Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - December 7 to December 15, 2009 Latest messages listed first..... \/ December 15 Messages \/ Longtime Baltimore weatherman Norm Lewis is said to be leaving CH2. Last day is December 22. (12/15/09) With Norm Lewis leaving WMAR 2, that means they've has gotten rid of every longtime veteran anchor, weather, or sports person except one... Jamie Costello, their morning anchor. He's probably now the highest paid talent at WMAR! Is he next? Hmmm. And aren't they going to have to hire a few people now? It's hard to imagine they're only going to have 2 people on the set, a single anchor + a weather person for most of their newscasts. Geez, that would be so sad and pathetic. FOX 45 News, even before these cuts looked like a more expensive well produced newscast. Who will watch ABC 2 News now? Speaking of Sinclair, I'd like to mention that WNUV CW 54 is still out of sync and skipping during prime time, virtually unwatchable. Since this only happens in prime time and during The CW HD broadcasts on 54 (and no other channel on my HDTV set), I can only assume Sinclair has some major problem with their master control handling two HD signals at the same time. Are they ever going to fix this? It's been going on for like more than 6 months now. CW 54 is virtually unwatchable in HD. If you switch to the SD channel, it's fine. And since it only happens during HD programming, its unlikely this is a reception issue or a cable TV issue. Do they even have an engineer at Sinclair or do they just not care? At what point does the FCC fine them for not providing a watchable DTV signal over the air or on cable? Oh, but that's right, Sinclair wouldn't be fined, Cunningham Broadcasting will so maybe they don't care at all! (12/15/09) So the Mike Omeara "snore-fest" has begun asking listeners to donate money? How lame is that. How much Money has Mike made off of riding Don's coat-tails over the years? Now he has been reduced to begging for money from listeners because of the shows inability to draw advertisers. There are over 39.4 zillion podcast shows out there that are produced & streamed online by broke people who arent asking for a dime. I have no problem with anyone sticking a donate button on their podcast /website.... but when its Mike Omeara, it just makes this little project seem even more pathetic. (12/15/09) Dave's response: Hey, how about a Mike O'Meara Plus side to his website with nudie porn pics of himself, Buzz, and Robb? Oh, nevermind..... I once worked at a station that carried Oral Roberts' radio show. We never worried about the tape breaking because we knew it would heal itself. (12/15/09) Dave's response: Same thing happened to me at a movie theater showing a Shirley MacLaine movie. When the screen went dark, the whole audience just sent positive vibes to the projector and, you know what, the movie healed itself..... Just heard on 105.7 the fan in Baltimore: Caller: "Anita, what would it take to suck Scott's dick?" (12/15/09) Televangelist Oral Roberts died today at age 91. While he wasn't a DC media figure, his organization certainly bought lots of airtime on local TV over the years. One of the most interesting things I've read about him today, is from a newspaper interview in April this year: "Q: What do you think about President Barack Obama? A: He is the man of this time. He's taken the burdens of the presidency in a remarkable manner. If he keeps on going the way he's going, he'll be a remarkable president. I voted for him." Rev. Roberts always struck me as a conservative, socially and politically, so this revelation is rather surprising - and quite refreshing! www.ocregister.com (12/15/09) (105.7 The Fan, WJZ-FM today) Caller: "how much would it take for Anita to suck scott's dick?" (12/15/09) Dave's response: Oh my! So I guess U of Md considers newspaper writing "specialized" journalism? Okay, no wonder there's no market for it and that they should close Knight school. The announcement makes no mention of reconfiguring toward modern, non-print journalism outlets where most people get their news. Maybe that's what the school plans to highlight at the new journalism building in College Park. (12/15/09) Bug-eyed Laval screamed that Ray Lewis is more popular in Baltimore than Cal Ripken and Chad shied on back from the challenge and let his partner make a colossal fool of himself. Lavar may be an illiterate overbearing bully, but Chad is a calculating theater geek capable of onstage devious career-climbing passive aggression. (12/15/09) Are my eyes going bad, or is Scott Shannon starting to look like Popeye? (12/15/09) Nick Cannon on 94.7? What a dreadful move. More of the dumbing down of radio. Very sad. Paul (12/15/09) What does it say when the GM of the worst team in major league baseball guest hosts a radio show, makes it all about baseball in December, and the show is still an improvement over its daily fair? How long can WJFK keep Mike Wise on the air? He is trailing Tony K in the ratings badly now, despite the Junkies lead in that gives him a big edge over Mike and Mike’s audience. The only redeeming thing about the Mike Wise Show is its use of U2 songs instead of crappy classic rock like the rest of the station. (12/15/09) Big glitch at JFK right now. (12/15/09) Dave's response: Sounds OK to me as of 1 PM. What? Is that Mike Wise's new nickname? The Big Glitch? Ha ha ha..... PressBox is hosting a dinner w/retired BALTIMORE Colts players Artie Donovan, Gino Marchetti and Jim Mutscheller to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1959 Championship season, called "the forgotten championship" at Jimmy's Famous Seafood in Dundalk on Tuesday 12/29 from 6-9 p.m. The evening includes a private dinner reception, Q&A with three BALTIMORE Colts greats and an autographed picture. All dinner details are included in the attached flier. Tix are only $55 each and seating is limited. You can purchase tix today at www.pressboxonline.com. TYPE THE WORD "friend" INTO THE PROMOTIONAL CODE BOX AT THE CHECKOUT SCREEN AND SAVE $10 PER TICKET! Here are links to videos w/retired BALTIMORE Colts great Raymond Berry from last year's '58 Colts championship anniversary dinner, enjoy! pressboxonline.com... pressboxonline.com... Hope to see you at Jimmy's on the 29th! (12/15/09) Dave, Why was Jen Royle from Sirius XM reading the sports on the Ed Norris show? Just a stunt? A tryout? She's one of his girlfriends? Also, what happened to Gary Stein? I still hear him on the Terp Network, but nothing else. Howie (12/15/09) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Cox Media in Northern Virginia is looking for new business hunters. This is for pros that love the thrill of the hunt and have a passion and track record for developing business. In fact, you love it even more when you can develop and close and leave the details to someone else. If this is you, please submit your resume online at www.cox.com/coxcareer for the Business Development Consultant position, job opening #32342. (12/15/09) Willis Pyle's animation for CBS ... ah, how nostalgic. I wish birds still knew what it meant to be polite... (12/15/09) In the spats that have taken place between Mr. Collings and Mr. Bicknell, like others, I have sat back and just watched the fireworks. Occasionally, I have posted a comment, observation, or question to one or all in the fued. In some cases I have leaned towards the side of professional experience. But this is just getting silly. It seems clear to me that Mr. Bicknell feels as though the world revolves around him. This Mailbag forum exists for him. I have certainly gotten the impression that Mr. Bicknell would like to dictate his own rules of the Mailbag to the rest of us. People like myself, Mr. Collings, or others who lack the same number of years of experience as him should not question him. So, everything in this mailbag from now on should revolve around Mr. Bicknell. When we all wake up in the morning, we should ask ourselves what we can do to make Mr. Bicknell's life better. We should heretofore let the topics in this Mailbag be set by him. I presume all comments towards him should only be laudatory. In his previous post, Mr. Bicknell noted, "I would sincerely suggest that you stop with all of the aliases". Interesting, since that there are numerous posts on this site that have the same writing style as PLB/Davy Jones, but under different names. It's so obvious that it doesn't take a detective to figure it out. But, perhaps the almighty Bicknell is the only one that is allowed to exhibit such behavior. This is HIS Mailbag (Despite the fact that it is Mr. Hughes' site). Perhaps we can all start our focus on Mr. Bicknell by discussing what aliases he has used. I'm guessing WOW (Not Mr. Collings' NWO reference of wOw) and Mr. Harrison given the lack of originality in writing style. As a matter of full disclosure, I have used one alias on this site - Phillip (on, I believe, two posts). I have used my real name on all other occasions. James... P.S. I'm a grown man who doesn't believe in using emoticons and quippy acronyms. If I need to express myself, I find the English language serves me well. (12/15/09) I'm confused...Yestarday I heard promos for Monday night football on The Fan and even heard Chad say it was coming up. Then I heard Ashton Holden come on a say Wizards were coming on at 10:30, no MNF. I hear this often on The Fan. They promo Thursday night football, Sunday night as well and then don't play it. Are these games on 94.7? Or is the station just inept? This is a serious question, not a rant as I work at night and the Night games are pretty good to have on my dial. (12/15/09) Dave's response: It does seem silly to use a female-oriented hot AC station, 94.7 Fresh FM, as a sports overflow outlet for WJFK. More creedence to those rumors that 94.7 will flip to something new in the new year. Hell, maybe CBS will move the sports talk to 94.7, the new WIAD, and use a music-based 106.7 as the overflow? Anyone for a return of WHFS? Hmmm..... On "CBS Sunday Morning" the other day, there was a short interview with animator Willis Pyle. Among other things, he worked for Disney back during the golden era of animation there, and for other studios as well. There's no DC connection, but he also did this bit of holiday cheer for CBS TV in 1966... (12/15/09) KCJJ is extremely happy with the show. We have had great response. We urge other broadcasters looking for something other than the political crap that is in abundance to contact the guys through the website and join us. It's a great show. Steve, KCJJ. (12/15/09) WAVA “just broadcasting silence”? Perhaps a first step to improve their non-existent ratings... -Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/15/09) What is wrong with The Baltimore Sun? Why don't they sue this website, www.maidi2008.com, that has been spamming every single news story in comments on the newspaper's website for over a month now? If not sue, why not just block any post with that website name or the identical contents that keep showing up every day on BaltimoreSun.com? And they keep giving out my email address and now I'm getting tons of spam and even direct political attacks believe it or not! There is no way on Baltimore Sun.com to create a user name, an error comes up every time I post something, but then they publicly give out my email address and post it worldwide anyway! I mean, c'mon, are they complete IDIOTS at The Baltimore Sun? Oh, Dave, if you just want edit it and say [website name deleted], I'm cool with that since that website doesn't deserve anymore publicity, The Sun has already given them enough, and this is just ridiculous. It's like The Baltimore Sun is a rudderless ship, their website looks like a complete joke, it's hacked & spammed every day by this company who's probably spreading viruses to peoples' computers and The Sun is violating its own registered user privacy statement! Oh, and to update, I've now been getting The Baltimore Sun delivered to my house 7 days a week for free for over 3 months now I think, I've lost track. Of course I'm not paying them because I never ordered it nor do I get a bill. In fact, they keep sending me solicitations to subscribe to the paper. Why the hell would I do that when I'm getting it for free indefinitely ALREADY!??? What a frikkin MESS of a newspaper! Honestly, I'll be surprised if The Sun outlasts The Washington Times, it might be a race to the finish to see who can turn the lights out first, on Calvert Street or New York Ave. I wonder what the Vegas line is. Speaking of The Times, for a good laugh, click here, apparently The Times is still hiring! LOL www.washingtontimes.com... Don't forget to send your resumes in ASAP before the doors are shuttered! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! (12/15/09) Sounds like 105.1 is off air now!!! (12/15/09) Dave's response: I'm getting a WAVA signal but it's just broadcasting silence..... Dave, one thing I noticed and wanted to ask. I heard on Monday's show Mike say the show was heard "exclusively" on his website. Has KCJJ already dropped him? (12/15/09) "Our next Q&A Cafe is Thursday, January 28, with NBC's Chris Hansen, host of the acclaimed "To Catch A Predator" series on Dateline. The location is the Georgetown Ritz Carlton. Seating begins at noon. The fee is $50, all inclusive and valet parking is available for a discounted $10. Please make your reservations at 202.912.4110... Last week in Washington was all about divas. Read about it on my New York Social Diary column today: www.nysocialdiary.com. Have a good week, Carol" - Carol, this is great! I shall be arriving nude, and rampant, with Rusty from the Mark Trail comic strip in tow. Will there be cookies when I take a seat? (12/15/09) Actually listened to WURA for the first time Monday, and I agree it isn't playing much of anything now; as the earlier commenter said, it's probably doing transmitter tests of a sort. I would hope that after the holidays, WURA would unveil just what sort of station it intends to be;. Its signal seems pretty solid, and if used right -- something that admittedly is difficult for suburban English-language AM stations these days -- it could be a welcome contributor to Prince William and Stafford counties. -- Vincent in Triangle (12/15/09) I'm sure Keith Olbermann just said "God Damned"..... don't they normally bleep such things or was he quoting someone? Who knew... (12/15/09) /\ December 15 Messages /\ \/ December 14 Messages \/ Dear Sanity clause, please stop the radio ads for duh"Smart Cookies" I don't find the ads cute but ponderously annoying. Dcrtv Dave mentioned the girlieness of WaPo lately with the new design, ain't donald graham making way for his sister who judging by a recent issue of Washington Mother or Woman has a bad case of "Look At Meitis" Frankly, I'm down to the Friday issue and the occasional Sunday for the ads if the weekday goes to a buck an issue well i don't know i just don't know and with the possible shutdown of Wash Times......I still miss Tower Records, circuit city not nearly as much...Merry christmus everyone, Christmas 1950, ah them good old days... (12/14/09) Hey, who's the old guy with the funny looking hair in the picture with Dave "The Mailman" Kremnitzer? Marty Madden, Prince Frederick (12/14/09) M/Bethesda I dont know how I missed that one LOL good catch!!! What I'm wondering is this-Isn't Amped an overlap of WPGC's format? If so what could this mean for that station? Could this be the beginning of a station shuffle for CBS DC? Slightly relevant is the change of the guard in Spanish programming for CBS. Could Pio Ferro address the fact that El Zol does not reach the highest concentration of DC's Spanish population? Alternative,Independant minds wanna know!! (12/14/09) Does anybody have the latest on Baltimore's Fox 45? I seem to recall reading in the mailbag sometime back that they either weren't operating at full-power..but didn't really pay attention to all that was written. Lately we're noticing here at our place on the Eastern Shore that 45 (along with 45.2)..is next to unwatchable due to bad signal! Are they just operating at low-power? Or have they changed their signal pattern so it no longer can get down here on the eastern shore? On another topic: I recall seeing a post a while back of how bad WPOC was sounding! Well..shortly after that, I started tuning by there..and the poster is absolutely right! It's as if someone turned the treble almost all the way down! Tom in Denton, MD (12/14/09) I was listening to the Redskins game yesterday afternoon and when will they replace Sam Huff? He had no idea who the Redskins new running back was (Quinton Ganther). Doesn’t he prepare for the games?? Was he drunk, because not only did he ask this question in the 1st half he asked it again in the 2nd half. I think the second time even Sonny Jurgensen was even laughing at him. But it is not a laughing matter, it is very painful to listen to him. (12/14/09) I wanna start by giving a heartfelt thank you to Paul Bicknell (or as the mailbag readers know him "PLB" among several other monikers) for listening to my radio show. I also want to thank you for the plug he gave us here in the mailbag as well. I hate to say I told you so, but I told you you would listen Paul, and clearly....you did. Thanks again! I do wonder though, Paul...Do you honestly want your legacy to ultimately be remembered for your multitude of mailbag posts under your various names ripping on people, making crude jokes, and exhibiting an overall disdain for everything associated with the industry you used to be involved in? I mean is this really how a relatively well-known, former on-air talent and local business owner should be behaving in the public eye? Time to act your age, Paul. Behave like a self proclaimed local legend. Thanks again for tuning in. -John Collings "The Other Guys Show" on WEBR (12/14/09) Rush Limbaugh said he did his show standing up today because of pain in his cervix. (12/14/09) Hey Al, I just wanted you to know I had a helluva good time making that jingle for the hunting store in Winchester. Winchester. Nice name of a place to have a gun shop. Signed, Ted Nugent. (12/14/09) Are you a