Front Page - Mailbag - News - Rants 2006 - Rants 2007 - Rants 2008 - Support DCRTV
By Dave Hughes dcrtv@dcrtv.com
2/19 -
The trade pubs are reporting that CBS honcho Les Moonves went on and on in a Thursday call with financial analysts about his "rebounding" radio group, after a 12 percent revenue drop during the final quarter of 2009. "Radio is a really strong story... Nowhere is the recovery more apparent than at our TV and radio stations." Yadda yadda yadda. He said that radio stations in CBS's top 10 markets are showing "plus-signs in the first quarter" revenue-rise. And Moonves is even happy to talk about the ratings: "CBS Radio stations had the number one audience share in five of the top 10 markets." Those are New York, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, and Boston. But what about DC, a top 10 market? CBS has four major FMers here and, frequently, none are among the top 10 stations, ratings-wise. Urban WPGC, which just ditched longtime morning man Donnie Simpson, has seen a year-long slump and is on the verge of a major format tweak. Hot adult contemporary WIAD is denting its female-oriented rivals but still a long way from overtaking them, almost a year after going Fresh. WJFK is posting lower numbers as sports talk than it did as "guy talk," and is losing out in many dayparts to rival sports talker WTEM. And Spanish WLZL is getting plastered by a low-power-TVer than pretends to be a radio station, 87.7 WDCN, a Spanish outlet that just signed DC United. C'mon Mr. Moonves and CBS Radio prez Dan Mason! We're still waiting for the CBS "fix" here in DC.....2/16 - DCRTV is hearing rumblings that CBS Radio might be eyeing something new, er, old for DC's 94.7 if the ratings for hot adult contemporary Fresh FM don't improve soon. The female-oriented Fresh format debuted on 94.7, now WIAD, last April, and the mostly jockless station had yet to come close to displacing rivals WASH and Mix 107.3, although it has dented the ratings of both, particularly the latter. We hear that CBS is eyeing an oldies/classic hits sound like the high-rated formats it's running in NYC on WCBS-FM and in Philadelphia on WOGL. Stay tuned.....
2/15 - Dave McKenna at washingtoncitypaper.com wonders who might be buying the DC Sports Fan message board at dcsportsfan.com. He says that a thread appeared over the weekend that the site, which has been the premier clearinghouse for local prep sports news and gossip, was about to be sold to a big media outfit for big bucks. Who would buy a local high school sports website? The Washington Post? Allbritton, which is currently building a new local news site? Redskins owner Dan Snyder? Stay tuned.....
2/15 -
The radio trade pubs are reporting that Citadel is planning to simulcast an AM radio talker it owns in Birmingham, Alabama, on an FMer, which will soon be a former rocker. Hmmm. You know, we've suggested that Citadel do the same with its DC AM talker WMAL on the FM frequency of 105.9, which currently sports a very low-rated classic rock format. DC has been an FM dominant market since the 1970s, and one reason for the continued stellar ratings of Bonneville all-newser WTOP has been its move from AM to FM a few years ago. Seems it could only help WMAL to make the move to FM as soon as possible. Keep it a 630/105.9 simulcast for a year or so, and then sell off the AMer or flip it to showtunes as Grandy's Broadway Greats.....2/13 - DCRTV hears that Channel 5/WTTG news anchor Laura Evans had a baby boy at 4:30 this morning at Sibley Hospital in DC. The bundle of joy was three weeks early.....
2/12 - Washington home electronics staple MyerEmco pulls the plug after more than 50 years. Blame Best Buy.....
2/11 - DCRTV hears rumblings that Channel 9/WUSA sports reporter/anchor Sara Walsh could be heading to ESPN soon. She "came to DC (about) the same time as rival Lindsay Czarniak (on Channel 4/WRC) but never made the same impact on the local sports market," a source tells us.....
2/11 -
A DC TV source tells DCRTV: "News4 (WRC) retains the title as the winter weather powerhouse for the
Washington DC market. The ratings from Wednesday are out and News4 at many
times had twice as many viewers as its nearest competitor. Morning hours show
News4 in first place, followed by Fox5 in second, and ABC7 and CBS9 at a
distant, yet close tie for third and forth place. The noon news has News4
grabbing the top spot, ABC7 in second place, Fox5 and CBS9 in last place. 5 PM
and 6 PM news ratings rank News4 at #1, ABC7 in second place, Fox5 in third and
CBS9 in 4th. 11 PM news race: News4 #1, CBS9 in second, ABC7 in third and
Fox5 in 4th. Twice as many people watched News4 at 11 as did ABC7 news. In
DMA P25-54, ABC7 News was in last place at 5 PM, 6 PM and 11 PM. Washington's News Leader: NBC4. RIP Channel 9".....2/10 -
All-newser WTOP's grizzled longtime traffic reporting veteran Bob Marbourg (right) was even more grizzled this morning, having spent the night at the Idaho Avenue-studioed radio station - and not shaving. He said on the 103.5/103.9/107.7 FM airwaves this morning that it was his first time ever not going home after his afternoon drive traffic shift - and he's covered some pretty bad conditions over the years - because the forecast was so horribly dreadful. "We had two dozen staffers in hotels last night but Bob would not take a room. He slept in his studio," WTOP VP/Programming Jim Farley tells DCRTV. "Not just hanging around (but) been gathering info and doing liveshots until he starts his traffic reports this afternoon. What an incredible pro." Marbourg just celebrated his 35th anniversary with WTOP.....2/9 - Look, Washington and Baltimore. We ran a 30 mile marathon on Saturday. With 30 inches of snow across much of the area. Today and tomorrow, we're going to do barely half of that - 10 to 15 miles, with another foot or so of snow. You know the drill - batteries, toilet paper, road salt. Turn off the "scareclowns" on the local TV hypecasts, and simply deal with it. We're Americans, dammit. We sent men to the moon, we won two world wars, we still pretty much run the globe with the biggest economy. And we're gonna a let a little more snow get us down? Spring is just around the corner - and Topper and Bob and Sue and Doug will be putting on their Jason masks again to scare us with severe thunderstorms and F5 tornados. They get paid astronomical salaries by their corporate media controllers to get big ratings, and scaring you is how they nab you! Chin up, DC and Baltimore. As Dan Rather used to say at the end of his CBS newscasts - "Courage." Turn off the TV. Enjoy Snowmageddon.....
