Cubs Get Student out of Midterm

If you were a professor and you had a midterm scheduled for the same day as the Cubs wildcard game...and one of your students said they had tickets for the game in Pittsburgh, would you let the student go?

I would.

So did this professor at my alma mater.

GM of the Year

Congratulations to Tom Langmyer. The former WGN GM is now up in Milwaukee and was named General Manager of the Year at last week's NAB. Details are here at Radio Online.

Sometimes you just can't reason with a bear

She is doing her best to use rational arguments to convince the bear not to eat her kayak, and you'll never believe this, but the bear doesn't seem to care. I couldn't stop watching this for some reason...

Kathy Voltmer

My latest Illinois Entertainer column has been posted. This month I interviewed the Drive's morning news anchor Kathy Voltmer.

You can read it here.

Marconi Awards

The Marconi Awards are probably the most prestigious in all of radio. They are given out by the National Association of Broadcasters for excellence in broadcasting. Last night at the NAB convention, they awarded best rock station in America to Chicago's very own "The Drive" and major market personality of the year was given to WTMX's Eric and Kathy.

Congrats to both of them. Well deserved.

Another Senseless Gun Rampage

The president asked us to look up these stats in his angry response yesterday. I totally get why he's angry...

Babe's Called Shot

October 1, 1932

The most famous moment in Wrigley Field history occurred on this date. Or did it?

It was Game 3 of the World Series. The Yankees had won the first two at Yankee Stadium. Soon-to-be President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (sitting next to Chicago mayor Anton Cermak) threw out the first pitch. In the stands; a young boy named John Paul Stevens, who would go on to become a Supreme Court Justice.

The 1932 Yankees were a riled up team who hated the Cubs for dissing one of their former teammates. Mark Koenig had replaced Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges during the season after Jurges was shot by a fan. Despite hitting .353 during the season and saving the hides of the Cubs, the players voted not to give him a full World Series share. This really angered the Yankees, especially their emotional leader Babe Ruth.

He was ticked off and let the Cubs know it in no uncertain terms.

Did Babe Ruth really call the shot? Almost certainly not. The writers said he did, and he played along with it, but he also privately acknowledged that he never would have done that to Charlie Root who was known as a ruthless headhunter. Charlie swore to his dying day that Babe did not call the shot.

According to the Cubs players, Ruth was being taunted by the Cubs dugout (who should have had their heads examined after they already ticked off the Babe). Ruth was more than likely pointing at the dugout, gesturing that he still had one strike left. That may have looked to the writers like he was calling his shot. Plus, the writers said he pointing to left–but he hit nearly all of his homers to right, and the actual homer went to deep centerfield…an unusual location for a homer by the Babe. The called shot is probably nothing more than a legend.

Nevertheless, part of the legend is true. He did homer. And Gehrig homered right after that. And they both homered again later in the game.

The 1932 World Series was a 4-game pummeling. But as famous as that supposed “called shot” was, Babe Ruth was not even the player of the series. Lou Gehrig hit .529, and would have been named the MVP if they had such an honor in those days.

Wrigley Rooftops Lawsuit Dismissed

Instead of continuing with the needless debates about the rooftops, a judge read the actual clause pertaining to the rooftop views...

"The Cubs shall not erect windscreens or other barriers to obstruct the views of the Rooftops, provided however that temporary items such as banners, flags, and decorations for special occasions, shall not be considered as having been erected to obstruct views of the Rooftops. Any expansion of Wrigley Field approved by governmental authorities shall not be a violation of this Agreement, including this section."

...and ruled the obvious. The authorities approved the video boards. It is clearly part of a Wrigley expansion. Case dismissed. Go try to steal someone else's product and charge for it.

Crains has the full story, if you are interested.

Dickey Demise

Robert Feder examines the demise of Cumulus' Dickey brothers in his column today, and I think this paragraph sums it up beautifully...

Not one of the many radio executives I spoke to here lamented the demise of the Dickeys. Most said their overthrow was long overdue. Based on the misguided management, programming and personnel moves they made in practically every major market they ran, it’s easy to understand the air of schadenfraude. In short, these guys weren’t just bad for their company. They were bad for radio.

Yes, yes, yes. Amen.

Maywood & Balmoral Are Closing Down

From NPR's Morning Edition...

Illinois' racing board is taking a gamble in an attempt to save the beleaguered industry. Two historic Illinois tracks will hold no races next year, a decision that could lead to their permanent closure. The decision by Illinois' 11-member racing board was unanimous: no horses will run at Balmoral and Maywood parks in 2016.

That's a bummer. Not quite sure I understand how closing tracks will save the industry, but okey doke. It's obviously been awhile since I was there. Around 20 years or so...

First Nude First Lady?

Considering all the press that Donald Trump has gotten, it's a little odd that his wife has not received very much press at all. That's probably be because she's never at his events, and Donald has kept her out of the public eye since he announced.