big fan of The Nutcracker Suite? How about Handel's Mass featuring the Hallelujah Chorus? Then you'll love WURA-AM 920. That's ALL THEY F***ING PLAY! If they're doing transmitter tests, then fine, I can get behind that; just as long as they ID the transmitter every once in awhile, like the law says. But every hour it's the same two suites. It's almost like when 950 AM out of Cabin John had a thing for "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" a few years back. (12/14/09) RE: Any major sports section at any major paper should have a full-time outdoors writer like Angus Phillips, no argument".....I am sure Angus is a good guy. But the mentality of this post kills me. Major city newspapers are akin to your local Sears store. A throwback to a bygone era. If someone is really interested in the outdoors and all that it has to offer, chances are they are either getting a specialty publication or they are getting info on line. Not getting it in an every now and then column in a paper like the Post....The Post and other papers like it are the equivalent to old style department stores...Other than Walmart and maybe Target on a national scale - who shops at them any more? At most Sears stores you can roller blade (or simply BOWL) in the aisles and not hit a soul. They are tomb like...as is the Post. (12/14/09) Dave, I know I might be a little late on this one since I've been outta town for a week but shouldn't 94.7's new calls be WIUD since it caters mostly to women??? Just had to stick that one in there.... ooops!!!!. M/bethesda.. (12/14/09) Dave...Didn't you put an end to the warring DJ's? Why would you demand a cease fire...then post an open letter from one of the participants to the other participant? (12/14/09) Dave's response: "You know who" keeps telling me to end the Mailbag battle, but then "you know who" keeps posting inflamatory messages/responses. Go figure..... Does anyone know if Al Santos is still in the area or does an internet radio version of the Sunday Jazz Brunch. I always liked is Christmas specials. The 105.9 HD2 website doesn't mention him so I don't know if he's still connected with them. (12/14/09) Dave's response: He's a regular Mailbag poster, so I'm pretty sure he's still in the area..... Dave...Are you removing posts from the mailbag?? I could have sworn I saw one earlier making reference to someone getting erect! (12/14/09) Dave's response: Yes, that one was removed about a Mailbagger complained that it was tasteless..... WTF??? Angus Phillips penned his last column at the WaPo!!! That's it!! When the current subscription runs out in January, no more for me. The newspaper has turned into a disgrace. Plus they want to raise the price again??!!! Watch, I doubt they will replace him. BC (12/14/09) This is a public post to JOHN COLLINGS- John I would sincerely suggest that you stop with all of the aliases…insults and envy that you post re: PLB. You should direct your energies at improving your WEBBER broadcasting on WEBR(a little plug-don’t know what time you’re on and really don’t care). Believe me, it needs attention! I thought we had come to some sort of settlement, but you continue to send rude, insulting and offensive emails under many false names to this website, and I’m sure many of the “readers” are truly sick of your BS. Be sure I won’t post anything directed to you with any name but my own. Add to this your twisted hatred and you have got to be one miserable individual. PLB/Davy Jones:0) (12/14/09) Re Q&A Cafe: That's the first time anybody's ever used "acclaimed" and "To Catch A Predator" in the same sentence. beetsnotbeats (12/14/09) The ombudsman, in another puff piece, noted that the Post recently shut down more foreign bureaus, but, oddly, was keeping open some more expensive, costly foreign bureaus that most people probably don't really care about, yet the paper just shut down three major domestic bureaus----in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles!!!! Very weird! (12/14/09) Our next Q&A Cafe is Thursday, January 28, with NBC's Chris Hansen, host of the acclaimed "To Catch A Predator" series on Dateline. The location is the Georgetown Ritz Carlton. Seating begins at noon. The fee is $50, all inclusive and valet parking is available for a discounted $10. Please make your reservations at 202.912.4110... Last week in Washington was all about divas. Read about it on my New York Social Diary column today: www.nysocialdiary.com. Have a good week, Carol (12/14/09) There is a gun dealership in Winchester called "Stonewall Arms" that is airing a commercial on Shenandoah Valley-area radio stations. It's "Jingle Bells," played with what sounds like the firing of handguns. Peace on earth, everyone! Al McGilvray (12/14/09) I'm partial to pinstripe suits and tight slacks...so debonair. -Brother Dave (12/14/09) Dave, Sorry if this has been addressed, but as awful it is we lose Czaban in the morning for Screaming A. Smith, it appears Fox Sports Radio has shelved Steve for the last two and half weeks of his contract for chris moore (sp). (12/14/09) Now here's a sight for sore ears: Legislation to turn down the volume of TV commercials! www.latimes.com (12/14/09) Mike O'Meara Podcast:: Some of your most loyal supporters {yes Sorce & your middle-aged bride who speaks for you, we mean plural} may be closer than you think. Take note. Adam Carolla: From A Podcast To A Podcast Network. As part of iTunes Rewind Awards, Carolla’s podcast, which has been downloaded more than 40 million times, has received their Best of 2009 #1 (Audio) Podcast Award. Suze Ormond's financial show took #1 in the Video Podcast category. On the heels of this news, Carolla has announced plans to start an online broadcast network in February of next year. The Adam Carolla Entertainment Network, or A.C.E., will continue to broadcast "The Adam Carolla Podcast," as well as his automotive-oriented “Carcast.” The network will also feature new audio podcasts as well as video content. So how bad do you want this O'Meara? Stick a fork in Sorce's career but for you & YOUR DEDICATED team, 'build the MOM Network and they will come.' (12/14/09) Speaking of Christmas music on-the-air and in-the-air over Washington/ Baltimore:.........Who had the "marvelous distinction"of being the FIRST to play "Crabs For Christmas"on area radio on that teenie weeny local 45 rpm record with the big hole in the middle? "A 1940's radio show dinner theatre production" played a now shuttered Baltimore restaurant within the same time frame in which the magnamimous radio host interviewed the same aspiring thespian-record artist. on another occasion. Granted this wasn't as historical as Connie Francis singing "Baby's First Christmas," on the frisky disky MGM label though "The Diva" was a guest on the same radio show on her way to Painters Mill Music Fair. And for holiday disc collectors surely you recall "Elfie The Elf" (and Santa Himself) or maybe "Marijuana, Deadly Flower" both recorded by Carl Swanson (Mr Sunshine) for MGM records, the record label home of other artists, such as Hank Williams, Blue Barron and Ziggy Elman and Art Mooney of "Nuttin For Christmas" fame., speaking of other "Christmas Classics." Rock 'N' Roll Remembers. Do You? Stay Tuned? (12/14/09) The map coordinates for WURA AM radio down in Dumfries puts the station on WPWC's towers. Definitely a moneysaver, not having to build a new tower site. But it must be a bitch keeping both stations' RF plants tuned properly. (12/14/09) Now that WURA (920 AM, Quantico) is on the air, Bonneville should contact its owners about letting it carry Capitals and Nationals games for a minimal fee, or even gratis. The reason? The 1500 signal is very difficult to hear in the Dumfries/Triangle/Quantico area during the daytime because of a Spanish-language station at 1480 AM in Dumfries. And even if that station wasn't there, 1500 is next to impossible to hear in much of Prince William County at night. Nats and Caps fans in Prince William and Stafford counties would appreciate this, and so would the teams -- at least until Bonneville finds them a suitable FM flagship that can be heard in northern Virginia. -- Vincent in Triangle (12/14/09) Dear Friends, A little over a year ago I was in Chicago and showing the first 17 minutes of the film Breaking News, Breaking Down at the ISTSS (International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies) annual conference. The reaction to the film was enthusiastic. Following the screening Stefanie Friedhoff invited me to come to Harvard to talk about the issues of trauma raised in the film at a conference in February. A few months later the film premiered in D.C., and it has taken off. It has now screened in four Countries and has garnered six awards. Harvard has kept an eye on this remarkable journey and the groundbreaking quality of the film. I was recently asked to write an essay about the experience and the impact the film has had on journalists worldwide. I am happy to report that the essay will be a part of their on line collection which will be posted around noon time on Monday. The hard copies should arrive via snail mail in the next week or so. I hope you will take a moment to check out the piece on line. www.niemanreports.org Thanks again for your support and interest in the film. All the best, Mike Walter, Writer/Director, Breaking News, Breaking Down (12/14/09) /\ December 14 Messages /\ \/ December 13 Messages \/ Re: "Just finished watching the 1951 version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still", filmed in DC. WMAL-TV cameras and anchors, as well as WMAL Radio and announcers appear in the first 10 minutes of the film. Don't know if this has been reported in the past, but it was nice to see those scenes from yesteryear." Obviously, the talk show stalker still at it, trying to see if she could detect a pubescent Chris Plante somewhere on the mall. (Yes, I know when he was born). (12/13/09) I’ve always wondered where the “Holes” on morning radio get their start. If you are unfamiliar with the term(giving all due credit to O&A)), I will attempt in a few short words a description of the ”hole” a person, usually a female, whose job on a morning zoo program is to stop the fun. The always sound like Ronny or Ronnette Radio, with over pronouncing and puking aplenty. The term, “AWWWW Guys” and “keep it clean” are their most valuable addition to the conversation, and flow from their mouths like honey dew vine water. Until last week I had never heard one solo. My car was in the shop, no xm, and I scanned for a couple days (Wednesday and Thursday) the local sampling of talent (and lack of). No really discernable differences until I tuned in MZQ, OMG is all I can say. The last time I listened to terrestrial radio was in the Coastal NC market a year ago, another rental, the talent there was majestic in comparison. As the announcer never identified herself, I’m not altogether certain it was full time talent, I certainly hope not. The first thing that crossed my mind is that this is some hottie, hoping to transition to TV. If the announcer on the air was full time, that is not the case. Now Jill, I’m sure my comments have got your hackles up, and you are in full, I am woman mode, before the castigation begins give her a listen. When I layed down my cans, this was a major market, has that changed? Isn’t it time to kick off the training wheels, and hire someone for talent, not because of gender? (12/13/09) Earlier this p.m., I read on The Sun's website that MASN and Mike Flanagan (among others) are currently "in discussion" regarding the analyst position left vacant by the departure of Buck Martinez last week. Seemingly Flanny has been a Vice President in charge of nothing in the Oriole Front Office of late ever since they finally decided to hire a legitimate General Manager. Before he became a "Suit", Flanny was rather entertaining as an analyst on the old "O's TV Network. He would be an ideal choice in my humble opinion. Rusty Gibson, WEBR RadioFairfax (12/13/09) So I go to the FCC website and look up the info for Capital Broadcasting. Somehow I remembered the name having ties to one of the many mishaps of formats and/or owners of 1520 WTRI. After further digging, I noticed the contact for Capital has an email address with "Alpha 1520" in the name. Further DCRTV mailbag flashback reveals the following: "Hi Dave, great "detective work" on 1520. I enjoy visiting your site and will keep you posted when 1520 returns to the air. Regards, Al Hammond, President Capital Broadcasting Corp. (April 5, 1999)" I see yet another damned brokered spanish formatted station coming to the Northern Virginia area. And the question to be answered is WHY? You can't possibly argue the fact that the spanish speaking audience is not already served in this area - from one of the best AM daytime signals in the area at 1030 AM to one of the many offerings at 1420, 1460, 1480 and god knows how many more. If Mr. Hammond still reads this mailbag - PLEASE try something original for once. MLB4 (12/13/09) Dave, WURA has been in the works for a couple of years. If I recall correctly, It has a funky pattern with &KW days and 970 watts night. I had totally forgotten about this upcoming new license until you mentioned it on DCRTV today. Here is the FCC technical link from www.fcc.gov (12/13/09) Dave, According to the FCC's website there's a Construction permit for a 920 WURA in Quantico, Virginia. 7000 watts day. 970 watts night. www.fcc.gov (12/13/09) Last week I received in the mail a pamphlet from Comcast entitled "Montgomery County 2010 Channel Lineup and Pricing Guide". The channel lineup goes from channel 1 to 963 and includes basic cable, the digital tier, HD, pay per view, music, etc. There is nothing listed in the 800 series of channels. On Friday I accidentally entered an 800 series channel (which should have been blank) and found that I have over 90 new HD channels. Some new channels, some repeats of other HD channels that are already in the 200 series, and the rest are HD upgrades from the 100 series digital series. I called Comcast and asked for a new channel guide that would reflect these new channels and the call taker was not aware of any channels in the 800 series. He checked with a supervisor and asked if I was sure if I was receiving channels in the 800 series. As I have done before I simply waited ten minutes and called back, talked to a different call taker, and received the same response. So Comcast, to my delight, is sending me 90 new HD channels, but is not aware of doing it. (12/13/09) Dave's response: Comcast is converting a number of its area systems to all-digital, including Montgomery. And, as a result, you'll be getting more of your cable network line-up in HD. And those new HD channels, as well as the ones you've already been getting in HD, will show up in the 800 channel number range. I know that and I don't work for Comcast. So why don't Comcast's "call takers" know that? I dunno..... Last couple of days,there's been a station broadasting on AM 920 -- pretty strong signal in Alexandria and Prince William. A Google search reveals there's a "silent/new" station out of Dumfries called WURA slated to broadcast at 920. Is this that station? I haven't heard any station IDs -- though, admittedly, it's hard to listen for too long because it's playing the blandest mix of Christmas music you've ever heard. (12/13/09) Just finished watching the 1951 version of "The Day The Earth Stood Still", filmed in DC. WMAL-TV cameras and anchors, as well as WMAL Radio and announcers appear in the first 10 minutes of the film. Don't know if this has been reported in the past, but it was nice to see those scenes from yesteryear. -Silvie- (12/13/09) Dave's response: I have long touted the original "TDTESS" as a wonderful look at DC of the past - and its media..... SomeRandomCatamite wrote: "You do have to wonder what Don thinks of Mike and the boy's podcast. They spent countless hours bashing exactly the same sort of thing when they were married and now that they have split, Don must be just shaking his head. I hope he isn't enjoying watching them humiliate themselves.They were together for more than 20 years, doesn't that count for something? I am trying so hard to enjoy it. And failing." You try so hard and fail at so many things. "Countless hours"? Yeah, they mocked the Greaseman from time to time for broadcasting on small stations from his home studio, but working from home rules. I know SRC needs constant access to the fryer, so working from home is not an option, nor will it ever be. Don broadcast on small stations and people begged for a podcast and a stream, Mike is on a small station and because he's out of his contract he can supply the podcast, and is being streamed. What's to shake the head at? This poster couldn't get into a radio station with an FCC I.D. and is probably a Howard Stern (remember him?) fan to boot. Hydrocephalus is a terrible thing, but someone has to work the fryer. --- ThePenIsMIghtier (12/13/09) Dave - Bruce Morrow also passed through WNBC-AM after his WABC gig wound down and before he got into the ownership game. -ap (12/13/09) Daily I'm Mad at Don & Mike Mailbag Message Writer - Dude, we can tell by your writing style that there is just one guy, you, taking time each and every day to send a letter to the Mailbag crying how much your mad at Don & Mike. If Mike does read feedback here your daily repeated message won't mean anything any fool can see it is just coming from one guy, you. (12/13/09) Someone on Wikipedia (not the greatest source) posted that new Fredericksburg station WURA 920 is on the air and playing Christmas music. I can't pick the station up from my Winchester location, can anyone closer pick it up? (12/13/09) Dave's response: Just checked at 4:15 PM and I'm getting a nice signal on 920 here in Reston. So, how long before we start hearing brokered Spanish on the new station? In light of the uncharacteristic smiling poses of Mssrs Huntley & Brinkley at DCRTV Plus, here's a little known interview of those same newsers in which they just "relax and be themselves". (WARNING: You may develop a sudden craving for Pork 'N Bacon Sausage.) (12/13/09) You do have to wonder what