Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

Been A Long Time

2011-03-22T17:57:00.003-05:00

I can't even remember the last time I wrote anything here. The main reason is that I post mostly on Facebook, and write a weekly column at www.grubstreet.ca where anyone and anything gets written about.

It originally started out as radio/TV column, but let's face it, after a while that just gets boring, so I started to write about every day things that happen to all of us. You just can't make that stuff up!

So when you have a few minutes to read fifty plus columns, check out Grubstreet!

Friday Morning Breakfast

2010-03-05T11:09:00.003-05:00

Friday March 5 started out with a bit of a snow flurry, so I was worried that my breakfast with radio sister Robin Marshall might not happen...but it did. We hadn't seen each other for almost a year, but being the "siblings" we are, email and phone are always available.

Finally getting to see Robin and talk about our trials and tribulations of life is always fun. No matter the story or situation, we both have our ways of dealing with it. Except Robin has 3 more problems than I do...namely her 5 kids versus my 2. She wins. Robin says having 5 is easier than 2; I don't know if I agree with that.

If you want to read more about Robin, and my other radio sisters, click HERE to go to Grubstreet, a magazine site that I write a weekly column for.

That's it for now...gotta run and do errands! Have a great weekend!

2009 Holiday Intro Now Up At BAA!

2009-12-08T17:35:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone! The new 2009 Big Apple Airchecks Holiday Greeting is now up at www.bigappleairchecks.com! Thanks to all my radio friends for their contributions and good wishes! May you all have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Back From Vacation Thank Goodness!

2009-09-01T18:27:00.003-05:00

It's always nice to go on vacation, but also nice to come back! We went on a cruise out of Miami, on Royal Caribbean's Majesty Of The Seas. Here I am (left) on deck 12 looking out over the Miami skyline after boarding. Not a great picture, but you get the idea! It was a very nice ship, though smaller than the one we went on last year, Liberty Of The Seas. The room was so small that if two people we in it at the same time, one had to inhale while the other exhaled. (Figure that one out.) The ship stopped in Nassau, Bahamas, their own private island Coco Cay, and Key West, where we hadn't been in 12 years. Boy was it hot!

We also got to see some friends when we got back, and spent some quality time with our good buddy, Tim Byrd and his lovely wife Sally. My wife and kids never met them, so that was a real treat! They are now "Uncle Tim and Aunt Sally!" Thanks to them for "rescuing" us from a tough situation.

Getting back to work wasn't the easiest thing, but we endured and did well upon our return. It's nice to be home!

Life In General, Nothing To Do With Radio

2009-08-12T18:02:00.003-05:00

There is so much commotion over President Obama wanting a National Health Care plan, that no one can see the forest through the trees. One of the easiest solutions is to open up the existing health plan that all government employees get to those that do not have, or can not get their own plans. I'm not saying give it to them for free, but at a reduced rate according to income and family size, similair to what New York State does with Child Health and Family Plus programs. The federal government plan already exists, why not just open up another catagory for non-government employees?

Cash For Clunkers, what a nice idea to stimulate auto sales. It's worked way beyond what anyone has thought, but in my opinion, it is still leaving older cars on the road. In my case, we have a 1997 Saturn SW wagon which does not qualify for the program because of its supposed good gas mileage. But come on, the car is 12 years old! How come no one thought of putting in a provision for cars 10 years or older that could be traded in for a certain amount, say $3000? I could probably sell the car for that amount, but then have to pay sales tax on it. With a trade in, there is no sales tax on that portion, though I don't know how the CFC program handles that.

Last, but certainly not least, is a bone I have to pick with Dell and their sales practices. I bought a new Studio 17 laptop in June, and spoke to two different sales people on Team Charger, and both told me that Windows 7 was coming out in 2010. How pissed was I when I found out it was coming out in October 2009, and NOT eligible for a free upgrade?!? Had I known that, I probably would have postponed the purchase until it was upgrade eligible. On top of that, try getting the same price from one person to another, it's impossible. Salesman 1 gave me a price of $200 for the full version of Office 2007, an $80 discount, but Salesman 2 wouldn't do that, and I had to pay $149 for the Student and Home edition. Then a couple of days later, Best Buy had it on sale for $99 and Dell wouldn't meet the price because the computer already shipped out! The chances of Dell getting my business again is slim to none.

For those of you who didn't already read it, check out my interview at www.grubstreet.ca. It tells you things about me and airchecks you never knew, and probably never cared about...lol...read it anyway!

Big Apple Airchecks Interview By Grubstreet Now Published!

2009-07-07T09:24:00.003-05:00

Just Posted!!! Big Apple Airchecks is interviewed by Rich Knight for http://www.grubstreet.ca/ and believe me, it is a must read! Everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about me and Big Apple Airchecks is there! Thanks to all the friends who participated and shared their comments with Grubstreet, and to Dr. George Pollard (Grubstreet Publisher) for inviting me to be part of his interview series. Special thanks go to Dick Summer for suggesting me to George in the first place!

BAA Interviewed by www.grubstreet.ca...Coming Soon!

2009-07-03T19:45:00.002-05:00

Thanks to our friend Dick Summer, Big Apple Airchecks was recently interviewed by online magazine site www.grubstreet.ca which will be published on July 9! Many topics are discussed, including the state of radio today.

Many good friends were also interviewed, and their comments will be included as well. Thanks to Grubstreet publisher Dr. George Pollard for the opportunity to share my passion of radio, airchecks and my site with his readers!

Stay tuned for more...video at 11!

Much Ado About Death

2009-06-27T22:17:00.007-05:00

So this past week we had three big celebrity deaths; Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. It's been said that death comes in "3's" ,well they certainly did.

Of the three, I'll miss Farrah the most simply because she was so hot during my formative years growing up. Heck, what teenage boy didn't have her poster hanging in his room? Did Ed ever have a poster? And what guy would ever had a poster of Michael? Come on, give me a break!

To much is being made of MJ's death. His lifestyle is what killed him, along with prescription drugs. Does that sound familiar? Is should...Elvis Presley died the same way! Ironic considering that MJ was briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley who figured out what he was all about before she got sucked into his vortex of weirdness. What did he say??? Yes, I called MJ weird, and that's being kind. I refuse to tip toe with any comments just because he died.

As an entertainer, MJ was among the best. AMONG, not the best. I'll put Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who and other performers in that same category before I would ever call MJ the best. Let's face it...his last big commercial hit was the "Thriller" album, over 20 years ago! How long can you live on past accomplishments? Tell me what you did for me today, not what happened yesterday. That's the mantra in most business environments, isn't it?

As for MJ's lifestyle...he was accused of some horrific things that were never proven in a court of law. In the court of public opinion he would most likely be found guilty though. What about his excessive spending that left him heavily in debt? He was so in debt he had to sell half his interest in The Beatles musical catalog. I always wondered how he got that anyway...did he somehow sweet talk Paul McCartney into selling it to him? How about his "Neverland Ranch?" What happened to that? Was it foreclosed on, sold, rented, what? How come he was living in a rented home? Why was the 911 call made in such a calm manner, and his doctor who was there couldn't revive him?

Cynical? Damn right I'm cynical. With all the problems this country, and world is encountering right now, the death of a singer should not be headline/front page/1st story TV news for this long. His family should find out exactly what happened to him, and broadcast that news so it shouldn't happen to others. It's sad when an elderly parent outlives a child...there is nothing worse that can happen to family, except when the death could have been prevented, or foreseen.

There are three things we are assured of...birth, taxes and death. What we do in between those things determine who we are, and what we make of ourselves. No one likes taxes, but we detest death even more.

A BIG WOW!!!

2009-05-31T21:04:00.004-05:00

WOW!!! That's all I can say tonight! I got to talk to one of radio's most well known personalities, who also made a name for himself on TV...the one and only Shadoe Stevens!

How did this happen you might ask? It all started a couple of months ago when I edited "Dick Summer-This Is Your Radio Life" and he told a friend of his, Dr. George Pollard in Canada about it. George runs a website, http://www.grubstreet.ca/ that is part on-line magazine, and part news and information. He interviewed Dick a while back, and Dick suggested he contact me. I told Dick it was ok for him to give George my contact info, and I heard from George this week. After that first email, I again visited his site, and read the interview with Dick, and Shadoe. Boy, was I impressed! I'm thinking the whole time, this guy wants to interview ME? We talked about the interview process which he said will take place over 2-3 weeks, and how he would work around my time. I asked him, why do you want to interview me, I'm just a regular guy with a website dedicated to airchecks? His answer was simply, "...you're not a regular guy. You have a passion and drive for radio and airchecks that is unequaled." Now, those might not be his EXACT words, but they are close enough. To be in the company of Dick Summer, Shadoe Stevens, AJ Benza and others is humbling to say the least, and I am honored to be included in this group.

I told George that I would love to talk to Shadoe, and he said to visit his site, http://www.shadoe.com/ which I did, but there was no phone number. So I emailed George, and he said to just write to him, which I did on Friday night. When I got home from work on Saturday, there was a reply from Shadoe thanking me for writing, and telling me about the aircheck collection he has that a friend of his has digitally converted. I wrote back offering him some other airchecks I had, and would he like them? I also sent my phone number with a couple of good times to call. When I got home from work on Sunday, there was an email from George, telling me he wrote to Shadoe, and to expect to hear back from him. Was I excited when the phone rang around 7 PM on Sunday, and caller ID said California! I immediately recognized THAT voice as he said, "...this must be Matt." Holy moly Batman...it was The Shadoe! I felt like a little kid meeting his hero for the first time, or the girlfriends parents for the first time...only this was The Shadoe...a living radio legend! WOW!

We talked for about 15 minutes...ok, mostly I talked, "gushing" about how big a fan I was, how he among others influenced why I wanted to be in radio and my wife and I liked "Dave's World." The whole time, I'm thinking that this guy must think I'm an idiot, not a 51 year old man with a hobby that has grown beyond a hobby, but become a passion...a mission to help people that have lost their jobs because of consolidation...to keep long time friends, and constantly make new ones. But Shadoe was gracious, telling me about his time on KROQ, and saying how much he enjoyed his time on "Dave's World."

When I got off the phone, my wife asked who I was talking to. When I told her, even she got excited, and was sorry she didn't answer the phone. Even my 13 year old daughter knew who he was from TV, and that amazed me.

So look for my interview in about 3-4 weeks on http://www.grubstreet.ca/ and don't forget to visit my friend Dick Summer at http://www.dicksummer.com/. He likes to think he's semi-retired, but everytime I write something about him, he manages to find something else to do. Here's an interesting question...can you call someone that you've never met or had a meal with a friend? I say yes...and I'm proud to call Dick Summer my friend even though he won't fly his plane to Long Island and visit me...lol...I hope he'll think about it and do it this summer. My best wished to your wonder wench Dick, the woman who helped make you the man you are. Thanks for your friendship, your kind words, and your suggestion to George. I believe that a whole new journey is about to begin for me, Big Apple Airchecks and other things to come.

I'm done...emotionally drained...physically tired...and smiling...

Where to start??? So much to say, so little time..

2009-05-13T22:34:00.004-05:00

There is so much going on, where to I start writing?? Yeah, it's old news about Clear Channel firing yet another 600 people, but when I find out that I know 3 of them, and probably more, it's distressing. They weren't fired for any reason other than the fact they were doing their jobs, garnering good rating, and earning (probably) good salaries. How many companies will fire you for doing a GOOD job?

I'm planning a new site, and new company that is going to bring the talents of many radio and voice talents to one place. This site is going to also offer many production services, along with many types of voice work. It is a "work in progress" that will be completed sometime this year. My friend Kathy Cunningham and I are working diligently to put it together, and with all our contacts, some great people are going to be involved. Our goal is to provide affordable services to radio and TV stations, ad agencies and any other company that requires any type of voice work. Stay tuned for more details...

I was in the dentist chair on Tuesday getting an old crown replaced, and since I am one of those who hates pain, I get novacaine and nitrous oxide, other wise known as laughing gas. I love nitrous, and if I could tote around a portable supply, I would! Do you ever really thing about, and remember the stuff you have in your mind when you're under the influence? How about what that pretty dental assistant would look like without the uniform? What are those funny sounds coming out of the walls? Was Robert Klein really right about all that stuff he said on his album "New Teeth?" How much pain am I going to be in when all this wears off?

