Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - January 15 to January 22, 2010 Latest messages listed first..... \/ January 22 Messages \/ IS PBS the only network NOT carrying “Hope for Haiti?” (1/22/10) Dave's response: Both WMPT and WETA are carrying it..... Suggested new format for 1050: How about hiring local unemployed talk-show talent who once had good followings. I'd give at least 50 cents to hear Uncle Allie's Yard Sale again. (1/22/10) Diane has fallen and she can’t get it up.: her idiotic remarks are what happens when you have no sponsors, no responsibilities (other than to learn to use a walker) and work for a Commie radio station... (1/22/10) Hey Doreen! Not to be too mean-spirited here, but if you're going to say a religious Jewish word on the air, you should learn how to pronounce it correctly and practice it before you embarrass yourself and insult your Jewish viewers. Regards Biff (1/22/10) re Matt Brock - "Thankfully, AFTRA will stand by his side and protect his rights under the union contract" - Well, Thank God Matt Brock signed his contract when AFTRA was still worth a shit. Find a contract today that won't have you bent over six ways to Sunday - radio or TV - as a new personality, or a shop steward that will stand by your side in your "time of need." (1/22/10) Quote: "Diane Rehm on her 01/22/10 10 am domestic politics show on WAMU said that "Republicans have wanted to kill Obama from the time he was elected."" Clearly a horrible thing to say. And it's not a very intelligent analysis either. I wonder what repercussions, if any, the station will take. If this had been stated by Chris Plante, Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, Beck or any of these so-called "right-wing hatemongers", they'd be escorted out of the building by now and driven out of town. -Silvie- (1/22/10) Dear DCRTV: Diane Rehm on her 01/22/10 10 am domestic politics show on WAMU said that "Republicans have wanted to kill Obama from the time he was elected." None of the guests said a word in response. Is Diane getting too old for the show or is she just showing her true colors? Her comment deserves some media attention. It's outrageous. Rgds. lanzil (1/22/10) Dave, The Caps set a record with their ratings last night in their big win against the Pens 6-3. Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic posted all-time record ratings for regular-season Washington Capitals coverage – earning a 3.3 household rating and a 6.5 rating in the key Men 25-54 demographic – during last night’s (Jan. 21) road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. www.washingtonexaminer.com... Cheers, Jim (1/22/10) Just to set the record straight. Bennet Zier was not responsible for the launch of WTEM. The station was already on the air when he came to town to run it. As for WBIG - yes,he was there when it launched. (1/22/10) Own a piece of history! Order your copy today! (1/22/10) Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic posted all-time record ratings for regular-season Washington Capitals coverage – earning a 3.3 household rating and a 6.5 rating in the key Men 25-54 demographic – during last night’s (Jan. 21) road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The National Hockey League’s premier rivalry attracted an average of 88,000 combined households in the Washington (76,000) and Baltimore (12,000) markets during the Capitals 6-3 win over the Penguins. During the third period, the game earned peak ratings of 4.2 in Washington and 1.5 in Baltimore, which equates to 113,000 combined households. In the key demographic categories of Adults 25-54 (4.3), Men 18-49 (5.9) and Men 25-54 (6.5), Comcast SportsNet was the highest-rated television network in the Washington market during last night’s game and ranked second among Adults 18-49. Last night’s record viewership shattered the previous single-game high for a Capitals regular-season game on Comcast SportsNet, set on April 5, 2008 against the Florida Panthers. The overall household rating eclipsed the previous mark by 32% and the 6.5 rating registered in the Men 25-54 demo was an increase of more than 117% over the previous record. Among Men 18-49, last night’s 5.9 rating broke the previous high by 64%. Through 46 games on Comcast SportsNet this season, the Capitals household ratings have seen a 15% increase compared to the same time-period last season and an increase of 149% versus 2007-08. (1/22/10) WBQB-FM (B101.5) asked listeners to text “RELIEF@B1015” to 368266 to help raise funds to aid in the relief efforts in Haiti. For every text message received, up to 2,500, B101.5 would donate $10.00 to The American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development fund in the name of Fredericksburg, VA and B101.5. As of Thursday, January 21st, we surpassed our goal of 2,500 text messages. G-Force, the parent company of Centennial Broadcasting and B101.5, will now make a $25,000 contribution to The American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development. “We gave listeners, who might not have been able to make a donation, a chance to still show their support to getting relief aid to Haiti by simply sending a text message,” states Chris Carmichael, Operation Manager of B101.5. “No other media company in the Fredericksburg Region has stepped up to make such a big donation to the Red Cross in the name of their listeners.” (1/22/10) This Sunday, 1/24/10, former WMAL personality Tom Gauger, current WTOP news anchor Rosemary Frisino Toohey, and Radio World editor-in-chief Paul McLane will participate in a post-performance discussion of "The Impact of Media on Society". It follows immediately after the Sunday 2pm performance of "Constant State of Panic", a new dark comedy from playwright Patrick Gabridge that looks at fear and paranoia, sometimes spread by our own mass-media outlets, in today's world. It is produced by Madcap Players at the H Street Playhouse, 1365 H Street NE, Washington DC. Tickets for the performance are available thru www.boxofficetickets.com. No extra charge to attend the discussion. More details at www.madcapplayers.com. (1/22/10) My God, do some of you have nothing better to do with your time, than obsess about PLB AKA: Paul Bicknell. Honestly, get a friggin life. No one cares what you think about PLB or his posts. Honestly, ask anyone. You are pitiful, pathetic, useless wastes of oxygen, that apparently have nothing better to do with your time, than to nit-pick and obsess about everything his guy does. Find a hobby, do volunteer work, but please, NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT PLB OR HIS POSTS. You are as bad as the Obama/Palin haters. Seriously, seek medical, professional help, but STOP POSTING THIS CRAP ON DCRTV. And Dave, come on brother, stop encouraging these idiots by posting their idiocy. Bob Smith (my real name) - Waldorf, MD (1/22/10) Jiffy Lube Live? Does that mean all concerts will be $39.99 and finished in a half hour? (1/22/10) Marc Davis doesnt drive for Joe Gibbs Racing anymore. He was released before the 2009 season started due to lack of sponsors. Last year, Marc started his own team called Marc Davis Motorsports. (1/22/10) Have any numbers come out for Diane Sawyer? I greatly respect her news credentials, but I notice that while her newscast is HD caliber, she seems to be shot in analog or maybe through gauze like Doris Day was in the later years. She is also too facially and verbally dramatic, and has an annoying habit of "ad libbing", probably scripted) a several word summary of the package which just ran, sometimes repeating part of what the reporter just said. I guess that's to bridge to the next story, but it is still annoying. I guess this is my way of saying that she's a much better reporter than anchor and it might be time to try Brian Williams. Bob A. in Pikesville, MD. (1/22/10) Pity about Air America collapsing into bankruptcy and disgrace. I guess all the money embezzled from that Boys Club in the Bronx didn't help save them, huh? Oops, another politically incorrect fact inadvertantly disclosed. Oh,well, it's only Chinatown, Jake…Ghengis Cohen, yet another inconvenient Jew, in wet and cold Prince William County (wondering how the Hell I ended up here, anyway…) (1/22/10) I have to think that the demise of AAR was both bad management and bad programming, as has been offered up here by those that I will assume know much more about it than I do. I only had an “opportunity” to hear one of the talents (I think her name was Randy Rhodes?) while working in the boonies of Florida where it was the only station I could pull in. I didn’t agree with any of the loony left-wing dogma that she was spewing, but I have to admit, Dave, that as you suggest—at least I was entertained. It makes me wonder how quickly the hand wringing and demands to reinstitute the “unfairness” doctrine will commence. Although, the recent results of democracy in action up in Massachusetts may temper the appetite for that particular mischief by the “progressive” temple monkeys on Capital Hill. Howie, I have to agree with you. I listened to nearly an hour of the Norris show this morning, and it was more like the Wineman show, with cameo appearances by Ed and Maynard. 10 minutes of sports (Wineman), commercials, 5 minutes of news (Maynard), commercials, 20 minutes of interview with some guy from SI talking about the ten best QB’s of all time (Wineman), commercials, 10 minutes of women calling in to talk about the hottest QB’s of all time (Ed and Wineman), commercials, and yes, back to Sports (Wineman). That’s all I could stand. What used to be “can’t miss radio” is now “can’t listen to radio”. Too, too sad. John, in Baltimore (1/22/10) Watching the Stern events with a lot of Serius laughing. Howard cannot stand not being in the limelight. He has been consumed by XM/Sirius. No adulation. Money will not be the issue, being back on terrestrial radio gives him the juice he lost. Best wishes Howie-PLB:0) (1/22/10) Some classic Philly radio with George. www.famous56.com (1/22/10) You like to point out that WaPo never gives you credit for a scope. But on 01/09/10, they mention the renaming of Nissan Pavilion to Jiffy Lube Live. You only credit InsideNova.com, and it comes 2 weeks after the post. Hypocrisy? George (1/22/10) Dave's response: Honestly, I didn't see the Post's original "scope." I hearby give them formal credit for reporting it first. Ding! There, are you satisfied? Emmy-winning Harry Davis' amazing "Broadcast Factory" project for local kids received press in the Post a few times in the early '90s, (including the news that a $30k grant had been cut by the DC government.) Here's one example: www.DCMemories.com (1/22/10) To clarify for the poster below, read the original entry again. It collectively blames those 3 for a laundry list of failures. Sheehan was co-owner and Sales Manager of WTRI. Zeir had nothing to do with that particularly bad experience. As for Rizer, I've heard he virtually fed that staff out of his own pocket while Marty was the same explosive jackass he was at his TV sales job. DCTTV Dave is correct, as are other posters, when they suggest 1050 should either go highly niche or return Federal News to 1050 and free up that beautiful 1500 signal for something that draws a larger audience. Don't most feds listen to WFED online anyway? Who gets AM radio inside concrete offices downtown anyway? 44 watts at night on 1050 is perfect for WFED since the government workers are already at home after dark. (1/22/10) "Bicktation"...Now that's funny! So, I guess with the several daily posts made by Mr. Bicknell, some of which state his feelings on rules to be followed here in the mailbag, we can officially consider Mr. Bicknell a mailbag "Bicktator", right? (1/22/10) James: No one cares. Get a life: PLB:0)... James: one more thing…My New Year’s Resolution(Posting only my real name) 22 days ago. Again, get a life. You are one caustic jerk-PLB:0) (1/22/10) Did somebody say Neil Young was skedded for "Coco's Last Stand" tonight? Looks like Jimmy Fallon already beat him to it. (1/22/10) "No two-hour hockey show [on WJFK-FM], for instance, in a town with a team that could easily make the Stanley Cup Finals? Or baseball?". The one drawback to having a weekly show on hockey is that it gives the weekday hosts a ready made excuse to ignore the sport and direct anyone who complains about that to the specialty program. Back when it was carrying the Capitals games, WTEM used to provide a weekend show focusing on the team during the season. While some of the early hosts were knowledgeable guys like Al Koken, Scott Linn and Steve Kolbe, toward the end it became clear that the station was simply mailing it in by contracting the hosting duties out to a series of woefully unqualified part time staffers. The Caps' flagship station (WFED) does provide a weekly one-hour hockey show hosted by Jonathan Warner (usually starting at 6 PM on Saturdays). The money quote that I've seen regarding the local sports media's overall attitude toward hockey appeared recently on one of the Caps blogs (japersrink.com) in response to Mike Wise dissing the fans in a Post online chat - "there just remains a general lack of respect for the Capitals and for the sport of hockey itself that goes deep in this town, and it's puzzling to say the least." While filling in for Wise on 106.7 yesterday, Brian Mitchell recalled being unable to get anyone to call in regarding the Caps when he was hosting a daily show on 980 a few years ago (so he gave up on it) - but the team was mired at the bottom of the standings back then and it seems that only the Redskins can sustain interest in DC regardless of whether they're winning or losing. Clearly, Mitchell's Skins expertise and connections played a key role in the decision to give him a permanent gig on the station and it's a safe bet that he'll get expanded duties once football rolls around again later this year. Nonetheless, he seems to know basketball very well and has shown a willingness to get up to speed on the other sports. I'd expect whatever ratings edge WTEM has over WJFK to erode over the upcoming non-football months, the reason being that a lot of listeners probably tuned in Dan Snyder's station during Redskins season expecting to get insider stuff about the team. Mike, Fairfax (1/22/10) I'm so sorry to hear the news that Former NBC News Photojournalist Harry Davis has died. Harry was a great person. During the summer of 1981, I was at the Annapolis, MD waterfront when I ran across Harry shooting tape there. I didn't know Harry at that time. I only recognized the NBC mic flag on his camera mic. I was a young radio guy who aspired to work in the big broadcast market of Washington, D.C. Harry took the time to talk to me about the D.C. broadcast market and suggested I apply at one of the Washington stations. He suggested I apply at NBC. I did and a little over a year later I actually ended up working with Harry at NBC. Harry went on to train, encourage and mentor young people interested in careers in television. He developed a Washington, D.C. training program that taught inner city young folks how to shoot and edit tape for TV. A 1990's era Washington Post article featured his training program. As mentioned here, many of the area students from his training program went on to successful careers in television. What a real blessing this giant of a guy was. Thank you Mr. Davis. You've helped so many and changed so many lives. May God bless Harry Davis and may he rest in peace. (1/22/10) My wish list for AM 1050: Yes, we all know it's going to end up being brokered ethnic, but if Bonneville gave me the keys, here's what I'd consider: (1) Some form of oldies -- classic country, 50s rock, MOYL, Vegas. Unlike the various junk formats on 950 and 1520, I wouldn't rely on tape loops or iPod shuffles. Pick up some syndicated service, augment it with a local sports team or two. (2) Move FederalNews Radio back to 1050, establish "MASN Radio" on 1500, featuring Nats, Caps, navy -- regional sports network covering DC and Baltimore. (3) Radio Disney: Provides a chance for Bonneville LDS commericals to be heard by a new generation. (4) Move FederalNews Radio back to 1050, re-established WTOP News on 1500, given it great coverage throughout the NE (1/22/10) Re the grousing about Bennett Zier: Am I remembering right -- didn't he have a golden touch for a while? IIRC, he was behind the launches of WTEM, and WBIG when it was a successful oldies station. Another poster listed Vegas radio on the list of initiatives Zier drove into the ground. When was that? The only VegasRadio I remember was the tape loops that ran on WTRI. Was Zier associated with that? I thought that was a Buddy Rizer enterprise. (1/22/10) Dave's response: Zier had once said in an interview that he'd like to run a "Vegas Radio" format on one of his DC stations, when he worked for Clear Channel, but that it wouldn't have broad enough appeal. Former DC101er Buddy Rizer did do the format for a few years on his 1520 WTRI, but Zier was not involved in that..... So, yesterday Mr. Bicknell chastised those who post in the Mailbag without attaching their name to the posts adding, "we do sign our names and will continue to do so." Yet, earlier in that same post he admitted to submitting posts recently under an alias. So, if somebody makes demands of other people in the Mailbag while not adhering to the same demands themselves, I suggest that such behavior heretofore be called "Bicktation". Sincerely, James (Which, as has been established twice before, is my real name) (1/22/10) Harry Davis - One of the truly nice guys in TV. I did some freelance editing in the early 90's at WRC and he always helped me out. Sometimes as a freelancer you're kinda ignored because you're an "outsider" but he always made it a point to stop and see how it was going. Thanks, Harry. peace (1/22/10) Here is what is being said by pro broadcasters about the collapse of Air America (comments collected from Broadcast.Net): From a Boston area consultant, "I've had a lot of experience with how AAR ran things, and I'm amazed it lasted as long as it did...It's not about "the marketplace" rejecting progressive talk. It's about a poorly run company (AAR) versus one that is run effectively (competitor Dial Global)"; from another New Englander, "From day one Air America was abysmally managed. Their business plan sucked. Dial-Global...is run as a business, not as a mission. The marketplace had nothing to do with Air America's death. It was suicide."; a question from another participant, "Were there any career radio people involved with AA, or was it all Franken and Garofalo types? Radio people could have headed off a lot of the obvious mistakes that were made, I believe."; answered by the Boston consultant, "Air America never understood that hiring a famous comedian (any famous comedian) doesn't mean he or she will become a good talk show host. When your format is new - progressive talk began in 2004 - you need to find the best broadcasters you can find. AAR never did that. AAR was also woefully mismanaged from day one, but it might have done better if it had some actual radio talent ... I've met Franken so I can tell you he is passionate about politics and is a very intelligent guy - but he was AWFUL as a talk show host and his TV shtick did not translate well to radio." And the final word comes from an engineer in Nebraska, "We were not an affiliate, but I hate to think about having to come up with replacement talk programming with roughly 24 hours notice." RIP AAR. (1/22/10) UPI memories? Pleeeezeeee. I used to talk up newscasts there with "From High in the Sky at 14th and Eye...it's Club UPI!" At least there was Franklin Park Liquors a few footsteps away. After all, "Ya can't do news without butts (cigarettes) and booze!" And yes, there was "entertainment" in the alley behind the building. J Young VOA-TV (1/22/10) Don't forget the third side of the AirAmerica love triangle, WZAA GM Marty Sheehan. So between Zeir, Hess & Sheehan you have 3 people with the Fecal Touch, who turned Clear Channel DC, Red Zebra, Vegas Radio and now AirAmerica into hot steaming piles of worthless shit. I'm begging each one of them to apply for jobs with DailyKos, the Huffington Post & as Keith Olbermann's manager. Real douchebags would be insulted by their comparisons to these 3 (1/22/10) Hey, liberal weather geek, I read your article. Perhaps you should too! What you stated is not what the article said. The article does not provide facts to sustain your comments. In fact the article states, as did I in different words "regional short-term temperature fluctuations, which are an order of magnitude larger than global average annual anomalies" are causing alot of the hysteria. As for the January 2010 being hottest, what the article says is an aside, "By the way, it's almost certain by now that January 2010 will also be the globally warmest January on the UAH record." THAT statement reflects a matter of opinion, not a statement of fact. And that opinion comes after the author continuously discounts non-conforming data from NASA and other bodies with a much better long-term track record of monitoring climate and weather. Reading to regurgitate that which fosters an agenda is not the same as reading for comprehension, which is an ability that you obviously lack. This is exactly the method of brow beating that the global warming crowd is using both in the media and on Capitol Hill. Everyone reports the data but no one questions the data or its sources. Neither did you. East Anglia purposelly 'lost' the data. (1/22/10) I'm sorry but the news that they are overhauling the G&A show smacks of rearranging the deck chairs. While their generally aged audience probably does listen from the confines of their kitchens this change will only affect them. If you're one of the few, the proud, the Sylvie who listens at length - then this change has promise for you. however, if you are like the lion's share of radio listeners and listen in your car this amounts to a format change. Since your morning commute times won't change, the content you were used to at that time will now be different. You may like it. You may not. But there is a good chance that the changes will invite you to hit seek - big danger in the PPM world. Of course, the brain trust at WMAL probably thinks this will attract NEW listeners. Exactly how, I'm not sure. And, likely, neither are they. Here's a thought. If G&A want to get