Dave Koz and winter storms February 6, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Weather.2 comments
Four years ago next Monday, Valentine’s Day, I was supposed to see Dave Koz perform at the Best Buy Theater (then the Nokia Theater) in Times Square. Unfortunately, there was a winter storm that day. So, rather than risk taking the LIRR to Penn Station and walk through the snow and ice on the way to the theater, my parents and I stayed home. We figured the show would be canceled. I’m sure it wasn’t.
This Friday, Dave returns to that theater. Though only a few snow showers are in the forecast, the friend with whom I was going to Dave’s concert had plans come up that night. So, once again, I miss out on him. Maybe next time.
I highly recommend Dave’s current album, “Hello Tomorrow.” You can buy it here. I played a few cuts from the album on CJazzPlus, my recent Live365 station.
Here’s hoping less snow and ice are in the forecast for the rest of the winter.
2/14 UPDATE: I may not have gone to Dave’s concert, but Katherine Gilraine did.
Christmas Eve TPiR Double Showcase Winner December 24, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Game Shows, Media, TV.add a comment
Just in time for Christmas, there was a double showcase winner on “The Price is Right.” Judy Ho was the last contestant to come on down. And once she was in contestants’ row, she won a lot:
- One Bid: Linea Pele accessories
- Secret “X”: Trip to Athens
- Showcase 1: Price is Right Christmas Stocking: Trip to Cancun, trip to Oslo, Sanibel 18′ sailboat
- Showcase 2: Fun Christmas Gifts: 32 GB iPod Touch, 8 GB iPod Nano, 2 GB iPod Shuffle, Apple TV, XBOX360 Kinect plus six games, 42″ JVC 1080p LCD HDTV, Acura ZDX
In all, Judy won $101,244 in prizes. She was the third-highest daytime winner in the history of “The Price is Right.” Merry Christmas!
You can watch the show here. If you want to skip ahead, Judy’s winning run begins at 23:19.
As a side note, congratulations to host Drew Carey on his weight loss. I hope he can maintain it. After losing close to 100 pounds in 2007, and being as low as 134 in early 2008, I’m currently hovering in the mid 140s.
Last day of CJazzPlus tomorrow December 1, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Tomorrow is the last day of operation for my Live365 internet radio station, CJazzPlus (station link). Listen in from 12PM to 12AM Eastern.
In its two-month existence, CJazzPlus (blog page link) has struggled to get listeners, but it’s been an honor (I know, I always say that) to run it, playing my favorite instrumentals from my personal collection. I don’t know what will come next for me, but there must be something.
News Corp-Cablevision impasse over October 31, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Media, Personal, TV.add a comment
Our long regional nightmare ended last night. After two weeks, News Corporation and Cablevision reached a new retransimssion deal. The channels kept from customers were Fox, MyNetwork TV, Fox Business Network, Fox Deportes, and Nat Geo (National Geographic) Wild.
Many of the early posts at this blog were requests for Cablevision to add FBN to its lineup. It was finally added last November.
Nine years in radio October 12, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.2 comments
October 5, 2001, was the day that launched my radio career. I hosted “The Mike Chimeri Show” on WebRadio WCWP (now myWCWP). I didn’t think of recording my shows until a week later, October 12. Here’s how that show sounded.
I’ve come a long way since that second “Mike Chimeri Show,” as you’ll hear when you listen to my last “Evening Jazz” show a few months ago.
CJazzPlus debuts September 28 September 18, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
On September 28, I will launch a new Live365 instrumental music station doubling as a weekly show: CJazzPlus. It’s contemporary jazz plus traditional jazz, jazz fusion, latin jazz, instrumental pop, and new age.
CJazzPlus will be on the air Tuesdays at 1PM Eastern and Pacific, with encores Thursdays at the same times. A given month’s shows will air a final time on the last Saturday of that month. Check back here for times.
Not all sub-genres will be played on each show, but I think you’ll like what you hear.
(Cross-posted on the new CJazzPlus blog page.)
9/27 UPDATE: Shows will now premiere Tuesdays at 2PM Eastern and re-air Thursdays at the same time. A given month’s shows will not re-air at on the last Saturday of that month, but will re-air on weeks when there isn’t a new show.