There is so much going on at aircheck central, that the site itself has suffered. I haven't done a major update for a couple of months, and the piles of tapes and CD's is testament to that. One of the reasons is my quest to hit as many BBQ and rib joints as I can this summer! Now how noble a goal is that?

I just saw the new Star Trek movie, and while I really enjoyed it, I didn't get the whole time travel and alternate universe thing. In the main ST universe, Jim Kirk's father was alive when he was made captain of the Enterprise, but in this universe, he died to save his ship. Can someone please explain what the heck is going on?

Finally...what the heck happened on American Idol??? I can't believe that Danny Gokey is going, end Kris Allen made it to the finals! He has no chance against Adam Lambert. What is Adam's facination with eye shadow anyway? Is that suppposed to make him look mysterious? I think it makes him look...heck I don't need to say it? Do the curious really want to know what his orientation really is? Kris Allen has NO chance against Adam, who has been very consistent throughout the show. My choice to win would have been Danny, who has a truly inspirational story. Let's face it, the audience doesn't always get it right...Taylor Hicks is proof of that. Chris Daughtry should have won that season, not Hicks. Give me a break!

And that my friends is the end of the rant...I got out all those thoughts I had in the dentist chair, and the days after as well. I hope you enjoyed them. To George, Tim and Pete...good luck, power up the warp engines, and may the force be with you!

Update:Brian James Tribute

2009-03-23T08:51:00.002-05:00

All I can say is WOW!! The Brian James Tribute has been downloaded almost 80 times since it was posted late last night. I think that's a new record! I hope everyone enjoys it, and and remembers Brian for the incredible talent that he was.

Brian James Tribute

2009-03-22T23:24:00.003-05:00

The audio tribute to Brian James is now posted at www.bigappleairchecks.com. There are 6 links to download it from Sendspace and save it to your computer. Thanks to my friend Rich Stevens for all his help in putting it together, and Brian's brother Mike Oberle for his contributions as well. Rest In Peace Brian...

Goodbye Brian James...

2009-03-06T15:31:00.002-05:00

Today radio lost one of it's greatest voice actors/creative directors/imaging force in Brian James who passed away at age 48 from a heart attack at his home in Arizona. He will be missed by all who knew him, and hopefully by those who heard him.

It's Summer-Time at Big Apple Airchecks!

2009-03-06T00:18:00.004-05:00

What more is there to say than..."This Is Your Radio Life Dick Summer!" Visit http://www.bigappleairchecks.com/ to hear Dicks' intro and airchecks that runs almost an hour, which you can also download!

From www.allaccess.com:
MATT SEINBERG at www.bigappleairchecks.com is proud to honor long time broadcaster and voice over artist DICK SUMMER with a one hour audio production, "DICK SUMMER -- This Is Your Radio Life!" It starts in 1963 at WBZ/BOSTON and also includes airchecks from NEW YORK stations WNEW-F, WNEW-A, WPLJ, WNBC, WYNY, WKJY and WPIX. There are also some of DICKs’ own stories sprinkled throughout, ending with a surprise by friend ROBIN MARSHALL, aka JAYNE! It can be listened to online, or downloaded for your convenience. Check out www.dicksummer.com and tell him how much you enjoyed listening to his life!

2009 Academy Awards Show

2009-02-23T00:25:00.002-05:00

OMG...How BORING was this years Oscar telecast? The highlight was new host Hugh Jackman singing and dancing. Other than that...sheesh...there is no reason for this show to run almost 4 hours! Perform the nominated songs, show some clips, honor the dear departed and give out the freakin' awards!

Seeing Jerry Lewis was nice, and he kept his speech short and sweet. He looks better than he has in years, but he is certainly looking his age. Did he have a stroke anytime in the past? If so, he's recovered nicely...if not, what is wrong with him? I'll be the first to admit that he's done a great with with his yearly telethon, raising lot's of money for Cerebal Palsy, but it's time for him to retire and pass the torch on to someone else. Same goes for Dick Clark...hang it up Dick, you are not America's oldest teenager anymore.They should both gracefully bow out, and let the next generation take over. In Dick's case, it's Ryan Seacrest, but who does Jerry have to take over? Eddie Murphy?

That's all we wrote this Sunday night...

Breakfast With An Old Friend...

2009-02-06T12:33:00.004-05:00

I had the pleasure this morning to have breakfast with an old friend who I first met in 1985 at WAPP, and have been talking and chatting with over the last 4-5 years, and we finally got together...voice goddess Robin Marshall! We have both aged "gracefully" over the years, though I have much more grey in my beard than she does, but then again she doesn't have a beard!

Robin is currently doing weekends on WWFS/Fresh 102.7, various voice over work, and producing her own syndicated format, Jayne-FM, so check out the demo at www.jaynefm.com. In this day of large corporate syndication, it's nice to see an independant talent such as Robin producing her own show and selling it. She is market exclusive, so if you want more info on getting her on your station, go to her site and contact her, she'd love to hear from all interested stations!

As for BAA, there is a new intro up by WOGL's Cadillac Jack Seville, along with his AIR Award winning aircheck. I got to meet Jack in August of 2007, and what a nice guy he is! Check him out on line at www.wogl.com from 3-7 PM.

There are lot's of new airchecks posted in the collection, with many more to come, so keep checking all the pages for new stuff!

For those of you in the frigid Northeast, bundle up and keep warm during this freeze out...to those of you in Florida and California, while you may be warm, you get to suffer through hurricanes and earthquakes so I'll stay here, thank you very much!

2008-12-02T19:41:00.002-05:00

A HUGE update was done this past week at Big Apple Airchecks! Many listings were added to the New York page, along with California, Nevada, Maryland and many others. Also added were complete listings for for WABC Rewounds 1999-2002. 2003 through 2008 will be posted soon. Now playing on the front page is the annual BAA Holiday Greeting, which runs almost 10 minutes long, so go check it out! Have a great holiday season!

Yet More Things To Think About...

2008-11-07T17:45:00.002-05:00

Ron O'Brien was a HUGE Phillies fan, and I have no doubt that he was looking down upon them, and giving whatever radio dj mojo he could to help them win. He succeeded...even if the Met's didn't. Wait until next year! We miss you Big Ron!

It's that time of year again...the radio Scrooges are letting people go left and right, up and down. My friend Max Morgan was let go from The River in Deleware because her station went to the CC automated "Tom-FM" format. What a waste of a frequency! If you have the need for a talented morning show host in the Delaware or Philly area, let me know and I'll forward it to Max.

It will be interesting to see how many more people Citadel, CBS, CC, Entercom and the rest of the big corporations let go this holiday season. It is certainly the worst time of year to lose a job. It seems that no market or person is safe, so get your parachutes ready and be ready to either jump or be pushed!

I have not, and will never vote Republican...I just hope I didn't waste my vote of Barack Obama. If only half his promised happen, I'll be happy. The middle class of this country would not have survived another 4-8 years of Republican rule. Plus the thought of Sara Palin being President if John McCain died should scare any sane person!

The XM and Sirius merger...what a joke! It wasn't a merger...it was Sirius taking over XM, and cutting out anything good that they had. From what I'm told, only FIVE, yes five XM channels will survive. So maybe 10 people at XM programming/talent will keep their jobs? Just keep looking over your shoulders folks!

Look at it this way, the economy can only get better...can't it???

Dedicated To Aunt Pam

2008-10-03T21:49:00.002-05:00

On September 30, I lost my Aunt Pam in Portland, OR to ovarian cancer. Needless to say, I felt the need to attend her funeral, and I'm glad I did. Not only was it a chance to say goodbye to my favorite, fun aunt that I truly loved, but to reconnect with other relatives that I had not seen in many years. I saw some cousins that I haven't seen since they were kids, and now that are grown women. One has her own family, and the other is a semi newlywed, only being married for 18 months. Seeing them brought back many memories, (some good, some not so good) and it made the trip to Portland that much more special. I also got to spend time with my sister, mother and stepfather, and of course my uncle.

I got to see for the first time in 36 years (!) an old friend of my Uncle Jay's, Ednah who gave me a big hug when when welcomed she me into the house. We got to talk and spend some time together as well. The best part was hearing so many things being said about Aunt Pam, many I never knew. Also getting to meet her 4 sisters was very special. Penny, Daphne, Dar and Polly are special women in their own rights, and finally meeting them after knowing Pam for 32 years was inspiring.

Cancer is a terrible illness that medical professionals need to find a cure for. There are to many people in this country that suffer, and pass away from this disease. If affects all of us in one way or another, especially when a close relative dies. I just lost an aunt to ovarian cancer, which is one of the worst forms. Aunt Pam was loved by her entire family, and more friends than I could count at her funeral. She will be missed...I will miss her...We love you Pam...

Wow, has it been that long?

2008-09-23T08:17:00.002-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't written anything since July 15! So I'll make it up now with a few things...

I went on vacation to the Caribbean in August, with a cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's wonderful Liberty of The Seas! It was awesome! The staff, food, ambiance...everything was fabulous! I would highly recommend this ship for anyone that wants a great vacation!

Did a quick site update at the begining of September, and hope to get more done soon. I finally got to meet "Sunny" Joe Allen, afternoon guy at Movin' 100.3 in Syracuse, NY. He's also worked at WNEW-FM Mix 102.7, WKTU, WBLS, Hot 97, KC101 and other great stations. What a nice guy, we had a great time hanging out, talking about radio and life in general. Heck, he even bought lunch at Miller's Ale House!

I just produced a new show for Radio Samantha, called "Dedicated To Aunt Pam,"...that's my aunt in Portland, OR that is dying from cancer. I let my feeling show with the music, so if you want to check out the show, here's the download link from Mediafire. (http://www.mediafire.com/?zxbey4nabbm)

Not much else happening, I'm glad fall is finally here, my favorite time of year. I love the cool, crisp weather, and the great colors.

Thanks for visiting!

BAA Site Update

2008-07-15T19:59:00.002-05:00

It's that time again for an update on what's going on at Big Apple Airchecks. The biggest news is that the Big Ron O'Brien Aircheck Tribute is finished, and there's some great stuff in it, much of it exclusive to BAA! Each part is almost 80 minutes in length, so it will fit nicely on a CD. There are plenty of tributes from friends, family and co-workers, so listen carefully, especially at the end of Part 3!

I listened to the last Kenny Chesney CD today, (Poets and Pirates) and it's not as bad as when I first wrote about it. The duet with Joe Walsh is still overdone, but the album as a whole is ok. Not as good as some of the past ones though.

Are you looking for a super talented, funny, sexy, and entertaining format or personality? Check out my friend Robin Marshall, at www.robinmarshall.com. Ask for Jayne, and tell her Matt sent you!

That's enough for now, have fun!

Big Ron O'Brien Memorial Service

2008-05-04T18:36:00.005-05:00

I had the privilege of attending Big Ron O'Brien's Memorial Service this past Friday, May 2, 2008 held at the Bringhurst Funeral Home at West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA. Huge thanks go to WOGL, and it's wonderful people, including GM Jim Loftus, PD Anne Gress, and Marketing Director Cindy Webster.

So many of Ron's friends showed up, including Harry Nelson, Tim Kelly, Dude Walker, Bob Charger, Harvey Holiday, Ross Brittain, Famous Amos, Jeffrey T. Mason, Max Morgan and Valerie Knight. I got to meet some people that I had only corresponded with, and to meet some new friends as well.

They had pictures and memorabelia of Ron through his career, and many people, including myself spoke about him at the reception held after the memorial. His mother Phyllis, and cousin Patrice were there to thank people for attending, and it was a joy to meet them, and tell them what Ron meant to me not only as a friend, but as a broadcaster. I also got the chance to record them for the tribute I'm producing, along with many other folks attending the reception as well. Those remembrances will be put into the tribute, and some great stories were told about Big Ron! JR Russ told me that when I said that "...Ron will live on through the Internet..." his mother got a little teary, and looked quite moved.

I had the pleasure of meeting Ron and JR last August, and having lunch with them at the Chilis in Bala Cynwyd. A good time was had by all...we just had to keep our hands and feet away from Ron's plate! Ron later gave us a tour of WOGL, and the chance to raid the promo closet and walk away with some great SWAG!

Big Ron, you were my friend...and you were more than just a DJ...you were a musicologist who knew more about music and recording artists than almost anyone in the business. You will be missed...

