Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - March 1 to March 12, 2010 Latest messages listed first..... \/ March 12 Messages \/ Money is piling up from digital music streams, and the nonprofit organization, SoundExchange, is holding about $50 million in royalty checks for artists. If you are one (or know one) you'll want to read this article ... www.latimes.com (3/12/10) "For the first time since the yellow journalism of a century ago, the United States has a major news organization devoted to the promotion of one political party"....." Really? Does Howell Raines even know what the term yellow journalism means? Was he referring to a 'century' as 100 years ago, or was there a bit of a slip and he referred to the immediate past century? What might the former editor the NY Times have to say about the behavior 35+ years ago, when a major news organization devoted its yellow journalism to the Demolition of one political party? We don't need to live in the distant past. Mr. Raines forgets that the Washington Post has oft times in the short history of this century shown a continued competence, one might even say preference, at yellow journalism devoted to the sensationalistic negative reporting of the affairs of one party, if only in that it does not cover the sordid laundry of its preferred party. I see your Watergate and raise you one Whitewater. Yellow Journalism, its what sells papers. Ben "Coach Yellow" Bradlee wrote the book and the NY Times has done a damn fine job of running those plays on the field. (3/12/10) So why the heck is WPGC being som secretive about what's going on over there regarding mornings?..If indeed theyr'e gonna put Big Tigger on mornings, just do it..It's not as though he's coming from another station and has some sort of non-compete clause contract..As for Sarah Walsh going to ESPN, no big deal..Was never impressed anyway..As I'm not with that new Lyndsy at FOX5.. (3/12/10) wpgc.radio.com... don't know if you noticed this, but BT is first in the lineup before the midday show, like where the morning show would be, but it says 2pm-6pm. (3/12/10) Dave's response: I did notice that. Hmmm..... First of all, loved you interview video segment. As always you were spot on with your comments. It really is a shame that you don't get proper credit for breaking stories. That is Journalism 101 that you attribute information and sources. These guys ought to be ashamed of themselves. You stated that you moved down here from the Philly suburbs. I was just curious what part of Jersey you lived in. Have a great night and thanks for all of your hard work! I am a loyal DCRTV Plus member! (3/12/10) Dave's response: From age 2 to 14, my family lived in three New Jersey towns, all in the southwest part of the state, in the Philadelphia suburbs - Pennsauken, Willingboro, and Woodbury (actually West Deptford Township). Both of my grandparents on my dad's side originally hailed from Audubon/Haddon Heights, which is also in the same area. They later moved to Hartsdale, just north of NYC. I was born in NYC..... I enjoyed the "Out of the Past" Dave. I've been in the DC area for over 41 years and I can say that I've not seen the true progession of DC area radio presented with such verbal aplomb. Lately, money + advertising does not equal good programming. No suit is willing to go the WEBR route and present free form radio such as KEXP in the Seattle Area. Of course WEBR is a hodge podge of various formats and some good talk shows and some bad ones too. But there is only one Bluegrass show. And it's doing fairly well, thank you. Thanks again for your comments on "Out of the Past". Mike Fitzgerald (3/12/10) Dave, I really would like to watch your interview on Out Of The Past, but the streaming is beyond horrible! Out-of-sync or frozen video and stuttering or choppy audio. This situation happens with their new VIMEO location and it was also a problem when they were on VEOH. It's really too bad. They have interesting guests and interviews that would be quite enjoyable to see and hear, but the streaming issues made me give up even trying to make sense of the mish-mash! I never have these kinds of problems with YouTube or on other sites where there is streaming. My internet access is via my cable company, so it's plenty fast. Does anybody know why VEOH (and now VIMEO) are so horrible, when it comes to streaming? (3/12/10) Dave's response: I find I often have the same problem with YouTube videos during evenings. It must just be overtaxed servers. Try setting your alarm for 4 AM and watch it then, when they're not as busy..... Dave- You hit it out of the park! Excellent! (3/12/10) yes, well done dave...great job! (3/12/10) Dave's response: Awwww. Glad you liked my "Out Of The Past" interview..... He's out of sync! (3/12/10) To the WMAL basher "basher:" Is English your second language? Did you really miss the meaning of the quote or do you find it easier to distort the quote so as to have your worms eye view of the world left undisturbed. WMAL (and apparently some of its listeners) never disappoint! How sad to see a once relevant local radio operation reduced to this. MW (3/12/10) Michele Wright also announced today was her last day. I'm left to wonder if she's leaving, got tossed, or is possibly joining BT in mornings; if he's even doing mornings that is. Either way, there seems to be a lot going on over in Lanham. (3/12/10) Could it be that channel 4 and 9 is going to go with 3 weather people? Did Andrea Roane show up this morning for the channel 9 4:30 am start or has she finally got fed up with the operation at channel 9? I see Kristin fisher has been taken off the "what's hot on the internet " beat and now out in a field or something like that. When does Howard Bernstein collapse from exhaustion working all those hours? You think sara Walsh can get away with dressing like Hannah Storm over at ESPN? could Hannah Storm gotten away with that goofy outfit when she worked for the CBS morning show? darn it, but I actually like listening to the Tony Kornholio show rebroadcast after the Sports Reporters most nights. and why did Sally Quinn return to writing columns for WaPo in the first place? (3/12/10) Sara Walsh, good for you for FINALLY getting out of that shit hole Channel! No more arrogant Brett to step around his ego. Congrats!! You now join the ranks of Tony Pann, Jennifer Ryan and Gary Reels that escaped that dump. The rats even left....what is wrong with the rest of ya!!?? (3/12/10) Dave - The password is "extra-large"...just sayin'. (3/12/10) Shouldn't "we" (the royal we) have a chance to see what's in a bill before it's voted on? Not according to WMAL. They have consistently misrepresented the bill to us: Death panels, rationing, long lines, government bureaucratic take over, killing grandma in the process, illegal aliens getting better treatment than citizens, doctors leaving the business, etc. [proper use of a full colon in the preceding sentence] These items are just a small portion of the "fog" Speaker Pelosi was talking about. (3/12/10) I really enjoyed watching the interview, Dave...it's great to see someone so passionate about what they do. You do a wonderful job. (3/12/10) For those who insist on technical accuracy: what is called a "goatee" these days is actually a Van Dyke beard style. A true goatee is simply a shoot of hair on the chin (in the manner of the goat). Through common usage, the term "goatee" has been accepted as a close-cropped ring of hair surrounding the mouth...often accompanied in recent years by shaved heads and backwards baseball caps: conformity redefined. See a range of styles at nixbased.com. AP - proud Balbo wearer (3/12/10) Dave's response: Loved the facial hair graphic! Where's "The Hitler"? Shouldn't "we" (the royal we) have a chance to see what's in a bill before it's voted on? If it's passed and then we get to see it, we (whether we're regular citizens or NAC), there's no chance to put our $0.02 in. But that's probably controversial, wanting to see what's in a bill and letting our representatives know our opinions. Parks & Neiman were right; it still sounded funny. (3/12/10) Raines Slams Journos For Not Slamming Fox's Ailes - 3/12 - "Through clever use of the Fox News Channel and its cadre of raucous commentators, Roger Ailes has overturned standards of fairness and objectivity," writes former New York Times editor Howell Raines at washingtonpost.com. "Yet, many members of my profession seem to stand by in silence as Ailes tears up the rulebook that served this country well as we covered the major stories of the past three generations... For the first time since the yellow journalism of a century ago, the United States has a major news organization devoted to the promotion of one political party"..... For Howell Raines to bemoan bias in the media is the pot calling the kettle black, on steroids. Entire books and Web sites have been devoted to the leftwing bias of the New York Times. Journalistic Fraud: How The New York Times Distorts the News and Why It Can No Longer Be Trusted by Bob Kohn and also mrc.org (3/12/10) Reason; "It IS a stupid quote and illustrates the hubris and hypocrisy of those in power. The full quote still makes the point perfectly:[sic] Shouldn't a member of Congress know what is in any bill BEFORE they vote to pass it? Voting to pass a bill so that you know what's in the bill is just asinine." Now, the real quote was ""But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy." She didn't say "she" or "we" would know what's in it after it was passed, she said "you," and she added "away from the fog of the controversy." The "you" was the group she was speaking before, members of The National Association of Counties. (3/12/10) Dave great interview GREAT to put a face with the name the goatee is GREAT. I think that the 1996 tel com act has help to kill local radio 3 or 4 companies controlling a market has been terrible and it will not get better unless they repeal that act and i doubt that. (3/12/10) Dave, You are an excellent and insightful guest. May you keep at your chosen pursuit many more years! (3/12/10) Well worth watching. Thanks, Dave (3/12/10) Dave! The OUT OF THE PAST appearance was splendid. Being the gloom and doom kind o' guy that I am, I need to offer some counterpoint to your observations on Internet Radio (and BBC6). Haven't you (the royal you) noticed the recent trend to restrict direct Internet transmission of broadcast content to or from sites outside the originating country? It seems that the mega-broadcast-conglomerates (read CC and ilk) have gotten ahead of the curve regulatory-wise, and once we do have Internet Radio in the car, there won't be anything new fresh or different to listen to but the same old repeater crap from our usual cast of consolidating suspects. Hell, I stopped listening to the BBC channels when they began time-delaying the web-casts to my local time zone. Overall, nowadays there is less and less available on-line, and to me, the future of Internet Radio seems quite dim. Is Mel running the Internet now? Thanks, Frank in Arlington (3/12/10) Dave's response: As internet radio becomes more "transportable" - a la available in cars - and starts competing more seriously with broadcast radio, I do suspect that the big fascists at Clear Channel and CBS and Citadel will do everything in their power to restrict the independent and foreign internet radio streamers. They want to protect their "turf" of boring, bland, corporate bullshit radio - crap like the utterly awful 105.9 The Dull Edge..... To the WMAL basher: 1. If you don't like the station, don't listen (unless you're a shill for media Matters and have to listen). 2. It IS a stupid quote and illustrates the hubris and hypocrisy of those in power. The full quote still makes the point perfectly: Shouldn't a member of Congress know what is in any bill BEFORE they vote to pass it? Voting to pass a bill so that you know what's in the bill is just asinine. (3/12/10) Audio restored, and the Vimeo piece is very entertaining. Too bad that one of your highlighted stations, BBC 6 Music, is now under threat due to politicized BBC ‘budget cuts’... but hopefully it will be saved by big “Save 6 Music” campaign currently under way. By the way, the Thursday international cutoff of the CBS news talkers seems to have been delayed...I can still tune in at least some of them. (3/12/10) Dave's response: That interview was taped back in January, before the BBC announced that it was going to be yanking its wonderful 6 Music progressive rock channel..... Dave Hughes -Out of the Past - 2010 on Vimeo - very cool...I like it (3/12/10) Dave, you were absolutely great on TV. Since I’ve spent my career in advertising, I want to comment on the target audience issue. The 25-54 target is of course known in radio as the “money demo.” The real reason 25-54 was originally targeted was because it covers the years when kids live in the home. People with kids buy more of almost everything. When I worked on Procter & Gamble, every year we had to write that rationale in our media plans along with the research to back it up (from a company called MRI). P&G did conduct research that indicated younger people are more open to changing brands, but that was a secondary reason. I guess the conventional wisdom among smaller advertisers is that older people don’t respond, but that’s not necessarily true. But, you’re correct; advertisers and ad agencies have forced radio stations to pretty much go for the same target demo as the other stations. By the way, prior to deregulation, companies could own an AM, FM and TV in the same market but not more than 7 of each nationwide. It was known as the 7-7-7 rule. The Post really panicked during the Nixon years and gave away 96.3, which they really did not need to do. Roddy Freeman (3/12/10) "Say that again's" number one entry this morning was Nancy Pelosi's "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it." They laughed and howled at what a stupid statement that was. Unfortunately, they edited the quote. The real quote was, "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.” Selectively editing quotes to achieve a political purpose is part of what we call propaganda. Editing the quote, and then laughing as if it were legitimate, was despicable, irresponsible radio. WMAL should be ashamed at such a stupid and blatantly obvious misinformation trick this morning. It is clear now, WMAL is not a legitimate "news talk" station. Never again will I listen to the crap they spew. Like the birth certificate debacle last fall in which pressure did force them to apologize to their listeners on the air, WMAL needs to apologize for trying to trick their audience this morning. Shame on WMAL for either seeing their audience as dumb, or for thinking their audience is that gullible. (3/12/10) Looks like Little Laura Sunshine lost another audio producer. Craigslist is running "that" ad again: washingtondc.craigslist.org. (3/12/10) Dave - I thought someone else would have noticed and e-mailed about this. Earlier this week on NCIS (a show set in the DC area) two of the main characters were sitting in their car. I think they were on a stakeout. Anyhow, they turned on the radio, and what did they hear? 94.7 Fresh FM. They mentioned the frequency and everything. Guess being owned by CBS Radio, as Fresh is, gets you some extra perks, eh? (3/12/10) Where'd your hair go, Dave? (3/12/10) Dave's response: Long gone..... Dave, I’ve believe I’ve set up an account there correctly, but the Vimeo clip seems to be missing an important element...audio. Any suggestions? Cheers, Mark (3/12/10) Dave's response: I dunno. Works for me..... Good interview Dave! You are very knowledgeable about your topic. Great job! (3/12/10) RE: Karl Rove bails on WMAL's Grandy and Andy. Maybe he looked at their ratings. ACH (3/12/10) To Billy Sparks: While I appreciate your appreciation for us, Kevin & I are still relatively new & all we can do is show our worth to the station WHEN we are on. We will continue to promote ourselves every way possible. As for the 10pm slot. C. Russ has that slot, and frankly Kevin and I (unlike any other on air host) have day jobs. Which we feel makes us “REAL FANS” who can talk with authenticity on MANY subjects just as you or a neighbor would. We don’t feel you have to be a big name or a long time Radio person to be good at what you do. Just have a Chemistry, be open to criticism & not be an a-hole to the listeners, since it is they who drive your ratings. We hope you hear more of us in the future, but if not, at least we have something to fall back on. -Rock (3/12/10) (RE: Out Of The Past) thinks you should warn viewers under 40, that "scenes in this production may be beyond your memory. Veteran, seasoned, professional & experienced guidance, advised. (3/12/10) Dave, Our OUT OF THE PAST editor, Bob Bell has completed the show you were kind enough to appear on and it’s now on the internet at... This is the first time we’ve used VIMEO…….(Our old server, VEOH, has gone out of business……chapter 7..I believe) I think the picture quality is very good….not too thrilled with the audio quality….but after a few minutes….your comments are so interesting that the viewer soon forgets about that.) Perhaps you’ve missed your true calling by not pursuing a career in front of the TV cameras! However, you wouldn’t have been allowed to do that in your underwear. Here is the link to the show: vimeo.com... Again, Dave, GREAT JOB! Thanks, -Lee (3/12/10) Dave's response: Thanks Lee! I enjoyed the interview and would be happy to return in future. There's always lots to talk about regarding local media. And, yeah, I know, the t-shirt is just a tad too tight. But it is amazing to think that I can still fit into a WHFS 102.3 t-shirt that I got 30-ish years ago..... To Minority Rock: You know, I have heard you...ONCE! They never put you guys on. Could it be...could it be...YOU'RE BLACK! (Jokes people, Jokes!) Anyways, I really was referring to the full-timers, no offense, but can't the powers that be @ WJFK give you guys some 10PM-12AM shine? Is your show the "Catch Us When You Can Crew"? How about a promo or two? Why not make one and attach it to the mailbag? It's time for some guerilla marketing! If you're really going to do some "shameless self-promotion", don't be a bear, BE A GRIZZLY! -Billy Sparks (3/12/10) tick tick tick tick **This Just In: There Will Be An Announcement Concerning When An Announcement Will Be Announced In Reference To The Announcement About WPGCs Coming Announcement-That Is All** tick tick tick tick.......meanwhile back at the hosienda there will be NO word about the station airjacked by the invisible,visible demographic.....This Concludes "The Big Friday Fuck CBS" ...and THATS the way it is. Donnie (3/12/10) Randy Michaels’ list of 119 banned words and phrases is the inspiration for one very long sentence, by NPR producer Ian Chillag of “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me”. www.npr.org (3/12/10) RE: "whose dumbass idea was it to give Lavar a radio show?" Tell us how you really feel. Or perhaps you could do a better job. But how will Walmart possibly fill your vacant position? (3/12/10) /\ March 12 Messages /\ \/ March 11 Messages \/ Big Tigger has a BIG announcement on friday at 5:55 pm maybe he will finally say that he is going to morning drive or a concert announcement who knows. They (Micheal Saunders and Sam Rodgers) really need to stop dragging there WPGC morning drive situation out. (3/11/10) Dave's response: Gee, I wonder what he'll say..... An otherwise nice afternoon (actually left the office early!) here in the Southland has been saddened with the deaths of both my old friend Win Clearwater of WGMS and also Merlin Olsen who spent his entire NFL career with the Los Angeles Rams and went on to a successful television career. (Remember “Little House on the Prairie”?) Speaking of Win Clearwater, he was quite the jazz aficionado. Not on a par with Paul Anthony, but well versed in his own right. Win’s “board technique” inspired the development an important part of the old WGMS audio chain: “The Win Clearwater Level Corrector”. This unit acted like a slow hand on the pot to almost unnoticeably bring any source into a “normal program level” state. Think of it as a slow-attack (very slow!) AGC. The device even carried his name on its front panel for a couple of years. That is, until one night when he noticed his name on the front panel and scratched it off with a coin! Godspeed and happy trails, old friend. John Pinckney, Pasadena, California (3/11/10) I am loading up my laptop for long flight home with some pod casts to listen to. It takes two key strokes and 3-5 minutes to down load all of Mr. Tony's shows. In seven minutes, I get two whole days of broadcasting. It is a amazing versus other shows. Looked for other things on 980 pod lists but so few are available. Sports Reporters have one segment from the 10th, then some from the eight, and then the 3rd. The fix has everything from the legend show on the 10th and the next show is the 4th. There is very spotty pod cast support after Mr. Tony on 980. It was great to listen live in Japan last night to the Junks as I went to sleep. But, as I went to that site to download the rest of the show, it crashed again this am. I think I have it working now. And, to record a whole show you need to download 13 segments when it does work. Kind of a pain. Does anyone else have trouble with JFK's site freezing your computer? (3/11/10) whose dumbass idea was it to give Lavar a radio show? he is terrible! Just because u played football for the Skins doesn't mean ur a good radio personality! Holden blows too. How is he still on radio? Buy out his contract and get him off the radio. Or they need to fire u all and just start over. Leave Junkies where they are. Everyone else SUCKS! But u gotta put Kevin and Rock on during normal time and quit kicking them to the curb (weekends). They actually have a personality on air. U all just suck and don't show much enthusiasm into the show. Kevin and Rock are fantastic on air together. They feed off each other better than anyone else currently on air there at the fan. Even if 1 person isn't have a great show or something the other one picks up the slack instantly and wham off they go. Maybe u all could learn to do that? or just give them a better time slot. (3/11/10) So did I miss the big WPGC announcement that was supposed to occur today? (3/11/10) Dave's