Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - June 2 to June 9, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ June 9 Messages \/ Dear Dave in Sterling: Thank you for correcting the corrections my auto-check didn't fix for me, due to my insanity I was unable to correct them. To answer your question as to what my post had to due with Washington radio, well the answer is simple. I was responding to correct the statement that Rush uses talking points. Rush does not need talking points, he creates them for others to use. I also had the insane hope that perhaps he/she might take a another look at his candidate as he void of any substance and I do not like to see a vote wasted. Doing it for the children and to save the Planet... InsaneIy yours, p0rt3r J3rv1s (6/9/08) Re: It has been nice listening to WXPN OTA this morning in Leonardtown: I was listening to WAMU/88.5 with a t-bar antenna when WXPN came in loud and clear for almost two hours. So it was the Philly 5k signal coming in I believe. (6/9/08) Just wondering: Has WBIG been having transmitter problems in recent days? Has anyone else experienced having the signal of WIHT (99.5) being overwhelmed by WJBR Wilmington? This has been noted twice (both Sat mornings). I'm in Springfield. On the second occasion, WJBR had control of 99.5 for a good 8-10 minutes, which seems somewhat incredible although it also seems somewhat incredible that the FCC allows two FM signals so close together on the same frequency. Why is WJFK running promos during the Jim Rome show (7-10 p.m.) promoting their "live and local" lineup, including the Rome show? Totally accurate, except the Rome show is run seven hours after the network feed and Rome is in LA. Is this the result of sloppiness or arrogance (or both)? Mark (6/9/08) RE: [ " Unless Radio One implodes " ]......... Ummm, have you been reading the news about Radio One lately??? We're already beginning the aftermath stage where Radio One sells off properties and has their stock de-listed last I checked. The only reason you don't hear more about Radio One's troubles in the news is because political correctness freaks in the elitist news media circles are too busy worrying about how to tippy toe around the truth of this "African American" company's downfall. And when the S hits the F, as they say, just imagine how many black investors will have lost a small fortune due to the political correctness errors of tippy toed white elitists. (6/9/08) Hey, Dave - Thought you and the readers might be interested to know that The Loss Column has taken the Deadspin/DC Sports Bog concept of "sports media approval ratings" and brought it to Baltimore. We launched it today with a look at MASN's Amber Theoharis. Everyone's welcome to check it out and cast a vote here: www.thelosscolumn.com... We'll be doing these at least through the summer -- should be fun. Thanks, Neal (6/9/08) the link to the CC-Red Zebra filing at the FCC - fjallfoss.fcc.gov... This is the actual sales agreement, and note that the real estate associated w/ WWRC isn't part of the deal. (6/9/08) Citadel can't sell any of the Disney stations for two years more under their purchase agreement. Its a tax thing. (6/9/08) Sure, Bonneville would love to buy Citadel's FM's in D.C. So would CBS, Interurban, Cumulus, etc. But, if Citadel sells either of them to anybody, FedEx a parka to Satan because he's going to need it Citadel may be totally out of their league right now. But they are not stupid. I can easily see them selling off the non-50kw AM's. But, if they start selling FM's, that would be a sure sign of a serious liquidity crisis looming. Unless Radio One implodes, the next major station here to be sold will likely be WMAL. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (6/9/08) Re: "What any of this silliness has to do with Washington area radio and television I'm not sure." Of course it is germane to DC radio and TV. We have a skilled and powerful Editor to ensure that. (6/9/08) Dave's response: Who, me? I'm listening to TOP right now in Virginia Beach with RDS. (FM-only antenna in my attic) Bob Corbin/VARTV (6/9/08) I'll assume that when Porter Jervis says Obama is "an empty suite" he means "suit," and point out that it is only Republicans who aren't listening -- as usual. And I'll assume that when he says "candidates likese these...associate with terrorsts or support Marxism," he's trying to be funny and only SOUNDING insane. What any of this silliness has to do with Washington area radio and television I'm not sure. Dave in Sterling (6/9/08) Faux and Friends and the word ''journalism'' should never be in the same sentence. Doocy isn't gullible. He's just a brown nosing asshole. Paul (6/9/08) Maine Federal Judge says DCRTV "friend" Steve Doocy is "Gulable," and Fox & Friends is behind on "journalistic standards." mediamatters.org (6/9/08) "WTOP has a huge coverage area" They do ? Not since they abandoned that blowtorch on 1500. From what I hear, they're at less than half that power now, buried on fadeout FM, and playing only to "offices" in the city where there are no known listeners. (6/9/08) Dave's response: I'm telling 'ya, if I was running Bonneville DC, I'd put TOP on 1500 and 103.5, and 3WT on 107.7, 103.9, and 104.1 (wouldn't be selling it to Radio One)..... With Snyder now owning 6 stations in Washington he will need an experienced expert to oversee the process. How about Bennett Zier? Oh, never mind! (6/9/08) So this kook who started off his missive as "So, Rush thinks..." Well, it should go without saying that If ANY presidential candidate associates with terrorists or supports Marxism, he should be disqualified from being President. Have the Leftists in the country become so delusional that they will support these candidates likese these just because they are black or female. Have you actually looked at what he stands for? Has he even said what he stands for? The guy is an empty suite. His public speaking skills are worse than a newscaster that gets thrown in front of a camera without being prepped. He makes GWB look like a great orator. But you kool-aid drinkers ignore all that. Porter Jervis (6/9/08) Dave, with the economy hammering car sales, and thus satellite radio, and HD radio not gaining as much traction as that crowd would like, would you say that good old-fashioned terrestrial radio will continue to do (reasonably) well - as it has for, oh, eight decades now? (6/9/08) So, Rush thinks Obama shouldn't be president because he's effiminate, associates with terrorists, and is a Marxist. Well, nice to hear that Rush isn't against Obama because he's black. Ah, Rush, Rush, Rush, I think the GOP over-wound your spring today with their talking points. You don't fool us. (6/9/08) "Snyder wants to 'own' local radio sports talk because he feels that the area TV stations don't do a good job covering his team, we're told..... ". That's absurd - there are very few cities where the local NFL team gets as much TV play as the Redskins do here, and most of the coverage is positive and uncritical. Radio's a different story - perhaps Snyder's been made aware of harsh comments regarding his team's personnel, coaching and business decisions by WTEM hosts such as Walker, Mitchell, Koken and Czaban. Perhaps he thinks that by dangling a few carrots in front of their faces while warning about a few sticks, he can get them to turn around and start preaching the gospel according to Danny Boy. While public relations isn't exactly Snyder's strongest suit, he'd be advised not to insist on heavy duty burgundy and gold talk 24/7/365 on his stations. With the recent success of the Wizards and Capitals and the return of major league baseball after a 33 year absence, Washington's become a much more well rounded town in terms of fan interests than it was five years ago. In the long run, a policy of ignoring or downplaying big stories involving the other teams in order to obsess over minor Redskin news could drive away more listeners than it attracts. On another topic, Marc Sterne was awfully rude and surly toward callers on the Nationals radio postgame show after Saturday's loss to the Giants - actually called some of them 'idiots' for having takes on the team that he disagreed with. With the other two rotating hosts of that program (Byron Kerr and George Wallace) being unfailingly polite and courteous, it sticks out like a sore thumb when Sterne comes on the air and acts like a jerk. These callers (some of whom post after nearly every game) represent the true blue DC area baseball fans and deserve to be treated with more respect than that. I know that everyone's frustrated with the Nats' losing ways of late, but it's no excuse for Sterne's disgraceful performance that night. Mike, Fairfax (6/9/08) "MO'M jested about how much he hates Robbay." MOM may hate Robbay, but that show was an unmitigated disaster and a bore fest last week without Herr Spewak. The interaction between Beth Ann and MOM is awful without Robbay. BAM doesn't get the subtleties of the humor or the inside jokes that have been a part of that show for years. ...WB Centreville, VA (6/9/08) Memo to the Danny: if you're pondering having three or four (or five or six, for that matter) weak stations, all broadcasting a little ESPN, a little Larry Michael, and a lot of adoring Skins talk, nature abhors a vacuum. I'm inclined to think that JFK could toss a four-hour daily sports talker on the air without any serious difficulty. Czaban's routine would fit right in on JFK. Easy promo: "Dan Snyder Doesn't Write Our Checks." I would guess that Andy Polley will stay in place at Skins-crap980; somebody's got to run the show there, after all, and polish Larry's car. Sincerely, TMU (6/9/08) From Czabe's web site, looks like he's undergoing some changes with it....Okay folks, I know there is a MINOR riot going on here with Czabe.com. I am wresting with the software and dance moves on posting with our new Czabe.com 3.0. It's gonna be all day Monday and into Tuesday until I get wired. (6/9/08) Dave's response: Yeah, feeding the site through the new Snyder Server. Ha ha ha. Hey Steve, Danny will soon own your soul..... Anyone hear the outrageously grumpy O'Meara on the BO&D show today? Just back from a booze-heavy and (obviously) gambling-loss weekend in AC, topped off by some "quality time" at his mother-in-law's place, MO'M jested about how much he hates Robbay. What do they say? Humor is actually an attempt to dance around the truth. (6/9/08) This may be crazy, but a curious thought just occurred to me. With Dan Snyder picking up so many stations so quickly and with so little time before the Redskins season begins, he might be in the market to hire some help. He might be looking for someone who knows radio from the boardroom to the board room, someone who knows the DC market in his sleep, someone who knows and loves the Redskins in particular more than sports in general, and someone who's available. As we all know, Danny has a penchant for hiring the highest rated free agent currently on the market (look what he's done not just with the 'Skins but also with Six Flags). Which recently retired shock jock fits this bill to a T and might be willing to return to radio for this incredibly plum gig? PD for the 'Skins flagship station, rides in Air Snyder, lunch with Tom & Katie, after-hours rides on the coasters, and a cushy seat near the front of the owner's box? Donnie G, start polishing your resume and make sure that your cellphone is always turned on. (6/9/08) Since Congress rewrote the Communications Act of 1934 in 1996, radio has changed much for the worse. Consolidators like Clear Channel swooped in and gathered up handfuls of radio stations in each major market. To help them pay for the properties, they cut costs by firing all the talent and using cookie cutter methods to produce local-sounding content without local assistance. Syndicated material from a satellite is one way to sell advertising. Here in Washington, phase 2 is for a consolidator to sell useless AM signals to the local sports franchise owner, the fabulously wealthy so-and-so. He'll take a bunch of signals and make a network out of them, spewing rah rah content for his team. May as well shut off the AM dial permanently for reallocation to diathermy machines. (6/9/08) So-with Lil Danny gobbling up all the stations--there will be 7 (??) relays of Triple X programming????? Wow--another good waste of spectrum. (6/9/08) Oh where, oh where has my Alison gone? Oh where, oh where can she be? (6/9/08) RE: WKHZ...yeah, 105.1 seems to blanket the North Ocean City area, but has major nulls at the inlet. However, it is a good move for them-to at least get the O's on the FM. Might mean some more sales though, which I know Billy-Boy would love! If you were across the bay and could not get the signal, they were probably doing work on it-and was running on reduced power. (6/9/08) The Snyder deal did hit the FCC today. I didn't read the whole thing, it looks kinda complicated and boring even for me! HAHA! fjallfoss.fcc.gov (6/9/08) Dave, WKHZ update. We were in Ocean City over the weekend and noted that WKHZ's signal was extremely weak. Our place is just across the bay from their transmitter site and it was difficult to hear. However, their translator on 105.1 appears to blanket the Ocean City area up to Dagsboro, DE. The translator appears to have better coverage than the 1590 signal when it was operating at full power. One wonders if their strategy is to just barely keep the am signal alive to justify the translator. (6/9/08) The only way that Snyder will ever be successful in the radio business is if he buys every signal in town. He needs to be running a business with no competition to win. Sure, the Redskins are financially successful because they are a monopoly. Anything Snyder touches like Six Flags, Johnny Rockets and Red Zebra quickly become business catastrophes because they have competitors. Had Snyder just been patient a few years back, and invested in a full signal FM he would much better off today. The six signals he owns in DC don’t add up to a single decent FM signal. You can read all the rumors you want the next few months but one thing is certain…there is no working business model that can support all of the contracts and salaries of the current 980 stable and John Riggins. Once he figures out how to break those contracts, he will do so. If he can’t get out of the contracts he will just stop paying them, and take his chances in court. He has done this every where he has been, and leopards don’t lose there spots. (6/9/08) Wasn't the song "Timothy" written by Rupert Holmes and dealt with cannibalism? Taste like chiken? Oh no, Joe Radio on wjfk was repeat from previous week. Did O'Meara's b8tching last week about weekend programming bring JoeRadio to an end? I missed The Hideout, was that a repeat Saturday night? Do you think O'Meara was "gaslighting it" all those years with Geronimo and could have cared less about 'em and was just along for the ride while it lasted? Does Tony Perkins want to get back into radio? Is it fair to have a battle of the hotties if you don't show a picture of Tony Perkins without his hairpiece? (6/9/08) I would like to shed some light on the "disappearance" of Laura Ingraham reported earlier this weekend. Saturday night, she was in New York to accept an award for outstanding female broadcaster by Talkers Magazine, so it's possible her "disappearance" meant leaving wherever she is a little early to get to New York, perhaps. As an aside, it's interesting to note that Bob Grant received a lifetime achievement award from Talkers the night before, and the next day, Rev. Al, whom was invited to attend a panel discussion on race and talk radio, was absent. (6/9/08) re: "At the end of the song, following Ted Kennedy’s tearful eulogy to his brother, you hear RFK give the famous “Why Not” statement sans the Shaw attribution.". Huh? No, you need to listen again! That's clearly Teddy ending the eulogy by saying..."Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will some day come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not." (6/9/08) /\ June 9 Messages /\ \/ June 8 Messages \/ The misattribution with the RFK quote may stem from a weird record put out by a DJ back in 1970. His name was Tom Clay and he put a bunch of timely political clips to a bad version of “What The World Need Now” and “Abraham, Martin and John”. At the end of the song, following Ted Kennedy’s tearful eulogy to his brother, you hear RFK give the famous “Why Not” statement sans the Shaw attribution. Check it out here: www.youtube.com. (6/8/08) RE: [ " It has been nice listening to WXPN OTA this morning in Leonardtown. " ]........ I realize its far away too but still lots closer than WXPN so maybe try to checkout WKHS 90.5 from Kent County, MD sometime, see if it comes in. They used to relay WXPN, not sure if they still do. Radio-Locator.com only shows 1 relay, but I'm pretty sure there are more than that. (6/8/08) Dave's response: I do believe that XPN also has a Harrisburg area relay, but I don't know if that would make it to Leonardtown..... Let's congratulate Kerry Cavanaugh and her husband Randolph. They welcomed a healthy 9 lbs. 9 oz baby boy early on Sunday. Mom, dad and baby Rex Patrick are doing well and are resting up today. (6/8/08) To the concerned ear, Classic Country 1250 WKDL is in serious danger of becoming like the former Oldies 950 out of Cabin John. The music is kinda cool to listen to, but there isn't any "stationality" to the thing. No bumps or jingles in and out of music, no semi-serious attempt at voice tracking even a little bit, no weather or local info... it doesnt even have the primary elements that label it as a "local townie". And repetition is beginning to show through - "D.I.V.O.R.C.E.", "The Auctioneer" and "I Like Beer" have rolled through a little too often for one's tastes, much the way "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" did on 950. There is plenty of viable material that should be on the playlist from the Statler Brothers, Charlie McCoy, Buck Owens, Floyd Cramer, Charlie Pride... and tons of songs from the great Country Crossover (1976-81) from Kenny Rogers, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Anne Murray and a bunch of others. I wish WKDL all the success in the world and I'd be happy to step up and help them focus, just to see them succeed. But as it sounds right now, 1250 AM is a lawn dart. (6/8/08) Verizon FiOS TV will make several lineup changes and add many new HD channels this summer. Among the many channel changes: All of the Music Choice audio channels will move to the 1800s and all of the Urge Radio audio channels will move to the 1900s. Among the channel additions: ReelzChannel; RFD-TV; USA HD; ESPNEWS HD; CNN HD; CNBC HD+; and The Weather Channel HD. These channels are also being added in some other FiOS TV markets, including those in Fort Wayne, IN and Portland, OR. (6/8/08) Did anything happen to the Capital Sunday program on WJLA/7? The station is showing some sponsored program called Clear Skies in the slot with Capital Sunday not listed anywhere on the Sunday schedule. Everett W. (6/8/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I noticed that. Looks like "Clear Skies" is some sort of half-hour infomercial for someone. Probably a big energy company or conglomerate of lobbying orgs. You know, when you try to watch any of the Sunday DC talkers, all you get is a plethora of slick "nice guy" ads from a batch of giant oil companies and defense contractors. It's always best to watch the shows - and the ads - before you take your Sunday morning shower..... Sunday Post, page A4, upper left corner, Father's Day ad for Macy's. Maybe its just the photo, but if my Dad dressed like that, I'd take him down to Sears, stuff him into some more manly work clothes then shove him headfirst into the tool department. Metrosexuality died out four years ago. Grow a pair, pappy! (6/8/08) Dave's response: It's Sears' "Gay Dads" Father's Day campaign. "For the dad you never knew. The one in the closet." Brilliant..... May God welcome with open arms two greats who were credits to their profession: Bo Diddley and Jim McKay. Both had heart and passion. Will miss them alot although they are with us very much in spirit. Blessings. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (6/8/08) So sorry to hear about Jim McKay’s passing. Growing upin the 70s, to me Jim WAS the Olympics, plus ABC’s WWoS, of course. A consummate pro. He will be missed. -Brian (6/8/08) I noticed Czaban took down that post about the sale to red zebra on his web site too. Selling out already Czabe????? (6/8/08) Turned on FOX5 tonight (Saturday) and saw Mali Bawa doing a story. Didn't she work for FOX5 awhile back?. I noticed last weekend that FOX5 had a number of new reporters on there. What, does FOX5 now have a freelance weekend crew?.. (6/8/08) /\ June 8 Messages /\ \/ June 7 Messages \/ Unfortunately, it doesn't matter how well mediumwave (AM) radio propagates, if there's nothing on the air to listen to. I remember even 20 years ago, there were many more options. As it is, I'm tempted to tear the damn set out of my car because there's NOTHING worth listening to except WTOP's weather and news on the hour. This comes from someone who started DXing in 1968. Radio is so bland I've given up. Out of inertia I listen to WTEM in the morning and night, but with Snyder buying the station even that is no longer an option. -- You program directors and station owners have RUINED Washington radio. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (6/7/08) Jim McKay's son, Sean McManus, is the president of CBS News and Sports. (Roone Arledge at ABC was the only other broadcast executive to hold both titles.) McKay was primarily a sports journalist but proved that a good reporter is a good reporter when terrorists attacked the 1972 Summer Olympics and he was rushed into on-air service as a hard-news guy. He did a superb job. Check out his account at: www.youtube.com... Sam Litzinger (6/7/08) Did anyone watch the Gymnastics Championships on NBC 4 on Direct TV? The ambient sound was SO loud that you couldn't even hear the announcers? I called NY and they said they heard the audio fine...but when I called Direct TV they said the same thing, that the audio from the crowd was loud? Just curious if anyone else had a problem.. (6/7/08) WMAL uses Accuweather, not WTOP. Elliott Abrams should not be allowed to broadcast. He sounds like could care less and mumbles through every sentence. Mike Stinneford used to work at the Weather Channel, but I guess he is exclusively with ABC 7/WTOP now. I remember him doing weather years ago when WWRC used the Weather Channel. (6/7/08) Godspeed, Jim McKay! He brought so much to his viewers and his community and was, thankfully, rewarded for his efforts in this lifetime. Here's to a life well-lived! - Ed. Rodriguez (6/7/08) I STILL miss Alison Starling! G.E. (6/7/08) There's been some bashing of WTOP this week, much of it, apparently, in the wake of this week's storms. It's important to remember that WTOP has a huge coverage area - a footprint in which millions of people live. It's impossible to cover everything 24/7, though they do as good a job as anyone. Their people don't make very much but love what they do, are dedicated to their craft and to serving their audience as best they can. It's true that sometimes they do things that are silly, superficial and a waste of time, but overall, they do a very fine job. WTOP is like having an old-fashioned news ticker by the bed. When something happens, I'll know about it pretty damn quickly. That's all I want and all I need. Kudos to Farley and Co. (6/7/08) Just a clarification: AccuWeather is based in State College, Pa., not College Park, which is in Maryland (or Georgia, if you're an Atlantan). -- Vincent in Triangle (RIP, Jim McKay). (6/7/08) Some nice audio with Jim McKay is here wbal.com (6/7/08) It has been nice listening to WXPN OTA this morning in Leonardtown. (6/7/08) After that commercial for Radio Smack, I thought I'd post my review of another DTV box with analog pass-through--the Magnavox TB100MG9, sold at K-Mart (this is NOT the same as the Magnavox box sold at WalMart)--disclaimer, this is DIFFERENT from the box advertised at Radio Shack. The Magnavox box taught me two things to look out for if analog pass-through is important to you: 1. Ease of access--you have to go to analog pass-through mode via the menus; very clumsy and not at all intuitive like a VCR (the average VCR gives you analog pass-through just by turning it off). 2. Signal degradation--Since the analog pass-through involves an active circuit, it is subject to overloading, which it does in my location (near the WRBS tower in Baltimore)--the FM signal overloads the circuit and creates interference that wipes out reception of analog channel 9. Other analog channels are significantly snowier through the box. Naturally, none of this means the box sold at RS isn't a gift from God, but it's just a heads up on things to look out for if you intend to receive LPTV stations after the switchover. Personally, after the way Radio Shack has treated me in the past, I don't care if their box is a gift from God, I'm not going to buy it from them. (6/7/08) Dave please let your readers know about this new DTV converter box with analog pass-through made by Radio Shack...... RadioShack Corporation today announced the rollout of the Digital Stream DTX9950 digital converter box with built-in analog pass-through for consumers who wish to continue using analog television sets to receive both digital and analog over-the-air broadcasts when the United States transfers to full-power digital television on Feb. 17, 2009. The DTX9950 will be arriving nationwide starting this week through all RadioShack distribution channels, including 4,500 company stores, more than 1,000 participating dealer stores, RadioShack.com, RadioShack's Direct-to-You ordering system, or RadioShack's special toll-free 1-877-RS-DTV-4U number with free shipping. All full-powered TV stations across the country must switch to digital transmissions in February 2009 with the exception of a test market in Wilmington, N.C., which is converting to digital broadcasts at noon on Sept. 8, 2008. However, low-powered broadcasters such as small community stations are not required to make the switch at this time. The Digital Stream DTX9950 enables consumers who watch full and low-power TV stations to do so without the need to add a splitter or A/B switch to a digital-only converter box. The DTX9950 is approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, making it eligible for the $40 government subsidized coupon program. The price of the DTX9950 is $59.99 (or $19.99 plus tax for customers redeeming a $40 government coupon) in the Continental U.S. NTIA is in charge of administering the TV Converter Box Coupon Program at the direction of Congress. Information about the coupon program is available from http://www.DTV.gov, 1-888-CALL-FCC, http://www.dtv2009.gov or 1-888-DTV-2009. "We're excited to be among the first national retailers -- as well as the largest in terms of the sheer number of retail outlets and distribution channels -- to offer a digital converter box with a built-in analog pass-through," said Peter Whitsett, RadioShack's executive vice president, general merchandising manager. "Although most research indicates a minority of households actually require such a feature, we've found some customers visiting our neighborhood stores for advice are confused over what kind of box they actually need. This alleviates any uncertainty, at no additional cost. "The DTX9950 also allows us to deliver a complete digital transition solution, whether it be over-the-air reception of digital and analog signals, satellite television or cable subscription services, or simply a new television. In addition, customers living along our northern and southern borders who wish to continue enjoying analog television broadcasts from Canada or Mexico will benefit from this converter box, because those countries are not converting to digital signals on the same schedule as the U.S." Features of the new Digital Stream DTX9950 include: -- A simple interface capable of receiving both digital and analog broadcast signals -- Fully compliant with ATSC standards -- Energy Star compliant -- Contains the parental control V-chip -- Offers advanced closed caption -- Includes both English and Spanish on-screen display menu -- Channel 3 / 4 output for analog conventional TV -- High-quality composite video / L/R audio output -- Support of current program information -- Comes with a universal remote control (6/7/08) To clarify Carl's comments on mediumwave propagation, the difference between daytime and nighttime propagation is the formation of an additional layer of ionization below the layers that reflect MW at night. This layer absorbs MW signals to the point that they don't make it back down. So, during the day, there's only one method for propagating MW, groundwave, which dies away much more quickly than skywave does. Since there is no practical method for transmitting only a groundwave signal, most MW stations have to limit total radiation in certain directions, all directions, or sign off completely to protect each other at night. How this applies to diffecrent classes of stations is in a separate post. (6/7/08) Re: "So how do you know that, since WTOP didn't mention it?" OMG--Will you freakin' READ what you quoted? It's right there in front of your eyes. It's not WTOP's mistake, it's your failure to comprehend. (6/7/08) The person who is trying to kick up a storm about WIOO's application is still not 100% right. Yes, their application was defective to WOLB's licensed facilities - which AT THE TIME of the application was the old 1 kW site. That's why WIOO went to the trouble of documenting WOLB's total abandonment of that site. WOLB's new 250 watt site was not licensed just a few weeks ago. Note that WIOO's application fully protects WOLB now. Regards, Dave Loudin (6/7/08) From a previous post ".....While WTOP did previously use the Weather Channel in Atlanta, they haven't for a year and a half now. They do though get forecasts from Accuweather in College Park, PA for small portions of the overnight and you CAN hear those weather guys on other big stations such as WINS and I "think" WBZ..."