Kidd Kraddick

His name is not really known in Chicago because I don't believe he ever cracked this market, but in Dallas, radio personality Kidd Kraddick is about as big as it gets. The entire radio world is in shock because he passed away this weekend at the age of 53. Read the article in the Dallas News to get a feel for his impact on that city.

I didn't really know him, although I've admired his work from afar. Now that I'm 50 years old, I also get a little freaked out when people my age just drop dead like this.

Carlos Danger

The Anthony Weiner story has so much potential for comedy, it almost makes me wish I was working in morning radio again. First you've got a guy named Weiner texting pictures of his namesake. Next we find out that he was using the pseudonym Carlos Danger. To me, that's even funnier than the ironic name/vice of Weiner. It sounds like a super hero/porn star name.

"Ola, Seniorita. I am Danger. Carlos Danger."

I can't sit on the sidelines for another moment. Time to exercise my dormant parody song muscles, and throw together a little verse or two for you. It's to the tune of the Johnny Rivers classic "Secret Agent Man". Free of charge to anyone who may want to use it...

He's a man who they call Carlos Danger,
Even though he's technically a stranger,
If you merely ask,
He'll take off his mask,
Not in the same place as the Lone Ranger's,

He's the Weiner man,
His own Weiner fan,
He tweets and texts and sexts that weiner all across the land

More Bad News For Barnes & Noble

The clock is really ticking now.

Barnes & Noble will be no more very soon.

Lorna Ozmon

Saw this little blurb in the RAMP Newsletter this morning about one of radio's bigger companies...

Entercom has retained the services of consultant/talent coach Lorna Ozmon of Ozmon Media, who "has built a stellar reputation coaching air talent, and will now be spending a significantly greater portion of her time with Entercom helping our personalities improve their shows."

I've worked with Lorna before, and seen her in action. She's the best talent coach I've ever seen. She knows how to talk to talent, she knows how to convince management to take some chances, and she can tell the difference between good radio and bad radio. Entercom just made a good hire.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Chicago magazine ‏@ChicagoMag 19m
This 1914 Gold Coast property was once part of the Playboy mansion. @DealEstate tours the chandelier-filled home: http://chi.mg/15MQRfs

New York Daily News ‏@nydailynews 9m
Kris Jenner details sexual past on talk show in front of teen daughters. http://nydn.us/1blUekx

Greg Sargent ‏@ThePlumLineGS 12m
Must read by @jbplainblog on the core contradiction at the heart of GOP efforts to sabotage Obamacare: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2013/07/25/the-core-contradiction-at-the-heart-of-the-gop-campaign-to-sabotage-obamacare/

Huffington Post ‏@HuffingtonPost 25m
8 signs you need a vacation now (GIFs) http://huff.to/1bOs68K

The Onion ‏@TheOnion 33m
BREAKING: Print Dead At 1,803 http://onion.com/11glvyd

Jeff Greenfield ‏@greenfield64 40m
I'll be back on "Morning Joe" tomorrow. 7 a.m. My topic:"when did the Yankee-A-Rod relationship turn into "Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?"

ChiTribSports ‏@ChiTribSports 1m
Gators remove Aaron Hernandez brick from stadium celebrating his play at UF http://trib.in/19kkgmA

New York Daily News ‏@nydailynews 7m
Crocodile-trainer puts head in crocodile's mouth. Crocodile bites trainer's head. http://nydn.us/1blVaFt

Fareed Zakaria ‏@FareedZakaria 9m
In 2011, U.S. spent 17.7% of GDP on health care, no other nation tracked by OECD reported more than 11.9%: WSJ http://on.wsj.com/162vqcq

Michael Ian Black ‏@michaelianblack 10m
Big ups to a bunch of dudes who were like, "Yes, we SHOULD call our band Spandau Ballet."

Be Careful with that Telestrator

Keith Olbermann

When Keith Olbermann returns to ESPN in the next few days he tells the New York Daily News he will be talking mostly sports.

But some politics will be too hard to avoid...especially when it's funny. For instance, he will not be able to stop himself from making fun of Anthony Weiner's Sexting Pseudonym: Carlos Danger.

Who can blame him. To use a baseball term, that's a fastball right down the middle.

