Wednesday, October 1, 2008

If this is true, we won't be able to hide.

BY: Jeff Levy

A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by non other than the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications, potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous.

The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the "IP Traceback" drafting group, named Q6/17. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public.

The potential for eroding your rights to remain anonymous on the Internet, which is, by the way, protected by law in the United States and recognized in international law by groups such as the Council of Europe, is setting off alarms for some technologists and privacy advocates.

What's really distressing here is that it doesn't look like there has been any real consideration of how this type of capability could be misused.

Most of us agree that there are, at least in some circumstances, legitimate security reasons to uncover the source of Internet communications. The most common justification for tracebacks is to counter distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks.

But implementation details are important, and governments participating in the process -- organized by the International Telecommunication Union, a U.N. agency -- may have their own agendas. A document recently submitted by China said the "IP traceback mechanism is required to be adapted to various network environments, such as different addressing (IPv4 and IPv6), different access methods (wire and wireless) and different access technologies (ADSL, cable, Ethernet. To ensure traceability, essential information of the originator should be logged."

Another document to be considered by this traceback group holds that if a political opponent to a government publishes articles putting the government in an unfavorable light, the government, having a law against any opposition, will try to identify the source of the negative articles but because the articles were published using a proxy server, can’t do so, thereby protecting the anonymity of the author.

So it looks like we have the same old my rights to privacy” vs. “we need to find the bad guys. On a personal note, I wouldn’t ever support this kind of tracing – Currently we here in the U.S. have methods by which law enforce can and does find individuals on the Net. We just don’t need any more legislation designed to make us more visible to prying eyes.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Off the top of my pointy little head.

As I type this I'm listening to some cool Jazz that I've either downloaded or ripped from CDs. A lot of it is from "unknown" or unsigned artists. Some is from unheard of artists, such as Yoko Kanno (she did the soundtrack music from the "Cowboy Bebop" animated series and movie).

The thing is, why aren't radio stations playing this stuff? Some of my music is from the turn of the 20th Century (yes, it's on composition or bakelite, or whatever they used way back then), and continues up to the present. This is great stuff! It's not being heard, and that's a shame.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Off The Top Of My Head

I've been hearing how good "HD" radio is. Now, the "HD" doesn't mean high definition; it means high density. This means that a radio station's digital signal can carry many programs at the same time. "HD 1" may mean the main channel; while "HD 2" may be in Spanish; "HD 3" may be traffic information; and so on.

The problem is that the "HD" signal can't be heard in some areas, but the main (analog) program can. The "HD" signal creates adjacent channel noise. This means that, if there is a weak station you want to listen to that's next to the "HD" station, the weak station can't be heard over the noise.

The company licensing the "HD" concept, and equipment (iBiquity) has a monoply on everything made, and that ain't right. There's no competition, which means that iBiquity can set the prices of transmitting and receiving equipment.

If that ain't bad enough, the programming on most "HD" channels is a computer playing a few songs in its library, sort of like an iPod on random play. Here, in southern California, the entertainment capitol of the world, the programming sucks.

I'm not going to buy a "HD" radio anytime soon.

Big 22 Doubles Tournament

OK - a lot has happened since my last entry.

Over the weekend, my bowling partner and I competed in a doubles tournament. We went against 28 teams and made the semi-finals. Now it got down to a one-game-beat-the-board semi final. The field was cut in half again, and we were still in it. We went against two other teams for final positions.

My partner had a spare in the ninth, and left the 6 - 10 in the tenth. Going for the spare, he pulled the shot, which went wide missing the two pins. He finished with a respectable 198, ten pins over his average.

I had a clean game, including picking up the 5 - 7 split early on. I had a strike in the ninth, and my first ball in the tenth was a strike. My first bonus ball was a half of a board high, and left a wobbly 7 pin, which I spared, giving me a clean 229 game.

When our handicap was added in, we ended two pins short of making the final match. We ended the tourney in third place, which was good for $500 each.

First place paid $1000 each, and second paid $750. $500 for an afternoon's work was good. The main thing was that we put on a great show. Getting paid for it was a bonus.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

You have to read this.....

Received this e-mail from an old Navy pal. Either he received this mail or one of his friends did. Too bad our own politicians don't see our troops as this guy does.



Gentlemen

I am an Australian and my son is an Australian - as far as we are
concerned there is not place on God's earth better than Australia , and
there are no people better than Australians.

That was until the past week or so.

My son is in the Australian Army and he is currently on deployment in
Iraq . I can not go into his duties in great depth, but shall we say
that he and his fellow army buddies are on a glorified guard duty
looking after the Australian Embassy. They don't go out looking for
"action", though it is a different story in Afghanistan , there the
Aussie troops chase the baddies over the hills and into the valleys..

