The Heat of Battle: On Stage, At the Door, On the Air
It's 102, according to the thermometer in my car, yet the heat isn't stopping some stalwart fighters from doing what they do best.
--At Arena Stage Sunday night, the cast of "Three Mo' Divas" won cheers and shouts of joy as they led a journey through opera, jazz, blues, Broadway song, soul, pop and gospel in a staged concert so exhausting to the singers that Arena has two casts performing in rotation. The cast we saw on opening night featured the exquisite operatic voice of D.C. native Jamet Pittman, the gospel power of Gretha Boston, and the alluring grace and wit of triple threat N'Kenge. Staging the concert at Arena raises the expectation of a more theatrical production--in this case, N'Kenge is the only dancer, so the overall feel of the action on stage is a bit stale--but the extraordinary range of music lets three strong voices build to a hot finish. Check it out.
--Despite the heat, candidates in the Sept. 12 D.C. primary are getting out on the streets, taking advantage of the great gift that this market's prohibitively expensive TV ad rates grant all voters--because TV is rarely much of a factor in D.C. elections, the candidates have to seek votes the old-fashioned way. They stand on street corners, they go to every neighborhood meeting and forum they can find, they'll come to your house to talk if you invite even a dozen of your friends and neighbors, and they make house calls. We've had four candidates for mayor or council show up at the door in the last few weeks, and they not only drop literature but stick around and chat. It's a heartening experience to watch, and it's often more revealing than any number of TV debates or candidate forums. So hats off to the candidates who ring the doorbells, even the ones who duck tough questions--after all, by doing so, they're making our choices much easier.
--Today marks the beginning of a hot new era of competition in sports talk radio in Washington, as this market gains its second sports station. Redskins Radio, also to be known as Triple X ESPN Radio, debuts at 4 p.m. on 92.7 and 94.3 FM and 730 AM, all formerly Spanish language stations with weak signals. If you, like me, cannot receive any of the three stations at home, that means you won't get to hear Redskins games on the radio this season. In 2007, the Redskins hope to get their games on a more powerful Washington station, but for this year, this is it, according to station president Bennett Zier.
If you can pull in any of those signals, you'll hear much of the syndicated ESPN Radio talk that was formerly on WTEM (980 AM), the Clear Channel-owned station that broadcasts the Wizards, Orioles and Capitals games, as well as local talk shows such as The Sports Reporters and the John Thompson Show. TEM is now picking up programming from Fox Sports.
The Redskins' outlets will throw John Riggins up against Thompson in a battle of local sports titans. The new station's only other local show is a noon all-Redskins affair with Larry Michaels. Redskins Radio is also hoping to win rights to broadcast Nationals games next year, though it hardly seems likely that the Nats, already struggling without their games on Comcast cable TV, would want to move to outlets with such thin signals.
Which sports talk station will prevail? Obviously, having the Redskins is a major advantage, and having a broadcast outlet owned by the team it covers will present sports journalists with a whole new set of stories about potential conflicts of interest. But if listeners grow frustrated trying to find a listenable signal for Redskins Radio, WTEM will benefit. Also, the first of the stations to drop syndicated fare in the morning and come up with a strong local morning drive show will likely win over a good chunk of the daytime sports talk audience.
If you can hear the stations later today, let me know what you think of Riggo's first show.
By Marc Fisher |
July 18, 2006; 7:50 AM ET
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Posted by: Kalorama Kat | July 18, 2006 9:25 AM
I expect all the Snyder-worshipers to change their tune after seeing Stan Kasten -- a real sports professional in the way Danny Boy could never be -- at work here for a few years.
As for Riggins' first day on the job, what little I heard of it wasn't all that impressive. Descriptions of places to eat in Carlisle, Pa. ... what fun! I reserve judgment on Riggins until he discusses non-Redskins topics. Supposedly Ralph Friedgen, Maryland's football coach, will be a guest today; let's see how knowledgable Riggins is on the Terps.
Posted by: Vincent | July 19, 2006 9:38 AM
I wonder if giving up syndicated programming in drive time will determine the winner. I think folks want to hear about more from the broader world of sports than we're likey to get from Redskin discussions in April. These shows require talent and hard work. What we typically tend to get on local radio most places are efforts like WTEM's Brian Mitchell show, an only slightly better informed discussion then a sports bar argument.
Posted by: CW | July 19, 2006 2:04 PM
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Snyder's investment in sports radio will add a strong competitor and improve the products for everyone in the area. Just as with the Redskins, he will experiment until he gets it right and, in the end, you can be sure he will be #1.