The Wires (Feb 27, 2010)

Jay Posner: Peacock's feathers get ruffled. Just three more days of the Olympics, which means just three more days for everyone to complain about NBC - at least until 2012 in London

John Maffei: NBC makes questionable decisions on hockey coverage. ARTICLE: NBC got out a big old shotgun and shot itself right in the foot Sunday.

WHO TV: The so-called performance fee is an effort by record companies to charge radio stations fees on songs - But the digital age has record companies rethinking the deal - Local stations such as KGGO say the plan could mean less music for listeners. "It dismays me that now they're going to come back and tax the radio stations which are basically the vehicle to get the artists out and their music out to the public in the beginning," said Terry Peters, Citadel Broadcasting's Vice President.

Inside Music Media: A fired Cumulus worker is providing new evidence that Cumulus corporate leaders are thinly disguising terms such as "if you cannot do the bare minimum you cannot be part of the team" for pleas to work overtime for free. Some workers are taking this to mean work overtime or else.

Mel Phillips: There is too much station switching going on with radio listeners, especially with listeners who prefer music. According to Media Monitors president/CEO Philippe Generali, 4% to 5% of music radio listeners are switching in any given five-minute period. I would think that figure is on the conservative side

TV Broadcast: Internet-connected TV Set Sales Takes Off in January. The latest must-have feature for TVs appears to be an Internet connection.

Note To Clear Channel (Feb 26, 2010)

Ranting About The Ratings (Feb 26, 2010)

KSIQ Signal A Loser in San Diego (Feb 26, 2010)

I drove all around the freeways between I-15, S-125, and I-5 where most of the San Diego county locals live. In many places, I picked up the Riverside county Que Buena format on 96.1 in fair to poor reception, but the only places where I could get KSIQ 96.1 were in Rancho Pensaquitos and the western part of Santee.

I say that the move to Campo for KSIQ is a total loser move. I don't think there are that many people in the eastern part of county that are in the signal range for KSIQ as compared to their former home in Brawley where, at 50kw, it could be reached for all of Imperial valley, plus the western part of Arizona and parts of Riverside county from Coachella valley eastweard.

KSIQ's owner shot itself in the foot for moving to Campo. Where they placed their transmitter isn't doing its job of having even a fair to weak signal reaching to the greater San Diego area.

The booster station on 96.1 that was supposed to be on the air earlier this month hasn't come on the air yet.

We'll just have to wait and see until the booster station gets on the air. Even with the booster, the booster signal isn't expected to reach North County and may not be receptive in western Claremont or all of La Jolla either due to the prescence of 95.7 and 96.5, as well as Mount Soledad blocking reception of most signals coming from Mount San Miguel in the western part of La Jolla.

The Wires (Feb 26, 2010)

III Co UK News: A restructuring of Clear Channel Communications is inevitable, though its private equity owners Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners may try to delay it as long as possible, Moody's Investors Service said in a new report

Talkers Top 100 List of 2010 Now Online Here

FMQB: CBS Extends Contract With Les Moonves

All Access: Moody's Says Clear Channel Restructuring 'Inevitable'

The Wires (Feb 25, 2010)

Randy Dotinga: classical radio remains elusive. (editor: so does dance and comedy, Randy, eh?)

Inside Music Media: It looks like Clear Channel had a ôcome to Jesusö moment recently when they rehired their morning show team on WDVE, Pittsburgh. The Evil Empire didnÆt just turn into a bunch nice ôguysö when they offered Randy Baumann and Jim Krenn a chance to come back to work. Turns out for once it was a real layoff -- not really a firing. Temporary

Bababooey! Howard Stern "Wack Pack" member Captain Janks prank called ESPN's SportsCenter last night, pretending to be now-ex-Eagles Running Back Brian Westbrook. He got on the air and quickly namedropped Stern. Janks explained to Stern on Sirius XM today that he was able to get through by telling ESPN he was a representative for Westbrook.

New Song by David Tanny: Warner Music (Feb 24, 2010)

If you want a free download of my song in protest to Warner Music's action of removing a parody of one of their songs, please let me know via e-mail. I may upload it on my website if I get a lot of requests for it. If you're a radio station rep, you need to e-mail me for a broadcast-quality 256kbps rip.

This song came about over the weekend when parodist Peter Coffin made a parody of one of the songs that is on the Warner Music label. He posted the video of song (he did not identify the title) on youtube, but Warner Music called up the DMCA, who told youtube to take down the video because of a copyright violation.

Are parodists protected anymore?

The Wires (Feb 24, 2010)

NY Daily News: The annual Top 250 talk show hosts are named by Talkers Magazine with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage in the top 4 positions

Chicago Tribune: Johnathon Brandmeier and Buzz Kilman were a hell of a radio team, and would be again if anyone had the foresight (and cash) to hire them. This post isn't about that. They're linked here by a slender thread of coincidence, thanks to their own individual and completely separate ventures involving movie critiques and the Internet in the absence of full-time broadcast

NZPA NZ: Complaints about a radio station's playing of an inadequately-censored pop song featuring repeated use of the 'f' word has been upheld by the Broadcasting Standards Authority. New Plymouth man John Christini made two complaints over the airing of the Lily Allen song "F - - - You" on the Edge

USA Today: Cellphones can cause car trouble - Toyota had to recall the 1998 Lexus GS 300 and GS 400 after cellphone calls apparently interfered with a defective sensor, causing the brakes to "operate unexpectedly, affecting steering and speed control, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash"

Mel Phillips: The radio rebound numbers published by the Radio Advertising Bureau and the article on the subject in Crain's New York indicate that radio revenue is coming back, "though it still has a way to go." The 8% drop in total radio ad revenue in the fourth quarter and the 18% drop for all of 2009 was apparently taken lightly by those trying to convince us that the economy is headed back up. Those drops are still significant

Inside Music Media: Boston grad student Joel Tenenbaum is trying to get the damage award in his music piracy case reduced from $675,000 to $29.70. Tenenbaum is a smart alec but you know, he has a point - a good point. Tenenbaum, who if memory serves me, was pretty arrogant in dealing with the labels in his piracy suit is now trying to be a smart ass

Radio Ink: Four More Lawmakers Sign On To Anti-Royalties Resolution. The Local Radio Freedom Act, a resolution in opposition to performance royalties broadcast radio, gets the support of four more House members, for a total of 256 co-sponsors. An identical Senate resolution has 27 co-sponsors on board.

Letters: Univision, KGB, and KPRI (Feb 23, 2010)

From Will: Clear Channel should just rehire Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw back and pay them what they want. They did more to KGB's ratings than they think. All KGB has is, well, nothing but stale worn out rock music. I never tune in KGB anymore. I hope KGB's ratings go down to the level of XTRA 1360, which is another loser sports talk format nobody wants in town.

From Len: What options are left for the DSC? A live streamcast from their own domain would be the only solution. They can sell ads as many people would listen to their live and delayed four-hour broadcasts of their show. DSC could also have ad supported podcasts so they can draw some kind of salary. Not sure if they can make in millions of dollars that way. That's one thing they should explore.

Didja Hear? (Feb 23, 2010)

Also at FM 94/9, they are still playing the song "Los Angeles" by the group X with the "s" word not censored out; 91X censors out the word when they play that song.

Tom Leykis sold ten 60-second advertising spots on e-bay for his self syndicated show "The Tasting Room" premiering this Thursday on KGIL 1260 and nine other stations. The winning bid was $305, which is $30.50 per 60-second spot. Leykis is the producer and host of the show, as well as the boss of his own newly created syndicator "The New Normal."

Rock 105.3's billboard heading East on I-8 from Mission Gorge Road used to say for their money giveaway promotion "UnBUCKINGbelievable. Since Friday, the word "BUCKING" has been painted over in black so that it says "Un_______believable." Did they offend someone with "BUCKING"? Seriously. Just BUCKING try it!

From many sources, Glenn Beck has now supplanted Rush Limbaugh as the most influential broadcaster in America -- Glenn Beck for President? Glenn Beck closed the 37th annual CPAC on Saturday night in Washington with a passionate, personal, ideological-but-not-partisan speech about his career and America's values. For 45 minutes he held the crowd in the palm of his hand, veering between tales of his small-town upbringing and denunciations of the progressive movement, and saying that Republicans should know that it's not good enough to "not suck as much as the other side"

It's the 92nd birthday yesterday for Saturday Night Live's Don Pardo

The Wires (Feb 23, 2010)

Bruce Williams To End Syndicated Radio Show: Bruce Williams said to his affilites today in an e-mail: "After a great deal of thought, I have concluded, as has been said many times, "all things come to an end", and this is true for me of my radio career. As a consequence, it is my painful chore to announce with much regret that March 5th, will be my last Network broadcast"

LA Times: Whatever critics might say about George Noory, he earns credit for keeping an open mind. In fact, Noory's unmatched success on overnight talk radio may be due to his willingness to think the unthinkable

SF Chronicle: The radio industry is going nuts, worrying that younger listeners have abandoned the medium and consider it Squaresville, while they do their music listening on digital players, cell phones and online. Try telling that to the thousands of youngsters who've graduated from Youth Radio.

Still Getting Letters: DSC, Jeff and Jer, Mike Halloran Missing (Feb 22, 2010)

In the past several weeks, not one week goes by without anybody asks me when Jeff and Jer or Dave, Shelly, and Chainsaw shows will be back on the air. I've just learned from a blog post on the jeffandjer.com website that someone (could it be Jeff and Jer?) just may be purchasing a radio station with or without the help of the facilities of a private equity firm like Local Media of America is. Are they going to get one of Univision's radio stations? I hope they don't settle for KSIQ whose main signal and yet-to-be-built booster won't do crap for coverage north of the I-8. Maybe they'll buy KPRI if they can get $30 million. Which station in San Diego is up for sale? Is KPRI on the block? Anyway, take a look at this excerpt below...

Jeff and Jer Blog: Buying a Station? (Feb 22, 2010)

"We get so many different views to what is happening with us. The fact is there are people buying a station and it's hopefully ending very soon and then we go on the air. That's the hold up, the purchase! Once the purchase process is over, whether it was a sell or not, we are back on the air soon after."

What About the DSC? (Feb 22, 2010)

I heard nothing from Mike Halloran, who used to be all over San Diego radio (and for a year in Los Angeles) from the late 80s through last year. I hope he and Steve West could team up to program a new alternative punk country electronica radio station that would really rock the airwaves.

Clear Channel Is Not San Diego (Feb 22, 2010)

Clear Channel needs to cut its losses and sell off their stations one by one and get their butts out of San Diego. Let the locals run the stations and program them for the city, the way it used to be, without answering to the suits from out of state.

Jeff and Jer Blog: What is Happeing To San Diego Radio? (Feb 22, 2010)

What's happening to radio in San Diego? radio interference

A lot of us have been banished to The Land Of Misfit Toys. Recently our good friends at (formerly) KGB, Dave, Shelly and Chainsaw couldn't reach an agreement with Clear Channel so they're off the air. Same as us back in September. Why? I thought we did a pretty good show. And DSC do a mighty fine program as well. They've been here almost as long as we have, and have enjoyed great and well-deserved success.(Plus they are friends are are sincerely nice and truly talented folks.) Well, here's the story: It's nothing personal. It's just bad business. The 2 largest radio station owners in the U.S. are Clear Channel (800+ stations) and Citadel (200+ stations). These companies are in big financial trouble. Citadel declared bankruptcy in December. Clear Channel is 20 Billion (yes, with a "B") in debt. How did this happen? These companies went on buying sprees in the late 1990's - paying exorbitant prices for hundreds of radio stations. Remember Alan Greenspan's warning about "irrational exuberance"? Radio people couldn't believe it. How could they pay that much for stations and hope to make a profit? Well - they couldn't. After going through various ownership mechanisms, Clear Channel is now owned by private equity firms who are not broadcasters. The huge debt they incurred combined with declining revenues (from sales of radio commercials) has them with their backs to the wall. So they are cutting costs wherever they can. Pretty much turning lights off to keep the bills down. And not just in San Diego. Big radio personalities all over America are losing their jobs. Radio isn't show business anymore. It's just business.

This doesn't seem to make much sense, does it? Shows like ours and DSC make far more money than they cost .Personally, I think they are cutting everything they can because they will have to declare bankruptcy soon. In fact, a story in the New York Post a few months ago said, " Clear Channel, faced with a staggering debt load, is considering among other options, a prepackaged bankruptcy to address its insurmountable leverage".

What will happen in the future? My guess is this: There will be a lot of radio stations for sale in America in 2010. It will be a buyer's market. And this will allow local broadcasters to get back in the game. When the Jeff & Jer Showgram started in San Diego in 1988 most stations were owned locally or by small, well managed companies who were broadcasters. People who understood the art of radio. I think we'll see a return to that kind of ownership. Radio will be Show Business again. Thank God.

Love, Jerry

Reply from Addie: "Maybe you should all get together, pool your money, buy a radio station and kick ass! That way you all own it and you are all doing what you do best and your listeners won't have to deal with contract negotiations and finding you guys on another radio station."