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.

He was online Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. ET.

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 to another of these things here. Before I go on, I'd like to go back--to the last chat wherein we briefly talked about how great it would be if you could pick only (and pay for) only those cable channels you actually watched and skip the rest. This is known as "a la carte" cable and wouldn't it be nice? Unfortunately, it's also (probably) impractical, as the following email (printed verbatim) from Brian Dietz of the National Cable Telecommunications Assn. makes clear (read it, and then we go to the phones):

I'm a regular reader of Station Break and happened to catch yesterday's chat, which delved into the topic of a la carte (or pay-per-channel) cable. I can understand the desire to order and pay for channels individually, but the end result is that a pay-per-channel model will result in higher rates for most consumers and less diversity in programming because many of the niche services will not be able to survive.

Nearly every economic analysis (both independent and industry sponsored) have shown that this method will result in higher bills for most customers. For example, one of the most respected independent media research organizations - Kagan Media - says that customers would need to select only six to nine channels in order to reduce their monthly cable bill below current levels. Today, however, Nielsen media data shows that most consumers regularly watch 17 channels, and those channels obviously vary widely from household to household.

Also, the current cable and satellite delivery systems provide an opportunity for networks that service niche and minority audiences to reach millions of households, and potentially, millions of viewers. Since pay-per-channel would force each channel to be sold individually, many of these networks would face a significant reduction in subscription fees and advertising revenue, potentially driving them out of business. Many networks that cater to minority and ethnic audiences are specifically in jeopardy under this model.

I don't want to go on and on about this, and we do have a significant amount of information about a la carte on our Web site, where you can find several studies and much more about this topic. (http://www.ncta.com/IssueBrief.aspx?contentId=15).

--Brian Dietz.

Okay, onward...

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Washington, D.C.: I saw the Friday Night Lights premier on a United flight to the West Coast last month. I don't understand all the praise. I turned to my colleague seated behind me on the flight and said: "Wasn't this called 'All the Right Moves'"?

Paul Farhi: I haven't seen it yet, but based on what Mr. Shales said in today's Style section, it sounds like must-see stuff. I have to say, the clips and previews I saw made it look like "American Dreams," the hokey NBC series of a couple of seasons ago. But I could be (and probably am) wrong.

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Fake sports dept.: Does Channel 4 use a fake "cheer track" on their highlights? Whatever they use sounds terrible, fake and detracts from what they are trying to do.

Paul Farhi: Yes. A minor but popular pet peeve around here. Also pet peevish: Gratuitous use of slow-mo on the highlights WITH fake cheers laid in. Shouldn't the cheering be in slow-mo, too?

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College Park, Md.: WMUC, the campus radio station at the University of Maryland, is holding a "Solid Gold" reunion homecoming weekend (Oct. 20-21) and we're trying to track down the hundreds of former staffers who worked at the station over its nearly seven decades. We want to hear from the folks who toiled over the AM carrier current as well as the alums who brought FM to campus and made it a reality. Can you help us spread the word?

Paul Farhi: Glad to. Consider it spread.

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Radio in my finger: dumbest commercial ever

Paul Farhi: There's a lot of competition for that title. I would say it's got an outside shot.

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washingtonpost.com: National Cable & Telecommunications Association

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New City, N.Y.: In your recent article about network axes falling, you mentioned that no previous show was cancelled during its first broadcast; check 1969: Tim Conway had a show titled "Turn On" that was cancelled 10 minutes into the program! Some affiliates cut it off before it ended on the first night. I was living in NYC at the time so of course WABC-TV aired it in its entirety.

washingtonpost.com: With New Shows, Network Patience Is a Lost Virtue ( Post, Sept. 17 )

Paul Farhi: There's a bit of mythology surrounding the cancellation of "Turn On," a "Laugh-In" knockoff that did indeed last only one show in 1969. The Complete Directory of Primetime Network and Cable TV Shows, which knows far, far more than me, makes no mention of it being cancelled DURING the first show. Here's what it does say: "When...many ABC affiliates [refused] to carry it after the first telecast, and Bristol-Myers dropped sponsorship, it was cancelled." And Tim Conway was just a guest star on the show, not a regular.

