Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - February 14 to February 23, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ February 23 Messages \/ Dave, A correction to your story today about Bud Paxson. Bud left the company that then bore his name in November, 2005. He no longer had any management duties and he resigned his Board seat at that time. I was a Board member of Paxson at the time of his departure and assumed the Chairmanship of the Company at Bud's departure. We subsequently changed the name of the Company to ION Media Networks to reflect a change post-Bud Paxson. We also reached an agreement in May, 2007 to sell all of the publicly traded shares in ION to Citadel Investment Group, along with its minority partner, NBC Universal, which previously had purchased 32 percent of Paxson several years prior to Bud Paxson's departure. On February, 19, 2008, earlier this week, the reverse tender offer was completed which resulted in ION no longer being a publicly-traded company. It was de-listed from the American Stock Exchange and is now a private company owned by Citadel and NBCU. It remains the licensee of 60 television stations across the country and is the single largest television group in terms of the number of stations. Bud, therefore, should be titled as a former broadcaster who founded Paxson Communications, the predecessor to ION Media Networks. He also was one of the two founding partners of Home Shopping Network. Thanks. Larry (2/23/08) Dave's response: Thanks Larry. I have updated the two related newsblurbs on the Front Page with the corrected information..... It was a shame to hear about the death of a great broadcaster, Bill Hamlin. He hosted a Broadway show hour on WJMD on Sundays way back when and it was a beautifully produced hour. Bill did his research thoroughly and took us through the plot and music with skill and grace. We exchanged visits; he to WMAL’s Greentree Road studio during my show and then me over to his lofty studios in the World Building in Silver Spring. Everyone in the broadcast community that I knew admired Hamlin and his show on Sunday mornings was a must-hear for me. Earlier on Sunday mornings, Pat Hayes (founder of the Washington Performing Arts Society) would sit before a microphone at WGMS and rummage through the Arts section of the Washington Post speaking intelligently and with wit about the theatre scene in Washington. (You could hear the newspaper rattling which made it even better.) After Pat was finished, I’d switch to WJMD to hear Bill Hamlin takes us through a musical. Both of these gentle men are gone… and unfortunately, so are the radio stations that brought them into our lives. Tom Gauger (2/23/08) Re: the Amy Robach "flake" poster: I didn't see the show this morning, but in Amy's defense-- today is Saturday. It's the weekend. Tune in on any of the network morning show's weekend editions, and you will find the "fluff factor" siginficantly ramped-up. When was the last time you saw a hard-hitting political interview on these shows on any day other than Mon.-Fri.? Although, just 2 weeks ago, they made Matt Lauer do a similar lightweight segment with the former "Family Ties" cast. www.youtube.com (2/23/08) I realize that I'm running a bit behind on this comment, but the mailbag contributor using the name "Joan" who recently claimed they don't know the meaning of the word "c*nt" wouldn't the only naive female out there... as proven by this clip from Philly's WCAU NBC10: www.youtube.com (2/23/08) I, for one, think that ALL meteorologists would be more interesting to watch (and maybe more accurate) after a trip to the watering hole. www.youtube.com (2/23/08) Dave, Add my name to the long list of people who appreciated and admired Bill Hamlin. He was a gracious, talented broadcaster who approached everything he did with enthusiasm and gusto. My friend Kathy White did news during Bill's afternoon shift at W-Lite, and as young person eager to get into broadcasting, I loved watching him at the board during his show. So smooth and so good. As others have noted, he was kind and lovely to all, and yes, he did pull dozens of carts for the jock who came after him. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have known him. -- Bruce (2/23/08) With Shows Like Frontline( Where they featured a refreshingly complete story of the " House Clearing" in Iraq), The News Hour with Jim Lehrer,Washington Week, Etc. PBS is very Necessary. Unless you think that the crap that is featured on CBS,NBC, ABC,and Fox TV are adequate. I fled to PBS's Frontline last night after ABC featured a straight- faced feature about American couples trying to stay together after one,or both stray in their relationship. Let's all make a move away from what sells, to what's truly important! (2/23/08) "To Caller X: Had you bothered to actually listen to Jeopardy you would've know that the, as you call her, Plumper Rachel is nicknamed "Steve." She's had that name all thru high school. She did NOT have to go by "Steve" she chose to." In the spirit of the Bard ("Use all gently") I thank you for your kind, yet clumsy, correction. I did not in fact call the young lady "Plumper Rachel"... perhaps that slip speaks to someone's taste in adult viewing? I referred to her as "the plumper one". The fact remains that on previous appearances she was addressed only as Rachel, and hearing a fellow contestant (and ultimately, the $75,000 winner) referred to by her actual name might well have been disconcerting. It did cause one slip during the portion I watched. For not exercising the stern yet loving guidance of a grownup, Alex Trebeck remains my Knave of the Week. "So, Trebeck, we meet again." Striving to maintain courteousity.... Caller X (2/23/08) flapflapflapflapflapflap CLANG!!! Ow, my f**king head!!! flapflapflapflapflapflap -A. Lapland Longspur (2/23/08) Watching Amy on "TODAY" all I can say is "what a flake." Her gushy interview with the GROWING PAINS cast made me gag. Shallow, self-serving, pointless. Shoes and dresses next, from WALMART -as if she ever shops there for clothing. Give me a break NBC. Then the tease for tomorrows show, fashion trends for your PETS ( I think) wow thats hard hitting important stuff, "L"Amy. Not enough real topics to cover with the election, the war, the weather, economy, etc? (2/23/08) It is not the towers that kill the birds per se, it is they are attracted to certain forms of lighting and they hit the tower trying to get to the light. Now, they also hit those lovely eco-friendly windmills too. (2/23/08) Remember "Smilin' Bob" and his dopey TV commercials for Enzyte? The head of the company and his mom have been found guilty of fraud, to the tune of $100 million. Details at ap.google.com. Laugh at THAT Bob, ya nutjob... (2/23/08) Re:Towers and birds- The challenge is finding accurate non-biased information. With agendas being promoted, it's hard to figure out what is really going on. The towerkill site says up to 50 million birds are killed by towers each year. I found one estimate of the entire bird population in the USA as 3 to 5 billion. If this is accurate perhaps a billion birds will die each year for some reason. One estimate is not enough, but until the total population is known, the significance of tower kills can not be determined. Googling bird kill topics revealed a report that says perhaps 39 million birds are killed each year in Wisconsin by cats. The breathless implication is what about the other states, and once you do the math it's clear dear Kitty is going to wipe out all birds in the USA soon. Another site discusses the Wisconsin cat study and methodology that apply to any research (including radio music research) www.straypetadvocacy.org... The thing about Google is it will return results for what you enter i.e. a misspelled word produces credible looking web pages with the misspelled word. If you fear your severe headache might be the Ebola virus, Google that and have a nice day. Consider this for your night reading: en.wikipedia.org (2/23/08) Dave's response: That Wikipedia article is must-reading for station public relations people around radio or TV ratings time. Ha ha ha..... Our Playlists Are Safe, And We Are always Very Careful... 94.7 The Glove (2/23/08) /\ February 23 Messages /\ \/ February 22 Messages \/ Once again, The Baltimore Sun embarrasses itself with another article www.baltimoresun.com about Marc Steiner being fired by Marc Steiner without mentioning that Marc Steiner is an investor in WYPR and is on the Board of Directors. Why does The Baltimore Sun care about Marc Steiner more than Marc Steiner or the general public cares about Marc Steiner? Because his replacement is a Baltimore Sun columnist maybe? Hmmmm. In any case, what a NON-STORY, bad journalism, and a pathetic excuse for a newspaper. -- Joe in Essex (2/22/08) " Re: Towers and birds. One point is "where are the dead birds?" Are there confirmed reports of thousands of bird bodies found near towers?... Here is one example that demonstrates the potential magnitude of the problem: On Jan. 22, 1998, an estimated 10,000 Lapland longspurs were killed on a foggy, snowy night, when they collided with a 420' television tower in western Kansas. This case was documented by a FWS biologist named Al Manville. One tower, one night, 10,000 neotropical migrating birds." Lemmy get this right you had 10,000 birds that were killed by flying into a 420' vertical tower? How wide was that thing? Also how big was that flock? Or were all the birds flying in a stacked formation .. (2/22/08) To Caller X: Had you bothered to actually listen to Jeopardy you would've know that the, as you call her, Plumper Rachel is nicknamed "Steve." She's had that name all thru high school. She did NOT have to go by "Steve" she chose to. (2/22/08) Watching Jeopardy this evening on the local ABC affiliate, and I noticed that they had two contestants named "Rachel" and the plumper one had to go by the name "Steve". UNFAIR, Mr. Alex Trebeck!!! All THREE contestants should have to use a pseudonym. For this, Mr. Alex Trebeck is the Knave of the Week. By the way, Michael Hughes of WJFK-FM, Jim Rome continues to blow dead German Shepherds stuck inside of dead donkeys stuck inside of dead bears. He spent ten minutes tonight doing what was effectively a commercial for Bombay Sapphire (shall I complain to the FCC about the de facto ad for liquor on your air, Michael? Hipping your listeners to the joys of warm wine enemas is one thing, but this took it to a whole new, and perhaps actionable, level), and yes I turned it OFF, so I could watch Jeopardy. Please do something about your 7 - 10 p.m. schedule. If only there were a show you could bring up from Florida and plug directly into the lineup. It might even generate some ad revenue. Caller X. (2/22/08) I "second" the Pardo birthday wishes! On nights when Don Pardo is not available on SNL, Darrell Hammond will fill in for him, unbeknownst to the viewer. Hammond is amazing with his voice impersonations. I read about this in the Tom Shales SNL book. -Silvie- (2/22/08) Let me get this straight. O'Reilly has to apologize for using the term "lynching party" while defending Obama's wife? What have we come to where a conservative cannot defend a liberal by using a perfectly appropriate phrase that fit the situation. O'Reilly should have told whoever was complaining to go to hell. (2/22/08) Hooray! Real programming on a digital TV subchannel! Funny that it should be WJLA signing up RTN since they already have very good subchannel programming in the form of Local Point TV. I sincerely hope RTN will bump off their next-to-useless Weather Now and that Local Point TV will continue along with the new RTN programming. ~~~ Hint to all the other stations that aren't doing anything with their subchannels: sign up with American Life TV network! Great stuff! (2/22/08) Dave's response: Damn! 300 channels on my cable system and no "Sea Hunt"..... ***The guy who sings "Freecreditreport.com" is Eric Violette, a Canadian.*** Thanks for the heads-up, Al. My Canadian half has contacted Customs Canada to have his citizenship revoked and to have him removed from the country immediately! And, Charlie, since Dave is being a grump, you can contact me at ed@us1radio.com - Ed. Rodriguez (2/22/08) Dave's response: Me, grumpy? Gee, I hope you get lots of spam at that address. Ha ha ha..... soupcans.blogspot.com: "According to its Website, Capri Video in Shreveport, Louisiana is "a premium Adult Video Store featuring two large viewing theaters which previews only the best in video entertainment." It appears as if KTBS reporter Will Moses agrees that it is the best. He proved this on Wednesday night by showing up at the adult video store and was arrested for caught "masturbating" in one of the theaters. How very Pee Wee Herman of him." (2/22/08) My position on 3WT has nothing to do with how good they are. Syndicated talk is great for a small market that has no local talk. It's cheap and can be sold. I just don't understand why Bonneville would program it in DC - - even their WTWP was a strange choice. WTWP would have, in time, gained ratings from WTOP. Assuming they improved it. 3WT is also targeted to take listeners from WTOP, WMAL, and all the little non-rated AMs that have sports and syndicated talk programming. Could they beat WMAL? Yes, but not with syndicated talk. TK would be fine if he were on 12 months a year. To beat another station, you have to be better, or different. They could have chosen Polka as a format, but that would only pick up a .6 share. It's not the talent, it's the format. Ed Graham (2/22/08) The passing of Bill Hamlin is truly sad news. Following him every night for several years at W-Lite was a treat. I could always count on Bill to hit me with a sarcastic comment based on the day’s news or the foibles of management. And – he ALWAYS pulled my carts! Sometimes two or three hours worth! My condolences to his family. He was a pro’s pro with pipes from God. Hopefully, someone will post info on any memorial services that may be planned. (2/22/08) So sorry to read about Bill Hamlin. I did a traffic report at the tail end of his overnight shift on 94.7 many years ago. He was always fun, gracious and a true professional. We could use more like him in our business. Farewell, Bill. –Brian (2/22/08) The guy who sings "Freecreditreport.com" is Eric Violette, a Canadian. Al McGilvray (2/22/08) Speaking of shady advertisers I wonder if Paul Harvey will report on this.... press.experian.com (2/22/08) Happy Friday, Dave and All! Hey, the surest sign yet that the Belt Buckle Kid has his hungry eyes on WTEM was Vinny Cerra-toady bringin' it strong to the mic this morning with the D-O-C. Up to now, I thought 'TEM talent was on the excrement-list. Only one thing could thaw THAT ice out this morning. Shame, 'cuz the FSR programs and heads are far more entertaining than the stiffs from the Poker network. Somehow, I think ol' Danny Boy will be throwing out the bathwater, the