Fox Sports One

What can we expect from the new all-sports network Fox Sports One? The Hollywood Reporter interviewed the executives in charge, and they shared their vision.

As long as they keep showing soccer, I'm in.

Steve Goodman

He would be 65 years old today. Happy birthday Steve Goodman...



If you want to read a little more about him, he's featured today at Cubs 365.

Second Look

I think this is a great idea. CBS is creating a website called "Second Look", and it will only be showing shows from cancelled series. It's a good way to run off the shows that have been shot but never aired, and a good way for fringe hits to find a new audience.

Details are here.

Busted

On this day in 1963 Ray Charles recorded one of my favorite Ray Charles songs, "Busted". (I was born four days later.)

I found this little piece of history on Youtube...a video from the Johnny Cash show of Ray Charles and Johnny Cash singing "Busted" together. I wish they would have recorded it.

The Eastland Disaster

98 years ago today, the worst tragedy in Chicago history; the Eastland disaster. More than 800 people died when the ship rolled over in the Chicago River.

The Chicago Tribune has some truly chilling archival photographs.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...





Chicago Bears ‏@ChicagoBears 20s
LM: First #Bears training camp practice is slated to begin at 9 a.m. Friday. Practice is free and open to public.

Patton Oswalt ‏@pattonoswalt 3m
"You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when he met you. He picked you out, shook you up, turned you around...your rebuttal?"

The White House ‏@whitehouse 10m
FACT: Since March 2010, our economy has added 7.2 million private-sector jobs—and there's more work to do. pic.twitter.com/fJP47kmfpf

Ezra Klein ‏@ezraklein 39m
Obama says the economy grows best from the middle. Research suggests he’s right. http://wapo.st/1c2QemA

Paul McCartney ‏@PaulMcCartney 12m
Paul recently got #OutThere in Fenway Park, home of the Boston @RedSox. Watch Paul swing his baseball bat HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aloOys8_Y …

Oakland Athletics ‏@Athletics 14m
The A's have spent 18 consecutive days in 1st place, their longest stretch since 2006. #Athletics vs. #Astros today at 11:05 PT.

Pee-wee Herman ‏@peeweeherman 15m
Today is NATIONAL TEQUILA DAY!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BodXwAYeTfM …

Funny Or Die ‏@funnyordie 19m
No good deed goes unpunished. Watch what happens when Tom Brady does his old "buddy" a favor: http://ow.ly/nhskX

Beachwood Reporter ‏@BeachwoodReport 28m
From daddy's girl to daddy's boy-council approves Deb Mell as new member and moves on to the toy Tom Ricketts' dad bought for him. #chicago

Cut4 ‏@Cut4 36m
Joe Mauer of the @Twins is now the father of ... you guessed it, twins: http://atmlb.com/18CSWjQ

Things Men Want

Thanks to "MS" for sending these to me...

Fox News

Their ratings are still strong, and their revenue is still strong, but according to this piece in the New York Times, the median age of their viewers is now over 65 years old. This is the way the NYT describes the audience...

Just how old is its audience? It is impossible to be precise because Nielsen stops giving an exact figure for median age once it passes 65. But for six of the last eight years, Fox News has had a median age of 65-plus and the number of viewers in the 25-54 year old group has been falling consistently, down five years in a row in prime time, from an average of 557,000 viewers five years ago to 379,000 this year. That has occurred even though Fox’s overall audience in prime time is up this year, to 2.02 million from 1.89 million three years ago.

Of course, if you're a Fox News viewer, you just pshaw, and say "liberal media" when you hear that this story was in the New York Times.

Sellers and not Buyers

As we watch the Cubs trading away their stars and acquiring prospects in return, it occurs to me that I haven't seen them do this in nearly 40 years. They have been buyers for the past forty years, and it hasn't worked. (Like this stupid trade, which they made on this day in 1986.)

The last time they were sellers was the early 70s when they traded away some of their all-time greats like Williams, Santo, and Jenkins. They got a young 2B named Manny Trillo back for Williams, plus some bullpen help (Bob Locker & Darold Knowles). They got a future all-star catcher (Steve Swisher), and a reliable starting pitcher (Steve Stone) for Ron Santo. And they got a future batting champion and a replacement for Ron Santo (Bill Madlock) in return for Fergie Jenkins.

