Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - January 29 to February 4, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ February 4 Messages \/ There are four good reasons why MASN will not be carrying baseball games (or anything else for that matter) in HD for the foreseeable future. First, Peter Angelos just spent a ton of money on equipment, rights, and people to launch MASN. None of that expenditure has yet to yield any ROI. Therefore, there will be no HD until he decides it's necessary. Second, while Baltimore may be "wired", whether it is "HD-Ready" to an equal degree is an open question. It would not be unreasonable to use as justification the current transmission facilities for WUTB-DT as an example. If Rupert Murdoch (a businessman of equal ethics to those of Mr. Angelos) finds building-out his HD facility in Baltimore unnecessary, why should Peter Angelos? Third, if watching Baltimore's baseball team is painful for its remaining fans in NTSC-M, imagine the agony of 720p let alone 1080i! Finally, if Peter Angelos had his way, baseball fans from the Washington, D.C. area would be going to Baltimore to watch ! his team play, because there would be no baseball team in D.C. So, is HD for what MASN's owner considers "unwanted competition" really warranted? Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/4/08) Here is some real info, not made up stuff like the D&M vs. Junkies feud. D&M moved out of Fairfax for one reason - to get away from [a certain person at JFK]. You don't need an inside source with bad info (remember all the poor info during the Nov-Dec 06 period when D&M went missing?) that you posted. Seriously, I know controversy equals web hits and the internet is the land of no boundaries, but sometimes a little listening can go a ways. BTW, Freda was always part of the show. To say she became a big part before her death is factually incorrect. (2/4/08) "Righty radio titan and one-time Watergate co-conspirator G. Gordon Liddy" You mean he's still on the air??? WPTX 1690 Lexington Park 10k Non-Directional Day. Somar has cleaned up (de-tree'd) the antenna farm; but no evidence that the ground field was repaired/upgraded. Larry-in-Leonardtown (again) (2/4/08) When I moved to Maryland 20 years ago, having a long commute from Waldorf to Silver Spring, I faithfully listened on WAVA to Don and Mike and clearly remember the day I tuned into WAVA to find them gone. Long before the days of DCRTV and the internet, it took a while to find out what happened. I am a longtime faithful listener, even after moving to Minnesota 2 years ago. I remember hearing of Freda's death, and crying at the end of Don's tribute to his wife, when he said "Freda, I will always love you". A marriage and partnership few of us will ever experience, the true respect and love between them, a bond evident in every conversation. I will forever respect and love you Don, as a radio personality, but as a true performer. I wish you the best of luck, and will miss you terribly. Amy in Minnesota (2/4/08) Notable Quotable from Mike O'Meara, circa 2003 Here's an amusing Mike O'Meara quote I recently noticed listening to an old D&M show from 2003. Mike had refused to come in to do the show solo when Don was attending his son's high-school graduation: "I'm really done lying about that [doing the show on my own]! Can I do it? Of course. Can I do it well? It's passable. But I hate it! I've hated it ever since I began working with you. And I think after 19 years I'm finally not going to B.S. people about it. It's really not laziness -- okay, it's a little laziness -- but I just hate it!" Sadly, Mike doesn't share Don's inherent passion for the medium of radio, nor his real-life candor. Without a Type-A personality to bounce off of, I fear The New Mike O'Meara show will be much like his D&M fill-ins: constant desperation just to burn through air time, stretching half-break anecdotes into full-show filler. Don, for all his faults, had a passion for his show. Hopefully Mike can find a passion beyond his paycheck. (2/4/08) To Philly Mike. Look at the numbers with D&M. When they where doing AM. They had great numbers. Also when Don's wife pass away. Howard Stern said on his radio show when he was with CBS Radio " Im so sorry about Don's wife. He is a friend. My heart gos out to him" . So, see Phily Mike, it is all a "ACT" (2/4/08) Geronimo said, "My heart is just not in this.".....And as it appears, has not been in about 3 years or so (2/4/08) (Dave's response: If you've ever lived through the death of someone you love, you'll know that you never "recover" from it. You will be forever be a changed person. Hopefully, in the long run, you will learn to grow and flourish with the memories of the love that you were very fortunate to have experienced.....) Very nicely said. Larry-in-Leonardtown (2/4/08) Re: my comment about Don "recovering" from Freda's death, that was probably not the most appropriate word as I too have lost a loved one, my father, about 10 yrs ago. And no, I haven't recovered from that. It just seems from all that I've read on this board, that it seems that her death has been the main contributing factor to his mood and the downfall of the show. And considering just how much he loved her, it's understandable. (2/4/08) Dave's response: Well, Freda had became a big part of the D&M show prior to her death in 2005. Judging by the tremendous volume of mail we here at DCRTV received after her tragic passing, she was widely loved among DC area radio listeners..... Aw come on Donnie G. please have a goombye show! Bring back former producer Diana and Wanda the pre op transsexual and Clint Howard and dig up Ole Major Bill and check out his fingernails now and etc,etc. cbs won't let donnie g. call into O'Meara show from OC , that's silly! Is casa de Geronimo in McLean up for sale in this market? I saw greasemun recently at the safeway in Potomac and it looked like he was buying lots of dog food and a spiral bound notebook. Baby have you ever wondered, wondered whatever became of me....gonna miss you donnie g. you rat bastardo! I can see it now donnie g. in his beach chair on a tranquil summer day reading an anne tyler paperback and the transistor radio is playing the grassroots in the background and suddenly out of blue," Hey Don what's up?, you know!" No not Boardwalk Elvis. If no goodbye show could Don at least do his Bobby Orr impression one last time... bob from the toothless at the breezeway inn (2/4/08) Dave's response: Oh, the Breezeway. My vacation hide-a-away..... I, as an affiliate and a fan, will deeply miss Don Geronimo. I have been in radio for 42 years. There has not been another show as compelling and entertaining as Don and Mike. I appreciate all you have brought to my station and my afternoons. Mike, I hope you inherit your present affiliates. I have already talked to CBS and requested to carry your new show. Steve Bridges, owner, 1630 KCJJ, Iowa City, Iowa. (2/4/08) What a load of bollocks. Bill Press is running an ad (elsewhere) for an assistant radio producer. Gotta be on Capitol Hill before 6AM, maintain the website and blog, do the phones yatta yatta --- and they have the nerve to make it a PART TIME position? 'Scuse me Mr. Benevolence, but I don't think so. That kinda workload totals out to 50+ hours at best, even as an assistant! Offer a decent wage and be honest about the hours, and maybe you'll get a few nibbles. (2/4/08) Its nice to see that NBC4.com has begun to provide descriptions of suspects regardless of race. A recent scan of crime reports on NBC4.com shows that the website has begun to detail the physical characteristics of wanted criminals. Is the timing of this sea change in reporting policy coincidental, or is someone over at News4 reading the mailbag? Whatever the reason, this new behavior has probably headed off what could have been a very interesting Post or Times article. How do the other big 4 newsrooms handle racial details on the crime beat? PS. I agree that O'Mera can't handle a show on his own, and that neither Spewak nor Burbank are up to filling a co-host seat. But what about teaming Mike with the Grease? The nostalgia factor alone should promise descent ratings. (2/4/08) Dave's response: JFK is owned by CBS Radio and the Grease was fired from CBS in 1999. He'll never work for them again. And I doubt he'd want to. Instead, how about the Mike and Beth Ann show..... I haven't listened to Don & Mike for probably a year. And at that time, it wasn't that entertaining. Has it really gone downhill that bad?. Do you think that Don never recovered from Freda's death? (2/4/08) Dave's response: If you've ever lived through the death of someone you love, you'll know that you never "recover" from it. You will be forever be a changed person. Hopefully, in the long run, you will learn to grow and flourish with the memories of the love that you were very fortunate to have experienced..... (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Position Available - News Reporter/Producer – Radio... News reporter/producer needed to produce audio content for the MarketWatch Radio Network and Web site, as well as MarketWatch Podcasts. S/he will deliver network and custom newscasts when covering for other employees. Candidate must be proficient with PC’s and broadcast equipment including a microphone, ISDN unit, minidisk recorder, audio editing software, mixers and a telephone recording system. Responsibilities: Will work independently without an editor and is responsible for presenting interesting reports which are accurate, up-to-the-minute, precise and unbiased; will initiate and conduct telephone interviews with stock market commentators, industry and company brokerage analysts, newsmakers and correspondents, depending on the news flow for the day. Segments may be incorporated into newscasts, podcasts or weekend reports and produced for the Web. Position Requirements: Bachelor’s college degree required; 3 plus years at a national broadcast network or major market radio station required; must have on-air delivery acceptable to affiliates; must be able to work a flexible schedule; must be able to write clearly, accurately and under the pressure of several deadlines each hour; must be skilled with the use of the Internet as a news gathering resource and be able to scan many Web sites and news sources each hour; must be able to work in a fast paced environment and interact with all levels of company; must be adept at managing deadlines. For consideration please apply directly online at: careers.peopleclick.com (2/4/08) It's hard to wish ill will on O'Meara - the guy has some talent doing impressions, but not much else. He could never run his own show. He's fine as a sidekick. The bigger problem is Don and Mike were NEVER that talented - for many years they just stole bits from Howard and when Howard left terrestrial radio, things got worse for them. Even though they were unoriginal, they could be mildly entertaining at times. Let's face it - terrestrial radio has so many restrictions these days, it's hard to put on a good show without fear of getting fined or suspended. And since Don and Mike were never very creative, they don't have Howard to get their ideas from. I would even bet that Don is grandstanding at the end of his contract just like Howard used to, in hopes of getting more money. Howard would say he's leaving every time his contract was running out. The unfortunate thing is these two actually has some pull because they've built up an audience over the years - because they never had to go up against a similar guy-talk show in PM drive! It's even more amazing that management puts up with the antics of people with marginal talent, rather than let a funnier show take some time to get ratings. When they did their little walk-off last year - I was saying "Please put Kidd Chris on, please....", but they got to retain their jobs. The time to pull the plug is long overdue, but since WJFK has been having issues with ratings and shuffling lineups since Howard left, noone is ready to pull the plug. Hopefully Don can find some peace in his life and retire. Hopefully O'Meara can sober up and have a respectable career doing voiceover work. Philly Mike (2/4/08) Happy Birthday, Dave, from Genghis Cohen and the Horde (2/4/08) Dave's response: Awww schucks..... Every time I check out DCRTV and there's a mention of O'Meara, it's a negative. WHY! I can't believe so many of you are hoping he falls flat on his face..WHY? Contrary to the opinions that are given, Mike is an extremely talented guy. Lazy, maybe because he's been allowed. A DRUNK, who really knows? Over the hill??? I don't think so. Once he realizes it's up to him to get out of the trap, I for one, think he'll do it. All in all he's a nice guy. Insecure, paranoid, s**t, most of the people in the industry fit that profile. In fact, most of the posters fit that description. A bunch of paranoids. Get a life create your own success and leave Mike to figure his own destiny out. BOBB (2/4/08) Re "Do Not Deliver" bill. My problem is that my predominately Black middle-class neighborhood has been redlined by the Examiner and the Gazette. Both refuse to deliver papers here, even to people who want them. And they don't make any effort to keep any papers stocked in the extremely few street boxes they have in the area. I wrote the delegate and asked her to consider changing her bill to also require delivery to people who want the papers, but she never responded. Diane in PG (2/4/08) "Could the biz be going under?" Maybe they forgot to throw out the expired food again. mmmmm... (2/4/08) "I really hope Rush keeps trashing McCain all the way to November, almost ensuring and Democratic victory" a McCain victory is pretty much a Democratic victory too. (2/4/08) Dave's response: McCain is a liberal on many issues, including economics. Romney was governor of one of the most liberal states in the country. And Giuliani was mayor of one of the most lefty cities in America. Hardly a righty to be found in the GOP race..... "Doug Buchanan was reporting on the police chase/shooting in Springfield early Saturday morning. He said at least three times "Police were on the lookout for a WHITE man in a dark SUV" (heavily emphasizing the white part). I can imagine the uproar"--------- I guess I have to explain this again. If they don't specify race, they are expecting you to assume "black", so there's not much point in saying "black". It's really that simple. And remember, don't let anyone touch your cosita, but if they do, make sure you wear a sombrerito. And above all, stay courteous! Caller X. (2/4/08) Attention downsized radio anchor/reporters: John Wordock would like to upsize one of you for the Market Watch Radio Network. jwordock@marketwatch.com 202-824-0574. (2/4/08) Rush has explained (on many occasions) why he would never run for President...he doesn't want to take the pay cut! (2/4/08) Dave's response: Actually, Rush probably has more power as a top radio pundit than he would have as president, mired in all that political crap and federal bureaucracy..... Been