Golden Rule II

 

I noted the new Golden Rule last week:  Whoever has the gold makes the rules.

The Buffalo Bills of the NFL are getting a new, $ 1.4 billion stadium.  New York taxpayers are on the hook for about  $ 1 billion of that.

Buffalo keeps its team for at least thirty years and it keeps part of its identity.

Can you really put a price tag on a city's image?

The neew stadium will be built next to the old one in Orchard Park.  Proponents say increased economic development will cover the cost of the stadium, although there really isn't much around the current stadium.  Several groups wanted the stadium build in downtown Buffalo.  Construction cost would be higher, but so would the economic development.  With suburban stadiums, you drive there, watch the game, and get back on the highway to go back home.

As I have always said, if stadiums (real plural is "stadia") and arenas were so great, why isn't the private sector jumping on this to cash in?

San Diego declined to build a new stadium several years ago.  It lost the NFL's Chargers to Los Angeles as a result.  It also lost out on a Super Bowl, at least once every five years, and those things pump billions into local economies.

Could Buffalo have survived if the Bills moved?  Most certainly.  San Diego isn't declaring Chapter 11 because the Chargers left.  The same goes for St. Louis, where fans got a raw deal when the Rams headed back west.

There is some development around Lackawanna County Stadium, but that would have happened just by building access roads to the Montage area.  The same goes for the Wilkes-Barre Township arena.  The new exit ramp was the real stimulus there, and the road from Mundy Street to Route 309 didn't hurt, either.

Time will tell if the Buffalo deal makes sense.  In the meantime, taxpayers, hold on to your wallets.

Vote 22: #Sad

 

The nominating petitions are in,  and we know who is running for what, and where,  in the upcoming primary election.

Sorry to say, many races have no opposition.  That always makes me sad.  Choice is good.  It makes for hungry challengers.  It keeps incumbents on their toes.

Worse than that, a lack of choice leads to voter apathy, and that translates into pathetically low voter turnout.

It snowballs.

Congratulations and thank you to the candidates who have entered the arena.  I'm sad there are not more of you.

The primary is May 17.  

I hope you vote.

Call Me Cynical

 

I'm not the only one who thinks this way...

If I had to bet money, I'd say Will Smith's slap of Chris Rock at the Academy Awards Sunday night was staged.

There.

I said it.

It just looked too fake and choreographed.  The broadcast director was right on top of it.

As the day rolled along, fewer and fewer people shared my opinion.  Even though I'm likely wrong, I still have questions.

It's sad that the fine work of so many men and women is overshadowed by what appears to be a stunt.  It's also sad that the movies and the broadcast were unable to stand on their own.

Rock declined to file a police report.  He should have.  Chris Rock was assaulted, but if bad taste was a crime, he would have been cited.

Smith's behavior would get you thrown out of a restaurant, or similar event.  It should have happened Sunday night, even though Smith did the noble thing of defending his wife.

We repeatedly hear celebrities preach about violence.  You can fill in the rest.

Nighty Night

 

My dreams usually follow a pattern.  They are triggered by something that happened during the day.

Once in a while, my nocturnal strolls come out of nowhere.

Case in point:  Saturday afternoon.  I should note that when you work all night, afternoons are prime sleep time.

I had a dream that I was talking with Rush Limbaugh about weekend/vacation homes in Massachusetts, and I asked how long it took him to travel there from New York.  Rush replied about three hours.  Rush's vacation home was in a rather crowded development, and that surprised me.  It wasn't some solitary home way up in the mountains, away from civilization.

After I left Rush, I wandered through some strange and exotic city.  It wasn't foreign because everyone there spoke English.  There were some things I wanted to photograph, but I didn't have my camera.  Considerable time was spent in stores, looking for disposable models.  I couldn't find one.

Yeah, I can't figure it out, either.

Andy's Angles: Different Direction

 

Today, it's another Friday morning shot from along the Lackawanna River at Laurel Street in Archbald, one of my favorite river viewing spots.

It was a grey and foggy morning, so the only color comes from the shrubs on the west side of the river.

There were just a few walkers on the trail when I was here.  There will be more activity when trout season starts Saturday.

Andy's Angles: Too Early!

