Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - April 21 to April 30, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ April 30 Messages \/ WBFF has been advertising its HD news programs on 101.9 FM today. The ION channel is now on the Comcast digital tier in Howard County. Likely the same in Baltimore County. They also recently moved TRU/Court TV to the digital tier. (4/30/08) Dave's response: Now that you mention it, I remember reading that Comcast was also moving Ion to digital in the Richmond area. Since, in the DC market, we get it via a "must carry" broadcast TV signal, they have to keep it on analog basic..... Any idea how Tony Perkins is doing as a sub for Donnie Simpson? (4/30/08) Dave's response: I deleted the last bit of the above post, which made reference to Gurvir Dhindsa. I got word through a Fox5 source that she doesn't appreciate the Mailbag "speculation." And I will honor her request..... Chris Core on 3WT! Jim & Joel's biggest concern will be how to drive a stake through the proverbial heart of WMAL without cannibalizing the ratings of WTOP. I say proverbial heart of WMAL as there is little if any left at Shitadel. And, certainly no head. The next visible targets will be Harvey, Brian, Tom, and Bill in about that order. You are right about Carson. He'll be a good fit at AM drive. But, if he doen't significantly improve the numbers and the billing, you can expect another Citadel-corporate "ABC Radio" format to land at 107.3... After that? There's really not much left. Although Gopher and Grandpa make logical candidates. Citadel D.C. is on life support... (4/30/08) Just checked, no, WBFF FOX 45 is not broadcasting their 5:30PM newscast in HD. I imagine it's possible though they were testing out an HD camera this morning maybe in anticipation of HD News soon? Would that explain it? (4/30/08) Anyone know what happened to the ION network on Comcast Cable? I know what you're thinking, no, I don't actually watch it, but I do like to know and report when Comcast secretly yanks a cable station while still charging the same price for basic cable. Anyway, ION is gone from Baltimore County cable. Is the DC station they get the signal from off the air or on low-power possibly? That has happened previously with WHUT. Just wondering if CROOKCAST has pulled another fast one. (4/30/08) Dave's response: I'm still getting Ion via Comcast/Reston via Fairfax Station's Channel 66/WPXW. The reception does look kinda snowy though..... Hi, I wanted to send out a quick note to friends and colleagues that I used to work with back in the day. I am happy to report that my travels are complete for the time being and I have decided to make New York City my new home. After an incredible, life changing year and half on the road it is nice to finally have a dresser, my own bed, and a permanent address. I even have my own refrigerator--it is crazy! My backpack is currently residing under my bed. Lucky for me, there is so much going on in NYC that I am being provided with the same "sensory overload" that I became addicted to in South America and Africa. On another note, I am excited to announce that I just accepted a position as the director of business development at For Your Imagination, an online media company located in midtown Manhattan. FYI specializes in the development and marketing of high-quality and original web video series'. Basically, we produce high quality web tv shows and broadcast them all over the Internet. You can check out some of FYI's programming at our website at www.foryourimagination.com. Thanks, DF... P.S. - During my travels I fell in love with writing and do not plan to stop anytime soon. You can still read my blog--now about living in NYC-- at www.DaveFordDoesEarth.com. (4/30/08) Dave: Last Arbitron report you mentioned something about how WPRS had yet to make the big splash that had been expected. I think it was 17th overall. Now that it's tied with WMZQ and WMAL, I think it qualifies as a major success story. I don't listen much to it as much as I did in its first couple of months, but I still contend that it's a great station. Shows what "Christian radio" can be when it's backed by a deep-pocketed company that knows how to do radio. Christian (4/30/08) I agree with your rant, the station is doing well and slowly getting better. I disagree though that El Jefe and J-Dubs would do any good in the evenings though - there show is awful. They sound horribly uncomfortable on the radio, and there jokes are setup as promos. I couldn't stand them on the station years ago, and can't stand them now. Ron and Fez on the other hand would be perfect. There show had me in tears, from laughing so hard, when I used to commute from Arlington to Fredericksburg years ago. Bring them back and round off the station with great talk radio for the day! -marcus (4/30/08) Looking forward to hearing Chris Core back on the air. Washington race-baiting will be better for it. (4/30/08) "Dave: I went to college with David Gregory. Didn't know him, but. . " Hey...if you don't know him, then YOU DIDN'T go to college with David Gregory, OK? You may have gone to the same institute of higher learning, but if you didn't know him, you didn't GO with him. Some people, goodness! Just name dropping for the sake of dropping names. Hey, I live in the United States with David Gregory. Don't know him but . . . . ! (4/30/08) Good to see John Gambling back in the morning on WOR. For those of you who don't know, he's the third generation of that family to host the mornings there. It was absolutely disgraceful how they treated him when he was unceremoniously bounced from his long-time perch on that station, and his return just somehow feels right. While WOR skews to the right on the political and age spectrum (appealing mostly to dead or dying people in the car accident called God's other waiting room known as Central New Jersey), at least they've managed to keep local and live during the week and overnights (now if they could only do something about Sunday nights, yechhhh!) I know the weekday 9-4 programming is mostly cash cow city, but at least it means they can afford to put local drive time programming on at both ends. I drive-time DX WOR down here in rural Prince William all the time, and they still sound pretty good for what they aim to do; local opinion and news done with a view towards keeping viable in the New York 60 mile radius regional market. Now if they could only bring Joe Franklin back on the Sat-Sun overnight…..Genghis Cohen, still yearning for a decent bagel now that Giant has cut back operations…. (4/30/08) So, has Ron "My name is Ron Chapman" Chapman permanently got the job as Paul Harvey's substitute? I've never heard anyone make news sound more meaningless--and I'm not just talking about things like reporting an April Fools joke as news. The more he over-inflects--and he seems to be getting worse--the more meaningless it all sounds. I think he's just about broken me of a 42-year habit of tuning in the lunchtime "news and comments". (4/30/08) I could be wrong, but it looked like in Baltimore's Fox 45 morning show was broadcasting in sparkling high definition this morning. It's about time. --pepperjack (4/30/08) While I agree that WJFK being live and local from 5 am to 7 pm is a great thing, there is still a lot to be desired from the formatting of the station. The station ID's sound amateur. There is no need to be creative with something so simple as "WJFK FM Manassas, Washington, DC and WJFK FM-1 HD" and then adding some weird way of saying "WJFK" into each ID. Just pound it home. Which brings the second point. Ditch the voice guy now and either get Dude Walker as the voice of the station or bring back the guy from summer 2001 - Fall 2002 that Don brought in (who also does 98 Rock in Baltimore and did 96 Rock in Salisbury) to give the station a unique sound. A station that always did the weird ID's and promos with goofy voices was 99.1 and look where they are now. Third point, hammer home the line up. From 1998-2002, they constantly had the same promo "Howard Stern mornings, Don and Mike afternoon, G. Gordon Liddy middays, and the Sports Junkies at night. Washington's Superstation, 106.7 WJFK." In and out of each stop set the modern day version of this should play: "Junkies in the morning, Mike O'Meara afternoon, and Big O and Dukes middays. Washington's Talk Superstation is Live and Local ALL DAY at 106.7 WJFK." You hammer it home enough, people know automatically when and what is on. Fourth, the evenings needs something and it isn't Tom Leykis. It's a complete disaster that management let Ron and Fez leave for XM. Same with El Jefe and J-Dubs. But Jim Rome, Bill O'Reilly don't cut it. Jeremy Coleman was a waste of space but at the very least he was able to find 4 talented guys in the Junkies, start them on weekends, and get them to very successful ratings at night which lead to their morning gig at WJFK. There is no reason this can't be done today. And not BDK's movie show, which is a decent novelty show or The Joe Show, which is another novelty but should only be on once a week. And because this is corporate radio, CBS won't have the balls to get rid of the infomercial programming on the weekends that brings in some cash but ultimately leads to no one listening on the weekends. But if they took that risk, it would pay off in the future. How cool would it be to have "The Hideout" live every Saturday Morning from 6 - 10 am. What other station could present that without the same box of records or dull political talk? Fill the 10 am - 3 pm slot with new ideas. Maybe a indy rock music show. Maybe something else. And then run your best of from 3 pm - 9 pm with two hours for the Junkies, Mike, and Big O and Dukes. Don't oversaturate the best of's as that won't get anyone listening. Broadcasting hot talk in 2008 sucks with the restrictions placed on everyone but talented and creative people like the shows they have now, can get things moving. Once the weekdays are moving in the right direction, weekends come next. And then you are once again a player in the market and a true superstation. Tim, Gaithersburg (4/30/08) I had to chuckle over the Post article concerning the novel discovery that customer service can benefit the bottom line. I just wish one of the companies taking this to heart was Cox. I have been suffering the frustration of dealing with their "customer service?" department regarding a continuing problem with the digital program guide for several months. Each time I call they treat me like I'm the first person to ever report the problem; they take me thru the same process to try and correct the problem; and when the problem is not corrected, they ask if there is anything else they can help me with! I want to scream. Edwin in Fairfax (4/30/08) I was listening to WCEI the other day from Easton and there was a ad for their new morning show with Kenny Campbell. Isin't this the same guy would was with JoJo on Mix 1065? www.wceiradio.com... There was even mention of a 96 piece orchestra, I guess it lost a few "pieces" on the move from Baltimore to Easton.... (4/30/08) If Laurie Dhue is hired by WJLA to anchor the news, her co-anchor better jack up their chair a few inches to avoid being dwarfed by Ms. Dhue. I understand Laurie's well over six feet tall in her stocking feet. -- Vincent in Triangle (4/30/08) Dave: I went to college with David Gregory. Didn't know him, but two of my best friends did. One of them worked with him in the campus television studio so I always forward your Gregory updates to him. Here were their replies to your post: "Actually…He was a total tool in college, so a jerk would be a step up…Good for him!!!" "In other news, sun rose today and people will have to continue to pay taxes...... It's hard to believe that being a pompous idiot as a college student would not be fixed by working in the media as a blowhard talking head in DC." Thanks (4/30/08) Hey Dave---good analysis of JFK , but i have to admit that i am a little surprised at your relatively quick turnaround on the Junkies. It seems to me that you have more often than not said they would be much better served staying mainly in the sports arena of conversation ...people don't suddenly get "smarter". Is it that you are listening more and discovering nuances to the show that you hadn't noticed? How many times did you say the Junks should return to nights (back in the days of discussing O&A moving to mornings) and reign in their discussions to sports related topics? Still --good comments on the current state of JFK. (4/30/08) The Washington Times doesn't have the circulation of the Post, but it doesn't appear to be hemmoraging subscribers like the Post is. And the Times does have the best sports section in town. (4/30/08) Dave's response: And Kara Rowland is sure a lot cuter than Paul Farhi..... So let me understand this. Bonneville lets go Mike Buchanan in a budget cutting move - and then hires Chris Core? Interesting way they do budgets at Bonneville, isn't it? Glad to see Core got a new gig, but I'm sure Buchanan has to be wondering where Bonneville got the money to hire him. (4/30/08) Dave's response: It seemed that Mike like to talk about stuff like peanut butter in his radio commentaries. Chris will cover stuff like politics, which is what Farley and company want..... Looking forward to hearing Chris Core back on the air. Washington radio will be better for it. (4/30/08) Todays rant is an excellent little state of the WJFK station address from the outside looking in. The last few weeks of shows have been great since Geronimo left. Having the shows all done in the same building brings back the greatest thing about talk radio. The station is slowly turning back into a crazy community that you get a chance listen in on like talk radio is supposed to be. I agree with Dave about getting The Hideout at nights but it seems like they're locked down in Florida at this point, they're at their best when they're part of the community (their listeners are huge part of the show but somehow managed to be nuttier than O&D's) and JFK probably doesn't have the money to pay them what they deserve. Tom Leykis isn't live and local but would work, too bad his show is probably too expensive to get for JFK. I remember wondering how Chris Kinard fingaled his way into a PD gig but the station is sounding great by his work and some good timing. (4/30/08) Hello, Fellow Posters. Has Jason Kidd been fired again? He hasn't been on his shift for at least 2 weeks. Anyone know? Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (4/30/08) Wow, I thought the Washington Times was mildly competitive. Their 100K circulation puts them right up there with, uh, the Fort Myers News-Press. At least they have a great sports section. (4/30/08) Okay Don you've made your point please come back and captain the S.S. Minnow again! I promise I won't pick on you anymore. But you do know I always did it with luv. That Gross Out bit today with the Gangrene of the Peanuts first time I think I actually laughed at something I heard on the vanilla MOM show. Is it official The Lookaround Cafe in Manassas is closed? Was it money problems and/or VA ABC problems? Well hello there young lady! Did Phil Woods see Stephen Stills and his group Manassas concert way back when at the National Guard Armory in Manassas hosted by Barry Richards? I knew it was Arena, why as a yute my Dad took me to see the Barnum and Bailey Circus Ole' at the Art Uline Arena. Oh boy, Allison Starling, Pamela Brown and now possibly Laurie Dhue what is Mr. Allbritton( has anyone seen him in years) doing over there at channel 7 trying to copycat Murdoch and Ailes? Can't wait for the low angle shots on channel 7! Hey likee I say I kid. I'm still KING of the douchebaggers! (4/30/08) Congrats to O&A - Dead last in the latest NYC ratings. The virus is spreading boyyyyz (4/30/08) “When does a professional cancel at the minute like this? Do guests cancel on him like this?” I don’t know whether or not guests cancel appearances on Larry King’s show in this fashion, but I do know – by reputation and from personal experience – that Larry King is known for booking engagements and then canceling at the last minute. Years ago when Larry was still at Mutual, I was in a group of college radio kids to whom he had been booked to speak. Sure enough, he bowed out at the last minute. Fortunately for us, his radio fill-in host at the time, Jim Bohannon, stepped in for Larry on the dais that day. Bohannon was great – thoroughly entertaining and probably far more so than the dour and arrogant King would have been. Ms Joynt, have you considered booking Jim Bohannon for your Q&A Café? (4/30/08) /\ April 30 Messages /\ \/ April 29 Messages \/ (RE: Larry King and the "Q&A Cafe") When does a professional cancel at the minute like this? Do guests cancel on him like this? Was he really a confirmed guest or was this a shenanigan for an off brand public access show to get publicity? Inquiring minds want to know?!?!!?! (4/29/08) Re: "NBCU considers selling 4001 Neb Ave"; Kindly remember that you can't spell greedy executive without "GE." No matter how secure the status quo may seem, everything (and everyone) under General Electric's control is subject to sudden sale (or summary dismissal). Somewhere in Fairfield, there are "what if" plans that propose the sale of all of old school broadcasting's excess overhead while retaining only the programming that will generate revenue in the growing age of web-centric entertainment. The 1940's-era program delivery system is dying a slow death and soon there will be no reason for GE to pay for the pipe. (I'm just surprised that Tina Fey's brilliant "30 Rock" continues to get away with exposing GE's true colors week after week.) (4/29/08) Hey everyone, I'm putting a last minute bug in everybody ear's about the 2nd Annual Fiesta 5K & Fun Run www.fiesta5k.org to help raise money for Johns Hopkins ALS Research Center-The Robert Packard Center. You can register now on-line through Wed night at 11:59pm or at the event beginning at 6:30am. It all takes place this Saturday, May 3rd at 8am (Reg starts at 6:30am) down at the Power Plant Live in Baltimore. I will be DJing the event once again this year and Stash from 98 Rock will be joining me on stage and will be running. I am told its possible that some Ravens players and maybe even Coach John Harbaugh will be able to make it down before practice. This year Johns Hopkins and The Ravens have teamed up together with the recent diagnosis of one of their own, former player and now front office employee OJ Brigance. OJ is this year's honorary chairman. So get the day started early and come on out for a great cause! If you can't run, you can walk. Form a team or go solo, see if some of your co-workers will sponsor you or friends or family. Last year was an amazing success as we raised over $100,000 for the first year. Any amount helps, there is no such thing as too small a donation. An ALS diagnosis could happen to anyone. It will be a lot of fun and I will be playing lots of great upbeat, fun and party music from the 60s-Now beginning in and around 7am to get the blood pumping and excitement going! Thanks for anything you can do toward the cause even if its just getting the word out through your media outlet if possible.- Michael Popovec-DJ Rupe Productions-Ocean City, MD, a.k.a.-Mike Bradley-Great Scott Broadcasting-Georgetown, DE (4/29/08) Re: Laurie Dhue Seen At 7... No picture of Laurie? :) (4/29/08) Dave's response: Here you go..... Dumb question - does the Post's buyout strategy cover upper management and other departments? No newspaper can lose that many talented front-line reporters without losing much of its character. I have a mental image of Post editors sitting in an empty newsroom with nothing to edit. (4/29/08) Dave's response: You'll still need editors to edit all that wire copy the Post will fill its print pages with, not to mention lots of really big pics..... (RE: Today's Rant) Dave, its free cone day! I imagine that is what sparked the Ben and Jerry's talk! (4/29/08) Dave's response: Yeah, but the way they worked in a ringing cell phone in the background to mention B&J's ringtones made it seem an awful lot like an ad. Kind of like those paid spots for GM that Rush Limbaugh does, which sound like off-the-cuff show comments. It's getting bad when you, the listener, honestly don't know what's an ad and what's not. I think the FCC should take a good look at this and maybe levy a few fines. Hmmm..... Hello, everyone - I'm sorry to bring the disappointing news that Larry King has cancelled for tomorrow's Q&A Cafe. I tried to reschedule for Thursday or Friday and got a "no" and a "no." I'm heartsick about this, because so many of you had reservations, not to mention the scheduling for NewsChannel 8 and DC Cable. An 11th hour cancellation has happened only once before in our 7-plus year history, with the former President of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar. We survived. I have some lines out for an optional show, but it's unlikely. Therefore I wanted to let you know about the cancellation asap. Please do me the favor of considering a reservation for next week's Q&A, with Richard Moe, head of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It will be a especially good event, but at the moment we have only 10 reservations. We could, as they say, go for more. Please phone Jon Moss at 202.338.2000 for reservations. Thanks Carol (4/29/08) Collins joined News4 in 1986. Prior to that, he worked for WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., and WLS-TV in Chicago. He also spent seven years as a general assignment, investigative and feature reporter for WDVM-TV (now WUSA-TV) in Washington, D.C. (4/29/08) Dude Walker: Thanks for sharing the WRKO pic showing Big Ron O’Brien and Willie B. It’s sure funny seeing Willie with longer hair though. When I met him in 1979-1980, his hair was much shorter, and HE seemed a lot shorter than I had expected him to be. He was a very nice guy to work with though, and his quick wit made it difficult to EVER have a serious conversation. Big Ron is somebody I never met, but we did build a friendship via e-mails we would exchange around the time I came to Baltimore in the late 90s. He gave me loads of encouragement as I re-entered radio after a few years’ hiatus. We also exchanged lots of oldies, I’d find stuff he was looking for, he’d find things I wanted, and we’d exchange collection CDs we burned. That was a helluva lot of fun. Big Ron was a rare talent, who I first heard at WCFL in ’73. I would again hear him at KFI Los Angeles in 1979, and later during the heyday of KIIS-FM, which at that time had some of the best jocks ever. In fact, Willie B had worked with us at KGGI/Riverside, did some fill-in work at KIIS-FM before moving to B104 Baltimore. I’m not sure where those two jocks first met but it does seem they crossed paths many times. I don’t know how Willie is doing these days, though I wish him the best wherever he is, but as for Big Ron, I will always remember that huge voice and huge heart AND his true passion for being on the air and his love of music. A very sad day for radio in general, Ron’s untimely death. We’ve lost so many greats, and I can tell you that it’ll be awfully hard to ever fill the big shoes of Big Ron O’Brien. I’m just glad that I can say that we were friends, if only through the camaraderie of radio and in e-mails. Dude, thanks again for the pic. Bill Powers, Los Angeles (4/29/08) Chris Matthews Considers Run for PA Senate Seat in 2010 www.huffingtonpost.com (4/29/08) Audrey Barnes has work on all stations expect channel 7. (4/29/08) Wow, so if WJLA hires the lovely and effervescent Ms. Dhue, they would have her AND Alison Starling. A stunning blonde and a breathtaking brunette. Sounds fair and balanced to me. (4/29/08) “Juan Williams, a conservative, has refused to use the term "Democrat Party" Huh? Juan Williams a conservative?? On what planet? Juan’s about as conservative as his friend Fred Barnes is liberal. Which is to say, not at all. (4/29/08) I give Steve Rudin credit for sticking it out in the DC market. I don't see anyone running to pick up Susan Kidd, Lou Holder or Tracey Neale. He actually does a good job and he is NICE, too! Can't say that for some of the bitters in this market. (4/29/08) /\ April 29 Messages /\ \/ April 28 Messages \/ (Re: Steve Rudin I think that he has been doing freelance. I have seen on Newschannel 8 doing weather mainly doing fill-in. I have not seen him yet on Channel 7.... Dave's response: Well, Steve's now worked at three DC TV stations - 9, 5, and now 7 (and 8). Any other top talent also worked at three? Anyone worked at all four? Hmmm.....) Jeff Napshin......?? 4,5,7,AND 9 I think! (4/28/08) To the poster who asked Dude Walker whether the Willie B. in the WRKO photo is the same as the Willie B. who was on B104—well, I’m not Dude Walker, but I’ve admired his work since his first night on Q107—the answer is yes. Roddy Freeman (4/28/08) "The Iraqi War" would be a war with or among the "Iraqi" people. According to our President, we are not fighting, nor did we go to war with, the "Iraqi" people; therefore the term "The Iraqi War" is an obfuscation. Said today, "The Iraq War," would be the current war in Iraq. Get it? Juan Williams, a conservative, has refused to use the term "Democrat Party" (because to him it is like "fingernails on a chalkboard") even though by his own admission he had been asked to do so (and we can assume not by Democrats). (4/28/08) Bon in Forest Hill: go pet your elephant and genuflect in Reagan's direction. It's quite apparent which side of the argument you're on. We GET it, ok? Jeeeeeeeez. (4/28/08) Quote: "Chris Plant cant get his facts straight". How does that explain the fact that Chris was invited to discuss Operation Chaos on CNN last night, at "CNN Newsroom with Rick Sanchez" - or the fact that his interview with Bill Clinton was talked about by the likes of Keith Olbermann and Jake Tapper, among others? If he didn't have his "facts staright", he'd be at home surfin' the 'net all day long.... oh never mind.... -Silvie- (4/28/08) Hey Dude Walker...in refernce to that classic WRKO/Boston photo (nice tuxedos by the way, ruffles and all) is the Willie B. in the picture the same Willie B. that worked at B104/Baltimore in the 80's ? Just curious. (4/28/08) To unsigned poster re: Democrat/Democratic. If you read the wiki link you provided beyond the first two paragraphs, you'd see there is actually a lot more going on with usage than just political silliness. And this explains how folks in my family - who are hardly conservative operatives - having been using "Democrat" for decades. No doubt, it's typically used as a non-complement, but I think its use (as the Wiki article explains) is increasingly less loaded and less politically driven. Note also that liberal bastions such as CNN, NYT and the AP have also been caught using it from time to time. Same as the example they give about most Americans saying "The Iraq War" instead of "The Iraqi War." Bob in Forest Hill (4/28/08) Caller X, you are spending far too much time defending yourself and not enough time describing your fantasy women, and your associated prurient desires. Man-hating ? Sorry matey, you got that wrong, but it's quite easy to spot a guy who knows how to finger a Thesaurus, but little more. Sadly, none of us can help it if the webmaster wants to entertain a troll ad infinitum. (4/28/08) Dave's response: This thread is finito..... Democrat party is pejorative as the wikipedia article says en.wikipedia.org. Prez dumbass shrub says it all it time. BTW nice going channel 9 while sixty minutes was on WJZ you had commercials on. Asleep at the switch? No wonder you're a fifth rate station! (4/28/08) I was the original poster who complained about "Caller X" and his creepy comments about Tina Fey. I can assure you I am 100% male. Straight and masculine, too. Guys like him make the rest of us look bad, and also help keep alive certain negative stereotypes. However, I forgot one specific online rule when I complained: "don't feed the trolls". My Bad. (4/28/08) "Saigon Darlings-dot-com"? Hah, is there *no* limit to what ads Google will rotate into view? (4/28/08) “The Washington Post watched as 3.6 percent of its print subscribers left, according to six-month figures as of March from the Audit Bureau Of Circulations.” Oh, the humanity! George Allen (4/28/08) Dave's response: I know how the Post could stop its subsiber slide. Just fix those incorrect local radio listings in the Style section. How much longer will be have to see the format for WMET 1160 is "Greaseman"? Sheesh..... Republicans for the past 10 years or so have been saying "Democrat Party" not "Democratic Party" because the former is not comfortable to the listener, according to journalist Juan Williams, who is not a Democrat. The sign at 499 S. Capitol St. says "Democratic National Committee Headquarters." Now, find out where the name for the party really comes from, historically, and how they referred to themselves and how they were referred-to. Talk radio, and hard right Republicans, should not continue to disparage the party's name, as Juan Williams has clearly pointed out they are trying to do. At this point, after the President has apologized for using "Democrat party" and not "Democratic Party" in a speech, the cat is out of the bag, and the more these dopes use it, the more partisan and rude they continue to look (just ask Rick Santorum-it appeared in 1994 and 1995 every sentence out of his mouth started or ended with "the Democrat Party" -how did that work out for the sitting Senator?). I heard Brian say "Democrat Party" and felt he was uncomfortable saying it, like he was being forced to change the wording. I immediately turned to C-SPAN Radio because of WMAL's smear. C-SPAN was talking about food shortages and then the criminal justice system. Not listening to WMAL at night anymore (Mark Levin is illogical). I stopped listening to them during the day (Chris Plant cant get his facts straight), and now I have made the decision to stop listening to them in the morning. Way to go guys! (4/28/08) Dave, on the "Democrat" versus "Democratic" thing. It's ALWAYS fascinating to see what sticks in your craw. These two terms have been used interchangably for eons. I have no idea if it's a political, regional or generational thing, but I've got family from Missouri (near Rush's home town, actually) and they all say "Democrat Party" I've heard a lot of old-time pundits use that term on both sides of the aisle, though I guess a bit moreso on the right side. But even if it is a bit of word play, I'd note that you love your own word play (e.g. FauxNews) when it suits you. So what if some nimrod news guy says "Democrat." I seriosuly doubt it's a conspiracy, or necessarily demolishes that person's credibility. Sloppy? Yes. Earth shattering? No. Perhaps he just "mis-spoke" like when Obama referred to all fly-over minions as bitter, or when Hillary said she was pinned down by sniper fire. :-) Bob in Forest Hill (4/28/08) Re: Steve Rudin I think that he has been doing freelance. I have seen on Newschannel 8 doing weather mainly doing fill-in. I have not seen him yet on Channel 7. (4/28/08) Dave's response: Well, Steve's now worked at three DC TV stations - 9, 5, and now 7 (and 8). Any other top talent also worked at three? Anyone worked at all four? Hmmm..... Who knew anybody still listened to Limbaugh. You'd think the drug problem and constant divorces would eventually teach even the blindest of his followers that the man has zero credibility. (4/28/08) Rush poster: It's not "fudge ball", it's "harmless, lovable little fuzz ball". (4/28/08) My-favorite-bird-is-the-spotted-owl wrote: "Amen! I mean, unless you promise grace us further with the rest of your celebrity "to do" list. The beauty of a post like that is, that it's crystal clear that ...