Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - March 30 to April 8, 2010 Latest messages listed first..... \/ April 8 Messages \/ Okay, to all you 105.9 the Edge haters out there, how is it that, according to radio-info.com's PPM info, that 105.9 has a higher cumulative audience than: WMAL,WPRS-FM, WJFK-FM, WLZL,WGTS and WTEM. 105.9 has about 120,000 more listeners per week than WMAL, almost 85,000 more than WTEM and almost 170,000 more than 106.7. Classic rock may be a dead format in DC, what we need is an "Everything that rocks" station like WBBB Raleigh (96 Rock) or WIYY Baltimore (the legendary 98Rock) but maybe not like 3WV in Charlottesville. And how about a live human voice in mornings at 105.9 to give us traffic and weather. Stephen (4/8/10) Dave, I know that 105.7 The Sludge is shitty. They need to take notice as to what is on SiriusXM as far as music playlists go. SiriusXM has three great classic rock stations plus a classic alternative station to boot. If the Sludge could take notice as to what SiriusXM does, I bet you that the Sludge would become The Edge. Dan (4/8/10) Dave's response: You must mean 105.9..... Actually, I lost a lot of respect for Larry Weisman when he went to work for Snyder. Like Larry Michael, he sold out any real journalistic integrity to become a (presumably) well paid shill for the Redskins. So he has no real credibility. But putting that aside, I think that if the Nationals ever got into a World Series, the community would be very galvanized, just like I remember it was when the Bullets were in the NBA finals. As for the Caps, playoff hockey is the absolute best playoff sport there is. If the Caps get to the Cup finals, I think you'll see a very electrified fan base here. Even casual and non-sports fans recognize that a championship is special for the area and the Stanley Cup is a special trophy. Part of the Redskins problem is the sheer arrogance of Snyder and company. That arrogance was on display with Weisman's comments. As I've posted before, the Redskins are still the big gorilla in town. But under Snyder, they've become a lot smaller than they used to be and certain of the monkeys, like the Caps, have grown a lot bigger than they used to be................ (4/8/10) RE:"all the New Deal did was create a country full of slaves dependent on federal "free stuff" where less than half of American pays income taxes to support the rest that pay nothing" Where oh where to begin? I notice you moved on from your historically inaccurate view of the Civil War to turn your attention to a subject you are obviously even less conversant on. Your statement reveals how little you actually know of the New Deal, Keynesian economics ( a must read if you ever want to know WHY WW2 ended the Depression), and the history of the United States of America(...unconstituional federal entitlements...). I guess you're a new arrival. Pop, "teabagger" talking points you get from hannity and beck will have to suffice until you can get your hands on a real book...or several. Don't tread on me, right slicK? MW (4/8/10) Yeah Dave, I too expected the local stations to say their interview with Michelle Obama was "exclusive". But considering she's giving at least 3 stations an interview, it's a little difficult to claim their interview is an exclusive...Not that they haven't done that before though. (4/8/10) "While ESPN 980 'Redskins Radio' is broadcasting the Yankees/Sox game, 106.7 The Fan is LIVE and LOCAL, with the Donovan McNabb trade. 980 couldn't move the baseball game that no one's listening to, to 570 or 1260?". The McNabb news broke around 8:30 P.M. on Sunday with the baseball broadcast already in progress and it would have been rude to the listeners to preempt ESPN Radio's coverage or switch it over to a weaker signal. Keep in mind that Yanks vs. Sox is one of the most celebrated rivalries in sports and there's no shortage of New York and Boston fans living in the DC area. I know that Chad Dukes (on WJFK's special programming that night) was ripping WTEM for not being on the air reacting to the breaking news, but it was clear that neither he nor his co-hosts Bill Rohland and Grant Paulsen had all the relevant facts at the time and it doesn't speak well for the coverage that the best guest they could come up with for insights was Eric Bickel from the Junkies. Regarding 980's McNabb related programming, Larry Weisman was way out of line to make disparaging remarks about other local teams during the show he co-hosted with Redskins play-by-play man Larry Michael Tuesday morning. Of course Weisman was one of USA Today's lead NFL writers before leaving for a position in Dan Snyder's corporate empire last year and I've got no problem with him promoting the Skins (it's part of his job description). But Channel 4's Lindsay Czarniak was a guest on that show and mentioned Nationals president Stan Kasten being annoyed at his team's home opener getting overshadowed by the McNabb story, leading Weisman to reply - 'the Nats and Capitals can't galvanize this town - only the Redskins can.' I don't know - seems like 90 percent of the buzz about the Skins happens during the offseason when they make these splashy player and coaching moves. When's the last time their performance on the field created big time euphoria in Washington? - you have to go back nearly 20 years for examples of that. Not that the Nats have done much to inspire baseball fever since moving here five years ago, but if they could ever find their way to postseason play I think it would be an enormous deal in Washington. As for the Caps, they're considered one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup - should they live up to expectations, we'll see how galvanized DC can get over hockey. So Weisman has no business commenting on which franchises move the needle around here and which don't - let him stick to his duties for that perennial Super Bowl contender at FedEx Field and keep his mouth shut on matters he knows little or nothing about. Mike, Fairfax (4/8/10) (Dave's response: The radio model will become much like the TV model - there will always be a handful of free broadcasters, but more and more we'll be paying for internet access to audio streams like we now pay for cable/satellite TV.) Dave, if that is so, then why didn't a lot more people sign up for Sirius or XM at their zenith when they offered every flavor of radio known to man? The answer is more people want and expect free, over the air broadcasting. Only a limited number are willing to pay. (4/8/10) Dave's response: I think that a lot of the new internet audio streams will be free, in exchange for the listener being served targeted advertising that isn't possible via radio BROADcasting. Look, people once said that they wouldn't pay for TV, and now they pay up to a $100 a month for of a batch of channels that also deliver ads..... To Donnie, and the other bring back WHFS legion: Here's a quote from "Field of Dreams" modified to reflect a different decade: Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) [spraying at Ray with a insecticide sprayer] Out! Back to the eighties! Back! There's no place for you here in the future! Get back while you still can! (4/8/10) News4 at 4 is still in SD. I can only guess that if HD is coming today it will be at 5 or 6... (4/8/10) With the coming saturation of streaming I may ,or may not, actually subscribe to one. But I will definitely still turn on the old reliable FM radio as long as there is a format I like. To the pompous all seeing self important jizzbag: We are not 'whining' about HFS we are stating our desires. No different than the Lobbyists who sound like broken records,well maybe no boot licking on our part, who continue to harrass whoever they can for years. A much loftier cause than the lunatic fringe Talk Show callers who see Commies under every bedspread. You can keep talking about how dead HFS and its format is but the fact remains that anything and everything can be,and is,brought back. I have every confidence in the small thinking suits to run out of ideas,or ideas to steal, and commit a 'happy accident' by trying it out again. For Chrissakes they brought back Dukes of Hazzard,"V",bell bottoms and punch buggies. This is all BESIDE the fact that there are millions of people who listen to Rock. New Rock is recorded every day. This is called Modern Rock.Record execs sign bands all the time -GASP- so how is Modern Rock dead? If you don't like hearing about HFS STOP READING THE FUCKING POSTS DUMBASS!!! Donnie with a special HFS! HFS! HFS! for the Anal One. (4/8/10) If every local station is having ''exclusive'' interviews with Michelle Obama morning, evening and on the late news and she's pretty much telling every reporter the exact same thing; doesn't that make it less ''exclusive''? Paul (4/8/10) Dave wrote: (If I was an investor looking ahead 10 years in time, would I want to put a big batch of my dough into traditional radio stations, with studios and transmitters? Really soon, it's going to be possible to stream virtually any audio source from the internet into your car or via any mobile device - basically eliminating the need for the traditional locally-based music radio station.) Are you assuming this streaming will be FREE? The mobile phone companies are not charities. If you can stream from anywhere, you will pay for that stream with a monthly bill. Radio could well survive because it is and always has been free and easily available. And besides, many local radio stations including WTOP have been streaming for years. They established their beachfront property in the streaming world years ago. (4/8/10) Dave's response: The radio model will become much like the TV model - there will always be a handful of free broadcasters, but more and more we'll be paying for internet access to audio streams like we now pay for cable/satellite TV. And the internet audio streams will be tailored to one's personal tastes. If you want to listen to Howard Stern in mornings and alternative rock from the 1980s in the afternoons, that's what you'll get. Broadcast radio won't die. There will always be a market for freely-available local news, talk, and maybe even some mainstream music formats. But a lot of the more marginally profitable broadcast radio stations, particularly those with more niche-like music formats, those in smaller markets, and those with not-so-great-signals (including many AMers), will be fighting for their very existence in a few years when we'll have many thousands (!) of broadband streaming options available in our cars and mobile devices..... John, what the "F" are you talking about? 'Twas not me. Rusty Gibson (4/8/10) Looks like the White House has set aside this week for the local news stations to interview First Lady Michelle Obama..So far I've seen promos on channel 4,5 and 9. And on each one, Mrs. Obama has on the same dress, so guess she did all of the interviews in one day.. (4/8/10) Dave's response: Wouldn't surprise me if all three stations are touting the interview as an "exclusive." Ha ha ha..... Rusty...Please, for the love of God, get your facts in order before firing at me. That "babble" comment you referenced was not sent by me. You might want to focus more on your on-air product and less on your obsession of me and my show. Thanks for listening last Friday night though! -TOGS (4/8/10) Having missed the weather report on WBAL 11 this morning, I changed the channel to Fox 45 to discover... it looks like Candace Dold is pregnant. Paul R. (4/8/10) Mailbagger... Let's face it. Classic Rock Radio has been dead in DC for many years now and the carcass and the stench just won't go away. What do you expect when these stations are managed and operated by stuffy suits and boot-licking stoolies who are nothing more than pathetic cogs in this rotting machine they call Classic Rock Radio. It's a shame that this abhorrent situation can't be cleaned up and carted away to the local landfill. We need real knowledgable and creative radio people who know classic rock rock music from A-Z and who know how to present it intelligently and with great fervor and also know how to really communicate with their listeners. No more dumb,loud and relentless stupid canned commercials too! Can't these idiots see how much of a tune out factor that is? *sheesh* Nevertheless,I still have think that change for the better is on the way. In fact,I know so. *winks* R. Fuller (4/8/10) Dave's response: "105.9 The Edge, Altoona's Best Classic Rock"..... Hey…(snip) But it sure beats the usual PLB/"HitMan"/Rusty Gibson babble in this forum..Wouldn't you agree? Plainly spoken, NO. They don’t post half as much as you the unsigned. And they are much nicer. You have to be from WEBR! (4/8/10) Are you sure WRC had its morning news in high-def? I watched at 11 this morning and it was the same-old low-def in the station's horrible temporary studio. (4/8/10) Dave's response: I did witness some of Channel 4/WRC's local weather updates during the "Today" show this morning in glorious HD. But, yes, you're right, their 11 AM news was back in grunky old standard-def. Maybe they're waiting to make the big official HD debut on their evening newscast with Vance..... Hi Dave, You have something on dcrtv about WBAL's Mark Miller being misidentified in a Sun story. You incorrectly attribute the mistake to me. Could you please correct that? Having talked to you in the past for stories you were doing and other matters, I was surprised to see you incorrectly identify the mistake as mine then make the remark you did about me without bothering to check the byline. I am asking in the nicest possible way what's up with that? Thanks. David Zurawik (4/8/10) Dave's response: It was just a "Dave's Response" jest. I didn't actually attribute the error to you. I hope your posting above corrects any wrong impression anyone might have formed from that original humorous "give-and-take" here in the Mailbag..... Dave, Didn't you have a blurb awhile back that Lisa De Moraes was going to start covering local TV more? I certainly haven't noticed it....Of course, I should lnow by now just to check your site anyways! (4/8/10) Dave's response: One of my sources assumed that since the WaPo was closing its LA bureau that she'd be relocating back to DC, and refocusing her stuff to include more local TV news. Apparently not..... "Zurawik censors criticism of himself when he's proven wrong. He's such a stereotypical thin-skinned pro-censorship liberal. Can you imagine what it's like to take his class? Do all the Republicans get Fs? I wouldn't be surprised." Fail. You are, of course, talking about the same David Zurawik who appears on Fox News and regularly attacks MSNBC. He even made KO's worsts at least twice. I agree with you that Z knows little and his Kate obsession is a little scary. He isn't particularly pro-lib, though. As for the rest of your pro-Bobby manifesto, however, ...YAWN. Howie (4/8/10) Check out Davy on the web...fun,fun! DO IT! (4/9/10) LOL that MW thinks that the socialist New Deal led to American prosperity. The Depression lasted until World War 2 ended it. The only thing the New Deal did was create a country full of slaves dependent on federal "free stuff" where less than half of American pays income taxes to support the rest that pay nothing. Not to mention unconstituional federal entitlements that have bankrupted the nation. Your revisionist history is astounding. (4/8/10) More criticism of Sean Hannity….. www.opednews.com... From the piece Although [California Attorney General Jerry] Brown's investigation did confirm four instances of possible voter registration fraud by ACORN, his findings absolved other ACORN workers. Juan Carlos Vera, an employee at the San Diego ACORN offices who was fired for apparently condoning human trafficking turned out to have been merely playing along with O'Keefe, extracting information from him…” Although Brown granted O'Keefe and Giles criminal immunity for turning over the unedited tapes, it's still possible that civil lawsuits could go forward against the two for violating privacy laws, particularly in light of the damage done to the workers whose words and meanings were twisted on national TV and syndicated radio over and over by [Sean] Hannity. "I never done anything wrong in my life," Vera said. "They destroyed my family." According to Attorney General Brown, "the ACORN employees may be able to bring a private suit against O'Keefe and Giles for recording a confidential conversation without consent." Sean Hannity’s crap can be heard on 630 WMAL. (4/8/10) Oh God killme killme killme killme motherofgodandallthatisholy just EFFING KILL ME NOW!!! enews.earthlink.net (4/8/10) To all the people whining about HFS - Get over it. It's dead and buried and it ain't being resurrected. A local operator brought back Alternative formatted Radio 104.1 in Hartford last year after a 6 year absense and it's still in the basement of Hartford Radio Ratings. Hartford has 9 Commercial FM Stations. 104.1 is the #9 station. Always has been always will be... (4/8/10) So I "babble" Mr. Collings? At least my posts are not consistently venomous attacks on others. What say you? It seems that is your mission in this "forum"(as you call it). So continue on with your holier than thou attitude. As well as your Dennis Murphy love-fest. Are you the catcher or the pitcher? (4/8/10) I posted a response to David Zurawik's column regarding Bob Ehrlich's WBAL radio show and he REFUSED to post it. He won't post anything that corrects him and makes him look like a boob when he's factually incorrect (which is quite often)! HAHA! Here's what I posted at BaltimoreSun.com (most of Zurawik's criticisms are of a political nature, not so much a media perspective, hence his obvious liberal bias)............ "Ok, let's clear up some mistakes in this Sun story & in some of the comments. #1 There are very few Maryland troops in Iraq and it's highly likely that even the photo opp O'Malley took with allegedly Maryland troops were not in fact all from Maryland. Most Maryland troops are in Afghanistan. This is a proven fact. #2 While O'Malley didn't schedule the trip or plan it, he did choose to go and will use the video & photos in campaign material. Wanna bet? #3 There is NO FAIRNESS DOCTRINE on radio or TV anymore! However, during an election season, once a candidate files, equal time is guaranteed by law as well as the requirement to run political ads. Ehrlich has not filed yet. #4 O'Malley has been offered time on WBAL numerous times over the years, both as mayor & governor & declined to appear repeatedly, & in one case even threatened to punch Chip Franklin. O'Malley would much rather file FCC, & election, & lobbying complaints & use the biased Baltimore Sun against his oppenents & smear them in the mud than to actually go on the air and explain his policies & his successes. Because he has little he can defend! Finally, boy are you misinformed Mr. Zurawik, especially for a person who writes a media column! Geez." (end quote) From the O'Malley supporters to The Sun's Z on TV / David Zurawik, you can tell it's election season because the O'Malley whiners have come out of the woodwork with reckless abandon to cry foul before the election has even started. Let the crying jag begin. These people have nothing else to tout about an O'Malley governorship, so what else are they to do? The Sun's David Zurawik is babbling about The Fairness Doctrine, not even realizing it doesn't even exist anymore. It's really becoming harder and harder to imagine that Zurawik teaches a media ethics class at Goucher College. That doesn't say much for Goucher's standards as an education institution, that's for sure. What people keep missing is that until Bob Ehrlich files with the election board to run as Governor, he can appear on any radio or TV show he's invited on. And Gov. O'Malley, as the current Governor can do the same. In fact, you could argue that Gov. O'Malley could get an interview or show on practically ANY MEDIA OUTLET he could WANT! So why the crying and whining and FCC filings, charges of lobbying, Fairness Doctrine??? Because O'Malley is running from his record. He has nothing good to say about his record on WBAL radio. That's why he's not clamoring for a 2 hour show like Ehrlich. O'Malley has been offered time on WBAL radio multiple times and turned it down. He routinely turns down TV interviews too unless it's WJZ's Daring Denise Koch doing a "Happy Family" puff piece. The only reason O'Malley wants to go on WBAL radio THIS weekend is to sling mud about Ehrlich's show and quote The Sun's David Zurawik, the Jon & Kate + 8 nutjob reporter at The Sun who stated that Ehrlich's radio show was "immoral." Zurawik censors criticism of himself when he's proven wrong. He's such a stereotypical thin-skinned pro-censorship liberal. Can you imagine what it's like to take his class? Do all the Republicans get Fs? I wouldn't be surprised. (4/8/10) Has Sean Hannity disclosed his financial interests with Don Blankenship of Massey Energy? Interestingly, Sean's has not been bashing government regulators in the past few days. Sean Hannity's crap can be heard on 630 WMAL. (4/8/10) Dave's response: I get a Cuban jammer on 630 AM between 3 PM and 6 PM. Just Fidel Castro speeches..... "as we have finally gotten low enough to re-fight the CIVIL WAR in the DCRTV mailbag." ----But it sure beats the usual PLB/"HitMan"/Rusty Gibson babble in this forum..Wouldn't you agree? (4/8/10) RE:..The War was fought over tyranny..." The reason for the war was economic...period! Slavery, or free labor was the only way the outdated, southern agrarian economy could survive in the face of a new industrialized world. The New Deal has become the victim of historical (hysterical) revisionism by the right wing. The undeniable fact is that the New Deal opened the door to a half century of unprecedented American power and prosperity, and created a middle class out of whole cloth...and was only destroyed by Reagan and his toxic deregulation binge that began in the 1980's. But don't you worry m, just turn the AM radio up a little louder. MW (4/8/10) I think the Mayans were right - just off on the date. They must have meant the earth ends today 4/8/2010...as we have finally gotten low enough to re-fight the CIVIL WAR in the DCRTV mailbag. If you had today in the great apocalypse pool...YOU WIN! (4/8/10) From the locker room chatter...its interesting that the Sunpaper has spent many inches talking about Robert Ehrlich's show on WBAL radio. Meanwhile he has been a paid performer on WBFF-TV for many months. Will he be pulled from that appearance now that he's a candidate, or will the incumbent be offered a similar paid appearance? (4/8/10) On the subject of local HD, does anyone know if the new SportsWeek show on Channel 50 will be in HD? I guess I'd be surprised if it were. (4/8/10) Dave's response: I doubt it. Most of Channel 50's local shows are done pretty much on-the-cheap..... DCRTV Dave had it right the first time. The Cumulus Radio Investors story is not "news." It IS pure PR hype attempting to generate interest among brokers and sellers just in time for next week's NAB Show in Vegas. Read the story carefully, It does NOT say that Crestview is investing any funding. They are "heading an investor group that will contribute up to $500 million in equity to the partnership." That assumes they can find other suckers to invest at a time when many owners who overleveraged themselves when they purchased their overpriced properties have massive debt, and financing, if available at all, comes with unaffordable interest rates. Check back at the end of the month, and see that if Cumulus has made any acquisitions, they will be small and medium market properties, if that. On top of that, Cumulus is regarded as the worst-run U.S. radio group, even topping Clear Channel. That speaks volumes. Anyone believing that Cumulus will raise the bucks needed to buy Citadel is also expecting the Redskins to be in next year's Super Bowl or that WHFS (and not garbage dump at 1580) will ever return to terrestrial radio. Pure fantasy. (4/8/10) Dave's response: If I was an investor looking ahead 10 years in time, would I want to put a big batch of my dough into traditional radio stations, with studios and transmitters? Really soon, it's going to be possible to stream virtually any audio source from the internet into your car or via any mobile device - basically eliminating the need for the traditional locally-based music radio station. Sure, we'll need some local news and talk on the local radio dial, but the broadcast radio biz is only going to contract - big-time. It's already started. This isn't just a recessionary blip. This is major, profound change. The suits at Cumulus and Crestview have their heads on backwards. Maybe they'll make some money in the short term as they buy some bankrupt operations from companies like Citadel - and catch a few good profit waves before the tide recedes. But once the tide is out, it's gonna be gone daddy gone..... Dave, My name is Garry Kline and I thought you may be interested in this as I checked DCRTV to see if you had any information. You may have already noticed if you are a DirectTV Subscriber that last nights Orioles telecast was not available in HD. I did not see anything on your site so I thought I would pass this along to you as I am sure I am not the only one that noticed this, hoping you may check into it further. I did contact MASN and received the following response: "Because of the large number of live sporting events taking place simultaneously, DirecTV is having capacity limitations with its carriage of MASN2 HD. DirecTV customers can still watch the Orioles game live on MASN2 SD, in standard definition, on channel 641. The game is being transmitted in HD across all of MASN's other affiliates. We regret the inconvenience this causes to Orioles fans and to MASN's DirecTV viewers. If you have additional questions, please contact DirecTV directly at 1-800-DIRECTV (347-3288)" (4/8/10) WRC is finally in HD as of this morning, Very nice. (FINALLY). (4/8/10) Shiela Johnson has set herself up as a political whore. She made a bed with McDonnell and she has to sleep in it. Maybe that's her fetish; sleeping with a handsome, powerful white guy. With all her millions, she thinks she can do or go wherever she wants. Her African slave ancestors must be turning over in their pitiful graves. Maybe there will be actions to ensure her new resort near Middleburg never opens. (4/8/10) Dave, I must respectfully disagree w/your decision not to front-page the Cumulus-Crestview deal. While Cumulus does not currently own any stations in the D.C. or Baltimore areas, the emphasis should be on “currently”, as this equity partnership gives Cumulus the clout to do a deal in D.C. for either the Citadel cluster, in competition against Bonneville, or, even for Bonneville’s “mini-cluster” in D.C. itself, As for Baltimore, I’d say that most every FM CBS has could be up for grabs. Perhaps Hearst could be persuaded to part with WBAL/WIYY. For that matter, there could always be a Radio One property (or two) in play. This could get interesting. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/8/10) Dave's response: OK, you convinced me. It's up..... I thought the Confederates were fighting over expansion rights for Walmart. You know...The Great American Rollback and all that. And the Underground Railroad came through Maryland which is how El Zol invaded DC. Wait....I think I better stop getting my history info from The Family Guy. Donnie (4/8/10) (Is there a reason the team calls other stations before letting its own outlet know what's going on?) BUZZ! Not true. Please, let the disgruntled ex employees continue to post. Carry on... (4/8/10) RE: RE: “..Perhaps the "pompous, underage drinking" young folks could have told you not to end a sentence with a preposition.” " You are correct; ending a sentence with a preposition is bad grammar with which I will not put." *Golf Clap* Well done! (4/8/10) "Hi Dave, The War was fought over tyranny - The liberal yankee kind that we see flourishing in places today like Massachusetts. I doubt Robt Lee would give up his home, his property, his career, his youth - his whole life in order to preserve slavery. The slavery argument is the victor's myth - much like Roosevelt's New Deal myth that has persevered over the decades. m" Fail. The war was fought over the fact that 11 states thought that they could just quit the union. The reason for the 11 southern states seceding was, as stated by the President and the Vice-President of the confederacy, slavery. After the liberal yankee kind owned the confederates they surrendered acknowledged slavery was wrong and according to ex-confederates and confederate apologists the reason for war magically became states rights. (4/8/10) So Ehrlich wants to be a Guber again....somehow I still see him as Guber right now.....anyway...I'll vote for him...IF he EVICTS El Zol from the 99.1 frequency and restores 99.1 WHFS. Whats that? Not in his power? OK forget my vote. On almost another note: Wouldn't it be real cool if the HD problem at 94.7 was a sham and HFS turned up back on 99.1? Maybe CBS learned a lesson from thier hyped up "Coming Announcement on when an Announcement about the Big Announcement would be announced" and went back to guerilla broadcasting like in 05. Uhhh OK Neverrrmiiind. Donnie (4/8/10) "The War was fought over tyranny - The liberal yankee kind that we see flourishing in places today like Massachusetts. I doubt Robt Lee would give up his home, his property, his career, his youth - his whole life in order to preserve slavery. The slavery argument is the victor's myth - much like Roosevelt's New Deal myth that has persevered over the decades..." Robert E. Lee was a traitor who fought for secession from this country and to preserve people as bondsmen. You are an idiot. (4/8/10) /\ April 8 Messages /\ \/ April 7 Messages \/ I spent 30 minutes bouncing from location to location with Verizon FiOS tech support/sales/billing, etc. asking about MASN2 in HD. It's amazing how difficult it is to try to explain to them than MASN2 (on Channel 1) is NOT in HD. When I ask them, "Are you going to offer MASN2 in HD?" they tell me that they already offer MASN-HD on channel 577. I tried to explain that MASN-HD and MASN2-HD are two separate channels. They then say that they offer both channels. I stated again, "Yes, you offer both MASN and MASN2, but only MASN is in HD. I'm calling to find out when you will offer MASN2 in HD like your competitors are doing." I got transferred back to tech support. So, if you are an O's or Nats fan and want to watch all of your games in HD and you have Verizon FiOS...you're screwed. That's what I took away from today's Merry-Go-Round on the phone. And to think, I left Comcast and Dish Network because I hated their customer service. Greg in Reisterstown, MD (4/7/10) Any news yet on cuts at WTEM? That station is my lifeblood and I've became friends with a couple of guys that work there so I'm just concerned... Love your blog, you do a great job. Eric (4/7/10) Dave, I’m surprised you didn’t front-page the deal done today between Cumulus and the private equity firm Crestview Partners. They’ve formed an investment partnership poised to spend well over $1 billion specifically to buy radio stations. Crestview is leading an investment group, which is understood to be kicking in around $500 million in equity to a new partnership that is being named Cumulus Radio Investors LP. Between this amount of cash and debt financing readily available at bargain-basement (Federally subsidized) interest rates, Cumulus would be able to do several $1B+ deals. Bonneville better be ready to move, as choice properties may not be around for long. Also, Cumulus is somewhat better-managed than Citadel is… -Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/7/10) Dave's response: If Cumulus had a presence in DC or Baltimore I would have done a blurb on it..... I have to say it! Bob McDonnell. The Civil War was 145 years ago and the Confederacy lost. GET OVER IT!!!! (4/7/10) NewsTalk scores Ehrlich exclusive 1-on-1 - news8.net (4/7/10) One weekend show on WJFK that I never see mentioned is Parker and Parker. That show is pretty good, better than most of the station's regular shows. Not hard core sports, but creative and good chemistry between the (unrelated) Parkers. They have moved it to early afternoon Sundays. That show actually may have appeal to an older, more educated demographic than some of the sophomoric stuff on that station. (4/7/10) 'If you will' is used as a way of making a concession in a sentence: He wasn't a very honest person, a liar if you will. Here, it is used a way of accepting that the reader or listener might think of the person as a liar, but without commit the writer or speaker to that position fully. -- usingenglish.com (4/7/10) Dave: You never like to see people lose their job but it's still not an excuse for why ESPN980 is so below the standards of what a sportstalk station should sound like. I read there were more layoffs at the station but I didn't see anything about any moves on the upper-management level. Over in the true corporate world, if things aren't going well and the company's under-achieving, heads roll from the top-down. We never hear of this occurring in sportstalk radio...can anyone tell me why? From 12noon through 7pm, those 980 shows are un-listenable!! Take those high-priced salaries and go find people who care about putting-on a first-class product. Gee, Czaban now does 2-hours a day, minus his Fox salary, what a waste. Don't get me started about Sheehan, Doc and Pollin. Snyder found Allen and Shanahan..he can fix radio, it's not that difficult. (4/7/10) Wow... I remember a day when WBAL's mediocre sports talent went to other stations to live in radio obscurity. Now Brett Hollander moves from radio obscurity to the front-and-center sports guy on WBAL Radio? What in the world was Kiernan thinking? I am sure WBAL's audience will be able to relate to a 25 year old who wasn't even born when the O's last won a World Series, or how the Ravens moving to Baltimore was the highlight of his 6th grade experience. Talk about amateur hour! Keep up the good work Ed. Can we get more Scotty Donahoo on the station too? (4/7/10) Could someone explain to me the meaning of the term "if you will"? I hear news reporters use it all the time, and I have no idea what it means...and English is my first language. Is it some kind of sentence filler? Is it something taught in broadcasting school? Do they think it makes them sound more intelligent? My reaction when they use the phrase is "if I will what?" or "what if I won't?" I've listened to the reporter and deleted the phrase in my mind when they've said it and there was no difference in the meaning of the report without the phrase. I think it's annoying, unnecessary and distracting. Believe it or not, this is a serious question, and I would appreciate it someone could actually tell me what the term means. -- Bobbie (4/7/10) Re:” Professional and Kevin&Rock should never be used in the same sentence. ……………. K&R is a joke. They try to be the Sports Junkies but fall flat.” You could be on to something. There’s a black guy & a white guy and there’s four white guys on the other show. One show degrades women and begs for their inclusion while the other has constant women callers. You could argue one is funnier than the other. Tom Riddle’s right; it’s like looking into a mirror! Hey at least you are a listener like me. (4/7/10) Bill Sparks is exactly right: Snyder runs his radio station just as badly as his NFL franchise. This was, what, the THIRD time a story has come out of Redskins Park that ESPN980 has missed? Is there a reason the team calls other stations before letting its own outlet know what's going on? As for the moronic revisionist history further down the list ("The War was fought over tyranny - The liberal yankee kind that we see flourishing in places today like Massachusetts. I doubt Robt Lee would give up his home, his property, his career, his youth - his whole life in order to preserve slavery. The slavery argument is the victor's myth - much like Roosevelt's New Deal myth that has persevered over the decades. m"): just because you "doubt" something, that doesn't make it "a myth." In three grammatically crippled sentences you advertised your own stupidity to the whole world. Ramble on, psychopath. (4/7/10) Former PM Drive rival Cerphe as newsmaker on WTOP. (4/7/10) Good afternoon, Our next Q&A Cafe will feature an interview with author and journalist Gwen Ifill. Gwen is host of "Washington Week" and is senior correspondent for the "Newshour," as well as a two-time moderator of the vice presidential debates. In other words, there are 1,000 things to talk about with Gwen. So please: make a reservation today at 202.912.4110. The date is Thursday, May 13th, the place is the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton, the fee is $50 all inclusive, and seating begins at noon. The Ritz offers valet parking at a discounted $10... Carol (4/7/10) In response to -- ( Put professional, competent broadcasters on in middays and afternoons, "kill" Bill Rohland @ 7PM (replaced w/Kevin & Rock)) -- Professional and Kevin&Rock should never be used in the same sentence. The person who wrote that MUST work on the K&R show, because any listener to WJFK on the weekend knows that K&R is a joke. They try to be the Sports Junkies but fall flat. Bill Rohland's show has been in its two days an immediate boost over Holden Kushner's radio crap. Bill knows sports, Holden knows how to bitch. Which one would you rather listen to? - Tom Riddle (4/7/10) RE: "Umm... last time I checked, morning drive starts at 6 a.m., not 8 a.m. I'm guessing most listeners wake up before 8, turned on their radio, heard Mike and Mike, and went right to 106.7 The Fan." I could agree with you more, but that would be overdoing it. The fact remains that ESPN 980 markets itself as "Redskin Radio". They're owned by the guy who owns the Redskins, and yet when the trade happened Sunday night, I'm hearing Yank this Sox! Is it even possible to be so clueless? While I agree "The New Mike Wise Show" is abhorrent (get out CJ!), and LaVar and Dukes is marginal at best, 106.7 The Fan could really turn the corner. Forget the tweaks, get rid of the geeks! Put professional, competent broadcasters on in middays and afternoons, "kill" Bill Rohland @ 7PM (replaced w/Kevin & Rock), and give BMitch the 10PM slot. And if the rumors are true, and 106.7 The Fan moves over to Sam (Rogers) St. in Lanham, it could be (you hear that?), the death knell for 980...or maybe not! I just love to speculate! -Billy Sparks (4/7/10) Hi Dave, The War was fought over tyranny - The liberal yankee kind that we see flourishing in places today like Massachusetts. I doubt Robt Lee would give up his home, his