'Mandatory Metallica' to Launch (Aug 16, 2008)

"Mandatory Metallica" (XM 51), will provide fans with music from the entire Metallica catalog, including rare live recordings from the band's personal archives, extensive interviews with the band and more. Metallica guitarist and singer James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo will serve as hosts for the six-week long channel.

In addition, the channel will also air interviews with other artists who will share their thoughts about Metallica's musical contributions, including Linkin Park, Slipknot, Disturbed, Guns n Roses, Chris Cornell, Ashes Divide, Blackstone Cherry, Five Finger Death Punch, Atreyu, Skid Row, Cinderella, Mastodon, Judas Priest, Dragonforce, Triumph, Tesla and many others.

Metallica is one of the most influential and commercially successful rock bands, selling 100 million albums worldwide. Since their formation in the early 1980s, Metallica has released nine studio albums, one live album and one EP. Death Magnetic, the band's 10th studio album will be released worldwide on Friday, September 12.

"Mandatory Metallica" is the latest limited run artist-branded channel to be offered by XM, which have included Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, George Strait, Coldplay and Kenny Chesney.

"Mandatory Metallica" (XM 51) will be available on XM from August 16 through September 30. Programming information will be available online at http://www.xmradio.com/metallica

One Line on the Radio News (Aug 16, 2008)

Flo? Sounds like a waitress from the sitcom Alice. Well, kiss mah grits to that!

Alyssa Milano is Now on Myspace (Aug 16, 2008)

Alyssa Milano's official Myspace page is up, running, and accepting friends. This will be the best place to keep up to date on all Alyssa's news. Visit Alyssa's Official Site http://www.alyssa.com/ or Official Myspace http://www.myspace.com/alyssamilano for more info.

Attention Clear Channel San Diego (Aug 16, 2008)

Look. XTRA Sports isn't doing anything here. The same 15 callers are calling Hacksaw's show multiple times a week because he doesn't have the listeners. People are getting fired every week from sports talk radio because it just doesn't get the ratings.

Or maybe this is the "X" that will mark the spot for a new format real soon.

Passing: Engineer Bill (Aug 16, 2008)

Bill was best known as the host of Cartoon Express on channel 9 (KHJ at the time) from 1954 to 1966. "Cartoon Express" was KHJ's answer to the popular "Lunch Brigade" with Sheriff John on KTTV Channel 11.

He started his career on radio, working at two stations in Denver before working at KFI in Los Angeles in 1939. He moved to television in 1950 at KNBH-TV (now KNBC-TV), then switched to KHJ-TV in 1952.

He inspired a generation of Southern California baby boomers to drink their milk with his signature "Red Light, Green Light" game.

Stulla was part of a group of children's show hosts in Los Angeles in the '50s and early '60s whose ranks included "Skipper Frank" Herman, "Sheriff John" Rovick and Tom Hatten.

He was born in New York City [New York] on May 24, 1911.

The Wires (Aug 16, 2008)

ZD Net: Spyware Terminator with Antivirus Spyware Terminator with Antivirus is a free program that combines real-time antispyware and antivirus protection in one package.

Kurt Hanson: Arbitron's July 2008 PPM data reveals that 7% of meter panelists listened to a local terrestrial radio station's Internet stream during the month. The results also document that a significant portion of measured Net radio listening happens while at work: 78% of listening takes place "away from home," with listening peaking during at-work hours Monday through Friday. Interestingly, although four Internet radio streams "made the book" in July, three met the minimum reporting criteria only in embedded (suburban) ratings reports. Kurt Hanson notes in our RAIN Analysis that, based on the PPM results, streaming may add $300,000 to $600,000 to WBEB's revenues this year!

Featured Blog: Rock De Siempre (Now & Always Rock). This blog is based in Spain and features MP3 and music commentaries and reviews. Un repaso al rock de ahora y de siempre en formato mp3 y en letra. Rock, pop, country, soul, blues, rockabilly and more.

Featured Podcast: Sundown Lounge Podcast. Sundown Lounge is a laid back (and often explicit, you bet your ass...) weekly podzine of music, spoken word, progressive politics, weird science, and occasional vignettes from the west coast open mic scene, etc.

Featured Internet Radio Station: Ad Astra- Take Flight. The best of Jazz, Classic R&B, World Music, Rock, Funk and beyond! Special programming and surprises galore!

Correction: KXLU 88.9 Now Beaming in North County (Aug 15, 2008)

On Wednesday, I was driving down I-5 when I turned on 96.9 FM around Oceanside and heard some blues instead of KRTM Temecula.

It turns out that for some reason, the receiving end for K245AI 96.9 FM, received the wrong 88.9 FM signal that day.

Instead of a religious broadcaster, KRTM, originating from Temecula, I was hearing blues music from KXLU, also at 88.9, from Los Angeles.

I'm not sure if the relay transmitter is alternating feeds or something went wrong.

Corrections: Low Powered Stations (Aug 15, 2008)

The Wires (Aug 15, 2008)

Radio World: Online Radio Dominates the First PPM ‘Digital Radio’ Results. Four Internet streams from commercial stations had PPM numbers large enough to make local market reports in July.

Sonic Sound Salutes- This Week: KCBQ- San Diego, CA (Aug 14, 2008)

It airs from 1-6pm pn XM radio 6. Set your VCRs to tape it off the radio and listen to it since there's nothing on prime time TV anyway.

KDTF TV 36 Confirmed Operational (Aug 14, 2008)

KDTF-LP channel 36, a low power station affilliated by the Telefutura Spanish language network, was confirmed by me to be operational as I drove through Del Mar and Encinitas with a analog TV tuned in just past channel 35 where UCSD-TV operates from La Jolla.

I'm not sure when the station signed on and I haven't been able to receive the signal outside of the Encinitas area and points five miles north and south from it. I can't get it from Poway or Kearny Mesa either where I could pick up most of the low powered stations from Poway.

Wikipedia says that KDTF became a Telefutura affilliate in 2006, but I can't confirm when the station first became operational.

KDTF-LP is operated by the Entravision building on Ruffin Road. It also owns and operates KBNT-CA channel 17 and KHAX-LP 49 in North County as Univision affilliates. Entravision San Diego operates the Mexican-owned XHAS channel 33 (Telemundo). Entravision's KTCD-LP, low power channel 46 in Poway, repeats XHAS's programming. It's the only broadcaster in town that is programming the same station (XHAS) on transmitters on both sides of the border (33 in Tijuana, 46 in Poway.)

Entravision also operates the Mexican-owned XHDTV channel 49 in Tecate. Oddly enough, Entravision is programming two different stations on two transmitters on the same channel (49 in Tecate for My Network TV and 49 in North County for Univision.)

In addition, it operates La Jolla's KNSD-LP channel 62 owned by the owners of KNSD-TV as a translator for KBNT; it was once a translator for channel 39 (KCST, then KNSD) around the time when Bob Dale first moved to the station in the late 70s.

Entravision San Diego is running channels 17, 33, 36, 46, 49 in North County, 49 in Tecate, and 62.

Here's another oddity. XHDTV channel 49's operator is Entravision, but programming and marketing are provided by Bay City Television, which operates and provides programming and marketing of another Mexican-owned station, XETV 6 (XETV-DT 23) owned by Grupo Televisa. XHDTV's Mexican owner is Televisora Alco.

XHDTV sounds like a really high definition resolution that might be used on the screen aboard the Starship Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk. From Michael Scott on the radio-info board: It's interesting that "XHDTV" has been used as an acronym for "eXtremely High-Definition TeleVision", a 32k x 16k resolution broadcast format, successor to VHDTV, UHDTV and WHDTV ("V" for "Very", "U" for "Ultra" and "W" for "Whoppingly")

KOXM 9 Off The Air (Aug 14, 2008)

KOXM also suffered from adjacent-channel interference from full-powered stations KFMB 8 and KGTV 10, rendering its over the air audience potential without cable to be about zero. Too bad it didn't petetion Cox or Time Warner to put the station on its cable systems.

KOXM had an office along Ruffner Road in Kearny Mesa.

The Wires (Aug 14, 2008)

First In: As I've said thousands of times, if FM-AM radio had varied playlists with thousands of songs and wider format variety, unlimited local and national sports events, entertainers hosting their own programs, and stopped the five minute plus commercial clusters, millions of people wouldn't feel compelled to spend a monthly fee to listen to satellite radio in the first place. Instead, they would have bought HD radios to enjoy these niche channels along with the local stations they used to enjoy. Another advantage radio has is specific to the sports fan. No blackouts of local teams and games (read more - Dave Kohl)

NY Daily News: As if Don Imus, cattle auctions and the quilting show weren't enough, RFD-TV announced Tuesday it is bringing back possibly the most underrated program in the history of television: "Hee Haw" (read more - David Hinckley - NY Daily News)

Inside Music Media: Don’t say the record industry isn’t committed. Committed to suicide by lawsuit. Many label execs dislike the entire RIAA lawsuit campaign but somehow they let their trade organization continue to pursue suing their customers. They’ve made no friends and have not made a dent in music piracy which remains brisk. Oh, there was something else. But you may not call it news (read more - Jerry Del Colliano - Inside Music Media)

Jaye Albright: Music trends and our business: Historically, country music and rock formats have tended to do well in difficult economic times. Prediction: this means that country music and rock are in for a pretty good three to seven year run, because the 25 year super bubble that was the U.S. economy over the last two decades has now burst and the general public is very much aware of that fact (read more - Jaye Albright)

Radio Ink: KDAY/L.A. Ready To Relaunch From New Tower. Magic Broadcasting Rhythmic KDAY/Los Angeles will segue to Urban AC as "93.5 The Beat FM" from a new tower, 11 miles closer to downtown Los Angeles. With KDAY's improved signal, simulcast partner KWIE/Riverside will be splitting off as Urban Oldies "Flo 93.5." The new Beat, targeting 18-49 African Americans and English-dominant Hispanics, will offer a lineup of Steve Harvey in mornings, along with Monique, Michael Baisden, Wendy Williams, KDAY PD Theo in nights, and Keith Sweat Dedications in late nights.

The Wires (Aug 13, 2008)

Inside Music Media: While I was away last week one of my readers posited that if I was so smart, why don’t terrestrial radio companies ask me to help them turn it around. My God, are you sure you are reading my pieces? I mean, I’ve indicted just about every terrestrial owner out there who has failed to keep their radio business afloat. These are the same suspects who have fired their own talented people, refused to hire proven consultants and think they have all the answers. Still, it’s a good question

Mel Phillips: Chalk this victory up for the little guy or girl in this case as 16-year old Whitney Harper whose downloading fine, originally priced at $750 per song for the 37 songs she illegally downloaded was reduced to $200 per song. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez lowered the fine apparently believing that she had no idea she was accessing copyrighted material. Could this be a precedent setting court decision in an era when copyright lawsuits from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) can reach as astronomically high as $30,000 per song???

The Wires (Aug 12, 2008)

Howard Stern on XM Now? Howard Stern will likely be the biggest “BEST OF” draw. Stern, used to only be available on Sirius, and for those that bought a car that only installed XM, were either forced to buy a Sirius retail device and get a full subscription to Sirius on top of their XM subscription, or to simply do without Stern. These consumers now have an inexpensive and viable option that allows them to Access Howard Stern without the cost of new equipment, without cluttering up the dashboard, and without paying a full $12.95 per month for the second service (read more - Tyler Savery - iStockAnalyst)

Top 5 Headlines Of The Week (Aug 4-10, 2008)

4. San Diegans Still Confused As Fox and CW Switch Stations.

3. Football's Back, You Bet!

2. Olympics Open

1. David Tanny's CD "Yes Parking Anytime" now available for purchase at davidtanny.com