dcrtv.com - Mailbag - March 18 to March 26, 2008

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DCRTV Mailbag - March 18 to March 26, 2008

Latest messages listed first.....
\/ March 26 Messages \/

Lloyd---get it shawty--came to Georgetown. WOW--wonder how much it cost to get him to stop there?! I'm sure he was on the back deck smoking with the best (or so they think) of them. Actually-just busting balls here. Great job OC104! You've got a strong product! (3/26/08)

Geeez Louise! I post an innocent tribute to Jack Armstrong and all of a sudden I'm the bad guy! Maybe I wasn't clear. Here's my point. Jack Armstrong was brilliant in his day. I listened to him on KB Radio many a nite and LOVED it. I learned a lot listening to him. My point is that in this day of multi entertainment availability, callers with cell phones, etc life is different in radioland. An oldies format recreated as it was in the sixties would work. It would bring back great memories from our past. That's why I brought up TCM playing the original old movies, they still play. Playing old songs back to back with no interruptions will not work because what was between the songs made up the whole package work. You're right about the energy and the excitement, that's what made it work along with the fact that at that time we had raging hormones! Could that have tainted our judgment, or memories??? By the way PLB, I've been on the air fulltime in major markets across the country for 35 years and am still at it, so I must be doing something right. But thanks for rising to take the bait..lol. (3/26/08)

Here's hoping that the rumors are true and the Clear Channel deal will soon be deader than Marconi! (3/26/08)

(Regarding the message below this one:) WTOP not only pulled the comment, they pulled the story! (Perhaps Jim Farley saw the Mailbag item?) It was about Obama's efforts to deal with the pastor of his church. I find it hard to believe that WTOP would pull the story instead of just editing the comment. Also, I find it hard to believe that a word I was exposed to in a 200-level Lit class ("Women in Literature" was the course title...) decades ago would slip past a younger (But, hopefully at least equally learned!) staffer at WTOP! (3/26/08)

In looking at the "Talkback" section about a story concerning Barrack Obama on WTOP's website a few minutes ago, I couldn't believe they let this line get included in a posting, "Go lick another woman's taint. We know that's what you prefer." Anyone who had eevn a paltry exposure to 19th century literature would immediately recognize that "taint" was a then-current term for female genitalia. The term sould be found in use into the early to mid 20th century, as well. And, with the second sentence there's an encouragement of sexual activity. Surprised WTOP's moderators let that one slip through the "glass enclosed nerve center"! Who know, by now it's been reported and pulled. Then again, maybe not! www.wtopnews.com (3/26/08)

UNIVERSAL RECORDING ARTIST LLOYD MADE A STOP IN GEORGETOWN, DELAWARE TO THE WOCQ (OC104) STUDIOS ON TUESDAY, MARCH 25TH TO PROMOTE HIS NEW SINGLE & ALBUM. PICTURED FROM L TO R ARE PD DEE-LITE, POOT, SWEEET ALFIE, LLOYD, JESSICA, CROOKIDD, APD/MD BILL BAKER "THE RUMPSHAKER", & CHUBB LOVE. (3/26/08)

Howdy Dave! I still try not to miss reading DCRTV everyday to keep with what's goin' on "up yonder." Just a short note to tell ya' I got married on St.Patrick's Day in the Grand Cayman Islands! WHOO HOO! Had a great time. We spent the week scuba diving. And I got bit in the arm by a Stingray! They also drive on the left side down there. The cars, not the rays. I let my bride do all the driving. I needed a break from traffic and I didn't wanna' be a "Madman Across the Water"! Thank You, Thank You Very Much, ART "Madman" MEHRING, Atlanta, GA. (3/26/08)

Dave's response: Now that you're back home, I hope you're enjoying Imus and all those "True Oldies" on your 106.7. We sure are (cough cough cough) on our 105.9.....

From R&R: Funeral services for legendary top 40 jock Jack Armstrong will be held Friday, March 28 at 5 p.m. at the Cumby Family Funeral Service, 1015 Eastchester Drive, High Point, NC 27262. Armstrong died over the weekend at the age of 62. For more details, please call 336-889-5045. (3/26/08)

Re: "Will someone please tell me when and how Satellite Radio will show a profit?" There could have been the potential for a profit for sat rad at one time, but not now. There are just too many choices for music these days. With narrowcasting web streams and iPods, I don't see radio as a whole being a profitable business anymore - terrestrial or satellite. Sat rad may have had a chance if the technology were available in the 80s or even the early 90s. But back then, people were mostly happy with terrestrial radio (before it went down the toilet), so even then it might not have been a viable medium. My guess is that the sheer cost of running either XM or Sirus is probably much more than a single radio station, and even a radio network, yet the revenues coming in are just barely paying the day to day expenses and not the startup costs (launching satellites, for example) which I'm sure are still not paid off (just my guess). The overhead is probably so great that to have either service (or a combined service, as it will most likely become) can't be paid by user fees alone. I will guess that some sort of advertisement will be implemented on some or all channels over time. As we all know, radio (and TV) ad revnues are way down in this down economy, so this is probably not a viable option. But the biggest problem overall is that not enough people were looking for an alternative to terrestrial radio, because for them, it was just fine, or they found other alternatives. So in the end, sat rad is doomed in the long haul. Sad to see it die, it could have been great, but it became homogenized like terrestrial radio and couldn't pay its bills. Just my 2 1/2 cents. Dave in Fredericksburg (3/26/08)

The Hideout will be airing on WJFK 7-10pm the rest of this week because of Jim Rome being sick. www.hideoutheretics.net (3/26/08)

Dave's response: We hear that El Jefe sent Jim Rome some of his "special" Mexican BBQ sauce that must have had its intended effect.....

"(snip)...a move that some thought would force the 71-year-old WMUC off of the 88.1 frequency (end snip). Seventy-one years? Did WMUC start out with an AM frequency?" Yes, WMUC began as a carrier current station at 650 AM, available only in university dormitories and other buildings. I know, because that's how I listened to it as a freshman in 1973. -- Vincent in Triangle (3/26/08)

Sorry to burst someone's FUD, even if it is littered with high-falutin' phrases like PSIP frames, but my experience is along the lines of the guy from WV who actually put up an antenna and is actually receiving TV from DC better than he has before. Using my same (now 12 years old) antenna, I'm getting perfect digital reception of all the TV stations I got in analog--and some of that analog reception was mighty dicey. My only disappointments are how little is being done with the available subchannels, and the fact that I still can't get the MHz channels--not that I have a right to expect to get them at my distance, but it would be nice. (3/26/08)

Dave Marasch should NEVER be forgiven for taking a job with an organization that is simply a mouthpiece for terrorist organizations. (3/26/08)

Will someone please tell me when and how Satellite Radio will show a profit? Forget about the DOJ and the FCC. Forget about the proposed merger. There is no operating plan anywhere that points to a profit. I am happy for Mel K and Howard Stern who will make a fortune. I am happy for all of the folks on Wall Street who will make millions. All together now…Can you say DOT COM? (3/26/08)

(snip)...a move that some thought would force the 71-year-old WMUC off of the 88.1 frequency (end snip). Seventy-one years? Did WMUC start out with an AM frequency? (3/26/08)

Unless something radically changes...owners are needed that have a compassion for radio and its artistry, even though it is a business. It will probably take a billionaire businessman or two, who realizes radio stations will have to be wrapped into a conglomerate of some type and run by radio people. Creative financial ideas will have to be utilized, such as fewer spots, to compete with satrad, HD, and the like. People will listen to a quality product day in and day out...it has to be live, local and believe it or not, entertaining. It's hard to believe how inefficient the Clear Channels of the world are. Especially, when they have consolidated staffs, real estate, programming and on-air people. They've done all this, while ruining radio as we knew it with voice-tracking and the like, and still say they can't make any money. Incredible! (3/26/08)

Mr. Graham, well said you old F**rt. The day of the friend is gone. I totally agree, I'd rather listen to Johnny Dark, Jack Gale or any other "friend" than "Jack". That format is an insult to the "intelligence" of America...now, THAT'S an oxymoron....LOL-PLB (3/26/08)

Dave- on one of the jeweler commercials WMAL is still running Chris Core still identifies himself. (3/26/08)

Dave's response: If you listen very very carefully, it says "Chris Blore." Also, if you listen very very carefully to 94.7, they're really saying "World Class Rot".....

WMUC thinks it's still alive: diamondbackonline.com (3/26/08)

Radio is very different today. That’s why it is difficult for some to understand why Jack Armstrong was a good example of a type of personality that was popular during Top-40’s explosion. Radio was an intimate medium. The guy on the air was your friend. He was in your car, in your bed, even in your bathroom. He talked directly to you. He cooked with you, he helped you get through your homework, or even paint the house. He told you what time it was, what the weather was like, and what music was new and exciting. He let you win tickets and albums. He really was your personal friend. In order for the DJ to become your friend, he had to make the effort for you to like him. Some guys like Jack were hyper with gimmicks and excitement, some were just warm and friendly, some were funny, and some were anti-establishment. The path to ratings depended on how much you liked the DJ. Granted, not everybody on the air had the magic - - some merely copied other successful jocks. Radio was different and Jack Armstrong was one of the ones who did it well. Changes came when FM took over and played music flow formats. (It was much cheaper.) The audience became used to listing just for music, and over the years, programmers have forgotten how to program that way, and audiences have learned not to look for a friend on the radio. That’s a shame, but it is a reality. For me, I’d rather listen to Johnny Dark or Jack Gale to give the time and temp, then to hear it on an automation system. Ed Graham (3/26/08)

did dave marash finally realize that al jazeera is nothing but a mouthpiece for terrorists and their defenders? better late than never. (3/26/08)

To “way back in 74” You’re a puppy. Rock Radio started when you were messing diapers. I don’t know what you expected me to say about “Top 40” radio? I lived among the “kings of “that era, Harve Moore, Bob Raleigh, Johnny Dark, Dan Ingrahm, Cousin Brucie, Bruce Bradley, Joel Denver, JJ Jeffries..and yes, Jackson Armstrong, though I never met him. There was a lot more to that era than time and temp. There was presentation, passion, humor and dedication. It wasn’t done just for the buck, though some of us made lots of it. As for “cheesy” bad definition from you son. A great “rocker” had great jingles, terrific compression, depth and a great ability to be part of the community. That is not the case now, and there are very few around that could pull it off, including you. PLB:0) (3/26/08)

Interesting to note that the sign above the press box in the new ballpark does NOT say "3WTradio 1500/107.7." Instead it says "Nats Radio 1500/107.7." Seems like Bonneville, just in case, doesn't want to get stuck again with an outdated name like the "Washington Post Radio" banner at RFK last season. (3/26/08)

Dave's response: Well, I guess Bonneville wants to be prepared when it drops the low-rated talk for sports talk, oldies, or classic country later this year. Ha ha ha.....

Pearlstein's article is idiotic. No one makes you buy satellite radio and if they jack up the fees, guess what, people won't subscribe. Unlike oil, utilities and telecommunications, which we DO need and are essentially monopolies at this point, satellite radio competes directly with "free" radio (which is installed in every car in america), IPods (which more and more cars are coming equipped with adapters) and other forms of technology. That Clear Channel, a company that manipulated the Congress and FCC into allowing them to scoop up more than 1400 radio stations has the temerity to request half of the satellite spectrum (at no charge!) redefines the word chutzpah. If terrestrial radio doesn't compete with satellite (as the NAB claims) why on earth are they spending millions upon millions of dollars to try and kill this deal? It is amazing to me that in a time of war, economic ruin and general societal instability THIS merger has everyone all aflutter while no one said boo when every oil congolomorate, media behemoth and Internet start up was getting married like the FCC was some sort of lame Vegas wedding chapel. (3/26/08)

I met Jack Armstrong only once at a Billboard convention but the conversation lasted almost an hour. He was a marvelous talent. He didn't have to tell you "I love what I do." It came right through the speaker on your radio. Listening to Jack's air-checks shows you what's missing from radio today, the excitement but, most of all, the passion. I'm sure he's found a console and a stack of wax and is showing them how it should be done up there. Rock on Jackson!.....Johnny Dark (World Space Satellite Radio) (3/26/08)

Dave, in regard to HDTV reception in WV. I live in Charles town and yes I do have an outdoor antenna about 25 feet up on my roof.. I live in a valley area with 800 to 1000 foot mountains in the way of Baltimore and Washington TV signals. All of the digital signals from both cities come in with very little reception problem. I think some folks are in need of the facts when it comes to digital TV. Does it take a little more time to work with it? Yes, but well worth the picture. I have gone from at best a grade B signal to perfect, snow and ghost free HD signals after learning not to fear what I did not understand and spending $50 on an antenna.. Gary Michaels (3/26/08)

