Bernie and Beyond

This is a pivotal week for the future of the United States as a democratic republic, and it concerns me like nothing has since 9/11.   Last week, we were treated to a demonization of Hillary Clinton like no major party candidate has ever been subjected to, with cries from the right of, "Lock her up!"   Now the "Bernie or Bust" left is threatening to cast a shadow over a Democratic convention run by Debbie Wasserman Shultz and a party establishment that has entertained the idea of taking the low road to prevent a Bernie Sanders nomination.   The latest email dump, shady circumstances and all, exposes people who are more bent on sabotaging a good man's fair shot at a nomination - one that showed more promise at keeping an egomaniacal demagogue out of the White House - than the party's "establishment" candiate. Shultz needs to quickly get as far away from Hillary Clinton's camp and the Philadelphia convention as possible while Clinton needs to reach out to disgruntled Sanders backers like never before.   Getting rid of superdelegates is a start.

What I prefer Bernie Sanders?   Absolutely, but don't think Donald Trump wouldn't wrongfully label him a communist more than Senator McCarthy used the term in the early fifties.   Sanders does better than Clinton in a matchup against Trump, but it would be nasty either way.   Did the Democratic Party have an anti-Sanders/pro-Clinton bias?   The latest email fiasco bears out what many already felt.   

I'll say it one more time.   Donald Trump is an existential threat to a political system (warts and all) that still holds more promise for mankind than any other system in history.   We have to get the outrageous influence of big money out of the equation.   To the Bernie or Bust liberals who went so far as to boo their own candidate when he called for supporting Hillary, I say get off your high ideological horse and remember that every protest vote against Hillary - or boycotting the November election entirely - is a Trump vote.   Once when we let our idealism blind us to reality, we got Nixon.   Trump is far worse.      

What I Can Do

Normally, I look forward to my WICH morning radio show.  Friday was a notable exception, with breaking news from Dallas of five policemen slain by a demented individual. That followed and preceded protests over black motorists shot to death by police in Louisiana and Minnesota.   Of course, the blogosphere had already exploded this week with outrage from people disappointed that Hillary Clinton avoided likely criminal charges and jail.

What do we do?   The obvious solution is through thoughtful and positive action based on common ground across the political spectrum, but how can that go forward when the public discussion is so negative?    

The 9/11 attacks left Americans in shock and horror, yet we were touched by stories of average people going above and beyond the call of duty while so many voices came together on a global scale.   Subsequent events would make this era of consensus a brief one.   So, what can I do in my own little way to get past the anger and ignorance that fuel the news cycle?   I don't have to look - or listen - far.

Yes, that would be radio... specifically, talk radio   My first reaction Friday was to call out people who benefit financially and politically by stoking the outrage and spreading the myth that "their people" are uniquely entitled to be that way.   You don't have to lecture this old broadcasting guy about the fact that I'm on the air to make money for me and my employer, but somewhere along the way it also slipped into my consciousness that radio was designed to be a public trustee.   I mentioned some time ago about a Providence radio host fostering a public nuisance, exploiting listeners' fears about the Ebola virus.   That host has also prospered as a national network fill-in.   What's the difference between that kind of yelling "fire" in a theatre and taking the fear and hate to the next level in the context of this week's news?   Funny how they're never wrong about anything.   Beware of people who prey on ignorance and fear on the radio as with every segment of society.   When the opportunity presents itself, I will call out people in my business and others who play off fear and ignorance.

So take a walk in the sun, a drive in the country or crank up some feelgood music.   Limit your exposure to so-called "news" that has a clear agenda of profitability based on ideology.   America is a promise, not an irreparably broken reality.     

Let the Voters Decide

I woke up in the middle of the night and made the mistake of checking Facebook.   There was outrage over the FBI director's announcement that there was no legal basis for prosecution over Hillary Clinton's emails. Director Comey, widely respected on both sides of the aisle, did deliver a stinging criticism of the careless and systemic use of a private server potentially vulnerable to hackers.   There was no sign of hacking.   Nor was there evidence of intentional flaunting of security protocols.   That said, social media (and undoubtedly right wing talk radio) are abuzz about a "corrupt" and "rigged" system where the Clintons are above the law.   Speaker Paul Ryan even referred to it as a miscarriage of justice.   Donald Trump, in true third world political fashion and devoid of real information (as usual), for months has called for Hillary Clinton's jailing for the sole purpose of pandering to his base.

The FBI was in a no-win situation, but I see no need to disparage the director's motives. They'd get political heat for a drawn out probe as well as a quick conclusion.   Carelessness does not necessarily mean lawlessness, and he made that call based on tons of evidence.   The issue of Hillary Clinton's trustworthiness and overall competence should be where it belongs: with the voters.   She's got her work cut out for her, and I fail to see where Clinton money and power have made her anything close to some Teflon figure.   Certainly the optics alone of Bill Clinton's airport encounter with the Attorney General Loretta Lynch were enough to send Clinton PR people into damage control overdrive.

When it comes to truth on issues, Presidential demeanor, experience and overall competence, Donald Trump has a lot of mending fences to do.   He shows no signs of doing that as he praised Saddam Hussein for "killing terrorists."   Let the American voters decide whether or not he should be entrusted with the nuclear codes.   Votes count!

Brexit - Stage Right

For those select few among us on this side of the pond who actually paid attention, the vote in England (except London) and Wales to leave the European Union came as a shock.  British Prime Minister David Cameron announced his resignation as the hopes of the Obama admnistration and much of the international community were dealt a serious blow in a close vote.   Donald Trump, in Scotland primarily promoting his new golf resort, claimed victory in Britain "taking back" its independence while ignorant of the fact that Scotland itself had actually voted to remain in the EU as the likelihood of a new Scottish independence move increased.   Stock markets tumbled around the world.