....if you mean Elliot Abrams, he also did "accu-weather" many many years ago not only on Buffalo's old WKBW 1520 but also on Denver's top 40 legend KIMN 95 as well. Even though the weather folks at ABC 7 WJLA only do weather for WTOP, I seem to remember back in the 80s when then-WDVM some of their weatherfolks did indeed do weather for a number of stations some of which was well outside of DC. Gordon Barnes I am pretty sure did weather for Front Royal's WFTR while in nearby Winchester, Bill Kamal did the weather for WINC-AM/FM. Plus I believe both did weather for a few stations in Florida too. But I think both did it on their own time and WDVM didn't have anything to do with either. (6/7/08) Why couldn't lil' danny pay more attention to his 6 flags debacle or his wife's health issues and leave well enough alone? I've gone from a Dreadskin fan in my yute in the 60's to a true Dreadskin hater at this point and hope they lose miserably from now on. And I'll never go to a game nor buy Dreadskin merchandise, hell I'll try to avoid all things Dreadskins from now on. Riggin's may be critical at times of the Dreadskin's but is a mediocre, at best, sports talk show host, especially with his lack of knowledge of other sports. Then again I guess the objective of Dread Zebra network is all things dreadskins. And was larry michael this bad and such an effing homer at his previous jobs? Has any other NFL owner gone to the extent of the wee 1 to control as much of the media in a town? I believe the wee 1 was quoted in a newspaper article that he had considered making a run at WaPo . Meanwhile, a Nick Charles siting. Was watching Comcast Sports net a week or so ago and they were running some boxing matches from Madison Square Garden. The talent seemed pretty poor but it was definitely Charles calling the matches. Don't know how old the matches were. Comcast does seem to run stuff up to a couple years old in terms of boxing matches. Can you say cheap filler till the infomercials kick in. And as for the O'Meara show ah eff it....Czban is the only one in town who's got some of that old Don Geronimo pizzazzzzzzz. Is Chick Hernandez sporting a huge ear ring these days? I didn't know he wanted to be a pirate. Can I send him a puffy shirt? On last week's edition of Joe RaDIO, Joe said that the WJFk sales boss had told him to cut out the stuff about $20 bucks for a 30 second spot on his show. Damn, I was looking forward to a few DCRTV spots on wjfk! Does WAMU still host that annual bluegrass concert anymore? (6/7/08) So a day after Steve Czabin writes the following reaction to the acquisition of 980 by Red Zebra, his site undergoes a complete revamp and the reaction is gone. So is much of his criticism of the Redskins and Snyder. Could this be a result of Czabin being asked nicely by the new bosses to change his message even apart from the 980 signal? You can, at least for now, still read it here... And reproduced here for posterity: "The amazing, has happened. Almost unthinkable. But in radio, hey, it never gets boring. Red Zebra Broadcasting (aka The Dan Snyder Redskins Network) has purchased my home station here in D.C. – Sportstalk 980. You can read their spin on it here, and you can read Washington Post blogger Dan Steinberg here (along with many pretty funny posts about my imminent "demise" from the airwaves). Also, post media critic Len Shapiro thinks the idea is awful. Well, before you think I'm going to be made to walk the plank because of my past, unflinching critiques of Snyder, hold the phone. You never know. I mean, seriously folks. This is business, right? I have an audience, right? Do you really want to start a new business venture and throw out an asset that will hurt your bottom line only on a grudge? Hell, Marty Schottenheimer said he could never work for Dan Snyder. Then the two had dinner. Next thing you know he's making Bruce Smith do the "Oklahoma drill." But if it doesn't work out, I have always wanted to be "bought out" of a contract. In fact, it's every guy's dream. Like a no-show job with Tony Soprano's crew down at the docks. Oh, sure, I have a million questions like you listeners do. My first one is: "Do I get a discount on Six Flags tickets?" Perhaps my national show will survive on Sportstalk 980, but I doubt it. ESPN has heavy leverage, and what they want, they usually get. So looks like Mike and Mike again in the morning. Bummer. Would Snyder keep my national show on one of the "lesser" AM stations? Would Andy and I stay together on one of them? Look folks, I have no idea. Should be interesting. Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl has just pulled up along side our good ship 980, and all hell is about to break loose. I'm gonna grab the nearest saber and start climbing the mast. Wish me luck. I'll be writing a lot more about this right here, at Czabe.com." Jeff in Fairfax (6/7/08) ***A 57-year-old 62-year-old from Delaware Annandale...? WTF? Maybe if they'd (WTOP) can their moronic patter and pay a little attention to what they're doing ... *** Yeah... we were all thinking that about your mother right after you were born! (6/7/08) In response to Carl in Olney, I must correct his inaccurate information. WTOP gets weather from Channel 7. Doug Hill, Chris Naille, Mike Stinneford, Adam Caskey, Brian van de Graff, Joe Witte, and Ryan Miller are all with Channel 7. They all are based out of Arlington, VA, not in another state and the weather folks do NOT appear in other radio markets. While WTOP did previously use the Weather Channel in Atlanta, they haven't for a year and a half now. They do though get forecasts from Accuweather in College Park, PA for small portions of the overnight and you CAN hear those weather guys on other big stations such as WINS and I "think" WBZ. (6/7/08) /\ June 7 Messages /\ \/ June 6 Messages \/ RE: Quote: "I have to agree, Bilderberg is a huge story. However, if you cant get to the pages of the book,you have no story to tell....I am sure there is lots of talk about "direction" going on in Chantilly, but unfortunately, it is all "off the record." >> So what kind of excuse is that not to even acknowledge it's occurance?? On not a single newscast? When the Vatican convenes to select a new Pope, they go into similar seclusion, but it's still a covered news item. Hell, even when Bush goes on vacation, we may not see him fish, but we always seem to hear what size he caught. Puh-leeze... the point is, top heads of state and major corp execs convene right here, and the journalism goes out the window. You mean to say it doesn't even merit a half-minute mention with some B-Roll of the Mariott, and maybe a shot or two of the protesters? Why the hell not? Have the news producers been threatened with "Gitmo" if they breathe a word of it??? Puh-leeze, again... (6/6/08) So Bill Hess goes back to WBIG from WTEM and the other two AM's. The WTEM staff was hired or contracted with Clear Channel, not WTEM. What's to stop CC from moving the sportstalk format to WBIG and take all the "talent" with them? If the billing for WBIG with it's current format is that much more substantial (excluding the Redskins games) than WTEM, it is only a testament to the salestaff, not the programming. They could have a blowtorch of a sportstalk station, giving them better coverage 24/7, thus better revenue potential. Of course it IS cheaper to operate WBIG with its current format and smaller staff, meaning no need to hustle for more revenue...oh yeah, and let's not forget an easy out on lifetime contracts. (6/6/08) Dave's response: From what I've heard, Snyder was offered just the technical facilities of 980 but he also wanted the "intellectual property." So he now owns the sports talk format and the personalities that make up SportsTalk 980. I would imagine that if Clear Channel turned around and started a sports talker on one of their DC FMers, Snyder would have a good legal case against them..... Re: " A note to the WTOP hater: The info on the dead man is correct. The Delaware man was a passenger in the SUV. The Annandale guy was driving... and was injured." So how do you know that, since WTOP didn't mention it? Got the full story from a real news outlet, right? Thanks for making my point for me. (6/6/08) I'm giving 1250 Classic Country a chance today. On the web, not bad but a little gappy between songs. And the automation rig has been cutting off the end of short audio files, like it did today at 5:06PM when it declared: "Classic Count...", and no, it wasn't pronounced "kownt". (6/6/08) I am not sure, but I believe that even though every weather person on WTOP says, "ABC 7 Meteorologist..." only a few actually work at WJLA/NewsChannel 8. Most of them seem to me to still be from the Weather Channel, since I hear their names on stations in other cities. Also: when WIOO in Carlisle, PA, moves from from 1000 kc to 1010 kc (I like the traditional abbreviations), will it change its call letters to WIOI? Unfortunately, no, because that is already being used by a station broadcasting at 1010 kc in Portsmouth, OH (tip o' the hat to Wikipedia). And finally, to give a straight answer to the question about why some AM stations power down at night, (even though 98% of us already know, but it has to be passed down through the generations), electrical signals in the range of 530-1710 KHz (okay, back to modern spelling) reflect off the ionosphere at night like it's a mirror, but the daytime sunlight causes it to break up and act les s like a mirror. When the stations are NOT reflected (during the day), they only travel the distance that they can go until the horizon curves and land is no longer along nearly a straight line. At night, they are reflected and travel straight, then hit the "mirror" and reflect back to the ground again. So a typical high-power US AM station can travel up to 1,200 miles. A typical 5,000 watt station can travel about 300 miles, I believe. So 1) some stations go off completely at night or down to 50 Watts so that the 50,000 Watt stations can continue to travel all over without interference. 2) Others transmit directionally so that they do not interfere with stations a couple of hundred miles away. In addition, stations at night fade in and out partly because of random interference from other stations on the same frequency, partly because their ground wave is first in sync with, then out of sync with, their reflected wave, causing adding and subtracting of the amplitude. Shortwa ve stations reflect even more on higher layers of ionized atmosphere so they can be heard all around the world and shortwave is set where it is because some frequencies reflect well at night, and some frequencies reflect well during the day. Our FM stations (88-108 MHz) hardly ever reflect except under rare conditions because of their even higher frequencies, so all stations can be 50,000 Watts or more, except in the US some frequencies are reserved for a maximum of 6,000 Watts to allow more stations to exist, since a 50,000 W FM ground wave travels up to 75-100 miles but a 6,000 W FM ground wave travels only about 30-50 miles. And if my facts are off by 5 or 10%, I'll admit it in advance. And one last thing: Speaking of ABC 7, in Philadelphia it's 6 ABC, because saying it the other way would make people think about losing their lunch over the boat railing. -- Carl in Olney (6/6/08) A note to the WTOP hater: The info on the dead man is correct. The Delaware man was a passenger in the SUV. The Annandale guy was driving... and was injured. (6/6/08) I have to agree, Bilderberg is a huge story. However, if you cant get to the pages of the book, you have no story to tell. Conspiracy theorists unite! Why does John McCain have nothing on his schedule this weekend? Where is Senator Obama, today? Was Jim Webb out of the office today? How many times were the words "Well, he is an idiot" used when President Bush's name came up? Any jets from Africa parked at Dulles? Did the desk clerks get sick of people calling down saying their name was "Anders?" Is Bono right here in Fairfax County? With the lamest of lame duck Presidents, I am sure there is lots of talk about "direction" going on in Chantilly, but unfortunately, it is all "off the record." (6/6/08) OK, it's been two days since the storms rolled through the area. Seems to me that even a crap station like WTOP should be able to get the story straight by now. This is from their web site: "Weather Fatality A 57-year-old Delaware man was killed when a tree fell and crushed the 1995 Toyota 4Runner he was riding in. Huu Dai Pham was killed instantly. The driver, a 62-year-old Annandale man, was driving south on Hummer Road just past Gallows Road around 3:10 p.m." A 57-year-old 62-year-old from Delaware Annandale...? WTF? Maybe if they'd can their moronic patter and pay a little attention to what they're doing ... (6/6/08) Interesting that Ted Leonsis, on his blog "Ted's Take" was all for Snyder's purchase of WTEM. Even given that some WTEM hosts treated the Caps horribly and the team actually left the station for greener pastures, one would think that the other sports owners in town would be concerned that the big Redskins machine will now swallow WTEM even more than it already has. Will baseball, basketball and hockey EVER be discussed on WTEM once Danny Boy takes over? And what about game broadcasts? The Caps and the Nats are sitting pretty at 3WT but the case of the Wiz is interesting. I'm not sure how much longer the Wizards deal with WTEM is, but it has been reported that Abe Pollin's disdain for Danny Boy Snyder is pretty strong. And what local pro team would want Danny Boy controlling their broadcasts? (6/6/08) ''Ooompa Loompa, I'm buying all the sports stations so the hell with you.''- Daniel Synder-King of the Oompa Loompas! Paul (6/6/08) Despite WTEM dialing back to 5,000 watts at night, I can still pick them up, granted in and out and not exactly listenable for long stretches, in Winchester. Oddly, they must have been doing some testing or repairs a couple of weeks ago, because it was a tough catch for the Dan Patrick Show a couple of those mornings. Charles in Winchester (6/6/08) Dave's response: With the right ionospheric conditions at night, even a 5,000-watt AM signal can go hundreds or thousands of miles. Oddly, old 980 is probably easier to hear after sunset in rural Winchester than in parts of western Fairfax County, with all its suburban sprawl and related electronic "white noise"..... (I would have called Paul Farhi, but then I got high...) because I am telling you, that Big O and Dukes can no longer take IM's during their show, per management instructions.... Chuck Liddell (6/6/08) Hey if Larry Michael is on 6 stations at the same time does that mean it's a 5.1 surround sound broadcast? Do I need special equipment for this? Regards Biff (6/6/08) Dave's response: Yes, earplugs..... (Question) Does anyone know why radio stations “power down”? (end) Yes, because the antenna and transmitter are too embarrassed to continue broadcasting lame s%!