January 2008 to Present

Latest items listed first.....

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August 8, 2008
Ragan Henry Dies
Ragan Henry, who once owned Baltimore's "top 40" outlet WITH, Baltimore soul-formatted WWIN, and DC area oldies outlet XTRA-104, died on 7/26 after a long illness. He was 74. Henry, who also owned radio stations in Philadelphia and Atlanta, was the first African American to own a TV network affiliate. He was named as one of the Library Of American Broadcasting's "First Fifty Giants Of Broadcasting" in 2003.

August 8, 2008
Emry To Globe
DCRTV hears that Chris Emry, the former morning man on Baltimore classic rocker WZBA, the Bay, was heard on DC classic rocker WTGB, the Globe, yesterday evening. We're told that he did an "on-air demo" for part-time, fill-in work at the CBS station.

August 7, 2008
Ron Smith To Pen Column For Sun
WBAL radio afternoon talk host Ron Smith will become an "opinion columnist" for the Baltimore Sun. We're told that his column will appear on the op-ed page on Wednesdays, and via baltimoresun.com and wbal.com. Smith, a right-leaner who often disagrees with Bush administration policies, will also have his writings appear in sister Tribune newspapers across the country. Apparently, Smith and WBAL insisted the powers that be at the Sun understand that his column may be critical of the newspaper, which tends to lean left. It was also made clear that Smith will continue to be "fair but often critical of the Sunpapers" on his 1090 AM radio show, we're told.

August 7, 2008
B'cast Union Negotiator John Krieger Dies
John Krieger, 81, a retired union negotiator with the broadcast employees and technicians sector of the Communications Workers Of America, died of congestive heart failure on 8/1 at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. He was a Germantown resident. After an early journalism career in Buffalo, he moved to Washington in 1981 to work as the international representative for the CWA's National Association Of Broadcast Employees And Technicians. In 1995, he become the union's network coordinator. He negotiated agreements for network coverage of the Olympics from 1996 through 2004. He retired in 2005.

August 6, 2008
Scott Brady's Back
DCRTV hears that DC-Baltimore radio veteran Scott Brady is back in the area. He's been doing fill-in work at Annapolis's WNAV, and just landed the Sunday 10 AM to 3 PM slot. Brady worked at Baltimore's Mix 106.5 and at DC's WASH, doing the pre-Loo Katz morning show before heading to a Phoenix radio gig.

August 6, 2008
Top 2 Engineering Gig To Paul Wilkerson
Channel 2/WMAR promotes Paul Wilkinson from chief engineer to director of engineering. A native of Catonsville, Wilkinson received his electronics training in the US Army in Aberdeen and began his TV engineering career at Maryland Public Television. During his 35-year career, Wilkinson has worked at Channel 13/WJZ, Minneapolis's WCCO-TV, and at several Maryland video production firms. He joined WMAR in 2005.

August 6, 2008
DC Times To Move Printing To Baltimore Sun
The Washington Times will be printed by the Baltimore Sun starting in September. Also, the Times will outsource its commercial printing come October. The Times says its aging New York Avenue printing plant has become "inadequate" and "untenable" for planned growth. And Times management doesn't want to spend the dough to upgrade the presses. By moving to the Sun's presses, the Times can expand to six sections, plus feature more color pages and zoned sections. No word on how many Times press workers will lose their jobs.

August 5, 2008
94.7 Back To Classic Rock
After a year-and-a-half of no ratings traction as the alternative rockish the Globe, DCRTV hears that CBS is transitioning DC's 94.7 back to classic rock. What it had been as the Arrow prior to February 2007. So it can run smack up against Clear Channel's better-rated classic rock hits WBIG? "We are always evolving the Globe to reflect what our listeners want to hear. New music moves in and out as well as some of the gold," a station official tells us. In any case, the Globe name stays, we hear.

August 5, 2008
Kapugi Exits Clear Channel DC
Jeff Kapugi has resigned his position as operations manager of Clear Channel's DC-Baltimore radio cluster. And his gig as program director of contemporary hit Hot 99.5, WIHT. He'd been with CC and its predecessor Jacor for two decades. Kapugi claims that he wants to jump into a new life opportunity and have more time for his family. But, with the always budget-cutting CC, you've always got to wonder: Was he pushed? "My gut is telling me that he will land at Tribune with all his 'buddies,'" says a former CCDCer who Kapugi canned. Currently, three of CC's five DC stations - WIHT, WASH, and WBIG - don't have program directors. Meg Stevens, program director of WMZQ, will temporarily assume operations manager duties for the cluster. While afternooner Toby Knapp will temporarily assume program director duties for Hot 99.5.

August 5, 2008
Oldier Oldies For 950
Potomac MD's WCTN (950 AM) has signed back on with older middle-of-the-road oldies, as DCRTV had predicted last week. The Win Broadcasting station had been silent after its transmitter "blew up" in mid-July. It used to broadcast Spanish language programming. Still no word about whether the new nostalgic standards format is permanent or is just a filler until the station can find brokered programming.

August 4, 2008
Geronimo "Fired" From WOCM
A DCRTVer tells us: From the lady who answered the business line at WOCM, Ocean City, "Don Geronimo (right) is no longer with Ocean 98." Earlier, we reported that the DC area radio veteran and former WJFK-FM afternooner did not do his oldies show at 1 PM today. Says the mysterious Mr. Sorce: "They fired me for talking too much and adlibbing during live reads. Oh, and I wanted more than $10 an hour. All true, gotta love radio... Next move maybe sooner before later... but I did have fun for a month." WOCM Program Director Skip Dixxon will now extend his midday shift from 10 AM to 3 PM. Geronimo is rumored to be heading to Sirius XM.

August 3, 2008
James McKenna Dies
James McKenna, 90, a Washington communications lawyer and manager of several radio and television stations, died of congestive heart failure on 7/23 at the Meadow Lakes retirement community in Hightstown NJ. He lived in Chevy Chase for more than 50 years. In 1952, McKenna founded the law firm McKenna And Wilkinson in Washington, a partnership that lasted until 1985, when he retired. One of his earliest clients was the fledgling ABC network, which he began representing in 1946 while he was with another law firm. ABC stayed with McKenna until his law firm dissolved. He owned controlling interests in AM and FM radio stations in Minneapolis, Harrisburg PA, and Madison WI, and a minority interest in a Cleveland television station until the 1980s.

August 3, 2008
VOA Vet Leonard Reed Dies
Leonard Reed, 90, a Voice Of America journalist whose belief in a more independent editorial policy led to his departure from the broadcasting agency, died of colon cancer on 7/25 at his home in Chevy Chase. Reed joined what would become the US Information Agency in 1946. He later moved to the VOA America, where he became the Munich-based European bureau chief. He conducted some of the first VOA broadcasts from Warsaw and Moscow. Returning to the US in 1965, he became chief of VOA's worldwide English-language broadcasting. After a policy dispute regarding coverage deemed insufficiently supportive of the Johnson administration's Vietnam War policy, Reed was removed from his post. He retired from the USIA in 1973, and devoted himself to volunteer work teaching English to Asian refugees and to freelance writing.

August 1, 2008
Post's Ad Revenue & Subs Continue Slumping
The Washington Post Company reported a second-quarter loss of $2.7 million today, as the education and media company absorbed the cost of early-retirement packages offered to employees at the Post earlier this year. In the second quarter, the newspaper division - the flagship Post, the suburban Gazettes, Express, and El Tiempo Latino - reported an operating loss of $96.7 million, compared to $17.8 million in the same quarter of 2007. Print advertising revenue at the Post was down 22 percent for the second quarter, compared to the same period last year, and was down 17 percent for the first six months of the year. Advertising revenue at the company's online units - including washingtonpost.com and the Slate Group - was up 4 percent for the quarter to $29 million. For the first six months of the year, Post daily circulation was down 2.6 percent, with Sunday circulation dropping 3.7 percent.

August 1, 2008
Former 9 Announcer Dies
Chris Clausen, who was an announcer whose voice was heard on promotions and public service spots for many TV stations, including Channel 9/WUSA a few years ago, died on 7/29 in Orlando after suffering a stroke.

July 30, 2008
Sun's Kubatko To MASN
Baltimore Sun sports columnist Roch Kubatko is jumping to the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. His popular "Roch Around The Clock" sports blog will be moving to masnsports.com. Where Kubatko will continue to rant about the Orioles and the Ravens. Also, Kubatko will appear on the "O's Xtra" and "Ravens Xtra" shows, the "Orioles Hot Stove Show," and with Anita Marks. During baseball season, Kubatko will also co-host selected pre- and post-game shows for the Orioles Radio Network and WHFS. After 21 years at the Sun, Kubatko is taking the Tribune newspaper's employee buyout package.

July 29, 2008
Good Ratings News For 88.5
Because it's a public radio outlet, DC news talker WAMU (88.5) is not included in Arbitron's quarterly list of local radio ratings. But the American University station today brags that it's the 5th rated station in the market, with a 5.3 audience share. In morning drive, with "Morning Edition," WAMU says it ranks 2nd, with a 7.2 share. And Diane Rehm's Friday morning "News Roundup" is tied for 1st place locally, with a 5.5 share, according to WAMU. The station also says it does well with its Saturday morning line-up, including "Car Talk."

July 28, 2008
MG's PW Rags To Merge
The Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger, both Media General daily newspapers in Prince William County, will combine to become the News And Messenger in October. The two already produce a combined edition on weekends and holidays. The new paper will assign reporters to cover specific areas of the county. The new combined organization will also control Media General's free county weekly, the PW Pulse. The News And Messenger will have a projected circulation of more than 24,000 paid daily readers. The PW Pulse is delivered to more than 88,000 homes. The Potomac News was founded in 1957; the Manassas Journal Messenger in 1869.

July 28, 2008
7 Launches Retro TV
Channel 7/WJLA launches its Retro TV Network schedule on its "RTN7" digital channel, in place of Local Point TV, with "Ironside." Also on the sked: "Adam-12," "Dragnet," "Marcus Welby," "Emergency," "Simon And Simon," "Leave It To Beaver," "Quincy," and the "Rockford Files." Oh yeah, paid infomercials run from 1 AM to 10 AM daily.

July 23, 2008
Satellite Radio Merger Approved
The long wait is finally over for satellite radio customers as the FCC approves the satellite radio merger of DC's XM and NYC's Sirius in 3-2 vote. The news comes after word spread Friday afternoon, 7/23, that a snag had developed, as some feared that FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate had not given Chairman Kevin Martin "absolute assurance" that she would vote in favor of the merger.

July 25, 2008
Radio Vet Paul Curtis Leibe Dead
Local radio veteran Paul Curtis Leibe, 60, passed away this week. Complications from a stroke, we're told. Known on the air as "Paul Curtis," he most-recently worked weekends at WNAV in Annapolis, and for many years was heard via old DC area oldies outlet XTRA-104, on old Annapolis "top 40" outlet WYRE, and at WPTX in Lexington Park. He also was a photographer and writer at the Enterprise newspaper in Southern Maryland. Back in the 1970s, Leibe worked as a police officer. "He was a gentleman, a very good guy, and sounded great on the radio," a colleague tells DCRTV.

July 25, 2008
Spring Radio Ratings
Adult contemporary WASH breaks into "top 5" again, which is usually all-news WTOP and four urbans. Urban WKYS falls out of the "top 5." Gospel Praise 104 drops a full share point. Contemporary hit Hot 99.5 continues to do fine. WTOP still owns morning drive, but urban adult WHUR has a very strong book. The adult alt-ish rock Globe ain't going anywhere. Mike O'Meara continues his post-Geronimo rise on talker JFK, taking 1st among males 18-49, and 5th among adults 25-54. The Junkies edge ahead of rocker DC101's Elliot among men 25-54, placing 3rd. Oldies WJZW is down from its smooth jazz days. No traction for talker 3WT. The spring quarterly radio ratings. DC, full day, age 12+: 1) WHUR, 2) WTOP, 3) WMMJ, 4) WPGC-FM, 5) WASH, 6) WKYS, 7) WIHT, 8) WMZQ, 9) WMAL, 10) WRQX, 11) WWDC, 12) WLZL, 13) WBIG, 14) WJFK-FM, 15) WPRS, 16) WJZW, 17) WTGB, 18) WTEM, 19) WFRE, 20) WAVA, 21) WFLS, 22) WWWT and WOL, 24) WBQB and WWXX and WTNT. Morning drive, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WMMJ, 4) WKYS, 5) WIHT, 6) WPGC-FM and WMAL, 8) WWDC, 9) WASH, 10) WRQX, 11) WMZQ, 12) WJFK-FM, 13) WLZL, 14) WBIG, 15) WPRS, 16) WTGB, 17) WJZW, 18) WAVA and WWWT and WTEM and WFRE and WOL, 23) WFLS and WWXX, 25) WBQB, 26) WTNT. Afternoon drive, age 12+: 1) WHUR, 2) WTOP, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WMMJ, 5) WASH, 6) WIHT, 7) WMZQ, 8) WKYS, 9) WMAL, 10) WJFK-FM, 11) WWDC and WRQX, 13) WLZL, 14) WBIG, 15) WPRS, 16) WTGB and WJZW, 18) WTEM, 19) WFRE, 20) WFLS and WWXX, 22) WBQB, 23) WWWT and WAVA, 25) WTNT, 26) WOL and WACA. Baltimore, full day, age 12+: 1) WERQ, 2) WPOC, 3) WWIN-FM, 4) WLIF, 5) WMMX, 6) WBAL-AM, 7) WIYY, 8) WCBM, 9) WQSR, 10) WCAO, 11) WZBA, 12) WHFS. Former smooth jazz WSMJ took a big drop to 14th place with its new alt rock format as WCHH.