trying to go to O'Meara's website for the last couple of days, only to get a message that it's "temporarily out of service". Could the biz be going under? Has Mike been sitting at O'Meara's bar, drinking Scotch and eating Lil' Mikeys because his meal ticket will be gone in a few months? I, too, have not heard a peep about the restaurant on the D&M show in quite some time... (2/4/08) Dave's response: I've heard that many local restaurants are having a tough time considering the slumping economy. Eating out is one of the first things to get cut when the prices for essentials (gasoline, health insurance, etc.) go up..... "Righty radio titan and one-time Watergate co-conspirator G. Gordon Liddy" You mean he's still on the air??? (2/4/08) Dave's response: Somewhere. Not here..... I TOTALLY agree with Poster’s comments (2/3/08) concerning Dan Hellie’s (sports-channel 4) left eye. It was so distracting that I could not even begin to tell you what he was talking about because I kept looking at his eye. For real, he needed to stay home a few days until it began to clear up. It’s so noticeable, it’s SO distracting. I know he makes enough money to stay home and few days and when he returned, it would not have looked so bad. Again, really what happened to his left eye? Joan (2/4/08) I really hope Rush keeps trashing McCain all the way to November, almost ensuring and Democratic victory, which I think he really wants. (2/4/08) Dave's response: Why doesn't Rush just hang up the mic and run for prez? Sure would be interesting..... A "do not deliver" law would destroy the Examiner's business model in metro Baltimore. The really strange thing is that the Maryland delegate proposing this measure is a Republican. Why someone from that party would want The Sun back as a monopoly newspaper is beyond me. Everett W. (2/4/08) I don't know if you'll remember this and I thought I had written it down but at one point you wrote about a guy who I think had been an account exec at WTOP and he left to open up Massage Envy franchises... does that sound familiar and do you remember his name? (2/4/08) Dave's response: Damn, I forget his name. Anybody know? What is The Sun's fascination with Marc Steiner? By WYPR's own numbers, the guy had about 37,000 listeners...in a market of 2.2 million. He had fewer listeners than virtually any other talk show in Baltimore! I guess he was the talk host of choice for the lefty's on Calvert Street. Can't believe the amount of coverage he's getting. His program was B-O-R-I-N-G. It was an interview show. His questions were softballs. No wonder people were tuning out in droves. It's a shame that public radio can't be the force in Baltimore that it is in other cities, like DC. Maybe Steiner can get a morning show on WHFS. Couldn't be any worse than the numbers for the current KMS mess... (2/4/08) One day last week (Tuesday or Wednesday?), Don mentioned a "big announcement" coming for Friday's show. Of course, Friday's show was sans Don. Anybody have any clue as to what they were to have announced? Toledo Cliff (2/4/08) Dave's response: I can only hope that BA's coming back..... Hello, everyone - Few countries lately have filled the front and other pages of the world's newspapers and frothed the world's websites as much as France. Google the name of President Nicolas Sarkozy and there are more than 5 million offerings. Meanwhile, here in Washington, the country's Ambassador to the U.S., Pierre Vimont, is no slouch in making news, either, though he prefers to have it be about his professional rather than private life. Vimont is an interesting (and charming) man. A career diplomat, before Washington he was high in the French government, as chief of staff to their secretary of state. He's a smart observer of ours and his own country's political scene, and has been visiting primary states and some of the debates. All this is an excellent reason to be at The Q&A Cafe this Thursday, February 7, when Ambassador Vimont is the guest. You can make a reservation now with Jon Moss at 202.338.2000. Jon's available during daytime business hours. As always, the doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30, and the fee is $35, all inclusive of food, beverages, tax and tip, and is paid at the door. Next Thursday, February 14, Valentine's Day, the guest is Dan Glickman, head of the Motion Picture Association of America, with the total lowdown on the Oscars, Hollywood, the writer's strike, the world of movies, directors and actors and how they all intersect with Washington. The following week, on Wednesday, February 20, it's back to hardcore politics with Newsweek columnist and all round great guy, Jonathan Alter. We hope to see you at The Q&A Cafe. Carol (2/4/08) Dave...thanks for letting us know about Marc Steiner getting let go from WYPR. I used to work at WYPR when it was WJHU all throughout the early to mid 90s, and remember when Marc got started on his local show. He was always so involved in community issues...it was refreshing to see someone care so much about his neighborhood/city. Living down here in DC, I don't get to hear much from WYPR since the WAMU signal kills it. Your site keeps me informed of my former colleagues in Charm City! Good luck to Marc in his future endeavors. (2/4/08) Hey man, I think they have taken Warren Bellentine off the air on WOL 1450 from the 10 AM - 1 PM slot - can you confirm it? (2/4/08) Dave's response: Has anyone heard anything? I love it--Baltimore finally gets an alternative to The Baltimore "We're so worthless we have to get the government to save us from the competition" Sun, and now we're going to have to have a law against it. The really ironic thing is that the free newspaper's delivery is FAR more reliable than the Sun's--we missed two Examiners last year. Missing two newspapers would be a good WEEK for the Sun's delivery service. Papers piling up in your driveway? PICK THE FREAKING THINGS UP! Oh, I know, they're SOOO heavy... People are so fanatically against the Examiner that the main thing I want to know about this stupid Do Not Deliver law is how does it prevent people from signing up other people who might actually WANT the paper? (2/4/08) Ah damn, WBIG is back on the air. I thought my dreams had come true! (2/4/08) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! (2/4/08) Dave's response: Thanks. Even though it's on Friday, I'm celebrating all week. Just bought a case of Milwaukie's Best Light..... Dear ,dear "*smacks forehead, rolls eyes*" please don't abuse yourself on my account and rolling the eyes, that's so junior high girl like. I know about the delay I don't why you would think I didn't know about it. No you're the sub moronic slack jowled poopy head so there! This delay crap is just just another reason to hate the media these days. Is this Donnie Geronimo's former "close" friend at WJFK Greg Gillespie? www.fmqb.com... Was Cynne Simpson brought in to replace Leslie Cook as weekend anchor on Channel 7/8 or is Ms. Cook with child? I have no objection to Ms. Simpson, she seems competent and dare I say she's even more attractive than Pamela Brown but I preferred Ms. Cook and her style of presenting the news on weekends. You know like an comfy old shoe. And this is not the set up to some sick,sick Bea Arthur joke. No I mean that as a compliment, really. Maybe Tom Petty had hip replacement surgery. During tour couple years back Petty was talking of retirement cause getting around on stage was getting to be a drag. They did sound pretty good during Super Bowl and yes I find the turkeys who make up faux crowd in front of band annoying. Been a very good concert presentation of Tom Petty running on PBS channels lately, I think it's part of Soundstage series. If I didn't hate nissan pavillion so much as a concert venue I'd go see them in June. Maybe they'll be someplace else somewhat close by. Charlottesville or Richmond? Did Tom Brady go over and shake Eli manning's hand after the game? Classy!? (2/4/08) Dave, no one ask you. Who do you want to win the ' The big game" (2/4/08) Dave's response: Obama..... Lowbrow but funny: local lottery ad (don't remember whether it was VA or MD) with the guy saying "Pull My Finger". Fart humor rarely disappoints (2/4/08) /\ February 4 Messages /\ \/ February 3 Messages \/ Who are the morons who are asked, encouraged, paid, told, or pushed across the field at halftime of the Super Bowl and then pretend that they are excited while the people in the stands sit on their hands? (2/3/08) Dave's response: Great halftime show. Tom Petty is so cool. Wished he would have done "The Last DJ." Did see an Obama local ad on 5. Liked the Napoleon ad for Garmin GPS..... Fox network declined to sell any political advertising for the Super Bowl, since there would be no way to offer comparable equal time to all candidates. I'm guessing that the Romney ad spot described was bought through a local affiliate. Everett W. (2/3/08) The last spot in the break just before the start of the 2nd quarter of the Super Bowl, was an ad for Mitt Romney. The schedule of primaries was pushed up for the 2008 race, so is the first Super Bowl in which political ads for president have been aired during the game? [I wonder if we'll also see ads today for Huckabee, Obama, McCain and Clinton during the game?] (2/3/08) Is O'Meara's ex-wife moving to Florida too? Is Mr. Mike no longer affiliated with the Lookaround Cafe in Manassass other than his name is still on it ? Money down the drain? Business looks good but you know the magic of lost revenue in bars. Is "CRAP" reforming and will be hitting the summer touring circuit? It appears Don's plan of leaving early on May 30th to allow the crew to work 3 more months before contract ends to get their sh8t together for future didn't work. Sounds like May 30th is going to be the end of everything. D8mn my fingernails. Did George Michael let loose a secret on Full Court Press last night? James Brown may be headed back to Fox and his old pals Terry, Howie and Jimmy? What, Marino was a great quarterback but is pretty humorless. It was pretty funny when Marino couldn't turn off his cell phone while on the air couple weeks back. I find JB to be not the most spontaneous speaker but hey he's lost a lot a weight and looks so good in them $1000 suits. Was last nights episode of El Jefe and J. Dubs the last one on WJFK? I'd much rather listen to them than big D'oh and Dooks! Methinks that Joe Ardinger shot his wad on his first radio show. Former DnM producer BethAnn McBride did call in the show briefly. But Slo Joe being the super D'oh he is didn't ask her what she's up to these days. Joeamerica didn't discuss the ghosts of civil war soldiers marching in the alley behind his townhouse but he did say he was dating himself. Since Slo Joe finds it difficult working with O'Meara is he playing dumber than his norm on the Don and Mike show these days? Bobby from fairfax circle Shout out to WJFK engineer "Bear" for fixing the stream. Loved you in Canned Heat dude! (2/3/08) Dave's response: Interesting. I haven't heard O'Meara talk about his eatery of late on his JFK show. A year or so ago, it was an almost daily mention..... The mention of Doug Buchanan brings one thought to mind: where in the hell did he get that goofy-ass haircut? (2/3/08) Dave's response: From his dad? Oh, nevermind..... If someone watches the Super Bowl on TV, but with the sound turned down, and listens to the game via local radio, what is the length of the delay that can be expected? I'm guessing that between the lag caused by how HD Radio audio is processed/transmitted and the various satellite "bounces" for both the Fox Network and whatever radio syndicator that carries the Super Bowl on radio, the length of delay between the picture and the sound should be rather significant! I didn't figure-in the additional effects of alcohol and the massive carb overload, from all the game day snacks, into the equation - which should further increase the lag. C'mon techies, help me out here! (2/3/08) Dave's response: I don't know, but here's something I discovered. I have two digital TVs. If I tune one to WTTG-HD directly over the air and the other to WTTG-HD via Comcast and a DVR box, the latter will feature WTTG-HD with a 2 to 3 second delay..... I noticed about a week ago that Linda Kelly/Madelaine Waltjen posted here. Coincidentally, there’s a Linda Kelly WPGC aircheck on today’s home page of ReelRadio.com from 1987. Linda speaks only twice during what was apparently WPGC’s move to CHR/Rhythmic after the failed AC format. The aircheck starts with Albie Dee’s sign-off. Roddy Freeman (2/3/08) Re: ("Tried listening to Maryland Men's basketball game on radio while watching on espn. Boy talk about a time delay! The radio broadcast seemed to be almost a minute behind the tv) *smacks forehead, rolls eyes* Some ppl just don't get it, Dave, including this moron. Pay attention, oh Terrapin lover and try to keep up. We no longer live in a time when a live broadcast is NOT on a delay. Even TV is 8 seconds behind live. Sheeesh. (2/3/08) GREASEMAN UPDATE: For all of us fans of the DOODAD Daddy I had the pleasure of running into him in the grocery store out here in potomac. He looked mavolous and had a grin ear to ear. I got a chance to ask him how he's been and he said life was great & that he needed a little time to relax and enjoy other things besides radio.He's toolin' around on the GOODSHIP GREASE and lovin' life.. I asked him the ALMIGHTY question? What are you doing for the superbowl? He responded that he was gonna cook @ home w/his SWEEEEEEEEEEETTTTYYY and get LICKERED UP!!!! right on. BTW he also said He will return to the airwaves after a little time off and that we hadn't heard the last of him...As I was leaving he was giving a lost person directions, Would've loved to hear that conversation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A.M.F from 20854!!!!!!! (2/3/08) RE: Anybody else ever had to wait on a paycheck - until "some money came in" later in the week?.....yes-still in this day and age....isn't this highly illegal. (2/3/08) With all forgiven, morning radio host Don Imus is on a roll, says the New York Times www.nytimes.com (2/3/08) ("......or is it now Oldies from WICL Salisbury? radio-locator.com..") WICL is actually the oldies station out of the Hagerstown, MD market. Oldies for now anyway . Last month I was in nearby Waynesboro, PA and a group of us checked out WICL. While it was good to hear Scott Shannon's True Oldies show we noticed in some of the promos they were airing that makes me wonder if oldies will be leaving Hagerstown again soon. Promos like "..now wouldn't sports sound great on FM?" Plus WICL did air WVU Football this past Fall and I believe they will be airing the Hagerstown Suns baseball games this summer and with sister WEPM-AM already pretty much a sports station, it wouldn't be hard to convert WICL to all sports. (2/3/08) Poor Mike O'Meara, he is getting no love at all today. No one seems to think he can handle a radio show without Don, he has to take a day off because he felt disrespected by CBS during his contract negotiations, and now in Sunday's Washington Post, according to the public record, his ex-wife just sold a house for $625,000. Must be driving him crazy to know that his wife probably made more on the sale of that house than CBS is offering him for his post-Don "show" (which we all know is going to fail). Again I say, poor, poor Mike. (2/3/08) Is WTMD still relaying on 105.5 in Great Falls, or is it now Oldies from WICL Salisbury? radio-locator.com (2/3/08) Dave's response: Listened just this morning and it's still relaying WTMD. By the way, that signal plot doesn't take into account Berryville VA's 105.5, which pretty much obliterates the Great Falls 105.5 relay anywhere to the west of Reston..... Dave, Here is a complete rundown for all the day's Super Bowl hype. FOX started with Fox Sunday with Chris Wallace and will continue the day with football related programing all the way to kick off at 6:17pm. Meanwhile on the radio side ESPN started at 6am and will continue till past midnight. Plus Sirius will offer the game in 8 languages. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/3/08) What part of comprehending the licensing of public airwaves do some people, including apparently you Dave (radio frequencies that theoretically belong to "the people" (I know, ha ha ha), require? Clear Channel, CBS, and mom and pop do not own the airwaves on which they operate. They license them. The airwaves belong to The People of The United States—the collective us (the hard truth, laughable as some may find it). We PERMIT broadcasters to USE the spectrum so they can operate their little entertainment businesses, PROVIDED they operate in the public interest. That is the deal. That is the contract. If you do not like the terms, then open a gas station, start a newspaper, or operate an online radio station. Sell what you want, play and say what you want, write what you want, and ignore news and public service at your delight or peril. Make as much money as you possibly can in unfettered commercial freedom. (Sounds good, doesn’t it?) On the other hand, realize that the minute you make the oh-so-prosaic, “pre-1987” choice to apply for and receive a license (again, NOT ownership, but a license) to play in the public spectrum; you MUST AGREE to play by the rules and “operate in the public interest.” You may not like the definition of “the public interest,” but that also requires another understood hard reality—and this may come as a shock to some—“the people” do not exist just to keep you happy. If you want to change the rules, then get out of the radio business and run for political office. There is clarity to the process that is wonderfully comprehendible if one will just take the time to consider it. Earl, Duke, Duke of Earl. (2/3/08) MASN's complete ineptitude demonstrates clearly how ridiculous it was for MLB to give the Nationals television rights to Angelos. It screws the Nationals (the bigger market), screws their fans, screws the advertisers. Pretty much screws everyone but Angelos. It even screws the Orioles fans since they would be getting some HD too if COMCAST was handling their games. (2/3/08) Channel 5 is taking the exact opposite tact as Channel 4 when it comes to race. Last night, Doug Buchanan was reporting on the police chase/shooting in Springfield early Saturday morning. He said at least three times "Police were on the lookout for a WHITE man in a dark SUV" (heavily emphasizing the white part). I can imagine the uproar if he had said "police were on the lookout for a BLACK man in a dark SUV" with heavy emphasis on the race. Maybe that's part of his delivery style, but it still made me go, to quote Dave, Hmmmmmmm (2/3/08) Regarding the allegations that Nestor has made anti-Semitic remarks, I can relate to how nasty and common people can be behind a computer screen. I had someone spreading a rumor about me being a convicted sex offender in an AOL chat room a few years ago. I am a teacher and of course I was very upset about this. When AOL would do nothing about it, I sent a letter of complaint to the FBI's cyber crime division. Not too long after that the perpetrator of these vicious lies disappeared from AOL. So Nestor, you might want to do the same thing about this idiot in Dallas spreading those lies about you. And Nats fans in particular, quit whining about MASN not showing games in digital. Two years ago you couldn't even watch the Nats on TV. Put up or shut up! (2/3/08) And (while its a chix or egg thing) I didn't miss your point. I just think times have changed and so should radio's controlling legislation and hence what commercial radio can do. Some in the FCC are proposing changes now to take commercial radio rules back to essentially pre 1987 rules (not ownership but other rules). Oooh, there's a good idea. How much technological change have we had since 1987 that affects radio and the public? And since the rules are pre 1987, how much technological change have we had since the rules were first written...back in the 1930's in some cases? As you and others on this board have stated in the past - get the gov't (FCC) out of content policing - and just have the government control licensing, ie the TECHNICAL side of radio (interference, etc.)...why not auction it off like wireless spectrum (that'll light someone's fire on the board - now off to breakfast...:) (2/3/08) What the hell is up with Dan Hellie's left eye? It looks like he has been in a bar fight. Bruising all around it. On this morning's sports segment it was so obvious that it detracted from what he was saying. You can even see it on channel 4's website. (2/3/08) Dave's response: As we reported on the Front Page last week, George Michael smacked Dan Hellie in the face with one of his many Emmys. No, seriously, Dan was headbutted in a hoops pick-up game and needed some stitches (right)..... /\ February 3 Messages /\ \/ February 2 Messages \/ About the rant...and you would listen to any of the DC CC stations any more if they had some news people? Would anybody else? Or is it just one of those things a radio station should have - like turntables and cart machines...or maybe conelrad equipment? Radio ain't what it was not (entirely) because of CC (or CBS) but because time moves on. I had to laugh about all the notice that was given CC last week when their boss said "stop spending money" ahead of what is essentially a sale. Anybody on this board ever been through a sale or a slow time in a mom and pop station? - about the same response. Stop spending money. I remember one place back when we had continuous feed AP machines where the boss made us turn over the fan feed paper every evening and let the AP print on the back (on the hours of stuff we hadn't used that day) to keep expenses down when sales were down. Another place wouldn't buy pens - EVER. You had to bring your own. Several places where we had contract engineers and the staff was encouraged to "fix" studio stuff (not xmitters) and do without on/off lights (is the cart machine running or not?) - to save money. Who needs new motor bearings in the triple deck...the listeners like the rumble... Anybody else ever had to wait on a paycheck - until "some money came in" later in the week? (2/2/08) Dave's response: You missed the point. "Public service" is not about ratings and revenue. The problem with the modern day radio biz is that it's all about ratings and revenue. And nothing else. Clear Channel has been "granted the right" to use eight DC area radio frequencies that theoretically belong to "the people" (I know, ha ha ha), and CC pretty much prints money while it gives "the community" the proverbial middle finger..... The Don & Robb show was painful, but not completely bad. It is just a new show that we will have to get use to. Robb needs to find a more commanding personality, and not be his normal, sarcastic self. Robb can't get away being a Don clone. Assuming they will continue to be on WJFK, they need to create something unique. I can't imagine Mike working with Robb and Buzz, two people who are clearly not on his level in terms of pure talent. I wonder what the "announcement" will be. Most of my listening time now goes to Big O and Dukes. They are so unique, and have a good balance between Chad and Oscar. Vaughn (2/2/08) Dave's response: I am impressed with BO&D too, but being on-air five hours a day I hope they don't burn out and run out of humor before their "big break" comes..... That wasn't Paxawhatever Phil you saw coming out. It was Topper Shutt in a gopher costume moonlighting. Paul (2/2/08) If www.sportsjournalists.com is the most popular gathering place for sports journalists, then why do most of the comments on this Nestor Aparicio story appear to be posted by juveniles or chat room trolls? And no that was not an article, it was more like a childlike sports internet sandbox to mess with other people's lives. Hardly credible and I think it's worth noting this on DCRTV.com before someone's life is ruined by a prank. And by they way, I'm not even a Nasty Nestor fan nor do I listen to WNST anymore. I just think it's worth noting because I run a sales business on the internet myself and have had a few run-ins with prank bloggers and disgruntled customers who decided to google-bomb negative things about me online to make it seem as if I'm the anti-christ. Some people have nothing better to do with their lives sadly and there really is no legal recourse for this kind of stuff since in some cases people can attack you from outside the U.S. even! -- Joe in Essex (2/2/08) "Here’s the article – from SportsJournalists.com – about (WNST owner) Nestor (Aparacio) being an (alleged) anti-semite" You mean blog entry. Who is the author? Is this the type of shit that people call news? No wonder CC doesn't hire any news people. Paul G (2/2/08) Maybe O'Meara should call Craig "do you find me annoying" Coleman to join the team? With the real estate crash wonder if Mr. Coleman is all that busy these days. gotdebtcallcraigcoleman.com... The kid could be funny at times and he did seem to do show prep it was just a matter of keeping him under control. Maybe with age he's better at that. What you think Donnie G.? Hey Dooooonnnnniiiiiieeeeee! Tried listening to Maryland Men's basketball game on radio while watching on espn. Boy talk about a time delay! The radio broadcast seemed to be almost a minute behind the tv. Maryland just squeaked it out. Come on guys! And for famous people to add to wiki list Greg Garcia producer/writer of "My Name Is Earl" grew up in D.C. area. "I'm the guy who didn't marry sweet Pamela Brown", Tom hall from gunston (2/2/08) “have you heard the mortgage ads with the red neck voice that claims that your world is coming to an end if you do not refinance with him…MLB 5716” great sign off…yes “it’s the biggest no brainer in the history of earth” (2/2/08) Re: The Shaw's Jewelry commercial with "Robin Batteau / Watteau / BigToe /Fato / Fatso / Ratso / Bathtub /RubberDuckie" -- Might as well be Robin HOOD! He can't sing and the song is STUPID anyway! I TURN OFF THE RADIO EVERY TIME IT COMES ON!! BUT I STILL CAN'T GET THAT SONG OUT OF MY HEAD!! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!! IS IT REALLY NECESSARY FOR EVERY STATION IN TOWN TO PLAY THAT COMMERCIAL 3 OR 4 TIMES AN HOUR?!?! #$%^&*()!@#$%^&* Just for that, I'll NEVER shop at Shaw's again! (end of rant) brian in reston (2/2/08) Dave, Because I've gotten so much enjoyment from listening to Mike O'Meara over the last 20+ years, it pains me to agree with the post about his solo efforts. Everything about him is different when he's at the controls. He's very nervous and jittery. Much different than the super-funny guy we hear normally. It's hard to see how he, Rob and Buzz could make a go of it when Don leaves. (I hope Buzz is part of whatever WJFK decides to do post-D&M.) Also -- how embarrassing about Howard Fineman. Aren't people supposed to do that sort of thing at home? And what's wrong with a little gray hair?? HE should have been on the cover of Washington Life; the guy's a really good reporter. (And he's been here more than 5 minutes.) -- Joe Blow (2/2/08) Here’s the article – from SportsJournalists.com – about (WNST owner) Nestor (Aparacio) being an (alleged) anti-semite. www.sportsjournalists.com (2/2/08) Dave, I know that the Super Bowl Ads are some times better than the game is! So with that in mind and as a public service I will give you a chance to preview a number of the ads that you will see on Super Sunday. At $2 million dollars a :30 second spot it is a big gamble that you will see the spot during the game so we give you a chance to see them in advance. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/2/08) I wouldn't buy a car from Krystal Koons or Tammy Darvish even if they threw in free Monicas fot the life of the car....wait a minute...I take that back. Regards Biff (2/2/08) Was checking out the wiki List of Famous People from Washington, D.C. area tinyurl.com. Mike O'Meara makes the list and I did not know Leeann Tweedon was also from Manassass. I was wondering, after painfully listening to few minutes of O'Meara flying solo on Friday, if it's already fait accompli that there will not be an O'Meara show after donnie G. leaves. Surely if O'Meara was to continue on he'd have stuff prepared for days when Donnie G. ain't there to demonstrate to the cbs suits he can do a show sans Donnie g. But today he seemed ill prepared and was relying on Robbay's stuff to do show. Robbay just ain't no Jackie the Jokemun for the Don and Mike show. Back to Famous people list on wiki. What no Steve Czaban of McLean Virginia. Any other famous folks from these parts not on list? And it's got actress Heather Graham from Springfield but maybe the Graham they were thinking of was Lauren Graham actress in "Bad Santa" f8ck Me Santa! f8ck Me Santa! Who I believe is from Great Falls, Virginia which leads to , what no Donnie G. from Great Falls too after all O'Meara is on the list......sorry to see end of Tom Gavin radio show I think being cut loose from don and Mike show took the wind out of his sails. bobby from the toothless at Kamp Washington. did you notice they stopped that sh8t on channel 5, from Langley Park to Springfield to Shady Grove (2/2/08) Dave's response: My wild guess is that Michael Hughes is grooming Big O and Dukes for PM drive, to pair with the Junkies in AM drive. Mike O'Meara's an old guy who wants "Geronimo money" and CBS is in a budget-slashing mood. I could be wrong, but that's how I read it right now..... Airing on the cable news channels, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. According to legend, we now have six more weeks of winter ahead of us. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I'm gonna grind the little bastard into a cast iron pot and throw in a Hard Times seasoning packet. Thanks, ya little prick... (2/2/08) /\ February 2 Messages /\ \/ February 1 Messages \/ Dave, it’s good to see that you have more advertisers now, but did they have to bump the Beauty in DC girl down the page so far? Who is she? I’m captivated by her eyes every time I visit DCRTV, and all I want to do is kiss those smooth, round, perfect cheeks… God, I’ve got to start drinking more. BobD in Bel Air (2/1/08) The International Telecommunications Union may define broadcasting as a "service," but here in America it is a money machine. You modulate a carrier with whatever dreck draws listeners (to commercials) and rake in the dough, disrespect your two or three full time employees with low pay and a Sword of Damocles hanging above the mic, and serve nobody but yourself. There was a sense of service back in the 1950s and 1960s. But, once the MBA crowd starting running broadcasting businesses scientifically, service took a backseat to bookings and revenue. So I listen to tapes of broadcasts I made long ago. The only stations in the market worth listening to, and not all the time, are WTOP, WAMU, and WETA. I don't care for all hits all the time, rap music, Traditionalist Right-Wing Ranting, or any of the other "formats" now in vogue. Beats me why anybody would want to learn how to become a broadcaster. Univ. of Md. dropped their Radio/TV Department. Of course, if you look at back issues of Broadcasting Magazine from the 1960s, there were plenty of Help Wanted ads for air staff demanding the applicant be married with two kids, to ensure the incumbent wouldn't be high tailing it out of there. (2/1/08) The redneck mortgage clown is John Shibley. This guy sounds like a scummy used car salesman...In addition to his "world coming to an end" ad...He had one about a year about saying that mortgage lenders were "predators" and said "If you harm a kid, one day someone gonna come at you with a hammer and blowtorch".....What in the HELL does that have to do with a mortgage? This guy is a big time creep. (2/1/08) So ive started flipping to the sports reporters a little bit in the afternoon on the way home, and Id love to know, why in the world does it seem like every time I turn them on, Andy is mentioning ESPN?? He seems to talk about SportsCenter and Chris Berman all the time! Did he get fired from there? is it a vendetta? in all honesty if I were his boss id tell him to shut up and remind him that his radio station was now a FOX Sports affiliate. (2/1/08) RE: [ " At this point, I hope that my privacy will be respected. " ] & Nasty Nestor/WNST blog....... That's a funny quote when combined with a blog link. It's sorta like someone stripping in public and then saying you have no right to look at them or comment on their junk! LOL But, I will say even Nestor's biggest detractors on this site probably don't believe any of this anti-Semite stuff, but what comes around goes around and Nestor is certainly a person who's offended lots of people over the years and he is a public figure. As I wouldn't wish such an accusation on anyone, hopefully it's untrue and will blow over. Funny thing is if it wasn't for Nestor posting himself and his blog & lawsuit threat, I'm not sure I would have even noticed this at all! :-) (2/1/08) Regarding the Shaw's Jewelry commercial--that's Robin Batteau --- Robin BOAT? (2/1/08) Does anyone find it ridiculous that in the nation's capital, none of our commercial radio broadcasters carried last night's Democratic debate? Perhaps I missed it someplace but I clicked through AM and FM dials (frequency by frequency) and the only place I could find it was at 75 AM. That is WSB, Atlanta -- which was fading in and out. On the car radio -- couldn't always hear it. Had to find it on the dial hundreds of miles from DC! Now, we have a lot of radio stations in this town. They are all licensed by the government and are supposed to be the people's airwaves. Yet, none of them could find room to maybe make a few less dollars for a couple of hours so that their listeners, in the capital of the free world, could tune in if they couldn't be in front of the TV? Oh, wasn't hard to find some of the factless, screechy supposedly political talk shows. Bunch of stations had that. We've come a long way the day when people felt connected by their broadcasters as a national community. And it is not a good road -- goes along with the cheapening of journalism by commercial broadcasting. Shame. Jim Fry, Former Commercial TV reporter (2/1/08) Regarding the Shaw's Jewelry commercial--that's Robin Batteau, who used to sing with David Buskin as part of Buskin and Batteau, in the late 80's and early 90's. Their big claim to fame was "the Heartbeat of America" ad campaign for Chevrolet. (2/1/08) WNST's Aparicio fends of allegations of anti-Semitism. Don't know if you've seen this yet or not, but WNST's Nestor Aparicio is reporting that an unknamed “shock jock radio station in Dallas" is spreading allegations of anti-Semitism about him on the Internet, and allegations that he supposedly has a "hatred of Jewish people." See below: www.wnst.net (2/1/08) "WTOP, the ONE place you can turn to get the traffic and weather you need" - unless you live north of the District and east of 270 - TOP's traffic reporting has a prominent blind spot. The only time they mention southbound 95 north of 495 is when there is a spectacular crash that gets covered by CNN... Tommy in North Laurel (2/1/08) Regarding the article “HD Radio: Has Yet to Catch On” – If it still isn’t catching on, where are the rebates for the receivers? I missed one last year by a few days when I wanted to purchase a receiver after July 4th. They had two back-to-back rebates at Christmas 2006 and early to mid 2007. I’ve been waiting for another one to come along ever since. Give me a $50 rebate or drop the price by the same amount, and I’d buy one. – Steve in Burtonsville (2/1/08) Dave's response: I make it a point to avoid buying stuff at stores, like computer retailer Microcenter, which still rely on rebates. They are a rip-off. There's no reason why a store can't give the discount when you buy the product rather than making the customer jump through a bunch of silly bureaucratic hoops, wait months, and end up getting zilch back in the mail..... Hey Angelos...why don't you go suck up some of that asbestos you've been chasing and make room for an owner who will actually give the fans what they want! MASN sucks! You suck! Spare me the advertising of your terrific network and how all of the games are on your low-rate, low-def, 2.0 (or possibly even mono) signal. It's a sad condition when even Tampa Bay has a High-Definition signal, but Baltimore and DC don't...oh yeah and YOU SUCK!!!!! Greg in Reisterstown (2/1/08) Dave's response: Don't forget, having Comcast owning the competing Comcast SportsNet and most of the region's cable systems constitutes a formidable hurdle to MASN launching an HD network. Look how hard it was for MASN to get its low-def network carried by Comcast. Advice to Angelos - if he can't "beat" Comcast, maybe he should "join" them..... I was going to say something about Will Thomas coming out of your utility closet but decided it might be in poor taste. Speaking of poor taste; did Stevie Wonder design 107.3's new site? Geeez.. that's just ugly looking. Paul (2/1/08) Dave's response: It looks like it was designed by someone who's color blind..... This is from Nestor Aparacio's blog on wnst.net: It has come to my attention and the attention of many members of the WNST family that there are false allegations being purported about me on the internet regarding a “hatred” of Jewish people. Rumors are running rampant and I want to put an end to these destructive lies. These allegations of anti-Semitism are absolutely false and devastating, not only to me and my family, but also to the many people who work for WNST and are involved in our business and personal lives. My many, many friends, business partners, relatives, sponsors and lifelong associates of the Jewish faith – literally thousands of people over the course of my life -- know that these allegations are completely false as well. My track record of work and relationships in the Jewish community over the course of my life and career speaks for itself. I will have a much longer, more detailed explanation at a later date. My legal team will be working toward a resolution and legal action will be taken. This is the result of a malicious, vicious and completely unprovoked nine-year personal attack on me and my radio station by a sports “shock jock” radio station in Dallas that will be borne out in great detail at an appropriate time. I’m hard at work in Phoenix and will be focusing on the important details of doing our work here in preparation for Super Bowl XLII. At this point, I hope that my privacy will be respected. Thank you. (2/1/08) "bigheaddc.com: “Pulled off the trail,” writes TIME’s Ana Marie Cox." does anyone really take this whore and her opinions seriously? (2/1/08) Re: The Lionel Show , WWDC, 9 to 12 Daily... ... to the point: I've contacted Bill Hess - WWDC/ProgressiveTalk1260 - three(3) times now re: The Lionel Show originates in NYC live every day from 9AM to 12PM. Every day, 1260 - at 9AM - starts the first hour with an hour from the previous day. Then - this gets stupid - the show's 2nd hour consists of a 1-hour delay of the 1st hour of the day's program. The 3rd hour thus is a 1-hour delay of the 2nd hour of the days program. We NEVER!! get to hear the live real-time 3rd hour - or three(3) hours for that matter - of the current day's program. NEVER do we hear a LIVE 9 t0 12 presentation of The Lionel Show on any given day despite the fact that the program is actually on the air in NYC 9 to 12. Can anyone explain or solve the conundrum? Please? (2/1/08) bigheaddc.com: “Pulled off the trail,” writes TIME’s Ana Marie Cox. “Twittering light until am confident I have something interesting to say. It will be light then, too.” Could this action be in to response to her recent criticisms on her personal twitter blog of Tim Russert and Chris Matthews, stars of the NBC TV networks to which she sometimes contributes? And did TIME really pull her off the campaign trail right before Super Tuesday!? (2/1/08) "What the hell is MASN?" -- 100,000 people in the Northern Shenandoah Valley by proxy. Charles in Winchester (2/1/08) As a lifelong AM radio junkie, I have to quibble with the statement that AMax was a "half-assed attempt to make AM sound 'better' by trying to make it do things it was never designed to do". All AMax was, was a set of standards for both the broadcaster and the receiver manufacturer. The most important part, IMO, was specifying an equalization curve for the broadcaster, so that receiver manufacturers could know what to expect and design their sets for good sound. I realize that this horse is long dead, but it is a shame it didn't get a chance. (2/1/08) MASN blows. C’mon guys, it’s 2008, get with the program. (2/1/08) awesome. liberal thought and mind police are eating their own. media matters (founded in part by HILLARY! (she's admitted it)) will be observing chris matthews. can someone who has had their testicles removed still be sexist? (2/1/08) Dave's response: Next time I see Rush Limbaugh I'll ask him..... I agree with the poster regarding Shaws Jewelry and that sappy song…have you heard the mortgage ads with the red neck voice that claims that your world is coming to an end if you do not refinance with him…MLB 5716 (2/1/08) HOLY SHIT MASN SUCKS. Let's see .. both teams blow, angelos blows, masn blows. What a joke this has turned out to be. Angelos bitched and complained for years about having their own network and the revenue it would bring. Not only do the O's have their own network, they also control the nats network (meaning even more $$). So Pete, where's the money going jerkoff? You trade tejada (the highest paid player) bedard is probably gone shortly (more $$ freed up), you're not putting any $$ into HD, what's the deal? Please sell the team NOW and let CSN take over again, at least we'll see these shitty teams in HD!! (2/1/08) listened to the ladawn and karine show on 92q last night and was pleasantly surprised. a sexy show that me and my wife both could listen to. i am a man who love supahead (karine) and my wife loves ladawns show and laugh. it was one of the rare demo show outings that was worth listening to. ive been in radio for quite some time and i know that with just a little more time to get comfortable dc listeners will be tuning in even more to baltimores late night love fest. (2/1/08) I wish there was a delete button on what I just saw with the Washington Life cover.... Maybe I am just old fashioned, but the desperate efforts of our young & ambitious reporters to get their names out is revolting. *** Pam Brown, if you read Dave'e blog, you are a decent talent with potential, don't let us think of you as the Paris Hilton of the DC airwaves *** dcrtv.com - keep up the good work, Barry. (2/1/08) So Dave, now that Andy Parks has stated that he would rather vote for Hillary over McCain (a la Ann Coulter) -- shall we say that you might "review" your disdain for him and what he stands for? (Shameless Plug: Don't miss two of my favorite WMAL guys together on Super Tuesday, Chris Plante and Chris Core, broadcasting primary results live, starting at 8:00 p.m. on 630 WMAL.) -Silvie- (2/1/08) Dave's response: Really? Did Andy say that? Hmmm..... Nice to see that Will Thomas escaped from Dave's basement long enough for the photo shoot. Although he appears to be trying to break free from the grasp of those women asap. (2/1/08) Dave's response: When will you people learn! I live in a top-floor condo with no basement. If I was going to hold anyone prisoner, I'd keep them chained in my utility closet..... Former Baltimore DJ Jack Gale has sold his AM-FM combo in Dothan, Alabama. Buyers are Argie Dale and Bill Price, who operate stations in Louisville. Stations will go back on the air March 1. Gale will continue to do national voiceovers from his home in Lecanto, Florida., He can be reached at jgale003@tampabay.rr.com. (2/1/08) Depending on how you want to look at it. MIX 107.3 has redone their webpage and it looks a lot better than it used to. Mike in Waldorf (2/1/08) Mix 107.3 has a new webpage mix1073fm.com (2/1/08) Dave's response: Brown. Ugh. Kind of unimpressive, like the station's music line-up..... RE: [ " at 10 watts, WMUC's signal is already marginal past a few miles from the Dining Hall where you can see the station towers. " ]....... Ok, let's correct some things...... First off, there are no WMUC "towers", just a pole that's barely larger than the average UM basketball player and you'd be quite lucky to get it a mile from the Dining Hall if even in your dorm. I lived in a dorm within sight of the Dining Hall in 1984/85 and could barely get the WMUC signal on my receiver and that was WAY before this issue arised. And this issue infuriates me not because I'm from Baltimore or want to take personal jabs at people I don't know, but because I lived on the UMCP campus so I know the U of MD has never cared about WMUC one bit. And I'll say it again to the Diamondback and the GM of WMUC, there is NO RUMOR of this happening, IT IS HAPPENING. The CP has already been issued and the License to Cover is awaiting the ink to dry. Wake up and smell the coffee. You're 20 years late and lots of dollars in WMUC funding short! It's clear to me that The University of Maryland does not give a rat's ass about WMUC 88.1 or their RTV program and never did ever. -- Joe in Essex, UMCP dorm resident '84/'85 (2/1/08) Looks like there are no plans whatsoever for MASN to broadcast the Nats and the O's in HD this season: www.tvpredictions.com... -jason (2/1/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I've heard the same thing. MASN has no plans to launch an HD channel this year. You'd know that if they were, we'd be hearing about a big campaign to get it carried on Comcast..... WTOP, the ONE place you can turn to get the traffic and weather you need that is not made up, without having to wait through a discussion on Mitt and McCain OR some consultant selected song played for the 100th time this week. No drama queens, just "Kings of Information". Ken/Bethesda (2/1/08) I was struck by Dave's Response regarding personalities being stuck in past years. Like some part of our DNA being snapped off and marked by a timeline, perhaps we are all infected and programmed by media saturation at an impressionable age. I have always marveled at Doni G's enduring adolescence and confess to a schadenfreuden fascination with his juvenile self absorbance as representative of a larger white male US population. Supposedly we get another act today. (2/1/08) Nominee for most ANNOYING DC radio ad: "Shaw's Jewelers presents Robin Fato" singing "They say a heart is like a diamond, eternal and true..." A) Who the F*CK is "Robin Fato"? 