bigger - generate more compelling content! Make the show a 'must listen'. Unfortunately, they are who we thought they were and until/unless they can convince the marketplace they are different from what we know - this will not amount to a hill of beans. (1/22/10) ("I have listened to Wash radio sports for years. I'm surprised to read the rat tailed towhead menacing red eyed white bread comments regarding Liz Drabick's appearance on Holdens's show. Are you kidding me?...") Well we know Liz write's to the mailbag...a. if you've ever heard her updates (really really bad, worst i've ever heard) or heard her on air you would never ever write this unless you were deaf. b. who knew you spelled Drabick with an I instead of an E. c. this is not good for Holden if they actually think his show could be improved by putting her on.....this is when you start looking for other jobs. Jamie, Sterling (1/22/10) From the mailbag: "insults really do work better when you use the proper English." -Especially when they are coming from a self-professed radio legend like AHHHH...or as he's also known as here in the mailbag PLB.” - It ain’t me, it ain’t me, it ain’t me.!! As I said I will only post my real self, and I would think Dave (webmaster) COULD CONFIRM..AHHHH, ain’t me-PLB:0) (1/22/10) While I'm sorry to see Air America go down, it really went away when the decision was made to put guys like Lionel and Montel in the everyday lineup. There was little passion and, actually, little politics being discussed there. Lionel just wants to impress you with how much he knows, like the former blowhard talk show caller he is. Montel seemed to waste a lot of time on new age-y health stuff the couple of times I listened. I'll miss some of the weekend stuff and Ron Reagan (who came on too late at night for me to pick up north of Baltimore anyway). The shows independent of AA (Schultz, Miller, Rhodes, Press) seem to do better than anything that network was producing...On another topic, Ed Norris seems to be formatting more toward sports. It may only be due to the NFL playoffs, but the game plan is simple: Football, football interview, rip O'Malley, more football, embarassing subject "for the ladies", discuss crime, more football. We'll see how the show sounds in February. Howie (1/22/10) The time has come for the Sun to take a good look at David Zurawik's work, and his level expertise about the industry he covers. His blog posting on Air America was void of any true context. If you read the comments he approved for his blog, you'd wonder why did Air America go out of business because it has so many listeners. But he fails to offer the one thing dave that you so clearly state: "Its audience has been so small that Arbitron, which compiles radio ratings, was unable to detect any listeners for WZAA during several weeks in December....." That says it all. Bad programming, not just a bad economy. Are they popping the corks at NPR? (1/22/10) Dave's response: I think Zurawik is trying to figure out whether he's going to be a national media commentator like Lisa de Moraes, or a local Baltimore-centric one. Or both. But I don't think he's found the right balance - yet. As for Air America going away, it will have no impact at all on NPR or anyone else because no one listened to AirAm in the first place. The network was populated by talkers who weren't terribly entertaining and had a line-up of very poor-signaled stations, including here in DC. Remember this! Radio talkers are successful because they are ENTERTAINING, not because of their political leanings. Lots of lefties, like me, listen to Limbaugh not because we agree with him or even like him, but because he's funny and outrageous - fun to listen to. Ditto with Stern and Geronimo, who are basically obnoxious people who happen to be magnetic and captivating when they are on the radio..... Um, "January 2010 will be the hottest January ever." Not going to post the link again as I value Dave's bandwidth, but said link contains several thousand words of scientific data with documentation. Don't know if you've ever read that much but the "hottest January ever" phrase is below the second graph and is based on satellite data. Those are those little whirlygig thingys that are up in the sky that do a number of things. Weather measurement is one of them. ACH (1/22/10) All the trouble at TWT, wonder the fate of United Press International. That's owned by the same outfit, isn't it ? UPI was around before the AP, although its fortunes long faded away. They used to have their "World Desk" at 14th and Eye Sts. in the middle olf the red light district, across the street from Mayor Barry's hangout "This is it?" and the Grecian Bath House. (1/22/10) Matt Brock was offered an opportunity to stay with WJLA as an editor, not to mention at a lower pay scale. Thankfully, AFTRA will stand by his side and protect his rights under the union contract. Unfortunately, some feel the “union” is a burden and not worth paying into. How unfortunate. (1/22/10) Rotten shame that Air America is out of business. The resume for BZ includes nothing but failures, but corporate America just like Political America, hires the BS artist, not the person of value and substance. Unfortunately, BZ will get another big job mainly because people are just plain stupid! (1/22/10) Dave's response: I remember when Bennett Zier headed Clear Channel DC, frequently the company would have none or maybe just one of its five FMers in the top ten, ratings-wise. With Bennett long gone from 1801 Rockville Pike, often all of CC's five DC FMers are now in the top ten. I can see it now, Frederick's 700 AM will soon sport the WZAA calls..... ***"I don't think the "hate" on here is the youngins and the elders - I think we can get along with one another"**** --I agree with this. Except that there is one notorious "elder" who lives on this board who has exhibited a dislike for "youngins". It's all there in black and white. All a person needs to do is dig to see it. ****"Those of us who are or have been in the business for all intents know what we're talking about...the ones who want to get into the business and most likely never will are the ones pissing and moaning."**** --Can't say I totally agree here, Hitman. Are you saying that just because someone has made it into the business that they know what they are doing? In essence, there are no bad on air personalities? No bad PD's? No bad GM's? There are. As for the ones who want to and probably never will, that comment, while possibly accurate, sounds much like the aforementioned dislike I referenced before. That's not saying you personally harbor that dislike (you've always been very fair on here), simply sounds like the same comments the person who I eluded to makes. (1/22/10) Poster wrote, correcting moi, "January, 2010 is the hottest January ever". Where? I tried a google search on your phrase and came up with what you got, nothing. As clearly shown in the emails from a little college in England, real data has only been collected for about 35 years. Anything before about 1965 has been extrapolated, and the original data destroyed, and thus the email about the 'trick' of making the data appear to be a contiguous line of measured values. There is NO DATA, NOT A SHRED, of measured, verified and accessible data collected on temperature variation beyond 1960 over any area large enough to be of any globally significant concern that cannot be explained by geographically specific weather patterns. My favorite email, and yes I have read many of them, shows that in the often mentioned tundra of NE Russia, where we are led to believe the ice is melting and the shore collapsing at a rate measurable in feet per year, the edge of the forest has not changed more than 2' in the last 100 years, which is considerably less than what computer models predicted. There are no butterflies in China causing hurricanes in Miami. While your post fits the model for global hysteria, it fails any scientific and logical challenge. There are three problems with your post. A) January 2010 was barely half over when you posted. How can you say Jan. 2010 was "..est" anything? It's like calling a senatorial race for the Dems at 2PM, 6 hours before the polls closed. B) First law of physics indicates that for it to be the 'hottest', indicating an abundance of excitation in one place there has to be a significantly 'colder' the ever decrease in activity someplace else. C) The second law of physics, which enforces the first, indicates that it is impossible for January 2010 to be the 'hottest...ever" everywhere at the same time, as you would have us believe. You need to specify where it was hottest. Some places had to get considerably colder than normal or have other compensating weather patterns to make up for the heat in your 'hottest' areas. Where did it get colder than usal? Nature calls that a cycle. Pseudo-science whack jobs call that a mandate for change necessitating gov't intervention. January is not over and it's not the hottest. (1/22/10) Geez, I'm as bitter as anyone here sometimes, but even I don't have the balls to celebrate anyone in radio losing their jobs these days (Air America, not that I listened either, but still) or criticize the fact someone HAS a job. As for Brian Mitchell, anytime he's been on WJFK he's always willing to talk Caps and Wizards, as well as football. Since Shan Shariff doesn't do the normal talk about this guy or that guy and who should be playing or coaching and what the keys to the big game are, it's a pairing that could be pretty interesting. Shan has his own style and it doesn't always work for me when he's reaching, but sometimes it's pretty good and I think Mitchell has the personality that can make the two work well together. And at least WJFK is doing local talk and not some syndicated crap like, well, damn near every other talk station in the area. (1/22/10) I wonder if Brian Mitchell is going to come to this forum and pimp his show like the last WJFK weekender? HINT- spend more time working on making a better show, and less writing on websites (no disrespect, Dave!) and you will not have new shows starting to crop up to threaten your position at the station! I listened to Brian Mitchell on and off over the Christmas holiday. I did not find him horrible. At least you could tell that he did do some show prep, which is miles ahead of what the station's other weekend shows provide. To me he showed that he could have legitimate discussions on other sports and subjects - yes, including deep frying turkeys! I'm going to assume he actually adds to WJFKs weekend. It is pretty obvious that "The Fan" uses Saturday and Sunday as cash cows - i.e. Maryland and Wizards sports. All its other programming on the weekend is a total joke, which is no different than the previous WJFK. The previous comments are correct, with football over it will be interesting to see who at that station will survive? This includes the program director Chris "CK" Kinard. Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Olympics, World Cup, even NASCAR are all going to be in full swing in the next couple of months. Throw in the fact that you have the football draft and summer camp, the summers are actually much busier than Fall/Winter in this format. Granted, "local" is important, but I'm sure all of these sports have local angles. That being said, I'm also of the opinion that sport specific shows would work and should be the part of any lineup. Heck, being involved in the local high school sports, I'm still waiting for the one to two hour high school weekend show! This area is replete with outstanding young athletes, male and female, in all sports, and they simply do not get noticed by average sports fans. And I know sponsorship for a show such as that can be easily gotten. Up to this point the new sports station rates a "C" in my book. I would rate the other sports station (980 WTEM), but I gave up on them a long time ago! The Junkies went from the The Junkies to the Sports Junkies, but now are back to being The Junkies - it is "guy talk" again. I shrug my shoulders at middays. Mike Wise and Kornheiser are one in the same in my book. I will admit that Lavar and Dukes are a pleasant surprise. I honestly thought it would be a bad mix, but it works in its own way. I do not listen often enough at night to give an honest opinion. As for the weekends, outside of the games - Dave Johnson (Wizards) and Johnny Holiday (Maryland) are a class in of themselves, and always a joy to listen to - I would get rid of all of them. They are just bad! Just my two cents. Jerry-Fairfax (1/22/10) I listened to Don and Mike a couple times in the Eighties but didn’t care for them. Too juvenile. They were not nearly as good as Greaseman, Howard Stern, even Harden and Weaver. But I thought that I would give the Mike O’Meara podcast a try. After all there are a people on this website that seem to think that the sun rises and sets on Don and/or Mike. I chose one podcast at random and downloaded it. So how does he open his show? Talking about farts. Then crusty underwear. And people wonder why radio program directors are not knocking his door down to offer him a job on their station? - Fogey in Olney (1/22/10) Re: "In the 35-64 age demo, Grandy and Andy are number 12 in the ratings. That is their target demo" Anyone have any idea how 105.9 the edge is doing in their target demo? I'm wondering if they have made any traction against Big100 - Drew from Fairfax (1/22/10) RIP!! - Air America...Not only Zeir ( oh, what goes round comes round, to bad folks Bennett:)...and what about his Little Troll sidekick, Bill Hess? yet another WTEM Clown, Dave? is he out too? if so , More Justice! Good luck on your next "project" guys ...Jeff in dc (1/22/10) Yes, I maintain my interest in the dc radio scene, but if you're not watching the final episode of the Tonight Show Friday night, there's something wrong with you. As much as I like Mrs. Letterman's boy, he'll be on next week... this is history. Did I mention Neil Young will be on? I don't know, but I suspect he will be playing one of those amplified guitars that the young people like so much. --- ThePenIsMightier (1/22/10) I'm so distraught over the shutdown of Air America Radio, but I completely forgot there is a relatively new, generic "Progressive Talk" radio format out there. Let's hope that Bonneville will replace that bothersome canned crap on 1580 and serve up the Progressive Talk format. Air America may have created the format, but they became just another content provider for the Progressive Talk format. Let's hope someone in the DC area starts up another "Obama 1260" type station. -Chainsman (1/22/10) John Schriffen and Elaine Reyes are the newbie reporters at NBC4. John is young, but bright and polished. I watched his youtube audition reel and was very impressed: www.youtube.com... Glad to see WRC is hiring major market ready reporters, after a few slips. (1/22/10) “I recall a staff meeting back in April or May of 2009, a couple months after the first round of cuts. Fred Ryan, big wig at ABC7 said, " Everyone here is safe !” Wow: Ryan, Allbritton Communications, et al must know something both their employees and the Washington business world don’t know. Since Day One, has Politico made one dime in the black? No way. Has Politico padded and bought their way into media respectability in the Washington political market by hiring top paid/name staff? You bet. Is there any way this can all continue to be sustained: I don’t know, but does The Washington Times ring a bell? Nobody actually reads The Hill, Roll Call or Politico in its print form except in the Longworth Cafeteria over coffee or lunch, so the print ads largely go unnoticed. Who among us actually READ or CLICK onto online ads: nobody in their right mind. So just how does Politico (or Roll Call or The Hill for that matter) imagine a viable future, even online? The answer is with dozens upon dozens of FREE equitable online political outlets available (everything from The Huffington Post, to The Daily Caller, to TPM, to Red State, to Daily Kos, to Politics Daily to even The Drudge Report) paid publications, like National Journal & its bloated Hotline, Bulletin News, CQ, et al are dead in the water, losing subscribers faster than they can delete them from their lists, and outlets like Politico are living on Fred & Joe’s ego & bank accounts alone. (1/22/10) re:..."Obviously the conservative message has not sunk in yet Dave" - The conservative talking points on health insurance are a sham. If insurers could sell their products to Americans in any state, according to the Republican's bill that was defeated, the insurer would have to follow the rules and regulations in the state where it is based or "domiciled" - not the rules of the state where the consumer or policyholder lives. Consumers dealing with out-of-state companies would have quite a time trying to resolve disputes. Every company would go to some regulation free state and the consumer gets screwed, again. I also am astonished to hear conservatives pushing for the usurping of the states rights...a concept, historically near and dear to them. The House Democrats' bill would allow states to form compacts enabling consumers to buy policies from insurers licensed in any of the states governed by the agreement. A consumer's home state would retain authority to handle disputes. The Senate Finance Committee bill would enable insurers to create nationwide plans. Insurers would have to be licensed in each state where they sell these plans, but would have the authority to offer only those benefits mandated by the majority of states. As for "tort reform", a 2004 report by the Congressional Budget Office said medical malpractice (premiums and awards) makes up only 1 to 2 percent of U.S. health spending. Even “significant reductions” would do little to curb healthcare expenses, it concluded. The experience of Texas in capping damage awards has already failed. They placed a cap on pain-and-suffering awards at two hundred and fifty-thousand dollars, yet Texas is one of the most expensive health care markets in the country. Estimates have run as high as 50% above the national average. Stop listening to AM radio and read a book! MW (1/22/10) Bonneville's 1050? Ed Walker AM drive? Yes!!! Is Alan Lee, the guy who did great oldies rock shows on WGTB and WDCU still around? If yes, then PM drive! It would make "True Oldies" sound like the joke it is. (Or, was around here...) (1/22/10) "Dave's response: It is kinda funny that one of WMAL's largest sponsors is a hearing aid company" Oh Stop. The new & improved 'Grandy & Andy Morning Show' will KICK ASS. I don't know where you get your target audience info either -- for the past 3 or 4 years the vast majority of callers to the show have been people in their 30s or 40s. Don't ask me how I can gauge this - I can just tell the difference between a 30 y/o and an 80 y/o's voice, for some strange reason. Toodles, -Silvie- (1/22/10) Did anyone catch El Rushbo accidentally say "shit" on the air today. It was a slip of the tongue, as he said, words to the effect of, "rats jumping off a sinking shit, ship". I doubt there'll be an FCC fine in his future, but it was funny to hear. (1/22/10) Ref: Hitman, have you seen the Ray Stevens video about Obamacare? Yes ! funny as hell, he must be 'round 70 by now and still can carry a tune (well sorta) YoYo Burt, Herm etc.....I don't think the "hate" on here is the youngins and the elders - I think we can get along with one another, Those of us who are or have been in the business for all intents know what we're talking about...the ones who want to get into the business and most likely never will are the ones pissing and moaning.....they have listened to a radio but have no freakin' idea about it. I worked all over this country from Flagstaff, San Diego, Mobile, Baltimore/Harford County, Dover, Evansville, Chincoteague Island to Ocean City and radio is radio it is not brain science. A half way decent voice and a great programmer can take you where you want to go. It use to be all about busting your ass and being the first one in the building and the last one out from an air shift (full or part time) to remotes etc. You are only going to get out of it what you put into it, unless you work for some assholes like Clear Channel and fire-up ten station in an area and operate them with 1 Sales/Gm and 3 part time bullshit air/voice talent. So like you guys have mentioned knock off the hate and if you want to get into the business talk to sombody that can help you achieve your goal. Don't hate on the ones that still are in radio/tv or have since retired. Have a nice night and let the return shit hit the fan, Thanks for listening JJ Hitman McKay (1/22/10) Re; Zuker's private number, it would have been truly funny if it was listed as "OU812"! Rusty Gibson (1/22/10) Dave's response: Or if it was 867-5309..... I have the sad news that long-time NBC/WRC cameraman, Harry Davis passed away Thursday from a heart attack in North Carolina.My thoughts and prayers are with the Davis family,Cory Haber (1/22/10) /\ January 22 Messages /\ \/ January 21 Messages \/ It would be great If Bonneville 1050 went to nostalgia programming. (1/21/10) Dave's response: Hire Ed Walker and let him do his WAMU Sunday night "The Big Broadcast" fulltime on 1050. Classic radio shows, big band music. Wouldn't that be cool? Wow, not local, but still funny as shit: Someone on Conan O'Brien's Facebook page gave out Jeff Zucker's private office number! "NBC CEO Jeff Zucker's Office Number...(212)-664-2830" HAHA! www.facebook.com (1/21/10) I recall a staff meeting back in April or May of 2009, a couple months after the first round of cuts. Fred Ryan, big wig at ABC7 said, " Everyone here is safe ! Now go back to work and don't worry about more cuts!" I guess he lied ? More TV News bullshit. (1/21/10) lol @ Air America. NOBODY wants to listen to how bad America sucks, how America is responsible for all the worlds ills, and how those who produce wealth in this country are the enemy for 8 hours a day, seriously. (1/21/10) Great to see Nassau Broadcasting doing a "Radiothon" for Haiti which has raised $50K (so far) for the victims of this tragedy which continues to exceed previous definitions of disaster. Nassau Broadcasting could do better, though: How about a "Radiothon" for a specific area (read local) charity by each of its stations? Charities often need more than just bucks. The benefit of the bully pulpit offered by a substantial yet locally focused radio station can be immeasurable. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (1/21/10) Air America files for bankruptcy...bwaa ha ha...bwaa ha ha...! (1/21/10) While we’ve all be able to watch the results of the earth quake in Haiti through the networks, only one Baltimore television station, WBAL-TV provided a reporter, Lowell Melser to cover the journey of the Navy hospital ship Comfort and the work the ships crew is doing to save lives. CH2 CH13 and CH45 have piggybacked off reporter Scott Broom of WUSA-TV in Washington D.C. Anyone who has watched, has seen that Melser’s stories have been at least a full day ahead of the others. This writer does not work for any of the stations, but recognizes that Baltimore has one standout television news department with an unequaled commitment to covering the news. (1/21/10) NC8/ABC7 is abuzz about Matt Brock. It seems that when he went in to talk about his contract with News Director Bill Lord this week, Lord told Matt that the station was not going to renew his contract as a reporter, but instead, offered him a news editor job. This offer is a significant salary drop, as well as a blow to Matt's reporting career. No offers were on the table as to a field producer, show producer, or senior writing position for which Brock would be well to overly qualified to do since he is one of the best and most creative writers on staff. Just another testament to the money grubbing sociopaths who run TV stations nowadays. (1/21/10) Who let the cheetah out on the NEWS4 set today? Oops, it was just Pat Lawson-Muse. Looks like she loaned her Jetson’s anchor jacket to Maureen Umeh on Fox5. Hint for Maureen: don’t borrow outfits from Pat, she has really bad taste! (1/21/10) So Air America is out of business. Don't think I've smiled this big in a long time. Not that they're out of business. I have nothing against the company. But the fact that their CEO Bennett Zier is now out of work is phenomenal. Never has one man deserved to fail again. That lying scumbag destroyed Clear Channel, Red Zebra, and it was inevitable that he'd do the same with Air America. What company will Bennett destroy next?? Only time will tell. (1/21/10) AirAm To Shut Down- well cry me a river. i guess they couldn't find another boys and girls club to steal from. now instead of having 2,478 outlets for left-wing opinion and "news" coverage to choose from, we now have 2,477. (1/21/10) "insults really do work better when you use the proper English." -Especially when they are coming from a self-professed radio legend like AHHHH...or as he's also known as here in the mailbag PLB. (1/21/10) "geezer-ish" a new adjective for a new decade (1/21/10) Air America is filing for chapter 7 bankruptcy, and shutting down immediately - with repeat programming through Monday, then silence. Wither WZAA/1050? Will it revert to repeating either WTOP or WFED, one assumes? (1/21/10) I have listened to Wash radio sports for years. I'm surprised to read the rat tailed towhead menacing red eyed white bread comments regarding Liz Drabick's appearance on Holdens's show. Are you kidding me? Have you listened to the disassociated numbnuts sports inanities muttered on the Shan Shariff's Saturday morning hour? And you have a problem with Drabick? Grow a set that reaches up and touches a few brain cells. Drabick is fast and generally knowledgeable, but most important, is honest and doesn't bullsnit outside her range. Given the overweight braindead sports radio 'talent' that collects checks in the Wash area, give us a break and let Drabick have a turn at the mic. (1/21/10) Re: "As a "friend" will Don Geronimo be their?" Mr. AHHHHHH, insults really do work better when you use the proper English. (1/21/10) In the 35-64 age demo, Grandy and Andy are number 12 in the ratings. That is their target demo. There audience must be skewing old – hence all the hearing aid commercials. This is proof the listeners of WMAL do not know what is really going on. They cannot hear what is really going on. Mark, still in Annandale. (1/21/10) Dave's response: It is kinda funny that one of WMAL's largest sponsors is a hearing aid company..... I agree with the previous posters. The LAST thing that WJFK needs is another ex-Redskin as a host. It certainly won't be appointment listening for me, whereas a Caps show or Nats show would have been. (1/21/10) Hiya Dave! Just wanted to give you the heads up that Nassau Broadcasting has been doing a “Help for Haiti” Radiothon since 6 this morning. We’ve raised almost $50k so far and we’re pushing until 7p.m.! 106.9 The Eagle and Key 103 are the local Nassau Broadcasting stations. (1/21/10) FCC Looking at future of Local News www.tvnewscheck.com (1/21/10) Did I not get the memo? Where was Kornheiser this morning? Out sick? Least they could do is play a ‘best of,’ even though some may find that oxymoronic. (1/21/10) Dave's response: I presume that Tony was at the memorial service for George Michael at the National Cathedral..... Okay, I have to ask this question. Each and every year, around the "Holidays", WASH and WLIF lead the ratings. What do they do? They play the same 100 songs, mostly from artist who have long since left this world, over and over and over. With those ratings in mind, why do so many of you constantly complain about "tight" playlists, especially on "Classic Rock" stations? While I have to admit that I agree with most of you, this model for ratings success seems to be embedded in the minds of the programmers. What I don't understand is why WASH/WLIF don't go into full Valentines' mode in mid-January, playing nothing but schmaltzy love songs ("You Light Up My Life...."Having My Baby"..."At This Moment") over and over and over. Gotta figure it would work. (1/21/10) just heard from a friend of a friend at Comcast that lots of pink slips handed out today at Comcast's office/call center in Prince William... (1/21/10) Dear Dave: I want to echo Vincent in Triangle's sentiments about WJFK scheduling Brian Mitchell for Saturday mornings. I know that the Redskins are consistently the talk of the town. But there are other teams here as well. Brian Mitchell may well give it a try to expand the discussion to other areas, but you know darn well that the bulk of the conversation will be about the Redskins and football. No two-hour hockey show, for instance, in a town with a team that could easily make the Stanley Cup Finals? Or baseball? Phil Wood could certainly provide two hours of talk about the Nats in particular and baseball in general, like he did before he was unceremoniously taken off the air by WTEM. I swear, all the PD's is this town have one-track minds. Great site Dave! Sincerely, Joe Kasell (1/21/10) Don Geronimo: From the " not hate speech, just askin' department". Shortly after his death, Sorce claimed to be a good friend of George Michael. Today, DCRTV reports that "sports columnist Len Shapiro looks at how friends and colleagues will be gathering today to eulogize legendary Channel 4/WRC sports anchor George Michael at the National Cathedral. Michael, 70, died on 12/24 after a two-year battle with cancer." As a "friend" will Don Geronimo be their? AHHHHHH (1/21/10) Yeah, SCREW 106.7 The Fan, for actually spending some money in a down economy to try to improve their product and stay local on weekends. What a bunch of idiots! That's not how you're supposed to do it. You're supposed to cut costs, try to be as mediocre as possible, use satellite programming or taped crap whenever possible, and not care about your product. What a bunch of bitter, complaining losers in the mailbag lately... (1/21/10) So let me see if I have this correct. Maryland is facing a two BILLION dollar budget shortfall. Weeks ago, the Dept. of General Services, a cabinet level department for the state, eliminates the only public information officer on staff (Dave Humprhey.) Yesterday we learn that another former broadcaster, Bill Toohey, gets a new, $90,000 a year position with Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention. The Baltimore Sun reported "His new boss, Kristen M. Mahoney, said Wednesday that she had labored without a full-time spokesman since her appointment as executive director in January 2007. When she heard that Toohey would be available, she said, 'I just thought I should give him a call and see if he wanted to help me.'" So a cabinet level department doesn't merit a spokesman, yet an agency that's never had one gets one with a starting salary of $90K. Looks like the new one will be churning out press releases touting all the successes of Martin O'Malley's crime fighting office. That office has been fraught with problems over the years. Save the taxpayers a lot of money and ELIMINATE it. By the way, this writer has nothing but the utmost respect for both Humphrey and Toohey. Both are excellent at what they do. But honestly, state government doesn't live in the real world. When will the state realize that a lot of these public information officers are overpaid for what they do? Broadcasting salaries in television and radio have contracted -- just ask TV anchors. Yet these government flacks keep getting bigger and bigger paychecks. I'm all for the good ones making what they deserve, but government at every level has a lot of publilc information officers who frankly, dont know their own ass from a hole in the ground. (1/21/10) "Dave's response: You know, without some aspect of "Obamacare," your monthly health insurance premium is gonna soon cost $1000 and even higher." bzzz - wrong answer. Yes cost is an issue. But competition, allowing providers to cross state lines and some basic level of tort reform are two simple things that would do more to reduce the cost than anything being proposed by the dems. Obamacare is not about cost control, it's about government control. You would have a hard time naming even one similar government program that has not grown to such a size that it's bloated to the point of insolvency. Yet we don't learn. Obviously the conservative message has not sunk in yet Dave. ;-) (1/21/10) Dave's response: Yeah, I guess it's better to have the big corporate insurance companies and HMOs in control of our health care than to have big government control. Whatever. Hey, this is a local media-related venue. Keep your posts on-topic or risk having them not posted. Let's not get off-track here..... Dave, thanks for your comment "You know, without some aspect of "Obamacare," your monthly health insurance premium is gonna soon cost $1000 and even higher." This is EXACTLY the fallacy of what most of the media puts out there. Time to bring in John Stossel. Obamacare - such that it is really understood by anyone - does NOT reduce healthcare costs, it shifts them. Premiums might go down (MIGHT) but taxes and fees, especially if you make mroe than $100K, which ain't rich, go up. The actual root of the healthcare cost explosion of the last 20 years is not substantively addressed. Malpractice and tort reform. The fact that insurance companies are regulated and licensed at the state level and can't compete (and SHARE RISK) across state lines. Skyrocketing medical school costs placing further reliance on non-MD service providers. Poor regulation of medical professionals across state lines and a lack of transparency in doctor track records. There is so much to do before, without and above Obamacare its not even funny. BTW, your whole comment is a GREAT example of fear mongering on the left. :-) Bob in Forest Hill (1/21/10) "I have a feeling now that football season's effectively over, WJFK is going to have a LONNNNNNG few months" Especially if Brian Mitchell is hired full-time. Doesn't WJFK have the courage to hire someone who has expertise in sports other than pro football? (Especially with hoops and hockey postseason on the horizon, not to mention the Nats.) -- Vincent in Triangle (1/21/10) Hey, Herm….I too am former military...and agree with all that you had to say. The “newbies” could learn if they could learn to listen and ask. As my dad (God rest his soul) told me..”if you don’t know, ask! God Bless America and weed out the “haters”. (hang on for the attacks)-LOL PLB:0 (1/21/10) "Secondly…the Mailbag has turned into a “hate machine”" You certainly would know. You built that machine. (1/21/10) does anyone know if the memorial service for george michael will be on tv anywhere? or streamed online? thanks...i'll hang up and listen for a response! johnny blob - manassas va (1/21/10) Stalkers never change..."AHHHH" has posted an easy dozen messages attacking Don Geronimo in the past couple of weeks, yet based on those messages, it's obvious he/she devotes most of his/her day to tracking Geronimo's every move. Tweets, Facebook, online news, etc....here's an idea: get a life. (1/21/10) Have to agree with the previous posted concerning all the anger and frustration on here. Is just about everybody who contributes an old fogey who has no need for new innovative albeit sometimes against the "norm" ideas? Seems the most popular thing to do is trash anyone who hasn't been in the business for 30 years or more. Evidently us "newbie's" have no clue of what we're doing whether it's terrestrial radio or God forbid, internet broadcasting! After 20 yrs in the military, I learned to go to the "experienced" people for advice or information because they had been through it all. I'd be half afraid to ask anything of anybody on here for fear of getting beat down by multiple posts. Come on folks, everyone has something to contribute. Set your politics aside for a while please. And on a final note, what constitutes a "great American patriot"? If you disagree with a post and respond both accordingly and respectfully does that make somebody not an American patriot. I think not. I served this great country for a long time and the right to agree or disagree is exactly what makes ours the best nation in the world. Lighten up would ya! Thanks and let the bashing begin.....Herm from Va. Eastern Shore (1/21/10) First of all, “Hitman” you are so on target. Secondly…the Mailbag has turned into a “hate machine”. There are a FEW individuals that use the board to direct their hatred at Sorce, Hitman, Unsigned Corporate Suit, Geezers, Rusty Gibson, and others. I, as ARRRRGH has noticed, *(and is irritated) have simply stopped posting unless I find a topic that interests me. The afore mentioned should do the same, after all, we do sign our names and will continue to do so. As “Hitman” said….”real men sign their post others hide like a pussy”. Be sure from now on no pseudonyms-PLB:0) (1/21/10) I know that WTOP's Jim Farley reads the postings on DCRTV, so I direct this question to him; Why does Dean Lane air greeting drops from C, D & E list "stars"? Today, I heard "This is Tommy Smothers and you're on with Dean Lane". And 10 minutes prior to that, there was some drop from a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. It's not like these are tied into some appearance/concert/show in the D.C. They just randomly pop up. Jim, JUST WHAT VALUE/SERVICE DO THESE DROPS PROVIDE THE LISTENER? I know it's overnight, BUT I'd bet anything you wouldn't hear those elements on KYW, WINS, and WCBS. There should be a big sign posted in the "Glass Enclosed Nerve Center" that says, "IT'S ABOUT THE LISTENER, STUPID". Mike in D.C. (1/21/10) Don't know if you've seen this yet, but the New York Times is planning to start charging to access articles online: news.yahoo.com (1/21/10) Dave's response: And traffic to its website will fall and it will make less money selling ads on the site and its overall influence on the internet will diminish..... Hats off to Hitman in Ocean City, now there is someone who knows what he is talking about. Unlike the person who trashed him recently on here, Hitman is a true American patriot. And Hitman, have you seen the Ray Stevens video about Obamacare? It is on Youtube as well as raystevens.com... Burt In Denton (1/21/10) Dave's response: You know, without some aspect of "Obamacare," your monthly health insurance premium is gonna soon cost $1000 and even higher. More than your monthly mortgage/rent payment. How you gonna pay that on your radio/bartending salary? Health care will simply be unaffordable for many. Heck, it is unaffordable for many right now..... Another sign of a doomed newspaper? Front page, "Sun Exclusive" story today Ethics changes outlined for city contains the following sub-headline-- Rawlings-Blake says her bill will seek to height public trus' What? The web-version has a different headline. But the actual, physical newspaper has that mangled sub-head. You can also see it here, on the electronic version of the newspaper's front page-- www.baltimoresun.com (1/21/10) So, someone dislikes Mike Sorce so much....that they read his tweets? Sincerely, James (1/21/10) funny ! You might want to check this out, lol - Can you believe that ABC7 sent News 8's Pam Browne to Haiti ? Of all the people to send on the biggest story of the year ! (1/21/10) Here is the link for Diane's mother's obituary. www.legacy.com (1/21/10) Dave's response: My sincere condolences to Diane..... I'm a medical marijuana patient in California. I haven't heard ads for dispensaries or co-ops (places that sell medical marijuana to those with documentation that a physician has recommended it for their medical condition). But I have heard spots for shops that sell pipes, vaporizers, etc. The weekly newspapers here that are similar to DC City Paper, do run ads for dispensaries/co-ops and for some of the physicians. And, on a related note, here's a link to a story from yesterday's Post about efforts in Virginia to decriminalize marijuana. www.washingtonpost.com (1/21/10) Damn. AHHHH is back. I was hoping Captain of the high seas Bicknell (ARRRRR) would stick around a little longer. Oh well. C'est la vie. (1/21/10) When you read the anger and frustration reflected by most of the posters, it makes you wonder why anyone would want to be in radio or TV in the first place. You can't make a decent living at it; you're always on the verge of being fired; and you seem to make as many people mad at you as listen to you. Why do you want to be in this business? -- GAB in the Airless Cubicle (1/21/10) My girlfriend and I just got back from a ski trip in Colorado. One thing I notice while we were in Denver is that a good many of their stations are now advertising medical marijuana right on the air. Actually their local CHR "HOT 107", just about every other ad they air is for medical pot or I should just leave out the word "medical" as some of those Denver marijuana radio ads I had heard made more of the "..lets get high and party tonight" angle than something that helps people with glaucoma, bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS or cancer. Anyway even though medical pot is legal in Denver I am still kinda surprised one can advertise THAT on the radio. OK, imagine my surprise when I found out later that medical pot is also legal in Virginia but only for those with cancer and glaucoma. Can places that deal with medical pot advertise on the radio here? If its being done I haven't heard any such ads yet. As far as being allowed to advertise medical pot in Virginia I would imagine if its legal to do it in Denver and California, you can do the same here since everyone uses the FCC but then again does the state have a say in this? I do remember in the days before Virginia had approved their lottery, radio & TV stations within Virginia weren't allowed to air ads for either the DC or Maryland lotteries, so perhaps maybe they do have a say about radio ads for medical pot. (1/21/10) Dave's response: The states do not have any say regarding the regulation of content on federally-licensed radio stations. I do believe that there is an FCC rule that forbids radio stations in states without lotteries from carrying lottery ads from other states. Also, companies can ban lottery/gambling ads on their stations if they so choose. You'll never hear one of those "Charles Town racing and slots" ads on Mormon-backed Bonneville's WTOP, which runs no ads for lotteries or alcohol..... Mike Sorce tweets "Reminder: One Damn funny show everyday @ MikeOMearashow.com Mike is killing it, sounds great. New show daily for listen at 2pm. Thanks, gang" WOW! Having Sorce endorse you at this point of your relationship is like like Leno encouraging all his viewers to watch Conan the last remaining days of his show. With friends like Sorce.....AHHHHH (1/21/10) From I Hate It When Jay Leno Steals My Talk Show, a classic Letterman synopsis... By the way, Conan O'brien now has over HALF a MILLION Facebook fans at I'm With COCO on Facebook, and now better ratings than Letterman, Leno, & Kimmel! HAha! :-) (1/21/10) /\ January 21 Messages /\ \/ January 20 Messages \/ I'm looking for anyone who has old footage from any of the Barry richards TV shows from WDCA. Helping out his archivist. If you know of anyone i could contact on this matter it would be appreciated. Thanks Nick (1/20/10) Kind of disgusting. WJZ just promoted an interview with the father of Maryland children killed in Haiti "which you can hear only on WJZ". (1/20/10) Unlistenable. That one words defines the Ed Norris show now. Mayturd and Whineman continue to contribute to the deterioration of what was already nothing more than a mediocre program. The fork is in. They're done (1/20/10) Unsigned Corporate Suit, PLEASE stop being a shill for COMCAST. That ruling was designed to fix basically 1 monopolistic inequality (although it may impact some other exclusive contracts)..... That Comcast is buying NBC/Universal, yet restricts access to its COMCAST SportsNet Philadelphia network to ONLY its OWN cable system. What's next? NBC stations are taken off of satellite TV and you must have COMCAST to watch NBC? Sounds hard to believe, but that is basically what COMCAST is doing right now in Philadelphia with COMCAST SportsNet. The FCC had to step in and do something and set a precedent before even considering the NBC/COMCAST merger. This ruling will also help the Nationals & The Orioles & MASN in getting on more cable systems that Comcast has been fighting against tooth and nail since it enables more competition. Your long rant that went off into cars and burgers is just plain silly, to say the least. And yes, the world would be a better place without DMCA and the LAWYERS, we'd probably even have health care reform if not for the LAWYERS! Oh, that's right, the majority of Congress are LAWYERS! Who woulda thunk it? LOL (1/20/10) CNN Poll reports that "Nearly 1 in 5 may not fill out census form". Among reasons cited are distrust of the government in privacy issues,belief that it will help find illegal immigrants and just plain disinterest. Amazing! You mean the people who don't pay taxes or have legal drivers licenses or business licenses might not want to be found? They don't want the fake addresses they use when getting state assistance for food and medical help to be noticed? And other people just don't give a damn? They can't be bothered with knowing how much of thier money is used on illegals? Wow thats fuckin awful generous of you but maybe other taxpaying,law abiding citizens might want to plug the hole.I'm not thrilled about giving Uncle Sam a play by play of my life but do you really think the government needs you to tell them what you're up to? If they want to know they have the means,blissful ignorance does you no good in this instance.I'd really like to know where the money I didn't get for help went! I want to meet the guy who didn't go to the Clerk of the Court and pay for a license. Who doesn't go through the pain the ass of tax season. And yet got help avoiding eviction and kept warm and fed when my family was told we weren't eligible for assistance of any kind. I'm sick of chipping in to a swath of population big enough to make up a radio/TV demographic yet isn't visible in an accountable society. That demographic just happens to have hijacked the best radio station around by the way.Donnie (1/20/10) (Hey Ed/JJ/“Hitman,” how’s that jock-bartender career going for you?) Hey buddy, sounds like you could use some of your time to watch what happens in the real world. Try watching some Fox News or listening to Rush, then get some help for anger management. The Pen is Back. (1/20/10) Ref: “Hitman,” how’s that jock-bartender career going for you? - Ans: I am not smart enough to tend bar, So I manage the Purple Moose Saloon in the Summer and play golf the rest of the year, Why? Because I can - Get a hobby. Go back to school. Ans: I finished school after two tours in Vietnam ’65-66 on the G.I. Bill asshole.