Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - October 31 to November 7, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ November 7 Messages \/ "If they could air Hitler speeches 24 hours a day and make a mint, they'd do it." -- That's the History Channel! --GAB in the Airless Cubicle (11/7/08) It's understandable Kirk and Mark would get it; also understandable the Junks might get it. Neither team did very well. But Marc Clark? Didn't he have, like, a 9 share in morning drive? That's on the same level wanting to get rid of Brian and O'Brien at B104 when it had a 9.7 and a million cume because Jim Fox didn't want to pay their salaries anymore. Stunning. BTW, did anyone see Bill Figenshu's "open letter" in All-Access today? (11/7/08) Dave's response: I think Radio One dropped the top-rated Marc Clarke because they have no urban commercial competition in Baltimore. If you're in Baltimore and want to listen to an urban station not owned by Radio One, you have to listen to out-of-market PGC or HUR. If, say, CBS still had urban on Balto's 105.7, I bet RO would never have canned Clarke..... So when will NBC/MSNBC change its name officially to OBAMA TV? (11/7/08) So, is Donnie G living in Ocean City now?..And is he still with his girlfriend?..And is Mike O'Meara still with his gal? (11/7/08) THE FCC NEEDS TO REVOKE THIS AM RADIO LICENSE ASAP FOR CLEAR VIOLATION OF FCC RULES...... fjallfoss.fcc.gov... ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, IS 10 YEARS OF NOT OPERATING A PERMANENT TRANSMISSION SITE AND NOT SERVING THE PUBLIC NOT SUFFICIENT GROUNDS TO TERMINATE A RADIO LICENSE?!?!?!?!? THIS IS THE PUBLIC'S AIRWAVES DAMNIT!!!!!!!! Washington's WWRC AM 1260 could possibly have a better signal today if they didn't have to protect this loser station that probably broadcasts from a TEMP CHICKEN COOP. This station has been sold every time its SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY permit has expired for the sole purpose of warehousing the frequency for a period of OVER 10 YEARS! The FCC NEEDS TO BAN the warehousing of AM frequencies. It would help clean up the AM dial and resolve the signal problems of many stations. Enough is enough, 10 YEARS OF NOT BROADCASTING AS LICENSED IS ENOUGH, DO SOMETHING FCC! DENY THIS APPLICATION PLEASE FCC! (11/7/08) What-the-fuck-chuck? I just spent two weeks in 'central Asia' on a 'govt. business'; no email, no DCRTV, no internet porn... Got home to Langley, VA Sunday night 2am. Woke up Monday and was driving upto Ft. Meade to check-in. Tuned in that mess of a station 1057fm to kill time and It Turns to 'Sports Talk'??? Cool being able to hear Ed Norris again. Good to hear those losers 'kirk&mark' are gone, as is that uppity racist 'troy johnson' and that out-of-touch blow-hard 'mike pisstack'. Thanks to the 1057fm crash & CBSradio screwing up again I have rediscovered NPR and smart radio :-) thanks CBSradio... ~"kinky-neo-con" (11/7/08) (WTNT 570 as of Thursday night, not only has yet to retire its McCain identity ("A vote for McCain is a vote for McCain 570!", heard Thursday night), but ran a replay of the Lars Larson show that originally aired prior to election day ("Here's why you shouldn't vote for Obama")> Didn’t their new PD say recently that Clear Channel basically “ignored the stations?”) Doesn’t seem like the new regime is paying much attention either! (11/7/08) Almost no chance in hell WAGE will stay Leesburg-local at 50,000 watts for several reasons........... The owner of WAGE and WBIS s is shutting down Baltimore's WBIS 1190 to upgrade a much smaller station, WAGE 1200. Even using the Bush fuzzy math system, it's easy to see that the loss of income from the shutdown of WBIS, even if its not all that much, would have to be able to be offset by increased income at the new WAGE 1190, and thats not even including the costs of building the 50,000 watt monster signal. This is one of the reasons I've predicted WAGE ends up having a 10-20kw nighttime signal. Anything less than that would doom the station to a local-Leesburg status money-wise and make the whole upgrade not worth the money. The cost of this upgrade simply can't allow that. It's just that simple. There is a caveat however. Danny Snyder kicked the tires on almost the same property practically, but couldn't get FCC approval for AM 730 near Dulles due to the damned Canadians. Is it possible some OTHER DC AM station might want to diplex their signal from this interesting Dulles/Sterling location? It is a perfect shoot to the coast signal location for the DC market. Oh, and the other thing not yet mentioned previously is this is more bad news for WCBM 680 / WVIE 1370 as WBIS was going to diplex their signal from the WVIE 1370 nighttime location in a previous FCC constructin permit that was never built. That potential income to the WCBM owners (the Mangione family) is now gone for good. Along with the death of WCBM's owner and the creation of WJZ-AM-FM-TV and 105.7 The Fan, let's just say it's not been a good month for WCBM/WVIE or a good roll-out for FOXSports 1370. I cannot imagine all these Baltimore sports talk stations surviving. The only question now is, who's gonna hold out longer? It's gonna be a long winter too for WNST 1570 with their terrible nighttime signal. I sure hope Nasty Nestor has cashed that Brian Billick check already! :-) (11/7/08) "Left wing talk has never had a chance to compete on a level playing field in the DC area. It seems the suits at talk stations with strong signals will not allow any left wing shows on their stations" ----- Uhhh .... Will not allow? WTF? Private businesses, including radio stations, are in the business of making money. Period. If they could air Hitler speeches 24 hours a day and make a mint, they'd do it. Station managers will air what makes a proft. No one listens to left wing America hating. (11/7/08) Hmmmmm, the Oprah plot thickens, 1st she purchases a huge multimillion dollar condo in Baltimore Inner Harbor's Ritz Carlton development (late last year according to The BBJ), now she's made a deal with DC-based Discovery for an Oprah cable channel, AND now she's leaving her Chicago-based TV show in 2011? Hmmmmm, is Oprah moving back to Baltimore permanently? Hmmmmm. Inquiring hons wanna know! And somebody better let WJZ's Richard Sher know. I'm pretty sure he's still open to that People Are Talking reunion show, hehe. :-) (11/7/08) Doubt it. Limbaugh gave away a GM car to a caller from Texas last week. This is true. DCRTV Dave, how do you feel about Rahm Emanuel as COS and Gibbs as Press Sec.? Interesed to know your thoughts. -Silvie- (11/7/08) Dave's response: I agree with Rush that Obama's already screwed up things so bad I'm voting for Palin in 2012. Ha ha ha..... Oh my God, Mark Levin was right! We just didn't listen. www.236.dom (11/7/08) Ah, isn't Rush Limbaugh a major ad spokesman for GM? Ah, isn't that the same GM that today posted a $2.5 billion loss? Advertisers take note. (11/7/08) I haven't seen this reported yet. Did anyone notice that there were no color photos in either the Post's sports or business sections on Wednesday and Thursday? Supposedly the Post overspent their budget for color photos celebrating the election of Obama and used up their allotment in the A section and the special supplements on both days. (11/7/08) Dave's response: On one of the days, the business section even lacked the top-of-the-page Washington Post graphic. Looked kinda odd..... "Dave, not sure how much more WJFK could cut and still function." There is a lot of fat to cut at WJFK, and I'm not just talking about the afternoon drive host. CBS/WJFK could start by cutting the salaries of the overrated Junkies in half. Each one makes well over $250,000 a year, and sometimes even they admit how overpaid they are. I'm sure they would still show up for work at $125,000 a year. Where else are they going to make that kind of money? (11/7/08) ("I want to do everything I can to make this this work, this new presidency work." DC-based alleged journalist Chris "Hardball" Matthews) oh, *now* people like him are interested in helping out and bringing "unity" to the country. funny how that works. (11/7/08) (RZ will continue to brand lefty talker WWRC as "Obama 1260." (No, it won't become "Socialist 1260," as some GOPers would probably prefer, since it would be accurate.)) red zebra outbid MSNBC for the obama name. (11/7/08) In addition to enabling 92Q to cut salaries, adding Ricky Smiley has another big objective. Smiley is syndicated by Radio One, and the company is pushing to get the show into as many markets as possible to maximize national ad revenue. When Radio One sold its Augusta, GA cluster in 2007, the contract stipulated that Rickey Smiley remain the morning show for a lengthy period of time. Roddy Freeman (11/7/08) Ref: Dave's rant on Radio One/92Q...Looks like Radio One isn't waiting another minute for PPM's to hit Baltimore with lowered ratings after what is happening in DC thus far. Can't think of another reason they would cut a top-rated morning show on a top-rated station. But then again, maybe reality is setting in with some of these stations! (11/7/08) (There must be better options for 1500 than him." Is it that big a secret that Kerr's (Schrecker) wife is one of the managers of the Bonneville group? Nepotism is alive and well on Idaho Avenue.) NOT. Byran is employed by Metro for WTOP sports and the Nats for baseball. He is not a Bonneville employee. (11/7/08) Dave, not sure how much more WJFK could cut and still function. Behind the scenes, the station is kept on the air largely by part time staff already. I mean you've got the PD doubling as a producer and no Ops manager at all for crying out loud. Any further cuts in the programming side at least and you're talking about breaking up or getting rid of shows that the station is pushing really hard. Then again, they are owned by CBS....... (11/7/08) Dave's response: I'm not saying I want cuts at JFK, but I wouldn't be surprised if CBS is planning for 'em. Look, we all know Michael Hughes loves what JFK is doing. But he could easily get overruled by the CBS higher-ups in NYC..... The Hideout is gone, which is a shame, for a number of reasons, but mostly following what Dave has been saying for a while now. Radio DJ and hosts of all kinds, but particularly the "hot talk" format, are a dying breed. Why have any local talent be in the studio when all they're doing is introducing the new Fall Out Boy song for 700th time. So much simpler to pipe in some voice tracking guy in some CBS or Clear Channel compound, and 99% of the audience will never even notice. Hell, just have him occasionally cut some segments where he's reading local news, and that last 1% may even buy in. I'd like to hate on WJFK for this move, because that queer talking to the dead guy is hardly a substitute, but the market is what the market is right now, and cutbacks, not new hires, is all that seems to be happening anymore. The Hideout was a great a show and nights on 'JFK never sounded better than Ron and Fez leading into Jefe and Dubs, but those times are long gone now, and from the looks of things so is radio as we know it in general. 5000 - Jason (11/7/08) Good point by the poster about Doc Walker. Whether it is because he doesn't like Sheehan or he thinks he is now good to work with a co-host, his dissatisfaction clearly comes through on the show. Very unprofessional. As for Anita Marks, I don't much care about Baltimore sports but I do like the concept of female sportstalk hosts for a change. To my knowledge, WTEM has never had one. Pam Ward was once a fill in host. Carol Maloney was a co-host with Dave Feldman for a short wihile, but Maloney has been banished and now never even appears on Sports Reporters like she used to. Something to think about. (11/7/08) It's great that the Post has a radio writer that knows little about the industry. Time for another election. Joe the Poster (11/7/08) Everett W., there's nothing malicious about the wage1190.com site. I'm just a big supporter of local media, and would like to see Wage return to a local focus. The site is going to be up for a couple of weeks to see if others here in Loudoun County agree. If hundreds respond, maybe it'll give the owners something to think about. If only 11 do, I'm wrong. The owners and I are friends, they know I have the name, and I've offered to give them the domain in the past. What I'm amazed at is DCRTV. I put up the site after midnight last night, and emailed a couple of friends to look at it. This morning, it's already on DCRTV......Dave (11/7/08) The only thing that the wage1190.com webmaster is likely to achieve is to have said domain taken away by ICANN. Broadcast radio station ownership has become largely disconnected from even the pretense of serving the public or local audiences. Ultimately, it will be up to the people themselves to offer alternatives outside of the so-called public airwaves. Everett W. (11/7/08) A quick whois lookup of wage1190.com finds the following - "Domain name: wage1190.com... Registrant: Dave Scarangella (GD7FG)... DDA Associates... Ashburn, VA 20147..." I'm sure New World isn't concerned, though. (11/7/08) Dave, not sure who, but someone has claimed the domain name wage1190.com and has started a website with the motto "we want our local station back". The site includes a survey and the e-mail address for the station owner asking to keep WAGE local.... (11/7/08) RE: " 'Yeah, she's the Byron Kerr of politics.' Ouch. It's pretty clear from hanging around Nationals' fans that Kerr is not doing them any favors. There must be better options for 1500 than him." Is it that big a secret that Kerr's (Schrecker) wife is one of the managers of the Bonneville group? Nepotism is alive and well on Idaho Avenue. (11/7/08) A ROUSING brace of applause if you would please for WTNT 570, who, as of Thursday night, not only has yet to retire its McCain identity ("A vote for McCain is a vote for McCain 570!", heard Thursday night), but ran a replay of the Lars Larson show that originally aired prior to election day ("Here's why you shouldn't vote for Obama"). Guys, it was a cute experiment in branding your AMs, but its time to move on. (11/7/08) Wow, Marc Clark and the Big Phat Morning Show are done. The Hideout is done. Kirk and Mark are done. "FM Talk" WHFS is done, and WHFS is now a right leaned, syndicated conservative talk format in DC with O'Reiley and the like. Sirius is going to kill alot of much better XM channels in favor of their own stuff, i.e. consumer gets less choice, just like they promised to NOT do. What's next, O n A ? Ron n Fez? All because Stern takes $100 mil a year to run? Hows that for lousy management. Syndication is fine: certain shows DESERVE a national audience, but there's enough frequencies out there to be able to harbor local talent, something FM/AM broadcast radio has always had as an advantage over satellite. And for a format that had so much promise just 3 years ago, radio sure is turning to crap real fast. Don't get me wrong, there's still alot of stuff out there to listen to, but when a quarter of the entire radio biz is getting cut due to budget crunches, there's alot of talent that's going by the wayside. I hope that the buisiness will survive, both standard FM and AM broadcasts and the Satellites from SiriusXM. Isn't it now harder for internet radio start-ups to get anywhere with the new licencing fee's the RIAA is charging? Am I now going to be telling my kids about radio as a distant memory when there used to be stations that played a variety of music instead of them listening for themselves? Let me tell ya something: kids don't listen to radio like they used to, and 20 years from now they'll have the same listening habits they do now, which are non-existant. Why don't they listen? Because radio is predictable and BORING. Just like MTV Hits (the real MTV), except worse (how can that be?) We'll be wishing down the line that we (or shall I say the mega corporations that run the stations) did things a little differently and tried to cultivate a youth market instead of stereotyping them and the rest of the listeners into thinking that all people want in radio now a days is 7 genres: Top40 CHR, Urban, Rock, Country, Political talk, Oldies (Classic Rock/Jack/"True Oldies") and sports. Cheers, I hope that if radio DOES die in the next 20 years that cars will come loaded with some form of free music / talk besides the first 3 years of whatever. Cheers: KeninGlenBurnie. (11/7/08) Dave's response: I'm afraid that 2009 is going to be a very bad year for local radio with the rise of the recession and the dramatic drop of radio stocks. WTOP is immune because it's such a "cash cow," but I think that big cuts will be coming to talkers like WJFK and WBAL, which have a lot of real people on the payroll. And music stations that have a full staff of live and local DJs like DC101, WASH, WKYS, WMMJ, WERQ, Mix 106.5, and Mix 107.3. A bloodbath? Maybe. There's going to be more voice-tracking and more use of piped-in, syndicated talkers. Just you watch..... Just when the Baltimore radio-sportstalk market could have made a big impression, look what happened. They blew-it!! I actually like Anita Marks but really disappointed she pulled a "Doc Walker"...meaning she showed her deck of cards and let everyone know she's now one unhappy sportstalk radio talent. We all know Doc doesn't care for Kevin Sheehan but at least Kevin's professional enough not to convey his feelings on-air. Anita, please wake-up and be happy you have a job. Lose your unfounded ego and realize you're lucky to still have a job. Otherwise, Jerry Coleman is still the go-to person in the Baltimore market. (11/7/08) /\ November 7 Messages /\ \/ November 6 Messages \/ "Editorial comment; I guess the fairness doctrine needs to be used to insulate these radio bozos from starting a riot or something worse." Absolutely. Let's close down all programs that express opposition to political leaders we agree with. And while we're at it, let's also hold anyone who expresses opposition to those leaders accountable for the actions of people who see, listen to or read that opposing point of view. Come to think od it, why do we really need any media that oppose our leaders or potential leaders. Damn, free speech is such a pain in the ass. Oh heck, why not just amend the constitution to overturn that pesky First Amendment. After all it's just part of that flawed document known as the U.S. Constitution. (11/6/08) SPY REPORT! SPY REPORT! El Jefe called into the Ron & Fez election coverage show on Tuesday night and when asked how the new gig was going, he said it was going well and that "it's everything I thought The Hideout should be." He also hinted that himself and J Dubbs may have been trying to make The Hideout a permanent fixture on Sirius XM Satellite Radio but Mel Karmazin wasn't going for it... -Jason in Baltimore (11/6/08) ("Left wing talk has never had a chance to compete on a level playing field in the DC area. It seems the suits at talk stations with strong signals will not allow any left wing shows on their stations. Put Thom Hartmann or Stephanie Miller on WMAL or a station with a comparable signal and see what happens." Not so. Stephanie Miller had a year and a half 9-noon on 1500/107.7 and she got no numbers. Combined they were a BIG signal WTOP had a million plus cume on those signals before moving entirely to FM.") Whoa, pal. Not so fast. 3WT was a mess. From its inception, the consensus on this board was that their loony notion of mixing rightwingers, leftwingers and aimless yakking wasn’t a “format,” but a “train wreck.” Whether the idea came from in-house or Salt Lake City, nobody in Bonneville was thinking “Progressive Talk.” The preponderance of evidence is that they weren’t thinking at all. (11/6/08) "Left wing talk has never had a chance to compete on a level playing field in the DC area. It seems the suits at talk stations with strong signals will not allow any left wing shows on their stations. Put Thom Hartmann or Stephanie Miller on WMAL or a station with a comparable signal and see what happens." Not so. Stephanie Miller had a year and a half 9-noon on 1500/107.7 and she got no numbers. Combined they were a BIG signal WTOP had a million plus cume on those signals before moving entirely to FM. (11/6/08) Are those PPM numbers accurate? WTOP got a 9 share? Man, that third FM signal sure paid off for them. Much better than the money-losing WWWT or Washington Pest Radio. That's huge. (11/6/08) Left wing talk has never had a chance to compete on a level playing field in the DC area. It seems the suits at talk stations with strong signals will not allow any left wing shows on their stations. Put Thom Hartmann or Stephanie Miller on WMAL or a station with a comparable signal and see what happens. The signal of WMAL is so much stronger than 1260 or any other progressive talk station it's not fair to judge how left wing talk does in this area. (11/6/08) Did you see the news that the most famous caller to the Sean Hannity Radio Show—the second most listened to show in America—died today? A story about Marty Kenney is posted on Sean's website: zshn.fimc.net (11/6/08) Hey Dave I hope you don't mind a little shameless promotion, The next WQCB dinner thats coming up on friday the 14th @ the rockville hilton will be honoring the host of IT'S ACADEMIC Mac McGarry,with a lifetime achievement award for recognition of his years in the Radio/T.V. business here in Washington D.C.. When I asked how long it's been he chuckled and said he wasn't sure. I can tell you that he's been doing it for somewhere around 60 plus years for both fields. Congratulations Mac..................... Mark McGARRY/ Bethesda.... (11/6/08) Went to the Nationals event at ESPN Zone today - they unveiled new uniforms for 2009 and it was really well attended - much more than I expected. Anyway, around where I was sitting someone mentioned the Fox News story that Sarah Palin wasn't aware that Africa was a continent and not a stand alone country, and someone else said, "Yeah, she's the Byron Kerr of politics." Ouch. It's pretty clear from hanging around Nationals' fans that Kerr is not doing them any favors. There must be better options for 1500 than him. He's OK on basketball & football, but baseball is a foreign language. (11/6/08) The PPM. Reality. The radio stations that thrive when they have ratings will now need a real program director. That job will require a station to program for longer TSLs, to recycle, and use all of the tools that impact listening. In the past, a good PD could fool ARBITRON, but not now. With PPM, you will have to actually have listeners tuned in. All of the real PDs that I knew are either dead, or making big bucks doing something else. Radio should embrace any ratings system that is more accurate. A good PD should rejoice that he/she will get a true report with each release of the book. I know there are some questions about methodology, but they will be worked out. No more writing down that you listen to WMAL, or WPGC-FM all day. | Politic is a niche format. Right wing Radio is for old white men and to some extent, women. Left wing talk has no audience. When you compare the two formats, it's like comparing AC to Haiku readings. They both have a different audience. That doesn't mean that one format beats the other, it just means that there is very little audience for left wing talk. But, as we all know, the WMAL audience is dying off - - much like the MOYL audience. Today's talk radio will have to evolve into a more inclusive (used to be called "General Market") station, or die. Stations like WPGC-AM will only work with a niche format because or their signal. I'm not sure a lottery is the best way to go, but something like that is needed. Ed Graham (11/6/08) Regarding this previous post – “Damn, with all the layoffs in the media business, I hope that DCRTV staff isn't hit next! Folks, we better keep the donations coming... - Dave's response: Yeah, I could axe myself and there'd be no one left to do the site. Ha ha ha.....” Well Dave, you could give yourself a good severance package!! LOL!!! (11/6/08) Dave's response: Honestly, living in Fairfax County ain't cheap. I have a mortgage and condo fee to pay and my friggin' health insurance bill is almost $500 a month - and sure to go even higher next year. Via ads and donations, DCRTV is making about 30 percent more than last year, but that's still about 20 percent less than what I need to operate the site for a year without dipping into savings. I am looking to "break even" next year. Believe me, if I didn't absolutely love doing it, I'd be doing something else that pays more. It still astounds me to think that if everybody who visited this site in just ONE DAY gave just $5 PER YEAR, I'd have more than enough dough to run the site without ads or begging for a full year. Sadly, way fewer than 5 percent of our visitors help support us. By the way, you can make a donation here..... RadioRadio Ink: What made you want to be CEO of Air America Radio? - Bennett Zier: I needed a job (11/6/08) Damn, with all the layoffs in the media business, I hope that DCRTV staff isn't hit next! Folks, we better keep the donations coming... (11/6/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I could axe myself and there'd be no one left to do the site. Ha ha ha..... 92Q Baltimore blows up Marc Clarke and the Big PHat Morning show!...Radio one released host Marc Clarke and producer Sonjay today in a move to replace the successful morning show with a sydicated show. The industry says it could be Rickey Smiley or the Steve Harvey show. Clarke had been the host of the show since 1999. (11/6/08) Radio Ink has just joined the long list of media outlets that have been fooled by Zier. This guy has done nothing but destroy every business he has touched and he is on the cover of Radio Ink? For what? For screwing up stations at CBS, Colfax, Evergreen, Chancellor, AMFM, Clear Channel, not to mention the Red Zebra disaster. Interestingly enough, he has another job, and it is the CEO of Air America. Are you kidding me? Maybe they think he was overdue for a success. What a joke! (11/6/08) Orpheus granted a reprieve - considering staying open through December: vinyldistrict.blogspot.com (11/6/08) We get holograms but they can't get the lip-sync right. The engineering departments of the news organizations did a TERRIBLE job in this election. Sorry to yell but I'm fed up with it. Sweety7 (11/6/08) Newsweek reported something talk radio, Chris Berry, the RNC, and The Heritage Foundation should be made aware of; when Governor Palin started raising the William Ayers issue in September and October (Radio/TV angle, both Sean Hannity and Bill Kristol suggested to her she do it early on), she jumped the gun and the campaign wasn’t ready for her to go that direction. When she was using the harsh rhetoric on the trail (radio/TV angle, the same rhetoric Hannity, Levin, and Rush had been airing, and were praising her for using it, as documented here on DCRTV at the time), the Secret Service showed, in their own records, “a sharp and disturbing increase in threats to Obama.” Editorial comment; I guess the fairness doctrine needs to be used to insulate these radio bozos from starting a riot or something worse. Hannity, Rush and Levin need to thank God nothing happened, and tone down their rhetoric, name calling, and false associations before a dangerous situation happens. Broadcasting has the word “broad’ in it for a reason (and we aint talking Sarah), and with that should come responsibility for not only what is said, but how it is creatively said. They dodged one this time. (11/6/08) Now that 105.7 WHFS is no more. How about relaying WHFS2 on either 106.7 or 94.7 HD2 sub-channels? Think this is at all likely? Drew from Fairfax (11/6/08) Dave's response: I get the impression that CBS/Baltimore suits don't much like CBS/Washington suits. And vice-versa. Something like that would require intra-corporate cooperation..... The Bob and tom show must be killing WZBA's ratings!!!!! It is so bad. Does anyone know what their current arbitron ratings are? (11/6/08) After two years of having Bryant Gumbel as their prime star. The fans and critics panned Gumbel and he has been replaced by New York fixture Bob Papa. Papa will take over as the play by play host position on the season premier of Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network tonight at 8pm on Comcast digital. www.dcexaminer.com. Cheers, Jim (11/6/08) I've been critical of WGTS in the past here in the Mailbag, but given it's near-death experience last year and its appearance now IN TWELFTH PLACE in the new PPM stats, my hat's off to them. I'd like an update on the station's future. It's not a commercial venture, but how might the PPM stats help preserve the station, or make it more/less attractive to a potential bidder? I haven't heard a peep about what the station's board has been planning since they shot down the proposed sale of the station several months ago. If John Konrad is reading this -- he's responded to one of my past missives here in the Mailbag -- please chime in with an update. And congratulations! Christian (11/6/08) I wanted to point out that CNN's holograms was possibly THE single, most moronic thing I've ever seen. I was waiting for Princess Leia to show up. ''Help me, Wolf Blitzer''. Paul (11/6/08) Hi Dave: I was the WPGC AM/FM OM who created "Business Radio 1580" in November, 1988. Biz was not my first choice for a format for the AM. My first idea for the station was - WLKY - "Lucky 1580." Run lottery results from all over the region, horse racing remotes from the tracks, sports book shows, etc. I even wanted to get a "dream lady" for middays so people could call in and get their lucky number for the day. I researched all of this back in the summer of 1988 and found solid legal and revenue-stream ground for the concept. (The Maryland-based COL enables PGC to carry pari-mutuel and other betting information) It was Dan Mason (when PGC was owned by First Media, and then Cook Inlet Radio Partners) who didn't want to do it. Lucky 1580 would be hitting an appropriate audience within the confines of its signal, especially at night. I'd do it today if I could get the station to play with. Jeffrey Young (11/6/08) I think your rant on WMAL makes sense, perhaps, on the surface, but I don't think it survives a closer look. The right wing talk shows will do better with a Democrat in office, especially if Obama turns out to be the complete left wing kook that some believe he may be. And the same theory applies if the area continues to be Democratic. The importance of the right wing talk shows to their niche audience then becomes more important than ever. (11/6/08) Phil wrote: "I would also like to see Err America or other lefty shows air in the B-more area just to watch the numbers approach zero". I agree, let's put some on and let's see what actually happens. The only thing that has approached anything remotely to the left on commercial radio in Baltimore over the last 20 years have been Rodericks, Alan Prell and Lopez (RIP), and both Prell and Rodricks bent over backwards to keep things "fair" and "light." Since Lopez died, there has been no one, that actually speaks his mind from the left side of the aisle. Troy Johnson, C4 and Ellicker all go (or went in TJ's case) out of their way to sound "moderate," to the point where they don't say anything meaningful or informative. I mean Brian Wilson?, Mike Pintek ? You have people like Bruce Elliott taking made up stories straight off of Newsmax and reading on the air unattributed. You get the absurd situation that Ron Smith is considered "liberal" because he's against the war in Iraq, not because he gets his talking points straight from Pat Buchanan (for shits and giggles, listen to Ron for a day or two and then compare what Pat Buchanan is railing against at Town Hall, World Net Daily or NewsMax). The point I am making is that the right has moved the goalposts so far to the right, that what used to be considered moderate is now considered crazy lefty loonie. You have a large group of people who are not served properly by the media. Stephanie Miller has her faults, to be sure, but she is actually entertaining to listen to and doesn't lie to you on the air like Rush does. When you say, "you've got NPR and the regular MSM" (that's debatable, but that's not part of my argument), I say "I'd like something entertaining that's also informative, not Car Talk and Please, Please don't tell me" Juan Williams and Mara Liasson are moderate Republicans, but Fox gets to pretend they're "from the left" just by virtue of appearing on NPR, and not by virtue of what they actually say. Finally, it's not the straight lies and BS that affect anyone really, as a lot of us lefties can still think pretty well for ourselves. It's the innuendo and "jokes" that made one believe that Clinton was the devil incarnate, had murdered Vince Foster and shipped in cocaine to Mena. You knew that the stories were false, but you still had an inkling "where's smoke, there must be fire." So much so that the mushy middle gave us the disaster that was Dubya for the last 8 years... David in Towson (11/6/08) Mark Levin called Sarah Palin "a great conservative," "a true patriot," and "a fan of talk radio-someone that gets it." Then Mark played a tape of his interview with the governor about the Supreme Court nomination process under a McCain administration. As debated here on DCRTV, it appeared that she read written responses to Mark's questions. It sounded too much like Mark’s position on a Supreme Court nominee. We now know there was infighting in the McCain campaign over Sarah's lack of fundamental knowledge (Not knowing what counties were in NAFTA, and thinking Africa was one country), according to Fox News, and her unwillingness to do a simple prep for the Katie interview. We now know that McCain rarely talked to her, and that the Governor threw childish fits over news coverage of her. Is this "a great conservative," as Mark Levin informed us? Is being a cry baby a "True Patriot," as Mark Levin said? Did Mark Levin see her as a drag on the ticket so he tried to prop her up with a taped interview and prearranged answers? In other words, is Mark Levin a news commentator or is he just a cog in an elaborate propaganda machine? (11/6/08) RE: PPM's. There's an interesting article from Edison Media Research that's over a year old that not only deals with the reasons urbans may lose ground with PPM's (some of which have been covered here in the mailbag), but it also suggests to stations how to improve their ratings under the PPM system. Not surprisingly, those solutions don't include whining and law suits. They do include ingenuity and good old hard work. Go figure. Also, in my search I found an article from Zibb.com from a month ago that sited Arbitron ratings from New York, Chicago and elsewhere showing various urban and Latino shows and stations ranked first in the ratings using the PPM's. No weighted ratings, no whining, no law suits. Just good radio. Not a sermon. Just a thought. (11/6/08) Re WPGC 1580 - Now that CBS has decided to go with a talk format, I don't see how they can be competitive without a signal that gives good coverage to the western side of the area. Here in Rockville, their signal is very weak, and where I live WLXE 1600 wipes out their signal. If they want any kind of success they need to pick up a signal west of the city to be able to compete with WMAL and WTNT, not to mention WAMU. (11/6/08) Dave's response: I don't know. Yeah, "The Big Talker" will debut on 1580 next week. But, I just have this crazy feeling that maybe CBS is ultimately "grooming it" for a move to (or simulcast on) 106.7 next year. Gotta move fast in the new PPM era..... (There is a big difference in what people think they listened to, and remember to write down in a diary, and what they really listened to, which is closer to what those little PPM devices measure.) You could make that argument - or you could make the one that says...in the diary world, people wrote down and "supported" their favorite stations...not exactly what they listened to. (11/6/08) Dave's response: Interesting to see WMAL actually dropping in DC's early PPM numbers. Maybe, in the past, righties wrote in the diaries that they were listening to Rush and Sean on WMAL when they really weren't listening! Hmmm..... The PPM just proves what everyone in the media business already knew…Urban radio formats will be down compared to the old diary process. The PPM system represents “real” listening. The Diary process represented what people thought they were listening to, and what people thought they remembered. This system was severely flawed, and good media buyers always knew that, and adjusted their buys accordingly. Urban stations were almost always ranked 4 out of the top 5 in a market that has a 26% African American base. People that own and operate urban stations are complaining, and creating bogus law suits in a vain attempt to challenge the PPM measurement. The argument is frivolous, and has no merit. Finally, we have an even playing field. Cheers to the new PPM and good riddance to the dusty old Diary. (11/6/08) Dave's response: There is a big difference in what people think they listened to, and remember to write down in a diary, and what they really listened to, which is closer to what those little PPM devices measure. Heck, when I'm in the car, I'm back-and-forth between a dozen stations via the radio's pre-sets. No way I could recall exactly how long I listened to each. The heart of the controversy is how Arbitron decides who to send those PPM devices to - old, young, black, white, rich, poor, male, female - whatever..... "Dave's response: CBS could put some kind of clubbish urban or hardcore rap or classic hip-hop format on 1580. That would do better than righty talk on a night signal that's pretty much confined to southern PG and SE DC at night....." They did that a couple of years ago when 1580 was hip-hop/go-go.--GAB in the Airless Cubicle (Impeach Obama Now, Save the Rush!) (11/6/08) Dave's response: Now that you mention it, I do remember that..... With NBC set to impose a new $500M budget cut in 2009. I'm predicting that the following could take place at some of the NBC O&O stations, other than the few from behind the scenes and on-camera personalities likely to be cut... New York: I'm predicting that WNBC could and might be forced to dump 1 of the following 3 newscasts... 