dcrtv.com - Mailbag - January 8 to January 14, 2010

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DCRTV Mailbag - January 8 to January 14, 2010

Latest messages listed first.....
\/ January 14 Messages \/

(Dave's response: Amen! I am sure glad I don't have to work for one of those websites, like TVNewser or FishbowlDC, that has to suck up to Fox Newsers, as they suck up to Queen Sarah.....) Well it seems Dave that you and many others stick up for worthless MSNBC, who is in Obama"s back pocket. Don't forget about your buddies Olbermann and Chris ('gets a tingle up his leg hearing Obama speak") Softball Matthews... Fed up with Liberal know it alls-Eastern Shore (1/14/10)

Dave's response: I am no fan of cable news. CNN and MSNBC are almost, but not quite, as awful as Fox News. They're all populated by pompous media celebs who know little about journalism. I never watch Olbermann, and Matthews is kinda funny but faulted. But at least he's not insane, like Beck.....

"The honest brutal truth is that CBS Radio could have just two Junkies do the morning show on JFK, I won't say which two" - actually they need three. EB's rave outs, Cakes' good natured humor and musical puns, and Lurch's King of Ashburn routine, gambling and sports knowledge all add to the show. JP adds nothing except smarmy know-it-all-ism and a Napoleon complex the size of France. Addition by subtraction. (1/14/10)

In response to the Junkies vitriol. I'm not a huge Junkie fan by any means, they've lost something off of their fastball over the years. This may be partially due to the politically correct nonesence on the radio now, some is due to their laziness. I still listen on and off but the ego of EB gets old. The man has an upper deck ego with warning track ability. Lurch and cakes are the funny ones, but how funny can you be when you spend 7 segments in a row on the deadskins? JP has given up, because he's tried of listening to eb and that dim wit producer, pile on him. JP is just cashing checks at this point. They need to mix it up but they wont, because they get good numbers in the target demo. I tuned in to Koken and Hanrahan this morning when they were talking about, (talking about), Hockey. There is a reason Hockey is on a 3rd rate television network, it is unpopular with the masses. If watching hockey is boring, how can talking about it get good ratings? The bottom line is, the junks will keep getting paid because, somehow they deliver ratings. If Koken and some of the others did, they'd be employed. (1/14/10)

Soupy hosted 3 shows in the 70’s; Junior Almost Anything Goes, ABC, 1976 ~ The Soupy Sales Show, syndicated, 1976 ~ The New Soupy Sales Show, syndicated, 1979-1980 www.filmreference.com (1/14/10)

(Re: Teabaggers/Politico) Little surprise that they are screening the media and only allowing those who agree with them to attend. These same wing nuts would be the first to yelp like a wounded cur if their beloved Fox News were shut out of any event. Seems that when push comes to shove...these folks are showing everyone who they really are. Perhaps they could use a Minister of Propaganda to accurately shape their message and the coverage they receive. This persons first task could be to explain the freedom of the press concept...since they are all such ardent supporters of "original intent", the irony seems to be lost on them. Finally, if the term "teabaggers" causes them such distress, maybe they should not go out in public with TEABAGS hanging off of their clothing! MW (1/14/10)

"condescending to Marylanders"- I remember one of them whining about his commute from a 'hurkting' development he moved into. This was one of the rare times I didn't bother to change the station,probably couldn't get Y100 where we were working that day. Anyway he also had some comments about the neighborhood and the construction workers. As if its OUR fault he was stupid enough to buy a 2 story piece of glamorized particle board that was 2 hours from his job. By the way illegals did alot of the work on his shack. Pay for real American quality or shut up. Donnie (1/14/10)

I'm trying to find the theme for The Soupy Sales Show, but I only come up with this ... www.televisiontunes.com... It, apparently, is the theme for The NEW Soupy Sales Show.What I'd like to find, is this ... www.youtube.com.. If anybody knows the title of the earlier theme, that would help in the search.For all I know, it may be a cut from some production music disc. I'd just like to find it. (1/14/10)

Any time I see the word "teabagger" on any website or news organization regarding a political issue, I immediately discount that information and consider that person an idiot, asshole, or nutjob because TEA-BAGGER MEANS COCKSUCKER and everyone knows it! www.urbandictionary.com and any MSM outlet that allows that term to go on air has no credibility in my opinion, including DCRTV.com. The headline "Tea Baggers Say No To Politico" basically means COCKSUCKERS SAY NO TO POLITICO! Just as this clip from MSNBC www.youtube.com means "CONSERVATIVE COCKSUCKING" and "TESTICLE SUCKERS" Even Olbermann admits the double entendres, however, liberals created the double entendre as a means of clever hate speech that they think is acceptable and funny. Go figure. Dave, you basically lost all your credibility completely now in my opinion, sorry. But it's your website. (1/14/10)

Dave's response: Credibility, schmedibility. Sexually speaking, technically, to "teabag" is to suck a guy's scrotum, which contains his balls.....

Talk about strange !! VERY STRANGE !! First someone posts a video of Alice Cooper on DCRTV and then earlier another poster mentions the local KPHO-TV Phoenix TV children's show "Wallace & Ladmo". Strange because back in the mid 1980's Alice Cooper and director Steven Spielberg ( both at the time lived in Phoenix ) really wanted to get together to syndicate Wallace & Ladmo nationwide and there were actually takers too including Richmond's WRLH-TV 35 and Baltimore's WNUV-TV 54. However the guys playing the roles of Wallace & Ladmo ( Bill Thompson & Ladimir Kwaitkowski ) felt it would be best to keep their show strictly a Phoenix TV production and they had NO desire of having their show air in such far and away places like Baltimore. Maybe that was a GOOD thing since I have in the past read where Wallace & Ladmo had 95% of the local ( Phoenix in their case ) TV audience. Could Stu Kerr, Captain 20 or Captain Chesapeake make THAT claim ?? Besides it'll be kinda tough to give some child in Baltimore or Richmond a "Ladmo bag" anyway. www.wallaceandladmo.com (1/14/10)

Here's a counterpoint argument... Personally, I had to turn off CNN after awhile. I can only take so much of GRIM REAPER-TV continuous coverage. I remember the 9-11 coverage and had to eventually do the same thing. It was refreshing that FOX News still managed to break away & cover news in the United States while still having reporters in Haiti for just enough coverage for me to know the scope of the disaster & get the news. And FOX got anchor Bill Hemmer into Haiti. I don't see Wolf Blitzer volunteering for that duty. I realize many liberals enjoy this GRIM REAPER-TV news distraction, because it takes away from all the bad news for Democrats in Massachusetts and Nevada and regarding health care & the bad economy, all of which are important stories to me and most Americans since they directly affect me and most people in the U.S., unlike this Haiti story. This is not to say the CNN coverage was bad or anything, in fact it was excellent, but eventually enough is enough, it's overkill (no pun intended). We're going through the worst economic crisis in my lifetime, but yes this might be the worst disaster in the western world too in my lifetime, but at some point you have to go back to covering both & I think FOX did that and CNN didn't. How many dead bodies in the street in Haiti do I need to see live on air as a CNN exclusive? When is enough enough? Personally I don't intend to watch CNN's Larry King Live: HORROR IN HAITI tonight. (1/14/10)

Dave: 'Teabagger' is a vulgar term to refer to those who peacefully protest government intrusion into the lives of all Americans. I would appreciate at least you not slander this organization in your headlines. (1/14/10)

Ref: "Tea Baggers Say No To Politico": Sounds like the Tea Party Nation convention is looking to get only favorable coverage for its event.- Duh, like yea...kinda like Obamer and NBC, MSNBC, HLN, CNN & G.E. and the lefty list of ass kissers continues to grow. Wake Up America.....Wake Up ! (1/14/10)

"Tea Baggers Say No To Politico": Sounds like the Tea Party Nation convention is looking to get only favorable coverage for its event. Look for the usual righty talkers and supports to talk all positives. We'll never get the counter to the event which is critical in a democracy, in my opinion. But since when does anyone want to hear both sides of the story, everything seems biased and skewed towards one side or the other these days... (1/14/10)

(snip) I assume the person who sent in the message meant Soupy's "Junior Almost Anything Goes" which had aired on ABC in 1976 (end snip) Actually, it was "The New Soupy Sales Show", a late '70s revival of his '60s TV shtick. This was the show that featured Alice Cooper getting pied... (1/14/10)

"Does anyone else think it's becoming apparent that the Junkies may be in trouble? These four command huge salaries, are spoiled, think they are better then everyone, are out of touch with the common man, and complain about money all the time.” First of all: nobody knows better than The Junks what a short lease/leash they have. Cakes would be selling Webkinz, EB selling GOP politics, the Mexican would be selling Tacos at Taco Bell and the Former King of Ashburn would be delivering newspapers were it not for their “Agent”. Their “wives” are kept whores hanging on for the money. Yeah, that’s you Lurch. Otherwise: they suck. Crybaby, condescending to Negroes, to the state of Maryland, and willing to drive like assholes when it suits them: fuck ‘em. (1/14/10)

Dave's response: The honest brutal truth is that CBS Radio could have just two Junkies do the morning show on JFK, I won't say which two, and it could have the same or even better ratings for half (!) the salaries it's currently paying.....

NBC4 continues to dominate every newscast with the exception of 5AM. ABC 7 pulls stronger PM numbers compared to its dismal 4th place finish in the morning. FOX5 can’t seem to hold on to the morning momentum. 5 AM: FOX5 (2.5), NBC4 (1.9), CBS9 (.9), ABC7 (.5)..... 6AM: NBC4 (3.9), FOX5 (2.8),CBS9 (1.6), ABC7 (1.4)..... 5PM: NBC 4 (5.1), ABC7 (3.4), CBS9 (2.3), FOX5 (1.7)..... 6PM: NBC4 (7.2), ABC7 (3.7), CBS9 (3.2), FOX5 (2.1)..... 11PM: NBC4 (5.8), FOX5 & CBS9 (4.2), ABC7 (3.3)..... (1/14/10)

Re: the late Soupy Sales and his 70's stalled ABC-TV "comeback", I assume the person who sent in the message meant Soupy's "Junior Almost Anything Goes" which had aired on ABC in 1976. Actually the show did quite well in the ratings at the time I believe however what ended up getting the show off the air was Soupy Sales getting involved at the time with the infamous Action For Children's TV watchdog group who were totally against the cartoons and the many of local TV kids host who were on the air back in those days. I don't recall if Soupy ever went after our local crop of TV hosts such as Captain Chesapeake or Captain 20 but he sure did went after such celebrities in other markets like Phoenix's Wallace & Ladmo for how they would sell just about anything on the air to kids like those bags Wallace & Ladmo would give out to the kids of Phoenix on local KPHO channel 5, paper bags full of candy and soda pop from the local 7-11 and other stuff plus I believe at the time Wallace & Ladmo even had their own fast food joint around this time too. Soupy then started calling cartoons "trash" and also started slamming some of the then-big production companies for their "junk" like Sid & Marty Kroft for example. Anyway ABC-TV as I can remember ( hey it has been almost 35 years ago !! ) became "uneasy" with Soupy and his attacks on children's programming including their own shows so the plug was pulled. What is interesting and ironic is that some years later Soupy Sales had a change of heart as he did ended up doing those cartoons since he provided the voice for "Donkey Kong" on the 1983 CBS-TV cartoon "Saturday Supercade" which has been called in the past as one of the most mindless, dumbest cartoon shows of the 80's. Maybe he was paid well. (1/14/10)

"...CNN has reporters in Port Au Prince, giving live coverage of the earthquake that has killed as many as 100,000 people about 700 miles from the U.S.; FOX News, on the other hand, had Dan Quayle talking about how 'wonderful' the teabag protests were last summer, interrupted only by relentless promos for Sarah Palin's new gig on the network." What really took the cake for callousness and poor taste on the part of Fox News Channel was the appearance by ex-Saturday Night Live comic Dennis Miller on Bill O'Reilly's program. So let me get this straight - one of the worst natural disasters in the history of North America has been unfolding over the prevous 24 hours and a so called national news network sees nothing inappropriate about a comedian coming on one of its primetime shows and telling Harry Reid jokes?? If memory serves, Greta Van Susteren spent weeks and weeks reporting from one of the Caribbean islands for Fox a few years ago - yet she can't find more than ten minutes or so (in a one hour program) to cover the events in Haiti last night? At the opposite extreme, CNN may have gone a bit too far with its repetitive showing of those harrowing images of anguish and suffering all day long (including during interviews on shows like Larry King Live). While one can understand the need to make viewers aware of the nature and extent of the catastrophe so they can be motivated to contribute to the relief efforts, at some point the line between performing a public service and exploiting tragedy for ratings becomes somewhat blurred. Mike, Fairfax (1/14/10)

Dave's response: Amen! I am sure glad I don't have to work for one of those websites, like TVNewser or FishbowlDC, that has to suck up to Fox Newsers, as they suck up to Queen Sarah.....

Gary Froseth's obit in The Gettysburg Times: www.gettysburgtimes.com (1/14/10)

I received the latest issue of the Atlantic yesterday, and it contains a profile of George Noory and "Coast to Coast" that I've yet to read beyond the introduction. Thought your readers might be interested: www.theatlantic.com... Christian (1/14/10)

"Does anyone else think it's becoming apparent that the Junkies may be in trouble? These four command huge salaries, are spoiled, think they are better then everyone, are out of touch with the common man, and complain about money all the time. Now, all these out-of-work ex-WTEMers are filling in during these "vacation" days, and would clearly demand a lot less in salary, especially at a time when the economy is struggling, radio stations are going out of business, and the advertising market is very weak. Something for the suits to think about." Great post! I hope CBS radio replaces the Junkies asap. They each make more than $250,000 and then have the gall to demean their listeners who don't make as much money, all the while gloating about how easy and full of perks their job is. It's been great listening this morning to Koken and O'Halloran--what a nice change! The Junkies hit the jackpot when Stern left for satrad. Just imagine how much money WJFK could save by firing the Junkies and hiring some talent that actually appreciates being on the radio without making a six figure salary. And this affects the support staff also: instead of paying call screeners like Chad's Othello $8 an hour, maybe the station could use some of the money saved by firing the Junkies and give Othello a decent raise. Instead, CBS/WJFK is overpaying Jason Bishop so much that he can gamble thousands of dollars in Las Vegas this weekend and overpaying Eric Bickel so he can buy yet another BMW and his 14th hi-def plasma tv for his media room in his Kensington mansion. ~slaw (1/14/10)

So either pay Arbitron, or your stations don't exist? You exist. You just don’t get a free look at your numbers. I don’t know many companies that offer their services to people who don’t pay for them. You still get rated, and agencies get those numbers, but you don’t. And if you think Arbitron kisses the stations that subscribe, laugh out loud. (1/14/10)

I recently received a solicitation directing me to an organization called SAVOA: the Society of Accredited Voice Over Artists. I don't qualify to be a member because I work for a company that does voicework all day long. But I never heard of these doinks before, and apparently what they will do is certify through accreditation that I know how to speak. It seems to me that AFTRA representation and an agent are far more valuable than this deal. Has anyone here ever heard of this outfit, and do they actually do anything of worth? (1/14/10)

Dave, I used to live in the 'burg and the Fredericksburg, VA ratings are sooooo bogus! Fredericksburg is an embargoed radio market, some stations that choose not to pay for Arbitron don't even show up. And I quote: "Arbitron only releases data for subscribing stations in this market." So either pay Arbitron, or your stations don't exist? Wow! (1/14/10)

Dave's response: Still, it's pretty safe to say that WFLS is the top station in the Virginia city halfway between DC and Richmond.....

99.1 HFS on 94.7 HD2: Don't get me wrong,maybe I used the wrong words there. I LOVED hearing 99.1 WHFS on more than just my MP3 player! But it got me thinking that maybe I was sitting here like a dunce,listening to the stream while the changeover I have been screaming for was taking place on the real 99.1 FM. Thats when I turned on El Zol and basically got Punk'd. By the way- has anyone ever entertained the idea of putting HFS on 99.1 HD2? No I still don't own an Ibiquity radio but that might be what finally gets me to buy one. Not that I'd stop bitching that its not on a main channel even then......Donnie (1/14/10)

Joe in Essex, WJLA has been operating at a higher power level under STA for a while now. WUSA has been granted 52 kW under STA, and they have promised to measure actual interference to WGAL and WBPH in locations where the OET-69 analysis predicts they will be. You will want to check out WUSA's app (fcc.gov) to see where WGAL's real coverage is predicted to be. Regards, Dave Loudin (1/14/10)

Please, please, please WJFK put Smokin’ Al on mid-days with Bill Rowland and can Wise. Koken has timing, a sense of humor, is insightful, and understands how to do a radio show. All the things Wise doesn’t bring to his show. (1/14/10)

In the Letterman clip, I noticed that Kiefer Sutherland doesn't actually say the word "Ravens" (or "Patriots") at any time. He only states that when he placed his bet, he was certain that New England would win. His friend should have stipulated that Kiefer wear the dress on Letterman AND proclaim "The Ravens Rule!" to the cameras. (1/14/10)

WCBMs Tom Marr said this morning that even though he is "conservative," he would welcome Haitians who come from "good" families because Haitians can take care of themselves and contribute to the "American mosaic," unlike the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Not quite Pat Robertson, but still not very nice. Bob A. in Pikesville, MD. (1/14/10)

Does anyone else think it's becoming apparent that the Junkies may be in trouble? These four command huge salaries, are spoiled, think they are better then everyone, are out of touch with the common man, and complain about money all the time. Now, all these out-of-work ex-WTEMers are filling in during these "vacation" days, and would clearly demand a lot less in salary, especially at a time when the economy is struggling, radio stations are going out of business, and the advertising market is very weak. Something for the suits to think about. Not a sermon, just a thought. (1/14/10)

Re: the anon comments stating: " Jay Leno retired from the Tonight Show, right?" Actually, no. Not at all. Jay Leno was forced out after 14+ years at Number 1 because of a pragmatic, but strategically flawed decision NBC made in 2004 to promise Conan the Tonight Show in order to entice him to stay with the network. NBC apparently assumed in 2004 that it would be unlikely for Leno to continue at number 1 for five more years. But, he did. As a result, in 2009, NBC didn't want to lose Leno, either, so they concocted this silly primetime experiment for Leno to avoid him leaving, allowing Conan to take over The Tonight Show (and avoid them having to pay him $40 million dollars if they didn't). TMZ also reported yesterday that Conan's contract did not include some key protections so, in essence, it's easier for NBC to dump Conan. See: www.tmz.com... Conan is definitely getting screwed, since he only got 7 months to hit a stride...Leno was given several years. It would appear that NBC believes that a reinstated Leno is more bankable than a continuing Conan. Either that or the feel that Leno would be a more troublesome competitor than Conan would. I'm on Team Coco...love Conan. But in this case, NBC screwed him, not Leno. Leno also appears to have had a better contract, which is just good business, not a screw move. Now if you ask me about the Leno/Letterman thing in 1992, Leno definitely participated in screwing Letterman. Even Johnny was pissed (allegedly). Perhaps that's why I was never a Leno fan. But this ain't 1992. Bob in Forest Hill (1/14/10)

From David Zurawik at baltimoresun.com - The fact that Kiefer Sutherland wore a dress Wednesday night for his appearance on David Letterman might not be all that exciting to most folks. But Baltimore readers will take some pleasure in finding out he was wearing it because of a football bet he made against the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. Here's the video... (1/14/10)

Let's see if I heard this right: Jay Leno retired from the Tonight Show, right? He RETIRED from the Tonight Show. He's done. He's gone. NBC's 10 o'clock experiment did not work. So now NBC wants to put him back and hope for the same magic as before? It won't happen. That's why Fox didn't put Joan Rivers back on the air again, why Saturday Night Live hasn't asked Larraine Newman or Tim Kasurinsky to come back and rejoin the cast, why Soupy Sales' comeback on ABC TV in the 70s stalled out, and why every time Rosie O'Donnell tries something new on the air, it hits the ground like the Hindenburg. But you know what's funny? Here in DC, everyone seems to think this practice will save or rejuvenate a favorite radio station: bring back the same host time and again on a different station, often in a similar format. I'm sorry, but nostalgic favoritism doth not a winning station make. I have no interest in hearing a recycled host I heard when I was 13 years of age. My life is different, the world is different, and it's - been - done. So I'm sorry Jay Leno; your trophy case in the NBC lobby is on display and your place in NBC history is assured. Let sleeping dogs lie and move on to the next great thing, whatever it's going to be. (1/14/10)

What's the big uproar over Palin or Dan Quayle on Fox News? Geraldine Ferraro and Bob Beckel are also Fox News contributors. God knows they aren't biased. {sarcasm} (1/14/10)

There are now 2 Facebook "I'm with COCO" fan pages. I think this is the official one: www.facebook.com... And now there's this one too: www.facebook.com... Conan has over 80,000 people already in just a few short days! By the way, there is a TEAM JAY LENO page on Facebook too, but OUCH, only 217 people? LOL www.facebook.com (1/14/10)

Quote of the Day: “We produce enough nut cases here not to import any from other countries.” (Lord Peston, urging the continued denial of Michael Savage’s entry into England) Good show, M’Lord! news.bbc.co.uk (1/14/10)

So, let me get this straight, Mr. Hughes called for a cease fire in a certain war of words, yet comments keep popping up. Comments from the combatants, comments from others (Quick aside: I respect Mr. Hughes privacy policy on not revealing the posters names, email addresses, etc., but part of me really wishes we could have a betting pool on when Mr. Bicknell broke his self-professed "resolution" of posting under anything other than his name). So, I guess I can say a thing or two. One combatant sent a Facebook friend request to the other, if memory serves. That person should accept that request. I hear they have a pillow fight application. They can go at it and leave this Mailbag alone. Isn't that what others have been asking for? Isn't that what Mr. Hughes requested? Isn't that what is being ignored? And DJC, calling someone a "dick" and then saying that you are offering "constructive advice"? Don't insult the rest of us with a contradiction like that. Don't respond Mr. Bicknell (I mean "DJC". Sorry, the writing style is so similiar right down to the final comment of..), because you yourself have said that you will no longer comment on the subject. And to show that it's not all about "stirring" things up on here on such issues, I have to think that the Jay Leno situation is like the Redskins. Leno is like the Redskins offensive line. Shows following Leno's poor idea of a 10 P.M. show have suffered in the ratings. Much like other elements of the Redskins offense have suffered with horrible O-line. The evening news and Conan O'Brien are mirrored by a tattered Clinton Portis, beseiged Jason Campbell, etc. Sincerely, James (1/14/10)

"Yesterday I got tired of hearing "99.1" thrown around on the hfs stream and thought maybe I was missing something." - While hearing 99.1 thrown around may have irritated you, maybe the person or persons who are programming HFS on 94.7's HD2, is someone who is trying to keep the heritage, the history and nostalgia of WHFS alive, while trying to create a "new" HFS for a new generation at the same time. Someone who, with little resources, and no budget, is trying to bring WHFS back to the people, the only way he can! This person is not in the position to put WHFS back on 99.1 or any other frequency, but is tasked with keeping HFS alive. And is doing it mostly as a labor of love! (1/14/10)

Everybody's favorite crazy Uncle, Pat Robertson, says the earthquake in Haiti is a result of a pact with the Devil. He is apparently referring to a 1791 Voodoo ceremony, to rid the nation of oppressive French rule. firedoglake.com www.youtube.com (1/14/10)

Enjoy reading about wjfk, mike omeara, Geronimo. Thanks for info. (1/14/10)

Bad photo, nice article- pretty cool... www.washingtonpost.com (1/14/10)

/\ January 14 Messages /\

\/ January 13 Messages \/

"..........FCC Issues Waivers For Public Radio & TV Haiti Quake Fundraisers........" Gee. How about a little help for the victims of Katrina? Americans first? (1/13/10)

Dave's response: The FCC did issue a waiver for Hurricane Katrina fundraisers.....

“Dave's response: Come on guys! Finito!” Nobody likes a quitter Dave: I ain’t even got a dog in this fight, either. Meanwhile, Barney’s Frank, according to local WASHINGTON RADIO STATIO WMAL’s MARK LEVIN said the following: washingtontimes.com... Even though these MSM people said this: wsj.com (1/13/10)

Ohhh yyyeaaahhh I try to post an eeny weeny F.U. to fence hoppers( heh google that one for is double entendre) and it oh...er...got lost but even after multiple warnings these digital age Laurel and Hardys keep spewing almost clever,nearly hidden jabs at each other at best and outright bitchslaps at worst and it gets posted. Yesterday I got tired of hearing "99.1" thrown around on the hfs stream and thought maybe I was missing something. I switched my radio over to FM and dialed up 99.1. Through the static I heard the last notes of Jeff Buckley and the last legal call of WHFS Annapolis. I bolted out to my truck and its better reciever picked up the El Zol intro and howls of laughter. I felt pretty damned stupid and more than a little pissed off. I guess its no different than when the illegals took my work for half the pay and needed no insurance or credentials,which I sure as hell did, and laughed about that too. Call me racist,whatever. I didn't make the sterotypes and sure as fuck didn't make them fit perfectly. If it was illegal Russians I'd be just as pissed off. Donnie (1/13/10)

An NYC PBS station (New Brunswick, NJ), WNJB 8... per Joe-in-SSux. That station is part of NEW JERSEY Public Television...w/ it's tower in Warren Twp, NJ. NYC's public tv, WNET/13 (NEWARK, NJ) doesn't own everything yet, though it is close. (1/13/10)

From DCRTV Dave's "Twitter" feed: "...Beck doing Palin," The imagery of an activity no doubt many liberal Democrats (not to mention conservatives) would love to engage in! Face it... she's hotter than Pelosi! (1/13/10)

Re: 700 AM: I heard WDMV on the air this afternoon for the first time since long before they went dark. They were playing a variety of country, oldies (both R&B and rock - with some emphasis on the Beatles which included demo tracks) and so forth. The thing is, I noticed they were on 'til after 5:15. I thought sunset sign-off around here was 5:00 in January. Either way, with their signal being what it is, I thought an innovative music format for them might be classic country with a bluegrass and/or americana show on the weekends. (1/13/10)

Maybe I am being optimistic, but i don't believe I'll get WGAL 8 myself honestly nor can I now, but I do know someone who's getting most of the DC stations with an indoor antenna on the east side of Baltimore city as we speak, including northern VA's ION 66 which would be unthinkable in the NTSC era, although I'm not so sure about 7 & 9. Those seem to be difficult from a distance despite the coverage plots. I think the problem is 3 things, elevation level of where you live + the fact that ATSC on VHF does not properly penetrate buildings like NTSC did + most people bought UHF ATSC antennas or got the impression that was all they needed for DTV. Clearly, the FCC screwed up in a lot of ways. I wonder if the Sinclair DVB-T proposal might have been much better for the northeast. ATSC seems designed for the heartland, not densely populated areas. That seems to be where most of the VHF DTV problems are. -- Joe in Essex (1/13/10)

Grace Anne and Ted Koppel Help Open A New Rehab Center at St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, MD... From The Enterprise, Lexington Park, MD.... a WaPo newspaper... St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown opened a new pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation center on Friday, 01/08/10, with the help of a veteran television newsman and his wife. Ted Koppel, former anchor of ABC's "Nightline" and commentator for National Public Radio and BBC America, and his wife, Grace Anne Dorney Koppel, cut the ribbon on the new center as a packed atrium of hospital staff and guests cheered. See: somdnews.com (1/13/10)

Great posts, recently from Ed Graham, Pat Murphy and Rusty. I said that I wouldn't comment on this anymore but, in an effort to end this, let me address this to Mr. Collings: Although you haven't signed them, I think we can safely assume that a majority of the negative posts, on this forum, are from you. Why, may I ask, are you so intent on destroying your career-- before it even gets started? Why are you trying so hard to be a disrespectful dick, and rub people the wrong way? Well, I think we all know why. It's free publicity. You, apparently, have a massochistic way of thinking, and feel that the fast-track to success and making a name, in this business, is by exploiting this forum to "trash" legends and get a "rise" out of them. That plan doesn't work when that name is "mud", which is, quickly, what your name is becoming. How far do you think a minor league ball player would get if he started trashing guys like Ruth, Williams, Mays and Robinson? People are viewing you as the bush-leaguer. I'm not saying that you need to respect and revere these guys. That's your choice, but you really should show a little deference. If you truly have any ability or talent, let that be what furthers your career, because your current path is counter-productive. You're like the playground bully who incessantly teases another kid because he loves to get a reaction. You seem to have an insatiable appetite for conflict and a deluded feeling of superiority. From what I can see, you don't have the "goods" to back it up, yet. And it would help if the legends would stop responding to you. This only feeds your hunger and your ego. Again, John, I'm not trying to be hostile. I'm just offering constructive advice. Concentrate on building your own career and making your own accomplishments instead of putting down those who laid the foundation. No further comment will be forthcoming, from me, on this subject. DJC (1/13/10)

Joe in Essex: You are such an optimist! The term “city grade” signal only applies to RF level. It doesn’t have a thing to do with the “reliability” of reception. I live in the “city grade” area for all of the D.C. stations. I have a decent outdoor antenna fed with RG-6. And, on a clear day I can see most of the D.C. towers from my rooftop. In the analog era, I routinely received stations from Front Royal to Hagerstown, Baltimore, down to Independent Hill. (Better known as “Dumassas”…) Since the DTV transition, I lost over 75% of the signals formerly received, including the Fox, MyTV, CBS, and ABC affiliates in D.C. Ahhh the joys of ATSC. I wonder how long it’ll be before the FCC decides its next step to “advance technology” is to discontinue conventional AM and FM radio in favor of an all-digital service up in X-Band? (And, I don’t mean 1610-1710 KHz, either!) (1/13/10)

(regarding a previous post) "I have no problems handling things out of sight of the public. ... John Collings". If any of these guys (Collings/Bicknell/Gibson) have any actual friends or family members who care about them, they really do need to arrange a "tough love" intervention for them. They all appear to be addicted to seeing their name in 'print'. This most recent post by Collings, where he suggests that he has "no problems handling things out of sight of the public" -- then proceeds to POST ABOUT IT -- certainly attests to, at least, an obsession, if not an outright addiction. What part of "Stop It!" is unclear here? (1/13/10)

I've been critical of CNN for some time, but every once in a while I'm reminded just how bad some news services really are: right now, CNN has reporters in Port Au Prince, giving live coverage of the earthquake that has killed as many as 100,000 people about 700 miles from the U.S.; FOX News, on the other hand, had Dan Quayle talking about how "wonderful" the teabag protests were last summer, interrupted only by relentless promos for Sarah Palin's new gig on the network. What a disgusting bag of shit FOX is. (1/13/10)

Mike in Fairfax: I agree that Kornheiser is a lost cause when it comes to the Caps. He's so arrogant and set in his ways that there is no way that he will recognize that the DC sports market is changing. The big disappointment with Wise is that many hoped he was more enlightened and tuned in to what listeners want to hear. Doesn't seem that way, though. (1/13/10)

Breakin Funny-Ass News: Conan O'Brien's most loyal employees are refusing to abandon their leader and have taken to Facebook to rally support for the guy NBC is treating like a redheaded stepchild. Several people who work for "The Tonight Show" and NBC have united on the social networking site and changed their picture to an Obama-esque image of O'Brien that features the words, "I'm With COCO." The COCO craze is already spreading like wildfire on FB -- and according to the guy who created the artwork, Mike Mitchell, the image has already been seen by Conan himself. So far, no sighting of any "I'm with Chin" or "I Heart Peacock" artwork floating around (1/13/10)

Does anybody know if there is such a thing as an AM/FM/HD/Internet radio in one unit? (1/13/10)

Yesterday on Hammity’s radio show at 5:40 PM, Hammity railed against a proposed tax on “Cadillac” health plans. Hammity said this tax will hurt fireman and police officers who have to take jobs with stronger, more comprehensive, health insurance. Memo to WMAL; Hammity is wrong and someone from your station needs to go on the air immediately and correct the misinformation and propaganda Hammity spewed. There has always been a provision in the health bills, juxtaposed with the term “Cadillac Health Plans,” that exempts from any tax those “with high risk professions,” “who may have more costly plans because they need more frequent doctor's visits.” Fireman and coal minors were used as examples for this exemption by Senator Rockefeller way back in October. What, doesn’t Hammity read the newspapers? It is clear Hammity does not know what he is talking about, and WMAL needs to finally yank jerk off the air for his willful ignorance. (1/13/10)

I said it here before, and I'll say it again. I'm not publicly battling you anymore, Paul (or whatever fake name it is you are using today). Not a single post, positive or negative, from me in days. I don't use fake names. So you can back off there. I invited you to discuss our issue privately and you blew me off. This little battle you are still trying to keep alive, that's all you. Invitation still stands. I am still more than willing to talk about our issues, in private. As you saw from Rusty Gibson, I have no problems handling things out of sight of the public. Until such time, why don't you move on? Now YOU are looking obsessed. -John Collings (1/13/10)

Dave's response: Come on guys! Finito!

Last comment on WDMV being back on the air: musically, I don't know where they're going. If its transmitter testing I'm hearing, so be it. But I'm hearing songs from the Beatles alternative-takes album, some crusty old blues that sounds like its on a 78 rpm platter, and from the Segue-From-Hell department comes "Lyin' Eyes" by the Eagles straight into "Don't Hang Up" by the Orlons. Wow. Oh BTW, does WDMV have a BMI license for playing music on the radio? Because eight years ago during its 'Greaseman' period it sure didn't. (1/13/10)

Re: "Mike Wise was asked about the local media obsession with Gilbert Arenas' gun troubles and the imploding Wizards while the elite Capitals are largely ignored. His response included the following: 'with all due respect, it's hockey.'" He's wrong. It's bullhockey!!!! KOF (1/13/10)

Don Geronimo - Dave, here is a nomination for the funniest quote of 2010 from Mike O'Meara "I also have spoken with Don (Geronimo) recently and we both enthusiastically follow each others careers." One Mike, you do nothing "enthusiastically" except to eat, drink & smoke - maybe your honeymoon night. Two, Mike Sorce doesn't have a career to follow. Reading between the lines, [we] know what you meant to say 'you follow Geronimo's"career" like Conan will follow Leno's career in the future.' ARRRRRRR (1/13/10)

One more thing about WGAL 8 in Lancaster... They also applied for 6 DTV translators all around central PA. I've always wondered why some of the Baltimore TV stations have never put translators out in like Cumberland, Frostburg, or Oakland, MD. Several Baltimore stations often give the weather and temps for those counties, but those counties mostly don't see it and get PA and Pittsburgh and West Virginia stations which really don't cover much news or weather out there. When I travel to Garrett County especially, I often feel like I'm in another state. You can't get news about the State Legislature or state government or the Governor outside of MPT's very limited coverage. You feel like you're completely isolated from news about your own state. Yet WJZ's advertising campaign is... "Maryland's News Station" Well, good slogan, but umm, nope, not really. (1/13/10)

It's a shame WUSA isn't an NBC affiliate. Otherwise, someone might forward the ND and GM this article on how "cheap" is not a winning strategy. Then again, Gannett is a large owner of NBC affiliates. www.observer.com (1/13/10)

Gary Froseth Memorial Service - Gary's memorial service will be this Sunday, 1/17, 2 p.m., at the Unitarian-Universalists of Gettysburg Church at 136 So. Stratton Street in Gettysburg. (1/13/10)

Wow Dave...Way to stick to your guns with this site imposed cease fire between PLB and Collings....Sense the sarcasm? You're back to allowing the sides to take shots, huh? Funny I see post after post today slamming Collings, yet not a single one from him. Tail wagging the dog, perhaps? (1/13/10)

Mike Wise kept talking about how The Fan was going to carry the Joe Bugel press conference at noon. Nothing. And no explanation...And they said they would have Bugel on the phone after the press conference...Well...nothing...Great job, donkey! (1/13/10)

Once again, in slamming FOX News, the Goucher College Media Ethics professor, The Sun's Z on TV David Zurawik, fails to mention that he is a regular contributor to CNN on CNN's Reliable Sources program while slamming a CNN competitor. (source: www.facebook.com/CNNReliableSources) Zurawik has previously slammed MSNBC & NBC News as well without mentioning his CNN connection, not to mention he's written countless stories on CBS & ABC News too, all CNN competitors. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Zurawik's opinions, this is a clear conflict of interest that should be mentioned in any story he writes about CNN competitors. Between the Marc Steiner connection, The Sun's collaboration with WJZ 13 and this, how the hell does Zurawik keep his media ethics job at Goucher College? He's a media ethics and conflict of interest nightmare! I wonder if we'll find out next that Zurawik is dating Kate Gosselin! :-) (1/13/10)

"What a pair and what an awful politicization of TV news." So pens David Zurawik at baltimoresun.com about Palin's new deal with Fox News Channel....." does this guy even know the meaning of irony? someone from the baltimore sun writing about the politicization of news. i wonder if this guy has any kind of take on the other 95% of the MSM pretending to be news. (1/13/10)

Huge multi-station VHF DTV Interference agreement involving Hearst Television's WGAL 8, ABC/Disney's WABC 7, an NYC PBS station (New Brunswick, NJ), WNJB 8, and a Philly area DTV station WBPH 9 Bethlehem, PA. fcc.gov... 3 of the 4 will substantially increase their DTV power and ABC/Disney is footing the bill to pay for both the PBS station's expenses and paying off the Philly area channel 9 to accept additional interference to the sum of over $150,000. ABC and Hearst appear to want both power increases authorized by February 1, 2009 and are requesting various waivers to make this a permanent power increase. It doesn't appear as if Hearst is contributing any money except for WGAL 8's own engineering work. Even more interesting is that this WGAL power increase would put both Baltimore & Wilmington, DE within its city grade signal, meaning pretty much anyone around Baltimore with an outdoor antenna should easily be able to receive WGAL, not to mention parts of Montgomery, Frederick, & Howard Counties. (see pic). Of course, this doesn't bother WBAL since both are both Hearst owned NBC affiliates. One wonders, if approved, might this start a rolling effect and possibly affect the DC/Baltimore area where channels 7, 9, 11, & 13 have all have similar DTV reception issues. Hmmm -- Joe in Essex (1/13/10)

'"[Yesterday], in a chat on his paper's website, Mike Wise was asked about the local media obsession with Gilbert Arenas' gun troubles and the imploding Wizards while the elite Capitals are largely ignored. His response included the following: 'with all due respect, it's hockey.' Maybe Kornheiser is right about Wise." Whether or not he's right, the fact remains that Kornheiser can't even dignify the Caps with a mention on his ESPN 980 show including when there's significant news such as Ovechkin getting suspended. Not that he devotes much time to the non-Redskins portion of the local sports scene in general, but there's been at least some discussion of the Wizards, Terps and Hoyas over the past few weeks whereas the Caps may as well be playing in Kansas City for all the attention they get (and it's not much better on the station's other local shows). At least WJFK's been taking some positive steps with hockey coverage including assigning a beat reporter to the Caps, although Wise's reply in the online chat sounds like something Andy Pollin would say and suggests that he's not that different from other members of the local media who can't seem to take the sport seriously (which is disappointing in light of earlier promises he'd made). Speaking of Mr. Tony, it appears that the 20/20 sports updates are gone from his show except for the one at the top of each hour. Inasmuch as no other program on the station has made any such change, it's clearly another example of Kornheiser being treated like a demigod there and getting his way on just about everything. He claims that nothing significant happens in sports while he's on the air so the updates aren't needed, but that's just plain wrong - the recent Jim Zorn firing and and Mark McGwire steroid confession stories both broke during the daylight hours. Not only that, but a lot of morning listeners tune in for scores from the previous night and don't want to be kept waiting 50 minutes for that. So a service routinley provided by sports radio stations has been compromised for the purpose of providing a few extra minutes for the limousine liberal to babble on and on about whatever topics happen to strike his fancy (and by the way, how could he bring on the Post's Lisa De Moraes to discuss the big TV related stories and not ask her about the 20th anniversary of "The Simpsons" which Fox marked with a special broadcast two days ago?). I know that 106.7 The Fan doesn't provide the within-hour updates either, but at least it's a consistent policy with no special privileges granted to any particular host. Mike, Fairfax (1/13/10)

(Dave it's really great to see you once again take control. I am so tired of running the site. Your response to the "unsigned angry" it made my day, night, forever! Gotta go now..you know I run a fairly successful agency..Now I'll look for a job. LOL-PLB/Davy Jones) Although I understand Dave's point re donation/bribery, since you're going, please stay gone, along with Collings, the two of you having inflicted enough hubris, irrelevance, snobbery, silliness and pettiness on the board. (Shawn in DC) (1/13/10)

Ref: WAMD - Yes after a couple of other radio gigs, I returned to Harford County to do Mornings & Program WASA/WHDG and had the distinct pleasure of working for the son of Virginia Pate-Wetter and what a lovely couple they were (controlled laughter) but it did set me up for a great gig later down the ocean at 100KHI which I will never forget. Love from downy ocean Hon ! J.J. "Hitman" McKay (1/13/10)

More Lavar Arrington news - Lavar being sued - www.news8.net (1/13/10)

Earlier post: (“Hey look! A Bicknell post that doesn't have a gratuitous name drop! Fascinating!") -Hey look! A Don Geronimo wannabe! Fascinating!!!-(and I even have a gratuitous name drop in there)PLB:0) (1/13/10)

I live in Florida now but have been a life-long fan of Don & Mike. I've tried to keep up with what Don's been doing over the last 5 years but I haven't seen anything on him in a while. Is he in the radio business at the present time and if so what is he doing? Jamie (1/13/10)

I turned on Tony Kornheiser's show to see if he'd talk about "American Idol." I know that's a running joke about his show, but I actually like the "AI" talk. And yup, he's leading the show with "AI" today. Sorry, sports fans! Christian (1/13/10)

"What a pair and what an awful politicization of TV news." So pens David Zurawik at baltimoresun.com about Palin's new deal with Fox News Channel....." What?!!? O'Reilly is not NEWS. He is TALK. He is opinion, commentary and is upfront about the fact that his show is about HIS opinions. Can't Zurawik figure out the difference between talk and news just by listening to WBAL Radio (which does both very well)? Jim (1/13/10)

Dave's response: Much of what is on the Fox "News" Channel is not "news." It is talk, with a definite entertainment-oriented factor. Sure, Roger Ailes has a very sucessful cable TV talk (!) network on his hands. But, for the most part, it's NOT news or journalism, which, frankly, only gets stellar cable TV ratings when something "big" is happening. As CNN knows.....

Monday, Rush Limbaugh said, "It was Negroes that brought Ted Kennedy his booze." I know he thought that was funny, but he seems to have forgotten that it was a Latina that brought Rush his drugs. Also not funny. Ed Graham (1/13/10)

WHY is Holly Morris on the air this morning?..She was losing her voice yesterday and today it's worse..I'm sure FOX5 could've found someone to fill in for her..Why not send Matt Acklund (although I think he's horrible in those segments), since he's filled in before..Or Stacy Cohan. Or Wisdom Martin?..Maybe they weren't available..Who knows..But Holly sounds horrible and all that talking doesn't help when you have laryngitis (1/13/10)

Hey look! A Bicknell post that doesn't have a gratuitous name drop! Fascinating! (1/13/10)

Bill Plante’s errant step-son Chris Plante gave major kudos to DCRTV’s Pin Up Girl Silvie this morning: sorry I’m so late on this but Silvie must be having either another kid or a cow given Plante’s personal attention to his lead sycophant. (1/13/10)

Wishes for a speedy recovery to Michele Peterson - spouse of longtime broadcaster and Radio America production wizard Alan Peterson - having undergone major surgery at Inova Fairfax on Jan 12 for ulcerative colitis. (1/13/10)

/\ January 13 Messages /\

\/ January 12 Messages \/

I, for one, would like to thank Oliver North, Jim Norton, Jerry Mathers as the Beav, Tom Wopat, Harry Shearer, The guy who played Larry of Larry, Daryl and Daryl, Sean Salisbury, and Morris the Cat. All of whom had absolutely nothing to do with anything I've ever done, but I felt the need to thank them anyhow as it appears name dropping is the "in" thing to do here in the mailbag. (1/12/10)

PALL BCKNILL SED I SMELD LAKE FIISH STICS AND TAYTR TOTS. TOMGAVIN (1/12/10)

I'd like to thank Nikola Tesla, Heinrich Hertz, Guglielmo Marconi, Samuel Morse, Lee Chambers (the only man to take an entire network off the air with a 64 ounce Big Gulp Coca-Cola), General Sarnoff, Lee DeForest, Reginald Fessenden, The Real Don Steele, Thomas Edison, Westinghouse engineer Frank Conrad and Sylvester "Pat" Weaver for supporting my long, hard, turgid successful career. Oh, and I'd also like to thank the inventor of the vacumn tube for assisting the rest of you geezers in sucking each others teet. I assume you all have each other's e-mail addresses, so there's no need to grab another tube of lube and brillo glove for an online circle jerk. The original "Nuff Said" (1/12/10)

Welcome to the world's biggest commercial! It's none other than NBC4's Health and Fitness Expo. For weeks now viewers have suffered thru an unmerciful and unending barrage of ads for this event. It seems like they're on every 10 minutes. NBC4 should be ashamed. I don't deny that this has been a worthwhile event, but I am tired of the ads. I'll be glad when this weekend's over, although I'm sure they've already recorded the post-event ads saying this was the greatest Expo ever and thanks to all the sponsors. BTW howcum we're not seeing the Doc Walker empire involved in this thing? Sounds like it would be perfect for him, "Go to To**y J**s for a healthy and fit meal of ribs and chicken! and stop by the Expo while you're at it!" Regards Biff (1/12/10)

Hey JJ..thanks for sharing your memories of WAMD. Didn't you "do time" at WASA in Havre de Grace. "We Always Sound Awful." I don't remember WASA as clearly, but I do remember the odd station that was WHDG-FM before WXCY was born. (1/12/10)

(regarding Dave's response) "It is kind of odd to read posts from pathetic people who want their Mailbag readable posts "just so." None of "him," a little more of "this," and just some of "that." And then "bribing" me with a pathetic donation offer (which was never real, in the first place) in order to fulfill their little dose of emotional fascism. Frankly, you can take your "potential donation" and shove it up your bung hole. The Mailbag is what it is. God bless and toodle-ooo....." Dave, I must tell you that your response was like a hit to the solar plexus and literally took my breath away! You have definitely misunderstood both the intent and motivation of my original post. Frankly, your invitation for me to take my potential donation and shove it up my bung hole, comes as a shock, a total surprise - and it is very disappointing. For many years, I have tried to send items to the Mailbag and occasionally, content for the Archives, which I thought might be of interest to both you and the DCRTV readers. Until your amazing response just now, you have given me no indication that any of my input was unwarranted or unwelcome. Perhaps my post hit you wrong or you were having a bad moment. If that's the case, I can understand that. You're only human, after all. DCRTV is yours, of course, and you don't need me (or anyone, really) to tell you how to run it. My offer of a donation was sincere - as was the notion that the sometimes daily multiple posts by several Mailbaggers do get rather tedious. While I'm sure you don't operate your site on the basis of consensus, we all know that this isn't the first time that readers have expressed a similar sentiment, concerning the three people I mentioned. Your strong reaction really was out of the blue and, I think, out of character for you. (1/12/10)

Dave's response: Just tired of getting "donation bribes" from Mailbaggers in order stop someone from posting. I'd never do that. And it's quite insulting to even think that I would. I do trash posts that are tasteless and often after someone complains about something. But I'd never trash a post or posts from someone for a donation of a few bucks from someone else.....

Dave it's really great to see you once again take control. I am so tired of running the site. Your response to the "unsigned angry" it made my day, night, forever! Gotta go now..you know I run a fairly successful agency..Now I'll look for a job. LOL-PLB/Davy Jones (1/12/10)

Hmmmm, I’m not so sure about Jim Williams’ statement concerning the Caps on NBC. As far as I can see, they could get UP TO four games on the network. What NBC does is pick one game from that list 13 days out. The Caps’ game against the Flyers on Jan. 17 was on that list in late December, but NBC opted for the Chicago-Detroit game and touted it on the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day. Seeing that the NHL is obsessed with the Penguins, it may go with their game against Detroit over the Caps-Lightning on Jan. 31. I think the pre-Super Bowl Pens at Caps is a slam-dunk (whoops) for Feb. 7. So I’m not so sure they will get four regular-season games on NBC, and I’m pretty much certain it won’t be more. Charles in Winchester (1/12/10)

Sincere thanks from: forgotten co-workers from 40 years ago who built and saved this industry including Allen Prell, Pat Murphy and Joel A. Spivak and the rest of us to:.Ned Ferris, late of both WKWK-FM and Z-104, Frederick. PLB/Davy Jones (1/12/10)

Of course Cumulus Media owns WSBA. The licensee is the name Susquehanna Radio Corp. This like Jacor and AMFM which remained on Clear Channel owned licenses until recently. (1/12/10)

Dave, I'd gladly make a donation to DCRTV if we could manage to go a full month without posts by Paul Bicknell and Rusty Gibson. These two and their multiple posts - sometimes on a single day - have gotten awfully tiresome. And, if you include ThePenis in a 30-day embargo, I'll double my offer. (1/12/10)

Dave's response: It is kind of odd to read posts from pathetic people who want their Mailbag readable posts "just so." None of "him," a little more of "this," and just some of "that." And then "bribing" me with a pathetic donation offer (which was never real, in the first place) in order to fulfill their little dose of emotional fascism. Frankly, you can take your "potential donation" and shove it up your bung hole. The Mailbag is what it is. God bless and toodle-ooo.....

Here we go again. Today, in a chat on his paper's website, Mike Wise was asked about the local media obsession with Gilbert Arenas' gun troubles and the imploding Wizards while the elite Capitals are largely ignored. His response included the following: "with all due respect, it's hockey." Now, let's put aside that Wise's comment (i) was smug, arrogant and condescending to the fans of what, by all measures, is currently the second most popular sports team in town (with a bullet) and (ii) tends to reflect poorly on Wise's character. HOW STUPID WAS IT? I mean, the guy has a sports talk show that appears to be getting routinely trounced by his competition. He writes a column for a shrinking newspaper that is hemmoraging subscribers. So why go out of your way to p.o. people and make enemies? Even his colleague Dan Steinberg took him to task on Steinberg's DC Sports Bog blog. Maybe Kornheiser is right about Wise. (1/12/10)

Wow! Driving home from work I decided to punch-up AM 700 just for the heck of it to see what they might be playing. Would you believe, "Seven Little Girls Sitting in the Back Seat Kissing and Hugging With Fred" by Paul Evans? That songs is 50 years old. Talk about oldies variety!! Of course we know it's just filler for now until they decide what their next move is. P.S. Conan and Jay can both go sit at home and count their millions. Letterman is no longer funny either. In my opinion, Jimmy Kimmel is the only one on late night that is funny. Tom in Frederick (1/12/10)

(From DCRTV's Classified Ads:) Decade plus experienced broadcaster seeking full time employment in the Washington DC or Baltimore market. Hosted and produced the number one Arbitron rated seven to midnight radio show in Fredericksburg VA. Let me bring the numbers to YOUR radio station. Contact Peter Lee Richards at Radiopete@aol.com (1/12/10)

I've been clamoring for 5 years 3 hours and 54 miutes! Donnie....no not THAT one...the HFS freak.... (1/12/10)

RE;The two big ratings stars on DC urban stations are both syndicated - Steve Harvey (on WHUR) and Tom Joyner (on WMMJ)".....WHAAAAAAAA? Listeners PREFER syndication over locally homegrown and been around for ever, Donnie? Don't they know that only local radio is good and pure and worth listening too? LOCAL LOCAL LOCAL PEOPLE...CHANT IT WITH ME! Oh wait, nobody cares...and why aren't they clammering to get HFS back on the air? Geez the nerve of these listeners! (1/12/10)

NBC's late night mess, in the Examiner! www.examiner.com (1/12/10)

Ed Graham, Johnny Holliday, Ed Graham, Ed Rodriguez, Chuck Jackson, Johnny Dark, Joel Denver, Pat Murphy, Davy Jones-----forgotten coworkers 40 years ago? This poster has had too many mushrooms. (1/12/10)

(Re: Today's DCRTV.com Plus "WASH Radio Memory".) Anyone who doesn't know the story behind the late John Bodnar's "Go To Jail For Coke" 1981 fund-raiser for Muscular Dystrophy can read the details here: DCMemories.com (1/12/10)

I have to laugh every time I see the FOX5 commercial where Shawn Yancey says that they have the best reporters in town..As per who??!!!..And what criteria is being used to determine this?..The big wigs that tell you to say that?..Shawn, do you REALLY believe what you;re reading off the teleprompter?? (1/12/10)

RE: "Finally...who the hell are "Drake/Chenault" and "Houndog"? Hey smart guy, anyone who knows radio understands that Drake/Chenault established the top 40 format as we know it today. Indeed. Some 30 years ago, we ran Drake-Chenault's automated XT-40 format, with live-assist in the morning, at a 50,000 watt FM station in Wheeling, WV. If I must say, it sounded pretty damned decent, given the shoestring budget corporate gave us to work with, and that we ran the format using a Shaeffer 903E system. Many thanks to Art White of Allentown, PA and Chief Engineer John Lane for keeping us going. Ah, those were the daze! ~Ned Ferris, late of both WKWK-FM and Z-104, Frederick. (1/12/10)

Donnie Simpson - When I worked there, I was told by management that Donnie was CBS Radio’s highest paid employee (aside from the big suits in NY)…makes sense they’d want him out of there (1/12/10)

OK I've been listening to 'an HFStival echo' on....99.1 whfs?!?? ...even a WHFS Annapolis ID...since Noon today. The 99.1 thing is REALLY F-ing with my head. Alot of the old liners and bumpers too. This is the best I've heard from HFS since the 90s. Not just today,I mean in the past couple weeks. If this was on a main FM signal nothing in MD/DC would touch it!!!!!!!!! Kinda like.....whfs....its an echo(echo) on 99.1 whfs.... (1/12/10)

Good story( WAMD) Eddie!!!! One day I gotta tell my Bud and Molly Messner stories from my first job at WCBG 1590 in Chambersburg,Pa.in the late 70’s. brianCarter (1/12/10)

To know Pat Murphy is to love him…that goes for Joel, Prell and others. Jamesonian, you have great taste! PLB/Davy Jones (1/12/10)

Ref: WAMD - I was PD/Morning DJ there I think it was 1971-72 and shared some funny times with the Allen's - a couple of things I will never forget - going to the post office every morning with Mr. Allen it was like a day at Mayberry, And a commercial in the morning that I would have to read "Live" about compost and "sloppy" Manure WOW a little hard to take at 6:15am......I used the air name of Marv Ellis at the time and got a chance for couple of years to play Wally Cleaver with the Allen's - I (with a lot of arm twisting, turned the station to adult Top-40) from some I don't exactly know what in the hell it would be called, but we had fun...PJ Marx did mid days Chase Landers PM drive and a night jock named Les Roberts he did a great radio show when he wasn't on a bar stool at the EAGLES NEST (our favorite watering hole) gonna miss the ole' WAMD - J.J. "HITMAN" McKAY Ocean City, Maryland (1/12/10)

Jeezus H. Christ, ENOUGH ALREADY. If PLB spent as much time working as he does typing dull reminiscences about how wonderful he and his forgotten coworkers were 40 years ago, he'd be running DC radio. Get out of the basement and get a job, dude. (1/12/10)

Have I ever mentioned that Pat Murphy is a RADIO GOD?!? Just curious... and I still have a set of tars for sale that fit a '67 Plymouth, so if anyone can pass that info on to Prell I'd appreciate it. –Jamesonian (1/12/10)

"Ever since the 70's." -- I once heard in an interview conducted with a local DC personality that "Talk is bogus". (1/12/10)

Allen Prell, Pat Murphy and Joel A. Spivak. Clever, insightful, civic-minded, always funny, always pertinent, and missed every day by me. No lie. Every day. –Jamesonian (1/12/10)

Earlier, I posted a little verbiage of some of the local icons (who happen to be friends of mine). And PLB your comments are appreciated as you shall remain "GoodGuy Davy Jones". I'm proud to call you my friend. John Collings (who E-Mailed me privately). I certainly meant no venom against you or your show (just wanted to clarify that publicly). I find it interesting that so far no one has mentioned the fine Mark McGuire interview which aired live on The LB Network last night that Bob Costas, a guy who loves and appreciates baseball l(as I do). Good on ya' Bob! Though Mr. McGuire, you can't unring a bell nor can you polish a turd. Rusty Gibson, WEBR Radio/Fairfax (1/12/10)

Does anyone find it interesting that the photo displayed in the ads for "TommyGriffiths" looks very much like actor Ben Stiller? Or am I the only one that thinks so? Rusty (1/12/10)

"Pat Murphy- How long have you done talk format radio?" Ever since the 70's. I have to give Allen Prell credit for it. He was at WLMD(Laurel MD) in the early 70's when I was doing mornings at WMOD.(now WMZQ) My newsman was John Christopher who's roomate was PD at WLMD where Prell worked. Prell and I became friends and when he went on vacation, I sat in. I had a ball sitting in for Prell so I started employing more "talk" segments into my morning show on WMOD after that. I'd have long conferences with the PD over "you have to play x amount of records an hour. All the while I"m taking calls from folks like Mildred the Moaner (used to have an orgasm on the phone) and other random lunatics that would call. From then on, no matter what format, I'd do "talk" or "rock/talk" for my programs. In the early 90's I was President of the National Association of Radio Talk Show Hosts NARTSH and served right after Jerry Williams (WRKO) and before Mike Siegal (KING) Talk radio been very good to me! (1/12/10)

I have a reliable source that tells me WAMD was taken off due to bleeding. There is no more to be done in NYC, that job is done w/WAMD at 300day/500 night. This is simply a financial issue and they are seeking a buyer. (1/12/10)

Since when did the mailbag become some sort of radio guy mafia hideout? Good grief. (1/12/10)

Paul, read your post about the music being played, you are right on target with not just 105.9, it’s the entire broadcasting arena. There are so many great songs that are not played due to “research”. The scope of preferred songs is and will continue to be totally repetitive. This includes the tributes to those that have passed, such as Lynard Skynard, John Lennon, Elvis, Janet Joplin…the same “tired interviews”. I’d love to hear some variety in the classic arena. There is so much out there. It will have to change, and I, like Ed Graham think it will, in order to survive. Regards, PLB/Davy Jones (1/12/10)

In a world that doesn't suck CBS would put WHFS BACK on 99.1 in about half an hour,correcting a five year ongoing brain spasm. But the world does suck and one requires a brain to have a brain spasm. (1/12/10)

WSBA is now owned by Cumulus Media. They bought the York cluster in 2005. (1/12/10)

Rusty, as always you are the consumate gentleman. Pat Murphy and I go way back, Ed Graham and I go way back, Johnny Holliday and I go way back Ed Rodriguez and I go way back...and of course Johnny Dark and I go way back and there are so many others I could mention..and we are all still good friends cause we're all part of the legend of Rock and Roll. You have no idea how much we all appreciate the fruits this business afforded us and our families. Looking back and thinking about the young people we have all helped is enough to make the trip worth while. We've all been unemployed, we've all been into other careers and we all look back with pride at the folks we helped along the way. I so well remember taking young "rockers" and helping them build careers such as Joel Denver, Jim Collins, Lee Chambers...I know Ed Graham helped me through some rough times and it was so appreciated. Thank you so much for the kind words. By the way, I agree Pat Murphy was one of the pioneers of Rock/Talk. Dave Hughes has help keep the legends alive. You're right, it doesn't hurt to be kind to people. "Nuff Said"PLB./Davy Jones (1/12/10)

105.9 doesn't need Mikey O. I actually like the station. At least it rocks. It's repetitive but it's trying to tap into people my age [49] that WANT to hear some Van Halen in the middle of the day. It actually is better than the Boneyard on Sirius which seems to enjoy playing the same five 20 minute long Black Sabbath or Rush songs every single day at about the same time. I actually turn Sirius off to listen to 105.9. Paul (1/12/10)

Tuned in to 970 AM on the ride home last evening just to find out what was audible, and was able to hear "Hannity" on station WJMX, Florence, SC. Faded in and out. This morning, all I could determine was that it was talk. Signal is too weak to tell what type. Thanks to Ed. R. for the nice post on WAMD. Doug in Bel Air (1/12/10)

Omeara did not end up on 106.9 for several reasons. One - Jack Diamond doesn't want another big dog pissing in his playground. Two - Omeara would have eaten Kenny King for lunch. Three - it is a gamble and radio does not gamble in the PPM world. Four - it all probably came down to money. (1/12/10)

Dave's response: You mean 105.9, but O'Meara on 106.9, WWEG? Hmmm. I still think that WINC-FM should pick up the O'Meara show. There's a bigger ad base awaiting if the Winchester 92.5er can pick up more Fairfax/Loudoun/Prince William listeners. It certainly has the signal to do just that. I also think that WINC-FM should pick up the Nationals, and give them decent FM coverage throughout Northern Virginia. I guess Centennial just doesn't really want to make a lot of money with that killer signal, huh.....

What ever happed to Mike O'Mera and crew going to 105.9? (1/12/10)

Dave's response: Kenny King's lucky number is 21, and the station's programmer is trying his best to keep the new turgid classic rocker in the 21st ratings spot. Not having O'Meara doing the morning show was the best way to do that, along with not playing too much U2 and Nirvana - and no Bruce Springsteen. For some crazy reason, the Cars are OK, though.....

The more I think about David Zurawik and media ethics, the more I get a bad taste in my mouth. Zurawik rarely mentions that The Baltimore Sun is a media partner with WJZ 13 in his Z on TV column when covering WBAL or stories related to WBAL radio or TV or stories that they all cover. Not to mention, he and Sun columnist Dan Rodericks both have close ties to WYPR, Baltimore's NPR station, another media partner, and the station that Zurawik and Marc Steiner both worked at for many years. Zurawik also has an association with CNN and has criticized both MSNBC and FOX News quite harshly over the last year. Shouldn't Zurawik be a little more diligent in disclosing these things when declaring a media scoop or delivering media criticism at the very least? (1/12/10)

A special thanks to Ed Rodriguez for his post on WAMD, and especially the little bit about Mr. and Mrs. Allen. I about split my sides; that made my day. Best & thanks, Stan Fetter (1/12/10)

(regarding a previous post) "I closed that episode by playing a rendition of 'Wind Beneath My Wings' as a tribute." That loud noise you just heard, was the sound of my Schmaltz-O-Meter kicking into high-gear - then exploding! (1/12/10)

/\ January 12 Messages /\

\/ January 11 Messages \/

Hey Ed Graham; you of all people should be aware of the MANY superstars whom have gained from the influences of the predecessors that you mentioned. Need I say the iconic Johnny Dark? "JD" has been the ultimate radio idol to me as far as I can remember. A couple of years ago he graced the WEBR studios when he appeared on my show. I closed that episode by playing a rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings" as a tribute. And of course PLB (Davy Jones) enlightened me and the rest of the world with his incredible stories and his class when he too appeared on my show. You had mentioned the first "ShockJock", which to me could be no one other than Pat ("Murphy In The Morning") Murphy. His ongoing battles with then Fairfax Board Chairman Jack Herrity were legendary. The incredibly talented Johnny Holliday deserves mention as well. Were you even aware that he was the voice of NBC's "Hullabaloo"? Yes, "Mr. Ed" we have been blessed with the enormous talent of those I have mentioned. Whom I'm sure were influenced to a certain degree by the names you spoke. And of course our friendly webmaster Dave deserves all of the credit for arranging the chance for me to meet these fine individuals. See John Collings, it doesn't hurt to be kind to people. Peace 2 all, Rusty Gibson WEBR/RadioFairfax (1/11/10)

Of what use is a 50 kW daytime WDMV? Hasn't anyone noticed 1030 AM is also a daytime fifty-large stick and doing absolutely nothing with itself? The potential audience in the Frederick area bailed on AM ages ago, and an Oldies/Spanish format cannot pull any listeners or advertisers. Tell Sima Senior he should just rescind the application and return the land to the farmers. (1/11/10)

Re: "...could someone point to any current example of the influence of Alan Freed, Cousin Bruce, The Wolfman, Murray the K, etc? Because I'm pretty certain that whatever changes were made in their wake have disapeared in the years and years and years and years and years since their haydays. Finally...who the hell are "Drake/Chenault" and "Houndog?" I have a feeling this is bait, but if someone not in radio is curious, here is a small example of how the past influences the present. (by the way, it's good to hear from EdRod) In the 50s, the DJs that did a morning show, sometimes had a newsman. People like Johnny Holiday, Jack Gale, Don Imus, and others decided to add more to their programs by adding characters (actually voices that they did) to their programs. It was very entertaining, and didn't cost extra. Then Scott Shannon, working in New York with a budget started adding real characters who were funny and developed what we still call a morning zoo. Still to this day, there are variations in every major city in the country. Even cable, sports morning shows, and talk shows use the tactics developed in Shannon's zoo. One of the sad developments is that really bad copies are everywhere. If you want to read about the other people mentioned, use google. Radio will return to entertainment in the next decade, it has too, to survive. Some of the people you mentioned, saved radio when it was floundering because of TV. Ed Graham (1/11/10)

All former ABC personnel (radio, TV, WMAL) are invited to visit Facebook and join the group ABCeniors. (1/11/10)

If I recall correctly, both the WCBM 680 50kw app and the WDMV 700 50kw app were mutually exclusive when originally first filed many many years ago & even shared engineering data, so ironically WCBM is probably the only one left who'd really like to see the Birach proposal to go through since it would significantly reduce 2nd adjacent interference to WCBM from WDMV and help WCBM's daytime signal. If you look at the proposed plot for WDMV, you can see that it's specifically designed with nulls toward Baltimore & WCBM, while the 5000 watt currently licensed signal does not and significantly overlaps WCBM. (1/11/10)

Re: Susquehanna and WSBA - Until the silent station's license is cancelled, another station's mutually exclusive application will be dismissed. btw- I don't think the FCC's protection of licensed facilities is a bad thing, even in the case of the stations accused of "STA abuse". Someone seriously interested in the spectrum can make a business deal with the station and move forward immediately. Remember- any newly vacant allotment space will be put up for auction by the FCC, not given for free to whomever files for it. (1/11/10)

I checked out WDMV after you stated they are back on the air and noted they were broadcasting in Spanish. It appears that their signal into Rockville is much weaker than before they went silent. I wonder if they are transmitting with much reduced power. Dick (1/11/10)

I'm surprised that Susquehanna hasn't filed an FCC application to expand WSBA 910's signal now that Entercom has taken Scranton PA's AM 910 dark. fcc.gov... WSBA has signal issues in Lancaster, Lebanon, & parts of Harrisburg that might be able to be solved now that there is not another Class B AM 910 so close by in Scranton. www.radio-locator.com (1/11/10)

I just read the FCC 50 kW application for WDMV. I hope Munn-Reese - the engineers who created the report - asked for payment up front before punching a single button on their calculators. (1/11/10)

Pat Murphy- How long have you done talk format radio? (1/11/10)

Perhaps confused then, for which I stand corrected. No need to attack a person for asking a simple question. You sound just as angry as another old radio guy who post in here. (1/11/10)

Dave's response: Let's not cross "the line".....

Well... I guess it may snow tonight since I'm posting here twice in one day but, I just had to say how sorry I am to read of the passing of Gary Froseth. He was a kind, talented, generous man and a true joy to work with. He was a "newsman's newsman" who has been, and will continue to be, sorely missed from the airwaves. Bon voyage, friend. - Ed. Rodriguez (1/11/10)

("Pat Murphy, how can you, of all people, slam a person for doing web based radio? Wasn't a large part of your life devoted to that very medium?") You are either grossly misinformed or just confused. I've never done a 'web based radio" in my life. Possibly someone took my work and played it on the internet but I did not do it. Get your facts straight before pointing fingers. Pat Murphy - Norfolk, VA (1/11/10)

Very sorry to hear about Gary Froseth. Only time I met him was when I lived in Harrisburg and we had split duties down the middle doing sound design for Theater Harrisburg. He told me he traveled up from DC to do the show. When I moved to DC I contacted him by email a few times and always meant to look him up in person. Wish I had found the time. -Al Peterson, Radio America Network (1/11/10)

There's one thing about the whole Fox/Conan angle I wish someone would address: the fact that some Fox affils are actually running news at 11 PM. Here in DC, for example, WTTG Fox5 runs an 11:00 newscast called the "News Edge" that's a lot different from a traditional 11 PM newscast. I watch it over the local alphabets' 11 PM 'casts. So, would Fox Corporate be able to tell a Fox5 to cancel its 11:00 for a Conan show? Could a Fox5 move Conan on its own to 11:30 and keep their local news? For Fox Corporate it's probably easier to tell Fox5 what to do, since Fox5 is an O&O. Now if a non-O&O is running an 11:00 show and Fox comes along and tells it to do Conan instead ... that'd be interesting. (1/11/10)

Dave's response: Yeah, DC's Fox5, WTTG, is a Fox-owned station. And if Fox was to sign Conan with the promise that he'd be on at 11 in Fox's major markets, I'm sure that WTTG would yank its 11 PM newscast. There're already 11 PM newscasts on 4, 7, and 9.....

Pat Murphy, how can you, of all people, slam a person for doing web based radio? Wasn't a large part of your life devoted to that very medium? (1/11/10)

I stopped posting here after the mailbag degenerated into a third grade mud-slinging fest. That said, I've come out of "mailbag retirement" because I've been troubled to note that, in all of the discussion of WAMD's demise, no one has seemed to mention Larry and Jean Allen. Their story is, in my opinion, much more telling about what WAMD was to that community than some local pol who doesn't seem to give a whit about that frequency's fate. When I did the early midday show (along with news and the occasional double shift... we had no part-timers for fill-ins!) around 1970-71, we were located in the old "barn" building and only the transmitter was on Hiobs Lane. Bob Lee was our PD and morning man. Bob Orr did afternoons and Bill Mitchell did evenings. And, there are so many hilarious stories about that little station. Bob Orr and I found marijuana plants growing behind the building. And, every time someone cut them down, they grew right back. I forget what we did with them but, I'm sure that it involved notifying the authorities! We ran the Orioles games on a feed from WBAL which was not that unusual. Except, every other station had the good sense to use WBAL-FM for their relay. Mr. Allen thought that buying an FM radio would be a ridiculous waste of money so we used WBAL-AM. That worked REALLY well whenever there were thunderstorms in either Baltimore or Aberdeen... or, when the guy next door turned on his fluorescent bathroom or kitchen lights... or shaved. Then, there was Mrs. Allen's "Homemaker's Corner... with Jean." The show ran for 10 or 15 minutes every morning at 11AM, live, with a replay at 2PM. We had to record it onto a tape cartridge that was the size of a Corvair. And, "wobetide the sailor" when that tape broke and Mrs. Allen had to do the show live twice! Most of the equipment in our production room was from Heathkit. Mr. Allen assembled it. Really. He was actually a pretty good "chewing gum and baling wire" engineer. He had a lot of MacGyver in him. He also played a mean Jazz saxophone and had played with several regional bands in the 1930's and 40's. His brother owned WCMC in Wildwood NJ and they had a constant, friendly sibling rivalry between the two stations. Occasionally, I rode with Mr. Allen to pick up copy from local merchants. They were always happy to see him and appreciated having a local voice to advertise on that wouldn't break their budgets. But, my favorite story is still the day that Mr. Allen yelled at me for playing Rock and Roll music during "housewife time." Dumbfounded, I stammered out that we were a Rock and Roll station. Mr. Allen grabbed the phone and called PD Bob Lee on the intercom. "Bob... we're not a Rock and Roll station, are we? (pause) When? (pause) 1966? Goddammit! Why don't you people discuss these things with me?" He looked at me and said, "Well, I'm sorry I got upset there, Eddie. But... please try to slip in something a little softer before and after Mrs. Allen's show. Maybe a Sinatra or a Tony Bennett song. Okay?" They were the epitome of "Mom and Pop" operators. Mrs. Allen even told me that I was "a wonderful boy... if my hair just wasn't so long!" If you've made it this far, thanks for reading this. Mr. and Mrs. Allen... thanks for giving me my second job in this crazy, permanently unstable business. - Ed. Rodriguez (1/11/10)

"Is that the same Pat Murphy who headed up the Free Radio Network? As well as the former head of the National Association of Radio Talk Show hosts?" Yes, the same! And don't forget I was President of the Breakfast Buddies Club too! Those weren't "rants" at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, those were educational missles, aimed at informing an abused taxpayer group! Pat Murphy - Norfolk, VA (1/11/10)

Is that the same Pat Murphy who headed up the Free Radio Network? As well as the former head of the National Association of Radio Talk Show hosts? Justin in Alexandria (1/11/10)

To Vincent in Triangle.... At 106.7 The FAN they not only have a beat reporter for the Redskins, but Grant Paulsen covers the Wizards for them and Sky Kerstein covers the Capitals for them. You can check out all their post game video interviews and recaps at www.1067thefandc.com (1/11/10)

Another Birach note: Both construction permits for WDMV 700 & WGOP 540 seem to be expired now and I assume officially dead. The WDMV 700 50kw app had been altered to not need a new transmitter site. fcc.gov... And the WGOP 540 application was resubmitted as well, but it doesn't appear the FCC has taken any action on these proposals, so I assume they are both dead. fcc.gov (1/11/10)

Whatever happened to Rob Heckman of 98rock ? What is he doing these days ? (1/11/10)

I got an email today from some at Salem that they are looking to sell WAMD. They paid $2.4 million for the place. I can not imagine finding a buyer for anything close to that! Especially with a stripped down signal like it has now. (1/11/10)

RE: "Finally...who the hell are "Drake/Chenault" and "Houndog"? Hey smart guy, anyone who knows radio understands that Drake/Chenault established the top 40 format as we know it today. All of those people mentioned have revolutionized radio in some form. Their effects are still felt, as Howard and Greaseman were "mocks" of the Wolfman. Howard did revolutionize the industry, but the bad part is that he will not find a job back on FM. Like many former large talents, he has priced himself out of the industry. The radio biz is hurting too much to take on such a large salary--its too risky. (1/11/10)

Wow. At some point in the distant past a jock on some forgotten station complained about the service he got from a customer's business. What a hysterical freakin' story. Has anybody in radio NOT done this..?!? Got any from the last 50 years, grandpa? And while we're at it, could someone point to any current example of the influence of Alan Freed, Cousin Bruce, The Wolfman, Murray the K, etc? Because I'm pretty certain that whatever changes were made in their wake have disapeared in the years and years and years and years and years since their haydays. Finally...who the hell are "Drake/Chenault" and "Houndog"? (1/11/10)

First of all thanks “Murph”…I have a memory…How many remember the “Peacock Buick” rant on WMOD. It seems Pat had an unhappy situation with the dealership and went on the air and vented about the service, the company in general, and the management! Well, the GM at WMOD, Mike Cohen got a lot of heat from the Peacock folks and Pat was severely reprimanded for his act of courage. I don’t remember the final outcome but I do know that life continued. The bit was hilarious. From one Vet, to another..arf, arf..PLB/Davy Jones (1/11/10)

If WAMD 970 is dark, I suggest they notify the FCC soon, because so far, nothing has been filed. Speaking of running stations & businesses into the ground, if you've ever wondered why Red Zebra is run so poorly, apparently this is contagious among Daniel Snyder's businesses. I noticed Six Flags has purchased advertising on certain cable channels. Yet it's the dead of winter when all the parks are closed for months ahead. Even if you were planning to go to Six Flags next spring or summer, who would be buying tickets now? Hell, it's so cold in Florida, I bet even Disney is having trouble selling tickets & packages. Talk about a complete waste of ad money, no wonder Six Flags is losing money! (1/11/10)

Sidebar to your note about Birach's 700 returning - from 2009 FCC filing - "DUE TO A DISPUTE WITH LOCAL MANAGEMENT AND IN ORDER TO RETAIN ITS REQUIRED CONTROL OF STATION WDMV, BIRACH BROADCASTING CORPORATION WAS FORCED TO TAKE THIS STATION OFF THE AIR ON FEBRUARY 6, 2009. BIRACH BROADCASTING CORPORATION IS ATTEMPTING TO RESOLVE THE MANAGEMENT PROBLEM AND WILL RESTORE THE STATION TO THE AIR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." (1/11/10)

Pat Murphy! Pat Murphy! Please come to my house and wake me up in the morning by ranting about the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors! I miss the old days.... You and Prell at WEEL saved my childhood. I still need to sell a set of tars. – Jamesonian (1/11/10)

Good frosty day - Please make reservations today for our next Q&A Cafe with Chris Hansen of NBC's "Dateline," who made news with his series, "To Catch a Predator," and with his recent look at Yemen's role in the roots of the failed terrorist attempt to blow up a U.S. airliner. The program is Thursday, January 28. Seating begins at noon. The fee is $50, all inclusive of a full lunch and soft beverages, valet parking is available at a discounted $10. The reservations number at the Georgetown Ritz Carlton is 202.912.4110. On New York Social Diary this week, I look at some components of Washington "society" through the experience of the 55th Washington Antiques Show. Also, an executive health physical at a big city hospital. www.nysocialdiary.com... Last week on New York Social Diary, my focus was the closing of decades old Coach Stop restaurant in Middleburg, and an update on the alleged third White House gatecrasher, Carlos Allen. www.nysocialdiary.com... Have a good week, and I hope to see you on the 28th at the Ritz. Carol (1/11/10)

Regarding Red Zebra, it could have assigned its "beat reporter" to another team (Capitals?) until training camp began -- but alas, in D.C. sports radio, non-Redskins teams are deemed unworthy of such treatment. (Something that unfortunately holdstrue at WJFK, too.) Good to hear from Pat Murphy again, who I fondly recall from his WMOD days; someone should inform him, if he hasn't heard already, that nowadays there really IS a "mayor of Manassas." -- Vincent in Triangle (1/11/10)

Hey Dave-- I hope this correspondence finds you well, and off to a great start to the new year at dcrtv.com I am forwarding a piece I wrote for the local papers in Harford County (and shared with The Sun's David Zurawik) that I thought might be of interest to your readers. As you may know, Jim McMahan remains in Harford County (MD) serving as a distinguished member of the Harford County Council. Bob Callahan is enjoying retirement in Florida. Let me know if you're interested. With everything going on in the broadcast biz these days, and so much talent sitting idle, I would be surprised if you didn't get some good dialogue going on the website. Take care! Chuck Jackson (1/11/10)

ANOTHER SLICE OF AMERICANA RADIO DISAPPEARS FROM THE DIAL... On the 10th day of January, 2010, when days are supposed to be getting longer and brighter, the sun set for the last time on a radio station in the Harford County town of Aberdeen, as station WAMD went dark on its final day of broadcasting. The station owner, Salem Broadcasting, apparently needed to clear the air for another station in its radio cluster, also transmitting on AM-970, to beam its signal into the area from hundreds of miles away. It’s a sad day for many of us who got their start in broadcasting, thanks to the man who once owned WAMD, James V. McMahan Jr., who everyone came to know on the air as “Capt’n Jim.” Prior to his retirement in 2003, thousands of loyal listeners tuned in to hear his homespun morning broadcasts that clearly conveyed his genuine love for the community and his untiring passion to make it better. Off the air, Jim was just as passionate about his determination to get it right, especially when it came to news. Growing up in Bel Air as the son of the city’s first police chief had allot to do with Jim’s honesty, trust and integrity that guided his radio career and those, including me, he taught. “Radio is the theater of the mind,” he once told me, as he took me under his wing to teach me the radio business. The year was 1970, and Jim was the General Manager of WVOB Radio in Bel Air where he enrolled me in his Talent Technique School of Broadcasting. It was the start of a radio career that would eventually take me to Baltimore and Washington D.C. There were others, including Doug Carrick, Fred Snyder and Brad Ganson, just to name a few, who got their start with Jim and another radio great, Bob Callahan, the morning man for WVOB who was my mentor. Bob had also worked in Baltimore radio, where his natural wit and humor were viewed as more of a potential liability than a valuable asset. He left the so-called “big time” radio market for Harford County, where he could interact with an audience of listeners who truly appreciated his extraordinary talent. There were live phone calls to the local bakery, remote broadcasts from inside the display windows of businesses along Main Street, and broadcasts of breaking news using the two-way radio to the station’s news car. Even the mailman couldn’t escape Bob’s reach, as he pulled anyone who entered the station’s front door into his broadcast booth nearby for unscheduled guest appearances. It was live, local, and, most of all, extremely entertaining and fun. It was about real people, laughing at themselves, or laughing at others. Most times, it was people laughing with people, not at them, in a way that made us all feel like life-long friends. Now, sadly, another local radio station is gone, along with its people, its laughter, and, more importantly, the friendships that Jim, Bob, and so many other local radio talents have shared with us over the years in the morning to help us face the challenges of each day. WAMD might be gone, but the fond memories of this station, and WVOB, will remain with anyone, on the air or in the audience, who had the pleasure, and privilege of making them.

Not a big surprise to see the two cuts at Red Zebra. Why do you need a beat reporter and a promotions coordinator when the season doesn't start for another 7 months? They can hire two replacements for next July and save the money. This is the Dan Snyder way of business. Meanwhile I am sure the sales staff is out there telling every client that the team finally has it fixed. This year the client will actually get their moneys worth because of the changes.....LOL (1/11/10)

WAZW-LD went on the air this weekend using channel 46 with 15 kw. The result is that WBFF which was very viewable on the same channel is now no longer a choice for anyone watching with an antenna up and down the I-81 corridor. The same company operates analog transmitters on channels 28 and 48 which is why people in the area have no reception of WRC. All 3 transmitters have the same programming. The channel 28 and 48 transmitters are on the same tower. Somebody must have a very good friend in Washington. If you have your choices limited by these station the name, phone number and e-mail to complain to is. Ron Croom, 540-459-8810 wazwtv@gmail.com. And of course the F.C.C The programming I have seen from this company claims to be "family friendly" but I see more right wing bible thumping than anything. you know, the kind of preachers that claim the world is only 5000 years old. (1/11/10)

I didn't notice that David Zurawik penned a 2nd blog on Marc Steiner and WEAA baltimoresun.com.... And once again, he talks about Steiner's e-blast that had Facebook and Twitter all a buzz that Mayor Dixon had already resigned & left office. Notice the times, all after 1:30PM too, well after WBAL's Jayne Miller mentioned that the plea deal would most likely result in the mayor's resignation and end her political career & that was during the noon news hour. But more importantly the e-blast was in the past tense even though the plea agreement was not finalized or agreed upon at that time & the mayor had not already resigned & still hasn't. Also Steiner didn't get the info from inside the courtroom, nor did he do any investigative reporting. He just heard the rumor from Pastor Frank Reid and made a false declaration. Reading the Z on TV story, you'll notice Zurawik has not once mentioned WBAL or Jayne Miller. It just boggles my mind that Zurawik teaches media ethics at Goucher College, yet is defiant in standing by someone who got the story wrong in the first place as being the first to break a story. I took Journalism 101, that's not what they taught me. Has the media changed so much now that any Facebook or Twitter or e-blast rumor with an inaccurate statement is now considered a scoop if it ultimately comes true? And finally, if I'm nutty for standing behind Jayne Miller's decades of investigative reporting and news credibility over Jon & Kate + 8 / Marc Steiner obsessed David Zurawik, well thank god, I'm in damn good company! I will now return you to your regularly scheduled PLB/Collings schoolyard. Enjoy. -- Joe in Essex :-) (1/11/10)

Dave's response: The "schoolyard" is closed.....

I don't know John Collings, but I do know Mr. Bicknell. Worked with him at WMOD in the 70's and we've remained friends since. He is neither "vindictive" nor "Spiteful", but like many of us, doesn't suffer fools easily. This is probably why you and your alleged (probably made up) source have run afoul of him. Mr. Bicknell was always the consumate professional. Like I said, I worked with him and have known him for 30+ years. I think to make such an absurd attack, publicly against the man, based on second hand rumor and gossip, says more about Mr. Collings, than it does Mr. Bicknell. The old saying is, "better to be thought a fool than to write it down and remove all doubt" should ring true for Mr. Collings. Next time you attack an old DC professional broadcaster, find one that doesn't have friends that go back 3 or 4 decades. WEBR? What is that? A cable station? Webcasting? Gimme a break! Come back when you can get off the porch and run with the big dogs. Pat Murphy - Norfolk, VA (1/11/10)

Dave's response: Pat Murphy, a good way to start the new workweek with a FINAL post on this seemingly never-ending go-round between Mr. Collings and Mr. Bicknell. You two radio guys have had your say and then some. I think I speak for many in the Mailbag community and say that we've grown tired of this back-and-forth. It's over. Now, onto other topics.....

/\ January 11 Messages /\

\/ January 10 Messages \/

Maybe NBC should dump Leno and O'Brien, and do a late night reality show which would pit contenders against each other, for the top prize being the new "Tonight Show" host. A program like that couldn't do any worse than Conan has done at 11:35 or Leno has at 10:00. They might even luck out and land a new host that would attract viewers and ratings. (1/10/10)

Except for a very few times, I did not watch Leno when he had The Tonight Show, but since there are a good number of folks who would watch him, beginning at 11:35, here's an idea. I think that a 30 minute lead-in show for Leno is too short. Why not bundle Leno and O'Brien in a 90-minute block, which would be followed by an hour of Fallon? Back in the 70s, two ABC soaps, One Life To Live and General Hospital, ran in a 90-minute block, for 45 minutes each. They later both soaps expanded to a full hour. As a Letterman fan, I won't be watching Leno, O'Brien or Fallon, but maybe this kind of arrangement is a way to keep the trio (and their fans) happy. (1/10/10)

For anybody interested: checked the WWFG (froggy 99.9) player..and it's sounding good now..stereo even! If someone saw my earlier postings on this subject in the DCRTV mailbag (and if you're responsible)..thank you! Tom in Denton, MD. (1/10/10)

Jim Nichols freelances for WBAL-TV I think that he actually lives In Philly and drives to Baltimore when even Michelle Butt(BAL-TV ND)calls him for work. Also Leno needs to move on I agree with you Dave I think that what the net Is doing to O`Brein is dead wrong. Let it go Jay MOVE ON(I guess not now though). (1/10/10)

Regarding concern for the Central/Mountain markets and my thought that NBC could move local news to 10 p.m. in the east and west, Larry in Luray just reminded me that WGN has had a successful 9 p.m. newscast for years. I lived Clarksville, Tenn., when I was 11 years old and enjoyed the fact I could see Johnny at 10:30 on non-school nights (after watching Channel 4 news with Pat Sajak on weather!) but a lot of the deal with the Central and Mountain time zones has to do with old distribution methods that technology can easily overcome (sending all of the East/Central out at once, for example). Prime time is 7-10 p.m. in most of those markets, but FOX feeds them 7-9 p.m. So I don't think NBC would bear any responsibility to provide something "special" between 9 and 10 out there. Stations could either run local news at 9 and then Leno at 9:30, or run more news/game shows in the 7 to 8 block (like we do in the East) and let the prime-time stuff run 8-10, then their news would still be at the "old time" of 10 p.m., leading into Leno at HIS old time of 10:30. Remember, Leno is on in those markets at 9 p.m. right now. Charles in Winchester (1/10/10)

ok, the comment bout the football phrases to make the poster puke, got me thinking. If either Fred or Andy the next time on a Friday when they do the "Say That Again" segment say something like, "that was only #3" or " I thought that would be higher" then yeah, Im pukin'! (1/10/10)

In response to the person who suggested that a "special" mailbag be made for myself and Mr. Bicknell. This won't be necessary. My days of sparring with Mr. Bicknell and responding to his typical mailbag shenanigans are over. A DC area radio veteran contacted me earlier this week with advice. He had seen my battle with Mr. Bicknell over time and wanted to give me some insight. He happens to know Mr. Bicknell and wanted to advise me not to "engage in a public war of words" with him. This veteran said that he is a "spiteful and "vindictive person" who "will never help the younger generation of broadcasters, but will go out of his way to bury them". That all being said, I've made a personal decision to no longer argue with Mr. Bicknell in this forum. I did, however, invite him to privately discuss our issues, to which he has apparently declined. -John Collings - The Other Guys Show - WEBR (1/10/10)

(Re: NBC local news at 10.) I'm not trying to be contrary, but NBC affiliates in the Central and Mountain Time zones already air their late news at 10 o'clock. So, the boys at 30 Rock would still need to populate the 9 o'clock M-F slot for affiliates in those zones. (1/10/10)

Ok, I'll chime in on the Leno/Conan thing... I think Charles in Winchester has a perfect solution, NBC local stations go to 10 o'clock news. But the big question is would the NBC affiliates be willing to take another gamble? On the plus side, in many markets the FOX stations that have News at 10 have no direct competition, which is one of the reasons for their success. That plan would even the playing field in most top markets as they would have 2 stations doing news at 10 and 2 different stations doing news at 11 and it solves the problems of the contractual obligations of both Leno and Conan. I don't think Conan will agree to go back to 12:40am, but I do disagree that Leno couldn't do a good half hour show. In fact I think he'd be better with a shortened tighter monologue that's funnier, Headlines, 1 guest, and no musical guest he's never heard of anyway. That sounds fine to me. But would Conan settle for 12:05 for The Tonight Show? I guess we'll find it all out today or next week. I bet if Conan gets pushed back to 12:40, he'll jump to FOX. One advantage of being on FOX, they probably let him do some of the more risque comedy skits that NBC probably thinks are inappropriate for The Tonight Show and 11:30. FOX would give Conan free reign, it's clear to me NBC hasn't. (1/10/10)

Dave's response: Jay's had a good long run with the "Tonight Show." He gave that up last fall for the new 10 PM show. That's not working out. OK. Take your bags of money, Jay, and go do something else. Do a syndicated show, go to another network, whatever. Bumping Conan out of the 11:35 PM slot on NBC would only make you look bad.....

Dave maybe you could just add a "special" mailbag page for the children, Collings and Bicknell, to play on. Then the rest of us won't have to suffer through their fifth grade BS. They are ruining a good message board for the rest of us. If they ever had any legitimacy and respect as broadcasters, they have succeeded in flushing it down the crapper by their childish behavior here. I'll sign off as I always do. BC (1/10/10)

James, I'm glad we finally understand one another! Yes you do post on some very interesting topics and I enjoy them. What I don't appreciate is those that go way back to events that have indeed ,not changed the world but for some reason, keep popping up in the mailbag with the intent of insulting.. I saw the post comparing me to Joe in Essex, that was funny! Oh, and I am relaxed. From now on I'll do my best to behave and discuss the industry. Starting with the latest XM TV Commercial, the one with Pryor...and ends with Howard Stern, "he changed radio". Come on, radio changed with Alan Freed, Cousin Bruce, The Wolfman, Drake/Chenault, Houndog, Murray the K.. (Ed Graham). Thanks, PLB (1/10/10)

Hey PLB, I think my mom might have listened to you back in the day when I was in elementary school so she could harken back to her youth with those oldies songs. Can't say I've ever actually asked her. But now I'm 30, only know you through your crazed mailbag postings, and think you seem merely like a guy who is almost as nutty as Joe in Essex. Seriously, just relax. (1/10/10)

Dear Mr. Bicknell, Rest assured that I am not hiding behind a pseudonym. My name is indeed James. I noted as such in a previous post. I'll just chalk that up as you being a selective reader yourself. I wasn't aware that we were all expected to include a last name as well. For future reference, are the rest of us suppose to include a daytime phone number, Social Security Number, and major credit card number, as well? The upshot is that, by using my real first name, by your own words, it's "appreciated". Thank you, Mr. Bicknell. My question about the history of playlists in radio was a legitimate one. And I thanked everyone collectively for answering my question. The post is there. The tone you take is that all of my posts are negative and an attempt to "stir up". Not every post revolves around you. I have sent in posts remarking about other things as well. Again, I guess that's just selective reading on your part. Clearly, you like to bully on this forum. I've noticed it and have sarcastically commented on your contradictions, hypocrisy, etc.. So have others. We know you won't stop. Just don't act surprised when someone calls you out on your behavior. How nice of you on your New Year's resolution. I don't buy it, but have fun with that. And that closing "NUFF SAID!!" Clever, and I know you were serious because you used two exclamation points. Sincerely, James (1/10/10)

The NBC NFL coverage today was annoying if you're a local football fan. I think if I hear the phrases "If the Patriots beat the Ravens tomorrow..." or "the Cowboys are just 30 minutes away from a trip to Minnesota" one more time, I'm going to puke. The entire NBC crew acted as if games were already over and kept detailing over and over Jets & Cowboys playoff scenarios even before the games were even half over! And I don't think I heard any mentions of The Baltimore Ravens today without them being associated with a scenario of losing tomorrow. Thank you Bob Costas for another suck-ass morality play. Costas always fawns over his favorite teams & players and ignores or slams the ones he personally dislikes, and lately that's the Eagles (w/ Michael Vick), and he's always hated The Baltimore Ravens (doesn't believe they should even exist). I think only Joe Theisman has picked The Ravens to win tomorrow and Joe Gibbs didn't seem to know anything about the Ravens, although I'll admit, I was pleasantly surprised that his analysis of that game was better than I expected, but I was expecting the worst. (1/10/10)

Here, here. Fear-Gus-Son, Fear-Gus-Son, Fear-Gus-Son! The rest suck in com-pear-ison! JohnBoy (1/10/10)

Hey, I saw 11's weatherguy Jim Nichols on FOX 29 in Philly on Saturday. What's going on? (1/10/10)

RE: "Respect, huh? Is that what you call that multiple personality laden, false info peddling circus you kept throwing up on this site, Paul? Don't patronize me. -John Collings" Hey John, Paul and everyone else...you want to talk about respect...all of these postings are the opposite. Grow up, or take it to another site. This is a DC Radio and TV site, not a battle of the egos! Grow the fuck up and have a great goddamn weekend! -DCRTV reader that is about to become ex-dcrtv reader (1/10/10)

/\ January 10 Messages /\

\/ January 9 Messages \/

Re: "at 11:30 just show a picture of Ed & Johnny like the Christmas Yule log channel and run audio of Johnny's Karnack bits." Reelz Channel already has that idea beat, although not in that time slot: www.reelzchannel.com. I agree with Dave--both Leno and O'Brien need to be replaced. Right now, Kimmel and Ferguson are the best of the late night shows. (1/9/10)

Artie Lange out of hospital msn.com (1/9/10)

Respect, huh? Is that what you call that multiple personality laden, false info peddling circus you kept throwing up on this site, Paul? Don't patronize me. -John Collings (1/9/10)

It wasn't already bad enough that the DCRTV Mailbag has, of late, been hijacked by radio "has beens" and internet "radio wannabes" with their unending rants, feuds and pissing matches. Now we've been overrun by right wing dupes/dopes, who claim there were no terrorist attacks during George W. Bush's time in office. Not only is this nonsense wholly unrelated to the DC Radio/TV scene - the latter is disgusting and upsetting. In the mid-1970s, I worked at Army Times Publishing Company, in Southwest DC. One of my friends and coworkers there, was James Debeuneure. He later became a school teacher and was one of the people on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. He was accompanying some students on a science field trip to California. He was 58. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 happened on Bush's watch. It was a terrorist attack. And God damn anybody who disputes that! Dave, you really need to exercise better judgment, when it comes to allowing all the recent irrelevant posts here. By the way, you can see a video about James, here ... www.pbs.org (1/9/10)

Context is everything in reporting the news. Neither the DC sniper nor the anthrax attacks were ever labeled or linked to Al Qaeda terrorists by any mainstream media outlet as they occurred that I'm aware of and the shoe bomber's attempt was ultimately thwarted by airport screeners. They denied him boarding the plane on his 1st attempt because he appeared suspicious, which resulted in him wearing the shoes a 2nd day making the fuse too damp to light the bomb off on his 2nd attempt, thus thwarting the plan. It's important to note that any president will have to deal with random mass murder crime attempts, whether they are Muslim extremist influenced or not. Any person in the U.S. could randomly run down innocent people with a car or potentially shoot a lot of people. The difference is both of the attempts under President Obama had direct connections to or were actually trained by Al Qaeda and yet their activities were not stopped or hindered and basically ignored. And the 2 under Obama were both on watch lists and/or under scrutiny and should never have gotten as far as they did, nor would they have under Bush/Cheney. So, yes, Giuliani was pretty much correct. Obviously both Clinton and Bush deserve blame for 9/11, but the context of the Giuliani comment is in a POST 9/11 world. Like I said, context is everything. Abusing the intended context allows you to morph any statement into whatever you want it to mean and I can see plenty of people here in the mailbag have already done so. (1/9/10)

James, James, James...First of all you evidentley are a selective reader, so I'll clarify for you:From your post(he may have forgotten about Mr. Collings posting his name and his show's name, time, and station.) Now, From my earlier post:(Very few that come up with a snide remark or a cheap shot ever, ever post their REAL NAME WHEN THEY DO IT'S APPRECIATED.) I guess I neglected to single out Mr. Collings and yes, I did appreciate his honesty! You see, at least he let me know who he was and didn't hide behind a JAMES or some other psuedonym, so therefore I was only posting to the identified and I do respect him for that. Now, let's look at James: You continue to provoke, you never have posted an entire name, and yes, some of us with music director experience took the time to answer your question about music including me, because we all felt it dealt with the media, not this incessant bullshit you continue to try and stir up . I now would guess you are using a false name. By the way, I made a new years resolution: Post only my true identity, I'm sure you never will. Mailbaggers, don't you think this continued effort to get personal by some individuals is boring,??? I for one, do. NUFF SAID!!PLB (1/9/10)

Kimberly Sutters..The new face of the NBC4 morning weekend news?..Came in on the news as it was going off and saw her anchoring. (1/9/10)

"There were no attacks under Bush's watch." LIAR. 9/11, the anthrax attacks, the DC sniper, the first shoe bomber, the gunman in Time Square, and the attack at LAX all happened during the Bush presidency. (Those are just the ones I can remember) You can spin 9/11 every which way but the FACT still remains that it happened during Bush's term. (1/9/10)

"Gulliani (sic) is correct." No he's not. In December, 2001 Richard Reid, the shoe bomber attempted to do virtually the same act as the Christmas Day bomber. In July, 2002 Mohammed Hadeyet killed two and wounded four at the El Al ticket counter in Los Angeles. Bush's justice dept labeled it in "an act of international terrorism." During March 2006 Mohammed Taheri plowed his SUV into nine pedestrians in Raleigh in order "to avenge the deaths and murders of Muslims around the world. He described Mohammed Atta as his his "role model." The anthrax attacks, still unsolved, and the D.C. sniper case are two other domestic terrorist attacks. Rudy should stick to what he knows--marrying rich women. ACH (1/9/10)

"There were no attacks under Bush's watch"...except for that little glitch on 9/11. (and don't forget anthrax and the shoe bomber). Before you try to rewrite history, remember it was the Bush Administration's downgrading of the CSG (Counterterrorism Security Group) and the CSG's exclusion from the daily National Security briefings, along with the Bush administration's (Rice/Wolfowitz) refusal to even consider al Qaeda a serious threat, and spent their time "dithering" about Iraq's nonexistent link to state sponsored terrorism, the ABM treaty, and the Kyoto accords during the daily meetings, when they should have been tracking al Qaeda and maybe they could have prevented one of the most horrific domestic attacks in this nations history. Everyone needs to carry their own water. MW (1/9/10)

How are items about Dixon & Giuliani radio-TV related? What a sorry site this has turned into. (1/9/10)

WHFS (99.1) went to crap when Mr. Benjamin made the decision to turn from upbeat alternative to downright angry young man grunge. Pearl Jam and Nirvana ruined WHFS. (1/9/10)

I became a fan of WHFS when they were family owned and the music was all over the place. I still listened to it regularly when they went corporate. While there may be various legitimate reasons why the station failed from a management standpoint, I've always felt part of the reason for the failure was the success of the genre of music that they played. Alternative was somewhat underground. It was a fringe genre. Then, it went pop. When you end up hearing Green Day, No Doubt, or Good Charlotte on stations as tame as, say, B-101.5, there is less reason for some to tune into your station. Suddenly, other stations are digging into your market share, even if only indirectly. I found myself listening to HFS less and less over the last year or two of the station. I'm guessing I wasn't the only one. I miss HFS to this day, but not the HFS that existed in the final months. It's one of those moments where I myself am guilty of romanticizing the past and remembering Weasel and Damien, among others, playing a wide assortment of music that broadened that musical interests. Also, I notice Mr. Hughes that you do generate money from your site with ads and the dcrtvPlus. I can't fault a man for paying the bills. You might be able to generate more by instituting a swear jar on the Mailbag. I don't mind some colorful language, but some of it seems a little unnecessary at times. I find it especially amusing when some complain about the hurtful language of some posters and then turn around and post the same language back at that person. I figure the swear jar could help some people pay for their dcrtvPlus fee or maybe you could use it to buy the biggest contributors a thesaurus. As for those that are taking anonymous shots at Mr. Bicknell, I would like to start with the words of Nuff Said on the fifth of this month - But the credit bank of goodwill and respect started to erode about 7 years ago on DCRTV when he started to use multiple posting names. I've stated here before that this is Mr. Bicknell's Mailbag. If he says that people are not allowed to hide behind anonymous posts or fake names, that does not mean that he is held up to the same standard. In his mind, he is allowed to do that, but the rest of us are not. Although, with his complaint about how only cowards have been posting negative things about him, he may have forgotten about Mr. Collings posting his name and his show's name, time, and station. Perhaps Mr. Bicknell hadn't had his morning joe yet and shaken the cobwebs loose. But we must all forgive the almight Mr. Bicknell for such a transgression. Along these lines, in the Mailbag's drinking game of Mr. Bicknell's screen names, is "AHHH!" a nom de plume for Mr. Bicknell? Do we all need to hoist one back? Sincerely, James (See, posting a name isn't that hard.) (1/9/10)

Dave: I've been a fan for years, and even sent a donation from time to time, but your latest rant smacks of either amnesia or a serious change of heart. Since when, in your mind, was WHFS "the heritage gem of alt rock?" If memory serves, you bashed that station like a pinata throughout the 90's and pretty much up to its untimely death three or four years ago. In reality, WHFS changed with the times and became so popular that legendary DC-101 flipped right on top of it in 1997 or '98. Then you really went to town on 'HFS suggesting it was a lame "alternative" to the big-signal 101.1 and "a radio station built around a festival." Come on, Dave, let's stay consistent. It occurs to me that your "heritage gem" comment just may harken back many more years than that, all the way back to Bethesda. That was then, Dave. A lot's changed in the last, oh, THREE DECADES! That WHFS, were it still around, would be absolutely murdered by PPM technology and the very reality that alt rock music snobs (like yourself) would stick Pandora, personal downloads and (insert your favorite, weird Internet station here) right up the keister of WHFS boldly disclaiming the station (were it still alive) as a sad remnant of another era. CBS has pissed on the grave of WHFS by loaning the call letters to every whim of a format that's come down the pike (as though anyone who really loved the old 'HFS in any permutation would mistakenly write down those call letters for a survey). How about guys like you--who know better--show some respect? Proudly a former WHFS employee. (1/9/10)

Gulliani is correct. There were no attacks under Bush's watch. We were not at a heightened state of alert as we have been since 9/11. There was no active watch when 9/11 happened, 8 months into Bush's term. The previous administration, the Clinton administration, had decimated the active watch, in particular ordering the coastal air patrol to stand down. AFTER the events of 9/11 and the near period, the Bush admin, with particular emphasis from Cheney, began to put back in place an active watch. During the rest of his term, there were no domestic incidents. On the other hand, Obama, who was handed quite a bit of intelligence infrastructure, who was privy to info from Bush that the media does not have, who was 11 months into his term on Christmas Day, and who has avowed (until now) to reduce the intelligence committment, has had 2 incidents of domestic terrorism under his 'active' watch. There were off shore attempts during Bush'a admin, but our intelligence efforts offshore are often thwarted, as even Obama has admitted. Obama is correct that the buck for the Christmas Day attempt stops with him. We are on an active high alert 'watch' status, under Obama's direction. The failure to connect the dots and stop this attempt of domestic terrorism occured under Obama's watch. Twice. Stephy has nothing to apologize for and Gulliani did not make a mistake. (1/9/10)

Dave's response: Giuliani's only mistake was to run as a Republican and not as a Democrat, which is really what he is when he's not whoring for a party, like he did with Stephy the other morning, that's pretty much abandoned him. What a political fool.....

Here is the solution to the Leno/Conan problem. Jay just isn't that funny anymore, Conan never really was and hasn't gotten any better. Both of those time slots are MONEY, I say instead of either one of them....boot them both and at 11:30 just show a picture of Ed & Johnny like the Christmas Yule log channel and run audio of Johnny's Karnack bits. Problem solved... (1/9/10)

Dave's response: Seriously folks, the Mike O'Meara show on NBC at 11:35 PM would be better than either Leno or Conan.....

Art Clokey, the creator of Gumby has died. He was 88. www.youtube.com... His 1953 stop-action animated film, "Gumbasia," inspired the "Gumby" television show. In the 1960s, he also created and produced the Christian TV series "Davey and Goliath". In the 1970s, Clokey studied Zen Buddhism, traveled to India to study with gurus and experimented with LSD. (1/9/10)

I just has to jump in about WAMD. Back in the early 70's I was a young broadcaster who grew up in Baltimore. I remember the trek to the old WVOB Bel Air in search of a first commercial radio job, where Capt Jim was the GM as I recall. Not only did he do a great job keeping that station live and local, but he became a fixture at WAMD. It was totally amazing to me how many of Baltimore's top professionals (and voice over talent) served time on either of those stations. They learned all the ropes in small markets. You learned how to use a rubber band and paper clip to stay on the air too! Great little new departments, strong community involvement, and a staff with a passion for the business. You even had all live staff back then. From a technical standpoint I understand what Salem is doing, but at the same time hate to see what was once a great local radio voice silenced. If only those walls could talk! Happy New Year to my Baltimore radio friends. Tom Conroy WZBB-FM (1/9/10)

RE: [ " the regional climate science article in the Baltimore Sun. And thank you for providing a fantastic example of scientific illiteracy among the public. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's useless. " ]........ I understand enough to know the State of Maryland laid off hundreds & cut the pay of thousands of workers and cut programs to the poor this cold winter. I also understand that global climate scientific studies could be of great value to the future of our planet. However, the State of Maryland wasting taxpayer dollars on a regional climatology study to prove things we already know is unbelievable, not to mention there is absolutely NOTHING that can be done to change regional climatology. In other words, you cannot move DC further from Baltimore nor can you move the Chesapeake Bay or the Capitol building, nor can you remove concrete & asphalt from cities to stop the generation of heat, so what purpose does this study prove? The only thing I can see that they figured out is that the proximity of DC to Baltimore warms Baltimore & increases smog and it's cooler in the shade and near water, all things any village idiot could predict. if this study were funded largely from the federal government, I wouldn't have as big a gripe (since I'm used to the Feds wasting money on useless scientific studies). But when you have a state that is facing a huge budget crisis and putting its own state employees out of their homes this cold winter, yeah, I got a big gripe about that. (1/9/10)

I am sooo confused. Can someone please hlp me? Today I went to Baltimore City Hall and told them I wanted to see the mayor. The guard took me to the second floor to see Mayor "Dixon." I said "No! I mean the new mayor." They told me there is no new mayor. I told them I had read that Mayor Dixon had resigned. They said "Look buddy. Look right there. That lady, she's Sheila Dixon. She is the mayor." I said there must be some mistake. When a mayor resigns, isn't there an acting mayor or an interim mayor or something like that? Another city hall worker came out to answer my question and said to me "Hon, there ain't no such thing in Baltimore. As we speak, the lady sitting right there at the mayor's desk, doing the mayor's job, riding in the mayor's car, being guarded by the mayor's police officers, that's Sheila Dixon." I explained that Marc Steiner said she had resigned. Help me. Somebody explain this to me. This Rawlings-Blake lady is still sitting in the City Council President's office, and that's not even on the same floor with the mayor's office.... (1/9/10)

/\ January 9 Messages /\

\/ January 8 Messages \/

"Very few that come up with a snide remark or a cheap shot ever, ever post their REAL NAME when they do it's appreciated." *Yes, I seem to recall someone brave enough to post their real name just fully dismantle you over the last few weeks in here. (1/8/10)

What's next for the Washington Times? Before long, it'll be a couple of mimeographed sheets stapled together and sold with flowers, by young Moonies at off-ramps and major intersections. (1/8/10)

"............Media Notes: Evaluating the slimmed-down Washington Times........" You would think that Howard Kurtz might mention the price hike to $1 dollar. Has anyone noticed that the Sunday New York Times is now $6 dollars? No wonder newspapers are dying. Radio is still free. No cable needed. Between my am transisitor radio and the DC Examiner I am very happy. (1/8/10)

("This is the most recent post by the unsigned "hater": Every few weeks PLB gets his panties in a wad and somebody in the Mailbag becomes the target of his hate-fueled rants for a few days. Why? In what way does this guy's personality disorder relate to the discussion of radio and TV? What he needs is some prescribed medication, not a public outlet for his delusions.") I personally think you should take a look at what people are saying in reference to PLB(me) they post not only shitty opinions but NEVER identify themselves by name. I only take an issue when it's directed at me personally. I do what anyone would do, I react. If this is delusion, or a need for prescribed medication then those that post the SHIT should be on meds. Very few that come up with a snide remark or a cheap shot ever, ever post their REAL NAME when they do it's appreciated. That to me, is a lack of conviction and delusional hatred. I have no axe to grind with anyone. But, it seems there are a few out there that dare to spew the hatred but dare not be honest about who they are, or what their issues really are all about. As for my input on broadcasting, hey I'm like all that post, I do have opinions (right or wrong) and I am comfortable expressing myself to others. ( I have nothing to prove, and I'm surely more comfortable with myself then the negative posters. No fueled rants, just disgusted with the negative people. and their cowardly posts. PLB/Davy Jones (1/8/10)

Why not move Leno to 8pm five nights a week? Leave the 11pm news at 11 and keep conan right where he is. Leno is not so cutting edge that 8pm would not work. (1/8/10)

Still just can't resist using the most unflattering pic you can find of Limbaugh,eh? KJ, Laurel MD (1/8/10)

Re: the regional climate science article in the Baltimore Sun. And thank you for providing a fantastic example of scientific illiteracy among the public. Just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's useless. And thank you for providing the link; the article is quite interesting. beetsnotbeats (1/8/10)

re: "The Caps, Wizards and Nationals all have broadcasters they employ and deals with regional cable networks yet we seldom hear anything other than "Snyder is using pocketbook journalism." It is getting old people and it rings very hollow. - Jim Williams" Hey, Jim....wake up. Snyder OWNS THE STATION THAT BROADCASTS HIS TEAM'S GAMES. To me, the fact that Snyder has the motivation and the means to skew coverage of his product rings pretty damn true. HE OWNS THE STATION THAT BROADCASTS HIS TEAM'S GAMES. HE. OWNS. THE. STATION. THAT. BROADCASTS. HIS. TEAM'S. GAMES. HellooOOOOoo? (1/8/10)

We've been talking about WAMD's impending signoff here on the mailbag for the last week or so. I've posted a 4 minute composite aircheck of the station from the late 90's on www.ultimateoldiesradio.com. It'll remain up for a few days. Thanks to Joe Evelius for the sound and to Kenny Burns for the neat pic of the station on the home page. If you wanna hear what the station sounded like, check it out...Also...in observance of Elvis' 75th birthday, we've posted the first two hours of Jack Edwards' tribute to Presley on August 16, 1977. Listen in Windows Media or Real Audio, your choice! Have a good weekend everybody - Bob Mathers. (1/8/10)

Jim Williams neglects to mention a very important aspect of WRC’s coverage of the Redskins. They pay coaches to come on their “news” programs.. Wouldn’t it be nice if all newsmakers were available whenever stations needed them? It’s checkbook journalism, no matter how you slice it. (1/8/10)

"Do you think Hanrahan got axed because the first announcement of the new coach was on The Fan????" More likely because he was tough on the Redksins during the season. (1/8/10)

To the guy who said "Hey Stern fans who want their show back to its greatness there is yet another important poll that demands your replies about whether or not Jackie returns to the Howard Stern Show", the only way the Stern show is going to go back to it's greatness is if we all collectively hop in a time machine and go back to 1991. Good luck 'ya jerk. - Jason (1/8/10)

The Washington Redskins completed negotiations with Mike Shanahan on Tuesday night and introduced Shanahan as the new coach on Wednesday. I don't know how Mike Shanahan will do as the Redskins head coach, but I do have some personal insight about Mike Shanahan's brilliance as a coach and his dickishness as a coach. In the summer of 1980, I was a freshman and a University of Florida Football walk-on. Mike Shanahan was our offensive coordinator under head coach Charlie Pell. Wilbur Marshall- former Redskin was a freshman then, too. Shanahan had the insight to move Marshall from Tight End to Defensive End- good move. Cris Collinsworth was a senior WR that year, too. Shanahan coached Collinsworth intensively into an All- American, then a top NFL receiver. Shanahan went on to coach the Denver Broncos Wide receivers in 1983. I remember four things about Shanahan: 1) His teeth were smaller in 1980 than they are in 2010. 2) He told me once that "I couldn't block and egg". 3) He is a tough SOB. He yelled at one of the players to step back one foot to make a straight line. I didn't know he was yelling at me, so I ignored him. He grabbed my face mask and told me to stay after practice to run wind sprints. He met me at mid-field after practice and I ran sprints in full gear in the heat of a Florida August afternoon. He told me to stop when he saw me puking. Two days later I was done as a Gator football player. 4) He's very short. How does this relate to Shanahan as the Skins new coach? Shanahan has inherited a banged up offensive line that "couldn't block and egg". I doubt that Shanahan will have Clinton Portis will be running sprints until he pukes. His teeth continue to grow. He's still short. Tommy Griffiths www.TommyGriffiths.com (1/8/10)

A few days ago, I posted in the mailbag that some of the "Clear Channel" stations (at least WWFG) here on the eastern shore)'s audio stream played way too loud! I went back and checked WWFG's audio stream..and was happy to hear that it's not all distorted now! Don't know that my posting of this problem in DCRTV's ""Mailbag" made any difference (maybe someone saw it and saw to it that this was corrected)..but for whatever reason, is nice to know that I can listen to "Froggy 99.9 on line again..although it's a "mono" signal but..guess we aren't supposed to have everything..or are we? How about a little "stereo"..please? Tom in Denton, MD (1/8/10)

Kinda like arguing with a consultant... www.youtube.com (1/8/10)

The ratings for Thursday: FOX5 grabs the top spot in the mornings with CBS9 beating ABC7. NBC4 crushes the competition at 6PM while ABC7 runs with the football at 11PM. 5AM: FOX5 (2.2), NBC4 (1.5), CBS9 (1.1), ABC7 (1.0)..... 6AM: FOX5 (3.1), NBC4 (2.9), ABC7 (1.6), CBS9 (1.3)..... 5PM: NBC4 (4.9), ABC 7 (3.2), FOX5 & CBS9 (1.7)..... 6PM: NBC4 (6.6), ABC7 (3.5), CBS9 (2.2), FOX5 (1.8)..... 11PM: ABC7 *(12.5), NBC4 (5.7), CBS9 (4.9), FOX5 (2.9)..... *ABC7 delayed start due to football (1/8/10)

Let me say that Lindsay Cznariak is a talented broadcaster who has been recognized by NBC where she has covered two Olympics and by TNT where she is part of their NASCAR coverage team. Ms. Cznariak is not a member of Red Zebra Broadcasting. She does work for Redskins TV on the preseason telecasts and does wear a shirt with a team logo on it as does CSN reporter Keli Johnson. Further she does host a Redskins Show on NBC4. Having been on both sides of this issue - I don't think Cznariak was wrong in her interview or her role here interview was no different than the one Kelli Johnson of CSN - also a sideline reporter on Redskins pre season broadcasts did - or for that matter the number of people who interviewed both Snyder and Shanahan on Wednesday.. There are very few NFL markets where the team does not control the broadcasts of their radio and TV telecasts and also have shows where they are involved with regional sports networks and local TV stations. People in Washington act like Dan Snyder invented the practice of developing team owned shows - he didn't and Lindsay Cznariak can ask Snyder any question that she likes. He may or may not answer it but she can ask it. I for one am growing tired of let's blame Dan Snyder for the coverage of the Redskins. I watch Dan at NBC4, Dave at FOX5, Tim at ABC7, Brett at WUSA, and the fine team at CSN Washington and they all seem to say whatever they like about the Redskins owner. As for 106.7FM The Fan and ESPN980AM - again there is no lack of holding back when the hosts want to talk about the good and the bad issues of the team. The Caps, Wizards and Nationals all have broadcasters they employ and deals with regional cable networks yet we seldom hear anything other than "Snyder is using pocketbook journalism." It is getting old people and it rings very hollow. - Jim Williams (1/8/10)

Hapy New Year! mydamnchannel.com (1/8/10)

RE: Hey Stern fans who want their show back to its greatness there is yet another important poll that demands your replies about whether or not Jackie returns to the Howard Stern Show please take a second and click yes to get Jackie back, Thanks and may Christ be with you... Punctuate much? (1/8/10)

Do you think Hanrahan got axed because the first announcement of the new coach was on The Fan???? (1/8/10)

Hey Stern fans who want their show back to its greatness there is yet another important poll that demands your replies about whether or not Jackie returns to the Howard Stern Show please take a second and click yes to get Jackie back, Thanks and may Christ be with you... www.sirius.com

Hanrahan/Shanahan...maybe Bonzo fired the wrong person? (1/8/10)

If NBC wanted to truly think "outside the box" it would let the local affiliates move their news up to 10 p.m. and then run Leno from 10:30 to 11:30 (NOT 11:35) and give Conan a five-minute head-start on Dave. OR even give the affiliates the chance to do a second half-hour of news at 11:30 and start Conan at midnight. Charles in Winchester (1/8/10)

Every few weeks PLB gets his panties in a wad and somebody in the Mailbag becomes the target of his hate-fueled rants for a few days. Why? In what way does this guy's personality disorder relate to the discussion of radio and TV? What he needs is some prescribed medication, not a public outlet for his delusions. (1/8/10)

("Did anyone else throw up in their mouth a little after they saw Lindsay Cznariak's softball interview with Napeleon Bonaparte on the 6 pm sports. How about a little disclosure about Lindsay's close ties to the Red Zebra organization next time!" She is a paid hack for Snyder" I am quoting two different people here. Both are wrong. If she has "close ties to Red Zebra" and a "paid hack" how come she has been on Mike Wise's show at least three times that I know of (including today where they apparently taped her sports show). I have also heard Andy Pollin moaning that Lindsay won't come on his show.") Mike Wilbon was on Dukes' show and he works for ESPN network. Perhaps Ms. Cznariak will stop wearing Redskins clothing while on the clock. I guess she also just happened to be the only reporteroutside the restaurant that Shanahan visited in his first hours in DC? I reiterate, she is a paid no-talent hack of Snyder's. (1/8/10)

NBC can not possibly think that Conan's younger demographic audience is going to actually tune in to see Leno's act if they opt to move Leno back to 11:30pm. If anything, Leno is going to kill Conan's ratings if he follows at midnight. - John Collings - The Other Guys Show - WEBR (1/8/10)

Dave's response: You simply can't do a late night talk show, in the tradition of Johnny Carson, in less than an hour. I mean, a decent opening monologue takes 15 to 20 minutes. If NBC's going to give Leno 30 minutes, minus ads, that gives him no time for guests. Whoever lands the 11:35 PM slot on NBC must have at least an hour for the show to work. Unless Fox or ABC can pick up either Leno or Conan, NBC is going to go back to the old late night sked of Leno at 11:35 and Conan at 12:35, each for an hour. There's no other way to do it.....

Hanrahan was the ESPN 980 "Redskins beat reporter" right? Maybe he stepped on some toes over at Redskins Park, or didn't kiss the right behinds. And regarding the Shanahan-Arenas media frenzy, I happened to land on the Junkies this morning and they were saying how "boring" the Capitals are because they are an elite team and win regularly. Perhaps if Ovechkin starts bringing guns to the arena, the media will start paying more attention. It is a sad commentary. (1/8/10)

Re "Ex-TWT Sportsers Continue To Tweet" : Does this not constitute a violation of that stale old rule that says "Any broadcast, rebroadcast or other accounting of this game without the express written consent blah blah bullshit"? Not being a wiseass here; I just really want to know if the letter of the copyright law applies. (1/8/10)

Re: PLB- Blah, blah, blah....shut it, you old fart. (1/8/10)

“Oh Look”, get a life. I don’t care if that resignation story ever gets posted anywhere. I certainly won’t waste my time re-living such a minor event. Evidently you’re interested in keeping your hate alive. ! If there’s a psychotic mind at work it’s yours! Move on, get over it. If you’re so full of hate, try posting your name. PLB/Davy Jones:0) (1/8/10)

Don't blame the listeners for Infinity/CBS dragging HFS thru the mud until its death. It wasn't broke but they just HAD to 'fix' it by making a unique station into a mass produced paste of bland yuppie bait. By the way I'm 45 not 18-24. I was 19 when I first started listening to Progressive 99 and its signal was a bitch to snag! Coat hangers,tin foil,whatever it took to make an antenna that grabbed that Grasonville stick, I did it. Unfortunately I was not included in the demographics along with lots of other listeners 'outside' the sphere of influence.It took years to get a stronger signal and when that happened little did we know it was a set up for a sell out.The decisions CBS/Infinity made concerning WHFS were equal to Coca Cola Inc trashing thier main product in favor of 'New Coke' and when fans hated the 'taste' we were punished for it. The ONLY time I EVER turned 99.1 whfs off was during The Sports Junkies!! Maybe thats because Sports had NO PLACE on an Alternative station. Thats another thing- whfs was a Free Form station until some tie wearing wannabe slapped the Alternative moniker on it. WHFS had a great fan base despite the number crunchers failure to comprehend a world beyond thier little lists. 99.1 WHFS was the polar opposite of corporate mind numbing talent killing policy. Its like putting a used car salesman in charge of a rave....oh wait they did that too didn't they? Stop shifting the blame away from 'fake it til ya make it' type boardroom whores who probably couldn't remember to order more milk in thier grocery store assistant manager position before Uncle Rutherford,or the guy who made them crouch under the desk, GAVE them a position of power in a business they had no clue about. WHFS was music for people who THINK and I think YOU SUCK!! Donnie in-wanna step outside creampuff?-North East (1/8/10)

Just after the end of the 2009 Best/Worst lists, we might have a Top 10'er for 2010 already from this gem from The Baltimore Sun which I could honestly not believe. www.baltimoresun.com... Yes, this late breaking news just in... Washington, DC is detrimental to the health of Baltimore, MD and causing a localized "global warming" issue in Baltimore! I honestly think this might be the nuttiest story & scientific study & biggest waste of money I've ever read about and with so many people being laid off by businesses & the State of Maryland, it's just unbelievable that Gov. Martin O'Malley and the State Legislature funded this junk high school science project. OH WAIT, LATE BREAKING NEWS..... Scientists have confirmed it's cooler in the shade and near the water, and YES FINALLY we can CONFIRM, THE EARTH IS ROUND! Just unbelievable really that this study was ever even ok'd & funded given the current financial situation. What an unbelievable waste of money that could have been used to help poor people instead. I'm sure all of the people at the soup kitchens & shelters will cheer for this groundbreaking scientific news. {sarcasm over} People often say that you can't cut spending without cutting important programs that people really want or need. Well, that just got debunked. Thank you Baltimore Sun. (1/8/10)

So The Baltimore Sun's Z on TV David Zurawik teaches a media ethics class at Goucher College, yet he failed to disclose that he used to work closely with Marc Steiner for many years at WYPR and that they are good friends and that's why he named him one of Baltimore's Top 10 Broadcasters of 2009? And if Steiner was truly first in reporting the Baltimore mayor story, then why didn't he send out his email blast shortly after 12 noon or go on WEAA live in the noon hour, instead of waiting until after 1:30pm? Anyone who watched WBAL TV or listened to WBAL radio by then had already been told that most certainly any plea deal that was hatched out would involved the mayor resigning. Even if you suspend reality and Zurawik is correct, his ignorance of all of the other local media sources and failure to report about their coverage of the story is glaring. He obviously did not watch or listen to any of WBAL TV or radio's reporting. It also appears that Zurawik ceased posting any more comments to his blog sometime yesterday afternoon, but he keeps adding little tidbits and edits to his blog to try to salvage and bolster his argument for his buddy Steiner. Having a little trouble taking the media ethics heat Z? Oh, cheer up and write another Jon & Kate + 8 story. You've only written 3 in the last 2 weeks, that's way below average. :-) PS: I'm thinking of registering a new account at Baltimoresun.com. I want to see if Zurawik is nutty enough to track IP addresses to continue to block me from commenting on his stories. No one else at The Sun but David Zurawik has blocked my comments at The Baltimore Sun website and it's definitely personal too because he's even blocked comments from me that were not even critical of him! LOL (1/8/10)

After over 20 years in DC TV News, I can say this, now that I am out. Everyone in TV News in DC should be ashamed. No one watches local news anymore, but yet you all think you are so important. Everyone keeps doing the same thing and the results are the same, NO ONE CARES, no one watches !! JT.. (1/8/10)

It amazes me how stupid people are. They cry and cry about their beloved HFS, but where were you when things were bad? Sure, the DJ's were the worst. The morning show.... Big O and Dukes in the afternoon... P.U. they stunk.... But... the music was there. Turn down the DJ's when they were slobbering on the microphone. Turn down the 8 minute commercials sets. But crank up the music and be happy that HFS was on the air. CBS gave you three chances! YOU STRUCK OUT. Don't blah blah me. You know you deserted them... And now you whine. You should have been a grown up then, and realized that nothing is static... Everything changes. You should've been loyal and supported the station and it's advertisers. If you had (18-24 boys and girls), you'd still have HFS. You suck and you get what you deserve. SHUT UP. (1/8/10)

Obviously, it's not a scoop and not news unless you get it right. You don't get partial credit in the news biz. But holy shit, what kind of pyscho is Joe in Essex? Get a life. (1/8/10)

RE: "2 Cut At Red Zebra - A source tells DCRTV: The firings by Redskins owner Dan Snyder continue beyond the football team. Word out of Snyder's Red Zebra, which owns ESPN 980, WTEM, is that Allison Butler, promotions/marketing director, and Frank Hanrahan, Redskins reporter, were both given the boot. "Cost cutting measures" supposedly. Although there's plenty of other fat to trim, why these two lowish salaries were picked is a mystery, someone wonders....." Whoa. Better check to see if "Bram Weinsteinnnn" is on the way back from the ESPN mothership. (1/8/10)

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