Not a bad haul if you consider that Williams and Santo each only played one more season. If Madlock had simply been paid instead of shipped off after asking more money, the Jenkins trade would have been a good one too (even though Fergie won another 100+ games in the American League).

Keep in mind that Theo and Jed don't have nearly as much to trade, and they still seem to be picking up some good prospects. I'm cautiously optimistic that they're on the right track.

FC Bayern Youth Cup

This is the reason I've been so difficult to reach over the past week or two: The FC Bayern Youth Cup at Green White

It was a great experience, a difficult challenge, and a ton of work, but it was also a huge success.

I need a vacation.

Clear Channel Imports Morning Show

Robert Feder has all the details on his facebook page.

Here's the money quote: Despite promises that Clear Channel Chicago would launch a local morning show on its newly branded 93.9 MY FM, that doesn't appear to be the case. Paul "Cubby" Bryant, who hosts mornings on Clear Channel's WKTU-FM in New York and also is heard on WMIA-FM in Miami, is expected to add WLIT 93.9 FM to his syndication lineup, sources said Sunday.

Of course it won't be the first syndicated morning show on the former Lite-FM. They've made that mistake multiple times.

I thought the most interesting part of Feder's post was this final paragraph...

For weeks now, Chicago radio veterans Eddie Volkman and Joe "Jobo" Colborn were rumored to be headed for mornings on 93.9 MY FM. On July 10, Volkman posted a photo on his Facebook page of the duo taken at Clear Channel studios. "Today's meeting could NOT have gone better!" he wrote. "Watch out, Chicago! Damn, I'm stoked."

Sounds like E&J got a bit blindsided. I hate this business sometimes. I really do.

Mick's 70th Birthday

On Friday, July 26th, Mick Jagger is turning 70 years old. If you're looking for a place to celebrate it, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum is currently presenting Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction, their first ever major exhibition capturing the band's legendary career spanning more than 50 years.

Get a preview here.

In Chicago we've had a few memorable moments with Mick and the boys over the years. I wrote about a few of those for Just One Bad Century.

Dealing with Trolls

Every now and then I'll get asked why I don't allow comments on my blogs. There's a one-word answer for that: Trolls

If you want to know what a troll is, simply read the comments section of any article on any newspaper website or blog, or read this piece: The Top 12 Signs You're Dealing with Trolls

Father Knows Nothing

My latest Father Knows Nothing column is called "Baby Boomers" and it's about a certain piece of mail I received this week.

You can read it here.

Nate Silver joins ESPN

Everyone's favorite statistical nerd, Nate Silver of the New York Times "538" blog, is going back to his sports roots. He became famous by analyzing baseball statistics for the website/magazine Baseball Prospectus. Now he's taking his skills to ESPN.

From the New York Times article...

At ESPN, Mr. Silver is expected to have a wide-ranging portfolio. Along with his writing and number-crunching, he will most likely be a regular contributor to “Olbermann,” the late-night ESPN2 talk show hosted by Keith Olbermann that will have its debut at the end of August. In political years, he will also have a role at ABC News, which is owned by Disney.

Sounds like an interesting match. Looking forward to it. I'm a big fan.

Rolling Stone Buy-Back

This is how one Boston radio station is dealing with the conroversial new Boston Bomber cover story. From this morning's RAMP Newsletter...

By now you are painfully aware of Rolling Stone's controversial new cover featuring that "rock star" photo of the Boston Marathon bomber (we're not going to use his name). Needless to say, many people living in the Boston area are particularly incensed over the cover -- and while the ideas of boycotts and/or ill-conceived notions of mass-burnings have been floated, we are fans of the clean and classy solution conceived by Greater Media's WBOS (Radio 92.9)/Boston, which this Friday will be conducting a buy-back (more accurately, a "trade-back") of that August 1 Rolling Stone issue, in exchange for a pair of concert tickets. It's important to note that this offer is open to current Rolling Stone subscribers only -- "We do not want to encourage people to buy copies in order to 'sell them' to us," says a notice on the WBOS Facebook page. All issues containing a valid subscription label and brought into the WBOS studios this Friday between 9am-5pm will be boxed up and mailed back to Rolling Stone.