- They’re playin’ you, man. Oh, forget it. Go flip on Fox News. Ans: I scan all news because I can’t trust any of ‘em maybe you should do the same asshole. I am very sorry that somebody pissed on your cheerios this morning but you will get over it. You most likely are one of only two or three assholes that worked with or for me in radio in the last 40 years and I would be willing to bet I fired your dumb ass or you never made it through my broadcasting class when I was teaching at WOR-WIC tech a few years back. Really doesn’t matter, real men sign their post others hide like a pussy. A special Hi & YoYo to Burt in Denton, Bob in Forest Hill and every other American Patriot out there and a special YoYo to Dave who lets jerks like you clutter up DCRTV – Like Mancow said this morning – “Brown wins” – what a great day for the America. J.J. “Hitman” McKay in Ocean City, Md. (1/20/10) AMEN to the post about Liz added to Holden's show. I'll listen to him on occasion. He can be entertaining at times, but adding the chick sidekick is a HUGE mistake. I'd rather listen to commercials than her. I have a feeling now that football season's effectively over, WJFK is going to have a LONNNNNNG few months (1/20/10) The Baltimore Sun did not have the Massachusetts Senatorial election on their front page online today! Are they like in denial or is this related to Tribune dropping the AP & The Sun didn't have a reporter in Mass.? Oh, media ethics guru David Zurawik did pen a piece on how CNN, MSNBC, & ABC were the places to watch if you wanted to see White House reaction, but once again failed to mention he's a contributor to CNN! Z on TV... Go figure. (1/20/10) As I predicted earlier, the FCC has ruled that the cable people who send their sports terrestrially will have to sell carriage of their formerly “exclusive” sports networks to their competition. The lawyers are going to have fun with this one. The major league teams will also be in this one as if the “no more exclusivity” doctrine holds in court, they know their franchise values will be severely cut! Also the major league players unions will be weighing in on this as well. This really does a number on copyright law. Maybe there’s hope for the Obama Administration and the current Congress taking on DMCA and dismantling it as well. Now, if Obama and Congress do to the FTC what they’ve done to the FCC, I guess I’ll soon be able to buy a Big Mac™ at my neighborhood Burger King™ or get my next new CTS from the Lincoln-Mercury™ dealer near my office. Or, for that matter, if contractual exclusivity really goes away, maybe Dan Snyder can go out and hire some real football players instead of a bunch of prima donnas, has-beens, and never-weres. In other words, I don’t think this ruling has a snowcone’s chance in hell when it hits the courts. There’s too much vested money at risk with this ruling. Remember: Being in court is where you really learn the truth of the phrase “money talks and bullshit walks”. –Unsigned Corporate Suit (1/20/10) Then that makes 3 Ollie's Trolleys in Arlington, with one formerly in Crystal City at Eads and 21st, just across from the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel. And just to make this a media posting, that put it just a block west of Westwood One's old studios, and just a few blocks east of the Pentagon City hotel where Marv Albert left a dental impression in a young woman's behind. (1/20/10) Don Geronimo - Breaking News! Great news for Mike Sorce as he donates those AMEX travel vouchers to Haiti Relief charities. Taxpayers like all of us who make donations for Haitian earthquake victims would be able to write off this charitable deduction when they file their 2009 taxes this spring, under a bill passed by the House Wednesday. Under current law, donors would have to wait until they file their 2010 returns next year to take the deductions. But the newly advanced bill would allow donations made by the end of February to be deducted from 2009 returns. The bill passed on a voice vote with no opposition. Quick Senate action is expected. A similar law was enacted in 2005 for donations to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that happened in December 2004. (1/20/10) Mike Wise interviewing Vinny Cerrato today about George Michael’s death was kind of strange…… (1/20/10) A nice article by Leonard Shapiro on tomorrow's Memorial Service for George Michael: www.washingtonpost.com (1/20/10) Re: "The ratings for O'Meara and B O & D had been climbing, and obviously all of the people involved were surprised that the station was going to flip..." Going into the WAAAY back machine, R&F were all set to get the midday spot when CBS flipped El Zol. At that time they were enjoying their tremendous ratings at WJFK, but that didn't matter because Michael Hughes had a hard on for The (Sports) Junkies and gave them middays. (1/20/10) Eliott (DC101) and the crew are out because Diane's mom passed away. (1/20/10) (It would be natural to not get associated with a sinking ship. The lawsuits, unpaid bills, key staff defections, and weak management are not helping things...) I guess the sooner your "source" realizes that "America's Morning News" association with TWT is only associated by name and uses their newsroom - the better. The show is syndicated by Talk Radio Network, and owned by Talk Radio Network. The hosts are paid by Talk Radio Network. Nobody is shying away from anything, except people at the Times that have nothing better to do than stir up shit by writing into dcrtv. (1/20/10) Of course calling the war lovin' cheerleader of the past decade, the NY Times, "ultra-liberal" and trying to equate any shortcomings the SCLM with the 24/7 "Obama is a Kenyan who wants to murder Grandma" propaganda machine reveals a fairly heavy bias right there. Howie (1/20/10) I've got to admit, the "Showdown At NBC" makes a bit more sense in English. (So, that white-haired gent is Letterman!) (1/20/10) curious as to what was going on with Elliot Segal(dc101) he signed off abruptly on friday round 8:30am citing an Emergency etc Knew he was off on MLK day, but now rest of week... (1/20/10) How sad is it to see poor deer-in-the-headlights- Luke Russert (who looks more like a House page who escaped Mark Foley that a actual “PMSNBC Correspondent”) – re-recite stale “what if” scenarios for the future of “health care” on Washington cable station MSNBC. Anchor Alex is old enough to be his grandmother! (1/20/10) To unsigned guy "So, what are you saying, Bob in Forest Hill? That only you can recognize bias?" Not at all. My point - which did not involve calling anyone stupid, mindless or even wrong - is that bias in the media and in journalism is all around us...both sides and the middle, too. Murdoch does not have a lock on it, he has simply been more commercially successful, and less interested in hiding it than most media barons now, or historically. Study after study has shown that those that enter journalism come form a progressive, sometimes activist mindset. J-schools work hard to pay lip-service to controlling personal biases, but this is been demonstrably ineffective over the last several decades. Couple that with the increasing proportions of non-journalistically trained staff in "news" roles and the blending of news and opinion, and the pretense of equity has gone right out the window. Murdoch is the whipping boy for bias and "lack of journalistic integrity" because he represents a viewpoint which is counter to most of the mainstream media and because he blends opinion and news openly in some of his properties. Many other media organizations do the same thing, usually to the left, but work harder to hide it. News Corp products are NOT unique in having a bias or a political point of view. IMHO, biases can go unnoticed and unidentified when there is no countervailing point of view to provide contrast...a lack of contrast exists in too many newsrooms, especially on the print end of things. That's just my observation and experience. Bob in Forest Hill (1/20/10) Taking a tour of area mini eateries is interesting enough (there were TWO “Ollie’s Trolley” in Arlington, one in Clarendon and one on Columbia Pike near another landmark, Bob & Ediths). You have your basic greasy spoons (the Tastless Diner in Bethesdo, as well another version in Silver Spring, 29 Diner in Fairfax, Bob & Edith’s in Arlington and one could even make a case for Hank Dietle’s across from White Flint). But mini eateries are all but gone. Since this was covered by the local LOUDON EXTRA .COM it qualifies for DCRTV Mailbag discussion: loudounextra.washingtonpost.com (1/20/10) “Happy Birthday to Edgar Allan Poe! (even though his corpse didn't get its ceremonial cognac this year)” That’s because I drank it: signed, Arte Lange. (1/20/10) Dave, you've got a source feeding you all the behind-the-scenes dirt at the Washington Times, so I thought I'd send you a link to something that appears in the actual paper and which struck me as newsworthy, if not entirely surprising. In an editorial today, Jonathan Slevin, now president and publisher of the Times, comes right out and says his paper will be vociferously advocating a reduction in the size of government. Although it's not visible on the linked page, the paper is using a new graphic -- a campaign-style button that reads "Cut, or Be Cut" -- on this piece and related pieces in today's paper. Christian washingtontimes.com (1/20/10) Hey Ed/JJ/“Hitman,” how’s that jock-bartender career going for you? Winter in OC leaves you with way too much time to lie around and watch/listen to Batshit Beck. Get a hobby. Go back to school—well, go to school for the first time, and try paying attention for a switch. Forty years ago nobody at the Vo-Tec could convince you that a college degree would come in handy, same as Glenn, so this is what we get. The GOP depends on dullards like you to vote for their Country Club tax cuts and Wall Street bailouts (yeah, that was the Bush II administration, Bunkie). They’re playin’ you, man. Oh, forget it. It’s almost noon—go sip on another Jaegermeister and flip on Fox News… (1/20/10) So, what are you saying, Bob in Forest Hill? That only you can recognize bias? That each and every journalist on planet earth is too blind and/or stupid to recognize the bias in stories they write? You have what we in the psychology field refer to as "no brain." You should have that checked. And everyone who thinks like you do should grow up and realize that just because you don't like something you read does not mean it is "biased." Perhaps you could invest in a dictionary. (1/20/10) WH Reporters Feel "Jilted" - too bad they'll still "report" on the messiah in the same fawning way they always have. (1/20/10) Rusty, any scheduled guests for your upcoming shows??? (1/20/10) Way to go Hitman! I could have not said it better myself! Anyone who thinks Glenn Beck made all this stuff up needs to read his book "Arguing with Idiots". There is no way Beck could have made this stuff up; if you take some time to read all the book, you just might learn something. I can only imagine the amount of time and reseach that went into this book. Al Gore is another story, flying around the world;creating panic about Global Warming and not getting his facts straight. And left wingers, what do you have to say now that Coakley choked? Thanks for your views Hitman, you are right on the money! Wonder what the crybabies at MSNBC Obama's network have to say now? Burt in Denton (1/20/10) Olbermann on Scott Brown “in Scott Brown we have an irresponsible, homophobic, racist, reactionary, ex-nude-model, tea-bagging supporter of violence against woman and against politicians with whom he disagrees.” I guess his comments are ok since they are coming from a liberal! Read more: www.politico.com (1/20/10) UCS, I'm curious. You ask in your "Oxymoron Alert" that ""How do you recognize a real journalist? They factually tell (or publish) the true story even if they disagree with it." When were these halcyon days of journalism, and where are these real journalists who report only facts? Was it when Hearst was trumping up support for the Spanish-American war? Is the the ultra-liberal, agenda-driven, global warming alarmists at the NY or LA Times? Are they on CNN, where they basically ignore stories they don't agree with (like the surge of Brown in MA)? Is it Bill Moyers and his agenda on PBS? Was it Dan Rather and his agenda on CBS? I'm still looking for these unbiased journalists. Frankly, I don't think they exist and that is part of the problem for so many in the media...they really believe they overcome bias and believe themselves to be unbiased, yet only test themselves against others who think like them in their own newsrooms. So, with that in mind, I think Rupert knows just as much and has as much moral authority on journalism as any of the other media barons out there, from WR Hearst to psychotically liberal Ted Turner, to the lefty Newhouses, to the righty Anschutz. Seeing bias on one side only reveals only the bias in the observer, with all due respect. Bob in Forest Hill (1/20/10) You've got to love the liars in management at Red Zebra. They fire 2 people a couple of weeks ago in "budget cuts", eliminating positions. Then they turn around a create a new position right away. Of all the bad management teams in the history of WTEM, this has to be the worst! (1/20/10) Hello Fellow Posters. I just looked at the Eddie Gallaher article on DCRTV Plus. It brings back memories of listening to him on WASH FM (I wasn’t living in the area when he was on WTOP). This was an informative article. I wonder if there was more of this article I remember him being pleasant and entertaining, although he may not have liked the music he had to play on WASH. His humor was clean and not shocking as some morning radio shows are today. Thanks for that interesting and informative article on one of Washington’s best, if not the best radio personalities of all time. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (1/20/10) Dave's response: Don't forget to check out the DCRTV Plus tribute page to Eddie Gallaher, which features a copy of the page for Ed's finale at the old big band WWRC radio. The link is at the bottom of the Plus page..... ["Hey unsigned idiot who said "Glenn Beck is bat-shit crazy, but it makes for Great Entertainment" When you have sold more books, built larger radio and tv numbers and have actually read the constitution give me a call I am easy to find in Ocean City, Maryland. Til then shut up.....oh yeah how is that Brown vs Chokely thing working out for you left wing nuts? - wasted fuel from Clinton and Obalmer (air force one, not cheap)] Wow that puts him in league with other greats like, Hitler, Stalin, Kim Jong-Il, and more crazies.And they did one better, they wrote their own constitutions. Being popular doesn't make you smarter, it just lets more of us know how dumb you are. (1/20/10) Nice photo Dave of the Arlington landmark "Ollie's Trolley" (yup, home of the good ol "Ollie Burger"- It don't mustard, ketchup...It don't need NUTHIN'! Does anyone remember the "Weenie Beanie"? Is it even still around these days? Rusty Gibson, WEBR/RadioFairfax (1/20/10) Dave's response: The Weenie Beanie across from Channel 26's studios in South Arlington? Yeah..... The Mike O'Meara show was quite an eye opener yesterday, and lots of fans had been waiting to hear about how the events unfolded towards the end of WJFK as we knew it. The ratings for O'Meara and B O & D had been climbing, and obviously all of the people involved were surprised that the station was going to flip. During the last week of The Big O & Dukes show there was talk of Oscar getting a show on a sister station, that obviously yielded nothing. I knew it wouldn't happen, and felt that it was merely an attempt to placate the parties involved, and facilitate an easier transition. Oscar Santana was a consummate professional during his time at WJFK, all the way until he walked out the door. Yesterday we heard that as he was leaving the station on his last day, he had to walk by a photo shoot in the lobby where Lavar was waiting to have his picture taken with Chad. Don & Mike told us time after time what a heartless business radio is, and that set of stories yesterday certainly solidified that. Business is business, but having a little respect for a group of people that bent over backwards to create a set of shows that worked with each other, and kept listeners like myself listening all day long, should not have been too difficult. Now the ratings have shown that WJFK is either barely beating, or getting beat by a gospel station! I've got nothing against gospel, but last time I checked, it's not very popular. So, nice work WJFK brass. MikeOMearaShow.com is the place to go for honest, real entertainment these days. Join me and the thousands and thousands of other people around the world that are supporting the efforts of Mike, Robb, Buzz & Oscar. Kick them a few bucks through their website too, and help them to continue to "F" up the main stream. Oh, and LICK it, YOUNG! - Hank in Richmond (1/20/10) Dave's response: It's purely a budget thing. Mike O'Meara and now Donnie Simpson are simply too expensive to keep onboard. And now, with reports of CBS attempting to buy out Simpson's contract, his and PGC's ratings are on the upswing, just like JFK's were in its last days as a "guy talker"..... "the coldest temperature ever recorded in 20% of our states occurred in the last 10 years." Well, there's a parochial view of global warming and a great example of the phrase that "figures lie and liars figure. The fact is that nine of the last 10 years are the highest average temperatures ever recorded. January, 2010 is the hottest January ever, period. 2005 was the hottest year ever. It's great tp be myopic and hold your hand out the window and conclude that since it's snowing in Hyattsville it must be snowing everywhere. www.gather.com. Were that it was so, as they say. ACH (1/20/10) A memorial service for Bob "BJ" Jackson will be held this Friday at St. Mark's United Methodist church in Easton, MD. at 11am. A reception is to follow at the Easton American Legion. (1/20/10) Looks like EGG ON FACE for CNN, Larry King, & John King, etc. They were all out of touch and living in their own little MSM little world and did NOT see this Massachusetts thing coming at all until it blindsided them. Neither did The Baltimore Sun's Paul West, who thinks Pres. Obama didn't campaign hard enough in Massachusetts! BaltimoreSun.com HAHA! Talk about living in a fucking bubble! Obama going there HELPED Scott Brown you idiots! DUH! LOL (1/20/10) Happy Birthday to Edgar Allan Poe! (even though his corpse didn't get its ceremonial cognac this year), but here's a Poe blast from the past... YouTube. Yes, The Edgar Allan Poe house was once the scene of an MTV basement tapes production. But something else caught my interest while looking at these videos on Youtube. Is this REALLY THE Keith Olbermann on YouTube? I found him while watching this related YouTube clip and looking at the comments for the song "Raised on the Radio" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack! Hmmm, maybe Olbermann has good taste after all? :-) (1/20/10) Suffering from hemorrhoids? I have the worst case you’ve ever seen, I’m not talking about little nuggets but real big juicy treasures, Hi I’m Chris Core for Analube, I use Analube on a daily basis, when my roids aren’t ragin…I squirt it in a little further and am ready for a full tilt packin. Analube is a product I can really stand behind, or have stand behind me….. Is there any product this hack hasn’t needed or used, surely Chris doesn’t lie? For Christ sack Chris, use the Analube before your next meeting with sales. (1/20/10) Hey unsigned idiot who said "Glenn Beck is bat-shit crazy, but it makes for Great Entertainment" When you have sold more books, built larger radio and tv numbers and have actually read the constitution give me a call I am easy to find in Ocean City, Maryland. Til then shut up.....oh yeah how is that Brown vs Chokely thing working out for you left wing nuts? - wasted fuel from Clinton and Obalmer (air force one, not cheap) I sign my stuff - J.J. "Hitman" McKay (1/20/10) Someone wrote, "Beck has learned how to be a zillionaire in America." And so has the noted author, politician and gadfly Al Gore. " Just make shit up, knowing that there is a percentage of the public so damn stupid ...that they’ll eat up the most extreme crap you can come up with—as long as it’s scary and crazy and more fun to watch than Petticoat Junction re-runs." Well done there liberal zealot. You just described Gore's use of global warming, I mean global climate change, I mean 'the trick you used to hide...' that the coldest temperature ever recorded in 20% of our states occurred in the last ten years. Congrats, you got Gore'd. (1/20/10) /\ January 20 Messages /\ \/ January 19 Messages \/ “There are also rumblings that the paper (TWT) may sell its New York Avenue headquarters building and relocate to much smaller space in the suburbs.....” Breaking news: TWT announces new location in Washington suburb of Arlington, Virginia. (1/19/10) Dave: Thanks for highlighting the Michael Brown comments on the U.S response to Haiti. Just wanted to note that the original interview was done Tuesday by my fabulous colleague Amy Morris of Federal News Radio, 1500 AM. And kudos to Ed O'Keefe of the Post for crediting FNR for the quotes. Shawn Anderson, WTOP Radio. (1/19/10) Holden Kushner has such a tiny little head. Seriously, his head can't be more than about a size 6. It's the only thing truly interesting about him, 'cause he's not exactly a compelling presence on the air. (1/19/10) Did anyone else hear (I am not really sure why you would) that The Fan added that condescending be-atch, Liz Drabick to co-host “Overtime with Holden Kushner?” Seems like a desperate move as the overall station ratings appear to be dropping. Holden is a talented guy, but this is a terrible move, and I will not be listening anymore. (1/19/10) Oxymoron alert!!! DCRTV Dave put "Rupert Murdoch" in the same sentence with "News" and "Journalism"! C'mon, Dave!!! Do you really think Rupert Murdoch would recognize -let alone respect- any form of "real news" and "real journalism"? Riddle me this: "How do you recognize a real journalist? They factually tell (or publish) the true story even if they disagree with it." Fox News makes me think of the result if "The Weekly World News" had a cable network. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (1/19/10) If you've been asleep for the past two-weeks, Appledaily neatly sums-up the "Showdown at NBC" for you. No need to bring your Mandarin-to-English dictionary. (Who'd have thunk that Conan would go "Hulk"?) (1/19/10) “Am I stoned, or did the Post get the caption wrong on this photo?” Nope: you’re not on dope. The Post DOES have Cheech mixed up with Chong. But the REAL story should be read about this creep Rob Kampia, who according to the local newspaper, THE WASHINGTON POST, as well as elsewhere, is reported to be “a pig, a worm and a disappointment”: ow.ly... Kinda reads like a cheap porn novel but unfortunately, is real life: “Diane Fornbacher recalls the time when Kampia made a move on her at the home of a DC marijuana activist. "Rob was lascivious," says Fornbacher, who has worked for the DPA and NORML, in an exclusive interview with CelebStoner. "He patted his lap. He had a hard-on. He inched closer and closer to me and he leaned over and smelled my cleavage. 'You look great,' he said. I didn't realize until then what a dickhead Rob was. "He's a pig, a worm and a disappointment. He thought he was untouchable. It's about time he got called on this. I don't think he's capable of cleaning up his act. There needs to be a change of guard and a complete dismantling of the MPP. This is very devastating to the movement." (1/19/10) Caption update - Dave, Looks like they fixed it. (1/19/10) Dave's response: It doesn't surprise me. The Washington Post monitors DCRTV 24/7..... Am I stoned, or did the Post get the caption wrong on this photo? washingtonpost.com (1/19/10) I think CBS should smoke a joint to GET some mojo and slide WHFS right onto a main FM signal. Someone is doing a great job giving HFS a real cool personality but its going unnoticed. When I mention HFS to coworkers thier eyes light up but when I mention dotcom or HD2 they glaze right over again. I heard some announcements of more jocks taking shifts and a hint about something Jerry 'couldn't say anything about'. Could it be......???? nahhh I don't want to even hope for.....Anyway CBS needs to throw full power to HFS. Oh are we doing characters on Mailbag now? Can I be an astronaut? I wanna be John Crighton. He couldn't pick up HFS on his radio either. Donnie (1/19/10) " Conan's non-compete only lasts until September and well, yours has lasted years. " Being a douche is no way to go through life, son, and being an ill-informed douche is even worse. Conan's contract has no non-compete clause. PWNED!!!! --- ThePenIsMightier (1/19/10) Re: "Damint Mike Sorce, I'm sorry...." Dude, pull up your pants and reign in your fantasy life. I'm not Sorce/Geronimo and never claimed to be. What I am is a guy who thinks it's disgusting that nuts like you see every natural disaster as an opportunity to announce that whichever celebrity you're currently obsessed with need to fork over whatever arbitrary amount of cash you declare "moral." Nobody needs to meet your silly standards because you're not any kind of moral leader -- you're just a radio stalker, and a particularly slimy one at that. (1/19/10) Theatrically unhinged Glenn Beck today was a hoot... "Naked males should never EVER be seen!", plus a long rant against progressives. Could someone please tap him on the shoulder and tell him REPUBLICAN TEDDY ROOSEVELT was a PROGRESSIVE and one of America's most popular presidents, not to mention an environmentalist and revered to this day? HELLO! But, then again I guess you wouldn't learn that drunk off your ass as a DJ at Baltimore's B-104 or DC's WPGC would you huh? :-) (1/19/10) Dave's response: Sounds to me that Beck's a closet queen..... Damnit Mike Sorce, I'm sorry for calling you out over the big moral Haiti travel voucher issue. I should have realized how much you have on your mind today. Shit, I'd be pissed too when I heard Team Conan gets a $30M buyout from his contract and you & Team Geronimo received 0. Conan's non-compete only lasts until September and well, yours has lasted years. Conan has multiple offers and you, payback weekend fill-in work for minimum wage & no limo. In any case, you & Mary Poppins enjoy Hawaii. Your conscience will be waiting for you when you get back to OC. (1/19/10) Great podcast about the end at JFK on the Mike O’Meara website today. (1/19/10) Yessir, every time there's a major natural disaster and the word goes out for help, there's always a nest of douchebags who take it upon themselves to declare that some celebrity needs to fork over a mountain of money or be labeled "hypocritical." Most of the time said douchebags use the specious argument to rationalize their own inability to throw a $20 bill in the kitty. Hence ARRRRR's retared defense of "Don Geronimo, Straight Talk..." Seriously, some blockhead decides that Sorce should donate his airline miles to Haitian relief, and that's "moral"? I say again, stop posting childish crap and do something "moral" yourself. (1/19/10) don geronimo. if amtrak only went to Hawaii. (1/19/10) Re: ARRRRRRR....Bicknell the Pirate now! Shiver me timbers! (1/19/10) ("Beck ''American Patriot''? THAT is HYSTERICAL. Thank you delusional mailbagger. Glenn Beck is about as ''American'' as Adolf Hitler.)" Paul, Paul, Paul, why dost thou persecute My messenger? Anyway, by Godwin's Law, you went out of your way to lose. On another note, anyone who can't get past the whore screener of the Grandy and Andy Morning Show is probably just not smart. I have never failed to get on and get all the airtime I wanted. You just need to be prepared to parrot to her the substance of your call in a short soundbite. Also, she LOVES dirty talking. Talk about her nipples. --- ThePenIsMightier (1/19/10) Re: "Don Geronimo, Straight Talk..." Do ya really think that what Haiti needs most right now is airline tickets? Are ya really that big of a dipshit?" Let's the connect the dots Mr. & Third Mrs. Sorce. Donate your airline tickets to Haiti relief effort. They in turn will use those vochers to fly-in more doctors, nurses, & the like. Not all relief workers puddle-jump military transports - they fly commercial at their own, or at the charities expense. Now, go put those AMEX bonus miles to good use and donate them knowing that a relief worker will be saving lives. Too moral for ya? ARRRRRR (1/19/10) Some "news" for you - Senator and former Presidential Candidate John McCain is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate in his home state of Arizona. He's actually spending campaign cash running advertisements in Arizona that trash a radio talk show host! How's that for "the power of talk radio?" JD Hayworth, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona, is the afternoon drive host at Phoenix, Arizona's 550 KFYI. JD is very critical of McCain, but is not running for office. Yet McCain is spending campaign cash to bash Hayworth! (1/19/10) I think “Hitman” is right. Beck has learned how to be a zillionaire in America. Just make shit up, knowing that there is a percentage of the public so damn stupid (remember those kids back in school who always brought up the rear in every class? That’s where they are now) that they’ll eat up the most extreme crap you can come up with—as long as it’s scary and crazy and more fun to watch than Petticoat Junction re-runs. But in a nation of 305 million people and 300 television channels, a million viewers means a truckload of cash. Glenn Beck is bat-shit crazy, but it makes for Great Entertainment. And spare us the pious BS, JJ. That’s not his original family living in the mansion with His Looniness. It’s just the most recent one that prefers wealth over poverty, regardless of domestic insanity. (1/19/10) From the mailbag the 18th…” Re: AHHHHHH - Nice to see Bicknell is back and posting under his pseudonyms again.” - No he isn’t! PLB (1/19/20) BREAKING NEWS from CNN: "Republican Scott Brown has caught up with Democrat Coakley in recent polls". That's today's CNN crawler headline. But umm, that was LAST WEEK's HEADLINE! THIS WEEKEND'S POLL NUMBERS SHOW HE'S AHEAD IN THE POLLS! People ranted about FOX News not covering the Haiti story enough. Never have I seen CNN downplay a possibly huge U.S. political story more. CNN is completely ignoring the current poll numbers that show Brown up by 4-5 points. By the way, the FOX News crawler is "Recent polls show Republican Scott Brown poised to upset MA ATTY GEN Martha Coakley (D)". I would say that's biased too, but more accurate, considering the current poll numbers. I guess we'll find out the truth later tonight. Somebody's gonna have egg on their face. (1/19/10) Mr/Ms. Mathematician, my point in my post about the Freedom Foundation Newseum bonuses is that when you have to let 69 people go for financial issues at your non profit organization, that you shouldn't be taking or accepting large bonuses during that year. Your suggestion that the average person would have had to make $8, 700 each and that returning these bonuses would not have saved jobs is really unfair and inaccurate since many museum jobs are part-time and even seasonal. I'm sure there were some full-time higher paid employees who were laid off, but I'm sure many were lower paid support staff as well. Whatever the case is, the two (Overby and Prichard) not taking bonuses could have at least reduced the number affected by layoffs. But who knows? I am not a mathematician, nor am I the recipient of a huge $300,000 bonus during an economic downturn. I know I couldn't have accepted the money knowing that 69 individuals and families were affected negatively during my bonus year and during bad economic times. Perhaps I'm way off and wrong in my assessment. I may be, as I'm just a working class journalist making a working man's hourly salary as I try to make sense of a totally dishonest power establishment. (1/19/10) Quote: "Later, he [Fred Grandy] pointed out that about only 30% of the calls into his WMAL show, make it past the screener, onto the airwaves." Meh... no need to get agitated about this, my friend. The fact is that the Grandy & Andy Morning Show has about 5-6 minutes PER HOUR to attend to listeners' phone calls. And I'm only talking about the first 3 (out of 4) hours that they're on-air. Restricting this is the fact that they break for news, weather & traffic during segments where calls are coming in. Unlike Chris Plante's show, where he can take calls whenever he wants to, G&A doesn't have that luxury. Aside from that, it's obvious that Andy Parks isolates and takes calls from liberals first, just because it makes for such fun radio! I listen to the show, so I know. -Silvie- (1/19/10) Beck ''American Patriot''? THAT is HYSTERICAL. Thank you delusional mailbagger. Glenn Beck is about as ''American'' as Adolf Hitler. Paul (1/19/10) Re: "Don Geronimo, Straight Talk..." Do ya really think that what Haiti needs most right now is airline tickets? Are ya really that big of a dipshit? Stop posting this childishness and go donate some money to a worthy cause. (1/19/10) The Belcher just hit Mike Wise. He set him up very well. Everyone listening knew it was coming except Mike and his side kick. (1/19/10) *yawn* Another anti-Geronimo mailbag post...How original. (1/19/10) Dave, I think "On This Rock" was a show during which a Catholic priest played mainstream rock and pop music, interviewed musicians about spirituality and generally tried to connect modern music and Christianity. It aired in several markets in the U.S., but I don't know if it was syndicated or had different hosts in different markets. Of course, the writer may have been referring to something completely different, but that show was around in the late '70s and early '80s. Howie (1/19/10) Glenn Beck number one in mornings???? When did this happen….not in DC and CERTAINLY NOT IN BALTIMORE. (1/19/10) Don Geronimo, Straight Talk. Haiti death toll rises to 200,000. Recently, Mike Sorce twitted "Sweet. Janet looked into points accumulated on an AMX Biz Card I've had since '91. Over 1 mil pts = We're goin to Hawaii next wknd. Free. " Hey Sorce, why not do the moral thing in memory of a loved one and use those points to buy a couple round trip tix to Porta Prince province & then donate those vouchers to say The American Red Cross, Clinton/Bush Haiti Fund, International Response Fund or UNICEF? What, a cruise ship docked off the port of Haiti all booked up? (1/19/10) Ref: From Glen Beck, "By the time I was 30, nobody would work with me". I like most people I would think say Glen you hit bottom and bounced back in big way, you have your family back together and you are kicking ass on tv & radio and a gang of lefties want to give you shit about that. I say congratulations on turning disaster into a great american broadcasting story. Glen you are a great american and I admire your don't give a shit attitude, I'm gonna say what I think and let the chips fall where they may. God Bless you and your family. From one American Patriot to another - PEACE my friend. J.J. "Hitman" McKay Ocean City, Maryland. (1/19/10) Funny not one post on this board about Ed Schultz's comments. Is it because no one watches /listen to him? Maybe it is just another case of lefties getting a free pass as usual -- another Harry Reid moment! "I tell you what, if I lived in Massachusetts I'd try to vote 10 times. I don't know if they'd let me or not, but I'd try to. Yeah, that's right. I'd cheat to keep these bastards out. I would. 'Cause that's exactly what they are. " (1/19/10) Hey Dave, Thought you might be interested in this. Bubba the Love Sponge was assaulted (for real) by a female professional wrestler on Monday. She was upset over the controversial comments he made about the earthquake in Haiti on his Twitter page. His comment on Twitter was ""I say f--k Hati. Why do we have to take care of everybody our country is in shambles?" That set her off in a big way. She beat the crap out of him and he talked about it on his show this morning. Here's the story: www.pwnewsnow.com... Rock on brother... (1/19/10) Hi Dave, Not true. I think you missread the article. from NYTimes: "Similar questions have been raised, though not as pointedly, about the Allbritton family, owners of Politico, and Herbert and Marion Sandler, who gave the bulk of the money supporting ProPublica." Allbriton owns Politico. Herbert and Marion Sandler funded ProPublica. PS: Everyone makes mistakes - I promise, I won't tell Farhi. (1/19/10) Dave's response: Not my fault. It was a poorly written paragraph by the NY Times. It was vague and it could be read that the Allbritton family, which owns Politico, AND the Sandlers gave support to ProPublica..... "Using the name Czaban and the word 'intelligent' in the same sentence could get you more time in the can than [Wizards star Gilbert] Arenas is getting." Czaban outdid himself yesterday with a hideously timed gun related segment on WTEM's Sports Reporters. Apparently inspired by the disclosuse of details regarding one of Arenas' firearms, he and Andy Pollin opened the phones on 'anything about guns ' but it quickly turned into caller after caller describing (some even bragging about) the weapons they owned and Czaban appearing to be reveling in it. On a national holiday honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (who preached nonviolence and ended up being the victim of a gunman), it was especially inappropriate to be doing that type of thing. To a lesser extent this also applies to WJFK's Kevin & Rock who were filling in for Holden Kushner yesterday - one of them (I think it was Rock) remarked to the effect that he thought it 'cool' that a lot of NBA players have elaborate gun collections. At least Pollin seemed to realize that Czaban was threatening to turn the show into NRA radio and finally put a stop to the topic, but he should never have gone along with it the first place. If they want to do sober, thoughtful discussion of the disturbing issue of athletes and firearms (maybe even bring on John Feinstein to debate gun control with Czaban), that's a different story - but there was no redeeming social value whatsoever in that segment last evening. Not long after it was over, the station played a message prepared in conjunction with the holiday that included an excerpt from one of King's speeches where he declares that violence never solves any problems (talk about a bizarre juxtaposition). Mike, Fairfax (1/19/10) In the Post article this morning about the Golden Globes, I read that the TV broadcast was live across the country -- instead of being delayed out west to keep it in prime time. If so, that put some rather raunchy comments (Ricky Gervais' masturbation jokes, for example) rather early in the evening in some time zones on a broadcast network.. Has anyone seen any criticism of this? If not, it does show how times have changed. Or is nobody interested in piling on the wretched folks at NBC? (1/19/10) Is Glenn Beck doing a little revisionist history regarding his cup of coffee at WPGC? My recollection from the Salon bio a few months ago was that he was doing overnights—not mornings—and I doubt they were paying him a quarter of a mil for a midnight to 6A shift, no matter how zany. Though I guess, technically, midnight to six is “mornings”… (1/19/10) Says a "working class journalist": "The Freedom Foundation's Newseum let so many employees go this past year, presumably due to the economy. ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES could have remained employed if it were not for the bonuses paid to Overby and Prichard to run a non profit museum." You sure about that, Mr./Ms Journalist? I'm not trying to support these (or any other) executive bonuses -- they're ridiculous, not only in light of the firings, but in terms of how much visitors are charged to enter this "temple of journalism." But, the Newseum laid off 69 people in '09, according ot the Washington Post (going from a staff size of 250 to 181). So, unless ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES made an average of $8,700 with no health, retirement, insurance or other benefits -- and the Newseum got some unprecedented exemption not to pay the employer's share of FICA and workers' comp and unemployment insurance -- the bonuses would not offset. In fact, the bonuses probably equaled the employment expenses of about 6-7 employees at most. (And, believe me, if I were one of those 6 or 7, I would be upset.) Again, not defending management in this case, because I think they have failed both their staff and the mission they are trying to serve (educating the public about the importance of journalism). But one could make a case the museum was overstaffed. Would an executive team that went about to fix that problem -- which is probably not a pleasant task to undertake -- be totally underserving of recognition? (1/19/10) From Glen Beck, "By the time I was 30, nobody would work with me. I was friendless, I was hopeless," what makes him think anything has changed? He is FOX's court jester now. (1/19/10) The non-profit Freedom Forum Foundation's $375,000 bonus to its Chairman and CEO Charles Overby and its $225,000 bonus to its President Peter Prichard should be given back to the foundation in these economic times. The Freedom Foundation's Newseum let so many employees go this past year, presumably due to the economy. ALL OF THESE EMPLOYEES could have remained employed if it were not for the bonuses paid to Overby and Prichard to run a non profit museum. All of the released employee salaries could have been paid with lots of extra money remaining for museum operations. Right is right and wrong is wrong ALL DAY LONG! How is any of this even right when they both make base salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars annually without bonuses? And as a working class journalist, I paid over $100.00 for tickets and for a family visit to support the Newseum and to keep it open. (1/19/10) On New York Social Diary today I delve into sometimes scandalous Late Night Shots. Also, a visit to the Chinese Embassy (with video), a "Journey to Mecca," (with video), and the Ritz hotel's 10th anniversary. www.nysocialdiary.com... You know I want you for the next Q&A Cafe on January 28 with NBC's Chris Hansen. The number for reservations is 212.912.4110. Carol (1/19/10) Did Andy Parks yesterday morning really advocate the government sponsor indentured servitude, or forced labor camps, overseas? Andy Parks is a clown. WMAL is a joke. Who the hell is in charge of what is and what is not a sane talk show topic over there? I should start listening to those rapture folks on short-wave to get a saner argument against Obama. (1/19/10) Re: A previous poster looking for information about a radio show called "On This Rock" - Bill Ayres, a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese in New York had a fondness for radio broadcasting, starting at WGSM on Long Island. He began hosting and producing a weekly radio talk show on New York radio station WPLJ 95.5 FM in 1973. At first called On This Rock, it featured interviews with rock musicians, that focused on the spiritual meaning of the music to them, rather than its commercial aspects. Al McGilvray (1/19/10) During his chat with Brian Lamb on C-SPAN, Fred Grandy contradicted himself. He said that talk radio, to him, is a lot like the town hall sessions he had with his constituents in Iowa, back when he was in Congress. He liked how issues of interest could be discussed there, unfettered and unfiltered. Later, he pointed out that about only 30% of the calls into his WMAL show, make it past the screener, onto the airwaves. I guess that's what happens when you're catering to a select, narrow group of listeners, as opposed to the wider community and region your station is licensed to serve. www.c-spanarchives.org (1/19/10) Andy Parks advocated U.S. forced labor camps on Monday? He should be taken off the air immediately! (1/19/10) Radio friend from Boston e-mailed me today and wants me to remind voters in MASS that will be voting in the Boston area to ignore the Black Panthers with billy clubs at polling places they are on loan from Philly, Pa. and they mean no harm, Just go in and vote for any democrat you want as often as you want, You know like Chicago, Ill. I am sure that NBC, MSNBC, CNN and the other lefties will have the final results two to three hours BEFORE the polls close. Have a nice day & God Bless America - the Health mistake is on its way to the shitcan where it belongs. signed DR. NO (1/19/10) Dave - Do you have any info on the radio show "On This Rock"? I don't remember the host but it aired late nights during the late 1970's and early 80's on PGC or WRQX? Good show. Thanks! (1/19/10) Dave's response: No, I don't even remember it..... /\ January 19 Messages /\ \/ January 18 Messages \/ Dave, I think you are as well liked by The Post's Paul Farhi as I am by The Sun's David Zurawik! LOL... But I STILL have you beat on Marty Bass, he WANTS BLOOD! LOL... -- Joe in Essex (1/18/10) TV writer/producer and artist, Mark Evanier, has posted the definitive piece on NBC's Leno/O'Brien situation, which you can read here www.newsfromme.com... Also, he's on with KABC.com Radio Monday night at 10 ET/7 PT, to discuss the situation. (1/18/10) Technical question: We've all seen some familiar character actor on a TV show or movie that we've seen a dozen times before, and makes us say, "Hey, its that guy." If one were to Google (or Bing) a site that archived a list of these "oh yeah, THAT guy" actors, how would you ask? (1/18/10) So, like every other tea-bagging, Sarah Palin lovin’, Glenn Beck following, librul hating, Fox News Patriot American, I was listening to Grandy and Andy this morning. Today’s Heritage Foundation inspired talking point up for discussion was about Obama offering temporary legal status to 30,000 Haitians illegally in this country. My first though was if the Earthquake happened in New Zealand would Andy the dipsh*t feel the same way? Then Andy offered a gem; have the US send them back to Haiti and give them some kind of stipend to clean up. My thought there was; “I thought we abolished forced labor in this country in the 1860’s and 1920’s.” Andy kept his outrage going, forcing one caller at 7:45 AM to shockingly say “Andy, at first I thought you were joking.” Then one of Andy’s yahoos called in and questioned if Obama had the legal authority to make such an executive decision. I then got a headache. I mean, really, had this Andy fan ever taken civics or history in high school? There is plenty of precedent here for God’s sake. I just couldn’t listen anymore; Andy has turned into that opinioned really old relative of yours without his full mental faculty. We need to take away his microphone. (1/18/10) Dave's response: WMAL should change the name of its morning show to "The Heritage Foundation Show With Grandy And Andy" - followed by "The Heritage Foundation Show With Chris Plante"..... That's not a fair headline. ProPublica receives a lot of funding from a lot of different sources. To call it an arm of Allbritton is not only incorrect, but likely offensive to ProPublica's staffers. (1/18/10) If a member of the Mike O'Meara "Show" podcast falls in Mike's living room, will it make a sound? (1/18/10) Carl Grossman Tribute - Finally got the slide show tribute from the Memorial Service for Carl uploaded to youtube. The song in the background is "Emerge Blinking," a song Carl wrote way back when, and is being played by him and the band he was in at the time with Richard ... Beams. (1/18/10) Dave's response: OK, I'm allowing it. But no comments - pro or con. RIP, Carl..... Dave, I know you've got wood for Paul Farhi, but in the new year, HOWARD KURTZ CAN GO SCREW!!!! viz. his chat today: "Howard Kurtz: I haven't read the book yet, and neither have you. But I found it noteworthy, to take one example, that even after the scandal Edwards still thought he had a shot at becoming Obama's attorney general." Guess what, douche, you don't know who's chatting with you, and reviewers typically receive advance and even galley copies of unreleased books. I own several galleys of significant books that I bought from reviewers when I was in the jumble trade. To sum up, Howard Kurtz csn go screw. ---- ThePenIsMightier (1/18/10) RE: [ " Actually, I think the networks tend to measure RATINGS--that is, how many people actually watch a show, not how many doofus 20-somethings with too much time on their hands digitally masturbate. " ].......... #1: I'm not a doofus 20-something, I'm in my 40's and I'm a Conan Facebook supporter, #2: Conan is now beating LENO AND LETTERMAN in RATINGS! www.facebook.com... Not to mention the Facebook Conan Support pages are growing at an astounding rate as are his TV ratings since the controversy started while Leno's ratings have stayed FLAT and there are now nearly 400,000 Conan supporters. I can't even find any Leno Facebook support pages anymore!... [mucho links] There's even a Jay Leno Facebook page that claims it's been hijacked by Conan fans! LOL [another link] No wonder Letterman is so giddy like a kid lately, no one likes Leno anymore, his ratings at 11:35 will suck. Everyone has forgotten Letterman's sex scandal too! Talk about WIN WIN! LMAO (1/18/10) Dave's response: Please posters, no more than one or two weblinks per post. It takes my valuable time to code every link..... I was saddened to hear about the passing of long-time Eastern Shore radio veteran Bob Jackson. For many years Bob worked for "the other guys" at WCEI in Easton (I was at WCEM-FM in Cambridge), then I had the pleasure of working with Bob during my last few years at WCEM (Bob did mornings on co-owned WTDK). What I remember best are all the old "war stories" Bob would share about his days in radio on the Eastern Shore. He understood what local radio stations meant to the communities they served, and he never compromised when it came to "the product" itself. He was always willing to do whatever it took to make a promotion or a live remote work. I think all of us who worked with Bob have a story about Bob building a gadget for us to use at a remote, or how he would bring out his own audio equipment so that everything would work smoothly. My condolences go out to Bob's family and coworkers. -John Harris WCEI-FM/WINX-FM (1/18/10) Paul Farhi can eat shit. If it weren't for dcrtv.com, he wouldn't be able to write a column at all. (1/18/10) Dave's response: Ha ha ha. Paul's not that bad of a guy. He's been sending me another pile of entertaining "hate e-mail" again today. He claims not to ever ever ever (!) get news tips for his Post pieces from DCRTV, yet he's very aware of every single comment I or any of you posters have made about him. The journalistic equivalent of Richard Nixon. Hmmm..... Re: AHHHHHH - Nice to see Bicknell is back and posting under his pseudonyms again. (1/18/10) Quote: "Grandy reveals that he goes to bed at 6 PM and gets up at 2 AM, for the start of this radio show at 5 AM" That's something I always wondered about. I thought that perhaps he, Andy Parks & Bryan Nehman would have the above hours as a sleeping schedule, or perhaps sleep when they got home by Noon and wake up at 7 or 8pm, and stay up until it was time to leave for the studio at 2:30 or 3am or so. Thanks for the tidbit, Dave -- not that I'm losing any sleep over this! Heehee... ;-) Silvie (1/18/10) Congrats on the (long overdue) Farhi credit... (1/18/10) Don Geronimo - In the spirit of MLK today, Mike Sorce "HAS A DREAM" ; a dream that his toilet-based career would one-day warrant CBS executives to provide him a Town Car limo ride from Oct to NYC and hotel room. Keep dreamin! How far has Geronimo's dj star fallen when Sorce has/agrees to take Amtrak to his part-time weekend gig? Nice agent pal as CBS Radio management continue laughing at you - as does the industry. Paybacks are a bitch! AHHHHHHHH (1/18/10) This morning on FOX5, Gurvir did a segment about checking out organizations and their websites that are asking for monetary donations..So, then it was announced that one can go to the FOX5 website to donate to different organizations that are providing relief..Wonder if FOX5 checked out the organizations before they started promoting them. (1/18/10) I missed this more than a week ago, but more Baltimore Sun / Z on TV David Zurawik / Marc Steiner fallout on BaltimoreBrew.com... baltimorebrew.com... "Anyway, shame that I didn’t get a screen shot of Zurawik’s post before he edited it, but he initially called Steiner’s email a “remarkably clean scoop.” I honestly don’t know if it was my comment there or someone else’s, but he later edited this sentence out of his post. Of course, he didn’t bother mentioning the editing. I guess that’s what he teaches in his Media Ethics class." Of course The Baltimore Sun's David Zurawik also BANNED my comments altogether in criticizing his blog. And Zurawik still stands by his buddy/friend Marc Steiner just like he stands by his employer CNN while slamming both MSNBC and FOX News! Media Ethics, Gotta Love it! :-) (1/18/10) Frank Zappa to get statue in Baltimore, haha! www.facebook.com (1/18/10) Regarding the post about all of the Facebook backing for Conan: Actually, I think the networks tend to measure RATINGS--that is, how many people actually watch a show, not how many doofus 20-somethings with too much time on their hands digitally masturbate. Leno has a track record at 11:35. And, come to think of it, so does Conan, now. (1/18/10) Hi Dave, It shows what a great job you are doing. It says more about the Wash. Post that you are more aware about what's happening than their reporters. You should get their pay check and be included as one of the most influential media person in this region. Les in CP (1/18/10) Dave's response: Here's what some highly-paid reporters at major newspapers do for story ideas - they troll around then internet and check out various newsy sites like DCRTV. They find a cool bit of news, then flesh it out on their own, and run it in their paper like it's their scoop - without crediting the website where they first found the news. There's nothing illegal about what they're doing. It's technically not plagiarism. But it is unethical. And hopefully these reporters will get exposed by news website operators like me who are damn tired of these crappy "journalists" repurposing others' hard-found exclusives as their own. And there are several reporters at the Washington Post who are guilty of this. It just plain stinks. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. Warning to Posties - there'll be a shitstorm with your paper's ombudsman if this continues..... For Mike Popovec regarding Bob Jackson's "Sunday Night Special". It ran on WCEI-FM and was an oldies show. GE (1/18/10) RE: "Expand your production or voice-tracking with an extremely affordable and accessible 25+ year veteran of radio and voice-over work. Can quickly turnaround copy and voice tracking elements for your station." Some advise from a Program Director, and fellow tracker, you might want to include your name and/or a website. It adds to the credibility. (1/18/10) (From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Expand your production or voice-tracking with an extremely affordable and accessible 25+ year veteran of radio and voice-over work. Can quickly turnaround copy and voice tracking elements for your station. Quality, resonant voice and totally negotiable on pricing..tell me what works for you. Looking to establish a roster of stations to service on a regular basis. Email me some copy for a free demo spot. lecatomedia@yahoo.com (1/18/10) Former TV-4 and TV-11 sportscaster and current Showtime boxing commentator Nick Charles appears on the Jim Bohannon Show this evening from 1106PM-12Midnight, over WFED, AM-1500. Call 1-866-50-JIMBO to talk with Nick, who is recovering from cancer. (1/18/10) wusa9.com blogs hacked... ( look under blogs) RECENT BLOGS: What Is Whiplash Compensation www.wusa9.com (1/18/10) Haha, this is Leno's announcement from 5 years ago: www.funnyordie.com (1/18/10) This is not local, but certainly the local media is impacted by it and it's gaining tons of attention. Conan O'Brien may only have one week left on NBC and his Facebook SUPPORT CONAN pages (there are like 5 now) are over 300,000 people strong and will probably be HALF A MILLION by the time his last show airs on NBC. www.facebook.com... I did a search for Jay Leno on Facebook and this is all that came up... www.facebook.com... Jay Leno's Facebook pages number barely over 2000 people. And Leno has gotten slammed on practically every single show from Letterman, Kimmel, Ferguson, The View, to even now on The Golden Globes on NBC! www.facebook.com... Conan will walk away with millions and Leno and Jeff Zucker will be left to pick up the pieces of this disaster in decision-making. My dad is in his 70s, never much liked Letterman or Conan. Now, after all this mess, he grew to like Letterman and doesn't plan to watch Leno again. Why do I get the feeling that Mr. Zucker is going to be saying the phrase "May I take your order?" :-) (1/18/10) (Ref: Dave's response: Originally, Paul Farhi's Friday evening website piece on Simpson didn't credit DCRTV.) ya see Dave that's why we call them and their ilk the LAME STREAM media....it's only newsworthy if they say it's newsworthy... Peace (1/18/10) /\ January 18 Messages /\ \/ January 17 Messages \/ Eli, I didn't get a chance to hear Don Geronimo on WCBS, but I enjoyed the days when he was on WPGC. You could tell he was having fun back then and Don had so much energy. I wish him all the best and hope a permanent opportunity opens up for him at WCBS or as Dave mentioned on another station. I'm not a regular listener of talk radio, but even during the Don and Mike days, I kept thinking that it would be great to hear Don doing a Top 40 style show again. It is amazing when a radio personality is having fun, you can feel it. Blessings. "Sister" Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (1/17/10) Darn! 8pm - Fred Grandy on C-Span or the Golden Globes on NBC? Thank goodness I have two TV's! Al McGilvray (1/17/10) Curious to learn what others think of Don Geronimo's recent guest deejay shifts on NYC's venerable oldies station, WCBS-FM. I've never been an especially big fan of the "guy-talk" format that the former Don & Mike Show exemplified, but I well recall Don G from his early days in New York and Washington, when he was one of the greatest Top 40 deejays of all time. I've enjoyed him on 'CBS-FM's webcasts enormously. Don's obviously having a blast doing the shows, and his great enthusiasm comes through loud and clear. He can still talk up a song with the best of 'em and he always hits the post, even when you think, no way can he finish his shtick in time to get out before the lyric starts. Kudos to CBS for taking a chance on someone whose irreverent humor goes well beyond what even Dan Ingram used to be able to get away with on his weekend shows on that station. Loved it yesterday, when he was doing CBS'-FM's weekend countdown of the (supposed) all-time top 101 rock 'n' roll artists, and after playing a song by artist #100 (John Lennon) and then one by artist #99 (KC and the Sunshine Band), he explained that he was just a "visitor" to the station, and would love to work there regularly, "but what kind of Skid Row winos do we have here who make John Lennon Number 100 and KC and the Shoe-shine band Number 99?" - Eli (1/17/10) Dave's response: CBS oldies outlets WCBS-FM in NYC and WOGL in Philly are wonderful. It's a shame CBS doesn't have one in DC. Perfect for 94.7, which would be perfect for Geronimo..... On the topic of WDMV, I came across an old RBR link that shows former Red Zebra VP Ops Tod Castleberry going over to Birach Broadcasting's "Twin Star" ad agency/TV/radio startup, back around December 2007. Anyone hear how *that* whole deal shook out? (1/17/10) Have had my RCN cable and internet out sporadically on Sat and completely out since late Sat night to now 4pm sunday. No football for me. 4 year old going crazy. NOT happy. They say it is a systemwide RCN problem and they are working on it. No idea when it will be fixed. -D- Chevy Chase DC (1/17/10) (clip from earlier message) WDMV is ... playing interesting, not often heard oldies with a mix of country. For now no commercials. (end clip) WDMV is playing material from maybe 5 to 15 albums; hardly what could be called revolutionary or innovative. If one were to compare their audio library to 950 AM's flirt with Oldies a couple of years ago, Cabin John wins by three lengths. Also, don't expect a pile of advertisers to roar up to WDMV's door, wherever their studio door may be. They couldn't draw flies when Greaseman was on eight years ago - maybe some tradeouts for webpage maintenance but that was it. Still, someone saw fit to note the new format on WDMV's Wikipedia page. (1/17/10) Wow Dave. When did the mailbag become all The Penis, all the time? 3 post limit perhaps? (1/17/10) Dave's response: Yeah, a three penis-per-day limit..... Dave, you're doing a lot of crowing about the Post crediting you. Maybe they should write a story every time you print something as "news" that ends up being wrong, too. (1/17/10) Dave's response: If it's an "unconfirmed rumor" we label it as such, and let you be the judge. Unlike the Washington Post, which prints stuff only after it's rock solid true. Like 94.7 being WHFS. Ha ha ha..... ok to much time on my hands dept. I was watching Hockey and Football switching back and forth during commericals. Why do we need play by play announcers? Why do they show same commericals and upcomming tv shows over and over and over? Why do pregame shows last 2 and 3 hours then the game comes on and the announcers go over the same thing they just said for the last 2 hrs. Let's save play by play for radio. I remember when I was younger they did a NY Jets game with no announcers let's do it again (1/17/10) Dave - glad i could help DCRTV finally get justified credit for scooping The Post after all these years. Guess the question isn't when Donnie will step down but how soon - at this point. Kirk (1/17/10) Dave, newsflash. No one cares about you and Paul Farhi. No one who reads this site (even obsessively), no one in local media, and certainly not Girl Publisher Katie Weymouth. Stamping your tiny elfen feet is going to get you precisely nowhere. Plus, as I have documented, you are sometimes incorrect about your scoops. Do you think the people who talk to you ONLY talk to you? Weasel would send his regards, but there's that troublesome ball-gag....if only you could be here! --- ThePenIsMightier (1/17/10) Dave's response: Hell, I don't even care all that much about me and Paul Farhi. Just kinda strange to find a nasty message from him every time I check my inbox..... According to a recent update at Radio-Locator.com, WDMV 700 is back on the air at 5000 watts www.radio-locator.com... However, I don't see any FCC notice since they filed the Remain Silent permit back last November nor has there been any activity on their 50,000 watt application from that same location. I believe the plan was to add one tower to the existing 3. In the absence of any FCC notices, I'm guessing they're just testing at 5000 watts. I'm sure WCBM would probably prefer they stay dark! By the way, the Birach station in Norfolk is still dark. (1/17/10) Sighted: In the last few seconds of the Jimmy Fallon show on Thursday or Friday night, Carl Bernstein of Watergate and DC swing-club fame wth another man in a suit (Carl was one in from the aisle). Perhaps he was meeting with his Czech contact. Bob Woodward on Press the Meat with Lurch. Looking like an AIDS patient. What's going on, Bob? And on Last Week Without David Brinkley or Anyone But an Enormous Pair of Lips, that bitch from the Nation is a stone-cold communist. Fucking Cockburns. I've got to get out my Russian textbook again. Thought we'd put that particular fire out. I long for the day when George Will pounds his staff on floor of the set and reveals himself as he truly is, "Saruman as he might have been". Olórin was his name in his youth in the West that is forgotten. --- ThePenIsMightier (1/17/10) Dave, as someone with a similar build (how awesome/scary is that?) I will say that when I outgrow a t-shirt I either give it or throw it away. I used to rock two of the yellow HFS shirts with the cat and the Homegrown Music slogan (I just pedalled my Raleigh 3-speed up to the studio and bought 'em), and fortunately they wore out and fell apart before I bloated; so I understand the attachment. A zesty vest or a simple black tweedy sportcoat would MAKE your look. Not a sermon, just a thought. Okay, politics: President Nino bringing former Pres. Bush on board for the Haiti thing. I don't see a political angle here for either party. Sometimes people just do the right thing. --- ThePenIsMightier (1/17/10) WDMV is coming into Rockville stronger than WFED. They are playing interesting, not often heard oldies with a mix of country. They must still be testing as there are some brief signal drops. For now no commercials. (1/17/10) Fred Grandy is the guest on tonight's Q&A on C-SPAN. 8 PM, hopefully simulcast on cspan radididdlie-o. Does anyone know who does the Grateful Dead style bumper music on Washington Journal? --- ThePenIsMightier (1/17/10) NOTHING says Health & Fitness like the onsite reporter (Doreen Gentzler) having laryngitis! NBC remains a marketing departments dream! (1/17/10) Based on the pictures below, I supposed it would only be right to take up a collection and buy DCRTVDave a suit to wear when he is forced into daylight and has to interact with other humans. (1/17/10) Dave's response: Hey, I'm just a t-shirt and camo pants kinda guy..... Does it seem as if Nicholas Cage is a little overexposed these days? Buddy, you ain't seen nuttin' yet! niccageaseveryone.blogspot.com (1/17/10) Watching the NBC network and the MSNBC cable program service, I noticed a pattern. They are now providing a musical score to the news. This is something Walter Cronkite and his producers railed against when the CBS Evening News was established back in the 1960s. They didn’t even want a signature tune. Just the sound of typewriters being operated live on the set. The CBS argument was that they were producing a news program done by actual journalists. They wanted to get that point across by ditching the bombastic commodity march music that was the staple of every cinema newsreel since the 1930s. All that silent film, that had been shot in the field, had to have music and the Voice of God to accompany it. Anyway, the constant “coverage” of the “breaking news” from Port-au-Prince now requires mournful music, especially during the lengthy bumpers. What a world. What a world. (1/17/10) Dave, Thank you so much for being our guest on OUT OF THE PAST today (Saturday). You were terrific! Your insights are formidable. Thanks for the education. Talking to you and Tom today makes me realize how little I know about the industry I married in 1951. When young people ask for my advice regarding "breaking into the business," I tell them NOT to marry it like I did, but treat it like the girl you take to a party. That's what Chuck and I are doing. And today, you were the life of the party! Many thanks, Lee. PS..... I put a little blurb on the out of the past website, www.otpshow.com about the taping. (1/17/10) Dave's response: Thanks, Lee! I had a great time and I'd be happy to do it again. Here are some pics taken by Channel 9's Tom Buckley, who was also a guest on the show. In the first pic, that's Lee Shephard on the right, Chuck Langdon on the left, and me in the middle in my WHFS 102.3 t-shirt, circa late 1970s..... I take it that the late-night TV mess has become difficult to ignore. I don't know about any of you... Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, and Jimmy Fallon are definitely not at fault for NBC's mistake. If you look at Leno's 17-year run at 'The Tonight Show'... he wasn't always top-rated, especially during his first 3 years there. It was also believed that Johnny Carson originally wanted David Letterman as his successor, which NBC didn't agree to. Leno announced in 2004 his decision to leave Tonight. NBC named Conan as Leno's successor... later named Jimmy Fallon as his successor at 'Late Night'. NBC has not given Conan a chance to prove himself, therefore making him the victim of a double standard. NBC rolled out 'The Jay Leno Show', which didn't go over well at all. NBC could have just moved Leno over to USA Network or Bravo, to compete against Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. I imagine these comedians do feel sorry for their fans. Jeff Zucker, Dick Ebersol, and all the other NBC executives are unwilling to take responsibility for the late-night TV mess they created. Zucker especially seems to have resorted to making us (the fans) and the respected comedians out to look like the bad guys... like we don't have a clue. I've heard and read rumors that Comcast may be considering dumping him, pending the outcome of the NBC-Comcast deal, since GE (NBC's current parent company) doesn't appear to be willing to take action. (1/17/10) /\ January 17 Messages /\ \/ January 16 Messages \/ WHAT EVER HAPPENED THE FREDERICK 88.9 WETA UPGRADE TO 170 WATTS NOW WE CAN NOT PICK UP ANYTHING ON 88.9 ? (1/16/10) So 1 NPR reporter, 1 AP reporter, 1 local reporter from Washington (WUSA 9), & 1 local reporter from Baltimore (WBAL 11) got on board the USNS Comfort. Anyone else? I assume this means the WUSA & WBAL reports will be exclusive to the stations alone? (1/16/10) Well it is official, Radio in Washington, is dead. With Donnie Simpson gone... Thank God for Satellite Radio... (1/16/10) Dave, I just had to let you know, I was reading several threads on Radio-info.com. Several people mentioned the Washington Post item of Donnie Simpson and his possible demise from WPGC. I just couldn't just read it and leave. I had to chime in on both threads and give DCRTV the credit. I was really mad that you were slighted. JohnnyuinHanover,Pa. (1/16/10) Dave's response: Thanks! Tuned into DC101 hd2 channel this afternoon to see Erockster gone. Playing now is Rocknation, complete with jocks and liners. The music is pretty much a clone of what you get on DC101/98 rock. Is this switch permanent? hmmmmmm. (1/16/10) WUSA’s Scott Broom is aboard the Comfort on the way to Haiti and filed a report today from the ship. The ship is expected to be arriving In Haiti on Wednesday and Scott will be sending reports back all week long on 9 News Now. Tom in DC (1/16/10) Silvie, I get your point, but you need to revise your numbers. According to the CIA World Factbook, the population of Haiti (based on a July 2009 estimate) is 9,035,536 - not 3 million. (1/16/10) Dave's response: Please keep your posts media-related. I've trashed several posts this afternoon that were purely political..... Nadja Popovich, Medical beat reporter for NPR, will be reporting from The USNS Comfort for the next few weeks. (1/16/10) "I'll never forget when George Michael died on Christmas Eve, and DCRTV had the news up first at about 9 AM. " Dave, I say, again, The Grandy and Andy Morning Show broke this story before 9 am on Christmas Eve morning. You could verify this by going to their station's website (see how I don't plug it?) and listening to the archive of the broadcast. --- ThePenIsMightier (1/16/10) Dave's response: I was listening to G&A that morning and didn't hear it..... What happened to Beverly Kirk? Who is the blond gal subbing for her? (1/16/10) Dave's response: As DCRTV has reported, Beverly no longer works for NewsChannel 8..... Dave Wellington, program director of DC alternative rocker DC101, WWDC, will also be program director at classic hits Jack-FM, WQSR 102.7 FM, in Baltimore. Both stations are owned by Clear Channel. DCRTV wonders: What's there to program at QSR? The station is pretty much jockless..... One thing I noticed, it's a weekend and they're not playing all 80's music. I've been hearing a lot of stuff from the last decade. (1/16/10) Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe several local DC/Baltimore TV stations were interested in putting a reporter on the USNS Comfort hospital ship headed to Haiti from Baltimore. Lowell Melser of WBAL 11 was the Navy's final choice for whatever reason. It's uncertain to me if he's doing reports just for WBAL 11 (since the Comfort is stationed in Baltimore and family members in Baltimore would like to know what's going on) or pool reports for area TV stations or whether WBAL TV/Hearst Broadcasting (& possibly NBC News) has the exclusive on the reports or some combination of the above. But as far as I've read so far, no other local TV reporter was on that ship when it left Baltimore's harbor this morning and I've not read of any national reporters on it either yet, although I'm certain there's got to be an AP reporter at least. Does anyone know more? By the way it should be noted, the ship only travels roughly 18 mph at full speed, so you won't be seeing any reports from Haiti from Lowell Melser anytime soon. Also, with regards to WMAR 2 anchor Jamie Costello's kid calling the Ravens plays against 2 NFL teams, I found it interesting that he gave the story first to ESPN (ABC/Disney) and I think even before WMAR 2 ran the story or any other local media outlet had a clue about it at all. (1/16/10) From a previous mailbag entry; "I'm sure Haiti was offered help from communist Cuba like everyone else but seemed to turn it down as a favor to us." Due to a previous agreement, Cuba had 344 doctors already in Haiti before the quake. The Cuban medical brigade providing services in Port-au-Prince had immediately established a new hospital camp next to the one that was brought down by the disaster. By Wednesday morning they had already treated over 800 patients. Cuba has opened up their airspace for relief planes going to Haiti. Cuba is sending more medical personnel, land rovers, and supplies expected to leave tonight or when any port is open to them. The first flight in with relief supplies came from...Finland. The second flight in came from... Canada. It is a shame when the only news you get comes from Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. (1/16/10) Re: NBC4 isn't aware that Nancy O'Dell is no longer co-hosting Access Hollywood. Uh, priorities? beetsnotbeats (1/16/10) Quote: "So how long before the local media is going to have this splashed all over the news as a "hero" with local ties?" The fact is, the guy IS a hero and with 200,000 Haitians dead or missing, any one rescuer or any one person pulling someone out at this point is beyond a miracle worker. I've seen dead babies with ripped limbs on Univision or Telemundo, and other gruesome things. Why not 'celebrate', albeit briefly, the work of the rescuers? In the eyes of the Haitians there, these rescuers are heaven-sent. Do you know the catastrophic magnitude of 200,000 people dead or missing in a nation of 3 million? -Silvie- (1/16/10) Teabaggers,eh? Still on that kick I see. Well...from now on I'll be calling Obama supporters "felchers." KJ, Laurel MD (1/16/10) Was watching evening news regarding the disaster in Haiti and the reporter stated that a rescue worker from Fairfax, Va had pulled out a person from one of the destroyed buildings..So how long before the local media is going to have this splashed all over the news as a "hero" with local ties..Look, the guy is doing his job and I would bet he doesn't want the media attention that I'm sure will follow.. (1/16/10) The media is definitely making a point of showing gruesome pics from Haiti..I know what they're showing is real, but I was not prepared to see trucks scooping up dead bodies and dumping them in what appeared to be trash dumpsters..And this morning, NBC showed the bottom of a dead person's legs and feet hanging out of one of the cranes that had scooped up the body..One reporter was actually standing near a dead body that had been left on the street and was reporting on how people are just walking by the body..News people, we get it.. (1/16/10) Guess NBC4 isn't aware that Nancy O'Dell is no longer co-hosting Access Hollywood since her picture is still appearing with Billy Bush on the promos for the show.Wouldn't someone at the station noticed this or the network for heaven's sake have provided an updated photo? (1/16/10) Dave, While reading the "Donnie Simpson" Article in the Post this morning, I was delighted to see that DCRTV actually received credit for breaking the story. I see you have already posted a blurb. You have to get up pretty damn early to get ahead of DCRTV.com Tom R./Fairfax (1/16/10) Dave's response: Originally, Paul Farhi's Friday evening website piece on Simpson didn't credit DCRTV. I then e-mailed Farhi and he graciously promised that he'd give me credit since I broken the news three days earlier. Yeah, I'd kind of liked some credit at the top of the story, but the second-to-last graph is better than nothing, which is what I usually get from Farhi and the Post. Later, Farhi told me that he was planning to give me credit in the second version of the story even before I e-mailed him. Whatever. I'll never forget when George Michael died on Christmas Eve, and DCRTV had the news up first at about 9 AM. The Post's Port Mortem blog did immediately link to DCRTV, saying "this site is reporting that..." - a link to DCRTV but no mention of those five evil letters. How incredibly petty. When I complained to the Post's ombudsman about sports columnist Mike Wise and his conflict of interest regarding Redskins owner Dan Snyder by doing a show on a rival radio station to Snyder's, Andrew Alexander did a piece on the issue without mentioning that I generated the complaint via a DCRTV Rant. I think he referred to me as "some readers." It was me, dammit! Alexander even called me on the phone to discuss the matter - but he wouldn't mention me or the site in print! By continuing to disrespect me and DCRTV, the Post only illustrates what a huge impact this little one-man site has had on the big old bureaucratic newspaper, at least when it comes to local media news..... Re: "Dave's response: Come on guys and gals, keep your posts on local media issues....." Let me rephrase: Come on, Webmaster Dave, stop injecting your personal politics on your front "news" page, and maybe the mailbag wouldn't go off-track every five minutes. You had FINALLY gotten away from having your politics in every other post, and your CONSTANT ranting about WMAL and erroneously accusing News Corp of being a unique, unequivocal evil in the world. Unfortunately, a week or two ago, it started again ("Tea Baggers Say No To Politico", giving time to a hyper-biased and conflicted interest piece from Z on Sarah Palin) and now your are back to being Rush obsessed, back to using old photos and falling for his rhetorical crap like most MSM site. You've also re-started peppering your own mailbag comments with typical and usually unsupported lefty shots at, well, whatever is bugging you at the moment. Kinda hypocritical. How come you are DEEPLY concerned (lately) about conflicts of interest, but you give David Zurawik regular mentions when he's slamming Fox (he works for CNN) or touts Mark Steiner (they are apparently quite close)? Again, kinda hypocritical. You know I have love for your site...but you make it really difficult sometimes. Bob in Forest Hill (1/16/10) Dave's response: I'm just doin' what Fox News and CNN do, injecting political slants into news coverage..... Was NBC-4 the victim of a control room 'slowdown?' I have never seen so many audio 'mistakes' in a one hour newscast since J-school many years ago. No sober human could have made so many audio errors in a single newscast as I saw in the 6pm newscast tonight (Friday). No audio on the Antwan Jamison soundbite that they promo'd throughout the show was just the most obvious. Potting down Bob Ryan until he was nearing the end of his Weather Center spot, no audio on Wendy on a 3-shot... just some more of the obvious. (1/16/10) EARTH TO SHAWN IN DC: YOU JUST PLAYED THE RACE CARD. NO ONE ELSE DID. I was just discussing derogatory terms that people no longer want to hear spoken, "colored" was a perfect example, since black people choose NOT to be called that anymore. Race is irrelevant. TEA-BAGGER is a derogatory term that shouldn't be used by mainstream media, it's just that simple. Race has nothing to do with it. And for the record, yes I am a registered Democrat and even volunteered for the campaigns of William Donald Schaefer, Barbara Mikulski, as well as Martin O'Malley. Also, I don't think either Obama or Bush should have rushed to visit either disaster, they would just get in the way. But the difference in media coverage liberal vs. conservative president is glaring in how each president has been treated. And once again, THAT IS NOT A RACIAL ISSUE! It's only a racial issue to you because you want it to be. (1/16/10) Dave's response: Come on guys and gals, keep your posts on local media issues..... I won't call you an idiot. And yes I forgot about the Contra affair. I just meant to point out the 'race to show your face' of celebrities,media stars and the like. It seems there is a cause for everything except help for those who are living in a tent or worse. You can't watch Comedy Central without feeling like a shmuck because you don't send money somewhere for a dog or cat to better its life. Sponsoring children in other countries is also another noble cause. But I have yet to see a commercial about someone who lost all they own right in your own town. Or the next block. (1/16/10) /\ January 16 Messages /\ \/ January 15 Messages \/ Eitm was cut short this morning due to an emergancy. They went into a break and came out roughly at 830 ending the show. Any clue? Todd (1/15/10) RE: "Before we "invade" any more impoverished nations maybe those who are falling all over themselves to 'help' Haiti could invade pockets of poverty right here at home." Not agreeing or disagreeing with you but just saying God DEFINITELY has a sense of humor about these things. You know all those illegal immigrants from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala that everyone is complaining about now? If you're old enough, you remember the Contra-Sandanista wars in we fought for these folks who were fighting communism from Cuba. Well, folks have a way of showing up eventually. I'm sure Haiti was offered help from communist Cuba like everyone else but seemed to turn it down as a favor to us. Guess who's coming to dinner! I'm sure my hypothesis is just that and I welcome all that can add insight...without calling me an idiot! Thanks! (1/15/10) I was sorry to hear about Bob Jackson's passing. One of my first friends when my family moved to Easton in 1960, we were friends in school, and though we went our separate ways later on, always managed to cross paths and share a memory and laugh or two. I enjoyed listening to his program's, either on WCEI or 107.1 the Duck. Bob we will miss you. Rest in peace my friend! Burt in Denton (1/15/10) WBAL TV 11 will begin live coverage of the Haiti disaster with local reporter Lowell Melser. Melser will broadcast from the USNS Comfort Hospital Ship assisting in the recovery efforts. Do you know of any other local news stations dedicating local resources to this story? (1/15/10) Before we "invade" any more impoverished nations maybe those who are falling all over themselves to 'help' Haiti could invade pockets of poverty right here at home. I'm not uncaring towards Haiti's plight,thats not at all what I'm saying. But the fact that it takes a horrific event to bring out compassion for those in need shows the dual standards the 'generous and concerned' of our society live by. I'm sure I'll hear all about the 'advantages' and 'opportunities' each citizen is 'guaranteed' by being born a U.S. native but theory and reality rarely meet squarely. By all means help those who are living a hell far beyond the daily plights I speak of but to annex a country 'for thier own good' before helping our own in more than news blips and holiday meals would be a slap in the face to our own victims of circumstance. (1/15/10) Dave, thanks for the MASN article. Now if they'll just get themselves in HD on DISH, I'll be all set. Maybe I'll even learn to type "No one" instead of "Know one" as I did in my previous post. Howie (1/15/10) (And African Americans stopped wanting to be referred to as "colored people" realizing it was sort of derogatory even though they themselves used the term. . . Someone should tap Glover on the shoulder and tell him his president is going to Massachusetts this weekend/week instead of Haiti! Remember the outrage when Bush delayed going to New Orleans? Ah, hypocrisy hypocrisy, gotta love it.) Ah, love it when the wingnuts always complain about "libruls" playing the "race card", but seize on it so quickly themselves. Don't want to be joked about? Don't in ignorance choose a name that also has a derogatory connotation. "Colored" was for the longest time the respectable term for a black person. Better "colored" than the N-word BTW, last time I checked, Haiti is not part of the United States as New Orleans is; your allegation of hypocrisy is about as believable as your claim that you vote Democratic, Mr. Hannity. (Shawn in DC) (1/15/10) I've never heard such stupid people than the three sets of sports hosts than I heard today. Mike Wise, Bill Rowland, Lavar Arrington, Dukes, Andy Pollin, and Steve Czaben don't have the slightest idea about what goes on in the criminal justice system. Most of us learned in the 10th the basics about felonies, misdemeanors, the mechanism of a plea bargain, how the government deals with the defendant, and the other basics. Even they all had the same attorney expert as a guest as soon as she hung up they went back to their ignorance of what happens in court. Why bother having a guest if you don't listen to him/her? (1/15/10) Here's a radical idea: The entire world would cry foul and so would the U.S. mainstream media, NAACP, and various other worldwide organizations, but do you know what would be the VERY BEST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO HAITI right now? ANSWER: If the United States just invaded it and took it over as a U.S. territory or state. Quality of life, civil rights, wages, infrastructure, education, medical care all would improve, and it could be a huge tourist destination with U.S. investment that's guaranteed not to be stolen by a dictator. The list of things that would improve for this country is endless under U.S. rule. I'm sure France, who abandoned HAITI, and appears to be providing little support so far for the relief effort, would of course be the very first to scream "Imperial Americans!" But let's face it, the entire world is getting tired of bailing this country out. China & Russia pledged almost nothing. If the U.S. is going to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in this country (that we don't have mind you), shouldn't we have an obligation to make it work for the long term rather than just come in, throw some food & medical supplies around and then bailout until the next disaster strikes? It could ultimately be a profitable investment for both the U.S. and the people of Haiti