2/8 - While all-newser WTOP, already at the top of the DC radio ratings, will benefit from many thousands of additional listeners over the weekend due to power outages during the snowstorm, the PPMs may not record all of WTOP's additional listeners. We're told that the electronic Portable People Meter devices must be placed into a dock that is connected both to electricity and a landline phone. The meter will work until it loses power. But, with a power outage, the dock is not working and that's what sends the data to Arbitron. The meters have batteries recharged by the dock. Oh, if you rely only on your cell and don't have a landline phone? Arbitron will pay to have one installed at your home during your term as a PPM device carrier.....
2/7 -
As always, WTOP radio did a great job during the big snow that dumped between 20 and 35 inches on the DC-Baltimore area from early Friday to late Saturday. I loved having father Frank Herzog "holding my hand" early Saturday, as the darkest portion of the scary storm descended on the DC area. I had to put up with a power outage of five whole minutes early Saturday, and was afraid it might go out longer. But it didn't. But Frank was there with his comforting voice to let me know that a lot of people were far worse off than I was, there sipping tea in my heated condo with my battery-powered radio, even though I could have used a plugged-in model. And ditto with the TV stations, which provided a nice, comforting high-def (except for NBC4) window on the world for those who had power, like me, during the storm. Even Ailes5 was doing a good job. But, you've got to admit, the TV coverage was repetitive. Over and over again, the same info. Filling hours with little new to report. Memo: Simply providing more coverage of the same stuff over and over is not necessarily better coverage. You could easily watch each TVer for 10 minutes, get all the storm news you need, and then go on to a good book. It's a shame that hardly any people have battery-powered digital TVs, so there was no way folks without juice could get their storm news from 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 45. Also, digital TV signals don't work on those old TV band radios, so radioers WTOP and WBAL (few other local radioers did storm coverage) were the only storm news choices of the power-less. If you had power and an internet connection or a battery-powered mobile device capable of surfing the web, then you had a variety of choices, including probably the best source of local weather news, the Capital Weather Gang at washingtonpost.com. Kudos to them. Sure, I was full of "oh come on, we're not going to get 2+ feet this weekend" when reading the CWG guys last week, but they were right on the money. And they have been all winter. Frequent updates and interesting to all levels of weather lovers/haters, from the casual to the fanatic. Look, I slam the Post a lot, but when it comes to storm-related weather news, they're the best. In conclusion, we need to figure out ways to deliver all this wonderful storm news to people who lack power during a storm - or, even more importantly, during a terror attack or other emergency. A battery-powered radio just doesn't cut it in this techie age. We need to have better distribution of battery-powered gear that can provide internet and digital TV access. Folks without juice shouldn't be left pretty much "in the dark" information-wise, as they are now. Oh, two days (so far) without the print Washington Post and I'm discovering that I could go without that expensive home delivery option without too much withdrawl. To the Post's suits, that's got to be much more scary than a feet of snow! Pic at right: Me and my buried car.....2/5 -
Amber Theoharis (right) has become the target of CBS Radio Baltimore sports talker WJZ-FM, 105.7 The Fan, as the replacement for afternoon show co-host Anita Marks, who could not come to terms with the station on a contract extension. But, she says she won't be joining the show, so reports Jim Williams at washingtonexaminer.com. Theoharis will do some fill-in work on the now-dubbed "Scott Garceau Show," which airs on 105.7 from 2 PM to 6 PM. The show is simulcast from 3 PM to 7 PM on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. Theoharis serves as an in-game reporter on MASN's Orioles broadcasts, as well as the host of "Ravens Xtra." MASN spokesman Todd Webster says Theoharis is staying right where she is at MASN. "As one of the premiere sports journalists in the country, it is understandable that Amber would be actively sought-after by many media outlets. The reality is she is doing a one-day special appearance on 105.7 on Monday, as she will be covering the Orioles fulltime for MASN again during the 2010 season," Webster tells DCRTV.....2/5 - DCRTV hears that Bonneville has gotten numerous offers and inquiries about putting replacement talk or music programming on 1050 AM, a la a lease agreement like it had with the now-bankrupt Air America. Stay tuned.....
2/5 - DCRTV hears that the new John Riggins afternoon radio show that was announced yesterday will most-certainly have a local TV component. As we first reported, Bonneville's WTOP is putting the Redskins great on the HD Radio digital HD3 signal of 103.5 come March. And now DCRTV hears rumblings that TV engineers have been seen in the first-floor studio at 3400 Idaho Avenue NW, where Riggins will be doing his show, installing HD gear plus lights and cameras. DCRTV wonders: Could Comcast SportsNet or the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network be interested? Probably MASN, we're told. Stay tuned.....
2/5 - It's racially derogatory to call an African American man a "boy." So, how is it any different when Rush Limbaugh calls President Obama a "man child" - as the talk radio host did again today? If you're a DC area advertiser, do you really want your spots to be heard on a station - like DC's Citadel-owned WMAL - that broadcasts such shameless crap? WMAL and its sponsors, like the Home Depot, who should be openly condemning such garbage talk rather than supporting it with their ad dollars, should be deeply ashamed.....
