Warning: Constant WP_MEMORY_LIMIT already defined in /home3/chrisfla/public_html/wp-config.php on line 28
Chris Flannery – Page 27 – I'd rather be the pauper of Scranton than the King of Wilkes-Barre

The Death of Philly Jazz WJJZ

by

Philly Flips A Pair
Aug. 10, 2006
By Keith Berman

We’ve been rumoring this one for a few days now, and things happened almost exactly as we said they would: Clear Channel/Philadelphia has flipped smooth jazz WJJZ and AC WSNI (Sunny 104.5). WJJZ is now “Philly’s 106.1” with Clear Channel’s “Wake Up With Whoopi” slated to launch in mornings on Monday (Aug. 14). R&R’s Street Talk Daily uncovered the domain www.phillys1061.com earlier this week, and the site is now active with a splash page touting Whoopi’s show.

The two stations are currently simulcasting and kicked off their new formats with “start”- themed songs like The Black Eyed Peas’ “Let’s Get It Started,” Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” and 2 Unlimited’s “Get Ready for This.” At press time, things looked to be leaning towards Rhythmic AC — also as Street Talk Daily predicted — with tracks airing by KT Tunstall, Blondie, Nina Sky, and LaBelle. It’s not known how long the stations will simulcast and whether this will be the final format for 106.1, but rumors are still circulating that 104.5 will go alternative.

WSNI and WJJZ both ended their runs with farewell-themed tracks: WJJZ’s swan song was Hall & Oates’ “She’s Gone,” and Sunny signed off with Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

–Updated 8/28/06–

Smooth Jazz is back – in a way. Clear Channel Radio, which killed the format on 106.1 on Aug. 10, has started streaming the old station’s music on the Internet (accessible through www.wjjz.com, though on Friday it was still labeled “straight jazz”) and over the air on 106.1’s secondary channel on HD radio (for which you need a special radio). WJJZ’s longtime music director, Frank Childs, is voicing the station. No other company seems likely to pick up Smooth Jazz for a conventional FM station here.
(philadlephia inquirer/klein)

Air Your Grivences at Philly.com:
wjjz message board

[tags]philly, jazz, wjjz, clear channel[/tags]

my wish for the Scranton Red Barons

by

At the end of this season of AAA baseball Red Barons will be without and affiliation to MLB. Currently the Barons are affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies – which has always been especially great for the area because I’d guesstimate 50% of the Area’s fans are Phillies fans. (The other 48% are probably Yankees Fans.) With the promise of Allentown building a AAA baseball franchise – the Phillies look to have an agreement to farm with them. With the outward expansion away from Philadelphia – Allentown and the rest of the Lehigh Valley are now by many considered suburbs of Philadlephia. The commute is about an hour. I’m guessing the populations of the Lehigh Valley surely can susatin a AAA franchise as it well exceeds Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metro.

So without a stadium… and without a team… Philadelphia and Allentown will look to persuade a cheap and lackluster team to hijack. Odds are looking like it will be you Ottawa. This is where I get happy.

Ottawa is currently the affiliate for the Baltimore Orioles. I am an Orioles fan. Perhaps if the cards are dealt right – the Phillies will affilaitre with Ottawa and eventually bring them to Allentown… leaving the Orioles to affiliate with the Scranton. This would be anytime I go home to visit my family I could scout the minors to see whats working up the ranks to the O’s.

Another consideration is that the Washington Nationals may try and affiliate with Scranton. I don’t hate this idea – but from a Scrantonian standpoint – how good do we feel about the longevity of the Nationals on the east coast?

bring tesh back

by

i snooze for 1.5 hours in the morning.

i had grown accustom to john tesh’s mellow voice and soothing words of wisdom.
he always had good tips for living.
for some strange reason i liked him – he played mellow mom pop music… but at 5:45am thats all i can really deal with.

now he’s gone.

replaced by whoopi goldberg. i’m trying to giver her chance, a chance only based on her role in “ghost”. i don’t think its gonna work. she sounds uncomfortable and doesn’t sound like she has anything to really say. dumb callers call in to talk about nothing… except how much they love whoopi.

wake up with whoopi

you suck clear channel.
you suck Sunny! (WJJZ) (which i think is just called “Philly’s 106.1” now)

bring tesh back!

Bryan Ferry w/ a Beard (updated)

by

This was a picture from circa 1978.

UPDATE: I can’t find that Bryan Ferry bearded picture. So here he is with a mustache instead. (CF 11/11/2009)

image-proxy.php

UPDATE: Somebody has posted a 1978 video of Bryan covering Velvet Underground’s “What Goes On” with an in-development scraggily beard. (CF 11/01/2010)

when nickelodeon was young

by

i was young as well. after passing a bulletin on myspace i started remembering all the old shows i used to like on nickelodeon as a kid:
lost city of gold (or was it mysterious cities of gold?)
sebastian & belle
spartacus
you can’t do that on television
today’s special
out of control
mr. wizard
dangermouse (w/ bananaman)
science international
inspector gadget
double dare
make the grade
get the picture
finders keepers
muppet babies
heathcliff

and there was an old show that came on before out of control on staurday’s at about 6:00AM which involved kids living in a firehouse…i have no idea what it was called