Fan phone call! September 1, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Pets, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, TV.add a comment
Since March, I have been a semi-regular viewer of Alison Rosen’s weekly internet show, Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend, on the website UStream. One of the segments on her show, which streams through a webcam on her laptop, is Fan Phone Call. Phone numbers e-mailed to her by fans are taken out of a pot at random. The lucky fan is then called. If there is no answer, Alison leaves a funny voicemail and picks another number. If there is an answer, she interviews the fan. I e-mailed my number in March but it was never picked. So, I e-mailed it again on August 1.
This Sunday, my number was finally picked. You can see the call here. Scroll ahead to 27:40. I also recorded my end of the conversation in Adobe Audition with my mic in hand. I later mixed Alison’s end and my end together. Here’s the end result.
As you listen or watch, keep the following in mind:
- I bear no malice toward WCWP or any of the management. I have nothing but fond memories and best wishes. I’ll have more on my Homecoming show in a later post. (9/25 UPDATE: The show is not happening, but I will be at Homecoming. 10/16 UPDATE: I’m not going, but should be on hand for WCWP’s 50th anniversary next year.)
- I didn’t notice that Alison and her friend Dustin Goot were referring to the former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater as they were pressing me on my departure from the station.
- I was speaking generally when I said I’ve stormed out of places in the past, later coming back and apologizing. It comes with having Asperger Syndrome. I may regret writing this publicly.
- As you’ve seen in a few concert recaps on this blog, I do take pictures of street signs, highway markers, and exit signs. I used to have Hagstrom’s New York City, Western Suffolk, and Eastern Suffolk atlases. Now, I only have a recent Nassau atlas. With sites like Mapquest and Google Maps with printable directions, there’s less of a need to rely on atlases.
- Despite the heat, I kept my word and went for a walk 20 minutes after the call.
Long Island Radio & TV Day 2010 April 19, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Media, Music, News, Personal, Radio, TV, Weather.2 comments
Saturday, for the second year in a row, I was on hand at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts for Long Island Radio & TV Day, presented by WCWP and the Long Island Wireless Historical Society. Last year, I didn’t show up until around 12PM. This year, I was there from start to finish. As a result, I saw more speakers, met more people, and took nearly twice as many pictures.
So, let’s take a trip through the day in pictures.
The north entrance:
The lobby:
The exhibits began in the lobby…
…and continued in the Atrium:
I wish I remembered Morse Code. I typed something into the bugs below…
…but I don’t know what.
Jay Elzweig’s exhibit:
WRHU:
Dawn-Marie Feiler and Angelica Ayroso worked the Telecare table:
I spoke to them a few times; they were very nice.
Connie Currie:
The WCWP exhibit:
Bill Epperhart, 1948-2000:
Kevin Jeffreys, 1949-2008:
Chloe from WBLI:
Bill Tynan speaking with voiceover talents Mike Pollock and Peter Rofé:
There were four lectures in the Patrons Lounge. The first was “Emergency Communications: The Role of Amateur Radio,” with Jim Mezey of W2KFV:
Next, “Woodstock Radio & Me” with Pete Fornatale, an alumnus of WFUV-FM and WNEW-FM; currently hosting “Mixed Bag” on ‘FUV:
Pete also signed copies of his book, “Back to the Garden: the Story of Woodstock.” Here, he poses with Bill Sobel:
Rick Mide speaking with Pete:
In the lobby, the South Shore Syncopators recreated a 1930s radio broadcast:
Back in the Lounge, the third lecture: “The Theremin: the history of the first electronic music instrument,” with Kip Rosser:
Kip speaking about the instrument’s inventor, Professor Leon Theremin:
The last lecture was by Professor Herb Norman: “I Love a Mystery: A look back at the great radio mysteries”:
Among the mysteries discussed, and excerpts used, “The Shadow” and “Lights Out”:
Clay Cole, of “The Clay Cole Show,” was also at LIR&TV Day. He signed copies of his bestselling book, “Sh-Boom!: The Explosion of Rock ‘n’ Roll (1953-1968).” Here he is with Russ “Famous Amos” DiBello and Anita Bonita:
WNYG alum Ron Roberts and Howie Zeidman also spent a few minutes with Clay:
Bill Mozer:
Throughout the day, Glen Cove High School’s GCHS-TV operated a live webcast for the LIR&TVD website:
Except during interviews, an overhead camera focused on the heart of the Atrium:
(Did you notice me above the word “Radio” taking a picture of the monitor?)
