Channel Surfing
by Laura Nachman
Bucks County Courier Times

February 6, 2007

 

Tom Kelly, the president and general manager of the new alternative station, “Skin Radio” on 1340-AM answered some email questions.

 

L.N. – Will you continue with Kelly Music Research? (A business that helps radio stations determine listeners’ music preferences.)

 

Tom Kelly - Kelly Music Research is a family business and will continue under the direction of my brother and partner Paul Kelly.  Paul has taken the reins and has been managing the company for the last couple of years while I pursued station ownership. There is no conflict of interest issue.

 

L.N. – Will you eventually hire disc jockeys?

 

Tom Kelly - At Skin Radio we will be hiring hosts to put on the air.  However, our programming concept is to let the music be the star.  The air personalities will be there to complement the music, not upstage it.  When we conducted the research for this format, we found that young adults in their 20's were really interested in a station that played a lot of music and kept the talk and commercials to a minimum.  We are also making a significant commitment to local artists.  Every hour we play a song from a local band.  We are also featuring poetry from local poets.  This is a great opportunity for local bands or poets who have something recorded to get on the radio.

 

L.N. – Isn’t it risky to try to start an AM station in this day of iTunes?

 

Tom Kelly - There is an element of risk in everything we do.  However, Radio offers so much more than a collection of songs.  Radio keeps people connected with their community. Radio delivers information.  Radio introduces listeners to new music. Radio is entertaining.  Radio is unpredictable and can surprise listeners, unlike an iPod.

 

L.N. – What is your timetable to make a profit?

 

Tom Kelly - We hope to be profitable in the first year.

 

As the annual “Super Bowl” put the spotlight on commercials, we decided to test your knowledge of the current crop of ads.  Match the song and product.  The answers appear at the bottom of the column.

 

1. “ One Way or Another”- Blondie                                   A.  Bally’s Total Fitness

2.  “Don’t You Want Me” - The Human League                  B.  Tooth Tunes

3.  “American Pie” - Don McLean                                     C.  Tide

4.  “I Wish” - Stevie Wonder                                            D.  www.flufacts.com

5.  “We’re Not Gonna Take It” - Twisted Sister                  E.  Dr. Pepper

6.  “Hello Goodbye” - The Beatles                                    F.  Ford Parts

7.  “Wannabe” - The Spice Girls                                      G. The Swiffer

8.  “Let’s Stay Together”- Al Green                                  H. Chevy Showcase

9.  “I Can Help” - Billy Swann                                          I.  Chips Ahoy cookies

10.  “I Want to Rock and Roll All Night” - Kiss                  J.  Target

11.  “New Sensation” - INXS                                            K. Citbank Rewards card

12.  “Beautiful” - Pharrell and Snoop Dogg                        L. Heineken

13.  “I Want It All" - Queen                                              M. Menopause medication

14. “Don’t Your Worry About a Thing”- Stevie Wonder        N.  UPS Store

 

 

Change in Weather Patterns at 3

Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that CBS3 meteorologists Brooks Tomlin and Maria LaRosa switched shifts.  CBS3 confirmed that Tomlin now does weekend evenings and LaRosa has the more prestigious morning weekday slot. Tomlin joined CBS3 from Baltimore in 2005.  LaRosa joined the station from Cincinnati in 2004.

 

CBS3 weekday news anchor Pat Ciarrocchi will be honored by her alma mater, Rosemont College, with the “2007 Cresset Award” in April.   The award is given to outstanding individuals who have demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting values and to supporting education for all people.

 

Here's what I took from the CBS3 promos during "The Super Bowl."Larry Mendte, Alycia Lane, and Kathy Orr are the stars of the station. Maria LaRosa is being groomed as the next big thing.  Sports doesn't rate as high as weather.  Kathy Orr was in two promos.  Beasley Reece's promo finally ran after the game.
 

West Chester’s Bam Margera of “Jackass” fame and hometown fiancé Missy Rothstein, star in the new MTV reality show “Unholy Union” Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.

 

The new Nickelodeon instant hit, “The Naked Brothers Band” has a connection to 90’s classic “Thirtysomething.”  The stars of the show, Nat and Alex Wolff are the sons of Polly Draper, who played Ellyn on the series and her husband, Michael Wolff who was the bandleader on “The Arsenio Hall Show.” Draper used her connections to reunite “Thirtysomething” stars Ken Olin, Mel Harris, Timothy Busfield, Peter Horton, Patricia Wettig, and Melanie Mayron in last week’s show.

 

WBCB 1490-AM afternoon personality Paul Baroli and his Grateful Dead tribute band August West are performing at Doc Watson’s pub in Center City Friday at 9:45 p.m.  For more information, go to www.myspace.com/augustwestjamband.

 

Commercials

Answers

1-G, 2-I, 3-H, 4-D, 5-M, 6-J, 7-K, 8-C, 9-F, 10-B, 11-A, 12-L, 13-E, 14-N