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Silver Spring, Md.: So, not sure if this is for you or L. de Moraes. Why doesn't ABC simulcast the MNF games as they own ESPN? Although admittedly a minority, those without cable may certainly tune in giving both ABC and ESPN a virtual ratings lock in the fall. Please to explain, kind sir.

Paul Farhi: Because ESPN, not ABC, has rights to the game. ABC dropped their NFL contract at the end of last season. The NFL gets big bucks for each broadcast and strictly enforces its contracts and copyrights (and I don't think you want to mess with those guys; they're very large).

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Montgomery, Ala.: Why are "we," the consumers, of pop culture so unwilling to assume any responsibility for it?

Paul Farhi: Fascinating philosophical question, which, like most philosophical questions, I'm not sure I understand. Let me try, though: "We" do take responsibility for our popular culture. It's just that we're not all one "we." Some people like things that others reject. If enough people like something, it tends to stick around. If enough don't, etc. Kind of like democracy that way...

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Adams Morgan - Just me or is.....: Kornheiser actually improving week by week? Gotta say TK now vs. TK 8 weeks ago is a huge difference.

Paul Farhi: Okay.

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Kornheiser critic: Tony K is often brilliant in anything he does. I remember listening to his debut show on WTEM in 1992 and loving his sardonic wit.

His sports columns are one of a kind. No one else wrote about "Les Boulez" in the early '90s. At the time, Wilbon was the Post's official Chicago correspondent by forcing us to read about Michael Jordan twice a week.

Tony's style columns were awful -- No other angle than I'm fat, bald, orange and old.

But the Jags-Steelers game had one very cringe-worthy comment. Tony quoted Jags QB (and D.C. native) Byron Leftwich as saying "I'm the slowest black quarterback in the NFL."

If Leftwich said that, that comment is funny and should have stood alone.

But Tony proceeded to tell us if he had said that about Leftwich he would get into trouble and yada yada yada.

Does Tony need Wilbon to be his constant foil?

Where was Mike Torico to point out how awful this Tony rambling was?

Keep up the honest critiques? How does a public figure have such thin skin?

Paul Farhi: Another quarter heard from....

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Washington, D.C.: Tony K. was pretty bad last night on Monday Night Football. In one episode early during 3rd quarter of the game when the Eagles were up, Tony with his casual knowledge of football, declared the game for all intents and purposes as over. Of course, Theismann and Tirico quickly said that with Brett Favre playing, nothing is over yet, since Favre is known for making dramatic comebacks.

Tony quickly countered that it was over, but one minute later, acknowledged that with Favre and his greatness, it's not over yet, and then proceeded to go on and on about how Favre gives everyone hope because of the human aspect he brings to the game based on Favre's personal tragedies without going into detail, as if the audience didn't know about Favre's history. After the Eagles scored a few more points, Tony goes back and sarcastically says again: "I think it's over now ..." Instead of sticking to being the color commentary, he's trying to be an quasi-analyst. Pretty bad, I would say.

Paul Farhi: Yes. I noticed that, too, last night. I wonder if ESPN's brass sent down a memo to the announcers saying, "Please keep the customers in front of the set." It's kind of an unspoken rule in sports announcing that you don't say it's over until the last commercial has aired.

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Fairfax, Va.: Paul,

Time to shake up morning drive time. I say get the Greaseman back on a 50000 watt FM station.

Paul Farhi: I wonder what Greaseman's exile in the wilderness of low-powered radio station has done to his popularity. I mean, if you put him on a big station, promoted the heck out of him and let him rip, would he recapture a big audience? I just don't know...

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Laurel, Md.: Paul, about a month ago I got a letter from my cable company saying they're raising our monthly fee $2 because they're adding Nationals games on MASN.

But after they did that, they stopped carrying the Orioles!

I suppose I should reflexively blame Peter Angelos, but I'm not sure why.

Paul Farhi: You could blame both Angelos and Comcast. This was one of those fights between the rich and the wealthy. You knew--just knew--the rest of the world would be bystanders and, potentially, victims once the fighting had ended. The $2 fee is just a P.R. stunt by Comcast, to rub Angelos' nose in the mud one more time. Like I said, no winners here.

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MNF: Paul,

I turn the volume down so I don't get nauseous from the tripe and meaningless banter.

Paul Farhi: Now, now...

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Annapolis, Md.: Re your article today about sex scandals, nothing like burying the lede. The sentence "There are exceptions, of course. A few Democrats have lost their jobs as a result of scandals" doesn't appear until the 16th paragraph. You might have pointed out that Bob Livingston's downfall was also due to the fact that his affair was with a lobbyist. But here's the thing: the Republicans have been using "family values" as a campaign weapon for years; it's really lovely to see them hoist on their own petards.

Paul Farhi: Well, I left out several more that support the basic premise (which is that Republicans tend to lose their jobs over sex scandals while Democrats tend to survive in office). Remember Rep. Bob Bauman (R.-Md.)? Probably not. He lost his seat in 1980 after an incident involving a teenager. One of several others I could have included in the list.

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Arlington, Va.: You may not like TK on MNF and that's alright, but if you start defending Joe Theisman I'm walking out right now. He is almost as bad on TV as Joe Morgan, almost ...

Paul Farhi: Fair enough. But I WILL defend Joe Morgan....

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Laurel Again: Paul Farhi: You could blame both Angelos and Comcast. This was one of those fights between the rich and the wealthy.

Ah, I'm a foot soldier at the Battle of the Somme.

Now I understand.

Paul Farhi: Keep your head down, private...

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MNF: Paul,

I think Tony NEEDS Wilbon to carry him and his schtick. Doesn't work on TV without him.

Paul Farhi: I suggested as much in my review of Tony's first MNF game back in August. I still think Theismann could develop into a very good foil for Tony.

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Rockville, Md.: What's your take on "Studio 60"? I want to love the show, but Sorkin's use of characters to make semi-autobiographical rants is starting to detract big time.

Paul Farhi: I was cool to it, and yes, that's one reason. It seems very much like Sorkin's Revenge, a kind of running inside joke about all the people who've wronged him. I admit that COULD be interesting. But maybe only to a few thousand TV "insiders." As is, I don't really find the situation all that compelling. Why should I root for the two schmoes (played by Matthew Perry and Brad Whitford) to revive a show that didn't seem very good to begin with?

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Bland ol' Washington, D.C.: After catching a few hours of Baltimore's classic rock radio station 100.7(?) "The Bay" on Sunday (went to a Ravens game) I now see why both D.C.'s Arrow-94.7 and new Big 100.3 are so bad. It was the same music basically, but the station just screamed 'Baltimore' in all of their ads and with the slightly sarcastic and funny on-air guy. I have WARW on right now and the overall 'sound' (not sure what the probable term really is) is just so bland in comparison. Maybe if our classic rockers got a feel for the area like "The Bay" has for B-more, then they would get more listeners.

Paul Farhi: Well, I'd bash WARW, but I've come to really enjoy Weasel's Boxed Set in the evenings. He spins the disks (some of them kinda obscure) of a select group and then adds lot of interesting notes and commentary. Justifies the whole darn station.

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Arlington, Va.: In regards to the letter at the beginning of the chat, is this guy for real? I don't watch 17 channels of television and I could definitely do without QVC and the Spanish titles. I am also intrigued by the idea that a la carte would actually force channels (regrettably minority-themed) to cease to exist! How can that not be a HUGE plus for a la carte supporters?

Paul Farhi: I'm sure no one wants to pay for channels they don't watch (hello, MASN), but imagine the craziness that would result if several semi-popular channels disappeared or were unavailable because they didn't have enough people paying for them. There would be no end of Congressional hearings on the subject, and no end of the complaints. I'm just sayin'...

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Washington, D.C.: I'm lost. One day we have HBO and SHO and the next we don't. No explanation. And it's not just our house. The TV at the gym lost it too. So I guess I have to jog on the treadmill to the Food Network or TK screwing up on MNF. Hardly inspiring.

Paul Farhi: Normally, I would blame DC Cablevision, which years back (under the late, unlamented TCI's ownership) was perhaps the worst-run cable system this side of Albania. But now it's owned by Comcast, which owns just about every other cable system in the area. So I don't get it. They're just lame?

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Silver Spring, Md.: Any updates on the Verizon cable franchise agreement in MoCo?

Paul Farhi: Last I heard they had gotten preliminary approval from the county to start stringing fiber for their FiOS cable-voice-modem service. I'm no lawyer, but "preliminary approval" could mean many things, including "don't expect anything to happen until all the lawsuits are settled."