Interviews were conducted by Maura “Bernie” Bernard. The guests were former “American Idol” contestant, and C.W. Post alumnus, Bryce Larsen:
Tracy Burgess and Lisa Ritchie:
Clay Cole:
Roger Luce of WBAB-FM, an alum of WCWP:
Don K. Reed of WCBS-FM:
And Eliot Goshman, yet another WCWP alumnus:
Here, we see engineer Cary Breiner, Bill Mozer, director Howie Zeidman, and NJ Burkett:
NJ speaking with Cary, Mitch Lebe, Bill Diehl of ABC News Radio, and John Von Soosten of Sirius XM:
Bill Dillane poses with Anita Bonita and Famous Amos:
Lisa Ritchie, Keith Allen, Anita Bonita, and Famous Amos:
Bill Sobel poses with Fresh 102.7’s Robin Marshall:
Ted David was next:
WLNY TV 10/55 anchor Michelle Imperato introduces herself to John Bohannon; David Plotkin of 1010 WINS:
John Leisher of WCBS 880, Ted David, Bill Diehl:
WLNY meteorologist David Weiss, Michelle Imperato, camera operator Joe Marcus:
Anita Bonita, Big Tom Lawler of WMTR, Famous Amos, Mike Erickson:
Jim Cutler shoots an interview with Ted David…
…and another with Jamie Mazzo:
I was also interviewed. I hope I made sense in it.
Michelle’s TV 10/55 co-anchor Richard Rose (center, in front of Ted) was also there:
Jerry Barmash interviewed Bill Mozer for his website, NY Media Examiner:
A tour of WCWP:
Back at Tilles…
We conclude with pictures I appeared in. We start with fellow radio fan Andrea Wiener:
My fellow WCWP alumna, Jamie Mazzo:
Mitch Lebe:
Roger Luce:
Jim Cutler:
Don K. Reed:
Anita Bonita:
Don “The Record Handler” Tandler:
Keith Allen:
And Robin Marshall:
Thank you to everyone involved. It was a lot of fun. See you next year.
NOTE: If I made any mistakes or left information out, let me know in the comments and I’ll update as soon I can. Thank you very much.
4/20, 12:45 AM UPDATE:
4/22 UPDATE: Jerry Barmash’s recap is up. I’m in it:
Mike Chimeri is a two-nights a week jazz host at C.W. Post’s WCWP. He is another person who circles the calendar each year for the LIRTD.
“I love it. It’s interesting to learn about the history of radio…and the history of wireless communication,” Chimeri said.
He also enjoyed meeting the amateur radio enthusiasts, along with the professionals from radio and TV.
All of that is true.
12/18 UPDATE: Today, I was saddened to learn of Clay Cole’s sudden passing. He will be missed.
Cause and Effects; 4/7/13 UPDATE: Drew’s side of the story, What took me (Mike) so long February 6, 2010
Posted by Mike C. in Books, Game Shows, Media, TV, Weather.add a comment
5/16/19 UPDATE: I wrote a long overdue follow up after watching Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much.
Terry’s side of the story
4/7/13 UPDATE: Drew’s side of the story comes later in this post.
Terry Kneiss, a Double Showcase winner on The Price is Right in December 2008, sent me the following e-mail (with permission to quote him here) on Wednesday:
I just got word from my publisher that the book “Cause and Effects: The Amazing Story Surrounding the ‘Perfect Showcase Bid’ on Television’s #1 Daytime Game Show” is available to buy online for pre-order. The website is www.perfectshowcasebid.com. Publisher is Langdon Press out of [Minnesota].
That perfect showcase bid led to an unenthusiastic reaction from host Drew Carey. At the time, I didn’t understand why he reacted that way, but I defended him nonetheless:
I believe he was simply in stunned disbelief and shock. Not everyone handles that situation by yelling and screaming. Drew has had the yelling, screaming reaction before, but he is far from perfect. If you want Drew to be wildly enthusiastic every time, you’re going to be disappointed. Clearly, many were disappointed by this. If you want to stop watching “The Price is Right” because Drew isn’t enthusiastic enough for your taste, it’s your choice. But there are plenty of people like me that support Drew and will continue to watch.
I now feel that Drew thought Terry was playing him and the TPiR staff like fools, the same way Michael Larson did on Press Your Luck in 1984. But I could be wrong.
Cause and Effects will showcase, pardon the pun, Terry’s side of the story. On the book’s website, there is this introduction:
My name is Terry Kniess as in the guy who hit The Price Is Right Showcase on the nose — last done in 1973! That earned me a “double showcase!” Oh, and you pronounce Kniess like “niece”, as in ‘my niece hit The Price Is Right showcase just a few weeks after I did!’ But is this a simple story of incredible luck? Or is this the tale– as so many members of the press are asserting — of a diabolical scheme perpetrated by a family of evil geniuses? Well, it all starts with a dog.
My vote is “a simple story.”
Terry is a retired meteorologist and has his own weather website.
2/10 UPDATE: Terry has supplied me with an excerpt from Chapter 15: “Pegging the Stranger Meter, or Just a Series of Coincidences?”:
If there is any reason to believe in a conspiracy theory, it’s because of the strange but true coincidences between the show she (my niece, Jodi) was on and the show I was on. Let’s review:
1. Her show aired exactly one month to the day after the one I was on.
2. She sat in the same seat I did.
3. Her fiancé, Tom, sat in the same seat as my wife, Linda.
4. Both Jodi and I were among the first four contestants called to “Come on down.”
5. Linda had to tell me my name was called. Ton had to tell Jodi her name was called.
6. She got up on stage with the third prize up for bid. The same with me.
7. We were both in the first Showcase Showdown. The Showcase Showdown is when the contestants spin the big wheel at the end of the first half and second half of the show.
8. Her first spin was $.95. My first spin was $.90.
4/7/13 UPDATE: Drew’s side of the story
Last week, Pop My Culture podcast co-host Vanessa Ragland was one of three guests (one of them recurring) on voice actor Rob Paulsen’s weekly Talkin’ Toons UStream show (formerly itself a podcast). My curiosity was piqued enough to search for the series on iTunes. As with the Nerdist podcast three years ago, The Price is Right host Drew Carey was on Pop My Culture last year.
About ten minutes in, Drew recalled Kneiss’ double showcase success (without naming him). And similar to that show, he was deadpan while lamenting the situation. Drew said there was a diehard TPIR fan that sits in the front row. The fan knew what the prices of prizes were because they were, at the time, recycled. “I don’t care what that f***in’ guy said,” Drew intoned. “He got it from the guy in the front row ’cause we have it on tape.” He went on to say the fan did that “out of malice to give everybody the exact price and kinda screw over the show.”
Drew wasn’t the only one to say this. Carrie Grosvenor said the same thing at About the day it aired!:
Apparently, according to the message boards at Golden Road, one of their regular members was in the audience on the day this show was taped, and had been shouting out pricing answers throughout the show. This isn’t unusual in and of itself – anyone who watches the show knows that the audience does this, and that contestants look to these shouted answers for guidance. However, in this case, the audience member, who calls himself “Ted” at Golden Road, is an expert on pricing these items and has some experience giving correct dollar amounts away to contestants. If you watch the show again, it’s very clear that contestant Terry was looking directly at a single person in the audience for help.
In Drew’s Pop My Culture appearance, he noted that TPiR now changes up the prizes and prize features regularly so the prices will be different each time. Terry Kneiss’ “simple story of incredible luck” may be simpler than I originally thought, but the show’s new practice make his story unique. His on-the-nose success may never be duplicated.
What took me so long?
You may be wondering why it took so long for me to update this post with that information. First, I wasn’t as big a Price is Right fan as others and as big a game show fan as I used to be. Second, I gave up watching the show in 2011 when George Gray was made the permanent announcer. Forgive me, but George has an exaggerated delivery and I couldn’t stand hearing it. That’s another thing Drew brought up on PMC: fans that don’t like the changes to the show. With my radio background and as a fan of voice acting, this is the only change that I don’t like. It makes me wish that Jim Thornton could double his announcing his duties and work TPiR in addition to Wheel of Fortune. But like my desire for FOX Sports to go back to using unique themes and cues for the sports they cover, neither George nor FOX’s practice of using NFL cues for more than just NFL coverage are going anywhere. So, I just need to accept both unpleasant situations and move on.
MikeChimeri.com 
Suddenly off the air: Olby and me January 21, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, TV.1 comment so far
Shortly after 9PM, I learned that Keith Olbermann had done his last show with MSNBC. At first, I was in denial. Without knowing the details, I figured he wouldn’t be gone long, as was the case when he was suspended in November. But there won’t be a reprieve for him this time. This is really the end.
It came as swiftly as my end came at WCWP last August. On a Wednesday afternoon, August 4, hours before going on the Spirit of New York’s Smooth Cruise, it was Rick Braun and Richard Elliot that week, I got an e-mail that stopped me in my tracks. Long story short, six days later, I wrote the following:
I stand by what I said then. I will admit that I’ve had bitter moments since the decision. No one likes to step away from something they love, but that’s the business of media. I wouldn’t have been part of “Evening Jazz” had it not been for Martin Phillips, who I trust has done a fine job in my place.
There is one glaring difference between Olby and me: I didn’t use my show to lob personal attacks at my competition or people I disagreed with politically. For that, I did not like Keith, after loving his work at ESPN and Fox Sports earlier in his career. I’ll never forget how listening to the audiobook for The Big Show by Keith and Dan Patrick got me and my family through the car ride to Florida in December 1997, or how listening to the same audiobook got me through an hours-long power outage in September 1998 (though not days long like last March’s Nor’easter). That made it hard for me to suddenly dislike him beginning in 2006 when he took liberal blog-inspired shots at Bill O’Reilly. Then, I discovered Olbermann Watch, where Keith’s misinformation and embellishments were questioned and debunked. It dulled the pain of the personal attacks, unless I witnessed them while recapping segments for the site.
To the chagrin of his fans, to recap what I said at the top of this post, tonight was the end of the line for Keith Olbermann at MSNBC. You can watch his farewell here.
I don’t know where either of us will end up next, but for my sake, there must be some place out there for me. I hope I don’t regret posting this.
11:32 PM UPDATE: Here’s a supportive tweet from Johnny Dollar:
I replied by thanking him for the support. Check out his site’s links for today. Since the announcement, it’s been Olbycentric.
1/22, 12:55 AM UPDATE: J$’s weekend thread has more Olbycentric links.
1/22, 5:39 PM UPDATE: The final Olbermann Watch post…for now.
1/23 UPDATE: J$’s Fox Haters Week in Review closed with a segment on Olbermann. Here’s a preview:
1/24 UPDATE: The Olbermann reportage carried over to today, as documented at J$P. Included in the links is this video:
From NewsBusters, it’s Keith Olbermann’s greatest hits.
Greg Gutfeld: Olby’s Exit.
Despite Keith’s departure from MSNBC, Bill O’Reilly still won’t mention his name on the air, as we saw tonight on The O’Reilly Factor in the Weekdays with Bernie [Goldberg] segment. Jeff Poor elaborated on that move at The Daily Caller. It’s a good move because Olbermann still has Twitter to snipe back on and rally his base. The new #FOK, or “Friends of Keith,” hashtag is one way that base is rallying.
1/25 UPDATE: Today’s round of links
The Red Eye version of Greg Gutfeld’s commentary (Gregalogue):
1/26 UPDATE: Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel replied to Goldberg today.
1/30 UPDATE: Phil Mushnick: The real reason Olbermann lost his show
Fox News Watch on Keith’s dismissal:
2/8 UPDATE: Keith is headed to Current TV. With that, attacks on everyone he disagrees with will resume.
2/9 UPDATE:
3/30/12 UPDATE: Keith Olbermann was fired by Current TV earlier today.
4/1/12 UPDATE: From Howard Kurtz: Keith Olbermann’s Angry Email Trail Traces Breakup With Current TV
4/2/12 UPDATE: John Gibson weighed in at the end of his Fox News Radio show this afternoon: