"LifeQuest" cancelled
Pittsburgh:WQED has ended production on "LifeQuest" - a program focusing on health and lifestyle since the early 1990s. The decision was made because only one new installment was made each month over the last few years. Lack of funding was the main culprit. "To do a show once a month and air it every week, that doesn't reflect the level of quality I'd like to see in a show," said VP of production Darryl Ford Williams to the Post-Gazette.
The program began as "AgeWise Weekly" and originally aired on WQEX on a weekday evening. Its host has always been Eleanor Schano. Although disappointed that the program is being discontinued, Schano intends to write a book which focuses on healthy aging. WQED also hopes that Schano will contribute reports similar to those from "LifeQuest" for "OnQ" segments.
Sebak makes you happy to be hungry
Pittsburgh, National News: Rick Sebak's newest special takes a walk through old-time produce and meat markets (including, presumably, Pittsburgh's Strip District). To Market To Market To Buy a Fat Pig premieres on PBS stations nationally Aug. 1; it was produced at WQED-TV (13) here in Pittsburgh. A preview is available at the PBS website.
It's the latest in a occasional series of national specials by Sebak (best known locally for his Pittsburgh-themed documentaries) and his third to deal with food. Sebak previously produced shows on hot dogs and ice cream. (They were somewhat obscurely titled A Hot Dog Program and An Ice Cream Show.)
"This time we wanted to talk to buyers and sellers, foodies and farmers," says Sebak in a WQED release. "We wanted to check out the scrumptious eccentricities of American markets. We don't include some of the major markets that are celebrated regularly on cable networks. We tried to go instead to unexpected locations and less familiar food spots."
To Market was funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and individual PBS stations. You'll have to fund your own take-out orders the night you watch the special. We're drooling just thinking about it.
(Luckily, we suspect it'll be full of pledge breaks, which should give us plenty of time to eat.)
'Professor' schools Altoona listeners
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: One musician says there wouldn't be a local music scene in Altoona without Jim Price, afternoon man at "Q94" WBXQ-FM (94.7), Cresson. Price, also known as "The Professor" for his encyclopedic knowledge of central Pennsylvania rock, has been a fixture at concerts and shows for more than 20 years.Greg Bock of the Altoona Mirror says that Price's tastes are "firmly planted in heavy and progressive rock," but he's developing a taste for bluegrass and the blues.
Price spotlights local talent on his weekly show "The Backyard Rocker," heard 8 to 10 p.m. Sundays, and in his column for Pennsylvania Musician magazine. He's also got a blog on MySpace and helps administer the website Rockpage.
'I see Nutting ... Nutting!'
Pittsburgh: If fans walk out during tomorrow night's Pirates game at PNC Park, don't expect to see coverage during the telecast on Fox Sports Pittsburgh. The cable TV channel, which carries the Pirates' games, says it's been told by the team that it's not allowed during the broadcast to air any pictures of the protest, set to occur after the third inning. "It's a tough call," FSN executive producer Shawn McClintock told Bob Smizik of the Post-Gazette. "One side of you says, 'It's a story.' The other side says that 'we're in this for the long haul and our livelihood can be affected.'"
KDKA-TV (2) has a camera on top of Gateway Center that could capture the protest, and Smizik notes that station and WTAE-TV (4) and WPXI-TV (11) could also use their news helicopters to grab pictures.
Led by Andy Chomos of Wexford, a group calling itself "Fans For Change" is calling on the Pirates (reportedly one of the most profitable teams in the major leagues) to start signing better players; the Pirates are in the midst of what looks to be their 15th consecutive losing season. "We're hoping that, at some point, there's a response from the Pirates that season ticket holders can grab on to and use to make an informed decision whether or not to renew their season tickets next year," Chomos told the Tribune-Review. "If the Pirates make no commitment to improving the quality of play on the field, I don't think season ticket holders or corporate sponsors should be required to make that commitment (to buy tickets)."