Don thinks of Mike and the boy's podcast. They spent countless hours bashing exactly the same sort of thing when they were married and now that they have split, Don must be just shaking his head. I hope he isn't enjoying watching them humiliate themselves.They were together for more than 20 years, doesn't that count for something? I am trying so hard to enjoy it. And failing. (12/13/09) Great pix of Cousin Brucie, although it cracks me up to see how much "hair" he still has at his age. Back about 25 years ago his old corporation threw a holiday party in the atrium of a nearby hotel. He and co-owner Bob Sillerman were braced to throw the sales manager in the decorative pool and already had a body lock on him. Thinking fast and desperate, the manager grabbed at the base of Brucie's neck and said - just loud enough for only Bruce to hear - "If I'm going in, your hair's going with me." He stayed dry and Bruce retained his dignity. I should write a damn book... (12/13/09) Very sorry to see the demise of Washington Times sports. Better coverage than the Post without the pretension. But I am happy to see that the Times is surviving in some fashion. A counterbalance to the left wing Post is needed in the DC market. (12/13/09) Legendary "top 40" radio DJ "Cousin Brucie" Morrow appeared before the National Press Club in Washington DC on Thursday. Dave and Penny Kremnitzer attended the event and sent the following pictures..... Dave & Penny Kremnitzer of Waldorf with Cousin Brucie: Chris Matthews & Cousin Brucie: Big Brucie The Lecturer: Proud of The Beat Goes On: Brucie Recieves the NPR Coffee Mug Momento: Penny & Brucie: (12/13/09) So nice to hear Joe Ardinger on The Mike O'meara podcast for Friday. BA never felt like part of the show to me so now it really feels like the whole gang is where they should be and with everyones support hopefully they will have a place back on the air soon. You Rock Joe!!! (12/13/09) George Stuffin’Envelopes will find his star dimming as the result of choosing the entertainment gig over the news gig. As for Curious George taking over World News, he lacks the gravitas, and the pipes, of either a Gibson or Mrs. Nichols. He’s cute, no doubt, but so are my wiener dogs. And he’s smart, but he’s hit his Peter Principle with the weekend gig, and being the go-to D.C. guy for the evening news franchise. His sqeaky little-boy voice is grating and lacks the comfort coefficient Americans seek from their esteemed broadcast anchors. I see Brian Williams surging to an insurmountable lead in the nightly newscasts, and Stephy losing what credibility capital he’s accumulated by his obvious grab for celebrity. He was a crappy White House spokesman, too. -Rick in Fredericksburg (12/13/09) Vincent....absolutely marvelous post...God Bless "Old Blue Eyes". How easily they forget...PLB/Davy Jones (12/13/09) /\ December 13 Messages /\ \/ December 12 Messages \/ Apparently FOX and Time Warner are also involved in the complaint by Mediacom against Sinclair's LMA situation which is now being used by Jesse Jackson in his complaint. FOX criticized TW for meddling in the Sinclair battle with Mediacom and this appears to be now related to the complaint against the Sinclair/Cunningham duopoly situation... www.multichannel.com... Of course FOX has a close relationship with Sinclair since so many of its small market stations are Sinclair stations so FOX is taking Sinclair's side while Time Warner is taking Mediacom's side. Both accuse Sinclair of using its LMA with Cunningham as leverage to raise carriage fees in Sinclair's pseudo duopoly markets, which technically are illegal. With Democrats controlling the FCC now and now Jesse Jackson involved, this might get interesting. (12/12/09) Where's The Baltimore Sun's Z on TV David Zurawik on Jesse Jackson vs. Baltimore based Sinclair Broadcasting? Oh, nevermind, of course he was busy with another Jon & Kate + 8 story. HAHA! Oh no he did that 18 times already & 4 times this week, but I'm wrong this time, he was busy with The David Zurawik "Baltimore's Top 10 Notable Broadcasters" baltimoresun.com which includes, drum roll please... Here are the stats, as always, please no wagering on who's who... 1 person almost no one even knows, at least 4 people no one listens to or get any ratings, a person who's a criminal who passed out from a drug overdose ON-AIR who no one listens to, Marc Steiner, who fired himself just to get media attention because no one was listening & then had it spammed all over The Baltimore Sun for weeks to get a new gig at any station, & STILL no one's listening! LMAO To say the list is a joke, well, is an understatement of epic proportions. The only way I can describe this David Zurawik list is that it's like some well prepared political correctness list that represents all people including criminals, people no one knows, the required # of black people to satisfy gov't requirements by the EEOC, + 1 gay, & 1 lesbian. I've never even heard of the 1 guy & I've lived in Baltimore ALL MY LIFE! My only shock is that there are no dead people on this list! How did they get under-represented? Furthermore, as much as I like Sally Thorner, "network-level talent"? Please, if she were, she'd have been there done that already, but that does not in any way diminish her accomplishments at both WMAR & WJZ & I congratulate her on her retirement and great career. And Zurawik lauded Stan Stovall for his WMAR work as 1 of the 1st black anchors, but missed that he was on WBAL's ACTION NEWS 11 long before WMAR as one of the 1st black lead anchors! Not to mention that the WMAR stint with dual black anchors ended in failure & bad ratings. You called this one out BIGTIME DAVE HUGHES! The # of people missing from this list & the # of people who shouldn't be on it at all is just ridiculous. The Z on TV list is a complete joke, even the descriptions & reasons for the selections I agree with make me laugh & clearly show that David Zurawik knows NOTHING about Baltimore TV or radio! This guy is a complete joke. He should rename his column "Z on XTCY" instead because he's clearly in LA LA LAND! (12/12/09) Sorry to hear the reports that the Washington Times will be ditching its local sports coverage entirely in a few months. Given its resources compared to the Post's, I always thought that paper did a splendid job on sports, and I will miss Mark Zuckerman's coverage of the Nationals, a team that, aside from Tom Boswell, the Post tends to treat as an afterthought. It's sad to see the Times abandon any pretense of being a comprehensive newspaper and retreating into its intended purpose from day one: as a mouthpiece for right-wing ideologues. By focusing on that, I think its influence in this market will wane; a few years from now, I think we'll be saying, in the words of Debbie Harry, "My man, your plan...backfired." Ah, that old devil Moon (speaking of which, happy 94th anniversary of the birth of Frank Sinatra). -- Vincent in Triangle (12/12/09) Got a letter from Comcast last week which of course includes some increases in their service prices..I am also noticing that I'm receiving my Comcast bill closer and closer to the due date..Got it in the mail today and it's due on the 16th with a fee of $4.43 if it's late..Wow, they sure gave me, what, 3 days to get it to them via mail..Maybe they're trying to encourage more online payment or auto-pay..Oh, and beginning this January, the late fee will be increased to $5.95..Don't ya just love Comcast.. (12/12/09) A week of the Mike O'Meara show podcast is like watching Michael J. Fox put together Ikea furniture; you're really pulling for him but in the end you know it's not going to end well. (12/12/09) re: “Z: Balto's Top 10 Broadcasters” too bad he’s only covering news & talk. My vote for best music “broadcaster” just has to be Sarah Fudd – on 98 wock… (12/12/09) “Best DC weatherman? How can not pick a guy with orange hair and who carries a golden shovel? ” Agree - gotta be the Rug Man… (12/12/09) Note to B.W... When your voice filled the Keene airwaves... did you work as "Gary Chase" or were you still using "Cole Younger"? (Live Free Or Die; Death Is Not The Worst of Evils.) (12/12/09) No Year end rants this year? They are always a highlight…. Thanks, Chip, Harrisonburg (12/10/09) Dave's response: Next week..... Two more reasons why newspapers are sowing the seeds of their own demise. Number one - The times dropping local sports. They have continually - over the years - equalled or exceeded the post's coverage locally. This was one of the only reasons to read that rag. So, we will be left with a right wing tabloid? [Yawn]....Number two. Newspapers are about content [duh]. In today's post Angus Phillips writes his farewell column. I'm not a fisherman or hunter but I've always enjoyed his columns. They were interesting and entertaining and his departure is another 'content' loss for the dwindling post. Newspapers need NMORE local stuff and MORE unique content - not less. It is hard to do but the newspaper industry is actually dumber than the radio industry. That is quite the accomplishment. (12/12/09) Ken, love and prayers going out to you during this difficult time. Please know that comfort will be with you. Thank you so much for continuing to share the gift of your talent. It's funny because I am listening to an internet station out of Florida while typing this and the song is "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. I love those universal messages. I think this was meant for you Ken. We are with you. You will be okay. "Sister" Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (12/12/09) RE:"There's also Scott Linn (Czaban's sidekick on Fox for the program's entire run) - with the Capitals likely to become a big local story once football season's over, ESPN 980 should consider trying to take advantage of the fact that he's about the only member of its staff who can talk hockey with any degree of credibility." Agreed, but put yourself in Emperor Danny's shoes. If Ted Leonis is such a great owner, buy your own damn station to advertise your team on! I'm sure that burns Danny's butt to hear the Caps' praises on the station he pays for. (12/12/09) RE: [ " Jackson Pushes FCC To Deny Sinclair License Renewals " ]......... Cunningham Broadcasting was the very first African American owned TV station group in U.S. history and if history serves me correct, Jesse Jackson and similar lobbying groups are the very reason for its existence today. Yes, it's true, African American groups lobbied the FCC to approve the Sinclair/Cunningham Broadcasting deals against all logical reasoning and the FCC backed down and approved it at their request because of the historical significance at the time, instead of looking at the facts. Yes, that's the dirty little secret at the FCC and the reason Sinclair's deals with the company were approved by the FCC and not considered a duopoly in many markets, including Baltimore, and Sinclair was allowed to do as it pleases and buy up and control all these stations. That was technically against the law. It was basically a scam from Day 1, with an African American as a front for a sham company that was always fully controlled by Sinclair. And that African American CEO is now deceased, and the mother of the Smith brothers that control Sinclair, a white person, is the controlling interest at Cunningham last I checked. The hypocrisy in Jesse Jackson's claims now, however, are beyond hysterical and show what a hypocritical joke he is. I've lambasted the Sinclair sham duopoly thing many times on DCRTV and think it should never have been approved in the first place, but people like Jesse Jackson are the very reason it was in the first place! You know the old saying... Be careful what you wish for. HAha! :-) (12/12/09) I neglected to mention some things about my WORST BALTIMORE SUN STORY OF THE YEAR nomination... baltimoresun.com... First off, this phony managed to also dupe The Wall Street Journal which is quite amazing. But not only was the The Baltimore Sun's BaltTech story immediately debunked yet not retracted by The Baltimore Sun, but the Baltimore person who falsely claims to have invented THE WORD OF THE YEAR, " UNFRIEND " runs a jewelry store in downtown Baltimore. And The Sun writer posted this phony story during the holiday jewelry buying season? And The Baltimore Sun gives out links to his business in the phony story?? C'mon, just unbelievable really. The Sun has officially "jumped the shark". Gus Sentementes should look up the origin of that term, seriously! This might be the closest thing locally to Al Gore inventing the internet! :-) (12/12/09) /\ December 12 Messages /\ \/ December 11 Messages \/ Dave, Sad to see the end of the Czaban show on Fox sports radio. That was the main reason I got my XM to begin with since it wasn't even on locally. Looks like he's already done since theyve had the fill in guy, Chris Mohr on for the last 3 days. Only good thing is that it gives Czabe's sidekick Steve Soloman a chance to get on air. He's on a ton with Mohr. Any idea where Czaban'll pop up next nationally? I can't stomach Mike and Mike for more than 2 minutes... (12/11/09) Thanks PLB. WKBK in Keene, New Hampshire in the shadow of Mt. Monadnock -- and a real fun GM Tal Hood. That was a great place. (12/11/09) Channel 4 going HD in the spring is great. I will be able to watch my favorite news in HD. Can't happen soon enough. Bob Fairfax (12/11/09) Mike O'Meara:: Week 1 of the technically inept cookie-cutter podcasts are over. Now it's time for O'Meara to reveal how many combined web & itunes downloads there were. Suffice to say that if those numbers were impressive they would have already been highlighted on their website. Like his toilet, will O'Meara ever learn that what he gets out of projects depends on the effort & investment he puts into it? If not, flush-it down the digital podcast drain! (12/11/09) Dennis Miller on 1580 am has great bumper music. Today however, he raped Rusty's dog Sassy from Mark Trail by talking over the moneyshot in the live version of "Sweet Jane" (that's 'screwed the pooch' for those of you in Rio Linda). Ironically he was talking about "Is there any better intro to a rock'n'roll song?" I'm happy to hear via the Mike O'Meara Show that Chad Dukes is back on the air; I wasn't aware that WJFK was still in business. Are the Junkies still on the air in the area too? Hopefully Chad will find a home at a good radio show that people listen to. Maybe he should take a page out of Howard's book and get a colored partner. --- ThePenIsMightier (12/11/09) Hey Dave, So finally I get to give you some good news about Cox actually giving something away. Of course it for a limited time only ;-) But it might be worth it to your followers looking for extra holiday loot. Cox NOVA is holding a 10-day contest for our Facebook fans from Sun., Dec. 13 to Wed., Dec. 23. It’s our “Ten days of Giving” extravaganza. During those 10 days, fans of our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/CoxNova) can enter to win prizes that we’ll be distributing daily during the contest. They simply be a fan, and go to the “Win Big” tab on our Facebook to fill out a simple form. Prizes will include: 80 2g SanDisk MP3 players, $100 Amex gift cheques, $50 Target gift cards, $50 Outback Steakhouse gift certificates, Coupons for free ON DEMAND movies, 2 HDMI cable, 1 router, 2 modems, VOD coupons, Cox and HBO swag bags... Have a great weekend, Gwen (12/11/09) Dave: Ah, a refreshing change not to hear Czaban and gang in the morning and Chris Moore is actually funny but not the longterm answer. I was driving back from Hagerstown yesterday and forced myself to listen to ESPN980's afternoon shows and they just need to implode the 12p-4p time slot. How could none of the programming execs be listening to the nails-against-the chalk-board radio!!! Mike/Fairfax makes some good points. However, 980 simply has to replace Sheehan and Doc Walker. Unless he leaves for another out-of-town market, I don't think Czaban gets another national job. People know his routine and that he only cares about himself and oh by the way, HDTV and fantasy football. The bottom line, you can tell there's no one running the asylum over at 980. (12/11/09) Did I hear somebody say "a young Dan Mason"? Would we call him "YDM"? (12/11/09) Sorry to see that Baltimore's WCBM morning team, Sean Casey and Frank Luber, didn't make David Zurawik's Top 10 Broadcasters list in the Baltimore Sun. Luber's 46 years of broadcast experience combined with Casey's 30+ years behind the microphone (22 as WCBM morning show anchor) make them Baltimore's most experienced and trusted news/talk names in a city that places great value on broadcasters with solid roots here. This morning team consistently attracts morning drive audiences that have earned them a solid reputation for being among the most reliable, dependable voices on the air that are supported by other Baltimore-bred broadcasters, including Brenda Carl, Tom Marr, Les Kinsolving and the guy who paved the way for on-air traffic reporting in the 70's, former Baltimore Transit & Traffic employee, Chuck Whitaker. In a broadcast industry that continues to chip away at what's left of live and local programming, the owners, management, sales reps and air-staff at WCBM can hold their heads high, knowing that there are still a few of us out here who appreciate the opportunity to tune in to a station that continues to practice what it once preached: "WCBM Cares About Baltimore....and YOU!" Chuck Jackson (12/11/09) Dave Scott, sincere thanks. I too, was wondering if I’d posted and not realized it..