Media Notebook (June 12, 2008)

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer





Highlights and links to the big stories in the news this week about the media. This column appears twice a week at MEDIA NOTEBOOK



Viacom starts distributing "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" on hulu.com
(Mediaweek) Mike Shields writes: "Viacom has struck its first deal with Hulu to distribute content from its family of cable networks, specifically Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report--as the company continues to steer clear of delivering any of its top series to YouTube, the reigning leader in the online video category. As of Tuesday (June 10) Hulu began featuring full length episodes of both Colbert and The Daily Show, bringing two of the more popular series among the Web savvy, clip-sharing generation to the increasingly robust video site, itself a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal. The move represents both another stamp of approval for Hulu’s professionally-produced, long form video model by a major traditional TV producer, as well as another blow to Google’s YouTube."


Spielberg's $1 billion dream
(Hollywood Reporter) Carl DiOrio writes: "Steven Spielberg aims to raise more than $1 billion in third-party financing to reinvent DreamWorks as a separate company that once again owns the movies it makes. As for distribution, Spielberg wants to bolt his roost at Paramount for Universal, which wants to land Spielberg and DreamWorks after losing out to Paramount in that quest a couple years ago. But on recommendation from his advisers, Spielberg has allowed a bidding war to begin among studios for the rights to distribute future DreamWorks movies. The chief suitors other than Paramount: Universal, Disney and Fox."


HBO joins forces with Funnyordie
(Variety) Cynthia Littleton writes: "HBO is getting into bed with Will Ferrell's FunnyorDie.com Internet vid venture. Pay cabler has bought a small equity stake in the 2-year-old comedy website and has commissioned 10 half-hours of programming from Funny or Die as part of the deal. The wide-ranging pact also envisions the two sides partnering on a host of future projects, from the live comedy tours that Funny or Die is developing to a possible Funny or Die-branded programming block on one of HBO's offshoot channels. For now, the website is focused on recruiting a veteran producer to help Ferrell and his Funny or Die partners -- Adam McKay, Chris Henchy and Judd Apatow -- shepherd the initial order of 10 half-hours."


CLICK HERE



60 months in Bagdad
(NY Observer) Gilette, Haber, and Koblin write: "'It’s the oft-stated phrase that truth is the first casualty of war,' said Michael Ware, CNN’s Baghdad correspondent, on the telephone from Iraq. 'In this war, as in every other conflict, everybody lies to you. Your government is lying to you. The Iraqi government is lying. The insurgents are lying. The militias are lying. The U.S. military is lying. Even the civilians lie. Or in the best case, there’s confusion and exaggeration. The truth is the most elusive thing in war, particularly in an insurgency.' Sixty-two months into the war, this is the language of the American journalist in Iraq... As the American press corps gets older, wearier—and simultaneously younger and more untested as the veterans leave—there are truths that some of the reporters of Baghdad have learned about the war in Iraq. Chief among them is that even if you grab hold of a part of the truth, it has a way of becoming false. Second: If you manage to find a true story, don’t depend on anyone back home wanting to hear it."


The Internet Rumor Machine versus Obama
(LA Times) Rumors have always traveled fast, but when it comes to politics, the whispering campaigns and defamatory leaflets of yesteryear don't hold a candle to the button that beats them all. "Forward": the marvelous technology that allows truths and untruths alike to be propagated widely, instantly, and at no cost to the sender. Thanks to Forward-thinking citizens, the online rumors are flying in this campaign like no campaign season before. Dozens and even hundreds of different e-mail chain letters -- most targeting Sen. Barack Obama -- are being circulated in the Internet's muggy back channels, where context suffers and falsehoods flourish. Add in the parts of the political blogosphere that survive on speculation and unsourced hearsay, and you have a petri dish capable of growing such vivid rumors that the best of them actually make it into the mouths of the Washington press corps -- without so much as a factoid to back them up. At Snopes.com, the urban legends clearinghouse run by a couple in the San Fernando Valley, Barack Obama's page has 18 entries, only one of which Snopes determined to be true. Of the rest, Snopes rated 11 false, four partly true and two undetermined.


Sean Hannity, Citadel and Clear Channel have agreed to a three-way deal.
(Radio-Info.com) Tom Taylor writes: "But don’t expect any press conferences until at least next week – it’s an agreement in principle and now goes to the legal types and the folks who resolve questions like who sells what and who handles what. But this is what I’m hearing: Citadel and Clear Channel will jointly own the Hannity show. (Citadel’s ABC Radio Networks owns it now.) Sean will get a significant signing bonus. The negotiating was done at the top levels of the various companies and they finished it over the weekend. And I’m told that everybody’s happy with the result. Now – could things go sideways or get delayed? Sure. It’s an agreement in principle and doesn’t exist as a signed contract yet."






CLICK HERE






Actor drops $10 million lawsuit against Corolla
(Radio Online) An actor who filed a $10.5 million negligence suit against syndicated radio host Adam Corolla, late night talk host Jimmy Kimmel, "Jackass" star Johnny Knoxville claiming he was tricked into putting his penis in a mousetrap during Coralla's show has dropped the suit. Perry Caravello filed the suit in May, 2007, after the event was captured on video without Corolla's permission and surfaced on the Internet. The trio was sued by Caravello, who claimed that Knoxville promised to pay him to promote the DVD release of the 2003 TV movie "Windy City Heat" on Carolla's show if he agreed to place his genitals in a mousetrap. Caravello also claimed he was humiliated when clips of the incident appeared on the web. The suit was dropped last week and it's unclear whether the suit was being dropped due to a settlement or for some other reason.