July 23, 2008
Big Changes For 50: Rebranding, New Digs
Look for Tribune's Channel 50/WDCW to rebrand itself from "The CW Washington" to "DC50." With a website change to DC50TV.com. We also hear that the CW affiliate will be moving from its current northwest Wisconsin Avenue digs to Tribune's downtown DC news bureau. WDCW has already shifted its entire master control operations to a Tribune "hub" in Indianapolis, with sales, accounting, traffic, and promotion making the across-DC move. Also, we hear that WDCW is planning to launch a daily newscast - not yet sure if it'll be morning or evening.

July 22, 2008
Chris Core To Do News Show For 50
Veteran DC broadcaster Chris Core will headline a new weekly news program for Channel 50/WDCW - "Weekend News With Chris Core." Premiering Saturday, 8/30. The half-hour show will air at 6 PM, with a Sunday repeat at 9:30 AM. Core, who spent more than three decades at talker WMAL, and who does "Core Values" commentaries for WTOP and fill-in work for XM's POTUS '08 election channel, will provide news and analysis of both local and national events on his new WDCW show. The program will be taped at WDCW parent Tribune Broadcasting Company's national news bureau in downtown DC. Look for many of Tribune's newspaper reporters, including those from the Baltimore Sun, the Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune to guest on Core's show. Core vows that the program "will not be another Sunday morning talking heads show. This will be compelling television that at times may get controversial as well."

July 22, 2008
Vibegrrl Gone
Lara "Vibegrrl" Dua is gone from Hot 99.5. The Clear Channel contemporary hit station will be putting Raven at 10 AM and running Ryan Seacrest's new LA show from noon to 3 PM. Come 8/4. Dua had worked at WIHT for seven years.

July 21, 2008
92Q's K-Swift Dies
DJ K-Swift (right), also known as "The Club Queen," has died at age 29. She hosted the nightly mix show at Baltimore urban outlet WERQ, 92Q. Her real name was Khia Edgerton and she joined the Radio One station at age 18 and worked her way up the ranks from producer, to on-air mixer, to on-air personality. Her "Off The Hook Radio" show was top-rated. A Baltimore native, she owned Club Queen Entertainment, a production and management firm. A source tells DCRTV that she suffered a head injury in a swimming pool mishap. WJZ reports that K-Swift was found early Monday morning at her northeast Baltimore home in the 4300-block of Arizona Avenue. K-Swift was giving a pool party and had been drinking extensively before getting into the pool, WJZ reports. She was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, where a crowd grew. 92Q first mentioned K-Swift's death at noon Monday. Her death is being investigated by Baltimore City police as suspicious, WJZ adds. WERQ middayer Neke Howse acknowledged that the staff was grieving and would honor her memory by running without personalities for the rest of the day and running audio clips of K-Swift. Howse worked with K-Swift early in her career when she produced Howse's night show. "She grew to become one of our most popular personalities at 92Q," Howse reportedly recalled. "She leaves behind a mother, a sister, and a large extended family. This is a terrible loss for 92Q and the whole community." "Her love and passion for everything she did was the key to her success," said Howard Mazer, general manager of Radio One Baltimore. "She is truly a person that both the radio and music industry will miss."

July 20, 2008
Anthony Amey Joins 5
Anthony Amey has joined Channel 5/WTTG as a weekend sports anchor, replacing Lou Holder. Amey anchored sports on ESPNews from 2004 to 2007.

July 20, 2008
Baltimore "Golden Age" Radio Buff Dies
In February 1972, Owens Pomeroy and five of his friends gathered around Pomeroy's dining room table to find a way to preserve the "Golden Age Of Radio." Two of the men decided to form a club and named themselves and four others the "founding fathers" of the Golden Radio Buffs of Maryland, now thought to be the oldest active radio club in the country. Pomeroy, one of those two co-founders, died of heart failure Friday at Franklin Square Hospital Center in Baltimore, leaving behind a legacy of old-time radio preservation. He was 78. Although founded in Baltimore, the Golden Radio Buffs has attracted members from around the country.

July 18, 2008
Post To Buy Miami NBCer
The Washington Post's Post-Newsweek broadcasting arm has agreed to buy WTVJ-TV in Miami from NBC. Terms were not disclosed, although published reports set the price at around $350 million. The deal is expected to be completed by the end of 2008 and will give Post-Newsweek two TV stations in the Miami market, since it already owns ABC affiliate WPLG-TV.

July 18, 2008
John Quale Dies
John Quale, a nationally recognized authority in communications law, died on 6/29 at age 61. He was a partner in Skadden's DC office. A cum laude graduate of Harvard College in 1968, Quale earned his law degree cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1971. Before joining Skadden as a partner in 1996, he worked at the law firms Kirkland And Ellis and Wiley Rein, where he was a founding partner and head of Wiley's mass media communications group.

July 18, 2008
NPR's Gary Smith Dies
Gary Smith, the services coordinator for facilities at DC-based National Public Radio, has passed away. He had been battling health problems for the past few months and died unexpectedly this week. NPR is holding a private memorial service for him today. Smith was in charge of the NPR front desk at the 635 Massachusetts Avenue lobby since 2003.

July 16, 2008
Snyder To Make 980 His Sports Talk Flagship
Redskins owner Dan Snyder plans to run one sports talker among his batch of DC area stations, using newly-acquired WTEM, 980 AM, as his flagship. WTEM's programs will be carried on four of the six stations that Snyder's Red Zebra broadcasting arm controls. Including the three signals of Snyder's current Triple X sports talker - 92.7 and 94.3 FM and 730 AM. Also, the Post reports that Red Zebra will drop the John Riggins show, which had aired on the three Triple X outlets. Plus, Red Zebra will move ESPN's nationally-syndicated radio shows from Triple X to the WTEM quadcast. Including "Mike And Mike," which will bump WTEM's current syndicated morning program, "The First Team." Colin Cowherd will displace a syndicated midday program hosted by former ESPN personality Dan Patrick. The changes will leave WTEM's three local call-in shows intact, with former Redskin Rick "Doc" Walker airing in mid-morning, former Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson hosting in mid-afternoon, and "The Sports Reporters," with Andy Pollin and Steve Czaban, carried during late-afternoon drive. The Post adds that Red Zebra has made no decision about changing the political talk formats of its newly-acquired WTNT, 570 AM, and WWRC, 1260 AM. Plans are for all six Red Zebra stations to carry Redskins game broadcasts simultaneously.

July 15, 2008
WWIN Asks For Power Hike
Radio One has applied with the Federal Communications Commission to double the power of its Baltimore area adult urban WWIN-FM, Magic 95.9, from 3,000-watts to 6,000-watts, and to change its city of license from Glen Burnie to Arbutus. No word about how that plan will be received by Fredericksburg's classic hits WGRQ or Hagerstown's classic hits WICL, both also on 95.9 FM, or DC's rival adult urban WHUR, not far away frequency-wise on 96.3 FM.

July 15, 2008
Buyout Hits Sun
Even though at least three dozen journalists at the Tribune-owned Baltimore Sun have applied for buyout packages, the paper will still need to lay off employees to achieve its goal of eliminating 60 newsroom jobs by August. According to Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild Co-Chair Tanika White, 34 Guild members and a rumored 10 more non-Guild members applied for the buyout by this Friday's deadline. White stressed that some buyout applications could be rejected - that Sun leadership may decide it cannot afford to lose certain skill sets, which would add to the number of layoffs. Judy Berman, senior vice president of marketing for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, said the company is "staying with their original process and timeline" for buyouts and layoffs, and would not confirm the total number of buyout applications received from the newsroom. But an unofficial list of those who have applied includes reporters, photographers, and editors whose service at the paper ranges from less than a year to more than 25 years.

July 15, 2008
Emry Gone From ZBA
Chris Emry has left the morning show at Baltimore classic rocker WZBA, The Bay, 100.7 FM. The Shamrock station is in the process of putting together a new morning show and, in the meantime, Emry's co-host Michael Fillipelli will continue onward solo. Didn't we hear that former DC101 Program Director Cruze is now consulting for ZBA?

July 12, 2008
Tony Snow Dies
Former White House press secretary and TV-radio news show host Tony Snow (right) has died at the age of 53 after a second battle with cancer. He passed away at 2 AM Saturday at Georgetown University Hospital. Snow, a DC area resident, who had been undergoing chemotherapy treatments for a recurrence of the disease, left his White House job last September and joined CNN in April as a conservative commentator. Before taking the White House job, Snow worked for Fox News, first as a TV news anchor, commentator, and host of its "Fox News Sunday" program, and later as a talk radio show host. Snow, once a speech-writer for the first President George Bush, was first diagnosed with colon cancer in February 2005. His colon was removed, and, after six months of treatment, doctors said the cancer was in remission. A recurrence of the illness was diagnosed 11 months after he began the White House media job. Snow also led a DC area rock band, "Beats Workin'."

July 8, 2008
Bob Sellers Gone From 5
Morning newsman Bob Sellers has been let go from Channel 5/WTTG. His contract was not renewed, we're told. His last day was yesterday. Sellers came to DC's Fox5 from sister Fox News Channel a few years ago. We also hear that Sellers has been erased from WTTG's website.

July 7, 2008
New PD Named For DC101 & Channel 104.3
Dave Wellington is the new program director at Clear Channel DC rocker DC101 and sister Baltimore alternative rocker WCHH, Channel 104.3. He comes from CBS Radio's alternative rock WBCN in Boston, where he worked four years. He replaces DC101 PD Cruze, who left in April. Prior to WBCN, Wellington held programming positions at rockers in Las Vegas, Cleveland, and Detroit.

July 4, 2008
Charles Kavenagh Dies
Charles Kavenagh, 83, a former head of graphics at the ABC News bureau in Washington who then worked as a graphic artist for DC's Channel 9, now WUSA, from 1981 to 1990, died on 6/25 at the Washington VA Medical Center. He had pneumonia. Early in his career, Kavenagh was a cartoonist and sketch artist for the New York Herald Tribune. He later joined ABC News in NYC and transferred to its Washington bureau in the late 1960s.

July 1, 2008
Zier To Be CEO On AirAm Media
DC radio management veteran Bennett Zier will become the chief executive of lefty talk radio network Air America's media division. In late June, Bill Hess, who programmed WASH at DC's Clear Channel complex, which Zier used to head, also has jumped to NYC-based Air America. Zier, who also used to head Redskins owner Dan Snyder's Red Zebra broadcasting arm and was most-recently forming the DC area management and marketing firm of Umansky-Wyatt-Zier, will continue to be based in the DC area. Among his new Air America duties, Zier will handle on-air, online, and video projects.

June 27, 2008
Garceau Gone From Nightly Sports At 2
Channel 2/WMAR announces that Sports Director Scott Garceau "says goodnight to his nightly sportscasts." Come 7/3, Garceau will continue to be associated with ABC2 on "special projects," including play-by-play for college lacrosse, as well as special Ravens, Orioles, and Preakness coverage. "The move will allow Garceau to pursue other broadcast opportunities, both regionally and nationally," according to a statement from the Scripps station. DCRTV hears that the Baltimore sports vet could make a move to one of the city's sports talk radio stations or perhaps a regional cable sports network like Comcast SportsNet or MASN. Garceau has been part of the Orioles broadcasts for 13 years, first as host of the pre-game show, and later as a play-by-play broadcaster with Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer. He's also been the voice of the Ravens for 10 years, since their debut in Baltimore in 1996.

June 27, 2008
O'Meara Doing OK Post-Geronimo
WJFK-FM afternooner Mike O'Meara, post-Don Geronimo, is up to second place among adults age 25-to-54 and in third place with men age 18+ for the month of May. In the latest monthly "Trend" DC radio ratings, out today. Not bad. The full-day numbers for DC, age 12+: 1) WHUR, 2) WTOP, 3) WMMJ and WPGC-FM, 5) WASH, 6) WKYS, 7) WIHT, 8) WMZQ, 9) WMAL, 10) WBIG, 11) WRQX and WWDC, 13) WLZL, 14) WPRS, 15) WJFK-FM, 16) WJZW, 17) WTGB, 18) WTEM, 19) WFRE, 20) WAVA, 21) WOL and WBQB and WWXX and WWWT, 25) WACA and WTNT and WFLS. Morning drive, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WMMJ, 4) WKYS, 5) WIHT, 6) WASH and WPGC-FM, 8) WWDC, 9) WMAL and WMZQ, 11) WRQX, 12) WJFK-FM, 13) WBIG, 14) WLZL, 15) WPRS, 16) WOL and WTEM and WTGB, 19) WAVA, 20) WFRE and WJZW, 22) WWWT, 23) WWXX, 24) WFLS and WBQB, 26) WTNT, 27) WACA. Afternoon drive, age 12+: 1) WHUR, 2) WTOP, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WASH, 5) WMMJ and WKYS, 7) WIHT, 8) WMZQ, 9) WMAL and WBIG, 11) WRQX, 12) WJFK-FM and WWDC, 14) WLZL, 15) WPRS, 16) WTGB, 17) WJZW, 18) WTEM, 19) WFRE, 20) WWXX and WBQB, 22) WTNT and WAVA and WWWT, 25) WFLS, 26) WACA, 27) WOL. Baltimore, age 12+ full-day: 1) WERQ, 2) WPOC, 3) WWIN-FM, 4) WLIF, 5) WWMX, 6) WBAL-AM, 7) WIYY, 8) WCBM, 9) WSMJ, 10) WQSR, 11) WCAO and WZBA.....