(geezer syndrome) Brother Dave, O’Hara, Little Davy, oh, Dave Lee, there’s another, WKBK, Keene N.H., Merry Christmas Mr. Scott. PLB/Davy Jones:0) (12/11/09) Dave Scott? That's the name of the boss-man overseeing a young Dan Mason at KIRL in Missouri in the 70s. (12/11/09) Dave Scott! There's a name from the past! How is retirement life treating you in North Carolina?? (12/11/09) Dear Sanity Clause, I would love you to stop the COX tv commercials, that seem to come on endlessly, with the fat, ugly Eff Ricky Sabogal. thanks, from another fat ugly eff. Sadly, I'm hearing a creep of '70's music on the WBIG HD2 channel. don't want to hear no Chicago, Jim Croce, Elton John that stuff is readily available elsewhere. the music from the 50's and 60's not so much. I also could do without the Christmas music. Play some '50's doo wop or rockabilly and more Brill building stuff! Frankly, O'Mirror is the same old blowhard self on his podcasts but with little redeeming humor, my opinion of course, but I would like to hear more about the Big O getting the hair off his arse removed. merry chrismus everyone! Crabs for Christmas, Hon (12/11/09) 94.7 WIAD? Is it going to be the Dulles Airport information station? -Chainsman (12/11/09) I apologize to Mr. Bream. It was I who ate your Lean Cuisine during a visit to see a friend. He was eating in the break room and he invited me to join him. I just couldn't sit there and just watch, so he suggested I just grab something from the freezer. He said nobody would miss it. I am truly sorry. Sincerely, Mike O'Meara. PS; The paper tray it came in tasted better than what was in it. (12/11/09) 1) Dave, lay off George Stephanapoulous (sp?)... the thing that's gonna suck for him are the fact that he'll be living in NYC during the week, and coming to DC for the weekend -- he'll miss on his kids' school and other extrarricular activities, and in the little things that make parenthood special. That's hard on any parent - rich or poor. I think I'm the only conservative suburban mom who actually likes him and his wife, Alexandra Wentworth, who is a regular segment contributor on 'Oprah'. 2) Why would Shannon Bream need to heat up a Lean Cuisine? My favorite: Santa Fe Enchilada. -Silvie- (12/11/09) How much longer do we have to listen to Lavar phone it in? Dukes carries that program and Lavar is too busy barely paying any attention to his own show. PDG - Columbia (12/11/09) To: Brother Dave in Manchester, I've noticed a few posts popping up signed with names that PLB AKA Davy Jones has used in some markets. I know that he didn't write them. Only 5 people in the world know these names, and at least 2 of them are dead. 'Sup? Can't figure out a reason, it's almost funny, but also very creepy. Dave Scott (a radio name that I once used) (12/11/09) "Too bad the FSR move [letting go of Steve Czaban] doesn't trigger changes at 980!". Czaban's morning show hasn't aired on WTEM since the middle of last year when Dan Snyder replaced it with ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike shortly after purchasing the station. Nonetheless, there could still be an impact on 980 if he gets additional local air time beyond Sports Reporters. I'm not sure if ESPN Radio would be interested in picking up Czaban considering his penchant for distasteful topics and below-the-belt jabs at certain sports figures and broadcasters (it's no secret that hosts on the four letter network are required to tow the company line and stay off the low road). There's also Scott Linn (Czaban's sidekick on Fox for the program's entire run) - with the Capitals likely to become a big local story once football season's over, ESPN 980 should consider trying to take advantage of the fact that he's about the only member of its staff who can talk hockey with any degree of credibility. Not that Mike Wise, LaVar Arrington or Holden Kushner would be considered hockey gurus, but unlike their WTEM counterparts they're finding ways to keep the Caps in the mix on 106.7 The Fan (Wise interviewed their radio play-by-play man Steve Kolbe yesterday and did two segments Wednesday on "are they Stanley Cup ready?"). Czaban hasn't even shown up for his FSR show the past three days, suggesting that he's already done his last broadcast for them and is simply using up his remaining vacation time. Those sports radio hosts who think listeners can't get enough of this Tiger Woods business (which seems to be just about everyone outside ESPN Radio right now) could very well turn out to be completely wrong about that. Dealing with the obvious sports angles such as the potential impact on Woods' golf career and endorsements is one thing, but to insist on wallowing in the salacious and tawdry aspects of this story may end up turning off a lot more listeners than it attracts. While it's hardly surprising that a show like the Junkies would do so, Tony Kornheiser has exposed himself as little more than a glorified sleazemonger with his apparent inabilty to go ten minutes on his WTEM program without diving into those fetid waters. Mike, Fairfax (12/11/09) Sure hope CBS is taking your advice and the change in call letters for 94.7 is a precursor to them going to Good Times Oldies with Don Geronimo in the morning. But they'll probably go for the same narrow slice of young listeners, ignoring the fact that the baby boomers are still the richest market to tap. The problem is the idiots who buy ads don't understand today's over-50 generation is a lot different and more well-heeled than it was in their grandmothers' days. (12/11/09) The world stops turning in September 2010, in the Examiner! www.examiner.com (12/11/09) Kudos to Kane! I will assume that the median age of posters on this site is waaaaaaay out of Kane's target demo so he will likely not get much love here. But, if you listen he does a damn fine job of talking to his target audience and delivering decent entertainment. Certainly, his ratings support that. (12/11/09) "HOT 99.5's The Kane Show won best local morning show" -And there is visual evidence that radio as a whole is going to shit. What was the criteria for this award? Number of teenage listeners and fakest bits? Horrible! -Brother Dave in Manchester (12/11/09) HOT 99.5's The Kane Show won best local morning show, while his Tampa, FL station 93.3 won best station of the year twitpic.com (12/11/09) Does anyone know of a way for outside entities to determine the popularity of a podcast or are we at the mercy of unreliable and self-promoting internal numbers? In addition, does anyone know on what basis advertising rates on podcasts are determined? Surely it can't be based on nothing more than the aforementioned internal numbers. (12/11/09) Dave, Here is a write up in today's WSJ on the Citadel bankruptcy filing. Here is the link. wsj.com... Tom R - Fairfax (12/11/09) Has anyone noticed that typing "whfs.com" now takes you to HFS2's page instead of 1057thefan? I suppose it means exactly dick but I found it interesting. I don't look for CBS to actually return WHFS to a signal we can all recieve,that would imply an intelligence we haven't been able to detect yet. (12/11/09) Can CBS be smart enough to switch to a Oldies format ala WCBS-FM/WOGL-FM? No,No..that would be too smart. CORY (12/11/09) Dave - have you seen the details of the Wynne v Birach case? Wow. Its worth a peek. (12/11/09) From NewsBlues: Jeremy Settle, who resigned after just 11 months as news director of Allbritton's cable Newschannel 8 in Arlington, VA, has been named ND at Nexstar-Mission Broadcasting's WBRE-28-NBC in Wilkes-Barre (Market #54). He replaces Ron Krisulevicz, a longtime employee, who was fired during the company picnic in August. (12/11/09) Well, now that FarGreed is about to meet reality, perhaps the same is true for Mel Shamizan? Neither of these clowns have been responsible operators. Their downfall has less to do with the economy and much to do with their own hubris. Maybe Stern's boast about leaving Sirius has more to do with what he knows, behind the scenes, than what he shows. Every property Mel has ever run, was run into the ground, and brought out by a white knight, whom he would then kill. But Mel has nowhere to go this time, as his mis-management catches up with him as well. The rats are jumping ship, and trying to save face. Stern is going to lighten Mel's load while trying to save his own ass. I hope the industry keeps the door closed to that. (12/11/09) /\ December 11 Messages /\ \/ December 10 Messages \/ Much as a previous "Mailbagger" wrote, I will not miss Buck Martinez doing Oriole games next season. Regardless of where the Baseball Media "Powers That Be" send him, he will always be a manager in waiting. Frankly I had become a little tired of hearing of his lame experiences as skipper of the Jays and Royals. Perhaps in Toronto he can make his triumphant return to the dugout. Besides Jim Palmer has forgotten more about baseball than Buck could ever hope to know. And Ken Merson, my sincere sympathy over your tragic loss. Rusty Gibson WEBR Radio/Fairfax (12/10/09) No one noticed that "WIAD" - when pronounced phonetically - sounds like the word "wired" when spoken in a NY or Philly dialect? Decidedly hi-tech label with a sideways streetwise kick. (12/10/09) Leykis/ JT Brick wannabe Chad sniffs the money mouse and runs a holiday season discussion about a self absorbed gunney house frau who 'defends' herself and shoots an obviously demented old man. Gun toting bug-eyed Lavar agrees (though he didn't quote any scripture this time). Star Warrior geek Chad is all about extending his outsider pay for play manhood handshake to the gunney military cop crowd (following the Leykis/ Brick wannabe ratings) as deep as Tiger poked his handshake to women friends. There are words here, and I know what they mean, but I still have no clue what's going on in this post. (12/10/09) Maybe since IAD is the Dulles Airport designation, the new format will be tourist informational radio? (12/10/09) 3 Things... #1: the 1067thefan.com link no longer goes to WTEM's site, so apparently the CBS legal eagles or suits have already made a few phone calls, hehe. #2: Buck Martinez will not be missed by me. His knowledge of the game is great, but his knowledge of Baltimore & the Orioles was sub-par since he has other gigs and I found his slurred speech annoying. It always sounded like he was drunk in a bar or something ranting baseball tidbits. I don't think Dempsey is great, but I can't see him doing any worse than Martinez, and MASN just saved a bundle of money probably that they will use this season for 100% HD games. Good move MASN. #3: My vote for the dumbest Baltimore Sun story of the year is, drum roll please.... "Baltimore man invented word of the year "Unfriend"?" baltimoresun.com... The story was immediately debunked by several comments and should have just been revised or retracted altogether! (12/10/09) If 94.7 does change the calls to WIAD my bet would be that it'll stand for WIA(Amp)D(DC). Just like Z1043's calls are WZ(Z1043)F(FM)T(Towson). I'm sure CBS want's to make a run at 99.5's audience afterall didn't CBS promise to put a Now/Amp CHR on the air in each of the Top 10 markets? I would love to see HFS come back, another format change coming and Altrock HFS still doesn't get to move to an HD1 signal. (12/10/09) Dave, I just went to 1067thefan.com and it forwards to a blog post with a "Fore Sale" sign on it. I ran a "who is" and found that the domain has been registered since Christmas Day 2004 and expires Dec 25, 2010. If CBS were smart, they would buy this right away. Rom R. - Fairfax (12/10/09) To Ken Merson: My prayers and thoughts are with you at this difficult time. Stay strong. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/10/09) Leykis/ JT Brick wannabe Chad sniffs the money mouse and runs a holiday season discussion about a self absorbed gunney house frau who 'defends' herself and shoots an obviously demented old man. Gun toting bug-eyed Lavar agrees (though he didn't quote any scripture this time). Star Warrior geek Chad is all about extending his outsider pay for play manhood handshake to the gunney military cop crowd (following the Leykis/ Brick wannabe ratings) as deep as Tiger poked his handshake to women friends. (12/10/09) I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the significance of IAD in the new calls for the soon-to-be-former WTGB: IAD is the official airport code for Dulles... (12/10/09) Dave's response: The WDCA calls - Reagan National is DCA - are already taken by Channel 20..... While anything is possible why would CBS flip the Fresh format? It is a low cost operation. It does well enough with woman - while being a pain in the ass for WASH and MIX. Plus, a new product launch requires some level of marketing and radio doesn't market anymore (See: The Edge and WJFK). Not sure why WIAD (Dulles Airport Radio?) but in today's PPM world call letters are meaningless. Stations use them once an hour. CBS could be putting on a 'Globe' in another market or selling the calls to someone who is. As for an AMP on 94.7. It would be a real surprise of they did that. Wouldn't that compete with WPGC? If they are amping you would think they would amp that station. (12/10/09) Dave's response: If CBS is planning to keep 94.7 Fresh, why not just put the WHFS calls (now parked on 1580) on the FM frequency? The "FS" better fits Fresh than does WIAD. Hmmm. Also, WIAD, Amp 94.7, versus CC's WIHT, Hot 99.5? Hmmm..... Now that the changes for GMA have been announced, maybe Channel 7 should make some changes on the morning show? Start with getting rid of Doug McKelway. (12/10/09) Goldy is still in Carolina. He made the switch from behind the mike to on the street as an account executive. Johnny Dark (12/10/09) Hey Dave, you're slipping. You havent even mentioned that WTGB is switching calls to WIAD in January. What gives. (12/10/09) Dave's response: Really? I always thought that the WHFS calls would be perfect for the "Fresh" format, with the "FS" in 'em. Isn't the NYC "Fresh" station WWFS? Might we get getting a new format on 94.7? Doesn't seem like WIAD would go with "Fresh." Hmmm. WIAD, Amp 94.7? More hmmm..... A quick check of www.rock103rocks.com shows that Goldie is doing sales at a Fayetteville radio station. (12/10/09) (Twice as many Channels at MHz - Dave's response: That all happened back in June when WNVC started broadcasting in digital on channel 24. Sister WNVT uses channel 30, and all 10 of the MHz international channels are marketed as "Channel 30" even though five are on 24 and five are on 30.....) Not until last night was I able to get those extra channels. I have been getting 30-1 through 30-5 for months, but I never saw 30-6 through 30-10 until last night. Something has changed. I guess my DTV box now maps to RF 24 for the upper five channels on channel 30. Before, there was nothing there. I never got anything when I tried to receive RF 24 ealier. I think I'll call them and ask them what they did. Thanks. Equipment: Zenith DTT-901, rabbit ears, in Alexandria, about 110 feet ASL. (12/10/09) Dave's response: I get the MHz 1-5 networks (WNVC/Channel 24) really good over-the-air here in Reston since they come from the "goal post" in Merrifield. The MHz 6-10 networks (WNVT/Channel 30) are a bit more of a difficult catch since they come from Independent Hill in Prince William County. All the channels are "mapped" as Channel 30 (30-1 through 30-10)..... Remember when the Greaseman was the butt of all Don and Mike jokes for broadcasting from his home? (12/10/09) Condolences to Mr. Merson on his loss. O'Hara in Frederick by way of Boston (12/10/09) Howard Stern wants to do something ''less time consuming''? THAT'S funny. That's the funniest thing he's said since he got to Sirius. I was 1 of the morons who bought into his ''revolution''. A few months in and that ''revolution'' was cancelled. It's funny that a guy who always swore that he'd never ask his fans to buy a ''shitty product'' from him sure got hosed by him in the end. Paul (12/10/09) Ken, sincere thoughts and prayers. Sorry to hear of your loss. Stay strong. PLB (12/10/09) I'd like to extend my sincerest condolences to Ken Merson at this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones. (12/10/09) Larry Matthews did news at WMAL and business at WTOP, but I don’t recall him doing traffic reports. You might wanna double check that. RJ (12/10/09) Dave's response: You're right. I have updated the info on today's "Welcome Advertisers" newsblurb on the Front Page..... Dearest friends, On Saturday, December 5th, 2000, my life partner David W. Reiersen passed on after a valiant struggle with lung and kidney cancers. David was the proprietor of David Reiersen Interiors – a top Baltimore design business. A private funeral mass for David will be held Friday (tomorrow) at St. John’s Church, 43 Monroe Street, Westminster, MD 21157-4562. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in David’s memory be made to the Carroll County Branch of the American Cancer Society, 1393 Progress Way, Eldersburg, MD 21784-6473. Thank you for all your tremendous support through the toughest five months of our lives. Ken Merson (12/10/09) Do we know whatever happend to Goldie from Oldies 100. I know he was in NC for a while...but then gone?? (12/10/09) Best DC weatherman? How can not pick a guy with orange hair and who carries a golden shovel? Gotta take Bob Ryan! -Dave Lee (12/10/09) My my. Sima Jr. and Twin Star actually have had quite the busy year: dockets.justia.com (12/10/09) Who is the best dc area weather man, Bob, Doug, Toppper, Sue? (12/10/09) Dave's response: Personally, I like Doug Hill. I don't watch 7's newscasts much, but I do catch his forecasts on 7's Weather Now digital subchannel (Comcast 204) and on WTOP. Yeah, he used to hype the weather back when he was a young weather turk, but he's grown wiser in his older years and seems to strike just the right balance between "what could happen, in the worst case" and "what probably will happen." As for local weather, I also like the WaPo's Capital Weather Gang blog and the Weather Channel's weather.com. As for local weather radar, I like 9's weather radar on its digital subchannel (Comcast 203). It's there 24/7 (almost), which is cool..... Lower circulation, but more profitability is the new business model for newspapers, not just the Washington Post. For example, the New York Times recently reported that for the first time in its history, the sale of newspapers constituted the majority of its revenues as ad revenue has dropped. No one suggests that the Wall Street Journal or The Economist would have bigger circulation if they just accepted more ads and/or dropped their newsstand price. Their customer base may be small compared with the Washington Post, but they are pretty successful going concerns. My beef is with all of the buyouts and staff cuts, the Washington Post keeps getting thinner and cheaper. I would gladly pay more as a subscriber for the quality of the paper that was published just 6 to 12 months ago. (12/10/09) Just when you thought The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik couldn't get more pathetic... Yep, you guessed it, he pens another story about Jon & Kate + 8! LOL baltimoresun.com... This time a Kate appearance on CNN's Larry King Live, a show that could only get ratings if King brought Michael Jackson back from the dead for an appearance or advertised he was going to die live on the air himself! Hmmm, maybe this explains all of Zurawik's lame CNN appearances as a media & political expert! HAha! Zurawik is now pimping Larry King, a show no one has watched in ages interviewing a person from a show everyone would like to forget. Well except for Zurawik, who has some kind of abnormal fetish on this TV train wreck. (12/10/09) Dave's response: It seems that he gets a lot of responses on his Sun blog when he writes about Jon and Kate so I guess that's what he thinks his readers want to read about..... Yeah, WPost execs will wonder why circ figures drop (again) after they raise the price of the paper. It's like the woman with the silicon implants saying maybe if she made them bigger she wouldn't attract jerks. (12/10/09) Dave's response: It's like the post office. You simply can't keep raising the price to mail a letter when there are competing methods (e-mail, internet bill paying) that are free. If the Post is going to continue to raise its print subscription price while giving away its content for free on its website, it's using the same model as the post office. If the Post starts charging a fee for its website, its web traffic will drop and so will its ad revenue for the site. And readers will simply go to competing web news sources that are free. That's the problem the "print" media faces today - damned if you do, damned if you don't..... AV is owned by the Unification Church. Washington Times is its sister company, but WT doesn't own AV. I think? (12/10/09) Ms. Wynne: Congrats on winning your suit against Birach/Twin Star. Good luck collecting even a single dime out of that bum. Maybe he'll just give you WDMV(AM) and call it square. (12/10/09) Twice as many Channels at MHz This might have been in the Mailbag already, but I noticed tonight that the MHz Network, which is (nominally) digital channel 30, has doubled its channels. Previously, it had broadcast channels 30-1 through 30-5. Tonight, channels 30-6 through 30-10 have been added. The change might have been made earlier. I think that channels 30-1 through 30-5 are on RF channel 24, and channels 30-6 through 30-10 are on RF channel 30. (12/10/09) Dave's response: That all happened back in June when WNVC started broadcasting in digital on channel 24. Sister WNVT uses channel 30, and all 10 of the MHz international channels are marketed as "Channel 30" even though five are on 24 and five are on 30..... dave where did this info. come from? Howard said he did not no what he was going to do ? (12/10/09) Dave's response: Howard did rant that he wasn't going to re-sign with Sirius. It's just all part of his end-of-contract schtick. He will, he won't, what will he do? Yadda yadda yadda. Look, he's got a ton of money. Does he need more? Nah. What Stern lacks is cultural/media influence, which has declined dramatically since he went to the "smaller pool" of satrad five years ago. Did you hear much about him in the overall media during the last presidential election campaign? No. It was about Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann. If he cares anymore (and he may not), Stern needs to be back in the media spotlight, and that means getting the larger audience available on terrestrial radio - or maybe a national cable TV show on Spike, E, Comedy Central, or the Fox Comedy News Channel..... To those who wonder where this story originated, Howard Stern tells Wall Street Journal reporter Sarah McBride that while his Sirius satellite radio gig has been "the best job in radio I've ever had, I don't think I'm going to be re-signing." Stern goes on to say that he wants something less time-consuming than his current duties. (12/10/09) /\ December 10 Messages /\ \/ December 9 Messages \/ Where did you get the news that Howard Stern was not going to re-sign with Sirius?. He has not said that on the air. In fact, he has hinted that he may re-sign when his contract is up. (12/9/09) former WMAL, WASH and others broadcaster John Lyon will be hosting the Fairfax City Band's Christmas concert on Sat. Dec. 19th 7 pm for what seems the umpteenth year www.fairfaxband.org... admission is free but must get tickets in advance a good time is had by all! Very sorry to hear about the end of the Czaban morning show on Fox Radio. 7 years is a good run in radio. Czaban must be sad but at same time, d8mn can finally sleep 8 hours in a row for the first time in years. D8mn couldn't Fox at least let him stay through Super Bowl time. Must have been a change in management at Fox Sports Radio recently with all the changes going on lately? As for Stephen A. Smith what a first class as8hole, ask George Michaels. Stand by for more screaming sports radio. The return of blowhard O'Mirror zzzzzzzzzz. Where there towing company calls on the first podcast? Tom Gavin on KCJJ www.ustream.tv... Wow went to Lowe's this afternoon and they only had one row of Christmus stuff, they usually have 3-4 rows of stuff and more scattered throughout the store. Bummer. Merry christmas everybody. Auggie Wren's Christmas story tinyurl.com (12/9/09) WOW... Virginia Business Law Update... www.virginiabusinesslawupdate.com... Wrongful Termination: Business Owner Hit for $1.5 Million in Damages... Posted on November 18, 2009 by Malik Cutlar... "An Alexandria federal court judge has awarded a plaintiff employee more than $1.5 Million in damages against her former employer stemming from allegations, which included sexual harassment, breach of contract, and constructive discharge. In the case of Wynne v. Birach, the employee, Elizabeth Wynne, sued her former boss and his company, Twin Star Holdings, alleging the owner of the company, Sima Birach, Jr., sexually harassed her, cheated her out of money owed under her employment agreement, and forced her to submit fraudulent financial documents. You might ask, what was Mr. Birach’s response to these serious allegations? The answer: Nothing! Mr. Birach and his company never put in a response to the allegations and basically ignored the proceedings. This resulted in Ms. Wynne obtaining a victory by default. In and of itself, it is somewhat remarkable that a company would fail to defend itself against such allegations. However, more significant than that, the court’s opinion sets forth at least two very important findings for employment law cases..." (12/9/09) As Howard said the other day, discussing the future of his motley crew, "Don't worry about it. I always re-sign." This is what he does every time he renegotiates. If he leaves Sirius, though, I will cancel the three radios and go back to NPR, IPOD and podcasts. I have to mention that, at no time, in any discussion of his future has Howard ever said that he would return to terrestrial radio. As a matter of fact, he has repeatedly stated that he will never go back. I believe him on that one. John (12/9/09) Dave: Wanted you to know that at The Razor Stubble Guys ( www.razorstubbleguys.com ) we're doing a month-long review of Sirius XM Radio, and especially how it does with their (fairly) new iPhone application. We've already published an intro and Part I, with at least two more parts coming. Thanks, and keep up the good work - your blog is a several-times daily visit for me. - Woodsie from the Razor Stubble Guys (12/9/09) I understand that at a conference in New York today, Richmond-based Media General announced that it is seeing an improvement in ad revenue especially for autos and retail. Also helping Media Genera's bottom line is newspaper circulation income which has grown by 8.5 percent this year, fueled by higher rates and a stabilizing readership. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/9/09) Stern back to FM?!?!? I just...I just...I just can't stop not giving a fuck. I can remember the first time I heard old Howie back in '86. I was working for a loudmouth(worse than me) racist,chauvinistic,bitter, rock hating, professional bar hopping redneck who liked little more than the sound of his own swill spewing West Pennsyltucky drawl. He just happened to turn on 94 WYSP and BAM! he fell in love with that nasal drone. I remember clearly thinking "How long will THIS shit last?" Well it lasted thru 2 decades and alot of ruined morning drive music shows. Every station just had to have him or an unreasonable facsimile. Just when signs of hope reached me in rumors of His Irritatingness jumping to satellite radio and ending this trend of early morning assholism FM execs decide to start killing off music formats in favor of any sort of garbage they can squeeze onto a frequency. Thanks Howie! You helped make my days more miserable. Come on back and get fucking ignored from someone who has ignoring you down to a science. Donnie in Hilljack-n-Howie Land. (12/9/09) Hey Dave, Do you plan on having the Best and Worst of 2009 feature this year? You might have already posted something, if you did, I missed it. (12/9/09) Dave's response: Coming next week. Stay tuned..... The unthinkable has finally happened -- I'll be canceling my subscription to the Post when it runs out the end of this month. Money is tight, and I've been considering dropping it for the past month or so anyway, but a price hike would virtually assure it. I'm 42 and have read a daily newspaper practically every day since I was a kid. When devoted readers like me start dropping subscriptions, how far off can the end of newspapers as we know them be? -- Greg in Salisbury, Md. (12/9/09) Friends at WCBS-AM 880 NYC tell me former news director H. Paul Jeffers - former news director of WCBS 880 and WINS 1010 - died Friday night at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. I am told it was discussed on the WCBS air. He once told me he was the only person to have served as news director of both WINS and WCBS-AM (they were separately owned.) He wrote the first biography of the actor Sal Mineo of "Rebel Without A Cause" and "Giant." He also told me that while at WINS, a blackmailer threatened to "out" him as gay to WINS owner Westinghouse. He said he notified authorities, played along, and met the blackmailer, and then authorities moved right in and arrested the blackmailer. - Michael Collins, former NYC AP broadcast editor (12/9/09) Dave...like your suggestion about O'Meara & WINC-FM but lets face it WINC-FM despite its strong signal will never become Northern Virginia's answer to New Jersey's 101.5 as long as they have "Mr. Winchester" Barry Lee doing the mornings there. Sure WINC will air the ads from Northern Virginia businesses but to become "more" Norhtern Virginia and "Less" Shenandoah Valley? Doubt it !! Its been a while since I checked out this site but I did notice some people were prediciting what is now "The Bone" will go CHR. Of course that didn't happen but had 104.9/105.5 did go CHR ( nevermind WKSI ), that would be ironic considering that about 10, maybe 12 years ago WINC-FM was giving a lot of thought about going CHR. At the time I knew Paula who was in charge of the now defunct Clarke Motor company ( major client of WINC ) plus had several friends at Power-Warner Winchester and I can remember hearing from them about how WINC-FM was supposed to be CHR "Hit Radio 92 Five WINK-FM" or something like that by summer of 99 with Jason Taylor in the mornings. The only "issue" was Barry Lee !! No disrespect to Barry but lets face it he is "too old" for CHR, is it any wonder why Max Media is some of their markets when they do CHR Max Media refuses to hire anyone over 35 like for example Max's KONN-FM "Hot 107.1" in Denver. A 42 year old jock playing Pitbull's "Meet Me at the Hotel" just won't cut it with today's young people besides how many 40 years old do hookah in the first place? But anyway over the years I have come to believe WINC-FM did drop the ball by not doing CHR even though I won't go into Jason Taylor's "troubles", but he was a good jock and did for WINC-FM what Jenny Lynn & Mario Ratrosi (? on the spelling ) did for Q102 at the time. In Jenny & Mario's case Q102 attracted a lot of people who HATED country music but they LOVED Jenny & Mario, hearing Jenny Lynn saying "..thank you for rolling over and turning me on" and her calling Mario "sexy" or "my hot hairy stud" or Mario calling Jenny "...a sweet dish as country as fresh apple pie" on the air. Jason more/less did the same thing, getting even the "old people" interested in the Backstreet Boys and WINC-FM when otherwsie they wouldn't. I believe even then-Adelphia Cable was looking at giving Jason Taylor his own TV show at one point plus the offers I was told from such stations like Columbus, Ohio's WNCI-FM and Indianapolis WZPL, both BIG stations !!, well they wanted Jason too. Well none of this never did become of reality but none-the-less had WINC-FM went CHR, well that would had made that market a bit more interesting anyway, perhas maybe even DC's. (12/9/09) What would be nice is if the Washington Post would publish a comics section with PLENTY of comics (more than what they offer now) and sell it seperate from the actual paper. That is all I read, the comics...and I think most do as well. The rest I get from Cable, Internet, Twitter and the like. (12/9/09) Last night I saw this reporter on WUSA9 actually ask a small child if the ''color'' of a doll's skin ''bothered'' her in buying a doll. What kind of fucked up, hare brained question is that to ask a small child? Paul (12/9/09) While Howard Stern would definitely have a larger audience if he returned to terrestrial radio, don't you think he might have a harder time finding FM stations in many markets who are willing to (pay for the right to) carry the show? The FM Hot Talk format that was a smash hit a decade ago is largely extinct now. Then again, who knows. Maybe Howard's return to terrestrial could spark a resurgence of the format. (12/9/09) Prediction- On April 6, 2012 WJFK will announce a format flip to Jack Talk. An adult male oriented talk station. The announced line-up will include Howard Stern mornings, Don Geronimo mid-days, The Junkies afternoon drive and Big O and Dukes evenings. (12/9/09) Can you release key male demo #s for the battling sports talkers’ shows because that is what it’s all about? If so, this is another official request. (12/9/09) Dave's response: I could get into trouble with Arbitron if I stray away from the "safe" age 12+ demos and report too specific demos. That's proprietary info that stations pay heavily for..... Hey Dave and everyone on the Mailbag: I haven't been on in a while, but wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy holiday. Speaking of old timers, here's wishing Bob Mathers (WITH, WAMD, WPOC and the list goes on) a happy birthday. Also, a big hello to Rusty Gibson. Dave, thanks for all that you do with DCRTV and for giving us a voice. I love the old saying about agreeing to disagree. I firmly believe that you should be allowed to fully express an opinion or share what is true for you on the Mailbag, but respect should be at the forefront. Just a harmless thought my friends. Blessings to all. "Sister" Joyce Conroy (WHFC). (12/9/09) Did anyone over at the Washington Post ever take Economics 101? The demand for the paper is declining, so their solution is to raise the price. Unless the most basic principles of economics don't apply, which is apparently the mindset of the WaPo, they should experience an even faster circulation decline. The rate increase should come as not surprise, though, as they have done the same thing on the advertising side. For years, the advertising rates in the WaPo have increased by just about the same percentage as their circulation has decreased. Our company used to spend a nice chunk of change on WaPo advertising, but we haven't spent a dime in the last two years. Funny, no one ever contacted us to ask why. Marc in Fairfax (12/9/09) WaPo To Cost More In 2010 - what do you want to bet that they'll be shocked, *shocked* when raising subscription and newsstand prices don't bring in the revenue they need, and announce another rate hike within 6 months. (12/9/09) Dave's response: Am I the only one who thinks the recently revamped print Post is much more "feminine" in its design and content? I mean, it seems like it was designed more and more for soccer moms and Beltway Bettys and not for me. The fancier type faces, the super large pics and graphics, the gushing crapola of the Stale section (which should be renamed "For Gals Only"), the demotion of business news and removal of stocks, the more home design-oriented Thursday local news tabs, and the new flowery WP Sunday mag. More "love" and "faith" and "relationship" garbage and less hard news. All the way down to the "pleasant pastels" used in the recently revamped weather map in Metro. Even the once manly sports section seems more chick-a-fied and overly emotional, almost hysterical at times. It's just not a paper for manly men anymore. I feel like I'm being slowly neutered when I'm reading it - kind of the same feeling I get when I watch Lifetime, TLC, or Oxygen. Am I nuts? I am not sure who the bigger Golic douchebag is...Mike for sounding horribly unfunny on the air...or...Bob for his role on Saved by the Bell: The College Years. Mmmmm...Kelly Kapowski...What a tart. -Little Davy aka-(Al S.)ba-da-bing!!! (12/9/09) Does anyone know why WMP (Windows Media Player) won't work? CC (12/9/09) Dave's response: Ah, this is not a computer question venue. Although, take it from me, I'm a PC and Microsoft sucks..... Dave: FSR made the right business and programming decision to not renew Czaban. Furthermore, I think Czaban's head or over-inflated ego exceeded its limit. People forget that M&M's show on ESPN Radio has the support of ESPN and