People who died, people who lied and people who just don't think straight

While spending the weekend crankin' the Beatles remasters (just added "Sgt. Pepper" and "The White Album" -- which is really kick-ass! -- to my collection), I have really just taken a passing glance at all the other meaningless stuff going on in the world.

Yeah, there was that lunatic fringe protest over the weekend, with a few thousand gullible lemmings doing the bidding of egotistical and uninformed AM radio disc jockeys and big D.C. lobbying firms, who use a tragic anniversary for their own ego trip. Guess the turnout wasn't as good as they expected, since the budding cult leaders in charge of this silliness have been circulating lies and bogus photos of the event.

Who's the liar now?

So, to those of you feeble-minded fools who are content to be Glenn Beck's bitches, let me ask you all something. Do you all feel better about yourselves, or do you now feel like the naive suckers you really are? Is Guyana next?

Anyways, here's the nooze:

Person who died

Sadly, we bit farewell to a punk-era cultural icon. Jim Carroll, the poet and punk rocker who wrote "The Basketball Diaries," and songs such as "People Who Died" (c'mon, you've heard it!) died this past Friday of a fatal heart attack at the age of 60 attack.

Carroll was a fixture of the New York art scene in the 1970s, and hung out with the likes of Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Larry Rivers and Roert Mapplethorpe. Carroll also published several poetry collections, and his 1980 album, Catholic Boy, has become rather iconic, though he didn't enjoy a necessarily long career as a recording artist.

He is probably best known for his autobiographical tale "The Basketball Diaries," written about his high school days. It was published in 1978 and became a movie in 1995, in which Leonardo DiCaprio played Carroll.

Person who cried

Geez, those Republicans must be pretty hot under the collar these days. Not easy to be lumped in with a bunch of liars, hypocrites and crybabies. And it even sucks on the state levels, too. How so? Even a gubernatorial candidate in Virginia can't refrain from losing his cool.

Bob McDonnell is said to be rather level-headed, but the stress must be making him crack. In a WTOP live radio interview last Friday, he dropped the F-bomb:

Mark Plotkin (host): "So no tax will be raised during your four-year term?"

McDonnell: "I'm going to find other ways to be able to fund transportation. I've outlined twleve fucking funding mechanisms that are creative, that are entrepreneurial."

And if that wasn't enough, he and Rep. Joe Wilson rudely jumped on stage at the MTV awards Sunday, both exclaiming Beyonce should have won. Oops, sorry. Different asshole.

Something tells me Republicans, between McDonnel losing his cool, Wilson's obnoxious heckling, and Glenn Beck's head about to explode, seriously need to all lighten up. Why do you all have to be so angry? Why can't you be more like... like... James Traficant?

Person who's brain is fried

Damn, I wish I would have known about this sooner. The infamous and legendary James Traficant, with a radio show? That's must-listen radio!

The shamed former Democratic congressman is fresh out of the federal big house, after doing a multi-year stint for corruption and wearing a really bad hairpiece. And today, he did a fill-in stint on Youngstown, OH talk station WKBN. So far, it's not a permanent gig, but is sounds as if the idea is out there. Besides, a total arrogant douchebag like Traficant would fit in well with other douchebags who's shows air on the station, including Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage.

And certainly a permanent radio gig would keep Traficant away from running for Congress yet again, which is something he has indeed toyed with.

Hey, we favor Democrats around here, but good grief! The guy's nuts. Which makes him the perfect guy to host a radio show. Hey, if a nuthouse escapee like Glenn Beck can do it...

Station that (kinda) died

Portland, OR-area fans of Stephanie Miller will now have to hear the podcast instead, as her old affiliate there, KCMD, has done yet another reshuffling, bringing in a revised format featuring mostly lower-tier syndicated talkers. The new station has the ridiculous moniker "Freedom 970", yet it relies primarily on piped-in right-wing squawkers who like to brainwash people. Black is white, right is left...

The station is undergoing a bit of a reshuffle, as it changers owners from CBS to upstart Alpha Broadcasting. And considering that CBS hasn't figured out what the hell to do with it after all these years, they've opted for a robo-format of obscure wingnuts.

Well, there's still the liberal station in town, KPOJ, and that station is still drinking KCMD's milkshake, and likely will continue to do so.

I'm retiring

Well, it's been a long, fun stretch, but now's the time to hang up my jock. I have decided to retire from this thing.

But wait! Brett Favre's back? Do tell! Well, that settles it - I'm back!

Hey, if an over-the-hill primadonna quarterback can suddenly come out of a three week retirement (how many has that been so far?) for buttloads of money and a guaranteed starting job with his biggest nemesis, then why not little 'ol me? Therefore, this entry is dedicated to the Master Indecider, the one and only Brett Favre, who is doing his damned finest to screw up whatever legacy he still has. Only things left are steroids, dog fighting, knifing his wife and gambling on his own games. The only ones screwing up more are the Minnesota Vikings, for pursuing this whole Brett Favre nonsense.

Now, with that out of the way...

Hartmann returning to Air America?

Well, not exactly.

But there is a rumor, and one he mentioned on his show last week. Word has it that he will soon be heard (if not already) on WZAA (1050AM), the station Air America operates in Washington, DC. Likely, it will be on delay status, as the station currently shows nothing on their schedule for their late-night hours. We shall see...

Obama hits the airwaves

Since taking office seven months ago, President Barack Obama has been perhaps the most visible commander-in-chief we've ever had. Seems like he's been everywhere, whether it be in television interviews, webcasts, televised prime time press conferences, on the road and wherever else. And he's got a few radio appearances coming up, as he continues to counter all the right-wing lies about his proposals for health care reform. And what better place to start than where all the bullshit is coming from - right-wing radio.

Dial Global's Michael Smerconish will interview the president Thursday August 20 (that's tomorrow, folks!) directly from the White House. The show will show live noon-3P ET, and the 20-minute Obama interview will air at 1:10P ET, the first radio interview on the grounds of the White House in the Obama Administration.

"I am honored to be the first radio broadcaster to interview the President live from the White House," said Smerconish, who, incidentally supported Obama in last November's election. "My listeners have suggested many pointed questions that I look forward to raising with dignity and respect."

But first, Obama will hit the webcast waves, with an online webcast special featuring a discussion by the religious community of the his administration's health care proposals.

The President will appear on "40 Minutes For Health Reform,' appearing on Blog Talk Radio this afternoon at 5P ET. And no, Obama will not take calls on the show, but a White House spokesperson will be on hand to answer questions submitted by the public.

Okay, I'm retiring again

I hate training camp. I'm too old to sleep in a college dorm. Unless she's cute.

No changes for WCPT

The FCC has rejected a petition from Newsweb, owner of WCPT (820AM) in Chicago. The petition was for reconsideration of the 2005 denial of a proposed dual community of license change for the station, currently licensed to Crystal Lake, IL and another station they own, located in the northwest Indiana suburbs of Chicago.

Newsweb had applied to move WCPT's city of license to Addison, IL, which would enable them to co-locate the stations' studios. The FCC, however, decided that the benefits to such a move did not outweigh the loss of local service to the former communities of license.

Keep in mind, none of this behind-the-scenes stuff has anything to do with what they're currently putting out on the air. It's just that news is slow, and I needed something to put here.

