Grumpy Editor

Bill Press takes jabs at The Star-Spangled Banner

Don’t look for Bill Press, liberal talk show host and political commentator, to sing the national anthem (such as prior to a major league baseball game) any time soon, because he finds The Star-Spangled Banner is embarrassing with the “military jargon” in the lyrics, notes Grumpy Editor.

Although he is far from carrying a tune, he takes a swing at the patriotic song, calling it “absolutely, monumentally unsingable.”

Press, a former chairman of the California Democratic Party (1993 to 1996), is kicking up a storm of reaction, mainly on the Web (and not much in print), following his choppy rant on his Tuesday “terrestrial radio” broadcast in which he declares:

 

“Bombs bursting in air, rocket’s red glare, it's all kinds of, you know, a lot of national anthems are that way, all kinds of military jargon and the land there’s only one phrase ‘the land of the free’ which is kind of nice and ‘the home of the brave,’ I don’t know. Are we the only ones who are brave on the planet? I mean all the brave people live here. I mean it’s just stupid I think. I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed every time I hear it.”

 

One wonders if Press even stands when the national anthem is played.

On the Fox News Channel yesterday, conservative columnist Michelle Malkin on Fox & Friends calls Press’s attack on the national anthem to be a “teachable moment” and an example of “how much hostility these people have towards patriotism in this country.”

The Star-Spangled Banner in 1889 became the official tune played at the raising of the U.S. flag.  Lyrics, set to the tune of a popular British song, came from a poem by Francis Scott Key in 1812.

As for Press’s popularity these days, Talkers magazine ranks him No. 77 on a list of talk radio show hosts.

 

Lead ABC Radio news story focuses on --- sunshine

Imagine you are watching preparation for a mid-day, on-the-hour ABC Radio news report and these headlines cross the desk on a busy day.  Grumpy Editor asks to guess which is selected to lead the brief newscast: 

• Yemen air strikes kill 17 al-Qaeda militants. 

• Suspicious activity observed at Iranian military site. 

• Russian jet crash kills 45 on board. 

• Tornado warnings issued in Texas. 

• Obama campaign tries to capitalize on marriage issue.

• Washington state health officers declare whooping cough epidemic.

• Double suicide car bombings kill 55 in Damascus. 

“But look,” a staffer, holding a coffee mug, mentions, “here’s an Associated Press story, based on a two-year-old survey, about the evils of too much sun.”

“Let’s run with that,” says the boss.

And so in yesterday’s 1 p.m. (Eastern) ABC News, as sunbathers absorb rays on beaches from Wollaston, Mass., to Pismo Beach, Calif., listeners hear: 

“Half of U.S. adults under 30 say they have had a sunburn at least once in the previous year --- about the same as a decade ago, according to a government survey released Thursday. In fact, the modest progress reported five years ago has been wiped out.

“Not only that, but women in their 20s are going to tanning salons almost twice a month on average.”

The AP story mentions a 2010 survey of about 5,000 U.S. adults ages 18 to 29, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finds the share of those who said they had a sunburn in the preceding year dropped from about 51 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2005, then went back up to 50 percent in 2010.

More news in a moment…

 

Publicist’s nightmare: Ex-Sen. Specter barks at KTCN host

What makes a day rough for a book publicist is for a book-plugging author to get nasty during a live radio interview in which the host is called “absolutely insulting,” as was the case Monday when former Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter appeared on a Twin Cities station, finds Grumpy Editor.

Specter, making the rounds promoting “Life Among the Cannibals” published by Thomas Dunne Books at St. Martin’s Press, made it to Jason Lewis, a conservative talk show host at KTCN (a Clear Channel Communications station in Minneapolis that prefers to be identified as News/Talk 1130), when he let loose with an outburst near the close of an interview.

“I have one final comment,” said Specter who turned Democrat from Republican in April 2009. “I gave you 10 minutes. You’ve been over every subject except for my book. I’ve listened to two rounds of your commercials. I think it’s insulting. I’ve been in a lot of interviews in the course of the past 30 years and you are absolutely insulting.”

Lewis fired back with:  “Good God. This is not public radio. I don’t have a government grant. We’ve got to pay the bills.  They’re called commercials. Capitalism.”

Replied Specter:  “I’m talking about someone who’s civilized. I told you the last time around I wasn’t going to sit around and listen to your commercials, and I didn’t want to hang up on you. This is no way for anybody to run an interview. I’m as experienced as you are, if not more so.”

The call wrapped up with Specter saying, “That’s all I have to tell you, so goodbye.”

Lewis countered, “Good Lord, senator, no wonder you got beat.” 

 

Stock market slips: ‘China fears’ or simply profit taking?