June 27, 2008
Korny Bids Adieu To 3WT
Washington Post superstar sports columnist Tony Kornheiser bid a low-key farewell to 3WT radio this morning, before leaving for his annual "Monday Night Football" duties on ESPN. He also confirmed rumors that he'll be returning to the Bonneville talker in January, after his "MNF" seasonal chores are completed. Come Monday, the 3WT morning team of David Burd, Jessica Doyle, and Victoria Jones will expand into the 8 AM hour where Kornheiser had aired. Kornheiser sidekick Marc "Nigel" Sterne will join them as in-studio producer. Stephanie Miller will take Korhneiser's 9 AM hour, with Neal Boortz moving from evenings to Kornheiser's re-play slot from 2 PM to 4 PM. Jerry Doyle will air in evenings.

June 25, 2008
Nats Start Spanish Radio Broadcasts
The Washington Nationals will be starting Spanish-language radio broadcasts of their "beisbol" games come Friday, 6/27. Via Spanish-language brokered outlet WZHF (1390 AM) in Arlington. The team has partnered with the Spanish Beisbol Network, which also produces the radio broadcasts for the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. Angel Castillo, Carlos Guillen, and Luciano Rodriguez will be calling the games. Saturday games will also be broadcast on Gaithersburg's WMET (1160 AM), a brokered multi-cultural format station. Select Nationals Spanish games will be carried on XM Satellite Radio's "MLB En Español" channel (XM-174).

June 24, 2008
New Deal For Diamond
Mix 107.3 morning man Jack Diamond (right) has renewed his contract with station owner Citadel. "This is my life. It's not only what I do professionally - it's what I love doing for fun," says 18-year WRQX vet Diamond in a company press release. "I was born and raised here in DC and my first radio job was in Rockville, Maryland when I was 16-years-old. Being part of this community and this station is very special for me and my family. It's our home. This is our life. We share it with our listeners everyday and they share their lives with us." There's no word on the terms of the new deal, although we hear it's a five-yearer.

June 24, 2008
Kelson Nabs 92Q MD Gig
Radio One appoints Vernon Kelson as the music director of urban WERQ, 92Q. A Baltimore native, Kelson joined WERQ in 2002 as a programming intern. He eventually got his own air shift. In 2003, he became assistant music director, and has been acting music director since December 2007.

June 24, 2008
Geronimo To Do OC Radio Gig
Starting 7/7, former WJFK-FM afternooner Don Geronimo will be working for eclectic rocker WOCM (98.1 FM), Ocean 98, in Ocean City each weekday from 1 PM to 3 PM doing "an up-tempo show" with "hit music that doesn't suck" from the 1970s and 1980s. There'll be jingles and he'll "talk up" the records. Geronimo, a three-decade radio vet who retired as half of "The Don And Mike Show" in April, has been spending the time since at his Ocean City beachfront condo, we hear. Geronimo guested this morning on WOCM's "Bulldog In The Morning Show" to discuss his future radio plans. When Geronimo left CBS-owned WJFK-FM, he was told that his non-compete contract allows him to work in markets where there are no CBS radio stations, a la Ocean City. Geronimo, a former "top 40" DJ at WPGC, is a big fan of classic pop tunes.

June 23, 2008
Adios For Downie
Washington Post Executive Editor Len Downie announced his resignation today. As has been expected. At a 4:30 PM meeting at the subscriber-slumping rag. He'll retire from his editorial position on 9/8, but will stay on to write books and guide changes at the company. "A new young publisher needs a new young executive editor," he reportedly said at the meeting. No word on his replacement, but lots of speculation.

June 23, 2008
Bill Hess Leaves CC DC For AirAM
Bill Hess is leaving Clear Channel's DC radio complex. He's been with CC DC five years, most recently as program director for adult contemporary WASH and classic hits WBIG. He recently gave up the operations reins for CC's three AMers - sports talk WTEM, and talkers WTNT and WWRC - with their impending sale to Redskins owner Dan Snyder. Hess will head to NYC to be senior vice president for programming at lefty talk radio network Air America.

June 23, 2008
Veteran Area Journalist Bob Endicott Injured In Car Crash
Robert Endicott, 76, experienced life-threatening injuries in a 6/4 traffic crash in Northern Florida. He remains in the ICU at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center. Endicott was NBC-TV's White House correspondent, covered the 1968 presidential campaign for NBC, and mentored a generation of reporters and editors as executive editor of the Reston Times newspaper group in Northern Virginia in the 1980s. During the 1970s, he covered the Nixon, Ford, and Carter administrations, and also oversaw the newsroom at NBC's WRC-TV. Early in his career, Endicott was editor of the Montgomery County Sentinel, the Kentucky Post, and a reporter for United Press. Says a colleague: "He's a crusty old fart, and if anyone can spit in the angel of death's eye it'll be Bob."

June 19, 2008
Monique To MMJ Afternoons
Radio One does an afternoon radio deal to syndicate Maryland comedian Monique "Mo'Nique" Imes to a dozen of the Lanham-based urban radio giant's stations, including DC's WMMJ (102.3 FM). She'll be syndicated via Radio One's Syndication One arm and will also air in LA, Philadelphia, Houston, and Detroit. Plus Columbus OH, Indianapolis, Charlotte, and Cincinnati. Imes, the main host of the "BET Awards," is from Woodlawn, near Baltimore. She's also appeared on comedy shows via Oxygen and VH1, and on UPN's "The Parkers." The show will feature Sonny Andre as announcer and sidekick. He first teamed with Monique in the early 1990s during his stint as morning drive host at Baltimore's WWIN-FM, Majic 95.9.

June 17, 2008
Wayne Nesbitt Dies
Wayne Nesbitt, 45, passed away early 6/14, after collapsing. No cause of death has been announced. Nesbitt began his television career right out of college with stints at CNN, WUSA, WRC, and Home Team Sports. For the past five years, he was a television director for the Federal Judicial Center in DC. "Wayne loved being a part of the television community," a colleague tells DCRTV.

June 17, 2008
Layoffs At RLTV
DCRTV broke the news in mid-May. Now, the Baltimore Sun confirms that Retirement Living TV, the Columbia-based seniors' network, has placed four shows on hiatus and laid off 47 workers, though some layoffs are expected to be temporary. Executives at the network, which launched in September 2006, say the move is not a sign of trouble there but rather a typical process for a start-up television channel experimenting with different programming. The network, which can be seen in 30 million homes nationwide, can be found on Comcast CN8 and DirecTV as well as small cable providers. Currently, Retirement Living TV has 102 employees, although the work force is expected to get smaller when the rest of the affected workers leave in August, the Sun reports. A number of media celebs appear on RLTV shows, including WMAL's Fred Grandy and former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite.

June 16, 2008
Western MD Radio Vet Tom O'Rourke Dies
Tom O'Rourke (left), 66, a sports radio personality at Cumberland MD's WCBC, died on Monday at the Western Maryland Health System's Memorial campus after collapsing at his home from a cerebral hemmorrhage on Saturday. O'Rourke has been a fixture in Cumberland sports for three decades on both television and radio, broadcasting everything from high school football and basketball to Allegany College basketball. In addition, he provided coverage of events featuring the Orioles, Pirates, Steelers, Redskins, and Ravens. O'Rourke once hosted the "Timeout With TO" sports show on WCBC. "Known for his down to earth, folksy style and numerous popular game catch phrases, O'Rourke has been one of the most identifiable and distinctive voices in local radio for decades," says WCBC.

June 13, 2008
Tim Russert Dead
Tim Russert (left), the Democratic operative turned NBC commentator who revolutionized Sunday morning television and infused journalism with his passion for politics, died this afternoon. Russert, 58, suffered a heart attack while working in his office on Washington's Nebraska Avenue, at the Channel 4/WRC complex. DC paramedics responded to Russert's collapse. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was attempted but not successful, according to a DC EMS statement. He was transported to Sibley Hospital. Russert served as NBC's Washington bureau chief and the host of "Meet The Press," the top-rated Sunday talk show, which had an enormous influence on politics and was marked by his aggressive style of interrogation. As a frequent commentator on the "Today" show, "NBC Nightly News" and other shows, Russert wielded such clout that when he declared that Senator Barack Obama had wrapped up the Democratic nomination last month, his pronouncement was treated as a news event in itself.

June 12, 2008
Sun To Shrink Staff & Page Size
DCRTV hears that another round of cost-cutting employee buyouts is coming to the Baltimore Sun. As many as 28 people, about 10 percent of the newsroom staff, and as many top-level managers are targeted. We're told: "Mother Tribune is about to lower the boom again on all its properties, but the biggest axe is likely to fall on the LA Times. LAT is non-union, so no negotiations are necessary before buyout packages are distributed. And after counting bylines the Zell people are convinced they could turn out as good a product on the West Coast with many fewer bodies. We're being told the number in LA could be 200, or 25 percent of the newsroom staff." Also, the physical size of the Sun is about to shrink again. The paper will be about 1 and 1/2-inches narrower once the presses are reconfigured, we hear.

June 10, 2008
AFTRA Attorney Tom Powers Dies
Tom Powers, the American Federation Of Television And Radio Artists attorney, agent, and friend to many Washington area broadcasters, died this morning after a long battle with cancer. His wife Pat O'Donnell is the executive director of the local AFTRA union. Says DC radio veteran Chris Core: "Tom was not only a terrific labor lawyer, he was also one of the kindest, most caring men I ever met. It's rare in broadcasting to find someone who is feared at the negotiation table, respected, and liked by all sides. Tom was, perhaps, one of a kind. Many of us in AFTRA owe Tom more than we could ever express in both having our backs and being our friend."

June 7, 2008
MD Native & ABC Sports Legend Jim McKay Dies
Jim McKay (right), 86, the longtime ABC sportscaster who hosted "Wide World Of Sports" for more than 30 years, died Saturday of natural causes at his country estate in Monkton MD. After graduating from Loyola College in Baltimore, McKay covered the police beat for the Baltimore Evening Sun newspaper before becoming the writer, producer, director, and star of Channel 2/WMAR, the city's first television station. He was thrust into the role of news anchor when Israeli athletes were taken hostage at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. McKay's son Sean McManus is president of CBS news and sports.

June 7, 2008
WUSA, WBIS, WAGE Owner Edwin Tornberg Dies
Edwin Tornberg (right), 82, owner of a Washington area broadcasting company that provides multilingual programming for ethnic communities in Washington and Philadelphia, died of pulmonary fibrosis on 5/23 at his home in Potomac. For the past 15 years, Tornberg served as chairman of New World Radio, which owns and operates radio stations WUST (1120 AM) in Washington, WBIS (1190 AM) in Annapolis, WAGE (1200 AM) in Leesburg, and WNWR (1540 AM) in Philadelphia. "Mr. Tornberg was regarded as something of a pioneer in the Washington radio-TV market," said his business partner, James Weitzman. "He went against conventional wisdom in 1992 by founding Washington's first and only exclusively multicultural broadcast station, WUST."

June 5, 2008
BIG's PD Gone
In a cost-cutting move, Dan Michaels is out as program director of Clear Channel's classic rock hits WBIG (100.3 FM). Along with WBIG Promotions Director Kelli Sartwell. Bill Hess, who programs CC's adult contemporary WASH (97.1 FM), and Kathy Lennhoff, who handles promotions for WASH, will now add WBIG to their list of chores. Michaels came to WBIG in July 2006, after programming classic rockers in Denver and Philadelphia.

June 5, 2008
Steiner Lands WEAA Show
Marc Steiner will be doing a weekly show on Wednesdays at 9 AM for Baltimore public radio outlet WEAA (88.9 FM) starting 6/11. And moving to a daily slot on the Morgan State station this fall. As you'll recall, Steiner got canned from his midday gig at another Baltimore public radio outlet, Your Public Radio's WYPR (88.1 FM), in February.

June 4, 2008
Snyder To Buy WTEM & Two Talkers From Clear Channel
Redskins owner Dan Snyder formally announced that he is purchasing SportsTalk 980, WTEM (980 AM), and talkers WTNT (570 AM) and WWRC (1260 AM) from Clear Channel. His Red Zebra broadcasting arm will take control of the stations on 7/1 and he's promising no "near term" format or programming changes. No purchase price was announced. The acquistion will give Red Zebra six stations in the DC area. Snyder currently programs sports talk Triple X ESPN Radio on Alexandria's WXTR (730 AM), Prince Frederick's WWXT (92.7 FM), and Warrenton's WWXX (94.3 FM). No word yet what Snyder will do with those three signals.