baby, and the bathtub itself once he gets his turd-touch paws on the controls at 1801. Be safe out there, everyone. Frank in Arlington (2/22/08) Happy Birthday Don Pardo! (In that "Live At Five" clip from 1987, he intros Jack Cafferty, Sue Simmons and Al Roker on WNBC-TV. Where are THEY now?) -- Well, Sue is still anchoring on WNBC! And not taking herself too seriously. Witness her annual groundhog impression: Video: www.wnbc.com... --Rockville Bill (2/22/08) I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Bill Hamlin. My condolences to his family. Bill was, indeed, a gentleman and a scholar, a connoisseur of the arts and a performer and broadcaster of the highest order! He was very generous with his time for a newbie. I had the distinct pleasure of working with him at WJMD/WLTT and, as did many others, enjoyed many extended off-air conversations with him on a wide range of topics. Would have made GREAT RADIO! Enjoy the opera (and The Theatre) up there Bill! We'll miss you! // Bill Stabler, Rockville, MD (2/22/08) “Isn't "The Best of Doc Walker" an oxymoron?” – that might be worse than “the best of Andy Polley”. (2/22/08) No offense to being called "Granny". It's a funny story. As for Kornhieser...as I said "the only game in town". He's a bit obnoxious, a bit full of himself add to that basically a one trick pony. Sportscasters, good ones don't sound like that. GOOD ONES. As for Ed, we go back a long time. He's a dreamer that can create reality if given the tools. It's that simple. Regards-Gr----:0) (2/22/08) Dave's response: The very second I hear "Idol" crap on a radio show, I'm gone. Take that, Korny. Ditto, whenever I hear that dingbag slacker singing that "Free Credit Report.com" jingle..... Just heard about Bill Hamlin’s passing and having worked him from 1987 to 1993 at W-Lite, I can only say he was probably one of the few radio personalities about whom I’ve never heard anyone say anything negative… I’ll, forever, remember his smile and that twinkle in his eye… a great broadcaster and friend to all who knew him! Bye Bill… (2/22/08) Is satellite radio actually worth the $$. The thought of paying for radio revolts me, but I'm actually considering it. BTW, which is better, XM or Sirius? (2/22/08) Dave's response: If you're gay (OutQ), love football, and Howard Stern, Sirius is for you. However, if you'd like to see Oprah, Opie, and Anthony (all together) nude, and are into baseball, it's XM for you..... Re: Outlet Co.'s WTKS 102.3 FM... Let's not forget how close that frequency came to going all-news in 1983: DCMemories.com (2/22/08) No offense intended, this how your post was signed, Granny-:0) Let's move on. You just aren't getting the point. As for Tony, his last rating book was Spring of '07 and he was #2, men 25-54 during his hours and competitive in other key demos. Anyway, my apologies for mistakenly addressing you as "Granny". Your loyalty to your friend is admirable. Like the current presidential primary campaigns, we will all know which pundits are right and wrong once the votes are cast. (2/22/08) Isn't "The Best of Doc Walker" an oxymoron? (2/22/08) Hi Dave - Last week, dozens of volunteers from Comcast, United Way of the National Capital Area and Burlington Coat Factory recently gathered at THEARC in DC to distribute more than 2,250 winter coats to local organization during Metro Washington’s first Comcast ‘Bundle Up and Share the Warmth’ campaign. More than 40 charitable agencies were onsite to receive their allotment of donated items. Comcast donated $50,000 to the United Way towards the purchase of the items donated and conducted an employee coat donation activity which yielded nearly 300 coats for the cause. Locally, Comcast contributes more than $30 million annually to local non-profits and community based programs designed to support, educate, and empower local youth and adults. Best, Jaye (2/22/08) You can call me Granny….You can call me..whatever. But your definitions of “success”???? Let’s talk numbers..TK has none. At least by the term of successful “numbers”. He’s the only game in town, simple as that. Weak staff, weak signals…weak programming does not constitute success. Ed(Graham) has no axe to grind, he has no grand illusions about what should be done to crank up quality radio. He’s a gentleman and he’s everything I said he is. If he was to see an opportunity to program that was in his mind a strong possibility, he’d take it in a heartbeat and I’d be with him. PLB(Granny, for the sarcastic):0) (2/22/08) Re: Towers and birds. One point is "where are the dead birds?" Are there confirmed reports of thousands of bird bodies found near towers?... Here is one example that demonstrates the potential magnitude of the problem: On Jan. 22, 1998, an estimated 10,000 Lapland longspurs were killed on a foggy, snowy night, when they collided with a 420' television tower in western Kansas. This case was documented by a FWS biologist named Al Manville. One tower, one night, 10,000 neotropical migrating birds. Tommy (2/22/08) WTEM is actually playing the "best of Doc Walker". You mean to tell me that they can't get one person to come to work when every single station on the dial has their regular people on the air? They are actually running a segment about an "upcoming" game between the Giants and Dallas. What a sad excuse for a radio station. (2/22/08) Dave's response: As of 10 AM here in Wild West Fairfax, the roads and parking lots are fine. Just wet. A few slippery spots on the walkways. Not nearly as bad an "ice storm" as we had early last week. Your biggest danger today is going to be all the other dopey drivers out there - either the Reckless Ronalds or the Timid Tanyas..... When 102.3 became WTKS, its format, much to my delight, became beautiful instrumentals/easy listening (BM/EZ)--the last BM/EZ startup in the DC area. It was awhile later that they adopted the adult contemporary (AC) format (much easier sounding than what is called AC nowadays, more like what Sirius has on its so-called easy listening channel). It was a satellite-delivered (?) thing called "Magic" -- hence "Magic 102.3" which was the exact same music as was playing on "Magic 98.3" in Charles Town WV. If memory serves me right, the "Magic 102.3 moniker" continued after Outlet sold the station and it went urban adult contemporary. (2/22/08) Re: 2/21 news item, Is PBS Still Necessary? -- They've made themselves irrelevant. They're as bland, repetitive, and biased as any commercial channel. Cultural shows have given way to endless concerts of stuck-in-the-50s acts. They don't even explore the best of world TV anymore--maybe the internet has taken over that function; I found such shows as Lano & Woodley, The Mighty Boosh, and I Am Not An Animal on my own while MPT and WETA are still stuck on the same shows they imported 25 years ago. If all the PBS stations were to go dark this minute, I can't even imagine missing them. (2/22/08) Thank you for the picture and birthday information on Don Pardo. One of the great broadcast voices of all times. I always get a kick listening to him on Weird Al's parody "I Lost on Jeopardy". PLB was mentioning the disco format. I am sure many will remember the days of WKTK as Disco 105. It was destined to be short lived as many of the formats on K-105 at that time. Could never get use to those platform shoes, but they looked good. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (2/22/08) Born on Feburary 22, 1918 - longtime NBC staff announcer and voice of Saturday Night Live - Don Pardo! He turns 90 today and you'll hear him this weekend, as SNL gears-up with all-new episodes, now that the writers' strike is over. He has been the voice of SNL since it began in 1975, except for a handful of episodes. Here's a clip from the 1980s, as he opens the NYC afternoon newscast "Live At Five" on WNBC-TV. www.youtube.com (2/22/08) The past 24 hours have been rough for air talent, both in the Washington area and the Florida Keys. At 2.30 Wednesday morning, US-1 Radio/Conch Country weekender Owen Cash died suddenly of viral pneumonia at the age of 34. All of us at the stations have expressed our condolences to his wife, Christina. Then, this afternoon, I received the sad news about friend and co-worker Bill Hamlin's passing. When I arrived at WJMD in 1971, Bill was the very picture of a "bon vivant;" a witty, funny, snappy dresser. He was doing afternoon drive and, like Craig Ashwood, I was captivated by his voice and style on the air. Bill was a very kind, patient coach to the 18 year old "new kid," with hair to his shoulders and a beat up field jacket. When I returned to 94.7 in it's Classic Rock incarnation as WARW, Bill was the one who broke me in during his overnight show. We had a great time recalling war stories and plotting improvements for The Arrow. And, as others have noted, if you got Bill going on the topic of theatre, you'd better pull up a chair and settle in for awhile! In the early 1970's, his brother, Mark, was the PD at KIKI in Honolulu and, knowing my love of Top 40 radio, Bill always ran off airchecks and jingle demos that Mark would send. A very, very nice man... and one of the "coolest cats" that I will ever know, left us today and he left a very large, lonely, yet warm place in many of our hearts. You are missed already, Bill! - Ed. (2/22/08) This is from Steve's Dahl's blog. I thought Don G. would like to read it. Don, I would like to hear you give more credit to Dahl for being your radio guru. Pia-Steve's #1 fan... "Thursday, February 21, 2008 - 30 Years - I was all prepared to tell you that thirty years ago on February 21, 1978, I did my first broadcast here in Chicago. Due to the magic of the Internet and a Google search of 1978, I have learned that President’s Day was on February 20th in 1978. I had my 30th Broadcast Anniversary on Wednesday unbeknownst to me and everybody else to whom I insisted it was February 21st 1978. The bad news is that I got it wrong. The good news is that I’ve already gotten it over with. I have been proclaiming with utter certainty to everyone at CBS radio that the date is unequivocally February 21st. My screw-up actually bolsters my argument that it’s not about the date, but more about being there. Ooops! It was definitely on WDAI 94.7 and it began, just as my show does, now at 5:30 a.m. I remember being irritated that it was a holiday (President’s Day) and that I was wasting my immeasurable talent on an immeasurable audience. In fact, I had a lot to learn in the talent department, and the audience actually was immeasurable, leading to the rapid demise of Classic Rock WDAI and the emergence of the all-new Disco WDAI. I went to The Loop and the rest, as they say, is history. According to my calculations, 5 days a week for 48 weeks a year (vacations subtracted) for thirty years is 7,200 radio shows, or thereabouts. The most important thing about doing a radio show is actually showing up. That might be why they call it a “show.” I’ll admit there have been some days during the last 30 years where showing up was the Disco SUCKSmost challenging part of my day ("I’m only here as a courtesy to Garry"). I’ve had the support of a lot of talented coworkers over the years, a loving family, and the best fans in the world, all of whom have been willing to roll with the changes and cut me a lot of slack. I know how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to be beamed into your bedrooms, your cars, and your offices for lo these many years, and I promise you that I never take it for granted. So on Thursday, I was just planning on getting up, taking a shower and coming downtown to do another show. That’s what I do. It shouldn’t really be a big deal to anyone other than myself, and I am genuinely proud of what I have accomplished. The most important thing about being on the radio is being there every day for people who have come to depend on you, or better yet, have come to think of you as a friend. I always say that I don’t have any friends; in fact, I have far too many to count (and could always use a few more). So I’ll do my part for Steve Dahl Show #7201, and you do your part. Get up and listen-- and remember, without you, I don’t have a job." (2/22/08) /\ February 22 Messages /\ \/ February 21 Messages \/ Granny, I'm sure Mr. Graham is everything you say but unless you left out fortune teller the issue is simple. To project ratings with a line up that is less than a month old demonstrates naivety or an axe to grind. The syndicataed shows on 3WT have demonstrated success in critical demos in a number of large and major markets. Stephaine Miller and Glenn Beck showed some life in DC on stations most people couldn't hear. Add to that the documented rating success of Tony Kornheiser one has to wonder how anyone short of a mystic can call the game after one month. That's the only point here. (2/21/08) In 30+ years in DC/Baltimore radio I worked for: WYRE, WSBA AM & FM(York), WLPL, WPGC (2 X's),WWDC, WBAL, WFBR, Xtra-104, WMZQ (2X's),Mix 107.3/Q-107 (2 X's), WRC-AM (2 X's), WGAY, WCXR and some WTOP-owned FM MOR station that I can't even remember the call letters for! It was a great ride but now I'm glad I'm raising my twins and running my horse farm on the Chesapeake Bay near Gibson Island,Md. Linda Kelly (2/21/08) Dave's response: Wasn't that WTOP-owned MOR station WTKS? After the legendary progressive rock WHFS was silenced on 102.3 in 1983, the Outlet Company, which then owned WTOP, planned a talk station on 102.3 with the WTKS calls. But it never happened, instead becoming an adult contemporary outlet..... Well Craig, you did it; You went and made me go look up the meaning of "interstitial". And what I found was, "situated in the small, narrow spaces between tissues or parts of bodily organs." Eww-ww.... And they said WARW had no guts. (2/21/08) Dave's response: "Interstitial programs" are the features and promos that a non-commercial network like HBO or TCM runs between the end of a movie/program (a la 6:46) and the beginning of the next movie/program (a la 7:00)..... WBAL Radio host Shari Elliker was on CNN’s Situation Room yesterday. Carol Costello took a look at the controversy surrounding Michelle Obama’s “lack of patriotism” comment. Shari’s view as well as other viewpoints of the quote were discussed. The segment can be seen on wbal.com. Shari can be heard on WBAL AM 1090 and wbal.com weekday mornings 9am – noon. Here is the link to the clip -- wbal.com (2/21/08) The whole idea of "virtual channels" for HDTV conversion was a ridiculously dumb one from the start, but the industry wanted it and the industry gets what it wants from its bought and paid for FCC. If you can't even adapt to simple TV channel changes, then evolution has clearly passed you by. :-) Joe in Essex (2/21/08) Hey you the ***thead with the "hard on" for Ed Graham. I think you need a shot of reality. Ed was in the Baltimore/DC market for many many years, he ran a lot of operations that enjoyed success. His job was to bring in numbers and cut budget, (you