Happy Holidays!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

I'll be back at the blogging desk in January.

Enjoy this classic from "Father Knows Nothing"...

Minutia Men, Episode 33

EP33 – Rick and Dave discuss the whipped cream shortage, sitcom doctors and dentists, a truly boozy flight, a 37-year-old rookie, and Rick’s brush with John Mahoney.

Listen to it here.

Penny Stock

How much financial trouble is Cumulus Broadcasting (owners locally of WLS-AM, WLS-FM, WLUP & WKQX) experiencing these days? Tom Taylor's NOW column explains...

It happened – Cumulus stock closed below $1 a share, less than three months after the one-for-eight reverse stock split that should’ve repaired the share-price problem. If “CMLS” continues to close below a buck a share, the NASDAQ exchange will shoot off another de-listing warning letter, and give it 180 days to work out the issue. Yesterday’s trading volume was much lighter than usual, during this holiday week. But even so, it was down two pennies to 98 cents. A couple of times it touched 95 cents a share.

That's very bad.

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

This is Everything that's Wrong with America

I think the headline speaks for itself: Suit: McDonald’s ‘Value Meal’ Costs More Than Buying Items Separately

From the CBS reporting: "James Gertie of Des Plaines tells The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald that bundling two cheeseburgers, medium french fries and a drink at $5.90 is 41 cents more than when individual items are purchased."

Seriously. What lawyer took this case? Why in the world is this being allowed to proceed?

Here's a tip, James Gertie. Buy the items seperately and save yourself 41 cents.

For cryin' out loud.

Robert Murphy out at WLS-FM

Another great is shown the door. Here's the saddest quote from the Robert Feder article about Robert Murphy's departure. It comes from Murphy himself...

“A lot went right, not sure what went wrong,” he said of his three-year run. “I did have some difficulty adjusting to what management wanted, and at times I was not really aware what indeed they did want. So I just tried to do good radio and hope for the best.”

I've been there before. Sounds like they had already made up their minds to go with a cheaper option, so they let him twist in the wind until his contract ran out.

I hate to see that. Especially with a talent like Robert Murphy.

2017's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Class

From Rolling Stone magazine...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year's inductees: Pearl Jam, Tupac Shakur, Journey, Yes, Electric Light Orchestra and Joan Baez will all join the class of 2017. Chic's Nile Rodgers will be given the Award For Musical Excellence.

Should be interesting to see if Steve Perry plays with Journey, or if Jon Anderson plays with Yes. Neither have been in the band now for many years, but both are undoubtedly remembered as the "voice" of those bands.

Cubs are #1

Not just in the standings. From the Chicago Tribune...

The Lovable Winners are ranked No. 1 in FanSided's inaugural Fandom 250, which ranks the 250 most rabid fan bases in sports, movies, music and even politics. Cubdom got the nod over "Star Wars," the science fiction movie franchise legendary for its fan devotion.

Around the Publishing World (December 20)

At Chicago Author Solutions (a division of Eckhartz Press), 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. Tips for Poets
Writer's Digest talked to a handful of published poets and got some good advice. My favorite is: "Don’t love everything. Hating certain types of poetry helps define your own aesthetic."

2. Tips for New Writers
These tips are provided from a PR perspective (PR Daily), but they are actually quite useful to all writers.

3. Tips for writing short stories
TIf you're a short story writer these are important things to consider before you send out your short stories to publishers. My favorite writing tip: "You need to know way more about your story than you tell to your readers." My favorite marketing tip: "Accept semi-pro payments as you build your name and career."

4. Tips for New Bloggers
As someone who has written a blog now for ten-plus years, I agree with all of the tips in this article.

Chicago Radio Ratings

From Tom Taylor's NOW column...