you really can't compete with the wealth of resources. There are very few people overseeing ESPN Radio than people think and more influences actually come from the TV side. Any sportstalk radio PD will deny that, especially ESPN980's Gilbert but that's just fact. I'm not saying Czaban's replacement was the right choice because I'm not a Stephen A. Smith fan but it's a change and that's something which was desperately needed on the sportstalk radio front. Too bad the FSR move doesn't trigger changes at 980! (12/9/09) I am not sure who the bigger Golic douchebag is...Mike for sounding horribly unfunny on the air...or...Bob for his role on Saved by the Bell: The College Years. Mmmmm...Kelly Kapowski...What a tart. -Little Davy (12/9/09) Sad to hear that Czaben was dumped after 7 years at the Fox Network. He was spontaneous, funny, irreverent, topical, but lacked a little polish. It is ironic that the lack of a little polish is why people liked him. I fail to see the substance behind the Mike and Mike morning show on ESPN. This over produced show is a great example why radio is in trouble. As for the replacement show with Stephen A Smith....his schtick will grow old in six months....he is yesterday's news. (12/9/09) I too find Tony Perkins a little annoying when he attempts to do news stories..I'm off today and watching their 9am show and he seems so much more comfortable and relaxed when he's not doing serious stuff. (12/9/09) Was watching the news last night and it looks like Laura Evans is preggers again..True? (12/9/09) I can't stand it anymore. The Norris morning show has become such a bore. This morning I was flipping around. Got my news fix on BAL, and heard that a false alarm had dragged fire trucks out of there area, possibly leading to a fatal fire. They even had the chief on. Even the Sun quoted from that interview. Then I go to Norris, and he has no clue to what's going on. And then the insightful Mayturd says, "So you had to sit in the big chair and make the tough decisions...what's it like?" Very amateurish. Next, it was on to the woman who reads the Murder Ink column from the City Paper. Do I really want someone reading the City Paper to me on the radio? Norris had great promise, but he's never delivered. He sounds bored and like he doesn't care. Talk about anything other than crime, and you see that the depth of his thinking and knowledge is pretty shallow. I think the suits at CBS are moving in the right direction. Blow up Norris, and find a good morning sports show. (12/9/09) Need B-roll footage for your next great project? www.funnyordie.com (12/9/09) BYE LARRY news.radio-online.com (12/9/09) re.: FSR and Czaban comment from yesterday "That kind of uninformed, all-attitude BS wears thin on listeners pretty quick." And what exactly do you expect to be getting with Steven A. Smith ?? (12/9/09) Unsigned Corporate Suit, you are SO right about Kim Kingsley! She was a WTOP intern from Penn State in 2002 and her career has just soared in an amazingly short period of time. She became a WTOP editor (job definition: oustanding javelin-catcher) then moved on to The Post and then to Politico. People who work at WTOP are often sought after by employers because bosses know that if somebody can handle the pressure cooker of a deadline every second, they can handle ANYTHING. And those folks at WTOP don't lack for self-esteem if you know what I mean! (12/9/09) "Maybe so, Silvie, but rest assured: we sure as hell didn't miss you". You idiot, by merely mentioning her name you are giving her importance! (12/9/09) Free Beer & Hot Wings = Bob & Tom Lite (12/9/09) Dave's response: Speaking of Centennial's 104.9/105.5, what about sister 92.5, WINC-FM. How about it putting Mike O'Meara in mornings or afternoons or even middays? Great coverage of Northern Virginia's DC suburbs, which was "the heart" of the old guy talk WJFK's ratings? You'd see 92.5 soar in the Fairfax/Loudoun/PW ratings, for sure. Way above 106.7 even. That'd sure stick it to those clueless suckers who run CBS DC! Hmmm..... Dave, I am requesting them (the WTEM show PPM breakdowns) officially now. (12/9/09) Dave's response: Age 12+, full-week - 15) WTEM [M&M 17th, Korny 14th, Czaban 16th]..... Re: "Dang, I missed a Mailbag Feud? See what happens when I don't post in a few days, Dave - I miss all the fun...." Maybe so, Silvie, but rest assured: we sure as hell didn't miss you. (12/9/09) First things first: “Wow, Channel 4 has started showing Ashley Linder during the traffic reports on the PM newscasts and boy has she blossomed” She’s adorable and gorgeous but God only knows the hideous things the Junks did to her while she interned with those loads. Her WTOP bio gets a bit too mushy about her (maybe SHE wrote it?) : “For years Ashley wanted to travel overseas and become either an international correspondent or a war reporter, neither of which her mother endorsed. Now her revised dreams include someday moving from radio to television, and if it's not asking too much, she would love to take over the reins on Okra's show when Okra retires. While she may be young, don't let that fool you. Ashley is one of the most passionate, motivated, and dedicated individuals you may ever meet. Her infectious humor has brought joy to all of those around her, and her clear love of traffic certainly doesn't hurt. Nothing brings her more happiness than when a motorist calls to let her know that she has helped them avoid delays. She is proud to say that she loves her job, and considers every day that she’s on-air reporting on traffic an amazing one.” Maybe Dave would be so kind as to post her photograph (now Dave we know she NOT your type but to us Hetros’ she’s Uber-hot). Second: “Sliwa is gone. I heard ABC pulled the plug on his show, although I don't know the details. I do know that John Batchelor's show has been airing in Sliwa's 10 p.m. slot, and although Sliwa's show got better in recent months, Batchelor is a huge improvement. Christian”. Thanks Christian, that was very Christian of you: I had no idea Curtis was gone and though Batchelor was just subbing. Last but not least: “Limbaugh plays the race card today linking Obama and Woods. Yeah, both men are mixed race, but they just happen to be two different people, Rush.” Yeah, Limbaugh played “the race card” alright: it was the ace of spades. Or maybe the spades of aces. (12/9/09) /\ December 9 Messages /\ \/ December 8 Messages \/ Kim Kingsley is a star the likes of which the Albritton universe needs, but is so undeserving of. She is more than a “people person”, she equips professionals to excel. As a vet of all-news, I can tell you that to bring out the best of the mix of disciplines which is perhaps unique to the format, you find too few who realize that the craft comes first. Add into the mix the tight board of WTOP which is right now the best in the business, and more than a few could have a disaster. Not Kim Kingsley. Ms. Kingsley handles it all with grace and aplomb, two additional adjectives which more than apply to her. Congrats on yet another achievement, with no doubt “more to come”… Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/8/09) there is an hour program on channel nine right now... a special primetime "this week in defense news" it prempted NCIS: los angeles. (which would have been a rerun) but to digress. is this paid programing?? in prime time.. ??? all of the video is apparently supplied by DoD or the sponsors (northrop grumman,... etc) (12/8/09) Hey Dave, you give all the ratings for The Fan but not for the corresponding 980 shows except Korny. Why? (12/8/09) Dave's response: No one's ever requested them..... Simply put, Kim Kingsley is a superstar. At WTOP, Kim understood the formula for success from day one. She worked extremely hard, absorbed new things like a sponge, created new ideas, and figured out how to make them work. Most of all, she quickly learned how to deal with a myriad of personalities, and did it all with diplomacy, wit, a smile and good cheer. She built on that success at the Post, and then Politico. It's really no surprise she's advanced so far at such a young age, and this won't be last time we'll hear about her accomplishments. Congratulations, Kim! Nobody is more deserving. Shawn Anderson, WTOP Radio. (12/8/09) Westwood One Radio has a new agreement with CNN to simulcast CNN programs. Larry King Live ain't part of it. (12/8/09) Picked up a Spanish and Korean newspapers while in the Merrifield area the other day. BTWS, are gringos allowed to shop in the many Asian grocery stores in the area? The prices on fruits and vegetables and other food items seems better than at the long time area grocery stores. Anyways back to these newspapers, they are loaded with advertising especially car dealerships , lawyers and food stores, they put to shame the established newspapers for the amount of advertising they still carry in these bleak economic times. like the Fairfax Times, Connection and Gazette papers , heck even the Washington times doesn't seem to be doing that well with advertising as these Korean and Spanish newspapers. Is Mr. O'Meara doing his podcast mornings from the Centre Street Grille in old town Manassas? Say seems like less decorations this year.Merry Crismus everyone! www.dailymotion.com (12/8/09) Is the only way to get MOM's podcast via Itunes? That's the way it looks to me (?) Robert, Arlington (12/8/09) Now that FSR has cut Czaben loose...How long will it be before he is doing podcasts? -O'Hara in Frederick by way of Boston (12/8/09) What an odd service Flo TV is. Comes on once a month and stays on four to seven days. (12/8/09) Dave - I'm a little confused I know in your welcome statement you say... "Welcome to Washington DC & Baltimore Area Radio & Television, DCRTV for short. DCRTV was created in 1997 and is an independent, non-profit forum about radio and television (including cable) in the Washington DC and Baltimore area." Ok I get it Radio/TV in DC and Baltimore. Why is it then that we're starting to see more and more articles about print media? I counted at least five out of the first ten articles have very little to do with radio and tv but with print media. Are there plans afoot to expand your site to include all media including various forms of new media? Thanks! Rick the Rat - Stafford, VA (12/8/09) Dave's response: DCRTV has always covered ALL local media - radio, TV, print (newspapers/magazines), satellite radio, cable TV, book/magazine retailers, theaters, the internet/websites, whatever. One of these days I need to update that "Welcome" page..... OK put any spin you like on it but ElZol 99.1 is now below even WJFK. 99.1 WHFS would absolutely pull better numbers than that on PPMs. I guess its hard to evolve with your knees planted firmly on the carpet. (12/8/09) Don and Mike - After the break up, they both tried to continue on apart. (again, following Steve and Garry at the LUP in Chicago as much of their show seemed to) But Don's show was flat and Mike's was forced. During a feud over who remembers what some years ago, Don said to Mike, "I can do this with you or I can do this without you...". It doesn't seem like he can. They both could go back to spinning records at oldie stations as both are very good with the music. But man talk? The chemistry they had was lost when they went their own ways. Don needs an ensemble and Mike needs Don and the egos won't likely permit either. (12/8/09) I don't often agree with FOX, but FSR made the wise decision in cutting Czaben loose. That kind of uninformed, all-attitude BS wears thin on listeners pretty quick. Czaben is known across the board as a guy who loves his own voice too much. (12/8/09) Not that FOX5 cares what I think, but, I surely wish they'd stop continuously having "cardboard cutout" Tony Perkins fill in for Steve Chenevey..His attempt at hard news is pathetic..When they had breaking news this morning regarding the accident on the beltway, he was just horrible..Doesn't ad lib very well with serious stories..But, guess the only other option FOX5 feels they have is "bobble head" Gurvir..Oh well..Looks like I'll have to consider another station when they're subbing.. (12/8/09) A little more video from "People Are Talking" with Richard Sher and Werner Erhard. (12/8/09) Great to hear Mike O'Meara and crew up on podcast. Instantly better than ANYTHING on radio these days. Hope its just the start of a rebound back to radio and syndication. (12/8/09) Talking Points Memo & Bloomberg are reporting that Richard Miniter, the former editorial page editor, sued the paper & Rev. Moon Today. (12/8/09) great news for radio!!! www.mediapost.com - Battling for the hearts and minds -- and pocketbooks -- of radio broadcasters, Nielsen and Arbitron are releasing dueling radio audience reports highlighting the positive aspects of radio's market position, especially the considerable reach and frequency the medium still enjoys... (12/8/09) At the end of today's MOM podcast, he promised discussion on tomorrow's show about him getting married. Is this news? I don't remember reading about it, but it's possible it slipped beneath my radar. Christian (12/8/09) Dang, I missed a Mailbag Feud? See what happens when I don't post in a few days, Dave - I miss all the fun! Anyway, thought it was hilarious yesterday a.m. when Allison & Steve on FOX5 Morning News were talking about 'hamster balls'... yes, the topic was the ZhuZhu hamster recall, and the one hamster that tested for high levels of chemicals has 'balls' of some sort? BTW Dave, "Caput" is with a "K"... -Silvie- (12/8/09) What happened to any sign of intelligence on local morning news? 1st, this ''computer'' reporter, Kirsten something, on WUSA9 butchers a story about Tiger Woods so badly I didn't even know what she was talking about. 2nd, I watched that car burn in the middle of the highway for 10 solid minutes on Fox5 morning news and not ONE of those dim bulbs said WHERE it was. Just showed a car burning away. It was a traffic story. Where was Julie ''Look At My Chubby Boobs Tony'' Wright? And don't give me that ''poor Julie'' bullshit either. The woman is a giggly buffoon. Paul (12/8/09) With the talk of ice during the overnight hours, will Bob Ryan break out the Golden Shovel on tonight's Channel 4 news? -Brother Dave (12/8/09) Dave's response: The Golden Showers Shovel. Don't eat the yellow snow, as Frank Zappa warned us..... It's so funny to read Don's empty Twitter cheerleading for the Mike O'Meara podcast. Ever since they split up when Don's been asked (forced) to address the topic of black-sheep Mike he acts like divorced parents in front of their kids, faking goodwill. But you know he secretly thinks podcasts are for losers who can't get a real radio gig, and would have said as much on his old show. Ironic how Don couldn't care less, just wants to do the radio he loves in his retirement, and he gets hired in the largest radio market in the country by the employer who used to hate him. Meanwhile Mike will do anything for a paycheck yet is reduced to paying for the privilege of hooking up a tin can to a thousand people from his living room. He's hideously insecure about this fact, of course, as heard in his rant yesterday against every single other podcaster on the Internet but HIM, the "25-year broadcasting professional." That said, it's still better than anything on WJFK now. C'est la vie. (12/8/09) Dave's response: Four major FMers and nothing above 14th place in today's PPMs? Dan Mason needs to blow up the whole CBS DC radio cluster and start over. Seriously. Start by flipping 94.7 to DC's Good Times Oldies with Geronimo in mornings and Donnie Simpson in afternoons, pounding hits Amp 95.5, a reborn WHFS AAAer on 99.1, El Zol 1580, new morning (Theismann?) and afternoon (Czabe?) shows on 106.7 The Fan..... Limbaugh plays the race card today linking Obama and Woods. Yeah, both men are mixed race, but they just happen to be two different people, Rush. And, oh yeah, neither are Republicans. WMAL should be ashamed of running crap like this. But then again, WMAL should be ashamed of running about 75 percent of what its talkers say. How much longer will DC area advertisers stand to have their ads placed among the insulting and degrading garbage that Farid Suleman's 630 runs? (12/8/09) Who says all-news stations don't have fun? Or that WASH has a monopoly on Christmas??!!?? asksanta.mp3 (12/8/09) Another "dedicated" WMAL listener writes to the Mailbag: "So what we have on WMAL once the brilliant, intriguing, pit bull known as Mark Levin signs off is basically Dead Air Joe until the more tolerable Curtis Sliwa comes on with his goofy Mafia Music in the background whenever he trashes yet another Gotti. Why not just end this farce of a show and let Curtis have his full time back?" Have you turned on WMAL at 10 p.m. in the past couple weeks? Sliwa is gone. I heard ABC pulled the plug on his show, although I don't know the details. I do know that John Batchelor's show has been airing in Sliwa's 10 p.m. slot, and although Sliwa's show got better in recent months, Batchelor is a huge improvement. Christian (12/8/09) "Looking at the numbers, Fox News has about 2.7 million viewers while NPR's "Morning Edition" has about 7.6 million listeners. Who should be paying whom." You are using numbers for the Fox News Channel. Chis Wallace/Mara Liasson et al appear on both the Fox broadcast network AND the Fox News Channel. (12/8/09) Dave, I commend you for stopping the ongoing battle that had been waged in the mailbag. Clearly some take for granted the real reason for it and degenerate it into a personal battle about egos and resumes. Will you be banning the participants from further mailbag posts? (12/8/09) Dave's response: The posters have not been banned from the Mailbag. But I won't post any more of their silly feud posts..... Hey Dave, just wanted to let you know, that out in Ashburn, I woke up this morning to a whole bunch of new HD Channels on Comcast. Including, Spike, The Weather Channel, Comedy Central, Hallmark, ESPN U and News, Nickelodeon, VH1, and others, I didn’t take a full count, but just about every channel from 800-890 was an HD channel. J (12/8/09) Dave's response: As we've previously reported, if your area Comcast cable system