Toothless Fairfax got a mention on yesterday's edition of Regis and Anorexia Live. The contest player was a lady from Chesapeake, Va named Karen Fuller but she had met her husband of 24 year's at T.T. Reynolds bar in toothless fairfax during a $1 Heineken night back in the '80's. Oh yeah, she also won the trivia question. I think many underestimate the subtle humor of one Buzz Burbank. Buzz knows his place with Donnie G. and for most part reins it in but given chance I think could be a more integral part of an O'Meara show. I still think O'Meara is too lazy and needs someone anal like geronimo to steer ship. And speaking of the Dons and Mikes show was at the corner of Broad and Washington in downtown Falls Church yesterday around noon and lo and behold who do I see across the intersection pushing the button for the crosswalk but the mighty Monster himself Tom Gavin. Sad to report Tom must be having hip problems again cause he was using a cane. You know for all the times The Monster has been used as a bit on the dons and mikes show you'd think they, those radio gods, would throw some cash his way, but Tom says no. Hmmm, I remember one day last fall Don, in his sanctimonious persona, said if he had the money he'd help people out in this world and wonders why those who do have the cash don't do more. Well Don help a buddy out and get tom a scooter/wheelchair. Watching ABC World News Now last night and had a story about the elderly woman in Manassas who went into the comcast office and hammered away because of the lousy service. Wish I had nerve to do same in a Verizon store, the effers! (3/26/08)

The young lady who wrote in to dis Jackson Armstrong's talent and content has a tin ear and is clearly unable to discern content, humour and originality from the "time and temp" she describes. It is a shame that she will, judging by her stilted descriptions, never have a future in broadcasting. Now, please remove her from our midst! Marshall McLuhan (3/26/08)

I had the fortune to work with Jack (Armstrong) at WIFE in Indianapolis. We had a lot of fun. It was an interesting transition as Jack followed the late Jay Reynolds who returned to WIFE from WABC. Jay was warm and fuzzy and then at 6 p.m. exploded into, “YOUR LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDER!” Thanks for memories Jack and Jay. (3/26/08)

Somebody wrote, regarding Jack Armstrong's video during the long gone era of top 40 radio: "Listen to the breaks, write them down and then read back what was being said. Nothing! Time, temp, artist and station promo". It issn't what was said, it is HOW it was said that makes the difference. Play an aircheck from today and you will hear the difference. You can hear and feel somebody having fun coming out of the speakers! Jack Armstrong was having fun. And today, there is very little of that. Bob in sunny Tampa (3/26/08)

Anybody care to speculate what effect the CC financing bust will have on the evil empire and on radio? Taking a wild ass guess, I'm wondering if CC will spin off more clusters and stations in less profitable markets? Will even more employees be shown the door? Now CC is stuck operating something they no longer want, so how do they react? What say you? Bob in sunny Tampa (3/26/08)

"Jack Armstrong...Loud, fast, funny and memorable. Thom, Mt Airy (3/25/08)". Jack Edwards...classy, knowledgeable, entertaining, and fun. JACK-FM..boring, canned, tedious and totally forgettable. Doug in Bel Air (3/26/08)

Jack Armstrong...what a talent. www.youtube.com... It's all about in-your-face, can't-tune-out, just-have-fun-entertainment. In Baltimore...over the last THREE decades, Walker on FBR...B&OB on 104...and Rouse, especially earlier in his QSR days, has followed that course. That's it...What a pathetic radio-market we have. As boring as it can get---for quite some time now. Anyone know the circumstances surrounding Jack's passing at the young age of 63? Thanks... (3/26/08)

And the poster said "its hardly compelling radio in this day and age." May I ask if there is ANY such programming today? When Jackson Armstrong was doing his bit, those songs were current, and radio was not fractured into small slices of whatever, as it is today. A retrospective version of Top 40 would be an "oldies" format, not intended to be contemporary or mainstream. The audience that grew up with Top 40 still appreciates it as a specialty, among the many sources and styles of music programming available from your ipod to your SatRad. Playing to a specialty audience is how an outlet can distinguish itself and retain listenership. (3/26/08)

/\ March 26 Messages /\

\/ March 25 Messages \/

From "The Hill" on Roger Mudd's new book "The Place to Be: Washington, CBS, and the Glory Days of Television News" : CBS newsman throws mud at D.C. restaurant owner... Don’t look for Carol Joynt, owner of Nathan’s Restaurant in Georgetown, to invite former CBS newsman Roger Mudd to talk about his new memoir at one of the weekly newsmaker lunches she hosts at her restaurant. That’s because Mudd recounts his troubled relationship with Joynt when he was filling in as a summer substitute for legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite in 1973. Joynt, one of the show’s writers, had impressed Cronkite, but not in a good way. Mudd writes that he had “a serious problem” with Joynt, who then went by the name Carol Ross, because he was dissatisfied with her writing. “With the 6:29 p.m. deadline always getting closer, I would set aside her copy and write my own version, in my own voice,” Mudd writes. When Mudd asked that Joynt be taken off the show, he said she called Cronkite and complained bitterly. Cronkite told her, “Roger is doing this just to get at me.” Mudd writes that Cronkite then offered to get her back on the show, but she declined, saying, “Roger doesn’t want me. So be it.” Mudd claims that the dust-up with Joynt, who inherited Nathan’s from her late husband in 1997, helped sour his relationship with Cronkite as “the episode remained with Cronkite as proof of my contentiousness.” (3/25/08)

Wow thanks for the Jack Armstrong video. It was awesome to see artistry in motion. The flow of the show with the jingles and intros was great. But despite what the old timers say on this board ( and I've been around since 1974) its hardly compelling radio in this day and age. Those that say bring back oldies are living a dream. Listen to the breaks, write them down and then read back what was being said. Nothing! Time, temp, artist and station promo. (Now I'm waiting for a PLB reply). If you didn't know the music you'd never know what year it was! It was all in the energy and presentation. I'm not knocking it, in it's day it was great and so was the Corvair. Oldies radio should be done just like it was in the sixties and seventies, jingles and all or not done at all. Look at cable, TCM plays old movies the way they were meant to be, so recreate oldies the way they were with tacky jingles, live tags, live psa's and all or don't do it at all. (3/25/08)

Jack Armstrong...Loud, fast, funny and memorable. Thom, Mt Airy (3/25/08)

9.2 is available on cable in Winchester and Front Royal, and it appears the Eastern Pandhandle as well. Comcast is moving some channels around up there on the digital this Saturday, like they did down here in January, and the new lineup card shows 203 as WUSA radar. If that is already on the Martinsburg system in a different place (like it was in Winchester last fall) then they are golden.... Charles in Winchester (3/25/08)

DCRTV Dave commented, "You'd better have one hell of a big antenna and be on top of a mountain if you expect to see the game on 9.2 in WV." Dave, sorry to bust your bubble, but I don't think anybody makes an antenna big enough to get any DC DTV in WV. I'm patiently waiting to see all hell break loose on February 17, 2009 when a whole lot of people discover they can no longer get broadcast TV either via an antenna or cable. I add cable to the mix as there are a lot of cable systems that have yet to add broadcast DTV to their selection. This is especially true in the rural areas. Even for those that carry HBO or such in HD. As for me, I have a 2-bay bowtie up three stories and aimed towards Tenleytown with about 75' of Belden RG-6 transmission line. Standing on my roof, next to the antenna, I can see the candelabra that Milt built, the 4010 Chesapeake tower, and the goalpost in Merrifield. And, I get tiling, pixeling, and dropouts of all DC DTV's, plus 30, and 57 as well as WPXW. This is on a Sony 34XBR960. I get the PSIP frames from a bunch of other stations. However, whomever came up with the performance curves for DTV's equaling the "Class B" analog coverage must've done some serious inhaling! I say that because, analog, the Sony cooks with signals as far away as Martinsburg, Hagerstown, amongst others. Now, the scary part is, what if February 17, 2009 comes along and nobody gets upset about not being able to see broadcast DTV? Will it be the result of somebody finding a way to make VSB-8 actually work? (OK, robust...) Or, will it be that if nobody can see broadcast DTV, but can see the cable nets and are happy, will they complain? In other words, will broadcast TV lose some of its relevancy in a world with hundreds of channel choices instead of four to twenty-five? Should the latter become true, perpahs "DTV" could end up standing for "Disappearing Television". Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/25/08)

you may want to remind your readers that leonard downie is the guest at the q&a cafe on april 10, when we return from a two week hiatus. timely, eh? carol (3/25/08)

Dave's response: More at www.nathansgeorgetown.com.....

There will only be one, but nonetheless my feable attempt to re-create a little of the Top 40 sound and honor Jackson Armstrong. -Michael Popovec (Mike Bradley) mikeb.mp3 (3/25/08)

Sports anchor Sara Walsh promoted only the North Carolina game as late as last night's 11 p.m. newscast, promising only cut-ins to the West Virginia game. Walsh said words to the effect that the station couldn't please everybody. The multitude of protest posts on the station site since last night must have forced WUSA to see the man on the mountaintop. Hopefully after all this, eastern West Virginians will actually be able to pick up 9.2. Everett W. (3/25/08)

Dave's response: Hell, I have a tough time picking up 9's digital broadcast signal here in Fairfax County. You'd better have one hell of a big antenna and be on top of a mountain if you expect to see the game on 9.2 in WV. Don't know if 9.2 is carried on cable out there.....

I love to listen to Rob Spewak on the Don & Mike show! He's clever, FAST and topical. I know Mike will get a little less twitchy each time he solos, but his run-on ramblings get tiresome (and I AM sympathetic about his nervous never-leave- a- silent- moment tic). I hope Mike will be able to open up a little and become a little more fearless like the inimitable Don. I love the show and have been loyal since WAVA and my first day on the job. I only need 7 more years to reach 30 and retire like Don. Hope Mike keeps me going for this last 7 years, if not, I'll follow Rob wherever he goes.... Rob's Fan (3/25/08)

I was over on the AVS Forum and was directed to this from W*USA’s website. It says that some of Thursday’s NCAA basketball games will be broadcast on both digital 9.1 and 9.2, but with different games. 3/27/08 (scheduled 7pm-12mid) on 9.0 and 9.1: - - - 7:27pm Washington St. vs. North Carolina; 9:57pm Louisville vs. Tennessee. 3/27/08 (scheduled 7pm-game conclusion) on 9.2: - - - 7:10pm West Virginia vs. Xavier (analog only). When they say “analog only” for the WVU game I guess that they mean that it will be shown in standard definition on the digital sub-channel. Well, this is certainly a better use of 9.2 than the weather radar that they usually run. (3/25/08)

Totally agree that Mike O'Meara should start with a fresh cast. The current lineup is so stale. There's not been a new injection of on-air personality in years. This is a chance for Mike to shake things up and he should jump on it. Get new people for godssakes. Rob and Buzz serve no purpose for Mike; they're Don cronies, hired by Don for his amusement,kept around out of loyalty. (Is there a worse producer in radio than Rob?) Mike will weigh himself down if he keeps them just because they're already there. Rob's schtick (the punning jokester who loves old tv shows) is old WITH Don around. Without Don, given even more mic time, Rob will become unbearable. Any replacement would be an improvement. Buzz is a voiceover guy who says "right" a lot. Get a monkey to replace him. (3/25/08)

Hey to the genious that is making the suggestion that all of the "armchair PD's" start suggesting programming ideas for O'Meara. How about you first, seeing you THINK you're so sharp, smart, savvy, hip, creative..blah blah. Don't you have more important things to do? Your type makes me groan. (3/25/08)

"Superficiality of the Week - I stumbled into Press the Meet this weekend and all I can say is hubba, hubba!! Maria Bartiromo (sp?)'s lips are a bit off-putting, but she is smokin', and obviously has a brain -- MAJOR BONUS!" Ah, that would be "onto". She has more than brains, she has headlights: chick.artloc.com (3/25/08)

hey Dave---let's try something new...i know there are a lot of armchair PDs out there in the mailbag..including many who have probably never worked a day in the industry, BUT who have all the answers nonetheless. We have before us, a chance to re-imagine ( a fave Hollywood term ) the afternoon show on WJFK. What changes and or additions (some through subtraction maybe) would mailbaggers suggest? Should MIke retire the tired and worn impressions and be the host? Should it go in the direction of say a "daily show" or conan with more empahis on political and parody versus cheap laughs via insults and impressions? should Buzz get more or a role? I would guess this discussion in underway already and has been for awhile at CBS--but what would the mailbaggers do? (WWMD?) (3/25/08)

"Say it's so! Has Sportstalk 980 finally jettisoned The D-O-C for the Dan Patrick show?". That was just a one day deal while Doc Walker returned from a trip to Las Vegas, where the show originated from late last week. Not the first time it's happened - why WTEM can't find a local host to fill in after a busy sports weekend is beyond me. Listeners anxious to hear reaction to Georgetown's surprising loss to Davidson in the NCAA Tournament had to wait for the John Thompson show to start at 1 PM. Unfortunately he was in no mood to talk about it with callers - opened the phones on college basketball in general but hung up abruptly on anyone who brought up the Hoyas. I'm sorry - that's like Bill Gates getting on the radio and refusing to discuss Microsoft. Nobody forced the legendary former coach to sit in a studio and talk sports for three hours each day. When he signed up to do so, you'd think dealing with the big sports events and issues of the day would have been part of his job description. That Georgetown defeat was certainly topic A from a local standpoint yesterday, and with Thompson having not only served as analyst on Westwood One's radio coverage of the game but brought the Davidson coach on his show to discuss it, he should have found a way to swallow his disappointment and field callers' questions on what happened with the Hoyas. Last week on Sports Reporters, Andy Pollin didn't seem interested in hearing from fans of UMBC, Mount St. Marys or Coppin State (all participants in the tournament) because "they're not DC area schools". Yesterday he turned around and asked for calls on "what's up with Duke?", an institution whose campus is a good 250 miles from the District. For the second year in a row, John Riggins and his sidekicks Kevin Sheehan and Gary Braun are all taking a week off from their show at the same time. Last year, Red Zebra decided to go with 'best of' fare and it turned out to be a huge mistake with Georgetown making it to the Final Four. Apparently the station learned its lesson, because Bram Weinstein's been assigned to fill in as host of that program all week long. Mike, Fairfax (3/25/08)