response: Yeah you did. It's now Classic Country 95.5, pretty much voice-tracked 24/7 from CBS's country WUSN in Chicago..... I remember a feature piece on Herzog, a print story from years ago - it quoted the ND or the assignment editor where Frank was working sports; paraphrasing, he said if a major news story was breaking and Herzog was the only talent in house, he'd have no hesitation to send Frank for coverage, he knew Frank would solidly cover the fundamentals. Always stuck with me as a testament to Herzog's talent as a newsman. Haven't seen DC TV OTA in a decade, but I'll miss him all the same. Mark/CharmCity (3/11/10) Can anyone explain why Rush, when he's playing a sound bite, say from MTP, he'll read David Gregory's lines, but play the actual voice of who he's quoting? (3/11/10) Speaking of the great Joey Reynolds: while I'll always associate him with WKBW-Buffalo (listening on the skip from DC), the only time I ever met him was during his stint on the evening show at WIBG in Philly. I was with a carload of Penn students who brought a pizza to the studio for him. He couldn't let us in, but he did enjoy the gift...and did play my request: Peter & Gordon doing "I Go To Pizzas" :-). Still waiting for a listener to come by with a pizza for me when I'm on the air (oops, probably against all the corporate rules). (3/11/10) Fans of the late Classical 103.5 WGMS-FM will be saddened to learn of the passing of Winfield "Win" Clearwater on February 28th at age 83. Before joining WGMS, Clearwater was the first Saturday night anchorperson for WTOP-TV 9's Newsnight broadcast in December 1962. (3/11/10) Interesting to note that the Redskins were not mentioned in the PPM study of NFL teams. Surely the team with the highest rates and "winning" tradition would be at the top of the ratings heap....particularly with that great signal!!!! LOL (3/11/10) From TVNewser: This morning was birthday-wisher Willard Scott's 30th anniversary with the "Today" show, and this month he marks 60 years at NBC. "Today" put together a special segment with a retrospective of his time at the show. Scott worked in the control room when "Today" first started. "They paid me six dollars a day," he said. "I made six dollars for Saturday and six dollars for Sunday, and about a week ago, GE cut half the six dollars." (3/11/10) Re,Re my last post. Stream, pod whatever, JFK would not work in Tokyo this week until today. Something must have been changed. Now, I get my favorites shows here all day: MOS, Junks, Mr. Tony, Sports Reporters, and the fix. What a combination that would be on one radio station. I think Junks (6-9) followed by Mr. Tony (9-11), the fix (11-1), MOS (1-4) and Sports Reporters (4-7). (Giver or take an hour or two here and there.) Nighttime’s 7 PM-midnight one hour best of for each show of the day. OB (3/11/10) The dc city title basketball game pits the champion of D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association against the champion from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference aka DC public school winner vs DC catholic school winner not "the area's top private school basketball team against the area's top public school team." thanks dave! (3/11/10) It's come to my attention that WTOP is no longer saying "WTOP News Time". They are just giving the time. I figure this is because in the new PPM world, the calls are no longer important for recall purposes! Seems strange for after probably decades of hearing it. (3/11/10) More news about WFMD personality and Frederick County (MD) commissioner Blaine Young: A group known as "Friends of Frederick" is petitioning to have Blaine removed off of WFMD, feeling that the other commissioners don't have a chance to have their own radio show or "sound off" commentary during the "Morning News Express" with Bob Miller. Here is an article from today's edition of The News-Post: www.fredericknewspost.com (3/11/10) Dave, Regarding WHPL…. I was able to rescue the original transmitter before the site was razed. This is a 60 year old Collins 20-V2 that was 1000 watt capable, but modified for WHPL’s 500 watt license. The transmitter is fully restored and operates on the ham radio frequency of 1885 Khz. It now lives in southern Delaware. Regards, Al Waller (3/11/10) Well, due to a really bad cold...the grand opening of "Davy Jones" on KHZTV.com is now scheduled for Monday March 15th at 10AM..Hopefully by then this illness has passed. This has been a long week. Paul/d (3/11/10) Another one bites the dust - - Joey Reynolds has been let go by WOR. His gig is up on April 2nd. Shame to see an entertaining host get cut because they have to pay him. Joey has had a great career and he will be missed. It may be cheaper for WOR to carry one of the many syndicated talk hosts with caller driven (boring) shows, but shame on WOR. Through several incarnations of his show, Joey did it right. Ed Graham (3/11/10) Dave's response: George Noory, who got cut from WABC radio, is replacing Reynolds at WOR. "Coast To Coast" Noory's gotten trimmed back to just two hours a night on WABC's DC Citadel sister, WMAL. Wouldn't be surprised to see Noory completely gone from WMAL soon. Maybe WTNT could pick him up and air him ALL night, as he deserves..... What happened to John Boucher on Mix 106.5? I turned the dial to listen to the noon workout yesterday...no luck (3/11/10) What's up with NBC 4? Is it musical weather (and other) people over there? Do they just spin a wheel and go..... OK, let's try this? I see Veronica Johnson now on in the mornings, and Tom on evenings. What's next.......they try that Chuck Bell guy? He's waaayyyy too smiley for me! I like Tom in the mornings. So Bob Ryan left............seems like he was gone most of the time anyway............must of had a ton of vacation time! When he was gone, Veronica Johnson never missed a beat. I say you just let her do the damn job.............or maybe they'll spin the weather wheel and put Pat Collins at the weather desk........................oh no, I just gave them another idea! Don't get me wrong, I like my NBC 4....I just hope they let me know who the teams are, so I know who is going to be giving me my information! I don't just invite random people into my home every day! Plus, I think too much change can be problematic. Just an avid weather-watcher with another opinion...................thanks! (3/11/10) KOF - There's also the Long Island pronunciation of "Debble-Yoo", ostensibly taught to me to "overcome the limitations of AM radio". I think I said debble-yoo maybe twice in my career, while this guy was around and listening. After that, ballz... -AP (3/11/10) Dave, For what it’s worth, here’s an email I’ve sent to the editor of RAIN, and also separately copied to the CBS Radio national advertising department (this has got me annoyed!!)............ Paul, The CBS embargo on web streams internationally reflects a misunderstanding of the profile of its overseas audience and related opportunities. Many online listeners overseas are U.S. residents temporarily traveling abroad, American expatriates who reside in another country, and/or are folks with strong personal and cultural ties to America. In my case, I’m a moderately affluent U.S. citizen who has been based in Britain for a number of years. I frequently buy products from U.S.-based merchants, either online while I’m overseas or in shops during my frequent visits to the States 4 or 5 times a year. Often my purchases are made in response to online advertising, including that of products I hear promoted on web streams. Until this move occurred, I believe advertisers on CBS radio stations have been doing well in reaching out to me as a potentially desirable and receptive customer. Assuming that advertising is the only route to monetizing international listeners also reflects faulty reasoning on the part of CBS management. One of the first things I did when I procured my first iPhone about a month ago was to download the CBS Radio app. It was a free download, and provided instant access to all CBS web streams. Surely it would be a simple step to create a separate app for international iPhone users, where a small subscription fee would need to be paid. I might also potentially be prepared to pay a small subscription fee to access CBS stations through my PC. I expect that any such fees would more than offset cost of the incremental bandwidth I consume on CBS’s servers, or a contingent liability for a demand to pay a music royalty which might arise from somewhere. I should note that I have been a frequent listener to the following CBS stations—KCBS-AM, KRTH, WCBS-AM/FM, KROQ and HFS 2. As matters stand, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever listen to those stations again, even when I’m in the States due to the “grudge factor” being created by the cut-off of the streams. Not good promotional work on the part of CBS (especially when it’s launching a new cable/satellite TV channel here in Britain at the moment) !! By the way, Clear Channel has apparently ended its embargo on international listeners since the streams of their stations are now fully accessible again in the UK. Hopefully the CBS move does not become part of a very disappointing trend which, from this listener’s perspective, would reduce the appeal of internet radio greatly. Best regards, Mark Ogden, London, England (3/11/10) For God's sakes will somebody please send WTEM's John Thompson a complimentary copy of Hooked on Phonics? (3/11/10) I'm wondering about the refit of WTOP-TV Broadcast House in '65 and if anyone is still around who was working with that. I've come into what I think are the lighting instruments then-ordered from Kleigl NY for that studio. I think about who's sat under these lights ... JV (3/11/10) SFMSports.Net will broadcast them 3A East Stephen Decatur Seahawks of Berlin Maryland as they take on Milford Mill during the MPSSAA State Semi-Finals at the Comcast Center. The game will be simulcast LIVE on WQMR-FM 101.1 in Ocean City and at www.sfmsports.net. Rick Charles and Mike Bradley will be calling the game. (3/11/10) I read Randy Michaels' list of 119 words/phrases he doesn't want used on WGN. Apparently, the use of "WGN News Time," is still allowed. (3/11/10) Yes, Rusty was so clever, I forgot that I was pregnant. Actually I just look pregnant. It's a middle age guy thing. Sometimes it's called dunlop as in it frickin dun lops over yer belt. Well that's my case and I wrest on it. Mike Fitzgerald (3/11/10) The talk of replacing Bob Ryan on NBC4 makes me think of some suggestions for the DC Meteorologist departments. Channel 9 continues to be an enigma. Topper Shutt is not prime time material and always seemed more comfortable back when he did the AM shift. They let go the best prime time weather personality they had: Tony Pann. But, this reflects another in the series of increasingly asinine decisions by Gannett that explains why the Channel 9 news department always feels like amateur hour. As for Channel 7, I don't think having two senior chief meteorologist-types on there is a great idea. Morning meteorologist Brian van de Graff is too doughy. They need to groom Steven Rudin to be Doug Hill's heir apparent. He's comfortable with his delivery and has a warm, sexy appeal that I''m sure turns on girls and guys and everyone in between. I still think it was stupid for Channel 5 to favor Gwen Still-can't-pronounce-half-the-backwoodsy--rural-towns-after-all-these-years-Tolbert. None of the lower tier meteorolgists on channel 5 seem like prime-time material. Hell, they should get Lauren Demarco up there doing the weather now that she's gotten some great exposure and chroma key experience fillling in for Julie I'm-racing-to-get-melanoma-Wright. How the heck did Hillary Howard land those gigs when she subbed here in DC and in Norfolk 20+ years ago as the fill-in weather gal. She seems clueless about meteorology based on her banter with Doug Hill on WTOP. Channel 4 seems to be the Antonio Salieri of the DC news market as it races into medocrity with channel 9. I like Tom Kierien, but he's like Topper in that he works better in the morning. Veronica Johnson always seems like she's choking on her own saliva during her delivery of the weather. I'd rather see Chuck Bell take a shot at the heed honcho weather guru on 4. (3/11/10) /\ March 11 Messages /\ \/ March 10 Messages \/ Before Frank Herzog retiring, i would like him, one more time to say " Touchdown Washington Redskins" on the radio. Good luck Frank, you where the best... Doug (3/10/10) And while we're commenting on the retirement of "WTOP Newstime", get ready to be inundated by the media with reminders about this Sunday's flipping forward of the clock for Daylight Saving Time. (And your morning commute is about to get very dark for a few weeks.) (3/10/10) Why has WTOP added so many time checks? I have lots of clocks and can tell time, but I need more news!! (3/10/10) All that you need to know about the whereabouts of Brooks Tomlin: www.brookstomlin.com (3/10/10) To Billy Sparks: re: “Minorities on Sports Talk Radio” What am I chopped liver Sir? I am neither an ex athlete or Coach and carry my own quite nicely & happen to speak the Kings English as well without being regarded as an Uncle Tom. (Go Figure) You should tune in some time, you might actually enjoy the Kevin and Rock Show on “1067 The Fan”. I mean haven’t you seen my shameless Self-Promotion on this site before? I don’t mind putting myself out there because I know I can hold my own, and don’t mind criticism. It makes the heart grow fonder. Check us out Saturday’s and Sunday’s when the Caps, Terps or Wiz don’t bump us. www.facebook.com. - Signed Minority Rock (We talk about the stuff others won’t & actually make ya laugh) (3/10/10) I will most recall how elegantly, seamlessly, and classy Frank Hezog handled his transition from sportscaster back to newscaster about five years ago. (3/10/10) To concur with the others, I too wish great things to one of the greats in Frank Herzog. I tried to become a Redskins fan after the Colts sneaked out of town. But being the true Marylander that I am, that all changed when the Ravens came to be. And Hey "Fitz," when's the due date and who is the father? Perhaps you can gig soon on Jerry Springer or Steve Wilkos (who looks amazingly like Cal Ripken, Jr.). Or another one of those Manassas programs. Ciao 4 now, Rusty Gibson (3/10/10) Will Tom! Gavin be scribbling autographs at the DC Bluegrass Festival? I sure would love to meet his cane in person! (3/10/10) Lavar Arrington's interview style makes Mike O'Meara sound like Ted Koppel. The dude takes for EVER to ask a totally open-ended, pointless question. Way to go JFK. . .between Wise, Lavar, Holden, you have managed to LOWER the bar for sports talk radio in DC. (3/10/10) Interesting about the different pronunciations of the letter W. I've heard DOUBLE-you, DOUBLE-ya, DUB-a-you, DUB-oo-you, DUB-a-ya, DUB-ya, DUB-lya (my dad), DOPP-ul-you--the latter by a WTOP announcer of the '90s; I forget his name now. All these W's are making me cough. KOF (3/10/10) Ratings issue or not, I want to thank WTOP (radio) for stopping the "news time" speech. Yes this has been a huge irritant for me and I presume other listeners. For one, we don't need to hear the station i.d. 50 to 100 times a hour. There will be too many i.d.'s even after the change. Next, the time is really not necessary(as often). We have watches and clocks and computer screens to perform this function. Next, we also don't need the extended "radio news time" i.d. given by several personalities. If you add up the time consumed by these i.d.'s I'm sure it comes to many minutes per hour and these minutes I hope will be wisely spent. Finally, I have mentioned this before, but there are literally dozens of WTOP personalities who don't say the letter "W" in WTOP correctly, saying "dub-e-you" instead of the only correct form "double-U". Apparently Jim Farley does not care about this even tho' this shows lack of training, concentration, effort and professionalism on the part of many WTOP performers. I hope he will do some airchecks and remedy this. Regards Biff (3/10/10) DCRTV told you earlier that WTOP plans a special live hour-long call-in show honoring longtime TV and radio broadcaster Frank Herzog. Now we can tell you that it will be at 10am on Monday, March 22nd. Bet you can anticipate hearing some well-known voices from the Redksin, the Wizards and the Washington broadcasting world. WTOP's Mark Segraves hosts. (3/10/10) Frank Herzog, one of the Great Football Play-by-Play voices. We've missed you these past years calling Skin's games, we will miss hearing you on the radio. Enjoy retirement Frank. Jeff n E'burg (3/10/10) Hey folks, Mike Fitzgerald DJ/ Producer of Fitzgrass on WEBR in Fairfax,VA and I have an announcement to make...I'm pregnant. Same old stupid joke refreshed for the mailbaggers. Actually, I'm pleased to announce the 1st Annual DC Bluegrass Festival coming up soon on Saturday, March 27th at Langley High School in McLean,VA. It's starts at noon and the bands begin to play at 1:00pm. Langley High School is at 6520 Georgetown Pike, McLean,VA. That's route 193 exit off the beltway going east. Anyway, here are the bands: Mountain Heart... Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper... Bill Emerson & Sweet Dixie... US Navy's bluegrass band Country Current... Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen... The Patuxent Partners... Walt Michael & Company... quite a lineup of good bluegrass, for your ass. I had to say that because I can't say it on the air. Or at least not intentionally. The tickets are 35 bucks for the whole day and I'll be there the whole day doing various things. Possibly even announcing a couple of the bands, but Katy Daley is handling most of that. Go to www.dcbu.org for more information. Oh yeah, it's indoors and food is available. thanks Dave for letting me say it. Mike Fitzgerald DJ/ Prouducer of Fitzgrass on WEBR in Fairfax,VA (3/10/10) Re: WTOP time checks. This change marks WTOP adjusting to new technology in audience measurement (ratings). When ratings were determined by listening recorded on paper diaries, recall of call letters was deemed to be paramount. WINS-AM, the all-news station in New York, averaged giving its call letters 100 times each hour. With the shift in most major markets to audience measurement using the personal people meter (PPM), these pager-like devices keep track of listening by capturing data encoded in individual stations' signals. The survey participant no longer has to keep a written record of their listening. Some qualitative research has shown some listeners regard being bombarded with call letters as an irritant and a potential tune-out. WTOP still continues to give the time with the same frequency, just without the "WTOP Newstime" in most instances, usually when the time check follows an outcue containing the call letters or immediately prior to an intro that includes them. But as previous posters have noted, naked time checks (those without mentioning WTOP) seem to be "audibly invisible", with the audience having the perception that the time checks have gone away. Stay tuned. (3/10/10) RE: "Yep, no Junks in Tokyo today as before. Just MOS and My Tony." Forgive me if I'm wrong... but MOS doesn't stream in Tokyo, or anywhere for that matter. Like the CBS shows, it's available via podcast. (3/10/10) The crew who took down those 4 towers which belonged to Winchester's 610 AM and Q102, I wonder while doing this project if they found much in the way of Q102/WHPL "history" in those fields? My uncle is a deer hunter and about 4 years ago he and his buddies were in those fields surrounding the towers looking for deer ( the area is full of them ) and I can remember he was telling me the things they had found in those fields such as broken furniture, old carts dating back to the days of WHPL, broken record albums and cds and even a few old Q102 t-shirts. My uncle even found an old Jenny Lynn doll covered in mud still wearing a Q102 t-shirt plus a very old memo dating from 1993 by a "David Ridgeway" on Q102's plans to "..getting rid of that damn horrible Rev. Donald Scruggs and Sister Ruth Crum !!". Scruggs & Crum did a religious show on Q102 at the time, I guess that memo showed exactly how Q102 had felt about those two. Nice to know that over the years Shenval-Holt-Benchmark-Capstar-AM/FM-Clear Channel ( did I leave anyone out ? ) looked at those fields in the back of the station as sort of like a mini-dump. Anyway with that being said, I too wonder if the old studios and offices are still there? Last night I saw a photo online of the former so-called "Benchmark Broadcast Center" taken in 2004 and the place was in bad shape then. I would imagine the building is in worse shape now if its even still standing. (3/10/10) I love how Angie Corley was fired weeks ago, but PGC is still using her in their Rovion Ad hahaha (3/10/10) Dave's response: She is gone from the morning show, but she still may be doing some work for the station, a la what you mentioned..... I think Tom Kierein deserves a chance to be the evening meteorologist at NBC4. I always felt he is the best replacement for Bob. He really loves going to schools and talking about the weather, been there since 1983, and he knows his weather. Remember Topper Shutt was the morning meteorologist at WUSA 9, then moved to evenings after Doug Hill went to Channel 7. (3/10/10) "Anyone else notice that WTOP anchors are not saying “WTOP Newstime” anymore? What’s up with that?" - Probably because half the time, they get the hour wrong when they are announcing the time. (3/10/10) Dave…I don’t know who these people are that belong to the Kim Martucci fan club, but both of them keep papering the mailbag with their insistence that she be returned to the air forthwith. She worked for Channel 9, but she was hardly a staple. She certainly is not a “top talent,” as described by her fan. She is just goofy. Nice lady, but goofy. Get over it people, she will probably not be back in this market. (3/10/10) Heard a few minutes of Kornheiser this morning and what I guess was some kind of replay of yesterday's show last night...what happened to this guy? His old show was great, I was a big fan. Now he's got about 15 people sitting in the studio guffawing at everything he says and the show is BORING as hell. Time to give that dead horse a kick out the door and tru something new. (3/10/10) To ACH and the rest: don't get too