uses Motorola/Cisco boxes, you'll get a batch of new HD channels by the end of the year. If it uses Scientific Atlanta boxes, like Reston and Arlington and Baltimore city and Howard County, you'll have to wait until mid-2010 or so for those HD additions and be satisfied with the 35-40 HD channels you currently get..... Shale's puff piece on Blu-Ray does read somewhat like paid content, even though he gets a bit schizophrenic on the subject--compare "you'll get your money's worth if the pursuit of sharper and higher-contrast and more lustrously colorful images has been an all-consuming obsession." with "Something happens to the color in the older films - even when it's 'glorious Technicolor' - that seems to flatten it out, reducing depth of field and contrast, and lacking the glossy 'snap'". But it doesn't matter--Blu-Ray has almost no depth of catalog, so it has no appeal for me. And the number of people who were perfectly happy recording VHS in the 6-hour mode proves that the public in general won't care about a miniscule improvement in picture quality, especially when it comes at a premium price. It'll just have a niche market, like LaserDisc did. (12/08/09) When Channel 2 ND Kelly Groft says, "I'm confident in my new anchor team;" that's scary. Especially considering the lack of P1 talent involved replacing Mary Beth Marsden and Terry Owens. It's all about money. I'm venturing to say Kelly Swoope and Roosevelt Leftwich make about half, if not less, than Mary Beth and Terry did. They don't call 'em Scrimps-Howard for nothin'... (12/8/09) Re: Tom Shales on the rush to Blu-Ray: In 50 years we've gone from 78s to 45s to 33 and a third records and albums followed by eight-track tapes, cassettes, CDs, and now i-Tunes. Visually we've gone from 8 and 16mm film to Betamax to VHS to DVDs to Blu-Ray and streaming, etc. The point? If you're happy with DVD don't rush in. You could be selling those disks in five-years at a yard sale along with the VHS tapes at 3 for a buck. ACH (12/8/09) Dave's response: Standard-def DVDs via a $45 up-converting player viewed on a flat screen TV will look really really really almost HD and you'll save a boatload of money on the Blu-Ray player and on the Blu-Ray discs, which can go for $30-$40 a pop. In fact, those up-converted standard DVDs look just as good as many of the heavily-compressed HD signals that my cable TV system delivers..... Cousin Brucie in DC, eh? Cool. Maybe I'll take a few minutes to go over to the Press Club and say hi. In his Sillerman-Morrow ownership days back in 1983, C.B. hired me away from afternoon drive on a Music of Your Life yawner to do CHR morning drive on his newly acquired WHMP-FM 99.3, Northampton Ma. (how's THAT for a format leap?) It was when "80s music" was just starting to become fun and upbeat, and we had a huge college listenership at five universities that ringed the station's coverage area. All the other stations were doing dull liner-card radio which opened the door for us to be fun and promotions-crazy. We were first in Western Mass to go all-CD in 1984, thanks to him; no more cue-burned records or fuzzy carts. I stayed there four years before he backed out of active involvement with his stations. By then I was pushing 30 (horrors!) and it was time to rethink my own relevance within a CHR format. I took a pay cut to go to work for Cousin Brucie, which says a lot about the guy and about what I thought he could do for radio. So welcome to DC Bruce, and I hope your book ROCKS! ---Alan Peterson CBT CEA, Ass't Chief Engineer, Radio America Network, Arlington VA (12/8/09) I hope channel 2 is not done working on the graphics because as of last night they looked terrible, no logo on the screen, no time or temp on the screen. AND THE MUSIC SOUNDS TOO MUCH LIKE CHANNEL 11! The new anchors looked & sounded good but overall it looked like the station wants to stay in last place. I will definitely miss Mary Beth Marsden and Terry Owens I thought they were excellent anchors and they really should have been paired together to anchor the news. Channel 2 is the only station I hear that promotes the the iphone application and other new media. It just sad that the market is so loyal to Channel 11. (12/8/09) "One of a kind love affair is... Makes you want to love her. You just have to f*ck her, yeah" The Spinners, 1973. (Atlantic Records) wikipedia.org (12/8/09) Hey Dave. I didn't intend my complaint about my goofy Daily Feed parody to be posted on Mailbag,I was just whining to you because I didn't find it posted. I'm not sure if thats because I had just sent one minutes prior to it or if it was pushing copyright infringement or just too damned dumb LOL. Don't take this the wrong way I'm not attacking you,I truly enjoy your website and share alot of your opinions. Unfortunately I'm a mailbag mooch as I haven't made any donations because I'm in the barely employed blue collar sector right now. As for the majority of my posts I am really only bitter about one subject and thats 99.1 WHFS, the rest is my amateur attempt at parody,sarcasm and ridicule of companies and certain irate posters on the board.Feel free to 'call me out' if I get out of line in reference to your site,I won't take it too personally....being in construction for 20 years, and a loudmouth class clown all my life, I'm used to it. Thanks,Donnie (12/8/09) Dave's response: A couple things. If you find that your post didn't get posted, it's almost always because I simply didn't get it. I get thousands of e-mails per day and occasionally Mailbag mail gets sent to the junk mail folders. That's why I ask everyone to put "MAILBAG" in caps on the subject line. If you put anything else there, I may not catch it if it gets labeled as junk. As for criticism of me, a feud with a local radio personality a few years back did one really good thing - it toughened me up. Fire away your criticism! Nothing bothers me. It's all good! And, as far as donations go, I completely understand if someone's having tough times in this recession and can't make a donation. Everybody's always welcome here at DCRTV! However, if you can afford a few bucks a month, you really should help independent DCRTV by clicking here, especially if you visit the site a couple of times per week or more. You'll sleep better without all that repressed guilt..... Wow, Channel 4 has started showing Ashley Linder during the traffic reports on the PM newscasts and boy has she blossomed in the time since they stopped showing her. She's neck and neck with Lauren Demarco as the second hottest traffic report in DC. Of course, neither comes close to Bob Marbourg who is the epitome of sexy DC traffic. (12/8/09) Woke up to see whole new batch of HD channels on Montgomery Cty Comcast lineup in the 800's. (12/8/09) Dave's response: Whoopie! You getting E, Spike, and Bravo in HD? Mike O'Meara:: Anatomy of a Real Bad Podcast Format - Technically Speaking. On DCRTV, NO person, including O'Meara, is too BIG or too "not one of them" mighty to be immune from criticism especially after [we] as professionals, previously implored him as a millionaire, to financially invest in his needed Podcast & online broadcasting infrastructure. Their censored KCJJ streaming programming aside, O'Meara's lack of hard work & due diligence will once again cost him dearly here. Damn shame too considering a top-tier online broadcast ONLY runs between $3,000 - $30,000 a month for broadband, equipment, communications, tech support, sound cues, song snippets, sound quality, graphics, co-hosts, phone screeners and the like. A great gig for O'Meara & gang especially since they don't have to get up early, navigate commute traffic, a parking structure or check in with WJFK security. In the early stages of his podcast life, here's an interesting fact O'Meara should consider: Podcast legend Leo Laporte’s TWIT (This Week in Tech) network does $1.5 million in revenue per year - doubling yearly. However, his low operating costs are more impressive as it only takes with 7 full time employees, $350,000 per year to operate. A huge component of being a human being is doing something on your own terms. As he is being chased around with a giant butterfly net, O'Meara should be reminded that people these days tire quickly of Don Geronimo & "kids playing with a mic in the garage quality" podcasts. (12/8/09) The Mike O'Meara Podcast was a welcome addition to my day. All of you trashing it are wrong. First of all, the audio quality was about the best audio I've heard for a pod. Not sure about what sampling rates or bandwidth are involved but I work in a leading studio in the DC market and it sounded surprisingly good! Nice to know that Mike isn't using the mic on his PC to pod, like a lot of "Hey I can do this" wannabe's do on a daily basis. It's obvious he has some good equipment in the room. If I had any rec for the audio, it would be to make sure you have a limiter/compressor in the mix and tweek it as you go along. BUT I think he may already, because I know that you can't just put a board and some mics and the SFX machines in a row and then fire it into your PC. Maybe they are using a Mac and Protools. Anyway, I wanted Oscar to light up Chad for the obvious, "I'll suck any D to be on the air", professional ethic he's cultivated. In a perfect world, Chad would be podding, Mike and the gang would still be at WJFK, and Lavar..., well to quote the Great Chad Dukes, "Whatta you think Lavar?" (12/8/09) Fox Axes Czaban - Dave, any insight? Does this have anything to do with the local sports talk wars? Will Emperor Danny use this to make Czabe his loyal servant? (12/8/09) Here's some vintage video featuring Baltimore's Richard Sher, R. Buckminster Fuller and Werner Erhard talking about how to make the world work. (12/8/09) Not exactly local, but this time around I must comment on the oft-reported banality of XM’s “decades” channels. Due to traffic this evening, I found myself bouncing through all of them. And, in the course of 3.5 hours (with time out for a nearly two-hour meeting along the way), I heard three ABBA cuts on 7, 2 Culture Club cuts on 8, and 2 Herman’s Hermits cuts on 6. While I am not one of those longing for a new “WHFS”, I would prefer to hear what some call “deeper tracks”, more often on these channels. They do exist. They are out there. The one saving grace was that I heard the unexpurgated version of “One of a Kind Love Affair” on 7. With this kind of diversity, it won’t be long before satrad becomes nothing more than a consumer paid platform of what terrestrial radio has been for ages. That’s my rant. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/8/09) /\ December 8 Messages /\ \/ December 7 Messages \/ Just like WJFK back in their day cut back on the air time of the dreadful Bill O’Reilly radio show in order to apparently maintain a contract, so must WMAL keep the even more dreadful Joe Scarborough (O’Reilly scoffs at being called a “conservative” because he’s not while Scarborough seems to relish it with a “Me too, me too” childish zeal) on air for what seems like an eternity but is really just an hour (thank God). So what we have on WMAL once the brilliant, intriguing, pit bull known as Mark Levin signs off is basically Dead Air Joe until the more tolerable Curtis Sliwa comes on with his goofy Mafia Music in the background whenever he trashes yet another Gotti. Why not just end this farce of a show and let Curtis have his full time back? (12/7/09) I'm a Czabe fan, but I can understand how some may not enjoy his show. Some like a more boring Mike and Mike type that is strait laced and unfunny. What I don't understand is how Fox can think that steven a has any chance of success. He is truly god-awful. He is an un funny, self important blow hard. Nice going fox, you lost another listener. (12/7/09) eesh. Im listening to the Mike Omeara Internet Radio Show and am not impressed in the slightest. You can't help but feel sorry for this guy. I wonder if reality has set in on Mike yet. Without Geronimo, none of these guys could make it on their own..and the proof is, that they have been reduced to doing Internet Radio. A format that Mr. Omeara has ridiculed over the years. And YES MIKE - you ARE one of them. You are now Rupert Pumkin broadcasting from your couch. My how the mighty have fallen. Embrace your inner failure tubby. Trying to distance yourself from the Internet Radio world just proves how pathetically insecure you are and how badly you are living in denile. 4 unfunny grown men sitting in a room talking into a computer because not one real radio station in the entire United States thought they were interesting enough to hire. Im starting to wonder if Oscar is mocking this show by his overblown morning zoo / Robin Quivers-like laughter at every dumb thing Mike or Rod Speevak is saying. This is horrible. I just wonder if perhaps these buffoons have sat back and thought that JUST MAYBE - their time has passed. This is like watching my Grandpa play Wii. Cute...but more sad than anything. Have some pride fellas. End the "show" (12/7/09) Too bad about Czaban's Fox show. He's one of the more creative and talented personalities in the local market. Hope he gets back to the syndicated world soon. (12/7/09) The first Mike O'Meara "Show", part podcast and part broadcast, is the worst of both worlds. If it was only a podcast, they could really open up about their experiences in radio with some grown-up language, but their being broadcast on that bumf**k Iowa station has put the kibosh on that kind of freedom. If it was a broadcast station, they'd have better production values, a larger listening audience, and a larger budget. Episode One is really the worst of both worlds. Their only hope for survival is to commit to one or the other, and my vote would be an honest-to-god burn-your-bridges podcast with full-on adult language and honest, open talk. Now THAT would be a great show. – Jamesonian (12/7/09) Kelly Swoope is anchoring WMAR ABC 2 News ALL ALONE, at least at 5pm. At 5:05pm, she already appears out of breath! I honestly think the Salisbury news on WMDT ABC 47 costs more money than this mess. I almost half wonder if Swoope will hand off a relay race baton to Roosevelt Leftwich at 5:30pm and then take a breather before the the final 6PM lap of this disaster of a newscast. So far it looks like a substitute teacher newscast, even audio glitches. Geez, is Maryland's Pioneer TV station and the 11th on the air in the U.S. looking pathetic. :-( (12/7/09) Dave: At least you don't have employees complaining to you about their Kaiser co-pays that are doubling in some cases! And, that's in addition to the bi-weekly deductions going up! -Unsigned Corporate Suit (12/7/09) Hi Dave, Please be aware that many who were in Washington, DC during the 1980's knew Jim Keating as CBS V.P. and General Manager of W-Lite, WLTT-FM 94.7. Jim left Washington in the late 1980's (1989 I believe) to join Beasley Broadcasting here in Naples, FL. Jim finally retired from Radio in 2005 as V.P./Market Manager of Clear Channel's SW Florida Radio Stations. I'm very sad to report that Jim has been suffering from brain cancer for the past 12 months and is gravely ill at a hospice care center in Bonita Springs not far from home in Bonita Springs, FL. Please post my email address for anyone who may like to know more about Jim. He had many friends in the greater Washington area. Best regards, Tom Walker, capttomwalker@embarqmail.com (12/7/09) (regarding your Rant) Dave, you get it. Your situation is a perfect example of what the Health Care Reform fight is all about. As long as the U.S. healthcare system's focus is on mega-profits (to ensure those million-dollar salaries for executives) and shuffling the part about actual health care of people, way down the list of priorities, we'll continue to see abuses and premium price hikes. As someone who is disabled and on Medicare, I can tell you that a system that has a 3 percent operating overhead is going to be more customer-friendly than a system with 30 percent administrative costs. And, something like $1.4 million PER DAY is being spent on lobbyists from the Insurance and Pharmaceutical companies, to block health care reform and to keep the status quo in place. It's just crazy and it hurts small businesses and independent entrepreneurs like you. Also, on an unrelated note, I never thought I would find myself thinking that this stupid "PLB -vs-Whoever" mailbag feud is so tedious, that I would actually miss reading posts by ThePenIsMightier! (12/7/09) Dave's response: Ah, you don't see much critical coverage of the Kaiser HMO in the local media because Kaiser has pretty much "bought off" any investivate pieces with its lucrative ad deals with local TV, radio, and newspapers. At the very least, don't we Kaiser HMOers deserve an explanation as to why we're facing a 20 percent PER YEAR (!!!) hike in our health care premiums? More deafening silence from 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 630, 88.5, 103.5, and the WaPo. They know how their bread is buttered, ad-wise, don't they..... In the Politico story about NPR's Mara Liasson appearing on Fox News, this appeared: "A Fox spokesperson declined to comment on specific questions about Liasson. However, the spokesperson, who asked not to be named, said in an email: 'With the ratings we have, NPR should be paying us to even be mentioned on our air.'" Looking at the numbers, Fox News has about 2.7 million viewers while NPR's "Morning Edition" has about 7.6 million listeners. Who should be paying whom? (12/7/09) I guess my "Daily Feed" parody wasn't as interesting as shit on a glass coffee table. I'll try to dumb it way,way down from now on. (12/7/09) Dave, these petty 'feuds' going on are polluting this mailbag. And here is a way you can put a stop to it (other than not posting the things to start with) and make money at the same time. START A CHAT-ROOM. Allow only DCRTV Plus subscribers to chat, and let the others watch. Eventually, someone's ego will be smacked, and they'll pony up 39 bucks just to shoot back and restore their dignity. I'm telling ya Dave, it will work! Make friday nights a 'pick on PLB night' and watch the subscriptions pour in. At the very least, it will make for