99XWatch.org

The Long Awaited Dekker Post

Night guy Dekker gets better and better and is a bright spot on the 99X lineup.  He's also, to my eyes, a pretty good photographer.

Dream Team?

From Radio & TV Talk:

[Eric Von Haessler] is also planning to start a podcast with fellow unemployed jock Jimmy Baron to see if the two have chemistry.

Not all pairings that look good on paper end up being good on the radio.  That being said, Jimmy and the less retarded Regular Guy, actually make for an intriguing combination and I'm looking forward to hearing it.

Update 8/30/2007 4:48 AM

Jimmy weighs in with more information (and a couple of good jokes):

Eric and I share mutual respect for each others' talent and success and, over a handful of meals and 2-hour phone conversations within the past year, thought it might be cool to do something on mic together. Plus, we felt the 12 people who actually listen to podcasts were under-served.

We're gonna start with something weekly and see what happens from there. Committing to something daily, at this point, would take too much time away from my full time job of finding a full time job.

YouTube Fat II

"the lone remaining Defendant" Is Off Hook on Copyright Infringement Claim

On July 11, Barnes settled his copyright infringement claim with Cumulus, Unihost, Jimmy, and Leslie.  On Friday, Barnes filed dismissal notices related to the four, along with a "NOTICE OF DISMISSAL OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT CLAIMS AGAINST FRED TOETTCHER." 

COME NOW, Plaintiffs NO WITNESS, LLC and STEPHEN BARNES and inform the Court that as part of the settlement with four of the Defendants (all Defendants except Mr. Toettcher), the Plaintiffs have agreed to dismiss all claims related to copyright infringement against all of the Defendants, even against Defendant Toettcher. Plaintiffs point out that the other four Defendants have been dismissed from the action altogether, leaving only Mr. Toettcher as the lone remaining Defendant. It is also noted that Defendant Toettcher has not answered the Complaint, instead having moved for a dismissal (which motion is still pending before the Court). Under these circumstances, Plaintiffs would appear to have the unilateral power under Rule 41(a)(1)(i) to dismiss the copyright claims against Defendant Toettcher by filing this Notice.

Essentially, the only claims that remain are the ones related to Toucher's alleged defamation.  Toucher's motion to dismiss that complaint was sent to the Judge Julie Carnes on July 12, 2007. 

Baron Blogs

After a hiatus, Jimmy has returned to blogging.  The blog has some insight into Jimmy's first months as a father as well as some updates on his career:

Radio-wise, about all I can say is that finally, after more than a year of being off the air, I'm actually excited at the idea of getting back on, and I wasn't for the longest time. I remember just after leaving the station having no desire to jump right back in for any other reason than making a living. I felt I had said everything I needed to say after 16 years. I'm happy to report though, that, thanks to Paris Hilton, Michael Vick, Al Sharpton, Don Imus, Barry Bonds, Rosie O'Donnell, Ann Coulter, and Micah Baron, I'm really looking forward to my next radio show, which hopefully will be soon. I was actually on the air in Detroit last weekend doing another audition for CBS and we'll see if that leads to anything.

I know that former Morning X hosts going to California to do television is so, I don't know, done, but several months ago I pitched a reality show to a major network and they ended up buying it. As a result, they gave us some money to develop it further and I've been going back and forth to LA as my partner (actually co-producer) and I continue to work on it. The guy I'm working with is someone I was introduced to through an agent/friend of mine who's an established producer with years of experience and success. As a result of that minor victory, though, I was able to parlay it into a handful of other TV projects that are also in various stages of development, including another reality show, a travel/adventure show, and a game show I created with Evan Lowenstein (from Evan and Jaron and USA Network's Character Road Trip) which we recently agreed to Executive Produce with one of the biggest studios in television. No crap, they're REALLY big.

Retroplex Petition and John Dickey on 99X

Rebekka, a "concerned listener" has started an online petition to bring back Steve Craig's Retroplex, which was discontinued on 8/21.

Rodney Ho has an interview with John Dickey about 99X's future and sagging ratings.

“I think the morning show is doing a good job,” Dickey said. “I think the morning show is fine. One year is nothing in the lifespan of morning radio. We’re tracking fine. We love the [alternative rock] format. We love the results the format gets. In terms of listeners and what we do for the advertisers, the music and product has been great.”

Retroplex No More

From Radio & TV Talk:

After 13 years on 99X, Steve Craig’s signature “Retroplex” nostalgia lunch hour today has been dismantled, replaced by something called 99X-press lunch.”

Another great decision from the team that let Toucher go to Boston and replaced Jimmy with Jenners.

The Case of the Disappearing Posts

You might have noticed some non-99X posts disappearing after several hours.  This is largely a result of the fact that I haven't gotten the hang of having two blogs.  Observant readers may have noticed the feed, but if you're interested in finding these disappearing posts, check out JimV.com

Barnes' Latest Acting Gigs

Barnes is busy of late.  Last week he announced "has been cast as 'Judge Stoughton' in the drama Back to Salem."  According to the author of the book on which the movie is based, Back to Salem will be a short film by an "Atlanta Producer." 

Yesterday, Barnes announced that he will also be "guest starring" on the CW's One Tree Hill which will be filming next week in Wilmington, NC.

16th Place

I wanted to see the New Morning X succeed.  Even when I stopped listening, I wanted it to succeed, because I like the people on the show.  I still hope it succeeds.  But this doesn't bode well:

Rock stations (including the River, 99X, Project and Dave) had a tough book. Their ratings were flat or falling. And notably, the “new” Morning X, which debuted last October, is not clicking in the ratings. It has fallen sharply since the fall, from a tie for 7th among 18 to 34 year olds to a tie for 11th in the winter to just 16th place this spring.
-- Rodney Ho, Radio Talk

This poor showing is against little morning show competition.  My guess that things will only get tougher when  The Giant Brian Show comes to town. 

With Cumulus going private, the Dickeys will have the freedom to focus on the long term.  It's possible that that they may be willing stick things out another book or two.   Let's hope they do.