Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - April 28 to May 6, 2009 Latest messages listed first..... \/ May 6 Messages \/ Hey Dave, Re WRC/Asbestos: Unless the stuff is flying around loose then its pretty harmless. Tens of thousands of commercial buildings still have the stuff - many thousand old school buildings too. At my old grade school in Vienna it was on the ceilings - and they just installed a drop ceiling under it. @ WRC I don't think anybody was ever in danger and not likely anybody is trying to pull a fast one. While new tenant renovations might require dealing with asbestos removal or encapsulation - any real estate type is aware that this is always a factor in buildings constructed before the eighties. m (5/6/09) So Donny wants CBS to cut him some slack. Kind of like the slack he would cut them every time he had an ax to grind against the company. No one put a gun to your head when you signed your contract. Karma buddy. Now go away and take Brett Favre with you. (5/6/09) A colleague claims tonight (Wednesday) that Disney is hours away from whacking about 60 percent of the ABC News London bureau. A series of meetings are to be held tomorrow, Thursday, May 7, to give staffers and freelancers the bad news. My colleague says the ABC News bureau is expected to be reduced within the year to a handful of staffers and one correspondent, likely renting out office space from some entity like the BBC. A sad decline from what was once a bustling news hub for the network. (5/6/09) I think TMU may be over-estimating the number of people into the "Shake Your Boobs" thing. Buzz and Robb are probably just humoring him, hour in hour out, as he does, as they do, as they all do all day every day. There has not been a genuine, un-forced moment aired on WJFK between 3-7 since the final moments of Don's last broadcast. HAHA AN IRREVERENT REMARK ABOUT FEMALE ANATOMY IN CATCHPHRASE FORM how clever. Jesus, his show is sad. An increasingly desperate self-self-parody. Mike, for your dignity, please retire immediately. (5/6/09) '...banish Olbermann to Tahiti...' WTF! are you sick Dave? why send that stuck-up gas-bag to paradise? Can you imagine that greasy haired, bloated, pale Olbermann frolicking semi-naked in a grass skirt on a beach (very Brando-ish)... by-the-gods Im gonna be sick... ~"kinky-neo-con" (5/6/09) Dave's response: OK, let's send him to Hawaii. According to a History Channel documentary I watched last night, the Hawaiian islands will be completely under water in a few million years..... Dave Linn/Scott Linn: not related, but both are top-notch people. Francis (5/6/09) Dave, The portion of the NBC building where sports and NBC offices are located now....and where the new newsroom will move to...was built in the late 80's. It was an addition of the original building and built at a time when asbestos was not a common use...the older building which was built in the 50's has been treated in some areas for asbestos and probably still has more.... I am not surprised to hear about asbestos in the old areas...but do some homework and you'll find the new area probably isn't where they found it. I do agree with you that you were the first ones in print with news of the lease or sale of the building... (5/6/09) '...now if we could only ban Michael Savage from America... hahaha'? Why is it "cool & hip" to mock 'conservatives/right/republicans' YET one is NOT allowed to breath,think or comment anything "negative" against the 'liberal/left/democrats' who spew hate & ignorance in the 'media'? I know, I know the 'media' is a sick, stinkin hive of hypocrisy (re: DC 'media') Hells-Bells! we cant even mock "da messiah" & his telo-prompter ~"kinky-neo-con" (5/6/09) Dave's response: Hey, I wouldn't mind it if they banished Keith Olbermann to Tahiti and forbade his return to the good ole' USA. Ha ha ha..... Re: Wilbon not a hockey guy: he claims to have played the sport as a kid, so he'd be 100 miles ahead of most people covering the sport. Scott Linn at WTEM is an expert on the sport, and sounds great on the air, hope he's getting some air time there during the playoff run. I wonder if Rehr is leaving NAB because he senses he is about to lose the music royalties fight? Francis Rose (5/6/09) Dave's response: Is Scott Linn related to RQX's Dave Linn? Memo to Mike O'Meara: There are three people in the world who think that the "Shake Your Boobs" thing is funny. That's you, Buzz, and Spiwak. That kind of bit isn't tired, it's exhausted. Sincerely, TMU (5/6/09) WTEM is making a good faith effort to cover the Caps so let's cut them some slack. Clearly, they are doing so because the Capos are the hottest team in town and WTEM is a complete bandwagon jumper. But as a Caps fan, it is nice to hear the coverage. Actually, I am really amused at how the entire local media has jumped on the Caps bandwagon. I mean, even friggin Michael Wilbon, who wouldn't know a hockey puck from a filet mignon, wrote a Caps column today. Funny what having the world's best player in his sport and a little winning will do. By the way, I absolve one media outlet from bandwagon jumping and that is COMCAST Sportnet. They do a fine job of covering the Caps all season and I, for one, appreciate it. (5/6/09) ("Maybe they think it was Maury's "twin brother" who did the old Metromedia 5's 10:00 News") Ahh...that makes me think of the great John Willis! The only news anchor in the DC area in the 60's and early 70's that was actually STIFFER on air than Julian Barber. Come to think of it, Glenn Rinker was pretty static, too. But all legends nevertheless. (5/6/09) "(Classless act to proclaim ratings success.) WINS and WABC in New York are among the stations that have hourly positioning statements about their ratings success. And the reason WTOP should not do this is.......what, exactly?" Okay, we get it. Apparently, WTOP management does not get the subtle connection in this matter regarding "grandiose bragging rights" and the concept of being humble. In essence, remind the audience -- hourly -- that the station is the biggest swinging dick. (5/6/09) Like the previous poster, I too find it very odd that Maury Povich would be coming to DC to speak about teen pregnancy ( oh the irony !!! ). Anyway over the years many people have called Maury Povoich "another Jerry Springer". Actually there is a big difference between Springer and Povich. Jerry Springer would be the very first one to tell you that his own show is garbage and he is only doing it for the money ( not unlike Madonna for example.."I only do it for the money baby..and everyone else can kiss my ass" ). Maury Povich on the other hand, he takes his show seriously and really believes his show is "making a difference" as they say. Amazing how Povich as done those "I had sex with 5 guys and I don't know who the father of my baby is" shows for so long that many folks really don't remember a time when he did anything else. A Current Affair? Panaroma? And many of those people live in DCRTV territory. Maybe they think it was Maury's "twin brother" who did the old Metromedia 5's 10:00 News LOL. (5/6/09) Re:..the infamous Fred Phelps...there are actually a lot of countries out there who won't allow him to enter such as Canada and New Zealand for examples, why would the UK be any different. Come to think of it..wasnt he sued by a MARYLAND family over his protests last year? Anyway as I can recall Baltimore's WMAR channel 2 some years back found themselves into hot water by showing their protest signs ( some included naked pics of men having sex ) live on TV. Also back in 1995, Phelps and his flock were supposed to picket outside of Front Royal's WFQX-FM 99.3 over them having a jock on the air who had HIV on their airstaff ( Tad Pole ) , that picket never did happen of course but Tad Pole was replaced due to his HIV ( managment and according to the Winchester Star at the time, their listeners as well, were scared by having such a person on their staff )anyway he was replaced by Elwood King was last week was let go by Clear Channel thanks to their recent round round of budget cuts. (5/6/09) Anyone remember “Berate the Bride” on the old Don & Mike radio program? The boys would have had a field day with Quinn and Pary. Hey Quinn, Barbaro called and he wants his teeth back. And make sure you have Pary checked-in with the nursing home orderly before curfew. (5/6/09) Interesting, I complain about Sinclair, FOX45, & WNUV'-DTs continuing DTV troubles on DCRTV and the next day the problems are fixed! And Sinclair profits are up! YAY! But guess what sports fans, I'll bet Vegas money WNUV-DT is back to skipping out of sync by the end of the week because this has been going on for months and months, so it's clearly a problem they've chosen for monetary reasons NOT to FIX or their engineers have no clue what they're doing. Ok, rant over, but I'm sure the advertisers will notice WNUV unwatchable again soon no doubt. (5/6/09) Dave, The text on the Mailbag is all hinky this morning. It's about twice as wide as normal. On the Front Page, everything looks fine. Scott (5/6/09) Dave's response: Perhaps you need to go back to smoking those "regular" cigs. But seriously, sometimes when Mailbaggers post really long lines of uninterrupted text (including dashes), it causes some browsers to freak out. I think it's fixed..... What do Michael Savage and anti-gay preacher, Fred Phelps, have in common? According to the Times of London, they're both on a list of people banned from entering Great Britian. The Times reports: "An American “shock jock” said last night that he was planning legal action against the Government after discovering that he had been on a list of 16 people banned from entering Britain since October. Michael Savage, who hosts the “Savage Nation” radio show, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he had been defamed and endangered by the decision made by Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary." Savage is heard in DC on WTNT-AM. Here's a link to the article www.timesonline.co.uk. (5/6/09) Dave's response: Now if we could ban Savage from America. Ha ha ha. Just joking..... Re: "Dave's response: DC101's HD2 is erockster, which is way cool. While there aren't on-air announcements about the music played, you can tell the song title and artist from the "text readout window" on your HD Radio, which I thought all HD Radios featured...." You're right - Thanks! So that's what the feature is for. Previously I only listened to boring public radio stuff that didn't benefit from the text display. I finally "read the fine manual" for my radios. Robert in Arlington (5/6/09) I’m surprised some pharmaceutical company doesn’t use that picture of Liddy in his Speedo for their ED ad. (5/6/09) "... I've been pleasantly surprised at how much hockey WTEM 980 has been doing... It's pretty clear that hockey isn't their bread and butter but I give them credit for trying. Sheehan in particular asks great questions and Walker's enthusiasm comes through. For a huge hockey fan like myself, its better then nothing." I'm not quite ready to throw any bouquets their way - it's a no-brainer that sooner or later they'd have to start focusing on Capitals vs. Penguins because what else of significance is going on in local sports right now? Dating back years before Dan Snyder acquired the station, it's been staffed and programmed under the theory that Washington's basically a Redskins and hoops town with little interest in the other sports. That's why you have Walker, Brian Mitchell and John Thompson hosting shows on 980 while even the national pastime is treated like a niche sport. But I don't think the recent surge of local interest in the Caps is a mere passing fad - hockey's likely to be on solid footing in the DC area for a long time and it'll be a definite liability for any sports talk station not to have hosts conversant with it. Over on the TV side, it was annoying to see Brett Haber (on Channel 9) frame his coverage of Caps/Pens game 2 as "isn't it great that these two superstars (Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby) both got hat tricks?". The national media have been treating this series as a one-on-one matchup between Ovechkin and Crosby while barely acknowledging any other players on the ice, but local sportscasts shouldn't be following their lead. The only thing that matters from a Caps perspective is that they won to go up 2-0 in the series, and frankly their fans are fed up with all the hype surrounding the Pittsburgh star over the past few years. Regarding WTEM's local shows airing live from Las Vegas last Friday, turns out that it was part of a campaign by HBO to promote its pay-per-view telecast of the Hatton/Pacquiao junior welterweight title fight. Sports radio stations from around the country were more than willing to serve as tools to hype an event they might otherwise have paid little attention to. Mike, Fairfax (5/6/09) Re: "Classless act to proclaim ratings success. If the people are already listening they don't need to be told, ya know? And what's with Lara Logan's ass? Gad she did a walk in a CBS report last night and you could see the anchor muttering "Crisco!" under his breath because she's gotten fat in the can." Classless? You're talking about Lara Logan's ass and have the audacity to talk about class? C'mon, get some yourself! (5/6/09) Who gives a shit about the coporate suits Don Geronimo was hard on back in the day? They cried all the way to the bank! Let me let you in on a little secret people, 85% of radio people AREN"T SMART! Out of that 15% left, only about 7% are talented! Those are the people (insert Geronimo), who generate cash for the station. Cash that is flat-out stolen by drunken, business incestous sales weasels and "vision" having, but short on ideas manangement sheds. (why sheds? because they're usually just not a tool, they're EVERY tool in the shed!) To keep Don sidelined is insanely counterproductive. PGC isn't what it once was, El Z(er)ol... nuff said, WJFK couldn't grow an audience with steroids or sunlight, and "Fresh" is about as, a truckstop restroom after Large Marge hits it! If CBS is going to be so petty and vindictave as to hold Mr. Sorce in limbo... GO AHEAD! Who's more vindictive and petty than him? Think he won't wait his non-compete out? And IF those corporate geeks still have their jobs, he'll just cross the street somewhere and drag whatever his CBS competition down to a 1 share. (if it's not at that already!) What a 2009 for CBS, they're like the Republican Party...CBS=Continously Bullshitting Stupidly -Billy Sparks (5/6/09) Aw, f'chrissakes!!! Is there anything this stupid thing wont do??? aculei.net (5/6/09) Quin Bradlee... That whole story is ODD! Why would you want the fact that you proposed over the phone AFTER a lovers spat, PRINTED in the Post? VERY weird.... (5/6/09) (“Am I the only one who has noticed that Mix 1073 has sounded more Rock and Current-based lately?”) Nope, more of the same “minivan-mom’s-on- the-way-to-pick-up-the- scoccer/piano/tae-kwon-do- kiddies-while-pulling-those- french-fries-stuck-in- the-backseat..-where’s-my-prozac” tracks. CMG (5/6/09) OK, we get it ... you don't like G.Gordon Liddy in a bathing suit. Would you like him better being whipped by a dominatrix? (Can't believe he actually did this!) (5/6/09) Maury Povich: I wonder if he talked about a spiraling career, dirty rotten idiots on national tv embarrassing themselves, our young culture and how to exploit the worst part of it or how Jerry Springer looks like Emmy material when compared. Just another in a long line of embarrassing “reality based” television productions. Signed: The Cheap Seats. (5/6/09) (Classless act to proclaim ratings success.) WINS and WABC in New York are among the stations that have hourly positioning statements about their ratings success. And the reason WTOP should not do this is.......what, exactly? I always wonder about the "experts" who post here about what WTOP should or shouldn't do. What is their standing? Are they part-owners? Are they experts in their own right on achieving ratings? Or do they simply resent a successful operation in a town witrh very few of them? (5/6/09) I find it interesting that Povich is coming back to D.C. to discuss teen pregnancy and it's prevention since his bread and butter comes from broadcasting a bunch of teenage baby mama drama episodes... (5/6/09) Classless act to proclaim ratings success. If the people are already listening they don't need to be told, ya know? And what's with Lara Logan's ass? Gad she did a walk in a CBS report last night and you could see the anchor muttering "Crisco!" under his breath because she's gotten fat in the can. (5/6/09) What do we want? HFS!!!! When do we want it? NOOOOWWWW!!!!! What do we want? HFS!!!! When do we want it? NOOOOWWWWW!!!! WHFS was replaced by a flash in the pan format in a location that misses most of its target audience who are either too far south of its signal or entirely out of the country. The recession drastically changed the demographic in a way the out of touch executives have not bothered to notice,much like they remain oblivious to most of reality. 