June 2, 2008
Peggy Phillip To Be 2's ND
Peggy Phillip, who recently Friday as news director of Barrington Broadcasting's WSTM-TV, an NBC affiliate in Syracuse, will start 6/24 as news director of Scripps-owned Channel 2/WMAR. According to NB, Phillip was in Syracuse just 15 months after leaving Raycom's WMC-TV, the NBC affiliate in Memphis, where she had been news director for eight years. She began her TV career as a news photographer and has worked as a news manager in Chicago, Boston, and Miami.

June 2, 2008
Burd & Korny Up, Grandy & Andy Down
Another round of those monthly trend radio ratings for DC. In the age 25-to-54 demo, 3WT's morning programming - Burd and his angels plus Kornheiser - beat WMAL's Grandy and Andy. Also, talker 3WT breaks into the top 20. Imus debuts with a 0.7 share (not great) on new oldies WJZW. Urbans PGC, HUR, MMJ, KYS all up big. News and talkers WTOP, WMAL, and WJFK-FM all down a bit. A 4.3-to-3.1 share dip in adults age 25-to-54 for the now-solo O'Meara on JFK, but 106.7ers say they ain't worried. Full day, age 12+: 1) WHUR, 2) WTOP, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WMMJ, 5) WKYS, 6) WASH, 7) WIHT, 8) WMZQ, 9) WBIG, 10) WLZL, 11) WRQX, 12) WMAL, 13) WPRS and WWDC, 15) WJFK-FM and WJZW, 17) WTGB, 18) WTEM, 19) WFRE, 20) WWWT, 21) WAVA, 22) WACA and WWGB and WWXX and WBQB. Up in Baltimore, full day, age 12+: 1) WERQ, 2) WPOC, 3) WWIN-FM, 4) WLIF, 5) WBAL-AM and WWMX, 7) WIYY, 8) WSMJ, 9) WCBM and WQSR, 11) WZBA, 12) WCAO, 13) WRBS, 14) WHFS.

May 31, 2008
Herman Washington Gone From HUR
Howard University's adult urban WHUR (96.3 FM) has released longtime newsman Herman Washington. Washington, host of the station's "Daily Drum" news program, had been employed with WHUR for more than 23 years.

May 31, 2008
Fisher Quits "Listener" Radio Column
Marc Fisher pens his last "The Listener" radio column in the Washington Post: "Writing this column in recent years, I could have easily done nothing but chronicle the departure of radio's most talented voices, as the Greaseman, Don Geronimo, Dennis Owens, Chris Core, and Cathy Hughes left their microphones. Or I could have profiled all the stations that once sounded like Leesburg, the Eastern Shore, or the District, stations that silenced local programs, choosing instead the cheap route of taking nationally syndicated music and talk shows off the satellite... Radio's troubles have tracked the broader national decline of locally distinctive popular culture, as big media companies sought to save money by spurning the medium's uniquely local nature and instead serving up whatever programming was least offensive to the largest possible coast-to-coast audience... Radio, shedding talent as fast as it loses audience, is rapidly becoming irrelevant to the younger generation... As always, the future lies in the past."

May 30, 2008
DC101's Downtown DC Sign Comes Down
Workers have removed the DC101 sign at 1150 Connecticut Avenue in downtown DC, near the Farragut North Metro station. Where it's been for more than 20 years. The station's studio hasn't been at that location since the 1980s, when Howard Stern was DC101's morning man. For many years since then, the rocker had been studioed at facilities on Silver Spring's Brookville Road, near the 101.1 FM tower. The sign will be temporarily relocated to DC101's current studio at the Clear Channel broadcast complex on Rockville Pike in Rockville, until a permanent location is found.

May 29, 2008
45 To Debut HD Local News
Sinclair's Channel 45/WBFF will be the first station in Baltimore to air local news in high-definition. Come 6/2, Fox45 will debut HD via its 5:30 PM newcast, with the 10 PM and 11 PM newscasts that day to follow. And on Tuesday, 6/3, WBFF will premiere its HD morning newscast. Also, the station's unveiling a new news set that will "showcase the crisp and clean imagery inherent in high-definition television." It'll feature a rotating desk with two different back drops, 35 HD televisions, new HD studio cameras, HD graphics, a traffic monitoring system, and the "highly-advanced" HD "SkyWatch" Weather Center. That's in addition to a new remote satellite and microwave truck and a new HD master control. Soon, Fox45 news photographers will transition to the new 16:9 HD video format.

May 28, 2008
Sophie Altman Dies
Sophie Altman, the "mind behind" the long-running "It's Academic" quiz show on Channel 4/WRC. Altman, 95, died on 5/24 of heart disease at Georgetown University Medical Center. She was a District resident. Altman produced the high school brain competition since 1948. "We are all determined to get it right," said Mac McGarry, host since the show's start. "She was fixated on getting it right."

May 28, 2008
Clem Florio Dies
Clem Florio, the former official horse-race handicapper for the Washington Post and the old Baltimore News American. He died on 5/25 at a hospice in Florida from cancer at age 78.

May 27, 2008
Robert Blatchley Dies
Robert Blatchley, an attorney and former news reporter who was an accomplished Baltimore raconteur, died on 5/22 at Union Memorial Hospital of complications from earlier open-heart surgery. The Towson resident was 68. From 1964 to 1968, he was a WBAL radio reporter and visited Vietnam twice to tape Christmas interviews with soldiers. He also worked at WITH radio. From 1973 to 1980, he was a News American reporter and worked beats on the paper's city desk. He also did spot news reports for WTOP radio and was a Baltimore magazine contributor.

May 23, 2008
104.3 Flips To Alt Rock & Elliot
Clear Channel flipped Baltimore's Smooth Jazz 104.3 at noon Friday to alternative rock, with a relay of "Elliot In The Morning" from sister rocker DC101 in morning drive. Now known as "Channel 104.3," the station is aiming at the heavily male demographics of Hearst active rocker WIYY, 98 Rock, and Shamrock classic rocker WZBA, The Bay. The first song on the new 104.3 was "No Way Back" by the Foo Fighters. WSMJ will change calls to WCHH on 5/29. New website at channel1043.com. So, how does a top 98 Rocker react to the news? "Just another 'corporate' rock alternative. Guys with ties don't understand Baltimore. We are a rock town. And with over 31 years of rock under our belt, I am looking forward to another 30 years being the rock of Baltimore," WIYY Program Director David Hill tells DCRTV.

May 23, 2008
4 Takes DC TV News Crown, Just Barely
Channel 4/WRC stayed on top with viewers in May, although just barely. Once-dominant "News 4" has been losing viewers for years, but it had enough to win again at 11 PM and 6 PM. WRC led up-and-coming Channel 7/WJLA by a margin of just 3 percent. The 11 PM race was so close that it was in doubt until Wednesday, the final night of the rating period. WRC also had the leading local news programs at 5 AM, 6 AM, and 5 PM, although its leads were relatively narrow. WJLA said it actually eased ahead of WRC at 6 PM and 11 PM in household ratings, a measure that does not reflect the total number of people watching a program. Channel 9/WUSA's news remains stuck in fourth place overall at most hours. The region's most popular local newscast remained Channel 5/WTTG's program at 10 PM, which attracted an average of 219,000 viewers each night during May.

May 21, 2008
1250 Goes Classic Country
Vienna-based Metro Radio has flipped Warrenton's WKDL (1250 AM) from Spanish talk and music to classic country music. The station, which once been a long-running religious outlet as WPRZ, had most recently been simulcasting the "La Kaliente" Spanish language programming from Metro's WKDV (1460 AM) in Manassas. Metro also programs Spanish on Warrenton's WKCW (1420 AM), which used to be "Big K" classic country. Metro says the new Classic Country 1250 "is not 'Big K' but an improved classic country format." More at 1250classiccountry.com.

May 21, 2008
7 To Lease 49 For Analog Feed After Digital Deadline
Channel 7/WJLA owner Allbritton will lease low-powered Channel 49/WWTD, which currently runs the "WUFO" network's science fiction-ish shows. WWTD, which broadcasts from the WRC-TV tower on Nebraska Avenue, will carry WJLA's signal, we're told. We hear that Allbritton wants to have an analog broadcast signal for DC's ABC affiliate after full-power JLA joins all other full-power stations in flipping to a digital-only signal come February 2009. Low-power stations like WWTD will remain in the analog mode. More as we hear it.....

May 16, 2008
Elizabeth Hurley Dies
Elizabeth Ann Hurley, 46, programs coordinator at the Newseum and a former USA Today editor, died of breast cancer on 4/29 at her home in Falls Church. She joined USA Today in 1986 to work on the newspaper's international edition. She also worked in USA Today's Money and News sections and rose to the position of night national editor.

May 15, 2008
Deena Blake Leaving MZQ
Deena Blake will leave her night slot and music director gig at Clear Channel's country WMZQ (98.7 FM) on 5/27. She plans to move to Chicago having recently married a Chicago man. WMZQ assistant program director and afternoon man Jeffrey "Jeffro" Mason will assume MZQ's MD duties.

May 14, 2008
Craig Melvin To Anchor For 4
Channel 4/WRC has hired Craig Melvin, 28, to be a weekend news anchor and weekday reporter. He comes from Columbia SC's WIS-TV, where he's worked since interning as a high school student. WRC weekend anchor James Adams is going to be a weekday reporter. He is not leaving the station.

May 14, 2008
7's Fred Reed Dies
Longtime Channel 7/WJLA audio tech Fred Reed passed away yesterday. Not many details, but he had planned to fly to Florida, where he was to join his family on vacation. "Fred was a good guy and will be missed. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family," says a station source.....

May 14, 2008
Kornheiser Takes Post Buyout
Tony Kornheiser announced on his 3WT radio show Wednesday that he's taking the Washington Post's employee cost-cutting buyout. His last day at the paper will be 5/31. He's been a sports writer and columnist, and, before that, a features writer with the rag for almost 30 years. He will continue his work with ESPN - via its "Pardon The Interruption" and "Monday Night Football." Kornheiser is expected to leave his 3WT show at the end of June to return to his "MNF" duties for the upcoming football season. Executive editor Len Downie said Kornheiser will retain a desk in the Post's offices and will continue to appear on the website. "By and large what he was doing before he will continue to be doing," Downie said, "but he will no longer be a full-time employee."

May 13, 2008
Jonetta Barras Fired From WAMU
Resident political analyst Jonetta Rose Barras (right) is leaving WAMU (88.5 FM). Since 2002, Barras has provided analysis and commentary on "The Politics Hour With Kojo And Jonetta" at noon Fridays. The weekly local political round-up now will be called "The Politics Hour," and the show's host, Kojo Nnamdi, will be joined by guest analysts until a new political analyst is hired. No word on Barras's future plans. The Washington City Paper's Erik Wemple confirms that Barras has been fired. Barras tells Wemple that her dismissal was prompted by her persistent appeals for better pay, not to mention a rocky relationship with WAMU Program Director Mark McDonald. "My problems were with the program manager, who had no appreciation for the amount of work I did, the quality of that work, and my reputation, and believed that I should be paid less than a senior career person," she adds.

May 12, 2008
O'Meara's Hit With Booze Fines
The Potomac News reports that O'Meara's restaurant racked up $26,000 in Virginia Department Of Alcohol And Beverage Control fines and administrative costs between September 2006 and April 2007. The ABC charged the Manassas restaurant with 26 violations. The documents didn't specify if the fines were paid. The restaurant, which is owned by WJFK-FM afternoon personality Mike O'Meara, closed in April. Seven of the violations were for allowing the consumption of alcoholic beverages by a person the licensee knew or had reason to believe was intoxicated. The restaurant was charged with seven counts of making gifts of alcoholic beverages in violation of Virginia law and eight counts of holding happy hour between 9 PM and 2 AM. On his Monday show, O'Meara said he is in the process of selling the restaurant.....

May 12, 2008
WAMU Places 5th Locally
American University's WAMU (88.5 FM) is touting its fifth place overall finish in the DC radio ratings. Usually, public radio outlets, like WAMU, are not included in the commercial radio ratings. WAMU says its broadcast of NPR's "Morning Edition" ranks third, with 353,000 weekly listeners. The evening drive, anchored by NPR's "All Things Considered," placed second, with more than 214,000 weekly listeners, according to WAMU. The station, which programs news and talk on weekday, and some music programs on weekends, also touts its top-rated Saturday morning and Sunday lineups. When compared with public radio stations in other markets, WAMU says it ranks third nationwide, with 534,100 DC metro listeners, and a weekly total audience of 621,600, including the Baltimore metro. This places WAMU behind only San Francisco's KQED-FM and NYC's WNYC-FM in public radio listenership. Also, WAMU has signed a new contract with the Radio Reseach Consortium, which allows it to use Arbitron ratings data.

May 10, 2008
New ND For 4
Camille Edwards becomes news director at NBC's Channel 4/WRC. She comes from NBC's WMAQ-TV in Chicago, where she was news director. Early in her TV career, in the early 1990s, she produced the 6 PM newscast at Hearst's Channel 11/WBAL in Baltimore. Edwards has also worked at ABC's WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, ABC's WLS-TV and at CBS's WBBM-TV, both in Chicago. She replaces Vickie Burns, who left her news director gig at WRC in March for the news director gig at NBC's WNBC-TV in NYC. Burns had been with WRC since 2003.

May 9, 2008
FCC OK's Upgraded 88.1 In Lex Park
A Lexington Park church has received licensing from the Federal Communications Commission to build a 30-meter tower in St. Mary's City that will carry a 1,900-watt signal across most of St. Mary's County and to the Eastern Shore. William Ruckman, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Lexington Park, said his church has been broadcasting low-power radio programming for the past nine years on the FM frequency of 88.1.