were probably one of the victims of the cuts) . He did that successfully. Of course there were failures. But, never did he forecast failure for Limbaugh, Sports Talk, Howard Stern etc. He did predict failure for Disco..right on the money. He pioneered talk radio for small markets with success. He has never sat on the sidelines. The only reason The American Radio Network failed was due to a very questionable partnership. He also was the first in the country to try to start an ethnically programmed Public Radio Network. In fact, it was funded by the A.S. Abel foundation. The money ran out, the idea was supurb. Through all of his trials he has remained a devoted and thought provoking radio entrepenauer. He is usually way ahead of the curve. If the right opportunity arrived he would still bring success to the table. He is the LAST person on earth that is afraid of change. ANG/PLB/Granny-:0) (2/21/08) Bill was the only on-air personality talented enough to transition from beautiful music WJMD to WLTT and then to WARW. He and I worked back to back shifts for many years and when I retired as shop steward, he took over. When W-Lite used to throw Halloween parties at Lulu’s, we would use Bill’s tremendous voice talent for Dracula promos that ran on the station. Bill had a great sense of humor and was passionate about classical music—particularly opera—he had a tremendous record collection. And, because he hated commuting to work, he always lived across the street from the station- first in Chevy Chase when WJMD was across the street from Saks Fifth Avenue, and the up to Rockville Pike to the new WLTT studios. So, obviously, Bill was rarely late for work! (2/21/08) Re "As we all know, McCain has an emotionally challenged media and telecommunications lobbyist part time personal interest and travel agent, according to Drudge and the New York Times." /// It would be less difficult to decipher your babble if you could write a cogent sentence. That was coincidentally and simultaneously the worst sentence I have read in quite awhile (2/21/08) 9 stations for Chris Emry: WAYE, DC-101, 98 Rock, B-104, WXZL, WQSR, WPOC, WOCT, WZBA… (2/21/08) Interesting moment on Ch. 9 early morning newscast today: Kim Martucci's computer was giving her fits, which she admitted, and then threw it to the traffic chick with "it's going to be cold and increasingly cloudy today ... 1-3 inches of snow tonight ... changing to freezing rain or rain in the morning ... could be really messy." No color-coded map, no discussion of the alleged storm's track, no wavy rain-snow line, no scenes of salt trucks and plows. Just a 10 second summary of her best guess at the weather. That's all I ever need or want. (2/21/08) I will raise my glass and toast the memory of Bill Hamlin. To his family, my sincerest condolences. May you find comfort in knowing he put smiles on many a DC resident throughout the years. Paul (2/21/08) Buzz is still married to Marsha. Listen to his newscasts. At least once a week he will have a story about how couples who have been married "too long". Don usually pushes him a bit and asks if he has anyone in particular in mind. I think the last one was Valentines day when Buzz said that he and his wife had a sign they have been together too long when they bought each other the same valentines day card at the same car wash. (2/21/08) I'm embarrassed to be from the same town as Ron from Potomac Falls (which is a fancy way of saying "Sterling") VA. (2/21/08) Ed that is exactly the point. Anyone in the business for at least 30 years remember when seers like yourself predicted a quick death for talk radio on FM, Limbaugh would never work and a prominent broadcast executive in mid 1980's said Talk Radio was dead and that Howard Stern would fail in any market other than New York because he wasn't local. I also remember the prediction KTWV (Los Angeles), the first WAVE, would be the disco of the 90's and die within a year. The same was said about WIP AND WFAN when they first boldly jumped into all sports. There are many more examples. During the first year (and in some cases longer) in these formats the Ed Graham's of the world kept sitting on the sidelines predicting doom and gloom based on nothering but perhaps fear of change and being left behind. I bet you also predicted a short life for that silly television show "Seinfeld". (2/21/08) Who has worked the most radio stations in the DC/Baltimore Market? WPGC-WMAL-FM-WMAL-WMOD-WYRE-WDON-WITH-WBSB-WKTK-WBAL-WCBM-WBIG-WXTR-I think Davy Jones has the record. Though many of his jobs were part-time. -BOBB (2/21/08) ("WFED is D.C. United's new radio flagship? WFED barely qualifies as a flag-dinghy. What in the world is the point of this?") WMET was getting more per hour from their brokered programming and had to cut them loose. So DC United had to find a station that was desperate enough to take them on for a couple of hundred bucks in rights fees. The broadcast itself it worthless to WFED, MLS has all the major categories locked up, so I guess it was a marraige of desperation. Even Red Zebra turned them down. (2/21/08) WFED is D.C. United's new radio flagship? WFED barely qualifies as a flag-dinghy. What in the world is the point of this? Everett W. (2/21/08) Re: “Question for Ed. The 3WT Line-up was launched on January 21, 2008. Did his Baltimore station hit a 7.4 in less than month? Even looking at the irrelevant 12+ figures that would be impressive. A 7.4 in four weeks. Wow!” …I think that you missed my point. It was not how fast the share will be achieved, but that 3WT will never do that by programming the current format to the demo they now have - - and that 3,000 watts did not inhibit their ratings. Put the right stuff on the air and people tune in. By the way those irrelevant 12+ numbers are not as good as the demographic breakdown for the little 3,000 watt FM. If my owners asked me to program 3WT the way it is, I would have to tell them that it might top out at 1.2 12+ with really bad demographics. So, the question from me is why are they doing that? They can’t expect to gain ratings, but they might take about half a point from WMAL. Could that be a reason to waste and FM signal? Ed Graham (2/21/08) When the WJFK stream goes out or it is running commercials like yesterday, go to Don & Mike's website, click on affiliates and go to the Florida affiliates website. They stream the show and I've never had a problem with their stream. (2/21/08) I was the Program Director for WARW between 1993 and 1998, and worked with Bill Hamlin the whole time. What a true gentleman he was! Multi-talented, always willing to do what was necessary for the work, and great sounding on the air. For budget reasons, we didn’t have a station imaging voice, so one day I thought – HAH! – what about using Bill? He didn’t have much exposure beyond the overnight shift, so it didn’t sound too strange using him throughout the day for this purpose. He was so humble that he couldn’t understand why I’d want him to voice interstitials…I had to sit him down in one of the production rooms and convince him he would sound good! And he did. Bill was a broadcaster and a good one, but anyone who knew him knew that his first love was theatre. Boy, get him going on that and you’d be talking all night! A real class act. He’ll be missed. Craig Ashwood (2/21/08) "Was it really necessary for WUSA/9 to use most of its noon newscast today as a live promotion for its age 50+ Web site?" I immediately put it on channel 7, rather than watch this infomercial masquerading as a newscast. (2/21/08) Bill Hamlin was truly one of the best -- professionally and personally -- I've ever worked with in the biz. And, I had the pleasure of seeing a number of his theater performances at Montgomery County venues at the time we were working together at WARW. He often showed up for his shift still in full stage makeup. He was an extremely gifted performer. And, oh how he enjoyed discussing his love of home theater. Gary Chase (2/21/08) Was it really necessary for WUSA/9 to use most of its noon newscast today as a live promotion for its age 50+ Web site? Not even J.C. Hayward could make all of the gratuitous shilling palatable. Everett W. (2/21/08) Just curious – is Buzz Burbank still married? We never hear any mention of Marcia. (2/21/08) Dave's response: I hear Buzz and Mike got married at a secret ceremony in the Netherlands over Christmas break..... Re: Towers and birds. One point is "where are the dead birds?" Are there confirmed reports of thousands of bird bodies found near towers? Research this on the Internet, but in addition to the expected pro and con sites about towers and birds, look at bird population and mortality in general. The point is millions or even billions of birds are born and die every year. Even 10,000 tower bird deaths are year are statistically insignificant to the species. I would go further to suggest a pure physical death by tower is of much less concern than viral and widespread environmental effects that could kill billions of birds. (2/21/08) Funny you should mention Arthur Godfrey... I phoned him up the other day at WJSV's Gravelly Point studios, and this is all he had to say: DCMemories.com (mp3 file) (2/21/08) Re: ("How long is WJFK going to abort the same baby over and over and over from 7 to 10 weeknights?") Reading that statement is like watching a dude take a football to the groin. *wince* (2/21/08) Dave's response: Honestly, JFK would probably get better ratings simply by rerunning Don and Mike from 7 PM to 11 PM..... When the FCC imposes these ridiculous fines on broadcast station for whatever trifling thing they want to, where does the money go? Is there some non-profit that benefits? Is the FCC generating fees to get their own paychecks higher? (2/21/08) TMU is abolutely correct about the Star Registry. But as bad as they are, they never promise anything for free. The commercial for Internet Speedway clearly says "call for your free CD now". Then when you call the number, they pretend they are out, and try to sell you something. That is clearly bait and switch. I e mailed the "honest" program director at WTOP and never got a response. I tried calling the sales department, and no one is ever there. I never thought a religious based company would flat out steal from its listeners. I simply don't understand why broadcast legends like Ed Rodriguez would defend such a practice. (2/21/08) Who has worked at the most stations? This question could fill the mailbag for days. I remember that Barry Richards worked at two stations not on the list: WEEL and WDON (remember Disco DON?) and probably more. Jack Diamond was Bruce Diamond on WEEL back in the mid 70's, and I'm sure he had other stops before landing at Mix. I would say that just about everyone who has been in the market more than 10 years has worked at three or more stations. Remember, there used to be a lot of employment opportunities on small radio stations before the days of consolidation, voice tracking and satellite-fed talk programming. I would say that you would have to work at five or more to make this "hall-of-fame" list. Marc in Fairfax (2/21/08) Dave's response: Loo Katz and "Big Don" O'Brien have worked at many stations around the region..... What local area DJ holds the record for most local station broadcast gigs? Two DJs I can can think of have three stations each, Don Geronimo (WPGC,WAVA,WJFK) & "Hairy" Barry Richards (WINX, WUST, WHMC and one Baltimore station (don't remember which). WIBG is sounding good today, more "sex" talk on the "SPORT" Junkies though! (2/21/08) Dave's response: WIBG? Gee, wouldn't a resurrection of the famous Philly "top 40" outlet be great! You must mean WBIG. The only thing I like about 100.3 is that they play "Evil Woman" every hour..... Will Chris Core say as many nasty things today about Republicans and John McCain as he did about John Kerry and Democrats when Drudge reported a Kerry affair investigation four years ago? As we all know, McCain has an emotionally challenged media and telecommunications lobbyist part time personal interest and travel agent, according to Drudge and the New York Times. Chris Core should repeat all the nasty things he said about Kerry four years ago before that story turned out wrong, and replace Kerry with McCain and rail against the morally bankrupt (now Republican party). Chris, ask this morning (the same way you asked four year's ago) "Is the Republican party dead because of lack of morals with its leaders?" and "Can the Republican party get anything right?" (2/21/08) Are plans in the works for the last week of the Don and Mike show in Rockville for the cats to get in a van at 3 pm and make they're way around the beltway back to the studios at toothless fairfax with the last mile down mainstreet having Don and Mike switching over to a cadillac convertible and riding triumphantly to the studios as adoring fans throw flower petals as they pass (2/21/08) A couple of minutes with Google demonstrates that Internet Speedway is dubious at best . . . but, while we’re picking out dubious deals that are advertised MASSIVELY on the radio, howzabout that International Star Registry? Here’s a clue – you have the same right and power to “name” a star that the International Star Registry does. They take your money, they send you a nice certificate, they “assign” you a star, and they write it down in a book, which is nominally copyrighted – which you can do, too. Their system isn’t recognized by professional astronomers; just hit Wikipedia or Google, and you’ll see what the deal is. Sincerely, TMU (2/21/08) Hey Charlie- if you send something to Dave, he'll forward your e-mail to me and I will give it to Eddie Gallaher, who will pass it on to Arthur Godfrey at WJSV's Gravelly Point studios, and he will pass it along to Tom Gauger at WIODon the Wonderful Isle Of Dreams, thus finding it's way back in time to me in the Official City of the Past, Key West, Florida! - ER (2/21/08) Dave's response: Sorry, but I do not forward e-mail between posters. Read the disclaimer at the top of this page..... WJSV / WTOP had their studios in the Earle Theater building for many years. Much of the decor looked mid-30s - shiny black hallway with chrome strips. The theater and building changed name to "Warner" in the 1950s or 60s??? (2/21/08) Hey Ed Rod - How does someone contact you since in checking the webpages for the stations, there is no link to send you anything. Charlie (2/21/08) To the lad or lassie who queried as to when WTOP was owned by CBS: "In June, 1932, the station was purchased by CBS and moved from Mount Vernon Hills to Alexandria, Virginia, and became the CBS outlet in Washington with studios in the Shoreham Building. (The station was off the air for about three months during this transition period and resumed broadcasting on October 20, 1932.) ... In February, 1949, The Washington Post Company purchased 55% of WTOP from CBS. ... The Washington Post Company purchased the remaining 45% of WTOP