I live near the College Park area and I can verify that WMUC can be received but there is a bleed thru of wypr. On another note, can someone tell me how I can have a talking billboard/pirate radio station shutdown in the Takoma/East Silver Spring Area. It is on a frequency that another station is on although it's weak. From what I understand and I'm sure there are others can verify or correct me that unlicensed AM stations are limited to 50mw and 250 feet. This station broadcast by a real estate company can be heard all over Langley Park/Takoma Park/East Silver Spring Area. Les in Adelphi (3/25/08)

Re: O'meara and your news blurb on the front page: Why would Mike want to keep Robbay? Robb has been Don's pet monkey since he began with the show as an intern. He failed several times as a producer and is probably only kept around becuase he laughs at everything Don says and he made Don his son's godfather. If Mike wants to do a new show, he should have new people associated with the show to breathe new life into it. And, similarly, is Joe motivated enough to contribute to a new show? It will definitely be interesting to see what happens. (3/25/08)

I noticed today (Tuesday) that there is a slight redesign of the inside pages of the “A” section of the Washington Post. I wonder if it will spread to the other sections of the paper? (3/25/08)

“Control is a poor substitute for entertainment”. Yes – you’re right. Jackson was entertaining. But perhaps most importantly, he had control. And that discipline was the most important part of his act: Knowing when NOT to talk. He knew when the bit was over! Because he prepped and planned… unlike so many radio people that just seem to yammer on and on until they think they’ve hit a punch line. (3/25/08)

Heard a spot on WBAL radio where Bruce Elliott says "Prep-a-tory school". I heard that same pronunciation last year with Bruce Cunningham on WNST. Prep-a-tory???? In my 50 years I always heard it pronounced the way it's spelled, "prepare-a-tory" as in MARYVALE PREPARatory School. Is it a Bruce thing? It sounded ridiculous! (3/25/08)

terrestial commercial music radio is so bad the door was WIDE OPEN for Satellite Radio to drive through with a Mack truck. The 100 music channel choices, the play by play and Stern are well worth the price. Does Sirius have play lists that bother me because of repetition? Absolutely. But the fact there are so many choices with NFL, NBA and college play by play available all the time and the music options so varied, it beats the watered down 3 songs then a 6 minute stop set dc music radio scene every day. BTW, DC 101s 80s weekend was the best and was as good as or better than Sirius' Big 80s or First Wave in the weekend span. Do It Again! (3/25/08)

"Heard on news talker WMAL Tuesday: A Chris Core-voiced ad for a Northern Virginia foot doctor. So, you can still hear three-decade 630 veteran on the station since Citadal budget-cut the talk show host on 2/29....." But have you noticed that they run the commercials by cutting out the "Hi this is Chris Core, blah, blah"? (3/25/08)

I agree about Doc Walker, but I don't think it's true. I was checking my watch Monday when Dan Patrick was on early. I think "The Locker Room" was closed just on Monday and it was easier and cheaper to pot up the bird. But, it was great hearing guests like Reggie Miller and others while it lasted. Ken/Bethesda (3/25/08)

I loved the comments from Liggins about the FM station sale in LA to Bonneville…he mentions that they will use the money to build the web strategy and such…who is he kidding? Radio One needs the money to pay off the monthly debt and the electric bill…they are close to death. (3/25/08)

Lindsay says "CRAP" on NBC 4 at 11:00pm. See the "poor video" quality at www.youtube.com. (3/25/08)

Reading some of the comments on this site and others about Winchester, VA's TV 3 Winchester, seems a lot of people get the idea this is strictly a cable-only channel. Found this on TV3 Winchester's website.. 3.) Over-the-Air..... TV3 Winchester is available on digital channel 49.3, with a digital antenna and digital tuner. The TV3 Winchester tower is in Page County and the signal is subject to a variety of factors, including terrain. Not all areas of Frederick, Clarke, and Warren Counties can receive the signal. Guess this shoots down the idea that TV3 Winchester is stricly cable. Besides if it was, a company like Gray Television wouldn't bother to get involved, it would be strictly a Comcast operation. Can't answer of TV3 Winchester works, if they are/aren't keeping ABC or WJLA's role in this though. (3/25/08)

yesterdays gone and ain't coming back and in a cesspool of shit, which I think radio is these days, I welcome listening to songs that don't get much airplay anymore, even if it does sound like shit, it sounded it pretty shitty back in the 60's when I listened on my portable radio but I still came to love the music...i ain't expecting some boss jock talking up the records, dropping some jocularity and dispensing info on that week's sock hop, that is definitely over but hopefully the music lives on, although sometimes lately I wonder if rock and roll has died or at least on life support....I miss you WOLFMAN! (3/25/08)

Superficiality of the Week - I stumbled into Press the Meet this weekend and all I can say is hubba, hubba!! Maria Bartiromo (sp?)'s lips are a bit off-putting, but she is smokin', and obviously has a brain -- MAJOR BONUS! And Erin Burnett is hot as girl next door balls! On the downside, the fellow the Wash Post Magazine got to portray Gene Weingarten looks like kind of a schlub.... was it a budget issue? Anyway, Gene Weingarten is again Knave of the Week for his continued ignoring of the Judge Parker comic strip, with its heaving bosoms, Navy SEAL lawyer, and elderly pot-farmers Biff and Elvira. And also for his abhorrenece of Indian food of any type, disdain for chunky peanut butter, and habitually putting hot dogs without any condiments whatever in his mouth. Caller X (3/25/08)

/\ March 25 Messages /\

\/ March 24 Messages \/

It's with a very heavy heart that I write about a true gentleman who was an artist of the craft that is broadcasting, "Jackson Armstrong", John Larsh. If you look at Jackson's resume', you'll see that while he worked for the infamous (WPOP (When it was a Merv Griffin station) and WMEX (Richmond Brothers, who've been discussed here ad infinitum!)), he also worked for the famous and the classy (KKHR (CBS) (OK, CBS is classy even though KKHR really wasn't!), WKBW (Cap Cities), KDKA (Group W), WJAS/WKYC/WNBC ("The " NBC!), KFI (Cox), KFRC (RKO General), and WKTQ (Heftel), you can see that not only did he have a track of development in his career, he also adapted as the business changed. Unlike too many jocks of the Top-40 era, Jackson never allowed himself to become an irrelevant anachronism, even at the end of his days on this Earth. If one wishes to criticize his career, you'll see that on his rise to the top and as he aged, he never worked in the D.C. area. Back in the "day", he would've been great on WPGC, WEAM, or WRC. He was always "up" for his show, no matter what was going on in his life. A true pro. Yet, a pro ready to show what was not only on his mind, but in his heart. Like so many we've lost over the last decade or so (Like "The Real" Don Steele, Robert W. Morgan, Wolfman Jack, etc.), there'll never be another jock quite like Jackson Armstrong. Radio here is the poorer for his passing. But, at some station in Heaven, I bet there's a radio audience becoming acquainted with "The Gorilla", Three Stooges drop-ins, all accompanied by a jock unafraid to wear plaid pants into the most staid denziens of "pre-corporate" radio. God Bless You, Jackson. May God Rest Your Soul, Jackson. And, bring you His peace which passes all understanding. For those who missed hearing him, I'm sure ReelRadio will likely do a tribute of some sort. Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/24/08)

Dave, Where did you get the DiscoveryHD info for Frederick? I looked earlier tonight and didn’t see anything at channel 239… Brian (3/24/08)

Dave's response: That was a press release from Comcast.....

So XM and Sirius can merge. Uncle Mel wins again...at least for now. He and Wall Street have a hard lesson to learn: You can't mate two dogs and get a pony. (3/24/08)

How much does Don Geronimo/ and Mike O'Meara make per year?. I have a bet riding on this. Can someone help me? pl (3/24/08)

Here is some video from YouTube, of Jack Armstrong in 1985 at KKHR in Los Angeles. Great stuff! www.youtube.com (3/24/08)

Take two failing media entities, "merge" them together, become successful. Wonderful strategy there. How's it working for The CW?. Not good, huh. Maybe satellite radio can be different. Everett W. (3/24/08)

The SatRad merger is going to take two competing companies and make them a single company. In other words there is no longer any reason to try something new or try something that will cost less or---read the real reason--try anything that will improve the product. So goes radio. This makes me ill. Let's play another 20 minute commercial block and talk about the good old days..... (3/24/08)

Dave's response: That's the new "American way" - rather than have free market competition to make both players better, merge and have a one-sided monopoly. One more step toward the death of radio.....

“I've never suggested that Bonneville get out of the radio biz.” You’re right, and I didn’t mean to address that comment toward you, Dave. It was really addressed to all the naysayers who filled this Mailbag with gleeful predictions of Bonneville exiting the radio business when Gordon Hinckley died. Ain’t gonna happen, obviously. Brian (3/24/08)

Now on CNN.com: The Justice Department has approved a merger between Sirius Satellite Radio and rival XM Satellite Radio. (3/24/08)

Dave... Heads up...re: Justice Dept and XM-Sirius merger. Cheers, - Max (3/24/08)

I just saw on CNN that the XM/Sirius merger was approved by the Department of Justice. The FCC still hasn’t made its decision. (3/24/08)

Ryan Seacrest is the perfect example of why radio is dying and people are going to different places for music and info. The whole non offensive, milk toast approach and playing the same 25 songs over and over are killing the whole industry. XM and Sirius aren't the answer either. People shouldn't have to pay to listen to the radio. XM and Sirius are just as repetitious as any other regular radio station. I've had Sirius since Sept. 2006 and am starting to get weary of how formatted all the stations are. Howard Stern is even getting old. He's relying on bottom feeder humor more and more and seems like he's just riding his contract out. Personally, I think the ''bloom is off the rose'' for Sat. radio and if that merger goes through, people will leave both XM and Sirius in droves and it will fail. Especially with some ridiculous ''tier'' in place. People like variety and asking them to pay extra to hear it is a bad idea. Paul (3/24/08)

At 3:30 today the AP reported -- Justice Dept Approves XM-Sirius Deal (3/24/08)

Radio One sells LA. So what happens to Jay Stevens, wasn't he hired in large part to fix that place? And what is the difference in dollars between what Bonneville is buying and what they sold in LA years ago? (3/24/08)

Gang, Laura Lippman, Famous Baltimore Author and WTMD listener, has a new book that's been getting some press. An excerpt was published in the WSJ mentioning WTMD as the radio station of choice for one of her characters. I encourage you to add Another Thing To Fall to your spring reading list! online.wsj.com... steve (3/24/08)

Sorry to hear Jackson Armstrong is gone. I used to listen to his show in the early 1970s on the "Big KB," which put a signal from upstate NY all the way to my home in SE Virginia. Very impressed that his personality, humor, and hijinx came across the radio. When he came back in the mid-2000s, he still had the spark, but I had grown up and radio is different. Can it be that Top 40 radio will be our generation's "golden age" of radio like the old dramas were for our grandparents? (3/24/08)

I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of Jack Armstrong. I talked to Jack via e-mail a handful of times lettiing him know how much I appreciated his work and he was someone I looked up to as a DJ. He was definitely old school Top 40. I was so fortunate that I was able to hear him and the re-incarnation of KB Radio 1520 in Buffalo. There were plenty of nights where I would head home from my finance job in Baltimore heading up I-83 and I cranked up KB in between listening to WQSR. I would drive around just to listen to his breaks. The energy, entertainment, excitement, the fun-that is why I got into radio to be able to entertain, inform and give people some fun in their lives...I did tape some of his shows when I was in Buffalo back in 2005 thankfully...I am so glad I kept all of his e-mail replies....I'll never forget what he told me about radio: Radio is an ART....NOT a science. Formats are helpful to provide structure but they should never take the place of entertainment. Control is a poor substitute for entertainment. Just imagine the underlining motive when someone reaches for the on/off switch. What are they looking for.....FUN....ENTERTAINMENT...and that isn't a "one dimensional" presentation of 20 records played to death."...I did not say anything before because I did not want him to get overloaded with requests but Jack was kind enough to cut me four voiceover liners for me and my show a few months ago. I will be doing a small tribute to him this Friday at noon during my 12 O'Clock Whatever. I meant to send him one of my sirchecks but hopefully he'll be listening in radio heaven on Friday. I will dig through my old tapes and put together a collage. Jack you will surely be missed!!! -Michael Popovec (Mike Bradley-Midday's-Hot A/C-The B-Georgetown, DE-www.musicontheb.com) (3/24/08)

Dave's response: Michael also sent the above message to Joel Denver of All Access. He penned this response and forwarded it to us.....

Thanks Michael -- Truly and amazing man -- I am very saddened as he was my friend for over 30 years.

