New NASA site for Ares I flight Test

This will happen sometime next year in the Spring, tentative date is April 15th, but expect this to move a couple of weeks because of the use of PAD 39B for the October shuttle flight. With the b PAD being the rescue shuttle launch pad if needed. Find more on the first unmanned sub orbital flight test here.

BBC World News

Cable systems in Amsterdam in the Netherlands have taken BBC World off the system.  Having watched the end product I can see why but if you live in that city and want to see it live go here.

97.9 WRMF

Once I was the program director of this set of call letters but it was not located in West Palm Beach, it was in Central Florida.  The current incarnation of this station is god awful.  Everything about it sucks.

The music is way off target.  Most songs played are totally unrecognizable to a female say age 32.  That's not a correct way to pay off your bank debt, so you sue the former owner and win.  This radio station has no chance in ever reclaiming it's top ratings in West Palm Beach, it's an also ran.  The other stations that Clear Channel owns are targeted, sound LOCAL, and use jingles for station identification, which WRMF does not.  

Maybe you guys will either hire me to fix the place or Ron Chapman from the legendary KVIL, who's putting a new station on the air in Dallas on FM.   It's your choice.

WFTL

This is a 50 KW AM station that should have much better ratings than it has.  Part of the problem is the programming.  It it not the kind of talk radio anyone is going to spend time listening to, nor does the ownership have the resources to get the good or even the good syndicated talent.  That's a big problem.  The new and airborne traffic are better than anything I have heard in any major market.

 

The one air promotion is free gas for life.  How cool is that, and all you need to remember are the six digits of something you have in your wallet if you live in the stations target area your Florida Drivers License.  Does this contest scream "George Johns" to you...yes it most certainly does.  And I know just how you would play this game.  If you ever heard a contest called Breakfast Serials, you have the picture of how the game works.

 

I worked with Ric Hindes at WZZD in Philadelphia,  the thing you need to know about radio ownership is you always are late payers of bills.  Usually you have made cash flow commitments to the bank who loaned you the money to buy this grown up toy.   And having played that game while working for a small New England chain several years back, I do have those stories like you read is this newspaper article.

Ric Hindes was the Hindes in Nat-Hindes the legendary limiter/compressor found in most radio stations in the early 80s. 

Friday the 13 th

The Sunday Washington Post reported on Tim Russerts final script that he was trying to record here in DC on Friday afternoon.

Fischer, who was with Russert when he collapsed at the bureau Friday, said he was about to record the words "Our issues this Sunday -- ." She accompanied him in an ambulance but said she knew before they reached Sibley Memorial Hospital that he wasn't going to make it.

Read the whole story here.

Tim Russert's Death

Very sad, at met him at a local bookstore and got his first book signed. He died like most people in broadcasting want to go, doing a voiceover in the studio. Now that's got to be an interesting tape or digital master. It's a big local story as WRC TV, the local NBC station shares the building with NBCs Washington Bureau. Tim and his family lived near American University in an area called Spring Valley. He was on statins and did work out every day. God's having a tough interview explaining to Tim why he was called home so soon.

Shuttle home after 13 days on orbit

STS 124, the space shuttle discovery landed at the Kennedy Space Center this morning, completing it's 13 day mission. The next shuttle launch will be to the Hubble Space Telescope in October. It's a repair mission and NASA will stack a shuttle as a rescue mission if needed. As the next flight won't go anywhere near the international space station.

Post Launch

I used to drink three or four carbonated sodas during these things, I think I know why, to stay awake. News item, they saw at least five pieces fall off the ET during post acceleration period just before et seperation. So, at this point the NASA folks on the ground do not think this will be a problem.
Payload bay doors are now open on orbit. The KU Band antenna is now being deployed.

Not so fast with that ET

On reviewing the video of the shuttle launch this afternoon something dropped with the new tank at separation. Nasa will have a press conference at 6, which is the post launch briefing to explain more. My s/o who needs glasses saw it, why did Jay Barbree wait until the MSNBC update to tell us.

On time liftoff

Space shuttle discovery launched at 5:02 pm EDT this afternoon from LCC 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center on Merrit Island in Florida. The first new external tank did not to the naked eye appear to drop any foam debris. Shuttle was on orbit by 5:11 pm on it's way with it's 7 man crew to a monday meeting with the International Space Station. In the shuttles cargo bay is the 747 sized Japanese Kibo module. Yes, there is also a new pump for the shuttles toilet which is not as the BBC would have you believe broken but doesn't work like it should. The BBC also reported that it will take 10 more missions to complete construction of the space station, the truth is it's only going to take 7, with 2 more for spares if needed. Last space shuttle launch will be late summer of 2010.

DC Under Tornado Watch

We in the Washington DC area are under a tornado watch until 5 pm Edt. That means that PEPCO our 3nd world power company has already cut power several times this afternoon. Plus it's as they say in Florida, a real gully washer.

Florida today webcast

The interviews are really very good, however you will have to put up with first time technical mistakes that do distract from watching very long.
The astronauts are still getting into the shuttle and the hatch will close shortly before 3 pm edt. We are still looking for a liftoff a few minutes after 5 pm this afternoon. A nice 85 ish day with a breeze blowing off the ocean which will clear the clouds away.
Jim Cutler veteran voice talent is watching his first shuttle launch today. Hopefully he was able to get to the press site through as Florida Today has reported on line the very heavy traffic, the most since the last return to flight last summer.

What can you do with Rock Shrimp

Wegmans from time to time features fresh Rock Shrimp. Here's how to cook it.
You also want to buy powdered sugar to make corn fritters that go with the rock shrimp.

Where to Eat

There is only one place to eat post launch. It's Dixie Crossing in Titusville.
Order the all you can eat Rock Shrimp. Trust me on this it's like eating lobster with out the high cost. You will want the hushpuppies. Save room for desert with the Key Lime Pie.
This is the place the local people go. It's Florida be friendly don't be a northern snob.

STS 124 launch

Saturday afternoon, the place the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The call to stations, or where the launch team arrives at it's consoles will occur at 1:30 pm. It's NASA so unless they are contract people we are dealing in comp time for the hours worked, rather than overtime. Working for the government, even as a contractor you run into this situation.
Best places to watch the launch if you are not at the Cape but nearby,
US Route 1 in Titusville is almost directly across the river from the launch pad.
The bee line expressway heading to Cape Canaveral. The bridge over the river is also a good place.
If you have the time to spend the day, Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral off AIA. Or if you just want to soak up the sun. Anywhere along the beach from Cocoa Beach to Melbourne Beach. But remember this mission is on a more almost polar trajectory so expect views from the north of Brevard County and Volusia County (New Smyrna and Daytona Beach).

Florida today is going to be live, doing a webcast. This should be very interesting to watch as first live broadcasts never go as planned. ( I have an tape of the Apollo Soyuz launch coverage which was the 1st launch I totally produced, that well sucked). You want to fill the air with words of wisdom when silence better can tell the story.

Nasa News and Shuttle Launch

First Mars, the phoenix lander has unstowed its robot arm and it is ready go get to work
The space shuttle Discovery will launch this weekend to the International Space Station. The launch will occur around 5pm EDT thats 2100 UTC on Saturday. The main payload is Japans Kibo (Hope) module that will attach to the Space Station. This is also a plumbing call, as the space stations Russian space toilet isn't working correctly so the crew has a new fan and separator on board the shuttle for use on the station. Weather looks good and they are working no issues that could cause a delay in this mission.