property, his career, his youth - his whole life in order to preserve slavery. The slavery argument is the victor's myth - much like Roosevelt's New Deal myth that has persevered over the decades. m (4/7/10) I am not sure what Holden Kushner did to management, but placing him with Mike Wise only appears to give them BOTH rope to hang themselves. Was Holden was put there to actually increase ratings? Bill Rowland should feel thankful for this move. For now anyway. Talk about Vinegar and Vinegar. If those two get new contracts whoever gives it to them should lose their job. (4/7/10) (not sure why Owens was axed but it will soon be revealed) Yes, bring out the conspiracy theorists! Reveal - budget! Dicks. (4/7/10) Thanks, Rich Drake, for the backstory on 96 Rock, and stand corrected on the ratings angle. I do remember their heavier period a few years back, adn thought it was a nice start, but seemed a little haphazard from a purely musial perspective (and coming from an obsessive lifelong metal fan). I also remember the first year or so, the odd retro feel the station had under Skip Dixxon, which I actually kinda liked. It's strange how some stations hang onto that old-school AOR format. Ever listen to WZXL out of South Jersey? I could swear, they haven't changed their playlist hardly at all since 1998, and in 2010, they just sound out of touch. As for ZBH? Ever since I first started listening to that station in the summer of '94, I've ALWAYS been frustrated by them, and baffled by their success. Back then, they were this stodgy mix of mostly the same classic-rock-that-never-rocked that Big 98.5 plays, skipped over ten or fifteen years, and then added in some modern-rock (including the one-hit wonders they STILL play). At times in the late '90's, they showed signs of becoming a little edgier (either with music or personalities), but never took it very far. Matt and Crank? Well, yesterday morning, Matt went into a long ramble about some concept he seemed to think was really profound, but was essentially meaningless. Sounds like he may have been a philosophy major before he flunked out due to boredom. (But then, I never saw the appeal of Murph and his revolving door of co-hosts, either). But being the only game in town, I guess they'll continue to succeed, although to be honest with you, 96 Rock wasn't much of a choice, musically. The sports format? It'll be nice to have a local, FM affiliate for the O's, but that's about it. I'm curious as to what, exactly, is involved in being the PD of a sports-talk station. I'm not a professional, but can't imagine there'd be a whole hell of a lot to actually DO. Doghouse Reilly (4/7/10) When did employment status suddenly become a good retort for mailbag posts? Oh, that's right...when a bitter old man (and his various pen names) returned to DCRTV. -Bobby S. in Alexandria (4/7/10) Dave's response: Oh, come on, he's not old..... The race for Governor isn't even a day old, and it's already starting to look like a WWE program. Ehrlich proclaims (ala "The Rock"), "Finally, The Governor has come back to MD Politics !!). Current Gov O'Malley (face) offers to debate Once (and Future?) Gov (heel) on his Saturday morning Radio Show on WBAL. Former Gov doesn't like that idea, and proposes his own format . Current Gov sticks by debate format, and won't budge. Gawd, I'm waiting for McMahon to schedule them for a Steel Cage match on the next PPV, w/Ehrlich led to the ring by The Junks, and O'Malley by his band. It's going to be a long, fun summer for the local media covering the childish antics of these 2 "Leaders". (4/7/10) Dave, Just looked on MASN’s website and they have updated their channel listings for this season. Verizon FIOS isn’t carrying the MASN 2 HD channel, so a lot of Nats fans are going to be disappointed when they find out they will only see about 80 Nats games in HD this season. All other DC area cable systems are carrying the channel. Verizon drops the ball as usual!! Dave (4/7/10) Buyers remorse for Sheila Johnson? LOL. She's one of the smart ones. Sheila Johnson understands that her ancestors were freed from their tyranny of their masters. And she refuses to repeat history and be slaves to the tyranny of the federal central planners. And Sheila Johnson knows that slavery is alive and well in the USA -you know, the 21st century slave plantation - the inner city American public school that enslave poor American kids to horrid educations that Democrats love so much. (4/7/10) Personally, I think proclamations are silly. Kind of like newspaper editorials. Both come under the "who cares" department. But after hearing all the fuss, including the rant on DCRTV, I actually READ the proclamation involved here (below). Looks perfectly okay to me and it was clearly directed to tourism as McDonnell said. The political correctness crowd really need to get a life. Confederate History Month - "WHEREAS, April is the month in which the people of Virginia joined the Confederate States of America in a four year war between the states for independence that concluded at Appomattox Courthouse; and WHEREAS, Virginia has long recognized her Confederate history, the numerous civil war battlefields that mark every region of the state, the leaders and individuals in the Army, Navy and at home who fought for their homes and communities and Commonwealth in a time very different than ours today; and WHEREAS, it is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth’s shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War, and to recognize how our history has led to our present; and WHEREAS, Confederate historical sites such as the White House of the Confederacy are open for people to visit in Richmond today; and WHEREAS, all Virginians can appreciate the fact that when ultimately overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the Union Army, the surviving, imprisoned and injured Confederate soldiers gave their word and allegiance to the United States of America, and returned to their homes and families to rebuild their communities in peace, following the instruction of General Robert E. Lee of Virginia, who wrote that, “...all should unite in honest efforts to obliterate the effects of war and to restore the blessings of peace."; and WHEREAS, this defining chapter in Virginia’s history should not be forgotten, but instead should be studied, understood and remembered by all Virginians, both in the context of the time in which it took place, but also in the context of the time in which we live, and this study and remembrance takes on particular importance as the Commonwealth prepares to welcome the nation and the world to visit Virginia for the Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War, a four-year period in which the exploration of our history can benefit all; NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert McDonnell, do hereby recognize April 2010 as CONFEDERATE HISTORY MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens." (4/7/10) Baltimore Sun article on the O'Malley/Ehrlich debate/no debate quotes WBAL "General Manager" Mark Miller. Was he moved up from News Director or is it an error? (4/7/10) Dave's response: Did Zurawik write it? Maybe his brain was in a fog from watching too much Kate Gosselin on "Dancing With The Stars"...... "Dave's response: No! Sarah Palin has the hottest "wife"....." Now that's FUNNY Dave: you really like Sarah's husband, but NOT Sarah, eh? But I have bad news for you: Sarah says he a wee bit small! ask.com (4/7/10) “..Perhaps the "pompous, underage drinking" young folks could have told you not to end a sentence with a preposition.” You are correct; ending a sentence with a preposition is bad grammar with which I will not put. (4/7/10) It has been a bad few weeks for Sean Hannity. First, his Freedom Concerts company is accused of filtering money, designated for families of veterans, so Sean can fly around the country on a private jet. Next, his friends at the Freedom Alliance are called out for being a pretty bad charity. Then, he releases a book that is called out for being full of lies, and now Rachel Maddow calls Sean out for blindly running with and hyping up a fraudulent news piece. www.msnbc.msn.com... When will this rightwing crackpot just go away? Sean Hannity’s fraudulent crap can be heard locally on 630 WMAL. (4/7/10) Dave's response: Speaking of WMAL, their local morning shows, especially Grandy and Andy, used to be right-leaning shows that both libs and conservatives could listen to. They were intelligent and funny. But now, stooooopid Citadel is busy ruining WMAL, along with its two other DC stations. It's turning the MAL local morning shows into right-leaning rages that lefties simply can't stand to listen to. Red meat and utterly brainless! What a brilliant strategy? Fewer listeners! I can see Andy Parks and Chris Plante going along with the Citadel stooges because neither is terribly smart, but Fred Grandy and Bryan Nehman, who are quite intelligent, should be ashamed of what's happening to WMAL. Fred should get out of WMAL right now before he's tarred with ugly stew that 630 now serves-up with its morning local shows. Sad..... Questions are swirling around the Politico newsroom about "pig pen" Mike Allen and his suddenly spotless office cubical. Moving to another office in the building or to a new building? (4/7/10) On The Junks this morning comes the news straight from The Horse’s Mouth: “The Gov is back!”. Erhlich makes it official: he’s running for the GOP nomination for governor of Maryland again. Best of luck, Bob: kudos for having one of the hottest wives in politics! (4/7/10) Dave's response: No! Sarah Palin has the hottest "wife"..... Massive water outage in Baltimore county this morning. Dozens of schools closed. The "all local all morning" station was last to inform viewers of school closings. All other stations were an hour ahead. (4/7/10) Dave's response: Tysons Corner yesterday. Baltimore County today. The water system is in collapse..... (RE: It is amazing that there is not an uproar about WTEM not having LOCAL programming Monday morning after the Donovan McNabb deal went down....) Maybe you had the wrong station on Monday moring. I turned on WTEM in the car about 730, then later listened to them online until about 930. it was all local and all about the McNabb.trade. No need for an uproar. Burt in Denton (4/7/10) "It is amazing that there is not an uproar about WTEM not having LOCAL programming Monday morning after the Donovan McNabb deal went down." WTEM did in fact go to a local special on the McNabb deal at, I believe, 8 A.M. Keith A., Alexandria (4/7/10) (Re: 980 was live all morning on Monday - starting at 0800 with Pollin and Sheehan.) Umm... last time I checked, morning drive starts at 6 a.m., not 8 a.m. I'm guessing most listeners wake up before 8, turned on their radio, heard Mike and Mike, and went right to 106.7 The Fan. I know I did. Switched back and forth after the Junkies. Not a huge fan of Mike Wise, but what was 980 doing? LARRY MICHAEL and Larry Weisman. One is a paid Snyder hack and probably the most hated man in D.C. sports, and the other is a paid Snyder hack who no one knows. I'm sorry, but I'm just not going to listen to that, knowing that both work for the Redskins directly, and literally work AT Redskins Park. Not to mention their show was horribly boring from the few minutes I listened to. (4/7/10) Chris Owens was also credited as the "Exec" producer of Redskins Radio. That means changes coming for the broadcast season. The Red Zebras were in the WJFK halls just last summer before Sam Rogers launched his "Anti" skins station. The Station is painted in Burgundy and Gold and the CBS corp is moving to Lanham soon...94.7 is WIAD and pounds FEDEX signal wise with JFK reaching the Westburbs...not sure why Owens was axed but it will soon be revealed (4/7/10) Why can't we get that motherf**ker Mark Levin off the airwaves. He's the closest thing to a Nazi propagandist on the radio. He's taking over where Nazi Joseph Goebels left off. Today Levin said that the Republican governor of Virginia should be praised for signing a proclamation commemorating the Civil War (which was fought to end slavery of black people in this county). Levin said it's just history and people who think different should shut up. Well, Mark, what about Nazi Germany? That was history. Should we honor that? Especially since 6 million Jews were exterminated and you, yourself, is a Jew. WHAT A FUCKING HYPOCRITE! (4/7/10) I am plenty distressed to read about 980 blowing out imaging guy Chris Owens. I don't know him personally, but I do a lot of the same thing elsewhere in town at another company. When a station lacks a high degree of localism, imaging is the only creative element left that makes you stand apart from everyone else. Cut that, and you've cut off your d***. Land somewhere fast, Chris: radio needs guys like us right now. -ap (4/7/10) /\ April 7 Messages /\ \/ April 6 Messages \/ Wait, radio stations are not allowed to stream MLB games. So, Clear Channel is breaking a major law and could get fined...way to watch the farm folks. (4/6/10) RE: "I'm sorry, if I want historical perspective on a big DC story, I want the guys on 'TEM and not the pompous, underage drinking crowd telling me how it is."...Perhaps the "pompous, underage drinking" young folks could have told you not to end a sentence with a preposition. (4/6/10) Dave - obviously the interns and sales' staff from jfk are filling your inbox on a daily basis, of late, and while I tried their product and have quickly tired of their new offerings (with the exception of very, very few items), a little fact to a previous emailer's fiction. 980 was live all morning on Monday - starting at 0800 with Pollin and Sheehan. I checked back and Loverro (very underutilized, by the way) was in the mix with some really good guests from the Philly and DC side. I'm sorry, if I want historical perspective on a big DC story, I want the guys on 'TEM and not the pompous, underage drinking crowd telling me how it is. Tweaking the Wise show? Greeaat. That oughta help. Also, was making a rare, evening business trip and just looking for a song, any song on our local FM airwaves and I came to a conclusion. The FM selections in this town really are subpar. (4/6/10) Hey Orioles Fans! The new Sports Animal 95.9 is live streaming the games! Go to www.96rocksyou.com. I'm so glad I didn't pay my 15 bucks to MLB.COM yet. (4/6/10) Zinno and Cunningham had a NCAA bracket bet. It was decided that if Bruce won, then Zinno would have to do friday's show in a dress. If Zinno won, for one day it would be the Mark Zinno show featuring Bruce Cunningham. They talk about it all the time. (4/6/10) Dont know "The Hitman"... I've never met the man so I can't call him "friend". I've never been in the market when he was on the air, so I can't call myself "a fan" either. But I can say that, as a broadcaster, he has earned MY respect (for what that's worth). Number one for his proud service to his country ('nuff said), and number two for his full service to his community (which is what I thought radio was about when I got into the biz 20+ years ago). I've worked on Delmarva for a good chunk of my career (Including time spent at the Coast - thus the nickname), and can honestly say that there isn't a more recognized local name. I dont mean to slight anyone - There are some that may be equally recognized, but they are few and far between. I dont mean to stir up a hornets nest, but I don't understand the darts tossed at his head (RE: "If he can't take some observations on his actions...he must or you must be thin skinned...oh and most likely, a liberal") JJ = LIBERAL?!?! Again, I dont know the man, but do you read this board? Thats not a word that I would equate with him. So I guess the question is ... Is it better to have a number of people in a number of markets over the years know your name, or have an entire community (no matter how small) REMEMBER your name years later? That doesnt mean you have to like him, but some respect should have already been earned (especially if, as you claim, you've never met him!)!... ... coastraven (4/6/10) I love that Delmarva now has a sports station at 95.9. The "Sports Animal" is long overdue for our area. I wish them luck. I do have one big complaint though. Does anybody over there no what they are doing? I work at PRMC in Salisbury and do not have access to a tv. However I do have a radio at my desk. I was trying to listen to the NCAA Championship game last night and it kept "cutting out" and going to some talk show. Finally, it just stayed on "ESPN Radio". Come to think of it, the same thing kept happening on Saturday night during the Final 4. I finally gave up last night and searched up and down the dial. Luckily I found the game on 92.5 WICO. My question to Sports Animal...does anybody that works there listen to the station? Sometimes nothing is on at all. Please work out the bugs. You would have a good thing. As for the Orioles tonight, I'm listening to 92.5. At least I'll hear the whole game. D P in Laurel (4/6/10) Personnel flip on 105.7 midday? Mark Zinno is filling in for Scott Garceau today and him and Jeremy Conn just mentioned that starting Friday, before the O's home opening, the "Mark Zinno Show feat. Bruce Cunningham" will premiere. Are these two guys switching seats? Is this true, or were they just playing around? -Dave (4/6/10) Somebody please correct me, but IIRC, the Washington Nationals do not have an “exclusive marketing territory” of any sort, as such were drawn-up after the demise of the Washington Senators. The Baltimore Orioles’ territory runs as far south as the northern boundary of the Atlanta Braves’ territory. It was only by forces unknown to the masses by which Peter Angelos graciously allowed another team to play within the territory of his team. As for any “fairness”, that is not an issue here. “Fairness” and what may be “right” do not matter in business. What matters is that all parties accepted the contract terms involved. If you want to change things, you have two options: (1) Organize an economic boycott of Baltimore to put public pressure on Peter Angelos. (2) Buy the Orioles from the Angelos family (I’m sure there’s a price they will not refuse.) Otherwise, STFU. As one who was disillusioned long ago from being “there”, professional sports is like not unlike radio. While radio is programmed for advertisers (not that obsolete factor called an “audience”.), professional sports exists solely for the benefit of the team owners with fans as a distant afterthought. The only reason the Washington Nationals exists at all is due to the pressure then-Congressman Tom Davis (R-11-VA) was able to put on the MLB team owners to put a team –any team- in D.C., be it via a move or expansion. Or else risk facing a then-Republican-dominated Congress which would have the power to publicly re-examine the MLB’s “antitrust exemption” (among other uncomfortable issues)… If the Montreal Expos had been profitable with strong local economic support, it could’ve been the Royals or the Twins making the move, or MLB would've expanded again. However, the latter would’ve been highly unlikely between too many economically unhealthy teams already and too many teams in general. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/6/10) It is amazing that there is not an uproar about WTEM not having LOCAL programming Monday morning after the Donovan McNabb deal went down. The station is owned by the owner of the Redskins and this alleged sports station is airing Mike & Mike instead of it's own announcers to talk about the big deal. The junks talked about it and did a great job with phone calls over at WJFK. A tip of the 'Skins cap to the Junkies. The losers over at 980 AM might as well just shut down the transmitter. What a waste of electricity. (4/6/10) Tonight, WYRE-AM 810 in Annapolis will feature high school lacrosse, as Severna Park travels to Annapolis. Hear the game LIVE with Graham Whaples at 5pm. The game is produced by SFMSports.Net. (4/6/10) I heard that Holden Kushner is going to kill Jennifer Hudson LIVE ONSTAGE at the Junkies Bikini Party!! I guess the sales department managed to get some one to brand it so it's ok! (4/6/10) I can now tell my grandchildren I witnessed the worst interview in the history of CNN. At 2pm, Tuesday April 6th, the anchor spoke to "former coal miner Homer Hickman." His guest was NASA engineer and author Homer Hickam, the man who wrote "Rocket Boys" that became the movie "October Sky." (4/6/10) Hi Dave. I just heard a promo on WJFK stating that all of the Caps playoff games will be heard live on JFK. Not sure if you have this item yet (I didn't see it earlier when I looked). Hope that helps. Keep up the good work! (4/6/10) Dave's response: We have reported that 106.7 will be carrying Caps games when it doesn't have a sports team schedule conflict..... I was a big fan of "95.9 The Coast" before I got into radio myself. It was a great station, had great jocks, and just a fun feel to it. Dino is down in Florida now still doing his production business and I think he is even on the radio somewhere too. Paula Sangeleer (who was the Coast's PD), is the morning show Co-host on Eagle 97.7 in Milford, DE. Sean Rima (Morning Show Host 98/99) is in the Las Vegas/Colorado area doing radio. Josh (Night Jock 97-99) worked at WOCM as the PD until 2004. Lisa Bryant is an anchor on WBOC. And unfortunately TJ Roberts passed away a year ago. Unfortunately you don't see these type of stations anymore. Rich (4/6/10) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Can you make money news interesting and understandable on-air and online? We're looking for people who have reporting and on-air experience to provide morning and evening updates and pre-taped weekend reports. E-mail resume and audio samples to capbiz@washpost.com. (4/6/10) Looks like the old mailbag is spiraling out of control again, Dave. (4/6/10) Robert (Smith) You have hit the nail directly on the head. I, for the life of me don’t post very often anymore, WAY TOO BUSY. I don’t hate anyone, but I sure do disrespect the shitheads that post that hate…..They are consumed with nothing to do but vent. PLB (4/6/10) Dave, regarding your response about Brian Bolter spending more time doing real news, I totally agree..The whole FOX5 news needs to do real news..Their constant use of TMZ as a resource, in my mind, totally reduces the credibility of what they report. (4/6/10) Dave's response: Credibility is not a primary objective of any "news organization" overseen by Roger Ailes, as is DC's Fox5. Where it's pretty much anything for ratings, including "news" about Fox's entertainment shows..... Bicknell here,aka Davy Jones.Get off my back, I RARELY post and when I do I sign my name proudly. So in the nicest way to the "NO NAME" ---GFY! plb/dj (4/6/10) Love the twits bashing “Hit Man”…especially the one that said: Hey Bruce - funny how you used the words "has been" and "hit man" in the same email! And just what are you doing? He’s working while your spewing hate! Probably unemployed too! --- In the 4 or 5 years I have been reading this column, the hate mail and slanderous rants just keep growing. It is one thing to disagree with someone, but another thing to assault the character or make up hateful things about another person. I have often thought about stopping reading this column because of all the hate that is spewed here. But Dave does such a great job at putting this site together; because of it I have become friends with many people in the media that I grew up listening to in the Baltimore/DC area. Dave, you do fine work! Burt in Denton (4/6/10) FYI,your petty shot at Bicknell was just that "petty" noticed you didn't sign your name either. Bicknell has posted ONCE in the past month. Get a life.From the HATE, I'm guessing you're among the unemployed and LOVE to HATE! Doug Wample (4/6/10) Bill Rohland ? Anyone see a similarity between this guy and Milton from "Office Space"? Yeh, Bill, Welcome to WJFK-AM 1300....yeh, Bill, we're gonna find you a partner....yeah Bill, we're gonna find you a different partner.....yeh, Bill, looks like we're gonna go with that Anita Marks thing, soooo if you might, ya' know, wanna move South, that'd be great. Yeh, Bill, we've got another partner for you....yeh, Bill, we're gonna move you to another time slot, yeh. What do they see in this guy? Maybe it's time to bring in the "The Bobs" Oh, and we're gonna take that Red Stapler, okay? (4/6/10) The Bicknell hater, should really get his facts straight before posting his hatred. I am not Paul Bicknell and Dave can easily confirm that with an IP check. Maybe if you spent some time doing more than reading mailbag and doing something productive, you wouldn't be so filled and consumed with hate. I feel sorry for you little man. Get a life. I was simply remembering the good old days when we really had some talent on the air instead of card readers and wannabe's. Of which you must be one, or else you wouldn't be so filled with hate for the real talent. Robert W. Smith, Alexandria (4/6/10) "So my question is, why not bring back the DC Radio all-time greats?" -Because no one wants to hear about old Matlock episodes, what the special was at the Old Country Buffet a week ago, or tired 40 year old stories about bands and their wackiness. (4/6/10) WTF???!!!! Holden Kushner on Day 2 with Mike Wise wishes Jennifer Hudson DEAD??!!! WTF IS WJFK DOING OVER THERE???? MASSIVE FAIL!!!! (4/6/10) Nice to "see" Rich Drake chime in about 96 Rock. I wish there was another "new" rock station in the area, just to have the choice. I miss the old "95.9 The Coast" days. I kept wishing they would go back to that. I used to love their morning show. The only one I can recall on there was "Dino" I think his name was. Whatever happen to him or anyone else from that time? (4/6/10) Re: Nats on Radio (Solution? Traffic is almost home in the areas that 107.7FM cover by the time the games air. Bonneville needs to break away for Nationals AND Capitals games so that the Virginia suburbs are covered.) It's been stated here many times that will never happen. Arbitron combines audience for simulcasts ONLY when the simulcast is 100%. If 107.7 broke away for games, WTOP would no longer get credit in Abitron. No doubt there are radio stations in NoVa willing to carry games for a modest fee from the team. Oh, and my the way, ask any commuter on the raods at 7 or 8pm: traffic is still dman heavy at those times. It does not end at 7. (4/6/10) Dave's response: "WINC, 92.5, Northern Virginia Radio. The best talk and today's hits for Fairfax, Loudoun, and Winchester! Mike O'Meara in the morning, plus the Nationals at night"..... Captain Janks strikes again! (4/6/10) Christ....Here we go again with the mailbag posts where the same voices of the past are hyped up and billed as the answer to DC radio. Ironically, signed by proven Bicknell pseudonyms. Surprise the biggest ego this side of the mighty Mississippi includes his own lame DJ name. Go away Bick, the mailbag was a better place without your useless pontificating. (4/6/10) Obama has his own Sarah Palin moment during Monday's broadcast of National's game... (4/6/10) I'm told that program directors and station owners read DCRTV. So my question is, why not bring back the DC Radio all-time greats? Pat Murphy (Murphy in the Morning) on mornings. Unquestionably the best morning man that DC radio ever had. Mid-Days Dave Kellogg. Nobody did it better. Afternoons, Davey Jones who had more energy than should be allowed by law. Evenings, Barry Richards, who could still crack me up while he was stoned beyond belief. All Nights Johnny Dark, sponsored by Eddie Leonard sandwich shops! Weekends could be fill-ins with the many other top notch names that have passed through DC. Why not bring back these top radio talents? I've never understood why a station didn't put together the best of the best. It would sell advertising, pull in super ratings and be the talk of DC. DC radio is a bore to listen to now. Why not bring back the people that made you listen every day to see what crazy thing they were going to do next? Robert W. Smith - Alexandria (4/6/10) Dave's response: Look, radio is programmed for advertisers - not listeners. And advertisers want to spend their dough to reach younger demos, not older. A deep tracks oldies radio station with all those expensive human beings would be so fucking cool, I agree, but it just won't happen in this era of corporate radio bean counters and PPMs..... Hey Doghouse Reilly, you are correct on some things and way off on others regarding 96 Rock and WZBH. First of all 96 Rock did make a dent in the market. I was the PD of the station from Oct 2007-April 28, 2009 (and MD befor that). Look at the Fall 2008 ratings, we beat WZBH in some demos and were right there with them in others. This was the best book 96 Rock ever had, and it was also the best that the station ever sounded. To me, this was the final real book for 96 Rock. Corporate decided to kill the station last April 28th when they took the local morning show off and decided the station didn't need a local PD anymore. Whiskey and JJ in the morning had become the top rated rock show for the younger rock listeners. After a lot of hard work they finally were seeing the results that we all expected, and generated a buzz around town that this version of 96 Rock had never gotten before. The foundation for this change started in 2006 when 96 Rock hired Cowboy who had been a fixture on WZBH for years. When Cowboy did the morning show with Murph on 93.5, nothing on 96 Rock ever came close to challenging it. But after the Murph, Miki, and Cowboy show ended in the summer of 2005, thats when 96 Rock began to compete with ZBH. Yeah you are correct that for much of the 10 years 96 Rock was never consistent. The station came on in October of 1999 and never really defined it's format. It started out as some weird blend of AOR, which even at that time was not a regular format anymore. It could've taken a Classic Rock position early on and defined itself that way. But it never did, and BIG 98.5 ended up taking that role and becoming one of the most successful stations in the market ever since. 96 Rock tried different variations of rock, they even did go heavy in 2004 and 2005 which you suggested that they do. When they did that the station had low ratings and revenue. That's why it went more mainstream. ZBH is the heritage station with a great signal. They also have always stayed LOCAL. Something that you need to do with this format. Clear Channel can completely syndicate a station like KISS 105.5 and it won't hurt ratings at all, but when you do that to rock listeners they get angry and bolt the station. That is what they did during the last year of 96 Rock. Corporate pulled the plug on locality and that was 96 Rock's demise. But this time last year we had the station right where it needed to be. I wouldve loved to see what 96 Rock would've done with keeping Whiskey and JJ in place and letting us program the music locally (not Premium Choice like it became). We will never know what the outcome would be, and now the station is gone. We did make an impact before April of 09. But I think this was the right time for the station to go, and I think the new Sports format is worth a shot. Randy Scott is the PD and he is one of the most hard working people you will ever meet. If anyone can make that work in this market he can. I think Mike and Mike will do well down here....You are right about the compressed sound. That is something we were always trying to fix. It pretty much started when the station moved into it's current buildling, and it was something that was never fully able to be fixed for some reason....But in the end ZBH wins like they have done most of the time over the last 10 years. They are the on ly station left for the younger rock listeners. They made a good move picking up JJ last summer and he has developed a strong following at night. Matt and Crank have a good show now, and they are not talking as much politics as you said they do. Maybe they did in the past, but that appears to have gone away. It does suck that there is only one rock choice for the younger demo now, but at least the one station that is left has good people on it. Anyway it is good to hear some healthy debate about radio on Delmarva. Something that seems to have died out over the years. Rich Drake (4/6/10) Hey WB, If you had any idea how bad that show would sink without Dukes you'd be eating your words. LaVar seems like a very cool guy, but he's an amateur in radio and Dukes has proven his worth time and time again by helping steer Arrington's focus at least 2-3 times an hour since July. I don't understand you people that sit there and hate on Dukes...he jumps through hoops to deliver quality content and there's always somebody complaining. I for one would probably not be into "The Fan" if he were gone. (4/6/10) Thanks for the info on why the Nationals have so few affiliates -- apparently the team and Bonneville are supplying a double whammy. It looks as if the only hope, at least for the immediate D.C. area, is that Bonneville purchases an FM signal from Citadel, converts it to a sports talker (thus explaining the recent John Riggins show currently on HD) and placates both the Natis and Capitals. If I'm the Lerners, I have to change something to boost the paltry number of affiliates; currently, the Nats are ceding much of Virginia to the Orioles by default (something that shouldn't be the case five years after the team's arrival). What an embarrassment. -- Vincent in Triangle (4/6/10) Ok, Fox 5 just ran an obviously stale canned fluff piece on 24 that should have been run last week since they interviewed the actor who got killed off in the episode that aired right before the 10:00 news. I say it was stale, because the piece ended indicating to check back next week to see what the actor's character does next. Nothing, because he's dead! I guess Fox's writers were still on Easter break and couldn't make up enough Faux news to fill the the 40 minutes they have to spoon feed us their mind control drugs. (4/6/10) Dave's response: Hey, Brian Bolter (aka "TV Newsboy") should spend a little more time doing real news on his show, and that doesn't include hyping Fox entertainment shows - which are fiction. Ah, "24" isn't real! Sheesh..... /\ April 6 Messages /\ \/ April 5 Messages \/ There are numerous issues surrounding the lack of affiliates for the Nationals. The foremost issue being that the person entrusted to handle broadcasting and marketing for the team doesn't know how to do his job. He came from a much smaller market handling an NBA franchise. He doesn't even watch or listen to the broadcasts he is responsible for, unless it's by mistake when he's in the bathrooms at Nationals Park where the audio is piped in. Why else would it have taken the team 6 seasons to finally hire someone who knows baseball for their postgame radio show? Fellow Nats fans have breathed a sigh of relief that they now have a real forum to talk about the team. In the past, several people presented the Nationals with a long list of radio stations who carried other sports programming, covering a territory running from the Carolinas to West Virginia out to the Eastern Shore and up to the Pennsylvania line. No one with the team followed up. I know of three radio station owners who called the team asking for affiliation quotes. No one with the team followed up. The team isn't the only one at fault here. Each year Bonneville made it harder to find the radio broadcasts by either changing the station line-up or format of the flagship each and every season. The first season the games were on Z104 and WFED on 1050, the next year they were on Washington Post Radio which included 1500 AM 820 AM and 107.7FM, then that changed to the 3WT format, the transition format after that before 1500 was flipped to the low rated Federal News Radio, removing 107.7FM...and so on and so on. If you find that hard to follow, imagine the poor fan trying to find the games. In addition to Bonneville's game of musical format & frequency changes you have a General Manager who once told his staff not to look for additional affiliates because the nighttime signal of the 1500 AM frequency shouldn't have any competition. In the past few months there has been word inside the team that Stan Kasten insisted on a clause that said if Bonneville didn't find an FM frequency for the Nationals broadcasts by opening day there would either be a financial penalty or a contract trigger that allowed the team to look for other options. The sad part is that there aren't many stations willing to take the broadcasts without a huge rights fee. There were talks with WJFK, who wanted 6 figures just to air a month of Nats games. Red Zebra stations are out, because Kasten will never let the Nats play even more of a second fiddle to the Redskins then they already do. Solution? Traffic is almost home in the areas that 107.7FM cover by the time the games air. Bonneville needs to break away for Nationals AND Capitals games so that the Virginia suburbs are covered. The team needs to fire the person responsible for broadcasting and marketing and hire separate two people who are experts in those individual areas. The team needs to retain more spot inventory and hire people who understand how to bundle those big corporate accounts with a broadcast facet. And finally, having a new COO who comes from the NFL Players Association might be a good idea on paper, but may not translate when it comes to needing real baseball people running a baseball team. There is money to be made with a Nationals affiliation and with the number of station managers and program directors who read this site, from all over the mid-Atlantic, it is surprising that more haven't picked up the phone and called the team asking for an affiliation/cross-promotion deal. - Would Ted Leonsis please advise the Nationals on how to market a pro sports team? Please? (4/5/10) www.wbal.com... Brett Hollander is now doing the 6:00pm Sports Show on WBAL Radio (Link Above)... Wonder what this means for Peter Schmuck, Qadry Ismail, and the others who have been there since Schmuck has been off the show? Thought he was coming back once O's Spring Training concluded. Doug in Bel Air (4/5/10) Dave's response: I am working on a profile of Brett for PressBox's April print issue. Peter and Qadry will continue their guesting/co-hosting duties on the show..... Regarding your most recent Rant: I'm not sure how having Federal News Radio on 820 AM and internet will benefit its intended audience. 820 AM has poor coverage in the immediate DC area where "the feds" who might want to listen are located. Not everone can/will/want to stream via the internet. Mike in Fairfax (4/5/10) Dave's response: My Rant called for FNR on DC's 1050 - plus 820 and the web..... (Sounds like Z104.3 has a afternoon drive DJ...not,sure about midday or morning drive since I just turned the station on) ... wonder if he'll curse this time around. (4/5/10) Sounds like Z104.3 has a afternoon drive DJ...not,sure about midday or morning drive since I just turned the station on (4/5/10) Letting someone else "drive" the Mike Wise Show was a good move. The stammering and the poor grammar (he must take care of his editors at the Post w/ Rolex's and steak dinners) is just painful to listen to. Mike, why did the chicken cross the road? "Because uhh, ahhhhh, he's uhhhhhh, walking....uhhhhhhh, and.....uhhhhh." Not good for radio. A lisping Kevin Sheehan is even better. Just let Holden do his job and Mike can drop some one-liners in. I agree with the previous poster about Dukes. Amateurish is way too kind a description, and a true insult to amateurs. (4/5/10) Let's hope JFK continues to tweak the line up, and tweaks Chad Dukes right the hell off the air. That show is so much better without him. WB Centreville, VA (4/5/10) Is it just me, or does anyone else out there think that Mike Wise, and not Bill Rohland, is the weak link on The Mike Wise Show? (4/5/10) Tom in Denton…. We are always lurking (4/5/10) What happened to Bill Rowland with the Mike Wise show? They are now saying Mike Wise show with Holden Kushner. (4/5/10) Dave's response: I tuned into Mike Wise on JFK today with Tony K being away from WTEM, and heard Holden Kushner on with him. I thought Kush was just filling-in for the vacationing Rohland, but it looks like Roh's vacay is permanent. More in the Front Page rumorblurb, just up..... No hate man...just an observation that its funny to me that someone insists on using their own nickname and in quotes no less when signing the mailbag...someone looking for attention perhaps? Don't know the guy but I bet I've met him. If he can't take some observations on his actions...he must or you must be thin skinned...oh and most likely, a liberal :o).Not unemployed. In radio (June 2010 flips the odometer on 30 years from DC to San Diego and many small and mid markets in between). Fired once. Programmed many - some good situations, some bad. Currently pretty decent. Always looking up and to the "right" as they say! Peace out! (4/5/10) Well what do ya know! I'm listening to WWFG's stream as I'm writing this..and it's sounding fine! Hey..did my posting about this in the mailbag yesterday (Sunday)..really make a difference? If so, then I know what do do whenever Froggy 99.9's stream sounds bad! Tom in Denton, MD. (4/5/10) So, Ms. Amara appeared on this A.M.s WBAL newscast from the WH easter egg roll. Was the move to HEARST DC a promotion or demotion for the skeletal but attractive Lucille O'ball mini-me ? Sincerely, Jealous Marianne Bannister....... (4/5/10) Dave, Have you heard if Verizon FIOS is going to carry MASN 2 HD? I’ve gotten no response from MASN or Verizon. Thanks! Dave (4/5/10) Dave's response: The only official MASN-2 HD carriage announcement I've heard is from Comcast on channel 844. Nothing from anyone else..... Sean Hannity and Oliver North’s Freedom Alliance gets low score from another charity watchdog group! www.charitynavigator.org... Sean Hannity’s new book misrepresents Reagan’s policies! mediamatters.org... Newsweek notes Hannity’s new book; short words and short chapters cater beautifully to a short attention span. http://www.newsweek.com/id/235839. Sean Hannity’s crap can be heard on 630 WMAL. (4/5/10) Love the twits bashing “Hit Man”…especially the one that said: Hey Bruce - funny how you used the words "has been" and "hit man" in the same email! And just what are you doing? He’s working while your spewing hate! Probably unemployed too! (4/5/10) Thanks for providing the Nats' broadcast list, which is indeed pathetic (nine stations). If a lot of those Virginia stations that carried the Orioles were longtime Baltimore affiliates since before the Nats arrived, I could understand the situation, but I lived in Waynesboro in 2005 and neither it nor Staunton had an Orioles affiliate at the time. Simply put, the Nats dropped the ball. Stan Kasten spent decades in Atlanta, where the Braves' radio network enveloped the Southeast. Can't he do that here? What an ineptly marketed franchise...but then what would you expect from a team that foists the irritating Clint on us and uses "Sweet Caroline," the unoriginal anthem of the hated Red Sox, as part of the game day experience. Do they actually think we're that stupid? -- Vincent in Triangle (4/5/10) Re: "I heard some more than decent coverage of the local sports scene on WTOP this morning. The two sports stations hardly have a lock." -If you're getting your sports radio news from WTOP, you're not a passionate sports fan. No slur to you, you're just not. You're like a person that claims to be a big golf fan, but hasn't watched because Tiger hasn't been playing. Right....Just tell me how Rt. 3 will be at 5:18PM, and leave your superficial sports comments to the relatives you saw on Easter Sunday. -Billy Sparks (4/5/10) Dave's response: No Korny this morning on the Donovan thingo. Why did Tony pick this week to take his vacation? Bummer..... Richard Sher and his Square Off team announced on the show this past Sunday, April 4th , that they will be inviting Robert Ehrlich and Martin O’Malley to debate on an extended version of Square Off. Kendel Ehrlich was a Square Off panelist this past Sunday and commented on her husband’s decision to run. Square Off with Richard Sher, and sponsored by The Murphy Firm can be seen every Sunday on WMAR TV at 6:30pm…and 24/7 on www.squareoff.net. (4/5/10) Hey Bruce - funny how you used the words "has been" and "hit man" in the same email! (4/5/10) (RE: "In fairness to 980" -106.7 The Fan doesn't have 2 other signals to move obligations to if necessary) Has WTEM actually split the signals? When? I don't seem to recall that. I heard some more than decent coverage of the local sports scene on WTOP this morning. The two sports stations hardly have a lock. (4/5/10) At least "Hit Man" has used quotes and has been for decades, have you???? Give my regards to Ethel. -Bruce "Batman" Wayne (4/5/10) RE: "In fairness to 980" -106.7 The Fan doesn't have 2 other signals to move obligations to if necessary. Also, instead of pre-empting "Mike and Mike" this am, they're still national, while 106.7 The Fan is continuing to receive the "radio herpes" (the gift that continues to give...maybe a poor choice of words, you get the gist) from ESPN 980. -Billy Sparks (4/5/10) Why is Rohland off the air? Why is Mike Wise still on? Discuss (4/5/10) In fairness to 980, 106.7 didn't exactly start the blanket Donovan McNabb talk right away either, continuing with normal Washington Wizards game and postgame coverage to its natural conclusion. Each station had preexisting obligations to meet, 106.7 was just fortunate that its obligation ended soon enough to allow for at least some McNabb discussion. Everett W. (4/5/10) Washington Nationals radio affiliates: washington.nationals.mlb.com Everett W. (4/5/10) Here's the listing of Nationals' radio affilliates: washington.nationals.mlb.com. I can see why they make it hard to find - just compare it to the Orioles' list that you provided. The O's have at least five times as many affilliates. Simply pathetic... (4/5/10) 106.7 The Fan just turned the corner in the DC sports radio war. While ESPN 980 "Redskins Radio" is broadcasting the Yankees/Sox game, 106.7 The Fan is LIVE and LOCAL, with the Donovan McNabb trade. 980 couldn't move the baseball game that no one's listening to, to 570 or 1260? C'mon this is easily the biggest Redskins story since Joe Gibbs, Book II, and Dan Snyder owns the station? As that wise philosopher, Mr. Hand once asked: "What are you people, ON DOPE?" How 980 continues to make money, I don't know. But if I were a potential advertiser and a BIG, LOCAL, sports story breaks, I'd love my commercial to be in 106.7 The Fan's stopset. If I were Chris Kinard, I'd send a box of butterfingers over to Red Zebra Broadcasting, because they just FUMBLED!!! -Billy Sparks (4/5/10) Counting Red Zebra stations in Alexandria and Warrenton, the Orioles have 14 affiliates in the state of Virginia (including Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Richmond, Staunton and Waynesboro), which is probably a larger number than the Nationals have in their entire radio network. That's an indictment of the Nats' dreadful marketing, particularly in Virginia, a state they should have wrapped up as their own after five seasons in D.C. (Do the Ravens have 14 affiliates in Virginia? Tend to doubt it.) Get with it, Stan Kasten. -- Vincent in Triangle (4/5/10) Dear Dave: Here's a link to the Washington Nationals radio affiliate list. washington.nationals.mlb.com... The coverage to Northern Virginia is weak and I hope this will change, but this won't be a problem tomorrow as I will be taking the day off from work to go to Opening Day. In all the years I've lived in this area, nothing better has said that Spring has arrived more than the bloom of the cherry blossoms and the President throwing out the first pitch. Great site Dave! (4/5/10) Tiny Dancer. Having sat in AT's in a few markets in the last 2 years - its amazing to me to see the scores that song brings in. Maybe its just that one long ago episode of WKRP that brought it to life! Ha!...And can we all be self important enough to use our cool nickname - in quotes no less - when adding to the waste of space the mailbag can be some days...Fred "Fat Man" Mertz... (4/5/10) A name change- ESPN350.com is now called ESPN3.com. Happy Easter Dave. Ron in Annapolis (4/5/10) /\ April 5 Messages /\ \/ April 4 Messages \/ Well once again David Zurawik shows why he's not in the top tier of media critics. He's quick to attack WBAL for having the Ehrlichs on the air, and clearly made no attempt himself to find out the station's position or plans. Seems to me I remember when Mayor O'Malley had his show on WBAL and half the time he was a no show for his own program. I remember hearing O'Malley get flip with WBAL listeners, and frankly, they handed him his butt half the time. Not to mention O'Malley's not-so-polite offer to Chip Franklin to "kick his ass..." I also remember hearing that WBAL offered O'Malley a program when he became governor. Why did O'Malley accept? Did Zurawik even check to see if they've made the offer again? All that would be required would be for WBAL to make the offer to O'Malley. If O'Malley decides not to take them up on their offer, why should Bob Ehrlich be pulled from the air. Zurawik also never made any attempt to question any of the outlets that feature call-in programs with O'Malley. WTOP has O'Malley on in an "Ask the Governor" show. Maryland Public Television has him on in a call-in show too, but you'd expect that when the state funds a portion of their budget. And O'Malley stayed absolutely mum on the findings of a legislative audit that found so much money going out of MPT without competitive bidding that the issue was referred to the Attorney General for criminal investigation. Does anyone think Gansler will seriously take a look at it? I don't think Zurawik even wrote about that or questioned that -- he must have been busy tracking the latest shopping spree of Kate Goselin. My suspicion is O'Malley will complain and whine, but won't dare face WBAL listeners. And it's a good thing there's no "equal opportunity" or "fairness" for the Baltimore Sun. Their consistent support for all things O'Malley has helped drive them into slumping circulation and near extinction. By the way, listen to WBAL now and suddenly there's a commercial running voiced by Mrs. Martin O'Malley. Funny, no one has questioned that or its timing. My guess is Zurawik is listening to public radio, or his conjoined buddy, Marc Steiner. (4/4/10) Any list of Nationals and Orioles radio affiliates for 2010? -- Vincent in Triangle (4/4/10) Dave's response: Orioles here. Couldn't find a Nats' radio affiliate list..... It sounds like 105.9 has gone the direction of "Classic Rock the really is overplayed tired easy listening" like both "100.7 The Bay" and "Big 100.3". I'm sure the consultant found some B.S. survey or focus group from some unrelated market that says that men between the ages of 35 and 52 all want to hear "Tiny Dancer" every single day. Classic rock radio really is terrible and no matter how low the ratings sink, they never will take a chance and play more than "Tiny Dancer", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Freebird", "The Joker", "Sweet Emotion", "Feel like makin' love", and "More Than a feeling" over and over again. The format isn't dead, it's the presentation of the format (currently) that is. I am of the age group that they target and I never listen to any classic rock stations. (4/4/10) Dave's response: Both WBIG and WVRX are some of the most boring stations of their classic hits/rock format ever. I repeatedly hear "Burning Down The House" by the Talking Heads on both. Yet neither station, at least when I'm listening, plays any of the other many (!) cool songs by the band. There's an excuse for WBIG's conservativism - it's regularly in the DC radio top 10. But WVRX, 105.9 The Edge, hasn't much budged above 20th place since it launched last August..... WTF, I Just heard Elton John on 1059 the edge. Is this really classic rock that rocks? (4/4/10) “Did someone say Kim, as in Kim "Lurch" Martucci?:” Dave: I think this is very mean to Kimmee. I mean, like, what did she ever do to DCRTV? And Topper has her Bozo-red hair dye now, so like just forget it already. Whatever!!! (4/4/10) Well I don't know if it's gonna make a difference..but maybe we'll see if there's anyone who has anything to do with WWFG's audio stream that reads this mailbag: the stream is _way_ too loud again; has been that way for a while! Turning the volume down does no good as it is so loud that everything is just _way_ over modulated! I dono; it worked before when I pointed this out in Dave's mailbag..let's see what happens this time! Tom in Denton, MD. (4/4/10) HAPPY EASTER or HAPPY HOLIDAYS whatever fits...YES even to the HATERS - It's a SHORT journey on this planet - kick back buckle up and enjoy the RIDE - J.J. "Hitman" McKay (4/4/10) Any chance of updating the station lists on DCRTV+ anytime soon? I just looked at and found a lot of old stuff that needs updating. Like WMAL running 10KW days, not to mention all the analog TV's being listed... (4/4/10) Dave's response: There's always something in the massive DCRTV Plus archive that needs updating. I'll get to it. Oh, it's kinda tough with the analog TV info, because TV stations are still IDed by their old analog numbers. It's still NBC4 not NBC48. So, as far as viewers are concerned, WRC is still on channel 4 even though it's not..... Was driving home today and I heard WWDE (101.3 2WD, Hampton Roads) loud-and-clear coming down Rt 211 in Page County today from the top of the Massanutten Mountain to my house in Luray (VA). It was so crazy to be able to get the signal all the way from Norfolk. I heard them identify themselves a few times and also heard the forecast for Hampton Roads, so I know it was 2WD. Any idea what made today special and why I could hear them from 200 miles away? I didn't think FM stations carried that kind of power. --Chase (4/4/10) Dave's response: The spring weather patterns are good for atmospheric ducting, which can carry FM and TV signals far beyond their normal coverage areas. In the DC area, from April through June, there'll be periods where you can get Richmond, Roanoke, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia stations. And there will be some openings where you can get stations from as far as a thousand or more miles away. I've heard FMers from Texas and New York and TVers from Nebraska, Cuba, and Canada in the DC area during some of these conditions. With most viewers plugged into cable or satellite these days, these openings are not as noticable on the TV side as they were back in the 1970s and 1980s..... /\ April 4 Messages /\ \/ April 3 Messages \/ ....and just when you thought it was over.....brace yourself.....So where would HFS get the money to pay for performers? Well lets start with all the Jocks that don't get a salary now. HFS has one DJ now. It isn't as if HFS is a stand alone station anymore,they're a small part of a big money making machine. They are a low cost subchannel on a main frequency that does plenty of revenue generating commercials.Lets not forget what the HFStival used to be slated as...The East Coasts Biggest Party....there is money to be made there and CBS has finally decided to cash in again. It just happens to coincide with true alternative fans wishes. So both sides win. Who is going to buy tickets to a festival hosted by a station few can listen to? Me. I'm sure I'm not alone. I told a coworker about seeing the vid and his reaction was "When do tickets go on sale??" not "Who's playing" or "Where is it held" or "How much?"so I'm pretty sure he's in too. Don't be shocked to see this reaction alot in the next few weeks. Donnie with ears glued to h....f.....s (4/3/10) According to recent FCC recs, WAGE's 50,000 watt daytime application has been reinstated by the FCC. If built, the new WAGE 1190 would arguably be Washington's most powerful daytime AM radio station. A nighttime application was recently filed to complete the application along with environmental studies. The only thing left is zoning approval & money, both of which are questionable in DC, the NIMBY Capital of the World. (4/3/10) Wait, lemme see if I have this right: a company owes CBS $366K ... for commercials for sponges that have been pre-loaded with soap? Good grief, have we gotten so lazy as a species that we need to have sponges soaped up FOR us? What's next? Perdue coming out with chicken that has been pre-chewed on the assembly line for our convenience by a line worker? Why not rolls of Charmin that have been pre-shat-on by someone else to save us the hassle? Jeezus, just fire a nail gun into my head now and take me away from this imbecility... (4/3/10) "I would guess that you were Kim but management fired her (bad move, at least she had a great attitude and was proposed to by someone taller than her live on WUSA). Are you AngChina??" - Did someone say Kim, as in Kim "Lurch" Martucci?: www.wusa9.com (4/3/10) 3D broadcasts of the NCAA Final Four and Championship games showing at the Fairfax Corner 14 Theaters www.examiner.com... Tom (4/3/10) All this he said, she said shit between 980 and 106.7 stuff written by talent is BS. We have two sports talkers of talent (And a great PodCast) that would make one super station. Dave's numbers don't tell us the key demos that they are shooting for but TEM looks to be beating JFK. JFK's laziness doesn't help them and without the Junks their numbers would stink. I think they are hurting too with the new format. Their signal sux too. Home base in PG is lost. Mike is on to something but it is still early. And, there is also the Doni situation that could tilt it either way. Just my thoughts....OB PS - NY CBS News.. Now SpongeTech Delivery Systems is facing static from radio giant CBS Radio. The owner of WFAN is taking the New York-based seller of soap-filled sponges to court for failing to pay more than $366,000 for radio ads, according to papers filed with the state Supreme Court in Manhattan. CBS Radio becomes the latest in a growing list of outfits waging a legal war against SpongeTech. In the CBS Radio matter, the radio company said SpongeTech admitted last month that it owed $366,231 for ads provided since last September. The filing also includes an "affidavit of confession" signed by SpongeTech Comptroller Mark Kranczer and promising to pay the owed cash based on an agreed-upon payment schedule. According to the court document, SpongeTech defaulted on two payments since the affidavit was signed, bringing the total amount owed to $383,112, including interest and other costs. (4/3/10) I guess it was a matter of time before 96 Rock went the way of the buffalo. The station never seemed to make much of a dent in the market all throughout its ten-year second run, no matter what they tried. And it seemed like CC weren't trying much at all in the last several years, with the station being almost identical to 93-5 The Beach, as far as themusic goes. And they had that trebly, super-compressed sound that made the music all but unlistenable. Just not a good-sounding station overall. I always thought their best chance would be to skew harder than the Beach, to try being more of a metal station, and let the Beach play crap like 3 Days Grace. I guess they gave it a half-hearted try, probably just so they'd be able to say, "See, metal doesn't work!" Moving on to the Beach, they should change their slogan to "The Young Republican Station," the way both their morning and midday jocks try to pretend they're Glenn Beck. Those clowns Matt and Crank with their faux-profound, thinking they're so deep, while the midday guy repeats whatever he heard on Fox News the day before. As for the music, are all rock stations like this, or does the Beach play an awful lot of one-hit wonder from the mid-'90's, like Local H, Stabbing Westward and, for God's sake, Harvey Danger? Because I can guarantee you, in 2000, they were not playing a similar number of where-are-they-nows from fifteen years before. It's amazing how the Beach was able to keep 96 Rock from making an impact, since they're not a very good station themselves, and really never have been. Oh yeah, one last thing, and this goes for all rock stations still doing it. Mandatory Metallica? It's played out, done, take it out back and shoot it. Doghouse Reilly (4/3/10) /\ April 3 Messages /\ \/ April 2 Messages \/ Let's see, sports worked real well for 960 AM, most of the time it doesn't even show up. So let's put more network sports on FM. They are a Clear Channel station, and they own Premiere, why didn't they pull Rush, Glenn, Sean and do Rush radio. They could have pulled those programs and others like they've done in other markets. Just about everything from Clear Channel in Salisbury is syndicated or voice tracked from other markets, so this will fit right in. This should help WOCM, I'm sure they were pulling most of the Ocean City club business any way. (4/2/10) Hey HB hater dont't say Lynette is good she is the one who should go she does not know how to put a 7 day forecast in her weather segment a floor director had to help her (4/2/10) [Devon and Lynette are a breath of fresh air compared to that curmudgeon Howard Bernstein. All of us here at Channel 9 were surprised about his so called spinal issues and many of us wondered if he had a spine. I am sure he is going to mend very quickly now that the ratings are going up at Channel 9 with him away. Stay home for a few more months, Howie. Your double breasted K & G suits need a rest.] This is funny!! Ratings up? Says who? Topper rolls out on vacation as his ‘franchise’ is gutted with layoffs, firings and medical leave’. No one watches us anyhow. Get serious!! I would guess that you were Kim but management fired her (bad move, at least she had a great attitude). Are you Angie?? (4/2/10) "DCRTV hears that Shan Shariff, heard on an ESPN Radio affiliate in Cambridge MD during the week and on Saturday mornings with Brian Mitchell on WJFK, has been hired by a radio station in Kansas City. His last WJFK show is tomorrow, we're told....." Thanks God. He is horrible. (4/2/10) I know that it was posted that Claudia Coffey would be leaving FOX5, but is she officially gone?..Haven't seen her lately and she's not on their website..But then again, neither is Beth Parker, unless of course she's freelancing for them..But then again, I see her more than Roby Chavez and he's listed on their website.. (4/2/10) According to a release on the Washington Capitals website, all Caps playoffs games will be broadcast on WJFK-FM. Certainly don't have to worry about conflicts with Wizards playoff games, I guess.......... (4/2/10) "All this talk about how WJFK is doing as a sports talker vs. 980... One [980] puts in no effort on the weekends, while one [WJFK] has local shows seven days a week." To be fair, WTEM recently launched a program hosted by Al Galdi from 9 AM to noon on Saturdays but it's true that 106.7 The Fan still offers much more locally produced weekend programming. With Shan Shariff about to leave for a job in Kansas City, WJFK should consider hiring Al Koken to co-host Brian Mitchell's show (10 AM to 2 PM Saturdays) - both were part of 980's John Thompson show before being let go by Red Zebra about a year ago. I tuned in Mike Wise's program the other day and it wasn't hard to see why he's losing the ratings battle to Tony Kornheiser - Redskins receiver Chris Cooley was a guest and Wise appeared to playing a game of Ten Questions with him. Who the hell cares whether Cooley prefers Selena or Serena? When a respected Washington Post sports columnist is reduced to doing stuff like that, you know that the show's producers aren't coming up with too many good ideas regarding content. Speaking of Kornheiser and the disclaimer "it's supposed to be funny, it's supposed to be satirical and subversive" with which he's been opening his WTEM show lately, that's clearly in reference to the two recent incidents where on-air remarks landed him in some hot water - the comments about Hannah Storm's wardrobe which led to ESPN suspending him from Pardon The Interruption for two weeks and then the anti-bicyclist rant that got bike racing legend Lance Armstrong all bent out of shape (although that fire was quickly put out via an appearance by Armstrong on Mr. Tony's program). At the end of today's show, he announced that he'll be on vacation all next week and the station will be running ESPN Radio's Colin Cowherd in the 10 AM to noon timeslot. I don't understand why someone from 980's staff can't fill in as host - maybe a member of Kornheiser's rotating panel such as David Aldridge or Liz Clarke would be willing to do it, or as a last resort they could ask Andy Pollin to come in and talk Redskins for two hours a day (not that I'd listen to much of that but at least it would be local). Mike, Fairfax (4/2/10) Dave's response: Why not get Don Geronimo to fill-in for Tony? Oh, wait, there's that damn CBS non-compete. Nevermind. OK, how about Mike O'Meara? Interesting....a lame KHZTV plug hours after the return of Paul Bicknell to the mailbag. Coincidence? (4/2/10) Dave's response: He hates the Mailbag, but he just can't live without it..... Ars Technica is reporting that the 2010 George Foster Peabody award for distinguished broadcast journalism was awarded to the npr.org website: arstechnica.com (4/2/10) Arbitron’s Portable People Meter? Does that have One Eye and One Horn? (4/2/10) Khztv is going more and more live as the days go by. Monday the 5th it's Davy Jones from 10AM to Noon, Then a surprise could happen(female). At 2PM Graham Whopper starts rockin. The format is also streaming on line at khztv.com. It's 4 Decades of Top 40, DVD's new hits, top seven movies, web-watch, Top songs in the USA and hot hot music. Check it out. LP (4/2/10) Things I like about WJFK-FM: (1) They are more baseball and hockey-friendly than WTEM; they understand that people care about things other than the Redskins and Md basketball. (2) Their hosts aren't all dead wood like on WTEM (except for Czaban and Loverero, both of whom still entertain). (3) They have made an effort to come up with local weekend programming and some of it (Parker and Parker) is quite good. (4) They have local sportstalk programming after 7 pm at night (assuming no Wizards game). Things I don't like about WJFK-FM. (1) The regular programming is bad, Wise, Arrington, etc. are lousy, (2) They seem to be aiming for an audience of 20 year olds, much of the programming is too sophomoric. (3) They take the "we aren't owned by the Redskins owner" schtick to an extreme such that it becomes annoying and, in fairness to WTEM, pretty much irrelevant in terms of the willingness to criticise the Skins (4) The Junkies don't really seem to want to talk just sports. All in all, it is nice to have a competitor for WTEM, but it would be nicer to have a competitor with better hosts and more intelligent programming. (4/2/10) Hitman, who dat say my name? I watch TV too !!! Happy Holidays from the Ocean Hon ! JJ "Hitman" McKay (4/2/10) What's up with these Comcast commercials where they're talking about they're now "Infinity" ?..I have to go with the Fios commercials and say "They're still Comcast" (4/2/10) Dave's response: Here's something strange I've noticed about those Comcast Xfinity ads - they almost always have a special half-second logo flash at the end. Almost looks like a technical glitch, but it's there in almost every version of the ad. Sometimes with an audio burst, too. Almost looks like something somewhat subliminal. What's up with that? WTOP's Michelle Basch rides the new Intimidator roller coaster at King's Dominion... (4/2/10) (He invented an early personal computer, in 1975. Back then, about the only connection computers had to radio were those funky sounders on NBC Radio's 'News and Information Service".) Ah, those NIS sounders bring back such memories!!!!! Alan Walden, are you still hearing them in your head? (4/2/10) All this talk about how WJFK is doing as a sports talker vs. 980. Well, you'll notice one station keeps cutting people on and off the air, while another keeps hiring talent. One puts in no effort on the weekends, while one has local shows seven days a week. One station covers the spectrum of DC sports, while one can't look past football. Summing up, one station seems to half-ass it, while another is trying and showing continued improvement. So really, who cares what some stupid "reader survey" conducted by the biggest asskisser in sports media says? I thought internet polls were understood universally to be frauds anyway? (4/2/10) Does anyone have the Feb. ratings for Baltimore TV news? Just interested who won the blizzard numbers. Z just doesn't report on this. (4/2/10) Dave's response: Too much Kate Gosselin for Z..... Much of radio today happens because of computers and anybody who is reading what's on DCRTV sees it on a personal computer. So we should note the passing of Ed Roberts, at age 68. He invented an early personal computer, in 1975. Back then, about the only connection computers had to radio were those funky sounders on NBC Radio's 'News and Information Service". www.latimes.com (4/2/10) Dave, Couple of questions. Have any DC stations increased their IBOC power to the new higher limit? A friend said he copied the WAMU HD stream in Baltimore. Second. When will Bonneville purchase a DelMarVa beach station to simulcast WTOP? With WAMU adding beach service this Summer and with B-More's NPR station already on the air in OC; doesn't it make sense for TOP to be there too? (4/2/10) Dave's response: No local station has made a formal announcement about increasing its HD Radio signal, although WAMU was doing transmitter work last weekend. Maybe that's what they were working on. And, we have mentioned why WTOP doesn't formally enter the Baltimore and Salisbury/Ocean City markets and it's a rather complicated situation that has to do with Arbitron, advertising, and news rights (a la CBS and AP). Apparently, it simply wouldn't generate enough dough to make it worthwhile. It's kind of a shame that WTOP isn't still on 1500 AM, which covers a huge chunk of real estate, including much of the Eastern Shore, especially at night..... It appears that WOSC, 95.9 in Bethany Beach/Ocean City has flipped from "96 Rock" to "The Sports Animal" with ESPN radio programming around the clock. Assuming that this isn't an April Fool's joke there is one less rock station as the FM band continues the march toward more talk radio. (4/2/10) /\ April 2 Messages /\ \/ April 1 Messages \/ Sirius/ XM Satellite Radio .. Come on it is the best. ferrallradio.com... You want real sports talk. HOWARD 101 (4/1/10) regarding US News & World Report - Just wondering...do you know the status of Robert Schlesinger, amid the shakeups there? I'm asking not to be "nosey" - but I like him, he's a decent guy...just curious... (4/1/10) Hitman...what does it matter what he knows about TV news????? At least he's working and has been for decades, are you???? Rh (4/1/10) Dave's response: Bick's baaaaaaaaaaaack..... Howard Stern's "Private Parts" at 8 PM tonight on Cinemax. (4/1/10) I could almost see it happening on a day like today…”Washington FM Broadcaster Donated to Fans of ‘Alternative Radio’ and Promotes HD Radio by Shifting Current Programming to HD. With the news that the 90.1 mc/s frequency in Washington, D.C. would be donated to the Washington Alternative Radio Society, the competing would-be recipient, Washington Alternative Radio lamented the loss by saying, “Alas, we’ll not hear the WAR to end all WARS”. The “new” station, to be given the historic callsign “WGTB-FM” is slated to return to Washington airwaves with the variety of its namesake station and the music of the lamented-by-some former FM station, WHFS. The programming currently carried on the frequency will now be carried exclusively on one HD channel, with two additional HD channels being used to carry additional programming streams produced by the current provider. This move is being hailed by some in the industry as the stimulus necessary to drive the recovery of HD radio sales, which are currently running behind those of AM Stereo receivers. Pending necessary approvals by the FCC, FTC, SEC, DEA and other state, district, local, federal, international, interplanetary, and intergalactic regulatory bodies, approval of the transfer for the start of the new format is expected no earlier than stardate 02302011..:” Enjoy all that April 1st has to offer! -Unsigned Corporate Suit P.S. What's that talk about Mike Joseph coming out of retirement and consulting Bonneville for a possible format change at either 103.5 or 1500? Could "Hot Hits" replace "Traffic and Weather Together on the eights"? :-) (4/1/10) Dave's response: The big mysterious question for WTOP is how much money does the all-newser actually make profit-wise? Yeah, sure, it's the second highest ad billing station in the nation at just above $50 million last year. But how much of that pile-o-cash goes toward the station's large and expensive staff? Hmmm..... Dave, loved the April Fools Joke this morning. It was dead on and even had my girlfriend laughing hard. Dan (4/1/10) OMG, Howard Stern? www.dailymail.co.uk (4/1/10) I don't know if this was an April Fool's joke but I was listening to the internet stream of 106.7 and heard something about Washington's Alternative WHFS coming soon. (4/1/10) Great Rant…would be hilarious…if it weren’t totally accurate….great pipe dream…..keep wishing….maybe…someday…maybe….hope someone over there reads it and gets the message….if that happens….maybe you can rant about Larry “The Hack” Michaels having Frank Herzog kicked to the curb…..Not only is the team bad, but now the Play-by-Play is even worse than the playing on the field….Thankfully Sam and Sonny are still there….hopefully for a long time…..BRING BACK FRANK!!!! (4/1/10) What if anything does "Hitman" know about TV news? Maybe he should just stick to the right-wing rants that have made him so "popular" here. (4/1/10) Mick Lee is on the air today. His first day on Z1043 (4/1/10) looks like you REALLY pissed off the minds at JFK...guess the truth hurts. (4/1/10) (RE WJFK April Fool's blurb) yeah that is a joke. not like they would do anything entertaining. sucks too, I gave them a chance w/the new format & they blew it. (4/1/10) I'm an April Fool! I left Beth Ann a congratulatory voicemail! She called me back to say she's gotten other calls and e-mails. (4/1/10) The reason the HFStival worked in the past was simple. They paid most of the acts very little, promising them airplay and exposure instead. WHFS was then able to keep the ticket prices low, ensuring tens of thousands to show up. WHFS only paid the headliners a decent fee, and that was only later in the series. This promise of exposure and airplay is why for the longest time you had on the bill six or seven bands you never really heard of before the festival, a couple of older act resurfacing, and one or two current acts. How can 106.7 the fan, WPGC, AM 1580, and 94.7, provide adequate exposure for 8-10 acts, so they can pay them squat to perform? (4/1/10) Someone let us know when Don Richards recreates an old Tom Nugent Show. Now THAT would be something! (4/1/10) "Massacre At US News - 4/1 - Reports that DC-based US News And World Report is making big cuts today. At least 30 in total, with 20 here in DC." Looks like that Hope and Change thing is working well for them too. (4/1/10) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Rare PM-Drive on-air position available at Telemedia Broadcasting, Inc. in Fredericksburg, Va. Successful applicant must be an experienced on air personality as well as an excellent on-stage and on-site entertainer. Additional experience needed for website hosting, graphic design and promotional pieces. Knowledge of Classic Hits music is a must. Salary in the low $30’s, plus talent fees. Health, Dental, Life Insurance available with company assistance. Relocation to market is a must. Send T&R to jobs@959wgrq.com EOE (4/1/10) Ya GOT me with the D&M piece.......well done! (4/1/10) Has anyone heard the ad on WJFK regarding a big announcement and something about HFS? Is it the possible return of the HFStival? (4/1/10) Another bad april fool’s attempt Dave, just another way for you to type the names DON + MIKE, why such a man crush on them? (4/1/10) I know its April 1st but someone w/the HFS HD account on Facebook posted this. www.facebook.com... The last second flashes a HFStival 2010 logo. (4/1/10) Anybody catch the April Fool's joke on WTOP this morning? And the outraged listeners who called their Talkback line because they believed the bogus story? (4/1/10) Hi Dave, Wanted to give you a heads up on our Golden Age of radio re-creations. You may have seen our re-creations at the annual WQCB dinners. But for the last ten years I've been producing-directing-and performing re-creations here in Front Royal. This is a full dinner event with the re-creations of two legendary radio shows from the great "Suspense" series. "3'clock", and "Dead Ernest" are the shows that will be performed with an on stage cast reading from the same scripts that were used on network radio 60 or more years ago,with live sound effects. We're also doing a "Bickersons". The event is Friday evening, April 23 at the new Holiday Inn in Front Royal. Open bar, complete dinner, and an evening of entertainment all for $50. per person. This is a fund raiser for the Humane Society of Warren County (they really need the bucks). Thirty percent of that $50 is tax deductible. Tickets and directions may be obtained by calling the Humane Society at 540-635-4734. Fans of old time radio will love this "broadcast". They can even book a room at the Holiday Inn and make it a great weekend in the Shenandoah Valley. Don (4/1/10) Although this is a lazy way to determine the time of day, in the morning when I turn on FOX5 morning news, I can usually tell what time it is by who's on the anchor desk..But with the earlier start time and the musical anchor chairs, I have NO idea what time it is anymore..For example this morning I turned on the t.v., saw Gurvir and thought it was sometime before 7am..But when I looked at my clock, it was almost 8am..Same thing happened on another day when I saw Allison, thought it was after 7am and when I looked at my clock, it was around 6 am..It's quite obvious that FOX5 decided to go with the earlier start time, but haven't decided who they're going to put on the anchor desk at what time.. (4/1/10) (snip) Time for Al McGilvray to spend more time in trying to produce a better news product on WRNR-AM and less time trying to find something to say on DCRTV. (end snip) Earlier in March, the West Virginia Broadcasters Association honored WRNR-AM with the "Best News/Sports/Talk Station of the Year (Unranked Market) for the third time in four years. Al McGilvray (4/1/10) (regarding a previous post) "... so wjfk knows they made a mistake I will probably not listen to wjfk ever again thanks for screwing the listeners". The other day I posted about how little impact that right-wing talk radio and cable shows have - and also about the emotional/intellectual issues many of their listeners/viewers have. I guess that goes for some sports radio listeners as well. If they don't know when they HAVEN'T been screwed, it makes you wonder if they'd know when they actually HAD been screwed. (4/1/10) The people who make Moog Synthesizers got into the April Fool's spirit today, by coming out with the "Auto-Tune Remover" (www.moogmusic.com). If you are tired of those glitchy, synthetic singing voices all over Hot 99.5 and WPGC, this "product" promised to restore the original lousy out-of-tune performance to all songs that use Auto-Tune. The link will probably be gone at the end of the day, so enjoy it fast. (4/1/10) Thank you very much once again for angering WJFK listeners you will lose several listeners and I hope you are happy I hope someone gets the Mike Wise Show with Bill Rohland Junkies and Overtime with Holden Kushner so wjfk knows they made a mistake I will probably not listen to wjfk ever again thanks for screwing the listeners (4/1/10) Yeah, I dont think the coorperate bastards at CBS will ever admit the mistake of killing WJFK. Your April Fool didnt fool me though, I remember I fell for the HFS thing last year, completely forgetting it was April 1st. Nice try, Dave :) --Travis (4/1/10) News you wont hear on the Main Street Media; Sean Hannity's new book, A Conservative Victory, has been nominated for a Newberry Award, and Chris Plante is being investigated under the terms of the Patriot Act because he had Iranians clean his carpets. (4/1/10) April Fool! - But it would be a dream setup for the station. DCRTV should be a radio consultant. You sure know what it would take to get me to listen. I do like Oscar Santana on the Mike O'Meara show. And who would get Buzz? Don or Mike? And is Robbay up for adoption? Bill (4/1/10) Dave's response: Seriously folks. If JFK canned the Junks (send 'em over to Comcast SportsNet or MASN), that's FOUR big salaries gone. Then hire Don and Mike back each for half price. That's still a lot of money - and where else are they gonna go? Then, you get eight hours out of them per day, instead of four, by splitting them up and giving Don mornings and Mike afternoons. And then assign some of the old crew to each. Maybe pair Don and Robb, or pair Mike and Buzz. I'd really like to see Big O and Dukes back together in middays. And then relay Ron and Fez's bleeped XM show for evenings. Together, that would be a cost savings for the station. Watch the ad breaks, do lots of promotions for the station, do alt rock in overnights and on weekends, and I think it would do better than the sports talk format. I'm certain CBS won't do it. But, heck, it's fun to imagine it on April Fool's Day..... Dave, As a previous JFK fan, dude that was mean :-) Happy April 1st! Fred (4/1/10) Dave, I read on another media website today that beginning next Monday, WMAL will replace Andy & Grandy with tapes of old Harden & Weaver bits. They're also bringing back Tom Gauger in middays. Chris Core was all set to resume Trumbull & Core in PM drive, but Bill nixed the idea, saying that he was enjoying retired life too damn much. I was hoping that DCRTV would have more on this exciting development, but so far - nothing. (4/1/10) Dave's response: Oh, one of my alternate April Fools blurbs was gonna be one about Andy Parks being one of Hitler's long lost grandsons. But I thought that was a bit too intense..... I think you guys watchng TV News are mistaken....its NOT "Breaking News" its " Break-In" news...pretty much whatever they think we should know when they want us to know it, know what I mean? Love from downy ocean Hon ! JJ "Hitman" McKay/Ocean City, Md. (4/1/10) RE "Anyway since I missed the beginning of Moss's addendum to the story, I want to know was Moss reading from a prepared script or was he voicing his own opinion?" I caught that this morning too - Moss and Frank had just interviewed some professor about the whole Catholic Church sex scandal, and it was pretty obvious to me that Mike ad-libbed his little piece at the end. My bet is he added his little disclaimer on his own. -BG (4/1/10) ".....Prettyman Broadcasting's WEPM in Martinsburg was Jim Rome's first West Virginia affilliate. Rome's handler moved the show to AM 1550 in Charles Town, WV, because it's a Clear Channel station. Al McGilvray..".....and Jim Rome had an affiliate at Denver's 950 AM "The Fan" and in Indianapolis on WIBC 1070..Indianapolis, Denver, Martinsburg, Charles Town, Prettyman Broadcasting? What does any of this have to do with Baltimore's 1370 AM? Nothing !!!!! Time for Al McGilvray to spend more time in trying to produce a better news product on WRNR-AM and less time trying to find something to say on DCRTV. (4/1/10) I used to chuckle when news hacks on the radio would say "Yahoo News is reporting..." not knowing it was just wire service feeds, but finally, soon, Yahoo News is going to have a real news bureau. This reminds me of one more thing about Yahoo: not many people know that Yahoo Sports is a real sports news bureau. It's great to see Yahoo starting a real news bureau, too. -Chainsman (4/1/10) /\ April 1 Messages /\ \/ March 31 Messages \/ This morning I heard an shining example of why I only listen to WTOP for traffic and weather during the morning drive commute. I came in at the tail end of what appeared to be an editorial comment by anchor Mike Moss to what must have been a story about the latest developments in the priest sex abuse scandal as Moss was reminding people that there are a lot of good people in the clergy despite these scandals. I think this story happened near the bottom of the hour right before they went to Lisa Baden's traffic report. I don't remember the exact time, but I think it might have been around 8:25 since the next subject was about money. Anyway since I missed the beginning of Moss's addendum to the story, I want to know was Moss reading from a prepared script or was he voicing his own opinion? Is this appropriate for a bobblehead who's supposed to be reading the news. I think it's disrespectful to the victims of such abuse as this came off to me as almost apologetic to the higher echelons of the Catholic Church that apparently turned a blind eye to such abuse. If this came from Moss's brain only, this also another example of Moss slipping his political agenda/religious views into the news he's reporting. He's talked about going to church during some of the small talk with the weather guys in the past and I believe was the reason he threw softball questions to John Ashcroft when Ashcroft was on the Washington Post Radio train wreck promoting his book he wrote after he stepped down as Attorney General several years ago. (3/31/10) My best to Frank Herzog who has been such an important broadcaster in the area over the last 41 years....bullets...redskins...TOP.....enjoy the next chapter. BD (3/31/10) Growing up in DC, I knew I was destined to go into broadcasting because of one man ~ Frank Herzog. In the late 60's or early 70's, then WTOP television had a news strike and I met Frank during that strike. I was 12 or 13 at the time and Frank made me the official "Non-Scab" gopher ... running to the Brandywine St. Safeway to pick up Kosher Hot Dog's for the evening b-b-ques that were a nightly event. I became the strikers mascot. This was all good and fine till my dad came up to the station well after the street lights had come on (which back then was every childs' curfew in upper Northwest DC) and laid into me like nobody's business. until Frank stepped in and quickly diffused the situation with poise, character and charm. he had my father eating out of his hand in quick order. During that summer, Frank would often stop by my parents house on 43rd St after his broadcast and discuss sports with my dad. I have vivid memories of Frank telling my dad about this basketball phenom skipping college and going directly into the pro's. My dad was convinced that any kid that young would never make it in the NBA. Herzog saw it differently ~ that is my story of Moses Malone. And so it would go. Frank knew I had a huge admiration for Redskins cornerback, Ted Vactor. Frank took my sister Barbara and I to a pre-season game, picking us up at the house and delivering us safely home afterwards, but not before he took us into the locker room and meet Ted Vactor and the rest of the Reskins. Frank, even though I haven't spoken to him in decades remains my mentor; clearly unbeknownst to him, about life. I never heard him say a single negative thing about anyone and that is a rare trait in this business. For most, this trait would have been the kiss of death professionally, for Frank, it was who he remains to be. Rick "Cherokee" West (3/31/10) Anyone hear the FCC-required announcement airing on WMAL about the request to transfer the license to the "re-organized" Citadel? (How can something be "re-organized" if it wasn't organized in the first place?) Also, Farid Suleman is not mentioned as a stockholder in the new order. I wonder how long he'll last? And, Godspeed to Frank Herzog. There are three words he could say like nobody before or since: "Touchdown, Washington Redskins!" (Not that there's been much reason for them to be said by anyone in a long time!) -Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/31/10) Dave, I've been listening to a lot of radio online, mostly KEXP and Minnesota Public Radio's The Current. These are both listener-supported alternative music stations, and their charters require them to feature a certain amount of local music each hour. So I've been thinking: Would that format fly in DC? Music stations here bore me to tears, and god forbid we actually hear anything new in rock or alt-hiphop. Do the programmers really know best? - Tracy in DC (3/31/10) Dave's response: A few years back, Minnesota Public Radio almost bought WGTS (91.9 FM) from Columbia Union College. But after an uprising about the potential loss of the station's Christian contemporary format, the sale was called off. Hey, I agree with you. It would be great to have a refreshing sound like KEXP or Philly's WXPN or LA's KXLU but there's no "room" on the DC radio spectrum for such a station, and I can't see any current DC non-comms flipping to it. Maybe WPFW could start up a few HD Radio subchannels..... Bill O'Reilly is a tool 99.9999999% of the time, but I have to give credit for stepping up and doing something good: www.nationalreview.com (3/31/10) Prettyman Broadcasting's WEPM in Martinsburg was Jim Rome's first West Virginia affilliate. Rome's handler moved the show to AM 1550 in Charles Town, WV, because it's a Clear Channel station. Al McGilvray (3/31/10) I thought I should report on something for the sharks to devour. The DC Bluegrass Festival went very well in it's 1st Annual debut last Saturday. Over 430 people were in attendance at Langley High School in McLean,VA. We saw 7 great bands, lots of good bluegrass and good food. I had a blast there! Of course bluegrassers are tight knit community generally. Maybe cause we are small in numbers. But we make up for it with enthusiasm for the music. At some point we at the DC Bluegrass Union will work on next years fest. I never found out how many folks I brought to the Festival thru Fitzgrass, but that's ok. Ignorance is bliss, I once heard. BTW who's the moron who came up with that one? Anyway, more bluegrass is on the way on Fitzgrass. Hold on tight. Mike Fitzgerald (3/31/10) Seriously? The parting shot in the discussion about Stern's movie is a 13-year old article written while some theaters were still showing the flick? A fittingly moronic end to a truly stupid debate. (3/31/10) Yawn. Here's the final word on Private Parts. news.google.com... Okay, let's move on (3/31/10) Did anyone from WMAL win a Peabody for their civil discourse when presenting issues of the day? Parks, Plante, Grandy, Levin, Hannity? Anyone? (3/31/10) Dave's response: Chris Plante recently picked up a Dwight Schrute award..... OK, we're talking in circles and you refuse to accept the reality of the situation, so I'll make this my last comment on Stern's stupid movie. The TOTAL COST of "Private Parts" was $28 million. I've said that repeatedly and you can check it out anywhere you want. I know you don't want to believe it, but TOTAL COST means TOTAL COST. You don't have to double the TOTAL COST to find the TOTAL COST because the TOTAL COST is the TOTAL COST. It may not have been much of a movie, but by any measurement, it made good money. I'll let you post another batch of anti-Stern fantasy now and we'll leave it at that. (3/31/10) So if Jim Rome isn't on live in D.C., that means his show is not hugely successful, the biggest thing in sports radio??? You people are unbelievable in your inability to see beyond a few miles from your front door. And pardon me if I'm not rearranging my calendar in order to be able to listen to Rob Long and Jerry Coleman (two of the no-talents referred to in a previous message). (3/31/10) re: The movie Private Parts. ""Anybody who says an $89.5 million return on a $28 million investment isn't successful just doesn't know what they're talking about." Okay, first a movie has to earn twice it's production costs to break even because 50 per cent of the ticket price goes to the theater owners. Also figure in promotional costs for the movie -- usually not cheap. And, are you sure this movie received foreign distribution? I'd be curious about your source for the WORLDWIDE gross dollar figures on this picture. (3/29/10)"" -- UPDATE -- the figures quoted by the original poster are clearly suspect..."$89.5 million return" on the movie Private Parts." This dollar return figure is clearly in question. Firstly, the original poster is trying to create an impression that there was a profit made based on the production expenses of the movie. With the agreed domestic dollar return figures ($41,230,799), the movie clearly lost money domestically. Private Parts had to have earned $56 million to break even ($28 million x 2) just to recoup the production costs. And, we are not even adding in the millions lost on marketing costs. And Rysher Entertainment who had the foreign rights to the film have not posted any international figures earned on the net. Um, once again, where does your quoted "$89.5 million" figure come from? Any reliable sources -- thank you. Bottom-line -- Howard Stearn's movie "Private Parts" was clearly a stinky negative for investors. (3/31/10) So, How is 1370 am going ONLY with brokered shows? What genius surmised that? When their AM (rob long) & PM (jerry coleman) drive shows are local, and NOT Brokered....JUST B/c Jim Rome is being pre-empted?...it's NOT even on Live in dc , last check, so how great was it doing? Granted it's allot better than espn's garbage, but B-more likes it's local for the most part. I like the mix of nat'l and local personally. (3/31/10) /\ March 31 Messages /\ \/ March 30 Messages \/ Well, we're in the national spotlight tonight... Let's see who gets it right online and at 11.... Already on CNN.com about the 9 people shot in drive-bys tonight in Southeast. (3/30/10) The comment about 1370 going to brokered shows is perfectly right. This signals the beginning of the end of this station. And probably pretty soon. Why is it that the Jim Rome show is hugely successful everywhere else in the country, but the people here seem to prefer local no-talents. Jim Rome has gotten to where he has (and become very wealthy doing so) because everyone except people around here recognize how good his show is. R.I.P. Fox 1370. (3/30/10) RE: "So Fox 1370 am is going MORE LOCAL ... GREAT !!!! NEWS ( unless u are nestor:), or CBS." Not to mention, Fox 1370 has a nice little mix of play by play games too. Besides the Caps and Wizards, they offer a nice mix of local sports, like UMBC, high school sports. I even heard a few baltimore city comm college games last month. (3/30/10) Why didn't ESPN sign up Czarniak instead of Sara Walsh? Is Paul Anthony returning to channel 4 to fill in as weatherperson for awhile? What about Frank herzog heading over to channel 9 as a fill in sports anchor? (3/30/10) It’s Mea Culpa time! Yes, I meant “Ojos Negros” by Nat “King” Cole! Also, although I love “(Don’t Fear the) Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult (great track to play while opening up the CTS on a seemingly deserted road (albeit potentially (very) expensive when there’s a cop on the other side of a hill!)), I’ve yet to hear it used in an equipment test. With my seniority, I only learn of Equipment Tests after the fact, in quarterly reports. So, I’m not up at 1 AM anymore playing tracks and tones like I did when I was (much) younger. And, I’ve not done any SWL’ing in decades. At our stations, we interrupt programming for engineering only a few times a year. And, as far as Chris Plante (who does read this site (although he’d never admit it)) and his tirades on WMAL are concerned, all one needs to do is look at a predecessor, Michael Graham. Graham’s ouster wasn’t instigated by CAIR as much as it was by a then-major account. As far as the impact Farid Suleman’s religion may be involved, unless you are certain that he is Muslim, it would be a shame to generalize based on name alone. There are Coptic Christians with similar names for instance. And, for that matter, atheism and agnosticism (not to mention a whole lot of “ism’s”) cut across ethnic lines. However, I’ve noticed that since his return to WMAL, Chris Plante seems to stutter on-air a whole lot more than he used to. And, he definitely presents a non-topical “on edge” presence bordering on nervousness, which is simultaneously defensive and combative. He definitely is not as relaxed on-air, as he was when he had his old evening gig. While being canned can do that to you (Wondering everyday if today was your last day on the job is not the kind of job security which fosters excellence –be it in broadcasting or anything else. But, that’s been endemic at Jennifer and Western (and a few other clusters hereabouts) for the past several years. And, it’s damn near impossible to get past. The worst part is when you have employees who are valuable enough to survive multiple layoff rounds quit on you (often going to the competition) because of the atmosphere of fear engendered by the repeated layoffs.), either you get past it or you deal with it. Otherwise it’ll ruin you, personally if not professionally. If he has that great a fear to that great an extent, he needs to get another gig ASAP on his own terms. Formerly comparatively funny and creative, he now seems as wedded to liner cards as Hannity is. In closing, he also does a whole lot less listening to his callers than he used to with a boorish impoliteness thrown in. He is now just one of so many shrill voices these days representing various political ideologies. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (3/30/10) Dave wrote: "O'Reilly's total audience at 8 PM is about 2 million." I don't mean to pick nits. That figure used to be accurate. But for the record, Bill Carter's story in today's NY Times concludes with this: "Bill O'Reilly, whose show commands the biggest audience in prime time with 3.65 million viewers, was up 28 percent." So his audience has grown quite a bit since viewership was about 2 million a night. Christian (3/30/10) "Steve"..thanks for the notice about WTMD's birthday party. Are you going to start using actual students on the Towson University station anytime soon? (3/30/10) Hi everyone. I want to make sure you have the link to get your tickets to WTMD’s 7th Birthday Party. We’re selling tickets very quickly and the folks at the Recher have told us we can’t sell more than the place holds! (dang those fire marshal rules!). There is information about The Bridge and Backyard Tire Fire on our website. If you haven’t been to the new patio at the Recher, you owe yourself the trip to the party just to see it! Very nicely done and comfortable. We’ll be holding the Baltimore Unsigned Patio out there with some really nice new acts. Tix are $30 and supports WTMD’s program fund - publicbroadcasting.net... Thanks and wait to you see what decorations I come up with! Thanks for all your help over the years. Steve (3/30/10) Could someone explains what is considered "BREAKING NEWS" on FOX'News'...? Shep Smith always seems to get his stuck-up, Manhattan piano bar panties in knot reporting some local-yokel, who-cares, local news story. Does anyone who watches FOX'News' care about some local car chase or missing cute white girl? I understand Shep has NO CLUE about the real world/real news but he should really try to get a clue when he reads the "news". Shep is nothing more than a typical FOX'News' bimbo... but he pees standing up. (3/30/10) Dave's response: Really? Have you ever seen Shep at a urinal? I drove past WLXE's,1600 AM (formerly WINX) antenna site and noted that they are down to one tower. They had been operating at reduced power with two towers after the third was allegedly knocked down. One has to wonder what is happening. (3/30/10) Who really cares what Fox News Channel ratings are? They're the only ones selling that particularly skewed-to-the-right product. You really can't compare them to anyone else, without first adding up everyone else's numbers and then comparing that grand total to Fox. Then it's clear that Fox's audience is really rather puny. One other thing: it should be perfectly clear that 1370 is only adding brokered shows to their lineup. They're not paying a cent for Chris Hoiles (maybe the least animated talker to have worn an Orioles' uniform in the last 25 years) or for Stan the Fan's Pressbox show. Seth in Catonsville can say what he wants, but WVIE's audience is pretty pathetic, and Jim Rome has never made an impact in Baltimore. The Orioles may be irrelevant to some, but baseball play-by-play gets decent numbers in Baltimore radio. (3/30/10) Washington Times - Or is it for sale? -- tpmlivewire.com... Part of the problem may be that the paper's value has tumbled so far in the past five years. Even before the recession it was in deep trouble. I've lived in DC all my life and know of exactly one person who subscribes to the Times. And I've heard it dumped its sports page a while ago...that was the only selling point the paper had to draw in non-Rightwingers. (3/30/10) Dave's response: My ma liked the old Saturday puzzle page in the Washington Times. The old paper's TV listings were often better than the Post's. And they once had a half-decent weekly radio column. But it's all long gone..... Seems odd CSN would move an entire operation, over 100 employees to the NBC 4 offices when they can simply shift a few sports people from NBC4 over to CSN’s Bethesda studios, which were completely re-done within the last 2 years. (3/30/10) A line from the Drudge website (no link yet); SOURCES: WASHINGTON TIMES UP FOR SALE... DEVELOPING... (3/30/10) So, MIX changed their slogan to Today's Bes Tits? Guess they're trying to increase their men...(ba dum bump) (3/30/10) Hey all...Just want to let the mailbaggers know to check out "The Herm and Rayce Show". Now on Friday's from 6pm - 8pm at www.hermandrayce.com. All the best unsigned artists and great comedy. And personal friends of our show. So tune in and enjoy! -TOGS (3/30/10) So MIX changes their slogan? www.mix1073fm.com (3/30/10) Damn birds www.delawareonline.com (3/30/10) A DCRTVer queried: “Which Equipment Test records would you rate as “best”, “worst”, “strangest”, or “most unusual”?” Well, I’ve always liked Lou Reed’s “Metal Machine Music”; It really isn’t that great for testing, but it does make the hair on your arms stand up AND it really pisses off station gm’s, too; an added bonus! (3/30/10) Your column today/Discovery Kids network - I think it’s called The Hub. At least that’s what the trades have been calling it for the past month or so. (3/30/10) The Pressbox sports segment that WMAR 2 runs nightly on the 11pm news is the most god-awful pre-taped sports segment I've ever seen. Last night, they had no Orioles/Yankees highlights, no Baltimore Blast segment. It could have run last week or next week and it probably wouldn't have made any difference. For WMAR 2 to even pretend this is a live sports segment is laughable! And the worst part was they teased a Matt Stover return to The Ravens, then in the PressBox segment, immediately said it's been ruled out. Yeah ruled out alright, like WEEKS and MONTHS ago! HAha! And to add insult to injury, if you think Stan Charles stumbles on his words in a taped interview with guests, guess what? He can't even get through a pre-taped sports segment all by himself without stumbling on his words! LOL I would bet NBC 25 in Hagerstown or WMDT 47 or WBOC 16 in Salisbury ALL have better sports segments than WMAR 2. WMAR should just give up doing news altogether if they're going to do a faux-live sports segment. It really is that bad. And very sad for Maryland's pioneer television station. (3/30/10) So Fox 1370 am is going MORE LOCAL ... GREAT !!!! NEWS ( unless u are nestor:), or CBS ( which is HANDCUFFED BY THE IRRELEVANT O's) and one babbling TV guy after another !… It appears, Fox 1370 is doing the right thing! They have a nice spread of LOCAL and National shows (I am sure they will find a new spot for Jim Rome, who is w/o a doubt, a MUCH better listen ANYTHING ESPN programs...nice move 1370- and it adds to the Bottom line $$...Seth, catonsville. (3/30/10) Re: "'re: The movie Private Parts. "Anybody who says an $89.5 million return on a $28 million investment isn't successful just doesn't know what they're talking about." Okay, first a movie has to earn twice it's production costs to break even because 50 per cent of the ticket price goes to the theater owners. Also figure in promotional costs for the movie -- usually not cheap...." Guess what? The movie's total cost was $28 million. Is that really so hard to comprehend? I know you want "Private Parts" to not have been successful, but reality is reality: it made a lot of money. (3/30/10) Dammit, I missed it... last Thursday, 3/25, they auctioned off all of the gear from the former Air America network in New York City. Given the list of killer equipment they owned (maltzauctions.com), its no wonder the network died a full $17 million in the hole. But even nastier, they also sold the Air America e-mail subscriber list as "intellectual property", this following repeated assurances that the list would never be divulged to any third party (www.geekosystem.com). Man, I'd hate to be on that list. Can't wait to see how much spam these poor maggots will have to endure. (3/30/10) As Johnny Carson might say... ….”I did not know that!”: thanks, Dave! I wonder how long Suleman will tolerate Plante’s anti-Muslim rantings? (3/30/10) I can trump all of this Fox/WMAL bashing. There was a movie called Death of a President. It was a mockumentary made in 2007 that features the assasination of President Bush and what would happen if Cheney became president. The liberal media made little noise nor raised concerns over the making of this movie. Can you imagine if they made the same movie about a democrat president???? (3/30/10) Dave's response: You know, we libs are not a giant one-minded collective like you righties (a la the stupid Chris Plante) like to paint us with your small-minded stereotypical brushes. About 99.9 percent of all libs agree with you that that movie was a pile of crap and didn't go see it. Including me. I even passed on it when I saw a used DVD copy of it at Hollywood Video for $1.99..... In the 1980s TV's "Captain 20" was all about being a responsible children's show host. Out were SPEED RACER, ULTRA MAN, Monkey Races and pointy ears, and in were PSA's, puppets, talking very fast and throwing fun parties - like this one from the rare clip just uploaded to the Facebook page for EVERY OTHER DAY IS HALLOWEEN (preorder it now - DVD release April 20). www.facebook.com (3/30/10) Re: the comment about scheduling the morning anchor team at FOX5, I too wonder how that was determined..But then again, it appears as though a regular anchor team HASN'T been determined..Since as you said, there's no consistency as to who you're gonna see each morning..The flip flopping between Allison & Steve, then Gurvir and Steve, then Allison and Steve again, then Allison and Tony..What's the problem with having Gurvir and Steve from 4:25-7 like it used to be?..That was the team they had from 4:55-7:00 before..Does starting 30 minutes earlier really throw that much of a monkey wrench into the scheduling?..SHEESH.. (3/30/10) Oh Boy !! "Stan the Fan" is back on the air ! I'm sure that will help move WVIE out of that 5-way tie for 45th place, and get them solidly into #44. (3/30/10) Dave's response: And crushing WNST in the process..... Camera used to film Gone With the Wind and The Wizard of OZ in the 1930s Technicolor Camera Model D. Ahead of its time. (3/30/10) (regarding Dave's response) "I don't mean to dismiss the feat. Getting 2 or 3 million viewers on a cable TV net is very impressive." Well then, I'll be glad to dismiss 'em! Let's face it, a good many of these folks are shut-ins and a fair number of those have some truly serious 'brain chemistry' issues - probably undiagnosed/untreated - judging from their rants. (3/30/10) Dave, the Census Bureau estimate of the current population is 308,967,397. Even the most highly-rated radio or cable shows has an audience that is only a tiny fraction of the total number of people in the country. When you compare the actual number of listeners/viewers with the total number of potential listeners/viewers, their so-called “massive audience” really is miniscule. These right-wing TeaBagger types would like to think that these shows and their microscopic audiences are having a huge impact, but they serve as really nothing more than an echo chamber. It’s actually rather sad -pathetic even. (3/30/10) Dave's response: I don't mean to dismiss the feat. Getting 2 or 3 million viewers on a cable TV net is very impressive. But, even so, that still means that less than one percent (!) of the American public is watching O'Reilly - the highest-rated show on Fox News - on a given night. How about a little perspective here..... Hey "Kilowatt Daytimer", don't forget about the cowbell! Rusty Gibson (3/30/10) Who the hell is supposed to comprise the regularly scheduled anchor team on the Fox morning news during the 5-6 shift? Some days it's Guvir. some days Allison Seymour, some days Steve Chenevy, and unfortunately too many days it's Tony Perkins stumbling with the teleprompter that would make Babs Harrison proud. I'm so confusssed!!!!! I like stability when it comes to the bobbleheads who force feed me the red pills every morning!!!!!!!!!! (3/30/10) Bitch as you will about "Private Parts" but it was a good movie. (I always thought he made a deal with his wife to stay on until launch and then some so that the story worked.) . I also remember after he left DC and I am on the way home to NYC when he announced, as I was driving over the GW bridge, “I am here to save AM radio!!”. He was in his prime, “King”. In NYC, his WOR TV show outdid SNL. He had two very successful books. Even his Baywatch spoof was funny. His radio syndication ratings in major cities were unmatched and launched the careers of many talkers trying to hold on today with PPM ratings. (God, what would they have been for HS back then??? Good question?) It all got him this deal at SatRad where he is rich beyond he could ever wish back at DC101. But, he is irrelevant in the main stream unless his PR people mention Idol host jobs. My guess? HS is the next Larry King in his next makeover or eventually becomes LK. He was always been a good interviewer that got people to open up. He has enough money to put together an AM to PM talker syndicate that would kick ass and people could rent like ESPN radio. He knows talent. Who knows…OB (3/30/10) Hate to burst your bubble Dave, but it isn't just old geezers watching FoxNews in droves, but its the kids too. See, Americans are sick and tired of the media bias coming from the mainstream media and are also tired of these news outlets touting the benefits of government control over our lives vs. personal freedom and responsibility. In the key 25-54 demographic, FNC posted the largest gains among all cable news networks in both Total Day and Prime Time increasing an extraordinary 48% and 70% respectively when compared to July 2008. In the key 25-54 demographic, FNC expanded upon an already dominant lead in Prime Time averaging 530,000 viewers surging 70% compared with CNN's 377,000 (up 40%) and MSNBC's 252,000 (flat). In total day, FNC averaged 301,000 (up 48%) compared to CNN's 231,000 (up 39%) and MSNBC's 143,000 (down 7%). Meanwhile, CNN's latest failure in Prime Time, Campbell Brown, finished in fourth place in 25-54 behind FNC, HLN and MSNBC at 8:00pm ET. www.mediabistro.com (3/30/10) Dave's response: Hate to burst your bubble, but if America's population is about 270 million, and 530,000 (half the population of Fairfax County) are watching Fox News, that means that something like 97 percent of all folks are NOT watching Fox News. Yeah, it beats the crap out of CNN and MSNBC, but it still gets a tiny audience even when compared with the major TV nets. O'Reilly's total audience at 8 PM is about 2 million. A successful broadcast network show needs about 10 million at minimum to survive cancellation..... Re: "Maybe Fox is half-baked journalism. But watch out if the oven is turned up to broil. Fox already has double the ratings of it's nearest cable competitor ---- in all time slots -- 24/7. The rest haven't even gone into the oven yet. Call them half-baked, if you like..." /// Ponderous, effing ponderous. This guy makes me miss the comedic verbosity of The PenisIsMightier. For God's sake Dave, don't use the word "toast" or "cooked" in one of your commentaries, because it's clear this guy is aching to slay us with more of his nonsensical kitchen humor, as he weighs in on the seemingly endless political back and forth. Dude, put the forced humor on the back burner and stick to your points, it will make you look less like a guy who is a candidate for a remedial English course. "Back-burner"..Oh shit ! I bet that that's going to steam you ! When you simmer down, I'm sure you will take time to ream me with more of your insipid food for thought. I can't wait, because just like Barney Frank, I enjoy a good feasting. (3/30/10) How funny is it that in between anti-Muslim rants Chris Plante (whose namesake might take issue with criticizing Luke Russert for using the Old Family Name in order to get a job) airs his rug cleaner ads that feature, gasp, an Arab sounding name as his “client”. The rug cleaners must never listen to him on WMAL. They sure as hell can’t afford his mucho-hyped “cruises”. As Mark Levin would say: “Backbencher”. (3/30/10) Dave's response: Farid Suleman, a Muslim, is CEO of Citadel Broadcasting, which owns WMAL..... (What's the median age of the typical Fox News viewer? 63? Probably the oldest-skewing cable net out there apart from Hallmark or RLTV.....) Don't forget all the other networks are pro-Obama. MSNBC needs to get rid of Olbermann and Matthews. And for your information, my son tells me that at his high school, they have 2 sets on at lunchtime and most of the kids watch Fox over CNN. Nobody watches MSNBC.the network of Obama. (3/30/10) Attn:"The kilowatt daytimer at about 1AM" - I can give you the perfect test song for FM. My vote goes to the mono 45rpm version of Stevie Wonder's song, "I'm Wondering". For you music historians it was out in 1967. In that song both the high and low ends are really tested to the max. Back when I was growing up the automated CHR FM and the live Urban FM was playing that song at the same time. I noticed on the family "Hi Fi" (powered by a 14 watt heathkit mono amp into a 15 inch woofer and seperate horn tweeter), that the audio of that song sounded great on the automated FM CHR. On the urban you could hear the audio chain sounding like a station kinda fading in and out real fast. Just two years earliar I was listening to the song "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols on the markets leading AM CHR. I didn't know that song had a tambourine in it untill that AM station played it. On the the urban FM (including their AM simulcast) you could barely hear it. It was from that point on that I started paying close attention to a radio station's processing. (3/30/10) Re KJ in Laurel: Way to go! You appear to have finally zeroed in (if only briefly) on a broadcasting topic for a broadcasting forum. Baby steps, right? Now you can return to your trusty AM radio...Dittos! MW (3/30/10) Re KJ in Laurel...So your rationale is because Olbermann and Maddow allegedly compared Bush to Hitler, Parks is off the hook. I think this is known in legal circles as the "Little Brother Defense". Okay, I'll see your Olbermann/Maddow and raise you the full morning/midday/evening on WMAL and the entire roster of right wingers on Fox...if you want to argue incivility, why don't you "mn up" and admit you are dealing from an impossibly weak hand. Try and stay on topic, okay? When you let the tit for tat spiral too far , you end up with a petulant child's argument or WMAL's average broadcast day. MW (3/30/10) /\ March 30 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....