Station Break

Heard or seen something on the pop culture landscape that appalled/delighted/enlightened you? Of course you have. That's what Station Break with Paul Farhi is here for. Local stations, cable, radio shows, commercials, pop culture -- they're all fair game.

Farhi was online Tuesday, May 2, at 1 p.m. ET.

Submit your questions and comments before or during today's discussion.

Farhi is a reporter in the Post's Style section, writing about media and popular culture. He's been watching TV and listening to the radio since "The Monkees" were in first run and Adam West was a star. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Los Angeles, Farhi had brief stints in the movie business (as an usher at the Picwood Theater), and in the auto industry (rental-car lot guy) before devoting himself full time to word processing. His car has 15 radio pre-sets and his cable system has 75 channels. He vows to use all of them for good instead of evil.

A transcript follows.

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Paul Farhi: Greetings, all, and welcome back (and to our first-timers: just plain old welcome)...Okay, it's baseball season and once again we Comcast subscribers are Nats-less, thanks to the long running dispute between Comcast and O's owners (and Nats TV rights holder) Peter Angelos. If the old "Nightline" were referring to this mess, it would call it "Washington Fans Held Hostage: Season Two." Let's not belabor the excruciating details here, but this all started when Angelos said he intended to take the O's rights from Comcast after this season's contract is up (not sure where he thinks he's going, but still...). This caused Comcast to black out the Nats. A few lawsuits later, on it goes. I can see both sides of this (I'm professionally indecisive, I guess). And, of course, no matter who's to blame, the fans are the real losers [sound of wild applause for faux-populist statement]. My question: Who (or even whom) do you blame for all this? Or maybe, who or whom do you blame MORE?...Let's go to the phones....

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Gaithersburg, Md.: Paul --Is Howard Stern really so much a force of nature that his departure from WJFK could suck the life from the ratings of every show on the station? How does he affect the ratings of Don and Mike? My personal opinion on that show is that D and M have taken too much vacation time, and people have tired of listening to "Best Of" shows. Plus, sad to say, Don's frequent discussion of the tragic death of his wife is a "downer" to too many listeners who tune in because their own lives suck and they look to D and M to distract them from their dismal lives, not remind them of it. Furthermore, their shtick has just gotten old after so many years.

P.S.: Jay Severin has got to go! Rosenberg is great, though. Give him more time on the air.

Paul Farhi: Strange but true, I think. You can see the before- and after- effect in last week's ratings. Don & Mike took nothing like the hit they took in the winter quarter during the summer, when a) they were out a lot; and b) Don was talking about/dealing with the immediate aftermath of his wife's death. Facts: they recorded a 3.1 rating in the summer, then popped back to a 4.5 in the fall. Then, the fallout from Stern's departure (way down to a 3.1). NOthing could really explain it OTHER than the destabilization caused by the absence of Stern.

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Washington, D.C.: Any truth to the rumor that Ron and Fez might be broadcast on Infinity stations at night? If so, if WJFK keeps Jay Severin instead of putting R and F back on, I'm breaking out the torches and pitchforks.

Paul Farhi: I've got nothing for you on that at the moment, but I'm hopeful. R&F were/are extremely funny and companionable. And special bonus points if they go back into their old nighttime slot while bumping Severin. A two-fer!

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washingtonpost.com: washingtonpost.com:Stern-Less Radio Stations See Their Ratings Plunge (Post, April 29)

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Derwood: What, exactly, is Mike Buchanan doing on WTOP? These things he does are not funny, informative, insightful or entertaining! It's not really commentary, nor is it satire or comedy. And there doesn't appear to be any new reporting. Sometimes, there's no news. What exactly is this supposed to be? Because it isn't working right now. Give him something to report on!

Paul Farhi: I think the idea is for Mike to be a younger version of Andy Rooney. Or maybe an older Jack Cafferty (on CNN). Or maybe he's got a unique perspective after being a reporter and anchor around these parts for decades. I'm not defending him, per se, but he's just the kind of guy you WOULD want to be doing those spots.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Actually, I blame you Paul. As a card-carrying member of the vast main stream media, you make an easy target. Of course, it's really because I don't understand all this stuff. "I want my MTV! (I mean Nats).

