Archived Philly Talk Radio News January to June 1999
All broken links removed and archived in text for source credit
Monday, June 21st
The CompuDudes ® were voted the #1 computer call-in show in the United States by the National Computer Press Association http://www.computerpress.org/ & The Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, Chicago.
John McNulty (food and wine - formerly on WPHT) follows a legal show on Saturdays and is on from 1 to 3 pm.
"Everything Entertainment" hosted by Joel Gibbs will debut on 860 AM WWDB on Saturdays from 3PM to 5PM starting June 26th. It will also be on NewsTalk 96.5 FM WWDB every 4th Sunday following Sid Mark as a rotating feature.
Former WWDB morning man Phil Valentine wins big picking up Best Talk Show Host in the world in the prestigious New York Festivals International Radio Competition.
BIG controversy about this and I finally found the infamous "Temple Pedophilia Study" on a website in Denmark of all places!
An Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Based on Nonclinical Samples
http://www.just-well.dk/rotterd.htm
Notes: The above story was covered in the local print media then a few years later removed. The study went underground temporarily then came back several years later and the online presence was expanded. There is a Wiki article on it under The Rind Study. It made national news and became a pet topic for Dom Giordano.
Tuesday, May 11th
Jim Casale is out at WWDB. Recently hired weekend asst. PD Mark Williams get tapped as interim PD.
(Footnote: on Wednesday (5/12) one print media wag actually used the word "exclusively" in reference to coverage of this... oh please!)
In a related story...
Help Wanted
RADIO - WWDB-AM-FM seeking Hosts for weekend specialty programming. Broadcast experience is not necessary. Applicants should be well versed in the specific area their show will deal in, and possess an outgoing personality & a sense of humor. An inquisitive nature is a plus. Send tape & resume to Mark Williams, WWDB, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 E.O.E.
Friday, May 7th
Rumors, rumors, and more rumors
Is WWDB now looking for a NEW Program Director? Rumor has it that Casale is out after a nasty scene.
Is CBS still eyeing DB's talent pool? Rumor has it that CBS via WPHT was and still may be interested in skimming talent from DB. The fly in the ointment is that both Rush and Dr. Laura just resigned from DB for another year. Prior to this, it was no secret that if PHT was able to pick them up AND some additional underutilized DB talent then PHT could make a serious comeback. This plan is now in doubt. Upcoming meetings in New York will map out the future of PHT.
Who bought 640 AM? A Jersey-based station capable of pumping out 50,000 watts of power is rumored to have been recently purchased. Who would NEED such a signal and who would be interested? A signal swap for AM860?
Monday, May 8th Footnote: Just after I posted this I was asked for all the gory details. Now you know that in order to protect my sources I wait until media outlets print their own version. This is from the Daily News,
Here's a brainstorming session that turned into a plain storm. That's what happened late afternoon Thursday at 96.5-FM when the cops were called.
Program director Jim Casale was meeting with programming guru Randy Kabrich, plus some other staffers when things went from merely vocal to heated. Kabrich reportedly tried to move the session from the conference room into an exec office - without Casale. When Casale tried to crash, Kabrich reportedly threw a body block on Casale to keep him out. Casale then dialed 911, which brought Lower Merion cops racing to the scene. No arrests and no discharges - at least not yet.
I think this event demonstrates just how heated radio management can be. What a tough business. The Daily News article left out some relevant details like why Kabrich was brought in by the Beasleys. Is WWDB tiring of Casale's plodding pace? No matter who wins this month's power play look for even more programming changes. Just over a week ago a 3-page memo went out detailing upcoming weekend changes.
Monday, April 26th
Faulkner Fundraiser
What a classy bunch of people at the event hosted by PHT talker Mike Smerconish. Huge turnout. My favorite part was when the gentleman who won the door prize, an exquisite bracelet donated by our favorite jeweler Rich, turned around and gave it to Danny Faulkner's widow Maureen.