instead of just another salvage operation, a win win all around. Just some food for thought in the absence of food. I know this will never happen, but it makes sense to me. By the way, I think the same thing would work in Cuba, we'd be welcomed with open arms. And if the territories/states become prosperous and want independence later, fine, just pay back in taxes the U.S. investment and you can go your own way afterwards. I realize this thinking goes against all political correctness, but am I totally wrong on this idea? (1/15/10) Dave's response: I thought the same thing. We should just "invade" Haiti and make it a territory like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It could only be a good thing for the people of that impoverished nation..... Well if you thought Rush Limbaugh could not get any more disgusting, or heartless, or offensive you would be wrong. There is, apparently, plenty more where that came from. (1/15/10) I was saddened to learn of Bob Jackson's passing. He was one of the performers at WCEI during my time of managing the station in the mid '90's.. He was a fine announcer, terrific in representing the station at promotions, and helped me learn about life in Easton and the mid-shore. Always willing to do anything asked of him, he loved the station and was proud of his work. So was I. Condolences to his family. Bob Duckman (1/15/10) What? "I'd like to commend Czaban for having an intelligent segment the other day." What? Using the name Czaban and the word "intelligent" in the same sentence could get you more time in the can than Arenas is getting. Such horrors. Czaban thinks he's funny. He is not. Czaban thinks he knows sports. He does not. When one thinks of "simple" one thinks of Czaban. So bad. (1/15/10) The State Dept’s Jared Cohen is the man behind the $8 million raised via text message for Haiti relief efforts. He joined CBS’ Bob Schieffer on today’s “Washington Unplugged”… and taught the venerable anchor man how to text message too! Watch Bob text his contributions here: www.cbsnews.com... The documentary “Journey to Mecca” made its DC debut this week-- coming off a recent interview with Cheech & Chong on the legalization of marijuana, Bill Plante sat down with these filmmakers, Taran Davies and Dominic Cunningham-Reid, for the CBS webcast. And Schieffer also chatted with the new voice of the CBS Evening News- actor Morgan Freeman! (1/15/10) Watch CBS News Videos Online Saw your news story about Jorge Andres going to Telemundo. As one of the only ESPN Deportes 730 listeners out here, I am happy. He was terrible on the radio. I always wondered how he got on air. I figured the idiots at red zebra don't speak Spanish, so don't hear how bad he was. Now I see the reason. He was also Director of Operations for the station. No wonder! He put himself on air. Sad to see Gustavo Cherquis get pushed out the door though, he was very good. (1/15/10) Have to agree with the previous post. The numbers I saw this morning did NOT indicate that the Junkies "are now THE most prominent male oriented morning show in D.C." In fact, what I saw proved that they are drawing just about the same audience they always have. In fact, when you compare these numbers to the same weeks/months in previous years, they have lost a small percentage of their audience. (1/15/10) Most media outlets missed the story about President Barack Nino Obama signing an executive order officially changing the name of the White House to The Carter. CMB belt buckles and brooches were distributed to all staff. It's only a matter of time before Pookie gets caught lifting product in the packaging room. We need some New Jack Bankers. Dave, how come you don't use pictures of the new, svelter, Rush? You can't tell me you wouldn't like to bend THAT over and get your grudge on, can you? --- ThePenIsMightier (1/15/10) Can anyone explain to me the purpose of WRC's "Daily Connection"? I appreciate their attempt at expanding local media beyond conventional news coverage, yet I'm confused as to why I'm watching two very talented sports anchors discuss Kate Gosselin's hair. (1/15/10) Dave's response: Just today, WRC's "DC" paid a visit to David Zurawik's Baltimore County home and got entry into that room he always keeps locked. And they found it to be a "shrine" to Kate Gosselin! Plastered with pics of her, plus a life-size doll with a likeness of Kate's hairdo-ed head, even. Creepy, huh! To Undercover Junkie. This donkey has only one real problem with the Junks. Its that,by no fault of your own, The Sports Junkies were the first strike of the death bell for WHFS and I knew it the moment your show aired. I suppose I wouldn't turn down a job where I mouthed off and got paid either. I only posted about the 'commute from Perryville' comments because I was rather offended by comments from someone who knows DICK about construction-which despite what you 'higher minds' believe- is NOT populated by only high school dropouts and losers. Try broadcasting from,and living in,structures built by market analysts and accountants.Donnie (1/15/10) Lindsay Czarniak! If you can't pronounce the name of Metro's general manager then you probably shouldn't be reading the news on Channel 4! (1/15/10) The Original 70's Soundtrack found a new home on 96.5 WCTG, Chincoteague Island. the last Sunday night 5-10pm of every month. Created and co-hosted by David Parks and Alan Barnes, the show began in 1995 and ran on Friday nights until 1999 on 106.5WKHW and 107.5WKHI when those stations were owned by Choppy Layton/Wayne Powell - Baystar Communications. The show made a brief return in 2001 on Saturday nights when WKHI was bought by Great Scott Broadcasting. The Original 70's Soundtrack features music from the 70's, plus audio clips from TV shows, movies, 70's comedy records and old commercials. The show may go to an every other week schedule depending on how advertiser support goes. Listen live wctg.fm... Entire broadcasts can be downloaded in mp3 format here www.mediafire.com... Thanks - love the site - I actually thought it was taken down some time ago. If so, glad you're back! Alan Barnes, Producer/ Co-Host, The Original 70's Soundtrack... Facebook Group fanpage www.facebook.com (1/15/10) RE: Bob Jackson-My condolensces go out to the Jackson family. I remember listening to Bob on WCEI for years when I first discovered the station as a kid growing up in Baltimore. He had a great set pipes. I will have to check my ESRTV notes but I believe the Sunday Night Special was on the AM, WCEI-AM (now WEMD) and was a current Top 40 hits show which was different from either the MOR or Adult Standards/Instrumental format they had. Before Jacksonville he worked weekends at WQHQ-Q105 in Salisbury. After his Jacksonville gig he actually returned to WCEI for a short while when I worked there part-time between 2004-2006. I worked with him briefly and we talked a little bit, seemed like a real nice guy. He then got the morning gig at WTDK (107.1 The Duck) in Cambridge as Gary said. -Michael Popovec (a.k.a. Mike Bradley) Operations Manager-Great Scott Broadcasting (1/15/10) Looking at ratings right now. EB from The Sports Junkies is incorrect with his numbers. I also buy time. (1/15/10) To Howie & James: And African Americans stopped wanting to be referred to as "colored people" realizing it was sort of derogatory even though they themselves used the term. Does anyone use the term anymore? Would Keith Olbermann? And John Stewart constantly screams to people "I'M NOT A NEWS SHOW!" So if you're defining your journalistic ethics rules from The Daily Show, geez, what a mess! I stand by my point. The left wing media continues to ridicule these tax protestors on a daily basis by calling them COCKSUCKERS & BALL-LICKERS. Would any right wing organization be able to use such derogatory terms against MoveOn.org or the NAACP or Planned Parenthood without MSM outrage and calls for people being fired? I think not. When I first heard the teabagger term, I thought it was hysterically funny myself, and by the way, I vote mostly Democrat as well. It's the fact that MSM news organizations and now even DCRTV.com continue to use the term. And people like Olbermann continue to laugh at the double entendre destroying the credibility of many MSM news organizations like NBC News. Oh, and thanks to whoever for that Danny Glover clip. It's always fun to watch Hollywood actors discuss climatology, geology, & other sciences and make complete fools of themselves. Someone should tap Glover on the shoulder and tell him his president is going to Massachusetts this weekend/week instead of Haiti! Remember the outrage when Bush delayed going to New Orleans? Ah, hypocrisy hypocrisy, gotta love it. (1/15/10) Mike in Fairfax is right about why the NHL is on VERSUS (and NBC). The NHL got a better deal from them than the offer from ESPN. But I'm not sure what their television network has to do with whether the Caps should be discussed on local sports radio. The Capitals had better ratings than both the Wiz and the Nats last season on local television. The Capitals set COMCAST Sportsnet records for viewership of some of last spring's playoff games. The Capitals had more people see them in person than either the Wizards or the Redskins. The Capitals have sold 17,000 season tickets this season and have had every game sell out and likely will sell every seat available for the entire year. The Capitals sold 5,000 tickets at 40 bucks a pop to their "convention" last September. The Capitals have a player who is the league's MVP two years running and is widely acknowledged as the best in the world. The Capitals have become an elite team, one of four or five teams with a realistic shot at a Stanley Cup. And someone is really going to argue that talking about them on the radio will hurt ratings? You're living in 1975. The DC sports market is changing; local sport programming directors and talking heads better wake up or they will be left behind. (1/15/10) Speaking of hockey, I'd like to commend Czaban for having an intelligent segment the other day on Sports Reporters regarding Ovechkin's near fight against Tampa's Steve Downie. Pretty good back and forth, plenty of calls and no snide comments. Pollin pretty much kept his mouth shut, which is how it should be when they talk hockey on that show. (1/15/10) I'm quite certain that everybody in Haiti would rather that Tom Joyner stay where he is and send 350 pounds of food and water in his seat instead. Seriously, this is maybe the ultimate dipshit dj pr stunt. Send help and leave the aide to people who actually know what they're doing, fat man. (1/15/10) My heart is heavy with the news of the passing of my longtime friend, Bob Jackson, on the Eastern Shore. No matter the format, no matter the artist, Bob knew everything there was to know about radio. He was always professional and very dedicated to the industry. Everything I know about the wonderful radio business, I learned from him and our friend, talk-show host Sean Rima, during my time at WCEI in Easton. I also developed a great fondness for small towns on Maryland's beautiful Eastern Shore because of Bob. May he rest in peace. Angela Jackson, Baltimore (1/15/10) Are you using the term “Tea Baggers” on purpose, as opposed to “Tea Party”? (Tea Baggers Say No To Politico - 1/14 - DC-based Politico doesn't…..) (1/15/10) I see that EB writes to you on occasion…… See below. He must have taken a break from on line poker on his daycation. (1/15/10) Will WRC4 ever let Jackie Bensen come inside out of the cold? (1/15/10) Eastern Shore radio legend Bob "BJ" Jackson passed away this morning after a bout with lung cancer. He was a longtime air personality at WCEI-FM in Easton and hosted the highly-rated "Sunday Night Special" for over a decade. After a short stint in Jacksonville, Florida he returned to the Shore and was the morning show host for WTDK-FM in Cambridge. He was 60. Gary Edsall, PD/"Morning Stew" host, 106.3 the Heat (1/15/10) Ref - "Tea Baggers Say No To Politico": Sounds like the Tea Party Nation convention is looking to get only favorable coverage for its event. Wait til after the 2nd Boston Tea Party next Tuesday in MASS, When the lady gets trampt - LOL - It will be a great day for all American Patriots, God Bless America ! (1/15/10) Why does Fox Morning News have a ''photo gallery'' of the earthquake? Aren't the images on TV sad enough? And why is it that Katie Couric and her ilk get there but doctors and REAL help can't? WHY is Al Roker there? Shouldn't we allow the Haitian people eat that fat load? I'm sure he could feed a few families. Paul (1/15/10) The comments in the mailbag about the Sports Junkies are ignorant, ridiculous, and smack of jealousy. As someone who actually buys time on their show and has access to ratings info, I can tell you that the Sports Junkies are now THE most prominent male oriented morning show in D.C. They are consistently rated (every month since July) the #2 show in the most important male demos of Men 25-54 and 18-49, behind only WTOP. WTEM is not even close. They are beating the former king of this arena, Elliot, in those demos, plus Persons 25-54 (the money demo) and even Persons 12+. You hear at least a half a dozen endorsements throughout the commercial breaks of their show and all day on the Fan because advertisers seek them out and specifically want to be associated with them. They are wildly successful from a ratings and revenue standpoint, and I would shocked if anything happened to their show. Instead of bashing them, perhaps the people reading and commenting here would do better to commend The Fan (WJFK) for making the effort to bring in live, high profile substitute hosts for mornings and other dayparts, in a time where everyone else is cutting back and cutting jobs in favor of cookie cutter formats and no live jocks. Or, you could just continue to be bitter, underemployed, minimally talented/creative hacks. (1/15/10) I am a Junkies morning guy and then I flip between the two sports talkers (except John Thomson’s College Radio Show) the rest of the day at work and in my car. But this morning I was driven over to Elliot (Who quit at 830 for an emergency?) and Mike and Mike who I usually can not stand. They were good with regard to the playoffs so I stayed. I am sick of Gilbert and the Skins all day long on JFK after the Junks. Why not best of anymore at JFK????? I download the Junks for when I am on a plane or out of town. I have nothing against the guys who filled in but it is a totally different format and style. The core of the Junks audience is running away from those two or anyone else. JFK’s choice to go live versus quality best of Junks is so stupid. What is CK thinking? I was pissed I did not have my Mike O’Meara podcast handy. (1/15/10) "There is a reason Hockey is on a 3rd rate television network, it is unpopular with the masses. If watching hockey is boring, how can talking about it get good ratings?" That's a ridiculous, ignorant comment - why have the Capitals sold out every home game this season if hockey's so boring? The national cable telecasts are on Versus (the '3rd rate network' referred to) because the NHL foolishly chose not to renew its deal with ESPN following the lockout that wiped out an entire season several years ago. Leaving Canada out of this since it's the national sport there, I understand that local hockey telecasts in places like Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Detroit garner blockbuster ratings (better than the typical NBA game gets in a lot of markets) - the sports radio stations in those towns probably have no misgivings whatsoever about talking hockey. There's a postscript to the earlier discussion of Tony Kornheiser ignoring the Caps on his WTEM show - two days ago during the segment where he previews ESPN's Pardon The Interruption, his TV producer told him that one of the topics that evening would be Alex Ovechkin nearly getting into a fight on the ice. Kornheiser replied that he was totally unaware of the story, but about six hours later he was clearly up to speed as he and Michael Wilbon kicked it around on the four letter network. If his production staff at ESPN deemed the topic worthy of discussion in the first segment of a national program (and by the way Around The Horn and Jim Rome Is Burning also dealt with it), then someone needs to explain to me how it fails to make the cut for a local sports talk show in the town where Ovechkin plays. Kornheiser needs to pull himself away from those American Idol chat rooms and make CSN's SportsDay part of his morning routine so he's not so oblivious to significant things happening in local sports from now on. As far as Mike Wise is concerned, at least he didn't sweep the backlash from his dismissive remark about hockey (in a Washington Post online chat) under the rug - he discussed it at length on his radio program the other day and promised to try and pay more attention to the Caps from now on. Mike, Fairfax (1/15/10) LOL: James is right. The Tea Party movement started calling themselves "teabaggers". The rest of us just had a good time at their expense for it. Know one on the left coined the term, they did. Howie (1/15/10) Good morning - As we all try to find our way to provide help for Haiti, I visited yesterday with a Georgetown couple who have a long and passionate relationship with the country and its art. The story is on New York Social Diary today: www.nysocialdiary.com... On another note, we have our first Q&A of 2010 in two weeks, on Thursday, January 28, when we look at sex predators and recent attempts at terrorism with NBC "Dateline" correspondent Chris Hansen. The reservation count is very low. We need another 20 to 30, so if you are even thinking of attending, please make your reservation soon. 202.912.4110. I want to continue the Q&A Cafe program, but without an audience turn out it will be impossible. I know money is short, and a $50 lunch may seem extreme to some, but remember the fee includes lunch, all taxes and tip included, plus the interview, and a delicious dessert from Georgetown Cupcake. The Georgetown-Ritz Carlton is a lovely and gracious location. We've cut back the schedule, too. Rather than $35 every week, it is now $50 about once a month. You have been very generous to The Q&A Cafe since 2001, when it began, and I am deeply grateful. To go forward, we need your continued support. Thank you and have a good weekend, Carol (1/15/10) Danny Glover on Haiti - Go to blogs.news.com.au - You do realize that liberal politics have destroyed the economies of NY, NJ, PA,IL and are in the process of destroying the economy of California. In the mean time we in Washington prosper because our economy is based on taxes sent here by the productive parts of the economy. So while the nation dies people in Washington worry over which talking head show has the higher ratings and the opinions of movie stars, There is still hope in Texas but in another twenty years it could be like California. You may laugh but California once laughed at NY. (1/15/10) MIX107.3 was off the air for about 30 minutes (7:45-8:15) this morning. It's the best Jack Diamond has sounded in years. When the station returned to the air, the audio was overmodulated, and was playing The Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" (insert Haitian joke here). Could Citadel also be behind in its payments to PEPCO? (1/15/10) Dave's response: Yeah, after Jack wrote a check to Pepco from his personal account, the power to Mix 107.3 was restored..... No sooner do I read in this space that WRQX is bouncing checks then I tune in this morning to the sound of dead air. There was carrier but no audio. This went on for at least 20 minutes before I gave up. Pay the bills, fufe. (1/15/10) Where'd Mix 107.3 go? It sounds like they are off the air! (1/15/10) Dave's response: Maybe bankrupt Citadel didn't pay Pepco! Ah, just checked at 8:30 and RQX is coming through loud and clear..... Great/touching story about WMAR's Jamie Costello's son/battling brain tumor/calling plays 4 Ravens - sports.espn.go.com (1/15/10) Wow! NBC should be pulling out of that nose dive any minute now! THAT was a very CBS-like move and we all know how well THEY'RE doing!!! They should rename the show "Tonite...and Maybe Tomorrow Night too". Lazarus would be the perfect guest on Jay's first night back!! Donnie (1/15/10) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I seem to remember when the Tea Party thing first started, that the members were actually calling themselves "Teabaggers" readily. I remember Jon Stewart and various MSNBC personalities showing the protesters using the term to describe themselves. It was after this when they started to realize (Or were told by people who knew a little more about sexual acts) that the term had a sexual connotation. Then they changed the what they referred to themselves as. I know I'm not the only one who remembers this. And for the record, I've voted for both parties depending on the candidates and view myself equally distrustful of both parties. I still find that initial screwup funny as hell. Sincerely, James (1/15/10) While we're in a Soupy mood, dig this clip from 1993 when he was still in excellent health (before he broke his leg and became captive to a wheelchair) as he explains his suspension from WNEW in 1965. (1/15/10) It just goes to show how stupid people are these days. They don't know enough about history from our failed liberal schools to even know that "Tea Party" refers to the Boston Tea Party and the early beginnings of the American revolution via a tax revolt against the British. So instead, pseudo-intelligent liberals are only smart enough to come up with vulgar MTV-style BALL-SUCKING jokes about people wearing tea bags and calling them TEABAGGERS. I'm being sarcastic of course because we all know at least HALF our journalists in the media (few of which have journalism or history degrees, hint hint) know what it means (crosses fingers) and that's what makes using the vulgar term even worse on TV News. Imagine if O'Reilly or Beck called MoveOn.org or ACORN or people at an NAACP civil rights march a bunch of COCKSUCKERS and BALL-LICKERS. Imagine the hypocritical outrage from the pseudo-intelligent media elite. Yeah, you know I'm talkin to YOU Olbermann! PS: Correction to Dave Hughes: www.urbandictionary.com... That comes directly from famed film director John Waters too by the way. LOL (1/15/10) /\ January 15 Messages /\ Jump to the Mailbag Archive Index.....