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Radio Talk
With Frank Ahrens
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 15, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT
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.
Check out the second edition of Radio Lives with Frank Ahrens, a series of conversations with washington radio's biggest stars. On this episode, Ahrens interviews Bob Edwards, host of NPR's "Morning Edition."
Also, don't forget to e-mail Frank with your submissions for favorite Radio Song at ahrensf@washpost.com.
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!
A 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 welcome to today's discussion.
Well, The Listener seems to have touched a nerve. Today's column solicited, from you, your favorite Great Radio songs. So far, you've deluged The Listener's In basket with more than 150 submssions. Keep 'em coming. If you haven't read today's column yet, take a look and send me your songs. I think this is going to be a lot of fun. (Until I have to compile them all. Gulp.)
Other news: Item in today's column marking the 25th anniversary of Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" feature, which can be heard locally on WMAL (630 AM).
Also, item about an "f-bomb" utterance on DC101 on Sunday night and explanation thereof.
After he leaves you today, The Listener is headed down to Capitol Hill to a forum put on by Rep. Major Owens (D-NY) concerning the ongoing troubles at the Pacifica radio network. The public radio network is in internal crisis, as longtime staffers believe the governing board is ruining the lefty network by trying to make it more mainstream, and the management has responded by firings and lockouts, etc. There's a lot of high-flying combat rhetoric and it's been going on for two years now. Owens got involved because he was speaking on one of the stations about the troubles, and some Pacifica stations, citing an internal gag rule that prohibits "airing dirty laundry" pulled the plug on him.
So it should be interesting.
Let's get to your questions.
D.C. Association:
About a week ago I got in my car and drove to the Metro station. I was tuned to a not-to-named station. On my trip I heard "Werewolves of London," "Black Water," and "Sailing Away."
On my drive home 10 hours later I heard the identical three song set (Commercials included!).
Can this be?! Does D.C. radio really suck this bad?!
Frank Ahrens: I shall let your comment stand on its own. Sounds to me from your playlist selection like it was Classic Rock 94.7.
Arlington, Va.:
Best radio song: "Goodbye Stranger," by Supertramp. Laugh if you will, but I can't turn it off when it comes on.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks a lot. Now you've got it in my head.
Goodbye stranger
it's been nice.
Hope you find your
paradise....
Fairfax, Va.:
Quick question regarding the Sports Junkies on WKJF. Have their ratings tanked? It sounded to me like they were joking about their lack of good numbers on some of the past shows.
Frank Ahrens: Let's take a look at the most recent ratings book. Among men, 25-54, in the 7 to midnight range (which the Junkies share with Ron and Fez), they got a 7.3, which is up from a 6.1 last time and over their yearlong average of 6.8. The 7.3 ranked them third behind WHUR and WMMJ, respectively.
Among men 18-34, the Junkies scored a 10.2, down from last time's 11.5 but above their yearlong average of 9.2. The 10.2 ranked them first in the demographic.
washingtonpost.com:
E-mail your favorite song submissions to Frank at ahrensf@washpost.com.
washingtonpost.com:
E-mail your favorite song submissions to Frank at ahrensf@washpost.com.
Laurel, Md.:
Where do some radio stations such as 107.3 FM get the money to pay the people on for-cash contests? Are these contest winners real?
Frank Ahrens: Yes. The money comes from a station's promotions budget. Also, the stations, when they do big contests, sign up with a contest insurance company that helps the station set the odds in such a way that favor the station. For instance. Suppose a station gives you a chance to win $1 million. If you win that chance, you may be asked to selecti one envelope from a stack of 200 envelopes. One of those envelopes has a piece of paper inside that says "$1 million." The rest will be $1,000, $5,000, whatever. The odds of you picking the $1 million envelope are 200 to 1.
Centreville, Va.:
I really miss the Jammin Oldies station. It seems like every other major market has this type station except DC now. What gives?
Frank Ahrens: Jam'n Oldies owner, Clear Channel Communications, felt the station was a niche format and, in this economic downturn, belieces that advertisers only want to buy time on Top 10 stations, which Jam'n was not. So they flipped to its current format, Hot 99.5, which is a Top 40 format, which Clear Channel believes will be a Top 10 station.
Rockville, Md.:
Hey Frank,
Wish you could've taken us up on the invitation to be our guest at WMZQfest Saturday at Nissan... there were about 13,000 folks who would've told you that country music -- and country radio -- is alive and kickin' here in D.C.! By the way, thanks again to washingtonpost.com for being one of the event sponsors! Country... admit it, YOU LOVE IT!