For some background visit http://www.danielfaulkner.com/
Winter Ratings -
KYW holds onto the #1 spot (again) leaping from a 6.4 to a 7.8
WWDB-FM is in #8 nudging from 4.4 to 4.6 (this is the last book before the switch to All News in the morning)
WIP surprises everybody with a #11 by launching from a 2.9 to a 3.5
WHAT-AM is at #19 - 0.8 to 1.6 (though nobody ever mentions them here
KXW-FM (1.3 to 1.1) ties with PHT for #21 (1.0 to 1.1)
WWDB-AM follows them all at #25 with a steady 0.6
The backlash continues over Stern fans calling media outlets in the aftermath of the massacre in Littleton, Colorado. Stern didn't help things by playing some of the calls over the air. Even some of Howard's regulars emailed me in disgust. Another story is at http://www.radiodigest.com/news/1999/nat_042399_fox_stern1.htm
AM860 goes off the air to upgrade its transmitter this week. Regular programming is expected to return Wed/Thurs morning.
Saturday, April 23rd
The commentary and facts as I uncovered them regarding certain rumors surrounding the shootings at Columbine High School certainly got a reaction. So much so that responding to email on the matter became too time-consuming. I put the commentary and some background information here...
The offsite link expired - when reposted it will be available by searching "Columbine" on this site.
Monday, April 19th
The friendly folks at The Inky and the Daily News plan to keep the pressure on Franny Rizzo (now on from 7-10pm) to take time off during his run for Council re-election. As related here last February, candidates for City Council made it known that they were unhappy with Bambino Jr. getting all that free airtime. Beasley Broadcasting countered with an offer of free spots and appearances. Not good enough for some. As a result look for Rizzo to leave DB for the duration of the campaign, from May 18th until the elections in November. Oh, there are some silly FCC rules that require equal time for all candidates and my guess is that DB sees THAT as a ratings black hole.
Friday. April 16th
You have spoken...
I compiled some reactions to WWDB's new ALL NEWS morning show and here they are in no particular order
1 - Gil and Pat sound great (no problem at all with the public's acceptance of them as far as my e-mail goes)
2 - Most people would give DB a try over or along with KYW.
3 - As far as I can tell the average time spent listening between 5-9 is going from between 1.5 to 2.5 hours to maybe 15-25 minutes. Visitors to this site tend to keep the radio tuned in longer than normal.
4 - The VAST majority are RIGHT PISSED OFF that Dom no longer has a regular show to tune into. This is a comment put into almost every single email. Many are night people, many are parents getting their kids off the school. How they complain is worth noting. While not happy campers the tone and eloquence are to be commended. I am glad to spend time exchanging e-mails with these people, they are a cut above average.
5 - Most complain about AM860's signal. When told that the piece of crap radio they own is the likely culprit virtually none of them will shell out the bucks to get a better radio, "Tell DB to get a better signal!" or "Put the News and syndication on AM" are the 2 most oft included comments.
that's YOUR 2 cents
Thursday, April 1st
Dom Giordano, the ultimate Team Player, moves to the position of "Investigative Reporter" as of Friday. No April Fools Joke here. After a fantastic 10+ year run of weekends then overnights (building up a Big fan base) THEN taking the morning drive after DB self-destructed, pulling THAT out of the flames, NOW stepping aside (without gunplay) for the new All-News 5-9 show. If that doesn't qualify you as a Team Player I don't know what does. The opinion I get via email (and plenty of them by the way!) is mixed as to whether this is "fair" or not...
Friday, March 26th
Heard on WWDB today - Is President Clinton a Sociopath? http://www.therighter.com/column/dsm.html by Sarah Thompson, M.D. This is a fascinating article, Dr. Thompson makes it clear that she is NOT diagnosing Clinton in absentia and the conclusions are her opinions only.
Sunday, March 21st
This just in... Two old NJ 101.5 guys making the news again... John & Ken are blowing off KFI afternoons and their syndicated show to take KABC mornings! Drew Hayes (their new KABC PD) thinks that they'll mitigate the Disney Radio Curse, overwhelm the ghost of George Green and knock the dust off that old antique once known as one of America's untouchable #1 radio stations.
Real Audio Player update - With Intel's help and Real Time Network software and connections Premiere Network started streaming audio and video with Art Bell and now adds Rush Limbaugh. The G2 update is around 2 or 3 megs and should install seamlessly but be careful of the screen prompts. I've heard that after the upgrade some people have experienced a problem where the PC tries to dial up when booted up. I have no clue as to why nor have I yet upgraded to G2. I have a soft spot for Premiere, in the past when I contacted them for copyright approvals they got back to me fast.