I'm back

Okay, I guess I'll stick around, so long as I don't have to go to training camp. Let me just hop right in and start.

Wendell filling in for Rhodes

KTLK/Los Angeles talker Johnny Wendell will be filling in for the vacationing Randi Rhodes on her syndicated show today (Wednesday) and tomorrow. Just so you won't wonder what happened to Randi.

Time to hang it up again

I do have a concern with that shoulder injury that makes it hard to type all this goodness that you read here. I'm goin' back to Mississippi to ride tractors. But first...

Real-life goodbyes

Two notable media figures have ventured off to the Great Beyond recently. First, we say goodbye to a television news legend, Don Hewitt, who passed away today at the age of 86:

Hewitt was best known as the creator of the venerable "60 Minutes" in 1968, and oversaw the show until 2004. His career in journalism spanned over 60 years, virtually all of it at CBS. As a young producer/director assisting at the birth of television news, it was usually Hewitt behind the scenes directing legendary CBS News reporters like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, using a playbook he had to write himself. He played an integral role in all of CBS News' coverage of major news events from the late 1940s through the 1960s, putting him in the middle of some of history's biggest events, including one of politics’ seminal moments: the first televised presidential debate in 1960.

And we also bid farewell to a less distinguished media personality, conservative commentator and nasty curmudgeon Robert Novak, who died yesterday at the age of 157. But do vampires ever really die?


Okay, I wanna come back


But only if you fork over $12 million. I can't have the money? Well, I'll stick around anyway. I'm back.

The tide is turning - the death of WBCN and the move of WQXR

America’s radio landscape is looking to shift considerably in the next month, with several industry moves that will topple two pioneering stations. First, a 65 year-old New York classical music radio icon is ending. And in the other, CBS Radio is looking to boost it's FM sports presence with two format flips. One of those moves was long-rumored. The other one effectively kills a four decade rock institution. And both are closely related to the current economic landscape hurting many media owners.

To begin with, there's the complicated deal completed late yesterday. New York's WQXR, one of the oldest FM stations in America (it went on the air in 1939, and has carried its current format since 1944), is being sold by its cash-strapped owner, the New York Times. The Times will sell the 96.3FM frequency to Univision, which will move its Spanish hits "La Kalle" format from the current, lesser-powered 105.9FM. In turn, the Times will sell WQXR's classical music format to WNYC Radio, which will take over 105.9FM and operate it as a non-commercial classical station.
The Times will get $45 million out of the two deals - $33.5 million from Univision plus another $11.5 million from non-commercial outlet WNYC (93.9FM). Times CEO Janet Robinson sees the three-way transaction as the best chance to preserve WQXR's format, though the move will sever the station's ties with the Times' reporters and resources. In addition, WNYC, which broadcasts some classical music in the evening, will likely shift to all news/talk. WNYC has already begun a $15 million campaign to fund the purchase of the new frequency and its equipment.

At least WQXR's classical format will survive. Another iconic station is not so lucky. Earlier in the day, another notable incident of format shuffling was announced, as CBS announced the pending flip of two large-market FM stations. In Washington, DC, FM talker WJFK's shift to sports has been a poorly-kept secret for several weeks. Therefore, that announcement was not surprising. But the most notable part of this story is the pending implosion, set for mid-August, of one of this country's most iconic rock stations, WBCN in Boston.

The changes in Boston are a little more complicated than a mere format flip. What essentially is happening is CBS is moving the adult contemporary format of WBMX (Mix 98.5) to the 104.1 FM frequency. The 98.5 frequency will become WBZ-FM, "The Hub", which will be all-sports.

Sports on FM is a growing fad for many of the big corporate broadcasters across the country. First, some music formats don't seem to be faring well in Arbitron's new flaw-ridden PPM-derived surveys (which use 'people meters' rather than diaries). Second, with music industry lobbyists pushing Congress to mandate performance royalties from radio stations, some radio owners see talk-oriented programming as a way of giving the music industry the middle finger. It also shows the impulsive nature of the major corporate broadcasters.

But today's changes are most notable in a different way. After all, it's not every day that a company abruptly blows up a 41 year-old radio institution. Honestly, though, WBCN's pending demise should come as no surprise, given that it has practically been dying for years. Many similar stations also lost their way as their corporate owners have been clueless as to how to remain relevant. WBCN suffered the death of a thousand cuts.

For over half a century, WBCN has been a local institution. Since its inception in May, 1958, they aired a classical music format (with the same call letters), while most ears were glued to AM radio. By 1968, 'underground' free-form rock was making waves on the FM dial, as struggling stations on that band were eager to try just about anything to get people to listen. It started with KMPX in San Francisco and WOR-FM in New York, and spread like wildfire across the landscape. It could be argued effectively that free-form rock contributed greatly to the growth of FM radio.

WBCN, engulfed in fierce competition with other FM classical outlets, began to experiment with cutting-edge rock when it leased its nighttime hours to a local promoter/nightclub owner, who wanted to use the airwaves to draw traffic to his shows. "The American Revolution" launched on March 15, 1968, with "I Feel Free" by Cream. Within a year, and with skyrocketing listenership, WBCN adopted free-form rock full-time.

Like many similar stations of the day, the programming was adventurous, heavy with album cuts, diverse genres of music, and no playlists. The newscasts and the overall attitude of the station was unabashedly left-wing and, well, revolutionary. The jocks talked with the listeners, rather than at them. And they were fully in tune with who and what they were. It is highly doubtful, for example, that a station would actually air a show dedicated to, of all demographics, prison inmates in these more rigid, uptight times. WBCN became the epicenter of the growing Boston rock scene, which helped to spawn such bands as Aerosmith and The Cars. Peter Wolf, who went on to international fame as the lead singer of the local J. Geils Band, was originally the station's wild nighttime personality.

As music, culture and lifestyles changed, WBCN was still able to keep up. They championed the arrival of punk and new wave in the late 1970s, as similar stations were befuddled as to how to mix it with Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

As with many of their contemporaries, WBCN soon grew up. A new corporate owner, along with consultants, playlists and a more rigid format began entering the picture by the late 1970s. Competitors also bit at their heels. With its listeners growing older and a new generation of rock fans entering the picture, WBCN arrived at a crossroads. By the 1980s, the station's original listeners began flocking to classic rocker WZLX and the younger listeners tuned in to modern rocker WFNX. WBCN straddled the fence with a mix of both old and new. But like many of their pioneering contemporaries, they struggled.

By 1994, Infinity Broadcasting decided a generational update was in order. Following their purchase of WZLX, they gave WBCN a modern rock format similar to that of WFNX. Infinity's New York-based morning superstar Howard Stern was brought in and a year later, they became the flagship station for New England Patriots football. The music evolved over the next decade, as heavy metal and soon, even classic rock acts, were added. Soon, the station's music would be diminished further, with CBS' growing addiction to FM male-oriented talk. Opie and Anthony and the local Toucher and Rich shows were added, as Howard Stern departed from terrestrial radio. Like many other CBS rock stations, it became a matter of too much of everything and not enough of one thing.