My son and I just ended a long 'phone conversation and here are some of
his comments, believe me this is what he said. We have all seen the
cowpie emails written by some clown in his lounge room pretending to
be at the coal face, but this is what was said.:

"Before I came over here I thought we (the Australian Army) were pretty
[beep] hot..... was I ever wrong!....The Yanks (I hope you don't mind me
using that word) are so professional from the top to the bottom that it
is almost embarrassing to be in their company, and to call yourself a
soldier....don't get me wrong, we are good at what we do but the Yanks
are so much better.....they are complete at what they do, how they do it
and their attitude is awesome....they don't complain they just get on
with the job and they do it right.....I carry a Minimi (SAW) so I am not
real worried about a confrontation but I tell you I feel safer just
knowing that the US Army is close by....If we got into trouble I know
that our boys would come running and we could deal with it but they
would probably be passed by a load of Hummers. No questions asked, no
glory sought, the Americans would just fight with us and for us because
that is their nature, to protect those in need of protection.....We use
the American Mess so you could say that we are fed by the
Americans.....they have every right to be pissed at that but they don't
bitch about that they just make us feel as welcome as possible....what
gets to me is that the Yanks don't walk around with a "we are better
than you attitude" and they could because they are, they treat us as
equals and as brothers in arms. If nothing else, coming here has taught
me that the Americans are a truly great Nation and a truly great bunch
of people.....Let's face it they don't HAVE to be here, they could stay
in America and beat the [beep] out of anyone who threatened them, BUT THEY
ARE HERE because they believe they should be here, and the Iraqis would
be screwed if they weren't here.....When I come home, you and I we are
going to the US, we will buy some bikes and we are going riding...."

The reason why I am sharing this with you is because I realize that you
(as a nation) must get pretty pissed with all the criticism you receive
by the so-called "know it alls" who are sitting at home - safe. The
reality is that they are safe, just as I am, because of America . If the
world went arse up tomorrow there is f**k all we ( Australia ) could do
about it, but I know that the Americans would be there putting
themselves on the line for others. That to me is the sign of greatness.

The most precious thing in my life is my son, I look at him and I thank
God that I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time in his company.
We laugh, we discuss, we argue, we dummy spit, we have the same blood I
am not happy that he is where he is but that is his duty. He joined the
Army to protect and to defend, not to play games. I mightn't like it but
I accept it. My reasons for not liking it are selfish and self centered.
I felt assured that he would be safe because he is in a well trained
army with an excellent record, BUT NOW, I feel a whole lot better
knowing that he is with your sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.

Whilst he was growing up. I was always there to look after him, I would
not let harm befall him and I would always put myself before him to
protect him I can't do that now. When it comes to looking after him now
he and his mates will do the job, but also THANK GOD FOR AMERICA.

Gentlemen, I have rambled on for too long. but as I finish I say to you,
as a foreigner and outsider, a nation is only a collection of its people
and its attitude is the attitude of its people, collectively and as
individuals. I am really glad you are here on this Earth and I respect
you as a nation and as people.

Stand up and feel proud because you deserve it, there is no one else who
will do what America does without question. The next time someone howls
you down, take some comfort in the fact that America is defending their
right to act like an idiot.

Finally, thank you for looking after my son.

XXXXX XXXXXX

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Hard at Work!


That's enough for today.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Off The Top Of My Little Pointed Head.......

.....but, if I keep my hat on, it won't show.

I finished downloading a tune I've been looking for in the stores and on-line. The tune: "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil, from the album "Diesels And Dust." If there was a way to upload it to this blog, I'd do it in an instant (or as long as it would take on a broadband connection).

This weekend is the Masters Tournament, and I'm entered in the "scratch" division. I dislike handicapped tournaments, as my average is too high, which means I don't get a handicap. If a 150 average bowler has a 50 pin handicap, then bowls a 190 game, I have to shoot a 240 just to break even. The other problem is that a three game series, the 150 average bowler gets 150 pins handicap. Let's assume that the 150 average bowler shoots three 200 games, giving him a 600 series, plus the 150 pin handicap, means that his total is 750.

A 750 scratch is no small chore; but, if I want to qualify for the finals, I'd have to shoot a 750, or else to take my toys and go home. When I shoot a 750 scratch, I'm going to be pretty close to the top in a scratch tournament. Now, if I want to cash, I have to match that series in the semi-finals and again in the finals. I'm up to the task, as I've been on the lanes practicing under all types of lane conditions.

In any case, I'm bowling all this weekend, starting tonight (Thursday) and ending up on Sunday night. Scores will follow, if I remember to bring the recap sheets home.

As a side note: Any more spam in the comments section will cause me to delete comments. 'nuff said!

Monday, February 25, 2008

Thoughts for a Sunday night.

As I sit here, watching "The Outer Limits" on Sci-Fi, the crap rattling through my head is enough to choke a horse.

Rain delayed the NASCAR race until later this (Monday) morning at 10 AM. So much for southern California sunshine.