That's not all.   In addition to Scotland talking again about breaking away from the UK, there are rumblings in other European nations about divorcing themselves from the EU.   Right wing nationalist and isolationist politicians are capitalizing on fear as immigration and terrorism become an even hotter topic.   Here what makes this British divorce from the EU so scary.   Europe has had decades of relative peace thanks in large part to effective cooperation amomng nations.   Military alliances alone such as NATO are no check against rampant isolation, hyper nationalism and ethnic divisions.  

I get it... mostly.   There are lots of older blue collar, rural, white and less educated Americans and Europeans who feel alienated by increasing globalism and technology in the economy.  There's a feeling that they're "losing" their countries to immigration and political correctness, but I think much of that fear is misguided.   The gap between the one per cent wealthiest and the rest of us is almost unprecedented.   Bernie Sanders is right in hammering this point home and forcing Hillary Clinton to pay more attention to where the true outrage should be directed.  Trump and Clinton are both part of that financial elite, yet Trump's demagoguery would place most of the blame on immigration and the intellectual elites who routinely refute his faulty "pants on fire" statements.   Unfortunately, passions seem to be overwhelming logic these days and it's not likely to get better soon.   Even if Trump gets clobbered in November, the polarization on both sides of the Atlantic needs to be addressed without jokers like Trump exploiting it. 

Memories of Muhammad Ali

"The Greatest" has passed away at 74.   Many of us in the Baby Boomer generation have memories of Muhammad Ali going back half a century.   My father never followed sports much, but boxing was the one exception.   I recall one of those rare father-son sports moments when my dad took me to see The Super Fight, a fictional boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali shot in 1969 where the result was based on probability formulas entered into a computer and shown once in theatres via another new technology: satellite.   Marciano was the projected winner based on statistics from his prime.   

I remember March 8, 1971, going skiing for the first time at Powder Ridge.   After a series of backwards falls, this impatient bnovice called it a night and waited at the base for the two more experienced skiers to finish up.   On the AM radio, sure enough, was the Frazier-Ali Fight of the Century when Joe Frazier took the heavyweight title.   With that kind of entertainment, I didn't feel deprived of extra "ski time".   Ali would come out on the winning end through most of his storied career but, win or lose, this man's bigger-than-life charisma would steal the show.

Muhammad Ali's fighting days would continue through the end of his life, battling the effects of Parkinson's Disease and promoting invaluable awareness in the fight against it.   Mike, my best friend from high school who has Parkinson's himself, proves you don't have to be heavyweight champ to be a fighter with class.   Mike once told me during Ali's controversial Vietnam War protest days, "They never should've taken away his title."   He was right.   As with so many stories of American exceptionalism, Ali proved it wasn't a matter of winning every battle.   It is about perservering in what we stand for.   

Double Standard

If you are willing to give Donald Trump the benefit of the doubt on a HUGE list of outrageous statements, actions and pandering flip-flops at this point, there is little if anything I can say to dissuade you.  If you want someone with more information to make the argument that the email issue does not merit major federal offense scandal, I'll leave the heavy lifting to this smart guy from Newsweek:   He doesn't hold much hope that those Hillary haters who wish prison's in her future will be swayed.  While the world and a big chunk of America are seriously concerned about the USA under a narcissistic demagogue, Hillary has her work cut out for her because people can label her "crooked" when there's no pattern that makes her playing any more fast and loose with the truth than the rest of the candidates.   Was her use of emails through a non-secured server smart?   No, as she admits.   Was it willful criminal misconduct that put national security seriously at risk?   The FBI hasn't said that.   

Is there some misogyny in all this Hillary hate?   We can't discount that to some extent, but Trump is wrong taking the cheap shot saying she's "playing the female card."   He's been playing a dangerous, divisive, fearmongering game on every level.   I fear that the false narrative that "things can't get any worse" is leading the USA to a darker time when we look for a strongman who claims to have a monopoly on answers to legitimate concerns.

The real wild card is the role Bernie Sanders supporters will play in either uniting behind the likely nominee or staying away and allowing Trump to assume the most powerful job on the planet.   I'm a big Bernie fan myself and know Hillary's not perfect, but our very republic is in peril if we don't do everything we can to block this loose cannon.   "Bernie or bust" is a recipe for disaster in November.   That being said, it's clear that Hillary should make way for Bernie if her handling of the email investigation paves the way for a likely yet unimaginable Trump victory. The GOP ineffectively tried to avoid the delegate win for Trump, and it's sickening to see more Republicans eat their critical words, putting party over their own principles and lining up behind him.   Now it's up to the rest of us to get the focus off her damn emails, a Benghazi investigation that was a wasteful circus and the 20th century sex scandals and impeachment of her husband.   Still, Bill is way more popular than both Hillary and Donald.    Do we have a bit of a double standard?     Trump is the dangerous one!  

In Shambles?

How Presidential!

Mr. Trump has defied most of the pundits who are at a loss to figure out why he has become the GOP nominee.   As much as this prospect disgusts me, we need to understand where the huge resentment of the establishment has come from on both sides of the political spectrum.   One theme I hear on the right from Trump supporters is that it "can't get any worse."  Oh, yes it can!  The dire assessment that America is already "in shambles" is ridiculous.  Do we have lots to be concerned about?   Of course we do.  We always have.  Do we turn to an untested egomaniacal autocrat to take over and fix everything?   Any historian would say it hasn't come to that.   In other words, turning to a strongman is based on a false narrative, and that's something that should worry every freedom-loving American.   