99.1 WHFS would be the only successful CBS station in the DC/Baltimore area but the self defeating and delusional corporation refuses to give any credit to its listeners opinions. We HATE Felonious Stupidity. (5/6/09) Dave's response: Seriously folks. Don't listen to 94.7 Fresh FM. Take it off your car's pre-sets. And let advertisers know that you won't listen to Fresh or patronize its advertisers. Washington desperately needs an intelligent adult rocker and CBS is in the best position to give us back our "WHFS heritage" via 94.7..... Am I the only one who has noticed that Mix 1073 has sounded more Rock and Current-based lately? (5/6/09) /\ May 6 Messages /\ \/ May 5 Messages \/ I would never read a summary from an author tell us to read his "summery" Although, on a rainy day like this, reading a summery, might be just what I need... (5/5/09) Re: the search for music on the radio in DC. I am really enjoying the great tunes on DC101 HD2, for the past week or so. Unfortunately it is a jockless feed so I don't know who any of these bands are. Where is all this fine new music coming from? Yours truly is an old guy who grew up on Triangle Towers' HFS and WGTB. I checked out DC101 after I had a vacant place on my radio presets after 94.7 self destructed. DC101 currently is not bad - started listening to them in the mid 70's, and drifted away over the years. Cheers, Robert in Arlington (5/5/09) Dave's response: DC101's HD2 is erockster, which is way cool. While there aren't on-air announcements about the music played, you can tell the song title and artist from the "text readout window" on your HD Radio, which I thought all HD Radios featured..... DUDE! PLEASE STOP RUNNING THE PHOTO OF THAT AGING NUTSACK G-GORDON-LIDDY. WHAT HE IS DOING TO THE STARS & STRIPES IS CRIMINAL. PLUS I AM TRING TO EAT MY HOT POCKETS FOR DINNER IN FRONT OF THE TV WHERE THEY ARE HELPING ME TO RIDE OUT THE RECESSION. (ACKKKK!) IF I HAVE TO SEE THAT DANGLING BALLSACK AGAIN I WILL STOP READING THE MAILBAG SO I CAN AVOID THE BALL-BAG. ISNT IT TIME FOR G.G.L. AND ANY OTHER RADIO FARTS OVER THE AGE OF 75 TO PLEASE TAKE THE NEAREST ROCKING CHAIR AT THE CRACKERBARREL & GET OFF THE AIR! (5/5/09) Dave's response: Somewhere I have a pic of Andy Parks shirtless in a bathing suit (not a Speedo) at a WMAL summer event a while back. I could run that instead..... Duhhhhh, I’m not saying nuthin’, but duhhhhhh…I get numbers. Twitter follower count---Don Geronimo 1965, Mike O’Meara Show 701. Granted, Donnie’s gotten some free marketing via this website, but hmmmmm…..Twitter = Arbitron? And it may be too late, as Donnie’s gotten his second home in St. Pete, FL, my old stomping grounds. Unless maybe CBS can set up a sweet studio in his basement like Clear Channel/FLZ in Tampa did for Kane in his DC abode. Idiots----sitting on gold. Josh in Harrisburg, PA (5/5/09) Dave's response: Hey, Peter Rosenberg has 14,917 Twitter followers - twitter.com/Rosenbergradio..... Yout don't need to waste mailbag space with this. Just bringing this to your attention in case it's newsworthy or confirms anything else you've heard. From Dan steinberg's washington post chat today....... Washington, D.C.: Any idea where Al Koken, formerly of WTEM, might end up? And can you please dispel the stories that he was fired; his contract ran out and it wasn't renewed. That's an entirely different thing than being fired... Dan Steinberg: My goodness, I've gotten three questions about Al Koken today. There's a campaign afoot. Len Shapiro wrote a nice piece on Al for our site on Monday; maybe we can link it here. Al would like to get back on the radio, but there's currently only one sports-talk station in town. There are indications that won't last forever. He'll also keep doing lots of work for Comcast SportsNet, perhaps predicting the scorers of future game-winning goals. www.washingtonpost.com (5/5/09) Dave's response: Why should Koken worry about returning sports talk radio in DC? WTEM's ratings suck. Nobody else wants to do the format - not Bonneville or CBS. Stick with Comcast SportsNet, Al. Maybe WTOP/WFED could use Koken in some sports capacity. Oh, as for Dan Steinberg - he'd be a helluva lot cuter with a goatee..... CBS is broke...and they have a corporate wide hiring freeze. Ditto at Clearchannel, same for Citadel, Entercom, Cumulus, Hearst, Greater Media...etc, etc, etc...The radio business is in a financial free fall for the most part so I don't understand why you'd be surprised that 94.7 isn't loading the payroll with people who would come on board and do the same thing that two other competitors are doing. Does DC really need another morning host who rambles on and on about nothing important while one or two other people with him or her pretend to be thoroughly amused at every word? I'd much rather listen to just music and maybe the news and traffic without the overpaid, blowhards who think the world will stop spinning if they aren't there to chime in. Maybe it's just me but Jack Diamond and Company and Loo & Lori are equal opportunity annoying. How about shut the hell up and play the music...there's a format that hasn't been done. (5/5/09) Dave's response: I came up with this "brilliant brainflash" this afternoon while walking around Lake Thoreau in the drizzle - move Donnie Simpson from CBS 95.5's mornings to CBS 94.7's mornings. He probably likes Coldplay and Dave Matthews, and would attract lots of young lady listeners to the Fresh format. And then take 95.5's Big Tigger and move him from afternoons to mornings on the madeover urban CHR "PGC Hits" to face off with Peter (aka Kane) on 99.5..... Mike in Fairfax makes some good points about WTEM 980 and the lack of hockey expertise on the station but I've been pleasantly surprised at how much hockey WTEM 980 has been doing. I don't get to listen much to Pollin and Czaban but I listen to Doc and Sheehan during lunch and they have had lots of Caps discussion with experts like Joe Beninatti and Craig Lochlan. Its pretty clear that hockey isn't their bread and butter but I give them credit for trying. Sheehan in particular asks great questions and Walker's enthusiasm comes through. For a huge hockey fan like myself, its better then nothing. (5/5/09) (But all this public self-flagulation on WTOP is a little unbecoming) Self-flagulation? Is that when you whip yourself with an American flag? Or maybe a Pirate flag? (5/5/09) Once the government starts to issue a health warning against sodas like Pepsi & Coke the same way they did with tobacco, then chances are we "may" see the days of their ads on TV and on the radio coming to an end. Then again alcohol like beer have similar warnings and yet they are still allowed to advertise on TV and I have yet to hear about anyone trying to ban such ads. Rockstar energy drinks..I believe radio's Michael Savage's son owns that brand ( or did he invent it? ) and I am almost sure Michael Savage himself gets a share of the profits. Oh, for the record many school districts who had ban sodas/pop but didn't go after energy drinks there is a reason for that. The kids love them and they buy the bulk of them while a good many of them are staying away from Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper ( popular movie actor Seth Rogen I have read recently had NEVER tasted a Coke or Pepsi in his entire life, and he is a "hero" to the under 25 age group ). Its much easier to go after say Dr. Pepper or Pepsi-Cola and stuff the kids really don't like than Red Bull. That and the fact that many teachers for some reason swear by energy drinks, that kids who drink energy drinks like Rockstar or Red Bull tend to do better in school than those who don't. I am not so sure if I would buy that though. To me that is the same as someone who gave up Marlboros or Camels thinking that by switching to Black & Mild cigars or Skoal dipping, they are making a "switch" to a more healthy lifestyle. Yeah right !!! (5/5/09) re: "What is this thing WTOP is saying about highest rating in the nation?!?" Umm yeah, that struck me as a little over the top too. Even if it is true, so what? Sure it is nice to be successful and be the big dog. But all this public self-flagulation on WTOP is a little unbecoming, imho. I'd really suggest that they rethink the approach. (5/5/09) Dave's response: I'm told that WTOP does seem to have the highest share for the age 12+ demo in the nation..... Who, what, and why is frequency 98.3 (another fantabulous religious station) in southern Stafford over riding 98.3 star in so. Md?????? g-force (5/5/09) Here's what the Sun is becoming... two senior reporters to cover this: www.baltimoresun.com (5/5/09) What is this thing WTOP is saying about highest rating in the nation?!? How can that be? (5/5/09) WTNT comes in at 40 in latest PPMs? 40?? It wasn't doing very well with Bill Bennet's morning show (which I rather liked), but now it has "Mancow," which I listen to but find to be ADD Radio for adults, and "The Ed Schultz Show" mid-days, which makes no sense alongside the conservatives that dominate the rest of its slate. I would think Michael Savage has a devoted, if small, audience locally, but see no signs of it in the ratings. Time for a complete overhaul. Christian (5/5/09) Dave's response: Hell, RedZeb could make more dough by shutting down WTNT and selling the Germantown transmitter site real estate..... Am I the only one who thinks of Sheb Wooley everytime Dave blogs about the Portable People Meter? Howie (5/5/09) Dave's response: The Portable Purple People Meter Eaters? Hmmm..... The following was posted as a comment to FishbowlDC's coverage of the entertainment celebrities scheduled to attend the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday..... This is ridiculous, on many levels. Most of these people have zero to do with journalism, real journalism, reporting, writing and editing, the White House, newspapers, newsletters, magazines, or government and politics. Nothing. Zero. Additionally, why all of this when, in just the past few months: The Rocky Mountain News folded; The Seattle Post-Intelligencer folded; The Boston Globe is on its deathbed; The New York Times is existing based on a loan from a Mexican businessman and other desperate measures; The Washington Post is losing money, shrunk its comics pages, forced buyouts of most of its most talented newsroom personnel and took other measures that have diminished the paper; The Baltimore Sun just fired 61 people, including a host of talented reporters, photographers, editors, graphic designers, copy editors, and others; The Washington Times last year, or the year before, fired 20 to 30 people, including several people who worked for the paper since it started in 1982; and several other newspapers across the country are on their deathbeds. People--this is reality. And when real, live people are losing their jobs and their homes and are declaring bankruptcy and considering suicide (that sounds harsh, but it's true) and are at the ends of their ropes--why on earth host some thing at a hotel with a bunch of millionaire entertainment people who have no connection to journalism? Why? It is distasteful, offensive--and makes no sense. Good for The New York Times for staying away--in these current times, that's a good decision. (5/5/09) Dave's response: Amen! You notice donnieG has been talkin to Robbay a lot lately? Maybe a don n rob show on the horizon.... Pure speculation btw (5/5/09) (What happened to network production values? Moe the Union Guy) “Network production values” left around the same time as Selecta typewriters. Signed: Wasted 30 years of my life in TV (5/5/09) Those ED commericals....not a surprise as it seems at least every year there is some movement to by someone who wants see to "questionable" ads ( to them anyway) banned from TV. Shortly after cigarette ads were banned on a nationwide basis in 1971 ( such ads I believe were already banned on Salt Lake City and Denver TV in 1968 ), some little girl and her "daddy congressman" tried to ban chocolate ads from TV. They were actually laughed out of DC when one ad they objected the airing of was for "Hersheypark". They thought it was a new candy bar from Hershey. Five years ago I believe there was an attempt in some places to ban ads for those "all you can eat" restaurants like Old Country Buffet and Ryans..claiming that Americans are getting too fat and such ads are hurting one's health. That banning of those ads never did happen of course but it did for a brief time led to a debate as to restaurant employees have to the right to say "..since you are fat you can only take one trip to the buffet bar but you must pay full price anyway". Also Soda pop ads have been targeted for years by those who want to see the ads banned because such products as they say "rot teeth" but like the girl and her daddy and chocolate, some of their claims are laughable too since many of those very same people who want to see Pepsi and Mountain Dew ads banned from TV and radio, many of them have no problem with ads for those so-called energy drinks like Rockstar for example. This kinda reminds me of all those news storiesI have read about in recent years about how some school districts has "kicked out Dr. Pepper" or "..Pepsi has been expelled from our school"...yet the same school districts allow students access to Rockstar and Red Bull in their schools thinking they are "much better" and Rockstar is the same as "fruit juice". Funny !!! (5/5/09) Jim Moran is a douche bag who loves to control what people watch and think and has been that way forever - going back to his days screaming for Howard Stern's head on a stick in the 1990s. Here's a nice summery from last November of the way I feel about him - jezebel.com (5/5/09) Actual broadcast-related MiniRant- WARNING: Lo-res video coming to your Hi-res TV. I’m sure you’ve noticed that despite the big $ investment by broadcasters and by consumers in HDTV equipment, there is a new trend just over the TV horizon. You’ve seen glimpses of Lo-res TV since the Virginia Tech shooting, but you’re going to see much more according to TV execs. I’m referring to Lo-res TV from cellphones, home video, Skype, and web cameras. All of these sources will have grainy resolutions far inferior to even first generation VHS, less than 200 TV lines. I noticed on GMA this morning that the nets are perfectly willing to air fuzzy faces and nondescript locations. They’re betting that the audience at home is willing to watch that crap on their nice, new $1K to $8K big screen HDTV. At 1080 TVL, go figure. Broadcasters say the folks at home don’t care, they aren’t really watching the TV anyway. Broadcasters also say they can’t afford all that fancy camera, lighting, and transmission equipment. Besides, they say, most of the time it isn’t needed. Worse yet, since “America’s Home Video” “Bad Boys 911” and others have proven that the folks at home don’t care, they’ll watch 16mm SD reruns instead of 35mm HD reruns anyway. It’s all about content they say. Our news execs figure they can get away with it again doing network news. They’ve laid out elaborate plans to put lo-res news video on the air anytime they’ve determined in their ultimate wisdom (sometimes referred to as news judgment), that the story doesn’t require hi-res video, and just incidentally, those expensive union camera crews. Even the White House figures that the President’s weekly immortal words only require a webcast. (True confession and full disclosure says that I have to tell you that I have a vested interest in the welfare and full employment of said union camera crew.) Breaking news is just that, a story that’s happening right now and you’ll take anything you can get to be competitive and get it on the air fast. Stringer video, home video, cellphone video; you don’t care and I understand the need to get the story fast. But as a pre-planned practice to deliberately produce inferior, second rate, unprofessional work is not what advertisers think they’re buying at premium prices. (Yes, I do understand that TV is a business.) No wonder the Internet and cable are doing so well. Broadcasters, in the name of false economy, are willing to put lo-res schlock on the air and call the whole bundle network TV news. What happened to network production values? Is it just me, or is this lunacy? Moe the Union Guy (5/5/09) Hey Dave: Was this some sort of joke or something? “The "Families For ED Advertising Decency Act" claims that ads for Cialis and Viagra are "indecent" and do not belong on the airwaves before 10 PM. The bill would include "any advertisement for a medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction".....If Moron, or Moran or whatever his name is seriously introduced such idiotic legislation then please include other products or prescriptions for bodily functions: tampons, anti-depressant drugs, nicotine chewing gum, antacids, condoms, Prep “H”, femine hygiene products, and numerous other items that at times, can be “indecent” at any time before or after 10 PM. (5/5/09) Dave's response: Jim Moran is my congressman. I like him and vote for him every two years. But this "ED Decency" act is just plain silly and stupid. There are huge problems facing the country right now, and this ain't one of them. It ain't even on the radar. Maaaaaaan..... Dave: Wow, I vote for Mike/Fairfax to take over for Bruce Gilbert at WTEM. Anyone that argues Mike's points can only be on the 980 payroll. Pollin and Czaban are as arrogant as they come and just because they have contracts, they're mis-guided...contracts are meant to be broken! This morning, I was listening to Pittsburgh sportstalk radio and Czaban. The difference, the Pens' people were actually talking about the keys to the game and really getting into why the Caps won and how the Pens' lost. Czaban was more concerned about the legalities about being on the Verizon Center's "kiss-cam." That's why Washington, DC is a poor{lack of a better/cleaner term} sportstalk radio city. Pollin was always politically correct with the ESPN-Bristol people and that finally caught-up with him. One of these days, Snyder will have enough. Czaban will always have a home at Fox Sports because of his contract. It's just a matter of what small- time AM radio station will take a chance and air his program. People, can we stop complaining about 980, please. We know the place has terrible talent and no vision. Unfortunately, Bonneville has no money to start another sportstalk station in the market and we need to live- with-it. (5/5/09) (I am personally offended by the poster who compared WTOP to the Yankees....nobody here at the station is paid like the the "players" in the Bronx. Hank Silverberg, Red Sox fan forever) Hank, you haven't heard? The other reporters at WTOP ARE paid like the Yankees. (5/5/09) Have you ever considered using forum software allowing for threaded discussions instead of the mailbag? The mailbag seems to fill up with right and left wing rants instead of discussion about radio and TV. A forum would make it easier to read what we want to and just avoid the watergate discussions. (5/5/09) Dave's response: Hey, the "free-for-all gab-bag" is what the DCRTV Mailbag is all about, and has been for the past 12-ish years. I did try "software using threaded discussions" a few years back and (1) there were too many complete bullshit postings, including porn pics, and (2) to prevent that it would require folks to register their e-mail addresses and identities, which many didn't want to do. I do occasionally visit the message systems on other sites, a la Radio-Info, and they're often painfully slow, and you often have to click on a dozen-plus screens to see just some (!) of the day's postings. On the NY Radio Message Board, some topics have hundreds of screens to click through. Here, one quick click does it all. I know, there are disadvantages with DCRTV's Ole' Mailbag, but there are advantages, too. Hey, we're one big "happy" family. Enjoy "the flow," even if it isn't always your "cup of tea"..... Michael Savage on UK Least Wanted LIst news.bbc.co.uk... Down at the bottom of the list. So, should they add Mark Levin, Hannity and Limbaugh! (5/5/09) For the most thoroughly researched information concerning radio history, go to www.earlyradiohistory.us. From this article: "KDKA was sandwiched between the ships Montgomery City (KDJZ) and Eastern Sword (KDKB)" during a period (6/1920 - 5/1921) where all stations, land and sea, got four-letter calls. There were two other land stations that got KDxx calls, but they were deleted within a few years. Regards, Dave Loudin (5/5/09) (earlier posting) What about medicines for treating frigid women? (end) Who needs medicine when there's a picture of GG Liddy in a stars-&-stripes Speedo they can fantasize about? Your ol' lady will be shootin' sparks like a Bessemer Converter with just one glance! (5/5/09) Any chance Dave that the MAILBAG will ever become Topic oriented like most other website forums? Ya know, so I can easily avoid 30+ year old topics like Watergate! Grrrrrrr (5/5/09) Jay Young is absent from WEPM due to a tragic stroke that has left him unable to work. Stacy Drake and David Welch were asked to leave Prettyman due to poor judgment on the part of incompetent and oily management. All are sorely missed. (5/5/09) Trickle Down Effect: An economic situation where people who are actually talented and useful expect those who can only lease or buy usefulness to actually pay for services rendered,etc and instead get pissed on by self-important,self-appointed do-nothings with E.D. and/or Incontinence. HINT: The week that Obama was inaugurated I began recieving calls for work and have not had a slow week since!!!!! This demonstrates confidence in a non-GOP administration that reaches all the way to the actual DO-ers despite what the SAY-ers claim. Now......with a little knowhow and alot of long workweeks I just may manage to remove all this Bush generated swill from my back and see daylight sometime this year.Another HINT: If you gawk for a living get the hell out of the way and let us DO-ers put this shit back on track!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PS: A decent local music station would go a long way with workers and maybe we wouldn't feel so much like tossing Execs and Exec lookalikes out the fucking window when they sashet across our paths and fuck up the program. (5/5/09) Regarding the new-found love of hockey at WTEM, I'd rather hear Andy Pollin preface all his remarks with "I don't know much about hockey, but..." than hear Czaban spew forth as if he's watched every game in the NHL since 1980. He was called on it today, when a caller asked him how many fights there have been in the playoffs so far this year (after Czaban was saying how fights can be important). Rather than answer the question straight up, he obfuscated and yelled at the caller, and didn't answer the question directly. He instead spoke of one fight in the Pens-Flyers series that he had HEARD about, as discussed by TV hockey commentators on television. Good job, Steve. He may as well begin each show with "I'm not a hockey fan but I play one on the radio." (5/5/09) One of WDHC-FM's DJs, "Mr.T" aka Travis Lee was hit and killed by a train on 4/25/09 while camping near Berkeley Sprnigs WV. Both the accident and the obit were in the 4/29 online edit of the Morgan Messenger. (5/5/09) (quote)The "Families For ED Advertising Decency Act" claims that ads for Cialis and Viagra are "indecent" and do not belong on the airwaves before 10 PM. The bill would include "any advertisement for a medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction".....(unquote) Why pick on ads for erectile dysfunction (formerly known as impotence)? Back before big pharma got Congress's permission to do TV commercials, it was forbidden to advertise ethical drugs to patients. Now, you turn on the evening news and are bombarded with "ask you doctor if so-and-so is right for you." Since the doctor has special training and a license to pick just the right medicine for you, his patient, why should the patient be sent to the doctor's office ready to demand some product that may or may not be appropriate? Doc will cave, and Big Pharma will get the big bucks. But is this medical practice or merchandising? Also, what about medicines for treating frigid women? (5/5/09) /\ May 5 Messages /\ \/ May 4 Messages \/ Any ED ad that airs less than 4 hours after prime time should be cut off. Jim Moran (5/4/09) Well, its another day and here we go again........ WNUV-DT is still skipping along out of sync in prime time and WBFF-DT is having audio glitches. Surely it can't be a Comcast problem when every OTHER DT station is fine could it? I mean these 2 stations have their FINAL DT signals so it's not like it's likely to get any better magically on June 12 is it? At what point does the FCC step in with fines? At what point do advertisers start canceling advertisements with Sinclair? (5/4/09) Pamela Brown? Sorry. I can smell the hydrogen peroxide all the way over here. She's the same as Loni Anderson. My Dad used to piss my Mom off drooling for Loni in WKRP Cincinnati. (5/4/09) " Rip 'em for parting ways with Koken - but get your other sh!t straight, please." I'll rip them for more. Their coverage of hockey is atrocious to nearly non-existent and indeed, they make a point of stating so explicitly. This is hardly surprising considering that an idiot and radio AIDS like Andy Pollin still has a job. (5/4/09) Hi Dave, I am personally offended by the poster who compared WTOP to the Yankees. First of all, nobody here at the station is paid like the the "players" in the Bronx and NO ONE here is on Steroids. Oh..and the Yankees haven't won a world series this Century. Hank Silverberg, Red Sox fan forever (5/4/09) The bonehead from Fox 5 said Friday night that it would rain this weekend but wouldn't be a constant rain. Well it's been since Saturday night. Then two weeks ago just about all of them said it would rain Tuesday and Wednesday and we would get Spring temps and sunshine Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun. None of the weather reporters are hot enough looking to pay them what they're making and keep them on the air. Hell even Tony has me pissed off, He said that we would get temps in the 80's that Sat and Sun it was 95 degrees, Allison Seymour said she wasn't ready for temps in the 90's. He promised they wouldn't be that high. They ALL SUCK!!! (5/4/09) Mike in Fairfax - we get it. You don't like 980, and you could do a better job than anyone programming the local all-sports. Here's hoping you program better than you gather information. I heard George McPhee on TEM last week, Eric Fehr on before that. Recently, "Walker and Sheehan" have talked with Lisa Hillary of CSN, couple of times I believe. Tarik El-Bashir was with Doc and Kevin today, and John Thompson talked with the NHL.com blogger/writer this afternoon, too. Joe Beninati was also on with Thompson just before the Rangers' series. Perception does not equal reality. Rip 'em for parting ways with Koken - but get your other sh!t straight, please. I hate the rain and driving the beltway, but I do love hockey talk on this gray afternooon. Let's Go Caps!!! (5/4/09) Dave's response: Hey, how about WBIG playing "Red Rain" from Peter Gabriel to honor both the sucky weather and the Caps..... Some old bald guy with a radio show used to claim that the whole Watergate break-in thingee was all to hide the dirty doings of Maureen Dean, and to recover a rumpled pair of her soiled undies. Maybe we could let Watergate go if we would affix some other word besides "gate" to the next scandal du jour. One thing proved during the Clinton presidency was that you can't get fired for cheating on your wife, kinda like real life. Cheating with the bosses wife is another story. I love the fact that some guy is sitting on his porcelain throne sweating bullets over the mysterious death of Vince Foster. Let it go man.... Travelgate, Whitewater, and the rest of it is all old and unimportant. This fellow's thinking embodies the current problem the Republican Party has: how do you keep guys like this happy, and win the next Presidential election. A few hundred white guys gathering to toss tea bags in a body of water doesn't even represent a starting point. (5/4/09) Re: ("...please give Pamela Brown several cheeseburgers with everything on it? I've never seen a more pale, emaciated anchor than her..") AND THAT'S WITH THE CAMERA ADDING 15 LBS! EEEW! (5/4/09) JA--Please in full detail, explain how "every democrat president in the last 60 years has had a connection to Karl Marx." You can't. It's just more pubbie nonsense. Do you wonder why so many across the nation are rejecting your stupid party? I am enjoying...thoroughly enjoying---watching the GOP circle the drain. Your time has past, you are on the wrong side of history, fade away like nice little facists, will ya? (5/4/09) Nope, it's WGOP. "Turn up our noise, and tear off the knob!!!" (5/4/09) (regarding a previous post) "Karl Marx? Now which radio station does he work for again?" It's 'The Marx-Nixon Morning Mix' on KDKA, I think. (5/4/09) Karl Marx? Now which radio station does he work for again? (5/4/09) KDKA's license came out of the same box as everyone else - ships, etc (KDKB was a ship-board radio station). WBZ was the first to get a license as a shore-based commercial radio station. Al McGilvray (5/4/09) "Please remind these Democrats that every Democratic president in the last 60+ years has had some attachment to Karl Marx..." Karl Marx??? Anybody have any idea what Mr. Tinfoil JA's talking about (because clearly he doesn't)? Evidence abounds that Ike picked Dick as his VP, that Ford was his VP, that Reagan and the Bushes, and most of their staff (Rumsfeld, Cheney, Baker, etc.) in one form or another worked for/with the Nixon folks. JA? Are your rants based on anger from not being able to disprove this? I'd say yeah... (5/4/09) Would someone at Channel 7 or 8 please give Pamela Brown several cheeseburgers with everything on it? I've never seen a more pale, emaciated anchor than her. It's borderline ghastly to look at her. That woman is WAY too thin to be healthy. Paul (5/4/09) Please remind these Democrats that every Democratic president in the last 60+ years has had some attachment to Karl Marx (look it up). And remind them that they can't run from this, no matter how hard they try. JA (5/4/09) Just to set the record straight (once again): We do LIVE in a democracy; Our FORM OF GOVERNMENT is a democratic republic. Is it that hard to understand? (5/4/09) To The Previous Poster: Dr. Frank Conrad may have been born 135 years ago, but KDKA Pittsburgh became the first licensed commercial radio station when it signed on the air 6:00 pm Tuesday, November 2, 1920 for the Harding vs.Cox Presidential race results. WBZ Boston came later. See information link - www.kdkaradio.com (5/4/09) Please remind these GOPs that every Republican president in the last 60 years has had some attachment to Richard Nixon (look it up). And remind them that they can't run from this, no matter how hard they try... (5/4/09) Will Big-Screen E-Readers help save newspapers? The iPod stemmed losses in the music industry. The Kindle gave beleaguered book publishers a reason for optimism. Now the recession-ravaged newspaper and magazine industries are hoping for their own knight in shining digital armor, in the form of portable reading devices with big screens. www.nytimes.com (5/4/09) (regarding a previous post) Sorry, but any post that contains the phrase: "the supposed 'suicide' of Vince Foster" gets automatically tossed into the 'right-wing lunatic fringe' file. No credibility - just more 'tinfoil-hat' talk. Nice try, though... (5/4/09) "Felt ...committed treason, he should have done time." Like Michael Savage, you appear not to know what constitutes treason under U.S. law. Perhaps, like Michael Savage, you should let Don & Mike take over your analysis and posting duties so you can go have your teeth fixed. --- ThePenIsMightier (5/4/09) I don't remember the joke exactly, but the bombastic Jack Diamond really shouldn't have been making light of the tragic accident that occurred at the Dallas Cowboys' training facility. He said, "Fortunately no one was seriously injured..." as he delivered some cornball punchline. Does he not consider two broken spines--one resulting in permanent paralysis--SERIOUS?! (5/4/09) Dave's response: Yeah, some guy broke his back and will never walk again. Funny stuff..... (We're at the center of the universe here, so if another group had the cajones to put together a top notch news radio station and compete with WTOP, 103.5 would be back to playing songs again IMO.) We get it. You hate the Yankees. (5/4/09) Born on this date 135 years ago, Dr. Frank Conrad, the American electrical engineer whose innovations led to the establishment of the first commercial radio station. That, of course, was on September 15, 1921, when WBZ began at the Westinghouse plant at East Springfield, Massachusetts. (5/4/09) Re: “We live in a Democracy NOT a Republic”…The I.Q. of the “enlightened” left on display yet again….I can’t stop lmao!! (5/4/09) “What moron is making decisions at WTEM? They have sent Andy Pollin to Las Vegas to do his live 4 - 7pm show because there is some boxing match tomorrow between two guys no one has ever heard of. Yet the very city that WTEM covers is being besieged by media coming to town to cover the Caps - Pittsburgh series." Pollin’s not the only one from that station in Vegas last week - Doc Walker, Kevin Sheehan and Brian Mitchell were all broadcasting live from there Friday as well. While this boxing junket was probably in the works long before anyone knew the Capitals would be involved in a highly anticipated series with their archrivals, anyone who thinks 980 provides adequate coverage of the team has no idea what goes on with sports talk radio in other cities. Has there been a single interview with a Caps player, coach or beat reporter since the playoffs started? - I don't think so. Walker and Sheehan always seem in a hurry to get them out of the way and move on to the sports more in their comfort zones (namely football and basketball), while the other day Mitchell (filling in on John Thompson's show) chose to open the phones on the NBA series between Boston and Chicago but not the Capitals/Penguins matchup. As far as Pollin‘s concerned, if I had a dime for every time he's used the phrase "I don't know much about hockey, but ...", I could probably buy the station from Dan Snyder. He seems incapable of dealing with a hockey topic without having to frame it in terms of other sports, case in point being last Wednesday’s Sports Reporters when he asked for local events of the recent past comparable to game 7 of the just completed Ranger series. Within minutes, he and a caller were going back and forth about some Redskin playoff game from a decade ago. I'm sorry - if you can’t do a Caps segment without it morphing into a Skins discussion, then something's clearly wrong with your entire approach. Overall, one gets the impression that WTEM really doesn't want to be bothered with the Caps no matter how much success they enjoy on the ice or at the box office, and Red Zebra's recent decision to part company with Al Koken (the only host who could talk knowledgeably about the sport) only serves to underscore that point. Mike, Fairfax (5/4/09) Re: "We live in a Democracy NOT a Republic." Uh.. Sorry to correct you but we live in a federal constitutional republic. Please perform some research before you post. (5/4/09) Dave - For my next Q&A Cafe interview, the guests will be Spinal Tap - David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest). The date is Wednesday, May 13, and reservations can be made with Jon Moss at 338.2000; fee $35, all inclusive, as always. The show will air on DC Cable Friday, May 15 at 8 pm. All best, Carol (5/4/09) So long as any of 'us' remember Watergate we will keep it in mind when being 'ruled' by a Republican president. Bubbya did not say " I am not a crook" because he IS and he DID say " I am the decider" when the American people did not like his actions and choices. Much like a tyrant would do. The politics of hate will most likely continue as long as there are politicians who put big business and personal profits before the people who actually WORK to keep the nation running. We live in a Democracy NOT a Republic. Republicans had thier decade,they demonstrated thier Nixon-like ways and brought us to our knees. The 'Trickle Down' affect is best left to the gutters. (5/4/09) That "hostage situation" at the Fair Oaks mall is beginning to look like a non-happening. Nothing has been posted to Fairfax Underground - last mention there of any hostage incident was at the Homestead Suites at Monument Drive, well over a year ago. Likewise there is absolutely nothing on FairfaxTimes.com. The scanner radio community also report no activity. Don't know what you saw Chris or Betsie, but whatever it was, it ain't what you are thinking. (5/4/09) From all that I've read over the years about Oprah and her days at Baltimore's WJZ 13, the anchor that Oprah apparently had a serious problem with was none other than the late Jerry Turner himself. If I remember correctly, Oprah basically said that Jerry Turner ran sort of an "Old Boys Network" kinda show at WJZ that sort of kept women, especially minority women, in subordinate roles doing the news. Whether Oprah's opinion is credible or not, who knows. Both Jerry and Al are gone. The irony of it all is that if Oprah Winfrey thought she was being held back from doing hard news or anchoring the news and instead forced to do soft news & a talk show called People are Talking & getting paid less money for it and not getting the respect she deserved, then really, in hindsight, what does Oprah have to complain about today? Along with her talent, everything Oprah was pigeonholed into doing at WJZ is exactly what has made her famous and made her all that money, and umm, that's NOT HARD NEWS! By the way, if I remember correctly, the last time Oprah made any kind of public visit to a Baltimore TV station, it was WJZ, not WBAL 11, which I found odd considering her show has aired on WBAL for so long. Whether Oprah has friends at WBAL, I've never read that, but she does still have a fondness for Baltimore as she recently purchased a Ritz Carlton waterfront home in Baltimore's Inner Harbor across from Harborplace. (5/4/08) DCRTV Dave, Why would Fairfax County not disclose a hostage situation at a local mall? There has been no mention of the event in any local media. Not even Fox5 -- who would be all over something like this. Was it a training exercise? If so, why have the perp come out in his underwear? Why surround a mall entrance? If not, then why not mention it? FCPD said there were explosives involved. If it was a legit threat, shouldn't the people be told? --Chris in DC (5/4/09) Gee you are so smart why don't you become a financial advisor!!!!! (5/4/09) Dave's response: Is that you, Fred? /\ May 4 Messages /\ \/ May 3 Messages \/ I move we ban the terms "conservative" and "liberal" from this section of the site. This back and forth between ideologies has grown tiresome. They're the political equivalent of "Yo mama" jokes . . . as told by six year-olds. Some outlets are slanted left, some are slanted right. We got it. Can we move on to something even remotely resembling discussion about media, other than biased content? (5/3/09) Hardly., "There are plenty of newer and worse White House Horrors from 2001-2009 that the Washington Post and other major newspapers could/should be covering." And what about the period of 1993-2000? At the very end of which we have the signing of legislation that even Newsweek admits lead to our current financial mess. And what about Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate and Monicagate? Let's see the investigation of Bill Clinton's handling of WTC 1993. Yeah, now there we should have had some good calls by the media for a thorough investigation of the WH connection to oil rich friends in Arab countries. Where did the investigation of Prince Bandar, Hillary Clinton and Riggs Bank go? The WP did not persue any serious review of the BC WH until 1998. Let's compare that to how much room breating room GB got. Tell me, how unsealed are the records on the supposed 'suicide' of Vince Foster? How many members committed 'suicide' in the admins. of Nixon or Bush? The media that you claim "This is what journalists do. Indeed, the Post, in holding elected officials - who swore to uphold the Constitution - accountable," did none of the same during the Clinton years. Instead, they hoped and prayed they could carry the Chandra Levy story forever, to the other coast and use its distraction to avoid keeping an eye on Washington. The role you speak of for journalists was well abandoned during the Clinton years. Where were the calls for the release of Hillary's "Mein Kampf" thesis. Bush's actions at the same age were reviewed ad-nauseam. In the few half-hearted attempts at proper coverage, it was no where near the cynical voracity shown during Nixon, Reagan and Bush. Look at how many tax evaders Barack Obama has put into office,,,and yet the media gives him high marks!!! Mark Felt took an oath too, which he violated. Bill Clinton lied "I never had sex with that woman" and yet, the media did what? Where were the calls by the NYT, LAT and TWP for his impeachment or more currently, a thorough investigation of all the discredited people nominated and hired by Obama? You live in an ivory tower of academic glass from which you look down on the masses and think you can quickly open a windown and down throw stones, and it is time your were brought down to reality. The media does not hold liberals and Democrats to the same standard that they hold conservatives and Republicans. By just the "2001-2009" remark you made, you show that the expectation is to only hold conservatives accountable without a similiar calling for a regard of the actions in 1993-2000 and other liberal admins. (5/3/09) Yes. Watergate was 37 years ago. So when, if ever, will the liberal elites let it go? They continue to treat every Republican President as though her were Nixon incarnate and every Republican VP, cabinet person, nominee and executive below the President as if he or she were one of the President's men in Nixon's cabinet. Every Republican admininstration since has been subjected to some witchhunt seeking the next Watergate based on some half baked and frothed up claim of scandal. Move on, find the next big thing somewhere else, like in your own party. Led by Ma'damn Pelosi, you can continue to sow the politics of hate. (5/3/09) Today I was reading on another site about the long defunct Fredericksburg, VA's WHFV-TV channel 69. Well what little is said about them. Other than the fact that they lasted for a few years ( 1973-1975 ) and that they were an NBC affiliate, very little information exist about this place. Ok..who owned WHFV? How was their signal? How did they get NBC without WRC or WWBT bitching if that was the case? Why did they go dark? Somebody didn't know what they were getting into to? Shades of Martinsburg's old WYVN FOX 60 there LOL..perhaps? One would think a TV station in such a growing area as Fredericksburg would have had a chance to be a success? What happened? (5/3/09) The DCRTV Mailbag today has taken on the characteristics of the essay portion of a Spring Final. Watergate was nearly 37 years ago. There are plenty of newer and worse White House Horrors from 2001-2009 that the Washington Post and other major newspapers could/should be covering. (5/3/09) I was going to complain about the WP coverage of the Derby yesterday too. They seem to have stopped using the services of John Scheinman. And other than the Triple Crown and the occasional (and appreciated) column from Andrew Beyer, I don't expect to ever read exclusive horse racing content in the WP ever again. But in the Post's defense, I did like Mr Beyer's video on the WP website, and after the favorite was scratched yesterday morning, the Post quickly had an update by Andrew Beyer on their website. Other than dropping John Scheinman and duplicating the Baltimore Sun, I think the WP did a good job with the Derby. Tom in Gaithersburg. (5/3/09) I don't care about Matt Drudge's politics, I just wish he would tell us who are among his top ten sexiest hunks. (5/3/09) RE: "The reason righties continue to mention the duplicity of the W-P in Watergate, what makes it continue to a current affair, is the following." The poster seems to have more of an issue with Felt, than with the vehicle he used - the Post - to exact revenge on the Nixon White House. Felt clearly had a chip on shoulder because he wasn't promoted after Hoover's death in May 1972. Watergate was a month later. President Nixon indeed suspected, correctly, that Felt as a source of leaks and mentioned this to Haldeman, but Haldeman never did anything about it. Nor did Gray. What does that have to do with the Post? The Post did not engage in "sensationalist journalism" - it was given information on a story that concerned breathtaking illegalities from the EOP and they pursued it. This is what journalists do. Indeed, the Post, in holding elected officials - who swore to uphold the Constitution - accountable, set not a low standard, as the Poster idiotically and ignorantly suggests, but in fact, the very highest of standards. Whatever issues the poster has with Mr. Felt, which may or may not be understandable, they are a sideshow to the treachery and deceit of Watergate itself. The poster also says the Post was a nothing little rag before than - ignoring its role in the Pentagon Papers story just the year before. I do agree with the poster's assessement that the Post was not regarded as an elitist paper before then, but what does that have to do with the essence of this debate on its Watergate coverage? (5/3/09) While it may effect their revenue, the presence, or lack, of another news outlet will have little effect on the WTOP product. That is the duality of radio success,,,ratings and revenue. Radio, as with much of the 'free market' is not a truly competitive place. Competition requires a participatory consumer base that cares about the quality, is actively engaged in researching such and provides feedback on said quality. Radio, and for that matter most of retail, lacks such a base. Absent an active, particiaptory base to police the market, there is government intrusion. Government standards, once in place, provide a baseline for the product and customer service. Contrary to academic pronostication, government standards do not provide a benchmark to ascend to. Often government regs present only an agreed upon minimum performance, a descent from the highest level to an agreed upon lowest level. While the generation immediately after a new regulation may see some 'cleanup' in behavior of the lower levels, any further improvement ceases once the regulation has bankrupted the bottom feeders. Past the intial ascent to a standard, the standard becomes the lowest point. In some cases, former standard bearers are driven out of business because their superior product is now seen as overpriced in a market that is looking at the lowest price for the minimum compliance. That is why the USA has lost its dominance as a supplier to other markets Any organization that has to maintain government compliance very quickly exhausts its resources in doing so. You service the lowest common denominator. You write for the 6th grade, not for high school. When the sixth grader cannot comprehend something, perhaps due to ignorance or indifference, there is added goverment regulation to dumb down the product so it can be used 'safely' by the lowest user. Because the government standard becomes the baseline for offering a product, that is what the consumer then looks for, and Consumer Reports among others champions this 'government compliance'. Other standards and expectations be damned. Eventually, every entity within the industry or its sector has to meet that miniumum level to be allowed to conduct business. You don't look at the ceiling while you reach for the floor. And thus eventually, everyone offers the same product, at the same price because it offers the minimum liability. Government regulation stifles competition. As long as there are requirements for public files, indecency, city of licensce, abandonment and other minimum standards, there will be no competition in radio because a signal cannot be administered where the populace may want it for best service. It is a fallacy to believe the FCC is no longer engaged in content control. There are many shadowy regulatory vehicles by which content is very much controlled. The most egregious of those is in radio are EEO compliance. Second would be a lack of accountability on the part of the commmunities to which a sation is licensced. When any commercial organization does try to do a higher level of service, be it mass appeal or elitist, at usually a higher price, and liberal-forbid they succeed, then government has their second tier of restriction on competition. That would be taxation, the penalty of success in a capitalist system. If you want competition, then participate. Don't leave it to someone else and expects your needs will be met. That is the central issue with our culture of entitlement. You complain about the results, but what did you do in the process that lead to that result. Participation means buying products from the advertisers that you hear, and let them know where you heard it. Let the station know that you told the advertiser. Minority special interest groups figured out long ago that by controlling the interface between broadcaster and advertiser, they could decide the content provided to the majority. As with unions in open shop states, the minority speaks for you, even if you don't agree. There would be no need for Arbitron if the public engaged in the so called competition that they expect. However, it is what it is. We have Arbitron, it is questioned by the Fed and they step in to right what is perceived as wrong. Correction comes in the form of regulatory sanctions that cause economic hardship which dilutes resources for product developement. Competition ends and mediocracy, sameness, begins. AND THAT is why WTOP does not have to worry about any competition. There is no way anyone can afford to startup a competitor under the current government oversight where ompetition is prohibited. Obama has made it clear that will continue. (5/3/09) Re: all the hilarious Drudge-bashing. It continues to be funny to me that liberals will bash Drudge as an organ of the GOP, but steadfastly refuse to recognize the insidious liberal bias in media institutions such as WaPo, NYT, NBC, etc. They also constantly mix in Rush, Sean and others when discussing their various right-wing "jounralistic" complaints. Rush, Sean, Glenn, etc. are not jounralists! They are opinionists and entertainers, and present themselves as such. The main problem, as per the ombudsman's article on Shales that Dave linked to today is, "Most reporters and editors see themselves as impartial truth-seekers." The fact is that MOST aren't, yet they continue to believe they are and liberals believe it, too. How many studies and polls of journalists themselves have to be done showing that they give liberal, vote liberal and think liberal before they themselves will admit that they are liberal and this naturally flows into how they choose topics on which to report, how they select the language they use to report, and how they reach the conclusions they do in their reporting? The hubris among journalists - and thier liberal believers - is amazing and totally against human nature. Also, Dave, you misunderstand Drudge in some ways. He is (by his own admission) a sensationalist...that's how he broke through the mainstream meda log-jam in the 1990s (well, that and Ms. Lewinsky). But he less reflects GOP proiorities than drives them. He is not an organ of the GOP, but the GOP surely pays attention to him. Interestingly, when you really follow the topics he covers and the artciles he selects to link to, there's quite a bit more balance than the liberal knee-jerk mentality will ever admit to. See this study from a few years ago: newsroom.ucla.com... In sum, I find much less concern surrounding a web mash-up site like Drudge slanting headlines and such, than I do media institutions like WaPo, NYT and NBC who claim from on-high that they are independent, apolitical JOURNALISTS. The bottom line is that everyone has a slant. (Overwhelmingly liberal) journalists seem to be patently unwilling to recognize, admit and either publicize or adjust theirs. Perhaps things would be helped if all "journalists" had to list their voting record, contributions and a policy scorecard just under their bylines. That would truly be a game-changer. Bob in Forest Hill (5/3/09) The reason righties continue to mention the duplicity of the W-P in Watergate, what makes it continue to a current affair, is the following. The same W-P that went after the Bush admin for leaks in the Plame case, and demanded someone be held accountable, that same paper participated in a cover up during Watergate. Nixon, whatever wrongs he may have done, was only half the story, and the only half that the W-P printed. Nixon was correct on the source of leaks. To this day the Post and other liberal media fail to realize that the President had pointed out a source of leaks for which they did not go after. The source of leaks was not just any old politician or highly placed government executive, which are often targets of jounalist demands for accountability. The source of leaks was a senior officiall in the DOJ, the #2 in the FBI. The agency charged with justice was in fact committing many unjust acts under Felt. Leaking information was only the latest illegal activity of the 'virtueous' Felt. The W-P knew that. They could not of course bring such leaks to the attention of the DOJ, because there was a COI and Interim FBI Director Gray fell for Felt's lies and denials. Where was the Justice? Why did the W-P engage in sensationalist journalism rather than going to Congress with this? Or perhaps just blowing Felt's cover in the same way that liberal journalists would love to expose every agent of the CIA or any law enforcement agency. The W-P knew that Felt was lying while giving information. They printed his lies and then printed his denials even when presented with the facts by the WH of specific knowledge. The W-P took the low road. They had an interest in only selling papers, not getting the truth and justice. They set the low bar to which journalists have stooped ever since. What really riles me is that the source of the leaks, which Nixon had properly identified 30 years ago, leaks begat by treasonous behavior of political motivation, that source, was still alive when the source was recently verified. Real justice would have been for Mark Felt to have sat right beside Scooter Libby. Felt was hardly the paragon of virtue that liberals make him out to be. What the W-P forgot to mention in their glowing "Lawman's Unwavering Compass" eulogy of Felt is WHY he was so good at giving up secrets. He invented the tactics, he knew what to look for because he laid the road!! His compass never wavered, from political gains. His compass lacked any virtue. The sort of 'spying' and corruption that Felt claimed to be secretly against and ferreting out was in fact the very sort of behavior that he had intiated, perfected and covered-up at the FBI. He claimed he was a scapegoat in earlier illegal activities against Weather Underground. I won't go off on how that organization has ties to the current admin. But the fact is, and the W-P refused to acknowledge, is that Felt initiated those illegal activies. The sons of the same liberal elites who chasten Bush for his wiretap program fail to reliaze that their lawman hero had in fact done exactly the same thing during their parents time when he was at the FBI. Felt was a life long Democrat, having worked for several Democratic members of Congress. He abused his power, he committed treason, he should have done time. The W-P only printed half the story. Justice was denied. The W-P has run its course. (5/3/09) "RE:"WTOP scores bigger PPM numbers than any CBS or CC station in the nation. Higher PPM numbers than ANY radio station in the entire country. Do the math. " You missed the point. Of course 'TOP has PPM numbers now - IT HAS NO COMPETITION. The point of the post you responded to was that with quality competition, 'TOP would have to become a better news organization to maintain those numbers. It's a fact of life in a free market system - the more competition, the probabiity is higher that the ultimate product will be improved. And with increased competition, perhaps 'TOP would replace anchors for something other than "economic" reasons - especially those who take liberty with the facts in a story, or who believe injecting their own opinions in coverage is more important than getting out the facts. But that would take something money and ratings cannot buy - the cajones to use actual news judgement and maintain journalistic ethics. IMO" THANK YOU for clarifying what should have been an obvious point. We're at the center of the universe here, so if another group had the cajones to put together a top notch news radio station and compete with WTOP, 103.5 would be back to playing songs again IMO. (5/3/09) WaPo outsources Kentucky Derby coverage to BaltoSun writer. The (on-line) lead article on the race was bylined by Kevin Van Valkenburg of The Sun. (Don't know if this was also true for the print edition.) The Post also carried an AP story on the scratch of pre-race favorite I Want Revenge. Another pre-race article on Derby wagering by Andrew Beyer carried no dateline, probably an indication that it was written locally. The Beyer article made no mention of the subsequent 50-1 winner Mine That Bird, the horse that was completely off everybody's radar until it crossed the finish line 6-3/4 lengths ahead of the rest of the field. (5/3/09) That flashback you have on your home page of Oprah Winfrey & Richard Sher from back in Oprah's WJZ days had me wondering. I wonder if she and Richard are still friends? Bob Turk? Way back in the early 80's I was told Oprah had almost as many friends over at WBAL as she did at WJZ. Hmmmm...wonder if Oprah and Rudy Miller still get together for lunch every once in awhile? On a similar note, weren't Oprah and JerryTurner & Al Sanders.. NOT exactly the best of friends? Why is it, for some reason I remember one of those taboilds many years ago reported that Oprah "had a serious problem" with one her male co-anchors during her "Baltimore" days. Of course that name of the male co-anchor wasn't mentioned.. And didn't the Globe ( I think it was them ) did a story once about how "WJZ forced Oprah to smoke crack" ?? I have to admit though I do get a kick at how the tabolids like the Globe and National Enquirer are still on that Oprah kick. Every week it does seems they do some story about Oprah Winfrey... Of course whether or not such stories are true or not doesn't stop such rags from running stories in the first place, Ah..the price of fame !!!!! It has been years since I actually lowered myself to buy one of those magazines but when one stands in line at a supermarket and sees the "headlines".."Oprah gets into fist fight with Michelle Obama over clothes", well..its hard not to at least wanting to take a glance at what is inside, even if chances are the story is about as true as "Bat Boy". (5/3/09) Dave's response: Oprah did visit 13 a few years ago and I do believe she and Sher shared some kind words..... RE: The Post...."started a scandal nearly 30 years ago. The scandal appealed to the interests of liberal elites" Your ignorance and arrogance is breathtaking. (5/3/09) Dave's response: It is funny to think that some righties, more than 30 years later, are still in a denial mode that Nixon's downfall was largely self-inflicted. And still "blame" the Post. Wow..... What the heck happened at Fair Oaks Mall about the Hostage Situation cause i could not find any News about it in any of the Local papers??? Betsie (5/3/09) Dave's response: Maybe Tom Jackman can find out..... /\ May 3 Messages /\ \/ May 2 Messages \/ Dave: I've done some reading from this week's DCRTV mailbag articles and the bottom line about WTEM, it's all on the Redskins and Mr. Snyder. Obviously, Red Zebra is comprised of overated and overpaid radio people who think they know sportstalk radio. I agree with some of the people about the serious lack of Capitals' coverage this week. Ted Leonsis was totally right to move the Caps from 980 over to 1500. I think it's a huge slap-in-the face to the Caps and fans about how 980 gave more publicity to a Las Vegas boxing fight between two unknown fighters...at least to the Washington, DC market. If I was Leonsis, I would yank all of 980's credentials and not allow anyone in the Verizon Center from that radio station. In addition, I really don't care about Czaban's golf trip and that's part of the reason why WTEM loses all credibility in this market. No one tells Steve about how the listener's don't care about his multiple HD TV room or about his golf game. Mr. Snyder may want a Super Bowl Championship in this city but it's quite evident he couldn't care less about his radio properties. (5/2/09) Warren Buffett has long held himself out as a newspaper man. As a child, one of his first jobs was delivering newspapers. An Omaha newspaper Berkshire owned, Sun Newspapers, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1973 based in part on a tip Mr. Buffett provided. One of Berkshire’s biggest investments in the 1970s was the Buffalo News, which it still owns. Associated Press Buffett toured the exhibit floor prior to the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting But his view on the future of the newspaper industry is dismal. “For most newspapers in the United states, we would not buy them at any price,” he said in response to a question about whether he would consider investing in newspapers. “They have the possibility of going to just unending losses.” The problem, he said, is that newspapers were once essential to the American public. As long as newspapers were essential to readers, they were essential to advertisers, But news is available in many other venues, such as the Internet, which means a dramatic drop in advertising revenue. Berkshire also has a substantial investment in the Washington Post Co. He said the company has a solid cable business, a good reason to hold onto it, but its newspaper business is in trouble. Mr. Munger gave a philosophical take on the issue: “It’s really a national tragedy,” he said. “These monopoly daily newspapers have been an important sinew to our civilization, they kept government more honest than they would otherwise be.” (5/2/09) So basically, what has happened to the Post was inevitable. They started a scandal nearly 30 years ago. The scandal appealed to the interests of liberal elites and they helped propel that paper to a national promience. Prior to that, the W-P was known as little more than a yellow journalism swamp rag. It was hardly on a footing with papers in NYC, LA or even Chicago. That generation has now passed in their political promience and is looking toward retirement. And so is the paper. Nixon is smiling. (5/2/09) "I'd advise you to direct your query to Matt Drudge. Does he want to be a respected, albeit sensationalist, independent news link source for millions of web surfers or a "house organ" for the GOP?" -- Dave, I know we live in a very blue area, but the GOP is stronger than it looks from Washington. Yes, it's the minority party and will probably stay that way for at least two elections, but the First Amendment still holds. The myth of an "independent" news organization is only that and has been since the beginning of the Republic. Republicans and conservatives have the right to express themselves and use their own news forums. This includes Drudge and Limbaugh. Mock them as you will, but they aren't going away. Indeed, is not hate the next emotion to love? -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle. (5/2/09) RE: [ " Dave's response: Exactly. Drudge's headlines often don't accurately reflect the content of the stories he's linking to. In that one, he's taking a "dig" against MSNBC, which he hates, even though the "NBC/DC AU" story had almost nothing to do with MSNBC. I "caught on" to Drudge's "slant antics" during the last election. There'd be 30 polls showing Obama ahead, and one showing McCain with a one-point lead. And the GOP-leaning Drudge would run a headline link to the latter, screaming "Shocker: McCain Pulls Ahead." And, of course, all the righty radio talkers that day would blab about how McCain's now ahead. Come oooooon..... " ].......... Why are liberals so angry and bitter? You WON! Celebrate! This Drudge rant is so stupid on so many levels, #1 few people are influenced by Drudge, and #2 Obama got like 75%+ positive press coverage during the election and at LEAST 50% more overall coverage by mainstream media outlets than either McCain or Clinton, both during the primaries AND the general. How can you possibly complain ??? It's just insane! LOL (5/2/09) Dave's response: I'd advise you to direct your query to Matt Drudge. Does he want to be a respected, albeit sensationalist, independent news link source for millions of web surfers or a "house organ" for the GOP? Is that the same Mega that ran all those Spanish AMs a few years ago out of the World Building in Silver Spring? (5/2/09) Dave's response: No, it's a different Mega..... Reason;"you'll notice 97% or more of the headlines on Drudge are simply links to stories on the web from major news sources around the world and where local news happens. Rarely does Drudge himself break any major news on his own, even though when he does, it usually is, or becomes, a major story." Guess what? Drudge writes those slanted or off base headlines that link to the stories you speak of. Case in point, close to home; there was this headline on drudge last Wednesday linking to a story about NBC possibly selling the Nebraska Ave compound; MSNBC's Washington HQ Can't Make Rent: Looking to Share Space with Local U... Do you also believe those calls Hannity receives at 52 after the first, second and sometimes third hour are also not pre-scripted plants? (5/2/09) Dave's response: Exactly. Drudge's headlines often don't accurately reflect the content of the stories he's linking to. In that one, he's taking a "dig" against MSNBC, which he hates, even though the "NBC/DC AU" story had almost nothing to do with MSNBC. I "caught on" to Drudge's "slant antics" during the last election. There'd be 30 polls showing Obama ahead, and one showing McCain with a one-point lead. And the GOP-leaning Drudge would run a headline link to the latter, screaming "Shocker: McCain Pulls Ahead." And, of course, all the righty radio talkers that day would blab about how McCain's now ahead. Come oooooon..... I think its interesting, that nbc4 and all nbc o&o employees, have been told to stay away, from anyone... teachers, doctors, students,.. anyone that may have been in contact with the swine flu... (5/2/09) Dave, your Drudge comment about accuracy being irrelevant is an opinion, albeit inaccurate unto itself. You'll notice 97% or more of the headlines on Drudge are simply links to stories on the web from major news sources around the world and where local news happens. Rarely does Drudge himself break any major news on his own, even though when he does, it usually is, or becomes, a major story. Hype. No doubt. P.T Barnum would be proud of him. But if there are any inaccuracies published on Drudge, the inaccuracies --- pun intended --- lie with the people who published the stories. Throw your stones at places like WaPo, NYT, BBC, CNN, AP, Guardian UK, et al. JA (5/2/09) Dave's response: Yeah, Drudge does merely link to others. But, he often chooses the most sensationalist stories to link to. Not the most accurate. So he's not completely blame-free. And, yeah, it does drive lotsa traffic to his site..... hey dave, any word on WBIG going more classic rock? it seems they are to me. I have heard van halen tracks on there that 94.7 played as the arrow/globe that 100.3 NEVER played before, such as runnin with the devil. yesterday they played Spirit of radio by Rush, although i think that was by request. i have heard more heavy tracks pop up on their playlist that only 94.7 did. hmmmm why dont they add hendrix, grateful dead, black sabbath and guns n roses to it as well? Oh....welcome to the jungle just came on. heres to the new classic rock 100.3!!!! (5/2/09) Dave's response: I say that they're gonna remain a generic mix of "classic hits" and "classic rock." The latest PPMs show WBIG with a solid gain to about 10th place, overall. Why rock the boat? As long as the station plays a decent variety, I think they'll do OK. That was the problem with the last days of classic rock 94.7. It shrunk down to a "very tight" playlist that tended to feature lots of AC/DC. Why?..... About that 87.7 frequency. I've been monitoring for a few weeks. It's not a Dance format, but instead a Hispanic format. Not sure what you meant by "Dance" but maybe it's not really going to be "Dance" but is actually stunting. --Chainsman (5/2/09) Dave's response: The low-power Channel 6, 87.7 operation has been Spanish for the past few years. As we reported, the programming company's lease expires soon, and the new leasee, a company named Mega, will start putting dance music on the station. That's due to happen "sometime in the second quarter," which means it'll happen by June 30th, at the latest..... andrea mccaren and patrick mcgrath at NPC sat. If worth anything. Journalism boot camp. press.org (5/2/09) /\ May 2 Messages /\ \/ May 1 Messages \/ As a 17 year veteran of TV “journalism” who lost his job last year, I agree with many of your observations. If you want to hear more, let me know. If not, keep casting the skeptical eye upon people who think they’re special because a camera is trained upon them when they open their mouths. (5/1/09) Re: "Am I the only one who thinks this "my shit don't stink" brand of celeb journalism just reeks?" Thanks for your exploring this absurd foolish spectacle, the WHCA "let them eat cake" display. Robert in Arlington (5/1/09) This one apparently got by you. WFLS has promoted Bonnie Miller from overnight to the 7 pm to 12 midnight shift. Meanwhile, the overnight is now in automation while the Jessica and Jeff morning show now starts at 4:30 am. (5/1/09) The comments about Winchester,VA's Clear Channel cutting two ( Elwood King and Chuck Carroll ), sadly they aren't the only radio people who have been cut within the last year out in the valley. Clear Channel Harrisonburg just this past Tuesday cut Harrisonburg/Staunton/C-Ville radio legend Randy Smith and thanks to "Billy Bush" 92.5 WINC-FM's Arrianna Nichols had lost her 7-Mid shift though she is still on the air there at WINC-FM. Didn't VerStandig in both Hagerstown & Harrisonburg had their own "bloodbath" recently? Meanwhile in Martinsburg, WLTF's Stacy Drake and WEPM's Jay Young and David Welch, all three GONE from Prettyman Broadcasting ( how in the heck Al McGilvray missed that? ). WQCM/WIKZ Mix 95 up in Chambersburg I have heard had done some cutting too recently.One of my friends was recently let go at Berkeley Springs WDHC-FM/WCST-AM and from what they told me..."thanks to budget cuts". And the cuts continue in TV too. TV3 Winchester I don't think ever did replace anchor Bill DuVall and Hagerstown's NBC 25, rumor has it that Nexstar will be cutting employess there in near future. And so it goes......sadly !!!! (5/1/09) Dave - Rarely write anymore as the landscape's change, overall big company lack of love, and economy have me depressed. That said, nothing depresses me more than outright lack of information. I have written you before to trash some of 980s decision, no matter who owned it. I can't sit by in silence while some boob trashes them for something that's just not true. I, too, was at Caps' practice today and saw a Red Zebra reporter there. Got in my car and heard Capitals' sound and Penguins' sound previewing the big series on 980, as well. Furthermore, I have seen their mic flag on TV over the past couple of days from the Caps' locker room. While I don't understand 980s big HBO love fest, I have seen Pollin and Czaban at RFD near Verizon during, nearly, every big Caps' game down the stretch and into the postseason. I hear they'll be back again Monday night, too. So please Mr. Programming genius, tell us again how peop le are doing live shows at Kettler this evening...when nobody remains there. You wanna rip 980 for other stuff, feel free - but just get your facts straight. You didn't see it, so it didn't happen? Fool. (5/1/09) Dave, Did you hear about a hostage situation at a mall in Fairfax County today? It was near a Load & Taylor and a Cheesecake Factory. A hostage negotiator was involved. The suspect was alleged to have explosives. When he was "coming out", the TAC team wanted him stripped down to his underwear. Occurred around 12:30-1pm EDT today. No mention on local media. What gives? --Chris in DC (5/1/09) Dave's response: No, haven't heard anything..... Dave, you nailed it with the WHCA dinner rant. There is no way the press can be doing an objective job while hobnobbing with the administration and the glitterati in Hollyweird who supports them. They are so far removed now from the common people. Rather than covering the issues and the impact of the establisment on the common folks, the media now are part of the establishment, which makes them an issue and part of the problem. (5/1/09) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) General Sales Manager Opportunity: Are You Being Heard? Is what you think important to your company? Do you have a voice in things that affect your ability to do your job well? Centennial Broadcasting II, LLC is seeking an experienced General Sales Manager to lead our outstanding sales team in beautiful Fredericksburg, VA. The person we want will have a major voice and play a key role in the growth of our cluster featuring heritage Hot AC B101.5 and our legendary News/Talk station WFVA AM 1230. Do we want something in return? Of course. Leadership skills, a winning attitude, strong training skills, demonstrate a solid record of success, plus an ability to monetize our interactive products and an obsession for new business development. If you think that is a fair trade, if you're ready to control your destiny and remain passionate about our business, send your cover letter with your resume and salary history to David Smith, Mid-Atlantic Regional Manager: dsmith@wbqb.com. Centennial Broadcasting II, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. (5/1/09) Dave: I have been a journalist in the D.C. area for 26 years now... I have always hated the celebrity journalism world, the horrible close association between many so-called talking-head journalists, who are barely real journalists at all on every level, and the same types in government. I hate the cocktail parties and receptions and dinners and parties circuit among these types because it is so bubble-world, so incestuous, so glad-handing and so completely unethical, it makes me sick. It is not jealousy or anything petty or stupid as that, but it is exactly what you said: an incestuous bubble-world that exists more on style than on substance, in regards to the "journalists" and the government officials. It is all so shallow and lacking in reality, it's just pathetic. I have, seriously, called for the cancellation of the White House Correspondents Association dinner, in the form that it's now become, for years now. It is literally an embarrassment--literally because you cannot believe the complete ridicule that the general public has for this piece-of-crap event. Every year, all I hear is people bitching and moaning about how horrible this thing looks to the public, and even to most area journalists. It's just one huge, stinking embarrassment, it really is. And the bubble-world types don't even realize it! Everyone needs to focus on real journalism, real news, and real stories. And the celeb types need to stop selling their souls for stupid parties. (5/1/09) Dave's response: And then you get sites like TVNewser, which was started as a legitimate news-about-the-news-biz organ by Brian Stelter, being perverted into little more than an ego-stroking, ass-kissing PR entity by Mediabistro..... This is a former sales manager from Clear Channel/ Frederick. delawareonline.com (5/1/09) I'm sure Quinn Bradlee is a fine young man who has overcome many obstacles, given his condition. However -- Newsweek has done a LARGE spread on his book, the Post has reviewed it, the Post health section devoted most of a page to the book, I think he's done a chat on the Post website . . . God bless the kid, but he chose his parents VERY wisely . . . not every first-time author gets the star treatment for a book about his condition, but not every first-time author has Ben Bradlee and Sally "Hasn't Written A Word That Wasn't Unintentionally Hilarious In 20 Years" Quinn for his parents. Sheesh. Can the book rise and fall on its merits? Not if WashPostCoInc can make Ben Bradlee happier! Sincerely, TMU (5/1/09) Why does DRUDGE currently have a photo of a guy who looks an awful lot like Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold wearing a surgical mask under the header: “WOMAN'S 'FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS' DIVERT FLIGHT” ??? d.ying.com (5/1/09) Dave's response: With Drudge, it's all about hype. Accuracy is irrelevant..... What moron is making decisions at WTEM? They have sent Andy Pollin to Las Vegas to do his live 4 - 7pm show because there is some boxing match tomorrow between two guys no one has ever heard of. Yet the very city that WTEM covers is being besieged by media coming to town to cover the Caps - Pittsburgh series. Tarik-El Bashir, the Post beat writer, wrote that he had never seen such a crush of media for a second round series. Here is the quote from Tarik's blog, "Wonder how big a deal this series is? Or at least how important television and newspaper assignment editors consider it to be? The media contingent out here at KCI swelled to ridiculous proportions this morning. I've never seen anything like it for a second-round matchup. All the locals have been joined by two Toronto newspapers, ESPN.com, the Canadian Press, TSN, Sportsnet, CBC-Hockey Night in Canada, among a dozen other folks I didn't recognize." As Boudreau properly predicted, the "circus" has officially rolled into town. I was at the Caps practice today and saw reporters from every tv station but no one from our sports radio station. What a joke WTEM is. In every NHL city they will have reporters doing shows from either the practice facility or the arena. I am suspicious of this because Pollin keeps reminding people that the fight is available on Pay per View.(5/1/09) (Today's WHCA Rant:) you are RIGHT ON (5/1/09) Why do Big O and Drab listen to Chad when he corrects their pronounciation of certain words? He can't say NUCLEAR (newkewlar) or SUPPOSEDLY (supposably). (5/1/09) Has anyone in radio land heard why there's no longer traffic (just weather...promo...weather...promo...) on WTOP-HD3 now? I've tried to get traffic reports there all week with no success. Joe in SS (5/1/09) Becky Wunder has been selected as Miss Howard TV May 2009 for Howard Stern’s Howard TV On Demand (HTV) subscription video on demand channel. Becky is already a familiar face to HTV fans as she's currently a featured competitor on HTV's series Strip Beer Pong which is playing throughout May. She is from Quakertown, PA but now lives in New York city where she is a massage girl at Rick’s Cabaret. Becky was crowned Miss Hawaiian Tropic for Pennsylvania and competed in the national pageant. She was also a Bada Bing girl on HBO’s The Sopranos and has appeared in several Playboy issues like “Sexy Girls Next Door.” Becky’s great body is a result of her rigorous workouts including getting some exercise on a stripper pole that she has in her apartment. She loves working with the girls of Rick’s Cabaret and spends time outside of work with many of her co-workers. She told Howard Stern on his radio show about a wild encounter she had with one of them in the back of a NYC taxi. Becky studio appearance can only be seen on Howard TV On Demand. She is also hosting the monthly preview show for the entire month of May, 2009. Becky and previous spokes-models are also profiled on www.howard.tv. Howard TV On Demand is a subscription video on demand channel available only on digital cable in the United States and Canada. Link to the Becky Wunder webcast conversation with Gange: www.howard.tv (5/1/09) The third floor WRC-AM studio-office complex was an exercise room for at least a little while after the sale. Then they realized none of the mid-level managers who were the only ones with the time to work out, did so. (5/1/09) Saw the inquiry about KHZ’s morning guy. He’s gone thank God. Even automation is better than he was. He talked over vocals, stumbled thru most commercials, overall just plain BAD! Though it’s too bad whenever anyone is out of work. (5/1/09) Hi. I run a new media blog newsletter. Here’s an item you might find interesting: Herding cats: Wash. Post combining print/digital... Washington Post editors are now slipping into new roles designed to simplify the way news is gathered and presented at one of the nation’s most significant newspapers. But there’s no guarantee the journey will be smooth… www.vocus.com Thanks for looking. Michael Blankenheim, Managing Editor InVocus (5/1/09) An interview with Quinn Bradlee about his new book - Thought you'd find this interview interesting: www.washingtonian.com... (5/1/09) Being that Nassau lost its station in Reading PA recently, whats the status with them and the stations they picked up in Annapolis (WRNR) and Frederick? Heard they lost out at WRNR too (5/1/09) Dave's response: Nassau still owns Frederick's WAFY (Key 103) and WWEG (Eagle) in Hagerstown, but its lease-to-purchase deal for Annapolis's WRNR-FM collapsed earlier this year..... Thank heaven FOX finally canned "The Beltway Boys" with those two has-been journalists. Those blow-hards haven't been heavily involved in real politics in years ... or maybe never at all. Those guys were the worst. (5/1/09) After watching that clip of Julian Barber, I had forgotten how bad he really was. No on-air presence, very little inflection in his voice, and no display of being a real "people" person. A nice guy I'm sure, but was he really missed when he left Broadcast House? (5/1/09) With all the discussion about the NBC 4001 Nebraska Avenue location perhaps being sold, an old question has come to mind. What ever became of the first floor space WKYS occupied at that location from about 1984 until Radio One moved the station out of the building in the 90's. Also, what became of the space WRC-AM Radio occupied for a few years before it was sold an moved out of the building in the mid to late 80's. Can someone answer these questions? The radio studios NBC constructed there at that location in the 80's were state of the art for their time and the best damn studios I ever worked in or seen. What a waste it turned out to be when NBC sold off these two stations in the 80's just a short time after building the radio operations from scratch. Now good old NBC wants to sell the damn complex right from under Channel 4 and the network news operation. Amazing! I never thought I would see it. First they were selling and trading radio and TV stations like they were baseball cards. Now I guess they're selling and trading broadcast properties like they are baseball cards. (5/1/09) I finally figured out who's LEFT at The Baltimore Sun...... Yep, you guessed it, columnist Dan "Dumb as a Box o' Rocks" Rodericks, a guy who's been hit so many times in the head with a hockey puck that only the left side of his brain is still operational! What were they thinking? (5/1/09) Speaking of WKHZ, what happened to the guy who did the morning show? Its been a few weeks since I heard him. (5/1/09) Re: The Shenandoah Valley's WFQX/Froggy 99.....former Froggy PD Charlie Fish I believe still runs that mirobrew/cigar store with her husband on Winchester's downtown mall.."Murphy Beverage Company"..however their website is down but I am pretty sure they are still in business. Keith Provoist ( I forgot his name on Froggy ) I think he still runs a computer type business in Winchester. "Sally Mander"...well she did go on to a gig at WRQX Mix 107.3..you knew her as Cindy McGuire. Seems she has since dropped from the face of the earth after Mix canned her last year. Dittos with "Summer Brooke" who was better known as "Wendy Robbins" from Q102 during the "Randy Woodward" days. Seems she has disappeared as well but she is still remembered by many long time Q102 fans as one of the best jock that station ever had. "Muddy Waters" ( real name "Bing Bingham ? ) I seem to remember reading elsewhere he was working at a station in Allentown but that was at least 5 years ago. The rest of Froggy 99...the ones who stayed in radio just about all of them over the years either went to 92.5 WINC-FM or VerStandig in Harrisonburg ( such as Tim Nichols who was "The Crawdaddy")..or they have since got out of the business I assume. (5/1/09) /\ May 1 Messages /\ \/ April 30 Messages \/ Hey, what is this? I sent in $50 towards the cause, you said something about not lowering the rates again but now I see your back down to $39 again and you're throwing in 2, 2 years of DCRTV Plus. What is this, you turning the site into an Oriental Rug Store Going Out of Business event? Why do so many people pull their shopping carts from the front these days? They take up more space going down the aisles and you throw in how retail stores pack the aisles with floor displays( where be the fire marshal on that?) it's tough getting around a store these days. Come on, Steve Alan ain't all that. True Oldies playlist is so effing boring I've cut my lissening time down considerably. And O'Meara , he really is a boring dullard ain't he but then I think replacing his dullardness with more over the top hype of sport's talk radio would suck too. Ah hell, it all sucks. (4/30/09) Dave's response: Hey, I'll give you special preview access to the new, upcoming DCRTV Plus "XXX" section, with nude shots of many DC and Baltimore TV news anchors. Including Jim Vance..... Horne was last in Louisiana. Not sure where he is now. Hughes is on the list at Allaccess from cc's purge from Tuesday. (4/30/09) Sad to hear that Clear Channel has cut Chuck Caroll and Elwood King but I do believe they have been there much longer than 14 years. Actually both were part of WFQX when they did that infamous "Froggy 99" format. Chuck was "the Gator" ( 7 to midnight ) while Elwood ( real name Ben Gates ) was the overnighter "AL-GEE". Gee..Froggy 99 !! Hard to believe that was 15-16 years ago. Whatever became of the rest of their airstaff? I know "The Morning Prince" was Dennis Hughes who is now doing middays at some station in Nashville and somebody told me some years back that "Catfish Hunter" ( Ian Horne ) at the time was a producer in Boston. But the rest seemed to had disappeared but then again would anyone really admit to working at station called "Froggy 99"? (4/30/09) In a last minute effort to keep fans of the NFL Network and Comcast customers happy there was a break through. In a joint statement issued by both the NFL Network and Comcast they said: “Comcast and the NFL are engaged in productive discussions toward a new agreement for NFL Network carriage on Comcast. NFL Network will continue to be carried on Comcast systems past tonight’s scheduled expiration of the current contract while both sides continue these productive discussions. We are both working to find a solution that works for NFL fans and Comcast’s customers.” “Comcast and the NFL are engaged in productive discussions toward a new agreement for NFL Network carriage on Comcast. NFL Network will continue to be carried on Comcast systems past tonight’s scheduled expiration of the current contract while both sides continue these productive discussions. We are both working to find a solution that works for NFL fans and Comcast’s customers.” This is great news for fans of the NFL Network who were very concerned about losing the programming at mid night tonight. The NFL Network and Comcast have been locked in a battle over where the network would be placed in the cable line-up. Comcast wanting to keep it on the Sports Package part of a pay tier. Meanwhile, The NFL Network wanted to be moved to the more accessible expanded digital tier. As talks continue Comcast will carry the NFL Network on the Sports Package until a new agreement can be reached. That is what you call in the sports broadcasting business a “Hail Marry.” Making the fans and the subscribers happy! -- Jim Williams (4/30/09) Today via Twitter. Mere words cannot explain. (4/30/09) WKHZ ancient rock jock Davy Jones took the high road today. No Mike Sorce comments. I guess the Sorce/Heads ran him off (sure). He did mention he had the symptoms of swine flue, including a comment of “wallowing in a mud puddle” on the way to the studio. He also started “oinkin” in the middle of air talk…we thought it was funny! Self promotion is something Davy can do himself. I think that’s been proven-WOW (4/30/09) Gene Weingarten, Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post douche-about-towne, wrote in his chat this week "It is seldom I get to do this with any degree of certitude, so it feels good: This doesn't sound like the presenting symptoms of M[ultiple] S[clerosis], at all. At all. Relax." Thank you, Dr. Douchegarten. Oh, what's that? Not a doctor? Keep diagnosing strangers on your employer's website. www.washingtonpost.com --- ThePenIsMightier (4/30/09) All Access is reporting at least two people have been let go at (Clear Channel's) Q102 and The Fox in Winchster. (4/30/09) Dave, As rumored, it looks like the CC cuts did make it out to the Shenandoah Valley as well. From Q102's website: "This morning we want to take some space to say goodbye to 2 close friends who have left the Q102 family. The economy has been hard on absolutely everyone, and while not one person likes it, and we all fought hard to prevent it, just like every other business, Q102 finally had to downsize. It was done with a heavy heart." Long timers Elwood King and Chuck Carroll pink-slipped. Both had been there for over 14 years. I wonder what premium tier, national caliber talent we'll be hearing voice-tracking on Q102 in the days to follow? After all, local radio is over-rated, isn't it? Lee Gahlizeweid (4/30/09) Sun sports editor Tim Wheatley... Moved to "Money and Spending" topics manager. We will no longer have editors... (4/30/09) This week (Clear Channel) layoffs were closer to 1000 www.radioandrecords.com (4/30/09) Thank you Paul Wagner and Claudia Coffey of FOX5 News for bringing us the real facts and complete objectivity to the report about the two students in Mont.Co. arrested for plotting to blow up their school and kill staff members. Wagner is most definitely the best law enforcement reporter locally. -Silvie- (4/30/09) Payola's dead, so why does radio remain a wasteland? arstechnica.com (4/30/09) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Earl is looking for help! Radio Earl on 1520am WTRI, is looking for energetic radio sales people. If you wish the company you work for didn’t have so much corporate paperwork and allowed you to be more creative, then we might have what you are looking for. If you believe that customer service is the difference between good and great, we want to talk to you. Generous commissions and flexible hours. EOE. If you’d like to join Earl’s team…email us at earl at radioearl.com. (4/30/09) Have you heard who or what positions got hit by CC in Winchester? (4/30/09) Dave's response: Heard zilch. Anybody know? Interesting. BIG has already removed Struber’s name from the DJ list on its website, yet the station continues to play Struber’s ads for a painting service. (4/30/09) Just wondering if anything ever happened with Mark Kaye doing mornings on 94.7. It would be great to hear him again. He would blow Kane out of the water. (4/30/09) Dave's response: There were rumblings a few weeks ago that Kaye might end up on the new 94.7 Fresh FM, but I got "no comment" from both Kaye and from CBS's DC suits. My guess is that something was "brewing," and that it might "happen," but not yet. I think CBS wants to see the first few months of PPMs for the new chickified and jockless 94.7. If the ratings tank (and we can only hope), the WHFS calls remain "parked" on 1580 and ready for "action"..... get a load of this www.visualeditors.com (4/30/09) 'Baltimore Sun' Sportswriters Laid Off in Mid-Game Coverage www.editorandpublisher.com (4/30/09) Did I just hear on WMAL that Andy Parks is hosting a foursome? Wow what a stud! (4/30/09) BREAKING NEWS:: Remember tomorrow May 1 is DCRTV Plus Fundraiser Friday. Join other appreciative viewers in sending Dave a few bones - $39.00 worth for a years subscription. It's no wonder DCRTV is seeing record traffic hits as it 'circles the radio wagons' around tough times. Time to take DCRTV National! Support Advertisers! (4/30/09) Dave's response: Sign-up by Monday and I'll give you TWO years of DCRTV Plus for the one-year rate of $39. Click here..... Here is Ray Frager’s farewell blog yesterday… baltimoresun.com (4/30/09) Dave, you say no one reads the book reviews in the Style section. Are you sure? Have you asked booksellers about that? Back in the 1990s, I read a rave review of Tim O'Brien's "Tomcat in Love" in the Style section, headed to the Borders at 18th & L to buy a copy at lunch, and was told their stock of the book sold out that morning. They had several orders for the title. Later, I heard O'Brien say that his book shot to the top of local best-sellers that week. That was a decade ago or more, but I figure the book reviews in Style still drive sales. Christian (4/30/09) re: Cerphe on WBIG. Yeah, he's probably too expensive for full-time. After the CBS contract runs out, hire him at AFTRA scale for Saturday nights and build a request or a rotating theme style show around him that would showcase his creativity and knowledge of the music. Win-win for everybody. Couldn't hurt. (4/30/09) Dave's response: How about this? Take that 105.5 low-power FMer in Great Falls VA, which currently relays WAMU's bluegrass country, and put up an STL to Cerphe's Reston luxury townhome (not far from the DCRTV World HQ, by the way). Then make 105.5 WWCU "Cerphe's Up" radio..... It's highly unlikely that CC will replace Struber with anyone more expensive than he was, which Cerphe certainly would be. I enjoyed listening to both of em. Cerphe for a long time. Only in the last couple years have I listened to Struber. Shame he won't be on anymore. He was just a real person, made fun of his mistakes, never got to heavy, seemed like he spoke from the heart. Thinking it's just time to rediscover my iPod...better playlist on there anyway. (4/30/09) Dave's response: Even after his CBS contract is up, there's no way Cerphe will jump to a Clear Channel station, not with CC in the budget-slashing mood it's currently in. Not unless Cerphe wanted to work for free..... "Tom Shales reviews Obama's performance in another press conference. And, as usual, he likes what he see from the new president." Mr Shales - I have some swamp land I'd like to sell you. I'll even throw in a box of doughnuts. (4/30/09) Dave's response: So, is Shales gonna review Obama at every presser? Isn't there a better way to waste space in the Post's dreadful Style section, a la running daily book reviews that almost no one reads..... It was forty years ago that long-time anchorman Julian Barber left Broadcast House and took his smooth, authoritative style around Tenley Circle and down Nebraska Ave to Channel-4. Here's a gorgeous color clip of Barber (restored by his son, Robert) while still anchoring for WTOP-TV 9... (4/30/09) Concerning Clear Channel's firing of Jerry Rarden this week,,,,,I could lob lots of criticism at CC for how they have mishandled things from Day One when they decided to be the biggest, baddest broadcasters in the whole wide world,,,,,but I would have to get in a very long, angry line. My point is that Jerry Rarden is one of the finest human beings I have ever worked with in a forty-plus-year career in radio. Jerry kept all of us in pens and yellow highlighters and all those incidentals that seem to be so essential in our allegedly paperless business environment. And since I was doing a midday show on WMZQ, Jerry would always show up in the studio with pizza or sandwiches or whatever the sales department was serving to clients down the hall. During my show prep time Jerry would make a point of sitting down at the desk next to mine to share his latest joke or funny story. Jerry, should you decide to keep working, there will come a time (soon, I hope) when individuals who understand that radio is an art form in addition to being a business and will pull it out of the tar pit it now occupies. Maybe then we can work together again. I sincerely hope so.----Jim London (4/30/09) Does anyone know the length of Kirk and Mark's non-compete? Hopefully it's not as long as their CBS colleague Donnie G. Would Hearst consider bringing them back and moving Mickey and Amelia back to nighttime? Heck why not put them on 104.3? No wait, that'll never happen because that's a Cheap Channel outlet. Tom in Wheaton (4/30/09) Dave: Great work on the demise of The Sun. Very sad situation. I read your stuff every day. Love it. Regards, Steve, Fellow South Restonite (4/30/09) Dave's response: I thought it was "Restonian"..... It's too bad Scott Struber got cut from BIG 100.3...he's a cool guy who was pretty cool to listen to. Question is, who will fill in his old slot? My best guess is that maybe Cerphe will? Or is he under the CBS non-complete? It would be interesting to see Cerphe take on that slot at 100.3, it would make them that much better of a station. Still, I seriously doubt anyone will fill in that slot full-time... (4/30/09) Dave's response: Cerphe is still under contract to CBS, and I'm sure they won't let him go to Clear Channel's WBIG. But that would be cool. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Why not let Cerphe program a cool rock channel for CBS/DC and put it on the web, plus the HD2 signals of 94.7 and 106.7. Call it "WHFS"..... Don G finds he does not want to do a show unless he is allowed to swear? Oh man, that's pretty feeble. With hundreds of thousands of words in the English language - as well as thousands more made-up words from Urban Dictionary dot-com - he finds it impossible to convey his thoughts without slipping into potty talk? Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude; I can easily swear like a drunken nun when the moment is right. But it's more of a creative exercise (and infinitely more entertaining) to tell a story with swirling metaphors and picturesque descriptions -- snap up a copy of "Lady Chatterly's Lover" and give it a read, or play back an old Greaseman gag reel to see how it's done right. But let's say Don's either back on the air or gets a four-hour webcast... the show opens... "Hi folks! Shitfuckpissdamnhellcockpussyjizzwankerprolapsedasshole!" Okay, 3:59:55 left to go. Now what? (4/30/09) "Of course 'TOP has PPM numbers now - IT HAS NO COMPETITION." That is about the dumbest statement I have ever read. Of course WTOP has competition: every other radio station in town. Ratings are a zero sum game. To gain ratings, a station has to take them from another station, no matter the format. After WTOP, the next highest PPM numbers in the country belong to an urban station in Atlanta. Radio ratings are not a matter of format, but of consistently good radio. And if you are defining this narrowly as in "direct" competition, then you are forgetting WAMU, Rush, Hannity, MOM, Jack Diamond et al. News, news/talk and spoken word competitors. But when it comes to ratings, format doesn't matter. Performance does. (4/30/09) Irony of all ironies.......... DCRTV.com has more info and details about The Sun layoffs than The Baltimore Sun itself does today. HAha! Just reading the columnist list at DCRTV (which The Sun does not have), I think I've read a column by each in the last week. I'm scrambling in my mind to think who's LEFT at the paper! Oh, and I guess Laura Vozella's crusade against RNC chairman and former Maryland Lt. Governor is over. Finally, The Sun claims it only cut a THIRD of its staff, not HALF, but as expected, they are using George W. Bush's "fuzzy math" LOL www.baltimoresun.com (4/30/09) RE:"WTOP scores bigger PPM numbers than any CBS or CC station in the nation. Higher PPM numbers than ANY radio station in the entire country. Do the math. " You missed the point. Of course 'TOP has PPM numbers now - IT HAS NO COMPETITION. The point of the post you responded to was that with quality competition, 'TOP would have to become a better news organization to maintain those numbers. It's a fact of life in a free market system - the more competition, the probabiity is higher that the ultimate product will be improved. And with increased competition, perhaps 'TOP would replace anchors for something other than "economic" reasons - especially those who take liberty with the facts in a story, or who believe injecting their own opinions in coverage is more important than getting out the facts. But that would take something money and ratings cannot buy - the cajones to use actual news judgement and maintain journalistic ethics. IMO - both are increasingly in short supply in newsrooms across the country. (4/30/09) Major fallout continues at broadcast giant Radio-One and WOLB 1010AM …SHOCKING news that the long standing flagship morning show is heading for the dock. As a result of the “Frankly Speaking with Kyndall Francis” fiasco; the station has been inundated with calls, emails, and local media all supporting the show and their hosts. Coupled with an outcry from major national advertisers seeking air time on this new show – management has quickly realized they have a star in their presence. Management has begun acting quickly to secure a long term relationship with “Frankly Speaking” with all signs pointing towards a top 100 show being replaced as soon as this summer by a group of talented upstarts – THE PEOPLE APPRENTLY HAVE SPOKEN! And show realignment is inevitable, when being the only question… not if. (4/30/09) This item in the NY Times, 'Radio Giant Faces Crisis in Cash Flow', only explains part of Clear Channel's conundrum. The company has essentially killed local radio. They have "malled" radio. Thanks to Clear Channel, radio here is much the same as any place else - like at a mall - where one is basically like another, with no local color or real distinction. Here's the link to the article www.nytimes.com (4/30/09) /\ April 30 Messages /\ \/ April 29 Messages \/ EasterN or EasternS motors, the commercials still suck.. (4/29/09) The correct spelling of the company name is Easterns Motors, (with a letter "s" after each word and with no apostrophe). But, no need to feel bad. If you google that name, you'll realize that almost everyone misspells it! (4/29/09) (Dave's response: Hey, Ray's a good guy. He gives me credit - sometimes. Ha ha ha.....) Yeah, I know Dave, I actually read his blog just about every day. (Connelly's too) It's a shame they made so many cuts in the sports dept. because I really thought they had a lot of talent there. At least Schmuck is still there (for now) so the 1 page of the 5 page Sunday sports section won't be so bad. Sad times for Baltimore media. (4/29/09) Regarding audio quality of the television networks, I've been wondering for some time if one is actually better than any other. Listening to Obama's news conference tonight, I switched between all the stations carrying it, and it seemed like ABC and CNN seemed cleaner and better processed. Granted, I was watching on a five year old Toshiba set with built in bad stereo speakers, but it sounded like NBC was a tad distorted and CBS sounded too bright. C'mon audio geeks -- what's your opinion? (4/29/09) Dave's response: Your cable system's processing of the signals can also affect the audio quality..... Can't believe the Sun fired Rick Maese & David Steele and left Mike Preston there?? BTW - Dave - what are you gonna do now that Ray Frager isn't there to take credit for your scoops? :) (4/29/09) Dave's response: Hey, Ray's a good guy. He gives me credit - sometimes. Ha ha ha..... Not exactly local, but to further illustrate the decline (and ultimate demise) of daily print, Canada's National Post (One of Canada's two "national" newspapers...) is cancelling its Monday print editions for nine weeks (starting 29 June) to save on newsprint, production, and distribution costs. However, the online edition will continue to see Monday "publication" during that period. Prediction: More daily print publication reductions combined with a new business model to accomodate online readership with targeted ad placement, with consolidation of production facilities to reduce capital investment and labor expenses. Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/29/09) Dave, Save your tears for mailroom guy Jerry Rarden at Clear Channel. He's a nice guy, but I can't believe the guy stuck around this long. His job could have been consolidated a while ago. He probably does about 10 hours of actual work a week. Letting go a radio vet and all around good guy like Shock was much more disappointing for morale here on the 6th floor. (4/29/09) I heard on Fox 1370 am sports thatrick mase and s david teele were let go ( which sucks b/c i loved steele!~) also they reported Bill ordine, childs walker & ray frager were axed - BAD move tribune! - Jeff /columbia (4/29/09) Davy Jones out of the corner and with no tan and a LOT better looking than Mike Sorce too! And a LOT older too!!! (4/29/09) Pfffft....Eastern Motors....That company is still around??? (4/29/09) Hey dave- this came from a friend at the post (digital): here's the short version. when we merge, our new newsroom layout will include coverage teams. each team sits in a pod, and an editor overseeing the pod editors at the post will have to apply to be an editor of a pod when we merge. we have like 70 editors in print now, but we're trying to get it down to 30 and so like basically every editor will have to apply for a job in our merged newsroom (4/29/09) "In a piece entitled "The F*cking FCC," DC area radio god Don Geronimo blasts the Commission's broadcast indecency policy" yawn.... (4/29/09) For those of [us] who are longtime and appreciative fans of this site, [we] are declaring this Friday May 1, DCRTV Plus Fundraiser Friday. Join us in sending Dave $39.00 for a years worth of fun facts and history. You can do it because for most of us, Friday is payday. For others, it's the day you collect your welfare check. In either case, help keep this timely and topical site running during these bad radio times. SUPPORT ADVERTISERS TOO!. For the record, and in perfect Hogan's Hero's fashion, Dave Hughes "new nothing" about this effort to circle the radio wagons around DCRTV and beyond!. (4/29/09) Dave's response: Good idea. Click here..... Davy Jones is laughing, that’s all that matters. How true that is, he laughs the entire time he’s on air. He really seems to be having a blast and that’s all that matters! Up tempo rock and roll…4 decades of top 40. He keeps on saying he’s been playing top 40 for 50 years..THAT’S FUNNY..he also refers to himself as “the Senior Rocker”. That is funny stuff, at least I think it is. I’m almost as old as he is-WOW (4/29/09) Donnie G sits Davy Jones in the corner. Punished. (4/29/09) Just saw that commercial for Eastern Motors with some guy from the Capitals hockey team..And what a lame commercial. But then again, I've yet to see ANY Eastern Motors commercials of worth..And for that matter, I can say the same about the Gebco, Room Store and Senate Insurance commercials. I guess these companies must be making a pretty penny to afford air time for those crappy commercials since I'm assuming air time isn't cheap...I just don't know anyone personally or heard of anyone else actually buying these companies' products. (4/29/09) Dave's response: The DCRTV World HQ is down the street from an Eastern Motors building in Reston. Their data center or corporate offices, perhaps? Hmmm. Also, airtime isn't expensive if you buy it in bulk, as Eastern Motors obviously does..... I've been listening to WRNR for years and they have sounded pretty much the same for the last 5 or so years. I don't care for the mellow stuff like Conner Oberst and Dar Williams, I don't like the wimpy pop stuff like Coldplay and OAR, but I do like the alternative stuff that they play, the old new wave stuff like the Clash and Smiths, the new stuff from old bands like Depesh Mode, the deep cut classic rock stuff from the Stones and Kinks, and I can tolorate the boring jam band stuff like Wilco and Dave Matthews. Adding my dislike, likes, and inbetweens, WRNR is, for me, much better than anything else around. In a perfect world I wish that they would change up a few things like decreasing the pop and wimpy stuff and adding more new and breaking alternative rock stuff, add traffic reports to the drive home so that I don't have to keep flipping around, and do something to help that spotty signal make it into DC so that I can hear them for my whole commute. Lately they have been petering out in the Bowie area on me for Chrissakes! (4/29/09) No Tattoo Parlor for Mike Sorce:: Pitchman extraordinaire Billy Mays is reporting that Don Geronimo will be the new spokesperson for Orange Glo... Get it. Orange Glo. Mike Sorce bad tan. Davy Jones is laughing and that's all that matters! (4/29/09) Jones here, I’d like to take a moment to thank the individual for the “self promotion” post. For God’s sake get a life. I’m havin fun, that’s what it’s all about. I’m sure Mike Sorce doesn’t mind a bit of good natured zapping, after all he has always done exactly that. Oh, and the Delaware stations are not 10 watters, in fact one is an FM with a boomer signal. And soon the KHZ will be streaming. Now, THAT’S “self promotion”. And I’m actually still running my company (successfully) and lovin doin radio. I’m a “happy boy” hubba, hubba, hubba! PLB/Davy Jones (4/29/09) RE: "Well Davy Jones did it again, from KHZ/WYRE, took another shot at Mike Sorce..this morning just after 11AM he announced that Mike “still in the creative mood, had opened a tattoo shop in Ocean City, he’s gonna tattoo call letters of all the stations he’d like to work for now” he added “that should keep him busy for a long time”.…ba-da-bing---WOW!" I love the self promotion here. Does anyone really listen to the station with audio so dull? And don't hold your breath about the new stations in DE, I'm sure they will be 10 watt transmitters in the middle of a field--with coverage that only a chicken or cow can appreciate--much like the ill-fated 105.1 in OC-that didn't even reach the inlet. (4/29/09) "OMG, when is another group going to come out and challenge WTOP's sophomoric take on news with a hard news product and some real in-depth financial reporting." We get it. You hate the Yankees. But WTOP scores bigger PPM numbers than any CBS or CC station in the nation. Higher PPM numbers than ANY radio station in the entire country. Do the math. (4/29/09) On Baltimore Sun layoffs yesterday, there were actually 21 people, including Andrew Ratner, who was features editor and blogging columnist. (4/29/09) Correction on Sun layoffs: Patricia Fanning used to be the med/sci editor, but she has been education editor since last summer. A wonderful editor and person. (4/29/09) A link to you from Romenesko at Poynter: --------- Baltimore Sun lays off several editors, more cuts expected A Baltimore media blog reports those laid off include deputy managing editor Paul Moore, editorial page editor Ann LoLordo, op-ed editor Larry Williams, medical/science editor Patricia Fanning, copy desk chief John McIntyre, and several others. (McIntyre has a farewell on his blog.) A source tells DCRTV.com: "Rumor has it the Guild employees will get layoff notices this week." (4/29/09) When will the Baltimore Sun reach the tipping point where they finally realize that putting out a puny, bad paper is worse than putting out no paper at all? My hometown Carroll County Times now has more pages six out of seven days. Eventually, every piece of copy in the Sun will be written by one overworked guy in Chicago. Howie (4/29/09) Crapcast to drop NFL Network, correct headline; NFL to pull Network from Crapcast. (4/29/09) Dave gets credit on The Sun story from WBAL on their webpage, too. wbal.com. Anyone at The Post paying attention? Congrats, Dave ! (4/29/09) Congratulations to WTEM for giving Al Koken the pink slip as the Capitals make there playoff run. Now the two guys who are left, who can't speak a discernable syllable of the English language, can analyze the Bullets 6th man situation and the Redskins need for a backup free safety. Idiots. (4/29/09) I don't know who this Steve Kingston is, but I agree with the previous poster that WRNR is now unlistenable. I moved here from Austin Texas in 2002. We have a great station in Austin KGSR and I thought WRNR was very similar, playing Bob Schnieder, Fastball, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle. The station had a great feel to it and all the material seemed to flow. It was like that for about two years and then quickly began to change. Now its Top 40 one second, trendy alternative rock the next, and a oldies station a few minutes later just like the other guy said. Did Steve Kingston own the station back then? I can't imagine that he did because it was great then and now it makes me sick. Thank God for KGSR on the Internet! (4/29/09) Well Davy Jones did it again, from KHZ/WYRE, took another shot at Mike Sorce..this morning just after 11AM he announced that Mike “still in the creative mood, had opened a tattoo shop in Ocean City, he’s gonna tattoo call letters of all the stations he’d like to work for now” he added “that should keep him busy for a long time”.…ba-da-bing---WOW! (4/29/09) Hey I got a better idea Dave: Switch 1050 AM to WHOG, and then they can feature rebroadcasts of Redskins games from the '80s along with the latest news about the swine flu. Might as well be entertaining as well as informative. KOF (4/29/09) Clearly, Bonneville will not switch 1050 to all swine, all the time. WTOP would do well though to add swine flu updates to its traffic/weather HD subchannel. Everett W. (4/29/09) Good morning: I thought you'd be interested to know that WIAV-LP 58 and it's yet-to-sign-on digital companion channel on 44 have both filed for displacement. WIAV-LP wants to relocate from channel 58 to channel 4, once WRC analog goes away. WIAV-LD wants to relocate their permit from channel 44 to channel 43, once WPXW-DT moves to channel 34. I hope that helps you out. - Trip www.rabbitears.info (4/29/09) Is it true that Ray (Frager) is no longer with the Sun? That would be a shame he is a nice guy. I get the Sun and they are down to TWO sections Monday-Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday. Wednesday they have the YOU section for the Super Market Ads and Friday it is the Movie Ads then Sunday they have it again for the Movie and Concerts... (4/29/09) Will the last one out at Clear Channel kindly turn off the lights? Thank You. (4/29/09) STEVE KINGSTON is back at WRNR? I guess that's why I'm hearing Bob Waugh playing Eddie Cochran next to Death Cab for Cutie, or Alex Cartright playing Simon & Garfunkel next to John Mayer. Does he think that early 1970's style of Top 40 mishmash still works when listeners have so many options? What a train wreck. No one listens to that station. And I have no idea what kind of audience they are trying to attract. Carlos M., Bowie, MD (4/29/09) Dave, have you heard any rumors of Fredericksburg's WBQB 101.5 tweaking its format to CHR? They debuted new imaging a few weeks ago that, in my opinion, sounds like it belongs on a CHR station. And yesterday, I heard a liner that said "Now back to the #1 Hit Music Station, B101.5." Other liners and DJ talk after that referenced their current "Today's Best Music" slogan. Maybe they just want to sound more upbeat, but the 'hit music' liner I heard is definitely interesting. DLP in Woodbridge (4/29/09) Dave's response: I do occasionally listen and I haven't noticed any change in the station's playlist. Anybody hearing anything..... OMG, when is another group going to come out and challenge WTOP's sophomoric take on news with a hard news product and some real in-depth financial reporting. Obviously we know now that there is large enough auduence out there that such an investment could prove to be extremely profitable to CBS or CC versus watching the value of their music stations continue to go south? Come on guys, we're all hungry for a good news station in this town...not comedy central! (4/29/09) Dave, I was listening to WBAL radio this morning on my way to work, and they credited your site, dcrtv.com with the story about the cuts at the Sun on the 6:30 news spot. Keep up the good work! (4/29/09) I just read through your brief about the 15 layoffs at The Sun and noticed you have no names for the three bureau chiefs. Their names are Joe DeCarlo, Dan Clemens and Bill Caulfield. Also receiving a layoff was Eileen Canzian, who was one of our Metro editors and one of the brightest journalists in the room. Their experience, expertise and institutional knowledge -- not to mention a genuine love for the city of Baltimore and the surrounding area -- will be sorely missed. (4/29/09) Hey WTEM? Aren't you happy now that you let go a guy with a crystal ball and/or a tremendous knowlege for the game of hockey? With ten minutes left Koken predicted that Sergi Federov would decide the game. (4/29/09) I always believe that people have to constantly be acquiring new skills and taking chances. It's how you grow and prosper. So I thought DCRTV readers might be interested in this exercise from a book I'm reading on how to sharpen one's entrepreneurial skills; there's a section where you're asked to list mentors you've worked for and the qualities you admire about them. I haven't actually worked for Richard Branson, but I have spoken with him, followed his career closely and he tops the list: 1) Sir Richard Branson – daring, super creative, positive, friendly, fails a lot but keeps trying new things. My all time favorite; 2) Mike Bloomberg – tough ball buster – with a soft-heart when one is called for. Loyal, agile, politically astute. Smartest guy I’ve ever known. 3) Jim Farley – Very creative, masters one thing and then builds on that base. Older guy with a younger mind, always open to new ideas. “Go for it” mentality, treats people with respect. Says “yes” more than “no.” 4) Roger Ailes – tough bastard with a good record of spotting – if not inventing – media trends. Demands loyalty, hard work and sacrifice, is fiercely loyal in return. Good startup guy with a track record of creating value out of thin air on a shoestring budget. 5) Jack Welch – I like his concept of “stretch goals” – trying for something that you think is beyond your grasp. You might fail, but will probably wind up doing far better than you thought you could. Inspires people to do better, but quick to weed the garden. Looks you in the eye when speaking with you – like no one else counts. (then fires your ass if the numbers don't cut it) DCRTV readers: never stop learning and living beyond your comfort zone. "Hunkering down and avoiding risk is the riskiest strategy of all." (4/29/09) Um, Dave. Ever been on site during a station sale? You are "the man" with the influential, up-to-date, street level, and happening media website in D.C. which I totally respect. But...regarding your comment: "The radio biz faces the same problem you have if you sell your house today - tight credit and low property values....." Dave, I do respect your analysis. However, if CC had sold a handful of under-performing (assets) stations in decent size markets at "fire-sale" prices (among the 2000+ portfolio stations) don't you think there is enough cash on the sidelines to be generated in this depressed market to step and purchase these depressed assets and prevent the company (CC) from having to discard all this talent (600+ nationwide) overboard? And, most likely the "talent" affected would have survived in-place at the sold properties? Your thoughts... (4/29/09) Dave's response: Ah, yeah, sure..... Anybody catch Steve Chenevy on the latest episode of 24? He appears about 34 minutes in, playing, basically, himself on WTTG. (4/29/09) Dave's response: Is there anyone at TTG who hasn't been on "24"? Sheesh. How about Gurvir's kids? Something like 70 Tweets yesterday for Geronimo. Something tells me everything's not as OK as he likes to pretend. Fuck CBS and their stupid contract. Get this guy back on the radio right now! - Doctor Phil (4/29/09) Some of you may remember The More Better Man, who played R&B oldies on 1450 WOL from 1982 - 1995. He will be on the air LIVE this Saturday May 2 from noon - 3 on WCTN 950, talking trash, having fun, and playing old records. (4/29/09) /\ April 29 Messages /\ \/ April 28 Messages \/ I just realized something that's been missing from local radio,news and mailbag comments for at least a week. YES it's once again time for an HFS rant. Oh my I guess I can't help but forget there are no free thinking people anymore. Seems I never got that memo. Never chatted about it over lunch. Never bluetoothed my commitee about it. Perhaps because I'm among those NOT neatly tucked into a finely honed demographic of conforming underlings who loyally wait for an email or directive on what thier opinion may be and the ramifications of not agreeing to agree.Could be I'm a free thinker. Could be there are alot more like me. Could mean there is an audience for a Free Form radio station in the area. Could be HFS. Probably not since CBS never fails to fail. This has to be labeled a rant since it goes against the corporate way of not thinking but there it is (4/28/09) Sorry to hear about Shock being cut by CC in DC. He gave alot of folks the chance to pursue the dream of being in radio. I know, cause he gave me hours of his time and never asked for anything in return. A true professional all the way. I wish you well and on behalf of all of us...thank you Rick Shockey! (4/28/09) Sean Hannitys 5 O"clock free for all is bullshit. These are calls taken between 2 and 3 before he goes nationwide and are edited to show what a "great american" he is. Fair and Balanced my ass!!!! Can you say GOP shill??? When is he going to take the waterboard challenge he volunteered for? Maybe he's waiting for Ollie North to join him..... (4/28/09) Sorry to hear about the departure of Trish Mahoney at WASH. I enjoyed her enthusiasm for the music and family related issues. Had to have been a financial decision to cut her loose -- certainly not performance. I agree with an earlier posting that maybe the company should sell some under performing stations to raise cash rather than terminate 600+ employees nationwide today. (4/28/09) Dave's response: The radio biz faces the same problem you have if you sell your house today - tight credit and low property values..... RE: [That's funny. I just ran a "Help Wanted - Male" ad in the Blade. Oh, nevermind.....] Yeah Dave, but I bet YOUR ad didn't also contain the phrases "fits a young man for better positions", "special attention given to brushing up amateurs", "thoroughly covered" and "if you are unable to get it elsewhere, come to us".....Oh, nevermind. (4/28/09) As a huge Obama fan, and an avid watcher of MSNBC, I have to say I'm happy that Fox isn't going to broadcast Obama's news conference tomorrow night (even though I don't watch the program they intend to show) . Although I voted for him, and will always support him, I'm not crazy about speeches or news conferences (zzzzz)--I actually prefer entertainment. Whatever he does or says is fine with me...that's how much I love him. I think it's better to have a choice in what to watch in prime time, and that it would be better to rotate such events between media outlets instead of having all of them carry a prime time speech (except in the case of a national emergency). Also, Dave, you really spoiled my fun in stopping the spatting match between Silvie and the Boys...I was thoroughly entertained by all of that. -- Bobbie (4/28/09) To the individual who mentioned "communications classrooms" and "oldies" in the same sentence, I present these images: www.shorpy.com and www.shorpy.com. Learn more details via this PDF file: geocities.com. (4/28/09) Dave's response: That's funny. I just ran a "Help Wanted - Male" ad in the Blade. Oh, nevermind..... I was shocked to hear about DC101's Shock...one of the great voices and one of the very good people. When CC consolidated me out of a job eight years ago, he was one of the first to wish me well. Back at ya old friend. I wish you the best. There are better things ahead. RD (4/28/09) Gotta love the Washington Times crowing about their circulation jump. This means that the Sunday Times is now, for the first time, bigger than the FREDERICK NEWS-POST! Quite an accomplishment for a “major market” newspaper. I’m guessing they’ll ascribe it to the booming popularity of rightwing politics, don’tcha think? Oh, sorry about losing Arlen Specter to the Dark Side… (4/28/09) Dave's response: Wasn't the Washington Times' circ about 100K a few years ago? Now, they're bragging about hitting 83K? Whatever..... WOW to the poster who was worried @ my "PROFANITY LACED TIRADE" what are you some kind of idiot?? I was fired and yes "I'm over it". Clear Channel even went so far as to re-hire the person that I was hired to replace after they fired me. Now there's a new one at least in my professional career of over 12 years in radio. Having said that I was and am still friends with a lot of those who got shitcanned today both in D.C. and Salisbury MD.. If you worked for Clear Channel like I did (twice) then you know what SCUMBAGS they are. Am I pissed that I'm out of radio, Of course,but given the current state of the profession these days I guess it doesn't really matter now does it. As for feeling sorry for them, there isn't anyone left to feel sorry for. Clear Channel has Single handedly DESTROYED RADIO as we know it.. And in case your wondering, I like to have a good "PROFANITY LACED TIRADE" every now and then. It makes me feel better. Back in the game just not radio. M/bethesda.... (4/28/09) Dave, either you are a charitable soul bucking for Sainthood, or this heat has caused you to totally lose it! Implying that "Fox" is a "major broadcast network"! My God, man... WTF were you thinking? You cannot buy greatness. Modern robber-barons of this business from Rupert Murdoch to Dan Snyder prove that every day. Greatness must be achieved and then maintained. A concept forgotten in today's modern mass-media business. Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/28/09) As for Imus on the loser 105.9 FM in DC, the station delays many interviews by an hour and DC listeners do not hear a lot of the chatter going on throughout the hour because of the same ole', same ole' oldies (where's Short Fan Fannie by Larry Williams, for example?). 105.9 FM in DC should be a fixture in Communications classrooms at colleges about how not to program an oldies radio station. Hey, just look at the PPM! (4/28/09) Dave's response: Citadel has the same problem with WJZW that CBS had with the Globe. They have the "seeds" of a very cool station, but they don't have any idea how to make it "grow." I think Steve Allan does indeed have a clue, but try telling that to the corporate clowns that run Citadel. Good luck..... The rumor around Winchester is that Clear Channel has cut 10 there but nobody is saying exactly who got the ax. (4/28/09) THIS JUST IN--CLEAR CHANNEL FIRES CLEAR CHANNEL with no one left to fire---Messiah now replaces Prophet audio automation systems and the stations will not be run by Sky Net. The Mays Boys will then fire themselves. (4/28/09) Harvey Joel, the post you sent in shows exactly why Puke Jocks are getting less and less numbers. You aren’t funny, you aren’t creative and you suck as a jock. WOW (4/28/09) To anonymous poster who was fired by Clearchannel back in January. If you're truly "Over it"..why the profanity laced tirade? You're obviously not over it. I too was fired by Clearchannel and I really am over it. I don't wish ANYONE at the company ill will. As a matter of fact, I feel sorry for them. The company is on the verge of bankruptcy and those that are left will have to pick up the slack. Someone has to do all the work. Getting canned from that place should be considered a blessing. (4/28/09) Hey CC - wanna save some bucks and maybe make a few in the process? Sell off a few stations, you ineffectual bozos. (4/28/09) Well there goes Clear Channel again firing just about the only people left in the FUCKING PLACE in Salisbury!!! Major league Asssholes. Now I guess they really do need the AAMCO monkeys to do the job. They fired me way back in january so I'm over it by now but a lot of hard working people got the shaft today. Yet assholes like the station manager get to keep their jobs. BIGGEST SCUMBAG COMPANY OF ALL TIME.... Former CC employee..... (4/28/09) Mike O'Meara, your show is 21st in the PPM's - AGAIN! "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." andy warhol (4/28/09) Paul Farhi the idiot. From today's Station Break at washingtonpost.com: "MPT and Comcast: But if you have a digital TV, you can still get MPT, plus all the broadcast HD channels, without a digital cable box. It's on channel 106.4302 (easy to remember...)"..... "Paul Farhi: Yes, if you are within reception range of MPT's over-the-air signal (which is quite strong, I'm told)." No Paul, you can get digital MPT on cable (!!!) without a digital box from Comcast, provided that you have a TV with a digital tuner. (4/28/09) Regarding the plug-pulling at WOLB: I listened and decided. The person complaining needs to be aware that there is no such thing as free speech on the broadcast airwaves. The management of the station decides what and what not to broadcast. In this instance, the callers and hosts were taking up air time trashing the management of WOLB and Radio One. Management pulled the plug. Good for management! Given the poor technical quality of listening to hosts calling in over speakerphones, I don't know how the show has any listeners. If you want free speech, go down to the corner and talk directly to people. (4/28/09) Washington Post circulation this, Washington Times circulation that. Blah, blah, blah. Here's where both of them are going. (4/28/09) Urgent changes for DC radio: For WJFK, Davy Jones and Mike O in the afternoon. For: WMAL Donnie G and Gopher in the morning, Rush Limbaugh and Rosie O'Donnell midday, Jane Fonda and Silvie in the evening. All Sports Radio should be banned in a 25 mile radius from DC. Flip 1500 AM to Chat Radio and let anyone call in, let five people on the air at a time to battle about whatever or talk sex - - all you need is a board op to keep track of how long the callers are on, and to bleep. Harvey Joel Fisher. (4/28/09) Oh, THAT WRNR is for sale. Phew, Dave. Had me scared there for a minute. Al McGilvray, News Director, TalkRadio WRNR AM 740 (4/28/09) According to today's FCC filings, "WTRI SUFFERED CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE" to it transmitter and has requested Special Temporary Authority status while repairs are made. Not sure if they are off the air or on low power. Anybody know? (4/28/09) Dave's response: Brunswick's Radio Earl, 1520, is coming through loud and clear at 1:50 PM here at the DCRTV World HQ..... Well, Davy Jones is up to his old tricks…listening this AM and from out of nowhere comes “ I hear Mike Sorce is launching a new creative career, He’s doing sand sculptures on the beaches of Ocean City”. This from WKHZ/WYRE Ocean City/Annapolis. Hysterical. He also said the web site will be up and running within a week, so he’ll be streaming worldwide. Possible addition of two more stations in Dover DE….WOW (4/28/09) At least in metro D.C., the Obama press conference will still be carried on a Fox-owned broadcast station, just WDCA/20 instead of WTTG/5. Everett W. (4/28/09) [Today's PPMs:] 25-54 morning drive Imus ties for 30th with WFED with a 0.3 (4/28/09) The Pierce St. location was the location of the WOL/1450 transmitter until several years ago. (4/28/09) To the mailbagger who asked "Does anyone know if the (WWDC) booster was on the same frequency or where the booster may have been located? " The booster was on the same 1450kc frequency... and its xmtr was originally located along East-West Highway in Rock Creek Park. (When the station first hit the air on May 3, 1941, the main AM xmtr was located off North Capitol Street, just north of Union Station on Pierce Street, NE) The booster site was sold to WINX 1340kc in late 1947 when WWDC moved its AM booster to its FM xmtr site in Rosemary Hills. Those details can be found here, DCMemories.com along with some related history on WOL. (4/28/09) Thanks for noting Kurtz's continuing "celebrity media" "coverage" in the Post. Here's a very real question that literally dozens of people are asking, Dave, every week now: What on earth is Kurtz doing with this "coverage" in the Style section? Why is every article dealing with TV morons who most people hate, and why isn't he covering REAL media news? As you know so well, there are literally dozens---dozens!!---or real hard news media stories, covering newspapers, magazines, newsletters, publishing, radio, television, film, industry publications, you know, real media--every single week. Every week. Dozens. Real, hard news. Real media stories. And Kurtz mainly focuses on stories about TV faces who most people could really care less about. And it's funny--some of these TV morons are hosting shows that attract very low numbers, are not making any money, and are seeing decreasing interest because the shows--the cable TV news shows--are basically crap! So why are they covered in Style so much? Who cares! Keep on noting the "celebrity media" news stories--hopefully it'll stop soon, and someone will start covering real media stories more often! (4/28/09) I never really understood why every network had to televise a president's press conference or speech anyway. It seems like complete overkill. Why can't the networks rotate in showing them? Then it is available to anyone who wants it but it isn't crammed down everyones' throats. If FOX's decision here leads to something like that, I'm all for it. (4/28/09) Giving a little perspective to Hannity: He has three types of listeners. 1) Far right nuts/”pro-america” zealots who leap on the flag wrapped red meat he tosses at their feet, daily. 2) the democrats who are frustrated and disgusted with his twisted facts, tortured logic, kool-aid drinking callers and out-of-context audio clips. 3) and the rest of his listeners who see his show for what it is; highly fictionalized infotainment. They know that he conjures up internet sourced “facts” to fit his agenda and bend reality to show Republicans as gooooooood and smart…and Democrats as baaaaaaaaaad and stupid. And, guess what, last laugher Hannity gets paid top dollar for all 3 of them. So just relax. -CMG (4/28/09) I cannot wait for Verizon FIOS to make it out to my backwoods location sometime in 2033 (meaning – never happening). COMCAST has once again shown their horrible customer service with a recent letter I received explaining their potential loss of NFL Network on May 1. At the bottom of the letter there’s a ‘Customer Appreciation’ offer since I apparently am a valued customer. You can call in to a special number and either get 12 months of free STARZ movie channels or 12 months of free Internet speed increases. My log of the five phone calls made to COMCAST: Called special number and was presented with list of options that all had to do with cancelling service or (*) to ‘return to previous menu’ – phone system then locked up. Called special number, ‘returned to previous menu’ and finally got a rep that took my name and said he couldn’t do it. Transferred to his manager who finally came on and attempted to talk to me but apparently had a mute button on and couldn’t hear me. She just kept calling ‘Sir, sir, sir’ over and over again. For all I know, she may STILL be doing it. I hung up. Called special number, ‘returned to previous menu’ and talked to a rep who told me that the offer was only good if they indeed did CANCEL the NFL network. I read him the entire letter where it plainly said that ‘Whether I watch the NFL Network or not, enjoy the special offers’ – and there was NO mention of having to wait until May 1. I hung up. Called special number, ‘returned to previous menu’ and rep took down all the info, and turned on STARZ for me. Hung up. Went to TV, waited an hour, no STARZ. Called special number, ‘returned to previous menu’ and was again told that this wasn’t available until May 1. I told him that the letter was dated April 15, and it said call NOW for the offer. After arguing with me for a couple of minutes, they went ahead and gave me the service. You may as well call it OMCST, and throw away the C & A – it definitely does NOT stand for Customer Appreciation. Tim (4/28/09) RE: [Dave's response: The Fox News Channel WILL be carrying the press conference. The Fox broadcast network won't.] Now I'm confused....Technically speaking, between FNC and FBN, isn't the broadcast network the only one that delivers any actual "NEWS" programming? I mean, when a network opens it's broadcast day with the "Three Stooges" train-wreck of morning programming that is "FOX & Friends", and continues the day with a prime-time lineup consisting of Beck, Hannity, and O'Reilly, not to mention capping out their broadcast night with "Red Eye" - a satire program woefully bereft of any actual humor - which one of those programs in the FauxSnooze lineup technically constitutes any actual delivery of "News"? (4/28/09) Dave, The card from WWDC in your DCRTV Flashback indicates 250 watts for the main transmitter and 250 watts for a booster. Does anyone know if the booster was on the same frequency or where the booster may have been located? (4/28/09) The Washington Times covered the newspaper-circulation struggles its A section today, taking the opportunity to point out that its own circulation had defied the downward trend. washingtontimes.com.... The Washington Times' total average paid daily circulation defied the industry trend, increasing more than 3 percent during the past six months from 80,998 (April through September 2008) to 83,511 (October 2008 through March 2009). Sunday circulation increased from 37,816 to 43,889 over the same period. "We're cooking," said Frank Grow, vice president of strategic development and circulation for The Washington Times. "I attribute our growth in circulation to an improvement in our product and tighter marketing in our demographic area, and we expect this trend to continue." Also, there's a front-page story on Rush Limbaugh's endorsement of a group that hunters see as a threat. Finally, this morning on "Imus," Sen. John Kerry, during his guest spot, told Imus that his show in D.C. gets interrupted for "local and stuff." I think those were the senator's words. I expected him to say "for music," but he seemed more upset by the ABC/Citadel news breaks. He asked Imus to look into that so-called problem, and Imus said he wasn't aware of it. Christian (4/28/09) Let me make sure I understand this: Fox won't carry the president's news conference on his first 100 days but they are spending all day talking about the failure of his first 100 days. Did I miss anything? (4/28/09) Dave's response: The Fox News Channel WILL be carrying the press conference. The Fox broadcast network won't..... JMA To Hike 103.1 Signal To NoVa : or maybe Kingston will buy them so we can hear more of WRNR. Rick (4/28/09) Does anyone know who's behind the Twitter account WEST WING REPORT? (4/28/09) In an action that smacks of censorship "Frankly Speaking with Kyndall Francis" was pulled from the airwaves half way through its Monday, April 27th airing on WOLB 1010 AM. The show topic was about black business and call in listeners took the show to a level that apparently caused station management great unease thus, THE PLUG WAS PULLED!!!! At the time of this release "Frankly Speaking..." staffers and radio station management are in negotiations to determine the future of the show at WOLB 1010 AM. YOU DECIDE!!! LISTEN TO THE AUDIO FILE HERE: (copy & paste if link does not activate) rcpt.yousendit.com... AND LET WOLB RADIO 1010 AM MANAGEMENT KNOW WHAT YOU THINK AT 410-332-8200, OR CALL IN ON ANY WOLB RADIO SHOW AT 410-481-1010 AND VOICE YOUR CONCERN ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT FREEDOM OF SPEECH ISSUE! BE SURE TO LISTEN IN MONDAY @ 10:00 AM ON WOLB 1010 AM TO FIND OUT IF "FRANKLY SPEAKING with KYNDALL FRANCIS" TRIUMPHS OVER CENSORSHIP!!! (4/28/09) (Monday night clip) If you read the Birach silent notification for WDMV AM 700, you'll notice it's supposed to be temporary and has an explanation for why and states an intent to get back on the air.(end clip) Yeah, I read it. Fulla crap. Quote from the application, all caps are original: DUE TO A DISPUTE WITH LOCAL MANAGEMENT AND IN ORDER TO RETAIN ITS REQUIRED CONTROL OF STATION WDMV, BIRACH BROADCASTING CORPORATION WAS FORCED TO TAKE THIS STATION OFF THE AIR. Taking it off the air is "required control"? Just fire your local management team and plug in some bartered network crap! If this dispute continues for twelve months and the station stays silent, the license flies away. Of course the part I like from the application is the one that says WILLFUL FALSE STATEMENTS ON THIS FORM ARE PUNISHABLE BY FINE AND/OR IMPRISONMENT AND/OR REVOCATION OF ANY STATION LICENSE. oh, iwishiwishiwishiwishiwish... (4/28/09) /\ April 28 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....