'12 Years A Slave' Wins Top Oscar

If only Bradley's arm was longer. Best photo ever. #oscars pic.twitter.com/C9U5NOtGap
— Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) March 3, 2014

Ellen DeGeneres kept the crowd and audiences at home entertained during the 86th Academy Awards on Sunday during a ceremony that lasted over three hours. With most of the major categories stacked toward the last 15 minutes, the host brought the laughs by taking selfies with the stars, having pizza delivered to the auditorium, and playing dress-up as Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz.

• Gravity was the night's big winner by taking home seven Oscars but only nabbed the Best Director trophy in the major categories.
• Dallas Buyers Club took the two male acting categories with Jared Leto earning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Matthew McConaughey nabbing the gold for Best Actor.

The evening also included performances by Pharrell Williams, U2, P!nk, Bette Midler, Karen O, and Idina Menzel -- who sang "Let It Go" from Frozen which went on to win Best Original Song.

TV Ratings: Early Oscars Numbers Hit a Best Since DeGeneres' Last Time Hosting http://t.co/nDWcmqXG02
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 3, 2014

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

• Ellen embarrassing Jennifer Lawrence by making fun of her falling last year and then again this year on the red carpet
• Jared's acceptance speech set the bar pretty high for the rest of the evening's winners with a really sweet tribute to his mother.
• Lupita Nyong'o, Meryl Streep, and Amy Adams all got up to dance with Pharrell while he sang "Happy."
• Ellen's selfie with the A-listers including Lupita, Brangelina, J-Law, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, and Meryl. It was retweeted so many times and so quickly that it temporarily broke Twitter.
• Liza Minnelli pulling Lupita in for a hug after she was announced as best supporting actress.
• Robert Lopez's win for "Let It Go" made him only the 12th person to win the EGOT -- Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

WINNERS LIST:

• Best Picture - 12 Years a Slave
• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave

For the complete Winner's List: Click Here.

RED CARPET FASHION:

The Good:

• Charlize Theron - She rocked a Black Dior gown and kept the jewels to a minimum. Bound to make most best-dressed lists for years to come
• Jason Sudeikis - It's unconventional to wear a different colored tux but his blue Prada gave him the chance to stand out on a red carpet that is usually about the women.
• Lupita Nyong'o - The light blue Prada dress was made for her...complete with a headband? Just yes.
• Cate Blanchett - Her nude Giorgio Armani was hand-beaded. She described the dress as "heavy" but we're glad she bore the weight. 

The Bad:

• Pharrell Williams - He always dresses a bit left of center but the Lanvin tuxedo and shorts were a fashion fail.
• Sally Hawkins - The Valentino frock had too much going on. Sarah Paulson had a similar look that was executed much better.
• Anna Kendrick - Her Rauwolf clutch was the best part of her look. The J. Mendel gown just didn't quite score her any points on the red carpet. 
• Julia Roberts - The black lace Givenchy made her look matronly. 

The Forgettable:

• Amy Adams - Her Blue Gucci couture gown was just a bit boring especially when she is nominated for a role where she wore so many amazing 70s outfits.
• Jared Leto - His stylist gave interviews teasing his Oscars wardrobe which may have hyped up his white tux/red bowtie look a little too much. 
• Jessica Biel - The Chanel couture could have been spectacular in person but it did not translate well on TV.

Oscar Swag Value Totals $85,000

Whether they won or lost last night (March 2nd), all the Oscar nominees walked away with a gift bag containing more than $85,000 worth of swag inside, nearly double the price of last year's, according to Business Insider.

The more than 50 gifts inside -- some of them distinctly odd -- ranging in price from $6.50 to $16,000, included:

• $16,000 toward a hair transplant
• $15,000 walking tour around Japan
• $9,000 trip to Las Vegas
• $6,850 two-day Rocky Mountaineer train trip in the Canadian Rockies
• $5,000 toward laser hair removal and cosmetic surgery
• $2,700 "O-shot" procedure to help a woman's sex drive
• $120 pink and Camo mace pepper guns
• $35 six-pack of herbal tea-based lollipops

'Movie 43' And "After Earth' Win Big At the Razzies

Will Smith

The 34th Annual Razzie Awards took place on Saturday night (March 1st) honoring the worst movies and performances of 2013.