Sensitivity of the stock market these days, since the Dow Jones Industrial Average recently moved above 13000, was illustrated when wire and broadcast reports throughout yesterday mentioned stocks slip "on China fears” or “worries over China’s economic outlook,” sending the market tumbling 68.94 points to 13170.19,” observed Grumpy Editor.

So what were those worries over China that sent the Dow lower for the second time in 10 sessions?  

The “China fears” stemmed from a comment Monday in far-off Perth, Australia, from Ian Ashby, president of iron ore operations of Melbourne, Australia-based BHP Billiton, Ltd., the world’s largest mining firm (and listed on the New York Stock Exchange).  He said his company was seeing signs of "flattening" iron ore demand from China.

But then, Ashby went on to say iron ore demand would ''grow strongly'' in the next decade and consumption would advance more than 3 percent globally over the next eight years. 

And what about the softening in China demand?

That would not happen until after 2025, said Ashby.

Yet, what investors heard triggered concern, said news reports, sending the Dow averages lower.

In the past, a drop in the Dow from a series of major gains would be attributed simply to profit taking.

 

Missouri mystery: Neighborhood garage door openers fail

Radio-controlled garage door openers at five homes on the same St. Louis area street are not working, causing frustrated residents --- after checking a number of possible frequency conflicts --- to call on the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the phenomenon, notes Grumpy Editor. 

But seeking an FCC investigation may take some time.  The government agency these days is more concerned with broadband spectrums that keep smart phones operating. 

Such an unusual matter in earlier days would see the FCC on scene on the day a complaint comes in. 

The problem, surfacing in late December, obviously stems from interference from a stronger source on or close to the same frequency that the garage doors operate. 

With the case of the “clash of radio frequencies,” the affected automatic door openers utilize low power at 315 megahertz.  Now that is close to some Defense Department transmissions that use the 380 to 399.9 MHz spectrum, usually with high power. 

Adding to the mix are a number of wireless gadgets.

Growing in use are so-called “smart meters” being installed by utilities around the country.  But the data they transmit wirelessly flow through the higher 450 to 470 MHz and 902 to 928 MHz frequencies. 

Thus, solving the mysterious “radio frequency collision” affecting homes in the St. Louis area provides an excellent opportunity for a publication or a broadcasting company to dispatch electronic experts to the scene to perform a public service and reap national publicity.

And to cue in the FCC.

 

Geraldo Rivera, new to N.Y. radio, adds L.A. next Monday

Geraldo Rivera, who helms “Geraldo at Large” Sundays on the Fox News Channel, next Monday will expand his daily activities to include a two-hour live radio talk show beamed out of Los Angeles, added to a similar but separate program that recently debuted in New York, notes Grumpy Editor.

That means four hours of live programming daily. 

That’s a lot of chatter behind the microphone.  But Rivera is up to it. 

He started Monday-to-Friday radio on Jan. 3, 10 a.m. to noon on WABC, New York.  Next Monday he goes airborne over KABC in Los Angeles, also 10 a.m. to noon.  (Both are local times.) 

But the programs are not syndicated and Geraldo originates both from New York. 

NASDAQ-listed Cumulus Media, Inc., in broadcasting partnership with Rivera, says Rivera’s shows, simply called "Geraldo" and welcoming listener calls, “focus on the day's biggest and most talked-about topics, ranging from national politics to shocking crimes to social issues.” 

Rivera adds, "I've said it before and I'll say it again: my slogan is, 'I’m Geraldo and I’m not always right.'" 

With his WABC debut, New York-born Rivera beams, “This is a lifetime dream come true, hosting a talk radio show in (New York) where everyone has an opinion on everything.” 

On the other coast on KABC, Rivera is familiar with the City of Angels (and the thinking of its sun-drenched inhabitants) where he maintained a residence for 25 years.

 

Republican candidates’ 2 TV debates miss opportunities

Television viewers saw a total of three and a half hours of Republican candidates’ debates from New Hampshire over the weekend and only once was there a mention of rogue North Korea --- with zero discussion of the Communist nation pushing ahead with a nuclear weapons program under a new leader --- and no talk about global warming (rebranded climate change), the illegal immigrants situation in the U.S. and China’s military buildup while the U.S. chops its defense budget, observes Grumpy Editor. 

But everyone --- questioners and other candidates --- targeted Mitt Romney. 

An inordinate portion of Saturday night’s two-hour debate on ABC was consumed with commentator George Stephanopoulos asking Romney, “Do you believe states have the right to ban contraception, or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?” 

That discussion spread to other candidates. 

Ten hours later, NBC expanded its normal one hour “Meet the Press” to 90 minutes to bounce questions off the same six GOP candidates.  David Gregory helmed that debate --- seen “live” in the east but on tape in the West. 