The Clear Channel Memo: Cash & Consequences
(Wall Street Journal) This makes me physically ill...Sarah McBride writes: "Clear Channel Communications is the beneficiary of a near-miracle: its buyout, once near death, came through with full funding from its investment banks. That’s why Clear Channel is going to make sure nothing goes wrong now — and specifically, making sure that the company has more than enough cash on hand in case a lot of shareholders choose to take cash for their shares rather than use the stub equity option. So, a couple of weeks ago, CFO Randall Mays has sent top executives a memo telling them to cut costs before the deal closes. That’s because, if enough shareholders demand cash, the biggest stockholders, including executives, would end up having to roll over their shares into stub equity in the private company. Here’s the risk: if Clear Channel finds itself without a healthy supply of cash on hand when the deal closes, those executives won’t be able to cash out their shares when Clear Channel’s deal to privatize finally closes — so the buyout won’t be as lucrative for them."


Networks, Olympic Organizers clash in China
(Associated Press) Television networks that will broadcast the Beijing Olympics to billions around the world are squaring off with local organizers over stringent security that threatens coverage of the games in two months. Differences over a wide range of issues — from limits on live coverage in Tiananmen Square to allegations that freight shipments of TV broadcasting equipment are being held up in Chinese ports — surfaced in a contentious meeting late last month between Beijing organizers and high-ranking International Olympic Committee officials and TV executives — including those from NBC. In response to the complaints from broadcasters, Sun Weijia, head of media operations for the Beijing organizers, asked them to put it in writing, only to draw protests about mounting paperwork.


Mark Cuban eyes buying the Cubs
(Chicago Tribune) Phil Rosenthal writes: "Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, one of the Major League Baseball-approved bidders for the Chicago Cubs, expects to receive confidential financial data on the team any day now and said Friday on a Chicago radio show that it is his "job" to convince everyone he is the best choice to own the franchise. Cuban also told WMVP-AM 1000 hosts Marc Silverman and Tom Waddle he "definitely would want Wrigley Field to be part of the deal," despite the fact Tribune Co., which is parent of the Chicago Cubs, has considered selling it separately, either to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority or a private buyer."


Jim McCay passes away
(New York Times) Litzky and Sandomir write: "Jim McKay, the genial ABC Sports broadcaster whose calm voice and trustworthy demeanor were synonymous with the network’s Olympic broadcasts and the celebrated sports anthology series “Wide World of Sports,” died Saturday at his country estate in Monkton, Md. He was 86. The death was confirmed by LeslieAnne Wade, a spokeswoman for CBS Sports, where Mr. McKay’s son, Sean McManus, is the president."



CLICK HERE




Mancow writes about his buddy Chris Farley
(Chicago Sun Times) Mancow writes: "There were 30 frantic messages to me on my home answering machine the night Chris Farley died. I never heard the full messages. Erase. How had it gotten to this point? Erase. He was a huge comedy star and had been a dear friend. With a new book out about Farley, today’s reality reminds me of my fallen friend. Toward the end of his life I cringed at the thought of even talking to him. In those final messages there was a sound of real desperation in his voice. The next day he was dead. He was a comedic version of the Roman god Janus — one smiling public face rooted in this world and the other tearfully looking into the spirit world. Was he calling for help or did he just want me to be a part of that dramatic final act? I’ll never know."

Sam Brownback holding up XM/Sirius merger
(Mel Phillips) Mel writes: "On May 27th the Consumer Coalition for Competition in Satellite Radio (C3SR) sent a letter to the FCC in opposition to the Sirius-XM merger. Understand this: 1) The coalition’s name speaks for their agenda regarding satellite radio (and) 2) C3SR is funded by the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB). Enter senior senator from Kansas, Sam Brownback who still believes Toto resides in his state. He also believes that Congress may have been misled in its prior hearings on the merger. Brownback claims that Mel Karmazin wasn’t being candid about the companies’ effort to make and market “interoperable” receivers or radios that can receive both Sirius and XM signals. Brownback now wants redacted portions of the May 27th letter made public."


Chicago Radio Spotlight Update
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with Java Joel Murphy, the former Kiss-FM night time jock about his time in Chicago--his controversial interview with Justin Timberlake, and his even more controversial racial remark that led to his firing. Coming this weekend: famed music programmer "Jukebox Jimmy" Jim Smith.

Suburban Man: Fight Board

By Rick Kaempfer


The only sure things in life are supposedly death and taxes, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s at least one more sure thing if you’re the parent of boys, especially during summer vacation.

Fights. Lots and lots and lots of fights.

We have a particularly combustible mixture in our house. The oldest brother Tommy doesn't want to play with either of his little brothers. This distresses the middle brother Johnny who idolizes Tommy, but can't stand the youngest brother Sean. And Sean would kill for a little attention from either of his brothers. It's literally impossible to keep all three of them happy.

In addition, Tommy has a razor sharp tongue, Johnny has a hair trigger temper and likes to talk with his fists, and Sean LOVES stirring up trouble, because hey—bad attention is better than no attention.

The other day I actually wrote down a few comments that led to fights. Mind you, this was all during one breakfast...
=Why does he get the green bowl?
=He’s looking at me
=Tell him to stop humming
=He called me stupidhead.
=I am not purple!
=He bit my butt!
=Batman cannot fly!

Each of these comments would have ended in fisticuffs if I wasn't physically standing between them to break it up.

With "summer togetherness" season upon us, I know it's only going to get worse, so I’m doing everything I can to avoid it. I signed them up for just about every activity under the sun, from summer school classes to day camps to swimming lessons.

And of course, I'm bringing back the Fight Board.

I haven’t had it officially trademarked yet, but the Fight Board was created by yours truly in a fit of inspiration during an all-out brawl a few summers ago. The fight board is non-judgmental. All it does is keep a running tally of the number of fights throughout the summer. It doesn’t matter who started it, what caused it, or whose fault it is. A fight is a fight—and a red tally goes on the board. If they can go an entire summer with less than 100 fights, they each earn a new toy of their choosing.