Chicago stories include the inevitable rise of iHeart’s hot AC/Christmas WLIT and the expect post-World Series hangover of CBS Radio’s sports “Score” WSCR. Just like last year, WLIT can’t quite catch CBS Radio’s news WBBM/WCFS for first place. The ’BBM combo’s steady (6.8-6.5-6.4) and stays #1, despite not being #1 in any discrete daypart. Second is WLIT (3.1-2.9-6.3), and it’s #1 from 10am through 3pm. Third is iHeart’s urban AC “V103” WVAZ (5.8-5.7-6.2, and #1 at nights and on weekends). Fourth is Hubbard’s hot AC “Mix” WTMX (4.9-5.3-5.4, and #1 mornings with Eric & Kathy). Fifth is Tribune’s talk WGN (4.3-4.0-4.2, and third in mornings). Further down, Hubbard began using the Seattle-based Brooke & Jubal morning show on AC WSHE as of November 14, and mornings were unchanged. Total-week WSHE is steady (2.4-2.6-2.7). Country radio’s closely watching the cage-match between CBS Radio’s revamped “US 99” WUSN (2.5-2.2-2.3) and iHeart’s “Big” WEBG (2.2-2.0-2.1). Cumulus talker WLS is basically flat during this election season (2.2-2.2-2.1). Top-cume station is iHeart’s top 40 “Kiss 103.5” WKSC at 2,218,200. In AQH share, it’s #6 (4.4-4.0-3.9).

2016 Wasn't a Bad Year for Everyone

It was great for the Cubs and Donald Trump.

Turns out, it was also great for Disney. They pulled in $7 Billion in movie box office sales alone, thanks to Rogue One, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory, Moana, Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which made its debut in December 2015.

SNL Says Bye to Obama

With a Run-DMC-style rap song with Chance the Rapper...

RIP Bob Coburn

He was a very famous disc jockey in Los Angeles (KLOS), but he was also known nationwide as the host of the rock and roll interview show "Rockline". Bob Coburn passed away yesterday at the age of 68.

SNL Skewers Trump

Vanity Fair Subscriptions Rise

Remember this tweet from last week?

Trump threatens magazine editor who published a critical review of Trump Grill https://t.co/SOVV61Z96E pic.twitter.com/KhJMM7IZew

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 15, 2016

Well, after that tweet, something really great happened. Vanity Fair got 13,000 new subscribers in one day!

That really makes me happy for some reason.

As the Sumner Turns

Sumner Redstone is stepping down from the Viacom board after their upcoming February meeting. This will mark the first time since 1987 (when he bought Viacom) that he will not have a say in the company.

Of course, he's essentially been medically unable to have a say for a while now, so this is more or less an acknowledgement of the obvious.

Sumner is 93 years old now.

Variety has the further details.

Bob & Marianne are back on the air

Bob Sirott returns to the call letters and frequency that made him famous, WLS-AM 890. He and his wife Marianne Murciano will be filling the 10-noon shift there every day--which moves Rush Limbaugh to Noon-3pm and Steve Dahl to 3-7pm.

Full details at Chicagoland Radio & Media.

Best News Bloopers 2016

Some great stuff here...

Ukrainian Chicago

You may noticed that the band Chicago is making a bit of a resurgence. They made the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. CNN is doing an hour long special about them. And their reach goes all the way to Ukraine. Check out this incredible cover of "25 or 6 to 4" by a Ukrainian band. It just reminds us how great Chicago was before Terry Kath died. This guitarist seems to be channeling him from beyond the grave.

Got an Hour to Kill?

Wanna watch every homer the Cubs hit in 2016? Me too.

The Return of Legitimate News

Facebook has enlisted real news organizations (like ABC News) to help them get rid of fake news.

It's a little late, but it's a good first step at reclaiming truth.

Another Sign FCC Chairman Will Be Missed

Radio group owners hated him.

Among the reasons given in this linked interview of radio group owners...

"He failed to take any action on multiple ownership, especially the newspaper cross-ownership rule or the radio market sub-caps."

"I don’t think that Chairman Wheeler has been proactive on behalf of broadcasters."

"Regulatory radio rules remain stagnant and out of date while new media industries around us continue to grow and thrive."

If I can translate for you, these guys believe the only way to improve their business is to buy more radio stations. The Chairman realized that isn't true. I'm with the chairman on this one. I also love the cracks in the article about how he played politics with the internet...by not allowing the telecom giants to gouge and create different internet lanes for the big boys. I'm with the chairman on that too.

They have it back now. The Wild Wild West will be returning soon. Innovation will be coming...in the form of consolidation and internet gouging...you know, to *improve* the public airwaves.

Black is white. Up is down.

More Sad News

We saw this coming for a while now, but it's still a bummer...

According to this Turner Sports press release, Craig Sager has passed away. Rest In Peace. pic.twitter.com/MT0GPqSFgx

— Rich MacLeod (@richmacleod) December 15, 2016

Sager was originally from this area, and he was a Cubs fan. So at least he got to see that glorious championship before he passed.

We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Craig Sager. #SagerStrong pic.twitter.com/0xzctYw2Uz

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) December 15, 2016

RIP Dr. Bombay

In the 60s, he still made housecalls. Bernard Fox, best known to my generation as Dr. Bombay in the show "Bewitched", has passed away at 89.

Minutia Men, Episode 32

EP32 – Rick and Dave discuss a butt-dialing criminal moron, headlines on Cosmo, Rent-A-Jews, a record that will never be broken, and Rick’s brush with William Shatner.

You can listen to it here.

It's not gonna stop when he becomes president

Trump threatens magazine editor who published a critical review of Trump Grill https://t.co/SOVV61Z96E pic.twitter.com/KhJMM7IZew

— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) December 15, 2016

FCC Chairman to Step Down on Inauguration Day

This may not seem like a big deal, but it is. The FCC Chairman is stepping down. The media giants hated outgoing FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler for two reasons. One--he wouldn't allow the rules to be changed to permit further consolidation. Two--he championed the cause of Net Neutrality. Both of those things are likely to change when a new Republican chairman is named.

Under the guise of being more pro-business, many businesses will be damaged (Black is white, up is down). The internet will cease to be an equal opportunity job creating force for businesses like mine, and will instead favor the huge corporations who will have to pony up big bucks to get an internet advantage.

And once the ownership limits are erased (this will happen almost immediately), there will be another debt-leveraged buying spree which will increase stock prices and short term gains for media investors (namely the bosses themselves) at the cost of constricting and constraining future budgets because of the inevitable debt. This will cost media jobs, decrease media quality, and drastically alter the media landscape.

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer. Just telling it like it is.

Wrigley Renovations

They are building a club under the grandstands. Kind of strange to view at this stage...

Another Friday view of the future American Airlines 1914 Club. pic.twitter.com/aZKzEJlCKp

— Wrigley Aerials (@WrigleyAerials) December 14, 2016

Trump's Plans for the Press

Trump has no plans to have press conferences anytime soon, and as soon as he is sworn in, he plans on drastically changing the daily White House press briefings.

From Politico...

Speaking to radio host Hugh Hewitt, Priebus said "many things have to change" in the White House's relationship and daily traditions with the media, including the daily briefing with the White House Press Secretary and the seating chart.

"I think that it’s important that we look at all of those traditions that are great, but quite frankly, as you know, don’t really make news and they're just sort of mundane, boring episodes," Priebus said.

Uh huh. Boring to keep the American people informed through professionals who can ask questions. Instead, just announce things on Twitter, and hope that nobody scratches beneath the surface.

This is gut-check time for the press in this country. This president thinks he can get by without scrutiny. It's your job to hold his feet to the fire and make him answer questions. Don't give up. Don't ever give up.

RIP Alan Thicke

He was 69 years old.

I'll always remember him from Growing Pains, his hit show in the 1980s...

Another Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Fox News

There does seem to be a modus operandi for Roger Ailes.

I've worked with and for some pigs before, but none of them are in the same league as Roger. It's hard to believe this actually happened in the workplace, and that it happened (allegedly) for such a long time.