But the passing of WBCN is not surprising in the 2009 radio landscape. External forces, such as webcasting, satellite radio, MP3 players, Arbitron's PPM, performance royalties, uninspiring programming ideas, the economy and corporate radio's itchy trigger finger obviously helped to seal the fate of WBCN and other similar stations. Legacy rock stations, the ones that began in the late 1960s and early 1970s, are a rapidly vanishing breed, often propped up by big ticket sports contracts and popular morning shows, but not by the very thing that made them successful in the first place. There are only a scant few of these stations still around, such as WMMS in Cleveland, KQRS in Minneapolis and WEBN in Cincinnati. And, like WBCN, these stations long ago became hollow corporate-owned shells of their former selves, twisting in the winds with uninspired programming and little connection to their glorious pasts aside from their history and call letters. In the 1960s and 1970s (and even into the 1980s), radio was exciting to listen to. They had great live jocks, terrific music, lots of personality, and a finger on the community's pulse. Today, it's almost all done by computer. Radio stations in this day and age all sound as if they're run by account executives and focus groups. In short, it's just plain depressing.

And the fact that WBCN and other once-great stations like it, rich histories and all, are being replaced by the trendy sports talk format and work-friendly adult pop music is certainly a telling sign of where radio is headed. No wonder radio is dying.

Finally, in a fitting funeral well-suited for modern-day radio, CBS vows that WBCN will live on, as a fully automated jockless HD Radio side channel on 98.3FM, that likely few will listen to. Welcome to 2009.

Remembering a bastard

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Coming... Going...

The theme for today seems to be arrivals and departures. There's a few of note to readers of this blog. And there were some rather noteworthy departures in the real world during the past week, by now known to all but the most detached cave dwellers.

Going: In the famous celebrity column, the passing most widely reported was that of pop icon Michael Jackson, who died last Thursday at the age of 50. I had started writing a highly elaborate entry about Jackson last week, with the working title of "Thirty-two short stories about Michael Jackson." It was one of those rambling epic articles that would never be finished. Quite frankly, it was destined to be ridiculously long, not overly entertaining, and in some instances, was somewhat mean-spirited (I've never had a soft spot for weird, self-destructive child abusers). Plus, it just didn't make sense for this blog. I felt it better shelved.

A side note: From time-to-time, I have conjured updifferent blog entry ideas that tend to be a bit off-topic. They tend to get rather elaborate, but many times get tossed aside if I just can't make it work. For example, I had an idea for one about philandering right-wingers (called "Young Republicans in love"), which dealt with the promiscuous exploits of Sen. Bob Ensign, South Carolina's disappearing Governor Mark Sanford, and a lesser-known figure, conservative writer, pundit and former radio talker Jessica McBride, who shagged Milwaukee's police chief a few months following a glowing puff piece for a magazine. Ahh, family values. Nonetheless, I had a ton of ideas but really nowhere to go with them. Hence, it, along with many others, suffered the fate of the Beach Boys' legendary Smile LP, an unfinished epic that will never see the light of day in it's originally-intended form (aside from Brian Wilson's update a few years ago and a few Beach Boys recycling projects from the 1960s). And in keeping with that, some of these epic entries do not go wasted. I have been known to return to them and recycle bits and pieces when appropriate.

And yes, many off-topic epic entries actually do see the light of day, such as the recent tribute to the history of television (in honor of DTV Day). Although it was a bit long, it turned out to be so damned funny that I had to share it. I haven't heard from many of you about it, but I do hope you liked it.

We also saw the passing of Farrah Fawcett earlier just a few short hours before Jackson's demise. For children of my generation, she is probably best remembered for The Poster. You know the one, red one-piece swimsuit, flowing blond hair and blinding smile. That poster seemed to be in every auto shop and suburban boy's bedroom. It was one of the most iconic images of the 1970s. It was certainly hard to miss.

Finally, there is perhaps the strangest celebrity death of the past few weeks. Television commercial pitchman Billy Mays suffered a fatal heart attack following a bizarre circumstance. And yet, Kevin Trudeau still walks the earth. Go figure.

Coming: Now, back to the main gist this blog. Air America dropped a line about a new show, “The Inside Story with Ana Marie Cox.” It will air Saturdays at 9A ET and Sundays at 12P ET on Air America affiliates nationwide.

You may be quite familiar with Cox. She is currently Air America’s Washington, D.C. based national correspondent. She is perhaps best known as the founding editor of the political blog, Wonkette. After leaving in 2006, she was named Washington editor of Time.com. Prior to that, she served on the editorial staffs of Suck.com, Mother Jones and Radar. She is currently writing for The Daily Beast. Cox also published her first novel in 2006, “Dog Days.”

Going: I received tons of emails about this one. David Bender, host of Air America's "Politically Direct", did his final show this past weekend, airing some of his favorite interviews from the previous four years. He had announced his departure several weeks prior. Apparently, he will spend his upcoming free time traveling.

Going: Controversial San Francisco talker Karel Bouley, a.k.a. Karel, has lost his San Francisco affiliate, as otherwise dance hits-formatted KNGY dropped him from their lineup. Karel fans needn't worry, as he is still featured on another station, KRXA in Monterey. He is said to be looking for a new Bay Area station.

Karel had previously worked at KGO in San Francisco, but was dismissed last year following an accidental dropping of the F-bomb live on air.

Coming: Liberadio(!) with Mary Mancini and Freddie O'Connell a weekly show on Vanderbilt University's WRVU, is going daily.

Beginning Wednesday, July 1, the show expands to include an additional live hour every Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 to 10:00 am (CT) on BlogTalkRadio.

Departing glances

A few demises to note today. One's a well-known Miami talk show host who was dismissed from his job, another a national radio icon hosting his last show next week, and finally, we mark the real-life passing of a late-night television icon.

Rogers, WQAM part ways

First, after 12 years, Miami midday radio talker Neil Rogers, of note to some readers here, has been let go from sports talker WQAM (560AM).

The parting of ways is almost not surprising, given Rogers' increasingly scaled-down schedule, his 'telecommuting' from places such as Toronto and Amsterdam, his enormous paycheck and, of course, his prickly demeanor.

Owner Beasley Broadcasting recently signed Neil to a new contract that even allowed him a Summer-time schedule of working just Tuesdays and Thursdays, initially set to kick in next week.

But in recent weeks, Rogers, 66, got into hot water last month after accidently dropping an unbleeped 'f-bomb' on the air, and directed it at one of his bosses. He was angered over the departure of his longtime producer Jorge Rodriguez.

Rogers’ current contract is for five-years and pays $800,000 annually (down from $1.5 million). No word on whether Beasley will buy it out or settle. There is no noncompete clause, meaning that Rogers could work for another station at any time. However, Rogers has no plans to seek another on-air job at this time.

Rogers has been in Miami radio for 36 years.

Kasem hangs up his headphones

Meanwhile,a nationally-known radio icon is preparing to count backwards for perhaps the very last time. Casey Kasem, who had been hosting nationally-syndicated countdown shows since 1970, will do his last show during the July 4 weekend. Kasem and his syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks, mutually opted to cancel American Top 20, which airs weekly on mostly adult contemporary stations.

But that won't be the end of the road for Kasem. In recent years, Premiere has restored and remastered tapes of Kasem's old countdown shows from the 70s and 80s and currently offers them to oldies stations and satellite radio via syndication (which is perhaps one of the best ideas they ever came up with).