CTFD Parenting Technique

Finally a parenting technique I can wholeheartedly endorse.

It's called: CTFD

(Tongue, of course, is planted firmly in cheek by the author of the piece)

Tinker To Evers To Chance

On this day in 1910 the poem that immortalized three Cubs infielders was printed in the newspaper for the first time.

Details at Cubs 365.

George Noory

Looks like we'll have spooky overnight radio to listen to while driving across the country for at least a few more years. From today's RAMP newsletter...

Premiere Networks has inked an exclusive long-term contract extension with George Noory, the longtime host of the awesome Coast to Coast AM, the most-listened-to overnight radio program in North America. "By renewing my deal with Premiere Networks, I'll be around when astronauts land on Mars," said Noory. "I want to thank Premiere and Clear Channel Media and Entertainment for having the confidence in me and our amazing team to take Coast to Coast AM into the future. I look forward to many more years of bringing riveting programs during the late-night hours to our millions of listeners around the world."

Rare White Album

Uh oh. Looks like the kids won't be going to college after Daddy bids on this incredible artifact from Beatles history.

Windy City Reviews reviews "Recalled to Life"

Chicago's own Windy City Reviews has this to say about the Eckhartz Press novel "Recalled to Life" (by Dan Burns)...

"Burns deftly outlines the challenges in caring for an elderly parent. He deals sensitively with the trials of aging, particularly in dealing with failing physical strength and the frustrations of memory loss...Burns writes with great empathy for all the characters...Overall this is a touching Chicago story about intergenerational bonds, and the love that keeps a family together despite the challenges of life."

The full review is here.

The book is available here.

Jenny McCarthy Joins "The View"

The New York Times has the details.

It's a great hire. She's got a great personality for this format.

I've met her a few times over the years. My favorite story about her is when we tried to get her to record a promo for Landecker's show. At the time the slogan of our music format was "The Greatest Hits of All Time". She said it a few times, recognized what that phrase sounded like coming out of her mouth, and thought we were trying to set her up. Say it to yourself a few times, and you might get the idea.

Just for the record, we didn't do it on purpose at all, but it was funny.

The Chicago Baseball Happiness Scale

The RedEye has created something they call the Chicago Baseball Happiness Scale.

As you might imagine, both teams are not doing well this year.

I developed something similar about five years ago, although I didn't come up with a number. I came up with a logo...

Greetings from FC Bayern

I got this photo e-mailed to me from Bayern Munich. It's recovering Bayern Munich player (and German National Team player) Bastian Schweinsteiger wishing us well in the FC Bayern Cup taking place at the Green White Soccer fields in Mt. Prospect/Des Plaines this weekend. In case you don't know, Schweinsteiger is one of the biggest soccer stars in the world, and FC Bayern just won the European Champions League.

Then, this morning, FC Bayern posted the same picture on their facebook page and advertised the event to their facebook audience of 7,000,000+ along with a special e-mail address created strictly for our event...my e-mail address. I'll be dealing with an exploding e-mail box the rest of the week, but it's nice to see that some people in this country recognize the significance of this.

Asiana Airlines Considers Legal Action Against KTVU, NTSB

The full story is here, but the gist of it is that a television station in San Francisco broadcast the names of the pilots...but it wasn't their real names. The names were obviously jokes provided by pranksters.

It is not clear how KTVU originally got the names. The NTSB admitted Friday night to confirming the false names, saying a summer intern “acted outside the scope of his authority.”

What were the names? "Sum Ting Wong” and “Wi Tu Lo.”

I know it's supposed to be tragedy plus time equals comedy, and perhaps the time portion of that equation hadn't yet been fulfilled, but I have to admit I laughed out loud when I read the names. I have suitably punished myself for that inappropriate reaction.

John Landecker at the Beverly Arts Center (Photos & Commentary)

On the eve of his double knee-replacement surgery, John Records Landecker appeared before a full house at the Beverly Arts Center to discuss his book "Records Truly Is My Middle Name" yesterday. The facilitator of the event, Penny Golden--host of Author Afternoon at the Beverly Arts Center, interviewed John (and me) about his life, his career, and his writing process.

After the interview, the audience engaged in a lively Q&A session with John.

