The Wires (Dec 6, 2008)

Chicago Tribune: Steve Dahl, a Chicago radio personality for more than 30 years whose broadcast style inspired a generation of voices, told his WJMK-FM 104.3 listeners that he was leaving the CBS Radio outlet after today's broadcast - Dahl reportedly will be paid for the remaining two-and-a-half years left on his contract of $1 Million + annually, though he will be off the air.

Chicago Tribune: His TV show resembles his radio program in its use of phone interviews, off-kilter world view and, sure, occasional unevenness. "All I'm looking for really is a home," Jonathan Brandmeier said after wrapping his WLUP-FM 97.9 program Thursday. "The hard part is staying under the radar. I really didn't want to talk about this [TV show], but I have no choice but to talk about it. Someone has to look at it".

Inside Music Media: How's this for radio's recession strategy? Cut spot costs and make long-term deals. Turn radio into the Wal-Mart of the media industry. Always open. Always the low price. That's some of the advice that consultant Jack Myers wrote recently in an interesting piece called "Seven Strategies for Rebuilding the Radio Industry".

Latest Shoutcast Listenership (11:45pm Dec 4, 2008)

Radio Nigel (includes all of their music feeds): 112.
X1FM (includes all of their music feeds): 125.

Diet Pepsi May Not Be The Solution (Dec 5, 2008)

The Chargers lost eight games this season. Maybe it's Diet Coke that he needs rather than Diet Pepsi!

The Wires (Dec 5, 2008)

Crain's New York: CBS Radio isn’t done with its shakeups. Among those named include Don Bouloukos, Steve Swenson, Maire Mason, Steve Townsend and Greg Janoff. CBS Radio has fired more than 700 staffers in the last year.

NY Daily News: Glenn Beck, who just moved his TV talk show from CNN to Fox, also will be starting next month on WOR (710 AM) - In effect, he replaces Bill O'Reilly, who has all but said he's giving up his daily radio show because he doesn't have enough time.

USA Today: The multibillion-dollar talk radio industry faces existential challenges and dramatic opportunities in the upcoming Age of Obama. Depending on responses from leading conservative talkers, this rude, raucous indispensable medium will either rise to new heights of mainstream influence, profit and credibility, or else collapse as a declining vehicle for an increasingly angry and alienated fringe

All Comedy Radio - www.allcomedyradio.com - A unique and diverse format service is currently on HD-2 stations 24/7 in Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, Memphis, New Orleans, Buffalo and others. For affiliate information for your HD-2 station contact: Al Perrotta at acrnews@mac.com

Jay Marvin: I woke up this morning with the Chuck Berry song in my head “No Particular Place To Go”. It kept playing over and over again and I’ve tried I can’t make it go away. Like Washington can’t make these hard economic times go away. The realization hit me again, if I got blown out as we used to say in radio; I’d have no particular place to go. In radio like every other business people are losing their jobs right and left. The job market in radio has always been tough since consolidation. Management has always wanted to find a way to get around talent, and now through syndication and automation they’ve done it.

Phil Manning has been named program director for KPKX “The Peak” (98.7 FM) and will assume his new duties beginning December 10 says Bonneville Phoenix Vice President & Market Manager Scott Sutherland. Manning most recently held the PD post at XTRA-FM/San Diego.

Sophie @ 103.7 Are Run My Morons! (Dec 4, 2008)

Tom Leykis Live and Local on Saturdays (Dec 4, 2008)

Tom will broadcast from KLSX 97.1 only in the Los Angeles area. This is not a sixth day of his daily syndicated show. This version is expected to cover topics important to the Los Angeles area.

Tom's show airs Saturdays 2pm-6pm.

Listen live on http://www.blowmeuptom.com/

The Wires (Dec 4, 2008)

NY Biz: Yahoo! and CBS Radio have entered into an agreement in which CBS Radio will power Yahoo! Music’s Launchcast Radio. The agreement unites two of the largest online radio providers and expands the breadth of free music, news, talk and sports content available to millions of Yahoo! users. Beginning in early 2009, LAUNCHcast’s 150 stations and more than 150 CBS RADIO stations will be combined, with CBS RADIO assuming sales responsibility for the entire portfolio

Watertown Times: The Watertown Times published an editorial opposing the revival of the "fairness doctrine" in broadcasting. You stated that this doctrine would be an "infringement on the constitutionally protected right of broadcasters." But on the other hand, what are the "rights" of the people who own the airwaves? The people who own the radio towers and transmitters and microphones do not "own" the airwaves; the public does.

The Wires (Dec 3, 2008)

Joe Nick: I didn’t immediately jump in and react to the programming mashup the two recently merged satellite radio subscription services, Sirius and XM, engaged in back in early November, combining some channels and eliminating others altogether. Three weeks after the fact, I’m ready to weigh in. The new Sirius XM is a dud

FMQB: BIA Says Radio Is At "The Beginning Of A Downward Spiral".

Bill Drake Obit (Dec 2, 2008)

He set the tone at hundreds of pop stations with a radio format that placed music ---- rather than disc jockeys ---- at the center of the broadcast.

At the height of his career as a radio programming consultant in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Drake championed a streamlined format that came to be known as "Boss Radio," which made announcers' personalities secondary to the Top 40 hits they were spinning. Under Drake's guidance, radio stations such as KGB in San Diego, KHJ in Los Angeles and KFRC in San Francisco shot to the No. 1 slots in their markets by promising more music and less chatter.

Drake along with Gene Chenault launched numerous high-profile radio careers, including that of Top 40 DJs "The Real" Don Steele and Robert W. Morgan.

The Annual Clear Channel Firing Party (Dec 2, 2008)

Unfortunately for Jimmy Valentine, producer of the high-rated Roger Hedgecock Show on KOGO, he got the pink slip, assuring me that even ratings have nothing to do with who can be fired.

Maybe I could hire him to professionally produce my music radio shows, but since SDRN has no income (nobody's buying anything from my website), and I don't have any paying sponsors for ads, I can't hire him. My terrestrial prescence job pays me crap for wages.

What will Roger do for a producer? Hire someone out of college for $8 an hour?

Both my job and Clear Channel have the same thing in common: they both pay pittance for wages for most of its employees.

Anyone want to predict when the time will come when clusters of radio stations will be simply be run by two people: a manager and an engineer? Sales for all of its radio stations can be run by one person in Texas. Just run voice-tracked and syndicated fare and you got a terrestrial version of live365! How few people can a radio station hire to run a radio station? Are stations run by robots in the future?

The Wires (Dec 2, 2008)

Inside Music Media: Bill Drake was in his thirties, wasn't he? Or was that just the way some of us will always think of him. I still remember my first meeting with him in Philadelphia when he drew a few hot clocks for me over lunch. He was great at hot clocks and a lot of other things that made for good radio. Bill was thinking of getting back into radio again -- was even toying with a new format. It's radio's loss -- again.

Latest Shoutcast Listenership (9pm Nov 30, 2008)

Radio Nigel (includes all of their music feeds): 171.
X1FM (includes all of their music feeds): 161.

And to Mr. Anonymous who complains and complains, buy a 20pack of my "Yes Parking Anytime" CDs and I'll post whatever you want me to post, guaranteed! I want a comedy music channel. Program one on X1FM's site already!

Funds Raised From Not Buying the Union-Tribune (Dec 1, 2008)

Issues not purchased: 8/1, 8/2, 8/4-8/9, 8/11-8/31: $24.75

SubTotal savings: $65.25

Issues not purchased: 9/1-11/30: 13x6x$0.75 + 13x$1.75 = $81.25

Total savings: $146.50

Thank you David Copley for making the San Diego Union-Tribune suck so loudly that I don't care to read the rag anymore.

If Carnac the Magnificent Were Alive Today (Dec 1, 2008)

Question: who are the children in the theatrical film of Eight is Enough?

Top 5 Headlines Of The Week (Nov 24-30, 2008)

5. Cincinnatti Low Power TV Station Changes Calls to WKRP.

4. xtrasports957.com is Registered.

3. Zombie Corpse of Tom Turkey Terrorizes Town With Chainsaw

2. Sarah Palin Shoots Bullwinkle Moose Balloon at Macy's Parade.

1. Chargers Go 4-8. Audience Boos! Won't Have a Winning Season This Year!