ALL THE NEWS THAT IS NEWS

EMMIS SLASHES JOBS
Another radio downsize comes but this time from Emmis Communications who mows down 46 positions in Los Angeles; NYC; St. Louis; Austin, TX and Chicago. In L.A. gone are Top 40-Rhythmic KPWR FM (Power 106) afternoon co-host Tito and night DJ Miguel. At sister station Rhythmic AC KMVN FM (Movin' 93.9), afternoon DJ Mario Fuentes flies the coop. Other non-voicers leave the building, too. Emmis says A total of 46 positions were eliminated in our Los Angeles, New York, St. Louis, Austin and Chicago radio markets. An additional dozen employees will have reduced hours or changed positions. Very few positions were in sales; many were part-time employees. Like many of our industry peers, Emmis took these steps as an expense reduction effort and to better position the company. Emmis provided a generous severance package and extended benefits to all the affected employees. No further eliminations are planned.

AWRT HONOR AWARD
Mariane Pearl, Glamour magazine columnist, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl & author of the book A Mighty Heart, receives the International Outreach award from the American Women In Radio and Television at their 2008 Leadership Summit and Business Conference in Washington on March 14th. The award recognizes an individual in the electronic media or allied field who has bridged borders and broken barriers to help Americans learn more, connect more or do more to support solutions that tackle issues of global concern. Salute!

BOB CROWLEY (Arlington-DFW, TX) It looks like the Clear Channel implosion has claimed another air personality. KZPS had hired Redbeard, launched a new Classic Rock/Country format, and adopted a novel sponsorship scheme. Instead of :60 second commercials, each hour would be sponsored by one client, and brief announcements would tell the listeners. The commercials began creeping back in, and the music became less adventurous, and now the key player is gone. Redbeard's last day was Wednesday. I've never met the man, but I am a fan of his encyclopedic knowlege of music and his vast storehouse of interviews. Management hints at changes to come, and there is speculation the format will change radically, now that cluster-mate the Eagle has changed from its spanish language format to a mix of active and classic rock.

WALTER HAMMOCK (Houston-Katy, TX) Boy Jim every issue reinforces that I made the right decision to get as far away from radio as possible. Reading horror story after horror story just confirms I made the right choice. What a sorry place a once great medium has become. Automated jukeboxes that sound as stale as a two year old box of crackers.

GEORGE JAY (NYC, NY) Jim, Could you please change my e-mail to information@georgejay.com. I will be on the road to Denver and points west and want to be sure and continue to get my Rose Reports. thanks

FRANK HALEY (Albuquerque, NM) Jim, If you're doing stuff on the JFK killing, you need to contact Gary de Laune @ GDELAUNE@satx.rr.com  He was in the basement of the Dallas Police dept. when Ruby shot Oswald. He can tell the whole story. He was a reporter for KLIF then. Also, I was in that 1957 twister too. I had been to a track meet at the stadium on Stemmons, W.T. White?? and it started raining very hard, and they ended the track meet, and as we came out of the stadium looking to the S.W. we could see the tornado coming our direction, it turned and passed by us about a 1/2 blk away. went right down to Love Field, and back up into the clouds. Scary. I remember listening to Les Vaughn describe it on KLIF in 1957. I was a 10th grader at T.J. in North Dallas. When I worked in the news dept. of KLIF in 1966-67 Les Vaughan was still there, in charge of production. Frank (The Old Texan) Haley cjf Isa. 9:6 "When the sunshine of God's love meets the showers of our sorrow, the rainbow of promise appears."

DALLAS' BIG TORNADO
In 1957, on my Dallas Times Herald newspaper route hear loud sirens coming from the direction of the distant forest. Lots of smoke high in the air. Looks like a fire but everything is green. Then the smoke jumps together into a twirling funnel. Oh my gosh! Do I pedal my bike across the huge grassy acreage toward our house or what? If that tornado comes my way, I'm a dead skunk in the middle of the road because my bicycle could not out pedal that massive twister. The monster wind could suck me and my bike up into its funnel and we're off to see Alice and the Wonderful Wizard of OZ. The tornado begins to follow a creek that lies south of Hampton Road where brand new expensive homes are built. There's a spot on that creek that leads to a small lake. We call it Twin Falls because of its two levels. Almost drown there once but that's another story. See rooftops and other things that float high in the sky. Is this real or is it Memorex. But Memorex isn't yet invented. That tornado makes a bee-line straight toward downtown Dallas. Everything in its path is destroyed. The next day or so, dad takes us out to Hampton and Camp Wisdom Roads where the funnel cloud begins. Lots of flat farm land but at the intersection there's a big billboard sign that is blown to bits. It could've been me.

DAVID PERKINS (Ft. Worth, TX) To all my friends, family and neighbors. The Jesus Christ Said radio ministry will be on the radio (KKGM/1630 am in Dallas/Fort Worth) Sunday afternoon at 12:30 pm Central Time, February 10th, 2008. This week's program title is "Extipation." The group "MercyMe" will sing "I Can Only Imagine." If you're not in the DFW area you can listen live on the internet at www.KKGMam.Com. You can also go to our website www.JesusChristSaid.Com and listen to past sermons. Love, David, The Jesus Christ Said Ministries

JOHN CALLARMAN (Denton-Krum, TX) Didn't mention in my intro that I worked at KILT in the newsroom for six months in '66. I was outside newsman when Brad Messer and Jim Carola, among others, were anchors. Am I the only one who remembers KILT's November election coverage in 1966 and the impromptu party that broke out after six hours of straight election-reporting on our Top 40 station? I had intended to stay longer in Houston, but the opportunity to move to Boston metro (which came out of the blue from a good friend, Pete Taylor - who never worked in Texas, by the way) was too tempting to turn down. After marrying a schoolteacher, we preferred smalltown living and I became the news department at WMIX in Mt. Vernon, Ill. worked there for 11 years before moving across the street to the daily newspaper where I retired as executive editor after 19 years. Moved to Krum, TX, where, in 2002, Roy Lemons started a weekly newspaper and I've volunteered to cover city council, school board and write a column, dubbed "The Krumudgeon," purely on a hobby basis. After hearing an Illinois station owner tell an Illinois News Broadcasters Association convention about "psychic pay," I've often wondered how widespread the term was.

MAHATMA GANDHI (1869-1948) I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers.

Jim Rose and Tejas
Houston, Texas
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