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Burtonsville, Md.: Paul, what is taking so long for WTTG-5 to begin broadcasting in HD? And for that matter, WJLA-7 and WRC-4? I've had my HD TV for a year now and I have stopped watching my old standby WRC-4 news in favor of the HD WUSA-9. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. What's the hold up?

Paul Farhi: Can't answer for a specific station, but the conversion to HD is expensive and somewhat technically challenging. Then there's the old chicken-and-egg situation: Should a station hurry up and convert while there still aren't that many HD-equipped TVs out there, or wait until the base is large enough. In any case, Congress is (or has, not sure) trying to set a date-certain for all stations to go HD.

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which owns just about every other cable system in the area. So I don't get it. They're just lame?: Satellite is the way to go.

Paul Farhi: Hard to get broadband service on a satellite (it would be an awfully long connection wire, wouldn't it?). Otherwise, I might agree with you.

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Columbia, Md.: I'm surprised you posted a comment promoting a "Solid Gold" reunion, given all the ugly history between the "Solid Gold Dancers" and your own "Station Break Dancers." And then there was that ugly cat fight between you and Denny Terrio ...

Paul Farhi: Hahahaha...My "lawyers" (Vito and Nick) are working out the copyright issues right now.

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Washington, D.C.: So I bought a new TV, and it has a digital tuner built in.

I live in NW D.C., and we do not have cable. I've been pleased and somewhat surprised at how many cool digtal signals I get. I'm trying to track down a listing of what there is out there over-the-air, and which way to point my rooftop antenna for best reception. Any pointers?

(Best surprise yet -- either the fact that 50-2 is a music video channel (it calls itself "The Tube," we 40-somethings are calling it MTV for geezers) or the fact that WETA has 4 options!)

Paul Farhi: I throw this one to the many well-informed readers of this chat. Or just to the readers of this chat. Whichever.

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Reston, Va.: On the pop culture landscape - I'm surprised that there hasn't been more publicity about Jason Whitlock, a sports columnist for the KC Star who also appeared often on ESPN - the Sport Reporters and PTI. According to his column, something on his blog offended the suits at ESPN and now he's totally persona non grata. Do all networks take themselves this seriously?

Paul Farhi: Well, of course, sports is very, very important and diversity of opinion, free speech and all that can't be tolerated. You have been warned.

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No Signal: Liked your article about the strength of the Redskins' Triple X "network" (Sep. 23). Too bad it ran on a Saturday.

Of course, Mr. Zier, et. al., insist that there have been few complaints about the "coverage" the "network" provides.

Good grief!

I live in McLean near the Arlington border. I can get the Virginia FM station, but there is interference from some other stations. The best signal is 730 AM out of Alexandria, but I get no signal from any of the Triple X stations once the sun goes down.

For a sport where the sun goes down by 5 p.m. for half the season, this is a big problem.

Granted, 11 of the games are 1 o'clock games 'this' year, but I think that's unusual isn't it? Seems like there are usually three or four 4 o'clock games just in the NFC east each year, not including Sunday and Monday night games.

Other than denying there is a problem and everything Snyder is peachy keen, are there any plans to fix the problem? Could they get some type of waiver on the nighttime broadcast power restriction for night games?

washingtonpost.com: Some Fans Say Redskins Radio Fumbles Game Broadcasts ( Post, Sept. 23 )

Paul Farhi: Thanks. I heard from many, many Redskins fans after that story came out. Not one of them said "I can hear the stations just fine." Quite the opposite. I really don't understand why the Redskins don't seem to recognize this as a problem. It hurts them. And, no, I know of no immediate plans to fix the signal(s).

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Alexandria, Va.: Okay, I like Prison Break and I don't why. What is it about the show?

Paul Farhi: It's kind of compelling, but (like "24") you don't want to examine any of it too closely because it's kind of ridiculous. Plus, didn't they break out of the prison at the end of last season? Shouldn't it be called "Prison Broke" now?

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Moonbat, Richmond, Va.: Don't tell me about boring radio til you live in RVA; I have to listen to Elliot in the morning from D.C. since we got nothin' down here! There's country, oldies, queasy, thrasher, teenybopper and classical.

No rock; especially from the U2 era.