 

I had a few minutes to spare yesterday morning, just a few.  My guess was that it was a good opportunity to go out and look for signs of spring.

Wrong!

I was a tad early.

This is the downstream view of the Lackawanna River from Laurel Street in Archbald.  Regular blog readers will know that this is one of my favorite fall destinations.  There were no signs of spring time on this foggy March morning.  From the looks of things, spring is only a couple of weeks away.  I expect a slight delay because of the chilly snap in the forecast.

Regardless of the weather, this is a great spot to take in the sights along the river.

The Golden Rule

 

Something in one of the radio industry trade web sites caught my eye.

The Washington Commanders and radio station WTEM are cutting ties.

The radio station said it disagreed with the team over the value of Commanders broadcast rights.  There was also a veiled reference to the Commanders wanting to put a lid on serious and honest "on air" discussions.  As you may know, Commanders management is caught up in a sexual harassment investigation and the team simply hasn't been very good in recent years.

The Commanders countered that it could get a better financial deal elsewhere.

In a case like this, remember the Golden Rule:  "He who has the gold makes the rules."

The Commanders will get more money from another station group, and calling the shots on the tone of coverage will undoubtedly be part of the deal.  It's happened before.  It happens now.  It will happen in the future.

WTEM will be wounded by the loss of the Commanders, but it will survive, perhaps with its dignity intact.

Follow the money.

Happy Birthday and Thank You!

 

If you read this blog on a regular basis, you know I have great respect and admiration for good teachers and tremendous disdain for the horrible and lazy ones.

One of my favorite college professors celebrated a birthday recently, and I dropped her a line.  It was a literature course, not one of my strong points, but I made it through and even enjoyed the class.  In my note, I remembered some lessons learned, and I seemed to make her day, or at least a small portion of it.

Moral of the story:  Don't wait for a birthday.  It's always good time to say "thank you" to someone memorable and special in your life, especially if it's a teacher.

Loose Wednesday

 

Just a little housekeeping, concerning previous topics,  before we move on to other things...

It's silly explaining this to you because you're already here, but in case you forget, the blog link on WNEP.com has been restored.  It got lost in the shuffle several months ago when the station's web site changed, but everything is fixed.  The link is on my bio page.  A huge thank you to the people who made it happen.

This is the last time I will visit this topic for a while.  You may remember, I was astounded Joe Buck, who already makes a ton of money, gave up Super Bowls and World Series for a chance to call a mediocre slate of Monday Night Football games on ESPN.  Buck explained the move gives him more family time, and he does have young kids.  I get that.

Al Michaels goes from NBC to call Thursday night games for Amazon.  I'm a Michaels fan, but I'm not paying to watch football.  Mike Tirico is the new NBC Sunday night guy.  Competent, but I don't like his voice.  It's a moot point.  I'm asleep Sunday nights, anyway.

I'm not anti Wordle.  On the contrary.  I'm in favor of anything that expands the mind.  I'm not a fan of scores on the internet.  There were TV game shows with the same concept, and one is coming back soon.  I thought the best of the previous lot was the Chuck Woolery version of "Lingo" on GSN.

It has been previously noted that I was a huge fan of TV game show host Tom Kennedy, and I thought one of his best was "Split Second."  It aired for three years on ABC.  You had to be smart and fast, and the bonus round was great.  Anyway, March 20 was the 50th anniversary of its premiere.  This one is long overdue for a revival.

Av Westin

 

Chances are, you didn't know the name.

You should.

Av Westin died March 12.  He was 92.

Westin was a CBS News producer, where he was responsible for documentaries and the "CBS Morning News," back when it was a real news broadcast.

His greatest work was done over at ABC.

Westin fixed the Harry Reasoner/Barbara Walters debacle that was the "ABC Evening News. "  He, along with Roone Arledge, morphed it in to what became the groundbreaking  "World News Tonight."

The first "20/20" was an absolute mess.  Westin was given the task of fixing it.  He did.

Av Westin helped create "Nightline."

Westin wrote a book called "Newswatch:  How Television Decides the News" in the early 80's.  If you can find it, read it.  It's fascinating, even if you aren't in the business.  It has a prominent place in my book case.

Av Westin influenced what you see every evening.  The man was a giant.

Monday Scrapple

 

Is anyone really surprised Tom Brady's retirement lasted only forty days?

It was so sad to read of William Hurt's passing.  It inspired me to watch "Broadcast News."  The technology is archaic, but it's a great story and the movie still holds up.

Even though we haven't had a lot of snow this winter, I'm happy to see it end.

I've tried watching Trevor Noah.  What am I missing here?

A Cinderella team makes the NCAA basketball tournament much more enjoyable.

By the way, and I know I say this every year, I don't care about your brackets and hearing endless radio discussions bores me to tears.

I still haven't tried Uber, Lyft or any of the associated delivery services.

It would be great to see the Pirates and the Orioles competitive again.

"Tattletales" was an under rated game show.

Could somebody explain Pete Davidson to me?  Why do so many people care about what he does?

CBS will air a celebrity pickleball tournament this year.  It's now official.  The networks are out of ideas.

Andy's Angles: Fogged In

 

It's another Friday morning fog shot.  Back there, somewhere, is Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport.  

This was a spur of the moment trip, long before sunrise.  I didn't take my full lens arsenal with me, so this should have been, and could have been a better shot.

It looks like I'll be doing some reading on fog photography.

Andy's Angles: Foggy Weekend

 

My goal yesterday morning was to capture the fog.  The mini light trails were a little bonus.

I'm on the O'Neill Highway in Dunmore.  That's Interstate 81 below.  Headlights are southbound.  Tail lights are going north.

I have to try another foggy morning expedition when I have more time.  Love the atmosphere, but the driving was tough.

Tyler After 10

 

I've been doing this a long time, a very long time, and this was a new one on me.

I started March 19, ten years ago, doing a story on utility work along River Street in Wilkes-Barre.  Then, the WNEP  assignment desk called.  There was a monkey loose in Ashley.  Are you kidding me?  I thought it was a joke.

Photographer Steve and I traveled to Ashley and found out it was very, very real.

That's the monkey you see above.  His name is Tyler.

The owner's son took Tyler for an early morning ride on his ATV.  Tyler took off.  Police called.  He was recaptured.  Tyler is a wild animal.  Even though he was tame and friendly, his time as an Ashley resident was up.

The Game Commission came in and took Tyler away.  He was sent to a wildlife facility in the central part of the state.

Tyler's owner was upset, and I get that. Pets, even monkeys with giant teeth, are parts of the family.   Neighbors weren't happy, either.  They saw Tyler as just another of the neighborhood kids.

I love animals, but this situation frightened me.  Tyler has enormous teeth, and even though he was friendly, he still was a wild animal, and he had no place in a residential neighborhood.  It was safer for the people of Ashley, and for Tyler, if he was moved elsewhere.

The story generated tremendous interest.  People talked about it for days.  The phones lit up.

It's nice to know I will have done a story that will be talked about, long after I'm gone.

Play Ball! and Pay Ball!

 

Major League Baseball and its players' union reached a new collective bargaining agreement last week, and spring training is now underway.  The regular season begins April 7.

Bravo!  

I'm not as big a fan as I used to be, but it's nice to see baseball back.

Two things about the new collective bargaining agreement jump out at me.

12 teams now make the playoffs.

The designated hitter will now be a thing in both the American and National leagues.

Boo!

I despise expanded playoffs in any sport.  The NHL and NBA playoffs last an eternity.  The first weekend of the expanded NFL playoffs this year was nothing short of awful.  That's what happens when you put mediocre teams in the post season.  The way to make things better, more special, more important, more meaningful is less-- not more.

I'm a purist.  Give the pitcher a bat.

Well, dear readers, a flawed game is better than none at all.

And, while we are on money, television, and sports, consider Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.  The top FOX NFL team is going to ESPN to do a mediocre slate of Monday Night Football games.  ESPN gives Buck and Aikman a huge raise, plus they will play a role in ESPN's new streaming service.  Remember, this is the network that competes against itself with the unlistenable Manning cast.

At FOX, Buck and Aikman were to call two of the next three Super Bowls, and Buck gets as many World Series as he wants.

I like Aikman.  I. love Buck    Both men already have tons of money.  For me, the deciding factor would be the strength of the event.  The 4 PM Sunday FOX game is America's Game of the Week.  Most of the time, that second doubleheader game is the most compelling3. match up of the week, especially in the late season.  In recent years, the MNF games were losers.

It's happened in the news business across the country.  Popular anchors get jobs at lousy cross town stations, assuming the audience will follow them.  It rarely works.

If MNF gets a good slate, the viewers will be there.  Viewers come for the game, not the announcers.  I will admit that the first FOX box in 1994, with the time, quarter, on the screen was an awesome development, and a nice draw.  CBS copied it when it got back in the NFL game a few years later.  ABC/ESPN did.  NBC resisted for yeas, a stupid move.   

FOX has a long list of replacements for Buck and Aikman.  NBC lined up the thin voiced Mike Tirico to take over for Al Michaels on Sunday night,  Keep Al.

Looks like Michaels is going to Amazon for a mega paycheck and Thursday night games.  When all is said and done, he will be remembered as one of the best, ever.

Michaels, Buck, and Aikman, enjoy that money while you watch bad teams, and sit at home when the playoffs roll around.

Captain Dan

 

I only met Captain Dan once.

Let's go back several decades.  It was 1994, and I was working "down the street."  I was assigned to cover the Ridge for Governor campaign in Ridge's hometown of Erie.  I was there for the primary.  I returned for the general election in November, and enter Captain Dan.

Dan Geary was an Erie radio legend.  He was on the local airwaves from his high school days, until his death last week at the age of 72.

During my brief trips to Erie, Dan was working for "Classy 100 WXKC" radio,  He was visiting polling places and handing out doughnuts to the voters and election workers the morning of the November general election.  I've never been one to turn down a doughnut, and Dan and I struck up a nice conversation.  It was just two old radio bucks talking about life in "the business."  Dan was a guy you just instantly liked, and I always admired those people who lived "radio."  He made quite the impression.

The doughnut was outstanding.  I do remember it was one of those high end pastries from a supermarket bakery-- not the mass produced, sugary, tasteless things that pass for doughnuts these days.

Dan Geary entertained thousands over the years, and he also helped young people get started in radio during a stint at Mercyhurst College.

There aren't many like Dan Geary left.  I'm glad we met.  Thank you for the doughnut and the conversation.

Charles Entenmann

 

Bakery mogul Charles Entenmann died last week.  92.

His stuff is really good.  Unfortunately, Entenmann's products aren't cheap, so they don't find their way into my supermarket cart on a regular basis.

The tiny chocolate chip cookies and cheese danish are nothing short of outstanding.

As an aside, it's so hard to find a really good cheese danish, one of my weaknesses.

According to Newsday, Entemann wasn't a dessert guy and he rarely ate his own cakes.

Charles Entenmann brought happiness to millions over the years, including me.

We should all be so fortunate.

Thank you.

5

 

It's the fifth anniversary of the Blizzard of 2017.  Much of our area received more than two feet of snow, and it was simply an awful time.

In a way, I was extremely fortunate.  I was assigned to be the morning "metro" reporter, which meant that I stayed in the valley cities.  Others on the staff were dispatched to far flung sections of our coverage area.  After a quick caucus with the staff, it was decided I report from Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre.  Wonderful!  A photographer and I worked out of our Wyoming Valley Newsroom, meaning we had access to a warm and dry office, plus a bathroom between live reports.

The real fun followed when Newswatch 16 This Morning ended.  We began the slow trek to home base in Moosic, reporting on what we encountered along the way.  Our truck became stuck in the snow three times, the last incident taking place when were getting off the Moosic exit of Interstate 81 north.  I had a full plate of assignments and recordings back at the office to worry about.  Thankfully, snow lover John Hickey was riding past.  He rescued me and took me back to the station while the photographer waited for the truck to be plowed out.  It didn't take long.

I took care of all my assignments back at the office.  There was no way  I was getting home, so it was a trudge through the snow to one of the hotels next door.  As I gathered with my coworkers in the hotel lobby, I remember looking up in the solarium, watching the snow, and thinking it was never going to stop.

I was off the next day, which was a good thing, because I slept horribly.  I packed up my stuff and headed back to the station very early in the morning.  It was quiet.  Everything that could have been canceled was called off the day before.  The phones were dead.

The snow stopped.  I dug my car out in the parking lot.  Interstate 81 wasn't great, but I was passable, and I was in a hurry to get home.  There was no traffic, so the ride home was relatively easy.  My own bed never felt so good.

Above is a shot of the morning crew, taken in the hotel lobby.  As horrible as those blizzard days were, hanging with a great bunch of people helped me keep my sanity.

Andy's Angles: Fixer Uppers

 

This is another Thursday morning shot from the Von Storch facility, just off Green Ridge Street in Scranton.

I love old diesels, and the more beat up, the better.  As I've said before, if these machines could talk, the places they've been...

Andy's Angles: Wabash in the Weeds

 

I was doing my usual Thursday morning errands when I realized I didn't have any fresh photos for the weekend.

Fate smiled on me.  As I was pulling out of Green Ridge News with a hot sack of Texas wieners, I looked up Green Ridge Street in Scranton, and there it was-- a couple of engines parked outside the back of the Von Storch shop.

Sadly, I didn't have my good camera with me.  A shot from an old camera phone will have to get me by.

Full disclosure:  I cropped a bit and also boosted the colors.  It was a horribly gray morning.

But, even a bad train shot is still fun.

Friday Scrapple

 

Is the Wordle craze over yet?

I'm still dealing with the salted caramel craze.

It's still winter coat weather, but I've been opting for lighter fare.  Wearing winter clothes at this time of year is depressing.

The economy might be struggling, but I am still bombarded with credit card offers.

It's always ice cream season.

Underrated song:  "Oh Babe" by the late Hurricane Smith.

There are nights I nail just about every Jeopardy! question and nights I'm simply pathetic.

An NFL player has been banned for betting on games.  Gambling is so prevalent, expect it to happen again and again.

Way too much yammering on "America Says."  Just play the game.

I don't do much "in person" shopping these days, and oddly, I don't miss it.

Wasted On the Way

 

Forgive me for another time related entry this week.

I will acknowledge that things changed rapidly when the pandemic hit, and many stores and restaurants gave up on 24 hour operation.   I will also acknowledge that businesses are having an awful time finding and keeping employees.

It's long been established here that I live on the other side of the clock.  I work when you are asleep and vice versa.  I am not alone.  There are a lot of us out there.

Things are easing up a bit.  There are still a few 24 hour places left, and the ones I visit are always busy.  To the businesses that close early...  it's time to go back to the way things were.  As I'm out in the wee hours of the morning, I see people bypassing those places that used to be open, and crowding the 24/7 businesses.  

A lot of money is passing you by.

Turn and Face the Strange

 

It's been slow lately, so I'm offering up this chestnut a few days early...

By "slow," I mean my kind of slow.  There is a lot going on nationally and internationally.  I can offer up opinions on silly little things, like the time change.  I still do news for a living, so I refrain from opinions on serious, newsy things.

Now that we have established that, let's talk about daylight saving time.  Why?  Studies have shown there is no longer a need for it.  There is talk, twice a year, of doing away with clock shifting.  It goes nowhere.

There is one plus for me, when you work a shift like mine, "spring forward" means one hour cut off my work week.  I'll work that extra hour in November.

And then, there are the minuses.  Sunrises will be delayed for a while.  I am in the vast, vast minority here, but late sunsets do nothing for me.  I have an air conditioner.  I have blackout curtains.  Still, it's more difficult to sleep when it's light, and it's great fun to get up at 9:30 pm to go to work, and it's still daylight.

Don't cry for me.  This is the life I have chosen, and it's served me very well, for a very long time.

Spring forward Sunday morning, and I'll call you back later.

40

 

I don't know how this one dropped off my radar, and I'm sorry I didn't remember it, but last week was my 40th anniversary as a street reporter.

The trigger was a story about the 40th anniversary of the death of John Belushi.  I was driving back from the assignment when Terry McNulty of WARM 590 broke in with the bulletin that Belushi was dead.

Let me talk about that first assignment.  WARM news director Jerry Heller showed great faith in me (probably too much faith) and sent me to a homicide trial in Honesdale.  It was a sad story.  A man was charged with killing a toddler.  I should add that I was at the station for about a year, mostly babysitting the operation during the Sunday morning religion and public affairs programs.   I used to do fake news broadcasts for afternoon drive guy Tim Karlson.  He'd critique me, and when Tim thought I was good enough, he played the tapes for Jerry.  The rest is history.  Tim left us several years ago.  I am so lucky Timmy was on my side.

I was to drive to the station, pick up a news car, and go to the Wayne County Courthouse.   I told Jerry I would take my own SUV and leave from home.  The station's cars were standards and I was too embarrassed to say I couldn't drive a stick.  I later learned.

I thought I was a smart 20 year old kid and I'd pick it up fast.  I'll give myself a C+ grade for those first days.  Trials are nothing like you see on "Matlock."  I'd phone in a report, and afternoon anchor Terry would tell me how to make it better.  I'd hang up, rewrite, and do it again.  

Terry taught me a lot that first week, and in the years to come.  I'm sorry I never had the chance to say thank you.   In case a McNulty family member stumbles across this entry, they should know The Big Fella influenced so many broadcasters in a positive way.

Things were strained between Jerry and I when I left for WYOU in 1991, and I'm grateful we reconciled shortly before he passed.  I would not be what I am today without that foundation Jerry helped build.  He was a good man, and blessed with patience.  He really needed it with me.  That patience was severely tested on several occasions.

As for the trial itself, even as a newbie, I sensed the prosecution didn't have much of a case and that case was deeply flawed.  It went to the jury on a Saturday, when I was assigned to work at the office.  The trial ended with an acquittal, and I can't say I was surprised.

Belushi is a tragic story and I will never forget a line from Dan Aykroyd's eulogy:  "John was a good man, but a bad boy."

Forty years has passed in a flash.  I'm still having fun.  There is gas left in the tank.  I won't be around for another forty, but I'll be back at the office tomorrow.

TPIR HOF

 

The Price is Right is being inducted in to the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Bravo!

It certainly deserves it.  TPIR is in its 50th season, with the actual 50th anniversary coming up in September.

Thoughts?  In spite of its flaws, TPIR is still a fun hour of daily entertainment.  Most of the show is true to its roots, with some nice visual upgrades to modern times.

Drew Carey is a solid host, and he has made the show his own, building on the Bob Barker foundation of the first 35 years.

More commercial time was added several years ago, so the show often seems rushed.  Contests scream way too much, even before they've won anything.  I'm sure that's at the urging of producers.  Drew has ditched the tie.  He has a beard and longer hair.  I think he looks sloppy, but to each, his own.  The wheel spin bores me to tears, and that's when I usually refill my iced tea glass or check emails.  Showcases have become a bit more extravagant, and it appears they rely less and less on Plinko, an overplayed game.

Watching people win cars never gets old.

Congratulations, TPIR!

Andy's Angles: In the Distance

 

I was playing around with the camera I keep in my bag for unexpected opportunities.

I took this shot right around the same time as the header photo, and the photo I shared here yesterday.  The difference is I'm pointed in the opposite direction.

The former Lackawanna County Visitors Center is the building at the left.  Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is off to the upper left.

It was a cloudy morning, and you can see some sunrise pinks and oranges up above.  It's not a great shot, but this is the view we see when we look out the back door.

About the Cover: Moosic Sunrise

 

A similar view has appeared here before, but not a shot taken at this time of day.

This is the view of a recent sunrise, taken from the backyard of the WNEP studios in Moosic.

Getting up early in the morning can be tough, but there are advantages.  One of the biggest is viewing the sunrise.

Wings

 

When the history of television is written, I suspect "Wings" won't be given much attention, and that's too bad.

The show was vastly underrated.  It was never a huge hit, but it did deliver dependable laughs for 172 episodes in the nineties.

A pair of brothers ran a struggling Nantucket airline, in a terminal filled with unusual characters.  Tim Daly and Steven Weber held it together, but the secondary characters made the show work-- especially Antonio the cab driver, Lowell the mechanic, and Roy, the operator of the rival airline.

I should note there is a CBS logo in the photo I stole.  Paramount produced "Wings."  It is now part of the CBS family, or vice versa.  First runs were on NBC.

Farrah Forke, pictured second from the left, played helicopter pilot Alex Lambert in 35 episodes.  Alex wasn't a particularly memorable character, but she did add a little spice for three seasons in the middle of the show's run.  We learned Wednesday that Forke died from cancer back on February 25.  She was only 54 years old.

I wasn't watching "Wings" in prime time and then fate intervened.  Back in the day, the day, "Wings" was all over the USA Network schedule.  It made sense.  Paramount owned USA years ago.  Paramount produced "Wings."  Do the math.  It was even a joke on "Married with Children."  Be that as it may, I was stuck in the house because I had the flu.  I channel surfed on to "Wings," and I was hooked.  The show still holds up today.

Farrah Forke appeared in several other projects after "Wings."  Gone too soon.

Why?

 

As of this writing, Major League Baseball and its players' union do not have a collective bargaining agreement.  There has been a lock out for months.  Negotiating sessions are going nowhere.  Regular season games have already been canceled, and I'm sure more are on the way.

I'm all for fair treatment of the working man, or in this case, the playing man.  I don't see any owners flirting with bankruptcy, but they do deserve a decent return on their investment.

This is clearly a labor problem that hurts both sides.  It really hurts the fans-- the people who pay big bucks for a day or night at the park, and who pay hefty cable bills.

Why?

Baseball was struggling in recent years-- attendance issues, soft television ratings, and general  public indifference.

Baseball, fix this, or your situation will get even worse.

Media Wednesday

 

I cannot believe the money networks and streaming services are throwing at NFL broadcasters and color commentators.  More power to them!  I always remember a quote from legendary New York sportscaster Marty Glickman.  He used to tell young broadcasters that the only one who tunes a game just to hear them is their mother.

More proof the winter Olympics were a bomb at NBC:  The games couldn't pull NBC's morning and evening news broadcasts out of second place.  People stuck with Good Morning America and World News Tonight on ABC.

I still don't stream anything and I find the current offerings nothing but confusing.

The new head of CNN is the guy who put the news back in the CBS morning show.  It's disappeared again.  His last job was running the late night show at CBS, which has a clear political slant.  I expect CNN to continue on its current course, but it would be nice to see some serious news, around the clock, again.

I will always marvel at the men and woman who cover a war, from inside the war.  Good luck to those covering the conflict in Ukraine.

Also, major kudos those broadcasters, television and radio, who can explain the war in 90 seconds.

CBS Sports Radio, which is not owned by CBS, has turned over some of its hours to a sports gambling network.  Unlistenable!

It's amazing how many big name sports talk radio people took vacation time after the Super Bowl.  It makes sense.  It's the slow season.

I do miss FOX Sports Radio and CBS Sports Radio on local terrestrial stations.  I don't have satellite for the car, but I do have it at home.

Interest in Wordle:  Zero!

NBC wants to stream Major League Baseball games, if they ever play baseball again.

I mentioned the David Letterman You Tube channel here before, and I love it more every day.  It's not just old clips.  It's also a lot of behind the scenes stuff, including the recollections of former staff members.  Hours of fun!

Speaking of  late night tv, a documentary on the great Tom Snyder is in the works, and I can't wait to see it.  Snyder was a broadcaster's broadcaster.

I'm enjoying Jeopardy! more now that there is a rotation of champions.

Even though I've been out of radio for a long time, I still do read radio industry web sites.  It seems like a lot of stations, none locally, are switching formats.  It must be a spring time thing.

Under the Microscope

 

Several small police departments in Lackawanna County are now part of a study to see if a combination makes sense.

As a resident of one of these communities, I do have my concerns.  I also have an open mind, and I'm sure there are some things that can be done better.  There are no prefect organizations, public or private.  All can benefit from a good, up close look.

Officers say it's tough getting help, and the business has more challenges than ever.

I think I'm like a lot of people who fear losing that cop in town.  But, it's a new age.  New realities.  New challenges.  New dangers.

A merger is still a long way off, and far from a certainty.

The report should be among the best reading of the year.