some great entertainment. A chatroom version of WWF. PLB, Penis, Timmy, Tommy or whoever, and all the rest ... duking it out in a non-violent way, via their keyboards. Maybe then we'll have a real mailbag discussing real, local issues... the way it should be. JA. (12/7/09) Dave's response: That old timer radio guys feud is over. Finished. Caput..... Mike O'Meara fired a few shots at the direction of WJFK on his first podcast. He inquired how someone like BDK could still be employed and stated Mike Wise is no Tony Kornheiser and never will be Tony Kornheiser. He also said you could only listen to Wise's show if you were shot in the head with a nailgun! He added that he likes the Junkies but how many shows can you have talking about one topic, namely the Redskins. Big O adds to the show, Buzz Burbank continues to ruin the show by bringing in his non-sensical liberal slanted news stories. He actually defended all of the crazy global warming crazies flying into Copenhagen on private jets!! Asshat! (12/7/09) Dave's response: Please, dear God, let's hope that Mike Wise doesn't turn out anything like Tony Kornheiser. I can't think of a worse fate. Ha ha ha..... The MOMS podcast = not good. Why would Oscar get himself involved with this? (12/7/09) Dave's response: It is kind of a shame Jack Diamond isn't down the hall to goof on. Big mistake for 105.9 not hiring Mike for mornings..... RE: [ " LOL. Using capital letters to emphasize a point can also emphasize the diminished intellectual capacity of the writer. " ]...... And yet YOU used ALL CAPS to emphasize this point? LOL. It was clear to most people that the writer of that previous post on WMAL/WMAR just cut/pasted the info from a gov't website that probably has the info in, ummmm, drum roll please....... ALL CAPS! So your criticism of that person is hysterically funny. Thank you, you are today's FUNNIEST MAILBAG POST WINNER! Although I have to admit, the elderly, dumb or marginally internet savvy people that post in this mailbag drive me to use all caps & emoticons for emphasis because I know it drives them FREAKING NUTS and I enjoy watching them go postal like an assisted living person who's lost his TV remote! :-) (12/7/09) Hmmm... what to get that digital radio snob who has everything? The guy who claims he can hear low-end smear in his monitors ("They're not speakers, they're monitors!!!"), the guy who throws around terms like "soundstage integration" and "lively transient speed"? Hmmm. I know! How about a pair of new speaker cables! You'd better strap yourself down before you check the price on this 25-FOOT-LONG PIECE OF WIRE: www.audioadvisor.com... For nine bucks I bought 50 feet of extension cord at Lowes, cut off the connectors, connected them to my speakers and not heard one drop of difference. -rvr (12/7/09) "do you lay under glass coffee tables?????? You are obsessed with being {shit on} PLB" With jokes like that, it's no wonder you were fired from 10 stations. (12/7/09) Man you are obsessed with PLB. Get your own life. You’ve been shit on so many times Kev, um,. (12/7/09) Class....add John David Waltham to the ever growing list of PLB psuedonyms....What is that now 8, Old Timer? By the way....I'm still waiting for your proof... (12/7/09) In my regular Monday column on New York Social Diary today I take an encore (I hope) look at crashergate, including a rumor there was a third crasher at the State Dinner. Also, a night of native music and food at the Syrian ambassador's residence, a Kennedy Center Honors weekend dinner at Cafe Milano, the KCH brunch hosted by George and Liz Stevens, and the skinny on what George Stephanopoulos has decided to do about GMA. It's all here: www.nysocialdiary.com... Carol (12/7/09) LOL. Using capital letters to emphasize a point can also emphasize the diminished intellectual capacity of the writer. Since when does the assessed value of property equal the market value of a property? Radio stations rarely have more than $2M real property per licensce, yet the stations often sell for considerably more, based on a multiple of cash flow. The cost of acreage is generally cheap, compared to the improved value of the acreage on the open market. While WMAL's assessed value may be less than $1M, I know that unsolicited offers for the land have been greater than $5M because the improved value, at approximately 100 homes of $500k each with common improvements would exceed a gross of $50M and realize a profit of approx $30M. Compare that value, to Citadel, against what it can realize in either cash flow, or sale of the station. If the current multiple is correct, than WMAL would need to be billing less than @$6M a year to make a sale worthwhile. It's not the value of the property, but what you do with it, that creates the real value. Which has little to do with the real estate value upon which assessments are based. Which is why localities often have additional use taxes that cover improved structures, equipment, materials and goods for sale within, so that they can realize income from what one does with the property. (12/7/09) (Ad-Happy Kaiser Raises Rates Big-Time - 12/7 - Rant. Kaiser HMO is hitting your friendly webmaster with a 20 percent (!!!) rate hike for health coverage in 2010 - in the middle of a nasty recession...) just wait until our benevolent and always-on-time-and-under-budget federal government is in control of our health care. you'll think that 20 percent was a discount. the same people who screwed up the $3 billion "cash for clunkers" now want to take charge of 15% of our entire economy? of course! they'll get it right this time. (12/7/09) To the shit on: Why are you so obsessed with finding out how PLB knows? You’ve been shit on, it’s that simple, you are obsessed with PLB, stand up and identify yourself, coward. By the way, JD…John David Waltham. JD (12/7/09) From the infamous PLB hater: (JD (aka PLB)...Are you aware you were deemed the Crypt Keeper? Thank you for making my day and admitting you were born shit on. - Dear poster, do you lay under glass coffee tables?????? You are obsessed with being {shit on} PLB (12/7/09) Hello Dave, Will you be doing a 2009 best/worst this year? If so where do I vote and what are the catagories? Also, where are the results of the biggest Turkey (12/7/09) Dave's response: BW's coming next week. The programmers at 105.9 The Edge were the winners of our Thanksgiving Turkey Contest..... Dave, Have you heard if Verizon Fios is going to carry the new MASN 2 HD channel? Dave (12/7/09) Dave's response: No idea..... How are Peter Rosenberg's ratings up there in NYC? He is in the #1 radio market in morning drive -- Isn't that a huge accomplishment? (And even bigger if he gets top ratings.) (12/7/09) JD (aka PLB)...Are you aware you were deemed the Crypt Keeper? Thank you for making my day and admitting you were born shit on. (12/7/09) "Contrary to this idiots reports (my company is failing) what are you an accountant.LOL". -That nervous LOL at the end of the sentence speaks loudly. (12/7/09) Silly, silly Paul....sitting around daily waiting for the phone to ring is not the sign of a company doing quite well. It's ok...Alot of companies are going under...You're just another statistic, don't take it personally. And you STILL haven't answered my question. How has the industry "shit" on me? Stop eluding giving me an answer. (12/7/09) Jim Farley, it grieves me to echo the other folks to remove Dave Brown from the Sat. and Sun.He is unbearable to listen too.When he is on, I go to my computer and stream WINS or WCBS. (12/7/09) I represent Lanaia Lee , author of Skulls of Salvation, a book about the Mayan Doomsday Prophecy and the crystal skulls of Belize, which came out in October. We would love to have a chance to appear on your show. Please let me know if you have any open dates after November 20. This ties in nicely with the movie 2012 which comes out in November. Lanaia has appeared on more than 50 radio shows and gets rave reviews for her interviews. We look forward to reaching a mutually acceptable date for her appearance. Lanaia is lso in a wheelchair from a massive stroke and all her books are typed with one hand. Thanks so much. Denise (12/7/09) Dave: Regarding "BG's" post about local sportscasters...yes, the good old days are gone! Thanks to technology, corporations, and news directors who don't think much of sports, that "number 2" or weekend position will never return. Greg Toland's a true pro and I hope he becomes a rising star at Sirius. Furthermore, I think the position took a beating and created a stir because some of those former sports {number 2} anchors were making hefty salaries and thus created a red-flag on the budget line-item. Of course, news directors quickly jumped at eliminating people like Mease and Bruckner for this reason. (12/7/09) Hey "CRYPT KEEPER"... blah, blah, blah, blah. Yawn...you were born shit on..JD (12/7/09) Totally dumb response: Why would anyone want to fail at all, let alone as much as another person? I believe the name of the game is to succeed, not fail in any way. That was an extraordinarily idiotic comment, PLB. *Note-unsigned, again. And unfortunately, you admitted to being a failure. That is "The anticipated "totally dumb response". Contrary to this idiots reports (my company is failing) what are you an accountant.LOL, my little company is doing quite well in this shaky economy, thank-you.PLB (12/07/09) Here's the poop on the property value of WMAR-TV's site at 6400 York Road according to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. The site (at Map 80, Grid 1, Parcel 77 in Baltimore County) is comprised of 3.176 acres on the west side of York Road. The primary structure, built in 1963, is recorded as being 51,790 square feet in size. When last assessed in 2007, the land was valued at $1,272,000. The value of the improvements is shown as $2,814,900 for a combined assessed value of $4,086,900. The record indicates that the current owner "SCRIPPS HOWARD BROADCASTING COMPANY, C/O MARVIN POER CO DEPT RAV, 4 EAST EXECUTIVE PARK STE 100, ATLANTA GA 30329-2212" acquired the property on 06/03/1991 from "GILLETT BROADCASTING OF MD INC" as an IMPROVED ARMS-LENGTH transaction for the total price of $1... Granted, it's not comparing "apples to apples"... but contrast the $4+ million state assessment for WMAR-TV's 3.176 acres in Towson with WMAL-AM's 74.83 acre x-mtr site on Greentree Road, courtesy of public records at: sdatcert3.resiusa.org - Owner Name: DC RADIO ASSETS LLC ... Use: RESIDENTIAL ... Principal Residence: NO ... Mailing Address: C/O RYAN INNOV SOLUTIONS, 2111 WILSON BLVD STE 300, ARLINGTON VA 22201-3001... Deed Reference: 1) /34166/ 342 ... Premises Address: 7115 GREENTREE RD, BETHESDA 20817 ... Legal Description: PARCEL A WMAL PROPERTY ... Primary Structure Built: 1941 ... Enclosed Area: 2,739 SF ... Property Land Area: 74.83 AC ... Stories: 1 ... Basement: YES ... Type: STANDARD UNIT ... Exterior: BRICK .. Value As Of 01/01/2009: $45,332,720 ... (Land: $44,898,000 ... Improvements: $434,720) ... Transfer Information: Seller: WMAL INC ... Date: 04/18/2007 ... Price: $0 ... Type: NOT ARMS-LENGTH (12/7/09) Why would anyone want to fail at all, let alone as much as another person? I believe the name of the game is to succeed, not fail in any way. That was an extraordinarily idiotic comment, PLB. And unfortunately, you admitted to being a failure. (12/7/09) "I Don't have to, you're pre-occupied with the fact that I know you've been shit on.......!" Actually, you do have to. Because at this point...You're proving you're nothing more than a message board has-been with zero credibilty. You can't back up your own claims. Prove how the industry has "shit" on me. I'll be waiting, Crypt keeper. (12/7/09) To the viewer asking about Channel 4 freezing up: well there *is* snow on the ground. I'm not being glib - depending on how you are receiving at home, you may have a dish filled with snow or knocked a little out of line with the satellite; you might have a cable with a frayed jacket and the conductors are giving you grief; or if you are doing OTA digital, your antenna might be iced over or a little off-beam. Lots of possibilities. Without knowing how you are getting the channel, these are just educated guesses. (12/6/09). Well, Mr. Helper, you ARE being glib (Well there*is* snow on the ground). For your information, I'm writing from the Eastern Shore of Maryland where there is *no* snow on the ground. And none of your guesses were anywhere near "educated". I have cable and didn't have any problems with the other channels. (12/7/09) Here's a link to a Summer 2001 piece, from GW Magazine, about the late Roy Hoopes www.gwu.edu (12/7/09) I agree with some of Unsigned Corporate Suit's theories about the decline of local TV news in general, but WMAR is a clear anomaly and a lot of this general decline is due to the economy alone. The fact remains that WMAR 2 has been so poorly run since The Baltimore Sun owned it like few if any other Top 30 market stations. I find it hard to believe that if two news operations are surviving in Salisbury, Maryland, that four can't survive in Baltimore. People forget, WJZ 13 dominated the market for over 20 years and both WBAL & WMAR were distant seconds, and often flip-flopped in ratings. While Hearst got out of the newspaper business in Baltimore and invested in WBAL, both radio and TV, The Baltimore Sun got out of the TV business instead and the station has suffered ever since. And Scripps Howard is still a newspaper company largely that has not invested in WMAR and only owns 10 TV stations while Sinclair owns 59! By the way, even I did not know this, but WMAR 2 is the 11th TV station in the U.S to go on the air! www.scripps.com (12/7/09) Re "Saturday Night Live" opened with a Salahi spoof last night..." Yes it did. And then the spoof went on for a long time, with the joke in the background with the men in black going on and on, and then it went on and on, over and over, same joke over and over, and then it went on over and over, and over and over, etc... By now it had gone from initially amusing, to tedious and boring, to annoying, to extremely annoying. This is the long time SNL trend. I tuned over into Wanda Syke's Fox program and had many laugh-out-loud moments. Robert, Arlington (12/7/09) (regarding a previous post) To the woman who thinks she might have been in the Lambda Rising photo: We may have crossed paths. For a while, I volunteered at The Switchboard, so I was around the building a bit - and at the bookstore and Earthworks as well. In '73-'74, I also helped out with getting "Friends" on the air, at the long-gone WGTB-FM at Georgetown University. It seems like forever ago! Hell, Nixon was in his second term (abbreviated) and Spiro Agnew (even more abbreviated) was around, bashing the media, every ten minutes! (12/7/09) Former WJLA weekend sports anchor Greg Toland has been doing the updates the last couple of weekends on SiriusXM's MLB Home Plate channel. I can't believe WJLA was dumb enough to cut him. So are they just not going to hire anyone to take his place and allow Horace Holmes and Gregg Mace to keep filling in? I wonder how Gregg Mace likes coming down from Harrisburg on the weekends when he fills in. With Horace Holmes, I have noticed he still does news reporting during the week No offense, because he's a good reporter, but he is an awful sportcaster and it shows. He can't sync his reports with the highlights at all and his sportscasts are just dull. It used to be that with folks like Toland, Ken Mease and Wally Bruckner, the DC area had a great corps of weekend sportscasters. Those were the good ol' days... -BG (12/7/09) Since Comcast's removal of most analog channels to the QAM band, I've had lots of problems with freezing stations with my bedroom HDTV set. Certain channels periodically go black or I get a frozen picture. I often have to unplug the HDTV to reset it. Since I often fall asleep with the TV on the later problem is rather troubling since that can cause screen burn-in issues. Since I do not have this problem with either analog or HD or most QAM channels and it only appears to affect certain Comcast channels that were recently moved to QAM and always those same channels and it doesn't happen to the HDTV set w/ a Comcast box, I can only assume that the problem is on Comcast's end. Plus, I connected another small HDTV set to that cable line and the same thing happened. My suspicion is that either Comcast is planning on encrypting these channels soon or testing it or Comcast is sending out some type of DIGITAL KILL SWITCH to HDTV sets that don't have cable boxes or Comcast specific converters. Since the FCC has taken no action to regulate the DTV switch on cable or satellite, obviously Comcast can force its customers to do whatever the hell they want. But, if lots of people's brand news HDTV sets all start freezing on a picture, I suspect there will be a class action lawsuit down the road for Comcast if they are deliberately killing paying customers' brand new HDTV sets. By the way, I doubt this issue is related to WRC 4's DTV issues or FOX 45 and CW54's constantly skipping DTV signals. Those are most likely due to technical problems at the stations themselves or a temporary reception issue at the cable headend itself due to snow or ice. I'm absolute certain about the Sinclair channels being Sinclair's fault since many people have complained about their DTV signals in all kinds of weather conditions now. The FCC should start levying fines for stations not in compliance of their DTV specs or serial offenders, but I wouldn't hold my breath for that happening. (12/7/09) Typical snippet from mailbag.: "I'm still waiting for you to tell me how the industry "shit" on me...It's been a week and you still haven't come up with anything yet. " Response: I Don't have to, you're pre-occupied with the fact that I know you've been shit on.......!. As for our company failing, you should fail as much as we have... you have no idea!!!!! Now, move on, I have nothing to prove. "Life is good, hope yours is too. (you'll be back with some totally dumb response, I'm sure! We can't wait-PLB (12/7/09) /\ December 7 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....