In addition, Kasem, 77, will continue with other lucrative projects, such as voice work, cartoons (hey, he was Shaggy in "Scooby Doo"!), and whatnot. He can also devote more time to outside causes, such as Lebanese-American and Arab-American issues (Kasem is Lebanese). He is also a vegan, and was a big supporter of Dennis Kucinich during his past two presidential runs (though he was a Nader guy in 2000, but don't hold that against him).

So, a tip of the hat to a legend and inspiration, Casey Kasem. Just be careful what you say when the mic is on.

McMahon dies

Finally, a real-life departure, this one of a longtime fixture on late night television. Former Tonight Show sidekick and announcer Ed McMahon passed away early this morning. He was 86.

No cause of death was given, but McMahon has been known to be suffering from many health problems over the last few months, including bone cancer and pneumonia. He also had to deal with a neck injury and many financial problems in recent years.

You can read more via the L.A. Times.

It's the end of TV as we know it (and I feel fine)

The ubiquitous box sits by the wall in the living room, it's kaleidescope of colors the center of attention. To paraphrase The Dude in The Big Lebowski, it pulls the room together. For over sixty years, this cultural icon was like a window to the world, bringing the images of society into our homes. We were informed of the daily news headlines by nicely groomed people staring right at us as they were seemingly chopped off at the upper torso. We saw all our favorite sports teams, watched our favorite movies, laughed at mindless sitcoms and gazed drearily into the night at mind-numbing infomercials peddling the latest snake oil. All with blurry images and glorious static.

No more.

We'll all see the same stuff we did before, for better or worse. But instead of occasionally fuzzy and ghostly images, it will all be in crystal clear digital, and for those with even fancier sets, in razor-sharp high definition. Today, June 12, is the official passing of the torch to the digital television era in the United States.

By midnight tonight, all full-power analog television signals across the country will be turned off for good. It may mean little to those who watch their television via cable, satellite or whatever the land-line phone companies call their service. But for people who watch television via a good ol' fashioned rabbit ear antenna that pulls the images and sounds out of the sky, it means quite a bit.

Today is a milestone in the history of television. And what better way to salute the idiot box than to take a rough look at other key dates (not completely verified, though) in its history? Perhaps this will help to explain the decline of modern civilization as we know it. Here it is, the unofficial LTR History Of Television (so far):

1873 - Willoughby Smith discovers the photoconductivity of the element selenium, which would later be used in the earliest mechanical television sets. Little did Smith realize that his breakthrough would lead, years later, to such banality as FOX News, VH1 reality shows and I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here. Had he known that, he would have invented Pop Rocks candy instead.

1894 - Paul Gottlieb Nipkow came up with and patented an electromechanical television device with a spinning image rasterizing disk, though he never built an effective working model. The original design, featuring someone in a wooden box flipping pictures, never fooled anyone.

1891 - Larry King born.

1900 - Constantin Perskyi coins the phrase 'television' in a 1900 paper, which he read at the First International Electricity Congress in Paris. The original term, 'photoconductive spinning wheel moving picture box', didn't roll off the tongue quite as well.

1907 - Boris Rosing transmits silhouette images using a Nipkow disc, a mirror drum and a cathode-ray tube. Feeling sly, he chose to show very fuzzy images of his wife in her bloomers. Hence, the earliest, crude porno is born, and helps usher in the early television era.

1925 - John Logie Baird transmits the first television pictures in his laboratory, with a choppy screen featuring a piddly 40-line resolution. The quality is so poor, nobody realizes that he, like Rosing before, was actually showing raunchy stag films.

1926 - The first big hit television show, Commerce Secretary Herbert Hoover sneezes, is a smash, even with its five second length.

1927 - Not content with inventing everything else connected with television, Baird comes up with a crazy (and workable!) idea of recording television programming on simple 78rpm gramophone records. Gets fined by local video store for not rewinding.

1927 - Soviet engineer Leon Theramin comes up 100-line TV. Beat that, you imperialist capitalist pigs!

1928 - The first television station ever, W2XB, is born in Schenectady, New York, even though nobody there knew what the hell television was, or what exactly they were supposed to show.

1928 - The first-ever commercially available mechanical TV set reaches stores. It's the size of a piano, has a three-inch screen and sells for $1500. Really, what's the point?

1929 - BBC-TV comes into being. A year later, Baird installs a set at 10 Downing Street, where British Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald and his family watch the first ever British television drama, The Man With The Flower In His Mouth. Sadly, it was 90 minutes of some guy with a flower in his mouth. Obviously seeing where this will lead, MacDonald orders the stupid contraption removed the next day.

1931 - Allen B. DuMont perfects a long-lasting cathode-ray tube (CRT). Also, Canadians launch their own television station, VE9EC in Montreal, again with nothing to show whatsoever save for sneezing politicians, flower-munching Brits and fuzzy porno. The idea catches on once they add hockey.

1934 - Philo Farnsworth demonstrates a non-mechanical television device, the precursor to modern-day electronic television. The electronic system held up better than the gerbil wheel featured in its predecessor.

1936 - Those enterprising Brits begin transmitting high-definition video (200 lines!!!). Also by this time, the BBC is broadcasting movies, Shakespearian plays and television series to a country with no sets. So, explain to me now why you all hate HD Radio.

1939 - First major league baseball game televised. Later that year, the first sports bar is born in Chicago, where hundreds of fans could gather to watch the Cubs lose for free without paying to get into Wrigley Field.

1940 - RCA and CBS demonstrate color television, though they had yet to perfect the black and white version.

1941 - The U.S. adopts the 525-line video standard still in use today. Yes, our soon-to-be discarded modern-day television technology is as old as Dick Cheney.

1942 - The FCC suspends all television broadcasting because of the war, and few people notice. Allen DuMont petitions for an exception and gains approval, only he has nothing to show, no stations to show it and nobody to watch.

1945 - The DuMont Television Network is officially born anyway.

1945 - NBC also launches its own television network, and luckily, they are not in fourth place.

1947 - Deciding that people would watch if there were actual worthwhile shows on the air, NBC takes action. They offer up Meet The Press and Howdy Doody, both featuring wooden puppets in their respective casts. Also, both NBC and DuMont broadcast the World Series.

1948 - CBS and ABC begin network programming, bringing the total number of networks, four, up to the same level as the number of people actually watching.
1948 - The first big television stars are Milton Berle on NBC and Ed Sullivan on CBS. Needless to say, in 1948, anyone could be a star on television.

1949 - The first Emmy Awards are presented, because every medium, regardless of lack of content, deserves its own trophies, dammit!

1951 - Seeing as they could monopolize the Emmys if they actually had some shows, CBS ponies up I Love Lucy and a couple soap operas.

1952 - National Educational Television (NET) launches as the first public/noncommerical network.

1952 - Hockey Night In Canada debuts on CBC, launching the joke, "Why do Canadians do it doggy style? So they can both watch the hockey game."

1952 - The first political ads appear on U.S. television, leading to the slow decline of the medium. Also, NBC's Today launches and sends birthday greetings to their first centurions.

1953 - The debut of TV Guide. Literacy rates drop in its wake.

1953 - The infamous and futuristic TV dinner hits the freezer sections of local supermarkets, then living rooms across post-war America. Pass the Salisbury steak and chocolate hockey puck, please.

1954 - On New Year's Day, NBC and RCA team up to broadcast the Tournament Of Roses Parade in the first-ever coast-to-coast color broadcast. The garish psychedelic images shown inspires Dr. Albert Hoffman to perfect LSD.