excited yet. IF you actually listened to Limbaugh's show, instead of just listening to some worthless bloggers "play telephone" with what he said, you'd know he said he'd leave to go get medical treatment (that he could pay out of pocket for), not that he'd relocate residence. Big difference. (3/10/10) Brooks Tomlin - Any idea whatever happened to him? He used to do weather at WJZ before heading to the Philly Market. (3/10/10) I've heard that the TV networks block any overseas downloads of shows on their web sites. While I'm not sure why, I imagine that foreign stations or networks may hold exclusive rebroadcast rights in their countries. But the foreign cutoff for streaming radio makes no sense, either from a customer service standpoint or a financial standpoint. Whether overseas listeners get the show from a live stream or a podcast, wouldn't CBS Radio make the same amount of money either way? This would only make sense if the Junkies are being carried by the BBC or Radio Nippon. (3/10/10) "I hope Frank Herzog's retirement gets the due that it deserves." How about him coming back and replacing God awful Larry Michael. He's even worse on TV. All the charisma of a wet sock. (3/10/10) Will Baltimore's Fox45 WBFF-TV add Bob Ryan, Kim Martucci, Norm Lewis, Dennis Ketterer, Tony Pagnotti, Susan Schrack, Mary Ellen Pann or Joy Pons? They are among the conspicuous available people who've done TV weather around here lately. Eliminating Jessica Starr would be a big improvement but replacing Vytas Reid would be bigger. Nice people I'm sure but both would benefit from improving their skills. For that matter, Steve Fertig, Adam Caskey, Alex Liggit, Gwen Tolbart and Topper Shutt need to improve their weather presentations or they too could easily be replaced, especially with all the available talent close by and the tough economics broadcasters are facing. Tony Pann should be grateful he landed at WBAL-TV right after exiting WUSA-TV. (3/10/10) Tribune CEO lists 119 words he doesn't want heard on WGN radio - vocalo.org - Robert Feder finds it disturbing that "the CEO of a major institution would engage in such petty and insulting micromanaging of subordinates." Tribune chief executive officer Randy Michaels doesn't want staffers at WGN radio using words like "guys," "incarcerated," "folks," "vehicle," and "undisclosed." He has many more. (3/10/10) Let me see if I get this correct. Performers should be allowed to charge carriers (so called performance fee) for the use of their content on a distribution medium such as broadcast. BUT, TV networks that create content should NOT be allowed to charge cable companies, which are just another distribution medium, for the carriage of content produced by radio and TV networks? If radio and TV stations have to pay to play, then so do the cable nets. A double standard is not tolerable, even if it does appeal the the liberal elite in the current admin. Hooray for ABC pulling the plug!! If the cable cos want free TV, then perhaps should they should put their lobbying muscle behind killing the performance fees. (3/10/10) (snip) are those old AM 610 towers still standing? (end snip) The towers were removed for construction of a retirement village. Al McGilvray (3/10/10) Dave's response: What if it's a retirement village for old radio guys? Radio Retirement Village. Arthur Godfrey Lane. Paul Harvey Avenue. Cousin Brucie Boulevard..... Junks in Toyko II - yes I know there are women serving in the military. My fingers typed faster than my brain. I am sorry for slighting all the women in uniform. Al McGilvray (3/10/10) Yep, no Junks in Tokyo today as before. Just MOS and My Tony. I listened to them both. I can’t wait for their next shows. That makes sense. People here, and abroad, on business are the loyal Junks listeners that CBS does not want to stay in touch? (PS - Money demo guys) I don’t know what is going on with the Junks. Eventually, will I care? Do these people understand customer service at the most basic level? Make the customer happy. OB (3/10/10) Change at PGC? Dave - you've been telling us about that lineup change at PGC -- check out the main page this morning.. Could tomorrow be the day? (3/10/10) "I hope Frank Herzog's retirement gets the due that it deserves." A Washington Post reporter worked on a feature story about Frank. His editors had zero interest. All he was able to get was the very short mention in Reliable Source in which they mistakenly called Frank a "sportscaster." Frank has been a news anchor on WTOP since early 2005. He deserved better. Much better. (3/10/10) Anyone hearing whispers about another WNST Free The Birds protest being announced soon? I caught 10 minutes of Drew Forrester's show this morning and he was blabbering on about some kind of significant announcement Orioles related for this Friday and then the chief antagonist (Nestor) called in and hinted around about another protest game. I did e-mail Forrester and all he sent me in reply was "You'll have to listen on Friday, all the details of the announcement aren't worked out yet". If those morons try and do another fan protest with all of the good things going on with the baseball team, I think it's about time we all do a "Free WNST" protest and get them off the air for good. (3/10/10) Veronica Johnson is now doing the weather reports in the morning and Tom Kierein in the evening. Do you think NBC is giving Tom a chance to replace Bob Ryan? (3/10/10) No More Junks In Tokyo A lot of our military men and their families get a big morale boost listening to streaming audio from stations back home. I remember guys I was stationed with asking their parents to send cassettes of home-town station. As a veteran of 23 years in the Navy, I'm sorry CBS did this. Al McGilvray (3/10/10) HFS ? Cool addiction....back in the day it gave me a rush like alot of sugar. Now I can only get it online. (3/10/10) My husband saw a report this morning (I think at the end of the 5:30 program) about sugar addiction. I can't find anything about it on line. Can you help? Julie G (3/10/10) Dave's response: Sugar? Cool band. Played a lot of it on HFS back in the day..... WBFF has an opening for a meteorologist could it be Jessica Starr who is leaving for a bigger market? (3/10/10) (regarding an item on the News Page) "Last month, CBS Radio cut off access to its internet streams outside the USA for its music stations. Now, this week, its news, talk, and sports stations join the foreign cutoff club." Q: Do they get the Junks Show in Tokyo? A: They hear it, but they don't get it. (up until today, anyway) (3/10/10) Its been a while since I have visted DCRTV but I did noticed Winchester's now defunct AM 610 was discussed recently. Kinda curious..are those old AM 610 towers still standing? What about the actual building that once housed WHPL plus Q102? I actually knew Johnny & Kay Bell from WHPL plus Bonnie Miller & Harold Cornwell from the now defunct Cornwells TV of Winchester at 727 South Loudoun Street who were at one time their biggest client and sadly all of those people are now deceased but I still remember the late Mike Bell saying on the air back then "...Cornwells TV TIME is..." Are there any airchecks that exist of Winchester's AM 610 from their WHPL days? I would love to hear them !!!!! Steve (3/10/10) Dave, don't know if you mentioned just how long before Claudia Coffey will be leaving FOX5...If not, wonder if she will just disappear like a number of the other anchors/reporters who leave? (3/10/10) /\ March 10 Messages /\ \/ March 9 Messages \/ Limbaugh ‘leaving the country’ if health reform passes rawstory.com (3/9/10) Limbaugh Plays The Massa Race Card: David Paterson’s “Gonna Be A Massuh” - www.mediaite.com (3/9/10) Partial preview of BW2010: Worst –Frank Herzog’s retirement; Closing of “Video Vault”. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/9/10) Kim Martucci -the weather staple of WUSA9- is now a free agent. I hope in the wake of Bob Ryan's departure, that WRC picks up Kim and her loyal viewers. After all, it's been a trend for WUSA to drop their top talent and for a competing station (with better ratings) to pick that talent up. (3/9/10) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) RADIO GENERAL MANAGER – VA’S. NORTHERN NECK. Two FM stations (BAY FM and WIGO Country) and a home town portal (MiddleNeckNews.com) combine to make this rare opportunity right for the person with successful retail sales management experience. Small town environment, 45 minutes from Williamsburg, 70 minutes from Richmond, in historic and scenic Chesapeake Bay area. Letter and resumes only to: billsherard@tworivers.net. An Equal Opportunity Employer. (3/9/10) I hope Frank Herzog's retirement gets the due that it deserves. When he, Brenner and Michael were going head to head, it was like having our own local Mount Rushmore of sports guys. And Frank will always have a special place in the hearts of Redskins fans. "Touchdown, Washington Redskins" indeed. (3/9/10) Dave's response: I went over to Blockbuster today to pick up a used DVD copy of "State Of Play" for $9. It's the Washington journalism thriller with Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, and Russell Crowe. And you get to see Frank Herzog sitting there very stoically at a Congressional hearing. Saw it in the theater two years ago, but haven't seen it since..... So I heard that bootsy Vegas, anji Corley, and mike brooks rating got better eveyweek in Feb. you wouldn’t happen to know what their number were would you - just the mourning show thank you (3/9/10) Dave's response: PGC's morning show placed 12th in the PPMs for the second week of February. That's about where Simpson was, maybe a bit better..... Olbermann may have started out his show in the mold of “World News Now” or “NBC News Overnight,” which was an awesome show back in the day, but when he started doing those “special comments” four or five years ago, he lost me as a viewer. Always found him to be clever on “SportsCenter,” now I think he needs to take some meds.... Charles in Winchester (3/9/10) Interesting day on Elliott In The Morning today. The father of the Towson "murder for hire" gunman called in to talk about the case. Talked about what it's like to be the parent of a killer. So did members of Capital Hill to talk about the conduct of ERic Massa. Good stuff today along with shaving vaginas while driving. -- Brett (3/9/10) Can anyone briefly tell me the real story why Frank Herzog was let go by the Redskins and who fired him? I know Larry Michael has always denied being involved in that (3/9/10) Anyone else notice that WTOP anchors are not saying “WTOP Newstime” anymore? What’s up with that? (3/9/10) (regarding your News Page post) "Gordon Peterson and Arch Campbell ... will talk about the movie 'Network' - a 1970s look at the TV news biz that forecast the likes of Glenn Beck and Keith Olbermann ..." I'm not sure that 'Network' had Olbermann in mind, as an example of what would be wrong with TV news in the future. To me, he has always been more in the mold of Murrow/Friendly's 'See It Now' or ‘NBC News Overnight’ with Linda Ellerbee & Lloyd Dobyns, and later, Bill Schechner. Maybe even ABC's overnight effort, ‘World News Now’. These are all unique, yet legitimate news programs. Beck, however, is more along the lines of what 'Network' was forecasting: a circus atmosphere, like say, 'The Bozo Show'. (3/9/10) TWIMC: Mike Berry (long-time NBC engineer and co-webmaster of http://98WRC.com) has identified the voice on that WRC radio ID as "definitely Maury Higdon." (3/9/10) To the KHZTV Looney Tunes submitter...You are spot on. It's "web radio". Ironic, isn't it? The person who disparaged the medium the most was ultimately reduced to becoming a member of it. Kind of sad really. (3/9/10) Maurice "HotRod" Hulbert Jr. was the self-proclaimed "bald-headed prince" of radio during his three decades on Baltimore airwaves. One of the first black hosts at a white-owned radio station when he started at WITH in Baltimore in 1951, Mr. Hulbert immediately influenced the music the city listened to by playing songs of black artists that previously had been kept off the air." He was unbelievable. He was so far ahead of his time," said Jack Edwards, a WITH disc jockey and legendary Baltimore radio personality. "He was way ahead of his time. His shows were un-be-lieve-able." In addition to radio, Mr. Hulbert was a concert promoter who brought black acts such as Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Chuck Berry and the Flamingos to local concert halls such as the old Royal Theatre on Pennsylvania Avenue and Carr's Beach in Anne Arundel County. Mr. Hulbert endeared himself to generations of local listeners by his creativity and the off-beat humor he brought to his show. "He was just a fun listen because you never knew what to expect. You knew you were going to get good, new music, but he made the times when music wasn't playing entertaining," said Tim Carrington, a longtime fan of Mr. Hulbert. For example, Mr. Hulbert introduced many terms and phrases to the city, such as "mommyo" and "daddyo," "good googa mooga," which meant awesome, and his signature word "vosa," an acronym that meant the voice of sound advice. A native of Helena, Ark., Mr. Hulbert arrived in Baltimore in 1951 and worked at WITH until 1960. He spent two years at a Philadelphia station and in 1963 worked simultaneously at three radio stations -- in three different cities. "He was always on the go when he worked at WHAT in Philadelphia, WITH in Baltimore and WDES in New York," said Bob Mathers, long-time local radio personality. He returned to Baltimore in 1963 and worked solely at WITH until 1964, when he switched to WWIN and remained there until 1970. During the next 14 years, he switched back and forth between WWIN and WEBB. From 1984 until he retired in 1991, he was general manager at the gospel station WBGR. Hulbert died December 24, 1996 of cancer in Towson at age 80. (Hear Hot Rod on the air: rockradioscrapbook.ca) (3/9/10) Did you see that Tom Shales, in his online chat earlier today, apologized for the column in today's print Washington Post? www.washingtonpost.com... "Tom Shales: Hello. Sorry about that column today. I think it was kind of a good idea but the execution was lacking. Of course everything has to be so SHORT now - and turned in so early. These are tough days in journalism -- not to whine." You gotta love his honesty. Don't all writers on deadline feel the need to apologize sometimes for less than stellar work? I know I've felt that way. Nice to see Pultizer Prize winners sometimes do as well. Christian (3/9/10) I'll miss Frank Herzog. After Larry Michael shafted Frank and sports fans in this area, it was nice to hear his voice somewhere. I hope he doesn't head off into total obscurity. Here's hoping he pops up here and there from time to time, to remind us how lucky we've been to hear his professional voice. Sincerely, James (3/9/10) RE: KHZ TV. WOW....the website looks like Looney Tunes on crack that got bitch smacked by a pissed off pimp. Checked out the radio link and saw, gasp, NO DJ. Just another automated station. This is TRUE FUN! (3/9/10) "WTOP's Craig Heist is the ONLY radio reporter covering Nats Spring trainining." That's an absolute disgrace - media from all over the country are converging on Viera, Florida to cover the debut of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg this afternoon yet neither of DC's two 24 hour sports talkers will be represented. While a station owned by Dan Snyder can't be expected to go the extra mile for any team not sporting burgundy and gold colors, Thom Loverro (who co-hosts Sports Fix with Kevin Sheehan) used to routinely cover spring training for the Washington Times. Now that the rug's been cut under him with the Times discontinuing its sports section, it would have been a nice gesture (not to mention a service to the listeners) for Red Zebra to send him down there to report on the Nationals and Orioles and perhaps do some remote broadcasts. Has 106.7 The Fan even assigned a beat reporter to the Nats? The only time I recall any on site spring training coverage on local sports talk radio was when Marc Sterne spent a few days at Nats camp for WTEM two or three years ago (prior to Snyder buying the station). Phil Wood getting the postgame show assignment on WFED's Nats broadcasts is long overdue - his last DC radio gig (on 980) was one of the early casualties of that Snyder purchase back in 2008. Mike, Fairfax (3/9/10) Dave's response: It remains a damn shame that WFED 1500/820's night coverage into Northern Virginia remains so poor. In many places in NOVA, you'll be able to hear the Baltimore Orioles at night, a la via WTEM's 94.3 relay in Warrenton VA, better than the hometown Washington Nationals. That just ain't right..... This isn't intended to be snarky. But why do, of late, Ch.4 News' Wendy Rieger, Barbara Harrison and Doreen Gentzler look so bad on the news? Is it the changeover to HD (they haven't switched yet have they?), bad makeup/lighting, the facilities of the temporary set? Or maybe the Curse of Bob Ryan? I know they're not spring chicks anymore but still I'm kind of shocked by their recent appearance. The men, Jim Vance, in particular don't seem to be similarly afflicted but maybe I'm not looking as closely. (3/9/10) Hey Lindsay! Now that you're Miss Nascar, please don't go shoving Nascar down our throats on your NBC4 sportscasts. Unless someone tells me otherwise the DC area is not a hotbed for Nascar. Even soccer is stronger than Nascar. If there's a major event that needs to covered because it is a major sports event, then cover it. We do not have to see every lovetap, spinout or crash in Nascar. Nor do we need to see champagne being shaken up in slow motion. On Monday, where was college hoops? Oh I guess Nascar is more important than college hoops this time of year. Sportscasts on NBC4 have improved dramatically since George Michael left but I still have many problems with them. For one why do we have to have a conversation with the anchors in the middle of the sportscast? Another is the background feed on highlites. On some highlites there is no crowd noise( like the crowd is deaf and dumb?), others may have dubbed in noise. If we're supposed to hear the play-by-play in the background( like ESPN does ), let's hear it- not some muffled announcer. Next please dispense with the slow motion unless it is a highlite that deserves replaying. We don't need slow motion of coaches stalking the sidelines or players doing a high-five dance. We also don't need to see coaches shaking hands after every basketball game. Regards Biff (3/9/10) I wonder if there are any tattoo places in Northern VA that still do the Rolling Stone "Tong" logo...hmmmmm....WWDC, Channel 9, and Greaseman...gotta be mailbag compliant! (3/9/10) (Dave's response: We did report that Patricia left WTOP for a job with an Hispanic organization in DC. Not sure about Raul.....) Rahul's wife, a military surgeon, got re-assigned to Georgia. (3/9/10) "could not put your tong on her cl*t." -Bed, Bath and Beyond has a great deal on high end salad tounges...I suggest checking them out! (3/9/10) More on Frank Herzog - He is ending a 40+ year career that both started and ended at WTOP Radio. In between he was the legendary voice of the Bullets and the Redskins and Channel 9's sports anchor. He returned to WTOP in 2005 as a news anchor. He has also had some on-camera apperances in movies shot in the Washington area in the last few years. He will do a special one-hour "Ask Frank" call-in show with WTOP's Mark Segraves later this month. (3/9/10) "This is a MORONIC post 9 even for Anita" Is this chick employed yet???" First of all it was not posted by Anita Marks it was just an observation made of a post that was put up by Dave. I did not report it so your issue is not with me who ever you are" This must be a WVIE employee". Second its just the truth do you really think that Anita Marks is thinking about Baltimore,Maryland anymore or its radio listeners who have a personal THING against her. That would be a NO. Miami is a much bigger market than Baltimore and WVIE is at the bottom of the rung as far as sports talk stations go in the 22nd market. I do not even like Anita Marks but you gentlemen who hate her need to get over the fact that you could not put your tong on her clit. Note: sorry Dave you might edit that out. (3/9/10) Similar name coincidence? Or did Johnny Riggs(rrrrr!!!) just get busted for Rockfish poaching,of all things,in Rock Hall,of all places.....wow thats alot of coincidence. CBS could have contributed to local conservation by having Jiggsy spinning tunes rather than fishing but once again they care nothing for local issues. Maybe he was selling them to Wanda and Harrys Fish and Salads....or maybe its just 2:40AM and I should stop reading and posting my garbled thoughts....Donnie (3/9/10) "Grizzled Jane Pauley" - Dave, really? I never mistook you for a sheep before now. A comment truly reflective of ageism. You are the mirror of those you pretend to loathe. How about dignified and respected Jane Pauley? More props. Less hypcocrisy. You'll like yourself better in the morning. (3/9/10) Dave's response: Ha ha ha! "You are the mirror of those you pretend to loathe." I know some DC radio vets that could apply to..... To be honest, I enjoy TEM and JFK. When Andy is rambling about some inane topic, Lavar and Dukes are bringing (screaming)the DC fan perspective and when Chad is calling everybody a "d*ck" I can always switch over to hear Andy, Czabe and Chris Knacke give great insight about b-ball. We are spoiled in the DC market. Thanks George Michael! (3/9/10) "If WVIE was not ready to offer Marks somewhere in the range of 150,000 a year dollars which given there ratings that number would be un-realistic talk of her going there is and was non-sense. Baltimore is market #22 Miami is market#12 there is a money difference."....This is a MORONIC post 9 even for Anita ) Is this chick employed yet ???.....I'm sure there was NO offer, certainly NOT 150k, LOL!! and more importantly, there WILL NOT be any genuine offers comin...She was a No Talent -who was EXPOSED ( in many different angles, and airbruhed in fact)...she remains JOB-less (until/If the UFL starts)- so it appears the market(s) have spoken ...enough said. (3/9/10) /\ March 9 Messages /\ \/ March 8 Messages \/ Here's 14 seconds of your life you're never getting back... (3/8/10) Hello DCRTV, What happened Raul Bali and Patricia Guadalupe at WTOP? They are gone from the WTOP website. Mike (3/8/10) Dave's response: We did report that Patricia left WTOP for a job with an Hispanic organization in DC. Not sure about Raul..... TV stations like WABC-TV which are liscensed to operate over the air free of any charges on the receiving end have NO business charging cable operators to carry their programming. Remember the very earliest days of cable when it was simply a relay point for out of market communities to receive distant signals. TV stations than liked the cozy arrangement because their sales departments could benefit from it. If they want to "arm twist" the cable and SAT dealers for fees than they should give up their FCC over the air liscenses and compete fairly with the other cable networks on the same turf. It's funny these stations started crying poverty when the cable networks were starting compete with their over the air brethren in both audience numbers and advertising dollars. You can't have it both ways! Why should cable operators have to fork over cash to carry the local signals when the very stations themselves don't provide local inserts for cable operators to insert their own spots like the cable networks do. You think it's EASY to write a check for 40 million? (3/8/10) (regarding a previous post) "Just seems very hypocritical that the person who openly trashed web based radio shows and producers is the newest participant in that very medium..." It's not hypocritical, just pointless. Trying to dine-out today on his supposed DC radio triumphs 40+ years ago. Pointless - and even worse - pathetic! (3/8/10) Today's 5:48 PM plant caller to Sean Hammity's radio show gets a big "F." She said she was a physician and was "mad as hell about ObamaCare." She continued saying, with regard to payment, doctors work with patients who don't have insurance, and most of the time the charges are less than what insurance companies would pay out. She then stated "Doctors do this because they take the hipp-a-critic oath." Later on the Mark Levin show on WMAL, at 6:05 PM, they gave the WABC ID, followed by Mark's prerecorded diatribe. His diatribe kept skipping like a damaged CD. I mean it skipped over 10 different times in 30 minutes! I love conservative bull crap as much as the next guy, but with all these blunders they are making listening to it harder and harder. (3/8/10) Interesting hearing all the terse “unable to comment” I’m getting about WABC-TV being pulled from Cablevision and then restored. I get the feeling a very high-ranking Disney suit (above Rebecca Campbell’s pay grade.) was told to the effect, “Keep this up and change will come. Change which your industry won’t want. And, you’ll be responsible for it.” Remember that it was WABC-TV, which terminated and resumed the signal –not Cablevision. BTW, Dave, the WABC-TV fiber feed to the Cablevision TOC was restored at 6:43 PM Sunday, after being pulled by WABC-TV at exactly 12:01 AM. Unless the cable industry and Congress acts, this will happen again. I still say the cable people should charge broadcasters for carriage. After all, it’s not 1991 anymore, as Senator Kerry says. Thanks to Congress and the FCC ramming an inferior transmission system down the throats of broadcasters and the audience, over-the-air reception is no longer an option for most Americans. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/8/10) Ref : "10AM to Noon EST you can listen and "WATCH" It's streaming on the web just type KHZTV.com" Will the Hitman and Company be on in the early morning before you folks? I listen to those guys when I'm down on the eastern shore, I know they know how to have fun...they have been doing it down here for decades. Chase Landers - Salisbury, Md. (3/8/10) Dave: how funny is it that the only reason I saw the Thuck Codd story about him saying the Washington media should not be “Drudge” driven is that I saw it on The Drudge Report. Even funnier, but all the years he worked at National Journal’s THE HOTLINE he never complained about lazy ass Washington journos just waiting for THE HOTLINE to come up every day to see what was “important”. And indeed: loverly weather in Reston for walking around the lakes (or Wharf ponds) but watch out for that melting-yellow-brown-snow-doo-doo! NBC’s Chuck Todd Blasts “Drudge Driven Journalism”: www.mediaite.com (3/8/10) Dave's response: Hey, all Matt Drudge needs for a good time is a mirror..... Dave, I saw your front page blurb: "Mary Kane gets named editor at the Washington Independent." Congratulations to Ms. Kane. One question: what's "the Washington Independent"? (3/8/10) Dave's response: I've never seen a print copy. But it does exist. Check out washingtonindependent.com..... (from an earlier missive) Riggins and his producer, DC radio veteran Tod Castleberry (end) So Tod bailed on that Twin Star corporation deal thingie that Birach set into motion, huh? Can't say as I blame him. I hope at least it was his choice and not because the Birachs skunked him as they have so many others. (3/8/10) Re Ed Graham: Just seems very hypocritical that the person who openly trashed web based radio shows and producers is the newest participant in that very medium... (3/8/10) Seems Howie Kurtz does very little in depth reporting anymore. What with paid appearances on CNN and his Post gig. It does not leave a lot of time to really see the big picture. Case in point. The one-man-band operation at WUSA and staffer Scott Broom. Broom makes the one-man-band concept work about as well as it can. Enter Kurtz who went to great length to write about the coverage (WUSA's) of the death of Bruce Ivins (anthrax mailer) in Frederick last year. While Broom may have some interviews with neighbors. WUSA missed the picture of his family when they came to the front door. The strongest image of the day and one, as a still photo, that made the front page of the Post and lead video on all the other TV stations. My point: Kurtz covers the new technology/process with scant eye to the downside when there clearly was such a downside on the very story he featured. Did he view the stories of WUSA and its' competitors? I am curious if General Managers' would call one-man-band coverage better...if it cost MORE? (3/8/10) Just woke up in Tokyo (4 PM DC Time, 6 AM here). Tried to play podcast of Junkies as wake up sound. Three times it crashed. I tried My Tony's. Came right on. I'll save for later. Now, listening to the Sports Reporters live and will listen to MOS and Mr. Tony Pods later. OB (3/8/10) ''Club Kane'' is a perfect example of what's wrong with radio. What is this asshole going to do that's any different from any other moment on that dull as dirt station? He's going to sit there and use ''cool cliches'' and play tons of commercials with talking toilet paper. He's not going to take ''requests'' unless you ask for the latest mind numbingly dull Mariah Carey or Beyonce song. It stuns me at times that radio people spoon feed listeners shit like that and expect results. I hope the show tanks after 1 week. Paul (3/8/10) Not sure what WTEM or WFJK are doing at Nats Spring training, but WTOP's Craig Heist has been down there since February 25th. In addition to his on-air work, Craig is blogging www.wtopnews.com (3/8/10) News from the valley: Our Comcast (nee Adelphia) system added the HDs in the 800s last night although we have not had any commercials or notices to that effect. It actually happened about 1:45 a.m., I was watching an episode of "Dirty Jobs" on the DVR when it started acting funny. It automatically switched the DVR channel from 800 to 690 and froze. When I hit play, it picked up where it left off, but the box itself shut down about 15 minutes later to reboot. Like systems closer to DC, we still have the HDs in the 200s, where they have been. Due to the Scientific Atlanta equipment out here, my understanding was we would be late to the party with the digital transport adapters and "world of more" or "Xfinity," so I'm hoping this means we're getting closer. Charles in Winchester (3/8/10) Dave's response: My Comcast system with SciAtl/Cisco boxes here in Reston has been relaying most of the HD channels now in the 200s also in the 800s since late-2009. And they're doing the digital conversion in three stages - in March, April, and May. So I guess by late-spring we'll be Xfinity-ized, too..... Loyal American Rush Limbaugh joined the ranks of Hollywood stars of the left today. At about 1:55 pm Rush threatened that if health care reform passes, he would leave the country and move to Costa Rica. One more reason to call your local congressman and ask for an in favor vote! ACH (3/8/10) Two comments: 1) The sound of Channel 4 switching from its local "mono" newscast to NBC's 5.1 Surround Sound newscast does sometimes take a couple of seconds to change. The music is big, but B. Williams's voice goes from all 3 front speakers kind of everyly and cheap sounding to a definite full sound when Ch. 4 completely switches to HD mode. I notice it when they switch from their small picture and sound news to a 5.1 Surround sound HD commercial; there is a couple of seconds where the sound hasn't switched up. To be an equal-opportunity complainer, Ch. 7 often has a few seconds after one of the SD commercials when the ABC program is still in SD before it jumps up to HD. 2) I personally like the way Craig Melvin does the news; yes, it's a tad stronger sounding than other news broadcasters, but I like that intensity; it sounds like he is enjoying telling us what he has found out is going on in the world, even if he doesn't intend it that way. I'd say it's the opposite of the PBS NewsHour style, kind of like the way Doug Limerick (formerly of WRQX) does the ABC hourly radio news broadcast. So maybe it's 99-1 against, but I like Craig Melvin. Pair him with Lindsay Czarniak on a broadcast, and I'd need my smellling salts to not faint from happiness. -- Carl in Olney (3/8/10) Fred is predicting Hollywood will be making more “conservative” movies? Do you remember when WMAL’s afternoon yahoo did his best to promote a couple of conservative movies that turned out to be embarrassing failures? Think about these movie reviews the next time you hear Hannity giving an opinion on anything. (3/8/10) Answer to: "Is it a regular occurrence that Paul Bicknell sends you an email that is written like an advertisement?" Yes. When Paul sends out mass mail adverts, he also sends them to me. We are friends (I can't explain that one either) and he just lets me know what's up. He didn't ask me to send it in, but I thought that you might want to know so that you can review his effort and then rip it apart. I like the basic idea of this format, and I want to hear it for a while. Ed Graham (3/8/10) WTOP's Craig Heist is the ONLY radio reporter covering Nats Spring trainining He's pretty sure he's the only broadcast reporter for the Washington area there......does not see a camera or crew from any of the local TV stations Not 100% sure on TV, buit he is on radio. (3/8/10) In Morgantown on Saturday, March sixth, the West Virginia Broadcasters Association honored Shenandoah Communications' TalkRadio WRNR AM-740 with their Best News/Sports/Talk Station of the Year Award for 2009. This is the third time in four years the Martinsburg station has been so honored. Al McGilvray (3/8/10) Ed Graham - Is it a regular occurance that Paul Bicknell sends you an email that is written like an advertisement? Seems almost as if you were instructed to post that here in the mailbag. (3/8/10) re: Billy Sparks – that is exactly what I do. Junkies in the morning, Mr. Tony at 10, Thom and Kevin until the MOMS podcast comes out. Then the MOMS podcast, and Andy and Czabe on the way home. Wise is unlistenable, and it is striking after listening to Kornheiser and Loverro how uninformed and simplistic the LaVar and Dukes show is. I used to listen to Chad when his show was about fast food, video games, how much he hated women and whatever random stuff was going in the world. But he just doesn’t have the background at this point in his career to have anything insightful to say about sports. Same with LaVar – good guy, interesting as a person, but it’s just one jock cliché after another. Way to go JFK – I used to be an 8+ hour listener – now I am out after 10 AM every day. (3/8/10) I got this email from PLB and thought you might want to know. "Some of you are aware of the fact that I'm going back on radio, some aren't. I was on two days last week ironing out the "kinks". I was supposed to officially launch today, but I'm home with some damn' bug.But here's the deal....Monday through Friday I'll be playing 4 Decades of Top 40 from 10AM to Noon EST you can listen and "WATCH" It's streaming on the web just type KHZTV.com into your browser and BA-DA-BING, I'll be "Rockin". This is a new concept in broadcasting...watch,it enjoy it. We are also on AM radio in Ocean City Maryland at 1590-WKHZ and In Annapolis Maryland on 810-WYRE, we will be expanding soon. My air name is Davy Jones, so just click on KHZ radio..in the box to your right. Any feedback will be appreciated. I'm pretty excited, how many people almost 70 do we know that still can rock BIG TIME! Paul Bicknell" I listened once last week an it was really fun. It's an interesting format and might be an instructional segment for broadcasters who don't know how to have fun. Ed Graham (3/8/10) It seems Channel 9 is taking advantage of Bob Ryan leaving Channel 4 with commercials bragging that Topper Shut has been forecasting the weather for 22 years and that's not going to change. Then they say somethings never change. (3/8/10) TITTY ON WRC-NBC4 IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - OHHH MYYY: Sucker punch! Here I thought I was gonna see some tittie from the info babe! (3/8/10) If WVIE was not ready to offer Marks somewhere in the range of 150,000 a year dollars which given there ratings that number would be un-realistic talk of her going there is and was non-sense. Baltimore is market #22 Miami is market#12 there is a money difference. (3/8/10) Dave..You reported a couple of weeks ago that CBS was going to put out-of-town sports talkers from New York and Philly on HD channels here. So far that has not happened. Is it still in the works? If so, any idea when? Dennis Lyons (transplanted NY sports fan and a fan of your blog) (3/8/10) Dave's response: Actually, it did happen via DC's 106.7 for a few days. But there were technical difficulties early last week and the launch of the out-of-market sports talkers on WJFK's digital HD Radio channels has been delayed..... Burt in Denton: I highly recommend Global Seduction Radio on WEBR. Fantastic mix of today's hits and comedy. It'll shake you to your core. Thursday nights at 9pm. -Sylvester (3/8/10) Wasn't going to mention this but since Fred Grandy believes that a movie few saw in the theaters and is already out in DVD is evidence that Hollywood is lurching to the right is a harbinger of more conservative leaning movies to come I have to then mention another Grandy prediction. It was one year ago this week that Grandy announced on WMAL that he had sold all of his stocks because of the President's policies and thus the nation was going to hell in a handbasket. At the time the DJIA was around 6500. Let's hope his listeners/lemmings didn't follow Grandy over the cliff as since that day the Dow is up 56 percent and is now above 10,500. I hope that wasn't all of Grandy's vast fortune he lost as if it is, the former Charles Nelson Reilly stand in on Match Game will be slaving away for his Masters at Citadel until they fire him, which could happen at any moment. ACH (3/8/10) What a great quote from former O's broadcaster (& "MASH' writer Ken Levine! In fact his book about his year w/ the Orioles, "It's Gone, No, Wait A Minute" is a very funny read. And yes Burt I still have family in Easton and Chestertown. I hope you can listen to my show (airing Fridays from 5 to 6). Ciao 4 now, Rusty (3/8/10) I think the best quote so far, about last night's Academy Awards broadcast, comes from writer, Ken Levine: "I was thrilled Christoph Waltz won. The last time I rooted for a Nazi was my high school production of 'Sound of Music'." kenlevine.blogspot.com (3/8/10) TITTY ON WRC-NBC4 IN WASHINGTON, D.C. - OHHH MYYY at NBC4! (3/8/10) Rusty, I am an older "fossil" will turn 61 next month. Do you still have family here on the shore? I will have to listen to your programs sometime on WEBR. Burt in Denton (3/8/10) Sometime during one of the February snowstorms, Comcast in Berkeley County, WV added NewsChannel 8 to their lineup. Al McGilvray (3/8/10) /\ March 8 Messages /\ \/ March 7 Messages \/ That's the cow on the right: Marsha, Marsha, Marsha: media.nowpublic.net... Martucci, Martucci, Martucci and we hope nobody is offended: www.wusa9.com (3/7/10) Just saw a commercial for channel 9 talking about Topper Shutt being the weather person and then at the end, the line is "that's not going to change"..Was there rumblings that he was leaving and/or being replaced? (3/7/10) Dave's response: I guess it's a dig against Channel 4, which just said goodbye to Bob Ryan..... May not be new news, but I see where starting tomorrow, WUSA9 will be starting their morning newscasts at 4:25a.m..Uh, why?..It's only a matter of time before the local stations will have an overnight news broadcast. (3/7/10) Dave's response: We did report that..... ''Who's checking the edits at Mix 106.5? I just heard "Shit" plain as day in that God awful new Black Eyed Peas song "Imma Be".'' Shame on you for listening that closely to THAT nonsense. By the way...Howard Stern LOVES that song. How sad is THAT? Paul (3/7/10) Speaking of vintage WITH-Radio: Bill Gormly, well-remembered by local boomers for Channel-5's "Count Down Carnival", was a popular DJ on AM 1230 in the early '60s before arriving at WTTG. In a recent interview, Gormly discusses his Emmy-winning kids' show. (3/7/10) I find the WABC-TV/Cablevision situation very interesting. Wasn’t WABC-TV among the VHF DTV’s requesting a power hike because of inadequate reliable reception after the switch? So, my question is, why isn’t Cablevision charging WABC-TV for providing reliable reception? Will WABC-TV distribute free DTV converters with the freebie $1.99 rabbit ears broadcasters usually pass out at times like this? Hey guys, you need more than just rabbit ears (and a cheapo DTV converter) these days! You need cable carriage to ensure reception! My instincts see Congress stepping-in on this quickly with the result being one the greedy among us won’t like. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/7/10) Who's checking the edits at Mix 106.5? I just heard "Shit" plain as day in that God awful new Black Eyed Peas song "Imma Be". (3/7/10) Re: Willard Scott's birthday. The 'Joy Boy' ALSO worked at WITH in Baltimore at the same time as Chuck Thompson and Buddy Deane. He did weekends there on 7 East Lexington for a few months back in the mid 50's while either as a member of the military reserves or having just gotten out of active duty, not sure which one it was. If you see or talk to Willard, ask him to tell his story about legendary WITH DJ Hot Rod Hulbert. Happy Birthday, Willard. A class act, indeed! (3/7/10) Hey Burt in Denton; I'm guessing that we're both approximately the same age (I'm a 52 YO "fossil"). When we would visit family in Federalsburg in the mid 60's, my cousin would frequently lend me his red Denton ballcap w/ the white "D" on the front for our backyard whiffleball games. Unfortunately it was never given. Only lent. Oh, and a huge thanks to DC sports icon Phil Wood for asking me "How are things on WEBR"? When I called The "Wall To Wall Baseball" show on MASN yesterday. And I give credit to you Dave for Phil even Knowing what a WEBR is! Rusty Gibson (3/7/10) Near the end of that 75th birthday YouTube salute, Al Roker states that Willard was present in the announce booth (at Channel 4) for the very first NBC Today Show broadcast (which aired Monday, January 14th, 1952). Has any other on-air talent ever logged as many years with the same employer? (3/7/10) I echo Rusty Gibson's sentiments about the post on Chuck Thompson and Buddy Deane. There was nobody like Chuck, "Ain't the beer cold! and "Go to War Miss Agnes!". Oriole broadcasts have never been the same. The Orioles have had some great announcers over the years, Ernie Harwell, Bob Murphy, John Miller and so on. But Chuck was the best of them all! Burt in Denton (3/7/10) Back in 2003, on "Booknotes," C-SPAN's Brian Lamb interviewed Willard Scott about his book "The Older the Fiddle, the Better the Tune". It was a compilation of essays on growing older, by celebrities and also some not well-known folks. Most of us have seen Willard's lighthearted and even silly moments (and there is some of that here), but this video also reveals a more serious and personal side. www.c-spanarchives.org (3/7/10) Happy Birthday to former Joy Boy, Today Show weatherman and American treasure, Willard Scott, who turns 76 today! Here's a nice "Today Show" tribute on Willard's 75th, last year... (3/7/10) Billy Sparks - Not bad...The Junks are slowly getting some leverage on being themselves. First few months were painful. I think their demo numbers gave them some leverage. The rest at JFK are in the CBS handcuffs. Mike Wise is a headache with, or without, the handcuffs. I feel for Chad. I still think he and Big O had something special like “Arrested Development” did on TV. Lavar, stupid callers he can not yell at, the success of the MOS podcast with the Big O, and the old school rock must be killing him. (And, the MOS 1:30 PM release is not helping. I stop, come back at work so it lasts two hours.) I hope someone gets those guns of his secured. What will happen to JFK when the NFL draft is over? No Skins no B Ball and guns? I can hear the pin drop. The 980 guys get leverage and it is showing in the ratings. I like me my Mr. Tony. The fix: yes Mr. Arrogant is Arrogant but makes good points…probably the best points by anyone on either sports talker. Thom’s voice is fine. I liked him on the Sports Reporters and he gives great, old time sports reporter knowledge all the time. Other than the Fix, 980 guys talk about life. I wish they would dump Mike and Mike although at big events like the Super Bowl they get great, top line guests. Me: junks/Mr.Tony (ASAP, no JFK cross talk)/The Fix/MOS/some Chad/Sports Reporters/maybe Mr. Tony replay id traffic sucks. I wonder if the male demos, not the overall ones on DCRTV, bare this out. Me WM, Professional, 45-50. OB (3/7/10) re: NBC news audio with Brian Williams...I watch TV via OTA and have noticed the same thing too. Audio is low, then comes up to normal. !!!??? (3/7/10) /\ March 7 Messages /\ \/ March 6 Messages \/ Do you consider yourself a journalist? Is it "journalism" to take a random e-mail from a reader and post it as insider news regarding how bored everyone is at JFK? It could be true, but not exactly a very good source, Dave. (3/6/10) Anyone else in the Leesburg Home Depot hear the page for "TOM GAVIN" around 2pm? Must have been Robb Spewak or Mike O'Meara-related hijinx. I doubt Mr Gavin was there buying a hammer drill, but you never know. (3/6/10) Thanks to the Mailbagger for the splendid Chuck Thompson story. I miss him too and yes he was the best! Though I always wondered. Why was he so hesitant to discuss his days as a danceband singer, and did he have a decent singing voice? Rusty Gibson (3/6/10) OT it is. Who is the blonde actress in the new series of Toyota Sienna commercials? Sorry it would be embrassing to pull away from the desk at this point. Regards Biff (3/6/10) While going through some of my grandparents stuff, I found a cassette w/the attached which I cleaned-up at work... Looks like it was recorded by my grandfather, John W. Garvin at his home in Wagener, S.C. wrc1972.wav (3/6/10) Lil note to Ann Horaday at the Post: If you're going to write a review about Alice In Wonderland, it usually helps give people a clearer idea what the movie's about AND if it's any good by actually reviewing the movie instead of 9 paragraphs about Johnny Depp. Paul (3/6/10) Wondering why so many people here have a hard on for Christians. Picking on Britt Hume? Really? Maybe he wears a Cross pendant under his shirt. (3/6/10) Five years ago this weekend we mourned the passing of the great Chuck Thompson. Whom many believe was THE best play-by-play sportscaster of all time. Chuck was quite the personality away from the mic as well. Here's a little known episode revealing the mutual admiration between Thompson and his fans. In the fall of 2003, Chuck was invited to the tribute for Buddy Deane at Timonium Fairgrounds. Thompson and Buddy were colleagues for a number of years in the early 50's at WITH. They respected each other very much but Chuck never cared for the new 'rock and roll' music promoted and played by Deane. Along with sports, Thompson did afternoons at WITH playing Big Band and Swing records until Joel Chaseman took over the shift in the mid-50's. When Buddy passed in July of '03, what was to have been a Buddy Deane Fan Fair to be held concurrently with the new stage version of 'Hairspray!' at the Mechanic became a posthumous celebration of Deane's time in Baltimore. After receiving a phone call inviting him to be there, Chuck Thompson agreed to attend the tribute for Buddy. During that night, Chuck decided to get up from his table and step outside the back door to ingest a little fresh air and get away from all that 'rock and roll' blaring through the speakers. There he did what he did best: Held a 'bull' session with at first about 4-5 other attendees who were taking a smoke break. Well, word spread and soon more showed up to rap with the man. Before his court of admirers, he was in the middle of telling one of his many great yarns when Mrs. Thompson (who was looking all over for him) appeared and said 'Chuck, it's getting late and we have to go'. As he was making his way to the exit, he was telling his wife he DIDN'T want to go. I can still hear that booming voice...as if he were describing a Bert Jones to Roger Carr touchdown or a Brooks Robinson home run...saying "Doggone it Betty, those youngsters and I were having a good time talking about the old days!!'. Chuck, we didn't want you to go, either. Not then, or ever. Sorry you had to leave us...but in our hearts, ears, and memories of glorious games on Sunday afternoons and summer nights...you live on old friend. Hall of Famer Chuck Thompson. Baltimoreans (and others) who knew him, loved him. And always will. (3/6/10) To the fella noticing the dip in NBC News audio: Does your cable system pick up the lo-def channel, or even better, the feed from the Hagerstown NBC affiliate? Can you get OTA signals via an antenna? See if it is still happening when watching a signal from those other sources. You might be seeing and hearing some weird auto-matrixing taking place where a stereo signal might be reprocessed on WRC TV. You've seen where the pic's aspect ratio changes every time they jump from HD to good ol' regular definition, so its possible the audio is also taking a whack. (3/6/10) From a broadcast industry list-serv, here is a good example of the behavior that gives credence to the claim that the media is liberally biased. Note how much effort when into this. "There were at least two other "open mic" snafus involving Reagan ... before the "bombing" bit. As a longtime broadcaster, HE usually did not get all that excited by this stuff ... but his staff tended to go ballistic over the fact that they were aired. In one, he joked about the Communist government of Poland .. calling it "the biggest bunch of bums I've ever seen" and in the other, he referred to the economy as being "in a hell of a mess" .. which it more or less was at the time. But that was not a politically correct way of admitting it. And his Polish description was not exactly up to diplomatic norms. I have good reason to recall both. I was Washington bureau manager of UPI Audio / Radio at the time (we changed the name in between).And because of the one-(wo)man band staffing we had, I trained our staff to roll way early on these speeches .. lest they forget to roll when they came over live .. because in those days there was no repeat feed from the originating network. So we caught and recorded both. After urgent calls from the staffers who heard them, I made the decision to put both on the air on UPI newscasts and to feed it to client stations. We also had our UPI wire run the quotes ... and then was soon inundated from requests from some of the other radio networks .. and especially their TV brethren ... for copies .. so they could do likewise. In both cases, we gave them the tape and CBS and NBC TV aired them both times, with credits to UPI. The White House screamed "bloody murder" the first time .. that UPI had violated an agreement it had with the "bureau chiefs" not to air anything that was not part of the official speech. So I was called for a reaction quote by both my own wire service and the Associated Press to respond.I did.I pointed out that the then acting press secretary, Larry Speakes, had reached that agreement with the bureau chiefs of the networks who were to rotate handling the "pool feed" of the speech ... ABC, CBS, NBC and Mutual. ... at a meeting to which UPI (and some others .. like AP, NPR, VOA) had not been invited. I said I did not consider UPI bound by an agreement made by others .. without our presence or consent .. or even knowledge." (name left off). Of course that is the same logic that makes some people think a "Do Not Enter" sign does not apply to them either, because they didn't agree to it! (3/6/10) I’d like to share one more memory of WCAO. One night in summer 1965, right after we became of driving age, 2 friends and I drove out to WCAO, which had already relocated to Park Heights Avenue. The door to the building was unlocked so we walked in and made our way to the studio area. It was during the news, and Kirby Scott was standing outside the control room speaking with 2 girls who had also walked in. Kirby was very cordial and told us that we could watch for 5 minutes. When the news ended and music started, we watched through the window as Kirby was jumping up and down in the chair to the beat of the music. That could have been for show, but I doubt it. The newsman, Donn Keller, who was back at his desk, either wasn’t very nice or didn’t care for the idea of 3 punky kids standing around. I asked Mr. Keller, “Are you playing records or tapes?” He sarcastically replied, “I’m not playing anything.” The next summer, one of the friends and I went back. By then, Johnny Dark was on the air, and Fred Gray was the newsperson. Fred informed us that Johnny had a headache that night. But unlike Donn Keller, Fred was very nice to us. Roddy Freeman (3/6/10) RE Brian Williams each evening on WRC Channel 4.1: I watch via Comcast DVR in Montgomery County. Every single night his first few words sound like the director has opened the wrong mic and his voice is down 20 or 30 dB even though the theme music sounds right. Then his voice level pops up to normal. Every night. I can't think of any HD or cable artifact which could create that symptom. Any bright ideas? (3/6/10) I'm down here in sunny Florida doing voiceovers. I just noticed all the hub-bub about Jack Edwards being my alter ego, Seems my old friend Ed Graham started it all. Let me clear things up once and for all. First of all, Jack Edwards and I don't even look alike. If I was going to have an alter-ego, it would be someone like George Clooney, who I resemble, not Jack Edwards. As far as Ed Graham, I remember when he was my boss at WITH. Ed always had two desks in his office. One for each foot. Congrats to Bob Mathers for getting the GM job in Westminster. Knock 'em dead Bob. Maybe he's my alter ego. Jack Gale (3/6/10) Good Mail Bag Post , Billy Sparks (3/6/10) In response to Billy Sparks comment: but has it occurred to corporate suits, GM's and PD's that maybe these people aren't all that good, and maybe you need to hire or train people who do relate to your target demo? >>OMG, I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time. Today's radio GM and PD don't get talent and don't want talent - unless they can completely control them. The exception to this rule is talent that is already getting numbers. PDs leave them alone. There is a lot of talent reading this blog. It would be interesting to see how many of them actually get ANY constructive feedback from their PD or GM. When was the last time ANY of them had an actual, sit down air check session where they were truly coached on technique and how to reach the target listener. It does not happen because most PDs are clueless in this realm. Today's PD is quick to hot line or rush into the studio if a break is deemed as being 'too long' or if a liner card was read incorrectly. But training and growing talent? It...does...not....happen. Don't believe me? Listen to radio for a day then think of all the incredibly talented personalities who are in this town but can't get a gig. Even as a weekender. (3/6/10) RE: Crucifixes..... Part of being Christian is to witness to your faith, as in show it in public via a crucifix or more importantly by your actions. Although many people wear crucifixes for completely non-religious reasons these days just as jewelry, so I don't understand why this would bother someone. Your post reminded me of an old frustrated & uptight Woody Allen line, "I've got a lot on my mind right now!" to which Tracy Ulman's character yells back "YOUR MIND DON'T HOLD A LOT!" :-) (3/6/10) Dave's response: I always wondered why so many Fox Newsers wear little American flag lapel pins on the air, but not little crucifixes, crosses, or fish symbols. If "journalists" are going to proclaim their patriotism to all their viewers, why not their Christianity, too? How about it, Brit? “Pollin came across as a complete turd with his reaction to the call from that youngster and he definitely owes him and his parents an apology.” – What else did you expect? He hangs up on callers regularly on his Sports Reporters show. It amazes me he still has a job. (3/6/10) RE:crucifixes on air - Dude, tell me what else bugs you on air? To you get all uptight when a female anchor wears some type of ring on her hand? Do the "lapel mikes" bother you? Those are typically a little larger than crucifixes. You need to quit being so uptight and just enjoy the ride! Wow, next the buttons on her shirt will send you to therapy! (3/6/10) Good mailbag post by Billy Sparks – the issue in my opinion is the reason minority broadcasters tend to be ex-jocks and coaches is more indicative of the radio industry than a matter of race. The broadcasting industry has an extremely unbalanced distribution of compensation, where there are a few shows and talent at the top making the lion share of the money, and then the majority of persons in the industry are at the entry-level compensation level mostly due to the market size and the limited radio budgets at the stations. So, many aspiring broadcasters who want to make this a profession, will likely abandon this career path due to a very low salary (talking in the teens), unstable employment situations, and will face a lot of competition that is willing to work for free or next to it. Thus, in most markets like ours in DC, who can really afford to support themselves on an entry level wage? But ex-athletes and coaches who have already eared significant income in their sports career, can pursue the radio business. Matt (3/6/10) The recent posts about Jack Gale and Jack Edwards reminded me of the rivalry between WCAO and WITH when I was growing up. In the mid-sixties, WCAO was well ahead of WITH, whose signal just didn’t reach the growing suburbs, especially at night. That notwithstanding, WITH fought hard to gain against WCAO. WITH hired Buddy Deane around 1964, and paid him based on ratings growth against WCAO. WCAO countered by moving Paul Rodgers (the Rodge) from 10PM to midnight into mornings, and shifting morning man Steve Wade to Rodgers’ former slot. Around 1965, when WITH was still owned by Tinsley, the station challenged WCAO to a broom hockey game at the Civic Center. Smartly, WCAO ignored the whole thing. After all, WCAO was #1; why should they promote WITH by mentioning the station? At the time, Gene Creasy was PD at WITH and was on the air. I remember him mentioning, in reference to the challenge, “those chickens over at 60.” About a year later, Gene Creasy was programming WCAO. As a matter of fact, he really needed some programming smarts to succeed in his mission. WCBM, under Metromedia ownership, was playing a lot of the same music as WCAO but was leaving out the hard stuff. So Gene Creasy had to soften middays to keep and grow WCAO’s audience vs. WCBM; and he was successful. After Reeves purchased WITH later that year, they started playing Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire. The song caught fire, and I remember Kirby Scott saying on WCAO that the station wasn’t going to play it. He said, “We don’t like what it stands for.” WITH started saying it was “the only Baltimore station playing the bona fide #1 record.” But that didn’t do much good. WITH was beautiful music by the fall of 1966. Roddy Freeman (3/6/10) /\ March 6 Messages /\ \/ March 5 Messages \/ Dave, Can you, or can anyone for that matter, tell me what it is that MSNBC sees in Chris Matthews? This pompous ass-wipe may know something about how things work on Capitol Hill but he proves, on a daily basis, that he knows nothing what-so-ever about courteous/civil discourse. To suggest that as a host Chris Mathews is an obnoxious, discourteous jerk is to risk being accused of monumentally understating his style. The guy seems to be so interested in hearing what he has to say that he can seldom let his guests finish a thought or complete their answers to one of his seemingly never ending questions questions before he bulls his way into their comments and talk all over them. If you or anyone out there has any pull with MSNBC how about asking them to tone this Bozo down. And if that can't be done how about giving his time slot to Rachel Maddow and showing Matthews the door. Thanks, Lew (3/5/10) Does anyone else hate when anchors and reporters wear crucifixes on air? (Some do it regularly, others occasionally). I don't hate religion, it just seems like too much information about them and that they are pushing me to subscribe. (3/5/10) Re: "Boredom at WJFK": Here's my problem with sports radio in general, and in DC specifically. Why is it that any full time minority sports broadcasters always seem to be ex-players or coaches? Are there truly no qualified minority BROADCASTERS who didn't play or coach sports? I mean let's look at the DC sports stations. WJFK for example: The Junkies -4 white guys, great chemistry with questionable professionalism. The Mike Wise Show - 2 more white guys with a host constantly going off on tangents of his lost athletic youth, and a not too likable co-host. LaVar and Dukes - Finally a minority! (However, an ex-athlete), Dukes still doing the Don Geronimo impersonation...poorly. LaVar, a great guest, a bad host. The Holden Kushner Show - Another white guy, not particularly entertaining to anyone except himself. On to ESPN 980: The Tony Kornheiser Show - He's right, he has turned into Imus. He never seems to have a good day. The Sports Fix - Yet 2 more white guys. Kevin Sheehan IS knowledgeable, just ask him, he'll tell you, and Thom Loverro sounds like a cartoon character. The John Thompson Show - 2 minorities, ex-coach, ex-athlete, many ex-listeners. Finally, The Sports Reporters - Yet 2 more white guys. However, Andy and Steve have great chemistry. IMO, this show is king of the heap...but what a heap of shit it is! My point is, in a listening area that is majority minority, is it possible to hear a minority who didn't play or coach? I like going green just as much as the next person, but why do these stations keep recycling alleged "talent"? I heard Frank Hanhrahan and Al Koken on WJFK, and thought I was tuned into the wrong station! No personal offense to all the "talent" named in this post, but has it occurred to corporate suits, GM's and PD's that maybe these people aren't all that good, and maybe you need to hire or train people who do relate to your target demo? (Ed. note: Just saw a commercial for 94.7 Fresh's commercial free Mondays. Paying to run a spot, to advertise that you have no spots? Brilliant!) Anyways, it's the same old story, radio is one the few businesses that you can continue to fail up in, and the only real losers are the listeners. -Billy Sparks (3/5/10) The resemblance is remarkable. How could anyone not see that Jack Edwards and Jack Gale were one and the same? (3/5/10) The ultimate portrait of Bill Cosby: it's done completely in Jell-O shots. makezine.com (3/5/10) So the new set on channel 4 is temporary? Saw a new reporter recently anchor in richmond the other day. Gosh I hope they don't make him do that Daily Connection thing. sorry to see claudia coffey go. thought she was sort of a legitimate reporter. she didn't want to play the reindeer games over there at channel 5 on the starship enterprise set? (3/5/10) Guilty, as charged. Ed Graham, Jack Gale, Bob Mathers and Alan Field. Have you NO respect for the elderly. Thanks for the memories and no guy could ask for better radio folks to have been associated with thru the years. For the record, I stopped pine oiling/cleaning the WCAO console when the late Gene Creasy took me off the 9 year over night shift and moved me into 7 until midnight the Summer of 1969 to go up against the new WLPL-92 FM Stereo. That was the beginning of the end...LPL became the teens sensation in Baltimore for years, later to evolve into 92 Star and another success story for United Broadcasting. I am alive, well and retired with my wonderful wife Joyce in Reisterstown. I see Johhny Dark in the local supermarkets and just last week, we exchanged poli-grip denture and Depends coupons; which reminds me, my walker has to go in for an oil change. Please support this great site (I do) and Dave's outstanding job. Thanks, Jack Edwards (the real one) (3/5/10) Congratulations to ABC affiliate TV3 Winchester on their third anniversary (March 5). News Director Denise Chandler, anchor Wendi Redman, meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts, operations manager Tony Versely and promotions director Shaun Gelang have been there since the beginning. Al McGilvray (3/5/10) As a longtime WJFK listener, I think it is clear that the talent is bored with sports. You can hear the pain in E.B.’s voice in particular. A week or so ago he ranted about hating the music they come in and out of breaks with. Any fan knows this is NOT the music these guys listen to, it is not authentic. And that is the whole problem with the line-up, the shows are not authentic they are formulated. And DC sports are not that interesting. And it is boring to listen to the same topics over and over again. My favorite time to listen to the station is 5:00 am – 5:30 am for Classic Junkies. Mike Wise Show has no entertainment value at all. And now for the one I’m really passionate about, Lavar & Dukes. Chad does his best, but even he isn’t authentic. Lavar will call DeShawn Stevenson “DeShawn Stevens” 5 times in a row and Chad NEVER calls him out on it. Almost like he has just accepted the mistakes and doesn’t have the energy to correct them. Wasting Chad Dukes on that show is like when you see a great actor in a crap movie. I was very hurt last week when Mike Wise made a “joke” about Big O and Dukes fans wanting their time slot back. Ha ha? Not funny at all Mike, people in DC and nationwide were incredibly passionate about the old line-up particularly the Big O and Dukes Show. It still hurts to think about what we had then compared to what we have now. For now, I’ll listen to about an hour of the Junkies, Tony K, O&A, Howard and look forward everyday to The Mike O’Meara Show online. TSM (3/5/10) Why, oh, why does channel 4 continue to try and shove Craig Melvin down our throats? He really is one of the worst hires in DC TV history. The man doesn't know how to deliver a story. Instead he spits it out, word for word. His facial expressions are so exaggerated that he reminds me of a clown. I can't really listen to anything he is saying because his delivery is so distracting. The minute I see or hear him, I change the channel. Everyone I talk to feels the same way. A friend of mine at 4 says they get MANY complaints but ignore them since Melvin comes so cheap. Channel 4 may be on top now but they are starting to become the joke that channel 9 is. WJLA is looking better all the time. At least I can watch and not feel like I am listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. (3/5/10) "Word in the halls of The Fan is that the air personalities are bored with sports." If that's true, why did they sign on with a sports talk station in the first place? I agree with the earlier poster's comment about Holden Kushner - you get the impression he could care less about all the sports topics and would much rather be chatting about sex and girls for four hours. If the Junkies have carte blanche to go in any direction they want on WJFK, Tony Kornheiser clearly enjoys the same freedom at WTEM - I think there was an entire program earlier this week where his 15 minute interview with Boston Globe writer Bob Ryan was the only time sports was discussed. One big difference between the two shows is that at least Kornheiser steers clear of the low road (even the remarks about Hannah Storm that got him in hot water included a literary reference). There was a boorish moment on 980 this morning when a kid (who sounded 12 or 13) called into the special Redskins free agency show and appeared to be asking a legitimate question when Andy Pollin abruptly hung up on him with a rude "shouldn't you be in school?" reply. Perhaps the station has a strict 18 and over policy for its call-in segments (which is ridiculous since children who follow sports often have better insights than their adult counterparts), but if a kid happens to get through I don't think it's unreasonable to expect him or her to be treated with some simple courtesy. Pollin came across as a complete turd with his reaction to the call from that youngster and he definitely owes him and his parents an apology. Mike, Fairfax (3/5/10) JFK needs to go back to the guy talk format… I’m a big sports fan but I like my boob and fart jokes as well. My drive home is HELL, I like Dukes and he can carry the guy talk format but Lavar needs to GO! (3/5/10) Boredom at WJFK? Word in the halls of The Fan is that the air personalities are bored with sports. Management won't let them deviate from sports and it's beginning to chafe some of the talent that want to be more free swinging like the Junkies. The Junkies are the only show that get to keep most of what they always have been. Funny, going topic to topic, and of course sports. To this listener, Mike Wise sounds like he'd rather be anywhere else, but Lavar sounds pretty good. It's obvious that Holden K is ready to kill himself, probably wondering why the hell he took this gig. I am a listener, but I heard this from a friend of a friend so who knows what it's worth... (3/5/10) My old friend, Ed Graham, is right about the Jack Gale/Jack Edwards conundrum, but he didn't tell you "the rest of the story", as Paul Harvey would say. Yes, they were at one time one and the same. I was one of the all night DJ's who passed the buck to JackG at WITH. He always came in flushed from running from 1102 North Charles to 7 E. Lexington, (forget about the steps!!!). Then I moved over to WCAO and in April of '60 went into the Morning show, replacing Bid Causey, who left for WITH. That was the first time I met JackE, who always had a towel and soap for the transition. I can't remember whether he was cleaning up or getting dirty. Anyway, this dichotomy was wearing on him and what resulted is one of the strangest cases of split personality ever recorded. I read about it later in "Psychology For Dummies". I think what happened is that the daily commute from Jacksonville to Baltimore really began to wear on him and a physical split began. It finally culminated in the mid Sixties. I know that because the JackG who foisted Johnny Cymbal on us could no longer be the JackE who swore the world began and ended with Motown. Alan Field (3/5/10) From TVNewser: In a segment on "Fox & Friends" this morning, Geraldo, who's been in a few studio brawls of his own, came on and discussed this video of a newsroom fist-fight behind an Italian newscaster. Then he attacked Steve Doocy... (3/5/10) You've gotta love Daniel Snyder's amatuer hour at 94.3FM...at about 8:20am they broke away from ESPN's Mike & Mike show -- one of the most popular talk shows on the air -- for a "special report" from Redskins park. The fast breaking news? Nobody from the team is at Redskins Park and the team has made no free agent signings. The punchline? 20 minutes in, ignoramous Steve Czaban is ridiculing ESPN for their "breathless coverage" of NFL free agency. "C'mon! Nothing is happening," Czaban said. Truer words were never spoken. (3/5/10) "This is getting to be a serious problem with Mr. Wise. Someone needs to sit down with him and tell him how annoying this is. He doesn't just interrupt a caller, he asks the caller a question, and then interrupts him in the middle of the answer." Someone already has. His name is Chris Matthews. (3/5/10) One more Bruce Williams-ism. He has to say the word "b-niss" (for business) at least 10 times per call... (3/5/10) Did anybody find out why Fox5 news anchor Brian Bolter was missing for at least a week during sweeps? He's been back this week but it's generally unheard of for a main anchor to be off the air during a crucial ratings period. And I noticed while he was away no one co-anchored weekends with Maureen Umeh as Will Thomas moved to Brian's week day slot. (3/5/10) NASCAR.....The Beltway.....hmmmmm YES!!! Lets add potholes,paving crews and seafood supply trucks to NASCAR!!!! First one to plow thru a politicians limo gets a free lap up!! Donnie in NASCAR luvin Cessle( just count me out) (3/5/10) /\ March 5 Messages /\ \/ March 4 Messages \/ (regarding Dave's response) “I don't know shit about NASCAR coverage.....” The best way to sum up car racing is to note that it involves drivers in expensive, ad-covered vehicles, racing around and around in a circle as fast as they can; risking life and limb, to see who can stop doing that first. This is, quite possibly, the most pointless exercise in the known universe -- unless, of course, you include coverage of such a thing -- which is probably even more pointless! (3/4/10) Dave's response: Oh, the Beltway..... No offense, but Lindsay Czarnia's pit reporting duties are not exactly a "breakthrough" for motorsports broadcasting or for nascar for that matter. Here are a few other women who are also Pit Reporters in nascar and other motorsports who have been doing it longer than Lindsay: Wendy Venturini... Krista Voda... Sara Dayley... Jamie Howe... Just thought you should know. (3/4/10) Dave's response: That "breakthrough of sorts" quote was from the USA Today article I linked to. I don't know shit about NASCAR coverage..... What's the difference between Joy Pons doing the weather on WMAR and Marty Bass on WJZ? Marty has more experience FOREcasting in Patterson Park! BADDA BING BADDA BOOM! LOL (3/4/10) Not exactly local to DCRTV, but one of my sources sends the text (below) of the letter U.S. Senator John Ketty (D-MA) sent to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski regarding the battle between Disney/ABC and Cablevision over retransmission payments for Cablevision carriage of WABC-TV in New York.......... Dear Chairman Genachowski: As you know, millions of Cablevision customers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut could miss the Oscars this year due to a retransmission dispute with Disney. I recognize that these are private negotiations, but its resolution is something that matters to the consumers who take hard earned money out of their wallets each month to pay their cable bills and have a right to expect not to be collateral damage in wars between executives. I ask you to urge the parties to stay at the negotiating table and continue transmitting ABC programming to Cablevision consumers. I simply do not believe consumers should lose access to a signal over their cable service as long as both parties are negotiating in good faith. I take the rules that govern these negotiations seriously because they have repercussions for what Americans can view and how much they pay for it. I fear that this dispute is the most recent evidence that the retransmission consent regime has become outdated in the 18 years since it was crafted. Regardless of how this dispute turns out, it will not be the last time that we see a public fight between cable companies and broadcasters where the consumer is likely to be the loser and we need to fix the system. Today, a broadcaster can pull its signal from cable companies serving millions of people if it does not get paid what it wants for that signal. I don't believe they should be able to do that unless the cable company is negotiating in bad faith, the broadcaster has submitted a claim of bad faith negotiation to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the FCC has determined that claim to be true. At that point, then yes, the broadcaster should be free to pull their signal. But as long as there are good faith negotiations, all parties should stay at the table and signals should continue to be transmitted to consumers. That is not the law today, however. Currently, the broadcaster can pull his signal at his or her discretion. In 1992, when the law was written, satellite and telephone delivery of television service were almost nonexistent. If you lived in New York, for example, you did not have the choice of FIOS or two satellite companies. You do today. Back then, cable's near monopoly status gave it immense power over broadcasters. As a result, the negotiating parameters were rightly set up to favor broadcasters. A lot has changed since then. But the rules are still the same. As a result, Disney can, as it has this week, threaten Cablevision with the loss of ABC right before the Oscars as a tool to negotiate higher cash payment for the programming. FOX did the same thing with Time Warner Cable at the beginning of the year with College Bowls programming. Disney knows that if they pull the signal, viewers will blame the cable company and switch to FIOS, RCN, DISH, or DIRECT TV after missing the Oscars. The result of these flawed incentives is consumer uncertainty, higher prices, and broadcasters using special events as leverage in negotiations. The question for policymakers today is under what conditions the broadcaster should be able to pull programming from consumers, especially considering these important facts: first, broadcasters already benefit from free access to our airwaves; second, broadcasters carry live programming that can't be substituted like the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and the Olympics; and third, we are not living in 1992. I have suggested an answer here and I am open to alternatives. But this game of chicken being played again and again between cable companies and broadcasters with consumers in the crosshairs must come to an end. (3/4/10) As national radio talk host Bruce Williams signs off for what appears to be the final time, I'd like to sum up his decades-long career with the three simple sentences I heard him use most to make millions for himself while advising less fortunate callers: #1 "You should have signed a contract." #2 "You should have hired a lawyer." #3 "Good luck my friend." (3/4/10) re "Had to switch off Mike Wise this morning, again. He kept interrupting caller he was arguing with so that you can't understand either one" This is getting to be a serious problem with Mr. Wise. Someone needs to sit down with him and tell him how annoying this is. He doesn't just interrupt a caller, he asks the caller a question, and then interrupts him in the middle of the answer. (3/4/10) I'm surprised Discovery turned down Miss America. How does Discovery even turn a profit with all the shitty ''reality'' shows that all seem the same? They could USE Miss America. Paul (3/4/10) "I'm sure [Al Galdi] will do a great job but doesn't he know that becoming the station's beat reporter is the kiss of death (see Jerry Coleman and Frank Hanrahan)?". On the other hand, Bram Weinstein (who had that assignment at WTEM for a long time) seems to be doing very well as an anchor for ESPN News. How is the position of Redskins reporter for a radio station owned by Dan Snyder supposed to be viewed? While Galdi will have more access to the team than his WJFK counterpart Chris Russell, you can't convince me there's no pressure from manangement to try and put a positive spin on everything. ESPN 980 has finally gotten around to doing something about its minimal local presence on weekends (outside of Skins game day programming) by giving Galdi the 9 AM to noon timeslot on Saturdays. Of course 106.7 The Fan's been providing a lot of weekend fare including Kevin & Rock, Parker & Parker and the Brian Mitchell/Shan Shariff program (which Galdi will be competing directly with for two hours). If memory serves, Galdi (a pro wrestling aficianado) co-hosted a Saturday morning show with Marc Sterne on 980 some years back and of course he helped out with Steve Czaban's old Fox Sports Radio program as well as handling the Skins postgame call-in show last year. The station will now have to find a replacement in that latter role (maybe Andy Pollin or Kevin Sheehan once again). I've really soured on Holden Kushner's show - way too much frat house type stuff and the chemistry between him and Liz Drabeck isn't very good. Apparently he still works part time for Sirius XM's Home Plate channel - maybe he'll be sent to Florida for baseball's spring training and can do some reporting on the Nationals for WJFK. Does either sports talk station have anyone down there covering the team? Considering all the local and national interest surrounding the impending debut of pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg, you'd think we'd be getting more coverage. I tuned in John Thompson's program (on 980) the other day and heard him ask for "your Redskin calls". The Skins don't play a meaningful game for another six months - how about taking some Nats calls for the first time in God knows when? Mike, Fairfax (3/4/10) I'm writing to let you be the first to know of our next Q&A Cafe, Thursday, March 18 - a provocative but scholarly look at the sex and political scandal that shook and divided the nation, the affair of Monica Lewinsky and President Bill Clinton, and the turbulent aftermath involving Ken Starr, Congress and impeachment. The guest is Ken Gormley, a nationally renowned expert on special prosecutors (and Watergate). His book, already climbing The New York Times bestseller list, is "The Death of American Virtue." One reviewer said, "Gormley appears in remarkable possession of every detail pertinent to this complex story. For those wishing to understand exactly what happened during this dismal time, Gormley's evenhanded analysis is the place to start." Gormley conducted interviews with all the principal players, including Lewinsky, Clinton, Starr, Linda Tripp, Paula Jones, Susan McDougal, Supreme Court justices, and many more individuals key to the saga. The program will take place, as usual, at the Ritz Carlton Georgetown. For reservations, please call 202.912.4110. The fee is $50, all inclusive. Seating begins at noon. You won't want to miss this. I look forward to seeing you there. Carol (3/4/10) Now This... a 90 minute documentary on the early history of WJMA radio in Orange, VA is now available for purchase. The DVD covers the history of WJMA from sign-on in late 1949 through early 1984. Interviews with 30 former staff, owners, listeners and period photos are included in the documentary. There is a second 82 minute disc that includes additional longer stories, audio clips, and reminiscences. Now This...is available for credit card purchase through Amazon.com. The Amazon price is $14.99 plus applicable tax and shipping. Or you can send a $15 check to: WJMA Video, PO Box 791, Orange VA 22960. The price includes shipping. Make checks payable to Ross Hunter. (3/4/10) Had to switch off Mike Wise this morning, again. He kept interrupting caller he was arguing with so that you can't understand either one. Repeatedly, he'd say, Go ahead, and then just jump in and cut off the caller. Bad radio. (3/4/10) A live *TEST* video stream of the syndicated G Gordon Liddy radio show will be happening Thursday from 10A to 1P E.T. on USTREAM.TV. It is a one-camera shoot only, with a few graphics. If you have a moment to log on and see it, please send technical comments and reception reports (nothing pithy, abusive or irrelevant please) to rollingvalleyradio@yahoo.com . Thank you all. (3/4/10) Ed Graham's comments on Jack Edwards and Jack Gale are perhaps the funniest I've ever read on DCRTV. The more I think about it, Graham is on target. Edwards started in radio in 1956. Gale came to mornings at WITH in 1957. Which means I guess, Gale was actually warming up for his WITH gig a few months ahead of time in the role of Jack Edwards. By 1960, Jack was overnights at CAO. Gale was still doing AM drive at WITH. Which means Gale was Edwards between Midnight and 5:45 AM on WCAO, then rolled the daily Sermonette at a quarter to 6 and ran 8 blocks down Charles Street to Lexington, proceeding to climb 3 floors just in time to take the handoff from Roz Ford, Bid Causey, or whomever was doing the all-night satellite at WITH. He was late one day when he tripped in a pothole in the dark near Charles and Centre streets and spent 15 minutes looking for the bag of Little Tavern sandwiches that flew out of his hand on impact. He found them in a hedge near the Washington Monument. Ketchup was oozing out of the bag. Then, if Graham's claim needs even more proof...Jack Gale fired Ron Riley at WAPE in Jacksonville for playing too many Beatle records in a row. Riley got back at Gale when he arrived at WCAO in the early 70's by forcing Edwards/Gale out to where he eventually went to WCBM. They look very similar, save for the fact Jack is 6 inches taller and greets staffers each morning with 'Coffee, Hoss? Fresh Pot!' Yes, Gale certainly played his cards right all those years. He knew...like Bret Maverick...it was best to have 'A pair of Jacks' to open. (3/4/10) Regarding Mick Lee, he also replaced Albie Dee at Hot 99.5 for about 2 weeks until he F bombed a voicetrack. Hopefully, Portland has improved his attention to detail. (3/4/10) Iam surprised that Clear Channel actually hired a real live PD for Z1043 instead of just having it programmed from Rockville a la Thea Mitchum who is the PD of Hot995 based in Rockville program both stations. Will they actually spend money on a local air-staff? Also its about time that CBS Radio and WPGC named Big Tigger as the stations new morning man do not understand what has taken so long but whatever. Apparently Angie Corley is still on their staff so i guess she will return as the co-host of the new "Live In the Den Morning Show"-w Big Tigger. (3/4/10) Joy Pons may be doing WMAR-TV's weather now but for several months, until very recently, she was a semi-regular traffic reporter on WJZ-TV. And most local TV weather segments everywhere have a producer and/or a consulting service to provide content. So accuracy seldom varies just because of who's on screen. Joy doing weather isn't exactly a sea change for WMAR-TV, especially at this stage in its pathetic 20-year decline. And by the same token Bob Ryan, Kim Martucci, or their professional colleagues who are still working don't really add much value except as personalities, which sometimes makes all the difference to the audience. (3/4/10) I am really liking the HD Radio power hike approval. I also nominate 106.7 WJFK for the world-record holder for HD subchannels. HD-1 through HD-4. Wow!! Even more than C-Span Radio and WAMU!! Who cares if it's the same program? -Chainsman (3/4/10) National Talknet host and my friend Bruce williams retires this Friday with his last nation wide show. (3/4/10) /\ March 4 Messages /\ \/ March 3 Messages \/ Congrats to Al Galdi. He deserves it and I like his style. I'm sure he'll do a great job but doesn't he know that becoming the station's Skins beat reporter is the kiss of death (see Jerry Coleman and Frank Hanrahan)? (3/3/10) OMG CH2 has slipped to an all-time low. This evening Joy Pons is doing the weather. She knows as much about the weather as my cat. She's the one who many years ago posed for playboy magazine draped over a plane's wing when she was doing traffic reports. How can they say they have the most accurate forecast? (3/3/10) "Meet the Press" moderator David Gregory says "mainstream media" has become "a term of derision" and he doesn't like it. Talking to broadcasters in Washington at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual state leadership conference, Gregory suggested that Washington, with the aid of the media, has divided itself into disparate streams that eschew common ground. Uhhh, where has this Beltway hack been? He should know better than anyone that the first rule of the liberal media is to promote the government of the day. www.broadcastingcable.com (3/3/10) Dickhead Jim Handly just pronounced Chuck Levin's family name as "Levine" Did he he catch some kind of disease from Babs? Regards Biff (3/3/10) Good to see Bob Mathers getting back into radio around here. We need more people like him leading this industry once again. I just hope he's given what I like to call, the "freedom to succeed"! God Bless Ya, Bob! -Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/3/10) From TVNewser: Yesterday morning, shock jock Howard Stern appeared on CBS' "Early Show" from his Sirius XM studio to, among other things, weigh in on Jay Leno's return to late night. He told Harry Smith, "Just the mere mention of Jay Leno's name makes me want to vomit." Stern appearing on a network morning show is a rare sight. We hear that a staffer from a competing morning show even sent an email over to the CBS control room, impressed with the get. (3/3/10) Great news...Bob Mathers back where he belongs. Give him a week or so and you'll her a great radio station. I just got some other really fantastic news about another format change coming as soon as tomorrow. Welcome back you guys. Ed Graham (3/3/10) It's sad, that even with the DC stations trying to figure out what morning or afternoon show to broadcast, The Greaseman had to go to Florida to find a job. Makes me glad i'm in the IT biz and not the radio biz. Bethesda Jeff (3/3/10) 106.7 apparently is announcing something big today at 5:10. Any guesses? I am thinking they will carry Capitals games on their air for the rest of the season and/or playoffs. BFD -- hockey is meant to watched on TV in HD. (3/3/10) I just had to say that those Martucci emails that come with the attachments must crack you up as much as me, because you keep running them. A stone pillar being lifted out of the ground is Big Kim relocating to WRC? Her first meal in the cafeteria is some sweat hog eating an entire cake? They’re all so stupid funny I can’t help myself. AND I LIKE KM! She came to my kids’ school and was great with them. She also lives near me in Frederick county, so I have to come to her defense. Still, I think of that stone pillar video, and I just start snickering uncontrollably. I’m cracking up just thinking about it. So even if the guy sending them in needs mental help, MORE PLEASE! (3/3/10) Re: The Baltimore Sun and the use of the word "Fag"...there was a time only just a few years ago when many of the valley news papers such as the Martinsburg Journal, Winchester Star, Harrisonburg Daily News-Record and the Northern Virginia Daily had not only allowed the use of the word "fag" on their forums but even in the actual articles appearing in the paper that was written by the staff. I myself can remember the Martinsburg Journal's "Journal Juction" and for the longest time not a week went by without someone calling somebody a "fag" such as the time some years back when some jerk called the people who belong to the local Martinsburg Moses House ( a home for people with HIV/AIDS ) "..trashy dirty fags". Now before people start to send emails to DCRTV saying "..NO NO NO..that has NEVER happened !!".., well may I suggest to you to whip out your VISA/Mastercard and pay for the access to the website www.newspaperarchive.org. The proof in the pudding is all right there !!! Today on the other hand no local paper in that region still allows the use of that word either online or in the actual paper itself, very surprised to see that a major paper such as the Baltimore Sun still does. (3/3/10) (snip) Sajak Broadcasting hires Bob Mathers (end snip) Glad to see he's been hired. I wondered what happened to him after "Leave it to Beaver" was cancelled. Al McGilvray (3/3/10) Dave's response: That was Jerry Mathers, who has put on a lot of weight since then..... The Baltimore Sun's new COMMENTS to stories thing that was added back does not allow the posting of the N-word, or the words mofo, fuck, or even the word ASS. It checks for offensive words & rightly so. But, guess what it does allow, you can CALL PEOPLE FAGS at BaltimoreSun.com unbelievably... "reader203 at 9:35 AM March 3, 2010 If the people of Maryland decide they do not want Gansler as AG anymore all they have to do is vote him out of office. As for the gay marriage thing, I still can't understand why the FAGS need to call it marriage. Why can't they call it something else, like companionship or partnership or something. I do know the reason (follow the money and benefits) but I still consider it an obomination that they want to call it marriage." THIS POST STILL REMAINS UP! Just unbelievable. Assembly cannot impeach Gansler, his office advises - baltimoresun.com (3/3/10) Jim asked, "What ever happened to Jack Edwards, formerly of WCAO and WCBM in their hey days?" Sorry, Jim, but ironically, Jack never existed. He was merely another voice of the multitalented Jack Gale. This allowed Jack Gale to work for two Baltimore stations at the same time and to declare Edwards as a dependant on his taxes. Ed Graham (3/3/10) actual-secret-video-of-actual-politico-editorial-meeting wonkette.com (3/3/10) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Local entrepreneur is interested in introducing new sound to the DC airwaves, targeting 18-35 demographic. Looking for business partners to discuss this exciting radio opportunity. Please send email to dcmetroradio@aol.com (3/3/10) Today (March 3), WFMD radio host Blaine Young will be sworn in as Frederick, MD County Commissioner. Here is an editorial page from The Frederick News-Post of the future of Blaine Young's WFMD talk show-www.fredericknewspost.com (3/3/10) Dave, thanks for the post about Video Vault—sad news. About three years ago, my VCR broke, and the only reason I bothered to buy a new one was because of Video Vault and their collection of “B” horror movies. Jim, if you’re reading this, please accept my gratitude for providing so many years of affordable entertainment and I wish you and your wife all my best. Chris in Alexandria (3/3/10) (regarding Dave's response) “There's a restroom in the basement of a parking garage in Rosslyn, over on Nash Street, I think.” Isn’t that where Bob Woodward and W. Mark Felt - aka: ‘DeepThroat’ - used to meet? (3/3/10) Dave's response: Right around the corner..... Like so many other people, I can't wait to get my weather from Kim Martucci again. She is the only reason why I actually paused while zipping through the channels one early morning and let my set linger on channel 9 for once. It isn't just that she rarely let me down with the weather, but my kids actually wanted to get up for school and find out what she was going to say. Instead of watching kids programming, I could actually watch news while packing their lunches. My daughter would pick out her clothes and say "But mom Kim said it wasn't going to rain". She is really missed in this Alexandria household and our morning routine just isn't the same. So, Miss Kim, we're looking for you! Hurry up and come back and be part of our family again and know we'll follow you to whichever station is lucky enough to get you. -- The Kennys (3/3/10) Hey, that Spanish party "radio station" at the 87 MHz end of the FM band - the one that is supposed to be a TV station - anyone know where programming originates from; if they have a main or remote studio (not just a mailing address)? (3/3/10) Dave's response: There's a restroom in the basement of a parking garage in Rosslyn, over on Nash Street, I think. In the men's room, enter the third stall from the left and shut the door. With your foot, tap on the floor five times (not four or six). Be careful if Senator Larry Craig is in the next stall. The floor of the stall will slowly drop and you'll find yourself at the WDCN offices and studios..... Keep up the good work. I check your site every day and love keeping up with my Baltimore-D.C. TV and radio memories. What ever happened to Jack Edwards, formerly of WCAO and WCBM in their hey days? Best regards from FL, Jim (3/3/10) Here's a link to a press release about the 40th anniversary of The Beatles arrival in the U.S., with some vintage audio clips of the Fab Four and Carroll James, the WWDC disc jockey who premiered "I Want To Hold Your Hand" on American radio. Earlier, he had heard from a Silver Spring listener, Marsha Albert, who had seen film of them on CBS News, and asked James why their music wasn't being heard on U.S. radio. The press release and audio clips lay out the story. www.thefab40.com... I wonder what became of Marsha? (3/3/10) For the past two days 106.7 the Fan has been running a replay of its HD1 channel on its HD2, HD3, and HD4 channels. Great job CBS engineers! (3/3/10) Dave's response: Well, over the weekend they had Baltimore's WJZ-FM on the HD2, NYC WFAN on the HD3, and Philly's WIP on the HD4. I guess they're having technical troubles. See below..... What is going on with 106.7 the fan I turned them on after 11pm on Tuesday March 2nd for Chris Russel then the beginning of the final hour of The Tony Bruno show and they have 660 am New York on there with John Feinstein which is not a dc radio station I like John but I want my dc sports... Alex (3/3/10) I probably read it wrong but I got the impression from the WaPo magazine article that a principle reason why Leon Harris was speaking to the yutes about the dangers of drunk driving was to garner increased ratings? Did the article mention what a clotheshorse Mr. Harris is? Heck the sales staff over at channel 7 should line up The Men's Warehouse as a sponsor for the 5 pm news. Or maybe the beleaguered SYMS? Was Matt Brock cut loose or went elsewhere ? He's off the talent bio page at channel 7. Wasn't he there about 10 years? I did not know Courtney Robinson and Pamela Brown where both graduates of the University of Tar Heels. If Bob Ryan does show up on channel 7 does that mean some other weatherperson over there bites the dust? And how about Tucker Barnes, the seperated by birth of the young charles Schwab, heck plug him in over at channel 4 as the main weatherman and he'll be there a decade, if local news lasts that long. Man Meyer Emco and now Video Vault, all the places I frequent are biting the dust. (3/3/10) Just for the record, WLOM was, until early 1983, WNAV-FM and it did have a 'beautiful music' format. Right about the late winter or early spring of that year, the calls were changed to WLOM and the format to soft hits (soft AC). This continued until that fall. (3/3/10) A question to my fellow "Mailbaggers". Well, Spring Training is upon us. As a lifelong Oriole fan (please don't hold that against me). Does anyone remember an old PBS baseball series from the early 70's called "Basically Baseball"? As I recall, it featured members of some early to mid-70's Oriole teams (including Earl & some of his coaches). I've been having some computer issues of late and am currently unable to search archives to obtain a copy. Can someone point me in the proper direction? Rusty Gibson, WEBR RadioFairfax (3/3/10) /\ March 3 Messages /\ \/ March 2 Messages \/ My gawd: juz fooling around about the loverly Ms. Martucci! Nothing said any worse than about Angie Goff’s extensions, Rush Limbaugh’s weight or a supposed description of “the poster” (BTW, I'm sure if I opened the dictionary to "ugly" that poster's photo would be displayed). Hmmm. Get help.....Help! (3/2/10) I agree with Shawn in DC regarding these disgraceful posts about Kim Martucci. If you're going to disparage a professional broadcaster, do so because they can't do their job! I mean, what are tuning in for, the forecast or porno? Just because you don't like the physical attributes of a person, doesn't mean that they're incapable of performing their duties correctly. Ms. Martucci has always been affable, charming, and a true professional. She is a credit to all TV meteorologists. And if I'm not mistaken, hasn't NBC 4 pretty much owned DC local news for the last 15 years? And they're recruiting her (allegedly)? Yeah, she must be terrible. Dave, it may be time to ban some of the more well crafted garbage posts...trash is too elevated a word. -Billy Sparks (3/2/10) First of all... I 'd like to commend (Shawn in DC's) response to Dave. I am in total agreement with Shawn. The immature comments about Ms. Martucci really DON'T belong on the board, they are NOT legitimate and they are definitely NOT funny and, as Shawn in DC mentioned they add nothing..... zilch.... NADA!!! Kim Martucci was always a breath of fresh air. She kept her viewers informed and made us feel like we were all part of her team. She always gave more than required in her job. How many other meteorologists and newscasters/news anchors, care enough to take the time and effort to give their audience a birds eye view of what goes on on the set of their job? Kim had the God-given ability to reach people of all ages, different backgrounds, from the young child on the playground, the sports enthusiasts, the stay-at-home Mom, blue collar employee, professionals, college students to the politicians on the Hill. Kim united her viewers as one big diverse community. She is truly missed. BRING KIM MARTUCCI back! (Kathleen in MD) (3/2/10) Re: DCRTV Dave's missing a report on a local media figure getting 'knocked up' - just for the record, I got laid last night, had a normal bowel movement this morning & had a grilled cheese sandwich with my divorce attorney this afternoon. I hope that satisfied your morbid curiosity you vultures. A sidebar - Angie Goff is also a graduate of Herndon High School just like our esteemed DCRTV Dave, so watch the trailer park references...wait, it's Herndon...nevermind. (2/3/10) Dave's response: I don't think there's a trailer park within tobacco-spittin' distance of Herndon..... Dr. Sharon Henry, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and trauma surgeon at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, will be joining the Baltimore Newsmakers Forum panel, "Haiti: The Way Forward." Henry was a member of UMMC's earthquake relief mission in Haiti, where she witnessed first-hand the desperate medical need of the injured. Baltimore Newsmakers Forum will take place at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St., just east of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The March event is the debut of BNF, which is produced by Andaz Media Group in conjunction with the Association of Black Media Workers in Baltimore. Henry and five other panelists will discuss what's next for the impoverished island nation after the devastating earthquake left 230,000 dead, more than one million homeless, and countless children orphaned. “When the disaster first happened it was what everyone was talking about, but it seems to have been pushed to the back burner,” said Jerry Bembry, cofounder of Andaz Media Group and vice president of the Association of Black Media Workers. “We want to keep this in the news, and we plan to push the discussion further with health care professionals, relief workers, and activists who knew of Haiti’s struggles long before this earthquake happened, and from journalists who saw, firsthand, the devastation. From health to infrastructure, fractured families to economics, this earthquake will have a lasting effect on Haiti for years, if not decades.” Other panelists include Ann Varghese, program officer at IMA World Health, who was in Haiti during the earthquake and was rescued from the rubble at the Hotel Montana; Sunni Khalid, news editor at WYPR, who won the Overseas Press Club's Ben Grauer Award for his coverage of Haiti; Eric Walcott, executive director of the National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians (NOAH); Lowell Melser, a reporter at WBAL-TV who traveled to Haiti aboard the USNS Comfort; and André Chung, a photojournalist who recently returned from Haiti with powerful images from the disaster. Doors at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum will open at 5:30 p.m., and the event runs between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. For more information visit www.facebook.com/BaltimoreNewsmakersForum or call 443-982-2513. (3/2/10) Hey I watched sportnite last night on CSN and Jill Sorenson looked to be seriously pregnant. Never saw it mentioned on your blog. (3/2/10) Dave's response: Darn, you mean DCRTV failed to report someone in the local TV biz getting "knocked-up"? I'm going to have to do a dozen "Hail Farhis" before I go to bed tonight..... That wouldn't be Mr.. Tony making those nasty comments about Ms Martucci, would it ???? Naahh (3/2/10) "B&C tells us that "Daily Connection," the time-filler, quasi-news show that airs on Channel 4/WRC at 3 PM" --Actually, beginning yesterday, WRC flipped Daily Connection to 2pm and Ellen to 3pm (3/2/10) Dave, these horrific comments about Ms. Martucci really don't belong on the board. They are not informative, not funny, gratuitously vicious, and really add nothing. I assume it is one poster, as the language is similar to the language of a few months ago. I've never seen much of her, but these comments are beyond the pale. It's your board but I don't understand the rationale for posting that stuff. She's not running for office. BTW, I'm sure if I opened the dictionary to "ugly" that poster's photo would be displayed. (Shawn in DC) (3/2/10) "What is up with this hate for Kim Martucci?" Amen... but judging from the asinine commenters in this mailbag, she might be better off moving to another town.-Chris in DC": never knew Chris Plante had a thing for Lurch. Does "Number One" know about this Chris? And here we have Martucci "moving to another town": www.elephantremovals.co.uk (3/2/10) Dave's response: Your pic doesn't work well as a "tall" joke, as with Ms. Martucci. It works better as a "fat" joke. A la - I hear that's how Rush Limbaugh gets around these days, now that he's ballooned back to over 200 pounds. I just bet that the writer of the above post is incredibly short, or, better yet, a certain appendage of his is, and that's what irritates him so much about this particular former 9 tall weathercaster. Hmmm. Get help..... Speaking of Angie "shrieking" Goff, will somebody, ANYBODY please tell her that her HAIR EXTENSIONS are constantly hitting the mic! You can take the woman out of the trailer park... (3/2/10) "Dave's response: Huh?!?!?: Whadda u mean "huh?": 5'5" my ass: she'd need a crane to "return" anywhere. MORE BREAKING MARTUCCI NEWS: KIM "LURCH" MARTUCCI'S FIRST LUNCH AT WRC: davart.net (3/2/10) Hey! Kim Martucci is only 5'5. Lying on her back. (3/2/10) "This weekly "rag" [the National Enquirer] broke the John Edwards affair, the Rielle Hunter pregnancy and proved a year ago that the baby was Edwards', even though he kept denying it until last December. These writers should get a Pulitzer Prize for this investigation, in my opinion." Let's not get crazy here - has the Enquirer ever broken a really important story like the Valerie Plame spy case? To confer a prestigious honor like the Pulitzer on a trashy, sex-obsessed scandal sheet would be an insult to all the accomplished journalists who've been awarded that prize. That's not to mention the Enquirer's propensity for making stuff up out of the blue (such as celebrities having encounters with extraterrestrials). On another topic, Steve Czaban (on WTEM's Sports Reporters) recently asked "who's Holden Caulfield?" while commenting on Tony Kornheiser's remarks about Hannah Storm that got him suspended from ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. While fewer people may read books than was the case 20 or 30 years ago, you have to be a nearly complete zero when it comes to American culture to have never even heard of the protagonist of the late J. D. Salinger's landmark novel "Catcher in the Rye". Speaking of Sports Reporters, Czaban and Andy Pollin did two shows from Orlando, Florida last week as part of "ESPN The Weekend" (a big corporate event that the four letter network holds there every year). Thursday's program featured several on-site guests including ex-World Cup soccer player Brandi Chastain. One of the questions the hosts asked her was "can we see your six pack?" - while Chastain took it in good humor, I'm wondering if ESPN (which believes in wholesome, family friendly radio and probably frowns on that type of thing) found out about it and instructed its guests not to appear on Reporters the following day. Whether or not that's the case, it's curious that the lone interview on Friday was with someone in Indianapolis covering the NFL combine workouts. Mike, Fairfax (3/2/10) Hi Dave, I am hoping CBS radio is really taking time to think about what they are going to do. They should just change 95.5 WPGC to AMP 95-5 (it looks like it is working out in LA and up in NYC) and have Tigger hosting mornings. They should give Herkules the afternoon show leave Michel during the middays and keep the Home Team in the evenings. If they do this AMP 95-5 will be dangerous (watch out HOT 995)! Also get rid of Fresh-FM (We already have WASH and Mix) and just move HFS over there and bring back Cerphe to play the classics and good modern stuff. (3/2/10) Personally, I have nothing against Ms. Martucci. I just find Angie Goff much easier on the eyes. (3/2/10) "What is up with this hate for Kim Martucci?" Amen. All she has done is deliver weather, smile, and look pretty darn good on TV while doing it. The abuse and insults hurled at her in this mailbag are absurd. A bunch of children taking cheap shots at a woman who has done nothing but her job. Hopefully, she gets picked up at Channel 4...but judging from the asinine commenters in this mailbag, she might be better off moving to another town. -Chris in DC (3/2/10) The sticks for WLVE 610 AM in Winchester, VA (aka "SportsTalk 610) were on land leased by Clear Channel. The owner wanted the land back for a retirement village in development. CC moved the programming to WXVA AM 1550 in Charles Town, WV, although the mail goes to CC's complex of stations at Winchester airport on Rt 522 in Frederick County. Al McGilvray (3/2/10) Hello -- We just posted an interview with Howie Mandel about his memoir and experience living with OCD on the WETA Book Studio, an online project that gives us a chance to hear from a wider range of people than you might on our air... www.thebookstudio.com... Pam (3/2/10) Memo to Dan Mason. Nobody works for orange juice and the 'fun' of being on the radio anymore. You had a hand in that change when you dumped the pegs of CIRP and let Ben hire Donnie. (3/2/10) Oh no. Radio One is again considering moving back into DC. I guess the mayor's $23,000,000 carrot is too good to turn down. I stilll say that money is better serving the fixing of run down schools than helping Cathy Hughes inflate her bank account. Come on DC, do the right thing. Take that money and do the right thing. (3/2/10) That's a pretty scthing indictment of the job the stations are doing: 2 non-commercial. "Public" stations in the top 10???? WHAAAAAAAT? Completely insane! (3/2/10) Dave's response: It's funny how alleged lefty talk WAMU beats the crap out of alleged righty talk WMAL every damn week. And, WETA-FM is the only place on DC radio to hear classical, and now-defunct commercial classical WGMS was frequently a top 10 performer..... From looking at last week's FCC filings I guess it's official, 2 area AM stations have gone permanently dark now with 2nd filings with the FCC last week. WAMD 970 AM in Aberdeen, Maryland, & WLVE 610 AM in Winchester, VA. Religious broadcasting giant Salem Media is taking 970 dark to improve its New York City WNYM 970. AM 970 is Aberdeen, MD's ONLY radio station, not to mention the home of Cal Ripken & used to broadcast his Aberdeen Ironbirds, The Orioles, & even The Baltimore Colts! People forget that back then you couldn't get WCBM 680 very easily in Harford County to listen to a Colts broadcast as they were only 5000 watts, not 50,000 watts. WLVE 610 is co-owned by Clear Channel with Baltimore's WCAO AM 600 which has signal problems towards Columbia & DC due to the 2 stations being adjacent on the AM band. Might Clear Channel be looking to improve Gospel WCAO 600's anemic signal towards Columbia & DC by just ditching