Friday, August 26, 2016

Um, no.

From Rolling Stone magazine. I try not to judge others, but not gonna try this one...

Their home appears cozy and comfortable, and Gavin works long hours while Elfin stays home and tends to household needs. They also engage in what they call "feeding" – Elfin induces lactation and produces breast milk for Gavin to consume.

Elfin, 55, and Gavin, 57, are in what's known as an "adult nursing relationship," or an "adult breastfeeding relationship." These arrangements are exactly what they sound like – one partner produces milk to share with the other through breastfeeding.

Crazy Campaign

All of these statements are true...

Babs & Trump Duet

Jimmy Fallon knows how to create viral videos...

Top Schools in Chicagoland


The high school my first two boys graduated from is in the top ten, once again.

Will have to wait another year for the next boy to attend.

FCC Revisits Media Ownership Rules

This has been a long-time coming, but yesterday the F.C.C. announced that it essentially would NOT be changing the rules about media ownership. Broadcasters are upset because they wanted to go on another buying spree, but I'm with the F.C.C.

Yes, the media landscape has changed with the advent of streaming audio and satellite radio. However, giving companies the right to buy MORE radio stations and MORE television stations will NOT do a thing.

Except make the situation worse.

That's what I believe. I have yet to see any evidence of any kind that allowing a handful of people unlimited media ownership would help. It would do exactly what it did last time.

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Reminds me of my little league days



Although I was more like the camera than the pitcher.

Minutia Men, Episode 17

EP17: Rick and Dave discuss a revenge e-bay sale, German food oddities, a bad use of 9-1-1, the first Cub jersey retired, and Rick’s brush with David Lee Roth.

Listen to it here.

Don't like to brag, but there's a pretty memorable singing performance in this week's episode, featuring a German-American 53-year-old.

The 100 Greatest Films of This Century

The BBC conducted a poll of 177 movie critics to compile this list, and the David Lynch movie "Mulholland Drive" came in at #1. Really? I liked that one, but the best of the century?

Check out the list here.

I have only seen 13 of these 100 movies.

Twilight Zone Moment

This was incredible. Glenn Beck (yes, that Glen Beck) appeared on Lawrence O'Donnell's show last night. And they agreed about the racism of Donald Trump. Wow.



Yowza

Guaranteed Rate Park?

So many things wrong with this. The logo has a downward pointing arrow. The name is a mouthful and not easily shortenable. And it sounds ridiculous. Maybe they'll call it the "G-Spot" or "Gee Whiz Park" or...got another one?

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Hillary on Kimmel

Answering the ridiculous health claims of the GOP...

Howard Johnson's

At one time, Howard Johnson's restaurants were all over the country. There were 800 of them, nearly every one of them located near a heavily traveled road or highway.

Now there's only one.

It's the main reason my kids (who love Mel Brooks), don't really get this scene from Blazing Saddles...

Kids, Don't Try This at Home

Sometimes a headline alone is enough to make me click on a link. Let's see if it's good enough for you too. It's a legitimate story in the Daily Mail.

Ohio Man 'Acting Like a Gorilla and Masturbating on a Sidewalk' is Arrested

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

As the Sumner Turns

Yesterday after the ouster of Philippe Dauman and the announcement of the new board of directors for Viacom, I said that the story should be over now...but I suspected it wasn't. It wasn't. Now Sumner Redstone's granddaughter Keryn is objecting. From Deadline Hollywood...

Calling the settlement deal a “palace coup,” she wants the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court to provide for her to see the agreement that led Dauman and Viacom to withdraw two lawsuits charging that Redstone, 93, was not competent to manage his affairs and was being manipulated by his daughter, Shari.

Shari and Redstone-controlled National Amusements — which owns 80% of the voting shares in Viacom and CBS — vigorously denied the charges.

That's her aunt she is talking about here.

This is why I started calling the saga a soap opera. It's also why I decided not to be soulless, nasty billionaire. I did it for my kids. Didn't want them to grow up this screwed up.

Another Lawsuit For Fox News

From this morning's New York Times...

Andrea Tantaros, a former Fox News host, charged in a lawsuit filed Monday that top executives at the network, including the man who replaced Roger Ailes, punished her for complaining about sexual harassment by Mr. Ailes.