5PM, 7PM, or weekend morning. Philly: I'm predicting that WCAU could and might be forced to dump the 4PM newscast, as well as the "10!" show. I'm also predicting that NBC may attempt to convert newscasts to HD in early January 2009... the WPHL "My 17" newscast being included in the HD overhaul, if NBC and Tribune wish to keep the news outsourcing agreement in place. DC: I'm predicting that WRC could and might be forced to dump the 5PM newscast... NBC moving the "Dr. Phil" show to 5PM, to give the existing 6PM newscast stronger lead-ins... the "Ellen" show also being moved to 3PM. NBC dumping the 11AM newscast as well. I'm predicting that NBC may attempt to convert newscasts to HD in late January 2009... perhaps becoming the 2nd DC station to convert, if FOX (WTTG) and Allbritton (WJLA) don't get it together. Hartford-New Haven: I'm predicting that NBC will put the Connecticut NBC station (WVIT) back on the market... have some success in finding an interested buyer for the station. Hearst-Argyle Television was rumored to be interested... I could picture private groups, like Newport Television and Four Points Media Group possibly expressing interest in the station too. (11/6/08) Ahhh the mind of the liberal. Let me understand this. We need fair and balanced reporting. We need Diversity. We need Equal Time. We have to be sure the minority point of view has a chance to be expressed and to be heard. Now, simple minded liberal, follow the logic. IF, as you state, the DC area is unavoidably democratic and liberal, and thus does NOT need a right wing station, are you not being a hypocrite? In an area that is liberal and fully behind the DNC, thus they are the majority, then in fact, the fair and balanced, equal time voice of diversity that speaks for the minority would in fact be that radio station which is conservative, right wing, call it what you want. You proved why we need several stations carrying such program, since your agenda carries the town. The next four years are going to be fun for us and I hope as painful for you as the last several have been for us listening to 'diversity' on Air America. (11/6/08) Dave's response: There's a big difference between listeners, like me, asking that stations provide more diversity in their talk line-up and the government mandating it via a resurrection of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine." As I have said many many times before, the government and the FCC should NOT be in the business of regulating program content on radio and TV stations. Period. But there's nothing wrong with listeners voicing their opinions and pressuring stations, even via advertisers and the courts (in "indecency," slander, or libel cases), to make changes to their programming, including which talk personalities they carry. I am free to complain, and WMAL is free to run whoever (whomever?) it wants. That's the way it should be..... /\ November 6 Messages /\ \/ November 5 Messages \/ Today you could see that Anita Marks was fustrated because Scott Garceau wasn't there and she still didn't get to sit in the main chair they had Jeremy Conn who is in that seat. She really has got to be pretty upset about that because Jeremy Conn isn't very good. (11/5/08) David in Towson said “Maybe the outlying suburban areas of Baltimore run conservative because the most powerful AM stations, CBM and BAL are so far off the right end of the spectrum that the middle become moderate Republican. I can tell you from personal experience that I adopted conservative (false) views after a steady diet of BAL in the mid-90s, only to be cured of that by the blogs and the Internet.” Sorry to break this to you but true moderate Republicans acquire their views through intellectual discovery, not by being told what to believe by a radio station. We’re much stronger and smarter than that. I would also like to see Err America or other lefty shows air in the B-more area just to watch the numbers approach zero. Phil in Bel Air (11/5/08) On election night, the Fox related television station in Washington, D.C.--DC 20--aired the following movie. Here's what the internet turned up on Detroit 9000. How about the coincidence? www.imdb.com (11/5/08) At the time the FCC was considering the merger of Sirius and XM, Mel Karmazin told the Commission that they could have a “hybrid” radio on the market in about 9 months. Now he says it’s more like 10-15 years. radiomagonline.com... Why does anybody believe anything this guys says, ever?? -Brian (11/5/08) Isn’t it downright bizarre that we’re once again confronted with a colossal misread of the DC market, courtesy of the CBS decision to slap radical rightwing talk on 1580? Dan Mason is smarter than this, isn’t he? As Dave correctly cites, last night’s election returns only confirm something we’ve all known for years, that the DC market is heavily Democratic… Liberal… Progressive… Leftwing—you get the drift. We all do. Why don’t they? Don’t they quite understand that the great numbers hauled down by WAMU are more than just a small indication of the thirst for “progressive” radio in DC? Don’t they quite understand that Clear Channel has buried Lefty Talk on their worst AM rig (a station that has been nominated many times as The Worst AM Signal In America)? Don’t they quite understand that WPGC-AM’s day signal is maybe a little more listenable than 1260 in much of the metro, but that the night-time pattern is essentially limited to majority-black Prince Georges County and majority-black Anacostia? And that, as a result, radical right talk won’t be a huge hit in those neighborhoods. Dan Mason isn’t that dumb, is he? (11/5/08) Dave's response: CBS could put some kind of clubbish urban or hardcore rap or classic hip-hop format on 1580. That would do better than righty talk on a night signal that's pretty much confined to southern PG and SE DC..... (Dave's response: I have the freedom to listen and I have the freedom to criticize or praise. Na na na na na.....) yes you do. how about we bring some diversity to the networks and newspapers? (11/5/08) Watching Anita Marls barely concealed rage is the best thing MASN has put on since it started. The best part is that whoever the slicky boy she's forced to work with is twice as bad as she is. She is literally doing anything not to make eye contact with him. I feel bad for her tho. I've listened and watched her and she really seemed like she loves what she does. She's just awful at it. Is it true that Sean Hannity vomits every time he has to say ''President Elect Obama''? Paul (11/5/08) Nope, not RUSH, not local or mainstream media as much as all are involved. It's the economy stupid! Signed -- Bill Clinton (11/5/08) (But seriously, folks. Is it too much to ask Citadel to give us a little diversity on WMAL, to reflect the DC area!) uhhhh.....just turn on any network or the stations running air america or NPR in the dc area if you want diversity. no one forces you to listen to WMAL. (11/5/08) Dave's response: I have the freedom to listen and I have the freedom to criticize or praise. Na na na na na..... (The correct call letters are WD2XAB) Well aware...just pointing out WDXA was on my digital readout at 93.5. (11/5/08) (re:I agree. Limbaugh and Hannity's non-stop anti-Obama daily campaign was so over-the-top that it essentially backfired.) How do you measure this? Simply because Obama lost? I mean McCain (even without being a true Republican or conservative still garnered over 55 million votes. Obama was the better pure politician and candidate, no doubt about it. But to say that Talk Radio is over or didn't produce results simply because a bad candidate lost seems a bit petty. People can clammer about righty talk radio all they want - the pure fact is that if MANY fewer people listened, the left wouldn't need to drum up the fairness doctrine to cut out the chatter. People listen for whatever reason. If people do watch maddow and Olberman - put em on radio and see if they work! (11/5/08) The webmaster genuises at 105.7 THE FAN have unveiled the new web page and there are still links to Kirk & Mark’s show on secondary pages. I think this is classic. On their blog for Friday, Oct. 31st, (their last day) here are each of their respective posts: The agenda - Written by Kirk on October 31st, 2008 @ 6:50 am - "Here’s what’s on my schedule for the weekend: I’m either passing out candy to little ghouls and goblins or taking Little Little out trick or treating. That’s to be determined later today. Tomorrow: Blue Jays girl’s soccer at 2. Then it’s dinner downtown for the brother-in-law’s birthday. Happy birthday, Saul! Sunday: Go Ravens! See you back here Monday morning, hear?...." THANKYOUVERYMUCH… - "Written by Mark on October 31st, 2008 @ 6:01 am - Its not easy turning 45… but with such a bright future ahead of me it seems a little easier than past birthdays…" And the final post……….. "Its this Sunday night at the Lyric- tix are still available at the Lyric Box Office or through www.ticketmaster.com . Iliza Shlessinger (this past season’s winner) is the headliner… Kirk and I will MC. We’ll see you there…" I wonder……………. (11/5/08) Regarding "...WDXA - HD2/HD2 is on the air at 93.5 in Howard County...." The correct call letters are WD2XAB. It is an experimental station run by iBiquity, the people who cooked up the the digital radio scheme and sell "HD Radio" licenses to stations. Whatever they broadcast is for their test purposes and not for the entertainment of the public. (11/5/08) Did anyone else find that Fox News website seemed to be both way behind ABC in reporting the events last night, and the Fox News website seemed to have trouble loading. The performance was pitiful but probably a metaphor for how Republicans handled this race...late, inept and slow. McCain seemed late to the party throughout the campaign. (11/5/08) ("The reason the listening areas of WCBM[, WMAL, n/a for Baltimore] & WBAL show as voting Democrat are due to two areas in the state of Maryland. Baltimore City and the DC suburbs of PG & Montgomery are overwhelmingly Democrat. The remainder of the state of Maryland is moderate to pure Conservative. Look at the past 2 gubernatorial elections in the state and you will see the Dems dominate the two urban areas, while the rest of the state is mostly Republican. Dems now out number the GOP 3 to 1 in MD, due to those 2 areas.") Egg and chicken or chicken and the egg? Maybe the outlying suburban areas of Baltimore run conservative because the most powerful AM stations, CBM and BAL (and previously VIE) are so far off the right end of the spectrum that the middle become moderate Republican. I can tell you from personal experience that I adopted conservative (false) views after a steady diet of BAL in the mid-90s, only to be cured of that by the blogs and the Internet. I'd like to see a Baltimore radio station try and run Randy Rhodes, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartman, Ed Shultz, etc. and see what actually happens. For years it has been a truism among righties that opinion shows with a leftward slant on television could never be successful, until MSNBC started running Olbermann and Maddow back to back and they started beating Larry King. Instead of having 6 sports radio stations, why doesn't someone try something different, or is it maybe that Hearst Corporation, Mangione Enterprises, Clear Channel and CBS Radio have another agenda? David in Towson (11/5/08) (and the Z104 morning show to name a few on the FM Band.) Did the CNN holographic teleporting machine take you back a few years? Z104?? What??? (11/5/08) I have seen this in the past but today on the Today show WRC missed the first 3 weather cut ins. Every time there was a national map up and you could hear background conversations. The 3rd one you heard Matt talking to the stage manager and asking him about a warning he did not give Matt & Al. What is going on? Steve (11/5/08) Right wing talk radio may continue to have listeners, but their power over politics is dwindling, and they need a better direction. Hammity, Levin, Rush, Plante, can scream Bill Ayers all they want, it just encourages people to research Ayers and find the truth. Relying on half-truths, fear mongering, outright lies, and Republican cheerleading doesn’t cut it anymore. When it was announced that Bristol Palin was a pregnant unwed teenager, the spin from right wing talk was that unlike Democrats, she didn’t get an abortion, so she is a hero. That stuff didn’t fly with most listeners because we remember how hard right wing talk has been in the past with young women in the same situation. When Hammity kept saying President Sarkozy called Obama’s Iran policy “Naive,” all we had to do was a Google to find out it was a thinly sourced item from a small Israeli newspaper and the French Embassy denied that was ever said. The times have changed; Right Wing talkers need a new, better game if they are going to save themselves. Best of luck, President Elect Obama, you socialist, Marxist, coal hating, terrorist-loving, botched abortion baby killer, wealth-spreading, ACORN General Council, Muslim, foreign born, abortioner, who can’t even get a security clearance. (11/5/08) Dave's response: I agree. Limbaugh and Hannity's non-stop anti-Obama daily campaign was so over-the-top that it essentially backfired. I mean, Limbaugh seemed to focus his cartoonish rage on literally every single thing about Obama, including the way he talks and dresses. It bordered on the outright pathological. Next time, Rush, tone down the criticism a bit. It will come off as more credible..... "Is it too much to ask Citadel to give us a little diversity on WMAL, to reflect the DC area! I'm not saying that Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity shouldn't be heard, but how about a lefty or two, some women, younger voices, and a few African Americans on 630's airwaves?" Dave - much of this is already available on local stations. You see the ratings. Need we say more??? (11/5/08) Dave's response: Yeah, WAMU was 5th and WMAL 9th in the last quarterly ratings book..... The reason the listening areas of WCBM, WMAL & WBAL show as voting Democrat are due to two areas in the state of Maryland. Baltimore City and the DC suburbs of PG & Montgomery are overwhelmingly Democrat. The remainder of the state of Maryland is moderate to pure Conservative. Look at the past 2 gubernatorial elections in the state and you will see the Dems dominate the two urban areas, while the rest of the state is mostly Republican. Dems now out number the GOP 3 to 1 in MD, due to those 2 areas. (11/5/08) What was with the "Darth Vader/Emperor Palpatine" hologram effect on CNN for people reporting from other parts of the country? Have you not heard of a monitor CNN? Did we really need the glowing light effect around the reporters? Of course, every network had their little hi-tech gadgets they wanted to show off last night...anything to distract from electing a Socialist to the Presidency. (11/5/08) "A spokesman for Secretary of State William F. Galvin criticized two talk radio hosts who told listeners that the election had been rescheduled from yesterday to today after a number of people called the Massachusetts Election Division to complain." www.boston.com (11/5/08) Now that the elections are over, I wonder what the ads for the next election will be like? Over the weekend I was checking out on You Tube some of the political ads that were airing on TV in other parts of the country. For example three such ads I saw were from Denver. One ad used the term "..a liberal son of a bitch" while the other said the phrase "...full of shit" and yet another used the term "..god damn liar." . Ok if words like "god damn", "shit", and "son of a bitch" were used in ADS on local TV in Denver,I have to wonder if we will see such ads on TV here? (11/5/08) It's the morning after perhaps the biggest election in our history and Paul Harvey Jr. is leading with new information about Jack the Ripper! Now that's News! (11/5/08) Those spooky-ass holographic reporters on CNN... blog.makezine.com (11/5/08) Dave's response: I have long thought that Fox News' Steve Doocy is a hologram..... Dave, about your rant, "Boo hoo hoo WMAL." I think WMAL won. They have at least four years now to bitch about the new administration to their audience of irrelevant, bitter, gun owning, aging, intolerant, white men with "Impeach Hillary" bumper stickers. It was a great night. Ed Graham (11/5/08) Dave's response: Al Franken for FCC chief..... The media has two months left to kick Bush around. Who will be the new whipping post? My prediction is Nancy Pelosi. Now that the Republicans have been swept out of every office that means anything the media is left with nothing but left. This sets up a field day for the right wing talkers. They are secretly dancing in their right wing studios. Congrats to Obama! It sure would be helpful if all the Obama supporters including the media didn’t rub it in…we can’t fix our problems alone. (11/5/08) Why does WMAL need to have diversity, why does it need to reflect the DC area… if you don’t like the talent at WMAL then stop listening the market will take care of them… Liberals have two AM stations and 3 FM rock stations where their crazy agendas play out day-in-day out… the Sport Junkies, EITM, and the Z104 morning show to name a few on the FM Band. AM you have AIIR America and NPR if no one is listening to AIIR America Radio and NPR maybe they need to change their formats… I also don’t hear you calling for WUSA, WRC, WJLA and FOX five to be more divers in their programming??? You are a liberal if you don’t like WMAL then LISTEN TO AIIR HEAD AMERICA or TAXPAYER FUNED NPR! Good Day (11/5/08) Dave's response: Thank you, Mr. Harvey..... For those who don't know, a democrat in the White House is the best thing that could happen to so-called right-wing talk. Rush Limbaugh made his name during the Clinton era. When do sports/talk stations get the most calls... when the team is winning or losing? LOSING! So if republicans become unhappy with the new Washington... they'll be calling WBAL, WCBM & WMAL in record numbers. Sully, somewhere. (11/5/08) Dave's response: I think you're right. Ditto for Fox News. Watch its ratings grow as it again becomes the "opposition news" channel..... Re: your rant. Bring back "Pet Liberal" Jerry Klein on WMAL! I always thought that the show that Jerry had on Sunday afternoons, along with Chris Plante, was best and I was sad to see it go off the air. DCRTV Dave - congrats to you because I know that the outcome of the election is exactly what you wanted. I'm nursing a really bad hangover this morning from drinking too much Puerto Rican rum last night for self-medication purposes! It's going to be a loooonnnggg 4 years! Good day, -Silvie- (11/5/08) Once and for all: WMAL is a money making enterprise! It has to garner ratings to sell advertising. Conservative shows attract more listeners and Liberal ones! If that weren’t the case, Jerry Klein would be on prime time every day! Don’t take it personally Libs, there are plenty of outlets for you on the dial like NPR. It’s not about anything but the mighty dollar. Conservative Talk is as much a format at CHR or Hot AC. It attracts a specific demo and income level. If Polka music delivered ratings, MAL would play it. (11/5/08) Dave's response: How about polkas as "bumper music" during the Grandy and Andy show? Dave, There are many radio stations and tv stations that express your leftest views. If WMAL wants to have people from the right, turn to a station like NPR that does express your views. Bashing MAL for not having a lefty on, you have choices. Instead of griping about MALS lack of a lefty, turn the channel and watch MSNBC, CNN, 4,5,7,9 or listen to NPR or WTOP. scott in Alexandria (11/5/08) Help me out everyone. I heard the Grandy & Andy show on WMAL that if we elect Obama we become socialist. Mark Levin on WMAL said we will become Marxist if we elect Obama. Chris Plante compared the election of Obama to the fall of the Roman Empire. I don't feel any different this morning, but if anyone asks me, what are we, Marxist or Socialists now, and when exactly will the empire collapse? (11/5/08) One of the joys of America is the ability to express ones views freely. I respect your right to express your view on WMAL and its programming. I also happen to disagree with you. Pulling the plug on any radio station or group because of its programming flies in the face of the rights granted to all of us as citizens. While I may not agree with your point of view, I do not want to limit your speech. It's sad to see someone who runs a blog about the media who would support such an idea about programmers he disagrees with. JT (11/5/08) Dave's response: I was joking about flipping WMAL to polkas. I just want more diversity of opinion on WMAL, and, yes, on other stations and cable networks, too. What's wrong with that? Chris Plante sat there and listened to Governor Palin inform the world she had no idea what the First Amendment means. Chris did nothing while the Governor shot herselph in the foot in front of everybody. Chris Plante was the catalyst for the biggest blunder this political season since Palin's nomination. Mark Levin proved his worth to the RNC by insisting he tape her interview and provide her the written answers before the taping. (11/5/08) Talk about no class..your election night "Rant" illustrates YOUR lack of class. You and your party won it all and instead of being gracious in victory, you continue with your tired, negative bashing of 630 AM..as if you've been tied to a radiator and forced to listen to it. No matter what, you DEMS are never happy and will always find something to whine about. How pathetic. (11/5/08) Dave's response: Hey, if a radio station bashes my political views almost all the time, I think I have the right and the responsibility to verbally bash back. So there. At least I can't re-impose the Fairness Doctrine. Ha ha ha. Crank up the polkas on 630..... Dave ...you nailed it about MAL and the constant raving.....but the larger point about right wing talk radio is this...it is only preaching to the choir...yes Rush and Hannity and the other screamers do well on the AM band --but who is that really ? aging white men...younger more enlightened listeners turned off the dusty old AM radios years ago...Hannity can scream Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright all he wants...IT DID NOT MATTER...people who want more honest discourse have turned to blogs and other sources...right wing talk radio will continue to exist..but really ..who cares?? they will now have four years to rant and bloviate about the evils of liberalism and socialism..but again only their listeners will pay attention...the rest of us have moved on.....it is a great night for America!! (11/5/08) On the Sean Hannity Show a few weeks ago, Lynne Cheney said that she was looking forward to showing Todd Palin around the Vice President's mansion. Sorry Lynne, I hope you will be as gracious towards Jill. (11/5/08) Regarding channel 58 supposedly having a network problem, I spoke to Comcast today and was informed that channel 58 is no longer available on basic cable..It is now only available on digital cable..As per the Comcast rep, this information was communicated via the Washington Post, NOT by contacting subscribers directly via a letter or their monthly bill..The reason why?..As per the rep, this is how all changes are communicated despite the fact that everyone doesn't receive the Washington Post..However, ALL changes aren't communicated this way..I notice that everytime they raise the prices, they make it a point to put that information in the monthly bill. (11/5/08) I find this funny like you do Dave, how WCBM and WMAL listening areas have voted Democrat! I was listening to WCBM's coverage tonight after the win, and heard a few callers bitching. Well, what will happen with formats like these. Majority of the format consists of uppity, white, racist men (and some women) that support gun toting, rich, white republicans....hmmmm (11/5/08) /\ November 5 Messages /\ \/ November 4 Messages \/ 11:07 PM. NBC News declared Virginia for Obama. Flowers were immediately ordered by the DNC to be delivered tomorrow morning to Chris Plante at WMAL. Mark Levin is angry because of his insignificance. (11/4/08) It's too bad that WBAL-TV continues to dumb-down NBC's ND broadcasts. For the 2 hours of NBC's election night coverage, the graphics were absolutely brilliant in HD. But as soon as WBAL-TV had to do its squeeze-back for local results, they had to switch out of HD to be able to display their own graphics. The same thing happened during the Olympics and the Ryder Cup when WBAL-TV couldn't even get a simple thunderstorm graphic up on the screen without having to drop out of the HD feed. Jesus, even WMAR can get that right without screwing it up. (11/4/08) Great election night coverage on WJFK. They continue to bring back the best of real, LOCAL radio, with real talent... professional broadcasters. Great stuff. (11/4/08) Good evening, if you have not noticed WUSA 9 is currently broadcasting it's own election day coverage on the digital subchannel (9-2) that usually shows their weather radar. Apparently they have not promoted this service at all. (11/4/08) Please allow me to rant for a moment about Comcast. For weeks I have been having trouble with 2 of my digital cable boxes. But to make a very long story short I called Comcast’s 800 number tonight to report another problem and I was told to disconnect the power from the box for 30 seconds (I’d bet that everyone with Comcast has heard this before). And while I was pulling the plug I asked the service representative (a women in this case) if she ever had to do the same thing with her Comcast service. I was stunned with the answer. She said that at her location (a national Comcast call center and I believe within the US) Comcast doesn’t offer service! So, the service reps for Comcast, at least at this national call center, generally have NO idea what the regular customers have to go through! One final thing. My 87 year-old mother-in-law, who subscribes to Cox cable in Phoenix had a problem and called Cox to fix it. They were at her house the next morning and the problem was fixed within in minutes. Why is it that if you Comcast in Northern Virginia it takes at least 5 days to arrive and then they may not correct the problem correctly?? (11/4/08) Senior moment! OK, that’s my excuse for forgetting about WWJ-TV on channel 62 in Detroit. Using that logic, then I’d have to say WJZ-AM and WJZ-FM have a pretty good chance of being issued. Unsigned Corporate Suit (Who longs for the days when the FCC was consistent and logical!) (11/4/08) All this talk about three letter calls...very surprised nobody had mention WGH down in Hampton Roads. For a brief time in the 80s those calls were dropped in favor of WNSY ( AM 1310 ) and WRSR ( FM 97.3 ) then within a year or two afterward, it was back to WGH AM and FM. I remember reading someplace where the owners of WNSY/WRSR had a VERY difficult time getting back those WGH calls. (11/4/08) I just got a phone call from CBS/DC (Name Deleted) asking me if I wanted to purchase a couple of hours on the soon to be new talk station? Apparently they are going with ‘mostly’ syndicated stuff. (11/4/08) Dave's response: 1580 obviously. Wonder how much they're charging for night slots, when it's 270-watts? Re: three call signs: If a station wishes to revive a three-call sign that was on that facility in the past, why not allow for it? In addition to KHJ, this could also include WHN, WOV, WRC, WOW and KWK, just to name a few. Personally, I had no problem with CBS putting the WJZ calls on 1300 and 105.7. Re: 1580: If CBS want to take the station to all-talk, fine. Personally, while I might listen on occasion if I find it interesting, I don't see that station having any potential whatsoever particularly for a mainstream, inofrmation-talk format. The station's range is too compromised particularly at night to be an effective broadcast voice. I'd say do one of the following: revert to daytime-only status or if management wants to continute with nighttime broadcasts, sublet the time. The other option would be to sell the station and allow for community broadcasters to operate it. Under such a scenario, maybe the (daytime) power could be dropped to, say, one-kilowatt or less. If CBS is really serious about putting a talk-format here, they ought to make Snyder or Bonneville an offer they can't refuse and purchase either 1260 or 1500. (11/4/08) What has happened to Sonny Andre of the Monique Show, he has not been on since October 31, 2008; his name has not been mentioned. (11/4/08) '' Keith Olberman's last WORST PERSON in the world is probably going to be NBC's human resources MGR that emails him his PINK SLIP!'' THAT'S FUNNY! What a beautiful world it would be if the pits of Hell opened up and reclaimed Olberman, Mathhews, O'Reilly, Hannity and those dumbasses Campbell Brown and Anderson Cooper. Paul (11/4/08) Regarding CBS' latest move with 105.7, it's kinda fun to look back at an article from The Daily Record from April of '07. They were extoling the genius of CBS Baltimore GM Bob Philips for getting the rights to the Orioles, and how he was moving the cluster forward. They talked about the hiring of Kirk and Mark - and Philips said they were "the beachfront property of Baltimore radio". I guess he wasn't expecting a hurricane. The article references how he expected WHFS' revenues to "jump 50 percent within a year and double in the next two because of the show". If they get a two share in the Winter book which will be their first full book, they should be extremely grateful. Norris and Viviano will be fine, but I can't imagine Cunningham even making the book. Garceau and Marks in PM drive? Ugh. They better get ready to guarantee a lot of GRPs. AGAIN. I believe the article references was from April 9 of 2007. ----Sue in Crofton (11/4/08) So after midnight tonight, what happens to 570 and 1260 AM? Dropping the "McCain" and "Obama" handles would seem logical and likely. What then? "Liberal Bastard 1260" and "Conservative Dickhead 570"? Maybe Penn 570 & Teller 1260 (silent carrier)? Salt n Pepa? Soap & Water? Laurel & Hardy? Waiting for your next burst of programming brilliance, Red Zeeb. (11/4/08) According to FCC recs, Bonneville's WFED AM 1500 will be operating at reduced power under Special Temporary Authority @12,500 watts until Feb. '09, supposedly while repair work is being done. Interesting thing about this is its 12.5kw NON-DIRECTIONAL, even NIGHTTIME! Except for Baltimore and England, won't that actually HELP their signal around DC? Too funny. Maybe they should damage the transmission line more often! HAha! (11/4/08) Wait….Wait…. BAM!!! Good things come to those who wait. Mark, I’ll take $30 on pump 5. Can Kirk come out and clean my windshield. I’ll give him a tip? Elkridge Steve (11/4/08) So, the blood is fresh at CBS Radio/Baltimore. I think the count is in the 30s of people that were laid off at the Castle de Phillips. Those include everyone from 105.7 except for Maynard and Ed; most of the pt board ops and producers, some folks from promotions, national sales, TJ Roberts, an amazing production and imaging talent; another production fella, and now Kathy Whiteside of WLIF mid-days. (11/4/08) From last night Saturday Night Live’s Presidential Bash; “I have no problem with (SNL) making fun of me. It's part of our great political tradition that no candidate for office is above criticism. However I should warn you that come Jan. 20 when I am sworn in as vice president, you guys better knock this off, otherwise we'll have to get NBC's broadcast license revoked.” So said Governor Sarah Palin, addressing Tina Fey, SNL, and her own embarrassingly pathetic performance on the Chris Plante Show on WMAL last Friday. Who wrote this crap for her? Speaking of Chris Plante, this morning he compared the fall of Rome to the election of Obama as President. Chris’s softball questions to Governor Palin, how horribly he handled the aftermath, and how ugly he got towards the Democrats to try and change the subject, displays conclusively he is a hack, and should be treated as such. When Virginia is called for Obama tonight, the DNC should send Chris Plante flowers. (11/4/08) Everyone that was laid off from 105.7 were told on the phone by management....grow some fucking balls folks! (11/4/08) I know Washington's duelin' oldies stations are fighting hard to see which one can put together the dullest playlist -- please STOP playing that Simple Mids shit! -- but I guess WBIG wins the award for most poorly slapped-together promos, those "Nobody understands Simple Minds like WBIG...." things. Over the weekend I caught a really odd one that must have been written at the height of a massive drunk...according to the bit, Stevie Nicks was conceived in Massachusetts "as the Red Sox beat the visiting New York Yankees." That's kind of odd, since her family was from Arizona and Nicks was born in Phoenix in 1948. Even stranger was the bed used in the promo: probably the most well-known home run call of all time, Russ Hodges describing Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world" at the Polo Grounds in New York on WMCA-AM in October 1951 ("the Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!). Wrong teams, wrong city, wrong decade...sounds to me like nobody understands doing a crap job like WBIG. (11/4/08) Dave's response: The Simple Minds is one of my favorite bands. "New Gold Dream" and "Sparkle In The Rain" are two of my all-time favorite albums..... (Dave's response: Someone ought to do a study on how many lefties listen to righty talk radio - and how that often reinforces the lefty's lefty politics. The sometimes slanderous campaign against Obama I've heard from Limbaugh and Hannity and Drudge this year has made me MORE passionate in my support for him.) i guess it's the same as the networks running every daily kos rumor as fact about palin right after she was selected as the VP nominee. but it's cool. we knew the MSM was neck deep in the tank for secular jesus from day one. palin draws massive crowds too. many of them people who got MORE passionate in their support when the *real* slanders were flying. oh, and she's an actual reformer, not just a speaker of it. i hope you like paying more taxes and having no backbone in world crises. (11/4/08) Dave's response: Ah, how about a world with fewer crises to begin with. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure..... Dave, it happened again today! I was watching Fox & Friends this morning (for comedic purposes only, to see how those ass-clowns were spinning the inevitable Obama victory), and at one point they declared themselves the "official morning show of the election." PLEASE, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!?!?!? (11/4/08) Dave, I thought you would appreciate the humor in the prominently featured advertisement at the top of the story about 105.7's switch to sports. Chris (11/4/08) Matthews probably is gushing because isn't Politico run by Allbritton Comm. who runs Ch7/Newschannel 8 and Kathleen used to work there? Just a hunch. (11/4/08) Yeah! for real radio news the last couple of days...why would CBS wait until after the election to launch the new talker? Oh and your line about "I will vote. I will help make history....." Duh, I realize the dems won't acknowledge this - but any body who votes today makes history...no matter who wins. Please stop with the all the drama, geez. (11/4/08) Too funny. Left wingers whining about a slanderous campaign against Jesus Obama. The elite media has kissed his behind every step of the way in unprecedented fashion.. Fact is, the one who has been slandered is Palin. (11/4/08) Ref: Kirk McEwen's comment on CBS radio's changes at 105.7..."They don't know what they're doing over there". Hit the nail on the head...looks like desperation as they change formats as the wind blows... their stations are up for sale and CBS is in big trouble with their radio station holdings pulling them down. And now they are preparing to voice track anything that can be voice tracked. CBS and Clear Channel have, whether intentionally or unintentionally, totally screwed radio up with Citadel and the smaller players following their moves. (11/4/08) ("I challenge you to find the One that you should be calling out!") I agree Radio ONE's HD signals are fucked up as well. WKYS's HD (with no HD2) is a second or so out of step with the analog, so it it virtually unlistenable. WMMJ's HD signal has disappeared as has WPRS's, although that one comes and goes on a day to day basis. I'm not even sure if WOL is running HD. The most stable HD signal Radio One has in DC seems to be WYCB HD, and it actually sounds great. In Charm City, WERQ'S HD (no HD2) sounds just fine as does WWIN's HD (no HD2 either). I have not locked on WWIN AM's HD for any length of time to have any real opinion. CCDC might be going through a rebuild, but they have really fucked up the processing on all of their HD2 channels. WBIG HD2 sounds awful now. What was once tight bright and alive is now very muffled. WMZQ's HD2 sounds to be at about 85 percent modulation and WWDC's HD2 is *still* gone. Clear Channel still beats WTOP...who still has not gotten around to turning back on the HD2/3 on 103.5 or the HD carrier on 103.9. For the real fans of "What the fuck was that" - WDXA - HD2/HD2 is on the air at 93.5 in Howard County. Nothing on the HD2, but HD3 is a loop of Ham Radio apparent liability reports and fines. Jesus... (11/4/08) I told you NOT to touch my monkey! Signed, Dieter (11/4/08) Dave's response: Interviewing a monkey about its presidential preference? I would expect that from WMAL, not WTOP! How is it that you can go off about HD Radio being F'ked in DC, with an emphasis on Clear Channel, and yet not note when such stations are back on? Clear Channel is in the midst of a considerable renovation of their 6th floor, and it is likely that was the reason for the interruption. But what about a broadcaster that has taken out $100M loan to finance projects, has spent some of that on HD conversions, claims to broadcast in 'HD Stereo" and yet, none of their AM nor FM signals run HD with any reliablility. I challenge you to find the One that you should be calling out! (11/4/08) Memo to the Baltimore Sun: "The CBS moves announced yesterday also mark another departure from the radio airwaves by Brian Wilson, whose afternoon show had been broadcast into Baltimore from his home studio in Toledo, Ohio." Well, no, the moves don't mark another departure...anyone paying attention to DCRTV can tell you that Wilson's show on WHFS ended over one month ago, long before the format change which took place Monday. And another inaccuracy by the Sun...Wilson didn't do his WHFS show from his "home studio" in Toledo. He did it from his radio station there (WSPD). (11/4/08) People need to understand that “Right Wing” talkers are thrilled that the Democrats will hold the White House and the probable mandate on the Hill. They have had eight years of apologizing for George Bush. After Inauguration day the right wing talkers will have a field day with Obama, Pelosi and Hillary. This is like Christmas morning for these talkers. As I have said before, the talk show hosts are entertainers, not news people. (11/4/08) A very interesting article about the WJZ calls... mysite.verizon.net/tcoco (11/4/08) Dave's response: Yeah, legendary NYC calls..... Re: Three letter calls and KHJ. KKHJ regained the historic KHJ calls through what I could call a benevolent scam. The station broadcasts in the Spanish language, and they requested reinstatement of the old calls because the English letters KK (in KKHJ) becomes a vulgar slang word when the letters are spoken in Spanish as Caca. The thing is the station was not branded as KKHJ, and the top of the hour ID is in English, not Spanish. So they never needed to say Caca. But the FCC bought the argument, and I think restoration of the calls KHJ was a good thing, even though it was done with a wink and nod. (11/4/08) Austin Hill called his tech producer Barack by accident and they had a very funny back and forth talking about naked polling. The producer proceeded to play the chorus of Jermaine Stewart 'We don't Have to Take our Clothes off" over and over again. He also sang it. Miguel you what WMAL needs more of! Talk more during Austin Hill please! Maybe a future sidekick? WMAL needs to let those behind the scenes folk speak up more. They seem to help inject some much needed entertainment value. -Anonymous listener in Bethesda ;) (11/4/08) Chris Plante may very well have blown it for any hope of McCain taking Virginia, a state that was, until Chris Plante got involved, in play for McCain. Chris allowed that dumb answer to air. He should have dumped it as soon as he heard "First Amendment," he didn't. He should have interrupted her and finished her sentence; he didn't. He should have redefined her and coached her to a better answer; he didn't. Chris Plante bought national shame to his Republican party, and opened the doors to intense criticism from the left. His damage control this morning was pathetic. Governor Palin tonight even tried to nullify the comments she made on the Chris Plante Show last week on the SNL Special. My wife and I think she failed miserably. The truth hurts. Chris Core is probably laughing his a$$ off over what his cheaper replacement (Chris Plante) did. (11/4/08) Dave's response: Someone ought to do a study on how many lefties listen to righty talk radio - and how that often reinforces the lefty's lefty politics. The sometimes slanderous campaign against Obama I've heard from Limbaugh and Hannity and Drudge this year has made me MORE passionate in my support for him. Even if there's a three-hour wait today, I will vote. I will help make history..... Lots of interesting CBS Radio news today in Baltimore. I have to wonder when there will be some changes in DC. PPM comes out this week. I give "The Big Talker" 6 months, tops. This has to be THE DUMBEST decision to come out of CBS Radio D.C. in YEARS. What do they think they're going to do with that lineup and that stick? No matter what, they'll be the 3rd rated conservative political talk in DC. They'll make NO money with that format. It's ridiculous. If nothing else, they should just simulcast WJFK to give them a better city signal and help them in PG County. What they're thinking with this one, I have no idea. Dave, your thoughts? I still think, if they're really trying to maximize ratings, they need to juggle the signals and formats. WJFK is the best local talker in D.C., by far. It's poised to reclaim the ratings of the late 90's. It should be on 94.7. Bonneville put its best format on its best stick for a reason... better ratings=better rates. 