Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - June 18 to June 24, 2009 Latest messages listed first..... \/ June 24 Messages \/ Dave, if indeed NBC4 has plans to replace it's 5pm newscast with a syndicated lightweight show, then what do you predict will happen to Jim Handley & Wendy Reiger? (6/24/09) Dave's response: No idea..... Ref; I've ridden several METRO lines and had to wait for other types of trains to pass at different points, MOSTLY WITHIN the District and in places where the tracks are still above ground, but NOT SHADY GROVE obviously, duh! And I believe, METRO shares track space with MARC" Ok I am not going to mock you but you do not know what you are talking about. There is no place on the Metro system where trains have to "wait for other types" of trains. Nowhere do railroads cross Metro tracks. The Metroploitan subdivision of the CSX parallels the Metro tracks from Union Station to Silver Spring. At that point Metro goes underground. At Twinbrook CSX and Metro again parallel each other to Shady Grove where Metro terminates. Also MARC trains operate on CSX tracks. They do not run on Metro tracks. Next time you ride the Metro you need to pay attention. (6/24/09) Dave's response: DCRTV - DC Railroads & TV..... What the hell, O'Meara? Anyone else get creeped out with Mike's emphatic and repeated declarations during the Mark Sanford discussion today that he has NO problem with the guy having an affair ("getting it wet", as he describes it), and the whole "men are wired to get some strange" over and over and over? A) Good Catholic morals, Mikey, and B) CARLA! GET AN STD TEST! AND CONDOMS! STAT!!!! (6/24/09) I've ridden several METRO lines and had to wait for other types of trains to pass at different points, MOSTLY WITHIN the District and in places where the tracks are still above ground, but NOT SHADY GROVE obviously, duh! And I believe, METRO shares track space with MARC too and probably Virginia's commuter rail. In some places, I guess its possible they are not using the same actual rail, but the spacing is too tight to pass maybe? Finally, why does every topic here have to become a DC vs. Baltimore argument? GEEZ! (6/24/09) Death notice today (6/24) in the Post about the passing of Bob Kwessell, former talk show host on Talkradio 980 WRC and, later, on WCBM. (6/24/09) Dave's response: Anyone know more? I was indeed on the metro train that crashed. The doctors checked me out and released me after about 6 hours. I had bruising and a terrible headache. I can’t decide if there were more doctors or lawyers hanging about the emergency room. BAH BAH BOOOEY…BAH BAH BOOEY. (just thought I would see if you would fall for it) (6/24/09) ("And say what you want about Thompson, he can be thought provoking and interesting even if he seems uninterested at times. I spend alot of time in other cities, IMO it could be a lot worse.") Actually, no it could not. Thompson is never thought-provoking nor will he ever ask anyone a tough question, which is why sports personalities love to come on his show. Andy Pollin is absolutely putrid as an on-air talent and as a program director. If they spoke more about the Capitals and Nationals their ratings would stay at their current low levels for they can hardly go down. Doc is good on football but he needs a much better co-host. WTEM is an abortion. (6/24/09) Now that Gentzler and Vance are off the 6PM and 11PM for an extended period of time, will Channel 4 fall from the lofty rating as they so much enjoy? If not, will this prove viewers don't care who delivers the news? Will this make them more vulnerable? Does it even matter since this is summer and viewership is generally lower? Also, Channel 9 plans to replace 5PM news with Dr. Oz this fall. (6/24/09) Dave's response: Channel 4 is also rumored to be replacing its 5 PM newscast with a more lightweight entertainment-oriented program produced for NBC stations around the country. Might leave DC with only two 5 PM local TV newscasts - on 5 & 7..... Metro "uses a series of about a half-dozen AC frequencies in the DC current in the third rail to control the train."? Wow, never thought about that but I guess it is early-'70's technology... Considering the flying sparks I see from the 3rd rail train "shoes" at the Vienna station, that must be a very noisy communications link. I would guess there is some sort of inductive pickup for the control data but even with the isolation from the 750VDC supply, the receiving equipment must be protected from the large pulses generated. I wonder how often the protection circuitry has to be replaced. It seems that it would take quite a beating from the large induced current and voltage spikes. (6/24/09) Who is the fool, speaking with authority, who thinks that freight trains share the same trackage as Metro trains? I can't recall seeing any coal trains terminating at Shady Grove lately. He must be from Baltimore. Speaking of Baltimore (and related to the dubious witness's being interviewed) did you know that it always has been the policy for Baltimore City bus drivers to lock both doors in the event of a wreck, no matter how minor, to prevent fifty homies from jumping on board and later claiming injury? (6/24/09) Comparing WTEM to WFAN is a waste of time. New York is a real sports town where the Yankee game from the night before can be discussed for 3 hours. DC is Redskins town where nothing else matters unless there is a championship at stake. I understand completely why WTEM doesn't spend much time on the Nationals or Capitals. Its because it would equal horrible ratings. Their ratings are already anemic but they'd go lower. As far as the talent at WTEM, its no worse than most in the format. It's actually more intelligent than most even if it isnt always about sports. Czaban is smart and entertaining and Sheehan too. His show without Doc is pretty good but would be even better with a good partner. And say what you want about Thompson, he can be thought provoking and interesting even if he seems uninterested at times. I spend alot of time in other cities, IMO it could be a lot worse. (6/24/09) That newspaper left out the accompanying photo of O'Meara on his motorcycle... (6/24/09) Observations on Baseball and Metro. I was at the Red Sox game last night. (yes..I know..it was at National's park..but it was the Red Sox game. ) I am a diehard Sox fan and proud of it. The stadium definately had more Red Sox fans than Nats fan last night. I plan to be there again Thursday night. I thought I should point out that all those Red Sox fans did not drive or fly down from Boston. We live here. We live in Maryland, Virginia, DC, California, Connecticut, South Carolina, Texas . Red Sox nation is everywhere. You will find them in every stadium of Major League Baseball where the Red Sox are on the schedule. This is not a fan base that grew overnight. I became a fan in 1967 as a kid. There is little the Nationals can do to hook us. We may watch them sometimes, but we will always be Red Sox fans. The Nats must build up a fan base ...or they could go the way of the Senators and the Senators.. (now Twins and Rangers). Thi s comes by fielding a good product...a competitive team at least ..if not one headed for the World Series. I must point out that this is the first time my Red Sox have been in DC since the Senators left (the second time) in 1971. My treks to Camden Yards to see the Red Sox take on the O's have been about the same. Lots of Red Sox fans sometimes outnumbering O's fans. Second Observation. To the person who asked "who is Hank Silverberg, is he a reporter?" The answer is yes. I have been one at WTOP Radio for 7 years. (My first four years there I was a producer). Am I upset you don't know my name? No. Sorry. I am not. When I report I want you to hear what I am talking about..what the newsmakers are saying and help you get important information. If you catch my name..okay..fine..good. If not..well it's not about me. Hank Silverberg (6/24/09) Saw an interview on FOX5 with some guy claiming he was on the Metro train that crashed and he said that he got off the train, walked to Takoma Station restaurant and got a beer..He said he gotten on the train to meet his wife downtown for a Capitals event..Could be wrong, but heard nothing about a Capitals event being held on Monday..Also question the guy who claims he was on the train and after impact, he ended up on the roof of the train..He had no injuries whatsoever..I know that in an effort to get the scoop, they're willing to listen to anyone claiming to be eyewitnesses and/or victims, but how could a guy be thrown on the top of a train, walk away and not have any injuries..Come on FOX5 and NBC4, think sometimes before you broadcast these stories. (6/24/09) This video WMAR ABC 2 posted is kinda gutsy and legally risky... Video of neighborhood watch groups following around drug dealers to intimidate them to leave the neighborhood and even confronting a drug dealer's mother as well as posting the drug dealers' descriptions and personal info on Facebook and Youtube. The drug dealer's face is hidden by WMAR 2, but the mother's face is NOT and neither are any of the neighborhood watch peoples' faces. Very dangerous with all the witness related drug killings in cities like DC & Baltimore. The confrontation between the mother and WMAR is kinda funny though and this is great reporting like I've not seen much on WBAL or WJZ lately. It's on www.abc2news.com (6/24/09) Mike O'Meara Show:: Mike O'Meara and Beth Ann McBride never learn. Once again, they insist on interrupting a successful "make us laugh" format that has seen them rise in the PPM ratings and discuss in nauseous opinion, heavy news items like Iran. In July, the MOM Show deserves what it gets. (6/24/09) I was wondering when Henninger Media Services is closing? Please let me know. (6/24/09) Good Lord, could MO'M be MORE clueless? He opens the show with his "suspicions" that Mark Sanford was involved with some woman in Argentina . . . and Buzz Burbank has to let him know that Sanford just confessed on national television. Way to be up to date, Mike. Sheesh. Sincerely, TMU (6/24/09) Dave's response: Well, as least he didn't start the show with the mention of a tragedy (plane/train crash, protest deaths in Iran), like he sometimes does. It's a COMEDY show, Mike..... Mike O'Meara explains why he likes to ride hard...(includes video) www.loudouni.com (6/24/09) (Eric Thomas wishing to defend myself:) I am very sorry if I was coming across as arrogant on those posts on my website. It was never my intention. I am sure if we met we would get along. I am coming from a situation in upstate New York that I only worked for a month, that is true, but I worked at one station in Michigan for 12 years before that. I had a decent amount of success from and learned a lot. If I come across as bragging on my resume.. I swear on my beloved dog that everything in that is true, downplaying accomplishments don't seem like a very good idea on a resume. I am 30 years old and I have always dreamed of working in DC, so I am moving there regardless whether I get a radio job or not. There are other opportunities in DC as well. I am not interviewing for a full time on air position. Just because I am trying to improve my quality of life. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I have read DCRTV for years! I was amazed when I was told I was already getting trashed on his board. (6/24/09) Relating to the Metro accident coverage, DC's Metro operates on dedicated tracks. It does not share the right-of-way with passenger, freight or commuter trains. I know of no urban subway system anywhere in the world that shares tracks with other trains. The poster who suggested same is confusing Metro with MARC, which operates on CSX and Amtrak lines. VRE commuter trains must also share their right-of-way with passenger and freight trains, but not and never Metro. Metro trains are powered by electricity running along a third rail at ground level, like Baltimore and NYC subways. Passenger and freight trains run on diesel, or electricity supplied by overhead catenary lines (between DC and Boston), like the old-time urban streetcars. I've written a book on Baltimore's buses and streetcars prior to 1970, and I spent 17 years at Amtrak before (thank God) getting back in radio. Gary, WHFC, Bel Air (6/24/09) Korny should consider ditching sports talk and try to schmooz his way onto Air Amerika and do political talk. He's a socialist anyway, so he'd fit right in. Maybe AA could introduce periodic sports briefs in their daily programming, with Korny taking potty shots at any athlete who isn't a card-carrying democrat. That would actually be fun to listen to. JA (6/24/09) "the Washington METRO system also shares a greater % of its tracks with both freight, passenger, & commuter rail" Metrorail does NOT share tracks. It operates on its own infrastructure. On the other hand, services like VRE & MARC share with passenger (Amtrak) and freight (CSX & Norfolk Southern). (6/24/09) RE: METRO... I think that compared to NYC, the Washington METRO system also shares a greater % of its tracks with both freight, passenger, & commuter rail, meaning lots of conflicting traffic using the same rails, hence the reason so much needs to be computer controlled. Maybe one of the news outlets should do a report on why METRO doesn't fix this problem FIRST before building new lines and extending existing ones? I know the tiny Baltimore subway shares no track with anything and I don't think has ever had an accident (except the one staged for the TV show Homicide, Life on the Streets, hehe), but obviously its so small in size/length, its probably not a fair comparison. Not many twists and turns in Baltimore's line either. (6/24/09) Dave's response: Still, how many people are killed in auto accidents in the DC area every month? At least 9. Metro's still got to be a way-safer form of transport when you look at the longterm stats..... Don Geronimo:: Dan "Big DGS Gaff" Gaffney. The gift that keeps on giving. From his Twitter page today "Listening to The Don Geronimo Show today IS just like a press conference. Questions after questions for Don on WGMD radio. Kind of funny" and "Don in the studio picking out his next tie": twitpic.com. Where do [we] start other than to say to Mike Sorce, forget about entertaining, way to broadcast those "news conferences" pal. And Gaffman, why the hell are you making Geronimo wear a tie? That's as un-natural for him as it is for O'Meara to mix-in a salad during meals. How long can Geronimo stand being a stuffed-shirt - and tie? The clock is ticking. Tick-tock! (6/24/09) (Re: "Randi Rhodes does her show from DC? Where's her studio? Does A.A. maintain an actual presence and/or a facility here?") There are places A.A. holds meetings all over the Washington area (rumour has it occasionally in Dave Hughes basement) and any of them would be an appropriate site for Randi Rhodes to broadcast from: “Hi I’m Randi and I’m a liberal shrill”….”Hi Randi, Hail Obambi. We hate Rush, Sean, Mark, Cheney, Bush, Mother Terresa, the Bush Twins and brushing our teeth”. Might make ‘em start drinking again though. (6/24/09) Dave's response: How many times do I have to tell you that I don't do DCRTV from a basement! Sheesh. I'm on the second floor of a lovely condo with cathedral ceilings..... I wonder if you heard about the Verizon FiOS spots Comcast is varrying locally as well as in other markets? Rumor from one of our AE's this morning... (6/24/09) "....Ed McMahon is gone, so is David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, Marilyn Chambers and Bea Arthur. What the hell is keeping Jack LaLanne and Les Paul (age 94!) glued together?..." Hell what about Dick Clark? About two years ago I was talking to a former classmate of mine who at the time was working for Dick Clark Productions and BACK THEN she was telling me that Clark was unable to eat solid foods, had trouble speaking and has lost much of his sight..and he is still with us today. But then again with the recent passing of Philly's WPVI-TV's Gary Papa and yesterday's passing of McMahon who worked at Philly's WCAU-TV in the 50's, and since Clark used to work in Philly himself one does wonder what are the odds of Dick Clark being "number 3" ? Since as they say "death comes in 3s". (6/24/09) Let's stop the comparison to WFAN right now!!! ESPN980 doesn't know the definition of good radio talent. Take five minutes and listen to Sheehan and if you can stand his "Mr. Know-It-All" attitude and arrogance along with poor english, you'll soon discover he's not a talkshow host. Again, if it's not golf, fantasy football, or HD TV related, Czaban's a waste and Andy Pollin needs to leave. Now what? Clean house and hope you beat CBS to the punch in the new talent pool when WJFK goes sportstalk. (6/24/09) Channel 7 is using the Metro train wreck as a promo for their news. Stay classy, 7. Stay classy! Paul (6/24/09) Dave's response: Also in that "classy" department, having to watch a 30-second pre-roll ad on the Post's website before connected to NewsChannel 8 streaming coverage of the crash on Monday evening..... Cool ... Bayliss Foundation getting set to auction off a poopload of hi-end broadcast gear. If you've ever wanted to put a bootleg FM station in your basement - at 20 kW no less! - this is da place. www.rasmus.com (6/24/09) Davy Jones will be Mc-eeing the Dean Crawford and the Dunn River Band concert at the Inner Harbor Hard Rock Cafe at 3PM Sunday June 28th for the benefit of the Artists4Amy.org/Johns Hopkins Child Life Center. It's a really worthwhile cause, the assist sick children and their families. If any of you are interested, I'd love to see you there. There is no admission, just a donation for the cause if you feel inclined. It will be a fun event and it ends around 7PM. Thanks in advance, Davy Jones (6/24/09) To Silvie... you go get'm girl! Keep doing what your're doing. Remember this ole "Bubbaism"... "when you throw a stone into a pack of dogs, the one that comes out yelpin' is the one you hit". Sure is a lot yelpin' going on. - Bubba from Burrsville (6/24/09) New York's subway has mechanical emergency brakes, 8-inch yellow (so they are clearly visible) levers that stick up and can stop a train on a dime by hitting a mechanical switch on the train if it goes through a red light. Washington has almost no traffic lights on the tracks, no mechanical emergency brakes (only computer controlled ones), and uses a series of about a half-dozen AC frequencies in the DC current in the third rail to control the train. I believe even the emergency brake for the driver is a "soft" control to notify the on-board computer, not like the one on a car or NY train, which has a "dead-man's control". If you let go of it, the train stops immediately (or as fast as possible). Almost every accident in NYC is due to VERY excessive speed or derailing at a switch, while in DC, many of the latest accidents are due to computers moving the train improperly or no emergency brakes being tripped when needed. But to be fair about the NYC system's safety, back i n the 1920s, an excessive speed accident at Malbone St. on the Franklin Avenue Line in Brooklyn killed about 90 people. They renamed the street Empire Blvd. because the street name became so infamous after that. Finally, perhaps a certain WTOP reporter can say "Neil Ow-gen-shtine" when he reports alongside Srta. Guadalupe ;-) -- Carl in Olney (6/24/09) Watching channel 4 news and noticed that Barbara Harrison is doing solo. She is better by herself than with a co-anchor. I haven't heard her stumble yet. (6/24/09) For your listening and dancing pleasure, here's the audio of the F-bomb on WAMU during the Bob Edwards Show Sunday. wamu.mp3... (6/24/09) Dave's response: If I'd been listening to WAMU then, I don't think I'd have even noticed the "f-bomb" in the "background" conversation. You have to listen pretty fucking carefully to hear it..... Ed McMahon is gone, so is David Carradine, Dom DeLuise, Marilyn Chambers and Bea Arthur. What the hell is keeping Jack LaLanne and Les Paul (age 94!) glued together? (6/24/09) Re: "Randi Rhodes does her show from DC? Where's her studio? Does A.A. maintain an actual presence and/or a facility here?" Randi does her new show out of a Premiere/Clear Channel studio - they syndicate her now. I don't know if that's in the CC/DC complex in Rockville, though. "Air America Washington" leases studio space at Bonneville, I believe. (6/24/09) Dave's response: Randi started doing her show in DC last year. Leased space, I'm sure, but not at Bonneville/DC..... There is a link to Eric Thomas' audio demo on his blog page, allowing you to hear highlights of his show. Early impressions are indeed correct - he IS arrogant and pompous, and you can add angry and inarticulate to that mix. Eric, stay out of DC. There is nothing for you here and Elliot is already doing your act, only funnier. (6/24/09) Message to Mike in Fairfax: you will never have Sheehan or anyone else on WTEM talk much about the Nats because they are uninterested and uninformed. Same with the Caps. At best, if the team becomes good, they'll jump on the bandwagon for a while during the playoffs and then go back to the Redskins and Maryland basketball. That's what WTEM is and why it is a bad station. Don't get me wrong. The Mike and the Mad Dog approach of analyzing almost every play in every Mets and Yankees game was overkill and boring. But making WTEM a station in which all of the local pro sports are discussed intelligently on a routine basis would be a good thing. But you aren't going to get that with the current local air staff. (6/24/09) Regarding Rob Dibble's comment during last nights game. You would never hear something like that from Bob Carpenter, Don Sutton, Johnny Holliday or Ray Knight.Those guys have too much class and professionalism to go in that direction. Kevin Sheehan....boy does he need Doc or someone ..as a sidekick. TK's return to the airwaves is stirring up some nice conversation...welcome to the real world Mr "T". Shawn, Bethesda (6/24/09) "Gannett To 'Reset' Salaries Lower". Just couldn't have happened to a more deserving company. How does it feel USA9? All the isht you put quite a few hard-working employees through? And with a smile on your face, too? Looks like the chickens are coming home to roost... (6/24/09) Dave, Today is my grandson Jack Rolle's 11th birthday. No better time than today to thank all the wonderful people who check with your website for their thoughts and prayers on behalf of Jack. Last week's "buzz a thon" at the Kentland's barber shop was a night to remember and we were all blown away by the response of that event. People were lined up down the sidewalk and around the corner waiting to get buzzed. All proceeds will go directly to the Brain Tumor Institute at The Childrens National Medical Center . The response from those of you in the media along with those of you outside our profession, says to me...people do care about children who are ill and want to help in any way they can. There is a wonderful website where you can follow Jack's progress. www.caringbridge.org/visit/jackrolle. Should you wish to send a donation to help fight brain cancer. Mail it to Childrens National Medical Center 111 Michigan Avenue N.W. Washington D.C. 20010. In honor of Jack Rolle at the Brain Tumor Institute. It's a long road ahead, and we all are hoping for the best. Johnny Holliday (6/24/09) On MASN's telecast of last night's Nationals-Red Sox game, Rob Dibble gave new meaning to the term 'color analyst' by asking "how many closers get lucky with hot chicks?" (I think it's a safe bet that his predecessor Don Sutton never used that phrase during his two years in the booth). Doesn't baseball on TV attract the family crowd? - perhaps Dibble needs to be a bit more careful with his choice of words. Speaking of the Nats, Kevin Sheehan's been calling DC an "apathetic baseball town" on WTEM and using that as an excuse to ignore or give short shrift to topics like Manny Acta's job status (rumored to be shaky last week) and the team's ongoing efforts to sign college pitching sensation Steven Strasburg (the top pick in the recent baseball draft) to a contract. Hopefully, Sheehan took note of the fact that the team with the worst record in baseball just sold out its home ballpark and will probably do so two more times this week. I know the Red Sox are a big draw wherever they play and a sizable portion of the crowd was cheering for them, but it's doubtful that many of those fans drove 400 miles from Boston to see the game (most live around here and thus qualify as DC area baseball fans). In other major league markets, Acta and Strasburg type topics literally carry sports talk radio for days - here they're treated like afterthoughts. Now that Tony Kornheiser's no longer employed by the Post, you'd think the path would be clear for him to go on the payroll of Red Zebra (and Redskins) owner Dan Snyder and return to 980's airwaves. The one potential conflict of interest could be his role as co-host of ESPN's Pardon the Interruption since the Skins are often a topic on that program during football season. Mike, Fairfax (6/24/09) Here's a Metro story worth looking into. New York's century-old subway is much bigger and rickety than Metro. Yet since Metro began operating in 1976, it has apparently caused more fatalities. According to www.nycsubway.org - 4/29/07: worker killed... 