Chomos and others want fans to get up after the third inning and walk out of the grandstands --- either to the concourses or out of the stadium altogether.
Besides the TV blackout, the Bucs' radio play-by-play team has also been issued a gag order by the Pirates, and fans claim that negative messages posted to the team's Web site have been deleted. There's more at Pittsburgh Sports Insider and IrateFans.com.
No one, so far, has mentioned the irony of a team owned by two newspaper publishers (Bob Nutting and Kevin McClatchy) censoring news coverage.
Does anyone remember "Ida Mae and Happy"?
Pittsburgh:The following is an excerpt of an email which was forwarded to PBRTV by a friend.
I remember as a child listening to the television and watching a local Pittsburgh children's program that starred Ida Mae and Happy. Not sure if it was Dumont or KDKA or public television though. She used to visit a parent at the Woodlawn Sanatorium in Moniger Pennsylvania. I lived across the street from the sanatorium. She always had her puppet Happy with her and would announce her arrival with a melodic beep of her horn. I am pretty sure it played the theme from her show??? She was so kind to a little fan. I have been searching the web for any information but have had no luck.
The cracked staff of PBRTV has also done a little bit of research and has come up with very little information. Therefore, we turn it over to you...our readers. Leave a comment by clicking the button below and we'll pass it on!
Local webcaster joins "Day of Silence"
Pittsburgh: The following was sent to PBRTV in response to the previous article "There's a Kind of Hush":Pittsburgh’ Metrocities Broadcast Communications, owners of five Internet stations here in the burgh since 1999, is joining the day of silence. Three of the main MetroCities stations involved with the day of silence will be "retro"-formatted WRTRO ('60s and '70s music radio), WCXRK ('70s classic rock/classic hits radio), WKRTX ('80s and '90s hit music radio) and WKRTX (retro '80s & '90s HD station, audio channel 207 on the net).
Dave Curio, founder and president of MetroCities Broadcast Communications, states that "I've been in the radio business since 1981 and went into the internet radio business in 1999. The day of silence is a very serious day of focus and extremely important to the internet broadcast industry, as well as the broadcast industry in general. July 15th will be the do or die date for internet broadcasting. Our representatives in Washington must act fast and pass the Internet Radio Equality Act before the 15th in order to save internet radio from having to shut down operations, due to the proposed exceedingly high royalty rates. July 15th is the day when the rate hike goes into effect, and will be the day that the music will stop and stations go off the air."
Listeners can join in and support internet radio by contacting their representatives in Washington. They can do so by going to http://www.savenetradio.org/ for more information.
WPXI pre-tests a new automated system
Pittsburgh:WPXI-TV, which is slated to move into its new digs in September, has been testing an automated production system called "Ignite" in recent weeks. According to the Post-Gazette and many viewers, the system has been causing graphics errors, music delays and other such gaffes. Ignite is blamed for the glitches, but there are some human errors as well - common with any new system. WPXI is testing the system in its old home on Television Hill to reduce the number of things to get used to at the new location near the McKnight Road exit of I-279.
Additionally, the paper reports that nobody has lost a job due to the new automated system - just a few reassignments.
There's a kind of hush
National News: The sound of silence will overwhelm online radio stations on Tuesday when U.S. webcasters observe a national "day of silence" to call attention to what they call regressive, destructive new royalty structures that take effect July 15. The Copyright Royalty Board is demanding 17 months of higher, retroactive royalty payments on that day.CRB, an arm of the Library of Congress, is under pressure from music publishers and record companies to extract higher royalty payments. The recording industry is trying to recover from years of slumping album sales --- the result, they claim, of illegal downloads. (Perhaps the fact that many pop/CHR albums have two good tracks and eight cruddy ones also has something to do with the sales decrease ... nah!)
According to one estimate, royalties alone will be more than many webcasters generate in revenue, effectively putting them out of business. Nonprofit and hobby Internet stations are expected to suffer the most.
A previous royalty agreement that would have drastically hiked payments was overturned by the Librarian of Congress in 2005. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to vacate this royalty agreement as well.
Two of the biggest webcasters --- Yahoo! and Live365 --- are expected to participate in the day-long protest. On a related note, recording industry executives will mark Tuesday by tying little old ladies to railroad tracks, then twirling the ends of their mustaches and cackling gleefully.
If any Pittsburgh webcasters are going silent Tuesday, PBRTV would appreciate a "heads up." Send press releases, news tips and cookies to pbrtv at a o l dot com.
More from Radio Ink, Digital Media Wire and SaveNetRadio.org.
96 (and 94.5) Tears
Pittsburgh: Friday Morning Quarterback catches up with Alex Tear, operations manager at Clear Channel's Pittsburgh FMers WKST-FM (96.1) and WWSW-FM (94.5). (FMQB incorrectly calls the latter station "WWWS." Take two Buffalo wings, FMQB, and call us in the morning.)Tear says that 3WS, which has transitioned from oldies to "classic hits," has a strong "passion to win." A self-professed "rock guy," he says "expanding into another format was great. You will always apply the basic fundamentals, but you need to zero in on the lifestyle and needs of that audience real quick. The on-air staff is great and takes direction well."
He says he doesn't mean to sound like a "suit," but "ratings and revenue" are his biggest rewards. Well, they do make the world go 'round, we hear, at least in radio.
Warroom: Twin Cities on, Wheeling off
Pittsburgh, National News, West Virginia: Jim Quinn and Rose Somma-Tennant have a new affiliate in Minnesota, though they lost one in Wheeling. In the wake of Don Imus' firing, KYCR (1570), licensed to Golden Valley, Minn., but serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, has added "Quinn and Rose" to its morning lineup. The station, billed as "The New Talk of the Twin Cities," runs mostly conservative talk radio shows and is owned by Salem, parent company of Pittsburgh's WPIT (730) and WORD-FM (101.5). Its lineup also includes "Dr. Laura" Schlesinger and Mike Gallagher.
"Quinn and Rose," based at FM NewsTalk WPGB-FM (104.7) here, lost one affiliate this month. WWVA (1170) in Wheeling has added a local morning show hosted by David Blomquist, aka "Bloomdaddy." Blomquist is an Ohio Valley native who was previously a sports anchor at WTOV-TV (9) in Steubenville and other stations. He joined WWVA in May; the station is being spun off by Clear Channel to Dean Goodman's Goodradio.TV.
"Quinn and Rose" is now heard in 13 markets, including Columbus and Akron, Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; and Providence, R.I.
(Hat tips: Ohligarchy and Fybush.)
Rep. Doyle calls for more LPFMs
Pittsburgh, National News: US Representative Mike Doyle (D - Forest Hills) introduced a bill today to hopefully increase the number of Low-power FM stations across the country. According to the Post-Gazette, if passed, the new bill would relax a restriction that new stations occupy frequencies four intervals away from existing full-power stations. Doyle cited a 2003 study which shows that three intervals is plenty of space to prevent signal interferance. He says that there is the potential to "revolutionize what Americans hear on their radios" and claiming there isn't enough FM broadcast space in the Pittsburgh market. Doyle is co-sponsoring the bill with Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb). (No...it's not Terry Lee in disguise!) A similar bill was introduced in the senate.WNEO / WEAO to go HD on June 26th
Misc. Ohio:We now have a followup to a story posted not too long ago. A source on the "AVS Forum" board reports that "PBS 45/49" will begin to carry HD programming on Tuesday, June 26th at 9am. WNEO 45-1 serves parts of the Youngstown area, but most viewers there could likely tune into WQED 13-1 (over the air) from Pittsburgh for HD programs. However, PBS viewers in the Cleveland area will finally get HD programs from WEAO 49-1 in Akron. Our friends over at "Ohio Media Watch" states that Cleveland PBS outlet, WVIZ 25-1 is putting out very little power on the digital side. WEAO filling the void (with a much stronger signal) is definitely good news for PBS fans in Northeast Ohio.
CBS Sound Effects Man Erlenborn dies
National News: Ray Erlenborn was a childhood actor - in the 1920s and '30s - playing Spike in the comedy series "Winnie Winkle" as well as other silent films and in Vaudeville. However, Erlenborn was probably better known for the noises he made rather than his acting. He was a CBS sound effects man from the late 1930s on radio to the late '70s on television. Erlenborn passed away on 6/4 at the age of 92. According to an LA Times article on the Post-Gazette Mr. Erlenborn provided sound effects for radio shows such as "Suspence," "Big Town" and "Amos 'n' Andy.Mailbag Potpourri
Pittsburgh:First, I would like to remind our readers that with PBRTV's recent "format change," one other thing has changed. The mailbag format that you came to know and love is a thing of the past. While we will continue to keep the messages posted, we will no longer be adding to the mailbag like we used to. We encourage our readers to post responses to the individual stories posted on the main site. Just click the link below the story if it's provided...and it usually is.
Secondly, I still welcome emails to PBRTV@aol.com, and if your emails seem worthy of a post, I will answer them in a "Mailbag Potpourri" article much like this one.
Let's see what we have in our mailbag today, shall we?
(more)Bill Dorrion update
Erie-Meadville: I received an update from Bill Dorrion regarding the end of his employment from Media One in Jamestown, New York. Bill said that he resigned from Media One on May 31st after job conditions became unbearable. There were threats of him losing his job if he didn't perform well with his sales part of the job. Now I can say that Bill is a workaholic when it comes to radio. He stated 22 years ago that he'd leave radio if he wasn't having fun anymore. Well, that time came & he had to do what was best for he and his family. I wish Bill well with his future endeavors and I hope that he will be back on the airwaves soon.When we was fab
Pittsburgh: In his Observer-Reporter column, Terry Hazlett remembers the 40th anniversary of the "summer of love":"I'd like to say that when local college students first heard 'Light My Fire,' they burned their bras and draft cards, tossed pop music 45s into a bonfire and destroyed their AM radios. But it didn't happen like that. Having been there, I can assure you that, in these parts, Motown (Smokey Robinson, the Supremes and the Temptations) still ruled in 1967."
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band presented a special dilemma to local disc jockeys because Capitol Records didn't release any singles from the album and Top 40 stations didn't, as a rule, play album cuts. Thankfully, KQV started playing "When I'm 64," so other stations did too: "No doubt, we played 'Respect' and 'Mirage' on either side of that song, though, just to make sure we didn't lose listeners," Hazlett says.
WATM reporter has local roots
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: Pittsburgh native and Oakland Catholic alumna Meredith McDonough, currently weekend anchor and general assignment reporter at Johnstown's WATM-TV (23) and WWCP-TV (8) was profiled in the Altoona Mirror recently.
The 2005 Allegheny College graduate is at her first TV job. Her advice for young journalists? "Just never give up. Knock on doors until they let you in and then you can prove you're the right person for the job."
McDonough is the niece of Michael Bartley, managing editor and correspondent for WQED-TV's newsmagazine "On Q."
Whad'ya know about Penn State?
Johnstown-Altoona-State College: Michael Feldman's syndicated public radio quiz show "Whad'Ya Know?" aired live from Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium last weekend. The university's website has a gallery of photos from the visit.
Feldman aimed a few sharp jokes at one of his guests, Penn State President Graham Spanier, making light of Joe Paterno's accident on the sidelines last year and on the university's refusal to release Paterno's salary. Before playing a tune on his washboard (we are not making that up), Spanier told Feldman that Penn State is one of the few places where the stadium is named after the former college president, but the library is named after the football coach.
Ben Hughes of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, local chef Paul Kendeffy, and Penn State Altoona professor and former sportscaster Bob Trumpbour also were among Feldman's guests. Feldman opened the show by leading the audience in several rounds of "We Are ... Penn State!"