Thanks so much to everyone who came out, and of course, to Penny Golden who once again proved she's the best in the business at interviewing authors. (Eckhartz Press author Dan Burns will be appearing there in a few months too).

Disco Demolition

It was 34 years ago today...



This is the day that made their reputations. They will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame later this year.

I didn't work for them for another seven years after Disco Demolition, but it was still a crazy show. In my opinion, Steve & Garry had one of the best shows in radio history.

Today's Best Tweets

Here are some tweets that caught my eye today...




Steve Dahl ‏@SteveDahlShow 9m
It's the 34th Anniversary of #DiscoDemolition. Get a copy of the DVD and relive the glory. Free gift with purchase! http://ow.ly/mSqvW

Svengoolie ‏@Svengoolie 4m
Sat. nite on Me-TV- giant grasshoppers over-run Chicago- "Beginning of the End"! 10 e & p, 9 c, etc.- WARNING!!!... http://fb.me/2vujaFSNK

The Onion ‏@TheOnion 5m
In Focus: Teen Drug Use Traced To Ineffective PSAs http://onion.com/15mYEjN

natasha korecki ‏@natashakorecki 7m
Ald. Dick Mell mum on allegation he was silent partner with ex-con on landfill that spurred Blago feud #twill
http://www.suntimes.com/21275526-761/ald-dick-mell-secretly-owned-share-of-joliet-landfill-that-sparked-feud-with-blagojevich-lawsuit.html …

Mike North ‏@North2North 18m
"Why were those in room with Bieber not disturbed?" Daily Herald #RebelInside http://bit.ly/138AGpo

Eric & Kathy ‏@EricandKathy 21m
RT "@spmcwhinnie: According to @1019MIXChicago having sex regularly causes you to look 7 years younger." Darn right!

John Arguello ‏@CubsDen 1h
Cubs Minors Recap: Great outings from Paniagua, Johnson, Cabrera; Vitters back, Hanneman on the way | Cubs Den http://www.chicagonow.com/cubs-den/2013/07/cubs-minors-recap-great-outings-from-paniagua-johnson-cabrera-vitters-back-hanneman-on-the-way/

The Associated Press ‏@AP 2m
MORE: Source says Edward Snowden wants asylum in Russia and is willing to stop leaking information: http://apne.ws/13UbDwo #NSA

Josh Marshall ‏@joshtpm 6m
Poll: Most Blame GOP Obstruction For Gridlock, Not Obama's Lack Of Persuasion http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/poll-most-blame-gop-obstruction-for-gridlock-not … via @tomkludt

Chet Coppock ‏@ChetCoppock 10m
Theo and the #Cubs trade Jeff Samadzija. he's not a #1 but wants #1 money. will end his career 72 and 84. #Loveablelosers

The Wrigley Jumbotron

It looks like the city and the Ricketts family have come to an agreement on the jumbotron.

I personally have no problem with it. I was just in Fenway Park and they have a jumbotron there too (in addition to an old fashioned scoreboard) and it works just fine. They went to great efforts to make it look the rest of the ballpark. I know Ricketts has been to Boston to look at how they did it, and I have faith that he is planning on doing the same thing at Wrigley.

Nothing he has said or done would lead me to believe we can't trust him on this. That's my two cents.

Bicycle Kick Against the Stars

This is kind of like the Washington Generals pwning the Harlem Globetrotters. Lionel Messi, the greatest player in the world, came to Chicago with a group of all-stars and played against a bunch of college kids in an exhibition at Soldier Field. Look at what happened...



It's gone viral. As of this morning, nearly 3,000,000 views on YouTube.

Brian Kilmeade Throws Basketball In Toddler's Face

And makes him cry...live on television.

Watch it here.

It sounds worse than it is, but I just love the headline.

Sirott Returns To Daily Radio on WGN

This is a very interesting development indeed. Robert Feder has the details on his facebook page.