The star-studded film, Movie 43, took home three awards. After Earth, which starred Will and Jaden Smith, also scored three wins. It was said at the ceremony that the father-son team "were left stranded on Planet Nepotism." John Wilson, who founded the Razzies in 1980, summed up this year's show saying, "The hour-long show handed out at least one statuette to four of the five Worst Picture nominees, but Adam Sandler and his unfunny follow-up Grown Ups 2 went home empty-handed."

Winners in eight of the nine categories were selected by 750 voting members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation.

The worst screen combo award was voted on by over 80,000 users on RottenTomatoes.com.

The Winners:

• Worst Picture: Movie 43
• Worst Actor: Jaden Smith, in After Earth
• Worst Actress: Tyler Perry (in drag), in A Madea Christmas
• Worst Supporting Actor: Will Smith, in After Earth
• Worst Supporting Actress: Kim Kardashian, in Tyler Perry's Temptation
• Worst Director: The 13 people who directed Movie 43
• Worst Screenplay: Movie 43, by 19 "screenwriters"
• Worst Screen Combo: Jaden Smith and Will Smith, in After Earth
• Worst Remake/Rip-Off or Sequel: The Lone Ranger And 'After Earth' Win Big At the Razzies

FCC Kills Newsroom C-I-N Study

The Federal Communications Commission on Friday quietly canned its controversial study of American newsrooms, a week after putting the project on hold, according to Fox News.

"The FCC will not move forward with the Critical Information Needs study," an FCC spokesperson said in a statement. "The Commission will reassess the best way to fulfill its obligation to Congress to identify barriers to entry into the communications marketplace faced by entrepreneurs and other small businesses."

The brief statement was put out late Friday afternoon. But it indicated the study in its current form was being killed off for good, amid threats by Republican lawmakers to eliminate it.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, a vocal critic of the plan, said Friday he was "pleased" by the decision.

The study as originally proposed would have sent researchers into American newsrooms across the country to ask what critics called intrusive questions about editorial judgment and practices.

It shelved a proposed pilot study and made clear that this and any future studies would not involve interviews with "media owners, news directors or reporters."

Report: Ties Between George Soros And Newsroom Study?

George Soros

On Friday, the FCC issued a statement saying it would pull the plug on the C-I-N study -- which would have sent researchers into U.S. newsrooms -- after intense criticism from lawmakers, members of the media and even a member of the commission. But, according to Fox News,  lawmakers say they still have questions about the project and its origins.

The two schools working with the FCC on the project – the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Communication and Democracy – were responsible for coming up with criteria for what information is “critical” for Americans to have. The original mission of the project was to study what barriers exist to "critical information" reaching the public.

The journalism schools, it turns out, have financial ties to Soros’ Open Society Foundations. Between 2000 and 2011, about $1.4 million was paid to UW-Madison recipients from the foundation. In 2007, Soros’ foundation gave $300,000 to the Madison Commons Project but it is not known how much of that money, if any, is connected to the study.

It's also be reported that Lewis Friedland, the “principle investigator” on the FCC project, heads up the Center for Communication and Democracy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Soros has almost doubled his net worth in the years President Obama has occupied the Oval Office. Under Obama, his fortune jumped to $20 billion in 2013 from $11 billion in 2009. During the George W. Bush presidency, Soros made $2.1 billion.

Read More Now

DC Radio: Don Geronimo OUT At WJFK

After just about four months at CBS Radio's Sports WJFK 106.7 FM The Fan, Don Geronimo has left the building.  He Tweeted Saturday:

No one should be shocked I'm not in the plans for CBS/dc. I had opined recently on air how I didn't understand the logic. Now 30 more days w
— Don Geronimo (@DonGeronimoShow) March 2, 2014

It was just last October 4, 2013, The Don Geronimo Show was replaced by Jason Ross on CBS Sports Radio 1140 KHTK 1140 AM in Sacramento.  Then, on October 16, 2013, Geronimo went on the air on KHTK in Sacramento to thank those who supported him during his time in Sacramento. He said he was going to be doing a new project with CBS in the near future and it would be announced via his Twitter feed.