from CBS in December 1954." Source: History of WTOP at WTOPNews.com By the way, prior to 1932, WMAL 630AM, (owned by the M. A. Leese Optical Co.) was DC's affiliate of the Columbia Broadcasting System.. Arthur Godfrey made WMAL his home in those days. (2/21/08) Reply to weather forecasters: I guess you are to scared to leave your name and city "Kim or Sue"? Your exact quote: "I wondered how long it would be before someone whined about the weather forecast and Ron Potomac Falls didn't disappoint. Everyone missed by about 50 miles. Oh dear. Well, it must be time to fire the lot of them and get an all new crew of suckers for untutored criticism. Then when they miss a forecast by 50 miles they too can be fired and we'll just keep repeating this charade of keeping forecasters to their word. In the meantime, I'll send Ron Potomac Falls a crate of weenies to survive on." God Damn, a 6 sentence response and still not sure of what she is trying to say..."Everyone missed by about 50 miles. Oh dear." Then you go on to say..."Then when they miss a forecast by 50 miles they too can be fired and we'll just keep repeating this charade of keeping forecasters to their word." Make up your fucking mind 50 miles or 75?? or 30?? or 25?? in Baseball it is still 3 strikes and you are out. It's about time that all local stations should just outsource there weather forecast to a local farmer somewhere on a hillside near a creek and when the cows go down to the creek, it will be a nice day...when the cows stay up on the hill...somethings up! Notice how I say "somethings up"..............because I still would have no idea what the fuck is happening. Ron, Potomac Falls (2/21/08) BTWS, isn't Ms. Martucci's hair color more balsamic vinegar in color than red? Is this a tribute to Mrs. Slocum? (2/21/08) Dave's response: No "pussy" jokes, please..... I approach tv weather prognosticators as entertainment not sources of information. Hell it's all carnival barkerisms (can I copyright that word) at this point with regards to so called tv news. And print journalism ain't so good no more either, neither. All hell it all sucks! As for Ms. Martucci what happened to that swimsuit calendar she was going to do for 2008? I heard it was to raise funds for a scholarship at Princeton for future weathermun's? What does lil' danny plan to do with WTEM if'en he gets it? Same programming as dead zebra's? Dump all current staff at WTEM unless they imbibe of the Cool-Aid? What did the late Marge Schott say about that Nazi leader? He was good at the start but then he just went too far? Passed by the dreadskin show on Comcast last week with Bam Weenstein and that handsome Larry Michael. Vinny cerratoe was the guest. Something about that dude always conjures up thoughts of the Don and Mike character Vinny the elf or was that cousin Luigi. Wasn't there also a Trumbull and Core character that sounded like Vinny the elf? Anyways Vinny said he couldn't really talk about the Chad Johnson thing cause that would be tampering. Then I'm Bam Weenstein chimed in he certainly could ask the Bengals about chad Johnson if'en he wanted. But au contraire is not I'm Bam Weenstein also a dreadskin employee and thus can not inquire neither cause that would be tampering? Speaking of cars was driving through Annandale the other night and saw this car about 3/4 the size of the Mini Cooper. I'd only seen this car before on that tv. Hell the car was exiting onto the beltway. I'd be scared sh8tless driving that little thing on the fast and furious Beltway. Just suppose some crazed soccer mom in a ford excursion is on task to get her darling lil' becky to ballet class on time and she sees this midget car in front of her. Hey outta my way a88hole I'm Eva Braun! Whatever happened to H.B. Lantzsch? I worked as a lot boy(watch it) at the VW in toothless fairfax last century. (2/21/08) Memo to Mince Gynard: I came home last night and turned off my radididdlyo, but not before I heard Jim Rome talking about how taking calls was a sure sign of lack of preparation. Sure, Jim, and devoting half your show to reading imaginary congratulatory emails shows preparation. How long is WJFK going to abort the same baby over and over and over from 7 to 10 weeknights? This show is a stinking pile of poop. I've been in combat.... this is the worst sports-talk show... of all tiiiime. Caller X. (2/21/08) Hi Dave, The Weather Channel has the D.C. Area in hot pink for a major ice storm Friday. Which one of the local TV (cough,cough) 'meteorologists' will make the best or right call? Doesn't Bob Ryan & Doug Hill make about a half million a year? Well, now let's put THEM on the spot! All The Best, Dave in Waldorf ... BTW, I make $0.00 forecasting weather, but I betcha Friday might be a great day to stay at home and roast marshmallows and drink hot chocolate or you favorite beveridge. (2/21/08) Dave's response: Latest forecast I heard is snow late Thursday, changing to sleet then rain early Friday. The Weather Channel gets its ratings by hyping - not necessarily accurately predicting - the weather..... /\ February 21 Messages /\ \/ February 20 Messages \/ The late President Hinckley, coming from the West, would not have understood that WAVA is a historical callsign and stands for Arlington, Virginia. A delicious irony is that while Don and Mike broadcast from Arlington, WABS (the AM station) still owned the tower.--GAB in the Airless Cubicle (let me out!) (2/20/08) I wondered how long it would be before someone whined about the weather forecast and Ron Potomac Falls didn't disappoint. Everyone missed by about 50 miles. Oh dear. Well, it must be time to fire the lot of them and get an all new crew of suckers for untutored criticism. Then when they miss a forecast by 50 miles they too can be fired and we'll just keep repeating this charade of keeping forecasters to their word. In the meantime, I'll send Ron Potomac Falls a crate of weenies to survive on. (2/20/08) I had been waiting for the first person to post something about Internet Speedway because after hearing their ads for a few weeks only a fool would not suspect that is a scam. Try Google'ing Internet Speedway and see how many consumer advocacy groups have branded this company a fraud, scam, and worse. I could understand if one radio station accepted their ads and didn't realize what was happening but I hear their ads all over the dial. But as a prior poster mentioned there is nothing that these stations won't do for cash. (2/20/08) ***Perhaps Dave or Ed Rodriguez could do this and report back. *** Ummm... Dave? Remember what I said about meds this morning? - Ed. Rodriguez, DAMN GLAD to be in Key West now! (2/20/08) Reply Gordon Hinckley: your message read: "Certainly WAVA is not squeaky clean. If they were, why would they keep the same call letters as Don and Mike. The theory is that they are using the Devil's tools to help serve the lord." What the #*%#?& are you talking about....or "what the fuck are you talking about?" Amen, Ron Potomac Falls (2/20/08) Several years ago I met the grandson of the late Gordon Hinkley. Hinkley used to be the head of the Mormon church. The grandson was doing his mission in Washington, D.C. He was stunned that I knew the name. I mentioned to him that even low down heathens have morals, and even know something about religion. We talked about Bonnevile and religious businesses in general. He enlightened me by explaining that in practice, the central church does not keep a tight reign on their businesses as long as the money keeps rolling in. Certainly WAVA is not squeaky clean. If they were, why would they keep the same call letters as Don and Mike. The theory is that they are using the Devil's tools to help serve the lord. I do know however that WAVA cancelled a big buy from Internet Speedway because of all of the complaints. If one person from WTOP would call the toll free number, they could hear the scam for themselves. Perhaps Dave or Ed Rodriguez could do this and report back. (2/20/08) RE: "Anybody know what Kane was talking about today when he said he did something indecent that he wants to tell everyone about before it becomes public knowledge that would affect the way the show sounds and would affect everyone but would not say what it is or was until Thursday at 7am?" - OK, this is an easy one. NOBODY cares what Kane says or said. (2/20/08) This morning all the weather casters predicted snow advisories for 1-2 inches for area North and West of the city....where did the bulk of this clipper go....South and East......why am I not surprised. Each and every one of them should give there upcoming paychecks to a local charity of there choosing. Another winter storm is being predicted for Thursday evening into Friday a.m. please put me on TV, I will "SPEAK THE TRUTH" and ignore all computer models and just say "I have no idea how much snow, rain, freezing rain or sleet there will be". Ron, Potomac Falls (2/20/08) What is up with the JFK stream? Nothing but commercials for the last 25 minutes. Did Don have a fit and go off the air AGAIN? (2/20/08) Anybody know what Kane was talking about today when he said he did something indecent that he wants to tell everyone about before it becomes public knowledge that would affect the way the show sounds and would affect everyone but would not say what it is or was until Thursday at 7am? (2/20/08) Re:..."if it does not rhyme with “hunt” then what does it rhymes with?" I can help. It rhymes with pussy. Get it? Hope that helps. Jim (2/20/08) "Is anyone bold enough to tell me the word or if it does not rhyme with “hunt” then what does it rhymes with? Joan " //// Yes, Joan, I would be happy to assist you. The word which is so vexing to you also rhymes with beaver, pussy, kitty, trim, vageen, cooter, hey-nanny-nanny, quim, gash, poontang, snatch, bearded clam and meat pocket. (2/20/08) That top 50 journalists (Front Page) item dates back to September 2005. You might want to consider yanking it. (2/20/08) Dave's response: Thanks to you and all the others who pointed that out. Saw a link to the Washingtonian article today on a DC area blog and thought it was a new piece. The newsblurb is gone..... (Hey Dave, Just to flesh out your response: Dave's response: Face it. The truth is that MSNBC/CNN/NBC/CBS/ABC/NY Times/Washington Post/LA Times/Oprah/ is an arm of the Democratic Party and Fox is an arm of the Republican Party.....) you forgot NPR, BBC, BBC America, CNN international, al jazeera, CNBC, PBS, AP, reuters, time, newsweek and 95% of hollywood being in the arm of the DNC. and liberals actually have the nerve to get bent out of shape over fox news. (2/20/08) Question for Ed. The 3WT Line-up was launched on January 21, 2008. Did his Baltimore station hit a 7.4 in less than month? Even looking at the irrelevant 12+ figures that would be impressive. A 7.4 in four weeks. Wow! That should have made some news. (2/20/08) Tape is dead. www.hilcoind.com (2/20/08) I know this may sound stupid but I really do not know the “c” word that Jane Fonda used. They said it’s a 4 letter word and it rhymes with “hunt” but I’ve even looked on the internet and found oodles of “other” names but not the one she used. Is anyone bold enough to tell me the word or if it does not rhyme with “hunt” then what does it rhymes with? Joan (2/20/08) Dave, you asked what would keep, for instance, WDCW from calling themselves CW3 or whatever. The answer is the FCC, as I keep saying. Broadcasters cannot use just any channel number in their PSIP data, they MUST use their old analog numbers. This is so you can flip through on a DTV receiver just like you could on an analog one. If there weren't restrictions on how to use the PSIP data, then it would be useless and the whole idea of "virtual channels" scrapped. Regards, Dave Loudin (2/20/08) Anyone who gets his "news" from Oprah is an idiot. Howie (2/20/08) ("When WTOP was owned by CBS, every complaint was taken seriously") Um…when was that? (2/20/08) "...........In the case of KMOX in St Louis, they still do.................." Unlike WTOP, KMOX actually checks out potential advertisers before they are put on the air. Remember, Missouri is the "Show Me" state. It might be a CBS policy, but I am not sure. It is clearly not a Bonneville policy where they just want the money up front. Bonneville banned several gay commercials in Seattle when they owned KING. Apparantly Bonneville hates honest gays, but approves of crooked heteros. (2/20/08) So Dave says "Ditto for those mortgage ads featuring a guy talking about taking revenge against child abusers" Dave, are you saying that revenge against child abusers is a bad thing? My take has been that if anyone does anything to my daughter, he better hope the cops get him first. Porter Jervis (2/20/08) Dave's response: Legal "revenge," sure. I just don't what that mortage guy totin' a shotgun..... I certainly appears that someone hit a raw nerve with Ed Rodriguez. Does he work for Internet Speedway? Has Ed Rodriguez never heard of bait and switch? When dozens of listeners complain about a sponsor, an honest radio station will at least check it out and respond to the complaints. WTOP has done neither. All Bonneville seems to care about are the plates of gold that appear every month. When WTOP was owned by CBS, every complaint was taken seriously. Other CBS stations also responded to their listeners. In the case of KMOX in St Louis, they still do. They even respond to out of town listeners. WTOP on the other hand won't even e mail back people who live in Silver Spring. I guess Jim Farley is too busy accepting awards. (2/20/08) Snyder wants to buy DC101? Holy God, pleease - let him have it! He can overpay their morning hyena, while hiring an entirely new crew of inexperienced management and salespeople. He might bring back a veteran PD who had a nice run from 1983-92, but eventually, Danny takes over that job, too. Eventually he'll run the whole operation into the ground after booking a Carpenters cover band for the Chili Cookoff. In reality, if Snyder buys 101.1, they'll probably put 'Skins games on that stick, too. That's sick. (2/20/08) Hey Dave, Just to flesh out your response: Dave's response: Face it. The truth is that MSNBC/CNN/NBC/CBS/ABC/NY Times/Washington Post/LA Times/Oprah/ is an arm of the Democratic Party and Fox is an arm of the Republican Party..... (2/20/08) Dave's response: Drudge is a Republican..... 3WT had a fire - - could be arson. Are they heavily insured? Just kidding, but if I owned it, and didn't know how to fix it, the thought would cross my mind. You know, in Baltimore there is a 3,000 watt FM with a 7.4 share at number 3. They have discovered an interesting concept. They actually program stuff that their audience wants to hear. Sometimes a radio station will program to a target audience of 0.06 12+ and think that everyone should listen. 3WT is being programmed by people who think you should listen because it is on the air. Most listeners need a better reason. 