The OSCARs were handed out earlier tonight. "No Country For Old Men" won a few. I haven't gone to a movie in over a year. It's too damn expensive. I gotta save my bucks for bowling.

Speaking of bowling, big tournament next month. The USBC Masters.

And that brings me to another subject, sort of. As an organization such as the USBC, it's almost useless. The honor awards suck. The enforcement of the rules suck. Their promotion of the sport sucks. And they want more money!

Why?

So they can approve (?) equipment, such as bowling balls. What's funny is that I have, in my arsenal, an almost illegal ball. It's a Roto-Grip SD-73 Classic. What makes it illegal is that, if the design of the ball (internal weight block and coverstock) were to be submitted today, the USBC would disallow it. However, it was submitted and approved by the ABC (before it folded) and "grandfathered" in. But, that's only part of it. When I drilled the ball, I balanced it out (on a highly accurate scale) and put the holes where it would do the best job for me. This course of action almost puts the ball in the "illegal" status. It has my required side and top weights. If you look at the drilling pattern, you'd ask, "Why the hell did he do it that way?" The answer is simple: It gets me a lot of strikes that I normally wouldn't get on the same hit. It's drilled for a heavy oil pattern, and it works like a champ. I've already recorded three unsanctioned 300 games in the four months that I've had it. It has, also, got me seven unsanctioned and two sanctioned 700 series. It has increased my overall average to over 215 (up from 205).

Of course, maintaining a high average in these days is easy. It's all due to the lane conditions. Most centers want to increase business, so they oil the lanes to make it easier to get high scores. It's a form of cheating. So, where is the USBC in all of this? They approve the lanes for sanctioning. That says a lot about the USBC enforcing their rules.

Of course, the centers are somewhat to blame for all of this too. They don't look at bowling as a sport; they look at it as entertainment and recreation. Both QubicaAMF (AMF Bowling, Inc.) and Brunswick (Brunswick Recreation Centers) are to blame for getting it started. And most of the independents have followed in their footsteps.

Here's how to tell a sport center from an entertainment center. Is the decor brightly painted? Does the seating look plush and comfortible, with plenty of tables nearby? Are there special effects lighting fixtures and large speakers hanging from the ceiling? Does the menu suggest "open play" and parties? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions, it's an entertainment center with bowling as a sidelight or an after-thought.

My center is being remodeled. The building needs to be replaced more than fixed up. We're getting new carpeting. New furniture. New score screens. We've already got a new $100,000 snack bar (called "the Cafe'") and a new $14,000 lane machine. Four years ago, the company spent $250,000 for a new roof. The damn thing leaks. The walls (red brick construction) leak too, especially in the pinsetter area. The builders did a wonderful job of sealing up the place. Every time it rains, I'll have about an inch or two of water on the shop floor.

Last summer, four out of ten of our air conditioning units had to be replaced. If I want air conditioning in the shop area, I have to open the shop's outside door. We don't have any toilet facilities for the mechanics either. No sink, no nothing. We do have a fridge that was salvaged from a closed center, and a microwave for our food; however, the general manager gets upset when we bring in our own lunches. Tough stuff! I'm not going to pay good money for over-priced crap, even if I get a discount. There's a 7/Eleven across the street that's actually cheaper and better. Plus, they have damn good coffee.

EEch! Coffee's cold, so enough for now.

By the way: Please don't use the comments section for your spam. I want real comments, not some crap. Thank you.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

America, the Dumb

Last week I purchased a burger at McDonalds for $1.58. The counter girl took my $2 and I was digging for my change when I pulled 8 cents from my pocket and gave it to her. She stood there, holding the nickel and 3 pennies, while looking at the screen on her register. I sensed her discomfort and tried to tell her to just give me two quarters, but she hailed the manager for help. While he tried to explain the transaction to her, she stood there and cried. Why do I tell you this? Because of the evolution in teaching math since the 1950s:

Teaching Math In 1950s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit ?

2. Teaching Math In 1960s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100 His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?

3. Teaching Math In 1970s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?

4. Teaching Math In 1980s: A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Math In 1990s: A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers, and if you feel like crying, it's ok.)

6. Teaching Math In 2007: Un hachero vende una carretada de madera para $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Sorry! I'm not going to lower my standards to make you look better.

Look at these high-tech toys we have today. We have computers, connected to the Internet, and can research any subject we desire. We can write our thoughts faster than using paper and pencil. We can read 600 page novels in a few hours. With a click of the mouse, we can be transported to any part of the world.

WOW!

So, what do we do with these high-tech toys? We spend hours playing video games. We get stupid playing video games.

No wonder why little Johnny/Jenny can't read, write or count.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Here it is, and in its entirety.