Friday, March 12th
Weighing in on WWDB - Well now that most of what DB has planned is now public (thus keeping my sources out of trouble) I wanted to relate here what's going on. To Recap - WWDB is planning to focus its' FM side on more news in the morning and most likely throughout the rest of the day as well. You don't hire that many people for just a 5-9 am news block! (Gil Gross, Pat Farnack, Hilarie Barsky, Melanie Armstrong, Paulette Isom, Brad Segal, Jenny Robinson, Kirk Dorn, Dennis Begley, et al)
DB has taken over enough real estate in their building for the news dept. to relocate all the refugees in Kosovo. WWDB will be to KYW what MSNBC is to CNN, somewhat more cutting edge. Stories will be covered in much more depth. At least this is what the elves tell me. Those damn elves, however, have been known to drink! Sometime in April, everyone will find out for sure.
KYW on the other hand must be in sheer panic. Having seen the writing on the wall when the Beasleys hired Jim Casale it is reported that Roy Shapiro did indeed meet with DB to suggest a simulcast of KYW (shoot me). Casale is known as a wunderkind of the talk/news format. He is genuinely pleasant to talk to over the phone and his former coworkers speak kindly of him. (not an easy trick for a PD!) KYW will indeed lose some listeners to this experiment. How many, time will tell. In a crowded radio dial, DB must do something to stand out and this looks like the boldest move in years. Many compare it to the ill-fated attempt by the late WCAU (1210am) when they trained their guns on KYW. This time around there are several major differences. Casale is taking his grand old time getting his ducks all lined up and despite the late "urging" by a new GM, Casale is putting the pieces together well.
DB will remain the major talk station in the market. Their bread and butter will not get "toasted". Sinatra will stay and so will the dreaded infomercials (Personally I don't even mind the infomercials - they mostly run early Sat and Sun and I know how to use a tuning knob the other times).
Mr. Movie - Steve Friedman starts a Mon. - Fri. movie show on Suburban Cable's TSM channel from 7:30 to 8:00 pm.
For the fourth year in a row WFAN (where Imus does his show) takes the top spot for total ad billing with $55.1 million.
3/15/99
Mark Williams is reported to be coming to WWDB soon is some capacity.
Eric Johnson is the new PD over at NJ 101.5. Eric is formerly from WIP and 104.1/Allentown.
Stupid quote of the month
3/6/99 - Al Gore: "I took the initiative in creating the Internet"
full story on Al Gore claiming he created The Internet
https://web.archive.org/web/19991127171244/http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/18390.html
3/9/99
WWDB reportedly hires Pat Farnack and Veteran talker Gil Gross for its' own Morning News block slated to begin in early April. (You may remember Gil did a fill-in stint at DB about 2 months ago) Hilarie Barsky (formerly of PHT and NJ101.5 now with Metro) has been taken on as a reporter. Amy Kaplan (Formerly of the Steve and Amy show on PHT) joins KYW as a reporter.
Ultra right Conspiracy link ? - ShadowGov.com
2/22
Michael Smerconish's newly redesigned website at *Link Expired* is ready as of this past Friday - *Link Expired* (Friday, April 23, 1999, at the Union League of Philadelphia, 140 S. Broad Street, in Center City. Cocktails are at 6 pm, dinner at 7pm.)
Rick and Art, the home repair guys on WPHT have FINALLY got their own website posted. *Link Expired* t
Another Embarrassment For Dr. Laura http://www.radiodigest.com/news/1999/nat_022699_friends_laura1.htm
Mike Gallagher, who filled in for Rollye a few weeks ago.
He's going network...and WILM in Wilmington is picking him up.
Monday, February 15th - Kirk Dorn (formely of KYW) has reportedly been hired by WWDB as News Director. Dorn was considered along with another out-of-state candidate. In a related rumor, KYW is said to have tried to simulcast their morning news on DB. (huh?) Four different people sent me that one, it was reported in "Inside Radio"
Monday, February 1st
John Ziegler takes over 1-5am slot at WWDB.
Friday, January 29th
Philly radio veteran Dennis Begley was hired as WWDB's new GM.
Monday, January 25th
(link offline) A full-scale listener page based on that self-described "dullard" Kent Voss built by listeners debuts.