[ad hominem, Latin for "man-hating" attack elided].... And thanks for the anatomical description of the emoticon, that was precious too. P.S....your thoughts on implants for Amy Poehler ?" As you can see, I have granted your wish.. be careful what you wish for. I've never noticed Amy Poehler's sweater burgers because I've been so fascinated by her lovely face and sparkling personality, although on her last talkshow appearance (Letterman? The View?) I think the lighting did her a disservice. Really, don't you think it's the lady's decision? I would support her in whatever she wanted to do in that area. :-o u Caller X (4/28/08) Rush Limbaugh call himself a harmless little fudge ball? What does he mean by that? (4/28/08) Dave: Limbaugh just said "Democrat National Convention" and Bryan Nehman said "Democrat National Committee" earlier -- both Dem words with "at" or with "atic" have been both utilized back & forth by many in the media for as long as I can remember (or at least dating back to the Dukakis '88 years). -Silvie- (4/28/08) Dave's response: If it is the "Democratic National Committee," why doesn't Nehman just call it that. I guess he's gunning for a GOP job when the next round of Suleman cuts hits MAL..... Check The Recap of game 4 Cavs vs Wizards from Washington. myspacetv.com... Mark Gray (4/28/08) Bobbie is fundamentally correct, but when the Fab Four begat the "British Invasion" on February 11th, 1964, the former Uline Arena had been renovated and rechristened as "Washington Coliseum." According to a 2007 article in the Washington Business Journal, "Miguel Uline, a millionaire who operated an ice business, built it in 1941 as the home of the Washington Lions hockey team. The arena has also been a skating rink, a basketball stadium, a concert venue and a midget auto race track." In the '80s, the structure's high ceiling made it an ideal candidate for a waste recycling facility as truckload after truckload of trash filled the same rafters that once vibrated to the beat of John, Paul, George and Ringo in their stateside premiere. Fortunately, developer Douglas Jamal is currently in the process of bringing the facility back from oblivion with plans for an entertainment district complete with shopping, restaurants, night clubs and residences that utilizes the facade of the original historical building. (4/28/08) L to R: Willy B, Dude Walker, Big Ron O'Brien, Mike Addams, and Dennis Jon Bailey. We were at WRKO in Boston in 1978. The shot was taken backstage at the old Boston Garden after the Christmas concert starring Sean Cassidy. The Blues Brothers movie had just come out, and yes, that's the real John Belushi behind us. John had refused to be in the picture, but snuck in at the last moment. I remember Big Ron's love for big, funky record intros–he would work that mike like no other. He could play the same song 100 times, and never intro it the same way. He was a true top jock–a real pleasure to work with. I'll miss him. Dude Walker (4/28/08) If you haven't heard about Tim Robbins' recent speech to an NAB gathering in Las Vegas, here's a link to an article about it www.broadcastingcable.com and here's a link to hear the speech a330.g.akamai.net... Bravo, Mr. Robbins! (4/28/08) Hey, don't worry about Radio One and the LARGE salaries and bonuses. Remember, and don't forget, DC Mayor Fenty and it's alleged city council gave Radio One $23 million to move from Prince George's County, MD, back into DC. I wonder if I had a store in PG County, would the District give me some cash to be in DC? I doubt it. Such a deal? (4/28/08) "Caller X, give it a rest. None of us (and I do mean not one of us) care about your sexist ranting over Tina Fey's charms. It's kinda pitiful, ya know? (4/27/08)" Y'know who else is pretty hot, but not in a class with Tina Fey? That UFO kook Linda Moulton-Howe, who guests on CoastToCoastAm from time to time. I've seen her on DC's Best TV Station, Channel 49 and I figure crazy in the head, crazy in the bed. And we can't forget about Beth-Ann McBride. I love the feel of a woman in corduroys. Yah, babeeee! And what about Tammy Bruce? Lesbian-by-choice, gunowner, and smokin' hot. I'd have to train for that one!! Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say? Oh yeah. MeOWWWWW. Caller X (4/28/08) Re:" Caller X, give it a rest"... Amen! I mean, unless you promise grace us further with the rest of your celebrity "to do" list. The beauty of a post like that is, that it's crystal clear that the closest this cretin has ever gotten to a woman is wiping DNA off his own belly and keyboard. And thanks for the anatomical description of the emoticon, that was precious too. P.S....your thoughts on implants for Amy Poehler ? (4/28/08) /\ April 28 Messages /\ \/ April 27 Messages \/ Hello Dave: This may sound stupid to you..(I had to have my hard drive for my computer replace; therefore, it's been a few days since I've been able to visit your site. I have apparently lost a few of my "favorites"..two of those being the DCRTV Front Page..as well as the DCRTV Mailbag! I got to the main page alright..but cannot find the mailbag! Can you help? Tom in Denton, MD (4/27/08) Dave's response: Don't know what to tell 'ya Tom, but the Mailbag is right here it always has been..... FYI -- it was Uline Arena...not Uline "Colosseum" -- Bobbie (DC Native) (4/27/08) Caller X, give it a rest. None of us (and I do mean not one of us) care about your sexist ranting over Tina Fey's charms. It's kinda pitiful, ya know? (4/27/08) Is this Charly Stossel, the movie reviewer on WTEM award winning Sporks Reporter's, aka Clint Howard doing an Intronet variety show? www.clinthoward.com... Phil Would paints his bald spot? I too remember seeing Hendrix open for the Beatles at the Olde Uline Colosseum back in 1964! (4/27/08) How do you figure both of these things? Aren't they talking about the same Sunday? 1st Newseum "This Week" Ranks 2nd - 4/27 - ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos finished in second place in total viewers nationwide last Sunday - its first since moving to the Newseum. NBC's "Meet The Press" finished in first place, as usual, with CBS's "Face The Nation third, and Fox's "Fox News Sunday" fourth..... "Meet" Wins Again - 4/25 - As usual, NBC's "Meet The Press" took the top DC market spot among the Sunday morning talk shows last Sunday. CBS's "Face The Nation" was second, Fox's "Fox News Sunday" was third. ABC's "This Week" was dead last, despite its debut from the Newseum Regards, Shelly, dcrtvPlus member (4/27/08) Dave's response: One referred to the national ratings and the other to the DC market ratings..... Did anyone else see Tina Fey on whatever late night show it was, Letterman, Lenos, I don't know, because I wasn't looking at the host, y'feel me? MOMMIE BOOBIE!!! Tina finally decide to let the puppies breathe, and the password was "jut". She was definitely giving the girls a coming out party. I would put stones to it wit' a quickness. And that little girl-knife-fight scar only makes her sexier. Never better, Baby! And kudos to the Washinton Post for calling 30 Rock's fake show, "MILF Island" "MIL[:-o] Island" substituting a keyboard image of testicles, penis, and vagina for the letter "F". Caller X (4/27/08) Ive been listening to Phil Wood for years. I have to disagree with the individual who replied to the original poster. Phil has been hired by MASN as a fill-in for Ray Knight when he is on vacation. The other day Phil was on after the game with Johnny Holliday and it was the first time that I recall ever seeing him on tv. Apparently someone else had never seen him also and posted somewhere that it looked like Phil was wearing a hairpiece. It sounded to me that Phil was very annoyed and went to great lengths to describe how he couldn't do anything with his hair. By the way you won't find anyone who is more knowledgeable about baseball memorabilia. (4/27/08) Dave, here's a blantant..shameless plug. Great news. Amazon.com and Publish America are having a dispute over book pricing, and as a result, Publish America has cut most book prices by 50 percent. That means, for those of you who balked at the price of my books in the past, you can now get either one of my books for $9.98. Just go to publishamerica.com and type in my name in the Seach column. Both books, "If the Log Rolls Over" or "News of War" will come up. Hank Silverberg (4/27/08) "Are people really excited about the Mike O'Meara Show? I'm shocked. It is so tepid and uninspired, it is almost like listening to farm reports. There is no edge, no originality, no humor. And the bits are completely useless. Employee Evaluations amounted to asking people if they enjoyed working at the station. Wheel of Fat Guys was asking generic trivial pursuit questions about fat guys. Wow. Weak. So weak. Who is listening to this and thinking it's good. Amazing." Donnee? Is that you? (4/27/08) So the MD AG wants a free channel to compete with satellite? Brilliant! We’ll call it ‘radio.’ (4/27/08) I dunno. Some may say that Phil Wood is the gutless one here for being so sensitive to criticism and opposing points of view. You know about being able to dish it out, but not take it....... (4/27/08) "Roger Ailes' Angels"..... this morning on Fox & Friends the blond talking head sending it over to the news gal says over to you gorgeous. WTF? Too bad I had to leave. Maybe the two of them got into some tongue wrestling later. (4/27/08) So I was up early yesterday morning and I turned on 9 News Now. Ever since Lesli Foster took over Tracey Neale’s position, they’ve had a rotating cast of anchors on the weekend morning newscasts. Well, yesterday, Jennifer Ryan was anchoring and Tony Pann announced that she would be the permanent anchor for Saturday and Sunday mornings, in addition to her co-anchoring duties on the Saturday and Sunday evening newscasts. Wow, that’s some long days on the weekends for her. But Tony Pann does the same thing with the weather, as does Steve Villanueva on Channel 4. Is that normal in other markets, or are these stations too cheap to hire additional people for the weekends? Brian in Fairfax (4/27/08) The Mike O'Meara is great. Sorry if you don't think so, but it's fun to listen to guys having fun. I enjoy it and so do a lot of people, judging by their posts. Do you think when you get done trying to achieve the unachievable with your wife at night, she thinks the same thing..."WOW....SO UNINSPIRED." Too bad she doesn't have a website to go to. (4/27/08) I know it an old topic... but what is the deal with the many blond, air-headed, unprofesional, so-called "news readers" on FOX"News"? They all look and act like strippers... (4/27/08) Dave's response: On Fox Biz, too. "Roger Ailes' Angels"..... Amy here, really hate the "MEOW" comment to my post. Just because I am a female and am criticizing another female doesn't make me catty. There are plenty of men on the radio I dislike also. Beth Ann McBride irritates me. Enough said. Amy. (4/27/08) "Anyone listen to Phil Wood's baseball show on Saturday morning's on WTEM? Usually he is a very low key, is very knowledgeable about baseball and music, and enjoys talking to his callers. This morning he started out with a rant about how only one person emailed him after he wrote a column in the Examiner (maybe no one reads the Examiner Phil?). Then he continued by complaining that he read a post on some message board where someone wrote that he wore a hair piece. Hey Phil! Don't read the message boards if it gets you that excited." You completely missed his point, and by posting anonymously, helped make his point. He said that posters to a couple of baseball message boards jumped all over him for criticizing in his Examiner column their push to have Manny Acta fired for the Nats' slow start. His point was they were happy to post anonymously on-line, but didn't have the 'nads to attach their names to their critcisms. He pointed out that his column gives his e-mail address, but that the only e-mail he got on the column was from someone who hadn't even seen the message boards. His point was that these anonymous posters are essentially gutless for the most part, and on that particular issue, I have to agree with him. As for the hairpiece comment, he was laughing about it. He also spent some time talking about how today would have been his late father's birthday, and how important his father had been to him. And, BTW, he always starts his show with a monologue of sorts that sometimes includes a rant. Chris Carrey (4/27/08) Are people really excited about the Mike O'Meara Show? I'm shocked. It is so tepid and uninspired, it is almost like listening to farm reports. There is no edge, no originality, no humor. And the bits are completely useless. Employee Evaluations amounted to asking people if they enjoyed working at the station. Wheel of Fat Guys was asking generic trivial pursuit questions about fat guys. Wow. Weak. So weak. Who is listening to this and thinking it's good. Amazing. (4/27/08) Radio One has learned their lessons well-from Enron and other models of virtue. Now that the stock has dropped (82%!!) to a lonely One $, Liggins will exercise his 'right' to buy over One million shares while many of their employees cannot afford cars or to live in decent housing. Their talk show hosts boast of their progressive politics and ground-breaking stances against 'the system,' but the reality is that they exploit the white capitalist power structure for all that it is worth. They may endorse Obama for president (Who else?), but Dick Cheney and Geo. Bush are more akin to their objectives-under the skin, of course. Don't worry-once Liggins buys his 'share' of the stock options the value will go up. Maybe the SEC should 'listen' closely to Radio One... (4/27/08) Ref: Cuts at NBC Washington - I hear Verdi and Company will be in D.C. - I believe Mr. Verdi is the dad of my former music director at 100KHI Chris Verdi aka “slick” Chris Kelly” He use to produce the NBC nightly news if I remember correctly, please advise..Thanks JJ “Hitman” McKay (4/27/08) I wonder if Buzzito is getting a lot more cash now that his workload has increased tremendously on the MOM show? I seem to recall that he signed a new contract some time ago. Wonder if the CBS suits told him his work load was going to increase with the launch of the MOM back when he re-signed or it came on sudden like with the early departure of the fearless leader. Should be the Buzz and Miguelito show imo. So all you sugared plum fairies think the MOM show is just so scrumptious huh. I think even O'Meara is grasping for idears on what to do already. Bring back the Phone booth Olympics me say, CBS legal department be d8mned! And for gawd sakes man can we have some closure regarding Al Molinaro! Dern, I forgot about the Joe Show again. And too all you toolheads over at Radio Gods forum. As Cool Hand Luke screamed in the movie"WHERE ARE YOU NOW!" Hey you over at The Glob I haven't mentioned the station in awhile cause I can't stomach no more and haven't listened in ages. I'm listening to the true oldies 105.9 with the compressed sound on my old GE transistor radio while digging trenches in the back yard. And what gives with the merging of AOL Radio and CBS Radio, here it is only a few days away and nothing about the new line up. I'll miss ya XM!. Get ready for the 20+ minute commercial break on AOL radio? if you listen. I'm King of the douchebag donkey kong or something like that (4/27/08) /\ April 27 Messages /\ \/ April 26 Messages \/ Anyone listen to Phil Wood's baseball show on Saturday morning's on WTEM? Usually he is a very low key, is very knowledgeable about baseball and music, and enjoys talking to his callers. This morning he started out with a rant about how only one person emailed him after he wrote a column in the Examiner (maybe no one reads the Examiner Phil?). Then he continued by complaining that he read a post on some message board where someone wrote that he wore a hair piece. Hey Phil! Don't read the message boards if it gets you that excited. (4/26/08) Regarding the post by Arthur S... Yes, I saw it too. Fox "News" is always good for a few laughs. For them to say "Fair and Balanced" is like the teenage guy telling his girlfriend, "Of coutse I'll respect you in the morning." And, both comments regard the same activity! OK, just with slightly different meanings. I wonder how fast Rupert will cozy up to either Barrack or Hillary when (a) The Bush Administration finally forces Fox TV to ante up the money for those fines. (I'm surprised Rupert didn't realize that paying fines for what he can get away with in other countries is just a part of doing business here!) Perhaps he should think of them as "user fees", a Republican code word for taxes. Or, (b), he reads DCRTV and sees Dave's understatement of the millenium about Bush being "unpopular", and realizes that he's going to have to please a different kind of administration come 1/20/09? The sad thing about American TV news these days, is that so many take it as an accurate and dispassionate description of events. The closest I've found in North America to being "fair and balanced" is the CBC. Unlike the American networks, they've interviewed all of the candidates for President. Even Ron Paul, whom the U.S. networks (Including Fox which is owned by an Australian who became an American citizen by Congressional action, as opposed to naturalization -Yes, there's a difference- solely to meet FCC requirements to become a broadcast licensee.) wrote off as an extremest joke. Oh, yes, I'm a former Republican who became an Independent when the Republicans sold their political souls to a bunch of demonic facists masquarading as Christians. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/26/08) Cuts at NBC Washington - I hear Verdi and Company will be in D.C. this week to look at ways of streamlining the Network News Operation. The group is willing to meet privately with All employees for suggestions and to look for problems. It is starting to look like it is managements turn for the Axe in D.C. (4/26/08) Katie Couric for Larry King? weblogs.newsday.com... I've got some reasonably big Larry King news here, friends, that could well affect the future of one Ms. Katie Couric, so listen up. CNN has just re-upped the septuagenarian newsman to a new deal that will keep him at the network until 2011 - this, first reported on TVnewser.com late yesterday. "Twas expected and re-upping LK to one more contract is NOT "big" news. But this is: King did not secure a guarantee to continue anchoring the 9 p.m. hour, which - I am reliably told - opens the door wide for Couric when she leaves CBS after the inauguration, as she almost certainly will. (4/26/08) I'm King of the douchebag donkey haters! Indubitably (4/26/08) On the John Riggins Show today (Friday) they where talking about the Wizards. John Riggins did not no when the next playoff game was.Kevin Sheehan and Gary Braum had to tell him the next game was Sunday. Come on Riggins, do some home work. Read the paper or go to own web site. Triple X Espn Radio. (4/26/08) Steve Rudin makes my cat meow. Prrrrrrr. (4/26/08) /\ April 26 Messages /\ \/ April 25 Messages \/ Down here in SW Virginia, I am happy to be part of the construction of a new oldies station, set to go on air around May 5th. The owner is a baby boomer from Long Island who had become frustrated listening to the limited playlists of other oldies outlets. They are starting off with a library of thousands of the Top 40 hits spanning four decades. A new Nautel 1kw is now in place, and studios are nearly finished. The plan is to create the sound of early Top 40, and to be very involved in the nearby Smith Mountain Lake community. At this point, there has been a good bit of excitement by local businesses. Certainly, specialized programming can still work for local AM, this is answering the call. Hey Joyce, maybe an extra home for Oldies Block Party come this fall! Tom Conroy www.wslk880.com (4/25/08) Please Mike O'Meara, stop talking politics, stick with the funny. Obama has not been vetted, and now he is finally being criticized. Meanwhile Hillary and McCain have been through the wringer for the past 12 months. Obama is finally getting his chance under the microscope. The fact that his pastor said "Goddamn America" right after 9-11 is a story and is important to the public. (4/25/08) LOL... don't you just love it?!?! The Syrian Amb. comes on to 'explain' this whole Syrian nuclear-reactor thing on FOX'News' = (lol) ... and the second he mentions "Israeli Nuclear Weapons" the cable networks cut away and refuse to mention it/go near that story... Did anyone else notice that??? (outside of the 'national security/intelligence community') I'm just asking...? :-) ~Arthur S.~ (4/25/08) RE: "WHO do you think the "rioters" would be: not the conservative "facists", it would be the Daily Klods, the Huntington Pests, the Demonrat Underground hairy armpit, Birkenstock wearing, tofu eating commies rioting if Obambi don't get the nomination thanks to the Klintoonistas...hopefully the Demonrats will show the good people of fly over country and what's left of rational people in urban areas just what they are really about: hating America, destroying our culture and electing commies." Hey bud -- how's life in 1957? Dave in Sterling (4/25/08) With the Rev. Wright "Goddamn America" clip played over and over, why is the damn bleeped? FCC fears? I remember D&M saying Goddamn a billion times with no problems, and God knows THEY were worried about FCC fines etc. (4/25/08) Rush Limbaugh: "Screw the world, riot in Denver!" www.850koa.com (4/25/08) The TV7 call letters were officially changed to WJLA (standing for owner Joseph L. Albritton) on Monday, June 6, 1977. A two-third's page ad (on p. D12 in the Sports section, below the Golfing news) appeared that day in The Washington Post stating: "A guarantee that your television viewing habits will be completely unchanged by the following announcement: TV-7, formerly known as WMAL-TV 7, will from this day forth be known as WJLA-TV 7. Only our call letters have changed. Everything else at TV7 on your dial remains the same." The guarantee was signed by Tom Cookerly, Executive Vice-President and General Manager. However, guarantee or not, the "Evening Star" era had clearly ended for the occupants of the Chevy Chase Ice Palace. (WMAL-AM & FM had already been sold to ABC in March of '77.) (4/25/08) Dear poster who calls Buzz Burbank "Buzzito" and refers to BO&D as "Big Oh and Dooks" - I don't even know who you are, bro, but I hate your ignoramus postings, and hope you get run over by a whole convoy of tractor-trailers, you donkey douchebag hater (4/25/08) So Michael Isakoff thinks Drudge has lost his edge. Oh please. Drudge has almost six hundred million hits in the last 31 days. He is just another of those people who parrot each other saying Limbaugh, Hannity and others are losing market share. Do they pay him to write that stuff? Just cause you wish it, doesn't make it true. Porter Jervis (4/25/08) Following what another poster had mentioned about the wikipedia articles being up for deletion, particularly Beth-Ann and Big O and Dukes, it doesn't end there. The user who's doing this, (en.wikipedia.org) RTPHokie, is a serial offender. Just check his edits history and you'll see he seems to have an incredibly harsh focus on DC area radio, and even more specifically WJFK. He even has had The Hideout page deleted multiple times, because it doesn't fit with his notion of "notoriety". The good and bad of wikipedia is quite evident here, with the advantage that we can all get a lot more info on a lot more subjects, but if some douche with an agenda decides to get active, he can wreak havoc with very little resistance from the site. - Jason (4/25/08) For your information, I like the Andy and Grandy show of WMAL. I find it very humorous and also informative. Andy is quite funny and I love the way he gets things "going" (4/25/08) Dave's response: I especially like Grandy and Andy doing their Laurel and Hardy show at the Olney Dinner Theater..... Many happy wishes and a tip of the old rabbit ears to our favorite newsbabe Wendy Rieger. Happy birthday, Wendy! Do you think Channel 4 will dump her when her contract runs out (which I think might be later this year) in further cost cutting moves, the way they unceremoniously dumped the rest of their talent? Anyone know where Susan Kidd ended up? (4/25/08) Gina Paige, with African Ancestry, Inc., tracks Allison Seymour's ancestry on Fox 5's Mid Day Show: www.myfoxfld.com... (4/25/08) This appeared in an e-mail newsletter sent out by WMAL (Thursday) - 630 WMAL Uber-Fan "Silvie A. From Waldorf" Defends Chris Plante Silvie's latest "Insider Listener Column" is a blistering reaction to some callers who have labeled our Chris Plante as "racist." To say that she got her dander up would be an understatement. Click HERE to read the column, and remember that you're invited to pen one for us, too... (4/25/08) First of all, the Infinity, Viacom, CBS Radio's coverage of the Ravens and Ravens Draft Day over the past 12 years has always beaten WBAL. It's not that they don't have good people, they JUST DON'T GET IT. It's not about who's got the "Biggest Stick" or who's "Got The Rights"... It's about coverage man. TV guys just don't work as hard as radio guys. WBAL radio guys don't work as hard as CBS minimum wage slaves. Plain and simple. CBS Sports begins coverage at 2pm Saturday on WHFS and 1300 WJFK. When CBS Sports presents the University of Maryland Spring Red-White Football game at 3:30pm, 1300 WJFK's coverage continues until the draft ends - Saturday and Sunday. Hear it on the air and hear it on the stream. At the end of the Maryland Game - Orioles Baseball - O's vs Chicago. Sports on WBAL - Blah Blah Blah. You're as old as the the Ravens upper management... Who don't "Get It" either. (4/25/08) G. Gordon Liddy pontificates about ta-ta's in a "Gordy Shorty": www.youtube.com... Oh, and check out the lovely young lady at :36 secs. (4/25/08) "Dave's response: Limbaugh, who has been campaigning against Barack Obama in favor of Hillary Clinton of late, was heard singing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" on yesterday's show. What's up with that? Hmmm....." Dave, you're drinking the Kool-Ade. Obama's half black and half white. Why does he get to decide he's black? He's a whitey just like me and just like Hillary the lying liar who tells lies, like about her time-travelling name and the Rose Law Firm records, and I'm proud to claim him as a member of the white race. Have you LOOKED at the brother? That right there is a white man. White, white, white. Remember when Eddie Murphy put on whiteface and rode the bus on Saturday Night Live? That's Barack Obismol !!! To be fair and balanced, John McCain REALLY needs to stop saying "My friend". Kick away the verbal crutch, my friend. Caller X. (4/25/08) "Someone at Wikipedia seems to agree with Amy's criticism of Beth Ann McBride as non-notable. Her article there is up for deletion. Everett W. en.wikipedia.org" - Yeah, that's a douche who goes by the name "RTPHOKIE". There's a joke here but it would be in really poor taste. This is the same douche who got the Wikipedia Big O and Dukes page deleted, because they weren't "notable" enough for his douchely tastes. Have I mentioned that this guy is an enormous douche, apparently with no room in his life for anything other than his pursuit of doucheness? And that he knows jackdouche about DC radio? It would be a shame if people decided that RTPHOKIE is a douche. Who knows what could happen. You know what "pests" people can be. Douche. Hey RTPHOKIE, you douche, Summer's Eve called. They need you at the plant. You douche. Biff from Burke (4/25/08) I haven't been mistening hard enough to the new O'Meara show, is Buzzito seperated? Can Jorge start calling in again? I know it ain't itunes but trying to download the podcast from the wjfk site don't seem to work. Made my computer go boom! Oh man, Big Oh and Dooks have that beer expert on the show but then they get corona(the piss of beers) to sponsor their 5th of May partay! (4/25/08) /\ April 25 Messages /\ \/ April 24 Messages \/ If just one Cheap Channel cluster goes silent and nobody is listening to any of the stations, does it really matter? -Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/24/08) A dirtbag mailbagger wrote: "Limbaugh calling for riots at DNC... Don't expect the FCC to go after WMAL, WCBM or any other station that carries this talk-show fascist." First of all, just WHO do you think the "rioters" would be: not the conservative "facists", it would be the Daily Klods, the Huntington Pests, the Demonrat Underground hairy armpit, Birkenstock wearing, tofu eating commies rioting if Obambi don't get the nomination thanks to the Klintoonistas. Rush's "Operation Chaos" is working, alive & well, thank God, and hopefully the Demonrats will show the good people of fly over country and what's left of rational people in urban areas just what they are really about: hating America, destroying our culture and electing commies. (4/24/08) Couldn't disagree more with the Caps poster. The post game show on 3WT is a thousand times better than when the games were on WTEM and Comcast Sportnet's coverage since training camp was terrific. And Pollin and Czaban, in fact, didn't jump on the Caps bandwagon until the playoffs and even then their "coverage" was superficial and lame. But Pollin and Czaban are going to have to read that "Idiot's Guide to Hockey" I sent them because we've seen that hockey CAN be big in this town and, from the looks of this Caps team, will be. (4/24/08) Before being moved by parent Amway to Virginia, (a "Right-To-Work" state), in an effort to curb labor costs, the Mutual Broadcasting System ("Your network for news and sports") spent a number of years in the National Press Building at 14th and F Streets, NW. In the 1960s, MBS operated out of the Sheraton-Park Hotel in fashionable, uptown DC. Does anyone recall if MBS occupied the identical facilities at the Sheraton-Park that had been home to NBC/WRC before the Red Network moved to 4001 Neb Ave in 1958? (4/24/08) Limbaugh calling for riots at DNC... Don't expect the FCC to go after WMAL, WCBM or any other station that carries this talk-show fascist. www.thedenverchannel.com..... (7News/The Denver Channel, KMGH-TV) (4/24/08) Dave's response: Limbaugh, who has been campaigning against Barack Obama in favor of Hillary Clinton of late, was heard singing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" on yesterday's show. What's up with that? Hmmm..... Why do you call Fox News Channel "allegedly right-leaning?" Start with Roger Ailes. Add and mix in Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, John Gibson, Sean Hannity, Karl Rove, Newt Gingrich, Frank Luntz, Sean Hannity, Britt Hume, Dennis Miller, Oliver North, Sean Hannity. Dude, it doesn't get any more right than that. Yes, I know, they throw in the occasional libs - wimpy Alan Colmes, who is clearly second fiddle on his own show, Bob Shrum, Susan Estrich and a few others. But, c'mon, right is right is right. (4/24/08) Dave's response: Just trying to be fair and balanced..... "If Channel 4 and NBC are so concerned with ''going green'' and beating us over the head with conservation, why are they sending Matt Lauer all over the world..." On a more local note, the Loudoun Times-Mirror celebrated Earth Day by having thousands of copies of its papers, wrapped in plastic bags, flung into the yards of residences and businesses, as it does every Wednesday. The Times-Mirror is a free paper and is delivered where ever they decide to deliver it, whether you want to receive it or not. Last night I drove home from work to the weekly sight of bagged newspapers laying all over the streets...each of them containing five separate stories of varying length about Earth Day. Stupid is as stupid does, I guess. (4/24/08) Today Mike O'Meara informed his remaining staff that the Manassas restaurant is now closed... No word on if this is a permanent closure or part of a brokered agreement with the Virginia ABC. (4/24/08) Clear Channel 'can't figure it out' ? Huh, I wonder who is left to figure it out. I don't know who is even left in engineering there since they have had people leave and get let go. Most of the folks I know are long gone and are happier in their new places. Who's still there ? (4/24/08) Dave's response: I hear that DC101's Whitney is doing the chief engineering duties until they can find a replacement for Shaun..... “Think – ‘commercial college radio’” Check out Bonneville’s iChannel on WTOP-HD2. It’s about the closest you’ll find to true college radio on a commercial signal (although HD side channels don’t yet have true commercials). Some of the bands are quite good, others aren’t…but they put it all out there and let the listener decide. –Brian (4/24/08) If Channel 4 and NBC are so concerned with ''going green'' and beating us over the head with conservation, why are they sending Matt Lauer all over the world with that stupid ''Where in the world is Matt Lauer''? Isn't that wasteful? Just a thought. Paul (4/24/08) About the CC Blackouts-I heard that times are tight and they have decided to sign off each day for an hour to save energy. Or, like your front page said-they just can't figure it out (much like how to program a good sounding station). (4/24/08) Friend of Jill's. The Mutual digs in Crystal City were at a building that had, at that time the address of 1755 S. Jefferson Davis Hwy.... Mutual was one of the first tenants of the building. It was between 15th and 18th streets and where you exit the Crystal City metro...directly to the street...that dirty brown looking building. It occupied the 12th and 11th floors. (4/24/08) Re: your rant -- "Hey, if these businesses want to teens to leave, why not just play WMAL's righty talk on those speakers." Okay, Rush and Sean are only the #1 and #2 hottest talk show hosts in the country. Levin enjoys a meteoric rise in ratings and affiliates and the local WMAL hosts enjoy solid fan bases & loyal listenership. Oh My Ears!!! -Silvie- (4/24/08) Speaking of Comcast...I just moved here from Bethany Beach. People ask why the hell would I want to do that... anywho...I had Mediacom Cable. While it wasn't the greatest, they had good customer service and at least their channels came across in Stereo-plus their Internet NEVER dropped. Now, I have Comcast. It seems every day between 11am and 2pm, the Internet is GONE. The TV channels are not in HD, or even Stereo. I have a new flatscreen HD TV--not cheap. Hell, it worked fine in DE-now that I am in Howard Co, it seems not to want to work (hahaha). Oh, and I am also paying double for two products, cable and Internet. It seems that I am paying for something that barely works. The worst is, Verizon is not ready in my part of town yet-so I have no choice! I've called them, and got someone who barely spoke English telling me that my TV is messed. Nope--it is a $2500 set...and WHY would that have an impact on my INTERNET. Jesus....Comcast and Customer Service-two words that don't belong in the same sentence! (4/24/08) Could the popularity of Mike's new show via pod cast