This Washington Post piece takes a closer look at Melania. I learned a few things about her that I didn't know. She's Slovenian...so she would be the first foreign-born First Lady in more than 200 years. She and Donald have a 9-year-old son. (And I thought I was an old dad). And, when she was a super model, she posed nude for a magazine.

Don't need to do a ton of research to figure out if she would be the first First Lady to do that.

Florida Roller Rink, 1972

Not sure why these photos slightly terrified me, but they did. A photographer found pictures that he took at a Florida roller rink in 1972 and they definitely paint a picture of a time and place...

I was only 9 in 1972, and I went to a roller rink or two, but whoo boy do I remember it differently. I'm hoping it's just a Florida thing, and not a 1972 thing. (Although, I must admit, I did own a pair of those pants on the right)

Chicago Radio Ratings

Courtesy of Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago – A lead change brings iHeart’s urban AC “V103” WVAZ back to the top, 5.8-5.3-5.7. Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” is now running second, 5.0-5.6-5.4, just a beat ahead of CBS Radio’s all-news/Cubs baseball WBBM/780 (4.7-4.4.6-5.3). Mostly-simulcast WCFS/105.9 keeps the news ticker going during baseball, and it’s up 2.2-2.1-2.3. Fourth is iHeart’s top 40 “Kiss 103.5” WKSC (3.9-3.8-4.0) – and it’s also the cume leader at just over 2.2 million. Fifth place in share is iHeart-owned urban WGCI, 3.8-3.7-3.7.

It Doesn't Pay to Be a Dickey

From this morning's Radio Ink...

In a major management shakeup following weeks of speculation, Cumulus Media has replaced longtime CEO Lew Dickey with board member and veteran magazine publishing executive Mary Berner, effective October 13. Dickey, the company’s founder, will become vice-chairman and continue as a director. Dickey’s brother John, executive VP of content and programming, has exited his position at the company. Senior VP of content & programming Mike McVay will be taking over his responsibilities while the company looks for a replacement.

Imagine how bad Cumulus' current condition is for the founder of the company to be replaced like this. Dickey basically made the exact same mistakes that were made about twenty years ago when deregulation initially happened. He got too big, took on too much debt, cut places that shouldn't (or couldn't) be cut, while lining his own pockets in the process. At least that first bunch of guys didn't realize how badly they were damaging the business, and a few of them even regret it. Dickey did these things KNOWING what would happen. In my mind, that's even worse.

My new favorite college

Hampshire College in Massachusetts stopped taking applicants test scores. This is what they do instead...

In our admissions, we review an applicant's whole academic and lived experience. We consider an applicant's ability to present themselves in essays and interviews, review their recommendations from mentors, and assess factors such as their community engagement and entrepreneurism. And yes, we look closely at high school academic records, though in an unconventional manner. We look for an overarching narrative that shows motivation, discipline, and the capacity for self-reflection. We look at grade point average (GPA) as a measure of performance over a range of courses and time, distinct from a one-test-on-one-day SAT/ACT score

So what happened after they instituted this plan? US News and World report banned them from their list and they received fewer applicants. However, they got better applicants, and a much more diverse pool of applicants.

It still wouldn't help my kids ("Write an essay? Awww, c'mon"), but I think it does a better job of identifying truly great candidates.

Tee Hee

Thanks to "DM" for this one. I did chuckle...

Trevor Noah's Debut

Footgolfing

Had a great time footgolfing yesterday. It was a fundraiser for Green White Soccer Club, and Eckhartz Press sponsored a hole. If you've never tried footgolfing before, you really should. It's a riot...

Around the Publishing World (September 28)

We stay on top of happenings/trends in the publishing world to help out busy writers who are spending their time doing what they should be doing: writing.


1. 11 things a writer should never say
Suzanne Brazil is a published writer and she has some excellent tips on her blog about what NOT to say. Good for those of you staring a blank page, or those of you actively promoting a book.

2. The downside of Linked-In for women
We always tell our authors that promoting yourself on LinkedIn is essential for getting the word out about your book. If you're a woman, however, there are a few things you must keep in mind. This article gives you some excellent advice.

3. The Plot Twist: E-Book Sales Slip, and Print Is Far From Dead
Well lookee here. The New York Times has a piece about an unexpected development in the publishing world. Just when it seemed like e-books were taking over, the new stats came out, and dead-tree books are making a comeback.

4. Publishers are screwed. Google is really screwed. Consumers win. Apple really wins
Can you guess why this headline caught our eye? It's really an article about ad-blockers on mobile devices, but it's fascinating nonetheless.

Daily Show Reboot

The new Daily Show kicks off tonight, and Viacom is going big to promote it. The show, now hosted by Trevor Noah, will air on Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, Nick at Nite, MTV2, CMT, TV Land, Centric, Logo, MTVU and VH1 Classic.

Julie DiCaro

Sometimes Twitter can be a very scary place. Just ask the Score's Julie DiCaro. Larz at Chicagoland Radio & Media has the details from Friday...