Came across this in my e-mail filies. -MP-Jack Armstrong sign off: Don't get none on 'ya...do it twice...very nice to be important but more important to be very nice...let it all hang out..drag in the sand and make a deep rut...remember, people in glass houses shouldn't...a bird in the hand makes hard to blow your nose...one good turn takes most of the blanket...you can lead a hores to water but don't push him in... nothing smells any worse than a wet horse...or...you can lead a horse to water,..push him...teach him the backstroke and then you've really got something....wash your face in the morning...neck at night...love is life..life is love!..light your own candle the world will be a much brighter place...if you get to the end of your rope..tie a little knot, hang on and swing...stay calm..try to adjust...and remember he who..who he...don't let your 6 gun get rusty...it's been a business doing pleasure with you...it's been real....your leeeeeaaaadddddeeeerrrrrrrr loves you....byeeeeeeeeeee (3/24/08)

Re: Radio One Sells LA Station To Bonneville – So much for Bonneville getting out of the radio business, eh? -Brian (3/24/08)

Dave's response: I've never suggested that Bonneville get out of the radio biz. I have suggested that it might be wise for the firm to sell its only viable DC station, WTOP, to someone like CBS and pull out of the local market.....

Yep, the reporting of the Chris Wallace comments are some sort of liberal plot. Yesiree! No, the reason the Fox fight was news while the Morning Joe skirmish was not is that the Morning Joe crew is supposed to have arguments because the cast doesn't all share the same point of view. FOX is, of course, supposed to be one viewpoint stressed ad nauseum. When a known kool-aid drinker like Chris Wallace goes off script, it's news. When a GOP host argues with his Dem co-host, it isn't. Howie (3/24/08)

REF: Jack-FM Poster...Jack is the dream station of a Clear Channel or CBS Radio...very little or no air-staff equals no overhead (all profit) equals zero entertainment and an ipod with spots with an annoying voice...equals a listener's nightmare! But they're proud of it...the hell with the listener. And as far as True Oldies 105.9...it comes from Shannon's basement...ok...and it guarantees basement ratings. What makes it so bad, is that if you've ever listened to or have been on the air at a great radio station (almost non-existent today) you KNOW the difference...no question about it! (3/24/08)

it's time for another edition of "name that party". the mayor of detroit has just been indicted for perjury. read the ap's story. and name. that. party. oops. you can't. they conveniently forgot that tidbit. again. oh well. i'm sure the next time a republican gets in legal trouble, the ap won't mention their party affiliation until at least the 3rd or 4th word of the story. (3/24/08)

Say it's so! Has Sportstalk 980 finally jettisoned The D-O-C for the Dan Patrick show? Now I can actually listen and understand the point the host is trying to make, instead of having a radio host trying to throw old man street language (what the hell is a guerilla pimp?) into every sentence to appear credible with today's athlete. Or to blast someone on Friday then suck up to them on Monday when they get on the show. Please, please, please let this be a permanent change! (3/24/08)

"Dave's response: Yesterday, I heard a D&M show from back when the Redskins were on the station. At last a couple years old. JFK's weekends have always been pathetic....." Interesting, I was about to write in and ask why they only play recent "best of" for the D&M show when I would rather hear things from YEARS ago when they were funny and not so angry. I can't wait for Don to get the hell off the air. (3/24/08)

From All Access: Everyone at ALL ACCESS is saddened to report that Top 40 legend JACK ARMSTRONG died SATURDAY (3/22) at his home in HIGH POINT, NC, at 63. ALL ACCESS Publisher JOEL DENVER, a longtime friend of ARMSTRONG, commented, "JACK was one of the defining personality air talents for radio. If you ever heard him, you know that he brought up what was in his heart and soul and on his mind, and shared it with his audience every time he hit the air. JACK was responsible for jump starting and shaping many careers in our business, and the memory of what he's contributed has made a lasting, positive impression on many. GOD bless you, JACK." ARMSTRONG (real name JOHN LARSH) started his career in his native NORTH CAROLINA, he worked at WCOG-A/GREENSBORO, moving ahead to make stops at WAYS-A/CHARLOTTE, WIXY-A and WKYC-A/CLEVELAND, WMEX-A/BOSTON, CHUM-A/TORONTO, WPOP-A/HARTFORD, KTLK-A/DENVER, WKBW-A/BUFFALO, WJAS-A and WKTQ-A (13Q) and KDKA-A/PITTSBURGH, WHYI (Y-100)/MIAMI, WIFE-A/INDIANAPOLIS, WNBC-A/NEW YORK (one night as the "Unknown Deejay"), KTNQ-A, KHTZ, KKHR, and KFI-A/LOS ANGELES, KFRC-A/SAN FRANCISCO, KBOS/FRESNO, WMQX/WINSTON SALEM, and, finally, WWKB-A/BUFFALO, where he was part of the former Oldies format in 2002-2006. (3/24/08)

Saw the spread on Ryan Seacrest in yesterday's WaPo. I first knew I didn't much care for the guy based on how the whole KISS-FM Los Angeles morning show thing was handled involving the unsavory blow-out of Rick Dees. The whole thing about waiting out Dick Clark for the New Year's eve gig is especially galling. I do understand the whole ambition thing. But, now we have to look forward to the Ryan Seacrest syndicated morning show spreading like a fungus across the country. Wonder how many morning show hosts he's going to put out of work with this project? (3/24/08)

Dave's response: Ryan Seacrest in the morning and Billy Bush in the afternoon - all over the country. Ugh. And what is it with the print version of the Post's Sunday Style And Arts section - such big pictures?!?! Do we really need a third-of-a-page-pic of Seacrest's face? No! I guess it's just filling the blank space from all those writers who took buyouts. Oh, and while I'm talking about the Post, did anyone notice that the Post's Sunday Sports section was ad-free? Except for one teeny tiny ad on an inside page. Amazing.....

Regarding the post Fox Fight: Wallace Slams Doocy Over Obama Comments. To be fair, which the liberal media cannot, Joe Scarborough and Mica Brzenzinksi exchanged heated words over the same topic last week. The obviously pro-Obama Mica insisted the 'typical white-person' comment was referring to people who grew up in the 1960's. Apparently Mica was trying to play spin-doctor for the Obama camp. Scarborough shot back, asking where this was said in the speech. And who played peacemaker to break the two up??? Pat Buchanan!! This was a much better fight then the one on Fox News but for the liberal news media it is much easier to bash a cable news station people actually watch. (3/24/08)

Dave's response: Speaking of Fox, what is with that Julie Bandaras newsreader on the weekends. She has kind of "GOP goth" look about her, and a face so "made up" that it looks like it would crack if she was humanly capable of producing a smile. Man. Another one of "Roger's Girls," I suspect.....

The Univ. of Md's Board of Reagents (chemistry joke) did well in retrospect to avoid the financial burden of owning and staffing a high-powered radio station. What academic benefit would it have offered? Even if there were a vague connection between a popular station and a school's public image, the potential campus listenership has migrated to the internet, satellite, and pre-recorded sound files. I bet there's not a single over-the-air radio station whose audience is both 1.substantial; 2.primarily students/faculty. Possible exceptions: Bible stations at religious schools. Even WTMD, one of the best music stations around here, has a paid, non-student staff, and only an occasional ball game having to do with Towson State's campus activities. In today's student demographic, radio is nearly as obsolete as newspapers. Ask them yourself. The concept of listening to a "campus radio station" is totally gone for my daughter, 20, and her friends. And she comes from a radio family ! (3/24/08)

Don't know if it's feed to 105.9 but Michael Scott Shannon seems to be playing a lot more of the 1960's material. sure nice to hear that stuff again like a long lost old friend. and too me sound quality is fine but more important to me is content! hell I just want to hear so much of the music that's vanished from over the air radio in the last decade. that's why I like JACK the variety of music is what I enjoy, too me a wider playlist than tiresome The Globe. Hey hoity toidy this is one slack jawed yokel who can't afford satellite radio and as for WTOP, that repetitious old thing, hey what time is it wait a minute here it comes again (3/24/08)

Chris Plante did an awesome job subbing for Mark Levin. He's definitely toned down his morning show from his old evening show though. Too bad but still, when he gets on a roll he's priceless. Another GREAT fill in host is Mark Simone. Why doesn't he have his own syndicated show? Great voice and politics aside, I especially like his attitude. When callers do the obligatory "Thank you for taking my call" (my pet peeve), he corrects them and says "If you weren't listening and calling, I wouldn't have a job, so thank YOU for calling". That is something I've always thought but the first time I've ever heard articulated by a host. (3/24/08)

Dave's response: What I don't like about Chris Plante, at least when I was listening, is that he slams lefty callers not for their politics but for their intellect, of lack thereof. A cheap shot from the Righty Radio Back Of Tricks. Something Chris Core would have never stooped to doing. But at least it beats listening to Tony Kornheiser mindlessly drone on and on about "Idol".....

I'll defend Tracey... Jim Williams writes for a free rag that most people would use for their pet to relieve themselves on. You would think a seven time emmy winner could find a real paper. He was dead wrong on the Nats TV deal 2 yrs ago and other issues. His sources are the defunct Comcast SportsNet. F Jim MLB FAN DC (3/24/08)

"Actually, someone just recently applied for a low power FM right near the U of Maryland College Park campus." Box tops sent in to the FCC have never equaled stations, and that application for 90.5 in Adelphi won't be granted - it's been sitting there in the database for eight years now, and it wasn't even "accepted for filing!" Anybody can send in a bogus application to the FCC and get it turned down, kinda like anyone can send a posting full of bogosity to DCRTV and get it published. WMUC - still alive and kickin' all over College Park no matter what WYPR does - has zero options to move without an unlikely waiver of FCC rules, because that's just how jammed full the FM dial in this area is. - Mike Doughney, first CE of WMUC-FM way back in '79 (3/24/08)

Isn't the soccer show back on WJFK weekends? (3/24/08)

Missing out on a star, and other news tidbits... Maybe there's a future for newspaper superstar Bob Woodward at The Free Lance-Star after all... Date published: 3/19/2008... fredericksburg.com... WE MAY never know why The Free Lance-Star said "no" to Bob Woodward in 1970. There probably weren't any openings in the newsroom when he knocked on our door in search of a job. And let's face it, the resume of a 20-something Navy vet from Wheaton, Ill., who had just flunked his tryout at The Washington Post might not have leaped out of the pile of applications. So the Yale man who would become one of the most celebrated journalists of modern times trotted off to a suburban weekly paper in Maryland for seasoning before igniting his heralded career at the Post. At least I got a laugh line out of that journalistic nugget last week, as moderator of the Fredericksburg Forum with Woodward. The Watergate sleuth's job history wasn't the only eyebrow-raising tidbit I gathered from journalists over the past few days. Here are a couple of others: Ron Fournier, online political editor for The Associated Press, has been covering Bill and Hillary Clinton since their Arkansas days. But he's not counting on another Clinton occupying the White House come January. Fournier told Associated Press members at a luncheon in Roanoke last week that he stands by his assessment that the Democratic nomination is Barack Obama's to lose. It comes down to the simple math of who has the most pledged delegates. And he thinks Hillary, whom he considers to be more pragmatic than Bill, will see the handwriting on the wall before the Democratic convention this summer. Paul V. Carty, the executive editor of The Town Talk newspaper in Alexandria, La., made a provocative presentation at a Virginia Press Association meeting. Speaking at another lunch in Roanoke last week, Carty criticized much of the national media for distorting the story of the "Jena 6" in a nearby Louisiana town. As you may recall, charges against six black high school students for attacking a white student led to national protests that included the Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Protestors argued that the charges were too harsh, and that white students involved with what some considered an earlier racist incident were dealt with too leniently. While not doubting that racism still plagues his Deep South community, Carty (who hails from Boston and Philadelphia) said some national media tripped over basic facts they should have checked. Among them, he argued, was the way the "pack journalists" portrayed the "Jena 6" student who became a symbol of racist oppression. Far from sporting the clean record cited by national reports right up until the day of a major protest march, Carty said the young man had, in fact, been convicted of four previous crimes of violence. Carty said his Gannett-owned paper remains committed to balanced coverage of the ongoing controversy. At the forum with Woodward at the University of Mary Washington, a question of might-have-beens caught my attention. When asked whether U.S. initiatives in Iraq might have been different had Colin Powell been secretary of defense, rather than secretary of state, Woodward questioned whether there would have been a major war at all. All in all, it was an impressive performance by the celebrity journalist, who still serves as an assistant managing editor at the Post. Perhaps The Free Lance-Star should reconsider his application. Maybe he could send me some clips of his stories. - Ed Jones, Freelance Star (3/24/08)

...(Baltimore's) Jack neither communicates nor entertains. It occupies a chunk of spectrum. The kindest thing I can say for it (and others of its ilk) is that it's like listening to somebody else's iPod, but with spots. When I listen to the radio, I want to be informed or entertained. That's why it's WTOP in the mornings and XM in the evening. I no longer listen to WMAL. Nor do I listen to 105.9... (3/24/08)

/\ March 24 Messages /\

\/ March 23 Messages \/

I only caught a few minutes of "The Path to 9/11" when WJLA aired it, but in light of Hillary Clinton's ongoing campaign for the presidency, the mystifying lack of DVD release for the film might merit your attention. The Washington Times had a good story about this Saturday: washingtontimes.com... Christian (3/23/08)

“The Post did next to nothing on Wright and his Trinity United Church Of Christ before March 15, and editors turned down a reporter's requests to do a story before the controversy broke.” funny…they didn’t have that problem with Macaca. George Allen (3/23/08)

Dave's response: It is amazing. If it wasn't for the "macaca incident" and the Post, Allen probably would have won re-election as senator from Virginia two years ago and probably would have been in the running for president this year. It could very well have been Allen going up against Clintobama.....

