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Chris Burrous Autopsy Performed
An autopsy has been completed on KTLA5 weekend anchor Chris Burrous, who was found unconscious in a Glendale motel room Thursday afternoon and later pronounced dead at a hospital, but a cause of death has not yet been determined, according to KCBS-TV.
"A cause of death was deferred pending further investigation," Sarah Ardalani of the coroner's office said Friday. It often takes several weeks to get the results of toxicology tests.
Saturday's KTLA's morning newscast marked the first weekend without Burrous and was dedicated to his memory as his tearful co-anchors shared clips and memories.
Early on, a representative of the Torrance Rose Float Association announced plans to include a remembrance of the veteran anchor on its float during the New Year's Day parade, an event Burrous was scheduled to help cover.
Richard Stellar, a guest blogger for TheWrap.com entertainment news website was among those who continue to post tributes, photos and other commemorations online.
"He would bond with people – returning military veterans, parents of ill children, immigrants," Stellar wrote under the headline "Why I'll Miss KTLA's Citizen Journalist." "His microphone, when angled in the direction of his subject, was like a bridge of tolerance and understanding."
Police were contacted at 1:15 p.m. Thursday by a caller who said a man he was with at the Days Inn, 450 Pioneer Drive, had passed out and was possibly not breathing, according to Sgt. Dan Suttles of the Glendale Police Department.
A dispatcher gave the man instructions on how to perform CPR and he was attempting to administer emergency aid when firefighters arrived, Suttles said.
Glendale firefighters found Burrous, 43, inside the motel room, not breathing, Suttles said. They administered CPR and he was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The original call to police stated Burrous may have overdosed, but detectives will await the Los Angeles County coroner's office final report for a determination of the cause of death, Suttles said.
Reporters To Cheer-In New Years In Times Square
Reporters will be the guests of honor at the New Year's Eve party in New York's Times Square on Monday, in what organizers said was a celebration of press freedom after an unusually deadly year for journalists at U.S. news outlets.
According to Reuters, two attacks in particular weighed on organizers as they discussed in autumn whom to give the honor of initiating the ceremonial ball drop just before midnight, according to Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.
One was the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post and U.S. resident, inside a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. The other was the mass shooting in June in the newsroom of The Capital, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, in which five employees were killed.
Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, said the Times Square Alliance approached his group because of "the perception that the journalism and journalists in particular are under threat and their role is being questioned."
Simon, who said he usually spends New Year's Eve playing Scrabble with his wife in New Hampshire's White Mountains, will be in the spotlight at the Times Square festivities, joining Mayor Bill de Blasio to launch the ball drop a minute before midnight.
Simon will be joined onstage by journalists from U-S and international news outlets, including NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt, ABC News Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz, and Karen Attiah, global opinions editor at The Washington Post.
Snoop Dogg, Sting and Christina Aguilera will welcome 2019 in a packed Times Square Monday along with revelers from around the world who come to see the traditional crystal ball drop, fireworks and a blizzard of confetti.
According to the A-P, spectators are expected to start assembling in early afternoon for the made-for-TV extravaganza. As has been the case for years, the celebration will take place under tight security, with partygoers checked for weapons and then herded into pens, ringed by metal barricades, where they wait for the stroke of midnight. Last year's event was one of the coldest on record at 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Forecasters say Monday's party will take place amid mild temperatures but possibly rain. Umbrellas are banned for security reasons.
Bloomberg Tracks Its 'Market Moving' News Stories
Bloomberg News has an unusual practice of paying some of its reporters explicitly for publishing "market-moving" stories, according to BusinessInsider.
This is one of many metrics that is factored into reporters' annual bonuses.
This practice is not widespread in the financial news industry, and journalists BI spoke to from other outlets were not aware that it is used at Bloomberg. BI also canvassed traders, bankers and public relations professionals. None of them had heard this before, either.
Most of the people BI spoke to, especially traders, were startled to hear about this practice, worrying that it might create an incentive for Bloomberg reporters to "push" or stretch stories with the specific aim of moving markets. Traders react instantly to headlines and news stories, and the decisions they make often make or lose significant amounts of money.
A former Bloomberg News employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, confirmed to Business Insider that Bloomberg News does track market-moving stories reporters publish and that these types of stories do factor into reporters' bonuses.
Not surprisingly, given this compensation structure, the reporters at Bloomberg definitely care about moving the market.
"Anyone who moves the markets gets a bonus. Your team gets awards. If you don't move the market [it's] like there's something wrong with you. You don't get a full bonus."
Bloomberg News reporters get a compensation report each year, the former Bloomberg employee says. The bonuses are calculated based mostly on the reporter's team's performance as well as market moving stories. A percentage of the bonus is also based on personal performance, and it's all weighted.
TV Antennas Gaining Popularity
The TV antenna is a piece of 20th century technology that evokes memories of rabbit ears placed atop the mahogany cabinet of the old Zenith in your grandparents' living room. But a growing number of consumers are turning to over-the-air digital antennas — a one-time investment of as little as $20 — as a way to slash their monthly video subscription costs.
The L-A Times reports research firms and electronics manufacturers say cord-cutting consumers have driven up TV antenna sales and usage in recent years. These "value-conscious streamers," as they are known in the industry, are willing to cobble together a mosaic of video sources to replace the traditional pay TV bundle, which now costs an average of $107 a month, according to a recent study by the Leichtman Research Group.
This year, 8.1 million over-the-air TV antennas will be delivered to retailers in the U.S., up 2% from last year and 8% over 2016, according to the Consumer Technology Assn.
Nielsen estimates that 13.8% of U.S. homes depend on antennas to get their TV, up from 10.3% in 2014. Research firm GfK North America puts the number of over-the-air TV homes at 16.4 million.
The rapid acceleration of cord-cutting has put heavy pressure on the cable industry and media companies that own pay TV channels that depend on the steady revenue stream that subscribers provide. The number of consumers who've canceled traditional pay TV service is expected to climb 33% to nearly 25 million this year, according to estimates from research firm eMarketer.
Though worrisome for Hollywood, the trend has been a boon to antenna manufacturers like Channel Master. Although it does not disclose sale figures, the Chandler, Ariz.-based manufacturer has recently doubled the size of its facilities to meet demand for its products, said Joe Bingochea, the company's president.
The market plummeted in the mid-1980s as consumers moved to cable and satellite to get better picture quality and then-new channels such as HBO, MTV and ESPN. This hurt Channel Master, which went through several ownership changes and a bankruptcy in the decades that followed.
But the brand name is still recognizable to older consumers, which prompted a group of private investors to acquire the company in 2012 and focus on the emerging cord-cutting market.
Computer Virus Stops The Presses
A computer virus hit newspaper printing plants in Los Angeles and at Tribune Publishing newspapers across the country, according to USAToday.
Tribune Publishing said a computer virus disrupted production of the Chicago Tribune and its other newspapers, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The print edition of the Chicago Tribune was published Saturday without paid death notices and classified ads, while in other markets a similarly slimmed-down version of the Saturday newspaper will be delivered on Sunday, the company said.
"This issue has affected the timeliness and in some cases the completeness of our printed newspapers. Our websites and mobile applications however, have not been impacted," Tribune Publishing spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said in a statement.
Tribune Publishing also reported the attack to the FBI on Friday, the Chicago Tribune said.
The virus that hit Los Angeles prevented it from printing and delivering Saturday editions of the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union-Tribune and other papers to some subscribers.
The Los Angeles Times, which runs the facility, said the computer virus infected systems that are associated with the printing process.
Spokeswoman Hillary Manning said the paper has been working to fix the issues but added that Sunday deliveries may be affected as well.
Biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong bought both the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this year for $500 million.
D-C Radio: NBC Sports Launching Radio Gambling Show
Michael Jenkins and Tim Murray are hosts of a sports gambling show on NBC Sports Radio
NBC Sports is launching a daily national radio show focused on sports gambling, the latest media company to push forward on betting coverage as legalized wagering continues to expand.
The Washington Post reports "The Daily Line," will debuts Jan. 2.
It will be broadcast out of NBC Washington's studio in Bethesda and hosted by longtime local anchor Michael Jenkins, currently the host of "D.C. Sports Live" on NBC Sports Washington, and Tim Murray, a host for SB Nation Radio and the studio host for Navy football, who previously hosted and produced shows for WTEM The Team 980.
The new show will touch on the biggest daily sports topics but will focus on their gambling angles, from point spreads to line movements. The hosts will have oddsmakers and sharps as guests, and recap betting results — focusing on noteworthy winning and losing bets.
The show, which will be produced in conjunction with Westwood One, will air from 3-7 Eastern every weekday and will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Radio app, as well as a group of radio affiliates around the country. At some point next year, "The Daily Line" is expected to be simulcast on some of NBC's sports networks.
In May, the Supreme Court overturned a decades-old law that limited most sports wagering to Nevada and states have since rushed to enact legislation. Earlier this month the D.C. Council voted to legalize sports gambling. In the fall, Rhode Island became the eighth state to accept sports wagers and a report found that nearly $600 million was wagered in New Jersey in the first four-plus months of legalized sports gambling. More states are expected to consider bills next year.
The Action Network was founded in 2017 to and recently hired sports business reporter Darren Rovell away from ESPN. The Vegas Sports & Information Network broadcasts live from a Las Vegas Casino every day, while Fox Sports 1 airs a 30 minute gambling show every afternoon.
Survey: 1 In 4 Adults Check Phone Less Than A Minute After Waking Up
How long do you wait after waking up before you pick up your smartphone and check your texts, notifications, or social media apps? Many Americans don't even give themselves enough time to stretch. According to Study Finds, a new survey finds that nearly one in four people grab their phones less than a minute after getting up each morning.
Researchers say that, not surprisingly, millennials led the way when it came to smartphone obsession.
Thirty-one percent of the young adult segment said they check their devices almost immediately after waking, compared to just 9 percent of baby boomers. Men were also more likely to look at their phones before anything else, with 27 percent checking right away, compared to 20 percent of females.
The findings are part of RootMetrics' Lifestyles of Mobile Consumers survey, which polled 1,200 adults across the U.S. to probe the impact of smartphones and other digital devices on the daily lives of consumers.
While 23 percent of survey participants overall check their phones in less than than 60 seconds after waking up, another 34 percent wait five to 10 minutes. Conversely, about six percent wait at least two hours.