Paul Farhi: According to the email I (and other reporters) get anytime I/we write anything, I'm/we're probably responsible for World War II, global warming and the cancellation of "The Facts of Life." I get it from every side--right-wing, left-wing, middle wing. So I'm not surprised that you think I might be responsible for this.

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Arlington, Va.: How is Air America doing these days? After their big opening, including a nice Post magazine profile of one of their leads, we don't hear much about them anymore.

Paul Farhi: Mainly because no one listens to them here. That surprises me: You'd think lefty political talk would find a following in the political capital of the country. You would be wrong, however.

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Falls Church, Va.: Isn't it unfair for these radio stations to dump their new shows after so little time? I'm talking about David Lee Roth in NYC and The Junkies in D.C. Howard Stern himself has said that these shows need more time (like a year) to build an audience. It seems like station management has shot their own station in the foot instead of trying to build their own audience.

Paul Farhi: Well, the Junkies aren't going anywhere. As for David Lee Roth, I never heard his program. A wild guess, but I bet it wasn't too good. But even if it was above average, he had a high bar to cross, what with New York being Stern's top market.

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Rockville, Md.: Paul,

When the Nats played the Mets here in D.C. on Sunday night baseball a couple of Sundays ago, those of us living in Comcastland were able to see it! It wasn't blacked out! Does this mean future games on ESPN or even TBS (the Braves station) or WGN (the Cubs station) will also be viewable to those of us that reside in the Comcast fiefdom?

Paul Farhi: The honest answer is I don't know, because MLB's blackout rules appear to be as complicated as the NFL's salary cap rules. Maybe if I had an assistant who could advise me about blackouts the way the Redskins have a salary-cap assistant I could tell you the answer.

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Sacramento, Calif.: Which president had the most war or military involvements

Paul Farhi: Um, is this a Final Jeopardy question? What is, Lincoln?

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Down with Koons!: Rather than entice me to want to shop at their dealerships, all those incessant Koons commercials with the insufferable Krystal Koons have done is made me vow to NEVER buy anything from them! When my alarm goes off in the morning, I generally turn on the news. (I won't even get into Blabbering Barbara Harrison. Sure, she does a lot for charity, but is that enough of a reason to keep her on the air?) I find that the Koons commercials are like the snooze button -- after two or three times, I can't take listening to the noise anymore and get up out of bed.

Paul Farhi: What, you like "Mark Down" more?

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Alexandria, Va.: Paul -- Who, exactly, is Jay Severin? I never even heard of him until WJFK put him on. As a Republican, even I think he's somewhat loony. Even more loony than Michael Savage, and that's saying something.

Paul Farhi: He's a guy out of that noted conservative-loon hothouse, Boston. Don't know much about him. Don't care to find out.

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Re: Air America: Their signal is horrible, static-ridden. I try to pick up Rachel Maddow in the mornings from Alexandria and it barely comes in. No wonder ratings are low. Not that it would be a powerhouse with a stronger signal, but it would make a big difference.

Paul Farhi: Seems as if Rush Limbaugh was a bunch of sketchy AM stations way back in the day, too. It kinda worked out for him...

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Turning down Juliana Margulies: So now that it appears Tony has actually changed, I'm foreseeing Tony being killed by Christopher as a likely ending to this great series.

Paul Farhi: I wouldn't go there, not because I don't think you're right or wrong, but because predicting "Sopranos" whackings (of major characters, that is) has proven awfully hard. Tell me one that you really called? I mean REALLY called...

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Jon Lovitz: So how far has he fallen to be doing Subway commercials?

Paul Farhi: Fallen? I thought that was a career upgrade for him.

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Ballston, Va.: I hate to disappoint the Nats fan, but that ESPN game was one of the few agreed-upon games that we could watch. Take a look at the schedule and you'll see that it's marked as such.

Still so unbelievably angry that I can't watch my team -- I blame both Angelo$ and Comcast!

Paul Farhi: Kinda what I thought, too...

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Cleveland Park, Washington, D.C.: You wrote: "According to the email I (and other reporters) get anytime I/we write anything, I'm/we're probably responsible for . . . the cancellation of 'The Facts of Life.'"

Thanks, Paul. We owe you for that one.

Paul Farhi: Okay, bad example. Maybe I should have said "sun spots."

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Reston, Va.: I blame MLB for caving to Angelos and giving him the rights to the Nats broadcasts.

Paul Farhi: Fair enough. I guess MLB thought it had to, given that Angelos would have tied up move of Expos to D.C. far longer than the D.C. City Council could have dreamed of.

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Angelos Broadcast Territory: Sunday night baseball is unique, ESPN has exclusive broadcast rights so no blackouts. No such luck for any other times except some Saturday afternoons when Fox has exclusive rights.

Paul Farhi: Ah. Thanks. Would you like to be my blackout assistant?

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: Two 24 questions:

- has there ever been an episode that made less sense than last night's?

- Would Chloe O'Brien be able to see the Nats whenever she wants?

Paul Farhi: Hahahaha..."24" always kinda circles the airport (in this case, literally) from about Episode 15 through Episode 20. It's sort of its nap period. Then it wakes up for what Fox will undoubtedly call its "shattering conclusion."

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Mark Down: He's annoying, too, but those commercials seem to be played less frequently than the Koons commercials.

Paul Farhi: I wonder if Krystal Koons is really a Koons (or even a Krystal) or if she's just playing one on TV...

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Springfield, Va.: I say Boo to WTEM for moving the Sports Reporters show from drive time 5-7 p.m. to crap time 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. I just erased that station from my pre-sets.

Paul Farhi: Not sure WTEM had a choice. Kornheiser's show (plus repeat): gone. Dan Patrick's show: gone. Those were big hunks of its regular lineup. They had to do something.

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Rockville, Md.: Regarding Air America:

I love listening to Stephanie Miller and Al Franken, but neither is on when I'm normally driving into work (6:30-7:00) or home (4:30-5:00). I don't particularly like the guy in the afternoon that tries to be the liberal version of Rush, but Stephanie Miller cracks me up. But I can only listen to her when I'm not working. If they had Stephanie Miller on in the afternoon, I'd bet the ratings would go up.

Paul Farhi: I guess this is a problem for all talk shows, not just AA: How to get a midday audience. I mean, you can't listen to talk in the office or at work--it will alienate someone. Any office that has a radio on usually opts for something inoffensive--WASH-FM (soft rock), WGMS-FM (classical), WJZW-FM ("smooth" jazz), etc. Soothing, you know...

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Alexandria, Va.: In response to your question regarding Nats blackout: The fault lies with the Orioles as a team, including management, and ultimately Angelos. If the O's were any good they might attract a solid fan base. If 1/2 the effort went into creating a great team as the effort in competing with the Nationals viewership all would be well. Just watched the Red Sox V Yankees game last night -- the only competition is on the field. Fantastic game. (Every game in Fenway is sold out - the fans would never accept a blackout!)

Paul Farhi: Of course, Boston isn't the Wash-Balt area, is it? The more relevant example(s) might be Chicago (Cubs-White Sox), L.A. (Dodgers-Angels), S.F. (Giants-A's), or N.Y. (Mets-Yanks). THEY all have managed to get along without screwy deals like Angelos controlling the TV rights of both teams...

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Reston, Va.: Do you think they'll ever roll out a "Very Special Episode" of 24?

Paul Farhi: Perhaps a Christmas episode, in which Jack, reunited with daughter Kim, spend a quiet hour at home trimming their tree together. The tree then explodes.

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Salt Lake City, Utah: Hey Paul,Does WTWP broadcast over the Internet? I'd love to check it out some time.

You asked who's to blame in the Nats TV debacle. It's definitely Bud Selig. I'm a life-long O's fan (cried when we lost game 7 of the 71 series, I was 7) who grew up in Crabtown but then went to college (Go Terps) and grad school and worked in D.C. before moving here. I've always felt D.C. deserved a team. I despise Peter AngeLOSE and what he's done to O's but, honestly, I would have tried to do what he did. Get as much out of the deal for me as possible. Bud Selig should have called Angelos' bluff. Instead, he caved! IMHO, in the end, Comcast will sell a portion of Comcast SportsNet to Angelos for the right to broadcast both teams next year.