WJFK is so awesome !! They are running the same Junkies BO from 11am again...right after what was an infomercial for an personal injury law firm or a rerun of D&M doing Jew to Jew...I mean how freaking lazy can you get ? (3/23/08)

Dave's response: Yesterday, I heard a D&M show from back when the Redskins were on the station. At last a couple years old. JFK's weekends have always been pathetic.....

Dave, www.examiner.com... Happy Holiday's! The Georgetown-Davidson game today should be the sports rating grabber of the weekend locally. Maryland's ladies play in the NCAA Tournament this afternoon on ESPN but it will be the Hoyas that bring home the eye balls. Cheers, Jim (3/23/08)

Heard on WTOP today, a report on "thieves who take things" from parked cars. Ah, as opposed to what? Thieves who don't take things? (3/23/08)

To paraphrase the great Dan Akroyd, Tracey, you ignorant slut! Jim's referral to "local girl makes good" is a paraphrasing of the cliche, "local BOY makes good." The difference is that men have backbones and don't snivel at jocularity! With regards to Jill Nado, it is very nice for you to stick up for your friend, Alison Oakley, but she does not speaks so good and I will tell you thing that is a verifyable truth... She gots a BIG bottom! Hahahaha... and, Good Shabot and Happy Easter from Your Mangrove Mama's Mangrove Papa (3/23/08)

Look, Jim Williams can be fairly criticized for being too obsequious and never really "criticizing" any of the sports media types he writes about. But this Tracey Roberts needs to take a deep breath, have a stiff drink and loosen up. "Local girl done good" or "local boy done good" is a saying, a colloquialism. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using it and it really doesn't matter what the age of the person is to whom it refers. Political correctness geeks like Roberts are going to be the undoing of this country yet. (3/23/08)

What century does Jim Williams live in? His closing comment on Pam Ward is "Now that is a local girl done very good." What the hell is that? First of all the sentence itself sounds ridiculous. Pam is not a "girl", she is a grown woman with the most extensive professional female play by play career in television sports. As a seven time Emmy winning sports journalist i would have thought Jim Williams would be writing at more professional level than referring to Pam as a "girl." She deserves better than that. It's 2008. Who's the Examiner sports editor, Fred Flintstone? tracey roberts (3/23/08)

Wow, former WMAR 2 anchor Curt Anderson fights to make Maryland the 1st state in the nation to make illegal drug sales not a felony offense! Geez, no wonder WMAR has been in the ratings ghetto for so long! www.baltimoresun.com (3/23/08)

/\ March 23 Messages /\

\/ March 22 Messages \/

RE: WMUC / [ " So before you spout your inaccurate pontifications " ]........... Actually, someone just recently applied for a low power FM right near the U of Maryland College Park campus. So c'mon, if the Hope Christian Church of Marlton New Jersey and Liberty University can get dozens of low power FMs all over Virginia & Maryland, I find it hard to believe that UMCP couldn't have snagged one of those frequencies if anyone really cared about WMUC at UMCP (I'm talking about the higher ups, not the students of course). (3/22/08)

Another Smooth Jazz station switches formats. KHJZ went with a "Hot Hits: format yesterday. Is this the end of Smooth Jazz on terrestrial radio? In the past month stations in New York, Denver, DC and now Houston have switched formats. Armando (3/22/08)

So I guess with Fraulein Martucci getting married ends my dream of her jello wrestling topper, howard and tony at same time ? I didn't know Rondo Hatton was born in Hagerstown? Just surfed by old cranky Pat Goss tv show. Is his hair darker these days? I still think Verizon sucks! Spend the cash on commercials and fancy showrooms and sh8t on customer service and have sales folks do the old bait and switch and stuff. I know, what else is new in today's retail whirled. Anyone know wha' happened to Carlos Joaquin who did the weather on the local univision news? Think channel 4's villanueva only ramped up 4 or 5 times. He'd wink a lot. Here's video of Carlos Joaquin in action from his my space page tinyurl.com (3/22/08)

("REASON #4897 that WUSA 9 News is going down the shitter, the on air marriage proposal of Kim Martucci. Sorry that was tacky and tasteless, but then again so was the food segment. What's next, Topper Shutt going to do the limbo during the weather out on the weather terrace? Hmmm, how low can you go?") Then change the channel and go watch Regis and Kelly over on ABC-7 (where I suspect this poster works). If you want super serious news, go watch Jim Lehrer on PBS evenings where you will not see cooking segments and proposals. It was at the end of the 9am news for God's sake. (3/22/08)

re: "Jack plays lots of great music, but the experience is spoiled by the audio processing adjustment." Amen. QSR is the poster child for bad sound. Of course, they're #7 and proud, so they probably think their processing is good while it may actually be keeping them from going higher. My time spent listening is under a minute, too, because it just plain hurts my ears. (3/22/08)

Re: WQSR. Jack plays lots of great music, but the experience is spoiled by the audio processing adjustment. Why does a station that tries to be adult in its presentation so juvenile in audio processing? The stereo is turned up to the point where the songs sound poorly remixed. "Jacked" up stereo was cutting edge in 1982, but this is 2008. For a music and sound lover, Jack can be annoying because the music sounds broken. I would love to listen longer, but end up changing the station within a minute... (3/22/08)

Video of last Friday's (March 14) Radio & Records Talk Radio Seminar panel moderated by George Stephanopoulos with panelists Jim Bohannon, G. Gordon Liddy, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, WOR's Steve Malzberg, Phil Valentine, and WBT Charlotte's Jeff Katz. Subjects: Al Sharpton says Obama should've resigned Rev. Wright's church "if he heard it." (Which Obama admitted he did three days later in his widely-praised speech.) Spitzer, presidential predictions, and more on Chickaboomer's new YouTube channel: Click here: YouTube - ChickaBoombox's Channel... For an unvarnished assessment of TRS: Click here: Chickaboomer: R&R Talk Radio Seminar: Radio Daze... Starting Monday Chickaboomer does a daily video commentary on chickaboomer.com... (3/22/08)

To the shallow nitwit who said: "I used to have a warm spot in my pants, I mean, my heart, for Allison Oakley. Her juicy cleavage in the Fox chopper and the cute face was nice to look at. But today, I was REALLY disappointed. She filled in for Julie Wright, and DAYUM! I was used to seeing those tight, top-half shots of her body. Now, for the first time, I got the full frontal view :( " Allie Oakley is one of the most beautiful, sexy, INTELLIGENT women in broadcasting today. She is a pleasure to work with, an excellent traffic reporter who knows her stuff and a very kind soul. While we're on the topic, why is it people on this site consistently rip on women for their appearance, but we barely hear a squeak about the men? I'd like to see just one person complain about the fact that Tom Sherwood doesn't clean his glasses. Regards, Jill Nado (3/22/08)

I'm glad that Bob decided to email the mailbag about JACK (WQSR). Our "Jack" has never followed the strict "Jack Formatics" that has befallen so many other "Jack" stations over the past three years. Right from the get-go, Dave LaBrozzi and I knew that "Jack" had to be more. We broke away from the "Jack Mold" and moved-on using our "gut". Jason Kidd took over programming a year ago and has done a GREAT job maintaining that "gut" programming. Bob is right. WQSR is #7 25-54 persons. ANY station in the top ten is cash money! Considering our "Jack" is a precisely programmed, extremely well maintained radio station that lives in a rack and has no overhead except the BGE bill, shows what can be done if you care enough. I loved Goodtime Oldies WQSR, (I was the production/operations/pd/asst. pd from 1989 - 2004) but when the format left the air, it was 14th. Can Oldies be profitable? Yes. No doubt about it. But right now, during this time of recession, Clear Channel buy-out going to hell, and the Satrad merger, nothing is going to happen. At worst, all the AM & FM's will go automated or dark within two years. At best (and this is my prediction) AM & FM Radio will bounce back by 2010. Everything is cyclical. People will get bored with Satrad after Mel destroys it, they'll get tired of listening to the same songs over-and-over again on their I-Pod and CD's... and turn to Radio. The stations with the Best DJs (by the way, the MOST IMPORTANT PART of Radio), the Best Programming, the Best Traffic, The Best News and the Most Fun Promotions--- WIN! Jack Baltimore is a good radio station and the listeners love it and "get it". As is WHFS2 Alternative streaming radio at www.whfs2.com. Spam has brought back Neci and more is to come on WHFS HD-2. Let the P-50 DJ's/Programmers sit back and flood the Mailbag with rumors and speculations, but son, it not like being in the "Air Chair" everyday. I know, I'm sitting there now and the heat is on. I rarely get to post in the mailbag any more so "Shout Out" to the following: Tom Buckley, Don O'Brien, Mike Kelly, Steve Rouse, Johnny and Colleen Dark, Johnny Holiday and Tom Marchitto, Bill Rohland, Liz Drabic, Mike Scampone, Ralph Dougan, the boys at ABC Sat, Alan Lee, Steve Stofberg, Charlie Weller, Candace Willard, the Engineering Department at CBS Baltimore, Joe Angel and Fred Manfra, Miles, Steve & Ted, Maynard, Gary Stein, and Steve Melewski. PEOPLE WHO STILL MAKE BROADCASTING EVERYDAY... Steve Drepperd - CBS Radio Sports, Baltimore Maryland. BTW - I have a new website. I produce Great Radio and TV. When it's totally done, I'll buy one of those ads at the top of DCRTV. Take a peek... hear great radio production right now at www.mightyfineaudio.com. (3/22/08)

To "Officially Sad:" Thank you! You speak for millions! Sincerely, The Fashion Club (3/22/08)

Please join me in congratulating Betsy Brightman and her Affiliate Sales Team on Retirement Living TV's launch onto Verizon FiOS TV! At 12:01 AM this morning, our content began reaching into 1 million Verizon homes. We are fully distributed to all of their homes across the nation, so if you know anyone with FiOS service please tell them they can tune us in 24/7 on Channel 216. We are 4 clicks up from Hallmark, 1 click up from TVLand, and 1 below Disney. Verizon does web and channel guide updates in bulk, so it may take a few weeks to see us appear in these guides. We¹re excited to be launching onto one of the Top 10 video distributors in the country and the fastest growing. Under Verizon¹s public growth projections, this should put us into the following counts of homes over the next 5 years: Immediate: 1 million... 12/31/08: 1.9 million... 12/31/09: 2.8 million... 12/31/10: 4 million... 12/31/11: 4.7 million... 12/31/12: 5.5 million... (3/22/08)

/\ March 22 Messages /\

\/ March 21 Messages \/

REASON #4897 that WUSA 9 News is going down the shitter, the on air marriage proposal of Kim Martucci. Sorry that was tacky and tasteless, but then again so was the food segment. What's next, Topper Shutt going to do the limbo during the weather out on the weather terrace? Hmmm, how low can you go? (3/21/08)

To Bob Philips and Dave LaBrozzi. Thank's for the great programming job of the 4 stations in Baltimore!! Please note that is totally sarcastic, since you'd otherwise take that comment seriously. The best day ever in radio will be the day they're both fired. Maybe someone else will give Baltimore a Classic Hits station since CBS-Baltimore is not seeing the light that's ever so clear. My guess is when it happens, with advertising, and PPM's rolling around it'll be top 5 both in key demos and 12+ easily. Take a good long look at WCBS & WOGL, and someone tell me why the format wouldn't work in Baltimore? When 101.9's flashback weekend seems pretty popular plus the outlashing from listeners when 102.7 went Jack. I think it would work just like WCBS and WOGL. as for stepping on the toes of WLIF, really to me it appeals to two different people all together. Has WCBS killed Lite 106.7 in New York? (3/21/08)

The misinformed previously scribed: "Class D stations like WMUC that have been around "for decades" have had the entire time to find a more secure situation. A station that did nothing in the '70s or '80's, yet cries victim now, does not deserve pity or protection from displacement." And in response: WMUC has actually attempted to move frequencies twice before, without success due to the overpacked spectrum of the DC area. So before you spout your inaccurate pontifications, why don't you, or any of the rest of you who (for some reason) LOVE to 'dis' WMUC, actually make a call to our General Manager and get the straight dope. But no...you're too busy thinking your a WMUC scholar with out actually doing some real research or even picking up the phone and calling...wow...what a novel idea! WMUC is true free form radio, unlike the 'brand x' corporate pablum which pervades the dial...student run since 1937 and damn proud of it. (3/21/08)

Someone asked, "Where's Anita Marx been lately? whfs Baltimore cut her loose?" Don't know..but when the show came on today, they used the same opening as they always used; the guys who came on said they were filling in for Anita; I would say she's on vacation; I know that last week, she was covering the Orioles "Spring training" stuff; I figured she'd be back live in studio this week..but haven't seen her, so don't really know what to think! Tom in Denton, MD (3/21/08)

New York's ESPN Radio/WEPN 1050AM has a construction permit to increase daytime power to the south in New Jersey from a new transmitter site. Not sure if that will have any impact on WFED's latest power increase request but I'll assume the Bonneville engineers have already factored that in. (3/21/08)