"Smartphones play an integral role in our daily lives, meaning that consumers must ensure they have a network that supports their increasing mobile needs," says Kevin Hasley, head of product at RootMetrics by IHS Markit. "Whether they mostly use their smartphones to share on social media, play mobile games or binge-watch Netflix, a fast and reliable mobile network is key to getting and staying connected. Luckily, the carriers in the U.S. are working hard to align with subscribers' growing demands."
As for other takeaways from the survey, researchers found that a third of smartphone users spend most of their time texting, while nearly a third (32 percent) use their devices mostly for social media. About one in 10 primarily listen to music or podcasts, and 11 percent watch streaming videos.
Interestingly, more than half of baby boomers (54 percent) say they spend the majority of their phone time texting, compared to just a quarter of millennials. Conversely, far more millennials (40 percent) use their phones to check social media than the older generation (19 percent).
The survey was conducted October 24, 2018 by Pollfish.
R.I.P.. James Eiseman, Rochester Radio's 'The Iceman'
James Eiseman
James Eiseman, known to Rochester, NY radio listeners of the 1980s as "The Iceman," has died. He was 61, according to The Democrat & Chronicle.
Eiseman hit the Rochester radio scene in January 1984 when he was hired to host a weekend show at WPXY (now Sports WHTK) 1280 AM following part-time gigs at WABC in New York, and as a producer and music director at WHDH in Boston.
He left the big cities because, as he told the Democrat and Chronicle in 1985, "I was at a dead end, spinning my wheels," and relocated to Rochester because his wife was from nearby Penfield.
Eiseman landed his weekend program at WPXY. In the fall of 1984, he was "The Iceman" hosting a 7 p.m.-to-midnight show Mondays through Fridays on WPXY's FM sister station, 98 PXY.
"I have a following of sorts," he said at the time. "They're nice folks, they call themselves the Icicles. I try to give them more than the basic 'card-reading jock.' I try to inject a little personality."
After his time in radio, Eiseman managed the hearing aid dispensary at Costco, a career his relatives said he found spiritually rewarding.
Facebook Apologizes For Banning Evangelist Franklin Graham
Facebook is apologizing to evangelist Franklin Graham for banning him from posting on the site for 24 hours last week, a Facebook spokesperson told The Charlotte Observer on Saturday.
It was a mistake to ban Graham over a 2016 post he made on the site, and a mistake to have taken down the post, the spokesperson said.
Facebook has restored the 2016 post and will apologize in a note to the administrator of Graham's Facebook page, according to the Facebook spokesperson, who agreed to speak only on background, meaning without the spokesperson's name.
A member of Facebook's content review team -- the team has 15,000 members -- had mistakenly decided the post violated Facebook's policy that bans "dehumanizing language" and excluding people based on sexual orientation, race and other factors, according to the spokesperson and Facebook's written policy.
"Why?" Graham asked in a Facebook post on Friday after he said he was banned from posting anything on the site for 24 hours last week. "Because of a post from back in 2016 about North Carolina's House Bill 2 (the bathroom bill). Facebook said the post went against their 'community standards on hate speech.' Facebook is trying to define truth."
I thank @Facebook for their apology and I accept it. All truth is in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life." I would encourage all Christians—as well as Facebook—to stand on God's Word and His truth. pic.twitter.com/rgEsOZna3C
— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) December 30, 2018
In his post, Graham said the social media giant is "making the rules and changing the rules. Truth is truth. God made the rules and His Word is truth. Actually, Facebook is censoring free speech. The free exchange of ideas is part of our country's DNA."
Graham's 2016 post focused on singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen canceling a North Carolina concert because of House Bill 2. "He says the NC law #HB2 to prevent men from being able to use women's restrooms and locker rooms is going 'backwards instead of forwards,'" Graham said in his 2016 post, referring to Springsteen. "Well, to be honest, we need to go back! Back to God. Back to respecting and honoring His commands."
In March 2016, the General Assembly passed HB2, also known as the "bathroom bill."
MTP Chuck Todd Denies Climate Deniers
NBC's Chuck Todd at the beginning of "Meet the Press" on Sunday said that his show is "not going to give time to climate deniers" before hosting an hourlong panel with lawmakers and experts about the consequences of climate change, according to The Hill.
"This morning, we're going to do something that we don't often get to do: dive in on one topic," Todd said after showing video clips of dramatic weather incidents in the last year. He continued that climate change is "a literally earth-changing subject that doesn't get talked about this thoroughly, at least on television news."
"Just as important as what we are going to do is what we're not going to do," Todd said. "We're not going to debate climate change, the existence of it. The earth is getting hotter and human activity is a major cause, period."
"We're not going to give time to climate deniers," Todd added. "The science is settled even if political opinion is not."
Todd on Sunday said that his show would not not "confuse weather with climate."
The climate panel included multiple scientists and experts, as well as potential presidential contender Michael Bloomberg, climate activist California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) and Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.).
A federal report released last month concluded that climate change is poised to slash the U.S. economy and substantially diminish the day-to-day lives of all Americans if leaders do not confront the issue of climate change head-on. The report concluded that around 92 percent of climate change stems from human activity.
Compilation: Worst of CNN In 2018
The Daily Caller has compiled the most insane moments that happened on CNN airwaves in 2018.
Among the highlights:
CNN kicked off the year in style by having anchors Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon get wasted in a New Orleans bar on New Year's Eve. Fellow reporter Randi Kaye, meanwhile, was in Colorado worrying about getting a "contact high" on a party bus filled with pot-smokers.
Viewers demanded an apology from the network in November after anchor Don Lemon called white men the "biggest terror threat" in the country and pondered why there isn't a travel ban on white guys.
No one was safe from CNN's divisive rhetoric about Trump supporters, not even superstar rapper Kanye West. He was maligned as a "token negro" and a panel of CNN guests laughed as they mocked his intellect and offered to "trade" him in the "racial draft."
While that panel was free to lob insults at a celebrity who spoke openly about mental illness, guests not dare utter "the m-word" on CNN's airwaves. Anchors Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon repeatedly chided guests who said that chasing people out of restaurants and trying to knock down the doors to the Supreme Court is "mob-like behavior."
Posted 1:09:00 AM 2 comments:
Remembering 2018: The People We Lost and Top Stories
From George and Barbara Bush to Sen. John McCain, Aretha Franklin and Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter to television evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, it was a horrible year for tearful goodbyes.
The mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school — which killed 17 students and staff, and sparked nationwide student-led marches for gun control — was the top news story of 2018, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors.
The No. 2 story was the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether Donald Trump's election campaign coordinated with Russia. It was one of several major stories — in a year jam-packed with dramatic developments — in which the U.S. president played a role.
A year ago, the surge of #MeToo sexual misconduct allegations that toppled many powerful men was voted the top news story of 2017. The continuing momentum of #MeToo in 2018 was this year's No. 3 story.
Here are 2018′s top five stories, in order:
1. Parkland school shooting: It happened on Valentine's Day — an act of senseless hate by a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle who killed 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Previous mass shootings had prompted passionate calls for tighter gun-control laws, but this time was different. A group of student survivors at the school, soon joined by allies nationwide, launched the March for Our Lives movement that organized massive walkouts and peaceful protests at schools across the country. The movement remains active, and has helped energize the broader campaign for tougher gun laws.
2. Trump-Russia probe: Throughout 2018, Mueller's team investigated whether Trump's campaign colluded with Russia ahead of the 2016 election and whether the president obstructed the investigation. The evidence so far shows a broad range of Trump associates had Russia-related contacts during the campaign and transition period; some former Trump aides have been indicted for lying. In a separate case in New York, prosecutors say Trump directed his personal lawyer Michael Cohen to make illegal hush money payments to two women in a bid to quash potential sex scandals during the campaign.
3. MeToo: The #MeToo movement, which surfaced late in 2017, maintained its momentum throughout 2018 as many more powerful men were forced to account for past instances of sexual assault and misconduct. Once-revered comedian Bill Cosby was sentenced to prison; so was Larry Nassar, the former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics sports doctor convicted of molesting hundreds of young women. Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was charged with rape. And Les Moonves was ousted as top executive at CBS after a dozen women accused him of sexual misconduct.
4. Mass shootings: When a Marine combat veteran shot dead 12 people at a country music bar in California in November, it was a grim "Not again" moment for many Americans — the fifth mass shooting of the year in the U.S. that produced nationwide shock and sorrow. In May, two months after the Parkland shooting, eight students and two teachers were killed at a high school in Santa Fe, Texas. In June, a gunman shot dead five employees at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. And in October, 11 people were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh during Shabbat morning services.
5. U.S. midterm elections: With Donald Trump on the minds of many voters, Democrats managed to flip about 40 seats in the House of Representatives to seize control of that chamber from Republicans. Democrats also flipped several governorships around the country. But the GOP boosted its slim majority in the Senate and will have a 53-47 edge in the next session of Congress.
December 31 Radio History
➦In 1910...actor Dick Kollmar was born in Rigewood NJ.
He starred as Boston Blackie in the long-running radio show, and co-hosted a WOR New York chat show with his wife, gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen. On TV he hosted the series Broadway Spotlight & Guess What.
He died Jan. 7 1971 from an overdose of pills, an apparent suicide at age 60.
➦In 1914...Roy Rogers' sidekick Pat Brady was born in Toledo Ohio.
He appeared in more than 100 episodes of TV's Roy Rogers Show, after hooking up with Roy in films & on radio. He also sang with the western group Sons of the Pioneers.
He died in a motor vehicle accident Feb. 27 1972 at age 57.
➦In 1920...cowboy actor & narrator Rex Allen was born on a ranch in Arizona. Although he sang on radio's WLS National Barn Dance, published over 300 songs, and starred in 19 Republic western movies, he is best remembered today for his distinctive narration of dozens of Disney films & TV shows. He died Dec 17, 1999 just days short of his 79th birthday, after being accidently run over in his own driveway.
➦In 1923...In London, the BBC first aired the chimes of Big Ben.
➦In 1923...the first transatlantic radio broadcast of a voice occurred between Pittsburgh and Manchester, England.
➦In 1926...radio station KOMO signed on the air in Seattle at AM 980. Today the longtime Fisher Broadcasting outlet has an all-news format at AM 1000.
KOMO Control circa 1948 (Photos courtesy of nwradiohistory.com)
In July 1926, KOMO was founded on Harbor Island as KGFA 980 by two owners: Birt F. Fisher, whose lease on Seattle radio station KTCL was about to run out, and the Fisher brothers of Fisher Flouring Mills, who had been on the island since 1911. (The Fisher Brothers and Birt Fisher were not related.) In preparation for the switch to the new station, Birt Fisher changed KTCL's call sign to KOMO.
