Thursday, January 31, 2008

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Timing is everything...

At the top of the bad timing list sit Rudy Giuliani, John Edwards and Plaxico Burress. Rudy and John are now political footnotes in this year's presidential election and Burress will join a long list of cocky, foot-in-the-mouth football fools who've dared to predict a win over the Patriots, if he's wrong. It's one thing to predict a win but predicting a score (23-17 Giants) is the kiss of death. Add to this list of those who forgot to set their timepieces to the accurate within a nano-second, atomic clock, Kevin Martin, the FCC, Google and Verizon....

Today is D-day for the wireless spectrum auction unless bids for the "C block" of spectrum in the 700 megahertz range reaches $4.6 billion, the FCC's minimum price to trigger "open-access" bidding conditions. The gap is about a half billion short of that amount. Since names of bidding companies are not announced until the auction ends, the guess is that the $4.29 billion in bids has come from Google and Verizon. Bidding is also stalled on the service and safety piece of nationwide airwaves - the D block which is well short of the FCC's $1.3 billion minimum...

After a week of bidding things have slowed down considerably. No one has bid for C block at all during the last three rounds yesterday. The last day of January is crucial because the FCC has stringent auction inactivity rules. Bidders who don't participate in a certain number of rounds will be disqualified. While bidders can use waivers to skip some rounds, it's believed that C block may run out of waivers today. If the FCC's $4.6 billion minimum price isn't met by the end of the day, it could signal that both the C and D blocks will be dead. A re-auction will take place and chances of a new, open wireless network rising up will plummet and the auction will be DOA. As for Plaxico Burress, he has 3 more days to ponder his fate...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1865] Free at last: Slavery is abolished with the ratification of the 13th amendment...
  2. 1949] A little bit of soap: The first daytime soap, "These Are My Children" airs on Chicago's NBC-TV affiliate. The 15-minute show runs on weekdays in January and February of '49...
  3. 1958] Outta Space: The U.S. enters the "Space Age" by launching its first satellite into orbit - Explorer I...
  4. 1970] Record breaking Pistol: LSU's sensational Pistol Pete Maravich breaks Oscar Robertson's college scoring record with a career total of 2,974 points by scoring 53 against Mississippi. This clip features a tribute to Maravich, the greatest college basketball player in history: http://youtube.com/watch?v=swHmiNyzHPM&feature=related ...
  5. 1971] Fly me to the moon: Astronauts Alan B. Shepard Jr., Edgar D. Mitchell and Stuart A. Roosa blast off for the moon on Apollo 14...
  6. 1974] SOLD to the highest bidder: McDonald's founder Ray Kroc buys the San Diego Padres...
  7. 1984] Curtains: Edwin Newman retires from NBC News after 35 years at the network...
  8. 1988] Super Bowl Sunday: Herb Alpert plays our national anthem on trumpet and then the Washington Redskins led by the first black QB in SB history, Doug Williams, rout the Denver Broncos 42-10 in SBXXII...1993] SBXXVII goes to the Dallas Cowboys who win the 1st of 3 SB's in the '90s. They crush Buffalo 52-17...1999] Cher sings the national anthem prior to the Denver Broncos second consecutive SB win. John Elway stars in a 34-19 victory over Atlanta in SBXXXIII...
  9. 2000] Off his rocker: Atlanta Braves pitcher John Rocker is suspended by baseball commissioner Bud Selig for his disparaging racial remarks, mostly about the straphangers on the no. 7 to Shea Stadium. He makes the statements in a Sports Illustrated article. No longer in baseball, Rocker is now into language issues: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BysHeBPOYBY&feature=related ...
  10. 2005] Beats it: Jury selection begins in Santa Monica (CA) for Michael Jackson's child molestation trial. Jackson will be acquitted...

Music Memories:

  • 1963] Recorded on this date: "Surfin' U.S.A./Shutdown" - Beach Boys...
  • 1965] Number One on this date: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" - Righteous Bros...1974] "The Way We Were" - Barbra Streisand...1978] "Love Rollercoaster" - Ohio Players. Great song: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y8KMC6L0CHo ...1981] "The Tide Is High" - Blondie...1984] "Karma Chameleon" - Culture Club. Boy George in action: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Tzy38qbvrZk ...
  • 1979] U.S. tour debut: The Clash who loved R&B acts for their opening acts, choose Bo Diddley on their first U.S. tour...

Commentary:

Thanks to Gordon Brown for this clip of comedian Jimmy Dunn, campaigning for the winning ticket in the New Hampshire Primary: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2084154007 ...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Justin Timberlake (27), Portia de Rossi (35), Minnie Driver (37), Johnny Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten (52), KC a.k.a. Harry Casey (57). That's the way, aha, aha: http://youtube.com/watch?v=v8gCsotHagM , Nolan Ryan (61), Jessica Walter (67), Ernie ("Let's play two") Banks (77), Jean Simmons (79) and Carol Channing (87). Hello and Happy Birthday Dolly: http://youtube.com/watch?v=j5nQ5vgjktg ...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until Super Bowl XLII, 14 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 50 days until the beginning of spring...






Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

This Super Bowl spot is guaranteed to cause controversy...

Those sponsors who were hoping to get a bargain deal on a Super Bowl time buy, can forget it. Too late. The Super Bowl is sold out. Of the 63 national spots sold at prices of $2.7 million to $3 milllion, the big boys are back for the ultimate ride. They would include Anheuser-Busch, Pespsi (more on them later) and the rest of the field (FedEx, Coca-Cola, General Motors and GoDaddy)...

Of course the question is, is the exposure gained by having more than 90 million viewers seeing your products' name in lights, worth the money spent? If you move more product after the exposure it is, if you don't it isn't. No guarantees. You do get a discount if you buy multiple spots and big advertisers like Anheuser-Busch and Pepsi will reap those rewards...

Now to the controversy. You will either hate this Pepsi spot and consider it a low form of humor at the expense of the disadvantaged or love it for being creative and for its humor, that can be shared by everyone including the disadvantaged. I am of the latter camp but you be the judge: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ffrq6cUoE5A ...

Fox TV and Radio, which includes satellite coverage is in for a big payday for Super Bowl Sunday. Since there are bonus spots included in the package, it's difficult to average the cost of a Super Bowl ad but let's round it off to $2 million per spot and do the math. 63 spots x $2 million=$126 million for a 4-hour show. An average of almost $32 million an hour. You want my prediction on the winner of the Super Bowl? It's Fox...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1933] Debuted on this date: "The Lone Ranger" airs the first of 2,956 episodes, ending in 1955 and beyond that in films and specials. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-2218Btx3wY ...1950] "Robert Montgomery Presents", a drama series that will run on NBC-TV for seven seasons, ending in the summer of 1957. Robert Montgomery was the father of Elizabeth Montgomery...
  2. 1948] In Cold Blood: Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi is murdered by a Hindu extremist...
  3. 1962] High-flying tragedy: Two members of the 'Flying Wallendas' high-wire act are killed when their 7-person pyramid collapses during a performance in Detroit. In 1978 family patriarch Karl Wallenda falls to his death in Puerto Rico: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ayA-zQiaJRs ...
  4. 1972] Bloody Sunday: British soldiers shoot and kill 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers in Northern Ireland. This day becomes known as 'Bloody Sunday'...
  5. 1983] Super Bowl Sunday: The Washington Redskins beat the Miami Dolphins 21-17 in SB XVII as RB John Riggins picks up 166 yards on 38 carries...1994] Natalie Cole sings the national anthem before SB XXVIII, then Dallas beats Buffalo 30-13...2000] Kurt Warner hits Isaac Bruce for the winning TD with 2 minutes remaining as the St. Louis Rams pull off a 23-16 victory over Tennessee in SB XXXIV...
  6. 1998] Knight time is the right time: Elton John receives a knighthood (for his work in fighting AIDS) in British Prime Minister Tony Blair's first New Year's Honours list. Here's a tribute to Sir Elton: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EU4UnajHr7s ...
  7. 1999] LT goes to Hall: Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot...
  8. 2003] Guilty as charged: Richard Reid, the British citizen and al-Qaida follower, who had a bomb in his shoe on a trans-Atlantic flight is sentenced in Boston to life in prison...
  9. 2005] Vote for me: Iraqi's vote in their country's first free election in a half-century...
  10. 2007] 'Happy Trails': Novelist and show creator, Sidney Shelton, passes away from pneumonia at 89. In addition to best-sellers, he created the following TV shows: 'Hart to Hart', 'The Patty Duke Show' and 'I Dream of Jeannie', seen here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0SLCiFasXdk ...