4/24/07: worker killed... 6/5/95: worker killed... 8/28/91: 5 passengers killed... 4/25/86: worker killed (he had a heart attack and train wrecked)... 7/3/81: worker killed... That's it. So on both an absolute and relative (passenger-per-mile) basis, Metro has, apparently, been far more lethal than New York's massive, aging subway. Why? - Paul Brandus (6/24/09) Dave's response: Yeah, let's get all those DC news departments on that investigation..... (There's this guy named Eric Thomas who has a blog (www.thetumbrel.com) -- he's a radio jock who's last job dried up inside a month in that hap'nin' burg known as Utica, NY. He's claiming on his blog that he's moving to DC where "I have a VERY exciting job interview there". If there are any stations here in town looking to hire this guy, you may want to check out his blog first, 'cuz he sounds like a pompous arrogant cock.) I'm sorry, but if this guy is really that good of a DJ, I don't think he'd be looking for another job. The good ones stay at stations for YEARS. (6/24/09) I tried to get XM Radio audio on the iTouch last night, but I’m not a ‘Premium’ subscriber – that’s annoying to someone paying $15 a month….the reason that people DO like the Junkies is because they give you a perspective of the world that no other radio show gives – it’s different and that makes it worth it….opening a fresh bag of potato chips is like a little slice of heaven…what is the deal with Channel 4 news in the mornings? It is so much better with the ‘fill-ins’ they’ve been having the last two weeks instead of Joe and Barbara (awkward-silence-in-the-morning) Harrison… a Dave Matthews channel on XM? Really?.... Big O and Dukes are HUGELY underrated – their interviewing and discussion skills are top-notch. Too much MMA of course, but otherwise one of the best shows on radio…. EITM? Should be IITM. Insert ‘I’ joke here…. Are they just making up the show ‘I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here’ as they go?.... three times nine STILL equals 27 in my books…. My 10-year old son has his first girlfriend – he said to me yesterday ‘you just don’t understand young love’…. Anyone catch all the e-skip from Texas and Oklahoma on the last day of analog broadcasting? Coincidence? I think not…. HFS coming back to radio? Who cares? Get an MP3 player, Limewire and you’re all set….. did anyone see the NTSB spokesman on the news this morning??? WOW! She could examine MY accident any time she wants…. I want Comcast to give me WGN in HD – is that so hard? Larry King, Jr. (#1) (6/24/09) Silvie, every time I see your name in the mailbag, it brings to mind that great line from All in the Family: "Still fighting mental health, huh?" /s/ S. Freud (6/24/09) Get well Jim. I miss you on TV Also by the way does anyone know where Jim Hanley is as well. He seems to have been gone for about 3 weeks now. I miss him as well. (6/24/09) Tony can't find work? Should we start some kind of telethon for him? He must be in dire straights. Wow, back to reality, huh? Back to the real world of the schlumps and schmos he made a career of lampooning. Welcome back Tony. Maybe, Wilbon needs a writers assistant or better yet, he can be a runner for Jaws in the booth. Hmmmmmm (6/24/09) Best of Luck in your recovery Jim, but this means we get MORE Melvin... NNNOOOOOO!!!!!!! (6/24/09) 1) Wuaaaa!! Wuaaaa!! You hurt my feelings, Dr. Phil! And here I thought I was making 'progress' on this Mailbag. :-( 2) Craig Melvin has been shining in the past day or so with NBC4's coverage of the metrorail accident. I say keep him right at 6 pm with Eun while Jim & Doreen are on vacation. I enjoy watching him better than Brian Bolter at that time, but I've gotta say that Bolter is my favorite. Tony Perkins should stay right where he is in the mornings too on FOX5 - he's a good cool & calm guy to watch in the a.m. Between him & Bryan Nehman's soothing voice on WMAL in the a.m., my dosage of heavy meds are nil. -Silvie- (6/24/09) On Fox 5 10;00 PM News, Robbie Chavez interviewed a metro rider. He asked how Metro did today with the station closures. A Metro rider graded Metro an "A+." "They did that good," Chavez said. "Yes, they did that well," the rider responded. Ouch! Fox 5, displays again, for their reporters, grammar is optional. (6/24/09) Gotta every with everyone about the Tony Perkins train wreck (what are his qualifications for Meteorology anyway). They just ran a tribute to the late Ed McMahon on the 10 o'clock news and Perkins did the voice over. It sounded awful. I think O'meara and Perkins teaming up would be brilliant, in a train wreck watching kind of way. (6/24/09) /\ June 24 Messages /\ \/ June 23 Messages \/ Silvie, I've got to give it to you.You are absolutely the most unyielding and ignorant of any of the DCRTV mailbaggers. Keep posting. They give us all a good laugh. They reveal more about your lack of rational thinking than we ever wanted to know. You really need a follow-up visit with your therapist or an overnite visit with C.P. /s/ Dr. Phil (6/23/09) A friend and neighbor of WJFK's Jason Bishop (Lurch of the Junkies) has been accussed of bilking investors of millions of dollars www.loudountimesmirror.com. According to the Loudoun Times Mirror story, a group of creditors has filed an involuntary petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the name of Osama El-Atari, a former Loudoun restaurant owner they claim owes them more than $41.6 million. Lurch often shared stories about El-Atari on the air. One of Lurch's frequent hangouts is The Original Steakhouse in Ashburn, which El-Atari once owned prior to series of strange events. Message boards, including Fairfax Underground (www.fairfaxunderground.com), have been speculating for several weeks regarding pending charges against El-Atari and rumors have been rampant that he has fled the country. On one occassion Lurch didn't show up for work one morning after he got into an accident in one of El-Atari's very expensive cars. The boys shared their concern about his welfare with listeners after not hearing from him for most of the show. Lurch also shared stories on the air of El-Atari's lavish lifestyle. Lurch has not mentioned El-Atari on the air in recent weeks. (6/23/09) But I noticed this about your Korny story…. We've heard that Kornheiser has taked…..should be TALKED. I read the web site daily! Thanks for keeping me up to date about B’more radio and TV! And let me know if anyone has Don Geronimo’s guerrilla podcast!!!! (6/23/09) Dave's response: I am the king of typos. My brain has always worked about three times faster than the speed of my typing fingers..... From a previous post .."Maybe Dave should rename his site the "Don Geronimo DCRTV forum for D.C." So many people seem obsessed about his return to radio"...It is interesting how many radio/TV websites and the many people who visit them ( heck in some cases even those who run the sites ) for some reason they do seem obsessed about one jock/one station despite the number of other jocks/stations in the market . For years on sites like SPRTV and the other others that serve Central Pennsylvania..it was always BRUCE BOND BRUCE BOND BRUCE BOND "..could Bruce Bond be syndicated nationwide? "."...I can't get through my day without hearing Bruce Bond" or "..I didn't hear Bruce Bond on ther air the other monring..OMG..did he get fired?..OMG WHAT DID HE DO? WHAT DID HE DO?". The western Maryland/Cumberland webite I can remember seemed to have had this "thing" for WTBO-AM's Chazz Offutt and when Chazz died on the air during his show on WTBO well within a month or two that site was as dead as Chazz Offutt but not before they put up the audio of Chazz's WTBO fatal heart attack on You Tube which was up for the longest time. Can we say tacky? WMRTV was obscessed with Brunswick's WTRI, "Vegas radio" and Buddy Riser while Winchester's old Btvonlinemedia it was dittos with them as well but in their case it was with Martinsburg's Prettyman Broadcasting. Roanoke Radio.com talked about "K-92 FM" so much and for so long that one really had no idea Roanoke had other stations as well. SVRTV.net was "in love" with Cliff Maxwell from WINC-FM, even providing updates on his new radio job in Indiana and for the longest time the same site also had a thing for WFQX-FM The Fox's and recently canned board-op Elwood King as well. Maybe there is a lot of Don Geronimo on DCRTV and while it does seem the some are "obsessed" abot Don, I would much rather hear about Don than reading about some site obsession about some jock who had died on the air of a heart attack or some Virginia site's "obsession" about some jock in Fort Wayne, Indiana. (6/23/09) There's this guy named Eric Thomas who has a blog (www.thetumbrel.com) -- he's a radio jock who's last job dried up inside a month in that hap'nin' burg known as Utica, NY. He's claiming on his blog that he's moving to DC where "I have a VERY exciting job interview there". If there are any stations here in town looking to hire this guy, you may want to check out his blog first, 'cuz he sounds like a pompous arrogant cock. (6/23/09) Was Robbay doing his bestest tribute to Ed McMahon today by laughinh loudly at all the unfunny material O'Meara does on his show. Has Burt from Denton Jumped The Shark? I know I have. I'll be over on the couch even if you don't need me. is Jim Vance taking off a lot this summer? (6/23/09) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) NewsChannel8 is currently seeking an innovative and entrepreneurial General Sales Manager with the overall goal of maximizing sales revenue. Key Responsibilities: Develop NewsChannel8’s sales strategy and unique opportunities against the broadcast market as well as the local cable interconnect. Monitor local and national sales teams along with individual activity and performance against annual strategies and budget. Must be a coach and mentor who not only knows the national business but loves generating new business directly with clients on the local level. Must be a creative thinker that “colors outside of the lines.” High visibility in both the local and national markets with clients and agencies, so travel is a requirement. Managing and coordinating daily with the traffic department and commercial production team. Participate in the redevelopment of news8.net along with developing a sales strategy. Incorporating and monetizing with NewsChannel 8 our digital channels Retro Television and Doug Hill Weather Now. Targeting and presenting cross platform opportunities with NewsChannel8, WJLA and Politico. Weekly oversight of inventory management, pricing and forecasting. Responsible for development of annual budgets for both revenue and expenses. Daily interaction with Corporate VP of Sales as well as other Department Heads. Preferred Professional Experience/Qualifications: A minimum of ten years successful media sales experience and a minimum of five years of proven success as a sales leader. Bachelor’s Degree. Direct sales experience in digital media and interactive media. Must have strong communication skills both in person and in writing. Proven experience in forecasting and budgeting. Complete understanding of Political and Issue Advertising. Send Resumes with Cover Letters to: ABC7/NewsChannel8 Attn: Human Resources/GSM, 1100 Wilson Blvd., 6th Floor, Arlington, VA 22209 or Email to: hr@wjla.com. Fax to: 703-236-9536 (6/23/09) Maybe Dave should rename his site the "Don Geronimo DCRTV forum for D.C." So many people seem obsessed about his return to radio. If you are so into Don G, take a trip to the beach to hear him. Then you can to some truly good radio, like 95.3 in the afternoon with Mike and Jackie. Burt in Denton (6/23/09) Quote: "We're talking about the dissemination of GENERAL information to viewers and listeners of a news broadcast." Um yeah, and accurate too, right? 3 females; 6 males dead.... oh no no... 4 females; 5 males dead.... oh no no.... 9 dead or maybe 7 dead.... or maybe 9 dead again.... the driver of the train, a female... oh yeah, that's so dang helpful to the viewer and/or possible family members. -Silvie- (6/23/09) Dan "Big Geronimo Gaff" Gaffney:: Put this in your "you can't make this DCRTV radio shit up if you tried" category. [We] were told that Gaffney's Twitter bio contained in part, the following "heard weekday mornings on 92.7 WGMD, and consulting to radio nationwide." Holy cheap Mike Sorce Batman tattoo, consultant to the radio industry nationwide. Really Dan? You? BIG Mike O'Meara laugh! Pal, in hiring Sorce, you sure the hell didn't use standard "consultant" business model logic. More like, a keep your fingers crossed pipe dream. 2 to 1 odds, you already got that Robin tattoo? (6/23/09) " It's not up for news organizations to do that -- it's up to the authorities to contact next-of-kin first, and then reporters." Good grief, Silvie, you just don't get it, do you. Of course it's up to the "authorities" to make the personal notification to family members after confirming the death of an accident victim. We all know that, dumkof. We're talking about the dissemination of GENERAL information to viewers and listeners of a news broadcast. You can't really be that brain-dead, are you? F'n unbelievable. (6/23/09) Re: Scott Woodside: www.linkedin.com (6/23/09) Tony Kornheiser’s best bet is to follow the Dan Patrick model: start your own company and do the show when you want to do it (9A-Noon, Eastern?) and either distribute the thing through an established radio content provider (what we used to call a “network” or “syndicator”) or do it yourself. You’ve got the national following, the money, the contacts & the brains. Screw The Danny & CBS & the Bonnevilles of the world. And/or, there’s always XM—er, Sirius/XM—right down the street. BTW, TK’s numbers on the disastrous 3WT are irrelevant. It was a solid show in a sea of mish-mash. (6/23/09) Saw an interview on NBC earlier today with a guy who claimed he was on the Metro train that crashed and that he ended up on the top of the train..If so, I would think that he was ejected from the train and doubt that he would've walked away with no injuries whatsoever..Seems pretty suspect..And although none of the news agencies can really validate information given in these interviews, this one just doesn't seem legit to me. (6/23/09) Quote: "Many listeners/viewers who might have had someone traveling on Metro would want to know if the train operator was male or female if that info was known, because maybe they had a friend or relative who was operting a Metro train yesterday." It's not up for news organizations to do that -- it's up to the authorities to contact next-of-kin first, and then reporters. -Silvie- (6/23/09) Who is this Hank Silverberg who posted his experience yesterday at the Metro crash?..Is he a reporter?.. (6/23/09) Dave, Saw your frontpage piece about Kornheiser. Don't let his comments to Sheehan fool you. Tony's agent has spoken to Red Zebra and CBS already, if not Bonneville again too. He's just trying to drum up interest and raise his price tag. The tough economic times have hit local radio too. Tony's not going to get the "high six figures" that he thinks he's worth and used to make. (6/23/09) I came to the US in 1982 and have been a fan of theirs from day one. I even attended the 4th of July celebration at the monument that they hosted. Beach Boys with Ringo Starr and a few other acts that I cannot remember much. I have tried listening to other d.jays, but there was always one thing or the other that irritates the hell out of me, either the way the fake laugh or just their material. I can never forget Elliott and Woodside fake commercials. I really thought there was a drink called Hiney and went to the liquor store asking for it! And when they act lovey-dovey. I just loved them! Where are they now? Amina (6/23/09) Dave's response: Elliot is up in New York somewhere, I think. He guested with Don Geronimo about two years ago. And isn't Scott in Atlanta? Anybody know? Dave, I listened to Tony K today on WTEM w/ Kevin Sheehan. To me, he actually sounded upset that nobody called him yet. Its probably because everybody thinks he will reject their offer. I think he'll be back on radio by Labor Day. Thanks for the update! Mark S., Gaithersburg, MD (6/23/09) Dave: You could not have put it any better regarding Mr. Tony!!!! People like Tony, George Michael, Don Geronimo, and even John Riggins are still living life in the 80's and 90's. All think the big money salaries are still out there when in reality, those days are gone. Funny, haven't heard Riggins on the radio in over a year and there hasn't been any talk about George Michael returning to anyone's Redskins- related show...and I wonder why? Gee, may be people have gotten smart and finally put their feet down to say the big money days are done. Another common thread? How about all three having ego's that are off-the-chart. Tony really thought stations would be tripping over themselves to make a bid on his services and George probably thought Dan Snyder would hire him in a minute. Well, let's wait and see how many of these people will have new jobs come September 1st. (6/23/09) wbal - What happened to newscaster Leonard Roberts? (6/23/09) After reading all of the comments from reporters trying to cover the Metro crash on Monday, it seems officials in DC took their cue from the blackouts in coverage of the Iran election. SHAME. (6/23/09) tk transcript voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog (6/23/09) I love it. EITM (Elliot) is getting hammered in the ratings -- non-stop. And better yet by the likes of Loo & Lori and Jack Diamond. Nobody really wants to hear his potty humor and without BZ around no one at Clear Channel will soon care. Maybe they will realize him for the liabilty he really is and they will put someone decent on. (6/23/09) Was it really necessary for WBFF-TV reporter Keith Daniels to give details of how the violin teacher abused his student? It went too far. Also was Maryland's two party conscent law violated when he recorded the sound with the wife of the teacher? (6/23/09) SNIPPET from Mailbag) he accused us of not listening. I wonder if he realizes that he wasn't on the air Monday; that's what the letters were about.