WSCR-AM/670 The Score daytime update anchor Julie DiCaro is not at work today. She made the decision to stay away due to threats made towards her on Twitter yesterday. As DiCaro has been sending out Twitter updates and reporting on-air updates about the constantly twisting and ever-changing Patrick Kane rape allegation situation, Internet trolls, who only want to hear good things about Kane, have attacked her. The attacks have become uglier in the last day. One Twitter idiot said DiCaro should be "hit in the head" and "killed." Another threatened her and places she frequents daily. As a former criminal and family law attorney, as well as a rape victim, DiCaro has been able to deliver incredibly intelligent and insightful commentary on the situation, not found elsewhere on the radio or online. Sadly, that doesn't stop the morons of the world from attacking her while behind a keyboard. Out of caution, steps are being taken to make sure some unstable person doesn't try to step away from the keyboard and do something even worse in person.

The Other Soccer Shoe Has Dropped

BREAKING: Swiss authorities open criminal proceedings against #FIFA President Sepp Blatter. http://t.co/LjVPW5Z9eH pic.twitter.com/0O05a5s4bJ

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) September 25, 2015

Trump to Meet with Roger Ailes

The latest feud between Donald Trump and Fox News is set to be resolved soon with a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Fox News boss Roger Ailes. From the Hollywood Reporter...

"Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes and Donald Trump spoke this morning and plan to have a meeting next week to discuss their differences of opinion regarding Fox's coverage of Mr. Trump's presidential campaign," reads the statement. "Ailes will be joined by senior Fox editorial executives. Mr. Trump believes he has been treated unfairly in certain instances. Fox News has held every candidate in this race to the highest journalistic standards throughout our coverage. We believe a candid meeting about our differences is required and that any misunderstandings can be handled without compromising those standards."

My guess is the spokesperson for Fox News used air quotes while dictating the "highest journalistic standards" portion of the memo. If they actually had those, they would have marginalized this birther monster years ago when he was spouting on about Obama not being born in this country. Instead they let him spout, unchallenged, as if what he was saying wasn't completely crazy.

You can put him on stage in a tuxedo and sing "Puttin' on the Ritz" with him, but don't blame the monster if someone lights a match, and he freaks out. You're the one who created him and put him on a stage he doesn't belong.

Zander Joins the Drive

Mark Zander is leaving his gig at MeTv to take a job doing weekends and fill-ins at the Drive.

Larz at Chicagolandradio & Media has the details.

I just did a story about Zander a few months ago for the Illinois Entertainer. Wishing him the best of luck in his new role.

As the Kane Turns

Another very weird twist in the Patrick Kane case yesterday. The victim's lawyer who held the press conference with the supposed "evidence bag" has resigned from the case because of that evidence bag.

Details are here.

The lawyer of a woman accusing Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane of sexual assault abruptly quit the case Thursday night, saying he's no longer comfortable representing the woman because of how her mother reported finding an evidence bag they believed once held the woman's rape kit. Thomas Eoannou told reporters on Thursday night that he doesn't believe the story he was told about how the bag was found. But he said he's still confident in the woman's allegations against Kane.

Wow. This is getting stranger and stranger.

Caring for the Downtrodden

Thanks to "BD" for this one...

Love This Pope

Thanks "MA" for alerting me to this one. The brilliant Mike Luckovic...

Hackers Release Pharma CEO's Personal Info

Remember the guy who jacked up the prices on life-saving drugs from $13.50 to $750 a pill? Well, computer hackers were just as outraged as you were...so they got his address and phone number and posted it.

On the one hand, I'm happy to see that "it's just business" or "I'm just a businessman" is no longer considered an acceptable excuse for such clearly immoral behavior. On the other hand, I'm not comfortable giving out his personal information, so there's no link provided here.

Consider my reaction Schadenfreude-lite.

It should be noted that after getting publicly lambasted for his incredible soul-sucking greed, he has lowered the price to ONLY $1050 for 30 pills. Still greedy, but better.

What happened to German America?

Good piece in the New York Times about my people, the German-Americans. Though there are more German-Americans than any other ethnic group, we have assimilated the most. Why? Well, it's pretty easy to understand, if you think about it. It all began with World War I...

In what is a largely forgotten chapter of American history, during the roughly 18 months of American involvement in the war, people with German roots were falsely accused of being spies or saboteurs; hundreds were interned or convicted of sedition on trumped-up charges, or for offenses as trivial as making critical comments about the war. More than 30 were killed by vigilantes and anti-German mobs; hundreds of others were beaten or tarred and feathered.

Even the German music of Beethoven and Brahms, which had been assumed to be immune to the hysteria, came under attack. “It is the music of conquest, the music of the storm, of disorder and devastation,” wrote The Los Angeles Times in June 1918. “It is a combination of the howl of the cave man and the roaring of the north winds.” Sheet music, along with books by German authors, was burned in public spectacles.

