Happy Birthday Joan Baez

Leave it to Lee to remind me that today is Joan Baez's 71st birthday.  I guess he remembers that it is one day after Elvis' birthday.  Here is a song called Diamonds and Rust where Joan sings about Bob Dylan.  Happy Birthday Joan and may you stay Forever Young.

Happy Birthday Elvis Presley

The King would have been 77 years old had he lived.  Although he has left us in body his music still lives on.  I remember when we saw Graceland in 2004 most of the visitors were not yet born when Elvis died in 1977.  His music spans the generations.

Some of My Favorite Channels on Sirius/XM

I don't need all the channels on SiriusXM, but it is always nice to have a choice.  Here are some of my favorites:

• 50s on 5 - I can't hear the heart of rock n roll on WCBS-FM any longer
• 60s on 6 - Cousin Brucie still rocks after all these years.
• Elvis Channel - Almost everybody loves the King
• Classic Vinyl
• Deep Tracks
• The Loft
• Coffee House
• The Village
• The Bridge
• Soul Town
• Classic Country
• Outlaw Country
• Water Colors (smooth jazz)
• Real Jazz
• Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

Dave Leach - the Next Jeopardy Superstar

Until 2003 or so Jeopardy had a rule that a contestant could only win 5 games in a row.  I believe that this rule may have been a consequence of the quiz scandals of the 1950s.  A bigger winner would  inevitably attract more viewers to the show.  Back then some contestants were given answers before the show so they would win and generate higher ratings.

In this day and age security on game shows is extremely tight, so those scandals could never happen again.  Today Dave Leach of Atlanta won his 6th game following Jason Keller who won 9 games.  I believe that this is the first time there have been two 5+ winners in a row since the rule was changed.  I always look forward to the next Tournament of Champions when the big winners go against each other.

Bob Dylan - Had a Dream About You Baby

I actually had a dream about Bob Dylan a few nights ago. It happened about 12:15 AM and was really weird. I don't want to say what it was about.  Anyway, the song was from the CD Down in the Groove.

Jon Binstock - Facebook Friend of the Day

A little while ago the phone rang and it was Jon Binstock of the Washington, DC area.  Jon was one of the first radio enthusiasts that I met online in the mid 1990s when we were both on Prodigy.  That service folded many years ago, but Jon and I have kept in touch for over 15 years.  We hook up when I travel to the DC area or when he comes up to NYC.  I must say that he is a walking encyclopedia of radio broadcasting from the nation's capital.  He is also very familiar with radio in NYC and other cities.

Congratulation Jon for being my first Facebook Friend of the Day for 2012.

I Blame The Greedy Suits at MSG for this Dispute

Since 1986 I have been a subscriber to Time Warner Cable.  It is hard to believe that there was a time that all we could get was the local broadcast stations.  We have been sports fans for many years as well and have watched the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders and Devils over the winter months.  There has been a very bitter dispute between Time Warner and MSG over a license fee hike.  It seems that both parties agreed to a 6.5 % increase. but MSG reneged on that deal and is demanding a 53% increase.  As of 12 midnight 2.3 million viewers can not get the MSG Networks.

I must blame the greedy executives at MSG for this dispute.  As I reported a few weeks ago in this Journal the ticket prices were raised so high that it is a financial burden to go to a professional game at the Garden.  The sports fans have to pay for the renovations and the outrageous salaries of the players.  Now MSG wants cable TV subscribers to pay for this as well.

This is a lose-lose situation. MSG is trying to encourage Time Warner subscribers to change to another cable or satellite provider.  They already cut off Dish Network subscribers and can do the same to Verizon Fios and others when their contracts expire.  MSG is losing money since they will have to lower their advertising rates since their viewership is now significantly.  For this reason I think they will settle within a few days. In the meantime I can watch sports on broadcast and other cable networks.  We supported the Knicks and Rangers during some poor seasons and now they try to screw us.