(RESPONSE) I didn’t mention anything about NOT LISTENING. I knew full well we were not on the air Monday. Engineers had to re-format the delivery system Monday. We are now back on the air and will be for sure. KHZ online stream has been gone for about 7 weeks and for good reasons that will soon be understood. WYRE is no longer programming KHZ/Fennessy/Jones. In order for “other events” to take place RBC has opted to not simulcast. Soon, there will be more. Fer sure! D.J. (6/23/09) Please everyone take a close look at Dave Statter's Blog. It will explain why information was so slow in coming out on the rail crash yesterday. When I arrived on the scene I was prevented from getting anywhere within five blocks of the accident. I was able to go up a side street and get a view of the crash by walking up a hill and into someone's back yard (with their permission) and stand with dozens of ordinary citizens to get a good view of the crash...from about three blocks away. The people in the know..PIO's..etc..were all behind police barriers..where they would not let the media go. One of my colleagues was behind yet another police barrier on the other side of the crash where she couldn't see ANYTHING. No one was saying anything official. I reported what I could see..described the crash..talked to neighbors about what they saw. We could not tell you which way the trains were going at first because from just looking at the crash you couldn't tell. There were several TV photogs at the same location I was with telephoto lenses trying to get shots. Several actually went up on to the roof of some apartment buildings (I assume with permission ) to get shots. While there was some e good video...it still was not information. About seven, Metro Chief John Catoe came in the same way I did, with his PIO in tow..and as they passed us they gathered us up and told us there would be a briefing at 7:15. As we approached that same police line where I had been stopped before..they tried to stop us again..until the PIO protested..and persuaded them to let us scoot across a bridge to the other side for the briefing where again..we could not SEE or photograph the crash. Information does not come from Trees. A reporter can only report what he can see with his own eyes, and what people who are supposed to know are telling them. It was not clear from viewing the crash scene if the trains were on the same track..or not..and what direction they had been traveling. Statter's observations are very correct. There was a deliberate attempt to keep us back..and control the info flow. The result? Some information was reported. I didn't report if the train was going north or south..because you simply could not tell from looking at the crash. and no one in the know was confirming anything. It appeared they were going in opposite directions at first, but there was no way to confirm that. Some unhurt passengers..were able to tell some reporters more later.,,once they got outside the perimeter. I offer this only to illustrate how the flow of information is not always smooth in breaking news situations. Would it have been better if there were three or four other radio stations there? I doubt it. They would have been stopped at the same police barriers. Hank Silverberg (6/23/09) Did you happen to catch the Howard Stern fan posing as a Doctor yesterday around 7:30ish PM on WUSA. He was claiming to be a doctor at a local hospital. He gave a report of they were treating 24 “walking wounded” and 2 critical then yelled twice “Howard Stern Rules”. Kind of sad! (6/23/09) When did Big 0 and Dukes start re-airing an earlier portion of their show during the 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. time slot? They did this Monday and today. (6/23/09) Dave's response: I heard them do that in the past..... WKHZ's online stream was back to where it should be this morning. I heard Davy Jones comment on the letters here in the mailbag; he accused us of not listening. I wonder if he realizes that he wasn't on the air Monday; that's what the letters were about. But today WYRE is still Spanish. And now WKHZ's online stream has gone away. Hey, Mr. Jones: why don't you drop a note here and explain to us, who are _trying_ to listen, what's going on at your station(s)? Is WYRE permanently out of the WKHZ "network"? Is KHZ permanently off the internet? ~~CA in BC (6/23/09) Dave, You gotta love DCRTV. At 1:26pm I come across the post that Mr. Tony will be on with Sheehan at 1:25. Shoulda been a comic with timing like that. Sheehan was more than credible, but Mr. Tony, even with full schmooze on display, was marvellous. Let the bidding begin; no matter where he ends up, it's going to be great local radio, and we sorely need some great local radio. Let's hope it happens sooner than later. Uncle Frank in Arlington (6/23/09) Dave's response: 1) Tony probably wants too much money in the budget-slashing environment of local radio, 2) Tony's getting old, and radio wants/needs to attract younger demos that advertisers crave, 3) the only sports talker in town is owned by Skins owner Dan Snyder who Tony probably wouldn't want to work for, 4) Tony is busy with "PTI" and probably wouldn't put the effort into a full-fledged morning drive show (3-4 hours) that stations would want, and 5) Tony's latest radio ratings on WaPo Radio/3WT weren't so hot..... Hope you all enjoy today’s column about how to follow Wimbledon on the run! www.examiner.com... Jim (6/23/09) (RE: Frank Reynolds) (6/23/09) More on Fenty's information control from Dave's blog... Statter911.com: "Where are the PIOs?: With a large section of the city shut down, Metro's Red Line at a standstill, and loved ones desperately looking for information, the city went into an information blackout mode within the first hour of the crisis. While at least one fire department PIO provided initial information in the first minutes, sources within city government tell STATter911.com that word came from Mayor Adrian Fenty's press office that no more interviews were to be done, or information relayed to reporters until a 7:15 PM press conference by the mayor. At about the same time, TV photographers and live truck crews were suddenly pushed back from vantage points where the wreckage could be seen. Many of these spots were out of the way of first responders working to treat patients. Reporters and photographers report being confronted by police and other officials even though they were on private property a considerable distance from the crash site. Law enforcement sources familiar with the situation say the efforts were made because of concerns by city and Metro officials that photographers might get pictures of bodies being removed from the train. A live truck crew with 9NEWS NOW (my station) was forced off an overpass and ordered to leave the microwave truck behind, cutting off a line of communications for the reporter to relay information to the public. A police PIO later intervened and allowed the operator to retrieve the truck. More on this information policy as we know it." (6/23/09) "I had a very successful 18 year career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a commodity broker and I retired to the Caribbean at age 35 " So you were a commodity broker at age 17? What's it like being a douche? "He never had a nice thing to say about Dan Gaffney" hmm, those of us who read his tweets know different. Is it like a Summer's Eve? "I do anywhere from 7 to 10 interviews a day" Taking a call is not doing an interview, but I do like the new improved shape of your applicator. Seriously, dude, you're venturing into Cheezeface territory. --- ThePenIsMightier (6/23/09) Well, it appears that now, washingtonpost.com is reporting that nine people have died in the Metro crash..The actual number has been going back and forth from 7 to 9 all morning..So, are we now at an actual count?..In any case, this is still a sad situation. And from what NTSB is reporting, one of the trains involved was one that they had been part of a fleet that NTSB recommended being phased out..Can we say lawsuits?? (6/23/09) "I suspect 980 is gearing up for a run at Tony Kornheiser with the hiring of Marc Sterne." Kevin Sheehan just announced that Kornheiser will be a guest on his show around 1:25 PM hour and the latter's future plans will be one of the topics. Sterne has definitely rejoined the station to produce the Locker Room - while he's hosted some baseball related programming on both WTEM and 3WT over recent years, it's unlikely he'll get a chance to do it again considering that Phil Wood's Saturday show was cancelled shortly after Dan Snyder took over the station last year. Mike, Fairfax (6/23/09) The NTSB spokesperson looks a little like Allison Starling.. (6/23/09) Dave: What is your huge beef with WJFK, everyone knows that what you are hinting at with your topic of CBS making more budget cuts. Are you just that upset about Don leaving still that you are just chomping at the bit to report anything at all that might hint a station flip? And how long have you been reporting the WJFK is GOING to flip and it hasn't, not quite sure but it has been a LONG time. You are sounding like the boy who cried wolf and people are going to stop listening to all of your rumors. How about you wait until there is some actually solid news before reporting that there will be a station flippage. (6/23/09) Dave's response: People like you are funny. You regularly visit a website that specializes in local media rumors and then you complain about all the rumors. Jeez. If you want only "confirmed" news, go to the Washington Post. Oh, wait, even the Post has reported rumors of JFK's sports talk flip. Ditto with just about every other radio trade website. Looks like you're kinda out of luck..... Unless it is already mentioned in the DCRTV front page, FNC's "Special Report with Bret Baier" began broadcasting in HD last week. (6/23/09) Dave's response: Whoopie! Should I care? Comcast here in Reston still only offers Fox News in analog standard-def..... Silvie, you are waaaay beyond ignorant and carry discussions to their ultimate in absurdity. The on-scene reporters were trying to disseminate as much info as possible during a chaotic situation. There were obviously some serious injuries. Many listeners/viewers who might have had someone traveling on Metro would want to know if the train operator was male or female if that info was known, because maybe they had a friend or relative who was operting a Metro train yesterday. We know you're still wacked out over losing C.P. and the thought of having to deal with Verizon and their Gestapo (your word) tactics, but don't get your pink panties in a wad all the time girlie (lol ... but I'm serious). Surprised that you haven't chImed in on the Paaa-Treesay-Wuuuuadaloooope discussion yet. /s/ Sarah Bernhardt. (6/23/09) I highly suggest you pump your brakes, Silvie. It is a well-known fact that it is standard practice in any instance where a name is withheld, such as in the case of a fatality, for a P.I.O. to at least provide the age and sex of the vehicle operator involved. Such as in "The driver, a 46 year old male and a five year veteran of the Metro system, was killed in the crash..." Also, considering that you are attempting to point out an instance of perceived misogyny, employing the pejorative "douchebag" in your scathing rebuttal probably works against the point you are attempting to make. Think before you type. (6/23/09) (Why does her sign off on every story have to end with a PUH-TREE-SEE-UH WHADDA-LOOPEE?) Another xenophobe heard from! (6/23/09) This is priceless. A feud between a has been (Don Geronimo) and a never has been wannabe (Bulldog). And did I read Bulldog called DG a coward? This from a guy that fled the US while under investigation by the SEC and IRS for fraud and conveniently stayed out of the country for seven years. Who's the coward???? Geronimo gets another shot with the powerhouse station in the OC market. Good for him. In four or five years, Bulldog hasn't improved WOCM's ratings or image one iota nor built an audience for one of the worst morning shows ever heard in any market. WOCM remains a laughinstock in the market. On the other hand, WGMD made a bold move. If you have a shot to hire DG in a small market, you do it. (6/23/09) (snip)...an ABC anchor reported him dead. (end snip) It was the late Frank Reynolds, who had the infamous blow-up on air when the story appeared to be false. Al McGilvray (6/23/09) I agree with the poster who wondered why FOX5 doesn't use Matt Ackland and/or Wisdom Martin on the anchor desk instead of Tony Perkins..Obviously FOX5 has made promises, maybe via his contract, of making Perkins a "real" anchor sometime in the future..But I say, use the "real" anchors you already have.. (6/23/09) Dave's response: Tony Perkins and Mike O'Meara in the mornings on 94.7 Fresh FM. Oh, nevermind..... Re; "Dave, quick correction regarding your front page story about the Metro crash" Wrong. DC Fire knew last night that there were nine, and probably more, fatalaties. The problem is that they could not retreive the bodies. It wasn't until this morning when the railroad crane was brought in that they were able to retreive more bodies making a confirmed count of nine. (6/23/09) Dave, quick correction regarding your front page story about the Metro crash..There have only been 7 deaths, not 9..FOX5 was reporting that all morning only to be disputed when Mayor Fenty had a news conference confirming the number of deaths..Three bodies were found overnight increasing the count to 7 and the additional 2 persons are indeed alive, but in critical condition..A similar news story broke when James Brady, an assistant to Pres.Regan, was shot and an ABC anchor reported him dead. (6/23/09) I'm disappointed to hear that 1050AM is adding Randi Rhodes. Her style and lack of substance are too much like most right wing hosts for my taste. I'm also a little surprised that a station brokered by Air America would buy her show since her relationship with Air America was not very good. Is the local show they've been running 3-6 being canned or moved? Howie (6/23/09) I agree with the previous posters. WTOP's coverage of yesterday's incident sounded amateurish at best. Guadalupe was NOT the reporter to have as your primary source for information. Why does her sign off on every story have to end with a PUH-TREE-SEE-UH WHADDA-LOOPEE? Sometimes it's barely noticeable, other times its exaggerated for ten seconds. Kind of reminds me of the Tracey Ullman character Linda Alvarez from her Showtime series State Of The Union. I think we can all agree that a lot of the WTOP reporters could use a refresher course in Voice And Diction 101. And at least for once WTOP spared us with some nonsensical musical soundtrack underneath the news reading, or before each segment. A practice I wish they would stop altogether. However critical as we may be of WTOP, just think - where was WMAL 630 during all of this? Most disturbing of the local coverage were some of the live feed comments on a link from WUSA's website. I noticed later that featured link was taken off of their website. And, what is wrong with the WUSA live internet feed? It constantly breaks up. WJLA/Newschannel 8 had way too much Brad Bell. While quite capable of handling the story as one of WJLA's best veteran reporters, some of his segments went on for 20 minutes at a time, with the same video footage repeated every 30 seconds. WJLA/Newschannel 8 must have had a lot of reporters on vacation or something as it seemed as if he were the only one there. FOX 5, when covering the story, had more interviews covered by their best reporters Matt Ackland and Wisdom Martin. Why FOX 5 does not use either of them more at their anchor desk instead of Tony Perkins is beyond me. - (The poster formerly known as MLB4). (6/23/09) Where's Steve Chenevey these days?..Seems like he's doing a "Doreen Gentzler" on us with his constant disappearing act..Or he must have a great contract that gives him a bunch of vacation days..However, his absence is unfortunate for us since Tony Perkins is assigned to fill in..Just gives me the chance to watch another channel.... (6/23/09) ...early word here is that ED McMahon has died. (6/23/09) Dave's response: Confirmed. Gone to that great TV talk show in the sky. tmz.com..... ED MC MAHON IS DEAD! (6/23/09) Randi Rhodes does her show from DC? Where's her studio? Does A.A. maintain an actual presence and/or a facility here? (6/23/09) Emphasis on "FEMALE" goes to the point and stereotype that females are worse drivers than males, douchebag. Why not just say the "train conductor" and leave it at that? Would the reporter(s) actually emphasize "The MALE metrorail conductor died..." if it had been a male driver at the helm? NO! Think about it. Also, the train conductor in Boston was a transgendered individual (became a female). Will he/she be accused of driving like a male or like a female? Sheesh... -Silvie- (6/23/09) Silvie, you dumb-ass ... the media WAS reporting the news and was reporting the FACTS. They weren't speculating. It WAS a female operating the metro car. Had it been a MALE, they would identified him as such. They were simply trying to impart as much information that was available to them at the time. For chrissake stop whining, and stop trying to read anything feminist into it. Next thing you'll be telling us is that you have an autographed picture of Bella Abzug hanging on your bedroom wall and that the DC police used "Gestapo" (your word) tactics when trying to secure the crash scene the area. Geez. (6/23/09) Heard part of the Don Geronimo Show, yesterday on WGMD and from what I know about people that have worked at Seacrets and Ocean 98.1, what Don G., said is dead on, about when u quit or you are fired....they think you are a criminal, grab your keys escort off the Tourist Trap , that is Seacrets. If you have personal belongings still on the premises...You have to make an appointment to get them, pure no class idiots. Now, when the Bullfraud Morning show, 1st came on, a few years ago, this Dave Rothman, talked about the islands, having the number 1 rated show, in St. Maartens, what do they have 2 stations down there, LOl, blah blah blah, blah ...knowing Mancow, more like being one of mancow's balls....I listened in the beginning, but, Christ he would have boring interview after interview, with book authors. Also, when the show 1st started BullFraud had a phone girl and somebody who booked all these guests, Amazing for a 1.0 rated station. Then, they said they where going syndicated, in the islands, so my buddy said, when they would try to give away a prize, nobody would even call from St Maartens, where this bullshitter, had a Morning Show. what a joke. I am told, by Seacrets workers, that fat fuck, does not do anything but, stock trading from Seacrets, and makes 80.000 a year, WOW. Great Job of Ass kissing . This Bull Fraud, has had a morning show, for maybe more than 3 years live and local, and if somebody would see him they would not even know who or what he is except for his fat bald head. Like one poster said earlier in the week, Layton More, the Captain of that sinking vessell, Ocean 98, does not care about ratings, by the way Ocean 98's a 1.0 LOL....but, he should care that his morning show sucks and people on Delmarva don't listen to it . Yesterday, Don Geronimo had call after call, so who are u gonna believe 30 year veteran, A Radio God, or some Fat Midwestern stock trader whose claim to fame is being one of Mancow's balls. By the way I wonder if Mancow Muller even knows who Dave Rothenburger is these days. Signed CHICAGO IRS (6/23/09) ...be a grammar nazi? I want to commend John M. on actually posting about Don G. without sounding like a Kool-Aid drinking cult member ("It shows what a angry, cowardly asshole you really are. Fuck you. Fuck your piece of shit station and go crawl back under the rock you crawled out from under. Actually, calling you an asshole is an insult to assholes.") or a jilted ex-wife whom can't stop blathering on about her ex-husband ("Good luck, you're gonna need it. Hope you stay a full 6 weeks before you're shown the door, again. Asshole!"). All I'm going to say about Don is that he is a "character" (commodity) that he is trying to get on the radio (market), so he can make money. No where in that equation does it include "befriending" the audience. Michael Source doesn't want your opinions, he doesn't want your accolades, and most of all, he doesn't want your friendship (especially off-radio contact). All he wants from us is listenership, because that makes him money. If you're uncomfortable with the fact that a person could come up with a fictitious character and feign interest in others in an attempt to make money, don't listen to him (and for the most part, most other "personalities" in most medias). I don't see Don a the greatest thing ever, nor do I see him as the reencarnate of Hitler, he is just a guy I used to listen to on the radio, but don't any longer. I quit Don Geronimo (radio, twitter, blog, etc...) and this site, but got lured back in by the piece they did on the website in NOVA magazine. To be honest, what's better than at 12:30 am than writing snide comments to other idiots whom think their opinions matter? Other than sleep, not much that I can think of at the moment. If I was Don, I wouldn't give a shit about what anyone wrote on this board, as the majority of us don't even live in the market he broadcasts in (why are we taking about him anyways? I'm sure someone explained it before, I've just forgot). However, if I had done something with my life that has jackasses like myself posting to websites all day and even having one of my ex-employers post how big of an asshole I am on a public industry forum, I couldn't help but feeling that I had done something pretty great with my life. Awaiting a critic on the grammar in my post with bated breath, Tony (6/23/09) Re: "Regarding radio side: Patricia Guadalupe and Hank Silverberg were clearly out of their elements, her especially, on the air with information which was just plain wrong." Patrice (let us not forget how to pronounce her name, she reminds us at the end of each report ... geez... lol) Guadalupe is ALWAYS out of her element on any story she does. And what's with Neal Augenstein's voice? It always sounds like he's talking with a mouth full of mush. I find him really annoying to listen to. (6/23/09) The comments that a previous poster made about the current " Depression", while he/she had made some good points it needs to be said that the current depression/recession is NOT equal. In other words some parts of this country are doing much better than others so if one says the word "depression" in cities like Houston, Denver, Dallas, Austin, Raleigh, Fort Collins, Charlotte, Salt Lake City, Columbus Ohio, Indianapolis and a few other places, well chances are people in those cities will laugh at you as in "what depression? WTF?". Now if we are talking about Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland ,Chicago, Youngstown or Gary Indiana, well there chances are good that people may agree with you. The "shared-time" thing, I am a bit surprised that has NOT happened say in Detroit or Buffalo but NEVER in a city like Houston or Raleigh which it seems the latter is always at the top of some Forbes list among cities that is doing well with everything and as a result I am sure that Raleigh's WRAL and WTVD are doing just fine thank you very much and didn't