be related to the fact that the suits made the stupid decision to not run it on certain stations, like 105.7 in Baltimore? Hell, if they take it off every station it'll shoot straight to number one. Although, I do like Norris. Wish they could find a way to accommodate both programs. (4/24/08) Just a point of clarification: iTunes' iPod rankins are based only on *new* subscriptions over some preceding period. It does not mean that it has the 9th most number of listeners over any period of time. Because the Mike O'Meara show is podcast on a brand new feed, it's really not that suprising that it would have a bunch of new subscribers in the last 10 days. The vast majority (all of them?) were probably D&M subscribers that want the new podcast as well. I wish the new show well, but the iTunes ranking does not really indicate any new buzz. Once all the old D&M podcast listeners get signed up for the new feed, the Mike O'Meara Show is likely never to show up in the iTunes top list again. Jeremy (4/24/08) Jill, where exactly was the old Mutual facility in Crystal City back in the day? Which building, how many floors, what is there now, etc. Something of a broadcast legacy continues today in that part of town, as the Connecticut School maintains a nice-sized divot of floorspace just off 23rd St. (4/24/08) Long time wackpacker/actor/comic Kenneth Keith Kallenbach dead at 39 - www.philly.com... Philly Mike (4/24/08) Here’s a tip Hughs…..or should I cal you Chaunce? Try printing ALL the pertinent responses/info for once. Opie said much more meaningful things in response to the article yesterday, but of course your paragraph containing the one quote makes Hayden sound as if he actually is on to something….for ONCE. He’s always been a hack, but then again, you actually run a “battle of media hotties”. Oooof. Enough said. (4/24/08) I thought I saw Rupert Murdoch on Comcast's homepage last night. But, it was only Jimmy Carter. Funny how those two old men who each think they are the conscience of the world resemble each other! (4/24/08) Dave's response: Rosie O'Donnell and Rush Limbaugh - brother and sister? Want to talk to Larry King? He's on the Jim Bohannon Show tonight, 1106PM til12 Midnight, and heard locally over 3WT Radio, 107.7-FM and 1500-AM. 1-866-50-JIMBO. (4/24/08) I find it very cool that the "Mike O'Meara Show" has the #10 podcast slot at iTunes....congratulations! I was a little skeptical about the show at first, but like tons of other former D&M listeners, find it to be even better than the previous incarnation. Way to go Mike et al...keep up the great work. Oh yeah...you need to put a couple of updated pictures in your WJFK photo album of Beth Ann and the "twins"...inquiring minds are dying to see! (4/24/08) "I’ve come to like the new Mike O’Meara show but I cannot stand the cackling of Beth Ann McBride. Her overreaction to Mike talking about going to the Australian embassy today was enough for me to turn off the show. She adds nothing to the show. Amy" MEOW (4/24/08) Re: ("Scott Van Pelt has been named permanent co-host of ESPN Radio's Mike Tirico show ... I wouldn't be surprised if Bram Weinstein gets some part time radio work on the four letter network in addition to his upcoming TV duties.) Bram? Alongside the marvelous and legitimately talented Van Pelt? Uh, I hope not. I can't stand that douchebag. His arrogant sideline reporter shtick makes me want to vomit all over my shoes. Blecck. (4/24/08) Dave - First and foremost, I love my Capitals and am very, very glad they grabbed whatever coverage wherever and whenever they could get it over the course of this special season. Secondly, please, stop taking Mike in Fairfax's word as THE word. He is horribly uninformed and clearly knows little because his intake is so limited in scope. The guy has a boner for Czaban and Pollin and never writes anything different. Do they have their faults? Sure. Then don't listen. I think they're a trip and, having followed the team since the late 1970s, certainly relate to Czabe's old school Cap fandom. For the record, Coach Boudreau was with 980 since he came aboard in November. He established a rapport with the Thompson show. I also heard the same with Riggins and Triple X. Throughout the season I also noted GM George McPhee with Doc Walker and on a fairly regular basis. Players appeared on 'TEM throughout the season. Point is, if one is going to criticize what's wrong, on e should praise what was right. Generalizing with a statement of "For whatever reason, sports talk radio was much slower to embrace the Caps story than TV outlets like CSN and Channels 4, 5, 7 and 9" is really quite ignorant when the radio stations were absolutely plugging along throughout the season. Obviously, listeners can't listen all of the time. Apparently Mike, and others, just missed it but chose to act as if those segments never happened. The TV angle is interesting as, apparently, Ted Leonsis is now running Comcast SportsNet (as well he should be as his team was THE story). While most of their coverage of the Capitals was excellent, some was downright homer-ish and comically over the top in it's fawning nature with regard to the team. My hope is those reporters/anchors in those questionable positions will get a good look at themselves on the Tivo and realize what shills they have become. One more note on the radio side, if you'll allow me, Jon Warner on Post Radio is very polite. He knows how to agree with callers. He knows how to side only with the team. What doesn't he know? Hockey. It shows. His partner, that Steve Ray gentleman, would be better served to mute his own microphone. Clearly he is in love with the sound of his own voice. I hate to say it, but as Steve Kolbe has improved on the play by play side, the postgame shows for the Caps have deteriorated and quickly. This season was a boring, new low. Great site and thanks for the forum. (4/24/08) "Customer Service," is a misnomer at Comcast. More like "Customer Disposal." Anybody dialing them up is assumed to be a) a deadbeat, or b) a technical idiot. Whatever the case, they can only reset your cable box remotely, when possible, or roll a truck. Obvious problems at the head end can go for a very long time undetected because there is no routine procedure for monitoring what is being sent out. That's like launching astronauts in a Shuttle that may or may not be leaking hydrogen. Even at a nuclear power plant they take readings periodically. Quality assurance. Six sigma. MBA. Never touched the lips of Comcast management. (4/24/08) Oh man , them pinheads at Lifetime cable tv have removed D.C. area resident Denise Austin's exercise show in the mornings. Sucks! Hey Jamie Lee Curtis how come Ms. Austin can look so good at 51 and you're letting yourself go? channel 20 ran the Seinfeld episode the other night in which Kramer goes too meet the family of his black girlfriend after getting a whopper of a tan. Isn't it ironic or something I'd take reruns of Seinfeld anytime over King of Queens or Everybody Loves Raymond, yet I get feeling Seinfeld is being phased out. Of course, I'd rather watch reruns of Barney Miller and/or The Odd Couple over the exceedingly dull King of Queens. I hate you TVLand et al! And what's the deal with Kelly Ripa doing ads for Electrolux appliances(i didn't even know they existed anymore, exactly) when she doesn't even cook. But there is this stand up at Best Buy I saw other day of kelly anorexia bending over the range. Something about that pose. But then again you can doctor photos. right larry? (4/24/08) Someone at Wikipedia seems to agree with Amy's criticism of Beth Ann McBride as non-notable. Her article there is up for deletion. Everett W. en.wikipedia.org (4/24/08) Dear Dave, I was talking with some former co-workers who were with me at the Crystal City location of NBC Radio/Mutual News/Westwood One when CBS shut us down ten years ago. (Such a horrible fate for an amazing crew of people) We realized the tenth anniversary of the shutdown is coming up in August and we're hoping to hold a reunion. I've set up an email account in the hope that the folks who were on staff at the time would write in and let us know how to reach them. Could you give it a mention so we can get the ball rolling? The email addy is mutualreunion@yahoo.com. The password is "karmazin" if anyone feels like reading in. Thanks so much! Jill Nado, NBC/Mutual/Westwoodian Survivor (4/24/08) /\ April 24 Messages /\ \/ April 23 Messages \/ Special love and congratulations to the Merson Person! Ken, my sister Judy (who is a nurse at Upper Chespeake Hospital in Harford County)gave me the wonderful news that you are a grandfather. I know you are already showering that little lady with love. Judy told me you are a classy guy, but we already knew that. By the way, if all goes well, I will be chatting with the Electric Prunes this weekend on "Oldies Block Party". They are coming to the Rams Head in Annapolis next month. Have a great evening and once again, congrats Ken! You are one of my inspirations. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (4/23/08) Dave's response: Congrats Ken! Does anyone remember back to when WBAL radio hosts complained over the Orioles/CBS Radio exclusivity deal restricting access to Orioles executives? I guess exclusivity isn't such a bad thing for WBAL now when the roles are reversed. Funny that. Everett W. (4/23/08) I love the Grandy and Andy Morning Show and typically listen to it until I "achieve", after which I usually switch to WJFK. But the Andy Parks commercials for Ruth's Chris Steak House are offputting. I know he's not obese, but he SOUNDS obese, and listening to him describe his menu, the petit filet with crab legs, sweet potato casserole and broccoli au gratin ("au gratin" is French for "icky") followed by banana cream pie, I can't help imagining the disaster that is his bathroom later in the day. I like steak, crab legs, and sweet potatoes, but YUCK! Biff from Burke (4/23/08) May sweeps begin tomorrow... Wonder if WTTG FOX5 will make the HD switch before the end of this month...? (4/23/08) Dave's response: The hell with WTTG HD news. My suggestion for Fox5 - Will Thomas shirtless..... Tell you what. I've been a Caps fan for a long time and I'm amazed at how the team caught on with the local media, both print and electronic, over the past several months. This is a case, however, where the media caught up with the fans, not the other way around. The Caps have been drawing over 17,000 people per game since January, but the media really just jumped on board in March. I don't think it is just the winning either that has caused the fan, and media, excitement. It is the winning with a once in a generation player like Ovechkin and a bunch of other charismatic young guys along with a frumpy career minor league coach and the the best sports owner in town. Too bad the story is over for now, but odds are that this will become an annual event for a long time. This team looks special. (4/23/08) I’ve come to like the new Mike O’Meara show but I cannot stand the cackling of Beth Ann McBride. Her overreaction to Mike talking about going to the Australian embassy today was enough for me to turn off the show. She adds nothing to the show. Amy (4/23/08) "Dave's response: The item was lifted from - and credited to - FMQB....." ---Context Dave...You obviously did not HEAR the clip of Opie mentioning Bam and his Sirius show....Context....What was being said there was not a bash on Bam...but more Opie trying to comprehend why Margera would sell it...And in doing that, he himself did not think Margera would...Bottom line is this...The front page blurb saying "AT Bam" is incorrect. Lifted or not, FMQB makes no reference that there was any venom AT Margera. (4/23/08) Dave's response: I do not have Sirius, although I have approached them many times about trading a receiver for an ad..... Hey, Mister "What's up with WTOP? Normally, they have sound editorial judgment, and allow factual, non-sensational "experts" on phone-in commentaries." 4/23 mailbag. You can't be serious. WTOP is the SELF-PROCLAIMED "all news" station (billing $60m+/year) but WTOP DOES NOT DISCLOSE that the "experts" it interviews on subjects ranging from current events to meaningless fluff represent publications that PAY WTOP in the range of $100,000/year for the exposure. Politico.com, Men's Health, Washingtonian, Travel + Leisure___ you name it. Do you think it's a coincidence that WTOP does phoners with THE SAME PUBLICATIONS EVERY WEEK, all the time? Ever wonder why WTOP NO LONGER INTERVIEWS "experts" from "The Hill" and NOW INTERVIEWS "experts" from Politico.com? Politico cut a "CATEGORY EXCLUSIVE" deal. EVERY WTOP on-air interview is of questionable integrity because of the PAY-FOR-PLAY deals that WTOP accepts. Dave: If anyone at WTOP denies that WTOP cuts deals for interviews (by the way, pick up a copy of a print version of Politico.com or Washingtonian and you can see WTOP barter ads which are an element of the deal), ask them to make the denial public and in writing, and cc: Howard Kurtz and Frank Ahrens at The Washington Post. It is an UNDENIABLE fact that WTOP cuts deals for undisclosed paid "news" interviews. Isn't Farley a DCRTV reader? Mailbag writer: You are sadly gullible or are trying to fool us. --An Insider with Proof (4/23/08) Good lord, of course WBAL will be the only station live from the Ravens complex....they are the freakin' rights holders. No one else is allowed to go live from the facility. I know you post press releases from time to time, but jeez...this is like calling water "wet" or fire "hot". (4/23/08) Dave, Seems like you may have been right about Leykis the other day. I heard him on JFK this afternoon. It sounded a lot like an annoucement. Is it official yet? Great site - Troy (4/23/08) Regarding no sound on The Weather Channel...was the local on the 8s forecast working during that time. Because as I understand it, if something goes wrong with the computer that controls the local forecast, one of the tell-tale signs to get some attention is to kill the sound. I noticed no sound on our Weather Channel one Saturday about 11 a.m. (it has been that way since 1-2 a.m., IIRC) and called Comcast, was on hold for nearly an hour but I figured what the hell, got nothing else to do. When I told the person on the other end what was wrong, they asked me a bunch of questions about my service, I guess in an attempt to see if it was only a problem for me. About half an hour later, walla, local forecast was back and so was the sound. Charles in Winchester (4/23/08) Invitation only , this invite was fwd to so many people who were not invited, anyone could of gone to the CC DC Reunion! Why do you think some did not show up? Could the reason be BZ? Rick K (4/23/08) Come on Dave....Normally I value your news blurbs for their accuracy...but you are WAY off base on the whole Opie/Margera blurb....Having heard Opie's rant this morning, his issue is not with Bam Margera...It is with his former producer Ben Sparks, NY Post columnist/Stern cronie Chauncey Hayden...and the NY Post itself....At no point did Opie spew any venom towards Margera....Gotta call you out on this one... (4/23/08) Dave's response: The item was lifted from - and credited to - FMQB..... www.autobloggreen.com... To help kick off "Green Week," NBC is taking the wraps off its new eco-friendly satellite truck on the Monday edition of the Today show. The New York-based SUV that the studio calls its "mean green streaming machine" will strut its stuff for viewers before being pressed into service to help MSNBC cover the Pennsylvania primary tomorrow. Using a white and green Ford Escape hybrid as a platform, the vehicle incorporates three deep cycle batteries that can operate the satellite and cell phone video technology for 5 to 6 hours. When a recharge is needed, solar panel mats are rolled out and wind turbines hoisted to avoid running the engine as a generator like a typical satellite truck might. At $100,000, this vehicle is also much less expensive than the $500,000 spent for those usually used to transmit live feeds and it runs at 20 amps instead of 60. NBC is planning all kinds of different "green" programming this week from Darryl Hannah showing off organic skate boards on "Last Call with Carson Daly" to Dateline reporting on the melting snow in the mountains of Bolivia. This won't be the only "green week" at NBC however as two more are already being planned. According to B-Roll users... I cringed when I saw the live feed from this truck if you want to call it that. I agree that if the pixelization wasn't bad enough the out of sync audio was enough to make me change the channel. If it is not coming from Iraq, breaking and/or compelling footage just don't show it at all. Why don't they just do Ku-band instead? - Jonathan - Athens Georgia (4/23/08) What's with all the bashing of KMS (WHFS morning show). They may not be living up to what they once were over on 98 Rock, but they are much better than the morning show on 100.7 The Bay. Now that will put you to sleep! Does anyone have the morning show ratings for Baltimore? It would be interesting to see the breakdown. My guess would be the top shows are on 92-Q, WPOC and 98 Rock, just from what I can tell. JS (4/23/08) Dave's response: Still, no one comes close to "Crazy Dave" Durian spinning the platters on the Big 1090..... WBAL Radio is the ONLY STATION that will be live from Ravens' War Room on NFL Draft Day, Saturday , April 26. WBAL Radio’s coverage begins at 12:00PM. In addition to the live coverage from Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, WBAL Radio will also be live from the NFL's draft headquarters in New York and the Raven's Spring Festival at M&T Bank Stadium. Listen as WBAL's Steve Davis, Stan White, Gerry Sandusky, Keith Mills and Peter Schmuck cover the draft from every angle with in-depth analysis They will have live exclusive interviews with Ravens' GM Ozzie Newsome, Director of College Scouting Eric DeCosta, Head Coach John Harbaugh, Sr. Vice President Kevin Byrne, Director of Player Development O.J. Brigance and many others. (4/23/08) The reason for CNN news at the top of hour and Shamrock at the bottom is to give listeners an excuse for listening. You know, Like, I read the magazine for the articles. I listen to HFS for my news. That’s a lot more believable than to say you listen to KMS for entertainment reasons. Not only do these guys have the easiest radio job in Baltimore, They also have the least entertaining show in Baltimore. Hello, are the Junkie still out there? KMS = Killing Me Slowly. Thank God for the buzzer on my alarm clock. Elkridge Steve (4/23/08) Scott Van Pelt (who grew up in the DC area) has been named permanent co-host of ESPN Radio's Mike Tirico show, which airs 1-3 PM on the Red Zebra stations. Not only that, but starting in early May he'll go solo in the 3 PM hour (the timeslot recently vacated by Stephen A. Smith). I wouldn't be surprised if Bram Weinstein gets some part time radio work on the four letter network in addition to his upcoming TV duties. Now that the Capitals season has ended with last night's loss to the Flyers, the question is whether local media outlets will continue to pay more attention to the team next season or go back to their old ways of treating it like an afterthought. For whatever reason, sports talk radio was much slower to embrace the Caps story than TV outlets like CSN and Channels 4, 5, 7 and 9. WTEM and RZ eventually came around to some extent, but only after getting negative feedback from listeners (Al Koken said on the John Thompson show that "you keep telling us we don't talk enough hockey so now we're doing so"). I think 980's Sports Reporters provided exactly one Caps related interview (with Craig Laughlin) during the entire series - and Andy Pollin had to be talked into doing it. Not only that, but both he and Steve Czaban made egregious factual errors regarding the team during their 'Caps Nation' phone segments. By contrast, the postgame call-in show on the stations carrying the games was outstanding - 3WT's Jonathan Warner and Steve Ray really sounded knowledgeable and showed genuine enthusiasm for the Capitals. Mike, Fairfax (4/23/08) Nice of Zier and Wyatt to show up at the CC reunion last night. It is a bit ironic that the two people who created Frankenstein visited the village after the monster destroyed the village. Then again, what else do they have going on! (4/23/08) Two nights ago, after the Caps won game 6 against the Flyers, I turned on channel 5 news at 10 to see highlights. When they went to Dave Feldman in Philly, around 10:15, the image was stretched, making Dave look short, squatty and fat. What gives? Is this what happens to suckers like me, who own NTSC sets, in the HDTV era? Christian (4/23/08) re: "Since Comcast is in the news again. Did anyone else notice that Comcast in Southern PG had no sound on The Weather Channel for over a week, including the period of bad storms and tornado warnings? What's the deal, do they only check what they are transmitting once every 10 days or so? Or do they figure nobody watches TWC? Also, Comcast keeps showing slides on TWC saying it is on channel 21B. They dropped the B cable a decade ago, and moved TWC off 21 nearly a decade before that. I guess the one and only thing at which they are really competent is raising rates." I tried to email them about this problem and they were more interested in getting my address and account which was unnecessary. Does anyone else have problems with 4 and 7 (stripes, venetian blind effect)? Lee in Forestville (4/23/08) Dave's response: Here's what you need to do. Find the e-mail address of the head technical person at your Comcast system. And then tell him directly about the problems you're having. Going through the official customer service route usually does little good..... As an FYI, on the FOX blogsite, there's a response from the webmaster that Diane Roberts has decided to pursue other freelance careeer options. So, guess that means she's gone. (4/23/08) Sorry to hear about Tony Snow being hospitalized. He's been through so much with his colon cancer and it seemed like he was back on the road to recovery and had a a new gig. Wishing him the best. (4/23/08) Dave's response: Even though I disagree with Tony on just about everything, I wish him the very best, too. Back when he was doing a radio show for Fox, I ran a blurb saying that WMAL was thinking about carrying him. Got a phone call from Tony at 7 AM one morning and he gave me his comments. Great guy..... RE: the Eric Sevareid stamp -- Let's call it a draw, Dave & person-who-wrote-it's-42-cents... Both of you are right, technically. Dave's image of the stamp comes from the Postal Service preview which was done last year of the journalists series, and is still floating around the net, including on some USPS pages. BUT---since then, the 1-cent increase to take effect in May was agreed to, and when the stamps were released this week, they were adjusted to the upcoming price, 42. It is possible that some journalist stamps were printed early showing 41, but they would not be official. AP Story www.iht.com (4/23/08) Can someone please explain to me who at WHFS thinks we want to hear CNN news for 10 minutes at the top of every hour, a news report from Shamrock at the bottom of every hour and traffic/weather reports every 15 minutes? This is absolutely nuts! If I want news/traffic/weather, I'll tune into WTOP or WCBM or WBAL, etc. Kirk and Mark have the easiest radio gig in Baltimore right now, they're only on the air for about 20 minutes an hour! I miss Howard Stern, Miles and Thrill, and Don & Mike, hell I miss the real WHFS. Pathetic suits making pathetic decisions I guess, but it really sucks. And they wonder why people are abandoning radio for iPods and satellite? One word...content. Greg in Reisterstown (4/23/08) Re: "...when they go to other markets, they think those cities are great..." Remember that rankings like InfiniteDial's are relative; being #7 in a pile of s#!t doesn't mean #1 isn't a turd. If the grass is really always greener, I think that means that people are tired of what's on the air; radio is very static, stale, and repetitive and anything different sounds great. I'm hoping that reports of a major CBS shakeup locally are true; I don't care if they throw out the baby (if there even is one) along with the bathwater, just give us something new. (4/23/08) Dave's response: "947HFS." Think - "commercial college radio" merged with freeform HFS, back in the day..... Re: "Comcast keeps showing slides on TWC saying it is on channel 21B. They dropped the B cable a decade ago, and moved TWC off 21 nearly a decade before that..." Are you sure you're not a subscriber to Washington Post Cable? (4/23/08) Just a comment about a previous quote re the CC gathering: "...you can only get in if you remember your prophet password...". For the uninitiated, "Prophet" is the broadcast automation/storage system owned by Clear Channel and used by many of its stations. It is NOT some bearded fortune-teller with a crooked stick and a crystal ball who told you not to accept a job with CC in the first place; lest you end up a Class-A dick, unemployed, and attending some future gathering of other ex-CCers. (4/23/08) There is no harder working radioshow on JHVH-1's green Earth than Big O and Dukes. From reading about them on this site during the Baltimore period, I was planning on hating them, mainly because it's fun to hate, but these are two guys who consistently get the job done on a day to day basis, going above and beyond. STalk of Corn! Horses in the Kitchen! Chad's father giving him the "purple velvet bag"! Five hours a day, encyclopedic knowledge, a producer who somehow seems to consistently book good guests, nonstop meet the listeners, playing hurt. Michael Hughes, does the phrase "pay my daddy more money" mean anything to you? Get it done. No, no discussion, get it done. MORE MONEY. Do you really know what you have here? Trust a mid-40s listener with a bit of discretionary income on this one. I'm a longtime fan of Don and Mike, now the Mike O'Meara show which is kicking ass, and the Junkies from their weekend startup, not so much Jim Rome... he's not local or live, and basically just talks and reads pretend emails--- "war, Rome!" what is THAT nonsense? I wants me some Chad War Machine Mackey/Dukes and that Mexican guy... yes, I know he's supposedly Bolivian... I kid because I love. Mama Santana is a saint and Papa Santana is the God of War.... and he likes his side of the bed cool, know'm sayin', Oscar? I'm sure Chad would agree with me that the best line EVER in the Shield was when Vic told Kavanaugh "Your wife's [hoo-ha] tastes like sweet butter." Michael Hughes, get it done. Feel the Force. Know your role. There is no "Try". Caller X (4/23/08) Did I see Don Geronimo in a senate car insurance tv commercial yesterday? And wonder where were Wally and Danny at that Roger Mudd book party? Say did the dude who kept bringing up Ms. Dhindsa's cleavage on air here on the dcrtv message broad hit a home run. Way to go tiger! Hey but I kid. Of course you have a shot with a hot news babe, not! I'm having a hard time finding those My Space pages for Beth Ann, I heard she has posted a picture of her in slacks walking away from the camera, Robbay's and Buzzito's tambien. Hey O'Meara why you keep brushing off the Grate Tom Gavin? You folks haven't noticed the occasional O'Meara esplosion over some silly little thing this week. He realizing this gig involves more work than he thought. (4/23/08) /\ April 23 Messages /\ \/ April 22 Messages \/ “Jim Williams strikes again: " CAPS - FLYERS on CSN at 7pm (nationally on Versus)" Boston-Montreal is on Versus right now. Somebody get him a TV Guide.” – isn’t that because the versus broadcast of the caps was blacked out locally??? --- No. Versus does not have regional coverage of games. It shows one game nationally at a time, sometimes from a Canadian network feed. NBC (for some reason) isn't doing regional coverage either. I'm not sure what happened at the bar a pervious poster was talking about with Monday's Caps game on Versus. It wasn't. As soon as Boston won Saturday, Versus announced it was showing Boston-Montreal instead of the originally scheduled Caps-Flyers. (4/22/08) I apologize for misunderstanding that Howard Kurtz's Washington Post article was about the original New York Times article. -- Carl in Olney (4/22/08) What’s up with WTOP? Normally, they have sound editorial judgment, and allow factual, non-sensational “experts” on phone-in commentaries. This morning (4/22) at about 7:52 was an exception. Instead of a well-reasoned discussion about the increase in food prices, we were treated to a one-sided diatribe about how ethanol will be responsible for food shortages here in the U.S.A, and the failure of biofuels. The delivery was tantamount to inferring that the grocery stores here in the U.S.A. will be bare because some farmland is being turned over to ethanol, as opposed to food crops. The real kicker was that both Mike and Bruce let the segment get totally out of their control, tit was painfully obvious. Whoever was at the editor’s desk this morning was really hoodwinked! WTOP should know by now that repeated stunts like that could sully the otherwise sterling reputation that WTOP has acquired by the hard work of everybody on-staff. The “expert” on world food issues that WTOP carried this morning would’ve been more fitting at 630 (Whose staff and management were no doubt laughing at the pratfall!) on the “Chris Plante Show”, as opposed to the station that is regarded as “Washington’s News Station”. For a brief tarnished moment, WTOP sounded like the broadcast journalism equivalent of that august paragon of print journalism, “The Weekly World News”. Ladies and gentlemen of WTOP, please let that be one of your rare examples of editorial misjudgment. And, not a first step into the tempting cesspool of irresponsible broadcasting. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (4/22/08) The CC reunion will be tracked...and you can only get in if you remember your prophet password and lifelong clearchannel employee number. Signed: 10162994 (4/22/08) Regarding DC being the 7th best radio market, it’s funny how it seems like every city I go to, the people there bitch and moan about how their radio stations suck, yet when they go to other markets, they think those cities are great. Anecdotal evidence: when I worked in Philly, many people in the biz there complained about what a shitty radio market it was, but how DC and even Baltimore were really hot, with stations like DC101 WPGC & WJFK, and why can’t we have great stations like them? Here in DC, so many posters in this Mailbag whine about what crappy radio markets DC & Baltimore are, and why can’t we have cool stations like WXPN and Wired in Philly? It really is comical. I guess the grass is always greener. (4/22/08) Hi Just a quick note to let you know that the Eric Sevareid is a 42c stamp, not a 41c! (4/22/08) Dave's response: Cool. So, how come the image of the stamp shows it as a 41-cent denomination? Don't you guys just LUV this whole thing about HILARY in the last debate saying the US would come to Israel's defense if it was ever hit by an Iranian nuclear strike... DUH... THE LAST TIME I CHECKED (as a "National Intelligence Officer") THE STATE OF ISRAEL HAD 200+ NUCLEAR WEAPONS! So why the hell should we ever have to defend Israel??? I LOVE THE FACT THAT THE 'MEDIA' NEVER-NEVER BRINGS THIS FACT UP WHEN THEY HAVE THESE SO-CALLED "FOREIGN POLICY/DEFENSE" EXPERTS ON... -WHY WILL NO ONE IN AMERICA EVER MENTION ISRAELI NUKES??? :-) ~Arthur S.~ p.s. where can one send HATE email to 105.7 in Baltimore? (when at Langley-Camp Perry I remember "WHFS" as being a GREAT rock-alt station for DC/VA...) (4/22/08) RE: WHOOPSIES Please I promise to stop acting like the 15 year old that THE TEACHER said I was and I'll agree to stop being so childish and being A big fan of the GREASEMAN"s as long as you come up with a new handle or signature. WHOOPSIE sounds like something my depends do when they're full. HEY teacher,just in case you're wondering which I know you're not. I too am A survivor of CLEAR CHANNEL. Not here in D.C. but on two coast's and I enjoyed your banter. Taking it light in bethesda. Sippin' on a cold one. MARK......... (4/22/08) Dave, I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the DC radio market; how can this market be rated as No. 7 for listeners when there are so many disenfranchised listeners. B T W if anyone would like to hear an excellent commerical jazz radio station out of Berlin, Germany; try jazzradio.net. It is a nice mix of various styles of jazz. Too bad we don't have anything like this in the States; the home of jazz! Armando (4/22/08) Dave's response: Try BBC's Radio Six at www.bbc.co.uk/6music. It puts the Globe to shame..... Re: that InfiniteDial ranking of DC as #7 for radio listeners: The first thing I noticed is that the brief for DC is a few months old and two of the reasons for a high ranking (Chris Core and smooth jazz on WJZW) are no longer part of the scene. Maybe more, too, but I don't find much reason to listen to the radio these days. (4/22/08) "Should Be Interesting?" Boy Dave, that's some real inside information you got your hands on. Who needs Shaun Sandoval when tidbits like that are so easily smuggled out of the building? (4/22/08) Dave's response: From Bennett using an "Alice" moniker? Lighten UP, WHOOPSIES! Mark gave me a good, creative comeback. It was funny. And, if I can take it, you should... oh, well, with a name like WHOOPSIES, whaddya expectorate? Re: CC Reunion. Damn, as a "Survivor," I wish I was there. Although, shouldn't the the thing have been held at a major stadium to accomodate all of the Cheap Channel victims? Sincerely, Marckx's Teacher (4/22/08) Sen. Barack Obama made a surprise appearance on DC-based XM Satellite Radio's all-politics station POTUS '08 today during a live remote at Pat's Steaks in Philadelphia. As XM's Joe Mathieu and Rebecca Roberts were talking about the prospects for Obama and Hillary Clinton in tonight's Pennsylvania primary election with ABC News' Cokie Roberts, Obama's motorcade pulled up, the senator hopped out, ordered a sandwich, and grabbed the XM mike. Obama talked for 10 minutes about the economy and the upcoming primairies in Indiana and North Carolina, then hopped back in his car. PICTURED: Barack Obama, XM producer Cameron Gray (with mike), and Cokie Roberts. (4/22/08) Radio One's stock has gone from $16 to $1 (as of today) - not $6.74 (4/22/08) Dave's response: Those numbers were quoted from Radio Business Report, as credited in the newsblurb..... So Glad to hear Glen back... but "After Hours" was the creation of WASH PD Steve Streit... Steve created the love song show in Orlando at Magic with host Stan Reynolds ..called there "Magic After Dark" . It was a hit there and a hit here when Steve came to program WASH and brought Stan here to do the show. Sadly Stan passed away much too soon and Glen was hired to replace him...It was and still is a great concept. (4/22/08) I live in Urbana, and I walked into a frame shop with a friend of mine. I heard the owner say can I help you? It sounded so familiar.... Then we started talking, I said your Glenn Hollis. My friend said who? I said he hosted a GREAT "AFTER HOURS" show on WASH FM 2-3 years ago. Glenn Hollis said that's me. He was so good I haven't forgotten his voice. WAY to GO Glenn I look forward to hearing you. By the way, my friend Dave will tune in as well :) Still have to go back and get something framed.... I keep forgetting........... Patricia lenahan (4/22/08) "Off-topic"... but a perhaps point of interest: It wasn't just Copeland's on Rockville Pike that recently met its demise, Al Copeland himself was felled by cancer this past Easter Sunday. Alvin C. Copeland (1944-2008) who created the Popeye's Fried Chicken chain, designed "Copeland's of New Orleans" as his bid for a new upscale family eatery. He was quite a character. Whenever one of his grandchildren was born, Al would bring Popeye's chicken to the entire floor of the hospital. Even when he was ill himself, the nurses got free chicken. (I'll have Red Beans and Rice with mine, please.) Read his obituary at www.alcopelandfoundation.org (4/22/08) There's a very good two-part interview of Roger Mudd, conducted by Brian Lamb, on C-SPAN's "Q&A". Each podcast segment costs 95-cents at Apple's iTunes Store. Nearly two hours - with lots of names named and other juicy details of the CBS News glory days and the Washington bureau. phobos.apple.com... There's also this shorter interview with Mudd, from last week, via NPR's "Talk Of The Nation" www.npr.org... (4/22/08) The other interesting thing about the WTTG promo in today’s video, it also has a shot of NBC’s Brian Williams when he was at WTTG. (4/22/08) New York does NOT make the list of top tenm best markets for radio (but DC does) www.infinitedial.com (4/22/08) Dave's response: DC is 7th? No college radio (OK, except for 10-watt WMUC), a couple of bland and sucky rock stations, and a couple of bland and sucky "classic hits" stations. No decent, well-rounded commercial talker, compounded by a weak-signaled AM band. No big band. Sub-parr sports talk. No smooth jazz any longer. PFW's just partttime jazz. No commercial classical. No world music. No good oldies. Sheesh..... I'm really looking forward to reading Mr. Mudd's book about it all, "The Place To Be"! Since Comcast is in the news again. Did anyone else notice that Comcast in Southern PG had no sound on The Weather Channel for over a week, including the period of bad storms and tornado warnings? What's the deal, do they only check what they are transmitting once every 10 days or so? Or do they figure nobody watches TWC? Also, Comcast keeps showing slides on TWC saying it is on channel 21B. They dropped the B cable a decade ago, and moved TWC off 21 nearly a decade before that. I guess the one and only thing at which they are really competent is raising rates. Diane in PG. (4/22/08) (RE: Today's CC DC reunion) The On the order is still there. Copelands closed and is being replaced by the Hooters. (4/22/08) (RE: Today's CC DC reunion) It wasn't On The Border that closed and where Hooters is going to be, it was Copeland's (New Orleans restaurant). I'm not going to miss it anyway; a lot of their food was too creamy, lardy, fatty for me. Besides, to experience genuine N.O. cuisine you have to go there. Give me K-Paul's any time. KOF (4/22/08) (RE: Today's CC DC reunion) Dave, just to clarify, On the Border is across the street from the old Hooters on Rockville Pike. The new Hooters will be at the spot of the old Copelands. (4/22/08) (RE: Today's CC DC reunion) On The Border has been closed for quite some time. There's a new Hooters opening there... If they were going to have a get-together of all of us who've been fired from that Rockville Pike complex, they'd probably need some place the size of the Verizon Center. I agree with LO. WASH has to take Deliah's off. She talks way too much and her show just sucks. 97.1 has to but Glenn Hollis back in the evenings. (4/22/08) Peter Rosenberg www.youtube.com... (4/22/08) Dave, I just wanted to let you know that we did an interview with Michael Tunison (formerly of the Washington Post) about his firing, and his thoughts on many people at the Post, including your boy Tony Kornheiser. If you get a chance, take a listen. ontheDLpodcast.com... Thanks, Dan (4/22/08) Dave's response: Tony is "my boy"? Most people think I hate him. Like to keep 'em guessing. Ha ha ha..... Mark in Bethesda/TEACHER...please stop this infintile childish, kids in a sandbox bull-s***t. Both of you need a time out. Grease is back, he's happy, he's a nice guy and I hope he does really well. Granted it's only a weekend gig, but Lord knows if Imus was given a break, Grease deserves the same:WHOOPSIES....! (4/22/08) Dear Biff, Those gas reports with recycled footage are cost savers for us cheap SD-loving folks at NBC-4 (not embarrassed one bit about a small market NBC station beating us to HD and spending $3 mil). (4/22/08) Dave's response: I love it when the DC Post runs a local real estate story with a stock photo of a house with a "for sale" sign on it from someplace like San Diego. Like they couldn't be bothered to send out one of their local photogs to snap a local shot. Sheesh..... Radio One gives #2 owner/son of Cathy Hughes millions of dollars. Al Liggins gets $4.8 million for being UNDERPAID? He gets a bonus nd a salary increase as well. You gotta' be kidding. And meanwhile, Radio One asked and received $23 million to move back to Washington, DC, from Prince George's County, Maryland. DC taxpayers should be protesting and marching to Mayor Fenty's office and DEMANDING the city's money back. (4/22/08) I don't think 'On The Border' has enough room, much less food and booze, for all the fired CC employees. They should have that gathering at the National Mall to hold em all. At least they'd be able to get a permit and burn an effigy of Bennett Zero. (4/22/08) CC running a 2-column ad on Inside Radio seeking a Director of Sales for DC and Baltimore. Had to cost them at least their left nut. Did those deadbeats buy an ad in DCRTV? (4/22/08) Dave: in reference to the poster that stated Jim Williams needed a tv guide from the posting last night regarding the CAPS and Flyers game on at 7pm on CSN and Versus: In certain areas of the state ( Maryland ) , the game was on both channels. I know this because I was at a restaurant downtown and I asked to see the game on CSN. The bartender also had a guy who wanted to watch Montreal and Boston on Versus. When the bartender put Versus on, it was the CAPS game and the patron got pissed because both channels were carrying the same game. We made a joke saying we were too close to DC for Montreal to be on, but I think that may have had something to do with it. Any who, Craig Laughlin is still hilarious, no matter what channel you are watching. Rich in Bmore (4/22/08) “Jim Williams strikes again: " CAPS - FLYERS on CSN at 7pm (nationally on Versus)" Boston-Montreal is on Versus right now. Somebody get him a TV Guide.” – isn’t that because the versus broadcast of the caps was blacked out locally??? (4/22/08) RE: YOUR TEACHER, It's MARK w/ a K not a C. maybe you need glasses. As for the age I appreciate the compliment. As for your history of the GREASE I appreciate that TOO. Now if I could only get out of my braces and retainer and find my learners permit maybe then I could find your silly ass and give you a good kick in the DOODDADS.................. MARK/BETHESDA.... (4/22/08) Great news that Bill Ashley is out of the hospital. Best wishes for a speedy and complete recovery! -Brian (4/22/08) Just watched the "vintage" channel 5 news video and WOW, seeing all of those former reporters brings back memories. I didn't remember that Brian Williams was a former reporter there. And look at that picture of a really young Patrick McGrath!!..And I guess the biggest disappointment is that Maury Povich went from being a legitimate news reporter to hosting a "Who's the baby daddy" show every day..So Dave (or anyone else for that matter) , of those reporters whose names aren't familiar, any "Where are they now" info?.. (4/22/08) Like all the radio announcers, I always want to know what these people look like when I listen to them. Do you remember Adrienne Mitchell on WTOP? When she finally posted her picture on their web site, it was a far away shot of her on top of some mountain. But now that she has moved to XM Radio, she finally posted a nice portrait of herself. Check it out here: www.xmradio.com... Maybe she’ll be joining the others who are returning to DC radio. Now, if I can just find Evan Haning’s photograph… (4/22/08) I agree with Biff’s posting (4/22) about all the mass coverage of the escalating price of gas but I do like it when they give the public information on suggestions on how to conserve gas and how we can get more for our money. That’s understandable. But to keep talking about it everyday, it’s a constant reminder of the problems facing us and sometimes it’s not too good to keep harping on things we can’t do anything about. We just try to do the best we can with what we have and soldier on. Joan (4/22/08) (RE: Today's DCRTVideo at the bottom of the right column on the Front Page) Hi Dave-what a hoot seeing and listening to that Channel 5 promo from '85! It must have been one of the first ones I did there–probably recorded on a cart machine. Other than sounding like I need a quick shot of Nasonex and I'm older then than I am now–it's pretty good! Thanks for the trip back in time, keep 'em coming! Dude (4/22/08) Dave's response: Will do..... Hey, NBC4, how 'bout backing off on your gas price coverage! We all know how much gas costs. We pass by dozens of gas stations every day and can read signs! We don't need reporters standing at River Road gas stations in pitch darkness telling us about the prices. Nor do we need to see years-old file footage of cars pulling up to the pump, drivers filling up, or shots of pump totalisators. Nor do we need constant interviews with drivers poking their heads out of the car telling us, "It's tough" or "I'm going to have to cut back". If you want to show us a graphic of the daily prices, fine. Please cut out the rest of the crap. Regards Biff (4/22/08) Save Aloha Airlines with Howard Dicus... He's Come a Long Way from 1901 Fort Myer Drive... www.youtube.com... (4/22/08) Dear Marc in Bethesda- Since you are probably about 15 by now, I'll point out that the Greaseman has been "welcomed back" to DC101 when he returned from Jacksonville (he had worked at WRC before that). He has also been welcomed back from vacations and suspensions. And, if he does have an occasional new lead-in recorded, it still leads to the same old material! Expletives are not, by themselves, necessarily profanity. Profanity, by it's use, is usually an expletive. But, we'll cover that more in Grade 10 English, next year. Sincerely, Your Teacher (4/22/08) Back in the late 70's and early 80's I had worked part time with Bob Raleigh, who was formerly with WPGC and WPOC. We kept in touch for a few years after he had gone to WFRE, doing sales. I have been fortunate to have been able to keep up with the whereabouts of quite a few of the early POC staff, certainly many are still in the industry. We had a very close "family" relationship at WPOC, same at the other fine stations I had been part of. I know DCRTV has a lot of impact in the business, I'd be happy to know if Bob (Bill) is still around, since it's been some time. Thanks, Capttomconroy@jetbroadband.com (4/22/08) So does Glenn Hollis' return that they may eventually correct the mistake that is Deliah?? Please, someone make her go away. LO (4/22/08) Dave's response: Wow! DC101 rehired the Greaseman. Now, WASH rehires Glenn Hollis. What next for Clear Channel? Johnny Dark back to WBIG? Murphy and Cash back to WMZQ? The "Morning Mess" back to 99.5? Eddie Gallaher (on tape) back to 1260? What is old is new again! Rectifying all the mistakes of the Dave Pugh era. Hmmm..... In fairness to the complaint against Jim Williams, Washington-Philadelphia game six hockey Monday was originally set for national coverage on Versus. The channel made a late schedule change to accommodate the Boston-Montreal game seven. Everett W. (4/22/08) Oh! I love "The Manchurian Candidate," version of the 1960s. The unbelievably effective brainwashing techniques that the inscrutable Orientals use on U.S. servicemember P.O.W.s is positively frightening. The director shows a meeting they're at as it really is, attended by loyal Communist party members, who were invited to see the results of brainwashing, and as it is perceived by the brainwashed patients. The P.O.W.s believe they are at a meeting of a Ladies' Garden Club. The P.O.W.s are docile and open to any suggestion. Any suggestion at all: like shooting one of their own through the head on command. The actual act is accepted as perfectly normal by the patients. Later on, the Communists nearly get elected the POTUS of their choice, based on their power to command violent acts. Great movie. I understand it was somewhat suppressed after it was released because of the coincidence of the JFK assassination. Angela Lansbury, the sweet lady, plays a villain. (4/22/08) Dave's response: One of the greatest political thrillers ever made. If McCain is leading in October, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Democrats throw a "Manchurian Candidate Hail Mary"..... This past weekend C-Span Book TV ran a half hour program on a book party recently held for Roger Mudd's new book about the great year's at CBS news in 1960's to mid 1970's. Party was held at Jim Leher's house. Lots of reporters from ye golden days. tinyurl.com... I did not know that Mr. Mudd was Washington, D.C. born. (4/22/08) Quote: "While John McCain sits back and relaxes now, with the inevitable dirt to come in October". Huh? The 'hit pieces' are already on the newsstands, Dave (ex: the very long WaPo article over the weekend questioning McCain's temper/sanity). Just one of many WaPo hit pieces to come. Move along now. (P.S. Funny how they question McCain's sanity but not Carter's). -Silvie- (4/22/08) As a longtime hater, I am pleasantly surprised at how well the O'meara crew is doing. McBride adds another side and more depth to the interesting mix. Good on ya O'meara. Buttondown creeptown can sure use some adult wit and humor mixed into the 4 dollar per gallon drivetime. (4/22/08) Dave's response: I've always been a big fan of Don Geronimo. But I've always thought that Geronimo supressed O'Meara's talent. Now he can shine to his full potential. What I've heard in the first six shows is pretty damn impressive. And BA only makes it better. O'Meara's off to a running start, for sure..... /\ April 22 Messages /\ \/ April 21 Messages \/ Jim Williams strikes again: " CAPS - FLYERS on CSN at 7pm (nationally on Versus)" Boston-Montreal is on Versus right now. Somebody get him a TV Guide. (4/21/08) I'm confused is East Coast Bob and Bob Cesca aka b.o. bob different Bob's? Which Bob was the one who called Larry King and asked him what he enjoyed for lunch that day? thank you (4/21/08) RE: [ " Or, perhaps Rush