I know that sounds like a lot of fights, but it's really only a little more than one fight a day. When your oldest boy is twelve and your youngest is five; that's a nearly unattainable goal.

Still, the Fight Board is a "carrot and stick" approach. A carrot must be offered. If they so choose, the carrot is there waiting for them on the double digit side of the 100 fight mark. On the other hand, the real effectiveness of the fight board comes with the stick portion of the program, which kicks in with the 101st fight. Every fight over 100 results in the loss of a toy...for all three of the boys.

Does it work?

The first summer they blew it by August 1st. I think deep in their hearts they didn’t believe I would really take away toys, so they weren't too scared when they hit triple digits. They found out they were sorely mistaken, however, when they had their 101st fight of the summer. I still remember the disbelieving looks on their faces when I started a collection of Star Wars fighter jets in my room. I had nine of them in my closet in the first two days.

By August 3rd, the fights stopped. Totally. They didn’t fight again for the rest of the summer.

Seriously.

The idea of the fight board was to encourage them to settle the fights themselves. If I walked into a room and heard a fight about to start, all I had to say was: "Is this going on the fight board?" Instead of hearing who was to blame (remember the fight board doesn't care), I would get the sound that I love more than anything else in the world.

Silence.

I know all the parenting books suggest using positive reinforcement, but when given the option of the carrot or the stick, my boys will choose the stick every single time. They made a half-hearted effort to earn a new toy, but boy oh boy, they really got their act together when the toys started disappearing.

All three of them magically discovered how to get along overnight. When Johnny started to blow, Tommy helped calm him down. When Sean started screeching because his brothers were ignoring him, Johnny stepped in to give him just enough attention to avoid the meltdown. When Tommy started to lose it, the other two gave him his much needed space.

It was a miracle; a miracle that goes by the soon to be trademarked name of "The Fight Board." The groans I hear when I tack it up on the kitchen bulletin board every summer are just a bonus.




This article originally appeared in NWI Parent Magazine.

Monday Musings

Every Monday stop by for jokes, links to stories you might have missed, amusing photos and video, and more. Contributions and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Click on the "Email Me" link on the right to contribute.



Joke of the Week: Father's Day jokes, contributed by "F"



One evening a little girl and her parents were sitting around the table eating supper. The little girl said, "Daddy, you're the boss, aren't you?" Her Daddy smiled, pleased, and said yes. The little girl continued "That's because Mommy put you in charge, right?"

*****

"Daddy, Daddy, can I have another glass of water please?"
"But I've given you 10 glasses of water already!"
"Yes, but the bedroom is still on fire!"

*****

A father passing by his son's bedroom was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and everything was picked up. Then he saw an envelope propped up prominently on the center of the bed. It was addressed, "Dad". With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and read the letter with trembling hands:

Dear Dad,

It is with great regret and sorrow that I'm writing you. I had to elope with my new girlfriend because I wanted to avoid a scene with mom and you. I've been finding real passion with Joan and she is so nice even with all her piercing, tattoos and her tight motorcycle clothes. But it's not only the passion dad, she's pregnant and Joan said that we will be very happy. Even though you don't care for her as she is so much older than I, she already owns a trailer in the woods and has a stack of firewood for the whole winter.

She wants to have many more children with me and that's now one of my dreams too. Joan taught me that marijuana doesn't really hurt anyone and we'll be growing it for us and trading it with her friends for all the cocaine and ecstasy we want! In the meantime, we'll pray that science will find a cure for AIDS so Joan can get better; she sure deserves it!!

Don't worry Dad. Someday I'm sure we'll be back to visit so you can get to know your grandchildren.

Your son,

Benjamin

P. S. Dad, none of the above is true. I'm over at the neighbor's house. I just wanted to remind you that there are worse things in life than my report card that's in my desk center drawer. I love you! Call when it is safe for me to come home.


*******


A Man gets on the train with his son and gives the conductor one ticket. "How old's your kid?" asks the conductor, and the father says, "He's four years old."

"He looks at least twelve to me," says the conductor, and the father says, "Can I help it if he worries?"




Stories you might have missed

1. Sandra Day O'Connor comes out with a video game
(I'm thinking a gavel is involved somehow...)

2. Fly the airline for fat people: Derrie Air
(I'm not going to explain...click on the link to find out the real story)

3. The most bizarre port-a-potty story ever
(A naked man...a few alcohol beverages...the jaws of life...)

4. 4 more weeks until due date for pregnant man
(Yes there are pictures at the link...)

5. Brad Pitt buys a $293,000 table
(My limit is $200,000. Anything more than that is irresponsible.)




Video of the week: WLS Commercial from 1981, with Rodney Dangerfield and Larry Lujack






Photo of the week: Contributed by "B"






















Reader Response


Regarding Suburban Man: Bad Dad

"I have forgotten so many things and somehow my daughter has not only survived, but usually forgets about it within the hour. You are not alone. And you are certainly NOT a bad dad!"
--P

Regarding Just One Bad Century

"I love the new Losing is sooo last century shirt. I just bought one for my dad."
--M

"That anti-St. Louis onesie makes me want to have another kid. I even remember when I started to hate them, back in like 83-84 when I worked the Cubby Bear selling hotdogs and beer for a few weeks. Their fans were insufferable and my disdain for the Cards and other St. Louis teams remains strong to this day."
--T






225 days until we get a new president.

