Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - February 24 to February 29, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ February 29 Messages \/ There once was a time, somewhare between the Evening Star and Disney, when WMAL was one of the best radio stations in the country. Period. Chris Core was the last on-the-air link to that era. That he toughed it out and was able to write what he did is an indication of the kind of class that used to permeate WMAL, on and off the air. as well as the kind of person he is. Today's yak format did not show off his talents to their best benefit, but still he managed to reach an enviable milestone in an increasingly transient business. If I was running CNN or MSNBC, I'd be on the phone now to get Core as my go-to guy in DC--smarter and more solid as an ad-libber than anyone on cable TV today, and with a sense of what makes this town tick, he'd be magnificent when big new broke, and would quietly improve any place smart enough to pick him up. May his retirement from behind a microphone be short-lived. Cheers, John (2/29/08) Don't be surprised when Don Imus does mornings on True Oldies. (2/29/08) Dave's response: I won't..... Best of luck to all the Citadel employees who got axed today. In particular to John Matthews, who played a huge, huge role in helping me get to where I am today. I'll always be thankful and appreciative of it. John Domen (2/29/08) I listened to the True Oldies Kickoff. Disappointed! I remember listening to the CBS-FM kick off in NYC. Live jocks, listener calls, oldies stars calling in, lots of passion. I wish the new Oldies station well since I love the music, but give me more sizzle. Cousin Brucie (2/29/08) Dave's response: Hey Citadel, this is Washington DC. Not Altoona. The new 105.9 sounds small market..... Best KILL Advisory EVER... From the AP... BC-White House-Plagiarism, KILL BULLETIN KILL... WASHINGTON - Kill the short headline in BC-White House-Plagiarism, 9th Ld, which moved at 6:35 p.m. EST. A presidential aide resigned, not Bush. (2/29/08) With all the chat about the WJZW format flip, did nobody hear today's OTHER big news that the results of November's presidential election were prematurely leaked? www.youtube.com... I hope Hillary and Barack will be good sports and play along with our shadowy puppetmasters. (2/29/08) To Dave and all your readers, Thanks so much for the kind words you have written about me today and in the past. Although I would have preferred to finish my career at WMAL, the radio business is a tough one, and this is a part of it. I have been treated very well at WMAL for the past 33 years, including today. This decision has been much harder on some of the people that I worked with than on me, I think. I just want to say thank you to the thousands of listeners who have allowed me into their radios, to the sponsors who let me get paid, and especially for the generosity of my audience who gave me literally millions of dollars for charities whenever I asked them to donate. They never let me down once. Fisher House, Leukemia Research, Children's Hospital, The Salvation Army , and So Others Might Eat just to name a few. I will be forever grateful for how they supported me. I honestly have no bitter feelings toward WMAL and I wish them well. But I do feel I have a few more broadcasts left in me, so perhaps we will meet up again at another venue. Chris Core (2/29/08) im really sorry about Chris core. Im gonna miss smooth jazz as well, but im interested to see how the true oldies go. (2/29/08) Correction - Dear Sir, Station List: 105.9 - WJZW - smooth jazz - Woodbridge VA: WJZW's format is now oldies. (2/29/08) Dave's response: Really? Re Ken in Bethesda Frank Hanrahan tries to hard to be cute or something. Just read the damn scores and the other sports news and don't improvise. Take a cue from Dan Davis or Bob Picozzi (sp?) on the worldwide leader. Bring back one of the Scotts either Jackson or Lynn to do the updates during the Reporters. Same with Lisa Baden. Just read the traffic. Don't sing, etc. Thanks for letting me vent. Tom in Silver Spring (2/29/08) Dave… Something just doesn’t seem right about the True Oldies website. Does Citadel own it? Bob (2/29/08) For jazz radio try WPFW 89.3. Unless you're looking for smoove jazz. For that, go immediately to the nearest elevator. (2/29/08) Citadel really took a bite they can not chew. All of the cutbacks today come from thier inability to afford the ABC/Disney purchase. They cut plenty of positions-all of hardworking people today. Among those include the obvious of the WJZW on-air staff, Chris Core, John Mathews. Behind the scenes, some sales crew from WMAL were sent packing-along with a few promotions managers from MIX. One can think if they will keep the canned Oldies format on for long-or will they bring in jocks. Also, Jack Diamond's contract is up soon, right? What will happen to him and his crew? I wish the victims of the 4400 Jenifer St bloodbath the best in the future--and don't look back.... (2/29/08) Citadel - more to come and not necessarily just air talent. (2/29/08) (regarding a previous post) "Re WJZW - So does Imus have the 105.9 morning show beginning Monday?" For several weeks now, Imus has been hinting at a big announcement about the DC affiliate situation, but he said he couldn't talk about it yet. It wouldn't surprise me if 'Imus in the Morning' showed up on one of the DC Citadel stations soon. I know there have been rumors of Imus returning to 570-AM, but given the impending (imploding?) sale situation at Clear Channel, it would make more sense for Citadel to keep Imus in the family, so to speak, and to further weaken an already-badly-stumbling DC Clear Channel cluster(f*ck)! (2/29/08) Abbey Road is the 4th Greatest Album of All Time by WTMD Listeners and we are having a blast. The drive is going well. Would you tell all your friends to tune into find out the #1 Album of All Time later this afternoon! Check our Facebook and Myspace pages too! And if you want a POLK Isonic HD Radio...act quick, we're at over 35 of them given away to $1,000 donors! steve (2/29/08) Dave: Awesome job on the light jazz switch to oldies at 105.9. This whole thing raises some interesting questions: 1. Will this push WBIG to more clearly define its classic rock status, and thus play some harder rock, and thus become more of what 94.7 used to be? 2. Will this push 94.7 to adopt a more clearly-defined format? Really, as you've noted, what is their format? What are they playing? Are they trying to be the old WHFS? Because it doesn't sound like the old WHFS--from any decade. Is it just a mix of classic rock and new rock? That's fine, but where's much of the new rock, then? Incubus, Kid Rock, Nickelback, Velvet Monkey, Audioslave, Queens of the Stone Age, Three Doors Down, Three Days Grace, Cold, Fuel, Filter, Disturbed, Shinedown, Wolfmother, Linkin Park? You don't hear any of these bands on 94.7. And that is new rock--that's what 98 Rock is playing. Where is the new rock that they promise? The newer songs they're playing sound more like 107.3 than 94.7. So will a more clearly-defined oldies station and a more clearly-defined classic rock station make 94.7 a more clearly-defined DC-101-type rock station or a more clearly-defined WHFS-type rock station? But even the old WHFS played modern-day mainstream rock and roll. 3. Will 105.9 play the eclectic, wildly-popular mix of oldies--rock, pop, funk, Motown, doo-wop, 50s, light rock, some hard rock, etc.--that the old WBIG played so well? Will 105.9 have decent oldies DJs? Because a good oldies station need good oldies DJs--people who know the difference between Gary Lewis and Jerry Lewis and between the Dave Clark Five and Clark Kent. 4. If the oldies format didn't work in D.C. and was used as the excuse to completely run out of town the old WBIG--of which there was nothing wrong--then why bring the oldies format back to town? Weren't radio officials saying oldies is dead? If they were saying that, why bring it back? 5. Was 105.9 losing money as a light jazz station? How much money was 105.9 losing? (2/29/08) Dave, I know there has been a great deal of conversation about MASN and their 80 baseball games. After talking to key representatives it may come as a surprise but both sides are working to make sure the 80 games can be seen by all people with HDTV's. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/29/08) Put IMUS Weekday Mornings on WMAL take the money saved and bring back "Brian and O'Brien and Sean Hall on WJZW" Weekday Mornings and Replace Race hussler Bill Cunningham with Paul Berry (WJLA Fame) on Sunday nights 10PM- 1AM. John T. Henneman (2/29/08) I just Googled "Chris Core" and this message board appeared regarding today's WMAL changes. It appears that your good friend Silvie from Waldorf is behind this board as a moderator and she links your column to her forum: www.freerepublic.com (2/29/08) You know, If I were Mr. Oxley and Mr. Farley, I would be salivating right now. Chris Core & David Burd backed up with the WTOP News staff could be a Morning Drive show that would put real numbers in the book and serious bucks in the bank. While that may or may not ever happen, it would be nice to have a top notch Talker in DC. I continue to find it incredible that in the city that much of the world listens to, we haven't had a fire breathing, fun to listen to Talker since Harden & Weaver. It's so depressing to watch a company like Citadel (or Clear Chanel, for that matter) try to bite off more than they can chew, and the listeners end up paying the price. There has been a lot of top notch talent that has been migrating from Jenifer St. to Idaho Ave. If this keeps up, Citadel/ABC may give Messrs. Farley & Oxley everything they need to bury WMAL for good, perhaps Bonneville would be interested. P.S. I continue to believe that the management of cheapo dishwater Oldies/Classic Rock played by computer stations should be humanly neutered so that they can not breed. The Ol' PD (2/29/08) So with Matthews gone, no PD, no ND. Must be long line outside CBerry's office.... (2/29/08) Dave's response: Why doesn't Citadel just fire everyone at WMAL and turn it into a relay of NYC's WABC..... Does this mean bad news for Philly's ABC6 DT ? "Application Grant Rescinded" fjallfoss.fcc.gov (2/29/08) This is the kind of station DC needs… WRXP "101.9 RXP The New York Rock Experience" is now streaming, check them out, they are much closer to the Progressive FM album rock days of old than anything I’ve heard in awhile. A mix of all things and not just the same old, same old. (2/29/08) A sad day for Washington Radio. Whether you agreed with Chris Core or not; he was a great talent who successfully made the transition from DJ to talk show host. Beyond the fact that he is so talented, he was local and I sincerely hope the folks at 3WT are placing calls to Chris in order to get in back on the air as soon as possible. As far as the demise of WJZW is concerned, I emailed Al Santos at approximately 10:54 am and he didn't have any idea of the change. Looks like they treated him and I would assume the rest of the air staff very poorly. Best of luck to Al and the gang. I will miss WJZW; especially the Sunday Jazz Brunch. As far as terrestrial radio on this area is concerned it is a big zero. Thank goodness for the internet and XM which I get via DirectTV. I am glad my wife bought me that 8 gb Nano for Christmas, it will be my music alternative in the car. I hope that the Smooth Jazz format will turn up again on Washington radio. Armando (2/29/08) Re” WJZW - So does Imus have the 105.9 morning show beginning Monday? I’d listen. But concerning the possible canning of Grandy and Andy, I would shed no tears of Andy Parks was shown the door. (And this is from someone who HAS been shown the door a couple of times.) I think that Fred Grandy and Brian Neiman (sp?) could do a terrific job together without Parks. I’d guess that Grandy is being paid large $$$, but to my way of thinking he is smart, quick-witted and funny and he is the one, with Brian, who keeps me listening (when I can). Also, why was “Mrs. Fred” on the show today? I didn’t hear any of it. (2/29/08) Dave's response: You know, there were rumblings that Imus would be heard on Clear Channel's WTNT come January. And then nothing. You gotta wonder if Citadel is planning to put him on 105.9 or 630..... Re earlier post – BRAVO Dave Statter! (2/29/08) Listening to 105.7 in Baltimore in the AM rush. There was an accident at Exit 1 just after the Key Bridge in A.A.County. The traffic people reported back-ups.An hour later after passing back through evrything was gone traffic was flowing normal.The traffic reporter still reporting accident and back-ups. A 1/2 hour after that still reporting accident. Don't they have an up to date system or do they tape it and play it over and over? Anybody sick of J.G. Wentworth "I WANT MY MONEY AND I NEED IT NOW!" Are people that hard up? (2/29/08) Here we go...Doobie Brothers "Listen to the Music" twice in 50 minutes. The music on 105.9 is a trainwreck so far. (2/29/08) Giving the liar Chris Plante a better timeslot is ludicrous. If Citadel thinks the lawsuit against Core was bad for business, wait until more people are able to hear Plante's lies and conjecture. I predict Chris Plante's mouth will get him in trouble very soon-his bad timeslot in the past has given him some shielding from scrutiny. Oh, by the way, I made the same prediction about Michael Graham when he moved up from Richmond. I called that one! Pretty soon more people will see Plante for the hardcore bonehead that he really is. Chris Core had his faults, but he was never as dangerous with a microphone as I predict Chris Plante wll be opening for Rush. (2/29/08) Finally, some good news about DC radio. Maybe commercial radio does want some listeners in their 40s and 50s rather than telling the entire baby boom generation to subscribe to XM. It's great to have oldies back on the air, other than on weekends on WLIF in Baltimore. Steve Allen was the guy who took on WXTR and kicked their ass in a matter of weeks, so he has a terrific track record in this market. When WCBS-FM restored oldies, it went from a station challenging Christian radio for last place in NY to a top five station. I hope Steve brings back some of the classic jocks of the glory days of WBIG, like Goldy, Dave Adler and Johnny Dark. And if he is smart, he'll also reach up to Baltimore and bring us Rouse and Company, Bob Worthington and the Merson Person, and become a dominant station in both cities. (2/29/08) (quote from Dave) Tired and tepid oldies.....(end quote) Thinking sharply off-track for a moment, what we need are "fresh new oldies". Oxymoronic perhaps, but think about it: When's the last time you heard a Monkees tune other than "Daydream Believer"? What about "Valerie"? Wouldn't it be cool to hear "Soulful Strut" as something other than bumper music in a sports talk show? Have we all forgotten "Everything That Touches You" by the Association? Crack a grin over Meco's "Star Wars" or First Class' "Beach Baby". Forget that Tyson's mall commercial and try to keep up with "Life is a Rock". Overplayed over-researched "core oldies" suck, but fun oldies will always remain fun. Is anyone listening at Citadel? (2/29/08) Dave's response: Exactly. There are lots and lots of cool oldies that haven't been nauseatingly overplayed. Play them 105.9. Sheesh..... I second the motion for the folks at Bonneville to think about putting Chris Core on 3WT. A real local host would be better than Tempatony. Frankly, I'm tired of their promos suggesting that Burd and Doyle have been up to wacky hijinx only to hear a snippet of them discussing the interworkings of city agencies. Core would be great back in PM drive. He'd also be great if he didn't have to follow the Bush blast faxes and could develop shows about non-political issues. Heck, for that matter, let him play an occasional record. (2/29/08) Will there be a new Jazz station in the DC area to replace WJZW? Not everyone can receive the HD2 station. Please let me know. I have listened to that station for many years and I am disappointed that Citadel would make such a move. Please advise as to what our alternatives are for jazz in D.C. Sincerely, Carol Troy (2/29/08) Dave's response: XM or Sirius..... I grew up in the 60's, I remember the huge number and variety of songs too. Consultants came up with tested oldies, a tight national playlist that over the years has burned out. With all due respect to Steve Allen, talk to Johnny Dark and many of the area veteran personalities about what did well in THIS area back in the day. Bring back the energy creativity, and wide playlist. Find the right staff to make it work. My wife Joyce does her researchon OBP, and aside from a few I never heard, she digs up many of the great songs I can still sing along to from the WLPL and WPGC days. Radio was fun then, it still can be. Freshen up that stale national playlist and consider some of my suggestions. Oldies can still work for the 35-64 crowd, and yes, we still buy new toys... Thanks, Tom Conroy (2/29/08) As usual, Dave Statter shows himself to not only be a class act and a fine human being, but a handy guy to have around in an emergency. You are too modest, Dave. Well done and well said. -Brian (2/29/08) As Dave Hughes knows, other than writing about old radio and TV stuff and the Washington Quarter Century Broadcasters dinner, I am generally just a reader of DCRTV. While I appreciate the kind words and can understand any criticism that may come my way, I think a couple of things have been misread into all of this. First of all, I didn't save the young man's life. I have no doubt he would have survived, but may have been uncomfortable just a little longer, until the fire/EMS crews from Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service came along. What we did or didn't do for the teen was completely unplanned teamwork by reporters and crews from three stations who were called into the home having no clue what we were about to witness. While I may have been in the center of the picture, what you didn't see were the rest of the news people nearby. Cheryl Butler at Channel 4 initially contacted 911 and gave me her phone to update the call taker on the boy's condition. Chris Plater, a Channel 7 photographer, gave me his knife. A rather sharp instrument that give me, by far, my biggest moment of concern when using it near Lionel's neck. Channel 9 photographer Greg Guise handed me a flashlight (I haven't hear the end of later losing it somewhere in a police officer's car). Channel 7's always charming Julie Parker stayed with the family, which was of great help. Considering their excited state, I thought it was best to have the relatives step back from the child. All of the photographers, which included Channel 4's Phil Jacobs, turned their lights on so we could see and turned them off for a moment when I thought the lights were bothering Lionel. Stupid me for not noticing sooner what Lionel really wanted cut off wasn't the lights, but what appeared to be shoelaces tied snugly around his neck. It appeared to cause him great discomfort and difficulty speaking. Through all of this, not one photographer or reporter asked me to move my rather large back side so they could see what was going on or to get a better shot. Since my involvement would soon became very public, I made the decision, backed up by my bosses, to immediately pull myself off of covering the story. I also thought it important, and my bosses agreed completely, that since I was now part of the story, to share the information I had with every reporter who wanted it. I did that after talking to police. I can say this attention has sufficiently embarrassed me in front of my many long time friends who work in fire and EMS. They usually get little notice for doing much more than this, with a lot more skill, each and every day. Not having a clue as to what this whole episode is about, I am just glad that Lionel is not seriously injured and that what care he needed didn't tax my very rusty first responder skills any further. While I can imagine there may be a lot to debate about this story, from my perspective, I can say without hesitation, during the few minutes the 6 news people were in the basement, emergency care for Lionel Youkam came first and the story second. Dave Statter (2/29/08) nother bullshit oldies worthless,lame,stale,overplayed same boring fucking songs Station on the D.C. dial who thinks this shit up???. There I think I covered it. But I was surprised that the last prick over at WJZW bothered to go on the air @ 3pm. sharp to thank all of the airstaff who just got shitcanned and all of the artist who are still going to be heard via their HD channel which I don't get so I guess I'll just suffer like everyone else.. FUCK D.C. radio....... Mark/Bethesda......... (2/29/08) Imus and Lewinsky share a birthday? Wow. Maybe they could get together and share a cigar. OK. I just put images in my head that shouldn't be there. Eeeew! Paul (2/29/08) Man, fuck Citadel and fuck this fucking business sometimes. Today I hate myself for loving it so much. (2/29/08) Dave's response: Oldies 105.9's second song - the Doobie Brothers. Hate 'em already..... Hi Dave, If you check further on WMAL's webpage they forgot to remove a picture of Chris Core under "Your Hosts". Thought you would like to know... Stephen (2/29/08) I wonder if Chris Core could end up on 3WT, seeing that Tony Kornheiser does not seem all that serious about doing a show on that station. (2/29/08) I was listening to WJZW's farewell on the stream - and then the stream just dropped abruptly midway through the farewell message, and won't come up again. Anyone have the full audio clip? (2/29/08) damn! i slogged thru an hour or more of that crappy "smooth jazz" to listen to the changeover at 3...and BOOM the thing goes down just a few seconds into the launch........nice work guys! (2/29/08) Dave's response: You didn't miss much. Tired and tepid oldies..... Dave, As a radio geek for most of my 26 years on earth and a Connecticut reader of DCRTV.COM since 1999, I must comment that I am very pissed off that Citadel pulled the plug of WJZW's internet stream right when the switch was going down. Marc (2/29/08) I'm no fan of Chris Core but these Citadel management people have lost their f'n minds. Last man standing go cut the lights out on this farce. Everett W. (2/29/08) "JZW To Dump Smooth Jazz For Oldies " ------------ What a horrible mistake. It was a disaster on 100.3 and it will be a disaster on 105.9. Who needs a program director making a bloated salary just to run satellite programs? Why not take the money and hire some real air talent? (2/29/08) Oldies on 105.9 FM in Washington, DC? For a very short while, there will be a few 50s and some early 60s ONLY Top Ten hits that you will hear along with the very generic ONLY Top Ten tunes from the later 60s, 70s and some 80s. Then slowly those 50s and early 60s records shall be gone and then 105.9 FM will be what just about ALL "cheap channel" alleged oldies stations are, boring. Sad to write these comments but that's what will happen, right Steve Allan? (2/29/08) Not to pat myself on the back, but I DID mention MASN coming to the Northern Shenandoah Valley on Wednesday, the day the ad ran in area newspapers. By the way, Harrisonburg is also getting it this go-around. Charles in Winchester (2/29/08) Hi Dave, Chris Core has been removed from the WMAL website. His show page and on-demand radio shows are gone. What gives? Heard any rumors? (2/29/08) Dave's response: Chris is a gonner. Confirmed..... Good luck and God bless to the former WJZW staff. I hope they all find jobs as quickly as possible. They're a talented crew. Hoping to hear some '50's in whatever oldies mix citadel comes up with. (2/29/08) Warmest congratulations to Shelley & Bryan, and I guess it’s daddy for the 2am feedings since he’s already awake. (2/29/08) Shawn, wonderful words about Myron Cope. One of the reasons I was excited about coming home to Pittsburgh and KDKA was for the chance to meet some of my radio heroes. Myron was at the top of the list; and sadly, I did not get the opportunity. A crowd of several hundred braved the snow this noon to wave their Terrible Towels at Pittsburgh’s City-County building for a public memorial to Myron. No garganzola. Myron once ticked off Danny Snyder by referring to the Redskins during a game in Washington as the “Redfaces.” When asked by a ‘Skins heavy to lay off, Myron went on to berate team management and stood firm. Whether it be the “Baltimore Birdies”, the “Bungles” or the Denver “Yonko’s”, Myron was colorful to the end. Okle dokle, I’m done. RIP, Myron. Bill “Aaron” Rehkopf, KDKA (2/29/08) Say goodbye to WJZW listening now 1:15, no dj just music. Armando (2/29/08) i saw the story live at 5:00. I didn't get the impression that dave statter thought he saved the kid's life. statter did give credit to the help provided by the other stations. i think he said the reporter from channel 4 called 911 and a cameraman from 5 gave him a knife. or it could be the other way around? i was only half listening so i don't know if he mentioned their names but i know he gave credit to the stations. would the news directors at the other stations have a rule on not saying the competitors names or would that be the choice of the reporter? i am waiting to hear the rest of this story because it all doesn't make sense to me. (2/29/08) I think Marc Sterne's actually from Boston - often mentioned his allegiance to the Red Sox when he was hosting the Saturday baseball show on WTEM. Controversial former college basketball coach Bobby Knight has been hired by ESPN as an NCAA analyst, which is ironic inasmuch as the network has gotten all kinds of mileage out of a video montage highlighting Knight's numerous excesses and verbal outbursts over the years. Dan Patrick mentioned the other day that ESPN's not letting its anchors and reporters appear on his syndicated radio show, so perhaps his departure from the worldwide leader last year was more acrimonious than anyone was letting on at the time. Making room on the schedule for Patrick's program was the reason offered by Clear Channel for cancelling Feldman & Maloney several months ago, and now I hear that Fox 5's Dave Feldman will finally be returning to 980's Sports Reporters later today. Hopefully, they'll bring back CSN's Carol Maloney soon as well - the female perspective's been sorely missing from that program of late. Over at 3WT, apparently Tony Kornheiser still hasn't gotten over his obsession with American Idol - no reason to tune in until the second segment of his Wednesday, Thursday and Friday shows unless you're a devotee of that singing competition. Mike, Fairfax (2/29/08) I would have been much more excited about the WJZW oldies flip if I hadn’t fallen in love with my XM. 60’s on 6, combined with Soul Street, gives me all the oldies I need. I’ll give the new station I good listen though (I do prefer local, when it’s good). I hope they go for “real” oldies and not just the 1964-1973 top 10 hits version… Will we be lucky enough to get some of the local legends back on the air? (2/29/08) A WMAL baby born at 6:30 AM? SIX-THIRTY A-M? C'mon, was that planned? (2/29/08) (NC8 Refuses To Run Q&A Interview Of 4's Bob Ryan) Owned by Allbritton, what more do you expect? They might lose 10 viewers! I bet Doug Hill wouldn't have had any problems with it being aired on NewsChannel 8. (2/29/08) American Spectator Should Look In The Mirror bigheaddc.com (2/29/08) Don Imus' birthday is not until July (he shares it with Monica Lewinsky). But look how this website qualifies the date and his age - especially the text highlighted in red. www.movieeye.com... Guess sometimes it is kinda hard to tell... (2/29/08) Thank you, Tom Conroy, for supplying us with the link to the Tom Marr Show..the one with Johnny Dark; I did record it via tape (actually I used my VCR machine..yes..you can do that)..but is also nice to have a recording of it on my computer now as well! Thanks again! Tom in Denton, MD (2/29/08) FYI....The Kornholio controversy spreads to the left coast... laist.com... That sign is probably an online generator & not authentic but still funny... (2/29/08) Great moments in Radio: Sean Hall on the Brian and O'Brian show. Sean created a news persona that helped make that show number one. My two favorite morning show news persons are Sean and Buzz. Always sorry to hear anyone is losing a job, but I also want to wish Steve Allan well in his new position. Programming Oldies is not as easy as it used to be. At least they didn't give Steve and AM. The music alone will not make it work - - Go crazy Steve, have fun. Ed Graham (2/29/08) STATTER A HERO? Ok, he wrapped the kid in a blanket and cut the laces around his neck. That was good thinking, and I give Dave credit for helping. I don't think that rises to the level of Dave saving the boy's life. They found him, help wasn't far behind. Dave was not the story. Ch 4 certainly had no obligation to mention him. Frankly, it appears as if Dave's publicist, Hillary Howard, is at work here... (2/29/08) WTMD is approaching Number 1 in their 897 Greatest Albums of All Time Countdown. Looks like Number 1 will be around 5 or six tonight. It's been a blast listening to this. They have their list posted at wtmd.blogspot.com. Their doing pretty good in their fund drive too from what it sounds like. Beatle's are on right now and Radiohead was earlier. (2/29/08) (regarding the item on your News Page) I'm really sorry to hear that Deacon Maccubbin is unwell and that the Lambda Rising bookstore in Baltimore will be closing. I remember Deacon from the original Lambda Rising store - and by that, I mean the ORIGINAL original location - at 1724 20th Street, NW. Back in '73, when I first met Deacon, even before there was Lambda Rising, there was Earthworks (which was a *ahem* "headshop"). I used to buy my R. Crumb comix there, as well as the best bong I ever owned! A bit later, the very first Lambda Rising opened in the building, across the hall from Earthworks. It later moved around the corner to. Here's an item about 1724 20th Street, which was quite the community building and resource, back in the day... www.rainbowhistory.org... I wish Deacon all the best, in the days ahead! (2/29/08) "Less is more my arse!!" I couldn't agree more. To CC, Less is more means cutting Creative Services jobs and running fewer sweepers between songs, which sounds Bush League. It means having NO news staff in the nation's capital for 8 stations. It means having your jocks read traffic when obviously they have no clue what they're talking about so they make a bit out of an