May 6, 2008
WOLer Joe Madison Joins XM
Joe Madison leaves Radio One urban talker WOL (1450 AM) to do mornings at DC-based XM's The Power black talk channel, XM-169. Madison, aka "The Black Eagle," spent 10 years at WOL, with his show being simulcasted on The Power. But, starting 6/2, Madison will be doing his show from XM's New York Avenue studios from 6 AM to 10 AM. It's still not certain whether he will continue to be heard on Lanham-studioed WOL, although some radio trade publications seem to suggest that he won't. "The addition of Joe Madison to our in-house team underpins XM's commitment to outstanding African-American talk programming," said XM President Nate Davis. "The Black Eagle delivers for his listeners everyday. His engaging style is driven by his unmatched curiosity and awareness of the key civil rights issues around the world."

May 6, 2008
Once Heard On WGTS, Walter Camp Dies
Walter Camp Jr., 79, who once hosted a German music show on Takoma Park MD's WGTS (91.9 FM), died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on 5/1 at his home in Silver Spring. The son of German immigrants, Camp was a member of the Washingtonia Schuhplattler Verein, which performs traditional Bavarian Schuhplattler dances, German drinking songs, and Alpine bell-ringing. He and his brother, Ronald, hosted "Musical Memories Of Germany And Austria" on WGTS for 20 years.

May 1, 2008
Payne To Program KYS
Radio One names Al Payne as program director of urban contemporary WKYS (93.9 FM), as well as vice president of the nationally-syndicated Russ Parr morning show, which originates at WKYS. Payne comes from Radio One's Detroit radio cluster, where he'd been operations manager. He replaces Steve Hegwood, who became operations manager of Radio One's Atlanta radio cluster last November.

May 1, 2008
O'Meara Closes Restaurant
WJFK-FM afternoon man Mike O'Meara's Manassas eatery is now closed. O'Meara's Irish Pub had been open only on weekends since mid-March. The slumping economy, Virginia's stringent booze regulations, and the demands of launching his new JFK show, since the recent retirement of partner Don Geronimo, have all contributed to the demise of the restaurant, we're told. We also hear that O'Meara would like to get back into the restaurant business someday - if the economy improves and he has the time.

April 30, 2008
TOP Tops Winter Radio Heap
Those quarterly winter radio ratings are out. DC. Age 12+ demo. Full-day: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WMMJ and WPGC-FM, 5) WKYS, 6) WASH, 7) WIHT, 8) WLZL, 9) WMZQ, 10) WPRS and WRQX and WMAL, 13) WBIG, 14) WJZW and WWDC, 16) WJFK-FM, 17) WTGB, 18) WTEM, 19) WAVA, 20) WFRE, 21) WFLS and WWXX and WWWT, 24) WWGB and WYCB and WBQB. Morning drive: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WMMJ, 4) WKYS, 5) WPGC-FM, 6) WWDC and WIHT, 8) WASH, 9) WMAL, 10) WLZL, 11) WRQX, 12) WJFK-FM [Junkies 1st in men age 18-49] and WMZQ, 14) WPRS, 15) WBIG, 16) WJZW, 17) WWWT, 18) WTGB, 19) WAVA and WTEM, 21) WWXX, 22) WFRE, 23) WYCB and WFLS and WBQB. Afternoon drive: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WLZL, 4) WPGC-FM, 5) WMMJ, 6) WKYS, 7) WMZQ and WIHT and WASH, 10) WRQX, 11) WJFK-FM [D&M 4th in men age 18-49], 12) WMAL, 13) WBIG, 14) WJZW, 15) WPRS, 16) WWDC, 17) WTEM, 18) WTGB, 19) WWXX and WFRE, 21) WAVA and WFLS and WBQB, 24) WWGB and WWWT and WINC-FM. In Baltimore, full-day same demo: 1) WERQ, 2) WPOC, 3) WWIN-FM, 4) WLIF, 5) WBAL, 6) WWMX, 7) WIYY, 8) WSMJ, 9) WCBM, 10) WZBA, 11) WCAO and WQSR, 13) WHFS, 14) WRBS and WHUR.

April 29, 2008
Chris Core To Do WTOP Commentary
DC talk radio veteran Chris Core joins all-news WTOP, where he will do a daily commentary, "Core Values," which will air weekdays in afternoon drive and will also be available on the station's website. Core, who spent 30-ish years at talker WMAL until he was budget-cut on 2/29, has been doing work for DC-based XM Satellite Radio's POTUS '08 presidential election channel for the past few weeks.

April 28, 2008
"Big Ron" O'Brien Dies
Philadelphia radio veteran "Big Ron" O'Brien, who worked at DC's "top 40" WPGC in 1976 and 1977, died Sunday of complications from pneumonia. O'Brien, 56, had been ill for nearly two months. O'Brien worked at Philly "top 40" outlet WFIL in the 1970s, and later at that city's oldies WOGL. He'd also worked in LA, St. Louis, and Denver.

April 25, 2008
Heart Surgery For Jim Lehrer
Jim Lehrer, the longtime anchor of PBS's signature evening newscast, underwent a successful heart valve procedure on 4/23. "Jim plans to be back at full speed and on the program within a few weeks," the network said in a statement. A spokeswoman for Lehrer said he first felt ill last week. Lehrer, whose program is produced by DC's WETA, checked into the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for the procedure.

April 25, 2008
McLaughlin From 4 To 9
John McLaughlin, the progenitor of TV's longest-running political talkfest, is taking his group to a new venue. "The McLaughlin Group," which has been seen on, and produced at, NBC-owned Channel 4/WRC, will move next week to Gannett's CBS affiliate, Channel 9/WUSA. The change ends McLaughlin's 26-year association with NBC. The roundtable show's Sunday-morning time slot, at 11:30 AM, will not change. The move follows a new agreement between CBS and McLaughlin's production company, Oliver Productions. In addition to airing on WUSA, weekly chat show will be seen on WCBS-TV in NYC, ending its run on WNBC-TV. "The McLaughlin Group" will continue on 315 PBS stations across the country. McLaughlin, 81, also hosts a weekly interview program, "John McLaughlin's One On One," that will move to the two CBS stations and continue on PBS stations.....

April 21, 2008
Glenn Hollis Returns To WASH
4/21 - Glenn Hollis has rejoined WASH (97.1 FM). He'll be hosting the Clear Channel adult contemporary outlet's new Sunday "Jazz Brunch" program, from 8 AM to noon. Hollis created and spent 12 years as host of WASH's "After Hours" nationally-syndicated nightly love songs show. Until CC pulled the plug on the show in March 2006. For the past two years, he's been running a picture-framing shop in the Frederick area with his wife.

April 21, 2008
PGC-AM Debuts New Lineup
4/21 - CBS Radio recently flipped WPGC-AM (1580) from gospel music to inspirational talk. And now we're hearing more about the new programming lineup. "The Breakdown" airs during mornings and is hosted by Todd B. He used to host "Love, Talk, And Slow Jamz" on sister urban outlet WPGC-FM (95.5). Marsha Sumner hosts "Crosstalk/Urban Style" in middays, with comedian Akintunde airing from 1 PM to 4 PM. Veteran broadcaster Jim Allen hosts news program "The Signs Of The Times" in afternoon drive, with "The Takeover" with JT from 6 PM to 8 PM.

April 21, 2008
Donielle Flynn To RNR
Former DC101 midday maven Donielle Flynn can now be heard doing weekends on Annapolis adult alternative rocker WRNR, 103.1 FM. Metal mama Flynn got suspended from DC101 last year when she was heard uttering an expletive on Elliot Segal's morning show. And then she got the boot soon afterward due to differences with management.

April 20, 2008
Stephanie Drummond To 11
Stephanie Drummond, longtime producer for Kirk, Mark, and Lopez, then the KMS show at WIYY, 98 Rock, has taken a position with Channel 11/WBAL in creative services. Drummond was replaced with another producer when Mickey and Amelia moved to mornings, when Kirk and Mark left for WHFS. Drummond's most recent job was as producer for WIYY's "Irresponsible Radio," with Theo and Joe in evenings.

April 18, 2008
DC101 PD Gone
Cruze is out as program director at rocker DC101. He's been with the Clear Channel station about a year - and the fourth PD at DC101 in as many years. Cruze had worked at rockers and classic rockers in Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, and St. Louis before coming to DC. CC DC suit Jeff Kapugi will be DC101's acting PD while he searches for a replacement..

April 17, 2008
Adkins Replaces Pugh At CC DC
Clear Channel has promoted Hartley Adkins (right) to president and market manager of its DC-Baltimore radio cluster, replacing Dave Pugh, who left in March to oversee the company's San Francisco properties. A 15-year radio veteran, Adkins previously served the cluster as director of sales. His first responsibility will be to find a replacement for his old position. "It is a dream job to be able to continue to work with the team I respect and appreciate," said Adkins. "It is the perfect scenario to be promoted to a position that allows you to surround yourself with talented Clear Channel people, successful advertisers and agencies and an innovative, unstoppable spirit that takes radio to the next level." Adkins began his career with Clear Channel predecessor Jacor. He has also held sales positions in Tampa and Jacksonville. In his new role, Adkins will manage 11 stations, including WWDC, WMZQ, WASH, WBIG, WIHT, WTNT, WWRC, WTEM, WPOC, WSMJ, and WCAO.

April 14, 2008
Sun Launches Freebie Tab "b"
The first edition of "b," a free, daily newspaper created by the Baltimore Sun for readers in their 20s and 30s, hits Baltimore streets today. "b" will be distributed Monday through Friday, with updates online at bthesite.com. "b" offers a mix of news, sports, pop culture and reader-generated content, distributed via 1,000 bright orange newspaper boxes in downtown Baltimore, Federal Hill, Canton, Towson, Cockeysville, Bel Air, Westminster, Columbia, and Annapolis. In addition, "b" is available at local campuses, including Towson University and Loyola College, and at local retailers. The paper will ramp up to 100,000 copies by the end of 2008. The website will feature blogs on news topics by "b" editors and writers, as well as reader comments, photos, and videos. "b" has also teamed with other local media outlets, including WTMD and WNST, for content and promotion.

April 11, 2008
A Big Fat Farewell From Geronimo
"Don is keeping his plans for the last show under wraps," a top DC CBS Radioer tells DCRTV. "One thing I can virtually guarantee, it will be compelling radio!" Don Geronimo (left) wraps up his life-long radio journey today, from 3 PM to 7 PM on WJFK-FM. The Rockville native, aka Michael Sorce, started his career in the 1970s at small Wisconsin "top 40" outlets in his teens. Over the years, he's worked as a DJ in Pittsburgh, LA, Providence, and at his idolized WLS in Chicago. After a tour at the then "top 40" WPGC in DC, he transitioned to a "morning zoo" host in the 1980s at then contemporary hit WAVA and partnered with Mike O'Meara. After that station went Christian in 1992, Don and Mike moved to talker WJFK-FM, to afternoons. DCRTV first told you in mid-2007 that Geronimo was planning to hang up the headphones in the spring of 2008 - still deeply mourning his wife and frequent show guest Freda, who died in a tragic 2005 car accident. And, after an original late May retirement date, he moved up the day to today. Look for the nationally-syndicated "Radio God," who turns 50 this year, to head to Ocean City, maybe marry his new girlfriend, and, just possibly, dabble his toes back in the radio biz before too long. Come Monday, O'Meara will go solo on JFK-FM with the show's usual cast of characters, plus the return of producer Beth Ann McBride. UPDATE: On the final show, Geronimo jested that his non-compete contract with CBS will allow him to work for radio stations in Ocean City or in England, via the BBC. He said that CBS Radio promised to keep the door open if he wants to return someday. Geronimo revealed he may return to radio, but he's doubtful that he'll ever do a comedy/talk show like he's been doing with O'Meara the past two decades. He also said that a main reason for his leaving the show a month early is to attend his son Bart's graduation from Clemson and to head to Minnesota to be with his daughter for her expected surgery. MORE: "I love radio, I've loved every second of it... It does not happen without you... It used to be, you needed a microphone and a box of records. Now, you need a microphone and two lawyers." The loves of his life: "Radio, my family, God, the Green Bay Packers." The order does change. A choked-up Don Geronimo on his final show on Friday. On CBS Radio President Dan Mason, who used to program WPGC, where Geronimo once worked: "One of the few men in this business who is not a total dumbass." And then there's Michael Hughes, who heads WJFK-FM, Geronimo's current station. According to Geronimo, on his last day today, Hughes hugged him and said: "I've got a wonderful gift for you - it's just not arrived yet." Typical, Geronimo jested. And he ended it: "I am very sad it's ending like this. It will continue. Someday. Mike, don't 'f' it up... And if you think me leaving will stop these guys from talking about 'American Idol' - you're nuts." His final tune: The Beatles' "In My Life."