Veteran Chicago broadcaster and Fox 32 news anchor Bob Sirott is headed to a Monday-through-Friday air shift at WGN AM 720 with his wife, Marianne Murciano. They're expected to co-host a midday or afternoon show on the Tribune Broadcasting news/talk station, starting in the next few weeks. Sirott continues to anchor the 9 p.m. weekday newscast for the Fox-owned station under an extension of his contract, which was to have expired Saturday (July 6). While talks proceed between Sirott's agent, Steve Mandell, and management, Sirott remains onboard with co-anchor Robin Robinson, whose contract expires in August. Fox Chicago bosses did not respond to inquiries about reported plans to alter their anchor lineup. If Sirott does leave Fox 32, his agreement with Tribune Broadcasting likely would be expanded to include television work. But sources emphasized that he was not being considered for the 9 p.m. news anchor position at WGN-Channel 9 currently held by Mark Suppelsa.

What does this mean for the rest of the WGN lineup? Obviously someone has to go. McConnell? Meier? Brandmeier? WGN GM Jimmy de Castro has a previous relationship with both Meier and Brandmeier, so the educated guess is McConell, but he still has several years left on his contract. We'll obviously have to keep an eye on this.

FC Bayern Youth Cup

I'll be blogging only sporadically next week because I'm co-ordinating a youth soccer camp in Mt. Prospect for Green White Soccer Club. It's a German soccer camp sponsored by FC Bayern Munich (European Soccer Champs), the German Consulate, Concordia Language Schools, and Auf Ballhoehe. The campers will learn a little about German culture and a lot about soccer. It culminates on Saturday with an open skills competition for 12-16 year old boys and girls.

Just spreading the word in case anyone is interested in the Saturday event. Click on the photos below to enlarge.



There's more information at the Green White website.

And while I'm at it (on the soccer beat), congratulations to Green White's Over-40 Men's team. They won the 2013 Over-40 Illinois Men's State Cup Championship last night.

They are thinking of starting an over-50 team next year and asked if I'd be willing to play (I turn 50 in a few weeks). I said I'd think about it...but just thinking about it made me tear an achilles. Is it a bad thing when you get winded running two blocks? Would that hinder you at all in a soccer game? I think my playing days need to stay in my rear view mirror.

Apple Guilty of Price Fixing E-Books

After an Apple executive basically admitted he discussed this very thing with the publishers, this wasn't a surprising decision by the judge.

Details here via Reuters.

Apple, of course, plans to appeal.

Harry Shearer

It looks like his Le Show is coming back. From today's RAMP Newsletter...

"Great news for the millions of fans of Harry Shearer's long running weekly radio program, Le Show -- the acclaimed actor, author, filmmaker and social commentator is bringing Le Show over to KCSN/Los Angeles, the public radio station operated by California State University, Northridge. Until recently, Le Show ran for 30 years on KCRW/Santa Monica. Le Show is a virtual media playground that allows Shearer to showcase his many talents as he expounds upon the worlds of media, politics, comedy, sports and show business, interspersing his unique commentary with an eclectic mix of music."

Harry's new program director is a name well known to Chicago radio listeners: Sky Daniels.

Tribune Not Selling Anything...At Least For Now

The Tribune has decided to follow Rupert Murdoch's lead and split it's company into two...one will be Tribune Publishing (all the newspapers), and one will be Tribune Company (mostly television, plus WGN radio). The details are in this press release.

The New York Times assesses the move this way: "By spinning off the newspapers instead of selling them, Tribune avoids the tax consequences of a sale in the near term while still allowing the company, now led by Peter Liguori, a longtime broadcasting executive, to focus its efforts on television, including 19 local stations that it acquired for $2.7 billion at the beginning of the month.

A Letter From Across The Pond

About a month ago John Landecker appeared on a British radio duo's show (Geoff Kemp & Paul Peters). They were in Chicago to start a radio tour of Route 66 (which was also broadcast locally on WRLR), and John was there to promote "Records Truly Is My Middle Name". Yesterday we received this very nice letter from them...



I am writing to you, as I want you to know that both Geoff Kemp, and I, were so pleased that we met up with John Records Landecker at Lou Mitchell's last month, as we started out of our journey along Route 66.

We had the most wonderful time, but best of all for me was meeting up with John, who had so much to tell us about his life in radio. I could have spent a day, just listening to everything that he could tell me, but sadly he, and we, had to leave and go our separate ways.

Ever since I was a young kid I have been mad about radio. I even managed to get myself a job as a d.j. on a pirate radio station when I was just 16, in November 1965. This station broadcast from an old WW2 Naval Fort called Knock John, 18 miles out into the North sea. I never became that big name on the radio, but I have so much enjoyed the small part that I have played over the years. I still get a great thrill, all these years later, hearing myself on the radio.

When we came back to the U.K. we found that there had been quite a lot of interest, in the local press, in what we had been doing. We were also asked to be guests on the Dave Cash Radio Show on the BBC. If you are interested, here is the 'Internet Archive' link where you can 'Stream' or download it and have a listen.
https://archive.org/details/DaveCashTalksToPaulPetersGeoffKempAboutTheRoute66RadioTourBBCShow22ndJune2013

Please pass all our very best wishes and thanks onto John, and tell him that Geoff and I spent the few days that we stayed in Grayslake, after the trip, sitting in the sun reading our copies of his GREAT book, that he so kindly gave us. We shall treasure them, and our meeting with John forever.

All the best,

Paul Peters
P.S. Geoff sends his best wishes too!
I've added a few photos to remind you of us. The B/W photo was taken of me out at the fort in the 60's, the far right photo above was taken on the LV 18, the same ship used to make the film 'Pirate Radio', when I did 'Pirate BBC Essex' for the BBC in 2009.

The photo below is from the day at Lou Mitchell's...

Rupert Murdoch Summoned Back To Parliament

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch (shown above) has been summoned back to Parliament for the second time in three years to testify about the secret tape that has emerged. In the tape, Murdoch clearly admits that he knew about the use of police bribery by his newsroom staff.

From what I remember of his previous testimony on "the most humble day" of his life, he testified to exactly the opposite when he last appeared before Parliament. At the very least he denied knowledge of it. Once again he will be testifying "under oath". Should be very interesting indeed if they play the tape, then play his previous testimony. He's obviously going to be practicing an answer every day between now and then.

Hasselbeck Leaving The View for Fox & Friends

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, the conservative member of the View panel, is leaving the show to go to Fox News Channel. She'll be joining Steve Ducey and Brian Kilmeade on "Fox & Friends", replacing Gretchen Carlson. Carlson is getting her own show later in the day.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Hasselbeck will definitely be an upgrade over Carlson. She's far less "sky is falling" nuts, although let's see if she changes once she is inside the bubble full-time.

Chicago Radio Ratings

Tom Taylor's NOW column today had a recap of the most recent Chicago radio ratings book...

A Blackhawks boost for Tribune’s talk WGN? The station finally catches a break (4.8-4.3-5.3), perhaps assisted by the Stanley Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks. WGN now ranks third, behind Clear Channel’s urban AC “V103” WVAZ (7.0-6.9-6.9), and hot AC “Mix 101.9” WTMX. Hubbard’s Mix loses its May-book 6.4 share, dropping to a 5.6, but it’s still #2. CBS Radio’s all-news WBBM and its FM simulcast are fourth, 5.4-4.5-4.5. While sister country “US99.5” WUSN gains again, 3.7-4.1-4.2. Merlin’s classic rock “Loop” WLUP broaches a 4-share (3.5-3.7-4.0). That’s the Loop’s best showing in PPM. While contemporary music rivals Kiss and B96 stay close to each other. CC’s “Kiss” WKSC moves 3.8-3.9-4.0 and CBS Radio’s B96/WBBM-FM moves 3.7-3.9-3.8. Clear Channel recently up-tempoed AC “Lite” WLIT, but it’s too early to make a call about that strategy (2.8-2.9-2.6). Tough couple of books at Cumulus’ talk WLS, with longtime morning team Don Wade and Roma off of mornings due to Don’s health. WLS drops 2.7-2.5-2.1. Sports-wise, it’s CBS Radio’s “Score” WSCR (2.8-2.7-2.5) over Disney’s WMVP (1.1-1.5-1.2).

Barnes & Noble on Life Support

Today they got rid of their CEO.

I've dealt with Barnes and Noble as a vendor (nightmare) and customer. Their troubles do not surprise me in the least. It's one of the worst-run organizations imaginable (in my opinion).

It's just a matter of time before they follow the example of Borders, and slowly fade into the rear view mirror of history.