Everett W. (7/25/07) Dave's response: Are 5's newscasts on 24 generating any ratings traction in Charm City? WASH-FM is playing Christmas Music all day today. Well, as the saying goes, Christmas in July. Regarding the O's having less coverage in '08, I seriously doubt it. There are too many baseball fans in the DC and both teams will get covered equally, as they should be. Mike in Waldorf (7/25/07) Dave's response: It's only five months to Cashmas. Better get busy getting those credit cards maxxed out..... "Dave's response: I love it when I hear ads for cemeteries, funeral homes, and casket companies on WMAL and WTOP. It shouts loud and clear - "we're old peoples' radio"....." Years ago, when 99.1 first became WHFS all the ads seemed to be for compoz C O M P O Z. I guess they were a sponsor under the prior format. It was quite jarring after a rousing punk tune. Howie (7/25/07) Dave's response: Back in 1983, when WHFS had just moved to 99.1 (and it was still known as WLOM), they'd run chain saw ads at 3 AM. Ponderous, man, ponderous. Or how about recently on WJFK-FM, during Don and Mike. They ran an ad with some high-pressure man screaming about car dealer deals and IMMEDIATELY, without skipping a beat, jumped to one of those sad "solo piano" ads with some poor oldish guy talking about how a giant drug company cured his cancer. Ponderous, man, ponderous..... "Don't you people now have your own team to cover? Or did they leave you like the other two did?" G.J. why the hostility? Did you happen to see that Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles Hall of Fame inductee was being sent off at the game you were at which is a HUGE news and sports story. Every DC station covers the Nats, but they are currently in Philly, and there are still a ton of viewers who follow the Orioles. Grab a Boogs sandwich and chill, buddy. Both cities can have a team, its okay. Ask SF/OAK, CHC/CWS, NYY,NYM...etc. You want less DC Orioles coverage? Just wait till April 2008... (7/25/07) My family and I were waiting in line to get into the Orioles game last night when a TV cameraman came up to us and asked to take a video of us. (I have an 8-year old daughter and a 10-month old baby daughter). We were all dressed in our Orioles garb. When he was done taking the video, I asked him what channel he worked for and he said, "Channel 5, News at Ten." Channel 5? CHANNEL 5 IN DC? Don't you people now have your own team to cover? Or did they leave you like the other two did? Crap, if I knew it was a DC news station I would have done something else for the camera! No wonder MLB won't give the Nats their own network to cover their games, your local news stations are too busy heading up to Baltimore to cover a team that actually has some history to it! (Even if that's ALL we have up here to enjoy). I'm actually glad DC got its own team. It's nice to have the National League so close, but really, Channel 5 should not be concerned with Orioles games anymore. G. J. in Reisterstown (7/25/07) Douglas quit (WBAL radio) because he found show prep to be too time consuming and the show too difficult to do. He seems to be homesick for Colorado and wants to return. (7/25/07) Thanks Howie for the MASN info. WBAL is still radio for those white guys in nursing homes. Just too old! He's not my 'Champ'! (7/25/07) Dave's response: I love it when I hear ads for cemeteries, funeral homes, and casket companies on WMAL and WTOP. It shouts loud and clear - "we're old peoples' radio"..... "Why not make WBAL an All News, All the Time deal a la WTOP but keep the O's games?" The reason BAL's ratings are down is because the lost the O's games. (7/25/07) Dave's response: Limbaugh's move to WCBM hasn't helped..... Julie Parker from Newschannel 8 and channel 7 should be on that list of hottest female news anchor. She is really hot and a real cool babe. So is her husband! (7/25/07) I want to first say that I'm all for people taking advantage of an opportunity that will result in them advancing themself. And that said, I'm sure that Campbell Brown is happy about her getting her own gig at CNN. However, I've never been a Campbell Brown fan and felt that her pouting and making it known her displeasure over not getting Katie Couric's spot, I found to be quite unprofessional. There were probably a number of people who "should've been considered for that spot, but in the end, NBC decided to go with Meredith Viera for whatever reason. So, if Campbell felt that this was a sign for her to move on to what she believes is a better opportunity for her professionally, then, although she's not one of my favorites, I do wish her well. (7/25/07) Used to listen to David Burd often on weekends but I'm finding that a little Burd goes a looooong way. As for 'Nigel'...the act is old and wearing thin. Time to drop the accent and go back to your real voice. Just a thought: When Mr Tony is on 'Nigel' (Marc Sterne) gets little airtime. Since Burd is on 'Nigel' is more prominent...do we see a correlation here with the ratings? mmmmmmmm steveo (7/25/07) Why not make WBAL an All News, All the Time deal a la WTOP but keep the O's games? Move the talk to CBM and their sister on 1370. (7/25/07) re: "Dave's response: I did manage to find a print copy of August's Washingtonian. Harry Jaffe's article is basically correct." "Correct" about something that's just a rumor? Dave, hate to break it to you, but there's nothing "correct" about a rumor until it becomes fact. Til then, its just someone's opinion, or someone's wishful thinking. You know, Dave, the nice pharmaceutical people who make the erectile disfunction drugs say you should see a doctor if an erection lasts more than four hours. Well, on the basis of the hard-on you have for Bonneville, and now, apparently, the one that Washingtonian has for the Post, maybe you and Harry Jaffe should both make appointments with the good doctor. I'll be listening tomorrow morning when David Burd calls out Harry Jaffe. Good for him. I'd like to hear on what basis Jaffe goes out and says what he says WHEN THE SUMMER RATINGS AREN'T EVEN OUT YET. I hope Burd reams him out a new one. I'm seriously thinking about cancelling my subscription to Wasingtonian. I happen to like a lot of what I hear on Post radio, and its not just the Nationals now, either. And according to the trends, there are an awful lot of people who agree with me. People on this board decry the corporate suits who are dumbing down most of commercial radio all the time, and yet here are two companies, the Post and Bonneville, trying something new, and if it isn't a massive success within two ratings books, out come the naysayers and the brickbats. And for those of you who enjoy playing the "blame game", I have some breaking news for you people. Not all of the decisions about Post radio are made by Jim Farley. He's a good man, one of the best in the business, but he's not alone in making decisions for the station. He has a GM, Joel Oxley, and he and Jim also have bosses at Bonneville in Salt Lake City that they both answer to. I know that some of the people who post to this mailbag have "reasons" for not using their names, but I especially have reason to be super-skeptical of "insiders" who won't stand behind their "rumors" by clearly identifying themselves. To me, they are cowards hiding behind your skirt, Dave, and you're letting them get away with it. In any case, its nonsense like this, including the rumormongering of the Washingtonian and DCRTV's mailbag, that make me glad I got out of the radio business when I did. - Call Me 'Legs' (7/25/07) Dear Jazz Fan: Our featured artists line-up for the weeks ahead includes all the great jazz artists from A to Z as in Adderley to Zawinul and everybody in between... to find out more click here... jazzradiodc.com... Please note if any page on the site doesn't open... simply click your