3WT is a flawed concept. As Simon said last night on "Idol" you can sing a 60s song, and still make it current. Ed Graham (2/20/08) Inside Radio is reporting that Sima Birach has bought another $1.98 radio station: 940-AM WCND, Shelbyville, KY is the latest acquisition, purchased from Forever Broadcasting (who bought it from Clear Channel last autumn). WCND presently simulcasts an Oldies format from another Forever station, with a whopping 250 W day and ten W night. This acquisition is a mystery, as the signal falls completely short of Cincinnatti and barely scrapes Fort Knox. (2/20/08) Dave sez: "DCRTV hears that Bonneville talker 3WT's 107.7 FM transmitter was knocked off the air for several hours on 2/11..." Did anyone other than the engineers notice? (2/20/08) Dave's response: 107.7's one listener did complain..... MSNBC falls all over itself to reprimand an employee for mistakenly posting the wrong photo in a story about a Democrat. I am waiting for the news about the suspension of the little MSNBC news bunny for referring to the president of the United States as a "monkey" and then giggling about it. Can you advise when that news will be posted? (2/20/08) Dave's response: Face it. The truth is that MSNBC is an arm of the Democratic Party and Fox is an arm of the Republican Party..... The complaints about WTOP carrying ads for a "fraudulent" advertiser and the others carrying the gun show ads are baseless. Here's why. YOU, the accuser, must PROVE that the advertiser has been judged fraudulent in a court of law before you can accuse them of fraud. As a licensee of public airwaves, NO media outlet has the authority to pass that sort of judgement. In fact, the only real authority a broadcaster can exercise over advertisers is if they feel the ads are profane or patently offensive. Disgruntled customers do not fall under that category. And, Dave, I am ashamed of you for even THINKING about censorship of hardware that has been involved of a heinous, wretched crime! Banning ads for gun shows would be the same as banning ads for box cutters after 9/11 or banning the ads for Ford Crown Victorias after last weekend's drag racing tragedy! Instead, we should concern ourselves with overturning the draconian medical privacy laws that protect the records of unstable threats to society like Cho at Virginia Tech and the maniac at Northern Illinois University. If those schools had had access to the killers' medical/ psychiatric needs, I believe that many, many lives could have been saved! - Ed. Rodriguez, Key West FL (2/20/08) Dave's response: I'm not saying that radio stations should ban gun show ads. However, maybe the one that has some guy screaming "ammo, ammo, and more ammo" might be considered kinda tasteless, doncha think. Ditto for those mortgage ads featuring a guy talking about taking revenge against child abusers. Sheesh..... I find it amazing that with all of these big time radio awards, Bonneville and WTOP continue to air commercials from (allegedly) fraudulent companies such as "Internet Speedway". When I e mailed WTOP to complain, I never got a response. What a low class company. I don't care how many awards they get. Ripping off your listeners is not how so called "honest companies" do business. (2/20/08) Dave's response: How about local radio stations taking gun show ads touting "ammo, ammo, and more ammo" less than a year after Virginia Tech. Man..... Re "coincidentally simultaneously" Bravo ! A wordsmith of this caliber, comes but once in a lifetime. Sir, I sit in awe. /// Regarding Kim Martucci: I like her red hair too, and she seems tall to me too...I like that. I find her translucent skin subtly erotic, I like erotic things. She's looks like she would be fun to share a seat with on a Ferris Wheel. I bet she likes walking by the sea shore, so do I. I do find that Jay Leno chin a little offputting, but I would gladly hit it into shape. I would be willing to begin stalking her, provided her chin gets fixed and she is left with a dainty Kirk Douglas dimple. I like Kirk Douglas. I will keep the Mailbag posted on my progress. (2/20/08) From some friends inside 1801. Dan Snyder is very interested in owning WTEM and will take the rest of the AM stations IF he can also get one of the FM signals he is looking for. And, he wants DC101, mostly because he wants the big signal and Elliott. I'm told that Elliott and Snyder got together for a meeting in a suite at a Capitals game. (2/20/08) Dave's response: Well, the original rumor we'd heard was that Clear Channel would be selling off DC area FMers and AMers. Then it we heard rumblings that only the AMers would be spun off. Hmmm..... /\ February 20 Messages /\ \/ February 19 Messages \/ Brooke Stevens showed me what beauty, courage and fun radio are all about. The fact that she even attempted mornings on WVIE, her last radio gig, was almost miraculous considering her health. She was determined to give it all she had to the very end of this Earth Walk. A precious example of living. Allow me add to Brooke's achievements...band vocalist, a natural on WQSR briefly (between Rouse and JACK, if I' remember correctly) and the way I first met her, co-host of Edward R. Murrow award winning Tom Moore Show. Thanks for the smiles and lessons Brooke. I'll pot you up in eternity. Rock (2/19/08) "People (i.e. Don & Mike) make fun of Kim Martucci but I’m totally into her. I like her tall look and the red hair is nice. I’d totally hit it." Totally. Maybe I just dig tall chicks, maybe I dig the reddish hair, maybe it's her fun personality on camera, but Kim's got it goin' on. Nice face, nicely put together, and a great personality. And I'm not just talking about hittin' it - I'd love to go out and have drinks with the girl. I bet she'd be a blast. -Brian (2/19/08) matt ackland - is he still at ttg? (2/19/08) Joe in Essex' rambling rant aside, he's actually correct on 2 points. Having bought time on many local TV stations for a local service company with a not so good reputation, I can tell you from first hand experience that the advertising departments and the investigative reporters talk or at the very least the ad people know who's being investigated and if it's one of their clients. Several times, I had ad reps for several different local TV stations alert me to complaints being investigated by their investigative news departments (often before the investigative team had contacted my company or coincidentally simultaneously). And in each case, an ad buy and the advance warning allowed me to avert any possibility of my company being on the news even though there were dozens and dozens of remaining complaints unresolved for unsatisfied customers. Advertising money talks. Don't let anyone try to make you think otherwise. Sure, a local TV station might go after a national advertiser like, for instance, Home Depot, but that's only because that's not local TV ad revenue for the most part. That's national advertising. As for Comcast, I think that's a no-brainer. It's pretty obvious to me they've deceived their customers time and time again about MASN and The Nats as well as their broadband service and it's been reported in both The Post and The Sun that Comcast has lobbied local politicos to delay competition to help them retain their area monopoly. (2/19/08) Please find attached photos of WHUR treating our seniors for Valentine's Day. We delivered over 100 bouquets of flowers to elderly residents in Washington, DC and Prince George's County, Maryland. Photo #1 WHUR's Lorna Newton, Taylor Thomas, 89-year-old Edith Perry of Prince George’s County, WHUR's Tony Richards, Natalie Case, and Joe Gorham... Photo #2 WHUR's Natalie Case, Tony Richards, 108-year-old Eddye Williams of NE DC, DC Councilmember Harry Thomas, and WHUR's Taylor Thomas. (2/19/08) Dave, don't fret. Fidel's replacement will be coming soon - Hillary Castro. (2/19/08) Dave's response: I like Hillary better with the beard. How about Obama with a goatee..... People (i.e. Don & Mike) make fun of Kim Martucci but I’m totally into her. I like her tall look and the red hair is nice. I’d totally hit it. If she could do just one thing though it should be a chin job; that’s really just the one thing that I would change on her. Other than that I think she’s hot. (2/19/08) Did you see the GMA anchor jump off the building to overcome his fear of heights? Well, Channel 9's Bret Haber announced that HE will attempt to jump his over inflated ego. The new anchor at 9, Anita Brikman, is HOT! And why do the words ''Bret Hume'' and ''Crusty'' appearing in the same sentence make me feel all icky inside? Paul (2/19/08) Ah - wait until the trend. Will we hear about 3WT's "traction" again? (2/19/08) I'll repeat the bottom line of my last post - per FCC regulations, TV stations will continue to use their old analog channel numbers in their digital channel IDs. You will continue to be able to punch in "4.1" and get WRC-DT after the switchover next year (once your DTV receiver has scanned all the channels and stored this information in memory). Regards, Dave Loudin (2/19/08) Dave's response: OK. So, who's stopping Channel 50, WDCW, from now calling itself Channel 3, since there's no Channel 3 in DC. As CW3. Or Channel 20 WDCA becoming Channel 6, as My6DC. Since it no longer really matters what "dial position" you have, couldn't some of those longtime UHF outlets seek lower channel number "marketing identifiers"? Why not..... It will be interesting to see how the new channel assignments change the "imaging" of stations like Channel 4 here in DC. WRC is www.ncb4.com Will they become www.nbc48.com? Their newscast is called "News4." Will it become "News48?" They have features like their newcast "News 4" and features like "Get Healthy 4 Life." Their PSAs have "4" in them too, I believe ("Looking Out 4 You?"). They seem to live off the number 4. I guess that's all out the door and they'll have to find a new way to sell themselves. (2/19/08) Dave's response: I think you'll continue to see American TV stations continue to refer to their "heavily-marketed dial positions" even though many won't be on those channels after the digital changeover in 2009. They'll still call it NBC4 or Fox5. But, gradually, I think you'll see broadcast stations dropping the "channel number" in favor of "NBC/DC" or "CBS/Baltimore." In another decade or two, all video programming will move to the "on-demand" internet, with broadcast/over-the-air TV coming to an end - so it won't matter much in the long run..... "Wait until the next trend..." The rallying cry of the doomed. I bet they had a major party when 3WT hit that majestic 1.2 in Spring '07. I'm sure e-mails went out about how the station was on the grow. Then came the .07, then came the .06. (2/19/08) Dave, I'm still in Florida, flying back today... But wanted to give you some information about Brooke Stevens' Memorial service on Sunday: As I arrived at the memorial, I was handed a death card---a gorgeous photo of a sunset over the beach, with her original words about how she wanted her memory to be a happy one. And it was. Lots of laughs along with heartfelt tears. Five of her best girlfriends from the DC area attended, including one former boyfriend! Seven of us spoke, including her fourth grade teacher (!) and her father (!) Following the tributes, memories and hilarious "Brookester" stories, her father treated us to a CD of her singing a song she wrote for her mom and dad called "Mama", followed by a DVD of her singing with her band, "Rendezvous", and then clips from her radio show. It was as if she was truly there in video and audio.....laughing along with us. The DVD was the toughest b/c you saw her spirit, her life, her energy. The eulogies told of her "barking" happy birthday songs on our voicemails.....cheering all of us up on dark days.....her stamina through so much pain and how she had made peace with God above. I mentioned hearing her sing Leeann Rimes, "I Hope You Dance" and how that described her life theme: live life to its fullest and "when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, dance." I ended by saying I knew she was up there doing traffic reports for new angels flying in, hosting a political talk show on the 2008 elections with St. Paul, and re-designing the Pearly Gates with St. Peter. Following the service, Brooke's friend and Rendezvous singer, Connie Olivera and I went to the beach. Brooke told me she hadn't visited the beach since she moved to Naples in August. As we walked out on the sand, a sunspot appeared near the setting sun. And, a pelican landed near us. We tossed two flowers into the surf. Brooke's visit and our chance to say goodbye. Carolyn (2/19/08) Dave: The Radio & Television Museum in Bowies is working on Part II of a newsletter article on the history of WOL. We are interested in hearing from anyone who may have some knowledge of WOL in the 50s and 60s. We’ve already interviewed Ed Walker and plan to do the same with Bill Mayhugh shortly. Also, we are always looking for radio buffs to serve as tour guides on the weekend as volunteers. Anyone with info on WOL or an interested in becoming a tour guide, please contact me. Ken Mellgren, President, Radio & Television Museum, Bowie, MD, Kmellgren3@comcast.net (2/19/08) hey dave, any tears of sadness now that castro is "resigning"? it's like a part of your life is gone. and who do you give the best odds to for making the most syrupy, sanitized, revisionist movie on his reign? (2/19/08) Dave's response: It's funny. If the USA hadn't boycotted Cuba for the past half-century, it would probably now be a capitalist state with American-populated resorts dotting its coasts. Instead of the communistic enclave, dating back to the 1950s, that it remains. Shortsighted American foreign policy (from the Dems and the Repubs) is why commie Cuba still exists. All Castro did was take advantage of that. As for Fidel, not sure about his politics, but I love his fashion sense - big beards and camo. Yeah baby..... The Richmond station for sale is WHAN AM (previously WPES AM). The 50K is a CP for a daytime signal only. (2/19/08) Dave, Dave, Dave. I needed a good laugh tody. "A Muddy Ditch". And there hasn't been ONE trend out since Tony returned. Rather than talk about the stronger than ever e-mail, podcast and telephone response to not only Tony's show but those around his show, let's wait at least until the first trend on March 5th. Come on Dave, unlike some of your readers you know better. (2/19/08) Inside Radio is advertising a "Large AM For Sale", 50kW, Richmond VA market. Anyone we know? (2/19/08) Dave's response: RVA? I predict that Olbermann will NOT make the Osama/Obama mixup a part of "Worst Person". Dan Abrams will, however, use it as part of "Beat The Press". Howie (2/19/08) I am surprised that anyone is surprised that Daniel Snyder would consider throwing money into WTEM. The guy's M.O. is obvious: He believes that the more he spends on something, the better it is -- the opposite of what every wise investor in the world understands: the better something is, the more you are likely to have to pay for it. Snyder believes that if a player appears to be at the end of his career, offering him an above-market contract will make him good again. He believes that if a potential head coach has no NFL experience, offering him an above-market contract will give him that experience. And he believes that spending a lot of money for POS stations with no signal will make them popular station heard across "Redskin Nation." I've been told by some of Snyder's employee's at Redskin Park that he is an awful person to work for but he pays ridiculous salaries, so they hang on as long as they can stand it. (2/19/08) Why would Snyder buy another signal challenged station when he already has three? Isn’t the definition of insanity making the same mistake over and over again and expecting the result to change? (2/19/08) Dave's response: Well, if Dan Snyder can make WTEM "his," and if Bonneville and CBS continue to be blind to the potential success of an FM sports talker (via 3WT or JFK-FM), he might have a winning strategy on his hands here. I think a pairing of 980 with 94.3 and 92.7 would offer adequate coverage for Triple X. And then run the Skins games also on CC's 100.3 or 101.1. That would work..... I am shocked the Washington Post would write an obit for Brooke and not mention her work on the AES Tom Moore Show. After reading Tom's (of the AES Tom Moore Show) tribute to himself, strike that, tribute to Brooke, I came to undertsand that it was Tom (of the AES Tom Moore Show) that discovered her and gave her an opportunity in radio. The AES Tom Moore Show should demand The Washington Post properly note Tom's (of the AES Tom Moore Show) importance. They could get material from Tom's tribute to himself, strike that. to Brooke, right here on DCRTV. (2/19/08) I wonder if Keith Olbermann will feature MSNBC's Osama/Obama blunder in his worst people in the world segment? Or maybe Dan Abrams will run it in the segment where he bashes the media? (2/19/08) Digital television broadcasting in this country, as defined by the Advanced Television Systems Committee (www.atsc.org) and adopted by the FCC, is based on transmitting an approximately 19Mbps encoded data stream over a 6MHz wide signal. The structure of the data stream is specified in ATSC standards that you can get from their website. One small part of that data that provides channel and program information follows the Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP). A DTV receiver uses PSIP data to know the "channel" (4.1, 4.2, 26.1, etc.) and build the TiVo-like program guide (an FCC requirement.) That means the "4.1" label comes from data in the signal, not from the RF position on the dial. That's why, to date, you can tune in WRC-DT by either selecting 4 or 48 on your remote. The FCC has mandated that broadcasters continue to use their old analog channel numbers in their PSIP data, in order to cut down on confusion. In other words, the channel ID has become a brand, so WRC-TV will always be known as "4" and WTTG "5" even though they will not be transmitting anything on those RF channels in the future. Why not just have DTV broadcasts stay on the original analog channels? The FCC took away the top UHF channels, requiring a reshuffling of the allocations. Additionally, the FCC wanted to keep DTV entirely in the UHF band, but had to reopen the VHF channels in order to have enough spectrum. There ARE are few DTV assignments in the low-VHF channels (2-6). Regards, Dave Loudin (2/19/08) Re: "The FCC is taking broadcasters off the low-band VHF band, which includes channels 2 through 6." Actually, nationwide there are something like 37 stations that will remain on lo-VHF, the nearest being WPVI in Philly, which will be on 6. Generally, broadcasters wanted out of the lo band because it's more susceptible to interference, which really hurts the digital TV signal. I can't speak for the stations that opted to stay in the lo band, but perhaps they feel their signals will go farther at those frequencies. The only channels that _must_ be abandoned next year are 52-69. I don't know how many low-power stations are on those channels, if any, and whether they will be allowed to remain operating. (2/19/08) "Dave's response: The FCC is taking [DTV] broadcasters off the low-band VHF band, which includes channels 2 through 6. So, stations like WMAR, WRC, and WTTG will become UHF-only." WRONG!! Stations on 2 through 6 CAN put their DTV on those channels. That said, it is generally accepted that DTV doesn't work very well on 6 and below - however there will be a very few DTV stations as low as channel 2. My look through the FCC records shows six DTV on chan 2. (2/19/08) "Let me say this about Jim Williams. About 18 months ago I e-mailed him regarding his constant puffery about everyone, saying his credibility was zero without some form of criticism. He e-mailed me back saying that's not what he's there for." OK, then what is he there for? If you want to be a columnist, then you have to be critical of somebody/something. This isn't youth soccer or T-ball where everybody gets a trophy. Fluff is boring. His columns are not worth reading. Actually, the rest of the rag isn't either. (2/19/08) so with the local tv stations having their digital channels on other channels, will they have to rebrand as a different numbered channel? will it be abc 38, nbc 48, and fox 36? i'm still confused about the whole digital tv deal. why can't the stations broadcast on their original numbered channels? (2/19/08) Dave's response: The FCC is taking broadcasters off the low-band VHF band, which includes channels 2 through 6. So, stations like WMAR, WRC, and WTTG will become UHF-only. Some high-band VHFers, on channels 7 through 13, will get to move their current UHF digital broadcasts to their old analog channels. I presume, the marketing for ABC2, NBC4, and Fox5 will continue despite those stations no longer being on those channels..... /\ February 19 Messages /\ \/ February 18 Messages \/ I just read Joe is Essex' latest post. OW! Another cerebral hemmorhage.. OWWWW...they hurt! (2/18/08) note to the suits at WJLA ABC7: Thanks for hiring Caroline Lyders to be a reporter on your evening newscasts. She fits in perfectly and is a very consistent and good reporter. I would have to say, if I were a betting man, all the best looking reporters and anchors work at ABC 7 NEWS. (2/18/08) You saw Chris Core wearing "a goofy pink t-shirt and big fluffy yellow slippers?" Is Chris taking fashion advice from Mark Levin again? (2/18/08) Dave's response: Come to think of it, the shirt was a very reddish pink..... And more Comcast bad news here, once again not local news because Comcast spends a small fortune in advertising on WMAR, WRC, WTTG, WJLA, WUSA, WBAL, WJZ, and WBFF for a reason... to squash any bad local press, which is funny because you need to be a broadband hog now to watch any video and online advertisements from your favorite local TV stations! DOH! www.macworld.com (2/18/08) Let me say this about Jim Williams. About 18 months ago I e-mailed him regarding his constant puffery about everyone, saying his credibility was zero without some form of criticism. He e-mailed me back saying that's not what he's there for. Having zero credibility doesn't phase him in the least. I've also spoken to other Examiner reporters who admitted they were, quite frankly, embarassed by his columns. Let me also say this about Sue Palka. If you've been in her presence you'll be immediately captivated by her warmth and sensuality. Call it pheromones or whatever, but I'm betting she's a whole lotta fun to hang out with - whatever's she's wearing. (2/18/08) DirecTV's website is listing MASN with "HD Available" when you type a Baltimore/DC area ZIP Code at this link: www.directv.com... Does this mean MASN might finally be available (albeit for only a few games) via DirecTV this summer? Greg in Reisterstown (2/18/08) Channel 9 shows their true colors. On the noon news they read two comments that had been left on their website concerning the eight person fatality in PG County. Both comments either blamed the police or hinted at it. Of course they would not dare read the scores of comments that blamed the three hundred adults who chose to stand in the middle of a highway at 3:30am. (2/18/08) More bad news & press for area cable/broadband giant COMCAST (and of course it's not local)... www.macworld.com... Sure makes those SLOWSKYS commercials seem like false advertising to me and it shows that copyright violations and/or illegal downloading are not the reason that Comcast has slowed down many peoples' broadband service. Clearly Comcast will lose the current lawsuit against them since they've admitted to slowing down legitimate internet traffic and discriminating against certain customers, all the while running false advertisements that make false claims about their broadband internet service's speed, a speed which is not achievable by anyone who attempts it for any length of time beyond a minute due to deliberate Comcast action. And Comcast will stop at nothing to attack their competitors (Verizon, DirecTV, DISH) with false advertising and/or use political influence to stop competition altogether. Comcast's been spending a small fortune lobbying local governments to go tough on allowing Verizon's FIOS service, so if you can't get Verizon FIOS now, you have nobody to blame but Comcast and your local politicians that you elected and can boot out. Doesn't it make you wonder how much campaign donations YOUR County executive received from Comcast in the last election? Hmmmm, maybe someone should investigate those numbers and report them so we know exactly which area county has corrupt representation. Oh, that's right, most area TV/radio stations and newspapers don't investigate one of their LARGEST ADVERTISERS! Despicable. I, personally, can't wait for Verizon FIOS, even though I'm hardly a Verizon fanboy either. But, in the meantime, I'd be happy with the FTC investigating Comcast's unethical business practices. And maybe the FCC should start investigating the advertising money influence in local TV news. If you think about it, it's nothing more than legalized "news video Payola", the big dirty secret of all local TV news that everybody knows, but nobody ever talks about. :-( Joe in Essex (2/18/08) Nice to hear the dial-up internet connection feeding 3WT's 107.7 signal going bonkers at 9:30 Monday morning, just as Tony was doing an overly lengthy audio piece on his memories of riding the Hindenberg as a youth. Man, what a crappy little "old man" station. (2/18/08) Hey Tom in Denton: You are right my friend. I'll leave bluegrass to the experts like Dave Higgs of Nashville public radio. My bluegrass knowledge doesn't extend beyond the "Ballad of Jed Clampett". However, I will be chatting with Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night this weekend on "Oldies Block Party". Chuck is an amazing guy and a true survivor in the music business both personally and professionally. Wishing everyone on the Mailbag and DCRTV Dave a great President's Day. My vote goes to Pat Paulsen. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (2/18/08) /\ February 18 Messages /\ \/ February 17 Messages \/ Here is how St. Mary's Today described the eight-person fatality on Route 210. One hundred bozos standing in the street. (2/17/08) Tom Conroy said "Joyce can't take all the bluegrass here any longer..."..guess that means that there's no chance that she'll host any "bluegrass" programming on WHFC? Just kidding, Joyce; I know your heart is in the "rock-N-roll"..I, myself, can take bluegrass..but not all the time; I liked how it was done when I was growing up; you'd hear bluegrass mixed in with whatever was going on in country music; it was actually possible to hear the latest record by Buck Owens..and maybe the next song (or a few songs later) you'd hear something by Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs! Those were the days! Tom in Denton, MD (2/17/08) Until Jim Williams gets his nose out of Angelos' and MASN's rear, he has no credibility. Shawn in DC (2/17/08) NBC's First Newscast 60 Years Ago... No. NBC's first newscast was decades earlier. On the radio. NBC started as a radio network long before television came on the scene. (2/17/08) Dave's response: It shoulda said TV, I guess..... Anyone anxious to see a longer sample from the first year (1948) of NBC's "Television Newsreel" can click on this link: www.msnbc.msn.com... I had completely forgotten that early network newscasts were patterned after movie newsreels which always featured stirring musical accompaniment. I'm not sure when that practice was abandoned, but I've got an old clip from WBAL-TV 11 in the early 1960s with Royal Parker anchoring the news in which dramatic music was still being played behind a filmed story. (2/17/08) Although it doesn't include the classic "Chancellor Cherry" clip, catch this entertaining retrospective from Friday's NNN broadcast: www.youtube.com... (Watch it quickly, before GE's video gestapo has it deleted.) (2/17/08) Hey all, just returned from 5 fun filled days in Key West and had the pleasure of “hanging” Ed Rodriguez in his new digs CONCH RADIO, Ed has “died and gone to heaven,” we (Wife Renee” and I ) Joined Ed at a Valentine’s day Remote in the Heart of Key West on Duval Street. It was a party to behold and his station was the star. After the festivities we joined Ed and his Production Guru Robin for a great dinner and drinks at Finnegans Irish Pub. What a blast. We were up much later than expected and Ed and Robin still had work to do back at the station…This was a real treat and we’ll do it again next year for sure. Pictures to follow. Got in very late last night..lot’s of catchin up to do. We should all be happy for Ed..who knows, I may be next to head for the Keys…LOL(PLB) (2/17/08) I think it's safe to say that the networks probably provide a clothing allowance for their on air talent, but I don't know about the local stations. I know that Allison Seymour always dresses nice, but I think that maybe she just has good taste. (2/17/08) Is it true that some of the names on the Talkers 100 list, where they rank and that they are on it at all is in part due to their relationship with Mr. Harrison or lobby efforts to him on their behalf? Or is this based on some listener - station poll? Or some news-maker poll? (2/17/08) Aaargh! Some c*** just called me a "J*ne F*nda" ! ! ! (2/17/08) Damn shame WTHU has sold out, but the owners will get a nice payoff. The studio/tower parcel is in the middle of a residential area as seen here www.brainygeography.com. and I can only imagine developers got drool all over the deed. Watch the county plat recordings and I bet the seller got at least twice as much for the land as he did the "license" bought by the religious group. (2/17/08) Kim and the new Traffic woman are fantastic on Channel 9. Paul (2/17/08) Re Kim Martucci. What a rack? What I'd