Chicago Radio Spotlight: Java Joel Murphy

Java Joel Murphy once manned the night shift at WKSC-Kiss FM in Chicago, and can now be heard on the radio in Cleveland and Montreal (among other cities)




COMPLETE RADIO-OGRAPHY

1992-1993: WNYO Oswego NY (SUNY Oswego station. I hosted an all-80's specialty show at my college station)
1994-1995: 99 Hits FM/Potsdam NY (mom & pop AC station near my hometown. I did nights and then middays).
1995-1997: Mix 96 (WVNC/Canton NY) (middays/music and then mornings/pd...it was a tight sounding Hot AC/Adult CHR)
1997-1999: Hot 107-9/Syracuse (afternoons/music..CHR/Rhythmic)
1997-2001: Mediabase 24/7 (used to monitor radio station airplay for Mediabase/R&R)
1999-2001: 98PXY/Rochester (heritage CHR, nights)
2001-2005: WKSC-FM/Chicago (host of "The Rubber Room" show, nights)
2003-2004: tracked nights for various Kiss FM stations (Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Rochester NY, Louisville KY, Jacksonville FL, Tulsa OK and Z100/Portland OR)
2005-2006: Y103.9/Crystal Lake, 102.3 XLC/Waukegan, Nine FM/Chicago, Free FM/Chicago (various weekends and fill-ins)
2006-present: 94-7 Hits FM/Montreal (afternoons)
2006-present: 96-5 Kiss FM/Cleveland (evenings)
2006-present: WOKY/Milwaukee (weekends)
2006-present: Y100/Miami (fill-ins)


Rick: In Chicago we remember you mostly for your time as the host of "The Rubber Room" at WKSC (which ran from 2001-2005). How would you describe that show to people who never heard it?

Joel: I did the show with J Dogg & Silly Jilly. J Dogg was a production assistant/utility guy who was there when the station was doing Rhythmic Oldies as "The Beat". He was a goofball and we hit it off immediately. He was like a cross between Eddie Haskell and Justin Timberlake. Silly Jilly used to call into the show when it was just me, J Dogg and Erica C. (now of Eddie, Jobo & Erica). Jilly hated me...but wouldn't stop calling into the show. She was 17, I think. Then, she started just showing up at the station. She'd hang out in-studio with our afternoon guy, Rick Party. Slowly but surely, she just kept hanging out. She wouldn't leave! Pretty soon, Jilly and her random sense of humor became a part of the show. We all had pretty similar sensibilities. It took awhile for the show to really gel. It certainly wasn't overnight.

(Photo: Java Joel, Mel T, DreX, and Scott Tyler) Essentially, it was just three friends hanging out goofin' on stuff. At the time, Kiss was an under-performing station going head-to-head with a 20 year behemoth--B96. In order to cut through, I knew we'd have to be pretty aggressive. We did the obligatory prank calls, parody songs, bits & topics. Nothing terribly innovative. Some considered us fairly subversive for a CHR-night show. At our best, I think we were honest, real, self-deprecating and interesting. At our worst, we were sophomoric, sloppy and childish. We prided ourselves on caring more about what came out of the speakers than what kind of clothes we were wearing or what type of hair gel we were using.

It was the single greatest experience of my professional life.

Rick: I remember a memorable interview you did with Justin Timberlake. Would you mind recounting that story for us?

Joel: A few weeks prior, Justin went on Hot 97, the hip-hop station in NY, talking about his sexual exploits. I figured, if he talked openly and honestly about his sex life to them, what would keep him from doing the same with me? (Demographics, apparently) I knew I didn't want to do the standard, conventional pop interview. So, I jotted down some top-of-mind questions--all having to do with his sex life, his drug use etc...Well, he wasn't having any of it. He lost his temper, I lost my temper, we ended up screaming at each other. We were both pretty annoyed and disgusted with each other. He ended up cursing at me and eventually hung up. Some people still think it was just a fixed, wacky radio stunt.

After the interview ended, word is, Justin immediately called his label, Jive Records, to complain. The label freaked out and was acting as if I had just interviewed the Pope. It was really dumb. Jive did everything in their power to try and block the interview from airing. Luckily, my PD Rod Phillips had the courage and foresight to let it air. The next day, the story was all over the web. Even making it into the London Sun and NY Post. I still get asked about it to this day. It was a pretty exciting week.

Some Program Director's actually think I should've gotten fired for that interview. There seems to be this antiquated notion that if you're on a top 40 station and targeting females, you have to play nice and be respectful of "core artists". I don't buy it. I think the preferred end result is interesting radio. It surely wasn't the best thing we did on Kiss, but I do think it was compelling radio.

In retrospect, it was admittedly a pretty obnoxious, amateurish interview. However, I don't regret doing it. I still get asked about it to this day. It gave us the best book up-to-that-date and got the station and show some much needed buzz. I'm glad we did it. I got a pat on the back from John Gehron the next day. I still remember that.

Rick: Of course, The Rubber Room came to a crashing halt one day in 2005 over a remark you made that was considered "racial." Now that you've had some time to reflect on that incident, what are your thoughts?

Joel: I think what was most criminal about that remark was that is just wasn't funny. This isn't a popular opinion, but I do think there is a place for racial humor...provided it's FUNNY. My comment wasn't funny, but it also wasn't hateful.

I think the nail-in-the-coffin for me wasn't the joke itself, but a fight I got into with a woman who called into the show to complain. I riled her up so much that she called management the next day. Had I not gotten into that argument, the comment may have remained under the radar and I probably wouldn't have gotten fired. The bit got a grand total of one complaint.

Rod Phillips, my PD, called my home phone the next day. I knew something was up since Rod never called my home phone. If he needed something, he'd send me an email or try my cell. On my way out the door, I told my wife that I thought I was going to get fired. I was right.

I could tell Rod didn't really want to fire me. It was out of his hands, as they say. On the drive back home to Wheaton, I called J Dogg and Silly Jilly to give them the news--the show's been cancelled, it's over.

It was a difficult time. For the next eighteen months, I was essentially jobless. I was able to grab some part-time stuff at some suburban stations. Eventually, in the spring of '06, my wife and I left Chicago and moved back to upstate NY to live with my Mom. I never thought it would come to that. A few months later Clear Channel hired me back for nights at Kiss in Cleveland. I've been here since.

I've learned quite a bit from the experience. It seems many people are unable to distinguish the difference between hate speech and racial humor. They equate a black joke with a hate crime. People like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are part of the problem, not the solution. They have done nothing to bring people together. They're all about race-baiting and being divisive. The black community deserves better leadership. So many issues need to be addressed. Instead, they go after the Don Imus-es and Opie & Anthony'es of the world. There's something truly perverse and offensive about that. I find that more sickening than any racial joke I've ever heard.

Rick: One of the members of your show, Silly Jilly, is back on the air here in Chicago. Do you keep in touch with her at all?

Joel: Absolutely. Just talked to her last night. She called my hotline here in Cleveland to tell me she had just gotten a request for one of the parody songs we did way back in 2002! She's come a long way since her days of hanging out in our Hancock studios eating cream cheese with a fork and babbling incessantly about ridiculous things. I was still in Chicago when she got an interview with Kiss FM in Harrisburg. She hosted a popular night show there for a couple years. It wasn't long after when they called her back home.

Jilly's (photo) grown into a very dynamic air personality. She's a refreshing change from the norm. So many (male) PD's want their female jocks to giggle a lot, act sexy and talk about Hollywood gossip, shoes, boys and clothes...Jilly is random and real. She has a bright future ahead, just as long as she can stomach all the programming megalomaniacs and industry know-it-alls.

I still keep in touch with J Dogg, as well. He's married, has kids and is making loads of cash in Texas working for an oil company. No, I'm not kidding. You can't write stuff like this folks. ;)

Rick: While you working here at Kiss, you were also voice-tracking nights at eight other Kiss stations. I've talked to a lot of people who have lost their jobs thanks to voicetracking, but not too many who have been the actual voicetrackers. I take it you have a little different view of the practice. Am I right?

Joel: I don't track nearly as much as I used to. I do the very occasional fill-in for my old Chicago PD, Rod Phillips who is now at Y100 in Miami, giving the station their biggest ratings in decades. My friend and former Kiss FM afternoon jock, Scott Tyler, hooked it up so I can track weekends for WOKY, the legendary AM oldies outlet in Milwaukee. I love that gig. It gives me an opportunity to slam posts, run up ramps and lets me live out all my boss jock fantasies. I also do afternoons for 94-7 Hits FM in Montreal. That's cool since I'm from far upstate NY and grew up listening to Montreal radio. It also gives my family a chance to hear what I'm up to.

I'm happy to see more companies move away from tracking. Radio is obviously going through some serious growing pains. I think we can all agree that, now more than ever, being local is extremely important.

Rick: How is your show there similar or different to the show you did in Chicago, and can your Chicago fans listen anywhere on the internet?

Joel: My Mom thinks my show here in Cleveland is boring. She used to listen to the Chicago show on-line. I'm not nearly as fearless as I once was...plus I'm doing the show solo. The show's pulling some really strong numbers and the bosses seem pleased. Yup...All the stations I'm on (Cleveland, Montreal, Milwaukee) can be heard on-line.

Rick: Is there anything you'd like to say to your former Chicago listeners and/or colleagues?

Joel: I miss you.

Bleacher Preacher

Cubs fan Jerry Pritikin is featured today in a front page story in the Chicago Tribune. Read it here.

A few months ago, Jerry was featured on Just One Bad Century as our fan of the week. He has a great story about the 1945 World Series.

Media Notebook (June 5, 2008)

Collected and Edited by Rick Kaempfer





Highlights and links to the big stories in the news this week about the media. This column appears twice a week at MEDIA NOTEBOOK


The Simpsons get renewed for 20th season
(Broadcasting & Cable) Fox will return to Springfield again for the 20th season of primetime animated mainstay The Simpsons. The order came as the series’ voice actors have resolved months-long salary negotiations with producer 20th Century Fox Television that had held up production. The show’s principals -- Dan Castellaneta (Homer), Julie Kavner (Marge), Nancy Cartwright (Bart), Yeardley Smith (Lisa), Hank Azaria (Moe) and Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns) -- will reportedly receive in the neighborhood of $400,000 per episode, up from $300,000-plus previously, and will remain with the show for another four years (although Fox has not indicated that it will order additional seasons). With its upcoming season, The Simpsons -- produced by Gracie Films in association with 20th -- will tie Gunsmoke as the longest-running primetime series.

Department of Justice asks Supreme Court to restore FCC fines for expletives
(Radio Online) In the 52-page brief filed by U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement on Monday, the Justice Department said the U.S. Supreme Court should restore the FCC's authority to fine broadcast outlets for airing fleeting expletives. DOJ is seeking to overturn a ruling last June by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York. In that ruling, the appeals court found that the agency had failed to justify its "fleeting" profanity rules. The previous ruling by the lower court that said the agency's profanity findings against Fox and other broadcast networks were "arbitrary and capricious."


CLICK HERE




NBC Suffering It's Own Olympic Trials
(New York Post) With just two months until the Beijing Olympics, NBC is scrambling to sell out ad time for its broadcast of the Games. The Peacock network is said to be aggressively pushing advertisers and their agencies to buy spots during the Olympics as part of the "upfront" sales negotiations that started in mid-May. Ad execs estimated NBC was anywhere from $150 million to $300 million shy of its sales target.


Gina Gershon considering lawsuit versus Vanity Fair
(New York Daily News) Nancy Dillon writes: "Actress Gina Gershon insists she is not 'that woman.' The "Showgirls" star and her pit bull lawyers are going after Vanity Fair for insinuating she and ex-President Bill Clinton have been carrying on a torrid love affair as part of Clinton's bi-coastal shenanigans with bad-boy bachelors Steve Bing and Ron Burkle. Vanity Fair scribe Todd Purdum attributed the rumored romance to "high-end Hollywood dinner-party gossip" in his story "The Comeback Id." Still, Gershon, 45, wants the world to know that she has only been in the same room with Clinton on three occasions, and the meetings always took place in the presence of at least a dozen chaperones."


Vanity Fair publishing history of the internet
(Tech Crunch) Michael Arrington writes: "They say that history is written by the victorious…which begs the question as to how Al Gore and Friendster manage to get center stage in a history of the Internet. Vanity Fair writes a rambling eight-part 22 page story on history of the Internet called “How The Web Was Won” for its latest edition. The article pays tribute to Internet pioneers, including Al Gore, as well as some of the companies that have defined the commercial Internet (Amazon, Ebay, PayPal, Ning, MySpace, Friendster, YouTube). It’s going to be fairly easy to nitpick the list of companies included in the photo slideshow. No Google, for example. No Firefox, Yahoo or Microsoft. Nary a word on Facebook. Or any non-U.S. companies for that matter."





CLICK HERE





Landecker's 70s show #1 in the ratings
(Chicago Sun-Times) Robert Feder writes (last item): "With the addition of WCDG-FM in Virginia Beach, Va., Chicago radio legend John Records Landecker is up to 55 affiliates for "Into the '70s," his syndicated oldies showcase. Airing here from 7 p.m. to midnight Sundays on Citadel Broadcasting WZZN-FM (94.7), Landecker's show finished first in the ratings among non-ethnic listeners between 25 and 54 in the Arbitron survey for winter."


Former Chicago reporter Larry Mendte investigated by FBI
(Chicago Tribune) The Tribune staff reports: "Philadelphia television station KYW says newscaster Larry Mendte won't be on the air ''pending further investigation.'' The CBS-owned station released a statement Sunday saying it's cooperating with an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. This comes after Mendte's lawyer said Saturday that FBI agents approached his client Thursday and searched his home in connection with ''claims made by Alycia Lane.'' She's his former co-anchor who was fired in January. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Monday that Mendte is alleged to have opened Lane's private e-mail on many occasions over several months and the FBI is looking into whether he passed information gleaned from those e-mails to spread gossip on her to the media."

The media is upset at Scott McClellan
(Washington Post) The actual title of this piece is "McClellan, a Tad Late Correcting The Story." It seems to me, as an impartial observer, that the real reason McClellan is getting ripped by the press is because he calls them out for not being aggressive enough in the run-up to the war. It hurts so much because it's true, and they've had to work so hard at convincing themselves it wasn't true. Howard Kurtz writes: "In an interview three years ago, when he was waging daily warfare against the White House press corps, Scott McClellan told me: 'The media's trying to get under our skin and get us off-message.' Now it's McClellan who's gone way off-message."



CLICK HERE



Time Warner & GE could be the marrying kind
(Newsweek) Johnnie Roberts writes: "It's a hotly rumored corporate dalliance—that of CEOs Jeff Bewkes of Time Warner and Jeff Immelt of GE, parent of NBC Universal. No doubt their forefathers, the Warner brothers and Thomas Edison, are rolling in their graves. Back in their day, red-blooded businessmen were fighters, not lovers. Edison, who founded GE and controlled essential motion-picture patents, practically forced the Warners to pull the plug on their earliest foray into the movie business when the brothers couldn't afford to pay Edison's high fees on equipment to run their fledgling film-rental company. But times change. If Edison and the Warners couldn't afford friendly business dealings, Immelt and Bewkes may find it prohibitively costly to their careers to avoid cozying up. The two Jeffs have watched their stocks turn into, well, mutts (corny pun intended). And so they have begun preliminary efforts to explore a commingling of their entertainment assets—combining GE's NBC Universal with Time Warner—in hopes of eventually igniting investor enthusiasm and pumping up their stock prices, according to media-industry executives familiar with the developments but not authorized to comment."


Aaron Brown returns
(New York Magazine) Michael Martin writes: "Low-key CNN anchor Aaron Brown was bumped aside in 2005 for Anderson Cooper. Now his CNN contract is up, and he’ll resurface next month as host of a PBS documentary series. He’s also pitching a public-radio show, appearing in an upcoming Kevin Costner movie as himself (“My worst nightmare,” he says), and teaching journalism at the University of Arizona."


Clear Channel not selling 173 stations after all
(Radio Ink) Clear Channel said in its first-quarter earnings release that it would be keeping 173 of the 448 stations it put up for sale in November 2006, as it announced its deal to go private, and in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission the company confirmed that it made that decision during Q1, "because it determined that market conditions were not advantageous to complete the sales." One hundred and forty-five of the stations on the block were classified as discontinued operations as of December 31, 2007, and in the filing Clear Channel says they have been reclassified to continuing operations as of March 31.





CLICK HERE






Radio personality, former Elvis backup singer, dies
(Radio Ink) Hugh Jarrett, who sang bass as a member of Elvis Presley's backup quartet, the Jordanaires, has died at age 78 of injuries he sustained in a March 25 auto accident. Jarrett worked in radio in South Carolina and Tennessee -- including a stint at WKDA/Nashville -- before joining the Jordanaires in 1954, and when he left the quartet in 1958 he returned to broadcasting, as "Big Hugh Baby," at WLAC/Nashville.



Chicago Radio Spotlight Update
(Chicago Radio Spotlight) Last weekend I spoke with four radio personalities I had previously interviewed. All four have undergone big changes in their careers. Read the latest about Greg Brown (photo), Jennifer Keiper, Phil Manicki, and Cara Carriveau at the link. Coming this weekend: Java Joel Murphy.

Suburban Man: Bad Dad

Sometimes I think this job is just too big for me.

The other day I had a few more things on my plate than usual, and my inept multi-tasking abilities once again failed me. Before the day was over, I had sent one son to school without lunch, brought another son to a soccer game at the wrong time, sent my youngest son to school with pants that wouldn’t stay up, and forgot to make dinner.

It was supposed to be a special day. Sean was graduating from pre-school. This was something I had screwed up in the past with the other boys, and I was determined not to forget anything important. This time I remembered to charge the video camera battery. This time I remembered to get a gift for the preschool teacher. This time I remembered to find his dress shoes, iron his nice shirt, clip on his favorite tie, and dress him up appropriately.

I succeeded in all of those things, which honestly, would ordinarily be a pretty good day for me. Unfortunately, there was one thing I didn’t remember. We were in a hurry while I was getting him dressed, and although I tucked in his shirt and helped him close his pants, I somehow didn’t notice that his pants were too big. Waaay to big. I did notice it eventually…but not until he was walking up to the stage to get his diploma.

Want to see a video of a little boy holding his pants up with one hand while the preschool teacher hands him a diploma with the other hand? The battery was charged so the video came out perfectly. He’s not hard to spot. He’s the only one not giving his parents a smiling wave from the stage. He’s the one screaming: “The girls can see my underpants!”

It was also a special day for my middle son Johnny. His school does something called “special visitor’s day.” The kids each get to pick one person to visit them during the day, and that person can bring in a special lunch. He picked me.

Unlike the previous four years, I was proud of myself for remembering not to pack a lunch for Johnny. In the past, while the other kids were eating a special lunch like McDonald’s, Johnny was forced to look at his soggy peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sigh. He begged me to get him Burger King instead this year, and I actually remembered.

Again, ordinarily, that would be a pretty good day for me. But while we were having our nice little picnic Burger King lunch on the school playground, he asked me, “So what did you pack Tommy for lunch today?”

Oh no. I always made their lunches at the same time every morning. I remembered not to make Johnny’s lunch, but for some reason, my meager multi-tasking brain couldn’t comprehend that I still had to make a lunch for his brother.

I looked at my watch. Tommy’s lunch was already over. I looked at my cellphone (which I had remembered to turn off during the preschool graduation ceremony), and saw that there were several voicemail messages waiting for me. I didn’t even need to listen to them to figure who they were from.

Crap.

Feeling like the worst parent ever, I finished up “special visitor day,” went home, and looked at the calendar. What else am I forgetting? Aha! I had written “makeup soccer game” in pencil, but hadn’t bothered to write down the time. Hmmm. Did the coach say 5 or 6?

Now you would think that a person who had already made two critical errors would have been extra careful at this point to make sure he didn’t make another mistake. Not this dad. No sir. I was pretty sure the coach said 6 because I remembered thinking at the time; “When am I going to make dinner?”

Wrong again.

We almost missed the whole game. Oh, and to add a touch of irony, I never solved the dinner dilemma in my mind. I was so thrown off by the entire day that I completely forgot to make dinner at all. This time I was rescued by my wife.

When the four of us returned from Johnny’s soccer game, she said: “Hey, I got home early and saw you hadn’t made dinner yet, so I made it. Hope you don’t mind.”

Mind?

Nope. Don’t have one.

Monday Musings

Every Monday stop by for jokes, links to stories you might have missed, amusing photos and video, and more. Contributions and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. Click on the "Email Me" link on the right to contribute.



Joke of the Week: Contributed by "N"


































Stories you might have missed

1. Man hurls hedgehog at teen
(In New Zealand this is just called "assault with a prickly weapon.")

2. Condeleeza's Swedish Kiss
(She's a single woman...in a foreign land...hanging out backstage with a notorious rock band.)

3. Baseball's nerd machine
(I can't decide if this is the coolest thing ever or the end of civilization as we know it.)

4. RIP: Dick Martin
(I'd like to picture these three guys hanging out at the big bar in the sky)

5. Photos from Mars
(You must admit...this is pretty cool.)



Video of the week: Contributed by "R". The song "Pork & Beans" by Weezer. The video stars every internet sensation you can think of.





Photo of the Week: The Three Candidates


















Reader Response


Regarding "Suburban Man: Take Me out to the T-ball game"

"Look at it this way. Sean can probably field the ball better than Alfonso Soriano can, already! T-Ball was great, and quite similar to your experience. My son's first at bat in t-ball? He hit the ball past all the outfielders, then promptly ran to third instead of first. The coach looked sheepish and said, "Oh, I forgot to teach them how to run bases." The right fielder sat in the grass and picked dandelions (which was more preferable to the centerfielder that was picking something else). Another kid was running the bases and stopped between third and home with a look of confusion as everyone told her to "GO HOME." She actually left the base path, crying and running toward her mother, thinking no one wanted her to play anymore. Quality entertainment for the whole family (which if you film it, can provide you with embarrassing moments to mock your child with for years to come). Oh, by the way, that evening deejay on the Big 89 Rewind was really smokin'. Someone really should hire him!"
--A

"Oh, that’s funny, because back when I was going to t-ball games with my son, we also had a center fielder who preferred gardening. She spent the whole time creating a glorious bouquet of clover in her glove."
--M

"My daughter and I went to a Railcats baseball game this past Sunday and I bought her a miniature bat and ball. We have practiced hitting every day since then, and she’s pretty good! I wish now that I had put her in T-ball. Although, knowing her wild imagination, she would definitely be one of those kids off in la-la land as well."
--P





232 days until we get a new president.

