Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - October 21 to October 30, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ October 30 Messages \/ the (Q&A Cafe) chris matthews interview is now up on youtube at: www.youtube.com/user/TheQandACafe (10/30/08) I stand corrected. According to Multichannel News, Time Warner says that they (MASN) are appealing the decision to the full commission. Bob (10/30/08) I've been ill; I haven't been keeping up with DCRTV lately. So I was mildly surprised (as was my wife, who actually listens to the station) to find that half of the morning team at WXCY in Havre de Grace had left the station. However, your spelling checker apparently has a problem with the spelling of Havre de Grace. If you look at your item (from 10/27), the location of WXCY is given as "Harve de Grace." Not quite, Dave. K McNamara, Darlington, MD (10/30/08) Dave's response: Thanks. That's one town I always spell wrong. That and Poukeepsee, er, Poughkeepsie. Whatever..... It's taken a year and a half, and it's a mind-numbing brief, but the FCC has ordered Time Warner to carry MASN on basic cable within 30 days. From the looks of the document, there is no more room for TW to appeal. hraunfoss.fcc.gov... Bob Bradford, Richmond, VA (10/30/08) It is good to see a rant that I can agree with. Most of what you write is very bad however today's rant about Rush is right on. I don't know how you can even listen to him...he is just such a dumb ass. Stephen Blackburn (10/30/08) Dave's response: What's the old saying - keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer..... I received a note in my last cable bill as well as an e-mail today indicating that Comcast fees will be going up in D.C. as well..This is supposedly due to increases in their costs..Yeah, right.. (10/30/08) Kornheiser ''Turned a corner''? He DID? Korny is the WORST.He's almost as bad as that hyperactive puppy Jaworski. The only reason I dread this Monday's game is I have to hear him for 3 hours. Radio broadcast is always a play or 2 behind. Kornheiser is ok on PTI for 30 minutes but 3 hours is a bit much. I'm going to be REALLY happy after Election Day. Republicans AND Democrats BOTH suck and I'm sick of reading the endless whining from both on here. Can we PLEASE get back to talking about what a brainless twit Alison Seymour is? Paul (10/30/08) Mike in Manassas: Can I get you a soothing throat lozenge? Something to prop up your tired, typed-out fingers? Yes, I'm a conservative. I'm not looking forward to election day. But what will YOU do with all your anger after Nov. 4? Lashing out at a past-its-peak AM talker, as though it dominates local media, is way over the top. Rush Limbaugh is a giant in radio, but that's just radio. He wouldn't be nearly the national figure he is if he hadn't been turned into a useful punching bag for the Left, constantly quoted and often taken out of context by partisans who can't stand him. That's just a fact of life, but Rush, who gets way too much attention from both his fans and his detractors, is great at turning these media feeding frenzies back on his opponents. As he demonstrates with soundbyte after soundbyte on his show, he's usually made a prop by lazy journalists who misquote him, and thus provide an easy target toward which he can volley back. It IS rather entertaining for those who allow themselves to chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Christian (10/30/08) Comcast cable to raise rates (again) www.baltimoresun.com (10/30/08) Very disappointing today to hear that WIHT, WBIG and WWDC's HD2 programming has gone missing and the HD2 transmitters were turned off. Their HD transmitters were working - as my radio was locking on the HD signal, but no HD2 signal whatsoever. The model will never work if stations keep turning on and off like this, much like WTOP did last week (and more recently WPRS). (10/30/08) Dave's response: Here yesterday. Gone today. Maybe back tomorrow. Not the way to make a success of HD Radio..... Regarding Maryland becoming more of a "blue state" this Tues: NOPE, NOT POSSIBLE! Maryland is already a RED STATE, as in 1 party/socialist. Welcome to the USSR baby! LOL (10/30/08) Lemme guess, Christian, you're one of those righties who will blame the upcoming Obama win on 'media bias', right? Pathetic. As usual, righties refusing to take responsibility for their own failings (e.g. a horrible economy, a horrible Presidency for the past eight years, a VP who basically shat on the Constitution at every given opportunity, a candidate who has run the most horribly inept campaign ever, a VP candidate who is striking out with everyone except the stupid redneck LIVs, etc.) so they put the blame on an army of strawmen instead. Media bias. Yeah. Sure. Never mind the fact that your side has Fox. Never mind the fact that your side has about 95% of AM talk radio. Never mind the fact that your side has Matt Drudge. Never mind the fact that your side has the Washington Times. Never mind the fact that your side has Red State, Free Republic, and Newsbusters. If you ignore all of those then perhaps you may have a case. But since they do, in fact, exist AND since they all are 'biased' as well - to the right - then you, frankly speaking, have no case to make and you thinking you do have one makes you a moron. Mike in Manassas (10/30/08) AM 1190 on the dial is pretty quiet also because WLIB 1190 New York had a fire and has been operating under STA reduced power for quite some time. That expires in Dec '08. However, if WLIB plays the infamous FCC STA infinite low power extension game (and I wouldn't be surprised if they do), WAGE 1190 could have a darn clean & powerful nighttime signal with few intrusions or static at night. In that case, the Washington Nationals would have a pretty damn good nighttime combo w/ WFED 1500, both in the region and far beyond. I still ticked off at the Orioles for going with one of the WORST FM signals in the region 105.7. What were they thinking? Oh, thats right, Angelos. Grrrrrrrrr. :-( (10/30/08) Dave's response: You'll recall that when the Ravens were signed to CBS Radio in Baltimore, they got moved from 105.7 to 102.7 because the latter has such a better signal into DC. The Orioles, likewise, would get more listeners if they were on 102.7..... CORRECTIONS.... The new 50,000 watt WAGE 1190 will NOT be a daytime only station (Note: Radio-locator.com is incorrect). If you read the app carefully, you will see they just have not filed their nighttime application yet and requested that it be filed separately for whatever reason, probably the need for significantly more engineering analysis. However, WBIS 1190 had already been approved for 7700 watts from the Owings Mills WVIE 1370 nighttime site, so its safe to say that at the very least 7700 watts nighttime is guaranteed. And with WAGE being quite a bit farther away from New York's WLIE than the Baltimore area, I'm betting they're going to file for somewhere between 10-20kw nighttime. We'll see. The app is still not filed. In the meantime, WAGE will still be running around 1300 watts non-directional nighttime from their current site as stated in the approved application. In fact, they could probably switch to AM 1190 at night tomorrow according to the details in the app if they wanted to, but I doubt that'll happen since the daytime site won't be ready for quite some time................... Also, Birach has refiled both of its upgrades for WDMV 700 and WGOP 540. While its likely the WGOP AM 540 deal is never gonna happen due to NIMBY OUTRAGE, the 50,000 watt WDMV 700 upgrade probably will happen because the new proposal is from the existing site, meaning no NIMBY involvement, just a new transmitter. Birach has very cleverly taken that application out of the hands of Montgomery county officials so it will now become almost impossible to stop unless their engineering data is faulty. With Birach, hehe, you never know. But since the FCC had previously approved 50kw for AM 700 way way back, its a good bet a 50,000 watt WDMV AM 700 will happen sometime on 2009 too. (10/30/08) To Mike in Manassas: Take a pill, turn on NPR, and curl up with a glass of warm milk. Once conservative radio is suppressed by the coming liberal supermajority, you can assure yourself that no one thinks dastardly thoughts about "media bias," which we all know doesn't exist -- not here, not at USA Today, and certainly not on all those open-minded media outlets that look down their noses at Rush Limbaugh. That's "the way things ougtha be" after all, right? Christian (10/30/08) Yeah, I'd like to see 'Silvie' come here and defend that scumbag Rush over his 'joy' at people losing their jobs. Real classy there, Rush, real classy. Remember, karma can be a real bitch, son. Just another frigging worthless waste of humanity who, if you took away his 'fabulous' monetary wealth, would be a complete loser in life. Having that overbloated gasbag on their air is yet another reason why WMAL truly is a hateful little station for hateful little minds. BTW, WMAL, how 'bout putting up a more current mug of Rush on your site instead of posting that pic from about 20 years ago - he has ballooned significantly since then. Just sayin. Mike in Manassas (10/30/08) Will Maryland become even more blue after next Tuesday? We'll speak with the Democratic candidates for the 1st and 6th Congressional districts, on The Marc Steiner Show, today at 5 p.m. on WEAA 88.9 FM! (10/30/08) Re: “I read in a Philadelphia paper that MLB relies on Weatherbug for their weather reports!...Counties, school districts, and states pay for professional weather services for their forecasts.” This is a crock. WeatherBug is a product of AWS Convergence Technologies, which does provide high-end forecasting services to a number of industries and clients who depend on hyper-local, super accurate forecasts. MLB probably uses AWS, which is not the same as saying that Bud Selig & Co were relying on a WeatherBug on a PC for their forecasts, as this poster is suggesting. More likely, Selig knew exactly what weather was coming but decided to try to play through or around it because of the amount of money and TV time at stake. We all know how that worked out. –Brian (10/30/08) Regarding this previous post. “With WAGE 1190 boosting it's daytime power to 50,000 watts, does this mean that they will leave the air at sunset, after the power increase and frequency change? (10/30/08) Dave's response: Well, with NYC's WLIB and Fort Wayne's now-neutered WOWO on the frequency at night, I can't imagine much of a night coverage area for a local 1190.....” At my Arlington location there isn’t much on 1190 at night. Of course WOWO is impossible since I think that they are now running only about 9.5k at night and I can’t get much, if any signal from WLIB which, I believe, is running nights at 30k. So maybe WAGE could squeeze in a few at night to cover at least the western part of the metro area. (10/30/08) Dave, I thought that you would be interested in this item. Media-giant Snyder not only charged these girls $85 to perform at half-time but he kicked them out at halftime unless they had tickets to the game. I am surprised that only the Gazette newspapers have picked up on this story. Can you imagine charging a teenager to provide free halftime entertainment but then tell them to leave at half? Unbelievable... Jack - www.gazette.net (10/30/08) Another fine example of liberal bias in the media, and the attempts to censor public knowledge of events. This close to election day, and with a financial scandal in mortgages crippling the country, how is it that NBC News convienently forgets to mention that Senators Dodd and Conrad, who received preferrential "VIP" treatment from Countrywide and are now under Justice Department scrutiny, are BOTH DEMOCRATS. Let's compare the coverage of this treatment to how Senator Stevens of Alaska was treated for his favors from a big company. Nice job of controlling rather reporting news. (10/30/08) Let's see if Limbaugh again today makes reference to the word "Nazi" - like yesterday - as he slanders Obama once yet again on his radio show. (10/30/08) For community-mindedness, Leesburg needs an LPFM station. Is there one there, or close by? Is Leesburg far enough out of DC metro that a spot is open on the dial? (10/30/08) Dave's response: Leesburg does have 104.3, which is a low-power relay of WTOP, which you can already get on three or four other frequencies..... With WAGE 1190 boosting it's daytime power to 50,000 watts, does this mean that they will leave the air at sunset, after the power increase and frequency change? (10/30/08) Dave's response: Well, with NYC's WLIB and Fort Wayne's now-neutered WOWO on the frequency at night, I can't imagine much of a night coverage area for a local 1190..... 700 WDMV (or whatever the calls are these days) is and will always be licensced at 5kW. If it is working at that power and pattern is another matter. WMET is a legit. 50kW day that does have a night power, but its only a few kW. As for WAGE abandoning local programming. It's really the other way around. When locals buy at WalMart, rather than local stores, then there is no local business to support the local station. WalMart does not buy local. They buy national. National buys are big footprint buys. Big footprint is 25kW or better. So if you want local radio, then support it. Make sure that station is financially viable. Do you know who supported, AS IN PAID FOR the school lunch menu read? Did you patronize that business and tell them you came in because you heard their name on the radio? Of course you did....NOT. Next time a station wants to move to cover the community better, or wants to install a generator, or wants to setup on the sidewalk for a remote, perhaps you will be one of the many who support the zoning change, the police permit, or other vaiance? More likely, just like the folks who claim to support Obama but will vote McCain, when it comes to action you as well are more likely to complain about towers, lights, etc and why does that station need to be in our community. How many businesses and communities are actually supporting their allocated station in a meaningful way? Probably less than 20%. The FCC needs to do away with the whole concept of community licensces. It does not work. Assigned ommunities do not support their stations. Stations then make a business decision to find other support. In much of DC, the only local support a station may expect is from ethnic brokered programming, often of Asian or Hispanic nature depending upon the community. (10/30/08) Sorry to hear Maryland's 1190kc outlet will be closing down. The late Morrie Blum would be even sadder, as the founder of the station once known as WANN Annapolis. I'll never forget how proud he was when the station went up to 50,000 watts for a while, from a new site in Crownsville. He even had velvet ropes on chrome stanchions like at a movie theater, where visitors to the transmitter site could stand and regard the new transmitter in its clean, well-lit new building. But, if somehow the AM band is made more listenable with these changes, it may prove the "survival of the fittest" theory once again. (10/30/08) According to radiolocator.net, WDMV 700 AM is still parked at only 5kW on three towers, nowhere near a 50 kw signal. Its best hope is to be a local Frederick AM'er, and abandon the dopey notion that it could be a fringe reception DC financial talker. WWGB Indian Head is another station spraying a Fat Fifty all over MD VA and DC but - like WDMV - is a daytimer and is painted into a corner right from the start. As for WAGE potentially abandoning its own local legacy and audience, that already happened: Consult the WAGE program schedule (www.wage.com) and show me where the local flavor is. When you're bordering on having 50KW printed on your license, you drop the Lost Pet Patrol and school lunch menus toot-sweet and get right to the mainstream programming. Too bad, though... WAGE could be another WHAS- or WLW-type powerhouse if it took an inward look and properly remade itself. There's still time. (10/30/08) It appears that while WAGE will be vastly improving their coverage area with their move to 50,000 watts on 1190, they will be going daytime-only as well. I guess you can kiss those Nats games on the radio goodbye in Loudoun County. (10/30/08) Dear Dave: On the FCC approving WAGE's switch to 1190 and a power boost to 50,000 watts, Joe in Essex writes "...And now with a monster DC daytime signal, what programming will WAGE have?..." It's probably safe to say that this power boost will cause whatever local (i.e. - Loudoun County) programming, advertisements, and flavor that the station currently has to disappear. It is true that a lot of it disappeared following the sale of the station a couple of years ago, but you can still hear some local news, tune in to the high school game of the week on Friday nights, listen to Virginia Tech football, hear ads for Loudoun businesses that you wouldn't normally know about, and go to the station's web site to find more local info. From my humble abode West of Wild Western Fairfax County, I see all of this going away. Now I say this with mixed emotions because, if the station continues to carry the Nationals play-by-play, the proposed signal will certainly address the issue of the weak western nighttime signal of the Nats flagship station at 1500. Still, the very real prospect of another local station severing the ties with the community that it served for many years is sad to see. Also, to everybody out there, remember to perform your civic duty next Tuesday. No matter what your political beliefs are, we all should be thankful that we have this privilege. But it is also a responsibility. Exercise your right to franchise and vote! Dave, as always, a great site! Sincerely, Joe Kasell (10/30/08) Dave's response: Don't 700 and 1160 also have 50,000-watt-ish daytime signals? And where are they in the local radio ratings? If WAGE on 1190 is going to be any sort of real "player" in the DC radio market, it's going to need a fulltime (!) good signal, not just daytime. That's something that even 980 and 1500 lack in many parts of the metro area. That's why AM is practically dead here..... Dave- just wanted to let you know, I've heard the mysterious oldies station too- wish it had a stronger signal, I can receive it in my car from Spout Run to Georgetown, then a bit south of the Humpback Bridge. If you hear who it is, let me know but please let them stay on the air! Thanks, -Bill Santry (From July: Hi Dave, Perhaps you have heard something about this station I've been hearing the past few nights. I can't find any mention of it anywhere. It's an all-oldies format, definitely not WKIK which seems to pop in from time to time as I'm listening. It hasn't indentified itself beyond "Wonderful 102.9 FM," giving no call letters, city, etc. It's there all the time so it must be local or at most regional, though it is very weak. A pirate station playing Sinatra would be a bit humorous. Thanks. Claudio, confused in NE DC) (10/30/08) To Jerry in Towson , who concludes his rant, "A Jeckle & Hyde station that short changes both audiences.". As we've discussed on this board before, firing up a competitive and well-programmed locally-produced sports-talk station on the order of the very-successful WFAN in New York takes big bucks. Its not just good sports reporters, like the ones currently working WTOP, and who are also heard on Nats and Caps games. It takes lots and lots of talented producers, and assistant producers, and also talented show anchors to pull something like this off. There is NO room in D.C. for two sports-foratted radio stations, as much as any of you might want that to happen, even if one of them is "Redskins, Redskins, all-Redskins 980" [grin]. The fact of the matter is that as long as WTEM and its mostly satellite-delievered ESPN-programming is around, no other competitor in the format will ever be FINANCIALLY successful, since the national ad dollars that are important to such a venture will almost always go to the existing station in the market (and that money is usually budgeted over a year in advance, so you'd have to time such a thing carefully). If the Redskins were to go to some other station, and RZ were to leave town, we might have some prospect of a good, well-produced LOCAL sports talker here in D.C. It might even be Bonneville, since they have experience in the format in other markets. But to try to launch such a thing now, in this lousy business climate, and with an established (albeit, quality-challenged) competitor already in the format, would be foolhardy at best, even with a bunch of play-by-play contracts in place. A friend who is still in the ever-shrinking local ad biz says Federal News Radio is a good compromise "fit", because the station already came with its own very successful advertising income from its website, for which the radio time was a bonus (usually sold as a package with WTOP). And the new people-meters might actually reveal something surprising about listenership between the two formats for WFED now that its on 1500, who knows? So, to Jerry in Towson, and even to his common-sense-deprived-and-like-minded-cousin, Joe in Essex, the equation is never as simple as JUST the programming side of things, or what listeners THINK they want (which seems to describe about 90% of the posts to this board, the non-political ones that are about radio anyway). Like it or not, radio is ALSO a business (see previous posts on the very sucky proposal that CBS has in mind for its music stations and voicetracking --- seems they are determined to drive music radio into the ground with their shortsighted management philosophy, IMHO). Companies like Bonneville have more than just programming to consider when determining their business plans. I would welcome the comments on my insights from those knowledgeable in the radio "bid-ness" like my brother-in-arms, the Unsigned Corporate Suit, or even Ed Graham, and others who have actually managed radio stations. The rest is just "opinion", and, well, enough said about that. Toodles, everyone, and congrats to the Phillies! {Gingerly stepping off the soapbox in pink/white New Balance crosstrainers, and heading off to early yoga}, - Just Call Me 'Legs' (10/30/08) Wow, FCC finally approves WAGE for 50,000 WATTS on AM 1190 ! When built out, WAGE will be Washington's 2nd strongest AM signal, yes, even stronger daytime than Bonneville's WFED AM 1500 and possibly even at night around DC! A nighttime application is still in the works, maybe 10,000 watts? (WBIS 1190 was previously approved for 7700 watts up in Baltimore so thats a good indication of the possibilities) And now with a monster DC daytime signal, what programming will WAGE have? Will they still carry the Nats or O's? Hmmmmmm, could be interesting and possibly impact Bonneville's plans for WFED. Oh, and Annapolis/Baltimore loses an AM signal as WBIS 1190's license will be turned into the FCC and it will be shut down, although the new WAGE will reach Baltimore to some extent daytime. NEW WAGE 50kw SIGNAL PLOT (right) -- Joe in Essex (10/30/08) Beatles Ban at 94.7- Dave’s right, ‘Back in the USSR’ would be a good fit. ‘Happiness is a Warm Gun’ - the legal dept would probably insist that they run disclaimers...a law suit would wipe out the rapidly shrinking value of the station in today’s economy. ‘Helter Skelter’ and ‘Revolution’ are my favorites of the bunch but I doubt that they test well. ‘’Birthday’- I always found that song to be obnoxious but, hey, that ought to guaranty it a slot in The Globe’s rotation!! Mark O. (10/30/08) Right on. I was thinking the same thing as I cruised this afternoon. Just because they probably got a block of free tickets to give away doesn't mean they have to play AC/DC all afternoon. The worst part is AC/DC makes up a large portion of my MP3 and I listen to them at the gym. Now after hearing them over and over again I'm actually getting a bit sick of them (10/30/08) If Bonneville already has all of these sporting event broadcasts, as listed on the WFED webpage, www.federalnewsradio.com --- and all of that sports talent at WTOP, what is taking them so long to launch a much called for 2nd sports station in DC? Nats, Caps, DC United, GW, Navy, and now American University. Good lord what does it take to wake up the management staff over there? Do they really think Federal News Radio is a decent companion to all those teams? Do they really believe there is ANY crossover listening between what seems to me to be two parts of the same station? It's like night & day on 1500. A Jeckle & Hyde station that short changes both audiences. - Jerry in Towson (10/30/08) "And then today I heard the Times baseball man being interviewed on WTEM and he was talking about a conspiracy theory making the rounds that Fox called off last nights game because of their top-rated show for dummies that is on Tuesday nights." On Tuesday nights, Fox airs the top-rated "House" and new-this-season "Fringe". Perhaps the dummies are the ones with the theories. (10/30/08) /\ October 30 Messages /\ \/ October 29 Messages \/ Did anybody else notice during the Larry the Walmart employee segment about 10 minutes into the Obama bit, Larry is standing in front of a mirror, known because it was an over the shoulder shot. As he clipped on his Walmart name tag and put on his hat, both were readable. (10/29/08) This weekend beautiful Bridgeville, Delaware will be host to the 23rd annual World Championship Punkin Chunkin. www.punkinchunkin.com. Previous year Chunks have been featured on The Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Junkyard Wars and Mythbusters. Premiering at this year's event will be the motion picture Pie in the Sky. a documentary of last years Chunk. Y'all come now, ya hear! (10/29/08) I guess this qualifies for the mailbag. Regarding the World Series rain delay fiasco from the other night I read in a Philadelphia paper that MLB relies on Weatherbug for their weather reports! I am a student of the weather and have been an observer for the NWS for nearly twenty-five years. I assure you that Weatherbug is no more than a convenient service that places an icon on your desktop so the very dumb can decide whether to bring an umbrella to work. No more, no less. It is comparable to weather.com. Counties, school districts, and states pay for professional weather services for their forecasts. These companies can give an hourly forecasts for zip codes and provide detailed information that municipalities need especially in the winter. To think that Selig was looking at Weatherbug, that was forecasting less than .10 inches of rain is just amazing. I was looking at radar that clearly showed a huge swath of rain that any boob could have seen. And then today I heard the Times baseball man being interviewed on WTEM and he was talking about a conspiracy theory making the rounds that Fox called off last nights game because of their top-rated show for dummies that is on Tuesday nights. (10/29/08) Sunday Jazz Bunch gone from WASH FM! (10/29/09) If you think 94.7 plays too much AC/DC, stay far away from Sirius's AC/DC station. It's literally the same 20 songs by them over and over 24/7. You'll swear off AC/DC for a loooooooong time. Paul (10/29/08) Dave's response: It's got to be some sort of deal between CBS and AC/DC's record company. Yeah, AC/DC does have a new album/tour out. That's the only reason why they'd play the band every hour on 94.7..... Interesting item just posted… www.politico.com... Pipe dream?: Joe the plumber working on record deal. (10/29/08) Dave's response: I got an idea. The New Village People with Joe The Plumber and Stephan The Cowboy and Butch The Cop and Marty The Bare-Chested Indian Chief and Matt The Right-Leaning Internet Gossipper..... To Everett: I suggest you tune in 1210 AM (WPHT) out of Philly and hear the great Harry Kalas call the game. -- Vincent in Triangle (10/29/08) Dave, If you think 94.7 plays too much AC/DC, don't listen to the Greaseman's new station in Jacksonville (105i) unless you really, really want to hear too much David Lee Roth era =VH= as well. Tom in Gaithersburg (10/29/08) Dave's response: I'm not a big fan of DLR, but VH's "Jump" was one of the best pop rock songs - ever..... "Is there soon be an AM station in DC calling itself, "The Big Talker"........ (10/29/08) Dave's response: An AMer? You're joking, right? Maybe CBS will relay WPHT, 1210 AM, from Philly on 1580, WPGC-AM. Doesn't WPHT call itself "The Big Talker"? "... how about the attendance at Nat's games. The ratings the television and radio ratings for the local baseball team? Who is disrepecting bseball fandom in Washington, D.C? Me thinks it's the fans or lack thereof..." Just because the TV ratings and turnstile counts for Nationals games were lower than expected this season (for the worst team in the league, by the way) doesn't mean there's insufficient baseball interest in the DC area to justify airing World Series games on a decent radio signal. What about all the people who've moved here from other parts of the country but remain loyal to the team(s) they grew up with, not to mention the many Washingtonians who still make the journey to Camden Yards on a regular basis? What's particularly galling is that on Sundays during the earlier playoff rounds, Dan Snyder chose to run the Redskins postgame show on all of his Red Zebra signals so that ESPN Radio's coverage of baseball playoff games going on at the same time was unavailable to those who don't have satellite radio. Clearly, he has no interest in providing any sports programming that could draw listeners away from nonstop burgundy and gold talk. On another topic, during one of his sportscasts yesterday Channel 9's Brett Haber showed a clip of a Fox sideline reporter asking San Francisco 49er head coach Mike Singletary an inappropriate question regarding NFL legend Bill Walsh (apparently unaware that he's deceased). Inasmuch as Fox never actually aired that interview in its telecast of the SF-Seattle game (a producer caught the error in time), Haber was definitely out of line to put it out on the local airwaves. Not only that, but he went on to incorrectly state that Walsh had passed away several years ago when it was actually last year - but I'm sure that's the first on-air mistake he's ever made over the course of an illustrious broadcasting career so it's perfectly okay for him to use the mortifying experience of a young woman in the same profession for entertainment purposes. Mike, Fairfax (10/29/08) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) I'm looking for a marketing person to find additional sponsorship for my radio program "The Maggie Pascal Show" which airs on WCBM Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM Eastern time and can be heard 24/7 on the internet. I've been hosting the show for over 7 years and interview a variety of guests nation wide, primarily authors. Check out my website www.maggiepascal.com and email me if your interested. Commission amount will be discussed. (10/29/08) a differing view of HDTV. I have a home in the valley behind mountains on the Baltimore and Washington side in Charles town,WV. I also have a home 20 miles north west of Winchester,VA. which is 91 miles from TV hill and 72 miles from the DC transmitters. I get all the full powered DTV transmitters out of both towns without a problem on most days. Yes, I have an outside antenna with preamp and rotor at both locations. DTV is not as simple as analog, but it is not the problem some people are making of it. do your home work and be ready to invest about $150 bucks in antenna equipment. it is well worth the improved picture, sound and choices. (10/29/08) Dave's response: There's no argument there. If you can get a station's digital signal, the picture will be flawless and beautiful. You can get HD plus the station's digital subchannels. The problem is that for Joe The TV Viewer (cousin of Joe The Plumber) who doesn't want to spent several hundred bucks for a state-of-the-art antenna, or for the guy who lives in a "low spot" like Georgetown or in a Loudoun condo that faces away from where the TV signals come from, there are gonna be problems getting all the channels that you used to get over-the-air..... Wow. Hard to believe anybody is still listening to 94.7FM. But re: "most Beatles material was too soft and pop-leaning and/or it missed today's Classic Rock cut-off point (i.e. nothing earlier than circa 1968/69)." The Beatles released four ROCK albums and 13 ROCK singles between 1968 and 1971, were the best-selling musical act in the world between 1964 and 1976, had chart-topping releases post break-up (including "Rock and Roll Music," "Love Songs," "Live at the Hollywood Bowl" and the triple-disc "Anthology") and still sell 2-3 million units every year. I'm pretty sure stations with an ounce of brain among their staff can find room for them. A more pressing question about the 94.7: why did they replace their awful midday jock Shelby with an exact clone? The station stinks in a big way. (10/29/08) Rush Limbaugh has rabies! Would someone tell the radio righty that FDR isn't running this year? The men in the white coats - they're coming to take you away, Rush. And now heeeeeere's Mancow. - Spiro In Agnewville (10/29/08) I have to agree with the poster that said AFTRA has no purpose. They have sold out. I also agree CBS should sell every station they own, get out of the radio business and let those with the passion play the game. You're absolutely right, radio is not science it's supposed to be for entertainment. That part of the industry has left the building. There was a time when talk radio was fun, funny, entertaining and basically non political. NOW look at it. Hannity, Limbaugh,blah, blah, blah. Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end. Off with their heads damnspot.... (10/29/08) Latest Rant- Dave, lest there be any doubt, you're a radio fanatic to the core if you're willing to dissect the burnt-out sludge that qualifies as 'music entertainment' on 94.7 and debate why there's so much AC/DC and no Beatles!! However, I suppose the simple answers are: (1) AC/DC have the cross-promotional advantages of a new album and current world tour, and (2) most Beatles material was too soft and pop-leaning and/or it missed today's Classic Rock cut-off point (i.e. nothing earlier than circa 1968/69). Mark O. (10/29/08) Dave's response: There are plenty of "hard" Beatles tunes. Take the "White Album" alone - "Birthday," "Back In The USSR," "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," "Helter Skelter," "Revolution"..... Reading the piss poor excuse from CBS Radio to voicetrack EVERYTHING...anf AFTRA is letting this happen. Explain this to me, what the fuck is the reason for AFTRA. It was originally meant to protect talent, RIGHT? Well-how the hell is this happening. As an AFTRA member, I am disgusted and sick by the thought that hundreds across the country are going to be laid off becuase the fat cats at CBS can't figure out how the fuck to make money? Come one, radio is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE! Sell the fucking stations, get out and let someone who has passion for the product in! (10/29/08) I have a question? Why is it that every screaming left wing liberal is described as logical, but on the conservative side they are described as "brainwashed". Is it brainwashed to believe in certain political idealogies? Isn't it the same on the other side. Every time a conservative makes any kind of disparaging remark about Obama, Clinton, Biden..they're considered brainwashed? Something stinks in the thought processing of the liberals, doncha think!!!! (10/29/08) Dave's response: Now now now, gotta keep those posts media-related..... The Washington Post endorsed Frank Wolf because he is the only legitimate candidate in the race. Judy Feder and the third party candidate are political lightweights. The mailbagger who used this endorsement as an example as to why the Wash Post is not biased may also not know too much about Rep. Frank Wolf. For a Republican, he has a little tax and spend liberal in him. On another note, is there any news on WAGE 1200 AM? Are they going to stick with being a local station with national programming mixed with business infomercials and local high school sports. Boy, what a mish-mash of programming!! (10/29/08) FOX5 and 45 will air the resumption Game 5 of the World Series tonight after the Obama Election special. The Wizards open on CSN tonight. Radio it is ESPN 980AM in Washington and Fox Sports Radio 1370AM in Baltimore. www.dcexaminer.com... Cheers, Jim (10/29/08) These notions about Barack Obama's birth certificate and religious affiliation remind me of the pathetic and sick stories, back in the 90s, that Hillary Clinton had Vince Foster bumped off and that Bill ordered that Ron Brown's plane to be crashed. This crap really has no valid place in decent conversation. I'm looking forward to November 5th for two big reasons: 1) It will mark the first day of Obama as president-elect and 2) Necause the DCRTV Mailbag will get back to discussing the slow, agonizing death of radio, television and newspapers in America! PS - I hope Barack Obama's new health plan will include meds to help the already anxious and tense right avoid a 19th Nervous Breakdown, or worse. (10/29/08) re: Digital Meltdown. For the last three years I have been using a somewhat sophisticated set-up to retrieve local high-definition television signals for my home theater enjoyment. It includes an expensive receiver for the hd signals, a huge rotor mounted 8-bay bowtie antennae, and an in-line signal amplifier. I live three miles outside the beltway and try to get the signals through hundreds of very tall trees in back of my house. And, on windy days my set-up is virtually useless because of the tree movement. DTV, imho is a not ready for prime time concept in it's current configuration. (10/29/08) ".... just complete disrespect to the baseball fandom in the Washington, D.C. market." Everett, how about the attendance at Nat's games. The ratings the television and radio ratings for the local baseball team? Who is disrepecting bseball fandom in Washington, D.C? Me thinks it's the fans or lack thereof..... Oh, by the way, there is also this little, somewhat critical presidential election in a few days. Guess a few innings of baseball is more important. Not a sermon....... (10/29/08) To read of big bad CBS crying poor and wanting to automate its radio stations so it can save a few dollars is pathetic and embarrassing. Here's an idea for them and any of the other poor little groups who can't seem to operate radio stations profitably: Get out of the business! Sell the properties. Let somebody else have a shot at it. They're making everyone sick. (10/29/08) So the Washington Post endorses 5% Republicans and 95% Democrats and that somehow makes it unbiased? Please. The Post is a liberal rag. Every bit as left wing and the Wash Times is right wing. (10/29/08) Silvie, I thought your complaint about Obama's religion was that he was too close to his minister at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago? What kind of logic says he's also a Muslim? The election is Tuesday -- maybe by then you'll be able to decide which set of talking points you're going to adhere to. Maybe you could also try to come up with some connection between your increasingly off-the-wall whining and WASHINGTON AREA RADIO AND TELEVISION. Dave in Sterling (10/29/08) Silvie does an absolutely stunning job of parroting the righty talking points so she obviously is brainwashed by WMAL and it's shitty lineup. Speaking of which... hey Plante, you miserable worm, why are you not talking about McCain's association with Rashid Khalidi, as in McCain's IRI - International Republican Institute - giving several grants to that 'turrist' Khalidi? Why are you craftily omitting that from your insane monologues? Isn't it a bit unfair to leave poor Johnny out of the party? And Levin came real close to dropping the F-Bomb last nite - he said 'frigging' which is just one step away. Hey you Walt Winchell clone - get some meds cuz God knows you're gonna need 'em soon! THANK ME! Mike in Manassas (10/29/08) What a pleasant surprise to see some love on this board via Gary Helton the other day. In one of the more - should we say challenging? - years some of us have ever experienced, one of my bright spots was discovering Joyce Conroy on WHFC 91.1 - then Gary. Now, it's a thrill for me to be among their midst. I feel blessed to know such fabulous people, and breathe the air of folks who really care about radio! Thanks, Gary. Trish Hennessey (10/29/08) A reminder on DTV operations after next February: as required by FCC regulation, DTV channels will be identified by the analog channel numbers they replace, no matter what channel the actual RF broadcast occupies. The channel IDs (e.g. 4-1, 4-2, 5-1) are embedded in a data table that's part of each subchannel encoded within the data stream. Any DTV receiver will automatically map the channels by these IDs, so you can tune into WUSA's DTV operations by entering "9", both now and after February. Regards, Dave Loudin (10/29/08) As long as we're griping today, I'll add one more. Can Red Zebra really find no outlet better than dead weight WWRC/1260 to air the completion of the game that may decide the World Series? I realize that there is likely an obligation to broadcast the Washington Wizards season opener on WTEM/980 and because of Arbitron simulcast silliness, its FM repeaters as well. For Red Zebra to not clear WTNT/570 for a key World Series contest though is just complete disrespect to the baseball fandom in the Washington, D.C. market. Even most Wizards preseason games were granted a 570/1260 simulcast, more than Red Zebra sees fit to allow a baseball championship game tonight. Everett W. (10/29/08) That damn liberal Washington Post endorsed Republican Frank Wolf for Congress again. GET OVER IT, to blindly follow someone because of the party affiliation is pathetic. (10/29/08) Re Digital TV meltdown: In Garrett Co. western MD I receive ~12 analog channels (some a bit snowy but perfectly watchable). With the same all-channel fringe area antenna plus the converter box, I get ONE DTV station (MPT's transmitter 10 miles away). Even the two Johnstown, PA stations, which produce perfect analog pictures, are not there in DTV. A hi-gain UHF only antenna with low-noise preamp may help (no guarantee), but after Feb 19, some of the stations will move back to the hi VHF band requiring another antenna dedicated to those channels (maybe my all channel antenna will work for that - maybe not). To top things off, the changeover takes place in the dead of winter which precludes working on outdoor antennas (I bet the FCC never thought of that). Finally, the ads on TV which say that all you need to do is insert the converter box between your antenna and the TV set should have a disclaimer stating that simply adding the box does NOT guarantee DTV reception of all the previously received analog stations. I'm all for progress but, as Tom in Denton says, fringe area viewers will likely be SOL. Howard (10/29/08) Dave's response: An excellent point. Why make the digital changeover in winter, when many living in snowy areas won't be able to make changes to their outdoor antenna. With old analog TV, signals in fringe areas can still be viewed. With digital, those formerly somewhat snowy signals become black screen - and unwatchable. Good luck..... Dave, i just wanted to say I agree with your rant about Dancing w/ the stars in a newscast. there's no place for it on ABC news or anywhere else. When i worked at a local news station here, not WTTG, we would consistently do American idol updates! I thought it was terrible. the only thing it needed in addition was a Full screen that said "watch American idol on Channel 5 our competitor." (10/29/08) Dave's response: Look, I don't expect "journalism" from anything owned by Rupert Murdoch..... Can we put a clamp on Silvie until November 5th, 2008, please? (10/29/08) Dave's response: No no no! I've got a better idea - gagging Chris Plante until 11/5..... Merv Griffin came back... www.youtube.com (10/29/08) Um, so far the 4 statements you have put forth regarding Levin are true, so how can Mark be 'spreading lies'? 1) Obama is a Muslim because that's what Lolo Soetoro, his stepdad, registered him as in Indonesia & he studied in madrassas. His biological father was a Muslim. 2) Obama is a Marxist because he wants to 'spread the wealth'. 3) Obama taught and served in educational institutions & foundations with multiple enemies of the state (incl. sharing office space with them). 4) Obama's place of birth is still questionable, as he has not produced an original number-sequenced vaulted copy of his birth certificate (he's only produced what we now know to be a fraudulent Hawaii certificate of live birth.) Nothing wrong with being a Muslim, Marxist, Commie and perhaps (questionable) non-Citizen status. Just not someone who is seeking to become the next Commander-In-Chief and President in the United States of America. That's all. -Silvie- (10/29/08) here’s an interesting article from yesterday’s LA Radio People (laradio.com). Bill - The proposal calls for CBS Radio to have the right to voicetrack all programming – 100% of the day – on certain formats. Specifically, these formats are Adult Contemporary, Smooth Jazz, Adult Hits, and Ur ban AC. In other words – confirmed by an insider – CBS Radio wants no restrictions on voicetracking at these stations. The proposal covers AFTRA stations nationwide. Though any changes to the current labor agreement does not specify L.A., local stations will participate and will be affected by any negotiations. CBS Radio also wants to bring more voicetracking to the rest of their stations. The proposal is to voicetrack 66% of the day at other formats – Hot Adult Contemporary Rock, Rhythmic AC, Adult Rock, Country, and Classic Hits / Oldies. There would be unlimited voicetracking from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., plus one other daypart (maximum 5 hours) throughout the reminder of the day. Effectively, CBS Radio is asking to voicetrack everything except morning and afternoon drive. What about other formats? The proposal calls for voicetracking from midnight to 6 a.m. at other stations, including News / Talk and Sports. On the weekends, CBS Radio is proposing to voicetrack all hours except noon to 6 p.m. There are stipulations for different markets, but all of the proposed changes would directly affect Los Angeles. CBS Radio had already conveyed to AFTRA the reasons behind the request to change the current contract. Back in August, CBS Radio sent a memorandum to AFTRA stating that profits are down 40% over the last four years. So far, costs have been contained through lay-offs and a wage-freeze for non-union employees. This proposal is needed, states CBS Radio, to further reduce costs and bolster their stations’ on-air product by allowing top talent to perform in more markets. AFTRA has made a counter proposal. The union wants no voicetracking on primary stations with news, talk, or sports formats. AFTRA would allow unlimited voicetracking on other stations, regardless of format, from midnight to 6 a.m. In addition, the union’s proposal offers a compensation schedule for their members. A voicetracking maximum 6 hour shift, 5 days a week, would be $21,000 per year in a top 10 market. In markets 11-20 it would be $14,400 per year. The fee would be $10,200 per year in markets 21 and under. In about three weeks, AFTRA LA members will be meeting with the union to map out the strategy for the next step. (10/29/08) Sylvie, Mark Levin is a liar, and has always been a liar when in front of a mike. Mark Levin is a race baiter. Using his misleading statements and name calling, Mark Levin is known to be a harasser. Mark Levin also puts forward fraudulent statements to forward his agenda. These are not new things for Mark Levin, he has been doing it since given the microphone. Examples are, Mark has repeatedly spread the rumor that Obama is a Muslim. Mark has repeatedly spread the rumor that Obama is a Marxist or socialist. Levin has repeatedly spread the rumor that a college professor that taught at the same school as Obama is a "terrorist friend." Levin has repeated the rumor that Obama was not born in this country. Mark Levin is a dangerous, evil person when given a microphone. I don't think anyone at MSNBC has ever been as reckless with the facts as Mark Levin is on a daily basis. (10/29/08) I would like to know if you saw "Sarah read out load from a script Mark or someone else prepared in advance", if not then zip it as your accusation is without any substance. (10/29/08) Mark Levin Bashers: Okay, guys, Obama is due to win this election and a historic number of electoral college (and popular) votes. The House and Senate are due to go overwhelmingly Democratic. And you guys are worried about Levin and what he's been saying in the past two days? Time to move along now and get creative with other thoughts, ideas and hosts to talk about. To DCRTV Dave: Any thoughts on what local coverage we the viewer should watch on Election Night? My dear mother will be visiting us for the entire week and she's an Obama cheerleader, so I'm thinking that I'll have to tune to - gasp! - MSNBC or CNN all night long. Oh the humanity! -Silvie- (10/29/08) Dave's response: Well, according to Drudge, McCain's behind by only 2. However, Drudge only ran a screaming headline of one of the dozen or so polls on his site yesterday, which had a range of between 2 and 15. Go figure. As for election coverage, I'm always partial to MSNBC. Love Chris Matthews. Locally? Anyone but 5..... Verizon FIOS announces that it is adding NHL Center Ice and the NHL Network. www.nhl.com (10/29/08) “And let me close with this; the higher ups at Bonneville who decided to change the format of 3WT to Federal News Radio, in the middle of the political season should not only lose the shirts off there back; but should be throwed out of the radio business. Were the logic.” I think these two sentences are pretty much all you need to read of this post to understand volumes about the author… (10/29/08) /\ October 29 Messages /\ \/ October 38 Messages \/ Did anyone else hear Mark Levin's taped interview with Sarah Palin tonight? It was obvious she was reading her answers, and they were not knowledge based for her. In other words, Mark asked leading questions, and Sarah read out load from a script Mark or someone else prepared in advance. What a sham Mark Levin and WMAL are. (10/28/08) Hey Dave, a shout out from the Valley where Comcast is raising its rates again and getting rid of the last vestiges of Adelphia by discontinuing package discounts for cable and high-speed Internet. As an example, I have the DVR service, internet and digital basic (no premiums) and my monthly bill will jump by $15.45 in January. In 1988, cable in Luray jumped from $9.95 to $11, which is still less than the increase a lot of folks are facing. What a kooky world. Charles in Winchester (10/28/08) I am a member of Toastmasters and belong to one of the best clubs in the DC area – Lake Ridge Toastmasters in District 27, which makes up Northern VA and a part of DC. District 27 has invited C&L Awardee Wendy Reiger, Anchor of News4 at 5 and environmental reporter of Going Green to speak at its fall conference on Sat. Nov. 15 (10/28/08) Re Dave's question ("Wasn't Levin at one time on the Republican Party's payroll?") -- He was Chief of Staff to Ed Meese when he was Reagan's Attorney General and he was an advisor to other member's of Reagan's cabinet. His company, Landmark Legal Foundation -- right here in good ol' Leesburg, VA -- is funded in part by the Scaife family and has thrown its support behind Lewis Libby and Kenneth Starr, among others. So this would be yet another ultra-Right propaganda machine. Eat The Rich. (10/28/08) Re: the old pic of Mark Plotkin that you posted on the 23rd. Was this comment REALLY necessary? "He had his hair back, a three-piece suit - and like today - no date." (10/28/08) Dave's response: That quote was not from me. It came from the WTOPer who sent us the pic..... The likelihood that the Federal News Radio format will do worse doesn't preclude the reality that Talk Radio 3WT was a failure. Audiences just don't flow well from extreme left-wing to extreme right-wing radio and vice versa. In this atrocious economic climate, any attempt to mandate such formulaics in the name of balance will only eliminate political talk radio altogether. On a side note, the Washington Post also endorsed Republican nominee Patrick Mara for D.C. Council at-large so its GOP endorsements are not limited to incumbents. Everett W. (10/28/08) Re: "WBOC (channel 16)..pops in and out"--If you look at the FCC database (www.fcc.gov), you can see that WBOC has a temporary license to operate at 200kW, but their licensed power is 635kW. Plus, they've applied for 749kW of power. That should help the reception problem. I hope the analog shutdown occurs as planned. Any problems can be dealt with once the final situation is known. If some panicky know-nothing makes a half-assed mess of the switchover to digital, it will take forever to get things straightened out. ~~CA in BC (10/28/08) Dave said: "But nowhere near the "mistake magnitude" of the digital TV meltdown we're going to witness on February 19, 2009"..and I'm afraid you're more right than you know! I was just talking with someone who's father has a digital box (they live in the Seaford, Del. area..and WBOC (channel 16)..pops in and out (and they live a lot closer to Salisbury than I do! Granted..they may need a newer antenna; still..I fear that people in the outlying areas who don't have cable (or don't get local programming via the satellite) are going to be SOL! Tom in Denton, MD (10/28/08) On Mark Levin’s website, www.marklevinshow.com he links to OBAMA SAYS CONSTITUTION DEEP FLAW CONTINUES TODAY, a selectively edited part of an Obama radio interview from seven years ago. By editing certain words and phrases out of what Obama actually said, these fear mongers are misrepresenting what Osama was talking about. Someone deliberately edited the tape and now Mark Levin is representing that edit as authentic. There is a special place in Hell for Mark Levin, and I am sure he wont run into “Tim the Pillsbury doughboy Russert” (Mark Levin's pet name) there. (10/28/08) Dave's response: Wasn't Levin at one time on the Republican Party's payroll? That damn liberal Washington Post endorsed Republican Frank Wolf for Congress again. See, that's the way those socialist, elitist Left wing rags do it: they endorse Republicans, Independents AND Democrats in order to confuse the issue. But they're really only endorsing Democrats. Right? (10/28/08) Dave's response: The Post has always endorsed Republicans Frank Wolf and Tom Davis in Northern Virginia. The latter abdicated his seat. Hey, I'm a Democrat and I've always liked Wolf and Davis..... Media bias, my ass. Sore losers is the problem. Politico said it right "As it happens, McCain’s campaign is going quite poorly and Obama’s is going well. Imposing artificial balance on this reality would be a bias of its own." That's right. By any objective standard, the coverage on television is an accurate portrayal of how it's going, not how someone in one camp or the other might wish it to be. (10/28/08) Dear Dave, Since the demise of 3WT, the balance of talk radio in this area has been pathetic; and that is really ashamed in this market. I live in the Clinton, Md area and what I’m listening to for 30 minutes to an hour of right wing propaganda is absolutely terrible. On my drive into work I do nothing but scan the radio hoping for a signal of something balanced. Listening to Andy and Grandy on WMAL 630 is boring. The same goes for McCain radio TNT 570 only that’s just sickening. NPR radio is just as boring that I’m scared I’m going to fall asleep and get in a car accident (remind you I just woke-up an hour ago)! And C-Span radio just does not cut it for me. (so you can guess how I feel about Hannity & Rush.) I liked to think of myself as an Independent, I can go for a little flavor from both sides of the Isle. So there has to be some group out there that has interest in operating/purchasing a talk radio station with a format of both liberal and conservative views. This market is too versatile for to be just one sided to the right. And let me close with this; the higher ups at Bonneville who decided to change the format of 3WT to Federal News Radio, in the middle of the political season should not only lose the shirts off there back; but should be throwed out of the radio business. Were the logic. Their ratings would have improved with patience which I assume they did not have. Well, there is my rant. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Please inform of any changes in the radio market that is of interest. Sincerely, Nelson from Clinton... P.S. I enjoy your web page. I don’t get to it enough but it always keeps me informed of the behind the scenes of the local media. Keep up the good work! (10/28/08) This isn't DC-specific, but I wonder if one or more DC area newspapers will go the same route over the next five years, as suggested in this article www.nytimes.com (10/28/08) I was just looking at Channel "4's" new website, it appears to be the beginning of the stations getting away from their Channel number. After Feb 2009, they'll no longer be Channel 4 or 5 or whatever. (10/28/08) Dave's response: After the DTV deadline, channels 2, 4, and 5 will remain in the UHF band - 4 on 48. With channels 7, 9, 11, and 13 moving their digital signals from UHF to their old VHF positions..... You may have already heard about it, but this is currently one of the main Business clusters in Google News… www.boston.com: The Christian Science Monitor, which is known for its international and analytic news coverage, said today that it will no longer print a daily newspaper, but instead will transfer most content online and publish a weekly edition. The moves, expected to happen in April, are meant to save money and rejuvenate the website of a publication based in Boston, and the moves come as many newspapers struggle with circulation declines as readers and ad dollars migrate from the printed page to the Internet. (10/28/08) FOX will resume the World Series Game 5 on Wednesday night in Philly. FOX will get to air House tonight a good ratings booster, then after the 8pm Obama half hour it will be baseball. So fans will have to wait through the Obama half hour national special and then baseball! www.dcexaminer.com... Cheers, Jim (10/28/08) While snooping around behind WMAL today, I managed to snap a photo of the Republican Talking Point Generator, delivering some fresh talking points. So THAT'S where they get 'em! (10/28/08) CQ Wage freeze... Note the 5th paragraph where CQ is estimation a large 7-figure (i.e., millions) reduction in revenue in 2009. www.mediabistro.com (10/28/08) (10/28/08) 'Conservative icon William F. Buckley's son Christopher, who recently endorsed Obama' Wow, the stupid gas is being pumped in everywhere. WFB turing in his grave. Porter Jervis (10/28/08) www.politico.com - Why McCain is getting hosed in the press (10/28/08) The Washington Times has endorsed McCain-Palin, eh? Well that should put the G.O.P. ticket right over the top, a week from today. By the way, does anyone know how many bunches of flowers the Moonie kids have to peddle, at off ramps and intersections, to keep that old rag going? (10/28/08) Digital Radio... yeah... Remember the original name for HD radio? "IBOC", which meant "In Band, On Channel" which is how and where they stuffed all those bits. It would have been possible I suppose to adopt what Europe was doing, which was the Eureka-147 system -- except we're "Uhmericans!" and we'll come up with our own way of doing things, thank you! "Let's just squeeze some digital junk either side of the main analog carrier. It'll work!" Eureka would have succeeded, if it weren't for that niggling little problem of the proper frequencies being where existing U.S. missile telemetry lives. And unless the Commission approved frequencies being stolen from the TV or amateur bands, there wasn't a whole lot of wiggle room for digital radio right from the get-go. Aunt Mabel's old Victrola is starting to look more and more appealing these days. (10/28/08) Did anyone else notice the liberal Washington Post went with the Ted Stevens conviction for faulty paperwork on the front page, and not a seven year old Obama interview where he gave his view of the Supreme Court's history and restraints? Damn, that liberal Post. Mark Levin was absolutely correct in ignoring the Steven's non story on last night's show start, and leading with the Obama's interview. I mean, can the US Senate change over the Steven's conviction? There was nothing for Mark Levin to talk about concerning Alaska politics last night at the six o'clock hour. Stevens is not even a blip on the presidential level. Damn that Post. Mark Levin is a great American. (10/28/08) Can Sirius survive without its stock getting a big boost? It has lost a great deal of value over the past few months, due to various things, such as the FCC dragging out the merger between Sirius and XM for many months, as the stock went down in value. Then the bad economy hit, and the stock dipped further, getting to as low as .25 a share last week. The subscriber base for Sirius is approximately in the 20 million dollar range. Maybe the listeners can keep the company afloat, even though it may offer a cheaper ala carte package that brings in less revenue than their current subscription price. There is also a big debt repayment that has to be serviced by Sirius to its creditors next year, somewhere in the area of a billion dollars. Do industry analysts expect Sirius to survive all of those challenges? What do dcrtv readers think will be in store in the future for Sirius? JOHN IN STAFFORD (10/28/08) (RE: Digital radio) A new radio spectrum? Great idea! The FCC can enforce a new rule: nobody who currently occupies space in legacy spectrum (and who possesses licenses in more than one (1) city) will be permitted to occupy space in the new spectrum. Legacy space will be reallocated after five (5) years to non-broadcast purposes. One station per owner. That oughta get the creative juices flowing again. What we don't need is more of the consultant-approved, sound-alike, mechanical tripe that passes for radio these days. And with the economy swirling down the bowl, there won't be much demand for advertising. A real kick in the shins for outfits like Clear Channel, which is leveraged up the wazoo. (10/28/08) /\ October 28 Messages /\ \/ October 27 Messages \/ Re: "Lord help us if radio ever goes completely digital!" - Completely digital radio would be a good thing. The reason the current digital radio system is so bad is that it is being forced to co-exist on the same transmitted frequencies as the current analog signals. That idea just doesn't work. A proper digital radio service, allowed to have its own radio channels, would have no trouble covering the same (or greater) areas as analog signals do now. (10/27/08) Dave's response: Amen! Digital radio done right. The way the UK's doing it. With all digital radio signals clustered in their own dedicated spectrum blocks, not stupidly sharing the existing FM and AM bands with analog stations. Check it out at Wikipedia. So called "HD Radio" in the USA is one of the FCC's many gigantic fuck-ups. But nowhere near the "mistake magnitude" of the digital TV meltdown we're going to witness on February 19, 2009..... From InsideRadio.com: Mancow adds 11, including D.C. Following his return to Chicago on Citadel's WLS, Erich "Mancow" Muller adds 11 new affiliates in a syndication burst. The new outlets include WTNT, Washington and WUUS, Chattanooga. TRN says Muller has "evolved" into a more issue-focused personality. Citadel's KGO/KSFO, San Francisco PD Jack Swanson agrees, calling Mancow the "next Rush Limbaugh." (10/27/08) Dave's response: Ahhh, Mancow's been on WTNT for about a month now. If you want the news weeks - sometimes months - after it's appeared on DCRTV, stick with the trade pubs..... Just discovered this comment from someone who disagreed with me last week when I said that Chris Matthews is no lefty: ("Hey Michael in MD, perhaps you need to watch Hardball a bit more closely. Matthews has been kicking some serious GOP ass lately...") Taking dissembling surrogates to task is not indicative of his political leanings. On the rare occasions when he actually allows a guest to speak, he has no patience when somebody says patently stupid (like Michelle Bachmann) or obviously misleading statements. That is one of his few positive attributes as a host. I see his program every day...and watch it in spite of, rather than because of, him. I like the topics and array of guests, and suffer through Matthews' constant ethnic and sexual stereotyping. I still say, as a liberal myself, that Matthews is not a liberal. I think he would agree with that statement. Can you name a list of "liberal" policy positions he agrees with? He actually displays little true political conviction, and likes to deride whomever is showing weakness at the moment. Right now, the GOP is down, so he is down on them. He is a proud member of the permanent power establishment, the kind of guy who thinks it's important to know what hostess Sally Quinn thinks of somebody before he ventures an opinion. He sucks up to power. It was not that long ago that he was constantly praising the GOP, especially it's tough guys, while mocking Democrats as weak, Adlai Stevenson types, and liberal policies as "out of touch." Remember, it was fairly recently that he was describing George W. Bush as "Lincolnesque" over his Iraq war policy. As in Abraham Lincoln!! (I thought he was going to have an orgasm on the air as he actually ogled W's "manhood on display" when the president pretended to land a jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier and then strutted around the deck in his little flight suit costume..just before claiming "Mission Accomplished." Matthews was ready to chisel his face on Mt. Rushmore that day, along with his on-air pal that day, domestic right-wing terrorist G. Gordon Liddy.) I remember Matthews praising President Clinton and his center-left policies when Clinton was up, and then, when he was down, ridiculing him as a "country bumpkin" because "he actually wore a wing-tip collar with his tuxedo" at a Correspondent's Dinner. You know, the kind of thing he probably heard at Sally Quinn's dining room table. When the conventional wisdom of the establishment was that Hillary Clinton was the inevitable Democratic nominee all last year, he said many times how he had finally come to respect her and her policies, and how she had "grown on" him. As soon as she lost Iowa, he began treating her with contempt and disdain and discovered how "thrilling" Obama is. Obama: the candidate he had written off as a lightweight last year, a man "too ethnic" and whose policies were "too far left" to connect with the American people. We'll see how Matthews positions himself if he runs for the Senate in Pennsylvania. He will take on the political coloration of whatever is popular there, which is usually center-right. (See: Senators Casey and Spector.) He will not run as a liberal. Michael in Maryland (10/27/08) MY 2009 MEDIA PREDICTIONS (I'm making them BEFORE the election purposefully by the way to either appear smarter than the rest of you or, well, lets not go there)............... #1... Since Microsoft is re-branding itself in the face of a bad PR environment & economy, and NBC has caved in & sucked back up to Apple after the apparent failure of HULU.com to make any money, NBC will be forced to finally "repurpose", re-brand, and/or throw under the bus MSNBC as it currently is, however you want to say it. Face it, GE/NBC/UNIVERSAL is in greater financial trouble then previously thought & NBC News Channel maybe is the answer? Despite Olbermann's constant bragging about the alleged ratings "blip" that MSNBC has had and an apparent Obama win, advertisers will want their money back after this election as MSNBC has failed to live up to ratings expectations or ride the Obama wave. This will not change even if McCain somehow wins. If anything, MSNBC's ratings have dipped even further to the point of no return as Obama rises in the polls. Yes, that blowhard O'Reilly will get the last laugh as Olbermann is shown the door after this year's NFL season too. He's terrible at that too as he's way too out of practice from his ESPN days. Chris Matthews will probably stick around, possibly on the new channel or on CNBC or as a roundtable host of Meet the Press.................. #2... If CBS sells its Baltimore radio properties next year, WJFK AM 1300 Baltimore will be no more. Regardless of who buys the Baltimore CBS radio properties, one thing is certain: Even if Sportstalk remains, AM 1300 will not be called WJFK anymore. WFBR maybe or WTOP AM 1300 Baltimore or WNST 1300? Hmmmm.................. #3... A Bonneville buy of WLIF 101.9 and a move to the WRBS 95.1 tower in southwest Baltimore to enter the DC market. WRBS could use the rental money and like minds think alike and it instantly increases the value of WLIF FM 101.9. I wouldn't even be surprised if CBS does it BEFORE the sale to increase value........................ #4... And any move of WLIF's transmitter and sale of its valuable Towson area property will mean the end of WNST NASTY 1570 SPORTSTALK. Sure, WNST could operate under Special Temporary Authority from another location, but at what power? 500 watts day, 5 WATTS night? Don't think so. WNST will go under and QUICK in '09 if #3 happens................. #5... 105.7's Kirk & Mark gone from 105.7 for sure, maybe end up on Clear Channel's WCHH 104.3 or separately on DC stations or elsewhere. And 105.7 a WTOP repeater next?.................. #6... FOXSPORTS 1370 will finally show up in the Baltimore Arbitron ratings, but only because 1 or BOTH of Baltimore's OTHER sportstalk stations are GONE! HAha!................. #7... Meanwhile in DC, despite a good Redskins season, Red Zebra sports talk ratings at WTEM 980 will still be stagnant. People aren't stupid, you can only drink so much koolaid before getting sick from a sugar overload. DC gets a 2nd SportsTalk station after the groveling to Snyder during this NFL season becomes too unbearable for even the staunchest of Skins fans but it WON'T be Bonneville as they cannot afford to have their WTOP/Skins press passes torn up and stomped on by the little man. Expect an outsider................... #8... Loudoun County's little ol' WAGE 1190 becomes FCC approved at 50,000 watts and built out by the end of '09 and instantly becomes Washington's 2nd strongest daytime AM radio signal. With a nighttime upgrade to 10kw in the works, this station will ultimately be the home of the Washington Nationals blanketing the market both day and night, maybe not in '09 exclusively, but ultimately. Sorry, but Federal Govt stats and BASEBALL STATS DON'T MIX! A big DUH to Bonneville!......................... #9... Katie Couric leaves CBS Evening News, maybe a do-over for CBS by hiring BACK CNN and former CBS Evening News weekend anchor John Roberts? Or how about Greta Van Susteran? Or both? Hmmm................... #10... 99.1 becomes something else (WJFK 99.1?) and WJFK 106.7 flips to El Zol. Face it, despite the decent ratings and income success, 99.1, even if they move the transmitter closer to Laurel as planned, still does not have the correct signal for where Latinos live and work and is a waste of a powerful 2 market signal in its current form. 106.7 blankets the Latino community. 99.1 clearly does not. A CHR format for 99.1 right next to HOT 99.5 on the dial for both DC AND Baltimore?....................... #11... Birach Broadcasting gets FCC approval for 1 of its 2 pending DC area upgrades, but NEITHER are built out in '09 due to NIMBY outrage. Yeah, that was a no-brainer, hehe............. And my wild card pick?........... #12... After CBS sells their Baltimore radio station group some time in '09, CBS buys WUTB 24 Baltimore from NewsCorp, creating another Baltimore duopoly and a 10PM WJZ created newscast. It's no big secret FOX has no interest in owning the NON-FOX network affiliated Baltimore station WUTB that they can't switch to the FOX network for obvious reasons (Sinclair owns too many FOX affiliates across the country & could conceivably retaliate in a way that would hurt FOX). So expect WJZ EYEWITNESS NEWS at 10 sometime late in '09!...........OK, That's it kiddies, I've put my low DCRTV reputation on the line! Who's next? hehe :-) Joe in Essex (10/27/08) Dave's response: Good stuff! Although I can't see Greta becoming an anchor for lefty CBS. I hear she'll host a nightly show for the new Rupert Murdoch "MBYWWC" - the Missing Beautiful Young White Women Channel - which will replace the low-rated Fox Reality channel on digital cable by mid-2009..... Please remore the bikini-clad photo of my wife from your website, or you will hear from my attorney. (10/27/08) Dave's response: Funny..... (Dave said, " If you're more than 15 to 20 miles from a station's transmitter, you'll have a very difficult time picking up its HD Radio signals, unless you have a very good antenna.....") Right; and this is why HD radio (imho) is a bust! What difference does it make as to how good it sounds if you can't hear it? I'm somewhere around seventy to seventy five miles from Baltimore; probably farther than that from Washington, D.C.; none of the "HD" signals would reach here on the shore! Even if there were stations from the Salisbury area that ran "HD" channels, we wouldn't get them up here! Lord help us if radio ever goes completely digital! Tom in Denton, MD (10/27/08) WMAL may have more success running Mancow without the upcuts, overlapping audio, segments running into the hourly ID and general sloppiness that is the hallmark of the RZ stations. I say hand it off. Mancow's material doesn't make me want to stand up & slap my mama, but his show deserves a better on-air presentation than it is getting from 570. (10/27/08) Re: "WMZQ (98.7 FM) is looking for a new night personality..." News flash, the night slot has been open since the end of May when Deena Blake departed after her wedding. There was talk then that the station was going to plug in either a syndicated show or voicetracking from out of the area. But here we are about five months later and still nothing permanent. (10/27/08) We don't use fake phone sounds - our volunteers are actually using old-school, beige, jangly-sounding phones, and when you hear them ringing on-air, that's the sound from phone room. Kay Summers, Director of Public Information, WAMU 88.5 (10/27/08) Megan Heaton has just been selected as Miss Howard TV for the month of November for Howard Stern’s Howard TV On Demand. Heaton, born and raised in New Jersey, is now a resident of Philadelphia. When appearing on air for her Howard TV On Demand interview, she and Stern had an explicit discussion about her sexual exploits. Megan placed in the top ten of Maxim’s hometown “hottie” contest for Philadelphia in 2007. The interview can be currently seen on Howard TV On Demand. She attended Rutgers University and earned a degree in marketing. Megan is presently a real estate agent who has to cover up because men constantly hit on her (making their wives angry). She will be featured in an upcoming Playboy Magazine issue in the “Employee of the Month” and dreams of becoming a Playmate or an actress. Miss Howard TV spokes-models are interviewed on “The Howard Stern Show” and then featured on Howard TV On Demand where they introduce and give an overview of the monthly programming on the channel. Megan and previous spokes-models are also profiled on www.Howard.TV. Howard TV On Demand is a subscription video on demand channel available only on digital cable. (10/27/08) That GD line is as the Kim Jong-Il character in "Team America - World Police" utters it to Lisa, the American spy (minus a few other bad words). For those with a sense of humor who get it (which you are not part of, obviously). Go back to your sandbox now, play nice, this site is for grown-ups only. Love, Silvie (10/27/08) Shawn in Bethesda: CBS radio uses delay all the time on their live sports broadcasts. The Orioles have been in delay on 105.7 for the last two years, BUT THEY AREN"T ON DELAY ON WTEM. When WQSR FM and WJFK AM had the Ravens, one would use delay and the other wouldn't. I, too, like to listen to headphones at the ballpark and the delay certainly does ruin it. Howie (10/27/08) Oooooh, getting a bit testy there with the 'GD', are we, Silvie? Sounds like reality is beginning to set in. Ah well, c'est la vie. At least you're in good company cuz your WMAL friends are starting to become unhinged as well - haven't heard any 'GDs' from them YET, not to mention the staffers of Frank Wolf assaulting people with canes, fists, and other assorted goodies. (10/27/08) Driving down Jenifer Street I see they're giving away backs of horse shit fertilizer in front of the WMAL studios. Andy Parks told me that it's extra, from what they're now spewing from their transmitter tower this week, the week before the election. (10/27/08) The Jewish Agency for Israel is a body that helps Jews move to Israel and the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Sallai Meridor, was its chairman from 1999 to 2005. That's what Palin was referring to as she directed her comments to Meridor. The quote in the pool report is much clearer: "I look forward to hearing about your work with the Jewish Agency and all the plans that we have. We'll be working together." The RNC does not need your $50 donation. Go spend that dough in a new pair of glasses or in opening your goddamn ears. -Silvie- (10/27/08) CNBC's "Fast Money" will be broadcast live from Washington, DC on November 7th. "Fast Money," hosted by Dylan Ratigan, airs live weekdays at 5 ET & re-airs at midnight ET on CNBC. fastmoney.cnbc.com has more. (10/27/08) Dave: Just a quick note. The Baltimore Ravens won yesterday, 29-10. Now, I know they beat the lowly Oakland Raiders, but there has been/ was no coverage of this game anywhere on ESPN or ESPNews last night or at all this morning. Yeah, I was bored, watching highlights on both stations and every other game was shown, clips, discussions, etc. but nothing on this game except the score at the bottom on the scroller. Joe Flacco AND Troy Smith, the Suggs Package, was pretty amazing. As well as some other great plays by the offense and the defense ( when's the last time the Ravens got a safety from an undrafted player ? ). My point is, I saw numerous coverage clips of Jim Zorn's tirade as well as Mike Singletary's tirade, and coverage of every other game yesterday, but NO mention of the game in Baltimore. Just trying to figure out why ? Anybody know ? Rich, Baltimore (10/27/08) I will donate $50.00 to the RNC if Grandy and Andy tomorrow chastise Palin for saying to Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor, this morning in Leesburg, "We look forward to ... working with your Jewish agency." (10/27/08) You have to respect Chad Dukes and as I see it he is much like good ole’ Donnie “G”. He’s a dude that just loves radio, he broke in with the Junkies as pretty much a radiophile call in, but the difference is he actually was entertaining. He then got an intern gig and I believe started working at the station in some capacity until he was able to swing some actual air time for himself and the “Big O”. Anyway, from there you may know the rest of the story up to this point. Much of his style is very similar to Don G as a talker. Filling hours of airtime each day is a tough task and he does a better than average job at this. Of course not all the content can be winners, and some interviews and bits are most obviously formulated ties into advertising, but I do respect the guy for keeping his love of radio as his driving force to be able to try and make living at what he loves. Reading the “Notable Quotable” today just proves to me he has a passion for this business and is willing to put in the time to make it is a tough biz. (10/27/08) Dave----interesting day on DCRTV today....in the front page you get Big O and Dukes admitting their ratings are not that good..BUT that they are valuable in other ways: online content, personal appearances (sales types at least have an option to the too pricey Junkies and O'meara) and the so called "bridge" between the higher rated shows. At the very minimum...at least JFK has a llive and local show there , as opposed to syndicated and probably cheaper content. But then we see where Citadle is toying with the idea of Mancow on MAL...ughhhh more syndicated stuff to try and fill the time on dying stations.. The other post of interest was the lengthy review of HD radio around the area. About 10 years too late it seems for radio; the concept of HD (where there is actual content) is laudable...but now with even more economic constraints than before it is unworkable. People just aren;t going to buy HD radios with signal problems and content that in many cases does not warrant the investment. Too bad...but today we see where radio is and where it is headed. And don't get started on the penny stock prices...what happened to this once proud business??? (10/27/08) Funny but the boys at Bonneville knew enough about changing formats and call letters last winter to make their sign under the broadcast booth at new Nationals Park a generic one for "Nats Radio 1500 a.m..." But somehow they felt confident enough to put the 3WT logo in the 2008-2009 Capitals schedule. The season started 10 days after 3WT's demise. (10/27/08) Dave, I saw the Wassup 2008 video today, it’s great! Here’s a link to a video I posted on YouTube. It’s a bit more serious, but then - so is this election. www.youtube.com... Dan Cohen... PS DCRTV is my daily fix! (10/27/08) Dave's response: Thanks Dan..... Well, if anyone is waiting for Le Trash Bin, Insannity, Limpballs, etc. to 'apologize' for anything they've said... you're gonna be in for a very long wait. I'm actually betting on 'never', as in you will never hear them do it. It simply isn't in the rightwinger's DNA to apologize for anything. Don't believe it? Watch a few eps of Archie Bunker and you'll get the message. Mancow? Wow, WMAL must have a death wish. How about piping in the detestable Bob Grant while you're at it - might as well go all the way, huh? Will Mancow whine about the Fairness Doctrine too, the same way that all the other WMAL pukes are doing? Sure is a hell of an Achilles Heel for them considering how panicked they are getting over it... hilarious indeed. And none of you come here and whine 'First Amendment!' either... the Constitution doesn't guarantee ANYONE to have a radio show and be a Grade A asshole on said show unchallenged. Mike in Manassas (10/27/08) HD Radio ramblings - I installed a JVC HDR-30 in my car two weeks ago, and I love the thing. The HD model is flawed, and the average consumer isn't going to sit through the technical flaws, but it is fun to listen to what "nobody else" is listening to. The sound quality is awesome when you can actually lock onto something - which is about 80 percent of the time between my MoCo to DC and MoCo to Howard County travels. So - a quick band scan...WAMU's HD2 Bluegrass Country offering is interesting, but their HD3 is just awful sound wise. I assume having the translator on 105.5 is to drive people to their HD2. WGTB's HD2 - "The Jam" is great. This is what should be on the main channel. What a great sound. WPGC's HD2's sound quality is one of an awful mp3. WHUR HD2 - "WHUR World" is interesting to listen to. You just never know what is next... WASH HD2 is great. There is actual programming there - albeit from Broadcast Architecture. Their Smooth Jazz feed is pretty good - with personalities 24/7. It is very listenable, with sound quality far above the rest. WIYY HD2 and HD3 are pretty cool channels. Even their HD3's technical quality is pretty good. Very impressive. WMZQ HD2's "Classic Country" is awesome to listen to. Technically sound, and they are programming great music. WIHT's HD2's sound quality is great, but really seems to be just a jukebox version of their main stream. WBIG HD2 - the music is great. Nice to hear The Trashmen and The Dovells, but they keep playing one piece of imaging over and over again. What a shame. Aural quality is great, though. WWDC's HD2 "eRockster" is a great listen as well. WQSR HD2 - very disappointing. "The Greatest Hits..." in mono. Yes, mono. Turn it off until you get it right. WTOP's HD2 and HD3 - "The I Channel" and all Traffic and Weather. Sounded great (HD2 quality was good, HD3 aurally was awful, but the service was great) until it up and disappeared on Friday. Monday AM - still not back on. WJZW HD2 - where "Smooth Jazz 105.9" lives. It actually sounds like SJ 105.9, albeit with no "Smooth Santos". Also - the processing is very off. Like a bad mp3. WWMX's HD2 - I never caught a name for it - but sounds like a CHR. Technically, it sounds great. Off to the AM races... driving around, I can usually get a continuous lock on WTNT, WMAL, and WTEM's HD signal. WMAL kills theirs at night, but I tend to keep WTNT in MoCo at night, and WTEM around the beltway. On the beltway, I can usually get WYCB's HD - and it sounds great. Music over HD AM sounds great. In Baltimore - I only get WCAO in HD, and it sounds OK, some songs are great, others are very muddy. For the Dashboard DX society (Hi Mike...), I've locked on WCBS and WBZ's HD at night - pretty cool to hear them crystal clear. I made the investment to see what all of the HD fuss was about. The radio I got was 169.00 (and has a 50.00 rebate) - and even if the HD thing doesn't work out in the end, the radio beats the shit out of the stock radio that was in my car. It has a front aux input for an iPod and the cd player plays mp3, wma, and the like. It was a pretty good investment, IMHO. (10/26/08) Dave's response: At my location in Northern Virginia, the only local AMer I can get in HD is WMAL. The HD indicator light lights on WTNT but the 570 signal is not strong enough to get a digital lock. But that's using a home receiver. I'd imagine better HD Radio AM reception in the car..... Greg @ WUSA. Awesome camera work and really appreciate the effort getting the 2-way sound in there. They make it look sooooooooo easy. That one is a keeper. (10/27/08) Why does WAMU use a recording of a bank of phones ringing as background sfx during their fund drive? Isn't that a shade insulting to the brain trust that is supposed to be their audience? The least they could do is update the sound from analog phones jangling like it's 1978 to an electronic Cisco ring, like the phones on 24. Seems to me that a great way for GM Caryn Mathes to start her Monday would be to field a question about this lapse in journalistic integrity. Seems to me that question would be best if fired off by DCRTV. Salute, Keith the Bitter Old man (10/27/08) Dave's response: Public television does the same thing during its pledge breaks. I guess it generates "excitement." If listeners/viewers heard silence, they might think no one's donating - and why should I. Hey, maybe I should do that with DCRTV. By the way, it would be great (ring ring) if you sent a few bucks our way. Just $39 (ring ring) will get you a year of (ring ring) DCRTV Plus. Click here. Thanks..... Here is a direct link to the (WNVC) antenna install video. www.wusa9.com... Enjoy. Greg (10/27/08) Dave's response: Every time I gone to 9's website the past two days, my brower (crappy old MSIE) locks up, flashes a "not responding" message, and closes. Oh well..... A huge difference between Olbermann and Hannity is Hannity uses fraud to make his points. Nurses that are told what to say, gay escorts posing as "terrific White House bureau chiefs," (Paul Guckert) a discredited doctor that claimed a brain dead women could be rehabilitated, a women that every four years claims to be a Democrat that is supporting a Republican because of family issues, fake reporters poising as investigative journalists, are all examples of Hannity orchestrating a fake news cycle. Also, Hannity never admits when he is dead wrong. Speaking of "dead wrong," I didn't hear Mark Levin apologize inb the 6:00 PM hour for the race baiting, and using the airwaves to try and incite a riot Thursday night. The "B" on the woman's cheek was backwards, but that didn't stop Mark Levin from saying all those nasty horrible fear mongering things about Blacks and Obama supporters. Both can be heard locally on WMAL. (10/27/08) No traffic reports last week on WHFS (after previously touting how often they aired them). Hmmmmmm…………. (10/27/08) Kudos to Comast SportNet on their coverage of the Marine Corps Marathon. They were doing features all week before the race. I saw the writer from the Post on their show in the morning. Their late show on the race had some interesting stories. Nicely done. Oh, by the way their GM is hot!!! I knew there was a reason I liked CSN over MASN. (10/27/08) We were attempting to listen to the Terps game inside Byrd stadium on 106.7..delay was too much to handle.We then tried 105.7, same result. And it's the same when the Terps are on TV, I'd like to lower the sound and listen to Johnny, Tim and Jonathan, but again the delay on Radio prevents me from doing that. I wonder if someone at the school can step up and make it easier for there die hard fans to enjoy the broadcasts? Shawn, Bethesda (10/27/08) /\ October 27 Messages /\ \/ October 26 Messages \/ RE: "It's nice to see a different picture of Ken Merson on his DCRTV banner ad. Looks a bit like James Spader. Will we next see him appear on "Boston Legal" as Alan Shore's long lost brother? Quick, call his agent!"...Now you've done it! You've gone and blown this season's cliffhanger finale! Note to Gary Helton: You go Grandpa! Ken Merson/Merson Person Voice Tracks (10/26/08) How does Greg Guise get all the cool assignments? I thought I saw him videotaping the "bras across DC" this weekend and he gets the helicopter antenna too ? (10/26/08) To Greg Guise of WUSA. REAL COOL!!!!!! (Doug) (10/26/08) Shawn in Bethesda - What frequency were you listening to inside Byrd Stadium? (10/26/08) Dave, Construction Helicopters and US Tower Co. combined to lift the 4 ton channel 24 antenna to the top of the MHZ networks tower in Merrifield, Va. The removal of the old analog channel 56 antenna, removal and reinstallation of a portion of the supporting structure and the installation of the channel 24 antenna took the crew of 9, seven on the tower and two in the chopper about 2 hours... WUSA9.com will have a video version along with the communications between the tower and the chopper. That should be on line sometime this evening. (10/26/08) Dave's response: Cool. Thanks to WUSA's Greg Guise for the photos..... It's hard to hear a correct "time" on WTOP on the weekends. First, there's Veronica Robinson. In Ms. Robinson's neighborhood, the word "time" is pronounced "toyme". Indeed, in every word with a long "i" it is pronounced as "oy". Then David Burd shows up on a spot about some marathon run for which one can buy stuffed bears with the runner's time stitched on. In Burd's mouth, the word "time" becomes "tom" and the word "bear" becomes "burr". Listening to WTOP is like listening to a cartoon: so many character voices. They could use the services of that Canadian speech coach who works with the CBC and NPR. (10/26/08) It's nice to see a different picture of Ken Merson on his DCRTV banner ad. Looks a bit like James Spader. Will we next see him appear on "Boston Legal" as Alan Shore's long lost brother? Quick, call his agent! (10/26/08) WRDE-LD 31.1 went on the air Saturday night October 25th at 6pm. Carrying My Network 8-10pm nightly, with RTN the rest of the day. The station will also carry ACC Football & Basketball as well as Phillies Baseball starting next Spring. The station operates from the WGMD tower near Rehoboth Beach. It will also be carried by Comcast, first in Sussex County and then throughout the the shore. Mediacom in Southeastern Sussex County will also be adding the channel. (10/26/08) The W-Post not checking facts? This is no surprise. They missed a federal justice official leaking certain information, they missed the financial hyjinx of a President and his wife and then there is that little matter of an entirely fabricated Pulitzer-winning story. How can you expect them to do any better with a simple photo? The WP takes topics meeting their agenda at face value and runs with them all the time. Their content is driven by loyalty to an agenda, not any concerns of journalistic integrity. The only suprise is your own. (10/26/08) You know, I am so tired of Comcast cutting off spots 10 seconds in to air thier own spots. Is this a tone problem, or what. It is annoying and I can always predict when this is going to happen and on what spots. A friend of mine has Fios and never has cut off spots (plus more channels on the standard package)---hmmm....come on Verizon and get it my area!! (10/26/08) ("The main reason for the delay is profanity, as uttered by players, coaches, refs and most especially, you, the fan") I hate to use the word "dickwad" on a Sunday, but no, dickwad. The "main reason" for the delay for more than that. Several reasons today actually. HD radio and the delay time in broadcasting is one, that adds an easy 8 seconds to the broadcast. Second - the delay time depending on how the broadcast is being sent back to the studio can add several seconds in our digital world. Third - our profanity delay. There may be more steps that I'm missing. I'll count my rosary now. (10/26/08) Did you hear that Jerry Edward's will be doing Traffic live from the NBC4 studios starting Monday? (10/26/08) Did Warner Wolf's dentires fall out again (!) in that Honda ad? (10/26/08) With regard to Brett Haber and his puffy face, he suffers from a horrible disorder called "Egotitus." It makes your head so big that you think no one else matters. Thankfully, it is not contagious but short men offen suffer from this complex, too. (10/26/08) Gary, Congrats on your third Grandchild! My lady is an RN at GBMC and in the Nursery. Now on to another issue. You continuously refer to Ed Graham and his firing you. I can assure you he’d relish doing it again. I don’t know how many times he gave you the ax, but I’m sure he has notches in his basement on a game room wall reminding him of the thrill. He never did like you.(joking) Again congrats. Oh, he only fired me twice. PLB (10/26/08) Anybody catch former Channel 9er Warner Wolf in current ads for DC area Honda dealers? (10/26/08) To the poster complaining about delay on game broadcasts. Radio stations pay for the rights to those games, so that they can broadcast them to those WHO ARE NOT so privileged as to be inside the stadium. That is why it is called a broadcast. The main reason for the delay is profanity, as uttered by players, coaches, refs and most especially, you, the fan. That profanity is not allowed on the airwaves by the FCC. Again, the station pays ALL the costs and you get to hear it for free so stop complaining. I bet you turn the sound down or unplug the earphone during commercials. Complain to the team and let them know that stations would love to reverse the dynamics, and let the team pay the station. You got a couple $MIL, its yours. Good luck with your complaint. (10/26/08) I attend every Maryland home football game. Most of the fans that sit in my section have earphone's on listening to Johnny Holliday and Tim Strachan with the call on the radio. It's been that way for years...until now. The delay on the Radio seems to be about 25 seconds behind the play on the field. How utterly ridiculous is that! I've been told it's a decision made by the rights holder CBS. Is there someone that a group of us can voice our concern to? Radio stations need all the audience they can get, I doubt they want to run people off with such a dumb move as a delay on a football broadcast. I doubt that Johnny, Tim and Jonathan Claiborne are prone to using language that's unsuitable for air. Please get rid of that delay and let Terp fans enjoy the game. Shawn, Bethesda (10/26/08) /\ October 26 Messages /\ \/ October 25 Messages \/ Dave, this will make you smile. Unbelievable McCain vs. Obama Dance-Off! Enjoy! www.break.com -Silvie- (10/25/08) WRDE-LD Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 31.1 is on the Air. The station carries RTN with My Network TV from 8-10pm. The station will be carried on Cable on the entire Shore, starting in Sussex County next week. The station will also air ACC Football and Basketball, and 45 Philadelphia Phillies games next season. The station transmits from the WGMD Radio tower. (10/25/08) I was wondering if Brett Haber is okay....I along with my Mom have noticed that he does not look well.....He appears to be a bit puffy and not in good health. We watch him on the Redskins Sports Show every week...just concerned......Ho his heath improves.....!! L. Smth (10/25/08) That "John McCain locked on the bus" video spoof is a riot! I mean, can't you just see it really happening? (10/25/08) It is an absolute disgrace that Maryland's game this afternoon is not on television. This is probably the only major program in the nation that does not have several of its games on live. They wonder why they lose so many recruits to Penn State, West Virginia, and who knows where else. If you were a tenth or eleventh grade blue chip recruit living in the area and knew that your family couldn't watch you play where would you go? Please spare me the lecture about contracts, exclusive rights, blah, blah. (10/25/08) Did the media drop the ball when THIS harrowing incident occurred to John McCain last night? www.youtube.com (10/25/08) I cannot even begin to tell you how much I hate the new NBC-Washington website (the one that replaced www.nbc4.com). What is the “locals only” crap all about? It has absolutely no Washington feel to it and noticeably missing are the “4” logo and the anchor faces. It may as well be Chicago, Philly or San Francisco. Oh wait; they look exactly the same, too! With the onset of HDTV in February, does “News 4” change to “NBC Washington?” Does "9 News Now" change to "News Now" or just "WUSA Junk in the Trunk Now?" (10/25/08) I want to invite and encourage everyone to catch Trish Hennessey's new show, "The 91-One Local," Sunday nights from 8 to 10 on 91.1 WHFC. Trish's debut show was last week, and she did an awesome job spotlighting many of the Mid-Atlantic's local jazz artists and their musical inspirations. We are extremely proud to have Trish on board at WHFC. And beginning next week, "Cafe Jazz" will follow Trish's program every Sunday from 10 to midnight. "Cafe Jazz" is Canada's long-running smooth jazz show, and it is hosted by Ted Hasiuk. So for those of you lamenting the loss of WSMJ, try 91.1 on Sunday nights beginning at 8. Those outside our coverage area can pick up the webcast at whfc911.org. And to Ken Merson, you're now two grandchildren behind, as my daughter Katie gave birth to grandson #3, James Robert Coles, III, last night at GBMC--about a month ahead of schedule. It's amazing. I still remember Stu Kerr announcing my 3rd birthday on Channel 2 in 1957, and now I have three grandsons! Before you know it, I'll be as old as Ed Graham who, by the way, hasn't fired me in almost ten years. I'm beginning to think you don't love me anymore Eddie. Gary Helton, WHFC-FM, Bel Air (10/25/08) Heh heh... OK, this is petty and insignificant, but I have to point out that "scuttlebut" (with either one "t" or two) is one word, not two. Taken literally, "scuttle butt" means a person's ass, shaped liked a coal shovel. I'm posting this only because the visual image is too funny to ignore. (10/25/08) Fans of the Ravens in the DC area will not see their team due to NFL rules that do not allow for the Redskins who are on the road and the Ravens who are at home both playing at 1pm to air games in each others region. So it will be the Ravens only on WJZ-13 and the Redskins on FOX5. Fans can listen to the teams on the radio - Baltimore on WBAL/98 Rock and Redskins on ESPN 980AM. Also fans will be able to watch the postgame shows with Ravens Xtra on MASN and the Redskins Postgame Live on CSN both outlets can be seen throughout the region. www.dcexaminer.com Cheers, Jim (10/25/08) Dave: From Wikipedia: "MLB Network is a television specialty channel, primarily owned by Major League Baseball, set to launch on January 1, 2009 into over 50 million homes in the United States. Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner and Cox Communications have minority ownership of the new network, with MLB retaining a controlling two-thirds share. The channel is building its state-of-the-art headquarters in Manhattan's Harlem neighborhood and moving into MSNBC's old studios in nearby Secaucus, New Jersey. Profitability is expected by the end of 2009, according to industry sources. And by 2015, revenue from cable subscriber fees and advertising is projected to soar beyond $210 million, with a net value easily exceeding $1 billion. Major League Baseball is the last major North American professional sports league and major professional sport overall to launch its own network. NBA TV dates back to 1999, the NFL Network to 2003, the USA version of NHL Network to 2007, The Golf Channel in 1995, and the Tennis Channel in 2003. However, MLBN will have the most households of these four networks when it launches, largely because of the financial participation of the cable systems.Tony Pettitti, former executive producer of CBS Sports, was recently named the network's first president." And: "Content: MLB Network expects to carry 26 live baseball games in 2009 and Saturday night is the most likely timeslot these games will air in. Other early programming will include portions of the 2009 World Baseball Classic as well as highlights, studio programming, international and development league games, and archival material. Also in the works is a nightly news and highlight show patterned after ESPN's Baseball Tonight." Hope that helps! - Max in Mild West Arlington (10/25/08) I live on Kent Island, MD 21619. Would I be able to pick up any HD signals from the DC or Baltimore stations? I don't here any of the digital hash hear that I hear on the side channels I hear when near DC or Baltimore. And, I feel nothing on there worth investing the money to find out anyway. Long live WRNR 103.1 and WXPN on 90.5! (10/25/08) Dave's response: If you're more than 15 to 20 miles from a station's transmitter, you'll have a very difficult time picking up its HD Radio signals, unless you have a very good antenna..... /\ October 25 Messages /\ \/ October 24 Messages \/ With the horrible economy what is the scuttle butt of cutbacks at the radio news stations like WBAL, WTOP and WMAL. It has been reported that some police jurisdictions are laying off people, so how will those potential layoffs affect the all news stations? scott in Alexandria (10/24/08) I haven't heard anything about the MLB channel. How would it coincide with MASN when it came to local games? (10/24/08) Dave...I am confused...I thought there was another 'day to day program director" of the Glow-bbb... somebody who used to be at Mix? did I miss somebody getting canned somewhere? that's a pretty big step down for senor Hughes,. no? :)) (10/24/08) Does anyone out there know anything at all about the new MLB channel that's being trumpeted on the walls of a lot of ballparks? Is it a premium channel like the NFL network? What cable systems are on board with it? (10/24/08) Dear Mike in Manassas, first of all thank you for listening 67 nights in a row. Listeners like you are the reason my ratings keep climbing. As a bonus for being such a devoted listener I was going to offer you an autographed copy of "Rescuing Sprite"; upon further consideration I decided against it. As tightly wound and spiteful as you are I hope you don't have any animals nearby to kick after listening to every minute of my brilliant monologues. As always, keep listening, tell a friend and continue to write down the times you obsessively listen. Now GET OFF THE PHONE YOU BIG DOPE! Oh wait, you can't get past my minimum wage screeners can you? THANK ME! Sincerely Mark Levin (10/24/08) I interrupt to let you know, a new Harry Shearer video is posted at link below: “The Final Silent Debate Obama vs McCain” www.mydamnchannel.com... Utter silence between Obama and McCain yet so much said. Harry provokes them with his probing questions.…check out Tom Brokaw. Cheers, Gary Savelson, Community Director, MyDamnChannel.com (10/24/08) "The people whining about the political stuff in the mailbag are actually more annoying than those posting the stuff in the first place." Excessive liberal drivel B.S. will not go unanswered, and DCRTV Dave does a fine job in fairness, yet he's a moderator who happens to be a big lib in his leanings, so he's not going to go "all out" to defend the likes of conservative radio talk show hosts, for example. If the political stuff happens to be intertwined with the media stuff, so be it! Who gives a sh*t? It's election season! P.S. Love ya, Dave! -Silvie- (10/24/08) Corporate Radio with its downsizing and cutting budgets to the bone while playing a tired format that was based upon spineless consultant recommendations have all contributed to the diluted former glory of FM radio. Now it looks as though they are out to dilute Sirius XM as well. www.orbitcast.com... If Sirius XM takes XM-12 off of their merged schedule that is rumored to be announced on November 15th, I’ll still have Zune, the well programmed and independent 97.7 The Rocket, all my favorite Texas Music Stations on the web along with these sites: www.pandora.com, www.last.fm and the one I am listening to as I type this--- www.slacker.com. Mel Karmizan doesn’t control my destiny. When my subscription is up if I am not happy with the new merged line-up I simply won’t re-up. (10/24/08) Is Tim Allen running the radio biz these days? HD radio does not work, cannot work, will not work, and the answer they're looking for is MORE POWER? Clue: CDs did not arrive on vinyl, and email did not arrive on a postcard--Digital radio is not going to work as long as it is crammed on top of the existing analog signals. We need a new radio band (it would only take a couple of the soon-to-be-abandoned TV channels) and a new digital codec that actually is usable and listenable. More power for the current mess just means fewer chances to listen to distant stations. ~~CA in BC (10/24/08) Dave's response: The whole economic model for HD Radio is supremely fucked. Radio stations are already struggling with the slumping economy to keep advertisers and listeners on their main analog channels. Think they're going to push listeners AWAY to a largely ad-free HD2 channel, even if it's their own? No way, Jose. That's why many of the HD2 and HD3 HD Radio channels sound "canned" and are largely unlistenable. Local radio suits run them only because they're ordered by "corporate" to do so..... The people whining about the political stuff in the mailbag are actually more annoying than those posting the stuff in the first place. Let the flow of the mailbag be what it is. The site is carefully edited by Dave and I think he does a great job moderating for fairness. Politics and media are so dependent on each other these days that they aren't that seperate. Quit whining about the political stuff and no need to cry endlessly that it's a media site, it's already well known. If you don't want to engage in it - then don't! How's that for fair? (10/24/08) Dave's response: DCRTV covers the DC market, and politics is big here. And, yes, in heated presidential campaigns, folks' passions spill over here in the Mailbag. Sit back and enjooooooy it..... Re: the Asslee Todd story, Mark Levin kept repeating last night "if this story proves true" and "if this alleged incident took place", and in no way did he ever state his own opinion on whether or not this incident happened. He just said that if things had been the other way around (black gal; white mugger -- think Duke Lacrosse stripper), it would have been plastered all over the news. The carved "B" looked suspicious from the get-go and Levin knew that from the start, as well as the fact that the gal refused medical assistance and a police photo of her face. Happy Weekend! -Silvie- (10/24/08) To clear-up the confusion about "guy wire" or "guide wire", I called Arthur Godfrey at his farm over in Leesburg, and here's what he replied: DCMemories.com (MP3 file) (10/24/08) Two things: Happening by C-Span radio, I was captured by a very interesting give and take between Congressman Waxman and Alan Greenspan as the House oversight committee questioned the former head of the Fed. Rarely does ideology come into play, but Greenspan dodged and excused himself from blame, as Waxman questioned how much if any did ideology blind Greenspan from acting on the sub-prime mess, as he was given an early heads up in 2000. Of course, Greenspan one of the original free marketeers, has formed his ideology in great part from the Objectivist teachings and ideology of Ayn Rand and her merry band of free thinkers. Therefore, it was amazing to hear Greenspan claim he had discovered a flaw in his ideology, in regards to the free market not having quite regulated itself as in theory it should have, leaving us with the current mess. He passed the buck, saying because the board had not seen any red flags, and although he personally had been made aware of concerns, nothing was kicked up to him, so he thought it unimportant. //// Second, nothing funnier than seeing John McCain squirm and look like the character Herbert Lom played in the old Pink Panther movies, when Palin goes on one of her Fargo-esque verbal solos during the interview Brian Williams did with both the candidates. My friends, it looks like Gramps and the NOVA grad when they are side by side. I fear life is imitating art, as I am reminded of the story of Chauncey Gardiner, the Peter Sellers character from the movie Being There. If somehow McCain squeaks a winner, it's almost a fait accompli that Palin will become President. But at least then we will know the apocalypse is near. (10/24/08) If Mark Levin did give a racial tinged diatribe last night over a hate crime towards Ashley liar Todd, he very well should apologize tonight and set the record straight as best he can. We wouldn’t want anyone to call Mr. Levin disingenuous, now would we? (10/24/08) For God's sake let's get back to the topic of broadcasting. This is NOT a political site. Radio/Television, rememember those two? I'll be so glad when this dang election is over. The site has turned into a liberal vs conservative battle ground. STOP IT ALREADY!!!!!! (10/24/08) (Snip) Why do weatherman give the temperature out of...listening/viewing area...(end snip). Washington, DC is a very migratory city. Everyone is from "somewhere else." People like to know what the weather is "back home." (10/24/08) Crybaby liberals need to get a life? Oh really, genius? Perhaps crybaby cons such as Ashley Todd need to 'get a life' instead of pulling Susan Smiths and Morton Downey Juniors on us. What say you about that, genius? Is Mark Levin gonna come on tonite and retract his insane diatribe about 'hate crimes' concerning this case or will he rage at Colin Powell for the sixty-seventh nite in a row? How about Plante? Do they have the cojones to admit that they were duped by their own prejudicial stupidity? Oh, and kudos to WJLA for exposing Joe McCain for being the miserable self-centered creep he is for abusing Alexandria's 911 service. Screw 'Joe the Plumber' - let's talk about 'Joe the Whiny Selfish Commuter'! Mike in Manassas (10/24/08) Liberals being bashed by Ron Smith and Bruce Elliott. Bill O'Relly getting slammed for bringing out the truth with such people as Barney Frank or is it Rubble. Liberals and others can bash Palin and McCain for everything under the sun, while Obama gets a free pass with his questionable associations with Rev Wright and Bill Ayres. Crybaby Liberals need to get a life! (10/24/08) Never take spelling advice from zombies. It's "guy wire". ~~CA in BC (10/24/08) Dave: I saw your link to the Joe the Plumber chat today. I just went on that site & read through it. Here are a few interesting tidbits: 1. McCain & Palin were at a campaign stop near Joe The Plumber's house, in Ohio, & did not invite him. 2. McCain is starting a "Joe The Plumber" campaign tour today in Florida. 3. It looks like Joe The Plumber was used by the McCain campaign for his name but his "services" are no longer needed. 4. Is it possible Joe The Plumber has been fired?????? Here's the specific Q& A I'm referring to: Sen. McCain is kicking off his "Joe The Plumber" tour, in Florida, today. What invitations have you received from the campaign to join them for campaign events before Election Day? by Washington, DC..... Answer: I did not receive an invitation and learned about it on the news only this morning. No one from either campaign has asked me to join them. I'm out to stick up for the regular folks..... (10/24/08) I thought JC Hayward was supposed to be retiring from WUSA sometime soon. However, she's still on the air. When exactly is she scheduled to leave? (10/24/08) We broke this news this morning and it's a long time coming: Victory! Verizon FiOS to offer NHL Network, Center Ice... sports.yahoo.com... Hope all is well. I left the Connection Newspapers for Yahoo! Sports in April, FYI. Greg Wyshynski, Editor - Puck Daddy, Yahoo! Sports Blogs (10/24/08) Dave. I am disappointed in you. With all the bragging you do about breaking stories first, you are very late on this. CBS has restructured the management here in Washington, DC and you have done nothing. Absolutely, positively nothing. Sam Rogers now conrols the market for CBS. Michael Hughes is demoted to Vice President of Programming by title only. His real job is day to day program director of The Globe. -- Brett (10/24/08) Dave's response: Jesus! How will I be able to go on with my life with your disappointment weighing me down. Goodbye cruel world. I think I'll go jump off the WNVC tower..... To: "gye-wire," Everybody says that, but it's really simple. GUIDE WIRE. Arthur Godfrey. (10/24/08) Why do weatherman always give the temperature for places out of listening and/or viewing area. Who cares what the temperature and humidity is in Podunk, Bugs knees or Waycross? LesinAdelphi (10/24/08) Interviewed on WMAL-AM was the designer who supplied Mrs. Clinton all her pants suits -- for free -- who said Mrs. Obama evidently is clothed by a Chicago designer, also for free. The designer said she couldn't understand why the Republicans were actually paying for clothes. There is probably not a politician in the country who does not charge many living, clothing, travel and other expenses to a "leadership PAC." And, of course, virtually all on-air personalities receive large clothing allowances. The news here would be the enthusiasm with which Gov. Palin was attacked, to imply that her's is some very unusual situation -- which it is not. PS: If you think she's not smart, you haven't met many politicians. Mark Twain was quite right. (10/24/08) Wanted to let you know about a "big event" in Merrifield this Sunday. Channel 56 will have a helicopter deliver a new antenna to the tower. The drop was scheduled for Saturday but will be delayed because of the expected heavy rain. Police have been notified since the site is right next to the beltway. If you have never seen this done before, it's an amazing but very dangerous process! The drop will be especially challenging because of the extensive "gye-wire" (have no idea how to spell that!) network on this particular tower. So Dave, instead of your usual trip to church on Sunday (LOL!) how about a tower antenna drop??? (10/24/08) Dave's response: Trip to church? The Cathedral Of Stephen Hawking..... It's been over six months, and I'm still having my Don & Mike withdrawal pains...somebody please help me find some entertaining afternoon radio somewhere in this black hole of Baltimore radio... Greg in Reisterstown (10/24/08) /\ October 24 Messages /\ \/ October 23 Messages \/ I was excited at the time when WETA switched back to classical in January of 2008 as WGMS did not fill the bill with all the commercials and short works and movements. Unfortunately WETA hired the WGMS program director Jim Allison and he continued with similar programming but at least they played complete works. At the time WETA promised to expand their programming beyond the warhorses when they integrated the donated WGMS music library. Unfortunately since then they continue to play the same pieces endlessly and play more single movements and short pieces. eg Prokofiev has written more than his "classical symphony" and there is a composer named Stravinsky. Rarely is a complete lengthy work heard except late at night. Kind of funny they have a blog which explores music that is not so mainstream, but will never be heard on WETA. Now I hope they go back to news as there is much better choices on the internet for classical music. Too bad I can't pick up WBJC for on air music. (10/23/08) Dave's response: Why doesn't WETA-FM run a "hardcore" classical channel on its HD2 and stream it on the website? Back when WGMS was around, it had a classical vocal/opera channel via the website and its HD2..... Re: Mark Plotkin Photo. It's just proof that he was even obnoxious and self important back in the day! (10/23/08) Dave's response: If they gave us a wider shot of the photo, you'd see a very young Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann up there dancing with Plotkin..... Dave said: "Take it off, Hockey Mom! Oh yeah...." Well, Dave, your dreams might come true if you watch the Larry Flynt newly-produced porn movie titled "Who's Nailin' Paylin'", a spoof on the GOP VP nominee, with a 'fascinating' plot (barf!) - two Russians driving tanks happen to 'run out of gas' in front of her house. The rest is up to your imagination. Can you imagine if they had done this sort of 'film' about Hillary or any other feminine and pretty Democratic woman? (Oops, my bad - no Dem pols fit that description). Here's a safe and clean 3-minute sampling of the "Paylin'" movie: www.youtube.com (10/23/08) 90.1 WCSP-FM sports 2 HD carriers in addition to the digital version of the main carrier. C-SPAN television coverage is heard on HD2, and C-SPAN 2 coverage on HD3. (10/23/08) Dave's response: Could not get it at my location in Reston. In my HD Radio piece, I made note of HD Radio offerings no longer offered OR not receivable at my location..... Hey Michael in MD, perhaps you need to watch Hardball a bit more closely. Matthews has been kicking some serious GOP ass lately... just look at how he excoriated that bimbo Nancy Phuckenhofer or whatever the hell her name is last night for starters. Bitch-slapped her silly. Tweety is a lib, no question about it. Thing is he takes on BOTH sides on his show but he is a lib. Oh, and to the whiner whining about my namecalling: get over yourself. Yeah, I call stupid bloated white cons names, so what? Hell, I learned it from them. If they dish it out then they damn well better be able to take it in return. Quit subscribing to double standards, whiner. (10/23/08) Dave's response: Matthews ripped Rush a new one on Monday regarding the radio talk titan's criticism of Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama..... Bulletin! Bulletin! I don't know if ANY of you nimrods heard "The Rest of the Story," on WMAL or everywhere else but, Mrs. Palin's wardrobe will be auctioned off after the election, with ALL of the proceeds going for charity... not just the profits. Now... how about a nice big cup of Shut the F Up??? M. Marceau (10/23/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I heard that she's going to wear the clothes into the auction room and take them off in front of everyone. Take it off, Hockey Mom! Oh yeah..... Please stop calling Chris Matthews a lefty. Have you ever watched "Hardball?" Just because Barack Obama gives him a thrill up his leg does not mean he is a liberal or a lefty. Matthews admits to supporting the very conservative Republican Michael Steele for the Senate in Maryland, loves Tom DeLay and G. Gordon Liddy and Rush Limbaugh, doesn't seem to like liberal women in politics very much, and believes in gender and ethnic stereotypes no "lefty" would ever admit to believing (even if they did). He has moved to the right since his days on Capitol Hill, and is now center-right, with a special place in his heart for the macho, tough guys of the GOP. Michael in Maryland (10/23/08) Dave's response: I watch Matthews nightly and, trust me, he's a lefty. He may admire Liddy and Limbaugh and Pat Buchanan, he doesn't agree with them on most issues..... The Ron Smiths and Bruce Elliotts of the world are always quick to point out that when Liberals can't make a substantial argument, they consistently resort to name calling. Thanks to Mike in Manassas for keeping the stereotype alive. "intelligent fact-laden discourse"? I think not. Geez, Dave, if you insist on letting the politics go, can you at least clean it up? (10/23/08) kinds 60's like we would see back then, they need to cut it down to 3:05 though. www.garrettandwestcott.com (10/23/08) Thought you uys might find these shots of DC'ers following the 1912 World Series before radio! www.bostonsportsmedia.com (10/23/08) "The point is that the RNC paid for Palin's wardrobe." At least they're putting money back into the economy. How come the point is to compare what Obie's wife does or doesn't do compared to Palin, as said she's not running for office. But when corrected it's not the point anymore? Why they hell does it matter, the Campaigns pay for McCain, Obama and Bidens shit, but it's a big deal because Palin is a women. Once again gotta to love the sexist liberal loving media. (10/23/08) Dave's response: If Sarah Palin had gone to Target, should probably could have bought as many duds for probably 90 percent less donor dough..... Andy and Grandy never have talked about Mrs. Clinton's wardrobe costs nor Michelle Obama's wardrobe and makeover. Maybe they have not talked about it because the left-loving media never bothered to research how much the campaigns are paying out for either of them. Mrs. Obama is not even a candidae, but her clothing costs well exceed $100,000 according to some blog reports. Oh well, Obama will bring us change, and that is exactly what will be left in our pockets after he brings socialism to the U.S.A. I cannot wait for three hour long visits to the doctor for a standard check-up. (10/23/08) Dave's response: The point is not how much she paid for the duds, although Fox News did once make a big deal of John Edwards getting $400 haircuts, which he paid for himself. The point is that the RNC paid for Palin's wardrobe. As even Rush pointed out today, many designers would have given Palin the clothes for free just for the publicity..... Well, Grandy and Andy are the closest thing to 'decency' WMAL has - and that's being generous. At least those two have balls, unlike the rest of that small station's crew. What a bunch of castrated cowardly bums. It's really simple, boyz. Allow equal access to debate on your shows and you may actually begin to grow those jewels back. Quit hiding behind your minimum-wage screeners. I won't be holding my breath though cuz you righties really are a bunch of whiny little pussies who cannot handle intelligent fact-laden discourse. Oh, and to you Mark Levin - how did it feel to have an Obama rally within earshot of your 'bunker' last nite? How did it feel to have approx. 30,000 'commie' Virginians converge on 'real America' Leesburg, you miserable long-suffering asshole? Oh that's right, comme d'habitude, you won't comment on it... naaah, you'll just keep your ugly puss buried in your ass comme d'habitude. Can't wait to hear you on Nov. 5! Mike in Manassas (10/23/08) I for one will be real happy when this mud slinging campaign is finally over..I just wish all the media would get back to what was taught over the years, and that means report only facts with NO bias! Media Issues, Media Issues!!! (10/23/08) Looking at that picture of Plotkin. Looks like he couldn't get a date. Some things never change. (10/23/08) Did anyone else notice that the high intensity strobes on the WNVC/WJFK/WJZW tower were out this morning? Coming around the inner loop from Alexandria I noticed only two, fairly dim marker lights on the tower around 6:45AM - not the normal high intensity strobes that I'm used to seeing. With all of the helicopter crashes lately, it would seem that brighter lights are a good thing. - Jeremy in Alexandria (10/23/08) Great throwback photo of Plotkin with Four Tops - www.wtopnews.com This week on "The Post Politics Program with Ed O'Keefe and Emily Freifeld"... Emily speaks with Travis Fox about his washingtonpost.com "Hard Times" series and Nebraska's Gov. Dave Heineman as part of our "50 States 50 Governors" series. Then, from New Hampshire, Ed O'Keefe and David Broder speak with Sen. John Sununu (R) and Fmr. Gov. Jeanne Shaheen (D) about their ultra-competitive Senate race, and rematch of their 2002 faceoff. "The Post Politics Program" airs Thursdays and weekends on XM's POTUS '08, Channel 130. Don't have XM? Click on the "Post Politics Program" link at PostPolitics.com to hear it. (10/23/08) It has come to this. Even though I complained about it at the time, I now long for the days when I could come to DCRTV and read about Tim Russerts’ chair being stolen and/or missing. We were all so carefree and happy about the world then – just like it should be. Could we PLEASE stop posting all of the political crap here? That’s why I get my news from the Junkies and Big O and Dukes…they don’t give it like it’s life or death, it’s just another story in the day. Props to them. (10/23/08) Dave's response: Every political season, politically-related posts increase here in the Mailbag. I am trashing the ones that don't make reference to media issues..... Hey, radio production rats! Betcha NOW you wish you learned how to use Samplitude instead of ProTools: washingtondc.craigslist.org. Check out what they're paying. (10/23/08) "Where was their story on Biden's comments during the debate that the VP was not part of the Congress and solely an Executive branch office?" Clearly Silvie has shown he's a supporter of John McCain, so I understand why he thinks the media is unfair towards Palin. I would answer to Silvie that at times the media has been unfair towards Palin and the GOP and other times their criticism has been fair game. In this case, I agree with Silvie that she's talking to a third grader and the AP probably unfairly made this a story. But Silvie, you're wrong about Biden in the debate. He said, "The primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there's a tie vote. The Constitution is explicit." As far as Palin goes, Troopergate is fair game, just like Obama's past associations with Ayers and Rezko are fair game. It's up to the voters to decide whether past associations, the economy or foreign policy matters the most. (10/23/08) Dave's response: I included the above because it made reference to Silvie and the AP. But, I'm still getting too many all-political posts that I end up trashing. Politics is OK, but your post must focus on media issues..... Speaking of WMAL's weaker signal, now with the sun coming up after 7AM, driving in from WV, I can't get WMAL or WFMD in the mornings. WBZ out of Boston is still coming in strong, but none of the local stations. (10/23/08) It's very entertaining to watch all the Reds on this site send posts that they're too frightened to sign (worried about the KGB?). And, all the Righty's seem to have NO problem signing theirs! I, for one, can't imagine Chris Matthews as a Redneck OR embracing his Bible and gun simultaneously. Where would he hold the mirror to preen? If you kids liked Gitmo, wait'll you see the inside of the Gulags! Comrade Dave (10/23/08) Hi - I recently added DCRTV to my RSS reader but the stories show up with no headline. It makes it very difficult to read (or, to decide which ones to read). If you can change it so the stories do have headlines, it would be much easier on your readers! Thanks, Mark (10/23/08) /\ October 23 Messages /\ \/ October 22 Messages \/ Dave, I can remember the time when 632 came roaring into Hanover day and night. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (10/22/08) I too remember back in the 70's, 680 would come in Hanover daytime and night time. JohnnyuinHanoverpa. (10/22/08) To the "Hardball" viewer: The VP is President of the Senate, so Palin’s comment is not unreasonable, though not completely accurate. It is certainly a lot closer to the truth than Obama’s lies about Ayers and his tax plan. Palin was framing her answers in words a third grader might understand -- ‘in charge of’ instead of ‘preside over’. Obviously she used words too big for ABC, CNN and others to understand as well. Where was their story on Biden's comments during the debate that the VP was not part of the Congress and solely an Executive branch office? -Silvie- (10/22/08) I just got through watching Nancy Pfotenhauer try to defend Sarah Palin's lack of understanding of the veep's duties on "Hardball" and I almost feel sorry for her. Between her and Heather Wilson - these ladies are doing the worst possible job of propping up the GOP ticket on TV. Rep. Wilson looks - and sounds - like a 50's era Sunday school teacher, and neither one of them seem to be able to get the grins off their faces - are their chairs vibrating? (10/22/08) Dave's response: Chris Matthews gets a bit too much pleasure giving verbal abuse to beautiful but air-headed GOP chicks, doncha think..... The analog signals are NOT going to be turned off, as the TV Newsday article indicates. As reported yesterday in Broadcasting & Cable, "The New York test will feature a two minute shutdown of the normal analog feed between 5:59 and 6:01 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28. To start the test, three beeps will be heard and a message will appear on television screens informing the viewer that their television is not ready for the digital transition. The message also will direct viewers to www.dtv.gov, the federal government’s information site about the conversion, or to a helpline at 1-877 DTV-5353." Also reported, "Subsequent one minute tests will take place in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, December 2, and two 30-minute tests will be conducted in Hartford on Wednesday, December 3." Full article at www.broadcastingcable.com... Larry @ CBS (10/22/08) Dave, you mentioned cuts are coming at Channel 4. So what do your sources say who will hit possibility the door? Krebs, Collins, Michaels, Ryan, Gentzler, Rieger, Vance, Kierein, Sherwood, and finally Harrison? scott in alexandria (10/22/08) Dave's response: I think it has a lot to do with whose contract comes due when. With the short-termers being in the most danger..... FYI to the person replying to my post: Obama dances again for Ellen - show taped from Miami on Tuesday, Oct. 21st - ap.google.com -Silvie (10/22/08) So everybody has to be home on Dec 2 and check all analog channels on all TV's in less than a minute???? (10/22/08) Although this whole issue illustrates the silly season that is upon us, the segment about Obama/Generes occurred yesterday. Ellen was in Californis; Obama was in Texas at a rally in what appears to be a gym. He noted that his numbers had gone up after the first occasion. She asked if he would dance again, and he danced all of about five seconds in place. You pros and cons need to get a life; one reason why DCRTV has become unreadable over the last couple of weeks. Shawn in DC (10/22/08) Once again Silvie gets the facts wrong. The segment of Obama dancing on Ellen was not taped yesterday, it first aired months ago. Also, Chad Dukes has gotten censored twice in 2 days on WJFK. Yesterday he was on the Mike O'Meara show and referred to the podcast of the disastrous Richard Lewis appearance from Friday's show. One of the Buzz babes complained about not getting enough attention/air time while Lewis was in studio, and you could tell O'Meara was not happy with the interruption. Whatever Chad said about the incident was immediately dumped by O'Meara. Then this morning, Chad was on the Junkies show and they were talking about Halloween costumes. Chad mentioned that he was thinking of going as Don Geronimo, because Don was . . . and that's when the dump button was hit. It's no secret that Chad fancies himself as the heir apparent to Donnie G., when O'Meara finally retires Dukes really wants that time slot and big fat paycheck. (10/22/08) Not to sound too much like Joe Biden here, but I guarantee that Chris Matthews will run for Senate if Al Franken wins his Senate race in Minnesota. Also, if Obama also wins, Chris won't have as much to rant about. (10/22/08) “does Andy Harris not have even a single TV ad? The only time his face is seen or his name is mentioned is in a Frank Kratovil ad.” Where have you been?? His ads are running 24/7 here in Harford Co. (oops, just threw up a little in my mouth) “The guy's just letting himself get beat to a pulp” We can only hope! (10/22/08) "When O'Reilly and Olbermann die, they'll have to spend eternity in a locked, empty, window-less room together. Just the two of them. Forever." They'll be trapped inside that corridor forever. At each other's throats throughout time. Is it such a large price to pay for the safety of two universes? Lazarus (10/22/08) Dave, As the World Series begins tonight on FOX5 and Fox 45 many experts think that with Tampa Bay taking on Philadelphia this could be the lowest rated series of all time. In fact that if the World Series does not go at least 5 games that FOX who has sold out the Fall Classic would have to give back some money to the advertisers. But despite the doom and gloom predictions. FOX Sports Sports President Ed Goren tells me he is optimistic and that with the feel good story of the Rays he thinks that nay sayers are in for a suprise and points to the Rays-Red Sox game seven on Sunday night that was cable's top rated baseball game of all time and beat the NBC Sunday Night Football game. Lots on the line...Will FOX Prez Goren be right? Or will the 2008 World Series be the worst ratings disaster in sports history? we find out tonight....Also radio will be on ESPN and XM-Sirius. www.dcexaminer.com -- Cheers, Jim (10/22/08) (regarding Dave's response) "When O'Reilly and Olbermann die, they'll have to spend eternity in a locked, empty, window-less room togther. Just the two of them. For eternity....." And dvrtv.com will be there to bring you all the action and for all the breaking news! Well, I'm not saying Dave's going to Hell. Some of his sources, maybe - but not Dave! (10/22/08) Dave's response: Hey, I'm sure Hell features many more interesting people than Heaven does..... Question about the Kratovil vs. Harris race for Congress....does Andy Harris not have even a single TV ad? The only time his face is seen or his name is mentioned is in a Frank Kratovil ad. The guy's just letting himself get beat to a pulp, with no counter punching. What's that all about? (10/22/08) Ugh! Can the mainstream media (all news channels, local & national) please stop it already with the "Obama-will-visit-his-gravely-ill-grandmother-in-Hawaii-later-this-week"? We've been hearing this since Sunday afternoon. Apparently, Grandma Dunham must be feeling better if Barack is dancing today on "Ellen", in a segment taped yesterday. If she has a broken hip and was hospitalized last week, wouldn't it had been logical for her grandson to wish her well during his debate with McCain last Wed., and perhaps leave for Oahu right after the debate to see her? But no. Like everything Barack does, there needs to be a 5-day media 'build-up' to this visit (especially after spending 3 days in 'senior citizen land', Florida). Even my 97 y/o grandma in Puerto Rico said to me this morning that Barack is a wonderful grandson who takes the time from running for President to travel across one hemisphere to see his grandma (making me feel guilty?) First my son said last week that he wants Barack to be his 'daddy' and now my grandma wishes she had Barack as her 'grandson'. Unreal. Prayers up, Ms. Dunham! -Silvie- (10/22/08) Awwww...O'Reilly is only going to distort facts and lie and act like the pompous asshole he is only on Fox after his radio contract expires??? What a shame. I liked the article in the Post. Only thing being ''smeared'' is the vasoline on his Rupert Murdoch dildo. Him AND Oberman on MSNBC deserve each other. Paul (10/22/08) Dave's response: When O'Reilly and Olbermann die, they'll have to spend eternity in a locked, empty, window-less room together. Just the two of them. Forever..... I like the fact that hockey ratings are up and the Caps ARE an incredibly attractive and exciting team to root for. But as a DC sports fan, I would happier if ALL the local teams were doing well. On another point, I have never, ever experienced the degree of unapologetic media bias in favor of a presidential candidate that has occurred this year in favor of Obama. The elite media is always biased but many of them have, in the past, tried to exercise some journalistic integrity. But not this year. The constant bashing of McCain and Palin, while giving Obama and Biden a free pass, has been truly remarkable, and has done a great disservice to the country. (10/22/08) "Johanna, 28, who lives in the District, and Ashlie, 22, who hails from the nation's capital." Ah, aren't they the same place? Hmmm....." Dave, you just pooped that one out, didn't you? Johanna lives here, and Ashlie is FROM here. That's what the words mean. Let's all try to keep up, shall we? - Trinity Asian Coed (10/22/08) Dave's response: Got it. Now explain the "Tea Bag" reference in your e-mail address..... Back in the early 1970's, I could drive around Westminster listening to 1260. It's been a very long time since anyone could do that. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (10/22/08) Dave's response: I remember when 630 came in flawless at night here in Wild West Fairfax. No longer..... At least a decade ago the signal strength from 1260 would make major jumps on very windy days. There never seems to have been a concerted effort to really fix the array. (10/22/08) John McCain was on with Imus about a half hour ago. I'll need to listen to it again when I get the podcast later, but McCain seemed pretty erratic. One minute he's ranting like a crazy man and the next, he's calmly reading off talking points. And, at no point, did he ever really answer any of the questions that Imus asked. Erratic, ranting, robot-like and evasive - yeah, that's what we need in a president! I think the only newsworthy moment in the call was when McCain claimed to have been "on the deck" in a plane, all set to get the word to drop explosive devices onto Cuba 46 Octobers ago. Oh, and there's that Palin woman ... (10/22/08) Dave's response: As I said before, Palin has morphed into Edna Boil in my mind..... To NW DC 1260 Listener...the WWRC antenna site has been a mess for years. According to the FCC website, the station is running at reduced power under a special temp authority and has been since 2006. (10/22/08) Re: "I can’t believe the Tantum statement about Clear Channel neglecting their AM stations." And I can't believe you're defending this statement using information about WTEM vs. Triple X. It's pretty obvious that by "neglecting", Mr. Tantum was talking about the two AM stations under his programming control, WTNT and WWRC. I'm pretty sure he's not involved in ESPN 980's programming. WTEM was the only DC market AM station CC did NOT "neglect". Oh, and about this: "Tantum has already shown what he is made of with his Bonneville failure --- 3 sticks, no ratings." You really tab the 3WT situation to the PD? And completely ignore the other conditions surrounding that station, its creation, available programming and whatever of those Bonneville resources were or weren't available to it? Do you really think another "wonder programmer" could have come in and done better in that situation? Tell us, what talk radio stations do YOU program, and what would YOU have done with 3WT? You show ignorance of radio and of the market...sorry. (10/22/08) Dave... Wanted to pass along that Bill Headline, who was CNN-DC Bureau Chief for many years has passed away. Here's the Tuesday note from CNN's Sr. VP and current Bureau Chief David Bohrman "For those of you who have not yet heard the sad news, former CNN DC Bureau Chief Bill Headline has passed away. Bill was one of the legends of Washington journalism, having carved out a successful career in the broadcast network world before coming to the cable upstart CNN. Bill ran the DC operation in two locations here in town, and is responsible for hiring many of the great people who work here today. Jim Barnett tells me he recently saw Bill, who was always asking about the scoop and gossip concerning the bureau. I got to know Bill many years ago while I was at ABC and NBC.. And every December he would try to attend a lunch with some former special events producers have in New York... His memories of CNN were fond and the stories he told were great...He was ALWAYS asking about CNN, the bureau and the politics! We will pass on any word of funeral arrangements when we know. His wife requests no calls just now.. And If you were ever wondering why there is an old typewriter outside of my office, it is because of Bill. He never trusted the computers to fully work... And knew that it would always be good to have something trusted to fall back on. (10/22/08) Man there are a lot of Redskins haters here in DC. ESPN 980 isn't shoving the Redskins down anyone throats they talk about the other teams here in DC.I would think people would would be thrilled about having a team that was 5-2 but I guess people won't allow themselves to enjoy that because of their hatred of Dan Snyder. (10/22/08) /\ October 22 Messages /\ \/ October 21 Messages \/ According to the FCC website Red Zebra is the licensee of WTEM and WWRC so the sale must have closed. I can’t believe the Tantum statement about Clear Channel neglecting their AM stations. They (Clear Channel) always seemed to beat the2 FM 1 AM Red Zebra Sports network, and in the recent Arbitron the Red Zebra Sports network did not even show --- while WTEM showed with a 1.3, a book that was really Clear Channel’s --- the earlier .7 for Triple X has vanished. If Greg Tantum has to study the personal people meter to decide what shows to air on WTNT the future for WTNT is bleak. WTNT needs local shows and select syndication. Tantum has already shown what he is made of with his Bonneville failure --- 3 sticks, no ratings. And what the hell is he thinking with Mancow in the afternoon? Mancow’s show is live in the morning. As I have said in the past Red Zebra management is in over its head. The CEO is a programmer, he’s never managed a radio station and the PD is a news director who has just failed with DC’s best resources (Bonneville) at his disposal. Dan, it’s going to be a long winter ---keep your checkbook handy, these stations will make no money anytime soon. (10/21/08) a condition of the sale...clearchannel must repair the wwrc array back to near perfect operational status. This includes repairing the ground system, repairing issues with the towers and resolving issues with the land use tenants on the property. They have one year to get it completed. CC retained ownership of the brookville rd property and towers...and RZ 1260 is just a tenant on the property. (10/21/08) Here's some news about Susan Monday who was part of "The Chris Core Show" on WMAL in 2000-2001. from The Philadelphia Inquirer: "More cuts at CBS Radio nationally. Newly out: WPHT (1210) afternoon and evening newser Susan Monday, who had a side job doing special events for Chaddsford Winery." (10/21/08) incorrect... red zebra is the owner/operator of the stations. the transfer has already been completed... (10/21/08) I'm able to get to the website for Progressive Talk 1260, but the WTNT site is still broken. As for 1260's site, it has a lot of broken links and still has a Clear Channel copyright. Is Clear Channel still running the station? (10/21/08) Dave's response: Technically, the stations are still owned by Clear Channel, pending FCC approval to transfer their licenses to Dan Snyder's Red Zebra. He is operating/running the stations under a lease agreement, in the meantime..... "Dave, The Caps ratings are good and we are one of the we are among the few cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo where the NHL out rates Major League Baseball." Of course the Nationals, Detroit Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates all finished in last place this year, whereas the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals to cap off a season that saw the Capitals reach the playoffs for the first time sine 2003. Nonetheless, it's encouraging to find Washington lumped in with three traditional hockey markets (two of them on the Canadian border). One would hope that local TV and radio outlets will ramp up their Caps coverage before long, as some have shown signs of doing. I've noticed that Comcast SportsNet has been working some Capitals features into its Redskins pregame programming - definitely a good idea for cross promotion to a football fan base only a fraction of which follows hockey closely. You wonder whether those media types who've been saying for years that hockey will never be more than a fringe sport in DC (such as Tony Kornheiser and Andy Pollin) will admit they were wrong. Probably not.Pollin - the Caps could win the Cup and he'd find some minor Redskins player transaction to lead off 980's Sports Reporters the next day. Speaking of Reporters, that "reveling in the Cowboys' misery" caller segment yesterday was totally uncalled for. Celebrate your own team's success all you want, but NEVER derive joy from someone else's misfortune - it's classless and juvenile (although hardly surprising on a show that Steve Czaban's part of). Mike, Fairfax (10/21/08) What about people casting a vote AGAINST the hot air bags known as CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOSTS? Some days I wanna take up a petition in the name of ACORN and sign up people (yea I know the deadline has passed....) to vote for OBAMAB., Just to piss the old white guys off. hhhrumpph........ Maybe I will cast my one single vote for the man (10/21/08) Dave, I do not understand Jim Williams comparison. Buffalo does not have a Major League baseball team like the other cities you mentioned have. Buffalo has a AAA minor league team not a MLB team. The other cities you mentioned though brings no surprise their NHL teams has better ratings than the MLB teams. All those cities are hockey towns first. (10/21/08) I was not aware that Buffalo had an MLB team. They have a minor league team, but I would hope that hockey would outdraw them. (10/21/08) Dave's response: The Buffalo Russerts. Oh, nevermind..... What happened to the Web sites for 570 and 1260? I can't get to either one. And if Red Zebra is acknowledging that Clear Channel has neglected these two stations, does that mean they plan on restoring 1260's signal to what it should be? I live in Northwest D.C., and I should be able to pull in a flawless signal on 1260 day or night, but it always sounds like a distant signal at my house. It's nothing like it was even a decade ago. -jason (10/21/08) "MSNBC = OBAMA 08"; no, no I didn't mean the various 'panel/talking heads' are in the tank/drinking the kool-aid for "That One"... Its just the various hosts (i.e. annoying, loud-mouth bitch MIKA...) and way too may MSNBC hosts are. By-The-Gods!!! I LOVE PAT BUCHANAN!! = he is a lost voice of reason for us few, common-sense, historic, patriotic Americans... (dose anyone in DCRTV Land have any old BUCHANA FOR PRESIDENT stuff?) ~kinky-neo-con :-) (10/21/08) Dave, The Caps ratings are good and we are one of the we are among the few cities like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo where the NHL out rates Major League Baseball. www.dcexaminer.com... Cheers, Jim (10/21/08) I was one of those taken aback when I saw that photo of the late Jack Valenti supposedly in attendance at the Italian American dinner. Of course in the 2006 photo, Valenti looked in much better shape than Mel Brooks or Alan Alada, so it is hard to imagine that he's not still around, attending such functions. Nice to see that Gina Lollobrigida is very much alive at 82. David in Hyattsville (10/21/08) Dave's response: I wonder if the Post reported that Mel's wife Ann Bancroft accompanied him to this year's dinner? What the heck - Ann recently passed away, too..... Is it just me, or does anyone else find the Cox cable slightly sexist?..It's the one where the husband talks about getting his wife Cox phone service for her birthday because HE'S the one who pays the bills and that she's always on the phone..And what's up with her bragging to her friends and family about this?.When did phone service become such a great gift?..It's not as though she's going to be the only one using the phone..Why not just have him say it's a good deal instead of Mr. Macho acting as though he's giving his wife such a great gift?..But, I guess to each his own.. (10/231/08) (regarding a previous post) "It won't be very long indeed until you are checking your car radio for email. The technology exists." Hell, I'd settle for a car radio that just offered entertaining and engaging programming. Besides, the email would probably be some annoying pitch for penny stocks or boner pills. (10/21/08) Dave, I'm still trying to figure out what's going on with 570 WTNT. In recent days, I've heard this lineup: Bill Bennett from 5-9; Laura Ingraham from 9-12; Mancow from 12-3; Monica Crowley from 3-6 and Michael Savage from 6-10. Don't know where Dennis Miller figures in all of this. I've heard ads for Crowley's show numerous times, so I think she's permanent there now. Have a great day, -Silvie- (10/21/08) Dave, You may have this down already on your Rants radar. This morning on "Grandy and Andy" (or "Grandy and Parky", as I call it) the trio was bemoaning the reimposition of the Fairness Doctrine under an Obama administration. Grandy maintained it would mandate that stations have local programing, even when the public didn't want such shows. He failed to mention that's already the case on his sad station between 5:30 and 9:a.m. (10/21/08) Dave's response: I did hear that. Yeah, wouldn't it be horrible if a local medium like radio had more local programming! It seems that Grandy's been eating too many of those Citadel-tainted Cheerios. Here's my prediction for WMAL: Grandy and Andy get fired in early 2009, to be replaced with Imus, who'll have a "health incident" and be replaced by Chris Plante and Silvie from Waldorf..... Pilot's "Magic" was interrupted about six times by satellite/digital break-up at about 11 AM on True Oldies 105.9. Way to go! (10/21/08) So,,,the advertising is working then. It won't be very long indeed until you are checking your car radio for email. The technology exists. It is more a matter of putting it together on a chip, putting it a receiver and getting you to buy it. (10/21/08) To the MSNBC poster: I differ with your views. For example, the "Morning Joe" panel this morning mentioned that the Obama camp is "furious" with Joe Biden and has yanked him from the campaign trail (re: his 'America will be attacked in 2009' remarks'). Not everyone at MSNBC is singing from Obama's sheet music. (10/21/08) High-visibility safety vests for reporters and camera crews on federally-funded roads (virtually all interstates) are mandatory as of next month. Since you have to buy them, you might as well stick your call letters on them and let them do double duty as marketing tools. www.nab.org (10/21/08) Same problem with JFK along I-95 from Ft Belvoir to Dumfries/Montclair in pm drive. 106.7 is practically unlistenable through Woodbridge, slightly (but not all that much) better south of the truck scales. The whole sound is annoying, garbled and incomprehensible- a prefect compliment for Mike O'Meara and the rest of the idiots on what used to be a relatively entertaining radio show. 90.9, here I come! Genghis Cohen, still pining for the fjords in mild and cooling Prince William County…. (10/21/08) Its great to see all of the MSNBC staff (i.e. stuck-up DC & NYC liberal reporters) fall in line & proclaim OBAMA's coronation already! -HA (10/21/08) Re: "And also stop saying 'on ESPN 980 and ESPN 980.COM'. We get it, you have a website which streams your content live." Just about every news/talk/sports radio station in the nation now continually plugs its website on almost every station imaging piece. Not just WTEM. It's almost enough to make you start checking your car radio for E-Mail... (10/21/08) Dave...we will know a lot more about Citadel in early 2009.. They have a BIG note due. Can they pay it? I sure don't know... but I would have to think bankruptcy is a real possibility. Not a sermon... but reality. They bought VERY high, at the exact wrong time... and have run the company very poorly since, making knee-jerk reaction decisions from the boardroom not on the ground. My guess? They will be forced to sell off some assets in order to live another day. (10/21/08) Is Channel 9 trying to compete with “The View” with their all-female anchor lineups? If Derek McGinty is leaving the 11pm show, they will not have a male anchor at the desk for any of their evening newscasts. I’m not sexist at all, but I think the newscasts flow better when you have a male and a female co-anchoring, and I don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing at Broadcast House. I don’t sense any chemistry at all between Lesli and Anita and I can’t imagine that they’d pair them for another newscast. Surely they can find some better talent SOMEWHERE. Just when it seemed like they were holding their own, they can Todd McDermott and shuffle their entire lineup. Also, I doubt that there’s another market in this country with a solo anchor on their main evening newscast like 9’s now doing at 6pm. The new anchor lineup sucks and I’m now done watching WUSA for good. So long! (10/21/08) Would someone please tell me why the reporters on ABC 7 are forced to say, "Live from the Montgomery County Mobile Newsroom in I'm XXX, ABC 7 News?" It sounds like a tongue twister, ever reporter seems to screw it up, and honestly, it sounds silly. I actually get a little giddy when someone is in Montgomery County, just because I know they are going to fudge it up. Drop it, we know it is a key demographic area in the DC, we aren't STUPID. Instead why don't you say, "Sexy Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore in Montgomery County, I'm XXX ABC 7 News." It makes about as much sense. (10/21/08) /\ October 21 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....