Music Memories:

  • 1969] Curtains: For the last time anywhere, the Beatles perform their infamous London rooftop version of "Hey Jude". I still love this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-6G7MkBMVxE ...
  • 1973] A Kiss to build a dream on: Kiss debut their live act at the Coventry Club in Queens...
  • 1985] Number One on this date: "I Want To Know What Love Is" - Foreigner...

Commentary:

As a child, she played piano with her father, the president, on the biggest political stage of all, the White House. She was an accomplished musician and later became a best selling author. Margaret Truman, the only child of President Harry S. Truman and wife Bess, died yesterday in a Chicago assisted living facility at the age of 83. Margaret Truman Daniel, whose husband preceded her death by 8 years, had been suffering from a respiratory disorder. 'Happy Trails' to Margaret Truman...Congratulations to the Mets for the coup of the baseball off-season, getting Johan Santana who now becomes the best pitcher in the National League and puts the team in major contention for the playoffs and World Series. Now, sign him Mets!!!

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Wilmer Valderrama (28), comedienne Brett Butler (50), Phil Collins (57), Davey Johnson (65), Marty Balin (66), Dick Cheney (67), Vanessa Redgrave (71), Tammy Grimes (74), Gene Hackman (78), Hal Prince (80), Dorothy Malone (83) and Dick Martin (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until Super Bowl XLII, 15 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 51 days until the arrival of spring...

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Grammys granted a pass thanks to a gift from the writers...

The best thing about the interim agreement to allow the 50th Grammy Awards to proceed February 10th sans pickets is that all the stars will attend. The show will go on without disruptions and there will be no adverse effect on record sales following the event. It is said that the Dixie Chicks sold 100,000 additional albums last year after winning in that category. The last thing we need now is worse record sales than we already have...

The writers union feels a kinship between their ranks and performers although some of the artists will make 5 to 10 times what writers make. Both sides want a bigger piece of the pie when it comes to digital rights. So the Grammys won't suffer the same fate as the Golden Globes, awarded to imaginary winners from a podium. I still think they should have run fake applause and had a red carpet leading to the podium with clips of previous awards. That would have been funny, instead of 'what if they held a Golden Globes Award Show and no one showed up?' We found out...

The Grammys get a pass but the Oscars wont. The writers guild has declined a waiver for the Academy Awards on February 24th. You can bet on the strike ending before that happens...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1845] 'Quoth the raven, nevermore': Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is published for the first time in the New York Evening Mirror. For all you Christopher Walken fans, who better to recite the 'Raven' than he?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cLSmhpwLdEQ&feature=related ...
  2. 1900] A junior graduates: The American Baseball League is organized in Philadelphia with 7 teams in addition to Philadelphia: Boston, Baltimore (which will move to New York and become the Yankees), Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee and Washington, D.C...
  3. 1936] Going to Hall: The Baseball Hall of Fame holds its first induction. Elected are: Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson...
  4. 1958] Wedding Bells: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward emote their way down the isle. Fifty years later, they're still married. Here's a tribute to the happy couple: http://youtube.com/watch?v=h36WvUcf5Rg&feature=related ...
  5. 1964] Premiered on this date: Stanley Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb) starring Peter Sellers, opens nationally...
  6. 1979] Commuter special: Jimmy Carter commutes Patricia Hearst's seven-year sentence to two years...
  7. 1980] 'Happy Trails': Legendary comedian Jimmy Durante says "Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are" at 86. Durante passes away from pneumonia. Here's a clip of 'Schnozola' closing his show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=yp7r0j4XrO8 ...2007] Barbaro, winner of the Kentucky Derby who broke down in the Preakness, is euthanized after suffering from his leg injuries for months...2007] Former pitching coach and Billy Martin bud, Art Fowler dies from natural causes at 84...
  8. 1990] Guilty as charged: Joseph Hazlewood, former Exxon Valdez skipper, goes on trial in Anchorage (AK) for his role in America's worst oil spill. He will be acquitted of all charges except for a misdemeanor...1999] The U.S. Senate delivers subpoenas for Monica Lewinsky and 2 presidential advisers for private videotaped testimony in Bill Clinton's impeachment trial...
  9. 1995] A Super Bowl 1st: The San Francisco 49ers become the first team in the NFL to win 5 Super Bowls by beating San Diego 49-26 behind Steve Young's 6 touchdown passes, which breaks Joe Montana's previous record of 5...
  10. 2006] Wounded anchor: ABC 'World News Tonight' co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman are seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BGRAPyxCHQ8 ...

Music Memories:

  • 1966] Released on this date: "I Fought The Law" - Bobby Fuller Four...
  • 1969] Debuted on this date: "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour" on CBS-TV. This terrific variety show will run until June, 1972 and here's a clip from it: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PvSsJAdEK7E ...
  • 1972] O Solo Mio: Smokey Robinson leaves the Miracles for a solo career...

Commentary:

In addition to the Patriots being favored in Super Bowl XLII, they've been pictured as the bad guys because of Spygate but mostly because they are the best. The New York media has been especially vicious which makes this Patriots fan want a decisive win for the Pats over the Giants this Sunday to shut the media up. In addition to the venom being written and spewed on sports radio and even TV newscasts, I wanted to point out a couple of favorable articles written by sports writers Hank Gola of the New York Daily News and Jay Greenburg of the New York Post. The headline of Gola's piece over the weekend was: After missing '72 Dolphins, Patriot perfection would be somethin' to see. In his story Gola states that 'an appreciation of their season would be in order, should they 'reign supreme'. Greenburg calls the Patriots the Team For The Ages, should they win. As for the viciousness, don't get me wrong, the media is entitled to whatever they write and I understand being a 'homer' and all that but give the team that's 18-0 a little credit guys...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Greg Louganis (48), Ann Jillian (53), Oprah Winfrey (54), Tommy Ramone a.k.a. Tommy Ederly (56), Tom Selleck (63), Katherine Ross (68), John Forsythe (90) and Professor Irwin Corey (94) and here's the wacky prof. in action: http://youtube.com/watch?v=XPqNVfXjZug&feature=related ...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until Super Bowl XLII, 16 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 52 days until the spring...

Monday, January 28, 2008

Monday, January 28, 2008

Cisco leads the way - no kidding!!!

For a guy who spent a lifetime in radio & records, the industries, not the trade publication, there is nothing more exciting to me today than watching technology develop at warp speed. Speed was not much of a factor in either radio or records. It's like comparing snail mail to e-mail, baseball to football. Slow and steady wins the race vs. CD to DVD to BluRay in what seems like nano seconds. Cisco, not a kid but the computer network giant has announced the development of the Nexus 7000, a network switch that can move 15 terabits of data per second. It can propel the entire contents of Wikipedia in a hundredth of a second or download every movie available on Netflix in under a minute. Digest that for a second...

The Nexus 7000 can control and direct the flow of data between connected computers hundreds or thousands of miles apart. Its bandwidth capacity is 20 times faster than anything ever used. The Nexus will be available for sale in the second half of this year. Sun Microsystems also has a similar system although it doesn't have the reach of the Nexus. The Nexus along with software will start at $75,000 and cost a typical company about $200,000 depending on number of servers and storage devices needed to be connected. Wachovia, Microsoft and the Lawrence Livermore National Labs are all lined up for the Nexus...

