Adiós Gil Gross

I was not surprised to hear that Talk 910 has disappeared into the ether.  I hadn’t been listening to it for at least a year, now.  It seems to have gone out with a whimper.  There is no uproar over the program change.  I heard about it recently and it seems it’s been a week or more since the change.

I searched around for any information about the change:

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/NewsTalk-910-AM-sf-espn-deportes-8409787.php

http://www.radiolineup.com/stations/KKSF-AM

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/155853/kksf-talk-910-san-francisco-drops-talk-flips-to-es

http://www.yelp.com/biz/910am-san-francisco

http://www.talkers.com/tag/kksf/

http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?695883-iHeart-pulls-the-plug-at-910-now-ESPN-Deprtes

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ba.broadcast/UvLnp447O_s

 

This is a bit off-topic, but as I searched for information about the Talk 910 change, I found an interesting thread that is very dishy about that media blogger guy:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ba.broadcast/I9oQ9rHGYuk

 

That’s about all I could find about the recent program change at Talk 910.  I’m sure Gil Gross will land on his feet.  Same with LLoyd Lindsay Young (if he doesn’t decide to retire) and the news staff.  Gil was good at one time.  I’m sure he could be good again.  The wife thing was a failed venture.  She might be good at crossword puzzles, but a talk show host she is not.

The not taking calls thing was idiocy on a station called Talk 910.

No Talk, no listeners, no ratings. Not a surprise.

 

Dylan Said it Best, Things have Changed

Souce: biocurious.com Posted by Toshio Ando CC-By SA 3.0

He sings: “I used to care but things have changed.”

When I was young, I listened to music on the radio.  I used to turn it down low and fall asleep with it playing.

As I aged, I listened to talk radio whenever I visited my grandmother.  It was always on in her house.  She played it loud and loved the crazy callers.  We’d drink coffee at her small wooden kitchen table and listen to her small black radio, its  antenna pulled all of the way up and tilted to the left, next to the toaster on the counter.   She’d laugh whenever a call escalated to name-calling and then flick ashes from her cigarette into a big glass ashtray.

I don’t recall when I began listening to talk radio.  Probably on a sleepless night I searched the radio dial for something to distract me.  Maybe it was Ray or Bill or Bernie that hooked me, or maybe it was the fond memories of my grandmother’s kitchen, but talk radio became my listening habit and my radio dial was always tuned to KGO.

That is, until December 2011, when Cumulus Media came to town and destroyed radio in this market and many others.  I would not listen to KGO now.  Not even if Len goes back or they somehow manage to convince Rothmann to host a show.  As long as Cumulus owns that station, I will not listen.  I will tell others not to listen.  Why would talk radio listeners support a company that doesn’t care about listeners, only money in their executive pockets with no benefit to the local community?

So, I was forced to find another outlet for my radio time and thought Talk910-AM was going to step up their programming and build a talk station worth its listeners’ time.  I listened to them everyday from 12:00Noon to the end of my work day.  They hired Len and Gil to host shows.  Then they dropped Len, who knows what happened there, and there was something very wrong with Gil’s show.  It was him talking and talking and talking, the same tired format day in and day out, no callers, and he even brought his wife on the show every Friday.  yikes.  Fridays were the worst.  His wife does not belong on any radio, not even Nighttime Theater of Horrors.  Her voice is ear-splitting irritating and her laugh is downright goosebump scary.  I’m sure it hits the dog whistle range.  ugh!  I shiver in agony just thinking about it.

I listen to Frosty.  I like his show.  He doesn’t take callers, so it’s not optimal, but it’s the only thing out there now.  I don’t listen again to his podcasts.  I don’t have to.  Gil discusses the exact same news items in his show a few hours later.

This is what we are left with.

I seldom listen to Gil’s show now.  I usually turn to radiolab.org (http://www.radiolab.org/) or thisamericanlife.org (http://www.thisamericanlife.org/) instead.

I did hear Gil recently when he had a guest on to discuss Pete Seeger’s death and it confirmed what I don’t like about Gil.  He had a guest on who knew Pete Seeger and Gil took up half of the interview telling the guest about the time he, Gil, saw a Pete Seeger show.  It was unbelievable.  Here, he had a guy on the line who knew Seeger personally, and could provide more insight into who Seeger was, and Gil interrupts to inject himself into the conversation about how he once went to a Seeger concert.  By the time Gil was finished with his long, drawn-out story, it was time for news.

I thought his wife was a horrible addition, and now I’m at the point where I can’t stand Gil’s name-dropping stories that he thinks are interesting.  It’s pathetic.

For weeks now, they’ve been playing a clip of Gil and his wife on a promo spot.  Are you kidding me?  It’s like they want to drive away any listeners they have left.  When I hear it, I turn off the radio and go back to BBC.

So, now I’m down to listening to Frosty’s show.  That’s it.  Three hours in a day.

I tried the Randi Rhodes program, but it’s an angry show with sound effects that seem to come from a machine shop.  You know the sound of welding?  It’s like that.  Along with clips of Limbaugh.  She has some good discussion points, but it’s all that other stuff in between that’s annoying.  I tried, but I can’t listen to it.

Here’s the Wikipedia link to her show:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Randi_Rhodes_Show

Thankfully, BBC Radio2 has decent programming.  I guess I’ll have to go back to listening to a music format again.  I started out with ‘things have changed’ but I probably should have said ‘the more things change, the more they remain the same’.

December, Two Years Later

NARA 533886

I found out that radiodiscussions is gone.  Here’s a link that explains it all – from beginning to end:

http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/6167-radiodiscussions-com-message-boards-shut-down

I used to visit that site every so often, whenever I heard something and wanted to find out more about it.  Real radio people populated that site, not some gossipy Caen-wannabe, as we see in that other stupid media blog that is trying to hang on by a thread.

Looks as if everyone is migrating to this site: http://radioinsight.com/community/topic/radiodiscussions-ceases-operations/

When KGO claimed it ‘listened to its listeners’ and changed the entire format in December 2011, they lost most of their listeners. huh.  As Judge Judy would say, ‘you didn’t have your listening ears on’.  A few of the old KGO audience still hang on to Owens, but they don’t ‘get it’, that continuing to listen to that station is the same as contributing to a Kardashian charity fund, where Kim keeps 90% of the proceeds for ‘administrative costs’ – in the same way the Dick-eys have to lay-off highly paid people, and cut the others down to minimum wage, so those same Dick-eys can give themselves another million in bonuses for what they’ve saved in costs.

Not that I would ever listen to Owens ever again after December 2011.  I still cringe when I hear those mattress ads on other stations.  I’ll never go there to buy a mattress.

I noticed on the Facebook page of formerkgolisteners (https://www.facebook.com/FormerKGOListeners– go there and ‘like’ their page.  They update the site with new information every week.) that Len Tillem wants to start up again on radio.  You can find out about it if you want.  I’m not going to bother promoting it.  Len left without a word, just left his loyal listeners hanging and didn’t bother to mention he was no longer posting podcasts.  What did he care?  Listeners weren’t paying him.  Why would he bother to mention to people, who’ve listened to him for years, that they no longer matter?  They don’t give him a check.  So, he can disappear without a thank-you, for months, and think his personality alone will bring people back.

um, no.

I work in a business that is paid by clients, but we wouldn’t have clients if we didn’t have the customers who support them.  We make decisions with both customer and client in mind, not just the one with money attached.  There would be no money attached if there were no customers of our clients.

In a convoluted way, Cumulus Media is trying to circumvent the customer of the product.  They are selling airtime to clients on stations that no longer have an audience.  All Cumulus has to do is tell advertisers how many markets they will penetrate and sell that as a package.  Listeners are a given.  They are counting on having someone listen to their stations at least a few minutes every day, and that way they can profit from ad revenue and add more money to their annual corporate bonuses.  Ever think of that when you listen to Ronn?  I don’t understand how intelligent people still don’t understand this.

It’s interesting that the few who could have profited from the KGO mess two years ago didn’t have the intelligence or ability to pull it off.  That media blogger, instead of expanding his worth in the market, chose to continue down the same path of gossip, sensationalism, and rating media women by their ‘hotness’, not to mention his utter ineptness at putting sentences together.  What a waste of time that was.

Plus, that Santa Cruz station instead of using an opportunity to increase listeners tenfold, they opted to continue using equipment that seldom worked, podcasts that never posted, and some old lady who loved Donald Trump and was allowed on the air, every day, to express her opinion.  yikes.  What a mess!

These are not the game changers.

*

The new station that offers a half-day of programming for the former KGO listeners, KKSF  Talk910, will be changing their programming soon.  Gil will stay.  I don’t have to tell you what I think of that.  They might as well cut his entire Friday shows.  What a disappointment Gil has turned out to be.

Frosty’s programming will begin at 10:00am now instead of 12 Noon and will end at 1:00pm, not 3:00pm.  I don’t mind.  It cuts into my BBC Radio2 time, but I’m sure Simon Mayo won’t care that I have to switch to local programming after his confessions segment.

I’m unfamiliar with the person taking over the 1:00-3:00pm slot.  Randi Rhodes.  I’ll be listening and maybe I’ll have more to write about after these changes take place.

Not that anyone reads this, anyway.  But, hey, I don’t mind.  Keeps out the riff-raff.

Here’s the announcement of the change:

http://www.examiner.com/article/bay-area-gets-back-an-hour-of-armstrong-and-getty?cid=RSS-EX-topnews

oh, did I forget to mention that Limbaugh is gone from KKSF in January?  ha!

Plus, I’m not excited the buffoons known as A&G will get an extra hour, but I sure won’t be listening to them.  Just like I don’t listen to Gil on Fridays.  But, I’ll probably be listening to KKSF an additional two hours now, every day except on Friday, and I’m happy about that.

For once we can get through December without a radio catastrophe.

Enjoy the holidays!

Let Me Say This

NARA 1122914

On Friday morning I read that Len Tillem was a guest on that other radio station.  He was sitting in with that ‘no one tells me what to do’ guy, you know, what’s his name.

You can read various posts about it here on the Facebook page of FormerKGOListeners:

https://www.facebook.com/FormerKGOListeners

Remember to ‘like’ their page!

 

It’s being speculated that Len would like to move his show over there again.

Not saying it’s true, that speculative information was reported by that ‘can’t get his facts straight’ media blogger guy who’s trying to profit off the backs of radio professionals who actually have talent and intelligence.  To be fair, he did say that the ‘no one tells me what to do’ guy is the one who wants Len’s show back on the station that shall not be named.

So, let me say this – never, I mean not even for one second, will I turn my radio frequency to that other station as long as it’s owned by Cumulus Media.  Not even for you, Len.  In fact, if Len moves over there again, that’s it for me.  No more Len podcasts or radio show.  Why should I care about supporting his show if he doesn’t care about how Cumulus Media has destroyed local radio in this market?  This issue is larger than the number of clients Len could get from going back there.  It will destroy his integrity and weaken his fan base.  Sorry, Len.  If that untrustworthy report from that blowhard media blogger guy has any legs then I’ll have to use mine to walk away.

When are we going to wake up and stand on principle?  It’s not always convenient, but small sacrifices now will benefit everyone for the long-term.  Shareholders will have to learn how to share.  Remember that societal concept?  Doing something for the greater good?

And let me make this clear about Clear Channel, they are the first cousin to the Dick-eys in this broadcasting mess.  They dismissed Len, but they did give Gene Burns and Gil Gross a radio home.  They should evict Gil’s wife, and I’m not the only one who thinks this.

Also, they should give back to the Bay Area a voice in local radio.  That’s right, those pesky, unpredictable ‘ callers’.  We don’t care what Gil’s wife thinks, it’s not like we can even listen to what she says.  Her voice is irritating, when it’s not squeaking it’s obvious she’s trying to speak in slow and measured tones, and that’s even worse!  It’s painful to listen to.  It’s not like she adds to the conversation, either.  Every so often she does have a good point, but mostly she’s shrieking out of fake horror over some dumb criminal story (hate those) or she’s interrupting a guest to ask something that disrupts the flow of the discussion.  Why, Gil, why??

There are plenty of female broadcasters in the Bay Area and many with a professional radio voice and interview skills.  Come on, Gil, team up with a professional female broadcaster if you’re trying to prove you support all views.  Please, don’t push your wife in front of a microphone.  She’s not suited for it.  I always breathe a sigh of relief when she’s not on the show on Friday.  And I did breathe a sigh of relief yesterday.  How nice it is to listen to a Friday show without her.

Okay, now that I’m rolling, let’s get to Frosty.  I’m listening to his show.  I admit, I don’t hear everything because it’s been very busy at work, but from what I’ve heard, let me say this: his show has morphed into an earlier version of Gil’s show.  He tried to include callers during his first week, now he mostly mimics the same ol’ format that Gil Gross is using.

I say mostly, because there are moments of Frosty’s show that have that unwashed feel.  You know what I mean, he talks about things that do not need an expert on the phone to tell us what to think.  Frosty goes off on rants or he tells long, rambling stories, many times about things that have happened to him personally, and it’s a bit unexpected and little bit fun.

It’s not like a Gil story.  Gil usually prefaces his stories with how cozy he is with some popular figure or celebrity, like, ‘when I worked with Dan Rather and I did this to him’.  ha ha.  Isn’t that funny, folks?  And, yes, you did hear me correctly.  I know Dan Rather personally, and Dan will never forget me because I did this with him or to him.

That’s not Frosty.  I laugh when I write this.  When Frosty talks about things in his life, we hear about his folds and flaps in his body and how he needs underwear that doesn’t chafe.  Yep.  Comfortable underwear: No chafing, no bunching up, and no stink.  No kidding!  I love it.  It’s unexpected and unfiltered.  Not many hosts would share their underwear on air.

Want to hear it?  It starts around 10:00 on the podcast.

Frosty – 6/18/13, Hour 2

http://www.talk910.com/player/?station=KKSF-AM&program_name=podcast&program_id=frosty.xml&mid=23364526

He also talked about his roll through the hood and one frightening experience.  It’s at the beginning of the following podcast.

Frosty – 6/19/13, Hour 1

http://www.talk910.com/player/?station=KKSF-AM&program_name=podcast&program_id=frosty.xml&mid=23370417

I should mention, there are moments when Frosty’s stories make me cringe and I rethink promoting his show, but some of these Frosty stories are nice breaks in the talking-points type of show both he and Gil put on the air.  Many times Frosty will do his show and then Gil, an hour or two later, will talk about the same news story and bring on another expert to talk about the same things Frosty’s guest expert talked about earlier.  I’ll never have to listen to another podcast again because I always hear the same story repeated an hour later anyway.  Same story, different host.

I think if these media outlets want to increase their podcast playbacks, they should coordinate their hosts to vary their content so each podcast will bring a unique listening experience.  But, that’s just me.  A lowly radio listener.

Lots o’ Links

Photo by Jens Japel

In retrospect, I probably shouldn’t have started a blog.  I have a busy job and not a lot of time to put the effort into a seemingly simple one post per week type of blog.  But, I was so darn angry at Cumulus Media and I’d awakened to the mess of our public airwaves.  I had to express it somehow.

Today, I’m still darn angry at Cumulus Media and how they threw their trash into our backyard.  If you want to read more about Cumulus Media history, there’s an extensive article here: http://www.answers.com/topic/cumulus-media-inc that lists all of their radio stations (stations you should now boycott).

**Note: See the end of this post for discussions of Cumulus Media on the News/Talk section of radiodiscussion.com.

Also, I’ve never been fully committed to the radio station that offered jobs to some of the former KGO hosts; the daily content wasn’t appealing to those of us who were used to leaving our radio dials in one spot all day long.  The morning screamers had me holding my hands over my ears and turning it off, then came Rush and the big rush for the door for me.  I had to wait for Len at 3:00pm before I could turn on the radio.  Until then, I streamed online BBC Radio 2, listened to KQED, sometimes Radiolab, and many times (but not now) I’d listen again to Len’s and Gil’s podcasts from the day before.

So, now Len has been kicked to the curb again from the station we thought would save us from our radio nightmare.  huh.  Guess my instincts were right.  That station operates in a similar way to the hated Cumulus Media.  Something we always knew but didn’t want to admit.

Sure, I still listen to Gil on that station.  He is professional and endearing.  Well, that is when he doesn’t drag his wife on the show and that is my first break with Gil.  Why does he continue to push Rhoda on the listeners?  We really don’t want to listen to it.  She doesn’t add anything to the show except the cringe factor and the high-pitched voice unsuited for the airwaves.  Added to that, I can’t understand why a Talk station is committed to keeping out callers.  You know, the talk portion they are touting.

I wonder if it’s a budget thing.  I know Gil can handle callers, but maybe there’s no budget for proper screeners.  Is that what it is?  I’ve been reading that the company is not in the best financial condition so it’s the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. What do you think?

Sorry, I’m not adding a link for Gil any longer since that station got rid of Len.  Not Gil’s fault, I know, but I don’t want to advertise a company that has similar business practices to those losers at Cumulus Media and are acting like a bunch of Dick-eys.

This leads to my thoughts about that media blogger who has tried to profit off the backs of these media professionals.  I no longer add that link since it’s not worth the time even if you have time to waste.  I see reposts of it on the Facebook page of https://www.facebook.com/FormerKGOListeners .  FormerKGOListeners do a good job keeping up with what’s going on in our media wasteland.  Sometimes it includes that blogger guy.

I used to read that media blogger guy’s posts just for the comments, but it turned into one big advertising message for that weird Santa Cruz station.  uh, no thanks.  Plus, that blogger guy has made up so many stories from so-called ‘reliable sources’ that there comes a time to reflect on the saying: Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice… (yeah, you know the one).  We have lives to live, who wants to waste time on that nonsense?  Also, so many supporting comments over there on that blog are obviously fake to fluff up the numbers.  It doesn’t pass the smell test.  I hold my nose when I see that stuff now.

*

We might have a chance to see some of our former hosts together again.  For one night in Berkeley, on Thursday, June 27th, 11:30am – 3:00pm at Spenger’s Seafood Grotto.  Not much yet except the date and time.  There is no mention of potential guests.  That would be good to know.

Here’s the link:

http://www.broadcastlegends.com/index.html

*

By the way, if you don’t know, Len is back, baby!  He’s now taking about four or five calls per day.  All new stuff.  Follow him on Spreaker.  Bump up his numbers (currently at 6,408 followers) and take a minute to leave him a message.

Here’s the link to his podcasts on Spreaker:

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem

Following are links to his show for the past week:

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem/len_tillem_show_5_16_2013

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem/len_tillem_show_5_15_2013

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem/len_tillem_show_5_14_2013

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem/len_tillem_show_5_13_2013

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem/len_tillem_show_5_10_2013

*

I hope you haven’t forgotten about Ed Baxter.

Here’s a link to his Making Sense podcasts (I wish they were dated, I don’t know if he updates them weekly or daily):

http://edbaxtermedia.com/category/podcasts/

*

John Rothmann continues to share his insights with Gil every so often on the radio.  If you want more, here’s a link to John Rothmann’s web posts:

http://johnrothmann.com/

Here’s his most recent post:

http://johnrothmann.com/post/50656866815/around-the-political-world-with-john-rothmann-may-17

*

Yes, and Bernie Ward continues to write for his Lion of the Left Speaks blog.

Bernie’s May days blog posts:

Thursday, May 2, 2013 – No Free Lunch (about online privacy and the Right To Know Act)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/05/no-free-lunch.html

Monday, May 6, 2013 – Suicide is Painless… (about the rate of suicide in America)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/05/suicide-is-painless.html

Monday, May 13, 2013 – I’m a H-1 Believer… (about big tech labor)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/05/im-h-1-believer.html

Monday, May 13, 2013 – Killing the Golden Goose… (about energy exports)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/05/killing-golden-goose.html

I found this old news item about Bernie Ward’s former house when it went back to the bank:

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2011/05/the_lion_of_the_lefts_home_falls_prey_to_its_loans.html

*

Think I’m done?  Oh no, I’m going to link away….

Last week, Gil Gross said on his show that he doesn’t believe in ghosts or psychics.  He mentioned Sylvia Browne specifically and how she told the mother of Amanda Berry, on The Montel Williams show, that her daughter was dead.

Here’s the link:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2013/05/psychic_sylvia_browne_said_amanda_berry_was_dead_why_do_police_consult_psychics.html

Gil really slammed Sylvia Browne, calling her a fraud that preys on people’s hopes.  I used to like watching her on The Montel Williams show.  Didn’t see it much, only on my days off from work every so often.  But I did see the show when Sylvia Browne predicted a disaster somewhere in India and said to tell anyone who planned on going there that they would die.  That’s what she said.  Don’t go there, you will die.

Here’s an excerpt talking about that show from http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread111679/pg1

“In October 2004 on the Montel Williams Show, Sylvia advised viewers to avoid travel to India due to safety concerns. On December 26th Sylvia’s prediction was validated when a tsunami devastated India. Sylvia further warns that travel to the region will not be safe for another 6 months due to health issues (water purity, disease) created in the aftermath of the tsunami.”

Here’s information about the tsunami that hit on December 26, 2004:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html

I don’t think that’s just a lucky (or unlucky) guess on her part.  She was adamant.  But, I don’t think it’s possible to for someone to ‘psych’ on command, in a quick answer to a question.  I don’t think the type of energy is there for it.  But, I wonder if some of the big stuff can be felt before it happens, like an intuition.  We have all experienced that.  We just don’t go on tv to talk about it.

So, I also got to thinking about how Gil doesn’t believe in ghosts.

I was going to write my thoughts on it.  I was searching around on the internet and I found this interesting site:

http://www.ghostsofamerica.com/

There are some really interesting ghost stories about good ol’ SF.  This one in particular is so trippy:

http://www.ghostsofamerica.com/9/California_San_Francisco_ghost_sightings4.html

Here’s an excerpt (if you dare):

“Once again, I saw the man standing at the shoreline. I said, ”the fisherman! ” and at that moment, the man’s legs stretched to at least 40 feet long, as he took 3 giant steps toward us!”

If you listen to Gil’s show, you know that he is on vacation for a few days.  Frosty is sitting for him and I see that he is up for discussion at  http://www.radiodiscussions.com/smf/  .

Want to join in? Here’s the San Francisco section:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?board=203.0

And, here’s the Frosty thread:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=234810.0

*

**Some recent discussions about Cumulus Media at radiodiscussions.com in their News/Talk section:

Here’s the general News/Talk section link:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?board=284.0

Following are direct links to the threads about Cumulus Media.

Titled – A Great Article Re: Cumulus and Rush

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=234577.0

Titled – What is Cumulus Doing?

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=234740.0

 

*

Finally, Simon Mayo had another entertaining confession on his BBC Radio 2 show.  It has to do with fishing and missing teeth.  You can listen to it online for the next 30 days, or download it and listen to it forever.

It’s included in the podcast titled:

Friday, May 17, 2013 – Let’s Sick Together and other tales…

It’s the fourth confession on the podcast (and the third one about the resting man is great, too).  Here’s a link to Confessions Page on the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/confess

By the way, BBC Radio 2 is making news with its surging listening audience:

http://www.wigantoday.net/news/showbiz-news/radio-2-audience-hits-record-high-1-5676451

“Radio 2 has seen its figures grow by almost 5% compared with those this time last year, when 14.56 million were listening in. And it has piled on 260,000 listeners in the past quarter.”

http://www.imediamonkey.com/2013/05/16/q1-rajars-bbc-radio-2-chris-evans-breakfast-show-post-record-audiences/

“Meanwhile, the whole station achieved its highest listener levels ever as it is now reaching 15.27 million listeners every week, a massive 4.9% increase year on year. Share was also up for the station as it rises to 17.7% from 16.8% in the same quarter last year.”

sigh…

Unbelievable…

Photo by Yumi Kimura CCA-SA 2.0

What the h- is going on out there?

When the unbelievable happens, where do we go?  For information, for updates, for insight.

I used to go to KGO.  Not anymore.  Trashed by greed and on-air content only a bottom-feeder shareholder could appreciate – not to listen to, of course, but appreciate.  You know what I mean.

Not even 910AM, or whatever they are calling themselves now, can be considered a go-to source for answers.  The morning and early afternoon shows on 910 are filled with screaming fools and syndication.  Gil Gross is the only reason to listen to that station now and then only starting at 3:00pm.  I stay away on Fridays, though.  That voice of Rhoda ruins Gil’s show for me.  Can’t spend any length of time listening to it.

Gil Gross is a good broadcaster.  He has faults but there is no denying he is a dedicated, professional host.  On the day of the Boston Marathon when the terrible news broke late morning, Pacific Time, I had nowhere to go to listen to what the h- was going on.  I found a Boston outlet, online, the CBS local affiliate, WBZ NewsRadio 1030 and listened to that station most of the day.  When I wanted to see video, I watched WBZ television streamed online.  I made sure it wasn’t a Cumulus station.  Not giving them one second of a blip on any of their ratings tracking systems.

Here’s a link to online WBZ NewsRadio 1030 – Boston (using tunein.com):

http://tunein.com/radio/WBZ-NewsRadio-1030-s27704/

There is a strong feeling of community on this station and it’s heard in the calls.  Something we used to, but no longer, have here.  I really wish Gil would take calls!  Listen to this station and recall how good it can be.

At 3:00pm on Wednesday, the day of the marathon, I turned on Gil’s show but there were so many commercials played and Gil didn’t even stay on the story.  Unbelievable.  I had to turn back to non-stop coverage of the Boston Marathan at WBZ and that’s where I stayed all day and far into the evening.

There was so much misinformation being reported out there as well.  It’s summed up neatly in this blog post:

http://open.salon.com/blog/cranky_cuss/2013/04/19/the_latest_news

On late Thursday, early Friday, when the MIT police officer was found dead and there was a report of a car hijacking, I watched everything unfold on WBZ TV leading to the firefight that broke out in Watertown,  WBZ aired non-stop online coverage.  They did report some misinformation, but corrected it the moment more information came in.  They cited their sources and included a listener-beware statement that in a fluid on-going, breaking story there was sure to be updated, corrected information from the proper authorities.  And, that’s exactly what happened.  The naked guy turned out to be just that, a naked guy and nothing more.  I’m sure we’ll hear all about his story once this all calms down.

It was hours before the local television stations here in the Bay Area broke into programming for Special Reports, and even then they repeated the same things I’d been hearing about and watching for hours out of Boston.  I turned my television to the ABC network so I can hear reports from George Stephanopoulos.

Next week I think I’m going to listen to  Boston’s WBZ NewsRadio 1030 talk station instead of Gil’s program.  I want to hear what the callers have to say about all of this.  They were the ones affected by it and they should have a voice in all of this.  I’m listening to it right now and I love to hear the calls and all of the opinions.  I miss that.

Even members of radiodiscussions.com agree that WBZ had some great coverage.

Here’s Page 5 of the discussion in the Boston section under the topic ‘Patriot’s Day Explosion’:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=232918.40

Plus, another topic on ‘Why Local Radio is Important’:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=232941.0

I want to note that Thursday morning I listened to Gil’s Wednesday podcast.  He did a great job reporting on the Boston Marathon tragedy and he was especially astute in cautioning about what information would turn out to be true.  He was correct in almost every point he made, all of it corrected by reporters early this morning.  Good job, Gil.  Now if only you would take callers and stay on breaking news instead of stopping for ten minutes at a time to break the flow with inane commercials.  Yes, they need those commercials.  But they also need listeners.  Without us, those advertisers would go elsewhere with their ad dollars.

One last thing, I happened to see video online where Amy Poehler gives advice to a young girl that Poehler framed against the happenings of the day.  Watch it.  It’s very touching.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCrGKy9-7Ss

That’s how I got through these past few days.  How about you?

What did you do?

Get Out Another Change of Address Form for the loyah!

Yes, folks.  It is true.  Len Tillem, the loyah, no longer has a show on the AM radio dial.

If you want to hear what he says about it, listen to his podcast dated 3/29/13 (explicit language) where Len discusses it with Jon Favreau:

Len Tillem Show 3/29/13

http://www.lentillem.com/podcasts/

In it, Len talks about how he first started his 20+ year career in radio.  Did you know Len was a theater major in college?  Somehow, that does not surprise me.  He even admits he does radio better than sex, but he’s not naked on the podcast.  He’s not going to take his top off like Julie Andrews did in a movie.  He also addresses his recent firing from AM radio.

If you want to comment, you can sign up for access to the Spreaker site and you don’t even need to be a member of Facebook.  It’s easy.  Create a Name, provide your email address and create a Password.  That’s it.  You’re on.  Just type Len Tillem in the search bar and you can follow Len’s show there.

http://www.spreaker.com/user/lentillem

Plus, Len is promoting his podcast on iTunes.  The more you rate his podcasts, the more recognition his show will get.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/len-tillem/id535550590

And, of course, you can follow Len on Facebook and comment there.  Go to formerkgolisteners Facebook page and there you can find the link to Len’s Facebook page as well as information about all of the former KGO favorites.  Remember to ‘like’ their page.  They do a good job keeping up with all of this changing information.

https://www.facebook.com/FormerKGOListeners

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The good news is Len says he will create a podcast for Monday.  Be there!  Support him.

len@lentillem.com

Have a question for the Lawyer? Give Len a call! (866) 536-1000 (or, 1-866-LEN-1000)

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Here’s what others are saying about it on radiodiscussions.com.  Join in the discussion about the recent change on KKSF.

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=232014.0

Another thread of interest, The death of KGO one year later:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=224131.0

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There is an old discussion in there as well, under the Len Tillem topic from December 2011 and it  includes an old response by the loyah himself when he was let go from KGO:

lentillem rimember OfflinePosts: 1

Re: Len Tillem « Reply #2 on: December 05, 2011, 11:48:26 AM » I am not gone. I’m going to begin pod casting soon. I was shocked by the KGO decision to fire almost all of its talk show hosts.  My program was the highest rated show on all of KGO.  It also had the best demographics advertisers are looking for. What were they thinking?I love doing radio.  Doing the show is usually the highlight of my day.  I am going to begin pod casting my show this week or next.  I am just working out the technical details.People all over the country will be able to call in with their legal problems and stories and I will deal with them from 12:00 to 1:00 every weekday.In the beginning, as listeners learn to find me on the web, we’ll screen calls all day long and make appointments to call back my radio show clients between noon and 1:00.  This way, the show will have the live radio feel without commercials (think commercial free radio) and FCC restrictions on my flowery language.Let me know what you think! len@lentillem.com Len Tillem

Back in December, these were some of the comments:

“As for podcasting, I dunno, I’d be more inclined to put effort into approaching other stations.  You’ve got the books, you’ve got the demos.  Surely there is a fit somewhere.  Podcasting works really well for episodic programming such as “This American Life” and “Radiolab”, but I’m not so sure it’s workable for a daily show.”

“Len, are you kidding me?  I listen to you on podcast all of the time!”

These comments are relevant now.  It’s time, Len.  Time to control your own output.

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I’ve been thinking about a site like radiodiscussions.com.  There needs to be a place where listeners all over the U.S. can convene and figure out how to take back the quality of discussion we’ve taken for granted all of these years.  Do we want to sit back and let Cumulus and, now, Clear Channel dictate whatever information they want us to hear?  Do you want these mega-corporations to pocket bonuses and millions in pay on the backs of the everyday citizen?  Have we become so complacent to let that happen again and again?  Can’t we do something about it?

http://www.radiodiscussions.com/smf/

This is what I found in a recent Google search:

Monday, March 25, 2013 … Cox Radio is starting to operate from the Cumulus and Clear Channel playbooks. … top execs take bonuses even in bad times – like now – and simultaneously with massive layoffs that they impose on key staffers.

It was a subscription article, but it says it all right there.

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In that same Google search, I found another subscription site that lays it all out there.  The focus is music, but talks about all of the big players.  I don’t subscribe, but it seems this guy has a media blog with real content.  He’s not ogling local weather personalities and sizing up anchors based on sex-appeal.  This guy builds his content in a professional format.  Even if I subscribed to it, I wouldn’t be able to share since it’s his property and he requires a subscription fee to access it.  He does have some good opening teasers, though, like this one:

http://insidemusicmedia.com/cumulus-mr-mean-genes-strikes-back/

This is his Home Page:

http://insidemusicmedia.com/

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Speaking of media bloggers, I was correct in waiting to find out if Ed Baxter and John Rothmann were released from that AM station as well.  Ed Baxter will continue to post his ‘Making Sense’ podcasts at his own site:

http://edbaxtermedia.com/

John Rothmann will continue to fill in for Gil Gross, when needed, on that AM station.

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I’m sure I’ll have more to say about this in later weeks.  Now, I’m exhausted thinking about it.

Our listening habits have to change.  In the office, many no longer listen to the radio.  They all have their players and listen to them.  They listen to NPR and music and podcasts.

We need an app to bring all of these independent podcasts together to create a real show.  We wouldn’t have the local news or weather or traffic though.  And we wouldn’t have the shared audience experience of listening to live radio.  I wish there was a way to bring this all together.  Companies like hated Cumulus Media, and now we are seeing the effect of Clear Channel as well, bring only profit margins and shareholders and unlistenable commercials to take it all apart.  It’s coming apart at the seams and we need to come together as hundreds and thousands of listeners with purchasing power and shareholder influence and do what’s right.

What’s happening now is all wrong.

 

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Note: I just read this interesting blog post about earning a living.  What do you think?

http://open.salon.com/blog/lheure_bleue/2013/03/30/a_quote_i_dont_fully_understand_anyone_want_to_help_me

Can’t Keep Up With Bernie who has the time doing time

Bernie Ward has a lot to say, lately:

Sunday, March 17, 2013 – Let Those Who Have Eyes (about Senator Portman and same sex marriage)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/let-those-who-have-eyes.html

Sunday,  March 17, 2013 – The Road to Argentina… (about Pope Francis)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-road-to-argentina.html

Friday, March 22, 2013 – Those Who Forget History… (an Iraq rehash)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/those-who-forget-history.html

Friday, March 22, 2013 – New and Improved? (about the Republican Party)

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-and-improved.html

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And now, in full Monty Python mode, something completely different… another view about the pope:

(Warning, four letter words ahead and adult content)

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http://open.salon.com/blog/james_emm/2013/03/24/what_the_fuck_is_pope_francis_up_to

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Okay, now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s continue on as before.

Lately, I’ve been dissatisfied with KKSF-Newstalk 910-AM.  First, Len Tillem has so many ‘Best Of’ shows.  I’ve been disappointed too many times waiting until 3:00pm just to listen and then he’s a no-show.  Sometimes, when he is there ‘live’ he’ll bring in his money-maker buddy Pat Vitucci and I’m disappointed because I want to hear the stories, oh, the stories!

And, speaking of the stories, what is up with Gil Gross?  I love Gil and listen to him everyday, but it’s getting to be a lesson in what it’s like to have Attention Deficit Disorder, never staying on one topic long enough to gather thoughts about it.  Gil introduces a topic, talks at length about it, brings on a guest on the subject, and then Gil uses up the guest’s time by talking about his own stories that he recalls from his past.  The guest will give some courtesy laughs at Gil’s little witticisms, but then is whisked off the phone because it’s time for news and weather.

Added to this annoyance is a Friday with Rhoda.  She squeaks and squeals and talks in slow, enunciated sentences, as if just learning to speak, and when Gil is not going on with another story about him then we have to listen to Rhoda saying things like, “You’d better watch it, buddy,” and “Hey!”  She’s always yelling “Hey!” in a faux-angry voice that is a bit too high to stomach so late in the afternoon.

And, I’m saying this as a fan of Gil.  This last Friday was almost unbearable.  I want this to work for everyone.  For Gil, for the loyal listeners, for Sebastian Kunz and Lloyd Lindsay Young.  It’s as if they are not taking this seriously any longer.  If they don’t care, why should we?  Please, KKSF – Newstalk 910-AM, step it up a level.  Allow Gil to do what he does best, host a topic and discuss it for an hour with callers, guests, and keep the conversation focused.

Also, it’s not helping that Gil’s show gets cut short for some sports stuff.  I don’t even bother listening to the podcasts any longer since there is no Hour 3.  Sometimes there’s not even an Hour 2.

Are they going to just sit back and let Cumulus Media win?

Bernie Pontificates about the Conclave

See what I did there?  I know, I know.  Sometimes I can’t help myself.

There’s a new post on Bernie Ward’s blog, The Lion of the Left Speaks, about his thoughts on the selection of the next pope.  We all know, now, who they selected as the new pontiff but we also know Bernie is in prison and can’t just wander to his computer at four a.m. and post something on his blog.  I’m sure an updated post from Bernie will be up soon.

Here’s his post before the news:

Monday, March 11, 2013 – The Conclave…

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-conclave.html

There’s another earlier post about Eric Holder and the drones debate:

Friday, March 8, 2013 – Hypothetically Speaking…

http://lionoftheleft.blogspot.com/2013/03/hypothetically-speaking.html

Gil Gross, our favorite talk-show host at KKSF NewsTalk-910 AM had an interesting show yesterday in his second hour that went from after-life to the current state of organized religion and even Lil Wayne’s sizzurps.  I’d never heard of a sizzurp before but I did hear this morning on the news that Lil Wayne has tweeted he is fine.

Gil Gross – March 13, 2013, Hour 2 (you can hear Lloyd Lindsay Young and Sebastian Kunz as well):

http://www.newstalk910.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?more_page=1&podcast=gil_gross&selected_podcast=gil_gross_03-15-13_h2_1363406425_14000.mp3

He had two interesting callers that spoke of their experience with the after-life.

Gil’s wife, Rhoda, is on the show with him every Friday.  As I’ve said before, her voice is high and shrill and when she shrieks things on the show, like, “What??” or “Just a minute!” or just a high-pitched sort-of scream, it’s irritating.  I love Gil and I can listen to Rhoda when she’s not all worked up about something, but, fair warning, there are a few moments in this segment that she can’t contain it.

Also, I was really enjoying the callers on this segment and was settling in for long listen when I heard the words, “And we have to get to traffic and weather so I only have a second,” and then Gil lets Rhoda go on and on about her after-life thoughts.  Come on, Gil, you can hear this stuff at home.  Listeners want to hear calls, especially interesting calls such as you had on this show.

I’d hoped he’d continue the discussion, but, no – had to move on to another subject.  I understand that they do this to garner more listeners in each quarter-hour, but it lessens the listening experience for those of us who remember how talk-show hosts before December 11, 2011, would explore a topic for an entire hour and even push it to two if the interest was there.

I miss those hours.  Do you?

Is it a Fluke?

Photo by Serge Melki CCA-2.0

Len Tillem, our favorite radio loyah on KKSF Newstalk 910-AM, is always saying, “Don’t eat your liver.”  As in, let it go and stop thinking about it.

Well, I can’t stop thinking about something that could be a fluke, and it’s making my liver crawl.  As in, actually making liver crawl.

Simon Mayo, a BBC Radio 2 host (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ ) , has a segment on his program called ‘Homework Sucks’.  Kids call in with a question and Mayo and his team try to find an answer before the end of the show.  They take listener calls about it, they talk about it on air amongst themselves, and finally, they take a call from an expert on the subject, or someone who has experience or knowledge on the subject, who offers an explanation.

Sometimes, the so-called expert’s response is questionable.  Most times, a believable expert calls in who can back up their argument with science and facts.

Questions range from ‘Why do we have fingerprints’ to ‘Can crocodiles spit’?

At this moment, I can’t recall the most recent questions asked on his show (except one), but they are varied and funny and interesting.  I always listen for the answer.  I’m curious about the how and why of some of this stuff, too.  The question samples I used came directly from Mayo’s book.

Yes, Simon Mayo actually wrote a book about his show’s Homework segment.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2217215/Homework-sucks-Simon-Mayo-book-reveals-sprouts-taste-horrible-crocodiles-spit.html

On Tuesday, February 19th, the question was something I’d never heard before.

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If you put a fresh liver on a plate and a glass of full-fat milk on the same shelf in the frig overnight, the liver moves towards the milk.  Is it true?

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Want to hear it?

http://audioboo.fm/boos/1224007-simon-mayo-s-liver-milk-experiment

See the pictures posted on the Simon Mayo Drivetime Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=624818810863436&set=a.135213933157262.21859.129044383774217&type=1&theater

Here’s the page where you can listen to the most recent Simon Mayo Drivetime episodes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p2dfq/broadcasts/2013/02

Also, this article explains flukes:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/211298/fluke

Photo by Flukeman CCA-SA 3.0

I shared this with a friend and he doesn’t believe it’s possible.  Says someone moved the liver to get to the jello.  ha ha.  What do you think?

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And, don’t forget to listen to Len!

http://www.newstalk910.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=tillem

Followed by Gil Gross (with Lloyd Lindsay Young and Sebastian Kunz):

http://www.newstalk910.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=gil_gross