...."My take on the TV3 Winchester deal. I don't get it; the over-the-air transmission of this version of Harrisonburg's Channel 3 is broadcast FROM the Harrisonburg station's transmitter on DT-3, so it's not even in Winchester, so the fact that one DT transmission has different news is not WJLA's problem. The cable version is basically an authorized local cable cut-in of a local station WHSV-3. Again, as long as WHSV-regular is allowed on the cable system, why not have Winchester cut-ins?..."...actually TV3 Winchester isn't a totally cable-only channel. If one can pick up WHSV's DT feed, they can watch TV3 Winchester's feed complete with Winchester local news, weather, sports and commercials, the same thing one would find on the local cable in Winchester. I myself saw TV3 Winchester on a friend's HDTV set in nearby Martinsburg a few months back ( TV 3 Winchester isn't available on cable there at all ). He didn't even know the channel existed and was impressed. He even said their local news was better than nearby WHAG's NBC 25. (3/21/08)

My take on the TV3 Winchester deal. I don't get it; the over-the-air transmission of this version of Harrisonburg's Channel 3 is broadcast FROM the Harrisonburg station's transmitter on DT-3, so it's not even in Winchester, so the fact that one DT transmission has different news is not WJLA's problem. The cable version is basically an authorized local cable cut-in of a local station WHSV-3. Again, as long as WHSV-regular is allowed on the cable system, why not have Winchester cut-ins? The DirectTV and Dish business is because they carry the local over-the-air stations and TV3-Winchester is not one of the regularly received local station. I get the feeling that the rumor is someone starting with the satellite true facts, adding "I'll bet that..." and some theories that got turned into rumors. And the WFED power increase is for daytime only, so Mexican stations aren't too affected by it, only KYW-1060, WEPN-1050, and maybe one on 1050 in Bluefield WV have to be protected during the day. (And to set the record straight: KYW is on 1060, not 1040, but everyone knew that already). -- Carl in Olney (3/21/08)

630 WMAL's Chris Plante will be subbing nationally for "The Great One" Mark Levin tonight from 6 - 8 p.m. To Caller X: I wouldn't make a bet on your statement that the State Dept. doesn't keep tabs on its citizens' travels overseas. I'm willing to bet that, when prodded, the government will seek and find pertinent information about someone ASAP. Big Brother is watching... always. As the saying goes: "In God We Trust, All Others We Monitor". -Silvie- (3/21/08)

Dave's response: Chris Plante is downright rinky-dink when compared to Chris Core. He even makes one long for the return of the awful Michael Graham. Ugh.....

Re: ("...I was at the Greene Turtle down the street from my house in Ocean City yesterday and happened to meet a DC jock and I asked whether she knew of the website and she said yes, she loves DCRTV.com. - Michael Popovec) Sooo, who was the jock, Michael? Ya gotta at least dish the name of the person you met. OC locals wanna know. (3/21/08)

On WMAL this a.m., I heard a clip of Obama's comments condemning IMUS for his "hateful" speech and saying how Imus would never work for him. That was contrasted with Obama's support for this preacher and his "hateful" speech. It was very effective. Obama really does have a problem with this and it isn't going away. (3/21/08)

OH man Kim Martucci was looking good this morning and then that goofy BF of her's had to come out on stage and ruin my morning workout. Damn I was almost at shangri-la when he asked her for her hand in marriage. NANANANANOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.. THE DOODADDADDY. (3/21/08)

Kornheiser for Feinstein. Great even up trade. One insufferable gasbag for another. Here's another great trade idea. Sterne for Carlson. You can call the show "Tucker & (fill in the rhyming blank)". How about Farley sending Tantum to LA to run the possible Bonneville FM newser. That zero-point-nine from WaPoRad is starting to look pretty good right now. When IS the trade deadline for radio hosts? And did anyone see the scariest live TV event in recent history this morning? Kim Manhands Martucci's other half proposed in person at the end of the 9NewsNow morning show. All jaws dropped but her own. - Unsigned Armchair PD (3/21/08)

bowie baysox announce a lindsay czarniak bobblehead night blog.washingtonpost.com (3/21/08)

Finally, a controversy we can really sink our teeth into. I lived in LA for many years. One MUST include the Original Tommy's for hamburgers.......Pinks for dogs....and Roscoe's Waffles and Fried Chicken for the cardiologist. (3/21/08)

Concerning the regulations covering AM radio, yes, they have changed since 1964. The Region 2 international agreements, as implemented by the FCC, redefined stations into 4 classes. The first, A, roughly corresponds to the old IA and IB stations (the "clear channels" or "nearly clear channels"). These stations are the only ones to have protected skywave service areas now. Protection to foreign class A stations can sometimes be limited to the country border, depending on the status of the station when the international agreements were signed. Class B stations correspond roughly to old Class II and III stations, and they only have groundwave service areas protected day and night. Class C stations are the old Class IV locals that have a maximum of 1 kW. Class D stations are the old daytimers (like WFED) that have NO protected service area at night. Class D nighttime power is determined solely on protecting higher-class stations, not achieving a given signal level or interference-free signal to the community of license. Class A, B, and D stations can have up to 50kW day power, and Class B stations must transmit at least 250 watts at night and provide interference-free coverage to most of the community of license. WEPN uses the same pattern day and night to not only protect the nighttime service of XEG, but also to protect 1040 KYW in Philly. Regards, Dave Loudin (3/21/08)

Dave, I am officially sad today. I used to have a warm spot in my pants, I mean, my heart, for Allison Oakley. Her juicy cleavage in the Fox chopper and the cute face was nice to look at. But today, I was REALLY disappointed. She filled in for Julie Wright, and DAYUM! I was used to seeing those tight, top-half shots of her body. Now, for the first time, I got the full frontal view :( She got a HELLUVA gut on her. The love is GONE! ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! (3/21/08)

Dave...Its a small world...I was at the Greene Turtle down the street from my house in Ocean City yesterday and happened to meet a DC jock and I asked whether she knew of the website and she said yes, she loves DCRTV.com. - Michael Popovec (3/21/08)

("Oh no, FATTBURGER is the best!!") Brian – Jack in the Box takes the cake, my friend. 4am and a Sirloin Bacon and Cheese with a couple of taco’s…whoo! MAJOR Roman! (3/21/08)

WUSA and WJZ will have at least double their afternoon ratings today when Baltimore 's UMBC faces Washington's - Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament at 2:30pm. Monster numbers will be the order of the day at both area CBS outlets. Cheers, Jim - www.examiner.com (3/21/08)

Dear Dave, To Charles in Winchester: the situation you were referring to was from 2005 when 3rd round games featuring Duke and NC State were scheduled at the same time. Here's the link: www.newsobserver.com. While matters did get worked out, my Dad and I (both of us North Carolina natives who bleed Carolina Blue and who know very well what this time of the year is like in the Triangle area of NC) did find the situation humorous thinking about whatever wrath the station manager at WRAL would have to face from enthusiastic fans no matter what game is televised. I think that, overall, CBS does a good job of covering the tournament, but there are times where it's distribution of game telecasts and/or cutaways from games I want to watch (OK, OK...Carolina games I want to watch) leave me scratching my head. I guess that's why I love having the DirecTV NCAA Tournament Package. Again, Dave, a great site! GO HEELS! Sincerely, Joe Kasell (3/21/08)

Was looking at CBS Radio station directory and see they have several Smooth jazz stations across the country. Gave a listen to the one in San Diego and San Fran and they seem to play more real smooth jazz than 105.9 did here. But still might'en CBS change one of their stations in D.C. area to Smooth Jazz? it's ratings were decent. Certainly more so than the long struggling WJFK and The Globe. The Globe does seem to be retreating from it's pseudo back in the day 'HFS playlist, ah ha ha ha ha ha and doing the '80's classic rock thing more. Even in the overnights, when they hardly have commercials, The Globe plays the same tiresome stuff. Is "Broadway" Bill Lee different from "Spaceman" Bill Lee? Where's anita marx been lately? whfs baltimore cut her loose? (3/21/08)

Grandy and Andy Morning Show: I am mightily disappointed in the lack of knowledge displayed, esp. by Fred Grandy, regarding the Obama passport file matter. Newsflash, gentlemen: the State Department doesn't know where you've gone! They don't have a file on your travels. It simply doesn't work that way. For $65,000 Ike Leggett's bathroom should have a glory-hole. On the bright side, Gurvir Dhindsa continues to be hot as balls!!! Caller X (3/21/08)

It sure was nice to hear Ira Melman back on the radio this morning on WASH-FM. (3/21/08)

Dave's response: Hmmm. Anyone know more?

Fellow fans of newsbabe Wendy Rieger will be thrilled to check out these great pics of her Annapolis waterfront home in Home and Design. You dreamers can even get a glimpse of the big gal’s bedroom. Don’t forget to check out the caption under the very last pic. Is there a romance going on that we don’t know about? (Relax. I keed.) www.homeanddesign.com (3/21/08)

May sweep... FOX 5 is set to enter the HD news race... WUSA 9 will already be in the HD news race for 3 years. NBC 4 and ABC 7 don't seem like they're interested in entering the HD news race quite yet. Still no word yet on the Baltimore stations. I could picture WBAL 11 becoming the first Baltimore station to enter the HD news race sometime in 2008. 4 other Hearst-owned station are now in HD, behind KCRA/KQCA (Sacramento), WCVB (Boston), KMBC (Kansas City), and WESH/WKCF (Orlando). I'm praying and hoping that 11 could and might be next in line to get the HD overhaul. Just my thoughts. (3/21/08)

About the Shenandoah Valley's TV 3 Winchester, I seem to remember hearing that WHSV filed and was approved for "must carry" status in Winchester. Also wasn't the Winchester-Front Royal area supposed to be taken out of the Washington DMA and be moved into Harrisonburg's? I haven't heard about it for awhile. For the ABC programming part of TV 3, shortly before they went on the air last March ( 2007 ), I remembering hearing a radio interview with Rick Ours, one of the men at Winchester's Shenandoah University and the subject of WJLA was brought up. If I remember correctly I believe he said that at first WJLA did balk at the idea of a local ABC affiliate for the Winchester but after some sort of promises between them and ABC 7, WJLA warmed up to the idea. Ours of course didn't go into details as to what those promises were but I have heard that one was TV 3 Winchester can not promote the fact that they are ABC such as calling themselves ABC3 Winchester, they must stay off the Direct TV and Dish Network for examples nor can TV 3 Winchester advertise themselves such as going through the billboard route that some of the local radio stations have done over the years. However I also seem to remember reading elsewhere that TV 3 Winchester, their anchors and production staff were to be staffed by students at Shenandoah University and their local news was to be limited to only 7 & 11pm. That isn't the case with their anchors as all of them worked in other markets ( weathergal Lauryn Rickets used to work for WTTG FOX 5 ) plus I have seen help wanted ads on their site looking for production people plus Tv 3 Winchester has really expanded the amount of news just within the last few mnths such as the hour long Good Morning Winchester. Anyway despite all of that, I doubt WJLA will take away ABC from TV 3 Winchester regardless of the DMA since they had that chance from the get-go but didn't. Actually I just don't believe any of the Washington ( much less Baltimore ) stations really care all that much as far as Frederick County, VA goes. Not that they do many stories there anyway. Now if we are talking about that other Frederick County ( Maryland ), WJLA would never allow such a venture to take place there. (3/21/08)

Class D stations like WMUC that have been around "for decades" have had the entire time to find a more secure situation. A station that did nothing in the '70s or '80's, yet cries victim now, does not deserve pity or protection from displacement. (3/21/08)

“I can see Jim Farley salavating [sic] right now for a comparatively endless supply of ‘In 'n' Out’ burgers!” Oh no, FATTBURGER is the best!! –Brian (3/21/08)

/\ March 21 Messages /\

\/ March 20 Messages \/

On Bonneville getting KRBV, Dave sez, "... (Jim Farley) would probably have a say" if it's a news/talk operation. Dave, with all due respect, you have made a gross understatement! If the sale goes through, not only will it likely be for less (probably a lot less) than Radio One was shopping it around for recently, I can see Jim Farley salavating right now for a comparatively endless supply of "In 'n' Out" burgers! I hope he at least tries for my favorite: A "Double-Double Animal Style"! He'd ahve considerable, but not insurmountable, competition that he could easily handle. Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/20/08)

From the "radio imperialist" FCC..... fjallfoss.fcc.gov... Yes there is a higher power than college radio and NPR. While I sympathize with your purpose, it's quite clear that the very small, poor college you go to does not feel the same way and didn't even when I went to school there. Yes, I'm being sarcastic for a reason, to prove a point: No one at UMCP cares about WMUC other than students who have practically no say or power over the station and/or its future. That much is a proven fact. PS: Nope, I don't work for WYPR, nor do I even listen to the station. (3/20/08)

The interview by me of Stan Kasten at The Q&A Cafe is up on our youtube channel at www.youtube.com... Carol (3/20/08)

Dave in Sterling wrote: "Charles in Winchester...surely you're joking. Right? You think that with 64/65 teams in the tourney, there's some way to ensure that every person in every school's following gets to see every second of every game....all on a single network? Every heard the expression "physical impossibility"?" -- With five different time slots (noon, 2:30, 5, 7, 9:30) and WVU and GMU the only teams of local interest playing on Thursday, it's NOT "physically impossible" to put those games in different time slots. The NCAA put the screws to WVU fans in 2006 as well. That's one of the reasons I switched to Directv. The Mega March Madness package is money well spent. (3/20/08)

Always good to hear from Peter McLoserberg . . . hey, Peter, how’s the overnight shift at McDonald’s treating you? Worked your way up to assistant manager yet? Sheesh. Sincerely, TMU (3/20/08)

Thanks for Everett W. for his response. The USA Today piece is helpful and points out that CBS bears a lot of responsibility. It should know that it’s affiliate in Washington also serves a chunk of West Virginia. Last year, when Duke and, I think, NC State or Wake, played in the same block, they allowed WRAL-5 to show one game, and co-owned FOX-50 to show the other in Raleigh-Durham. Two schools that close together is obviously a bigger problem than this one with WVU, but try to explain that to the folks who will be surprised a little later tonight, particularly if WUSA makes the mistake of showing the first couple minutes of the Mountaineers’ game and then breaks away if that’s the way the late starts work out.... Charles in Winchester (3/20/08)

Not sure about Mexico, but AM 1050 is 50,000 watts for New York's WEPN ESPN Radio and Toronto's CHUM. (3/20/08)

Dave's response: Even NYC's WEPN has to protect Mexico, as the station has a deep null in its night antenna pattern and is difficult to hear in parts of New Jersey, to the southwest of the city. In fact, WEPN just started a Jersey relay by buying another signal.....