It's likely that banks and savings institutions will get on line before other companies. It's also likely that it will take about three years for this system to develop and spread. But think of the speed of computers in the years ahead. Now that's exciting and something to look forward to...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1878] One ringy dingy: The first telephone switchboard is installed in New Haven (CT). Can't you just see Lily Tomlin answering that first phone call?: http://youtube.com/watch?v=k9e3dTOJi0o ...
  2. 1915] On Guard: The U.S. Coast Guard is created by an act of Congress...
  3. 1916] Mazel: Louis D. Brandeis is appointed to the Supreme Court, becoming the first Jewish judge on the panel...
  4. 1922] Duh Bearssss: The Decatur (IL) franchise of the NFL moves to Chicago and takes the name, the Chicago Bearsssss...
  5. 1953] TV Mugging: J. Fred Muggs, a chimp, joins NBC-TV's "Today Show". J. Fred was a bad boy when he made this TV game show appearance: http://youtube.com/watch?v=0LF85tVY5f4 ...
  6. 1958] The end of a Hall of Fame career: Brooklyn Dodger 3-time MVP catcher, Roy Campanella is paralyzed below the waist when his car overturns on an icy road in Glen Cove (LI). Campy will never play again and is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969...
  7. 1959] Invinceable: Vince Lombardi is named coach of the Green Bay Packers and a legend is born. Lombardi will win 5 titles in his 9 years in Green Bay...
  8. 1973] Premiered on this date: "Barnaby Jones" starring Buddy Ebsen debuts. It will run until the fall of 1980...1978] "Fantasy Island" starring Ricardo Montalban and Herve Villechaize debuts on ABC-TV and goes into syndication in 1984 until life as we know it ends. Here's the shows open: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GX-pVhTZg0U ...
  9. 1986] Liftoff disaster: Millions of people around the world watch as the Challenger Seven explodes taking the lives of seven astronauts: Smith, Scobee, Resnik, McNair, Onizuka, Jarvis and McAulife...
  10. 2001] Super Bowled: Ray Lewis leads the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-7 thrashing of the Giants in SBXXXV...

Music Memories:

  • 1956] Debuted on this date: Elvis Presley makes his first network appearance singing "Heartbreak Hotel" on the "Dorsey Brothers Stage Show"...
  • 1985] Recorded on this date: "We Are The World" - USA for Africa with proceeds going to world wide hunger prevention. Here's the studio session: http://youtube.com/watch?v=clZE4Wrrw_w ...

Commentary:

When I first arrived in Boston in the summer of 1966, I programmed WRKO-FM. Bob Henabery was the program director of WNAC-AM and there were days when phone calls were slow to come in to our Patriots' show hosted by the coach each fall. Bob would call me and ask me to call the coach and ask some questions on occasion and I would be 'Jimmie from Dorchester' or some other alias I used. Being a big Pats fan, I knew the team well enough to ask some intelligent questions and it was just plain fun for me. The Patriots coach at the time was Mike Holovak who got the team in its first playoff in an otherwise dreary stay in Boston. Mike died over the weekend from natural causes at the age of 88. Happy Trails to you, Mike...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Joey Fatone (31) seen here with NSYNC: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8JoJqID-wJY , Elijah Wood (39), Kathryn ('Cold Case') Morris (39), Sarah McLachlan (40), Barbi Benton (58), Alan Alda (72) and Mr. Acker Bilk (79)...

Timeline Countdown: 6 days until Super Bowl XLII, 17 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 53 days until spring...

Friday, January 25, 2008

Friday-Sunday, January 25-27, 2008...

Wireless spectrum auction is a bust...

Even the government is asking "What's the frequency Kenneth?" to the rather meek bidding in the second round of the sell-off of valuable wireless spectrum in the 700MHz band. The FCC was hoping for a $10 billion pay day but after two rounds, they've only received $2 billion in bids. You could start your own wireless company with licenses in all 50 states with the valuable C block yet only $1.24 billion has been bid so far. The D block, which has been designated as a public safety channel by the FCC has about $1.3 billion in bids...

There are those who wonder if all the talk of recession is dampening the enthusiasm displayed a year ago when the FCC announced the sale of the spectrum. The bidding will continue through as many rounds as necessary until no further bids are received and it's likely that it won't be complete for a month or so. The bidders identities won't be revealed until after the auction ends...

Will this just be a case of the rich getting richer? The highest bidders are likely to be the numbers one and two carriers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T. As long as our Verizon bills don't go any higher, I don't care what they or AT&T do, do you? What those two companies can do is 'warehouse' the spectrum rather than spend the money to build expensive new networks and tier them with their existing services. Should Google win a bid, they might actually build a network. Do the riches ever end? 'Fair and equal' was never a part of this auction...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1915] Can you hear me now?: In New York, Alexander Graham Bell speaks to an assistant in San Francisco inaugurating the first transcontinental phone service. Long distance is born (1/25)...
  2. 1926] Radio with pictures: Scottish inventor, John Baird holds the world's first demonstration of a true television set in London (1/27). Baird had improved the scan rate to 12.5 pictures a second in TV. In 1928 he demonstrates the first color TV. True, you could look it up in Wikipedia...
  3. 1927] Networking: United Broadcasters, Inc. starts a radio network of 16 stations. The company will later be renamed, the Columbia Broadcasting System or CBS (1/27)...
  4. 1927] Wedding Bells: Jack Benny marries Sadye Marks who changes her name to Mary Livingstone. The legendary comedy couple will be married 47 years, until Benny's death (1/25)...
  5. 1947] 'Happy Trails': Public enemy no. 1, Al Capone, dies at 48 of cardiac arrest possibly associated with 3rd stage syphilis (1/25)...1979] Former VP and New York Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller dies of a heart attack at 70. He was at home with a 25-year old female aide at the time, leading to speculation about the cause of the heart attack (1/26)...1983] Legendary Alabama football coach, Bear Bryant dies from a heart attack at 69 just 41 days after retiring (1/26)...1997] Astrologer Jeane Dixon passes away from cardiopulmonary arrest at 93 (1/25)...
  6. 1948] Wired: The Wire Recording Corporation of America displays the first magnetic tape recorder. The 'Wireway' with a built-in oscillator sold for $149.50 (1/27). Don't know if this is a 'Wireway' but it is a wire recorder and it's for sale: http://youtube.com/watch?v=QXMekjnPHOw ...
  7. 1967] Down in flames: A flash fire aboard Apollo I during a test kills astronauts Virgil I. 'Gus' Grissom, Edward H. White and Roger B. Chaffee. The fire is caused by faulty wiring (1/27)...
  8. 1987] Super Bowl Sunday: Neil Diamond sings the national anthem, the Beach Boys perform at halftime and the Giants win their first SB, 39-20 over Denver (1/25)...1991] Whitney Houston sings the definitive version of our national anthem and Scott Norwood kicks 'wide right'. The Giants win their second and final SB, 20-19 over Buffalo (1/27)...1997] The Patriots reach the SB but lose to the Packers 35-21. They haven't lost one since (1/26)...1998] After a career of trying, Denver QB John Elway wins his first SB, 31-24 over Green Bay (1/25). They'll make it two in a row the following year...
  9. 1998] Who's that lady?: Bill Clinton makes his famous speech about "that woman, Miss Lewinsky?" (1/26): http://youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs ...1998] The next day, Hillary Clinton tells the "Today Show" about a 'vast right-wing conspiracy' against her hubby (1/27)...
  10. 1999] Flying on empty: The NTSB concludes that John Denver's 1997 fatal light-plane crash was caused by too little fuel in the tank at take-off (1/26)...

Music Memories:

  • 1956] Released on this date: "Heartbreak Hotel" - Elvis Presley (1/27)...1962] "Twistin' the Night Away" - Sam Cooke (1/25)...1968] "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" - Otis Redding (1/27)...
  • 1961] Number One on this date: "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" - Elvis (1/26)... 1973] "Superstition" - Stevie Wonder (1/25) in the studio: http://youtube.com/watch?v=wDZFf0pm0SE ...1973] "I Can't Go For That" - Hall & Oates (1/25)...
  • 1970] Written & recorded on this date: "Instant Karma" - John Lennon (1/26) in the studio: http://youtube.com/watch?v=MieDFkhlByo ...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(1/25) Alicia Keys (27), Etta James (70 at last): http://youtube.com/watch?v=csoMt1CiP04 , Corazon "Shoes" Aquino (77), Dean Jones (77), Edwin Newman (89) and Ernie Harwell (90)...