Not surprisingly, those who could hid their Germanic roots; some switched their names; many others canceled their subscriptions to German newspapers, which virtually disappeared. Whatever vestige of German America remained after the 1910s was wiped out by similar pressures during World War II, not to mention the shame that came with German identity after it.

When World War I began, one in every four Chicagoans was German. The Mayor pandered to this group so much, he was known as "Kaiser Bill". But during World War I, names were changed all over the city. Even the frankfurter could no longer be called that. It's been a hot dog ever since.

My family didn't come here until the 1950s, but being a German was not exactly a cool thing to be after World War II, which is why I rebelled against it so strongly (much to the chagrin and disappointment of my father). Ironically, when we moved back to Germany, I had assimilated so much, the Germans didn't consider me German.

Knowing this history is one of the reasons why I always cringe when someone rips an entire nationality for something, or blames them for our problems--whether it's Arabs or Mexicans or insert nationality here.

Try to be a little more thin-skinned

Here is a guy who refuses to apologize for anything he's ever said or done (and he's said and/or done many things that warrant apologies), and his luxurious orange-leather skin looks pretty thick at first glance, but wow is Donald Trump a little baby when he gets criticized. He said he would boycott Fox because they were booking guests that were being "unfair to him".

Wow. What a tough guy. "Mommy, they're being meanies--tell them they have to be nice to me."

And now, he wants the FCC to fine a Fox News pundit who said "Carly cut Trump's balls off at the debate."

"Mommy, that's super duper mean. Tell him to stop being super-duper mean."

I think I have only agreed with Rich Lowry two or three times over the past thirty years, but he totally nailed it with his tweet last night...

.@realDonaldTrump man, you can dish it out but you REALLY, REALLY can't take it

— Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) September 24, 2015

Bob Marley's Dog

Thanks "DM" for this one...

Colbert's Trump Interview

I didn't see watch it last night (I was watching and rewatching Cubs highlights), but the Atlantic reviewed Colbert's interview with Trump.

They panned it. Pretty strongly.

Had the Trump interview occurred on The Colbert Report, it would have been—or, well, it could have been—quite a match-up. Two blowhards, blowing hard against each other! But, of course, it wasn’t the character “Stephen Colbert” who conducted last night’s interview. It was Stephen Colbert, the affable late-night host. And that Stephen Colbert—the funny one, the charming one, the complicated one, the one who needs to keep booking politicians for his show—seemed unable to stand up to a man whose response, when asked whether there’s anything at all he would like to apologize for, is a simple “no.”

The Last Years of Ernie Banks

This article is a great read. Highly recommended.

Ron Rappaport making Ernie a little more three-dimensional.

Sad, profound, and wonderfully written.

"Happy Birthday to You" won't cost you anymore

The copyright holders to the song "Happy Birthday to You" have been raking in a cool $2 million a year since they purchased it in the 80s, and began aggressively targeting anyone who used it. If you think that's a song that should be in the public domain, you aren't alone. A group of filmmakers banded together to sue, and they won.

It will soon be in the public domain where it belongs. The tune, by the way, was written in 1893.

Not a Good Moment

The anchor was saying all the right things about Yom Kippur, but the graphic department was way off. That's the Nazi "jew" badge on a death camp uniform. Not good. I'm guessing someone is in deep deep doo doo over this one.

Sooo.. someone's getting fired at WGN... pic.twitter.com/SrSt8arVCa

— Mikaela (@mikaelajannae) September 23, 2015

Brian Williams

Brian Williams returned to the airwaves yesterday on MSNBC and was anchoring the arrival of Pope Francis. I know he sinned against journalism, and that's the reason for his banishment to cable news, but I was so happy to watch him yesterday. The guy is incredibly talented in that role. Poised, witty, informative. He's simply better at this than anyone else on TV.

As a media critic I'm supposed to be mad at him forever for his indiscretions, but I just can't do it.

I feel a little bit like the 35-year-old me who cheered Sammy's homers. I knew it wasn't right, but did you see how far he hit that ball?

Farm Aid Anniversary

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the original Farm Aid concert in Champaign Urbana. I spent yesterday conducting a futile search, because somewhere deep in my pile of radio shows I have a tape of myself working as the backstage anchor for the exclusive local radio broadcast. It was an honor (and a great time) because I got to meet all of the acts, including people like Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Randy Newman, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Don Henley, and more. (It seems like everyone was there that day).

30 years have fuzzied my memories a bit, but here are a few things I recall from that day...

*One rock star (I won't say who...but it's one of the guys listed above) was totally bombed--and I met him there well before noon. Another one (also on this list) was accompanied by a very young lady...she was younger than me, and I was 22 at the time. She was not his daughter.

*During one live report, the anchors back in the studio asked me who was on stage at that moment, and I made a joke about the star power and charisma of country singer Vern Gosdin. Got a hate letter for that one. The only hate letter I ever received during my twenty-plus year radio career. Learned a valuable lesson that day. Know your audience. We were working in tandem with the Nashville Network--who had exclusive television rights to the concert--and those people loved Vern Gosdin.