On October 23, Don appeared on 106.7 The Fan's "Lavar and Dukes" show to announce his return to the station after five years, where he would appear weekdays from 7–10 p.m. local time, Saturdays from 9 a.m.–noon local time, and during Washington Redskins pre/post game shows as well.

Pay from CBS, then off to brighter pastures. You know I have a lot to say on the entire matter, you'll hear it all soon enuf, ever 4ward
— Don Geronimo (@DonGeronimoShow) March 2, 2014

Anyone wondering if CCM+E's WOR 710 AM NYC calling? Or is Geronimo headed on-line?

What if: my show,live, uncensored,w a great crew was alaill everyday to listen/dl? Would you pay pennies a day? #screwstarvingchildren
— Don Geronimo (@DonGeronimoShow) February 20, 2014

Stay Tuned.

DC Radio: Newser WNEW Shifts Focus To Balt/DC Corridor

WNEW 99.1 FM, a CBS Radio Washington-oriented station, is repositioning itself as a Maryland station focused on Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington as of 5 a.m. Monday, according to Steve Swenson, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio in Washington.

Media writer Davisd Zurawik at The Baltimore Sun wonders if the change really means more and better information for listeners in Baltimore, which does not have a 24/7 all-news station? Or is it mainly a matter of rebranding by a Washington station with a big signal that has failed in its two years as an all-news outlet to put a dent in WTOP’s dominance in the D.C. market?

On air, the change will include “Beltway to Beltway” traffic reports every five minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as weather reports covering Washington and Baltimore, along with Howard, Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, every four minutes, Swenson said.

There will also be a shift in the way anchors address the audience. Instead of “D.C.” this and “D.C.” that, anchors will be referencing “Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington” in their introductions to weather and traffic. Each weather report will end with current temperatures in the three cities.

Swenson and Bob Phillips, senior vice president and market manager for CBS Radio in Baltimore, characterize the changes at WNEW as a logical reaction to demographic shifts in the region, as Washington and Baltimore become more like one major metropolitan market.

“The Baltimore-Washington corridor is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country,” Swenson says. “It is where a lot of people are moving to, and their commutes are getting longer. And that’s where we’ve got to be.”

“You think about the traffic between the two markets now, and it’s just gotten ridiculous,” Phillips says. “We have the ability to allow commuters who are going from Baltimore to Washington and vice versa, to not have to change back and forth between the two markets on radio stations as they go. … The signal reach of this station is about 5.3 million listeners. This is a large, large signal.”

WNEW 99.1FM (45kw) 54dBu Coverage

Swenson’s explanation: the contour of its signal.

“Our transmitter site is located near Annapolis, while most D.C. radio stations are further west in the District,” Swenson wrote in an email Friday. “As a result, those stations’ signals cover more geography in the DC metro than WNEW.”

According to Swenson, the portion of WNEW’s signal that can be easily heard in a car and in a building “only reaches 38 percent of the DC metro population while it covers more than 75 percent of the Baltimore metro.”

Read More Now

NJ Radio: Joe And Scott Leaving WZXL-FM Morning Show

Joe Ciappana and Scott Friedman, the morning team of Joe and Scott at WZXL 100.7 FM since 2009, are scheduled to leave the station Friday, March 7.

Friedman told pressofatlanticcity.com,  that he and his longtime radio partner, Ciappana – the two started on the air together in 1995 – would stay on the air through next week, even though they know their run at WZXL is ending.

“We’ve decided we’re going to do the show until they tell us we can't,” he said. “And they told us we can't after next Friday.”

They’ll be replaced March 10 by Joseph “JoJo” Borsello and Scotty Reilly, who — as JoJo and Scotty — have been the morning team on competing WMGM-FM 103.7, says Gary Fisher, the owner of ’ZXL and seven other Equity Communications radio stations in South Jersey.

WZXL 100.7 FM (38kw) 54dBu Coverage

Dave Coskey, president of Longport Media, which owns WMGM, said the station hasn’t replaced its morning jocks yet. But JoJo and Scotty are gone from 103.7 now, he added.

Bob Pittman On The Future Of Radio

Bob Pittman

Bob Pittman said ”I love businesses where the product is better than the perception,” during an interview with Berlin School of Creative Leadership President Michael Conrad recently. According to Forbes, Pittman said people often forget that Clear Channel has the widest reach of any TV and Radio outlet in the country with more than 243 million listeners each month and more than one million outdoor advertising displays in more than 30 countries.