(1/26) Emily Hughes (19), Wayne Gretzky (47), Ellen DeGeneres (50), Eddie Van Halen (51), David Strathairn (60), Jean Knight (65), Bob Uecker (73), Huey "Piano" Smith (74 don't you just know it): http://youtube.com/watch?v=4Q59mawORsE&feature=related , Paul Newman (83) and Anne Jeffreys (85)...

(1/27) Rebecca Jayne Vettor (1), Bridget Fonda (44), Chris Collinsworth (49), Keith Olbermann (49), Mimi Rogers (52), Mikhail Baryshnikov (60), Nedra (Ronettes) Talley (62) and Bobby "Blue" Bland (78) in action: http://youtube.com/watch?v=DrTxP3JV1AU ...

Timeline Countdown for Sunday, January 27, 2008: 7 days until Super Bowl XLII, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 18 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily...

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Illegal downloading is killing the global music industry...

Global music sales fell 10% in 2007. In the U.S. alone, sales were down 15%. Surprisingly, legal downloading is growing worldwide and global digital sales were up by 40% for whole albums and 53% for single track downloads in the same period. The International trade organization, IFPI meeting in London concluded that tens of billions of illegal files were swapped in 2007 with the ratio of unlicensed tracks downloaded to legal tracks sold, at about 20 to 1. Digital sales now account for 15% of the global music market compared to zero in 2003. In the U.S., online and mobile sales now account for 30% of all revenues. Clearly the decline in overall sales is not the result of legal downloading or retail purchases...

The recommendation of the IFPI is for the countries of the world to get tough on piracy and illegal downloading by calling on Internet service providers to take more responsibility for illegal file sharing by either disconnecting those who repeatedly upload music or by preventing illegal tracks from being downloaded. France and Belgium have already implemented such a plan while Britain is being fought by Internet providers in their effort, something that would happen here too...

Just yesterday CBS announced that they will expand their Internet music service, Last.fm (http://www.last.fm/) to allow users to listen to any song on their computer whenever they want, up to three times. But and this is a big but, the music cannot be downloaded to a portable player, like an iPod. Song downloads will be offered through a link to music stores, including Apple's iTunes and Amazon.com. Ultimately, Last.fm will offer users the chance to buy a monthly subscription allowing them to listen to songs as many times as they want. Kind of like a netflix deal without owning the music. I tested Last.fm this morning by typing Alicia Keys name and instantaneously, there was a track from the number one album in the country...

This is a good idea but it needs tweaking. Instead of offering more listens per subscription, why not just include ownership of the music for the subscription price???

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1848] Solid Gold: James W. Marshall discovers a gold nugget at Sutter's Mill in northern California. The discovery will lead to the gold rush of '49...
  2. 1888] The right type: The typewriter ribbon is patented by Jacob L. Wortman who proceeds to lead a symphony orchestra by playing on a typewriter: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hT_q3QRFeN0 ...
  3. 1899] Step on it: Humphrey O'Sullivan patents the rubber heal...
  4. 1922] You scream, I scream: Iowan Christian K. Nelson patents the Eskimo Pie. He decides to change corn, the original ingredient, to ice cream. True...
  5. 1965] 'Happy Trails': Winston Churchill passes away in London, the results of an earlier stroke. Churchill was 90...1993] Retired Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall dies from heart failure at 84...
  6. 1980] Buy low, sell high: Original Mets owner Joan Whitney Payson sells the team to Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon for a reported $21.1 million, the most ever paid for a major league franchise at the time. In 2002 Wilpon will get full control of the team, buying Doubleday's shares...
  7. 1989] Electric avenue: Confessed serial killer Ted Bundy is put to death in Florida's electric chair for the 1978 kidnapping and killing of 12-year old Kimberly Leach. A look inside the mind of Ted Bundy: http://youtube.com/watch?v=z7-QO50tw8A ...
  8. 1994] A Krafty buy: New England businessman Robert Kraft buys the Patriots for $172 million. During his tenure as owner, the Pats have won 3 Super Bowls and have a good shot at a 4th on February 3rd. When he took over as owner the Patriots had a losing record...
  9. 1995] Marcia, Marcia, Marcia: The prosecution, lead by Marcia Clark, gives its opening statement in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. Here's Marcia and the Dancing Ito's on Jay Leno's 'Tonight Show': http://youtube.com/watch?v=XQPVA2bGsB4 ...
  10. 2003] My coloring book: The Department of Homeland Security begins operations under Tom Ridge...

Music Memories:

  • 1962] The Beatles' skipper: Brian Epstein becomes the Beatles' manager. Brian cleans up their image by putting them in suits...
  • 1970] Gunned down: James 'Shep' Sheppard (Heartbeats, Shep and the Limelites) is found murdered in his car on the Long Island Expressway. One of the best of the young R&B groups, here they are (audio w/slides) with one of their biggest hits: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bb18S0Dy_Ps ...
  • 2003] Going to Hall: Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" and Peter, Paul & Mary's "Blowin' in the Wind" are among 21 new additions to the Grammy Hall of Fame...

Commentary:

For all of the Alan Freed fans, what I should have included in yesterday's mention of the 22nd anniversary of the 1st Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction in 1986 was the induction of the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll'. That induction was done by none other than Norm N. Nite...Having been there I always wondered what people thought of the importance of a radio program director's role. I always felt it was for others to offer an opinion, so I'll offer mine. Jim Ryan is leaving WLTW (Lite FM) in New York after an incredible run of 11 1/2 years as PD. When he exits in May, he will leave a station that's been number one over the last decade with 5 million listeners a week, according to Arbitron's new PPM measurement. He got the numbers back after a dip suffered last year. Ad billings are closer to $100 million than $50 million. Jim Ryan, who will consult Lite after he leaves, had a simple game plan: create 'top 40 for adults'. I put Jim Ryan right in back of Joe (WCBS-FM) McCoy for the best program director of all-time in New York City. Joe wins by doubling the longevity of Ryan. To Jim, take a rest. You deserve it...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Mischa Barton (22), Tatyana Ali (29), Mary Lou Retton (40), Nastassja Kinski (47), Yakov Smirnoff (57), Aaron Neville (67), Neil Diamond (67), Ray Stevens (69) http://youtube.com/watch?v=vc0MJeZPeh4 , Orel Roberts (80), Marvin Kaplan (84) and Ernest Borgnine (91)...

Timeline Countdown: 10 days until Super Bowl XLII, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 21 days until pitchers and catchers report voluntarily...


Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

New York sales get a boost...

Recession or not, radio and television stations here are caught in the glow of a Super Bowl. The last time a New York football team appeared in the Super Bowl was in 2001 when the Giants were spanked by the Baltimore Ravens. Big Blue hasn't won a Super Bowl since 1991 when Buffalo's Scott Norwood kicked 'wide right'. The last time the Jets played in and won a Super Bowl was in the Joe Namath era in 1969. The last time any New York team won a championship was 8 years ago when the Yankees beat the Mets in 2000. Even the New York vs. Boston rivalry has gone the way of Beantown since then. As one New York columnist wrote this week, "Boston not only loves New York, it owns New York." ...

There are some winners that have surfaced this week in New York from the down draft of Super Bowl euphoria - Radio and TV. Stations get 30-second spots during halftime and several more in the second half of the game and there will be local radio and TV pre and post-game shows. The local Fox TV flagship station, WNYW will also reap benefits in their local news programming by selling Super Bowl packages. Holly M. Sanders of The Post, owned by News Corporation, owners of WNYW reports that since the Giants win over Green Bay, WNYW "has nearly doubled their ad package of $500,000 since the team advanced to the big game". WFAN, the radio flagship station of the Giants has also seen a nice increase in sales. Says GM Mark Chernoff, "the phones are ringing off the hook. It's been an enormous increase." All of this comes at a time when sales are generally slow. Not this year. Car dealers and local business wants a piece of the Giants too...