Radio Loses A True Entertainer: Jackson Armstrong

2008-03-27T18:49:00.002-05:00

It is with great sadness that we learn of the loss of Jackson Armstrong (real name John Charles Larsh) who passed away March 22, 2008. Here is a link to his obituary that appeared in the Winston-Salem Journal.

I have been a fan of Jack's since he appeared on WNBC in 1978 as "The Unknown DJ," and I have collected airchecks of him since then. I am lucky enough to have at least one from every station he worked at. With that in mind, I am producing an aircheck tribute to Jack that will be posted at www.bigappleairchecks.com on Friday March 28, 2008. It will run about two hours, and will be available as a free download. It will include not only airchecks, but recordings from fans, friends and former co-workers on what Jack meant to them.

Jack was a wonderfully talented DJ, entertainer and personality...he was certainly not a liner card reader or typical radio guy...he was one of a kind...a Guiness Book World Record holder for being the fastest talking person...and most of all, a loving father to Devon, Maggie and Vanessa. Let's hope that they will finish the book he was writing, and we all get to share his memories. Rest In Peace Jack...

Let's talk about WPLJ and WXRK

2008-03-04T23:25:00.001-05:00

So Citadel is the latest to do some bloodletting at most, if not all of their clusters. A lot of people lost their jobs, and I'm sure more will in the weeks to come. Rocky Allen was the big casulty at WPLJ, and now some moves have to be made. Since Race Taylor goes back to afternoons, what happens to mid-days? Do you spend the money and go for a known NY talent like Valerie Smaldone? I doubt it...why take on another big salary if you just dumped one? I see Christine Richie going to mids, and that opens up nights.

I've posted before about a format I like, www.JayneFM.com. It's perfect for the demo PLJ is going after, and can be customized just for them. It saves money, and still can have a live and local feel, even though it's recorded. Let's call it the ANTI-Delilah...warm, friendly, mildly sexy. Hey, maybe even the guys will tune in!

As for KRock...I see it going country, and here's why. CBS hasn't really done anything to promote it since it signed on almost a year ago. They fired the PD and didn't name a replacement when they put Brian Thomas in charge of Fresh. That's a big clue...are they going to bring in yet another rock PD, or have someone like Mike Peterson in Chicago at WUSN start up a NY country station? When you have someone working for you already that can get the job done, you use them. NY is begging for a country station, and now is the time, and KRock is the place.

A Day At The Movies

2008-02-21T18:22:00.002-05:00

I took the kids to see the Hannah Montana movie today, and there was no way I was going to see it as well...$15 a ticket! What a ripoff!

So I saw the new Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) movie "Definately...Maybe" that co-stars Anibelle Breslin as his daughter. While it was a well thought out story telling movie, the writer and director forgot one "minor" point...telling us exactly when Will Hayes got married, and had his daughter. It's only at the end when the mother is revealed, after all the trailers and teases not making that clear. The ending is exactly as I expected, but it would have been nice to have taken the journey with a slightly better road map when dealing with Will's time frame. Over all, I would give it 3 out of 4 stars.

On the job front...I called a company I interviewed with, and had an offer from last year. I have an appointment next week with a manager, and if that goes well, I could be gainfully employed again. Not what I call my dream job, but if I don't get out of the house, I'm going to go crazy. Wish me luck!

The WORST Birthday Ever

2008-02-21T10:18:00.002-05:00

February 19...the WORST Birthday ever...EVER...just turned 50...been out of work for two months, and didn't get the job I really wanted...so no extra $$ for good presents...my own sisters didn't even call or send cards...friends didn't even send an E-card or off line message...

It's amazing I haven't become an alcoholic yet, or eaten myself to obesity. The lack of decent jobs is amazing.

This is how I can feel the pain of all those radio people who recently lost their jobs. Being out of work SUCKS, especially on your birthday.

So I was wrong...

2008-02-15T18:49:00.003-05:00

So I can't be right 100% of the time...lol...I can try can't I? It's been reported on All Access the WCBS-FM PD Brian Thomas is now going to be PD of clustermate WWFS as well. I said in a previous post that the next PD of WXRK (when/if it goes country) would also be PD of Fresh. No big deal...Gary Berkowitz does most of the work at Fresh anyway. All the PD has to do is manage the jock schedule and other "human" issues.

There is a big buzz on the New York Radio Message Board that the possibility of KRock going country would actually make sense! It's not an expensive format to program, and with country being the only format not in New York they would get tons of free publicity. The only way it would work in the CBS Radio world of "monetize" is not to hire big name jocks. As much as I would like to see Ray Rossi, Marty Mitchell and other former Y107 and Y103.5 jocks there, it's not going to happen. Look at Fresh...not one former WLTW jock was hired, which would have given it instant credibility and ratings. Cheap and easy are the words in corporate radio boardrooms these days.

The Tuna Returns...to KRTH

2008-02-13T09:06:00.003-05:00

Charlie Tuna (real name Art Ferguson) returned to the Los Angeles airwaves this past weekend on KRTH. It's ironic in a way, considering at one time this was KHJ-FM, and Tuna was on KHJ-AM for many years. He also "tried out" for the morning show on Feb. 14, 1998 after the death of Robert W. Morgan. That show will be posted on the Radio Insight Aircheck Board on February 14, 2008! Tuna has worked at some great stations, including KHJ, KODJ, KCBQ and KBIG.

The only down side to his return is that CBS Radio fired three other weekend jocks at the same time Tuna returned. He's going to be the main fill in for jocks out sick, on vacation, etc in addition to doing two regular weekend shifts. You may ask, why would he take only a weekend gig, and not look for something full time? The answer is simple...he wants to work, he needs to work and this is the best way to get on a heritage station. KRTH to LA is like WCBS-FM in New York. The other side is...maybe he doesn't want to work full time anymore.

At least Tuna got the chance to get back on the air, unlike some other "heritage" jocks around the country. LA, you're very lucky!

Fallout From NYC Radio Massacre Feb. 2008

2008-02-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, February 5, NYC lost WQCD/CD 101.9 our Smooth Jazz station to WRXP, New York's Rock Experience. This format chance was done so secretly, even the Net Gnomes didn't know it was coming. Sadly, none of the air personalities at the station did either. A meeting was called for 3 PM, and the only DJ's present were Deborah Rath and Paul Cavalconte. Everyone else was on the phone. (sound familiar?) They were all told they were being let go, given their severance packages and other assorted paperwork, and have a nice day. None of the other Emmis stations knew anything either, as the new computer, and PM Drive DJ/MD Brian Schocke was escorted into the studio at 3PM. Ironically, the new website was up as early as 1:30 that afternoon, but who thought to look? I got to talk to Dennis Quinn, Paul Cavalconte and Robin Marshall after it happened, and needless to say they were all shocked. I was also in email contact with Bill Buchner, who sent me a short scoped aircheck of one of his last shows. I also sent Dennis, Paul and Bill airchecks I had of them. After 20 years, we say goodbye to Smooth Jazz CD 101.9.

The bloodbath continued the next day at the CBS Radio cluster...The PD's of WCBS-AM, WXRK and WWFS were all fired, along with various sales and support staff. Here's what I think is going to happen at these stations: 1) Because of KRock's poor performance, it's going to go country, and that PD will also have oversight of WWFS. Not a lot to do there, as consultant Gary Berkowitz is heavily involved. 2) WCBS-FM PD/VP of Greatest Hits Programming Brian Thomas gives up day to day duties at the station, and oversees the entire cluster. All MD's/APD's are given more duties and responsibilities at their stations. 3) WINS-AM PD also takes over WCBS-AM.

"People" keep saying country cannot work in New York. Well, either can THREE rock stations. Q104 isn't going anywhere, so logic says the KRock is the odd station out in this rock triangle. New York is the only major market without a country station, and now is the perfect opportunity to fill that gap. CBS has some good country stations in other markets, so there is no reason they cannot do it here. Country music is only growing in market share, having an audience that likes to spend money on it's many products. This should be an easy sell to all advertisers.

The following opinions are just that...random thoughts, with no "inside" information or knowledge. Good luck to all the people who lost their jobs, I know how you feel, and understand your pain, frustration, and outrage.

2008-02-05T14:42:00.000-05:00

Let's start this off correctly...The Giants won The Superbowl 17-14 over the 18-1 New England Patriots!! What a game...Eli Manning proved that he is a top notch NFL quarterback, and the Giants showed what they are really made of...Championship material! To bad that Bill Belichick had to walk off the field before the clock officially ran out; just shows what a poor loser he really is.

Radio stuff...I put a new intro on the site today from Jim Channell, the former Capt. Whammo at WDHF/WMET in Chicago along with some airchecks and a couple of pictures. Helen Little started today at WLTW doing mid-days, replacing the dear departed Valerie Smaldone. Helen came over from being the PD at WWPR. Is that a lateral move or a demotion? Joel Salkowitz was named PD of Pulse 87, the audio channel for LPTV channel 6 owned by Mega Communications. He's in the process of hiring air and support staff. This could be interesting to see what he does. Clear Channel proved again that they are worthy of their nickname, Cheap Channel, after putting out that now infamous memo about cutbacks, hiring freezes and no more expence account lunches! That's it from the Center of The Aircheck Universe!

Pet Peeves

2008-01-12T11:33:00.000-05:00

We all have our pet peeves, and here's my list, in no particular order.
1) Stupid People 2) Hair in the sink or bathtub drain [YUCK!] 3) People who drive for miles with their directional blinkers on and don't do anything 4) Knowing that an email was read by the recipient, and not getting a reply 5) Running into the bathroom, and there's no TP left because the person in front of you finished it and didn't replace it! That's even worse in a restaurant! [Double YUCK!] 6) Buying something one week, and it goes on sale the next week. Then you have to trek back to get a price adjustment 7) People who talk continuously about the same subject, repeating themselves at least 3 times, usually about something totally ridiculous and you have no interest in at all 8) Leaving messages on a friends voice mail or answering machine, and not getting a return call...how rude! 9) Putting on one of your favorite TV shows, expecting a new episode, and it's either a repeat or a different show...thanks WGA! 10) Lastly, other people's Pet Peeve lists...

What a great way to vent! Have a great weekend!

Yeah, it's been awhile...

2008-01-03T16:16:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah...it's been awhile since I posted anything. Well, things aren't that great around aircheck central. I got laid off from my regular job at the begining of December, and it's the worst time of year to find anything new.

So in between looking for a new job, I've been converting cassettes to CD, working on the site, and stuff around the house. I did some big updates on the site, including adding Don Bleu to the Top Jocks page.

Cheap Channel did to radio people what my job did to me...they let massive amounts of people go in more markets than I can remember. The worst loss is Valerie Smaldone at WLTW not getting her contract renewed. It was probably CC not wanting to pay her what's she worth, and making a low ball offer that she had to say NO to. She is a very talented lady, and I'm sure she won't be out of work for very long. She also does other things such as voice over work. Check out her site, www.valeriesmaldone.com.

I'm offering some new services this year for radio personalities that need editing, converting and producing work done. If you have reels, cassettes, mp3 or .wav files that need editing or converting, and it can't be done at work because of prying eyes and big ears, Big Apple Airchecks can do the work for you at great rates, with your satisfaction guaranteed! We can also put together a killer demo if you're looking for a new gig! Email me with your name, phone and what you need done, and I'll contact you to discuss your needs! (matt at bigappleairchecks.com)

One more thing...Happy New Year!

HUGE Update done at BAA!

2007-10-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

I did a HUGE update on the site today, mostly on the California and Florida pages. Over 100 airchecks were listed! I also am in the process of making it easier to navigate the pages, by putting links to all the states on all the pages. This way, you don't have to go to the home page to go to them. I also am adding a new feature called "Jock Collections" to the "Meet The DJ's" page. For those jocks that I have a good amount of airchecks, I'm going to list them by themselves on this page. I won't be using code numbers, only dates. So if you want to make a trade for them, you must send me all the information. Happy Trading!

Airchecks, Intros and Other Stuff

2007-10-12T14:13:00.000-05:00

I've gotten some really good airchecks in trades the last few weeks, and hope to get some posted on the site soon. I also got some good currents from Eugene OR, Palm Springs CA, St. Louis MO, Pittsburgh PA, and Portland ME.

A great new intro is up, from none other than Howard Hoffman, production director at KABC/Los Angeles. He's worked at some great stations including WPIX-FM, WABC, WQHT, KFRC and others. It runs 24 minutes with the airchecks, so give yourself some time to listen.