I have a face too, you know

I'm getting a little sick of finding photos of my body in underwear ads. I guess it's my own fault for parading around like this at home with all the windows open, and signing the waivers of every passing photographer, but I have a face too. Must you always cut it off?

The World's Highest Paid Musicians

Care to guess who made the most money in 2016?
The top ten are...
10. Diddy
9. Calvin Harris (a DJ)
8. The Rolling Stones (and they only played 27 gigs)
7. AC/DC
6. Garth Brooks
5. Rihanna
4. Madonna
3. Adele
2. One Direction
1. Taylor Swift

Just out of the top ten...McCartney's in 12th. At 74 years old. Not bad. Springsteen is in 11th at 67. Gotta love the old dudes.

Gel Strong

His evening began last night with a massive stash of books (photo), but Eckhartz Press author Mark Gelinas sold them all at his Atlanta book launch party. The valet parking was full by 7pm, and the books were flying out the door. Congrats to Mark on a huge night! (More photos to come). This inspiring book makes a perfect Christmas gift for anyone going through a struggle with that horrible C-word, cancer. A portion of the proceeds go to Pancreatic Cancer research.

Trevor Noah Interviews President Obama

Bill and Barack

Don’t putter around. Head to https://t.co/GNfbft9Ewv by December 15th to #GetCovered starting January 1st, 2017. https://t.co/X4R4hhC5Fe

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 12, 2016

Johnny B Signs Off

And he did it with guns blazing, God bless him. His sign off was also, apparently, a surprise to his bosses. From Robert Feder's column...

Brandmeier was critical of Westwood One for trying to influence the content of his program.

“They want to go political across the line,” he said of his bosses. “All political. And we certainly handle all of that, but all political. It’s very simple. So each show sounds exactly like the next show. That’s the way radio thinks today.

“That’s what you do: You make sure that every show sounds exactly the same. So you can’t tell. There’s an angry white guy. There’s an angry white guy. There’s an angry white guy. I heard ‘Obama.’ I heard the word ‘Obama.’ I heard ‘Trump.’ And then it just goes on and on and on.”

I love this. Amen, Johnny. Tell it like it is.

The Golden Globes

The full list of Golden Globe nominees is here.

Looks like a pretty respectable list this year.

Trial Date Set for Radio Engineer

The trial date for the radio engineer from College of Dupage who is accused of overbilling the school radio station more than $100,000 has been set. It begins on February 28th.

The Chicago Tribune has the details.

P.S. I'm not 100% sure it's the same guy, but I believe I worked with him back in the day.

Angela Merkel on SNL

I think she nails the whole German thing...laughed out loud a few times. In Germany we shout our problems into our stomachs.

Patti Smith Accepts Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize

She chokes up in the middle of this moving performance and admits how nervous she is.

The Russians

Great piece by David Frum in the Atlantic: Five Questions About Russia's Election Hacking.

If the House or Senate chooses not to investigate this, they will have a very hard time explaining that to the public.

Even the Trump voters.

Genuflections Book Launch

Had a great time at the Harp & Fiddle in Park Ridge on Sunday for the book launch party of Genuflections by Bob Herguth. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined in. Part of the experience was a Facebook live chat that was viewed by over 700 people.

Lossano and Friends

Thanks so much to Tony Lossano for inviting me to appear on Lossano and Friends on Saturday. The other guests on the show were Charlie Meyerson from Rivet Radio (my old WPGU pal), and Danielle Tufano from the River (a one-time subject of my IE column).

We had a lively discussion. You can listen to it here.

Team MVP

My son Sean was named player of the season by his soccer team and I almost missed it because I was at a work event. Still wearing my coat in the photo. Phew. Love all the kids in this picture. I've been coaching/managing them for many years.

My People!

The old guy in this video is every old German guy I ever met. Cracks me up...

Reading FCC Tea Leaves

From this morning's Tom Taylor NOW column...