Paul Farhi: You poor people! Shocking that this kind of thing goes on in America in the 21st century.

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Alexandria, Va. - Wrong answer Paul: Paul Farhi: Hard to get broadband service on a satellite (it would be an awfully long connection wire, wouldn't it?). Otherwise, I might agree with you.

It's called DirecWay from DirecTV. Broadband and satellite over the dish. Good to look into this before implying its some sort of impossibility ...

Paul Farhi: Hasn't been a very successful service, has it? Wonder why...

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Dunn Loring, Va.: Did Michael Graham, late of WMAL, get fired from the Boston radio station he migrated to - -he's no longer on his slot?

Paul Farhi: Not sure. The station still lists him as part of its lineup (daily, 3-7 pm), but I dunno much about Boston radio.

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Alexandria, Va.: I watched George Allen's 2-minute commercial last night -- in fact, I backed up the TiVo and watched it twice -- and I still have no idea what he said because I couldn't take my eyes off the blank stare and eerie smile of his Stepford wife. Am I the only one who was fascinated by this?

Paul Farhi: No comment on Mrs. Allen, but I've always felt bad for political wives. Dem or Republican, they have to effect the Dutiful Wife Gaze. They're props to show that a candidate is a family kinda guy. But it can't be any fun.

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Equal holder of long-held pet peeve, Vienna, Va.: So since you're the reporter/columnist, tell us what do the sportscaster types say when you ask them about the fake sound?

Paul Farhi: Well, I've never actually asked. But I think they might say that it creates excitement or somehow adds to the viewer's enjoyment. Then I'd said, but you're a NEWS station. Why don't you just report the news, or the sports, straight? And they'd say, viewers like it. And I'd say, so why don't you add fake cheering when the president speaks or fake laughs when you show something funny. And they'd say, "Security, get this guy outta here..."

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lled DirecWay from DirecTV. : Half as fast as Verizon FIOS and twice the price. Also subject to weather/airplane interference. Satellite is not the way to get broadband. FIOS IS 5Mb download, soon to be 10.

Paul Farhi: Okay. Thanks.

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"Defending Joe Morgan": Sounds like the title for a good Albert Brooks movie.

Paul Farhi: Hahahaha...

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East End, Washington, D.C.: Weird programming change on WETA radio this week. They are pre-empting Fresh Air, arguably one of the station's most popular programs, for a week's worth of something called Radio Lab.

To me, it's the TV equivalent of pre-empting Wheel of Fortune to broadcast a miniseries.

Why doesn't WETA broadcast Radio Lab during the evening hours or pre-empt the relatively untested World Have Your Say or the dying-on-the-vine News And Notes with Farai Chideya?

Paul Farhi: WETA's a work in progress, I think. They've introduced their local talk show, The Intersection, and they have a fair amount of special programming. They've been doing news programming for, what, 18 months now? I'd hate to see them get too set in their ways so soon...

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Arlington, Va.: Howdy Paul.

Have you caught the new Geico commercial? It is a subtle follow-up to the famous caveman commercial. It is pretty funny. That original still makes me laugh every time I see it. It's just one of those commercials that doesn't get old. I've been known to stop fast-forwarding the TiVo through commercials if I see that it is on. (Maybe that's what companies need to do to beat TiVo ... just make commercials that are entertaining.)

Paul Farhi: We've been laughing about that new caveman ad for a week now. Check it out on YouTube if you haven't seen it. Yes, it's subtle and hilarious. And while you're on YouTube, watch the entire caveman series. One of the best commercial series of this decade, I think...

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Anonymous: While 11 of the Redskins games are listed for 1:00, a couple of them late in the season could move to 4:00 or 8:00 as part of the flexible scheduling NBC wanted for Sunday Night Football. Once those games are selected, Fox and CBS will figure out their doubleheaders those days.

Paul Farhi: Good point. We may not be hearing 730 AM for more games than we realize.

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RE: MNF: Paul, are you still parking in the "Two Bit Weasel" spot in the WaPo parking lot, or are you out of purgatory?

Paul Farhi: I have no idea what you're talking about.

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Paul Farhi: Folks, it's been fun, once again, but I've got to go back to annoying my editors (and vice versa). However, they'll let me out for recess again in two weeks, same time and place. We can play some more then. Until then, regards to all....Paul.

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