In December, his lease ended, and he took the call letters with him to KGFA. KOMO 980's first broadcast was December 31, 1926. The studios moved to Downtown Seattle in 1927. The station also began a long-running affiliation with NBC Radio that year as well, primarily with the Red Network, but also with the short-lived West Coast NBC Orange Network from 1931 to 1933. Over the following years, KOMO's frequency would go from 980 to 1080, back to 980, down to 920, up to 970, then back to 920, and settled at 950 after the NARBA frequency shakeup in 1941.
Fisher's Blend Station, owner of KOMO, bought NBC Blue Network affiliate KJR from NBC in 1941. In 1944, KOMO switched frequencies with KJR (then at 1000 kHz) and sold KJR off two years later. At its new frequency, KOMO began broadcasting with 50,000 watts of power from its current transmitter site on Vashon Island in 1948. New studios at the corner of Fourth and Denny, near what is now the Seattle Center, were dedicated in February 1948.
➦In 1929...Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians played "Auld Lang Syne" as a New Year's Eve song for the first time during their first annual New Year's Eve Party at the Hotel Roosevelt Grill in New York. The show was broadcast on the CBS Radio network and became the longest-running annual special program in radio history.
➦In 1940...ASCAP prevented the radio industry from playing any ASCAP-licensed music. The ban lasted for ten months. It was in reaction to a dispute between the radio networks and ASCAP, the American Society of Composers and Publishers.
➦In 1943...Country singer John Denver was born Henry John Deutschendorf. He died in a crash of an experimental plane he was piloting on Oct. 12, 1997 at 53.
➦In 1948...Disco diva Donna Summer was born. She died on May 17, 2012 at 63
➦In 1951...The "Wild Bill Hickok" TV series was replicated on radio following its success on television.
➦In 1961...for $300, LA radio station KFWB hired the Beach Boys, appearing under that name for the first time, to perform at their Ritchie Valen's Memorial Dance in Long Beach. Previously the group had played California nightclubs as The Pendletones, as Kenny and the Cadets, and as Carl and the Passions.
➦In 1963...the "Dear Abby Show" premiered on the CBS Radio network. It ran eleven years. On this day in 1966, "Pirate Radio 390" (Radio Invicata)an off-shore station near England, resumed broadcasting.
➦In 1967...Radio stations across the nation had to comply with an FCC mandate that AM/FM outlets in major cities had to air non-duplicated programming. The limit was 50 percent for simulcasts. Here's a NY Times story dated December 31, 1966 concerning NYC stations...
➦In 1970...Paul McCartney sued the other members of the Beatles for a legal dissolution of their "partnership." On the same day, the British magazine Melody Maker announced that the Beatles were looking for a new bass player. Four years to the day later, the four of them came to terms and made the separation final.
➦In 1972...TV producer Dick Clark initiated a new holiday tradition with "Three Dog Night's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on NBC. The headliners, along with Blood, Sweat & Tears, Helen Reddy, and Al Green, appeared in performances that had been pre-taped in the Grand Ballroom of the Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, California. Clark himself did not appear on the initial program. In 1973, he began hosting the special, its name shortened to "New Year's Rockin' Eve." The show moved to ABC-TV in 1974.
➦In 1982...the "CBS Mystery Theater" aired its final episode after 8 years on radio.
➦In 1982...the NBC Radio network cancelled practically all of it's daily features.
➦In 1985...Singer/actor Ricky Nelson, his fiancé Helen Blair, and five members of the Stone Canyon Band, died in the crash of his private DC-3 airplane (which was previously owned by Jerry Lee Lewis) near DeKalb, Texas, while en route to a concert appearance in Dallas. The pilot was attempting an emergency landing after a fire, caused by a malfunctioning gas heater, broke out on the plane.
Nelson was 45.
➦In 1989...the final edit was added to the annual WLS Music Montage.
Every New Year's Eve, the "Top 89" songs of the year were counted down on WLS-AM (and FM). After the #1 song was played at about 4 minutes before Midnight, the radio station wished listeners a Happy New Year!
Then...this wonderful montage was played. Each year added about a minute of the previous top songs in Chicago. The montage originally started short, as you can guess, and ultimately ended up as this 27+ minute marathon.
After WLS-AM changed to all-talk in 1989, this montage was no longer heard in Chicago. But thanks to Scott Childers, this "rebuild" version can be heard exactly as it was played every year. Kudos to Scott for putting this together!
This is an appreciation to the production work that Scott, Tommy Edwards (the originator) and the production staff created over the years.
Thanks to Scott Childers for the permission to post this. Check out his site at www.scottchilders.com.
➦In 2013...Veteran talk radio personality (WOR, WABC, WMCA in New York, KABC, KNX in Los Angeles, WBBM-Chicago, WWDB-Philadelphia) Bob Grant died at the age of 84.
Grant graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in journalism. He began working in radio in the 1940s at the news department at WBBM (AM) in Chicago, as a radio personality and television talk show host at KNX (AM) in Los Angeles, and as an actor. During the Korean War, he served in the Naval Reserve.
He later became sports director at KABC (AM) in Los Angeles, where after some substitute appearances he inherited the talk show of early controversialist Joe Pyne in 1964 and began to build a following. Grant hosted three shows on KABC (AM) in 1964 titled, "Open Line," "Night Line," and "Sunday Line."
Grant was approached to come to New York by executives at WMCA when WMCA was going to become a talk station. He was recommended to them by Jack Thayer, who had been the station manager of KLAC. Grant was opposed to the move, as he hated what he knew about New York i.e. the subways, crime, and congestion. He also had four children and a home in Los Angeles.
Grant was convinced to come to New York when an executive said to him at the end of a meeting, "It's just too bad that the number-one talk-show host in America doesn't want to come to the number-one market in America." Grant came to New York and did his first show on WMCA on September 21, 1970, where he worked for station manager R. Peter Strauss.
After being in New York for a short time, Grant wanted to go back to Los Angeles. He was contacted by the former news director at KLAC, who was now a program director at another station to join his station, but Grant declined, because he had signed a two-year contract with WMCA. Grant's unhappiness being in New York led to him becoming angry with the callers. He hoped to get fired by R. Peter Strauss, however his ratings soared as he got angrier.
➦In 1911..actress Jeanette Nolan was born in Los Angeles.
She made her radio debut in 1932 in "Omar Khayyam", the first transcontinental broadcast from station KHJ. She was a regular on the cream of the west coast radio dramas, including "One Man's Family," "Escape," "Suspense," "Cavalcade of America," "Gunsmoke," "The Adventures of Sam Spade" and "The Whistler." She appeared in more than 300 television shows, including episode roles in "Perry Mason", "I Spy", "MacGyver", "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", and as a regular on "The Richard Boone Show" and "The Virginian". She received four Emmy nominations.
Nolan died following a stroke June 5 1998 at age 86.
Bert Parks
➦In 1914...radio & TV host Bert Parks was born in Atlanta. As well as the Miss America pageant, he hosted the game shows Break the Bank & Stop the Music on radio & TV, and for television alone, The Big Payoff, Double or Nothing, Hold that Note, and Party Line. He did a series of cameos on TV sitcoms (he was Herb Tarlek's Dad on WKRP.)
Parks died of lung cancer Feb. 2 1992 at age 77.
➦In 1917...actress Nancy Coleman was born in Everett Washington. She started in radio & the stage in New York, then was brought to Hollywood to make movies for Warner Bros. In the 50's she switched to guest spots in TV shows such as Tales of Tomorrow, Star Tonight & the Adams Chronicles, and became a regular on soaps Valiant Lady & Edge of Night.
Nancy died Jan. 18 2000 at age 82.
➦In 1936...The famous radio feud between Jack Benny and Fred Allen began. After a 10-year-old performer finished a violin solo on "The Fred Allen Show," Allen said, "A certain alleged violinist should hide his head in shame for his poor fiddle playing." It didn't take long for Benny to respond. The humorous feud lasted ten weeks on both comedian's radio shows, and gave them material they continued using over the next 20 years.
➦In 1942...the radio program, "Mr. and Mrs. North", began it's run on the NBC Radio network.
➦In 1942...Frank Sinatra opened at New York's Paramount Theatre for what was scheduled to be a four-week engagement, but turned into eight weeks because of its popularity. Police were called to help curb the excitement among the screaming teenage girls known as bobbysoxers -- a phenomenon not seen before for a pop singer
➦In 1943...Mike Nesmith of The Monkees was born.
➦In 1945...Singer Davy Jones, "the cute one" on TV's The Monkees, was born. He died February 29, 2012 at 66.
➦In 1950...At the National Studios in New York City, the Dominoes, a group that included Billy Ward and Clyde McPhatter, recorded the sexually suggestive novelty song "Sixty Minute Man," with Bill Brown taking the lead vocal. In the spring of 1951, despite being banned by many U.S. radio stations, the record rose to #1 on the R&B charts, where it remained for 14 weeks.
➦In 1962...Radio/TV talker Sean Hannity was born.
➦In 2005...Longtime Seattle radio disc jockey (KOL, KJR) Lan Roberts died of lung cancer at 69.
Lan Roberts
During the 1960s and 1970s, Roberts was a high-profile presenter with KJR in Seattle. Like many of the local DJs of the time, he left KJR for rival top 40 station KOL in a late 60s talent raid and returned to KJR in the early 70s. He was known primarily for comedic skits and gags, working the coveted morning drive shift from 6:00am until 10:00am on weekdays. Lan Roberts was a master of voices and surrounded the top 40 hits of KJR with odd characters with names like Phil Dirt and The Hollywood Reporter. Roberts would carry on spirited conversations between his regular on-air voice and the characters. The Hollywood Reporter (no other name was given) would always begin a report on celebrity gossip in a lisping, snide, mocking voice "This is The Hollywood Reporter," and then continue with a totally bogus report. His career also included spells in Los Angeles, Hawaii, Taipei and San Francisco.
Later in life, Roberts returned to live in his old home town and worked as a radio consultant. He gained a new following by sharing his Liberal political views on his website. In the last ten years of his life he suffered from lung cancer, and urged visitors to his site not to smoke. In addition, he used his internet presence to chastize the corporate mentality and lack of creativity in the modern broadcast industry.