Pittman, according to Kara Bettis at Forbes, says that we discovered that instead of anchoring the individual inside at home, the increase in technology freed us to be more active. People want to stay connected while they travel, commute or exercise. Instead of isolating us, technology helps many people create new hobbies, build more relationships and explore the world.

Pittman described an individual’s music collection as his “way of shutting out the world…a cone of soft protection.” No commercials or outside forces, the music is only in his control. Radio is the mirror opposite. We turn on the radio to be educated and understand what is happening in the world. Radio’s job is to keep society informed on a daily basis.

Pittman clarified that Spotify and Pandora are categorized as music collections—because of the customizable playlists—while TuneIn is a radio station. “Although the press and the industry may talk about audio streaming together,” says Pittman, “they do so at their peril because if you operate music as one thing you will certainly fail.”

Read More Now

FL Radio: Twang Country Launches In Ft. Myers

WMYR  1410 AM / Translator 106.7 FM in Ft. Myers today is launching it's heritage country format station branded as Twang Country.

"Super Dave" Logan will be the PD and do afternoons and Allyn Black will be doing the morning show. Victor Brust has been named Director/Sales.

"There's a generation of Country music fans that came along in the 80's and 90's that can't hear the songs they grew up loving," said Logan.

Translator W294AN 106.7 FM (250w) 60dBu Coverage

"Twang 106.7 is going to be their spot on the dial for Waylon, Willie and Johnny Cash.  But we're also going to play the early hits from George Strait, Reba, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney; songs you just don't hear anymore. Plus, we'll play songs that Country fans love and corporate Country stations are afraid to play, like Lynard Skynyrd, Jimmy Buffett and the Eagles."

Judge Orders More Rehab For Chris Brown

Chris Brown

The good news for Chris Brown is a luxury rehab center in Malibu is better than the men's central jail in Los Angeles.  According to CNN, the bad news is a Los Angeles judge ordered Brown to stay another two months in the anger management and drug rehab program he entered three months ago.

Although Brown's probation officer reported the singer "continues to make great improvement" in dealing with anger, stress and drugs, the judge decided during a hearing Friday he can't go free yet. He has to be tried on an assault charge in Washington first.

Only then will the judge decide whether Brown must go to jail for violating his probation in the Rihanna assault because of the assault arrest a few blocks from the White House in October.

Brown seemed disappointed by the decision, although his three months of therapy may have helped him handle the stress in court. He closed his eyes and appeared to meditate for about five minutes while his lawyer, Mark Geragos, met privately with the judge and prosecutor.

Read More Now

W-VA Radio: Dave Allen Ends 20-Year Doing Morning show

Dave Allen's name is well known in Logan County, WV.  He has hosted the morning radio show "Dave in the Morning" on WVOW 101.9 FM for 20 years.

And on Friday he signed off for the final time.

WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

Logan is starting his own advertising and public relations business called Dave Allen Communications. He is planning to be back in Logan, WV several days a week and plans to make occasional appearances on WVOW-FM.

WVOW 101.9 FM (15kw) 54dBu Coverage

R.I.P.: Legendary Pittsburgh DeeJay Porky Chedwick

Porky Chedwick

Legendary Pittsburgh area disc jockey Craig “Porky” Chedwick died Sunday morning in a Pittsburgh hospital.

He was 96, according to triblive.com.

Close friend Ed Weigle said family members called him to say Chedwick of Brookline was in an emergency room, complaining of pain. Soon after, he stopped breathing.

Chedwick, who turned 96 last month, worked for many Pittsburgh area radio stations and was known for his lively banter that included calling himself “the Daddio of the Raddio” and “Your Platter Pushin’ Poppa.”

Chedwick was credited with bringing R&B music to legions of Pittsburghers for more than 60 years. He was among the first white DJs to play music by black artists on the radio, starting at the former WAMO.

A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chedwick began his radio career in 1948.

He began his career at WHOD 860 AM in Homestead (which took the call letters, WAMO—an acronym for the rivers Allegheny, Monongehela and Ohio—in 1956), when the low-power AM signed on, August 1, 1948.

