Current Mailbag - Mailbag Archive Index - DCRTV Front Page - Support DCRTV DCRTV Mailbag - February 5 to February 13, 2008 Latest messages listed first..... \/ February 13 Messages \/ I think I saw somewhere that within the past week or so NBCU’s Chicago station, WMAQ, just started airing their local news in HD. Chicago is the 3rd largest US market. If NBCU is upgrading their local TV plants by market size it is going to be a while before anything is done at WRC. I’m sure that it’s an expensive undertaking. That said, I did get an HD set for Christmas and I find that I watch WUSA’s local news more just because it is in HD. (2/13/08) In regard to Dave's 2/12 rant on Globe's programming, I like to add my thoughts.There is a radio station in Naples, FL with the dial position of 101.1 I suggest someone at Globe take listen on Internet for about 20 minutes and then see if they can duplicate the same kind of programming here in DC. This will make them number one in this market. It also give them identity. And yes the advertisers will come knocking on their doors also. E.E. (2/13/08) Dave's response: Just found wavv101.com. The London Pops Orchestra and Abba? Hmmm..... RE: "See the Video! My favorite radio talk show host, WMAL's Chris Plante, interviewed Bill Clinton yesterday. " - Are you kidding me???? The lady in Waldorf can not be serious. That was the worst interview I've ever heard in my life. I expected to hear a compelling, intelligent interview. Instead Mr. Plante had a raging erection about how Hillary Clinton used the power of her office to threaten MSNBC and blah, blah, blah. Even after President Clinton explained what happened and how (she didn't use her power as a senator, she used her position as a candidate) Mr. Moron Plante couldn't let it go. I skipped the video and listened to the 17 minute audio and at least 10 minutes of it was the dipshit radio host attempting to make an issue out of nothing and being OUTSMARTED by a former president. I've never listened to this guy Plante and never plan to again. I was curious and clicked on the link that Silvie so gleefully submitted for us. That guy and his crap interview was a huge joke. Maybe he could be the poster child for when AOL buys WMAL and it could be called WMALOL. Because LOL is exactly what I did after hearing that weak garbage interview. (2/13/08) I, too, read Joe in Essex' piece on Marc Steiner's firing of Marc Steiner from Marc Steiner's Radio Station by Marc Steiner's Board of Director (sic). I'm still laughing. Joe in Essex should now be writing comedy. PLB is here in Key West and we're having dinner tomorrow night after I finish a Valentine's remote. Please hold good thoughts for Bill Hamlin. He is just an awesome person. We worked together at the old WJMD, and again on 94.7, at WARW. From Mantovani to Ted Nugent. Go figure. I leave you with this prediction: Barack Obama, a graduate of The Punahou School, will win the Hawaii Primary with landslide numbers. Mahalo! - Ed. Rodriguez in Cayo Hueso (The Island of Bones) (2/13/08) See the Video! My favorite radio talk show host, WMAL's Chris Plante, interviewed Bill Clinton yesterday. Chris asked questions that must've sent "chills" down the Clinton camp spine (assuming there's still a spine there) www.wmal.com... -Silvie- (2/13/08) We were discussing the DTV conversion at the office during lunch and an interesting comment was made by a visiting CE, "Unless stations in digital have service areas equivalent to their current analog coverage, all the education, all the $40 coupons, and the millions invested by broadcasters for DTV will be shot to hell. Why? Because I don't know of any station that has empirical digital parity with their current analog coverage! All you'll have is a lot of pissed-off viewers who've been watching you for decades and now can't get you either on an antenna or by cable because the current power allocations are a f---ing joke. The FCC's 60 dBu curve? A sick joke. Even worse, many rural cable systems that get your analog signal just fine can't even get your PSIP frame, let alone an entertainment-grade signal. (The PSIP frame is the data packet carrying the signal source ID.. I thought a translation might help! -UCS) And, the public wants local HD? Hell, we'll be lucky to have 10%! of our analog audience watching anything after the conversion!" Now, we all know that the closer-in cable systems carry at least some broadcast DTV. But, what about the outlying areas? Especially the rural CATV's that were a "mom and pop" operation as recently as a decade ago (and still may be one)... Let's hear about how much broadcast DTV (Either SD or HD...) there is on cable once you get well beyond Rush Limbaugh's beloved Beltway! -Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/13/08) A previous poster wrote, “The 6th mailbag poster today (2/13) responded to my earlier posting about the absurdity in some of this HD conversion coming up.” Please, let’s this right. In February 2009 almost all analog OTA television transmissions (I believe some low-power and translator stations are exempt) will cease to exist and they will become DIGITAL. I don’t believe that there is any stipulation that these transmissions have to be in High-Definition. (2/13/08) “Let me see if I've got this straight. Broadcasters will be giving up analog to go HD. “ I’m not an expert on the subject, but to clarify, they’re not giving up analog to go HD. They’re giving up analog to go digital. Much of what’s available in digital may be available in HD, but there can still be digital SD programming. The upgrade required for SOME users (those who still receive signal over-the-air) is to allow their TV to receive digital OTA signals. I’ll admit to being a little less sure on the cable considerations. I think that anyone with a cable STB will be OK, but I may be wrong. (2/13/08) Re: "Essentially going right back to analog-level quality. OK, got it so far. Now can somebody explain what makes this a good idea for anyone concerned???" I did: More revenue streams. Actually, the standard-def channels won't sink to analog-quality; there won't be color drift or ghosting, for example. And my experience says digital TV signals go farther (but admittedly they don't stand up to the constantly-varying reception provided by rabbit ears). The majority of people won't care that the picture is not hi-definition. Quality does not matter in the marketplace. This has been proven over and over. Broadcasters are eager to create more revenue streams. That's what's behind digital TV, and it's what's behind digital radio, even though there have been many mistakes in the radio department. Digital radio is not superior to conventional FM (although it may be superior to what's been done with conventional FM lately). The HD-2 and HD-3 radio subchannels will not be commercial-free forever, and it's even possible for a broadcaster to make them pay-only. (2/13/08) Just sayin... Look for Sinclair's Fox 45 in Baltimore to go HD in the next couple of months... followed by Hearst's WBAL-TV a few weeks later. Tom (2/13/08) Dave's response: You mean local news programming, right? Both stations already both offer network programming in HD..... Is the ops guy at Redskins Radio drinking more these days now that Gibbs is gone? I swear that at least 3 times in the past week when I've listened in the car, there will be ESPN programming with some local ad playing over it. Hope Danny Boy isn't listening or there will be trouble. (2/13/08) Hi, I'm Tony Kornheiser. And today I'm going to read you the classifieds from THE WASHINGTON POST. And because it's from THE WASHINGTON POST, we'll like it. And all of my minions here will agree with me and laugh and chuckle and say "Yes Tony." And tomorrow I'm going to read some obituaries and we'll bring on the lead obituary writer from THE WASHINGTON POST to break down the death of the 89 year old housewife and church volunteer from Silver Spring. When does Monday Night Football start up so he'll be out in his Winnebago and off our radio waves??? (2/13/08) I read Joe in Essex' post. I think I had a cerebral hemmorhage. They really hurt! (2/13/08) Why oh why do all these old radio dudes feel the need to bore their listeners with insider sports stuff. Don and Mike and Tony K - get off the air or go work at some dopey sports station. (2/13/08) Gannett's WUSA 9 is still the only D.C. station broadcasting news in high definition. I seem to get the hint that NBC-Universal's NBC 4, News Corporation's FOX 5, and Allbritton's ABC 7/NewsChannel 8 don't seem motivated in broadcasting their news in HD quite yet. I don't know about you. I could picture NBC 4 going HD, in an attempt to re-bound in the ratings for a little while longer... perhaps, stalling ABC 7's attempt in claiming the ratings victory. NBC 4's newscast come with new news set, new graphics, and new theme music. The Baltimore stations don't seem movated in broadcating their news in HD either. Scripps' ABC 2 and Hearst's WBAL 11 appear to be favored candidates in transitioning to HD... not exactly sure which station would attempt pulling it off first. As for CBS Corporation's CBS 13 and Sinclair's FOX 45... who knows. Wish the Balitmore stations would hurry up, and go HD with their newscasts. Thanks, Eric from Atlanta (2/13/08) Dave's response: The studio lights shimmering in JC's wig. Definitely worth the extra cost for an HD set..... The 6th mailbag poster today (2/13), responded to my earlier posting about the absurdity in some of this HD conversion coming up. He explains it well, but in it, the logic deteriorates even further. Let me see if I've got this straight. Broadcasters will be giving up analog to go HD. Which over-the-air anyway may have lesser reach. Which will cause consumer confusion/dissatisfaction. They then may gradually bit-starve the HD signal in order to create multiple lower-definition channels that may be inferior quality. Thus creating further consumer dissatisfaction/rejection. Essentially going right back to analog-level quality. OK, got it so far. Now can somebody explain what makes this a good idea for anyone concerned??? (2/13/08) Dave, why am I not surprised that you didn't criticize Chris Matthews for yet another example of shameless cheerleading for Barack Obama. So Matthews comment last night that "Obama's Speech Made a 'Thrill Going Up My Leg'" isn't worthy of criticism? Now FoxNews may lean conservative, but I've never, ever heard Fox spew the this type blatant cheerleading nonsense that you get from MSNBC. From Matthews to Olbermann to Shuster to Mika Brzezinski, that network never shies away from rooting on the Democratic candidate of choice like the local glee club. And MSNBC purports that Matthews and Olbermann are actually "correspondents" LOL since they are given the opportunity as panelists at Presidential debates. It is no wonder that network is losing viewers by the bushel. It's not a 24 hours news network but a 24 hours Democratic cheerleading competition. (2/13/08) Re:"The so-called meterologists in this area owe me a new ice scraper. At 6 PM last night, they all were predicting the ice was going to change over to rain during the overnight..." Not all of them! On channel 4 at 6pm, Bob Ryan said there was an expanded winter weather warning to include the Metro area and that "we could see another 1/4 inch of ice overnight". Jim (2/13/08) (A voter in this week's Hottie contest:) KARTALIJA BASARA.... I would bang them both? (2/13/08) HA! So picking on Hillary is like picking on all women? I didn't know so many women out there were phony, thick-ankled, humorless socialists. Does that make the women voting for the black socialist self-hating? (2/13/08) "The so-called meterologists in this area owe me a new ice scraper. At 6 PM last night, they all were predicting the ice was going to change over to rain during the overnight. It didn't. I decided not to use my windshield cover. I woke up to a half-an-inch of ice on my car and it was still freezing rain at 6 AM. I broke my damn ice scraper. Good job idiots!! If I made as many mistakes in my job as you do with your weather forecasts, I would be fired. (2/13/08)" - I love it when people post on here and can't leave a name, it shows lack of credability. Anyway, it did change to rain last night, it just depends on where you live. I live in Waldorf, and it was raining this morning and there was no ice on my car that I saw. I think it actually warmed up a little bit overnight. I will agree that the meterologists in this area aren't the brightest of people. They look at maps but don't use common sense. Once again, the salt trucks can't get their act together, which is why there was a 20 car pileup on 210 North, the mixing bowl closed, and many other incidents too long to list. The trucks should have been out there, even on the side of the road for hours, and the second something fell, start moving. I don't care when these so called spokespeople say we have to wait till enough is on the ground/roads to do anything. Whatever, that is why accidents happened last night, although some of it may have been because of how people drive, but some of it is the fault of the trucks. Mike in Waldorf (2/13/08) Dave's response: If you're a DC weatherman, you must never underestimate "cold air damming" along the east side of the Blue Ridge. Even though the warm air and rain move into the metro area, that pool of cold air refuses to budge, giving us a good old ice storm just about every winter..... So let me see if I have this correct now....... Vice President of WYPR, Marc Steiner, fires himself from his morning gig, then attracts protesters (13 + a Baltimore Sun writer) over the firing of himself, then shows up on WYPR to take phone calls and discuss the firing of HIMSELF by HIMSELF, and a Baltimore Sun writer writes another story about it, and NOW fired Marc Steiner hires an even bigger left wing airhead nutjob, Dan Rodericks, who's been hit in the head way too many times with the hockey puck in youth hockey league, not to mention let go by WBAL, WBAL TV, even lowly WMAR 2, and also happens to work for the Baltimore Sun, which covered this whole phony story from Day 1 in the first place when nobody else even cared or noticed!, and....... geez, I got nothing else here, but DUH! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE? Was that recap enough to make everyone laugh? Sadly, it really would be funny if it wasn't all true. Just imagine how many people fired in radio jobs would love to get this kind of dramatic but phony coverage of their "non-loss" of a job. Oh, that's right, most people in radio, unlike Marc Steiner, actually LOSE THEIR JOBS! DOH! -- Joe in Essex (2/13/08) In the 2/13/08 DCRTV Mailbag, Ken in Bethesda suggested that we remember Brooke Stevens and also mentioned that Former WLTT W-LITE Announcer Bill Hamlin was not doing well. Does anyone know what Ken is referring to and how Bill Hamilin is doing? (2/13/08) Politically, Chimp Franklin has always been an "anyway the wind blows" kind of guy. ask anyone who's ever worked with him. (2/13/08) Has WBAL Radio become KOGO East? As Chip Franklin fans from his DC/Baltimore days my wife and I listen to him online in our shop. The other day we realized that many of his guests are the same people he used to have on WBAL. And now it seems that everybody still on WBAL is appearing on KOGO with Chip. We've heard Bruce Elliott, Rob Douglas, C4, that Dr. Jim guy, pretty much much the entire line-up current and past. So we started thinking that KOGO and WBAL must be the same company or partners or whatever you call it in radio. Does anyone know if WBAL and KOGO are the same thing? The other confusing thing is Chip was a democrat when he was on in DC, a libertarian when he was on in Baltimore and my wife says the other day he said on KOGO that he's not a libertarian and never would be. Do radio people change personalities and politics when they move from city to city? (2/13/08) We've seen it written in the Baltimore Sun and various local media sources. Now MORE visual proof that the Baltimore City Police Dept. really is cracking down on violent crime in today's YOUTUBE.COM video gem www.youtube.com... Wow, I feel safe now knowing that Mayor Dixon is following in low rated (<35% approval) Mayor/Governor O'Malley's footsteps! PS: Advice to the teens: Be black next time and you'll get not only YouTube coverage, but Al Sharpton and ALL THE MAJOR NETWORKS ON THE STORY! :-) (2/13/08) Dan Rodricks on the radio. Oh joy. Prepare for more ratings "slippage", because the Baltimore Elite apparently can't think outside their clique. (2/13/08) As many sit here daily and look for the bad in everyone and everything, lets remember Brooke Stevens and longtime W-Lite, Arrow etc.jock Bill Hamlin who is not doing well at all. Life is too short and maybe a little more "celebrations" of lives and performances. Ken/Bethesda (2/13/08) Was wondering if anyone's heard from or about Lark McCarthy. Has she picked up an anchoring gig out in Vegas or is she just relaxing? (2/13/08) The so-called meterologists in this area owe me a new ice scraper. At 6 PM last night, they all were predicting the ice was going to change over to rain during the overnight. It didn't. I decided not to use my windshield cover. I woke up to a half-an-inch of ice on my car and it was still freezing rain at 6 AM. I broke my damn ice scraper. Good job idiots!! If I made as many mistakes in my job as you do with your weather forecasts, I would be fired. (2/13/08) Dave, Our local CSN will air the Roger Clemens testimony on the possible use of Human Growth Hormone's before Congress.The local feed from Bethesda will also air on Comcast sports outlets in Boston, New York, Philly, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area starting at 10am. Also coverage can be found on C-SPAN 3 (also online) and ESPN. Once again Congress and Major League Baseball face off on the Hill. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/13/08) Thought you might be interested in this piece... www.politico.com... Should journalists vote? Yes, no, sometimes... Why I didn't vote today... By Mike Allen (2/13/08) To the person claiming that you can put an antenna anywhere, please read the following..... "Q: If I live in a condominium or an apartment building, does this rule apply to me? A: The rule applies to antenna users who live in a multiple dwelling unit building, such as a condominium or apartment building, if the antenna user has an exclusive use area in which to install the antenna. "Exclusive use" means an area of the property that only you, and persons you permit, may enter and use to the exclusion of other residents. For example, your condominium or apartment may include a balcony, terrace, deck or patio that only you can use, and the rule applies to these areas. The rule does not apply to common areas, such as the roof, the hallways, the walkways or the exterior walls of a condominium or apartment building. Restrictions on antennas installed in these common areas are not covered by the Commission's rule. For example, the rule would not apply to restrictions that prevent drilling through the exterior wall of a condominium or rental unit and thus restrictions may prohibit installation that requires such drilling." (2/13/08) Antje Kraus, the real ‘Brooke Stevens’, was my friend. For those who enjoyed her on the radio for many years, you can’t even begin to imagine the wonder and awe she brought into the lives of those who knew her best. She was a remarkably generous soul— a joyous, beautiful woman who always had hope and made you feel like you should too… She was the consummate professional. She was a very gifted singer and a talented artist of various mediums. She spoke German and French fluently. She CONSISTENT. Better yet, she was consistently nutty. She did a dolphin imitation that would bring you to your knees…. Not to mention the infamous imitation of her German mother singing “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. Who could ever forget that?? She laughed….all the time. She never complained, even when she was struggling the most with this horrid disease. Antje was brave. This is rare. She was first diagnosed w/ Hodgkin’s over a dozen years ago. She was a very young woman at the time and underwent radiation treatment and lost her spleen. It came back with a vengeance almost 5 years ago and she begrudgingly accepted the fact that she would have to undergo Chemo. The chemo was horribly rough and when the Pet Scan came back 2 months after she finished a 6 month round with the news that the cancer was still there, she decided that enough was enough. She fired her doctors and opted for holistic treatment. It scared all of us that loved her but she stayed with us another 3 and ½ years. She never regretted her choice. A great big shiny light has gone out in this world, but it is shining somewhere else. You just can’t destroy that kind of spirit. Jack Kerouac said it best: "The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars ..." Rainey Foster, Partner, Leading Authorities, Inc. (2/13/08) Re: "All of this required by Congress, simply so we can have the option of counting the freckles on the anchorwomen's face, or see the stitches on the baseballs." No, it's so each channel can become 3, 4, or even 5 channels. HD is expensive, especially since it is just one revenue stream, and it will fall by the wayside in favor of multiple standard-definition channels, each being a revenue stream. Even if an HD signal is kept, it will be bit-starved so that there can be additional program channels from the same station. Look at WETA. And MPT has scuttled its HD channel so it can be 3 channels; would you suppose there's more money to be had from Spanish programming than from high-def? Once the analog channels go away, and must-carry is in place for all subchannels, look for multicasting to take off on the commercial stations, at the expense of picture quality. (2/13/08) It appears that WAVA has applied to move its transmitter to the Kenwood Country Club in Bethesda. I think I can see the old WBCC/WUST/WJMD/etc tower on Google Earth. I haven't been able to read the technical part of the application, but the map on the FCC site seems to place the transmitter at that Kenwood location. (2/13/08) If I was even considering listening to WYPR, now there’s no way in Hell. Rodericks writes some very funny columns in the Sun when he discusses politics, and some very serious ones when he tries comedy. I was hoping he and his good buddy Michael P. Olesker (the P stands for plagiarism) would just go off and open a Ben and Jerry’s and leave us alone. BobD in Bel Air (2/13/08) Memo to you cub reporters out there, having your first time on camera in a political race: It's "MIKE HUCK-A-BEE", not "MY COCK A-BEE". Trust me, that's one clip you won't want on your audition reel. (2/13/08) The protection of reception of Over The Air terrestrial and satellite signals extends to all premises, regardless of ownership and control. It does not matter one bit who owns the roof or the grounds. If there is a residence, then the resident is entitled to erect any of a number of specified antenna types, in an appropriate manner, as is necessary to receive broadcasts intended for reception by the public. Building codes do apply, but obvious attempts to thwart erection can be solved with a nice letter from your attorney. Note this applies only to TV. Radio was too busy worrying about something else that didnt matter when TV was finding it own way to protect itself from cable. (2/13/08) Guys, On TV you can find it on ESPN, ESPNNews and C-SPAN 3 in Canada or for those in office's. www.espnradio.com or you can watch online www.c-span.org scroll down Roger's pic and you will see the link to watch the whole thing live on your computer. Cheers, Jim (2/13/08) /\ February 13 Messages /\ \/ February 12 Messages \/ (Dave's response: What about a condominium association, which actually owns the roof of the building where you own a residential unit?) Dave, the FCC rules only cover areas that are under exclusive control of the owner or tenant. You are right that the rooftop of a condo would be excluded. You could put an antenna on your balcony. (2/12/08) Dave, Homeowner associations can not in most circumstances prohibit rooftop antennas. www.fcc.gov (2/12/08) Dave's response: What about a condominium association, which actually owns the roof of the building where you own a residential unit? This has happened several times. TV's WETA-HD is fine all day. Then at 8 PM, when it starts to simulcast a PBS program with WETA-SD, the HD feed sometimes looks a bit "too bright" and the audio gets distorted - significantly lower with an audible hiss. I checked WETA-HD on cable and over-the-air and it's the same distortion. When the simulcast ends, and WETA-HD goes back to its own programming, the problem goes away. This happened again this evening at 8 PM with "Nova." It's sad when the HD feed of a program looks and sounds worse than the SD feed. That's not the way it's supposed to be, is it? - DCRTV Dave (2/12/08) Dave, Regarding DTV and coverage issues; these days it's possible for anyone to erect an outdoor TV antenna without worrying about HOA restrictions. Google "FCC + OTARD" for the details of the federal preemption rule. The same goes for DirecTv and satellite dishes. Aesthestic concerns are a different issue, but some of us see all antennas as works of art and things of beauty! Jim, Germantown, MD (2/12/08) SUPERBOWL 42 GET TOGETHER - left to right: PAT GARRETT, JASON KIDD, SCOTTY WEBB, DR DAVE (2/12/08) Just so the rest of you understand, as of today, there are in the USA 465 CLASS A UHF STATIONS, 95 CLASS A VHF STATIONS, 1830 UHF LOW POWER TV, and 527 VHF LOW POWER TV stations, which translates to 2,917 old-school analog stations which will NOT be converting to digital tv next year!!!! I hope you understand this. So keep those old analog TV sets, you will still be getting a lot of channels, although the ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS networks will no where to be found on the analog dial. It will just be us religious, spanish, shopping, and WUFO TV on tv49. And if you get one of those digital converter boxes, make sure they pass through the old analog signal, we would hate for you to miss the UFO/ET landing coverage. (2/12/08) Dave, thanks for the item on "Digital Doomsday"-- you'll need to keep repeating mentions of it all through this year, you realize. People's attention spans being what they are. But in a nutshell, here's what it breaks down as. Come one year from next week, if all stays on track, traditional analog TV signals will be legislated out of existence. You know that older,non-digital portable set you've kept around the house with rabbit ears, just because you can move it room to room? It will get nothing. No audio, no fuzzy picture, nothing whatsoever. Flip the channels all you want, they will not be there. Likewise for that little B&W TV you've always taken camping with you. Useless, except maybe as a paperweight. The strangest irony is that those could at least get SOME signal at greater distances, whereas digital is found to be all-or-nothing basically. In an emergency, which would you rather have? All of this required by Congress, simply so we can have the option of counting the freckles on the anchorwomen's face, or see the stitches on the baseballs. Brilliant. Just brilliant. (2/12/08) Dave's response: I have been testing rabbit-ear antenna reception of digital TV at my location in Reston, about 15 miles west of DC. Every time you change channels, you have to fiddle with and reorient the antenna. And, even then, you're still dealing with frequent picture "freezes." In short, if you don't have a big old rotorized rooftop antenna, which are prohibited by many homeowners associations, go with cable or satellite. Rabbit-ears simply won't work with digital TV..... What the heck is up at Casa Santana? Today on BigOandDukes, Oscar told the story about how every time his father bought a particular brand of liqueur, he would give Oscar "the purple velvet bag". No way, Jose! Caller X (No toques la cosita por favor). (2/12/08) I logged-on to WJFK.com today to hear the Don & Mike show stream, and was in the middle of an entirely too long commercial for some island get-a-way. I turned it off and just went to the radio broadcast. WTF?? (2/12/08) Dave's response: Was it for "O'Mearaland," the new Bahamas resort featuring extra large bathrooms and lots of booze? Thanks to the mailbag contributor known as "m" who pointed out the "very cute pic of one of this week’s Media Hotties," Jessica Kartalija at www.flickr.com. Even more so, I appreciated the informative caption explaining that WJZ is now "Fox News - Baltimore." (2/12/08) Regarding pirates in DC (WSQT for one) there are at least four other known radio rebels in the area. There is an AM pirate broadcasting at around 1120AM (not sure of the exact frequency - but it's using a Day-Timer's frequency) that pretty much is receivable all through DC and central PG County in the evenings (airtimes are fairly sporatic). Format is pretty much unedited ganster-rap. There are two in the Laurel area as well (although I haven' t heard either lately). Both at 93.5FM. One was touting itself as "Laurel Community Radio" and the other was someone (eminating from around the US29/MD216 area) playing nothing but artists' catalogs (for instance 24 hours of Steely Dan one day and then 12 hours of Eagles CDs etc.). And lastly, there is another FMer out of the Greenbelt area that seems to broadcast late on Fridays (not sure of the format). (2/12/08) Dave's response: And don't forget DCRTV Radio on 92.9 (DC) and 96.5 (Baltimore). Gee, I hope no FCCers are lurking..... For a hilarious spot involving Mindy Basara, go to www.wbaltv.com (2/12/08) Hello, all - Be among the first to hear the movie industry's reaction to the end of the Writer's Guild strike, when Motion Picture Association of America head Dan Glickman appears at The Q&A Cafe on Thursday, Feb. 14. For reservations, please call Jon Moss directly at 202.338.2000 between 10 and 5. The doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30, the $35 all inclusive fee is paid at the door. Please join us for this timely and interesting interview. Carol Joynt (2/12/08) Just curious - any of the journalists out there at all uncomfortable with TOP granting a full hour today to MD Gov O'Malley on an election day? He has endorsed Hillary. Will TOP also give an hour to Ehrlich, who is backing McCain? How about the MD politicos who are backing Obama? Or is this TOP's way of trying to influence the election to its preferred Democratic candidate? (2/12/08) Count me among those who are saddened by Brooke Stevens / Antje Hilde Kraus passing. I started listening to her when she was an airborne traffic reporter and then enjoyed listening to her and Chris interact on my afternoon drive home, especially hearing her throw little jabs at "the suits in the corner offices". I was disappointed when she let go by WMAL and was very happy when she reappeared on WVIE during morning drive time...unfortunately for far too short a time before her illness worsened and she headed to Florida. One of my favorite rememberances was that whenever the weather forecast would call for a "slight chance of snow" she would follow it by yelling "...abandon your cars on the Beltway! Go to the supermarket! Strip the shelves of bread, milk, and toilet paper!" I miss hearing her. Bill, WMJS-LP (2/12/08) Are you kidding Me? Are you effing kidding me? My boss would have my tail in a sling if I called in because my friends dog died. It is bad enough that Don couldn’t drag his unfunny overpaid butt into work, but that the rest of the guys couldn’t pull it together to do a show is so damn reDICKulous it isn’t even funny. Which is par for the show lately. It’s bad enough that I have to work hard for the two cents I get without having to listen to some “best of” dog death dedication. To the remaining Mikes involved, It’s not even your dog. Get in there and do the job you are so grossly overpaid to do. FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!! (2/12/08) Nice of Jim Cramer to crawl from under a rock and notice that “Radio Stocks are over”…My God Jim…they were over 5 years ago. (2/12/08) Monday afternoon, monitoring 87.9 MHz while inbound to DC on New York Avenue near XM, suddenly there appeared a very excited voice announcing that "WSQT Squat Radio" was on the air to serve "occupied DC". Then a taped piece about Japenese whaling was played. A search of the Internet shows some mentions of this pirate station going back to 2005. They have appeared on AM at 1680 and 1700 and on FM at 87.9. Seems they like to go on the air when there are protests like during World Bank meetings. Do any readers know more of the story? (2/12/08) The ever-changing transmissions on 1260 KHz improved on Monday. Solid signal into the Columbia area on Monday night. Tuesday morning there was a very good signal inside the south side of the Baltimore Beltway at I-95. Usually at that point there is an equally-strong signal from WPHB in Philipsburg, PA. All subject to change when the next high wind comes through and knocks loose a connection. (2/12/08) Regarding the HD Radio promos heard on WD2XAB 93.5 MHz in the Baltimore area: Ibiquity had that experimental license over ten years ago. Supposedly, experimental licenses are only good for a year. According to the always-up-to-date FCC database that license was not renewed. The antenna used to be on the roof of the former Ibiquity headquarters on Stanford Boulevard in Columbia (wonder if Scott Fybush got a picture of that historic antenna?). Someone should look at their new office building on Columbia Gateway Drive to see if the antenna was transplanted to there. In any event, the original license was for Columbia, not Catonsville. Perhaps the idea was to test the HD scheme in a situation where it was second-adjacent to 93.1 WPOC in Baltimore and 93.9 WKYS in DC. Moving it to Catonsville would cause more interference to WPOC. So, is Ibiquity running a pirate station? (2/12/08) (RE: Today's Rant:) Nice "Tribute" to the big round, bloated,boring GLOBE at 94.7FM. One can only hope that the CBS slashings will include Lorrin Palagi,and the guy who had the vision to hire him.. Michael Hughes (2/12/08) Dave's response: I've been running DCRTV more than 10 years and I still haven't figured out what a program director does. Schmoozes with music biz and syndie program execs, keeps the chair warm, corporate "yes man." That's all I can fathom. Oh, if you work for Clear Channel DC you have to wax Dave Pugh's limo, too..... Here’s a link with a very cute pic of one of this week’s Media Hotties (looks like a screen shot from a Lifetime Channel movie): www.flickr.com... m (2/12/08) IMO, there was nothing technically or emotionally "wrong" with the way Chris Core shared his sadness with his audience. He was well moved and it showed (Nice job Chris. We'll all miss her). But if you want to hear a classy remembrance of a departed co-worker, go back to the old airchecks of 66 WNBC-AM the day after Jane Dornacker died in a 'copter accident. Hosts Imus, Sales and Reynolds didn't do a five-minute tip of the hat and get on with the show; they told stories and shared anecdotes all day. It was sad but heartwarming, as Jane was a part of the WNBC "family" that listeners came to appreciate. Even Imus played it straight and kept to the music playlist that day. Radio either isn't capable of this kind of emotion anymore, or management just forbids the hosts to show it. The New York audience is quite a different critter than we have here and there was an unbelievable intimacy in having the WNBC hosts share their memories at what was basically Dornacker's on-air wake. If you can find a WNBC aircheck from Oct 23, 1986, you will hear what I mean. (2/12/08) Interesting. All these folks who claim they can't get HD Radio reception. And yet, we have 'Legs" who notes that with a table top radio, sitting in the study, they receive WAMU, WIYY, and WHUR HD products. Those are the stations they were specific about, but 'legs' noted they scanned through many stations. While the WHUR and WAMU sites are only a few miles away, the WIYY site is a considerable distance from those two. So. Let's dispel the first myth told by many. Obviously the signal goes further than a couple of blocks when a table top radio sitting in one spot can pick up signals that are at least 35 miles apart. ( FCC FM Method). Second, the admittedly misguided idea of no commercials was lifted at the end of the year. As for the loudness comment, I am not sure what is being referred to. Ibiquity is pretty clear that they expect the time and level of the HD to match the analog as closely as possible. However, since there is about 30dB more dynamic range in HD due to the improved S/N ratio, and no pre-emphasis distortion, there is no need to compress the signal as was done in analog service. Given the competing medium, it is now more important to sound like the CD or the MP3 than it is to sound like grunged up AM or FM of yesteryear. Thanks for listening. (2/12/08) (I commend WJLA for dedicating an entire hour to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Leon Harris is a great anchor, but he knows squat about politics and it was obviously clear. Where was Gordon Peterson?) Yawn, where were Pat, Vanna, and Alex? (2/12/08) Re his announcement of Brooke Stevens' passing, I'm not exactly sure what Chris Core said that warrants preserving the tape for the Museum of Broadcasting. I can appreciate that he spoke fondly of her, and he did not come off as artificially sappy or maudlin. He was candid in saying that after Brooke left WMAL, he only stayed in sporadic touch with her. There were no great reminisces of Brooke but his grief sounded genuine. My question is this: was it necessary to tease the announcement going into the last break? (Maybe it was the penultimate break; I'm not entirely sure.) He said something along the lines of "when we come back I have some sad news to report; I'll talk about it after the break." And after the sad announcement, you might think Chris just wanted to end the show at that point, being the news was so upsetting. But no, the show ended with the "dramatic" results of the day's poll, which I've long since forgotten. So is that the part that the college broadcasting students need to know? Always tease a big announcement before a break? Yeesh. (2/12/08) Let us not forget, boys and girls, that Byron Kerr is little more than a vendor to WTOP... If he "breaks" news it's not just for WTOP or any of the other stations that WW1 supplies... Hugs, Brad (2/12/08) I want to say a fond farewell to my former colleague Brooke Stevens. Brooke co-hosted my show, then called "The Tom Moore Show with Brooke Stevens" in 2004 and 2005. I had the pleasure of finding Brooke through another broadcaster who knew her and knew I was looking for a female counterpart after my first co-host, Heather Brown, left after just over a year to work on Bill Bennett's show. Brooke agreed to become my co-host because she liked the show I was doing and because it re-ignited a flame in her for broadcasting that had been basically out since before the year 2000, when she had left as my mentor Chris Core's co-host on "Stevens and Core" on WMAL. She was the consumate professional: always prepared, yet affable, interesting and engaging. She was a great colleague to have along and it was truly an honor to have worked with her. I was also pleased to have introduced her to WCBM and what became a morning show gig; just as she had impressed me, I think she also impressed GM Bob Pettit and the rest of the folks there who heard her on my show. She became the perfect choice to lead a morning show on a women's talk channel. The last time I saw Brooke was at the WMAL holiday party at Della Notte two years ago. She was painfully thin, yet her wits were still sharp. I knew right away that the cancer had come back --- it had been in remission for a long time. But I, like everyone else in the room that night, had hoped she would recover, that the cancer would go into remission again. I thank Brooke for her inspiration, her kindness to me in choosing to do my show, and for helping take us professionally to another level. She will be missed. Tom Moore, host "The AES Tom Moore Show" on AM 680 WCBM (2/12/08) I commend WJLA for dedicating an entire hour to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Leon Harris is a great anchor, but he knows squat about politics and it was obviously clear. Where was Gordon Peterson? (2/12/08) Dave's response: My impression is that Gordon really wants to be somewhere else. Yeah, the paychecks are good, but the daily local news anchor grind is getting really really really old..... Olbermann alleges Fox "underwrites" slanderous blogs bigheaddc.com (2/12/08) /\ February 12 Messages /\ \/ February 11 Messages \/ Class... Once again, Chris Core shows what it's all about. If you didn't catch him live this morning (2/11), check out the podcast while it's up on the WMAL site. His treatment of Antje's ("Brooke Stevens") passing is of the stuff colleges and universities would use to demonstrate how to discuss on-air the passing of a former colleague. Sad to say, but once Chris retires, there will be no "Washington" broadcast personalities left. Regarding Antje's passing, it's a pity I've yet to see anyone post about how multi-talented she was. Besides her various work at WMAL and WVIE, she also did a fair number of singing appearances, and did some trade show PR and modeling work. And, IIRC, she also dabbled in some "little theatre"/ "dinner theatre" type acting, ala another WMAL "instiution", Johnny Holliday. A sad day for Antje's family, friends, fans, and of course for WMAL. But, Chris Core once again showed what being a broadcaster is all about. Being unafraid to let his humanity show! on-air. -Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/11/08) This was about the only show I watched on the Faux News Channel... tinyurl.com... Moderator and a Panelist Ousted at ‘Fox News Watch’... by BRIAN STELTER... Published: February 11, 2008... “Fox News Watch,” one of two weekly television shows that assess the conduct of the national news media, has fired its longtime moderator and let go one of its more liberal panelists. (2/11/08) Although we aren't blood relatives, Brooke and I called each other "sisters". She was a bundle of high energy, living and loving life 150%. She had the uncanny ability to lift your spirits when they were at their lowest. Her optimism was unfailing and contagious. She would leave me the craziest voicemails that always made me laugh! I'm sure she's working with St. Paul right now, doing a talk show about the 2008 elections.....and talking to St. Peter about redesigning the pearly gates! Brooke never gave up--we always prayed for a cure. We knew her days were numbered. But that doesn't make it any easier. Please let all know that a memorial service will be held in Naples, Florida, on Sunday afternoon. - Carolyn (2/11/08) If the Huckabee interview was on 3WT, then good for them. Regardless of your political views; it's great to see that they are getting some fresh guests on their show. Linda in NW (2/11/08) "Sure wish the Terp games were still on WMAL, WJFK fades in and out to much for these ears.. Shawn, Bethesda"...I'm with Shawn. 