While Radio gurus, past and present do what they do best - pontificate, nothing in the media is more eye-opening, educational and interesting than what's happening on the Internet. I can't tell you the difference between blue rays and red rays but it interests me enough to find out. My education these days is in all things Internet whether it's electronic or business...
Just yesterday Yahoo! made a major change, replacing their chief, former Hollywood studio boss Terry Semel ("Batman" was his big success) after 6 years at the helm. Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang has moved upstairs to replace Semel. Shares of Yahoo! went up 4.7% after the announcement so apparently this move was good for everyone but Semel. And do you know why Semel was replaced? Yahoo! was becoming a distant second to Google in ad sales. And in search percentages, Google has 48% with Yahoo! at 28%. Which makes me wonder where the 24% of remaining searches are made...
I can only speak for myself but I wonder how many other past or present radio programmer's or people who listen to radio because they love it, read some of the comments from the would-be radio gurus and scratch their heads like I do? The gurus (and you know who you are) talk about how great radio used to be or some independent research they've done with people in supermarkets, producing the most mundane, grade-school data to write about. I found this quote from An Wang, the late co-founder of Wang Laboratories, one of the first major computer companies, which places things in the proper perspective: "Success is more a function of consistent common sense than it is of genius"...
10 Timeline Memories:
1. 1862] Free at last: Slavery is outlawed in the U.S. territories...1964] The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is approved after surviving an 83-day filibuster in the Senate...
2. 1934] The FCC Rules: Congress establishes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The original duties of the FCC were to: "regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest". Regulating the airwaves came later...
3. 1943] This I swear: Henry Kissinger becomes a naturalized U.S. citizen...
4. 1952] Diamond dust: Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine pitches a 5-0 no-hitter against the Cubs at Ebbets Field...1977] Carl Yastrzemski hits a 460-foot home run at Fenway Park that strikes the facade to the right of the retired numbers and is the only home run to reach Fenway's right field roof facade...1979] The reign of "Billy Martin II" begins in a cycle of 5 trips back as Yankee manager...
5. 1952] Debuted on this date: "I've Got A Secret" on CBS-TV: In this classic video clip, Philo Farnsworth, "the inventor of electronic TV" is the guest with the secret. This clip is brilliant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKM4MNrB25o ...1970] "Ball Four", the "tell-all" book about the Yankees makes former Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton, public enemy #1 on the pinstripers list...1978] Jim Davis' "Garfield" makes its 1st appearance as a comic strip...1987] Ben and Jerry and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia introduce a new flavor: Cherry Garcia, still B&J's #1 flavor...
6. 1953] Dying for spying: Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed at Sing Sing on charges of conspiring to pass U.S. atomic secrets to Russia, although their sons have been fighting to free their names for years...
7. 1956] Breaking up is hard to do: Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis end their 10 year, 16 film career together as a team...
8. 1986] A Celtic tragedy: University of Maryland basketball star, Len Bias, Boston's 1st pick (and 2nd overall) in the NBA Draft, suffers a fatal cocaine- induced seizure...
9. 1992] Struck down: Guardian Angel Curtis Sliwa is ambushed and shot twice in a cab. Two John Gotti Jr. trials have ended in mistrials and a 3rd trial is still possible...1999] Stephen King is struck from behind by a mini-van while walking in North Lovell (ME) near his home. King will spend the next 3 weeks in the hospital recovering...
10. 2000] And still champ: Phil Jackson, Laker coach, wins his 7th NBA title in 9 years, his 1st with Los Angeles which was led by Shaquille O'Neal...
Music Memories:
- 1966] #1 on this date: "Paperback Writer" - Beatles...
- 1971] Signed, Sealed & Delivered: Don Kirshner (Monkees, Archies) signs a group called Tomorrow. One of the members of the group has the initials O.N-J and here she is in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJpyG3PXoKw ...1980] David Geffen's 1st signing on his new Geffen label is Donna Summer. Donna had already had her biggest hits on Neil Bogart's Casablanca label, like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cPIT_T3mYU ...
[To ensure accuracy of dates and content, multiple reference sources are used in each timeline]...
Commentary...
Good luck to Paul Power who will walk in memory of his mother on Sunday, June 24th in the annual North Shore Cancer Center Walk. Channel 7 and WMJX (Magic 106) are co-sponsors of the walk that has contributed over $12 million to the NSCC. The 6.2 mile walk goes through downtown Salem. For more information, go to: nsmccancerwalk.org ...
"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":
Poppy ("Without a Trace") Montgomery (32), Paula Abdul (45), Kathleen Turner (53), Ann (Heart) Wilson (57), Phylicia Rashad (59), Salman Rushdie (60), Elaine a.k.a. "Spanky" McFarlane (65), Tommy Devito (Four Seasons) (71) and Gena Rowlands (77)...
Timeline Countdown: 2 days until Summer and 15 days until July 4th...
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