“The Trump Doctrine eschews limitations, particularly when it comes to media.” Is there a “Trump Doctrine” for broadcasting and other businesses? Writing for The Hill, former FCC staffer Adonis Hoffman says that generally, “We should expect a more benign, pro-business approach to communications regulation.” He expects “a rollback on regulations that impose what appear to be arbitrary or antiquated restrictions on who can own what in the media – except for foreign broadcast ownership.” Hoffman’s prime example is “NBCO,” the ban on newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership. When it comes to telecom regulation, he predicts “a light touch.” And he says under Trump “size will not matter...big corporations are not seen as inherently bad or suspect, despite candidate Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip reactions to questions on mergers during the campaign.” Hoffman says the Trump worldview could be “not so much a retreat from consumer protection as an advancement of corporate priorities in a jobs-first economy.”

Got that? Let me translate this very gingerly presented view. "Antiquated restrictions on who can own what in the media" means that there will be no limit on what a company can own. "A light touch" means they will not be regulating at all. "Size will not matter" means that within this presidency, four companies (maybe five, maybe three) will own ALL media outlets. "Advancement of corporate priorities in a jobs first economy" means that large numbers of media employees will be losing their jobs.

When you allow consolidation, you do NOT grow jobs. Not now, not ever. Never happened in the history of mankind. Welcome back to opposite world. Black is white, repeat. Let the younger version of me explain it to you this way...



P.S. That's supposed to be ironic. I never thought I'd have to say so, but I am saying so. I'm NOT really on the side of the nine Americans who want this.

He *Really Is* a Reality Show President

Donald Trump will be keeping the title of producer during next season's Celebrity Apprentice

Now when he's called the reality show president, it's not a metaphor.

And don't panic if he suddenly has a meeting with Meatloaf.

Dexter Fowler is Gone

The first African-American to ever play for the Cubs in the World Series is gone. He's going to the arch rival St. Louis Cardinals, and he's getting big bucks...

Can confirm he's headed in now for physical. Description of deal remains big, to get him. Was seeking $18m, #cardinals go beyond their plan https://t.co/9Gm4jo33V1

— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) December 9, 2016

Last year, the Cubs took Heyward and Lackey from the Cardinals.

This year, Dexter Fowler goes the other way.

MORE: https://t.co/Ot33rt7Cjt pic.twitter.com/5uH13dLeqi

— Baseball Tonight (@BBTN) December 9, 2016

Minutia Men, Episode 31

Rick and Dave discuss a bionic thingee, a fake news loop, Catholic apps, the man responsible for 45 years of losing, and Rick’s brush with “You Light Up My Life” singer Debbie Boone.

Listen to it here.

RIP Greg Lake

Sorry to hear this news. Greg Lake, who was a key member of King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer passed away at the age of 69.

The details are here.

That leaves only Palmer from this incredible threesome...



Bobby Skafish interviewed Lake during his radio days. It's one of the stories in his book.

John Lennon

One of the least favorite moments of my life...this day in 1980. I was a senior in high school, watching Monday Night Football...

New Cubs Lead Off Man

Now that Dexter Fowler is a goner, the Cubs need a new leadoff man. These are the two interesting options that Joe Maddon is considering...

Ben Zobrist and Kyle Schwarber.

I personally think Zobrist is the logical choice because of his great batting eye, but Schwarber is an interesting outside of the box thought.

Here Comes the BS

Read this story in Tom Taylor's NOW column and see if you can spot the sentence I'm calling out as BS...

Last-minute attempt in Congress to kill “NBCO” – the Newspaper-Broadcast cross-ownership ban. The NAB’s Gordon Smith recognizes it as an important step, if the legislation proposed by both Republicans and Democrats could speed its way through the House (where it’s starting), the Senate and the White House. We don’t know whether President Obama would sign it. But we surely know that his chosen FCC Chairman, Tom Wheeler, wouldn’t be in favor. Wheeler refused to substantially relax or eliminate the 41-year-old rule forbidding combinations of local daily papers and broadcast facilities. (He did add a “failing newspaper” waiver, similar to the “failing TV station” policy.) So the drive to kill the cross-ownership rule (actually two of them) is underway both at the FCC, in an NAB petition for reconsideration, and now in Congress. On another track, NAB has asked to be a “party at interest” in the Third Circuit appeal of Wheeler’s Quadrennial Review. The concern among Congressional Republicans is that either Dems will remain in control of the FCC in the first part of 2017, or that a 2-2 Commission wouldn’t deal with cross-ownership. NAB’s Gordon Smith says “striking this cross-ownership ban would save journalism jobs, create more investigative reporting and provide communities with greater local news.” The bill in this lame-duck session of the 114th Congress is co-sponsored by onetime Oregon radio station owner Rep. Greg Walden (a Republican) and Kentucky Democrat John Yarmuth.