[new comments, data, etc., are in brackets and/or bold type like this]

LARADIO.COM Op-Ed by Tom August
Published Thursday, June 1, 2000 on http://www.laradio.com/

“L. A. Radio is Boring”


I’m getting tired of radio in the Los Angeles market. And if one person, myself, feels this way, think of how many other people feel the same way. To me, radio in this city is boring. Why? I believe that station managers are not broadcasters in the old sense, but merely accountants that don’t know radio. How did I come to this conclusion?

When you hear “Unbreak My Heart” ten times during an eight-hour period.
When you hear Kenny G. once each hour during the day.
When you hear the exact same music being repeated 90 minutes later.
When you hear the exact same songs being repeated twenty-four hours later, almost to the second.
When you hear the same 200 songs being repeated over and over again day in and day out.

Who’s to blame? Station managers, “program” directors, sales managers, air people, or all the above? It seems that the owners don’t care since all of the major stations are owned by two corporations. You know who they are.

Why am I on this rant? Here we are, in the entertainment capitol of the world. There is more talent here than in any other part of the world. There is more recorded music here than most anywhere. Why can’t it be exploited? I’m an “oldies” fan, and I have more [oldies] music in my library than all of the Oldies stations in all of California combined.

When I was on radio in Sacramento during the mid-sixties to early seventies, I had an average listening audience of over 325,000 people (ARB fall quarter 1965 thru spring quarter 1971). This was when the total population for the city of Sacramento was 225,000. I was outdrawing television on Friday nights. And my main program on Sunday mornings was sold out six months in advance, and the revenue paid 75% of the station’s overhead.

Why?

The GM/PD gave me the freedom to do something different. How many GM’s, PD’s, or whoever can say that today? You tell me.

In a single station market you have a captive audience; in a multi-station market you have competition; in the Los Angeles market, who cares who wins? As “broadcasters,” you should care. Don’t forget the ratings. The higher the ratings the more you can charge for advertising. I shouldn’t have to remind you of this. With more people tuning out, the lower the ratings. How do you keep listeners?

1. Quit the repetition. Put more music in rotation. A minimum number of titles should be 1200, in all formats.
2. KZLA, how many Hank Williams, senior, or Juice [Judy] Newton or David Allen Coe titles have you played in the past two years.
3. KRTH, how many Bobby Rydell or Gene Pitney or the Royal Teens titles have you played in the past ten years?
4. KCBS-FM, how many Pacific Gas and Electric or Ten Years After titles have you played in the last five years?
5. KCMG, how many non-disco titles have you played in the last twenty-four hours?
6. KOST/KBIG, how many Barry Manilow or Barbra Streisand have you played in the past five years?
7. KTWV, how many times have you played Cal Tjader, Dave Brubeck, or Charlie Byrd? That’s smooth jazz!
8. How many radio stations have more than 200 titles in their libraries?
9. How much music has been recorded in all formats during the last fifty years?

The answers to #8 & 9 are one and a lot. The answers to #2 thru #7 can be answered by the stations that I picked on, and the artists that I mentioned are just a few of the very many that aren’t being played. There’s so much good to great music out there that it’s impossible to mention in this article. The question I have is simple: Why isn’t it being played? And I’m not talking about one-hit wonders; I’m talking about all artists that aren’t being played period!

According to many artists/performers, when approaching a PD with a new recording, the artist is told that the station will have to drop an artist to add a new one.

Did you know that you can get over an hour of music on a [single] CD? Did you know that you can get five hours of music in stereo on a “zip” or mini-disc? Do you know how any CD’s or “zip” discs you can store in the same space that it takes to store 100 vinyl LP’s? Did you know that you can purchase a commercial stand-alone CD recorder for $700, and the CD’s can be played on any CD player? Stations dropping one artist/performer to add a new one is pure stupidity, yet some stations are doing it. Why? You tell me.

How do I know this when I’m not in broadcasting today? Again, the answer is simple: I pay attention. If I go to work for a broadcaster I’d be expected to follow the “rules.” I’m not a follower, I’m an innovator. That’s how I got and can get results. My programs are listened to. It’s hard to turn off the radio when you’re having fun.

Let me illustrate my point further. I helped a friend program a radio station on Long Island in New York State. Since we didn’t have a FCC license, we put the station on cable. [WPTS 95.5] The only way you could hear us was you had to hook your FM receiver to the cable, then tune us in. In a ten over-the-air station market, we were number 3 in the ratings the first time out. How did we do it? We listened to all the stations in the market to see what they were doing, then did something [everything] different. If you pay attention to what’s happening in your market, forget syndication (that’s for the stations that are in the middle of nowhere and can’t afford talent), do something different. Increase your music libraries, hire talent that knows music and can’t fake it, the audience can usually tell; and be creative. This will increase listeners.