- Jon Anthony
WMZQ
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the note. I saw a story the other day that suggested that the Country Music Association may be backtracking from their new slogan: "Country. Admit It. You Love It." Because so many cynical wags in the press, i.e., The Listener, made fun of it. Will continue tracking...
Towson, Md.:
Frank,
If Don and Mike, Howard Stern, and the Sports Junkies get such great ratings for WJFK, why isn't that station higher up in the ratings? You said that Stern was the leader in the mornings, but I read somwhere else that he was 9th place. Could he be dragging the station down?
Frank Ahrens: Let's take a look at the most recent Arbitrons:
Among men, 25-54, WJFK's target audience, Howard Stern scored a 9.6 share, by far and away the No. 1 morning drive show in that demographic, which is all the station cares about, because it means the station can tell advertisers WJFK is delivering the ears the advertisers want to reach. Stern is the 8th-ranked morning drive show among all listeners, 12 years old and older.
Also, according to the most recent numbers from BIA, a firm that monitors radio revenue, WJFK was Washington's top-billing station last year, billing about $33.8 million. That's what radio companies really care about.
Dupont Circle, D.C.:
A former Clevelander, I wonder if you or anyone out there knows what happened to Pete Franklin, the loudmouthed sports talk show host heard on WWWE - 1100 AM in the 1970s. Perhaps you heard him too down there in the hills of West Virginia. (3WE's signal used to be quite powerful.)
Anyway, he kept listeners entertained throughout some dismal Indians' and Browns' seasons in the 70s.
Frank Ahrens: I am clueless on this topic, but I put it out there and maybe the readers will know. Thanks for submitting.
Herndon, Va.:
My Tuesday is incomplete until I can check out your chat later.
In the meantime, may I submit a musical question? Home-grown singers Mary-Chapin Carpenter or the late, great Eva Cassidy? Thanks, and check ya later!
Frank Ahrens: Thanks for the nice words. Don't make The Listener choose on this one.
Washington, D.C.:
Frank,
What I'd like to see on WTEM is Tony K. on from 9-12 and Jim Rome on from 12-3. Any way the power(less) that be at WTEM can pull off that switch. I've read where a lot of people don't like Rome, but he's definitely a lot more entertaining than the John Thompson, Rick Walker and Al Koken show.
Also, when will the numbers come out so we know the ratings after the Imus switch to AM 570? Is the I-Man losing his fastball so to speak? He's been shifted here and in LA and dropped in Atlanta.
Frank Ahrens: Next Arbitron ratings report ends June 20, so a couple of weeks after that. I too will be curious if Imus's switch to the lower-powered 570 AM will hurt him. Already, in the most recent ratings, he fell out of the Top 20 in his target audience (men, 25-54).
College Park, Md.:
This is my 3rd or 4th time asking this question. If you don't know, please let me know. Do you know why Bree Taylor of Radio's One WMMJ left the station and where she is now?
Frank Ahrens: Sorry. I do not know about Bree Taylor. If she's no longer on the air, I'm guessing she's not at the station anymore. Maybe our readers know...
Foggy Bottom:
Hey Frank,
I heard new, live, local DJs on Hot 99.5 this morning. Any news or information on them? The station has a weird problem - they haven't gotten rid of the voicetracking in the morning even though they have live jocks. The voicetrack now "throws it" to the traffic reporter by saying "HOT Traffic, NOW," instead of the host doing it. The voicetrack also reads long liners about the station in between songs, and into and out of commercial - they sound less like liners and more like a full voicetrack. It sounds kinda weird.
Frank Ahrens: Are you SURE they were live and in D.C.? When Clear Channel started up Jam'n Oldies, they piped in deejays from other Jam'n Oldies stations around the country. I'd assumed that's what they'd do here at the beginning. And don't necessarily assume that, because a station says a deejay is in Washington, they are. I'll listen. Thanks for the tip.
I.T.B.:
Another manhole explosion! I think we're getting punished for the ongoing dearth of local radio stations that play music worth listening to. Which computer-programmed, corporate-claptrap station should we sacrifice to the Manhole Gods? And are there any broadcast-chain executives that we can put to work making the sewers safe?