'JFK's signal is pretty weak right around the Comcast Center and into Monkey County. Oh well, Terrapin Sports Marketing is owned by guess who? Viacom/CBS so there's little incentive there to move back to 'MAL. Tom in Wheaton (2/11/08) When trying to listen to my XM this morning which I have wirelessly transmitting on 93.5 FM, I was getting a LOT of static. I turned off the XM unit and expected to hear 93.5 WZBH coming in from Delmarva which depending on conditions comes in very clear, but instead heard a 2 minute loop "educating" listeners on HD radio. At the end of the recording, it announces "WD2XAB. Catonsville Maryland." I did a google search for these calls and found a PDF doc for IBOC DAB Field Test Platforms (www.ibiquitydigital.com), with WD2XAB listed at FM 93.5 MHz in Columbia, MD. What are these calls all about, who owns them, and are they popping up in other cities as a last resort to try to boost HD Radio sales? -Jason in Owings Mills (2/11/08) Dave, Interesting posting about the "exclusive Huckabee interview on 1500." Interesting that ten minutes earlier he was live on WMAL. I guess they meant "exclusive in that exact 5 minute window". Honestly, do the Bonneville folks hurt themselves when they pathetically pat themselves on the back in their notes to you? Radio Guy (2/11/08) Obama ads reportedly heavy on wmal limbaugh broadcast www.extrememortman.com (2/11/08) Dave's response: I didn't hear WMAL this morning, but my "manservant" Max, who does listen, confirms that..... TCM's broadcast of LOTR and Nightmare Before Christmas before it are part of its "31 Days of Oscar" promotion. It doesn't represent a major shift in philosophy at the channel, which still rarely ventures past 1979 in its programming. I do suspect, however, that you will slowly see newer movies given prime time exposure while my film noir favorites will be early morning/midday fodder. Howie (2/11/08) Dave, The NYT article you linked to and the recent discussion about the reach of low-power channel 23 gives me the opportunity to mention tvfool.com. This is the only site I have found that uses the Longley-Rice irregular terrain propagation model (accounts for terrain blockage and scattering) to estimate TV coverage at a single location or over an area. Handy features are: detailed analysis of what could be received at a single location (VERY handy for deciding if its worth putting up an antenna for DTV), medium-detailed coverage maps online (WDDN-LP 23 for example), and torrents for .kmz files that overlay high-resolution coverage data over Google Earth maps. Do not waste time with antennaweb! Regards, Dave Loudin (2/11/08) We also had Barack Obama on for a 'live phoner' interview on Saturday morning here at our station. He called in from Maine and had just left town where he spoke before 20,000 people at Key Arena the day before. I asked him if he liked baseball (Yes, very much) and being from Chicago, who his favorite team was in the market (White Sox). Our anchor told the Senator that his wife was going to give birth soon and asked Obama (who has two kids of his own) for advice on fathering. Obama replied, 'You'd better store up on your sleep, brother'. Nice to get the candidates off the issues for a moment or two. Bob Mathers - Seattle, Washington (2/11/08) A Mailbag-ger mentioned that... "WTOP's AM station had an exclusive interview with Mike Huckabee this morning, at about 7:45 AM, to discuss tomorrow's DC-MD and VA Primaries. Not sure how they did it but it's impressive... I'd like to hear how it came about and hope to read about it." That interview was actually on (Burd/Doyle's) show this morning on 3WT.... (2/11/08) Very sorry to hear about Brooke Stevens. I met her once or twice and she seemed very nice. Thoughts and prayers to her family and friends. –Brian (2/11/08) To the poster who doesn’t understand “how” WTOP scored an interview with Huckabee this morning…let me see, WTOP is the only news station in the region with a million cume and the voting takes place tomorrow, and Huckabee is behind in polls. They probably just answered the phone. Jeez! (2/11/08) Dave's response: We got a correction that the Huckabee interview was actually on 3WT. I did hear WTOP do a phone interview with Hillary Clinton at 10 AM. They even scuttled the 10 AM CBS newscast in order to run it live..... Dave, Happy Monday to you and all. Seems there are rumblings Across The Pond regarding DAB, which has a haunting resemblance to a certain HD Radio you may or may not have heard about in these here U-Nited States. Go on, have a laugh: news.bbc.co.uk... It is Monday after all. Thanks for an always entertaining site! Frank in Arlington (2/11/08) Comcast SportsNet cut away from its telecast of Sunday afternoon's Capitals-Rangers game for a few minutes to show a portion of Jim Zorn's press conference at Redskin Park. I thought that decision was disrespectful to the hockey fans watching the game, because it was tied late in the third period and something crucial could have happened during the segment not shown. At least one other local channel (5) as well as ESPNews were carrying the news conference, so it's not as if CSN was the only option available to those wanting to watch it. CSN (which generally treats the Caps very well) should have instead shown Zorn on tape delay once the game was over. On Channel 4 a few days ago, Dan Hellie said that the Capitals' rise from worst record in the NHL to first place in their division (after making a coaching change) could turn out to be the sports story of the year in Washington, DC. In view of the big crowds at recent Caps home games, TV and radio outlets can no longer play the 'nobody seems to care' card to try and justify less than adequate coverage of the team. Now that the Skins coaching search story (which hogged all the attention for more than a month) is winding down, other local teams should finally start getting some run - not just the Caps, but area college hoops programs as well. I tuned in WTEM's Redskins coverage yesterday in time to hear Andy Pollin making some disparaging remarks about Joe Gibbs (claimed he didn't accomplish much during his second tenure as head coach and the offense 'stagnated' under his tutelage). A few minutes later, their beat reporter Jerry Coleman got Gibbs to do a live interview on the station - and Pollin lobbed a bunch of softball questions at him. If he truly believed the things he'd said on the air, he should have come right out and asked the former head coach - "Why was the offense so bad over the past four years?". Pollin was also way too harsh regarding Zorn, for example taking him to task for an innocent mistake regarding the Skins' team colors. The guy just got the job, for crying out loud - awfully early to be passing judgment as to whether or not it was a good hire by Dan Snyder. Mike, Fairfax (2/11/08) Dave's response: The Junks reported this morning that their callers were running 20-to-1 in a generally unenthusiastic mood for Zorn. It seems that area Redskins fans would probably vote against Dan Snyder if he was on the ballot on Tuesday..... I really enjoyed listening to the banter between Brooke Stephens and Chris Core. The duo sounded as if they respected each other's thoughts. It was great hearing a younger woman "holding her own," and getting more than just a word in edge-wise with Chris. But, that was the '90s. It was a "kinder and gentler" time for talk radio then--before management thought that people tuned in to hear the on-air talent for their own personalities, and not for the good company that a well produced, well balanced radio program can provide a weary commuter on her way home. I'm very sorry to hear about the circumstances of Brooke's death and send my condolences to her friends, fans, and family. Rita (2/11/08) I don't normally listen to radio, so I am wondering if Mark Plotkin is still around. He had a chat on washingtonpost.com that was cancelled for two weeks in a row and seems to have disappeared. Also, he was a regular attendee at George Washington men's basketball, and I haven't seen him there lately. (2/11/08) Sam in Rockville: the last time someone engaged me in a conversation about GW men's basketball was March of last season when they made it to the dance for the third year running (something that the local big boys at Gtown and MD couldn't claim). Now, GW is down this season but they'll be back in a revitalized Atlantic Ten because Hobbs is a terrific coach, perhaps the best in the area. The big signal on 3WT is great and Kerr is a good play by play guy. I'd respectfully suggest that you get your head out of your ACC/Big East posterior. (2/11/08) Dave: Belated happy b-day. Did you see that WTOP's AM station had an exclusive interview with Mike Huckabee this morning, at about 7:45 AM, to discuss tomorrow's DC-MD and VA Primaries. Not sure how they did it but it's impressive... I'd like to hear how it came about and hope to read about it. Keep up the great work! (2/11/08) Hi there, I was dismayed to tune into 94.3 this morning for the "Mike & Mike" show, only to hear static. Did my radio poop out or....? Many thanks, Tracey (2/11/08) Dave's response: Wind-related power outages hit the Warrenton area, where 94.3 broadcasts from. 3WT's 107.7 Warrenton signal was also off for a while..... (Dave's response: Was trying to watch "Torchwood" Saturday on BBC America. Could hardly see it for the seven-line-of-text BBC America graphic in the lower right corner which touted another show coming next week. Seven lines? The damn thing stayed there the whole damn show! Ugh. Made it a point NOT to watch that show.....) Don't forget the title of the show you are watching on the lower-left hand side of the BBC America pic as well. As for the promo bugs, (the nonstop ads atop/aside the logo) they are out of control on BBC America, Bravo, NBC, CW, Sci-Fi and others. This is in addition to the intrusive animated ads that pollute the airways already during program content (with Fox being the worst here, the "Jumper" ad is ridiculous). (2/11/08) Dave, thanks for letting us know about Brooke Stevens. Our deepest sympathy to her family during this painful time. I remember hearing Brooke during her WQSR days, but sadly didn't get a chance to know her. Just Call Me Legs: I can relate to the wind storm yesterday. We had knocked down power lines and wild fires in the mountains outside Roanoke. It is usually the ice that plays havoc on the radio stations. Blessings. "Sister" Joyce Conroy (WHFC) (2/11/08) I don't listen to Chris Core. I am wondering, though, what, if anything, he had to say on the passing of Brooke Stevens? Bob from College Park (2/11/08) What's up with Comcast in the Columbia/Clarksville area? We lost our service yesterday afternoon around 4:00 and have yet to get it back (10:00 AM). You can't get anyone on the phone. The recorded message just says there's a "service interruption." (2/11/08) Dave – the death of Antje Hilde Kraus deeply saddens me. I first met Antje in 1991 when we both were beginning our careers at WMET. She was using the name “Alex Tanner” at that point. She left WMET to do mornings at WINX, where she became “Brooke”. I soon followed her over to do weekends, then middays. I remember her running through the old house on Baltimore Road during Christmas of 1992, donned in a Santa hat, giving out bottles of wine – and calling herself “Santa Kraus”. It was the funniest damn thing…right up there with her giving me (at age 17) a bottle of wine J It was great to work with her again – when she was doing the afternoon show on WMAL, and I was one of her traffic reporters. When there was nothing better to talk about – we discussed our previous lives as “deejays” on the air. Very fond memories of a person who was always a constant inspiration, and generally just an all around cool chick. We’ll miss you, Brooke. CR (2/11/08) In this day and age of everyone doing the same thing, it takes sports, politics, weather and other information for DC radio/tv to really stand out "live and local", like everyone has been saying. It's also difficult to sell the same stuff . That's why it was great to hear lots of stations breaking the Zorn story from, "Andy Polly" to the legendary Johnny Holliday. An excellent interview with Barack Obama on WTOP Sunday morning and now, ABC 7 with Obama and Clinton. Accu-weather sure was accurate about the wind. That's why many of us got into broadcasting and a lack of it could cause many of us to get out. Ken/Bethesda (2/11/08) Althought out of your area, you might be interested in learning Pittsburgh's KDKA overnight host of 3 years, Gary Dickson was fired last Tuesday after his show, 'not performance related'. Allegedly had to do with restructuring their poorly related evening programming. For more info & listen comments go to www.garydickson.com. There are literally hundreds posted regarding his popularity. Dickson owned the overnight market with better than a 50 share; 80 share with Seniors. It's 50,000 watt AM signal became somewhat obstructed to long distance listeners (like myself here in the DC area) because WBZ went HD back on Sept. 14th, when their bleedover signal created white noise for KDKA listeners. No attempt to boost or improve the Pittsburgh signal since then. Now why can't DC lure a great talent like him into our market??? Like WMAL, 3WT, or WTNT?? Oh yeah, he's an independent and creative thinker. (2/11/08) So, after a day of chasing both the dog and the lawn furniture as both flew through my back yard during the windstorm today, I finally got a chance to catch up with the sunday paper. And here's Marc Fisher's column on HD Radio. He says an awful lot of the same things that I feel about HD Radio, essentially that its a potentially promising technology that the folks in the "bidness" don't know what to do with yet. I have one of the units from Boston Acoustics in my study, and in scanning up and down the dial, there only seem to be a couple of stations that really and truly want me to CARE about HD. WTOP's traffic and weather channel is perhaps the most compelling to me, because it has content that I need all the time, and is perhaps the best reason to have an HD radio in the car (haven't found one that will work with my head-end without ripping up the dash, dontcha know). WHUR's World channel is the most compelling music station, next to 98 Rock's "classic rock" station. It was nice listening to WTMD while it lasted on WAMU's HD channel for a while, and it makes me wonder why more stations who don't know what to do with their HD channel(s) during this "after you, my dear Alphonse" phase don't simply offer, say, the University of Maryland's station a chance to broadcast to a wider, albeit, limited audience. And can someone explain to me this rather stupid set of handcuffs the Ibiquity-allied stations put on themselves in limiting the "loudness" of the HD stream (so fewer people can even hear it), and the insistence on it being non-commercial???? Where is the incentive to create compelling programming if you can't sell ads right out of the box? This is the kind of wrong-headed thinking that killed all the different technologies that could ha ve saved AM radio (anyone remember the bollixed up nonsense of two competing AM stereo technologies????). I was paging through a copy of Radio and Records that had been passed on to me by a girlfriend who is still toiling in the trenches (but not for long, she says, being sick of what passes for "programming" these days at her station). All these sanctimonious pronouncements about what's "wrong" with the business, how bottom-liners are gutting the field of new talent, and how listeners are going to their IPods, and other diversions because of cookie-cutter formats. And what do the minions of the industry do? Why, they gut programming staffs (over one third of New York's radio talent is looking for work after last week's bloodbaths ), and implement one more "cookie cutter" format developed by some fat-and-happy consultant, and they do it not just at one station, but all of them in an over-levereraged and undercapitalized "group". That's the radio business these days. No guts, no glory. And then they wonder why the listeners are going away... Makes me glad not to be in the wingtips of my 'brother in arms', the Unsigned Corporate Suit, who hopefully doesn't have a stupid ownership to contend with. {Gingerly stepping off the soapbox in black tights, black denim skirt and pink suede Timberland hikers}, - Just Call Me 'Legs' (2/11/08) I see last night's offering on Turner Classics was Revenge of the Hobbits, okay Lord of the Rings, which has been shown on TNT many times in the last 12 months. I'm a nerdnick and enjoyed the Lord of the Rings triology but look to TCM for classic movies which imo should be before 1960 or so. Although I think the last great era of film making was mid-1970's. Methinks that the showing of Lord of the rings is part of that yute movement at TCM. Maybe the suits at TCM could spin off a new cable channel showing films from before 1960. Of course, you'd have to pay extra for that like everything seems to be turning towards on cable. Seems like fewer college basketball games on local and basic cable channels this season. I guess the plan is to get folks to buy espnu or espnextra or whatever they call it. Oh for ala carte selection otherwise my viewing is going to turn more and more to the internet and eff cable. How about a live simulcast of "Coast to Coast" on channel 49? I heard The Doors Robby Krueger(?) on show couple weeks back when some kid from Ohio called in saying he was reincarnation of Jim Morrison. Interesting?! (2/11/08) I agree with the poster concerning TCM and their repeating major studio films. It seems more obvious because TCM screens their annual Oscar Month once a year of top films of years gone by: Silent -90's. This TCM late winter promotion is usually a ratings aid. I have noticed a few newer film entries in this years Academy Award winners. At least TCM will show a complete feature film, un-cut, no breaks, no edits and in its original theatre scope: flat(full screen) or scope (black bars at the top and bottom) even a 35mm print of some old 3 projector Cinearama films where the seperation lines are still there.e.g. How The West Was One. This is NOT the case with AMC with all their cut up feature films and a ton of spots, and to run an original widescreen film in the pan and scan method (yuk) and they will repeat the same film several times in the same day and week. And when AMC is running a tad late, lets speed up the ending credits so they can seque immediately to the next film and start before TCM starts their film. TCM usually plays off the very very old films( 30's-40's) after 2am until 8am or so. Thanks, Jack Edwards (2/11/08) Dave's response: I simply don't watch AMC any longer. They butcher films, plain and simple. I hope that network dies a painful death and goes to Hollywood Hell..... Roy Scheider, RIP. A true actor’s actor and an icon of the screen. He’ll be missed. -Brian (2/11/08) Dave's response: I love watching Roy in one of the worst sci-fi films ever made, "2010," the hideous sequal to the magnificent "2001"..... /\ February 11 Messages /\ \/ February 10 Messages \/ Hey if anyone is around their TV sets Monday night and want something good to watch, turn on WJLA ABC 7. They are doing EXCLUSIVE sit down interviews with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama at 7pm. The interviews are being conducted by ABC 7 anchor Leon Harris and Politico Editor John Harris. (2/10/08) So DCRTV Dave you too noticed that Turner Classic Movies does tend to run a lot of the same movies over and over again. Some of them are classics but with TCM allegedly having a film library in the thousands why can't they come up with a bigger variety. Apparently, a a year or so back, despite profits at the $300 million mark, hired some young punk to make TCM more appealing to the yutes. Sucks! AMC sure ain't what it use to be but many early mornings does have them showing some vintage stuff from '40's and 50's. And BBC World News, seen on many a public tv station, is more and more about U.S. news than what's happening around the world. That sucks too! (2/10/08) Dave's response: Was trying to watch "Torchwood" Saturday on BBC America. Could hardly see it for the seven-line-of-text BBC America graphic in the lower right corner which touted another show coming next week. Seven lines? The damn thing stayed there the whole damn show! Ugh. Made it a point NOT to watch that show..... Mike wise actually told his story for the first time a few days after it happened on washington post live on CSN, 2-3 weeks ago. (2/10/08) Ripken discontinues weekly Sun column. According to Sunday's Baltimore Sun's print edition (Sports section: page 2D): "Cal Ripken Jr's. increasing obligations have caused him to discontinue his youth sports column. Today marks the final installment of his column for The Sun." The former Oriole's column appeared each Sunday as a Q&A format. The notice appeared in the print edition, but not on the online version: www.baltimoresun.com (2/10/08) TV channel 49 in DC, which is broadcast from the NBC tower on Nebraska Ave, NW, is authorized for 150kw erp. As an LPTV station it has to accept inteference from the full power TV stations, which is why it can be sandwiched in next to channel 50. We have signal reports from 55 miles east, 45 miles south, 40 miles west, and 30 miles north. The official FCC coverage area sees over 3.5 million people. When converted to DTV this will increase to almost 5 million people and will be mostly inteference free. When converted to DTV it will also be able to multiplex into 4+ SDTV channels. The reason a newspaper in Florida is interested in the WUFO TV Network format we air is because the reporter is the only mainstream news reporter in the country who focuses on the UFO/ET issue, which is the programming focus of the Network. As the only TV station and Network in the USA which focuses on this content genre we are getting content submitted to us from all over the world. With 2% of the USA population reporting ET abduction-like experiences, some 6 million of our fellow citizens, this is an issue we would like to see officially investigated. With our airspace continually being violated with craft which have technical capabilities beyond what we have in our publically acknowledged forces, we need to ask why the US Air Force does not offically investigate it? And, with 1000's of highly credible witnesses coming forward with disclosure during the past decade, and with the Clinton Administration's investigations into the issue with the backing and funding of the Rockefeller Initiative, it is time for any Presidential candidate to tell us what they will do about it (Hillary has been fully briefed on this issue). Talk all you want in this blog about the Redskins, Don and Mike, and alike, but when an FCC-licensed station takes on the UFO/ET issue head-on, and does so in the full view of the Men In Black, and with no local DC media reporting on it, no wonder a newspaper in Florida gets the scoop. Besides, ask any news director or program director and they will tell you that they highest hits and ratings they get are when UFOs/ETs are the subject! But it is not clear sailing, the newspaper reporter in Texas who wrote the latest stories of the UFO flap ther has been fired! Interesting that the flap occurred on the edge of the Bush compound no fly zone! Mike Gravino, Station Manager and Network CEO (2/10/08) WTEM is actually airing a live program to discuss the hiring of Jim Zorn. Andy Pollin called in on the weekend. At first I thought that it was the "Best of Andy Polly" (2/10/08) Thanks to the previous poster for confirming what was said in the original post. You said the syndicated ESPN Radio (heard on Redskins Radio) had the story at 6:40 and then they cut in locally at 7:15. So the team's own station had to rely on a syndicated show while 3WT and WTOP broke the news LIVE & LOCAL. (2/10/08) Dave, The Redskins Saturday announcement of Jim Zorn scrambled the DC sports media. Today they will hold a press conference at Redskins Park and Triple X ESPN, WTEM and CSN will have live coverage. Also FOX5 and WUSA 9 will have special editions of the light night Sunday sports shows. Monday will be All Redskins on all sports outlets. www.examiner.com... Cheers, Jim (2/10/08) "Dave's response: We just report what we hear, since I can't/don't listen to all local radio stations 24/7" - I would have thought that the owner of the authoritative site for radio in the Washington area would have the capability to listen to every station all of the time. Very disappointed. (2/10/08) Dave's response: I have the capacity (although some Baltimore area AMers are a tough catch at my location in Northern Virginia at night) but neither the time or the desire..... Two questions occur to me about Ch. 49 in DC and the article in the Sarasota newspaper about it: 1) How does someone get to broadcast on Channel 49 when full-power Ch. 50 is right next to it? 2) Why in the world does anyone in Sarasota, FL, care about it? I was amazed that there is a low-power station on Ch. 23, which I can receive in Olney, unbelieveably, but at least Ch. 22 and 24 are thirty miles away. Ch. 49 is just across town, if that far, from Ch. 50. Didn't the people at Ch. 50 care? Can we have an all-DCRTV-news station on Ch. 19? -- Carl in Olney (2/10/08) Dave's response: Yeah, I've always wondered about that Daystar religious outlet on the DC area's channel 23, wedged in between channels 22 (Annapolis) and 24 (Baltimore). Both of the latter put out pretty good coverage across the DC metro. For a low-power outlet, 23's pretty strong..... For the sake of being accurate...if that means anything on this site, Redskins Radio was the first radio or TV station in the Washington DC area to break the Jim Zorn as new head coach story. John Clayton broke the story at 6:40pm Saturday night during ESPN Radio which is carried live on Redskins Radio. Clayton spent the next 35 minutes speaking exclusively about Jim Zorn before Redskins Radio broke in with live and local coverage beginning at 7:15pm. Kevin Sheehan and Gary Braun anchored the coverage for Redskins Radio for the next two hours, that included interviews with former Redskins QB's, Sonny Jurgensen, Joe Theismann, and Mark Rypien. As well as former Redskins GM Charlie Casserly, ESPN's John Clayton and Redskins Defensive Lineman Demetric Evans. Redskins Radio was also the only radio or TV station in the area that gave the fans an opportunity to react immediately to the hiring of Zorn. Sheehan and Braun fielded phone calls on the air from several Skins fans. As far as Byron Kerr, the only thing he has ever broken is the tip of his pencil. And whoever thinks that Bonneville is becoming a sports power, honestly ask yourself when was the last time someone engaged you in a conversation about Navy football or George Washington Basketball. PLEASE - By the way Dave, didn't Jason LaConfora and WTEM both have breaking news reports a few weeks back saying that Jim Fassel would be hired as the next Redskins head coach. I guess their credibility is shot now too. And while we are on WTEM where was their coverage on Saturday night? Oh that's right it didn't exist, I guess Bill Hess was too busy listening to Bette Midler songs on WASH. Instead of programming the biggest sports story in DC. Please correct you homepage so everyone can continue coming to this site knowing that it is a credible source for what is happening in the Washington DC media. Sam from Rockville (2/10/08) That IS a great quote about HD radio from WETA's Dan DeVany: "I'd like to see more of those units sold before we'd plan anything." In other words, his argument is: "I'll wait until lots of people buy the things before I'll put anything on HD. But NOBODY will buy the things because there's nothing ON HD radio. Which really means I want nothing to do with HD radio. Unless it works for WAMU. And THEN I'll do something. Maybe." It's the kind of visionary public radio leadership that deserves your pledge dollars! ("I know! Let's put classical music on WETA!" "I know! Let's pull classical music off WETA and go to news/talk!" "I know! Let's pull news/talk off WETA and go back to classical music!" "I know!...). (2/10/08) I hope Mojo Mike Waters has more to wear than just that tee-shirt shown in his photo at www.mojo104.com... Here's the weather forecast for today greeting him back in North Dakota: "WIND CHILL TEMPS OF 35 TO 50 BELOW ZERO WITH BLOWING SNOW CREATING WHITEOUT CONDITIONS." (2/10/08) Johnny Holliday also had the Jim Zorn story on his Maryland pre game show last night. Heard it as I was driving into Comcast center. How bout those Terrapins!!! Congratulation's to Gary Williams on his 600th coaching victory. Sure wish the Terp games were still on WMAL, WJFK fades in and out to much for these ears.. Shawn, Bethesda (2/10/08) The story about Mike Wise falling into the water trying to save his dog.... Melanie Alnwick @ FOX5 had the story, the Wise interview and the reunion with him and Coates on Thursday. Nice to see the GW Hatchet is your source for news! Now I'm just waiting for WUSA to do the same story next week and claim it as "exclusive." (2/10/08) Dave's response: Isn't that what the Post does? If they get scooped on a story, they wait a few weeks for the buzz to pass and then run it like they just uncovered it. They did that with the Comcast Hammer Lady last summer. The Potomac News broke the story. And the Post ran it weeks (!) later like they were the first to do it..... Dave, You may enjoy watching the trip down nostalgia lane. It is pretty good stuff, I had a few "flashbacks"! Subject: Old Black & White TV... Need to make sure your sound is on. oldfortyfives.com... Dick (2/10/08) Looks like the Washington media has been duped again by Dannyboy Snyder. I saw several reports that claimed that Danny Snyder consulted long and hard with Joe Gibbs regarding this hire. I seriously doubt that was true in any real sense beyond a 1 min phone call, if at all. Gibbs has been in Daytona Beach Florida for the past 2 weeks busy with his racing team in preparation for the Daytona 500 and could care less about the Redskins at this point. I just saw him at the Dennys on A1A just the other day! He seems very much a happy man away from Dannyboy. :-) (2/10/08) Re: "I'd like to see more of those (receiver) units sold before we'd plan anything" [sez WETA GM] -- Yeah! C'mon, people! Buy those radios that don't work! We'll give you something to listen to on them... someday... Is this the same WETA mucky-muck who swore that WETA would never return to music programming? This whole HD radio thing is really a mess. Now we're supposed to shell out for expensive crappy radios and HOPE that SOMEDAY there will be something to listen to on them. Yeah, I've got nothing else to do with this $200 that's just laying around... (2/10/08) Mike Waters (formerly Mojo on 97.7 The Rocket)... From 97.7 The Rocket to Mojo 104--- www.mojo104.com (2/10/08) Dave - love the site, but hate the fact that whatever you seem to get via e-mail remains the gospel. This e-mailer who offered "Confirmed by WTOP's Byron Kerr at 6:50 PM - Jim Zorn named as head coach of the Washington Redskins. The report was first heard on (Bonneville sister) 3WT at 7:03 PM during the pre-game show for GW basketball, beating the other sports stations in town, including (Redskins owner Dan Synder's own) Redskins Radio. Quite a little sports juggernaut those Bonnevillians have over there. Nats, Caps, GW, Navy, and perhaps more?" I didn't catch Skins Radio until later in the evening (when I returned to Virginia), and know they went live for talk and reaction. That was good. I also know SportsTalk 980 had the Zorn story at 6:47p via the NFL network's Adam Shefter. I know this because I fell prey to a timely radio tease and was forced to hang through TEM's commercial break. I did try to tune over to Skins radio but couldn't, at that time, get the signal to see what they were talking about. (2/10/08) Dave's response: We just report what we hear, since I can't/don't listen to all local radio stations 24/7. That newsblurb yesterday was clearly labeled as a report from a "DCRTVer." Not "gospel" truth..... KOGO-AM 600, where Chip Franklin has been the new Morning Drive host since early September, has just eliminated all but one news anchor and is now down to just two reporters on its news staff. This is a stunning development for a heritage spot on the San Diego dial! These cuts are also quite telling. The Clear Channel News-Talker has fallen victim to budget cuts and other freeze measures in place companywide, to help keep Clear Channel attractive and viable, as it's nearly $20-billion purchase by Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners continues to move at a glacial pace. The sale was initially announced in 2007. As the international credit picture has worsened and Clear Channel's stock price continues to slide, the termination date of the transaction has been moved from December of 2007, to June of 2008. www.voiceofsandiego.com (2/10/08) The item about W2XBT piqued my interest and I found that in the 1939-1940 FCC allocations for TV, the spectrum from 162-168 Mc. (as it was called in the U.S. back then) covered what was then called ... channel 9! So, WOIC/WTOP-TV/WDVM-TV/WUSA hasn't always been "The one and only channel 9!" (2/10/08) “Oh Yes, "Real Sports" and "The Wire" are still there.” Alas, not for long. The Wire is just about halfway through its finale season. The brainiacs in charge at HBO have managed to chase away just about every great show the network had: Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Inside the NFL, The Wire. When the sun sets on David Simon’s semi-fictional Baltimore in 6 weeks, all there’ll be left to say is, “It’s not HBO, it’s TV”. What a shame. (2/10/08) Dave's response: The state of America TV is dismal. Yeah, we get a shitload of channels. But things are turning to shit, quality-wise. Look at my favorite channels. BBC America is trying to "out bland" American networks with crap like "Dancing With The Stars." Discovery's channels, like The Science Channel, are so cluttered with bottom-feeding crappy ads that the programming is almost unwatchable. Thank God for the DVR so I can record shows and skip the ads. And Turner Classic Movies shows the same couple dozen movies over and over and over until you're bored to tears. At least it seems to. Look at local television. Apart from "hype news," it's all court and tabloid talk shows or sitcom reruns. Yeah, you've got that big screen plasma set which is great for sports - but little else. Unless you want to watch a fat-faced Seinfeld on "stretched" TBS-HD. Come on..... /\ February 10 Messages /\ \/ February 9 Messages \/ Ah Dave… you remember the Polaroid camera with some distain! Yet, was it not the first practical home pornograph? And for those of us in the military, an additional use for the printer coater thingie was an instant perfect shine on the low-quarter dress shoes! (2/9/08) The triple-play swap in 1995 was, in fact, instigated by Scripps-Howard's desire to have ABC affiliations on all of their local stations and used WMAR as it's "carrot on the stick" for ABC. Of course, since this was an illegal move, nobody talked about it...however, it worked. Starting with WMAR, all of their stations to ABC with-in weeks of each other. And that's the real story. (2/9/08) The Washington Post's Jason La Canfora had the Redskins head coach hire reported at 6:18 p.m. on his Redskins Insider blog. blog.washingtonpost.com (2/9/08) Confirmed by WTOP's Byron Kerr at 6:50 PM - Jim Zorn named as Head Coach of the Washington Redskins. The report was first heard on 3WT at 7:03 PM during the pregame show for GW Basketball, beating the other sports stations in town including Redskins Radio. Quite a little sports juggernaut those Bonnevillians have over there. Nats, Caps, GW, Navy and perhaps more? (2/9/08) It appears the Family Clinton has focused on regaining the White House at all cost, both monetarily and ethically, leaving no card unplayed. I suspect the reason for this is more than a quest for power and to make America a better place. Is it possible that when they vacated the free lodgings the last time, one of them needs to recover some personal property that was mistakenly left behind. I'm thinking they are in a box labeled "Monica, the lost episodes". Just a thought, but just as valid as most of what you hear and see on the "mainstream media" for both political parties. signed, An Independent with no voice again! (2/9/08) I want to express myself on the Chelsea/MSNBC flap, so that the mailbag represents my side of the issue as well. First of all, I believe David Shuster's overall point was incorrect. He was arguing that Chelsea shouldn't be able to telephone super-delegates to lobby them to support her mother without also having to make public appearances with reporters. I don't agree. Second, I realize that, to many (but hardly most) Americans, the phrase "pimp out" has come to have no connection with prostitution: to "pimp something out" is to make it better. To pimp SOMEONE out is another matter. To me, that clearly keeps its sexual connotation and the comment was far beyond the pale. (2/9/08) Dave, Tonight Georgetown goes to Louisville tonight for a primetime game @ 9p.m. game seen nationally on ESPN. The big news is that Dick Vitale will be making a return to the broadcast table in this his second game back after throat surgery. A bad case of acid reflux had silenced the voice of college basketball for three months and now Dickie V is back calling the games and college sports is better off for having their top pitch man back. www.examiner.com... Cheers. Jim (2/9/08) "We're not even pretending to be journalists anymore." That's a bit of a stretch to begin with but at least this person had the decency not to add the word objective. By the way, how touched up is that picture of Shuster anyway? (2/9/08) RE: [ " I wonder which city has the worse team owner: D.C. with Dan Snyder or Baltimore with Peter Angelos?-Unsigned Corporate Suit " ]....... DC's Snyder spends lots of money unwisely while Baltimore's Angelos spends unwisely, but with a lot less money. However, Angelos is going to die a LOT SOONER! EDGE: Baltimore. :-) (2/9/08) I want to comment on Ed Rodriguez's explanation of the Baltimore Network Affiliate switch on Jan. 2nd, 1995. It was actually WMAR-TV 2's owner Scripps-Howard who instigated the three-way switch with their station going from NBC to ABC, which was doing well at that time with hits like "Roseanne" and "Home Improvement". I remember first reading about it in The Baltimore Sun on Jun. 17th, 1994, the same day as OJ's infamous Ford Bronco chase! Anyway, as a result, WJZ-TV 13 needed a new network affiliation. Like you said, 'JZ's owner Westinghouse was in the process of being bought by CBS, and 'JZ would therefore pick up the CBS affiliation from WBAL-TV 11. 'BAL could have grabbed Fox from WBFF-TV 45, but decided to go back to NBC after a 14 year absence. As it turned out, 'BAL became more competitive, especially after picking up "Oprah" from WMAR in 1996. Huge mistake on ABC2's part to let Oprah go and thinking Rosie O' Donnell's variety show would last just as long! I guess in that sense, poor old ABC2 was and is now stuck with the leftovers... of syndication! -Greg in Perry Hall (2/9/08) Karlos Borloff, from locally produced "Monster Madhouse" and "Monster Madhouse Live" scored the biggest laughs last night on The Tonight Show during a pre-produced segment from Vegas: vids.myspace.com (2/9/08) "...of course Angelos is waiting for a sale at Radio Shack on HD equipment for MASN..." Does anyone really think that Captain Asbestos would spring for anything as sophisticated as a "Science Fair" product! I wouldn't be surprised if he uses the visiting team's HD feed with MASN audio. Love him or hate him, Peter Angelos didn't become rich by spending one penny more than he really felt necessary. He is also smart enough to know that although he's "stuck" with a baseball team in D.C., he can enrich himself (via MASN) at the expense of whatever it takes for Washington to have a successful (thus popular) team. That success (popularity) would allow MASN to hike its ad rates, thus more money in Angelos' pocket. He gets richer by letting Washington up its payroll for quality players and by not having to spend more money than he needs to on the baseball team in Baltimore! I know it's a bit off topic, but I wonder which city has the worse team owner: D.C. with Dan Snyder or Baltimore with Peter Angelos?-Unsigned Corporate Suit (2/9/08) When is The Washington Post or one of the DC TV stations going to come clean about WHY Joe Gibbs retired? Nope, not because of family concerns as stated by practically every news source. How do I know this? Because the ink hadn't dried on Joe Gibbs resignation letter before he was already busy hard at work with his NASCAR team. DUH! (2/9/08) ("NBC News takes these matters seriously, and offers our sincere regrets to the Clintons for the remarks. Both the Clinton and Obama campaigns accepted invitations from us on Thursday evening to participate in a February 26th debate. Our conversations with the Clinton campaign about their participation continue today, and we are hopeful that the event will take place as planned"...) What a bunch of bullshit. It is wrong for Shuster to use the term "pimped" which has ceased to have a negative connotation in most situations and yet it is perfectly all right for another MSNBC anchor to refer to the President of the United States as "the monkey" and nothing is said, nothing is done, and she remains on the job. It shows you how much the liberal media kisses the ass of liberal candidates and office holders. (2/9/08) I HATE THE NEW ANIMAL PLANET! (2/9/08) PC World magazine is reporting that Polaroid is getting out of the instant-film biz; the very industry it pioneered. After 2009, its gone. Stock up now. (2/9/08) Dave's response: Wow. As a kid, I had several Polaroid cameras. Remember the old black and white photos which you had to treat with a horseradish-smelling chemical and then mount to a piece of sticky cardboard, since the film stock was so thin that it tended to curl. Remember how you had to yank the photo out of the camera, and wait a minute before you peeled away the caustic wrapping to reveal an often under-developed pic. Lots of fun..... My GAWD, MSNBC broke the news that Barack Obama used Illegal drugs while he was a teenager….MY GAWD, shocking, just shocking! His contemporaries remember that he was a “master of moderation”. Gee whiz, illegal drugs as a teen. I, for one am shocked. That’s all I have to say..I’m hungry and feeling a little giddy..did you see the stars last ni………COOKIES!!!! (2/9/08) I was saddened to hear of the cancellation by HBO of its long-running "Inside the NFL" program. It has been on the air for 31 years and has been a signature program for the cable network. The fabulous NFL Films was the backbone of the show. Now, HBO has been reduced to the best of "Real Sex" and "G-String Divas". Oh Yes, "Real Sports" and "The Wire" are still there. (2/9/08) Dave,WTF is this world coming too? Since when is the phrase "pimped out" a bad thing to say? He didn't call her a whore or suggest anything sexual in nature so WTF? It's getting to be a sad fucking world to live in these days.Good thing no one involved is Afro-American or you know Al sharpass and his pal Jesse Jackhole would be involved. Shit I can't even stand politic's or all of the coverage it gets and if it weren't for you and the site i wouldn't have even thought to comment. All I can say is What The Fu#% kinda world are we living in????? thanks for letting me rant.....P.S happy Birthday you look MARVOLOUSSSSSSSSSSS for 39... AMF from DELMARVA....... (2/9/08) First, Happy Birthday from the Islands, Dave! Second, you actually only got he second half of the Baltimore network switch. Originally, WJZ/13 was an ABC affiliate, WMAR/2 had CBS and WBAL/11 was with NBC. When NBC was at it's lowest ratings point, around 1980-81, WBAL was wooed away by CBS, leaving NBC to poor, lowly Channel 2. Then came the change that you mentioned; the CBS purchase of WJZ/13 owner Westinghouse (Group W), yanking the CBS affiliation away from Channel 11. At the time, NBC was winning and WBAL wanted them back. Again, poor old Channel 2 got the leftovers... the (at that time) cellar dweller, ABC. I recall old-timers griping about those changes for years! Ed. Rodriguez in Sunny Key West (2/9/08) Ah, MSNBC that network of fairness. The network whose commentators have called President Bush a chimp, a Nazi, and a warmonger and no one bats an eye. No complaints, no suspensions. The same network with one commentator that called our brave soldiers in Iraq "mercinaries" and again no problem. But when one haphazard word is said against their heroes, the Clintons, all hell breaks loose. The mainstream media once again proves, it is nothing but left wing political hacks that are nothing but an arm for the Democrat National Committee. (2/9/08) /\ February 9 Messages /\ \/ February 8 Messages \/ Chelsea was rightfully off-limits when she was a teenager, but now she’s an adult, out in the real world, and campaigning for her mother. She’s fair game. Besides, the comment was pretty benign, and the fact is, she IS being pimped out. In the immortal words of Don Henley, “Get over it.” (2/8/08) Dave's response: You know, that's why I love being my own boss and running this website. I never have to answer to any of the political hacks in "management." Like David Shuster has to at (MS)NBC..... Big Dave! You are 39 today. What are you going to do tonight?. Doug (2/8/08) Happy Birthday Dave! I turn "Jack Benny" age later this year! Dave in Fredericksburg (2/8/08) Hillary, the attention-seeker (wonder if she'll cry again), should realize that Chelsea is fair game. If she doesn't like Chelsea being a topic, then remove her from campaigning. The Bush sisters have endured the same press, or worse, and no one has said squat about that. If this had been done on Fox News Channel, the outcry would've been to shut down the entire network. Also, no one here is pointing out that Hillary is threatening a “news” agency with punishment for a comment she does not like. 'Fairness Doctrine', anyone? -Silvie- (2/8/08) Happy birthday, Dave! I'm sure everyone in all of the the media wishes you many more...and I know that those who deny checking out your site are lying (kind of like those who deny being the "master of their domain"). You are the pulse of the industry when it comes to breaking stories and are read by everyone who's anyone in the biz. Thanks for your years of letting us readers dish out to you the good and the bad in the "Mailbag" section as well. "And as they say back in ooollllld Mexico City......" GE (2/8/08) Dave's response: Thanks..... where the hell are Don and Mike today (2/8/08) Dave's response: "Family emergency" is all I hear..... Many years ago, I recall that the Baltimore TV stations did a net network ‘musical chairs’ and swapped around affiliations. I know it’s a pretty old piece of news, but I never got a satisfactory answer for why this happened. If you have a moment, could you please outline what caused this spasm? -George Arthur (2/8/08) Dave's response: Channel 13 was an ABC affiliate. When its owner Westinghouse (Group W) merged with CBS, it became a CBS station. That meant Channel 11 had to give up CBS for NBC, with 2 going from NBC to ABC. Originally, 2 was a CBS affiliate and 11 carried NBC..... It's the Chinese Year of the Rat. See how radio host G. Gordon Liddy celebrates: www.pjcomix.com (2/8/08) Big O and Dukes were out sick today. I suspect everyone is over at Mama Santana's house for a big Vick's VapoRub hoe-down. Stay courteous! Caller X (2/8/08) Breaking news from Don and Mike . You pick the headline - A. Mike Omeara's girlfriend turn 23 and is now too old for him... B. Don Geronimo discovered he had a heart and rushed to a hospital to have removed... C. It DAVE'S birthday!!!!!!! D. Joe Ardinger got fired by WJFK for actually getting listeners (all 5 of them) during his last Saturdays show... C. Buzz Burbank left for the news spot on the Don Imus show... (2/8/08) HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE! Keep up the Great work on the Site! Dave....I know you don't cover this specifically on your site....but if you're interested in Photography...check out this article in this week's issue of The Georgetowner. www.georgetowner.com... My father opened up a Photo Gallery / Studio in Gtown - and if you're ever in that hood, I thought you might like to check it out. Thanks for keeping the DC Scene updated on the ins & outs of this crazy community. -Mike (2/8/08) If you look at the FCC site for WWRC 1260, it says that the middle tower is the same __electrical__ height as the other two. Something must have been done to hide its true height...there are well-known ways. About a decade ago the signal strength in Rockville would make big jumps on windy days as though there was an intermittent connection somewhere in their antenna system. (2/8/08) Has anyone seen the detailed response by Nasty Nestor Aparicio for his anti-semetic comments? I would think that a week is more than enough time to clear a name of such charges unless the hope is that this whole thing will just go away. Hmmmm??? (2/8/08) David Shuster has now been suspended, proving for all to see that offending the Clintons is more dangerous to one's career than offending Chickaboomer. Everett W. (2/8/08) shocker - another MSNBC personality with a completely tasteless comment. Do they have anyone over there capable of controlling their behavior? The NBC peacock must really be proud! hosted.ap.org: A distasteful comment about Chelsea Clinton by an MSNBC anchor could imperil Hillary Rodham Clinton's participation in future presidential debates on the network, a Clinton spokesman said. In a conference call with reporters, Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson on Friday excoriated MSNBC's David Shuster for suggesting the Clinton campaign had "pimped out" 27-year old Chelsea by having her place phone calls to Democratic Party superdelegates on her mother's behalf. Wolfson called the comment "beneath contempt" and disgusting. (2/8/08) Happy Birthday Dave dear! The kids have a surprise post for you on my blog which you inspired. We are celebrating here in Toronto, Canada. They virtually pimped the whole page. Hope you are having a wonderful 50th birthday....umm 39th birthday. Kemi O. Joshua, www.Keminications.com, Toronto Media Gossip, T.O, Canada (2/8/08) Dave's response: Thanks. Awwww schucks. On Mars, I'm only 26. The red planet's year is 687 days long..... Squash results for the Month of January (sorry its late). Scott Reardon, Producer of Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel, had a month of January dominance on the squash courts taking 22 wins. John Laur, traffic coordinator and host of Indie 979, only had 7 wins. February doesn't look to be a good month for John either, Scott has an early lead so far. We'll post scores at the end of the month. Something else to look forward to in February: Steve Huber's return to the hardwood! (2/8/08) “Re: 1260 AM WWRC. The center tower is too tall to be an effective antenna at 1260.” I don’t know about that, but I do know that years ago when I was at the U of M, WWDC had one of the big signals in the market, day and night, along with WMAL, WRC and WTOP. That’s hard to believe when you turn on 1260 now...or during the past 20 years. Roddy Freeman (2/8/08) Happy "39th" Dave! Jack Benny must have been onto something special when he stopped counting. He milked that routine for 40+ years. All the best! Ken Merson - Merson Person Voice Tracks (2/8/08) Dave's response: Thanks..... Hello, Fellow Posters. I was listening to MIX1065 yesterday (Thursday) afternoon during the noon hour, and noticed that there is no more "My Way Café". They now have the "Noon Workout" with Jon Bosche (not sure of the spelling) doing the mixes with Maria Dennis. Wow! What a fresh sound on 1065. I remember when the defunct XYV did this when Chrystie McIntyre was there. I wonder when MIX will go full blown CHR. Ed Jones, Bel Air MD (2/8/08) The O's and Nats BOTH in HD? WOW! Now we can all see them suck extra clearly. Happy Birthday, Dave. May Lesli Foster deliver you a birthday cake, wearing nothing but a smile! Paul (2/8/08) Whoa! A Balmer NY Daily News Regional Edition? Why bother, Hon? The Mort Zuckerman-ravished version of the NY Daily News is a mere shadow of its' former self, whether the home edition or "regional" clones. The New York Rag Post beats it in news and column pages, sports and advertising; the News has more comics and is a touch better in quality of writing (not that all impressive). It's a long, sad decline for the thick, convenient-size bundle I used to pick up for 25 cents every morning with my coffee as I waited for the Suburban Transit Bus to make the New Jersey Turnpike Exit 8 to Wall Street run at 6:30 every goddamned weekday am. These days, I ponder Gotham's plight through the e-version of the New York Sun (they don't circulate much past Princeton), a relatively unpretentious publication with New York Times aspirations and a few Pulitzers to boot. What can you say? Things fall apart; the Center cannot hold. The Daily News is fading away, and the Jersey Freeze at Freehold's Route 33&9 Circle across from the Racetrack (the home of the best hotdogs and soft icecream in the nation, not even matched by Rac's Hut up in West Orange) will close at the end of this Summer after 54 years and countless memories. Genghis Cohen, pining for a fresh hot bagel, the bulldog edition of the Sunday Daily News with Dondi and Dick Tracy on the front of the funnies, or maybe even a nice soft knish, none of which is available in scenic but incredible goyishe Prince William County… (2/8/08) Live well, love true and laugh hard...it all adds up to long life, lot's of spirit and optimism. Best wishes for the next 39-PLB (2/8/08) Regarding the possibility of MASN finally carrying some games in HD...remember that Mr. Angelos is a Union Thug Lawyer. Watch the careful wording of this statement that says "MASN is pleased to announce that we will be offering at least 60 Major League Baseball games in 1080i High Definition as part of the MASN service for the 2008 baseball season. The HD schedule will be divided evenly between the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals." I suspect that this does NOT mean EACH TEAM will have 60 games in HD, but rather that there will be ONLY 60 games divided BETWEEN the two teams. Meaning only about 30 games each for the Orioles and Nationals. And gee, would those possibly be games against the Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, or Cubs??? Ah well, something is better than nothing I guess. Just be prepared for the majority of the games to still be of 1970's picture quality and sound. Greg in Reisterstown (2/8/08) Happy 39th Dave! Hope it's a good one! (2/8/08) Dave's response: So far, so good..... Those Washington Post "PostPoints" are creepy as hell. I still say they look like contraceptive diaphragms with faces - which would be a pretty funny product, actually... (2/8/08) Howard Bernstein..........dumbass!!!!!!!!!!!! Patrick (2/8/08) Good day, all - Consider the fun of Valentine's lunch and an inside look at the motion picture business, which as we know is in turmoil with the strike by the Writer's Guild. When Dan Glickman and I planned his appearance at The Q&A Cafe for Thursday, Feb. 14, we timed it to be between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Ha! Joke's on us. But please don't let that keep you away. There's still so much to talk about with a man who served in Congress, was chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, was President Clinton's Agriculture Secretary (he's from Kansas), and in 2004 accepted the not insignificant challenge of succeeding Jack Valenti as head of the Motion Picture Association of America. As I said, all that plus a groovy Valentine's lunch. Bring a friend, bring your lover, bring your spouse, or bring 'em all. Who knows, maybe the strike will end that day. Please make reservations directly with Jon Moss at 202.338.2000 during weekday business hours. The doors open at noon, the program begins at 12:30 and the fee is $35, all inclusive. The following week, on Wed. Feb. 20, the guest will be Newsweek's Jonathan Alter. We hope to see you at the Valentine's edition of The Q&A Cafe. Carol (2/8/08) Happy Birthday. Not bad for someone who is 39, wink, wink. Have you ever thought about growing your hair back? Something odd about seeing a guy with a HUGE beard and no hair. (2/8/08) Dave's response: Growing my hair back? That's funny..... Interesting take on the current state of HD Radio insidemusicmedia.blogspot.com... Franklin, Great Falls (2/8/08) Happy Birthday, Dave! I truly salute you - you DO realize that you are able to make Republican hypocrites and worthless radio companies cringe? Oh, the POWER! And you have used it wisely, Grasshopper! Thanks for being so honest. In the ruinations of this slimed-by-Bush/corporate greed world, you are an oasis. (2/8/08) For anyone trying to assign a date to the birth of "1260AM Park" on Brookville Road in Silver Spring, this Washington Post blurb announces ground breaking on what was then WOL's new facility exactly sixty-two years ago. DCMemories.com has a hodge-podge of other related clippings, including a proposal for "WWDC-TV, Channel 20" to be built on that land. (2/8/08) Dave, I was just jealous of all the attention that Dan Hellie got last week..... Howard Bernstein, Meteorologist, WUSA-TV (2/8/08) Dave's response: I know, you're the second DC TV personality to get his face banged up in the past week or so. You (left) and Dan (right)..... I have my problems with WTEM. They have some of the worst sportstalk hosts that I have ever heard and, overall, it is a very poor sportstalk station. However, Danny Boy Snyder taking over the station is hardly the answer. At least many of WTEM's hosts aren't afraid to rip Danny Boy a new one regularly. Having nothing but Redskins house stations for local sportstalk would be awful. (2/8/08) Another note about WWRC AM 1260... The AM 1260 in Grafton, WV is moving to AM 1190. Get rid of the Delaware & WV AM 1260s and it seems to me the WWRC 1260 signal problems could be solved. But, I doubt anybody at CC really cares one way or the other. (2/8/08) Dave, is that really your picture? I can't decide if you look like Charlie Manson or Unabomber Ted Kacyzinski with that scraggly beard and forelorn stare. Dude, you're scarin' me. - then again, my nickname is "The Wolfman." (2/8/08) Dave's response: No. My real picture is at the right..... Technically, yes, WWRC 1260 has lots of protections, but in the real world not really..... The AM 1260 in Newark, DE has been dark or under STA without a tower for nearly 10 years. And still the FCC keeps renewing a license that serves no one but the accountants & lawyers who keep filing the FCC paperwork to keep it alive. I wouldn't be surprised if the same is true of many of the other AM 1260s that WWRC has to protect. When is the FCC going to clean up the AM dial of all of these frequency squatters and allow stations like WWRC that can't reach their market effectively expand??? (2/8/08) KDKA in Pittsburgh...mostly local forever until they put on that jerk Oh-Wrily in that stupid spinning zone. Now comes word that KDKA, a CBS radio station, unfortunately, is putting on syndicated programming during the evening AND overnight. That was all local, all night. Just an awful thing what has happened to the radio business. It used to be you could tune in radio stations from afar and learn all about other communities. No longer. All you can hear from stations far away are the same idiotic and boring talk shows from Boring Norry to reruns of daytime and morning programming. Just terrible. And hey radio owners, you guys are so cheap that you won't even hire youngsters to learn the trade. No future for radio. Not good. (2/8/08) (2/8/08) Dave's response: Oh, gee. Thanks! I have one more for "Call Letter Cavalcade": W2XBT, Washington's 1st "electronic" TV station. It was a 1-day RCA experiment in January 1939 to demonstrate TV for the FCC, Congress, etc. It ran 400 watts visual with a frequency of 163.25 Mc video and 167.75 Mc audio. Transmitter was atop the USDA building. Except for the channel assignement (chennels got re-assigned a few more times along the way) and running AM audio (FM didn't come along until 1941), it was 100% NTSC... (2/8/08) After listening to that jewelry song a few times, I remembered where I had heard Robin Batteau before. He and Dave Buskin were a fairly successful folk duo in the 1980s, and I have tapes of their music from when Dick Cerri used to host Music Americana on 94.7 before it became WARW. (sigh) I miss that program. Mary Cliff was never as good a folk music presenter as Dick. (sigh) Now, that would be programming that 3WT could carry and have a loyal audience on weekends!--GAB in the Airless Cubicle. (2/8/08) Ad seen on News 4 around 6:30 this morning: "Tonight's Sunset Time is brought to you by McDonald's...". Well thanks, McDonald's! If it weren't for you, that pesky sun would be out all night. (2/8/08) "Do you think it's time for a Battle of the Local Publishing Hotties between Katharine Weymouth" I'm guessing from the looks of it she's a two maybe 3 pack a day gal? (2/8/08) Re: 1260 AM WWRC. The center tower is too tall to be an effective antenna at 1260. In addition to wires used to feed the 1260 signal into the tower, there are more wires used to de-tune the upper portion of the tower and make it somewhat "invisible" to 1260. It's like as far as 1260 is concerned, the tall tower is about the same height as the short towers. That's fine unless the wires and tuning system are disturbed, in which case the antenna and directional pattern could be messed up badly. Interestingly, WWRC is operating under special temporary authority, which means they can run with a broken antenna as long as interference is not created. Directional AM antennas must not exceed signal limits at certain monitor points. Even under STA operation, WWRC must not bust the monitor points. The practical upshot of this is the power will end up being much lower since properly operating directional antennas protect monitor points, and a broken antenna won't, and the only solution is to pull the power down until the limits are reached. This could explain why the WWRC signal might be worse than ever. Finally, I wouldn't beat up too badly on the CC engineers about this. They have a huge workload, and under normal circumstances the WWRC signal has protections that restrict coverage. (2/8/08) My dear Walter, the answer to your question is quite simple: They could outsource to India or some other overseas nation as just about every othere industry has done. The FCC could care less since they probably will eventually deregulate themselves out of existence anyway. Also, I would not be the least bit surprised if companies start signing stations off during the overnight hours to save money, just like the days of daytime only or 6AM-Midnight AM radio. Overnights are not part of today's ratings scheme; no top dollar advertising at those hours; no live jocks to keep you company; and the public interest doctrine and news requirements gone. For public safety/EAS compliance, the Department of Homeland Security could designate a minimum of one or two stations per market remain on 24 hours a day. RFI interference, whether malicious or not, could be handled by local government IT departments and law enforcement. (2/8/08) /\ February 8 Messages /\ \/ February 7 Messages \/ Jeremy - I know that there are few old-timer engineers out there who know the full story about the 1260 center tower. Being that I am neither an old-timer or an engineer, I can only relay what I have heard and hopefully someone can verify, add to or correct my story. I can't even guess at the year, but the owners of the property then had plans to replace 1260's center tower with a much larger tower, similar to the TV Hill candelabra in Baltimore. It was to house several signals including radio, television and other spaces for lease. Why it never happened, I never heard. Maybe there was a problem with zoning. Maybe the Mormons insisted on a more noticeable landmark. Maybe there wasn't enough interest to bank on big leases. Maybe they just ran out of money. Instead, what was built was a scaled-down version, no candelabra, no television, just 1260 AM and 101.1 FM and some leased space. What actual effect the center tower is having on the other two towers and the part it plays in the problem with the signal, why the ground system is allowed the be exposed, why the FCC isn't concerned - I guess are all good subjects for any of the engineers out there who have been around DC for a while to discuss. I am sure most of it would be an interesting story. I will add that I am certain issues with 1260's center tower goes back before Clear Channel and possibly even as far back as the center tower replacement itself. Clear Channel bought and inheretted the problem though. They would have known that through due diligence prior to purchase. - Les Ismore (2/7/08) After CBS and the Nazi Party... I mean Cheap Channel... cut all of these employees, who will be left to do the work? - Walter Reuther (2/7/08) The DCRTV News Item today about Limbaugh jetting to DC for a secret meeting with McCain on Wednesday is interesting. I've looked around online, but I've seen no mention of this, aside from Dave's. This is one helluva exclusive! I'd like to know whether Rush initiated the meeting or if McCain did. Also, in the grand scheme of things, does McCain need Limbaugh more than Limbaugh needs McCain, or is it the other way around? (2/7/08) Clear Channel's John Hogan (Darth Vadar to most) is openly opining to the few long-standing people he worked with in Atlanta where he has a relationship that he's praying the deal gets done, so he can walk away with $40 million. Of course, Wall Street increasingly is wary that it will get done. One has to wonder what he'll do then. He's clearly had enough. (2/7/08) Dave, it looks like a lot of folks with CBS Radio will be looking for employment soon: www.musicradio77.com (2/7/08) Still waiting for someone to confirm that Marc Steiner is not an investor in WYPR. Why hasn't that happened? BECAUSE HE IS! I remembered that there were quite a few Baltimore Sun stories naming him as heading the group of investors that purchased WYPR so I checked FCC records and sure enough, Marc Steiner is Vice President and appears to own 11.1% of the station. On other FCC forms, he's listed as "Director" in one of the corporate entities. So now the question begs, how exactly can a Vice President of a company fire one's on-air self & dupe the Baltimore Sun into hyping the story for ratings? Then, Steiner appears on WYPR to discuss his firing? Hmmmm, curious indeed. Could someone please explain this mess to me? Because I just don't get it. Are the people at The Baltimore Sun that dumb or that biased? I'm not sure which is worse at this point. At the very least, it's pathetically BAD JOURNALISM. (2/7/08) Dave's response: By the way, it just gets more interestinger. Check out the press release we just got (below)..... Baltimore, MD - February 7, 2008-The Center for Emerging Media announces that Jessica Phillips has joined the company as a producer. Jessica Phillips most recently served as a producer at the Marc Steiner Show on WYPR 88.1 FM. Prior to that, she was an production assistant at the Soundprint Media Center, and an office manager at Livingston Associates, a public radio consulting and search firm. "I am excited to join the Center for Emerging Media because it offers a chance for me to work on new projects and reach new audiences," she says. During 2007, Jessica Phillips worked on a year-long documentary features series called Just Words in addition to her work on the Marc Steiner Show. This weekly four minute program was produced by the Center for Emerging Media and aired each Thursday on WYPR during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. "I am happy that Jessica has joined me and is officially a part of the Center for Emerging Media," said Marc Steiner, Executive Director of the Center for Emerging Media. "We're looking forward to sharing with the public our future production plans as soon as possible." The Center for Emerging Media is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit corporation. It was founded in 2001 by Marc Steiner. Marc Steiner's blog can be read at marcsteinerblog.wordpress.com. "Slumping Post Confirms Buyouts, To Close College Park Printing Plant" - What a pitty. George Allen (2/7/08) There's no outrage about Chris Matthews because if one were to try and keep track of dumb things he says on air, the log book would be full after one week. It's a nightly occurrence. Chris Matthews lost any reputation he may have had after Jon Stewart bitch-slapped him on The Daily Show a few months ago. Did Stewart do that to Matthews because he (Matthews) is a "big-time liberal?" I think not. Matthews is just a big-time blowhard who's become the butt of jokes from both sides of the aisle. (2/7/08) Dave, Do you think it's time for a Battle of the Local Publishing Hotties between Katharine Weymouth and whoever is listed as the current Times publisher? Howie (2/7/08) Dave's response: Hmmm..... To Les Ismore - thanks for the candid response to my question about WWRC's signal. Maybe the *reason* Everett and I are the only listeners to WWRC is because the signal is so un-listenable. Now I'll brace myself as the Rush cheerleaders chase me with baseball bats. -grin- It does indeed sound like Clear Channel has it's priorities out of whack and is no longer operating the signal in the public interest. Full disclosure: I actually visited the tower site several weeks ago and was stunned at the condition of the site - the word neglect is my effort at politeness. Parts of the ground system are visible above the soil. Site erosion? Since I'm not an RF engineer, I solicited for informed opinions here. Out of curiousity, what was the reason for the installation of the newer, third tower? The signal has always been a three tower directional, but the center tower is (obviously) electrically different from the two originals. Why/when was the site re-engineered? Further technical insight is always appreciated. Since WWRC is up for renewal in 10/2011, maybe those who care should take up the cause of challenging the license? Just a thought...Who knows, AM might not even exist by then if things keep going the way they are...... As for the anonymous poster who offered his insight on all the man-made interference for the AM band; I addressed that in my original query. I'm already well aware of how much man-made interference impacts the AM band, I was merely stating that WWRC's signal seems to be *more* impacted than any other signal in the market. Hell - little WWWB all the way up in Fredrick is clearer at my home in Alexandria and on the beltway than WWRC. It's really quite pathetic. (2/7/08) (Where's the outrage? The media silence is deafening after the Chris Matthews on-air blunder yesterday....chickaboomer.blogspot.com.) it's because he's a big time liberal, so he's able to get away with it. if he worked for fox news, it would be getting headlines. (2/7/08) What's with WMAL airing Limbaugh's fake ads during ad breaks and then running real ads "on top" of the actual show, causing DC to miss some of El Rusho's brilliance. This has happened several times the past few days. (2/7/08) Dear Dave: Where's the outrage? The media silence is deafening after the Chris Matthews on-air blunder yesterday where he compared the choice between a black and a woman presidential candidate to the agony Meryl Streep faced in "Sophie's Choice" when she had to decide which of her children would die at the hands of the Nazis at Auschwitz? chickaboomer.blogspot.com (2/7/08) More on WNST host Nestor Aparicio and his unfortunate comments on Radio row at the superbowl; On February 1, 2008 he posted comments about the incident on his website blog. It is interesting that he will not allow or post any other comments to his blog on this topic. For such a shameless and obvious self-promoter you would think that he would welcome responses and dialogue that he himself invited… Floyd the Barber (2/7/08) RE: KARLOS BORLOFF... BORLOFF? Sidekick? ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Gila Brigosi (2/7/08) RE: "Is it just me, or is the coverage for WWRC getting WORSE?" Both Everett and Jeremy make sense and being that they may be the majority of RC listeners, probably deserve some explanation as to why they can't hear their favorite station. Most of the answers can be found here between factual reporting by Dave and the news media, speculation and plausible possibilities by Dave and the informed readers here, as well as occasional leaks and rants by disgruntled employees and those in-the-know. I am claiming to be none of these, but let me run this possibility by you. First though, I must say that in my opinion (though I am sure I'm not alone) Clear Channel is a poorly run company - at the top, a family of small market radio owner/operators who bit off the largest bite of radio ever taken. Its indigestion led to several cures to be attempted, including a diet of homogenized programming and liposuction in the form of the removal of many talented and well-known personalities and middle management (to loose the fat). What we are now seeing is the crap that has made it through. Like a middle-aged man with a Corvette trying to pick up a college girl, Clear Channel has shown it has balls with its Less Is More advertising heist and in leading the way with HD. Just like with that middle-aged man, the college girl (or in this case EVERYBODY) is laughing. And the BS doesn't just spew from one end. Everyone making six figures and up (excepting talent) has always touted the brilliant direction the company is taking and just how important their employees are. But even CC employees can't help but cover their eyes and shake their heads in disgust and embarrassment at the decisions made by the people controlling their paychecks. So Everett and Jeremy, why is RC getting worse? Well, that signal has been nearly impossible to keep legal since the center tower was installed. Options to correct the problems that included a monetary cost were probably tossed out for inadequate return on investment. Whether the station operated within its parameters or not, there would be no increase in advertising revenue to support it. Yes, I too see the blatant idiocy of that statement. It would be up to the engineering staff to correct the problem with the materials on hand. Oh yeah, and while they are at it, how about adding HD...that should help the signal out for sure. And let's not forget that the 4th and 5th floor operations at 1801 need to be moved between the 5th and 6th floor, since someone "wasted" a whole lot of money redesigning the 4th and 6th floor a couple of years ago, but must have gotten it all wrong. Speaking of BS, I'd like to see the ROI report on that project (eyes now covered and head shaking). If 1801 is doing this to model itself in the Clear Channel image, then the company slogan should change from "Less Is More" to "It's Better To Look Money Than To Be Money." Somewhere, someone forgot that radio is theater of the mind, not of the eye. The answer Everett and Jeremy is one word, "PRIORITIES." Of course, you still can't polish a turd. - Les Ismore (2/7/08) RE: WWRC used to have at least serviceable daytime reception in Fort Washington, not anymore. You do realize that much of today's AM signal decline (especially in buildings) has more to do with receiver quality, and even much more to do with electrical interference than anything the radio station is doing - especially if by "used to" you mean years ago. I work within eyesight (less than a couple of air miles) of a 5KW AM at about the same frequency. I know the engineer and the site has a new xmitter and omnia processing - so its loud in the car outside my window. I can see the non directional tower by looking out over my desk...yet on a professional quality tuner and decent external (albeit inside) antenna, I can barely pick up the station. Its not digital hash - its the 50 or so computers in my building along with dozens of tube lights and the steel substructure of the building. Not to mention the big transformer on the power pole about a hundred yards from where I am sitting. My 80 year old father in law used to complain that all of a sudden he couldn't here his bluegrass on the near by 1kw AM stat