give for some topless/nude photos of her. (2/17/08) (regarding the Newspage Item) Kudos to NBC for 60 years of nightly newscasts! I wonder if anyone from the vast and resourceful DCRTV audience remembers, has and can post the clip I'm about to describe: After Chet Huntley retired, NBC tried various configurations of NBC Nightly News. At one point, in the mid 70s, they teamed David Brinkley and John Chancellor, as duel anchors. When the FDA banned the use of Red Dye #2, as a possible cancer-causing agent, Chancellor did the story. He got the giggles when he mentioned that Red Dye #2 was, among other things, used to color maraschino cherries. He went on to mention the reaction of the Maraschino Cherry Industry, that the ban would cost them millions of dollars. Toward the end of the piece, he really did lose it! This was priceless (and rare), since Chancellor was normally the more somber/serious of the two. Then he tossed it to Brinkley, for the next story, and he also began to crack-up. If anyone has a clip of this and would post it, I'm sure everybody would get a kick out of it. Over 60 years, it's not the finest moment of NBC News, but it sure was the funniest one I've seen. (2/17/08) The deadline is this Wednesday for radio and TV stations to enter the Dateline Awards offered by the the Washington DC Professional chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Entries must be postmarked by Feb. 20. For complete contest information, go to www.spj.org. If you have questions, e-mail Dateline Awards coordinator Brooke Kenny at witwer52@hotmail.com (2/17/08) I was watching the CBS news last week in which Ms. Couric was playing with a screen to show election results or something like that. It was a very long shot of her hands and the nails appeared to be down to the cuticle. Regarding Ms. Palka's pant suit coats, don't tv stations provide clothing for the anchors and head weather honchos? I smell a new advertiser if this is not the case. Sue Palka's outfit tonite provided by Garfinkel's. (2/17/08) Keminications Media News and Gossip Blog is 4 years old today. Please visit the site today and read all the latest in the media news. www.Keminications.com... Kemi Joshua (2/17/08) /\ February 17 Messages /\ \/ February 16 Messages \/ Regarding the sale of WTHU, while I do not the specifics of the final deal, I know the deal that was offered to others was $150,000, but the studio and the tower had to be moved off the property within one year. Certainly could be a challenge if the case. Ray (2/16/08) Jane Fonda's use of the "C" word is not at all uncommon. After all, it is her nickname. -Silvie- (2/16/08) I think Katie Couric admitted years ago that she bites her fingernails. As for Sue Palka's jackets, I also noticed that some are a weee too tight these days. I want to say that she's had some of them for awhile. And although she's not overweight, I think over the years, she may have put on a "few" pounds (as we all have) and they just don't fit like they used to. (2/16/08) Re: "I don't see what all the ruckus regarding Hanoi Jane and the "C" word are." The ruckus should be about the media, not the word. A member of the elite uses foul language, and nothing happens. A TV personality uses a now-harmless commonly-used term in relation to another member of the elite, and he gets suspended. Why do we allow this kind of discrimination? (2/16/08) I don't see what all the ruckus regarding Hanoi Jane and the "C" word are. All she was doing was announcing who she supports in the Democratic primary. (2/16/08) Interesting link to Talkers Magazine "100 Most Important Talk Show Hosts". Of local interest, Don and Mike are ranked #66. Click here... (2/16/08) Dave's response: We did run a Front Page newsblurb a few days ago. Apparently, G. Gordon Liddy is ranked "more important"..... As for the Hottie Battle, if you just look at the pictures that are posted, I must admit that Kim is quite a stunner. But, whenever I see her on the news, her amzon-ness is quite scary to me. (2/16/08) My thoughts and prayers are with Steve Eldridge. Paul (2/16/08) To the Mailbagger who wrote in looking for the photo of "Hanoi Jane" Fonda discovering her inner Charlie. Here it is. Marty Chickaboomer (2/16/08) Carson, Mix 107.3 in Washington D.C.'s afternoon show host has added "Lifestyle Guru" to his list of titles. Carson inked a deal with Monkeysee.com, a national how-to website featuring experts in all fields. He will lead cooking and home improvement videos and feature guests chefs, sommeliers, cigar experts and other fields. Carson has extensive experience with cooking and home improvement. He will host videos from his home and the homes or businesses of experts in fields of cooking, wine, cigars, and home improvement. While doing radio, Carson has also been a nationally syndicated comedy writer penning huge comedy for Rush Limbaugh (since 1990), ACN, Premiere and TM Century among others Some of Carson's syndicated comedy can be found on his website: www.robcarsononline.com. Some of Carson's cooking videos can be found on Youtube: www.youtube.com/carsondoesit. (2/16/08) My hat’s off to Fred Rathert on his retirement after 40+ years of outstanding service as an engineer. He and Ray Hepner were two of the best engineers I’ve ever run across, and both kept WLIF running nicely. I don’t know why Fred and I never got along well, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was a damn good engineer who wouldn’t accept anything less than perfection, for which I have the highest respect for the man. That said, I seem to recall his ouster from the WLIf camp after the station moved to Washington St. in 2002. From what I gather, he and Ray were already overworked trying to get the studio moved, but management wanted that studio wired for remote starts instantly, and I guess it just didn’t happen fast enough. Suddenly, Fred was gone. That was indeed a great loss to the building, and WYPR’s gain. Although I felt Fred treated me unfairly at times, yet I felt secure knowing that he would keep the station running and keep it legal. Fred was a great asset to WLIF, and I hope he will always remember that. He is definitely right about radio not being what it used to be. Engineers, just like air talent, get no respect from management anymore, not in pay, certainly not in understanding how long doing a good job on a project really takes, nor in understanding how these valued engineers have to regard a whole lot of rules and regulations in order to keep their station running right in the eyes of the FCC. I’m sorry the Baltimore area loses one of its finest engineers to retirement, but it is my hope he will now be able to relax and enjoy the rest from the rat race that he has well earned. Bill Powers, Los Angeles, CA (2/16/08) Congrats and Happy Retirement to Bill Ashley. I’ll miss his cheery “Good Morning!” – which is the way he answers the phone even if it’s 3 in the afternoon. 73, Bill. -Brian (2/16/08) For what it's worth, WMAL actually has quite a good signal after sunset down here in the sticks, near Roanoke Virginia, there's very little fading either. Now, we receive only a weak signal from 1500AM, and nothing from 50kw WBAL. When you grow up in Baltimore and move, it sure is great to hear radio from back home. With all the technology we have to use, there's still nothing like AM Dx'ing! I hope to be back up north within a year, Joyce can't take all the bluegrass here any longer... Tom Conroy (2/16/08) Dave's response: I suspect that a good part of Virginia (to the southwest of Baltimore) is in WBAL 1090's nighttime null, since its signal almost vanishes here in Northern Virginia after dark, too..... /\ February 16 Messages /\ \/ February 15 Messages \/ Does Katie Couric bite her fingernails? Sue Palka's pantsuit coat always seem to be just a tad to tight. Not that's she by no means overweight just her jackets seem ill fitting. I think I've been watching too much of that D.C. native Tim Gunn's fashion show on Bravotv. I hate what Bravo has devolved into. (2/15/08) Best wishes for Steve Eldrige. If anyone can beat that into submission, it's you! -- Jill Nado (2/15/08) Dave, Further comment on WMAL reception. I live in Rockville near Rts. 270 & 28. Since WMAL went to 10kw my daytime reception is weaker. When they go to their nighttime power and pattern my reception becomes much stronger. This isn't just one radio, but several. It must be some kind of null because I am only 5 or 6 miles from their towers. Dick (2/15/08) ("Since at least noon, WMAL's signal in Bethesda is extremely weak.") Count your Blessings. (2/15/08) Wow, first the word that Chuck Walmer is selling one of the last of the mom and pop stations. Chuck and his family were great to work with and ran a super little station. Very classy and professional. Then word that Bill Ashley is retiring. Good for Bill. I only "worked" with him a couple of times, but whenever I had any equipment needs or questions, he was a fountain of knowledge. I wish him well in retirement! M. Noble. (2/15/08) Remember when broadcast boards had some SERIOUS 'nads? Unlike the fragile frou-frou digital toys of today? For five Franklins, you can bring those days back again: cgi.ebay.com (2/15/08) This is really weird: It's been almost a day and a half since Jane Fonda uttered "a word that shouldn't be said on TV," yet nobody I know has become a communist pervert, none of the kids in my neighborhood have firebombed my house, and the world continues to spin on its axis. How is this possible? It almost makes me think the FCC should not be in the business of punishing people for momentary verbal slips. (2/15/08) Oi. When the conversation turns to gripes about typos, grammar and spelling mistakes, the days of wireless, crystal sets and telegrams seem like heaven. Dave in Sterling (2/15/08) The Post will run a story on Brooke Stevens next week. Please look for it. (2/15/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I hear it will run Monday..... Whoever wrote "...I know my offers of help to WMUC aren't the only ones that have met with little response over the years" please contact me at edwmjones at netzero dot com or WMUC Manager Scott Maxwell at smax at umd dot edu for further discussion. Thanks! Ed Jones, Columbia, MD (2/15/08) Sometimes, you have to love this mailbag. One poster writes that "I don't know who owns KOGO". So you can find DCRTV, send an e-mail, but you can't do a Google Search to find out that KOGO is a Clear Channel station? Another poster rips Jim Williams, saying "Noone is less qualified to discuss sports.." Would that be Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits? (Noone" is formed for consistency with "nobody", but it is still considered nonstandard because of the strange doubling vowels. Retrieved from en.wikitionary.org). The poster then goes on with "the permanent header of his coumn". Coumn??? Amazing. If you wish to rip someone, it is usually a good idea to proof your work, so as to at least appear to be smart. (2/15/08) "And now, Howard Kurtz gives outspoken lefty liberal-bashing blowhard Chris Matthews a whole lot more ink" -Fixed that for ya. Seriously, could this guy give Pres. Bush any more love in the last 7 years? He practially had pom-poms and a cheerleader's skirt on in the run-up to the war. Bill Duck, Salisbury, MD (2/15/08) Take it easy on Jim Williams. He isn't wrong on Butler at all, sure he isn't playing, but he isn't skipping it either, look at today's post: "As their teammates headed in different directions following Wednesday 's 91-89 win over the Clippers in Los Angeles, Wizards forwards Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler prepared for their trips to New Orleans for this weekend's all-star activities. Butler won't play Sunday after missing the last five games with a strained left hip flexor but plans to soak in the atmosphere, while Jamison is looking forward to the game. Jamison also played in the 2005 All-Star Game." Jim Williams isn't writing for die hard sports fans, and yes he can be captain obvious sometimes to those of us who know more than he does (or think we do) but the earlier post seemed a little personal against a former TV producer who writes a column for a free paper. My problem with Williams isn't the info, but his inability to ever be critical of ANYONE. If he watches as much local TV or listens to as much sports radio in this market as he claims, it's impossible to never be negative about some of the people or stations. (2/15/08) Hi Dave, After 41years plus, in 3 major markets (Chicago, Washington D.C and Baltimore) I will be retiring on the 29th (leap year) of this month. It's been an interesting career and for the most part, I've enjoyed it. Unfortunately, radio is not what it once was and the fun of being in the business has all but disappeared, along with ,Yo Yo's, Hula Hoops, and Soma Blocks. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone I've worked with or contacted, during the past four decades, for their support, help and friendship. Fred Rathert, Engineering Manager, WYPR/WYPF/WYPO Radio (2/15/08) Good Presidents Day weekend - In the spirit of Presidents' Day weekend, and with POTUS '08 in mind, we welcome Newsweek columnist Jonathan Alter on Wednesday, February 20. This interview will happen after one set of primaries and before the critical Texas/Ohio/Pennsylvania primaries. Could it get more timely? Besides, Jonathan is awesome. Please join us. Jon Moss is taking reservations at 202.338.2000. And, if you've missed recent interviews, 59 clips are available to watch in full on The Q&A Cafe's new dedicated youtube channel. Those up now include Dan Rather, Valerie Plame, Robert Novak, Pierre Vimont, Amy Holmes, Sally Bedell Smith, Martha Kumar, Robert Frank, Adrian Fenty, Michael Harreld, Sam Donaldson, David Baldacci, Connie Schultz, and more to come. Here's the link: www.youtube.com... Bookmark it. Seriously, good viewing. Carol (2/15/08) Since at least noon, WMAL's signal in Bethesda is extremely weak. I left a recorded message with one of the engineers. Arnie (2/15/08) Dave's response: WMAL's transmitter is in north Betheda, so it should come booming through at your location. I haven't noticed any weakening of old 630 at my location in Reston. Perhaps it's your radio..... Some wild DXing going on this morning. I live about 5 miles south of Purcellville, Virginia near Philomont, Virginia and this morning on the trusty old analog tv in the kitchen (gonna miss it come February 18th next year) I viewed WGAL in Harrisburg, PA on channel 8 and WTVR in Richmond on channel 6. Okay, so the picture was black and white and grainy but the audio was loud and clear. Amazing that these two stations were able to come in between channels 5, 7 and 9 out of DC. YJ (2/15/08) Rip Jim Williams on the front page! Follow the link to his article and read the first paragraph -- "Caron Butler will be at the All Star Game". NO HE WON'T. Apparently Mr. Know-it-all missed the giant report two days ago that Butler would skip the All Star Game as he continues to battle a hip injury. Of course, Antawn Jamison WILL be at the All Star Game representing the Wizards, but ol' Jim doesn't see fit to mention that -- that's because he probably didn't know. On top of that -- and maybe you think grammar isn't important, but when you're writing in a newspaper, I think it is -- he refers to Joe Gibbs' team at Daytona "Driving Toyota's". Any 4th grader can tell you that there is no apostrophe called for there. It's not a possesive. Noone is less qualified to discuss sports than this dolt. You think he'll have the stones to print a correction? I doubt it. In the permanent header of his coumn, he asks, "Do sports radio hosts really know anything about sports?" The question should be, "Does Jim Williams really know anything about sports... or television?" (2/15/08) To Greg in Reisterstown MASN2 is on 671 or 672 on Directv. Les in Adelphi NOT LangleyPark (2/15/08) Meredith Viera gave an apology for Jane Fonda's comment by saying Jane said a word that shouldn't be said on t.v. and that Jane had offered her apology..A "word that shouldnt' be said on t.v."