dcrtv.com - Mailbag - October 13 to October 20, 2008

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DCRTV Mailbag - October 13 to October 20, 2008

Latest messages listed first.....
\/ October 20 Messages \/

".......now trading at 20 cents a share............." ".......Citadel also owns WMAL, WRQX, and WJZW....." Has the era of part time program directors finally come to an end? (10/20/08)

The last few weeks the signal has gotten progressively worse from WJFK. What might DCRTV know about it? I work in Tysons and never had a problem listening to the Fairfax based Station. I am guessing the Tower it not there. I called the station Friday after getting fed up and got the old "The engineers are working out it. Please listen to the podcast"... Stefan (10/20/08)

Re; the obstructed views of two plays during the Redskin game yesterday. The subject was discussed at least twice on WTEM today and surprisingly the hosts were very critical of the NFL, Snyder, the rest of Redskin management, and the "yahoo's" who stood up. The discussion was about how Snyder and his cronies allow an obstructed camera position to happen in a stadium like Fedex. One of the theories was that Snyder could care less because the 90,0000 or so who paid to attend didn't have to watch on tv. (10/20/08)

If the dead can vote Democrat, why should they be denied the equally important right of association? Like many a good Democrat, Jack Valenti may be dead. But, that will not deter him from voting or socializing! Just think about what happens when a child grows up being denied broccoli amd becomes President! (10/20/08)

"EXCLUSIVELY ON ESPN 980" --- of course that's them beating their chests because DC HAS NO OTHER SPORTS RADIO STATIONS IN THE AREA. The midget of an owner bought everything up for an extremely high price so he can shove skins propaganda down your throat 24 hours a day then they have the nerve to say "exclusive", fuckin douchebags. Also love how you can hear the game "exclusively" on ESPN 980, no shit guys, can ya stop with the "exclusive" crap. And also stop saying "on ESPN 980 and ESPN 980.COM". We get it, you have a website which streams your content live. I doubt anyone cares to listen to asskissing larry michael over the internet or even on the actual radio. Can someone please start up a new sports talk channel around here?? PLEASE. Start one up, make it successful, the midget will overpay for it in a few years, then repeat, seems like a great business model as long as he owns the team. ----- David (10/20/08)

"I'm listening to the Redskins/Jim Zorn press conference (on ESPN980). And again ESPN980 is saying "EXCLUSIVELY ON ESPN 980". Can anyone explain how a press conference can be carried exclusively?" It is my understanding, and if I err I will gladly look forward to being corrected, that ESPN 980 means they have exclusive rights to carry the press conference live on air. I believe Comcast Sportsnet has or did have the rights on the TV side. Other TV and radio stations can run material from the press conference, but they cannot broadcast the event live. The one exception is for a big breaking news story such as Sean Taylor's death: the rights were suspended and any TV or radio station was allowed to broadcast the press conference live. It's ESPN 980 beating their chests over something that really doesn't matter. (10/20/08)

Did you see DCRTV Dave's rant quoted in the Washington Post Express today? (10/20/08)

Dave's response: Really? Cool. I don't get to see the Express in my neck of the woods.....

Re " I love the sound of deafening silence when liberal hypocrisy is exposed in the mail bag. Porter Jervis"/// Poor you..... the silence is based on the same reasons we don't take Marion Barry seriously, or why we don't care what Larry Craig thinks...No one rises to the bait because your hook has been barren for so long that it's dull and rusty. Maybe you should try peddling your persnickety and banal two-bit political barbs in a place where someone still cares to debate you. Your hack act is old, and your cry for attention is comical. You should cast your line in more fertile waters where your one-trick-pony political thought won't be immediately recognized as ponderous and stale. Why would anyone spend a moment paying attention to a guy who has been posting what amounts to the same two and three sentence pap for years? (10/20/08)

MAYBE XM's satellites could be sold for Big Bucks, but don't lay money on it. Motorola sank about two billion dollars in their Iridium communications system and it was a commercial flop. It was picked up for about one cent on the dollar by an outfit that it now able to make money since there isn't much debt to service. They got all the dozens of satellites and a very fancy ground control installation for that cent-on-the-dollar price. Perhaps XM's satellites are more general purpose. (10/20/08)

Well, crap. With Mel K. at the helm, it was only a matter of time before every last trace of XM was wiped away. I've enjoyed listening to Phlash Phelps (60's on 6), the 70's on 7, 80's on 8.....XM Broadway, Cinemagic, XM Comedy (with their great hosts Sonny Fox and Joel Haas), The Loft, Fred, Ethel, etc. I'm sure that even XM Kids and Kenny Curtis will be cut loose. If it doesn't bring in ad revenue, (you can bet the all music/no commercial format will be gone within a year), it'll be cut. On terrestrial radio, Don and Grease are gone, too. I was waiting to buy a new car to see what sat receivers would work and was hoping that the best of XM would survive....but at this rate, I just want an iPod jack. If I have that and one decent news channel, I won't even turn on the radio anymore for anything else. (10/20/08)

Angst to the Washington Post. To Jack Valenti --- Thanks for helping with the cover up. Did you ever pay off the family of my look-alike you stuck in that Dallas motorcade? Regards, Jack Kennedy. (10/20/08)

Re: "I love the sound of deafening silence when liberal hypocrisy is exposed in the mail bag. Porter Jervis" - Porter, I for one have seen no expose of "liberal hypocrisy," but I am sick to death of reading the mostly mindless political gibber-jabbering in a place that is supposed to be about Washington are Radio and TV. The only thing that's been exposed is that some people -- liberal and conservative -- never know when to shut up. Dave in Sterling (10/20/08)

I am glad someone else brought up the WJFK signal issue, I thought my radio just sucked. I work in Leesburg, VA and had no problem receiving WJFK until recently. On my radio the Junkies seem to come in loud and clear until around 9 AM. At that time there is total bleed over from 106.9 FM. Unfortunately my work is one of the smarter companies and has blocked all internet radio streaming, therefore it makes us work!! So I brought my satellite radio into work so I can have something to listen to. (10/20/08)

Radio Gaining Audience -- but Not Ad Revenue adage.com (10/20/08)

(Westwood stock ("WON") slipped another 2 cents Friday to close at just 19 cents a share, suggesting a market capitalization of just over $19 million.) Ironic. They paid $55 million for the NBC Radio Network in 1987 dollars. They didn't takle long to run it into the ground. (10/20/08)

Hey Dave, I live up in Germantown, MD and haven't been able to get WJFK on either of the radios in my house today. My car radio was marginally better, as I actually could listen to the signal, but it was weak and static-y. The indoors radios just had bleed over from 106.5 or 107.1. If I set my radio just right I can even get 106.9, but not 106.7. Thx, Jay! (10/20/08)

Dave's response: I've noticed that 106.7's signal ain't so hot at my location in Fairfax County, too. I think someone told me that JFK may be using its aux antenna in Fairfax Station while WNVC-TV installs a new digital transmitter on the "goal post" tower at the Beltway and I-66 in Merrifield. Also, a DCRTVer told me that when he drove by the "goal post" tower the other night he noticed that it was unlit. Not a good thing with all those helicopters flying to and from Fairfax Hospital right down Gallows Road there. Hmmm.....

Do you know if Robert Aubry Davis got shown the XM door? I don’t find his name on any lists and he hasn’t replied to emails at his home account. I ask because I just did a profile of him for a future issue of Northern Virginia magazine. Thanks. -- Buzz McClain (10/20/08)

latest news [AIG] AIG to stop lobbying lawmakers, regulators: WSJ Sweatshop Conditions at the Kiryung Electronics Factory Labor rights watchdog challenges Howard Stern -- who lampooned Kathie Lee Gifford over the exploitation of child workers in Honduras who sewed her clothing for Wal-Mart -- to confront Sirius Satellite Radio for the abusive sweatshop conditions faced by women workers at the Kiryung Electronics factory in Korea, where they assembled Sirius Satellite Radios. WHO: Charles Kernaghan, director, National Labor Committee ... Women workers from the Kiryung Factory in Korea, Representatives of the Korean Metal Workers Union... WHAT: Attempt to meet with Sirius management. (This will be the third attempt to meet.)... Press conference... WHERE: Sirius Satellite Radio headquarters... 1221 Avenue of the Americas (Entrance on 49th St. betw. 6th & 7th Ave.), NYC... WHEN: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 1:00 p.m. (10/20/08)

Dave: I remember a couple of years ago, when you selected WTOP as station of the year. You pointed out that it's the one station in the area that appeals to black and white folks alike, although I don't know if you backed that up with any numbers. Sounded legitimate to me; I'm sure the station's demos cross racial categories. Anyway, I've been listening to 105.9 quite a bit lately, and it occurred to me that it's the only station I can think of that mixes classic soul music with classic "white" oldies. It plays bad disco by black performers like Donna Summer and white guys like K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The only downside is that the station's audio lacks the force of current music production and can sound dated. That's pretty small compared to the way its playlist brings in different demos. It combines the best of the now defunct Jammin Oldies with the best of the previous incarnation of oldies on 100.3. Yet whenever the station is mentioned at DCRTV, it gets ripped for being "canned," not having local deejays. I guess that matters more to some people than to others. Give me Scott Shannon in small doses between the Stax, old-school soul, and fun "white" oldies. Is there any evidence to back up my hunch that the station cuts across racial demos? Christian (10/20/08)

Since all local newscasts have reported ad nauseaum for the 2nd straight day about the thieves who rammed a U-Haul truck through the wall of a liquour store in Lanham, I have an observation: It was reported that the thieves have robbed this store in the same manner twice before (and got away with items on those occasions.) As some TV newspeople were reporting on the latest crash, the viewer was able to see live that the wall was being built again, with concrete cement blocks (this was shown on TV presumably to reasssure the thieves that the wall is going back up with concrete and not steel or iron). Has it occurred to any reporter there to ask the contractor(s) on the scene why it is that iron or steel is not utilized to rebuild this wall instead? Just another day, -Silvie- (10/20/08)

I love the sound of deafening silence when liberal hypocrisy is exposed in the mail bag. Porter Jervis (10/20/08)

Is Derrick McGinty leaving channel 9 or are they just shuffling the anchors around again I see channel 9 has a new commercial advertisement stating Leslie Foster and Anita Brickman will anchoring the 11pm news any word on the real reason why? Please bring Andrea Roane back to evening channel 9 is suffering let let Leslie Foster do mornings with Mike Walter,Bruce Johnson and Jennifer Ryan deserved the 5 pm slot and Andrea Roane and new co anchors should do 6pm11 and let Derrick and Anita do only 7pm or weekends please. (10/20/08)

Washington-Cleveland Game and Camera angles, I saw it as well, We can thank CBS for not knowing where to set up their cameras. I've never seem this happen when Fox is showing the game. (10/20/08)

I'm listening to the Redskins/Jim Zorn press conference (on ESPN980). And again ESPN980 is saying "EXCLUSIVLY ON ESPN 980". Can anyone explain how a press conference can be carried exclusively? I know the NFL is getting EXTREMLY "proprietary". Is this another example? Has anyone ever seen/heard these anywhere else? (10/20/08)

Regarding a previous post which said in part, “ I see that NBC4 is rolling out commercials advertising that their morning news now starts at 4:55..OOOOHHHH..How exciting!!..But really, what's the big deal with this?” It’s all about ratings. I believe I have this right, 5 minutes of viewing within a quarter-hour (in this case the 4:45-5:00 am one) counts for the entire quarter-hour. So if you can begin to gather your audience at 4:55 and carry them into the 5:00-5:15 quarter-hour the viewers count two 2 quarter-hours not just one. (10/20/08)

Isn't that Generalissimo Francisco Franco on the left in the Washington Post picture of Jack Valenti? -Mike in Bartonsville (10/20/08)

I see that NBC4 is rolling out commercials advertising that their morning news now starts at 4:55..OOOOHHHH..How exciting!!..But really, what's the big deal with this?.I know that FOX5 also starts as 4:55 and I don't if NBC4 now does this, but when FOX5 comes on at 4:55, they give us a tease of what they're going to report and go to commercial until 5am. So, to me, I just don't see the advantage of starting the broadcast 5 minutes earlier. (10/20/08)

Kurtz Smacks Hypocritical? he's also the one who said conservative bloggers need to do a better job of policing their comment boards, but said nothing about the left-wing hate speech being spewed at his own paper's comments section. (10/20/08)

"I was watching the Cleveland-Washington Jane this afternoon on WUSA-DT and noticed something that I thought wasn’t supposed to happen: In the 4th quarter, after Portis’ fumble, did anyone else see what looked like someone standing up directly in the sightline of the camera and obscuring about the right 20% of the image?" This actually happened twice during yesterdays game. The 2nd time was during the Redskins goal line stand... (10/20/08)

Dave - Sounds like your source is a bit out of date. I had a long conversation with an XM engineer a couple of months back, and from what I can recall: "Rock" and "Roll" are the oldest satellites in the fleet. One is currently an on-orbit spare, and the other is running half of its transponders. Both suffered from a problem with the solar cells that reduced their useful service life (and resulted in a very large claim with the insurance company that was covering them). The current two primary satellites are "Rythm" (launched February 2005) and "Blues" (Launched October 2006).... (10/20/08)

Dave's response: I think the point was that XM could sell its birds for big bucks. Whether it's "Rock" and "Roll" or "Rhythm" and "Blues".....

Hi, Dave: Regarding the satellite and real estate assets of XM/Sirius, I can't comment on the value of the satellite assets as I have zero knowledge of the subject. However, the building on Eckington Place is probably more of a liability than an asset. Commercial real estate is very illiquid, especially in a recessionary environment. It may be years...or even decades....before that property gets sold. The building provides a workspace for hundreds of people, but would require extensive remodeling for any future buyer. Most companies of that size would not be looking to put their employees to work in an area that depressed. Having worked at XM myself, I can tell you that the interior may be stunning, but the location is highly undesirable and inconvenient for most employees. I am quite sure that albatross will be hanging around somebodies neck for a long time. (10/20/08)

Dave: I am glad that you're at last doing some editing of the comments. I read DCRTV because of interest in media. I've cut back the last couple of weeks because the atmosphere and postings have become so toxic. Don't worry though; I'll make my money contribution next payday. (;^) Shawn in DC (10/20/08)

Dave....indeed the Grease Palace has been on the market for almost a year. If you go to www.98wrc.com and look under the News & Tidbits you'll see we put a link to pictures of the home online last January. (10/20/08)

Limbaugh, to answer you question concerning the inexperienced white candidates Powell has endorsed, the answer was simple George W. Bush in 2000, and look where that got us. As for Rush's "liberal" qualification, according to the National Review GWB is no conservative or moderate when it comes to fiscal responsibility, so, I take them at their word on that. (10/20/08)

Dave's response: I realize that we're in the midst of a hot and heavy political campaign, but I need to remind everyone that this is a media-oriented opinion venue. Politics is OK but it must somehow relate to media issues. I'm not going to hesitate to trash off-topic stuff, including political-only rants.....

/\ October 20 Messages /\

\/ October 19 Messages \/

I was watching the Cleveland-Washington Jane this afternoon on WUSA-DT and noticed something that I thought wasn’t supposed to happen: In the 4th quarter, after Portis’ fumble, did anyone else see what looked like someone standing up directly in the sightline of the camera and obscuring about the right 20% of the image? It was there for only about a second until they switched to another camera. Did anyone else see this? I thought a stadium as modern as FedEx would have clear sightlines at all camera mounting points. Or, was that for 4:3 images when it was built, as opposed to modern 16:9 imaging? (Brenner would’ve loved that shot!) -Unsigned Corporate Suit (10/19/08)

Dave, may I rant a second about John Madden? Im sorry, but he works 17 weeks a year and makes very good money. he will have next week off due to the world series. Hes been traveling back and forth across the country for years doing games and he needs a break? Please! He should be in the booth where he's supposed to be! (10/19/08)

Bear lovers everywhere will no doubt be dismayed by Rush Limbaugh's remark about searching for unqualified white liberals whom Colin Powell has endorsed. The fact is, there has been no more unqualified liberal nominated for president by one of the Big Two parties since before FDR. So Rush's remark is good DJ shtick (remember, he is truly a master spoken word artist, and a professional DJ under the name Jeff Christie) but meaningless politically. Obama is unqualified, and maybe Powell feels it is time to roll the dice on an unqualified candidate. I can understand that; I think it's insane, but I understand it. Equally insane would be voting for McCain, so I will be staying home on Election Day because I don't want to vote for any of the crazy men on the ballot. I'll be white-knuckling through the next four years. Biff from Burke (10/19/08)

Dave's response: Burke, Ontario for the next four years.....