+ after sunset. (6/6/08) Hear Nick Spitzer’s 2002 interview with Bo Diddley on WAMU-FM 88.5 this Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 6:00 PM. Rock n’ Roll icon Bo Diddley (Ellas Bates McDaniel) passed away on June 2nd. Bo Diddley lived here in Washington, DC in the early 1960s, worked with local musicians, and recorded the classic Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger in his basement at 2614 Rhode Island Avenue, NE. Nick Spitzer lived on DC's Capitol Hill when he produced Folk Masters public radio show of concerts from Wolf Trap. For the last ten years he has produced the weekly American Routes show from New Orleans. The two-hour program is distributed by American Public Media and XM Radio. American Routes is usually heard on WAMU's HD-2 channel, so this is an all-too-rare chance to hear it on WAMU-FM’s main (HD-1) frequency, 88.5. More details at notionscapital.wordpress.com (6/6/08) One for the "Why Isn't This A Story?" department--- the confab of elites called Bilderberg going on at the Marriott in Chantilly,VA right now has had, so far as can be told absolute ZERO mention anywhere save for here on good ol'DCRTV, and some assorted blogs, like Wonkette: wonkette.com... wonkette.com... Meantime, it seems to have totally escaped the media's attention that Obama decided to hang around this area starting yesterday, just as one of his advisors is attending the confab. canadafreepress.com... And before you start thinking it's all imagined, get a load of the scene yesterday:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlgY6C2Pb4c The organization themselves even issued a legit press release put out Thursday, the only public comment they ever make: www.businesswire.com... All of which leads one to ask: What kind of wusses are you all with the news orgs? Granted, there may not exactly be any kittens being boiled inside the place, but when you've got folks like Kissinger, Gates, and God-knows how many Rockefellers in one building, plus the other stuff in the vicinity, you all go deaf and dumb. You guys & gals couldn't connect a shoelace much less the any of the dots here. What, no nerve? Or did the corporate memos say "ixnay on the ilderberg-bay?" So coming around full circle: "Why Isn't This A Story???" (6/6/08) Excuse me, but where do some Mailbaggers get off calling Chris Core a lightweight? Is this because he doesn't agree with you as fervently as you'd like? Is it because he didn't foam at the mouth like some 'heavyweights' in Talk Radio? I listened to Core when he was partnered with Bill Trumbull (Hi, Bill!), and with Brooke Gladstone (?), and he's always been honest, articulate and gently humorous. A good antidote to Washington's usual bombast on the air. Frankly, I'd appreciate it if he'd get a job with B'more's WBAL. I'd start listening to it again. (6/6/08) Then & Now: David Muir soupcans.blogspot.com (6/6/08) Isn't there something quite hypocritical about a fat righty radio talker - who avoided Vietnam-era military service due to an anal cyst - "waxing eloquent" today about the anniversary of D-Day? (6/6/09) I hate to keep saying Tech guru Dave Loudin is wrong all the time (since I'm not an engineer nor do I play one on TV and I'm sure Dave has a radio/TV engineering backround and does know what he's talking about better than I do), but this is directly from the horse's mouth (Radio One)...... "Figure 1B contains a map showing the present and proposed contour overlap between this proposal and the application of WIOO, Carlisle, Pennsylvania to change frequency to 1010 kilohertz. As can be seen, the application of WIOO is defective in that there exist prohibitive overlap between the WIOO application and the license facilities of WOLB. No attempt in the application of WIOO has been made to protect the licensed facilities of WOLB. The WIOO application is defective and should be returned." Those are Radio One's words, not mine. Guess who won that FCC battle? NOPE, NOT RADIO ONE! (6/6/08) FUCK SNYDER, the redskins have 16 games per year, so he’s spending all this money on 16 days of 365. Skins fans will either be at the games or watching on TV, very few people I’d think listen on the radio and even if they do, it’s only 16 times per year. By the way, does anyone know why radio stations “power down”? (6/6/08) Last time I heard WYRE (this morning) they were running running WKHZ's feed, complete with commercials. They also id'ed a couple of FM translators in Ocean Pines. The ID and most of the commercials were done by some guy with the most annoying MD accent that I've ever heard this side of Dundalk. (6/6/08) Speaking of WYRe-are they still running that simulcast from Ocean City. I'd listen, but frankly-its not worth me hitting a button on my radio. Last time I heard, they were running a web-feed of an OC station. No commercials, just a bunch of tired music and really bad jingles. (6/6/08) The Washington Times did away with their "Washington Weekend" months ago. I like the Times new format, but would rather have the Saturday edition. (and what's the big deal about the free online edition for regular subscribers?) (6/6/08) To the apologists for Radio One, it should be noted that the ONLY REASON Radio One's WOLB is 250 watts is because Radio One refused to invest in more than 1 tower being built in order to go directional at 1000 watts, even though the property they purchased for both WWIN and WOLB has plenty of room to support 2-3 such structures. Also, the completion of just that one tower & that construction permit was dragged out as long as humanly possible (I imagine for funding reasons), hence WIOO's complaints to the FCC regarding Radio One being in default of its FCC license. Since I've driven past the new Radio One WOLB site, obviously I know something that others reading the FCC apps don't and have been watching this WIOO situation since day 1. And yes the existing site has been sold so there will never be a 1000 watt WOLB ever again. Whether there will be interference in northwest Baltimore is debatable, and I'll defer to tech guru Dave Loudin on that one, but one thing is for sure. WOLB will not have a strong signal in northwest Baltimore anymore towards this new 5000 watt AM 1010. That much is indisputable. And dare I say it, without Radio One doing their necessary facilities replacements "on the cheap", there would probably not be a new 5000 watt AM 1010 so close by in southern PA at all. In a completely unrelated strange FCC note, Salem's WAVA AM 780 is going to move to 94.7 The GLOBE's auxiliary tower in Maryland. No increase in power, but just the move alone makes WAVA 780 much more of a DC/Maryland signal. Odd move, my only thought is the land for the current site must be quite valuable and this is another cost cutting move also? And to Tom Conroy, as far as I know the WBGR 860 facility at the end of Back River is still operational and WYRE intends to use 2 of the towers I believe. But, how those 3 towers survived the Isabel storm has always been a great mystery to me. They would have had to have been completely submerged in Chesapeake Bay water if I had water creeping up my yard less than a mile away inland! HAha! :-) (6/6/08) Doesn't 980 power down at night?? I have a much easier time listening to the Riggins Show on 94.3 than Czaban/Polin on 980. The reason for Snyder's purchase of this stick is 980's talent, much better than Triple X's. Michael is Snyder's message spreader and he's not very good at it. Cowherd is unlistenable. Mike and Mike are as awful as can be imagined. Riggins makes a much better fullback than radio host. The Redskins in-season gameday marathon is actually okay although it would be better without Michael. Wilbon/Korny's PTI as a radio show is the best product on the station. Talent, not signal the reason for this purchase. (6/6/08) Dave's response: Yes, 980 goes from 50,000-watts to 5,000-watts at sunset. And it also runs a directional pattern that does not favor Northern Virginia and points west of the Hyattsville transmitter..... Resurrection of "The Listener" -- Already! Marc Fisher's blog is home to a new "Listener" column on Snyder and the WTEM purchase: "(The Listener, not yet dead even one week, couldn't stay silent. He's back, if only in blog form....) ... This is a big football town, but it is far more than that--a reality that is hardly reflected on Redskins Radio. So what might the other owners do about it? Surely they're not going to go out and buy their own radio stations--or maybe they should. The best solution, of course, would be for some other entrepreneur to come along and create an independent, feisty alternative to Redskins Radio. But starting up a radio station with local content is expensive, and given the troubles that commercial radio are in these days, this is not a likely scenario. So for now, Snyder has plenty of running room. Like it or not, he is winning in his effort to control the story. Will fans notice or care? I believe they eventually will--not in a way that leads them to protest or demand change, but in a far more destructive way. Over time, they will just care that much less. Without powerful, even aggressive, arguments about the wisdom or boneheadedness of team owners, coaches and players, the emotional bonds that fans form with teams start to fade." (6/6/08) While I agree that Chris Core is a lightweight, he wasn't completely wrong in attributing the line "Some men see things as they are and say 'why?'; I dream things that never were and say 'why not?'" to Bobby Kennedy, and RFK didn't "rip off" George Bernard Shaw. The original Shaw quote was "You see things and you say 'why?' But I dream things that never were,and I say 'why not?" On the 1968 campaign trail RFK paraphrased Shaw at the conclusion of his stump speech, beginning with "As George Bernard Shaw once said..." Hardly a rip off when you give full credit to the author, huh? Anyway, most Americans around today never heard RFK say the line -- they're probably much more familiar with the film of Ted Kennedy repeating it in his eulogy of Bobby. Dave in Sterling (6/6/08) Dude, I was watching channel 2 yesterday (I know right?) and there's a chick on there named Karen Redmond. She's hot! Do you know where she came from? I usually check this site for radio news so I wanted to see if she was mentioned. And what happened to the traffic chick on fox45? (6/6/08) Media Marriage #3: WRNR-AM (Martinsburg) news anchor Kelsey Reichard was married to her husband, Chip on May 31st. He is a fifth-grade school teacher in Martinsburg. (6/6/08) Apparently they are dropping like flies at the Clear Channel San Francisco cluster since the arrival of Dave "the Hatchet Man" Pugh. Apparently jobs are being cut left and right and everyone in SF radio can't believe the cuts have been so deep and so swift. Sound familiar??? (6/6/08) This morning, Tony Perkins said that he co-hosted with Mike O'Meara yesterday. Anyone hear it and if so, how was it?? (6/6/08) Dave's response: I heard some of it and Tony absolutely sucked. Just kidding. He was pretty good. You'll recall, that Tony's done radio before. KYS and PGC, I do believe..... ".......If he was actually allowed to be a good PD, he'd be doing it. His function is merely to be a deejay and a satellite operator......." - I don't think anyone disputes that. The only question that has been brought up here is: How does Citadel justify his salary? They are cutting salaries, and people in every department except his. It simply makes no sense. They don't really need a PD or live afternoon DJ. The ratings certainly don't reflect his genius abilities. He is only doing the work of a part time manager. They could use that same money and beef up the sales department. Someone at WMAL could easily take over the administrative duties. Another couple of hours of Scott Shannon wouldn't drive the listeners away. They could save a lot of money. (6/6/08) In my first week of subscribing to the publication since several years ago, I don't think I saw a Washington Weekend section. Used to be part of the Thursday paper. Has the Times done away with the Weekend section. It wasn't in today's first Friday/Saturday edition of the Times. Maybe some Mailbag readers can fill me in? Christian (6/6/08) The whole Bill Hess back to BIG thing. Here's my take. CC gets rid of their AM's that Billy was "programming" in addition to his "programming" of WASH. Now that the AM's are gone, they weren't going to let him program just one FM. Billy is a good order taker, so they figured they would let him take orders for both FM's. I'm sure it is a shorter walk for Billy from one studio on the 6th to another then to take that elevator trip down to the fourth. Steve Allan is a victim of circumstance at WJZW. If he was actually allowed to be a good PD, he'd be doing it. His function is merely to be a deejay and a satellite operator. (6/6/08) Steve Allen-didn't he compose 'This Could Be The Start of Something BIG?' Best wishes to Peggy Lee. In fact, best wishes to all who have been downsized by the local powers that be. Tom Moore doing Frankie, eh? I should lend him my trenchcoat-nice prop. -7 East Lexington Rat (6/6/08) Washington Times new design: hate it, but I'll give it a couple weeks just like a new radio show. Stephen Hunter's review of "Zohan" in today's Post is just a big steaming tub of bile. My review of the review: It appears the author was assigned a movie and rather than than accept the fact that the movie is a light summer fun movie meant to be entertaining, he put his critic hat on and dragged out as many politically correct criticisms as possible. He's also jealous of and possibly hot for Adam Sandler's body in the movie. You could do it too, Stephen. It's called a gym membership, Stephen. May I call you Stephen? Anyway, Sandler's physique is back to normal now, so cool your jets, Teddy Bear. --- Biff from Burke (6/6/08) The folks at WIOO took pictures of WOLB's old site to demonstrate conclusively to the FCC that Radio One had permanently abandoned that site, as at the time of WIOO's filing, WOLB did not have a license to cover operations at their new site. Otherwise, WIOO would have had to engineer their antenna array to protect WOLB's non-existent 1 kW signal. Why did Radio One only apply for 250 watts for daytime power at the new site? Because of the current protection standards, which also apply to WIOO's application. If you had the time to find the pictures in WIOO's application, you should have found the co-channel protection exhibit that demonstrates that WIOO's proposed operation would not interfere with WOLB's new operations. Regards, Dave Loudin (6/6/08) I read with interest the posting concerning WOLB and WIOO. At first glance, one might believe a 5 KW signal from nearby south-central Pa may impact Baltimore, not so. WIOO will go from 1kw, non directional, to 5kw directional, on a three tower array. You'll note that the site in well north of Baltimore, a few miles below Harrisburg. Take a look at the plot, it is due NORTH, away from Baltimore. Though nighttime is complete opposite, 60 watts won't be an issue, especially with a strong 50kw from New York booming in. It is amazing how directional a directional array can be. It takes only a short drive around most any directional system to discover the null, and the tight patterns (for those sites properly maintained). So, WOLB won't be affected based on this information, and there is likely a good reason behind the scenes why WOLB is now at 250 watts. They do have an application in for 1kw non-directional from the existing site. Also, has WYRE ever moved to the old WBGR site at the head of Back River? They did have a CP to change city of license to Essex Md.