KBIG and KOST are supposed to be different, yet they sound similar. It shouldn’t surprise anyone because they are owned by the same corporation. KRTH, KOLA and KZLA need a lot of help to keep them on the map. KTWV needs lessons as to the difference between smooth jazz and blues. KCMG needs to come down from the pedestal they think they’re on. These are just a few of the stations I’ve listened to over the past fifteen years, and I’ve listened to almost everybody in the L. A. market. I’m not Latino, yet I’ve listened to stations programmed for that market, and a couple sound like they’re broadcasting from a toilet (way too much echo). I’m not sure if they’re in the L. A. market, but they put in a strong signal here.

If you don’t believe me, listen to your station for more than fifteen minutes, then listen to the competition to see if you’re copying them or if they’re copying you.

Why am I not in broadcasting today? Because I would have to follow “rules.” I wouldn’t be able to add music to the library. I wouldn’t be able to do something different. I wouldn’t be able to make the station number one in the ratings. In the past, a radio station was used as a tax write-off for a corporation of wealthy investors. When the station became profitable, it was sold and the process started over. I have personally seen this in more than one case.

With these mega-mergers, where’s the competition? If there’s one or two owners in a multi-station market, who needs to compete? All the bucks are going into one or two pockets. If one station fails, the other stations will support it. This happens in the retail business every day. Without competition there’s stagnation, which we’re hearing today. It should be evident with the amount of repetition that’s taking place.

Back a few years ago, there were specialized stations. KHJ, KFWB and KRLA were Top 40; KMPC and KABE were variety (as I remember); KDAY featured “Urban” (in today’s terms); KPOL was classical and serious popular (elevator); and so on down the dial. The key word you don’t hear today is “variety” from a single station. Can it be done? Will it be profitable? Can each air personality bring in their kind (or type) of music and have a good-sized audience. It was done in the past. Will it be done in the future? Only you know the answers.

Here’s another stupid idea: Have a telemarketing company make random calls to the average listener, play a few seconds of a song, then ask the listener if he was offended by it. The song that offended the most people never made it on the air. How many L. A. radio stations are doing that today? A lot! [In fact, almost all.]

How about community involvement? There’s a small station out on the east end of Long Island, New York, that’s heavily involved with their community. That’s the station we couldn’t beat with our cable radio station mentioned The station is WLNG AM & FM in Sag Harbor. They’re constantly doing remotes from this festival to that store opening (or sale). WLNG is there with their brightly painted bus. You can’t miss them. If I was to go back into radio today, I’d do it similar to Paul Sidney’s WLNG. It’s a toughie to beat. [ed. note: In the years since this Op-Ed was published, Paul sold off the AM (days only) to a bible thumper. His FM operation is still going strong.]

What kills radio today? Is it like stupid management decisions? [Like the “hold your pee for a Wii” stunt in which a woman died.] Is it making too much money because it becomes unprofitable due to taxes? As I see it, most management lacks the foresight to turn a talent loose. [Phil Hendrie is an exception.] Well, how can you manage a L. A. radio station when your office is in New York? A good manager has to get down in the trenches with the help to direct the workers [talent]. You can’t do it by remote control! Take some advice from some top-level managers in the retail field. You have to sell the product (programs). If the consumer (listener) doesn’t buy your product, they’ll go elsewhere. Why are there so many department stores? Is it price, quality, service, courtesy, all the above or none of the above?

And another thing, if you listen to yourselves you’ll notice one glaring mistake, you’re buying listeners. You’re giving away money, trips, cars, or anything that says, “Listen to me, I’ll make you rich.” You’re not giving your audience the entertainment that they deserve. The only reason you’re playing music is to separate the commercials.

A lot of the information for this piece came from the pages of http://www.laradio.com/, and I do not believe for a moment that anything was taken out of context. Only the names have been deleted to protect the innocent (if there were any innocent).

The following was published by Don Barrett’s “Email Saturday” page on Saturday, June 3, 2000.

“As for being psychic, Tom August’s rant, excuse me, commentary, was right on as far as KBIG/KLAC’s changes and the one-note one-theme running through KBIG and KOST, as well as the lack of “Classics” aired on KZLA (other than Mac Davis’ program). A fine example of how to program a successful country station is right down the road at KFRG in the Inland Empire, which features 2-3 classics an hour, as well as heavy community involvement and an on-going “Hometown Handshake” that is currently being ripped off by other local stations. Unfortunately, KFRG is an anomaly as far as being in touch with their listeners, for unless the Southern California market is prepared to hear nothing but Top 15 and Talk in the future, programmers are going to have to start listening to the people they supposedly service, otherwise a lot of dials are going to go dark. Thanks again, Don, for keeping us aware and informed about the radio we love.”
Julie, Temple City

And here are a few emails I personally received following the Op-Ed piece.

Friday, June 2, 2000
Tom,
I have spent 25 years in the radio business, and you are a man after my own heart. You hit the nail right on the head. I have been saying the very same thing for years.