➦In 2014...Scotty Rhodarmer did his last show on WWNC 570 AM in Asheville, North Carolina. Rhodarmer did the morning show for 50 years beginning in 1954.
R.I.P.: KTLA L-A News Anchor Chris Burrous Dead
Chris Burrous
UPDATED 4:00 AM 12/29/18: Chris Burrous, an anchor on KTLA 5's "Morning News," died Thursday after Glendale police found him unresponsive in a motel room. He was 43, according to The L-A Times.
Police were called to a room at the Days Inn about 1:15 p.m. Thursday, where they found Burrous not breathing, the Glendale Police Department said. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died.
Detectives are investigating the incident and Los Angeles County coroner's officials will determine a cause of death.
In a statement, Don Corsini, president and general manager of KTLA, and Jason Ball, the station's news director, remembered the anchor as a "great journalist and a wonderful friend to many."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Burrous family. Chris loved sharing the stories of Southern California and connecting with our viewers," the statement said. "He brought a kindness to his work and will be deeply missed by the entire KTLA family."
There are no words. When we took this picture during our show I had no idea it would our last time together. You made me laugh until I cried. My tears now are for your sweet little girl, your wife Mai and your dear parents. We will miss you so... pic.twitter.com/nkvtrzHcX3
— Lynette Romero (@LynetteRomero) December 28, 2018
Burrous was found unresponsive at a Glendale Days Inn on Thursday afternoon after a man he was with called police to report that he was passed out and possibly not breathing, Glendale police Sgt. Dan Suttles said in a news briefing.
First responders found Burrous inside a room suffering from a medical emergency — and the other man, who Suttles said "appears to be a friend," was already administering aid, the station reported.
The man stayed at the scene and "quite honestly did a good job of trying to render aid," he added.
The friend had indicated Burrous had possibly overdosed.
During his time at KTLA, he helped extend its Morning News segment to seven days a week, anchoring weekends and covering breaking news on weekday mornings. He also highlighted Southern California's best hole-in-the-wall eateries in his weekend Burrous' Bites segments.
Burrous helped lead coverage on the region's devastating wildfires, as well as the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks, the station said.
He was married to Mai Do Burrous, a fellow journalist, and the couple shares a 9-year-old daughter, Isabella.
Burrous had been a regular on KTLA's air since 2011, according to Variety. He was co-anchor of the weekend edition of "KTLA Morning News" and also served as a news correspondent for other KTLA telecasts. Burrous was recently part of the KTLA team that covered the state's devastating wildfires last month and the mass shooting at Thousand Oaks' Borderline Bar & Grill.
Burrous was also known for his "Burrous Bites" segment spotlighting local eateries, and for his "Made in California" series of reports on local businesses.
Burrous came to Tribune Media's KTLA after serving as an anchor for Tribune's WPIX-TV New York. He began his broadcasting career while attending Chapman University in Orange County. He worked for radio stations in San Bernardino and San Jose before seguing to TV as an evening anchor on KEVN-TV, the Fox affiliate in Rapid City, South Dakota.
From South Dakota Burrous returned to California in 1999 as an anchor for KGET-TV in Bakersfield and later worked for KGPE-TV in Fresno. He then spent six years in the Golden State's capital as anchor for KMAX-TV's "Good Day Sacramento."
Posted 4:17:00 AM 43 comments:
R.I.P.: Bob Shields, Former Radio-TV Sportscaster In Columbia SC
After an 18-month battle with cancer, longtime WLTX-TV19, Columbia, SC anchor and sports broadcaster Bob Shields has died. He was 59-years-of-age.
Shields served as WLTX's sports director for 30 years covering high school sports, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and more. One of his enduring contributions was founding the high school Player of the Week series, a series that is still running today, according to a previous article from The State.
"Bob is one of the most loved people who have worked here at WLTX. Not just here, but in the community," WLTX general manager and president Rich O'Dell told The State last week after Shields was placed in hospice care. "He would do shows. He would bring in marching bands and players. It really was the thing to watch."
Shields retired from WLTX in 2010 to spend more time with his family, he told reporters at the time. After leaving WLTX, he worked in a career management firm, Life Careers. Later, he became the director of Caughman-Harman Funeral Home.
For a number of years Shields was also a co-host of "The Early Game" on WNTK 107.5 The Game.
Shields was often regarded as one of the Midlands' premier sports authorities. He won the South Carolina Broadcasting Association's award for Sportscaster of the Year three years in a row, from 1995 to 1997, according to a 2010 news release from WLTX.
R.I.P.: Rod Kittleman, KADI Springfield MO Radio Broadcaster
Springfield, MO radio broadcaster Rod Kittleman, 58, passed away at a Springfield hospital Friday
He was 58-years-of-age, according to KY3 News.
Kittleman, who was a 40-year broadcast veteran, hosted the morning show on KADI,99.5 FM a contemporary Christian radio station.
His daughter, Shannon Kittleman-Aguirre, said that he had been in intensive care for the last several days and that he had suffered several strokes.
Kittleman was dedicated to his job. Back in June, KY3's Joe Hickman did a news report on Kittleman for hosting his radio show from his room at Mercy Rehabilitation Hospital, where he was recovering from a leg amputation.
99.5 FM KADI posted the following statement on its Facebook page:
R.I.P.: Norman Gimbel, Award-Winning Lyricist, Dead At 91
Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018)
Norman Gimbel, the Oscar- and Grammy-winning lyricist, has died at the age of 91, his family has announced.
Gimbel's work included Killing Me Softly with his Song - recorded by Roberta Flack (Grammy for Song of the Year in 1973) the Fugees and others - and the theme to TV series Happy Days.
He also wrote the English lyrics to the Brazilian bossa nova melody, The Girl from Ipanema.
Gimbel and writing partner Charles Fox also collaborated on Croce's "I Got a Name," released the day after the singer's death in a plane crash Sept. 20, 1973. The song served as the theme to The Last American Hero (1973), starring Jeff Bridges.
"I've always felt that lyric was among the very best from Norman's pen," Fox wrote in his 2010 biography, Killing Me Softly: My Life in Music. He noted that he and Gimbel had written more than 150 songs together over 30 years.
"Norman's lyrics have extraordinary beauty and sensitivity and understanding of the human condition," Fox wrote. "There's never a waste or [an] excessive word."
Gimbel died on 19 December at his home in Montecito, California, his son Tony Gimbel told The Hollywood Reporter.
Norman Gimbel was born in Brooklyn and began his career with music publishers David Blum and Edwin H Morris. His early successes included the lyrics to Andy Williams's 1956 hit single Canadian Sunset.
He was best known for his work in film and television, writing the songs for popular shows such as Laverne & Shirley, Wonder Woman and HR Puffnstuff.
Gimbel formed a long-term collaboration with composer Charles Fox and the two of them won a Grammy Award in 1973 for Killing Me Softly.
He and composer David Shire shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1979 for It Goes Like It Goes, which was sung by Jennifer Warnes in the film Norma Rae.
In 1984 Gimbel was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Steel City Media Files Re-Organization Plan
Steel City Media has filed a plan of reorganization in Federal Bankruptcy Court in St. Louis to exit chapter 11. The plan which is consensual among the company and its significant financial creditors, calls for Steel City to exit bankruptcy with a new balance sheet and with the Frischling family retaining equity control of the company.
Steel City VP Michael Frischling stated, "In an environment where equity in radio companies is being wiped out, we are gratified that we have reached a consensual agreement with our creditors that enables us to maintain equity and operational control that sets the stage for future growth and profitability. We look forward to emerging from Chapter 11 early next year and we want to thank our employees and advertisers for their continued support."
A Form 315 filing made Dec. 28 indicates that WPNT Media Subsidiary LLC is reforming as WPNT Inc. and the Kansas City-based licensee controlled by the sons of Saul Frischling — MGTF Media Company is also being changed. This new entity will see family patriarch Saul Frischling's voting interest and percentage of assets drop. Taking the remaining ownership interest in both entities is 54th Street Equity Holdings, a unit of New York-based Business Development Corporation of America.
WPNT Inc. is comprised of A/C WLTJ Q92.9 and Adults Hits WRRK 96.9 FM 96.9, offering Adult Hits as "BOB."
MGTF is comprised of CHR/Pop KMXV 93.3 FM, A/C KCKC 102.1 FM, Country KFKF 94.1 FM New Hit Country KBEQ 104.3 FM.
This will also put all of Steel City's collective debt in the hands of 54th Street.
Now, it is on track to exit Chapter 11 in early 2019.
Cleveland Plain Dealer Announces Lay-Offs
Cleveland Plain Dealer editor George Rodrigue has announced that the paper will lay off nearly half of its unionized workforce in early 2019 as it transitions to a "centralized production hub."
According to clevescene.com, the announcement came only days after the Plain Dealer News Guild presented a counter proposal to the outsourcing plan that Advance Publications reportedly began to explore in October. Bargaining has been ongoing this month.
Rodrigue sent a letter to local news editors and published it on Cleveland.com Dec. 27 before employees themselves learned that their jobs would soon be gone. He has characterized the decision as an effort to preserve quality local coverage while creating efficiencies.
Most of the employees and local observers, however, view the decision as a continuation of Advance's union-busting efforts, which began with the strategic schism of the print (union, Plain Dealer) and digital (non-union, Cleveland.com) newsrooms.
The PD's union was the nation's first news guild (Local 1) and at its height represented more than 700 reporters and editors in the region. The few who remain work under a contract that expires in February, at which point all signs point to the union's final dismantling. In social media posts, the Guild has explicitly characterized the recent decision as "union busting."
The logistics of the move to a centralized production hub remain unclear, but the 29 editors and designers who assemble the paper before it's printed — selecting stories for the print edition, writing headlines, creating graphics — will ostensibly be "outsourced" to a hub which performs similar functions for a number of papers.
Rodrigue said this centralization concept has been industry tested and proven to be effective, but local journalists have strenuously disputed the notion that an overburdened national staff, working from generic templates, can produce the same level of quality that local editors and designers can. They also question the meaning of "local editorial control," which Rodrigue insisted the PD would retain.
➦In 1891...Thomas A. Edison patented "transmission of signals electrically" (radio).
Wendell Niles, Marilyn Monroe 1952
➦In 1904...one of the prominent announcers of bigtime radio & early TV Wendell Niles was born in Twin Valley Minnesota.
