Bye Bye Classic Rock

From The Washington Post

"...This time, it's for real. Classic rock will disappear from FM radio in Washington next Monday, to be replaced by a soft pop format designed to win listeners in one of the few places where broadcast radio remains strong--at the office.

The new 94.7 Fresh FM will feature music by the likes of Jason Mraz, Third Eye Blind, Leona Lewis, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani and John Mayer--a mix intended to compete with 97.1 WASH-FM's soft rock sound, capturing a somewhat younger audience than that station by excluding what Fresh's promotional materials call "washed-up old slow songs."

Two years ago, CBS Radio rebranded its classic rock station at 94.7 FM from The Arrow to The Globe. promising an alternative rock sound reminiscent of the legendary 1980s rocker, WHFS. But in short order, 94.7 returned to its classic rock roots, playing the big rock hits of the 60s and 70s with a mix of more recent music of the same ilk. Now, that music will be relegated to a channel on HD radio, the sub-channels that are available only to the very few consumers who have bothered to go out and buy special radios that receive the extra channels hidden on the FM band.

The demise of Classic Rock 94.7 means the end of the FM road for voices that have accompanied Washingtonians to and from work for decades, such as Cerphe Colwell, who has been a mainstay of D.C. radio since he started on the old WHFS in 1972..."

Virginia Festival of the Book

Join us March 18-22, 2009 for the 15th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book! These five days of mostly free literary events are open to the public as we honor book culture and promote reading and literacy.

The Virginia Festival of the Book is in Charlottesville, Virginia. ...read more here...

Huey Been Around a Long Time

It was once the workhorse of the Vietnam War, a helicopter with a distinct thwap, thwap, thwap that for some came to symbolize that conflict.

The Huey, reliable and solid, is being phased out -- though some say it's premature to write its obituary because it is still in use by some units. But the event held yesterday by the D.C. National Guard amounted to a retirement ceremony for its fleet of Hueys, which are being replaced by a more modern and nimble chopper known as the UH-72A Lakota.

Pilots stood around a parking lot near RFK Stadium that served as a temporary landing zone, admiring the old helicopters as if having a hard time saying goodbye. They talked about how the aircraft, some of which date to the late 1960s and early 1970s, were over the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, and responded to Hurricanes Katrina and Ike.

For the Vietnam generation, the Huey is an "icon," said Lt. Col. Maureen Bellamy, who has been flying the helicopter for 25 years. And when she goes to aviation shows, Vietnam veterans "come up with tears in their eyes" and recall how, when wounded, the sight of a Huey on the horizon meant safety.

"The Huey is a legend," said Tim Smith, the aircraft maintenance officer for the Army Aviation Museum in Fort Rucker, Ala. "It's been the standard of Army aviation for many, many years." ...read more here...

Sports Update

Well, it's finally March and Spring is right around the corner. It has been a cold winter here in Washington, D.C. and the only measurable snow(8 inches) just happened this week.

Looking forward to baseball and the Washington Nationals this season. The team should be much better this year and can play above .500 for the first time since baseball's return to Washington. I still think Jim Bowden was a good GM and has put together a good team for this year and future years.

The Washington Capitals look like they are ready to make a serious run for the NHL title this year with Alex The Great leading the way.

The Maryland Lady Terps with the 2009 ACC basketball championship already secure they look like good bets to make a run for another NCAA championship. The mens team need some more wins and a little luck just to make the NCAA playoffs. But if they do, they could make a little run(maybe the sweet 16) themselves.

The Rdskins keep signing the wrong people in the off-season(Haynesworth). When will they learn?

The Washington Wizzards?? Georgetown Hoyas?? Not sure which is the more disappointing this season. Both are bad, but the Wizzards just keep changing parts and none seem to work.