(And may still have) Tom Conroy (6/6/08) "Dave's response: From what I understand, Don [Geronimo] had a non-compete clause in his CBS Radio contract which prevents him from joining XM in the near-term....." Dave, perhaps you were too busy pinning up telephotos of Paul Farhi on your wall and doing benchpresses (it's a Seinfeld reference, people) to listen to Don's last show, wherein he mentioned he had had discussions with the BBC for a music show. BBC has a channel on XM, and what does DCRTV hear about whether the non-compete covers _broadcast radio_ outside the USA which might or might not be broadcast on satellite or streamed? His contract would be with the Beeb, not XM. Booyah, ---- Biff from Burke (6/6/08) Dave's response: The BBC channel on XM is the BBC World Service. It's a hard news and current events channel. I can't see Don reporting on the latest developments from Tehran, can you? Maybe spinning oldies platters for BBC Radio 2. Damn, how did you know I had a picture of Paul Farhi on my wall? Nice of him to send me one of him shirtless. Whoops, shouldn't have said that. Oh nevermind..... Bill Hess in charge of WBIG. Makes sense. Let's put they guy that drove WBIG into the ground back in charge. Steve Allen has got to be rolling his eyes and chuckling. Never mind what was I thinking there are no PD's at Clear Channel anymore, just order takers. Shoot even their HD2 is directly programmed by corporate headquarters. (6/6/08) /\ June 6 Messages /\ \/ June 5 Messages \/ Chris Core isn't the brightest bulb - Wow, did that poster nail it. Neurotic, self-important dope might be more concise though. (6/5/08) Geez, just when you thought news for Radio One couldn't get worse, the FCC just approved a 5000 watt AM station on AM 1010 in south central PA, same frequency as WOLB Baltimore! And Radio One recently downgraded WOLB from 1000 watts to 250 watts day and 30 watts night. Just try picking up WOLB in northwest Baltimore at night after this goes through. I wouldn't even be surprised if there's interference daytime even in Owings Mills! My favorite part of this deal though is that the WIOO AM 1010 people actually came down to Baltimore city and took pics of the FOR SALE sign on the abandoned transmitter property claiming Radio One had abandoned its AM radio license! That's not what got the new AM 1010 FCC approved, but Radio One really is a mess because I don't think they even attempted to fight this proposal or defend their Baltimore station's signal. (6/5/08) After yesterday’s storms, I must echo the question participation in EAS. Whenever WTOP went to duck farts and did their thing, I punched to WMAL to see what the former EBS CPCS-1 doing. Yep, the sat talk went on without interruption. I hope I simply didn’t stay tuned long enough. Also, in the alerts that NOAA was sounding off with, they talked about listeners getting info from “commercial radio and television”. Why bother? With the likely exception of WTOP, does anybody else hereabouts have a 24X7 radio news operation? And, as for TV, between the apparent lack of battery-powered DTV’s (Has anybody seen ‘em at the big boxes or elsewhere?) and the reduced coverage offered by ATSC, will DTV be a viable medium for information in a disaster? And, yes I meant “Rupert” when I typed “Malcolm”. Senior moment! Unsigned Corporate Suit (6/5/08) Chris Core isn't the brightest bulb. Today, in one of his more pretentious commentaries (on Robert F. Kennedy), he attributed the line "Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not" to RFK; had Core done his homework, he would have known that George Bernard Shaw said that - and was ripped off by Bobby. The only reason Core's on WTOP is that he works for less than Mike Buchanan. WTOP: ya get what ya pay for. (6/5/08) As one who does listen to the local AM Washington stations, it is a sad day that “little Danny” has pretty much taken over the band. Little man/ big ego – not a good combination. A poor radio market just got worse with Danny’s purchase of the CC’s AM stations. I guess that my radio will be off most of the time. Please Arbitron send me a diary and I will tell what I think about these new developments – NO LISTENIG!!. (6/5/08) RE: [ " comment from a well-respected DC Chief Engineer: Red Zebra would have had better 24 hour DC metro coverage had they purchased 104.1, instead of all these AM stations and their rim shot FM's. " ]....... What if Dannyboy still owns that property near Dulles next to where the new as yet unapproved 50,000 watt WAGE 1190 wants to move and where he previously wanted to re-locate AM 730 before the FCC informed him Bennet Zier's crack engineering people were actually on crack? Hmmmmm. Maybe Dannyboy could 50,000 watt WTEM 980 BOTH day AND NIGHT from there?? I wonder. That would certainly solve all the Virginia signal probs and he'd probably then just sell the FMs, which still hold lots of value. Oh, and for conspiracy fans, lets not forget Clear Channel also owns the nearest other AM 1260, the AM 1260 in Delaware is on permanent STA and has not had a single standing tower in OVER a decade, and the WWRC 1260 facility is on life support! Face it Washingtonians, the only reason AM radio is dead in DC is because except for really 3 AM signals which have been well maintained, the majority of DC's AM faclities are decaying faster than their listeners and DC stands out as maybe the ONLY really large market where that is the case. Sad, really. (6/5/08) Announcing "Press Night" for the brand new "Golden Triangle Cabaret" at Ozio Bar, 1315 M St, NW, Washington, DC. Singer and WCBM talk show host Tom Moore will sing Sinatra tunes and emcee a 40s style cabaret also featuring burlesque performance, jazz saxaphone, swing dancing, and a magic show. From 7 to 11pm. To get on press list please RSVP to this email. Space is limited so please act soon. tommooreradio@yahoo.com (6/5/08) ("_______Couldn't Citadel do the same thing with WJZW?_____) I agree. From a business stand point, and a morale stand point, this is probably a good time to spread the wealth. I am not in sales, but if I were, it would certainly boost my morale to get paid a little more for working so hard. It would actually be revenue neutral to generate some extra cash by eliminating dead wood. (6/5/08) I feel badly for anyone that is out of a job (re: Big 100), but when will the powers that be realize that people don't want to hear the same songs every day - it causes burnout. With WBIG there are over 40 years of "Classic Hits" / Classic Rock to choose from, so why play "Sweet Home Alabama", "Love in an Elevator", Small Town", "Levon", "More Than A Feeling", etc., every day, and likely every 12 hours? Also I think that a big problem is that stations are using consultants (instead of local market knowledgeable people) that do their generic market research and choose music that may play well in one market, but not in this market. Back when PD's were in charge of the flow AND the music, the research was specific to the market that the station was in. One of my early jobs was doing market research that included polling, working with record stores, etc. Until stations start doing this kind of thing again over the out of touch choices of long distance consultants, wide-spread formats like classic rock / hits will struggle because the stations are not market specific in their music selection. To me it's basically canned radio, just like the old sat services like Jones, and they never do very well in big markets because they are so generic. (6/5/08) I DON'T miss Alison Starling. Channel 7 needs to find a permanent 5 PM anchor like Julie Parker and stop using Alison twice a day or doing the revolving door of empty headed, cheerleader types who stare into the camera like a deer caught in the headlights. The 2 new blondes they have on there may be easy on the eyes but they're horrible anchors. Paul (6/5/08) "Dear Dave: You write, '980's night coverage here in Reston is pretty bad, and I'd suspect it's even worse out at Redskins Park in Ashburn.....' WTEM's nighttime signal is pretty much nonexistent out here West of Wild Western Fairfax County. However, AM 570 isn't too bad out here. One thing for sure is that it was a much different story years ago when the 'Skins were on WMAL. Problems receiving that signal were rare. Now with the sale of WTEM, what happens to programming that doesn't center around the Redskins? Does Phil Wood's Saturday morning baseball show go by the wayside? Will whatever meager discussions there currently are about all things not Redskins-related diminish even further? Again, Dave, a great site! Sincerely, Joe Kasell." Joe, Joe, don't be subversive and get with the program! You know you're not supposed to care about such things -- the D.C. sports media tells us so. -- Vincent in Triangle (6/5/08) Danny-boy has the right idea. If you have a team that is not a legitimate contender, you buy up all the local radio stations , so at least you can make people think they are. If they don't get him a Superbowl ring this year the TV stations and newspapers better look out. They will be next. (6/5/08) ".........Along with WBIG Promotions Director Kelli Sartwell. Bill Hess, who programs CC's adult contemporary WASH, and Kathy Lennhoff, who handles promotions for WASH, will now add WBIG to their list of chores......" Couldn't Citadel do the same thing with WJZW? Surely that would save them a lot of money. I can't believe they haven't thought about it. That would free up money for other things. (6/5/08) comment from a well-respected DC Chief Engineer: Red Zebra would have had better 24 hour DC metro coverage had they purchased 104.1, instead of all these AM stations and their rim shot FM's. (6/5/08) Dear Dave: You write, "980's night coverage here in Reston is pretty bad, and I'd suspect it's even worse out at Redskins Park in Ashburn....." WTEM's nighttime signal is pretty much nonexistent out here West of Wild Western Fairfax County. However, AM 570 isn't too bad out here. One thing for sure is that it was a much different story years ago when the 'Skins were on WMAL. Problems receiving that signal were rare. Now with the sale of WTEM, what happens to programming that doesn't center around the Redskins? Does Phil Wood's Saturday morning baseball show go by the wayside? Will whatever meager discussions there currently are about all things not Redskins-related diminish even further? Again, Dave, a great site! Sincerely, Joe Kasell (6/5/08) "Give it up for Farley's Kids" -- Why, are they having a telethon? Thought they were making money hands over fist. And since when are Marburg, or any of the other on air regulars kids? Or are you talking about the off-air rookies? (6/5/08) Was watching FOX morning news this morning where at one point while doing the weather, Tony seemed to get really annoyed. He seemed to lose his train of thought and then made the comment that something disctraction was going on on the set. He then continued, but stopped and said "Should I just stop?". I don't know what was going on, but whatever it was, it really annoyed him. Wha hoppened?? (6/5/08) I wonder if there may be any additional validity to Don going to XM? Last year, July 2007, Dave had some speculation, or even a direct report, that Don was going to XM effective May 28, 2008. Well that was a bold prediction and now...a year later... Don is gone. So, could it be possible?? Doug (6/5/08) Dave's response: From what I understand, Don had a non-compete clause in his CBS Radio contract which prevents him from joining XM in the near-term..... Dear Bob in Forest Hill, We've learned that's just the way Unsigned Corporate Suit is. At least this time the ramblings were relatively short (for him). (6/5/08) So, the Danny Boy Radio Empire may still air Redskins games on the BIG FM signal of WBIG/100.3 next season, even after buying roughly half of the AM outlets on the DC dial, eh? With all six RZ stations (980, 570, 1260, 730, 92.7 and 94.3) carrying the games of Danny's team, plus WBIG, plus WFRE 99.9/Frederick making 9 game-day affiliates with signals heard somewhere in the DC area, I've figured out the strategy. Danny Boy is buying up stations (or arranging affiliations) so he can save himself the time of promoting all the frequencies. "Redskins Radio - just tune up and down the dial, you'll run into us eventually!" (6/5/08) The latest from the newly Red Zebra affiliated AMers: "Unchartered territory and confusion". Apparently, RZ will be moving to 1801 Rockville Pike, and leasing the 4th floor. The programming staff has no idea what's REALLY going to happen, and the sales staff has to re-apply for their jobs. This appears to be a fustercluck of epic proportions! (6/5/08) Dear Dave: Thanks for making this a news story and linking to me! I appreciate it! Got the video below. Jim's interview is hilarious! Click here: Chickaboomer: Jim Bohannon Whips Out His Bone... Also linked DCRTV to a post I wrote about a mailbagger suggesting DC actor Erik Todd Dellums is a dead ringer for Obama and should cop the role in "Barack: The Movie." I know Erik. In 1995 I cooked up a Howard Sternesque radio show geared to babes called "Radio Marty" and Erik was to be my sidekick. chickaboomer.blogspot.com (6/5/08) Suggestions to Dan Snyder et al: The first one is obvious - Make 980 the flagship station for the Redskins. 570 would probably be the ideal choice for Spanish language sports if that's the plan. Sell 730 and 92.7. The latter would be a great place for Somar to move its Solid Rock format (The Rocket) to! Somar in turn could either move its news/talk format from 1690 to 97.7 or Snyder could buy one of the station if he wanted it. If Somar wanted to do the former, they could sublet 1690 or shut it down completely. 730 could be either be a non-commercial or commercial outlet station doing one of the following: standards/nostalgia, traditional country/bluegrass or R&B/Soul Classics. At night the station could be sublet. Keep 94.3 and simulcast 980 on it. As for 1260, carry programming that wouldn't make it to 980 but has relevance. (6/5/08) Thursday night on BBC's World News America at 7pm ET in the US (and worldwide on BBC World) with anchor Matt Fry... In the open, they tease a story regarding Barack Obama's roots in Kenya. He reads... "Kansas and Kenya. 