106.7 is a garbage signal and is perfect for El Zol, whose audience is mostly in NOVA and isolated parts of Moco. 99.1 is being largely wasted. And gee, what do we have left? Well... a rock format on 99.1... with the WHFS calls suddenly available. It's all there... make the move, guys. (11/4/08) Dave's response: Hey, who knows. The rumors are that CBS is planning "The Big Talker" on 1580, but, surprise, what if it shows up on 106.7? It would certainly be cheaper, piping in syndicated talent. And JFK-FM, staffed by a whole bunch of warm bodies with expensive stuff like health insurance and retirement plans, is currently in, what, 16th place? Ha ha ha, I guess I'm starting to think like a corporate radio suit..... Sorry, Unsigned Corporate Suit - but the FCC's policies on 3-letter calls are pretty clearly defined, and CBS will have no problem using the WJZ calls on radio in B'more. As long as the "base" 3-letter call is being used by the same owner in the same market, the Commission will gladly allow it to be used in other services as well. Recent examples include KSL-FM Midvale/Salt Lake City UT, which isn't the station that used to be KSL-FM back in the day (that's now KSFI 100.3), but which is co-owned with KSL(AM), and WWL-FM Kenner/New Orleans LA, which is co-owned with WWL(AM) but is not the station that was historically WWL-FM (it's now WLMG). More? KFH-FM in Wichita, WBT-FM Chester SC/Charlotte NC - and how about WWJ-TV in Detroit, which is most emphatically not the original WWJ-TV 4 (now WDIV) but rather the UHF peashooter on channel 62 that used to be WGPR before CBS bought it and imported the calls from WWJ(AM) 950. (11/4/08) I thought I'd seen it all in mainstream media bias, but DC Skins fan resident dickhead Tony Kornball managed to get in an INCREDIBLE SLAM against John McCain on election eve during ESPN's Monday Night Football pregame show. Just frikkin unbelievable. I hope he gets shown the door after this season too. What a prick. He makes Dennis Miller look like a great NFL commentator! LOL Oh WAIT, and the ESPN montage ALSO showed the 2nd Joe Gibbs era as a SUCCESSFUL ONE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! You just cannot make this shit up, errr, well unless you just make it up, hehe. (11/4/08) Any thoughts about the direction of WCBM with the long time owner now dead? And what about the host over there who just inked his latest deal with the now deceased 82 yr old owner, is it true he took pen & contract to be signed by the old man while he was ill in the hospital? Classy move, TM. Will it unravel for you now. Overbearing, over rated, overpaid, overinflated ego. Now its your turn to worry. Bad Times for Radio folks, would you say. Overheard the overmedicated overruler was overwhelmed. Over & I'm Out. (11/4/08) /\ November 4 Messages /\ \/ November 3 Messages \/ I would be very surprised if the FCC issued the WJZ-AM and WJZ-FM calls to Baltimore’s 1300 AM and 105.7! Why? AFAIK, the FCC has only re-issued “three-letter calls” in recent history to those stations which could prove an historic relationship to those calls. The two cases I know of are KRE AM-FM in Berkeley which had been KPOP AM-FM and KKHJ in Los Angeles which got back KHJ in large part because of what the first two letters of the call meant to the listeners of their La Rancherita format! However, given the craziness to come out of the Martin FCC, anything could happen! Who knows, maybe Snyder will put the WWDC calls back on 1260 and put WRC-AM back on 980. Unsigned Corporate Suit (11/3/08) hope anita marks goes sooooon!!!!!!!!! kirk and mark have always sucked cbs thought they we get some of there old 98 rock listeners, but its not the show its the station those redneck 98 rockers are loyal to not the shows! mickey thinks the ratings are because of him (just ask him) but its the loyal REDNECKS!!!!!! (11/3/08) (Just what we need, another right wing radio station (1580 am) to go together with WMAL and WTNT. Great!..I'm gonna be sick!) waaaaaahhh! gee, you only have every major TV network, almost every cable network, most major newspapers, newsmagazines, a taxpayer funded radio network (NPR. not to mention other radio networks that are failing) and a large portion of the internet on your side. this is like a fat kid with a 30 scoop ice cream sundae crying because the kid next to him with a 3 scooper has rainbow sprinkles and he doesn't. keep crying about talk radio and fox news. imagine how much the republicans would dominate if the MSM actually called it down the middle. (11/3/08) Just what we need, another right wing radio station (1580 am) to go together with WMAL and WTNT. Great!..I'm gonna be sick! CORY (11/3/08) Dave's response: CBS should make 1580 "Don Geronimo's Musicradio" with 1970s and 1980s pop hits..... The recent change to 105.7 and 1300 makes me wonder what else we should take from this regarding the recent effort to sell the CBS radio properties. I know that is on hold, but does putting the WJZ call letters on the stations indicate that CBS is planning to hold on to at least these two for the longer run? Why put the well-known calls of your O&O TV station on a property you may turn around and sell? I'm sure some combination of letters that could be tied to "The Fan" or ESPN were available and could have been used on these stations so that a future owner would not have to change them from WJZ to something else. (11/3/08) You're forgetting that Baltimore's WBAL also does sports talk at night and, along with 98 ROCK has the Ravens so at some times, thats SIX SPORTS STATIONS in Baltimore! The question now is, who's gonna survive? Certainly not all of them! LOL (11/3/08) AH SHIT, ITS STARTING: (from Inside Radio.com) Fresh off Halloween, there's been a burst of all-Christmas formats. Clear Channel's ACs KOSY-FM, Salt Lake City and WNIC, Detroit are among two big-market additions. Despite the early date, two markets -- Milwaukee and Grand Rapids -- already have two holiday-themed stations. (11/3/08) The item about the three WNST staffers turning down a spot on the new sports talker in B'more is patently false. Cunningham was the one and only one approached. It seems someone is chewing on some sour grapes, perhaps? (11/3/08) Too bad about Mangione's passing. I always liked his song, "Feels So Good." (11/3/08) Seeing as it's Garceau w/ Anita Marks, it brings back memories of Ed Norris w/ Big O & Dukes on 105.7. Maybe the plan will be to keep Marks w/ Garceau but I really can't picture it. Hopefully the WHFS calls will serve a meaningful purpose in DC down the road than just being parked on a right wing talker. Now DC should look at swapping the format frequencies around and dumping The Globe and putting WHFS on 99.1 with a new music format all together. 99.1 is a very good signal that is too focused at practically what is a DC only audience. IMO it should be 106.7 El Zol, 94.7 WJFK, 99.1-HFS with a format that would serve the entire signal area Baltimore & DC better. Chris in Eldersburg (11/3/08) "There is NO room in D.C. for two sports-formatted 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]." If Baltimore (a city with only two major professional teams) can have three sports talk stations, then I don't see why Washington should be stuck with just one. The treatment of the recently completed World Series on ESPN 980's local shows was skimpy and superficial at best - as if the hosts regarded the Fall Classic as an insignificant blip on the sports scene. By contrast, subscribers to XM Sirius could tune in Mad Dog Russo's show or the Home Plate channel and get in depth analysis of game strategy, player performance, etc. Anyone who thinks the Nationals, Wizards or Capitals can expect to receive their just due on a station owned by Dan Snyder is seriously deluded (not that baseball or hockey have ever been properly served on local sports talk radio but it's gotten worse since Snyder acquired WTEM). So there's a definite opening for a competitor to 980 with a committment to fans of those local teams not clad in burgundy and gold. Mike, Fairfax (11/3/08) Dave's response: Actually, Baltimore has FOUR sports talkers - WJZ-FM, WJZ-AM (formerly WJFK-AM), WVIE, and WNST. Since WNST is probably more a "labor of love" than anything else, I see the new WJZ-FM being the most treatening to the new WVIE..... Since I dont listen to talk radio much, can someone tell me if any of the hosts in town covered the possiblity that the press' focus on Palin, as VP, is not so much to question her but as to create enough noise that no one has time to question Obama as P? It is interesting how this race has come down to being between a VP candidate and the P candidate of the opposing party. Or, are we seeing an extension of Hillary vs. Obama, is some entity trying to continue the fight between a white woman and black man? I bet no host has covered these possibilities, but how else to explain the emphasis on Palin rather than McCain, and Obama's assurred arrogance at throwing reporters off the plane. (11/3/08) Any reason for Mike O'Meara being in best of mode today? (11/3/08) Dave's response: He's mourning Kirk and Mark? Oh, nevermind..... Probably cause anita sucks … Hope she heads back to Miami with that aweful voice of hers. (11/3/08) Anyone listening to this Anita Marks show should be able to hear the huge fight for dominance on this first day of the show. Scott is constantly cutting off her sentences and she is noticeably talking over him….this dynamic should be interesting. Dave in Hunt Valley (11/3/08) Poor Anita "Ray Finkle" Marks… Guess she''ll be over at the ol' Hippo on Eager St. this evening, drowning her sorrows with some close, "associates". (11/3/08) Where have Kirk & Mark gone this time ??????? Booted off of 105.7 ???? (11/3/08) Dave's response: I suspect that they'll be sitting on the sidelines for a while, until their CBS contracts are up..... marks just found out that they're giving Garceau top billing with the PM drive show - "Scott Garceau w/Anita Marks" she's here now bouncing off the walls mad... "i can't believe i'm getting disrespected like this!"... a lot of us at CBS are giggling (as if you couldn't tell) (11/3/08) Dave I don’t believe the FCC has thought much about Virtual Channels vs Actual Channels outside of what is in the ATSC Document A65C. I attached Annex B to this e-mail. Basically, if you are currently Ch4, at the end of the transition you can still be Ch 4 as long as no one new was assigned to Ch 4. In that case, you then have to be your new RF channel. So, if that stays the operational theory, no one could claim Ch 3 or something low on the dial unless that was their former NTSC channel. Also, if a Ch 29 was going to a Channel 42, but a Channel 56 was going to a Channel 29, everyone keeps their assignments (since no one is a “new” DTV licensee). Here’s an excerpt from A65C: 1) For broadcasters with existing NTSC licenses, the major_channel_number for the existing NTSC channels, as well as the digital virtual channels, controlled by the broadcaster, shall be set to the current NTSC RF channel number. E.g., assume a broadcaster who has an NTSC broadcast license for RF channel 13 is assigned RF channel 39 for digital ATSC broadcast. That broadcaster is required to use major_channel_number 13 for identification of the analog NTSC channel on RF channel 13, as well as the digital virtual channels it is controlling on RF channel 39. 2) For a new broadcaster without an existing NTSC license, the major_channel_number for the digital virtual channels controlled by the broadcaster shall be set to the FCC assigned RF channel number for ATSC digital TV broadcast. E.g., assume a broadcaster who currently has no NTSC broadcast license applies and receives a license for digital ATSC broadcast on RF channel 49. That broadcaster is required to use major_channel_number 49 for identification of the digital virtual channels that it is controlling on RF channel 49. 3) If during or at the end of the transition period, the RF channel assigned to a broadcaster for digital ATSC broadcast is changed for any reason, the major_channel_number used by that broadcaster shall not change. 4) If, after the transition, a previously used NTSC RF channel in a market is assigned to a newly-licensed DTV broadcaster in that market, the newly-licensed DTV broadcaster shall use, as his major_channel_number, the number of the DTV RF channel originally allocated to the previous NTSC licensee of the assigned channel. Hank (11/3/08) I think CBS will be watching this one closely. As I said before, to have any kind of ratings for Sports Talk in Baltimore it will have to be an FM station with local hosts. These are good local hosts and will show if it is possible to get ratings. I think after a year, it could reach a 1.5 12+. CBS is probably hoping for a 4 share. Nothing is easy anymore. Ed Graham PS: Anita Marks has needed a good partner. Now she has one. (11/3/08) WMAL has been running TV ads lately claiming to be "the OFFICIAL 2008 election source." OFFICIAL? Any idea what that even MEANS? I've never heard such an arbitrary proclamation. (11/3/08) I'm confused. I thought the FCC wasn't allowing 3-letter calls for new call assignments. Is it because CBS already had WJZ for TV13 that they were allowed to put that call on AM and FM as well? I'll bet the WWJZ-AM folks aren't too happy about it. (11/3/08) Dave's response: It could be confusing in places like Laurel and Greenbelt, where you can get both Baltimore's WJZ 105.7 and DC's WJZW 105.9..... CBS Radio insiders say that Scott Garceau will be the lead host and Anita Marks will be his "sidekick" 3-7 on 105.7. Any guesses on how long that lasts? Put me down for 90 days before she's outta there. Chris in the 'burbs. (11/3/08) Dave's response: "Here's Anita with the traffic and weather." You're probably right..... Funny to hear Limbaugh taking off his adult diaper today and flinging his last minute shit at Obama. What a pathetic bag of gas! Spiro in Agnewville (11/3/08) “Is there a list online somewhere of the 155 actual store locations around the country that Circuit City will be closing? I've checked around, but I can't find one. (11/3/08)” files.shareholder.com (11/3/08) Dave, one of my college sorority sisters, Kerri Louise, e-mailed me last night saying that she's scheduled to be on "Oprah" today. Kerri is, along with her husband Tom Cotter, a professional comedian. The topic today is 'sex threrapy', so I don't know exactly what she will be doing on the show. Happy Election Day Eve! -Silvie- (11/3/08) www.whfs.com... Your info. was dead on Dave. (11/3/08) Is there a list online somewhere of the 155 actual store locations around the country that Circuit City will be closing? I've checked around, but I can't find one. (11/3/08) As it turns out, CBS has requested the WHFS calls on...the current WPGC(AM). And that earlier link apparently doesn't work directly, try the "QUERY" button here to look it up yourself: fjallfoss.fcc.gov (11/3/08) Dave's response: Parking the legendary letters on 1580. Hmmm. Very interesting..... So-105.7 suits must read DCRTV. Many posters had suggested taking 105.7 and 1300 the way of WJZ-FM. Although, those calls would have been perfect if CBS took 105.7 to News like WTOP. Anyway, so now 105.7 has FM sports talk. So, that means CBS has shown 1370 who is boss. Now, WJZ-FM/AM has not just two signals, but they will have a strong web pressence, they have top notch (except for Anita) personalities that are known around the market and they have the Orioles, Terps and hopefully soon the Ravens! CBS has taken a leap at fixing the broke toy of WHFS... (11/3/08) Dave's response: Many times in the past I've ranted that CBS/Baltimore should put sports talk on 105.7 and put the WJZ calls on both 1300 and 105.7, and market the station with co-owned WJZ-TV. I think Dave Labrozzi and Bob Philips owe me a hefty fee for my radio consultancy services..... The FCC's Call Sign Query (fjallfoss.fcc.gov) database shows that the WJZ(AM) calls for 1300 Baltimore, and the WJZ-FM calls for 105.7 Catonsville MD, officially took effect today. (11/3/08) Dave's response: And where will the legendary WHFS calls go? Come CBS, put 'em on 94.7 and give us back the legendary progressive rocker..... Damage Control, Damage Control! Chris Plante tried to turn the tables this morning and claim Obama wants to restrict Freedom of the Press! After Sarah Palin's HUGE Gaffe on the Chris Plante show last week, (heard "around the world," according to Chris Plante this morning), Chris is now claiming it is Obama who wants to curtail Freedom of the Press. Way to go Chris! Your softball question turned into a gaffe heard worldwide, so you use equivocation and a third person ad hominem to try to change the subject. Unfortunately, my philosophy professor taught us that equivocation and ad hominems are fallacies of logic, and therefore should not be considered in debate. You blew it, Chris. Don't look for an invitation to the RNC's Christmas party this year, Mr. Plante. (11/3/08) Dave's response: Today's "Marching Orders" from GOP Central. Look for Limbaugh and Hannity to be mouthing the same sermon..... These are the local stores that Circuit City is closing. Local closings include: 11011 Baltimore Ave. in Beltsville; 3551 32nd Ave. in Marlow Heights; 10640 Davidson Place in Manassas; and 1905 Chain Bridge Rd. in McLean. Plus they are closing one in Baltimore. (11/3/08) Also hearing that CBS approached all three full time WNST on-air personalities (Forrester, Haney and Long) about coming over to 105.7 for the 1-3 PM slot and 3-7 PM slot and all three WNST guys turned them down. (11/3/08) Tommy, I have a feeling that what you were picking up "faintly" back in the '70s was KXEL, from Waterloo, Iowa at 1540 kHz. Actually, it used to come in pretty clear most nights, but now it has to rigorously compete with ethnic CHIN in Toronto on the same freq. KOF (11/3/08) It's too bad Sarah Palin only has about 24 hours left before she fades into oblivion, because her attempts at intelligent discourse are so entertaining. I loved "If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations, then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media." I guess she missed the part of the Constitution where it clearly states that freedom of the press, freedom of speech, etc, are there to protect the press and the people FROM THE GOVERNMENT, not the other way around. G'bye, Ms. Palin! (11/3/08) "Does anyone know if there was a different site for KFCL in the 70's. Tommy" - Tommy, I'm thinking