This is the quote I'm referring to: “striking this cross-ownership ban would save journalism jobs, create more investigative reporting and provide communities with greater local news.”

There are zero circumstances in which this will be true. No jobs will be saved if a company can own even more media outlets in a market. Jobs will be cut. Period. That's what has always happened (without exception) and that's what will happen again.

I'm not right all the time (see the past election), but I've never been wrong about this. It was addressed in my book "$everance" and I stand by that book. The predictions I made ten years ago are sadly all coming true.

Another Fake News Consequence

Have you heard that the Sandy Hook massacre was staged to create anti-gun movement? It's a theory that gained traction on Donald Trump's favorite radio show hosted by Alex Jones, and if you think that sounds ridiculous, you aren't alone.

Unfortunately, some people believe this stuff. For real.

One Sandy Hook parent got death threats because of it. Imagine losing your son in a mass shooting, and then getting a call saying “You’re gonna die you [expletives and slurs deleted]… And what are you going to do about it? You can do absolutely nothing. … this is coming to you real soon [expletive deleted]. You going to die. You [expletive deleted] look behind you, justice is coming to you real soon.”

All because some asshole in Texas said it was staged.

Luckily the woman making the death threats has been indicted, but the asshole in Texas who says these things got a phone call from the President-Elect thanking him for his support.

LATE UPDATE: The Pope has declared that spreading fake news is a sin. Nice to have him on my side.

Gel Strong

Eckhartz Press author Mark Gelinas lives in Atlanta, and he has a big fancy event this Monday to launch his book "Gel Strong" there. If you're in Atlanta, check it out...



Mark's been getting a great response to his book, an inspiring look at his struggle with pancreatic cancer. This text is an example...



This is the video referred to in the text...

Around the Publishing World (December 7)

At Chicago Author Solutions (a division of Eckhartz Press), 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. Ten Tips For Writing About Japan
Good tips, interesting topic.

2. Award-winning poet shares writing tips with Las Vegas writers
Her name is Sharon Olds. There's also a video at the link.

3. 5 Tips for Succeeding as a Freelance Writer in a Rural Community
I've never really considered the challenges of writing when you're in the middle of nowhere. Some good advice here.

4. Spike Lee offers tips on becoming a writer-director
He rightly points out the best way to break in to the film business (good writing is hard to find). Easier said than done, but Spike pulled it off himself.

5. 4 Tips To Avoid Writer's Block
I especially like the one called "the kindergarten trick".

6. A few tips for those considering a career in writing, editing and publishing
From an Australian point of view

7. Five tips for preparing your manuscript
These are excellent. The first two tips, especially.

8. Great 20th Century Authors Give Tips That Help Today's Bloggers
Hemingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut, Bradbury and more.

9. Eight Great Tips for How to Find the Funny in your Life
Courtesy of Emmy-award winning writer Monica Piper.

10. 5 Sure-Fire (and Simple) Tips for Writing More SEO-Friendly Blog Posts
For the tech-savvy wanna-be.

11. 5 Writing Tips I Wish I'd Known Before I Wrote My First Novel
Great advice for fiction writers.

12. 5 Tips for Creating Characters That Aren't Boring
Courtesy of Emily Littlejohn, the author of "Inherit the Bones"

13. 5 writing tips from bestselling authors
Courtesy of Mark Twain, Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and more.