1954 - NBC launches the long-running Tonight Show with anal-retentive moral crusader Steve Allen as its first host. So those of you who bitch (wrongly, at that) about new host Conan O'Brien are easily reminded that at one time, it was much worse.

1954 - Disneyland launches on ABC. Modern-day marketing travesties such as High School Musical, Miley Cirus and the Jonas Brothers can be traced to this seemingly innocent moment.

1956 - Rock and roll hits the big time, and the networks are freaked out. Ed Sullivan agrees to book Elvis Presley, but opts to show him only from the waist up. Which is still better than Steve Allen, who suggests Presley sing his raunchy new hit "Hound Dog", an R&B tune originally sung by Big Mama Thornton about a promiscuous male Lothario, to an actual Bassett hound while wearing a tux. So stop bitching about Conan already!

1955 - After years of CBS, NBC and ABC poaching DuMont's talent lineup (most notably Jackie Gleason) and their strongest affiliates (like KDKA in Pittsburgh), the fourth (and forgotten) network goes belly-up. The Big Three to DuMont: "I drink your milkshake."

1956 - Zenith introduces the first wireless remote control to the marketplace, the Space Commander. The couch potato is officially born.

1956 - AMPEX introduces the first Video Tape Recorder. First tape returned to the video store unwound.

1957 - American Bandstand debuts, and elevates rock and roll only slightly higher than Sullivan and Allen's efforts. Hey, it's got a good beat and I can dance to it.

1958 - TV game shows are fixed. Really?

1959 - American Bandstand almost shuttered during the disc jockey payola scandal. Young pretty boy host Dick Clark was just as corrupt as frumpy middle-aged Alan Freed, who had been playing rock and roll when it was just raunchy R&B music. However, Clark put up a much more squeaky-clean public front, and got away with it. The scandal ruined Freed, who hit the bottle hard and died a few years later. Clark escaped unscathed, became a zillionaire and helped launch the careers of sanitized 'rockers' like Frankie Avalon and Fabian. Where is the justice?

1960 - Presidential candidate Richard Nixon discovers that, unlike with radio, one cannot show up to a televised debate looking like complete shit.

1960 - The Flintstones debut on ABC. Yabba Dabba Doo!

1961 - A teenage Geraldo Rivera (then known as Jerry Rivers) grows his first moustache. Gets ass kicked badly on playground after school.

1962 - Heeeeere's Johnny! Johnny Carson becomes host of The Tonight Show, replacing Jack Paar.

1963 - Call the medic! Doctor Who debuts on British television, as The Doctors and General Hospital debut in the U.S. Coincidence?

1963 - "The JFK Assassination" is the season's biggest hit.

1964 - The Beatles appear on Ed Sullivan, garnering the largest viewing audience in television history. In a wise move, producers opt not to show John, Paul, George and Ringo only from the waist-up.

1966 - Color TV becomes standard in all television broadcasting. Buddy Ebsen never looked better.

1966 - Star Trek debuts, as the geeks begin to take over television.

1967 - The Overmyer Network debuts as the fourth national commercial network. They got as far as the two-hour Las Vegas Show, a name change to the United Network, tons of wasted money and the network's demise. All in a 30-day period. What? They actually expected viewers with a name like The Overmyer Network?

1967 - The first NFL-AFL Championship Game aired on two networks, NBC and CBS. Yet, for some reason, no one at either top-rated network is smart enough to actually remember to record the damned game. Today, only a few clips of the very first Super Bowl are known to exist.

1968 - The networks have a lot to learn about sports programming. Some dumbass at NBC decides to cut out of the last few minutes of the Raiders-Jets football game, as Joe Namath and company appear to be sewing it all up, to air the sappy family flick Heidi. Viewers miss the thrilling upset, as the Raiders scored two touchdowns on three plays in the final minute to win 43-32. NBC's switchboard is flooded with calls from pissed-off football fans, who missed what would later be called one of the most memorable games ever played.

1967 - The final episode of The Fugitive draws a record number of viewers. But the story doesn't end there. O.J. Simpson is still looking for the real killer.

1969 - Sesame Street, Monty Python's Flying Circus and The Brady Bunch debut. Coincidence?

1969 - 600 million viewers around the world can attest to the fact that Neil Armstong moonwalked better than Michael Jackson ever could.

1970 - The birth of Monday Night Football. Now, Americans can do as the Canadians do.

1970 - Not much liking the liberal fare distributed by National Educational Television (NET), which often dealt with subversive anti-American and morally reprensible topics such as war, poverty and race relations (sarcasm alert!), the network's various affiliates, financial supporters and even the Nixon Administration work to get it shut down, and succeed. PBS, which launched the year prior, takes its place.

1971 - Both All In The Family, featuring racist demagogue and right-wing icon Archie Bunker, and Soul Train, a variation of American Bandstand that actually features black people, both debut. Coincidence?

1972 - Home Box Office debuts. Bleary-eyed viewers suffer panic attacks when they see the uncut versions of raunchy flicks like A Clockwork Orange and Last Tango In Paris in their living rooms. A new era begins.

1973 - NBC's first post-Tonight Show entry, Tomorrow, with Tom Snyder, gives stoned college students yet another reason to stay up late, blow off homework and get high.

1974 - Future cable news shouter Nancy Grace expresses first mock outrage when some girl she kinda knows gets stood up by her prom date.

1975 - The birth of the X-BOX's grandfather, as Atari's home version of Pong hits Sears stores. And it looks bitchin' in hi-def!

1975 - Sony launches the Betamax. Now Americans can watch porn in the comfort of their own homes, rather than be seen walking by themselves into seedy mob-owned movie theaters.

1975 -Live from New York, Saturday Night Live debuts.

1976 - The VHS tape format introduced. Be kind, rewind.

1976 - Anarchy In The U.K.! The Sex Pistols cause controversy when guitarist Steve Jones utters the word "fuck" on live British morning television.

1978 - Another attempt at a fourth network, this one from Paramount. It would be built around a revised Star Trek with the original cast and some bald chick. Plans for the network were scrapped and Star Trek became a really, really boring movie instead.

1978 - The Laserdisc launches, with the poorly chosen moniker Discovision. Lynyrd Skynyrd fans opt for Betamax.

1979 - The birth of ESPN. Da da dah!

1980 - Saturday Night Live begins three decade run of utter lameness once the last original cast member leaves. New cast member Charles Rocket stirs up controversy when he utters the word "fuck" on live late night television. Luckily, few people were watching at the time.

1980 - The new fad is lowly-rated UHF stations that air scrambled pay-tv programming every night. Those that paid a ridiculous $30 or so each month could see uncut movies with the help of an often-malfunctioning 'descrambler' box. For those without, you could almost see scrambled boobies!

1980 - Millions asked, "Who shot J.R.?" Today, nobody remembers or really gives a shit.

1981 - MTV debuts, showing shitty reality shows music videos 24/7. As the only artists actually doing videos at the time were Rod Stewart and a number of obscure British synthesizer bands sporting lipstick and sculpted hairdos, the playlist is not very refined.

1982 - Police Squad!, one of the funniest television comedies ever produced, lasts a mere six episodes on ABC, failing because it was so fast-paced, people could not get up and go to the bathroom during its half-hour running time. The doomed show later spawns three hit movies. Gotta love network executives.