that maybe you're remembering WCFL in Chicago on 1000 khz. Back then it was a 50KW top 40 flame thrower, easily heard here on the East Coast, back when "clear channel" actually meant you could count on hearing certain stations on certain frequencies. On another note, kudos to the schlubs at CBS for bringing back a three-letter call (WJZ-FM) to Baltimore. Now they should go one step further and restore the WHFS call to the DC area…Mike in Frederick and the Dashboard DX Society. Shoutout to Tuscarora Titans soccer team - beat B-CC! (11/3/08) Re: "The station couldn’t possible be shifting to ALL sports since Ed Norris & Maynard to a show based on current issues and only lightly touch on sports if a story is in the news." Duh. You think? An "all sports" radio station featuring a broader based morning show? What an idea! Wow! Why, umm, umm...it's been standard issue for sports talk radio since Don Freaking Imus did mornings at the very first all sports station, WFAN in NYC! Nevermind. (11/3/08) Re: "I've tried erasing the record commands and replacing them with timed events like 'start 9:00 end 9:31', but the box keeps defaulting to the scheduled start and stop times of each particular show by title. It also does not help when the cable channels themselves don't hit playback time exactly on 00:00 or 30:00 and 'leak' several seconds late each time." The second problem would happen even with your "old reliable" VCR. The TiVo software and guide can't control networks messing with exact start and stop times. As for the first problem, if you do have an actual TiVo (and not a cable DVR or clone), the manual events are not affected by the guide info for the station...even if that guide data actually shows up in the recording's name. You can also go into each waiting recording and change the stop/start times of the recording by 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes, or 10, 15, etc..."Find Programs > To Do List" on the menu. Again, this is only for actual TiVo units, not for clones or cable DVRs not running TiVo software. (11/3/08) 1300 in Baltimore will use the WJZ-AM call letters in place of WJFK-AM. Everett W. (11/3/08) Now that'd be fuctup if Circuit City closed its Springfield store -- that would make TWO circ-cit stores in that town shuttered. The first one (long closed) is on Old Keene Mill Rd near the Mixing Bowl and is now used as a slugline commuter stop. (11/3/08) I'm told that Bruce Cunningham is leaving WNST and will host a Monday through Friday show from 1-3 PM on 105.7. Interesting since Cunningham for years has referred to CBS Radio in Baltimore as the "Evil Empire." I guess money talks. It will be interesting to see how WNST spins this and how Cunningham does without the intelligence provided by Aaron Wilson. (11/3/08) Since broadcasters and cablecasters decided long ago that the clock was merely a suggestion and not a rule to live by, the TiVo user's complaint in a previous post seems to be more with TiVo than with "digital TV". It's not about any delay in the pipeline, it's simply that no one starts a program at exactly :00 or ends it exactly at :30. The default setting (affecting all timers) on my Dish Network DVR is to start a recording 1 minute early and end it 3 minutes late; surely TiVo has something similar in its setup options? ~~CA in BC (11/3/08) "At least people like Bram Weinstein are knowledgeable and are genuine..unlike Chris Miller and the ever awful Michael Jenkins" -- I'd have to disagree with ya there. Both of those guys are good and CSN does a great job with caps, wiz, local college hoops and football, and you can't get better redskins coverage anywhere. ESPN on the other hand has become unwatchable -- the constant cowboys, T.O, red sox/yanks, kobe, WHO'S NOW, and who can forget the aweful, AWEFUL steve phillips mock presser a few years ago, CSN is solid. ----- Patricia (11/3/08) On the way back from Ocean City, WTNT's signal was stronger on the Eastern Shore than WMAL's. WTNT's signal was listenable between Bridgeville, DE and Denton where WMAL's was down in the noise. WTEM was barely listenable in OC and was of fairly good quality driving across the Eastern Shore. It is the best DC area signal on the Eastern Shore. WCBM puts in a good signal in Ocean City. I was able to listen to it with no problems on my Sony Walkman. (11/3/08) The latest change in format on WHFS is more proof that the suits there don't have a clue. Norris, even with the Orioles playing afternoon games, had abysmal ratings. Maynard is just a cannon ball around his leg pulling him down. Geez...this morning...constantly encouraging female listeners to "take us into the shower..." Maynard -- that's not Ed's way of playing with the women. And when you listen to Norris, other than constantly touting he was a cop, there isn't a whole lot of there there. You can hear in his answers that he simply isn't that informed or very well read. Thank God though the K and M are gone. They stopped being entertaining years ago. Phillips and Labrozzi have turned a great station into whale droppings. (11/3/08) What special plans does WMAL have for the McCain/Palin Victory Wednesday? Speaking of WMAL, Chris Plante's interview with Governor Palin last week was referenced by CBS News! www.cbsnews.com... Newsday even has Sarah's response to Chris Plante as an entry in a reader poll! "Which was the most fevered lunge for self-promotion by a power player? Vote at Newsday.com/spincycle. 1) Vice President Dick Cheney, who injected himself into the presidential race with a public endorsement of John McCain Saturday. 2) Gov. David A. Paterson, who enraged State Senate Republicans by campaigning for their opponents last weekend. 3) Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose new interpretation of the First Amendment called for protection of government officials against attacks from reporters." All Chris Plante fans can vote for #3! www.newsday.com... Thank you Chris Plante for doing a great job interviewing Governor Palin last week. I am sure with all the publicity is has received, there will be something extra in your paycheck on the 15th! (11/3/08) Turned on FOX news this morning right when Steve and Tony were welcoming Gurvir back.. She said it had been 4 months, but I didn't know if she meant 4 months since she left or 4 months since the twins were born since it seems like she's been gone since her first few months of being pregnant..She mentioned Tom in passing mentioning some clothing he bought one of the twins..I can only imagine how awkward it must be for her and Holly working in the same office...Oh, and what's up with Will Thomas' new hairdo?..I saw him on the weekend news looking like he has slicked down the front of his hair and combed it to the side.. (11/3/08) If there is one aspect of the whole digital TV thing that's got my ass in an uproar, its that miserable program delay over my cable system and into my TiVo. I'm on the Cox line, and my TiVo is set to capture shows like The Soup, Family Guy, Futurama et al, which run right up against the hour or half-hour. Invariably, the endings of my shows get clipped as the TiVo decides that it is *exactly* 9:30 and time to stop the recorder, no matter whether or not we've reached the conclusion. I've tried erasing the record commands and replacing them with timed events like "start 9:00 end 9:31", but the box keeps defaulting to the scheduled start and stop times of each particular show by title. It also does not help when the cable channels themselves don't hit playback time exactly on 00:00 or 30:00 and "leak" several seconds late each time. Quite the annoyance, and almost reason enough for me to reconnect my old reliable RESETTABLE videocassette recorder. (11/3/08) The Ed Norris show did move to mornings as of this am (11/3) as you had reported. Ed mentioned that big things are in the works and that all of the head honchos at CBS were there at 4:30am. He said an announcement by the station would be forthcoming at 10AM. The station couldn’t possible be shifting to ALL sports since Ed Norris & Maynard to a show based on current issues and only lightly touch on sports if a story is in the news. My guess is that the Norris show is so popular (the only one at WHFS) that they had to find a spot for him somewhere in the lineup, regardless of the format. (11/3/08) Mangione's empire includes the Turf Valley Country Club in Howard County, where, about 20 years ago, he was slow to explain why one of his people left racial remarks on the answering machine of a black civil rights activist in Baltimore. The incident brought the Justice Department into the picture, and may also have caused the FCC to review his fitness as a licensee for WCBM. (11/3/08) “Hey PC users: did you spend money on a new Vista machine? Shoulda waited... news.cnet.com”. Word is that “Windows 7” will be the last version of Microsoft’s flagship operating system to be called “Windows”. Don’t know what they plan to call it after that, but apparently the name “Windows”, if not the entire line, will be retired. You have to wonder if MS will move to a more Unix-based OS like Apple did several years ago. If so, that would be the smartest decision the propeller-heads in Redmond have made in many years. (11/3/08) Re: "So even if WDCW were able to get all the cable companies in the Washington DMA to put it on channel 3, it would still appear as "50.1" on over-the-air DTV receivers, and on satellite TV, too, where the custom is to use the analog OTA channel number" Yeah, that's the point I was trying to make, worded much better. A TV station can call itself any channel number it wants as far as on-air marketing (cable channels, etc.), but when it comes to picking some number out of the air for a new "virtual channel" on digital receivers, it can't. "FOX 5" in San Diego still appears as 69-1 on digital OTA receivers. You still tune to virtual channel 69 to get it, even though the underlying DT RF channel is something else entirely. And it can't make itself show up as "5-1" on digital receivers, no matter what. I suppose after all the DT dust settles next year, stations will figure out a way to petition the FCC to abandon their old analog number...but even then, the FCC wouldn't likely allow the basically random choice of a new "virtual channel number". (11/3/08) I painfully sat through two editions of "SportsNite" in the past three days and have come to the conclusion that ESPN remains the authority when it comes to giving us highlights and news. I don't understand why someone doesn't tell the Comcast anchors to stop with the "I'm the best" attitude and act like you're one of us, a DC-Balt. sports fan. Instead, we get a very cheap imitation of an ESPNews anchor. At least people like Bram Weinstein are knowledgeable and are genuine..unlike Chris Miller and the ever awful Michael Jenkins. May be Dan Snyder should buy Comcast Sportsnet. At least Snyder tries!! (11/3/08) KMS out of mornings as of tomorrow (Monday). Ed and Maynard in the morning starting tomorrow (Monday). (11/3/08) I just got word that longtime WCBM owner Nick Mangione passed away this morning (Sunday). Word has it that he sufferred a stroke a few weeks ago. Don't have all the details but I would imagine that WCBM's local hosts will talking about it a great deal tomorrow (Monday). Mangione bought WCBM in 1988, coinciding with the demise of the old WFBR. He immediately brought with him most of WFBR's talent including Tom Marr, Frank Luber, Les Kinsolving, and Stan "The Fan" Charles. Mangione was a WWII veteran. I'm sure there will be more on this tomorrow. (11/3/08) /\ November 3 Messages /\ \/ November 2 Messages \/ I nominate Chris Plante for the Rush Limbaugh/ Michael J. Fox Award for Excellence in Talk Radio. Anyone second? Governor Palin did so much better earlier when she read the answers Mark Levin provided for her during Mark's hard hitting taped interview. (11/2/08) Does the dullish O'Meara show really garner ratings on WJFK or O'Meara just says that the ratings are jiffy? why not have Katie as a regular on the show? She actually has a sense of humor. Is the O'Meara show run so tightly because of CK the progrum manager at WJFK? All these boring interviews and could Rubbay find more dullish audio drops to fill up the time! And over at The Glob, this round of classic rock programming seems to lean more heavily on Hair bands of the '80's, metal and metal derivitive bands and the redneck rock, not a big fan. Also seems like the dj's have been told to keep the dj banter to absolute minimun this round. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Is the new mid day gal at the Glob just Shelby reincarnated , haing dropped the Valley Girl/Psuedoh! hippie act? If the mid day gal at The Glob and the mid day gal over at Big 100.3 had a jello wrestling match who would win? But Kim Martucci could kick their arses no matter who wins! Was listening to True Oldies the other night and Al Santos was playing the dj, after a song by B.J. Thomas Mr. Santos exclaimed there's your daily bj for you, oh Mr. Santos going "blue"? Also played Last Train to Clarksville at 11:30 pm and heard same song played earlier in evening by Michael Scott Shannon as the number 1 song on that date in 1966? at 8pm. And the Grooms yard overnight on True Oldies seems to have picked up a teeny bit of energy but I'll blotz if I ever hear a QuickSilver Mesenger song played on True Oldies. Did Lindsey Czarniak have a hissy fit cause Heile has a paid gig over at WTEM once a week so they had to find a weekly gig on the dullish O'Meara show for her? And whatever happened to Tood Whitthorne? Oh yeah George Michael's Redskin Report has been moved later to 1:30 am Saturday nights and sorry to see the demise of the Ebert and Roeper movie review show for another high speed silly movie review show from the arses at Disney and sorry to see tht channel 50 has dropped Showtime at the Apollo and the Best of Soul Train in the wee small hours of Saturday mornings! Gawd why did you create infomercials? ... (11/2/08) Hey PC users: did you spend money on a new Vista machine? Shoulda waited... news.cnet.com (11/2/08) Dave's response: I'm a "PC," too. I like Vista. Works great for me..... Dave, why are you so amazed that IBOC (HD) radio is fu*k up? RF engineers know it stinks, program directors don't want to be bothered with content, production directors don't need more work to create elements ,GM's are pissed at the exorbitant licensing fees, manufacturers are pissed at the licensing fees, and the average consumer can't get it unless the planets are in perfect alignment, nor is it portable because off power consumption issues. Let's face it the guys in Columbia at ibiquity are just laughing their way to the bank at everyone else's stupidity to drop it. The only thing it's good for at this point is to replace sub carrier specialized programming. Next year February will issue in a new era of radio with broad band streaming available to most consumers. Why would I want a couple of channels of HD when I can have several million at my finger tips. HD is almost as annoying as this election. Let's just get it over with. (11/2/08) "Dave's response: Still, what's to stop DC's Channel 50/WDCW from simply claiming it's now "Channel 3/WDCW" or "DC-3" (sounds like an old airplane)? OK, its DTV signal is 51. If DC's NBC4 can claim it's on 4 when it's really on 48, then why can't traditional "high number" UHFers legally "claim" lower dial "positioners" that are unused in their market? Get the cable companies to carry them on that cable channel. Let's see. We could have WETA-6, WDCA-10, and "Fox-12" in Baltimore. Why not?....." - No reason why not, from an on-air branding standpoint. I can think of several examples in markets where all the local cable companies have coordinated their channel lineups - San Diego's "Fox 5," which is really analog 69/DTV 17, or Palm Springs' "ABC 3" (KESQ 42) and "NBC 6" (KMIR 36) come to mind. But as far as the "virtual channel number" used for channel mapping on the broadcast DTV signal, the FCC's rules are clear and without exception: DTV stations MUST map to the analog channel number. So even if WDCW were able to get all the cable companies in the Washington DMA to put it on channel 3, it would still appear as "50.1" on over-the-air DTV receivers, and on satellite TV, too, where the custom is to use the analog OTA channel number. Oh, and as for San Diego's "NBC 7/39" giving way to "nbcsandiego.com," that's a nationwide choice NBC is making with all its O&Os. It has nothing to do directly with the DTV conversion - KNSD will still be cable 7, over-the-air "39" - but rather with NBC's perception that its local outlets will soon be viewed via on-line platforms as much as, if not more than, over traditional television. (11/2/08) Smokin Joe is out at WYRX The radio ax continues to swing!! (11/2/08) Regarding a previous post about Comcast deleting the Style Network – doesn’t Comcast own at least a portion of this network? It wouldn’t make sense for them to delete one of their own networks, but when I checked ch. 58 this morning there was no programming, only flashing question marks. (11/2/08) KNSD-TV (San Diego's NBC 7/39) has moved away from the "7/39" identifier, what with the February 2009 switchover to digital TV. At that point, their permanent channel will be UHF 40. They are now using www.nbcsandiego.com as their "brand name". By the way, many viewers of WRC might remember Marty Levin, who was there in the 70s. He landed out here and is the station's longtime chief news anchor. Scott Marinoff (grew up in Alexandria VA & enjoying San Diego living since 2000) (11/2/08) Goodbye Opus wpcomics.washingtonpost.com (11/2/08) Dave wrote: "If DC's NBC4 can claim it's on 4 when it's really on 48, then why can't traditional "high number" UHFers legally "claim" lower dial "positioners" that are unused in their market?" I'll leave it to folks who know the FCC rules better than I do, but I believe there's something in there preventing a station from using just any old virtual channel it wants to use. There may even be something mandating the use of the old analog number. We have a small independent station near where I am that recently shut off analog 68 and is now only using digital 12, and they're IDing via PSIP as virtual channel "68-1". You can bet they want to be "12-1"! (11/2/08) Dave's response: There are markets where a UHFer has marketed itself as a VHFer. Take San Diego, where the channel 39 NBCer markets itself as being on channel 7, where it's carried by local cable systems. The Fox station in that same market is called "Fox5" even though it's broadcast on UHF channel 69. Granted, if DC's channel 50 attemped to change its digitally encoded identifier to 3 it would run into the FCC's wrath, but I don't see why it couldn't market itself as "DC3" if it wanted to, as long as there's no other station on that local frequency. It would run into trouble using channel 8 as it marketing anchor because there is NewsChannel 8 in this market, even though it's not a broadcast operation..... Sarah Palin told both Hannity and Levin that she is a fan of theirs, and listens to conservative talk radio often. Again, Sarah Palin told both Hannity and Levin that she is a fan of theirs, and listens to conservative talk radio often. Juxtapose those statements with the fact that she keeps getting basic understanding of the Constitution wrong, and what conclusions can you make? "If [the media] convince enough voters that that is negative campaigning, for me to call Barack Obama out on his associations, then I don't know what the future of our country would be in terms of First Amendment rights and our ability to ask questions without fear of attacks by the mainstream media." Governor Palin on the Chris Plante show. Have you even read the First Amendment and pondered its intent, Governor? Why should the MSM be muzzled, Governor, and those bulldog liars, Hannity and Levin, who you listen to, get a pass? And what exactly does a VP do, and how is that job different than the Senate Majority Leader. (11/2/08) To the guy who keeps writing: "Grandy and Andy must be giddy at this point. Sarah Palin didn't understand what the First Ammendment actually means, and she showed this ignorance right on WMAL's Chris Plante show!" What the heck are you talking about? I heard the interview twice and didn't hear anything like what you said you heard. Why don't you post a quote here or something so we can understand exactly what this giant flub was! Geez! Just get out and vote and let's stop with these ridiculous attempts at "gotchas." (11/2/08) Coincidently, the day that I received an e-mail that my Comcast rates were going up, one of the stations (channel 58, Style network; non-digital) mysteriously disappeared on my t.v..I called Comcast and was told that they had no clue as to why. So, I called yesterday and was told that "the network" was having some sort of problems. As of this morning, still no channel 58..I wonder if digital customers are receiving this channel. (11/2/08) Palin prank call- It seems that you can listen to the call in full at the website of the Montreal radio hosts ('Masked Avengers' Marc-Antoine Audette and Sebastien Trudel)- www.justiciers.tv. I haven't been able to get the clip load up yet via my sporadic net connection at my current faraway location in Central Africa, but hopefully those of you closer to the scene will have better luck! Based on the snippets I've heard on the BBC World Service, the crude and artificial nature of the Sarkozy imitation, which Palin evidently didn't notice, is particularly striking. Mark O. (11/2/08) The mention of WOWO reminded me of listening to it in Brooklyn NY in the early 70's. After Jean Shepherd signed off on WOR at midnight (later 11PM), I would scan the AM band looking for DX. WSB Atlanta was always loud and clear as well as WOWO in Fort Wayne. I have notes of faintly hearing KFCL but the only record for those call letters I can find indicate it was a Californina station. Does anyone know if there was a different site for KFCL in the 70's. Tommy (11/2/08) The reason Comcast was showing the Wizards on channel 4 in Montgomery County was that they were having having problems getting the feed from Buffalo. They were running a scroll every couple of minutes on the bottom of the screen letting everyone know why the Wizards game was on that channel also. (11/2/08) I feel like I keep posting the same damn thing over and over again here and on the messageboards: NO TV STATION HAS TO CHANGE ITS BRANDING BECAUSE OF THE DIGITAL CONVERSION! Go get a coupon and get a converter and plug it in and try it: WRC will appear as "4", WUSA as "9", WBAL as "11" and so on. It's all thanks to a little bit of digital magic called "remapping" - a special bit of data transmitted by each DTV station telling the receiver what channel to display when it's tuned in. Sure, WRC-DT is operating on the 600 MHz frequency band we call "channel 48," but only the innards of the receiver need to know that. As far as you're concerned, it's still "channel 4," just as it's been for 60-plus years. It really HAS to be that way, if you think about it - otherwise, the stations that go back to their old analog channels for DTV after the transition (WBAL-DT, for instance, which will be on channel 11 for real) would have a huge advantage over the ones that don't (WMAR-DT, now on 52, moves to 38 after the transition.) So, again - ZERO cost to stations to repaint trucks, redo mic flags, redecorate sets, unless they're rebranding for other reasons, as NBC/WRC is doing. (11/2/08) Dave's response: Still, what's to stop DC's Channel 50/WDCW from simply claiming it's now "Channel 3/WDCW" or "DC-3" (sounds like an old airplane)? OK, its DTV signal is 51. If DC's NBC4 can claim it's on 4 when it's really on 48, then why can't traditional "high number" UHFers legally "claim" lower dial "positioners" that are unused in their market? Get the cable companies to carry them on that cable channel. Let's see. We could have WETA-6, WDCA-10, and "Fox-12" in Baltimore. Why not?..... /\ November 2 Messages /\ \/ November 1 Messages \/ An earlier anonymous poster lamented, “…it sounds like crap, and a good sounding analog FM station can sound better than satellite radio.” When I saw that I had to add my experiences. I am a “dyed-in-he-wool” terrestrial broadcaster. I have also been an XM customer since I got the RX for free ages ago. Why? For niche programming, which is satrad’s forte’. And, given the un-Godly amount of travel I’m still forced to do (The PC-based stuff for online meetings will never replace a face-to-face meet where you can read body English, etc.), I’ve had Sirius in more than a few rental cars. I picked XM for the weekly salute to Top-40 radio and that their music stream codec didn’t appear to be that far off from that of an MS .wav file. Unfortunately, of late the music channels on XM seem even more compressed than they did before. While they sound better than the “talk” streams (and certainly better than the “traffic” and “emergency info” streams.). they are beginning to sound like an AM Stereo station running the Motorola AM/PM system –and not as good as some, at that! Like WLS, for example. Mel knows that it’s programming that’ll create a marketplace for satrad –not quality! As long as you don’t have the classical music sounding like it’s coming off a Pace 23-channel CB radio with a class C amplifier (Note that I didn’t say “linear” here, did I?), satrad will have a chance. After all, if you’re a classical music fan living in a place like Grants, NM satrad is your only radio option. However, I’d have to partially disagree with the earlier poster and say that a well-tuned AM station can sound better than any of the mono satrad streams, and that many an analog-only FM station sounds better than the “music” streams on satrad. Pity… Unsigned Corporate Suit (11/1/08) Another great job by Comcast in Montgomery County. You can see the Wizards on both Comcast Sports Net channels (4 & 45) and yet you cannot see the Capitals game. The Caps are supposed to be on the the alternate channel and yet the buffons are showing the Wizards twice. Of course the moron who I called at Comcast told me to tune to channel 4 on Comcast. (11/1/08) Clear Channel's WFRE/ WFMD Frederick had an ad running for salespeople in the help wanted section of the Frederick Gazette. The ad actually contained photos of the DOS and LSM. First, whoever heard of putting photos of the boss(es) in a classified help wanted ad? Second, those two must be real egomaniacs who think that they are the actual stars of the station. Maybe it would make more sense if either one of them actually was attractive! (11/1/08) Re: XM channels in mono. The name of the game with satellite radio is cramming over a hundred channels in a data rate equivalent to about two CDs playing simultaneously. Do the math. Many channels need to run at data rates like 24 KBps or less. This means the talk channels are in mono, and on ALL channels processing is employed to reduce data rate. This means the high end, low end and stereo would be somewhat lifeless and drab sounding, compared to the original recording on a commercial CD. Basically it sounds like crap, and a good sounding analog FM station can sound better than satellite radio. (11/1/08) Up here in the Borough of Hanover in the beautiful Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I have never heard of Tweeters. I am sorry it is closing, as I am with any other business. I did hear a report on one of the business channels today. It seems Dolly Parton has bought out three big grocery chains. Big Star,Piggely Wiggley and Harris Teeters. It seems that all these stores will be combined under one operation. the new name will be Big Wiggley Teeters. JohnnyuinHanoverPa. (11/1/08) In the midst of all the screamin’ here on DCRTV about the election campaign, one cable change has apparently gone unnoticed: Comcast has dropped Usenet! OK, so some may call it “newsgroups”. Anyways, when I tried getting on rec.radio.broadcasting yesterday evening, I couldn’t connect. I called Comcrap and they said that the service was terminated nationally effective 10/25 because fewer than 1% of their customers were using it. Of course this was done with no change in rates. Reminds me of how Detroit tells people of how they’re “holding the line on prices” when they raise prices and de-trim the vehicles! So, if you want to sue Usenet/Newsgroups, be ready to belly-up to the bar and pay extra for Giganews or such. With this kind of openness (No e-mail to us customers, natch... Or, at least I didn’t get one!) I’m surprised Brian Roberts (Comcast’s CEO) isn’t running for President. With this kind of candor, he’d be in good company with many a U.S. President! (11/1/08) Dave's response: Gosh, back in the 1990s, I subscribed to a batch of cool "newsgroups." But with the growth of the web, in general, over the past decade I found myself forgetting about them. I guess I'm just a "too-typical" Comcast customer..... I find it astoundingly interesting that I've seen no ANTI-SLOTS TV ADS running on any of the Baltimore TV stations nor much of any controversy about the referendum on this Tuesday's ballot even in the ultra left-wing Baltimore Sun. All is just eerily quiet. Yet when Republican Gov. Bob Ehrlich first proposed slots, the anti-gambling lobbyists were over the place against the idea and succeeded in stopping slots from happening in Maryland at the expense of our childrens' education and Thornton education plan funding, which has still to this day NOT been fully funded as promised by any Governor, Dem or Repub. Is it that the ANTI-GAMBLING special interests support gambling proposed by DEMOCRATS, but yet NOT REPUBLICANS even if its at the expense of our children? HAHA! A startling example of hypocrisy & partisanship at its worst. Maryland is such a screwed up 1 party monopoly rule state it's just plain scary. You know what they say about absolute power. :-( (11/1/08) Here is perhaps one of the strangest questions to be posed here on good 'old DCRTV. Has XM begun to broadcast some channels in mono? I ask because by Roady II recievers seem to have minimal seperation on almost all channels. Fine Tuning and "Pink" (yes I know that is a Clear Channel channel). seem to have virtually no seperation although the multi band processing finally offers a better match with the AAC codec. Any help? (11/1/08) Re: AM miscreants: It annoys me too when AM daytime and directional stations fail to play by the rules. And it can really mess up the band. As I recall there is one daytimer in North Carolina that can wipe out WABC coverage of millions of people in the New York metro if they stay on past sunset. The key point is in the METRO, not just distant skywave coverage. (11/1/08) Grandy and Andy must be giddy at this point. Sarah Palin didn't understand what the First Ammendment actually means, and she showed this ignorance right on WMAL's Chris Plante show! It is a great topic for Monday morning, and also, "say that again." Considering the time G&A spent on Joe Biden's "stand up" gaffe, this gaffe is 1000 times greater for a Vice Presidential nominee! To increase the ratings Chris Plante should be a special guest on the morning show, and talk about how hard hitting his question was, and how he framed it to get out of Sarah she was unfamiliar with the Bill of Rights! That would be great talk radio! What a coupe for WMAL right before the election! Monday and Tuesday morning, WMAL should milk the Governor's gaffe by playing the tape over and over just like they did for Joe Biden's gaffe! Then, their TSL will at least tripple! It would also make good informative radio. Chris Plante may have lost the election for McCain/Palin with his probing interviewing, and should get some kind of jounalistic award, and WMAL should throw him a party for getting out of the governor that she is in no way ready for prime time, or not even ready to preside over "The People's Court." Way to go Chris! Dave, I nominate Chris plante of WMAL for DCRTV's Person of the Year for his hard hitting and informative interview with Governor Palin. blogs.abcnews.com... blogs.wsj.com (11/1/08) Dave's response: I'll often listen to Grandy and Andy on MAL in the mornings. Then, when their show ends, I'll catch the ABC news at 9 AM. I then see how long I can "stand" listening to Chris Plante before bailing out to the Junks on JFK or Howard on XM Sirius. Usually I make it until 9:07 or 9:08. Although, I think I once made it until 9:11..... Verizon FIOS has added tons of new HD channels and has brought them online. The only thing is, as I try to tune them in, I get an on-screen message that I do not subscribe to this one or to that one. Hmmm...went to the website to learn Verizon now has an "Extreme HD" tier...and for only $10 more per month. Cell, internet, residential phone, TV, DVR, HD, 3 premium channels...I'm paying for them all. Now they want just $10 more dollars. Sheeesh! IT'S....COMCASTIC! (11/1/08) Re WDMV - The FCC am database shows that WDMV has post sunset authority for an additional half hour at reduced power beyond the normal signoff time. (11/1/08) Hey classic rock fans: here's a bit of trivia you won't hear on 94.7 or anywhere else (Source: Ed Roman Guitars) In 1995, John Entwistle - bassist for the Who - toured America and Japan with the Ringo Starr All-Star Band. This gig gave John the dubious pleasure of having performed 'Yellow Submarine' more times than Paul McCartney. (11/1/08) Washington Post is closing its College Park printing presses? It seems like just yesterday they constructed that huge building next to the railroad tracks in College Park. The actual opening of it was January 1999, but I'm sure they had intended for it to last a lot longer than ten years! What a waste! The internet is great, but the news is not "official "(for this 47 year old) until I actually see it in the paper. And that can include TV news, radio news and web news. The Washington Times dropped their Saturday newsprint edition a few months ago and I haven't once tried to view the online Saturday edition even though I get their paper (as well as the Post) delivered the other six days. The Post needs to realize it still has 600,000 plus daily readers and they have got to keep us loyal and reliable customers satisfied. We may be a dying breed, but if they want to keep running a newspaper, they need us! (11/1/08) A Letter To The Editor in Saturday's Washington Post: For decades, I have checked The Post's TV listings each day to ensure I don't miss anything good in the evening. Lately, the highlights section has been largely filled with fluff about which celebrity is on which talk show, who's doing what on which reality show and which popular poohbahs are appearing on the late-night talk shows. When substantive shows of potentially great viewer interest -- especially in Washington -- are on, increasingly they are not detailed in the highlights. PBS shows such as "Nova" and "American Experience" should always get at least brief descriptions in the TV listings. -- Mark Thompson, Kensington (11/1/08) Have the TV stations thought about how their going to be identified after the big February digital TV conversion, or what additional costs they might also incur as part of the big switch over? These stations have a lot tied up in their current channel identification. All the news mic flags, ENG an SNG vans, station logos, printed letterhead, promotional material, station signage and most of all, their heritage, reflects each of their current analog channel designations (Channels 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 11,13). After the digital conversion, will these stations continue to use their current channel designation a "handle" for continuity and consistency purposes? Will the stations select to be identified by their new designated UHF channel (most or all will be on Channels 30 - 40 ish UHF), or will they simply be identified by their call letters on mic flags, vans, etc? After being forced to invest so much money in a new digital TV infrastructure, TV stations may now also have to spend even more money updating all the other associated items connected to their identification. With the economy being as bad as it is and broadcast staffs being let go all over, here comes an additional financial burden that the common worker will eventually have trickle down on them through another round of pink slips. Have stations even given thought or consideration to this three months out from the change over? I personally don't think they have, or we probably would have seen some variance among the stations in their approach and response to this. I'm an old school romantic who loved the major market channel consistency and the heritage related to having Channel 2 be CBS, Channel 7 be ABC and Channel 4 be NBC in many of the top and even smaller broadcast markets. I believe stations should retain their current channel number to be used as a "handle," but this too may soon be history. How can any of us be fans of the digital TV conversion? With digital TV reception and reach being less than that of analog, with digital signal reception being either 100% or nothing on your screen, with us not being able to receive digital TV audio on our radios or on our emergency receivers and with us being forced to buy either new equipment or to subscribe to cable or satellite TV to get these stations, I can clearly see why they refer to it as digital. It's how we all will figuratively be receiving it and taking it. It's being done to us again. And we all won't know it or even realize it until it happens in February. Digital TV is a joke. (11/1/08) You want PISSED? I'm as pissed off as a human can possibly be. All day, XM44 has been playing 90's grunge metal crap, instead of the "History of Alternative Music" that I've been a subscriber for years for. Dammit! Is this more of Mel's "quality programming", or did the monkey plug the wrong playlist into the ole' compooter? At any rate, I'm as mad as the proverbial wet hen. Give me back my Fred on 44, you morons. Frank in Arlington (11/1/08) /\ November 1 Messages /\ \/ October 31 Messages \/ Dave, you keep saying posts by people are the last word about politics, but then you keep reporting about news people who do it for a living, like Rush, Mathews, Combs, and others. So, if you want people to stop talking about the press, and their beliefs stop bringing them up. Who cares if Rush is coming to the Redskin game Monday night. Agree with his points sometimes or not, I listen to Rush and could care less if he comes to the game. Just like I could care less if some liberal like Eleanor Clift or Chris Mathews came to the game. When you report about these talking heads outside of ratings, people are going to get fired up and express one or more of their political beliefs. Dave to stop it, stop reporting about these people. Scott in Virginia (10/31/08) No "trick or beer" today on the Mike O'Meara Show. What a bummer. (10/31/08) For the fifth consecutive Return to Standard Time, I'll be listening to all the daytime and DA AM'ers in our area, making sure those miscreants all bail at exactly the time they are supposed to. And if WDMV starts pulling that post-sunset "critical hour" bullspit again as they have done so often in the past, 700 WLW and the Commission will be sure to receive a timecoded cassette copy of the broadcast. No Milwaukee beer here, but some homebrew that would crack grandad's glass eye. See you all on Monday when the hangover goes away. (10/31/08) Mike in Manassas…this says it all. I’m not a Conservative or a Liberal, I’m a researcher. I’m able to look at both sides of the ticket and come to a usually bi-partisan decision. Gentlemen like you never take the time to look at anything but your side. You’re always only buying what makes you and the “party” feel good. That to me is narrow minded shallow thinking. In my heart I believe that the press that was “dissed” was “dissed intentionally”. I believe that the selection of the Newbies was intentional. So no matter what you may think of me personally, “frankly Mike, I don’t give a damn. The media is as biased as I can ever remember and yes I’m still PISSED!!! (10/31/08) Dave's response: The last word..... Joe Klein? Maureen Dowd? They are not reporters, I would question Klein's journalism credentials. They are opinion piece writers. There is a difference. Middle Class is 250k, can I hear 200k, how about 150k, can we go lower, lower, 120k from the former Governor of New Mexico!! The middle class is shrinking and pretty soon we all will be paying more taxes. (10/31/08) Well, looky here... another tightly-wound con who's PISSED cuz things aren't going his way. Relax... the election is four days away... there's still time to get out that brilliant message to actual eligible voters instead of bussed-in schoolkiddies. LOL. Maybe Mark Levin can scream a few more times on his show about that TAPE he and the rest of the talk radio goon squad want so damn badly to make their imaginary 'case' against the so-called 'Diabolical One' (Pat. Pend.) but don't bank on any of that sealing the deal with the rational and informed voters out there who are not suckered into buying any of their insane crap. Oh, btw, you have anything against Ebony, Essence, and Jet? Are they not qualified to be on the plane because they are BLACK-ORIENTED mags? You think the Washington Slimes is 'better' than them? Give that some thought and get back to me with your brilliance, k? Have a nice weekend. Mike in Manas... whoops, Manasshole... lol. (10/31/08) Dave's response: This thread is cooked..... The gold goes to WMAL's Chris Plante this morning for asking Governor Palin a question that lead to her displaying she has no idea what the first amemdment actually means. Way to go, Chris Plante! Way to break that "Republican or nothing" stereotype for WMAL. Chris, You have proven you are not in the pocket of the RNC. Buck that WMAL "Republican first" trend, Chris! Dave, please give Chris Plante some kind of award for his heroism is asking Sarah that tough question, and airing her response. It has already made the Huffingtonpost and ABC News! Chris Plante may become more famous than that anchorwoman in Orlando that interviewws Joe Biden last week. I Bet Chris will be celebrating tonight. Again Dave, we should all give Chris Plante some sort of Bravery in Media award for his interview this morning with Governor Palin. www.huffingtonpost.com (10/31/08) Oh my gosh, three punk wing reporters (including one from the cult moonies Wash Times) missed their flight. You neo's have no idea about the pent up rage and depression that many US citizens have endured over the last seven years with realization that their country had been stolen and fastracked into corporate military looting of the treasury, invading sovereign nations and having torture legitimized in the name of all US citizens and having our country made a laughing stock mockery worldwide. You damn well better hope that a few missed flights are the limits of our anger. (10/31/08) "Seems this game is played on both sides so quit yer damn bitchin'." The fact that the game is played on both sides is reason to redouble the bitchin', not to quit it. I fully agree that Maureen Dowd being booted off the McCain plane in the middle of a campaign swing was a travesty. Whether done by Barack Obama or John McCain, that kind of intimidation tactic is an attempt to browbeat the press into compliance instead of its proper adversarial function. The Fourth Estate should never allow itself to be placed into that box again. Everett W. (10/31/08) I loved Gwen Tolbart's Halloween costume today! I believe she was dressed as a homeless lady with dementia and a sunshine pin. (10/31/08) Dave's response: Dementia? Not funny..... Horseshit indeed! If you read the NBC article carefully, you will notice that the names of the senators being investigated for corruption are not mentioned until the 3rd paragraph. At that first mention, and throughout the article, the party affiliation is conveniently ommitted. I copied and pasted the article to MS Word and did a search on Democrat and Democratic. The only time such words were used was in the phrase 'Democratic and Republican'. The video does mention the specifics of the corrupt Democrats, once, after the first reference. Again, let's compare this to how the horsehit was piled on Senator Stevens. For example, here, in an article on Palin, Stevens is clearly identified, even thought he has little, if anything, to do with the story except to have previously employed someone. deepbackground.msnbc.msn.com. But Obama has made it clear that this is acceptable and expected manner for journalists who expect to curry favor with his socialist agenda. (10/31/08) Dave's response: Bush practically nationalized the USA's major financial institutions. And that's not socialist? Mike in Manasshole: No racism here, call it whining.. Maureen Dowd and Joe Klein removed from McCain's entourage, oh sure, the Conservatives are whining...Those booted by Obama-NY POST, DALLAS MORNING NEWS, WASHINGTON TIMES TOLD TO GET OUT to make room for....Ebony magazine, and reporters from two black magazines, ESSENCE and JET, Nah, no connection, none PISSED! (10/31/08) For the fourteenth consecutive Halloween I am preparing to avoid the hordes of miscreants that seem to appear in my neighborhood every October. At dark I will extinguish every light in house, descend into the basement, loop the cable wire through the hole in the kitchen floor, hook it up to my 13" television and watch hours and hours of the Ghost Hunters series on the Sci-Fi channel. The thirty pack of Milwaukee's Best is already on ice and the front walk is already greased with lard in hopes that some stupid adult will fall on his ass. hahahahaha. (10/31/08) Dave's response: Mike O'Meara, good to hear from you again..... Just a little light entertainment. I'm sitting here watching the finale of perhaps the most sardonic 'tutorial web series' on the internet. It was even written about in Time Magazine. You Suck at Photoshop is the title. Now I find out the mystery man behind the series really was comedian/actor Dane Cook: www.mydamnchannel.com (10/31/08) For the official DCRTV Mailbag record, both Joe Klein of Time magazine and Maureen Dowd of the New York Times have been barred from the McCain press circuit recently. I guess the liberal squawking wasn't loud enough for you to hear. Also, a reporter from one of those papers snapped a picture of Hillary on her plane drinking scotch and looking tipsy awhile back. When the newspaper wouldn't publish it the reporter leaked it to Drudge. Perhaps, Obama is watching his back this last weekend before the big day. (10/31/08) OK, I'll take the bait (re: "The latest move by the Obama camp can be described in many ways but the most accurate would be R-A-C-I-S-M. UGLY but true. Can you imagine if McCain had pulled the Washington Post, NY Times etc off his plane? The LIBS would squawk like chickens.PISSED (PS, I am not a racist, I have never been a racist and I never will be) I hear the rumblings already. Yes I'm still PISSED!!").....in what way is it racist? In what way was race involved in the issue at all? (10/31/08) You righties who are whining about the Washington Slimes being booted off the Obama plane seem to have very short memories. Remember Maureen Dowd and Joe Klein? Remember them being booted off the Crooked Talk Express? Seems this game is played on both sides so quit yer damn bitchin'. This isn't 'bias' you morons... of course, you cons will always say that because your side always plays the victim card at every opportunity. Poor victimized conservatives... please, just get the hell over damn issues and grow up. You know... if you quit acting stupid then people will quit thinking you ARE stupid. Simple. Mike in Manassas (10/31/08) Halloween themed music on the WTGB HD-2! (10/31/08) The latest move by the Obama camp can be described in many ways but the most accurate would be R-A-C-I-S-M. UGLY but true. Can you imagine if McCain had pulled the Washington Post, NY Times etc off his plane? The LIBS would squawk like chickens.PISSED (PS, I am not a racist, I have never been a racist and I never will be) I hear the rumblings already. Yes I'm still PISSED!! (10/31/08) Legs, as somebody in the biz a long time, I must say you make a LOT of sense. Right on most if not all points. (10/31/08) Dave, Good question for ESPN 1300. Tony Lombardi has been with Fox 1370 am Baltimore on Friday evenings from 6-7, and there is a link to his website there. (10/31/08) Dave Loudin is correct about WAGE's possibilities for a better nighttime signal and another important thing to note is that AM 1190 on the dial is still populated by lots of Class D stations with no nighttime signals to protect, so WAGE does have lots of advantages. And lets not forget WBIS 1190 was already approved for 7700 watts nighttime up in Baltimore. I do wonder though if they're going to have to try to change their city of license if they ultimately want to use the new proposed daytime facility for nighttime operation or 2 locations? Kinda hard to imagine how they could hit Leesburg at night at the required strength from Sterling while still protecting WOWO, but once again, I'm not an engineer, I just play one on DCRTV, hehe. If WAGE were to change its city of license to Sterling, VA, they could easily have not only a good nighttime signal from that site, but also probably tweak that 50,000 watt daytime signal. Notice the current approved app still has to cover Leesburg as a local station both day and night. A change of location with the night app could provide an even better DC 50kw daytime signal then even already approved. It appears this app is only STEP 1 in what they plan on doing. Nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see what the nighttime application ultimately contains but I'm still betting on 10-20,000 watts. And in the meantime, WAGE is allowed to operate on AM1190 at 1300 watts non-directional if they so choose (provided WBIS goes off the air & the license is turned in). They are currently 1000 watts on AM 1200 but directional to the northeast away from DC. Oh, and at 1300 watts non-directional from Leesburg, they could also tear down 2 of the towers and sell the land to raise money. The land for the proposed site is county land if I'm not mistaken so I think the zoning approval is a forgone conclusion unlike the failed Red Zebra plan for AM 730 and Birach's 2 failed plans for AM 540 & AM 700. (10/31/08) The lovely Tammy Bruce subbed for Laura Ingraham this morning, who has been having intense throat/voice problems. Get well soon, Laura! DCRTV Dave: dare I ask what you might dress up as for Halloween? Happy weekend! -Silvie- (10/31/08) Dave's response: With my recently-shaved head, my nephew jests that I'm starting to look like G. Gordon Liddy (right). Now, where did I put my red, white, and blue Speedo? (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Television Production Manager - Bethesda, MD. Comcast Spotlight has an immediate opening for a Television Production Manager at its Bethesda, MD location. Responsible for: the management of advertising production operations; scheduling, training and customer service; Producers; internal commercials promoting Comcast Spotlight products; generation of Production revenue. Five years Production experience. One to two years supervising or managing a Production staff. Must have a valid driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record. Bachelors in Television and Film Production or a closely related field Ability to communicate effectively with clients, sales and management personnel. APPLY: careers.comcast.com. Comcast is an EEO/AA/M/F/D. (10/31/08) Considering how so few media outlets have endorsed McCain, the probability of the three reporters losing plane access all being from McCain-endorsing outlets by pure chance is microscopic. A non-compliant media is an absolute essential for the functioning of any legitimate democracy. To the extent that Obama and McCain have both sought to punish non-compliant media over the course of their respective campaigns, they have only debased our democratic process. Everett W. (10/31/08) Isn't that nice. A perfect example of the elitist liberal approach to a Fairness Doctrine and Equal Time. You saw the real Obama in his order to disenfranchise the Washington Times from covering his campaign. Anybody who thinks this is an incident, rather than a policy, is delusional. Wake Up America. THIS, censorship, is the sort of 'change' Obama brings. (10/31/08) Wow, even the lefties must be getting a little nervous about this stuff. Joe the Plumber's personal life investigated because he asks Jesus Obama a question. The Florida news station punished for asking Biden some tough questions. Now the Wash Times kicked off the plane for endorsing McCain (did Obama's staff really expect anything else?). The Obama campaign seems more than a little worried that the emperor and his court jester have no clothes when they get away from the teleprompter. (10/31/08) ESPN 1300's Lombardi De-Linked Because Of Obama Rant? Tony Lombardi has not been with ESPN 1300 for months. He is with another station in Baltimore doing well. The “de-linked” had nothing to do with Obama…the de-link was because he is not with that station. Not sure who sent the original post to you, but they have not heard Tony on ESPN 1300. They need to move up the dial to hear Tony… Diane (10/31/08) Dave's response: I will yank that newsblurb. However, I did a Google search for his blog and the ESPN 1300 website came up. And they still had his name on the WJFK-AM site. If he's gone, why don't they remove him from ESPN 1300's list of bloggers..... If McCain kicked off every reporter that worked for a news organization that endorsed Obama the press corps could fit in a Prius. (10/31/08) re: WASH-FM Jazz Brunch and -- "...so the clueless CC suits canned Santos." Truth-be-known, Glenn Hollis hosted the "jazz" show during its run on 97.1. (10/31/08) Dave's response: That's what I thought. We've reported that Al Santos is doing board work at Citadel's WJZW. I doubt he'd also be doing a show on Clear Channel's WASH. Poor Glenn. Gotten canned by CC twice now..... Don't see anyone blaming the possible McCain loss on just media bias. If it happens, it will be a combination of Bush hangover, the racial politics, poor campaigning, plain bad luck AND the most flagrant example of media bias that I can recall ever. (10/31/08) Clearly the removal of WASH-FM's "Sunday Jazz Bunch" was a classic slip in communication among managers: Upon the resumption of XMAS tunes on 97.1 last week, listeners swamped the station switchboard demanding "less Santa"... so the clueless CC suits canned Santos. (10/31/08) Night service on 1190 around here became possible with WLIB's owner bought WOWO and dropped the night power to just below Class A minimums, meaning WOWO's skywave service would no longer be protected. WLIB's nighttime operations, and the soon-to-be proposed WAGE nighttime facility only need to protect WOWO's groundwave signal to that facility's nighttime-interference-free level. Regards, Dave Loudin (10/31/08) ("This close to election day, and with a financial scandal in mortgages crippling the country, how is it that NBC News convienently [sic] forgets to mention that Senators Dodd and Conrad, who received preferrential [sic]"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.") This is absolute Horse Shit. On October 30, NBC's The Today Show led off with a report by Lisa Myers reporting exactly this. They had reactions from both Dodd and Conrad on camera as well as a whistleblower from Countrywide about their "VIP" or FOA (Friends of Angelo) program. Use the Google, type in "Lisa Myers Countrywide NBC" and see what pops up before you start repeating what Rush has been telling you. Here's a link to the October 30, Today Show story: deepbackground.msnbc.msn.com... IMHO, this is a nothing story, as Conrad donated whatever "profit" he made off of this to charity. I don't know about you, but hands up to any of you who, on a refinance, looked at basis points or any other minutia when you did a refi. David in Towson (10/31/08) I just did a MAPS.LIVE.COM flyover of both the WAGE studio site and transmitter location. How long has the studio been where it is? There are a whole lot of houses built nearby that look a great deal newer than the WAGE building. And since the street is named for the station, its a good bet that "Wage Drive" was cut into that meadow long before anything else came along. (10/31/08) ‘Legs,’ I agree with everything you wrote and have a few comments. Some friends of mine told me I was nuts (again) when I said that Bonneville made the right move with Federal News Radio. I liked it because they were already up and running and the business plan seemed to work. I also have no faith that anyone connected with that company knew what to do with 1500, or any music format AM or FM. | CBS wants to negotiate their VO and talent contracts so they will have the freedom to screw-up their own radio stations without having to worry about actually paying the people who could make money for them. I have worked with big budgets and very little budgets. It costs as much to run a bad station as a good station. If you are paying AFTRA minimums - - hire good people instead of bad ones. Most management seems to have no concept what a PD does, or how to hire good ones and let them fix the station. Programming is really behavior modification. You said, “…the equation is never as simple as JUST the programming side of things, or what listeners THINK they want.” That is why audience research is useless to most programmers. You have to program what listeners want to hear, and not what they think they want to hear. Knowing how to do that takes real research and a steep learning curve. Programming and Sales should be separate and equal. Sales Managers telling programmers what to do has killed many stations. | Too many successful stations think they are also good stations because they are exclusive. If you are the only “Lite” station in a market, or the only Country station in a market, you’ll have nice ratings. WLIF or WPOC in Baltimore could voice track and get the same ratings. That doesn’t make them great. Ed Graham (10/31/08) "Regarding 1190 kHz - what about WOWO in Fort Wayne?" Yes. they will. And they'll also be required to provide a strong signal in Leesburg at night. They'd have to keep the night transmitter at the present site. That is unless they can convince the FCC to allow them to change COL to Herndon / Reston / etc. (10/31/08) A Halloween fundraiser, I mean ABC Cinema 7 again tonight at 8 pre-empting network programming (admittibly crap reality, but stiill should not be done) Tonight, a 27 year old horror movie."The Howling" will be shown. It's been a good month for the Allbritton war chest in extra local ad revenue from this, extra ads at the end of Jeopardy!. Battleground VA specials, and the huge number of infomercials on the weekends. (10/31/08) Regarding 1190 kHz - what about WOWO in Fort Wayne? Will WAGE need to protect their signal? (It wouldn't be a problem pointing the antennas east over the ocean). -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle. (10/31/08) Hi, Does anyone know what ever happened to Super Dave from the Don and Mike show. I heard that he might have left the area. Is that true? does anyone know how to get in contact with him? Thanks, CB (10/31/08) Dave's response: That "bit" was actually played by Dan Mason, head of CBS Radio, as a favor to Don Geronimo. Ha ha ha..... Perhaps the 'brunch' is out at WASH-FM because it wasn't being prepared and served up by that old drag racing fool... what's his name? (signed, anonymous) (10/31/08) /\ October 31 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....