The ONLY bad part about it is that it will fall on deaf ears. EVERY programmer that is now involved in radio is merely a “yes” man. All they care about is keeping their jobs and will do ANYTHING to accomplish that. This is the exact reason why NO ONE in the radio business will take a chance anymore. The type of radio you talk about is what I grew up listening to. (I was born and raised in Los Angeles.) I was there the day KHJ became Boss Radio (and have the air checks to prove it). I was there for “Color Radio KFWB,” and the wonderful years of KRLA with Hudson, Kasem, Hull, Eubanks, etc., etc. Unfortunately, WE will never hear this kind of radio again because the only sound that radio station honchos care to hear anymore is the sound of of cash jingling in their pockets. Two of the biggest culprits are Mike Phillips at K-EARTH and Jahni (don’t call me Johnny) Kaye at KBIG, KOST, etc. They are nothing but puppets that will bend over just to stay in radio. My philosophy has been that radio stations should make you feel like you’re missing something by NOT listening. As I write this, I am listening to an Unscoped hour of Humble Harve on KHJ from November of 1969. And yes, our memories do serve us correctly…radio WAS wonderful in those days. What radio needs are more people like you that are innovative and care enough to ENTERTAIN their audience. I just don’t think any of these corporations that own EVERY station in town care to have people like us around. We are a threat to their main concern in life…the almighty dollar. Thanks,
“Radio Guy”

Friday, June 2, 2000

Tom,
I concur with the observation of “boring” radio. It’s more systemic than we know.
With the vast array of music available, past, present, current, call them whatever, there seems to be a lack of information about the music & the artist.
But then I was turned on to AOR via KZAP [Sacramento] during the early 70s and got into radio via KDVS (Davis) then worked at Earth Radio 102 (KSFM) . Moved to LA & dabbed in big time radio in ’76 via KNAC & KEZY but saw the writing on the wall. Tighter control over music so played at KXLU.
Who plays Frank Zappa, Dan Hicks,…..endless of missing on air.
Who even remembers real musical segues?
Why did we have to loose our connection to the air personality and their music? You knew who was on the air by the music “they” selected.
I miss musical variety.
I moved to Detroit market in ’97. Boring here too, hmmm.
Glad there are those, like yourself, who can better express thoughts I carry.
Now I wish I’d airchecked all of my shows just for the musical value. I kept my playlist though!
Best wishes,
“K H”

So I wrote K H back about KSFM and the guys, as I used to know most of them.

“Yep, that was Donald [Don Wright] and Michael Sheehy that started Earth Radio 102. It was in Woodland at the converted “cow barn.” Don hired me in ’74 (their first female DJ) at a damn good wage ($10 an hour) then $800 per month. There was a playlist, rather play categories (which I was known to stray from more than often).
Best wishes,
“K H”

Friday, June 2, 2000

I related to much of what you said and I’d love to hear more. By the way, as a morning show broadcaster, I’ve been known to play David Allen Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name.” [one of my Country favorites]

I’m currently out of work but moving to LA and keeping my fingers crossed as I press the flesh. Is that a death wish or what? Actually, my wife took a killer job. She’s in radio sales management.

Bruce

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Hi Tom,

Read your piece with great interest. Couldn’t help respond to your quote “Should I be on radio today?” What’s your secret?

Mark & Kim
KOST-FM Los Angeles

Well, Mark & Kim, if you read the piece, you’d know the secret.
Let’s cool it with the boring radio.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Tom – you’re right on target, they’re all a bunch of sheep and don’t know how to be creative. You’re not “nuts.” The people running LA radio stations are “NUTS.” I was on the air at KMPC for 22 years, retired younger than most broadcasters. Our front yard is the Pacific Ocean and life has been very good to us.

Roger Carroll

I used to listen to Roger on KMPC, and the guy is a class act. His radio programs were really worth listening to. I wish he was still on the air; but retirement can be fun too.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Hi Tom – They buy stations with big bucks, and then are so afraid of losing their investment that they won’t take chances. It certainly is difficult to listen, though it may not be as bad in my area (California central coast) as it is in LA. I do get a kick out of “Radio A Go Go” on KRLA, but there’s just too little of it. I had some fun in Fresno in the mid-80s at KYNO-AM. We had a big playlist and brought back the old Drake jingles – it was fun, though an FM eventually killed us off- KYNO is now Spanish Catholic Family Radio! I’m glad Don Barrett carried your commentary. Will anyone with any power do anything sensible because of it? Don’t hold your breath…sorry. I also have a large CD collection, because I know that if I’m in the mood to hear something, I damn well better own it!

Rich

If I owned a radio station, I’d want Rich to work for me. We’d make a helluva team.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Dear Tom,

What a piece of work, and I say that with a smile. You have said what I have been thinking for so long. Radio today is boring, and management/owners have become arrogant in their programming skills. They’re positioning themselves with the attitude, “give the audience what we think they need.” I usually listen to tapes or CDs in my car…when tuning in KRTH, they’re playing Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” or Wilson Pickett’s “In The Midnight Hour.”