On radio he worked on The Bob Hope Show, Adventures of Philip Marlowe & The Man Called X, among many others. He teamed with Steve Allen & June Foray on a mid-40's Mutual quarter-hour 'Smile Time'. His TV credits include Truth or Consequences, Let's Make a Deal, Colgate Comedy Hour & It Could Be You.
He died March 28 1994 at age 89.
➦In 1945...Sheb Wooley recorded four songs for Bullet Records at the studios of WSM Radio, the first commercial recordings made in Nashville.
➦In 1945...The mystery voice of "Mr. Hush" was introduced to the audience of the radio show, "Truth or Consequences", which was hosted by Ralph Edwards.
Ralph Edwards
Born in Merino, Colorado, Edwards worked for KROW Radio in Oakland, California while he was still in high school. Before graduating from high school in 1931, he worked his way through college at the University of California, Berkeley, earning a B.A. in English in 1935. While there, he worked at every job from janitor to producer at Oakland's KTAB, now KSFO. Failing to get a job as a high school teacher, he worked at KFRC and then hitchhiked across the country to New York, where, he said, "I ate ten-cent ($2 as of 2014), meals and slept on park benches".
After some part-time announcing jobs, he got his big break in 1938 with a full-time job for the Columbia Broadcasting System on WABC (now WCBS), where he worked with two other young announcers who would become broadcasting fixtures - Mel Allen and Andre Baruch.
It was Edwards who introduced Major Bowes every week on the Original Amateur Hour and Fred Allen on Town Hall Tonight. Edwards perfected a chuckling delivery, sounding as though he was in the midst of telling a very funny story. This "laugh in the voice" technique served him well when 20th Century Fox hired him to narrate the coming-attractions trailers for Laurel and Hardy movies. He later used the conspiratorial chuckle frequently when surprising someone on his programs.
In 1940, Edwards created the game show Truth or Consequences, which aired for 38 years on radio and television. Contestants were asked to perform (often ridiculous) stunts for prizes of cash or merchandise.
➦In 1958...the first radio broadcast from space occurred when the voice of President Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "To all mankind, America's wish for Peace on Earth & Good Will to Men Everywhere".
➦In 1963...WMCA 570 AM first station in New York to Play "I Want to Hold Your Hand " at 12:50 PM. Across town, 77 WABC plays the song an hour later.
Throughout the 1960s, WMCA would continue to beat other radio stations on most Beatles' promotions, scoring firsts, causing headaches in particular for rival WABC - most notably when Capitol Records printed a photograph of the "Good Guys" line-up - on the back of a limited edition record sleeve for the single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" (Side 2: "I Saw Her Standing There"). WMCA's Good Guys were also featured at both of the Beatles' concerts at Shea Stadium, on August 15, 1965 and on August 23, 1966.
WMCA Good Guys: Johnny Dark, Joe O'Brien, Jack Spector, B. Mitchel Reed. Harry Harrison
➦WABC responded in different ways, scoring a success during the Beatles' second New York visit in August 1964 - when the band stayed at the Delmonico Hotel, rousing thousands of teenage fans into a frenzy - while broadcasting from one floor above the Beatles' rooms. WABC later went against its own music policies, promising promoter Sid Bernstein that it would play a new group he was handling before any other New York City radio station - if it could get exclusive access to the Beatles. WABC never added records "out of the box" - but it did for Sid Bernstein when it played The Young Rascals' "I Ain't Going To Eat Out My Heart Anymore" - before other radio stations.
Since WABC knew WMCA already had a relationship with the Beatles, with tapes of the group promoting the station - what could WABC do to achieve the same? In August 1965, WABC came up with what it thought was a brilliant idea - issuing "medals" called "The Order of the All-Americans" - tied to its own DJs. The strategy was to present the medals to each of the Beatles the next time they were in New York. Everything was set. The goal was to get each Beatle to comment on the "medal" - and then to get each to say the station's call letters, "W-A-B-C." These in turn could be used in station IDs and promotions, etc. - thus matching WMCA's success at getting the Beatles to promote WMCA and its Good Guys. But WABC's plan backfired. The station got its interviews, but none of the band's members would utter WABC's call letters. According to Beatles' historian Bruce Spizer, manager Brian Epstein ordered the Beatles to stop "giving away valuable promotional spots to radio stations for free."
➦In 1980...the Mutual Broadcasting Service cancelled the "Sears Radio Theater" program.
➦In 1985...Phil Donahue and a Soviet radio commentator hosted a special program called the "Citizens' Summit" via satellite Television.
Upon Further Review, Nielsen Recalls December 2018 PPMs
The first two days of December 2018 PPMs issued Wednesday and Thursday are going to be re-issued by NielsenAudio and the release of markets scheduled for today and Monday are being delayed.
Nielsen told clients there is an issue centering data processing issue for Week Four, which also impacts the December 2018 PPMs. They did not elaborate on the concerns.
Nielsen offered no timeline on the reissuing of 24 markets already released this week. Also, no guidance has been released concerning the rest of the PPMs markets scheduled for December 2018 data.
Following are the markets where December Week 4 and Monthly ratings data will be reissued:
Delivered Wednesday December 26th: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston-Galveston, Los Angeles, Middlesex Somerset-Union, Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island), New York, Philadelphia, Riverside San Bernadino, San Francisco, San Jose
Delivered Thursday December 27th: Baltimore, Boston, Denver-Boulder, Detroit, Miami-Ft Lauderdale Hollywood, Minneapolis-St Paul, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle-Tacoma, St. Louis, Tampa St. Petersburg Clearwater, Washington DC
And here are the markets where December Week 4 and Monthly ratings data have been postponed:
Scheduled to deliver today, December 28th: Austin, Charlotte-Gastonia Rock Hill, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus OH, Greensboro-Winston Salem High Point, Hartford-New Britain-Middletown, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Memphis, Milwaukee-Racine, Nashville, Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Orlando, Pittsburgh PA, Portland OR, Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, Salt Lake City Ogden-Provo, San Antonio, West Palm Beach-Boca Raton
Posted 3:59:00 PM No comments:
Day 2: December 2018 PPMs Released for 12 Markets
ADVISORY: The first two days of December 2018 PPMs issued Wednesday and Thursday are going to be re-issued by NielsenAudio and the release of markets scheduled for today and Monday are being delayed.
Earlier Posting....
Nielsen on Thursday 12/27/18 released the second batch of December 2018 PPMs results. The markets released include:
7 Washington DC
11 Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood FL
12 Seattle-Tacoma
13 Detroit
14 Phoenix
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul
18 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater
19 Denver-Boulder
21 Baltimore
24 St. Louis, MD
Click Here to view Topline Numbers for subscribing Nielsen stations.
Radio's Inconvenient Truth
Fred Jacobs
Radio's addicted to the 25-54 year-old demographic, states longtime radio consultant and prolific blogger Fred Jacobs.
In a year-end recap of 2018 posting, Jacobs writes it's an age-old excuse – "That's what advertisers want" – has become a mantra that virtually every broadcast radio programmer faces. Bonuses are based on this target audience, research has become focused on this 30-year age span, and wins and losses are measured by where stations rank on its yardstick.
However for years, Jacobs says most radio companies have paid scant attention to younger consumers, as they first got iPods, then smartphones, and later Spotify and YouTube accounts to suit their music needs.
According to Jacobs, here's inconvenient truth:
Many kids simply don't know what a radio is. And by the time they're old enough to drive, that SUV in the driveway will pair their phones, providing them access to media and entertainment from the Internet (or satellite) service of their choice – platforms they're comfortable with and have grown up with.
So what does research tell us about Gen Z and how they listen to music? To gain perspective on where music is being consumed in America, he cites a report from AudienceNet, a UK-based research company. They sampled 3,000 Americans with online access, ages 16+ this past July.
This chart best visualizes the box radio has put itself in largely because of its 25-54 myopia:
Jacobs believes the 16-24 year-old demographic tells the story, where only 12% of music consumption is to AM/FM radio (note that broadcast radio streaming for music is in the single digits in every cell, not really making a big difference). And when you isolate 16-19 year-olds – a demographic that radio hasn't even thought about since the 70s – their use of on-demand streaming platforms for music is almost 5x over broadcast radio listening. The chart also indicates that even among that first 10-year group in the coveted "money demo" – 25-34s – music streaming services are now in the lead.
Jacobs suggests it's a good time to make some choices – either broadcast radio will finally have to justify and support stations that skew 35-64 to a stubborn ad community, or the industry will finally have to start getting serious about appealing to Millennials, as well as their younger brothers and sisters. Radio has a serious Next Gens(s) problem that isn't going to magically resolve itself when today's teens become adults.
SiriusXM Re-Ups Scott Greenstein As Pres/CCO
Scott Greenstein
SiriusXM presented a new deal to President/CCO Scott Greenstein this week.
A employment agreement renewal that will keep him as president and chief content officer through May 2022. Greenstein will be paid an annual base salary of $1.6 million but could pocket as much as $4 million per year if certain performance goals are met.
Since joining what was then Sirius Satellite Radio in 2004, Greenstein expanded the company's programming lineup to include more than 175 channels. Under his purview, the satcaster launched new formats and artist-branded channels, and cut deals with marquee talent and top content partners. In addition to programming Greenstein also oversees ad sales.
Greenstein's Employment Agreement specifies an annual base salary of $1,600,000 and an opportunity to earn a target annual bonus equal to 150% of his base salary based on the achievement of performance goals.
Also this week, the Department of Justice greenlighted SiriusXM's $3.5 billion purchase of Pandora. The DOJ's Hart Scott Rodino antitrust waiting period expired Dec. 21, taking the merger one step closer to completion. Pandora's board meets January 29th to vote on the deal. Closing is expected soon after.
Report: Yankees, Amazon, Sinclair Talking YES
The New York Yankees are in talks with Amazon.com Inc. and broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. about partnering to bid for the team's regional sports network YES, according to The Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter.
The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network LLC, which carries Yankee baseball and Brooklyn Nets basketball, is among the 21st Century Fox Inc. assets that Walt Disney Co. is required to sell for the government to approve its purchase of the majority of the company.
The Yankees own 20% of YES and have first dibs on acquiring the remaining 80%. The team has been talking to a variety of potential partners to purchase the network, for which Disney is seeking a valuation of $5 billion to $6 billion, people familiar with the matter said.
The Yankees have also approached cable operator Altice USA, which has systems in the New York City region, about joining the team's effort to acquire 80% of YES.
