99XWatch.org

Vacations

Fred is on vacation (a cruise) next week.  Jimmy is taking a three day weekend in Lake Tahoe.

Baron "Guarantee[s]" Bush "Did not know" about Dubai Ports Deal

Last week I gave Jimmy Baron a free pass on his criticism of the media for its questioning of the inconsistencies and unanswered questions surrounding Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of hunting partner Harry Whittington. 

Perhaps emboldened by this pass, today, Baron made the following statement:  "I guarantee you that president did not know the background of [Dubai Ports World]." While the Whitehouse denys Bush's knowledge of the deal prior to its completion, Bush Administration insiders have a close relationship to the company.

According to a D.P. World Press Release (via The Randi Rhodes Show blog): 

...One of its senior executives, Dave Sanborn, has been nominated by US President George W. Bush to serve as Maritime Administrator a key transportation appointment reporting directly to Norman Mineta the Secretary of Transportation and Cabinet Member."

Prior to being sworn in as Treasury secretary in 2003, John Snow was chairman of CSX for twenty years.   From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

In 2004, CSX sold its Hong Kong and South American port operations to Dubai Ports World for $1.15 billion.

As Treasury secretary, Snow chairs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which approved the Dubai deal. The panel includes the secretaries of state and homeland security and other administration officials.

While neither of these two close associations, in and of themselves, show that Bush knew about the Dubai Ports World, it would suggest that Baron, perhaps, should reconsider his guarantee.

Baron and 99X in Negotations on New Contract

Sources inside the station indicate that 99X has told Jimmy Baron that they want him to stay.  Baron's agent, Glenn Goldstein, is in talks with station management* to negotiate a new contract.  Jimmy's current one is set to expire April 3.  Coincidentally (or not?), Glenn Goldstein also represents Axel Lowe.

Updated 2/20/2006 7:01 PM

Changed "Cumulus" to 99X/station management.  According to the insider, "Cumulus can't legally negotiate or have an active hand in the operation of the station.  They can consult current management on what they think should be done but they can't actually make any calls."

Rumor Central

All of the anxiety over the demise of the TJ&L show has contributed to a lot of misinformation.  Most of what's out there has been discussed in other posts, but a source close to the show has confirmed the following:

• All personnel decisions pertaining to the morning show are coming from Susquehanna/Cumulus upper management. Leslie Fram is not involved in either Toucher's or Jimmy's employment situation.

• Wally is on a planned vacation, a cruise, with his family and will be out all of next week as well.

Review of Phoenix Test Show

A review of the Toucher and Rich show tested on KZON for the last three days...
From Radio-Info.com:

Alright, I have to say I really enjoyed this show. I wish I would've known earlier when they were on earlier in the week but glad I got the last show. They sound very prepared for their show much more than say Frosty Heidi and Frank on Free FM. They talked about how they all know eachother but have never done a radio show together. They did mention they have received a ton of emails from listeners in phoenix urging management to hire them on full time! I think this would be a wise move since Phoenix Free FM does not have any local shows at all.
...
All in all the show was very funny, entertaining and they really seemed to know what they were doing and had a good time on the air.
...
I really hope they get the gig in phoenix, just what our Free FM needs!

Requiem Part I: Seinfeld

Of course everyone watched Seinfeld from the beginning.  Right?  Wrong.  It seems that most people are only dimly aware that Seinfeld failed to crack the top 20 during its first four seasons.  In fact, such groundbreaking comedies like America’s Funniest People, Love and War, and The Jackie Thomas Show, all surpassed Seinfeld during this time.  I suspect that most programmers imagine that they would be a Warren Littlefield, fighting for Seinfeld, knowing in his heart that if it can only find its audience it will succeed.  Bullshit. Most programmers are the guy who green lighted Madman of the People under the condition that the writers make Dabney Coleman more likable.

Cumulus has developed a successful business model by buying small to medium sized stations and cutting costs.  While that model has worked for them in the past, one doesn’t need a Harvard MBA to know that a company can’t cut costs for perpetuity.  Eventually, they will have to deliver a better product than their competition.

I’m not certain what the programmers at Cumulus perceive constitutes good radio.  Perhaps they say, “If we could only get someone like Steve McCoy, we’d be golden.”  My guess is, however, that they imagine themselves to be searching for a Seinfeld of the airwaves whom they can syndicate to all of their Radio stations.  Sadly, their predecessors let Jerry Seinfeld go 3 years ago, and Larry David is out the door by October.  Thursday night is coming.  Just not for Atlanta.

Sorry but...

Why are these two guys together?

Amid Rumors, 99X Tries out Axel for Morning Slot

From  Rodney Ho's Blog:

Best rumor at [Crash Bash 2006]: [Former Morning X Stunt Guy Rich] Shertenlieb is joining Crash and Fred Toucher, whose future at 99X is in doubt, for a morning show being shopped around to other stations. They would only say, repeatedly, "No comment." Attendees said Phoenix’s FM talk station KZON [link added] is testing them for an afternoon show this Wednesday through Friday but they might be put on other "Free FM" stations owned by Infinity as well. Technically, Toucher has a contract with 99X through October but new owners Cumulus are set to close the deal to buy the station (and others) by mid April. 99X’s future, given its ratings, is in serious doubt. Jimmy Baron’s contract is up in April, too.

Other rumors from the party include the fact that afternoon guy Axel Lowe's "hanging out for Toucher*," this Wednesday through Friday, is in fact an audition for a permanent (whatever that word means given the Cumulus acquisition) morning show gig at 99X.

Developing...

Updated 7:30 AM 2/15/2006
Changed "fill in" to use Axel's phrase this morning.  Added link to KZON.

On the Mend, Calandro Pursues Job, Litigation

One of the most common questions (after "Why don't you get a life?") I'm asked is "what happened to Calandro?"

On June 7, 2005, Susquehanna fired then producer Christopher Calandro.  Calandro's firing came while he was recovering from a staph infection.  Adding insult to injury, this infection was a complication of an injury he sustained  fighting Jeremy "Fat Kid" Powell, as part of a bit for a 99X event.

Calandro's treatment required that a PIC line deliver an antibiotic synthesized daily to combat the strain of staph he contracted. 

While Calandro remains tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding his firing, citing advice from his attorney and potential litigation, he has admitted to "schadenfreude" over Fat Kid's recent dismissal. 

Still all indications are that Calandro's on the mend.  He's been writing angry letters to the LA Times (with which, surprisingly, I mostly agree.)  He's also been shopping  his demo tapes to several rock and news/talk stations, both in and out of the Atlanta market.  I'm pretty sure that CPWA, Asa Do Atlantico, Portuguese radio out of Toronto is not one of them.