On Jan 6, 7:11*pm, RHF wrote:
On Jan 6, 3:05*pm, Pocket-Radio wrote:

On Jan 6, 5:39*am, PocketRadio wrote:

On Jan 6, 3:30 am, wrote:

Tuning the nightstand radio to the usual late night talk show on WCCO
Minneapolis I hear a familiar but misplaced voice - not Al Malmberg
but John Grayson who is supposed to be on another of the few "good
neighbor" radio stations left - KMOX in St. Louis. Hmm...weird. Must
be the filters on the cheap radio. Oh well I'll listen to the other
local talk show on KDKA Pittsburgh. WHAT the eff? Same voice and same
show as is on WCCO and KMOX! This is becoming twilight zone material.
I'll try WBX 1030 out of Boston - SAME VOICE SAME SHOW! Are you
kidding me? This can't be happening!

A search of the web today confirmed my deepest fear - syndication has
killed the few remaining local late nighters that have become my
companions over the years. Crap.
Not even a warning. Not even time to get used to the idea. What a
class organization you are CBS Radio. No wonder you are going broke..
Good riddance.

Guess it's shortwave and Brother Stair to put me to sleep at night
henceforth. He's better than a somonex laced Nyquil cocktail.

From the Minneapolis Star Tribunehttp://www.startribune.com/entertainment/tv/37095119.html?page=2&c=y
No happy trails for WCCO's Malmberg

Late-night radio host of 12 years was fired and didn't get a chance to
bid farewell to listeners.

By PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune

The smooth, friendly and rich sound of host Al Malmberg's voice on
WCCO Radio has been silenced before he ever got a chance to say
goodbye to his listeners of 12 years.

Malmberg, 57, was fired last week in the latest in a series of cost-
cutting measures taken by the CBS-owned station and by other media
outlets in the Twin Cities and elsewhere around the country. The
station also let go Brad Walton, who was behind the microphone on
weekends overnight for about the same length of time as Malmberg.

"I've never had a more loyal audience," said Malmberg. "You are a
companion, and people felt like they knew you. Unfortunately, that's
been lost."

Malmberg grew up in Richfield and remembers as a child hearing his
father, Larry, play the accordion as a live in-studio musician for
WCCO Radio and later WCCO-TV.

"He took it hard," Malmberg said, recalling when he told his 85-year-
old father the news. "I think he took it harder than I did."

Malmberg's slot has been filled by Jon Grayson's CBS-syndicated
"Overnight America," heard weekdays from midnight to 5 a.m. Its other
markets include St. Louis, Pittsburgh and Boston.

Turning to syndication overnight breaks "The Good Neighbor's" practice
of having only locally produced programming.

WCCO program director Wendy Paulson described Grayson's show as not
syndication but a "custom simulcast" between the four stations. Local
weather coverage will continue overnight.

Malmberg said he asked his bosses at the time of his firing, " 'When
is my last night?' And they said, 'Last night.'

"I couldn't say goodbye to my audience. It took me 25 years to make it
to WCCO."

He even had in the back of his mind how he wanted to sign off if he
had been given the chance to plan his final show. "I would put on Roy
Rogers and sing 'Happy Trails,'" he said, reprising how he departed
for WCCO from his own nationally syndicated radio talk show that was
based in Colorado Springs, Colo. "It would have been hokey, but it
would have been cool."

Paulson said "Al and Brad were beloved by our listeners, and we
completely understand that." She said their departures were because of
"economic events that we are not immune to."

The CBS fools are some of the last IBOC holdouts.

If these guys can't provide content for AM & FM how will they be able
to fill up their HD channels?

- Get ready for more Rush, Hannity, Ryan Seacrest
- and more.
- Who knew radio could cheapen radio even further?

- Free Over-the-Air AM & FM Radio :
- It's About : choice, Choice. CHOICE !
- *.

IBOC : More Choice Coming To FM HD-Radio HD2 Channels

Think about this if Satellite Radio Strength is
100+ Channels of diverse Audio Programming
and the Internet also offers that and a lot more.

Then one of terrestrial AM & FM Radios short
comings is the limited number of Local Offering
Available to -wrt- Sat-Radio and Net-Radio : Now
FM HD-Radio offers the potential for Doubling (2X)
the Number of Free Over-the-Air FM Radio HD2
"Choices" for Radio Listeners Cookie-Cuter
Copy-Cat Clones of what can be heard on both
Sat-Radio and Net-Radio -IF- These are Valid
Choices and Worthwhile Audio Programming
on Sat-Radio and Net-Radio : They Will Be
Equally Valid Choices and Equally Worthwhile
Audio Programming on FM HD-Radio HD2
Channels.

Plus the all the Free Over-the-Air FM HD-Radio HD2
Channels will cost the Audio Consumer NOTHING.
-as-in- NO MONTHLY FEES [.] ~ RHF