The media has been so Super Bowl giddy that you would think that the Giants are favored by two touchdowns instead of the Patriots. Even the Giant players are spouting off about how they'll beat the Pats. That's what teams that aren't used to reaching the big game do. Meanwhile Bill Belichick, owner of a perfect record and 3 Super Bowl rings studies his film without saying a word...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1929] Pick a number, any number: Jacob Rupert, co-owner of the Yankees announces that in the upcoming season the team will have uniform numbers to help identify the players. The team will use numbers corresponding to the batting order. Strangely enough, to this day, the Yankees are the only team that has never put the players' names on their uniforms...
  2. 1962] Going to Hall: Bob Feller and Jackie Robinson are elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame...1975] Ralph Kiner is elected to the Hall...1979] Willie Mays gains entrance to the Hall on the first ballot...
  3. 1968] Suffering a seizure: North Korea seizes the U.S. Navy ship Pueblo, holding the crew for 11 months on suspicion of spying...
  4. 1971] Boogity, boogity: UCLA loses to Notre Dame and then wins 88 games in a row. The streak ends with a loss to ??? Correct - Notre Dame...
  5. 1973] War is over: Richard Nixon announces an accord ending the Viet Nam War...
  6. 1977] Through the roof: "Roots" debuts as a mini-series and almost half of the country watches the final 2-hour episode (no. 8) when 100 million viewers are on hand. 85% of all TV homes saw all or part of the 7-episodes. Kunta Kinte fan clubs explode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRtuxjHBmi4 ...
  7. 1978] Lead poisoning: Chicago's Terry Kath accidentally shoots himself in the head with a pistol he didn't know was loaded. Kath was just 32...
  8. 1983] Jets crash and burn: The Jets 14-year wait for another AFC Championship (now going on 39 years) ends in defeat when QB Richard Todd is intercepted 5 times in a 14-0 loss to Miami. The Dolphins will advance to the Super Bowl but lose to Washington...
  9. 1985] Heisman winner gets in: O.J. Simpson becomes the first Heisman Trophy winner elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame...
  10. 1989] 'Happy Trails': Salvador Dali dies from a heart attack in his native Spain at 84...1997] Richard Berry, writer of 'Louie, Louie" and an R&B performer dies in his sleep at 61...2004] Bob Keeshan a.k.a. 'Captain Kangaroo' dies at 76 after a long illness...2005] Former "Tonight Show" host, Johnny Carson passes away from respiratory arrest at 79. This was Johnny's last TV appearance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvaUa559gMw ...2007] Watergate spy figure, E. Howard Hunt, dies from pneumonia at 88...

Music Memories:

  • 1968] Number One on this date: "Judy in Disguise (with glasses)" - John Fred & Playboy Band, check out the groovy clothes they wore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtUng2PxaAY ...
  • 1986] A Hall of a time: The first annual induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is held at the Waldorf Astoria and Norm N. Nite and yours truly were there to see these inductees: Chuck Berry, James Brown, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis. The late Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley go in posthumously...
  • 2002] Mariah kiss-off: EMI gives Mariah Carey a $28 million pay-out to end their association with the singer, who recovers handsomely, with hits like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoBdt9L_DPA ...

Commentary:

The lastest update on the tragic death of rising Hollywood star, Heath Ledger is that he apparently accidentally over-dosed on sleeping pills and anti-depressants. An autopsy will be held today to determine the actual cause of death. Whatever it turns out to be, this is really a tragedy. Ledger was only 28 and had a child with his former girlfriend, Michelle Williams. This story broke late yesterday afternoon and the New York media was all over it about an hour after Ledger's body was found in his SoHo apartment...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Mariska Hargitay (44), Anita Baker (50), Monaco's Princess Caroline (51), Cheap Trick's Robin Zander (56), Anita Pointer (60), remember 'Slow Hand'?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l84d0OkhSIw , Millie Jackson (65), Jerry Kramer (72), Chita Rivera (75) and former Sen. Frank Lautenberg (84)...

Timeline Countdown: 11 days until the Super Bowl, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 22 days until pitchers & catchers voluntarily report...

Monday, January 21, 2008

Martin Luther King Jr Day, Monday, January 21, 2008...

David vs. Goliath will make for a Super Sunday...

The Patriots date for making history is set for February 3rd. With 18 down and 1 to go, Goliath, dressed in dirty old hoodie will face little David, armed with slingshot in hand. Prior to action yesterday, the Giants were the longest shot, at 8 to 1 to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots were the prohibitive, odds-on favorite. The Pats, who always find a way to win, will be trying for their 4th Super Bowl win in 7 years and are installed as 13 1/2 point favorites. The Giants, the team that proved it could, was last seen in the big game in a losing effort in 2001. Their last Super Bowl win came in 1991...

Tom Brady was sub-human while Eli was super human and at least for one game became the Manning brother. Peyton who? This game will be a rematch of the final game of the regular NFL season which the Pats barely won 38-35. The game went down to the closing minutes when Eli turned into the 'other brother' and the Patriots pulled it out...

Will history repeat and be made at the same time? In two weeks we'll find out. Look for gorilla numbers for Super Bowl XLII. David vs. Goliath, played in the desert on the biggest stage. If you can't find a favorite to root for in this game, something is terribly wrong...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1946] Debuted on this date: "The Fat Man" debuts on ABC Radio and will run for 4 years. Although it will be made into a film, the detective series never makes it on TV...1957] Patsy Cline appears on 'Arthur Godfrey's' nighttime TV show singing "Walking After Midnight"...
  2. 1954] The Cooz: Celtic's great Bob Cousy steals the show in one of the most exciting NBA All-Star games in history, scoring 10 of the East team's 14 points in OT and then icing the game with his signature dribbling in a 98-93 win. Watching Bob Cousy in action should be made a requirement for every NBA guard: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nkrIrZcR42o...
  3. 1959] Gunned down: Carl Switzer a.k.a. Alfalfa from 'Our Gang' is fatally shot in Northern California over a $50 debt he was owed. The murder is ruled 'justifiable homicide'. Alfalfa was just 31...
  4. 1966] Wedding Bells: George Harrison and Patty Boyd a.k.a. 'Layla' rock down the aisle. The couple will divorce in 1977 when Patty takes Eric Clapton as her next husband...
  5. 1977] I beg your pardon: Jimmy Carter pardons almost all Vietnam War draft evaders...
  6. 1979] Super Bowl Sunday: Terry Bradshaw's 4 touchdown passes leads Pittsburgh to its third Super Bowl win, a 35-31 victory over Dallas in SB XIII...
  7. 1984] 'Happy Trails': Jackie Wilson dies at 49 after being in a coma for 8 years, suffering a heart attack on stage, September 25, 1975 while singing "Lonely Teardrops". Here's Jackie singing "That's Why I Love You So" on the 'Ed Sullivan Show': http://youtube.com/watch?v=8NsJrKI87gM ...1998] Jack Lord of "Hawaii Five-O" dies from congestive heart failure in Honolulu at 77 http://youtube.com/watch?v=X5NeTCEYZy4&feature=related ...
  8. 1991] Captured in the desert: CBS correspondent Bob Simon is captured by Iraqis in the Persian Gulf. He's imprisoned for 40 days before being released...
  9. 1993] Observed: The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is observed in all 50 states for the first time...
  10. 1994] The first cut is the deepest: A jury in Manassas (VA) acquits Lorena Bobbitt by reason of insanity for her 'slice and dice' of husband John's private parts: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gUB2wlGV2-I ...

Music Memories:

  • 1987] Going to Hall: Aretha Franklin gets voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
  • 1990] Unplugged: The Squeeze become the first MTV act to star on 'MTV Unplugged'. Here they are plugged in for "Tempted": http://youtube.com/watch?v=rUA7F9j_xzs ...

Commentary:

We lost some good people before their time over the weekend. In sports, Ernie Holmes of the Pittsburgh Steelers and St. Louis Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. In Show Business, Suzanne Pleshette of TV's "Newhart Show" and veteran actor ('The Phil Silvers Show', 'All In The Family' and 'The Brady Bunch') Allan Melvin. 'Happy Trails' to all and thank you for entertaining us...Congratulations to Gordon Brown for having a hand in getting a historical marker commemorating Club 47, the forerunner of Club Passim in Cambridge. Here's the inscription on the marker: Club 47. Here Joan Baez and Bob Dylan sang duets, Muddy Waters played the blues and Tom Rush, The Charles River Valley Boys and Eric Von Schmidt led the 60s folk festival, 1958-1963. Well done Gordy. And a big 'well done' to Joe McCoy who took a turn behind the mic last night on WCBS-FM. Joe, you sounded like you never left the air. I could tell you were having fun and I loved your mentions of stations you were at in your intros and backsells. And Joe, I for one, really did listen to you on my earphone radio while watching the Giants...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Geena Davis (52), Robbie Benson (52), Billy Ocean (58), Jill Eikenberry (61), Mac Davis (66), Placido Domingo (67), Richie Havens (67) sings to the sun: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PuHOYometes&feature=related , Jack Nicklaus (68) and Paul Scofield (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 13 days until Super Bowl XLII, 18 down and 1 to go for the Patriots and 24 days until pitchers and catchers report voluntarily...

Friday, January 18, 2008

Friday-Sunday, January 18-20, 2008...

This is a test...

At first sight of the Time Warner Cable testing headline, I said, "whoa, what's going on here?" and for sure I wasn't alone. If you're one of 7.4 million TWC subscribers you had the same reaction. Under the second quarter experiment to be conducted in Beaumont, Texas (do they have cable there? They still sell 8-tracks in Texas) TWC will offer customers tier service based on users' downloaded data per month. The tier allowance will be 5, 10, 20 and 40-gigabyte amounts of data usage. Users who exceed their allotted data plan would be charged a still undetermined metered rate. Kind of like the New York taxi rate: $3 when you get in the cab, the keys to your car for the first quarter mile, gas money to drive your car for each additional quarter mile and the deed to your condo for distances of a mile or more. A bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea...

Time Warner says not to worry about their new 'experiment'. The heaviest downloaders only represent 5% of the company's user base. They go on to add, the average user will see no meaningful change in the speed of their connection or the amount of data they download per month. Can I have that in writing???

What ever happens to this Time Warner Cable 'experiment', bet on other cable operators to be watching with Marty Feldman eyes. What we need now are watchdog groups and the FCC to do what they're supposed to do, protect the public interest...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1948] Round & round she goes and where she stops, nobody knows: The precursor of 'American Idol', "The Original Amateur Hour", hosted by Ted Mack moves from radio to television where it runs until 1960 (1/18). Irene Cara was one of its famous winners: http://youtube.com/watch?v=_PrOgQe6lfA ...
  2. 1953] 'Splain it to me Lucy': A whopping 68% of all TV sets are tuned to "I Love Lucy" as Lucy Ricardo gives birth to a baby boy (1/19). Here's a promo for the show: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OkFxzrkuOjw ...
  3. 1958] Breaking the color barrier on the ice: Boston Bruin Willie O'Ree becomes the first black NHL player (1/18)...
  4. 1961] This I swear: John F. Kennedy is sworn in as President (1/20)...1989] George H.W. Bush takes the presidential oath (1/20)...1993] Bill Clinton is sworn in (1/20)...2001] George W. Bush becomes our new President (1/20)...
  5. 1965] 'Happy Trails': Rock & Roll fans mourn the death of Alan Freed who passed away from uremic poisoning at 43 (1/20). Freed had legions of fans as well as some detractors: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zy5s6w-6lgI ...1993] Audrey Hepburn dies from abdominal cancer at 63 (1/20)...1998] The legendary Carl Perkins dies at 65 from complications of several previous strokes (1/19)...2003] Caricaturist Al Hirschfeld dies in his sleep at 99 (1/20)...2006] Wilson Pickett, 64, passes away after suffering a heart attack (1/19)...2007] Denny Doherty, 66, one of the founders of The Mamas & Papas, dies from kidney failure following surgery (1/19)...
  6. 1967] Guilty as charged: Self-proclaimed 'Boston Strangler", Albert DeSalvo is convicted in Cambridge of armed robbery, assault and sex-offense charges and sentenced to life in prison (1/18). DeSalvo is killed by a fellow inmate in 1973...1980] Studio 54 owners, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager are sentenced to 3 years for tax evasion and fined $20,000 (1/18)...2000] Robert F. Kennedy nephew, Michael Skakel surrenders to Greenwich (CT) police to face murder charges in the 1975 death of Martha Moxley, a neighbor (1/19). Skakel is later convicted of the crime and is serving time in prison...
  7. 1974] Waking the Bruins: Notre Dame stops UCLA's remarkable 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 victory (1/19). The Irish move up to #1 in the polls replacing the Bruins. It marks the first time UCLA wasn't #1 since the 1968 NCAA Championship Tournament...
  8. 1976] Super Bowl Sunday: The Pittsburgh Steelers win their 2nd consecutive SB on the last play in an exciting 21-17 win over Dallas (1/18)...1985] San Francisco beats Miami 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX. For the first time TV commercials sell for a million a minute (1/20)...
  9. 1981] Free at Last: Iran releases 52 American hostages, held for 444 days. This happens minutes after Ronald Reagan's inauguration (1/20)...
  10. 2002] Sometimes it's better to be lucky: The Patriots win their last game at Schaeffer Stadium, defeating Oakland in OT, 16-13 in an AFC Divisional Playoff game played in a snowstorm. The game features the infamous 'Tuck Rule' used to protect QB Tom Brady. An Adam Vinatieri field goal wins it (1/19): http://youtube.com/watch?v=_PJOZIPWfeg&feature=related ...

Music Memories:

  • 1961] Number One on this date: "Wonderland by Night" - Bert Kaempfert (1/18)...1971] "Knock Three Times" - Dawn (1/18). Great song but this video has the worst choreography ever: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lqKxggxHIPM ... 1980] "The Wall" - Pink Floyd (1/18)...1986] "That's What Friends Are For" - Dionne Warwick & Friends (Stevie, Gladys and Elton) (1/18). All proceeds went to the 'American Foundation for AIDS Research...1987] "At This Moment" - Billy Vera & Beaters (1/20): http://youtube.com/watch?v=OH4odHVfF5E . The song was featured on 'Family Ties'...
  • 1965] Recorded on this date: "Mr. Tambourine Man" (written by Bob Dylan) - Byrds (1/20)...1967] "Sweet Soul Music" - Arthur Conley (1/20): http://youtube.com/watch?v=sp3JOzcpBds ...1969] "In The Ghetto" - Elvis Presley (1/20). It was the first time Elvis recorded in Memphis in 13 years...

Commentary:

From Joe McCoy: "CBS-FM asked me to be a part of their 'Radio Greats' feature on Sunday night, so this Sunday night, Jan. 20th, I'll be doing a DJ show from 7 to 10 on 'my old station', WCBS-FM 101.1. I get to be Rock n' Roll DJ again and have some fun on the radio. If you get a chance listen in. Those outside of the NYC area can hear it on www.wcbsfm.com . Just click 'listen live". Joe, I'll be listening with one ear to you and the other to see who the Patriots will play in the Super Bowl (everything crossed)...Thanks to Ron Alexenburg and Bob Sherwood for informing us that Bud O'Shea is in a nursing home and would love to hear from all his CBS Records and Radio friends. He is taking some limited phone calls at 602-843-8433 or you may write Bud at: The Life Care Center of North Glendale, 13620 North 55th Avenue, Room 323-B, Glendale, AZ, 85304. Bud deserves your support. Get out of that place Bud...Word came this morning of the death of Chess champ, Bobby Fischer. Fischer died in his adopted home of Iceland on Thursday at 64. No cause of death has been given. Even though he denounced his Judaic roots, Fischer was idolized in Brooklyn, where he was born and became a Chess phenom at 14...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

(1/18) Jesse ('Law & Order') Martin (39), Mark Messier (47), Kevin Costner (53), Bobby Goldsboro (67) and Ray Dolby (noise reduction dude) (75)...

(1/19) Junior Seau (39), Katey Sagal (54), Desi Arnaz Jr (55), 'America's' Dewey Bunnell (56), Dolly Parton (62), Shelley Fabares (64), Michael Crawford (66), Phil Everly (69), Robert MacNeil (77), Tippi Hedren (77), Fritz Weaver (82) and Jean Stapleton (85)...

(1/20) Melissa Rivers (40), Rainn ('The Office') Wilson (40), James Denton (45), Lorenzo Lamas (50), Bill Maher (52), Paul Stanley (58), Dorothy Provine (71), Buzz Aldrin (78), Arte Johnson (79) Patricia Neal (82), Slim Whitman (84) and Ray Anthony (86)...

Timeline Countdown for Sunday, January 20, 2008: Both NFL Conference Championships are on the line today: 3 p.m. Chargers at Foxborough for the Pats and the Giants at Green Bay follows, 14 days until the Super Bowl and 25 days until pitchers & catchers report voluntarily...


Thursday, January 17, 2008

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Writers' strike shows little or no effect on viewing - not so with record sales...

This is not good news for those counting bricks while picketing. Except for Fox, primetime ratings for the major networks were down before the first "What do we want?" was chanted on November 5th. Since then, ABC is down 3%, NBC which had fallen to -18% has recovered to 13% off, thanks to "American Gladiator" and Fox is up 2% (due to the return of 'American Idol' and '24'). Playoff football is also having an impact with the Patriots pulling big numbers in their quest for perfection and Sunday's upset of Dallas by the Giants drew more than 40 million viewers, making it the highest rated program of the TV season. Next week when "CSI:Miami", "N.C.I.S." and "The Unit" go to reruns, there might be a dip in ratings since those viewers should go somewhere else but for now the industry is not exactly suffering...

Steve Sternberg, director of audience analysis at Magna Global says "despite no new breakout hits, the combined ratings of the five broadcast networks are down by percentages in line with normal audience erosion we've seen in recent years." Of course this is all subject to change depending on the length of the strike. Should the strike extend into May sweeps, all bets are off and there's another danger looming in a business that doesn't need another downturn...

Should the 50th 'Grammy Awards' be cancelled on February 10th or should there be an inferior representation of artists or heaven forbid, a 'Globe Awards' like presentation of awards announced from a podium, the biggest loser will be the record industry. The awards are little more than a stroke for the artists but a cancelled or scaled-back awards show will impact record sales, something not needed in a dying industry. Last year the Grammy Award winning Dixie Chicks sold over 100,000 albums ('Taking the Long Way') after winning 'Album of the Year'...

Joe Nardone Jr., who owns 'Gallery of Sound' in Philadelphia says, "It's going to be a problem. The writers' strike has already hurt a lot of artists who didn't get to appear on talk shows during the holidays to talk about their records and promote themselves. Less exposure is not what we need right now." For that reason, I'm hoping the strike ends. With a recession looming, we don't need anything to help it along...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1913] A Penney for your thoughts: All 36 'Golden Rule' stores in Utah are consolidated into one company. The new corporation will be called 'The J.C. Penney Company" ...
  2. 1916] No joke Johnny: The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) is formed in New York City and an endless amount of un-funny golf jokes are hatched. One thing the PGA didn't count on was a Kelly Tilghman: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gkysGhnbdr0 ...
  3. 1929] Debuted on this date: Popeye makes his first appearance in the comic strip "Thimble Theater" and here's the first Popeye film: http://youtube.com/watch?v=z3s2o2sdV_0 ...1949] America welcomes the first VW Beetle to our shores. VW is now 20% owned by Porsche...
  4. 1950] On the Brink: A million and a quarter in cash and over $1.5 million in checks, money orders and securities is stolen in the Great Brink's Robbery from the Brinks Building in Boston...
  5. 1970] 'Happy Trails': Billy Stewart and 3 band members are killed when their car goes out of control and off a bridge in North Carolina. Stewart was just 32. "Sitting in the Park" is one of Billy's best records. If you don't think this is a beautiful song with Angelic harmony, you've got a 'hole in your soul' and a 'dip in your hip': http://youtube.com/watch?v=a3O1RT392fY ... 2007] Humorist and author Art Buchwald is a victim of kidney failure at 81...
  6. 1971] Super Bowl Sunday: The Colts' Jim O'Brien boots a 32-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining to give Baltimore a 16-13 win over Dallas in Super Bowl V, considered the sloppiest of all SB games with a record 11 turnovers...
  7. 1977] Deadman walking: Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, 36, is shot by a firing squad at Utah State Prison in the first U.S. execution in a decade...
  8. 1984] Supe's on: The U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 to allow private use of home video cassette recorders to tape TV shows (Yessss)...
  9. 1994] L.A. & Kobe Rocks: The Northridge (CA) earthquake rocks Los Angeles, registering a 6.7 on the Richter Scale. At least 61 are killed with damage estimated at $20 billion...1995] A magnitude 7.2 earthquake devastates the city of Kobe, Japan with more than 6,000 killed...
  10. 1998] Me and Miss Jones: Bill Clinton becomes the first U.S. President to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answers questions from lawyers for Paula Jones, who accuses Clinton of sexual harassment. Fox proves that Paula was telling the truth: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PxKA4k_oD5o ...

Music Memories:

  • 1964] Number One on this date: "There! I've Said It Again" - Bobby Vinton. It's the last #1 hit before the British Invasion...1974] "Show and Tell" - Al Wilson http://youtube.com/watch?v=r4pOF-AopkY ...
  • 1969] Released on this date: "Led Zeppelin" LP...

Commentary:

The TV ratings should go through the roof on Sunday when both NFL Conference Championship games are played starting at 3 p.m. This will not help the TV writer's cause in their continuing strike. It's time for both sides to get down to business and settle this thing ASAP...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Kid Rock (37), Jim Carrey (46), The Bangles' Susanna Hoffs (49) who was the lead voice on 'Eternal Flame': http://youtube.com/watch?v=4xjzi8NC8bI , Steve Harvey (51), Paul Young (52). I can remember talking to Paul and his manager at a point when the Brit singer was wondering if he could make it here. He did: http://youtube.com/watch?v=hUKBuAkr4Lg , Muhammad Ali (66), Maury Povich (69), James Earl Jones (77), Don Zimmer (77), Vidal Sassoon (80), Eartha Kitt (81), Newton Minnow (82) and Betty White (86)...

Timeline Countdown: 3 days until the NFL Conference Championships, 17 down and 2 to go for the Patriots, 17 days until the Super Bowl and 28 days until pitchers and catchers report voluntarily...

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Nano Nano...

I have not succumbed to the portability of a laptop but the high percentage of people who swear by them will be happy to hear about a discovery that could revolutionize the length of battery use. CNET News reports that Stanford University researchers have found a way to give a conventional battery-powered laptop 40 hours of battery life, a huge improvement over the usual 4 hours. Assistant (not for long) professor Yi Cui and his Cardinal colleagues have come up with a way to use silicon nanowires to give rechargeable lithium ion batteries, used in laptops, iPods, video cameras and cell phones as much as 10 times more charge...

Cui says "it's not a small improvement, it's a revolutionary development." If you're expecting to purchase a piece of this revolution, you may have to wait awhile though. Cui expects the battery to be commercialized and available within "several years", pending testing. The secret behind this new finding is in a new type of silicon nanowire anode that does not fracture and there's nothing worse than a fractured nanowire!!!

While no price has been attached to this new discovery, such is not the case with Steven Jobs new laptop, just slightly bigger than a nanowire. Apple's new MacBook Air at 3 pounds, sells for $1,799 or $600 a pound. How many would you like???

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1920] Bathtub gin on the rocks: Prohibition goes into effect in the U.S. Here's your history lesson of the day: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Wqid7KvEKi0 ...
  2. 1961] Signed, sealed, delivered: Mickey Mantle signs a $75,000 contract with the Yankees, making him the highest paid player in the American League - until next year...
  3. 1964] Premiered on this date: "Hello Dolly" starring Carol Channing opens at the St. James Theatre on Broadway. Here's Carol with one of her successor's, Pearl Bailey with the title tune: http://youtube.com/watch?v=PGYH-Zcrj8A ...1974] "Jaws" by Peter Benchley is published and quickly becomes a best seller with plans in the works for a movie...1976] "The Donny & Marie Show" starts a 3-year run with "A little bit Country, A little bit Rock & Roll": http://youtube.com/watch?v=_AfXznngjGw ...
  4. 1965] Curtains: "Outer Limits" bows out on ABC-TV after 2 years...1973] "Bonanza" airs its last episode. It debuted on September 12, 1959...
  5. 1970] Sue, si: Curt Flood files a civil lawsuit challenging baseball's reserve clause...
  6. 1972] Super Sunday: The Dallas Cowboys win their first Super Bowl, 24-3 as they dominate the Miami Dolphins in New Orleans. Dallas and Miami will be at this year's Super Bowl, but only if they buy tickets...
  7. 1979] "D-I-V-O-R-C-E": Married in 1975, Cher and Greg Allman are officially divorced...
  8. 1988] Jimmy the Geek: CBS-TV fires Jimmy 'The Greek' Snyder one day after his racial comment that during slavery, "blacks had been bred to produce stronger offspring." Here's Jimmy in action: http://youtube.com/watch?v=REFJxwQPQUY ...
  9. 1997] Gunned down: Bill Cosby's only son, Ennis, 27, is shot to death while changing a flat tire on a dark road in Los Angeles...
  10. 2005] Manning mauling: The Patriots beat the Colts 20-3 to win the AFC Divisional playoffs. This Sunday at 3, the Pats play host to San Diego for the title...

Music Memories:

  • 1957] Recorded on this date: "Lucille" - Little Richard. Here's Mr. Penniman doing a great live version in the 60s on British TV: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Mcxej1zJKTo ...
  • 1976] Released on this date: "Frampton Comes Alive" LP - Peter Frampton...

Commentary:

The annual 'Walk-A-Thon for Homeless Veterans', benefiting the New England Shelter in Boston is scheduled for Sunday, January 27th from 9:30 a.m. to Noon at the Watertown Mall. You may sponsor Gordon Brown by sending a check or money order in any amount, made out to 'VFW Dept. of Mass.", to Gordon Brown, 15 Quirk St. #7, Watertown, MA 02472. In the memo section of your check, write: 'Homeless Vets Program'. Gordy has gotten involved with this indoor walk for the last several years and should be commended for it...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Kate Moss (34), Roy Jones, Jr. (39), Sade (Adu) http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZuVVMkuWnng (49), Debbie Allen (58), John Carpenter (60), Dr. Laura Schlessinger (61), Jim Stafford (64), Ronnie Milsap (65), Barbara Lynn (66), A.J. Foyt (73) and Marilyn Horne (74)...

Timeline Countdown: 4 days until NFL Conference championships, 17 down and 2 to go for the Patriots, 18 days until the Super Bowl and 29 days until pitchers and catchers report voluntarily...

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Psst..Wanna HD DVD player for half price ???

That's what I said, half price. I'll tell ya what I'm gonna do. While the consumer world waits for word of a new widget from Steven Jobs, along comes Toshiba to throw a monkey wrench into the Blu-ray/HD DVD war. Just when you thought it was safe to go into the Blu-ray water comes an offer you may not be able to refuse. Half price. Toshiba HD DVD players that sold for $300 are cut in half to $150. This is a throw-back to the 1980s Betamax/VHS battle. Sony's Blu-ray has too much of a lead to lose its supremacy over HD DVD but Toshiba will make it a little harder to accomplish that edge...

Toshiba wants to sell product and rightfully so and should they take a chunk of business away from Blu-ray, well that's just smart marketing. Like Betamax and VHS, Blu-ray and HD DVD are not compatible. Microsoft's Xbox and some Toshiba laptops can only play HD DVD while Sony's PlayStation 3 and some of its laptops can only play Blu-ray. This half-price sale is an attempt by Toshiba to hang on for dear life and maybe, just maybe, they'll convince more movie studios to support their effort. The latest Blu-ray tally has 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney and Lionsgate on their side while Universal Home, Paramount and DreamWorks Animation SKG supports Toshiba...

Watch for a sizeable chunk of print, online and TV advertising by Toshiba to support their effort and if you think Sony/Blu-ray will remain silent, guess again...

10 Timeline Memories:
  1. 1777] Better late than: The people of New Connecticut declare their independence from Great Britain. The tiny republic will become known as the state of Vermont. With the state blanketed by snow, let's take a look at Vermont and some strange summer vacationers: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mwXXqkpZBPA&feature=related ...
  2. 1844] Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame: The University of Notre Dame receives its charter from the state of Indiana. Take a look at the home of the Fighting Irish in this good-natured spoof: http://youtube.com/watch?v=p0Y7yjxJVlc ...
  3. 1870] Donkey serenade: The Democratic Party is represented as a donkey for the first time in a cartoon by Thomas Nast in "Harper's Weekly"...
  4. 1892] Basketball rules: The official rules of basketball are published for the first time in Springfield (MA) where the game is invented...
  5. 1947] The death of a dahlia: The mutilated remains of 22-year old aspiring actress, Elizabeth Short a.k.a. The 'Black Dahlia' for her dark outfits, are found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. The case is never solved...
  6. 1967] Super Sunday: The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10 in what will eventually be called Super Bowl I. Should the Pack beat the Giants on Sunday they'll be in another SB. Here's a tribute to the Green Bay Packers: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-T_W0VEbdaY ...
  7. 1973] Debuted on this date: Gene Shalit brings his bushy mustache and doctor's bag to "The Today Show" as movie reviewer...1974] "Happy Days" on ABC-TV. The highly rated show will run until July of 1984 and spawn the spin off, 'Laverne and Shirley' in January, 1976...
  8. 1976] Guilty as charged: Sara Jane Moore is sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald Ford in San Francisco...
  9. 1987] "Happy Trails": Ray Bolger dies from cancer at 83. Ray and Judy Garland sing "The Wizard of Oz" in this clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=6r54exDHhiU ...
  10. 2001] Wiki sighting: Wikipedia goes online...

Music Memories:

  • 1961] Signed, sealed, delivered: Motown signs the Supremes...
  • 1964] So, sue me: Vee Jay Records files suit against Capitol and Swan over recording rights to the Beatles...
  • 1967] Lyric content: The Rolling Stones change the lyrics to "Let's Spend The Night Together" on the 'Ed Sullivan Show' to 'Let's Spend Some Time Together' for network sensors. Watch Mick Jagger roll his eyes in this video when he changes the lyrics. It's a classic clip: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YkBIgcHwXgk ...
  • 1971] Released on this date: "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison...

Commentary:

He pitched a no-hitter for the Cubs in 1960 but the highlight of his career came in the 1969 season when he helped the Mets win their first World Series. He was also a good hitting pitcher, finishing his career with 15 home runs. 72-year old Don Cardwell passed away yesterday from undisclosed causes...She wore heavy makeup as the 'Queen of Goth', fashioning herself after Moriticia Addams but her biggest day every year was Halloween. Her name was Maila Nurmi but you knew her better as "Vampira". 'Vampira' died yesterday at 85. No cause of death was given. "Happy Trails" to Don Cardwell and 'Vampira'...

"Happy Birthday...happy birthday":

Chad Lowe (40), Lisa Lisa (Velez) (41), Marty Lyons (51), Charo (57), Andrea Martin (61), Captain Beefheart a.k.a. Don Van Vliet (67) and Margaret O'Brien (71)...

Timeline Countdown: 5 days until NFL Conference championships, 17 down and 2 to go for the Patriots, 19 days until the Super Bowl and 30 days until pitchers and catchers report voluntarily...