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Stuff: About Mike EBS Test '71 GasBuddy.com Halls of Fame From Israel KTRmesS NewsNow RVN '69 Journal KIX 10th Reunion Services: Gear for sale PodCasting NewMedia Seminar Demoville: Tom Calhoun Don Corey Dave Morris Add your site Links: Lee Abrams Anchor Comm. Arbitron AllAccess Jamie Allman Blog St. Louis Tom Calhoun Blog CoastToCoastAM JC Corcoran C'field Observer Cox & Kerr (KMOV) (STL) CraigsList Dana Daniels Jerry DelColliano DigiCam News DVD43 DVD Shrink DOD-For The Record Terry Fox' Oasis Fox2 Blogs Frank O. 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Get involved now. -------------------- Adverti$ement: Which is a more efficient and productive use of your sale team's energy and talent: selling new business or collecting 90+ day past dues? Via the internet you see thousands of people working for you daily. Clear Channel/StL, Entercom/KC and Interep have some unbelievable things to say. Call David Oliver at 573.291.0707 or email guaranteedresults@earthlink.net for more information. -------------------- Adverti$ement: If you have to occasionally put business callers on hold, what do they hear? A message from you or a radio station playing competing spots? OnHoldSoundImage provides custom-written and produced on-hold messages, updated as necessary, that keep your caller's attention and promotes your company while they wait. They even provide the playback gear! Email or call 314.878.1244 for info. -------------------- Interested in writing for STLMediaReview? Check here to see how to start and what the website is all about. We're a couple months away from hard startup but the plans are underway and we're signing up writers and reporters for all subjects. Comment here. --------------------  ;nbsp;nbsp;nbspI hope this finds you well and good. I certainly enjoy keeping up with the St Louis market through your great efforts. The new technology of the Heil microphones has simply exploded onto the commercial broadcast market, serious recording studios and live concert stages and requires a lot of travel throughout the USA. ;nbsp;nbsp;nbspThis weekend Sarah and I are in Orlando at the second largest ham radio convention. I see lots of broadcasters at these events and today was very special. Jim White, whom I sat behind the KMOX microphones for 25 years during our 'Heil Tech Heil' segments attended my workshop and visited the Heil booth several times. Jim is in great health, looks great and continues to have the sharp quick wit. ;nbsp;nbsp;nbspSteve Carew also stopped by to say 'Hello'.. Steve did a lot of voice overs and did the lead ins for the Cardinal Network back in the GLORY years. ;nbsp;nbsp;nbspThanks for all you do! ;nbsp;nbsp;nbspBob Heil 02-10-07 Truth or bulls**t? Probably the latter. Secret Squirrel tells us that KFTK's Crane Durham is allegedly under fire by management and listeners for comments he made about Anna Nicole Smith, at least if you believe the Dave Glover website (where you can also hear the "incriminating" audio). Hey, any promotion is good promotion as long as you spell the name right, huh? Comment here 02-10-07 Thanks to all ... who made the STLMediaMeeting2007 at Krieger's/Maryland Heights a success this afternoon. I'm pretty sure that several "workable" plots were hatched among the participants to fix all the woes of the world in general and broadcasting in particular. You might have to wait a bit, though, for a consensus presidential candidate endorsement... 02-09-07 KTRS blows out morning show ... again. George Woods, Dana Daniels and Monty are out effective now; Vic Porcelli and Katie Jamboretz are in starting Monday. In other KTRS news, Station Manager Craig Unger has assumed additional duties as Program Director. Comment here 02-08-07 First it was CBS ... and now NBC is having problems with copyrighted material posted at YouTube. New CEO Jeff Zucker says, "YouTube needs to prove that it will implement its filtering technology across its online platform. It’s proven it can do it when it wants to.” Comment here. 02-08-07 The River City Rascals ... are looking for a Broadcast Intern for the 2007 season. Details here. Questions? Email Phil Giubileo, Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations. Note: This is an unpaid internship, so there is no compensation except for college credit. 02-08-07 If you thought buying KTRS for $2mil ... was a deal, check this out: NYC real estate mogul Stephen L. Green picked up the libnet AirAmerica in bankruptcy court for $4.25 million and an additional few million in debt payoff. AA has no real estate or real property and hardly any physical assets, almost no ad income and is losing affiliates on an almost daily basis. But Green's brother, a NYC politico, now has a radio show! Life is good on the left... Comment here. 02-08-07 KWMU story on the SJR ... is now online at the station's website. Matt Sepic did a bang-up job examining the conflicts and future of one of the market's finest media resources. Listen here to STL Journalism Review readies for new (old) ownership. Comment here. 02-08-07 Dead-tree pub goes digital ... From MSNBC: For centuries, readers thumbed through the crackling pages of Sweden's Post-och Inrikes Tidningar newspaper. No longer. The world's oldest paper still in circulation has dropped its paper edition and now exists only in cyberspace. Comment here. 02-08-07 NYT to go digital in five years? (From Haaretz) That's what the paper's boss seems to be saying: Given the constant erosion of the printed press, does he see the New York Times still being printed in five years? "I really don't know whether we'll be printing the Times in five years, and you know what? I don't care either," Arthur Sulzberger, owner, chairman and publisher of the most respected newspaper in the world says. Sulzberger is focusing on how to best manage the transition from print to Internet. Comment here.
02-07-07 Congrats to KSHE's Rob Naughton ... As KSHE’s Image Director, Rob Naughton’s voice is frequently heard voicing station promos and commercials. But on Superbowl Sunday, Naughton was heard by an international audience of nearly 90 million plus viewers as the VT of the Sprint Broadband “Connectile Dysfunction” commercial which aired during the second quarter. Naughton, a KSHE employee for 10 years, is also the voice talent for Grey’s Anatomy on Lifetime, Fox Sports and most recently for Bank of America. Read the press release. Comment here. 02-07-07 Frankie Laine passes at 93 ... from Reuters: Laine, the full-voiced singer who became one of the most popular entertainers of the 1950s with such hits as "I Believe" and "Jezebel" and was part of a generation of great Italian-American crooners whose peers included Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, died of a heart attack after hip-replacement surgery at the Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego. He is perhaps best remembered by a younger generation of American fans for his recordings of the theme to the hit television Western "Rawhide" and the theme to Mel Brooks' 1974 big-screen western spoof "Blazing Saddles." I had the honor of interviewing Laine as part of an AFRTS audition package in January 1969 during his week-long stand at the Latin Casino in New Jersey; I was a star-struck kid but he was a real gentleman who did his best to make me feel at ease. Comment here. 02-07-07 This oughta brighten your day ... from Reuters: Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Tuesday called on the four major record companies to start selling songs online without copy protection software to thwart piracy known as digital rights management (DRM). Jobs said there appeared to be no benefit for the record companies in continuing to sell more than 90 percent of their music without DRM on compact discs, while selling the remaining small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system. Comment here. 02-07-07 Arbitron gets tough with public radio ... from InsideRadio: Arbitron may feel that public radio’s gotten a break on fees because of its ability to bargain en masse through the Radio Research Consortium. Now it’s interested in negotiating directly with stations – and asking for rates in People Meter markets that could literally be four to five times higher than what they’re paying now. Remember now, 2007 is the year that public radio numbers will finally appear in published Arbitron ratings. This bears watching. Comment here. 02-06-07 In the words of the honoree ... STL Radio Old Dog Tom Calhoun was recently honored for his twenty years of work as PA announcer at Blues hockey games. In all those years, Tom has never once missed a game. Read his account of the event. Comment here. 02-05-07 My goal has always been to keep any political agenda ... off the Front Page. But this video, from Monday night's O'Reilly, about the Washington Post's and NBC's military analyst William Arkin's trashing of US troops abroad, is too much to bear for this Vietnam combat
02-05-07 From KWRE's Jay Murry ... I have been fortunate to be chosen as the "Missouri Sportscaster of the Year", by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. To be selected from a nominee list that included Frank Cusumano and John Rooney is certainly very flattering, and I'm grateful to receive the honor. Bill Battle from the Washington Missourian won the "Missouri Sportswriter of the Year", and the both of us will join the other state winners for the awards weekend April 28-30, at the NSSA headquarters in Salisbury, North Carolina. Comment here.