As the primary TV home for one of the most popular franchises in the number-one media market, YES is seen as one of the most valuable sports properties in the country.
For Amazon, a stake in YES would give it entry into another realm of the sports business. It already streams National Football League games on Thursday nights live on its Prime platform and has talked with other leagues in recent years about other partnerships to widen its subscription media offering.
Should it join with the Yankees, Amazon isn't likely to immediately begin streaming games on its own platforms, a person close to the team said. In addition, Major League Baseball restrictions would likely prohibit Amazon from streaming games outside the Yankees market. Furthermore, the MLB's streaming deals with the bulk of regional sports networks expired after this season and needs to be renegotiated, which could also complicate potential streaming opportunities for Amazon.
In another possible hurdle for Amazon, pay-TV distributors that currently carry Yankee games—including Altice, Charter Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and DirecTV—would likely balk at games being carried by the retail and streaming giant as well.
Sinclair is also interested in the 21 regional channels and is working with the private-equity firm Blackstone Group LP on a bid for them, people close to the matter said. Baltimore-based Sinclair, which is a large owner of local TV stations, has said it is interested in expanding further into the cable business through local sports networks.
January 6 Radio History
MI Radio: Huge Change As WBBL Flips To Country
Houston Radio: Armen Williams To Program KILT-AM, ...
Charlotte Radio: WHQC Re-Launches As All The Hits ...
CRS Unveils Winners Of Rusty Walker Scholarships
Chances Are: Your CableTV Bill Is Going Up
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Cook Points to China for Apple's Lackluster Q1
CBS Settles Ramsey $750M Defamation Lawsuit
L-A Sues IBM Over Weather Channel App
R.I.P.: Christine McGuire, Eldest Singing McGuire ...
R.I.P.: Doug Johnson, Longtime Houston TV Weatherman
Chicago Radio: James Howard Replaces Tommy Austin ...
Atlanta Radio: Jade Novah, J-R Join Frank Ski On WVEE
NOLA Radio: KKND 106.7 Launches Classic Hits
Chicago Radio: Mancow Returns To WLS 890 AM
2018 Radio, TV M&A Posts Second-Largest Deal Volum...
Drive Time Metrics Granted Patent For Measurement
Boston Radio: NFL Patriots, The Sports Hub Extend...
L-A Radio: News/Talk KABC Unveils New Line-Up
Baltimore Radio: WBAL Line-Up Adds Weekend Talker
Asbury Park NJ Radio: Marianne Levy EXITS WOBM
NFL's Regular Season TV Ratings Rise 5 Percent
Report: NYTimes Story Upset China
Former NYTimes Editor: Fox Took Book Out Of Context
NAB Opens Window For Crystal Radio Awards Noms
Report: Hip-Hop Most-Streamed Genre Of Music
D-C Radio: WZHF Owner Must Register As Foreign Agent
CBS Accuses Nielsen Of Using 'Market Power' To Rai...
iHM Names Hetal Patel EVP/Smart Audio
Radio Talker Michael Savage Goes Into Hiding
Atlanta Radio: WWWQ Rebrands As Q99.7
Bay Area Radio: Greg Papa Named NFL 49ers Radio Voice
Houston Radio: Market Vet 'Grego' Joins Adult Hits...
Apple Slashes Revenue Guidance
Tribune TV Stations Blacked Out On Charter Spectrum
Carr, Starks Confirmed To FCC
R.I.P..: Joe Stapleton, WBZ-AM Traffic Reporter, D...
R.I.P.: Daryl Dragon, of Captain & Tennille Fame
R.I.P.: Gene Okerlund, WWE Signature Voice
Nielsen Completes Release of December 2018 PPMs
Net Neutrality Bill Dies In Congress
Westwood One Sports Has NFL Playoffs Covered
EMF's Air1 Format Pivots To Worship Music
Entercom Stations Raise $2M+ for St. Jude's Resear...
Creative Coast Media Unveils Several 24/7 Formats
Olivia Newton-John: 'I'm Doing Great'
Burlington NC Radio: Olin Campbell Retires At WBAG
Townsquare Media Co-Founder Dhruv Prasad EXITS
Report: Apple Music Adds Ebro Darden To Head-Up Hi...
Detroit Radio: Vinny D Lands PM Drive At The Bounce
FCC Could Shut Down On Thursday
NYC Radio: NYMRAD Claims Digital Advantage For Radio
Salem Media Group Urges 'Light Touch' From FCC
Nielsen Releases Reissued December 2018 PPMs
TV Ratings: NYEve Broadcasts Fall
CBS, Nielsen Start Year Without Deal
Borrous GoFundMe Reaches Goal of $75K
60 Minutes Profile: Paul McCartney Still Listens T...
Former Top Editor Rips NYTimes For Bias
FCC Settles With Comcast Over Kid's Programming
Newspaper Malware Attack Investigation Continues
The Top New Year's Resolutions For 2019
R.I.P.: George Hack, Delmarva Radio, TV Personality
R.I.P.: Ed Baer, Former NYC Radio Personality
Happy News Year!
Jimmy Osmond Treated For Stroke
R.I.P.: Ray Sawyer, Lead Singer For Dr. Hook
Survey: 1 In 4 Adults Check Phone Less Than A Minu...
Facebook Apologizes For Banning Evangelist Frankli...
R.I.P.: Bob Shields, Former Radio-TV Sportscaster ...
R.I.P.: Rod Kittleman, KADI Springfield MO Radio B...
R.I.P.: Norman Gimbel, Award-Winning Lyricist, Dea...
Upon Further Review, Nielsen Recalls December 2018...


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Swing as Surrealist Music
Cultural Correspondence (1975-83) was a remarkable US-based radical journal with a particular focus on popular culture. Its entire archive is now available online and is a real treasure trove. I've been browsing through a 1979 special on surrealism, which has lots of music and dance related content. The following text is by the American philosopher Horace Meyer Kellen (1882-1974), an extract from his 1942 book Art and Freedom. I would certainly take issue with its association of jazz and swing (and by implication black people) with the 'primitive' - these developed as modern urban musics created by sophisticated virtuoso musicians. But the text does express very well the enthusiasm of its followers in that period for a music that seemed to embody liberation:
'The musical equivalent of surrealism in painting and literature is not obviously connected with either its theory or practice. It develops as a practice entirely innocent of theory, as an unwilled expression of alogical spontaneity, of irresponsible, personal invention unenchanneled by form, unchecked by musical knowledge or learned tradition; develops thus with all the differentiae which the connoisseurs ascribe to surrealist creations. The name for it is Swing. Its native habitat is the United States of America, and it is indigenous to the southern portion, especially to the Mississippi riverfront at New Orleans. Unlike its literary and pictorial parallels, which sustain a local life already below the level of subsistence among selected groups of intelligentsia, Swing has attained a world-wide diffusion among all classes and occupations. The event is natural enough. Verbiform and graphic symbols require interpretation; sheer sonorous rhythm does not. Swing is caused in a medium which issues from and speaks to Dr. Freud's Unconscious direct, without disguise, without distortion...
...Swing arrived as the latest phase of a progression from Ragtime through Jazz. The trick of heightening emotional tension by opposing one rhythm to another became conspicuous as a practice about the same time that post-impressionism made its start. The matrix of Swing is said to have been opposed and mixed body-rhythms of the pasmala as danced in New Orleans bawdy-houses and honky tonks. The manner of mixing and opposition was carried over from dancing bodies to sounding musical instruments. Popular songs so treated were said to be "ragged," and the treatment came to be called Rag-time. The singers and dancers and players who devised Ragtime were American Negroes with remnants of an eroding African culture in their body-rhythms, in their social habits and in their personal outlook. They were primitives indigenous to industrial civilization, with its timeclocks, its rigid divisions of the hours of the working day, its patterns of machine-logic and rationality. Negro Ragtime was the beginning of a break from that. In less than a generation the Negro's social heartbreak was absorbed into Ragtime's terpsichorean breakdown and Ragtime transmuted to Jazz. The vehicles of the American Negro's heartbreak is the Spiritual and Jazz, which is said to derive from jaser, an Acadian word meaning to gabble, to chatter, is the compenetration of the rag and the spiritual. Body, voice, wind and percussion instruments are its vehicles.
Jazz began to spread through the great industrial cities of the North American continent about the same year that the First International Exhibi-ion of Modem Art began its epoch-making trek across the States. This exhibition, which for the first time brought before the unaccustomed eyes of Americans the works of all the schools and cults that Europe had bred in two generations, had been arranged under the auspices of the Association of American Painters and Sculptors. Ragtime, which might be said to correspond to the cubist phase of the pictorial and verbiforrn arts, spread to Europe while modernist painting and poetry were acquiring a vogue in America. The four years o' the First World War were a plowing of a cultural soil wherein Jazz could take deep roots, and when the War ended it flowered indeed. . . .
The metronomic noises of the railroads and factories, the monotonous roar of the cities de-manded their rhythmic compensation. Even formal music brought them forth. Percussion and wind instruments — brasses, saxophones, trombones, xylophones, bells — became more noticeable in orchestras. To atonality or to polytonality, which dropped modulation, which set key against key and scale against scale, was joined a continuous shift of rhythm or a contrapuntal opposition of many rhythms. In 1893, Dahomey Negroes, beating tom-torns for the entertainment of gaping Americans at Chicago's World Fair, had, by using feet and heads as well as hands, produced a triple cross rhythm which constituted an unconscious counter-point of rhythms. . .
Formal professional music, however modem, somehow failed to release the emotions which the industrial workday blockaded and starved. Night, that so long had been the time, not for living, but for sleeping away the fatigues of the living day, became conspicuously the time for living. The existence of the folk of the industrial cities is now a cultural schizophrenia of day-life and night-life. Day is the time when they earn their livings, night is the time when they live their lives. During the day most people are producers, disciplined to the machine, their bodies held to its rhythm, their minds constrained to its motions. By night, they are consumers; their body-rhythm seeks to recover its native physiological patterns, their movements search to resume the human form appropriate to autonomous human function. The extraordinary spread and influence of Swing testifies that in it the seeking and searching come to a haven; that it owns the power of gratifying the needs which launch them. Also its well-spring is the Negro of the urban jungle in New Orleans; also its centers of power are the great industrial areas — Chicago, New York, London, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai, Tokyo.