1982 - NBC's new Late Night With David Letterman gives budding yuppie college students yet another reason to stay up late, blow off homework and get drunk on wine coolers.

1986 - FOX debuts as the fourth network. Civilization begins to decline on this date.

1990 - David Lynch's bizarre prime-time soap Twin Peaks debuts, leading viewers across the country to yell, "WTF?"

1992 - The beginning of the late-night shakeup. Johnny Carson retires and is replaced by Jay Leno. A snubbed David Letterman moves into direct competition at CBS. since the Overmyer Network never returned his calls.

1993 - Sensing pending brilliance, NBC slides obscure comedy writer Conan O'Brien into Letterman's old Late Night gig, giving delusioned Gen-X college students yet another reason to stay up late, blow off homework and ponder their hopeless lives.

1995 - The biggest daytime soap opera this year is the O.J. Simpson trial, proving that, once and for all, people will watch just about anything on television.

1995 - Even with four broadcast networks and hundreds of cable outlets, the people behind UPN, The WB and Pax (a dubious venture featuring infomercials, religious barkers and Mama's Family reruns) all decide we need more networks.

1996 - WRAL-HD in Raleigh launches as first-ever digital high-definition station. Sharper picture, same ol' crap.

1996 - Zenith introduces first HDTV-compatible front projection TV in the U.S. And like all front-projection sets to follow, it's a piece of junk.

1997 - The first commercial DVD players hit the market. No more rewinding fees!

1999 - The debut of HBO's The Sopranos, arguably the greatest television series in history. All the rest sleep with the fishes.

2000 - Survivor debuts on CBS, launching the never-ending 'reality' freak show fad. It only goes downhill from here.

2000 - Paramount releases the final two titles in the Laserdisc format, Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out The Dead. Wait! Studios were still releasing Laserdiscs in 2000?

2001 - Pop Idol debuts in the U.K., inspiring many more international versions, including our own. It goes further downhill from here.

2001 - Biggest hit reality show of the year turns out to be something called "September 11 Terrorist Attacks".

2002 - Yet another [BEEP!] 'reality' show, this one featuring Ozzy Osbourne's foul-mouthed [BEEP!] family, debuts on MTV. Kill your [BEEP!] television. Right [BEEP!] now.

2006 - UPN and The WB merge into The CW, and FOX pushes MyNetworkTV from their loins. Three years later, few can name a single show on either network.

2009 - Another shift in late night television at NBC, as Conan O'Brien deservedly gets the Tonight Show gig, Jay Leno takes over a full hour of prime time and the utterly lame Jimmy Fallon is tapped for Late Night, giving feeble-minded college students yet another reason to stay up late, turn off the TV and actually do homework.

2009 - Not to be outdone by NBC, CBS devotes their entire 10PM hour of weeknight prime time to variations and clones of their CSI franchise. Wait! They've already been doing this for years! As for ABC, they just schedule more shit that nobody watches.

2009 - The U.S. ditches the old analog standard for television and moves completely to digital transmission. Okay, so at least we half-way killed our televisions. Bring on the digital era!

Another sign of the radio apocalypse - Radio & Records folds

The radio business has been a pretty rough ride as of late, and one sure sign is the demise of the industry's 'bible' - Radio & Records magazine.

After 36 years, it's publisher has decided to axe the publication and merge much of its content with sister Billboard, which has given much more inferior coverage of the industry, concentrating mostly on the music business.

The magazine's last print issue will be this Friday, and their web page has already been shut down, with only a farewell message in its place:

Dear Radio & Records Reader:

Given the consolidation of the radio and music industries, Nielsen Business Media has determined that the best way to leverage its assets and resources in support of these industries is to consolidate its music brands.

Consequently, we have decided to consolidate R&R magazine and RadioandRecords.com into Billboard magazine and Billboard.biz and to expand their coverage of the radio industry. In particular, the R&R airplay charts, which are powered by Nielsen BDS and which have become a key tracker of industry performance, will now appear in the pages of Billboard magazine and on Billboard.biz.

If you are a subscriber to Radio & Records, the remaining value of your subscription will be automatically applied to a new subscription to Billboard magazine starting with the June 20 issue that mails on June 11. If you already receive Billboard, your subscription will be automatically extended by the remaining value of your R&R subscription.

The magazine began in 1973, and has long been a primary go-to publication for radio news, airplay charts, ratings reports and industry job listings. It's music charts, while never topping those of Billboard, were used by several radio countdown shows.

Once the internet became a force, many rivals stepped up. Some sites were all-encompassing, such as Radio Online and All Access. Others concentrated on regional industry news, job listings, industry schmoozing and whatnot. And a few years ago, R&R was purchased by its leading rival, Billboard. And now, it is no more.

When I was in the biz, before all the cool content came to the web, I often read through the pages of R&R. I checked out what other stations were playing. I scoured through the job listings, hoping to better my own position in the world, and caught up with what was happening in the world of radio. But times change, and many sites have started to eclipse R&R. Essentially, they couldn't keep up.

So, farewell to R&R, and the passing of an era in the radio industry.

P.S.: While we're on the topic of final farewells, let us tip our hats and raise our glasses to two icons of different fields. Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor passed away yesterday at the age of 80. And in a real shocker, actor David Carradine, most famous for "Kung Fu" and "Kill Bill", was found dead in a Bankok hotel room earlier today. He was 72.

Wednesday talkin'

A few tidbits to get you through your day...

Collins joins the campaign

A few weeks after hanging up his headphones, Peter B. Collins has a new job. Lt. Governor and gubernatorial hopeful John Garamendi has hired Collins to act as a new "messaging and communications consultant."

The Garamendi for Governor 2010 replaced his top campaign advisor, Jude Barry, with Collins, 55, who started in radio in Chicago in the 1970s, went on to host Bay Area talk programs on ABC-owned KGO-AM and CBS-owned KRQR. For the past several years, he hosted a syndicated talk radio effort based at KRXA in Monterey.

Collins has served as board president of the Freedom Foundation, a non-profit group that provides legal assistance to inmates and investigates suspected wrongful convictions. He has worked on political campaigns for Nancy Pelosi, Pete McCloskey and the American Nurses Association.

More "Crap" in Montana

After its inaugural show on April 4th, KMPT Missoula program director Pete Deneault sends word that a local weekly show, "Anti-Crap Radio - Talk That Doesn’t Suck" has extended from one to two hours. This Saturday’s episode (4/11) will features musician, Huey Lewis, and Native American activist, Elouise Cobell.

The show's official mission statement: Rise above bias games to trans-partisanship and wear red and/or blue and other seasonal favorites…being Anti-crap is color blind.

The show airs Saturdays from 4 – 6P on 930 AM, KMPT. They also stream via the station's website. A Podcast is also available.

In appreciation of "The Mess"

Thought I'd mention the passing of what many conisder to be a talk radio legend. He never had a syndicated show, and wasn't all that well-known outside of the upper midwest. But he was still a legend.

Steve Cannon, a longtime radio personality in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, passed away Monday night after a long battle with cancer at the age of 81.

Cannon was most remembered as the long-running afternoon voice at WCCO radio, where he worked from 1971 until his retirement in 1997. He had worked at other area radio and TV stations as well.

"The Cannon Mess" was as old-school as one could get. Like most WCCO fare, it was rather tame and lighthearted, focusing on friendly banter and tame humor. Like many radio personalities of days gone by, the cantankerous Cannon surrounded himself with a cast of 'characters' - though he did the voices of them himself. Backlash LaRue, Ma Linger and Morgan Mundane were participants in the festivities with Cannon. Sure, he was a bit corny by today's standards, and he wasn't the greatest character voice. But Cannon entertained people. He made them laugh. And he kept company with afternoon commuters stuck in I-94 and I-35W gridlock.

His approach no doubt left an impression on similar-minded people like Phil Hendrie, who worked at WCCO in the early 1990s, while Cannon was still there.

And unlike many of his contemporaries who have seemingly gone nuts after so many years talking to themselves in a padded room (a.k.a. radio studio), Cannon enjoyed a long career and a long, healthy, normal life. And he left the game on his own terms.

You can hear some of the work of Cannon at RadioTapes.com and WCCO.

Kumar goes to White House

I receive some peculiar news stories in my email box, and I'm still wrapping my brain around this one.

You might be familiar with actor Kal Penn. Fans of the TV show "House" are probably still reeling over the tragic loss of his character the other night. So why is he leaving a hit show and a good acting career (many probably remember him from the "Harold and Kumar" movies)? To work in the White House. Seriously.

Penn no doubt made a strong impression last year while campaigning for Barack Obama. So much that he was offered a job by the man himself. In an interview with EW.com, he explains what happened:

Penn: I was incredibly honored a couple of months ago to get the opportunity to go work in the White House. I got to know the president and some of the staff during the campaign and had expressed interest in working there, so I'm going to be the associate director in the White House office of public liaison. They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They're basically the front door of the White House. They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It's similar to what I was doing on the campaign.

Money can buy me Beatles again

I've been bitching about this for months now. Why on earth hasn't the Beatles' official CD catalog been re-released?

For over two decades, all there's been is the same crappy quality CDs mastered with ancient technology. Then they sounded good. In comparison to similar stuff available today (and Apple reissues such as "Yellow Submarine Songtrack", "1" and "Love", they sound flat and lifeless.

Now, Beatles fans can rejoice (hopefully). Apple Corps., the holding company representing the band's interests, and EMI, their longtime label, have finally resolved their differences enoughbt to start rolling out the reissues on September 9. Whoo hoo!

The deluxe edition releases will coincide with another Beatles' product, a special edition of the Rock Band video game featuring their music.

Each album, remastered painstakingly from the original sources, will include a mini-documentary. And their first four albums, originally released only in mono, will be issued in stereo.

For fans of the band's mono mixes, a new box set will collect the mono editions of ten of their albums. And if you've never heard the mono version of "Sgt. Pepper", well, you're missing out.

A few box sets will also see the light, including the previously-available "Past Masters" catch-all collection of non-album releases.

Check your store shelves come September 9.

Indie 103.1 leaves the air

Say it ain't so!

First we lose Ricardo Montalban, and now it's the end of the coolest and most adventurous rock station in America. KHAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!

After five years, Entravision is pulling the plug on Los Angeles' KDLD & KDLE (a.k.a. Indie 103.1). Along with the end of Indie is the dismissal of the radically diverse airstaff, which even includes former Sex Pistol Steve Jones.

The station is currently running a loop of a few songs with the message that "Indie can no longer compete with the corporate radio game."

Dubbed "the coolest commercial station in America" by Rolling Stone, Indie will move its cutting-edge alternative format online to digitalindie.com.

An earlier message was posted there:

Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option -- to play the corporate radio game.

We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.

This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, punk, or alternative ? simply put, only the best music.

No word yet on the new format at the terrestrial frequencies, rumored to debut this weekend. It certainly won't be as cool as Indie 103.1.

More:

Los Angeles Times: Ex-Indie 103.1 host Chris Morris on the end of the station, Indie 103.1 is going off the air
Rolling Stone Magazine: Los Angeles Rock Station Indie 103 Going Web-Only, Quits “Corporate Radio Game”
Google blog search

The recession-proof Tuesday update

Okay, so it's now official. Break out the cat food and ramen noodles! The National Bureau of Economic Research on Monday announced that we're in a recession, and have been for a year now, pretty much saying the same thing everyone else besides the news media has been saying for months.

But in these parts, the only recession going on is the hairline of the guy typing this. Hey, blogging's still free, right? Though it would be nice if y'all could click some advertising links to the right and send this poor, balding fool a little substinance (or Rogaine money) to get through these rough times.

With that aside, let's catch up with some news...

Zoning

In case you were wondering, WWZN (1510AM) in Boston has started its liberal talk transition effective yesterday. So far, it's former WKOX/WXKS host Jeff Santos in mornings, 6-9A. Peter B. Collins' syndicated show airs live weeknights 6-9P. Other shows are forthcoming (such as either Thom Hartmann or Ed Schultz in middays, reportedly). Currently, the rest of the lineup is mostly sports and paid programming.

You can stream the station here.

RFK Jr. not interested in Senate seat

With Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) about to give up her Senate seat to become President-elect Obama's new Secretary of State, a few names have surfaced for Governor David Paterson to consider. He'd like to name a woman or a minority, but would also be really open to a well-known name. Like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., son of the former senator from the state.

But Kennedy, an environmental lawyer and co-host of Air America's "Ring Of Fire," said this morning that he had telephoned Gov. David A. Paterson and explained that he was not interested in being appointed to the United States Senate. Kennedy has said that he did not feel the time was right, and he wanted to devote more time to his family.

"Baby, if you ever wondered..."

Moving on to the semi-whimsical, many have wondered for the past three decades or so whether there was actually a WKRP in Cincinnati, similar to the faux radio show on the old CBS sitcom. The answer, obviously, has always been no, but that's about to change.

Okay, it won't be a radio station picking up the call letters, but a low-power independent TV station. Henceforth, Channel 38 in Cincy will be known as WKRP-TV (actually low-power WKRP-LP, if you want to get technical about it).

Not surprisingly, the station is heavy with old sitcoms. Unfortunately, there is one obvious show exception, which kinda messes up the whole concept, right?

Bill Drake (1937-2008)


Finally, a sad farewell to a radio pioneer. Bill Drake, the legendary radio programmer who revamped Top 40 radio in the 1960s and helped launch highly successful "93/KHJ Boss Radio" in Los Angeles, passed away Saturday of lung cancer. He was 71.


In the '60s, Drake was known as one of the most powerful men in the radio industry. His formula for success was called the Drake format: less talk, fewer commercials and more music.

The Departed

A couple passings to note on this unofficial first day of fall...

First, as has long been rumored, WROC (950AM) in Rochester has ditched liberal talk for sports. The new lineup is mostly ESPN Radio, with "Mike & Mike in the Morning," Colin Cowherd, Mike Tirico and Scott Van Pelt. The station will also carry "Schopp & the Bulldog" from sister station WGR in Buffalo.

"We felt that it was finally time that Rochester had a true all-sports radio station," commented VP/GM Susan Munn. "We’ll now offer Rochester the best regional and national sports coverage with our affiliation with ESPN and WGR in Buffalo."

Fans of WROC's previous format can tune in sister station WWKB (1520AM) out of Buffalo.

Another passing of note is that of an actual person. You may not know the name Don LaFontaine, but you definitely know the voice.

The voiceover king, known for the "In a world ..." movie trailer phrase died from complications from pneumothorax, or a collapsed lung yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 68.

For many years, LaFontaine has been the highest paid voiceover personality in the business. In addition to countless movie trailers, the "King of Voiceovers" also voiced hundreds of commercials for products such as Coke, McDonalds, Ford, Budweiser and Birds-Eye frozen foods. He most recently appeared as himself in a Geico ad.

George Carlin (1937-2008)

Comedian George Carlin, a counter-culture hero famed for his routines about drugs and dirty words, died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday, a spokesman said. He was 71.

Carlin, who had a history of heart and drug-dependency problems, died at Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica about 6 p.m. PDT (9 p.m. EDT) after being admitted earlier in the afternoon for chest pains, spokesman Jeff Abraham told Reuters.

Known for his edgy, provocative material, Carlin achieved status as an anti-Establishment icon in the 1970s with stand-up bits full of drug references and a routine called "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television." A regulatory battle over a radio broadcast of the routine ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

Read more:

George Carlin official website

CNN, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press,

Time.com: How Carlin changed comedy

Getting arrested in 1972 after doing the "Seven Dirty Words" at Milwaukee Summerfest here here and here.

Carlin, WBAI and the birth of the FCC's indecency policy.

FCC v. Pacifica Foundation and the FCC transcript of the broadcast.

Censorship in the media

The Seven Dirty Words - the original routine and performance video from 1978.

Memorable quotes

Video highlights - from The Huffington Post

Audio tribute from PRX (Public Radio Exchange) (semi-free subscription required)

Huffington Post interview from this past March

Larry King, Harry Shearer remember Carlin

Finally, this from David Hochman:

Since we were on the subject, I thought I'd ask what he'd like his tombstone to say. Carlin didn't miss a beat.

"I'm thinking something along the lines of, "Jeez, he was just here a minute ago."

Cleaning out the closet Part 3: Floozies, flips, leftovers and the dearly departed

Here it is, part 3 of my recap of all things LTR. In this one, I'll talk about all the stuff that didn't fit in the previous two installments. And I'll start with a little breaking news:

As of right now, right-wing bloggers across the tubes are getting hard-ons about yet another political prostitute scandal, so quick on the heels of the whole Eliot Spitzer mess. This one concerns LTR fan Tom Athans, husband of Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the former boss of Democracy Radio (where he introduced us to Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller), a former VP at Air America Radio, and current CEO of upstart syndicator Talk USA Radio, which syndicates Leslie Marshall's show and Washington Monthly On The Air. I'm not sticking up for him, and I'm certainly not spinning. But I say let Athans and his wife sort it out, since there's really no hypocrisy involved in this case, unlike the Spitzer ordeal and others like it. Since Athans isn't an elected politician, and merely a businessman who's married to one, does it really matter? Simply put, I can't really pass judgement here.

Better yet, why, on the finger-pointing blogs, does a search for disgraced whorehound Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), congressional page molester Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) or toe-tapping closeted cruiser Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) yield few to no results? Or why do these holier-than-thou conservative types drool like rabid dogs in heat at the mere mention of hanky-panky? Or, why do so-called 'compassionate conservatives' love so much to wallow in human misery? Hmmm... interesting. Nonetheless, I'll keep an eye on this one.

Before I was so rudely interrupted by that tawdry business, a follow-up on something that piqued my curiosity yesterday. I mentioned that Thom Hartmann had picked up four new affiliates for his show. I was familiar with the stations in Miami and Jacksonville. The Bellingham, WA station is fairly new, but I have it listed. But there is the question of WNWF (1120AM) in Destin, FL. Never heard of this one. The best my sleuthing could come up with is that it is a recent convert to progressive talk. Currently, their lineup consists of Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, Hartmann and Ed Schultz. The station is a little 1,000 watt daytimer located on the Florida Panhandle and serves the Destin/Walton Beach area. They also feature an audio stream, which you can find at this link. WNWF, which is owned by Andala Enterprises, formerly aired programming from FOX News Radio.

In another follow-up to the same entry, this one on main affiliate WWRL (1600AM) in New York, which underwent substantial on-air changes, reportedly due to the end of Air America's time lease on the station. Tom Taylor at Radio-Info had this to say about Air America and the developments at WWRL:

New controlling owner Charlie Kireker certainly wants to get former WABC personality Lionel plugged back into the market, and ditto for Thom Hartmann. He’d no doubt love being on a more competitive signal than WWRL. So the Daily News reports the ongoing quest for a new affiliate, and also the launch of a “vastly expanded” website at AirAmericaRadio.com. Massachusetts-born and Vermont-based Kireker took over control of Air America from the Green family and so far the’ve been no reports of cash-flow problems. Air America started out with enormous hype and expectations that were pegged way too high. Its subsequent financial troubles and management changes kept it in the headlines. Now things seem to have stabilized – but its place in the progressive talk universe during a big election year seems to be usurped by bloggers and sites like Daily Kaos and Huffington Post. Making its website more of a competitor to those way-stations for liberals would surely help out its radio operation.

Taylor also relays this item:

T-R-I reader and Media Syndication Services president Woodhull emails to say “I’m sorry that Mike Malloy [per Malloy’s quote to the Sacramento Bee] and Randi Rhodes have difficulty attracting advertisers, but I want to make sure your readers know” that shows like Bill Press, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller “attract premium advertisers.” And he happily lists the national advertisers just on the Bill Press show for the first three months of 2008. They range from Ace Hardware and Advance Auto Parts to Bayer/Alka Seltzer, Geico, Johnson & Johnson and Scott’s Miracle Gro. The three shows Woodhull mentions are syndicated by Jones and repped by Jones MediaAmerica.

KCCT (1150AM) in Corpus Christi, which last year dropped it's Air America-fueled talk format for a Regional Mexican music format, switches back to talk. No Air America this time around, but Stephanie Miller will be on 10A-1P. Otherwise, you get right-wing puker Mancow Muller, fourth-tier rightie talker Jerry Doyle, the neutered Phil Hendrie and the always entertaining sports commentary of Dan Patrick.

KTNF (950AM) in Minneapolis is no longer Air America Minnesota. Not to worry, though. The programming remains mostly unchanged, but now they call themselves 'The Voice Of Minnesota.' Makes sense, since much of the stations' programming comes from other networks.

And finally, a few passings to note. First, Chicago radio legend Wally Phillips, who hosted mornings on WGN from 1965 through 1986, and then moved to afternoons until 1998. The station reported that PHILLIPS passed away last week after a five-year battle with Alzheimer's disease at 82.

Top 40 radio legend Jack Armstrong also passed away last week at the age of 63. Armstrong had a long career, with stops in Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Miami, Los Angeles and others on his itinerary. Some of the famed stations included WNBC, WWKB, KFRC, KTNQ and many others.

And here's a real shocker. Darian O'Toole, well-known to listeners in San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York died suddenly of an longtime undisclosed illness yesterday. The witty Canadian redhead first came to fame as the morning hostess at KSAN in San Francisco, and went on to a variety of stations since. In recent years, she's been working the CBS "Free FM" circuit (KIFR in San Francisco), and was at one time rumored to have perished during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which of course was found to be untrue. No further word on how or why she died.