a money losing station in Winchester, VA? Hmm, I wonder. (3/2/10) I hope Ch 4 will pick up Kim Martucci as their new weather person...I was so upset when Ch 9 let her go. If they do I for one will follow her there...PLEASE ch 4 consider her for the JOB!!!!! Babs Bowden (3/2/10) What is up with this hate for Kim Martucci? Honestly! Are you all that afraid of a presumably tall woman? Are you all 5'2" and still upset that tall people called you all shrimp? Did she show you folks up at a game of hoops? Did tall women stand you up at prom? I have never seen anyone else get the level of vitriol that gets directed at her. And only because she might be *taller* than you! --Wesley (3/2/10) Back when simulcasting of AM programming on FM stations was cut back, companies like Drake-Chenault (and others) provided syndicated content in various formats. I think I recall reading that in one of the many incarnations of WRC-FM, they offered "beautiful music" from Shulke. The other "easy listening" stations in the area then, were WGAY-FM, WJMD-FM, WEZR-FM. I think I remember reading that WGAY was programmed locally, but the other two stations were programmed (or, at least, consulted) by program syndicators. Some of these stations were either automated full-time or were in a part-time "live assist" mode. Also, back when WMOD-FM was "oldies" it was automated at least part of the time. I'm not sure if it was programmed locally or programmed/consulted from out of town. One time, during off-peak hours, the equipment kept playing a commercial for a suburban Maryland apartment/condo development, over and over. At one point, WWDC-FM was also automated part-time. Anyway, here's a link with info and audio from several of the companies that created syndicated content in various formats, around the country. www.dougquick.com (3/2/10) OK... Who's going to blink this time? Check these out... cablevision.com and saveabc7.com... Interesting to watch these re-transmission battles play themselves out in other cities as the politics dictate that a serious one will never happen here... too much for all parties to lose in an industry loath to gamble its existence... -Unsigned Corpotate Suit (3/2/10) Just LOVE Kim Martucci. She'd be an awesome addition to ch 4 and can't wait to see her return to the airwaves soon. At least I can still get her forecast online and let me tell you they're a hell of a lot more accurate than some of the bs we were told we wouldn't be shoveling by some of the other weather people. We are Weather Kim! (3/2/10) Hi Dave, What ever happened to the "big announcement" that CBS was going to do at 12 noon today that you wrote about Yesterday? Steve (3/2/10) Dave's response: It didn't happen. According to All Access, CBS is still negotiating with Mo'Nique to do mornings at PGC. At it looks like not all the talks were completed in time for the "big announcement" yesterday. Stay tuned. As I've always said, DCRTV sometimes presents news "as its happening." If you only want stuff that's completely confirmed, like Bob Ryan's jump to 7 (ha ha ha), then get your media news from The Farhi Post..... Dave apparently the rapper Ludicrus will be doing PGC`s morning drive on Tuesday could PGC be stunting until Big Tigger really takes over the slot Mo`Nique may end up there in the morning drive I have my doubts. Stranger things have happen however. (3/2/10) Dave's response: Personally, I think PGC is just trying to "stunt" with news that Mo'Nique will be PGC new morning personality. My bet is on Big Tigger getting moved from afternoons. PGC is probably doing final talks on a new AFTERNOON personality for the station, before making the "big announcement"..... /\ March 2 Messages /\ \/ March 1 Messages \/ "While I am sad to see Bob Ryan go, I was really hoping that his departure would mean Kim "Lurch" Martucci's return." BREAKING NEWS: KIM "LURCH" MARTUCCI TO RETURN. VIDEO OF HER LEAVING FOR WRC HAS JUST BEEN POSTED: www.blinkx.com (3/1/10) Dave's response: Huh?!?!? re: Why is Wise off the air? ...Someone accidentally flipped the switch to their Philadelphia subchannel. It came back after a few minutes. (3/1/10) Here's some interesting info about the creation of the taped music that Drake-Chenault sent out to stations from their format syndication service, back in the day. www.drakechenault.org (3/1/10) So the "Big Announcement" is that CBS MAY have a replacement for Donnie Simpson? Who was let go already?? This is news?? Was there a debate whether someone would be hired as his replacement? I'm glad I slept thru it. No thats not a Junks reference. Wake me up when CBS returns the best station it ever destroyed to its rightful frequency. Suits: don't bother me with your 'facts' I already established my opinion of your penny pinching ass kissing mental vacuum based policies. Donnie (Not Simpson) (3/1/10) Steve Harvey has indeed parlayed a standup and TV career into a decent radio career, and more power to him. But even consultants say putting a TV star on a radio show is not a guarantee of success. Whoopie Goldberg is one of the biggest stars of our time - she has a Grammy, an Emmy and an Oscar. So why did her radio show suck toad nuts? Maybe its time to follow my own advice, get the hell out of radio and go into TV production and performance. That's where the action is. (3/1/10) Samsung Blue Ray plug and play into internet. Blockbuster and Net Flix streaming on line. Rest In Peace Video Store : ) Mark A. Coltrin (3/1/10) WTOP - How much do they pay you every month to pump their ratings?... "gigantic ratings" "substantial first place leads". You're a hack that only includes 12+ ratings every single week. Do they save a seat for you inside the "glass enclosed nerve center"? (3/1/10) Dave's response: DCRTV, a Bonneville company. Seriously, ratings firm Arbitron frowns on the public release of anything but the most broad numbers. That's why we always stick to the full-week, age 12+ numbers. Oh, good luck on your divorce..... Hi Dave. MarketWatch Radio Network offers special series on job hunting... We’re providing a five-part series all this week on how to find a job in this terrible economy. Adrienne Mitchell will offer job tips and job hunting advice from experts. With close to 15 million Americans now unemployed, MarketWatch Radio Network is offering these reports as a public service to our affiliates and listeners. Among those stations airing our reports: WTOP-Washington, WBZ-Boston, KCBS-San Francisco, KMOX-St. Louis, KRLD-Dallas and KXL-Portland. Cheers! John Wordock (3/1/10) Dave, I think we should update the Bill Kamal file. He was released from prison in December of 2008 to a halfway house. I believe he has since been released completely. He has lifetime probation, and of course is a registered sex offender henceforth. The Miami papers have the story in their archives. KDF (3/1/10) This POSSIBLE Mo`nique coming to WPGC is causing a stir in the mailbag WOW. When you can generate buzz about your station it might be worth it. Billy Sparks you are correct Baltimore and D.C. are different Baltimore is working class ie: police,firemen,etc. where D.C. is transient ie; out of towners, congressmen,politian's,power. That is not an insult just as he said two different styles of cities i do agree with him about Big Tigger they should name him morning man and call it a day. Mo`nique lives in L.A. how could it be local and the money demand it really does not make sense(cents). (3/1/10) The following was forwarded to DCRTV..... Washington, D.C.’s Video Vault Closing Doors For Good After 25 Years.... I'm writing to share some sad news. After 25 years as a mainstay in Old Town Alexandria and among movie-lovers and wackos nationwide, Video Vault will soon be finis, kaput, closed forever. What happened? Well, the story of packaged media (movies, but also music and maybe books) is simple: It's all about digits. Too many digital downloads, too many digits on that rent check. My wife Jane and I always believed in the value of good advice and customer service. In tough times, low cost and convenience trump all that. We haven't had any time to really look back over the 25 years, but we did scrape up some of our favorite news articles about the Vault. Sorry to say, the National Enquirer piece isn't available online, neither are the Entertainment Weekly or Wall Street Journal, but here's some stuff that helps tell our story, a kind of virtual press kit: Finding VHS in a DVD World - 2006 - washingtonpost.com... Movie 'Turkeys' Run Free at Specialty Video Store - 1990 - Associated Press... Thrillers Are Treasure at Alexandria's Vault - 1987 - washingtonpost.com... Treasures in Relocated Vault - 1993 - Washington Post (preview)... Best Place to Rent Bad Movies - 2008 - Washington City Paper... Vault About to Burst - 2002 - The Astounding B Monster... Video Vault Uncovered - Multimedia fansite about Video Vault... My wife Jane and I will be around the store until the end, telling our story and selling off everything that will fit through the door, especially our collection of 65,000 movie titles, ranging in quality from the great to the good to the God-awful! Many titles in our inventory are impossible to find elsewhere - we've prided ourselves on selection that no chain and no other mom & pop store could beat. Our GOING OUT OF VIDNESS sale starts today and runs until April 30. Come see us, you never know what amusing title, anecdote, or graphic art might be fodder for your reporting. I'm in the store from 11-6 nearly every day. You can reach me at 703-549-8848. I'd love to hear from you, and tell a few stories, and yes, get some more folks in the store at least one more time. Support independent retail! Jim (3/1/10) Dave, calling the National Enquirer a "trashy celeb gossip tabloid" is unfair. This weekly "rag" broke the John Edwards affair, the Rielle Hunter pregnancy and proved a year ago that the baby was Edwards', even though he kept denying it until last December. These writers should get a Pulitzer Prize for this investigation, in my opinion. If the 'mainstream media' had been doing their jobs, John Edwards' lies would've been exposed during the primary season '08, and, instead of taking votes & delegates away from Hillary Clinton, he would've been forced to drop out of the race early, and thus Hillary would've had a huge chance of winning the Dem nomination. Instead, we're stuck in this mess, no thanks to John Edwards' ego & narcissism, as well as that of his cohort and partner-in-crime, Andrew Young. Soooo, lay off the Enquirer, eh? -Silvie- (3/1/10) Not that anyone would notice based on ratings, but WNST has been off the since shortly after 9:00 this morning, unless they had a significant power reduction, and I can no longer get the already weak signal. They claim to take pride in their website, so why not post what the heck is going on? Two things on this: Last week the internet is down in the am. A week or so before that, the phones weren't working. And they continue to wonder why they aren't taken seriously. (3/1/10) Re: Mo'Nique- If the rumors are indeed true about Mo'Nique signing w/WPGC, then the call letters would truly stand for White People Going Crazy. First of all, she's not coming cheap. After all, she is a Golden Globe winning actress, and I'm sure her salary would have to be commiserate to at least what Donnie made. Not a good budget decision. Factor in, that hers is not the most inclusive show. She has a very narrow demographic, and in this PPM climate, that would further move WPGC away from a broader cume. I mean how far can the "sassy sista" act last on a station that clearly needs to readjust it's brand? Plus, will she be local? While in later years Donnie may not have had ratings numbers per se, advertisers didn't necessarily buy the station, they bought Donnie, because he had actually been to their restaurant, or wore their clothes, etc. He had a strong local following. I know Mo'Nique's from Baltimore, but DC and Baltimore are not the same...sorry Charmers, it's a fact. It would behoove WPGC to give mornings to Big Tigger. Fiscally, he'd be cheaper, geographically, he actually lives in the area, and from a programming standpoint he's an air-personality, not an actor! But, what do I know? They're the ones with the top ranked, highest revenue generating station...right? -Billy Sparks (3/1/10) What's the deal? There was supposed to be some big announcement about the CBS cluster F around noonish. Here it is 2:35 and there is nothing about it on DCRTV. If we wanted to find out about it next month, we would be reading the Washington Post. John (3/1/10) In the Washington Post on Friday, February 26, on page A21, there was an article headlined "Radio One backs out of plan to move to Shaw, D.C." The first paragraph read, "A deal that would have brought the country's largest radio broadcaster back to its home town has fallen apart, according to District officials." To what country were they referring, Guatemala? In what universe is Radio One the "country's largest radio broadcaster"? (3/1/10) What's the difference between Mo'Nique & Don Gerorimo? Answer: 5 lbs. What's the difference between Mo'Nique & Don Gerorimo? Answer: Mo'Nique drives a car to work, Sorce takes AMTRAK. What's the difference between Mo'Nique & Don Gerorimo? Answer: Mo'Nique starred in Precious. Sorce had a cameo role on The King of Queens. What's the difference between Mo'Nique & Don Gerorimo? Answer: Mo'Nique makes Mo' Money. They do have one thing in common. Neither shave their legs. AHHHHH (3/1/10) Why is Wise off the air? Thanks. (3/1/10) Regarding the ever shrinking Washington Times, I was a long time subscriber and its a real disappointment that the air was let out of it. They stopped delivering it without notice and then sent me an email a week ago stating they were going to re-establish home delivery in Fairfax County. The caveat was the cost, $15.00 and week. No thanks, that 60 bucks a months is what it use to cost for a year. (3/1/10) I read with amusement the following "Hasn't anyone learned over the past 6 years that giving a TV personality a radio show is a disaster set into motion from the start? Said "talent" will bring in all their heavy hitters from their Rolodex of famous friends, have a few fun show-biz stories to tell... and basically blow thru all their A-material in the first three weeks." I've got two words for you... Steve Harvey... currently 3rd place AM drive not too bad for a "TV personality". Rick the Rat (3/1/10) Hi Dave, Thought you might be interested in this post, or at least following it to see what kind of comments folks leave: Under-the-radar goodbye for Bob Ryan at 4 washingtonpost.com Thanks, Dan (3/1/10) Dave's response: I wouldn't spend too much time on a goodbye message for Bob since he'll almost certainly be back on TV, via 7, pretty soon..... To the naysayers who think Mo'Nique will fall flat if PGC actually signs her, don't be so sure. At the very least, your generalization that placing celebrities on the radio is a recipe for disaster is misguided. Yes, some celebs have failed. However, look at HUR. They lost Joyner to Radio One and couldn't come close to regaining the top spot with what I would consider to be pretty good jocks (along with personalities like Mo'Nique and George Wilborn). So they got celebrity and radio newcomer Steve Harvey. It didn't take long for him to consistently beat out Donnie and Joyner, both of whom are seasoned and extraordinarily capable jocks. Harvey has been at or near the top of the DC morning show mountain for some time now and has done well elsewhere. As for why Mo' didn't last long in her first radio gig with HUR, who knows? Maybe it's because she wanted too much money. Maybe it's because she was more of a third wheel as opposed to it being 'her' show. Maybe it's because she didn't want to roll out of her California bed at 3:00 a.m. to do an east coast show. Your guess is as good as mine. However, she's much more well known now through her comedy specials and, of course, her recent success with "Precious." I, too, lament how radio has changed and that many great radio people are on the beach. But it's a business, and station management and ownership will continue to try to increase ratings and revenue however they can. I don't fault them for this. What I read in some of these comments about celebs is bitterness and jealousy. Get over it. Either find a way to adapt and survive in the industry or move on. You'll be happier and healthier. Take it from someone who knows. (3/1/10) Traffic/Entertainment Reporter Candace Dold announced on FOX45's Morning News this morning that she is 4 months pregnant! She'll find out the gender of her baby on March 9th. -Greg in Perry Hall (3/1/10) Don Geromimo - News just in from your DJ Draft Combine, CBS Radio has waived Mike Sorce & signed Mo'Nique. AHHHHH (3/1/10) I'm hearing a very fringy AM station this morning at 810 kHz, playing adult contemp music; apparently without much attention given to rotation, as I've heard "She Moves In Mysterious Ways" twice in the last 50 minutes. It comes in best when my portable radio is aligned N-S. I'm finding nothing local on radiolocator.net, other than a McKeesport PA station, one in Dublin VA, and a Spanish property in Annapolis. IDs are hard to hear thru the noise floor. Anyone know who this might be? (3/1/10) "Hasn't anyone learned over the past 6 years that giving a TV personality a radio show is a disaster set into motion from the start?" Two words: Fred Grandy :) (3/1/10) Dave can you post some info on the ratings for yesterday’s USA-CANADA hockey game? (3/1/10) Ohhhhh...I can't wait to see how resident windbag Pauly B. spins the Mo'Nique news into another anti-Sorce diatribe. The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last. (3/1/10) Mo'Nique to PGC mornings? Oh God no!!! Hasn't anyone learned over the past 6 years that giving a TV personality a radio show is a disaster set into motion from the start? Said "talent" will bring in all their heavy hitters from their Rolodex of famous friends, have a few fun show-biz stories to tell... and basically blow thru all their A-material in the first three weeks. If this is not a stunt and is the way PGC will actually go, Mo'Nique will show a curiosity spike early, be largely ignored by May, and by December will be beaten in the ratings by WDMV. Just ask "Issac Hayes & Friends", "The Whoopie Goldberg Show", Adam Corolla, Danny Bonaduce etc. Come on CBS! Cost-cutting is one thing, but this is just shooting yourself in the prepuce (look it up, ya lazy bastids...). (3/1/10) For those of us who worked local radio in the 60s and 70s, Gene Chenault was a giant in the industry. He and Bill Drake, along with Paul Drew at RKO, largely defined what was later called CHR. In the late 70s, I was the News Director at Chenault's "flagship" KYNO AM/FM Fresno. Not a major market, but a lot of major market talent went through there. Somewhere in a box in the basement I still have all of the station jingles...but I think they're on a ten a half reel! Lotta good that does someone these days. JYoung, VOA-TV (3/1/10) My New York Social Diary column today: WASHINGTON: TOUGH TOWN FOR A WOMAN by Carol Joynt... Once again Washington has proved it is a tough town for a woman unless she is a whore, a bitch or a heat-seeking wife of. Score on any one of those counts, or all three, and the men here respect you, because they fear you, and that equals power. Obvious ambition, and the attitude that goes with it, sinks a woman here, unless she possesses the heart and soul of a dominatrix. If Sports Illustrated did a Washington issue, instead of posing in bikinis the models would brandish carbide ball cutters. Maureen Dowd would be the cover, offering up a sultry “I’ll kill you and then I’ll eat you” glance, right down to her bare toes. Washington’s teen boys might not take it to the bathroom, but their Dads would. READ MORE: www.nysocialdiary.com (3/1/10) Sooooooooooooooooooooooooo the smart money says Mo-nique's fat ass is gonna do mornings on WPGC-FM??? Wow, what happened to actually hiring someone with some actual radio credentials (e.g. hands on experience) to do a radio show! If this is true than the brain trust at CBS radio must think someone with a "name" is gonna save that station? There are too many capable (SP) jocks out there looking for work that can do a better job and not cost as much as that UNFUNNY over caloried lady! This is what radio has come to nothing but prep sheets and entertainers who have no business doing radio programs. Didn't she try this before and it didn't last long? (3/1/10) Kris Ostegard. If it's the same Mike O that I worked with at VOA, your father was known as one tough cookie, a very exacting professional who settled for nothing less than 110% effort from EVERYONE on the team, which pretty much meant anyone within his eyesight or earshot at the moment he needed something done, no excuses. It was never 'close enough for government' with him. He gave me some good advice that I should have followed. (3/1/10) WPGC's probably going to flip to the "AMP Radio" format. It was rumored last year when WJFK flipped to "THE FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN." (3/1/10) Gene Chenault, who partnered with Bill Drake to revolutionize Top-40 radio in the 1960s, is dead at 90. www.latimes.com (3/1/10) Fez Whatley & Mayberry:: One of the hosts of The Ron and Fez Show on Sirius XM Radio offered to add $1,000 to the Crimestoppers reward for information leading to the arrest of the Andy Griffith statue vandal. During the radio program Monday, host Fez Whatley told a representative from Mount Airy Crimestoppers he wanted to write the tipster organization a thousand-dollar check to help catch the person or people responsible for painting the statue green and red over the weekend "I am a huge Andy Griffith fan. Grew up loving the show. Still watch the reruns on TV Land," Whatley said. Read more www.latimes.com (3/1/10) My favorite HD converter is Verizon FiOS. -Chainsman (3/1/10) Memo to NBC Suits: Why have sportscasters covering opening and closing ceremonies at the Olympic Games? They only “cover” the ceremonies as in a football game. If you had a “voice” or two at the ceremonies who were actually a part of the program and who had rehearsed with it the show would be a lot more entertaining. The two sportscaster gas bags literally killed the two events at Vancouver. (3/1/10) /\ March 1 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....