Blame for the eastern West Virginia panhandle's inability to see the West Virginia tournament game is being wrongly cast. While the NCAA determines the tournament matchups, the times of the games themselves are decided by CBS. The fault for slot conflicts between West Virginia & George Mason, Duke & Winthrop and UCLA & Cal State Fullerton among others all falls on the network. Everett W. www.usatoday.com (3/20/08)

Before you throw out Thursday's Washington Post, take another look at that teaser for the story about Xiang-Xiang Ling-Ling-Flung-Dung (or whoever), the panda at the Washington Zoo, beng artificially inseminated. The comedian who doubles as WaPo's photo editor selected a picture that makes the poor bear look like she's being administered to with icy-cold instruments. (3/20/08)

One of the many issues with CBS Baltimore is looking at the long run. Was cutting Steve Rouse worth it? Did he take the shot for what should have been KMS's exit? If they did bring back WQSR how would they do it without Rouse who was known so well by the listeners? IMO the only bad thing about him on WLIF was the crappy doctors office music they play that forces you away and them not letting him do his thing with the show as it appeared to be. Could Gary Murphy help create a successful morning show since he was on at BIG 100.3? Listening to Jack he's not a bad DJ IMO. Who would the classic WQSR DJ be that could come back? I was just reading on Radio Info the other day about the Oldies/Classic Hits format comeback, and they pointed out Baltimore and San Diego in specific for not having a Classic Hits or Oldies station. If CBS is going to do anything with 102.7 or 105.7 I truly hope they bring back WQSR like they did WCBS-FM. Everytime I've listened to CBS-FM since it went Classic Hit's it has sounded great! (3/20/08)

To whomever at (presumably) WYPR posted this, you have no idea what you are talking about and you may continue your bitter/inaccurate rants in this "pipefull of noise": "RIP WMUC 88.1...... It's official, WYPR 88.1 received a License to Cover from the FCC today, meaning their power upgrade has been officially approved despite all U of MD objections and complaints here in the DCRTV mailbag. Truth be told, nobody at U of MD in any high position ever cared about WMUC going back decades and they got what they deserved. RIP WMUC." From your dear friends at WMUC whom by the way, did not sell out to NPR aka "radio imperialists". (3/20/08)

In response to Dave in Sterling, I understand the issues with providing coverage of all of the NCAA games. However, I don’t think it can be that difficult, especially in the first round, to make sure that a “constant” game is not scheduled in a market where the DMA extends into an area where a game of significant interest is going on at the same time. About the only break for folks in Martinsburg and Charles Town tonight would be if the Mason-Notre Dame game is a blowout and WJZ (which is still on the cable systems here and in the Eastern Panhandle) is able to break away, at least for some live look-ins. But WUSA will be obligated — as it should be — to show the Mason game in the clear. The same with American and Georgetown tomorrow. But neither of them is playing at the same time as WVU, which is probably of more interest to people in Jefferson, Morgan, Berkeley, Hampshire and Hardy counties than Mason. I lay the blame at the feet of the NCAA on this one. Charles in Winchester (3/20/08)

On MSNBC today they gleefully reported on a story about a road sign in Colorado that misspelled "Mountain" as "Mountian." Later on MSNBC there was a graphic that said, "The price of oil has fallen bellow (sic) $100 a barrel." -- Bobbie (3/20/08)

Ok Maybe this is just a silly rumor but the word around Winchester is that TV3 Winchester at the request of WJLA is dropping ABC from TV3 sometime in May. A friend of mine who owns a local Winchester car dealership told me this. If this is true, I don't get it. TV3 Winchester has been on the air for over a year now, why now? I would imagine WJLA would have tried to do this BEFORE TV3 went on the air in the first place. Also if this rumor does end up being true, what on earth would TV3 Winchester air in its place other than ABC? Public access programming? Informericals? (3/20/08)

Dave's response: I'm not an expert on the network carriage rules, but WJLA would probably argue that it's paid for the rights to broadcast ABC programming within the Washington DC market. And it would be unfair if a TV station from another market - Harrisonburg's Channel 3/WHSV - offered ABC programming to a location within the Washington market. And I'd guess that Winchester and Frederick County VA are probably considered part of the Washington market. Even if WHSV is providing more of a community service by offering Winchester-specific news and local coverage. That's my take on it, anyway.....

Charles in Winchester...surely you're joking. Right? You think that with 64/65 teams in the tourney, there's some way to ensure that every person in every school's following gets to see every second of every game....all on a single network? Every heard the expression "physical impossibility"? And, Biff -- if you think 'asterisk' is the only word Bram can't say, you haven't listened very long. I have a theory that XXX (or whatever the hell the station is calling itself) writes off all of its marble-mouthed on-air personalities as some kind of charitable deduction. Dave in Sterling (3/20/08)

WFED, 1050 AM, is on what used to be called a "Mexican channel." Daytime only, 1kW. Have the rules changed since 1964? (3/20/08)

Link to Virg Jacques send-off by FOX5 morning crew. www.myfoxdc.com (3/20/08)

Great news! Redskins Lunch was pre-empted by the third hour of Colin Cowherd's show. Let's do this every day and hear the third hour instead of that miserable Redskins Lunch show! BTW, Bram... this little mark (*) is called an asterisk, not asterik. As Mr Rogers used to say, " Can you say 'asterisk' "? Regards Biff (3/20/08)

I can not believe what I heard on the KMS cluster**** this morning. I actually heard Kirk talk about how he and his friends when they were kids, would pin a girl down on the ground and “do research”. This is reprehensible on its own, but then he justifies doing it because that is “what boys do”. No A-hole. It is not what boys do. Maybe future rapist and radio scum with mental disorders or serial killers act that way as a boy. I never would have done that at any age. The fact that you feel this is normal points out how thoroughly reprobate your soul is. You not only owe every female an apology but you deserve to be fired. Imus was fired for being stupid. You should be fired for endorsing criminal acts. Elkridge Steve (3/20/08)

I looked up that CBS Radio ad at TinyURL.com. Here's a quote from the job requirements: must be "proficient at digital audio editing and p". P? I can confidently say my digital audio skills are better than most radio folks here in DC, but I can only pee about four feet. (3/20/08)

Hey do you mind keeping posted as soon as you hear anything more about this. I would be so happy if QSR goes back to its previous Good Time Oldies format or something similar. Thanks. Love your website. Steven (3/20/08)

Dave's response: I'm hearing that CBS's suits in NYC aren't happy with what they're hearing on Charm City's 102.7 and 105.7. Expect big changes on both signals. And maybe some tweaking with 106.5. But 101.9 looks to be in pretty good shape.....

DCRTV Dave - Don't sleep on this story. It needs to be out there and on your site. Media General's Northern Virginia group (Potomac News / Manassas Journal Messenger / Stafford County Sun) instituted a hiring freeze last month, and word is staff is dropping left and right because they're overwork and underpaid. The company will not replace people who have left. Story is from CNBC - www.cnbc.com: RICHMOND, Va. - The chief executive officer of struggling newspaper publisher and television station operator Media General Inc. received executive compensation valued at more than $2 million during 2007, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday. Marshall N. Morton, who is also president of the company, received a base salary of $925,000, almost an 18 percent increase from the year before, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A large portion of Morton's compensation came from the value of stock and option awards. The awards, granted Jan. 31, 2007, had a total value that day of $844,719, according to the filing. He received no bonus, unlike in 2006, when he received $475,592. The company's profit plummeted more than 85 percent to $10.7 million, or 47 cents a share, in 2007, from $79 million, or $3.35 per share, in 2006, as revenue slumped on slower political advertising and a shift among advertisers to the Internet. Morton also received $276,377 in all other compensation, which includes personal use of a company car, certain club memberships, home-security services and values of tickets and refreshments related to company-leased stadium boxes. That was down from $319,503 the prior year... (3/20/08)

I saw that FOX5 news broadcast with the guy cursing in the background. Kinda funny. But I think Laura Evans did a great job in damage control. Also, this morning I came in on the end of the news where they were saying good-bye to Virg Jacques. But I didn't hear where he was going. (3/20/08)

Dave said "But the rule should also be applied to Bonneville talker 3WT. Twice, when I've been listening in the past two days, the 107.7 signal from Warrenton has suffered outage "hiccups". At least you can hear 3WT. In northwest Montgomery County the signal on 820 and 1500 AM is inaudible after sunset and the Caps games and post-game shows cannot be heard. The FM signal from Leesburg is so weak that the Dulles control tower overrides it. Thank God the Nationals are on WAGE. (3/20/08)

Wow, the NCAA has proven once again that it has absolutely no idea about geography. On the heels of last year's second-round snafu, where WUSA showed Georgetown in the constant state, meaning no cut ins as Virginia Commonwealth rallied from 19 down to force overtime against Pittsburgh, the late block tonight has George Mason and West Virginia playing AT THE SAME TIME. I understand that Georgetown and George Mason are going to be shown in the clear on the Washington CBS affiliate, it makes perfect sense since they are the local teams. But last year, the suits at the NCAA claimed they did not know there was an overlap bwtween people who would want to see the Hoyas and those who might be interested in VCU. Hello? Probably 20 Virginia counties in the Washington DMA and most of them don't get WTVR from Richmond. And yeah, they did at least show us the extra session, so we saw the end of an 84-79 win for Pitt. But there is no excuse for tonight. If I were a resident of the Eastern Panhandle, I'd be livid. Residents of those three counties, plus Hampshire and Hardy just west of here, will be getting uninterrupted coverage of the Mason-Notre Dame game while WVU plays Arizona in a 7-10 game IN WASHINGTON DC. Sure, get far enough west, where you can pick up the CBS stations from Clarksburg, Wheeling or Pittsburgh, and then the WVU game will be available. But folks living in Charles Town and Martinsburg better have access to the Internet, DirecTV or a corner bar with same if they want to see the Mountaineers tonight. And someone should buy the NCAA a map. Charles in Winchester (3/20/08)

(RE Today's Rant:) The important thing to note about the “Snyder rule” is that he knowingly bought stations with inferior signals after being told by numerous broadcasting professionals that they would not work. The managers who inherit bad signals and make attempts to make them work with various formats shouldn’t be put in the same class as Snyder. Frankly, he was just plain stupid! (3/20/08)

Beth Ann McBride???? IIRC, wasn't she married to "Broadway" Bill Lee, formerly of XM, and last I heard doing middays on WCBS-FM? (3/20/08)

WJFK advertising for a talk show producer in the mornings tinyurl.com... The return of Beth Ann McBride to toothless fairfax? Or perhaps one of the legions of former Don and Mike show producers? Yanni? Mrs. Monkeyboy? Maybe even Robbay? come on the O'Meara show ain't going to last. He's just too lazy, takes a vacation 2 months before he starts solo, come on! you can't be serious, as Warner Wolf says sad news of jeff healey passing, patrick swayze "Road House" guilty pleasure movie (3/20/08)

Jim Rome continues to suck. He's a good broadcaster, but his SHOW sucks. Too much reading of emails and anecdotes about text messages. Someone at WJFK needs to take a coathanger to that thang. I understand that JFK is not paying much, if anything, for the show, but it still sucks. Kudos to Vice President Cheney for his one-word response to a question about the Iraq war: "So?" How that man fits those things into his pants every morning I'll never know. But with apologies to Chad Fukerton, from now on I'm calling him Vice President Dick Mackey. And now, something for the ladies, and my Courvoisier... Sarah Jessica Parker... www.thisislondon.co.uk... like a lot of lady celebrities, she has a thing on her face that she should have had removed years if not decades ago. Just like other lady celebrities, e.g. Richard Gere's girlfriend Cindy Crawford. Slice it and dice it ladies! I would. Someone needs to sit her down and give her a no-esser. Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood too, but it's too late for them. Anyway, they have their acting and directing careers to fall back on when their looks give out (sometime in the 22nd century) Still courteous... Caller X (3/20/08)

"But I guess that what Democrats are particularly good at lately, when you see clowns like Hillary Clinton and Eliot Spitzer. All of whom I agree with on many issues. Sheesh....." your point about Matthews being an ass clown is dead on and I'm amazed NBC continues to put up with it (and others). But then this certainly isn't our fathers NBC anymore. But take heart Dave. It ain't a hellva lot better on our side of the isle either. Love or hate Newt, he's got it right in his book that there's an abscense of genuine leadership in this country. Almost makes you want to write in Tom Gavin this November. (3/20/08)

This was on Fox5 News at 5 on Monday, March 17, 2008... www.youtube.com (3/20/08)

Dave's response: Ha ha ha! Americans really love Murdoch, don't they.....