When he responded to an ad in a local paper, advertising for on-air talent at the new radio station, his popularity as a play-by-play announcer won him a 10-minute Saturday sports and music show. The music portion was gradually expanded, in response to the public's reaction. WHOD, known as "The Station of Nations," was created to serve the diverse European and eastern bloc immigrant population that worked the Pittsburgh area mills.

Most of his young listeners, who turned an ear toward Chedwick's music and off-the-cuff rhymes and patter, had no idea that he was Caucasian. Years later, when the fact became apparent, the outcry from some parents, religious and civic leaders made him a local anti-hero. and he was banned from appearing in some neighborhoods. The suggestion that he was trying to corrupt the (white) youth of America was put to rest when he was commended by Senator Estes Kefauver for his work organizing youth baseball teams to combat juvenile delinquency. He even had a few youths remanded to his custody from juvenile court.

In spite of WHOD's low wattage (1,000 watts), Chedwick became Pittsburgh's "Pied Piper of Platter." By the early 1950s, black music record labels were hearing about the noise Chedwick was making in Pittsburgh with old R&B stock, so they began inundating him with new material. Chedwick introduced the new material to his "movers and groovers," never accepting payola though payola was the norm at the time. Still, oldies would dominate his playlist.

Shortly after being honored by WAMO for his years of service in 1984, he was let go by the station. He would work at various other stations in the Pittsburgh market until executives from Sheridan Broadcasting (WAMO's parent company) asked him to come back in 1992.



Chedwick is given credit by numerous R&B/rock and roll legends, including Bo Diddley, Smokey Robinson, Little Anthony and myriad others, for giving their recordings their first airplay. Porky Chedwick is responsible for making Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania "The Oldies Capital of the World", and for making the city a testing ground for new R&B from the early 50s through the 70s. The impact of Porky Chedwick's contributions far transcend the boundaries of the Steel City. He never received the notoriety—or the paycheck—of many DJs who followed in his footsteps, however his accomplishments are an indelible part of the local and national music and culture.

Porky Was The Platter Pushin' Papamonium

During the 1960s Porky Chedwick hosted concerts at Homestead's Leona Theatre and DJ'd dances at the Savoy Ballroom in the Hill, the Linden Groove, and at other venues around Western, Pa. Since the late 1940s Porky hosted over 7,000 sock hops and dances.

"The Porky Chedwick Groove Spectacular" was held on May 11, 1962, at the brand new  Pittsburgh Civic Arena.  More than 13,000 turned out to see headliner Jackie Wilson and 21 other acts in the day long show including Bo Diddley, The Flamingos, The Marvellettes, The Five Satins, Jerry Butler, Ketty Lester, Johnny Jack, The Skyliners, Patti LaBelle and the BlueBelles, The Castells, Bobby Vinton, The Drifters, and The Debonaires.

Porky was also known for his raps such as:

"I'm not a Spaniard. I'm not from Spain. I'm Pork the Tork and I'll fry your brain. I've got more lines than Bell telephone. I've got more jams than Smuckers. I've got more moves than Allied Vans.'' 

To promote the movie “Birdman of Alctraz” the Stanley invited popular radio DJ Porky Chedwick to do a live broadcast outside under the marquee of the Stanley on a summer day in 1961. Within an hour from the start of the broadcast 10,000 people were tightly crowded in front of the Stanley on Seventh and Penn Avenues. More and more people were streaming into town to see Porky. The parkway and downtown streets turned into a parking lot with bumper to bumper traffic. Hundreds of kids stuck on buses on the North side got off to walk to down. . The bridges from the North side to downtown were clogged with Porky’s fans. Pittsburgh was frozen in “Porky-mania” grid-lock. Pittsburgh Mayor Joe Bar came down from his office on Grant Street to personally ask Porky to stop the broadcast so that the police could unclog the massive traffic jam. The police estimated that they directed 50,000 people away from the Stanley to clear the Porky clogged arteries of Pittsburgh.



Porky was on the air at WAMO for 24 years until 1972 when he moved to KQV for a weekend show.  He returned to WAMO staying there until 1984.  He was on the air at WNRZ from 1985 to 1986. Porky returned to WAMO in 1996 after a 10 year retirement. Porky worked on WWSW in 1998 and moved to WLSW in 2000. At the age of 88 in 2006 he appeared on WFKB. After retiring to Sarasota Florida area in 2008, Porky returned to Pittsburgh in 2011. He launched another show on Sept. 2, 2011 airing from 11 a.m. to noon on Fridays on WEDO. He most recently heard on internet radio.

R.I.P.: MO Radio Broadcaster Larry Mitchell

Larry Mitchell

Larry William Mitchell of Bolivar, MO passed away Friday, February 28, 2014, at Parkview Healthcare Facility.

He was 70.

He workied as the engineer for eight Springfield, MO radio stations including: KTTS, KTXR, KGBX, and owned and started KZBE 95.5 FM, known as Alice 95.5 now.

He also was the owner of an internet company in Bolivar Microcore LLC.

March 3 In Radio History

In 1847...Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, was born. He died Aug. 2, 1922 at 75.

In 1885...American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) was incorporated

In 1922...WWJ-AM, Detroit, Michigan began broadcasting.

WWJ first signed on the air on August 20, 1920 under the call sign 8MK, and was founded by The Detroit News; the mixed letter/number calls were assigned to the station by the United States Department of Commerce Bureau of Navigation, the government bureau responsible for radio regulation at the time. The 8 in the call sign referred to its location in the 8th Radio Inspection District, while the M in the call sign identified that the station operated under an amateur license. It is not clear why the Detroit News applied for an amateur license instead of an experimental license. As an amateur station, it broadcast at 200 meters (the equivalent of 1500 AM).

8MK was initially licensed to Michael DeLisle Lyons, a teenager, and radio pioneer. He assembled the station in the Detroit News Building but the Scripps family asked him to register the station in his name, because they were worried this new technology might only be a fad, and wanted to keep some distance.

The Scripps family were also worried radio might replace newspapers if the medium caught on, so the family financially supported Michael. In fact, most early radio stations were built, for the same reason, by families who owned newspapers – out of concern that radio would put them out of business, on the basis that newspaper readers would find it more timelier to tune to listen to the headlines on radio at any given time than wait to read them in a daily newspaper the next day.

On October 13, 1921, the station was granted a limited commercial license and was assigned the call letters WBL. With the new license, the station began broadcasting at 360 meters (833 AM), with weather reports and other government reports broadcast at 485 meters (619 AM).

On March 3, 1922, for reasons that are not known, the call letters, 'WWJ, were assigned to the station. Some believe the new call letters are an abbreviation for stockholders William and John Scripps, but on page 82 of a book published by the Detroit News in 1922, WWJ-The Detroit News, it stated that "WWJ is not the initials of any name. It is a symbol. It was issued to the Detroit News by the government in connection with the licensing of this broadcasting plant."

Ty Tyson was the original “voice” of the Detroit Tigers was 39 years old that first radio summer of 1927.

Today Newsradio 950 WWJ is owned by CBS Radio.


In 1952..."Whispering Streets" premiered on the ABC Radio Network.


In 1993...the Howard Stern radio show debuted in Boston on WBCN-FM.


In 1997...the Howard Stern Radio Show debuted on WRCQ-FM in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

March 2 In Radio History

In 1897...Marconi was granted the first wireless patent.


In 1942...Hall of Fame rock 'n' roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter Lou Reed was born. He died Oct. 27, 2013 at 71.

In 1950...Singer Karen Carpenter, one half of the duo The Carpenters with her brother Richard, was born.

She died Feb. 4, 1983 at 32 from heart failure caused by chronic anorexia. Karen's death brought media attention to anorexia nervosa and also to bulimia and it encouraged celebrities to go public about their eating disorders, among them actress Tracey Gold and later, Diana, Princess of Wales.  Medical centers and hospitals began receiving increased contacts from people with these disorders. The general public had little knowledge of anorexia and bulimia prior to her death, making the conditions difficult to identify and treat.

In 1974....Super WCFL 1000 AM Chicago Survey From March 2, 1974

In 1984...FLASHBACK...From R&R March 2, 1984


In 1999...Singer Dusty Springfield died. She was 59


In 2004...Alistair Cooke retired from BBC 4 after 58 years of hosting, "`Letter From America".