8,000 miles apart and as different as white and black. What do they have in common? Barack Obama is a son of both." NAT SOUND: Four black men in front of camera in a Kenyan bar - clearly drunk with beers in hand - yell, "Obama! US! Obama! US! Obama!" They leave Fry's mic open during the music open and he says... "That's not gonna help him, is it?" (6/5/08) Just wanted to hit on a few things. First, there's noooooooo way KFI is going to put Hannity and Levin on. Not with the ratings their local shows get out in LA. Second, who cares where your weather guy is? Whether you're in State College or in Arlington, you're looking at the same radar. You sure as hell aren't going out anywhere. (and fwiw, I don't work for any of the news/weather stations around here, so it ain't jealousy talking) BTW, color me amused by the Danny buying 980 etc. A minor league owner turning his big league team into a minor league outfit. As a Deadskins hater, I'm loving it! Sign me, Brad Bell's Hairpiece (6/5/08) Dan Syder buying 580, 980, and 1260 has left me wondering what he's thinking really. He's got how many stations carrying Triple X ESPN already? Plus what is more AM'ers with low night signal gonna do for him? If he's gonna own like 6 DC stations he needs to look at different formats other than Sports Talk. Why not make 92.7 & 94.3 into Smooth Jazz or some other format not heard in DC. Also He should pick the best AM signals he has now and put the sports talk on those, while putting Talk, or anything else on the left over signals. Then again maybe he'll just package all of these stations for a good FM'er. Maybe 105.1? Wouldn't Salem like to get the "word of god" out more even more over multiple signals? (6/5/08) I saw Maureen Umeh last night after I asked dcrtv the question but the biography has been removed. Hopefully, Allyson Wilson will be teaming up with Will Thomas if Mauren Umeh is no longer there (I hope she is stil there I actually like her) I think they make a great team. (6/5/08) Great. Clear Channel was able to sell it's dog AM stations in Washington DC, yet it can't sell it's 50KW (equivelant) FM station in Hartford. 104.1 in Hartford was on a list of stations it was spinning off. Marc in Connecticut (6/5/08) SportsTalk 980's nighttime coverage in northern Montgomery County is AWFUL...truly unlistenable, north of Germantown. And, while I'm hopeful the Redskins will continue their game day deal with Frederick's 99.9FM, their stupid radio/tv sync problems remained for the 2006 and 2007 seasons (99.9FM was, without fail, seven-to-ten seconds OUT OF SYNC with the television! Grrrrrrr. For the first time since since the 1960's my family had no choice but to abandon Redskins radio coverage. Why bother?) Well, Red Zebra, maybe you can get your shit together this time. You listening, you Delusional-Fidget-with-the-Mythical-Beltbuckle? (6/5/08) Dave's response: 980's night coverage here in Reston is pretty bad, and I'd suspect it's even worse out at Redskins Park in Ashburn..... I heard WTOP yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon and into the evening and they did a great job. The weather folks are at Ch. 7; no longer are Weather Channel people in Atlanta used on WTOP. WMAL's weather folks are in State College, Pennsylvania. Kudos to WTOP as they were as local as could be with information that was needed. Give it up for Farley's Kids. (6/5/08) A few months back, Channel 7 had many problems with its HD-2 channel (automated weather info).... you could tune in and see a collection of 20 or 30 Microsoft Windows error messages filling up the screen, sometimes for hours. You'd also hear unintelligible audio that sounded like a perpetually skipping CD, sometimes for hours. Last night during the 6:00 PM newscast (during a Horace Holmes live shot), their HD-1 channel froze on a close-up of some woman with her eyes closed and mouth open. This image remained frozen with no audio for 10 minutes or more. Meanwhile, the analog TV channel continued without interruption. (6/5/08) Dave's response: I was getting only black screen for a while yesterday evening on 7's Weather Now digital channel (via Comcast) during the second round of storms to hit the DC area..... dave--totally down with you rant on snyder's newest AM purchases....on the surface, getting one of the FM's you mentioned makes much more sense...so, what in your (or others in the 'bag) assesment as to "why?"..was CC not willing to part with BIG? it is doing better now since the "glob" is still stuck in the sand,..an FM sports talk station seems to make great sense to me in a difficult AM enviroment...but is this a case of just taking the best option that was available to the colored zebra??? (6/5/08) I have a strong feeling that the person who wrote in about Jack Diamond's contract status is hiding her true identity. Here's how I know for sure, she said, ".. I listen to his morning show everyday and notice he's still on the air." Ergo, her true identity is not "Kim" as she stated, but more likely, actress Marlee Matlin. (6/5/08) Regarding EAS alerts, I can't speak for the most recent storms. But I was on the air at WASH-FM this past Saturday when WTOP did send out on the EAS ticker an alert about that day's tornado watch. [Interestingly, we had already aired the information, having picked up the NWS alert on the web by then.] The big picture: there aren't many stations that are live on Saturdays (WASH is live Saturdays 6a-12m)--so one problem with EAS notifications is that there are few stations to pick up on them on the weekends. Come on over to 97.1! --Dave Arlington (6/5/08) I was very disappointed in WTOP with the lack of information from the power companies last night. On my way home, we listened to WMAL and heard a Pepco spokesperson. Granted I needed to hear about Dominion but at least WMAL had some feedback from a power company. Since my battery operated radio doesn't get decent reception for AM, I listened to 'TOP most of the evening and no interview with a power company spokesperson. Very disappointing. The other thing that was interesting as my husband pointed out was the tornado warnings that they gave for Orange County -- an area previously covered by WTOP. With them moving their signal to 103.5 were those outlying areas even able to hear the warnings from WTOP? (6/5/08) I started following WTOP's coverage around 6PM, when things began to get interesting in my neck of the woods. That's when an avalanche of t-storm and tornado warnings started flowing (again?) from the weather service. I found the descriptions of where the storms were to be helpful and pretty accurate. Regards, Dave Loudin (6/5/08) Good Morning! I was wondering if you’ve had an update on the status of WRQX’s Jack Diamond and his contract. I know one of your last segments on him said his last day would by May 30, but I listen to his morning show everyday and notice he’s still on the air. I also remember reading how you were told by WRQX’s attorney to pull your entries about Jack Diamond. I look forward to hearing back from you. Have a great day! Kim (6/5/08) Dave's response: Obviously, Diamond and WRQX owner Citadel have worked out a deal to keep the longtime morning man at 107.3 for the time being..... The following was forwarded to DCRTV by a mysterious someone on Idaho Avenue..... Comments: Good Morning! I just wanted to drop a note to congratulate the afternoon team on the excellent coverage they provided throughout yesterday's crazy storm(s). Shawn, Hillary, Bob, Doug, and the rest of the team were always on point with breaking information. More importantly, they always kept it calm and professional. I also wanted to say thank you! WTOP was my lighthouse in the storm as I was trying to drive home yesterday. I listen to WTOP on my way to work and on my way home just about everyday; I have never been so happy to have this service as I was yesterday. Many many thanks and Kudos to you! Yours Sincerely, Veronica (6/5/08) Regarding FOX 5's Maureen Umeh, you're right, her biography has mysteriously disappeared from the website along with her. However, I could've sworn I saw her over the weekend. But you know how people just disappear from FOX 5 without any notice. However, considering that she was a regular on there, you would think something would be said. I did notice over the weekend a couple of new reporters doing stories from out in the field. But I haven't seen them since. (6/5/08) I must chime in with those comenting on WTOP's weather coverage. They dropped the ball. I heard elsewhere that kids had to "duck and cover" in several schools in NoVa because of tornado threats. I never heard anything like that on 'TOP. Nor did I hear WHERE the twisters actually hit. They have local weather people from channel 7, but most of the time they use people in Atlanta pretending to be right here in the DC area. It's cheaper content for them. But being cheap in a life and death situation won't win listener loyalty. To be fair they usually do a workmanlike job. But they were pretty dreadful yesterday. (6/5/08) Regarding Unsigned Corporate Suit's oddball rant on the Comcast hacking that somehow morphed into a bashing of Rupert Murdoch (or Malcom??? as you call him if I'm reading it right)...I think you're off the deep end or at least way out of your core knowledge base. Bottom line is that the two hackers are in their late teens and, while skilled, never really intended for it to go as far as they eventually took it. What started out as a tease hack designed to shake up Comcast turned into a major news event when Comcast's security nimrod was a jerk to them and they took it a few steps further than they originally planned. Read the Wired interview with them ( http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/comcast-hijacke.html ) I have NO IDEA what you are referring to with regard to the " 'ethics training' that has been part of computer education in many nations for ages." What are you talking about? These guys are teenage home hackers who are (from everything I've read) certainly self-taught and not the product of nationalized computer training. OF COURSE they knew what they were doing was wrong, technically speaking. The hacker underground they are a part of confirms that. The point of their comment is that they didn't realize how far they would end up taking it and events overcame them. I'm quite sure they will be prosecuted and Comcast certainly can go after them or their parents (depending on age/living arrangements) and the registrar. You REALLY need to put the quote in context and educate yourself a bit before you start spouting off on everything from C-SPAN to public access (???) to Rupert "Malcom" Murdoch. And where the hell does FoxNews come into this? If you want to make an accurate analogy, an appropriate one would have been Verizon, or Time-Warner Cable, Cox or some other ISP. Fox??? Put your axes away...nothing to grind here. Bob in Forest Hill (6/5/08) Multiple hundreds-of-thousands of households without power last night throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area, and in the three hours I was listening to WTOP, I did not here one spokes-person interviewed from the power companies. Maybe I missed it. Maybe all the power representatives were too busy (or hiding under rocks). Or, maybe all WTOP really cares about is that I listened for three hours? All of the above? (6/5/08) But in WTOP's defense, they have some really cool pictures of the storm on their website. (6/5/08) If WTOP's bread and butter is supposed to be fast breaking news and storm coverage...why is it so awful when those situations arise? I listened in my car from about 4-4:30 pm yesterday--after the storms had gone through most of the area--and it was like a bad joke. They mentioned several times that there had been "two confirmed tornadoes in our area" but never said where; they mentioned several times that the storms had been some of the worst they could remember but gave very few details of what/where/when; they said a lot of people were without power but didn't really explain where or have anyone from any power company estimating how long until power would be turned on again. They had Lisa Baden calling in on her cell phone with the breathtaking news that a guy at a convenience store had told her on her way home from work that he'd seen "a bunch of ambulances" but wasn't sure where they were going. They had an anchor man fumbling all over himself to give the important news that at Nationals Park there had been "a deluge on the thing," and "they" were having a hard time keeping the tarp down on the infield...but he didn't say if there had been a game ongoing or if it was later in the day. What they did do really well was repeatedly self-promo how great they thought their storm coverage was. Clowns. (6/5/08) Dave, Not sure if I heard it correctly ( I was still half asleep) but I could swear I heard a commercial for Chris Plante on WMAL at around 4AM this morning that said, "Same Chris, new time. Chris Plante 6 to 9 AM on WMAL." or something very similar. Grandy and Andy are not letting on this AM so I don't know when/if the programming changes. Tim (6/5/08) Dave's response: A top MALer says you dreamed it. But, then again, maybe someone was "testing" a new promo at 4 AM - one we're not supposed to hear yet..... The Rockefeller family has not been pleased over the last two years with the management and direction of Exxon-Mobil. Point one is the family wants more recourses directed to R&D for non oil based energy. Point two is they want more philanthropy. The PBS thing is most likely the management caving to Sharon on point two. (6/5/08) I miss Allison Starling! (6/5/08) I would think that if the Emergency Alert System is activated by one of the lead stations, the other stations in the area would pick up on it and also broadcast an alert. When WTOP sent a signal out around 7:55 this (Wednesday) evening, no one relayed the alert on the stations I was monitoring, including WBIG, WGTS, WRQX, and WAVA. Am I wrong to assume EAS alerts are voluntary, or wasn't anyone on the boards?--GAB in the Airless Cubicle. (6/5/08) (news item) Dan Snyder formally announces that he is purchasing WTEM, WTNT and WWRC from Clear Channel (end) What does this mean for CC AMer Program Director Hess? Will Snyder bring him over, or is it time to fallback and regroup in New England? (6/5/08) /\ June 5 Messages /\ \/ June 4 Messages \/ Where is Maureen Umeh?? I noticed her biography is no longer on myfoxdc.com any word on why? (6/4/08) Storm Coverage Report Card: NBC-4 ---- B The coverage was decent with Bob Ryan and Veronica Johnston, but they failed to stay on-air during the entire 3PM hour during the storm peak... FOX 5 ---- D+ Mediocre at best. Gary McGrady seemed overwhelmed, not familiar with geography of area. Sue Palka did not show up until the storms had mostly passed... ABC 7 ---- A Superior, non-stop coverage, this considering Doug Hill anchored by himself the with no commercials... 