Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - August 11 to August 17, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ August 17 Messages \/ Post's Pro-Obama Lean "Doesn't Look Good" - Since when has the Post cared about appearing to be non-partisan? George Allen (8/17/08) Who is this Marshall guy and what are his credentials? He claims Matt Spence is in over his head at WCEI. Maybe WCEI needs to change their format, not necessarily the announcers. They have begun to sound like too many other stations. And is your thing is oldies, you might try listening to 101.3 FM over 107.1. The Duck seems to have fallen into the habit of playing the same tired oldies over and over, just like 100.3 did in DC. Oh and yes it would be nice to see all the Redskins pre- season games here not just some on the eastern shore. As far as airing the Nationals on a station or stations on the shore, maybe that will come when the Nationals start winning a few more games. (8/17/08) Re: Discussion of AM vs. FM band: Maybe it's not too late to EXPAND the FM band and open up some NEW FREQUENCIES for LOCAL LIVE INNOVATIVE RADIO! I repeat my message of May 1, 2006: "... Maybe the answer is to E-X-P-A-N-D the FM band again. We should encourage the FCC to utilize those VHF frequencies between 76.00 and 88.00 (76.1-87.9, really) for SIXTY (60!) NEW FM channels, when TV Channels 6 and 7 (audio) migrate to HD frequencies. It's not so far-fetched: Sony made a Model ICF-2002 FM/LW/MW/SW PLL Synthesized Receiver starting in the early 80s with the FM band stretching from 76.00 to 108.00! ..." The ("new") frequencies?: 76.1 (Ch. 140), 76.3 (Ch. 141), 76.5 (Ch. 142), 76.7 (Ch. 143), 76.9 (Ch. 144), 77.1 (Ch. 145), 77.3 (Ch. 146), 77.5 (Ch. 147), 77.7 (Ch. 148), 77.9 (Ch. 149), 78.1 (Ch. 150), 78.3 (Ch. 151), 78.5 (Ch. 152), 78.7 (Ch. 153), 78.9 (Ch. 154), 79.1 (Ch. 155), 79.3 (Ch. 156), 79.5 (Ch. 157), 79.7 (Ch. 158), 79.9 (Ch. 159), 80.1 (Ch. 160), 80.3 (Ch. 161), 80.5 (Ch. 162), 80.7 (Ch. 163), 80.9 (Ch. 164), 81.1 (Ch. 165), 81.3 (Ch. 166), 81.5 (Ch. 167), 81.7 (Ch. 168) [now Channel 5 audio], 81.9 (Ch. 169), 82.1 (Ch. 170), 82.3 (Ch. 171), 82.5 (Ch. 172), 82.7 (Ch. 173), 82.9 (Ch. 174), 83.1 (Ch. 175), 83.3 (Ch. 176), 83.5 (Ch. 177), 83.7 (Ch. 178), 83.9 (Ch. 179), 84.1 (Ch. 180), 84.3 (Ch. 181), 84.5 (Ch. 182), 84.7 (Ch. 183), 84.9 (Ch. 184), 85.1 (Ch. 185), 85.3 (Ch. 186), 85.5 (Ch. 187), 85.7 (Ch. 188), 85.9 (Ch. 189), 86.1 (Ch. 190), 86.3 (Ch. 191), 86.5 (Ch. 192), 86.7 (Ch. 193), 86.9 (Ch. 194), 87.1 (Ch. 195), 87.3 (Ch. 196), 87.5 (Ch. 197), 87.7 (Ch. 198) [now Channel 6 audio], 87.9 (Ch. 199). Other thoughts: (1) Maybe WMAL should simulcast on 630 & 107.3 ("WMAL-AM-FM Washington D.C."). 107.3 has a better signal than 105.9. (2) Maybe if Bonneville stopped changing 1500 AM's formats and call letters (like a newborn baby's diapers!), the station wouldn't be in jeopardy of disappearing from the AM band. They should have just left WTOP on AM 1500 and simulcast on 103.5 (if they were going to destroy WGMS anyway). (3) Maybe the AM band should be thinned out and populated with fewer stations with higher power (50-100 kw) and non-directional antennae (except for a few high-powered directional stations serving Interstate highway travelers). More later... Gotta go install my new AM/FM/XM/Sirius/HD/MP3/Web Radio! :-) ;-) --RB (8/17/08) Dave's response: Those Sony receivers were made to cover both the Japanese FM band, which starts at 76 MHz, and the standard FM band, from 88 to 108 MHz..... "AM should be the new NPR and Non-Comm band, while the FM expands ONLY to non-corporate entities, such as local ownership. Like the OFCOM in England regulates across the Pond, make 88.1 to 92.1 available for new local and minority, commercial ownerships. Move the NPR and College stations to the AM band!" - This statement makes no logical sense. NPR owns no radio stations, and at least in my market (Rochester NY), one of the few locally-owned, non-corporate-entity broadcasters IS the public radio AM/FM combination. Local board, local managers, local employees, local newsroom (biggest radio newsroom in the market, I might add), local DJs (3 fulltimers and several part-timers) on our classical FM station. Want to talk about how much local employment there is at our handful of standalone, non-corporate commercial signals in town? (8/17/08) A few responses... Re: "make future AM sets have a feature that will 'repel' static"--I'd like to know how you'd do that without going to a new, robust digital system. I agree that AMAX definitely did not get a fair shake; part of the reason for AM's decline is that 98% of all radios sold in the last 35 years or so have complete crap for AM sections. And re:"the designers can equip the buildings with special antennas so that the occupants an receive AM signals"--then you'd run into the same reason you can't receive AM in the Harbor Tunnel anymore: ASCAP comes along and demands payment for rebroadcasting the music. -*-*-*- And to the poster who said, "You know not of what you speak"--After you said, "there was not the technology to record or preserve music until the mid-late 1930's", that was a great laugh on top of your being wrong on both points. ~~CA in BC (8/17/08) Call me someone who lives in the past, I'm adding my voice to the chorus of those who refuse to believe that AM is dead, yet. There could be several things that could be done to make the AM band more viable than it is now. First, make electrical lines and electronic devices designed so that they don't create the static that they do; second, make future AM sets have a feature that will 'repel' static; third, offer a quality analog transmission standard. AMAX wasn't given a chance IMO; fourth, being that AM has trouble penetrating steel buildings, maybe the designers can equip the buildings with special antennas so that the occupants an receive AM signals. I have relatives who live in a high-rise condominium near New York City. It is possible to get all the local AM stations clear as a bell, including the 'non- powerhouses'. Anything else, though, fahgetaboutit! It was possible back in the day to listen to AM in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. I agree with "Not a sermon, just a thought" when he says that AM should now be the 'breeding ground' for cultivating talent and for providing material and entertainment that the FMs won't touch. With the smaller AM operations, I suggest selling (or giving) those operations to schools or some other non-profit operation. With the 50kw flamethrowers, I say they should concentrate their efforts after dark on their 'extended' audience and have the AEs rely on national advertisers for the source of their income. (8/17/08) Several points today... First, on the AM versus FM controversy, there are several more gigantic footprints with declining viability in the NYC market, Dave: 1130, 1050 with 50kw, 570, 930 and 1280 with 5kw and others. It became a fidelity issue when the field was even. Then, the idiots at the FCC decided to license more Class A FM's than Starbucks through Docket 80-90 and you get too many little stations fighting over too few ad dollars with new media swooping down to drink out of radio's birdbath! As far as Bob K.'s statements about "one viable AM per market," tell that to markets where AM is taking much longer to die, like NYC, Chicago, San Francisco. And, you are wrong about WBAL being the only viable AM in Baltimore. Since adding the Limbaugh/Hannity/Levin package, and leaving Tom Marr and their morning show in place, WCBM is nip and tuck with some of WBAL's time slots and beating them in certain demographics. Now, the listener who touted a nostalgia format featuring "music from the 1920's through the present" is being ridiculous. First, there was not the technology to record or preserve music until the mid-late 1930's. Second, you need to consider the sociology of such formats. Programming non-current music is as much about the styles of the time as the music that reflects those times. That's the reason that formats like the "Music of Your Life" have failed. They are not evocative of any particular time or place in mind. While there does not appear to be any attempt at presentation on WCTN, their music selection IS evocative of Middle of the Road radio between the early 1950's and mid 1960's. That's a good, fair consistency. Depressing lyrics? Well, listening to Patti Page singing "Old Cape Cod" under a full moon last night did NOT sending me jumping over a ledge! My only admonition to programmers at WCTN would be to keep the Country crossovers separated by more pop songs. But, the selection sounds fine. Down tempo? You know not of what you speak. Then, as far as Don O'Brien goes; why on earth would a viable station like WCEI want to bring trouble into the house? The material Don aired on WINX that got him fired was indefensible. Don can be funny and creative, however, frequently takes his humour too far... Any broadcaster hiring Don would do well to do so with a great deal of caution. Finally, WCEI is a victim of the "Peter Principle." Their program director, Matt Spence, is not particularly talented. He decided, at some point, that he was going to push Don Bumpus out of the morning show because he (Matt) wanted to be a star. He failed. Don did alright on the afternoon show, but was a fixture on mornings and belonged there. Matt's ego forced Tom Wheeler and Don Bumpus to leave. The phlegmatic growler on middays is a horrible mistake. Kenny on the mornings is okay as a sidekick but doesn't really fill the bill as an anchor. When all is said and done, the station needs to hire a well-grounded programmer with "chops." Spence is in over his head. That's all for now from this side of the pearly gates! Enjoy life... it's much too short. Marshall McLuhan (8/17/08) Re, Dave's comment: "I wouldn't be surprised to see the AM band completely deactivated by 2025, with all radio stations on digital FM - an all-digital FM band, not the shared digital/analog "joke" known as "HD Radio," and/or via "broadcast internet"....." Canada actually has already tried this, the "all-digital FM band" via DAB/Eureka 147. I haven't been in a Future Shop lately to see if any receivers are being sold, but I'm pretty sure that experiment is basically dead. One big problem? Canada put all the stations on shared allocations from common transmitter sites. The big signal guns were not at all happy about losing their considerable advantage over the small signal stations...which turned into full-market on the digital band overnight. (8/17/08) Heard that the end of an era in sportstalk has occurred with the breakup of Mike and the Mad Dog at WFAN. Have to believe that neither Russo nor Francesa will be as successful on their own as they were together. Didn't necessarily care for their tendency to analyze plays ad nauseum in games every day, but just one listen would reveal to the listener that they were in a higher class than anything at WTEM. (8/17/08) RE: "regarding your rant - AM band can be used as the farm-system of major market radio outlets. Use AM the way FM was used in the glory days of underground rock--experiment--mentor and train new talent. "Not a sermon--just a thought" Now this is a great damn idea! AM should be the new NPR and Non-Comm band, while the FM expands ONLY to non-corporate entities, such as local ownership. Like the OFCOM in England regulates across the Pond, make 88.1 to 92.1 available for new local and minority, commercial ownerships. Move the NPR and College stations to the AM band! (8/17/08) RE: Big Don. If MTS were smart, they should bring Big Don to the trainwrech of a station, WAAI. It's imaging is bland and it needs some fresh life. They have a chance to be better, but are affraid to make the financial commitment to do so. (8/17/08) Have to (partially) disagree with the guy that disagreed with you, Dave. In markets where AM is crap to begin with - whether due to shoehorning a highly directional signal in between other signals or massive amounts of manmade noise blowing out the band - it will not win. In markets where FM scoots over your head and misses you completely - like San Francisco and its hilly terrain - AM is viable because it comes in where FM won't. The biggest issue IMO is still audio quality. Fidelity that stops just above that of a telephone is impossible to stay with, no matter how compelling the program. We listen to ugly crappy MP3s because they have a high end that is perceived as pleasing to the ear, in spite of the gargle and smear elsewhere in the frequency range. That high end is missing in AM. And all bets are off during electrical storms. I feel I have to side with Dave on this one: AM in Washington started out as a done deal and it eventually just grew into its own destiny. Local broadcast history be damned, move the signals to where they'll do the most good. (8/17/08) Dave's response: Look at NYC. It's a huge market with five killer AM signals - 660, 710, 770, 880, and 1010. DC had three potentially viable AM signals - 630, 980, and 1500 - but the latter two have declined, ratings-wise. Everywhere the AM band is in a state of decline. It's happening sooner here in DC because we don't have those killer AM signals found in other major markets. But it will happen in those other big markets, too. I wouldn't be surprised to see the AM band completely deactivated by 2025, with all radio stations on digital FM - an all-digital FM band, not the shared digital/analog "joke" known as "HD Radio," and/or via "broadcast internet"..... I’m pretty sure that more than a few people came away from the Russert death and memorial coverage thinking that it did go overboard. About all that was missing from the proceedings was the ceremonial pouring on of revered Buffalo wing sauce and the solemn remarks by Pope Benedict (via satellite), on "Tim Russert: The Man - The Legend". I'm sure I was as surprised and sorry at his sudden passing as anyone could be, but c'mon - the whole sad display was a wee bit much. And, on a related topic... Regarding Brokaw on ‘Meet The Press’ - I think an ordinary slice of whole wheat toast - cooling - on a paper plate, holds more promise of sustained interest and continued viewing. - signed D. Sarnoff, W. Paley and L. Goldenson. (8/17/08) Is John Riggins going to be doing anything on Dreadskin broadcasts this year? Haven't seen him lately. Hasn't he done some broadcast work for the N.Y. Jets in the past? Has Trevor Matich moved from Fox 5 over to Comcast Dreadskin's post game live or working both. I've got to admit that Jim Zorn seems to have far more organizational ability than I thought for someone who'd never been a head coach. And it really is the end of the Don and Mike era ain't it. Listened to a bit of MOS on Friday and heard nothing for Elvis Death Day. But if they really are drinking on BYOB Friday then just maybe someone needs an intervention. Drunks being funny gets kind of tiresome after a while. And JoeRadio back to reading again. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz I'd rather hear 2 hours of Tom Gavin (8/17/08) Dave - Finally have to disagree strongly with one of your rants. AM may be dead, but it's because there is nothing worth litening to. Honestly, i wouldn't be listening to WMAL if they cam to my house and did the show live. Put a good product on AM, and people will listen. WTOP certainly was doing fine on AM, The Arbitrons may not show it, but I would even wager that their total listenership was higher when they were on AM because of all of the people in cars up and down I-95, I-81, 83, etc who no longer can hear. But that's all part of MY rant. Still think that AM is the best media to targect the mobile audience. But anyway, the total drek that is currently populating AM is the biggest problem - with the arrival of WFED being the cherry on top. Mel W. - Columbia, Md. (8/17/08) Why can't Dan Snyder and the Redskins find a way to get ALL of the Redskins preseason games on TV in Ocean City? How hard is that? Speaking of Ocean City, the Nationals need a radio affiliate here as well. Matt in Olney (and OC in the summer) (8/17/08) /\ August 17 Messages /\ \/ August 16 Messages \/ Now that Big Don is gone from WINX FM, maybe WCEI should consider hiring him. I heard their ratings have been going downhill for some time... Sorry to hear of your father's passing Joyce Conroy. I havent been able to hear your radio program for awhile because of a wierd work schedule. But i masy listen tonight and put the Ravens game on tv with the sound muted as well as the Olympics. Burt in Denton (8/16/08) A group of us from the old WASH With The Stars days of the mid-70s got together last night. Though it's been 3 decades since we all worked together we're all still like family when we meet. In the photo, left to right: Jerry Clark, Pete Ferrara, Bill McCloskey, Rene Freedman, Bob Duckman (partially hidden), Ed Tobias, Bob Woodward. (8/16/08) "....And the most-likely candidate would be Citadel's sister WJZW, 105.9, with its low-rated canned oldies format....." What would happen to the part time program director ... ? (8/16/08) Dave's response: I don't know what would happen to Steve Allan. Maybe he could program the new nostalgic format on WCTN, 950 AM. But, if WMAL was on 105.9 and 630, it could put some of the former 3WT talkers like Glenn Beck, Bill O'Reilly, and Neal Boortz, as well as tape-delayed Don Imus, on 630, while keeping WMAL's primary line-up on 105.9. The main WMAL shows, like Grandy and Andy, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity, would be aired on both signals. With 105.9's "True Oldies" out of the way, CBS could take 94.7 in more of a "real oldies" direction, a la its WCBS-FM in NYC or WOGL in Philly. And Clear Channel could move 100.3 to be more of a "classic rocker" instead of "classic hits"..... regarding your rant - AM band can be used as the farm-system of major market radio outlets. Use AM the way FM was used in the glory days of underground rock--experiment--mentor and train new talent. "Not a sermon--just a thought." (8/16/08) Dave, I must agree with you on the death of the AM signal. When I moved to the Baltimore area in 1984, I could feel that each market would support one good AM station. WBAL was always in the top three in those years, and almost no other AM station made it into the top ten. Since the 1990s, WBAL has shown a slow, steady erosion in its numbers...and every other AM is wa-a-ay down there. WBAL still delivers a quality product and continues to satisfy its listeners. Moving to FM might improve things--but the only FM that Hearst has here is currently used by 98 Rock. So, unlike WMAL, there is nowhere for WBAL to go. It will be interesting to see their next step. -- Bob K. (8/16/08) "Dave's response: If a radio personality is getting paid or compensated to "mention" a product in casual on-air conversation, that can be unethical." Unethical doesn't mean illegal. "Just the other day on JFK, Mike O'Meara mentioned the name of a local motorcycle repair firm that came to his aid when his bike had a flat. To me, that's OK because it was apparent that the mention was being made because of a specific service provided to Mike."No, the mention was made because it was something that happened in Mike's life, that he probably paid for, just like when he goes to Subway." But if Mike were to simply "talk up" the repair place without mentioning the service provided to him, that would be more of a problematic situation. Listeners would not be aware of the compensated "plug." That would be a form of deception."So Mike shouldn't mention casinos on the air?" And yeah, the feds are calling for a major review of paid "product placements" in movies and on TV shows." Okay, if the feds are calling for it, it must be a good thing. Basically, Dave, you're wrong on this. High Five!! - Biff from Burke (8/16/08) I have to agree with the point you made about interference choking off the AM band. I would say the FCC fell down AGAIN in this area, not requiring tighter standards for RF emissions from electronic equipment. Still, there are 4 (3 daytime, 1 at night) _music_ stations on AM that I listen to regularly--but I know most people are not willing to do the work to get good radios and antennas. Maybe it's time to go to REAL digital broadcasting on the AM band--not the half-assed crap system now in use, but real, robust digital that can be decoded through the noise. Imagine if the broadcasters actually moved forward for once, creating digital signals that would be heard in buildings--instead of using government panels to try to kill off internet radio. -*-*-*- On a related subject, I have to disagree with Dave from Buffalo about the music "programming" on WCTN (actually it's just filler until they can build up a bunch of brokered programs). I listened when I was in the area the other day, and I thought it was an utter disaster. I am definitely a fan of "nostalgia" music, and I firmly believe it is possible to program music from the 1920s through the present in a way that will appeal to a large number of people. But NOT the way nostalgia formats are usually done, and certainly not the way WCTN is doing it--I heard nothing but down-tempo songs with depressing lyrics. It sounded like it was programmed by the makers of Prozac in order to create more demand. And then they advertised for people to buy air time? Why? They're busy driving people away with that selection of music. ~~CA in BC (8/16/08) First of all I thought this site was a broadcast site, since when did we start to dole out driving tips???? Elvis, ah yes, back in the day while at WPGC I contacted Elvis because our accountant was celebrating a birthday. I asked him if he’d call and let her know that he was thinking about her on her “day”. He did. It was a highlight of her life until the day she passed. He was a humble, pleasant and naive young man. It’s just too bad the piranhas got hold of him. May he rest in peace-PLB:0) (8/16/08) Check out allaboutcountry.com. Says Lisa Allen has left WFRE. Charlie (8/16/08) I first wanted to wish the best to Big Don O'Brien and hope he lands somewhere on the radio dial soon. In fact I have been listening the old Brian and O'Brien shows from WQSR on tape at my condo. That first week they were back was some great radio...Also ABC 2 will have both this Saturday's and next Saturday's Ravens pre-season game because of the Olympics on WBAL-TV...Dave, that was an interesting Rant about AM in DC...I think its pretty sad that 47% of that Rasmussen poll support the Fairness Doctrine, there is nothng fair about it. Its a free country, if the market decides that conservative radio sells and gets ratings over liberal show than so be it. Even a liberal business owner of a radio station can't want having low rated and low money making shows shoved down his/her throat. It hurts business. There are a ton of other outlets to get a liberal point of view--TV, newspaper and the internet. -Michael Popovec (8/16/08) Dave's response: Most pollsters today ask out-of-context and irrelevant questions of people who only have landlines. Most pollsters today are, frankly, full of shit. That said, I think that most people support "fairness" and an inclusion of all political views in the media, including talk radio. If it was explained to them, I'd think the vast majority would be against the government mandates of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine"..... Tonight the Ravens on WMAR and MASN2 with the Redskins are on WUSA and CSN both at 7pm with "Football vs. Olympics" www.dcexaminer.com (8/16/08) "A paste-up error in the Saturday Washington Post botched the "Red and Rover" comic strip on page C11. Anyone know how it really ends? It looks like the dog is insulting the kid by calling him a "bull cock", which in a family newspaper is pretty damn funny on its own." It looks like someone devotes his life to looking for bull cocks. The construction of the Nationals' stadium must have hit this poster particularly hard. The text is, of course, "But of course." And "insulting the kid by calling him a 'bull cock' " not only wouldn't be funny, it doesn't even make sense. What's more interesting is the Judge Parker strip, where Sam Driver mysteriously left his putter on the last green. Who loses a golf club? Wait a minute, I imagine the "bull cock" poster has lost a couple, but not on the golf course. - Biff from Burke (8/16/08) Regarding the poster's warning, "Nobody in their right mind should use the Bay Bridge for any reason following the accident that proved the bridge was not built to keep vehicles on the bridge." No dear, bridges do not keep vehicles on bridges. That's a job for drivers. Bridges are more or less stupid, since they are really just structures that provide a platform. All the same, your advice is good. I hope everyone follows it. That will make the bridge much less crowded for the rest of us who understand the concept that driving a vehicle requires some measure of ability and attention to detail. (8/16/08) Hey Dave, it's been a while since I say "Hey" on DCRTV. Missed everyone. I have been busy assisting my mom who is doing much better since the passing of my dad. Been reading about the vigil in Graceland for the King of Rock and Roll and I start to think immediately of our radio tributes here in Baltimore. Would love to hear from Jack Edwards and fellow broadcasters about the on-air memories of Elvis. I wasn't in radio at the time, but remember hearing the sad news on WCBM. I have read so many accounts of Elvis life and have always been fascinated by his study of the martial arts. Darlene Love shared that when Elvis in in the practice, he was healthy and happy. I am a first degree black belt in tae kwon do and would have relished having him as a sparring partner. Wait! I think I will just do a tribute. Too much equipment to put on. A mic is easier to handle. Bless everyone on the board. Joyce Conroy (WHFC) P.S. Love to Trish Hennessey and T. (8/16/08) A paste-up error in the Saturday Washington Post botched the "Red and Rover" comic strip on page C11. Anyone know how it really ends? It looks like the dog is insulting the kid by calling him a "bull cock", which in a family newspaper is pretty damn funny on its own. (8/16/08) "I like Rush, no I love Rush. The NY Times story talked about how 'At a much higher rate he will weave a product into his monologue'. I'm a good capitalist; I understand he makes money with them but the planted placement is REALLLLLLY fucking annoying." Boy I could not agree more. I can't stand them either. In fact it's one of the few things that cause me to tune out. (8/16/08) Dave's response: If a radio station says that "Big Record Company is paying us to play this song," that's OK. They're admitting the song is really an ad. Full disclosure. It's when a music promoter pays a radio station or a DJ to play a song and you, the listener, don't know that it's an ad. That's called payola, and it's illegal..... Dave, Re: Radio One, look for Citadel (WMAL,WRQX, WJZW in DC) to be de-listed soon. Stock price stays consistently below a dollar. That company is in BIG trouble. Local Bean Counter (8/16/08) Nobody in their right mind should use the Bay Bridge for any reason following the accident that proved the bridge was not built to keep vehicles on the bridge. (8/16/08) I was very impressed with WCTN 950 new Nostalgia, Oldies Format. Very Professional is the Presentation and fun to listen to. WFBR's Soul Oldies was good too. Enjoyed visiting the area. Dave from Buffalo (8/16/08) As many know, I made a move to SW Virginia a few years ago, we receive a strong signal from the Winston-Salem/Greensboro market. A Sinclair owned station has Tony Pagnoti handling the weather. Is Tony working out of Hunt Valley or has he made a move? I will say that I'm real impressed with the talent in this area, iuncluding Roanoke. There is very little turnover in staff, especially in radio. Tom Conroy (8/16/08) So, Rush is talking about products he likes? Like the high tech equipment in his media room, and his favorite cigars? Let's all synchronize Swatches (Parker Lewis Can't Lose), settle back with some Beck's beer (Robb Spewak), enjoy some Reese's Pieces (ET) or some Junior Mints (Seinfeld) or maybe dig into some Kenny Rogers Roasters chicken (Seinfeld again), cleanse the palate with a Pringles can (you know what I mean, Dave, Big O and Dukes), and get set to enjoy a screening of Taboo II (Loveline). Jesus Christ on a bicycle, the pussification of America is complete when someone on a radio site ASKS for MORE FCC control. (8/16/08) Dave's response: If a radio personality is getting paid or compensated to "mention" a product in casual on-air conversation, that can be unethical. Just the other day on JFK, Mike O'Meara mentioned the name of a local motorcycle repair firm that came to his aid when his bike had a flat. To me, that's OK because it was apparent that the mention was being made because of a specific service provided to Mike. But if Mike were to simply "talk up" the repair place without mentioning the service provided to him, that would be more of a problematic situation. Listeners would not be aware of the compensated "plug." That would be a form of deception. And yeah, the feds are calling for a major review of paid "product placements" in movies and on TV shows. Often, if you watch the credits at the end of a film, you'll see a list of companies that paid to have products placed. Reminds me of "Hawaii 5-0" and many other detective shows from the 1960s and 1970s where every car driven by the cops was a Ford. In fact, in the credits you'll see "automobiles supplied by Ford"..... Jeff (Craig Dudley) was also one of the best music directors WEAM ever had, Roddy! He also became somewhat of a WEAM legend and hero when, believing he was about to be fired, he leaned into the "secret bug" mic in the middle of the main hallway downstairs and let loose with a tirade aimed squarely at Mr. Averill! I was told that Craig was gone before the end of the week. - ER (8/16/08) /\ August 16 Messages /\ \/ August 15 Messages \/ “The FCC has rules against this practice.” Wow. This from a guy who not too long ago in this very Mailbag said that the FCC should have NO jurisdiction over content whatsoever, and that the commission’s role should be limited to insuring broadcasters’ adherence to the technical rules only. Truth be told, I agree with you that advertising which is blended into content should be disclosed or labeled, but you can’t have it both ways. Should the FCC have the authority to regulate content, or not? I can’t help but think how quickly your opinion changes when the offending party is somebody you don’t like. (8/15/08) Dave's response: While I do believe the FCC should not directly regulate program content, it also should make sure that listeners/viewers are informed when programming is a paid-for ad. The FCC isn't saying you can't say/play something, but that you must reveal if you're being paid to say/play it. In the vast majority of cases, where advertising is clearly separate from programming, this isn't a problem..... I hope this doesn’t start another WEAM posting frenzy, but your photo of WEAM’s Jeff Davis (Craig Dudley) reminded me of some correspondence I once had with VO talent Jeff Davis, who started his career at WEAM. The VO Jeff Davis later spent years at WLS and has voiced WSB here in Atlanta for about 15 years. I had thought both were the same person. I’d been listening to a Jeff Davis (Craig Dudley) aircheck from WEAM and was puzzled why VO talent Jeff Davis’ voice now sounded so different. VO talent Jeff Davis answered me, “Harry (Averill) flew down to Mobile and hired me…and in his typical style did not tell me until I had packed up all my worldly possessions and moved to Falls Church that, ‘Oh, by the way, we already have a Jeff Davis so we’ll have to change your name.’ ‘Well, Jeff Davis IS my name…’ Didn’t matter…he gave me 3 choices but when I hedged he chose my least favorite, Jim Mitchell. Hated it. I had a bitch of a time saying it because of the opposing “M’s”. Seven months later I was back as Jeff Davis and working at a better station (WGH) though WEAM still had the best AM audio I’ve ever heard.” VO Jeff Davis said Craig Dudley eventually became VP at Scotti Brothers Entertainment and was one of the nicest people Davis ever knew. Roddy Freeman (8/15/08) Re: "Look what you get when you go to arrow947.com. What's up with dat?" -- Looks like a takeover by the (Black) Russians! :-D --RB (8/15/08) Besides Rush's ads in the program, what about where a station advertises a feature and then plugs it in the newscast? Shouldn't this be labeled an ad? Does the same FCC regulations on radio apply to tv stations. (8/15/08) Dave's response: In most cases, an advertisement is easy to identify. And the listener/viewer knows that the 30-second or 60-second spot is being aired in exchange for a payment to the station. But when an ad is incorporated into a talk program, as what sounds like a casual mention by the show's host - it's not clearly identified. It the same thing as payola - stations getting paid under-the-table to play a song. The listener thinks it's just a random song. No it isn't! The FCC has rules against this practice. The question is whether it will enforce its rules regarding stations that air Limbaugh, who is a good friend of the president, who appoints the FCC's commissioners. If enough people complain, the FCC will have to do something, I'd think..... Dave, Regarding your 8/15 Rant about WMAL's signal. I live in Rockville, neat Rt 270 & Rt 28, just several miles from their towers. When they went to 10k and changed their pattern, my daytime signal got much worse. It is hard now to pick up their digital signal. When they go to their night pattern and go to 5k their signal improves substantially. They must have a greater null in this direction during the day. (8/15/08) Dave's response: I find the opposite at my location in Reston. WMAL's day signal is great, but the night signal is worse than it used to be. And if they can't cover Wild West Fairfax 24/7, how are they gonna serve the conservative masses in Loudoun and Prince William? Hmmm..... Actually, I could use one of those tankless water heaters. Funny thing is, it's a green thing that qualifies for a pretty good tax credit, and they're all the rage in the Euro-Socialist countries (Germany and the Scandanavians). I'll pass on the Chevy, though…..Genghis Cohen, rustling through the desk drawers for some "Baby Blues and Cabbage" in moist Prince William County... (8/15/08) Dave's response: I hear Limbaugh is starting a national chain of cemeteries - branded as "Dittohead Acres" or "Dittohead Glen" or "Dittohead Hills" depending on the location and topography - which he'll start hawking on his show soon. "The Right Way To Go"..... I like Rush, no I love Rush. The NY Times story talked about how 'At a much higher rate he will weave a product into his monologue'. I'm a good capitalist; I understand he makes money with them but the planted placement is REALLLLLLY fucking annoying. I've toyed with subscribing to his site for the podcasts to miss the commercials but if I still get that crap then no thanks. On a side note, WMAL played some of his parodies during a commercial break and those are pretty good. End of rant and have a nice weekend. (8/15/08) Dave's response: Rush's payola-like advertiser "mentions" during his show content are not labeled or segregated as paid spots. A la his talking up those tankless water heaters, that computer backup company, or Chevy vehicles. It seems that some enterprising lefty could get some of Rush's stations fined by the FCC for such ad efforts, doncha think? Damn it Rush, ain't you rich enough? Do you really have to hand over the program content of your show to advertisers? I mean, they already run ads during your show, which is also ads. Sheesh..... DCRTV reported earlier this week that Henry Sampson, "The Roving Disc Jockey" passed away. Given O'Brien's recent departure from WINX-FM, I would've thought Big Don held claim to that title. (8/15/08) Dave's response: Well, Don's certainly in the running for the radio personality who's worked at the most local radio (and TV) stations over the years..... Are Sonny Sam and Larry going to take a crash course in Spanish and go back and forth between stations? (8/15/08) “One of the few games in HD on MASN last night and the folks at MY 20 again can't get their technical issues ironed out so the game is shown in SD. And on DirecTV, all the MASN/SNY feeds were blacked out.” MASN is a joke, just like the Nationals. No wonder nobody’s watching the games on TV…the team is the worst in the majors and they can’t seem to even get the damn games to show up on TV. Even the radio guys are trying to find anything else to talk about but the game action these days. (8/15/08) I'm sure the Radio One executives are going to give Cathy Hughes' son another large raise. He's doing a great job, isn't he. Moving back to DC from Prince George's County because DC is giving Radio One $23,000,000. Such a deal? (8/15/08) RE: "Bill Colley is biking to Capitol Hill. WGMD afternoon talk show host Bill Colley will be pedaling his 2007 Jamis Commuter to Washington the week of August 17, 2008" good luck getting that bike across the Bay Bridge! (8/15/08) One of the few games in HD on MASN last night and the folks at MY 20 again can't get their technical issues ironed out so the game is shown in SD. And on DirecTV, all the MASN/SNY feeds were blacked out. Signed, one of the 6,000 fans. (8/15/08) No more Mike and The Maddog, and I am so pissed. (8/15/08) Dave's response: More at DCRTV's NYC News page..... I'm still hearing references to 3WT on 1500 AM...on various show intros etc. What's going on with that? Thought it was supposed to be Federal News Radio..what a waste of a 50k signal. (8/15/08) Dave's response: Bonneville is still under contract to carry the syndicated talkers on 3WT, so the station will continue to exist in one form or another for another few weeks. Look for it to be completely gone by September..... Bill Colley is biking to Capitol Hill. WGMD afternoon talk show host Bill Colley will be pedaling his 2007 Jamis Commuter to Washington the week of August 17, 2008. Colley plans to end his trip on Capitol Hill where he will deliver petitions to any members of the House or Senate engaging in the current energy debate. The petitions contain the signatures of hundreds of Delaware and Maryland residents. Those signing demand members of the House and Senate move post haste to allow offshore oil exploration, exploration on the North Slope of Alaska, harvesting of coal stores for use in synthetic diesel, and for extraction of western oil shale. Delaware and Maryland delegations are invited to meet Mr. Colley in Washington for delivery and receipt. A recent ABC poll reveals nearly two thirds of Americans believe offshore drilling is a necessity and a step in the direction of energy independence. The bulk of the signatures were collected on rain soaked Saturday, August 2, 2008 in Georgetown, Delaware. Georgetown is a community of fewer than 5-thousand people. Many of those signing traveled from as far away as Smyrna, Delaware, a commute in excess of one hour. With the current high cost of fuel these individuals believed the issue of such importance they were willing to make sacrifices elsewhere in order to sign. Some members of Congress propose biking as a cheap alternative. Let’s be clear, biking and tire inflation will not suffice as future U.S. energy policy. Colley, an avid cyclist, wishes to point out there are serious road hazards for anyone attempting travel on two wheels, however. Nancy Pelosi’s plane isn’t available for his trip. (8/15/08) Hi Dave. In future hiring announcements on your news page I hope you'll be able to reveal everyone's religious affiliation as was mentioned for the Peter Rosenberg job . I really want to know who the first Catholic or Protestant DJ that will be doing a polka show because it really means so much to me. Geeeeeez!!!!! (8/15/08) From July 2007 through June 2008, the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control board issued final orders – verdicts – in nearly 1,100 cases against companies selling beer, wine and liquor in the state. Well more than half of the cases involve selling alcohol to under age buyers – those under 21. Get the details on every case in a database now available in the DataSphere. The data comes from the Virginia ABC Board. If you’re like me, you’ll go straight for the biggest and baddest. Biggest fine? That’s $26,500, a penalty earned by O’Meara’s Restaurant and Pub in Manassas, Va., which “URGED OR ENTICED PATRONS TO PURCHASE AB, MADE GIFTS OF AB 8 TIMES, ADVERTISED HAPPY HOUR 7 TIMES, SERVED INTOXICATED PATRONS 2 TIMES, ALLOWED INTOXICATED PATRONS TO LOITER 2 TIMES, ALLOWED CONSUMPTION BY INTOXICATED PATRONS 6 TIMES.” (8/15/08) As someone whose threads have been shut down once or twice, and I have to say, after a good long run, I would respectfully suggest that it's time for the age discrimination thread to go live on a farm far away where it will be much happier. To the douche who said he was going to complain to the ZOG (kidding of course) without even applying for the job, I say there's a third rail in every Metro station and you should avail yourself of the opportunity. There's a lot of douchebaggery going on there. -- Biff from Burke (8/15/08) I Went 2 Westwood One's Web Site And WBAL 1090 Is The Radio Home 4 The Olympics In Baltimore From 8pm-12am Why Is JT On FSR On Instead?? (8/15/08) New Song: "Kill Bill O'Reilly" soupcans.blogspot.com (8/15/08) Dave's response: That's not nice. I think forcing him to watch Ernest Borgnine masturbate would be punishment enough..... /\ August 15 Messages /\ \/ August 14 Messages \/ "Guess WAMU does not need my donation this year since they are wasting money to send Kojo to a meaningless, fully-scripted event. Political conventions have not mattered in decades." Another attempt by a koolade-drinking Bonneville person to convince themselves that this is the real reason they're not going. If you weren't afraid of losing your job like so many others have at your badly run (Z104, WaPo, WGMS, 3WT) company you would be able to be more honest with yourself. "Washington's news station." What a joke. And if you work at Bonneville, the joke's on you. (8/14/08) So an ad that said "college juniors and seniors are not discouraged from applying", though having the same effect, would not be discriminatory? I hate to break it to the ADEA fans out there, but buy a one-day Westlaw pass and see how many successful ADEA claims there are out there that don't include older employees being pushed out the door. It's a nearly powerless law at the application stage. (8/14/08) At least now we know what McHale's Navy were doing when they weren't trying to outwit Captain Binghamton. Now if I can get the visual out of my head, I might sleep tonight. Paul (8/14/08) Look what you get when you go to arrow947.com. What's up with dat? (8/14/08) Bernie Mac knew funny when he saw it, so I choose to believe that Brother McCullough would have been tickled by the Photoshopped "Weekend at Bernie's" graphic. That gem was the work of LA radio hostess (and Jerry Mahoney's twisted sister), April Winchell, who also produced the following appropriate video when Jerry Falwell met his maker last year: www.youtube.com... April's site is aprilwinchell.com... (8/14/08) FROM FINDLAW: “Pay special attention to language in advertisements used to attract job candidates. The ADEA prohibits companies from publishing advertisements indicating any preference, limitation, specification, or discrimination based on age. Thus, targeted advertisements containing language such as "Industrial management trainee, recent college degree," "Sales trainee, any recent degree," "Prefer recent college grad," or "Corporate attorney, 2-4 years out of law school" are illegal. However, help wanted notices or advertisements that include a term or phrase such as "college graduate" or other education criterion, or specify a minimum age less than 40, such as "not under 21," are not prohibited by federal statute.” By stating “college juniors and seniors majoring in broadcasting encouraged to apply,” he threw age into the equation, therefore making it illegal. (8/14/08) I think we've beaten this dead horse for a long time, but I will say again that virtually ALL employment ads mention a level of education candidates need to meet. It is not age discrimination. Period. Why this particular ad got a few people's panties in a twist is beyond me. Can we get back to trashing Don Geronimo now, please? (8/14/08) Enough, enough of the employment rules and regulations. This is a site dedicated to broadcasting. BOBB (8/14/08) Nice photos of the 1500 AM antenna phasor installation. I'm surprised the snapshots didn't include the newly enhanced sign on the front of the Wheaton facility, made necessary by the latest whims of the suits from SLC. (8/14/08) Reason; We "might be done here" except for the nagging fact that the ad did NOT call for an age for its candidates -- it mentioned a level of education. I think there's an awful lot of bloviating going on here and not much in the way of thinking. Since when did asking for candidates into at least their third year of college equal age discrimination? To answer your question; 1967 when the ADEA was established. Only “encouraging” “college juniors and seniors” to apply for a job is against the law, because you are singling them out from other age groups, according to the ADEA. Look at it this way, if I ran an add for a salesperson that said “hot chicks are encouraged to apply” and you were an ugly chick, would you apply for the job? Probably not, because the add clearly stated the direction in what I was looking for. Lloyd’s add said “college juniors and seniors majoring in broadcasting encouraged to apply.” Well, does that mean a 41 year old with broadcasting experience will not be considered for the job? Well, it may for many job seekers, according to EEOC precedent, and that is where Lloyd violated the ADEA. The ADEA made clear Llyod’s reference to those in “college” is illegal. If Lloyd said “at least two years broadcasting experience, he would have been fine. In other words, in the spirit of the ADEA and the EEOC‘s age discrimination laws, he tainted the application pool, and that is illegal. (8/14/08) What first look? My first look at 50's new logo was last week, when they started using it on the air . . . (8/14/08) Dave's response: Yeah, but you saw it first on the 'net via DCRTV..... I know I'll burn in Hell for laughing but the 'cold brothers' and the 'Weekend at Bernie's' are hilarious. I've Googled but can't find the image posted anywhere. Would the poster be so kind as to let us know where he/she found that so that I can make sure they throw another log on the fire? (8/14/08) "News sounds better on AM anyway." Say WHAT???!!!??? (8/14/08) In another example of irresponsible radio, Elliot Segal of "Elliot In The Morning" on WWDC announced this morning that Elizabeth Taylor had been murdered. She is however, alive and well. Per EITMfans (eitmfans.blogspot.com). (8/14/08) Dave's response: Now now now. I heard it. A caller claimed that Taylor had been murdered and Elliot immediately shot the rumor down on the air. His comments about it were incredulous and fascious..... I discussed this with a neighbor last night and this is what she said: For a company with 21 or more employees, unless the job has an exception, it is illegal to specify internally or externally any favorable bias towards certain ages or age categories, if it is under 40 years old, for any position. This goes for the wording of an employment advertisement as well. Certain phrases in ads can imply “age-based needs or biases,” and can get your company in a lot of trouble. For this reason, you need to avoid any phrase that implies you have a younger age target in mind, or bias towards. Phrases such as "recent college grad," "young go-getters," “college students encouraged to apply,” and “perfect for marketing majors wanting to get in the field,” should never be used in an employment add, and can cause a lot of harm to your company. As for job assignments, since the late 1960’s, the courts have frowned upon employers who take the position that certain types of jobs should be marketed to or targeted for younger people because older ones don't have the energy, or the image, or will not accept the pay scale. This is why it's best to judge applicants and employees on their own abilities, and not on the perceived abilities or needs of the age group to which they belong. (8/14/08) Here are my recent Washington columns on New York Social Diary.com: A Delicious Day & Night with Eric Ziebold at CityZen Restaurant www.nysocialdiary.com... John McCain Gets Caught in My Flash; Tom Quinn has a DP at C www.nysocialdiary.com... Cheney and "Rummy" Double Date at Nathans www.nysocialdiary.com... Will be back to you next week with the latest on The Q&A Cafe ... which begins its 8th season on September 17!!! Happy (what remains of ) Summer - Carol (8/14/08) The following was forwarded to DCRTV..... Please see attached photos of the installation of the 1500 antenna phasor. Dave Garner (8/14/08) Hey Dave, I thought someone else would have tipped ya, but if you would have heard 98 Rock's morning show this morning you would have heard a foul up of dead air for at least 2 minutes. It seemed like it was longer, but even seconds feel like forever when it comes to dead air. Mickey, love ya to death, but the lord doesn't have plans for you to be a freakin' engineer!!! Lay off the console, dammit!!! Love, KeninGlenBurnie (8/14/08) Dave's response: Yeah, 98 Rock's signal here in Northern Virginia is way weaker than usual today..... Washington...now last in both leagues - The perfect matchup for pro baseball's Super Toilet Bowl: This year's Nats vs. the 1962 Mets. KOF (8/14/08) Dave: I also caught most of the second half of last night's Nationals' blowout. Here's an ongoing problem in this market...old, recycled talent! Why should viewers expect a network quality or compelling postgame show when their talent has been around for many years...let alone coming from the radio ranks. Please, nothing against radio talent moving over to TV. However, let's not forget that the people who currently run MASN are ex-Comcast Sportsnet people and that should say-it-all! (8/14/08) Remember those days BEFORE the Internet when we had to search for "bad taste" by tuning in Howard or the Greaseman? To the "coolest brothers" poster, this viral image is now circulating on the web. (Tagline: "He may be dead, but he's the life of the party!") (8/14/08) Concerning “the terms College Juniors or Seniors” in a job listing, the law is as follows edocket.access.gpo.gov 1625.4 Help wanted notices or advertisements. (a) Help wanted notices or advertisements may not contain terms and phrases that limit or deter the employment of older individuals. Notices or advertisements that contain terms such as age 25 to 35, young, college student, recent college graduate, boy, girl, or others of a similar nature violate the Act unless one of the statutory exceptions applies. Employers may post help wanted notices or advertisements expressing a preference for older individuals with terms such as over age 60, retirees, or supplement your pension. (b) Help wanted notices or advertisements that ask applicants to disclose or state their age do not, in themselves, violate the Act. But because asking applicants to state their age may tend to deter older individuals from applying, or otherwise indicate discrimination against older individuals, employment notices or advertisements that include such requests will be closely scrutinized to assure that the requests were made for a lawful purpose. From BNA books.google.com (8/14/08) Ahh, PPM's come to DC...and Federal News Radio rises to the top of the heap. But by the time Bonneville gets those results, the 1500 format will be changed again! (8/14/08) WOL effectively lost their lease at the C&P site several years ago. They have been at that reduced power for at least three years now, and are operating from the First Place NE site that formerly hosted 100.3 FM. The site now has WOL, WYCB and the backups for WMMJ and WKYS. (8/14/08) WOL moved to a new transmitter site which is off to one side of the original coverage area. This put them much nearer the old licensed contour - requiring a power reduction to stay within it. The new site has a more-efficient antenna which also required a power reduction. They had been operating from this new site for quite a while under an STA, having lost the old site in central DC. (8/14/08) About: "The ADEA [age discrimination and enforcement act] generally makes it unlawful to include age preferences, limitations, or specifications in job notices" : Yes, political correctness rather than qualifications for the job will ultimately be the downfall of America. Meanwhile we have NBC's WRC-TV & WBAL highlighting the beauty of CHiLD LABOR at the Olympics Gymnastics competition. Thank you for pointing this problem out to us all. (8/14/08) I noticed in Radio-Locator.com that AM Station WOL 1450 is now running 370 instead of the 1000 watts they have ran for decades. What's up with that? Was it voluntary? They now can barely cover the district with a city grade signal. Seems kinda odd! Alvin G. Lawton (8/14/08) Remarkable. It's the best thing I can say about the Nats postgame show after a 12-zip drubbing by the Mets. I'm sorry, but I have to agree with the previous poster. If that "hack" Byron Kerr had been hosting Nats Talk Live he would have been at a major loss for words to explain why the team got beaten so badly. Thank goodness George Wallace and Craig Heist were hosting while Kerr was the stand-up dummy next to Ray Knight on MASN. They were not apologists for the team, they took calls without cutting the guy off for being critical of team management, and they discussed the final draft pick that was not signed. A well rounded, informed discussion and light years ahead of Kerr. Does the team even listen to the embarrassment of the postgame show when Kerr or whoever that guy is with Kornheiser hosts? I also want to say that keeping the Nats and Capitals on 1500 AM and the rest of the station group that we're used to listening to is a great move, regardless of what format they air during the day. Awaiting the return of Caps hockey! - Jerry in Towson (8/14/08) When Washington Post radio went away, in this forum, I suggested that would be nice if 107.7 and 1500 relay 103.5 but be allowed to break away for sports play by play and local interview programming. From Dave's notes, it appears that 107.7 is finally doing that. 107.7 helps commuters in outer parts of I-66 and I-95 get their news, traffic and weather much sooner. It would be nice if 1500 is brought along also. 1500 will help the eastern shore commuters to get their dose of news traffic and weather. It also helps the news junkies to tune in to 1500 AM shortly after they head home from the beach. One side note: I do miss David Burd. Bless his heart. He didn't know much but whatever he knew he used them very well. a typical executive type. Watch him he will go places. E.E. Fairfax Station (8/14/08) Not to delay putting a coda on the asinine age discrimination posts, but if I were an attorney for the Bill Bennett show, or whatever the parent company is, my response would simply be that there are very few entry level paying jobs on nationally known radio shows, and the ad wanted to convey that the employer would be willing to consider a broadcast communications student who had not yet graduated. In no form of English I know does "are encouraged to apply" mean the same thing as "are preferred." This is no different than when a job asks for "3-5 years of experience". They're not saying someone in that window magically jumps to the top of the heap. They're just giving you an idea of what the job pays, what the responsibilities are, what the expectations are, and where you should be in your career before you express interest in the position. Anyone else think it's fitting that Bill Bennett is exactly the kind of small-government conservative who could blow an aneurysm just thinking about county, state and federal agencies having to even waste time dismissing this half-cooked accusation? (8/14/08) Don't know who the "coolest brothers" might be, but methinks right now the "coldest brothers" are Isaac Hayes and Bernie Mac. (8/14/08) /\ August 14 Messages /\ \/ August 13 Messages \/ The New Agenda; As much as I hate this tool, Matthews. These women need to get a life and move on. If the word that he used was bitch, it sounds like if fits all of them perfectly. (8/13/08) Dear Angry Old Paralegal- Does someone need a nap? If “we’re done here” then what say you shut your Celebrex hole already. No law has been broken and no spirit of the law has even been broken. You are obviously just looking for trouble where none exists, Matlock. (8/13/08) Houston Campaign Ad for FishbowlDC Round 2 Voting hotspot.hot995.com (8/13/08) Dave's response: I just cast 50 votes for Amy Morris. Ha ha ha..... We "might be done here" except for the nagging fact that the ad did NOT call for an age for its candidates -- it mentioned a level of education. I think there's an awful lot of bloviating going on here and not much in the way of thinking. Since when did asking for candidates into at least their third year of college equal age discrimination? (8/13/08) From the EEOC; "The ADEA [age discrimination and enforcement act] generally makes it unlawful to include age preferences, limitations, or specifications in job notices or advertisements. A job notice or advertisement may specify an age limit only in the rare circumstances where age is shown to be a "bona fide occupational qualification" (BFOQ) reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the business. " There is more legalese on this matter, as well as "Guidance Letters" published by the EEOC, but the above summary certainly answers the question, "did the notice display a preference for a certain age group in the application pool, and therefore violate the law?" Under court rulings saying the words like "college, students, recent grads," placed in employment adds etc, do imply "younger," It would be a hard pressed argument to say "the add did not violate the law." I believe we are done here. (8/13/08) As long as everyone is throwing out opinions on 1500 AM, I will second the recommendation that WTOP return to that frequency and stay on 107.7 and 103.9 FM. News sounds better on AM anyway. Now that that's out of the way, what to do with 820 and 103.5? Here is my theory: call Brad Chambers in Los Angeles, who, as I've written before, has a web station called martiniinthemorning.com and get him to put his contemporary-sounding standards on the radio the way Scott Shannon has his true oldies on 105.9 FM. He is a former PD for Clear Channel in LA, he does a web broadcast live from 5-9 AM PT, and 6-7 PM PT. He has weekend announcers too, so it's definitely run professionally. Or Bonneville could just put his music on 1500 and 820 and keep WTOP on 103.5, and have better evening competition on the East Coast for CFZM (formerly CHWO)-740 in Toronto. And no, I do not personally know Mr. Chambers, nor do I make any money on the recommend ation. It just would save me the trouble of making 75-minute MP3s of his web station's output, and putting them on CD-RWs periodically. I doubt that anything remotely like this will happen, but that's what I would do. -- Carl in Olney (8/13/08) Guess WAMU does not need my donation this year since they are wasting money to send Kojo to a meaningless, fully-scripted event. Political conventions have not mattered in decades. (8/13/08) Let us all pause for a moment from the radio/TV back-and-forth and consider the cool documentary "Man on Wire," which I saw last night at Dave's favorite theater, Cinema Arts, in Fairfax. There were six people, including me, at the 8 p.m. show. Some French dude organized a team to break into the World Trade Center buildings, tie a cable spanning the 200 feet between them, then walked across the buildings on that wire. Amazing story, cool movie. I've been thinking about it all day. Christian (8/13/08) Dave's response: I don't know if the Cinema Arts is my favorite movie theater. It is in the Strip Mall From Hell. But they do show some cool flicks and still charge less than $4 for a large soda..... Just wondering, with the demise of the 3WT morning show (inner loop), if Victoria Jones will also be joining WTOP. If not, where might she be found next, on the radio dial? B Brown (8/13/08) I suspect that this is a little typo from a previous poster, or maybe not. The post said, “When is the management at WTOP going to wake upi? Put all news back on 1500 am where it belongs.” The Mormon Church controls Bonneville and the Unification Church controls United Press International (UPI). A match made in “heaven” with the resurrection of UPI Radio? (8/13/08) With all of the posts concerning WTOP’s decision to not sent reporters to Denver for the Dem Convention, I heard Chris Plante on WMAL today say that he and his producer will be in Denver for the convention. Also, there is an interesting article in Editor & Publisher which discusses the number of newspaper reporters who, or who not, going to the conventions. I think it said that USA Today will be sending something on the order or 34 to Denver. The article also notes that news organizations are not too happy about the extra charges that they have to incur with Obama’s stadium speech. (8/13/08) Does WPGC know that Ebony's cover story right now is "The Coolest Brothers of All Time"? You can see their take on it here: www.ebonyjet.com. (8/13/08) RE: ‘Any reference or inference to age in employment adds for jobs a 20 year old could do or a 40 year old could do is “age discrimination.”’ You’re kidding, right? The reference to college-age people applying clearly means the job pays crap and thus 40-year-olds who certainly COULD do the work probably wouldn’t want to be insulted. Your own argument seems to be suggesting that no one should be finishing up college at 40, which certainly happens as well. Please do keep us posted on how that whole discrimination thing turns out. And also let us know if you find something better to do with your own time, because there’s a lot of ACTUAL injustice out there that is worthy of attention. (8/13/08) A few years ago I used to listen to 980AM or WTEM or whatever it was, but got sick to death of listening to Ric "Doc" Walker yap endlessly about a specific caller. The guy, "Clay," was a Cowboy's fan that really got under Walker's skin. He'd talk about him and his call for two or three DAYS after. So today I get in my car to get lunch, turn on 94.3FM and....there's Walker, talking about a call he took from Clay on the air yesterday. What a disaster this midday show is. Idea for 94.3FM: Fire lame-ass Walker and hire Clay. It couldn't be worse than what you have now. (8/13/08) Speakin about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” not being a Christmas song that, nevertheless... "We Need A Little Christmas" from the musical show "Mame" is played at Christmas. There's a line in the song that indicates it isn't near the Yuletide. Yet, because Christmas is in the song title... In my opinion, if you want a genuine Christmas tune, try "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.." (8/13/08) RE: [ " What I really need is for Bonneville to set up a 10 watt repeater on some off frequency in Baltimore. " ]............. Sorry, the FCC has already given out all available Baltimore area low power FMs to The HOPE CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF MARLTON NJ to better serve the Baltimore listening public with religious news and information about New Jersey just like you would expect. Talk about broken government, geez! And speaking of broken government, the Mormon Church very much frowns upon big government and has its own social support network to prevent church members from needing public assistance of any kind from housing to food (they even manufacture their own food). So it's kind of ironic that Bonneville puts FED BIG GOVERNMENT RADIO on one of the strongest radio signals in the U.S. that will have one of the BIGGEST SIGNALS from MAINE to FLORIDA and beyond! HAha! Too funny. Let's face it, what should be done is WTOP on 1500, 103.5 & 107.7, and they can just interrupt on AM1500 for Nats games and other sports, but not on the FM frequencies. Seriously, can't everyone in Frederick get 103.5 anyways? And the question begs, why did Bonneville invest so much money in upgrading WFED AM 1050 from 1500 watts to 3500, and soon 10,000 watts? Geez, talk about one bad decision after another, its like the gang that can't shoot straight but yet holds an excellent accurate weapon that they have no clue how to use. (8/13/08) Reason; There are more and more people in college later in life. ANYONE can be a college junior or senior. If it said "hot brunette chick with big jugs in her mid 20's" - I could see your point. There is no clear age discrimination in "Lloyd's" job posting. Take your agenda somewhere else. - I knew this response would come. Unfortunately, the EEOC, Federal courts, and state courts have heard that argument over the past 30 years, and have always dismissed it as nonsense. Are you aware that it has never worked? Never. Today, any attorney familiar with employment laws will not use that argument because it is a deathtrap; there is too much precedent against it. Any reference or inference to age in employment adds for jobs a 20 year old could do or a 40 year old could do is “age discrimination.” A phone screener is not a specialized job that people over 40 cannot do (Joe aside), and should be less encouraged or considered than people in their early 20's. The laws are very clear. (8/13/08) When is the management at WTOP going to wake upi? Put all news back on 1500 am where it belongs. There is no other all news station in this area. The closest stations to that agenda are WBAL and WCBM. I dont like listening to WCBS or KYW, great news stations but they are not in the Balto/DC metro area. Maybe if enough people complained..it would happen! (8/13/08) (Now, how about the big companies that own the theaters charging upwards of $5 for a cup of watery soda? In my book, that's a crime.) is anyone putting a gun to your head and making you buy the soda? and i agree that the guy should get some kind of punishment for illegally videotaping a movie, but the laws are in place because that kind of "business" can get very violent. (8/13/08) Dave's response: America's jails are overflowing, according to news reports. Do we need to build more of them using tax dollars to house guys who illegally videotape movies in theaters? What exactly do Joel Oxley and Jim Farley do for Bonneville besides dumping formats and moving stations around to different frequencies once a year or so? An elementary school student could have told you that programming syndicated liberal talk blather next to syndicated conservative talk blather followed by sports play-by-play is pretty jarring and won't keep people tuned in. And how much traction can you gain when your biggest "star" is gone half the year? Danny Boy Snyder may be a hack but at least he's sticking with one programming market. I think Oxley and Farley spent most of their quality time ordering my now collectible "3WT" lip balm and hockey stick key chain that I got at the