That is not to say that Trump supporters shouldn't have legitimate concerns about a rigged and corrupt system.   That's where Bernie Sanders is right on the money.   While Senator Sanders may fall short against the more establishment-backed Hillary Clinton, his points have to be taken seriously going forward.   The "too big to fail" corporate welfare cheats and the oligarchs who profit the most while America wages wars on a credit card are the potential ruin of a society that has made more progress and projected more power than any nation in history.   Calling your critics childish may appeal to a constituency that longs for simpler times and catchy slogans, but this is not reality TV... and America never stopped being great.   Leave the over-the-top hyberbole to North Korean dictators. 

Law Talk

One of the best parts of doing the Glenn Till Ten Show on WICH AM 1310 is having guests, including a few who have become regulars on the show.   Norwich Attorney Ted Phillips is the best known in this select group, with his monthly Law Talk segment on the second Thursday of each month from 8:05 to 9:00am.   He answers individual legal questions from listeners while delving into the broader legal issues of the day that often grab the headlines. 

We talked about the recently enacted North Carolina "bathroom law" that mandates what bathroom a transgender person could use as well as some states' initiatives to allow businesses to refuse service based on sexual orientation.  A more conservative colleague wondered what the big deal was all about, since these instances would likely be few and far between.   If that is reason to let the states turn back time, why does an even bigger rarity like voter fraud have Republicans pushing often stringent voter ID laws that disproportionately limit participation by young people and minorities?   I often hear "let's send a message" when right leaning zero-tolerance positions are espoused.   I say we need to make it perfectly clear to anyone who wants to exclude people based on a range of labels that wholesale discrimination based on "religious liberty" or "states' rights" is unacceptable.   Let's not kid ourselves.   These "little tweaks" in the law won't mean the right wing is done with pushing their agenda back to the "good old days." 

Waiting For April Fools' Day

Bill O'Reilly's right wing rants aside, there can only be one plausible explanation for why Donald Trump keeps pushing the envelope more and more in an extremist direction.   He's bringing out all the hate into the open and waiting until April Fools' Day to reveal it was all a ruse to give the American electorate and political system the ultimate lecture on how polarized we've become.   Mr. Trump will then become America's voice of reason.   Surely he can't sincerely believe the ignorance he's publicly espoused or exploited.   He must at least be a smart guy, since he constantly reminds us of that more than anything.   Then cooler heads will prevail.   Yeah, that's it.   That'll point the shame on the media for fawning all over this reality show celebrity who gets ratings, a big chunk of Americans who chalk up any criticism of their guy as "political correctness", a major political party who enabled his rise and a culture looking for quick fixes while believing the false narrative that America has lost its greatness and couldn't get worse.   Surely he can't be serious.   Just wait till April Fools' Day.   Then all will be revealed.   Right?   That's the deal.   It's gotta be.   Hah?

More Platforms to Bloviate

As attached as I've become to this blog going on eight years, perhaps the best reason I have posted less frequently is due to the opportunities I've had to share my thoughts and experiences on the radio. Doing a regular local morning show and occasional fill-ins for Stu Bryer's talk show on "Personality Radio" WICH AM 1310 can really eat up a lot of content.   Of course there are show prep services I rely on, but I really find myself sharing observations from my personal life and opinions more and more.   The reactions can be immediate, whether it's banter with Marty in the newsroom, guests or Stu's callers.   Putting all the programming elements in their proper places undoubtedly makes for a more listenable show (i.e. less tuneout), but those relatable tidbits are what people latch onto and remember.   Even on Facebook, I tend to put more information updates on the WICH Radio page than what's happening with me on my personal page.  I'll still express my viewpoints here on my blog, but I think I'll make it a monthly instead of weekly thing.   A look back makes it clear already how I feel about politics, media and some pivotal life events.

For now, I'll hope my lost wedding ring turns up; my finger got skinnier and it flew off.   Some circulatory and diabetic health issues are being more proactively addressed over the winter and I'm having a great time (albeit ridiculously early time) at WICH.   Happy Valentine's Day and President's Day, and I'll be back here next month or sooner if the need dictates.   

It Doesn't Cost Anything

A belated Happy New Year!   Here's one reason I haven't been writing in this blog as often as I used to.   The last few months, I've devoted a lot of writing time getting things set up at my still new WICH morning show position.   The website and Facebook page were in woeful shape, and nobody seemed to be responsible for them.   There were other things I've done to hopefully get organized and promote the show and station.   Of course, there are often repercussions later in the day from that whole 4:00am wakeup routine.   I have also been involved in ongoing changes, including Christmas music turned into rocket science, programming music on WILI-AM.   Combine that with my other job with direct mail advertising and it's a wonder I have free time now.

Anyway, one thing that exemplifies my thin-skinned nature is the way people really think that being a nasty badass pays off.   Does it really cost anything to be nice?   After an afternoon of having good chats with current and potential ad clients, I actually feel better at the end of the day than when I get tangled up in someone's often petty rants.   Recently, WICH.com ran an unscientific poll as to how people felt about bringing Chelsea Botanical Gardens to Norwich.   The response by one side was downright nasty to the point of accusing the station of rigging the poll.   You couldn't hold a conversation with them over a poll that is no different than the "entertainment only" ones used on local TV stations and newspapers.   Then there were several callers in the first few minutes of my last fill-in on the Stu Bryer talk show attacking me as "rude", knowing nothing and having the gall to express my opinion even though I had only been on for a few minutes!   That's when I got a dose of the more enlightened side of humanity as a wave of callers expressed their support for my right to free speech, whether they agreed or not.

As we witness the nastiest Presidential campaign, I hope decent folks continue to speak out against the constantly combative in-your-face tone out there.   WICH listeners certainly came through on that score.   Choose to be nice, or even go so far as to be fair.   Make it a great day!