Biff From Burke, I salute you, fine sir. I've NEVER understood the meaning for the Post's Sunday Source either. Is there a need for a 2nd ''Style'' type section? Couldn't you find space in the ''Arts'' section? It's the same thing. As far as Beth Ann actually making a REALLY cool booking like Grease, never going to happen. She's busy booking the guy who's cat thinks it's Jesus or the lady who got a corncob removed from her head after 20 years. Fire Beth Ann. Paul (10/19/08)

Dave, Regarding your rant about Palin. You are correct. However, the liberal media has been very easy on Obama and Biden in their criticisms of both men. When both have appeared on the shows you mention like Meet the Press, Face the Nation, or Fox News Sunday generally both men have been give soft balls to hit because the press generally favor Obama and openly say so. Palin does have more managerial experience than Obama in her past duties in Alaska than Obama has had period. I would rather someone with competent leadership abilities like her run the office than a man like Obama who has very little credentials. Was she a good choice? No. But the media has been soft on Obama largely because of the American cyclical cycle (Democrat for a time then Republican for a time in office), and because the media does not like Bush just like many of the same media did not like Reagan. Many of the press openly say so like David Gregory, Chris Mathews and Tom Brokaw. Having said this, I do think Obama will win wish will really make many members of the print like you and media press very happy. (10/19/08)

Dave's response: Thanks for making media mentions in your response to my Rant, unlike some other responses that I'm not running. I have always liked John McCain. He is one of the more lefty Republicans out there and I've always admired his "maverick" quality and his service to our country. And I wouldn't be as concerned if it was someone like Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Condy Rice as his VP. Yeah, I'd disagree with them, but they are qualified. And neither is afraid to go on "Meet The Press," which was my point.....

With the release of "The Express" the life story of Ernie Davis, I thought you might be interested in a little tidbit from a former Clevelander. In 1962 when Davis was introduced to a sell out crowd at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland for a pre season game against Pittsburgh, the lights were dimmmed as a spotlight picked up Davis as he walked in street clothes, under the goalposts and onto the field as the fans went wild. The Cleveland Browns Public address announcer who introduced Davis that memorable evening was legendary Broadcaster...Johnny Holliday. Holliday at the time was the top rated afternoon personality on WHK, as well as the Browns PA voice. A friend of mine was his spotter during those days. Arnold, Bethesda, Md (10/19/08)

The Washington Skins fans' crying and whining can officially end now... Ravens game ends EARLY on CBS! Now, it's just a DCRTV.COM NEWS ITEM that was ultimately not news at all! Hope you Skins fans haven't run out of kleenex yet. LOL (10/19/08)

Is your humble correspondent the only one who thinks the Post's Sunday Source is a waste of space and newsprint? Sources (i.e. some rando posting on the DCRTV mailbag) say it's on the way out. BETH ANN MCBRIDE, BOOK THE GREASEMAN, TOOT SWEET!! IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE, SWEETIE!!! Biff from Burke (10/19/08)

Dear Mark Levin, As you know, Colin Powell’s endorsement of Senator Obama was devastating for the McCain campaign, and we need to spin it the best we can on WMAL. Andy Parks has been instructed to say on the air all next week it was a racial thing. We need you to introduce this talking point; “Powell’s judgment is awful. Remember when he went before the UN with those posters of stick man figures and crudely drawn chemical lab trucks representing Iraq’s WMD’s that we pretty much knew didn’t exist?” With your help, Mark, we can question Powell’s involvement in getting us into this costly mess in Iraq, and we can blame Powell for abandoning the Bush administration when things got bad (bad things that he created as Secretary of State). Sean and Rush have promised to continue with the terrorism\Acorn angle, and Sarah will phone in to each show next week to talk about Saturday Night Live and how Amy Poehler and Bristol discussed nursery themes at the post show party. Thanks for your help, and if you have any other great ideas, please feel free to contact me. Also, destroy this email immediately after you read it. Best, Rick Davis. (10/19/08)

Re your rant: "If she's (Sarah Palin) so afraid of the nasty American press, how's she going to handle real threats from the real bad guys like Iran, North Korea, and Al Qaeda?" I think that the state-controlled press of these countries and their leaders, dictators and tyrants would actually be more courteous and fair to her than our own American media. Go Redskins! -Silvie- (10/19/08)

Ravens game ends at 3:51 p.m., Redskins broadcast starts on-time at 4:15 p.m. Let's never do this again. Everett W. (10/19/08)

I am not sure what the Orioles and Nationals television ratings have to do with the Redskins and Ravens possible conflict on TV today. The Redskins fans are just upset about the possible pre-emption of the early part of the game, like i said before, get over it and get your radios ready..lol. (10/19/08)

Just a quick correction, Grease's home has been on the market since 7 Jan 2008. In fact there's still a mention of a brokers open in the listing from way back then. Looks like he tried to sell it in 2003 as well then tried/did to rent it. Just some info. Love your site. (10/19/08)

Tom Gauger, thanks so much for clearing up the confusion between Connie Adams and Bonnie Smith. That is as I recalled and, in fact, I thought of posting the question for you here, last night. - EdRod (10/19/08)

Sorry, but another revisionist history Washingtonian sticks foot in mouth...... FACT... Orioles MASN TV ratings were far better than Nats, who were DEAD LAST in MLB (AND BOTH ON THE SAME "second class" NETWORK AND BOTH WITH LAST PLACE FINISHES) !!! Where is Designated Senator's apologist Phil Wood to explain away again?....... FACT... Tagliabue made the NFL Expansion decision, period. There has never been one credible story that Modell made the decision or influenced it. In fact, there were plenty of Modell quotes in support of Baltimore NFL expansion. Only Cleveland nutjob rants and rumors from people who then went on to worship Al Lerner who actually helped sell the Browns out personally suggest Modell caused Baltimore to not be picked, i.e. CLEVELAND CONSPIRACY THEORIES. Gee, thats credibility. HAha! FACT... Jack Kent Cooke requested a meeting with Paul Tagliabue IN WASHINGTON before the NFL Expansion vote! And finally, per capita, the Orioles attendance was better than the Nationals using population stats. Orioles attendance pretty closely matched its city size ranking, 21, Nats 7th largest city ranking compared to attendance was absolutely pathetic. HAha! Sorry, but the truth hurts. NEXT... Oh, and bring your A game next time please. :-) (10/19/08)

Don Cornelius' "Soul Train" was a WTTG-5 mainstay from its premiere on March 18th, 1972 DCMemories.com until September 19,1987 when WDCA-20 picked-it-up for the new season. I see no indication that the syndicated show aired on any of DC's network-affiliated stations. (10/19/08)

The long winded poster about Balamer footbal expansion wasted a lot of space but didn't have anything to rebut the original point, which was that Modell was equally as responsible for Balamer not getting an expansion team as Cooke or Tagliebue. Those are the facts, but don't let them get in the way or anything. As for the Nats television ratings, they sucked. A lot of that has to do with being second class citizens on a network controlled by another team. But as bad as those ratings were, the Nats outdrew the Balamer Orioles in attendance by a considerable margin. Now what does THAT say about Balamer sports "fans?" (10/19/08)

Hey Unsigned Corporate Suit....for someone who is " close to being contemporaries " with the Soul Train host you should know it's Don CORNELIUS not CORNEILOUS. (10/19/08)

From Radio-Info.com: Westwood One CEO Tom Beusse leaves after just 10 months on the job - Radio-Info hears that Beusse left the building - literally - late Friday, and that Westwood has likely brought three sales veteran into the sales picture as a troika. Those are Gary Schonfeld, Susan Love and Cathy Csukas. It appears that recently-hired CFO Rod Sherwood will at least temporarily fill the CEO role, just a month after he came over to Westwood from the Gores Group. Los Angeles-based Alec Gores committed $100 million to the syndicator just after Beusse replaced Peter Kosann as CEO. Beusse's experience was in magazines, not radio - and one of the many questions to be answered is how much of his first-year $700,000 in salary and expected $300,000 in bonus he'll be keeping. One of his pushes was to be "platform-agnostic" and investigate ways Westwood can generate revenue from outside radio. Westwood stock ("WON") slipped another 2 cents Friday to close at just 19 cents a share, suggesting a market capitalization of just over $19 million. (10/19/08)

For the record, the very sweet Connie Adams was the producer and secretary for Harden and Weaver for most of their top-rated run at WMAL. She was never the WMAL music director. There were several MD’s, most notably Bonnie Smith, later Bonnie Smith Rollison. After leaving WMAL, Connie successfully ran her own PR firm, as the write pointed out. Tom Gauger (10/19/08)

Have to correct an inaccuracy as Washingtonians seem to have a better talent for revisionist history than ACTUAL HISTORY these days. This was in The Baltimore Sun, many newspapers: The NFL League Office/Tagliabue made a recommendation to the NFL Expansion Committee which then voted NOT to choose Baltimore and sent the selection vote in up/down fashion to the full ownership, all after Tagliabue met PERSONALLY with Jack Kent Cooke. It's not known what role Modell played if any in the decision since the League Office/Tagliabue actually made the recommendation. What is known is Jack Kent Cooke publicly and privately lobbied AGAINST BALTIMORE just as Peter Angelos did against The Nationals and even wanted to build a stadium for both cities in Laurel for the Redskins at one point. The only difference is Cooke was completely successful in preventing an NFL expansion team in Baltimore, at least initially, and if not for his failure to build a new Skins stadium and the leverage the state of Maryland had over him funding wise, it's possible the Browns move wouldn't even have been approved. Angelos similarly was forced to make the best deal he could, but he never stopped MLB from expanding into DC because there was never ever until recently a real stadium deal in place in DC and no MLB team wanted to come to DC anyway for that reason! Finally, I fail to understand why anyone here complains about Angelos when none of you apparently even watch the Nats games on TV! Why would people who don't even care to watch RANT ENDLESSLY about a product they haven't even seen? LOL (10/19/08)

Dave says: "How about "Sirius-XM-WorldSpace"? Oh, nevermind....." Dave, hate to break this to you, but I seem to remember that the original XM had a stake in WorldSpace. I think WS even produced one of XM's world music programs. If the "forcibly-merged-at-the-point-of-a-financially-over-leveraged-undercapitalized-gun" Sirius-XM still has that stake, then... Just sayin... And so it goes... - Max in Mild West Arlington. (10/19/08)

Really sad to hear about what’s happened of late regarding Don Corneilous of “Soul Train” fame. (It seems to be all over the Internet…) Did that show air anywhere in the D.C. market other than WTTG or WDCA? He and I are close to being contemporaries and I hope all goes well for him. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (10/19/08)

/\ October 19 Messages /\

\/ October 18 Messages \/

Mac McGarry has indeed hosted “It’s Academic” for 48 years. But his original claim to fame in Washington radio was as afternoon drive personality on WRC radio through the 60’s. And he was excellent. Roddy Freeman (10/18/08)

Actually, the Greaseman's home has been on the market since January of this year. (10/18/08)

Modell looked for a new home only after his efforts were continuously stymied to replace the dump they were playing there games in Cleveland. Meanwhile the baseball and basketball teams got new homes and the Browns had to play in a dump And Baltimore offered the best scenario, a new stadium to be built to be played in once they secured a team, plus the fact that they could play in Memorial Stadium until the new stadium was built. This was somewhat similar to the DC situation with the Nationals playing in RFK until the new stadium was built. (10/18/08)

Two points. First, anyone who would cancel their subscription over who a newspaper endorses is wound a bit too tightly in my opinion. Who the hell cares? Second, whenever someone brings up Jack Kent Cooke and Taglibue keeping football out of Baltimore, I need to correct the record and point out that Modell, who was chairman of the expansion committee, was equally as responsible. He was eyeing that market for himself, which came to pass. (10/18/08)

hraunfoss.fcc.gov - Cant believe these dicks... They made a prank phone call over the air, telling a woman her husband and daughter were dead. The FCC fined them a whopping $4k for unauthorized airing of a phonecall. That apparently was their only real fine-able offense. Maggots... (10/18/08)

Photos from Radio TV Museum (appearance today) in Bowie with Mac (McGarry) and Ed (Walker) (10/18/08)

Dave, I searched the mailbag and did not find this right off the bat so sorry if it is a repost. If you want a souvenir, the Grease Palace is on the market! (10/18/08)

RE: [ Chicago Tribune endorsing Obama and it's significance ]............ 2 words........ Baltimore Sun!.......... Yes, the conservative Chicago Tribune is no more, it's the same liberal nutjobs that are running The Baltimore Sun & The LA Times and various other newspapers straight into the ground. The editor who wrote that Obama endorsement will probably be laid off due to cost cuts by the time the ink dries! HAha! And you quoted a left-wing BLOG website as your sources of info, the equivilent to the way people often quote Wikipedia and then yell GOTCHA! HAha! Amazing, the more people get smart about the internet, the dumber they get at the same time. What's next?... Google told it to me so it must be true! HAha! What was your point again? :-) (10/18/08)

Was it Connie Adams or Janice Iacona who was married to Andy Ockershausen? Connie was a mainstay of Harden and Weaver for so long; she was part of the family. Very sad. (10/18/08)

OK, so this a rare occurrence, the Redskins possibly being preempted for a bit by the Ravens game on Channel 9. Crybaby Redskins fans will just have to listen to the game on radio for awhile until the Ravens game is over. Get over it Redskins crybabies! The Baltimore market had the Redskins games shoved down their throats for years after the Colts left town. Furthermore, Jack Kent Cooke and Paul Tagliabue kept football out of Baltimore for a number of years, Cooke even trying to build his stadium in Laurel, close enough to Baltimore to try and claim that city as his territory. (10/18/08)

To add insult to injury, CBS is giving both the Washington Redskins & Baltimore Ravens NFL games their 3rd & 4th string announcers. Pretty shabby treatment for technically the 4th largest market combined in the country in my opinion. (10/18/08)

Can't wait for the WQCB dinner. But I wish they'd hold it at an Elks Club or a Moose lodge. Can't vouch for the quality of the food, but at least the booze would be cheaper. Signed, Foster Brooks (10/18/08)

I heard Mark Kessler on WBIG the othe evening...is he a regular there? (10/18/08)

The other day, several posters tried to diminish the importance (and surprise factor) of the Washington Post's endorsement of Barack Obama. Looks like two pretty big conservative media outlets have joined the Obama parade. Conservative Philadelphia talk radio host, Michael Smerconish, has endorsed Barack Obama, as has the Chicago Tribune, which has not endorsed a Democrat for president since its founding in 1847. www.huffingtonpost.com... And, I hear that General Colin Powell will probably also add his endorsement of Barack Obama on "Meet The Press" tomorrow. www.huffingtonpost.com... (10/18/08)

Dave, If the Ravens game ended late would CSN or Channels 20 or 50 air the first few minutes of the game? (10/18/08)

Dave's response: I don't think CBS would allow that. But, how about 9 carrying the beginning of the Skins' game on its 9.2 digital channel (normally Doppler 9000 weather radar) if the Ravens' game runs long? Channel 9 has run college football on 9.2 before. Hmmm.....

Is Kate Amara finally off the weekend news on WBAL-TV 11? Jennifer Franciotti said she was filling in for her but they rolled the generic talent open this morning. Is Kate moving on to bigger and better? Will this be a chance for Jen F to get a deserved anchor spot? (10/18/08)

The WorldSpace story is sad. Great opportunity. Poor business plan. I had the great pleasure of contributing to the Hop (their oldies channel) for two years. It was a great place to work filled with terrific professionals. The atmosphere was as good as anyplace I've ever been. I left in July even though I'd been offered another contract because the checks were slow in coming. For the sake of all the people that I care for at Georgia Avenue, I hope everything works out....Johnny Dark (10/18/08)

Dave's response: How about "Sirius-XM-WorldSpace"? Oh, nevermind.....

Memo to Jim at the Examiner: CBS has the rights to cover road games of *AFC* teams, not NFC as you state in your latest blurb. The Browns, at last check, are in the AFC North... (10/18/08)

The Ravens and the Redskins are both on CBS this weekend. The Ravens-Dolphins game from Miami starts at 1pm while the Browns visit FedEx at 4:15pm. But Redskins bloggers and message boards are worried that the Ravens game won't be over before the Redskins game starts..... www.dcexaminer.com... Cheers, Jim (10/18/08)

The only reason the Washington Post endorsed Erlich is that the advancement of his running mate fit the goals of the agenda reflected in the WP's liberal bias. It's funny how quickly it is forgotten that Republican Erlich, a business owner who actually creates jobs rather than new taxes, put forth a black running mate, an opportunity intentionally missed by the Democrats in Maryland. You shallow people here really don't get it that the WP exists to forward certain causes and will go to any length, however disingenuous, to carry the ball. There is no line they will not cross as they gleefully play with the minds and hearts of the reader. They did not endorse Erlich. They had to endorse his ticket. (10/18/08)

Dave's response: The Post regularly endorses several local Republicans, including Virginia Congressmen Tom Davis (not running this year) and Frank Wolf. They also regularly endorsed Connie Morella (now gone) from Maryland, a liberal Republican. And the Post regularly refuses to endorse Democrat Jim Moran from Virginia because of his frequent habit of putting his foot in his mouth.....

C'mon, geez, The Skins get highly favorable treatment by the NFL as far as national TV coverage and even the size of their regional market coverage compared to the Ravens. You only have to look at each week's TV coverage map to see this week after week. www.the506.com... While the majority of people around DC are not Ravens fans, there really isn't much of a rivalry. The majority of Baltimoreans not only are not Redskins fans, but outright hate the Skins, big difference. So yes sentiments during TV conflicts like this tend to run higher in Baltimore. This is because when Baltimore was without an NFL team for 13 years, the NFL did in fact shove the Skins down our throats for those 13 years, even stating publicly that the Skins were our local team, something which angered people and even drove some permanently away from watching NFL football. I even remember for at least a couple years after The Colts moved, people were still begging to see the Colts game on Baltimore TV, but NFL restrictions often prevented that from happening. During those years, me and most of my friends preferred to watch the Eagles, something that was often difficult or impossible to do. I even used to remember using my antenna to pick up WGAL 8 from Lancaster to get a different game from time to time. Those were frustrating years in Baltimore and there are plenty of people still holding a grudge against the NFL after all these years. (10/18/08)

/\ October 18 Messages /\

\/ October 17 Messages \/

Too funny. The Post once endorsed Robert Erlich so that means it isn't a left wing rag? Doesn't even pass the laugh test. Fact is, the Post is every bit the left wing rag that the Wash Times is a right wing rag. The surprise would have been if the Post HADN'T endorsed the messiah. (10/17/08)

Dave's response: If the Post had endorsed McCain for prez, it would have lost about 10 percent of its print subscribers - on the spot. Including me. No joke.....

I have nothing about Peter, since I have never met him nor read the Sun with any regularity in the last few decadeas. But, whenever I see him see his name, I am always reminded that Kornheiser refers to him as "the aptly-named Peter Schmuck." (10/17/08)

If this was Baltimore and they missed the start of the Ravens-Dolphins game because the Redskins-Browns game wasn't over at 4:15 they would be accusing the NFL of shoving the Redskins down their throats. I hope that Baltimore game is over before 4:15 or their will be alot of angry Redskins fans calling WUSA even though it's not their fault. (10/17/08)

Hey Dave... For those of us oldies fan disgusted with TRUE, BIG & the loss of XM personalities give Toronto's AM 740 a try at night. Their 'Zoomers' website is impressive www.am740.ca... Dave K., Waldorf, MD (10/17/08)

From Wikipedia: The NFL defines "locally" as within a 75-mile radius of the stadium. I agree if it was the other way around Raven fans wouldn''t like it. The Redskins should have played the Browns when the Ravens hosted a NFC team that would be on FOX. Again, it's bad scheduling. LesinAdelphi (10/17/08)

Why are the Ravens considered a hometeam here in D.C? They are Baltimore's team not too many people here in DC care about them. If this was Baltimore they would be pissed if the Ravens game was not on when it's supposed to be because the Skins game wasn't over by 4:15PM they would be accusing CBS of shoving the Skins down their throats. (10/17/08)

FYI: Levan Reid just announced on WUSA that that the NFL restrictions may impact the Redskins game scheduled to air Sunday on Channel 9. Locally, Channel 9 will broadcast the Ravens-Miami game at 1:00. They are also scheduled to show the Browns-Redskins game which starts at 4:15. However, the league will not let them start airing the later game until the first game is either completed or the outcome is certain. The story is here: www.wusa9.com. I’m sure that if we miss even the first second of the Redskins game, this mailbag will be flooded with complaints. But know this in advance: IT IS THE NFL, NOT CBS OR WUSA, THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DECISION. Brian in Fairfax (10/17/08)

(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Radio Talk Show Hosts: The New 790 AM, WSVG in Mount Jackson, VA seeks compelling talk radio hosts for all dayparts. This is small market radio at its core – you must be prepared to contribute in a variety of ways outside of hosting a program. This includes production, voice-overs, sales, answering phones, etc. You must also be willing to involve yourself in the community and participate in promotional appearances and remotes in the northern Shenandoah Valley. This is an opportunity to get creative that’s free from corporate edicts. Send qualifications to wsvgam@hotmail.com – EOE.(10/17/08)

That darn Washington Post! They are SO liberal! They always endorse Democrats! Y'know, except for when they endorsed Erhlich two years ago....oh, and it looks like they endorsed ONLY Republicans for Congress that year (www.washingtonpost.com)...so that was, like, almost nothing but Republicans they endorsed in the last election. But, still! I mean......they only endorse Democrats! Right? I mean, if they don't, then there goes my entire paranoid political fantasyland, down the tubes... (10/17/08)

Normally if it was another AFC visiting team than the Ravens in the first game, they would cut away to the start of the Redskins game. Because the Ravens are considered a home team this not a normal situation. It is bad scheduling. Hopefully the first game will be over by 4:15. LesinAdelphi (10/17/08)

Anyone know whether Joe Ardinger is going to continue to do "Trick or Beer?" on the MOM Show as he did on previous Halloweens on the Don and Mike Show? I think it's a great bit. (10/17/08)

Dave's response: It seems like we hear a lot less of Joe on the show now that Don's gone.....

Dave, I misspoke when I said the WP endorsed Robert Ehrlich in 2000. They did it in 2006. (Thanks, CarlInOlney) As for the clown bashing the WP, I proved you wrong with facts. You can't deny that the WP supported REPUBLICANS in the past so you respond like a child. Moving this back to local media, there's a rumor circulating around Rosslyn that a certain VP will be leaving soon...and not on his own free will. Heard it in the CVS just outside the studio. Hmmm --Chris (10/17/08)

Ref:. Is it true that if there is a Democratic president in the White House, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter's heads would explode? More like if the GOP gets to the White House, guys like the low-rated Olbermann and Matthews heads would explode!!! (10/17/08)

I assume the schedule conclusion in the WTTG/5 listing is because the station was originally set to air a National League series baseball game that would have dislodged its 10 p.m. newscast. With that series already ended, Fox5's 10 p.m. news will air intact tonight. Everett W. (10/17/08)

Fox 5 along with all Fox stations will be off the air from 10-11PM so all employees can have the Right Wing Agenda chips in their heads rebooted. Is it true that if there is a Democratic president in the White House, Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter's heads would explode? Paul (10/17/08)

Dave's response: Speaking of dear Ann, I haven't seen too much of that anti-Semite during this election cycle. Ever since she made that comment about how Jews are somehow "unperfected" Christians, they've really put her on the back bench.....

I wouldn't mind wading through all of this angry off-the-wall paranoia that PLB is flooding into the Mailbag, but could we at least PRETEND that this is still a web site about local radio and TV? Fer cryin' out loud, how much off-topic screeching are we going to see today?!?!?!?!? (10/17/08)

Dave's response: Commander Data, engage the off-topic "shield".....

Washington Post TV section shows Fox 5 as being off the air tonite from 10-11pm. The Info screen on my Cox cable shows News at 10. Whassup? (10/17/08)

Dave's response: You're right! On the TV grid on page C4 of Friday's rag it says "(Off Air)" at 10 PM for 5. No Murdochian newscast? Great idea.....

Struck a Nerve???? Angry? Woe is me? No, just sick and tired of one way press. I left the media because it was no longer distributing North-East-West-South National and Community information. Nowadays it is the most one-sided force on earth. I do realize it's all just opinions and we all have our own way of deciphering information, but I do think we should try to look at all sides without sarcasm,and perception (Like I'm angry-NOT) You mentioned reality??? Where in the mass media have you discovered that? As for WMAL I totally agree with you. Now, Ive GOT to get back to work-PLB:0) (10/17/08)

Could someone in DCRTV Land explain to me the DUMBASS show line-up on 1057fm? (thank the Gods for shallow music radio!) I don't get it: -'troy johnson' is some type of UPPITY-RACIST-LEFT WING LIBERAL... (did 'troy' ever get his "40 acres & a mule"?) -'mike pisstack' is a STUCK UP-OUT OF TOUCH-SHALLOW-LIBERTARIAN-BLOW HARD...(must be nice living in an 'ivory tower') Dose anyone @ 1057fm have any clue they are both A--HOLES! who have no respect for any 'callers'? (trust me; I have tried to call in to both shows :-( ~kinky-neo-con (10/17/08)

Wow, PLB, struck a nerve, did I? No anger from this lib, sorry to disappoint, but you may wish to check into what 'projection' is as you are exhibiting it big-time. Sounds like YOU are the one who's angry and bitter. Playing the 'woe is me, I'm a poor victim of the horrible left' card as always. Not to worry though, I do understand... after all, reality sometimes stings a bit. Oh, and WMAL is still a suck-ass station. Always will be as long as they keep that plug firmly inserted into the satellite. (10/17/08)

Mike, your a socialist moron and you probably think Keith Olbermann is an intellectual. Yes, the plumbers first name is Sam. But his middle name is Joseph and he goes by Joe. Keep watching Olbermann, who couldn't handle doing Sportscenter on a nightly basis, and is now at a second rate cable news station. I cannot wait until Obama decides that people like me who make $70,000 should help spread the wealth too. Trust me, it will happen. (10/17/08)

Really, f*ck Mel Karmazin. His perfectly Republican approach to running a business has made me decide to cancel my 4 (yes FOUR) XM radio subscriptions. Just like the d-bags in San Antonio, the concept of a bigger bottom line by not paying for talent has driven me from my last haven of entertaining broadcasting. Makes me mad I put XM in a car I bought in February. I root for total global economic collapse. Frank in Arlington (10/17/08)

The issue with the MSM being “liberal” is simple. They don’t like Republican stunts. Acorn bashing is a stunt, Joe the plumber was a stunt, Obama palls around.. was a stunt. Yesterday on Chris Matthews he had McCain Palin people on and he couldn’t get them to answer his question or even admit that statements made were over the top. So, what I got last night was “Our opponent is someone who sees America as imperfect enough …” according to McCain’s people means “Obama has bad judgment.” Stunt. Next, Chris had on a Right to Life for McCain person and he asked her about late term abortion for the health of the mother. She started talking about partial birth abortion. He tried to stop her several times and get her to admit partial birth is not synonymous with late term. All she would talk about was partial birth. UGGGGG! Obama said “spread the wealth,” from Grandy and Andy, Chris, Rush, Sean, Levin, to McCain, and Palin have all said “redistribute the wealth.” The words are not synonymous. Stunts. There is this woman named Carol who pretends she was a Democrat and every four years she starts a “women’s issue” group that supports Republicans. She is on Hannity at least once a month. She was on Hannity recently because she claimed to be a Hillary supporter who turned to McCain because of Palin. Hannity said the MSM ignores her because they are afraid of her movement. No, the MSM ignores her because she is a fake. It is another stunt. Look at Joe the Plumber and how well that was orchestrated from 48 hours before the debate to 24 hours after the debate. Most if not all of these stunts have been orchestrated by the RNC. (10/17/08)

The point here is MEDIA BIAS............. No matter where Obama or Biden go (with the exception of Fox News or Rush, which they'd never do anyway), they get a smattering of tough questions along with TONS of softball or suckup questions whereas McCain & Palin get HAMMERED and PUMMELED each and every time with barely a single softball question. I give McCain lots of credit for standing his ground against the assault. Letterman, Barbara Walters, Jay Leno, the list is endless, all gushing and all smiles for Obama, some even saying he's SEXY or he inspires me, yet the same people pull out the knives and cat claws for McCain/Palin. Not to mention some of Letterman's "tough questions" were just plain silly, as if they'd been written by a grade schooler and his jokes weren't much funnier either. Letterman ended up looking like the silly old fool he was making a poor attempt to make fun of himself. Sad, I wish I could say I'm a Letterman fan still, but I think he should retire, just not funny, almost painful to watch really. If I were in McCain's shoes I would have popped a vein in my neck or taken a swing at Letterman. Finally, every survey of late comedian jokes even has it like 10 to 1 against McCain. The Washington Post has admitted publicly its bias in print. I would go so far as to say probably 75-80% of mainstream media are in the tank for Obama at this point. The election is over because the vast majority of people who influence how people vote via the news have long since made up their minds and don't seem to have any problem prostletizing for Obama blatantly. Anyone with half a brain can see this daily. (10/17/08)

"democratic socialist republic of Maryland" Aint that the truth!!! :-) Could someone explains to me how 'defacing' an OBAMA 08 sign = Local/State/Federal POLICE getting all uppity??? YET I have seen many MCCAIN O8 signs ripped down any given day of the week... and when I report that to local PO-LISE they hang up on me??? (10/17/08)

Dave, I do work for a living, and I do respond to more that just the mailbag and anal folks like you. I was not addressing you on the issue, I was addressing Mike in Manassas. Why don't you concentrate of the safety of your "spell check". And, no I don't usually need it. Of course the word I misspelled I should have spell checked-strenght RIGHT OR or RITE? Get a life-PLB:0) (10/17/08)

PLB -- I'm pretty sure Obama knows how to use spell check. That makes him a lot smarter than some people. Dave in Sterling (10/17/08)

Just an FYI from Thursday: Elliot didn't burn the Clear Channel books, he put them through a wood chipper. See pics at eitmfans.blogspot.com. (10/17/08)

Dave's response: Oh my God, is that Dave Wellington's foot sticking out of the wood chipper? Seems Elliot's watched "Fargo" one too many times. Oh, that guy in the camo cap and pants - was I there? Hmmm.....

Wanted to let your readers know of the passing of Connie Adams who for years was the music director of WMAL during their full service MOR years. She later went on to start Adams Communications where she operated WNAV in Annapolis in the mid '90's. I believe she helped produce the Harden and Weaver show. A nice woman. RD (10/17/08)

Dave, I think that Marc and Jay could be a real sports talk show force if some one in Baltimore would add them to the their roster. I bet they would move to the top of the class quickly. They are smart, funny and can talk more than just Ravens... www.dcexaminer.com: Yesterday on The Jerry Coleman Show on Baltimore's Fox Sports Radio 1370AM we all got hear the team of Marc "Nigel" Sterne and Jay Cottrell. The two former WTEM alums were great with Coleman. There is no doubt that the combo of Cottrell and Sterne are entertaining, insightful and most of all funny. This duo needs to be on the radio in Baltimore. Cottrell was part of the national Steve Czaban First Team on Fox ensemble and Sterne was part of the cast of the Tony Kornheiser Show. They would quickly move to the top of the favorites list of the area sports fans. Let's hope that some radio programmer is smart enough to give these two a chance, it would be a smart move. (10/17/08)

Mike in Manassas, .You are so typical of the angry Liberal. Can't express your thoughts without nasty down your nose expression. If Barack is elected, (and that jury is still out) You're paying too much attention to the slanted polls) you might not be able to express any thoughts you have. Let's face it, his credentials are at the least questionable. Community Organizer (THAT'S IT????) Never actually practiced law, (that might be a good thing.) Short term Senator with a distinguished "no show" record or a "present, with no recorded vote. Man I sure want a "I don't know how President in office" Oh, no problem the Congress/Senate is majority Libs. Hell, he won't have to make any decisions except maybe losing the war, losing our protection,DISSING THE MILITARY, shooting the shit with our adversarys and contrary to your nievty an increase in taxes, more welfare, more illegal aliens, more loss of strenght and power globally. Hell I can't wait. PLB (10/17/08)

Let's see... the press is doing its job by exposing this 'Joe the Plumber' - actually, it's Sam, but I digress - as a ridiculous shill for McGramps. Nice going there, Johnny, another top-notch vetting job. Sarah redux. And what do we get from the not-so-great WMAL? Another ration of whining, wailing, and gnashing of the chompers over 'dem evil libs and their bias'. Wah wah wah... cry me a damn river. Face the irrefutable fact that your philosophy and values simply do not work, especially after eight years of the most horribly inept presidency ever. But by all means go ahead and keep up the whining - it is exactly why you will lose come Nov. 4. WMAL is becoming more amateurish with each passing second - I say after Nov. 4, time to pull the plug. Put yourselves out of your own misery. BTW, Silvie, your 7 y/o is a smart kid. Like most people, he goes for the winner. There is hope, indeed. Mike in Manassas (10/17/08)

(regarding a previous post) "Only a complete fool would be surprised that the Post endorsed Jesus Obama" Well pal, once the shock of this endorsment (and the electoral outcome on November 4th) wears off, you'll be all right. (or as all right as you choose to be) The righties must all feel like a bunch of teenagers whose parents were away. They've partied hard for eight years and completely trashed the house - and now it's time to "face the music". Party's over kids. Time to grow up! (10/17/08)

OK, I'll bite re: "The Post is a far left rag and everyone knows it. Fact is, 90 percent of the paper's endorsements have been Democrats and for you to act otherwise is being, to put it mildly, disingenuous. Only a complete fool would be surprised that the Post endorsed Jesus Obama and only an even bigger fool would give the endorsement any credibility." First, please explain why a "far left rag" would be endorsing Republicans 10% of the time...? Then please cite the source of your "90 percent" figure. Then please explain why the endorsement of a newspaper that, by your own estimate, sometimes endorses Republicans and sometimes Democrats, has no credibility. Then please explain which newspaper's endorsement you feel DOES have credibility -- although I think we all know you'll name papers which are far RIGHT rags which always endorse Republicans. Because that's what Rush, Fox, et al have created: an audience that thinks news and editorials are only "fair and balanced" if they are Right-leaning. (10/17/08)

Concerning: "2) In 2000, The WP endorsed Robert Ehrlich for MD Governor;" This is unlikely because in 2000 he was elected to the House of Representatives. But Mr. Ehrlich was on the ballot for and elected Governor in 2002. -- Carl in Olney (10/17/08)

David Letterman did a GREAT job with John McCain. I saw a side of McCain you don't usually see. It reminded me of when Dave interviewed Bob Dole years ago. John McCain admitted he screwed up by not coming on Letterman weeks ago and instead doing Kaite Couric the same night. McCain certainly held his own throughout the night but Letterman did not give him a break!! It was great. If both candidates had been there we probably would have seen more of their "real sides" at the same time than during a debate. Candidates better stop being negative and dwelling on the past and start worrying about today and who can make changes from how things currently are. As for Letterman - he started out like Carson and hs become his own person over ht years. He is so far superior to Jay Leno - it is hard to even compare. (10/17/08)

Dave's response: I DVR Letterman and usually watch him during primetime the next day. Simply can't stand Leno. Never found him funny.....

Does anybody know if WHUT-Digital is operating at reduced power? We were messing with a new digital TV converter box last evening and WHUT's signal strength was way down compared to others supposedly originating from the same general area. (10/17/08)

Chris, who are you trying to kid? The Post is a far left rag and everyone knows it. Fact is, 90 percent of the paper's endorsements have been Democrats and for you to act otherwise is being, to put it mildly, disingenuous. Only a complete fool would be surprised that the Post endorsed Jesus Obama and only an even bigger fool would give the endorsement any credibility. (10/17/08)

Dear WTOP - I really like the all traffic and weather channel on your HD-3 stream. I especially have enjoyed the continuous loop Bob Marbourg from 3:30 yesterday afternoon followed by Shawn Anderson's open mic and a CBS Update (it is now 8:30 Friday morning). Someone wanna check the automation? How embarrassing for a "world class" operation. (10/17/08)

Dave, Unlike that clown spewing nonsense about the Washington Post, I offer you some actual facts: 1) Until 2004, the Washington Post refused to endorse any candidate for President; 2) In 2000, The WP endorsed Robert Ehrlich for MD Governor; and in 2006, the WP endorsed every Republican candidate for Congress in Northern Virginia. Just the facts, Dave --Chris (10/17/08)

Now that the suspense is over regarding who the Washington Post would endorse for President, I can use me my news paper for more practical reasons like lining the bird cage or swatting fly’s. (10/17/08)

Sylvie, I didn't know your seven year old's school teacher was Christopher Buckley and his gym coach is Dean E. Smith. Wow! what a great school he goes to! (10/17/08)

Wow, the Washington Post endorsed Obama...next you'll report that the sky is actually blue, or that the Sun rises in the Eastern sky, maybe next we'll have the amazing report that Earth seems to be spinning on some type of axis, or that the Moon revolves around the Earth itself! Wait, wait, maybe soon we'll hear that snow is actually cold, and fire hot! The day that the Washington "Compost" endorses anyone other than a Democrat for President is the day all of these other stories become false. All hail the "Dear Leader", enjoy your voting rights this election...it'll be the last time you get to use them. (10/17/08)

Taylor on Radio notes: 'Glenn Beck jumps from CNN to Fox. That won’t affect his Premiere Radio Networks syndication, but it aligns him with a cable TV channel where he might feel more at home – though he’s delivered boxcar numbers for CNN Headline News. Fox chief Roger Ailes feels the hiring is timely, “as we embark on a new political landscape.”' "New political landscape"? It kinda sounds like Ailes is calling it for Barack Obama. Fox News - Not fair or balanced, but certainly first, at least on this major story! (10/17/08)

As always, please no wagering, but I feel a need to rant about this as a lifelong David Letterman fan since before my college days........... NEVER in my entire lifetime have I seen a late night talk show host in a direct interview with a presidential candidate or almost ANY political candidate be so utterly insulting and disrespectful to that person as David Letterman did last night on Late Show with David Letterman with John McCain. It was utterly despicable. C'mon, G. Gordon Liddy vs. William Ayers? PuhLEASE! And if phony Letterman is so worried about his son's future & John McCain's dying in office, then why did Letterman even knock up some woman and have a kid who might possibly have a deceased father during his teenage years? Once again, HYPOCRISY & GOTCHA is KING so take THAT Letterman! You deserve it after that despicable UNFUNNY PERFORMANCE and yes, McCain had the best laughs, sorry. I don't think I'll be watching anymore either, this was the last straw. Sorry Mr. Letterman... I WATCHED JOHNNY CARSON. YOU SIR ARE NO JOHNNY CARSON! Johnny Carson is now looking down from above and now knows why you were NOT Tonight Show material, just a stupid pet trick with classless behavior. And Letterman's poor ratings now can stand in the poor ratings cheap shot food line heap along with NBC's Keith Olbermann. We can only hope they'll both starve to death from a dearth of laughs & viewers before their viewers do during the growing economic crisis. NBC is in trouble and so is CBS, what a coincidence! -- Joe in Essex (10/17/08)

Yep, Sinclair shut down 45's subchannel several days ago. I was wrong--I predicted they'd be showing the "Stay Tuned" card for a long time. I didn't think they'd turn it off, give up their slots on cable systems, take a complete pass on a revenue stream... What a waste. The government multiplies their potential broadcast presence by up to 5, and they throw up their hands and say they can't be bothered to do anything at all with the extra channels. Why is it that the people in the broadcast business aren't interested in it? ~~CA in BC (10/17/08)

FYI, Redskins fans could miss the start of the game this Sunday on WUSA/9. Levan Reid read a "programming note" on his 11 p.m. sports report stating that the station is being required to carry the Baltimore/Miami game at 1 p.m. in its entirety or until the outcome is "reasonably certain." If the Baltimore/Miami game extends beyond 4:15 p.m., D.C. area fans would miss the start of the Redskins telecast. The station is appealing to the NFL to have that restriction reversed. Everett W. (10/17/08)

/\ October 17 Messages /\

\/ October 16 Messages \/

Person with no name, your words say nothing, your argument limp. Name one untruth that has been unspoken. I'll save you the trouble. IT'S ALL TRUE!! That why it makes you write a whiny post. My daddy gave me a cool name,and I sign my posts. Porter Jervis (10/16/08)

Apparently SINCLAIR did not like being ridiculed in the DCRTV.com mailbag for their Goodbye GOOD-TV message on WBFF-DT 45-2. Now there is no longer a WBFF-DT 45-2 at ALL! HAha! :-) (10/16/08)

Dave, 1) The Fredericksburg ratings are for subscribing stations only- that's why you don't see B101.5, WFVA, Thunder 104.5, or WGRQ in the ratings. 2) Jay Lakin runs PokerSourceOnline.com, and writes a "Legislative Update" column in PokerPro Magazine. Jay Lang, who used to work at 105.9 at the same time as Mr. Lakin, is a musician and composer. Stephen (10/16/08)

Ahhh... The glories of censorship! WETA's treatment of "Torturing Democracy" reminds me of their refusal to air the PBS program "Death of a Princess" almost 30 years ago! And, the then-WHMM on channel 32 had the singular courage to air it in D.C.! My hope is that once again the good people at Howard Universoty will once again show the courage that could win a Murrow (Were it radio, alas. Although, Murrow was as effective a journalist on TV as he ever was on radio...), it''s stations like WHUT (WHMM in the day.) are what was the intention of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1968. Not the drivel so frequently aired (But, oft unwatched....) today. Unsigned Corporate Suit (10/16/08)

RE: poor signals...Not from DC, but was visiting the last few days. I, too, had horrible reception of DC stations, not long after passing the airport on 267 towards Leesburg. 107.3 was almost gone by the time I got to Leesburg. I landed on a loud and clear Q94 from Richmond on 94.5, which would explain the oldies playing on Mix 107.3! I was getting Richmond's 107.3. That could be why 103.5 and 106.7 were not coming in so well Tuesday. I picked up the Central VA stations far into Maryland, almost to Hagerstown. Also, picked up a copy of Sunday's Washington Times while in the area. I couldn't find the price on the cover, and the checkout girl couldn't find the barcode to scan it. The manager was nearby, looked it over, and said "just take it, its yours". Can't imagine the Times makes any money if their retailers are giving it away since there is no barcode on it!! (10/16/08)

To Porter Jervis, if that is your real name: I see you've recieved your talking points straight from Rush Limbaugh, or should I say the RNC? They've taken the strategy of discredit, defame and destroy to the highest, or lowest, level with their attacks against Senator Obama. Nothing they could say about Joe The Plumber could come even close to what they've said about Obama. (10/16/08)

Dear David or whomever reads this: My name is Eliot Kissileff. I'm working with Barry gathering together whatever remains of his many television shows from the area- Wing Ding, Turn-On, Barry Richards Rock Show and Rock'n'Soul, Video Disco and Studio 78. I was told that there was a lot of info on this site and that old timers spend time on the message boards. I couldn't find anything like that, but wondered if you could tell me what would be the best way of getting the word out to people on your site- I'm hoping that some other ex-employees may have tapes of the show (I've contacted almost all of them but there are a few others out there..). Also if anyone out there had made home tapes of anything I don't have, I'd love to get in touch. Barry did manage to save a nice chunk of great stuff, but there's still a lot more that wasn't saved.. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Eliot (10/16/08)

LOL... -"PEOPLE'S SOCIALIST DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF MARYLAND"... go figure. Just read an article in WAPO online about a business in Prince George's county that put up a 'pro' McCain sign and got a bunch of crap for it from pro-Obama, socialist, anti-free speech/thought fanatics... WOW! TALK ABOUT HATE SPEACH! Then again thats fairly normal for the followers of 'that one'... ~kinky-neo-con (10/16/08)

I personally think children shouldn't be taught about sordid things like politics or the mainstream media until they are adult-swim enough to be taught about drugs, alcohol, hookers & venerial diseases or at the very least after the schools start teaching them revisionist history lessons! DOOOOOH! Oh, that's right, isn't that already now like the 3rd GRADE?!? Ooooops, my bad. LOL (10/16/08)

Nice the see all DNC talking points here about Joe. Didnt talk long for them to employ their strategy of discredit, defame and destroy. Porter Jervis (10/16/08)

"Dave's response: Scholastic Magazine's poll of school kids showed Obama with a big lead" My 7-year-old has come home from school every day for the past month talking about Obama and how "he rules" and "is the greatest" and "the best guy ever" and - gasp! - that Obama is like "daddy" (my husband looks nothing like Obama, but I think that my son would like to replace his father with Barack.) The indoctrination has commenced. I'm going to die now. Sigh. -Silvie- (10/16/08)

Regarding the 7-11 coffee cup argument in the mailbag and McCain possibly doing better than polls predict: 7-11 coffee cup sales in 2 previous elections came within a percentage point or 2 of the actual popular vote. It's not only true, but almost scary to think considering the margin of error in most mainstream media polls by CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, & The Times & The Post. And yes, even Gore won in coffee cups at 7-11, so this myth that only the poor dumb Repubs are buying coffee at 7-11 can officially be dispelled. Apparently some dumb liberals also buy coffee at 7-11. LOL (10/16/08)

Dave's response: Scholastic Magazine's poll of school kids showed Obama with a big lead. And that poll has mirrored the general electorate in all but two presidential elections in something like the past half century.....

Rush talked about “Joe the Plumber” Tuesday. Also on Tuesday, “Joe” was interviewed by Carol Taber, a frequent fraud used for right wing political talk radio to pretend to address women’s issues (Family Security Matters in the 2004 election, Independent Women’s Forum in the 2008 election). Wednesday, Joe was available for the debate, and “Joe the plumber’s” name was mentioned two dozen times at the debate by Senator McCain, who crafted out a factually challenged narrative. Thursday, “Average Joe” is available for Morning TV news shows to talk about Obama’s bad tax plan and repeating RNC talking points. Joe’s first name is really Samuel or “Sam,” however, the term “Sam the Plumber” was too close the nickname of a real Mafia hit man “Sammy the Plumber,” so the RNC couldn’t use it. Joe’s and his family own several businesses, it appears, including an investment company. Joe claims to make 250,000 a year as a plumber who doesn’t own the business, and the press buys it, for now. Listen for this nonsense on WMAL. If the press doesn’t expose this guy, there is serious problem here. Rush should talk about him today, as well as Sean, and Mark, on WMAL. (10/16/08)

I'm sure Elliot got the OK from his bosses at Chimp Channel to burn those books. Why bother if he didn't? He's some sort of ''rebel'', fighting the ''man''? Here's a wild and crazy idea, Elliot; be funny. Paul (10/16/08)

on the satrads. I saw some mention of Mel speaking on the debt that comes due in the next few months...something like a billion dollars. Anybody lining up to refinance this company going forward? Seems like this might be a problem given the current climate? (10/16/08)

Dave's response: According to Mel, he's confident he'll line-up the credit.....

Anyone know if XM's Matt the Cat is the same Matt the Cat who was on Cleveland's "Home of the Buzzard, WMMS"? (10/16/08)

"With Marc Fisher's recent decision to give up his regular "The Listener" radio column, and the long-ago demise of regular weekly radio round-ups by reporters like Jeffrey Yorke, the Post's coverage of local media clearly ain't what it was." True, but 'props to Frank Ahrens who may have been the last Postie to write a knowledgeable, regular radio column. And I miss Carmody, too! It's lonesome in my breakfast nook..... (10/16/08)

(Clip) Wow...94.7 still sitting at #17 (pilC) HaHaHaHaHa! That's exactly where they were 10 years ago when Grease did mornings! Are you telling me ten years of strategies, marketing and formatics couldn't knock that sloth out of that tree? Holy crap! (10/16/08)

Dave's response: I'll say it again. If CBS had launched a reborn heritage progressive rock WHFS in February 2007, instead of the Globe fiasco, they'd have a 12th place station with 94.7 now.....

District Notebook in the District section (which you probably don't get in Fairfax): "Ward 6 Democrats tapped newsman Tom Sherwood of WRC (Channel 4) and Mark Segraves of WTOP (1050 AM) for a lively discussion last week among all seven candidates...." Somebody wake up The Post and tell them radio ratings came out yesterday. They don't seem to know much about radio. 1050 AM simulcasts WTOP when not carrying DC United or Navy Basketball, but WTOP's main signal has been 103.5 FM for several years now. (10/16/08)

"So the merger, I mean, acquisition of XM by Sirius is now complete. If we don't like Sirius, where do we turn? I still cannot believe that this was approved and is not a monopoly. Am I missing a competitor?" I think the same thing, but when I called Sirius the other day to cancel my subscription that came with my truck, so they won't be hounding me (did not want to pay for Sirius and XM, esp. on a truck I hardly drive) and the lady was saying when the merger is complete, their competition will be from IPODS?!!??!? How can you compete with an IPOD? Download music you listen to over and over or listen to a wider choice of music that you might have forgotten about and hear new music? Maybe I am missing something?! (10/16/08)

What audio codec equipment is WTOP sports guy Dave Johnson using for his road reports these days? Quality from Barcelona sounds pretty good. (10/16/08)

"Sirius is by far the superior product. They draw from the biggest most talented pool of broadcasters in New York and Nashville while XM drew from washed up DC area "talent"." If you have subscribed to both services for 4 years, you haven't listened much, have you? Or maybe you're one of those people that believes that 107.3 really does play the best mix of everything. I can tell you without any shadow of a doubt that the Sirius music channels did not have the depth, the integrity, the character or the vision that XM music channels had. They are FM without the commercials. Playlists from one similar format to another on both platforms differ by hundreds of titles. Folks like Bobby Bennett, Mike Marrone, Jessie Scott, George Taylor Morris, Jonathan Schwartz, Ray Knight and so many more are National talents with more musical integrity and passion than you'll find anywhere. XM programmers were given the mission to program channels, not schedule them. There is a difference. And by the way, do you really think all the biggest and most talented pool of broadcasters are actually in NY? Really? Do ya? Have you ever heard of remote voicetracking? Do ya think Barry "Greg Brady" Williams is in the studio doing his incredibly in depth music show? Or do ya think maybe he lays down some voice tracks over a pre-determined playlist and ships them off to NY? So, do you want a name or do you want passion, knowledge and dedication to one's craft? And yes, XM had Programmers in Nashville and NY as well. Here's a secret I really shouldn't let you in on, but I will: It's national radio...it doesn't matter where the DJ's are. It's all about assembling the best programming. I gotta go now, Richard Simmons is about to start his show. (10/16/08)

Wow...94.7 still sitting at #17. As Dr McCoy would say "It's dead Jim!" Honestly how much longer will CBS Radio let this station just languish as a bottom dweller? (10/16/08)

Wednesday night I spent time with four members of the Walt Whitman High School debate team, in Bethesda, Md. as they critiqued -- and debated -- the debate performances of John McCain and Barack Obama: www.washingtonpost.com... Some of these students participate in more than 70 debates a year -- so they're definitely qualified debate experts. All the best, Ed O'Keefe, washingtonpost.com (10/16/08)

Whether an affiliate broadcast gets moved for the flagship airing is irrelevant in the UVA/UMD conflict since WJFK-FM is NOT Maryland's flagship station. Baltimore's WHFS-FM & WJFK-AM are the Terrapins' co-flagship stations, WJFK-FM is a Terps affiliate. FYI, Virginia basketball already had a D.C. area affiliate for years in WTNT radio where the football games still air. Everett W. (10/16/08)

So the merger, I mean, acquisition of XM by Sirius is now complete. If we don't like Sirius, where do we turn? I still cannot believe that this was approved and is not a monopoly. Am I missing a competitor? (10/16/08)

Dave...please note that Citadel's "shoot from the hip" management style has resulted in WJZW attracting half the share of a year ago with their new Imus/oldies format. Citadel stock closed today at 26 cents a share. How long until Citadel management drives the whole company into bankruptcy? The three local stations do not deserve what is happening to them. The Chief (10/16/08)

I haven't been able to get to www.wtntam570.com for a few days. I'm getting a "forbidden" error message. On a whim I checked out www.mccain570.com and found a sad placeholder website. Pathetic for any radio station. (10/16/08)

"In case of a conflict, UVA games will be put on a station that cannot be heard very well down into northern VA while U of MD games will be heard on a northern VA station that cannot be heard well in Maryland?" But the goal of the games in JFK is not to be in C-ville, thats what C-ville stations are for, JFK is just an affiliate of UVA where as they are the flagship for UMD. Affiliate always gets moved for the flagship, always. It's really smart for UVA to have an affiliate in DC, gotta have a nice alumni base here.... (10/16/08)

"It's a black guy and a Jewish producer, so we will stand out like `Mississippi Burning,'" he said. " So said DL Hughley of the first road trip planned for his new CNN gig. And where might this "comedy on a news channel" be going, on Oct 25th, a mere week or so before the election? Why to 'cover' a Sarah Palin rally. THIS is what conservatives mean when they discuss the liberal bias of the media. CNN starts a 'comedy' show two weeks before the election, and then uses it news credentials to get a comedian into a event of the party that they do not support. Nice work hacks. You loose all credibility. His statement shows his intent and the bias present in the report before the story is even written. (10/16/08)

/\ October 16 Messages /\

\/ October 15 Messages \/

Dang I forgot to ask. WJFK FM has already yanked off The El Jefeless Hideout Show after only one week? And the wonderfully bad Joe Ardinger show has been moved into that time slot? Have the wunderkinds over at the once mighty WJFK considered a Saturday night show with Peter McRosenberger and that gal who hosted The UnZipped show? Now that's entertainment, that's entertainment. Joe Flynn from Dunn Loring (10/15/08)

I just added the Sirus package to my XM. Drove to Atlantic City great to hear Howard again and The Playboy channel was great. I to hope the suits don't mess things up. I will miss Bobby Bennet on Ch.60. I used to listen to him on WOL in the 60's. (10/15/08)

Donnie Geronimo ain't got super producer(?) Beth Ann McBride handling the sale of the old homestead in Grate Falls? Wasn't BA a slam bam realtor down N.C. way before she returned to toothless fairfax to anchor down the dullish Mike O'Meara show? Say donnie G. I might consider the house if'en you 'd throw in the Batmun suit! And now for something different, I notice True Oldies has a live versus dead dj on overnights "Tom Grooms" why bother folks and save a few bucks with the automation unless the zombie like state in which Mr. Grooms is handling the old Groomsyard is pulling in the big ratings overnight huh. Has channel 7 dropped it's Sunday morning newscast for paid programming and Ms. Brown has sort of been put on a rotating basis for the Sat. Morn newscast? And over at channel 9 Jennifer Ryan seems to be anchoring the Sat. and Sun. morn newscasts along with the night time editions. Geez they gonna wear her out? ain't no other folks at channel 9 who could handle the am weekend gig? Lesli foster? it's probably my imagination but has Ms. foster been giving Ms. Brinkman the olde stink eye on the weekday newscasts? ( an a big adios to one of my favorite Washington Senators, "Eddie Brinkman") Personally I don't think they gave Ms. foster much of a chance before they yanked the chain and reduced her on air time. and over at channel 4 I see cutie stevie villanueva is pulling down overtime handling the weathercasts on weekends in the mornings and evenings, he must get a tired. Why not have chuck Bell or the perky Veronica Johnson handle some of that? Wow Wether Plus, the WRC over air digital sub channel, has really jumped the shark. A couple of times this week they ran video of weather forecasters giving weather from a couple months back. One day it was a description of Hurricane Ike and how it was going to possibly disrupt the weekend only this was a Toosday and October not August. is the Weather Plus already on automation now that plug has been pulled? Is WRC planning to run anything else on the sub channel when Weather Plus goes away? And finally does DCRTV Dave watch McHale's Navy on WJLA channel 7.3 afternoons at 5pm that Tim Conway dude is funny! Carl Ballantine in Arlandria I forgot even though lil' danny has expanded the dreaded zebra radio network it still sounds like sh8t most of the time. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Actually, I've never been a big fan of Tim Conway's humor - including "McHale's Navy" - even though he did bathe me as an infant when he was in the Army with my dad at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington.....

More evidence that Red Zebra management is in over their head ---- Current Arbitron; no show in ratings for their former network of 3 FM’s and 1 AM --- WTNT now a no show! WTEM 1.1, WWRC .4. Six stations in the metro, acquired for about $60 million, 1.5 in Arbitron. Way to go! (10/15/08)

I heard Jay Lakin left radio and the area several years ago for the world of online poker. I believe he runs his business from Atlantic City. (10/15/08)

I was unhappy to find out that WTNT canceled the Lars Larson show which used to come on at 10 pm. I found it informative. It has been replaced by something called "Dennis Miller Show" which is horrible. (10/15/08)

Does anyone know if "Former Smooth Jazz 105.9er Jay Lang" referenced earlier today is also former Frederick AM country outlet 82Q DJ Jay Lakin from the early 90's? Tom in Wheaton (10/15/08)

And I wondered upon reading of the XM blood bath..how long before ol, Mel starts messing with the country channels..according to what I read on the front page, it's already started! As for Sirius: I already get their music channels on the dish; why would I want to have another "sirius receiver? IMHO: at least as far as country and 50s..XM's programming had Sirius beat all to hell! And I'll also go as far as to say that..no..I don't think those folks on XM are not just "washed up" Washington area radio guys: Matt (The Cat)..for no older than he is)..has a pretty good idea of how radio used to sound (and still should sound)..And there's probably not many that have the musical knowledge that Bob Moke has when it comes to the popular music of the 40s, 50s..and probably beyond! But I guess we can all "wave it "bye bye!" Because Ol, Mel doesn't give a rat's ass about what we (the customers) want! Tom in Denton, MD (10/15/08)

Wow. I knew CNN had gotten pretty awful, but I never thought they'd be so overt about it : "CNN announced Wednesday that it will premiere a new, 'unconventional' weekend show hosted by comedian D.L. Hughley. 'D.L. Hughley Breaks the News,' as the show is currently titled, will feature Hughley's humorous take on the week's events. It will also include interviews with newsmakers and reporters, according to the network. 'D.L. Hughley Breaks the News' is scheduled to debut Saturday, October 25." Yeccccccccccccchhhhhh!!! (10/15/08)

Dave, You said the righties have Drudge? Well that is 4 (Fox and Drudge, Rush and Hannity) against over 2000 lefty groups. Quite a leaning to the left, isn't it Dave? Where is the fairness? Scott in Alexandria (10/15/08)

Dave's response: You've also got Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Pat Buchanan, Robert Duval, one of the four JFK Junkies, and the guy who made the "Airplane" movies. And WMAL, WCBM, and WAVA. The DC Examiner.....

I love the fact that when the going gets tough for the GOP their mouthpieces --- Rush and a tsunami of unnamed Mailbaggers, for example -- put their bloviating in overdrive, whipping out every bizarre, off-the-wall, doesn't-matter-for-shit accusation that they can dig up -- or, more often than not, that they just make up. It's the fastest way for them to lose elections, and they fall for it every time. It's like they see a brick wall in the middle of the road ahead and respond by putting the pedal to the metal. Rush will be laughing all the way to the bank either way -- if, by some miracle, McCain wins, Rush will claim he led the masses to him; if Obama wins, all the rabid anti-everything crowd will seek Rush's divine wisdom. By the way, if I haven't made it clear through my biting sarcasm, I think Rush Limbaugh is the nearest thing to Joseph Goebbels this country has ever produced. Dave in Sterling (10/15/08)

Note to "Boo-hoo, Fox News is conservative...": The Chicago Tribune??? Really??? I'm surprised you didn't put the Wall Street Journal on that list. And last time I looked, ACORN, the AFL-CIO, and ACLU (a group that defends the rights of all the unpopular, left and right) weren't media outlets. I assume you're the same guy who makes this same, silly rant every weeek or so. As my friend Bugs used to say, "What a maroon!!!!" Note to Ed Graham: Keep giving 'em heck! Howie (10/15/08)

RE: Omeara's Poker Run - Sooooo, 375 bikers show up and only raise $8000? I always thought bikers were more charitable than that. That's only about $22 a head. (10/15/08)

Let me see if I got this straight.......... In case of a conflict, UVA games will be put on a station that cannot be heard very well down into northern VA while U of MD games will be heard on a northern VA station that cannot be heard well in Maryland? WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE??? No wonder all the college kids are voting for Obama, his TV/radio ads are everywhere, yet the college kids can't even listen to their games on the radio! There's your frustrated angry voter! HAHA! (10/15/08)

As we say in radio, WOW! 'troy' is some-type of "uppity/liberal/ignorant black guy ;-) All this McCain/republican/conservative 'hating' on his show... As i say this; 'troy's' so-called talk show never allows me to get through (im on "hold" for 20 minutes? = way to go 'screening callers') Im looking forward to 1057fm going to HELL soon! -LOL (then again NO ONE at 1057fm reads "dcrtv" = real news!) ~"kinky-neo-con" (10/15/08)

So let me see if I understand the latest "feed" from your mole at WTOP on the Summer Arbs -- CUME is now the indicator of a station's success? Since when do advertisers buy CUME? All a high CUME tells me is that a lot of people are sampling a station and then not sticking around. The real measure of success is high quarter hour numbers in key dayparts in the demographics advertisers are looking for. Tell us what the station is doing 25-54 in drive and let us decide whether it is successful. JT (10/15/08)

"SatRad and Thanks DOJ. You scum-sucking weasels." Some people are some kinda stupid, Do really think there would be a difference, there would still be ONLY ONE SatRad, merger or not. Both XM and Sirius was failing. Get over the monopoly shit, it's Sat Radio. Not enough customers to support both. You need to worry about the shit that matters, Like Congress not passing Laws a few years ago to prevent Frannie and Freddie failing. Go cry to the Democrats that block that. (10/15/08)

Soooo sad to hear about the Grease being taken off of DC101's Saturday mornings. It was great to hear something refreshing on our nation's capital's airwaves for a change. Once again, corporate's ugly head rises up to quell any chance of the listeners getting to hear what they want. Best of luck, Nino! (10/15/08)

Hey Dave and other posters on the "bag.....as a former radio personality...i have had to do far too many of those "tahiti village" type interviews..(it was club de soleil before that)..and let me tell you...we were given no choice...it was ALWAYS tied to a buy for the station (OR rarely the promise of bigger "stars" )...we did Tanya Roberts for Tahiti Village in studio once --and while it was fun for a bit talking about her B movies and Charlie's Angels etc.....it was painful when it got to the scam part of the interview.. the point being is many times it comes down from above ..not the jock's choice...yet another corporate radio idea gone bad ALSO Dave, is this the last diary book we will see for DC? PPMs should start soon....does this mean the Globe will emerge from constatnly being "Hannah Montana" (17th)?? PPMs have been kinder to classic rock/hits in other markets..should be interesting (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Yeah, I do believe this is the last diary-based radio ratings book for DC. The fall book, which started in mid-September, is PPM for DC. Still diaries for Balto.....

From dc101.com/pages/whitney.html: BY THE LOOKS OF HER WEDDING DRESS...IS HOWARD STERN'S NEW WIFE FROM JERSEY OR PITTSBURGH? (10/15/08)

Boo-hoo, Fox News is conservative...boo-hoo, talk radio is right wing. You want fairness? How about the fact that the liberals have: ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, NPR, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, AP, Reuters, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Sun, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Chicago Tribune, The L.A. Times, USA Today, The Daily Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Today Show, Time, Newsweek, ACORN, The AFL-CIO, The ACLU, The Washington Press Corps, 90% of College Campuses, 95% of Hollywood, I would go on, but my fingers are getting tired of typing! The "fairness" doctrine is nothing more than an attempt by the left to completely suppress the views on the right so that they can once again have a monopoly on what kind of news gets to the ears of Americans. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: The righties have Drudge.....

According to my November 1964 TV Guide, the Lloyd Thaxton Show was occupying the 5:30 to 6:00pm time slot on Baltimore's WBAL-TV 11. That doesn't rule out a possible shift to WJZ-TV before the show ran its course, but Channel-13 was still airing "The Early Show" at 5:30 in '64. WMAL-TV 7 picked-up the series debuting Monday, December 28, 1964 with a full-hour from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on weekdays, replacing reruns of "Cheyenne". Channel-7 continued airing Lloyd weekdays until January 1966 when the show was relegated to Saturdays only for an hour in the afternoon through August of that year. (As a point of reference, NYC's WPIX-TV 11 ran the full-hour show at 7:30pm on weeknights starting in October '64.) Here's a glimpse of the page from the November 10th, 1964 TV Guide: DCMemories.com (10/15/08)

Dave the worst 'faux interview' has to be George Noory 'interviewing' Roseanne for Tahiti Village. It's abysmal. She's obviously 'phoning it in' (pardon the pun) and he isn't into it either. On another bad ad, whoever does the NTB tire ads on WMAL with the shrill shrieking woman, please stop. Shrieking woman = radio off = no business. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Schelby, formerly of the Glub, did a like "interview" with Roseanne. Cringe.....

Re: Alejandro "El Jefe" "Dro Silva" Hinojosa...he's gonna have to upgrade his computer to keep track of his on-air names. Of course, this means he'll probably call himself "Slash" or something like that in Atlanta. (10/15/08)

“In a year from now, there will be one satrad service, Sirius, on two satrad platforms. One marketing identity and one channel line-up on two satellite delivery systems. If anyone couldn't see this coming, they're blind.....” Righto. Mel’s intention all along was NOT to merge the 2 companies into one, it was simply to kill off the competition and hijack their customers. So much for more consumer choice. Thanks, Mel. Thanks Kevin Martin. Thanks DOJ. You scum-sucking weasels. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Look, what do you expect from the FCC? It's like wolves regulating wolves. The whole place is run by corporate radio suits who take time "away" from the biz and then jump back in after their Commission stints are up.....

I once got WYCR (98.5) from York, PA from the parking lot at Monticello, (Virginia, not New York). That was 200 miles away, I believe. And when I was in college in Philadelphia, I saw someone bring a good TV antenna to the top floor of the 24-story dorm at the University of Pennsylvania and got WJZ-TV-13, about 95 miles away. Also, I really appreciate hearing WTOP finally on AM again (8 seconds earlier than on 103.5 FM), even though it's on 1050 and can't be heard in Olney at night. Happy Sukkot to everyone. -- Carl in Olney (10/15/08)

RE: WTOP in the Shenandoah Valley. I get 103.5 like gangbusters 15 miles north of Winchester, day or night, rain or shine. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: The Shen Valley can feature some really amazing radio reception on the FM band, depending on your altitute and orientation. I remember driving back and forth to JMU during my college days and being able to pick up on the car radio FMers from Roanoke, Richmond, DC, even Baltimore in some spots along the mountain ridges.....

The Mailbag is filled with partisan bickering about campaign tactics, voter registration, etc etc etc.....didn't you used to have a website concerned with local radio and TV? Do you still operate that? If so, where can I find that? (10/15/08)

Dave's response: You could try Paul Farhi's weekly "Station Break" Q&A at wapo.com. Oh, wait, that's all "SNL" stuff. Yeah, I guess you're kind of out of luck.....

SatRad is the wave of the future eh? Yeah well, the future is "wave"-ing bye-bye it seems. (10/15/08)

“Hey Dave, If Darth Vader and his uber corporate bean counters up in NYC axe XM-12 “X-Country”, I really don’t know if Sirius’ Outlaw Country will be enough for me to renew in 2010 when my current subscription ends. Love live Alt Country, Americana, Roots Music, Texas Music and the Red Dirt Scene! I agree the thought that with stations throughout Texas playing the music I like via the web the need for Satellite Radio is not as great as it was in 2003 when I first got XM. Dean in Southern MD. “ (10/15/08)

With all due consideration to the folks that think the Fairness Doctrine is fair, I seem to recall in this very mail and venomous outrage whenever the FCC or other authority makes any suggestion as to television or radio content. Where is your outrage on the Fairness Doctrine? Is it true that liberals only believe in free speech as long as they are the ones doing the talking? Sure seems like it. Porter Jervis (10/15/08)

CNN Features 2 Local Radio Hosts: Tom Marr of WCBM in Baltimore and Chris Plante from DC's WMAL apeared together last night as featured guests on CNN's "Lou Dobbs Tonight", along with John Gambling from New York's WOR as a third panelist to discuss the latest developments in the presidential election. Dobbs referred to the trio as " three of the best radio talk show hosts in the country." The full transcript is here: transcripts.cnn.com (10/15/08)

Re: XM: Yeah Dave..I saw it coming; I said from the getgo (when the "merger" thing was first discussed)..it'd just ruin everything! The question now is: how long before ol, Mel messes up the country channels on XM? As for Lloyd Thaxton: I still say he was on channel 11..not 13; I know of at least two people on this here mailbag that remember it as I do! Tom in Denton, MD (10/15/08)

re: WTOP. "from the Chesapeake Bay to the Shenandoah..." If they are referring to signal coverage with 103.5, I've got this news flash -- they barely reach the bay. My car radio has great reception and the signal was getting real marginal approaching the bay bridge yesterday. And, you don't want to know what happened once I got to the Eastern shore. (10/15/08)

To the idiot who said, "Nice to see that the brass nose ring the DNC installed in Ed Graham’s nose is still intact!" I pointed out that the DNC position was rhetoric and the Fairness Doctrine was not a problem for Republicans. I did underestimate your reading comprehension skills though. And - - my last sentence should have read, "the only thing you have to fear, is fear itself." The Brass ring is really 10K gold. Work hard and you'll get yours. Ed Graham (10/15/08)

First I want to say I love your site and check it pretty much every day. The reason I'm writing is to complain about signal interference on my radio. I'm sitting at work in Bowie, MD, listening to Big O and Dukes on WJFK, like we always do, and suddenly, horrible pop music starts coming in over top of it. Turns out Baltimore Mix 106.5 has suddenly overpowered WJFK's signal somehow. Why is this happening? Is there a chance they've upped their wattage? Is there anyone I can complain to to fix this? I thought the FCC existed to prevent signals from broadcasting over each other. I know you can't do anything personally, but I figured if anyone knew what I could do about this, it would be you. Thanks for the site, keep up the good work. (10/15/08)

Welcome to Mel Math. XM and Sirius is not two for the price of one. It's one for the price of two. Mel likes to call it A la carte. Which means you can listen to whatever you want, as long as you buy both services. Certain channels may be duplicated, he call that broadening the access, rather than double billing. Mel will never offer all the channels for one intermediate price until the FCC forces interoperability. (10/15/08)

The Fairness Doctrine was in effect for decades and broadcasting really didn't suffer for it. TV talk programs like Alan Burke's or Joe Pyne's managed to be quite interesting and fiery. Hell, even David Susskind's shows brought some heat and much light to a wide variety of topics. Come to think of it, if any or all of the shows I mentioned were available on home video, I'd watch 'em today because they were civil, intelligent and interesting. (10/15/08)

SatRad and "Our government does it again", some need to just get over it. One of these companies was going down anyways. Be it a merger or just normal business. I for one was glad it was a merger. I would have been on the short end of the stick because it was XM that was going down faster. So now I don't have to worry about having equipment built into my Acura that doesn't work. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: It's in Sirius XM's best interest to have both satrad delivery systems to keep operating. However, you may soon be getting the Sirius versions of music channels on your XM radio. Sirius has some cool channels, too.....

From the Hartford Courant; Last week, Bridgeport's registrar of voters filed a complaint with the State Elections Enforcement Commission, alleging that ACORN workers handed in at least nine fraudulent registration cards. One was in the name of a 7-year-old girl. Chris Healy, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, has asked Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz to investigate the allegations. "Enough is enough. We cannot allow this group to muddy our political system," Healy said. End quote. ACORN has to hand all forms filled out or they can get sued, and possibly criminally charged. And there were nine bad applications sent in? Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill, Rush (heard locally on WMAL). As for Mickey Mouse, why can’t he register to vote? Did you know the US Government has issued Mr. Mouse a social security number (123-45-****)? As a matter of fact, The US government commissioned Mickey to be filmed being the very first one to get a Social Security card. Mickey has also received more write in votes in Presidential elections than any other candidate or non candidate in US History. I think our friend, the esteemed, Mr. Mouse deserves better. (10/15/08)

Banks going bust...car manufacturers on the ropes...retailers messing their undies in anticipation of a lousy holiday season... Given the economic climate right now, would either Sirius or XM have survived their financial probs and still been here a year from now without this merger? Would this crunch still have happened, except to TWO companies? I'm not trying to whip up a wiseass debate here, but am interested in the reality of the moment. (10/15/08)

Nice comment from the XM source stating that the fired employees want to “go back to terrestrial radio, and kick some ass.” Let me see if I have this straight? Take a job with Sat radio, and trash terrestrial radio at every opportunity. Today, they get fired because Sat radio never had a working business plan to show a profit, and the service has jumped the shark. Attention all ex Sat radio employees…we don’t want you back! (10/15/08)

Hey Mr. Graham, have you built your bunker yet? You're gonna need it if Obama gets the presidency. "They're coming to take us away". Ronald Reagan (10/15/08)

Dave's response: In today's Post, we learn that Robert Duval, a great actor, hates Obama. Now I know how you conservatives feel when an actor you like supports lefties. Hollywood-types should keep their mouths shut if they want to remain popular.....

This is truly a media issue. Why is it that 90% of the media is concentrating on praising Obama and the 10% that are questioning him are not even discussed? McCain has as much right to change his mind, he is not upset with admitting he's wrong and if he does change his mind the MEDIA HAS A FIELD DAY CRITICIZING HIM? This is the most outrageous political arena I've ever seen. The media is so slanted that they don't acknowledge any issues that address the most important issues facing our United States! Obama is always right(even when he waffles) Obama has the greatest ideas (even though they will break the back of the United States) Hell he wants to REDUCE our defense worlwide, de-activate all of our strategic capabilities, tear down the military AT THIS TIME? Come on, are the Liberals blind? Why can't we look at both sides, both canditates, and support our troops, our economy our way of life? CHANGE???? We should vote OUT every congressman and senator now in office. And why most Liberals nasty when discussing issues? Is it paranoia! Obama is less qualified for the office of President than Ed Graham, and he scares me to death. There, I've vented. Now the LIBS will flurry to retort, and not even do it with class or dignity. (10/15/08)

I have subscribed to XM and Sirius for 4 years now and was sorry to see the merger. I think a healthy competition would have made each service better. That being said anybody who is surprised by the layoffs at XM never really listened to them. Sirius is by far the superior product. They draw from the biggest most talented pool of broadcasters in New York and Nashville while XM drew from washed up DC area "talent". While the loss of choice in Satellite radio is unfortunate the end product will be excellent. With the future sale of CBS Baltimore, the consolidation of Metro Traffic and now this XM demolition it's not a good time to be in radio in the Mid Atlantic. (10/15/08)

What with the massive financial meltdown, will any radio stations even bother to stunt with early Christmas music this year? Given the national mood and retail sales outlook, stations should probably be playing non-stop dirges, come late November. (10/15/08)

Well no surprise at all with Sirius XM. As with all takeovers/mergers, the company taking over always takes care of their own, and there are massive layoffs of good people. I subscribed to XM for a year and thoroughly enjoyed it...50's, 60's, 70's etc. Great personalities and music with no commercials, as well as many other channels to choose from. And well worth the subscription price. I had some reception issues, so after awhile I subscribed to internet only. I liked to link to Napster also. So goodbye XM...it was a good ride! (10/15/08)

Nice to see that the brass nose ring the DNC installed in Ed Graham’s nose is still intact! ….lmao! (10/15/08)

"One" is the number for the merged XM and Serius. Yes folks. Our government does it again. Allow the merger and now there's less choice for the consumer as XM slowly fades into the black hole of space which is filled with all kinds of satellites. Thanks Mel. Thanks for nothing. (10/15/08)

Dave's response: In a year from now, there will be one satrad service, Sirius, on two satrad platforms. One marketing identity and one channel line-up on two satellite delivery systems. If anyone couldn't see this coming, they're blind.....

The only reason that Republicans fear the Fairness Doctrine is that they KNOW that there is nothing Fair nor Balanced about Fox. They KNOW that Rush lies (and they love it). But guess what, you have nothing to fear. The doctrine did not require equal time for opposing views, but required that contrasting viewpoints be presented. The Fairness Doctrine had two basic elements: It required broadcasters to devote some of their air time to discussing controversial matters of public interest, and to air contrasting views regarding those matters. Stations were given wide latitude as to how to provide contrasting views: It could be done through news segments, public affairs shows or editorials. And, in fact, the Supreme Court warned that if the doctrine ever restrained speech, then its constitutionality should be reconsidered. See, you have nothing to fear, the Fairness Doctrine is just rhetoric. And the Equal Time thingy states that if you give a candidate a minute of FREE air time, you have to OFFER a minute to the other viable candidates. You have nothing to fear is fear itself - - you wussies. Ed Graham (10/15/08)

Having been a guest host on XM's 60's channel, I can tell you that Pat Clarke is a class act who will be sorely missed. I sincerely hope that Pat and the others will find better circumstances after XM. That entire complex has been filled with extremely talented and dedicated people. Most of them, I'm sure, saw the writing on the wall when the merger took place. Mel was going to take care of his Sirius people regardless. Today's financial crisis just exhilarated the change.......Johnny Dark (10/15/08)

FYI re XM: My favorite channel 101 ... The Joint moved Oct. 1 to channel 95 and is now ID'd as Siruis-XM The Joint The great Jamaican announcer is still there (at least he WAS there last time I listened) They made room for Howard on 100 and 101 which I guess are his Sirius channels. Did u ever get Howard activated on your radio? Love your site ... read it a few times a day (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Yes, the fine folks at Sirius XM have activated the "Best Of Sirius" channels on my XM radio. Love listening to Howard Stern once again. Old Howard still blows Elliot away.....

Well someone needs to get a lesson between "Accept" and "Except" before they worry about anything else. I was wondering about the same thing as far a price break. I have XM in two of my cars and the truck came with a free year of Sirius (which I do not drive too often, so I am not going to pay for another system), but if I had kept it, I wondered too…... (10/15/08)

Matt The Cat, Ken Smith and Pat Clark brought unique personality and knowledge which made satellite radio special. XM won't be the same. I've heard the Sirius decades channels. There's no comparison. It's a tragic loss for XM and their loyal listeners. Dave K., Waldorf, MD (10/15/08)

According to Mrs. "in Olney", as a young lass she always watched Lloyd Thaxton on Baltimore's Channel 13, WJZ-TV. I myself saw it on WPIX, Ch. 11, in New York City. Also, I remember the good old days when you had to bring a birth certificate or naturalization paper to the Board of Elections to register to vote. Back then, they asked if you were a citizen. Anyone been asked that recently?-- Carl in Olney (10/15/08)

Hey, check out Channel 9's Jennifer Light, err, Anita Brikman with the new Jennifer Ryan look alike haircut. When will that station get it right and play musical anchor chairs...again!? The chemistry among the weekday anchors is painful to watch. I know...budget cuts. Way to go suits!! (10/15/08)

Did Maureen Bunyan say f*ck on the air as she got her words twisted up trying to read the TelePrompter? (10/15/08)

Dave's response: Hell, I thought I heard Chad Dukes say the same thing while taking to Mike O'Meara yesterday on JFK.....

Satellite radio is done. Here's how I see it, the pluses and minuses of Satellite Radio: Plus: Commercial free music, ability to drive long distances and not lose the station, great jocks depending on what you have locally, variety in programming if you are not an average listener (right wing / left wing talk, deep sports coverage, jazz, classical, metal, punk, foreign language, etc.), un-censored shock jocks (Stern, Opie & Anthony, etc). Minus: Not free, lose the signal under bridges, tunnels, trees, etc., premium "shock jocks" are actually past their sell by date and quite washed up (Stern), local sports teams are available for free, the system is a hassle for many to hook up, music channels are equally as repetitive and voice-tracked "canned" as local free stations. Basically, if you like popular music formats (active rock, urban, gospel, alt rock, classic rock, etc) it's available for free on regular radio. If you want local news a-la WTOP, it's only on local radio. If you want to support local music a-la "Noise in the Basement" on 98-Rock, again, only on local radio. Rush, O'Reily, and the likes - available for free. NPR, free. Other than being able to hear the naughty words in certain songs not being bleeped out and the formats that free radio found to be not profitable, satellite radio is absolutely not worth it. I tried it and honestly Howard Stern is embarrassingly washed up, whiney, and completely UN-funny, the music is no different than free radio and equally overplayed (hello MGMT), and the signal drops out completely under bridges, trees, big signs, etc. It's also horribly compressed and doesn't sound nearly as good as a strong FM signal. I give it 2 more years and satellite radio is gone. Internet radio with wireless technology will definitely be a threat to free radio, but satellite, no way. It's done - game over. The "WHT" (remember that?) to cable. Rich (10/15/08)

Dave's response: As I've said before, if technology can be developed, a la WiMax, to get broadband internet access easily and cheaply to cars, there really won't be a need for satrad any longer. You'll be able to listen to any internet stream on any car radio. Not if but when.....

Know who else went to school together.. Chris Kinard on the Junkies and Natasha Barrett at ABC 7. They used to anchor the student news together at AU. Small world. (10/15/08)

/\ October 15 Messages /\

\/ October 14 Messages \/

I just hope that XM/Siruis does not rip the BBC Radio 1 feed. That is the ONLY reason I pay for the service. It is a breath of fresh air from the other "commercialized formats" on Xm/Siruis. I will cancel my three subscriptions quicker than the stock market drops! (10/14/08)

So would the balancing of a revival of the Fairness Doctrine be like the 'spreading the wealth' around the 'messiah' suggests? No Thanks. Capitalism works just fine. Fairness like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All I see is class warfare. So would this fairness doctrine apply across the media spectrum? Will all the TV networks be obliged to comply? Doubtful. Doesn't seem fair to me, looks more like shutting up the opposition. Remember when Clinton tried to take over everything? You can look it up. Too bad the stupid Republicans violated their own rule. When Republicans run from their principles, they loose every time, you can look that up too. Porter Jervis (10/14/08)

OK, so here’s my question: as someone who subscribes to BOTH XM and Sirius, will I get some price relief since I will no longer be getting two separate channel line-ups, but instead will only get the same line-up on both services? After all, the reason I pay for both services is the separate channels they offer. -Brian (10/14/08)

Dave's response: I wonder how many people subscribe to both satrad services? I guess you could cancel one if both start offering the same channel line-up.....

I have been waiting a long time for XM and Sirius to merge so that I could finally jump in to sat radio. One of the things I've been looking forward to was Don Geronimo's long-rumored move to satellite, once his CBS 'exile' ended. Now that XM/Sirius has axed so many people, I wonder if that 'dream' has bit the dust. (10/14/08)

Hate to see people lose their jobs, but if the Fred, Ethel and Lucy channels start to get the programed music that Sirius has, I'm all for it. Many that have Sirius and are into the same music as I am said XM wasn't up to par for the Alternative music. (10/14/08)

Regarding "Wouldn't it be something is her fellow Republicans attacked her credentials in a way that Obama won't do?".... What like everyone in the un-biased mainstream media has? Obama is smart about one thing... People in glass houses (i.e.: EMPTY SUITS) who are smart don't throw stones. However, with the American electorate having the attention span of fleas, I think Republicans have resigned themselves to the idea of the economy tanking and letting Obama be a 1 term president and the Democrats taking a beating 4 years from now in a quick reversal of fortune when no one can even remember who the Bush's were anymore. Sounds like a plan to me! (10/14/08)

Sylvie, a number of years ago when our church observed All Saints Day, our Pastor’s homily for the service concluded with comments made by one of his seminary professors during a subsequent class reunion: “The Christian Church is the only organization with active membership on both sides of the grave.” As I was exiting the church after that service, I couldn’t resist saying to our Pastor, “With all due respect, your professor has obviously never heard of the Cook County Democratic Committee.” Elections are like wars. There is ultimately only one winning side. It doesn’t matter how you win. Just that you win. In elections, it matters who gets the most votes –not how you get them! I especially laugh at the “complaints” by the so-called “conservative” radio talk show hosts about the balance of coverage between the two major Presidential candidates. (Yes, there are others. But, other than on one of DCRTV’s ads, you hardly read of them…) Yet, these same hosts also complain so strongly about any attempt to revive the “fairness doctrine” which would correct the coverage imbalance they themselves complain about! Talk about “fair and balanced”… (10/14/08)

I missed the Sarah Palin interview today. Was AIP (Alaskan Independence Party) mentioned? The Palin family seems to be big fans of AIP. I am sure Rush is aware of the group from Alaska who wants to secede from th USA. Oh BTW, CBS poll out----Obama up by 14. ---Jake (10/14/08)

Dave's response: There's a 95 percent chance that Obama will win and a 100 percent chance that the Repubs will claim the Dems cheated.....

Re: Palin running for next election already. If Obama wins, it will be fascinating to see if Palin is embraced by the Republican leadership and groomed for 2012 or if she will face a rough and tumble primary. Wouldn't it be something is her fellow Republicans attacked her credentials in a way that Obama won't do? (10/14/08)

So Fred Grandy says he's going to do a career change to either the clergy or organized crime after his radio gig is over... I suggest the clergy since it would be something new. After all, he's already been in Congress. Wait! I forgot he qualified it as "organized"... (10/14/08)

I heard Palin on Limbaugh too and she was impressive. She's really not running for this year any more. A combination of Bush hangover, poor campaigning, liberal white guilt and bad luck will cause McCain to lose. But Palin is now a big time national player and she clearly resonates with Republicans and Reagan Democrats in a way that the pompous Madison Avenue/Georgetown types will never get. She needs some seasoning, sure. But that lady is a damn good politician. (10/14/08)

Re: "WETA is going to be in deep trouble come Feb '09." I see what you mean about protecting MPT; their Frederick station is on an adjacent channel to WETA-DT. These DT channel assignments are nuts. WNVC is off the air because WUTB (analog) is occupying their channel. WMAR can't prepare for February because WJZ-DT is on their channel. Why couldn't WETA-DT go back to 26 and then max out their power? (10/14/08)

Chewblater: I won't hijack Dave's mailbag to reply to you in length on a non-media matter (it would take paragraphs on end). Three words for ya: Bribes, Booze & Cigarettes. How can a teenager in Ohio be registered 73 times by the same handful of ACORN officials - and then election board officials state that they were able to catch 48 of those registrations? Where's the remainder? I don't have a doctorate (yes, I'm just a stay-at-home mom) but where I'm from they call that "fraud". Oh look! From CNN, no less! Love, -Silvie- www.youtube.com (10/14/08)

Silvie writes: "just to make sure they have enough to cover all the fraudulent votes Obama has arranged through ACORN" - When an organization does voter registration, they are required by law to turn in all voter registration cards, even the ones that say Mickey Mouse and John Q. Public. If those registrations are deemed to be phony by the election board, they are thrown out. Every seemingly legitimate cases of voter fraud have never been proven by Republican prosecutors, even though Karl Rove has tried really hard. Rove even manage to fire the real life guy who said "You can't handle the Truth!" (Iglesias) because he couldn't any legitimate cases. So in simple terms for you simpleton Limbaugh listeners, voter registration fraud does not equal actual voter fraud. If it makes you feel better, however, when you lose next month, you can continue to believe that you've been cheated. To bring it back on topic, I am sure that El Rushbo will be very happy as opposition attack politics is what got him really wealthy and famous. - Chewbacca (10/14/08)

Mike O’Meara did the “O’Meara’s Poker Run for the House” on Saturday and had hoped for 100 riders as 70 were pre-registered. He ended up with 375 and raised over $8000 for Fisher House that provides transitionary housing for wounded vets. www.fisherhouse.org (10/14/08)

("Dave's response: I like 106.7's line-up a lot. But one weak spot is when the Junks/BO&D/O'Meara do those phoney phone "shill interviews" with TV show personalities and the like. Obviously, in exchange for the TV network buying spots on their station. They sound "forced" and usually end up being deadly dull.....") Actually, the TV ads are placed from national sales people for CBS, not the local sales crew. The shows have the dull guests (as you say) in order to curry favor with the PR people who are shilling them so when a "good" guest option comes up they can have them on a show. (10/14/08)

That's right, Edna!!! (10/14/08)

Danilo Noel Diron dies www.behindthebadge.com For more than 400 D.C. United games since 1997, Danilo Noel Diron sat at a microphone, serving as the color analyst for Radio America broadcasts of the Black-and-Red. Danilo is a legend among his MLS counterparts for his smooth delivery and his razor sharp analysis. He is also famous in the local Hispanic community for his insightful and entertaining afternoon sports talk show, 'La Mesa Redonda del Futbol.' The man who described himself as "United's number one fan" passed away Friday evening at his McLean, VA home. A man who visited RFK Stadium daily for both business and personal reasons, Diron is perhaps the ideal example of what it means to be a part of the United family. Never a meeting went by in which he didn't stop for a warm embrace, questions about someone's mother, wife, children...his caring evident. Following United's MLS Cup victory in 2004, Washington Post columnist Mike Wise profiled Diron, his lengthy battle with liver cancer and his relationship with Jaime Moreno. Within, he captured the essence of Danilo's ties to United's most legendary player and the franchise as a whole. Danilo Noel Diron will be greatly, greatly missed. Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his wife Teresa, daughters Lorena and Paula and the entire Radio America family. (10/14/08)

Whenever Tony Perkins is on Mike's show is the only time I will listen these days. Mike's show is a disaster, boring, boring, forced and boring. When Tony is on they have great chemistry and GENIUNE laughter, not the forced crap the show does now (just listen to those god-awful promos). They should have put Tony and Mike together and made it a REAL new Mike O'Meara Show. Would have been refreshing and listenable. (10/14/08)

Dave's response: I like 106.7's line-up a lot. But one weak spot is when the Junks/BO&D/O'Meara do those phoney phone "shill interviews" with TV show personalities and the like. Obviously, in exchange for the TV network buying spots on their station. They sound "forced" and usually end up being deadly dull.....

I'll give Maura Sullivan $120,000 to make that song go away forever. Damn, it's already in my head and I can't get it out!!! Paul (10/14/08)

Dave said: "If Palin finds it necessary rally the "converted" on Rush's show this late in the campaign, things must be kinda desperate for the "red" team". No Dave, it's because the "red team" has to get out every vote for McCain in VA, just to make sure they have enough to cover all the fraudulent votes Obama has arranged through ACORN. Anyhoo, Palin on Rush's show sounded fantastic - clear, Reaganesque, to the point and unapologetic. -Silvie- (10/14/08)

Dave's response: I listened to Sarah Palin on Limbaugh today. You know who she sounds like? Anyone remember the "Edna Boyle" character from the old "SCTV" show? Tex and Edna Boyle ran a junk emporium that advertised on the fictitious TV network.....

Bloomberg L.P., with a D.C. bureau that encompasses Radio and TV, along with their "World Headquarters" in New York, and offices in countries around the World has hired Andrew Lack (formerly with CBS, formerly President of NBC News, and NBC, and formerly CEO of Sony Music) to take charge of a newly created position: head of Multimedia. He will oversee all TV, Radio, and Internet applications at Bloomberg. (10/14/08)

Am I the only listener not surprised that Grease isn't on 101 anymore? He's got a full time slot in Jax, why bother with Saturday mornings in DC? Grease has always spoke fondly of Jacksonville and it also wouldn't be a surprise if he moved back. Tom in Gaithersburg (10/14/08)

Dave's response: Hell, I'd rather be in Jacksonville in January and February than here. No snow and ice.....

(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) WYPR seeks a full-time Producer. Responsibilities include developing ideas and booking guests for interviews; conducting background research on a wide range of topics and providing hosts with support for interviews; and recording and editing for broadcast. Position requires at least 1 year experience in radio production, ability to multitask and work cooperatively with others and to write quickly and accurately for broadcast. Interest in science and medical news a plus. Close date is 10/29/08. EOE. No phone calls accepted. Candidates should submit cover letter, resume, 2 references and 2 samples of produced interviews to: Business Manager, WYPR Your Public Radio, 2216 N. Charles St., Baltimore MD 21218, or to jobs@wypr.org. (10/14/08)

FYI - According to his website, Rush Limbaugh will have Sarah Palin on today at 1:30 pm ET. (10/14/08)

Dave's response: If McCain and Palin are busy campaigning in Virginia, which hasn't voted for a Dem for prez since 1964, and Palin finds it necessary rally the "converted" on Rush's show this late in the campaign, things must be kinda desperate for the "red" team.....

RE: WETA-DT........ WETA is going to be in deep trouble come Feb '09. WHUT is maxing out its DTV signal to 1000kw while WETA will have the weakest signal among DC's public TV stations, even if you include WNVC! Look for that Philly interference to happen a lot more often than it should unless something is done. The inability of WETA to max out its DTV signal to 1000kw appears to be interference from none other than Maryland Public Television. Hmmmmm. Public TV rivals not playing nice nice? :-) (10/14/08)

Big O and Dukes spent a good amount of time today on JFK talking about the "tight blue shorts" and chest hair of a male intern. Gay gay gay gay! (10/14/08)

I too have been watching FOX5 morning news for quite awhile and I think he did do some anchoring when he was at FOX the first time. But since he's been back, I don't think he's done any anchoring until recently.And if he has, then I missed those times. Whenever one of the morning anchors wasn't in, I remember seeing other anchors such as Wisdom Martin, Claudia Coffey, Holly Morris or others fill in, not Tony. I also find it interesting how on his bio, it states that he's "brought back" the Neighborhood News segment. Well, it's not that he brought it back, he took it away from Holly Morris who was routinely doing that every week. (10/14/08)

How sad, I've been watching every morning and I called him Bolter, Steve Chenevey is the new anchor. (10/14/08)

The previous e-mail keeps saying that Brian Bolter has been named morning anchor. I believe that he is wrong. I am surprised that you didn't make a comment about this. I believe that he means Steve Chenevey(sp). Brian Bolter is the anchor in the anchor. Just thought that I would make a comment on this. (10/14/08)

Hi, my name is Maura Sullivan and I'm the singer and co-author of "Christmas Eve in Washington." I'm not sure if you've heard it or heard of my song but I would appreciate any assistance you can provide in telling me how I can get you a copy for airplay consideration. My song has been out for a while now and over the years it's raised over $120,000 for various charities (the two main charities being Children's Hospital and Komen Race for the Cure). The primary radio stations that have played it are WMZQ, WASH and WBIG. This year is the first year it will be available for download through the major download sites and I'm hoping you can help me in getting airplay on other stations. I look forward to hearing from you. Even if you can't assist me I thank you for your time and appreciate your response. Sincerely, Maura Sullivan (10/14/08)

Tony Perkins... I watch the Fox Morning every morning, have been for the last 20 years. Tony has been filling in for the anchors in the morning, Fox let the other guy go months ago. Brian Bolter has been named the new morning anchor. So if he or Allison is out, Tony has been in the other anchor chair. Bolter has been out for jury duty a couple times in the past few weeks and Tony has been doing his thing. Fox Morning News has always had another WeatherMan with Tony in the mornings anyways. (10/14/08)

Dave, what a surprise (somewhat) to read on your front page that Tony Perkins has now moved from weather to news. So, what about the front page story you printed about Steve Chenevey officially being the morning anchor?...Does this latest news mean that Steve Chenevey is out?..Hope not. If so, what a slap in Steve's face..Maybe, but I doubt it, FOX5 will make an announcement. (10/14/08)

www.politico.com... "Apparently the progressive radio station 1260 on your AM dial is having something at the Hawk 'n' Dove, including, just maybe, a congressman or two. 'Cause we know how excited you get when you party with congressmen"... (10/14/08)

Dave, are you sure Steve Chenevey has officially been given the morning news anchor spot?..Did FOX5 release this info or did you get this from one of your sources because lately Tony Perkins has been anchoring more than Steve. (10/14/08)

Dave's response: The fine folks at Fox see DCRTV as their mortal enemy and are scared shitless to communicate with me in any official form. That Chenevey stuff a while back was from a source.....

Where is Steve Chenevey ? I heard he got the 5-9 spot permanently, but has been out of the office a lot since the announcement. Get rid of Tony at the desk! OK as a weather man but as an anchor NO! (10/14/08)

Here's something I've not heard anyone mention in regards to digital TV: Co-channel interference. I'm having a devil of a time trying to pick up WETA tonight. And I noticed that stations from the direction of Philadelphia are booming in. Checking, I find that there is a Philly-area DTV station on the same frequency as WETA's DTV signal. And, lucky us, both will stay on that channel post-transition. I know skip like this is not an everyday occurrence, but it's not all that rare, either. ~~CA in BC (10/14/08)

I agree with the posting about Grease. Also, whoever was behind the firing probably has no appreciation for who Grease is and was. You get these young, cocky, corporate butt lickers who would fire their own grandparents without thinking twice. Remember, though, that former Clear Channel CEO Lowrey Mays has been quoted as saying that the company is not in the business of public service but to help businesses with their advertising. The doodad daddy will emerge again. (10/14/08)

Sad to read about the passing of Chuck Evans. I know Chuck enjoyed his time on the radio and was actually pretty good in breaking down the game. I always looked forward to him hanging out on our show on Monday's after a Ravens game when I was there in 2005/06. The best thing about Chuck was he wasn't afraid to call out guys who didn't perform well, even while we were "in the belly of the beast" right there in the Ravens complex. My prayers and thoughts out to his family and friends. Bill Rohland (10/14/08)

The newsletter “Cynopsis” reports this morning, “FCC's media bureau is allowing administrative hearings for the NFL Network, WealthTV and the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, saying there is enough evidence that all three are experiencing discrimination. The networks have complained to the FCC that cable providers including Comcast, Cox, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks are not carrying their networks at all or are not placing them on basic channel packages. The FCC said it has not reached a final verdict on the complaints, emphasizing hearings by an administrative judge are necessary to determine if action is needed.” (10/14/08)

Picture from WAEB radio in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Could Shawn Hannity need extra dough doing voice-tracking? Not! (10/14/08)

/\ October 14 Messages /\

\/ October 13 Messages \/

I actually like Tony Perkins. As the weatherman though. I think he has a great personality and brings a lightheartedness to the morning news. However, saying that, I DON'T like him as an anchor. The times I've seen him fill in, he's seemed very uncomfortable doing "serious" news. It appears that he just can't take delivering serious news seriously. Watching him, it seems like he's trying to keep from laughing and/or waiting to deliver a punch line to a joke...By putting him in an anchor position (even if only temporary as the station has done recently), I think it's an injustice to him and for those of us who are watching him..Tony's just not made out to sit at the anchor desk for 2 or more hours reading news and interacting with Allison.. His few moments of weather and some of the things he does out of the station suit him better. And I can say the same for Holly Morris. The station has her do these human interest and/or wacky stories where she's acting all goofy and hyper. And then she shows up for the mid-day news and has to turn on her "serious" side which, just like Tony Perkins, seems to be quite uncomfortable for her. (10/13/08)

Noted W06CJ, channel 6 Fairfax (TX supposedly North Arlington) testing this afternoon with a good signal in Oak Hill, VA. Spanish language Christian programming and occasional announcements in English... (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Or south Herndon, as some of us call it.....

Was the person who designed the new graphics on Channel 9 on acid? What's all that shimmering and things moving in the background? Lines and swirls that glow. And why is that lil graphic at the bottom of the screen during the news always moving? Aren't we supposed to be paying attention to what's being said? Aren't we supposed to be wondering what Topper's standing on so he can seem tall? Paul (10/13/08)

Regarding Katie Leahan’s TV Trainwrecks slogan: “Stop. Look. Listen. Upload. Laugh.“ Shouldn’t “Upload” be a little higher up that list in order for one to actually “Laugh”? Ah, TV reporters- always wanting to skip a step or two… (10/13/08)

Tony Perkins being groomed for an anchor spot? Say it ain't so. He's as exciting as Steve Rudin. (10/13/08)

A letter mailed to my house from Comcast... "This fall, Comcast will begin testing a new service in the Baltimore, MD area. During this limited test, some of the television ads you see could be different from ads that other customers see. We are doing this to increase the relevancy of TV advertising seen by our Digital Cable subscribers. To do this, we will use commonly available, non-sensitive geographic and demographic information to match anonymous household characteristics to ad messages that are likely to be more relevant. This will not increase or decrease the number of ads you see. Throughout this trial, your privacy will be protected. We believe that many of our customers will find this service valuable because time spent watching ads will be more meaningful. If you would like to participate in the trial and receive the more relevant advertising, there is nothing else you need to do. However, if you prefer to receive standard advertising, you can opt-out at any time. Q: How will Comcast make advertising more relevant for me and my family? A: The service we are testing is called “addressable advertising.” This service uses technologies that attempt to match, or address, ads to anonymous groups of household who should consider them more relevant based on standard, widely available demographic information. For example, households in neighborhoods mostly populated with families might see ads tailored to families while subscribers in neighborhoods populated with singles might see different ads. Q: Is my personal data protected? A: The protection of our customer’s information is a critically important aspect of our business. Comcast abides by all applicable privacy laws and posts our privacy policy online at www.comcast.com/consumerprivacy. The policy statement also is made available to anyone who requests it. Personally Identifiable Information, sometimes called PII, is never disclosed to advertisers. We are using anonymous, non-sensitive data to help inform and direct TV advertising to groups of subscribers that will find it more relevant than generic ads. Q: Will my TV viewing information be known? A: No. This service does not use any viewing, or other behavioral data. Again, advertising will be “addressed” based on anonymous, commonly used geographic and demographic information much like direct mail does today. Q: Will I notice any changes to my cable service and how much does this service cost? A: This is a limited test on a few select Digital Cable channels affecting less than 2% of the ads shown on TV. That said, you might notice a general reduction in less relevant advertising and an increase in more relevant advertising. This service will not change the number of ads shown on TV. There is no charge for this service." (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Regarding "relevant" advertising, I have a Safeway card. And, at checkout, I keep getting coupons for nicotine patches even though I've never purchased a pack of cigs in my life, except for maybe a time or two in high school. Light years ago! Sheesh.....

Okay..I'm slightly confused here; in your blurb on the front page about Lloyd Thaxton, you list him as airing on 7 in Washington and 13 in Baltimore: as I remember it (and I think there's been a post or two in the mailbag) it would seem that Lloyd Thaxton's show played on channel 11..not 13! Am I incorrect? Tom in Denton, MD (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Our source said he replaced Buddy Deane on 13. Don't know firsthand.....

Dennis—Glad I’m not the only one who missed Dennis Miller today. Luckily I had listened to some of the show on WAGE 1200 this morning since I was off from work. Was hoping that he was back on in the late afternoon but Monica Crowley came on instead. What’s up? Pam H. (10/13/08)

Dave's response: It's WTNT's new "Mystery Monday." You don't know who'll be on when.....

I was checking out Mix 107.3 website and noticed that they have had Tommy doing the 7pm- Midnight shift last week and this week. Any idea if is permanent? I really liked listening to Kristie at night. Edward in Frederick (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Maybe Kristie had a sex change and became Tommy. I don't think the Citadel health plan would pay for that procedure. Oh, nevermind.....

(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) ASSISTANT PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR – 100.7 The Bay, Baltimore’s Classic Rock Station is looking for a dynamic, organized individual to join the Promotions staff full-time. Applicants must be energetic, hard-working, able to work on the weekend and able to life up to 50 pounds. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: assist in creating, organizing and executing on-air promotions, on-site coordination of events, manage listener relations, manage the intern program and various other jobs. This is an entry level position, but radio experience is helpful. If interested, please send your resume and cover letter to krempe@thebayonline.com or fax to 410-771-1616. EOE Drug free workplace. (10/13/08)

M. Drudge...try quick hand shifts...with your eyes closed Left, right, Left..........right. It just might work~ (10/13/08)

Caught a few minutes of Mark Kaye's one-off show on WJFK on Saturday night. It didn't seem like there were a lot of calls (it was pretty late at night), but I was actually impressed. He seemed to be having a good time, and was pretty entertaining. Seemed like a pretty funny guy. Certainly funnier than the Hideout has become since leaving WJFK the first time. (10/13/08)

Anyone know where I can get a shirtless pic of McCain? - M. Drudge (10/13/08)

Ed Graham's right (at least as far as the putrid language recently posted on D*C*R*T*V, some of it from Dave Himself!). Enough with the "d*mn"..."c*cks*ck*ng"..."f*ck*ng"..."sh*tty"..."sh*tty"..."B*LLSH*T"..."C*MC*ST"...! I'm going out for some fresh air! --RB (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Hey ass, what the fuck's your problem?!?! Shiiiiiit! Ha ha ha.....

Dave, I'm no prude but we don't need "cocksucker" on the mailbag doncha think? (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Dammit, you've got a fucking point there, jerkwad.....

What's happened to the Dennis Miller Show on 570 AM? Last I heard, the show was moved from afternoons to midday. When searching for the show today at 1:00 PM I heard Mancow instead. Did they move the Miller show back to afternoons or is it gone? Thanks, Jim (10/13/08)

"Edward R. Murrow is as we speak turning over in his grave at the shameless Barack Obama cocksucking that's been going on now for 6 months by the local and mainstream media." I just love the steady flow of insightful, educated reasoning that has taken over the Mailbag lately. The man who wrote the above has zero credibility from here on out. (10/13/08)

Mr. Graham, it seems your blinders at too tight. Stop....This is one of the most artificially pumped up candidates to ever run for office (Obama). Jimmy Carter gave the country the "kiss of death" back in the day. Obama will seal the coffin.I sent you this: Worthy of your time and attention regardless of your Party Affiliation "545 PEOPLE" By Charlie Reese Evidently you didn't bother to read it. That's a liberal trait you know!PLB:0) (10/13/08)

Joe in Essex and PLB should listen to the Buddy Deane interview posted by Bob Mathers. Maybe we should just call off the election because it is offending some bigots. But, back to the Buddy Deane interview. Thank you Bob for keeping your site up to date AND historical. As always, there is some great info there, and for people who can't find 50s and 60s rock and roll on the air, there are some great programs. | Thanks Dave for posting the LA Times article on the Front Page. It's an interesting take on Stern's move to satellite. I would actually like to become irrelevant for 500 million. Oh, that's right - - Too late. Ed Graham (Joe, nice language) (10/13/08)

maybe Donnie G. withdrew his listing so he could give Jeffrey Yorke the listing... (10/13/08)

Levan Reid wasn't fired? Oh, his contract wasn't renewed!! To all the pinheads who think there's a difference, wake up! When a station doesn't renew you're contract they're basically saying we don't want you to work here anymore. When a station fires you they're also saying we don't want you to work here anymore. See much a difference? I didn't think so. Oh, and when you apply for that next job, it doesn't matter whether you were not renewed or fired. They only thing they want to know is what happened? and why? We all have friends and family who've been there. C'mon Dave you're smarter than that. Aren't you? (10/13/08)

I NEVER thought in my lifetime I'd agree with Joe in Essex. I do on this one. Man these folks that don't really research the candidate. CHANGE??? Yes a country run like Chicago. Also, who cares whether or not Geronimo sold his house? PLB:0) (10/13/08)

Regarding Buddy Deane and the integration issue...he gave an account of what happened with all of that in an interview with WBAL's John Patti several years before his death. You can listen to Deane's side of the story at www.ultimateoldiesradio.com... Bob Mathers (10/13/08)

Donnie G might have withdrawn in because the market sucks right now (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Yeah, but Don pulled out on Friday and there was a open house slated for Sunday. You'd think he'd wait to see if he got any offers first.....

NEW DRINKING GAME --- listen to vinny cerrato on Monday/Friday and take a drink for everytime he says “AND… UH” --- you’ll have a buzz before the 1st commercial break. (10/13/08)

Sorry "Edward R. Murrow", but I've read about Edward R. Murrow, and YOU SIR ARE NO EDWARD R. MURROW!......... In fact, Edward R. Murrow is as we speak turning over in his grave at the shameless Barack Obama cocksucking that's been going on now for 6 months by the local and mainstream media. YES, THAT'S the GIANT SUCKING SOUND you hear, NOT the economy going down the drain! -- Joe in Essex :-) (10/13/08)

Who gives a damn who you are going to vote for GAB??? Who cares who you think is the better candidate? I can read this drivel on every other websites. One of the problems with you McCain supporters is that you are suffering from senility and dementia like your candidate. You are confused and aimless just like your candidate. DCRTV is a media blog not a politics blog. Try, try, please try to stay focused and post on the proper forums. Personally, who you are voting for or not voting for is of no concern to anyone, but you! Edward R. Murrow (10/13/08)

Dave, I think you said that you thought FOX5 had plans for Tony Perkins other than being a weatherman. Well, it's now obvious that they're grooming him for morning anchor. I noticed that it started with him taking over some of the human interest stories that Holly used to cover..Now recently, he's been pulling anchor duties, including this morning's show, "supposedly" for Steve Chenevey. But Dave, ever since you posted that Steve is the official morning anchor, it appears that Tony Perkins has been "in for Steve" almost as much as Steve has been on air.. What's up??? (10/13/08)

"Frankly, I think a solution is in national radio networks again, - GAB in the Airless Cubicle " Ummm GAB republicans stand for LESS government intervention, not more. So you vote for McCain and see what happens to the deregulation rules and the FCC's involvement or lack thereof. (10/13/08)

As for the elections and the relative merits of Senators Obama and McCain: I don't trust any polls or anyone from the campaigns speaking right now, because the spin disgusts me. I plan to vote for Senator McCain because I think he's the better candidate, but I am not sure that he'd be that unhappy if he lost. The Presidency will be the booby prize for the next four years, thanks to the credit throttling and the negative effects on business. Since radio is advertising and donor-sensitive, I expect to see further cutbacks in the field; more syndication, more voice tracking, fewer jobs, more experienced announcers being fired. I also don't expect the FCC to do anything, since they're too busy dealing with wireless and Internet issues to help broadcasters. -- If Senator Obama wins, and his party wants to roll back the Fairness Doctrine, perhaps he can also reverse the ownership rules to force more local diversity in radio. One should not cherry-pick between regulations. -- Frankly, I think a solution is in national radio networks again, which have the ability to provide higher-quality programming to affiliates. It won't be a return to the Golden Age - but it might mean better radio for everyone. -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (or the slightly less airless Living Room) (10/13/08)

Hey Dave, if a home has an interested buyer who intends to purchase the subject, the agent will change the status of the listing from "active" to "contract." "Withdrawn" usually means the seller has decided to withdraw the home from the market. It could mean Don wants to go with a different agent or he decided not to move. Why is was withdrawn we don't know. (10/13/08)

Dave's response: Here's my wild guess. He didn't like Friday's Washington Times real estate section article about his house, which made reference to Freda's death and his longtime radio gig. Sure, hype the house in the article, but don't invade his privacy by including so much personal detail about the seller. It would make me mad, too.....

Dumb question but I have a TV in our kitchen that needed a converter box. I got my govt. coupon and bought the converter unit and hooked it up. I live in Loudoun County and I get channels 5, 7, 9 but no 4 or 20. Am I out of luck with those channels once the analog world ends in February? Thanks. (10/13/08)

Dave's response: If you can't get 4 and 20's digital channels now, then you may be out of luck come February. Try a better antenna. Try moving the TV set to a new location. My advice - get basic cable for that set.....

I'm starting to wonder if The Baltimore Sun should just FOLD as a newspaper altogether. The Tribune cuts have gotten so bad I guess they fired their webpage designer. None of The Suns sports stats pages work anymore, been that way for about a WEEK! Yep, thats right no box scores, no NFL standings, no Live scoreboard. I guess that's good news for WNST.net and PressBox though as they're probably getting many more hits. If they're trying to drive people away from The Sun on purpose, CONGRATS Tribune! You're doing a great job! LOL (10/13/08)

Hey Dave, West Virginia Radio Corporation owned WKLP-AM 1390 in Keyser has switched to ESPN Radio sports. Sister station WCMD-AM 1230 flipped to ESPN Sports back in August. -- Take Care and Have a Great Week Ahead, Tybois Uphold (10/13/08)

/\ October 13 Messages /\

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