Capitals' blood drive. It's a shame that the Nationals have such a quality game broadcast wasted on a disorganized flagship outlet. The Bonneville addition of Nats Talk Live is call-in junk, features hacks like Byron Kerr, and probably doesn't keep real fans tuned in after Charlie and Dave sign off. (8/13/08) With Alexandria's own Mark Warner named the keynote speaker of the Democratic National Convention, WTOP's decision to not send a reporter to Denver has officially become ridiculous. Everett W. (8/13/08) There are more and more people in college later in life. ANYONE can be a college junior or senior. If it said "hot brunette chick with big jugs in her mid 20's" - I could see your point. There is no clear age discrimination in "Lloyd's" job posting. Take your agenda somewhere else. (8/13/08) Regarding the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” question… As a jock, I never considered that song to be necessarily associated with the Christmas season. Although written by Frank Loesser years earlier, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” was featured in the 1949 MGM musical “Neptune’s Daughter.” Both of the major stars, Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban issued recordings of the song in April of ’49 and the picture was released in June. By summer, the song was wildly popular with several versions being played on the air and sold in record stores. Tom Gauger (8/13/08) Regarding the fishbowl hottie contest, Dave wrote: “Congrats to Houston and Morris, who are both super sexy, even though the contest was a giant sack of hype shit” … Yes, Dave, we all know YOUR hottie contest is a pure celebration of the radio and television industry. Meow! (8/13/08) Dave's response: I do make an attempt to make sure the vote is fair, and reduce ballot stuffing. Even with something as frivilous as a "hottie" contest, it's no fun if it's fradulent. "Lookie, lookie, I won the FishbowlDC hottie contest because I voted for myself 216,000 times." Pathetic..... Putting Federal News Radio on 1500 has got to be the worst idea I've heard since we had WHLP (all want ads, all the time) here in Baltimore. If Bonneville doesn't have any idea what to do with a killer signal, I hereby offer my services to program it for them. I guarantee I'd do a whole lot better. ~~CA in BC (8/13/08) Dear Arlington County Human Rights Commission, Salem Radio Network, Salem Communications, In Arlington County it is against the law to discriminate on the basis of age, so, I am alerting you to a job listing for the Bill Bennett radio show that clearly shows favoritism for younger applicants. A job listing posted on a local media website is as follows: "PHONE SCREENER - Deadline: August 22, 2008 - You are punctual, energetic, and pumped to land your first job in radio. You are articulate, witty, and know how to spell. You follow instructions, and can skillfully tell people "no" without blinking. You're an early riser, up on world news events, with an insatiable hunger to learn and step up. Ok. Enough about you. It's our turn. Bill Bennett's Morning In America is a nationally syndicated, morning drive radio talk show. Our broadcast studio is in Rosslyn, VA, and close to a Metro Station. Our listeners have made us #8, and we're constantly growing. We're looking for a part-time call screener, 5a - 9a, M - F, 20 hours a week. College juniors and seniors in broadcast media encouraged to apply. If this looks like your (sic) "in" and the job is calling your name, what are you waiting for? Take a look at www.bennettmornings.com to see what you’d be getting into. Get points for actually knowing what we do and who we are. Send your resume. lloyd@bennettmornings.com" ... Please alert the Bill Bennett In America show that it is unlawful to discriminate or bias on the basis of age. As a worker over 40, I feel there is discrimination here, and will file the necessary forms with the ACHRC shortly. Name given to ACHRC (8/13/08) To the person concerned about the multiple versions of "Baby It's Cold Outside" on the Billboard chart, it was not uncommon for the same song to be recorded by several artists in the 40's and 50's. As late as 1957, there were three versions of the song "Silhouettes" on the Billboard chart with two of them in the Top 10. Johnny Dark (8/13/08) What I really need is for Bonneville to set up a 10 watt repeater on some off frequency in Baltimore. Then they could get credit for the Charm City Arbitrons, and put WTOP back on 1500. What really aggravates me sometimes is that some of the nameless weather people that work - especially weekends - seem to have been told which listening areas count. Couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in my Columbia home, looking at Weather.com radar as a large thunderstorm was closing rapidly, only to hear WTOP's weather guy say "right now there are no storms in our listening area.. " Doug Hill doesn't do that - but some of the others . . . Mel W. - Columbia, Md. (8/13/08) Is anyone else noticing NPR's Renee Montagne is a crappy interviewer? Gad ! I thought it was a bad day, but that was Monday. This morning it started happening again during the playback of her McCain interview. What's worse is that these segments are prolonged, so listeners suffer more with all her problems. The main issue is her halting, uncertain way of expressing the premise. But just when you think she has finally spit it out (and the newsmaker begins to answer), WAIT !! she has to expand upon the unclear question, and it's another 20-30 seconds before we can hope for an answer. ARRRGH. I would have punched out, but Moss is back and he's even worse. (8/13/08) OK, I think I get it now. On NBC when they air a 'critical or touchy' news story or comment about the RED CHINESE (fake ceremonies, underage gymnasts, critical stories from China proper) NBC IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWS UP WITH A 'SHINY HAPPY' STORY ABOUT CHINA & THE OLYMPICS. BEIJING 2008 = BERLIN 1936 (The Nazis set a great outline that the Chinese Communisis are following in perfect goose-step ;-) (8/13/08) Despite not being able to stomach Elliot in the Morning on 101.1 and becoming a Junkies fan because of it, I actually like 101.1 for the rest of the day. I feel that they play a good mix of music and will occasionally throw in something I haven’t heard in a long time. But that has changed for me during the evening hours recently with their latest DJ during the evening hours. I think his name is Travis Bagwell, but I honestly can’t listen long enough to even hear his DJ name. Two examples of his ‘show’ were last night around 8:15pm – he said that it was really rude to die in the middle of the road (referring to the traffic jam caused by the Bay Bridge wreck) instead of just dying on the side of the road. This gem was followed up a few minutes later by introducing a song about Satan saying – “This song isn’t about Jesus. This song is about Satan. I love Satan”. I understand that shock-jocks try for all the listeners they can get – but they also are very talented, like Stern or Greaseman or whomever. This guy is a complete moron and just being rude and annoying to get listeners. As a poster said last week, 106.7 could gain a TON of listeners if they just put someone listenable on the air between 7-10pm. They have NO competition from 101.1 during those hours. (8/13/08) Lloyd, placing "College juniors and seniors in broadcast media encouraged to apply" in a JOB listing (not intern listing, job listing) tells us that the Bill Bennett show desires to practice AGE DISCRIMINATION in hiring. I will be passing your listing along to the legal dept. at AARP, sending an alert to the Arlington County office that handles workforce related discrimination, as well as sending the listing to the HR offices at Salem in both Texas and California. (8/13/08) I really enjoyed listening to Johnny Holiday tonight ( 8/12 ) doing the play by play on the Nats / Mets game on MASN. Johnny Holiday did a fine job. Bob Carpenter PLEASE take the rest of the year off. It was also nice to have the game in HD. The E-Mail that pointed out Steve Czaben did not know who the Nats were playing this week- does that really surprise you. The 980 ESPN On-Air people SUCK. If Danny boy was smart, he would try to find Ken Beatrice and give him the 4pm-7pm time slot and let Ken do the Redskins post game show. (8/13/08) Joe Ardinger should look into that phone screener job with Bill Bennett. I know it might mean the end of Joe Radio but I bet (pun intended) Joe would enjoy the open mindedness he and Mr. Bennett both share a fondness for. Can we all agree that Bill O'Rightly and Keith Olberman are both screwy. I thought O'Rightly was carried on WJFK cause the fella who proceeded Dan Mason was chummy with billy boy and thought O'Rightly had to have an outlet for his wonderful radio show in D.C. (8/13/08) This isn't exactly about local radio, but given the expertise of the vast DCRTV readership (including some who are considered legends), I thought maybe someone would address this. While I was doing some research for a project for my older brother's birthday, I stumbled across what seems like a musical oddity. According to a Bilboard list of best selling records for the week of 08/13/49, the pop song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was #4, #7 and #13, recorded respectively by Margaret Whiting & Johnny Mercer, Dinah Shore & Buddy Clark, and Sammy Kaye with Don Cornell & Laura Leslie doing vocals. It just seems odd to me that the same song would show up in three different presentations on the same Top 20 chart. I know that the basis of this chart is 'retail sales', which I understand is different from 'airplay' - but still. And what in the hell is a song that's mostly associated with Christmastime doing at #4, #7, and #13 on the charts in the middle of summer? (8/13/08) Baltimore radio announcer Henry Sampson "The Roving Disc Jockey" passed away this past weekend in Baltimore County. Henry worked at WSID 1010 AM, WWIN 1400 AM and WEBB 1370 AM. Henry loved his rhythm and blues records and gospel music. Henry Alexander Sampson's funeral will be this Friday at New Shiloh Baptist Church. Thanks, Jack Edwards (8/13/08) This morn's WaPo says David Burd will become a WTOP reporter (probably back to his funny features) and Jessica Doyle will be a substitute anchor. Nothing on Victoria Jones as far as I know. (8/13/08) /\ August 13 Messages /\ \/ August 12 Messages \/ Any word on what Burd/Doyle/Jones will do now? I've been listening to David Burd since his weekend show on the old Washington Post radio, and I'll miss listening to him in the morning. I listened to the show on Monday-I doubt they had any clue that this was the last show. The majority of the show was about the Edwards affair; when a caller asked them why they weren't talking about Russia and Georgia, one of them said that they would probably cover it in another show. I can't listen to WTOP for any length of time-there's so much repetition and little depth to the news. And Federal News Radio has zero interest for me. I always prefer local talk shows over syndicated shows, but I did enjoy Stephanie Miller's show, and will be sorry when it's no longer available. -JS (8/12/08) -Only 1500 and 820 (and Leesburg's 104.3) will be flipping to FNR- Unless there has been a drastic change in the Funny Communist Commission's rules, how is that possible? 104.3 is a translator of 107.7 - not of 820 or 1500...or 1050 for that matter. Speaking of 1050, they have not mentioned what they are doing what that freq - have they? (8/12/08) Dave's response: You're right. 104.3 in Leesburg would have to relay 107.7, WTOP. But you can already get WTOP in Leesburg on 103.5 and 103.9. As for 1050, I'm told that Bonneville doesn't yet know what it'll be doing with it. Maybe a relay of the ichannel rock stream, currently on 103.5's HD2..... As a translator for 107.7, 104.3 in Leesburg will carry WTOP audio, not WFED. WTOP programming will be on 103.5, 103.9 (in Frederick), 107.7 (in Manassas/Warrenton) and 104.3 (in Leesburg). WFED programming will be carried on 1500 and 820 (in Frederick). Hope this clarifies things. -Brian (8/12/08) "Sirius Offers Coupon To Solve Receiver Problem" - I've known about this for at least 2 years - I'm an XM subscriber, and also listen to OTA radio....and can't count the number of times that I've pulled up to a light listening to WYPR (88.1) only to get blasted by the Howard Stern show. Occasionally, it's been something else, but 95% of the time, it's Howard. I wish it worked the other way around, and that my XM FM transmitter was overpowered. As soon as I would hear Howard, I'd turn on XM Kids, Broadway or VOX. I don't want to listen to Howard (or else I'd be a Sirius subscriber), and they don't want to listen to my stuff. It's been interesting observing Howie's demographics when I pull up to a light....... (8/12/08) I wouldn't miss the gathering of Crystal City boat people 9/13, and I urge all Mutual/Westwood alums to go to mutualreunion@yahoo.com and sign up for the torchlight march on Ed Little's home. Jim Bohannon (8/12/08) Jim Farley, stop playing around with Bonneville's radio staions. Put all-news radio back on 1500 kcs where it belongs.WithWTOP 1500 and 103.5 fm you'll have monster coverage. AM radio as we knew it Jim is gone. Save the frequency before Bonneville sells it. too who? I don't know.Take that Federal news drech off 1500.pleeeeeeeze. (8/12/08) With these reports of 'fake' Olympic Opening Ceremony moments (-opening fireworks, -little girl singing the Red Chinese national anthem...) I'm curious: WILL NBC, CURRENTLY ACTING AS THE PROPAGANDA MOUTH PIECE OF THE RED CHINESE COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP, EVEN REPORT THESE INCIDENTS??? (i would luv to seem the memos floating around nbc news, msnbc etc laying the 'ground rules for reporting real news events in china' -LOL (8/12/08) I can't be the only one who hears the promos for the MO'M show and thinks all of the laughing is taken from a recording of the same set of laughter. First, I do not think the promos are funny so how could they have laughed that hard and second, if you hear the promos one after the other, the laughter sounds the same. Recorded or real? you decide! (8/12/08) I understand that Federal News Radio is a niche product and, as such, has been quite successful. Turning all of the 3WT frquencies to it, however, seems to go against that business model entirely. We'll see. Howie (8/12/08) Dave's response: 3WT's 107.7 will be WTOP. Only 1500 and 820 (and Leesburg's 104.3) will be flipping to FNR..... Hi Dave, My name is Steve Jacobson. I’m a loyal reader of DCRTV and 40 year veteran of most facets of broadcasting, including Radio, TV, Multi Media Productions, Live corporate and government broadcast events, and more. I’m at the time in my life where I want to get back to my “true love” which is radio. I have worked for stations such as WFUN in Miami, WPDQ in Jacksonville, WSGA in Savannah, and WROV in Roanoke. I also had a stint with the American Forces Radio & Television Service in Thailand and Spain. Although I drifted away from broadcast radio years ago, I have kept my hand in by doing live DJ work for the last 30 years. You can check it, and me, out at amazingmusicmachine.com. Anyway, I am looking for any part-time, weekend, fill in gig, or board work. I am stable, reliable, and mature. I’m not looking for “big bucks”, just an opportunity to get back to a place I once belonged, and still do. I have a resume, some old air checks, and a willingness to offer my professionalism. Thanks for the help. Steve (8/12/08) Is there really a Keith Olbermann crowd? I'm not a fan of O'Reilly, but, I do find it sad how Olbermann can't stop harping on O'Reilly. It's actually borderline pathetic watching him pull quotes from every show, when in reality it probably boosts O'Reilly's TV ratings even more. Olbermann was a great sports broadcaster, but, his obsession with Billy and his pompous attitude makes me realize why nobody watches his TV show on MSNBC. And again to reiterate I am not a fan of O'Reilly at all, but, Olbermann puts a liberal spin on everything and has an agenda with every story, more so than O'Reilly. Olbermann is the "Worst Person in the World"! Mitch (8/12/08) (listening to this Federal News Radio for a half hour made me want to kill myself. WHO exactly listens to this stuff? While more than 50% of people in the Washington area are probably federal employees, only a tiny, TINY fraction of those people would ever have an interest in the programming on this station) Jason, you answered your own question. The audience for WFED is not a mass audience, it's not even all federal workers. They are only trying to reach about 3,000 high level feds who make purchasing decisions. They tailor the station to a tiny but influential audience. (8/12/08) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) PHONE SCREENER - Deadline: August 22, 2008 - You are punctual, energetic, and pumped to land your first job in radio. You are articulate, witty, and know how to spell. You follow instructions, and can skillfully tell people "no" without blinking. You're an early riser, up on world news events, with an insatiable hunger to learn and step up. Ok. Enough about you. It's our turn. Bill Bennett's Morning In America is a nationally syndicated, morning drive radio talk show. Our broadcast studio is in Rosslyn, VA, and close to a Metro Station. Our listeners have made us #8, and we're constantly growing. We're looking for a part-time call screener, 5a - 9a, M - F, 20 hours a week. College juniors and seniors in broadcast media encouraged to apply. If this looks like your "in" and the job is calling your name, what are you waiting for? Take a look at www.bennettmornings.com to see what you’d be getting into. Get points for actually knowing what we do and who we are. Send your resume. lloyd@bennettmornings.com (8/12/08) "New York is a BASEBALL town first. The Yankees rule the roost and the Mets are a distant second." But football's definitely making inroads up there with the recent success of the Giants and the acquisition of Packers legend Brett Favre by the Jets. One thing's for sure - you'll never hear a host on WFAN not know the next opponent for the Yanks or Mets. I bring that up because Steve Czaban came up empty on ESPN980's Sports Reporters yesterday when Steve Buckhantz asked him who the Nats will be playing this week - claimed it's not his job to keep track of such things (which unfortunately is probably the case when you're working for a Redskins owned station in Washington, DC). Earlier in the show, he asked for calls on "what did you love most about the Skins' performance last Saturday?". Sounds like something Larry Michael would do - have the suits at Red Zebra somehow succeeded in brainwashing Czaban into "loving Big Brother"? In general, posing leading questions is bad talk radio practice because you're clearly trying to attract callers who agree with you on a particular topic and discourage those who don't. Last year, I think Czaban and Andy Pollin once asked for calls on "what annoys you the most about the way Joe Gibbs is coaching the team?". In other words, they had no interest in debating (no less hearing from) anyone who thought Gibbs was doing a great job - which would have made for much better listening. The willingness to engage callers in lively arguments without acting as if there's something wrong with anyone who takes issue with you is one of the things that made the FAN the gold standard of sports talk radio. Regarding the possibility of Tony Kornheiser returning to WTEM, I recall him telling George Michael (on Channel 4's Full Court Press) that he couldn't have gone on Dan Snyder's payroll two years ago while continuing to be part of ESPN's Monday Night Football due to a conflict of interest. So unless he decides to quit MNF after this season, it appears that ESPN980 won't be the next radio home for Mr. Tony. If unable to hook on with another local station, perhaps he could do a satellite radio only show on Sirius XM. Mike, Fairfax (8/12/08) Here I am for the second time today agreeing with someone. jason is right about Federal News Radio. I'm in the government and I can't imagine anyone listening regularly. I was expecting a review of the "best double pocket presentation portfolios" to start any minute. On another subject, if someone says that "it has nothing to do with political positions" it probably has everything to do with political positions. Howie (8/12/08) (Regarding today's Rant:) The guy with the camera is not going to jail for simply taping two movies. He was involved in a criminal enterprise that involved the selling of pirated movies on the streets of cities on the east coast. That amounts to millions of dollars that the movie theaters and production companies are not receiving because of his actions. They plea bargained with him and he agreed to plead guilty to relatively minor charges in exchange for a jail sentence. Remember this is the federal system that normally does not deal with violent offenders. (8/12/08) Dave, sounds like one of the good guys landed OK. I was listening to the 11am newscast from WIRY-AM Plattsburgh NY online, and heard a news wrap from "CNN's Ira Mellman". Good for you, Ira. (8/12/08) Excuse me for stating the obvious, but there is clearly someone (or perhaps several someones) in charge at Bonneville who is bound and determined that all-news WTOP will *never* return to 1500 AM. (We are talking "over-my-dead-body" determined here.) However, relaying Federal News Radio on that frequency is their only remaining economical choice without putting big bucks into a new, unique format. Give it twelve months. Judging by their lack of success so far, those Salt Lake City suits will fail again, and suddenly a new upbeat announcement will eminate from the glass-enclosed nerve center; "You asked for it... and WTOP delivers! All-news radio is back on 1500 AM... WHERE IT BELONGS!" (8/12/08) You radio veterans wanna see a station in upstate NY that's still kicking it old-school? www.wiry.com, then click the "WIRY Station Tour" link on the left. Cool! (8/12/08) Too little too late as far as everyone getting wise to the emperor, Bill O'Reilly, not having any clothes, with regards to DC listeners. WJFK should have done the right thing back in 2003 and canned him then in favor of a mid day version of "The Ron and Fez Show." At the time R&F were doing double duty - their very funny evening shift, and a down-right brilliant one hour mid-day show ("The Fastest Hour in Radio") that had ALL of the ear markings for the perfect companion show between Stern and D&M. If that had happened, then maybe The Hideout could have been massaged into the evening slot, and the station would have remained a blueprint of how to handle local and national radio talent. (8/12/08) "Radio reporter Paul Farhi is probably on vacation" PF is scheduled for his WaPo online chat this afternoon. (8/12/08) Dave's response: He's probably doing it poolside..... 1500 Federal Radio: Didn't WTOP @ 1500 get bounced because the AM signal wouldn't penetrate the thick walls of the Federal Govt? (8/12/08) So, with the 3WT news.. what does this mean for Marc "Nigel" Sterne? (8/12/08) Dave's response: I hear that the faux Brit will continue to do radio production work for Bonneville..... Any word on what David Burd, Jessica Doyle & Victoria Jones have lined up after the cancellation of “The Inner Loop?” The cancellation of their show is so abrupt it didn’t give listeners and chance to say goodbye. Also did they have some idea that the show was going to be axed? It would be cruel otherwise….. (8/12/08) I thought the morning team of David Burd and Jessica Doyle, along with Victoria Jones on 3WT was at least a more entertaining alternative to WMAL and The Grandy and Andy rants that are disguised as news. Sorry, but Andy's routine has grown stale. Typical of local radio, apparently they were fired some time after Monday morning's program. Contrary to the nay sayers, listernship was building. David in Hyattsville (8/12/08) Dave's response: I've met David Burd and he's one helluva nice guy. A true radio pro. I did listen to the 3WT morning show and it just wasn't "gelling." The chemistry simply wasn't there. Nobody's fault. He's a great broadcaster, going back to his days at the old WPGC and later at WMAL. And he deserves to be heard on the radio. But with the slumping radio biz and all the corporate cutbacks, a lot of other really talented folks are sitting on the sidelines. That just ain't right..... Here's my assessment of a typical hour on the Kirk & Mark show on HFS. First, we have news, followed by news, and then some news. Next comes commercials, then some traffic, then some more commercials. Kirk and Mark talk for about 6-7 minutes, then we get some commercials. Gary Stein weighs in with his three minute sports report and then we get some traffic and more commercials. Then comes a five minute pre-taped interview with some B-D-List celebrity followed by commercials, news, traffic, and then some more commercials. Then it's time to start the next hour. Man, I miss the old days of KML on 98 Rock, at least then there was some actual content, not 45 minutes of news, traffic and commercials. If I wanted that, I'd listen to AM radio. Thank God for satellite radio and iPods! Greg in Reisterstown (8/12/08) Joel Oxley says: “We didn’t get the kind of ratings that we were looking for." What a con man that guy is. Just a few weeks ago, he was bragging about how 3WT was "gaining traction." Just like WaPo Radio was "gaining traction." Joel Oxley has a credibility problem, he has a business integrity problem and the only thing that should be gaining traction are the wheels of his car on the asphault as he leaves town after getting the boot. Employees of Bonneville: explore your options, watch your back at all times and don't believe a word your bosses tell you. (8/12/08) Keith Olbermann - simply stated, he is actually the "worst person" on television ( a riff on his worst person gags). He stinks. It has nothing to do with his political positions. He is simply an untalented news hack who should have stayed in the sports arena where he excelled. I don't know what happened to the guy but he is totally unwatchable. Is this part of the Six Sigma standards that GE proclaims to achieve. He would never be on the air if Jack Welch was still CEO of GE. It's laughable. (8/12/08) Have you seen the new trademarked slogan Radio Shack adopted for their TV and print ads? "Do stuff". DO STUFF??? How many million$ did Radio Shack pay for some hack to come up with that one? And they submitted it for trademark and some doink at the USPTO actually approved it??? Good golly, I'd better move ahead with my plans to trademark "F*** You" before South Park beats me to it. (8/12/08) I'll be hosting "The Time Machine", a 50's and 60's oldies show, tonight from 8 PM to 11 PM ET on www.topshelfoldies.com. I invite you to tune in, and for even more fun, log into the chat room. Top Shelf Oldies features different deejays every evening, with rare recordings, live interviews, and requests. Previous shows are broadcast every Tuesday on www.wgay.fm. -Ken "Carpenter" Sleeman (8/12/08) WMAL 630 will be operating for the next month at only 25% power / 2500 watts non-directional due to their towers being re-painted. So if you're having trouble getting WMAL, now you know why. fjallfoss.fcc.gov (8/12/08) Dave's response: Yeah, after Andy Parks gets off the air at 9, he heads up to the transmitter site on Greentree Road to help paint the towers to make a little extra Citadel dough..... Bonneville, you have got to be kidding me. Not that 3WT or Washington Post Radio were anything great (and I was so disappointed with WP Radio, which I thought had enormous potential), but listening to this Federal News Radio for a half hour made me want to kill myself. WHO exactly listens to this stuff? While more than 50% of people in the Washington area are probably federal employees, only a tiny, TINY fraction of those people would ever have an interest in the programming on this station. I suppose the format will do its job for a while by duping advertisers into believing that the entire federal government is listening in all day at work and during their commutes, but I give it a year before something else lands on 1500, and that will have been way too long. I will hand it to them, though, Bonneville has done a great job with the Nationals' and Capitals' play-by-play broadcasts, but a serious lack of supporting programming isn't going to do any good. -jason (8/12/08) Michael Popovec is right. Phil Wood is great with Davis and Johnson. In fact, with Phil's knowledge of the game and Johnson's of playing the game, I'm always unsure exactly what Davis is there for. I had been writing MASN for months to ask them to carry a Davis-type show featuring Phil, figuring it might be a little more Nats-centric (I'm not a Nats fan, but I do think there is a need for a Nats show on MASN). Phil used to be the co-host of the Davis show until he got his own DC radio gig on Saturdays for a while. In fact, my guide on DISH Network never stopped saying that the hosts were Davis and Wood, even after Johnson took over. Howie (8/12/08) At what point does Farley and Oxley accept responsibility for the multitude of failures? What is the current count of failures? 3WT, WAPO, George, 104 FM and WGMS. This all occurred during the last 4 or 5 years. How many people were fired during this period? How many clients were promised great results that never came? How many promises were broken? These guys are one trick ponies, and should be sent packing. (8/12/08) Dave—This from AFRTS sources and “The Stars and Stripes.” Army refining policy on media coverage of Arlington burials By Jeff Schogol, Stars and StripesStars and Stripes online edition, Friday, August 8, 2008 ARLINGTON, Va. – At Arlington National Cemetery, families receive a folded flag, and the thanks of a grateful nation. They leave behind a son, a brother, a father, a sister, a mother, or someone else who they hold dear. The pain of burying a loved one can be made worse by an aggressive media, or eased by the opportunity to tell that servicemember’s story. Under proposed revisions to the policy of media access at Arlington National Cemetery, the family’s wishes would drive what media can and cannot do. "What the family wants, the family gets,’” said Stephanie Hoehne, principal deputy chief of Army public affairs. Army Secretary Peter Geren ordered a review of media coverage at Arlington in July following a Washington Post column on Gina Gray, a former spokeswoman at the cemetery who claims she was fired for pushing for more media access at funerals. Geren could see proposed revisions to the policy for covering funerals next week, said Hoehne said at a roundtable with journalists on Friday. Also attending were representatives from the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The new policy calls for casualty assistance officers to read from an approved script when they ask if the family wants media to cover their loved-ones’ funerals, Hoehne said. “Our intent is to ensure there is no attempt to persuade the family one way or the other,” she said. Under the policy, families would be given options for media coverage of the funeral, including “limited audio coverage.” “When limited audio coverage is permitted, only the Chaplain, cleric, or in the absence of a chaplain or cleric, an officiant or main speaker designated by the family, will wear a single microphone to permit recording and transmission of the eulogy at graveside,” the draft policy said. Reporters at the roundtable suggested that the Army define “limited” coverage and expand the family’s options for media coverage to allow them to have a reporter to sit in the back row of the funeral if the family so desires. “All of us want to be respectful … We don’t want to make a mess out there. We don’t want to disturb the ceremony,” said Michel DuCille, assistant managing editor for photography at the Washington Post. Another issue was whether reporters can photograph the moment when a loved one is presented with the flag. “I would say if that the media is authorized to cover the funeral, they are authorized to cover the entire ceremony,” Hoehne said. But that hasn’t happened in the past, DuCille said. “Either we’re removed before the flag is presented or right after the flag is presented, and you must leave now; and the presumption is we want you out of here before the family begins to engage with each other, get emotional, greet each other, and so leave now,” DuCille said. Families ask for pictures of the service, he said. “For the grieved, what they’re doing here is going to be framed forever, and if they don’t get the shot, it’s – the story is just lacking,” said Joe Davis, of Veterans of Foreign Wars. (8/12/08) Many thanks goes out to The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz for finally explaining to me what "The 2 Americas" are: They are Howard Kurtz, the mainstream media, John Edwards, the people paid millions of dollars in the Edwards cover-up and then the 2nd America is the poor bastards this sleazy personal injury lawyer made his multimillions off the hardworking backs of as well as the people who had this guy pegged as a smooth talking charlatan from Day 1. Thank you so much Howard Kurtz for finally explaining this to me. I just never got it until now. Oh, and also many thanks to The National Enquirer for ratting this scumbag out. Just think, without the National Enquirer, this guy could have potentially been President or Vice President! Some of the top mainstream media news execs & editors should probably be fired over this story. It was just way too big to miss. Scary. (8/12/08) I suggest that Bonneville carry a fair sampling of WTOP content on 1500 after dark, when their coverage extends all along the East Coast. They should start this _after_ PM Drive during the winter, when the sun sets so early. There still seem to be numerous DC-ex-pats and others who want to hear the DC "news station of record" and are scattered up and down the coast in WTOP's night coverage area. (8/12/08) I'll never understand the appeal of WTOP Rarely depth to any of the news stories and all the traffic and weather time checks and commercials good gawd it just sucks too me. it strikes me a bit like dangling keys in front of a dawg who just eats that mindlessness up....after further inquiries on this dcrtver's part a reason why the facist regime at the borders in fairfax put the papers behind the counter was to keep folks from helping themselves to papers for free as they sat in the coffee shop. the store claims folks would steal sections of paper and then maybe return the paper to the rack. same thing happens with magazines. As someone who buys more than his or her share of magazines I do find it really slacker like the folks who help themselves to papers and magazines and nurse a coffee for hours at that place. also as of August 1st it appears that changes have occurred by newspaper distributor. Seems like no more Richmond paper and very few if any Baltimore or Philadelphia paper's provided. this appears to be the case area wide not just at the fascist borders Stopped by the tysons borders and they haven't put the papers behind the counter but they have so few papers available for sale hardly seems worth the effort. man the end sure seems to be coming fast and furious for hard copy newspapers. they'll have to change the name. And this on top of huge drop in the sales of magazines the first 6 months of this year. Btws, if you live near a WEGMAN"s and you absolutely need an out of town paper they just might be only one's to have it these days but it will cost a couple fingers and toes. Hey I dig the Marco Polo bread meself and them Route 11 potatoe chips are to die for and they just might, oh my I've ben programmed by the ebile wtop. WEHT Bud Greenspan? Has NBC done any kind of tribute to the late Jim McKay? Was looking at the pictures of the MOS party lat Friday. I thought O'Meara was on some diet but he looks heavier than he did at the lame Hogfest event a couple months back. Did Tom Gavin enjoy the party/ what's that? Oh, nevermind. bradley (8/12/08) To Larry in Luray: When I lived in Waynesboro, Va., from 2004 to 2006, 107.7 FM came in fairly well on my car radio, and it was easy to pick up along virtually all of Skyline Drive. Returning WTOP news to that frequency, combined with retaining the sports properties there, is probably a "best of both worlds" solution for listeners in that part of Virginia. -- Vincent in Triangle (8/12/08) Tina in MoCo - (Unless I'm mistaken, and I'll be happy to admit it if I'm wrong, WTOP gets no ARBITRON credit in Baltimore) 12 plus, Spring 2008, WTOP had a 1.5 in the Baltimore book. It might not be much, but WTOP does get credit in Baltimore. They might not care about it, but they do get it. I can't vouch for the other posters brain power, but I would not wish senility on Mr. Farley. I told my normally calm father of the plans for 1500, and he became enraged and struck my mother across the mouth. I can only imagine what others will do. Miles. (8/12/08) I have to say I am really enjoying what I hope is a permanent addition to the Tom Davis Show as Phil Wood has been on now for three weeks to a month now joining Dave Johnson who took his place last year. The three of them are great together and have a wealth of baseball knowledge, not sure you will get much better in Baltimore. I tune into as much as I can on Sat's on MASN here in OC since I can't get on radio...To the poster concerning Channel 11 WBAL-TV promoting the Ravens on ABC2-WMAR, I believe the reason is the Olympics will prevent WBAL-TV from running the Ravens pre-season game this Saturday so WMAR will be the non/basic-cable station for the game outside of MASN. -Michael Popovec (8/12/08) Great move. So long to 3WT. What a waste. The moves mostly make sense at the WTOP building. I'm on the side that thinks WTOP should be on 1500 AM. From Maine to Florida there's hunger for news and information. Most cities along the way do not have information stations for people to hear. Sure, they have stations with talk; the syndicated garbage played all over the dial. There's the opportunity for news, fresh stuff, for millions of people to hear at night. It's on 1500 AM and hopefully Bonneville will do that eventually. (8/12/08) /\ August 12 Messages /\ \/ August 11 Messages \/ "Have you heard any rumblings that Wilbon and Kornheiser don't get along anymore? They haven't done their PTI show together in a month and a half. Something strange going on there." If you have watched PTI from the beginning, you would realize that the summertime is when they take their vacations, mostly because the sports world is dead (the Olympics of course being the exception this year), but when the NFL is about the start for real, they will both be back on. Mike in Waldorf (8/11/08) Actually, 107.7 has never been good in Winchester, but 103.5 comes in pretty well between there and Strasburg on I-66. Getting the signal back on 107.7 means an easier catch along I-95 from Doswell north, where 103.5 gets chopped off by 103.7 in Richmond, so that will be helpful to me. Yay! Charles in Wincheser (8/11/08) Dave's response: And don't forget WGTY, that country station in Gettysburg on 107.7..... Thanks a bunch, Dave Hughes. After 31 years of peaceful dormancy, now I've got Black Betty playing over and over and over in my head! Ram-a-lam, my ass. (8/11/08) Dave's response: Thanks to the "new" Global Arrow 94.7..... What's unfortunate, no what's despicable, about the latest Bonneville screw up is how it just shines a spotlight on their less-than-honest tactics. When WaPo Radio was sputtering along, they claimed it was "gaining traction." A few weeks ago, they used the very same phrase with 3WT - it was "gaining traction." They think no one remembers their speazy spin patrol antics. They think they always know better. They're nothing more than a bunch of pathetic snake oil salesmen. (8/11/08) (RE: Some engineer needs to wake Jim Farley from his time warp.) Some brain surgeon needs to rescue this poster from his/her IQ deficit. Unless I'm mistaken, and I'll be happy to admit it if I'm wrong, WTOP gets no ARBITRON credit in Baltimore. And trust me, Farley will go senile once you get brains. Not likely to happen soon. Tina in MoCo (8/11/08) "Have you heard any rumblings that Wilbon and Kornheiser don't get along anymore? They haven't done their PTI show together in a month and a half. Something strange going on there." There is no way this would happen. Wilbon and TK have been working together for almost over 25 years. I highly doubt they would quit working together now. Especially when they both know that working together on PTI is their big meal ticket. Tony isn't going to stay on MNF forever so he would soon leave that. Wilbon may do NBA for a bit until that gets tired. I expect they're making sure there aren't lame guest hosts in both seats in the run-up to the NFL season. I have to say chosing Rick Reilly tonight was awful... (8/11/08) Vincent in Triangle refers to poor results from the Nationals on 3WT. The poor ratings on MASN were well publicized but that's the first I've heard that radio ratings are also bad. Any details? (8/11/08) I watched in awe and wonder and complete delight last night as the U-S men's swim team came from behind to embarrass the French team that had been talking a bunch of smack before the event. The event was carried live at 10pm and it seems to me that that is one of the things that made it so special. I for one am sick of these neatly packaged event segments that the networks run during the real event that is sports. Do I care that some Olympic somebody or another grew up in a trailer and blah, blah, blah? No. Save the propaganda in the form of human interest stories for 1936 Berlin. Spare me as well from the interviews with President Bush. If he gave a shit about human rights he wouldn't even be there or maybe he just likes breathing in all that chunky air that hangs over the city. Is there not enough for NBC to cover on its 973 various networks during these events. Show me something besides badmitton where the U-S doesn't have a competitor or a chance to win a medal. What made the live coverage of the men's 4x100 relay so great was that the reactions of the athletes and the comentators were genuine and were not computer generated like some Bejing fireworks display. Not everything has to be timeshifted to prime time eastern to keep us interested. I find myself watching soccer at 10 am just because it's on and I really hate soccer. - Sprawl and Crawl Steve (8/11/08) Ummm...to protect the station on the same frequency in central PA, Bonneville's 107.7 has a serious null towards Front Royal and Winchester (they actually put a decent signal into Luray, however). On the way into northern VA each day 107.7 is a tough catch along I-66 until around milepost 25 near Marshall, and that's less than 15 miles as the crow flies from their tower in Warrenton. So much for that "to the Shenandoah" stuff. At least I can hear the Caps while wearing my #8 Ovechkin sweater on game nights - - - - - Larry in Luray (8/11/08) Z104, WGMS, George, Washington Post Radio, now 3WT. Another strategic blunder by Bonneville, another group of workers tossed away like used kleenex. It is shameful how they have such disregard for their people. What a disgrace. (8/11/08) (Dave's response: I hear that some of 3WT's weekend shows will get moved to WFED. Pat Goss is gone. Not sure about Jerry Phillips...) He does remain with WFED (8/11/08) RE: [ " No it's not. Read it again. From and to. FROM and TO. " ].......... Nope! It's pretty clear to anyone with half a brain that Jim Farley attempted to spin an erroneous idea that WTOP has a better and more widely received signal than previously or originally or ever by saying WTOP would now be an even bigger regional powerhouse than previously. Regardless of semantics, that is simply not true without the AM 1500 signal no matter how you look at it. Next Bonneville employee to take a crack at this?........... (8/11/08) Interesting move by Bonneville to cut its losses and mute 3WT. It was a good concept in theory, but it had too many problems -- not enough of a local perspective to establish a genuine identity, an inconsistent presence from its presumed meal ticket (Tony Kornheiser), and poor results from its primary sports property (the Nationals). At least there will be no need to change the sign at the press box in Nationals Park, which only lists the 1500 and 107.7 frequencies as "Nats radio" without any call letters or such. And I agree that the Nationals and Capitals should stay right where they are -- the only way either or both should leave would be if CBS converted 94.7 into an all-sports station (not 106.7 with its lackluster signal), moving University of Maryland sports there, too. And the Nats and Caps should stay away from Dan Snyder's stations at all costs. -- Vincent in Triangle (8/11/08) Burd, Jones and Doyle are gone. Gosh what personal misfortune for these guys but I am so happy. That dick doing the bad accents, that screatchy brit hag, that lumpy dough-head Burd – Bwahahahahahah!!!! Tony The Kreap soon to bend over for Danny – Bwahhahahaha. What comedy. Grandy & Andy are the Mac Daddy! (8/11/08) Have you heard any rumblings that Wilbon and Kornheiser don't get along anymore? They haven't done their PTI show together in a month and a half. Something strange going on there. Paul (8/11/08) FINALLY a kindred spirit!!! I heard ''Black Betty'' also on 94.7 and it set my teeth on edge. I don't get how people think that song ''rocks''! HATE that song with a PASSION! Paul (8/11/08) (What this will mean for WTOP is a network of three FM stations covering an area literally from Richmond to Baltimore and from Chesapeake Bay to the Shenandoah Mountains," is simply wrong ). No it's not. Read it again. From and to. FROM and TO. It does not suggest it gets into Baltimore or Richmond, just to the city limits.. And there's no claim for the eastern shore......just TO the western shore of the Bay itself. A huge area, most of it in the Arbitron Metro where it counts. (8/11/08) "As far as I know, Channel 4 has chosen not to send anyone to the Olympics in Beijing..." Actually, they have sent Lindsay Czarniak. In addition to her regular reports on the news, she's also blogging on the Channel 4 website. (8/11/08) I saw this entery in a past mailbag string from early July. "A blind item for the mailbag; what former local celebrity got a ticket for going 90 in a 55, sporting a brand spanking new 2009 Toyota truck, on route 100 over by Arundel Mills Mall a few weeks ago? Please people, slow down, slow down, slow down. It is important that you slow down. If you know the answer, please don't post the answer to protect his privacy. Pease slow down, you know who you are. (7/8/08)" - I guess now we all know. (8/11/08) The writer who says Peter "Rosendouche" was "run out of town" ignores the fact that Peter landed in the #1 market. I wonder if the poster has the same talent and balls? P. (8/11/08) Boy, Dave the Rosenberg haters just can't let it go, can they? Though I'm sure I'll never get an honest, or even cogent answer from any of them, I'd love to have one question answered: What on Earth did Rosenberg do these people who just absolutely hate him? Let me guess: do they resent that a kid got a shot on a major market talk station, when they felt they were more qualified, due to experience, or just perhaps, their egos? Were they failures in radio, who couldn't take it that a young one got a chance, and they never did? They certainly crowed with delight at his own failure, but he now seems to be making a good go of it in NY. Good for him; as for the rest of you, I guess you'll just have to keep slamming the juvenile name-calling onto the boards, and wrenching your guts in hatred for a guy you probably never even met. Letting go? Obvious that you never will. The RCL (8/11/08) Some engineer needs to wake Jim Farley from his time warp. WTOP abandoned Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay region when it left AM 1500. None of the FM signals cover those areas like AM 1500 did, either day or night. You'd have a hard case to make that WTOP covers more geographical area now than it oriiginally did. Even AM 1050 might end up with as good a Baltimore signal as WTOP if it gets approval for its upgrade to 10,000 watts. Is Jim getting senile already or is Dave Hughes a Shameless Plug tool for Bonneville? :-) (8/11/08) Dave's response: Me, a "shameless plug tool" for Bonneville? The same Dave Hughes who said mucho times that WaPo Radio and 3WT were huge mistakes? The same Dave Hughes who has repeatedly slammed Bonneville for killing off commercial classical WGMS? And the same Dave Hughes who criticized Bonneville for selling 104.1 and not turning 104.1/103.9 into a sports talker? OK. Whatever..... And for once, I have to disagree with the usually sensible Ed Graham. And Jim Farley's quote "What this will mean for WTOP is a network of three FM stations covering an area literally from Richmond to Baltimore and from Chesapeake Bay to the Shenandoah Mountains," is simply wrong - (perhaps he believes it). The 103.5 signal is somewhat there in perhaps half of Baltimore at best. Dont understand the coverage patterns, but for example, I can hear it in Owings Mills but not downtown, or even in the Woodlawn area.. If WTOP doesn't care, then so be it. But then dont make a statement like that Mr. Farley. What we need - what I need anyway - is the AM signal that provides the most information to the broadest spectrum of people - not just a specific sub-group. What a waste of the best AM frequency in the region. Mel W. - Columbia, Md. (8/11/08) Dave's response: OK, how about the BBC World Service on 1500 AM 24/7? How cool would that be! Your "local radio guru" is full of it. Unless those limited signals and rimshots can do better than 1500 AM, the Nats & Caps are most likely staying right where they are. Leonsis would never go back to whatever form WTEM is in these days & the Nats have a sweetheart deal with Bonneville. Just a wet dream on the part of someone at one of the stations you mentioned on the front page. (8/11/08) Dave....While I respect your decision to practice the "It's my site, I will post what I want" approach...Does a NYC station's decision to put a no talent hack like Peter Rosendouche in their prime time slot really warrant a newsblurb on a DC radio site? Look, the second that dickweed Rosendouche was fired in the DC area and run out of