14. 5 Tips on Writing & Illustrating Children’s Books From Debbie Ridpath Ohi
From Writer's Digest.

Media Matters

Media Matters, the organization that has been monitoring Fox News and talk radio for the past decade or so to shine a light on what was happening inside the conservative media bubble, announced yesterday that they are going to changing their focus.

Instead of pointing out the obvious bias in the right wing press, they are now going to focus on exposing fake news.

I think that's a great idea. It's the biggest scourge on the media landscape at the moment. From Politico...

Media Matters will now focus their efforts on grappling with misinformation, where it comes from, and how it spreads. These new efforts will include new staff and a focus on technology, bringing in experts to build in-house software to help track conspiracy theories and misinformation.

“We have to think about how we’re getting bigger and louder, not just misinformation but all out propaganda. That’s a role that’s very different than in the past,” (new president) Carusone said. “We’ve not tried to mobilize massive amounts of people or develop a larger following. But it’s going to have to be a part of what we’re doing."

Drunk History Tackles Disco Demolition

Killing AM Radio

One of the more terrible ideas I've heard since the election (and there have been some doozies) is this story, featured in Tom Taylor's NOW column this morning...

“Time to start thinking about a future without AM radio,” the MMTC tells Trump team. AM “may disappear in 30 years or less,” says the public interest group. It’s formed its own “AM Glide Path Task Force,” and proposes an effort comparable to “government programs transitioning tobacco farmers to other crops and transitioning coal mining to other energy sources.” The MMTC, focused on multicultural issues, takes its shot with “12 imperatives” about telecom policy - addressing the Trump transition team and the two Republican FCC Commissioners. The MMTC says AM is still important, especially to the minority community. (“Approximately 60% of all minority-owned stations are AM facilities.”) And it reminds policymakers that “The great majority of multilingual radio service today is found on the AM band.” But despite its near-century of usage and some “modest engineering reforms” from the FCC, AM has big issues. There’s declining listenership and “a lack of capital flowing in.”

Let me just say this as a media writer. This is a classic case of finding a solution for a problem that doesn't exist. Even if AM radio isn't doing as well (and in Chicago by the way, it's still thriving), so what?

This reminds me of the quest to get rid of vinyl in the late 80s. After all the "improvements" in sound quality, people just decided that we goofed when we got rid of vinyl a generation ago. It's now outselling downloads again. (And I threw out hundreds of great records about twenty years ago. Arrgh.)

There's something about listening to an AM radio station. I love sitting out on the deck in the summer and listenting to a ball game. It's one of the pleasures of my life. And that occasional crackling sound doesn't bother me in the slightest. It's part of the soundtrack of my life. Also, I have a few tremendously cool old-time console radios from the 40s and 50s. They only play AM radio, not FM. Don't take those away from me.

Sad News

Former Chicago Bear...

Rashaan Salaam's family told by police that they suspect his death might be suicide. Note found https://t.co/L3HAHZ3RSl

— Brent Schrotenboer (@Schrotenboer) December 6, 2016

This Year's Grammy Nominees

It just came out moments ago...

Record Of The Year:
"Hello," Adele (XL Recordings/Columbia Records)
"Formation," Beyoncé (Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records)
"7 Years," Lukas Graham (Warner Bros. Records)
"Work," Rihanna Featuring Drake (Westbury Road Entertainment)
"Stressed Out," Twenty One Pilots (Fueled By Ramen)

Album Of The Year:
25, Adele (XL Recordings/Columbia Records)
Lemonade, Beyoncé (Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records)
Purpose, Justin Bieber (Def Jam Recordings)
Views, Drake (Young Money/Cash Money/Republic Records)
A Sailor's Guide To Earth, Sturgill Simpson (Atlantic Records)

Song Of The Year:
"Formation," Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Hello," Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
"I Took A Pill In Ibiza," Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
"Love Yourself," Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
"7 Years," Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)

Best New Artist:
Kelsea Ballerini, The Chainsmokers, Chance The Rapper, Maren Morris, Anderson Paak