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Radio Talk
With Frank Ahrens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, Mar. 20, 2001; 1 p.m. EST
Frank Ahrens covers radio for The Washington Post. His column -- "The Listener" -- appears every other Tuesday in the Style section. Frank is also a general assignment feature writer, and his reporting subjects have included everything from minivans to murders, from baseball to bandwidth.
If you're wondering about the inner workings of radio in Washington, around the country and on the Web, or want to know what Frank really thinks of minivans, then don't touch that dial . . . um, mouse! Please join us for this discussion!
Plus, catch the debut of the new video series Radio Lives. This week Ahrens' interviews WPGC radio personality Donnie Simpson.
The transcript follows...
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Frank Ahrens: Greetings all, and thanks for joining today.
Well, today is a different sort of day for me. If you haven't seen it yet, I encourage you to go back to the main page of this Web site and watch "Radio Lives," a series of conversations with Washington's biggest radio stars. Thanks to the talented folks at washingtonpost.com, we have put together a really nice-looking video interview of WPGC morning man, Donnie Simpson, the first in what will hopefully be a fruitful series.
I got the idea this way: Because my newspaper columns appears only once every two weeks, I am loathe to turn it over to a deejay profile with no news peg. I prefer to use it to report the news or do analysis. Yet, I've heard from you guys that you want to know more about your favorite (or least-favorite) deejays. So, with washingtonpost.com, we've got all these toys--video, sound, editing, etc.--that it seemed like the perfect place for such a venture. I don't know how often they're going to appear; every other week would be ideal, but I'm guessing once a month is more likely, given the labor involved.
So I hope you enjoy it, and I'm eager to get feedback.
If you want to talk about Simpson today, fine. If you want to talk about today's column, where we talk about Bobby Bennett and Bill Wax going from WPFW to XM satellite radio, fine. Anything else, as usual, is welcome too.
Let's go.
Fairfax, Va.:
Frank,
Posting early....Got a call last week from a radio survey company, that was comical at best. They asked for my top six radio stations and then asked if I ever listened to WMZQ. Well, I told her it is not on my car pre-sets, alarm clock, office radio, so no. She asked what percentage of time I listened to WMZQ and I told her, "next to never". She still wasn't getting that I was not her target audience, but I played along. She then played 2 sets of clips and wanted to know my preference -- easily it was set B. which was the more classic country. I know stations are constantly testing their demos, but could MZQ be looking to go back to their roots, so to speak?
Frank Ahrens: Good info. Stations are constantly testing their music mix. Country station managers have repeatedly told me that "classic country doesn't sell." But maybe the popularity of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack, with its roots/bluegrass tunes, may turn country programmers' heads a bit.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Frank, I love your column. I'll be lining up to get satellite radio as soon as it comes out, but have you heard anything about the possible availability of Net radio for the car? It seems to me the technology exists, but I have no idea about feasibility.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the nice words. This is a good question. Several companies are working on in-dash PCs which woudl do all the same things your desk PC would do, including Internet access. This, of course, is dependent on a wireless, broadband Internet service provider. So yes, it's underway. When in your car? Your guess as good as mine. Think about the distraction possibilities, too. Obviously, it would have to be voice-activated, but still...
Bethesda, Md.:
Frank,
What was the story with WTEM pulling the plug on the Virginia basketball game last Friday? Don't those knuckleheads know that Thursday and Friday were very HUGE days for that station as hoop junkies brought their radios to work. Not all of us could take off and watch at bars or in our living rooms.
I don't know how this works but why couldn't WTEM have an alternate source of power as a back up?
Instead of hitting a homer, WTEM struck out.
Frank Ahrens: As I understand it, WTEM's phone link with its transmitter went out during that game. Sux if you're a Wahoos fan, no doubt.
College Park, Md.:
On Sunday's Big Broadcast, Ed Walker played some of the last day of programming from his and Willard Scott's old Joy Boys show from WRC in the early '70s. Excellent radio. He said they are putting together a CD of highlights including the incomparable tune, "I love onions."
Frank Ahrens: Good tip. I like listening to Ed Walker's Big Broadcast (Sunday nights on WAMU), where he plays old radio dramas, etc. Would be fun to listen to a CD of Joy Boys highlights, when he and Williard Scott were on the radio at WRC.
Connie Marble :
Esteemed Frank - What's your take on
JHU selling their public radio station,
WJHU? Since I switch between WAMU
and WJHU, I'm worried about the future of
public radio in our region.
Frank Ahrens: That is a news tip to me. Many thanks...I'll check it out.
Rochester, N.Y.:
Greetings, o Frank one...
Nice "Radio Lives" piece with Donnie Simpson! Your Web folks know more about producing good TV than a lot of the TV people I used to work with. But what was that lighted flower thing behind him?
Speaking of conversation, have you been following the Christopher Lydon to-do out of Boston? In a nutshell: Boston University's WBUR wanted to take Lydon's "Connection" talk show national via NPR. Lydon wanted a piece of the sizable revenues that WBUR would have received from national distribution.
WBUR refused to let Lydon and his producer set up their own production company (like Car Talk, McNeil/Lehrer, etc.) to share in the financial bounty. Now Lydon's gone, WBUR has a show with a respected name but no host, and Lydon's experimenting (this morning, in fact) with Webcasting.
Content creators vs. distributors: your take, Frank? (My opinion: WBUR shot itself in the foot here. Lydon is a "name" in the public radio community, and stations will pick up his show regardless of what it's called or who produces it. WBUR may own the name "The Connection," but it's not far different from saying Infinity owns "The Howard Stern Show" -- it's only worth anything if Howard Stern is still showing up for work each day.)
Oh yeah, one more question -- will you be in Las Vegas for NAB next month?
Frank Ahrens: Hi, Roch. Thanks for the nice words...everyone wants to know about the groovy lighted flower behind Simpson in the interview. As near as I could ascertain, it was one of those fiber-optics flower sculptures. Good visual, eh?
You've summed up the WBUR situation pretty well, and I think the point of it is is that NPR feels like it got burned on the Car Talk deal, which turned out great for Click and Clack. And well for NPR, too, but they still don't get the size of the pie they want from it. Which I think is why they balked at Lydon's hardball.
And, yes, you're right about branding...the ownership is nice, but the juice is provided by the name of the star. Which is why I stopped listening to the Art Bell Show when he retired the last time.
Content creators, if they want to reap the benefits of what they've dreamed up, need to keep control of distribution. (See: Metallica vs. Napster.)
Styx guy:
Frank,
I know I'm a little late, but Bill Neely was a friend of mine and I thank you for the wonderful, insightful story you wrote last week. I went to his funeral and it blew my mind how many people he touched. Interestingly, the attendees were all of different colors, ages, etc.
We all need to take the time to enjoy ourselves, and make sure that life doesn't become "what happens while we are doing other things."
Frank Ahrens: Thanks very much. Mr. Roboto is referring to a story I did a week ago Monday about a fellow called Bill Neely, a real up-and-dot-commer who died, mysteriously (probably heart problem) at 30, in January. Very very sad.
Windy City:
Frank, Enjoyed your chats when I lived in DC . . . want to give you the scoop on the Chicagoland radio scene.
Biggest difference: Fewer urban stations in Chicago versus DC. Instead of KYS, PGC, WHUR, WMJC, et al we have essentially two stations plus a crossover top 40 station ala Z104
Hottest trend: 80's and 90's music . . . "the Zone". A decent station that used to be a classic rocker and now plays 80's and some 90's stuff like Dave Matthews, etc
Dead trend: Jamming oldies. Our station turned into top 40 about two months ago
AM is alive and well: four or five strong stations here including WGN, WLS, two sports stations and WBBM (all news)
An Infinity station that doesn't appear to be one: WXRT . . . widely famous, not formulaic and beloved by many sorta like HFS used to be in the 70's and 80's
The same as DC: One oldies station, one country station and one mix station
So you can see radio here isn't that different . . . maybe a little more experimental and forward thinking i.e. XRT, the Zone but still corporately controlled.
Frank Ahrens: Good report from the front...I enjoyed listening to Chicago radio when I was out there a couple of weeks ago.
Interesting to note about the death of Jamn Oldies there. Rumors have abounded here for the past few months that our Jamn Oldies station is on its deathbed. Station execs say they are committed to Jamn Oldies format here, but sometimes you hear that...just before they flip format!
Scott Carpenter, Washington, D.C.:
Hi Frank:
I thought I'd pass on this note to let you, and all of the radio folk who participate in this forum, know that as of April of this year the last remaining AM music giant will finally jettison music programming in favor of talk. The station is 1050 CHUM, Toronto and for the past 44 years it has based it's programming on one form of rock or another. In 1957 it was the first Canadian station to dedicate itself to the risky prospect of focusing on this radical, new music hybrid. For a good 30 years the station never looked back.
I was fortunate to have been one of the lucky American DJs chosen to work there during the station's heyday in the '70s. It remains the best seven (of my over 30) years in radio. Nearly every one of my colleagues who worked there at that time shares this sentiment. Being a "CHUM Jock" was akin to being a rock star.
CHUM was one of a handful of North American stations to practically define contemporary broadcasting in the '60s and '70s. When broadcasters refer to the station it is placed in the same groundbreaking company as WABC, WLS, KHJ, WFIL. KFRC and CKLW. I can't even begin to describe the power that the station had on the music industry, both in Canada and here in the U.S. It was huge, and that legacy lives on today through the company's highly successful MUCH Music division.
CHUM was able to hold on to music programming longer than it's American counterparts because of more the restrictive programming policies dictated by the CRTC, the Canadian equivalent to the FCC. They had no competition in their latest format (oldies) but even so they can no longer compete with FM. The station will become sports talk next month.
The management has decided to send the station off in style and is inviting former jocks to come up for their own special day. Mine ("Scott Carpenter Day") is April 9. Since I left the business two years ago it's doubtful that I will subsequently ever sit behind a radio mike again. It is fitting and proper that my last radio gig will be at the station where I effectively began my career thirty years ago.
But what I really want to do while I'm there is spend some time paying tribute to my best friend (and D.C. native) the late Terry Steele, who worked with me all those years. Some might remember Terry from years ago at WINX, Rockville where he worked before CHUM called. I miss him terribly.
It'll be an honor to be part of the celebration. An era is definitely coming to an end.
Scott Carpenter
Frank Ahrens: Thanks much for this nice piece of radio history, Scott. It's amazing the knowledge level of this discussion. For that, I am grateful. I am, after all, only one Listener, and I learn something every week.
Springfield, Va.:
When will Don and Mike be featured on "Radio Lives"?
Frank Ahrens: Over my dead body. When you can have a snowball fight in Hell. When the cows come home. When there's world peace. When you can get a good nickel cigar.
Kidding. I dunno...think they want to be on?
Greenbelt, Md.:
What happened to Billy Bush and Janet Elliott. I know when they left Z104, the station said they were fired due to poor ratings. I was a devoted listener and miss them very much. Can I find them on another local station?
Frank Ahrens: That is why they were fired. Haven't heard from Billy Bush since just after the firing...said he wanted to try TV, which I took to mean a move to L.A. Janet Elliot I think will stay in the area and try to get on another station, but, like all deejays, I'm sure she had a no-compete clause in her contract which means that, for some time after leaving a station, you can't go on the air on another station in the same market. (Usually 3-6 months.)
Arlington, Va.:
Frank - Just need to vent and get your opinion on the "new" type of sports radio personalities here in DC. In regards to WTEM, who is Steve Czaban related to that he gets so much airtime, and has essentially forced Phil Wood of the air. Czaban is loud, crude, and really not very knowledgeable. My point being that this seems to be where sports radio is heading these days - to a generic host who will say anything to elicit an argument. Growing up in NY listening to WFAN, I understand that is a high mark to set, but their hosts are nice friendly, and actually care what people have to say - rahter than scream, yell, and hang up on anybody with a differing opinion. Phil Wood should be honored for his incitefulness, knowledge, and appreciation of everyone who calls to talk to him, rahter than pushed aside for a style that is ruining good old fashioned sports radio. Thanks for letting me vent, love the weekly chats.
Frank Ahrens: The Listener is sometimes a counselor, allowing his readers to express their frustrating. He feels your pain.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Was there any feedback from Tony K. about your statement last week that he'd rather host a local general interest morning show (MAL, e.g.) than a national sports show (as he does on ESPN radio)?
Frank Ahrens: I didn't talk to Tony about this, but he has always maintained his desire to do a morning show.
Bethesda, Md:
Are you going to interview Elliot Segiel next?
Frank Ahrens: Elliot Segal is definitely in the Radio Lives queue. There are a number of folks who are eager to appear, which makes me glad.
Bowie, Md.:
Why doesn't Donnie play basketball at Bethesda any more?
Frank Ahrens: Hahaha! I don't know...probably because he's out on the golf course for every available minute he's not on the air, hoping to make the PGA Seniors Tour.
Georgetown :
Hiya Frank,
Today's music question: early Roxy Music or Avalon-era Roxy?
Alternative radio tip of the day: WFUV out of Fordham University www.wfuv.org.
WARW has been tracking albums at night for a few months. Questions: has this been successful for them; they interrupt between cuts to due the call numbers which makes me wonder: how often MUST a radio station, by FCC law, announce it's call numbers, frequency, etc? As always, thanks
Frank Ahrens: WFUV is one of my favorite stations; I listen to it everytime I'm in NYC.
According to most recent Arbitron ratings report, WARW was up to a 3.7 share (from a 2.6) from 7-midnight in their target audience, which is men 25-54. So maybe the album track programming is working. Think a station has to do its calls at top and bottom of each hour, but am not sure. Some of you radio pros out there can answer this.
And I like older Roxy Music.
25.255.255.0:
Re: Net in the car.
It is YEARS away. G3 is not going to be available until next year, there are frequency issues (i.e. not enough to support what is currently out there let alone more devices), technology issues like dropped connections (just like on your cell phone), development issues (will these devices support what is currently being used or will they require new protocols etc). Sorry but the best bet is to go with XM for now.
Frank Ahrens: Good posting. Many tnx. XM or Sirius, its competitor. The Listener does not endorse.
Rockville, Md:
Frank: What's the deal with Don of D&M. Some days he's there, some day's not. some days on the phone, others not. Is he ill? In the hospital? Will he be replaced?
Frank Ahrens: Yes, this is a good question. I haven't tuned in to Don and Mike for a couple of weeks, so let me make a call this afternoon to the station and try to find out. Thanks for the posting. Don Geronimo had some surgery around Christmas, kidney issue, I believe.
Washington, D.C.:
Frankie,
In their now almost daily diatribe against management, Don and Mike are claiming that their show is the only one on WJFK that does not have ratings troubles. I thought Stern and The Junkies were big money makers as well. What's the story on WJFK ratings, other than D&M?
Frank Ahrens: Well, let's take a look at the ratings on WJFK, among men 25-54, their target audience, in the most recent Arbitron ratings report:
Howard Stern got a 9.9 share, which is down from his average over the last year of 10.5, but still No. 1 in the market by far.
G. Gordo Liddy's rough time period (10-3) got a 6.9, up from his average over the last year of 6.5, good for the No. 1 spot in that demo.
Don and Mike got a 10.0, just off their average over the past year of 10.3, by far the No. 1 show in the market from 3-7 p.m.
Sports Junkies got a 6.1, down from their average over the past year of 7.6, and substantially off their 10.4 high of a year ago. They ranked third in 7-midnight, behind WHUR and WPGC.
Frederick, Md.:
Frank, Don had kidney stones that will not pass. He was out last Thursday, back on Friday, and was out again yesterday.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the update. Is this Mr. Geronimo's personal physician?
The Airless Cubicle:
Hi, Frank.
I followed up on Woodbridge's request last week by checking on what sort of interference was on WHZF-1390-Arlington, which is carrying the first two hours of the Greaseman show. So, being a dedicated radio guy, I woke up and padded to the radio table, where I checked using a digital receiver and my GE Super Radio II, which is probably the finest AM/FM radio on the market today.
The interference is not IBOC/DRM signal testing. It's co-channel radio signals, likely coming from WWOD-1390-Lynchburg, Virginia, or WLAN-1390-Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Which one has the Big Band format, I haven't figured out yet. There's another station in State College, PA, and three in Ohio which might be culprits, but the two named above are the Usual Suspects.
1390 kHz is a "regional" channel in the North American medium-wave plan. Stations have a maximum power of 5000 watts and most need to cut power at night; in addition, each station must orient antennas to minimize mutual interference. However, the FCC allows stations to come on the air with daytime power and antenna settings at 6 a.m. local time. This causes early morning signals to ride the nighttime ionosphere. It's fun for radio hobbyists, who listen to distant stations and get "QSL" cards in return (assuming someone at the recipient station cares enough to answer them).
Donnie Simpson is right. National radio is too bland. I've been listening to VOCM-590-St.John's, Newfoundland on the Internet at vocm.com. They play MOR for those of us who are Demographically Dead, but the MOR play list carries not only Mandatory Canadian Content, but a lot of good Newfie folk-pop groups such as Great Big Sea. Furthermore, starting at 6:00 NST (4:30 EST), they do requests. VOCM streams at 20.7 kbps, which gives me a good idea what IBOC signals will sound like when the mode becomes common.
Business News: Salem Communications, which owns and operates many Christian stations in the US, bought WABS-780-Arlington, and uses it to carry some WAVA-105.1-Arlington signals. The stations, in fact, are right across the street from each other, and the antenna WAVA has been using was owned by WABS. This puts them back into the same ownership, in fact. WAVA's callsigns used to be on 780, when it was an all-news station with the tape loop of the teletype machine in the background.
Salem attempts to make money both by brokering radio programs such as "Through the Bible" and "Focus on the Family" and by commercial sales. However, I prefer listening to WRBS-95.1-Baltimore for its friendly, music-oriented morning show when I'm not listening to NPR.
The Original Dubya
Frank Ahrens: O Dubya, my Dubya!
As always, a terrific posting...thanks for doing the legwork on the Greaseman interference issue. And for the rest of your excellent reportage. (Yeah, but how do you look on video? Huh? Huh?)
Speaking of which, where the heck is Gen X Gurl? Thot for sure she'd check in today, of all days.
Women Lawyers of DC:
Frank:
Let us try to beat Gen-X-Gurl to the punch here.
What the hell is the story with the facial hair we just saw on your video? Talk about a Maynard G. Krebs throwback! A couple of us own some kittens that will gladly lick those miniwhiskers off with some warm milk.
Can't wait for the Gurl to provide her two cents on this.
Frank Ahrens: Hahaha! You read my mind. It is an unfortunate characteristic of unmarried men to try ill-advised facial hair experiments from time to time. (We've got no one forbidding us from embarrsing ourselves.)
Dee Cee (The Original):
Hi Frank-
RE: The Joy Boys
I had an opportunity to talk to Ed Walker during the Saturday afternoon pledge drive at WAMU a few weeks ago and he told me there is a guy who grew up in the area who's father used to bring him down to watch the Joy Boys broadcasts years ago.
This guy has started, with Walker's & Scott's permission, a web page www.thejoyboys.com and is also compiling tapes for a CD. (Apparently a lot of locals recorded these comedy routines over the years.)
If I'm not mistaken, I think that there is already a CD of the Joy Boys broadcasts that Mr. Walker used as a premium for pledgers during his Sunday night show.
Frank Ahrens: Hi, Dee Cee. This is a great posting...thanks very much.
Potomac, Md.:
Do you know how many of the XM stations will be commercial-free? By commercial-free I mean commercial-free - not like NPR. I am hopping at the bit waiting for this service. When it is finally ready I plan on buying a radio right away - but only if there will be true commercial-free stations. I would be SO NICE to be able to listen to a real discussion while sitting in this nightmare traffic. Right now, WMAL is totally unlistenable during drive-time with all their commercials; NPR is better but their commercials have been getting longer and more frequent, especially during rush-hour when the know more people are listening...
It would be really nice to have an alternative source of radio entertainment - even at a cost.
Frank Ahrens: Good question: Both XM and Sirius will offer roughly 50 music channels and 50 channels of talk/sports/entertainment, etc. The non-music channels will have some ads. Sirius promises that their music channels will be commercial-free. XM promises that SOME of their music channels will be commercial-free and those that do have ads will have a maximum of 6 minutes of commercials an hour, which compares to roughly 22-30 minutes of ads per hour you hear on commercial over-the-air radio right now.
Reston, 20190:
Frank, I find it interesting that people in the PC industry are ridiculing satellite radio. See John Dvorak's piece in PC Magazine Inside Track for example.
Frank Ahrens: I sure hope this is not a link to a porno site I've just put up here...
Springfield, Va.:
Hi!
This is my first time reading your live online. It is really interesting. I have a few questions, but will ask you one (if you don't mind).
When you are on the internet, is there a website where you can listen to radio programs that are in the Wash./Virginia area?
I'm at work and would like to use my computer instead of my radio (space problem).
Thank you for this opportunity and have a Great Day!
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for joining in. Oh, my, that's a long list. Several Washington-area radio stations stream their signal on the Internet. If you go to www.dcrtv.com, a Washington radio site run by Dave Hughes, you will see several areas of interest. As well as local radio news/gossip, Dave has a list of all local FM and AM stations, with a brief description of the station and the link to that station's Web site. Many of the stations stream their audio, so this is where you can go to find out of you can hear your favorite stations on the Internet. He also has links to some local Internet-only stations.
Sports fan, Md.:
Does XM plan an all-sports outlet among its 100 plus channels?
Frank Ahrens: Yes, for sure they've got a NASCAR channel, and I think a couple of other all-sports channels, too. Sirius, too.
Mclean, Va.:
What happened to Kim Burton And Bill Worthington on WASH 97.1?
Frank Ahrens: Fired back in January for what the station felt was mediocre ratings for too long.
Alexandria, Va.:
Are the DJs eager to appear in Radio Lives ones who need to boost their ratings?
Frank Ahrens: Actually, no. It's pretty much the ratings leaders.
Columbia, Md.:
Hi Frank! In your column today you mentioned briefly the management/labor problems with Pacifica radio and its impact on WPFW here in D.C. Can you elaborate a little more about what's going on with Pacifica and how it's impacting my favorite radio station here in Chocolate City? Peace out!
Frank Ahrens: Where to start...?
For the past couple of years, beginning with the Pacifica station in Berkeley, no less than a struggle for the soul of Pacifica has been underway, essentially between employees and management. Pacifica is governed by a board of directors, some of whom feel the left-leaning public network is too osbcure, too political, too out there for its own good. Because Pacifica cannot, by its charter, accept corporate money--like NPR--it is utterly dependent on listener contributions. So some board members want to develop Pacifica programs that are more mainstream and could be sold to other public radio stations. Also, there is some thot about selling one of Pacifica's frequencies that could go commercial, like the Berkeley station. The employees, meanwhile, many of them, feel that Pacifica management is betraying the network's true beliefs and selling out. Some Pacifica hosts, such as Amy Goodman, pushed Ralph Nader's candidacy hard and she felt she was being quashed by management, who she believed was in the Gore camp. Much of it is tedious, but it is an important story, because Pacifica News is one of the last non-mainsteram news organizations on radio.
Will it affect the music you like WPFW? Not likely.
Rockville, Md.:
Is that radio next to Bennett in the photo with today's column what the satellite radio will look like? Also, after losing Bennett and Wax on WPFW, where can one find blues on the radio to last us until we can get satellite? I miss them a lot!
Frank Ahrens: Nap Turner's "Bama Hour" on WPFW Saturdays used to be on from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., but I don't see it on the sked I just pulled up. Anyone know?
Greenbelt, Md.:
Frankie Darling.... "today of all days"? Did I miss your birthday?
Oh, I see now, we are talking about your video.
Frank, my man, my studly hunk of vigor and manhood. If your GF likes the hair, stick with it.
As for me, SHAVE IT OFF NOW! What were you thinking? And who is Maynard G. Krebs? No, I know him, he is on AncientTV aka Nick at Nite.
Anyway, Radio wise.....
Jack Diamond replacing Chris Core.....doesn't that just send shivers up your spine like fingernails on a chalkboard? Maybe MAL is thinking of teaming them up?
Date exclusion question.....do you like Chris Core? Next question, do you like Kack Diamond?
Re TEM...Phil Wood is your father's sports guy. He is like soooooooo boring to listen to. "Hey let's talk trading cards". Give me Steve C ANYDAY!
"I'm Jack diamond in for Chris Core".....oh my gosh, what a nightmare!
Frank Ahrens: There she is, coaxed out of classes. Very good.
Chris Core told me the sub hosts next week (Jack Diamond and Sam Donaldson) were the station's attempt to get the biggest stars it could to fill in. I don't know of Jack Diamond's talk aspirations...much of his show is like a talk show anyway, so it should be a natural fit. As for Sam Donaldson, well, talk is what he does.
The book of Phil Wood is this: sure he knows his baseball, and, as a baseball fan, I like that. But apparantly, he's baseball uber alles, i.e., during his shows he would--and this is hyperbole, but you get the point--skip over live NCAA tournament action to talk about olde Senators stuff.
Maynard G. Krebs was Bob "Gilligan" Denver's first big TV role, as a soul-patch wearing beatnik in The Dobie Gillis Show, before your time. Hell, before MY time.
Chevy Chase, Md.:
Hi Frank,
I'm new to this area, coming from Eugene, OR. In Eugene, we have 4 public radio stations serving a population of about 200,000. In the DC area, I've only found 2 so far (WANU and another one I can't remember), and I can only seem to get one at any one location. Since this area has a much larger population and many colleges, I'd expect there to be many more non-commercial radio stations. Are they out there?
Also, I've noticed I have a lot of trouble with stations bleeding over to other frequencies. Last count, I got 107.3 on 5 different frequencies, drowning out the stations that belong on those areas. Do you have any suggestions for what I can do about this?
Thanks, DC Newbie
Frank Ahrens: Welcome to uptight D.C. from crunchy-groovy, public-radio-listening Portland!
Yes, WAMU at 88.5 is the NPR news-talk station here.
WETA, at 90.9, is a classical music/news-talk station, going more toward news talk.
WPFW, at 89.3, is the Pacifica station (you don't have one of them back in Portland).
Those are the three big non-commerical stations (oh yes, don't forget WCSP, C-Span radio, at 90.1.)
All of these stations have Web sites with their broadcast schedules posted.
Franconia, Va:
Frank, I have read your comments on sidekicks and their role in muti person radio shows. Both last Thursday and yesterday Don from the Don and Mike show was out -I believe kidney stones- and Mike WAS THE HOST. Two of the most boring, predictiable, WMAL-type shows I've ever heard. My thought was that the intangibles that Don and other main hosts bring is obvious. Without Don, the show was predictable and reverent. As opposed to it's usual un-predictable and irreverent sound. Besides never laughing at the shows, Mike was uncomfortable taking calls, announcing towns and topics when callers were on the line, ala Rush Limbaugh. Just food for thought. Mike is good, in the role he plays with Don, where he just reacts to events and displays humor. In the lead/solo role, it was just bad radio! Have you heard of any other 2nd banannas who have tried it without their better half and how they've succeeded or failed?
Frank Ahrens: This is an interesting and valuable observations...thanks for checking in. The roles of main dog and sidekick are often not interchangealbe. Witness Bert Weiss, who left his sidekick role on the Jack Diamond show about five years ago to try it on his own in Dallas, only to come back. (Now, Bert has left again for Atlanta, for his own show.)
Arlington, Va.:
CONGRATULATIONS! You asked some good, tough and insightful questions in the Donnie Simpson interview. What are some of the questions you would like to ask some of the other personalities in D.C.?
Frank Ahrens: To Carl Kassell, esteemed newsman on the highbrow Morning Edition with Bob Edwards: "Briefs or boxers?"
Stay tuned...I've got plenty of questions for everyone.
MoCo, Maryland:
Love your column and chats all the time but thanks for today's especially informative column about two homegrown heroes (ok, Bennett isn't exactly homegrown but has been here long enough). Keep us updated so we will know when we can get one of those radios and subscribe! I can't wait to be able to travel and not have to change stations every time I pass a city (or be unable to get a channel when I am in the boonies trying to get to a major city).
Frank Ahrens: Thanks much. I'll write more on XM and Sirius as they near their launch. I'm going to buy one of them for my car--I pretty much have to--but don't know which one yet.
Chicago, Ill.:
So you found listening to commercial stations in My Fair City a pleasant experience, eh? I wish I could say the same, but I guess the problem is that radio everywhere is so repetitive that even if you heard stuff you liked all day, you'd still get sick of it. Plus, the good 80s station, the one that played hard rock on Friday nights and college rock on Saturday nights, got killed when the higher-power 80s station came on.
A couple of other thoughts:
-- The HFS stuff reminds me of what people here say about WXRT, which started as an evenings only station in 1973 and is now grown up to be part of Viacom and one of the highest billing stations in Chicago (life lesson -- people who grew up listening to Elvis Costello made the bucks, those who grew up with Journey did not). The difference is, as you might surmise, XRT grew up with its listeners, and HFS (apparently) has tried to stay young and hip. I mean, XRT still has the same deejays it had 20 years ago.
-- Speaking of which, are stations still trying to find and ride that one "legacy" format, or are many satisfied with the idea of switching from one trend to another every few years? It seems like you don't have stations cranking on each other anymore, because you don't find, even in big cities, multiple stations with the same format, at least in music.
-- I used to hear Don and Mike when I lived in Indianapolis and Cleveland, and one thing they said about their syndication was that, "We're the last hope before the station goes religion." A few months after they said that in Cleveland, the station DID go religion. So, WNEW notwithstanding, is their syndication still that troubled? I mean, even lummoxes like Bob and Tom (out of Indy) seem have to have found a niche market as a syndicated show (in their case, classic rockers and country stations in towns the size of St. Louis and smaller).
-- Finally, to extend this message to an untenable length, and to cement my status as a regular questioner, I'm going to give myself some wacky nickname. So, in tribute to Chicago, in tribute to its nutty politics, and specifically, to the now-deposed Polish-surnamed rep whose father taught Richard J. Daley, "Don't put tax money where people can't see it," I will refer to myself as...Rosty.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the posting, Rosty. I don't know enough about Don and Mike's national syndication other than they're in about 60 markets, I believe, with a good geographical spread. And I think we're past the era of legacy formats; Sean Ross of Billboard believes that big publicly-held radio companies are now under such pressure to deliver to their stockholders that they are willing to take a flyer on a two-year format that will provide a quick spike, then dump it. (Can you say, Jamn Oldies?)
The Airless Cubicle:
For Chevy Chase: Try a Radio Shack "TV-VCR Signal Overload Attenuator".
Dubya
Frank Ahrens: You da man.
Commuter:
Frank, this may sound like a lame question, but it has been dogging me ever since I started to commute for a new job. It seems like every time that I listen to the local radio stations giving information about the commute, I hear about the same places (beltway, 270, that darned St Barnabus exit) but never about the GW Parkway -- which I do take. Now clearly some of this is because those places get more taffic, but I find that the GW is slow very frequently and they only talk about it if there is if something hideous happens like that time a few weeks ago when a tree fell on someone's car. I know that the people in charge read this, so I'm hoping for some information (and hopefully a change!). Thanks.
Frank Ahrens: I'm posting this so Metro/Shadow traffic and WTOP will see it. Thanks much!
St. Louis, Mo.:
Frank,
Some questions raised by your article today:
Will a satellite radio also be able to pick up regular AM and FM so you can listen to local weather forecasts, ballgames, etc.?
And all these channels of talk on XM... will these be exclusive to XM or will they cherry pick from stations around the country? I'd pay to hear Roe Conn and Garry Meier on WLS in Chicago without all the bleedthrough.
Your article also took me back to my college days. When I was going to the University of Missouri, Bill Wax was the program director of KOPN, the community radio station in Columbia. He was the guy who gave me my first radio gig -- Saturday night/Sunday morning, midnight to 4:30. My show alternated weekly with a show he did called "The Wax Museum." Bill also taught the pop and rock parts of a class at Mizzou called "Jazz, Pop and Rock." I wish him well in his latest endeavor.
Thanks, Frank. You, De Moraes, Achenbach, Kurtz and Shales are my Washington Post must-reads.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the nice words.
The new satellite radios by Sirius and XM (well, by Sony, Pioneer, etc., actually) will have three bands: AM, FM and the satellite band, so you'll be able to hear your local station still.
And no, you can't pick and choose, and by and large, satelltie radio will NOT BE existing programs the XM and Sirius pick up and beam: their music channels will be created by them, from scratch.
I'll pass along your praise to my colleagues.
Frank Ahrens: That's going to do it for today folks. Thanks for all the good questions...we had a good mix-it-up today.
And if you haven't seen it, go to washingtonpost.com's main page and click on "Radio Lives" to see my video interview with WPGC's Donnie Simpson.
See you next week.
washingtonpost.com:
That was our last question today. Thanks to Frank Ahrens, and to everyone who
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