refresh button. Thanks, Carl David (7/25/07) /\ July 25 Messages /\ \/ July 24 Messages \/ Why is everyone leaving Clear Channel/DC? Dave Pugh, head of CC/DC has the answer for you. He has a saying, "They don't leave companies, they leave bad managers." This has been his "mantra" when he is trying to rally the troops. I guess Pugh is a pretty smart man after all! (7/24/07) How can you have hottest female news anchor & not have Eun Yang. Eun Yang & Shannon Bream are the 2 hottest women from ch 4. The Sports Chick from 4 is ok, but she ain't in Eun or Shannon's league. Shawn Yancy from Ch 5 is hot too & Maureen Uhmeh & Allison Seymore wouldn't get kicked outta bed. Natsha from ch 7 does deserve to be on the list, but what about Allison Startling, she's hot too. Leslie Foster is hot & she derserves to be on the list, but so does Tracey Neal. (7/24/07) I also agree with the comment from Mike in Fairfax about ABC needing to hire a babe and get rid of Judy Rankin. Why? First of all, Rankin knows the game and is very good at what she does. Second, how many times during a golf telecast do you actually see the on-course reporters on camera? Usually at the beginning of the broadcast, the network puts a picture of the reporter on the screen, and that's about it. You can add a babe like Erin Andrews, but then the complaint will be that she's not getting enough face time. None of them do. Shows how much that dumbass Polley actually watches golf. (7/24/07) And, a day after Rob Douglas quit WBAL radio, Chip Franklin quit today to take a job in San Diego. How about that as a programmer’s nightmare? (7/24/07) Dave's response: Can anyone confirm? Admittedly, I was not a Gary Thorne fan at first. But after viewing tonight's Cal Pre-Game Ceremonies he put him self in another class of area broadcasters. Though I stillmiss my old friend Jon Miller! Rusty Gibson (7/24/07) CNN, Paula Zahn, is leaving . The new host is Campbell Brown. August 1. - Doug (7/24/07) Dave, I noticed the blurb about Michelle Goodman leaving WMZQ for another media gig. You only report it when you get it but there are more. She's not the only Senior Rep that's left 1801. I believe they've lost 6-7 Senior Reps in the last two months. Anyone care to speculate why these veterans are being run out? (7/24/07) Dave's response: Could it be that Clear Channel is such an absolute joy to work for? Looks like a last gasp effort by David Burd to save his job, while surely his fate, and that of WaPo radio, has probably already been established back in Salt Lake City. Hopefully someone that cares will be listening. (7/24/07) "How often is there just one team on the schedule? It makes hard to follow the teams. Not that Angelos cares about the fans!" As evil as PGA may be, this has nothing to do with him or any plot or conspiracy. MASN wants both teams to be available throughout the region. To do that, they must have a MASN2 available to deliver the extra game. Cable and satellite companies do not want to sacrifice carriage space for two full time channels carrying the same thing for most of the broadcast day. Therefore, MASN2 only opens up during the broadcast time of the team scheduled to be on it. Instead of relegating one team to the part time channel and incurring the wrath of the fans of that team, MASN chose to mix it up. Each team plays around 100 times on MASN and the rest on MASN2. The MASN website carries the entire schedule. Believe me, there would be even more fans upset if either the Orioles or the Nats were only seen on the part time channel. Howie (7/24/07) Every so often someone drops the dog-eared gem of "CBS needs to honor the WHFS calls and put great album rock back on 99.1 FM!" ... Newsflash, mailbaggers, that is never. going. to happen. ever. SERIOUSLY. Who gives two shits about the call letters? Let's try living in the 21st century, and while you're at it, learn some Spanish. (7/24/07) Dave's response: Let 99.1 stay El Zol. I just want the heritage rock WHFS calls on DC's 94.7, which is a great station, getting better by the day..... While MASN is flattered that Gary Thorne is sorely missed, he’s only been gone for 10 days (since July 13). He’ll be back on the air for tonight’s game with Tampa Bay and is the Master of Ceremonies for the Cal Ripken ceremony. (7/24/07) I skimmed the Rosenberg interview and saw he had PGC, XM, HFS, JFK...but did he happen to mention his stint at McDonald's? Homeboy's gotta be true to his roots. Cousin. John, Annapolis (7/24/07) Hello folks: I am a finalist for Media Bistro's annual "Hottest Media Types, Male, On Air". *Vote for me at: mediabistro.com... Thanks, Robert "Rob" Redding Jr., Redding News Review (7/24/07) Dave's response: Make a $5 donation to DCRTV and I'll cast multiple votes for you. I've already cast multiple votes for WTOP's Adam Tuss, even though he hasn't made a donation..... (Dave's response: My Comcast system doesn't carry ESPN Classic at all - on basic cable or via digital.....) Dave, how can you possibly live without seeing those re-runs of American Gladiators? (7/24/07) Hey Dave: RE: [ " What happened to Gary Thorne on MASN? He disappeared about a month-6 weeks ago. Nobody has said a word. " ]....... He was on ESPN just the other day, so my guess is that he has ESPN work in his contract just like Jon Miller did way back with the Orioles. In other words, no big deal. Unless somebody knows something else??? (7/24/07) re.: WBAL, I was under the impression that Rob Douglass was on vacation too. Sad thing is that so is Dave Durian. This leaves Bruce Elliott filling in for Durian, C4 filling in for Douglass, and with Steve Rouse back at CBS-Baltimore and not able to fill in for Durian,, no one is left to fill the 9-midnight shift. So, last night you got Fox Sports radio, w/ "J.T. The Brick", and his sidekick "Looney". Don't see how this fits in too well with the normal WBAL Programming. They need to start grooming another fill-in host. (7/24/07) Dave's response: Well, maybe some soon-to-be-former Washington Post Radioers should be sending their resumes to Baltimore's 1090..... As far as I know, Rob Douglass was supposed to be on vacation for a few weeks. (7/24/07) Whatever is going on at WBAL, I'm sure it will be worked out in a fair and decent way. BAL is one of the few great places to work. They are not perfect, of course, but are head and shoulders above the "Clear Channels" of the radio world. They are smart enough to sign Ron Smith, one of the best in the talk show biz, to a new contract. Ron is as smart and smooth as they come. He is also one of the nicest people I have known in the radio/TV industry. Give BAL some time. They'll do the right thing. Unfortunately that can not be said for the other "radio suits" in the DC/Balt. area. (7/24/07) What happened to Gary Thorne on MASN? He disappeared about a month-6 weeks ago. Nobody has said a word. (7/24/07) MAILBAG: RE: "The Commish is starting to describe the meeting he had with the FBI about the ref when - WHAT'S THIS? - 980 goes to a commercial break!!! I missed the entire explanation...What kind of lousy programming is that?!?!?" It was automation.…I know. Allan S. (7/24/07) Rob Douglas on WBAL... Just checked -- C4 is on the air during Rob's time (7/24/07) Dave's response: Something's "up," for sure..... Re: Orioles viewership is up more than 20 percent over CSN Mid-Atlantic broadcasts last season"..... That is particularly interesting in that the Shenandoah Valley has not been able to see the Orioles, except for the games simulcast on WJZ, and that’s only until Comcast takes it away from us, which is probably in the long-term plans. The folks further south in Harrisonburg lost Channel 20 earlier this year, so they have NO access to any of the simulcasts from MASN. We’re still out here and it seems like we’ll never get the Nats and O’s. Charles in Winchester (7/24/07) So there I was today, riding on the Beltway when I turned on TEM. They say they are going live to the David Stern news conference, so I keep the radio tuned to 980. The commish is starting to describe the meeting he had with the FBI about the ref when - WHAT'S THIS? - 980 goes to a commercial break!!! I missed the entire explanation of what the FBI said to Stern, and how he responded! What kind of lousy programming decision is that?!?!? (7/24/07) "Over at WTEM, Andy Pollin must have felt the urge to 'out-Czaban' Czaban upon returning to Sports Reporters after a week's vacation. Yesterday, he suggested that ABC replace veteran golf commentator Judy Rankin with a 'hot 20-something babe' on its British Open telecast. Hello - if all Pollin cares about is eye candy, he should go straight to the internet and not even bother watching golf. TV analysts are hired mainly for their expertise on a particular sport and ability to articulate. As a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, I think Rankin's slightly better qualified to cover a tournament than some bimbo plucked off the street. Mike, Fairfax" I fully agree with you, Mike -- but stop and consider that on this one, Andy is probably playing to his audience, a bunch of twentysomething "Maxim" readers who never heard of Judy Rankin but know she's not a "babe"...which is all those yahoos care about. Lord knows, if Andy Pollin tried to play this straight and comment on the actual coverage, many of his listeners would switch the dial. More's the pity -- although whether Andy or his audience should be more pitied, well, that's for you to decide. -- Vincent in Triangle (7/24/07) (" WJFK does it again. Can you do ANYTHING right, CB -asss???? On the bottom of their website "Your California Privacy Rights". WJFK-AM is not in California guys. Pathetic!" "Dave's response: Well, WJFK-FM's Don and Mike are big in Sacramento.....") Ok, assclown, get off of your 'JFK Soapbox. All CBS Radio stations have the California privacy rights link on their websites. California has different privacy laws than the rest of the country, and therefor requires a separate privacy statement. Think outside the DC box...web media is visible worldwide, not just here, and as Dave pointed out...Don and Mike, which originates at JFK, has affiliates in California, making it more even more appropriate for that policy to be included on their website. (7/24/07) Comments... This article was in a newsletter from the poynter institute. _____ Posted, July 24, 2007 - Jaffe: I hear Washington Post Radio will go silent this fall... Washingtonian... The problem with the Post's radio venture, says Harry Jaffe, is that most of its journalists aren't suited for that medium. "They might be good reporters, but many lack the gift of gab. In other words, they can be boring," he writes. "The few who can tell good radio stories are all over NPR and MSNBC, so Post Radio doesn't seem special." Jaffe hears the Post will pull the plug at the end of the Nationals season. _____ www.poynter.org (7/24/07) In it's August 2007 *Best of Baltimore* issue relationship expert, author and radio host LaDawn Black is named "*Baltimore's Best Guilty* *Pleasure*" by *Baltimore Magazine*. The magazine further states that Black's show, *The Love Zone*, is Baltimore's answer to the nationally syndicated *Loveline* show hosted by Dr. Drew. Black feels that having the *Baltimore Magazine* recognize her show "is further proof that my dream of having a show that can appeal to all demographics is possible -- I always wanted the show to transcend the urban demo and it looks like it is happening!" The *Best of Baltimore* edition of the *Baltimore Magazine* will be on newsstands in August. LaDawn Back's full-page profile can be found on page 201. LaDawn Black is a relationship expert, author and radio personality based out of Baltimore. She is the author of two top-selling relationship guides: *Stripped Bare: The 12 Truths that Will Help You Land the Very Best Black Man* and *Let's Get It On: 15 Hot Tips and Tricks to Spice Up Your Sex Life*. Black is also a frequent contributor to *Cosmopolitan*, *JEWEL*, *Essence*and *match.com*. Her radio show *The Love Zone* on Baltimore's WERQ (92Q) is consistently the #1 overnight show in the city. For more information on LaDawn Black visit www.ladawnblack.com. (7/24/07) History of WGTS, the Washington area's first non-com station and first in area to broadcast in stereo, posted on www.savewgts.org. Not a great way for them to be celebrating their 50th anniversary on the air. (7/24/07) Hey, please enlighten me. Did Holly Morris really get married recently? If so, when and where? No one on the air said anything about it. They kept that “under wraps”... Holly’s mouth is so big then why didn’t she mention that? Goes to show that even big mouth people keep some aspects of their lives private. Hope she will be able to keep him and he won’t leave her like Tom did. Joan (7/24/07) Dave's response: I'm told she got married last weekend in the West Indies. I'm told Channel 5 did mention it on the air, but my TV refuses to show any channels or networks owned by Rupert Murdoch..... I just happened to hear the rant by David Burd on Harry Jaffe this morning regarding WaPo ratings...I'd say he was pissed! (7/24/07) Dave's response: I did manage to find a print copy of August's Washingtonian. Harry Jaffe's article is basically correct. We're hearing the same rumors that the Post and Bonneville are seriously considering the end of their expensively low-rated radio experiment. We've even reported rumors that 107.7 and 1500 may soon be sold to Redskins owner Dan Snyder for his Triple X sports talker. Where Harry erred is when he alleged that the station's ratings have "tanked" since Tony Kornheiser left in late June. David Burd is correct in saying that the ratings for the post-Tony period aren't out yet. The summer ratings book doesn't get released until fall..... WBAL needs to hire Ed Norris and WHFS needs to switch back to being a rock station again. Period. The current line-up is totally repulsive and a injustice to the history behind the calls. WHFS2 really just needs to be WHFS, and the talk stuff needs to go back to AM 1300, along with the Orioles (I totally don't understand the thought behind wasting good FM sound on baseball). CBS Baltimore needs to get checked by big corporate CBS soon. Maybe a move back to rock like KRock in NYC? KeninLinthicum (7/24/07) Dave's response: Nice hearing Don Geronimo yesterday slamming CBS-Baltimore for repeatedly cutting his Don and Mike show, via 105.7. How about taking 105.7 back to WKTK with progressive rock and sending the WHFS calls back to DC for 94.7. Put the Orioles on WJZ-AM, SportsTalk 1300..... How is the real Mike Landess doing?........ How can Comcast Sports Net have a ratings increase with hardly any programming outside of when the Washington Bullets are playing. No I don't count WaPo Live........That's horrible that no local channel can carry Cal's H o' F induction.Hasn't the H o' F ceremonies been carried on ESPN or ESPN2 in the past. Did you see Cal on one of them home shopping channel's last night. Cal's getting a bit heavy but not as bad as Tony Gywn...... And wha' happened, hardly any coverage of the Pan Am games. With cable channels so desperate for programming, good God no, not another reality show, I'd think someone would cover the Pan Am games........ Just listening to Buddy Rizer's WTRI and heard Vic Damone singing. After song the announcer said he and Diahnn Carroll make a lovely couple but I believe they've been divorced for some time now. And sadly such a wonderful singer as Vic Damone has retired. Heard a podcast interview of Mr. Damone from a Chicago radio station and though Mr. Damone sounded fine I think he's reluctant to perform anymore because he had a stroke few years back. How can folks like this Mike Bubble fella and Rod Stewart's painful renditions when you can listen to Vic Damone. Folks is folks I guess (7/24/07) Dave's response: We recently heard from former Channel 5 news anchor Mike Landess. He's still anchoring in Denver. He's been successfully battling prostate cancer..... David should try to cool his jets. He's coming across as desperate, unhinged. Do you agree? It's just never cool to lose it to a reporter in that way. (7/24/07) Dave's response: Hey, maybe Dave Burd is taking a page out of Don Geronimo's book. I think Burd is really really frustrated. He know the USS WTWP is sinking and is making sure that his lifeboat (Farley and WTOP) is waiting there for him when he needs it..... "It's a shame none of the local stations will be carrying ESPN Classic's live coverage of Cal's Hall of Fame induction ceremony." Perhaps ESPN doesn't allow its coverage to be simulcast by other media outlets. What I don't understand is why the network relegates the baseball induction telecast to Classic whereas the NFL Hall of Fame ceremonies are always shown live on regular ESPN. From a Washington perspective, the start of Redskins training camp normally dominates local sports coverage all weekend long with everything else pushed into the background. But DC didn't have baseball at any time during Ripken's career and there was always a significant Washington presence at Oriole home games, so his entry into the Hall can't very well be ignored or downplayed. Channel 9 has been promoting the fact that Brett Haber will be reporting live from Cooperstown, NY this weekend - not sure what 4, 5 or 7 plan to do. Speaking of the Skins, Triple X's Redskins Lunch program hosted by Larry Michael is scheduled to return on July 26 (Bram Weinstein's show has already gone on hiatus). Over at WTEM, Andy Pollin must have felt the urge to 'out-Czaban' Czaban upon returning to Sports Reporters after a week's vacation. Yesterday, he suggested that ABC replace veteran golf commentator Judy Rankin with a 'hot 20-something babe' on its British Open telecast. Hello - if all Pollin cares about is eye candy, he should go straight to the internet and not even bother watching golf. TV analysts are hired mainly for their expertise on a particular sport and ability to articulate. As a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, I think Rankin's slightly better qualified to cover a tournament than some bimbo plucked off the street. Mike, Fairfax (7/24/07) Holly Morris, yes did get married. To Morris Jones. She is keeping her former husbands last name as well. She is now Holly Morris-Jones. Thanks, Mike Landess (7/24/07) Dave's response: The above was just a joke and not from the real "Mike Landess"..... "You owe your readers an apology for printing crap," a furious David Burd said on-air Tuesday"...as the saying goes...if a tree falls in a forest... (7/24/07) Broadcast stations generally don't have the option to carry cable sports programming like the baseball HOF induction. The only reason for the pro football game exception is because the NFL mandates a local broadcast provision by contract. Everett W. (7/24/07) I was dragged to Hairspray this weekend. It was fun, well acted, but I had to wonder why a current remake was necessary. Apparently, the more recent stage musical inspired by the original movie was so successful, it inspired the current movie? Speaking of Queen Latifah, music, and records: Those who are interested in minutia, will know that the timeline setting for the movie is Baltimore, 1962. But, if one looks closely at the background during the action which takes place in the Record Store set of the current movie, the LP covers shown in the front of the rows of the racks were mostly released after 1962. Much easier to find original R&B LPs released post 1962, than prior. (7/24/07) Rumors are buzzing in the financial community that Liz Claman in going to the Fox Business Channel, expected to launch October 15. Bob in Sunny Tampa (7/24/07) The paying customers have long wanted a al carte options from all packaged programmers, starting with cable TV. The story has always been that a la carte is not feasible, either from the programming aspect or the affordability aspect. But now, to bribe everyone into going along with the very bad idea of a merger of XM and Sirius, they put out a promise of a la carte service at a point some time in the future. I hope no one is stupid enough to be bought off by this big load of nothing. Creation of a satellite monopoly is still wrong, no matter what they wave in front of us. (7/24/07) It's a shame none of the local stations will be carrying ESPN Classic's live coverage of Cal's Hall of Fame induction ceremony. If the locals can carry a Ravens game that's on ESPN, not sure why they couldn't do the same thing for such a big moment in Baltimore Orioles history. And what recently replaced ESPN Classic on Comcast basic cable in Baltimore County and shoved it over to digital cable?? Of course that would be MASN. Amazing no one at Comcast or MASN gave this any thought before making the move...waiting 2 more weeks to switch would have meant more fans getting to see the ceremony live. But around these parts, O's fans always seem to lose in some way. TJ in Baltimore (7/24/07) Dave's response: My Comcast system doesn't carry ESPN Classic at all - on basic cable or via digital..... Where is Talk to Me playing in the D.C. Metro area? Hopefully, there will be Oscar buzz to save it from being forgotten, perhaps because it was released in Summer, when no one is expecting serious films. It's too bad that the producers didn't hold the film until November or December, when people generally pay attention to films like Talk to Me. I remember Petey Greene on Channel 20. He had a great show. He could be both insightful about the human condition and funny at the same time. Someone should release those old shows on DVD. JOHN IN STAFFORD (7/24/07) Dave's response: I caught it at Fairfax Corner, which is near the Fairfax County government complex at Fair Lakes. It's still in a very limited release, with more theaters to be added this upcoming weekend, I hear..... I'll second that vote for the always together, attractive and very talented Amy Morris at WFED as one of the "hottest" in DC radio for FishbowlDC's rather shortsighted "Hottest Media Types" list, which as far as I can tell is full of wonkettes and press lackeys on the hill & p.r. agency flacks. You can add Jessica Doyle at WaPoRad and the extraordinary Veronica Robinson at WTOP to that list. And while we're at it, although she's never met him, my wife thinks Ira Melman has a wickedly deep voice and believes him to be the sexiest voice on DC radio after mine. LOL!!! She once said I had a voice that could melt igneous rock so she biased. But, you know Dave, along with the end of the year "Best & Worst" lists maybe you should start a mid-summer tradition of "Best" or "Sexiest" Male & Female Radio Voices - You can sign me... "Pipes" (7/24/07) Dave's response: We have done "sexiest" contests before but all we got was ballot stuffing. There's really no way, via internet voting, that you can guarantee "one person, one vote." If it cannot be a fair contest, then what's the point..... To Tom and Burt in Denton: Thank you again for the kind words and encouragement. I'm also disappointed to hear that Rusty Gibson will no longer host the "Magical History Tour" on WEBR. However, the Rust Man will be a future neighbor and I envision great things happening for him in broadcasting. Had a chance to see "Hairspray" during my brief visit to Harford County this weekend. I enjoyed the music and Queen Latifah's heartfelt performance as Motormouth Mabel; however, nothing takes the place of the original film directed by John Waters. It's my understanding that John tapped into Alan Lee's expertise and record collection in the original. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (7/24/07) Dave's response: I'll stick to the original movie version of "Hairspray" with Divine, Ricki Lake, Jerry Stiller, Sonny Bono, and Debbie "Blondie" Harry..... A source tells TVNewser that Liz Claman, who joined CNBC in 1998, has left the Englewood Cliffs, NJ-based biz network to pursue other opportunities. More as we hear it... (7/24/07) Etiquette rules suggest ' Best Wishes' to the Bride and congratulations to the Groom. Its also appropriate to send an expectant mother Best Wishes as well. (7/24/07) Obama Girl Shakes Her Booty on Cam After CNN's YouTube Debate bigheaddc.com (7/24/07) /\ July 24 Messages /\ \/ July 23 Messages \/ "Jim Farley is aboslutely correct, they haven't made any HARD decisions yet, only BAD ones" Agreed, Farley didn't just get in this business yesteday so his credentials can't absolve him from such a significant error in judgement, they actually make it worse. I'm sure Bonneville can't allow a guy in a position like that to "try new things" without consequences, especially considering how grave the circumstances are in just their infancy. He should have known better. (7/23/07) (Regarding a previous post) "The bright, brown and orange ad on the side is one for WMAL, circa 1975. It features mug shots of Harden & Weaver and Trumball & Core, along with the station's branding slogan, but I'm having a senior moment and I can't place the precise wording." Back then, I'm pretty sure the WMAL slogan was either: 'Where All Is Said and Done" or "We Like To Be In Washington DC". (7/23/07) Just read the August Washingtonian (about Washington Post Radio) and Jim Farley is aboslutely correct, they haven't made any HARD decisions yet, only BAD ones. Decisions (or experiments as Jim likes to call them) which have cumulatively lowered Bonneville's over all share of BOTH ratings AND revenue by over $10 million and continue to bleed $$$ out their a$$. How long will Bonneville allow J&J to squander their success here in the market? The clock is surely ticking, hopefully they can hear it before its too late. (7/23/07) Dave's response: I'm dying to read it but all the damn newsstands in Reston still have the July issue out. By the way, did you know that City Paper has no distribution locations in Reston! You can find the Blade at several places in Reston, including the libraries, but you have to drive all the way to the Fairfax Borders for City Paper. Hmmm..... "Speaking of the Mid-Atlantic Network, why can't the O's games be on one channel all of the time and the Nats on another channel all the time? Why must they switch back and forth?" Because MASN2 only exists when it's needed. If there is only one game on the schedule, they aren't going to open up MASN2 for it. And if one team or the other was always on MASN2 that team's fans would raise bloody heck about it. Howie" - How often is there just one team on the schedule? It makes hard to follow the teams. Not that Angelos cares about the fans! (7/23/07) Dear Dave, I live in Laurel, around the corner from a semi-junkyard. In the midst of the mess is an old truck. It's been sitting in the same spot for at least 10 years now. The bright, brown and orange ad on the side is one for WMAL, circa 1975. It features mug shots of Harden & Weaver and Trumball & Core, along with the station's branding slogan, but I'm having a senior moment and I can't place the precise wording. But the blast from the past is all there, and in decent shape, too. Would you like me to shoot a picture of it? Some of your loyal readers will get a kick out of it, I'm sure. I really enjoy the service you provide. Keep up the great work. We're so fortunate to to have it literally at our fingertips. Regards, Tony (7/23/07) Dave's response: Please do. I'd love to see it..... If any of the complaints about CC relaying its AM talkers on FM HD2s/HD3s came from addresses that end in "cbsradio.com," they might want to make sure their own house is clean, first. In New York, WWFS (Fresh 102.7) carries 1010 WINS on its HD2 to fill in big holes in the AM pattern. My understanding is that the HD Alliance agreement only says you can't sell NEW spots for HD2 - but spots that are simulcast from existing AM signals are OK. The bigger issue, in any event, is that until the FCC publishes its Report and Order on HD Radio, it's still officially an experimental service, which has to be noncommercial. (There, too, the FCC will look the other way if it's a simulcast of spots on an existing commercial signal, but not if you're selling spots specifically for HD.) (7/23/07) Dave, I can across this today regarding a possible Imus return. "Don Imus Is Coming Back" www.newsmax.com (7/23/07) Dave's response: Since Imus is NYC-based, we've run a few Imus return blurbs at our new NYC news page..... It is an OUTRAGE, an absolute travesty of justice, that WFED's Amy Morris is not included in FishBowl DC's list of the Hottest Media Types. Not only is Amy sweet and a pleasure to work with, she is sizzling hot from head to toe. Any heterosexual man knows this. -Mark A (7/23/07) Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Ingraham is being replaced by Dennis Miller in the live morning position. Salem insiders say John Butler has been told by Ed Atsinger to "dump" Ingraham and put Miller in her place in all their markets??? The buzz around Salem they say is Dennis Miller is a better fit?? Some radio bloggers are picking this up...any truth? See Sun-Times article today. (7/23/07) Dave's response: Well, the talker that almost no one listenens to, WTNT 570, carries both. So, I guess they'll have a new slot to fill..... In reference to where are the Petey Green type personalities in radio today - remember Radio One's C. Miles? He was great at what he did. Also thanks for replacing that picture of a creepy looking dude on the mailbag page with the blonde in the bikini. Much better. Mr Bobo (7/23/07) Re: "Dude, concerning Holly Morris getting married, it is rude to offer "congrats" to the bride..." //// Judith Martin checking into DCRTV for the first time... (7/23/07) Dave, the Fox 5 morning news ran pictures of Holly and her new husband (whom they id'd, but I've already forgotten his name!!), following their wedding in the West Indies between 8:30am and 9 this morning. This all begs the question: Is Tom Sater getting drunk this afternoon (with the seldom seen Stacey Cohan)? congratz2holliesezdapjdjenva (7/23/07) Regarding "Talk To Me" and the comment that the movie "doesn't look like it's doing all that well in the national movie rankings": The Petey Greene biopic is currently only playing on 36 screens nationwide; (that's as compared to 4,285 screens for the latest Harry Potter romp). This past weekend, the average gross receipts per screen for TTM were a very nice $9,491, so watch for a slow but steady rise up the charts as Focus Features adds more screens in strategic markets. (I've already seen comparisons to the marketing strategy used for last summer's sleeper hit, "Little Miss Sunshine".) (7/23/07) Dave's response: It's a great film and I hope it does well, but intelligent movies aimed at adults these days are at a big disadvantage, via an avalanche of escapist movies featuring cartoonish characters aimed at kids..... Peter Rosenberg: Saves Radio? He is on the front page of Scheme Magazine: schememag.com... It is a LONG interview. (7/23/07) Dave's response: I bet Don Geronimo is looking forward to receiving that publication in his mailbox. Peter says in the article that he worked at "WJSK"..... Regarding congrats to Holly..Sorry to be so politically incorrect. Hadn't heard that you aren't supposed to congratulate the bride. If so, a bunch of people out here are incorrect. (7/23/07) Happy Birthday Therpe. You are a thuper exthiting dithc jockey thpinning thuper recordth. Theriously, how the hell doeth thomeone get a job on radio with a thpeech impediment? You and Weathel thtink! (7/23/07) Dude, concerning Holly Morris getting married, it is rude to offer "congrats" to the bride. After a wedding, you offer "congrats" to the groom. Offering congratulations to the bride is akin to saying "congratulations for finding a man." On the other hand, congratulating the groom is congratulating him for winning the girl. Say something like "Best of Luck to you" to the bride. (7/23/07) I think feldman is good, and I think Maloney is ok since it is a sports show that caters to mainly men....but....Carol asks some of the dumbest questions ever in interviews.......she should be banned from interviewing guests and let Feldy do it......they blew out Scott Jackson for that? Phil (7/23/07) "Speaking of the Mid-Atlantic Network, why can't the O's games be on one channel all of the time and the Nats on another channel all the time? Why must they switch back and forth?" Because MASN2 only exists when it's needed. If there is only one game on the schedule, they aren't going to open up MASN2 for it. And if one team or the other was always on MASN2 that team's fans would raise bloody heck about it. Howie (7/23/07) I just heard to today is Cerphe's birthday. That's very cool! Happy 75th dude! (7/23/07) Dave's response: Man, he doesn't look a day over 70! Tried to listen to Feldman and Maloney on Sportstalk 980 just now – lasted about a half hour. First of all, what’s with Feldman calling Carol Maloney, “Maloney”? What’s this, middle school? It comes off as self-consciously “locker room”, like he’s trying to treat the girl as one of the guys. Second, there appears to be ZERO chemistry and comfort between the two of them. It sounds like they were introduced fifteen minutes ago. OK, it’s better than listening to Doc Walker. And better than Colin Cowherd. And better than Jim Rome. OK, maybe it’s not THAT bad. Sincerely, TMU (7/23/07) Hey man - thanks for the love today - what did I do to you??? Nigel (7/23/07) In spite of what may be said here from time to time, CC by and large employs - and hangs on to - some of the brightest minds in broadcasting today. I beg to differ. The brightest minds were bright and quit (or are planning on quitting) after serving their time. As an ex employee of CC I have never worked for a company as hostile and tumultuous as CC (and I left on good terms). CC is a place you go while you are looking for a real job. And as far as running the simulcast HD2/HD3 with spots, that more than likely came from higher up since no one is allowed to have original thought there. (7/23/07) Re: "What's the point of HD radio if stations can't run commercials?" You missed the key phrase in that news story: promotional alliance. The plan is to get people to buy digital radios on the promise of commercial-free music on the subchannels. The commercials and subscription fees _will_ come later. (7/23/07) Dave's response: Yeah, my HD Radio has slot for coins on it. Promotional alliance or not, one of the major (!) benefits of HD Radio would be to relay a weakish AMer on a sister FMer's stronger signal. WTNT, WWRC, and WTEM could piggyback on sister Clear Channel's FM stations - vastly improving all three's nighttime coverage in suburbs. Bonneville could put the weak signal of Federal News Radio from 1050 on sister WTOP's HD2 or HD3. Weakish daytime-only AMers could "make deals" with more powerful FMers to improve their coverage and broadcast fulltime via an HD2 or HD3 relay..... Howard Stern's appearance with Petey Greene had him wearing black face and an Afro hair piece. I really enjoyed Howard's days in DC...the shows were really funny and quite spontaneous! (7/23/07) Dave's response: I was hoping that "Talk To Me" would do a scene featuring Stern's appearance on Petey's TV show. But no. Using the real Howard Stern for the scene would have been a great way to generate some buzz for the film, which doesn't look like it's doing all that well in the national movie rankings..... I've always believed the point of radio was to entertain and inform. In the process, the people on the air tell us something we might not know, suggest a way of looking at the world that we might not have thought of, or otherwise bring humor or entertainment into our lives. None of the above applies to what I just heard in the first 15 minutes of David Burd's show on Wash Post Radio. I liked Burd's show on the weekends, but this just didn't do it for me. As the saying goes - there was no there there. (7/23/07) Dave's response: I could just hear everyone tuning out in the 9 AM hour with an overly long "Tony replay" of "Phil's mom" making her college basketball playoff pics from March. Gawd, what a screwed-up mess of a station..... Breaking News!!! Breaking News!!!...Just saw on FOX5 that Holly Morris got married over the weekend!!!..The media sure kept THAT relationship hush hush..But anyway, congrats to her.. (7/23/07) [DCRTV heard complaints from other DC area broadcasters who pointed out that the current agreement with the promotional alliance of HD Radio stations forbids commercials on stations' additional HD2 and HD3 digital signals.] What's the point of HD radio if stations can't run commercials or charge subscriptions on the extra channels? As a listener I love getting something for nothing, but it makes no sense to me as a capitalism loving American. (7/23/07) In spite of what may be said here from time to time, CC by and large employs - and hangs on to - some of the brightest minds in broadcasting today. So it somes as a surprise to me that no one over there seemed to remember that you cannot legally run commercials on the "upper" HD channels. Even more surprising is that they could not quickly reprogram their audio management system to "cover" the spots that ordinarily would run on their main channel - this is done now for streaming audio on the web. Or else CC ISN"T covering their webcast spots, in which case a very happy AFTRA $poke$person will be calling the office very soon today. (7/23/07) i understand that you're more or less a DC radio website, but you might want to check this out. The entire San Francisco Bay Area more or less knows this guy. origin.mercurynews.com... KGO-TV, ABC7 anchor Pete Wilson dead at 62 (7/23/07) Dave's response: Not the former California governor..... Was listening to Globe radio this afternoon and the disc jockey said with firm resolution that Midnight Oil's hit "Beds are Burning" was a huge environmental themed hit song . I thought that song was about the treatment of the Aboriginal peoples of Austrailia? Was that Mike Franciotti(?) I heard sunday morning on Globe, formerly of mornings on WARW and then for a bit the evening jock on Globe?.....That DonandMike official website sure is a lot of nothing. D&M's minions rarely update, lousy links, not much of interest offered by minions of the site. Might I suggest Radio Gods Forum, were even in their bitterness over the treatment they got from the radio gods still have interesting discussions. (7/23/07) (Regarding the WPOC jingle just added to Jingleland at DCRTV Plus:) It's called "Livin the music", this was the full sing of a jingle package that revolved around that theme... Ihis was what they called the “full sing”. (7/23/07) /\ July 23 Messages /\ \/ July 22 Messages \/ I'm not sure it is hot news. But I'm wondering who this Lisa Hillary is on Comcast SportsNet tonight. She looks great, appears to be a lot more talented then most of Comcast's lineup. So I'm wondering if she is a new addition, or what her story is. Thanks! Keep up the great work. (7/22/07) WJFK does it again. Can you do ANYTHING right, CB -asss???? On the bottom of their website "Your California Privacy Rights". WJFK-AM is not in California guys. Pathetic! (7/22/07) Dave's response: Well, WJFK-FM's Don and Mike are big in Sacramento..... I just had my 32-year old TEAC A-3300SX tape deck repaired, and the first thing I wanted to extract from open reel was the interview in 1974 where I got to meet Percy Faith, and host Tom Gauger seated me next to Faith in the studio, so for and hour that condensed to about 19 min. 30 secs. when commercials, Paul Harvey, newscasts, ID's and promos were extracted, Tom and I got to ask Percy lots of questions! The first question, by the way, we both asked him - "is there the possibility that THE COLUMBIA ALBUM OF GEORGE GERSHWIN" was recorded in better sounding stereo?" The answer was simply "no." At any rate, enjoy this bit o' nostalgia! Bill Halvorsen www.percyfaithpages.org (7/22/07) While layoffs are expected at the (ABC) bureau, they have not happened yet. So, you can't say that people have already been let go... But if the company's move last week (to effectively 'close' the Atlanta bureau, fire almost everyone in the LA Newsone bureau and pare down the Chicago bureau - including letting the highly respected African American bureau chief go) is any indication, you might NOT see too many people in Washington fired. Westin's memo last month suggested a net loss of 35 people. And while the plan is to hire new, lower-paid staffers in digital (which would require the company to fire more people, across the board for a net loss of 35), perhaps the cutting is nearly done?? Or maybe this weekend is an intermission before the final act. (7/22/07) Thanks Dave: I tried it..and it worked; was kind of neat to hear that old jingle from WPOC; I was listening to that station a lot back then! To Burt in Denton..amen! Joyce does a hell of a job...even if you're a "die-hard" country fan such as myself, one still has to appreciate the effort she puts into her show; it sounds to me as if she's just "lovin' it!" Tom in Denton, MD (7/22/07) I doubt WKHZ ever made any money when it was CHR on AM in the early 2000's. No way any 20 something year old even knows what AM is. And speaking of the Terps, the one year they ran them (which was the year they won the Championship, 2002), they ran the regular season and did not run any of March Madness or the Championship game!!! How is that for supporting your team and showing your local fans some loyalty? Then the next year the rights were given to WQMR and WTGM (and now just WQMR exclusively). Don't go around saying they are serving the listeners. Get a listener, one single listener first, then we will talk about how great WKHZ is for Ocean City. (7/22/07) Hello Dave: I've been trying to get to the :"Jingleland" page from DCRTV Plus. However..this is what happens: I get a dialog, informing me that IE (Internet Explorer) wants to run "Active EXE"..I click "OK"..then get an "error" message (it's that "send/donnn't send" jazz; I click "Don't send"..and then..and then...Internet Explorer closes!" I'm running IE version 7. Has anyone else noticed this..and how can I get around this? I would like to hear that jingle from WPOC..but the page doesn't seem to want to let me do so! thanks for taking time to read this; hope there's a solution for this problem! Tom Kaufman, Denton, MD. (7/22/07) Dave's response: There's a DCRTV audio jingle that is supposed to load when you first come to that page. But it looks like it's screwing up your system. I'll remove the audio file. Try the page again..... If you are a true oldies lover you have to listen to WHFC on Saturday nights beginning at 9. Joyce Conroy's program is 2nd to none as far as oldies programs go...The only other program in the area that I know of is Charlie Stinchcomb's WNAV and WKHS. Joyce plays oldies the commercial stations never play, as well as having no commercials! If you don't live within radio range of WHFC(91.1) you can listen via streaming audio. Burt in Denton (7/22/07) Anyone know what happened to "The Wise Investor Show" on WMAL this Sunday morning? It was inexplicably replaced by some syndicated Wall Street Journal show. The Wise Investor show has been on for years, even after former host's Rick Malone's untimely death. Wonder that's up? (7/22/07) so Im listening to WTOP this morning, and they're doing a promos for the Simpsons movie. instead of saying "d'oh! the movie is here" he said "D'oy!" too funny. gotta love when newscasters don't get what they're reading! (7/22/07) WOW-enough of this WKHZ bashing. I know that CHR on AM is rather odd and a risky move. I also know for a fact that the CHR made some money when it was first launched in the early 2000s, and remotes were a big money maker. As were Terps and other special programming elements. I also know for a fact that News Talk made NO money in OC! This frequency is between a rock and a hard place, as the signal reaches into the Ocean, and away from land, while they have some tower issues. I would move the towers, and flip the format to 60s-80s Oldies, with Orioles baseball and local sports. The station needs to be 100% local, no loops, etc. It is a decent idea for the CHR, but not on that frequency! (7/22/07) Isn’t that Donnie G with Wolfie and Berkowitz? (7/22/07) Adrian Fenty and Cathy Lanier sure love them tv camera's, don't they! Wonder what the stats are on how many days since he took office that Mayor Fenty has not been performing before the tv cameras? (7/22/07) The move of "This Week" is NOT about saving money. In fact it likely will cost more to do it from there. Its about a deal between ABC and the new Newseum to promote it. Its a big deal investment for the project and some Newseum people are close to ABC. They want to turn it into a national tourist attraction.... (7/22/07) /\ July 22 Messages /\ \/ July 21 Messages \/ My bad, I get Jack-Shit and J-FK mixed up all the time :-) (7/21/07) What is your AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) screen name Dave? Or do you Yahoo ? MSN Messenger ? Par le voux Frances ? ¿Habla espanol ? :-) (7/21/07) Dave's response: Nunca, no, zilch, zero, nada, nyet..... Dave- Thanks for featuring my Dad on today's Flashback. Walt Palmer, Lewes (7/21/07) I know DCRTV.com Dave does not intend to mislead anyone, but the photo shown on Saturday's (DCRTV Plus) front page is from the early 1950s... before the adoption of the Top-40 format by WEAM. In addition to a weekly 15-minute TV show on WTTG-5, the late Arlington Police Lt. Frank C. Palmer, Jr. hosted WEAM's Safety Club for 5-minutes at 8:05 each weekday morning, and was billed "Virginia Schools' Official Safety Voice". At one point, his show aired instead on WARL-AM, the predecessor to WAVA. More details at: kidshow.dcmemories.com... By the way, to see a neat video about the birth of Top-40 Radio, check-out www.reelradio.com (You'll need to slip 240 nickels into the jukebox unless you are already a ReelRadio member.) (7/21/07) TODAY's CAUGHT IN A HALF-TRUTH (courtesy of CBS Radio & the Labrozzi/Philips Clown College Show)........... "Say what you will about Labrozi but at least you can get the signal from 105.7 a lot clearer then boring AM 1090. This holds true at the stadium during game as 98 Sucks was very difficult to pickup in my seat at the stadium yet I could get 105.7 very clear."............... WBAL AM 1090 I could imagine if you were INSIDE THE STADIUM, but WIYY 98 ROCK? PUHLEASE, you can CLEARLY SEE BOTH the WBAL/WIYY/WMAR/WJZ candelabra as well as the WBFF/WNUV/WWMX towers from the frikkin M&T Bank stadium! JACKSHIT 105.7 is WAY CROSS TOWN on MooRAVya Roood HON! What, you couldn't pick it up in your underground stadium jail cell? :-) (7/21/07) Dave's response: Isn't "Jackshit" 102.7? As for Stacy Cohan, I think I saw her either last month or earlier this month doing a story. But she does seem to be absent quite a lot..Maybe she just signed on to work once a month or so because that's about as often as I see her. (7/21/07) Page 154 of the current Washingtonian magazine has a photo and short piece on Doug "Greaseman" Tracht's home broadcast/production studio. Tracht, shown complete with martini glass, is sitting in the studio with a radio automation screen and a rack full of complex audio gear in the background. His basement den studio was constructed and placed online all in one weekend several years ago by a dedicated group of Grease fans and engineers, and has been used to get his show on the air on WDMV then WMET, and numerous stations that aired his self-syndicated program since 2000. (7/21/07) A bit outside of the regular coverage area for DCRTV but interesting nevertheless ... www.timesnews.net... Saltville (Virginia) radio station WXMY off air; owner arrested on charges of soliciting sex with a child, possession of child porn... (7/21/07) from 'Bill Moyers Journal' last night on PBS -- "Welcome to the Journal. Here with me now are two partners of Triglyceride Investments, a private equity fund that recently announced its intention of combining the assets of all the hedge funds on Wall Street in order to bring under a single canopy of ownership every media outlet in America. Their prospectus contends that the handful of big media companies that control most of what you see, hear, and read cannot possibly produce maximum return on investment as long as each has to field its own army of lobbyists in Washington. If only one holding company instead of four or five controlled all the country's radio and television stations and all of its cable, newspaper, and Internet outlets, eliminating the need for the competitive purchase of politicians, the savings on campaign contributions alone would increase the bottom line tenfold. Not the least of their argument is that since our present media system and Washington so closely mirror each others' interests, it could even be possible to close down the government altogether and have the country run by Wall Street, saving huge sums of money now spent on perpetuating an impression to the contrary. Joining me are Andy Bichlbaum, the chairman of Triglyceride Investments, and his partner, Mike Bonanno, chief executive of their offshore subsidiary, Tsetse Media Inc., with headquarters in the Marianas Islands. Welcome to the Journal." Here's a link to watch this revealing interview online www.pbs.org (7/21/07) False alarm Toto. Picture of tornado during WFSB (Hartford) channel 3's coverage of Thursday's tornado in CT included a picture that was actually a photo of a Kansas twister (not one in CT, though not fhe one from Gone With The Wind, either) click: www.courant.com (7/21/07) I find it funny that the Ravens players will do shows on 105.7 and 1300 as that isn't the flag ship station of the team. But unlike the Orioles, the Ravens allow their players and coaches to go on other stations to promote and market the team. I guess WBAL will have to teach Steve Davis how to conduct a good interview and work well with others before they'll allow him to have Ravens players do a show. He will always have the Tuesday Brian Billick show. Say what you will about Labrozi but at least you can get the signal from 105.7 a lot clearer then boring AM 1090. This holds true at the stadium during game as 98 Sucks was very difficult to pickup in my seat at the stadium yet I could get 105.7 very clear. My only concern about all thes shows is this brings back memories of post Super Bowl 35 when most if not all the players had a show or were calling in to shows on a daily or weekly basis thus taking away time from learning the plays and focussing on winning games. As for Don and Mike it will be a shame to see their last hour cut but to be honest is anyone really listening to their show anymore? I know that I really haven't been listening on a four hour basis since this past May. From what I read here on this very mailbag it seems no one listens or only listens to hate on the show. So loosing one hour won't kill them as their still paid their syndication money. (7/21/07) Speaking of the Mid-Atlantic Network, why can't the O's games be on one channel all of the time and the Nats on another channel all the time? Why must they switch back and forth? I don't get why they want to confuse their viewers?? Keep up the good work, Pete! You are pathetic! Where is Gary Thorne now??? He's never on! (7/21/07) Dave I don't know how many if any of your readers know this or not, I forget what year it was exactly 1981, 82 or 83 but guess who told the world about Cal Ripken Jr. signing with the Orioles? I think it was on WBAL radio when I heard Vince Bagli a sports guy give credit to JJ HItman McKay then at WASA/WHDG for breaking the story to the AP press....Hitman was at a banquet at the old Aberdeen Proving Ground when Cal Sr. anounced to the crown of about 100 people and Vince said something to the effect that JJ had to find a pay phone on base to call the AP.....I guess we could always get a confirmation on the story from the AP right? I heard in on the radio so it must be true, right? (7/21/07) Every time that a Nats game is carried on Channel 20 MASN shows a frozen screen for the duration of the game. Someone explained the reason awhile ago. But why in the world doesn't Comcast or MASN run a crawl or a post a message on the screen saying that the game is being carried on Channel 20? I would think that it would save Comcast a bunch of angry phone calls and who knows how many people simply turn off the tv? Last week it was a girl lying on a beach, tonight is Bob Carpenter and Sutton looking at each other, and once it was a bottle of Corona. (7/21/07) Dave's response: The MASN channel on my Comcast system will feature a cryptic message like "the authorization key for MASN-W10 is missing" (or something like that) when the game's on Channel 20..... RE: WKHZ - I like the idea of Oldies on 1590. If it were to pursue that route, I think it should put at least some emphasis on the "Beach" (Carolina) and "Surf" (California) genres, with perhaps throwing in a little Doo-Wop and "Graffiti-Gold". (7/21/07) Does anyone have any idea where Stacey Cohan is these days? (7/21/07) Re: Dave's response: DCRTV Radio - 107.7 FM and 1500 AM. Stay tuned..... Dave: Sometimes (mainly on Saturday nights between nine and midnight) on my radio, my 107.7 has Joyce Conroy's show (got one of those little FM transmitters from C-crane..dontchya know! To Rusty: from one "eastern shore" guy to another..best of luck; enjoy your posts. Oh..in case anybody cares..since I can't get WHFC on the regular FM band..have to rely on the net to hear OBP." Tom in Denton, MD (7/21/07) Wasn't the MHT closer to 4 year's on air versus 5? At least Tom Gavin gets his old time slot back! Why not do MHT like that Goffus Rock Express dude does and record show and ship it in?......do Don and Mike have a non-compete clause in their contract for year's 2008-2010? Do this mean O'Meara can only work at WJFK for those two year's and no where else? Maybe Don Geronimo could take on a Robert Raiford type role on a new Mike O'Meara show. Phoning in a rant or two per week from his mansion in Tampa Bay. Don could do it while taking a leak off his deck overlooking beautful Tampa Bay. (7/21/07) Dave's response: How about a show with Mike O'Meara and Robb, Buzz, and Joe? It would have a bit of a different flavor and flow than the current one with Don, but it would definitely work. Mike has filled in for Don on numerous occasions and the shows are pretty good. And then, in a "post-Don" 106.7, JFK could throw guest co-hosts in the mix with Mike - Albie Dee, Fez Whatley, El Jefe, Arch Campbell, Weasel from co-owned The Globe, David Burd (unemployed after WaPo Radio gets sold), Ann Coulter. (OK, the last two were a joke.) Could be a really cool show..... /\ July 21 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....