Recently, while visiting Las Vegas, my wife and I were in the El Cortez Casino and the music service that they use is an oldies format, but with a difference…..not just the same 200 songs we hear over and over, but numerous gems and artists we have not heard played anywhere in years! It was exciting to listen, because you knew something different was coming up next.

Like you, I have been an avid collector of music since the age of nine in 1956 with my first single “My Blue Heaven.” [By Fats Domino] After being exposed to Color Radio-KFWB, became fascinated with it and eventually ended up working in the business…mostly in sales and management, but my heart was in programming, music and the talent.

Since my wife and I grew up in Los Angeles, we have gravitated towards listening to Oldies, but we like Country, light Jazz, and even more contemporary music played on KOST and KBIG…but these stations are like KRTH, just play the same music and ignore the great artists of yesterday.

I teach radio and television broadcasting at several Orange County colleges, and through my collection of music, airchecks and jingles, I am able to share with them how it all came together for Rock ‘n’ Roll. It is interesting to see and hear the reactions of students as they listen to Gary Owens from ’62, or Bill Balance in ’59, or “Transfusion” by Nervous Norvous!

Prior to the tightening of the format at KRTH, Brian Berne was allowed a Saturday Night Special every so often to play those “forgotten favorites.” Even Huggy Boy has had to tighten up his playlist and return to the same routine…..”My Girl”…..

It seems evident that with the current smug attitude of stations, this situation will only hasten the exodus of listeners who will find that “ten in a row” of the same redundant music can be corrected by putting in a tape or listening to CD’s.

We were lucky to have grown up with radio that was not so specialized in format. We grew to appreciate hearing the various types of artists and songs on one station whether the music was rock, country, jazz, instrumentals, or even novelty records. This is a point I stress in my classes…students are urged to listen to all types of formats to prepare themselves for working at any station.

Because of this, I believe over-the-air stations are an endangered species. We will have numerous other forms of communications to deliver music into our homes…and existing wireless stations will not be needed since they do not provide something special in their programming.

I could go on, but we already agree…no one wants to take a chance on being different.

Sincerely,

John

John, I want to use your crystal ball to see if I hit the lottery. You wrote that letter eight years ago, and look at what we have today. A completely wireless telephone that can access the Internet, take photographs, and upload them to a website. The same telephone can receive almost any radio or TV station in the country, and present it in color on a 2-inch screen. One day, I’ll audit one of John’s classes.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Tom – I couldn’t agree with you more. I’m stuck in a truck all day and some days I turn the radio off it’s so bad. I am an Oldies fan as well. I can’t stand KRTH. Their big problem is they think Motown is the only thing out of the 60s worth playing. Thanks for your letter. Maybe they’ll listen to you as a radio man. God knows I’ve written to them and they don’t care about me, I’m only a listener. – Jim [in Lancaster, CA]

Jim, I’m only a listener too, as I’m not in broadcasting any longer. Besides, they won’t listen to me either, because their minds are made up. I’d just confuse them with the facts.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Tom – Thank you for having the “stones” to call it like it is, especially the bribery aspect of keeping listeners, well numbers would be more accurate. Miss the 50s sound of KFWB, where real DJ’s pulled their own music, and sank or swam on their talent. I would have called KMPC MOR, before the days of playlists. And who could forget the great sounds of KRHM/KBCA days of real jazz. You’ve got my ear, please tell me more. And for what it’s worth I loved every day I was in front of a microphone, but most especially pulling and airing a show. – John

John, I remember the KMPC talent. Dick Wittinghill, Gary Owens and Roger Carroll especially. I couldn’t wait for Gary’s “Story Lady.” Those were some of the funniest bits on radio. I understand that they are/were syndicated.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Tom – Okay I read your rant on LA Radio and I agree that the radio situation in Los Angeles can be described as a vast wasteland. You are correct, many collections on a single CD seem to have more programming than some stations. My present solution is to buy a megachanger and put in a whole bunch of my favorite CD’s (I like Beautiful Music, Classical and New Age the most plus some big band, etc.) set it on random play and I have my own station that plays great music and does not go through pointless format changes. (Sometimes the new format is indistinguishable from the old one.) Ever wonder why hardly anybody makes good radio receivers any more?

Tony

Tony – I have the solution. Download “T-Player” from the Internet. It’s freeware; however, it features a dual deck. It automatically does cross fades, and can be programmed for random play. Rip your CD’s to your computer, tell “T-Player” where to look, push the “GO” button and listen away. By the way, it works 100% better than most radio station automation systems. As an aside, I loaded 2,000 tracks into “T-Player,” set it on random play, and it played for two weeks before I heard a repeat.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Hi Tom,
I agree 100% with your comments in LA radio people. Have you ever heard of my show “Rhapsody In Black?” 8 to 10 Wednesday nights on KFPK 90.7 FM.
Bill Gardner

Yes, Bill, I used to listen, but not as frequently as I would have wanted to. You’re another guy that I would want to work for me; that is, if I had a radio station.

Thursday, June 1, 2000

Read your article today – as a layman who enjoys/likes music, what you said makes a lot of sense. Go to work for a station and I will listen.
Jack

Hey, now I have two listeners: my wife and Jack.

Saturday, June 3, 2000

WOW – I couldn’t agree more, Tom. Really good piece.
Bill at Lake Tahoe

Bill, if my non-existent radio station reached Lake Tahoe, I’d have three listeners, and three employees.

All in all, I didn’t receive any negative comments about my piece; however, I did receive over 100 hundred favorable comments, and a lot of them came from real radio people.




As a matter of fact, I received a email wanting me to go to work for a small radio station. I checked them out, and it seems that I would be stuck with their playlist, and no funny stuff (ala: Gary Owens or Don MacKinnon). For the money they offered, I’d have been better off flipping burgers at Mickey D’s. And I wouldn’t have to relocate.

Whaddya know!

I found the hard copy of the piece I wrote for Don Barrett's "LA Radio" website, back in June, 2000. I've transcribed the hard copy to a word processing program for easy transfer to this blog. I'll run it in a day or two.

I'll publish it, and some of the emails I received following the piece. I even heard from some of the people I worked with back in the late 60's and 70's.

Although written eight years ago, it is still relevant today. Radio in general sucks; and LA radio sucks in particular. No one, and I mean absolutely no one, is doing anything new and creative in radio broadcasting today. It's become a vast wasteland of automation, voice tracking, and repetitions beyond belief. (Lately, I've heard some of the jokes I heard as a kid growing up.)

Radio is losing listeners by the multitudes, some in thanks to iPods, and others are migrating to television and video (where it's getting to be as boring as radio). Radio is loaded with "yes" men, afraid of losing their plush jobs if they should think of something different. Radio is being run by surveys, polls, ratings, and whatever paperwork comes across the paths of programmers.

One of the people seeming to break the mold is Larry Miller of Sit 'n' Sleep mattress stores. "If I can't beat the advertised price, your mattress is FREE!!!" Larry's innovative way of selling mattresses is one for the books. He and his "accountant" Irwin come up with fast, easy to understand and humorous commercials. ("You're killing me, Larry.")

Aside from Sit 'n' Sleep ads, radio is boring, run by corporations loaded with greed. The only reason for programming is to separate the commercials (spots). If it wasn't for the Internet and my iPod, I'd have nothing to listen to.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

DAMN!!!

In the midst of computer crashes, hard drive failures, websites swapping hands; the Op-Ed piece to Don Barrett's website is lost (unless it's on hard copy somewhere around here). The emails I received refering to the piece are intact.

Here's a sample: "I'm just a truck driver from the Central Valley, but I listen to radio, and I read your piece on Don Barrett's website. Everything you said makes a whole lot of sense. I know nothing about radio programming, nor do I care to know; all I really do know is that whoever is doing it, in my opinion, stinks. I hear the same thing every day and I'm getting sick of it."

Signed: "Dan"

Dan, I know how you feel. It seems like radio stations have a 200 song library that they wear out on a daily basis. My personal recorded music collection numbers about a quarter million tracks, in various genres and formats, and dates back to 1903. There is no radio station in the country that can match that number, nor will they ever.

Radio today stinks.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

It's Been A While.....

.....since I've posted anything new here.

I've been in the radio broadcasting industry for many years; and just the other day, found a ton of material from an Op-Ed piece I wrote for Don Barrett's "L A Radio" website. The piece dates back to June, 2000, and is highly revelant today. As soon as I dig out the piece, I'll publish it here, along with a few of the emails I received following the piece.

I heard from many "big" names in L A radio, and quite a few other people as well. I also received emails from people I worked with in Sacramento radio. Many have gone on to bigger and better gigs. Then, there's me. I have never had the opportunity to work in L A radio; however, I've wanted to.

Radio people are gypsies, traveling from gig to gig, never staying long enough to get to know the area or the people. Radio station owners are only interested in ratings, and bringing in the "almighty dollar." When it comes to creativity, there is none. They don't understand that it's the creative aspect that brings in listeners, followed by the dollar. They don't get the idea that it takes a little time to cultivate the station, to give it its sound. All the owners want is instant gratification. It's due to the MTV generation. Quick cuts, and then it's over.

I heard from one L A radio individual who was at one station for 22 years, a long time in radio history. And as for the follow-up emails I received from the Op-Ed piece, I'm not going to publish the complete or correct names of the individuals that replied; however, I will publish what they wrote. It should be interesting reading.