BIG news out of Chicago is the John Landecker is out at WZZN. Ironically, he's being replaced by Greg Brown, who he worked with at WJMK. And yes...Records truly is his middle name.

Against my better judgement, I replied to John Simson after he wrote back to me. What happened? Exactly as I expected...nothing. He did not reply to me again.

Saving the best for last...Radio Samantha is back! I'm not doing any new shows for them yet, but probably will start again soon. It all depends on how I can squeeze that back into my schedule. I've taken that time to work on airchecks, converting tapes to CD's. This is like a never ending project...no light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for the ramblings...have a great weekend!

SoundExchange: A Letter and Response

2007-09-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

On Friday September 14, I sent a letter to John Simson, the Executive Director of SoundExchange, and got a response on Saturday September 15. Both letters follow...what are your thoughts? Did he address my issues and questions, or just give a generic response?

Dear Mr. Simson,
Didn't anyone ever tell you that a half full glass is better than an empty glass? Or having a slice of the pie is better than having no pie at all?

As a consumer, and regular and internet radio listener, I cannot for the life of me understand why your organization is trying to put internet radio out of business. If you succeed in doing this, then you get NO money at all. If you continue at the current rates, or at least rates than these stations can afford, then you at least collect some money. Something is better than nothing, wouldn't you think so?

The public sees you as money grubbing bad guys, putting the little guy out of business, and so far they are correct in that view. Prove them wrong! Show the public that you are willing to work with independent internet broadcasters, and let them continue to broadcast without going bankrupt from having to pay these ridiculous rates, or having to stop because they cannot afford any sort of increase.

Have you ever seen, or listened to the stations that broadcast on Live365? Most of these are not large companies, but individuals that love music, and want to share their talent with the world. Why cannot you not let them continue to do that, without putting out your hands and reaching into all those wallets?

The fact that it took you 100 DAYS to say "NO" to the last proposal is ridiculous. Did you do this just for the suspense factor, and to give everyone hope? If you can't give a straight answer in 7 days, you do not deserve to be the one to give those answers. I believe that more reasonable heads need to prevail, and I for one hope that Congress passes their bill to override your rate proposals.

Thank you for your attention.

Dear Mr. Seinberg:

I appreciate your letter but it appears obvious from your letter that you have only been listening to one side of this dialogue. We have recently extended an offer to small webcasters, those that you would find on Live 365 and more than a dozen have taken this offer and we expect many more to follow in the coming weeks.

We are not money grubbing bad guys. You mention that we did not respond to an offer, you neglected to mention that it was an offer from the NAB - whose members collect over 20 Billion Dollars per year in advertising and whose primary product is the recordings that my clients make - and we get paid ZERO. Who are the money grubbing bad guys here? Recording artists or Big Radio Conglomerates?

I am a former recording artist and manager of artists. I have worked in this industry for many years and have seen some significant changes over that time. One of the most critical changes, in recent years, has been the consumers focus less on the purchase of physical music (CD's) and more and more on purchasing access or listens (on-demand services like Napster and Rhapsody, subscription services like XM and Sirius).

If internet radio, due to its thousands of channels with extremely niche programming offerings, ends up being substitutional for sales, and most evidence supports this idea, then recording artists and those who invest in them need to be assured of a fair payment for that use.

Regards,
John L. Simson
JSimson@SOUNDEXCHANGE.COM
Executive Director, SoundExchange
1121 Fourteenth Street, Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20005
www.soundexchange.com

Here's what I think...Mr. Simson did not address my issue of half full/half empty, or trying to work with small webcasters. I appreciate that he actually answered me, and it was exactly what I expected. Will I respond to him. No, because I don't think it would do any good. However, if anyone that reads this blog would write to him, and express their disatisfaction with SoundExchange, maybe that would help.

The New Kenny Chesney CD...

2007-09-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

...SUCKS. Yes, I said it sucks. I bought it on Tuesday with great anticipation, and waited for a really UP, Hot song to come on...NOTHING. There was one song with Joe Walsh on, and had he NOT been on there, the song would have been 100% better! Kenny did not need the "waa waa" sound on this song, and it ruined it! If I could return it for a full refund, I would. I wouldn't even make a copy of it, that's how bad I think it is!

Radio Stuff: Dan Ingram is going to be on WCBS-FM Sunday 9/16 from 7-10 PM hosting the Radio Greats slot. What a great choice! I spoke to Big Ron O'Brien, and he's supposed to be on 9/23, though he will voice track the show from WOGL. I asked him why he didn't do it live from Philly, but he didn't have an answer for that. WYSP in Philly went from FreeFM to Active Rock, so let's see what Free station will die next. Big Rumors are swirling about the CC Cluster in LA, with changes expected at KBIG, KYSR and KHHT. Would one of them flip to Country and try to kill off KKGO with their mediocre signal? How about flipping to "Fresh?" No way, that would hurt KOST to much, the premiere AC station in the country IMHO.

Check out www.myspace.com/bigappleairchecks and www.bigappleairchecks.com, my homes on the web!

The End of Internet Radio As We Know It

2007-08-28T12:43:00.000-05:00

Start to say good-bye to your favorite internet radio stations, including the one I present on, www.radiosamantha.com. Due to the huge increase in fees that the RIAA and SoundExchange want to extort out of these stations, there is no way a small station can stay in business.

What I don't understand is this...if all these stations go out of business, there will be NO fees collected. But is they stay on the air with the current fees, they lose no money. How much sense does that make? Do they think the increase in fees, and the small numbers of broadcasters willing to pay it are going to make up for those other lost fees? I don't think so.

I suggested to Radio Samantha that they continue to broadcast via Podcasating. If they don't do it, I may just do my own shows that way, available as downloads only for anyone that wants to listen to themed shows, done in the classic Top 40 style. I've done One Hit Wonders, Classic Twofers, Hot Country, Jazz, and various tributes to diffferent artists. If you would like these shows to continue, leave a comment along with the type of music you would like to hear.

Back From Vacation!

2007-08-11T15:57:00.000-05:00

I went to Philadelphia for a quick 3 day vacation, and even though it was brutally hot, we had a great time. We got to see most of the historical sights, including Independence Hall, The Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's grave site, The Franklin Institute, Betsy Ross' house and lots of other cool stuff. No visit is complete without having a Philly Cheesesteak, which we had for lunch at Campos, around the corner from our hotel. I would definately recommend the Best Western Independence Park hotel for it's great location and friendly staff. The room rate was pretty good to compared to other hotels in the city, most of which were booked solid due to having two different conventions in town.

For me, the highlight of the trip was meeting Big Ron O'Brien from WOGL and getting a tour of the station. A friend of Ron's and new friend of mine, JR Russ from XM also showed up. I didn't tell Ron that JR was coming, so it was a nice surprise. We got the 50 cent tour of the station, and JR ended up seeing three people that he knew, including the chief engineer who he sold a car to 10 years ago!

Promo Director Scott was kind enough to open up the promo closet and let me walk away with lot's of cool swag! (t-shirts, beach towels, baseball hat, etc) We also got to meet the PD's of WOGL and WPHT, Anne Gress and John Cook. Very nice folks at the stations, and it was great to meet them! Here's a picture of me, Big Ron and Cadillac Jack in the WOGL studio.

HUGE Update done on BAA!

2007-07-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it, but I finally had some time to do a HUGE update on the site! I must have listed over 100 tapes and CD's from many states, both current and classic stuff, so check out the various pages! It takes so much time to list stuff in the right order and place, it takes a lot of time. More to come very shortly!

New Intro Posted!

2007-06-09T10:33:00.000-05:00

A new intro is up on the main page of www.bigappleairchecks.com by Carol Miller of Q104! It also has some vintage airchecks of Carol on WPLJ and WNEW-FM, along with a current one from Q104, so go check it out. Intros for July and August are also going to be very special, but two well known DJ's from the 70's...get ready for it...sit down...Howard Hoffman and Harry Nelson!! WOW!! Talk about two Top 40 legends!!

I also updated a couple of pages, but there still is a long way to go. There are piles and piles of tapes and CD's that I have listened to that need to be listed, but finding the time to do it is another thing.

Have a great weekend!

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-27T10:01:00.000-05:00

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!! Both Target and Circuit City advertised the Nintendo Wii in their circulars today, with CC giving out vouchers one hour before store opening. There was NO way I was getting there, so I figured I'd stop at Target on the way to work.

Did I get lucky! I went to the electronics department, and they had it in the case locked up! WOW!! So I got some help, bought two extra controllers and walked out happy as clam! A great way to start the day! WooHoo!!

BAA Site Update!

2007-05-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

I finally got to update the site this week, and added "Broadway" Bill Lee to the Top Jocks page! There's not a lot listed for him right now, but there will be more added as time goes by. I took down the "Adopt A Jock" page simply because there was not enough interest in it. After the first round of inquires, nothing happened, so the time spent on was not worth it.

I added some new airchecks to the Nevada, Florida, and Special Events pages, so go check them out!

Have a great holiday weekend!

Feel Good Watching TV...Sort Of

2007-05-25T13:51:00.000-05:00

I readily admit I probably watch to much TV...but after working the hours I do, I need it. Recently, Liberty Mutual has started running what I call one of their "Feel Good" commercials. It's the one where a woman is waiting for a red light to change, and she stops the pizza guy from getting run over. It goes through a bunch of people doing something good, and someone else witnessing that, and doing something good themselves. It ends with the first woman seeing some good happen, and she stops the pizza guy. If we all do one good deed a day, ( in yiddish that's called a "mitzvah") this world be in much better shape.

The other side of this coin is the stupidity of our President in refusing to pull our troops out of Iraq. Let's face it, they don't want us there, and the American public in general doesn't want to be there. It is costing us way to much in the way of lives, and money. If we pull out, the Iraqi government is going to have to figure out a way to make democracy work for all their people. Either that, or the entire country will be in a civil war. (stepping off pedestal now.)

Have a great holiday weekend!

You, Me and Wii

2007-05-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

We all know how many game sytems are out there, and I'm torn between getting the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft XBox 360. The problem is, I can't find the Wii anywhere. It is pretty much sold out everywhere, including online. The sites that do have it online are asking ridiculous prices, and I refuse to pay more than the MSRP of $249.99.

So I'm asking a favor of my blog readers...if you know of a local store in your area that has the Wii in stock and you can be a pal and buy and ship it to me, that would be wonderful! Please contact me at this email, matt at bigappleairchecks.com. I will either use Paypal or send a check to you. Your help is greatly appreciated!

The BAD and Good of Customer Service

2007-05-05T14:32:00.000-05:00

Don't you get irritated when you get lousy customer service from a big company? My wife set up a service appointment through Maytag for a service recall on our dishwasher for one of my day's off between 8AM-12PM. At 11:50, I called customer service and asked where the technician was. The answer I got was, "...he's running late." DUH!! Tell me something I don't know! Then she said, "He had to go to a meeting this morning, which pushed his schedule back." I then asked, how come the customers weren't called to be told he would be late? No answer. I asked to speak to a supervisor, who I asked when I could expect this guy to show up. She asked if she could put me on hold...then came back and said it would be after 1:30. At this point, I was fuming! This was not how I wanted to spend my entire day off, tied to the house waiting for this guy. I told her that I was out of the house from 3-3:30 to pick up my kids, and if he showed up, he better wait. She agreed, apologized once again, and we hung up.

At 2PM, the phone rings and it's the technician, telling me he's going to be at the house around 4:30. By this point I was livid! Talk about losing a day off, and it was gorgeous outside! Right around 4:30, the guy shows up, and I ask how long this is going to take. He tells me it's going to take 90 minutes to 2 hours. Holy crap...another two hours down the drain! I couldn't even start dinner until he left. On top of this...he SMELLED. Bad body odor from being on the floor fixing dishwashers all day. Then he wants to chat with me about his soon to be ex-wife and kid. I was trying to be polite, but after this long day, I really didn't feel like talking. He finally left around 6:15 and I needed a drink.

Here's the other side of the coin. I called Verizon FiOS support on Thursday night because the box in our bedroom wasn't working, and it needed to be reset. I got the automated system, and the first thing it suggested was trying to change the batteries, which I did. When I picked up the phone expecting the computer, there was a real live guy on the other end saying "hello, hello?" I said hello, and explained my problem. He asked for the serial number on the bottom of the box, and he reset it. It worked, and I was happy. Then I asked about my bill, and he suggested that I call billing the next day to see if I get a discount for having all three FiOS service. (TV-Internet-Phone) I thanked him and we hung up.

On Thursday, I called FiOS billing and got another friendly, helpful guy. I explained what I wanted, and he said that by upgrading to the 20mps service from the 10mps service, I would save about $20 a month, and he would also send me a new wireless router. How cool is that! He said at the end of the 12 months, I could then drop back down to the 10mps service, or get whatever promotion was running at that time.

I'm sure Verizon was not known for their customer service years ago, but now it is fabulous. Every time I've called, the phone has been answered fairly quickly, and my question or problem was taken care of every time. Kudos to Verizon!

Anything new in radio? Well, "Broadway" Bill Lee is doing Sunday mornings at Fresh-FM, and still wants to do shifts at WBLI. Speaking of WBLI, they just introduced a new member to the morning show, Drew, who was chosen from many contestants at mall based auditions. This should be interesting.

Support Internet radio...go to http://www.savenetradio.org/ and sign the petition!

Thank God It's Friday!

2007-04-27T13:10:00.000-05:00

I think I'm finally done transferring all the Jack Spector airchecks I have. Now I just have to wait for his daughter to get me some stuff. I think that this tribute will easily run 2 hours, if not more. I have an interview I did with Jack when I was in college that runs about 15-20 minutes, and it shows how patient he is with a kid that knows nothing, but tries to show that he does know something.

I also got to burn about 12 CD's yesterday of airchecks I've downloaded from Yousendit, Sendspace and some friends FTP's. A great way to clear some space on your hard drive...edit and burn that stuff already! I have so much more that I can burn it's not funny. Put that together with the stacks of tapes and CD's and I have plenty of entertainment for years to come.

Rumor has it...and I say RUMOR...is that WCBS-FM/JACK may be doing something soon. With their billing half of oldies, that's not a good sign. A friend of mine interviewed up there, and was told that there were no jobs. Then why did they want to see her? Just two pieces of a very large puzzle...

The other speculation is how long FreeFM is going to last, both in NY and nationwide. The new CBS Radio President, Dan Mason has stated that he believes in giving control to his local managers, so maybe this means that all those markets with FreeFM will get a real station. Here's my vision for the CBS NY Cluster;WWFS adds some more music to be even more different than WLTW, FreeFM flips to country, and Jack returns to a modern oldies/classic hits format and uses their call letters and drops Jack. KFRC in San Francisco is a great example of classic hits before they flipped to Movin.

I'm trying to plan a summer vacation, and so far everything points to Southern California. I have some friends out there, so it would be nice to see them. I also have traded airchecks with other people, so that could be a chance to meet them as well.

Have a nice weekend!

BAA Site Update

2007-04-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

Where to begin? I've been transferring old cassettes to CD almost every day and accumlating a pile of stuff that I've listened to that it's ready to topple over! I found a WAPP aircheck of Chip Hobart from 1982 and it sounded great! I can't wait to listen to it in the car.

The next big project is working on the Jack Spector Aircheck Tribute. I transferred some airchecks, but I'm not even close to being done. I spoke to his daughter Cherie the other day, and she has promised to give me photos, and whatever airchecks she can fine. Problem is they are all buried in the garage and they haven't gotten to cleaning that up after doing major construction on the house.

Then I want to finish all my 1978 Miami airchecks from the bad Ampex cassettes to CD. I have about 30% done, and there is some great stuff in there, including Y100, 96X and the original WSHE and WINZ-FM! There is a scoped version called "Miami Heat" on www.airchexx.com but the full versions are so much better.

That's it for now...happy trails!

So Much To Do, So Little Time

2007-04-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

I have so much to do, with what seems like so little time. Where to begin? Here's a list for Thursday: 1) Paint the moulding and do touch up in our master bedroom before the new carpet is intalled on Monday. 2) Make copies of airchecks to finish off some trades and try to update the site. The pile of CD's and tapes is getting massive! 3) Pick up the kids from school and help them with homework. 4) Get dinner started before my wife gets home and friend shows up at 6.

Next day off is Monday, and here's what has to be done: 1) Empty the room so the carpet can be put done. It sounds easier than it really is. 2) Put the room back together. (Let's hope our backs hold up.) 3) Put lime and fertilizer down on the lawn since the spring clean up was just done. 4) Possibly put out the patio set and get that cleaned up.

What does this have to do with airchecks? Not a darn thing. So much to do, so little time!

A Garfield Monday

2007-04-03T09:29:00.000-05:00

Even when I'm off, I feel like Garfield on Monday. So much to do, so little time. Chores, errands, dealing with the kids.
So what do you do in this situation? You hear from an old friend out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Things didn't end so nicely in the last communication, and of course you want to know what's going on. So the logical thing to do is write an email asking all the questions you need answered to move on. Here's the kicker...you don't get an answer. Big surprise there...

I like to hear from old friends, be it high school, college, former jobs, whatever. I'm just a social kind of guy. My oldest friend is from high school, next is from college, and we just move up from there. Heck, I've even made some good friends through the internet, many of whom I've only emailed with, some I've talked with, and some I got to meet. My website brings a lot of people to me, and I end up making aircheck trades or sales to many people. I've traded with some guys for over 30 years, and some for only a year. I wrote to my old friend Dave last week, asking if he had a particular aircheck composite, and I still haven't heard back from him. Now Dave isn't the great communicator, but he normally answered within a reasonable amount of time. Should I bug him and write again, or give it more time? My friendship with Dave goes back 30 years on and off, and our "parting" wasn't that good, mostly because of stuff he was going through, but that's another story.

The point? Communication is a wonderful thing...don't waste it.

"Adopt A Jock" Page up on BAA!

2007-03-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

I finally got the time to work on, and post the a new page on www.bigappleairchecks.com, "Adopt A Jock!" which is where radio personalities can showcase themselves with airchecks and pictures. Currently there are 6 people on it, and I hope there will be many more to come. I also put the link to the page on the rest of site to make it easier to navigate.

The one other thing I want to do to the site is put the state links on all the other pages, so you don't have to go to the main page everytime to navigate to another state page. It's a fairly arduous task, but it's something I've wanted to do for quite awhile.

I also have piles of airchecks I can add to the pages, and I'm hoping to get that done sometime early next week. My day's off seem to fly by, while they slow to a crawl when I'm at work.

Nothing really new in NY radio, other than WWFS now has three jocks on the air, Heather Walters doing 10-3, Mike Perry 3-8, and Brandy 8-12. Brandy is the only holdover (so far) from Mix 102.7, so congratulations to her! They plan on bringing in a morning show, but no word on that. The other sticking point is they want to voice track overnights, and weekend shifts, and that is holding up a new AFTRA contract. Let's hope that AFTRA doesn't cave in to CBS and let them do what they want. The nice thing about Mix was that most of their weekend shifts had some really good jocks LIVE, not voice tracked or just automated.

Have a great weekend!

Talking To Old Friends

2007-03-01T16:03:00.000-05:00

There is nothing I enjoy more than a piece of cheesecake, and if that's not around, talking to old friends. Well, today I got to talk to Sue O'Neal, formerly of KC101, 99X, WPLJ, Hot 103, WCBS-FM and most recently Mix 102.7. Sue told me that she is now an "on call" fill in for WKTU, and she recently did two shifts.

Sue and I have known each other since her days at 99X; I'm guessing that's 1978-80. That stopped us both in our tracks, and realized how old we've gotten! Though Sue still looks as young as she used to, and still sounds great on the air! Even though she has the gig at WKTU, she is of course looking for a regular part time or full time opportunity. You can contact her by writing to me through my site.

I also spoke to Tim Byrd last week, and he took the afternoon drive spot at CC's WOLL, KOOL 105.5 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He says that he's enjoying it so far, like the people he works with, and best of all, it's close to home! Check out his site, www.voxpower.com.

The next new intro for March is my buddy Chris Reno, most recently at WEZN Star 99.9 in Bridgeport, CT. He's looking for a new full time gig, and you'll hear some airchecks of him on the front page. I first met Reno when he was doing mid-days at WBLI, and we became fast friends. If you want to contact him regarding a JOB only, his email is renoradio at optonline.net.

More aircheck updates coming soon!

BAA Site News

2007-02-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Coming very soon is a new page to www.bigappleairchecks.com called "Adopt A Jock!" It will be a space dedicated to those air personalities currently out of work and looking for another way to showcase their talents. I'll post airchecks, contact info, a picture and resume for anyone that wishes to be on the page. If that's YOU, contact me, matt at bigappleairchecks.com and we'll get to work!

Another example of BIG Radio screwing a DJ

2007-02-05T11:12:00.000-05:00

I'm talking to a radio friend last night, and he told me a story of how a friend of his, and well known metro area DJ got royally screwed by big radio. In this tale, let's call the company Colonel Media, the DJ Little J, and the bad big VP of Programming Don Phinn.

Little J's contract is up last October, and instead of getting a new one immediately, Colonel Media jerks him around. Why? They are looking for someone to replace him, and for less money of course. The bottom line is that they want/need to cut the budget, and they figure Little J is to expensive to keep. When they can't, or don't find anyone outside, they send Little J a new contract, with a minimal raise and the language states that once he signs it and returns it to the company, it is VALID. So Little J signs it, and gives it to his PD and GM, thinking all is good in his world. Now here is something very important. Little J had a series of very serious health issues, and is short on money, which is why he really needed that new contract.

Fast forward to January...surprise surprise, Little J is fired in a budget saving move. He thinks that he's getting 8 weeks severance pay at his NEW pay rate. Then he discovers that he never got the raise! Shame on Little J for not noticing this before...doesn't he look at his paycheck? Guess who he's replaced by? The former morning guy who the station moved to nights, but was still paying his morning show salary! Another surprise!

Little J contacts VP of Programming Don Phinn, who is of course waiting for this phone call with glee! He tell Little J that it is HIS responsiblility to be aware of his pay, not the company's. (not true) He also tells Little J that he never signed off on the new contract, and therefore it is not valid. (again not true) Then comes the kicker...Colonel Media will NOT give him 8 weeks severance pay at his new contract rate! But since he likes Little J, and doesn't want to see him hurt, he will offer him 6 weeks severance at his old contract rate. (talk about getting screwed, and dry no less!) Then comes the kicker...he has one week to decide this, then the offer is off the table.

Little J is totally distraught, and calls his friend Rusty, who tells him to GET A LAWYER to write a letter and get what he deserves. Little J whines that he needs the money now, and can't wait. Rusty again tells him to get a lawyer, who will write the much needed letter, and if that doesn't work, sue Colonel Media for what J is owed. After thinking it over, Little J calls Don Phinn and takes the offer, also signing away his right to sue the company for any other damages.

The moral of the story, if you're gonna get screwed, at least get a kiss first. Otherwise, hire a lawyer and get what is yours! Screw the company before they screw you!

The state of radio as it exists today is management versus everyone else. They don't care about the talent or anyone else, including the stockholders. They only care about themselves, and how much money the can make, while paying everyone else as little as possible.

I can't believe how long it's been!

2007-01-24T18:31:00.000-05:00

It's been almost a month since the last entry. I actually tried to post something a week or so ago, but Blogger was down, and wouldn't let me do anything. So what's new?

WNEW-FM finally was put out of it's misery and changed calls to WWFS/Fresh 102.7, a "new" AC format developed by consultant Gary Berkowitz and CBS Radio. So far they are jockless, but looking for air talent who can work in a music intensive format. In normal talk that means you won't speak much, won't have any personality and the music will be the same old stuff. Had they stayed in the "first" Mix AC format (12/26/03), which happened right after they went all Christmas music after Blink , they would have been successfull against WLTW and WPLJ. But noooooooooooooooo...the suits decided to do jammin oldies and go after WKTU. Morons...

WBLI had Broadway Bill Lee as a guest jock on Saturday January 20, and BAA will have the complete show courtesy of APD Al Levine. We would have recorded it ourselves, but Al didn't pass the info on as they wanted to keep it secret until it happened and see the reaction that Bill had. In other news, BLI is also looking for a male co-host to work with Dana and Randy, to replace Steve Harper. The rumor mill has Vic Latino returning to BLI for this, but that is not confirmed or a done deal yet.

I've been promising a site update for a couple of months now, and I have THREE huge piles sitting by the computer to list. Soon, I hope really soon. I'm still deciding who to use for next months intro.

Last piece of news...I was asked by an independent Hollywood film producer to supply some classic WPLJ airchecks for a movie based in 1978. It's a story about a girl who takes her brothers place on a soccer team and how her life changes in the process. The name of the film is "Gracie" and it is supposed to be released in June 2007. I sent them over 6 hours worth of airchecks, and they were able to use EIGHT SECONDS from three different segments. Now let's hope they can get clearance for the music, WPLJ and Carol Miller.

Keep on rockin'!

What I did on my winter vacation...

2006-12-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

What I did on my winter vacation...nothing exciting, believe me! I got caught up on converting some old WHN airchecks, and listening to a bunch of cassettes from Memphis, Boston, and San Francisco from this year, and Kentucky from 2004. I also did some painting in the house, and did a very small update on the site. We also took the kids to see "Night At The Museum" with Ben Stiller, and ever though we thought it funny and entertaining, it was Stiller playing the same goofy character he always does. Robin Williams was a standout as Teddy Roosevelt though.

I have some great intros lined up for 2007 that include Andy Barber from KJSR in Tulsa (formerly of KING/Seattle) and Tom Mitchell from KYSR in Los Angeles (formerly of KMXB/Las Vegas). I also plan on putting up some more audio in the coming months, so stay tuned!

Have A Happy New Year!

It's Almost Vacation Time!

2006-12-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

I can't wait...it's almost vacation time from "real" work, December 20-25. At that time I hope to catch up on updating the site, and completing trades. I also have about 12 video tapes worth of TV shows to watch; I'd like to get caught up on Heros, Ghost Whisperer (Jennifer Love Hewitt is HOT) and Jericho.

I spoke to a buddy who currently works for CC, and his cluster is up for sale, as are many of the smaller markets. He's hoping that whoever buys them will allow more local control of the stations, and that he gets to keep his job!

I got to speak to John Landecker at True Oldies 94.7 in Chicago on Thursday.(formerly WLS-FM and WDAI) He's enjoying being on the air again, and talking to his fans. I got to talk to him this past summer, so it was nice to chat again. Hopefully he'll do that intro for my site that I asked him for. I also got to talk to Andy Barber, ("The Italian Stallion") at Star 103.3 in Tulsa, OK. Andy used to be at KING in Seattle when they were a smokin' Top 40 station. What a nice guy! Easy to talk to, and knows radio inside and out. He also wishes for the "good old days" like many of us do.

So relax, eat, drink and be merry...but don't drink and drive!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-11-30T11:20:00.000-05:00

Almost The End of The Fall TV Season: My Favorite Shows
This TV Season has seen some failures, and some breakout hits, along with some sleepers. My favorite new shows are NBC's "Hero's" and "Studio 60." Both are well written, and the stories move along.

On CBS, I like "Jericho," which has Dan O'Shannon as an executive producer. Dan is also an aircheck collector, and we have traded many times. He also was a producer for "Threshold" on CBS last year that met an untimely end and fairly quick cancellation. "Jericho" however is doing much better, and the fall finale is on next week. Congratulations to Dan on this show! I also enjoyed "Smith" starring Ray Liota, but that had the distinction of being the first show cancelled this season. I guess the audience didn't want to cheer for the bad guys.

On ABC, I've enjoyed "The Nine," a show about 9 people being held hostage during a bank robbery for 52 hours. This show as just put on hiatus, and may return in the spring. I'd like to see if the cop and the asst DA hook up, and the doctor and social worker get back together. ABC just introduced "Daybreak" with Taye Diggs, about a cop who is reliving the same day over and over, but with different things happening. Sort of like "Groundhog Day" meets any cop show with rogue cops and shadowy bad guys.

Have a great weekend!

The State of Radio Address: Part One

2006-11-18T16:25:00.000-05:00

I'm not in radio now, and never worked in it full time, only part time, and I know many people in the business, so I think I'm qualified to make some fairly general (and maybe not so general) statements regarding the state of radio today. I'm not an expert, though I play one on TV.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 is what started it all, though the Clinton Administration didn't forsee the growth of the large radio corporations like Clear Channel, Infinity/CBS, Citadel, Entercom and the rest. Having one company own to many stations is only diluting the product. How many stations in what is now known as a cluster be voice tracked, syndicated or just automated?

The computer was a boon, and curse at the same time. Without computers running everything, a live body was always needed at the board, even if they weren't announcing anything. I remember when the original WYNY (Y97) came on the air, and their automation system consisted of four (I think) 10" reel to reel machines for music, and two carousel cart machines for commercials, jingles, promos, etc. The jocks sat in a booth with just a mic and phone, and the computer only allowed them a certain amount of time to talk before the mic was shut off. There was no engineer, because there was NO control board. The computer ran the reels which were programmed by Bonneville and the cart machines. If you listened to the station enough, you always heard certain songs at the same time every day. The only plus was that the jocks were live and local all the time, except for public service programming on Sundays. My point? Automation has been around a long time, and programs such as Scott Systems, Prophet, Enco and Maestro only made it easier to automate a stations 24/7. Voice tracking was primitive in the 70's, and state of the art now. Jocks can do their live show, and voice track for another station at the same time. I know a guy in Florida who is only one of two live shows on his station, and he v/t's for several others before, during and after his show. The really sad part is jocks don't get paid much to do these voice tracked show; depending on the jock and market size, pay can range from $25-$100 per shift. A good jock can voice track a shift in 30-45 minutes. Others truly take their time to make it sound "real," and that can take as long as doing the show live!

Syndication of shows like Delilah, Lia, Blair Garner, Danny Wright, John Tesh, etc are good for the stations that want to broadcast 24/7 but can't afford to (or don't want to) pay someone to be on the air. Most of these shows are on in the evening or overnights. Then you have the syndicated morning shows like Bob and Tom, Kid Kraddick and Tom Joyner. I don't see how they can provide the same service that a local jock can.

One last positive note...remember "Beaver Cleaver" from B100 and 10Q in LA? That's the alter ego of TV Writer/Producer Ken Levine, who has worked on such shows as "M*A*S*H, Cheers, Frasier, Wings and Everyone Loves Raymond. He has a great blog, so click on the link and prepare to laugh! http://www.kenlevine.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend!

CC Proves they are CHEEEEAPP!!

2006-11-14T15:26:00.000-05:00

The latest news is that Marc Coppola and Pat St. John are gone from WAXQ, Charlie Burger is gone from WKTU, and Vic Latino is gone on Friday. We'd like to think that NY was immune to such cuts as this, but we are wrong. I thought AFTRA had an agreement in place that wouldn't allow voice tracking or no live jocks on any NYC station? Or is that agreement over?

The overnights and weekends used to be the best place to train new talent. With the state of radio these days, that talent is no longer needed. The days of the personality jocks are long gone, now all they want are liner card readers who will do a quick back or front announce, and just shut up. What a shame.

Cheap Channel Really is!

2006-11-06T20:45:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe what just happened! JJ Kennedy and Bill Buckner were BOTH fired from WLTW Lite FM today! This is all done in the name of cutting costs...how can you justify this when the station bills $70 MILLION a year!?!

JJ is going to be replaced by CC owned Premier Radio Networks Delilah show, a far cry from live and local. Who is going to replace Buckner? They will probably hire someone on the cheap, or move Al Bernstein from mid-days, that's assuming he wants to, or doesn't get fired himself. All these folks have been at the station for 20 years or more, and were probably making way to much money to justify keeping them. CC = Cheap Channel for sure. Last year they get rid of Steve Roy, then Bill Lee at WKTU, and now JJ and Bill. What's next? Getting rid of all the good talent and replacing them with out of town voice trackers, or AFTRA minimum contract live jocks?

I heard from JJ, and she sounded stunned, though I think she expected it. First she was taken off weekends, so they could "prepare" for Delilah. What the hell does that mean, "prepare?" Prepare for what? Having the computer open the feed on time? This business really does suck.

I spoke to Herb Barry on Sunday night, and he insinuated that something was going on, but didn't go into detail because he said he couldn't. I didn't read anything into it then, but now I understand. He's been on the air in NY for over 30 years, which is a pretty good run! I've known Herb since he was at the original WYNY/Y97. A really nice guy, and good air talent.

Thanks for the rant!

It's Almost Halloween!

2006-10-30T19:15:00.000-05:00

As I was reading a post on Radio Insight, I was reminded that tomorrow is Halloween, the national holiday of an old friend who I haven't spoken to in quite awhile, John Zacherle. So I picked up the phone, and called him...and because my kids distracted me, I dialed the wrong number the first time and got some girls answering machine. Knowing that Zach lives alone, I knew that this had to be a wrong number, so I tried again, and this time I got it right...there he was on the other end, the Ghoul himself, Zacherle!

I had to remind him who I was, since it has been many years since we saw each other, and a few since we spoke last. I reminded him of some of our meetings at WPLJ, and going out to lunch. (I truly doubt that he remembered me.) We had a nice talk, and he told me that he just got back from a horror movie convention at The Meadowlands, and saw many old friends.

Zach still sounds good, and though his memory isn't what it used to be, (mine isn't either!) he was very gracious and friendly on the phone, and I'm glad we got to talk. I'm hoping he will send me what few airchecks he has of himself so I can convert them and share them with all his fans! He told me that he doesn't have a computer, and doesn't really keep up with phone messages as his machine fills up rather quickly because it's quite old. He did treat himself though to a new flat screen plasma TV and DVD Recorder, so he's a bit up to date.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Has it really been that long?

2006-10-14T10:18:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I haven't written anything since Sept. 27...only seems like yesterday. I guess there isn't a whole lot going on. I put up a new intro from "Java" Joel Murphy, now at WAKS/ Kiss FM in Cleveland, which has some Kiss airchecks from Cleveland and Chicago, and also from his short time in Toronto. Thanks Joel!

I have a stack of CD's and tapes that I have to post on the site...it's finding the time to actually sit down and do it that is the problem. I also have a new box of classic WHN airchecks I got from former PD Ed Salamon that I have to convert from casssette to CD, and that takes a lot of time. They are all airchecks of guest DJ's, including Donnie and Marie Osmond, Johnny Cash and many other big names from the 70's and 80's. Thanks to Ed for sending me all the tapes!

The format du jour seems to be Alan Burn's MoVin which has taken CBS Radio by storm in many markets. I think it's going to last as long as Jammin' oldies did. I'm surprised that Jack is still on as many stations as it is.

Have a great weekend!

The Trading and Selling of Airchecks...Right or Wrong?

2006-09-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

My site is my hobby, not my livelihood. I've been collecting airchecks since 1976 and have amassed quite a large collection. I am one of the few (if only) sites that gives credit to the people I have received them from.

98% of the time, I trade airchecks. The 2% is to people that have nothing to trade, or have no interest in trading, and only want something very specific. It is these people that help to maintain this site by letting it be self sufficient. Paying for a host, CD's , tapes, postage and the gas to go the post office costs money, and the only way I can continue to trade is to sell airchecks to those who want them. If I had to pay for everything out of pocket, I wouldn't be able to afford to have the site, and therefore trade airchecks.

My one BIG exception to the rule is I will NEVER sell a jock his own airchecks...I will either upload them which costs me nothing, or send CD's/tapes and just ask for postage. I have supplied many jocks with stuff they didn't have for one reason or another, and I've heard all the reasons. (Divorce where the ex-wife threw them out, burglary, floods, or just losing them in the many moves across the country over the years.)

I do not advertise that I sell airchecks anywhere other than my site, and always ask if they want to trade versus buying when I'm contacted. I do not sell on Ebay or any other site like some other collectors. In both trades and sales, I provide what I consider to be superior quality and service, and this comes from years of being in retail sales.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. May the force be with you!

Yet Another Friday!

2006-09-22T14:39:00.000-05:00

Another Friday is here, and not much happening. I just got off the phone with my buddy Reno, formerly mid-day jock at WBLI, and most recently AM Drive at WPDH in Poughkeepsie. He's on the beach now, enjoying some time off, playing with his kids and getting some sleep! All Access is reporting that he's being replacing by Cooper and Tobin, who haven't been full time in the market for 10 years. Guess what's new is old again, huh? Knowing Reno, he'll end up with a great gig soon, and he say's that there are plenty of things in the fire! Good luck!

Paul "Cubby" Bryant is going to be doing 10A-3P Saturday 9/23 on WKTU, just to see if he can still hit that post! After all those years at Z100, there are no doubts he can do it!

I'm open for trades, and I'd love to hear from some new markets that I haven't traded with before. How about some Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Northern California, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska, Minnesota, and the Carolinas? I want to hear from YOU!

Have a great weekend!

It's Friday!

2006-09-15T18:46:00.000-05:00

It's a rainy Friday here in New York, dark, wet and fairly depressing.

I visited my friend Steve Warren yesterday at his studio/office in Long Island City to talk about producing his Country Oldies radio show. It looks like I may do it depending on our schedules and a couple of other things. The lousy part was the traffic yesterday going from Long Island to his office...bumper to bumper the entire way, all because of an accident near the Queens Center Mall on the other side of the LIE! I HATE RUBBERNECKERS!! THEY SHOULD ALL DIE AND HAVE THEIR HEADS FALL OFF! If you rubberneck at an accident, shame on you! It took me two hours to make a 45 minute ride, and man was I pissed!

It's really quiet at work today, and my friend/co-worker Russell and I are going out of our minds. We both agree that we "hate" Rosie O'Donnell and that she shouldn't be on "The View." What the hell was Barbara Walters thinking when she hired her? Rosie should be on VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club!!" How about this for your "dream team" on Fit Club; Rosie, Wynonna Judd, Kirtie Alley, Ann Wilson (of Heart) and Roseanne Barr? How freakin' scary would that be?

Have a great weekend!

Website Is Fixed and Updated!

2006-09-11T16:02:00.000-05:00

I put a new intro up on the site featuring my buddy Keith Allan from WBZO/B103 in Bayshore, NY. I also fixed some missing pictures, and even put up a new on the Pennsylvania page. More to come soon I hope!

Website Is All Good!

2006-09-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

I was on the phone with Liquid Web today, and talked to Dave, who was a HUGE help in finally getting the migration of the site done. He got the old files moved over, and I changed the DNS, and everything is working great. I backed up all those files on my computer, and I'm having Webmaster Josh do the same, so things should run very smooth from here on. I'm actually getting more storage space, and more bandwidth for about $25 a year less than I was with Kentro. So far, LW's service seems to be wonderful.

The rumor going on now is the Jeff Z. is "leaving" WKTU, this from the NYRMB and Allan Sniffen. Jeff is denying it, but let's see what happens. Goumba Johnny and Hollywood returned to KTU this week in PM drive...I wonder what the next move is going to be.

I am open for trades once again, finally finishing up a couple of things that didn't get done before I left. What's the next project? I have no clue...let's see what sticks to the wall! Have a great weekend!

Vacation Is Over!

2006-09-03T20:57:00.000-05:00

Greetings fellow earth dwellers! I have returned from vacation, only to find out my color ink cartridges are empty! The good news is, the site is evidently on the new server without any problems, just waiting for the DNS to change at this point, then we'll see what happens.

We had a fun time on Norwegian Cruise Lines "Dawn," but it's always nice to come back home. Because of TS Ernesto, we ended up staying in Bermuda for 3 days instead of one, and never made it to the Bahamas. The weather there was great, and we got to see lot's of sites, including the Crystal Caves and Horseshoe Beach. (the sand however is NOT pink)The weather Friday night when we left made the ship rock and roll, and sleeping was next to impossible. I felt like I was in a hammock!

As for airchecks and trades, I'm planning on another update this week, and completing some trades before I start anything else. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Site Update

2006-08-21T19:53:00.000-05:00

Here's the scoop...my site is back up after I changed the DNS back to Kentro. They are going to move everything themselves on Wednesday, so I don't have to do a thing. Let's keep our fingers crossed that everything happens the way it should! If not, Webmaster Josh and I have a lot of work to do!

I want to thank Mike Hummel from Kentro for all his help during this transition, since I've called him so many times with questions, and in panic when the site was down. He referred me to Liquid Web, and they are actually cheaper by about $25 a year, with more storage and bandwidth to boot. I also got 6 months free from them since my Kentro account didn't expire until next February, and I already paid them. Thanks to Jeremy Hill at LW for being so accommodating!

It's almost vacation time...thank goodness...

Site Is Temporarily Down!

2006-08-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

I had to change web hosting companies this week, and my webmaster is on vacation. So of course I screwed up, and changed the DNS before I downloaded and saved all my files and moved them to the new host. For some reason, the background isn't showing up, and the links aren't right. Josh is coming back from vacation the end of next week, and that's when I'm going on vacation. We spoke on Saturday night, and he said he would fix everything upon his return.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me, matt at bigappleairchecks.com and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks and have a great week!

Finally Did It!

2006-08-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

I finally did it, a huge update on Saturday Night! Got rid of a huge pile of CD's sitting next to the computer, now I just have to file them away. I added stuff to the Classic Radio Station page, with lot's of WCBS-FM, with more to come. I also added to the New York page, and thanks to Al Levine for providing some airchecks from WBLI. There's also a new picture of Scott Miller on the main page; I asked Scott for a picture that wasn't up anywhere else, and he sent that, but I had forgotten where I stored it on my computer, so I had him send it again, and I finally got a chance to put it up.

SuperFTP did an update on their program, and I'm not finding it any easier to use. It's actually more difficult, since now you have to open a local browser and use Drag and Drop from the computer, instead of just uploading it. Just my opinion.

With any luck, I'll add alot more stuff on Sunday night, so stay tuned!

A Beautiful Friday!

2006-08-11T10:44:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally gotten nice, not to hot, with a beautiful breeze keeping the temperature very pleasant. No big news happening, which is why I haven't posted. The biggest changes are in Philadelphia, where CC just flipped WSNI and WJJZ, but the formats aren't in place yet. Speculation is Rhythmic AC on one, and Alternative on the other. It should be interesting to see what ends up where.

I just finished a great new show for www.radiosamantha.com, and it's "Summertime Country", with lot's of new music themed for the summer! It debuts this Sunday at 6PM Eastern time.

I am so far behind on updating the site it's not funny. The piles just keep getting bigger as stuff comes in. Maybe next month I'll have a chance.

That's it for now, have a great weekend!

It's HOT!

2006-08-02T12:49:00.000-05:00

The big news...IT IS HOT here on Long Island! We are getting what the rest of the country had last week, and it is awful. Walking outside is like walking in warm soup.

I put up a new intro by Scott Miller of Oldies 108 in Sarasota, FL and it runs about 10 minutes with all the airchecks I edited together.

Lot's of new airchecks coming my soon, and I really have to find the time to do the update I promised last month. I have stacks of CD's and tapes that I can list on the site. Please remember than unless I listen to something, I don't like to list it. This way I know the quality and entertainment value of the aircheck. If the quality is really bad, and I can't fix it, I won't list it for trade.

Stay cool and hydrated!

Thank God It's Friday!

2006-07-21T15:32:00.000-05:00

No big radio news, other than Steve Harper saying that he left WBLI because of the "direction" the show was going, and he had different ideas. Oh well...can't complain, he was there for 25 years after all.

I listened to some of the tapes my friend from Pearl River sent me, and the first one was WAPP with Michael Stevens (Pat St. John's brother) and Garth Hemp from the commercial free summer of 1982. I forgot how good that station sounded, and why I listened to it that entire summer. Even after they had commercials, I enjoyed the station. They had some good jocks, including Chip Hobart, John Lassman (now PD of WLTE in Minneapolis), Al Vertucci, Amy Wright (weekends at NJ101.5), Allen Beebe (now PM Drive at WMJY/Biloxi, MS) and EJ Crummy and Mark McEwen.

In addition, I also transferred some airchecks that Steve Warren gave me of himself from WRVR/WKHK and WYNY. The quality is very good, but the airchecks are scoped since they were skimmer tapes. I have many more airchecks of Steve from other stations he's worked at...I just need the time to transfer them all from reel into the computer.

Have a great weekend!

Hump Day!

2006-07-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

It's a quiet, hot Wednesday, and there's not a lot going on. Biggest radio news is that Steve Harper left WBLI after 26 years, and may stay with Cox by going to WEZN, but nothing confirmed on that yet.

I had lunch with Steve Warren a couple of weeks ago, and he gave me some of his old airchecks from Country WRVR, and a WKHK aircheck after the call letter change, and then a country WYNY aircheck.

A friend from Pearl River, NY sent me a box of airchecks from the 1980's of WAPP and WPLJ that friends recorded for him when he was living and working Germany. Talk about finding hidden treasure!

Last but not least, I'm almost done converting Ed Salamon's old WHN airchecks from cassette to CD. There were about 2 or 3 tapes that I wasn't able to convert because they were so old, and squealed like pigs in mud. Maybe if I do a tape transplant, they'll work better. We'll see if I get the time.

Next project...starting to work on the Jack Spector Aircheck Tribute. That will probably be in September the way things look. I missed the June deadline for finishing the WNBC/WYNY Reunion CD, so maybe by next June it will be done.

Survive the summer and stay cool...be in the air conditioning and drink plenty of water!

Workin' For The Weekend

2006-07-09T10:48:00.000-05:00

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!! Thanks to Big Ron O'Brien of WOGL in Philadelphia for this months new intro! After a year of begging and pleading, he finally got it done in a day, and I finished editing all the airchecks in a couple of hours. New intros coming soon from Garner Miller/WMC Memphis, Keith Allen/WBZO New York and Scott Miller/WSRZ Coral Cove, FL. You probably remember Scott from CKLW and WJMK.

I have piles and piles of airchecks to go through, so there is going to be a HUGE update soon on the site, so stay tuned! Have a good week!

Happy July 4th!

2006-07-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

Happy July 4...I hope you're at home with your family, while I'm here at work. I was off on Monday and just hung out in the backyard and worked on some airchecks.

I just got some new stuff in from Kansas City, mostly country radio. Thanks Rob!

Coming soon...an interesting composite from NYC covering July 3-4..."It's A HOT, POWERful KISS Holiday Special."

What a surprise!

2006-06-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

It's nice to have friends in radio! Two friends in two days both told me that my site and I are very well regarded by the people that work in radio, and when they need to look something up, or have a question, they come to my site! WOW...that's the highest compliment someone can give, and I feel honored that my site and I are considered one of the top aircheck sites on the internet. That's why Big Apple Airchecks IS The Center of The Aircheck Universe!

It's been getting harder to update the site now that the kids are off from school. My youngest one doesn't go to camp, and I don't want her watching TV all day, so daytime computer work is hard to come by. I'm hoping to get some updates done at night. I'm still not sure who's going to do the July intro either. Several people have promised them, ( looking right at Ron O'Brien) but I haven't gotten them yet. (glancing at Amy and Keith now...) I hope I have an unused one sitting on my computer, otherwise someone will get repeated. I have piles of CD's and tapes to listen to, but with only a 12 minute commute, it's kind of tough to make a dent. Soon as one pile goes down, another one shows up to replace it! I've gotten some current stuff in from Las Vegas, Dallas, Lubbock and Boston that I have to get to. Most of the Texas is done, but you should see those other piles! Holy Airchecks Batman!

Back to work on Tuesday after being off for 3 days...not looking forward to it, but...git 'er done! Have a great week!

It's Friday! Blow the whistle at 5 PM!

2006-06-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

How lucky can I be? This week I got a chance to talk to two of the best radio personalities to ever grace the airways, John "Records" Landecker, formerly of Musicradio 89 WLS/Chicago, and "The Morning Mayor," Harry Harrison from WMCA, WABC and WCBS-FM.

John and I discussed what he's doing now, and the death of "classic" radio, and how consolidation was the worst thing to happen to the industry. John fill's in at various stations, including WIBC in Indianapolis doing PM drive this week, and next week he's filling in at WLS (!) during morning drive! He's transitioned from being a personality music jock to a personality talk host. He considers himself middle of the road, which tends to balance with either a left or right leaning co-host. ) Thanks to WIBC Operations Manager Jon Quick for arranging the phone call!)

The highlight of the day was hearing from Harry Harrison! I wanted to talk to him about the Jack Spector aircheck tribute I'm working on, and have him do the opening narration and hopefully get some pictures and airchecks from him too. Harry also told me that he's been approached by Sirius, but he is not sure that's what he wants to do. He misses his listeners, WCBS-FM and what radio used to be, as we all do. He knows that the radio he does is gone, and can't understand why JACK is still around since it's doing so poorly. I look forward to hearing Harry introducing the tribute. (Thanks to Rob Frankel for arranging to have Harry call me!)

It's Friday...Blow The Whistle at 5 PM!

No News Tuesday

2006-06-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

So how stupid can CC be? They sign Whoppi Goldberg and Paul "Cubby" Bryant to host the new morning show on WKTU which is going to be syndicated, and they let "Broadway" Bill Lee go to save money! Why would any station let one of the premiere radio personalities go because he makes to much money? They did the same thing last year with Steve Roy at WLTW, and that made no sense either.

I believe that good jocks can get a job anywhere, but in today's ecomonically driven climate, they probably aren't going to get the money that they had previously made. Lee's contract doesn't run out until the end of the year, so why did CC fire him now, instead of letting him work out the rest of his contract and saying a proper goodbye? Why not shift him over to Z100 and let him do afternoon drive when Cubby does mornings? That makes the most sense to me, but hey, what do I know?

I just got in WABC Rewound 2006 from producer Rob Frankel, and it sounds great! I also got in some great current stuff from Dallas and Lubbock, TX, Boston, MA and am expecting more from Orlando and Talhassee, FL. If you would like to make a trade, feel free to email me at: matt at bigappleairchecks.com.

It's Hump Day!

2006-06-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

Last week I wrote how former jocks are always contacting me for their old airchecks. Well, it happened again this week, and it's who I consider to be a rather prominent person in broadcasting, Rob Sisco of Neilson, the rating company. "Shotgun" Rob was APD under Bobby Rich, and I happened to catch him filling in a shift, and Rob emailed me on Monday and asked for a copy of it. I YSI'd it to him, and he called me later that night to thank me. As it turns out, he needed it for some sort of composite that Bobby Rich is putting together for some award he's receiving. Congratulations Rob!

Things have been busy here at the center of the aircheck universe; I finally finished editing the WNEW Mix 102.7 Legends of Dance Weekend into the air segments, and burning it onto DVD. Now I get to work on the reunion CD again!

Have a Happy Hump Day!

The Weekend is Over!

2006-05-30T11:57:00.000-05:00

So another Memorial Day Weekend has come and gone, and boy am I glad it's over! The weather was great, so business was fairly slow. I did have a good month overall, so I can't complain. (For those of you who don't know it, I work full time in retail.) Radio and airchecks are just my hobby.

I'm in the midst of some great trades, and will be updating the site very shortly with some new airchecks. I recorded the entire WNEW-FM Mix 102.7 Legends of Dance Weekend, and will have that available as an mp3 DVD for trade. I'll also have WABC Rewound available for trade in a couple of weeks. I'm also working on the WNBC/WYNY Reunion CD, and collecting airchecks for the Jack Spector Aircheck Tribute. Two huge projects to keep me busy over the summer!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-25T11:26:00.000-05:00

It's A Small World After All! I got an email yesterday from a guy I used to work with at WNYT when I was in college, Mark Biggs, just out of the blue because he found my site and remembered me. I remember Mark because he used to do the 10A-2P shift on Sundays before my 2-6P shift, and I always walked into a cloud of marijuana smoke...lol...needless to say, Mark and I shared some before he left, and the first two hours of my show was certainly different from the last two hours! Mark now lives and works in Washington, D.C. and even though we haven't been in contact since 1979, we know many of the same radio people. It is truly amazing that as big as this business is, it's really a very small community. I love to hear from old friends, and any people in the biz! Always feel free to write!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

It's always nice to meet new friends and people. Today I got to meet fellow airchecker Bruce Slutsky from Queens, who provided me with some Jack Spector airchecks for the upcoming tribute. Bruce and I have been trading for a couple of years, and it's interesting how many people we both know and trade with. We both agree that for some reason it's tough to find someone in Los Angeles to trade with on a regular basis.

I've been trading liking a mad man the last couple of weeks, and got some good stuff from Las Vegas and Dallas today. I'm waiting from some more from Lubbock, TX and Orlando, FL to show up. Also got in some great classic stuff that I needed to fill in some holes in the collection. Please keep in mind that I was out of airchecking from 1986 up until 1999 or so, and didn't record much, and didn't trade at all. To bad, I missed some good stuff, but I'm catching up now!

It was a beautiful day today, and I got to work on my lawn a little more. I let it go last year, but thanks to some hard work, and spending some $$ on the inground sprinkler system, it's looking better than it has the last couple of years. Back to work tomorrow!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

This week I heard from two former DJ's, Brian Kelly of WCBS-FM and WHN in NY, and Willie Mitchell of WIGY in New Hampshire, and both of them wanted airchecks of themselves because they didn't have any from these stations. I'm often contacted for these airchecks because their tapes are often lost in moves, divorce and even flooded basements. It is my pleasure to supply DJ's with a piece of their radio history, so they can pass it on to their families. If you are a former air personality, and you want an aircheck of yourself, chances are I have it, or can find it. Please write to me and don't forget to sign the guestbook!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-15T15:03:00.000-05:00

Aircheck News and Update: I plan on producing an Aircheck Tribute to the late Jack Spector, and am looking for airchecks of him from any station he has worked at. In addition, if you personally knew or worked with Jack, please record a remembrance of Jack and email it to me for inclusion in the tribute.

After working on it for two years, I'm almost done with the WNBC/WYNY Reunion Commemorative CD. The reunion was held Fathers Day 2004 at The Hard Rock Cafe in NYC. I still have some editing to do, but it should be ready for release by Fathers Day 2006. Stay Tuned!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-14T10:53:00.000-05:00

Stoopid Thoughts: So how about Star being arrested for what he said on the air about DJ Envy's wife and daughter? Does this now drawer a line as to how far DJ's can go with their act, and what their employers, listeners and law enforcement agencies will tolerate? This will be very interesting to watch in the coming days. Manhatan DA Robert Morganthau wants to make an example of Star for his behavior. Let's face it, he crossed the line when he was talking about molesting a 4 year old girl.

CC will be simulcasting Z100's Elvis and The Morning Zoo to sister station Y100 in Miami. Is this just a cost saving measure, or do they think it will actually work? NY and Miami have nothing in common other than the senior citizens who relocated there, and wear sock with sandles! Surely this is not the demo either station is going for...lol...CC says Elvis and friends will occasionally broadcast from Miami. I don't see how they can stay local for either location. What happens in NY or Miami is of no concern to the other city, so the tuneout factor could be pretty high.

Happy Mothers Day!

Big Apple Airchecks: More thoughts

2006-05-13T09:53:00.000-05:00

So I'm talking to a radio friend on the phone Friday, and he works for Clear Channel. He tells me some good news which is he just signed a THREE year contract, and he's making more money than he ever thought he could in radio. He can't understand why it's called Cheap Channel...lol...I told him he must be the exception to the rule, since he is doing so well with them. He just bought a new home, ratings are good, he's happy with his staff, billing is going up, and there's plenty of promotional money.

Compare that to the other horror stories we hear about budgets being slashed and burned, people being given jobs that they weren't hired for with no more money, and to many dayparts being voice tracked.

As the old saying goes, there are two sides to every story, and now we have heard both. I still say consolidation of the radio industry was the worst thing to ever happen, with to many people being out of work, and to many stations sounding alike with no "personality and soul." How many of our favorite jocks from the 70's-80's are out of work because they made to much money, had to much personality or wouldn't change their style to fit into a generic format?

I've often heard it said that old DJ's don't die, they go to oldies stations. There's a problem with that now, since the oldies stations as we knew them are dying off! It all started with WCBS-FM flipping to JACK last June 3. Since then, radio has lost a number of oldies stations forever, and others have dropped 50's, and in many cases 60's music too. So they are not to many true oldies stations left today.

Thanks for listening!

A Rant About Money...and How To Waste It.

2006-05-11T22:58:00.000-05:00

I am sick and tired of hearing how much money we are spending on this stupid war in Iraq. With soaring gas prices, millions of people homeless and starving right here at home, our government should say enough is enough! They are pouring money down a hole so big that we will never ever see a return on investment. That's how every business operates, profit and loss, and how good the ROI is. Well, this war is good for certain companies that are supplying goods and services, but it's not good for the rest of us.

If the government invested all that wasted money into disaster relief, and fixed what the hurricanes last year broke, those areas would not look like they do now...as if NOTHING has been done to repair them.

Our government should be ashamed of how those people in the south have been treated. The president goes on and on how there are programs in place to help them, so how come all those thousands of mobile homes are still parked on some airfield, rotting away?

Why are gas prices soaring to record levels? Why are the oil companies reaping record profits? Why are property and school taxes going up? Because we let them! Because we keep electing to office people that should not be in a public office. Stop electing career politicians, and start electing people who know how to run a business, who know how to work with people and value what an employee is all about.

I'm sick and tired of getting bent over and shafted by those we've elected to work for us, and to protect us. Instead, coruption runs rampant, and our money doesn't go as far as it should. (falling off soapbox now and going to sleep.) Thanks for listening...

Big Apple Airchecks: Be Responsible For Your Actions

2006-05-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

May 11, 2006: So Star of Power 105 is fired by CC for talking trash about DJ Envy of Hot 97...didn't the guy think about what he was saying, and what it was going to cost him? To talk about molesting a child is bad enough, but to do it on a nationally syndicated radio show is just adding gas to the fire. How stupid is this guy?? He was talking about committing multiple crimes!! The chance of Star getting another radio job anytime soon is slim to none. This is just another example of a public figure blowing his mouth off and paying the consequenses. Other examples...Roby Yonge and The Greaseman. It took Grease years to recover from his gaff to get back on the air, but he is no where near the national figure he once was. If you are going to say something stupid, take responsibility for your actions, apologize to the right people, apply the right spin, and maybe you will emerge a better person.

In Star's case, I do not think that is possible. If he was going to apologize, he would have/should have done it by now. So far only silence, and in this case, it is not golden!

Big Apple Airchecks: Thoughts And News

2006-05-09T19:11:00.000-05:00

5/9/06: Just finished a big update on www.bigappleairchecks.com with lot's of new stuff on many of the pages! I want to thank some fellow aircheckers for their contributions to the site: Ira Menacker, John Yanagi, Julius May, Al "On The Scene" Levine, Russell Wells, Russ Horton, Mike Workman, Mike Lattime...the list can go on forever!

You know the best thing about the site? How many professional radio people (current and retired) contact me looking for their own stuff! I just heard from former WBLI jock Don Nelson, who's been out of radio for many years, and has many airchecks of BLI, but nothing of himself! I recently heard from Keta Hagen, the widow of WNEW newsman Bob Hagen, asking if I would add him to my "In Memoriam" page. I did, and she wrote some wonderful words about her late husband. I also heard from former WQAM Program Director Tom Birch, who had NO airchecks of himself from the station. Tom is now the President of Lakes Media Network in Raleigh, NC. BAA is always happy to provide jocks with their own stuff for FREE! (ok, maybe some station goodies and airchecks, but never moolah!) More later...

Welcome To The Big Apple Airchecks Blog!

2006-05-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

5/8/06: Welcome to the Big Apple Airchecks Blog! I decided to do this as a way to get news and thoughts out without clogging up the main website.

The first entry concerns the state of radio today, and what suits and consultants have done to the business. The general thought from most air talent that I have spoken to is this...consultants are failed jocks and programmers that think they know more than they do, and much less than those they are trying to control. In other words, consultants SUCK. Any PD worth his salt should not have to rely on an outsider to help run his station. There are to many tools they already have to get the job done. I'm not a big fan of mass research either, but if it's localized with call outs and street interviews of your demos, you're getting a good idea of what your listeners want. Another great opportunity that many stations don't take advantage of is the "captive" audience when they are doing a remote. Think about the time, effort and money that went into getting those people to that event; don't just hand things out to anyone that comes over. Engage them in conversation, ask them 3-5 questions about their listening habits, and what their top 3 songs are. Ask how old they are, what town they live in, and what other stations they listen to. THEN give the the swag, thank them for their answers and time, and for listening to your station.

The other problem many stations encounter is lack of a decent promotion budget. If you don't have any decent station promo items to give away, your "free" body advertising goes down the toilet. People love to get free stuff, such baseball caps, t-shirts, key chains and bumper/window stickers with their favorite stations logo on it. Car sticker contest are fun and easy to run, but hardly anyone does it anymore since the corporations have cut the promo budgets to the bone. Where there once was a fully staffed promo department, most stations/clusters are lucky to have the Promotions Director, and some unpaid interns that only want to get on the air. One person can't do it all, especially if they are running an entire cluster.

That's it for the first rant! Come back soon! Magic Matt Craig