2/5 -
The Washington Post is reporting that top weatherman Bob Ryan (right) is considering leaving NBC-owned Channel 4/WRC and jumping to Channel 7/WJLA. Ryan has held talks in recent weeks with WJLA about teaming with its veteran meteorologist, Doug Hill, on its evening newscasts. Channel 7 hasn't completed a deal with Ryan yet, and negotiations could fall through, the Post adds. But with Ryan's current contract expiring in early March, he would be free to change stations after NBC's telecast of the Winter Olympics this month. The Post adds that Ryan would probably be a good fit with a new local news venture that WJLA's owner, Allbritton, is planning. As DCRTV has reported, the company intends to fold resources from its local cable news operation, NewsChannel 8, and its political news publication, Politico, into an all-local website and TV channel later this year. The venture, which is under the direction of former Washingtonpost.com editor Jim Brady, is expected to have a major local weather component. One reader comment to the Post's story: "This is nonsense. Bob's just looking for more money from WRC. Doug and Bob have
never gotten along".....2/4 - A DCRTVer tells us: WJFK morning Junkie JP Flaim announced on yesterday's show that he and his wife are divorcing, after being separated for six months. JP says that he's now living in "a small apartment".....
2/3 -
The Tuesday edition of "Hardball" on MSNBC, in which Chris Matthews interviewed Washington Post Style section scribe Paul Farhi (right) about the recent Oscar movie nominations, came in dead last among the cable TV news network shows in the 5 PM hour. According to the stats at TVNewser, Glenn Beck on Fox News won the hour, with more than eight times the audience of MSNBC's DC-based "Hardball," which placed a distant fourth among the four news networks at that hour.....2/3 - Condolences to Channel 7/WJLA and NewsChannel 8 anchor Doug McKelway on the January 31 death of his father, Dr. William Prentiss McKelway, 87, a native Washingtonian and longtime obstetrician. Dr. McKelway was a veteran of the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. Dr. McKelway's father, Benjamin, editor of the Washington Evening Star and president of the Associated Press, was selected by General Eisenhower to cover the liberation of the Nazi death camps. Dr. McKelway graduated from George Washington University Medical School in 1950 and became a clinical professor in 1974. He founded Foxhall OB-GYN Associates.....
2/2 -
Deejay Rico (right), who got canned last week by urban contemporary WPGC (95.5 FM) for playing a tune that was not approved by the CBS Radio station's management, is launching a Facebook campaign against his former employer. "GET THOSE EMAILS OUT REMEMBER TAKE 955 WPGC OFF YOUR RADIO... HELP WITH THIS PROTEST AND EMAIL MICHAEL.SAUNDERS@ CBSRADIO.COM, REGGIE.ROUSE@CBSRADIO.COM & SAM.ROGERS@CBSRADIO.COM... TELL EVERYBODY... TAG IT OR POST IT!!" Longtime morning man Donnie Simpson, whose last show was Friday, had asked Rico to do a mix on the air, including an unapproved Prince song, we're told. Rico had been a longtime production assistant at PGC.....2/2 - Bonneville has resurrected the WTOP call letters on 1050 AM, as its top-of-the-hour ID now includes "WTOP Silver Spring." Since Air America went bye-bye last week, 1050 has been switched to a relay of all-news WTOP, but the WZAA call remained until yesterday. WTOP's main signal of 103.5 remains "WTOP-FM Washington".....
2/1 -
DCRTV hears that Clear Channel is building new studios on the 6th floor at 1801 Rockville Pike for what could be a six signal for its DC cluster. Yet, Clear Channel owns only five stations in the Washington market. Just recently, DCRTV reported that Clear Channel named Dave Wellington, who is already program director of DC alternative rocker DC101, as PD also of Baltimore's jockless classic hits "Jack FM," WQSR. Might Clear Channel be planning to make WQSR a more DC-oriented signal, with its programming coming from the DC HQ in Rockville? And why studios for a jockless format? The 102.7 FMer has decent coverage of the DC metro. What's the Rush? Hmmm.....2/1 - DCRTV hears that Red Zebra sports talker WTEM (980 AM, 92.7 FM, 94.3 FM) will be re-running Tony Kornheiser's live 10 AM to noon show from 7 PM to 9 PM the same evening. And from 4 AM to 6 AM the following weekday on Red Zebra sister talker WTNT (570 AM). That's according to Kornheiser's show banter this morning. He's the top-rated host on Redskins owner Dan Snyder's ESPN 980.....
2/1 - Anji Corley and Mike Brooks are doing the WPGC (95.5 FM) morning show this morning, with longtime newsman Guy Lambert. No official CBS Radio announcement about a post-Donnie Simpson morning show on the longtime urban contemporary outlet. As for Simpson, DCRTV hears rumors that he's been taking to Oprah Winfrey about a spot on her new OWN network with Silver Spring-based Discovery Channel. OWN will debut early next year, just about the same time Simpson's CBS Radio contract ends. Also, there's a rumor floating around that Simpson may do a syndicated national TV show for Oprah's organization. Her broadcast TV show, seen locally on Channel 7/WJLA and Channel 11/WBAL, ends in fall 2011.....
2/1 -
DCRTV hears more about Politico TV, which could very well be replacing NewsChannel 8 later this year. It'll basically be a political news channel, based here in DC, with national, Capitol Hill news, plus local political news, possibly via cut-ins. And we're hearing that the channel, to be launched by Allbritton, which owns the Politico website and print rag, plus WJLA and NC8, could be taken nationwide, unlike local news NC8, which is only available in the DC area. No firm launch date for Politico TV, but late summer or early fall is a likely time-frame. Update: A Politico PR person denies all of the above, but, when pressed, would not say just what Politico TV or Allbritton's new local news venture will be or when they'll launch.....1/30 - DCRTV hears that Patricia Guadalupe is leaving her reporting gig with all-news WTOP radio to join the DC-based National Association Of Latino Elected Officials as its communications chief. "It's been a great ride, but the allure of more focus on political issues, and no holidays or weekend work and more money... was too good to pass up," she writes on her Facebook page.....
1/29 - Comcast has added Howard University's Channel 32/ WHUT in high-def on its DC area systems - channels 202 and 802. Also, you'll need a digital box or a TV with a digital tuner to continue receiving WHUT's standard-def signal in the "limited basic tier." The analog cable TV feed of the PBS affiliate has been dropped, and will no longer be available to subscribers with pre-digital cable-ready sets and older, non-digital boxes.....
1/28 - DCRTV hears that CBS Radio's urban contemporary WPGC (95.5 FM) has cut loose Deejay Rico. A source tells us: "Wednesday, Donnie Simpson asked him to do a mix on the air during his show and the new program manager, Michael Saunders, felt he needed to be fired for doing a mix when there wasn't one scheduled." Outgoing WPGC morning man Donnie Simpson stayed off the air Thursday to protest the dismissal of one of his longtime production assistants. Rico reportedly said he was fired for playing music, including a Prince song, that Simpson had asked for on Wednesday, but had not been approved by the station's management.....
1/28 - In the Washington Examiner, Jim Williams wonders if area cable TV giant Comcast will join forces with former AOL mogul Ted Leonsis, who owns the hockey Capitals, to obtain the basketball Wizards and Verizon Center. Comcast owns a batch of sports networks, including Comcast SportsNet and Versus, plus the Comcast Center arena in Philadelphia. Just yesterday, the holding company that owns a majority of the Wizards and the Verizon Center says it has the right to put the franchise and arena on the open market, throwing into question attempts by Leonsis to take full ownership of the sprawling regional sports empire.....
1/28 - The "journos" at the Daily Caller's State Of The Union party last night prove what an unattractive bunch-o-douchebags they are, via FishbowlDC. Let's all hope that most of these hack clowns land out on the street on their asses once they burn through the investment capital on yet another political news and commentary website that nobody needs or wants. And to think we actually once liked Marc "Nigel" Sterne. What a pathetic suck-up. Wow.....
1/27 - The University Of Maryland has reached a deal to buy the Washington Post's printing plant in College Park for about $12 million. The purchase should allow the University Of Maryland to relocate some facilities and services from its growing east campus to the shuttered 300,000-square-foot plant that sits on more than 18 acres. The deal needs approval of the Maryland Board Of Public Works, which is expected to vote on 2/10. The Post's Maryland plant was shuttered last year, with most printing now taking place at its Springfield, Virginia plant.....
1/27 -
DCRTV hears that Channel 7/WJLA will lose the Martha Stewart show to the Hallmark Channel come September. And, with Oprah Winfrey's last show set for June 2011, DC's Allbritton-owned ABC affiliate will have "two fill two huge gaps in programing." A local TV guru wonders: "Could it mean more local news? With all the NewsChannel 8 (and) Politico rumblings, 10 AM and 4 PM news show do not sound out of the question" for 7. DCRTV has told you that Allbritton is developing a Politico-based local news website and TV operation that could be seen on the firm's NC8 and WJLA. Stay tuned.....1/27 - A DCRTV tech guru tells us that Baltimore sports talker WVIE, Fox 1370, has asked the Federal Communications Commission for permission to triple its night time power to 24,000-watts, more than three times its current post-sunset power level. WVIE already sports a 50,000-watt daytime signal, which gives it decent coverage even thoughout the DC metro.....
1/26 - DCRTV hears that WDMV (700 AM), the Birach-owned Frederick area station that returned to the airwaves earlier this month, is now playing Spanish language oldies. Before leaving the airwaves last summer, the station had been airing brokered talk.....
1/25 -
DCRTV told you over the weekend that classical WETA-FM (90.9 FM) has launched an HD2 digital HD Radio subchannel playing more classical music - generic, so far. Now, we hear that the station will put Viva La Voce, a radio channel featuring choral, opera, and art song, on its HD2 come February. VLV, which was carried by the HD2 of the old classical WGMS back when it was on 103.5 FM (right), will share hosts with WETA-FM and "will provide additional opportunity for classical music enthusiasts to hear the vocal music they love," we're told.....1/25 - The Washington Post is planning to launch a new local weekly business publication -"Capital Business" - to directly compete with the Washington Business Journal. Last year, the Post eliminated its daily Business section, making it part of the main "A" news section, except on Sundays.....
1/25 - Just listened to WMAL's 8 AM hour of "Grandy And Andy" and its "new" morning show tweak of phone calls from listeners for the whole hour. Kind of tedious. I kinda liked the old hourly format with a mix of news, commentary, and calls. The new "mainly calls" hour sounds "done on the cheap" and makes me more likely to flip over to all-news WTOP for something other than a bunch of mainly idiotic, Heritage Foundation-ish callers. You know, WMAL's owner is an a heap-o-trouble here in DC. WMAL is not doing great in the ratings, paricularly in drive times, and still has no local content in afternoon drive. Re-installed later morning guy, Chris Plante, has got to be one of the dumbest talkers on the air in the Washington market - period. The guy's a complete idiot, even for a conservative. And putting an overnight trucking show on a signal that barely reaches outside the Beltway after dark is mindnumbingly stupid. WMAL's Citadel sister, WRQX, Mix 107.3 is getting slammed by the slow growing, but growing (!) WIAD, 94.7 Fresh FM, from CBS. And the new turgid classic rock 105.9 The Edge, WVRX, seems stuck in the mud at 20th or 21st place almost a half year after its launch. Rather than try to fix its DC cluster mess, it might be better for bankrupt Citadel to simply sell its three DC stations. To WTOP owner Bonneville? Hmmm.....
1/25 - DCRTV hears that this morning's heavy winds took out WTNT (570 AM). A tree branch fell on a power line at the Red Zebra talker's Germantown transmitter site. Repairs are expected to be made by late morning, we're told.....
1/25 -
DCRTV hears that Washington's Air America station, WZAA (1050 AM), will go back to a simulcast of all-newser WTOP after the lefty radio network, which filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings last week, discontinues programming later today. Air America had been leasing the Silver Spring-based AMer from WTOP owner Bonneville. WZAA will continue carrying its local sports committments. "We have had some very intriguing offers and or suggestions (for a new format), but that's the plan for now," a top DC Bonneviller tells DCRTV. We've reported that WAVA owner Salem is looking for a DC AMer to air its righty political talk format on, but so far no rumored talks with Bonneville. Stay tuned.....1/24 - In the listing of "Afghanistan War Deaths" on page A14 of Sunday's Washington Post, two soldiers named "Mark Juarez" are listed as being killed on the same day, 1/9, in the Helmand provience - a Mark A. Juarez, 22, of Bakersfield, California, and a Mark D. Juarez, 23, of San Antonio, Texas. However, MSNBC reported on 1/13 that the Pentagon made an error regarding the like-named Bakersfield-based soldier, who has since returned home to visit his family.....
1/24 - Northeast Radio Watch czar Scott Fybush selects WTOP's "Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center" as his mid-January "Tower Site Of The Week," ah, er, even though it's not really a tower site. Whatever. At fybush.com.....
1/24 - A DCRTVer tells us that classical WETA-FM (90.9) has finally added a second HD Radio signal, airing classical music with no announcers on its HD2 subchannel. Even though HD Radio has been around for several years, WETA has refused to join the party - at least subchannel-wise. Its major public radio rival, news and talk WAMU (88.5 FM), has offered two HD Radio subchannels - bluegrass and more news and talk - for the past few years.....
1/23 - You may be seeing your favorite band this summer at "Jiffy Lube Live." InsideNova.com reports that the Washington Area Co-op, a group of 13 Jiffy Lube franchisees that run auto service centers in Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, has purchased the naming rights for seven years to what had been called the Nissan Pavilion in Bristow VA. The facility is owned by Live Nation.....
1/23 - Last weekend, the sports radio and TV listings in the Washington Post told us that a batch of NFL playoff games would be on WHFS, 94.7 FM. Of course, the WHFS calls have never been on 94.7, which was WTGB and is now WIAD. Now, this weekend's sports media listings in the Post tell us that the NC State-Maryand game is on WHFS via Baltimore's 105.7 FM, which, OK, was WHFS but is now WJZ-FM. Fellow Baltimore outlet 1300 AM, which is also carrying the game, is still listed by the Post as WJFK-AM, but that's now WJZ-AM. Memo to Posties: The WHFS calls still live, but only on talker 1580 AM. Got it? Hmmm.....
1/22 - Channel 4/WRC news anchor and colleague Jim Vance and former Redskins coach Joe Gibbs eulogized legendary DC sports anchor and "Sports Machine" host George Michael in a memorial service Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral. Their words portrayed Michael as a hard working, enthusiastic, and passionate journalist who touched the lives of everyone he met. "George Michael was the first man to tell me he loved me," Vance explained. Upon telling Michael that those words made him uncomfortable, Michael replied: "Get over it." Michael died on 12/24 after a two-year battle with leukemia.....
1/21 - The Baltimore Sun tells that that after almost 14 years as the voice of the Baltimore County Police, Bill Toohey will leave the department on Friday, take a week off, and start a new job on February 1. Toohey, a former radio reporter and spokesman for two US senators, is to be the communications director for the Maryland Governor's Office Of Crime Control And Prevention, which coordinates programs, grants, and research for public safety and corrections agencies.....
1/21 - This morning, a DCRTVer told us that WJFK's morning Junkies announced that former Redskin Brian Mitchell will be in for Mike Wise and will have "a special announcement." Middayer Wise is attending the memorial service for former Channel 4/WRC sports anchor George Michael. DCRTV has reported that WJFK, 106.7 The Fan, might be giving Mitchell his own show. He currently does fill-in work for the CBS sports talker. Now, via a big noon announment, we hear that Mitchell will indeed be getting his own WJFK show - on Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. Starting 1/30.....
1/21 -
Citadel news talker WMAL (630 AM) plans to make some tweaks to its "Grandy And Andy" (right) morning show come next week. The 8 AM hour will focus on listener calls, there'll be more "in-depth" news stories in the 7 AM hour, more of a newscast feel to the 6 AM hour, and G&A's "top 5 at 5" news stories in the 5 AM hour. While WMAL's ratings are great in middays, with the syndicated Rush Limbaugh, the station has struggled to hold on to a youthful, non-geezerish audience in its locally-based morning drive, and with the syndicated Sean Hannity in afternoon drive.....1/20 - Spanish WDCN will carry DC United soccer games this season. The station, which is dubbed "La Nueva 87.7 FM," uses the audio carrier of a low-power channel 6 TVer. Says DC United Senior VP/Marketing Doug Hicks: "La Nueva has quickly shown value in its ability to reach a large audience and will be a great partner of the club in our efforts on and off of the field." WDCN will also host an hour-long, live pre-game tailgate party for every home game. During the season, La Nueva will feature a 30-minute weekly show hosted by station Sports Director Herbert Baires, who will be the play-by-play announcer. Baires called DC United matches from 1999 to 2005.....
1/20 -
DCRTV hears that local radio veteran KT Harris is filling in this week, via the miracle of voice-tracking, in the midday slot on Citadel's turgid classic rock 105.9 The Edge. Does this mean that Suzanne Ansilio from LA classic rocker KLOS, who was doubling as music director at 105.9 WVRX, is out as midday gal? Not so, says another source. Ansilio is back to the left coast for a few days. Regarding Harris, we hear from a source: "There is a hope, amongst those of us that know her, that her personality and reputation will get her a fulltime gig. Who knows, they still need a morning host." We hear that Harris does have a fulltime job in the wine business. DCRTV has reported that WVRX is close to naming a morning show host, something it hasn't had since it launched back in August. Stay tuned.....1/19 -
"There was evil there," so said Buzz Burbank on today's podcast at MikeOMearaShow.com about last summer at WJFK, which canned his boss, Mike O'Meara, as part of a format flip to sports talk. O'Meara, Burbank, Oscar Santana, and Robb Spewak (right) talked today about the last days of "the old station," as O'Meara called it, "guy talk" WJFK. O'Meara started his daily podcast in early December, after waiting out the end of his contract with CBS Radio, which owns WJFK. "My friend Donnie Simpson (is) apparently going through the same thing right now," O'Meara added. DCRTV broke the news last week that CBS is negotiating to buy out the contract of the highly-paid morning man at urban WPGC.....1/19 - DCRTV hears that Redskins owner Dan Snyder's Red Zebra has hired a new engineer - Ed Cole, who used to work at Clear Channel. RZ owns ESPN 980, Spanish sportser WXTR, biz talker WWRC, and political talker WTNT.....
1/19 - DCRTV hears more rumblings of "complete and utter chaos" at the Washington Times, including the possibility of more cuts this month. "Just eight weeks under new management and they are terrified that they and the paper will not survive and are now trying to do anything to deflect attention from what appears to be a sinking ship," a source tells DCRTV. As DCRTV told you, there's a flurry of lawsuits between the paper's ownership and some of its now-former management. With arrival of 2010, the Times dumped most of its local coverage, including sports, in order to focus on national and political news on weekdays, with no Sunday edition. There are also rumblings that the paper may sell its New York Avenue headquarters building and relocate to much smaller space in the suburbs.....
1/17 - What a "fun" weekend. I've been treated to at least a half dozen e-mails from Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi, who's basically calling me a liar - again and again. So, what started all this? Well, on Friday evening, Farhi wrote a short piece that got posted on the Post's website reporting that WPGC's Donnie Simpson is involved in negotiations with his employer, CBS Radio, to buy out his contract and end his association with the urban station. I, and several others, noticed that the piece did not credit DCRTV for reporting the same news three days earlier, on Tuesday. On Friday evening, I e-mailed Farhi requesting credit, and, within minutes via return e-mail, he assurred me that it would be coming in the final, longer version of the story that was to be posted on the Post's website early Saturday and in the Saturday print edition. Well, that led me to assume that Farhi saw my deserving request and was simply fulfilling it. Not so, Farhi has insisted in his many e-mailings to me on Saturday and Sunday. I got it oh so wrong. He claims that he was planning to credit DCRTV all along, in the final version of the story, even before he received my Friday request, despite the fact that the credit was not featured in the first edition of the story. Still, Saturday is the first time I can remember Farhi giving DCRTV print credit for being first with a story, despite the fact that DCRTV's been here for more than a decade and has featured many hundreds of "scoops" during those years.....
1/16 -
On Tuesday, 1/12, DCRTV exclusively reported rumors that longtime WPGC morning man Donnie Simpson (left) has begun negotiations to terminate his contract with ratings slumping urban outlet WPGC, a move that could bring Simpson's 32-year career on Washington's airwaves to an end. On Friday, the washingtonpost.com also reports the news - three days later. Simpson has more than a year left on his current two-year contract with the CBS-owned station but appears likely to leave before March 11, the anniversary of his hiring by WPGC, according to the Post. DCRTV has reported that WPGC afternoon man Big Tigger would likely be moved to mornings, replacing Simpson. DCRTV also broke the news that WPGC Program Director Robert Scorpio was replaced last week by Michael Saunders, as well as the resignation last summer of Simpson's sidekick Chris Paul after 16 years on the program - which the Post reported in its latest piece.....1/16 - Holy cow. In today's Washington Post print Sports section, page D2, Saturday's two NFL playoff games are listed as being carried on "WHFS" 94.7 FM. We knew that CBS recently flipped the calls of Fresh-FM from WTGB, but we thought that they were now WIAD. Hey, maybe the Post knows something we don't know. Last we checked, those legendary progressive rock calls are still wasting away on righty talker 1580 AM. Did a CBS Radio source meet with Paul Farhi in a dark parking lot somewhere to tell him some other secrets, besides those involving Donnie Simpson at WPGC? Might we wake up some morning soon with the glorious HFS back on the regular DC radio dial, not just a ghostly digital automated echo on 94.7's HD2? If it's in the Post it MUST be right, huh?.....
1/15 - Dave Wellington, program director of DC alternative rocker DC101, WWDC, will also be program director at classic hits Jack-FM, WQSR 102.7 FM, in Baltimore. Both stations are owned by Clear Channel. DCRTV wonders: What's there to program at QSR? The station is pretty much jockless.....
1/14 - Some news from Citadel's DC radio HQ. First, we hear that 105.9 The Edge, turgid classic rock WVRX, will soon announce a morning personality. The station did fill its afternoon slot with local rock radio veteran Kirk McEwen back in November. And, we also hear that some of the contest winners at hot adult contemporary WRQX, Mix 107.3, are reporting that their checks have bounced. Citadel has announced that it's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. More soon.....
1/13 -
Former WJFKer Mike O'Meara (right) tells DCRTV that his new one-month-old internet radio show is going gangbusters. "I'm very happy with the numbers from the podcast," which is done from O'Meara's Manassas home and is available weekdays at mikeomearashow.com. "We have had interest from former (WJFK show) affilliates and we are in talks with some of them right now to pick up the show," says O'Meara, whose WJFK show got yanked last summer when the station flipped to sports talk. He had to sit out his CBS Radio contract until December 1st. So far, only one radio station is carrying the new one-hour show, KCJJ in Iowa City, Iowa. O'Meara adds: "My new venture is in its early stages, but I can't believe how much fun doing the podcasts is, and I can see this being something my listeners and I can enjoy for a long time." He says his new website has sported more than quarter-of-a-million unique visitors in the first month, with almost half-a-million podcast downloads. A Facebook podcast app is up, with an iPhone app coming soon. Oh, regarding rumors of tension between him and other top local radio personalities, O'Meara says: "I have a very good relationship with Jack Diamond, and communicate with him regularly. I also have spoken with Don (Geronimo) recently and we both enthusiastically follow each others' careers".....1/12 -
DCRTV hears rumblings that longtime DC morning radio legend Donnie Simpson (left) could be in the process of being eased out at troubled urban contemporary WPGC. As DCRTV told you last week, CBS Radio brought in a new DC radio cluster operations manager, urban radio veteran Michael Saunders from Orlando, who'll be programming DC's 95.5, attempting to get it back on track after a year-long ratings slump. Now, we're hearing that big changes could be taking place at PGC soon, particularly in the morning slot, including the "retirement" of Simpson, via a buyout of his contract. Talks are taking place now, during Simpson's vacation, we hear. One source tells DCRTV that PGC afternoon man Big Tigger (right) would be moved to mornings. There's also a CBS corporate move to "share" with PGC some of its on-air and programming talent from the company's urban stations in Atlanta, Orlando, and Charlotte, we're told. A local radio guru tells DCRTV: "Donnie Simpson - really good guy, really huge salary. In the PPM world, very few music station jocks can justify the huge bucks that used to be fairly common... The two big ratings stars on DC urban stations are both syndicated - Steve Harvey (on WHUR) and Tom Joyner (on WMMJ)".....1/12 - DCRTV hears that Washington Times is auditioning another female to replace Melanie Morgan on its "America's Morning News" radio show, heard locally on WTNT (570 AM). She's Amy Holmes, a conservative commentator who's appeared on Fox News and CNN. Last week, as DCRTV exclusively told you, Times congressional reporter Kara Rowland was being auditioned to pair with John McCaslin, the show's surviving male host. Also, we're told that it appears that the Times' "acting" president and publisher, John Slevin, has appointed himself "permanent" president and publisher. Recent Times statements and other media articles have not used the "acting" title and no one has corrected the omission. And, yet more news. We hear that several of the Times' "higher profile writers are in late stage negotiations with a cross-town rival" and could be leaving this month. Hello Washington Examiner? Stay tuned.....
1/12 -
WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Dave McConnell (right) celebrates 45 years at the DC all-news radioer this month, and has no plans to retire anytime soon. McConnell began his career at WTOP in 1965 when it had a full-service news, talk, and music format station. He replaced the legendary Arthur Godfrey when WTOP began a news and talk show in morning drive in 1967. McConnell was the first news anchor on the air in the morning when WTOP switched to all-news in March 1969. He often covered Congress and, in 1981, became WTOP's fulltime Capitol Hill correspondent - the position he still holds today. WTOP Vice President/News And Programming Jim Farley says, "Whenever I have gone to the Hill with Dave, senators and congressmen from both sides of the aisle make a point of telling me that Dave is incredibly fair and balanced in his reporting." As far as his plans to retire, McConnell says, "As long as I have a seat covering the greatest show on earth, and can witness history being made, I'm going to keep on reporting. I get to cover statesmen, scalawags, gentlemen - and gentlewomen - and scoundrels, issues, drama, and histrionics." Adds Joel Oxley, who heads WTOP-owner Bonneville's DC radio cluster: "Dave is an institution in this town.
From Howard Baker to Harry Reid, Dave has reported on it all and explained to listeners throughout Virginia, Maryland, and DC just how what they do up there affects all of us down here. And above all, Dave is a true gentleman. He is a treasured resource here at WTOP".....1/11 -
DCRTV hears that local radio veteran Ken Merson (right) will officially join the parttime airstaff of CBS Radio's hot adult contemporary Fresh 94.7, WIAD, starting Monday 1/18, when he'll be filling in for afternooner Nikki Landry. Merson had been doing fill-in work for the station during the holidays.....1/11 - It's baaack. The Frederick area's WDMV (700 AM) has returned to the airwaves, playing a mix of classic oldies. The daytime-only station, owned by Michigan-based Birach Broadcasting, left the airwaves in early 2009. It had been running brokered and ethnic talk, and a right-leaning talk format before that with the WGOP calls. Tom Taylor, of Radio-Info.com, reminds us of this filing Birach made with the FCC last year: "Due to a dispute with local management and in order to retain its required control of station WDMV, Birach Broadcasting Corporation was forced to take this station off the air on February 6, 2009. Birach Broadcasting Corporation is attempting to resolve the management problem and will restore the station to the air as soon as possible".....
1/8 - Yesterday, a source told DCRTV: The firings by Redskins owner Dan Snyder continue beyond the football team. Word out of Snyder's Red Zebra, which owns ESPN 980, WTEM, is that Allison Butler, promotions/marketing director, and Frank Hanrahan, Redskins reporter, were both given the boot. "Cost cutting measures" supposedly. Although there's plenty of other fat to trim, why these two lowish salaries were picked is a mystery, someone wonders. More: Today, we get confirmation from Hanrahan that he is indeed out. "It came totally out of the blue and needless to say it was extremely disapointing. At least now for a little bit I can spend more time with my 11-month-old son".....
1/8 -
DCRTV hears that Washington Times Congressional reporter Kara Rowland (left) is being auditioned today for her newspaper's radio show. As a potential co-host for "America's Morning News," heard locally on WTNT (570 AM). DCRTV has reported that Melanie Morgan, suffering from a health issue, left the Talk Radio Network-syndicated show on Monday, leaving John McCaslin to temporarily go it alone. Rowland is "young, pretty, and is in for Round 1" of the auditions, we're told. Look for an announcement for a new co-host next week.....1/8 - A source tells DCRTV: More budget cuts for Fox-owned Channel 5/WTTG. Including Mary Talley, regional vice president of human resources. She was with WTTG since the early 1990s. Her position was eliminated, we hear.....
1/7 - So, it looks like CBS Radio is committed to keeping an urban contemporary format on WPGC with the announcement today that Michael Saunders, who's programmed urban stations in other markets, will replace Robert Scorpio as the programmer of the DC heritage outlet. Still, CBS will have to make some big changes to the one-time top five ratings performer, which has now sunk to the upper teens among local radioers. Of all major corporate radio owners in DC, CBS is probably in the most trouble as 2010 starts. Clear Channel's five FMers frequently populate the top 10, Bonneville's powerhouse WTOP out-revenues everything in the market. Even bankrupt Citadel peforms well with WMAL and WRQX. But CBS, frequently, has none of its four major FMers in the top 10 here. All of its stations underperform. WPGC sounds tired and worn. WLZL is on the wrong signal for its Hispanic audience. WJFK still has problems in middays and afternoons. Woefully automated WIAD is pretty much stuck in the mud in its quest for females up against WRQX and WASH. And the heritage gem of alt rock WHFS just sits there unused, waiting to sparkle again. If CBS Radio honcho Dan Mason is pretty much signaling that it's pretty much "formats-as-usual" on his four DC FMers with Saunders' appointment, it's gonna be a long, tough slog for the firm in this market in the new year. Perhaps Mason should have sent market manager Sam Rogers packing along with PGC programmer Scorpio. Pathetic CBS doesn't need a Band-Aid here in DC, it needs major surgery to fix its cluster. Like his DC stations, Mason proved today with his move that he's also an underperformer.....
1/6 -
DCRTV is getting confirmation that the reason Melanie Morgan resigned from "America's Morning News," the Washington Times' radio show, is due to a serious health issue she is facing. There had been some talk that she was forced out because she didn't fit the format of the show, but those rumors are being discounted. Morgan is married to Jack Swanson, the program director at Citadel's San Francisco news talk KGO-AM. However, the rumblings about Morgan's poor interaction on the show won't die. A source tells us: "The chemistry was awful and it was apparent to everyone involved. Tensions were beginning to show. (Morgan) gave proper notice that she was leaving the show in mid-January. She showed up for work on Monday and was told to leave. A person who is newly associated with the show asked her to go home." More in DCRTV's 1/5 and 1/4 newsblurbs.....1/5 - DCRTV hears that Ben Gossling, formerly of the now-defunct sports department at the Washington Times, is joining the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network fulltime, where he'll do on-air Washington Nationals baseball coverage and blog via its website. He was the TWT's Nationals beat writer and had been doing occasional work with MASN in past seasons.....
1/5 - More on the news that DCRTV broke yesterday that Melanie Morgan has resigned as co-host of the Washington Times' radio show, "America's Morning News," for alleged personal reasons. DCRTV now hears that all promos for the nationally syndicated show, heard locally on WTNT (570 AM), have been recut to mention only John McCaslin. We're also told that the Washington Times' acting president, Jonathan Slevin, is consulting with newspaper owner Reverend Moon's son, Preston Moon, on what direction they should take with the show. "We should see some new direction by February 1," we hear. Show syndicator Talk Radio Network has told DCRTV that it will continue producing and distributing the show even if the troubled Washington Times pulls out of the venture. DCRTV has reported that TRN may be shopping around future partnership for show, which is now produced at the Washington Times New York Avenue HQ, to other political news organizations, a la DC's Politico. More: DCRTV hears that several female guest hosts will sit-in with McCaslin, to see if there is "better chemistry than what was lacking between him and Melanie," we're told.....
1/5 - DCRTV hears that nationally syndicated DC-based righty talker Laura Ingraham is gone from Baltimore news talker WBAL (1090 AM) during late evenings. The Hearst station is running local sports talk from 6 PM to 9 PM, and a new replay of Clarence M. Mitchell IV's afternoon show from 9 PM to midnight. Might Ingraham be moving to WBAL talk rival WCBM (680 AM)? Stay tuned.....
1/5 - DCRTV hears about some news changes at Baltimore's Channel 13/WJZ. Mary Bubala will now anchor the 4 PM and 5 PM newscasts for the CBS station. Jessica Kartalija will anchor the noon broadcast. And Gigi Barnett will anchor weekend mornings. All three will continue to do reporting duties on a daily basis for 13, as well.....
1/3 - My local radio "wish list" for 2010:
1/1 -
Another great year for DCRTV, the best source of DC and Baltimore media news and gossip. Our financial goal for 2009 was 20 percent higher than 2008, and we reached it in December, despite the recession and all the competition! Thanks to the generous donations from our wonderful visitors and contributors, and our fantastic advertisers. Our biggest traffic day of the year? That August day when we reported that WAMU's Diane Rehm fell and broke her pelvis. No, not the WJFK flip to sports talk. This year, we'll be working to expand our memory-packed DCRTV Plus section, including lots more audio and video features, and flesh out our NYC and Boston news pages. Plus an expanded classified ads section aimed at the job market. And maybe even a podcast and, finally, a big party for all our amazing DCRTVers. As I always say, even after 12+ years, I still love doing this website each and every day. And I treasure all the friendships I've made! You guys and gals are magnificent! Onward and upward for 2010. Fasten your seatbelts.....All original material on this website is copyright by Dave Hughes/DCRTV.
