As a good counterpoint to the audio clip I posted with Jordan Rich introducing Steve LeVeille’s replacement, this is a brief excerpt from an interview LeVeille did a couple of years ago with Ed Walsh, when he was replacing longtime WBZ morning man Gary LaPierre.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/JAN/LeVeilleWalsh.mp3]Category: Radio
Overnight America, Overnight Success?
I had assumed that “Overnight America” was an existing program, but apparently not. Its premiere was last night, on four stations.
http://www.kmox.com/pages/3583198.php
According to Arbitron, Boston is the #10 radio market, and St. Louis is #20. Am I missing something here about taking the overnight slot from Steve LeVeille and giving it to Jon Grayson? Who besides the guys making the decision think it was a good one to make?
http://www.arbitron.com/home/mm001050.asp
WBoZo 1030 AM Boston’s dumb idea
I predict that WBZ radio’s wrong-headed decision to replace overnight personality Steve LeVeille with a syndicated program originating in St. Louis will be a total failure. Here’s an audio clip of Jordan Rich introducing Jon Grayson, host of Overnight America, with a real party line of BS.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2009/JAN/Wbz1030.mp3]It’s telling that Grayson is on the other end of a regular phone line, and not coming over a high quality link. Nothing against Grayson personally, because I’ve never heard of him before, but I have no interest in listening to his show.
Maybe Steve LeVeille will issue a statement on his website. Wherever he goes, I’ll follow.
Playing DJ with theRADIO.com
Thanks to my dad’s cousin Lawrie for tipping me off to (yet another) new online music service. This one is theRADIO.com. Type in a song or artist and it takes you to whichever category it belongs to. theRADIO.com is from some outfit called American Media Services Interactive, and at this point I feel almost overwhelmed by the choices available today for music, whether online on cable TV, and I don’t even have XM/Sirius or HD Radio.
What I’d really like is a free-form option — except no rap or hip-hop, thank you very much. I love playing DJ, so I played with theRadio.com for a while and skipped around genres while recording. The selection includes the Turtles, a Johnny Ramone instrumental (I checked the volume in the middle of it), Lucinda Williams (a fave of Carol’s), followed by my all-time #1 favorite Bob Dylan tune, and finishing with “Reason to Believe”, recorded while I was called away, so I’m not sure who it is. Some of the inflections almost sound like Petula, but it isn’t her. Marianne Faithfull, maybe?
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/DEC/RadioDotCom.mp3]Speaking of lovely Petula, Dave Moncur sent a link with some photos of our favourite glamour girl, who was performing in Utreht, Netherlands (K3 country!) recently. Thanks, Dave. She looks even better than when I saw her in May!
Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts
There’s a lot of Old Time Radio available for free listening online. One of the many sites offering OTR shows is RadioLovers.com, which is where I found this complete 1949 installment of Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts. It’s particularly interesting for who appears at 17 minutes into the program. He was 24 years old, and yet he’s introduced by his Jewish mother.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/2008/NOV/ArthurGodfrey.mp3]I watched Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour on CBS TV in the 60’s. Today, of course, the format is back as American Idol, etc.
Jonathan Ross and his “Juvenile Radio Prank”
I was flummoxed by how many items and editorials that originated in the UK today about the Jonathan Ross brouhaha didn’t explain exactly what he and his radio pal did. But now I have the story, and it’s strange. Here’s one of many write-ups about it. Sounds like typical shock jock antics, but where everybody knows each other, in one way or another.
Wait! This just came in from our man in Scotland, Petula Clark fan Dave Moncur.
Thought you might like this article which tells a bit about Ross’s fall from grace.
He is paid £18 million over 3 years, and he and his cohort Brand, thought it would be funny to mock the granddaughter of one of our beloved comedy actors, and to leave a filthy message about having shagged her on the guy’s voicemail.
In England, where they live, that is a criminal offence.
It wasn’t a live programme, it was recorded and “signed off” by a BBC executive.
So frankly, it would, in my opinion be good if there were a series of resignations. The manager, producer and to two so-called stars.
As I write, it seems that Brand has done the decent thing and resigned. Ross seems to be a little too fond of his £18 million to do that, but I hope he will be prosecuted under the Telecommunications Act which makes lewd calls a crime, and hopefully the BBC will sack him. This is not what we all pay £140 a year for!.
Incidentally the said Ross, was horribly patronising and rude to Petula when she appeared on his show in 2002 to promote the Ultimate Tour and Album. She was VERY polite, and a little cold back, but I’m pretty sure the little pipsqueak knew that he had been put in his place by someone who has been a superstar longer that he’s been alive.
From that time on I haven’t watched him or listened to him. Frankly most of his humour is a bit childish and crude. You know, anyone can get a laugh out of saying “fuck” or “wank”. It takes talent to get a laugh out of something less crude.
Hope your health is better now.
Thanks, Dave! Yes, my back is completely better. In fact, it’s better than ever and I can say I’m almost glad it happened.
Sorry to hear that Mr. Ross was anything other than sycophantically worshipful of Petula. The swine. But as a comic book fan, I have to give him credit and thanks for producing “In Search of Steve Ditko”.