You can download a podcast version of the show from the Public Radio International website.
Ohio broadcasters win AP awards
Youngstown, Misc. Ohio: The Ohio Associated Press Broadcasters honored several local journalists at the annual awards banquet held Sunday in Columbus. In addition, the late Tom Holden of WKBN-TV (27), Youngstown, was inducted in the Ohio AP Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The longtime anchor died in 2005 after more than 30 years at the station.In television, WTOV-TV (9) in Steubenville came up with a couple of big wins among smaller market stations. The NBC affiliate was named "Outstanding News Operation," "Outstanding Sports Operation" and "Outstanding Weather Operation," and was cited for having the best TV station website in the state. WTOV's Brandon Gobel and Melissa Knollinger-O'Connor received a reporting award for their coverage of President Bush's visit to Wheeling.
Among medium-market stations, Ron Martin of WFMJ-TV (21) in Youngstown won "best use of photography," while Jim Bowser of WYTV-TV (33), Youngstown, was named "best photographer." WYTV's Jim Bowser and Len Rome won the award for "best feature reporting," while their colleagues Vince Bevacqua and Rob Anderson won for "best enterprise reporting." You can read the entire list here. (AP via WDTN-TV)
In radio, among mid-market stations, Jim Michaels of WKBN (570), Youngstown, was named best radio reporter and also copped the "best feature reporting" award for his story "Murdertown USA --- A Title That Won't Go Away." (Full list here.)
The coveted "Silver Sow Award" was once again given to Les Nessman of WKRP, Cincinnati.
No swap between WREO & WBBG
Misc. Ohio:Well, it appears that the signal swap between WREO & WBBG is a no go according to OMW. Clear channel has nixed the deal, probably due to some obvious objections from 'Sweet Home Ashtabula" broadcasting. Yeah, losing a 50,000 watt station (that was promised in the deal) would probably be something a prospective buyer would notice. It might have been smarter for CC to do the swap before putting the stations up for sale. Is that "Classy 100" crying?
Auction re-tooled
Pittsburgh: WTAE-TV's Project Bundle-Up Auction has been reformatted this year and will be removed from the Channel 4 airwaves, so says the Post-Gazette. Instead, the auction will be online between July 1 - 28. Historically the auction was held on a summer Saturday afternoon on the air with each item receiving 5-7 minutes of promotion. Chairman and retired meteorologist Joe DeNardo is mildly optimistic that the auction will do better only fearing that the aging population in Allegheny County may not have access to the Internet. However, Joe says he thinks that four weeks of item promotion might pull in more money. This change comes after the change to the charity's December Telethon format change from a three-hour broadcast to a day long telethon with breaks throughout the day.Bill Dorrion let go from Media One
Erie-Meadville: News from across the border in Jamestown, New York. I just recently found out that longtime radio personality Bill Dorrion has been let go from Media One. Bill was the morning jock at WQFX "103.1 The Fox" as well as host of "The Saturday Night Oldies Style" across the hall on WWSE "SE-93." According to the Fox's website, the syndicated duo of "Bob & Tom" will replace Bill. It's not clear as to what Bill's future plans will be. I invited him to drop me a line to share his view concerning what happened. It would not be appropriate for me to speculate until I hear more from Bill.20 years ago... 10 years ago...
Pittsburgh:Where were we? Wait a minute...where were YOU? Nobody has picked up on this. But one of our PBRTV tipsters brought this to our attention. We aren't sure of the exact dates, but...
20 years ago - WTAE-AM (1250) dumped its music format for an all-talk format. Word has it that Kevin Benson, yes the WPXI-TV weather man, was the last DJ to spin a record at 'TAE.
10 years ago - The duo of O'Brien (no relation) & Garry was split when Larry O'Brien hung up headphones in retirement. John Garry continued as a solo act for 7 months until WTAE Radio was blown up to start an all-sports format.
Thanks tipster...!
With Sympathy...
Pittsburgh:PBRTV would like to express sympathy to 1570 WQTW's (Latrobe) Mark Kuhns and his family on the unexpected death of his son, Mark ("Bunky"). Bunky was 20 years old when he passed suddenly on Monday, June 4. The younger Kuhns was a 2005 graduate of Greater Latrobe High School and was currently serving as a specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard, Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 110th Infantry, where he participated in Operation Jump Start in Yuma, Ariz.
The senior Kuhns is better known as "Marko Polka" whose program began many years ago on Jeannette station WBCW 1530 (now WKFB 770). He is also the well-known WTAE-TV "Superfan."
Bogut shocks audience
Pittsburgh: Say it ain't so, Jack!Beloved local radio personality Jack Bogut celebrated the United States Court of Appeals decision to strike portions of the FCC obscenity law by unleashing a torrent of foul language on the air this morning. "I'm so gosh-darned happy about this gosh-darned ruling that I wish I could kiss every dang one of those circuit court judges!" he exclaimed. "To heck with the FCC. You heard me right, folks. To heck, I say!"
Where else can you see that but The Carbolic Smoke Ball?
CBS says 'apocalypse soon'!
Pittsburgh, National News: Update, 5:35 p.m.: Informed sources confirm to PBRTV.com that CBS-TV has reversed its decision to cancel the drama "Jericho." The show is scheduled to return for an eight-episode run, and all of the original episodes will be re-run to gauge fan interest. Further updates when they warrant.. . .
Yes, yes, we saw ... that's PBRTV.com friend and "Pittsburgh's own" Clarke Ingram being quoted in national coverage about fans' attempts to save the canceled CBS-TV drama "Jericho." Rumor has it that CBS is going to bring back the show for an eight-episode midseason run, with an option to add more if the ratings are there. (Shades of 1968's "Save Star Trek" campaign!)
Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star and TVBarn.com is "amazed": "This has never happened in the Leslie Moonves regime. Of course, technically it's Tassler running the show these days. We just always assumed Moonves had the ultimate power to doom or save a show ... I've never been happier to be dead wrong."
If the rumors are true, says James Poniewozik of Time magazine, it's a fair deal for "Jericho" fans. "It's not what Lost is getting, but neither are the ratings or revenues," he says. "The show would at least have a chance to prove itself, and the fans, the chance to prove that the show can be worth CBS' investment. To which end, you might want to rush out and buy the Jericho first-season DVD when it becomes available."
And if you have any leftover peanuts, throw 'em our way. (Is it dinnertime yet?)
Smith live again on WAMO
Pittsburgh: Bev Smith's nightly talk show is airing live again from 7 to 10 weeknights on WAMO (860) as of Monday, reports Adrian McCoy in the Post-Gazette. The nationally-syndicated talk show, which is based in Pittsburgh, was bumped to 10 p.m. during the station's brief run with an all-talk format.Smith, who began her career in Pittsburgh in 1971 at the former WIIC-TV (11) has twice been named one of Talkers magazine's most important hosts in America.
Action News is everywhere (even YouTube)
Pittsburgh: YouTube and Hearst-Argyle Television, parent company of WTAE-TV (4), have struck a deal in which five stations nationwide will supply content directly to the site, reports the Post-Gazette.
Local clips from 'TAE and other stations will be posted at special YouTube pages for each station (Channel 4's site is here) and advertising money generated from spots in the clips will be shared between YouTube and Hearst. Broadcasting & Cable reports that WCVB-TV Boston, WBAL-TV Baltimore and KCRA-TV Sacramento, Calif., are also part of the YouTube arrangement, and eventually all of Hearst's more than two dozen TV stations will be included.
In a press release, Terry Mackin, executive vice president of Hearst-Argyle Television, says the "innovative deal" fits perfectly within the company's "overall digital strategy of distributing our content on all three screens -- the TV, the PC and the mobile phone."
The company says that its Hearst-Argyle YouTube Channels will be populated with "news, weather, and entertainment videos as well as with original, local television programming" and may also support online video coverage of "high school football, basketball and local amateur entertainment."