02-04-07 By the way ... the NFL does not allow you to watch the 02-04-07 Far as I'm concerned ... the best parts of the 02-04-07 After the two-day power out at STLMedia World HQ a while back ... (when Big-Dog Lucy and I toughed it out under Blanket Mountain) I've been having nightmares that I'll never be warm again. But a late-night trip to the grocery last evening, even though I felt like a popsicle in the 11 funderful degrees, warmed the cockles of my heart. The ionosphere was clearly in a reflective mood...the scan button on the truck radio found a signal on just about every AM frequency. It was a great night for DX-ing in St. Louis, almost like the old days when there was so much less interference. Denver to NYC and w-a-y down South, all my amplitudinally-modulated friends were right there. Too bad it's only a five-minute drive to the store. Even with the kickass heater in the S-10, it was too cold to drive around just to listen. Comment here. 02-03-07 Viacom wants their moom pitchers back ... Viacom has issued a firm demand to YouTube, the video-sharing site, to immediately remove over 100,000 video clips featuring content from Viacom's family of networks after the two companies have failed to come to a workable content-sharing arrangement. The clips, which Viacom says account for 1.2 billion video streams, range from short snippets to full-length episodes of shows from MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, among others. Or a bunch of money, either one'll work. If you've got some favorites bookmarked on YouTube, you might want to take a look here. Otherwise, expect the load on YT's server to lighten up considerably over the next week... Comment here. 02-03-07 Now, this is compelling programming ... that'll guarantee Sirius success! AllAccess reports that Sirius Adds National Lacrosse League -- SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO will broadcast a NATIONAL LACROSSE LEAGUE "Game of the Week" starting today (2/2) under a multi-year deal that makes SIRIUS the exclusive Official Satellite Radio Partner of the NLL. The deal also includes a weekly one-hour league highlights and analysis show. The first game to be featured under the deal will be tonight's MINNESOTA SWARM at PORTLAND LUMBERJAX match at 10p ET on SIRIUS channel 123. One can only hope that KTRS fills its non-sports time with such excitement! Comment here. 02-03-07 We're from Google, and we're here to help ... from R&R: Google says it’s signed “over 700 radio stations in more than 200 metros.” Google SVP Jonathan Rosenberg says accountability is where they’ll make a killing — since they’ll provide real-time reports on exactly where the ad played and when it played to advertisers. That’s in contrast to what he says is radio’s stretched-out affidavit process that can take 12 weeks. A lot of radio's big thinkers are saying lots of negative things about this, but if you run a station with regularly unused inventory, you should get on board with this deal, and right now. Any money you make is a plus. And Google will even write and produce the ad for you. Give me one good reason why it's a bad idea... Comment here. 02-02-07 Savage goes native ... from AllAccess: Did Michael Use Savage Language? Did syndicated talker MICHAEL SAVAGE drop the f-bomb on his show THURSDAY night? MP3s that appear to show SAVAGE saying, partially off-mic, "Somebody's not running the board properly, I don't give a f--k who it is. Fix the goddamn board!" beneath the show's bumper music are circulating on the 'Net. While the audio appears to be an accidental open-mic situation, it's unclear whether individual affiliates aired the slip or were able to dump out of the comment before it aired. The clip's been posted at RADIO EQUALIZER. Another Brian Maloney exclusive! Comment here. 02-01-07 Well, how 'bout that? Radio World, which has been a weekly print trade magazine since dirt was rocks, is doing exactly one of the things I recommended the SJR do...supplement the printed magazine with a digital edition available through email, serving up breaking news as necessary as a companion to their existing online edition. Comment here. 02-01-07 The RFT's Chad Garrison ... did a brief phone interview with me a few days ago about the coming STLMediaReview website. Par for the course, Garrison drew his own conclusions about my goals with the new site from an out of context (or two) statements from me. He also completely glossed over the disclaimer I made at the beginning of our conversation regarding my deep admiration for the work of Charles Klotzer in developing the STL Journalism Review and in taking back the responsibility for the pub when Webster University failed to carry it on. Read it here or here and then comment here. 02-01-07 Bonneville/STL new meat ... The Arch adds Eric Schmidt from I-Channel for nights and Chuck Dee from WGRD/Grand Rapids for overnights. At MOViN 101.1, Steph Duran takes mornings after five years with Y98, Jill Devine adds middays to her existing MD duties, Mysti Cox assumes PM drive from KHMX/Houston; and Raven Rush grabs nights from KJMM/Tulsa. It's an all-chick non-hip-hop station! Comment here.
If you hear some scratching noises on XM radio, it's probably not static -- but it might be rats. The satellite radio's District headquarters is so infested with the furry little critters that the company has gone to the rat-eradication equivalent of DefCon 1. "Those of you familiar with DC rodents know that we're looking at the size of small house cats," writes XM senior veep Dan Turner in an internal memo sent to employees on Friday. 