important service element while sending competent traffic reporters to the unemployment line. Less is not more. Most times, Less is Less. (2/29/08) When I heard that both WUSA & NBC4 were at that missing boy's house when he was found, I knew that each station was going to take credit for getting the scoop. And I think it so petty that NBC4 couldn't mention Dave Statter. True, he's from the competition, but he was also not just an observer.. (2/29/08) Not to take away from Mr. Statter's efforts, but this story reeks of fish! (2/29/08) Sean, sorry about the misunderstanding. Though, I just got back from Key West and spent some time with Ed Rodriguez. Both “Eds” are talented, intelligent professionals, as are you. Hope all is well with you. Again, sorry for the misunderstanding, but I always defend my friends and both of them are. PLB:0) (2/29/08) Glad to see Frank Hanrahan did well in the Funniest Celebrity Competition. Now, I'd like to hear more of him on Sports Talk 980. Good to hear Matt Davis doing news on WOL. The "information is power" when he's doing it. I heard him doing it on WKYS last week. Ken/Bethesda (2/29/08) ("I'm amazed at the photo of the new WTOP nerve center. I was in there last Thursday - a week ago as this is written - and there were wires and things all over the place") You know what they say about radio engineers: "They're the first ones in in the morning. They're the last ones out at night. And when they do their jobs right, nobody seems to notice they were there." The amazing progress in the new newsroom is because of the amazing effrort and talent of WTOP V.P. of Engineering Dave Garner, Newsroom Tech Manager Brian Oliger, IT honcho John Spaulding, Art Rose, Grouchy George Moshos and others. These are amazing guys. Even the crabbiest people in the newsroom are in awe of them. (2/29/08) I am deeply saddened by the news of Bill Hamlin's death. He was a true broadcasting pro, a gentleman with a delightful sense of timing and humor. I couldn't stand walking into that dump of a townhouse office on Rockville Pike (94.7) every day at 4am, but a quick chat and laugh with Bill Hamlin would set things right. Most recently, he was of great assistance in helping me find an acting coach for my teenage son. May the "ghost light" always shine bright in his memory. - Bill Scanlan (2/29/08) An unexpected surprise on 630 WMAL's Grandy and Andy this morning - Bryan Nehman's wife is due to give birth to their second child at any moment. Andy said that Bryan texted him at 2:15 a.m. with the news, and that he'd be absent today as well. Filling in for him was Bill Thompson, and of course, the lovely Mrs. Grandy was filling in for Fred. (2/29/08) PLB: I was referring to "Ed," but not Graham. sean (2/29/08) I have not been able to confirm this, but it looks like MASN is coming to the northern Shenandoah Valley next month. From a posting on the Washington Nationals message board: “A big ad in today's Winchester Star states that MASN will included in their expanded basic lineup starting March 28. The network will be on channel 25 ( and on channel 33 when the Nats and that minor league team in Maryland are on at the same time ). The areas include the Winchester, Front royal and Luray cable systems. It's about time.” (2/29/08) Dave's response: Yes, I have gotten confirmation from MASN that they are getting carried on the Comcast systems (formerly Adelphia) in the northern Shenandoah Valley..... I'm amazed at the photo of the new WTOP nerve center. I was in there last Thursday - a week ago as this is written - and there were wires and things all over the place, and it didn't look like there was any way in hell that place was going to be ready. What a transition... (2/29/08) Shawn Anderson's tribute to Myron Cope was really well written. I'm one of many Western Pennsylvanians living in the area and no broadcaster will ever have a bigger impact in the Pittsburgh region than Cope. Only Bob Prince (Pirates) and Mike Lange (Penguins) come close. But as great as they are, they're are are a distant second and third. (2/29/08) Hey Dave, Ray Polen here, formally of The Craig Coleman "Show". Do you think Chicago's WLS has second thoughts on doing their news in a fishbowl. I couldn't resist sticking my finger in Linda Yu's (sp) ear. (2/29/08) Pretty classless of Channel 4 at 6PM to say the boy was saved due to the quick action of an observer. Would it have been so bad for them to say it was Dave Statter? I guess ratings trumps both news and giving one's competitor their due honest recognition. - Bob from College Park (2/29/08) /\ February 29 Messages /\ \/ February 28 Messages \/ Dave Statter is nothing less than a class act's definition of a class act. For possibly saving that kid's life while performing his craft as a journalist, Dave Statter should get the Ted Yates award and perhaps a humanatarian award since he is no longer a "certified" paramedic. Bravo, Dave! You've shown that decency can still exist in this business. Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/28/08) PLB, I don't think Mr. Hall was referring to a Mr. Graham, but to a Mr. Rodriguez. Sincerely, Mike in Kensington... P.S. DirecTV has, in the past, added temporary HD channels to its lineup, and should be able to do the same for MASN HD. I suspect they're just being careful not to overpromise and underdeliver. Perhaps DirecTV and MASN haven't come to a carriage agreement for the HD channel, yet (MASN SD and MASN2 are currently carried on DirecTV). (2/28/08) Dave, I agree Mix 107.3 plays way too tight of a playlist and its stale with the gold stuff but as I understand it they bill well and their ratings are really good so they won't change anything until they need to. (2/28/08) www.wcbm.tv - If you missed the Tom Marr interview with Johnny Dark, here is the link to that program, as a podcast. Isn't technology great! Tom Conroy (2/28/08) I don't know how many times I've recently heard folks saying the word "successful" not the way speakers of English have always been taught, but SUS-SESS-FUL. It really irritates me. Is that simply Ebonics, or does the correct pronunciation of the first syllable now remind too many people of a common semi-vulgar expression? And has the latter pronunciation become so widespread they'll have to put it in the dictionary now? KOF (2/28/08) Hi Dave. In your news-blurb you mention that Marc "Nigel" Stern is a Brit. Is that actually true? Without the “Nigel” persona he doesn’t sound the least bit British, at least to my ears. (2/28/08) Dave's response: He's probably from York - New York..... Dave, is it me or has anyone else noticed that when you listen to WTOP lately some of the reporters Pronounce the word "NEGOTIATE" as if there were a "C" in it,like NEGO-SEE-ATE.??? I'm not that much of a literal pronunciation type but when you're stuck in traffic and you hear that it makes me wanna call their talk back line and tell them to repeat 1st grade. Just wanted to rant. BTW yes D&M have been let go on delmarva's CC cluster and it appears that A familiar face will re-appear to take the slot vacated by the now gone Brian Cleary........AMF FROM DELMARVA!!!! (2/28/08) Great job helping the boy, Dave Statter! You did a fine job. I advise you to "cross your T's and dot your I's", however. That first Mont.Co. police officer arriving on the scene was none too pleased to see you in that crawl space. You did good today, man! (2/28/08) Dave's response: Hey, about a month ago, I was walking on one of Reston's pathway and came across an old lady who had fallen, hit her head, and who couldn't get up. I called 911 on my cell phone and got her rescued. But the Washington Post didn't bother to write it up. Oh well.... Don & Mike are definitely gone from WTGM in Salisbury - they carry Fox Sports Radio most (but not all) of the day, and Chris Myers' show has taken their slot. And Myers' is promo'd on the station's website now, www.sportstalk960.com. Guess I'll never get to hear the new ...& Mike Show when it debuts later in the Spring. Bill in Salisbury (2/28/08) That's a pretty looking newsroom---pretty enough to be on TV, or on the web-TV. Will staff have to spruce up their wardrobe and keep personal items out of their work areas? Rita (2/28/08) From today's Washpo Live discussions: "Alexandria, Va.: Hi Marc:----Nice article about Don Geronimo. I have been listening to him since before he teamed up with Mike. I specifically remember an instance where there was a chicken in a cage at the station and you could hear it clucking and crowing in the background. I will miss hearing him on the air. We were coming home from O.C. the same weekend as the accident that killed Freda. I am glad that he was able to get through all the pain and find some joy again.---Marc Fisher: Thanks very much--he runs one of the last of the great radio programs. A huge talent, and sadly, the declining state of the medium means that there are few successors being groomed." A nice tribute and contrast to the vitriol spewed on the BM-eaters "fansite". Caller X (2/28/08) Dave's response: More at washingtonpost.com..... Just wondering if anyone knows if ABC-7 meteorologists Aaron Williams and Mike Stinneford are still there. They used to rotate afternoons on WTOP but now it appears that Chris Naille is doing it full time. (2/28/08) These photos that were taken during an interview by WTOP National Security Correspondent J.J. Green with Defense Intelligence Agency Director General Michael Maples. In the month of February, J.J. was the only reporter (print or broadcast) to score one-on-one interviews with Maples, National Intelligence Director Admiral Mike McConnell, General David Petraeus the top military commander in Iraq and Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff. (2/28/08) MSG for Johnny Dark: I was fortunate enough to be able to hear you on Tom Marr's show this morning; man..ya still got it! Although I was not able to listen as the show went down as I had company, I did enjoy the hour..I only wish you could have been on longer, so we could have possibly heard more great stories! Had I actually been able to listen (in real-time)..and had I had the nerve, I may have called in to get your reflections on your days when you played "country music" on WCAO; you were good there too; the true mark (in my opinion) of someone who is a good DJ; you handled that "country" format almost like you'd been playing '"country music" all along! I'll close by saying that..it is a shame that it is not possible at this time for us hear in the U.S.A. to be able to listen to that great voice! Tom in Denton, MD (2/28/08) Fred Grandy's wife, Catherine Mann Grandy, will be subbing for him tomorrow during the Grandy & Andy Morning Show on what 630 WMAL states on its web page as: "Join us for what we think will be a historic day on The Grandy & Andy Morning Show!" Hmm... it's not the first time that "Mrs. Fred" is part of the show (she filled in a few months ago for over 4 straight days), so one wonders what exactly is in store as far as the "historic day" part. Will tune in. (2/28/08) Hi Dave, I don’t know if you’re being funny in your bit about the Funniest Sports Celeb but Marc is not British. Just a heads up. (2/28/08) Dave's response: Well, we've long suspected that Marc "Nigel" Sterne's "Brit thing" is just an act. His accent does come and go, doesn't it..... I realize that it was just Monday that MASN announced it would be broadcasting some Orioles and Nationals games in HD this year, but on a lark, I e-mailed both DirecTV and Dish Network to ask if they were planning on carrying MASN in HD on their systems...the responses I got were most disappointing. DirecTV wrote, "Thanks for writing about the availability of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network in HD. After careful review, I found that while we don’t have plans to add Mid-Atlantic Sports Network in HD at this time, we’re working to bring you even more HD channels in the near future." and Dish Network wrote, "Thank you for your email. Specific information regarding your request for MASN HD is not currently available. We would like to add that channel, to make viewers like you happy, but we do not know if or when this will happen. We will gladly forward your request to our Programming Department for further consideration." Sounds like neither are quite ready to support MASN in HD at this time. Greg in Reisterstown (2/28/08) Dave's response: As we reported, MASN is not launching a fulltime HD network. It'll only be providing per-event coverage of about 80 Nats/O's games in 2008. Area cable companies like Comcast and Cox can fiddle with their HD lineups and carry the games on a pre-emptable channel like Mojo. My guess it that when MASN launches a fulltime HD network, like maybe in 2009, it'll get carried by the major satellite TV providers, like DirectTV and Dish..... Dave, Yeah I did not hear D&M on 960 The Team either yesterday. I am sure as apart of the close out agreement, 960 only had to run D&M for a certain amount of time on the AM once they switched it off the FM, before they could drop them. The more important thing to Westwood One is making sure they run the amount of barter spots necessary to complete the contract. The show will be up soon anyway as it is now so a few months does not make much of a difference. 960 The Team is billed as All-Sports so it does not make sense to have an FM talk show on their although it does fit their demo. (2/28/08) www.wtopnews.com - He is Sherwood after all ... Channel 4's Tom Sherwood is first and foremost a 'Southern Gentleman.' Considered by many to be the Dean of the District reporters, he's famous for his dry wit and incredible sources. But for his fellow reporters, Sherwood can sometimes be a bit of a pain. He likes to run things like news conferences and crime scenes. At a recent news conference at the Anacostia Metro Station Parking lot, Sherwood was in rare form. Mayor Fenty and Council member Marion Barry were announcing the Poplar Point development deal. It was cold, it was windy, and it was cold. The press had gathered, Fenty arrived, and Barry was even on time. One problem: Sherwood had gone to the wrong location and was late. Sherwood arrived without his cameraman. Without video, the television reporter was doomed. That's when he turned on the Southern charm and asked the mayor's staff to delay a few minutes until his cameraman could get there. They agreed. After a few minutes, the cold was getting to even Fenty. It was time to start. Sherwood intercepted the mayor as he approached the microphones and stalled while his cameraman set up. After a few very cold minutes, "We're ready when you are Mr. Mayor," Sherwood shouted. Just as Fenty was about to begin, some smart-ass reporter barked out, "Why the delay?" Barry stepped up to the microphones and said, "You can't find your way out here Sherwood? You need a map? GPS?" The crowd loved it. Quintessential Barry. But Sherwood's wit stole the moment, "I Just followed you ... and that was quite a route." Even Fenty couldn't keep a straight face. Fenty then began the news conference, "Let the record reflect that the Mayor was here on time and that we were waiting on Tom Sherwood, but that's all right, we appreciate him." Yes we do! (2/28/08) To the Unamed poster reffering to Ed Graham. I hope you meant that in the nicest way. If not, Ed has already proven how smart he really is many times and he signs his posts too. PLB (2/28/08) Re: Dave's "...Interesting experiment..." Very funny. First, I programmed 1050 in the mid-late 80s. Actually made the Book with a 1.4 12+ ARBITRON. Second, No! Third, weak signal AM is dead. Still funny though. Without drastic change, you would have to put 3WT on at least eight DC FMs to make it a top 10 station. Free advice for AM owners with poor (meaning awful) signals: Give your station to a college or charity - - lifetime lease the HD channels from them for future use - - write off the donation. Save money now, make money later. Ed Graham (2/28/08) Here’s a “sneak peak” of the new TOP newsroom showing part of a reporter’s edit cube in the extreme foreground, the Editor’s Desk in the middle of the picture and the “Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center” beyond the glass wall in the background. Still quite a bit of technical work going on, as you can tell if you look closely. (2/28/08) What is wrong with advertisers? Or, is it advertisers impressions of radio listeners that is the problem? I just hear two REALLY annoying ads back-to-back on WJFK. In one, two cheerleaders are talking in high, squeaky voices about how it is a good idea to go to Chantilly Toyota (where's it at? that's not english!). In the very next commercial "Katie and Kelly" were talking about hair appointments and hard times chili...I am getting an ice cream headache. Has anyone thought of making Tivo for radio? (2/28/08) Dave's response: If they look like cheerleaders and have high, squeaky voices, perhaps they should audition for Roger Ailes for anchor gigs on Fox News..... Why doesn't some visionary give Ed Graham a station to program so he can show us how smart he really is? (2/28/08) Dave's response: OK, how about this for Bonneville? Put Federal News Radio on 1500, take 3WT's 107.7 and also put it on 104.1 (which Bonneville still owns) and 103.9, and then let Graham program 1050. Interesting experiment..... Last one out at 1801 Rockville Pike please turn out the lights…..Less is more my arse! (2/28/08) (extract) 15 acres used now as an AM tower site have a much better chance of becoming a park or preserve in the future ... Might AM sites contribute to the greater public good when considered in a larger context? (end) If there was some assurance that AM antenna fields were earmarked to actually become said preserves in the future, I might agree with you. But by logical extension, it makes equal sense for a parcel marked for an unconstructed AM to be deeded as park/preserve land *now*. That piece of Damascus real estate now tagged to be WDMV-WGOP can be signed over to the treehuggers anytime the owner wants it to be. Romance and sentimentality aside, AM is a technology that shows no further potential growth via R&D (other than iBiquity digital), and just as Kodak and Otari have leveled entire factories that have become obsolete, an enormous number of AMs will eventually be plowed under to become shopping centers and housing tracts. I highly doubt a nature preserve is in any owner's best personal or financial interests. (2/28/08) Now that I've found out who really wrote into the Mailbag: Ed; you never fired me in 1975, either! sean hall (2/28/08) Frank Adair: If that's really you who flamed me; get your facts straight. You never fired me...in 1975 or any other year. My note about Bill Hamlin wasn't meant to be self-absorbing...just a setup as to time frame. I apologize if it offended anyone. sean hall (2/28/08) Re: NIMBYs and AM towers. The question of the true NIMBY agenda is a good one. Consider that over the long haul, an AM directional antenna site can preserve open space for future generations. 15 acres used now as an AM tower site have a much better chance of becoming a park or preserve in the future than if the land is allowed to be parceled and developed now for something else. With the right zoning and permitting covenants, an AM site could eventually become a park or school. Might AM sites contribute to the greater public good when considered in a larger context? (2/28/08) Very glad to hear of Grammy Jan's new gig. Glad she wasn't pushed. Weather has turned bone jangling cold today. Will miss her quality reporting. Something missing more and more these days. Pardon the negative thoughts but after last year's Night of the Long Knives over at channel 4 hard not to think the worst of tv news departments in this era. Was driving in the Kamp Washington area of toothless fairfax last night when I was scanning the FM dial and suddenly heard Wilco coming out of my speakers on 105.5. I thought to meself what have we here an underground station popping up? But no it turned out to be WTMD. Is 105.5 another frequency they broadcast on? Later in the evening as I left Kamp Washington I turned radio on 105.5 again to hear Dylan singing the Leather Skin Pillbox Hat song. Being after dark another station was bleeding through and mixed with Dylan was Tom Petty singing All American Girl. Interesting combination! Is Don Geronimo really going to find it that easy to return to radio from his sabbatical in a year or so? He's going to be over 50 and with the landscape of radio skewing( i said skewing) younger and younger will the door still be open to an old shock jock. Of course he could volunteer at the local public radio station and play a box o' records on Saturday nights. And speaking of Florida, with the recent changes in the Dreadskin's coaching regime was Mr. Jurgenson ever heard from on the matter? I miss the intellectual prowess of a William F. Buckley instead of the nitwit carnival barkers of today. You know that potential line up on 3WT without his royal Kornholio sounds pretty good. Baby, have you ever wondered (2/28/08) *** I did a tour at W-Lite from 1990-1992. Morning drive news at B104--then, down the road to W-Lite for afternoon news. made great money. Didn't sleep much. Tom Joyner of news? Okay; never mind. Bill Hamlin was one of the nicest people and one of the funniest guys I'll never know. *** That's right, Sean. It's all about YOU. Man, NOTHING could humble you. Not even your own life-threatening illness a few years back! You're just as self-absorbed as when I fired you in 1975. F. Adair (2/28/08) Dave's response: DCRTV has a strong suspicion that Mr. Adair did not pen the above. It seems to have come from somewhere in south Florida. Hmmm..... Belated thanks to the poster who researched Bob Ryan's academic credentials. I hope they are able to fill seats for the Q&A (it's never too late to consider open bar and/or strippers). He's still a conjuror. Tony Kornheiser's hairstyle is objectionable, and if he's going to be on t.v. he needs to get that taken care of. I watch him occasionally on whatever that sports show is on WRC, and I am amazed that they let him go on looking like that. It's just disconcerting, and doesn't fool anyone (okay, maybe one person). And how 'bout that wacky, nasal, borderline incoherent Tom Arnold on Conan last night? Isn't that something? Caller X (2/28/08) There have been more famous broadcasters than Myron Cope. There have been broadcasters with larger audiences. But in my lifetime, I have not come across any single individual in any city who had more impact and greater hold on his or her audience than Myron Cope. He was the personifcation of Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet there was no one like him. He was a little guy, and his voice sounded something like a higher-pitched Gilbert Gottfried with a heavy Pittsburgh accent. But through that nails-on-chalkboard voice came keen wit, creativity and insight. "The Myron Cope Show" was the sports talk show I cut my teeth on as a kid, weeknights at 7. It was a nightly frolic that amused and informed and featured uniquely "dahn-tahn" Pittsburgh characters. If the callers were really good, they could become "Copa-nuts." There were the catch phrases -- "yoi" or "double yoi" for an extraordinary play. At the suggestion of one talk show caller, Myron immortalized the phrase "The Immaculate Reception," to describe Franco Harris' legendary playoff touchdown against the Raiders in '72. Opponents were "the Cleeve Brahnies", "the Minny Vikes" or best of all "the Cincy Bungles". When Chuck Noll coached the Steelers, Noll had the tendency to act as if no other mortal could possibly know more football than he. Myron punctured that image by coining the dead-on nickname "Emperor Chaz." The Steeler pre-game show was a must-listen, often an entertaining verbal joust between the taciturn Noll and the hyper Myron. During games, Myron could get so worked up that his play-by-play guys -- first, Jack Fleming and later Bill Hillgrove -- had to calm him down so they could get the play call in. Myron achieved local fame because of his broadcasting, but he was also one of our finest magazine writers. Not only did he write for Sports Illustrated, but he also authored the classic Saturday Evening Post piece on how the Kennedy campaign stole West Virginia, allowing JFK to become president. If you get a chance, read his memoir "Double Yoi". He drops a lot of names, tells a lot of great stories, but it's also intimate, personal and even heartbreaking. Myron will probably be best known for creating "The Terrible Towel." The gimmick has earned millions over the years. However, as my colleague Frank Herzog reminds me, Myron never made a dime off it. All the proceeds went to the Allegheny Valley School, the school his severely autistic son attended. In fact, Myron spent many hours raising money for mentally disabled kids. I know this is a long post about a guy who wasn't from Washington, but he influenced my decision to get into radio. Myron was one of those passionate people who made it sound so fun. My boss, Jim Farley, is big on "memorable" radio. For me, there was no one more memorable than Myron Cope. Bye now, Myron. Shawn Anderson, WTOP Radio. (2/28/08) RE: [ " Great ink for WTOP ]..... Unfortunately for Marylanders, unlike Vegas, what happens in Virginia does not stay in Virginia apparently. Once again, no local news story about this "Coming Soon" Baltimore winter fiasco (not to mention poor traffic planning), The Spaghetti Bowl.... (2/28/08) /\ February 28 Messages /\ \/ February 27 Messages \/ Found out today that yet again D&M have gone missing in the Eastern Shore market. Any news on this? Sucks considering that Don has a place down here. (2/27/08) Dave's response: Didn't they get moved from 96 Rock to an AM sports talker? You mean, they got dropped from that? Anybody know more? RE: Who's more racist, Liberals or Conservatives?...... Let's see, a common liberal slap to Bush is that he went into Iraq for the sake of his father's mistake in not finishing the job or because Hussein attempted to assassinate his father. Under that line of liberal thinking, what exactly will Barack Hussein Obama do for his father after the election? Probably nothing, but gee, I love having fun with the liberal thinking of so-called open minded people who call every Republican a "racist". HAha! :-) Oh, and I'll say it once again for the hearing impaired..... the WDMV and WGOP FCC appilcation are ALIVE, ALIVE I SAY! NIMBYS UNITE!!!!!! :-) (2/27/08) "Re: "virtually every one I know who I'd consider at least "a little bit racist" would also identify themselves with the GOP. Coincidence?" No, you just need to get out and meet more than one person. Racism knows no political party boundaries, and some of the ones I've met were/are very avid Democrats." I beg your pardon. Over the course of every week I deal with at least 50 different people, not the same ones every week. One person would be fine, but I'm talking about dozens. Next you'll tell me that you don't hear the inherent racism in many of the calls to Limbaugh, Hannity, Ingraham, or in most of Anne Coulter's diatribes? Pathetic. (2/27/08) Johnny Dark on Tom Marr huh? Okay..plan to be listening! Tom in Denton, MD (2/27/08) Great ink for WTOP - blog.washingtonpost.com/getthere (2/27/08) As mentioned in an earlier post, I will no longer be doing the overnight traffic reports on WTOP. Years of working overnight have taken a toll on me both emotionally and physically. Since my first traffic report on WTOP it's been nearly 8 years. Those I've had the pleasure of working with including Jim Farley, Lisa Wolfe, Bob Marbourg, Dean Lane, Nathan Hager, Barton Eckert, Frank Herzog, Hillary Howard, Dimitri Sotas, Mike Jakaitis, Sharon Rae, and many others who have been nothing less than great to work with. It's no wonder that WTOP is consistently among the top stations in the ratings in the Washington D.C. market. I'll also miss the team at Metro Networks (you know who you are) and the numerous callers to the the traffic hotline. These callers frequently give us the first look at accident activity and this help is invaluable. I hope once again to have the chance to work with all of you after taking some time for myself and my family. Regards, Ralph Segal (2/27/08) (2/27/08) Dave's response: You know, that mole rat is just slightly better looking than Tony. Ha ha ha..... So channel 5 cranked out a story previously done by channel 9. So what? The lazy folks at 9 do the same thing. Every reporter, every station, every assignment editor and every news director does that. 4, 5, 7, 9, the Post, WTOP - they all borrow ideas from others. Quit your bitching. It's a low budget business with everyone trying to do more with less. - Paul (2/27/08) Dave's response: The 9er who gave me the story has asked me to pull it. Apparently, there's more to the story..... (Clip) It's amazing what special interest NIMBYs can do these days against the will of the greater public good. (end clip) WHAT "greater public good"? WDMV is quite possibly the most useless radio station in the Washington-Baltimore area; run by a company that engineers, ex-employees, other broadcast corporations and many businesses would call inept and of questionable scruples. Maybe the Montgomery County NIMBYs had their own agenda as to why they didn't want five towers erected there, but they did the broadcast industry in general a favour by shutting out any construction by WDMV and WGOP. (2/27/08) The original contract signed back in December 2002 was to expire in September 2008 with a clause that D&M could invoke for 2 additional years. They declined. Why everyone believes the rumors of 2010 I will never understand. I do believe Don will be back eventually (which is a positive, not a negative) but I doubt it is before the end of 2009. (2/27/08) Re: "virtually every one I know who I'd consider at least "a little bit racist" would also identify themselves with the GOP. Coincidence?" No, you just need to get out and meet more than one person. Racism knows no political party boundaries, and some of the ones I've met were/are very avid Democrats. (2/27/08) What's this about Comcast paying people to be at an FCC hearing? www.portfolio.com (2/27/08) To the "Hussein" poster: It's not like Bill Cunningham used a 4-letter word to refer Obama's middle name. Also, has Barack actually come out and defended his middle name and/or how proud he is to wear Somali garb or is he just hoping that this all just goes away quickly? (P.S. I know a thing or two about messed-up names -- my first name means 'sea nymph' and middle name means 'jungle queen' in Spanish. Try living with being called a 'jungle nymphomaniac' all your life!) -Silvie- (my nickname) (2/27/08) Thanks for mentioning Myron Cope's passing. He was a one-of-a-kind talent who identified with the little guy and stood up to the corporate bullies as evidenced by this clip from The Washington Post: Redskins Offended by Remark, By Liz Clarke, Washington Post Staff Writer, December 19, 2000... The Washington Redskins, fined $20,000 earlier in the NFL season for their poor manners as a game-day host, took offense at Pittsburgh radio broadcaster Myron Cope's reference to the team as the Washington "Redfaces" during Saturday's broadcast of their 24-3 loss. Redskins President Steve Baldacci was informed of Cope's reference during the game and sent a team representative to the radio booth, where Cope's producer, Greg Weston, was asked to have Cope stop calling the team "Redfaces." Cope, a 31-year radio veteran, routinely coins nicknames for visiting teams, such as the Cincinnati "Bungles." Baldacci's request prompted the following response from Cope: "If that boy billionaire [Redskins owner Daniel M. Snyder] thinks he can shut me up, he should stick his head in a can of paint." According to Redskins spokesman Karl Swanson, Snyder wasn't aware of the radio broadcast, or Baldacci's action, until well after the game. Snyder said Redskins officials weren't aware that Cope routinely used nicknames. According to Swanson, Baldacci objected to the reference for two reasons: Taste and trademark rights. "Clearly, it was at a point in the game when things were not going well," Swanson said. "We also have a sensitivity to our trademarks and our appropriate name. Our initial reaction was, 'Gee, is that sportsmanlike to make fun of us because we're losing?' " The Redskins were fined $20,000 during their game against Tampa Bay at FedEx Field for using their scoreboard as a cheerleading device, signaling fans to make noise on third-down plays. Also, the team was reprimanded during a 10-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 15 when the announcer at FedEx Field broadcast over the public-address system, "Ravens fans suck!" Said Swanson: "We've been sensitized this year to game operations, and club-controlled [radio] announcers fall under those guidelines." Cope could not be reached to comment. "A Can of Paint Indeed!... Long Live the Terrible Towel & Long Live the Master of the Double Yoi!!! Keep up the great work Dave! (2/27/08) Both FCC apps for WDMV and WGOP are still open, NOT CLOSED by the FCC (unless your source is within the FCC itself and your info is prior to it becoming public info). I just checked. However, most likely, Montgomery County has closed the book on the required zoning changes. It's amazing what special interest NIMBYs can do these days against the will of the greater public good. :-( (2/27/08) "The difference between Washington sports media and those in other towns is this: If the Rangers, Devils or Islanders had made as many big trades as the Capitals did on deadline day, Mike and the Mad Dog would be all over it. Here, all Czaban and Pollin talked about was the Redskins releasing Brandon Lloyd. Big deal." I agree about Czaban and Pollin's chilly indifference toward anything regarding the Caps on WTEM's Sports Reporters, but their attitude is becoming less and less typical of the DC sports media in general. Just about every other local TV and radio talk show that deals with sports to any degree has been paying more attention to the team over recent weeks - Washington Post Live on CSN, Doc Walker and John Thompson on 980, the Junkies and Big O & Dukes on WJFK-FM, Tony Kornheiser on 3WT, Elliott in the Morning on DC101, etc. The John Riggins show (on Redskins Radio) did a remote broadcast from Verizon Center before a game last week. So Pollin and Czaban may soon be alone on an island in their refusal to treat the Capitals as a legitimate sports topic equally worthy of discussion as the Wizards, Terps hoops or Tiger Woods winning another golf tournament. If the dramatic turnaround since changing coaches, crowds exceeding 17,000 at recent home games and (for the first time in years) genuine buzz about the team and its superstar Alex Ovechkin aren't enough to convince them that they're dead wrong about hockey talk being a turnoff to listeners, then I'm not sure what will. Making matters worse is Pollin's penchant for going out of his way to demean the sport and its fans every now and then. A typical example occurred a few weeks ago when he was discussing the Fabulous Sports Babe (a former host on ESPN Radio) - "she was doing just fine until she suddenly started talking a lot of hockey - as if anyone wanted to hear about that". When the Caps first drafted Ovechkin several years ago, I think Pollin's reaction was "that'll be of great interest to the twelve or so people in the DC area who care about hockey." Mike, Fairfax (2/27/08) William F. Buckley's passing deserves more than just a newsblurb. While his views won't sync with most on this board, WFB was a unique American original. He almost single-handedly (with the decades-long assistance of his eminence grise, William Rusher) resurrected a progressive, appealingly intellectual American Conservatism during the dark years of the 1950's and led the long march towards the Reagan revolution. He took a moribund, dour Taft-like political ideology full of mid-Western lackluster and made it both human and humorous. He challenged the dogmatics of both Left and Right, infuriating both and making successive generations think for themselves. I started reading National Review in the 1960's as a High School kid, and would watch Firing Line for over 20 years. He made me think, and he helped me develop my own (admittedly twisted) political philosophy. His was an important and necessary presence during the mid-to-late 20th century. I especially liked the way he routinely skewered the sacred cows of all persuasions; I particularly and fondly remember the wounded screams of the Ayn Rand partisans when he logically and calmly deconstructed the intellectual conceits of Objectivism. The nervous Summer before my Bar-Mitzvah, much of my entertainment revolved around his roasting alive of Gore Vidal at the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions, some of the greatest political theatre ever. Not generally as well remembered was his lifelong fight against anti-semitism in American political life; long before Jesse Jackson's "Hymietown" comments and Louis Farrakhan's jew-hating screeds on the Left, Bill Buckley led the purging of anti-semitic and isolationist partisans from their formerly secure perches on the Right. His 50,000 word essay "On Anti-Semitism" (which composed an entire issue of National Review) stands as a genuine watershed moment in reconciliation between Jew and Christian, and is a monument to thoughtful political/ethical analysis (something of which we are always in short supply). In many ways, Buckley was the first and the best; those that followed (Limbaugh and the rest) were just pale imitators, no matter how successful they might prove. Genghis Cohen, who will spend this weekend saying Kaddish for an old friend, in windy and cold Prince William County…. (2/27/08) Once again, a Baltimore Sun writer, this time Tricia Bishop, is confused when dealing with stories of historical or political context........ www.baltimoresun.com... No mention of the huge FPL blackout of 1 million+ people yesterday in Florida or who's clearly responsible for the whole energy crisis in Maryland (a Democrat governor and Democrat legislators who made the deregulation deals with CEG/BGE). Yet, just awhile back, all The Sun did when Baltimore Mayor O'Malley leveled pro-business charges & the whole BGE mess against a popular governor was to look the other way and endorse a lie and the liar himself! Geez, no wonder The Sun keeps losing subscriptions and the current Gov. has a 38% approval rating. Will they ever learn on Calvert Street? What a disaster of a newspaper. No wonder the NY Daily News & The Examiner are all setting up shop in Baltimore. With all the bad journalism and increased competition, I wouldn't be surprised if Tribune just closes down the struggling newspaper. (2/27/08) I did a tour at W-Lite from 1990-1992. Morning drive news at B104--then, down the road to W-Lite for afternoon news. made great money. Didn't sleep much. Tom Joyner of news? Okay; never mind. Bill Hamlin was one of the nicest people and one of the funniest guys I'll never know. And he was a terrific shop steward. Drove Don Davis nuts. More sad news in a business where too many of us are leaving much too soon. sean hall (2/27/08) Some more WGOP AM540 notes.... The original Construction permit has expired & permit cancelled, but Birach refiled nearly the same plan at the end of 2007 and that application is still open and could be approved by the FCC unless you know something the FCC isn't disclosing to the public. My guess is the technophobe NIMBYs are prematurely celebrating because they don't understand any of this. :-) (2/27/08) Tony said on the air that he would return to MNF if they ask him to do so. (2/27/08) Comcast just gave us the 30-day notice in a newspaper ad -- Winchester,, Front Royal and Luray will have MASN on Friday, March 28, just in time for baseball season. It will be on channel 25, stuck in between local access and WETA, so not exactly easy to find. Overflow goes to C-SPAN 2 (just like the closer-in system, and home now to CSN+) on channel 33, right next to ESPN. Bad baseball is better than no baseball at all. Go Phils! Charles in Winchester. (2/27/08) Wow...William F. Buckley Jr. and Myron Cope, both dead. One can only imagine the conversation in heaven if those guys are standing next to each other in line (although both were pretty good writers, too). -- Vincent in Triangle (2/27/08) Dear Dave, I've met Carson in person and I can tell you that photo of him in the ad on your front page is just so wrong. C'mon Carson! You're a good looking guy. Surely you have something better to show off that handsome face. Regards, Jill (2/27/08) How many of us had any control over what our parents named us? I went to college with a guy named Adolph, and he wasn't bent on world domination and exterminating any other race. Yet, the conservative wackos out there want us to believe that "Hussein" as a middle name pushes Obama toward destroying America. Stupidity truly knows no bounds. And, while I'm at it, virtually every one I know who I'd consider at least "a little bit racist" would also identify themselves with the GOP. Coincidence? (2/27/08) Dave's response: Rush H. Limbaugh has always said his middle name is Hudson. But I've heard that it's really Rush Hitler Limbaugh. Not that his middle name would have any bearing on his being, right. Oh, nevermind..... Dave, if Korny's unhappy at 3WT, how about going to JFK for the "Korny and Mike" show? Just a thought. Howie (2/27/08) Dave's response: It would have to be a morning show, since Kornheiser's got "PTI" afternoon duties. More likely - "Korny And The Junks." Nah..... Why would the award winning JO and JF sign TK to a high paying contract and not know when he would work? Why would anyone think that the Don & Mike show would continue without changes after Don leaves? Mike is in a great spot - - a syndicated show that he can create from scratch. When will Citadel simulcast WMAL on WJZW and then make WRQX a really great AC station? When will someone in DC put a truly innovative format on one of the many copy-cat FMs? Ed Graham (2/27/08) Dave's response: And when will CBS finally capitalize on the WHFS heritage and make 94.7 a cool progressive rock station for adults, and not a "Mix-wannabe." The Globe should never ever play Jesus Jones or the Counting Crows. Never ever ever. By the way, I am increasingly thinking that the Don Geronimo "retirement" is a scam. He wants to take the summer off to marry his new girlfriend and relax. Fine. But he'll be back in the fall or early 2009 with a heavily-hyped radio "resurrection." I am starting to really believe that. Geronimo's CBS contract runs until 2010, don't it? Hmmm..... Veteran Pittsburgh sportscaster and sportswriter Myron Cope has died. I'm sure many of you have heard him on the air. He had a very strong Pittsburgh accent that was certainly bothersome to some non-residents I'm sure. Read more at news.yahoo.com. Regards Biff (2/27/08) I never got a satisfactory explanation of why Korny has to leave his radio gig a month prior to the earliest game he'd have to cover. Mike Tirico does a daily show for ESPN radio even during the football season. Howie (2/27/08) Dave's response: Korny could keep doing his radio show going during "MNF" season. But he's said he's afraid to fly, which means he'll has a bus "travel day" (or more) on either side of his "MNF" game day, plus needed time to prep for the ESPN broadcast. Also, add to that his Washington Post and daily "PTI" duties, I guess it would just be too much for him..... www.techspot.com: The FCC, prompted by complaints about Comcast possibly blocking access to file-sharing in order to better manage its network load, held a hearing on Monday to determine if the practice is “reasonable”. But just how big are the stakes in this so-called network neutrality debate? Apparently, big enough for the cable operator to actually pay people off the street to attend early and effectively keep some of its opponents out of the room. A Comcast representative acknowledged that they indeed paid some individuals to attend, though she denied that the company was attempting to keep out the public, stating that they were only waiting in line for Comcast employees who had been encouraged to attend. Some of those placeholders, however, did more than wait in line: they filled many of the seats at the meeting and actually slept through the proceedings. Clearly, Comcast will resort to just about any tactic to stack the decks in its favor. (2/27/08) Comcast dirty tricks www.wtop.com (2/27/08) You know that there's now a bit of a backlash against Kornheiser, and, just simply, many people are just sick of him and his pathetic whining and moaning about everything? His radio show is terrible--not much depth, a lot of complaining and whining, a weird disconnect from the zeitgeist, lame guests, and it's only two hours. With commercials, maybe an hour and a half, or something? That's entertainment? No, no, no it's not. Who cares anymore? Talk to football fans, and you'll realize that for most people the real prime time game is now Sunday Night Football with the real hosts of real football broadcasts, Al Michaels and John Madden, on NBC. That dumb Monday Night move to ESPN? It's terrible. Most people that you'll talk to can't stand Kornheiser on that broadcast and wish he'd just leave. Again--whiny, complaining, not funny, not terribly insightful, and just a horrible, non-football presence. He's just terrible. And what's this crap that he's doing for the Post? A few paragraphs a couple of days a week? What is that? Journalism? Research? Investigative work? No, just a few graphs a couple of times a week. It's so lame, no one reads it anymore. It's clear that he stretched himself too thin, and, as a result, none of the projects has any depth or insight to them. Thus, people are just tired of him. And he has no one to blame but himself. Monday Night Football needs to return to ABC, Kornheiser needs to get off the broadcast and off of the radio, and he needs to get back to writing real columns that involved research, interviews, journalism, documentation, investigations, research, statistics, documents, communication with people--you know, real journalism. (2/27/08) Regarding your latest on Korny moving out of his plush seat at 3WT, give him a call at the WPost and ask him point blank ... he said yesterday (while taking shots at you on the air) that he always either answers his calls or at least returns them, even to people he hates. Ask him to confirm or deny what you're reporting. I don't expect him to give you a straight answer, but would be fun to hear what he has to say to you regardless. And 6 months from now you can tell us if you were right or wrong about your take on the matter. (2/27/08) Dave's response: I do not want to play into a "promotional sideshow" for Korny, unless, of course, Bonneville cuts me a big fat check to do so. He's already refused to comment on the issue. Moot point. Plus, have you ever seen a mole rat use a telephone? I thought not..... The difference between Washington sports media and those in other towns is this: If the Rangers, Devils or Islanders had made as many big trades as the Capitals did on deadline day, Mike and the Mad Dog would be all over it. Here, all Czaban and Pollin talked about was the Redskins releasing Brandon Lloyd. Big deal.To Bonneville: If 3WT doesn't work, please convert it into an all-sports station, one with no sacred cows and no former jocks or coaches as hosts. Blow WTEM and Redskins Radio out of the water. -- Vincent in Triangle (2/27/08) "No matter what people think about Don and Mike, they have never gotten their due in this town." Just what is it that this "town" owes the two of them?? (2/27/08) Dave's response: Maybe a road named after them. How about renaming Georgetown Pike, Route 193 in Virginia, as Don And Mike Pike. Has a nice ring to it, doncha think..... Hello, everyone - First of all, would you PLEASE make a reservation to join us tomorrow for The Q&A with NBC 4 weatherman Bob Ryan. Seriously, it may not be politics (but, hey, enough politics) but it will be good. Really good. Tell me the last time weather didn't have an impact on your day? It's so simple. Punch 338.2000 into your phone, ask to speak to Jon Moss, and say, "I'll be there tomorrow." Then bring a friend. Thirty-five dollars gets you a good lunch, beverages, covers tax and tip, and the interview. And the company of friends, plus a respite from the busy day. Free sex, too. Now, here's the news: Washington Nationals owner Stan Kasten will appear on Wed., March 19, just before opening day. Also, Clinton campaign strategist Mark Penn will appear May 22. Add that to a line-up that includes Philippe Cousteau, Michael Jacobson, Leonard Downie, Scott Simon, Larry King, Dick Moe, Michael Isikoff and David Corn and, well, we've got some good shows in the pipeline. IMPORTANT: If you know a business that would like to sponsor The Q&A Cafe on TV, please head them our way. We need sponsorship to keep going. We are the little engine that could, but even a little engine needs some coal. For now, though, please join us tomorrow. Thanks, Carol (2/27/08) Radio beat the Internet in ad revenues last year...... (2/27/08) "Nothing more magnificent than watching 9's noon news in HD and seeing all the colors flitter through JC's wig" -- Now you've done it, Dave. You started the Stones' "She's a Rainbow" playing on repeat in my cerebral jukebox. "She combs in colors everywhere, combing colors in the air…." KOF (2/27/08) No matter what people think about Don and Mike, they have never gotten their due in this town. Their ratings and longevity are unsurpassed. More power to Don if he decides to hang it up and enjoy himself. With many people passing, life is too short. Overnight traffic reporter Ralph Segal is no longer with Metro Networks. I'm not sure why, but he was always a pro when I called the Wtop traffic hotline and we had some chats about the local music scene. If he needs one, someone should hire him. Ken/Bethesda (2/27/08) As I sit by the pool in lovely Orlando, watching Grammy Jan Fox chase my toddler around.. I realize what a great thing her retirement is! She took a great offer to work for Billy Casper golf.. more than 100 courses for her to frolic on.. too good for an old broad to pass up. She’s more than grateful for all of the opportunities channel 9 brought her.. I’ve seen her roots.. trust me. Now get back to work Grammy Jan.. get the kid out of the deep end! Kristin Nash (2/27/08) Check it out! Radio fans should expect a rare treat this Thursday when the invincible Johnny Dark appears on The Tom Marr Show to reflect on Johnny's 50 plus years from wax to bird, 9A-N, 680AM & WCBM.com, Balmer hon. Don't be surprised if Tom reveals that he would much rather be spinning the music of "The Greatest Generation" than bashing the current one. Rock (2/27/08) Half listening to Mr. O'Meara say something about his new contract on yesterday's edition. Did he say agreement in principal but not a signed deal? Wonder how long that there contract is for, boy? Last week he said had some preliminary discussions on his plans for the post May 30 show. And then yesterday he said something about the show will have a different template, whatever that means. Hasn't it been over a year since Donnie baby said he was going away and Mr. Mike hasn't formulated what the plans are except the sound of constant panic in his voice. I think. Mr. Mike is going to need a real producer if the show succeeds. On the other hand, enjoyed the Larry Frogman King bit earlier in the show. paint your bald spot! Speaking of painting one's bald spot has Kornholio ever considered a toupee? What's Howard Cosell's old toupee doing these days? Would Jan Fox have considered retirement as much if she'd not been moved to mornings? Heard a commercial on the Mixolicious 107.3 recently with J.C. Hayward as a guest on the Harvey Joe Fisher morning show( have i mentioned I sure miss his brother Ira Joe Fisher former weathermun on CBS weekend morning show, hey look at me, I'm playing the Don and Mike name/word association game, a bit as tired as Chris Berman and the nicknames) Anyways, back to J.C., she was asked about her most embarrassing moment on air and she said something about her wig slipping off. Is there video of that event? And Ms. Hayward seems to be wearing wigs with far more color in them these days. Has she been watching Mrs. Slocum on "R U being served?" Was in lovely Falls Church yesterday and stopped in shopping center were WFAX studios are located. Do any other stations use their tower? (2/27/08) Dave's response: Nothing more magnificent than watching 9's noon news in HD and seeing all the colors flitter through JC's wig. That's what 1080i was made for..... /\ February 27 Messages /\ \/ February 26 Messages \/ Doesn't everyone just laugh themselves silly when technophobes (i.e. radio/TV personalities like Tony Kornheiser & Don & Mike or other tech-stupid media/news people) start a phony war with a blog site, all the while thinking it will drive themselves instead to higher ratings? HAha! When's the last time you saw a geek abandon his computer to run and listen to a radio or watch TV news? That is soooooooo 80's! :-) The only thing that does is give a free Google PR campaign to the blog and drive website hits and online advertising to new highs. I bet even Dave Hughes can attest to that. What will Tony K get out of this? Absolutely nothing other than looking like a fool once again! LOL Hey, anyone know if Tony Kornheiser got an interview with Ravens' ex-coach Brian Billick? Apparently everyone under "The Sun" did EXCEPT The Baltimore Sun (according to today's Baltimore Sun) :-) Oh, that's right, Tony K knows nothing about any NFL team other than the Redskins and even that's questionable! (2/26/08) Dave's response: When Don Geronimo used to rage about DCRTV on his show, I typically saw a 10-to-20 percent jump in our daily traffic. So far, I haven't seen the slightest spike from Tony Kornheiser's rant this morning. Zip, zero, nada. A very typical Tuesday, so far..... Here's a link to a CD-quality version of "The Jam Song" ... www.jingles.com (MP3)... And, the story behind it ... www.jingles.com... (2/26/08) Here’s a song with a message from 1985: If you’re listening to the radio, you’re hearing our jingles. Texas-based Jam Productions owned the imaging market in the 1980s, cheerily telling listeners that they were hearing everything from Kiss Radio to Casey’s Coast to Coast. Someone at Jam came up with a brilliant idea that this single flawlessly executes. Take a bunch of Jam’s radio imaging jingles, string them all together, and make a song out of them. Ship it off to program directors and not only will they hear how great our jingles sound, but they’ll realize that they need to hire Jam Productions to keep up with the local disco station that’s grabbing share in the coveted 18 to 25 demographic (aka the local Kiss franchise). If you were listening to radio in the ‘80s, you’re sure to hear a familiar radio theme in here somewhere. Even the BBC and VH1 were using Jam. (2/26/08) Dave's response: For copyright and bandwidth reasons, I'm not putting the audio clip on DCRTV's servers. I would link to it elsewhere if it was available..... “Dave's response: From what I hear, Jan's last day on-air at 9 was last Friday…it makes you wonder if 9 wants us all to believe that she's retiring when she's really being told to take a long walk on a short pier....” Trust those who know, Jan has been considering this for a while, she wants to enjoy her life, also the vacation was coincidentally this week, there ain’t no hidden story, no blood to smell here! On your way! (2/26/08) Regarding the Washington Times, you wrote, “pens new top editor John Solomon in a memo to staff at the conservative rag.” Just curious, Dave, how many times do you refer to the Washington Post as “the liberal rag”? What’s good for goose… (2/26/08) Here's a challenge to Don Geronimo....take the D&M show on the road between now and the retirement date and broadcast an entire show from each of the affiliate cities. Now THAT would be a way to go out in style and would definitely provide some "must listen" radio. GE (2/26/08) Kornheiser always torches people who comment on things beyond their area of expertise. What Tony doesn’t realize is that most of the big blogs are filled with qualified experts. DCRTV is a good example. On any given day the mailbag is filled with comments from GM’s, PD’s and News Directors of successful TV and Radio stations in the area. Most of the criticism on this site comes from professional media types. TK likes the microphone, the camera, and most of all the money. He needs to acquire some thick skin or he will get eaten alive. (2/26/08) So, if you're going to call Mr. Tony's ratings "anemic", wouldn't it be more credible if you wait until the Arbitron ratings come out for the time he's been on? Arbitron's ratings are from Q4 in 07, when your boy Burd was keeping the seat warm. John Farris (2/26/08) Dave's response: Burd is not "my boy." He probably hates me more than Korny does..... Mad Money's Jim Cramer had quite a rant last night on the Sirius/XM merger. He called out members of Congress by name that receive money from the NAB lobbying group that coincidently are trying to delay or kill the merger. www.cnbc.com (2/26/08) Be careful, Dave. TK might come over and do the Penguin Dance nude. Paul (2/26/08) "Dave's response: Just my impression, but 107.3 is sounding about as bland and tepid as ever, musicwise. Almost about ready to take it off my car radio presets....." Here is the problem with 107.3. If you hear a song at 8 AM, you are guaranteed to hear it again 4 to 5 hours later. Also, there is too much repetition between artists, you can hear Nickelback several times a day if you listen long enough. For a station that claims to be MIX, they don't play enough 80's music. If you ask me, the song sets should be 80's and early 90's for several songs, commerical, and then one recent song, then some 80's and 90's again, and keep repeating. There is so much music out there that there is no reason to play the same song several times a day. Also, is it just me, or is their stream cutting in and out lately? I gave up on their stream, it wasn't working yesterday and it isn't working today either. John Martin needs to go back to weekends, he has no personality whatsoever. I would love to know why KT Harris got pushed, I hope it was by her choice and not managements. Mike in Waldorf (2/26/08) Dave's response: I really do think that 94.7 and 107.3 are battling each other for the "Most Bland/Most Tepid Rockish Radio Station" honor in the DC market. At the moment, 107.3's in the lead, but 94.7 (Jesus Jones? Argh!) ain't far behind..... Regarding the musicFirst lobby vs. NAB and musicFirst's desire for performance fees, the more I think about it, the more complicated the whole scenario sounds. I'd have better luck solving the Rubic's Cube than to figure this one out. Everyone knows the history and the status quo with over-the-air AM and FM stations. It was simple. A station plays a record. The record is popular. People buy the record. Thank you very much. I guess what I'm thinking now is this cooperative deal between artists and their record companies and FM/AM stations is no longer benefitting the artists/record companies, therefore, they are demanding compensation...because listeners are not buying CDs. If I believed that musicFirst's intentions were honorable, I'd say they have a point. The problem is that I don't believe their intentions are honorable. The scenarios that I was "seeing" before I wrote this were getting uglier by the minute. This doesn't look like free enterprise. And it throws the old long-standing system out the window. Which means the cooperative "hand shake" deal is null and void. This will limit the freeness of the whole enterprise. It's almost as if the music industry wants to have it's own version of the IRS. If anything good comes out of all this debate, it would be a surprise. It would be hard, if not impossible, to set the greed aside (on both sides) and use some common sense. Mike from good 'ol Alexandria (2/26/08) Dave, Readers of DCRTV, particularly New York radio fans will find this interview a good read. www.insideradio.com... It's about one of the un-sung heroes of talk radio, Denise McIntee. She was a force behind the scenes when Rush, Sean and other famous talk show hosts were worried about whether they would be successful in the Big Apple, let alone, nationally. Rita (2/26/08) I'm not aTK fan either, I can take him or leave him but it's obvious he was talking about DCRTV Dave. The one thing I will miss about Brian Billick is that TK will talk about him less. I always laugh out loud everytime TK mentions Brian because TK always has to add that Brian thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. Well, lol, if the room is filled with TK types then Brian obviously is the smartest in the room and by a long shot too. TK apparently still can't get over Brian CORRECTLY admonishing the typical lazy sportswriters at the SB. Billick hit a grand slam that day and the sound of it will forever ring in TK's ears, sweet! Couldn't happen to a more deserving, immature, arogant a******! Obviously I'm a Wilbon fan. While I'm at it, hey Tony Reali...quit biting your freaking lip already, it's nausiating! (2/26/08) Dave's response: Hey, I feuded with "Radio God" Don Geronimo and survived. I think I can handle Tony..... Three things-- Re: "Comcast owns the Asian programming channel and is discontinuing it nationwide due to low ratings." Isn't the point of having a gazillion channels supposed to be the ability to serve "niche" markets? Isn't a niche market by definition going to be small? Why is it that every channel has to get Discovery Channel ratings or else be considered expendable? I'll tell ya, it's the weird little channels in the 9400 range that make me glad I signed up with Dish Network. ~~~ Yes, WMAL played an old Paul Harvey show yesterday... AGAIN. They do it a lot. How hard is it to record a network feed of a NEWS show and play it a just few minutes later? Even lowly WVIE can get it right. ~~~ Comcast's internet slowdowns show that they can look to the future, and they see what's coming: the end of cable TV thanks to IPTV. Comcast wants to say you can't use that much internet--because IPTV will completely blow away the crap that is cable TV. Other cable/internet companies are trying to charge by the byte for the same reason. I'm so glad the FCC is leaning in the right direction on this matter. ~~CA in BC (2/26/08) Dave's response: In many markets, Comcast does offer ethnic tiers tailored to the make-up of the local community. For example, it offers Russian channels in the Baltimore area and several Indian/East Asian channels here in Reston to cater to the somewhat sizeable Sikh community. Plus a Spanish language tier, of course. But, you have to pay extra for access to the ethnic services. And, don't forget that here in the DC area, we do have access to MHz/56's mix of foreign programming, including Russian, French, and Japanese networks, many of which are carried by Comcast..... Dave, Yesterday for the first time since he was fired Brian Billick was back in Baltimore talking about coaching the Ravens. First it was ESPN 1300AM live for three hours on The Mark Viviano Show, then for almost two hours in primetime on the Steve Davis Show on WBAL Radio and finally it was Billick and his wife Kim with a sit down interview with Mark Viviano this time on WJZ - TV at 11pm. Billick talked about his future that he will very likely as I reported months ago will become a broadcaster and it will allow him to talk football and also stay near the game. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/26/08) In reference to Citadel, From what I am told they have lost two engineers in the past year as well. This may be normal at places like Clear Channel, CBS, and Radio One, but to lose an engineer there is pretty ground shaking. Two--catastrophic. Sales people come and go, but engineers are fixtures at most radio stations. What does that tell you? (2/26/08) Dave's response: Just my impression, but 107.3 is sounding about as bland and tepid as ever, musicwise. Almost about ready to take it off my car radio presets..... Dave: You are right on the money when it comes to the old line of critics that used to have the only platform to spew there daily venom. The power of the “pen” or “microphone” was reserved for very few individuals. Today, the power of the “web” allows everyone to participate, and fight back against the gasbags like Kornheiser. Power to the Web people, Power to the Web People! (2/26/08) We hear that Comcast Prince William is dropping AZN from its' digital line-up. Pity; my wife and I love those damned Pacific Rim 450 episode serialized historical dramas from the PRC, Japan and Korea…Genghis Cohen, wondering what the hell we're gonna do now with our dreary Saturday afternoons…. (2/26/08) Dave's response: Comcast owns the Asian programming channel and is discontinuing it nationwide due to low ratings..... Re: the "fat naked mold rat" and Tony K's rant on bloggers, he apparently wrote something about wanting garbage dumpsters to crash through mothers' houses all the way to the basements to fall on bloggers ... but he clarified this morning that he's not against all bloggers, but one in particular who writes about radio and tv and the media. Said he's always accessible, always returns phone calls, answers his own phone (but not emails) and never once has the person with inside sources called him to verify. I think you rank up there with Paul Farhi now! Personally I've never been a big TK fan (and like it when he's on MNF so I can listen to David Burd instead) but his stock fell even more when he said that Lisa DeM at the (Com)Post was the best in the business ... if being a few days late with breaking news makes her the best then ... (2/26/08) Let me see if I understand, that guy over there can be gay, but he participates in the homosexual lifestyle. Is that how the Times is reporting now? I am straight, but I participate in the vaginal lifestyle. Thanks, Times, for another journalistic milestone. (2/26/08) Dave's response: Don't lesbians participate in a "vaginal lifestyle"? Oh nevermind..... Dave -- was that you Tony K. referred to as a "fat naked mole rat" on his show today? He doens't care for the "blogger" who has bad sources and always seems to know what Tony's next gig is gonna be. (2/26/08) Dave's response: I was checking the 'net yesterday, and there are a whole bunch of "bloggers" slamming Tony for one thing or another. So, I can't say for sure if Tony was talking about me. Look, Tony's an opinionated public figure. If he doesn't want "the public" to be able return "the favor," we can only assume he's a fascist at heart. I still find it rather odd that many loudmouth radio/print guys believe that only they should have that platform. And, maybe in the pre-internet days they did. But with the internet and blogs, the tables have been turned. These insecure radio guys are now finding that their critics have a public forum, too. And why shouldn't they - dammit..... Yes, it's only 40 games in HD, but that's 40 more games than last year...just be patient people! If MASN is still only televising 40 games in 2010, then we can start bitching. Comcast SportsNet only broadcasted Orioles home games in HD (that's 81 games). Last year they had absolutely NO HD games and even blacked out the HD feeds when they were available on ESPN, FOX, or ESPN2, so let's be glad for the startup. Something is better than nothing...which is what we had last year. Greg in Reisterstown (2/26/08) Are we supposed to jump for joy because MASN is televising 40 Orioles games in HD? The last time I checked, there were 162 games on the schedule. Of course, this is the so called sports network that fills its air time with radio shows because they don't have enough live events to fill out the schedule. What a joke. And speaking of jokes, when is Anita Marks going to ask her first tough question of a guest? Yesterday, she did another creampuff interview with the MASN spokesman praising the network for HD. She never asked why there would only be 40 HD games for each team and if the providers will dedicate channels for HD. Larry (2/26/08) Re: Bob Ryan...though the website may not list his degrees, he has both a B.S. in physics and an M.S. in atmospheric science. Details can be found here www.albany.edu and here www.albany.edu. (2/26/08) Funny Ann Coulter video off-air where she says, regarding nicorette, "...if you can chop it up so I can snort it..." www.mydamnchannel.com... Also in this video mashup, see Bill O'Reilly's (Fox News) off-air temper and vanity issues. And of course more Katie Couric footage messing with her scarf...does it look good yet? Plus an unhappy Chris Matthews (NBC) behind the scenes. (2/26/08) "DC Times Goes Gay - It didn't used to be, but now it's now OK to use the word "gay" in editorial copy at the Washington Times. "Gay is approved for copy and preferred over homosexual, except in clinical references or references to sexual activity," pens new top editor John Solomon in a memo to staff at the conservative rag." -- Flintstones! Meet the Flintstones! I love the Times, but it sounds like their editors could use some guidance from Diamond David Lee Roth: "Don't sweat the petty stuff, and always pet the sweaty stuff." Caller X (2/26/08) Jan Fox' s retirement came on sudden like did it not? I certainly considered her one of the better reporters in town. When channel 9 moved her to mornings I thought it was a shame. It couldn't have been because she let her hair go grey and that ain't allowed in today's news show business. Listened to the Regis bit on the Don and Mike show Mondee. I thought they couldn't make fun of Regis any more cause the suits at CBS told them to stop after the Reege complained? And say who will be the set up person for O'Meara and his bag of imitations when Donnie G. ain't around no more? I vote for buzzzz! robbay laughs way to much at sh8t that ain't the least bit funny. So well then fine (2/26/08) /\ February 26 Messages /\ \/ February 25 Messages \/ Geez, I hate to gloat, but now that an FCC commissioner has taken a side AGAINST COMCAST with regard to their SLOWKYS internet speed blocking initiative (I could post dozens of tech/news sites that are blasting Comcast right now as well), it really looks bad for Comcast in that class action lawsuit against them. And that Comcast sympathizer that posts here all the time is going to get another really REALLY BAD HEADACHE!!!!!!! HAha! Can't wait now for them to say no to fulltime MASN HD when it becomes available and when VERIZON FIOS-TV becomes available... Can you say baBYE!? :-) Joe in Essex PS: When will a local Washington or Baltimore TV station work this story? When it's over? (2/25/08) I was listening to WMAL this morning (Monday) at 11:45 and Paul Harvey’s newscast came on as usual. What was unusual is that it apparently was SATURDAY’S broadcast. They seemed to run the whole thing. I don’t hear many technical screw-ups on WMAL unlike on the Clear Channel stations and particularly WTNT. (2/25/08) "7 To Carry Classic TV Net On Digital Subchannel" - Not great, this means more bandwidth sucked away from WJLA-DT to carry a third subchannel. Allbritton is taking lessons from WETA and MPTV. Yet another way to find unique revenue for Joe and family. UFB. (2/25/08) Re: Rush - Sean Hannity says the same thing. Sean is not a Republican; he is a "Reagan Convervative." Oh, please! (2/25/08) Today's Baltimore Sun paper features an excellent article on Westminster's radio station WTTR. I had the privledge of being a small part of their great staff during the early 90's. When there was no other work available, station manager/pd Dwight Dingle hired me and that job and check help support my wife and two kids. The entire staff is first class and all real pros with a super family atmosphere. I wish them continued success and you'll never find a better broadcasting group. They don't come any better...Thanks Dwight D. Thanks, Jack Edwards www.baltimoresun.com (2/25/08) Hey Dave, according to the MASN article about HD, toward the bottom of the article there is a paragraph that reads: "MASN’s cable and satellite partners will carry MASN’s HD telecasts in their HD programming tier. Complete channel listings for all of MASN’s affiliates will be available on MASN’s website before opening day." This seems to suggest that all of the carriers that currently carry MASN have already agreed to carry the HD feed...is that how you understand it? (2/25/08) Dave's response: No. I have not yet heard of any cable or satellite providers that will be carrying MASN-HD. I'm sure that if Comcast or Cox or DirecTV or Verizon or RCN or Dish Network were planning to add MASN-HD, MASN would be making a major announcement. So far, complete silence..... According to Limbaugh today, Hispanics are racists and won't vote for Obama. And, according to Limbaugh today, gays and lesbians will cast their vote for the candidate with the best fashion sense. Oh, look, their goes Limbaugh down Niagara Falls. (2/5/08) I just read on the posting here that WUSA’s Jan Fox is leaving? When? Please give more details. Thanks, Joan (2/25/08) Dave's response: From what I hear, Jan's last day on-air at 9 was last Friday. She's away on vacation and will be coming back in March for a "farewell party" in 9's newsroom. It makes you wonder if 9 wants us all to believe that she's retiring when she's really being told to take a long walk on a short pier..... "On Bob Ryan, I can't speak to his accuracy, but the person who complained about him said that the NBC4 web site didn't list a single degree. It actually notes that his alma mater, the University of Albany, gave him a distinguished alumnus award." As Easy Reader used to say on The Electric Company, "When I itches, I scratches -- when I gets bored, I reads matches... close cover before striking." My statement that the website mentions no degrees, like the Dude, abides. Caller X (2/25/08) Now the ball is out of MASN's court and in the providers' courts...I've been thinking of leaving Dish Network for DirecTV, if DirecTV offers MASN in HD and Dish Network doesn't, I'll be making that call tomorrow. If the reverse is true, I guess I'll stay with Dish, point is, now it's the providers' jobs to "step up to the plate" and give us MASN in HD...here'e hoping for all home games in HD like Comcast SportsNet used to provide! Greg in Reisterstown (2/25/08) Localism. The commission sounds like it wants to roll back rules to the early 80's. I worked in radio then, it wasn't any more local then than it is now. You can't legislate what people say they want but don't clammer for. Yes, you can argue that its in the legal definition of what stations have to or will have to do to keep a license...but in reality if its the public's airwaves and the public doesn't respond to this stuff (ascertainment or having a body in house 24-7) does the tree falling in the forest make a sound? Making stations staff 24-7 is the funniest part of this. You know in most (non union) plants it will be someone who couldn't get hired at Wendy's - who is sitting in the glass enclosed nerve center - surfing for porn and smokin' weed while the voice trackers cackle on. (2/25/08) masnsports.com - Now which carriers will open an HD slot to carry this?? (2/25/08) Dave's response: If Comcast was smart, it would slap MASN-HD it on its HD service as soon as possible. But, knowing Comcast, it'll continue its foolish feud with MASN and generate more bad PR for itself..... korny rant - did you hear his bloggers rant on friday? was that about you? what did you do? blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog (2/15/08) Dave's response: Ha ha ha. I guess Tony didn't like my 2/19 Rant about how he sounds six YEARS older after being off the radio for six MONTHS..... Does Tony Kornheiser Resemble a Mole Rat? bigheaddc.com (2/25/08) Dave's response: The mole rat is cute and cuddly compared to Tony..... "Will localism be returning to radio?" I don't think so…..No. Definitely not. Raymond B. (2/25/08) On Bob Ryan, I can't speak to his accuracy, but the person who complained about him said that the NBC4 web site didn't list a single degree. It actually notes that his alma mater, the University of Albany, gave him a distinguished alumnus award. (2/25/08) "When I talk about myself or my family on the air, some dummy might think I'm being self-indulgent and pompous, but