Charlotte's WBT radio actually hired additional staff recently as did Indianapolis' WIBC? FOX? CBS? While there have been cutbacks at many of their stations, in some places they have actually hired people recently. As recently as a few months ago the CBS radio stations in Dallas were actually looking for people such as K-LUV 98.7 while Indy's FOX 59 and Columbus' WBNS -TV it seems they are still hiring people at least on a weekly basis. Also on a similar note it needs to be said that Indianapolis is spending money right now in some of the rust belt places telling people that they should move there because everyone will find a job in Indy. I have heard the same thing thing about Fort Collins, Colorado too. Now will anyone be interested in actually moving to Indianapolis or Fort Collins just to get a job is another question all together. No this recession/depression is not created equal unlike that great depression where just about everyone is hurting regardless as to where they live. Come to think of it considering that DCRTV serves the DC/Baltimore region every time I hear the word "depression", really has this area ever experience a deep "depression"? Last I checked Northern Virginia is still growing. Well maybe it is a "depression" as far as radio/TV/newspaper jobs are concerned but then again with radio and TV, it never really was that easy to get a job in those areas either. Not in 1968, not in 1988 and of course not now for that matter since the broadcast industry has always had this "problem" of having more people wanting to get into it than the number of jobs that are available. Of course that is one thing schools like the Columbia School of Broadcasting does NOT want you to know about. (6/23/09) @John M on the Don G. show: "I'm not sure I've ever heard worse grammer.... or a more uneducated group..." Grammar. The word is grammar. Let he who is without sin.... (6/23/09) Regarding Eun Yang showing just how much more experienced she is than Craig Melvin, I have to agree 100%..He is NOT the person you want on the anchor desk when a tragedy strikes...In general, I think that Eun Yang doesn't get the credit she deserves. She's one of the few, other than Lindsey Czarniak, who has great chemistry with Vance..And for that matter, great chemistry with whomever I've seen her anchor..And when she anchors the weekend news alone, she again does a great job..And I also like how she interviews people..She's just a great professional..Craig Melvin, take notes... (6/23/09) /\ June 23 Messages /\ \/ June 22 Messages \/ I hate like hell to say this, given the times we’re in. However, I would have to say that despite the claim on the DCRTV front page about the layoffs at Fox, I have to say that there is still cause for concern at 5151 and 5202. Indeed, grave concern. We are in an economic Depression the likes of which not seen in the lifetime of many in this business. Indeed, not since the 1929-1941 Depression has the broadcasting industry faced the problems it does today. At Fox, like other broadcasters, it may not be enough to merely meet your headcount via the “bodycount”. Your financial trends may be such that going for “a few more” may be tempting as backup with things getting worse. Fox has a special worry with its cuts as they do have some talent (especially in their cable nets) who, even in this economy could readily find work elsewhere. That is why you see the cuts on the broadcast side. They know that their broadcast people are unlikely to be hired by the competition. Not so with cable. At all levels of cable, the “suits” must be shaking at the thought of layoffs because their high level of competition (At a dog-eat-dog level last seen decades ago in newspapers, but rarely in broadcast.) makes them so vulnerable to “success revenge”, as I call it because even in a Depression, there’s almost always room to hire your competitor’s now-unwanted “top talent”. And, “talent” isn’t always in front of a microphone or a camera, either. Nor, are they always a Jerry Klein or Jeff Holtzman. There are still a few brilliant managers in this ‘biz although some of them have had to make personnel decisions of late which made them physically ill. And, they still regret having to make. One thing I’m truly amazed at is how few stations have either gone dark/silent or sought a “Specified Hours” license from the FCC in this Depression to stave off either bankruptcy or economic euthanasia. In the last Depression, mechanical television was effectively euthanized as only RCA and CBS had the capital to keep TV development going. And, without viable mechanical competition, a lot of what we lived with for 60+ years with NTSC came about. On the radio side, if you look, a lot of share-time operations disappeared during the 1930’s. Especially the really marginal ones. As did more than a few small and some medium market stations. Of the majors today, I expect CBS and Fox to survive this Depression. Maybe not in quite the same form they are today. However, as in the last Depression where several major carmakers either went kaput outright or started into a death spiral possibly lasting decades, there are broadcasters who’ve already made decisions which will be difficult, if not impossible to walk away from. Even with a sale. There is one storied pioneer broadcaster who is in especially serious danger of not making their 90th anniversary, let alone their centennial. . Folks, these are perilous times in which we live. And, I don’t see that many broadcasters taking a “long view” perspective. Nor, are they going with what’s “tried and tested”. Worse yet, you see what I call “ancestor worship” being developed into almost a cult. I take in point the local TV multicaster whose corporate parent still takes public pride in its commercial print division! What an anachronism! What TV didn’t kill of print decades ago is now being finished off by the Internet and the flexible schedules so many families have today. Instead of innovation, you see/hear what could best be called “flavor of the month”, which as any Baskin-Robbins store manager will tell you eventually melts. Sorry for the long rant. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (6/22/09) I listened briefly to Don Geronimo on WGMD this morning and for what its worth found the show boring. But the callers were pure gold. I'm not sure I've ever heard worse grammer, more mispronunciations or a more uneducated group on any radio station. It was hillbilly central. DG should play Deliverance or the Beverly Hillbillies as his theme song. John M (6/22/09) Regarding Metro train crash coverage .... during the time I have been watching, WJLA looks like they are out in front of the other stations. Information on before the other stations, and coverage from the hospitals. Regarding radio side: Patricia Guadalupe and Hank Silverberg were clearly out of their elements, her especially, on the air with information which was just. plain. wrong. (6/22/09) "Actually, calling you an asshole is an insult to assholes. Paul" Geez I don't know that I've ever seen such a lack of control of one's emotions in this forum. Anger management and decaf maybe? Kudos to Fox 5 for realizing there is a limit to coverage of a news event even if it is a major one. I see they have gone to House while the others continue with their breathless, non-stop ramblings. We got the bubbleheaded bleach-blonde, comes on at 5 She can tell you about the train (plane) crash with a gleam in her eye It's interesting when people die, give us dirty laundry (6/22/09) Is Don Juan Geronimo now a right wing talker, preceding RusH Limbone on the radio? Has Donny G. altered his political leanings in his time off the radio? Or taken up the lameo Libertarian Shtick? Oh woo is me donnie g. a hypocrite -- He an the disingenuous one, O'Meara, don't really speak no more do they (6/22/09) Re: "Actually, calling you an asshole is an insult to assholes. Paul" Hello Donnie! Long time no see you on the mailbag! How's WGMD treating you so far? Good luck, you're gonna need it. Hope you stay a full 6 weeks before you're shown the door, again. Asshole! (6/22/09) Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I found a website about Johnny Dark (from WCAO Baltimore and Big Oldies in DC and WorldSpace) on the internet at www.livinglegendonline.com. I enjoyed Johnny on the air and I liked checking out the pictures on the website and taking a trip down memory lane. I thought you could post this so that other Johnny Dark fans could enjoy the website too! The only thing missing from the site are audio clips or sound checks from the old days. Hopefully they will add some. Thanks! Michelle :) (6/22/09) At 7:44pm during Channel 9's live coverage of the Metro collision, they introduced, on the phone, what they said was a spokesman at GW Hospital... conducted a 2 minute 'interview' before he yelled "Howard Stern rules!" and hung up. (6/22/09) Regarding "COMCAST... A slew of QAM band basic cable channels just magically showed up on my HDTV set today after a RE-SCAN!" You must be in a privileged branch of their system. Nothing changed in Howard County; still only Over-The-Air channels in the clear on QAM. By the way, there is no "QAM band"; the digital QAM channels are scattered among the old analog channels. QAM is just a digital way to use 6 MHz slices of bandwidth. (6/22/09) Heard on several newscasts that one of the victims of the DC metrorail crash, perhaps the conductor, was a "FEMALE"... the reporters in question (from different radio & TV stations) are putting a vocal emphasis on the "FEMALE" word. What the hell does it being a female have to do with anything??? Just report the damn news and speculate and emphasize later, for Chrissake!! -Silvie- (6/22/09) Thank you ''Bulldog''. Thank for being a perfect example of why radio today sucks. You are the perfect no talent, crotch rotting weasel stations look for to be IN radio. What shining example can you put up against a guy who's had a tremendous amount of success for a large part of his career? Why haven't YOU been THE blazing morning or afternoon talent that demands respect? I'll tell you why. You're a 0 talent asshole who's willing to bend over a desk and take it up the ass by any GM, PD or sales guy who comes along. Geronimo may stretch the truth [alot] but he's never comprimised. Coming on a message board of local TV and radio shows EXACTLY why you're where in you are and the level of respect you have for anyone in your business. It shows what a angry, cowardly asshole you really are. Fuck you. Fuck your piece of shit station and go crawl back under the rock you crawled out from under. Actually, calling you an asshole is an insult to assholes. Paul (6/22/09) Kostya Kennedy of SI, who is looking for recordings of 1941 Senators baseball games, will probably have to settle for just this one from 1939: www.archive.org (6/22/09) I've been watching the Metro collision coverage. Looks like WUSA9 got the video first. WJLA and NBC4 were running relatively parallel reports. But, you can really see the difference between the newbies and vets. Eun Yang's experience really shows in contrast to Craig Melvin, who is hypertalking like a cocaine freak on a binge. Sorry to belabor the point, but he's really not ready for the DC market. Eun is calm and reassuring, and is far more articulate with extemporaneous reporting. (6/22/09) In reference to: " Don G. pressing charges against that guys brother. If memory serves this is about Carl Grossman who actually was attempting to contact Don's son Bart and had followed him home on at least one occasion," I was unable to find the post referred to. For the record, I never contacted (or even attempted to contact) anyone in Don's family, other than my letters to Don. Letters. Not contact. Very different. I never followed ANYone. Period. Not "at least on one occassion" . . Not EVER . What is most disturbing is that stories like this continue to resurface and appear credible. As if I don't have enough trouble already trying to recover from losing everything - recurring erroneous reporrts don't help. (6/22/09) Dave's response: Again, enough said on this particular recurring thread. Let's move on..... Right now at 6:15 PM on Monday as the coverage converges on the Metro “accident”, as a frequent news channel surfer, I would say that WRC/NBC so far has the best interviews/video/live coverage editing: WUSA has Dave Statter babbling about something and WJLA/News Eight have commercials (figures: “First I see the purse.”). Score one for WRC. (6/22/09) Dave, Bulldog's description of Don G spot on. The guy has some talent, or used to, but he is such a personal SOB that he is impossible to work with. He will never work in a big market again, and likely won't last long in this job either. He was a fool to walk away from that big contract... it was his last. The Listener (6/22/09) Don Geronimo:: Unauthorized Don Geronimo Show streaming. Trust [us] here when we tell you CBS management is prepared for, and willing to with an iron legal fist, immediately go after those that in direct defiance to Sorce/CBS non-compete, steam the DGS from WGMD studios. Dan Gaffney should know that he and WGMD will more than likely be included in any Cease & Desist orders as well as costly litigation. The bottom line is WGMD, technology, although indirectly, will bite you in the ass and you don't have the legal deep pockets, nor assets CBS does to defend yourself. Mike Sorce - Risk v. Reward (6/22/09) Best use of HD Radio yet, broadcasting tones from Frederick on AM-1670 !! WD2XXM has been testing this afternoon with tones on both analog and digital signals. (6/22/09) Hi Dave, I am concerned about that posting regarding Don G. pressing charges against that guys brother. If memory serves this is about Carl Grossman who actually was attempting to contact Don's son Bart and had followed him home on at least one occasion. Posting that message only gives one side of that story and considering that it involved a minor being harassed I don't think that it is proper to post it without also detailing the criminal charges that the individual was convicted of. Thanks, Kurt (6/22/09) Dave's response: You got a point. Here's the news item we ran on May 23, 2007: A Leesburg man pleaded guilty in Fairfax County Court on Monday to a misdemeanor charge of stalking in connection with a January incident in which WJFK-FM afternoon host Don Geronimo (aka Michael Sorce) received a letter that allegedly contained threats to himself and his family. According to court documents, Carl R. Grossman originally faced a felony charge. He was given a one-year jail sentence with 10 months suspended, followed by a year of probation and a period of supervised mental health care. The judge also issued a lifetime restraining order on Grossman, who had once been a frequent caller on "The Don And Mike Show." I want to say RIGHT-ON to David "BullDog" Rothner for his e-mail about Don Geronimo being a liar and saying of Geronimo: "He is the most insecure person I have ever met. He is a punk and a coward that likes to hide behind a microphone and throw stones. He is the type of person that thrives on others misfortune." These statements are are absolutely true. You see, Mike Sorce (a/k/a Don Geronimo), had my brother arrested two years ago, and put in jail for 30 days (and Don saw to it that neither my brother nor members of his family, were allowed to speak of the incident to anybody for fear that poor Don's reputation would be tarnished). This absolutely ruined my brother's life (was fired from his job, was denied unemployment, and because he was not allowed to speak of the incident, could not get hired for any jobs because he was not allowed to explain himself), not to mention the devastation this did to the rest of my family. My 87-year old mother was severely affected by what Sorce did to my brother (clinical depression, etc.). My mother lives on a fixed income of $32,000 a year, and she gave my brother $1,000 a month so he could keep his condominium and not become homeless. The rest of my family has faced financial devastation as well, as we try to keep my brother afloat, all thanks to Don Geronimo. My brother has since been psychologically tested and it turns out he was born with Asperger's syndrome (a mild form of autism), and his form of Asperger's is most apparent in that he cannot pick up social cues from oral speech (which is what radio is all about). Hence, the reasons what happened, happened. My brother is one of the most mild-mannered, laid-back people on the planet, and even after sending an apology letter to Don Geronimo (through a detective), Don Geronimo still had to make sure that my brother's life was ruined and that he go to jail. Unbelievable. Even if my brother was guilty of everything Don said he was (which he was not), the consequences he suffered far outweigh his crime. (6/22/09) Hay Dave, Gaff, Bulldog: Paint your bald spot? (6/22/09) Dave, I'm curious your take on the posters who immediately defend Don because "he has 30 years experience" while his adversary in this mailbag tornado doesn't. If you've read this mailbag for even a couple of months, it's pretty obvious that what worked for radio and newspapers 30 years ago - or 20 years ago - or even 15 years ago doesn't work any more. It's a different media market with a whole different set of rules for success. What if ol' Bulldogs is articulate, entertaining, well-read and insightful? (I don’t know..I’ve never heard him). Does that disqualify him in any debate because he didn't earn a third class license while working at the campus radio station 30 years ago? I think - and many of the comments about the Mike o'Meara show bear this out - that it's about what you can do now, not when Reagan was president. But with that said, I've spent a few decades running businesses, and NEVER have I seen a supervisor go to a public forum and rip a subordinate like he did. These days if you're called for a reference, you wouldn't be that blunt because you'd be sued. To do it in the mailbag seems pretty amateur... (6/22/09) Now that WAMU is handing out apologies, how about one for airing that weekday morning dive into pretentiousness, Garrison Keillor's "Writer's Almanac." I'd rather listen to news, weather, rush-hour traffic, repeat f-bombings--ANYTHING but that affected waste of prime morning drive time. (6/22/09) Dear Mr. Rothner, I assume you didn’t have that many egotistical folks working on the Chicago Exchange! Mr. Sorce, and I use the term MR. loosely got your nuts in an uproar and you became just one of his “toys” you posted a book on his behavior, thus getting him more press. Pros, just ignore his type, watch them self destruct and move HAPPILY on. I wish you had done the same. Kids in the sandbox repeats itself, again and again. WOW (6/22/09) Am I the only person to find this "DEBT CRISIS IN AMERICA" commercial currently running on many TV stations to be the most disgusting commercial ever allowed on American TV? Why are TV stations and cable networks and systems accepting this sleazy phony commercial? It pretends to be a NEWS SEGMENT, shows a clip of President Obama. I mean c'mon, this is just plain disgusting and is nothing more than sleazy hucksters taking advantage of the poor while pretending to be news. NOTE TO AREA GMs: When I see this sleazy commercial, I change the channel FOR GOOD and have no interest in coming back! Just despicable and morally bankrupt and removes ALL CREDIBILITY of any NEWS STATION! DUH! (6/22/09) Don Geronimo:: Open letter to Dan "Gaff" Gaffney. [We] were going to let 'old sleeping Mike Sorce dogs lie' but having just read the "Bulldogs" scathing rebuke of Sorce, predictably it seems that the contamination in the radio studio at WGMD has begun and Geronimo, after [we] encouraged him not to, have taken the radio WOCM low road on his first day back on the air. Dan, you should take note for four big reasons. One, if by managements declaration, Geronimo wasn't a good fit for WOCM and CBS didn't bring him back in any capacity, while the hell would you think he would be one for you? WTF are you thinking? Two, as [we] have stated time after time, Sorce, will never have the respect of his radio peers. That's important Dan because even though [we] don't ask jocks to be "good guys" we expect them, morals clause or not, to be "decent guys" Once again, Sorce's character has been called into question. How can you trust him? You can't! Third, great athletes make other athletes on their team better. Sorce and his talent, if left unchecked, will rip your small but dominant station apart. Fourth, with a studio fumigation canister in one hand, keep mumbling to yourself "risk v. reward." [We] initially had Geronimo on the air for 6 weeks. That number has now been downgraded. (6/22/09) Bulldog: put a sock in it. DG is a thirty year professional, while you are only on your second job. The fact that you managed to slither your way into a GM job reveals just how lame that station of yours must be. If you ever feel the need to take DG up on his offer, please let me know. I'll have his back. Your e-mail came off as bitter and self-serving and revealed you as someone with a massive axe to grind. Many of us here are professionals...we can spot a phony a mile away. You sir, are a phony. (6/22/09) For research, I’m trying to find radio recordings of Washington Senators games from 1941. I believe Arch McDonald did those games. Anyone know where I might find this? Many thanks, Kostya Kennedy, Senior Editor, Sports Illustrated, 212-522-3588 (6/22/09) Kudos to Mike O'Meara for providing some of the entertainingly awkward radio I've heard in a while. It was clear from the start he wasn't terribly impressed with the band they got for his birthday and he couldn't keep his internal "crotchety old man" from speaking up. Way to go! (6/22/09) WKHZ in Ocean City is playing their old endlessly repeated tapes. Radio Broadcast Communications seems to be having some problems. They keep renewing their STA temporary authority with the FCC to broadcast at low power by telling the FCC they have a new transmitter location lined up but have had trouble securing the lease. They've been using that story for years. They don't have a lease for the current transmitter location where one of the towers fell down a few years ago. They're just squatters at a site that is too close to the water to be used for any commercial or residential purpose. RBC Studios Hollywood went bust about a year ago, and their "syndicated" radio show is history. The KHZTV.COM website seems to be gone forever. Few want to advertise on Orioles games on a station that is lucky to be putting out 250 watts daytime and 50 watts at night. But these folks have reaped what they sowed, and few are shedding tears. (6/22/09) Way to be the bigger man "Bulldog". Don is an ON AIR personality, expect some exagerations and simplifications from a dj looking to spin a good tale on air. You, on the other hand, are SUPPPOSED to be the professional businessman, part of which is to keep your personnel business quiet. I guess they did not teach classy behavior at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Bugger off now! Oh and BTW: Happy 50th Birthday to Mike O'Meara! We still love you in DC/NoVa you old queen! (6/22/09) DON GERONIMO IS A LIAR! I did not listen to Don’s entire show today, but the few segments I did listen to were filled with LIES! Don did not quit…DON WAS FIRED FROM WOCM! I know this, because I did it! His firing had nothing to do about his comments about Galaxy66, but rather the fact that he did not fit in with our station. When Don was hired he knew exactly how much money he was going to be paid because it was HIS IDEA. He asked me how much we pay our weekend talent and I told him, “$10 an hour.” His response was, “Can I get $15 an hour?” We both agreed to it and I was never under the impression he wanted any more. He never asked for any more money and until he asked for insurance I thought he was fine with our agreement. In addition, the reason he was never paid is because he never filled out the paperwork that he was told to fill out several times. He also had quite an embellishment on the story when I asked him for his key. I simply said that I needed the key back because that is the policy of the station. His response at that time was, “If you want my key you’ll have to beat the shit out of me to get it!” At no time did I suggest bringing in Seacrets Security to get it…but rather agreed to it if that’s what he wanted. (Don, you might want to check into my past before flapping your lips) One point that Don did make today that he was quite accurate about is my lack of radio experience. He’s right. This is the first job I have had at running station. I had a very successful 18 year career at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as a commodity broker and I retired to the Caribbean at age 35 where I followed my passion for radio and accepted a job co-hosting a morning radio show on Laser101 in St. Maarten. My current job at Ocean98 (WOCM) is only my second radio gig and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to be doing something that I truly enjoy doing. With regard to the business side of things, I will gladly put my track record against Don’s any day of the week.. Trust me, he will lose that battle! It also seems to me that when he did do business with a “professional” radio company he found himself checkmated behind legal red tape and subsequently found himself unable to get a job anywhere other than OC without the chance of web-streaming and/or podcasting. Gee Don, you’re a real good businessman! In my opinion he is the most insecure person I have ever met. He is a punk and a coward that likes to hide behind a microphone and throw stones. He is the type of person that thrives on others misfortune. He never had one nice thing to say about his old partner Mike O’Meara and he looked forward to seeing Mike’s numbers drop in the Arbitron ratings. He never had a nice thing to say about Dan Gaffney either, but I guess that will all come out when Dan shitcans him from WGMD. He spent most of his free time at Ocean98 doing Google searches for his own name. He lived on DCRTV! He wrote FAKE e-mails to himself, praising himself and then read them on the air. How insecure must one be to do that? I am only writing this and posting this on DCRTV because I know he will read this and he will know that it is all true! I also want all his “true-blue” fans to know what kind of person he really is and that you should be very careful when buying into his radio bullshit. I have never said a bad word about Don on my show and I don’t plan to in the future because it’s not my style and it’s not the format of my show. I do anywhere from 7 to 10 interviews a day and I treat every guest with respect, something that Don could never do. I was absolutely taken aback at how discourteous he was to his new listeners this morning on WGMD. That is his act and it will never change. I don’t plan on posting any more about this on DCRTV, but I did feel that the truth needed to be told and this was the best forum. David “BullDog” Rothner, General Manager / Morning Show Host, WOCM – FM (6/22/09) ("During the last version of the TK show, Sterne was the producer and Sheehan had started taking a larger role; so all they would have to do is add Andy Pollin, change the name and maybe start it a few hours earlier for TK.") That sir, is the recipe for a radio abortion. Dead air and static are more entertaining than Andy Pollin, or John Thompson. (6/22/09) Did Matt Bush drop the F-bomb on WAMU? Anybody hear it? He apologized at least twice on air yesterday./ Isn't he the kid who surrenedered his sound card to a bullying V.A. PIO? (6/22/09) Dave's response: No, it wasn't Matt in the VA incident late last year..... Tonight, during the 5pm newscast, on Channel 7, Arch Campbell interviews Dick Dyszel about the World Premiere screening of EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN - a documentary about Dick's career and legacy as "Count Gore De Vol," "Captain 20" and "Bozo The Clown." Lots of archival footage, behind the scenes clips, out takes, and interviews with fans such as Steve Niles ("30 Days of Night") and Jeff Krulik ("Heavy Metal Parking Lot"). (Trailer: www.youtube.com)... This Saturday night - 8:20 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring. Tickets are still available through the AFI box office or online! www.afi.com... (6/22/09) Re: SQUARE OFF. I love it when a local TV station offers locally-produced programs. I realize the days of children's shows and "television for women" are long-gone, but it's nice to see a station do something besides the news. Best wishes to everyone involved with "Square Off." Al McGilvray (6/22/09) GREAT SCOTT BROADCASTING'S RYTHMIC OLDIES WXSH-FM (STUDIO 106) ANNOUNCES THE ALL NEW "BOB BOOGIE MORNING SHOW" THE SHOW STARTED 6/22. THE SHOW IS LIVE AND LOCAL AND WILL CATER TO THE LOCAL LISTENERS IN THE SALISBURY/OCEAN CITY, MD. (6/22/09) I don't get this. After a couple of years of playing the same canned music loops, WKHZ/WYRE hired a couple of real on-air people and sounded like they were building up a real radio station. Now, this morning, WYRE is playing Spanish music again (like they were before the WKHZ connection). The online stream (radiotime.com/station) is back to the old tape loops, including references to their web site that was taken down months ago. I can't receive the over the air signal from WKHZ in Ocean City, so I don't know if that's gone Spanish, too, or if they're playing the loops. ~~CA in BC (6/22/09) Dave: Last time I checked Ocean City isn't any ware close to DC, and the only thing people in DC care about Ocean City is the weather. Why do you keep harping on Don Geronimo, the guy hasn't been in the dc area forever. The show isn't even going to be streamed or podcasted, though I am sure if there is some sort of unofficial pod cast you will be right on it with your pants around your ankles. To be honest I would not be surprised if you were now planning a trip to Ocean City just to get another chance to hear your idol live on the radio again doing talk. Also, why are you keeping tabs on Don's housing situation? That is bordering on stalker like behavor. Maybe in 2010 he will come back to the DC area and there will be legitimate reasons to report on the guy, but for now it is starting to get a bit awkward. (6/22/09) Kevin Sheehan suffers from Andy Pollin disease. That is, interest in and knowledge of only the Redskins and Maryland basketball. Nothing else matters and anything else that is discussed on his show is done so with a noticeable disdain. Those types should not be hosting sportstalk shows. If you want them to do pre and post game shows for the Skins, great. But for sportstalk shows, you need people that are knowledgeable about the spectrum of sports and not just a couple. Especially since there is a noticeable change going on in the DC sports landscape. WTEM really ought to blow the whole place up and start over. Czaban is the only one worth keeping because he has an entertaining schtick. Guys like Pollin, Sheehan, Walker are radio journeyman who could be easily replaced. As for Thompson, he seems to be "on assignment" as much as he is there. He's worthless too. (6/22/09) I'm glad the NY Times reporter got out BUT the fact that the elite media kept it quiet just shows what a bunch of hypocrrites they are. If a non-journalist was being held, they would have been screaming censorship, government intimidation and who knows what else if they were asked to keep it quiet. And they wouldn't have complied. (6/22/09) Thanks for the link to the Chessie AP awards. Nice to see that Bob Shilling still looks so happy! People still attend, but I gather the numbers are way down? (6/22/09) Richard Sher made his debut on WMAR ABC 2 news this morning at 9AM to announce the return of the local news/talk show SQUARE OFF starting this September. The show previously ran on WJZ for 19 years and has been off the air for 12 years now. Sher also talked about his recent Ted Yates award and about being the only person who knew Oprah Winfrey was going to show up at the event to everyones' surprise. Sher also said some of the old SQUARE OFF regulars will return plus new people and was soliciting requests for new pundits & panelists. Anyone can apparently even send a resume to SQUAREOFF@WMAR.COM Sher said. (6/22/09) Howdy, I was sort of listening to WAMU Sunday afternoon around 5 p.m. and at the end of the local newscast, the announcer read an apology on behalf of himself and a colleague for apparently cursing during a technical problem earlier in the day. Can you get the details and, better yet, the audio? (6/22/09) On-air phones at WGMD 302-945-9292 and 800-518-9292... (6/22/09) Congrats on going over 2,000 on Twitter!!! (6/22/09) Dave's response: Whoohoo! Can someone post an 'underground' stream to Donnie G's show? Dave, I know you have a hookup! (6/22/09) Dave's response: Hey, I once received a "legal letter" from CBS for something that got posted in the Mailbag. And I don't need another one. I'll be happy to post a link to an "unofficial" Geronimo show podcast, but I won't host one..... I caught a new show on WJFK this past weekend. It was Chris Cooley's brother doing a new show. It wasn't polished but it was refreshing to hear a new voice and local talk on the weekends. Something 980 should try instead of force-feeding us the ESPN syndication crap. I don't listen to as much sorts radio as I used to but I cannot stand the ESPN syndication stuff on 980, give me local talk no matter how bad the host is. I suspect 980 is gearing up for a run at Tony Kornheiser with the hiring of Marc Sterne. During the last version of the TK show, Sterne was the producer and Sheehan had started taking a larger role; so all they would have to do is add Andy Pollin, change the name and maybe start it a few hours earlier for TK. I'm sure not many people would object to throwing 'Colin Blowhard' overboard to add, arguably, one the best local shows, sports or otherwise, back to the radio. (6/22/09) (Hey, Fox 5, if you read this site? Get your webmaster to do his/her job! I go to you for traffic and every time your site locks up my computer) If you are looking for traffic, you are going to the wrong place. Try wtop.com (6/22/09) Dave's response: I've had tons of DTV troubles over the past two weeks, with an intermittantly dying set. So, just this morning, I am swapping out the set for the umteenth time, connecting it to the quirky but loveable Comcast DVR. I turn on the set to test everything and guess what I see first? Julie Wright on 5 wildly ranting about humidity and making a knife-slashing motion with her hands. Whoa! Scary. I think I'll stick with radio in the morning..... Keith Mills has been working at WBAL 11 for a while now. If memory serves me correct, Keith started at 11 last football season. I'm not a Ravens or Orioles fan, but Keith does a pretty good job for the little bit of time he is on the air. (6/22/09) I noticed that 105.7 the fan will be airing NFL games this coming season from Westwood One network. I thought this network was on the verge of bankruptcy about a year or two ago. Does CBS own them now? OK and enough about Don Geronimo and WGMD. Stop beating a dead horse everyone! (6/22/09) Dave's response: I don't think CBS actually owns Westwood One, but they do have a business relationship..... I don't remember anyone mentioning it, but it looks like former WMAR sportscaster Keith Mills has a regular TV sports gig once again. He's now the regular sports guy on Monday mornings on WBAL 11. I know he'd been doing radio and lots of fill-in work, but this appears to be a regular gig. I imagine it was tough for Gerry Sandusky to pre-tape sports segments on Mondays, especially during the NFL season when you have a night time game so I imagine that's the reason for the Mondays-Only live sports segment on WBAL's morning news. With Steve Davis also doing fill-in work for WBAL, that means WBAL TV has FOUR sportscasters on the payroll! (6/22/09) On my way home from the beach tonight (Sunday) I herd a ad on WGMD “the talk of Delmarva” that they have a new line-up with Don Geronimo from 9 AM to Noon. Yes Don Geronimo “Radio God” will now open for Rush. I hope this is not the radio equivalent of Vince Lombardi returning to coach with the Redskins in ’69. This is the same station he used to make fun of because of the local remotes, how the GM does the morning show and then goes out and sells ad time, everyone has to ware a tie …. I think this is brilliant Doni is going to hit it out of the park! I get jokes. Hay Doni, paint your bald spot? John Druhan, Baltimore (6/22/09) /\ June 22 Messages /\ \/ June 21 Messages \/ Negroes are on a rampage!!! "Looks like the long, hot summer has arrived." (6/21/09) The failure of DTV reception is far from being unique to ATSC or to the U.S. Check this out www.scotsman.com... Unsigned Corporate Suit (6/21/09) Hey, Fox 5, if you read this site? Get your webmaster to do his/her job! I go to you for traffic and every time your site locks up my computer due to the slow loading of some popup window, this latest time it is for some teeth whitening product. I got to your site, the little green progress bars fill,,,but it never finishes, the screen freezes on half a traffic graphic. This is why people hate conservatives. You want the revenue, but you dont provide quality service. Fix it. YOur site needs to operate as smoothly as MSNBC. There is no excuse. (6/21/09) Westwood One is also still assuring its affiliates that the Mike O'Meara Show features "famous bits such as 'Match Game,' 'Low Budget Jeopardy' and 'The Backwards Newlywed Game.'" So I wouldn't put much stock in what Westwood One has to say. I'm sure they are as competent in selling the show as they are in updating their website. (www.westwoodone.com) (6/21/09) Dave posted: "DC Times: ABC'ers Love Obama".... Okay, in other news -- the sun came out from the east, the wind blew, and the earth still rotates on its axis. What else is new?? -Silvie- (6/21/09) Sunday afternoon: CNN covering Iran. Fox News covering Iran. MSNBC running Chris Hansen re-runs. RIP NBC News. (6/21/09) (''Westwood One is assuring affiliates that the Mike O'Meara show will continue, they are actively selling it, and that they are actually happier with it than the old show.'') Of course they're happier; because compared to the old Don and Mike show (before the ridiculous FCC crackdown and Freda's death), THIS show is downright bland. Thank God I have hundreds of tapes from years past to listen to instead. --Alex (6/21/09) According to the BIG website, Aerosmith's Joe Perry is going to be guest-DJing on BIG 100.3 this afternoon before the show at Nissan tonight. www.idigbig.com (6/21/09) Is Colin Cowherd staying for 4 hours a day on WTEM? Horrible decision if true. Kevin Sheehan is much better and he is a local guy who talks local sports. Sheehan and Doc Walker were probably the best show on 980 and they broke it up for some reason. Other then Walker, Sheehan is the most knowledgable Redskins voice on the station. With WJFK flipping to sports, WTEM should move or dump Polin and team Walker, Sheehan, and Steve Czaban up in the afternoons or in the mornings instead of Mike and Mike. (6/21/09) Wow, is it possible that the folks at COMCAST actually read about complaints on DCRTV? A slew of QAM band basic cable channels just magically showed up on my HDTV set today after a RE-SCAN! Unbelievable! Basically all of the basic cable channels that were removed over the last year like AMC, CARTOON, CMT, & STYLE, and even some channels I never had before. I'm assuming that most anyone with a DTV converter on their bedroom TV will also get all these channels so it might be wise advice for even cable users to rescan their TVs as well since The Big Switch. You might have a pleasant surprise of new channels. Now why it took nearly a year for these channels to be put back on basic cable and why Comcast's TV Guide Channel continued to show them as being on analog cable, I have no clue, but I'm not going to complain. At least, I got my Robot Chicken back! YAY! :-) (6/21/09) Dave's response: I did a DTV (box-less) scan of my Comcast cable system the other day (post 6/12) and found only the local DTV signals (HD and SD) in the clear. None of the digital cable nets, a la Cartoon and Style, which have been yanked from expanded basic analog..... Local Allbritton fund raising time for WJLA! Besides the endless infomercials all day Saturday, it was "ABC 7 Cinema" time - tonight the moldy 1978 movie "Buddy Holly Story" I would have liked to have seen one of the remaining "Eli Stone" episodes being aired. WJLA pre-empts network shows more than the other five staions combined. The way this station is operated sometimes is a freaking joke. Show the damn movie during the day Saturday or Sunday instead of endless paid programming. (6/21/09) Westwood One is assuring affiliates that the Mike O'Meara show will continue, they are actively selling it, and that they are actually happier with it than the old show. (6/21/09) Last Friday I was at The Washington National's ball park for a night time game. Right after the game as soon as I got into my car, which was parked at M Street SW and Half Street, I tuned to WOL on 1450 KHZ, a local channel shared by maybe 150 other stations. The nighttime signal was unintelligible, drowned out by all the other co-channel stations. I believe that WOL has been operating with 250 watts and not their requested 370 watts. Their present transmitter is located near the Maryland/DC border. Arnie (6/21/09) /\ June 21 Messages /\ \/ June 20 Messages \/ Today marks the day that NBC News demonstrated it is officially dead as a news operation. One of the most important days in mid-east history is unfolding and MSNBC ran their reruns of crime and prison crap all day while FOX News and CNN have tossed their regular programming aside to cover the events. The head of the News Division at NBC should be fired. (6/20/09) RE: [This inexperienced, born in Kenya...Muslim IS NOT and NEVER WILL BE my President, at least until he produces a valid birth certificate!] Wow! I think we struck the triumvirate of bat-shit crazy in this deranged joker! Why do I get the feeling that there isn't enough tin foil in the world to line THIS guy's hat? Boy, would I love to have a peek at YOUR Secret Service file! Honestly - you might want to find the "crazy" knob, put it back on and crank it down a notch or two - you are starting to sound like you could be one of those rare charter members of the wacky "Draft Keys/Beck 2012" movement. I feel like I just spotted a Bigfoot! Seriously Dude, before those last few sane brain cells battling for control in your noggin give up the flag and turn out the lights, you really need to turn down the A.M. radio and get your ass back out into public. I pray you are joking, because if you are serious, you appear to be the kind of fear-a-holic nut that keeps traveling gun shows in business. Priceless! (6/20/09) Dave's response: This thread is finito..... Seeee. There's that spin again. Where you stand on an issue usually depends on where you sit. I thought the Brian Wms comment was funny, and only hilarious if you like gay entendre. What was far more hilarious was this juxtaposition. During the WHCA dinner, Obama made a joke about how all of the media knew him and most voted for him. That got a huge laugh. Now, five weeks later, (his math) he makes a joke about the state of the economy, which gets a chuckle, then zeros in on the radio and TV economy,,,and it gets no laughs. Several of his jokes got no laughs. But seeing he could not get a laugh from the darlings who fawn over him and elected him, when he makes a point to them,,,that was the best laugh. The honeymoon is over and only he seems unaware of that fact. Riotous. (6/20/09) Dear Kool Aid Drinker...I listened to the sub-human, left wing trash, who like to call themselves "Progressives" spout off about how Reagan or Bush were not their President for years! NOW IT'S MY TURN!! This inexperienced, born in Kenya...Muslim IS NOT and NEVER WILL BE my President, at least until he produces a valid birth certificate! Suck that up you Bafoon!! (6/20/09) Bill Graham Concert Promoter: Wolfgangsvault.com. The world’s greatest FREE collection of vintage and some modern concert recordings. Dave, with the demise of radio and live music as most of it new it, here is a link to a great website that [we] have no interest in other than as fans. As most of your readers already know, Bill Graham, nicknamed Wolfgang when he was a boy, was a great West Coast based concert promoter who tragically died in a helicopter accident in 91. This web portal is cool because there’s only one place you can hear Bill Graham introduce the Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East, Steve Miller ask for more PA volume at Winterland, or Robert Plant kill time with the Fillmore audience while Jimmy Page re-tunes in the background. Where does it come from? In 2003, Wolfgang’s Vault acquired master recordings from the archives of Bill Graham Presents. These live concerts were recorded at legendary venues like the Fillmore East and Winterland between 1965 and the late 1980s. In early 2006, they augmented the Graham archives by acquiring the archives of the King Biscuit Flower Hour, the nationally famous syndicated rock radio broadcasts of live concerts from the 1970s and ‘80s. They also added the Silver Eagle Cross Country archive of country music concerts in 2006. In 2007 the Record Plant and Dawson Sound catalogs were added, and in 2008 they added the Daytrotter and Noise Pop catalogs. They add more stuff all the time. It’s not heaven, though it may feel like heaven to rock music purists like us. It’s the same place you can listen to the greatest live music of all time in full concert format. And here you thought all [we] did was bash Geronimo. Smile! (6/20/09) Fresh FM doesn't seem to be grabbing much traction in the 12+ numbers against mix and wash,. What would be more telling is how they are doing in the 18-49 and 25-54 female demographs. Does anyone know? If those numbers are equally as bad - will there be another format shift? (6/20/09) Dave's response: If CBS wanted Fresh to be successful in the DC market, it needed to launch the station with talent, and, especially, a live and local morning show. Look, WASH's Loo Katz and WRQX's Jack Diamond are both great guys, they're both in their 50s. If Fresh had picked someone in his 20s or 30s to do mornings, like Mark Kaye (formerly of Hot 99.5's former "Hot Morning Mess"), it might have had a chance to compete with 97.1 and 107.3. But CBS wanted to go the cheap route for Fresh, and the DC area's females weren't "fooled." Chalk up yet another failure for old Dan Mason here in his home market..... Oh well! All good things must come to an end! We got to hear Colin Cowherd's complete 4 hr broadcast these past 10 days instead of Kevin Sheehan. Regards Biff (6/20/09) RE: [What is Hilarious is the never ending promotion of this egomaniac you call your President] American Presidents and anyone and everyone who seeks to become the leader of the free world, by their nature, MUST be egomaniacs. Listen, pal - regardless of political leaning, I consider any American rightfully elected to that office by a clear majority to be OUR President. Not "yours", not "mine", OURS. That's the way real "great Americans" think, pal. This is a Democracy. If you don't like the results of our political process, if you feel that you just can't abide by our elective process and respect the leader who is chosen by a majority vote enough to freely recognize his authority of office, you are free to leave. If you chose to stay, out of courtesy, you at least need to accept that America voted in November and your team lost. Lost pretty bad too. Now suck it up and stop whineing. (6/20/09) I believe Comcast has long been required to offer the low-cost limited-service package; usually part of the local franchise agreement, typically limited to local b'cast plus any community service channels. Prior to this marketing oppty (DTV) however, new customers practically had to threaten action to the franchise granting authority to subscribe to this level of service - seems like Comcast reps were never willing to even acknowledge that such a tier existed. Now, they've got an angle; how long will it last? MarkP/CharmCity (6/20/09) DJ seems so impressed with the fact that O'Bama was able to stand up and read some jokes written for him. If I missed it, and I didn't because allegedly biased Fox News suspended regular programming to show it, I think I could figure out that some kool aid drinking sucker would have posted it on you tube. It was funny, but it wasn't "Hilarious"...What is Hilarious is the never ending promotion of this egomaniac you call your President. (6/20/09) In response to “when no one even knows whether the shooter has even heard of Bill O'Reilly" - I guess that’s why the shooter at the holocaust museum had both O’Reilly and Hannity’s books in his home. Another disciple of the FNC (fox noise channel) nuts (6/20/09) The is a front between DC and Baltimore right now. The Tropo is good. I am picking up both 11 & 13 DTV for the first time since the transition. Bob in Fairfax 10:39AM (6/20/09) For those who missed it, here are links to video of his speech: Part 1: Part 2: His Brian Williams joke was hilarious, btw... That, and most of his funny one-liners are in Part 1... Also, here's a summary of the speech: www.whitehousecorrespondentsweekendinsider.com... D.J. (6/20/09) Of course White House Watch has "run its course." The Post's guy is in theWhite House now. they don't want anyone watching him, just Presidents they don't like. It has nothing to do with Froomkin, but with the Post's ideology (6/20/09) Dave,When you have a spare moment, can you slip a tiny note under John Angelos' door saying it wouldn't take much to topple Comcast Sportsnet, how about starting a "SportsCenter"-type show!!! The SportsCenter wana-bees are in full bloom. Chic and Michael Jenkins are so over-the-top for me I feel you need to be a member of some exclusive club...because they're so cool and hip. Jill Sorenson continues to struggle while attempting to talk in fragmented sentences. Earlier in the week, I was visiting a friend at the New Jersey shore and watched the CSN Philly people and they rocked. I thought our regional was supposed to be just as good. They have strong talent and there's no cute-ness about their presentation. Any reason why we have it so bad here in the DC area? (6/20/09) So Carla and Mike are “back together again”: are you certain it ain’t a suicide watch? As WJFK burns fatso fiddles with let’s see: ridiculously ill-informed & boring guests, Rob-Aye sucking up so hard his lips are puckered when he goes to kiss his bloated wife goodnight, Beth Ann feigning scatter brainism, Katie trying to be a Sexy Pixie despite being a bi-bitch-in-heat, Buzz jerking off to Vivid girls on pot as usual, and poor Joe, poor, poor Joe, the Fred Norris wanna be has all but disappeared (how’s that show going Joe now that you have been replaced by eight-track tape sports news?). These buttholes would make the Titanic float they’re so full of shit. Don Geronimo to the rescue? Hardly: he has his own vanity to deal with trying to convince the geezers on the Right Coast he’s worthy of a listen... God what a mess: all sports WJFK might be a blessing as at least then I’d have no reason to listen other than the way overpaid Junkies. Come on Lurch: earn that paycheck you look forward to cashing in order to pay for black hookers and stop sleepwalking through the show. JP just shut up you loser you. Cakes: you’re baked and stop choking poor Amy. The only one who makes sense is EB, but he’s such a pussy he lets the others push him around for his sensible political beliefs. What a train wreck. Oh: who cares about The Bean Eater & Dukee as well the sex perverts at night. Sheesh. (6/20/09) Dave's response: Good to hear from you, Dan Mason..... /\ June 20 Messages /\ \/ June 19 Messages \/ "when no one even knows whether the shooter has even heard of Bill O'Reilly" Maybe he had a The Spin Stops Here doormat on his front porch. (6/19/09) Courtesy of "Tom of DC", here's Sam Donaldson and Julian Barber doing a late night news summary on WTOP-TV... behind individual rostrums standing in their individual key lights. DCMemories.com... The date has to be pre-October 1967 when Sam moved to ABC. (6/19/09) Having spent a lot of time with my family down in Tidewater back in the mid 70's, I can remember Tony Sylvester when he was a part of WAVY-TV channel 10 and their "Eyewitness News". Actually it was a big deal as I can remember WAVY actually spending money to promote the fact that a "well known name from local Washington television is coming to Tidewater, sort of like a surprise by keeping the name a "mystery" until Tony's first night on the air. I remember the ads on billboards and in the Norfolk edition of TV Guide. with the question mark beside "coming to WAVY 10's Eyewitness news team". My dad actually believed that " mystery name" would be either Jim Vance or Gordon Peterson, instead it was "..Tony WHO?" but none-the-less Tony Sylvester did do a good job in Norfolk and yes I seem to recall he did team up with the late Terry Zahn as well. At least at the time that was a good idea in Tidewater ( OK Hampton Roads ) since the other two main stations WTAR ( now WTKR ) channel 3 and WVEC channel 13 back then only had one main anchor doing the news ( Ed Hughes on channel 3 and Jim Kincaid on 13 ) and here was WAVY with TWO anchors side by side. Could be wrong but I think that was the first for Virginia TV unless Richmond was doing it before ( I doubt Roanoke and the others were ). However I don't think Tony Sylvester stayed with WAVY for very long. Of course at the time WAVY thanks to NBC's interesting line-up back then ( those wonderful Supertrain and Pink Lady & Jeff days ), well they had rating troubles and that of course didn't help WAVY's news. Also I believe by 1979 both WTAR and WVEC started doing the two-anchor thing themselves as well. But for WAVY/post-Tony Sylvester things would change in a few years when WAVY launched "The Daily News" and brought onboard Diana Morgan, Bruce Rader and Don Slater and they would keep Terry Zahn and soon WAVY would beat WTAR/WTKR and WVEC in the ratings and WAVY continues to do well today in that market though in recent years it has been a horse race between them and WVEC. WTKR today? We won't talk about them. Looking back now had Terry Zahn & Tony Sylvester been on WTAR or WVEC instead, who knows. Maybe they would have ended up being Norfolk's "news dream team" the same way had Gordon Peterson if had he went to WRC channel 4 to work with Jim Vance. The latter I have been told over the years came really close to becoming a reality. Where is Tony Sylvester now? (6/19/09) Dave - for all of us who are transplanted Philadelphians, I want to mention Gary Papa's passing with love and respect. For years, many of us watched Gary's sportscasts on WPVI in Philly - and were entertained, enlightened and inspired. Especially lately. I saw him just last week on TV and was overwhelmed that he was so upbeat despite looking so frail from his excruciating bout with cancer. To see his longtime friend and co-worker, Jim Gardner, do a tribute to him today...well, it just reminded me of what's important. God bless everyone in his family, his friends, and his fans. Hundreds of us are feeling empty tonight. Trish Hennessey WHFC 91.1 (6/19/09) Dave's response: More at DCRTV's Philly Page..... Sam Donaldson and Tony Sylvester together, for a time, did a late night news summary on WTOP-TV. The two of them appeared behind individual rostrums standing in their individual key lights. Behind them was total darkness. Keepin' costs down in the set building department. (6/19/09) Don Geronimo:: Jan Sorce, is that you defending your man? [We] don't hate Mike Sorce. Lack of professional respect is a better fit. Come Monday and thereafter, what happens at WGMD on a daily basis means nothing to [us] [Our] opinions have been stated. Come Monday, that train wreck will take on a life of its own. [We] are far from listeners. [We] could be radio insiders and management who, for the most part, work with our pants on and not around our feet. In the end, unlike Sorce, [we] have very productive and profitable lives [we] are proud of. [We] like to think good guys in radio finish first. Bad ones it seem, continue their career at WGMD. Good luck pal, the "insider" over/under bet still have you at WGMD six weeks. Support DCRTV advertisers. (6/19/09) The official Associated Press photographs from the 2009 Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Association Convention in Ocean City are now posted on capba.org. (6/19/09) CBS New FM Sports Talk:: Sad day for radio. Never again will there be the mass firings of CBS on-air guy talk talent than there will be when stations across the country flip in July. Add the anticipated firings of O'Meara & Bonaduce to that list. The high salaries and production costs of many like them coupled by low stagnant ratings don't warrant the investment anymore. Last dj standing, please turn the lights out! (6/19/09) Dave, I'm not sure if the latest rumor of WJFK getting the NFL package necessarily means that WJFK is going sports talk. They've broadcasted non-Redskin NFL games before (Eagles, Bucs, Panthers), and I'm assuming 99% of these games would be on the weekend when it's Fox Sports anyways. It's not like the current lineup doesn't sprinkle in sports anyways, so I'm not sure that this rumor is that earth shattering... Chris in DC (6/19/09) Dave's response: Look, last week Paul Farhi said it was gonna happen. I trust Paul. JFK to go sports? It's a done deal..... Re: "But he's also done more than his share of forgetable turkeys....." Plus his nose looks like a penis. (6/19/09) Back after a long spell of hanging with Cowboy Todd in Stevensville. Dave-0, why not just have a link to a page with all your plans for WJFK? Seems like anytime someone drops a hat we get the current version. As for your Owen Wilson rant, if only the Post's Ombudsman had an email address so you could contact him directly instead of doing a drama qu... uh yew knoooow!!! What about the Chin? www.washingtonpost.com... The reliable source is chicks, and they dig the Butterscotch Stallion. Surely you can relate? No toques la cosita por favor! --- ThePenIsMightier (6/19/09) Dave's response: "Take a gander, Andy Alexander." That was cute, wasn't it? Mr. Penis, go back and crawl under your rock..... RE: "It won't take long Monday morning to see if Jesus has truly touched Mike Sorce's life as he proclaims or if the cancerous tired act that is Don Geronimo will spread into WGMD. For a month, Sorce has threatened to use one, two, three show segments to rip WOCM, his last employer that fired him within a month..." Ok, ok, OKAY ALREADY--we get it! You hate Don Geronimo. You listen to and read everything said, published, twittered or rumored about the guy; you devote every waking second of your life to him. But you hate him. You hate him, you think he sucks, you think he's terrible radio...and yet you'll be sitting in front of the radio Monday morning, 9 am, pants around your ankles, listening to every single second of the first Geronimo broadcast on WGMD. And you will immediately fill us all in on what a disaster it is. And then you'll listen some more. And you'll listen again the next day. And the next. Get a freakin' LIFE already!!! (6/19/09) NO, no one is listening to the Mike O'Meara Show. See, Don gets a retirement gig at a tiny almost public-access station on the beach, he has both haters and fans going nuts in the ol' DCRTV Mailbag. Mike, who's read the writing on the wall, flames out at his coworkers, loses his girl, has numerous on-air breakdowns, yesterday goes all sentimental about his impending firing and no one really gives a shit. And there you have the difference: Don, love him or hate him, engages people. Mike does not. (6/19/09) Dave's response: Didn't ya hear - Mike and Carla (Karla?) are back together..... I find it more than amusing that the left wingers are kicking and screaming about O"Reilly causing Tiller's death but when no one even knows whether the shooter has even heard of Bill O'Reilly. (6/19/09) I find it kind of interesting that Mike O'Meara started his show yesterday talking about how great WJFK is and how it is the last entertainment talk station in the country and it may be going away and what a shame that would be, etc. However, no one commented about it in the mailbag...is anyone listening to MO'M Show? I do not like his show and generally listen to the first 5 minutes to hear if he has anything interesting to say. I also usually change the station within 5 minutes when, like today, he screams into the mic and then yells at Rob and tells him how much he hates something Rob (or Beth Ann or Buzz or Joe) is doing. I truly enjoy the Junkies and I ADORE O and Dukes and I will be very sad if they are gone. Those shows (and Elliot if the Junks are in repeats) are the last of a kind of live, local entertainment you can't find on satellite or from a station that broadcasts shows from elsewhere in the country. Is there any kind of letter writing campaign, email campaign or protest we as listeners can do to try and save our ears from the dreck to come? (6/19/09) re: "Seriously, at least Owen Wilson is actually relevant and doing something worth while..." Clarification, please: who is Owen Wilson? (6/19/09) Dave's response: Actually, Owen is a pretty good actor if given the right script, a la "The Darjeeling Express" (or whatever it's called). But he's also done more than his share of forgetable turkeys..... I have trouble seeing how sports talk on WJFK is going to do a lot better than the current mess they run. Howie (6/19/09) Re; Tony Sylvester...back in the 1970s he was the main anchor for Norfolk's "WAVY 10 Eyewitness News". Not sure if he ever was paired with the great Norfolk anchor the late Terry Zahn or not but there is an interesting story ( now is it actually true is another thing ) that gets repeated from time to time about what happened to Sylvester during his "WAVY days". Back in the 70s many folks in the Buffalo area would visit Virginia Beach and Norfolk during the summer months since at the time there were many non-stop flights between Norfolk and Buffalo. The story goes that during the summer of 1977 ( or 1978 ) long time popular Buffalo WKBW-TV anchor Irv Weinstein was visiting Virginia Beach with his family and while in the their hotel room Irv turns on the TV just in time to here Tony Sylvester on WAVY 10 say "..topping tonight's Eyewitness News" Whoops....that is exactly how Irv Weinstein opens WKBW's Eyewitness News in Buffalo. Anyway the story goes Irv was highly upset and claimed that Tony Sylvester and WAVY-TV copied ( IE:..had stolen ) those words "topping tonight's Eyewitness News" from him and WKBW and actually called up WAVY to tell them off. One story I heard had Irv Weinstein actually throwing the set into the hotel swimming pool. Now having actually met Irv Weinstein several years ago while I was in Buffalo, I just have have a hard time believing this story but then again......... (6/19/09) Don Geronimo:: "Radio jocks who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." It won't take long Monday morning to see if Jesus has truly touched Mike Sorce's life as he proclaims or if the cancerous tired act that is Don Geronimo will spread into WGMD. For a month, Sorce has threatened to use one, two, three show segments to rip WOCM, his last employer that fired him within a month. I'm sure there's blame to go around. That's not the point. To show that he is sincere in joining WGMD, not using this new radio podium as a medium to solely trash his former employer, and not just waiting for his CBS non-compete to expire, Sorce would be well-served to remain silent on WOCM. In doing so, he would not only gain respect but show that maybe he has changed - for the better as he moves ahead with his radio and personal life. (6/19/09) Dave: I don't see how you have any room to criticize the Washington Post for being obsessed with Owen Wilson when you your self are obsessed with Don Geronimo. Seriously, at least Owen Wilson is actually relevant and doing something worth while, unlike Don who the best thing he has done in the past few years is LEAVE a radio show. I would ask you if you were getting any sort of kick back from the Geronimo camp, but I can't think of anything worth while that he is doing where he would pay want to pay even pay someone like you to get a few extra mentions. Maybe throw a few less stones... (6/19/09) To Bubba in Burrsville....you make a lot of sense in talking about Don G's coming to WGMD. Probably most of the locals have no idea who he is or really care. It will be the people who come down from the DC area that will turn it on and say " I know that voice". And it is true. WGMD is not worried about ratings, being in the small market they are, and who knows, Maybe Don G. will cause more people to listen, and bringing more advertisers on board for the station. So get over it Washingtonians, Don G is coming back on the air whether you like it or not. You might even decide to tune in via the Internet. Burt in Denton (6/19/09) Bubba from Gumpville:: Let me address the one or two points you reference in your post that actually required forethought and knowledge. As I am well aware, WGMD is a long-time, strong, independent, CONSERVATIVE station that dominates their small part of the RIGHT radio world. Which, all things considered [including demo's, blue hair community make-up], professionals, lay person, and WGMD sales staff are wondering, why hire Don Geronimo? All in all, the upside ROI [Bubba, say return on investment] of hiring Sorce is minimal while the risks are many. Hiring Geronimo may 'keep it local' but it will be far from 'keeping it simple.' The big "Gaff" that program director Dan Gaffney has made in replacing himself on the air with Geronimo is he risks taking a station and sales team that is "strong, happy and content" as you say, and plunging themselves, their listeners, their ratings, their profits, their reputation and advertisers into a sea of disarray. I'm not impressed with a soft sales team who work for a top rated and unchallenged station. Time will tell if this sales team has the talent to sell Geronimo to their conservative base. Now get back in your dingy and catch me some shrimp! (6/19/09) I noticed former WJLA/Newschannel 8 reporter John Lisle is now the spokesperson for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). He once was the spokesperson for the Arlington County Police Department, does anyone know why he left? (6/19/09) For WJFK, I would steal the format from WHTK in Rochester. For a Western NY station they certainly use a lot of DC talent. In the AM they have Steve Czaban (Fox Sports Morning Show). WJFK alreadly airs a portion of Czaban's show during the overnights on a show called Fox Sports Soup, which rerurns the highlights of Fox shows from the day. During the midday, WHTK has a local sports show. For WJFK, I would suggest reuniting Dave Feldman and Carol Maloney in the mid-days. I thought their short-lived show on Sportstalk 980 was fun and informative and they had great chemistry. Now WHTK has Mike O-Meara in the afternoon slot (that's two members of the DC talent pool on the air in Rochester). I would suggest moving O-Meara to 94.7 in the mornings. He would pull in those listeners that cannot stand Elliot's sense of humor (and laugh) and those who are too young to listen to the Jack "old as a" Diamond show. Instead, put the "Sports" Junkies on WJFK in the afternoon. I think this is a better slot for their demo. At night you would need to pick up the Caps, the Nat's/O's, and fill-in with other local talent on off-nights. (6/19/09) "Tom of DC" nailed it. The mid-60's anchor of the WTOP-TV 9 "11 PM Report" was Tony Sylvester. The very brief clip can be seen on YouTube. Tony first worked at Broadcast House as a news editor for Roy Meachum's daily "Meachum In The Morning" broadcast in 1953. Starting around 1961, and for about eight years, he anchored the station's late news. He became Director of News & Information for RCA Corporate Offices in DC after leaving Channel-9 in 1969. (6/19/09) Comcast in Reston is now carrying 50's This TV on 206. - DCRTV Dave (6/19/09) Dave: Nice profile in Northern Virginia magazine. If only the crack editors there knew how to spell "Unabomber," it would've been even better. I also enjoyed finding out that you grew up enjoying WTGB, but hey, we know what they meant, right? Christian (6/19/09) Dave's response: Their March interview of me made it to the July print issue of NoVa Mag? Wow, that was fast! Compared me with the Unibomber? Ha ha ha! Grew up listening to WHFS, and WTGB HD2 is "WHFS." Whatever..... RE: [Stop the nonsense. Were all the vitriolic lefty broadcasters and journalists responsible for Hinkley shooting President Reagan?] I'll bite....Could you please name for us any one of these so-called "vitriolic lefty broadcasters and journalists" you speak of who either in print or on television openly called President Ronald Reagan a "murderer", a "Killer" or "A Butcher" who "Kills for Money", or "A Nazi" who runs a "Death Mill" and has "Blood on his hands" and "must be stopped" or he will "face judgement day". Also, could you please provide direct quotes and attribution for your sources, since every single one of these irresponsible phrases I quoted came directly out of Bill O'Reilly's mouth on a nationally broadcast television show. Did O'Reilly pull the trigger? No, but you FOX defenders need to realize that words of this nature do send a clearly intended message, and they certainly can and do provide ample potential to push unstable people over the edge into believing they are morally justified to take violent action. There is a difference, pal. Bill-O crossed that line. He, and FOX, need to own his actions. - Jeff in Bowie (6/19/09) "Stop the nonsense...The only person responsible is the one who pulls the trigger." While I don't blame O'Reilly in this case, most of the educated world understands that people are affected by each other, and by the things they hear and see. Propaganda works. People can be convinced of things. Duh that. (6/19/09) Stop the nonsense. Were all the vitriolic lefty broadcasters and journalists responsible for Hinkley shooting President Reagan? Of course not. Neither is O'Reilly here. The only person responsible is the one who pulls the trigger. Duh. (6/19/09) I was perusing some of the available "networks" that we might (but probably won't) get on DTV subchannels and I came across the claim that the Omni Broadcasting Network has an affiliate in Baltimore! (www.obn.tv.com) To which I can only say: Huh???? (6/19/09) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) ABC7/WJLA-TV Producer Opportunity - POSITION SUMMARY: WJLA-TV has an opening for a newscast producer. Applicants must be skilled in pulling together a fast-paced, dynamic newscast on deadline with compelling and well-written news content. Ability to work well with the assignment desk, reporters, managers, and production staff is essential. QUALIFICATIONS: Requirements for this position include a college degree and a minimum of three years of line-producing experience in a medium to large market station. Please submit resumes with cover letter to ABC7/NewsChannel8 Attn: Human Resources/WJLA Producer, 1100 Wilson Blvd. 6th Floor Arlington, VA 22209 or Email to: hr@wjla.com No Phone Calls Please EEOC (6/19/09) Hey, Dave, it got my attention with wide eyes when I read your web page yesterday about the VZ/FIOS customer death... I did certainly find it VERY interesting that I found the new item on your webpage, and on WJLA's site, and I didn't try THAT hard but it sure did NOT appear as an item of "local news" on the WRC or WTOP sites... I hate to think conspiracy and cover-up in every news event, and I'm just wondering, do you think a certain company stomped on the story with all their corporate might, or did the other news sources just not have their web pages updated for most of the afternoon of the day after the event? I didn't think to check AP. Surely the powerful corporations couldn't do such a thing as to quiet the story... (6/19/09) Dave's response: Verizon is certainly a big sponsor on a lot of local TV newscasts. It wouldn't surprise me to find some of the TV stations kind of downplaying the story a bit because of that. I've always wondered why the Kaiser HMO's huge rate hikes each year get so little coverage from the local media, both print and electronic, when they affect so many people. Could it be because Kaiser is such a huge advertiser? Hmmm..... Jury rules against a Minnesota chick in a music file-sharing case: owes record companies nearly two $2 million! Read all about it: news.yahoo.com (6/19/09) To the poster viewing his opinion of Don Geronimo's visit to WGMD. Jealous? So, how much do you actually know about the staff and operations of WGMD? That's what I thought... nothing! Their sales staff is actually one of the more respected teams of dedicated professionals in the market. On a sales standpoint, the pitch will likely be, they have a nationally recognized and formerly syndicated radio personality now working at their station who will bring a new dimension to their airwaves and unique flair to their local communities. They likely won't be trying to "sell" his show exclusively. Do you actually believe that the WGMD audience (mainly men 45+ / adults 50+) were big Don & Mike fans? The demo might be close, but demos don't listen... people do (you may miss my point on this one). A good share of them more than likely have never or seldom ever listened to Don G in the past. They may recognize the name... but that's about it for the most part. Same with their advertisers... they're WGMD listeners. I doubt if they have time to listen to the radio during the day, other than it being played in their businesses, or on their way to or from work. And I'll touch on ratings here for those who are so concerned? Who cares?! They don't subscribe and could care less... they don't have too. They're the only local conservative talk station on the Shore and have their own little world of coverage within a 20 mile radius of Reboboth Beach / Lewes where they're strong, happy and content. Who knows? Don may do well and the station will enjoy increased revenues. If not, the same ole formula they've used for years will still work just fine. Keep it local, keep it simple, and "own your market". I wish them all well. - Bubba from Burrsville (6/19/09) Please forgive my lack of proofreading in my last post. It's obviously "doesn't" and not "don't". I hate having no edit function. Anyway, maybe I've missed it, but does anyone have numbers on Ed Norris? How does his show do in the market? And how does it do compared to the rest of 105.7's lineup. Since the show is outside of the rest of the format, I was wondering. Howie (6/19/09) Bob: I accept the apology. I got your main point, disagreed, but had nothing more to say on it. I don't think there is a good context for most of what O'Reilly says. I doubt he thinks out half of what he says much past the idea that his audience will eat it up. He's a boorish bully, plain and simple. Look at how he has his "producers" stalk people he don't like. I did have something to say about the idea that O'Reilly is only inflamatory to one side. His act is entirely heat. Howie (6/19/09) "WaPo Terminates Dan Froomkin....the blog had essentially run its course" Not surprising. He was a one trick pony, constantly bashing Bush. He doesn't have that to lean on anymore. (6/19/09) HFS2 is a great station and all, but it would be FAR better off on 94.7's main signal. Now that 94.7's ratings are even lower than when classic rock 94.7 was thriving (20th, from the usual 17th), why hesitate? Oh yea, becuase the Clueless Broadcasting System won't do it. NOW as for BIG 100.3, what is up with their overnight programming? Last night i heard them play subdivisions by Rush, which i havent heard on DC radio since the Globe blew up. Other than that, they are also playing some other heavier classic rock acts such as AC/DC and Jimi Hendrix that almost never pop up on their playlist, exept sometime after midnight. Do they go syndicated at night? just wondering. Travis in VA (6/19/09) I've been listening to that " little gem" HFS 2. It's makes me wonder what's next for the station. Where's the eclectic attitude? (6/19/09) 1) Kudos to Kristi King of WTOP for snapping the pic of the tampered road sign. I was watching FOX5 Morning News all morning long waiting for someone to show the damn photo, and Julie Wright kept talking about it during her traffic report (even telling parents with children in their cars to be aware of this if they were planning on crossing the Key Bridge because "children cannot see this so early in the morning"). 2) The Verizon FiOS accident in Vienna is horrible and prayers up for the family of the man who died. Now that Verizon has completed digging up all these graveyard-sized holes on everyone's yard in my 'hood here in Charles Co., I need to remind myself not to open the door for any of their sales people and their Gestapo tactics. -Silvie- (6/19/09) Two replies- "Some FCC notes regarding DTV reception......... Both WJLA and WUSA and WPXW all got License to Cover approvals within the last 2 days (WUSA 9 just today!), meaning that both are only NOW operating at full power 24/7" Nope, they were and have been at full power since day 1. I think that's a license formality..... "I live in Friendship Heights, less than a mile from both towers and I consider myself technically adept, but both signals are problematic at best. My combo UHF/VHF amplified antenna picks up dozens of other DTV signals, but signal strength on 7 and 9 is pitiful" Turn off the amplification, you're overloading the receiver. Receivers don't like too much signal. It gets distorted and won't decode. Signal at Friendship Heights is soo strong! (6/19/09) /\ June 19 Messages /\ \/ June 18 Messages \/ Regarding Antenna Preamps: Like everything else there are good and bad preamps. Look for high gain, lots of dynamic range and especially a low noise figure like 1db. A good preamp is mast mounted to make up for the cable loss between the antenna and the set. It will also have a FM trap on the input side so that strong FM signals don't overload the preamp and create harmonics in the preamp. I live in western Fairfax and have used a Mast mounted preamp for many years with a switchable FM trap. I have never had a problem with FM interference. 75? FM traps are available to insert in the line between the antenna and preamp if needed. Bob Fairfax (6/18/09) Re: "Any other networks offering programming for the new world of digital over the air broadcasting?" I can't guarantee the accuracy of these listings -- it is, after all, only Wikipedia -- but this will give you some idea: en.wikipedia.org. Plus, I don't know why any so-called "cable" network that isn't available on local systems couldn't be added: en.wikipedia.org. (6/18/09) I believe the WTOP anchor at 8:14 in the clip is Tony Sylvester. Tom in DC (6/18/09) (Re: "AM radio station for sale in Maryland (suburban DC). Serves suburban Washington DC counties".....Isn't CC trying to unload 930 in Frederick?) Or maybe Danny Snyder trying to unload one of his "rimshot" stations? (6/18/09) Dave's response: Snyder's "rimshots" are both FMers - 92.7 and 94.3. And without those far suburban relays, WTEM's skimpy ratings would be even skimpier..... Has a new digital over the air channel popped up on 50.2? The THIS TV channel. Is this the MGM channel. Any other networks offering programming for the new world of digital over the air broadcasting? How come the O'Meara show is 4 hours long while the other shows preceeding it are 5 or more hours long? And what happened to Miss Katie on the O'Meara show she seems to have barely been heard on the show in over a month. And when O'Meara summons the producer to the studio is he trying to be funny like Jabba the Hut? (6/18/09) Nathan Roberts has always been a gentleman and a professional - a great guy to work with. When I was 20 or 21 I was doing some grad work at UCLA and worked p/t at KCOP, channel 13 in Los Angeles for a brief period. He was anchoring the 10pm news, I think. They paired him with some forgettable blonde who I'm sure didn't last. Then when I worked at WTOP from 2004-early 2007, he was there too -- and still terrific. 'TOP is lucky to have a man of Nathan's caliber. (6/18/09) (" I didn't know what the road sign words that WTOP managed to get a pic of meant either, so I looked them up.") These are memes from 4chan.org. The place is a little hard to describe, but it's not work safe. It's an image board that seems to center around catch phrases and trying to be a disgusting as possible. The zombie hacks in Texas were funnier anyway (6/18/09) Regarding 7 and 9: again..I should consider myself lucky; before the complete switch to digital, I barely got channel 9 here on the eastern shore..and not a hint of 7; now..they both come in! Is kind of fun..getting to see 7.3..with their "Retro TV" thing going on! Tom in Denton, MD. (6/18/09) Re: Paul's comment that " Amazing how you never heard what O’Reilly said, but when confronted with quotes, you NOW know they’re over 2 ½ years old." It's called Google, or actually, Bing, in this particular case. I searched "Tiller and his acolytes to continue" and up the link popped as the first result. Ty it!. Not hard at all and no, I really am not an O'Reilly fan. Don't hate the guy, but I don't take him seriously or watch him with any regularity. But I also find it very disturbing when serious accusations are hurled in the mailbag with flimsy substantiation, at best. And Howie, didn't mean to "go personal" but you really did completely dodge the main point of my response. Your assertion that I "knew all the while exactly what the quotes were" is absolutely false. I haven't tracked this issue at all and know nothing of what he has said on them which is why I asked the question to begin with. I simply did a quick search on a couple of your quotes. That I didn't search all of them is a function of available time and I *apologize* if my "most of" caveat wasn't generous enough. Again, though: serious accusations with significant implications need a lot more than out of context quotes. Just my opinion, not trying to devalue anyone elses. Bob in Forest Hill (6/18/09) An interesting compilation of local news opens at YouTube. A young Nathan Roberts from his Channel-9 Los Angeles "10 OClock News" days can be seen at the 8:45 mark. Does anyone recognize the WTOP-TV 9 anchor of the "11 PM Report" at the 8:14 mark? Weatherman John Douglas does the opening V.O. for that show. Channel-9's "6 PM Newsnight" open with Warren Olney, anchor, and Lee Shephard announcing from July 31st, 1968 is at the 9:03 mark. (6/18/09) Don't know what the problem is with 7 & 9 dtv signals in the city, but out here in Franklin County PA, they both come in great. They are by far the most solid of the signals out of DC. There might possibly be 2nd harmonic issues with strong FM signals in the city that are playing havoc with the high band VHF signal. WAMU and WPFW 2nd harmonics fall in channel 7 and WKYS, WTGB, and WPGC 2nd harmonic falls in channel 9. Try turing any amplifiers OFF and see if that helps, but without a spectrum analyzer at the prolem location who knows... Good luck! (6/18/09) Re: "AM radio station for sale in Maryland (suburban DC). Serves suburban Washington DC counties".....Isn't CC trying to unload 930 in Frederick? (6/18/09) Dave's response: Jeez. It could be any of two dozen-ish area AMers..... "Quick programming note: If Nats game (delayed by rain) is underway at 6:30, tune to MASN2 for Orioles pregame and the game itself." twitter.com/BirlandInsider (6/18/09) Dave - just wanted to let you know how bad the reception is for both Ch. 7 & 9 now that they've switched their DTV signals from UHF to VHF. I live in Friendship Heights, less than a mile from both towers and I consider myself technically adept, but both signals are problematic at best. My combo UHF/VHF amplified antenna picks up dozens of other DTV signals, but signal strength on 7 and 9 is pitiful. The TV engineers at 4 and 5 must be laughing their heads off at how stupid 7 and 9 were to agree to switch signals on June 12th. - Jim Hawk (6/18/09) Some FCC notes regarding DTV reception......... Both WJLA and WUSA and WPXW all got License to Cover approvals within the last 2 days (WUSA 9 just today!), meaning that both are only NOW operating at full power 24/7. This could further explain why some people were not receiving the stations on Monday. That means some people having trouble receiving them might want to consider setting their TVs to RE-SCAN once again. Additionally, WJZ 13 has filed for an STA permit, meaning that they are not operating at full power, but oddly enough are sending more power towards DC since WJZ does not have its directional antenna yet installed. Finally, some additional notes from Philly...... Apparently the VHF DTV switch up there has been a disaster for WPVI ABC 6. They applied today to increase their DTV power by FIVE TIMES, stating even people within sight of their transmitter cannot receive them! Another FCC screw up, DTV stations should just not have been allocated on channels 4, 5, & 6, but that's why we have lawyers running the FCC correct? To make terrible tech decisions! Grrrrrrr :-( (6/18/09) Breaking News from CBS Radio:: CBS Management just released a statement saying that years ago, it had intended to hire Dave Hughes and not Michael Hughes. "We got our Hughes' mixed-up. We bad!" cites Dan Mason, President. Thus part of the reason CBS Radio sucks so much. (6/18/09) Dave's response: And here's what I'd do. Make WJFK sports talk on 94.7 with O'Meara (quasi sports) in mornings and the Sports Junkies (all sports) in afternoons. Get the Nats for JFK in 2010. I'd put music intensive alt rock WHFS on 99.1, which covers both DC and Baltimore, with Cerphe in charge, and give Donnie Simpson (surprise!) a daily rock/soul show on 99.1 and maybe full run of the HD2. I'd put El Zol on 106.7 to better reach NoVa with a bilingual Spanish/English hits format, a la MTV Tres. And I'd turn PGC into "Amp 95.5," with a hit-based urban/pop contemporary sound aimed at Clear Channel's Hot 99.5, with Big Tigger in mornings. Also, I'd make 1580 "Don Geronimo's Musicradio, Classic PGC" with 1970s/1980s oldies, also relayed on the HD2 of 95.5, and let Geronimo do Redskins/football shows on JFK..... At this point in time unfortunately Geronimo/Sorce is media news. Not that it’s big news, but it is news. Whatever happens it will be tracked by the ney-sayers and those that think he’s a “radio God”. Honestly speaking, thanks for the KUDOS that were sent about me (PLB) Pat Murphy, Tom Gauger, Sean Hall, Johnny Holliday, Johnny Dark and Barry Richards, and oh so many others. But, we’re just standing and watching. If he slam dunks….so be it. PLB:0) (6/18/09) The current rain in New York may present another quandary for MASN. It is believed there's a window that would allow the Nationals and Yankees to start about 3 p.m. or so. If there's another rain delay or the game goes extra innings, what happens when it's time for tonight's Mets-Baltimore game slated for MASN? Could they move one of the games to MASN2, and if so, which one? And could all the participating cable systems make the conversion (we saw what happened last week)? This has all the makings of a disaster written all over it...unless MASN's assurances that last week's fiasco won't happen again are the real deal. -- Vincent in Triangle (6/18/09) Who could have predicted that WTGB would not pick up any new listeners and would, in fact, slide even further into the ratings pit...? Oh, wait...I did. And so did virtually everyone other than CBS. What a pack of morons. Dave in Sterling (6/18/09) Dave's response: Michael Hughes should sneak down to the technical room there at the CBS/DC HQ in Lanham and swap the patch cords for the 94.7 transmitter feeds. Putting alt rock HFS on the main 94.7 signal and Fresh FM on the HD2. Now, that would be an improvement..... Somewhere on the planet, there was (and maybe, still is) someone named Jimmy Carter. I don't mean the former president. This guy does interviews. I found one of them on YouTube that dates back to just before his foray into TV. If you're into reading body language, this clip is a treasure trove - especially the eyebrow raises and the hand to various points on the head moves. What a twitchy lump this guy is! (6/18/09) Hello. Im the one that wrote the thing about a joke being a stretch of the imagination comment. What I was trying to say was that Letterman's comment was simply a joke and that it wasnt intended to be a factual statement. As most jokes are not. I was being completely sarcastic when I wrote that post. It was intended to be more of a statement against the asshole news media who even made that a story in the first place. The audiences are so small at that hour its unlikely most of us would have heard about it in the first place had it not been because of the excessive news coverage of the incident. Im tired of the media generated outrage all of the time, thats all. And not that it matters a whole lot what my politics are I just wanted to say that I am not a GOP poster. :) (6/18/09) I didn't know what the road sign words that WTOP managed to get a pic of meant either, so I looked them up. The "Mudkipz" reference is a reference to a pokemon doll sex fetish or possibly a dork who has sex with pokeman dolls. FuckTaco is also some teenager geek term for, umm, how can i say this, umm, let's just say nasty cheesy oral sex with a girl who doesn't smell so well and/or possibly has a yeast infection. Obviously, everyone knows ballsack. Clearly, a dorky smartass teenager hacked into the road sign, hehe. Too funny! This should be on Fox News... We report the words, you decide! :-) (6/18/09) Don Geronimo:: Yesterday, Fat Dr. Johnny Fever Geronimo visited, for the first time, the sales staff at WGMD. Granted, this small staff probably only consists of a slick Rod Blagojevich look-a-like, one middle-aged, chain smoking platinum blond, a Les Nessman grandpa and on-air talent who sell their own ad spots, but their collective "how the fuck are we going to sell this guy on this station" question is a good one on numerous fronts. To start with, U.S. radio station ad revenues fell 7.8% in 2008 and are expected to drop a further 15% or more this year. Secondly, and as discussed recently, WGMD listener demo's are the polar opposite of their new host.Third, at this stage of his career, will Mike Sorce and his inflated self-worth become a team player and do what it takes to make his show a sales winner - like doing Saturday live remotes? Hell no! The Don Geronimo Show on WGMD will be like when a dead whale washes up on the beach at Delaware Seashore State Park. At first, people will flock out of curiosity - take a few pictures, gawk at its size, stand on it. But as the carcass begins to decay, rot and stink beyond tolerance, the only thing the townsfolk want then is to have it removed - like Geronimo. You can now add the sales staff at WGMD to that list for they now have the toughest radio sales gig in the country - selling Mike Sorce to Delmarva. Trade-outs don't count! (6/18/09) WTF Dave. So much for editing for fairness and taste! Where are the references to legendary DC radio greats Paul Bicknell, Pat Murphy, Tom Gauger, Sean Hall, Johnny Holliday, Johnny Dark and Barry Richards? Huh? All this rambling on and on, ad infinitum about "Geronimo" is causing acid reflux. If you morons want to talk about DC Radio Gods, there is a list, (granted it is short) of truly GREAT RADIO GODS to choose from. If you monkeys don't like Geronimo, stop listening, and stop your whining and bellyaching. Lets hear more of the real RADIO GODS and less of the minor annoyances! Robert W. Smith - Fairfax City (6/18/09) Dave's response: Hey, we have a Front Page piece on Johnny Holliday just today! When old local radio geezers do stuff, we always are there to report it..... It’s pretty easy to understand the MSNBC crowd’s rant regarding the O’Reilly/Tiller issue outside of their hatred for all things Fox. Self responsibility is not found in liberalism. Clearly this guy is not sufficiently deranged and capable of such a despicable act on his own. If you follow the logic then thousands if not millions of O’Reilly viewers should have been loading their weapons and going after Dr. Tiller. But that didn’t happen. I don’t know what a “Mudkipz” is but I do know what a “Ballsack” is! Funny stuff. (6/18/09) Anyone who listens to Rush Limbaugh knows that he wouldn't refer to Chelsea Clinton as a dog. The only reference that Rush Limbaugh ever gave to Chelsea Clinton was during his TV show while showing pictures of Bill Clinton in the White House, the picture of Chelsea Clinton turned out to be the Clinton's dog picture and the person responsible for this was immediately fired. I suspect you knew this and decided to conveniently leave out the facts. That's what the left does. (6/18/09) I'll repeat once again for the hearing impaired.......... VHF is stronger by its very nature than UHF, NOT the other way around! That is why lower powers are used, because the signals naturally travel farther. So, anyone in Silver Spring who's getting WMAR 2 on UHF 38 and NOT WJLA 7 or WUSA 9 obviously does not have their antenna pointed in the correct direction regardless of what type of antenna it is. So yes, that does discredit The Washington Post story unless this person was using TIN FOIL as an antenna or lives in a cave! LOL Let's face it, Silver Spring is very close to the DC transmitters. If you can't get the signals there, you are seriously doing something wrong! ................... Also regarding the iPhone, I need to correct Everett W..... there are play by play aps for the iPhone for MLB & NFL & I believe NASCAR that play short clips and there will be more live video & TV available for iPhones in the future. The hold up on lots of live video on the iPhone is NOT the iPhone's technology, its ATT's infrastructure and 3G network and the poor cell phone infrastructure in general in the United States compared to Europe. In France, for instance, I believe you can watch live TV on an iPhone. The only reason it isn't happening here yet is because if Apple allowed such an app, the entire ATT network would slow to a crawl or collapse completely and no one would be able to even make a frikkin phone call let alone watch TV! This is another area of U.S. technology shortfalls that you can thank your LAWYER-RUN FCC and legislators for. These people wouldn't know cutting edge technology if it bit them in the ass! (6/18/09) Man, talk about strained logic...: "The story has been supressed by the liberal media and probably someone just screwed up and ran the story at MSNBC without realizing it was NOT about a Republican." And that's the reason FOX isn't reporting it? Liberal media bias? Puh-leaze. Anybody wonder why Conservatives have become a political laughing stock? (6/18/09) Dave; Several weeks ago I read at DCRTV.Com that PBS Television is seeking to require their local affiliate stations to phase-out "sectarian" programming from their local programming line-up. Now, MSNBC (and several other news outlets as well) is reporting that PBS is seeking to phase-out "religious" programming.. www.msnbc.msn.com... The Washington Post reported much the same thing: www.washingtonpost.com... But, is what these agencies are reporting, really true? PBS still produces and distributes "Religion And Ethics Newsweekly," a weekend show that provides the "religion angle" on national and international news stories. It does not seek to advance or "preach about" a particular religious tradition, but rather, it provides insight about the impact of religion - - generally speaking - - on events in the broader culture. For example, the show has produced segments about Judaism's influence on Israel, and US foreign policy with Israel; Liberal Protestantism's influence over the Obama Administration; American Catholics Bishops being more accepting of abortion than the Pope, The ways in which President Obama is embraced by the Muslim World, and so forth. That's "religious" programming (it's also very interesting programming, in my view). And so far as I can tell, the PBS network is not eliminating this programming. Yet, it appears that the network is seeking to force its local affiliate stations to eliminate, as DCRTV reported some time ago, "sectarian" programming, or at least to prevent local affiliates from developing more "sectarian" programming. That is, they want to ban religion-specifc, or denomination-specific programs...a "Catholic Mass," or an Evangelical "Praise and Worship" service, a Jewish Temple service, and so forth. That's a matter of banning "sectarian" programming; it's not a ban of "religious programming," per se. Now if PBS is indeed forcing local affiliate stations to abandon, or phase-out "sectarian" programming, well, that raises all kinds of other issues and questions. Currently, the new FCC appears ready to impose "localism requirements" on broadcast outlets, requiring them to provide more locally-generated programming (as opposed to providing predominantly national, network programming), and to require local broadcast outlets to do a better job of serving the "local community." If the FCC is truly going to move in this direction - and it appears now as though it will - - well, then, could it be that, say, the heavily Catholic community of Boston is well served if Boston's PBS affiliate chose to broadcast a local Catholic Mass? And couldn't we say that the heavily Evangelical region of Orange County, California, would be well served if Orange County's PBS affiliate chose to broadcast a local Evangelical "Praise and Worship Service?" And - - here's a controversial one - - how about heavily Islamic Detroit? Wouldn't that community be well served if a PBS affiliate there chose to broadcast a ceremony from a local mosque? I'm glad DCRTV made the distinction between "sectarian" and "religious" - - they don't necessarily mean the same thing, and making that distinction changes the day's "news" about PBS quite significantly. What is most interesting to me, however, is that our government may be "broadcasting" mixed messages. On the one hand, a federal regulatory agency, the FCC, appears ready to mandate more "localism" on "local broadcasters." On the other hand, our federal government's television network, PBS, appears to mandating that their "local affiliates" phase-out certain types of '"ocal programming." More "localism" from the FCC, less "localism" from PBS. What's going on here? Austin Hill, www.austinhill.net, NewsTalk 92-3 KTAR, Phoenix, Fox Newstalk Radio Network (6/18/09) Dave's response: Glad to see the former WMALer has found gainful radio employment..... Thank you for proving my point. Had this story about Conyer's corrupt wife involved Republicans, it would have been carried on all media and it would have been written as Conyer's wife,,,not as the wife of a congressman. The story has been supressed by the liberal media and probably someone just screwed up and ran the story at MSNBC without realizing it was NOT about a Republican. No black helicopters found, just the stain of an editor's red pen. (6/18/09) Happy Anniversary to the long-playing, 33 1/3 rpm phonograph record, unveiled on this day, by Columbia Records, in 1948. (6/18/09) One GOP Mailbagger, who claimed that her/his life had come off the rails after hearing Letterman's Palin joke, wrote: "Jokes aren't supposed to be a stretch of the imagination for a laugh. They are supposed to be factual statements not meant to offend or entertain." I've read that over and over and for the life of me I don't have a clue what it means. Either one Lib isn't funny or one UltraCon is an idiot. Either way, the Letterman/Palin thing has been over for days; add that to the very lengthy list of things Conservative Republicans can't seem to comprehend. (6/18/09) Really? The best example of media bias you can come up with is the placement of a congressman's name in a third-day story about that same congressman's adultery? Really? And you honestly think that "Democrats know that for their agenda to become law, they have to be sure we never have [a fairness doctrine]?" Do you think the fact that Democrats keep getting elected and Republicans keep getting their asses handed to them by voters will help Dems achieve their agenda? Just curious. (6/18/09) RE: [Here is a fine example of media bias, and of course, from MSNBC. Notice how it takes until the 3rd paragraph to identify which Congressman has a corrupt wife.] Um...Dude? Maybe Rep. Conyers wasn't mentioned in the first two paragraphs because the statement you cite in the third paragraph was "No suggestion has been made that Conyers' husband, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., has any role in the investigation." Also, F.Y.I., it appears that MSNBC is the ONLY major network reporting the story. Can't even find it mentioned on FOX. Some conspiracy. What's next? You seeing black helecopters following you too? (6/18/09) Re: "Had this been the wife of a Republican, you can bet the first sentence would have been...." Seriously, when did this kind of silliness start to overwhelm the Mailbag? Grow up already. (6/18/09) What's a "Mudkipz"? (6/18/09) Putting a preset on your radio for 1050 AM may be a good idea, but don't expect stellar audio quality on all shows. I caught the open of the Montel show a little after 10AM - no highs, muddy quality, like Monty was using an old model 666 mic. Seeing how numerous AA affiliates are likely underperforming AMers in many cities, Air America may want to rethink their signal processing and optimize it for low freq response and crapola receivers. (6/18/09) Monica Hesse has in this morning’s Washington Post; “But -- and here's Ensign's lucky break -- our imaginations when it comes to political scandals have gotten pretty wild. Mostly because, in recent years, we have seen some seriously "Law & Order"-worthy stuff: Sting operations in bathroom stalls (Larry Craig). Lewd IM exchanges with underage pages (Mark Foley). Prostitution rings frequented by a governor who spearheaded prosecution of prostitution rings (Eliot Spitzer). Plus, John Edwards. Plus, Kwame Kilpatrick. Plus, David Vitter.” Monica, what about the New York Republican Congressman Vito Fossella who was pulled over running a red light in Alexandria, arrested for drunk driving, and admitted to the police officer he had a young daughter in the area?” How soon we forget. (6/18/09) Just a quick note: the "biased report" about Conyers' wife on MSNBC's website is an Associated Press article, no one from MSNBC wrote it or are responsible for its content...now back to radio/TV. I'm picking up 1050AM quite well from Carroll County to Baltimore's westside until dusk wipes it out. Too bad that the lineup Air America Washington runs isn't a little more interesting. It's fascinating that Air America runs behind other syndicated fare for lefty talk. Howie (6/18/09) Bob: "Oh Howie...it's so fun to see you completely dodge the point and blather to make yourself appear "deep."" Bob, I thought you were a thoughtful debater and poster. I guess not. Why is it that people of your "ilk" can't hold a debate without a personal attack coming into it? I didn't dodge the point any more than you did when you made the challenge to the other poster to produce the quotes when you knew all the while exactly what the quotes were-and then only responded to a couple of them. I think Bill-o doesn't care who gets hurt as long as his ratings hold up. Do you really think that he cares about ANY of these issues? He would be pro-Al Qaeda if it would get him millions of viewers and dollars. BTW, I find silly for you to claim that my posts are blathering when they are consistantly shorter than the manifestos written by you and your right wing brethren here. Sorry to Dave for my getting personal, but it was only in response to an attack. Just to keep this on radio/TV instead of left/right stupidity, how about putting 24/7 yard sales on 1580 AM? Howie (6/18/09) 1. Here is a fine example of media bias, and of course, from MSNBC. Notice how it takes until the 3rd paragraph to identify which Congressman has a corrupt wife. Had this been the wife of a Republican, you can bet the first sentence would have been "The wife of prominent Michigan Republican Congressman Dick Hertz is being investigated..." msnbc.msn.com this is the kind of reporting that begs for a fairness doctrine, and is why the Democrats know that for their agenda to become law, they have to be sure we never have such a doctrine. 2. I wonder if that station for sale is the little spanish AM in Laurel. I think they got a new ground system. (6/18/09) Most people shouldn' t bother with the iPhone app...no MLB & NFL play-by-play, no live NASCAR coverage and no Howard Stern. After those restrictions, there's not much left. Everett W. (6/18/09) I have been watching the give and take between others and Bob from Forestville. When it comes to O'Reilly, he is a acknowledged opponent of late term abortions, and has railed against those and the practice for years. Of course, there is no way to prove that he influenced or incited anyone to do anything illegal, but let's be honest and let O'Reilly own his own comments. Bob has admitted that O'Reilly's verbiage on the issue was "hyperbolic and inflammatory", and the quote about acolytes "seems dark" but won't go as far as saying they are irresponsible...hmm. The article you link to the O'Reilly's Talking Points memo from 2006, only addresses one of the quotes Howie provided, not "most of what you quote," as you claim. Unless Howie is lying, only one of the direct quotes he provided is in the Talking Points memo you linked. In fact, you ignore all the quotes provided by Howie and others, but for one. So, if O'Reilly made comments about Tiller, let's say, a year ago or six months ago...would that make a difference ? Of course, it's difficult to directly link a murder to the inflammatory words of others, and even harder to prove, although it has been done before. The only question I would ask Bob is: if O'Reilly, or some other well known commentator started railing against another doctor that provided late term abortions like Tiller, using the same sort of language that has been attributed to Bill O'Reilly, and factoring in Tiller's recent murder, would you consider that irresponsible ? Come on... make a fist Bob, and let us really know where you stand. (6/18/09) Bob in Forest Hill - Amazing how you never heard what O’Reilly said, but when confronted with quotes, you NOW know they’re over 2 ½ years old. You just want to sing a right wing tune but try to disguise it by saying you don’t like O’Reilly, etc etc etc. You were probably one of the right wing nuts laughing when Rush called a 10 year old Chelsea Clinton the white house dog, but now think Palin has been abused. Take your rantings to Fox (so called) News, this is a TV Radio board, not a right wing political forum Paul (6/18/09) Noticed this on CMS; wonder who it is? AM radio station for sale in Maryland (suburban DC). Serves suburban Washington DC counties. High population growth rate. Includes real estate. New equipment. New ground system. (6/18/09) After coming to Baltimore for a 2-week vacation then returning home to my computer, I just had to write in to Mailbag with some observations and questions, which hopefully someone here can answer. First off, I picked a really weird weather week to show up in Baltimore with all the storms, which made for interesting DXing. The strangest DX I picked up was WCPC-940 in Houston, MS, which is supposed to be only 250 W at night, though I have to wonder if someone forgot to turn off the 50 KW daytime transmitter that evening. The other interesting catch was on 1160, WABY from somewhere in NY, playing Dial-Global’s Adult Standards format. Gosh, I can remember when 1160 was a clear channel on the west coast and the only station was KSL/Salt Lake City. On FM it seems I was getting a lot of the Ocean City and Eastern Shore stations rather than more local signals, so scanning the FM dial was a bit interesting. Now here’s an interesting question concerning the DTV transition that maybe one of you can answer. After coming back from a day trip to Atlantic City to the apartment in Parkville, where we were staying on vacation, it was about 11:35. I turned on my portable radio which has VHF TV audio. Ch. 8 still had a signal, which I cannot vouch for being the York, PA station, but it was a talk/variety show coming in on my analog radio. Ch. 9 was definitely USA, ch. 10 was CBN, 11 unknown, 12 ABC, which I found out later was actually WMAR/2. Nothing showed up on ch. 13 or any other VHF channel. Now I know the apartment’s TVs are all cable, so could it be I was picking up some kind of bleedover of certain channels perhaps from a rebroadcast transmitter, or else how was it I was picking up the signals on some of the channels? I did notice the next day ch. 8 no longer came in but 9, 10, 11 and 12 did, though weaker. Anyone have an idea about this? Finally, a question about some Balto air people & personalities. Anyone know what happened to AJ, who recently worked at The Bay? Miss hearing from him. How about Michael Fillipelli? And does anyone know what happened to Bob Kilpatrick, who had been with CBS/Balto for a long time. I was shocked on returning to Baltimore then not hearing his voice on productions. Oh I have to tell you that my fears about Baltimore radio sounding just as bad as LA radio were true, with the exception that at least in Baltimore it’s still mostly English unlike literally half the AM/FM dial in LA. We can only hope that somehow radio will start on an upswing soon, but OTOH I don’t want to hold my breath not knowing just how long the wait could be. Oh to dream about radio being good again! As to my questions, if anyone cares to contact me directly, you can contact me at powersradio@att.net . TIA! Bill Powers in sunny Los Angeles. (6/18/09) A big shout out to one of yesterday's plant callers on the Sean Hannity Show- a local caller from outside of Triangle Virginia (she claimed)! Yeah! She called to inform Sean of how close her family lives to Quantico, and her ties to the military. Point one was how she and her neighbors were buying guns to protect themselves from the terrorists being moved from Gitmo to Quantico (her back yard). Delivery was OK, but a little apprehensive, On the script I felt it was a little off, and too simple. I think most people know those from Gitmo will be in a SuperMax-like brig, not shopping at CVS with soccer moms. Point two was her disgust with David Letterman. I didn't buy this one because her script was pretty much a word for word rehash of a Monday plant caller script. Relatives are flight attendants, great people, where is NOW-they have all been used earlier. Even Sean's response was a rehash of a response Monday-I fly a lot, great people, safety, Letterman is bitter, etc. Part two gets a "F" for laziness' to write a new narrative. Sean Hannity's crap can be heard on WMAL. (6/18/09) /\ June 18 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....