The Line's Been Crossed

Say what you want about Donald Trump, but nobody can argue with the fact that he has touched a nerve among more Republican voters far more than any other candidate.   Facts themselves are few in most GOP right wing talking points, and Mr. Trump's claims and proposals are more devoid of truth than any other.   When Trump called for a total ban on Muslim immigration, he drew parallels to the darkest aspects of U.S. history.   Does anybody doubt this latest over the top pronouncement is exactly what the ISIS terrorists want?   While GOP rivals and party leadership fail to disassociate themselves from him after this crazy, impractical, uncontitutional and fearmongering idea, Hillary Clinton correctly states that Trump is "no longer funny."   He's now brought us into the danger zone, and unfortunately many Americans are going there willingly.

Whether or not you think a Mexican border wall and Muslim immigration ban would have a snowball's chance in hell of addressing legitimate problems, nobody can truly claim this is what America is all about.   Yet Trump supporters and many other Republicans continue to believe the Trump-inspired myth that President Obama was born in Kenya.   They also hate Obama so intensely that they believe he's a Muslim who hasn't done anything about ISIS  or curbing illegal immigration while trying to confiscate everyone's guns.     When I hear crowds cheering on Trump's self centered, vague and increasingly divisive reactionary rhetoric, my reaction is sadness.   Trump has no clue as to what makes America great.

The Endless Cycle

Mass Shooting Scene (Huffington Post)

Here we go again.   Two well armed nutcases walked into a holiday party in San Bernardino, California and mowed down over a dozen people connected with a group committed to fighting the effects of autism.   It was one of a string of mass shootings making this country unique.   Nowhere in the allegedly civilized world do we see these incidents with such frequency.   Yet the NRA leadership and their cowardly servants in Congress continue to stand in the way of even the most basic common sense background checks while tightening gun show sales loopholes.   The gun manufacturer lobby has blood on their hands when they refuse to acknowledge any role in what is a distinctly American phenomenon as they push the nonsense that the Obama or Malloy administrations are looking to mrid the USA of all private gun ownership.  With a gun for every US citizen - over 300,000,000 - that's not going to happen.   

Longtime host Stu Bryer, who follows me on WICH AM 1310, can generally be called conservative, yet even his moderate views on tightening background checks are met with a "people will get guns anyway" attitude from vocal opponents of including gun control in a national discussion.    You can't cherry pick talking points like the fact that the San Bernardino shooters bought their assault weapons legally while pointing the finger of blame at mental health issues, violent video games... anything but gun access.    EVERYTHING has to be on the table if we ever can hope to address this insane cycle of mass shootings.    

An Apocalyptic View

ISIS

It's like they want us all to get mired in their quagmire.   The ISIS capital of Raqqa is coming under so much bombardment by the United States, Russia, France and others that you wonder how the city hasn't been leveled to parking lot status.   As the ISIS forces get gradually beaten back from key areas of Iraq and Syria, their military situation deteriorates, contrary to early battlefield successes when they filled a power vacuum with ruthless speed. Apparently, they want more punishment as they export terrorism to France, Egypt, Libya and elsewhere.   The fact is that in the warped ISIS view, their only measure of success depends on how close they can bring the world to an apocalypse.   It's not a matter of establishing an Islamist fundamental sharia law caliphate.   It's all about being a part of something that they believe will reward them in the afterlife.   If we thought al-Qaeda was extreme with the whole "70 virgins" concept, ISIS takes end of times prophesy to a whole new level.   With al-Qaeda, where there is at least some intellectual foundation, sick as it may be.  Osama bin Laden's family roots come from assimilation into a wealthy society.   With ISIS, their recruits are often disenfranchised people with nothing left to lose.   

The other afternoon driving home, I heard some radio preacher when my AM scan button landed on WACE 730.   He wasn't talking about what I understand about religion at all.   The message seemed to look forward to some judgement day after humanity had blown itself to bits.   How is that any different from what ISIS espouses?   The Pope is already referring to this ISIS mess as World War III.   Mainstream religion doesn't dwell on some vengeful God.   I have my issues with Catholic church doctrine, but the Pope is right in glorifying good works and condemning this horrible view of a supreme being.   Every civilized nation on this planet has to unite against this ISIS death cult.   You can get on Facebook or talk radio and blame Obama for being "too weak" about this despite conducting over 6,200 bombing raids or carry paranoia over immigration to its most extreme.   The fact is, Obama is not the enemy.   ISIS is.

My Special Guy

To most of the neighbors, I was the one who walked Oreo.   Just 3 months after a miraculous surgery, he took a turn for the worse and we had to face the sad facts today.   He was such an important part of my life since adopting him from the CT Humane Society in 2002.   The little guy was a bundle of joy, but today is heartbreaking.

Birther Baloney

Donald Trump has exploited this lie too far.   Despite all evidence to the contrary, a CNN poll finds 54 per cent of his supporters believe President Obama is a Muslim.   An incredibly ignorant question from some right wing extremist and Trump's response to it at a town hall meeting really does say it all.   Trump is afraid to acknowledge that his doubts about Obama's birthplace and religion are flat out lies.   The reason is simple: his political base refuses to accept facts about our first African-American President.   If the embarassing town meeting forces Trump's hand at finally giving up his bogus allegations, then he knows his campaign is toast.   There are lots of things to dislike about Donald Trump.   Where do we start?   I condemn his leadership role in the totally discredited birther movement, outrageous remarks about military service, childish personal attacks, spreading myths about vaccines' connection with autism, shallow pandering to fundamentalists, insanely expensive plans to build a border wall and misrepresenting Mexico and undocumented workers.   His whole political existence is predicated on fear of "them" taking stuff from "us."    Trump isn't entertaining anymore; he's pathetic and dangerous.

Bernie Sanders has been everything Donald Trump isn't.    That's reason enough to add my name to Bernie's supporters.    

And We're Back

In the WICH studio

It's been a pretty crazy summer.   Much of it has been a working one.   I have had absolutely no time to put my thoughts down in a blog and even less time to take some semblance of a summer vacation. In addition to vacation fill-ins at six different Hall Communications radio stations in eastern Connecticut, there has been the business of keeping afloat the monthly direct mail shopper publications I've been involved with for over thirteen years.   My aging dog Oreo also has been a concern.   We made the decision to have the Lebanon Vet do an operation to remove a huge tumor a month ago, and the results were great!

Add in a music project I was asked to do at WILI-AM in Willimantic that turned out to have more unexpected extenuating complications for my pay grade than practically anything I've ever been involved in.   I admit that part of those complications is based on my own stubbornness, passion and reasonable expertise, which is why I decided not to back out of this longer than anticipated tunnel.   The station's programming is less than 50% music, but it didn't matter.

I am set to start another radio chapter tomorrow.   After 31 years at Hall Radio, WICH AM 1310 morning guy Mark Wayne has retired.   They have asked me to host the show.   I do not expect to make massive changes on day one.   The station's loyal audience looks for a certain continuity, but it would be wrong to just act as if nothing has changed.   Management wants me to "build the brand", so that's what I'll do.   I will still have some occasional morning fill-ins at WILI and will continue to program the music there, but the main focus has to be on WICH.   That will also mean less duties at the other stations, although they did get me to sub for Dan O'Brien (no relation) on 98.7 WNLC afternoons this week.   Hey guys, there's just so much of me to go around!   My ego does appreciate being in such demand for as long as I can stay relevant.  

What's Important, What's Not

A few head scratchers come to mind lately.   First, why do people assume someone should run a government just because they've run a business?   That seems to be the feeling some folks have about Donald Trump.  Should politicians have the same priorities and skill set as a billionaire businessman?   If that's the case, why not just elect the Koch Brothers or George Soros or Warren Buffett?   Who needs the middle man (or woman)?    We still can't get a clear picture of Trump's business success stories, yet many feel like they're so familiar with his management skills and business acumen because they watched "The Apprentice." Trump minimized John McCain's military service to our country while conveniently skipping over his own multiple student deferrments during Vietnam, yet some diehard Trump supporters react by saying he, "tells it like it is."   Being outspoken, off the cuff and unfiltered doesn't automatically mean you have a clue as to what anythying is.

Second, why do TV stations make the first time we get above 90 out to be a big deal?   It's July 20th!   They interview some guy working outside who calls the heat "unbelievable."   The only thing unbelievable is the fact that it didn't happen weeks or months ago.

Finally, the remarkable pictures from Pluto and its moons mark another awesome achievement in the exploration of our solar system.   Pluto was only found 85 years ago, yet in the span of a human lifetime its discoverer had his ashes launched three billion miles into space in a close rendezvous with the dwarf planet.    Unlike the 1969 moon landing, most people seemed to take it for granted.   It makes me wonder how impressive and exciting a live remote radio broadcast on a cell phone can really be.

Business Abhors Controversy

The "General Lee" 

Just as "nature abhors a vacuum", business abhors controversy.   That goes especially for big business.   Supporters of gay marriage and opponents of the Confederate flag on public property got major boosts last week thanks to the Supreme Court.   Why did prominent politicians who opposed these movements just days or weeks ago join the rush to switch their stance?   Simply put, they followed the money.   Both Democrats and Republicans draw heavily on campaign contributions from business and industry, not to mention consumer spending.   

When Arizona and Indiana faced massive boycotts due to their reactionary new homophobic laws, the Republican governors backed off.   South Carolina politicians and their supporters knew they would be feeling major heat if they defended the presence of the Confederate battle flag on the grounds of the state capital building following the massacre of nine at a Charleston black church.   The governor acted to prevent a loss of business.   Whether or not South Carolina state legislators vote to evict a flag displayed by a racist nmass muderer remains to be seen.    When TVLand cancelled reruns of "Dukes of Hazard" because of the Confederate flag on the roof of the General Lee, it became obvious how quickly corporations were moving to cut ties to symbols of segregation.   That's not sanitizing history.   Pretending that the Confederate flag solely stood for Southern pride is, though. 

The process repeats itself over and over.   NBCUniversal cut ties to newly declared Presidential candidate Donald Trump following his comments about immigrants from Mexico.   Macy's fired Trump as a representative for its apparel line faster than sponsors could dump Paula Dean when her racist comments came to light.    Sensitivities are changing, and criticizing it all as "political correctness" is not working.    Even with Obamacare, states that deny the flow of money from expanded Medicaid to its own citizens are playing a cruel game just for the sake of opposing President Obama.    Corporations like stable markets.   They don't generally like unrest.   When the cons of doing business somewhere outweigh the pros, watch how Wall Street reacts in a sometimes progressive way to save its bottom line.   Just ask the former sponsors of conservative talk radio.

Saying No to the "Party of No"

The Supreme Court saved the Obama Administration's signature health care law in a 6-3 decision.   According to CNN, the ruling holds that the Affordable Care Act authorized federal tax credits for eligible Americans living not only in states with their own exchanges but also in the 34 states with federal marketplaces.   This is a big win for Obamacare.  Is this law perfect?   Hardly.   Does this decision save millions from losing health insurance?   Absolutely.   Have Republicans done anything in the way of healthcare alternatives?   Not in the least, as they repeated their futile efforts to repeal Obamacare in Congress fifty times over.   What's their solution?   If they can't articulate it, who can?

If for no other reason, the GOP has earned its reutation as "the party of 'no'".   When will they ever learn?

End of Discussion?

Charleston prayer service (WLTX)

It's all too uncomfortable to politicians on the right, and even to some in the center.   We see it again in the wake of nine shooting deaths of churchgoers and prominent community members in Charleston, SC.   Ask them about gun control and you'll get a response that just labels the latest massacre as a case of one deranged individual.   Charleston's mayor Joe Riley denies the role or very existence of racism in his fair city.   That wouldn't reflect well on this major tourist draw.   Ask South Carolina Senator Presidential candidate LIndsey Graham about the racist symbolism of the Confederate battle flag and he'll tell you that his state has worked out a compromise over its display to satisfy "both sides to this issue."    Fox News depicts the shooting as an "attack on Christians" instead of blacks clearly singled out for their skin color.   These are issues that make people bankrolled by the NRA leadership and other powerful conservative lobbyists very uncomfortable.    Mention the role of guns in mass shootings and you're met with well organized chants of the false narrative that any discussion of guns means President Obama and liberals are aiming to confiscate every firearm in the hands of private citizens.   

The discussion embargo doesn't end with gun violence and racism.   Even the Pope, a scientist, gets criticized for expressing concern over climate change hastened by human activity by people who preface everything by, "I'm not a scientist, but..."    Senator Elizabeth Warren took issue with our allegedly socialist President Obama over "free trade" with the Tran Pacific Partnership bill being pushed through Congress with no room for open discussion of its particulars.    Newly announced GOP candidate Donald Trump calls people who might disagree with his vague ideas "clowns" and "losers."    There are many people who blame the media for "harping on" things, stirring up trouble.

An open discussion is the American way of life... ideally, anyway.   If the NRA bosses and deniers of all types want to take their marbles and go home when they can't have things 100 per cent their way, that's their problem.   That doesn't mean the rest of us who want everything to be fair game should give up and allow these powerful narrow interests to shut down the exchange of ideas.   

     

Identifying Ourselves

Rachel Dolezal

Spokane, Washington NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal stepped down amid revelations that she had been falsely claiming to be African American.   Her estranged white parents have come forward to deny she is black.   Is this fraud punishable by law?   The legal system can decide that part.    She said to Matt Lauer on NBC's Today Show that she "identified as black" and showed no regret over what she had done.   I think an apology is due at the very least.   She lied.   That is a disservice to the very advocacy group she represented.    There is no reason a white person can't hold a responsible position in the NAACP, but there is no excuse for concealing the fact.   A man leads the UConn women's basketball team year after year.   An Englishman led Arabs in revolt against the Ottoman Empire a century ago.   Gender and ethnic identities don't matter in these cases.   Racial identity shouldn't matter here.   Integrity should.   As Dr. King said, it should not be about "the color of their skin, but the content of their character."   Judge her on that alone.

Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner said he "identified as a woman."  Jenner was very open over this aspect of his identity to the point where the news was everywhere.      Dolezal's racial identity should have been more of an open book, too. 

Country Radio's Feminine Side

Singers Amy Grant, Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride and
Miranda Lambert at the 2014 MusiCares Person Of The
Year awards Jan. 24, 2014, in Los Angeles.
(Photo: Christopher Polk, Getty Images)

One of my many radio gigs for Hall Communications is at longtime country outlet 97.7 WCTY, a leading station in eastern Connecticut that is consulted by Keith Hill.    Keith became the center of some controversy last week when he seemed to recommend playing a higher percentage of male artists than female ones.   Country artists Miranda Lambert and Martina McBride were quick to jump on the backlash bandwagon and take offense with Hill's assessment of successful country formats by saying females are "just not the lettuce in our salad. The lettuce is Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, Keith Urban and artists like that. The tomatoes of our salad are the females."   Cries of radio sexism ensued.    Could this have been expressed in a way that resulted in fewer repercussions?   Absolutely, but he does have a valid point.

Ironically, females have become a much more essential component of country's target audience.  This is more than ever about what female listeners want to hear.   Country used to be a very male-oriented radio format.   That has changed dramatically, with today’s country attracting younger and female fans now more than ever.    What you hear now is the key to getting ratings and revenue.    AT WCTY and many other stations, this is due in no small part to research provided by people like Keith Hill.    As a male over 55 who has slid off the radar of most ad agencies, I actually enjoy female country artists more than I do most male singers.   Then again, as I’ve argued countless times as a voice in the wilderness, this is not about what you or I think “sounds good.”    It’s about what works.    Don’t take my word for it.   Ask your target audience.    

It's How I'm Geared

My brother Gary - the mechanic in the family

I like to think of myself as a reasonably intelligent and capable person.  My wife tells me I should go on Jeopardy!  Go ahead, ask me any state capital, radio station location or historical fact from World War II.   Ask me to fix something that inevitably breaks down in real life and I'm usually stumped.   I admit it; I am not a handy man.   For some reason dating back to my childhood, those types of things never penetrate into my head.   Even when I worked at gas stations, I really didn't get far beyond fixing a flat or, when they were shorthanded, changing somebody's oil.   I was the guy who kept the place spotless and was pretty good at greeting the customers.   On the other hand, my younger brother Gary takes after my father.   Once they changed the engine in my '67 Plymouth Satellite.   When I saw what they went through, I felt guilty putting them through that while it reaffirmed my desire to stay the hell as far away from a wrench as I possibly could.

In today's society, mechanical aptitude can earn you a decent living.   I am in awe of the talent some people have working with their hands.   I do like some painting and gardening around the house, but that doesn't require handyman status.   There are urgent times when my limited abilities as Mr. Fix-It are required, but that's a last resort.    With the car, I have peace of mind knowing AAA is a phone call away.   There are instances when I surprise myself.   I have actually put IKEA-type furniture together following the detailed directions... with only a couple of parts left.   A recent plumbing emergency seemed like a quick fix, but after struggling with pipes to no avail I got my brother to come down.   He still gets royally ticked off at plastic parts being made so cheaply, but the third try was the charm.   This past weekend, a grill I actually assembled two years ago was not heating up past 200 degrees.   Our friend Betty said her husband fixed theirs by pounding on it a few times.   That did the trick!    Mechanically challenged prople like yours truly love solutions like this... very satisfying.

Who's Number One?

What hasn't been said about David Letterman ending his run on late night TV?   I agree with most of it.   Leno was OK, but Letterman was one of a kind.    Once Dave was passed over for Johnny Carson's spot I always felt watching Letterman was like rooting for the underdog.   Dave did start out number one in the late night ratings, but Jay's O.J. Simpson jokes ushered in a long period when NBC's Tonight Show could not be caught.   Still, Dave leaves in a sea of accolades while Jay's departure seemed almost after the fact even though Leno was ratings gold.   As with so many things, the numbers don't tell the whole story.   

Dave was certainly not a perfect person.   His embarassing sex scandal revealed that.   On the other hand, his emotional reaction to his heart surgery and 9/11 plus his ability to handle the most difficult guests and take part in the most ridiculous situations only strengthened our connection with this man who only reluctantly shared his private life.   Jay was generally considered a nice guy, yet the tension over the Tonight Show succession left a bad feeling with a lot of people... twice.

This storied late night competition is yet another example of how "the numbers" don't tell the whole story.   Leno may have been the winner to Madison Avenue ad agencies, but on Broadway it was Letterman.   He'll be considered the iconic showman for years to come.   He leaves have a legacy like Carson.  Just ask Jimmy Kimmel or Conan O'Brien.  Something can be a flash in the pan (Leno was bigger than that), but Letterman set a pop culture gold standard.       

In both print and broadcast aspects of my media background, it's not about how much circulation your direct mail publication has or how your radio station shows in the ratings.   It's about what works.   When I worked across town in radio, we were told to often interject that our station was "number one in the ratings."   How does the listener relate to that?   "We've got the most power!"   Who cares?     If a record hit number one for six weeks in 1977, does that mean we ever want to hear it again?   Ratings/rankings are a snapshot of what was... nothing more, nothing less.   Letterman blazed the trail beyond that. 

Various Thoughts...

Our transit infrastructure is woefully inadequate compared with most developed countries, yet House Speaker John Boehner is quick to dismiss a reporter's question about adequate Amtrak funding as "stupid".  He does this while rushing to lay the blame on one engineer's error before all the facts come out as to the cause of the fatal Philadelphia train derailment.   The afternoon after the crash, the Republican House actually cut funding for Amtrak.   Do Republicans really expect big business to come in and update infrastructure without government investment and reasonable profit?   The GOP is clearly tone deaf on this one, to say the least.

The Iraq War threatens to turn the 2016 Presidential election upside down.   Hilary Clinton has at least admitted her mistake in supporting an invasion that came back ruin her 2008 prospects. She still has to be more forthcoming in dealing head on with the Iraq consequences embodied in ISIS.   The money may still be leaning toward Jeb Bush on the Republican side, but I still find it shocking how unprepared he was to consistently answer the inevitable question over whether he would have taken the same action his brother did in 2003 based on faulty intelligence.   On foreign policy, Republicans need to get over their fear of the Dick Cheney unrepentent right wing and come to grips with perhaps our biggest mistake in a century.

It seems like the Patriots Deflategate saga has already taken a break from public awareness for now.   Haters outside New England are gonna hate no matter what, but as a Pats and Tom Brady fan I still have to admit that it does sound like Brady at least had some inside knowledge of the tampering.   That said, does this warrant a stiffer penalty than one to another NFL player caught on video knocking out his wife in an elevator?    Also, is there any doubt that the Patriots played a great season with or without Deflategate?

The death of B.B. King reminds us of how iconic a musician can be even without big hits on the radio.   It also reminds people like me who deal with type II diabetes about the need to take this condition seriously.

They said pollen allergies would be severe this year, and they were right!   When my car stops showing all the yellow stuff I hope my eyes will stop tearing up uncontrollably.   

Pop Culture Back in the Day

Science fiction movies and comics sprang from the early days of nuclear proliferation.   Spy themed television and movies really took off in the sixties as the Cold War intensified.   Much of this seemed to capitalize on certain societal fears.   Even though I wasn't born yet during the Second War War, as a young child I remember countless images and bits of information from this most terrible conflict in history.   I'm not sure if they were always accurate ones, but one thing was universally clear: we Americans really felt righteous in our might.   

I recall two things from getting my haircuts as a kid at Vinnie's Barber Shop in North Branford, CT.   One was the sound of a breed of country music on WFIF-1500 AM out of Milford that seems so far removed from today's country.   The other was the pile of comic books he had that seemed to be always about seemingly superhuman heroes facing down evil Nazis and Japanese in WWII.   It made me wonder even back then whether an American Indian riding on a horse could really shoot down a divebombing Messerschmitt fighter with a pistol.  It didn't matter; we were the good guys.   As the Vietnam War got more controversial and I started forming my own opinions, the roles of good and bad guy seemed to blur as the goal of our mission was never defined. 

As we face one of the most evil forces in decades in the form of ISIS, I don't see the same dichotemy between good and bad portrayed as widely in pop culture.   Perhaps that in itself is a good thing, but I also wonder how much of it is based on a disconnect from the conflict as Americans know more about the Kardashians than the whole Middle East while some distrust our own government so much that they question its constituionality or legitimacy.   We should have a natural reluctance to demonize people not of our group while questioning authority, but some basic allegiance to a greater good shouldn't go the way of WWII comics - or the sound of yesterday's country music.      

       

AM Radio Changes

Fifty years ago, RKO-owned AM station 93-KHJ in Los Angeles revolutionized a still young Top 40 format as "Boss Radio."   It was a fast-paced, music intensive approach that was emulated in varying degrees by stations across the country and Canada, including WPOP 1410 in Hartford.   WPOP gave rival WDRC a run for its money in an era of music, personalities and promotions most Baby Boomer listeners wouldn't forget.   A generation later, the music had pretty much died on AM with the exception of adult standards nostalgia formats.   Talk and sports in the 80s and 90s gave many traditionally dominant AM's a much needed infusion of Baby Boomer adult listeners, but now sports has migrated successfully to the FM band while syndicated talk's move in that direction has been slowed largely because of an aging audience.   

In Hartford, heritage signal WTIC-AM 1080 has jettisoned political talk in afternoon drive time in favor of local sports talk, but 'TIC is exceptional in several ways.  WTIC's 50,000 watt signal and their lineup of major sports team play-by-play cover the market far better any other local AM or even the one existing FM sports outlet on 97.9.   Hartford, unlike many markets its size, is not over-radioed.   Even so, WPOP now struggles to get a .1 share of total audience with syndicated Fox Sports.    If profitable sports talk has largely abandoned the AM dial, how long can WTIC keep it as their AM cash cow?

Is talk toast in medium and major markets?    I can point to Providence, where Cumulus Media's WPRO beats the Rush Limbaugh affiliate WHJJ three to one with a very live and local approach, but even local celebrities don't come cheap.     CBS Radio shows less interest in hanging on to any radio stations beyond the top markets, which may also explain why they saw sports as an easier route to relatively young male demographics while they let WTIC-AM's longtime news director Dana Whalen go.    As a child of the sixties now in my sixties, I'm really in the last generation to grow up listening mostly to AM radio.   Does anyone under 55 care about AM?     As a lover of AM, I have to wonder where these stations are headed.

Victimization

1968 Baltimore riots - 2015 wasn't the first time

Feel free to correct me if I'm missing something, but three attitudes seem to be common in every human being I've ever come across who has hit rock bottom:

• My situation is totally someone else's fault.
• I'm unfairly getting the short end of the stick.
• I can do whatever I want.

These are very selfish words to live by.   No man is an island.   We all have to depend on others to some extent.   Life is not fair.   Much of it is beyond our control.   That reality is no excuse for sitting idly by in the face of injustice.   There are things we can control.   Sometimes we find people who illustrate magnificently how to make the best out of the hand we've been dealt.

As I watched the ongoing news coverage of the riots in Baltimore, I saw a lot of examples of selfish acts with looting and ignoring the pleas for nonviolence.   One person asked what the difference was between these riots in a major city or wanton destruction after a college basketball game.   There is none.   Thugs are thugs.

The news media gets blamed for fanning the flames of violence.   That is a price for a free press I'm willing to pay.   CNN deserves major kudos when they interviewed a 30-year veteran whose service dates back to Vietnam.   He was standing up to out of control rioters, telling them to go home where they belong and to stop disrespecting the memory of a possible victim of police brutality or neglect.   His bottom line: "I am an American."

When I hear angry voices, I hear people who feel 100 per cent victimized.   It doesn't just apply to young African Americans in big cities.   Fox News is happy to drum up the idea that their target audience has done all it can to look out for others and is now victimized by everything from being white to religious persecution to total gun confiscation.   The urban rioters sadly ignore the fact that they will only make their situation more desperate by burning down their own neighborhood businesses.   My concern is how this will push the disconnect between two segments of America to even greater levels. 

Not So Fast

Last week we learned that Norway would be pulling the plug on what we know as good old FM radio by January 2016 in favor of DAB - digital audio broadcasting, where one broadcast signal can carry multiple stations with higher quality.    Wait, isn't that the same technology that's been tried on a limited number of FM and even AM stations in the USA with less than stellar results?   How could a failed technology "left for free market forces to decide on" in this country be the wave of the future someplace else?   In the United States, the new so-called "HD radio" channels have not been used for their original purpose.   People have not snapped up radios equipped with the HD receivers.   While the main HD station program is available in FM quality sound on AM and offers two or three additional CD quality channels on HD FM, the net effect has been a proliferation of analog low-powered "translator" FM stations fed by an HD-2, HD-3, etc.    Some station operators have taken advantage of this loophole to expand ethnic, religious or other specialty programming previously unavailable from small market broadcasters.   In the process, the FM dial has become crammed with signals that overlap while AM HD disappears as that band faces the bigger problems of a dwindling and aging audience.   

Will digital audio broadcasting be the new force in radio?    The way our communications regulators decide things here, I doubt things will change very rapidly.   So many technologies have been touted as the "savior" of radio.   Remember FM quadrophonic, the addition of more FM signals in the 80s/90s, competing (and failing) AM stereo technologies and allowing more AM stations to stay on at night?    

Instead of approving hundreds of new low power FM applicants that fail to truly serve local communities, why didn't more longtime AM stations get preference on FM positions?  In Canada, most AM stations have gone off completely as many established AM broadcasters were allowed to get preference in a transition to FM.    When there was room, a struggling AM had a better shot for survival.    In the crowded Northeast, it's a shame we didn't have a wider FM frequency range allocated to the local operators who own (or owned) some of the most iconic and distinctive heritage radio stations now facing extinction in AM static and nighttime interference.   

As with digital TV, over the air reception of HD radio doesn't just gradually fade; it cuts out completely.   This is especially a problem because these digital signals don't have the radius of regular analog terrestrial stations.   This issue needs to be addressed.   Will we then have less free access to radio the way we need to subscribe to over-the-air local TV 25 miles from the transmitter?     Noway is a simpler place; the American transition to digital radio will not be as short and sweet.