Today's FCC news... Bonneville's WFED AM 1050 applies to upgrade their daytime signal to 10,000 watts which will give it the signal it never had from Baltimore to Frederick and from Leesburg to as far south as Dale City, a rather sizeable signal increase for the once tiny little AM station. Bonneville just previously completed upgrading the station to 3500 watts. (3/20/08)

Dave, to the poster who asked why Bill Lord keeps hiring good looking - but not very experienced - women. Experienced people cost more and that's what the news business is about any more. Hasn't been that way since the women the poster refers to were merely a gleam in their father's eye. Local TV news is so horrible, so shallow, so uninformative it just makes me want to wretch. Don't blame Lord; he's merely a cog in the (cynical, low budget, low IQ) machine. (3/20/08)

Dave's response: The funny thing is that high-priced talent ain't much better on national TV news. Take Chris Matthews - please! Yesterday, while introducing his "Hardball" show and his first solemn topic of the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War, he just had to work in a tasteless and mindlessly stupid promo of his little dancing/groping bit on "Ellen" - www.youtube.com. All too frequently, Matthews comes across as such a huge ego-centric jerk. But I guess that what Democrats are particularly good at lately, when you see clowns like Hillary Clinton and Eliot Spitzer. All of whom I agree with on many issues. Sheesh.....

Hey Guys... Well it's been a year and I'm back with a new song and video to make March Madness and rooting against Duke that much more fun. This is not completely safe for kids or work but it is pretty amusing if I do say so myself. Please enjoy it and pass it around. Last year we got 1.4 million views when it was all said and done and I would love to see this video do something similar. That can only happen if everyone I know supports this video and passes it on to everyone they know. I hope you enjoy it and don't think that I'm completely insane after watching it.... "Duke Fan Stan" aka This is Why Duke Sucks Part 2 www.youtube.com... Take care... Peter (3/20/08)

/\ March 20 Messages /\

\/ March 19 Messages \/

I second the poster about scott van pelt instead of tirico. Why does tirico have a job anyways, don’t know of many people that like listening to him and now we’ll be stuck with him doing the masters too? STUPID … Put Van Pelt on the radio full time... (3/19/08)

Did former Don and Mike producer get those breast implants? Did she go into real estate sales? Don't think the two are related? I this really her my space? tinyurl.com... Come on now she left DnM cause she couldn't stand working for them anymore, no really? (3/19/08)

The very last line of the Baltimore Sun story on WMAR 2 is my favorite (& yes they are media partners so that's why The Sun did the story)....... ""It's going to be a slow turnaround," he says, pausing a moment before adding, "if we turn it around."" Yeah, it's only been, what, 35 years of basement ratings at WMAR and that's the best he can say? Confidence indeed on York Road. :-) (3/19/08)

Damn... things are getting stupider w/the canning of Crys Quimby from WCBS! She and I have crossed paths many times over the years. She's also a CBS vet, having been at KNX for ages. Fuckin' shame. She's a pro at the all-news biz. Would love to see her land on Idaho Avenue. I had to get that off my chest. She and Core would make a killer news/talk combo. (3/19/08)

I did see the "Radar Love" link as well but it wasn't nearly as funny. Unless it's a fansite for Radar from M*A*S*H. The first link gets your Ace and Gary while the second gets your Burghoff. (3/19/08)

Dave, I read in an earlier posting that ad revenue sales are down -- as are most things in this news-appointed/economy induced 'recession' climate that we're in. (thanks for the cluster-f **k, George W) Anyway..... Having been a Sr Ad Sales Rep in a radio market in California (left the biz 3 years ago after the birth of my youngest son) I can tell you that it was down THEN. My earnings went from six figures (no, not millions) to five figures. Still -- NOT a bad gig - but dealing with all of the mental madness and knee-jerk reactions from obviously incompetent mentally-impared management would drive one into re-hab - or self-induced re-hab. I consumed MORE alcohol in the 13+ full-throttle years in the industry than most have had in their lifetime. Luckily, I come from a healthy 'stock' and apparently have a liver made of steel -- hence the healthy babies I produced (no -- I never drank while pregnant). I tell some of my old radio buds that we need to start a '12 step for radio reps'...don't laugh -- it could happen :o) I am a picture of health now, going to the gym 6 days a week and being skinnier and healthier (no b/p meds thank you) than I've been in 10 years. Scary....very scary... I joke sometimes with my old radio cronies about how hard I work at home managing my 'gang'--but you know, in comparison my gig now looks like a freakin' vacation. I would never change my past or present for anything- I've met some amazingly talented and creative people (sales and on-air -- LOVE them) along the way -- and they're the best...and I have become the 'woman of nails' and savvy Mommy NOW because of what I went through then. Radio gets in your blood -- it's addictive, fun, and annoying all at once. I wouldn't work again in the sales arena - because they want you to work MORE (Direct biz everyone?) and make less. I'm all about finding the money out there, but COME ON....sorry. I digress... Thanks for reading :o) Love your space here on the web -- look forward to shooting some $$'s your way when I start pimping my voice work :o) Peace out... (3/19/08)

It amazes me that the Gay Radar link at WUSA/9 was noted but the Radar Love link somehow escaped observation. I guess some people enjoy doodling their Doppler. Everett W. (3/19/08)

LaDawn Black, relationship expert, author and radio personality will be featured on the nationally syndicated Tom Joyner Morning Show on Tuesday, March 25th. Black will provide pointers on being a sexually satisfied single mom. For more details on where you can catch the Tom Joyner Morning Show in your area visit www.blackamericaweb.com. (3/19/08)

There is only one question about 105.9 that I don't understand. Why would any advertiser spend money on what sounds like a bad college station at best? It's obvious that the program director doesn't care. Citadel doesn't care. "Spanky" (whoever he is), doesn't care. But they are all getting paid. You would think that there are many other better quality stations to put your ads. My guess is that Citadel is only charging $10 per spot or getting them free if you buy a lot of time on WMAL. Even free is a ripoff. (3/19/08)

A few people keep complaining about what's in HD and what isn't... Can anybody tell me how many people currently have HD television sets--not just digital tuners, but HD reception and display? With a reference to a reliable source, please. (3/19/08)

WUSA's radar links to gaydar. (3/19/08)

Dave, when did Victoria Jones become a regular on the David Burd show? She is very good and makes Burd sound even funnier. I have found myself listening to Burd,Doyle and Jones more frequently. They have a very entertaining show. (3/19/08)

Dave's response: Victoria has been guesting with Burd for a while, now.....

Re: ( Triple X's Kevin Sheehan teamed with Scott Van Pelt today on the Mike Tirico Show ...) Kevin and Scotty have been friends since their undergrad days in College Park. I'm sure they sounded great together. And you're right - Van Pelt is hilarious. He should have gotten the job when DP left. Tirico, while a very nice man, comes across as rather boring and status-quo in his radio show. (3/19/08)

Note to Greg in Reisterstown : DISH is notorious for its slowness to come to agreements on RSNs. Additionally, they have a capacity problem not helped by the launch failure of AMC-14 on Friday. I'm not holding my breath on any HD for MASN; although one would think it could just take over the space of CSN HD through the summer. That would be too easy. Howie (3/19/08)

"Dave's response: We have reported that MASN will offer about 80 baseball games this season in HD, on a per-game basis. It won't have a fulltime HD network this year. And, we also reported that Comcast and some other area providers will be carrying those HD games from MASN. On Comcast, look for them on the same HD channel that carries Mojo..... "...my point was, that if you look on MASN's website: masnstudios.com it states "NO HD" next to Dish Network, the other carriers you mentioned are listed with which channel they plan to carry HD games on(Comcast channel 226 or MOJO in Baltimore County is listed). I know that there is no full-time MASN HD channel, but Dish Network apparently is not even going to carry HD games on any channel. Greg in Reisterstown. (3/19/08)

Maybe we'll get lucky and Radio One won't complete the purchase. In which case, I have a great idea: classical music! What do you think? Maybe standards? But they'd probably sell it to Snyder or someone. More junk radio. Maybe they should move one of their talk formats there before they dump the AMs. (Sell them to Snyder, have him move Triple X to 980 (with a few WTEM personalities like Phil Wood), and then he can package 730 with the other AMs to someone. Maybe we can get another classical station and some standards (and/or better talk) that way. And then Bonneville will have put its 570 lineup on a station where they won't have to preempt any of it for sports.) Any idea what WMAL is doing for a permanent program to fill the 8-10 slot? Maybe 570 or 1500 ought to hire Core. (3/19/08)

(You wrote: The NY Daily News profiles contemporary hit music radio legend Scott Shannon, who once worked at the old "top 40" WPGC, and how he's now the mastermind behind the "True Oldies" format that Citadel is putting on its stations across the country, including DC's 105.9 FM, WJZW.) Interestingly, Shannon is also the announcer (the voice guy on intros and outros) for Sean Hannity's program. (3/19/08)

According to MASN's website, Comcast and DirecTV will have MASN in HD, Dish Network will NOT have MASN in HD. Greg in Reisterstown...soon to be former Dish Network customer. (3/19/08)

Dave's response: We have reported that MASN will offer about 80 baseball games this season in HD, on a per-game basis. It won't have a fulltime HD network this year. And, we also reported that Comcast and some other area providers will be carrying those HD games from MASN. On Comcast, look for them on the same HD channel that carries Mojo.....

Dave, what is your sense of the ad sales climate in local radio and TV? From my vantage point, a slowdown is quite apparent. It is harder for sales folks to make their numbers, and sales managers are always raising the bar. Something's got to give. And based on what you see/hear/read, how are sales teams adjusting to the internet? (3/19/08)

Dave's response: Yeah, all the trade pubs are reporting an overall ad slowdown for radio and TV. However, the flurry of political spot spending in this election year should help things.....

To save even more money at NBC-4, the newscasts will be reverting to black and white. (3/19/08)

With so much depressing news on our airwaves, it's uplifting to see a selfless act get the coverage it deserves: www.youtube.com (3/19/08)

Dave, much is said on this site about the degree to which radio stations are doing well. As a point of reference, I had a discussion this week with a gentleman from New York's WCBS Radio. This person indicated that things are getting so tight that 1) the top salesperson there is making about half of what he did two years ago and 2) news director Crys Quimby was recently - and reluctantly - let go, in a cost-cutting move. (3/19/08)

Triple X's Kevin Sheehan teamed with Scott Van Pelt today on the Mike Tirico Show and someone at the 4-letter should consider that pairing in lieu of Mike Tirico. Van Pelt is better talent than anyone they have and has the personality to retrieve Dan Patrick's lost audience and add to it. (3/19/08)

i don't think you'll ever see Leon Harris or Maureen Bunyan doing the same silly spot that Brett Haber and Todd "Ken Doll" McDermott did on WUSA, that was just plain stupid and made his already low credibility sink even lower, but then again, once the Titanic sank, there was nothing anyone could do about it, but swim for their lives...right? (3/19/08)

Dave -- dang, forgot to send this to you earlier -- freakin' Post scooped me? I was there on set for State of Play as a still photographer in the congressional hearing scenes. There are 2 scenes: one is scene 9, the other later in the movie, so you be the judge when they'll pop up. I believe these are supposed to be senators and not house, though Affleck plays one and is supposed to be a recent Iraq vet. Whatever. Anyway, Frank Herzog plays Senator/Congressman Johnson -- not so interesting a name, and no lines, but has the honor of sitting next to Ben the whole time. Nobody on the crew seemed to know who Frank was, so he seemed to be having a relaxing time. Other extras who're local and into sports chatted him up at times, but overall it was long hours and a good time. And I recognized him but don't know him and didn't wanna nudge so didn't say anything. And because of where he was sitting, he got direction from the Asst Director, Gary Marcus, so that's pretty cool. Anyway, whenever it comes out, see if you can spot me in the film: I'm on the floor with my camera, hunched down almost in front of where Frank's sitting, with beard and glasses...the later scenes starts with a bigass crane shot so hopefully hard to miss us! take care, dave. (3/19/08)

Channel 5 anchor Laura Evans had always reminded me of a painter who I saw some works of back in my art history class. I finally figured it out whom. With her long narrow oblong face and narrow eyes she reminded me of the paintings of early 20th Century Italian artist Amedeo Modoigliani. See abcgallery.com... Saw Christianne Klein last night on ABC World News Now. She's no longer a blonde. Hey Pamela Brown think about it. And sad news to impart long ago Don and Mike show fans,must report that Ivan Dixon passed away the other day. As Werner Klemperer use to say on the DnM show,"what a horrible thing to say!" Sure miss you old Don and Mike show those robots they got to replace the original Don and Mike about 5-6 years ago really blow dead bear. Was in Falls Church the other early evening and saw that SCAN is gone and those garden apartments next to Jefferson Library appeared to have a quite empty parking lot. Those apartments have been a haven for new arrivals for seemingly 20+years. On the other hand, something seems to be going on at the old Jefferso