sees more of a "talk radio future" in a Clinton presidency " ]....... Wow Dave, you just said a mouthful there and right on! I stopped listening to Rush many many years ago when I figured out his show was more about promoting himself, his books, and his villains for ratings success than anything substantial politically. And I say that being a rather conservative person. And he also used to be funny. Now he's just a cranky old host craving painkillers and hawking books and ratings grabbing villains of his choosing for solely financial reasons. Of course Rush wants Hillary. A President Obama situation brings up all kinds of potential new political and race-related talk radio quicksand traps. Rush knows he can say practically anything about Hillary and Bill and get away with it and get ratings. His job would be much harder with a President Obama situation and would require lots more work on his part. Who likes to work when they're vacationing in sunny Florida 24/7? (4/21/08) Dave's response: Rush's show, these days, is a careful balance of crackpotism and irrelevance. It's kind of fun to see which side of the balancing act he'll tip toward on any given day..... Re: "...either way, the media is saving something big to drop on mccain in october, even if it's made up (see the iseman story last month and the fake bush national guard documents in '04). although i'm sure there are many, many more skeletons still in obama's closet (and hillary's too)." Yes, that's right, you caught us. At our super secret meeting in the Kremlin last month we all agreed to hold the big bombshell story on mccain until it would hurt him most (just like we did with Kerry and Mondale and Muskie...for some reason, we've changed parties). Then we all put on goat horns and danced around the maypole while listening to loud rock music. "the media" has always operated in this way, and always would have too, if you hadn't sussed us out. We are -- or were -- an all-knowing, all-powerful monolith; we all think identically, have no morals or ethics and are ruled by Satan, Stalin and the Clintons. But you caught us. Damn you, Bill O'Reilly, and your thought-provoking "No Spin Zone," for telling the world how things really work. (4/21/08) I haven't had a chance to check in, but I hear Beth Ann McBride starts on the newly-minted Mike O'Meara Show today. I did get a chance to hear a little of the show last week, and I was pleasantly surprised. There's a lot more "energy" there with Mike leading, and more Buzz and more Robb, than I had expected, and things can only be helped with BA's attention to the show, plus on-air contributions. (4/21/08) (Dave's response: Or, the sniping between Barack and Hillary gets all the damaging stuff out now, in April, half a year before the election, when it can still be "repaired" for whichever wins the nomination. While John McCain sits back and relaxes now, with the inevitable dirt to come in October, when it will do more damage. Rush may be glib, but I'm not so sure how "smart" he is.....) good point about the dirt coming out in april. either way, the media is saving something big to drop on mccain in october, even if it's made up (see the iseman story last month and the fake bush national guard documents in '04). although i'm sure there are many, many more skeletons still in obama's closet (and hillary's too). (4/21/08) Dave's response: Don't be surprised to see "The Manchurian Candidate" (both the older and newer versions) played by lots of movie channels this fall, before the election..... Hey Dave, I keep hearing Big O and Dukes talk about Tom Leykis coming to WJFK at night. Is that true? If so, I would love that. Troy in Chantilly (4/21/08) Dave's response: He would be better than Jim Rome but not as good as El Jefe and J-Dubs. But with El Jefe planting more radio roots in Tampa of late, Leykis looks like a likely possibility for 106.7's evenings..... Comcast opens up about how it manages traffic www.usatoday.com (4/21/08) (from The Huffington Post) Craig Aaron writes:"Comcast: Worst. Company. Ever. Inspired by March Madness, the folks at The Consumerist set up brackets to determine America's worst company. The tournament is still going on, but I'm not afraid to predict the winner. It will be Comcast -- in a rout." www.huffingtonpost.com (4/21/08) (Dave's response: It is funny to hear Rush telling folks to vote for Hillary. Ah, politics makes such strange bedfellows. Or, perhaps Rush sees more of a "talk radio future" in a Clinton presidency.....) wrong on both counts. republicans want the democratic nomination process to go as long as possible so hillary and obama tear each other to shreds (and possibly have some of the loser's supporters either stay home or vote mccain in november) while mccain can just sit back, look dignified, and stick to issues. if hillary had started out with the fawning media coverage and victories in about a dozen states in a row, rush would be urging republicans to cross over and vote obama. (4/21/08) Dave's response: Or, the sniping between Barack and Hillary gets all the damaging stuff out now, in April, half a year before the election, when it can still be "repaired" for whichever wins the nomination. While John McCain sits back and relaxes now, with the inevitable dirt to come in October, when it will do more damage. Rush may be glib, but I'm not so sure how "smart" he is..... Re: "DAVE, love all the banter about the GREASEMAN....." Did I miss something? Isn't Doug Tracht doing just four hours a week, and that's on Saturday morning? Hell, "Loveline" and "Goss's Garage" are more relevant. Spin all you want, but Tracht was over with 15 years ago. Dave in Sterling (4/21/08) Paging Mr. Kirkland... Paging Mr. Kirkland... The Brawny paper towel ad ("Save $1.00 on any ONE 2-roll or larger" package) was on the inside back page of the "redplum" coupon supplement in Sunday's Post. Just look for the photo of a booger-eating cretin covered in strained carrots. (Someone needs to tell the kid that strained carrots and vodka don't mix.) Cordially yours, Sam M. Walton (4/21/08) I heard Donielle Flynn on WRNR-FM this past weekend on my way to Baltimore. Apparently from their web site, she's doing a weekend gig. (4/21/08) (Notable Quotable - 4/21 - "He's got a messianiac complex." So said Rush Limbaugh today.) no shit. obama thinks he's the second coming, and most of the mainstream media treat him like it. it took a rare good skit from SNL to shame them into actually asking obama some tough questions about his judgement over the years. (4/21/08) Dave's response: It is funny to hear Rush telling folks to vote for Hillary. Ah, politics makes such strange bedfellows. Or, perhaps Rush sees more of a "talk radio future" in a Clinton presidency..... Carl in Olney, you do know that Howard Kurtz is the Post’s media reporter, right? And since you obviously read the article you know that he was writing about the Time’s article from Sunday. So what are the odds that the media reporter would write an article about the media? Pretty darned good! I know, crazy... – Jeff in VA (4/21/08) Dave, Today with the Caps and the Wizards in the playoffs it is a Manic Monday for Comcast SportsNet as well as Sports Talk 980AM, Triple X ESPN and WJFK-FM. CSN will have the CAPS - FLYERS on CSN at 7pm (nationally on Versus), meanwhile the WIZARDS-CAV's will be on CN8 and Newschannel 8 also at 7pm (nationally on TNT). Sports Talk 980AM will have the Wizards on radio while WJFK-FM will have the Caps! Wow what a Monday for local sports, it has not been like this for many years...20 to be exact...no sports talk radio in those day and not to much regional sports cable either. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (4/21/08) 4/20 RANT- Washington Post/Brawny Sunday insert…. also, there was no coupon! How stupid is that! – Mr. Kirkland Costco (4/21/08) What are the odds that, out of the blue and supposedly with no prompting by any political organizations, both the Washington Post and New York Times would each have a story about the supposed hidden ties of retired military to companies that they work for that use their expertise in -- get this -- military matters. Looks to me like those newspapers are somebody's lapdogs this week. Anybody know if there is any other explanation? -- Carl in Olney (4/21/08) Dave's response: The NY Times story appeared on Sunday, so the DC Post's Howie Kurtz got busy and did his story for Monday's edition..... Dan Mason is going to shake up all the underperforming CBS stations in DC? I hope that one of them is 94.7 The Globe,however DC does not need less rock on the radio. (4/21/08) DAVE, love all the banter about the GREASEMAN. Now finally there's something to read about in the ole' bag instead of all the DON G crap thats been in here for years. To the two clowns arguing about whether or not his phone calls are current. Well I would guess they are when most of them state that it's good to hear him back on the air. BTW since when are the words DUMBASS/DOUCHEBAG considered expletives??? I must have missed something in all of my years at charm school.............................. Mark/bethesda (4/21/08) Re: Mason Quake Predictions. When Dan Mason was hired by CBS, I said that changes would come. Mason is faced with making changes that will improve the state of CBS in Baltimore/DC. He is one of the best. Don’t think that he will try to recreate the 60s, 70s, or 80s. This is 2008, and radio has to reflect that. Look for some ground-breaking changes. CBS should be a major player and leader in developing radio in the 21st century. That couldn’t happen with Hollander. The disastrous changes made to CBS stations in the past few years have blown-off the former audience, and they are not available. New stuff is the only way to regain the markets. I’m looking forward to hearing the changes. Ed Graham (4/21/08) Hey, out of work deejays and technicians: Looking to get away from it all? And I mean REALLY AWAY? www.nab.org.. And don't forget to duck. (4/21/08) Gurvir Dhindsa just announced that she was pregnant with twins. She had a wedding band on, so I'm assuming she's married (not that anything's wrong if she isn't). But I thought I heard her talking about being divorced a little while back and have heard nothing about her re-marrying. But then again, maybe she chose not to announce it. (4/21/08) Regarding Phil in Fairfax's snap judgement that Chris Core should be yanked form the air for something one of his stupid guests said...I think your own note to Dave said it all: "...after I heard it I did drive off the road and park and wrote it down. The guest [said] "go after the Jews on Wall Street." Core just let him go on and on and then said something like well let's not use that kind of language, then continued on with the interview..." So, let me get this right: you were so astonished and offended that you pulled over to write down what the trucking company guy said, but then apparently your ears stopped working because you didn't similarly write down Chris Core's admonishment of the guy a couple of minutes later? And despite the fact that in your own note you couldn't recount what Core said to the caller, you then have the stones to say he should be pulled from the air??? This is precisely the kind of half-listening arm-chair QB crap that creates stinks where there are none and RUINS CAREERS over nothing. The moral of the story is that 1) just because you or a group is offended doesn't mean that action must be taken; and 2) when you do find yourself being offended KEEP LISTENING...you may find that cotninued listening leads to mitigating comments, explanations, apologies or a number of things that might lower your blood pressure. Amazing. Bob in Forest Hill (4/21/08) CNN/WJLA post fake videos... This video is currently posted on CNN and credited to WJLA. www.cnn.com... The headline states that two planes were struck by lightning near Dulles/BWI today. The story is probably true. The video is not. The first shot of a plane being hit can be found on NOAA and YouTube dated back to at least 2006: www.crh.noaa.gov... www.youtube.com... No idea if WJLA faked the video intentionally or not, but it's faked. Look at the water tower. They don't paint like that 'round here... Here's the JLA story www.wjla.com... The WJLA folks knew they were fucking with us. The reporter says, "lightning strikes ... like this one ... " (4/21/08) Dave's response: The CNN video link says it's expired..... Does anyone know where on Comcast you can find the MLB Extra Innings HD channel? I subscribe to the package in Prince William County (sitting on channels 771-783) and they are sending one or two games a week in HD, but I can’t find where it’s being carried. Thanks. (4/21/08) Say, friend... yes, you... the one who is so free and easy with expletives and calling out a person with an opposite viewpoint by name calling and cowardly refusing to sign your post. Have you considered kindness? Have you considered stating your point without all the anger? Because, my friend, when all of the heavenly votes are counted on Judgement Day, you can be sure that Our Heavenly Host will be keeping track of how we treated our fellow man. And, he'll also be weighing the fact the Greaseman last said something funny around 1984! HA HA! Nelson, castmember, "The Simpsons" (4/21/08) On page C-5 of the Washington Post they list and rank the weekend's movie box office receipts. Did anyone else notice #'s 8 and 9 were both of the fantasy genre? Really, look it up, numbers 8 and 9 on page C-7. (4/21/08) Dave's response: Is that a jab at Ben Stein? I hear Big O and Dukes got free tickets to "Expelled" and a weekend with Stein at the Playboy Mansion..... More about Don Geronimo, sheesh the guys been gone a week already forget about it, but wait this interview from 2 year's ago sounds different too me now. 2 year's already time passages right-wing-religious-wacko.com... Melissa Scott, wife of the deerly departed Gene Scott was a professional actress of some kind? Prey do tell. (4/21/08) The now "official" morning team of Alex and Rob just having a little fun with the WRNR listener's...No Blythe Danner ...but Alex and Rob may choose to call their collaboration The Blythe Danner Morning Show....if a better name does not come to them soon. Carl (4/21/08) Artie’s back! Howard and crew are back from a week’s vacation, and Artie has lovingly returned to the fold. Get yerself some Sirius and listen yerself. Hey, Gov---approve the friggin’ merger already! I’m missing baseball. (4/21/08) Dave's response: I'll have to punch up 87.9 and wait for someone with Sirius (and listening to Stern) to drive by..... RE: The FOOL who thinks I didn't turn the station away from the pathetic "Grease." Of course I did. I wasn't enjoying it. Why? Because I didn't find it funny. Why didn't I find it funny? Because it was pathetic. Oh, and to which call are you referring? The one that first aired 19 years ago, or the one that was first aired 23 years ago? If you really think any of those bits sounded live, wow, you are the DUMBASS!!!! (4/21/08) "I found myself disappointed that before GeroniMO finally left the airwaves, he didn't tell both of his listeners the REAL reason the D&M show went to afternoons from the morning drive." So since you know, what is the real reason? Paul (4/21/08) Dear all - In a season of political weeks this week is more intense than usual with Tuesday's much-anticipated Pennsylvania primary, followed by Guam May 3, Indiana and North Carolina May 6 and West Virginia May 13. Will the contest last until Kentucky and Oregon on May 20? Puerto Rico on June 1 and, finally, Montana and South Dakota on June 3rd. It looks possible. Thursday, April 24, at The Q&A Cafe, we'll take a look at all things political, as well as the status of the Iraq war, the Bush White House, Congress and national security with two journalists who work apart and together quite well. Michael Isikoff of Newsweek is one of the country's top investigative correspondents. For twenty years David Corn was Washington editor of The Nation. He is now Washington bureau chief of Mother Jones. Together in 2006 they published "Hubris," a probing inside look at of how the Bush Administration got us into war. It's no less timely. Make reservations with Jon Moss weekdays between 10 and 5 at 202.338.2000. As usual, the doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30 and the fee is still only $35, all inclusive, and paid at the door. Coming Thursday, May 8th - a look at protecting the places that matter to us with Richard Moe, head of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Hoping to see you at The Q&A Cafe. Until then, watch Scott Simon's recent interview at www.youtube.com... Be well, Carol (4/21/08) /\ April 21 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....