??..Come on. Who came up with that line??..And I wonder if did Jane actually apologized. Reason being, I saw an interview that was supposedly done right after her appearance on the Today Show and from what I saw, she didn't seem too fazed about the comment. More of a "what's the big deal" (2/15/08) As a WTHU alum (1974-1980), I'm not surprised to see it's been sold to religon format broadcasters. I recall there was considerable discussion back in the 1970s of going gospel due to country music's rising prominence on FM radio. The most popular time slot then was arguably Sunday morning. Local preachers consistently wrote checks to get their sermons on the air. If the demographics of Northern Frederick County haven't changed too much in the past 30 years, I'm sure the station will do well. The $150,000 sale price sounds like a single collection in a mega church, so the buyer could probably get a quick return on their investment. As for my time at AM 1450, I remember my co-workers--including Gary Jagow, Jim Riley, Mike McGough and Terry Keefer--along with myself, at times, specialized in being irreverant. But we were always THE local radio station.It was truly a golden age of local radio that has gone the way of the milkman. Marty Madden, Prince Frederick (2/15/08) I've always suspected that these lists like the Talkers 100 are generated in part by how much the talent and/or station actively campaign for inclusion. Back when I actually paid attention to these things Tom Marr and Les Kinsolving would always show up on the lists, while Allan Prell and Ron Smith would not. The actual ratings would show quite the opposite result. Chip Franklin strikes me as the type who would beg for any award, so his inclusion doesn't surprise me one bit. Howie (2/15/08) How can the poster say WBAL's sister station is KOGO in San Diego? I don't know who owns KOGO, but WBAL is owned by the Hearst Corporation. Hearst only owns 2 radio stations in their vast media empire & both are in Baltimore. WIYY-FM 97.9 & WBAL-AM 1090. Of course at 1 time Hearst did have 2 radio stations, a TV station (WBAL Channel 11) & a newspaper (The Baltimore News American) all in Baltimore, until 1986 when Hearst closed the newspaper after running it into the ground. Now they have the 2 radio stations & TV station. Ron Smith is probably 1 of the top 5 radio show hosts in the country. I'm sure if someone listened & compared his interview with Clinton on Tuesday with the one done on WMAL, Ron's was better. (2/15/08) yes masn2 is on direct tv it is listed as a RSNA (alternate) the exact channel number is updated on www.masn.tv (2/15/08) So, let's see, Jane Fonda utters the C word, and out of a wormhole comes some guy claiming that she caused the down fall of CNN. I would love to see the tortured cause and effect timeline to back up this claim. Surely, competition and 4 million sources for getting the same story don't have a thing to do with declining ratings. I figure she is also responsible declining newspaper subs, and the whole exercise industry went to shit in a handbag after she released her workout LP back in the early 1980's. Can somebody post that old photo of her sitting on a piece of NV artillery, because she lost the war in Vietnam for us too. What Olbermann has to do with CNN is a mystery, but somehow he is connected to Jane Fonda who single handedly ruined the credibility of all CNN "news" programming. Olbermann is just one of many posing as a faux journalists, and frankly he has arrived pretty late to the party. They are in abundance on every cable news channel. The reason we see more bashing of Olbermann, is because he has turned his "newscast" into a platform to tweak Fox News, et .al. virtually every evening. Judging by some recent postings in the mailbag, it seems to be working. (2/15/08) I see WBAL did not get anyone on the Talkers 100, but their sister station KOGO in San Diego scored with both Chip Franklin and Roger Hedgecock. Since they share personell on-air, as everyone on WBAL including Gov. Ehrlich shows up on KOGO, maybe the KOGO talent should should be used on WBAL to try to boost the lackluster WBAL. (2/15/08) Dave's response: Basically, the Talkers list features political talk hosts. So why are D&M and the Junks even included? And the Junks aren't even syndicated. Both are more of a "zoo-type" show. If they're there, then why aren't Elliot and Kane and Kirk/Mark also on the list? It's goofy and illogical. I mean, WMAL's Grandy/Andy and WBAL's Ron Smith should be on the list instead of the Junks. Sheesh. I wouldn't pay much attention to it..... (''Look in the mirror Don, you've become just like the "little brains" who listen to your show. You're one of them.'') Actually, I think Don was just calling the affiliate to ''f*ck'' with them in regards to Jane Fonda saying ''c*nt'' on TV, by pretending to be one of those crybaby complainers. -Alex (2/15/08) Ummm… I believe most people realized that Don Geronimo calling WRC TV to complain was an ironic joke and a middle finger to the FCC. (2/15/08) Question for you DirecTV customers out there in the Baltimore area. I'm thinking of switching from Dish Network to DirecTV, but need to know if DirecTV offers MASN2 on their system? Even though it's low-definition, I still want to be able to watch my O's and Nats games and their website doesn't list "MASN2" as a channel anywhere. Thanks, Greg in Reisterstown (2/15/08) Meredith Viera is MIA this morning from the Today Show. Laying low in hopes that a 3-day weekend will quell the whole c*** thing? (2/15/08) Dave's response: She's biding her time in an NBC holding cell with Shuster..... Dave, Gibbs is back at NASCAR and his fans can see him on FOX5 this weekend at Daytona 500. So Redskins fans who miss Joe can at least watch him on Sunday's on NASCAR. Speed, ESPN and FOX will all have races from Daytona this week with the 500 on FOX coming Sunday at 2pm on FOX5. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/15/08) How can I express my shock at the Wash Post for not running an article (about Brooke Stevens)? ... Isn't that awful? Such a well known local celeb and they don't run anything! (2/15/08) Dave's response: Look, if Tucker Carlson burps, it makes the Style section. It is a shame that a woman who hosted WMAL's afternoon show for four years doesn't get a mention. But, the Post does sometimes take weeks or months to get around to running obits, so an editorial piece on Brooke may still appear. Someday..... FYI, there is another Tribute Page for Brooke at www.lifetributes.com (2/15/08) Are Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier really getting there own bobblehead dolls to be given away at a future Bullets game? So some day this spring as I hike along the Billy Goat trail at Great Falls park is there a chance i might see new Dreadskin's coach Steve Zorn kayaking down the Mather Gorge? Coach Zorn could wave to lil' danny at his treeless palatial estate on the shores of the Potomac as he paddles by. Judging on Coach Joe's recent comments on his future involvement with the Dreadskin's I think Coach Joe's reason for leaving is he wanted to get away from the nut jobs. What color would you say Kim Martucci's hair is? Is Ms. Martucci Italian by birth or marriage? Can she cook a good pizza pie? (2/15/08) Whatever you may think of Jane Fonda, good or bad, let's face it, the beginning of the end of CNN cable news ratings dominance began when Ted Turner let her work on CNN News programs, giving her, in essence, "news credibility", whatever that means. Obviously that term means little today when you have sports junkies without a clue like Olbermann pontificating about news & politics, and sure enough Fonda made no positive impact on CNN either and CNN ratings have declined ever since. You have to wonder why Ted Turner squandered practically everything simply for a C@#& :-) -- Joe in Essex (2/15/08) So, Jane Fonda said c**t on live television. Traditionalist Conservatives have their priorities. Among them: don't say bad words in front of me or the children and especially not on live television. Miss Fonda was describing an experience she had concerning a theatrical piece called "The Vagina Monologues." Germane to that topic is the word she used in passing. She wasn't trying to be offensive. She wasn't using the word to describe somebody. Of course, the word is intrinsically offensive. And that is why it is used in the play. It attracts attention. Some important things can be said about what people mean when they use the word. If somebody pops a balloon and frightens a child and that child bursts into tears, somebody will call the kid a crybaby. C**t. Waaaaaah. (2/15/08) Geronimo said on his show yesterday that he heard the Fonda c*nt remark and immediately called WRC TV to complain. So, he's become just like the winers who immediate call JFK (or the FCC) when he says anything a bit off color. Look in the mirror Don, you've become just like the "little brains" who listen to your show. You're one of them. (2/15/08) I took a quick look at the WYPR amended application for license to cover. Looks like the FCC made an "informal request" for the credentials of WYPR's director of engineering (41 years in the business!) and the amended certification on the antenna from Jampro, the company that made it. This is all pretty standard stuff when licensing a directional antenna with critical pattern requirements - the FCC wants to know that the antenna was installed precisely where and how it was supposed to be installed. As for protecting WMUC? Once again, WYPR *does not protect WMUC*. As a class D station, WMUC has no protection from interference, and has had no protection since 1978. That's been more than enough time for most of the other class D stations around the country to find other frequencies or to upgrade to a higher, protected class of operation. (That includes the former WJHU in Baltimore, BTW.) There are some engineers out there doing very creative work on behalf of class D stations, and the FCC has been extraordinarily cooperative in helping class D stations to find new homes. But the stations have to want to be helped, first, and I know my offers of help to WMUC aren't the only ones that have met with little response over the years. (2/15/08) My awesome dad, Bill Ashley, is retiring in two weeks after about 50 years in the broadcast business---most of those years in Northern VA. If you have worked with him or know him and would like to send wishes, stories, pictures, etc., please email these directly to me: LittleJennLibrarian@yahoo.com. I will collect everything that is sent and give it to my dad on his retirement day. Thank you all very much! Sincerely, Jennifer Ashley Durand (2/15/08) /\ February 15 Messages /\ \/ February 14 Messages \/ “Next hotties round: How about -among the weather women- Kim Martucci vs Sue Palka?” Rack ‘em up for Kim Martucci! Um, so to speak. (2/14/08) More on WYPR 88.1 vs. WMUC 88.1..... It looks like the FCC is questioning WYPR's engineering data and has at least for the moment, temporarily withheld WYPR's license to cover on their power upgrade. A possible reprieve for WMUC? Ultimately unlikely, but it does appear that WYPR's signal upgrade will only be 85% of its original proposal (at least in certain directions), meaning there might be slightly less interference to WMUC than originally planned. Maybe an engineer here in the mailbag could dissect today's WYPR engineering FCC amendment and let us all know the scoop. Interesting development nonetheless. (2/14/08) Every now and then when I drive thru downtown DC up to MD via New York Ave., I pick up a quirky pirate radio broadcast on 89.7FM. It is anarchistic and sounds like a one man operation (the guy speaks with a funny Northeast accent) and contains what sound like home-made music mixes that are played in between and during the ranting. Anyone know the story behind this??? Floyd The Barber (once received a haircut from Danny-Boy over at RZ and River Road) (2/14/08) Did anyone watch the FOX morning news this morning?. I saw bits and pieces, but from the parts that I did see, everyone seemed to be quite giddy. At one point, both Tucker Barnes and Tony Perkins were at the anchor desk sitting next to each other acting kind of silly and Julie made the comment of not being able to tell which one was the ventriloquist and which was the dummy. Then at the end of the news, both were there again at opposite ends of the desk with Tony making more silly remarks.. I also came in on the end of Tony Perkins doing some sort of dancing. And Julie went so off topic to the point where Claudia Cohen (subbing for Allison) had to say "Julie..Traffic please". It seemed like the only one with any sense this morning was Claudia, who made a comment regarding the guys out of control. Maybe it was something in the air.. (2/14/08) Dave, Love the site as always. Foo on Fairfax VW. Hey, we're all sure that the WAVV post was a joke, right? Right? Is this thing on? I know I've mentioned this before, but the closest thing I can find to WGTB "back in the day" is Radio Nigel on that Interweb thingie www.radionigel.com and I can't imagine why 94.7 The Glub isn't programming like this: Currently Playing: Robin Hitchcock - My Wife And My Dead Wife... Past 9 Songs... 1. The Cars - Since You're Gone... 2. Xymox - Muscoviet Musquito... 3. Bump E - Can't Eat Cotton Nigel... 4. Pigbag - Papas got a brand new pigbag... 5. Siouxsie & the Banshees - Belladonna... 6. The Pretenders - Precious... 7. The Clash - Safe European home... 8. Radio Nigel - Sponsor 22... 9. Peter Schilling - The Different Story - Razormai... You know, I'm in my mid-fifties, and I remember when "Oldies" meant Doo-wop and Elvis, and then when it meant Leslie Gore and Tommy James, and then it became "classique" with the Eagles, the Eagles, and more of the Eagles. Perhaps Nige