Chicago Radio Spotlight Update

I recently caught up with a few Chicago radio people who have changed jobs or shifts since I originally interviewed them for Chicago Radio Spotlight.





GREG BROWN

Greg was named the afternoon drive personality at WZZN a few months after I interviewed him. I asked him how the new job has been going...

Greg: So far, it’s been an absolute blast being at 94.7 fm. I can’t wait to get into the station each day…I am blessed to do what I love for living! I get to work in the greatest city on the planet, playing the greatest music ever recorded and I get to see Dick Biondi every night! It doesn't get much better than that!

Ever since Mike Fowler arrived at WZZN as General Manager, he’s gotten things firing on all 8 cylinders. He continually finds ways of encouraging his staff and creating a great working environment. He’s also brought in Brant Miller for mornings which has been a great addition to our staff.

Our Program Director, Michael La Crosse, has to be one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met…and that’s been pretty inspiring. He makes a point of coming out to some of our appearances and talking with the listeners that show up…he has a desire to take them from just “listeners” to making them “fans”.

I’ve got two features that take some work preparing every day but it’s been fun doing the research…you won’t believe this Rick, but I’m now smarter than I ever have been. One feature is the Greg Brown Beatle Break at 4:35pm and the other is the Greg Brown School of Musicology at 6:35pm every day. Maybe you could take some time away from all of your book signings and listen.


*****************


JENNIFER KEIPER

Jennifer was the News Director at WLS when I interviewed her last year, but was part of the recent cutbacks there. She landed on her feet quickly, and is now working at Fox News Radio.

Rick: Were you a little surprised that WLS made such severe cuts to their news department?

Jennifer: Yes, I was surprised that the WLS newsroom was cut in half. Before the decision was announced, there were indications that news was supported by the higher-ups. Bill, Jim, John, Ryan, David and I were making great progress in covering more news; we started a fantastic public affairs show and had just secured media space in the state capitol.

Jim, John, and Ryan have been in a difficult spot and are doing a great job.

Rick: Tell us about your new job and where we can hear you now.

Jennifer: I have been hired by Fox News Radio as their midwest correspondent. It is a great opportunity to cover big stories across the midwest while maintaining my ties to Chicago. I can be heard on WIND-AM in Chicago and hundreds of other stations across the country. My family in Pennsylvania jokes that, after 18 years in the business, they'll finally be able to hear me.


******************


PHIL MANICKI


Phil was the afternoon man at the Drive when I interviewed him last year. He's now doing nights and I asked him recently how things were going with the new shift...


Phil: The biggest change in doing the night shift for me is not seeing my buddy Bob Stroud every day. That, and having to hurry home for last call. But seriously, it's got to be not being at the station during normal business hours (and not seeing the bosses, either).

That along with the one day delay that sometimes happens with correspondences is probably the biggest change. It necessitates better planning on my part. On the plus side, there are a couple of new features that I get to share:

THE DRIVE'S LONG ONE @ 9

It's a nightly celebration of the long song...anything over 6:30 is eligible, and while Led Zeppelin, Yes and Pink Floyd are core artists, I get to stretch out with cool "OH WOW" songs from Iron Butterfly, Robin Trower, King Crimson and Jeff Beck to name a few.

THE DRIVE'S THURSDAY ARTIST PORTRAIT GRAND FINALE

Every Thursday, we spotlight a group or artist (sometimes 2 artists) throughout the day, and in the 11:00 pm hour, I get to wrap up the feature with an hour's long fireworks display-like grand finale.


*******************



Cara Carriveau is a personality on WTMX Radio, but she does so much more than that. When I interviewed her last year, she was just getting her Cara's Basement podcast started. I even appeared as a guest on that show last summer (photo). I recently caught up with her and asked her if she would mind updating her Chicago Radio Spotlight interview...




Cara: First, thanks for the original interview. It's always fun to chat with you.

At the time of that interview I had just begun to work part time at 101.9 WTMX in Chicago. You can hear me on The Mix quite bit - view my on-air schedule at www.myspace.com/caracarriveau.

I had just started my podcast Cara's Basement when we last spoke - wow, has it grown! I've interviewed Linkin Park, JY from Styx, Rik Emmett from Triumph, Stephen Pearcy from RATT, Mick Jones from Foreigner and many other fascinating entertainers (including an author named Rick Kaempfer). Some big names are on tap for future episodes and I'm also interviewing up & coming artists because I think it's fun to talk with people working towards their dreams and it's great exposure for them. Cara's Basement is now featured on 1Club.fm, a popular music portal online. I also do artist interviews for The Chicago Music Guide - I've interviewed Alanis Morissette, Against Me!, Ankla, Taylor Dayne and many others for them.

Besides my own podcast, I also co-host my husband Bill Busch's podcast Fitness From The Inside Out. My voiceover business Cara Communications is keeping me busy - besides voicing a ton of phone systems worldwide, commercials & narrations I now do radio station imaging including rocker WIHN in Bloomington, Illinois. I'm a member of the NBC5 Street Team, a select group of bloggers/podcasters in Chicago. I've definitely embraced new media - you can find me all over the internet - youtube, twitter, facebook, myspace, etc. and I've taught myself html so I'm doing all of my own websites. You can often find me emceeing charity concerts throughout Chicago - I have one coming up at the Double Door July 5. A few other broadcasting projects are in the works that I can't divulge details about yet, but I will say that I'm very excited!

The biggest accomplishment in the past few years, though, has been the remarkable experience of raising my kids. I've been able to chaperone school events for my daughter which I never could co when I worked fulltime. My son Sam is now 3 and is such a joy to be around. As busy as I am with my own projects, my husband and children are by far my top priority.