Atonal, polyrhythmic, Swing cuts itself loose from every rule and canon that tradition has brought down or craftsmanship confirmed. It asks of the performer two things, a maximum of virtuosity on his instrument, a maximum of spontaneity in his performance. That must needs be sheer, unrestricted improvisation, the free, the anarchic expression of his Unconscious, undisguised and unashamed. Nor is the expression sonoriform only. His whole body collaborates: as he plays, he dances, he acts, he sings, he leaps and twists and weaves like an acrobat, and the different behaviors pass seamlessly into and out of one another. He becomes the leader, not only of his band, but of his audiences: they step from their seats into the aisles and dance with him in an ecstasy — orgiastic or mystical or both according to the observer's lights — of release and self-recovery. It is the liberation of Dionysos from Apollo, of the living organism from the automatic machine, an insurgence of the depths into a conscious experience without connection and without analogue, though perhaps revivalist religious gatherings do enfold likenesses wherein convert and jitterbug are one under the skin. Swing might with good reason be called surrealism in excelsis'.
(full text below- click to enlarge)
Posted by . at 11/29/2011 07:46:00 pm No comments:
Labels: 1940s, jazz, surrealism, swing, Theory
Agit Disco Book Launch
Agit Disco has just been published by Mute Books, compiled by Stefan Szczelkun, edited by Anthony Iles The launch takes place on 8th December 2011, 6.30pm – 9.00pm at The Showroom, 63 Penfold Street, London, NW8 8PQ.
I have a chapter in the book so will be going along, maybe see some of you there (details here, including how to order a copy).
'Agit Disco collects the playlists of its 23 writers to tell the story of how music has politically influenced and inspired them. The book provides a multi-genre survey of political musics, from a wide range of viewpoints, that goes beyond protest songs into the darker hinterlands of musical meaning. Each playlist is annotated and illustrated.
The collection grew organically with an exchange of homemade CDs and images. These images, with their DIY graphics, are used to give the playlists a visual materiality. Almost everyone makes selections of music to play to themselves and friends. Agit Disco intends to show the importance of this creative activity and its place in our formation as political beings. This activity is at odds with to the usual process of selection by the mainstream media - in which the most potent musical agents of change are, whenever possible, erased from the public airwaves. Agit Disco Selectors: Sian Addicott, Louise Carolin, Peter Conlin, Mel Croucher, Martin Dixon, John Eden, Sarah Falloon, Simon Ford, Peter Haining, Stewart Home, Tom Jennings, DJ Krautpleaser, Roger McKinley, Micheline Mason, Tracey Moberly, Luca Paci, Room 13 – Lochyside Scotland, Howard Slater, Johnny Spencer, Stefan Szczelkun, Andy T, Neil Transpontine, Tom Vague'.
Labels: London, Theory
Shelagh Delaney RIP
Shelagh Delaney (1939-2011) died this weekend. She achieved many things, but will always be primarily remembered for A Taste of Honey, the play she wrote when she was just 18 years old in 1958. As her Guardian obituary mentions 'A Taste of Honey showed working-class women from a working-class woman's point of view, had a gay man as a central and sympathetic figure, and a black character who was neither idealised nor a racial stereotype'. This was recognised from the start, with Colin MacInnes stating in a 1959 review in Encounter that it was '… the first English play I've seen in which a coloured man, and a queer boy, are presented as natural characters, factually without a nudge or shudder. It is also the first play I can remember about working-class people that entirely escapes being a "working class play": no patronage, no dogma, just the thing as it is, taken straight'.
Of course both Taste of Honey and Delaney's subsequent The Lion in Love had a huge influence on Morrissey and The Smiths, as summarised by Passions Just Like Mine:
'Delaney's "A Taste Of Honey" features the following lines which were adapted by Morrissey mainly for the Smiths' "Reel Around The Fountain" and "This Night Has Opened My Eyes", but also other songs: "I dreamt about you last night, and I fell out of bed twice"; "You told me not to trust men calling themselves Smith."; "That river, it's the color of lead."; "I'm not sorry and I'm not glad"; "Oh well, the dream's gone, but the baby's real enough"; "It's a long time, six months"; "You can't just wrap it up in a bundle of newspaper. And dump it on a doorstep."; "I'll probably never see you again"; "I don't owe you a thing"; "As merry as the day is long"; "Sing me to sleep"; "You want taking in hand"; "It's your life, ruin it your own way.".
Delaney's "The Lion In Love" features the lines "I think we've courted long enough, it's time our tale was told"; "I'll probably never see you again"; "Cash on the nail"; "Anything's hard to find if you go around looking for it with your eyes shut"; "I'd sooner spit in everybody's eye"; "I'll go out and get a job tomorrow / you needn't bother" ; "Nell: And getting nowhere fast. Andy: These things take time."; "Pagliacci - that's me"; "Shall I tell you something? I don't like your face"; "ten-ton truck"; "Do I owe you anything"; "Tied to his mother's apron strings" which also appear in similar form in various songs penned by Morrissey. The line "So rattle her bones all over the stones, she's only a beggar-man whom nobody owns" also appears almost word for word in Morrissey's "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" although it must be said that this line had previously appeared in James Joyce's "Ulysses" and even earlier in English poet Thomas Noel's "The Pauper's Funeral". Still, Morrissey's most direct inspiration is very likely the Delaney source'.
And Delaney's image graced two Smiths covers.
Delaney on the cover of Girlfriend in a Coma
Delaney on the cover of Louder than Bombs
Interesting to reflect on the similarities between Delaney and Morrissey, both from working class Manchester/Salford families of Irish origin. In fact that Manchester Irish proletarian perspective is a major influence on 'English' popular culture, isn't it? Shaun Ryder/Happy Mondays would be another example.
(The Beatles also recorded A Taste of Honey, a song originally written for the Broadway version of the play; their song Your Mother Should Know lifted its title from the play)
Posted by . at 11/22/2011 06:49:00 pm 4 comments:
Riots 'like a rave'
The August riots in England: Understanding the involvement of young people, published by the National Centre for Social Research (Novemeber 2011) is a report commissioned by the Government's Cabinet Office, with all that implies. But it does at least have the strength of actually being partly based on interviews with people involved, and gives the lie to the notion that the riots were simply a gang-organised mindless explosion. Here's a few extracts:
'Why did young people get involved (or not)?
• Something exciting to do: the riots were seen as an exciting event – a day like no other – described in terms of a wild party or "like a rave". The party atmosphere, adrenaline and hype were seen as encouraging and explaining young people's involvement by young people themselves and community stakeholders.
• The opportunity to get free stuff: the excitement of the events was also tied up with the thrill of getting "free stuff" – things they wouldn't otherwise be able to have.
• A chance to get back at police: in Tottenham, the rioting was described as a direct response to the police handling of the shooting of Mark Duggan. Here and elsewhere in London, the Mark Duggan case was also described as the origin of the riots and the way it was handled was seen as an example of a lack of respect by the police that was common in the experience of young black people in some parts of London. Outside London, the rioting was not generally attributed to the Mark Duggan case. However, the attitude and behaviour of the police locally was consistently cited as a trigger outside as well as within London.
"People doing it because they're angry at police. Police and people don't have a good relationship and feel mad when get pulled by the police. Government were going to close [swimming] baths and people were angry about this 'cos the only thing for young people to do." (Young person, in custody)
"I think some of them just wanted the free stuff and some of them wanted to get back at the police. … Some of them might have been there because of the cuts, because of the EMA. … There were different reasons why people went there. Some it was for the enjoyment, to be with friends, some because they were angry with the government, the police." (Young person, Peckham)
"We was just bored really and obviously nothing like this has ever happened for however long we have been alive. It was a first really, and we decided just to go up there just so we can say we had been there, not to act cool or anything, just to say, it is so big, it will probably be put in history, so we decided to go up there. We were that bored." (Young person, Birmingham)
'However, the excitement was an attraction not just for the bored and underoccupied but also for young people who were otherwise engaged in work or education. In some instances, the events were described in terms of a wild party or, as one young person put it, "like a rave". A sense of glee pervaded these accounts – people were often grinning while describing their experience – a delight that the normal order of things was briefly turned upside down. There was satisfaction in having "put two fingers up" to the "authorities" and pleasure in the memory of a day of disorder and misrule'.
"[I felt] excited, adrenaline, scared, but a good scared, like: 'Wow, wow, wow, is this happening?' And the bin on fire was wow. It was a new experience. [I] think it was for everyone. People were excited, especially getting PS3 boxes." (Young person, Peckham)
Communities, commodities and class in the August 2011 riots
Also good is an article from Aufheben, Communities, commodities and class in the August 2011 riots.
'Detailed examination of the August unrest allows a tentative designation of three forms of disturbance. These categorisations are fairly loose, as repertoires of activity such as collective violence directed against the police and organised looting were features of most of the disorders to greater or lesser degree. However, there were clearly some differences in the primacy of activity in the August unrest that were related to the motivations and temporal positioning of the events.
The first disturbance form, designated the 'community riot', is characterised by locale rather than purely by its activity. These incidents in August 2011 were typically located in largely proletarian inner-city areas of mixed ethnicity (e.g. Tottenham, Hackney, Brixton, Toxteth, Handsworth). Typically they were triggered by police actions (e.g. the shooting of Mark Duggan and the police reaction to the subsequent demonstration in Tottenham, the 'stop and search' operations in Hackney) in areas, which had a significant pre-history of both contested policing and 'riotous' responses.37 These incidents were characterised by a large amount of violence directed against the police, static defence of 'territory' by the 'rioters' (such as Tottenham High Rd. and the Pembury estate in Hackney), attacks on important 'symbolic' targets (such as police stations, courts, public buildings) and the active and passive support of different sections of the local population (e.g. Tottenham and Hackney). Looting was clearly a subsidiary activity in these events.
The second category of disturbance can be labelled as 'commodity riot', as the primary aim of the participants was to appropriate goods. In August these events were the most common, were precipitated by the participants rather than the police and characterised by some level of pre-meditated target selection and organisation (using BB messaging, e.g. Enfield, Oxford Circus, Bristol and many other areas). They were usually aimed at large concentrations of commercial outlets (such as shopping centres, malls and retail parks), involved significant crowd mobility (including the use of bikes and vehicles to transport 'booty') and avoided contact with opposing superior forces (of police). The 'cat and mouse' manoeuvring between the police and 'looters' that occurred in many incidents - the latter aided by mobile phones and instant messaging - was a by-product of the primary aim to acquire useful (and valuable) commodities for the protagonists. Looters operated in numerous but smaller groups than in 'community riots', often travelled significant distances to 'hit' selected targets and were not spatially tied to their home locales.