2) Why does the backup chick singing about LOVE sound like she wants to KILL herself? WORST. AD. EVER. --DM (2/1/08) Dave's response: The minute one of those jewelry ads comes on a station, I hit a pre-set button for another station. Yes, they are hideous..... WMUC may continue to do well on campus despite any power increase elsewhere. FM signals have a technical characteristic of "capturing" the receiver without as much potential for background interference, such as heard from multiple AM signals on a given frequency there. This means an FM receiver, like a stereo in the dorm room, will continue to lock onto the WMUC signal and exclude to a great extent any unwanted signals farther away. Any loss of coverage would most likely be in the car on the way to campus, but at 10 watts, WMUC's signal is already marginal past a few miles from the Dining Hall where you can see the station towers. (2/1/08) Dave's response: WETA-FM's 90.9 HD Radio subchannels are going unused. Maybe they could relay WMUC as a "favor" to a local educational institution. That would give MUC a power boost from 10-watts to 75,000-watts. As the Grease would say, "Schweeeeeeet"..... WTOP = A bunch of drama queens who love to try and scare the people when it rains. (2/1/08) Dave's response: Without GMS or Z104 any more, Bonneville needs to milk the cash cow..... Dave, All Washington and Baltimore sports talk radio stations have people on the ground at Super Bowl 42 in Phoenix . WNST-AM is doing the most local coverage of all the Baltimore and in Washington it is WTEM with the most troops on the ground at "Radio Row." Meanwhile FOX is expecting the biggest rating ever for a Super Bowl. There have been a record number of media credentials nearly 5,000 issued and over 230 hours of pre game live programing prior to the game. It starts at 6:20pm Sunday and for many it can't get here fast enough. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/1/08) As a former CBS employee, it's clear that the suits running the B-more group don't know what to do with HFS. I tried listening to their Ravens programming at night. It was god awful. The whole station is falling apart. KMS in the morning is a tired old turd. No wonder Phillips/LaBrozzi sent them to Seattle to "see how it's done." Norris has peaked. Can a host sound more dis-interested in his own program? Maybe they'll cut him loose from that anchor around his leg (Maynard) before the whole ship goes down. Don and Mike…not funny anymore…not entertaining…I agree with you Dave, move those call letters back to DC. Save Baltimore listeners the agony and blow up the joint and start all over. Nights are a disaster. In football season, I had no desire to listen to some to multi-million dollar athletes who put a cover charge on admission to their radio shows. Stick the fork in…the pot roast is done. Maybe Dave, all those readers of this site at the newspapers (those so-called reporters) will get off their backsides and report this. Like they said on "The Wire," the columnists get paid to sit on their asses. Where's the journalism? (2/1/08) Was up early this morning...trying to find out info about the weather and the roads preparing for my commute down 95 to DC. As usual, WTOP and WBAL were the only two radio stations that offered me any value at all. I know TOP has a huge staff, but does anyone know how big the news staff is at BAL? Dave Durian was his usual friendly and flawless self...and their website looks like it's updated vurtaully minute by minute. I remember the old days when stations like WCBM and WMAL could kick butt too. What's happened? Thank God at least two stations still care (2/1/08) ... There is no rumor. WYPR filed for a license to cover their construction permit, meaning the construction work is done and they are most likely already operating at least part time at the proposed power hike. The only reason the WYPR power increase will not happen permanently at this point is if there was shoddy construction and/or the signal proposed doesn't meet the specs that were filed for, or perish the thought, a UMCP student riot invades Baltimore and knocks the WYPR tower down after the NCAA tourney! LOL The DCRTV news blurb should reflect this inevitability, not use the term "rumor" as that is certainly not the case at all. Let The Diamondback deal in a day late and a dollar short "rumors". RIP WMUC 88.1 ... (2/1/08) "I'm from Baltimore, with the 5th highest broadband access in the nation and have more access to information than you. Or maybe it's just because your argument is a bit nutty, don't ya think?" Hey, I'm from Baltimore, too, a town that you may recall tried to paint itself as "The City That Reads," when it should've been "The City That Breeds." One need only listen to the callers to Baltimore radio talk shows to hear the east coast's biggest collection of yahoos who clearly don't read the paper - or much of anything else - and think the stuff they get from the hosts on WBAL & WCBM is all the news they need. Your diatribe reeks of that mentality. It's pathetic. I've been here for 30+ years and it's only gotten worse. My job requires that I stay here, otherwise I'd be hittin' the highway. Fifth highest broadband access? BFD. That just means they can speed up their porno downloads. (2/1/08) I thought you might be interested in this interview I saw online at The Diamondback. It is with their general manager and he discusses what it's like to deal with the constant threat of WYPR taking over their signal. media.www.diamondbackonline.com (2/1/08) Dave's response: I just want to state that, in my 10-plus years of running DCRTV, I have always been a huge supporter and fan of student-run college radio. And I've many times ranted about the lack of it in the DC area. I have always backed the University Of Maryland's WMUC and would be very sorry to see anything happen to its 88.1 signal if Baltimore's NPR outlet WYPR, also on 88.1, increases its power. I think some WMUC supporters like to criticize DCRTV, and some who post in our Mailbag, for being the bearers of potentially bad news. Hell, if I was the DC area's Radio Czar, WMUC would be a full-power station a la what Georgetown's old WGTB on 90.1 was. I do also like the NPR programming on WYPR. It's a shame we can't have a local radio dial with both signals strongly on it..... Hmmm... Interesting thread about FM audio. At risk of geezin because I remember the "bad" old days, many Top-40 AM's back then used a "white elephant" Audimax and a "white elephant" Volumax as their "processing". And, it didn't sound half bad. However, don't forget the "quality" of your audio sources. 45 RPM records with cue burns... spots on 7" 33 1/3 disks because not everybody had carts... and enough didatic distractions like reverb that used a very tight metal spring to produce the effect! (I remember kicking our Fairchild/Robbins unit one night at the "chicken house" just to hear what would happen. And, if anyone complained. Nobody did! But, going from 10 KW day to 250w at night into a tight pattern will do that to you!) Don't forget bicycle horns, time tones, etc. Basically stuff to keep the audience what was called "entertained"! Your were so interested in what you were hearing that you didn't really notice (or even care) what it sounded like! Add into the equation th! at radio manufacturers actually cared about the product they were selling! Radios were actually "wide-band" and often possessed a characteristic called "fidelity"! Ahhh... but that was back in "the day" I still have a Sony SRF-A100 AM Stereo/FM Stereo portable and a similarily equipped Sony SRF-A1 "Walkman". Unfortunately, my Sansui tuner that was equipped for "Amax" got smashed in a move. I can imagine the shaking heads now.. "AM Stereo"... "Amax".. WTF is that? What it was boys and girls, are the half-assed attempts to make AM sound "better" by trying to make it do things it was never designed to do! "Engineers" were inspired to try this because of the ways TV had been modified over the years to do things beyond the original 1939 NTSC standard. (FM audio, field sequential color, dot-sequential color, time-coding, captioning, stereo, ghost cancellation, etc.) And, of course how FM was "improved" by adding multiplexed signals. (Want to hear something really nasty? Listen to! an over-processed CHR FM that's not only in Stereo, but is also selli ng off its audio by running SCA's at 67 KHz abd 92 KHz!) Which brings us to HD Radio. On AM, while you do get have a "decent" signal, it is shorter-ranged than your main signal. However, it comes at the cost of 40 KHz of adjacent channel interference! The mess at night is terrible because of all those exciters being left on with their hash propagating far and wide. For all the bad press Citadel gets, they should get some good press because of their corporate order to turn off HD at their AM's at local sunset. On FM, yes you can run multiple program streams like they were secret radio stations. But, those "secret" radio stations are often just that, because their effective range is often 50% of your regular stereo signal. The difference is even more dramatic when you run HD on a mono FM signal like WTOP does. Dave and Ken found early on how much more range they could get out of a comparatively flea-powered FM (107.7) just by going mono in the first place! Now, I'm not advocat! ing a wholesale retreat of FM to go back to mono. What I am saying is to remember what Bill Drake said about focusing on business. And, in a nutshell, is what has killed broadcasting (Radio and TV) in this country... It seems like almost everybody in broadcasting has forgotten that the business is broadcasting! And, "broadcasting" is still defined by the ITU and the FCC as a "service". However, in today's quick buck world, concern for service is as anathema as concern for quality. And, it's not just the programming either!. Sorry for the rant! Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/1/08) I'm disappointed in Pamela Brown for doing that cover with fancy lad Wil Thomas. She didn't need to do something so lame if her career ambitions involve being a serious journalism. Wil Thomas has always struck me as a Insider, Entertainment Tonight etc wannabe type of reporter. Of course most of them channel 5 reporters and anchors seem to have same ambition. Come on ain't no future Walter Cronkite or Judy Woodruff in the pack Dude did Ms. Brown turn you down for a date while you both matriculated at the University of Tar Heels? Enjoyed the Czaban & Pollin interview with NFL Films Steve Sabol on Thursday. Can you imagine if they really upconvert films of 1970's games to HD. It will heaven, man bob of toothless fairfax (2/1/08) First of all, I worked with Lee Abrams. God Damn, he's gotten FAT! I'm eating salad and he's eating Whoppers! I suddenly feel better. Who cares about Larry King? Who cares about Ted Koppel? Who cares about Dan Hellie (WHO?). Who cares about HD Radio? ... Who cares about WNST? Who cares about WBIG and the Globe? Processing - The "PD's" who love old school "AM Radio" have ruined a good signal medium. WTMD - Blah, Blah, Blah - YOU'RE A COLLEGE STATION! Shut Up! I grew up in Takoma Park - Shoot Me. What, are you stupid? Tony Kornheiser is a dick. Why do you listen? You can make your own CD's... Yes, you're getting screwed by BG& E, why is it a topic on DC Radio and TV? Just because it's a topic on the Jack Diamond Show, doesn't mean I have to read it between the radio "death notices". I live across the street from Montel William's sister. He never comes to visit... The Bay is WTTR-FM. Start "Super Serving" your listeners and shoot your engineer! Miss Pamela Brown's mouth looks good to me! More from DCRADIOINFO coming soon! (2/1/08) /\ February 1 Messages /\ \/ January 31 Messages \/ Indulge me for a second, Dave. The Jon and Mike show...!! I love it! Can you imagine? Mike's ego couldn't handle it, and Ballard can verbally run rings around Mike without even trying. If WBIG would actually let Ballard talk, that station could finally be on to something! (1/31/08) (RE: RANT) Um, my guess is that the reason Bonneville doesn't spend more money promoting David Burd is because he buh-buh-buh-buh-BLOWS. As in hurricane strength. (1/31/08) Hey Dave, if Don Geronimo was really stuck in 1983 he would be FUNNY again! (1/31/08) YO DAVE, whats UP?? MARK McGARRY here, the poster who thought my name was Josh was confused w/Josh Glendaniel who I used to work with at Ocean 98.1 a couple of years ago. Yes Josh played some very cool music and did a special show on sunday morning's Called the Tangent . After he left Ocean 98 he went back over to 96Rock where I also used to work before Josh. We both did the revolving DJ door thing and I'm out of it now for the meantime. Last I heard Josh was doing his other REAL job which is welding. As most of us in the biz know that it never hurts to have a second job when you're in radio. Here today and gone tomorrow!!!! Much like the real estate business which I'm in now but only until it get's really BAD!!! HAHAHAHAHHA Keep up the good work and I hope this clears up the confusion!!!!!!My old man never knew he had a 3rd son!!! Mark McGarry/ DELMARVA (1/31/08) By the way Marylanders, if you're upset about the possibility of even more increased energy rates due to the $386 MILLION DOLLAR LAWSUIT or the local media's false and absolutely pitiful coverage of this whole fiasco going back to day 1 (yep it's true, WJZ, WMAR, WBAL, & especially FOX45 are not exactly adult swim stations for complex issues like this), you can at least voice your concerns HERE weblogs.baltimoresun.com at The Baltimore Sun Blog page on this Maryland Energy Crisis topic. Feel free to attack your least favorite politician, governor, newspaper, TV station, and/or of course BGE/Constellation Energy. God knows they all F'd this whole thing up BIGTIME and they all deserve it! But the WORST BLAME goes to the local media for not fully understanding the story. What a bunch of idiots you all made of yourselves. You should be ashamed, every TV station, every newspaper, you failed the public you serve and your readers with false stories and false claims of brighter futures and stuff like "Hey let's fight the corporation, it's KEWL DUDE" stories. What idiots you all look like now kiddie reporters. Signed -- Clark Kent (1/31/08) Actually, Maury's ratings skyrocket when he has really really fat people on it. I can't watch the "I used to be a dork, now I am a stripper" episodes he does a lot. The strippers look really cheap, usually. I always enjoyed Sally Jesse when she had mother-teenage daughter fights. Do you get much mother-teenager daughter b*tch-offs on daytime television anymore? I miss Texas Justice. Judge Judy makes fun of people a lot, and tells them she is smarter than they are. Did you know Judge Judy makes more in salary then the all nine Supreme Court justices-combined? Perhaps Justice Roberts can supplement his income by deciding if that $1,000.00 transferred from a 30 something fat chick to her then slacker "bus mechanic" looking boyfriend was a loan or a gift? I like it when Judge Joe Brown has everyone in the courtroom vote, just like a real courtroom. Remember, Judge Alex is, like all judges in small claims court, your friend. Jerry Springer used to give hard liquor to his guest and audience members before the taping. Dr. Phil has real mental problems. (1/31/08) Spotted: Howard Fineman applying mascara to hair bigheaddc.com (1/31/08) Simulcast 98 Rock's HD 2 on 100.7, that will solve the problem of one of the most boring rock stations I have ever heard. Sure respect the music, but the jocks sound like their half dead. Some of the dead artists they play are more alive sounding than the jocks. Probably management's direction, not their fault but uggh other than the V/o guy its awful. (1/31/08) Damn. I got the suspect wrong in the Takoma Park abduction. Normally, when the media holds out on describing the perp, even when the description is known, it's for PC reasons. (1/31/08) still waiting to hear why there was no rant about katie couric attending robert e. lee's birthday party. (1/31/08) RE: "The Globe went silent at about 10:15 AM today due to 'technical issues.' Actually, I hear that Schelby forgot that the record was over and the needle just stayed in the end-groove." Since when does The Globe--or any other poor excuse for a radio station nowadays--ever play anything using turntables and needles that stick in the end-grooves? KOF (1/31/08) Dave's response: Jesus, it was a jooooke..... How appropriate Ted Koppel's going to work for BBC America. One more liberal going to join a hornet's nest full of them. (1/31/08) RE: [ " No, and it was never intended to be. The parking garages will disappear in a few years when " ]........ What, when the DC government get fully onboard with DC getting baseball? HAha! Do you even hear yourself talking? People slam the DC government daily on this board for wasting money. Do you really think DC is going to spend any more? And do you really think it's wise to waste money building expensive ugly parking garages just to tear them down? Do you even realize the insanity of your argument? Sorry, I just don't get it. Maybe it's because I'm from Baltimore, with the 5th highest broadband access in the nation and have more access to information than you. Or maybe it's just because your argument is a bit nutty, don't ya think? (1/31/08) RE: "I can't believe WBIG (Big 100.3)! What kind of a stupid stunt are they pulling?! Do they expect a cookie? Nobody listens..." What kind of stupid stunt? The kind that gets a bunch of nitwits with an opinion and an a-hole to spew forth comments about how stupid they are. So, even if "nobody listens" you people sure spend a crapload of time talking about them... top of mind awareness anyone? -djmr (1/31/08) Dave's response: The Globe went silent at about 10:15 AM today due to "technical issues." Actually, I hear that Schelby forgot that the record was over and the needle just stayed in the end-groove. Anyhow, I thought they were trying to "out WBIG WBIG"..... Separated at birth: Ron Jeremy & Lee Abrams. Dave, it's so funny! (1/31/08) RE: “Cut the processing in half (or more) and give us our dynamic range back. And while you’re at it, bypass the damned EQ. If I want more highs or lows, I’ll control it from my own stereo.” This can be a problem also, as the FM audience is mobile, meaning there are different receivers into play here. People listen in the car- at home-and on portable devices. Each may have different frequqncy response. FMs are mainly processed to stand out on the car radio-as that is where most listening takes place. But, I do feel the way you do—FMs are too processed. It should not be a mandate of a corporate office miles away to tell a station in DC or Baltimore how their audio should sound. That should be left to the individual PDs, OMs and Engineers. Also, most of the factory settings on the Optimods, etc are dramatically flat-and do not sound good with most formats. They are a “bowl” of audio. Once again-this is where radio managers SHOULD take a chance and think out of the box—instead of setting factory pre-sets…adjust it and add more dynamics, etc to reflect your station’s image. Jazz needs a little more highs, urban bass, country mids, hot ac some punch-but not the kind where it bottoms out my car speakers. Top 40 processing of years ago do not apply to today’s audience. While it may not drive listeners away (as most don’t give a shit)—it WILL effect the audible quality of the station. For example, there are a few stations on the Eastern Shore that sound like shit—but they attract large amounts of listeners! (1/31/08) Hi gang, Here are some of the 897 Greatest Albums of All Time that were broadcast today on WTMD. We're counting down the most important albums this month. The excitement will grow as we get closer to #1 at the end of February. Tune in everyday to hear what our listeners believe are the 897 Greatest Albums ever recorded. You'll hear 3-5 tracks from each of these records chosen by the WTMD staff and volunteers.... 850. Jethro Tull - Songs From The Wood... 851. Bette Midler - The Divine Miss M... 852. Emmylou Harris - Luxury Liner... 853. Fleewood Mac - The Dance... 854. Radiohead - Amnesiac... 855. Bad Brains - Bad Brains... 856. Chuck Prophet - No Other Love... 857. Eels - Blinking Lights & Other Revelations... 858. Ani DiFranco - Not A Pretty Girl... 859. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium... 860. Jerry Garcia & David Grisman - Shady Grove... 861. Old & In The Way - Old & In The Way... 862. Randy Newman - Sail Away... 863. Al Stewart - Famous Last Words... 864. Elton John - Elton John... 865. Blondie - Blondie... 866. Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor... See the list in real time at wtmd.blogspot.com and at wtmd.org (1/31/08) Dave's response: Speaking of music, DCRTV Radio has just added Kate Nash's "Foundations" to its playlist and as its first "great song" candidate of 2008. Check out DCRTV Radio at 92.9 in the DC area and 96.5 in the Baltimore area or on XM channel 666..... Two questions, Is there anything new with the Grease? And do you know anything about Josh McGarry, son of Mac McGarry? He was a DJ on 98.1 in Ocean City, MD and did a great job and played some unusual but good music. Danny Legge, Reston, VA (1/31/08) Dave's response: Nothing new with the Grease. He's stuck in 1978, Don Geronimo is stuck in 1983, Jack Diamond is stuck in 1991, and Tony Kornheiser is stuck in 1973. As for McGarry's son, doesn't he do real estate down the shore? Dear "I've worked in the DC market for only about a year now" - Phyllis George was co-host of CBS's NFL Pre-Game Show. She may have done the CBS Morning Show, but I doubt she ever appeared on Today. Al McGilvray (1/31/08) So, let me guess, with only two months to go until the baseball season starts up...MASN has absolutely NO PLANS to provide HD service for either Orioles or Nationals fans this year? Look for another ad campaign telling us how great MASN's coverage is of both teams while still providing a picture and sound comparible to a 1970's RCA color television and 8-track player stereo. Thanks Pete, you're quite the owner! How's that Bedard trade going that you got your Union Thug hands on eh? A**hole! G.K. in Timonium (1/31/08) hellie takes headbutt in temple, will be reporting from super bowl with black eye and 14 stitches over his eye blog.washingtonpost.com (1/31/08) Re: "What do you want to bet that the suspect in the Takoma Park abduction is one of the illegal immigrants that the city harbors and gives voting rights to?" Uh, not unless "Richard Manning Miller," whom nbc4.com is reporting has been arrested for this crime, is a common name outside the United States. If you want to improperly blame all of this country's ills on immigrants, please move to Herndon. (1/31/08) Is it just me... or does the photo of Lee Abrams on the Chickaboomer ad (right) look a lot like porn legend Ron Jeremy (left)? I've worked in the DC market for only about a year now, but I am really impressed with the Washington Life cover. First of all, Pamela and Will looking fantastic (the other model does too). I'm sure their stations are very happy to see their talent get the buzz. I would have liked to see an interview component in the magazine. Pamela's mother is not only is a former Miss America, but as I recall, she hosted the Today show from time to time. Those have to be big shoes to fill. As for Will, I know he's very popular. I work for a competitor and people always ask about him. I think he has a very likeable quality on the air and I think it translates into those magazine photos too. So my two cents: big kudos to the broadcasters who snagged a coveted mag cover! (1/31/08) In reference to the suspect arrested in the attempted abduction in Takoma Park, on Channel 4's website is a photo of the man arrested. He is black...whether or not he's an illegal immigrant wasn't mentioned. -- Bobbie (1/31/08) Re: (Coverboy Will Thomas ...Oh, that's ABC7's Pamela Brown on the right. Her mom, Phyllis George, was Miss America 1971) Oh, you mean the 24-yr-old chick with basically no news experience whose former-governor of KY daddy got her a job at a Top 10 market station, and is harshly resented by most of her co-workers? Her mom was a disaster on-air, too. (1/31/08) I fail to see why anyone would be negative against just Pamela Brown for doing a photo shoot as opposed to Will Thomas or for that matter Lindsay Czarniak and Alison Starling back in Washingtonian. A little consistency one way or the other is all I ask. As for the Ravens preseason TV/radio simulcast idea, that's the kind of innovation we can do without. Sports television and radio audiences are distinct entities with different needs to be met by the broadcasters. Gerry Sandusky et al can't serve two different masters. Either the Ravens' simulcast will end up too wordy for television or not descriptive enough for the radio, maybe both. Everett W. (1/31/08) Hey Dave, Got out of the shower this morning and contemplated my commute. My commute listening to Grandy & Andy or Korny Collins or sports guys etc. And I flashed-back to an occasional commute with my father back in the 80s - driving into DC listening to Harden & Weaver. Goddam I’m old now. Where is the Howard of my youth? m (1/31/08) What do you want to bet that the suspect in the Takoma Park abduction is one of the illegal immigrants that the city harbors and gives voting rights to? It would serve them right. The other description of the suspect that would prevent Channel 4 from releasing it would be if he were muslim. Bonus points if it's an illegal immigrant muslim. (1/31/08) Re: "If it sounds like crap, it's probably because some lame PD or consultant who doesn't know a damn thing about audio science is setting the thing up and tweaking on it every day." Well, DUH! Sorry if any hardware got its feelings hurt, but out here in radioland we can't listen to the specs of the machines, only the messes people make with them. I really don't know what good the boxes are capable of doing, but I've had plenty of exposure to how bad they can make things. (1/31/08) "Doesn't everyone just love the view of the sterile white concrete parking garage in centerfield at the new Nationals stadium? Camden Yards it ain't. That's for sure. If anything, so far it's shaping up to look like RFK II I sure hope I'm wrong and the inside is better than the outside view because that sure looks bleaker than the Nats and O's postseason chances this coming season." Gee, when you wrote this, did it seem profound? Have you read anything at all about the new ballpark? Heard or seen anything on the local airwaves about it? Apparently not. "Camden Yards it ain't." No, and it was never intended to be. The parking garages will disappear in a few years when they've acquired the other land parcels they're negotiating for to create more surface parking. Bleak? It's anything but to the people who know what they're looking at. Any resemblance to RFK ends after the diamond itself. (1/31/08) This may be a dumb question but - why do I never see most of WTOP's ABC 7 meteorologists on Channel 7 news? The only ones I ever seen on TV are Doug Hill and Brian Van der Graaf. (1/31/08) Dave's response: I've talked to Bill Lord about that and he said they're just too visually unappealing and would scare away viewers, particularly the women..... Karrine Steffans aka Supahead will be the co-host of WERQ's the Love Zone with LaDawn Black tonight. Could this be a taste of a more permanent show? More info at www.92qjams.com (1/31/08) Dave, i don't think that Pamela Brown has to worry about being anywhere near Alycia Lane. And for someone to say that she needs to concentrate on her reporting instead of being a covergirl, is silly. It is one cover of a magazine and i didn't hear anyone say that about Will Thomas. She is getting her name out there. She has already amazed quite a bunch of people, especially the suits at WJLA or she wouldn't be sitting on the anchor desk on the weekend mornings. I think anyone would agree with me that any good publicity is good publicity. It's nice to see her grace Washington Life magazine. She is a very bright, beautiful, and her journalistic integrity is being built as we speak. I fear that all these nay-sayers, are just jealous of her success. I have met her on several occasions and she has been professional, courteous, and very warm. I see great things for her down the "TV road." She knows what she is doing, so please leave her alone. (1/31/08) Dave's response: The reason you push to get your pic on the cover of a magazine is so that people will talk about you. If she wants to be left "alone," maybe she shouldn't have a job in major market television news. It kinda comes with "the territory." Duh..... So 97.7 The Rocket was able to dupe another DJ into working for them. The last guy was there like a week and the person before that not much longer. When will jocks have a little self respect and tell bad employers to piss off. Maybe then the CC's and CBS's of the world will have to treat their employees a little better instead of knowing some desperate schmuck will come knocking anytime. Why is everyone on Pamela Brown for doing a magazine photo shoot? It's good pub for her. If you have an issue with that, then you have an issue with the way Katie Couric got the anchor gig with CBS. So, a sportstalk host with a show that can't be heard outside of Dorchester County is going to do a show in Ashburn and take Danny Boy to task for his handling of the Redskins. Must be putting an aircheck together to blow out of Cambridge. Btw, is this the same Shan Shariff who's responsible for this? www.gwhatchet.com. Big 100.3 is a joke and I agree with Dave, the only good thing on that station is Ballard. Has anyone heard the night guy? It's always nice to hear a jock who sounds younger than every song he plays. Although I'm guessing he voicetracks. I don't know where the person who thinks 'The Wire' portrays Baltimore badly grew up, but it wasn't Baltimore City. From my experiences, it's a spot on show. From the drugs, the educational system, the politics, all fairly true to form. My advice to this person is stay in whatever little suburb you're from. I will admit 'parts' of Baltimore have gotten better, but by and large, the city is still the same, sad but true. (1/31/08) Dave, Not one to typically respond to blog-postings, but felt compelled this morning after reading a few callous observations about ABC’s Pamela Brown. While I realize these observations simply reflect the opinion of the individual who submitted the post, I can’t help but notice that the majority of the aforementioned postings convey a negative connotation. Please post the following observation on my behalf, anonymously. As a consistent reader of this blog, I am not shocked to read the callous “pot-shots” directed at Pamela Brown. I am, however, curious as to the lack of praise for her work, professional demeanor, and overall warm presence. This market is blessed with many talented and professional reporters and anchors, it is apparent to any viewer that Pamela Brown stands steadfastly in the upper echelon. Thank you, RR988 (1/31/08) Dave, I see from your front page that Montgomery County has fined Comcast and that the county executive is on the side of supporting the customer. Do you, or any of the readers, feel that getting Mayor Fenty involved in this latest analog/digital craziness in D.C. would be of any worth? (1/31/08) Dave's response: I fear that the suits that run the giantic Comcast are ill-prepared and unwilling to react to the coming competition from companies like Verizon. Comcast has made, and continues to make, some decisions without the proper PR perspective in mind. There are still a lot of people who rely on Comcast's analog "basic" service and not going to like having to pay extra for a new box so they can view channels that Comcast has moved to a digital tiers, which feature a confusing maze of pricing options. Comcast should ditch the "penny pinching mentality" and provide the digital boxes and access to its basic digital service for free. Hell, in the long run, the move will probably bring Comcast additional revenue, anyway, as those "analogers" eventually sign up for cool DVRs..... In today's Baltimore Sun www.baltimoresun.com... The very last line but MOST IMPORTANT LINE of the article............. "Legal experts say the company has a strong case, given that lawmakers knew the credits were originally linked to approval of the FPL merger."............. Is that how they teach journalism these days? Most important part of the story is the very last line? This means BGE/Constallation Energy is going to win $386 MILLION DOLLARS from the State of Maryland and Maryland taxpayers! But even more importantly, it proves that the Ehrlich/BGE deal, which the Sun appropriately stated was a better deal for Marylanders than the O'Malley cry-baby antics (but once again buried in a Sun article) was a better deal for Maryland. Yet, The Post and The Sun editorial staffs of course have burried this truth (The Sun has since fired its senior editor by the way). When is the local news media going to wake up and tell the voters that they were mislead by WBAL, WJZ, WMAR, and FOX45 and various other local media sources? When the $386 MILLION DOLLAR bill comes do? Are they going to pay it? I think not. How about we all send our ridiculously increased energy bills to our favorite local news station or your favorite legislator or the Governor who caused this mess himself? SINCE YOU ALL ARE AT FAULT! Wouldn't that be great? This is one of the classic examples of why talk radio and the internet are great. Because you'd barely hear the truth on this story if not for the internet and talk radio. And that's the God's honest truth. Oh, DCRTV Dave Hughes, you are not employed by the University of Maryland system are you? I wouldn't want to get you fired (i.e.: Morgan State U fiasco)! :-( (1/31/08) Dave's response: I work for myself, but I long for the day when the Washington Post buys me out to assimilate DCRTV into its washingtonpost.com web empire..... Doesn't everyone just love the view of the sterile white concrete parking garage in centerfield at the new Nationals stadium? Camden Yards it ain't. That's for sure. If anything, so far it's shaping up to look like RFK II I sure hope I'm wrong and the inside is better than the outside view because that sure looks bleaker than the Nats and O's postseason chances this coming season. :-( (1/31/08) Hope all is well! Lost in the story of WBAL radio and TV becoming the Ravens home through at least 2011 is the fact that for the first time in modern NFL history the games will be simulcast. Gerry Sandusky, Rob Burnett and Stan White the WBAL/98Rock Ravens radio broadcast team will be simulcast on WBAL TV for just the pre season games. Simulcasting sports is not new the LA Dodgers still have broadcasting icon Vin *Scully does the first three inning of the Dodgers home games on both radio and TV and then in the 3rd inning he is just heard on TV while the radio team takes over for the remainder of the broadcast. www.examiner.com. Jim (1/31/08) The very last line but MOST IMPORTANT LINE of a Baltimore Sun article today............. "Legal experts say the company has a strong case, given that lawmakers knew the credits were originally linked to approval of the FPL merger."............. Is that how they teach journalism these days? Most important part of the story as the very last line? This means BGE/Constallation Energy is going to win $386 MILLION DOLLARS from the State of Maryland and Maryland taxpayers! But even more importantly, it proves that the Ehrlich/BGE deal, which the Sun appropriately stated was a better deal for Marylanders than the O'Malley cry-baby antics (but once again buried in a Sun article) was a better deal for Maryland. Yet, The Post and The Sun editorial staffs of course kissed O'Malleys ass (The Sun has since fired its senior editor by the way). When is the local news media going to wake up and tell the voters they were mislead by WBAL, WJZ, WMAR, and FOX45 and various other local media sources? When the $386 MILLION DOLLAR bill comes do? Are they going to pay it? I think not. How about we all send our ridiculously increased energy bills to our favorite local news station or your favorite legislator or the Governor who caused this mess himself? SINCE YOU ALL ARE AT FAULT! Wouldn't that be great? This is one of the classic examples of why talk radio and the internet are great. Because you'd barely hear the truth on this story if not for the internet and talk radio. And that's the God's honest truth. Oh, DCRTV Dave Hughes, you are not employed by the University of Maryland system are you? I wouldn't want to get you fired (i.e.: Morgan State U fiasco)! (1/31/08) "Now Baltimore can go back to being one of the richest, growing, educated, broadband wired metro areas in America and my hometown " As a Metro Area, Baltimore is great but the city itself, well it is a cesspool and is getting worse every day. Now are you really from the city or are you from the county? Again there is a big difference. Paul G (1/31/08) What does Montel out, Maury still in say about Amercan TV culture? It says people watch what scratches their itch. Maury has had great success with his "Who's Your Daddy?" mystery series. A woman who sleeps around and who has popped out a kid wants to know which of her partners is on the hook for child support. Strip club music, heavy on the beat, accompanies the walk out from backstage of each "guest." The Great Question of Our Time is "Who's Your Daddy?" The best part is the relieved look on the faces of the potential fathers who are scientifically determined not to have been the unlucky Dad, despite their attempts at insemination. I'd be more entertained by a panel of five CEOs who are accused of cheating on their taxes. IRS investigators take CAT scans of their business dealings. Maury announces the exonerations of all but one, who is arraigned on the spot. The rest get off with an announcement of how many burger flipping jobs it would take to equal each of their salaries plus bonuses plus perks and we get a tour of their palatial abodes with a special insert on the gold plated plumbing fixtures. (1/31/08) ...The Montel Williams Show is ending this season. www.variety.com (1/31/08) Dave's response: But Maury Povich continues. What does that say about American TV culture? To the post about the assault and attempted abduction ch 4. Well my son in law is a police officer ( Arlington Va. ) He said maybe the police have not given the description, to ch 4 , 5, 7 9. They maybe still , looking at the tape. They may have a description, but they have not given it to tv or radio. (1/31/08) I for one say Thank God HBO's The Wire is over! Now Baltimore can go back to being one of the richest, growing, educated, broadband wired metro areas in America and my hometown instead of the being the butt of jokes by thoothlessburghers and NoVA sheep pokies who think the show is Metro Crime Stoppers and wonder why they didn't catch that guy. (1/31/08) I can't believe WBIG (Big 100.3)! What kind of a stupid stunt are they pulling?! Do they expect a cookie? Nobody listens to them when they are playing the same songs all day everyday, so Dan Michaels probably figures that MORE people will listen if they don't play anything. Great logic. Some PD you are, Dan! He probably wears suits to work, too. But here's the thing that kills me. They are touting it on their website. They went so far as to post the actual press release saying that they're going off the air. Check it out for yourself if you want (www.idigbig.com). Hell, they even have it plastered on their front page. Idiots. Good luck with that. Really packin' 'em in! Nice ratings... (1/31/08) Dave's response: In a strange way, they're admiting what we all know - it's a rather sucky station that people could easily do without. If they flipped format when the Super Bowl ended, people would probably praise those clowns at Clear Channel/DC. The only thing worth listening to at BIG is Jon Ballard, who is way underutilized. Maybe he could move to JFK and replace the retiring Don Geronimo. The Jon and Mike show. Has a nice ring to it..... Speaking of 100.7, the bay...When are they going to "move the window" to their potential audience? "Classic Rock" isn't "Mrs Robinson" and Maggie May" in 2008. It isn't CCR, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hendrix, the Doors, Steve Miller, the Guess Who, or the same three Boston or Queen songs. It's 2008...Go ahead and pepper those artists in once or twice an hour, but give me a break...that shouldn't be the staple of your format. "Classic Rock"---Could that mean music from, say, THIRTY years ago?...well, yeah I'd think so. That would start in 1978. Give me the Cars, Def Leppard, Rush, Styx, Scorpions, U2, Van Halen, Talking Heads, Pretenders, Foreigner, Journey, latter-Stones, latter-Who, etc... 98 isn't playing this gold-mine of music...Time for the "classic rock" station to step up to the plate and replace "S&G's---Mrs. Robinson" with "Def Leppard's---Let it Go" (1/31/08) The new Nationals stadium, set to open in late March, has been testing their giant scoreboard/screen the last couple of days. You can see an image on their webcam - clarkconstruction.oxblue.com. (1/31/08) I think Pamela Brown should probably concentrate on being a reporter then being a cover girl. Or concentrate on just being a cover girl. That might be her problem. If she wants to be respected as a reporter she should act like one. I would think one would want to be respected for their journalistic abilities, so new out of college. But I guess the focus is somewhere else. (1/31/08) Dave's response: Two words of warning for Pamela Brown - "Alycia Lane." Don't let that happen to you. See our Philly news page in case you don't know..... “I have to question if FM really does have fidelity anymore. It certainly did years ago.” Yanno, I get so sick of these “everything was better in the old days…” posts. Gimme a freakin’ break. The audio processors being developed and sold today by companies like Omnia and Orban are so many light years ahead of those used in the supposed “good old days” that you can hardly compare them. In its early days, FM radio often had little or no processing because frankly, engineers didn’t pay much attention to it. But don’t confuse unprocessed sound with greater fidelity. Modern processing – if used correctly – sounds amazing and can let you hear subtleties in the music that you otherwise would never hear on an FM radio. If it sounds like crap, it’s probably because some lame PD or consultant who doesn’t know a damn thing about audio science is setting the thing up and tweaking on it every day. -Brian (1/31/08) /\ January 31 Messages /\ \/ January 30 Messages \/ The photo of FOX 5's Will Thomas on the cover of Washington Life was done by none other than the former Teapot Tim who left the HOT Morning Mess with Mark and Kris on HOT 99.5 in 2006 to pursue his career as a fashion photographer. www.timcoburnphotography.com (1/30/08) Miss Huma Abedin and Miss Pamela Brown. What do they both have in common? Both have served "under" Hillary Rodham Clinton. har-de-har har...I luvs me some political humor. At least Hillary will be bringing her own "first lady". (rimshot) Even Laura knows they'll be replacing the "Bush" in the oval office. (Hey Now!) Hillary's first budget cuts will be to insist everyone lunch "at the Y". (ka-ching!) "Funny, I