9 NEWS NOW ---- F Topper Shutt and Tony Pann failed miserably today. During the 3PM hour, Guiding Light was on for at least 90 percent of the time. Warning scroll not working for several minutes. Embarrassing... (6/4/08) Once again, DCRTV shows it is indeed the news outlet on local media. No wonder why Marc Fisher threw in the towel! DCRTV was his source of information for a long time - and he knew it. You can't compete with a site like this one. DCRTV Dave gets the inside scoop before anybody else. Granted, DCRTV Dave posts rumors (something the Post can't do), but 9 times out of 10, they wind up being true. The sell of CC's AM stations in DC to Danny Boy is just the latest proof. We are all grateful for your service to the DC area for all the coverage on local media. I donated $39 to help DCRTV Dave keep this site going. All of you who read the mailbag should too! :) BTW - how long have you been around? IIRC, I think you started DCRTV in 1997? How time flies! Keep up the good work. Dave in Fredericksburg (6/4/08) Dave's response: Thanks Dave. You're right. We'll be celebrating the 11th year of DCRTV in September..... I have to give kudos to Bob Ryan as well on his coverage of the storm. The way he was following those weather charts/maps was quite impressive. At one time, Veronica butted in with what was supposedly an update. However, with all due respect to Veronica, she should've just let Bob handle the entire weather broadcast. Mainly because she was stuttering and mumbling and just wasn't "johnny (or joan) on the spot like Bob. Great job Bob. (6/4/08) here's a little bit about what else the female voice on Triple X ESPN radio does... i was impressed...not too shabby. from All Access.com: The lovely and multi-talented KELLY KELLY KELLY (a.k.a. KELLY DOHERTY) has re-upped with CLEAR CHANNEL. On top of doing the voice and imaging for Top 40/Mainstream KIIS, she'll now be doing the same for Alternative sister KYSR (98-7)/LOS ANGELES. What's more, she'll be the voice for the syndicated "AMERICAN TOP 40 W/RYAN SEACREST," "THE ENTERTAINMENT EDGE W/RYAN SEACREST" (aired in the UNITED KINGDOM), and be the new voice & image goddess for the newly syndicated "ON-AIR W/RYAN SEACREST." And if that's not enough (and for a voice artiste with three first names, you know it never is), the loverly Ms. K, as well as Mr. SEACREST, can also be heard in the brand-spanking-new STEVE CARREL spy spoof, "Get Smart" ... in theaters JUNE 20th. (6/4/08) Dave, Just wanted to say way to go!! You and your sources had this one pegged like you said in January. Funny thing is, I discussed your rant with Czabe and Pollin at the Auto Show and they laughed me out of the room. Payback is a b**ch isn’t it. Keep up the great work! Eric (6/4/08) Dave's response: While a good deal of our rumors do eventually come true, the ones that don't often signify - at the very least - that something is brewing. Most of our rumors are based in reality. I don't run something as a rumor unless it's from a very reliable source or I hear it from multiple less-reliable independent sources. Likewise, we reported rumblings of a format flip on Baltimore's 104.3 a good six-to-nine months before it happened. Or, our Jack Diamond leaving 107.3 rumors. They haven't come true, but it's pretty safe to say that there were some pretty stressful contract talks between Diamond and RQX..... From DCRTV’s news page regarding the hackers who recently shut down Comcast’s Internet, “The two hackers had said they did not know what they were getting themselves into." Such utter bull$hit must’ve been on one of the C-SPANiel channels or one of those “Public access”, “Educational”, or “Governmental” channels that a chunk of my cable bill goes for. (Even though I refuse to watch them!) I cannot imagine a legitimate commercial media source not including verbiage regarding the “ethics training” that has been a part of computer education in many nations for ages. (Originally regarding piracy…) I wouldn’t be surprised if they get a slap on the wrist, at most. OTOH, if they’d hacked the Faux News site instead, I bet ol’ Malcolm would make sure they’d get the fullest possible criminal prosecution, followed by poverty-inducing lawsuits for them (or the parents who should be keeping watch over their under-18’s, as he’d likely see it) followed by a life full of “coincidental” failures and tragedies. Don’t think the last could happen? Ever read the Sidney Sheldon novel; The Other Side of Midnight or see the movie? Really creepy to see the vengeance near-absolute wealth can create! Unsigned Corporate Suit (6/4/08) I sincerely wish the all-gal crew (on 3WT) good luck, but frankly you could put a trio of monkeys, or badgers, or toads, or trees, and it would be more informative/educational/humorous than listening to David Burd. (6/4/08) "Hey Topper and Tony: were the two of you snacking on party mix and watching Guiding Light during the storms today? As usual, I had to turn to Bob for real weather information." So true! I was very disappointed with Ch. 5 & 9, and Ch. 7 & 8 could've done better. This is the worse wind/rain storm I've seen since Hurricane Isabel in 2003, so I for one appreciate Bob and Veronica realizing the magnitude of the threat. Screw soap operas! (Someone at Ch. 4 was smart enough to say "Screw Dr. Phil!") Kudos NBC4! (6/4/08) Will someone please tell me what Mike O'Meara makes? Robbie and Buzzy? Maybe harbor a guess? I found out Jack Diamond make 790,000 a year plus bonus!!!! GEEEEESH PL (6/4/08) The Best part of the Red Zebra press release is the last line where it states that Snyder has no operating role in the company. All current Sports Talk 980 employees should get directions to the “river house “which is located on Snyder’s estate in Potomac. Be prepared to bring tapes of ill advised comments said on the air following a bad Redskins loss. Contracts are worthless. The Third Reich looks good compared to the people at Redskins Park and Fed Ex Field. The blue suits will smile and tell you everything will be alright and then they will stab you in the back when you least suspect it. (6/4/08) Hey Topper and Tony: were the two of you snacking on party mix and watching Guiding Light during the storms today? As usual, I had to turn to Bob for real weather information. (6/4/08) Congrats. You were right about the sale (of WTEM) and you ran rings arround The Post. (6/4/08) JINGLE: "At Comcast -- what we do is CARE for you!" The tornado warning and heavy thunderstorm warning were announced today on Comcast Montgomery with EAS appearing PERIODICALLY on the digital cable box, and an announcement from the cable system that advised the viewer to tune to Channel 30 for "additional information." Channel 30 is the previous location of The Weather Channel, which does a good job of putting a red crawl on during weather emergencies. Comcast failed to change the previously recorded announcement when they relocated The Weather Channel to channel 98 many months ago. (6/4/08) The DOJ/FCC story had me laughing so hard I fell off my chair. God forbid some child ever hears ''Bad Language'' on TV. Might break his concentration while he's looking at Big Boob Bimbos.com and playing video games and listening to the latest, empty headed music all at the same time. Paul (6/4/08) Coming home from work Monday night, I was listening to parts of the O's-Red Sox finale on three radio stations (Sportstalk 980 in DC, Baltimore's FM Talk 105.7, and XM 177). No surprise, the satellite feed on XM was a couple of seconds behind the broadcast on 980. However, both of those feeds seem to be 3-5 seconds ahead of 105.7's feed, which is sad, considering 105.7 is the O's flagship! No big deal for those of us driving around listening to the game, but I would imagine it's an annoyance for the fans who want to listen to the play-by-play while watching the game in person at Camden Yards and can only pick up 105.7 on their radio! -Greg in Perry Hall (6/4/08) From www.radio-info.com... Sean Hannity and Farid Suleman sat down to dinner last week ... And the topic was probably not politics (they’re poles apart, personally), but business – and Hannity’s looming opportunity next week to start the process of leaving ABC Radio Networks. That’s if he wants to. And I think Citadel CEO Suleman was trying to explain the reasons why Sean should stay. Among them (and I’m guessing here): continued association with the storied call letters of WABC, WLS, KABC, etc. Will that be enough, followed up by serious expressions of monetary interest like a whale-sized signing bonus? We’ll find out by next Thursday. But I hear from two sources that Hannity and Suleman finally broke bread together, and that may well be the personal link that keeps Hannity at ABC. For Suleman, it’s not just a matter of potentially losing a big breadwinner – it’s also losing important dayparts of programming, and not just in the big markets and the old ABC stations, but throughout the lineup of the original Citadel stations. There’s also the question of Hannity’s close associate Mark Levin, who’s got a growing syndication effort (also based at WABC, New York). Next week could certainly bring news of a splitup, or even that joint deal with Citadel and Clear Channel I’ve speculated about. But maybe Suleman’s picking up the check for that dinner will be the difference. (6/4/08) CASTING CALL: "The Barack Obama Story"! One of my favorite TV shows was the police drama "Homicide: Life On the Street", which ran on NBC from 1993 - 1999. In one extended story line, Erik Todd Dellums portrayed the Baltimore drug kingpin, Luther Mahoney. If someone ever decides to do a bio-pic of Barack Obama, I don't think they could do better than to cast Dellums in the title role. He's an incredible actor and I think he bears a remarkable resemblance to Barack! [If nothing else, Dellums looks a lot more like Obama than Cliff Robertson did as JFK, in another presidential movie, "P.T. 109".] It's not quite as noticeable based on how he appears in "Homicide", but when I saw his image here www.productionsourcebook.com this casting choice made sense right away. (6/4/08) Re: ...the AM is dead bandwagon. Ain't no bandwagon. AM is near death. Sure, if you own one of the still hanging on stations, you are making money. But remember the once great WWDC, WRC, WEAM, WPGC-AM, WCAO, WITH? In 1960-61 WITH was number one in Baltimore with 250 watts at night and 1,000 daytime. No one under 60 listens to AM. It's not just the technology, it's mostly that people under 60 grew up listening to FM as music listeners. Look at WBALs 18-34 numbers. Or look at any AM station's younger demos, they don't even show up most of the time. It's not a Bandwagon, it's just sad. Ed Graham (6/4/08) I tried to watch the political coverage Tuesday evening on CNN and I was disgusted at the poor technical quality. Is there no hope for television? The speeches by all 3 candidates had a buzz in the sound. The lip-sync was out on all of the speeches. On Obama's speech the delay looked like about a half second. I couldn't stand to watch it. Even the studio sound was a little out. Not only that, Obama's audio had a very unpleasant distortion which might have been the result of some poor taste in processing. I don't want to single out CNN because I often see terrible problems on MSNBC and the networks too. Do we have to get to the point where the FCC hands out fines for lip-sync errors? This seems to be getting worse all of the time. (6/4/08) Dave's response: I watched CNN-HD's coverage and it looked OK to me. I did notice a very slight audio/video sync problem, especially during Hillary's speech..... Just a clarification regarding PD's. Back in the day, before automation, before satellite formats, when music was actually on vinyl (and eventually to carts) program directors were genuinely great people to work for. Jocks would literally give their left "you-know-what" to work and learn from a damn good PD. But now things have changed, radio has become too corporate, and the poor PD who works for a cluster (f**k) is basically the one who has HUGE arms because he/she almost feels the need to throw people under the bus to save their own hides, or are completely miserable bastards because they have to say "yes" or "no problem" to the yuck-a-pucks in suits just to keep their jobs...heaven forbid a "boat-rocker"! By all means I did not want to project that PD's are inherently rotten people by their own choice for the most part. (6/4/08) Re : Yesterday's post on the Bilderberg Group convening this week over in Chantilly--- You do raise a good point there. I'd bet almost anything that Fox5, WRC, WUSA, or any local channel will have a presence there, no Fox News or CNN either. Nor do I expect the Post or Times to give it as much as a paragraph. Why? Because top execs either are on the roster, or close to those who are. Does that mean that even if the protesters cause a stir, we won't hear a word about it? If this was a G8 Summit, it'd be all over the place. Funny what passes for journalism here in Washington... meantime the BBC and Italian rags are the only source on it: www.propagandamatrix.com... www.peacereporter.net... What a shame. (6/4/08) Dear all - Here's a reminder that MSNBC political analyst, and former "Dancing with the Stars" competitor, TUCKER CARLSON is the guest tomorrow at The Q&A Cafe. To reconfirm your reservation, or to make a new one, please phone JON MOSS today at 202.338.2000. As always, tomorrow the doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30, the fee is still only $35, all inclusive and paid at the door. What will the political story be in 24 hours? Get the behind the scenes at The Q&A Cafe. Carol (6/4/08) The problem with being the chief engineer for ION in Washington, DC, is that you have TWO transmitters over 75 miles apart. There is WPXW, the tv station in Fairfax Station, Va., and another transmitter on top of a mountain to the west of Martinsburg, WV for WWPX-TV. PAX/ION closed the Martinsburg facility over four years ago, and bounces a signal from Fairfax Station to Martinsburg. (6/4/08) The Quote of the Day comes from Mark Evanier's website www.newsfromme.com... "Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe is starting to sound like Michael Palin in the Dead Parrot sketch. Hillary has not been eliminated. She's just pining for fjords." The site has a little something for everyone and his banner sums it up: 'A weblog about TV, movies, comics, theater, news, politics, and other forms of fantasy.' (6/4/08) AM 1260 off the air for hours. Didn't we drink enough Ovaltine? (6/4/08) Dave's response: That'll disappoint all five of its listeners..... Jane Norris and Victoria Jones on the same program? Now that could be fun! (6/4/08) Dave's response: Two words - cat fight! Re: Washington Post article on Comcast looking at new ways to throttle "a broader range of heavy bandwidth users"--This is not a "band-aid" on existing infrastructure. This is Comcast trying to kill off competition to its cable TV business, such as IPTV, movie rental by download, and so on. Everybody says the internet is killing off broadcast radio and TV, but cable TV is also endangered. Comcast is obviously thinking, why should we provide the means for other people to kill off our main business? (6/4/08) snip..."and WBZ in Atlanta." Last time I checked, WBZ was on 1170 Soldiers Field Road in Allston, Massachusetts 02134. Perhaps the author meant WSB, which IS in Atlanta. Al McGilvray (6/4/08) I love how Lenny Shapiro jumps on the AM is dead bandwagon. The top revenue and rating stations in the country are on the AM band. How about WINS, WCBS and WABC in New York? What