The final (and fairly unusual) type of disturbance, which occurred in August in a few locations in London (Ealing, Pimlico, Sloane Square, Notting Hill), was the 'anti-rich riot'. These were characterised by pre-planning, movements by participants out of home locales to attack areas that were perceived to be dominated by the wealthy and were marked by widespread destruction of cars, cafeacute;s, restaurants, boutiques and commercial properties that were not necessarily high value 'looting' targets. Face to face robbing, terrorising and violence, directed at rich residents of these areas were a significant feature of these events'.
Looting, violins and ballet
I remember people looting a music shop on Charing Cross Road during the 1990 London poll tax riot, a young Chinese guy sprinting down the road carrying an electric guitar, somebody else grabbing a saxophone. People have been jailed in Manchester after similar scenes at a music shop in the city:
'[S.H.] was clutching a looted violin when he was arrested in the aftermath of riots in Manchester. Smelling strongly of drink, the aspiring musician quipped: 'I've always wanted to learn to play the violin.' His parents wept in the dock as district judge Alan Berg told the 19-year-old it was an 'absolute tragedy' that he had thrown away his prospects in this way.Hoyle, of Manchester, was arrested at 3am on Wednesday when police encircled a group of youths and saw him clutching the violin, thought to be from a music shop which had earlier been looted. He tried to run away as police arrested a girl, but the court heard he was chased and caught, telling officers: 'I can understand why people riot, you really are fascist ********.' Hoyle had never been in trouble before and is on Jobseekers' Allowance, the court heard.
Sentencing him to four months in a young offenders' institution for theft, Judge Berg told Hoyle he had brought 'shame and disgrace' on his family. But he told the shamefaced teenager: 'Nobody forced you to get drunk and pick up the violin.'
An aspiring ballerina was arrested after police published images of her looting two boxed flat screen TVs from a hi-fi store where £190,000 of damage was caused. The 17-year-old, who has been studying ballet since she was seven and wants to be a dance teacher, gave herself up after seeing a CCTV image of herself in a newspaper. The dancer was among a group of masked women caught on camera looting Richer Sounds, in Croydon. She was remanded in custody' (Daily Mail, 2 September 2011)
'Just two days after gangs of youths rampaged through Manchester smashing windows and looting shops, the city's retailers were in defiant mood. "We are Manchester, we don't give in that easy," said Trina Rance, operations manager at Dawson's, one of Manchester's largest music stores. Standing by a wrecked £14,000 grand piano, she described how she learned on Tuesday night that looters had broken into the shop.What followed was anarchy, with looters helping themselves to musical instruments and smashing equipment. One hooded youth was filmed walking casually down Portland Street carrying an expensive electric guitar he had stolen, the price tag still fluttering' (BBC, 11 August 2011).
'A soldier from Greater Manchester has been jailed for eight months after trying to sell a guitar that had been stolen during August's riots. [LB] 20, bought the guitar for £20 from an unknown man in Manchester city centre, during the height of the disorder on 9 August.He was arrested two days later as he tried to sell the instrument at a music shop in his home town of Leigh.He was sentenced to eight months in jail at Manchester Crown Court.Bretherton bought the Gibson Les Paul guitar, which had an estimated value of £2,000, from a looter in the street. It had been taken from Dawson's music store on Portland Street shortly before. The soldier, a member of the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, took the guitar into a music shop in Leigh two days later.As he attempted to sell the instrument, the shop owner became suspicious, locked him in and called the police' (BBC, 21 October 2011)
Posted by A2 at 11/13/2011 09:51:00 pm No comments:
Labels: London, Manchester, policing, riots
Halloween in London
London Halloween
Costume 2011
Halloween weekend in London, and the streets were full of zombies, witches and men wrapped in bandages. White make up and fake blood. The fancy dress theme seems to have spilled beyond horror into generic carnivalesque costume. On the way to a house party in Brixton on the Saturday night a pantomime horse crossed the road in front of us, and a man ran down the road dressed up as a flying squirrel.
At the party a DJ dressed up as a penguin span the obligatory Michael Jackson's Thriller to a party including a crocodile, a parrot, the snow queen from the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (handing out Turkish delight), a bat, two suicide bombers, Amy Winehouse and somebody dressed up in a take on one of Louise Bourgeois' costumes from her performance piece Banquet/A Fashion Show of Body Parts (seemingly somebody had a similar idea at a feminist art themed Halloween ball in New York in 2010).
Louise Bourgeois in 1978
Erica Magrey, New York Halloween Costume 2010
Labels: 2010s, costumes, Halloween, London
New York 1977: when the lights went out
The Trammps' disco classic The Night the Lights Went Out (1977) commemorates an actual historical event in that year - the New York blackout. In The Trammps' account this was an occasion for sex in the unlit darkness:
Where were you when the lights went out
In New York City (I wanna know, I wanna know)
Don't you know that I was making love
(She was making love)
I remember on the 13th of July
The only light was the light up in the sky
New York had black-out for 25 hours or more
And nobody really knows the reason why...
Politicians said it was a pity
But that was the night they call it love city
So I took my lady by the hand
And led her to love me, love me, love me!
In New York City (I wanna know, yeah)
But sex wasn't the only thing on New Yorkers' minds - the power cut also prompted mass looting. John Zerzan celebrated this aspect in an article published in the Detroit-based radical paper Fifth Estate (August 1977):
"Amid All the Camaraderie is Much Looting this Time; Seeing the City Disappear", Wall Street Journal headline, 15 July 1977
The Journal went on to quote a cop on what he saw, as the great Bastille Day break-out unfolded: "People are going wild in the borough of Brooklyn. They are looting stores by the carload." Another cop added later: "Stores were ripped open. Others have been leveled. After they looted, they burned."
At about 9:00 p.m. on July 13 the power went out in New York for 24 hours. During that period the complete impotence if the state in our most 'advanced' urban space could hardly have been made more transparent. As soon as the lights went out, cheers and shouts and loud music announced the liberation of huge sections of the city. The looting and burning commenced immediately, with whole families joining in the "carnival spirit". In the University Heights section of the Bronx, a Pontiac dealer lost the 50 new cars in his showroom. In many areas, tow trucks and other vehicles were used to tear away the metal gates from stores. Many multistorey furniture businesses were completely emptied by neighborhood residents.
Despite emergency alerts for the state troopers, FBI and National Guard, there was really nothing authority could do, and they knew it. A New York Times editorial of July 16 somewhat angrily waved aside the protests of those who wondered why there was almost no intervention on the side of property. "Are you kidding?" the Times snorted, pointing out that such provocation would only have meant that the entire city would still be engulfed in riots, adding that the National Guard is a "bunch of kids" who wouldn't have had a chance.
The plundering was completely multi-racial, with white, black and Hispanic businesses cleaned out and destroyed throughout major parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Not a single "racial incident" was reported during the uprising, while newspaper pictures and TV news bore witness to the variously coloured faces emerging from the merchants' windows and celebrating in the streets. Similarly, looting, vandalism, and attacks in police were not confined to the City proper; Mount Vernon, Yonkers and White Plains were among suburbs in which the same things happened, albeit on a smaller scale.
Rioting broke out in the Bronx House of Detention where prisoners started fires, seized dormitories, and almost escaped by ramming through a wall with a steel bed. Concerning the public, the Bronx District Attorney fumed, "It's lawlessness. It's almost anarchy."
Officer Gary Parlefsky, of the 30th Precinct in Harlem, said that he and other cops came under fire from guns, bottles and rocks. He continued: 'We were scared to death... but worse than that, a blue uniform didn't mean a thing. They couldn't understand why we were arresting them'.
At a large store at 110th Street and Eighth Avenue, the doors were smashed open and dozens of people carried off appliances. A woman in her middle-50s walked into the store and said laughingly: "Shopping with no money required!"
Attesting to the atmosphere of a "collective celebration", as one worried columnist put it, a distribution center was spontaneously organized at a Brooklyn intersection, with piles of looted goods on display for the taking. This was shown briefly on an independent New York station, WPIX-TV, but not mentioned in the major newspapers. The transformation of commodities into free merchandise was only aided by the coming of daylight, as the festivity and music continued. Mayor Beame, at a noon (July 15) press conference, spoke of the "night of terror", only to be mocked heartily by the continuing liberation underway throughout New York as he spoke.
Much, of course, was made of the huge contrast between the events of July 1977 and the relatively placid, law-abiding New York blackout of November 1965. One can only mention the obvious fact that the dominant values are now everywhere in shreds. The "social cohesion" of class society is evaporating. New York is no isolated example.
Of course, there has been a progressive decay in recent times of restraint, hierarchy, and other enforced virtues; it hasn't happened all at once. Thus, in the 1960s, John Leggett (in his Class, Race and Labour) was surprised to learn upon examining the arrest records of those in the Detroit and Newark insurrections, that a great many of the participants were fully employed. This time, of the 176 people indicted as of August 8 in Brooklyn (1,004 were arrested in the borough), 48% were regularly employed. (The same article in the August 9 San Francisco Chronicle where these figures appeared also pointed out that only "six grocery stores were looted while 39 furniture stores, 20 drug stores and 17 jewelry stores and clothing stores were looted"). And there are other similarities to New York, naturally; Life magazine of 4 August 1967 spoke of the "carnival-like revel of looting" in Detroit, and Professor Edward Banfield commented that "Negroes and whites mingled in the streets [of Detroit] and looted amicably side by side...."
The main difference is probably one of scale and scope — that in New York virtually all areas, even the suburbs, took the offensive and did so from the moment the lights went out. Over $1 billion was lost in the thousands of stores looted and burned, while the cops were paralyzed. During the last New York rioting, the 'Martin Luther King' days of 1968, 32 cops were injured; in one day in July 1977, 418 cops were injured.
The Left — all of it — has spoken only of the high unemployment, the police brutality; has spoken of the people of New York only as objects, and pathetic ones at that! The gleaming achievements of the unmediated / unideologized have all the pigs scared shitless'.
Posted by A2 at 11/06/2011 02:03:00 pm 1 comment:
Labels: 1970s, disco, New York, riots
NME Guide to Rock & Roll London (1978): Disco
From the 1978 NME Guide to Rock & Roll London , the section on Disco compiled by LeRoy Z. Jefferson, with listings and reflections on t...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl