Okay folks, I know that this seems very much like "The Song Remains The Same", but we were in the process on this Saturday night, watching Detroit defeat Pittsburgh 3-1 in Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals and watching Orlando eliminate Cleveland tonight in the NBA Playoffs, of setting up to finally launch our sports shows this week.
For those not yet dialed into this situation, I'm going to be hosting a pair of sports talk radio shows on an Internet broadcast company called Sports Journey. But there have been a few delays along the way.
Tonight, it feels like I'm sitting inside the rocket, having it warm up on the launch pad, only to have mission control give us the thumbs down just prior to the final countdown before liftoff.
The bottom line is that we will get these technical issues worked out this week, and I can tell you that we will be debuting the two shows next week:
- Sunday Scores and More will debut next Sunday, June 7th, at 10AM
- SportsRock, which airs weeknights, premieres next Monday, June 8th, at 10PM
Thanks for your continued patience and support, and I look forward to talking about sports for your listening enjoyment next week. I will post more information this week as it develops...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tom Petty stars as "The Boy Who Cried Crief"
Yes, the waiting is the hardest part.
Okay, okay, so one more freaking week, jeez....
Sorry folks, but the long awaited and much anticipated launch of Sunday Scores and More is now scheduled for Sunday May 31, which is 9 days from this posting. It will happen then, and we will have some great guests, and I will have much more on this in a few days time.
My thanks to all of you asking about the start of the show and for your support of both it and the weeknight version, SportsRock, which debuts the next night June 1st at 7PM local (10PM Eastern). Thanks - more to come...
Okay, okay, so one more freaking week, jeez....
Sorry folks, but the long awaited and much anticipated launch of Sunday Scores and More is now scheduled for Sunday May 31, which is 9 days from this posting. It will happen then, and we will have some great guests, and I will have much more on this in a few days time.
My thanks to all of you asking about the start of the show and for your support of both it and the weeknight version, SportsRock, which debuts the next night June 1st at 7PM local (10PM Eastern). Thanks - more to come...
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Radio show updates and a quick take on Metro
Hey there Crief Case fanatics: can't get enough of my takes? Want to hear me as well as read me?
Well, we are getting closer to the launch of my radio shows on the internet. Here's the latest info:
- Sunday Scores and More will make its debut on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network on Sunday morning, May 24. The air time will be live from 10AM to 1PM Eastern time, which means 7-10AM Pacific time. My co-host will be Ray Manukay, and we are close to announcing our update anchor. Please check out the blog site that we have set up for the show, including details of guests for the first show, by clicking here.
- SportsRock, a nightly two-hour hosted by me from 10PM to midnight Eastern (7-9PM Pacific) Monday through Friday nights, begins on June 1st. For more info, you can visit the blog site set up for that show by clicking here.
Meanwhile, I will keep you posted on other appearances I'll be making on other shows as they happen.
**********
So as many of you know, I use the local bus and train service here in Los Angeles to get around. For the most part, it is one of the best kept secrets in SoCal, that you can actually get where you need to without driving a car and sitting in traffic, provided you are willing to do a little prep work and route yourself.
But I wanted to take a minute to express some frustration with the folks at Metro, because they could be doing a better job of serving the community and they need to do a better job. A couple of issues that I have are:
- Customer Relations: while its nice to have the ability to call Metro's 800 number and get routed on-the-fly, the service is only available between 9-6 weekdays, and fewer hours on weekends. This should be available 24 hours a day. Furthermore, there is no one live to register complaints about service (or lack thereof), which is very frustrating in the moment.
- Drivers: these fall into two categories: one group is dedicated, friendly, courteous, and try to do right by the riders. However, I would say that this group only makes up about half of the drivers. The other half are surly, unprofessional, and uncaring. They are unhelpful and disrespectful. This needs to be addressed further.
- Lack of Real Time Tracking: Other area bus companies, such as the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, have the ability to track their buses in real time using GPS. So if you are waiting for a bus that is late and you call their CS line during business hours, they actually pinpoint where the bus and let you know when it will arrive. How its possible that Metro can't do this is beyond me. It would ease a lot of frustrations with passengers if they could get updates on late arriving buses.
- Safety: For the most part, Metro is good about the safety of their passengers. Still, there are certain bus lines that have buses get so jam-packed with passengers that it is unsafe for them to ride. The 720 line that runs down Wilshire Blvd is notoriously overflowing with passengers during most hours of the day. Why they don't correct this problem with more buses running is beyond me. Perhaps they are waiting for an accident which causes passenger deaths, leading to media-driven outrage and/or wrongful death lawsuits, before they correct this...
- Fare enforcement: This is the worst one. In other cities, you have turnstiles that prevent people from riding the trains without paying the fare. In Los Angeles, they use the honor system, which doesn't really work well. So, in order to recoup what must be staggering losses, they've started using LACSD officers to check fares at various locations. The problem though is two-fold with this: (1) they are constantly slowing down people trying to get onto connecting trains by checking people AFTER they've completed their ride. Shouldn't the idea be to check people BEFORE they get on the next ride? And (2) are you telling me that the crime and murder rates in LA County are so minuscule that we can allow these officers to spend their time checking for fare-jumpers as opposed to solving more important crimes? Plus, it just seems disingenuous that Metro, which from my experience has about a 75% on-time rate (which could be much better), is hassling customers when it isn't providing impeccable service.
Don't get me wrong, I swear by Metro, it's been better than I could have ever anticipated it would be. But it could be so much better than it is right now.
Well, we are getting closer to the launch of my radio shows on the internet. Here's the latest info:
- Sunday Scores and More will make its debut on the Sports Journey Broadcast Network on Sunday morning, May 24. The air time will be live from 10AM to 1PM Eastern time, which means 7-10AM Pacific time. My co-host will be Ray Manukay, and we are close to announcing our update anchor. Please check out the blog site that we have set up for the show, including details of guests for the first show, by clicking here.
- SportsRock, a nightly two-hour hosted by me from 10PM to midnight Eastern (7-9PM Pacific) Monday through Friday nights, begins on June 1st. For more info, you can visit the blog site set up for that show by clicking here.
Meanwhile, I will keep you posted on other appearances I'll be making on other shows as they happen.
**********
So as many of you know, I use the local bus and train service here in Los Angeles to get around. For the most part, it is one of the best kept secrets in SoCal, that you can actually get where you need to without driving a car and sitting in traffic, provided you are willing to do a little prep work and route yourself.
But I wanted to take a minute to express some frustration with the folks at Metro, because they could be doing a better job of serving the community and they need to do a better job. A couple of issues that I have are:
- Customer Relations: while its nice to have the ability to call Metro's 800 number and get routed on-the-fly, the service is only available between 9-6 weekdays, and fewer hours on weekends. This should be available 24 hours a day. Furthermore, there is no one live to register complaints about service (or lack thereof), which is very frustrating in the moment.
- Drivers: these fall into two categories: one group is dedicated, friendly, courteous, and try to do right by the riders. However, I would say that this group only makes up about half of the drivers. The other half are surly, unprofessional, and uncaring. They are unhelpful and disrespectful. This needs to be addressed further.
- Lack of Real Time Tracking: Other area bus companies, such as the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, have the ability to track their buses in real time using GPS. So if you are waiting for a bus that is late and you call their CS line during business hours, they actually pinpoint where the bus and let you know when it will arrive. How its possible that Metro can't do this is beyond me. It would ease a lot of frustrations with passengers if they could get updates on late arriving buses.
- Safety: For the most part, Metro is good about the safety of their passengers. Still, there are certain bus lines that have buses get so jam-packed with passengers that it is unsafe for them to ride. The 720 line that runs down Wilshire Blvd is notoriously overflowing with passengers during most hours of the day. Why they don't correct this problem with more buses running is beyond me. Perhaps they are waiting for an accident which causes passenger deaths, leading to media-driven outrage and/or wrongful death lawsuits, before they correct this...
- Fare enforcement: This is the worst one. In other cities, you have turnstiles that prevent people from riding the trains without paying the fare. In Los Angeles, they use the honor system, which doesn't really work well. So, in order to recoup what must be staggering losses, they've started using LACSD officers to check fares at various locations. The problem though is two-fold with this: (1) they are constantly slowing down people trying to get onto connecting trains by checking people AFTER they've completed their ride. Shouldn't the idea be to check people BEFORE they get on the next ride? And (2) are you telling me that the crime and murder rates in LA County are so minuscule that we can allow these officers to spend their time checking for fare-jumpers as opposed to solving more important crimes? Plus, it just seems disingenuous that Metro, which from my experience has about a 75% on-time rate (which could be much better), is hassling customers when it isn't providing impeccable service.
Don't get me wrong, I swear by Metro, it's been better than I could have ever anticipated it would be. But it could be so much better than it is right now.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
guest spot with Lake Lewis May 6
So as preparations continue for the launching of not one but two radio shows, I took time out of my busy schedule to appear as a guest on the Sports Journey radio show with Lake Lewis. Sports Journey also happens to be the name of the network that both of my shows will be appearing on.
To listen to an archived version of the show, click here. I appear at the top of the third hour talking NHL Playoff hockey with Lake, and also taking some good-natured ribbing for burying his Capitals two weeks ago when they trailed 3-1 to the Rangers.
Hope you enjoy it, and very soon, all details will be fully unleashed.
To listen to an archived version of the show, click here. I appear at the top of the third hour talking NHL Playoff hockey with Lake, and also taking some good-natured ribbing for burying his Capitals two weeks ago when they trailed 3-1 to the Rangers.
Hope you enjoy it, and very soon, all details will be fully unleashed.
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