about KFI in Los Angeles? Ever hear of WGN in Chicago? What about the perennial number 1 KGO in San Francisco? KTRH in Houston does great. Ever hear of KYW in Philly and WBZ in Atlanta? Just because Washington DC is a terrible AM town and always has been doesn’t mean that AM is dead. (6/4/08) The Ion TV corporate website notes that Channel 66 in Fairfax Station (the old Pax TV stick) is seeking a chief engineer. If there isn't an engineer there, who's watching the joint? It's not much more than a 1 or 2 man operation there anyway. The last engineer left because it was a 1- man operation. (6/4/08) Hey, did anyone hear Art Bell filling in for George Noory (last week?) when he made a cryptic reference to how he might have a reason to be starting up his web site again? Is he coming back in some capacity? He also seemed to give a sigh one time when he said I’m filling in for (sigh) George Noory. Some listeners took it as some kind of dis. Dunno what to make of it myself. He’s a strange dude! (6/4/08) Dave's response: His voice sounded a bit different. Almost didn't recognize him..... "DCRTV hears that CBS-owned Channel 13/WJZ has budget-cut weekend reporter Peggy Lee..." I understand she's so steamed over this, it gave her fever... (rimshot) (6/4/08) Telling someone they have the "nicest, breathiest voice" is sexist banter? Gimme a break. This is why the words "sexist" and "racist" seem to lose their meaning a little more each day..........the definitions seem to expand when applied to conservatives, and contract when applied to liberals, depending upon the political needs of the moment. For a second, I considered contributing money during your "beg-a-thon," thinking you'd backed off the partisan politics lately. So much for that. David, Odenton MD (6/4/08) Dave's response: So sorry, David. Next time, I'll temper my political ideals in the fruitless hope of getting $5 from you. By the way, that "Notable Quotable" also contained a dig at lefty Chris Matthews, something your obviously biased mind didn't care to absorb. Sheesh..... "To the Holy Blue Hannah Kid"... "kid"? You're very kind, thanks. I'm over 50. And I invoked blue Hannah because I was too polite to say, "Je$^$ H. Ch#$% on a f*( The Ion TV corporate website notes that Channel 66 in Fairfax Station (the old Pax TV stick) is seeking a chief engineer. If there isn't an engineer there, who's watching the joint? It's not much more than a 1 or 2 man operation there anyway. (6/4/08) (13 Lays Off Peggy Lee - 6/3 - DCRTV hears that CBS-owned Channel 13/WJZ has budget-cut weekend reporter Peggy Lee. More as we hear it.....) Is that all there is? (6/4/08) Dave's response: Enough with the Peggy Lee jokes..... Sorry...I forgot to include salary in the "radio mathematical equation". It should read Program Director = Puppet, "Yes-Man", Figurehead who'll do anything to keep his job/salary of close to six figures, regardless of his/her personal beliefs and morality, and stepping on those who get in the way of job security. G.E. (6/4/08) It might just be my internet connection here in Southwestern Virginia, but the Washington Post website appears to be down for at least the last 15 minutes (on Tuesday night). Tough time to have your website down as the biggest campaign story this year is breaking and hundreds of thousands of political junkies are willing to put page views on your site... (6/4/08) Dave's response: Paul Farhi, who was on his way to giving a back massage to Len Shapiro, tripped on the power cord for the server and knocked it out of the outlet..... /\ June 4 Messages /\ \/ June 3 Messages \/ "Latest from Shapiro on Red Zebra....not mention of DCRTV." No mention on how coverage of non-Redskins teams could be affected if Dan Snyder bought WTEM, either...then again, in the mind of Shapiro and other members of Washington sports media's old guard, non-Redskins teams don't exist. And it's not as if WTEM spends that much time covering them, anyway. -- Vincent in Triangle (6/3/08) "........Yup he’s a real dope.........." That wasn't nice. No need to make fun of people just because the ratings plunged as soon as he arrived. WTGB is still below them. And they're big time. (6/3/08) To the Holy Blue Hannah Kid... I wouldn't say Howard's appearance has changed appreciably in 25 years. And he still flails his right paw while he talks. (6/3/08) You forgot that Paul Harris did the morning show at WTEM back when it was on 570. Jim Seaman, Germantown, MD (6/3/08) Jim Bohannon: Bad To The 'Bone. chickaboomer.blogspot.com (6/3/08) THANK YOU TO THE PERSON WHO POSTED THE ARBITRON RATINGS FOR HOWARD STERN ON SIRIUS! JOHN IN STAFFORD (6/3/08) Dave sez: “Citadel's family of stations”. Unsigned Corporate Suit sez: “If that’s a family, it’s dysfunctional enough to rate a beg-a-thon documentary miniseries on PBS”… (6/3/08) Thanks to the poster who pointed out the link to 3WT, where they had misspelled David Burd's name. After scrolling down to the pictures of adoptable pets (a regular Burd, Doyle & Jones feature) I finally solved the mystery of the musty old cat smell in the 3WT studios. Always thought it was Victoria. (6/3/08) ".......New radio mathematical equation for those who don't get "it"......." Where does money fit into the equation? Do they make more, less, or the same? (6/3/08) What does it mean when “the great” David Burd’s name is misspelled by his own radio station? And that’s the one thing that’s been updated on the website in the past week!! Glad to see he’s getting the respect he deserves! 3wtradio.com (6/3/08) ("It's almost as if some of the people who used to work at WBIG, are now at WJZW"...) Why not name names? Steve Allan… the guy that was also at the helm of WBIG when it was a number one station in ’96 and ’97. Yup he’s a real dope. (6/3/08) Anyone have a chance to see Fox 45’s HD kickoff last night? Aside from the expected repeated self-serving tributes to its own foresight and willingness to spend money, the anchors now look odd-shaped (big heads, little bodies), the screen is weirdly distracting, and the whole effort will matter not at all to the large (huge?) percentage of viewers who don’t and won’t have HD anytime soon. I certainly encourage any station which tries to improve its news product, but would prefer expenditures which bring far more “steak and” far less “sizzle” and odd-shaped anchors. Bob in Pikesville, MD (6/3/08) Dave's response: I hear that WRC isn't planning to go high-def any time soon. And the reason why? "Wendy Rieger," I'm told. Over 50 looks better in low-def, apparently..... Latest from Shapiro on Red Zebra....not mention of DCRTV washingtonpost.com (6/3/08) New radio mathematical equation for those who don't get "it"...Program Director = Puppet, "Yes-Man", Figurehead. (6/3/08) Ed Graham, NOW you tell me..Jack Edwards stole Mrs. Miller from me. You CAD. We were like, like husband and wife and all of a sudden she turned Cold as Ice. Then, then Jack dropped her like a hot potatoe and started running around with Jack Gale and he just destroyed all perception of what wonderful women were all about. BTW, who ended up with Fran, that gorgeous pistol? (6/3/08) WHFS FM would like to have WBAL's audience because they would love to bill what WBAL bills. WCBM would like it for the same reason. CBM is unwilling to make the kind of monetary commitment necessary. HFS may not know how, but they have the FM advantage. - - Someone wrote about de-regulation and CBS knowing they were destroying radio. Maybe they didn't know, but Mel K knew how to cash out. His merger is taking longer than expected, but he will survive when he cashes out. - - Jack Edwards is right, I dated the ugly Andrews Sister. He dated Mrs. Miller. - - Lots of talk about PDs and the music they play. It always amuses me. Any PD (even the dumb ones) should play the right music, that's the easy part. It's what they put between the music that makes people listen. Otherwise, they just get iPod fatigue from their radio. Playing the wrong music, or rotating it badly is inexcusable. I wish Mel K would adopt me and dcrtv Dave. We'd both make really good rich people. Ed Graham (6/3/08) "Dave, why is no one in the mailbag discussing WBFF switch to HD other than the SUN and your post on the home page. Does no one care about the switch." Hmm.. seems this guy didn't care about the switch: "My costs to do HDTV are staggering, and I'm not going to get any more money from the car dealer on the corner because I have a prettier picture." --David D. Smith, President and CEO, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. in The Sun, Baltimore, Md.:Aug 17, 1997 Couple that with "less than one-third of Baltimore's homes currently (having) TV sets capable of receiving the HD signal" (The Sun, Jun 02 2008) and just who should care? Mark/CharmCity (6/3/08) My point is supported, it is my personal opinion that afternoons in Baltimore SUCK without Don & Mike. Go back to your job at WHFS. Greg in Reisterstown (6/3/08) My rant is about Barbara Harrison (News 4). Every morning I wake up I listen to her and Joe Krebs reports but she just constantly makes mistakes after mistakes. She cannot say a complete sentence without error. I use to think she could not read the teleprompter but it’s more than that. I think she is really nervous and she seems to be groping for words. I mean, I look at the other anchors on other channels and she is the only one who makes those mistakes. When they have Mayor Fenty on Thursdays she has the paper right smack in front of her and still grope for words. Her favorite word is “UM”. She constantly says that. Everyday it’s the same with her and that’s my rant for today!! Joan (6/3/08) So here's a bug in the ear for local DC or national media: Supposedly starting this Thursday, the highly secretive so-called "Bilderberg" conference is slated to be held in Chantilly, VA for several days. www.youtube.com... digg.com... Now, like most people, I don't easily buy into the "global cabal" nutcase stories, but this is a real annual gathering of movers & shakers. Maybe it really is just a very dry, wonky series of seminars as interesting as an Amway convention, but the resort is said to be severely limiting access thru this weekend, with heightened security. Now given that it's taking place right in their backyard, you have to wonder how many, if any, journalists will sink their teeth into this story, so as to prove or disprove all of the speculation about it. Question really is, who has the cajones to file a story at all? Come on, at least plant a camera crew outside the place, so we can get a sense of who's going to get cloistered up in there for this. Or is another rumor true--that media goes into total blackout on it no matter what? (6/3/08) "_______He is dictated to run the bird with the exception of afternoon drive.______" There is no doubt, that is correct. From a business standpoint then, why pay someone to even be a program director when you can just hire an afternoon host? What does he do all day to amuse himself ? Watching the ratings go down can't be that much fun. (6/3/08) Ironically, re: Paul Harvey, it seems that he already is gone without WMAL or anyone else having to drop his broadcast. His health clearly is declining and he's been off the air for some time now, he just lost his wife, the news segments (when aired) are done by the highly irritating Ron Chapman, and when they don't have him, Paul Harvey Jr. does non-current featury pieces that could have been taped five years ago, in which he must remind listeners that "now, that's news." Is it a requirement that any replacement reader attempt to imitate Harvey Sr.'s cadence, including making the word "now" into two syllables. WMAL is geriatric radio, regardless of one's age. (6/3/08) Here in Chicago, Hannity is delayed until 7 p.m. CT., a full 5 hours after his show airs live. He would welcome a change to another network so he can go on live in the 3rd largest market. There are a couple of stations who would throw him on live immediately. Ex-DC'er in Chi-town. (6/3/08) RE:-- "Has anyone else in the Baltimore area noticed how afternoons SUCK without Don & Mike? I'd like to try the Mike O'Meara show, but the hacks at "HFS" think I'd rather listen to Brian Wilson or Ed Norris instead of Mike O'Meara, Robb, Buzz, etc. I'd like to see how the ratings have dropped in afternoons since they made that decision. Greg in Reisterstown" -- WHFS 3pm-7pm - (D & M 2.7 - Ed Norris 2.5) Basically flat. Persons 18 - 34 (1.7 - 2.8) Way Up. Men 18+ (3.0 - 3.4) up. Women 18+ (0.7 - 1.0) up. Your point is not supported. (6/3/08) I thought The Glove was all Michael Jackson, all the time. KOF (6/3/08) Dave's response: It's called BUHAC - bleached urban hot adult contemporary..... Just finished putting together a little presentation for Bill Hamlin which will be shown at his memorial, June 16th (Get in touch with Beverly Fox at WTOP for more information). To see the presentation, click on the following link: www.photodex.com... The presentation requires you allow a safe piece of software be downloaded into your computer. Bill is greatly missed... Al Santos (6/3/08) To Saturday and Sunday night WMAL Listener: True 'Dat. I'm as conservative, voted-for-Ronald-Reagan and broke my New Deal Democrat-parents' hearts as you might find, but Cunningham is a downright embarrassment. I can take him for about five minutes before I want to throw my radio out the window (and I really love my radio), and this from a guy who really likes George W. We already have 5 hours of George Noory and the gang on Saturday night, why not just go to 8 hours on the weekend and match the weekdays. AM radio would at least be consistent if not original…Genghis (6/3/08) Genghis Cohen: Thanks. I know they do the last hour but I'd rather hear the Art Bell than 2 hours of Best Of Hannity. I'm one of 5 people that occasionally listens Saturday nights, so maybe I get a vote (yeah right). Any chance they will get rid of that dreadful Bill Cunningham? THAT is bad cliche` radio. (6/3/08) Holy Blue Hannah, I just saw that pic (left) of Stern on the Wall Street Journal link. What the hell happened to him? The hair looks fake, his face is melting like a Milky Way... he almost looks like Christopher Lloyd with a prosthetic mask. TV lights never make anyone look THAT bad. What's holding him together, bond-o? (6/3/08) I can attest, the folks on Jenifer St. did not want things to go they way they did. So, the lack of quality programming is now Steve Allan's fault. He is dictated to run the bird with the exception of afternoon drive. Listen to his show as compared to other day parts-you'll notice a great difference. This is like running a Pinto and being expected to win the Indy 500. Citadel is just not used and does not know how to run large market radio. Its the unfortunate nature of the beast. (6/3/08) I don't see anyone here picking on any program directors. Any negative comments were made the same day the ratings came out. No names were used that I can see, except by the responses. On the other hand, you have to wonder why certain PDs get to keep their jobs with bad ratings and others are let go for doing a good job. Just like th