*This was the first time that Sammy Hagar and Eddie Van Halen ever played together on stage. Sammy had not yet joined the band. And when he introduced his song "I can't drive 55", he said..."This is for all you tractor-pullin MFers". I thought the farmers would be insulted, but they loved it.

*The most surprising performance came from John Denver. When he sang "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the place was up for grabs. I don't know if you can tell from this video, but Memorial Stadium was literally rocking and shaking during this song because people were stomping their feet and clapping their hands. I remember thinking..."Am I really doing this to John Denver?"



*But the most moving performance came from Neil Young. It was dark by the time he got on stage, and the crowd hushed when he pulled out his accoustic guitar. Lighters lit the stadium as he sang "Old Man". Everyone swayed back and forth holding their lighters, singing along to the song. I swear I had goosebumps on my arms. What a moment. What a performer. Every time I hear that song to this day, I think about that night in Champaign.

The most important memory for me, though, has nothing to do with the concert, really. I scored tickets to the show for my Uncle Marty who came down from Chicago to see it with a buddy of his. He was excited to hear me on the radio. It was the only time he ever heard me, because Marty passed away from a heart condition the following year at the age of 36.

His son Derek was only 4 years old at the time. Derek is a dad himself now, and is struggling with another horrible medical issue--his two-year-old boy has an incredibly aggressive form of cancer. Just as I felt helpless to help Derek when he was a little boy (I was over there a lot during those first few years--but I know it wasn't enough), I feel helpless now because I don't know what I can do to help his son Caleb (or Derek for that matter--I can't even imagine what he's going through).

So, yesterday was sort of a weird journey for me. It began with fond memories, continued with lots of smiles as I watched the performances on YouTube (Johnny Cash was there? How did I miss that?), and it ended with a sense of melancholy. I'll be saying a prayer for Uncle Marty and little Caleb again today.

(Thanks to Farm Aid for retweeting my tweet)...

@RickKaempfer Thank you for sharing! What a day...

— Farm Aid (@FarmAid) September 23, 2015

RIP Yogi Berra

Yogi passed away yesterday at the age of 90. One of the all-time greats...



Here's a gem from the archives. Go to the 19 minute mark to see him...

Perspective

Have you heard about this story?

Converting Condos to Rentals

This is an interesting new trend in Chicago. Rentals are hot. Condos are not. So...some condo buildings are combining forces to sell their entire building for re-conversion.

The story is here in Crains.

This made me chuckle

Thanks "OG" for pointing it out...

Oldest Footage of Chicago

Social Media Day

Last night the Cubs did something called "social media day". Every time the Cubs batted, they showed a scroll of tweets from Cubs fans. Around the 7th inning, mine made the scroll. I was surprised how many people I know were also watching--because I got a ton of texts and e-mails.

I think it's because this team is just plain fun to watch.

Who doesn't love this team? #americasteam #cubssocial

— Rick Kaempfer (@RickKaempfer) September 22, 2015

Migrant Crisis in Croatia

Brent Petersen is the author of the Eckhartz Press book "Truffle Hunt", which takes place primarily in Croatia in the aftermath of the Balkan War. He wrote a blog post today about the current crisis facing Croatia, and how it compares to previous ones.

It's here, if you're interested in an expert's take.

The Latest on Patrick Kane Case

I've been following the Patrick Kane case with a sense of dread. Honestly, it's put a stink on the whole Blackhawks dynasty to me. I should be happy that allegedly no DNA evidence against Patrick Kane was found in the rape kit, according to this article in the Buffalo News, but I'm not. My gut feeling tells me something really happened that night. I hope I'm wrong.

LATE UPDATE: The newest twist and turn involves the attorney for the alleged victim reporting that the rape kit was left at her mother's front door last night. What in the world?

Landeckers at the Emmy's

Look who was at the Emmy's last night... John Landecker​ and his daugher Amy.

Amy's show "Transparent" won a few...

America's Team

Don't look now, but guess which team is leading the league in road attendance?

It's a certain blue and red team that rhymes with Clubs.

The story is here.