The suit by Ms. Tantaros, filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, is the latest round in a contentious volley that began in late winter, when Fox claimed she had breached her employment contract by writing a book without receiving network approval.

“Fox News masquerades as a defender of traditional family values, but behind the scenes, it operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency and misogyny,” Ms. Tantaros’s suit says.

I don't doubt her story, but I did once hear her participate (with gusto) in the discussion on Fox News about the softening of our society because of political correctness. That term has lost all meaning. People who are polite, respectful, tolerant, and don't harrass women or minorities are not being politically correct. That's just called being a nice person.

Brandwidth

Eckhartz Press author Kipper McGee gets a nice write up in Tom Taylor's NOW column today...

“Tips, tools and trade-craft secrets” about radio in a new 15-minute weekly podcast from “recovering radio programmer and manager” Kipper McGee (ex-WLS Chicago, for instance), and manager/consultant David Martin. The “Brandwidth on Demand” name derives from Kipper’s book “Brandwidth: How Big Broadcasting is Missing the Mediamorphosis.” Early guests on the podcast include Seattle’s B.J. Shea, consultant Tracy Johnson, consultant/futurist John Parikhal, “Digital Goddess” and self-syndicated host Kim Komando, and Founder/CEO Daniel Anstandig of Futuri Media. Free subscription to “Brandwidth on Demand” with a text to 44222 and the word “REBOOT.”

Family Shot

Here's one more shot from son #2's Eagle ceremony. We almost never take family pictures like this. It's a rare shot. Everyone's getting older in the family except my lovely wife.

Monday, August 22, 2016

25 Most Influential Radio Personalities of the Past 25 Years

I've worked with six of the all-time greats mentioned on this list (Steve, Garry, Kevin, Johnny, Larry & Landecker)

Congrats to all of them! They deserve all the recognition they get.

My interview with one of them will be in the next issue of the Illinois Entertainer.

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

This is one of the more unusual radio stories I've ever heard. From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago’s WHPK/88.5 goes dark, but not due to flooding or lightning. It’s bed-bugs. And if you think that’s funny, you’ve probably never had an infestation of them, because they’re a real plague. They’ve got bed-bugs at the studios of University of Chicago-owned variety non-com WHPK, says the Hyde Park Herald, and the station’s gone dark “to keep the bed-bugs from spreading to the rest of the Reynolds Club.” WHPK occupies space there, at 5706 South University Avenue. The administration acknowledges that “WHPK is an important part of our campus community,” but right now, it’s necessary to close it down while the anti-bug crusade goes on. Even worse, according to DNA Info-Chicago - authorities are now checking the homes of all the jocks at WHKP – 70 of them. They’d hoped to return WHPK to the air last Monday, but the school insists that an exterminator inspect the home of every volunteer and employee. (It’s extremely easy to get a re-infestation, and then you have to start all over again.) If you’re feeling just a little itchy yourself right now…well, that’s the power of the mind.

As the Sumner Turns

The news broke this weekend that Philippe Dauman was officially out as the CEO of Viacom. The RAMP Newsletter has the details...

Under the terms of the settlement, which have been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of Viacom and [controlling shareholder] National Amusements, Inc. (NAI), all lawsuits among them will be terminated -- those suits had been filed in Massachusetts, Delaware and California by Dauman and fellow board member George Abrams, challenging the mental capacity of 93-year-old Sumner Redstone to make decisions about his businesses. Viacom will also create an expanded Board of Directors to include the five Viacom directors that were elected in June by NAI -- Kenneth Lerer, Thomas May, Judith McHale, Ron Nelson and Nicole Seligman. The new Board will then select a successor for Chairman. Obviously Dooley's name will be in consideration for the permanent post. Sumner Redstone will remain Chairman Emeritus and Shari Redstone will remain Non-Executive Vice Chair. Dauman will remain as Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of Viacom through September 13, 2016. Until then it should be nice and awkward around the old conference table... to lessen the blow, Dauman will walk away with some lovely parting gifts -- a severance package worth some $72 million.

Let me translate for you. In exchange for not making Sumner testify, and therefore expose his potential inability to speak or reason, Dauman gets $72 million, and Redstone's daughter essentially gets what she wants.

I somehow think this isn't the end of this story, but it should be.

Eagle!

The Kaempfer family at yesterday's Eagle Scout ceremony for son #2. Very proud of the lad.