town, that should have been the last time we see anything pretaining to him. That is unless he somehow makes it back to the DC area market...No chance of that happening...Please Dave, let that loud mouth, pile of crap poser go already... (8/11/08) Dave's response: Love him or hate him, Peter Rosenberg is a DC radio veteran and local native and we will cover his exploits. But you just got to know it's got to be steaming Don Geronimo to know that his WJFK nemesis is on the air in the nation's largest radio market. Don't forget that Peter got fired from JFK after feuding with Don. Hmmm..... Correct. Nick Clooney was one of the 3 major anchors in Cincinnati back in the late 70's, early 80's -- it was Nick (ABC affiliate), Al Schottelkotte (at the time, he was dean of the local news anchors -- CBS) and one, Jerry Springer (NBC). LO (8/11/08) Dave's response: I remember when Nick introduced films on AMC, before it became known as the movie butcher..... How will Bonneville handle the net streaming of its various sports affiliations (excluding the blacked out Nationals) if it cuts off its 3WT net stream? One potential solution could be to simply stream its sports broadcasts over FederalNewsRadio.com. Bonneville would still need a contingency plan though for when sports events conflict with each other. Everett W. (8/11/08) Mike in Fairfax: I beg to differ. New York is a BASEBALL town first. The Yankees rule the roost and the Mets are a distant second. DC is a FOOTBALL town. All about the Redskins. Comparing the two cities in terms of how local media covers the various sports is apples and oranges for that reason. (8/11/08) THIS IS SEWIUS!!! I will miss the Inner Loop because they covered a lot of local issues and talked to the people. Is Jerry Phillips show still going to be heard Sunday mornings? (8/11/08) Dave's response: I hear that some of 3WT's weekend shows will get moved to WFED. Pat Goss is gone. Not sure about Jerry Phillips..... Good for Bonneville...glad they didn't take a step backward by putting WTOP back on 1500. Putting FED on a good signal is progress. It's also live and local. There was no way the 3WT could survive. And the thought that Bonneville could put an expensive sports format on 1500 was just wishful thinking. Any expensive format these days has to be on FM to survive. How many people under 60 listen to AM radio? Even good signaled AM stations have to have a speciality format that will require only a small share to make it. + + Good for Peter Rosenberg. Every talent has one format that works for them. This might be his. I should have been born wealthy, but it just didn't happen. + + Good for Joe in Essex. I finally agree with him. The thing that makes me wonder is, why did Edwards run? He had to know they would find out. If he hadn't run HLC would have gotten the most votes. I really like Obama, but HLC would have been great also. + + Good for Nick Clooney, welcome to DC. + + Bad for Mel Karmazin. I like what he says about making XMSiris wonderful, but I know he is looking to cash out big time. I hope that, by accident, he does make it great. Ed Graham (8/11/08) Finally Bonneville has seen that 3WT was a dismal failure and is restoring 107.7 to WTOP. Finally I'll be able to receive a usuable signal for WTOP in Fredericksburg. The 103.5 frequency was just not cutting it down here. Still wish they owned the 104.1 frequency. The George 104 "experiment" was a good one, though we all knew that was a short lived format when they had it. But glad to see that Farley and company realized that 3WT was not worth the time, effort and most importantly money. Put it to good use as a relay. Dave in Fredericksburg (8/11/08) "What happen to John Riggins [on ESPN980]? – I thought he was still going to be around." The station's been running a promo saying that Riggins will be part of several shows once the Redskins regular season starts, so it appears that he's laying low until then (perhaps using up his remaining vacation time). As far as I know, Channel 4 has chosen not to send anyone to the Olympics in Beijing. For Channel 11 to provide extensive on-site coverage is understandable since Baltimore native Michael Phelps has a chance to win an unprecedented nine gold medals in swimming. Having said that, media outlets in Charm City do seem to go overboard for hometown athletes performing on the national or international stage (more so than their counterparts in DC). When figure skater Kimmie Meissner was competing at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, I understand you couldn't tune in a Baltimore TV newscast for five minutes without hearing about her - and she wasn't even a medal favorite. After Saturday night's NBC Olympics telecast was over, the lead story on 4's late news (which started around midnight) was the Redskins/Bills game. That's an interesting decision considering that the majority of the viewership had to be spillover from the Olympics - in other words, people who'd chosen to watch the Beijing games rather than football that night. Regardless of how big a deal the Skins may be around here, meaningless preaseason games shouldn't be given that much prominence. In New York (where pro football interest is on par with Washington), they seldom even lead sportscasts. Mike, Fairfax (8/11/08) Re: TK to 980? .... Snyder might have a must-carry on Mike & Mike, but do they have to carry Cowherd? 10am-noon looks prime to me. Steve in Lanham (8/11/08) Dave - Nick Clooney is George's pop. LO (8/11/08) Dave's response: Nick is singer Rosemany Clooney's brother. So, Rosemary is George Clooney's aunt. I think I got it..... The Jim Bohannon Show will air on WFED 10:06PM-1AM weeknights, and Jim's "America in the Morning will air 506-6AM weekdays on WFED, both on the 1500-AM and 820-AM frequencies. (8/11/08) 3WT not only has a deal to broadcast the Nats, I believe it has at least another year to go on its Capitals broadcast contract. It was also the flagship for GW basketball and Navy football alhough I am not sure what the status of those deals is. As a Caps fan, I will say that 3WT did a terrific job with the games last season. Jonathan Warner and company were very good on the pre and post game shows. They clearly like the sport and the team and their enthusiasm and knowledge came through. There was a marked difference from the old WTEM days where the general theme seemed to be disdain for the Caps broadcasts because they took away time that could be better spent discussing the Redskins punter's stubbed toe and NO ONE other than Scott Linn and Al Koken (neither of whom was involved in the radio broadcasts) knew a thing about hockey. I hope the changes to 3WT do not adversely impact the Caps broadcasts. That would be a shame, especially given that there should be a lot more listeners now that the team is on the upswing in a major way. (8/11/08) Dave, Where would Kornheiser fit at WTEM? Aren’t they required to carry Mike and Mike in the morning as part of their ESPN affiliation agreement? (8/11/08) Dave's response: Dan Snyder has six local signals. I'm sure he could find room for Tony. Maybe on 570? From the 3wtradio.com website... 7) What about Tony Kornheiser? Tony Kornheiser is currently not on the radio; he will be doing Monday Night football this fall and will not return to our radio stations after this.... Guess Tony wore out his welcome. Any idea where he’ll end up (if anywhere) next January? (8/11/08) RE: 3WT) Kornheiser's out too...Everett W. (8/11/08) Dave's response: I guess since Korny took the Post's buyout, and is no longer a fulltime employee, he can now "come back" to Dan Snyder's WTEM in January. No conflict of interest. Right? Dave: Due to circumstances beyond my control {working on my car}, I had no choice but to listen to Czaban's show this morning on Fox radio and he{Czaban} doesn't get it. Czaban needs to sit next to Coach Thompson for one week...that's all I will say. Furthermore, I know Al Galdi's a nice guy but there's no such thing as a team "walking-off " another. Al, be a pro and take some lessons from Dan Davis-ESPN. And we all think Koken is so bad kissing-up to Coach Thompson...Scott Linn needs to finally jump-off Czaban's coat-tales and find a new money maker. (8/11/08) I agree that so far Globe 94.7 isn't bad as a classic rocker. I just don't think they will improve their ratings until they get a personality driven morning show. I've been listening to Weasel for a long time, but he simply isn't a morning guy. My uneducated guess is that CBS doesn't want to compete with the Junkies on WJFK, which is what a personality type show might do. This is probably too simple of an idea, but why not put the Junkies on 94.7 and 106.7? (8/11/08) Dave's response: I hear that 94.7 will soon be calling itself "Your Official Jackson Browne Station." Apparently, Dan "I Should Have Been A Shoe Salesman" Mason believes that the DC area radio audience wants one thing - much more Jackson Browne. And guess what they played just before noon today? "Black Betty." Gawd, I hate that song..... Sorry to see yet another sign of life on the TV dial give way to redundancy. I'm talking about WUFO. I never got to see the low-power signal -- and I can't understand why the FCC would put a low-power signal on 49 when there's megawatt WDCW on 50 -- but it was nice to know someone was trying something different. Someone missed a major opportunity to work out a trade: move WUFO from the analog signal to a digital subchannel. NOT ONE of the commercial stations in DC or Baltimore is currently doing anything worthwhile on any of their subchannels: 2 has a SD repeat of their HD channel plus a weather channel; 4 has another weather channel; 5 has NOTHING; 7 has another weather channel and a channel of faded, tired reruns; 9 has another weather channel; 11 has another weather channel, 13 has NOTHING, 14 has NOTHING, 20 has NOTHING, 24 has a repeat of their main channel, 45 has what seems to be a relay of 54 most of the time, 50 has NOTHING, 54 has NOTHING. Gone are the very watchable The Tube, and the interesting Local Point TV. 49 may not be that great a signal (and it will be interesting to find out how much 50's digital signal interferes with it when the switch is thrown next year), but its loss is a direct result of 7's lack of faith in digital TV. Do all commercial stations have no faith at all in the new opportunities the government has dumped in their laps? (8/11/08) "costas did a great job! he hit all the hot talk/hard news topics, and it clearly made the Prez uncomfortable."------- Actually, It looked to me like Bush was very comfortable & totally happy camper for Bush, maybe you haven't seen some of his far WORSE interviews! LOL And btw, who wouldn't be happy camper being at the venues he's been at and being a sports fan? Maybe you should have your left-wing Chinese-made TV checked out for trouble? LOL (8/11/08) Dave, Take a look at the 3WT website. Burd, Jones and Doyle are gone! Howie (8/1/08) Dave's response; 3WT is dead. Just got the Front Page blurb up..... The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz should rename his column "Phony Apologist Mainstream Media Notes". What do they teach in Journalism 101 these days? A. Neglect the story? B. Get Caught Neglecting said story. C. Pretend it doesn't exist. Then bring in Howard Kurtz to explain why A + B + C = GOOD? Kurtz touches on many criticisms of the main stream media in his column about John Edwards infidelity, but seems to offer more lame phony excuses and olive branches to The Post's readers to not stop reading The Post or mainstream media in general and that's my biggest problem with this column. Howard Kurtz himself just failed JOUR 101 with this column. Just like all the mainstream media that failed to investigate the story, KURTZ DID THE SAME THING! Kurtz seems to gloss over the importance of the story just like everyone ELSE did, that a Presidential candidate & possible VP might be being bribed or using campaign contributors' funds to arrange a cover-up, that unemployed campaign workers are holed up in multimillion dollar houses! JOUR 101 doesn't pretend to teach morality about whether to cover a story, nor if I remember correctly are you taught that if the National Enquirer beats your lazy ass to a HUGE STORY, well just pretend it doesn't exist. There should be a new rule that if you get beat by the National Enquirer to a story and it seems to have legs....... Either cover it ASAP, debunk it, or quit or be fired from your job. Unfortunately, at that rate, with this John Edwards story, we'd have few journalists left, wouldn't we? It's an amazing testament to how broken main stream media is in today's internet society and fully explains why less and less people access mainstream media on a daily basis. You've failed your jobs, you're fat, lazy, overpaid, and narcissistic just like the people you cover, and younger people online are beating your investigative asses on a daily basis. Maybe editors of mainstream media should go back to school. And you wonder why more and more people read sites like DCRTV and various political blogs while Washington Post & other newspapers subscriptions and network news ratings are down? Well, here's a glaring example why! The mainstream media might not have wanted to cover a story that involved a man caught with his pants down, but guess who just got TRULY CAUGHT with their pants down? Yep, look in the mirror journalists & editors and hold your loser heads in shame. NATIONAL ENQUIRER 1 MAINSTREAM MEDIA 0 Game 2 probably coming sooner than you expect. ADVICE? Take those Buyouts while they last! :-) Joe in Essex (8/11/08) Re WUFO TV (We are glad to have completed a 284 day run in DC and we thank the hundreds of thousands of viewers in this region who loved our programming format and told us so each week) Riiiiiiiiight...and I'm the f*cking Pope. Channel 49...reaching out to those "hundreds of thousands" of UFO freaks in the nations capital that are getting out their rabbit ears and pointing them toward downtown. "Hundreds of thousands" of people that "told us so each week." Keep those cards and letters pouring in... That's funny stuff there, pal. (8/11/08) I also saw Holly Morris this morning and was laughing so hard at her trying to ask them questions and their responses. It was obvious that they were trying to practice and couldn't really talk to her. She's just so irritating. (8/11/08) Ref: The only reason Bush is attending the Olympics -- Beach Volleyball Babes! God I love me sum bush – Come visit soon, there is a lot more room at the beach Since Don’s departure, Love Ya Don G.- JJ “Hitman” McKay/Ocean City, Md. (8/11/08) Holly Morris is reporting from courts at the Legg Mason classic and is attempting to interview some players while they're practicing. They're trying to concentrate on their practice and she's just yapping on and on. Sheesh.. (8/11/08) OK--it's not the NY Times--but it is a nice article about Peter Rosenberg--with MD & NY radio references! Read "Hip Hop Heeb"! www.thejewishweek.com... --Mike from Silver Spring (8/11/08) Uh, what the heck was Bush doing in that picture with the volleyball player?..Looks like he was about to spank that ass. (8/11/08) Regarding Bush grandstanding in Beijing ... He's not in China to glad-hand the athletes or even to cheer them on. Bush is there on behalf of his Corporate Masters, from General Electric on down. For nearly 8 years he has served them faithfully and they promised lil' George he'd get an extra egg roll, with duck sauce - and if he was extra good, he could sit at the grown-up's table and even keep his souvenir chopsticks. The sooner this evil, corporate whore and fascist scum is out of power, the better off the world will be! - Signed - K. Marx, N. Lenin & M. Tse- Tung. (8/11/08) costas did a great job! he hit all the hot talk/hard news topics, and it clearly made the Prez uncomfortable. (8/11/08) There are thousands upon thousands of left-leaning blogs on the internet. There are very few sites that cover DC media news. Maybe you should stick to what you're (sort of) good at. If I wanted unoriginal, recycled political opinion, I'd hang out around the water cooler more often. (8/11/08) To the poster who said there is no such law as "reckless driving" in the State of Maryland, you don't know what you are talking about. Motorists are convicted every day in Maryland for "reckless driving," or otherwise plead out. I suggest you take a look at Sections 21-901.1 and 21-901.2 of the Maryland Transportation Code where reckless driving, negligent driving, and aggressive driving are defined. There is case law in Maryland that allows drivers who exceed the speed limit by xx+ mph or more to be charged with reckless driving. And bvy the way, Section 27-101 of the Maryland Transportation Code prescribes the penalty for "reckless driving," which in your mind, doesn't exist. Before you post, get your facts straight. 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