Cumulus is in Trouble

Cumulus is the second biggest radio company in the country, and they have had a very bad run on Wall Street recently. On Friday they may have reached new lows. From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Cumulus stock falls below the $1 mark. We’ve been chronicling the successive new six-year lows, but Friday crossed an important line – the $1-per-share mark. The 14-cent one-day loss drops “CMLS” to a close of 96 cents a share. Last week’s downgrades by Moody’s Investors Service may have been one precipitating factor, and a Wall Street observer tells NOW that “Moody’s doesn’t usually just whack you with a big downgrade. Once Moody’s gives you one of those, more may be coming.” For now, Moody’s calls Cumulus “stable,” after the downgrade in its “corporate family rating” from B2 to B3, and the secured credit facilities being nicked from B1 to B2. There’s also the spreading story about non-executive Chairman Jeff Marcus making station visits (almost unprecedented for somebody in that position) and newly-named board member Mary Berner having sit-down meetings with internal executives. That kind of contact by a board member with senior executives below the level of CEO/President Lew Dickey and EVP John Dickey is highly unusual. Friday’s strong negative trading in “CMLS” came on more than triple the usual volume – and is almost as bad a day as July 1, 2009 was, during the Great Recession. That day, Cumulus was in free fall, opening at 90 cents, sinking to 45 cents and closing at 63 cents. What will today bring for Cumulus, now at 96 cents? At that level, its market cap is only about 225 million. Just seven months ago, “CMLS” was trading at $4.51 a share.

What does this mean for employees of Cumulus stations? If history is a guide, look for more cuts. It may seem like that's not even possible anymore at this point, but don't underestimate the desperation of a debt-laden company with a low performing stock.

Bill Cosby

If you missed A&E's special about Bill Cosby and all the accusations, the Washington Post has a good piece today about the special, and offers behind the scenes explanations of aesthetic choices made by the producers.

Jimmy Carter

When I grow up, I want to be just like Jimmy Carter. Riddled with inoperable cancer at 90, he still goes to the baseball game with his best girl, and when the kiss cam finds him--he smooches the woman he's loved for 70 years.

He may or may not have been a great president, but he has certainly proven in his post-presidency that he is a good man.

Former President Jimmy Carter caught on Kiss Cam at @Braves game: http://t.co/jAWC9LH3Db (photo from Braves) pic.twitter.com/VutpHTrDw6

— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) September 18, 2015

FCC Changes Contest Rules

You know this annoying 30 second disclaimers that explain radio contest rules in excruciating detail? Good news. The FCC is now (finally) going to allow those rules to be put on-line. From today's RAMP newsletter...

Those forward-thinking folks at the FCC have taken those old fashioned sepia-tone radio contest rules and colorized them for the digital age, a move that now allows broadcasters to post contest rules online as a terrific alternative to the way it's been done for nearly 40 years -- boring people to death by broadcasting them over the air. In making the big announcement, someone at the FCC said, "Adopted in 1976, the Contest Rule requires broadcasters to disclose important contest information fully and accurately, and to conduct contests substantially as announced. Today's rule change preserves these requirements, but modernizes how broadcast stations can meet their disclosure obligation by announcing their contest terms over the air or by posting that information on an Internet website. The Order also adopts related implementing rules, including the requirement that broadcasters periodically announce over the air the website address where their contest rules can be found."

Hang on... there's more -- the statement goes on to explain, "The FCC began this rulemaking in response to the dramatic changes that have occurred in the way Americans obtain information since the Contest Rule was adopted almost four decades ago. The rule changes give broadcast stations more flexibility in the way they comply with the Contest Rule, and give consumers a more convenient way to obtain contest information normally aired through television and radio advertisements."

RIP Milo Hamilton

He passed away yesterday at the age of 88. Here's his write up in Every Cub Ever at Just One Bad Century...

~Milo Hamilton 1927 (Cubs announcer 1955-1957, 1980-1982)
Milo is a Hall of Fame baseball announcer. As a young broadcaster he worked for the Cubs alongside Vince Lloyd, but was moved out of the booth when Lou Boudreau became available. He went on to broadcast for many other teams including the White Sox, Braves and Pirates. (Milo, of course, is most famous for his call of Hank Aaron's 715th home run) He came back to the Cubs in 1980, and at first enjoyed it. He was promised Brickhouse's job when Jack retired, but when that time actually came, Harry Caray was brought in instead. Milo couldn't stand Harry Caray. In his autobiography, he explained why...

*After Harry left the White Sox to take over the Cubs job, he talked to Milo. Harry told him "Well, kid, if I were you, I'd leave town."
*Milo didn't like the way he broadcasted. "He rode the managers, he rode the players, it didn't matter. He treated everyone the same way. In short, he was a miserable human being."
*When Milo was hospitalized for leukemia in 1982, Harry responded on the air that he "Couldn't understand how a guy can take time off during the season. Unlike some other broadcasters I know, I've never missed a game

Milo took Harry's advice and left town. He landed in Houston and broadcast games there until his retirement in 2012. Milo passed away on September 17, 2015 at the age of 88.

The Boys Are So Proud of Dad

Last night was back to school night at the high school. My son gave me his schedule scribbled on a post-it note and I went to all of his classrooms. The last class was labeled "Lit". I sat down expecting a discussion of literature, but found out it's actually a class about "media analysis".

When I got home I said to him: "Media Analysis? Why didn't you tell me you had a class about that?"

"Why would I?"

"Do you have any idea what I've been writing about for the past 15 years?"

He shook his head and said "No, what?"

(Sigh)

I really am just the guy who puts the food on the table every night. Wait until he finds out the teacher asked me to speak to the class. He's going to be horrified.

George Costanza's Favorite Writer Gets Pink Slip

Yesterday I told you that the LA Times and other Tribune properties were making massive cuts to their editorial staff. Today it's the New York Daily News.

Would you believe they fired Mike Lupica?

George Costanza has to be heartbroken. This is one of my all-time favorite Seinfeld scenes...

Mr. Lippman: Who do you read?

George: I like Mike Lupica.

Mr. Lippman: Mike Lupica?

George: He’s a sports writer for the Daily News. I find him very insightful…

Mr. Lippman: No, no, no. I mean authors.

George: Lot of good ones…lot of good ones. Uh, I-I don’t even want to mention anyone because I’m afraid I’m going to leave somebody out.

Mr. Lippman: Name a couple.

George: W-Who do I like? I like, uh…Art…Vandelay.

Mr. Lippman: Art Vandelay?

George: He’s an obscure writer. Beatnik, from the village.

Mr. Lippman: What’s he written?

George: …Venetian Blinds.

Radio With Pictures

I've been hearing Frank Settapani for years. Now I can see him too...

You can watch CBS Radio News on a smartphone, tablet or computer. You can even watch it on a TV through a media receiver such as a Roku or Apple TV device. Unlike NBC's CNBC and MSNBC properties, until now CBS never developed a full-time cable TV-like news channel. But CBSN puts the news division back in the game, delivering content to multiple platforms and to audiences who are mobile, sitting at desks or in front of TVs.

Paper Cuts

I don't like the sound of this, but I'm not surprised. The LA Times is about to make HUGE cuts to editorial staff, and this article implies the rest of the Tribune empire will face the same. I know it was inevitable when they seperated the newspaper portion of the business from Tribune media, but as someone who actually enjoys getting reliable information, I'm not happy about it.

Matt Damon Backlash

In this latest season of Project Greenlight, which debuted last weekend on HBO, Matt Damon made a comment to one of the other judges (an African-American) about diversity. It did not go over well. I must admit, it made me a little uncomfortable when I saw it initially. It's not so much what he said--it was more the tone he used when he said it--and who he said it to.

The Washington Post has the whole story if you're interested.

AC/DC

Sean loved the AC/DC show. He was one of only a few kids in the place and kept getting high fives from the grown ups.

"Rock on little dude!"

At one point we were in line for refreshments and a new song started. He yanked me out of line with a frantic "Dad! It's Hells Bells!" The line cheered for him.

"Rock on little dude!"

What's Missing in This Picture?

We talked to all the titans of late-night television, and found out why it's better than ever http://t.co/pIG1c7wSs1 pic.twitter.com/p8EgyB5jva

— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) September 14, 2015

No women. Not one. Not good.

I know who this is

Cryptic story in today's Tom Taylor NOW column. I didn't submit it--I never heard this story about the receptionist--but I knew immediately who it was about...

A NOW reader says “Please don’t use either the market or my name, but Monday’s ‘You Can’t Make This Up’ story about the so-called ‘Combustible Boss’ reminds me of a now-dead major-market GM. He was known to be a real bad guy. No one really wanted to work for him, but it came with the job territory. He was so ill-tempered that when you walked in the hallway near his corner office, you lowered your tone of voice so he wouldn't know you were there. One day I was in with him for a review, and with his door open to where his receptionist sat, he referred to her as a – well, a really disrespectful four-letter word for a woman, preceded by a seven-letter gerund. (That’s a noun made out of a verb, by adding ‘ing’ to the end, if you don’t remember your English grammar.) This GM didn’t care if she heard him, and it was disgusting. Eventually, he retired and moved to Florida. As fate would have it, soon afterward he suffered a heart attack and died. A memorial service was held for him back in the market where we all worked for him, and I was surprised that as many as two dozen people showed up. The joke was, they just wanted to make sure the SOB was really dead.”

I have my own story about him. He took me out to lunch at a fancy restaurant once to thank me for all I'd done for him (I produced a show on his radio station). He was in the midst of telling me what a pussycat he really was--"don't believe the stories you've heard, I can be a very nice and charming man, my door is always open"--when the food arrived. He took one bite, slammed down the fork and screamed at the waiter at the top of his lungs. "You brought me cold food! Take it back!" I thought the timing of the outburst was so funny, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. He did not laugh with me. I used that real life scene in my novel $everance. Reality can be funnier than fiction. I used one more quote from him in the book too. He used to say "I'll never stab you in the back...Because I like to stab people in the front." I wrote a parody song for him at his farewell party and I used that line and he LOVED it.

Maybe it's just time smoothing over the rough edges (like the time he grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me out of the studio during the show), but I actually have some fond memories of the guy. I think he even liked me.

More on the Taylor Swift Lawsuit

Yesterday I told you about the Denver disc jockey who is suing Taylor Swift for getting him fired because he allegedly grabbed her bottom during a VIP photo shoot. Today, new details emerged via Radio Ink...

Mueller appears to blame the entire incident on current KYGO program director Eddie Haskell. Mueller claims that Haskell told him, after getting his picture taken, that Taylor Swift gave him a big hug. "He described and demonstrated how he had put his arms around her, hands on bottom, and then explained that he and one of his friends in the industry think Ms. Swift must wear bicycle shorts under her outfits."

Trump v Trump

Rosh Hashanah

Got a chuckle out of this one. Thanks to "PH" for sending it...

Eric & Kathy

They held their annual radiothon last week and raised an absolutely astonishing total for Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital: $1,316,404

As someone who was involved in several radio-thons and fundraisers, I can tell you that is an incredible achievement. Eric and Kathy have some pretty special listeners.

Lawsuit about Taylor Swift's bottom

I've been in situations like this many times, and I do find it hard to believe the guy really tried to grab her, but I guess that is now something for the courts to decide. From today's Radio Online...

Former KYGO-FM/Denver air talent David Mueller (aka Jackson) has filed suit in U.S. District Court against Taylor Swift seeking lost wages for getting him fired after Swift allegedly claimed that he lifted her skirt and grabbed her bottom during a VIP meet and greet before her concert in June, 2013. Shortly after the alleged incident, Mueller and co-worker Shannon Melcher were removed from the concert grounds. Then, the lawsuit said, Swift's management team contacted station management and had him fired.

"The contention that Mr. Mueller lifted up Ms. Swift's skirt and grabbed her bottom, while standing with his girlfriend, in front of Ms. Swift's photographer and Ms. Swift's highly trained security personnel, during a company sponsored, VIP, backstage meet-and-greet, is nonsense, particularly given that Ms. Swift's skirt is in place and is not being lifted by Mr. Mueller's hand in the photograph," the lawsuit said.

Mueller maintains he never inappropriately touched Swift and that the photo that was described as "damning" by Swift's managers, is anything but.

In "the photograph, Ms. Swift is smiling and hugging Ms. Melcher. Although Mr. Mueller's hand is behind Ms. Swift and therefore not visible, it is clear that her skirt is in place and is not being lifted by Mr. Mueller's hand," said the lawsuit. "Similarly, Ms. Swift's hand is behind Mr. Mueller and therefore not visible."

Oktoberfest ist Hier!

I pulled out the lederhosen on Saturday night for Oktoberfest in Lincoln Square. Here I am with my sister Cindy. It's a little blurry because I think the photographer was a little blurry at the time. :)

RIP Gary Richrath

The lead guitarist from REO Speedwagon Gary Richrath has passed away at the age of 65. He was kicked out of the band many years ago while he was struggling with alcoholism, but they did reunite for one night in 2013. (The video of that appearance is at the link...and it's really hard to watch. He looked terrible--although he could still play).

I prefer to remember him this way, jamming on my favorite REO song...

Car Guys

Last week I posted a link to a Washington Post article about the demise of the 'Car Culture'. (The original post is here). The gist of the piece is that it's an "old guy" thing now. Marc Vernon is a regular reader who disagrees, and he sent me this response to that piece...

My thoughts on the Car Culture article from the Washington Post (which the Tribune picked up last week as well).

Coming from the perspective of a true car guy, one that has six collector cars and being over 50 with grey hair and all, I'm not exactly one of the 'old farts' they talk about and that I do see at shows and cruise nights, but I'm far from expiring any time soon, either.

The article touched on a lot of stuff not exactly related to 'car culture'. To me, the culture part is the love of the auto in all its forms, from styling and performance to heritage and lifestyle.

The demographics I see at car shows still run the gamut, from teenagers to octogenarians. Yes, there is some 'aging out' that is occurring in this hobby, but there are still a raft of younger enthusiasts coming up in the ranks. Case in point, I went to SuperCar Saturday last week in Bolingbrook and the average age of the hundreds if not thousands of people there was about 30-35 years old, with groups of high-schoolers running around like paparazzi taking photos of cars (with real cameras!) as they entered the show.

The younger set these days are into contemporary muscle cars like Mustangs, Camaros and Corvettes or exotics like Nissan GTRs, Lamborghinis and Porsches. Not exactly the chrome-laden, over-finned metal from the fifties, but the love of the automobile is still there. Afterall, all these cars still have four wheels, an engine, a steering wheel and seats.

Also, economically, it's not as easy to become a car guy at a young age, as the days of 'I bought my first hot rod for $50' are long gone but today's whippersnappers do what they can to enter the hobby as best they can.

So car culture is far from dead in the U.S.; it's just changing somewhat as everything does as time marches on and technology advances and tastes evolve. That's my one-minute take on the subject.

The Emmy's

On Saturday night they handed out Emmy Awards in 80 technical categories. HBO won 29 of them.

You can see the whole list here. This portion of the program will air on FXX next weekend, if you're interested.