five other people are saying, 'He's my friend, he's real.' Don hit the nail on the head right there...He is like a friend...A friend that will slap you around when he gets the chance...a friend who's cranky, and enjoys being cruel to you for no reason...and yet we go back every Monday...just to see how *f*ed up his weekend was...just like ours...Don you will be missed...WB Centreville, VA (2/25/08) Will localism be returning to radio? Maybe so. Here is the full text of the FCC's "Localism Report". hraunfoss.fcc.gov (2/25/08) Wow, who would have thought this would ever happen? The Baltimore Sun rats out the dirty little secret of Maryland politics?!? That Democrats raise all the corporate money and Republicans get the individual $1000 donations from REAL PEOPLE!?!? Yep, apparently, Maryland is an anomaly. In today's Sun..... www.baltimoresun.com (2/25/08) WFRE 99.9 FM in Frederick, Maryland has suffered a critical blow with the resignation of long time on air favorite Linda West, most recently the host of the number one rated "Wild West Wake Up Crew" morning show. She has worked in Frederick radio for over 18 years, 16 at WFRE and the last few years hosting mornings. Frederick Magazine's Reader's Poll (February 2008 issue) named Linda West "Best Radio Personality." Linda resigned her position last Tuesday according to a current employee at WFRE/WFMD... (2/25/08) Dave's response: The above poster went on to make certain health allegations about West and the working conditions at WFRE that I won't run without confirmation..... Attention country classics fans. I'll be broadcasting a show out of my normal time slot on WEBR called "Fitz's Country Classics Special". It will be live on Wednesday February 27th from 9am to 11:15 ish am est. It is on net at www.fcac.org and also in Fairfax County on cable TV channel 37. On my regular show, "Fitzgrass", I play a lot of bluegrass and a couple of country classics. This special show could be called "Fitzgrass Bass Ackwards" since I'm doing the opposite style format. The country hits are from the 60's thru the 80's with a few from the 50's (Hank,Patsy) and the fun part is the playlist order. That's the part I love to do....Later Mike from good 'ol Alexandria (2/25/08) Dave, How about this format for a local station? All Elton John and Village People songs. Use the slogan 'Gaydar Love!' Maybe the calls would be WGAY...Oops!! (2/25/08) As always. a most enjoyable mailbag. I especially enjoyed seeing Sue Simmons and Don Pardo. Didn't Don work a stint at WYRE-AM in the '70's? I recall when they invited all former jocks to return for a one hour show (Such fun!) just prior to changing to a Big Band format from the rock format (I believe the first such Big Band format in the area, no?). Wow! Marty McLain (Sorry if I spelled your name wrong), Dave Ross, and it sounded like Don Pardo doing a one hour show near the very end. Chris Emry playing Root Boy Slim's 'Boogie 'Till You Puke'- and making reference to the infamous Little Tavern-" That's why they say 'Buy 'Em by the bag! Priceless! Roosevelt ran for president because he couldn't hold a job. I'd vote for Ed Graham over Hillary or Obama. C'mon, Ed! Throw your hat in the ring! Four plus years' of steady work!-Duke of Hurl (2/25/08) I'm done with Chickaboomer. I pay a visit every two or three days just to see what she might have dug up that DCRTV, MediaBistro, BigHeadDC & other sites might have missed, but this time she crossed the line. She gave out two actual HOME addresses for NY Times honcho Bill Keller. What...there wasn't a mailing address at the NY Times she could have used? In this day & age does she have ANY comprehension of how dangerous that is? J* H* F* Christ that just smacks of stupidity and irresponsibility. If I were Keller I'd sue the crap out of her for invasion of privacy & endangerment. This just smacks of another dumbass attention whore blogger trying to stir up page views without any sense of the impact of what she's posted. I'm sorry Dave, I know she's an advertiser but she's fair game for pulling a stunt like this. Media outlets go to great pains to protect the home addresses of their on-air talents & public faces for a reason. I wonder what Marty "Chickaboomer" Davis would do if I posted her home address and phone numbers on Craigslist? A little snooping around and a 828-467-XXXX office number is online among three others I found. Other information about her own mailing and home addresses is available thru the WhoIs lookup service. Whatever credibility you had Marty is now swept away by this single act of breaking an unwritten code that you don't give out that type of information, even about your most ardent enemy, especially when there are alternatives. Even a NYT email address would have been more appropriate. Can you imagine what kind of lunatics could find that information now? Even after you erase it, the search engines will hold it for a while, the "Wayback Machine" web archives service might make it available even longer. Does Mr. Keller have a family? Kids? A wife who is alone while he is at work? Is he a target of extremists who believe the NYT is a Zionist front? Or that the NYT is sending secret messages to some nutjob with a conspiracy fetish? I think she owes Mr. Keller a huge public apology & should do whatever she can to remove those home addresses as soon as possible from all sources. - The Stalker (2/25/08) /\ February 25 Messages /\ \/ February 24 Messages \/ "[W]eather forecasters among the most powerful people here"? Thank you Carol, but reasonable minds could disagree on that. And for a $35 fee, there had better be an open bar, if not strippers. Bob Ryan seems like a great guy, although I note that his bio on the station's website doesn't list a single degree, you know, like a Bachelor's or Master's. Maybe at my next job I'll ask to be called "Staff Meteorologist". Nonetheless, I am a great believer in self-instruction, so lack of credentials really isn't a problem for me (remember a position with the AMS is not a credential). What makes Bob so super is that he is a conjuror: he is able to throw out 5 or 6 completely contradictory forecasts in the course of a 2 to 4 minute segment. That's why I tune in to him. Party on! Caller X (2/24/08) any more history of radio staton WTHU is wanted?? bob (2/24/08) Dear all - Politics aside for a couple of weeks, but not forever... You know there are few more weather-challenged cities than Washington, and by that I don't mean the weather itself so much as the reaction it prompts in humans. A forecast of a dusting of snow causes us to clean out the markets and close the schools. On the other hand, a summer storm can take down trees and flood the streets and homes. And what is this mild winter about? Will the summer be a super scorcher? That makes the weather forecasters among the most powerful people here, and among Washington weather forecasters and meteorologists Bob Ryan of NBC 4 is senior. He'll be the guest at The Q&A Cafe this Thursday, Feb. 28. If the Weather Channel is your fave, and if you've ever had a question - or rant - about the weather, now's your chance. Please join us. We're sticking with nature the following week, too, when the guest is oceanographer and adventurer Philippe Cousteau, the Animal Planet correspondent who also is grandson of the late oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Yves Cousteau. That interview happens on Wednesday, March 5. Coming up next are Dr. Michael Jacobson, head of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, on March 13, and then March 19 we will interview - together - political and investigative journalists David Corn and Michael Isikoff. You know what to do: phone Jon Moss at 202.338.000 to make a reservation between 10-5 on weekdays. On show days, the doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30, and the all-inclusive $35 fee is paid at the door. Of course, we hope you can make it to some or all. Go for it, Carol (2/24/08) Sorry to see Jan Fox go. I thought she was kind of "foxy" myself. How about a Hotties battle between Carol Joynt and the Chickaboomer? I vote for Carol. (2/24/08) O'Meara is staying on the shift and so far EVERY affiliate is sticking with him. While the markets may not be as large as DC..the combined total make a lot of money for westwood one. Beside DC has screwed up the rest of the country more than once, so don't feel so smug. (2/24/08) its a shame to see Jan Fox leaving WUSA 9. I have always been a big fan of hers and have met her on several stories that she had been covering. She is one of the most polite and personable people over there. I really wish the best for her and her family during her retirement. Thanks for the great reporting, Jan!!!! (2/24/08) Ouch ... these used to be $4,000+ each when they were new. Do the math. cgi.ebay.com (2/24/08) I have to hand it to 98 ROCK--they actually GET HD radio. Unlike anyone else in the area, they actually give ordinary 98 ROCK listeners on thier standard HD1 signal a taste of thier two HD sub channels each week. This is a great programming advertisement. If HFS/FM Talk would give a weekend tease to thier HFS HD2 signal instead of the lame talk on the weekends. Come on--programmers and radio execs--if you want HD to succeed--promote it damnit! (2/24/08) One little thing about the Cumberland outfit that dumped Comcast SportsNet, Atlantic Broadband atlanticbb.com is no independent local outfit. Don't know if they're nationwide, but they're pretty big. Jeff (2/24/08) I guess we can say that FOX 5 has decided to get their act together... since reports have surfaced that the FOX O&O station is aiming for a May Sweep debut in high definition. Hmmm... with HD coming to 5. Could FOX 5 be considering adopting the "Good Day Washington" branding for the morning newscast, over the current "FOX 5 Morning News" branding? The Good Day branding is popular with other FOX O&O's, like WNYW's "Good Day New York", and KTTV's "Good Day L.A.", etc. Could FOX 5 be considering adopting the "FOX 5 News at 6" branding, over the current "NewsEdge at 6" branding? I would like to see FOX 5 expand the 6PM newscast to 1 hour Monday-Friday... as well as add on a half-hour 6PM newscast on weekends. Just my predictions. I'm hoping that NBC 4 and ABC 7 will get it together eventually... same for the Baltimore stations too. Thanks, Eric from Georgia (2/24/08) One can only hope that the management blow out soon to come at Citadel will be similar to the one that happened at WBIG a few years ago. Good air talent, needs good management to guide them. (2/24/08) I have one bone to pick with Marc Fisher and his recent profile of Don Geronimo. Fisher writes in Sunday's Post: "Of course, Don and Mike's die-hard fans -- who have made the show a ratings powerhouse in afternoon drive time here and in 25 other cities where the program is syndicated -- may lament the passing of some of the show's raunchier antics, such as taking a busload of listeners to Intercourse, Pa., to have sex in motel rooms while the hosts narrated the event on the air." Ahhh, the only market where D&M get "powerhouse" ratings is DC, and maybe Baltimore. I can't imagine that they get all that great numbers in some of their other larger markets, none of which are top 10 (except DC). In Sacramento and Miami they're on AMers. And then you got an FMer Vegas. But the rest of their markets are pretty diddlysquat, right? - Jim in Annandale (2/24/08) OK, Dave, how do we get a station like this going in our town? minnesota.publicradio.org (2/24/08) Dave's response: Obviously, God does not want DC to have a cool progressive music station since He derailed the sale of Christian contemporary WGTS to Minnesota Public Radio last fall..... Re: Amy Robach/Today: I doubt Amy picks the stories they will be doing on the Weekend Today show. If you have ever watched the Weekday Today show, you'd see the same kind of fluff pieces. In fact next week the Today show will be doing interviews with cats of old tv shows. If you want to see a true flake, catch Jenna Wolfe on Sunday mornings. (2/24/08) Did I hear right, on Thursday's edition of the Don and Mike show that O'Meara had not!!!! signed a new contract for after May 30? Maybe Donnie should start taking a day or two off per week till May 30. Let O'Meara start steering the ship. Is Michael Hughes gonna give Donnie a conversion van as a going away gift? Will Donnie be able to call into show from the road? Don could call in from Buffalo after seeing Harv Moore and then Knoxville after seeing Frank Murphy and Portland(?) after visiting Beth Ann McBride, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan after seeing his eartdog brother Jimmy and so on and so on. d9mn, just remembered I forgot about the Joe Ardinger show last night. Imagine that? Been listening a lot to Baltimore's Lite 101.9 and find it a pleasant time filler. Like the music selection far better than lame-o WASH here in D.C. Only thing I find distasteful is the Delilah sound a like in the evenings but thankfully by then I'm on over to CHWO 740 am or WSM 650am. I still find JACK 102.7 fm from Baltimore playing quite an interesting music selection. Perhaps one's distaste isn't based on actually listening to the station, which plays music from several music genres, but the knee jerk reaction to the word JACK. Heck I find JACK far more interesting in it's music selection than the truly lame and boring The Globe, which I swear i stopped listening to at all a couple months back. Kind of makes me sad hearing what weasal is reduced to doing. Any truth that a second O'Meara's bar will be opening up in Ocean City in June? And did Don say he was going to put his house up for sale in near future? No more sightings of Don buying a spiral notebook at the Great Falls People's drugstore? I did see him once at the Arby's in Great Falls and he was eating the curly fries! Imagine that. (2/24/08) Dave's response: Don't get me wrong. I love Mike O'Meara, but it wouldn't surprise me if CBS Radio suits would really rather put younger guys like Big O and Dukes in JFK's PM drive slot. Honestly, O'Meara would be a much better "fit" on an older-skewing talker like Bonneville's 3WT. If I was 3WT PD Greg Tantum, I'd really try like hell to sign O'Meara for afternoon drive on 1500/107.7. Also, Citadel's WMAL lacks a live and local PM drive show, too. O'Meara could be 630's token liberal, even though we all know that Grandy, Nehman, and Core are really lefties, too, although they "play" righties on the radio. Hmmm..... I just had another thought about Bill Hamlin after all of the nice words about his smoothness by Tom Gauger and Bruce. Bill accomplished that level of smoothness on an old McCurdy rotary pot console that was mounted with the pots at a 90 degree angle, loud remote starts on the cart decks (new ITC's?) and a pair of TEAC tape decks supplying the music. The TEAC's resembled the sound of two railroad cars switching in the night and "steering" that board was akin to running a European Grand Prix in a Dodge Sprinter delivery van with bad bearings. Bill had choreographed and mastered a system for killing the pot a split second before the "heavy equipment" exploded over the air. He tried teaching it to me, but I couldn't come close to his level. He sure was one of a kind!- Ed. Rodriguez (2/24/08) /\ February 24 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....