Frank Ahrens: Now THIS is one of the best causal links I've heard in a longtime. We have angered the Manhole Gods. Kudos for originality. It's like Joe vs. the Volcano. (An underappreciated Tom Hanks film, in The Listener's humble estimation.)
Washington, D.C.:
Having spent over 35 years on the air at radio stations all over the country, I think I am uniquely qualified to comment on the "Greatest Radio Song" controversy.
There are two, they are:
1: "Na Na, Hey, Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam
The drum chops in this song are irresistable. I understand they were recorded a track at a time in order to preserve the rhythm perfectly. When the break comes at the end of the song it never fails, people inevitably crank up the volume and (often) sing along. It's a perfect example of a song that everybody claims to hate, but everybody loves to listen to in a car.
2: "Go All The Way" by Raspberries (Eric Carmen's old band)
The production, the lyrics, the tune, everything about this song has radio hit written all over it. The thing was probably engineered just for AM airplay. I happen to know for a fact that producers used to get groups to arrange song intros so that board ops at the Drake stations (CKLW, KHJ, KFRC and other RKO O&Os) could do a "layover". In other words, start the song and the station jingle at the same time so that the jingle would end exactly where the vocal on the song starts. They even cut the songs in a complimentary key. It wouldn't surprise me if Eric Carmen gave this a lot of thought when he wrote the song. It's a perfect "crank up the car radio and sing-along" song!
My two cents!!!
Scott Carpenter
Former radio DJ
Frank Ahrens: Great posting. Fine musicology. Many thanks. Hey, you were great in that Mercury space program.
Laurel, Md.:
Re: Paul Harvey
Does he still read the commercials? I know he's a kind of throwback to an earlier radio era, but hasn't every other radio network gotten away from having the journalists do the commercials?
Frank Ahrens: Paul Harvey seamlessly inserts his commercials into his news reports. Yes, that is a throwback. And yes, it does trouble me that Paul Harvey pimped for Amway, which I'm pretty sure is the cult responsible for that floating eye above the pyramid on the back of the $1 bill. But he has his reasons....
Garrett Park, Md.:
Hi Frank.
Yesterday I had a fascinating visit to the NPR studios at 7th & Mass. Aves. I'm on the email list for attending free concerts recorded in their Studio 4A for their "Performance Today" program. Unfortunately, the guest artists (the male harmonists called Hudson Shad) decided to start earlier & NPR cancelled the public attendance, but we were offered a tour as a consolation. It was interesting to see what exactly makes a radio network run, and as a bonus, the "PT" producer said we could come in and watch the last 30 minutes of the Hudson Shad concert after all, but from the control room. That was as enjoyable as the wonderful music itself, because we saw the work and timing that goes behind preparing a concert for future broadcast (in this case, July 4).
If any of your chatters/readers are interested in this sort of thing, free tours are given at NPR every Thursday at 11am (no reservation needed), and free concerts occur every 2-3 weeks. To get on their email list, contact EHire-npr.org.
Lori
Frank Ahrens: A very nice posting. Many thanks. Too bad you missed the show...studio 4A is a nice one.
Arlington, Va.:
Hi Francois! Will you be accepting official submissions for your "great radio song" compilation during this chat? Merci.
Frank Ahrens: Oh, sure.
Sunday Night Radio:
Frank, you regularly inform readers of this chat that Sunday night is ratings a "dead zone" for radio listening.
Could that be why some of the best radio programming is aired on Sunday evenings? I, for one, love to listen to the radio on Sunday nights. Back in my high-school days, the "Seven Sides at 7" was, I think, called "Six Sides at 6," or something like that, and it was literally just six sides of six albums. But it was a great way to get exposure to newly released albums, which might have a good single, but which I wouldn't purchase until I'd heard more of the album.
Now, as a Thirtysomething, I enjoy the tail end of public radio's "This American Life" and up to two hours' worth of classic jazz on "Legends of Jazz," on WJZW. I must confess that I also listen to the first segment or two of Matt Drudge's show at 10 p.m. He has an annoying voice, but his annoyance at just about anything is amusing. And I sometimes agree with the guy.
One thing we can all agree on, though: That theme song to WETA's "Songs for Aging Children" is just dreadful.
Frank Ahrens: Yes, you're right. It's a chicken-and-egg thing. Stations will put unconventional programming on Sunday nights (such as DC101's Seven CD Sides at Seven, which you allude to) becaue the audience is small in commerical radio. I'd be curious, though, to find out what the public radio audience is on Sunday nights, with shows like This American Life and Ed Walker's The Big Broadcast on WAMU.
ArtMovieLover, Va.:
Frank, with the whirlwind of radio format changes, the increasing influence of corporate thinking, the incessant fund drives at WPFW and the increasing use of profanity over the airwaves, let me ask the one question that I can't seem to shake, and which I think you'll be able to answer:
Does the new Coen Brothers film have a decent shot at winning the Golden Palm award at this year's Cannes Film Festival?
Frank Ahrens: Ha! Great segue. I certainly hope so, inasumch as it was one of my favorite films of last year, if only because it validated and romanticized the hobo-hillbilly ways of my West Virginia forefathers. Speaking of which, Barton Fink was on Encore, I think, last night, and of course I watched it for the umpteenth time, if only to see John Goodman running down a flaming hotel hallway, pumping rounds off of a shotgun, bellowing, "I'll SHOW YOU THE LIFE OF THE MIND!" Terrific stuff.
Annandale, Va.:
Frank,
Concerning the f-bomb use on DC-101: While listening to the "Idiot in the Morning" show during Howard Stern commercials, I heard a listener use the s-bomb. I'm an avid Don and Mike listener, and respect the fact that they use their delay to edit out such words from callers. Does DC-101 operate on a delay, and if so, how does something like that get away from them? It appears that WJFK, particularily the Don and Mike Show runs a tighter ship!
Thanks in advance.
Frank Ahrens: Second question on this today. I think you're right...Elliot Segal's morning show is not "dumping" profane callers like they ought to. (Each radio station operates on a several second delay...what they say in the studio you hear on your radio about 7 seconds later. If a profanity is uttered, station producers can hit a Dump, or Delay button and omit it from the broadcast. This is what sunk the Greaseman last time; someone should have Dumped his comment about dragging people behind trucks.)
Reston, Va.:
Hi Frank. Great idea about the songs, I've already submitted mine. Here's my question: You've written about the Junks and Stern's numbers in demo, what are Don and Mike's ratings numbers from WJFK? I believe they run an ad saying they are number one. Is that overall, or among men? What are those ratings numbers, and can you share them with us? Thanks.
Pete
P.S. How about them Minnesota Twins? Can it last?
Frank Ahrens: According to most recent ratings:
Don and Mike tied for first among all listeners with WPGC in the 3-7 time slot. They were second to WPGC among all listeners 18-34. They were first among all listeners 25-54. They were first by far among men 18-34. They were first by far among men 25-54. All in all, a typically dominating ratings book for them.
Frank Ahrens: Follow up: I certainly hope it will last with the Minnesota Twinkies. They're a fun team to watch. What we hoped, in vain, the Orioles would be.
Dee Cee (The Original):
Hi Frank-
Return to posting after several weeks of lurking.
The mention of Pacifica brings to mind two
stations and programs:
(1) KPFT-FM the affiliate in Houston which streams (www.kpft.org) has the "sound of Texas." It is a great source for those looking for the alt. country, folk and Americana formats. (Though their DJs sound kind of "polished," I wonder if any of them are paid or are they all volunteers?) They also carry the great daily program "World Cafe" which originates from WXPN in Philadelphia.
(2) Locally, WPFW-FM, every Friday, Noon - 1 p.m. the Blues Plate Special is given over to all-Zydeco music, hosted by "Texas Fred, The Zydeco Cowboy." Give him a listen some Friday; he's quite a personality.
("Yeh, yeh- your right!!!")
Frank Ahrens: Very good posting, Dee Cee. Many thanks.
Greenbelt, Md.:
Gen-X-Gurl here -- Yo Frankie, wassup? I see you still have the bischon frise fuzz transplant thing going on your head. You know you would go from a 3 to an 8 if you got rid of it.
Was this a slow biweekly time for column news? I mean, it is cute, but a very, very loose radio tie in.
WTNT -- could it be much worse? I gather Clear Channel is seriously trying to kill real talk radio in the marker.
WTEM -- OK, Phil Wood controversy time... he is your father's sportscaster. I am sure he is a very nice man, but he is a seamhead who is more in touch with sports radio as it WAS in the '70s (if you like him, than you also probably like old Kenny B.) than it is in the 21st Century. Czeban however RULES to the under-30 crowd. The fellow who said Andy Pollin is warn out -- total agreement. He is one step shy of being on a fourth rate AM station mired in last place in it's area. Oh wait, he is already there. I guess he will go as far as he can go being Kornheiser's version of Kelly Ripa.
Can Gina Crash get any better? How about a column poll on the best personality in D.C., my Pooh Bear? She would win hands down!
Sonny, Sam and Frank -- See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Wheel them out please!
And as for me -- I will be around but not always here the next few months. Exams and summer job. After much thought, and advice (a sweet kiss on the cheek my Ahrens Pooh Bear), I will. once again, be spending the summer in the Chevy Heartland of America.
Finally Frankie -- The Producers or the Hair Revival? Also, bikinis or speedo one pieces?
Frank Ahrens: Ah, Gen X Gurl sends in her semi-signoff for the summer. I think a good radio columnist should mix things up once in a while...I'm not going to use every column just to list the local happenings in radio...I want to give the readers something fun to participate in. And, by the response thus far, you like it! You really like it!
I stand squarely behind the Soul Patch, regardless of what anyone (and just about everyone) says.
And you've finally got me on the generation gap: I'm clueless on both bands you list. Sorry, I'm a creaker.
Have a great and productive summer and stay in touch. (Sound of weeping D.C. Lawyers.)
Northwest D.C.:
As someone who works in the radio biz (sorry-can't tell you which station -- but it starts with a "W" and ends with an "X" -- hint), I'm wondering why you give stations a break when you're asked about ratings. Last week, you quoted Stern on JFK as #1 in certain male demos. Overall he is trending DOWN, tumbling all the way to ninth place overall. Same with the Junkies, as they have tumbled out of the top 10 in overall nightime ratings. I imagine their on air rumblings have to do with the overll performance of the show. While targeted demos are key, the overall ratings do paint a picture of a show's power at any given moment. And except for Don and Mike (DAMN THEM) at #1 again, WJFK's other weekday shows are taking gas. In demo they are performing adequately, but in the OVERALL ratings they stink. Stern in ninth place? Who would have thought it? Please post this to show you can be fair and balanced, and I might let you have the two missing calls in my station! P.S.: Favorite Song: "Fly, Robin, Fly" by Silver Convention.
Frank Ahrens: So noted, from WRQZ (Mix 107.3), which competes with WJFK for 25-54 year-old listeners. (Admittedly, WJFK trends male, while Mix trends female). Ratings are a mixed bag...advertisers care about target demos, but yes, overall ratings show a show's power. Fair enough.
Washington, D.C.:
What are your thoughts about on-air contests? It seems like Don and Mike and the Sports Junkies have been having a lot of these recently. I find them fairly boring, but because they're so prevalent nowadays, maybe others don't. Whaddya think Frank?
Frank Ahrens: Interesting question. A longtime radio bigwig once told me, with authority, "People tune into a music radion station for three things, in order: The music, the contests, the personalities." Take that for what you will.
Silver Spring, Md.:
Pete Franklin was on KNBR in San Francisco in the early-mid '90s, and his show was a love-it-or-hate-it kinda thing. He lasted there until about '96, and went back East. But he returned in about 98-99 to the secondary sports talk station in the Bay Area, KTCT. He only very recently got canned there again. I don't know if he's landed.
Frank Ahrens: Thanks much for the Pete Franklin update. Listener readers Know All.
Washington, D.C.:
Frank -
According to today's Wall St. Journal, 90% of advertising revenue is now controlled by 4 companies. Can this possibly be healthy -- even for the companies themselves (who have overpayed for many stations in the great land-grab)? Certainly it doesn't seem healthy for listeners or artists.
i know this is sorta an obvious question, but how can 90% of revenues from a limited public resource become so locked down by such a small number of companies?
Frank Ahrens: This is an interesting quesiton. Haven't seen Journal story yet, but it tracks. I'm guessing the companies are Clear Channel, Viacom/Infinity, ABC and maybe Cox. The former head of the FCC, William Kennard, did not think this a healthy thing; the current head, Michael Powell, may be more sympathetic to the companies. Clear Channel owns something like 1,200 of the nation's 10,500 commerical stations, getting something like 110 million ears a day. Infinity is next, with about 200 stations, but they're in major markets, so they get nearly as many ears. The Telecommunciations Act of 1996 is how this is possible, that essentially lifted the cap on ownership. Prior to Telecomm 1996, radio companies could own no more than 20 AM or FM stations NATIONWIDE. Now, they can own no more than 8 in a single city. (Clear Channel owns 8 in Washington, Infinity has 5 that I can think of, and both top-billing stations, WJFK and WPGC.)
The Airless Cubicle:
Hi, Frank.
Last week there was a question: Can Metro put relays into its tunnel system to relay broadcast stations, as it has done for its train radios? It's technically feasible, but not financially feasible.
Some stations have radio relays in tunnels. For example, CKLW-800-Windsor, Ontario has a 5-watt relay in the Detroit-Windsor tunnel.
Metro's radio frequencies are between 160 and 161.5 MHz. Like the FM broadcast band, it's line-of-sight (though there's some bending through tunnels and some piercing of rock). A series of relays placed in the tunnels should be able to send a signal through to a receiver in a train.
However, there are concerns about intermodulation (signal mixing) on the handhelds the train crews use. The poorer the selection circuitry, the easier it is to have signals bleed all over the band. We want the Metro crews to listen to Operations, not to Mix 107.3.
Furthermore, we have the same problem that my mom had with five children: being fair to everyone. If one station is allowed to broadcast in the Metro, they all have to be. My mom just faced tears on birthdays and Christmas. Metro would face whopping big lawsuits from the stations that didn't get relayed. And more relays and antennas would mean one big maintenance headache. Who would maintain the relays? Metro? The stations?
So, if you want to listen to music on the train, take a good book instead.
The Original Dubya
Frank Ahrens: Good answer to last week's question, O Dubya. Remember, if you have technical questions for The Listener, he has subcontracted them to O Dubya, who can be e-mailed at:
originaldubya@hotmail.com
The F Bomb:
I was driving home Sunday night when I heard the F bomb dropped, as you mention in your article today. To me, it was totally appropriate. The song tackles a very serious topic, and the word is only used once. Now, if you want to talk superfluous and gratuitous use of the F bomb, try Jennifer Lopez's song "Play " -- totally not necessary.
Frank Ahrens: Fair enough. That's why I called Buddy Rizer, DC101's program director, to get his point of view on it. Listen, I get probably a dozen e-mail complaints a week about obscenity/tastelessness on the radio. This is up from a year ago; I read this as listeners being more concerned about it. The DC101 incident was one that I happened to hear, that was explicit, etc. Seemed a timely way to address a reader concern.
Gen X Girl Got You:
I think her "The Producers or the Hair Revival?" refers to your preferences for theater. I saw both of them in New York City two weekends ago. Hair was a weekend-only "Encores!" concert revival, but there is talk of moving it to Broadway a la "Chicago."
Frank Ahrens: Then I'm got. I'm not really a Broadway afficionado.
Quince Orchard, Md.:
"Won't Get Fooled Again." Greatest scream in rock history! 30 years later, it still gives me goosebumps.
Frank Ahrens: Good one. But how about the scream in Pink Floyd's (is it Comfortably Numb?), when it goes:
Just a little pin-prick
there'll be no more
AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!
but you may feel a little sick.
D.C. Lawyers!:
OK Frank, now you have gone and done it!
First to GEN-X-GURL, please don't leave. They have Internet connections in the Heartland. You used them last summer. If not for us, think about how glum your main man (squeeze?) Frank (a.k.a. Pooh Bear) will be without you?
Second to Frank -- how dense can thou be? "The Producers" or the "Hair Revival," as she asked. They are not bands but SUPER RED HOT Broadway shows.
What does she see in the seeming unculturally refined god of all radio news!
Frank Ahrens: Let's call it a blind spot. Ask me about baseball.
Rockville, Md.:
Frank --
I wanted to get your thoughts on the sudden passing of Douglas Adams. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy did originally start as a series of radio programs in the mid '70s. Then were turned into books later. My own thoughts are that Mr. Adams was a truly gifted individual with a wonderfully twisted sense of humor.
It's unfortunate that The Post didn't give his passing more coverage.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
Frank Ahrens: A good posting. I have not read Hitchhiker's Guide, am sorry to say, but would love to get hold of his BBC radio shows, which people tell me are wonderful. He was a youngish man, as well.
Frank Ahrens: That's going to do it for today, folks. Thanks for all the great questions; sorry couldn't get to them all. HOWEVER, even if I didn't answer your Radio Songs nominees (and Punchie nominees, as well; we're up to our Arbitrons in contests around here...), they will be entered into The Listener's exhaustive database.
See you next week.
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