WTAE's YouTube page already has news and sports coverage, but we particularly liked the vintage promos and bloopers they've posted as well. (Man, we miss Paul Long!)
What the F ... CC?
National News: Someone tell Dr. Johnny Fever that he's now free to say "booger" on the air.
Well, not exactly. But in a ruling overturning a new regulation that would cite radio and TV stations even if they accidentally broadcast an obscenity, a federal appeals court has questioned whether the Friendly Candy Company has any authority to regulate content.
In the past, the FCC usually didn't fine broadcasters if profanity was inadvertently aired during coverage of a news event. But under the Bush administration, the FCC has taken an increasingly hard line toward obscenity, and when U2's Bono used the phrase "f------ brilliant" during NBC's live coverage of the 2003 Golden Globes award ceremony, it ruled the network was liable. Fines have also escalated; under the Republican Congress in 2006, the maximum penalty for broadcast obscenity went from $32,500 to $325,000.
Led by Fox, the "Big Four" television networks had appealed that ruling and others, and in a 2-to-1 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York said it was "skeptical" that the FCC's ban on "fleeting expletives" was constitutional.
"We further find that the FCC has failed to articulate a reasoned basis for this change in policy," the judges wrote in their majority opinion, calling it "arbitrary and capricious" and saying that it was "divorced from reality." Even President Bush has been heard using profanity, they noted.
The dissenting judge called the change "relatively modest" and said the FCC gave a "sensible, although not necessarily compelling, reason" for it.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin called the ruling "a bunch of f-----g bull---t," and immediately fined himself $325,000. (Just kidding.)
Martin said that the court is "divorced from reality," and said that if the ruling stands, "Hollywood will be able to say anything they want, whenever they want." (News release, PDF)
More from The New York Times, Reuters and The Associated Press.
Someone took the chance...would you have been able to choose the top-20 Pgh. Celebs?
Pittsburgh:Scott Tady of the Beaver County Times checked in with PBRTV to point out the June issue of the paper's Go Magazine. Someone has dared to choose a top-20 of the Pittsburgh Media Celebrities. All are mentioned in a unique way. Some have received the distinction posthumously while others can still be heard - for instance #5 even though the mention makes it sound like he's not on the air. #13's name is spelled wrong...and the duo in the #16 slot "go together like traffic and weather" because one came after the other one retired. But we're not here to critique the article...
After reading the article, PBRTV would like to hear what YOUR top 20 might look like and why. Short entries can post a response to this blurb, while longer ones can email us.
It's time for the WQLN Great TV Auction
Erie-Meadville: Join in the fun & excitement of WQLN's 38th annual Great TV Auction. The auction will air on WQLN TV 54 & DT 54-1 Tuesday (June 5th) through Sunday (June 10th) from 6 till 11pm (or longer) each night. All proceeds from the auction benefit the educational efforts of WQLN TV 54, DT 54-1, FM 91.3 & WQLN Etc.File under: "Wow! That takes me back!"
Pittsburgh:If you've ever wondered about old newscasts at local TV stations, just head to YouTube.com. There's bound to be something there to jog the memory. For instance, this intro clip of WTAE-TV's Action News from Christmas Day 1983. Note the familiar face once the newscast begins. (Incidentally, we know that this was the era when the music used for the WTAE newscast was Frank Gari's "Hello News" Package. Many may remember "Hello Pittsburgh!" The announcer was none other than ABC announcer Ernie Anderson. Our second observation is that the graphics used in this news opening were used through another Gari music package - "Turn To News" with Rege Cordic as announcer.)
Or how about this clip from a WPXI newscast in 1986 with Mike Hambrick and Roxanne Stein? Or this one from 1989 with Hambrick and Edye Tarbox...
And what would an old newscast in Pittsburgh be without a ride through the Ft. Pitt Tunnels to KDKA-TV's Eyewitness News?