A tape delay for the West also came with the Dec. 10 debate on ABC. 

The problem with delayed viewing in the West is that alert debate followers already have heard sound bites on radio and TV news before viewing the replay.  In addition, Web sites already had covered details and sparring among quizzers and candidates. 

Fifteen minutes before the end of yesterday’s NBC debate, a quickie mention was made about North Korea --- but no questions or discussion followed. 

One plus for the NBC taped-for-the-West version vs. ABC’s delayed release on Dec. 10:  Unlike ABC’s misleading white-on-red LIVE “bug” above its logo in the bottom corner of the screen, NBC did not have that.

 

U.S. population grows, wolf enters California, radio talk show replays, Kodak stock sinks, among year-end events

Catching up on some year-end events that Grumpy Editor feels some folks (and editors) may have missed --- 

+ The Census Bureau’s projected U.S. population going into 2012:  312,780,968.  The agency also calculated one birth is expected every eight seconds and one death every 12 seconds in the U.S. 

One would think that with more people contributing to the federal pot, taxes would be lowered much like a going-away office party in which the more participants involved mean less contributions per person toward an outlay for a gift. 

+ A dopey year-end Verizon Wireless move to yank $2 a month for online or telephone payments from each customer lasted a day before the pickpocket idea was shelved.  The “convenience fee” plan immediately triggered a lot of grumbling and complaints from users of Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodaphone Group Plc. 

It followed the bad PR Bank of America received two months earlier when it attempted to impose a $5 monthly fee for debit card use. 

+ Associated Press got excited when a lone gray wolf crossed into California from Oregon.  That warranted an eleven-paragraph report, noting the animal --- wearing a global positioning system collar since February --- had wandered more than 300 miles from its original location.  Last gray wolf spotted in California was killed in 1924. 

+ Radio listeners during the holidays heard much of “best of” (the upscale name for repeats) talk shows.  What talk show hosts and their syndicators seem to forget is that radio is hailed for immediacy.  Year-end airing of such things as preparing for Thanksgiving dinners and other “upcoming” events that have long passed is just plain stupid. 

Guest hosts should be used to keep the focus on current events in a fast-moving world.  It’s an opportunity, too, to develop fresh fill-in talent at microphones. 

+ The stock of once-booming Eastman Kodak Co. closed 2011 at 65 cents a share, compared to the year’s high of $5.85.  The struggling image and printing company’s stock sold for about $30 a share on the New York Stock Exchange as recently as mid-2007.  Its last dividend was in December, 2008. 

Three Kodak directors resigned in December as the company works on shoring up an eroding cash position.

Year-end observations conclude tomorrow.

 

Many mentions of DoubleMySpeed in radio spot irks some

Hammering away with multiple mentions of a service during a 60-second radio commercial can get out of hand sometimes and trigger grumbling by listeners, notes Grumpy Editor. 

While most radio advertisers cite the company name or service about three times during a commercial, DoubleMySpeed.com spits out a whopping 20 times (actually more with overlapping chatter of the name) during 60 seconds. 

Pity the employees at radio stations running the commercial. 

They probably grit their teeth with repeated airings of the piped-in message flowing through studio premises.

Meanwhile, listeners to the repetitious message are likely to turn down the volume of their favorite radio station for a minute --- after hearing the spot a few times. 

Those who are tempted to go to the pitched Web site will find the lure of a free diagnosis to “find out in minutes what’s making your computer slow.” 

After the diagnosis, the computer-user is “presented with various options which will allow you to clean up your PC.” 

CyberDefender Corp., a publicly traded company, headquartered in Los Angeles, owns the operation. 

 

Emergency Alert System test goes national on Nov. 9

Look for some grumbling from radio listeners and television viewers at 2 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday when the Emergency Alert System interrupts programming for the first simultaneous nationwide test, anticipates Grumpy Editor.

Originally planned for three minutes, the test is scaled back to 30 seconds after objections from the cable TV industry. 

The test is designed to ensure national leaders can communicate quickly with people in an emergency. 

Suspicious minds are thinking: 

Why now?  Could some large-scale event be brewing?  What if power is out, complicating radio and TV transmissions, thus negating broadcast warnings? 

Others may ask why not revert to World War II alerts with sirens?  That would cover people who are unable to tune in to radio or TV or simply do not have radio or TV sets on. 

The national Emergency Alert System is designed to be activated by the president. 

Although the EAS is tested on a weekly or a monthly basis at the state or local level, the Federal Communications Commission says “there has never been an end-to-end nationwide test of the system.” 

The FCC adds it needs “to know that the system will work as intended should public safety officials ever need to send an alert or warning to a large region of the United States.  Only a complete, top-down test of the EAS can provide an appropriate diagnosis of the system’s performance.”