Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - October 24 to October 30, 2007 Latest messages listed first..... \/ October 30 Messages \/ "I listen to Coast to Coast on out of state stations for just that reason". Speaking of which, a call to Noory the other night was supposedly a woman calling from beyond the grave, stating that she just couldn’t believe that she was dead, and that she wanted to come back to life. The scary thing is the host actually engaged in the conversation instead of telling her to take her meds and play the Twilight Zone music in the background. (10/30/07) (regarding a previous post) "I realize stations do station IDs. My point is that WMAL does it SO excessively that it's almost unlistenable." I'm sure the frustrated listener understands that WMAL isn't doing this simply to get on his/her nerves. What might seem like repetition to one person, (say, someone who stays tuned to a particular station for an extended period of time), is a simple and effective device aimed toward the casual listener, who is scanning around the dial. This practice is especially useful when someone tunes in while a song or commercial is airing. A quick drop-in of the station's call letters and/or positioning statement (Example: We Play All The Hits), clues the 'new arrival' in to exactly where he/she is tuned, and in the case of the positioning statement, why it's a good spot on the dial to visit (or preferably, stay). This practice was common in the 80s, when I did the bulk of my radio work. Most program directors required the jock to go by the 'Calls In/Calls Out' rule. That is, the call letters were the first thing out of your mouth, going into a record and the first thing out of your mouth, coming out of a record. Then, as now, programmers and advertisers were seeking a particular demographic. 18-34, 25-54, etc. In the minds of advertisers and programmers, people over 55 are, for the most part, not considered to be part of the 'prime demo'. It is thought that the 55+ group are mostly 'stuck in their ways' when it comes to products, services, brand loyalty, etc. Also, many of them are cranky and complain about even the littlest things. (10/30/07) Let's get the facts straight on this, ESPN does NOT ever air the CAA men's basketball tournament except for the championship game. CN8 will show the quarterfinal and semifinal games in 2008. Everett W. caasports.com (10/30/07) Hey DM, ESPN/ESPN2 shows the CAA tourney, therefore CSN cannot. They do alot more with local sports then any other "local" channel, so if you don't like them, I'm not sure why. CSN does 30/60 minute shows daily and show alot of game in HD, much more then the 3-4 minutes of sports news you get from channels 4,5,7 or 9. --- Alan (10/30/07) It's nice of CSN to be touting their 2007-08 college basketball schedule, but I wonder what they will be airing around March 8-10, when the CAA men's tournament is taking place. Instead of showing that tournament on the widely available CSN channel, they are relegating the CAA tournament to the sparsely available CN8 channel. As a graduate of a CAA school (certainly one of hundreds of thousands of such grads in the CSN broadcasting area), I wonder if the CAA tournament will ever be good enough for CSN. I refuse to believe that the CAA tournament would get worse ratings than the Big-12 women's tournament, which CSN is proud to be carrying. When better events aren't aired by CSN (or already taken by ESPN), you can always count on tuning in to CSN and scratching your head while asking yourself, "they're showing THIS instead of what I want to watch?" CSN seems content on being known as the Crappy Shitty Network, at least this fan's mind. -- DM (10/30/07) "If this happens in Ocean City, things could get ugly for WBOC." Ugly. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. Still, we thank you, self-appointed speaker for all of Ocean City. (10/30/07) Time for the tale of the tape. WBOC's Grade B signal service area is plotted here (www.fcc.gov) and WMDT's is here (www.fcc.gov). All this talk about who's stick is bigger than the other's is irrelevant. Note that the combination of power, antenna height, and directional pattern put the coverage right where it needs to be - over the entire Delmarva between Dover and Chincoteague without lighting up the bay or the ocean. That's good engineering practice. The full-power DTV signals will provide similar coverage. Regards, Dave Loudin (10/30/07) I said I disliked…I didn’t say I didn’t do it myself…David Burd makes Korny sound like Olive Oyl…..barf, barf, barf. By the way, where am I?????? BOBB (10/30/07) I realize stations do station IDs. My point is that WMAL does it SO excessively that it's almost unlistenable. I listen to Coast to Coast on out of state stations for just that reason. (10/30/07) Uhhh...guess I haven't tuned in to WTGB ("the Globe) in a while. When did they switch over to Soft Rock? (10/30/07) Dave's response: Impotent rock..... CORRECTIONS: WBOC does not transmit a higher power than WDCW 50, WNUV 54, or FOX45 (if you compensate for 45's extreme tower height) and they are only slightly higher than WDCA 20. WMDT transmits at a much lower power than all of them. And WBOC and WMDT are already on some cable systems on Maryland's mid-shore (in the Baltimore DMA) so you're wrong there too. And Baltimore is closer to Dover than Salisbury. Not a good day for technical accuracy. If WBOC gets away with removing WJZ 13, WTTG FOX 5 will be next to be removed since WBOC also operates FOX 21. What's to stop WMDT 47 from operating an NBC digital subchannel and trying to rid the market of WBAL 11? Where does it stop? The Salisbury DMA, unlike both DC & Baltimore, does not have a huge metro area and population is much more spread out geographically. Like I said, if WBOC wants to pick a fight, it seems to me they have a lot more to lose since their signal cannot be easily picked up via antenna (or is very grainy) in a lot of the areas where they are now on cable (like Ocean City and Dover). Neither of these stations can be picked up without an outdoor antenna at all. The perfect solution, in my opinion, would be to dump the Baltimore & Washington (& in some cases in Delaware, Philly) locals to a digital tier (except for possibly WBAL for which there is no equivilent). But apparently, that is not what's going to happen. If this happens in Ocean City, things could get ugly for WBOC. (10/30/07) Mid-day radio is the worst. Yes it's informative on occasion, but for the most part it is mundane, monotone and extremely boring. Thanks to the mighty WJFK, you can now hear something worth listening to in the early afternoon. Your favorite evening show, The Big O and Dukes Show, are now being streamed from 1-3pm on wjfk.com! Give a listen and have a laugh why don't ya! -Brian Crane (10/30/07) A poster begins' "I really dislike these people that attack success..." and ends with " Now, Kornheiser.....barf,....barf.....barf...I don't know how he ever got to where he is." Now THAT's why I enjoy the mailbag. (10/30/07) Drew Carey's political showcase showdown... bigheaddc.com (10/30/07) I've heard many words used to describe Rush Limbaugh, but "sexy" isn't among 'em. Still, he's been married several times and he's dated some fairly attractive women. My guess: Money is a pretty strong aphrodisiac. Personally, I think a more appropriate photo of Limbaugh is one I've seen that's frequently used on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann". I wonder if Rush has some compensating going on, what with the size of that cigar?!? (10/30/07) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Full-Time Account Executive position with local Carroll County radio station. Sales experience required. Must be energetic and organized. Salary plus commission with benefits package. Potential Sales Management opportunity. Send resume to WTTR, 101 WTTR Lane, Westminster, MD 21158. (10/30/07) I really dislike these people that attack success. RE: David Burd-He may not be your cup of tea, but he sure beats a lot of the "others" out there. You go for the lowest common denominator. If you don't like him there's a solution...don't listen. Dave is a nice guy, he's bounced back from being off the air for a long long time and he's working steady...to me, that's an accomplishment. So, stifle. Now, Kornheiser.....barf,....barf.....barf...I don't know how he ever got to where he is. BOBB (10/30/07) To the guy bitching about hearing a liner over the return music of talk programs on WMAL....get over it. Each talk station that is programmed right, or at least with concern of proper identification, will run a local return liner. The reason why that bumper music is there is provide a pad for the return. WBAL ran the liners, WCBM does, WDEL in DE does and so does WMAL. No matter where you go, each station is going to push it's line-up--it's just smart, it's branding. It's the same as TBS branding Frank TV, etc. (10/30/07) (Re: Mike from Frederick/DDXS Society's query asking if Chris Roth and Julie Wright are a married couple...?) -- I think you're thinking of Dave Statter and Hillary Howard. (10/30/07) Stop Kane Now! Let us all make a pact to stop him from his fake bits. Using his wife to play agree, or disagree (old bit) Please stop the insipid boy/man Sammy from laughing and talking. Just stop. His voice is the most annoying on the radio. he beats lisper Jimmy Alexander. Pl (10/30/07) ("Also, we hear that the Post and Bonneville, which flipped Washington Post Radio to talker 3WT in September, did not have an all that amicable divorce. In fact, it was somewhat bitter, we're told.") Bad info. It was very polite and civilized. It was cordial. Dave, that is just flat-out wrong. (10/30/07) 97.1 has already come out and started playing Christmas music. I heard "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" yesterday afternoon on their air. (10/30/07) Thanks for the info concerning "The Ernest Tubb Show"..yeah..I thought I saw it on WDCA..but also could have seen it on the channel that has everybody in an uproar these days..channel 16 (WBOC"..speaking of which, since we use an outside antenna to get "over the air" channels, we mainly watch WJZ; we probably would watch WBOC..aw..but that means that we'd have to point the antenna toward Salisbury; problem with this is: if we do that, then we have trouble picking up WBAL, channel 11! On the other hand, if we have our antenna aimed to pick up the Baltimore channels, we have trouble picking up 16 and 47! So here's my question: does WBOC transmit at less power than it used to? I ask because, seems to me as though..back in the 80s, we could watch channel 16..even if the antenna was headed toward Baltimore! So is it possible that WBOC has changed the direction of it's signal since then? About "The Porter Wagoner Show"..when I saw it, I remember it as being on at 7 P.M. (not 7:30"..again..thanks for filling me in on "The Ernest Tubb Show." Tom in Denton, MD (10/30/07) Anybody try listening to WJFK's broadcast of the UM Terps football game at the stadium Saturday? Notice anything different? CBS got an STA approved on Friday for an on-channel booster not to exceed 10 watts at 50 meters somewhere near the stadium. Citing reports from UM officials and fans of reception problems in the stadium and parking lot areas, CBS said the booster is needed to overcome terrain blockage. The STA will be used to find a suitable location and power level for a permanent booster. Regards, Dave Loudin (10/30/07) Does WMAL have to play a goddamn 10 second voiceover on every single bit of bumper music? I like the lineup but am seriously considering listening on B'More stations for Rush/Hannity/Levin (yeah I'm one of the few that actually think he's funny) etc. Perfect example: the intro to Rush is the pretenders. They have to trample that with some stupid clip. Just flip the switch and let the shows run. Next time I get an diary, 680 instead of 630 will get a nice writeup for a VA resident. (10/30/07) Major Announcement on The Tony Kornheiser Show not starring Tony Kornheiser - David Burd's last day will be January 20th (actually January 18th since the 20th is a Sunday). Free at last! Thank God Almighty, We're Free at Last! Don't let the screen door hit your butt on the way out. (10/30/07) Dave's response: Burd will still be at 3WT doing the pre-8AM show. I hear they're going to call it "The Before Tony Kornheiser Show Starring David Burd"..... (Re: WQCB pics: Dave's response: Isn't that Big Chris Roth with Julie Wright?) -- Why, yes, I believe it is! Didn't recognize Chris in his management costume! :-) That would mean that Chris is also pictured down the page with Bob Duckman and Ed Gursky. Cheers, Bill Stabler (10/30/07) DCRTV Dave: RE: The WQCB photos. Please refresh my memory (such as it is, being over 50) - Chris Roth and Julie Wright - aren't they a married couple? Seems I heard that they are or were. Thanks - Mike from Frederick/DDXS Society (10/30/07) Dave's response: I do not know, nor do I care, about the status of their personal relationship..... Fans of WDCA's Creature Feature host, Count Gore de Vol, can call in and talk to the Count on the Jim Bohannon Show, tonight at 1106PM-12Midnight, on 3WT Radio, 1500-AM and 107.7-FM. The number is 1-866-50-JIMBO. And tomorrow night at 11:06PM, hear Mighty John the Record Guy tell Jim what are the most valuable Halloween records of all time. (10/30/07) Dave's response: I was probably the only one listening. but Opie and Anthony did a funny bit on Halloween tunes on yesterday's show on 106.7..... Heard through the grapevine that Jennifer Phoenix is leaving WPOC. Bob Delmont will be doing his own traffic reports like the jocks at the CC DC stations already do. (10/30/07) How do you expect Rush to win in the "Hotties" contest when you post a picture of The Skipper from Gilligan's Island in his place? (10/30/07) Dave's response: I made it a point not to be judgmental with the pics. I used the ones that Wikipedia used with its articles. In fact, I think that's the sexiest picture of Rush I've ever seen. Yeah, he does look the Skipper. How about Matt Drudge as his "little buddy" Gilligan? And how about Rush and Matt starring in a theatrical revival of "Gilligan's Island" in some South Florida dinner theater. Maybe Ann Coulter could play the professor. Dick Cheney could be Mr. Howell..... It would not be out of the realm of possibility if HFS indeed showed up in all its glory on 105.7 if not 106.7. The rock stations have definitely gained a lot of cume in the PPM markets that reported this year, and with CBS reinstating rock in New York, Philly, et al, as well as Clear Channel doing so in Atlanta, Hartford etc., a return for HFS would not be out of the question... (10/30/07) Stumbled across a show last week on Comcast Sports ( I think ) that features Larry Michael & Bram Weinstein - what an absolute train wreck! The two of them can barely look at each other, much less actually put together coherent thoughts and arguments. It's like watching a badly acted Point/Counterpoint. Also, you think someone would introduce Weinstein to a comb (and Michael to a toupee)? Finally, I heard from someone that has some sort of scary knowledge of Michael's career ( ? ) that he is actually a long time Cowboys fan! Nice work Danny . . . (10/30/07) Sorry to nitpick, but for whatever reason my eye always catches this kind of thing and it drives me nutty. My problem, not yours. But: In your 10/29 rant, it's Jodie Foster, not Jody Foster. In the 10/29 blurb "CP Staff Told to Stop Whole Foods Theft," it should be ".....if they do not intend to purchase....." and not ".....if they do not intend on purchasing....." (10/30/07) Dave's response: Can you be DCRTV's official proofreader? The hate being shown to WBOC and WMDT is truly amazing. To correct the last post, WBOC and WMDT transmitt robust analog signals, quite comparable to those broadcast from DC and Baltimore, in fact, WBOC broadcasts with more power than any DC channel, even more than WDCA's 4 million watts. They both cover almost all of their DMA with a class A signal, including OC and Ocean Pines (in fact, WBOC has a city grade signal there). In Dover, they have the strongest TV signals available in that city, even though they are only class B signals (which should be strong enough for clear reception with a good outside antenna), even though Dover is in the Philly (not Baltimore) DMA. Both stations have news bureaus in Dover and broadcast news from there every day, whereas neither the Philly or Baltimore have any news from that area. WJZ has a very weak to NO signal throughout the Salisbury DMA, and no claim or ownership to any of the programing they present there, whereas WBOC and WMDT has exclusive ownership of all their network and most syndicated programing they broadcast to their DMA. I would bet both Salisbury stations would be glad to sit down and talk about readding WJZ to cable systems in their DMA, just as soon as Comcast agreed to add their signals to systems in the Baltimore metro area. Technically, it can be done just as easily as carrying WJZ in OC. Why not? Meanwhile, Comcast continues to carry WBAL and WTTG throughout the Salisbury DMA---it would seem that would satisfy those who want to view outside, or "big city" signals. BTW, I notice Comcast/Charlottesville has added the Big Three Richmond stations to their digital tier (WTTG continues on analog) after all those new network stations came on the air there. I wonder why they don't do something similar on Delmarva..... (10/30/07) WDCA-TV 20 aired the syndicated Ernest Tubb Show on Saturday nights, starting October 8, 1966 (following the Mexican Bullfights). For the fall of '67, Ernest moved to 6:00pm Saturdays to make way for "Supernatural Theatre, with your host Zucchini" immediately after the bulls. Ernest moved back one hour to 5:00 pm Saturdays in January '68... only to go on hiatus in February... returning in March through September. Off the schedule again from October through December '68, E.T. returned to the Channel-20 line-up on January 4, 1969 at 5:30pm Saturdays. The show's run ended for good on March 15, 1969. (10/30/07) With Dan Mason making quite a big impact at CBS and for the fact that he seems to be going to different markets and flipping stuggling stations. Namely Talk stations. 92.3, 94.1, 106.9 San Fran, 97.1 Detroit, 105.9 CKG Chicago. Could WJFK or WHFS be next? The Orioles wouldn't necessarily have to be on a talk station and same goes for Don and Mike unless they would get bumped to the AM dail where talk belongs. Will Don and Mike even last on their flagship station until April? How much more patience could there possibly be with Jack? Unless the ratings lie and Jack is doing much better than it appears. Or could there be a shocker of Alt Rocker WHFS returning full time? At this rate it could be interesting when Dan Mason starts playing with CBS' Baltimore and Washington stations. I'd say one station in Baltimore and one in Washington will flip formats. (10/30/07) Dave's response: You just wonder how long CBS Radio is going to put up with WJFK-FM and The Globe sitting in 16th and 17th places in the ratings. Yeah, both stations make money. But they could make a lot more if they were closer to, or in, the top 10..... “What kind of new math possibly allows Comcast SportsNet to claim that it will air 42 Maryland men's basketball games and 33 Maryland women's games?? Huh???” That would be Comcast SportsNet PLUS. (10/30/07) OK, help me out here. Two syndicated talk show hosts are listed as joining the "3WT" lineup in the near future: Jones Radio liberal host Stephanie Miller, and Premiere conservative host Glenn Beck. Ms. Miller's show is slated to start, according to the 3WT schedule, on Wednesday, November 7th, and Mr. Beck joins up in January. But where? The weekday schedule, if I'm reading it right and nothing changes, would appear to only have one two hour hole...7-9 PM, between Randi Rhodes and the audio of Larry King's TV show. This is confirmed now that 3WT has confirmed the 2-4 PM replay of Mr. Tony's show will continue when Tony returns in January. Any insight? Anyone at Bonneville DC reading? (10/30/07) "What kind of new math possibly allows Comcast SportsNet to claim that it will air 42 Maryland men's basketball games and 33 Maryland women's games?? Huh???" I'm guessing that number includes game rebroadcasts, because the NCAA doesn't allow you to schedule that many regular-season games...unless Debbie Yow worked out some sort of exemption and added games, in which case Gary Williams and (a pregnant with twins) Brenda Frese are going to be plumb tuckered out by late February! -- Vincent in Triangle (10/30/07) "So maybe some of the "true" Delmarva locals slamming the Washington/Baltimore folks who keep them employed and wealthy should go back to minding their chicken coups instead of biting the hand that feeds them. :-)" Firstly, I know where my "employment" and "wealth" comes from, and it's not the western shore. We actually do have *local* businesses over here that do much more than service the come-here's. There is also life north and south of the shore, not just west. Also, to my knowledge there has not been one "chicken coup" - let alone several coups. Still, I have a feeling the Washington/Baltimore folks will be the first against the wall when that particular revolution comes to the Eastern Shore. Now...chicken *coops* - that's a different story...don't they smell pretty? :D Ahem. Anyhow: "WBOC and WMDT couldn't cover a fraction of their market with their over the air signals..." I live in Accomack County, and get WBOC's analog and digital signals just fine. WMDT (and MPT) ...now, that's a different story. "...nor can WBOC impose FCC must carry rules in such places as Dover, DE" Not when it's the Philly market, no. That would be.....silly to try, to say the least. Prognosticating is fun, but like others - I think we've exhausted this topic. Time will tell the rest of the story. (10/30/07) Dave, I am a big George Mason Basketball fan asI received my undergraduate degree from George Mason, and have followed their games since I graduated twenty-one years ago. Last year, after their Final Four run, they were picked-up for one year by "Danny-Boy Snyder's" Triple X ESPN radio. It was so nice not to have to move the radio within the house to try to pick-up the signal. This year however Mason's games will be broadcast this year on WTEM, 980 AM. and WTNT, 570 AM, both Clear Channel owned stations. Unfortunately those of us who live in the Shenandoah Valley cannot consistently receive the signal either of these two stations. Sportstalk 610 (WTFX) in Winchester is also a Clear Channel affiliate, and it would seem logical that the games would be pick-ed up by WTFX for local broadcast. However, logic does not seem to apply in this situation, as I have not been able to obtain a res ponse fr om Clear Channel to my inquiry as to why they don't pick-up the games. If any Mason fans who read this blog who live in the Shenandoah Valley want to hear those games on WTFX I would suggest that they do I did, and E-mail WTFX, WTEM and Clear Channel to let them know. It would seem logical for WTFX to run those games rather than the network programming of J.T. Lebrick or Andrew Silciliano out of L.A. But, they are a low power (and low rated) affiliate, and it has been hard to get any response from them. A flood of E-mails to Clear Channel, WTEM and George Mason from Mason fans might help. Doug in Stephens City (10/30/07) /\ October 30 Messages /\ \/ October 29 Messages \/ porter wagoner was on 7 at 7:30...friday nights, i think. too twangy for my mom and dad, so we never watched it. sean hall (10/29/07) Dave's response: My dad liked Mitch Miller. Sing along with the bouncing ball..... A loss of ANY cable customers could certainly hurt WMDT 47 or WBOC 16 much more than losing Ocean Pines Maryland hurts WJZ 13 or FOX 5. With their lower powers (only slightly above 2000kw for WMDT), and much worse with their DT signals, WBOC and WMDT couldn't cover a fraction of their market with their over the air signals nor can WBOC impose FCC must carry rules in such places as Dover, DE (although WMDT can with it's Dover translator possibly?). In fact, in a direct line of sight, Baltimore is actually CLOSER to Dover than Salisbury or Ocean City is. It seems to me that WBOC might have bitten off more than they can chew since the Washington & Baltimore stations could easily strike money deals in Delaware and Maryland's mid-shore that could include removal of WBOC from cable service if they wanted to and that would ultimately hurt WBOC much more than WJZ is hurting them in Ocean City. So maybe some of the "true" Delmarva locals slamming the Washington/Baltimore folks who keep them employed and wealthy should go back to minding their chicken coups instead of biting the hand that feeds them. :-) (10/29/07) About the Porter Wagoner Show: I mostly remember that show on channel 7 (don't believe it was ever on channel 9)..in fact, I don't ever remember it being on any other Washington television station other than WMAL! However there was a long stretch when I didn't tune in. But I certainly did tune in during the late 60s/early 70s at 7 P.M.; those were the days when: if you had a "color" set (yes friends, some sets were in "black-&-white) because the reception down here wasn't always the greatest, sometimes the signal wasn't quite good enough for our RCA Victor color set that my parents bought in 1966 to lock in on "color" on channel 7! Okay..while you folks have got me in that "country television show" vein, does anybody remember if the Ernest Tubb Show was carried in the Washington D.C. market? I seem to recall that it came on channel 20. But I've heard Eddie Stubbs say that "The Porter Wagoner Show" was about the only country music show that was shown during that time (late 60s)..however I remember "The Bill Anderson Show..as well as "The Wilburn Brothers Show" as being on channel 20. This was another channel that (because we couldn't pull it in that well) wouldn't lock in on "color"..sometimes (if a given show was being telecast in color, you'd see little streaks of color on a "black-&-white" picture; it was a real treat if the signal came in good enough where we could see it in color! The Porter Wagoner Show..as well as the Wilburn Brothers Show can be found on RFd-TV; Porter's show is aired at 7:30 P.M. on Fridays..and is repeated several times through the weekend; same goes for the Wilburn Brothers Show; it's "first run" is at 9"P.M. on Thursday evenings. Tom in Denton, MD (10/29/07) Dave, not only the plastic creepy crawlers, but what about Incredible Edibles, made with delicious cyclamates----a MUCH tastier artificial sweetener (and I’d wager safer than evil aspartame) that was nonetheless pulled off the market after a cancer scare (later disproven, I think---but not in time to save Fresca, even tho it’s back on the market but not as good). Cyclamates RULED! Tooty fruity was my favorite incredible edible flavor, but the root beer was pretty good, too. (10/29/07) What kind of new math possibly allows Comcast SportsNet to claim that it will air 42 Maryland men's basketball games and 33 Maryland women's games?? Huh??? Everett W. (10/29/07) I can still see Porter and his Wagoneers on RFDTV, usually on Saturday afternoon. (10/29/07) Porter Wagoner made his first noted TV appearance on DC airwaves, courtesy of the WMAL-TV 7's Ozark Jubilee, September 3, 1955. Although he would pop-up on various country-western programs for the next decade, his weekly, half-hour syndicated show debuted on Channel-7 on January 1st, 1966 where it held the Saturday night, 7:00pm slot through August 29, 1970. After a three month hiatus (presumably due to football pre-emptions), the show returned to the Saturday 7:00pm slot on December 12, 1970. Bounced around a bit during football season, the show stayed on Saturday evenings, shifting to 6:30 pm when WMAL picked-up the syndicated Hee-Haw show for the 7:00 to 8:00pm slot starting June 11, 1972. Then, in the fall of 1972, WMAL picked-up ABC's early evening news show at 7:00 pm and the handwriting was on the wall for Porter when his show moved to the Midnight hour (or even later). November 20, 1972 is the last Post listing for the show on a DC station, (although the show continued weekly on Harrisonburg's Channel-3 until December 1981). In the fall of 1980, Northern Virgina Television's Channels 53 and 14(at the time) went on the air and the Porter Wagoner Show found a new home on Thursday evenings at 8:30... until the very last hurrah on September 27, 1981. (10/29/07) I live on the Eastern Shore in Talbot County. Here, part of the Baltimore DMA, we get WJZ, WUSA, and WBOC, and I am pretty sure in Queen Anne's County it is the same. Maybe WJZ should have WBOC pulled from the cable systems here, although no one would probably notice. (10/29/07) WQCB pics are (top left to bottom right; those I recognize): Wes Vernon(?), Dave Statter, Ron Weber; Dick Dyszel, Hillary Howard; Julie Wright, ???; Wes Vernon(?), John Harter, ???; Ron Weber, Hillary Howard; Ron Weber, Jim Bohannon, Dick Dyszel; Dave Statter, Dave Arlington; Bill Mayhugh, ???; John Dowling, Ed Walker, John Harter, Frank Harden; Sandy Fiske, David Burd, Dave Statter; Sandy and Fred Fiske; ???, Bob Duckman, Ed Gursky, ???; Cal Thomas, David Burd, Frank Herzog; John Hanrahan(sp?), ???; and, last but not least, either John Dowling or Stan Freberg! :-D Maybe the rest will recognize themselves and check in. Bill Stabler, WBIG/WTNT... (Sorry I missed this year's shindig. I was out of town.) (10/29/07) Dave's response: Isn't that Big Chris Roth with Julie Wright? Oklahoma's Miss Norma Jean, the gal who preceded Dolly Parton on Porter Wagoner's black-and-white show, is well represented in this YouTube clip: youtube.com... In a clip from the era after the show went to living color, a modestly attired (and very, very young) Dolly Parton can be viewed here: youtube.com... (10/29/07) (Re: "Dave's response: I was not aware that Porter had a show on Channel 9. Can anyone confirm?") -- Can only confirm that Wagoner "...had his own syndicated TV show, 'The Porter Wagoner Show,' for 21 years, beginning in 1960. It was one of the first syndicated shows to come out of Nashville..." (AP article: www.examiner.com) So it could have been on BOTH 7 & 9...or any other station(s) in the DC (-Baltimore) market(s). --RB (10/29/07) Pretty Miss Norma Jean was the singer who proceeded Dolly on Porter's show. (10/29/07) Hey Dave--I think the channel Univision-HD that you refer to is actually Universal HD. It's on 250 here in DC, too, but it's not a new addition for us. John in DC (10/29/07) Dave's response: Oh. OK..... Mr. Tony comes back to town for a couple of months...I'm so excited....Same out of date formula and ridicules sycophant voices. Thank good the bloody awful British accent will be back. I can't wait. Give it up TK. Move to Florida and complain about the early bird specials and how much your car isn't worth due to all the moisture. You have had a nice run. Now get bent. (10/29/07) I don't think Porter Wagoner had a show on Channel 9, Channel 7 did air the syndicated Porter Wagoner Show in the late 60s-early 70s. That show is sometimes shown on RFD-TV late nights. Tom in DC (10/29/07) Dave, Yes, Porter Wagoner had a couple of shows (basically the same format) in syndication between 1961 and 1974. The later years had Dolly Parton as his "house" singer and different female vocalist early on. I think the previous poster is correct that it was on WTOP-TV 9 in the sixties. But for some reason I was thinking it was on WMAL-TV 7 for a while, but as they say, "Those who remember the 60's probably weren't there". Carl Merson (10/29/07) RE: Porter Wagoner's show ran for nearly 20 years, and was syndicated in DC market on channel 9. Not sure when the run ended exactly but it was on during the late 60's and into the 70's. (10/29/07) Dave- Please don't neglect the passing of PORTER WAGONER, country western signer who had a show in Washington during the 60's I believe on channel 9. WP (10/29/07) Dave's response: I was not aware that Porter had a show on Channel 9. Can anyone confirm? (from the NY Times) The Federal Communications Commission, hoping to reduce the rising costs of cable television, is preparing to strike down thousands of contracts this week that gave individual cable companies exclusive rights to provide service to an apartment building, the agency’s chairman says. Kevin J. Martin, chairman of the F.C.C., says exclusive contracts between cable companies and apartment buildings have contributed to the rapid rise in cable service prices. The new rule could open markets across the country to far-ranging competition. It would also be a huge victory for Verizon Communications and AT&T, which have challenged the cable industry by offering their own video services. Commission officials and consumer groups said the new rule could significantly lower cable prices for millions of subscribers who live in apartment buildings and have had no choice in selecting a company for paid television www.nytimes.com (10/29/07) Here is an example of self immolation, or just plain stupidity. Promo on WZLX HD-2: " Hi I'm Carter Alan PD of WZLX HD-1, please check out the programming ...... on WZLX HD-1" ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME??!! THEY HAVE SO MANY FUCKING LISTENERS ON THE HD-2 broadcast,THAT THEY HAVE TO BRING THEM OVER TO THE MAIN SIGNAL!!?? STUPID STUPID STUPID (10/29/07) Unless 3WT has an announcement about TK returning full time they should save there collective breath and bandwidth. Another part time visit by TK is only good for his wallet, not the station. They should go ALL Traffic and Weather ALL the time before somebody else does, and protect the WTOP franchise. (10/29/07) Hi, Dave...I check your website throughout the day and you usually update the posts periodically. As of 11:47 this morning, I see only one post from 10/29. That has happened the last few days, and eventually you add more posts. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with my computer (although I'm not aware of any problems) or if you aren't updating as frequently. Your front page updates appear, but not the posts. Today's front page has been updated, but still not the posts, at least not in my computer. For example, the other day you mentioned the photos taken at the dinner, and gave the Mailbag link to check them out, but when I went there, it hadn't been updated and there were no pictures. They did appear later. Also, when I do finally see all the posts that have been updated, I've noticed answers to previous posts that I hadn't seen, which indicates to me that they were posted, but I didn't have them on my computer yet. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say...I don't know if I've stated the situation clearly. Thanks for any information you can give me about this. -- Bobbie Liegus (10/29/07) Dave's response: Some internet providers "cache" the pages of websites on their own servers so they'll load faster. But you're actually getting an "older" version of the page you're seeking. Check your internet browser's settings and click on the box that will cause it to "load a new page every time" - or wording something like that. Also, try hitting the "reload" or "refresh" page on your browser. If the problem continues, complain to your internet provider. Say: "I want my DCRTV fresh, right now baby!"..... Pretty gross, but quite possibly the best-produced music video parody of all time. I only wish I produced it. www.collegehumor.com (10/29/07) "I still find it funny that these LESS SERVICE type cable company actions always happen in the off-season on Delmarva. Nothing EVER happens during the summer! HAha! I think that pretty much proves the point that more people on Delmarva now are non-local than ever..." Let's see...what -else- happens in the "off-season" (which us normal folks know as fall) in the world of television. There's something regarding the word fall...hmm, let me think on that one. Fall...fall...I got it! The "New Fall Season!" That's when just about every TV station in the known universe gets new episodes of network programs and is also when they rearrange their schedule. Now, I'm no businessman - but I'd presume that there are contracts to sign when that comes around, and I'd be willing to bet that doing any kind of blacking out is something that can't be done at any other time. It'd be just bad manners to change terms in the middle of a contract, not to mention legal suicide. Common sense, right? Therefore, changes like these would come when the new contracts would take effect - in (wait for it) the NEW FALL SEASON! Still, feel free to keep wearing the tinfoil hat. The other thing that happens in the off-season is that the non-locals clear out of O.C. and it's tolerable to visit again. By the way, if the cable companies were to pull out of any municipality - that would mean the only way for folks to watch TV would be either by antenna or by satellite dish. With antenna, you'd only get the local stations (shock, horror!) - and with the dish, you'd only get the networks not offered in the local area. Oh, and the folks who could care less about the whole shootin' match might be a little bit peeved that the out-of-towners took their cable away. I know I'd be if it was all because some western shore immigrants raised a stink about "their" TV station. What it is the right-wingers always scream about with foreigners? The whole "adapt or go home" idea? Heh. The Eastern Shore is not your playground. If you don't like how things are done, take your ball and go home. Remember, it's a free trip heading west across the Bay Bridge! (10/29/07) This is the first time (I think) I agree with Bryslock...let's get off this "techy" stuff and talk dirt..Like who was conspicuously missing from WQCB? Or how about O'Meara and the Red Sox...I'm betting he's plastered and sitting at the bar even as I write. Or, how about calling some hard working jock sitting in his or her closet at home praying for one more day of employment insecure???. Hey, how about a successful oldie format...(Just don't call it "OLDIES"...maybe ("FLASHBACK FM, "Where the real music IS"). Then we could try to put together the perfect line-up of gray hairs, pick the jingle package...then suggest the Ideal GM..and select the playlist.... GM???? maybe Bob Pettit..LOL-BOBB (10/29/07) Who's the red hot chick in this photo? She's messin' up my mind!! KOF (10/29/07) Dave's response: Why it's traffic queen Julie Wright..... OK, it's 6:40 in the morning, the clock radio just went off and you hope to find out: 1-will it rain today?; 2-did Dick Cheney and his little pal invade Iran while I slept?; 3-has the company I work for just been purchased by a German conglomerate, sending my job to Bavaria? But if you listen to WAMU, "Your NPR News Station in the Nation's Capital," you're going to have to spend several valuable minutes of your brief pre-rush-hour window waiting as the leaden Garrison Keillor reflects on Dr. Johnson's birthday and why Emily Dickinson had an unusual fear of ripe cheeses. Can't WAMU find a less prime spot for airing "Writer's Almanac," the most precious package on radio? No doubt all 14 literature professors and librarians who seek out "WA" will tune in no matter what the time. Between 6 and 9 a.m., listeners want news from 2007--not 1757. It's enough to make one consider enduring Lisa Baden, Mike Moss and all the awful ads flowing from the Ledo Pizza Glass-enclosed Nerve Center. (10/29/07) Nigel said on the David Burd posting as Tony Kornheiser Show to expect a big announcement tomorrow. Any idea what's up? (10/29/07) Dave's response: I have no idea. Maybe 107.7 and 1500 are going classic country..... If WBOC 16 / FOX 21 & WMDT 47 REALLY want to pick a fight and cause the removal of all Washington / Baltimore channels like FOX 5 and WJZ 13 from Maryland and Delaware's eastern shore (and I would imagine possibly FOX 45, WUSA 9, WJLA 7, and WMAR 2 still in some counties), there is one thing that can be done outside of the FCC rules. For instance, Ocean Pines can threaten to take away Mediacom's cable contract for that development for a lack of service violation. This would depend of course on the exact terms of each municipality's cable contract with Mediacom or Comcast and of course this would ultimately never actually happen, nor would it change FCC rules. BUT, the threat of such action from a development largely inhabited by Baltimoreans or Washingtonians would gain public attention, negative publicity for WBOC, and there have to be some cable contracts on Delmarva up for renewal soon right? This simple threat would send a message that might intensify the negotiations between WBOC and Mediacom or Comcast for a possible compromise, like dumping the non-local channels to higher up digital cable channels and out of the mainstream basic lineup so as not to compete with WBOC & WMDT. In cases where this happens, most people will watch the network programming that is in the basic tier where all the other network programming is. And that's really all that needs to be done in my opinion. If this same thing happens to my Comcast cable system in Ocean City, I fully intend to urge local lawmakers to fight for at the very least a warning of cancellation of Comcast's cable contract and will be at all the local meetings regarding this whether it's "off-season" or not. I still find it funny that these LESS SERVICE type cable company actions always happen in the off-season on Delmarva. Nothing EVER happens during the summer! HAha! I think that pretty much proves the point that more people on Delmarva now are non-local than ever and it pisses off WBOC that FOX 5 and WJZ 13 still pull in decent ratings. Finally, with the internet, are they really that stupid that they think that most people won't find out about this? Maybe 5 years ago, but not now. This could get ugly. (10/29/07) In the mid-80s, Dick Clark released an album of radio bloopers. The LP featured my all-time favorite: Late night NYC talk radio legend Long John Nebel, reading a commercial for a porn film called, "It Happened In Hollywood." I hadn't heard it in years, but it has finally turned up online and I wanted to share it with the DCRTV readers. The clip is from Alan Colmes radio show in April of 1984. It's priceless! users.pupress.princeton.edu (10/29/07) /\ October 29 Messages /\ \/ October 28 Messages \/ I find it funny that some people are able to control conversations in the mailbag. Seem to be plenty of assholes and self important people. These technical conversations about frequencies and market areas are longwinded and boring. I want more about how Howard is better than O&A and how D&M suck. Bryslock (10/28/07) Is it my set, or has WETA's .2 subchannel been dark the past couple of days? I'm getting .1, .3, and .4, so I assume it's their fault, but you can never tell how digital things might screw up. (10/28/07) Dave's response: I noticed the same thing on my Comcast system..... Dear all - "...a relationship that has fascinated and often mystified the American public." That's how Sally Bedell Smith begins her more than 500 page examination of the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton and the eight years they called the White House their home. Her new book, which comes out this week, is titled For Love of Politics, which begs the question: so, what about each other, and what about the next 4 or 8 years? We'll get to those and much more when Sally sits down for an interview Wednesday, October 31 (yes, Halloween), at The Q&A Cafe. I hope you can join us. For reservations, please call Jon Moss at 202.338.2000 between 10 and 5 tomorrow or Tuesday. As usual, the doors open at noon, the show begins at 12:30 and the fee is a flat $35 at the door, all inclusive of food, soft beverages, tax and tip. Coming up November 8: one of the country's most successful female business and sports entrepreneurs - Sheila Johnson. Carol Joynt (10/28/07) The WQCB dinner and reunion was great fun. It's always good to see legendary radio icons like Frank Harden, Fred Fiske, Bob Davis, Ron Weber, Cal Thomas, and Ed Walker and current celebs like Loo Katz, Frank Herzog, Julie Wright and Dave Adler. Always a nice mix. Missed you Dave as you were saluted on your 10th anniversary. (10/28/07) Dave's response: Thanks! I was around a relative's two little kids the previous weekend and caught a nasty cold from them. Didn't feel the need to spread my fever and aches to the WQCB crowd..... "I made all you fools do all this research for your gratification and to prove you are right. I could care less as I don't even live on the Eastern Shore. Do you people have anything better to do." - Actually Paul, I deal with this every day, so I'm only out maybe 5 minutes of time writing the post. I actually get paid to keep all of these "inane" things in my head, so there was no loss of time doing "research." As far as being right, that's not necessary either. If you had proved me wrong, I would have taken the corrected information and applied it to my business moving forward. My creditors don't accept a "I proved myself right on DCRTV" voucher as payment. What I was hoping was that you would come back and tell me that you had the ability to upsell local broadcast television beyond the DMA boundries that the regional and national agencies are so hung up on and could prove your ability to do it. I would have offered you a job or hired you to teach me how! You see, I don't have anything else better to do than constantly be looking for good sales people for my company, and I'm always impressed by someone who can debate well and has a good command of the business of local television and is interested in such "inane" things as markets and sales. It's what many of us that read this mailbag do for a living every day. Cheers. (10/28/07) If Rush and Sean could mate, they'd give birth to a baby Cheney! Or Satan. Oh...Wait...They're one and the same. Paul (10/28/07) Thanks for sharing those super-sharp photos from Saturday's WQCB Dinner Fête. Count Gore looks downright civilized without his vampire make-up. And I could almost hear Ed Walker commenting on the color of Long John Dowling's shirt!!!! (10/28/07) "So how long does it take you to come up with your snappy quips?" Not too long, as it were. To borrow the phrasing of your offer from before...If you ever want a lesson in snappy quips, I am up for the challenge. Seeing as you have nothing better to do than pout, I think this discussion is over. (10/28/07) The WQCB pictures are nice, but could we get some names? I think I recognize Ed Walker, David Burd, John Dowling and Bob Duckman. Several others look familiar, but I can’t place them. Thanks. Roddy Freeman (10/28/07) Aw c'mon, Dave! I could've thought of at least three different local pairings for a male "Battle of the Media Hotties" for this week instead of Limbaugh and Hannity. First of all, Rush and Sean are ages apart. You could've paired the somewhat same-age duos of Chris Plante vs. Jerry Klein, Bryan Nehman vs. Rob Carson or Chris Core vs. Mark Plotkin. (By the way, Hannity should win this one hands-down!) (10/28/07) So how long does it take you to come up with your snappy quips? I love playing this game with you people that are so passionate about inane things. God bless this country. Only in America can people argue on trivial matters. Paul (10/28/07) Dave's response: Yeah, at least we argue over trival stuff. In some countries, they kill each other over mundane disagreements..... "I made all you fools do all this research for your gratification and to prove you are right. I could care less as I don't even live on the Eastern Shore. Do you people have anything better to do." Well, before you got here it was an informative discussion. You started an irrelevant argument and now you're taking your ball and going home. As for "all this research" - it's called Google. Try it sometime, it can be rewarding if you stay on track. "If you mean that you can't put one part of a county in one market and one in another market, that's most assuredly wrong....I have no idea if this is happening in the Salisbury and Baltimore markets, but it CAN be done." The part about not diving by county was from Nielsen's website, so I defer to them in that respect. It may be done here at some point, but we've only got their word to go on. (10/28/07) Hi Dave, Here are some WQCB pics from last night, what happened to you? Tom (10/28/07) Dave's response: I wasn't feeling well yesterday. Had a fever, aches, sore throat, chills. Must have been Burd Flu..... Wilson must think the viewing public is absolutely moronic if they can't distinguish between an O"Reilly opinion show and a new show. And the reason that Fox News channel IS so successful is that it provides an outlet for conservative thought that is uncommon among the liberal media elilte. So exactly what is Wilson really whining about? (10/28/07) ****Anyone happen to catch Johnny Holliday with David Burd Friday morning on 3WT??Good stuff, good listening and a fun Two hours. David, how bout doing it again?Shawn, Bethesda**** Is there some way we can listen to Johnny's portion by itself? (10/28/07) Re: "Your map is crap. On the big map, Dorchester is in Baltimore. On the local map it shows Dorchester in the Salisbury market. You cannot divide markets by county." If you mean that you can't put one part of a county in one market and one in another market, that's most assuredly wrong. In Northern California alone, there are two counties divided between two markets: Solano County (west in SF market, east in Sacramento market), and Placer County (west in Sacramento market, east in Reno NV market). The counties are both rather large, and geographical features neatly separate their TV watching. I have no idea if this is happening in the Salisbury and Baltimore markets, but it CAN be done. (10/28/07) I made all you fools do all this research for your gratification and to prove you are right. I could care less as I don't even live on the Eastern Shore. Do you people have anything better to do. Paul (10/28/07) JAZZRADIOdc.com Classic Jazz, Classy Blues and a touch of the contemporary too! Dear Jazz lover: This month we are encouraging you to forward this e-mail to a friend, loved one, family member and even an enemy if necessary because... November is jazzradiodc.com's jazz on the internet awareness month . Hopefully, you have listened to our show on the internet... if not now is the time. It is available live from 5 pm to 6 pm EST Monday through Friday and at all other times in archived format (previously aired show). You can easily reach it by clicking on the link below. This will take you to our home page. Once you reach the jazzradiodc.com home page you can then select the "listen live" button at the top of the page to listen while we are in studio or click on the "mp3 player" on the right side of the page for our archived shows. jazzradiodc.com Do check out the entire JAZZRADIODC.COM site . Thanks, Carl David (10/28/07) Hi Dave, I spent the day putting up a big antenna on the side of the house. I got rid of Cox a long time ago. (Thank God.) I wanted to be ready for February 2009. From here in western Fairfax, I can get all the DC locals, Baltimore's big 4 and --"¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!" Channel 14. A nice bonus: MPT Channel 62 out of Frederick, MD. The HD quality is so much better than you can get off satellite or cable. I put the Slingbox at a friend's home for the other channels that I occasionally want to watch. (The computer is connected to the TV) Sirius is in the car. Phone and computer are on the Fios. We're riding the light. If I were any more advanced, I'd be in the year 2030. Free TV is back, baby! John (10/28/07) Dave's response: As Larry David says - "Pretty, pretty good"..... Paul, I would like to know from where your coming. Are you referring to the subject of markets and DMA's from a sales point of view, or from a carriage rights point of view? If you are referring to the fact that DMA's do not reflect a region's actual "trading" area, there's no need for a lesson - that's Sales 101. I will say that regional and National buyers DO buy local broadcast television based strictly on the DMA, and all of the presentations you can muster in order to justify higher CPPs will fall on deaf ears. It does not matter if 75% of an adjacent county assigned to a different DMA watches your station, they will not give you credit for those viewers come "buy" time. You cannot even try to call it "value add" to address their request of "how many 'bonus' spots are you giving me for value add." Those extra viewers are real, Nielsen shows them, and buyers ignore them. They buy you based upon the households and ratings in YOUR DMA. We don't like it, and we've never stopped trying to deal with it, but in the end, we do not prevail with our pleas. Now, if your talking about carriage rights, DMA's do play a part in carriage rights in the local-into-local satellite world. The "local" channels that a DBS customer will see if they subscribe to their satellite company's local-into-local service will be those stations within the subscriber's DMA. In addition, most programming agreements I have seen over the last few years are directly tied to a station's DMA are part of the licencing section . Here's language I've lifted (distributor has been deleted since I don't have their permission to publish the actual agreement)." 3. License: XXXX grants to Client, and Client accepts, a limited license, under copyright, to telecast the Series in the English language for free home television reception, over the existing facilities of the Station operating under license by the FCC in the Station's markets (as listed above), during the license Term set forth below." At the top of this agreement was an entry showing the station's DMA market and DMA rank number. And, from a Fox affiliation agreement: "Licensee shall be entitled to invoke the protection against duplication of programming imported under the compulsory copyright license to the extent and in the manner provided in Sections 76.92 through 76.94 of the rules of the FCC as in effect from time to time. Such right shall apply to all Fox programming for the duration of the Term of this Agreement. For the duration of this Agreement, Licensee's rights shall apply to both simultaneous and non-simultaneous duplication. Licensee shall be entitled to invoke nonduplication protection in the area within 35 miles of the FCC's reference point for its city of license and, if Station is in a Hyphenated Market for purposes of FCC nonduplication rules, in the area within 35 miles of the FCC's reference point for each other designated community within such Hyphenated Market; provided, however, notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee shall not invoke said nonduplication protection beyond the boundaries designated as its Designated Market Area ("DMA") as defined by A.C. Neilsen i.e. from time to time." Based upon the tone of your last two post, my experience appears to be more limited than yours. As to your question of "What's the point?", I believe the original thread had to do with a station's rights to enforce network non-duplication and syndicated exclusivity rights. I have dealt with programming and affiliation agreements that took both the FCC rules and DMA boundries into account in the licensing portion of the agreement, and without a business agreement, there are no rights to enforce under the FCC or any other entity's directives. So, in these cases, FCC and DMA's are both part of the point, and if you're a local-into-local viewer, it is the point. I think this entire forum would benefit from a lesson from you on these issues, since I assume that all I have posted above will be shown by you to be incorrect. (10/28/07) Hi Dave, Dahl is Donny G's hero. Pia... Radio star Steve Dahl to change shifts, stations, By Phil Rosenthal, Tribune media columnist - CBS Radio is set to confirm Monday that longtime Chicago radio star Steve Dahl is moving from afternoons on WCKG-FM 105.9 to mornings on sister station WJMK-FM 104.3, effective Nov. 5, sources said Saturday. The company is not yet ready, however, to announce a new format for WCKG, which is weighing both Spanish-language and adult contemporary format known as Fresh FM, a top CBS executive said. To promote Dahl's move to so-called Jack FM, WCKG plans to pre-empt nearly its entire programming schedule with "Best of Steve Dahl" clips, beginning Monday night. Dahl also is set to continue to do his afternoon show on the station through Friday... (10/28/07) Anyone happen to catch Johnny Holliday with David Burd Friday morning on 3WT?? Good stuff, good listening and a fun Two hours. David, how bout doing it again? Shawn, Bethesda (10/28/07) Folks who find a need to pontificate on DMA and MSA are much like the overnight jock who thinks he could do wonders if they just let him/her have a regularly scheduled shift during weekday daylight hours. If you find a daily need to explain your view of programming to the morning show, as you leave, or the afternoon guy as your are arriving, if you pray that the engineer will do overnight maint just so you have someone to talk, you are probably most likely to be in the fringe of that area and thus pose little danger to those who actually reside within the area you feel a need to define. Stop telling us what DMA is. Those well inside it already know what it is and have no need to worry about its definition either. (10/28/07) /\ October 28 Messages /\ \/ October 27 Messages \/ For the next battle of the media hotties, I have 1/2 the shootout: Kate Amara of WBAL. The problem will be finding someone who can even come close for a runoff. I can't think of anyone in the Baltimore or Washington markets that could make it a competition. Seriously. Okay, maybe Samantha Davies, who is on NBC's weather channel on the Verizon FiOS here in Howard County. (10/27/07) "Designated Market Area is different than actual market area ... to use such a map is a disservice to any advertiser." Haven't you noticed yet that I'm not debating that? The question of advertising dollar worthiness hasn't been any part of this. The DMA reach of the Salisbury market --and-- the FCC exclusivity regulations for syndicated programming and network non-duplication have already been definitively (and repeatedly, for the constant naysayers) covered - and that, full stop, was the basis of the discussion. The whole thing started with someone claiming that the Ocean City area was somehow outside of the reach of both, and they have been proven wrong. Do please follow along. It's clear you're creating an argument out of the blue for the sake of arguing, and if that's the lesson you're offering, that's a lesson I'd rather not learn. (10/27/07) Again I will state that you can not divide markets solely by county due to what market has the majority of viewers. Designated Market Area is different than actual market area. In an area that is as densely populated and with so many DMA's in such a small area, to use such a map is a disservice to any advertiser. Anyone who buys the CD from Nielsen is wasting their money as markets are not political entities. The question of course is, "What is the point?" This went from a discussion of FCC to Nielsen. FCC rules are much more realistic than Nielsen DMAs. Again my offer of a lesson is still available. Paul (10/27/07) My sister gave me the DVD set of "The Beatles/Anthology" as a gift. Last night we were watching the first few episodes. A landmark moment was when The BEatles were in France, anticipating their next stop, in America for the first time. While in Paris, they got a telegram from Capitol Records stating "I Want to Hold Your Hand" made it to #1 in the U.S. So, okay, this isn't the same thing. But I did yell out loud when I entered my search criteria into Yahoo "realtor Ocean City MD": search.yahoo.com... For those of you who can't click on this, just to let you know, that search puts me at Number 1 on Yahoo. And I guess I want to thank you all for helping. Thanks! AP (10/27/07) I have new respect for Brian Wilson. As for the issue of plagiarism, what about broadcasters who steal from each other? That happens with great frequency, particularly on sports talk shows. They seem to get a free pass. (10/27/07) Let's set the record straight on what counties compose the Salisbury, DMA (and by all rights, we should be adding "registered trademark of Nielsen Media Research" after each and every use of DMA. They get VERY, VERY picky about that. Just ask the guy that runs Newsblues how picky they are). The counties are (drum roll please) Sussex, DE, Wicomico, MD, Somerset, MD, Worcester, MD and Dorchester, MD. Salisbury,MD is also the 147th (in rank) DMA in the country. Sussex, Wicomico, Worcester and Somerset have been part of the Salisbury DMA since at least 1995, as I was able to have a friend who works in the market pull the oldest VIP he could find (1995). Dorchester was reassigned from the Baltimore DMA to the Salisbury DMA a few years back. The Salisbury, MD DMA has also had it's own Metro for the past few years. Subscribers of Nielsen's rating service are able to see a breakout of the Salisbury, MD DMA ratings specifically for the Metro. (10/27/07) Paul - if you had read anything on the page linked to with the DMA maps, you'd have seen this statement: "The TV Market borders change slightly every September. The most if not all the maps linked below are current as of the 2006-2007 season. ***The map above is derived from information retrieved in the 2002-2003 season and is there for historical purposes.***" Hence, the top map differing from the market specific maps. Thanks for playing. "You cannot divide markets by county. If you ever want a lesson in regional and economic geography, I am up for the challenge." This is a discussion solely on Nielsen DMA maps, not "regional and economic geography." Way to try and confuse the issue, as this spun out of a discussion of someone claiming the Ocean City was not in the Salisbury DMA nor within WBOC's FCC mandated range of exclusivity. Apparently, the thought was that Ocean City is over 55 miles out from Salisbury. I sometimes wish it was, just to keep the come-heres and tourists at a safe distance. Still, if you want an argument, perhaps you'd like to debate that subject with Nielsen since you think they are in error. I'm not sure they are aware of your argument, as their definition is "A DMA consists of --those counties-- whose largest share of viewing is to stations located in that same market area." No, really! It's all here - www.nielsenmedia.com (10/27/07) (from Saturday's DC Post) NPR's "Tell Me More" seeks (and speaks to) a more diverse audience. Former ABC News corespondant, Michel Martin, has left television to launch her own radio newsmagazine, "Tell Me More," NPR's latest effort to push beyond the classic definition of a public radio listener: highly educated, white, suburban. www.washingtonpost.com (10/27/07) Brian Wilson is correct. Shows like O'Reilly and Hannity & Colmes should be clearly labelled as "Commentary" to distinguish themselves from Fox News. The perception that Fox is a right-wing network comes from the commentary shows. For the most part, Fox News Journalists are objective. (10/27/07) Dave's response: Many of Fox News's main news (!) anchors - such as John Gibson, Neil Cavuto, and Brit Hume - all also deliver commentary on a regular basis. Granted, it's all clearly marked as "analysis" at the bottom of the screen, but it does kind of blur the line between news and opinion..... Jeez, what is it with people named "Blair" and plagiarism? First, Jayson Blair left the New York Times in 2003 for lying his way though a number of articles; now we have Blair Parker's tush hitting the sidewalk in the Shenandoah Valley after a number of her articles also were attributed to Mr. Bullshit. It won't be long before the name "Blair" = "liar" just as much as "Wayne" = "murderer" (www.newsoftheweird.com). (10/27/07) Dave's response: And "Hughes" is linked to great radio! CBS Radio's Michael Hughes, Radio One's Cathy Hughes, Opie and Anthony's Gregg "Opie" Hughes, and your friendly webmaster, Dave Hughes. Amazing, huh..... (RE: "Please enjoy this site instead - ekb.dbstalk.com - and scroll down to Maryland and select the Salisbury market.") Your map is crap. On the big map, Dorchester is in Baltimore. On the local map it shows Dorchester in the Salisbury market. You cannot divide markets by county. Howard is really in DC and Balt market. Kent, DE is in Salisbury and Philly. Most of the central Eastern Shore is in Balt, Salisbury, and even DC. Cecil has strong ties to Philly. If you ever want a lesson in regional and economic geography, I am up for the challenge. Paul (10/27/07) To the person who wrote "Dear Walt in Lewes".... lay off poor old Walt. Once every ten years Walt manages to find something that doesn't escape him. He fantasizes for hours on what he will say, and then spends all night crafting his response. He then hits the "send" button sitting back with the smug satisfaction that HE has proved the writer of the original post wrong. Of course, the fact that the one error, which had NOTHING to do with the actual DMA (no households are measured by Nielsen with an address of either the Atlantic or PACIFIC (Walt likes caps too) ocean), completely escapes Walt, and therefore justifies him to completely ignore and totally discredit everything else in the post. Thanks Walt for uncovering what might be the largest conspiracy yet in American history! (10/27/07) My money would be on Fox News' Roger Ailes "giving" Brian Wilson the opportunity "to seek other professional opportunities", with "profound regrets for his leaving Fox News", and "best wishes from the Fox News Family in his future endeavours" for his Texas Tech comments. Punishment for this "blasphemy" will come down from Rupert himself if Roger doesn't respond quick. Expect to hear something early in the week. At News Corp, speaking your mind is unacceptable conduct… even if you're a "conservative"! Also, Dave, you have a gift for understatement with your rant about Andy Parks' stunt with the hamburger! Citadel is not the place for anyone with a "bad ticker" to be working. They've started playing "musical chairs" with the network and the individual stations. Only difference is, they're usi! ng ejection seats! That way, even if you get a seat, you may still be gone before all is said and done. Now, my rant: A couple of evenings ago, I finally got to listen to Mark Levin after seeing his mug shot on WMAL's website for so long. I agree with a long-ago poster who said "A face made for radio… a voice made for silent movies"! However, since I was raised to find something positive in everyone, I'll have to say that Mark Levin makes Sean Hannity sound rational and mature. Unsigned Corporate Suit (10/27/07) Dave's response: Gee, I thought that punishment for violating "political correctness" was a lefty trait..... Perhaps it's old "news", but the Salisbury Daily Times reports that the sale of the Clear Channel Eastern Shore cluster has fallen through. (10/27/07) Dear Walt in Lewes: Despite the gaffe of mislabeling the Atlantic as the Pacific, I (and many other posters on here) can assure you that the county breakdown of the DMA is correct. Please enjoy this site instead - ekb.dbstalk.com - and scroll down to Maryland and select the Salisbury market. Instead of being from some pesky advertiser, it's from some pesky satellite enthusiasts. Of course, you could have bothered to check on it yourself, but you seem too busy complaining. I guess it's only "meaningless research" when it proves you wrong? (10/27/07) /\ October 27 Messages /\ \/ October 26 Messages \/ If you wish you could have attended the 2007 Spooky Movie Film Festival (held at Cinema Arts Theatre at Fair City Mall), you CAN catch a 10-minute clip of the madness from the Monster Madhouse gang, Bobo Golem, and Count Gore de Vol ... thanks to Karlos Borloff (mexi-slovakian monster hunter from another time) at www.veoh.com (10/26/07) Dear WBOC researcher: Next time you perform your meaningless research, please check your sources carefully. I most assuredly cannot accept the teachings of your truckads.com reference as relevant due to their depiction of the Salisbury DMA adjacent to the PACIFIC OCEAN as shown on the map on your link. Or perhaps we here on Delamarva have been duped yet again by the liberal media and public education. Walt in Lewes (10/26/07) Dan Patrick's been doing a weekly phone-in on EITM since before the start of the season. (10/26/07) A poster below feels "sorry for him," referring to President Bush. Why? JOHN IN STAFFORD (10/26/07) Dave's response: Let's not get "off topic" here..... With the good numbers in on the O's network, it brings a question. What's the status of Manfra and Hunter for '08? Rusty Gibson (10/26/07) Andy Pollin made a fool out of himself again by announcing that all Montgomery County football games were postponed when in fact he only had information on one game. If WTEM would have taken the time to look at the school system web site they would have known the correct information which is that about half are being played and the other half postponed until a later date. (10/26/07) Wendy Rieger can yell the F-bomb at me any time she wants. Dave in Sterling (10/26/07) It always amazes me those who display strong intellectual skills brag about low IQ scores, and those who display weak critical analytical skills brag about high IQ scores. A better foundation for intelligence measurement, in my opinion, is a person's SAT score - a number Chickaboomer did not volunteer. Even if she gives us a SAT score now, it would be as suspect as her "160 IQ" claim. (10/26/07) Leave the following people alone RIGHT NOW !!! : Dan Patrick (whoever that is)... Mark Levin (he has a bad ticker)... "Chickaboomer" (anyone can want to be in porn)... Don Geronimo (ditto for always talking about his "Coke can")... Fatso Mike (you'd be ass up, face down too if Don was your "partner")... Chip Franklin (so what if he's just an angry cop's son?)... Wendy Rieger (her dirty mouth is a come on)... Ron and Fez (see Don and Mike)... Senator Craig (he was only asking the cop to pass the toliet paper)... Most of all: President Bush. No reason, just feel sorry for him... (10/26/07) I know both FOX and MLB are in business to make money, but would it be so awful to have some kind of boundaries when it comes to selling crap? The advertising during last night's World Series game at times literally kept viewers from seeing the field. Perhaps FOX should pay attention to TBS, which found its "Frank TV" the most hated show in America six weeks before it ever aired, thanks to the tidal wave of dull promos that network aired during the divisional playoffs. Instead, FOX's crapfest hit a series of low points: In addition to blocking what I would guess was anywhere from 30-85 percent of the screen with advertising for the length of the game, they interviewed Taco Bell's president in the stands an inning after the purveyor of fat-shaped-like-food's "Steal a base, win a taco" promotion ended; they inserted staged studio video of "fans" holding signs promoting FOX programs to make it appear they were actually in the stands; they superimposed animated promos for FOX shows on real fan's signs; they blocked out one member of a trio singing "America The Beautiful" with the logo for -- you guessed it -- a FOX program; they played what certainly appeared to be scripted "conversations" of players in the dugouts talking about the taco promotion, etc etc etc. This was all in addition to the now-traditional shots of actors from FOX shows sitting in the stands, FOX logos plastered across the wall behind home plate and FOX promos read between pitches. Oh, and don't forget the double-shot promos, like all those shots of the DirectTV blimp which was showing clips from the upcoming episode of FOX's "24" on a huge screen attached to its fuselage. It got so bad that Tim McCarver started ridiculing the overkill on-air. Like I said, I know FOX and MLB want to make money, but there's a difference between being a salesman and being a whore. The PGA, and the Master's Tournament in particular, have placed limits on advertising and still manage to rake in the cash. It can be done. (10/26/07) In the name of praising the citizens of his new home, Chip Franklin managed to take a nice hard slap at the people where he used to live and work and at individuals who were victims of a large disaster, then were victimized again by their State, Local, and Federal governments. I guess to Chip people wronged by the incompetence of their elected and appointed officials should just say, "Thank you, sir, may I have another?" Class to the end, that Chip. Howie (10/26/07) Didn't know Mark Levin was a DCRTV fan. Cool! (10/26/07) Sorry, I have to disagree with Ken. Dan Patrick is smooth and slick, yeah. But he's as pompous as they come, ranking right up there with Bob Costas. And I'll take any local sportstalk over that syndicated crap any day. So much for WTEM's "Live and Local" pitch. (10/26/07) I tuned in to see if he’d do it, and, sure enough, Larry Michael just picked the Skins to beat the Patriots, demonstrating, once and for all, that he’s just a slurping little homer – not that there was any doubt at all about that. The notion (promoted by Danny Snyder’s own tiny little mouth) that his Redskins media empire (also known as the DSTTRN – the “Danny Snyder Teeny Tiny Radio Network”) is somehow providing the “truth” that the regular media doesn’t supply can be tossed in the trash heap for all time. Danny went out and bought himself a houseboy; that’s fine. I’m just not sure why he felt the urge to put this whore on the radio. Oh, well, back to the iPod. Sincerely, TMU (10/26/07) I've been in contact recently with Absolute Radio-the company running with the Jack brand in the UK. They have an application to launch Jack in Liverpool. I was looking at, typical Jack formatics-with the exteption of a live morning and afternoon drive show. (10/26/07) Quote: "Andy was getting an inordinate amount of pleasure watching Fred re-clog his arteries" Yes Dave, but it was a fun and exciting segment that has been building up for the entire week. It's supposed to be entertaining. Aren't you the same person who calls Andy an old fart with no new ideas and a boring radio personna? Let the man show his pleasure - he did win the bet! -Silvie- (10/26/07) Dave's response: It was entertaining in a sadistic kind of way. Maybe next week, they could do another bet. And if Andy loses, Fred could Taser him, laughing hysterically as Andy's pacemaker "does its thing"..... Dave, Fred Grandy was not "forced" by Andy Parks to eat anything. Fred himself stated last week that he would eat a big breakfast burrito if Rep. Pete Stark ever apologized for the remarks he made about President Bush. Fred was certain that Stark would never apologize, but much to everyone's surprise, he did. I don't think that one high-fat, high-cal burrito will do anything to Fred anyway since he keeps a healthy lifestyle the rest of the 364 days of the year. A bet is a bet! -Silvie in Waldorf- (10/26/07) Dave's response: No, Andy didn't hold a gun to Fred's head, but Andy was getting an inordinate amount of pleasure watching Fred re-clog his arteries..... hey dave, I sort of agree with your rant this morning about Grandy and Andy. I like the show, but Andy did seem to take a little too much pleasure in Grandy breaking his Vegan ways. I thought the same thing. (10/26/07) A little time spent on www.fcc.gov yielded the following facts: The poster that said WBOC's signal isn't the same as the "big boys" 5 million watt power level is right. WBOC only broadcast with 4.7 million watts of power according their license. I guess that 0.26dB difference is why they don't "get out" like the bigger boys. Oh, and by the way, you might want to educate yourself on VHF versus UHF power, as a VHF station that had a 5 Megawatt ERP (Peak Visual power) might just get a visit from the FCC.....talk about "getting out!" On the network non duplication and syndicated exclusivity issue, again, from the same FCC website - small markets, of which Salisbury is one, - are granted a exclusivity region of 55 miles from the city of license's main post office. Ocean City and a large part of Delaware easily fall into the radius. Them's the FCC rules. If you don't like the rules, stop bitching about the people who are applying them and start spending your time getting them changed. What are accomplishing by ranting and venting on a website about how unfair they are? Go DO SOMETHING about changing the rules instead of just complaining how unfair they are. Like the old saying goes, there are three types of people: Those who make something happen, those who watch something happen, and those who wonder what happened. Which one are you? (10/26/07) Re: "Chickaboomer admits ...I know where the phrase "ad nauseum" came from. [rimshot] " I couldn't agree more with this post. In the words of Casey Kasem : ponderous, effing ponderous. OK, honey, you have forked for your over-the-hill milf whorish banner ad, now you have graced the Mailbag with your blinding wit, how about simply letting your website speak for itself. While I appreciate the high road taken by Chickaboomer in not taking the sniping into the gutter, why not focus on trying to break one original story. The preponderance of these sites which offer regurgitated stories and are erstwhile clearing houses for stories gleaned from the web, offered with an obligatory personal take, are so common it's mind numbing. I have checked the Chickaboomer site twice, and trust me there is no reason to return. For a self-proclaimed 58 year old woman, to choose to use the soft lens sex sells come-on photos in attempts to draw a clientele, is a short-lived gambit, unless you are actually offering pornography, which I hate to say would be an improvement. Give the mailbag a rest Chickaboomer, and check back when you actually break a story. Otherwise, good luck, but I fear you are a little late to the party. (10/26/07) Dave: When you wrote, "we'd toss balls of mercury all over the place. Great fun. Then, we could go home and burn our parents' homes down with the ovens from our Creepy Crawlers plastic bug-making sets" you brought back great memories of my youth. Thanks for starting the day with a smile. I loved making those creepy crawlers and then we'd try to spoke people at school by putting them in desks and lockers. (10/26/07) Dave's response: When I was 12 (circa 1970), my best friend and I would spend the day by ourselves roaming around Center City Philadelphia. We'd take bike hikes for several miles, without our parents. We'd build plastic models and burn them in the backyard or throw them off the roof. Stuff you'd never allow kids to do today..... "The pathetic WBOC 16 apologist forgot to mention that Ocean City, Maryland is pretty much far enough away from Salisbury, Maryland for the FCC network exclusivity rules to not apply and certainly the Delaware cable systems are not affected by FCC rules, unless the FCC changed the rules." Pathetic? Classy...I like that. I didn't mention it because, well - it doesn't matter. Here, I'll do your homework for you. The rules are mandated by the defined DMA, that is - the designated market area around a television stations. In this case, Worcester county is well within the DMA for Salisbury, and therefore subject to exclusivity rules. I even found a map online for you - www.truckads.com - just in case you think I'm making it up. If you're going to spout off about the rules here, at least do a minimum of research. Here's Wikipedia's take on syndication rules, found in less than 10 seconds with Google: en.wikipedia.org - and here's a take on the whole issue, geared towards satellite but with the same rules as cable - www.mediainstitute.org - ...but you don't seem interested in the actual facts. "And I just don't trust WBOC to carry every Baltimore Ravens game because I don't think they necessarily have to according to NFL rules." WBOC is a secondary market for the Ravens, and are contractually obliged to carry their games if CBS is broadcasting them. In fact, they are required on doubleheader days to leave the earlier game to join the Ravens for kickoff. Good for Ravens fans, bad for whoever was watching the first game. "Finally, let's face it, Salisbury news is rather boring and there are plenty more people moving to Delmarva now that are not looking to hear either the fishing report or the farm report!" I've touched on this before, but if you move to an area - WHY DO YOU EXPECT IT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE? Honestly, this isn't a metro area with five shootings and three robberies a night - so you're not going to see it on the news. For that matter, the fishing report runs on what...Friday mornings? As for the farm report, did you happen to notice all the farms around here? I'm guessing you did, and you're one of the people that complains about the smell. -You- moved here...no-one asked you to come. Either deal with what it means to live on Delmarva, or just shut up about it. It's an agricultural area, end of story. (10/26/07) The Orioles numbers are correct. If they weren't, Beauchamp would have one of his minions fire off an email to Dave stammering about the numbers and how their numbers showed otherwise. But what the heck, not only did WBAL lose the Orioles, they convinced Johnny Goldsmith to commit career suicide in the process to satisfy their management egos. (10/26/07) Craig, glad you posted newsbabe’s Rieger “F” bomb link again, but alert DCRTV loyalists will recall that this was posted this wayyyy back in Dec. (by yours truly!). “Farewell and good luck, gentle giant Susan Kidd! We'll miss you terribly. You were and remain the consummate professional, and will be an asset to any organization lucky enough to snap you up. I sure hope Wendy came by to see you off, or at least is going to take you to Wendy's House of Vodka for a proper sendoff. Did she at least try to give you the advice she shares in the hilarious movie "5 Keys to Mastery?" You can catch the best part in the trailer on Youtube (scroll to 4:26 and you'll hear Wendy drop the F bomb!) www.youtube.com (12/23/06)” As for those evil light bulbs (they just give off such ugly, dark light), toxic schmoxic. Who among us doesn’t have fond childhood memories of pushing balls of mercury around the table and holding it in our sweet little hands? Good times! (10/26/07) Dave's response: Yeah, in Mr. Kaylor's science class at Herndon High we'd toss balls of mercury all over the place. Great fun. Then, we could go home and burn down our parents' homes with the ovens from our Creepy Crawlers plastic bug-making sets..... Link to amusing reactions to the introduction of the Jack format in the UK: blogs.guardian.co.uk... (Actually Jack-like formats have been present in the UK for some years, in terms of music variety at one location on the dial, but this is the first attempt with specific Jack branding/imaging.) Not really ‘my cup of tea’ at all…but still interesting from a programming standpoint. (10/26/07) Dave's response: Be careful. Pretty soon London's alt rock XFM will become The Globe and start playing lots of "adventuresome" old CSN. Michael Hughes will conquer the radio world..... Dan Patrick may be syndicated on SportsTalk 980, but other than Phil Wood, he's the best thing on that station. Better than, "Come Strong to the mike" Doc Walker, former basketball coach John Thompson pretending to know about all sports and the pompous Andy Pollin. Patrick REALLY is good and so are a lot of the Fox Sports Radio people compared to our local "personalities". Ken/Bethesda (10/26/07) Just in case the burning question of the day is "Whatever happened to Matthew Blades?", now you know ... biz.yahoo.com (10/26/07) I was just reading your little piece on the Kareoke singing. I just wanted to point out the Bram Weinstein is with XXX Radio, 92.7, not 980 WTEM. Gary Rosenthal (10/26/07) Dave's response: Triple X? Never heard of it. Must be an imaginary station..... (snippage) a lightbulb gets broken. You'll have to call in a hazmat team for toxic waste cleanup. (scissors down). Gotta do that now anyway when a mercury thermometer breaks. And some of still have one in the back of the medicine chest. (10/26/07) The WBOC tower to Ocean City is roughly 40 miles, the WMDT tower is closer to 50 miles away, but yes WBOC is under 40 miles away from the Delaware beaches. Obviously the law probably is based on city of license, Salisbury which is around 30 miles from Ocean City & the affected Mediacom cable systems, but that's not going to stop people from complaining about the loss of WJZ 13, especially since neither WBOC or WMDT broadcast the typical big city power of 5 million watts, meaning they are difficult to receive in many of the affected areas via an antenna. The purpose of the law is to protect local stations. How can a station be local in a town 40-50 miles away that cannot even receive the signal over the air easily??? Neither WBOC or WMDT even put out a city grade signal to the areas we're talking about, not to mention their digital transmissions over the air, which are a joke and will probably never ever be able to be received in Ocean City via an antenna. I'm not even a big fan of WJZ but I think this is going to blow up in WBOC's face as the bad guy. And I just don't trust WBOC to carry every Baltimore Ravens game because I don't think they necessarily have to according to NFL rules. Finally, let's face it, Salisbury news is rather boring and there are plenty more people moving to Delmarva now that are not looking to hear either the fishing report or the farm report! (10/26/07) Polkas on WWWT? How about a program like the old John Lyons in the midday, someone like the old Trumbull and Core in the afternoon, and someone like Tom Gauger at night? How about jazz at night and MOR during the day? I miss "Jackie Bill" and Dennis Clayton and the guests on the traffic airplane and Hump Day and hearing "You Are the New Day" at 10 am on Fridays; I miss the old WMAL. Nothing else is really going to work in this city, and we need an alternative adults can listen to without feeling insulted by the juvenile and inane talk that passes for programming. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (10/26/07) Dave: You might want to check the ratings source for the Orioles radio numbers. Usually, teams or rights holders will cherry pick a few of the best games and order a special “aid” run from Arbitron. The numbers for selected games are very good but most of the games will barely post or come up as a zero. WTOP used this process for at least ten years using ten year old data. (10/16/07) Dave's response: That's why I was careful to use attribution in that newsblurb. "According to the Orioles." Yes, ratings can be manipulated to say just about anything..... Dave, Heard Don mention DCRTV yesterday.... fletting just mumbled to Mike "is that from DCRTV?" proud of you Dave.... DCRTV is IMPORTANT!!! and Significant. pl (10/26/07) Dave's response: He usually just calls us "Rupert's site," a la the Rupert Pupkin character played by Robert DeNiro in "The King Of Comedy"..... Dave, the whole point of "going green" with those mini-florescent light bulbs is that a)they use much less energy to run and b) they last a hell of a lot longer. I bought a pair of them 7 years ago and put them in two of my lamps, and they still work. I recently replaced ALL of the light bulbs in my house with mini-florescent light bulbs, and it CLEARLY SAYS ON THE PACKAGE you must grind up the broken bulb and feed them to your pets. (ok, I'm joking about that last point, but to be honest, I never thought about what happens after they go out, I'm just predicting that they never will since mine have never went out). Oh and please clean up your pets poop people. We have to get brown before we get green. KeninBrooklyn (10/26/07) Dave's response: Look, you have a disagreement with your spouse or signicant other and a throw a shoe - and a lightbulb gets broken. You'll have to call in a hazmat team for toxic waste cleanup. Not good..... great news about El Jefe and J Dubs...is there ANY chance that Ron and Fez could follow suit, Dave? (10/26/07) Dave's response: The CBS Radio DC suits I've talked to told me that they were not impressed with the ratings of R&F's evening show on 106.7 a few years back. But I contend that the duo didn't get the needed promotion and nurturing. In any case, JFK-FM needs to build a solid stable of local talent if it wants to continue doing guy talk and not wind up playing tunes for chicks at work. So, I'd say, yes, get Ron and Fez back on board, too. Definitely..... /\ October 26 Messages /\ \/ October 25 Messages \/ "There's only like a 40-50 mile exclusivity if I remember correctly" And Salisbury is less than 30 miles from OC. Quit bitching and go back to the western shore. Paul (10/25/07) “Seems that with all of the begging for bucks on MPT lately, at least one of the Blast Games will fall in such a period. BTW, considering our impending tax increases in the great State of Maryland, is this really a good use of taxpayer money?”…You are so right, mister!! The taxpaying public would be much better served with more showings of droll British sit-coms and concerts by the Kingston Trio!! They should never try anything new, ever!! Now I gotta go, some damn kids are on my lawn!!!! (10/25/07) The pathetic WBOC 16 apologist forgot to mention that Ocean City, Maryland is pretty much far enough away from Salisbury, Maryland for the FCC network exclusivity rules to not apply and certainly the Delaware cable systems are not affected by FCC rules, unless the FCC changed the rules. I know that Comcast continued the Washington DC channels on their cable system in the western segment of their Baltimore County system for quite awhile after the exclusivity rule was passed and legally did so for quite awhile. There's only like a 40-50 mile exclusivity if I remember correctly. And if WBOC could have legally forced WJZ 13 to be removed from all of Delmarva's cable systems, they would have done it YEARS AGO! The only reason WBOC is doing this is because they are jealous that WMDT got away with it with the combination of threats and the fact that nobody would miss WMAR ABC 2! PEOPLE WILL NOTICE WJZ 13 GONE! Once again, SLEAZY DEALS ALL-AROUND that serve NO PUBLIC GOOD. By the way, Ocean Pines could ALSO YANK the Mediacom cable TV license for lack of service. WBOC has clearly bitten off more than it can chew here. I may even start a blog so that people not in Delmarva right now may find out about this. This could get ugly. :-( (10/25/07) The orioles are full of shit with their radio ratings. Come on, the team sucked AGAIN, there’s no way MORE people listened to them. (10/25/07) OC104'S BRAND NEW MORNING SHOW "THE HIP HOP COFFEE SHOP" WITH BILL BAKER "THE RUMPSHAKER", JESSICA, AND CROOKIDD ARE DEFFINETLY MAKING NOISE ON THE EASTERN SHORE AND JUST ABOUT FINISHED THEIR FIRST BIG PROMOTION WITH THE STATION. JUST LIKE ON VH1'S "FLAVOR OF LOVE" & "I LOVE NEW YORK"...THEY DID "I LOVE CROOKIDD" SEASON 1. GIRLS CALLED AND CAME IN STUDIO THIS MORNING TO FIGHT IT OUT FOR CO-HOST/COMEDIAN "CROOKIDD'S HEART". WMDT-TV 47 COVERED THE EVENT AND IT WAS ON TODAY AT NOON...ALSO WILL BE ON AT 6 AND 11. AND ON THE "CW" AT 10P. ALL THE PICS ARE UP AT MYSPACE.COM/BILLJESSCROOK THE GRAND PRIZE FOR THE WINNER FEMALE BESIDES "CROOKIDD'S HEART" WILL INCLUDE A LIMO TO DINNER, A MAKEOVER, AND A 5 DAY, 4 NIGHT STAY IN LAS VEGAS! (10/25/07) O's claim they did better this year on WHFS than last year on WBAL... Could be a function of there simply being more listeners on the FM dial than the AM........ (10/25/07) Chickaboomer admits to being an ageless space alien? Wait. Let me guess. Uranus? [rimshot] And in her own words about her physician husband..."Conveniently a gynecologist"...I can only imagine why. He's probably the only gyno who can claim he actually saw light at the end of the tunnel...when the last surviving member of the Donner party was finally rescued. [rimshot] It's always nice to hear from the last houseguest who doesn't know when to leave. Dave, can we hear more from the little girl watching TV in the Comcast sidebar ad? Or perhaps even the Philly Cheesesteak in the Pauly's Catering sidebar ad? Both would probably be more interesting to talk to. Now I know where the phrase "ad nauseum" came from. [rimshot] (10/25/07) Re.: Blast on MPT. So can we expect that in a tie game with 3 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, we'll get Rhea and "we'll get back to our program in a few minutes, but if you're enjoying the game, why not call now and give us a pledge?" and the ensuiing 10 minute beg-a-thon? Seems that with all of the begging for bucks on MPT lately, at least one of the Blast Games will fall in such a period. BTW, considering our impending tax increases in the great State of Maryland, is this really a good use of taxpayer money? Oh, and will we have a Spanish Broadcast, too? (10/25/07) The biggest problem with the Eastern Shore radio stations is that the revenue is very low due to the sheer amount of signals on the 'Shore. There are something like 30 signals in the Salisbury-Ocean City market alone, and it's only market #145. The mumbers pie is very divided there. That also doesn't include all of the dinky stations in places like Easton, Cambridge, Milford, etc., that cover portions of the area. With a lack of revenue, it's hard to keep it local. You really can't expect much out of an airstaff that makes $10 an hour. Sad but true. (10/25/07) "This WJZ on Delmarva argument has gone a bit off the track with ridiculous analogies that make little sense." You're right. I've been debating the whole "entitlement" notion and not mentioning the real issue. It boils down to the fact that the copyright holders of syndicated (and network) programs allow local stations to have exclusivity when it comes to airing them. As that's part of what you're objecting to, perhaps your efforts would be better directed at the FCC instead of an internet mailbag. As I'm never one to pass up a "ridiculous analogy" - I don't like taxes, but I've got to pay them. It's the law, and that's what you're up against. As mentioned before, the Baltimore/DC stations wouldn't hesitate to exercise these rights were the situation reversed. Stations all over the country do the exact same every day. Basically, the only way to change the situation is to change the law. Good luck with that. Secondly, the public meeting in Ocean Pines is happening because it's written into the contract Mediacom has with Ocean Pines. Basically, Mediacom has to come if the Ocean Pines Association calls. Also, Mediacom has admitted that part of the decision was a monetary dispute with WJZ, which can really only mean that WJZ wanted a high price for being carried on their cable system. Yes, part of it is due to the "syndicated exclusivity" that WBOC is enforcing - but it sounds like WJZ hiked the price on their signal. Put the two together, and there's no real value in Mediacom carrying WJZ for the vocal minority. The rest of us have the "right" to not have our cable rates hiked so a small group can watch just one TV station. (10/25/07) To the poster asking if I was married: Yes. A physician. Conveniently a gynecologist. To the poster who indicated I'm an Ana Marie Cox wannabe but not nearly as smart: I've never wanted to be anyone else but you're right about the last part. My IQ's only 160. To "DM" thinking my Chickaboomer photo is from 1978. No. I'm an ageless space alien. Class, any more questions? I'm happy to answer them by email: marty@chickaboomer.com. www.chickaboomer.blogspot.com (10/25/07) (Dave's response: I still have a problem with those "green" compact fluorescent light bulbs. They have toxic (!) mercury in them and that can be harmful to you and the environment if the bulbs get broken and/or are not disposed of properly.....) 10 Things You Need to Know About Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) www.greendealsdaily.com..... -Alyx (10/25/07) Dave's response: Oooookay..... 3WT playing polkas? Hey, that's all right! My dad was Cleveland-born and raised and passed down his affection for the genre to me. Here's one you might like, Dave. Good old-fashioned type, no frills but good, clean, undiluted fun, great trumpet section. KOF www.youtube.com (10/25/07) Dave's response: Anybody remember SCTV's polka version of Zep's "Stairway To Heaven"? Ha ha ha..... You can't even get WBOC or WMDT via over the air antenna in OC, Bethany or even Ocean Pines-as thier towers are in the west or north of Salisbury. (10/25/07) RE: "This morning, the Globe ran a listener’s Green Hint extolling the ecological superiority of natural fertilizers over synthetic. Immediately after, the station ran a commercial for Scott’s (chemical) lawn care products." I've heard of disclaimers, but this is ridiculous. Sounds like they're trying to copy 3WT: "Left [as in environmentally friendly, pro-Earth], right [scorched earth], and whatever we want." KOF (10/25/07) Dave's response: I tried listening to Neal Boortz on 3WT this morning, but when he started ranting about rotten liberal polar bears, I gave up. 3WT would get better ratings by playing polkas from 10 AM to noon..... Every time I've used a relative's computer connected to Comcast, I was always disappointed that it wasn't as fast as they actually claim and just couldn't see paying the extra money above the DSL price for it. Now I know why. Most large free computer game demos (you know, the try before you buy type) are actually file sharing bitTorrent type downloads these days due to their size. Another legal usage and sanctioned & distributed by the software companies themselves. I'm able to download these via Verizon DSL, but apparently NOT Comcast? If I were Verizon, I'd start doing humiliating Comcast commercials where a police officer or crossing guard comes into your home and takes away your computer for your own good!! HAha! (10/25/07) This WJZ on Delmarva argument has gone a bit off the track with ridiculous analogies that make little sense. It's not a question of whether its my "right" to have access to Baltimore or DC stations on Delmarva. It's simply a question of satisfying your customers and offering choices they want and a cable system is essentially licensed by the counties they serve to do so. Clearly, a LOT of people on Delmarva want stations like WJZ. Otherwise, there wouldn't be public meetings on this, would there? In Baltimore, I also wish I could watch the Washington stations as well and see no reason why they shouldn't be offered. It's not like Mediacom is removing WJZ because customers complained and wanted a shopping channel instead or something. The Washington TV stations were not removed by Comcast in Baltimore because customers complained and there is certainly plenty of channel space on most cable systems' digital tier now, so that excuse is gone too. Obviously this was a back door sleazy money deal between WBOC and Mediacom that has NOTHING to do with what Mediacom customers want to watch. And no, you cannot receive Baltimore or Washington TV stations from Ocean City via an antenna. At least I was never able to years ago and I seriously doubt things have changed since. Maybe in a high rise condo facing the bay, but I still doubt it. I was never even able to pick up the Seaford Delaware public TV station, let alone the other side of the bay! (10/25/07) Dave, So I go all the way to California and all I get is this smokey t-shirt. I've been doing six hour shifts here starting at 4am and I have been amazed at the reaction via emails and calls from back east. Many have written and offered their concern and best wishes. Thanks. For what it's worth, we didn't lose our home, many however did. But unlike New Orleans, the bitching is at a minimum. San Diegans are much different from the rest of CA. Much more self-reliant. After 9/11, the snipers, anthrax, and now this, it's nice to know that there are people who know how to stand up. -- --Chip ChipFranklin.com, am600 KOGO (10/25/07) I thought that pay at a radio station the size of WNAV was always small when compared to larger stations. It still doesn't explain why the news has lost a step in recent memory, especially on weekends (although to be fair, I don't think they paid too much attention to that on the weekends ever.) They don't really seem to leave the newsroom all that much to report about the community, unless it happens to be a remote broadcast. I would love to hear some stories about the culture of the area and I think they could play a big role in that. John in Annapolis (10/25/07) I agree with a couple of early post that the news on WNAV has lost a step and the afternoon news anchor (who is News Director) sounds like she is pissed off at something. It's a shame, too. I listen to the station on the weekends when I am home. She seems to do a special report at the drop of a hat. People who apply for work at small stations know that the pay is thankless, so I cannot by the paycheck argument. If the station is in DC or Baltimore maybe, but not in this case. I remember when WNAV had a news staff that would stay for more than four months and you would actually get to know their name. P.S. from Millersville, Maryland (10/25/07) Since I am once again a local and not a vacationer I do have to admit its nice to have those Baltimore stations on my TV as a connection to home. I would say the majority of people that are transplants are from Baltimore/DC area so it does make sense if the cable carrier is able to have them on their network. I have Comcast and other than their screw ups in billing once in a while, they have been pretty good to me here in OC...Tom in Denton-I don't want to speak for all the stations but I still think a decent amount of stations on the Eastern Shore are fairly local. I know my station The B is pretty local as is our GSB cluster. I sprinkle plenty of local PSAs and news along with local mentions in my bits within the confines of my midday shift. I know WCEI in Easton who I used to work for is very local. Really all the clusters have at least one station that does a good job keeping it local. If you want really local, you have to look at Bay Broadcasting down in Pocomoke City. I know with my show any bits I do that may be national have to relate to the local listeners. I really try though to keep it local as best as possible. -Michael Popovec (10/25/07) To echo on the local businesses taking a shine to those who come to the shore (ie: Philly steaks, NY Deli, etc)-I recently discovered WKHZ was airing Penn State Football, targeting the people from PA. The Green Turtle even does a PA night. So, if businesses can cater to out of staters, why can't the cable comany cater to Baltiomore transplants. This argument is the same as why does Baltimore have a Little Italy, so why can't Mediacom have WJZ? (10/25/07) Irony or just bad planning? This morning, the Globe ran a listener’s Green Hint extolling the ecological superiority of natural fertilizers over synthetic. Immediately after, the station ran a commercial for Scott’s (chemical) lawn care products. (10/25/07) Dave's response: I still have a problem with those "green" compact fluorescent light bulbs. They have toxic (!) mercury in them and that can be harmful to you and the environment if the bulbs get broken and/or are not disposed of properly..... Re: "Sirius "Dominant Partner" In Proposed XM Marriage " Was there ever any doubt? Whenever Mel "merges" with a company, he is ALWAYS the pitcher, NEVER the catcher...if you know what I mean. (10/25/07) Dave's response: Mel's "a top"..... The Washington Capitals actually did place a game on one of the northern Virginia public television stations some years back that had been bumped off NewsChannel 8. I haven't been aware of any regular scheduled live pro games on public television till now though. Though it's doubtful that the NHL would go in that direction on a regular basis, some of the lower-profile sports leagues (pro lacrosse, pro softball, women's pro soccer in '09) may want to look at that option. FYI, the Post listing is in error regarding tonight's radio coverage of the World Series. Due to a scheduling conflict, the Red Zebra stations will split up their trimulcast. WWXT/94.3 will carry the Virginia Tech football game against Boston College, not World Series Game 2 as claimed by the Post. WWXX/92.7 & WXTR/730 will still carry tonight's baseball. Everett W. (10/25/07) "Actually there now is a Philly guy who runs an authentic Philly cheese steak place on Delmarva" ...and across the bay are plenty of "Boardwalk Fries" places. Does that mean Delmarva stations should be carried over there? You do realize, if the situation were reversed - the Baltimore/DC stations would be using the same FCC rules in a heartbeat, regardless of public opinion? If it were folks retiring from Delmarva to across the bay (shudder) complaining, we'd be a bunch of "whiny hicks" who needed to just shut up and move back to the sticks. "There is no valid reason why people that visit resort places in significant numbers or retired people from whatever city shouldn't be able to have access to the media they wish to watch by at least some means." So, if a large number of O.C. vacationers happen to come from Vermont - cable systems here should carry Vermont stations? "And many of the growing number of retired people on Delmarva still have families in the Baltimore or Washington area." I fail to see how not having Baltimore/DC stations cuts off a line of communication between families. The phone still works, right? The internet still works, right? Stamps are getting more expensive, but it's still cheaper than cable. People should talk more, really. You know, as in "Hey Mom, there were three more shootings in Baltimore last night." ...and Mom can tell them all about the crab harvest on Delmarva. Last I checked, the news didn't report on the happenings in the life of specific people. There's not a "...and now, for Mr. and Mrs. Smith who retired across the bay...your grand-daughter came in first during spelling bee practice." segment of the news. What do retirees in Florida do? "Especially when we know they could easily move these channels to the digital level and just charge more for them if they wished." I'd agree with that if the cable systems offered à la carte , but they don't. You know as well as I do, they want all or nothing - and it would be a very unpopular decision around here to up the cable rates just so the most vocal "come-here's" can watch their Baltimore news. Here's my suggestion - get an antenna and mount it on the roof. I always used to be able to pick up the stations from across the bay that way, long before cable ever wormed it's way into my neighborhood. Best of all, it's only a one time charge! (10/25/07) From today's Comcast/WaPo article: ["By the letter of Comcast's terms of service, file-sharing use isn't allowed in the first place. Its 'acceptable usage policy,' like those of many providers, bans customers from file sharing."] What Comcast apparently doesn't realize is that not all file sharing's illegal. Take, for instance, a service from www.TVFool.com which allows you to, with Google Earth, view coverage area maps of any station in the DC/Baltimore area (or virtually any other area), if you so desire. The .kmz files, which the website allows freely to download, are only available on BitTorrent. Sincerely, Mike in Kensington (10/25/07) Interesting video on YouTube www.youtube.com... Around 4:26 of the 5:53 minute video is Wendy Rieger with her explicit explanation of success. Surprising. -- Kraig (10/25/07) "You'll likely never hear those spots on WMAL or WTOP!" Actually, Unsigned Suit, you DO hear those ads on WTOP. While WMAL has a much older demographic, WTOP attracts a lot of people (usually for short periods of time) because people in cars need their traffic reports. WMAL has fewer older listeners who listen for long periods of time. Those are good niches for both stations. (10/25/07) Hmmm...The Baltimore Blast. Is that what happens when all the residents of Baltimore have gas at the same time? Regards Biff (10/25/07) You may laugh at the prospect of pro soccer games airing on the PBS outlet known as MPT, but clearly they're way ahead of their time. I guarantee in a few years from now, the NHL, desparate to reclaim its fan base and out of answers, will make a simialr deal. Get ready to see your Capitals on PBS 26! (10/25/07) Nice to see four Blast games will air on MPT. Attention Debbie Yow: Why don't you try to do likewise with some Terrapin women's basketball games that aren't part of the ACC or ESPN package? -- Vincent in Triangle (10/25/07) The most interesting thing about The Baltimore Blast broadcasting 4 MISL soccer games on MPT ( Maryland Public Television ) is that the games will be broadcast in not 1 but TWO MAJOR MARKETS, not to mention western Maryland and Delmarva (Maryland's eastern shore and parts of even Delaware!) Not sure if that's going to generate ticket sales much at the worst and oldest big city sports and concert arena in the country, The Baltimore Arena (basically the old run-down Civic Center that the Beatles played in with added paint), but I guess it's worth a try. But, certainly lots of statewide and even out of state exposure that you could never generate in a different way so cheaply. Interesting. By the way, I know Baltimore has the absolute worst arena of any major U.S. city, but doesn't Baltimore ALSO have the very last standing big city arena that the Beatles played in on their very 1st original U.S. tour? And could it now be historic for that very reason??? (10/25/07) RE: [ " If you have a vacation home here, why on earth do you feel entitled to your "home" television stations? Is your "home" deli right around the corner? " ]......... Actually there now is a Philly guy who runs an authentic Philly cheese steak place on Delmarva and I've seen several places that seem to advertise a New York style deli and there are plenty of New Yorkers on the Delmarva beaches for sure. And there's even several Steelers BARS in OC with steel worker style, ummm, I won't say it, but let's just say "food." I don't know as much about many of the Delaware resorts, but Ocean City was largely founded by people from Baltimore or other parts of Maryland. Even Trimper's Pier Rides were started by a Baltimorean. And many of the growing number of retired people on Delmarva still have families in the Baltimore or Washington area. We're not talking about a city that goes back to the 1700s here or a place that's had many network affiliates ever. That's why it's NOT a coincidence that most of the Baltimore TV stations used to be on Ocean City cable TV. And if I'm not mistaken, didn't even the Washington TV stations also used to be on the old United Cable or whatever it was called back then way back in the 1970s? But I see your point and understand that you might not care about Baltimore if you're not from Baltimore and live on Delmarva. Now see my point. Capitalism means choices and competition, not an FCC policy that BLOCKS choices and competition. There is no valid reason why people that visit resort places in significant numbers or retired people from whatever city shouldn't be able to have access to the media they wish to watch by at least some means. It's anticompetitive, monopolistic, anti-consumer, and just plain wrong. Especially when we know they could easily move these channels to the digital level and just charge more for them if they wished. The WBOC / WJZ situation is just one of those situations where it's impossible to NOT SMELL A RAT! If I were a Mediacom subscriber, I would cancel my cable TV NOW, if for no other reason, just to send a message about what I want on my cable TV, even if I had to come back to them in the spring. It's not a coincidence that they always do these channel changes and removals at the beaches over the winter. They're hoping you'll miss the unpopular changes and by the time you figure it out it will be too late to complain. What scumbags. Comcast did the SAME THING with WMAR 2 in Ocean City, by the way so history is repeating itself now with WJZ. Who's next? WBAL 11? WTTG FOX 5? (10/25/07) (regarding a previous post) [The textbook case Ialways use is the Chevy Nova. The Nova was often adecent car in its various incarnations. But, it soldpoorly in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and in Latin America.Why? When an English speaking person thinks "Nova",they think of a "star" (as in celestial). But, to aSpanish speaking person, <> means "Doesn't run"!] It'sa cute story, but according to snopes.com, it isn'ttrue! --- Excuse me, I'm Puerto Rican. I was there when the "No Va's" (actually means "Doesn't go," not "doesn't run") had their name replaced with the Canadian GM marque, "Mayfair." As usual, Snopes is wrong! This is about five or six times I've busted them. The unsigned chicken owes the Unsigned Corporate Suit an apology! Ed. Rodriguez (10/25/07) Hey Dave, rumor has it that Anita Marks was told her contract won't be renewed up in Baltimore. Any truth to that? And any idea on who will replace her? My guess would be Steve Melewski, but maybe he's got someone else he's thinking about instead... (10/25/07) Dave's response: I checked with a Baltimore radio source who tells me - "No foundation to the rumor. It is her option and she expects to continue - but there is plenty of time left on her deal... By the way Steve Melewski would not be the replacement IF she were gone. They would likely have to go out and find someone, but that seems to be a moot point since it seems all is well at ESPN 1300"..... /\ October 25 Messages /\ \/ October 24 Messages \/ ACCORDING TO PRESSBOX, THE BALTIMORE BLAST HAVE SOLD THE RIGHTS TO 4 TELEVISED GAMES ON MPT, IT'S THE FIRST TIME A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM HAS BROADCASTED GAMES ON PUBLIC TELEVISION, BUT IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME A SPORTS EVENT HAS BEEN SEEN ON PBS, IN GEORGIA THE LOCAL PBS AFFILIATE BROADCASTS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL GEORGIA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND IN CONNECTICUT THE LOCAL PBS AFFILIATE BROADCASTS UCONN WOMENS BASKETBALL GAMES, HERES A LINK TO THE STORY HERE: www.pressboxonline.com (10/24/07) (regarding a previous post) [The textbook case I always use is the Chevy Nova. The Nova was often a decent car in its various incarnations. But, it sold poorly in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and in Latin America. Why? When an English speaking person thinks "Nova", they think of a "star" (as in celestial). But, to a Spanish speaking person, <> means "Doesn't run"!] It's a cute story, but according to snopes.com, it isn't true! www.snopes.com (10/24/07) Quick note...I am not a radio person. I just completed my radio diary with Arbitron this week. I was called several times by Arbitron asking me was I doing it, and did I have any questions? I asked one.......how important is it to track the time when I start listening. Is it important to track it down to the minute? I was told if you go to 10 or 15 minutes that is fine. That is 10:15 or 10:10 for example.....What did I get out of it? They sent me a whopping $3 cash. I can only imagine what the radio people have to pay for my survey along with everyone else......I found I still listened to Junkies, Greaseman , radio, WTOP, D&M, and the sports reporters. (10/24/07) Interesting comments about the "genius" of ad campaigns and the memories of"bad ads". While it's true that there's something to be said about "retentivity" (as the ad people call it), the marketing people are concerned about "positive" or "negative" impressions regarding retentivity. Many a decent product has died an ignominious death because of a bad ad campaign. Even a campaign that starts out simple and effective can implode when tinkered with. Remember the TV spots for Kemp Mill Records? The early spots that had a hammer going after a record on a turntable in a manner reminisicent of Cal Worthington's spots for his Southern California car dealerships? The spots were cheaply done and reflected Kemp Mill's economy image. However, when Kemp Mill grew into malls and shed its eclectic image fo! r something more "mainstream", the spots showed a computer animation of a hammer going at a CD player. Now, the question here is, which Kemp Mill spots are more remembered? The cheapies or the slick and sophisticated? Idiocy in marketing can start at the weirdest levels, too. The textbook case I always use is the Chevy Nova. The Nova was often a decent car in its various incarnations. But, it sold poorly in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and in Latin America. Why? When an English speaking person thinks "Nova", they think of a "star" (as in celestial). But, to a Spanish speaking person, <> means "Doesn't run"! That is why audience research is essential to a successful ad campaign. A current local case in point are the "Operation Checkpoint Strikeforce" spots to combat drunk driving. They run on stations like DC101, WMZQ, Hot 99, WJFK, etc., as their listener demographics most closely match the demographics of those arrested most often for DWI. You'll lik! ely never hear those spots on WMAL or WTOP! Ad dollars are a precious resource. You don't want to waste your message on those who don't need it. And likewise, you don't want to alienate your marketplace by sending the wrong message! Unsigned Corporate Suit (10/24/07) Had to keep myself from puking this afternoon after I heard Cerphe uttering something to the effect of "grabbing a Chai Tea" while plugging The Globe's "Acoustic Sunrise." Not at all the words I expected him to utter. Mike in Alexandria (10/24/07) Dave's response: Very funny hearing Geronimo pretty much savaging Senior Hughes and El Globo today..... Not certain if you have shared this with your DCRTVers yet: www.fanpop.com... Jane Skinner is married to the NFL's "Top Cock", Roger Goodell. (10/24/07) Dave's response: Speaking of Fox "News," just caught Geraldo covering the California wildfires. And he used the pronoun "I" about a half dozen times in his report. What a self-centered pompous clown! I guess he'll check out the local Hooters when he's off duty..... "There is almost no such thing as "local" on Delmarva anymore." As someone who grew up on Delmarva, and continues to live here - that statement is a bit out of line. If you move here, you're local now. Get over it and go native. If you have a vacation home here, why on earth do you feel entitled to your "home" television stations? Is your "home" deli right around the corner? Are your "home" radio stations available? Honestly, I can't stand the people who believe the Delmarva peninsula should just be an extension of the Baltimore/DC area. There are still a vast majority of people who are born, raised and work here. This is -our- home, with our own history and our own ways. If you miss "home" that much, quit coming over. Anyway - for Tom in Denton: Caroline County is out of the Salisbury DMA, hence the availability of the Baltimore market stations. (10/24/07) Your trusty Mailbag moderator asked area radio veteran Kaye Kolb for some of his memories about the old WTTR-FM..... WTTR Fm was owned by the old Carroll county broadcasting Corp, made up of a group of Westminster biz men, Russell Morgan ran the station, He was the chief engineer at the old WBMD in Baltimore. He put WTTR AM on the air in July of 1953. I came to work for him in March 54 and stayed until Nov 81. Shamrock didn't like the old staff etc. Early in 1959 we applied for the FM and were told it was a waste of time and money to put an FM on the air. But ,for less then 20000 dollars the FM went on the air Nov 1st 1959. We carried MOR Music and news plus all types of High school sports, Oriole baseball and Colt football. The FM was A hit, and in about two years we were making a profit. We gambled on FM because at that time we were not allowed to go full time on AM. The station was 4600 watts when it signed on and about two or three years we raised the tower from 200 ft to 350 and went to 20000 watts, and a couple of years after that we increased it to 50000 watts. I always hated to see the FM taken away from Carroll county, I believe stations should serve the area of License. Hope I didn't bore you to much. Thru the years we had a lot of good announcers work at the station. Some on the way up and some heading to the end of their careers. When I started at WTTR we still played 78 records?? 45's were a big deal.