Ice Storm! Here We Go Again..

Not much of a blog today……dealing with the aftermath of the big ice storm last night..so many of our listeners are without power..some tuning in on battery-operated radios.

The important thing is to be SAFE! With power lines down, it is important when walking to know where you are stepping! Keep dogs on a SHORT leash, not letting them get too far ahead of you!

If you are without electricity, keep the opening and closing of the fridge to an absolute minimum. Milk and other perishable products will last a few hours, but they’ll be a lot better off if you keep the unit closed! The freezer should be OK for a much longer period of time!

Lots of candles will light the way, but they are among the highest causes of house fires-never leave them unattended—or close to combustibles!

If you can, visit the elderly neighbors to see if they are OK-make sure they are eating-and although we are all watching our “dining out costs”, resign yourself to the fact that expenses will rise a bit…keep it all in perspective!

Let’s ride this one out! Good luck!

Christmas Music Favorites...And Duds

Tomorrow will mark the two-week “anniversary” of 94.9 WHOM switching over to All Holiday/Christmas music.

Since then, we have had hundreds, maybe thousands of requests! Of course, I’m interested in YOUR favorites, but I am also intrigued by the songs that appear at the top of the list:

Dominic The Donkey- By Lou Monte….again this year, out most requested song! Hard to believe. I grew up in Washington, D.C. and NEVER heard this song until just a few years ago. While mentioning it on-air one morning, we were flooded with calls from people who said it was part of their childhood growing up-and thus had tremendous sentimental value.

The Maine Christmas Song-By Melinda Liberty. Never a fan myself ( I consider the song a little on the SAPPY side), we nonetheless get a lot of requests for it. I just aired it this afternoon after a call from a “displaced” Mainer living in Reading, California-who was listening to the internet stream. I was happy to play it for her…

The Christmas Shoes-By Newsong. This song made me cry the first time I heard it-and about the next ten times. Now, it just depresses me….and the fact that I no longer cry at the lyrics about a small boy buying shoes for his dying mother makes me feel doubly depressed because now I believe I am heartless for NOT getting emotional!

A lot of the traditional songs I am personally tired of. “Feliz Navided”, “White Christmas”, “Wonderful Christmastime”, “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)”, “Blue Christmas”…they remain HUGE with the audience, but I’m a bit fatigued. I still love Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song” and The Carpenters “Merry Christmas Darling”, even though I have heard them THOUSANDS of times, too!

Would love to hear from you—which are your favorites and which ones would you like to see us DEEP-SIX? (in a jolly holiday sort of way, of course)

Either comment below—or send me an e-mail!
And, as always….THANKS FOR LISTENING TO 94.9 WHOM!tim.moore@citcomm.com

Streaming Across The World

I am constantly amazed by the footprint of WHOM! Across 5 states and Canada, 94.9 WHOM has the largest geographic coverage of any commercial radio station in North America. Getting calls and/or e-mails from Massachusetts, Canada and places like Rhode Island and even New York state have become commonplace.

Technology and the web have now extended the WHOM platform to THE WORLD via the website: http://www.949whom.com/

With the analytical tools we now have for the internet stream, we can tell EXACTLY how many people are listening-below is a list of listening locations in just the first 10 days of this month!

Portland-Auburn, ME
Boston, MA,
Canada
Bangor, ME
Burlington, VT
New York, NY
NO DMA, USA
Washington, DC
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Providence, RI
Hartford, CT
Augusta, GA
Philadelphia, PA
United Kingdom
Atlanta, GA
Norfolk-Portsmouth, VA
Chicago, IL
Phoenix, AZ
Rochester, NY
Singapore
Indianapolis, IN
Paducah, KY
Mexico
Portland, OR
Albuquerque, NM
Orlando, FL
Dayton, OH
Baltimore, MD
Springfield-Holyoke, MA
Cleveland, OH
Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco, CA
India
Germany
Hong Kong
Denver, CO
Nashville, TN
Switzerland
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Hungary
Jacksonville, FL
Columbus, OH
Tampa, FL
Japan
Wilkes Barre-Scranton, PA
Italy
Detroit, MI
Spain
Czech Republic
Knoxville, TN
Pittsburgh, PA
Gainesville, FL
Salt Lake City, UT
Syracuse, NY
Miami, FL
Minneapolis-St Paul, MN
Raleigh-Durham, NC
(Undetermined)
Madison, WI
Presque Isle, ME
Europe
Greensboro, NC
Puerto Rico
La Crosse-Eau Claire, WI
Colorado Springs, CO
Houston, TX
Roanoke-Lynchburg, VA
Panama City, FL
Great Falls, MT
Cincinnati, OH
Mongolia
Johnstown-Altoona, PA
Honolulu, HI
New Orleans, LA
Sioux City, IA
San Diego, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Greenville-Spartenburg, SC
Sweden
Savannah, GA
South Bend, IN
Virgin Islands, British
Utica-Rome, NY
Oklahoma City, OK
Buffalo, NY
Brazil
Israel
Colombia
West Palm Beach, FL
France
Sherman, TX
Watertown, NY
Belgium
Lansing, MI
Youngstown-Warren, OH
Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, IA
Sacramento, CA
Korea, Republic of
Montgomery, AL
Bowling Green, KY
Peoria-Bloomington, IL
Traverse City-Cadillac, MI
Chico-Redding, CA
Huntsville, AL
Nepal
Elmira, NY
Green Bay-Appleton, WI
Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Columbia, SC
Columbia-Jefferson City, MO

Hey...WORLD!!!!!! Thanks for listening to 94.9 WHOM!

The Ghost Of Christmas Presents

With 16 days left until Christmas (which translates to 14 “shopping days” assuming no Sundays which of course is no longer relevant, but I digress), it is HIGH TIME to start thinking about what to get for the ones I love.

My kids are not too much of a problem. They make their preferences known, especially the youngest, who also happens to have the longest list.

It’s my wife who is my challenge. First of all, she wants to CUT BACK this year (something about an economic turndown-I have yet to hear of it)—I simply told her that there wouldn’t be a Christmas in my lifetime where she didn’t have SOMETHING to open from me…of course, it could be something TOTALLY inappropriate, which would land me in the DOGHOUSE!!!

Which reminds me of a VERY funny video-watch this and LAUGH!

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/videoPage.aspx

Handyman Tim...What A Laugher!

Someone should have installed a video camera in my bathroom this weekend to capture my antics in trying to replace the bathroom overhead fan/light. It could have become a viral hit on You Tube!

So, the existing fan got real noisy real fast…..OK, time for a diagnosis! A failing bearing (any Time-Life book worth its salt will tell ya that!) and this meant a hasty trip to the local big-box hardware store. Thirty-eight dollars later, I was off with another do-it-yourself project for Sunday.
Who wants to watch football and drink beer when you can curse and swear and nearly kill yourself?

First, my all-inclusive kit is missing all the necessary hardware bolts and screws. So what? We’ll find them around the house. Sure. A quick look at the directions told me I would need a LONG look at the directions. I can’t read Spanish, but those directions looked about as useful to me as the ones in English.

Of course, Step One is to TURN THE POWER OFF. This was relatively easy, but why my basement was wired on the same circuit as my upstairs bathroom (plunging me into darkness at the circuit panel) leads me to believe the workers who built my house were on CRACK at the time.

This feeling only grew as I removed the existing fan. It was jury-rigged to a ceiling beam. The duct exiting to the outside was actually a gutter drain pipe that I don’t believe exited anywhere but into my attic. Nice.

I’m sure it must have been humorous to see me pounding and yanking at the blasted old fan. Finally, what was left of it came loose after I literally hack-sawed through nails used to fasten it. Of course, the ceiling (sprayed to look like stucco) suffered more damage than the new face plate would cover. It was fortuitous that my eight year old was at a friend’s house, as the air inside the bathroom was blue.

To make a long story longer, I finally got the new one in and working, only after slicing my finger open with a utility knife while wiring the darn thing. My lingering memory will be standing on the edge of the tub, simultaneously holding the unit while trying to twist wire screws onto misbehaving wires with my other hand. It’s a miracle that I didn’t break my neck.

After it was all done and the bathroom cleaned up, my family admired my handiwork and asked, “Was it difficult to install?”

“No, not at all…it was a breeze”

Then I had to turn the fan on to remove the odor of BS.

O.J. Finally Gets The Justice He Deserves

O.J. Simpson today received a 15-year sentence for his role in the Las Vegas/memorabilia raid with a group of his cronies. A minimum of 9 years and a maximum of 33 may end up making this a veritable life sentence.

Finally….justice.

A murderer who got off with an acquittal-and of course vowed to spend his days “searching for the real killer” (he never did find the culprit, no matter how many golf courses he scoured) has finally received a jail term that may end up being the life sentence he should have gotten years ago. The verdict was delivered 13 years to the day from the moment he walked out of a Los Angeles courtroom a free man.

Nothing will bring back his wife or her friend, but at least this sentence drives home that O.J.’s insane mocking of the U.S. Legal system has come to an end.

Karma is real-and it was only a matter of time before O.J. would see the pendulum swing back. Of course, no one takes any joy from the misfortune of another, but there was a deeply satisfying feeling that a dangerous man will now spend at least 6-9 years in a maximum security prison—no “country club incarceration” for him. Better yet, he will no longer be able to literally profit from the murders he committed so many years ago.

The tragedy of O.J. has yet to see a final chapter, but our culture’s saturation with the original crime tends to hide the chapters in Simpson’s life before that fateful act. Namely, that a gifted athlete, who parlayed his ability into that of a multi-millionaire sportscaster, actor, commercial spokesman and celebrity—was able to sink so far so fast. He had everything—and his own ego and sense of “no rules apply to me” attitude led to the behavior and rage that destroyed his life-and the lives of so many others.

Hopefully, we will be spared hearing about O.J. for at least 9 years. Just as hopefully, the families of Nicole and of Ron Goldman will be able to experience some sense of peace or closure.

Where Are The "New" Christmas TV Specials?

Last night, I had the pleasure of sitting in front of the TV with my 8 year old son Kevin and watching the “Rudolph The Reindeer TV Special” on CBS.

First of all, hats off to CBS for airing this classic TV special in prime time for a new generation of viewers. They said it was “digitally re-mastered”—frankly, I didn’t notice an improvement in picture quality, but then again, I don’t really care.

As I was careening down memory lane and re-living my childhood, I was anxious to see how my youngest would assess the program. Today’s kids have high-tech graphics on handheld devices (like Nintendo DS) that make the “visual effects” of the 1960’s seem like crude craving on the wall of a cave. Of course, the story and the music is the thing. Kevin was familiar with the music (since I play virtually the entire soundtrack on 94.9 WHOM during the holidays!) As for the story, he was engaged and delighted! It was a special experience to share, as I did with my other two kids, who are in college and high school now.

What struck me is how there really are no new “classics” being made. When we were young, we also had a “Charlie Brown Christmas”, “The Grinch”-and relative newcomer “Frosty The Snowman”. All of these are still shown today-and yet, I can’t think of a contemporary holiday cartoon special that kids today are excited about.

Maybe it’s the fragmentation into cable and a thousand channels. Maybe it’s just the Pokemon generation that views these holiday specials as “lame”. Certainly, the good old fashioned “messages” of good will, forgiveness and even the religious associations that are so prevalent in the Charlie Brown special seem to be dangerous territory for today’s TV producers to approach. Too bad.

Am I missing something here? If there is a “new” classic out there, I’m all ears!

Making my List...And Checking It Only Once

It’s that special time of year. The time when family and friends-even my kids-ask the eternal holiday question: “What do YOU want for Christmas?”

Should I respond with a long stream of items-or simply answer that “world peace” would be sufficient?

The more I think about it, I have no real “needs”. I have my health, a wonderful wife and three incredible kids, all of them healthy as well. I still have a job (as of this writing anyway) and a roof over my head. The car works, so does the furnace and I never go to bed hungry. In short, what do I have to ask for?

OK!

Hybrid Golf Club(s)
iPod
GPS
Books
And..oh yeah,
Underwear

There you have it..aside from the last item, none of it is essential, important, required or a life-changer.

I’ll be overjoyed when my 8 year old makes a picture for me. It will be better than anything from a store. Making a donation to a worthy cause in my name (or not) is better than a gift for me. A happy holiday will be defined in far more expansive terms than mere STUFF! We all have enough STUFF!

Happy Holidays!

Cyber Monday

Yesterday marked a day that has become as well known as “Black Friday”-the Friday after Thanksgiving. “Cyber Monday” has traditionally been the largest ONLINE shopping day of the year, as web bargain hunters raid the online retailers for great deals.

According to Comscore, a research company, sales of 29.2 BILLION were expected. That would be about flat with last year—saying something since internet sales have grown about 20% each year. There are conflicting reports, however…according to Nielson, traffic at the top 120 retailers was up 10%.

Overall, 85 million Americans were expected to make a purchase online this holiday season, which would be the record for the most ever.

Most intriguing of all (to me) is the growth in CONFIDENCE that we now have about punching our credit card numbers into a computer. Of course, identity theft is at an all-time high---and much of that crime originates from just these kinds of transactions-cyber travel of personal information through servers all over the world. Just a few short years ago, the very thought of plugging your credit card number—or God forbid, your Social Security number into an inanimate object that could be viewed by goodness knows who—would send a shiver up your spine! Now, we happily type away, sending this info across the cyber-universe! Thankfully, most sites are secure (or that little pop-up assuring us that they are makes us feel all warm and cozy!) Once we get the “all systems go”, we’re off to the races!

Shopping for virtually everything—with shipping and even the card and optional gift-wrapping possible-makes the “hassle” over holiday shopping confined to those with carpal tunnel syndrome.

The only thing we CAN’T do is to complain to the recipient that we “drove EVERYWHERE to find that special gift!”

They know better.

And if you run into them at the exchange counter returning YOUR gift, maybe you won’t take it as personally!

Overeating...Part One

What is it about the holiday season that says…”OK, go ahead and eat enough for a family of four”? I mean, why is it that our common sense is overridden by statements like, “ I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have ANOTHER serving of mashed potatoes, gravy, turkey, cranberry sauce…and oh, yeah…when are we having DESSERT?”

We tend to dismiss our overindulgence by saying things like, “Well, it’s the holidays”.
Huh?
That’s like saying, “Well, after all, it IS Wednesday!” The fact that people the world over are stuffing themselves wildly does not excuse our own individual behavior! Cookies, pies, cakes and other treats are displayed EVERYWHERE…..you can’t turn around without having a plate of SOMETHING shoved into your face.

If there is a happy medium, I haven’t found it yet. Somewhere between “That’s about the amount I usually eat” and “can someone rent a forklift to get me off the couch?”
Reminds me of comedian Jim Gaffigan’s line about his obsession with home delivery: “It combines two of my favorites things: eating..and not moving”

So, go for it! Enjoy the baked goodies. Try to be good, but promise yourself an HOUR on the treadmill for every treat above your usual limit.

After all, the only thing better than breaking your diet is breaking your New Year’s resolution to take off those extra pounds!