Paul Farhi: I agree there. That's a solution that seems to satisfy everyone's interests and greed....As for streaming, yes. Go to Washingtonpostradio.com. Happy listening, SLC...

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Sports, Radio: Speaking of sports radio, when will Dan Snyder's Red Zebra radio get going? I'm so looking forward to an alternative to WTEM.

Paul Farhi: Should be soon. Redskins' preseason games start in July. They're gonna need several weeks, I'd think, for people to figure out where to find them before the games start...

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Re: whackings: Come on. Is there anyone who DIDN'T see Adriana's whacking coming the second she puked onto the investigation room table in season 3?

Paul Farhi: I like to think I called Adrianna's whacking when I read (several weeks before) that Drea De Matteo had shot the pilot for "Joey."

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Down with K Koonz: I don't feel so alone anymore! There are others who CAN'T STAND Krystal Koonz?! When I hear the first word from her mouth or take a peek at those crazy, saucer eyes -- I flip out looking for the remote to change the channel!

Paul Farhi: The sweater-vest is what alienates me.

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I called the Adriana hit: the season before. But, admittedly, I've called Paulie getting whacked at least twice and the scum bucket is still breathing.

I am calling his whacking this year also on the basis of his strong arming the Barone kid without kicking up to Tony.

Paul Farhi: So noted. Personally, I think Paulie's going the distance.

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Arlington, Va.: I'm all for strong-arming Comcast into carrying Nats games, but does Jack Evans really think anyone's buying his empty threat to cut off DC's cable service if Comcast doesn't come around? He'd immediately become the most hated politician in D.C., and that's saying something.

Paul Farhi: Yes, I think that's absurd, too. I'm also not sure I want ANY involvement from the city council, or politicians generally, in what is really just a private dispute between the rich and the wealthy.

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Not That Far South: Saw last night on NBC that Yum Brands is sponsoring their Kentucky Derby coverage. Huh? Yum Brands? What's that, a bubblegum company? Turns out it's the fast-food conglomerate that owns Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and ... Kentucky Fried Chicken, which one would think would be a LOGICAL sponsor of the Kentucky Derby. But no. Exactly what is Yum Brands trying to accomplish here? Of course, this is from the same geniuses that use "Sweet Home Alabama" to promote Kentucky Fried Chicken (um, wrong state, guys), so maybe we shouldn't expect too much from their advertising/branding people. Discuss.

Paul Farhi: Given that Yum (nee PepsiCo's food division) changed the name of Kentucky Fried Chicken to KFC to remove the Fried AND the Kentucky, you'd think the Kentucky Derby folk would be a tad sore at them. As for what they're trying to accomplish, I think they're trying to sell more fast food to the gamblers and drinkers who like the Kentucky Derby.

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Re: Krystal Koons: Well Alexandria Toyota started with the Blonde Long-Haired Alex (whose shirts got progressively tighter with each TV spot) to the Brunette Short-Haired Alex, and they don't look like sisters.

But I can't really say anything bad about Alexandria Toyota right now because they're working on my car as I type this ...

Paul Farhi: Don't recall Alex, sorry to say...Oh, and about your car. The garage called here looking for you. Yeah. I got some bad news. Looks like you're going to need a new flingdingus in your hoosgaw. That's gonna cost ya...

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Okay, a pop culture question: The Office. I don't know whether it's a ratings hit, but does it have a pop culture niche life? The way, say, Arrested Developmemt did? Are there little fan sites and boards dedicated to Jim and Pam Forever ...?

Paul Farhi: The Office (NBC version, not the superior BBC one) has amazingly survived cancellation. It's even a modest hit. It's not bad, but I wouldn't have thought it would appeal widely...

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Baltimore, Md.: Paul,

Of the cities you listed, only San Fran/Oakland really comes close to the local situation. A poorly performing team moves into the "territory" of an established team. NY and LA were expansions (Mets, Angels) and both Chicago teams have been around for more than 100 years. Back when the Mets and Angels were created and when the A's moved from Kansas City, the commissioner was much stronger than today and could say that these moves were done "for the good of the game". Now, I'd bet that the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants did get some money to accept these teams. But if Selig had tried that, the little tyrant (Angelos) would have gone to the courts in a heartbeat.

Paul Farhi: The history is certainly relevant, but I don't recall that in any of those dual-team markets, one team controlled the TV and radio rights for the other. MLB certainly set this situation up by not calling Angelos' bluff.

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Paul Farhi: Question: Koons in Movies Now: Have you seen the Krystal Koons commercial at movie theaters yet? If you think it's difficult to listen to, watching is just so much worse.

Krystal Koons' commercials are now in movie theaters??!! Isn't there some kind of law about that? Shouldn't there be?

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Silver Spring, Md.: I can be your black out assistant! I drink very heavily.

Paul Farhi: Hahaha. You're hired!

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Springfield, Va.: While some may consider Don talking about his sadness and ups and downs after the tragic loss of his wife, he still has a strong base of listeners who listen for the reality of both of their lives that they bring onto the air ... that being said, I must say I HATE all the Best of shows and I do completely tune out until Don and Mike actually return. That has to be the biggest ratings killer ...

Paul Farhi: I'm certain the reruns don't help. But as you say, they have a loyal base, which has stuck with them for the better part of 20 years. That's an absolute eternity in radio nowadays.

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Rockville, Md.: Forget Koons. The sooner we eliminate Eastern Motors from the airwaves the better.

I blame Comcast for the Nats problem. Either way, they need a second channel for the Nats anyway, right? In fact, the Redskins, Wiz and Caps should all be pulling for MASN. Two local sports channels = competition for rights = $$$

Paul Farhi: That assumes Comcast will keep Comcast SportsNet (not necessarily a bad assumption, but I'm just saying). On some level, you could view this MASN-vs.-Comcast fight as a contest for who'll control local cable TV sports rights. Winner takes all?

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Vince Carter Commercial: There is a commercial for some cell phone family talk plan (T-Mobile maybe?) where Vince Carter talks to everyone on his cell phone while a reporter is waiting.

I think this commercial is generally pretty cute, but am perplexed by the last line: Yeah, the dog is bulemic.

Huh? I know they were talking about the dog eating people food, but where did that come from?

Paul Farhi: The Bulimic Dogs: Great band name!

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Lake Ridge, Va.: If BIG 100.3 knew that their ratings were going up for the last quarter, do you think they would have still changed formats? Murphy and Cash's ratings were up 50 percent and they got canned!

Paul Farhi: I'm sure Clear Channel's management would give a complicated answer--something along the lines of a) it was just one ratings book; and b) you have to look at the smaller picture (not overall ratings but demographics--how old the listeners were, etc.) In the long run, I think C.C. will be justified in changing WBIG. But it's not the long run yet.

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Forestville, Md.: I tried to give BIG 100.3 a chance. I heard "Band on the Run" by Wings more times in one week than I have in the past five years. What drove me to stick a pencil in my ears was hearing the promo "the best rock music ever made", the following up with the song "Dream Weaver".

Paul Farhi: Very true. Or anything by Stevie Nicks, which they seem to play excessively.

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The Airless Cubicle: Washington Post Radio has become the radio of my choice in the morning. It's programming for grownups. In addition, I'm finding out I like the new BIG 100.3 almost as much as I did the oldies version of the station. There is something to be said about minimal announcements between the music, though Clear Channel has to be careful not to make WBIG into a jukebox station. WTEM going local with Bram Weinstein in the afternoon is a good idea as well. Furthermore, I find when I do want mindless chatter, I enjoy the programming on 99.5 in the morning. I knew Bonneville had its act together, but when did Clear Channel become competent?

Paul Farhi: Thanks, A.C. But others, as you can tell from this forum, disagree...

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Paul Farhi: Folks, it's that time again--lunch time--which is my third or fourth favorite time of the day. I appreciate you all coming 'round. We're going to play you off with a little theme music--"It's a Beautiful Day for a Ballgame"-- a song I remember fondly from my youth while listening to Vin Scully on Dodgers games (amazingly, Vin Scully is now younger than me). Hope you enjoy. Let's play ball again in two weeks. Until then, regards to all...Paul.

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