Turner goes on to describe the gnawing dread: "Currently we have lost the functionality of Production Room 8 as the rodents have discovered that the cover on our fiber optics cables makes good nesting material. A couple of weeks ago it was one of the multi-function studios that was taken out of commission. Tomorrow it could be a cable to a satellite uplink. It is that serious."The Beltway, rat-wise, appears to be on the second floor of the XM building, a beautifully restored former printing factory on New York Avenue NE, reports our colleague Paul Farhi. The crawl space under the raised floors "represents an eight-lane superhighway to anywhere the rats want to go," writes Turner. The broadcaster has summoned Orkin, according to spokesman Chance Patterson, and has enlisted the building's 600 employees in "immediate and very aggressive eradication measures" -- that means no food and drink in the studios (not even coffee? Eeeekk!) and all those magazines, posters and other junk must be tossed because rats like to use them to build nests. No shock and awe here -- Turner's ready for a long siege. "Eventually, they'll get the building back," he concludes his memo, "but we ain't done with it yet." by Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts Comment here. 01-30-07 Note to STLMedia Newsletter subscribers ... We send several hundred HTML-based emails five or so nights a week through one or more of our GMail accounts. If (a) it winds up in your Trash file or (b) you're just not getting it you may have to adjust your personal email account settings to "whitelist" or otherwise approve our submissions or dig through your Trash for the latest news. Sorry, but this is what the Web has devolved to. Spam has made many automated mailservers wary of any mass or regular emailings. If changing your settings or digging for the email is a problem for you, you can always unsubscribe. I'll miss you on the maillist but I'll understand. 01-29-07 Batchelor's OK, MissouriRadio.net back up soon ... from the weekend email: Hi Mike - Was checking in on your site when I saw my name come up - all is well with me, the site just happened to crash at a very inopportune time for me, as I am choking in work right now, and the hosting company that I had been using has been less than helpful, even though the problem is seemingly on their end. I am going to transfer the domain, and hopefully, I will at least be able to get the message forum back rolling again within the week. If you could please let folks know that the site isn't gone for good, I would appreciate it - I know many people frequent both our sites. Thanks, Mike Batchelor Comment here. 01-29-07 This'd almost be funny ... if it wasn't getting to be a regular occurrence. Brian Maloney's Radio Equalizer reports that, "According to media sources, including the bankrupt company itself, Air America has been sold to Stephen L. Green, a real estate baron and political player in New York City's lefty circles. He's also the brother of Mayor Bloomberg's most recent opponent, Mark Green." Al Franken is on the way out, too, scheduled to leave in a couple weeks, presumably to run for the US Senate from Minnesota. Yawns ensue all around. By the way, note that the new owner is a real estate guy. Does that tell you anything about the esteem in which the financial world holds radio in general and this network in particular? Why does this money monkey think that he can achieve anything with the same product that none of the previous millionaires have? Comment here. 01-29-07 Do bears play in the woods? Don't try to answer. Just go here. 01-29-07 Looking for Mike Duran ... or at least a guy I know is. If you know where Mike D. is these days, and you'll let me know, I'll let the guy I know, know. Know what I mean? 01-29-07 Rick Sanborn on TV tonight ... From email: Mike...Tonight (Monday January 29) on KETC Channel 9 at 7pm, tune in or TIVO "Living St. Louis". Ruth Ezell interviewed me way back in November about the state of Smooth Jazz in St. Louis and she just emailed me to say that it will finally air tonight. Don't know what context/content...but if it keeps the dream of Smooth alive in the Lou...it's all good. Best, Rick.UPDATE: Ruth Ezell (who looks better than ever) did a great job on the segment and Rick comported himself nicely. Good to see that the Botox is workin' for him...Sanborn's getting up in years, y'know! 01-27-07 Greatest STLMedia get-well wishes ... to Old Dog Jack Rinne, who is recovering at home in Marshall MO after ICU treatment at University Hospital in Columbia for a diabetes-related problem. He'd appreciate hearing from friends, I'm sure. Get well, Jack, and thanks for the history of the Krieger's restaurant in Maryland Heights! 01-27-07 It's not just me ... who thinks SatRad is a mess. Even some really smart guys are onto the fraud: Jeffrey M. McCall of DePauw University writes: The main programming problem for satellite radio is audience fit. Radio's success over the years has been its local identity. Satellite-delivered programs have no localism. While the large majority of Americans still listen to radio, the question is whether it is important enough in their lifestyles to pay for a receiver and an ongoing monthly fee. Cost is the major factor for nonsubscribers, particularly among young people. Most music formats and talkers are available via free radio. Read it all here or here. Comment here. 01-27-07 Yesterday The Point made Rover's Morning Glory ... a thing of the past. Emmis' failed adventure with syndicated crap radio is gratefully over; they've replaced it with a local show, hosted by Donnie Fandango, who previously worked at The Point from '96 thru '01. Fandango's new show is said to be music-intensive, with a lot of listener input in the programming of music. Donnie returns this Monday, the 29th, with Christy Swyers doing news and other service elements. In addition to the new morning show, Drew Patterson joins the station as the new Creative Director. Drew comes to Emmis/STL from Pittsburgh where he held the same position at WRKZ-FM. The position was formerly held by Jeff Frisse. Comment here. 01-27-07 Keith Kramer ... formerly of the Big 550, has plans for an online-only talk show. According to his website, "It will be completely uncensored and without advertisements. No bosses. No programmers. No suits. No stuffy bankers. No restrictions. Sometimes, maybe no clothing." Best of luck, boyo. Comment here. 01-27-07 Secret Squirrel spins on ... the Big 550: "I heard that Vic Porcelli and Jamboretz from Channel 11 were going to have a show on KTRS and McGraw was moving to mornings...is that true?" Whew. That's a big leap. Porcelli did a bang-up job filling in on KFTK and would probably do a great job at KTRS (assuming he's done the due diligence necessary for any new employer-employee relationship), but I have no idea how Ms. Jamboretz would sound on the radio (she was certainly okay on the tube). McGraw would sound good in just about any daypart, I think. The question is whether he or anyone else can draw numbers in KTRS Mornings... Comment here. 01-26-07 STLMediaReview.com ... is in the works. It's a subscription-based multi-media website that will replace the dead-tree STL Journalism Review, with politically and socially balanced print, audio and video commentary and coverage of all media from a local perspective. If you'd like to be considered as a (well, eventually) paid contributor, send a sample of your work on media to mike@stlmedia.net. We're looking for regular/monthly columnists and feature authors of all political and social stripes; audio and video applications should be three minutes or less and in Windows Media (video, audio) or MP3 (audio) formats. Your attitude and your ability to express yourself and your opinions clearly is more important than age or experience; students of the media of all ages are welcome to apply. Please include your name and phone number in your cover email. Comment here. 01-26-07 Stupidest radio story of the week ... an undocumented alien was denied a prize (a used Corvette) because she couldn't come up with a SSAN for tax purposes and now she's upset. Here's the story from AllAccess: THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES is reporting that MARIBEL NAVA ALVAREZ, a CHICAGO-area resident, said officials with WLEY (LA LEY 107.9 FM) and its parent company, SPANISH BROADCASTING SYSTEM, withheld the gray sports car she won in a LA LEY contest when they discovered she was an undocumented resident. ALVAREZ claims she was threatened after winning a contest for a 1999 Corvette. What's worse, she said, is that an SBS attorney allegedly threatened to alert authorities of her immigration status once he learned she intended to take her battle to court. "I was very sad. I cried. ... My feelings were hurt because I was mocked," ALVAREZ said in her native Spanish on WEDNESDAY. "It's unjust." Despite LA LEY's claims, ALVAREZ said she was never informed verbally or in print that she had to be U.S. citizen or legal resident to be eligible to win Mexican-American singer JUAN RIVERA's old car during the JULY 4, 2005 contest. LA LEY is required by law to get a valid Social Security number or tax identification number from all winners of prizes worth more than $500, according to a written statement from the station. An official said she did not want to comment because the matter is in litigation. How would you handle it? Comment here. 01-26-07 In case you were worried ... that the downturn in music sales was adversely affecting performers' income, well, worry no more. At least for these guys. Here's Forbes Top 10 Music Moneymakers: The Rolling Stones -- $150.6 million Tim McGraw & Faith Hill -- $132 million Rascal Flatts -- $110.5 million Madonna -- $96.8 million Barbra Streisand -- $95.8 million Kenny Chesney -- $90.1 million Celine Dion -- $85.2 million Bon Jovi -- $77.5 million Nickelback -- $74.1 million Dave Matthews Band -- $60.4 million Mike's commentary: Holy s**t! Comment here. 01-26-07 KTRS' Craig Unger writes ... We had to change our Listen Live link because our provider upgraded servers. It is now: http://mmslb.eonstreams.com/ktrsam.asf 01-26-07 An open letter ... to KTRS' Mark Christopher and Joe Hipperson: Gentlemen, I enjoy your shows. What I most especially enjoy is the passion that both of you bring to your work. It's clear that you enjoy what you're doing and that you see it as much more than just a job. But would you please do me just one teeny little favor? When you say your call letters, would you hit the "R" with the same emphasis as the "K", "T" and "S"? Currently, you both kinda roll it under ("KAY-TEE-er-ESS"). Just sayin'. Have a nice day and say hi to all there for me...Mike. 01-26-07 Wrandy Wraley writes ... Mike, I thought I would pass along info about an opening here at Cumulus/Nashville. The FM talker is looking for a producer for the morning show. The guy you would be working for is a good cat. He is looking for someone to be reliable and professional. People can send info to me at randy.raley@cumulus.com. Nashville is 4.5 hours from St. Louis and is a pretty cool city. 01-25-07 'Splain to me one more time ... exactly why it is we need broadcast network newscasts at the dinner hour and daily newspapers? I watch the local 'casts because, well, they're local, and I feel an obligation to keep in touch with STLTV. But there's absolutely nothing that the nets provide, or the Post, the NYT or (fill in the blank) that I cannot get either at their websites or at any one of the many news aggregators. I know my demo doesn't account for much for ad agencies, but studies keep telling me that I'm in the prime useage age for both news providers. What's wrong with this picture? Comment here. 01-25-07 Is it just me ... or is anyone else totally annoyed by the "Who Would You Give A Volvo To" TV spot that uses the little girl rambling a story at her (presumably) Dad as he loads her into the car? Enough is enough. We've raised kids and we have grandkids and it's not like we don't love the little ones. But the little girl in the spot is teeth-grindingly, unbearably "cute". Too much syrup on the waffle, Volvo. On the other hand, it must test well somewhere, because it seems to be the only spot running in the campaign. Comment here. 01-24-07 In email recently: 590 The Fan Seeks Dynamic Director of Promotions & Marketing ... 590 “The Fan” in St. Louis, is looking to land a “winner” to lead the Promotions and Marketing Department. Do you have an unparalleled passion to win? Are you excited to work at one of radio’s most exciting young companies? Creativity and organizational skills are a must. Being a sports fan is great, but understanding what moves men is even more important. If you're interested in being considered for this opportunity please email Jason Barrett at jbarrett@kfns.com. No phone calls please. Comment here.
01-24-07 On January 18th I wrote ... about the water-intoxication death in Sacramento: What happened here is unconscionable. Entercom should just write the check and get it over with and then they should have their license to operate the station yanked by the FCC; the show's participants should all do hard time. A few days ago, the city was looking into criminal charges and today, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has directed the FCC Enforcement Bureau to look into the matter and attorneys for Royce International Broadcasting allege in a petition to the FCC that Entercom is “a highly-leveraged criminal enterprise that cannot be relied on to serve the public interest,” arguing that Entercom should be prevented from acquiring 16 CBS stations. It appears that a number of responsible grown-ups have had attacks of good judgement. Comment here. 01-23-07 Secret Squirrel spins on ... KFNS' Kevin "Slatey" Slaten: He wasn't "sick" on Monday as reported. He was serving a one-day suspension for his comments about Brad Soderberg and SLU. The SLU administration was livid when they heard the comments. That is why Bob Ramsey was on his tirade today about everyone ripping on Soderberg. Comment here. 01-23-07 Batchelor out of touch ... Mike Batchelor's MissouriRadio.net website has been offline for some time, and no one seems to know why. His statewide service is excellent and missed by many. Anybody got a clue on this? Is Mike OK? Comment here. 01-23-07 Like anybody could remember ... Don Corey, the STLRadio Old Dog referenced recently in the Webster-Kirkwood Times, is writing a book about his adventures as a late night DJ at KSHE. If you have any interesting stories or anecdotes, please email them so Don might consider including them in the book. If you’d be interested in being notified when the book publishes, email Don your address, name and phone number. Comment here. 01-23-07 Really rich guys never seem to learn ... and more money gets poured down a dry well. From AllAccess: The WALL STREET JOURNAL is reporting that the sale of AIR AMERICA RADIO to the FRENCH family of WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY is close to being announced. As previously reported, the family, who owns independent WRNN-TV/KINGSTON, NY, is the likely candidate to buy AAR out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The paper reports that RICHARD FRENCH, a former NEW YORK STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY official, would "likely get his own show in prime time" on the network (he hosts a nightly show on WRNN-TV) and that former AIR AMERICA host MARK MARON has been talking to the FRENCHES about returning to the network. Any deal would require bankruptcy-court approval. Comment here. 01-22-07 Free international phone calls ... Very cool! I just talked to my Brother in Israel on my cell phone via the services of futurephone.com. No charge, no Skype headset use or registration. You dial an Iowa-based number from your phone, enter your 011+ international info and you connect. I understand that in time there'll be a tiny commercial played, but for now, no such thing. It connected, Rick and I chatted, zero BS. Quality was a little muddy, but if I may repeat, it's free. I presume it's VOIP-based; if so, it must chew up megatons of bandwidth.  01-21-07 At 5AM Sunday morning ... it doesn't look so bad, Snow Advisory cancelled. But now comes the freezing drizzle, whatever that is. How y'all doin'?  01-21-07 Congratulations to KMOX and Steve Moore ... Radio & Records has just released the ballots for their News/Talk Awards. The winners will be announced at the Talk Radio Seminar in LA. KMOX (News/Talk Station of the Year Markets 1-25) and Program Director Steve Moore (News/Talk Radio Executive of the Year), have been nominated. Here are the rest of the categories and nominees:
R&R News/Talk Industry Exec of the Year
R&R News/Talk Radio Executive of the Year
R&R News/Talk GM of the Year
R&R News/Talk PD of the Year
R&R News/Talk Exec of the Year
R&R News/Talk Station of the Year (Markets 1-25)
R&R News/Talk Station of the Year (Markets 26+)
R&R News/Talk Local Personality of the Year
R&R News/Talk Syndicated Personality of the Year 01-20-07 Schnucks and Dierbergs ... are dropping product prices like stones, saying they'll need to compete with Wal-Mart Super Centers planned for STL. But suspicious minds in each company tell me that's horsehockey and that the real reason is upcoming union negotiations and the need to drive cost of operation down. They also say that Wal-Mart's big stores will never happen here because of the "strong Retail Clerk union presence." I say people will take a job where they can find it, unions notwithstanding, but what do I know? My union screwed me three times and I'm still bleeding. My question to STL investigative reporters: who'll be the first of you to get into the dirt on this and maybe cost your employer some serious ad bucks for the sake of a great story? My guess? You'll never hear a peep about it in pop journalism, on the tv or in the newspaper. Supermarket ad money makes this a non-issue for everyone except the RFT and the STL Business Journal (neither of which, by the way, would ever consider thanking this website for the lead). Regardless, which one of them has the stones to take this and run with it? Comment here. 01-20-07 One more to Nashburg ... The (former) River's (former) PD Marty Linck is off to Music City as PD at South Central Communication's 96.3 JackFM. Marty's quoted in AllAccess: "I am so excited to move to NASHVILLE as PD for SOUTH CENTRAL COMMUNICATION'S JACK FM. The company is rock solid and they obviously know what they are doing with both of their stations in NASHVILLE. 96.3 JACK FM is a leader in the format with a great reputation, plus lot's of ratings and revenue success. I look forward to joining the team, meeting the staff and being an integral part of helping the radio station stay on top". Comment here. 01-20-07 Presuming the coming storm's cooperation ... Mrs. A and I will be watching the first four hours of 24/Day 6 that we missed because of last week's power/cable outage this Sunday afternoon/evening. Fox has made a great marketing decision, apparently making segments of the season available on DVD in four-show increments, at $10 a pop. If you miss a segment, you can wait just four weeks to buy the arc and catch up, rather than waiting for re-runs or to purchase the boxed set at the end of the year. Comment here. 01-20-07 And, of course, it's coming right for us ... Dear God: Please keep our power on. If Ameren gets into trouble, please give Your Blessing to the spare AA- and D-cell batteries in the credenza and to the hand-crank-powered radio also therein, even though it's likely that most STL radio stations will not be offering much in the way of helpful information. I promise not to open the refrigerator for beer this time. At least as long as the power is out for less than an hour. Beyond sixty minutes, please understand that I am only a man. Amen. Comment here. 01-20-07 Image is everything ... This is something that I've mentioned to a few of the AT's and companies with whom I work and it bears repeating in a more public forum: MySpace-based websites may hurt much more than help you. I know, they're free, they're easy to customize and update, yada yada yada. But every time some degenerate creep gets busted, what's one of the first things that the media mentions? Right! Their MySpace site! And, BANG! you're smeared by association. I always advise to err on the side of caution, and this is most definitely one of those times. There are other, better ways to express your presence online. Comment here. 01-20-07 The Simmons Media Group ... (1380 ESPN/1490 WESL) has named a new General Manager, replacing Dave Greene, for their STL properties. The name is... well, I can't mention the name until I get the official word. But if what I'm led to believe is fact, this is a very positive move in a very good direction for the stations. More later. 01-19-07 The pundits have spoken ... radio consultants, tv commentators and the occasional rogue air personalities interviewed in various media seem to agree that the Age of Shock Jocks/Stunt Boys is over and done with. And not a second too soon. The Entercom/Sacramento listener-killing seems to have been the tipping point. You've read the stories, heard the audio, seen the commentary...isn't it about time that radio returned to Common Decency in programming? I hate the word, but maybe it's time for radio to become "pro-active", take the initiative and clean up our collective acts. There is no longer any room in the industry for ignorant or short-sighted management with only real estate or auto sales experience on their resumé and the listeners will be expressing their sentiments in the ratings. My suggestion to The Consolidators: there are a bunch of experienced managers, programmers and air talents sitting on the beach (men and women you have tossed aside because they cost too much), available for your phone call. They may smile and happily return to work; they may also tell you to pound sand, and who would blame them? But these are the guys who can resurrect your failing operations. God knows you can use the help and guidance. Comment here. 01-19-07 Thursday was the day of the Great 2007 Fix-Up (1) ... by mid-afternoon on the 18th all the cable, phone and downed-wire issues had been resolved at STLMediaHQ (just in time for the snow this weekend); with any luck, on Saturday our regular yard guy will chop-and-tote all the dropped lumber outa here at a reasonable price. Why do I have this feeling of impending doom, with so much of Winter yet to come? 01-18-07 Now Randy and Bobby can screw up television, too ... Just read the press release. You'll be shaking your head as I did at the possibilities: FT. WRIGHT, Ky., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Oak Hill Capital Partners ("Oak Hill") announced today that it has named Randy Michaels as CEO of Local TV, LLC, and Robert ("Bobby") Lawrence has been named President & COO. Local TV, LLC was formed by Oak Hill to acquire the Broadcast Media Group, consisting of nine network-affiliated television stations and related properties, from the New York Times Company. Oak Hill said it intends to build a broader media platform under the leadership of Michaels and Lawrence. "Randy is a visionary and a great motivator," said J. Taylor Crandall, a Managing Partner of Oak Hill. "He has a strong track record of outstanding broadcast management, content development and engineering. We are confident that Randy and Bobby, who are long-time partners, will bring innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit to the television industry. We are excited to have them on board." "The New York Times properties are high quality, heritage stations that are well positioned for future growth," said Randy Michaels. "Our most important role is to support our management and employees in creating strong, locally appealing news and content and serving the needs of our advertising customers and communities. We also have our eyes on the rapid changes that are occurring in the television industry. Local TV will be on the leading edge of change as the industry evolves. We are excited to work with the group's outstanding employees. I am confident they are up for the challenging and creative approach we will bring to this business." "Oak Hill is a tremendous equity partner," said Bobby Lawrence. "They are committed to giving us the capital and flexibility we need to support this acquisition and our future expansion initiatives. The New York Times Broadcast Media Group is a superb platform." The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2007. Don't these a-holes already have enough money? Do they really need to continue screwing with our lives? Comment here. 01-18-07 Told ya so ... told ya that this would not be happening. Nanny nanny boo boo! Now, InsideRadio is reporting it: The "merger premium" for XM and Sirius is evaporating. Inside Radio reported on January 11 that - based on FCC Chairman Martin's comments at the Citigroup conference - he "probably wouldn't officiate at a marriage" between the only two licensed satcasters. Today the Chairman said it even more clearly - that the current FCC rules wouldn't permit a merger. That report from Bloomberg and others got investors hitting the "sell" button on "XMSR" and "SIRI." Comment here. 01-18-07 If you've been trying to call STLMedia or me ... well, another oops obtains. The lines here have become confused and are sending all calls to the fax machine...all you get are a bunch of tones and beeps. Gratefully, DSL is still working. For the next (unknown) little bit, call the wireless number (at the bottom of any email you've received from me). The Phone Company is aware of the "issue". Sorry for the inconvenience. 01-18-07 Hold your wee for a Wii ... So now a radio station finally killed a listener doing a useless, stupid promotion. I've been watching this develop and didn't want to say anything until the local authorities decided that criminal charges against Entercom and the morning idiots that pulled this off were likely. KMOX' Paul Harris says everything I wanted to say (be sure to listen to the show's audio); my experience is exactly the same as his. ALL promotions should be thoroughly discussed and vetted BEFORE they hit the air, with all possible downside elements taken into consideration. What happened here is unconscionable. Entercom should just write the check and get it over with and then they should have their license to operate the station yanked by the FCC; the show's participants should all do hard time. Comment here. 01-17-07 So who's the new KTRS PD? Is it a BoyPD or is it a GirlPD? Word is that the new PD is a local hire, and that cuts the choices considerably. Will GM Tiny Tim Dorsey allow him/her the leeway and latitude to appropriately and successfully manage and critique the sports and talk talent? Will the sports and talk talent allow themselves to be so managed and critiqued? Does it really matter at all? Is the fact that the station's reputation in the industry is so bad that it can't pull in anyone out of the market to program the KTRmesS significant? Some of the nation's best talk PD's have been through there, and all have landed at MUCH better places, no thanks to TTD, who has done his very best to ruin their careers. Comment here. 01-17-07 Been without cable since Saturday night ... and I'm discovering that life without TV is not that big a deal. I'm reading books and studying online a lot more, playing with and rubbing the dogs a lot more, and spending more time out of STLMediaHQ than in recent months. I don't think I'm brave enough to face life without cable, but it's been an interesting respite. What's amazing is that to reconnect the house to cable would take plugging in just one wire, something I could do easily myself. But I've let it lie on the ground, four feet from the connection. So far, I'm two deep in a stack of five books I had set up to read anyway. When the cable guy gets here, he gets here and it happens. Comment here. 01-17-07 On the way home last evening ... I came up on a few Ameren trucks parked in my street, with their workers milling about. I had the chance then to thank them for their hard work. The guys looked exhausted, like they'd really appreciate a hot shower and a cold beer. I know how frustrating and uncomfortable it can be to be out of electric, but these guys are working their tails off to get us back into the system, and in the very worst conditions possible. If you have the opportunity to express your gratitude for their hard work, do it the first chance you get. The problems we're experiencing are not their fault. Comment here. 01-17-07 The Fall Arbitron Quarterly is out ... take a look at 12+ numbers here, along with a little in-demo 25-54 analysis. Comment here. 01-17-07 As expected ... Dave Ervin has been upped to market manager of CBS Radio/STL. Here's the story from R&R: Thirty-five-year radio vet Dave Ervin has been upped to market manager of CBS Radio's three-station St. Louis cluster, overseeing news/talk giant KMOX, AC KEZK and hot AC KYKY (Y98). He's promoted from the KMOX VP/GM chair and replaces Jim McKernan, who was GM of KEZK and KYKY but left to become NRG Media/Omaha GM earlier this month. At the same time, Michael Payne comes in as director of sales for KEZK and Y98. He was most recently Cumulus/Kansas City VP/GM and has also worked as VP and regional manager for Waitt Media. Ervin has spent time across the street as market manager of Radio One's St. Louis cluster, and as market president of Bonneville's group there as well. He has been VP/GM of KZLA/Los Angeles, and his resume includes stops at WCLR/Chicago; WNIC/Detroit; WQAL/Cleveland; KGON/Portland, Ore.; and WIBA-AM & FM/Madison. CBS Radio senior VP and regional manager Les Hollander said, "During Dave's tenure at KMOX, he has used his extensive experience in broadcasting to better the station's image on-air as well as in the community. We look forward to his bringing that expertise to the two FMs in his leadership role for CBS Radio." "We're thrilled and fortunate to have Mike's experience and guidance at CBS Radio/St. Louis," Ervin said about Payne. Comment here.
How about you? How old are you and how many magazines and newspapers have you bought and read over the past few years? My bet is the younger you are, the fewer dead-tree pubs you've purchased and perused. Or do you still subscribe to the print version of the STLP-D simply because your folks did and that's what you think you should do? Comment here. 01-16-07 Those of you who know me ... know that my personal politics are spread across the spectrum but rest mostly on the Right. Nonetheless, I'm strongly in favor of a return of the Fairness Doctrine. From InsideRadio: Could the Dems revive the Fairness Doctrine? Dennis Kucinich spilled the beans at the National Conference for Media Reform that he'll be the new chair of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the House Government Reform Committee - and that he intends to hold hearings on the FCC. Among the items on the Kucinich agenda - keeping the FCC's cross-ownership ban on local newspaper/broadcasting combos, and reinstating the Fairness Doctrine so stations would have to cover different viewpoints on "controversial" issues. I don't have a lot of respect for Kucinich and I believe that his "hearings on the FCC" will be pretty much a witchhunt, but I think that taking a long, hard look at the Fairness Doctrine is long overdue. It will strengthen the arguments on both sides, cutting out the crap like Michael Savage and Sean Hannity and Randi Rhodes and Rosie O'Donnell, and it will make talk radio and tv stronger and more representative in the long run. And, most importantly, it will force radio and tv to pay attention to their programming instead of blindly running syndication. God forbid, we might even wind up with a whole new set of local talk heroes! Comment here. 01-15-07 Oops and oops, again and again ... The STLMedia World HQ lost power at 11:29PM Saturday and returned to the world of semi-warmth this evening just before 7PM. I hung in here with Big Dog (she couldn't get into either of the cars for transport to safe haven) while Mrs. A took off with Small Dog for the daughter's place for refuge. I have never been so cold and disspirited, until I heard the workers making the final reconnections out back and the lights came back on. We've had a few seconds-long glitches with the requisite system restarts, but hopefully the long-term outages, here, at least are over. No cable but we do have phone and DSL (and tons of lumber on the ground...damned pin oaks!); I'll try to catch up with you all in the next day or so. 01-15-07 KTRS was to have named a new PD ... sometime Monday. And, according to sources, it'll be a local hire. Comment here. 01-13-07 Dave Greene leaves Simmons ... Here's the email memo: From: Dave Greene Sent: Friday, January 12, 2007 9:57 AM Subject: Move I wanted to let everyone know that effective at the end of the month I will be leaving Simmons Media Group (1380 ESPN/1490 WESL) in order to, along with my partner James Oelklaus, start a new company that will focus on marketing and publishing. We are extremely fired up about our first project which will be a local sports magazine. I am looking forward to sharing all of the details of this very exciting project with you as we move forward. Unfortunately, the change means leaving behind lots of friends and relationships from my two and a half years with Simmons. Those that I have worked with during the launch of the radio station to today, thank you for being a part of what we built at 1380 ESPN. We are very proud of what the station has become and know that it will continue to succeed. For us, it is simply the right time to fulfill our life long dream of owning our own company. For those that I have unfinished business with I will be in touch soon to make sure you are taken care of. Mike Brownsher, who has assisted me in programming for some time, will be your new contact for programming matters. I will forward my new contact information to everyone very soon. Again, I will be in through the end of the month, so you can still reach me through this email address and my current phone numbers through that time. Much more to come….. Best to all. David Greene General Manager Results Radio 1380 ESPN/1490 WESL Comment here.
01-12-07 Google's radio inventory "remnant" sale ... has been discussed here as recently as a month ago; now Inside Radio reports that "a CBS-Google deal would include lots and lots of radio ad time. Maybe as much as 10% of the inventory. Merrill Lynch analyst Jessica Reif Cohen says they're still negotiating but terms would supposedly include "low-quality radio inventory for use with Google's dMarc service." Part of the deal - perhaps unspoken - would be to compensate CBS for Google-owned YouTube's past use of CBS video." OVERNIGHT UPDATE: Cohen says the sticking points are control of ad sales and the size of a revenue guarantee related to CBS content used on Google sites like YouTube. The radio ad time would mostly go to smaller advertisers who've never used radio. And Emmis is still apparently considering a deal with Google, too. This is a major issue, people...why aren't you commenting? Do you not understand the impact of this deal? Comment here. 01-12-07 Open letter to Al Brady Law ... (former KTRS PD) There's a guy, Bill Comb, from DesertWestMedia.com in Barstow CA, who needs to touch base with you. Might be a gig! Call him at 760.256.2450. His semi-literacy and technical inability are easily within your established skillset. You belong working in the California desert! GO! GO! GO!
01-12-07 The Fall 2006 ARB ... publishes on Tuesday, the 16th. Just sayin'... 01-12-07 Dang, the Debster has the details first ... IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING: What's on J.C. Corcoran's mind? You'll soon be able to find out via KTVI-TV (Channel 2). The mainly radio yakker (The Morning Show on KIHT) will be featured at 5:30 and 9 p.m., Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, says KTVI news director Kingsley Smith. The show will be called, "What's on My Mind," and will feature J.C.'s take on … everything. Comment here. 01-11-07 There's a guy in rehab in Burbank CA ... named Bob Wilson. Over the past month or so, Wilson suffered a series of strokes and the prognosis is for a long and difficult recovery. Bob, for those of you who don't recognize the name, founded Radio & Records in the 1970's and published it for many years before he sold the publication and moved on to his next great adventure. Interestingly, the only trade that's mentioned this has been Joel Denver's AllAccess. Not even R&R itself, now owned by Billboard, has written of Wilson's health. This got me thinking of the guys who published the radio trades that were important to me through my career. Bill Gavin, who founded The Gavin Report in 1958 was likely the Daddy of them all, the first guy who collected and published record play stats from reporting stations. Gavin was scrupulously honest, never sold ads (he did sell subscriptions and made a few bucks from annual industry conventions he hosted), and was mightily respected by all. To be a reporting station to The Gavin Report was a badge of honor. The paper was originally mimeographed but eventually wound up being printed on 8½x14 blue paper; it was a signature publication that most of us will never forget. Bill died in 1985, and his paper went through several owners before finally ending its run in 2002. Claude Hall was a writer who fell into a job with Billboard Magazine and built it into the most powerful entity in the music industry. Hall moved the magazine away from its "Bible of the Entertainment Industry" position to a magazine that reported primarily on music. On the air, in jukeboxes, in stores, wherever music was heard or sold, in whatever form, it was charted in Billboard. Weekly, he collected radio playlists and from that data, created a "Hot 100" chart that ruled radio for many years. Claude's VoxJox column was the place to have your name and call letters visible; if you were a reporting station, you never had a problem with record service or promotional freebies. Claude's retired and lives in Las Vegas. Kal Rudman ran the Friday Morning Quarterback (and still does) out of Philadelphia from 1968; he had been a teacher, DJ and the R&B Editor of Billboard in the mid-60's. There was the occasional buzz that Kal was on the payroll of some record companies but that didn't matter much to the PD's and DJ's whose names and career moves were chronicled each week. If you were a subscriber, you were a reporter and you and your call letters were mentioned in each week's Insty-Print edition. Bob Hamilton was a DJ who moved onto record promotion with Roulette Records, an East Coast label purported to be owned by the Mafia. His weekly typed-and-snail-mailed newsletter grew into a slick, full-color magazine called the Hamilton Radio Report; he sold it and began a new pub called (for reasons I still don't understand) Fred. In February '83, he created the first online radio-music website and he's been online ever since. There were other newsletters, of course, for news, sales, promotions, engineering, etc., but these five were the most important music pubs for the industry...back, as they say, in the day. Comment here. 01-11-07 How soon we forget ... that when WB11 morphed into CW11, there was a retirement similar to Karen Foss' from KSDK. Eerily similar, in fact. Watch it here. This ranks as one of the funniest sendups I've ever seen...it's worthy of an Emmy the next time they throw those things around locally, if someone could just figure out a category into which it'd logically fit. Comment here. 01-11-07 Secret Squirrel jumps out front ... with this one: KHITS 96 morning show co-host J.C. Corcoran is about to return to local TV news. Corcoran was Entertainment Editor at KDSK from '85 to '91, held the same position at KMOV from '93 to '99, and did segments for FSN Midwest until early last year. This new three-nights-a-week position centers on neither entertainment nor sports. Comment here. 01-10-07 Kent Hall was most recently practicing production wizardry ... for CC/STL and is now actively seeking his next great radio adventure. His website offers demos, his resume and contact info.  Mike: Matt Saunders, National Sales Manager at KMOX, asked me to forward this picture to you in the hopes that you and/or your readers may enjoy the blast into the past and possibly identify some of the people pictured. This picture was taken on June 19, 1957 per the note on the back of it. Matt’s late grandfather, Charlie Horn, is seated 4th from the left and under the “W” on the sign. P.S. I enjoy reading your site. Thanks for your hard work. Linda Goldsmith National Sales Assistant KMOX-AM Radio Take a look and if you can help, comment here.
01-10-07 Secret Squirrel laughed and laughed ... when this showed up in his mailbox: "Gotta love those "puppy names". Yeah, just like "Admiral William "Fox" Fallon??" Is this guy serious, comparing some sports guy's puppy name to the aircraft call sign of a USNavy 4-star with more combat missions and enemy kills to his credit than ball games the sports guy will ever attend in his life? And people wonder why I sometimes despair of radio's future... 01-09-07 Most info we get from 590/KFNS is bogus ... maybe this is accurate: Starting Monday, 590 The Fan will debut a new morning show lineup on “The Morning Grind” program featuring Tim McKernan, Mike “Chops” Ritter, Jen Pickett and newcomer, Bob “The Bulldog” Fescoe, who comes to KFNS with 7+ years of sports radio experience, most recently as host of the highly rated “Border Patrol” morning show on 810 WHB sports talk radio in Kansas City. Fescoe made national headlines after having his press credentials revoked by the KC Royals after asking their owner, David Glass, some tough questions about payroll and management decisions. Long-time market veteran Tim McKernan continues in his current co-hosting role on the show and entertainment reporter Jen Pickett’s role has been expanded to 7-9AM each weekday. Current afternoon drive sports update reporter, Mike “Chops" Ritter, will handle the sports updates and add his unique perspective to the morning show. The Morning Grind will continue to air from 6:30–10AM, Monday through Friday. This was signed by Jason Barrett (Program Director) and Marty Linck (Promotions and Marketing Director), with phone numbers and everything so maybe it's official. Gotta love those "puppy names". Comment here. 01-08-07 Over the years in any business you collect people ... some are associates, some are acquaintances and some are friends. This evening, I spoke with a friend who is one of the two best bookers/show producers I've ever known. She has a contact list like you wouldn't believe, knows pretty much everybody who's anybody and if she doesn't know them herself she knows somebody to whom she can reach out. She's a hard worker who never disappoints. The good news for you is that she lives here and she's looking for work here. Send me your contact info and I'll pass it along to her confidentially. 01-08-07 Today, Daniel Jay Cohen suddenly found himself ... on the beach. He and I share employment experience with the same syndication company in Memphis but he was the guy who got to play raquetball with BT on the roof of the Tanner Building when he was at Memphis State (I was just a Diana Street studio schlub). Cohen's had serious management and sales experience since then. You would do your company a big favor to at least have a converation with him. Click here to see his resumé in PDF. 01-08-07 Don Barrett ... has been a GM for McClendon, a PD in LA and a movie exec in Hollywood. Now, he publishes the radio website that the rest of us radio-site types aspire to someday be: LARadio.com. To read it, it'll cost you $40 a year but then LA has, what, 900 radio stations to cover? Don does offer a freebie...The Ladies of LARP Calendar 2007. Now, I don't wanna get all macho and sexist about this, but I now understand why so many guys I've known over the years have determined to get into LARadio. I'd be willing to work on the 01-08-07 Help move STLMedia to the next level of service ... over the next few months, we'll be running a series of surveys to determine the usefulness of aspects and features of this website and the associated Message Board. If you'd like to participate, you'll have to be a subscriber to our regularly published newsletter. We'll be in touch.
01-06-07 Tom Calhoun hits a major milestone ... and it's likely an NHL record. Sunday, Tom celebrates his 20th anniversary as PA announcer at Blues hockey games; he's never missed one in all those years. 01-06-07 The Westport Wheel of Unemployment spins again ... Keith Kramer tells us that Annie Wilson is O-U-T as producer of George Wilson and the Morning News on KTRS. Comment here. 01-06-07 The P-D's Public Journalism Publisher is dead ... Cole Campbell died Friday in an auto accident near Reno. During his tenure at the P-D, the STL Journalism Review (scroll down the page for the links) fought his style of newspapering with a vengeance. Comment here. 01-05-07 If you want or need a G-mail account ... click here. I've got a bunch to share. 01-05-07 CBS' Mark Edwards spanks me ... it's moderately deserved and I've made appropriate corrections here. Mike- I read with rapt interest your report on the state of digital radio in St. Louis. I especially enjoyed your sharing how well KEZK “snapped right into digital”. Obviously, my being a bully, as you have accused me on your site of being, has reached new superhuman levels BECAUSE KEZK DOES NOT BROADCAST IN HD and will not do so until this Spring. I must be so vicious, mean and nasty that I make the microprocessors in HD Radios think that they have to show my station as being digital so as not to encounter my wrath. HD Radios only show HD stations by illuminating the HD logo, much like the “stereo light” only came on when the receiver found a stereo pilot. You’ll find that logo at the top of the display of the radio my friend Mr. Lamme loaned you. If a station is not in HD, as MANY in St. Louis currently are, you won’t see the HD Logo. Perhaps you might want to visit hdradio.com for more information on the ins and outs of what promises to be one of the great technical advances in the history of American broadcasting. I helped write the “HD Playbook” that stations use to manage their launch and promotion of HD Radio. Perhaps we can get you a day or two to look at it and learn a few things. Let me know if you’d like me to request access for you. I’ve got to go work on my plans for world domination and disrupting public events now. Since your account of what happened at the Komen race was as factually inaccurate as your HD Radio report, I’ll try to give you the heads up the next time I have my evil minions disrupt events so you can see my wicked handiwork first hand. You must have missed the Martina McBride concert last month. I so wish you would have been there to actually see the viciousness that you have made me semi-famous for. ----- Well, from this I guess we should all be grateful for Mark's presence here, because it sounds like he's one of the Most Important People in radio. Or at least he says he is. Mark's obviously become a close personal friend of some very important people in radio. Or at least he says he has. And it appears that he's been a major influence in establishing the foundation of the New Media. Or at least he thinks he has. After 40 years in this business, I find people like this insufferable and unbelievable. I wish Mr. Edwards well and hope that his next venture is a lot of fun; I bet that he'll become a corporate official with one of the syndicators. He deserves to serve that penance. Comment here. 01-05-07 I hope this isn't true ... but I'm hearing from an anonymous tipster via Secret Squirrel that Clear Channel is cutting all local news and info services to save money. It's not like they have anything more than lip service news anyway...but this is a sad development. Comment here. 01-05-07 Yes, I know ... HDRadio stands for Hybrid Digital Radio, not High Definition Radio. And your point is, exactly, what? The HD sig has been tossed about by TV for a while, very successfully, if my viewing and perception means anything, and TV's promotional campaign has been telling us that HD means High Def. I see HD and I hear HD and I think High Definition. It's burned in; it's the radio industry's inadequacy to create a tag that works or to make HD mean anything else than what TV says it means that's telling in its failure. Comment here. 01-04-07 Digital FM says it sounds like a CD ... Is that a good thing? My ears may be approaching 60, but the connection between them and my brain is a lot younger. Digitized tunes have always sounded a bit bright to me, much like the difference between film and video tape. An LP still kicks butt even when played back in a mediocre system; when compared to a digital conversion, it's a world away. Yeah, I know it's that whole lossy compression thing. Is there a way to "soften" digital playback to make it sound like it came from an LP? Comment here. 01-04-07 Cruisin' the digital dial ... in which Mr. Anderson adventures into the brave new world of digital AM and FM broadcasting. What's the STL status as of the first week of 2007? Read it here. 01-04-07 WESL whacks the entire crew ... from AllAccess: The staff at SIMMONS Urban Oldies WESL-A (SOUL CLASSICS 1490)/ST. LOUIS is out, including PD/morning man "GENTLEMAN" JIM GATES, midday host JACQUILINE UNDERWOOD, afternooner LOU THIMES JR., and nighttimer CALVIN "THE GET DOWN" KING. Comment here. 01-04-07 Bridge Ratings prediction for radio in 2007 ... Read 'em here; thanks to FA for the tip. Comment here. 01-04-07 I keep tellin' you guys ... that this WiMax thing is happening right under your noses and is going to blow SatRad and HD right out of the air. Here's an article from Businessweek: Autonet Mobile is bringing a new Internet media center to vehicles by letting passengers check email, surf the web, game or communicate via any WiFi-enabled device. The service is optimized for the in-car experience, and is specifically designed to work on 95 percent of U.S. roads, regardless of driving conditions or location. And the Detroit Free Press offers this: In what might be the start of an exciting technological future for cars and trucks, Ford Motor Co. and software giant Microsoft Corp. are expected to jointly announce soon that new Windows Automotive software soon will be available in Ford vehicles. The new technology -- dubbed "Sync" -- will finally bring together two industries that have long been expected to cross paths, allowing consumers to use their vehicles as computers in key ways, such as hands-free cell phone calls or downloading music or receiving e-mail.Comment here. 01-03-07 Karen Foss makes it to YouTube ... here's 7+ minutes of her last KSDK/5 news show, tributes intact. Comment here. 01-03-07 Twenty years ago today ... in a Creve Coeur townhouse, with all four kids and a gassy dog named Conan present as witnesses, Mrs. A. and I were married. We've been together through the roughest, weirdest, toughest and best times of our lives. If anyone says Carroll is not the very best, I will fight you! I mean, who else would sit patiently waiting for dinner watching me while I laughed at my complete collection of Killer Tomatoes movies? I'm the luckiest man in the world! 01-02-07 STL Radio's Hall of Fame Class 0f 2006-2007 ... is online at the above-mentioned Frank Absher's STLRadio.com. Please welcome the six newest members of this distinguished and exclusive group of STL broadcasters! 01-02-07 Secret Squirrel mentioned this blindly a while back... KEZK & Y98 VP/GM Jim McKernan resigns after 8 months. Personal family decision. Moving back to Omaha. McKernan leaves both Y98 and KEZK on solid financial ground for 2007, after a difficult first half of 2006. CBS will probably move KMOX's VP/GM Dave Erwin into a VP/GM position for the CBS/St. Louis cluster, overseeing all 3 stations, similar to the previous management structure with Beth Davis, and with Karen Carroll. Jim joins NRG just in time: NRG-owned KSYZ, Grand Isle, NE lost its 900-foot tower on New Year's Eve because of icing. The only good news there - "No one was hurt." Comment here. 01-01-07 CC's John Canavera is my hero... within an hour or two of my request (below) he shot me an MP3 of You Gave Me Somebody To Love, by The Dreamlovers, who backed up most of the Philadelphia-based hits of the 1960's, and had a few of their own, like this one. They appeared as guest performers, for $250, at my 1966 HS graduation party at the local CC, lip-synching their hits. You will never know how great this song sounded on an AM station on an Emerson-manufactured 8-transistor radio to a kid with a crashed teenage love life. It's still a great song. Angst...it's all angst! Comment here. 01-01-07 It's all over the media today... XM and Sirius may merge. Well, it's been all over the media for months and it's no more true now than it was before. Today, though, there's a story from the NYTimes saying so. Believe me, that doesn't make it any more credible. Sirius' Mel Karmazin is quoted loud and long in the story; XM is silent on the issue, not quoted at all. Look at the facts: 1. Karmazin is the SatRad antichrist and was so for TerRad. He wants no content regulation and absolute freedom to have his "talents" be able to say whatever they want to say, the wishes of the general public be damned. He ignores the fact that 80% of his potential subscribers/listeners then and now are over 40 and actually may have some wish to NOT hear bad or obscene language on whatever media to which they listen/subscribe. 2. Karmazin's entire business and financial future rides on the two SatRad channels merging, with Mel in full and complete control. Without that absolute control, I doubt that ol' Mel would be capable of an erection, them little blue pills notwithstanding. I bet he couldn't even keep his eyes open unless he was anticipating or already in full charge of both SatRad channels. 3. Karmazin has been in the forefront of actually promoting obscenity on the air, radio and tv, encouraging "talent" like Howard Stern and Opie & Anthony and the formerly classy CBS tv network to do what they want and using corporate (read:"someone else's") dollars to challenge FCC obscenity fines ad infinitum. Mel is an evil man, with evil goals. Comment here. 01-01-07 If you haven't yet taken advantage of it ... right now would be a good time to register as a member of the STLMedia Message Board and use our Private Message utility to engage in anonymous networking. Might find out about a new/better/better paying gig in or out of Media. Plus you'll get free access to all the STLMedia news, commentary and gooey delicious personal goodies that show up there! Registration will be left open until about the middle of January; after that, who knows when it'll be open again? Register now. 01-01-07 At the risk of sounding greedy ... I had so much success with my request for a copy of the Johnny Cash song that I'm coming to you for another tune: You Gave Me Somebody To Love, by The Dreamlovers, circa 1964. I've looked just about everywhere for it; if you have it in your collection and want to share, that'd be great. Maybe I can return the favor with a lost favorite for you, huh? Uh-oh...this can't be legal... STLMedia Message Board credo: "This board is primarily for STL media professionals who have something intelligent to say about their industry. STLMedia fans and wannabes are welcome to post here as long as they understand that personal attacks or spurious chatter are unwelcome. Honest criticism is good and welcome. Also please understand that I make the Rules Of The Road and that I may change the lines inside which you may color at any time. It's my sandbox. Have fun and play nice or I'll be in touch." |
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