asked just asked Huma for a charitable contribution and she said she couldn't right now, she was "strapped"." (he-he-he-he) BTW...those are Lisa Renna's lips not Pamela Brown's shown below. Speaking of lips shown below...have you heard the one about...oh, nevermind (1/30/08) RE: "other engineers could chime in and tell us, the listeners, what the hell is going on. However, I understand that it is the management ---- GM’s, PD’s, etc". It is really simple. Most PD's are deaf , don't have an original thought, and are stuck in the 80's. Years ago I spent weeks making a top 40 station sound near CD quality (without the HD BS). A seasoned production director with gold ears came up in awe and said he never heard the station sound so good. A minute later I got "Called" into the PD's office and was told that the station sounded horrible. After more weeks of trying to appease him and retain some semblance of quality, I gave up. I literally made it as bad as I could bear---he loved it. PD's are so afraid of making decisions on their own that they revert to what they knew worked. Problem is music and technology has changed in twenty years. Just not them. The best part is when a station does bad its the engineer's fault. But heaven forbid they get any cr edit when the get a 5+ share. (1/30/08) Tonight on News 4's 6:00 PM broadcast, a terrifying assault and attempted abduction of a 27 year old woman was reported in Takoma park. The assailant attacked the young woman with a baseball bat in broad daylight, and then attempted to put the victim in the back of a box truck. The assault was captured by a security camera, and though the tape appears blurry, police claimed to have retrieved an excellent description of the suspect. The strength of the police description of the suspect was alluded to several times during the report, with the on-camera reporter even holding up holding up a police flyer that contained a picture and description of the subject. And yet, despite the fact that police clearly had a detailed description of the assailant, News 4 never gave that description. NBC4 News continues to ignore its responsibility to provide information vital to our community's safety. Tell News 4 to stop letting politics influence its reporting. (1/30/08) I’m glad somebody finally raised a stink about the quality of audio on local FM’ers. Quite simply, too much compression and way too much clipping ---- which accounts for the ‘tinny’ sound on many stations. In the old days --- the 70’s for example, most FM broadcasters never used more than 3-5 Db compression even when the Orban 9000’s hit the market. Today, most sound like they’re pumping at least 10 Db or more. Add in a half-dozen decibels of clipping, needless equalization, and you’ve got an FM signal with measurable (check it with an oscilloscope), albeit audible distortion with no life, no depth, and void of any dynamic range. Maybe guys like Dave Louden or some other engineers could chime in and tell us, the listeners, what the hell is going on. However, I understand that it is the management ---- GM’s, PD’s, etc … who have say in what their station sounds like. But this is the 21st century for godssakes!! We don’t need ‘punch’ and ‘walls of sound’ anymore. Today’s sophisticated receivers and home sound systems are built to reproduce dynamic range with amazing depth. So why do a lot of FM’s sound like old top-40 AM’s? Cut the processing in half (or more) and give us our dynamic range back. And while you’re at it, bypass the damned EQ. If I want more highs or lows, I’ll control it from my own stereo. J (1/30/08) Wow. Glad I am not the only blathering idiot who thinks The Bay 100.7 is THE ABSOLUTE WORST SOUNDING MUSIC FM in the Balt/Washington Market. If it was anymore compressed and lacking in high end, it would pass for AM. I bet it sound great to the air talent though. Funny to see comments about over processed audio in the same mailbag that features a Front Page with Lee Abrams. (1/30/08) In the town there lives a newser, and her name is Handsome Pam Brown... When I saw that closeup pic of Pam's mouth, my jukebox brain started playing "Here, there, and everywhere / Hip, hip, so hip to be square"--the music and video! KOF (1/30/08) Dave, the post about Pam Brown's lips is classless and wreaks of jealousy. I'm a big supporter of your site, but posts like that lend no credibilty. Personally, I think you should take it down. I've met Pamela once and I was impressed by how kind and down to earth she was, oh, and her lips looked real to me....Thanks, Joe (1/30/08) I could not help but notice the post about audio processing. Being old enough to remember the old Audimax/Volumax and everything multiband beyond that, I have to question if FM really does have fidelity anymore.It certainly did years ago. I recall an article in Radio World, where someone had written about a dream idea wheras the CE's in a given market all agreed to back down the processing by 6db at a certain time, certainly not letting the staff in on what was going on. Imagine how good everyone would sound if something like that happened, though it's not likely. Somehow the mentality of many programmers and management is to be as loud as possible, most professional engineers if had their way would probably think otherwise. There is a tradeoff between loudness and distortion, some simply don't care, overprocessed audio equates to lower TSL, and that's well proven. HD- FM will be a real eye opener as far as processing, digital is not at all forgiving when it comes to clipping, unless someone comes up with some magic box that will do to HD what has already been done to some current FM's. Tom Conroy (1/30/08) Looks like Pamela Browns lips are following the path of Lisa Rinna. Reminds me of the over stuffed sausage case at Whole Foods. (1/30/08) "Your guide to life under 40" Washington Life. How old is Will Thomas? Oh, 39 and holding?!?! I have been 39 for about seven years! Now that I think about it, my grandmother always said she was 39! (1/30/08) Ref: Dave Ford; Baltimore, Ethiopia. Baltimore, Ethiopia. Baltimore, Ethiopia. One's a crime-riddled, decaying, corrupt to the bone third-world one-party kleptocracy leading all others in STD's; the other's a city in sub-Saharan Africa. Tough choice….Genghis Cohen, suddenly a-hankering for some goat meat in cold and windy Prince William County... (1/30/08) Sorry for my ignorance but, who cares where Dave Ford goes? He's a R-A-D-I-O guy. Some people are just weird. And I do know there's a world beyond Waldorf/Annapolis, there's wild and whacky Fairfax...BOBB (1/30/08) Will Thomas isnt just flanked by a beautiful woman....on the right...its WJLA's PAMELA BROWN...she is hot as hell in that picture....DAMN DAMN DAMN....she is just as beautiful as her mom, Phyllis George, Miss America 1971. I love watching her on the weekends on WJLA...nice way to wake up in the morning...keep up the great work, Pam!!!! (1/30/08) defense news on wusa... should come as no surprise. It's produced by defense news, a division of army times... a division of Gannett, if I'm not mistaken... You could look it up. Another example of Gannett's massive leverage, forcing local affils to boost corporate bottom.... (1/30/08) RE: FM audio processing that's painful (Jack FM, I'm looking at you)…Have you listened to 100.7 The Bay lately. That audio sounds painful-I can feel the compression and it hurts bad. Makes Pink Floyd the Wall sound like shit!!!!!!!!! While we are on this, 98 ROCK sounds tinny and flat while 92Q sounds over compressed. WOW-radio sounds bad! (1/30/08) Excuse my ignorance but who the hell is Dave Ford? You'd think he was some sort of frontiersman. Sorry for asking, but my folks taught me to ASK when you don't know the answer. BOBB (1/30/08) Dave's response: Dave Ford is a local radio guy (98 Rock and DC101) who's wondering the world and informing DCRTVers of his travels. Hey, Bobb, there is a big world out there beyond Waldorf and Annapolis..... I wanted to say hello to everyone that I may not be in great contact with currently and also give you a few updates about what I am getting into. 1. Right now, if I would have stuck to my current 2008 plan, I would be somewhere in Ethiopia. Although I am sure I would have been exhilarating to be wandering through the streets of Addis Addiba right now, I am actually excited to be in my current situation sitting tight in Baltimore. I am in the process of forming a partnership that will enable me to create and produce a web TV show based on my travels around the world. Through this venture I will be tapping into my radio experience while diving head first into the land of new media and continuing my travels. 2. I just booked a trip to Tanzania in Africa. I turn 30 on March 5th. One of my best friends Mark turns the big 30 on March 8th. So, together we have decided it was a good time for a trip of a lifetime in which we will climb a fairly large mountain, Mt.Kilimanjaro. I plan on shooting the trip and putting together a Web Television series based on the 3 week adventure. I've been working out pretty hard to ensure that I get to the summit. We leave on February 20th. 3. I am moving to NYC in late March early April. I have always wanted to live in New York and love that its going to be my new home base. 4. This week I started releasing the 8 video "Cross Country TV" series based on an overland trip from Baltimore to Southern California that friends and I went on in November. Click this link to view "Episode 2"- New Orleans - www.youtube.com. I am actually releasing it on the blog on Friday. A lot of our content on this trip is borderline ridiculous. However, the New Orleans episode is one of the more serious episodes. It follows our tour of the 9th ward two years after Hurricane Katrina. If you have not signed up to subscribe to the blog, I would love it if you would click here to subscribe. The subscribe box is on the top right hand side of the web page. Peace out, Dave Ford daveforddoesearth.com (1/30/08) WTOP reporter promos 1976 www.youtube.com (1/30/08) "Another MSNBC contributor knocks Tim Russert bigheaddc.com" wow. the whore known as the original wonkette knocks tim russert. i'm sure he's stewing over it. (1/30/08) "Anybody remember the 70s... What the hell happened?". May I suggest unregulated "free market" forces, or the application of the corollary "Suits ruin everything"? - Frank in Arlington (1/30/08) Anybody remember the 70s, and radio experiments like Dolby FM and quadrophonic broadcasts, designed to improve the sound quality at the listening end? The 80s, with AM Stereo, which was not a bad idea --the debacle was in how it was introduced to the market-- and Tom Gauger's stereo spectaculars? What have we got now? FM audio processing that's painful (Jack FM, I'm looking at you). Satellite radio that sounds like somebody dropped the radio in the bathtub. Hybrid Digital that usually doesn't work and sounds worse than analog FM when it does happen to work. What the hell happened? (1/30/08) "Smokin' Joe" debuted on 97.7 The Rocket this morning. He has played requests and thankfully doesn't do a talk based show like the last jock, so far he seems pretty cool and is nice to the callers which is also a change from his predecessor. Hopefully, he will stick around for awhile! www.977therocket.com (1/30/08) "Who says the glory days of daring, swashbuckling Washington Post reporting have passed them by? In the past, we’ve seen the Post bravely cover frontline stories ranging from Afghanistan to Bosnia to members of the Axis of Evil. Today they keep that proud tradition alive. Today we see the Post boldly set foot in a ….. strip club. Reporter Keith Richburg set out to determine the true story behind Rudy Giuliani’s claims to have cleansed Times Square of spicy filth." More from Extreme Mortman... (1/30/08) Another MSNBC contributor knocks Tim Russert bigheaddc.com (1/30/08) I have to admit, I'm constantly amazed at how sleezily Comcast advertises its services (i.e.: false advertising... The Slowskies) and how secretly they're dropping analog channels without explanation. It's as if they think their customers are as dumb as the poor Slowsky turtles are slow! So, since Comcast is NOT telling you, I'll tell you why Comcast is dropping analog channels. It's very simple... as all of the U.S. switches from analog TV to digital TV in Feb 2009, so too eventually (but most likely later) will all U.S. cable systems! Why? Because Comcast can squeeze multiple digital signals into each analog channel and with a better picture. They've already started the conversion quietly and secretly and without explanation to their customers. You'd think they'd want to let you know this will help them compete against the all-digital satelite services and soon Verizon FIOS, but no. That would force Comcast to admit all of their current advertisements are false! HAHA! I know this is true because I recently bought a digital TV and it seems like every time I scan for digital channels, I find 1 less analog and 2-3 more digital ones all for the same basic cable price! The only shocking thing to me here is that some equally sleezy lawyer hasn't hit Comcast with a Class Action suit over this. But now that the cat is out of the bag, hmmmmm. Expect you're $7 for filling out 18 pages of legal documents soon! Happy now? :-) (1/30/08) If I'm not mistaken, last year, they ran a track of cricket SFX. This year, WBIG will actually be joined by a similar station in a larger market: New York's CBS-FM. That's right, on Sunday, for their "New York Radio Greats" series, they will be bringing back the radio-inept, ratings-inept former CBS-FM morning host Mcikey Dolenz! So even CBS knows that the least number of people possible will be around to listen to the radio to hear a particular jcok, let alone the music he/she "plays" during the Super Bowl. (1/30/08) I see Bob Schieffer is planning to retire from Face The Nation with the election of the next President to concentrate on music with his band, the locally based Honky Tonk Confidential. How about Jeff Greenfield to be the new moderator for FTN? Does lil' danny own Eastern Motors? Anyone know wha' happened to those crazy infomercials with the Dawg barking for Ted Britt Ford? They were on constantly for awhile but no completely gone. Has some numbnuts over at channel 4 tried to get David DuPree booted off George Michaels Saturday show? Why were Don and Mike talking about a naked Tony K. on yesterdays edition of the progrum. Why the thought of that makes me very very sick! I hope Al Molinaro is okay. Maybe Don could ask Dick Van Patten to drive over and make sure he's okay. (1/30/08) Don't worry Allie Oakley, they got Hillary first. I think all women should be comfortable with their cleavage, which according to Wikipedia is "...the partial exposure of the separation between a woman's breasts." This "separation" between the breasts has generated lots of attention in the media lately. These are three of my favorite quotes on the subject. From Robin Givhan's article about Hillary Clinton in the Washington Post on July 20, 2007, sho