April 11, 2008
Tantum Says Goodbye To 3WT
Greg Tantum (left), program director of Bonneville's new talker 3WT, has penned his resignation. In a Friday memo to staff of the Bonneville station: "You may have read rumors about me returning to California. Well not immediately but after long and serious consideration I've resigned as program director at 3WT. Many of you know I came to DC specifically for Washington Post Radio. 3WT has a great future but after more than 35 years of all news and live and local talk, I decided to explore some opportunities out west. I love everyone in this building and have been so impressed with the hard work and dedication on all levels. " Bonneville hired Tantum from then-ABC news talker KGO in San Francisco in 2006 when it launched Washington Post Radio. That folded up shop in September 2007 to become 3WT. DCRTV has been reporting rumblings that Tantum would be leaving 3WT and returning to California.

April 8, 2008
TOP Tops Local Radio Revenue heap For '07
Bonneville all-newser WTOP again places atop the local radio revenue heap, generating some $51M in revenue in 2007, up from $46M in 2006. Placing 10th nationwide. That's according to just-out figures from BIA Fiancial in Chantilly. "This is the first time I can recall - maybe ever - that a Washington station (market #8) broke into the top ten nationally," a local radio guru tells DCRTV. However, many stations reported lower revenue in 2007 from the year before. The average station saw a 2.3 percent decline. Placing 2nd locally and 42nd nationally was CBS's urban contemporary WPGC-FM with $28M in '07 revenue, down from $30M in '06. Ranking 3rd locally was Citadel's hot adult contemporary WRQX at $23M. Howard's WHUR and Radio One's WMMJ, both urban adult, tied for 5th locally with $22M each. With Radio One urban outlet WKYS 7th with just over $20M. The top Baltimore station, Radio One's urban WERQ, placed 8th locally and 88th nationally with $20M in '07 revenue. CBS talker WJFK-FM was 9th locally with $19M, down from $23M the previous year. Baltimore Clear Channel country outlet WPOC placed 10th with just over $17M. More: WASH $17M. WMZQ and WLIF $15M each, WBAL-AM and WJZW and WIHT and WWIN-FM and WMAL $14M each. WWDC and WBIG $13M each. WLZL $12M.

April 7, 2008
Bram Weinstein To ESPN News
American University grad Bram Weinstein, who has spent eight years covering the Redskins for local radio and TV, including SportsTalk 980 and Triple X ESPN Radio, will be joining the ESPN News TV network in May.

April 4, 2008
4 Sells Tower
NBC has sold the northwest DC transmission tower for its Channel 4/WRC to Richland Towers of Tampa. The stick also features the radio transmission facilities for Radio One's WKYS (93.9 FM). Richland says it won't impact any operations as they plan to continue leasing space to the stations.

April 4, 2008
Surgery For 11's Jayne Miller
Channel 11/WBAL is reporting that their investigative reporter, Jayne Miller, is recuperating after surgery for a "serious medical issue," reportedly a subdural hematoma, a la a blood clot on the brain. She's been a reporter with the Baltimore NBC affiliate for more than 25 years - first as a general assignment reporter, then as the consumer advocate with "11 On Your Side," and now as the chief investigative reporter with the "11 Investigates I-Team."

April 3, 2008
Brian Wilson Returns To Baltimore Airwaves, Ed Norris To PM Drive
We get this from a Baltimore radio source: "The (midday) Ed Norris show on WHFS (105.7 FM) is moving to afternoons and Brian Wilson will return to the Baltimore airwaves." Norris will replace the new Mike O'Meara show, we're told. Charm City radio veteran Wilsonwill move from his gig as a radio talk show host in Toledo. Another source tells us that, starting Wednesday, 4/9, it'll be Troy Johnson at 10 AM, Wilson at noon, and Norris from 3 PM to 6 PM. DCRTV hears that HFS offered shows to Dan Rodericks and Marc Steiner, but got turned down by both.

April 2, 2008
Geronimo To Retire Early, O'Meara To Host Show
We got this from CBS Radio, which owns talker WJFK-FM: "Don Geronimo has chosen to accelerate his retirement and step down from his current position as co-host of the Don and Mike program. Co-host Mike O'Meara will continue the show with familiar cast members - Buzz Burbank, Robb Spewak, and Joe Ardinger. Additionally, Beth Ann McBride is returning as executive producer of the program and will have an on-air role. During the week beginning Monday, April 7, Buzz and Robb will host a series of retrospective clips, highlighting the program's immense success over the last 20 years. Meanwhile, Don will return on Friday, April 11, to host a farewell show and thank his legions of listeners for their continued support over the years." O'Meara's show starts on Monday, 4/14. WJFK general manager and CBS DC radio boss Michael Hughes tells DCRTV: "We will most certainly miss Don's presence on the air and wish him a wonderful retirement. Not many can compare to the achievements he's made for the past 20 years with Mike and partners, and before that, in this market and others. He raised the bar for all of us with his passion, focus, and energy. At the same time, we are welcoming an evolution of afternoon drive on WJFK. Mike O'Meara, Buzz, Robb, Joe, and now Beth Ann are primed and ready to deliver a show that is both familiar and provides a sense of continuity but also evolve to add new dimensions to the show." As DCRTV has reported, O'Meara will be returning the show to WJFK-FM's Fairfax studios from the old WARW studios in Rockville. We are "looking forward to integrating with the entire WJFK line-up, which is now, live, local and in one location in all prime dayparts," Hughes adds. Westwood One has announced that it will continue to syndicate the new O'Meara show.

April 2, 2008
Surge For Kornheiser
We hear from a WWWT/3WTer: "With a full month of Tony (Kornheiser), 6-10 AM, (mornings on the Bonneville talk station) hit a 2.9 in the critical (age) 25-54 demo ahead of, among others, WMAL and WTEM." Big gain for Spanish El Zol, WLZL. WPRS, gospel Praise 104.1 grows. Talker WMAL slumps a bit. Plus, a solid uptick for JFK-FM middayers Big O and Dukes. Another round of those monthly "trend" radio ratings. DC. Full-day, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WMMJ, 5) WASH, 6) WKYS, 7) WLZL, 8) WIHT, 9) WMZQ, 10) WMAL, 11) WRQX, 12) WPRS, 13) WWDC, 14) WJZW, 15) WBIG, 16) WJFK-FM, 17) WTGB, 18) WTEM, 19) WAVA, 20) WACA, 21) WFRE, 22) WILC, 23) WFLS and WWWT, 25) WYCB and WWXX. Morning drive, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WMMJ, 4) WWDC, 5) WKYS and WPGC-FM, 7) WIHT, 8) WMAL and WASH, 10) WRQX, 11) WLZL, 12) WJFK-FM, 13) WMZQ, 14) WPRS, 15) WJZW and WBIG, 17) WAVA, 18) WWWT and WTGB, 20) WAVA and WILC and WTEM, 23) WFRE, 24) WWXX, 25) WYCB and WFLS and WTNT. Afternoon drive, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WLZL, 4) WPGC-FM, 5) WMMJ, 6) WASH, 7) WIHT, 8) WKYS, 9) WMZQ, 10) WJFK-FM, 11) WMAL, 12) WRQX, 13) WWDC, 14) WPRS and WJZW and WBIG, 17) WTEM, 18) WTGB, 19) WAVA and WWXX and WFLS and WFRE, 23) WTNT and WBQB, 25) WACA. Baltimore. Full-day, age 12+: 1) WERQ, 2) WLIF, 3) WPOC, 4) WWIN-FM, 5) WBAL-AM, 6) WWMX, 7) WCBM, 8) WIYY, 9) WSMJ, 10) WQSR and WZBA, 12) WCAO, 13) WHUR, 14) WHFS, 15) WIHT, 16) WRBS, 17) WPGC-FM, 18) WRQX and WTOP, 20) WJFK-AM and WKYS and WWDC.

April 1, 2008
Chris Core To XM's POTUS '08
Three-decade WMAL veteran talker Chris Core, who got bounced in station owner Citadel's 2/29 budget-cutting bloodbath, has landed a gig with DC-based XM Satellite Radio. Core will be guest-hosting, at least initially, the 11 AM slot on the POTUS '08 presidential election channel, XM-130, from 4/17 to 4/28.

March 31, 2008
4's ND Vickie Burns To NYC
Vickie Burns is leaving her news director job at Channel 4/WRC to become news director of NBC's NYC sister station, WNBC-TV, which has been struggling with anemic news ratings for the past few years. Burns has been with WRC since 2003. She came from NBC's Chicago station, WMAQ-TV, where she rose from producer to news director. No word on her successor at WRC. According to the Washington Post, WRC's news-gathering staff has been weakened by budget cutbacks ordered by its corporate owner, NBC Universal. The cost-cutting moves that began in late 2006 led to the departure of such on-air talent as longtime critic Arch Campbell, news anchor Susan Kidd and sports anchor George Michael, who rejected a new contract. Those cutbacks, in turn, were prompted by NBC's continuing problems in daytime and prime-time programming. The network remains a distant fourth among broadcast networks in prime time for the second straight year.

March 31, 2008
Grease Returns To DC101
Doug "The Greaseman" Tracht, who last prowled the airwaves of DC rocker DC101 from 1982 to 1993, is returning to host a Saturday morning show come 4/5. Tracht's morning show most recently aired on Gaithersburg brokered talk and music outlet WMET, but he left the IDT AMer late last year to take a hiatus from the radio biz. After working at DC101, Tracht did mornings at then classic rocker WARW, but was fired by CBS Radio in 1999 after making a tasteless racial joke that he repeatedly apologized for.

March 29, 2008
5 Says Goodbye To Virg Jacques
Channel 5/WTTG morning news crew bid farewell to reporter Virg Jacques today. Jacques used to work at Channel 9/WUSA and Channel 11/WBAL. Jacques, who's been at DC's Fox5 for five years, is heading to his hometown of Chicago.

March 26, 2008
Neke Howse Gets WERQ PD Gig
Radio One officially names Neke Howse program director of Baltimore urban contemporary powerhouse WERQ (92.3 FM). Howse, who had been acting program director of 92Q since December, will retain her midday airshift. She's a 15-year veteran of the radio biz, 10 of those with Radio One. Howse, who's worked in Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia, had been WERQ's assistant program director and music director.

March 25, 2008
WMUC Still On Air Despite WYPR Power Hike
We get an update from a top WMUCer about the University Of Maryland's low-power college radio station and its battle with Baltimore full-power public radio outlet WYPR, both of which broadcast on 88.1 FM. "Having been granted their license to cover, WYPR is now operating at - or close to - their new full power, 15,500-watts. We confirmed this earlier (Monday). As such, we can also confirm that WMUC will still be on the air despite this. Our coverage has indeed been affected - most noticeably to the north, where our signal now reaches up to the Beltway - but it looks as though the impact of WYPR's power increase isn't quite as dire for us as some thought it would be. In all its quirky splendor, WMUC is still here, serving the UMCP campus and College Park community with news, sports, and every sort of sound under the sun. DC's last true college radio station is not going off the air."

March 18, 2008
Duckworth Returns To MAL PD Post
Paul Duckworth is returning to his program director gig at Citadel news talker WMAL. He left on his own accord for personal reasons in December, saying that he was "retiring" - not resigning. Duckworth, who'll be back on the job as of 3/31, came to WMAL from a Portland, Oregon talk station in late-2005 after the departure of Randall Bloomquist. "Everyone is thrilled he is back," we're told. DCRTV hears that when Duckworth worked at WMAL, he got an apartment within walking distance of 630's Jenifer Street studios, since he didn't have a car. "Getting into the business can be tough - getting out is much tougher," Duckworth tells a trade pub. "My friends were right, I truly am a 'one-dimensional' misfit. There's nothing that does it for me like radio. I'm thrilled to be coming back to WMAL to work with such great broadcasters and great friends."

March 17, 2008
Franciotti To WCBM
Mike Franciotti, husband of reporter Jennifer Franciotti at Channel 11/WBAL, has just started at WCBM radio as the news talk station's afternoon news anchor. He reports to former Channel 13/WJZer, Brenda Carl, who is WCBM's news director. Mike had been heard DJing on The Globe and its predecessor, Arrow 94.7. He also did traffic fill-in for Dave Sandler at WBAL radio.

March 12, 2008
ABC Sports Cuts Johnny Holliday
DC area radio veteran Johnny Holliday is among those being cut by ABC Sports Radio in its decision to end its radio sportscasts. With the growth of sister ESPN Radio, ABC's suits said that the demand for its sports news updates had declined. Holliday had been with ABC Sports Radio since the early 1980s. He will continue his gig as the radio voice of University Of Maryland sports, and still be heard locally on CBS Radio's WJFK-FM and WHFS, as well as baseball programming on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.

March 12, 2008
Former MALer John Callaghan Dies
John Callaghan, a longtime Boston TV sports anchor who once worked at WMAL, died in Massachusetts on 3/5 of lung cancer. He was 81.

March 11, 2008
WHFC's Joe Clingroth Dies
Joe Clingroth, who hosted the big band and jazz program "Studio J" on Bel Air MD's WHFC (91.1 FM), has died. Clingroth recently celebrated his 24th anniversary on the air, and plans were in the works for a big band dance to mark his 25th anniversary, which would have been held in September, we're told. He'd been a volunteer for the suburban Baltimore public radio station since it signed on in 1983. Two years ago, Clingroth began hosting a second show on WHFC, "The Morning After."

March 11, 2008
Lee Abrams Exits XM For Tribune
Lee Abrams (left) is leaving XM Satellite Radio. The DC firm's senior vice president and chief creative officer will join the Chicago-based Tribune Company in the new role of chief innovation officer. The veteran broadcaster and consultant will be responsible for Tribune's publishing, broadcasting, and interactive divisions. Locally, Tribune owns the Baltimore Sun and Channel 50/WDCW.

March 11, 2008
Toxic Mold At WFRE Forces West's Resignation
The Frederick News-Post reports that Linda West, an on-air personality with Frederick country outlet WFRE (99.9 FM) for 16 years, has resigned from the Clear Channel station claiming health problems due to indoor toxins. In a statement from her attorney, recent testing showed toxic mold in the WFRE building: "Ms. West's physician recommended that she not subject herself to further exposure to these adverse conditions." Says West: "I believe I was left with no choice but to leave WFRE and look for a new position once my health improves."

March 11, 2008
Former WTOPer Ivan Scott Dies
Former WTOP military affairs reporter Ivan Scott (right) died 0n 3/10. While working for WTOP, Scott was the Pentagon correspondent for a group of radio and television stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Scott had also been a correspondent and anchor for ABC and Mutual. He hosted a program on the old WRC radio, and wrote articles for Washingtonian and the Los Angeles Times. Before becoming a reporter, Scott served as a presidential appointee, first as assistant chief of information for the Navy, then as director of public affairs for the Federal Transit Administration.

March 11, 2008
TOP Unveils Newsroom Upgrade
All-newser WTOP unveiled new "Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center" at its Idaho Avenue studios. So, what's the big deal? "All digitial newsroom. Ability to record or go live from every desk in the newsroom. Much larger space, many more desks, bigger air studios. Two or three computer monitors at every desk. New maps, artwork including a mural of the First Amendment. Looks more high-tech than any radio newsroom either of us has ever seen. Work has been going on since last July. Current newsroom crammed into two tiny spaces during the construction. 7,200-square feet, $2.5 million project and no subsidy from DC like Radio One got... (Sister stations) WFED and 3WT are on another full floor." Bonneville's WTOP is the only fulltime 24/7 local commercial radio news operation in the DC market. Citadel's WMAL has a news department, but farms-out coverage to Metro Networks during nights and weekends. And Clear Channel, which owns eight DC area stations, has no local news department.

March 10, 2008
CC DC Engineer Gone
Shaun Sandoval, director of engineering at Clear Channel's DC radio complex, was let go on 3/7. With former CC DC head Dave Pugh already gone to his new gig at CC's San Francisco radio cluster, and his replacement not yet named, and the top engineer now gone, too, there's next-to-nobody in charge at 1801 Rockville Pike, we hear.

March 10, 2008
Camille Bohannon To Retire
Sixteen-year AP Radio anchor Camille Bohannon will retire. Her work in DC has included anchoring at WTOP and all-news WRC, feature reporting at WGAY, and announcing at WWDC, WETA-FM, and WHFS when it was a middle-of-the-road outlet. A veteran of more than 30 years in broadcasting, she's anchored on NBC, Mutual, and UPI. She also spent three years anchoring news at WCFL, Chicago.

March 9, 2008
Bill Bennett To WTNT
Salem's nationally syndicated DC-based "Bill Bennett’s Morning In America" gets added by Clear Channel talker WTNT (570 AM) starting 3/25 in morning drive. Says WTNT Program Director Bill Hess: "Having Bill Bennett lead-off our broadcast day, in an election year and from right here in DC, is an opportunity simply to good to pass up." Bennett served as secretary of education from 1985 to 1988, and was director of the Office Of National Drug Control Policy in the late 1980s. WTNT had reportedly been interested in carrying Don Imus in mornings, however that ended with Imus surfacing on Citadel oldies outlet WJZW (105.9 FM) last week.

March 8, 2008
Brian Wood Leaves 2
Channel 2/WMAR has let go anchor Brian Wood. Wood, who had been working without a contract since last year, is the second major newsroom figure to find himself without a job at WMAR last week. News director David Silverstein resigned Tuesday after less than 15 months on the job. In addition to Wood, two news producers and a sales secretary were laid off at the station. Wood began at WMAR in January 2002, after losing his weekend anchor position at Seattle's KIRO-TV. At WMAR, he served as anchor and managing editor of the 5, 6, and 11 PM newscasts.

March 7, 2008
Zier Starts New Business
Veteran DC radio exec Bennett Zier is starting a Potomac MD-based company, UWZ Consulting, which will be focused mainly on non-radio business promotion and development. Also involved: Jeff Wyatt, another former Clear Channel DCer. Both Zier and Wyatt left Clear Channel to work for Redskins owner Dan Snyder's Red Zebra broadcasting arm in 2006, with both leaving RZ in 2007.

March 5, 2008
Religious 1580 Drops Music For Talk
CBS Radio's WPGC-AM, Heaven 1580, is scrapping its black gospel music format in favor of "inspirational talk." It's now known as "The New Heaven 1580." The station has seen its ratings suffer since last spring's launch of Radio One's FM gospel outlet WPRS, Praise 104.1.

March 5, 2008
TOP Tops 'Trends
Another round of those monthly Arbitrend radio ratings. DC. Full week, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WMMJ and WASH, 6) WKYS, 7) WIHT, 8) WLZL and WMAL, 10) WRQX. New Bonneville talker 3WT, WWWT, continued a downward trend to land in 24th place. Morning drive, age 12+: 1) WTOP, 2) WHUR, 3) WKYS, 4) WMMJ, 5) WWDC, 6) WPGC-FM, 7) WMAL, 8) WRQX, 9) WIHT, 10) WASH. Afternoon drive, age 12+: 1) WHUR and WTOP, 3) WPGC-FM, 4) WMMJ, 5) WASH, 6) WIHT, 7) WLZL, 8) WMAL, 9) WJFK-FM and WKYS. Baltimore. Full week, age 12+: 1) WERQ, 2) WLIF, 3) WPOC, 4) WWIN-FM, 5) WBAL-AM, 6) WWMX, 7) WIYY, 8) WCBM, 9) WSMJ, 10) WQSR.

March 5, 2008
Clear Channel's Dave Pugh To SF
Dave Pugh is leaving his market manager job at Clear Channel's DC radio cluster for CC's market manager gig in San Francisco. "I want to thank each and everyone of you for an incredible experience getting to know and work with you," Pugh said in a memo to staff at CC's Rockville Pike broadcast complex. "You are the reason I love the radio business. Unique personalities, great brands, and a blast everyday."

March 5, 2008
NPR To Move To North Capitol Digs
National Public Radio is moving its headquarters from Massachusetts Avenue to North Capitol Street. The new location is six blocks away from its current location and will be near Union Station. The move will take place in 2012. The new facility will be two-to-three times the existing HQ's size.

March 5, 2008
Matt Anderson To Program Praise 104
Matt Anderson has been named program director of Radio One's gospel WPRS, Praise 104.1. He comes from CBS's gospel WPGC-AM, Heaven 1580, where he did afternoons. Anderson replaces Ron Thompson at WPRS, who will now program Radio One's urban talker WOL and gospel WYCB, Spirit 1340.

March 4, 2008
Silverstein Gone From 2
Channel 2/WMAR News Director David Silverstein is on the outs. We're told that WMAR General Manager Bill Hooper announced to staff that Silverstein has "resigned". But a WMAR source tells us: "He didn't resign, he was fired. Just another bad news director in the long line of ineffective news directors at Channel 2." WMAR remains at the bottom of the TV news ratings heap in Charm City. Kelly Groft, a nine-year veteran of the WMAR newsroom, has been appointed acting news director.

March 4, 2008
105.9 Adds Imus
Radio morning man Don Imus will resurface on the DC radio dial on 3/6 via Citadel's new oldies outlet on 105.9. Imus, who got canned from CBS Radio last spring for his "ho" remark about the Rutgers female basketball team, restarted his morning radio show via Citadel talker WABC in NYC in December. He has been rumored to be returning to his old DC radio haunt of Clear Channel talker WTNT.

February 29, 2008
105.9 Goes Oldies
Citadel pulled the plug on Smooth Jazz 105.9, WJZW, at 3 PM Friday. The entire airstaff is gone. And it got replaced with "The New True Oldies 105.9 - DC's Greatest Hits." First song - Aretha Franklin's "Respect." Rock and soul oldies. Jockless for the foreseeable future. No new calls - yet. A barebones website at trueoldies1059.com. "True Oldies" is an ABC Radio Networks service voiced and produced by former WPGCer Scott Shannon. Citadel uses that format on one of its stations in Chicago. "I'm wondering if that looks like an inexpensive and fast way to plug oldies in there in DC," we hear from a national radio guru. As DCRTV told you, automated smooth jazz will continue on 105.9's HD2 digital subchannel. Out of work at WJZW: Charlie Maxx, Al Santos, Van Niece Johnson, Jay Lang, and Tom Grooms.

February 29, 2008
Citadel Cuts WMAL's Core & More
A bloodbath at Citadel talker WMAL today. Longtime DC radio talker Chris Core has been let go and WMAL promptly erased him from its website. We're told that it was "not personal," just "part of a massive cutback country-wide by Citadel." Core has worked at WMAL more than three decades, doing the Bill "Trumbull And Core" afternoon show in the 1980s. "I'm okay with it. They were very generous with me," Core, 59, told a trade pub. "It's been a great run." Evening man Chris Plante will be moved into Core's 9 AM time slot. Plus, WMAL News Director John Matthews, a 25-year WMAL vet, got the axe along with reporter Matt Bush. WMAL already farms out its night and weekend newscasts to Metro Networks.

February 29, 2008
Local TVers See Slumping Viewership
The Washington Post reports that recently resolved Hollywood writers' strike took its toll on local ratings during the February sweeps period that ended Wednesday. Primetime ratings declined last month compared with the same period in 2007 for nearly all Washington stations, which because of the strike aired more reruns and reality programming. The dip in prime-time viewership in turn affected ratings for some of the station's late-night and early-morning newscasts. Channel 9/WUSA viewership dropped nearly 50 percent from last year. Channel 4/WRC, Channel 7/WJLA, and Channel 50/WDCW also had decreases in viewership. Channel 5/WTTG had the most watched "late night" newscast - at 10 PM. WTTG also improved in early-morning ratings over last year. WJLA showed increases in early-morning and late-night audiences. Except for the 5 AM hour, WRC had the top-rated newscasts throughout the day at times that it had head-to-head competition. But the station continues to lose viewership, with all its newscasts declining in audience. Its biggest drop was at 6 PM, where it lost nearly 30 percent of its audience over last year. Up in Baltimore, Baltimore Sun reports that Channel 11/WBAL increased its lead in the all-important 11 PM news slot during February's sweeps period. Channel 13/WJZ placed second and Channel 2/ WMAR third. WJZ handily won the noon news slot, while WBAL dominated the 5 PM and 6 PM news slots. Overall, WBAL and WJZ finished in a tie for viewers in a 24-hour period.

February 29, 2008
Baltimore's Lambda Rising To Close
Another locally-owned bookstore is closing. After 24 years, Baltimore's Lambda Rising, which caters to the city's gay community, is shutting its doors. According to the Baltimore Sun, store owner Deacon Maccubbin, who is 64, believes there is still a place for gay bookstores in contemporary society - he noted that even in the internet age, at least once a day he sees customers who are coming out as gay and looking for some direction. But his health has been faltering in recent years, he said, and he doesn't have the stamina to turn around the Baltimore store in the face of financial hardship. He has not set a final closing date yet, but as he liquidates the stock - everything but magazines is on sale - word is slowly getting around town. Maccubbin still runs Lambda Rising's original store at Dupont Circle in DC, and a satellite operation in Rehoboth Beach. He recently closed his store in Norfolk.

February 27, 2008
Slumping Ads & Circ Continue At Post
The Washington Post Company reported a 13 percent drop in fourth-quarter earnings, the result of some one-time restructuring costs and a continued erosion of revenue at its flagship newspaper. Print advertising revenue at the Post declined 13 percent in 2007. In the fourth quarter alone, ad revenue fell 11 percent, compared to the same period in 2006. Circulation fell 4 percent in 2007, and currently stands at 649,700 for daily circulation and 902,500 on Sundays. Earlier this month, the company announced plans for buyouts in the 800-person newsroom, the third round of buyouts since 2003. Online revenue generated primarily through the washingtonpost.com website increased 11 percent in 2007, but the gains do little to offset the losses on the print side. The magazine unit, which includes Newsweek, reported a 5 percent drop in quarterly revenue and a 13 percent revenue decline for the year.

February 26, 2008
Former WHFS DJ Pat Kain Dies
Former WHFS DJ Pat Kain died last week at Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Pennsylvania. He was 35. No word on the cause of his death. Kain worked at the Baltimore incarnation of the alternative rocker on 105.7 FM before its 2005 switch to talk. He'd also worked at Lancaster's WLAN-FM, where he was music director and assistant program director, and at other stations in Pennsylvania, including the State College area. Kain was a 1995 graduate of Penn State.

February 26, 2008
Classic WAVAer Bill Ashley To Retire
DC area radio engineering veteran Bill Ashley will leave the biz on 2/29. He began his career in 1957 at the age of 15 at a small station in North Carolina doing "top 40." In 1968, Ashley became the chief engineer of Arlington's WAVA, reportedly the first all-news radio station in the nation. After 16 years with WAVA, he joined the Mutual Radio Network. And, for the past 20 years, Ashley's been a sales representative with Bradley Broadcast/Pro Audio in Frederick. "We wish him all the best," a colleague tells DCRTV.

February 25, 2008
MASN To Offer 80 Baseball Games In HD
The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network will provide 80 high-def baseball telecasts of the Orioles and Nationals this season. The HD games will be equally divided between the two teams. And about two dozen area cable systems, including those owned by Comcast and Cox, will carry the MASN HD outings on a per-game basis on their HD tier. For example, on some systems, Comcast will carry MASN's HD games on channel 226, pre-empting programming on the Mojo HD network. Still no word from all area cable and satellite systems. But, there won't yet be a fully-dedicated 24/7 MASN HD channel. MASN's HD schedule includes key match-ups with the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, and Braves, as well as the Phillies, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, Marlins, and Rays. The network will provide HD telecasts for all six inter-league games between the Nationals and Orioles.

February 25, 2008
Linda West Leaves WFRE
Frederick's WFRE (99.9 FM) has seen the departure of morning personality Linda West, who headed "The Wild West Morning Crew." She's been a veteran of Frederick radio for almost two decades, the last 16 years at the Clear Channel country outlet. The word is that she resigned duo to health issues involving toxic mold contamination in the WFRE studio.

February 25, 2008
Jan Fox Says Goodbye To 9
Channel 9/WUSA is losing longtime consumer affairs and general assignment reporter and anchor Jan Fox (right), who retired after Friday's newscasts. She's been with WUSA 18 years. According to a WUSA release: "Every mom and dad in America owes Jan, her consumer team, the Safe Kids Coalition, Fairfax County Police, and the Montgomery County Consumer Affairs Department a vote of thanks every time they put a child in a safety seat. They started the first car seat checks right here and now they are done the world over. (Fox) produced some of the first stories about the need for universal latches which are now mandated in all new cars, and made the lives of every parent and child who rides in a car safer." Among her many news statues, Fox won an Emmy for her coverage of a rock-throwing incident on the Beltway that severely injured a 15-year-old girl.

February 23, 2008
FCC Fines 5 For Pixilated Body Parts
The Federal Communications Commission erased nearly all of a proposed $1.2 million indecency fine against a batch of Fox TV stations yesterday, saying the Rupert Murdoch-owned network should be fined for airing an offensive television show only in markets where viewers complained about it. Instead of ordering all 169 stations that aired it to pay the larger fine, the FCC ordered 13 Fox-owned-and-affiliated stations, including DC's Fox-owned Channel 5/WTTG, to pay a total of $91,000 in indecency fines for broadcasting an episode of the long-canceled reality show "Married By America" in 2003. In yesterday's order, the FCC turned down a Fox claim that said the show, which featured digitally obscured nudity and whipped-cream-covered strippers, was not indecent.

February 22, 2008
7 To Carry Classic TV Net On Digital Subchannel
Allbritton has reached a deal to distribute Retro Television Network's lineup of classic TV programs on one of the digital subchannels of Channel 7/WJLA later this year. Allbritton has already signed to carry RTN via its TV stations in Roanoke and Harrisburg. Currently, WJLA offers two digital subchannels - Doug Hill's Weather Now and Local Point TV.

February 22, 2008
5 & 20 Veteran Angela Ashby Dies
Angela Mason Ashby, a longtime broadcast professional who co-owned a television production company based in Springfield, died on 2/3 of complications of diabetes and end-stage renal failure at Inova Fairfax Hospital. She was 55. She was senior partner and operations manager of A-Team Production, which she founded in 1985 with her husband, Wally Ashby. She began her television career in the 1970s as director of community affairs and producer of Channel 5/WTTG's "Panorama." She later was a writer-producer for the Armed Services Network, news editor and writer for Conus Communication's "First Business," and sports information director at the University Of The District Of Columbia. She spent seven years at Channel 20/WDCA as executive producer and production manager.

February 21, 2008
94.7 Veteran Bill Hamlin Dies
Former WJMD/WLTT/WARW air personality Bill Hamlin died of cancer on 2/21. In addition to his decades of being heard on DC's 94.7 frequency as it transitioned from easy listening and adult contemporary to "lite rock" and classic rock, Hamlin was an active member of the AFTRA and SAG unions. Also: "He acted in local theater and was a friend to all performers. Bill will be missed dearly," a colleague tells DCRTV. "What a true gentleman he was," says Craig Ashwood, who was 94.7's program director in the 1990s. "Multi-talented, always willing to do what was necessary for the work, and great sounding on the air... A real class act."

February 21, 2008
PGC's Dillard To NYC
Skip Dillard is leaving his operations manager and programming position at CBS's urban contemporary WPGC-FM for a like gig at Inner City's adult urban contemporary WBLS and sister gospel WLIB in NYC. Before coming to PGC, Dillard worked for Radio One in Detroit.

February 19, 2008
Sun To Launch Youthful Tab
The Baltimore Sun will launch a free daily tabloid newspaper aimed at luring younger readers. Called "b," the publication will debut in April with an initial distribution of around 50,000. Sun officials say the rag will target "Generation Y" with its coverage of news, entertainment, and music. The paper will be distributed at universities, coffee shops, restaurants, clubs, and in bright orange boxes. The newspaper will come out Monday-through-Friday and initially contain between 40-to-48 pages. Sun executives hope to double the newspaper's distribution by the end of the year.

February 15, 2008
Steve Eldridge Battles Cancer, Keeps Working
DCRTV hears from DC radio veteran and "Sprawl And Crawl" traffic columnist Steve Eldridge, who is battling cancer. A small lump he discovered on his calf this past fall has turned into advanced cancer, that's spread to his lungs. Eldridge has gone through numerous medical scans and rounds of chemo. He tells us that his health problems have forced him to give up his overnight newscaster work at the Voice Of America, but he continues to write, produce, and occasionally anchor NBC News radio feeds for Westwood One. Eldridge's Examiner traffic column ended at the end of 2007 because of budget cuts, but he hopes to restart "Sprawl And Crawl" somewhere else soon.

February 15, 2008
Fred Rathert To Retire
Fred Rathert will be retiring at the end of February after 41 years in the radio engineering biz. His career has spanned stations in Chicago, DC, and Baltimore. He's currently engineering manager at Baltimore public radio outlet WYPR, and its relays in Frederick and Ocean City. Rathert tells us: "It's been an interesting career and, for the most part, I've enjoyed it. Unfortunately, radio is not what it once was and the fun of being in the business has all but disappeared, along with YoYo's, Hula Hoops, and Soma Blocks. However, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone I've worked with or contacted, during the past four decades, for their support, help, and friendship."

February 15, 2008
Rudy Abramson Dies
Rudy Abramson, a former longtime Washington reporter for the Los Angeles Times who wrote a highly praised biography of American statesman W. Averell Harriman, has died. He was 70. According to the LA Times, Abramson sustained massive head injuries in a fall Tuesday at his home in Reston. He died late Wednesday at a hospital in Fairfax. A staff writer in the LA Times' Washington bureau from 1966 to 1993, Abramson was hired to cover science and became one of the first national reporters assigned to the space program. He covered the development of the Apollo 11 mission and the historic moon landing in 1969.

February 15, 2008
WTHU To Go Religious
Charles Walter is selling adult standards WTHU (1450 AM) in the Frederick County town of Thurmont MD to the Christian Radio Coalition for $150,000.

February 12, 2008
Rodricks To Replace Steiner At YPR
Baltimore public radio outlet WYPR (88.1 FM) has hired Dan Rodricks to replace Marc Steiner as host of its midday program. The Baltimore Sun columnist will start the noon to 2 PM public affairs talk, interview, and call-in show on 2/25. In addition to his more than 25-year stint with the Sun, Rodricks has worked for Channel 2/WMAR, Channel 11/WBAL, and WBAL radio. Steiner, who helped found WYPR, recently got the boot because of alleged low ratings.

February 11, 2008
ABC/ESPN Yanks Brant Off College Football
Channel 7/WJLA sports anchor Tim Brant has been removed from ABC/ESPN's college football announcer team. Brant's contract to cover West Coast games was not renewed. DCRTV hears from a 7er that "after a month of negotiations, Tim Brant refused to sign an ESPN contract. His contract for the last 28 years of network broadcasting was with ABC Sports and was originally signed by Roone Arledge. He worked three Olympic games, 'Wide World Of Sports,' and college football with the legendary Keith Jackson. Brant was named the nations top analyst in 1986 and worked the 2001 National championship game - Miami VS Nebraska." Brant will continue working for DC's ABC affiliate WJLA, which is owned by Allbritton, not ABC.

February 11, 2008
Brooke Stevens Dies
Former WMAL/WCBM/WVIE personality Brooke Stevens died on 2/10 of complications from cancer. Stevens, whose real name was Antje Kraus, suffered from Hodgkin's Disease for several years. "She opted for non-conventional treatment, against doctor's recommendations and lasted longer than her doctors predicted," a colleague tells us. "When it became evident Brooke didn't have long to go, she moved to Naples, Florida, to be with her mom and dad. That's where she died yesterday morning." Stevens co-anchored WMAL's afternoon show with Chris Core (picture at left) from 1996 to 2000, and the WVIE morning show with Michael Gabel in 2006 and 2007. Core did mention Stevens' passing during his late morning show today on WMAL.

February 11, 2008
56 To Cut Broadcast Signals Before Digital Deadline
Northern Virginia public television outlet Channel 56/WNVC has filed a plan with the FCC to make some big changes to its signals in the all-digital world. Come September 2008, the station will terminate its analog signal on 56 and its digital signal on 57, and install transmitting gear on its Merrifield tower for its move to channel 24 by the scheduled digital TV changeover in February 2009. However, Baltimore's WUTB will still be authorized to broadcast its analog signal on 24 until the 2009 deadline, so WNVC's broadcast signals will be missing in the meantime. You'll still be able to catch WNVC's MHz international programming, including a variety of foreign network relays, on local cable TV systems. The digital signal of WNVC's sister station, WNVT on channel 30, will continue as usual.

February 8, 2008
Paul Taylor Dies
Paul Louis Taylor, 66, a director of CBS news programs, including "Face The Nation," died of cardiac arrest on 1/31 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring. He was a Wheaton resident. In his 38-year career with CBS, Taylor directed a number of news programs, including "Nightwatch With Charlie Rose" and Washington news items for the "CBS Evening News." One of the first African-American directors at CBS, he became senior director of "Face The Nation" in the late 1970s.

February 7, 2008
CBS Radio Makes Cuts, Cheryl Jackson Gone From PGC-AM
CBS Radio is the latest radio company to slash its workforce, with a 5-ish percent national cutback annouced today. Mainly programming and promotions people. One cut we're hearing among CBS's five DC stations: Cheryl Jackson is leaving her on-air, program director, and music director gigs with gospel WPGC-AM, Heaven 1580. Still no specific word about cuts in Baltimore, where CBS owns another five stations. The local mood is downbeat. "No comment at this time," we hear from a local CBS suit.

February 7, 2008
Slumping Post Confirms Buyouts, To Close College Park Printing Plant
The Washington Post has confirmed recent rumors that it will offer an undetermined number of early-retirement packages, or "buyouts," to Post newsroom staffers and other employees in March. The Post offered buyouts in 2003 and 2006, which culled about 120 employees. Also, the company will close its College Park printing plant over the next two years, moving two of the four presses to its Springfield plant, which will handle the paper's entire press run with six presses. The Post cited declining print circulation, as well as the slumping local economy. Post daily circulation peaked at 832,232 in 1993. It now sells an average of 638,000 papers Monday through Saturday. The Post has not decided what it will do with the College Park plant when it closes nor has it determined the status of plant's employees.

February 4, 2008
It's Official: Geronimo To Quit D&M Show, O'Meara To Continue
DCRTV told you last year that there was a high probability that Don Geronimo (right), half of WJFK-FM's nationally-syndicated Don and Mike show, would be leaving this spring. Well, Geronimo made it official on Monday's show. "I'm quitting," he said on the air. "My heart is just not in this." Geronimo's last day will be May 30. "This is a decision that I came to about a year ago." Long a trademark of Geronimo's show, he has put his private life on the airwaves. Including talk about the tragic death of his wife, Freda, in a car accident in July 2005. And, Geronimo said, he wants to continue to "explore life" with his new girlfriend and needs to "take a break" from the radio biz. Geronimo also made the official announcement that his radio partner and good friend, Mike O'Meara, will continue to do the afternoon drive show with regulars Buzz Burbank, Joe Ardinger, and Robb Spewak come June. Geronimo did not rule out a possible radio consultancy gig after he takes some time off.

February 4, 2008
Former WTOPer Don Herbert Dies
Don Herbert, a longtime Los Angeles news radio anchor who once worked at WTOP, died on 2/2 of complications from colon surgery. He was 72. Herbert, whose real name was Herbert Rosenbaum, worked at WTOP before moving to LA to become one of KFWB's original anchors upon its debut as an all-newser in 1968.

February 1, 2008
WYPR Says Adios To Steiner
Citing sagging ratings, Baltimore public radio outlet WYPR (88.1 FM) announced today that talk show host Marc Steiner has been taken off the air and will be replaced by a new program called "Statewide." Steiner has been airing on WYPR, and via former incarnation WJHU, since 1993. In 2005, Steiner stepped down from his position as executive vice president for broadcast and prod