------------------------------
The Old-Time Radio Digest!
Volume 2003 : Issue 173
A Part of the [removed]!
ISSN: 1533-9289
Today's Topics:
Cincy Convention [ lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed]; ]
Re: Life of CD-R [ Fred Berney <berney@[removed]; ]
OTR piracy [ Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed]; ]
Dick Beals' email? [ benohmart@[removed] ]
Eddy Arnold On The Radio [ TallPaulK@[removed] ]
snapshot 9: -- Larry Dobkin [ Howard Blue <khovard@[removed]; ]
Gas Rationing [ George Aust <austhaus1@[removed] ]
Piracy [ lawrence albert <albertlarry@yahoo. ]
Re: Life of CD-R [ Shenbarger@[removed] ]
Lone Ranger / Brace Beemer Day [ Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed]; ]
Cincinnati Convention [ "Bob Burchett" <haradio@[removed] ]
National Lampoon Radio Hour [ "Dave Meredith" <dmkinetics@hotmail ]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 23:06:59 -0400
From: lynn wagar <philcolynn@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Cincy Convention
To the gentelman who owns the Web site
[removed] Thanks for posting those picture
from the convention. There were only a few but
for those of us who couldn't make the convention
they were great to see!! Besides I finally got to
see what Hal Stone looks like!!
Thanks!!! Lynn Wagar
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 23:08:51 -0400
From: Fred Berney <berney@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Life of CD-R
A CD-R is different from the CDs that are commercially made from glass
masters. Those CDs and DVDs for that matter will probably last 100 years if
taken care of.
The CD-R and DVD-R uses dyes. In time these dyes could change, but this
mostly depends on the quality of the CD-R and DVD-R. For the most part,
cost is an issue. The more expensive, the higher the quality.
Mitsui makes the finest CD-R and DVD-R. Their discs are the most expensive
that I have found. Their DVDs are almost $[removed] more than the Verbatim that
I buy. Verbatim in my opinion is the second best disc. This is all I use
for my DVDs.
I've read adds by Mitsui that say their CD-Rs are tested to last 50 years.
I'm going to guess that Verbatim will last almost as long.
There are a number of good quality brands that may be just as good as
Verbatim. The thing is stay with a major brand and ask others if they have
had good success with that brand.
This is true with almost all media. Tape was no different. There were good
brands and cheap stuff that didn't last as long as the good stuff.
Fred
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 23:10:04 -0400
From: Rick Keating <pkeating89@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: OTR piracy
Kudos to Harry Bartell and Hal Stone for their
comments about OTR piracy. I can understand their
positions. As a professional writer, I'm obviously
concerned about the issue of copyright protection. If
I put time and money into my work, I want to be sure
others don't profit from it illegally.
However, I also recognize that copyright eventually
expires. With some OTR programs the copyright has
expired and they are now in the public domain (I
believe "Quiet Please" is in this category, but I'm
not sure). In some cases, the copyright is still in
place; and in some other cases no one's sure what the
status of a particular show is.
In these situations, it can sometimes be difficult to
determine whether or not a dealer has the "right" to
sell certain programs. For that matter, Hal Stone's
comments about the "rights" to use his voice suggest
that no OTR show was meant to be re-broadcast or sold
(though if the owners had known that there would be a
market and they could make money selling copies to the
public, they'd have probably been [removed] with it, just as
movie and TV studios sell their products on video and
DVD), which could technically mean there shouldn't be
any OTR shows available from anyone.
If that's the case, the networks (or whomever) were
incredibly short-sighted and we should be grateful to
those who "rescued" old shows for posterity. But I
would hope that the copyright holders, when known,
received some sort of compensation for the sale of
copies of those tapes. It's only proper.
But that brings us back to the question of who owns
what. Until we know for sure what is in the public
domain and what is not, each of us must decide for
ourselves whether it is proper to buy and possibly
copy and re-sell particular shows. For myself, I buy
(or have bought) cassettes or CDS from companies such
as Radio Reruns, Radio Spirits or Great American
Audio. I don't buy tapes that have obviously home-made
labels on them. But that's just me, and for all I know
the home-made label guy may have as much right to sell
a particular show as Radio Spirits.
On the other hand, I have seen dubbed copies of more
recent radio dramas for sale which are very much still
under copyright. I'm speaking specifically of the
Doctor Who Big Finish audio dramas produced by the
BBC. The ones I've seen have obvious generic labels
and were clearly not produced by the BBC. What the
dealer who sells those CDS should be doing is buying
them from the BBC and then selling those same CDs, not
illegal duplicates of them.
Yes, he may need to charge the customer more money to
cover his own costs, but at least he'd be selling them
legally. OTR shows may or may not be in the public
domain, but these more recent broadcasts are not, and
there is no excuse for their illegal copying and sale.
Rick
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 23:23:08 -0400
From: benohmart@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Dick Beals' email?
If anyone here has Dick Beals' current email, please email me offlist. I'd
like to get a
copy of his autobiography from him, but the email I have for him is a year
old and
doesn't work anymore. He and I both had @home emails, and that company went
bankrupt a while back.
Thanks.
Ben
Gildy's Scrapbook
[removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:40:18 -0400
From: TallPaulK@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Eddy Arnold On The Radio
The current issue of Discoveries magazine (a tabloid for record and CD
collectors) included and article about Country and Western recording legend
Eddy Arnold donating a huge amount of memorabilia to the Country Music Hall
Of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The donation included 27 file cabinets full
of documents, 4000 records and 5000 radio shows.
Needless to say, I was astonished at the number of radio shows. Chances are
good that Eddy Arnold did not star in or even participate in that many radio
shows. Does anyone on the list have any ideas about what shows Arnold may
have accumulated during his long career?
- Paul Kattelman - Sharonville, Ohio
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:40:55 -0400
From: Howard Blue <khovard@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: snapshot 9: -- Larry Dobkin
snapshot 9: --of an eight-year long book research project--Larry Dobkin
I am in Los Angeles at the 1998 (?) Sperdvac convention. Earlier in the
day, having looked over the list of guests and then checked their names
in Dunning, I approach actor Larry Dobkin. He is a bull of a man--short
with a powerful chest and a face that looks as though he's been to hell
and back. His face and his movements betray that he is in some sort of
pain, probably arthritis. I tell him about my research for my book about
radio during World War II and ask if we can sit down and talk some time.
He asks me to phone him after the conference and he gives me his number
and address. The next day, however, I push him a bit and ask him to
reconsider the idea of our talking during the convention. He is annoyed.
When I return home I write to him. Within less than a week, I receive a
detailed reply. Among other things, I had asked him to physically
describe a number of actors with whom he worked and whom I discuss in
WORDS AT WAR. His memory serves him well and he gives me some wonderful
descriptions.
Coming soon: snapshot 10: Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Howard Blue
"Snapshots" is brought to you by WORDS AT WAR (Scarecrow Press, Dec.
2002)
For more information, see [removed]
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:41:08 -0400
From: George Aust <austhaus1@[removed];
To: OTR Digest <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Gas Rationing
Elizabeth posted about her grandfather's experiences with gas rationing
during World War 2, when he owned a gas station.
I'm quite sure that she was right that there was a lot of cheating going
on, but I also remember quite well walking to school the day gas
rationing ended. There were long lines of cars out into the streets
waiting to fill up. I also remember the stations running out of gas and
putting up signs saying as much.
So alot of people must have been pretty much getting along with their
rationed amount of gas up until that time. It seems to me that the lines
and the signs were pretty much evident for several days.
I also remember that some gas stations closed for the duration. I
suppose because they couldn't sell enough gas legally to make a profit.
Or perhaps the owners had gone to war. I don't know, but those same
stations reopened after the end of the war.
Also I think it was Kermyt Anderson that asked if cars in those days got
bad gas mileage.
No, they got reasonably good mileage. My 41 Chevy gets 17 mpg in the
city and 21 mpg highway. Not too different than todays vehicles. Cars
were bigger and heavier then. My Chevy weighs 3000 lbs and is as long or
longer than full size/luxury cars today, and is a lot taller too. And
though alot simpler in design its all made of steel.
I think it was in the late 50's and thru the 60's during the horsepower
race and high performance cars that gas mileage got really bad.
George Aust
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:41:39 -0400
From: lawrence albert <albertlarry@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Piracy
Ed Ellers wrote:
Exactly how can a union contract be enforced against
someone (such as
an OTR
dealer) who demonstrably is not a party to it?
In many ways Ed has asked the sixty-four dollar
question. How can an OTR dealer be held accountable?
Well, as far as I can tell it can only be done by the
copyright holders. As sad as it is true they are the
only ones with the clout to stop the illegal sale of
their [removed] I find someone doing any
unauthorized selling of any of Jim French's shows I go
after them and I don't stop until they cease and
desist. The OTR actor is without such recourse. AFTRA
as it exists now doesn't even know what radio drama is
or was, and could care less. It is sad that the few
make money from the work of the many, but that always
seems to have been the way of things. AFTRA or AFRA as
it was then, wasn't very foresighted when it came to
residuals back in the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's.
Larry Albert
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:46:39 -0400
From: Shenbarger@[removed]
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Re: Life of CD-R
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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In a message dated 4/22/2003 2:12:39 PM Central Daylight Time, A. Joseph Ross
writes:
On the subject of CDs becoming the medium of choice for OTR, I heard on the
radio recently
that the CDs that you burn yourself may not last more than a couple of
years.
They aren't
the same as factory-made CDs. The chemicals break down, and soon the CD
becomes
useless. Does anyone know anything about this?
Production CDs are made with genuine physical data pits that are more or less
permanent in their ability to function. The pits are molded into the
polycarbonate (clear 1/6" thick plastic). With production CDs, the mirror
layer bonds strongly to the underlying polycarbonate disc. CD-R's use a dye
layer on top of the polycarbonate that is changed by the recording laser.
These dyes are different from one brand of media to another. Some are
probably more stable than others. All would probably have trouble over time
if left in the sunlight.
Apart from that, CD-R's are poorly protected from damage to the mirror
surface that lies above the dye layer. The mirror surface bonds poorly to the
dye layer and integrity depends on a hard seal to at the edges of the mirror
and label layers where they overlap the dye layer. This is the only place
where the top layers are bonded to the polycarbonate. In other words it's
sealed tightly at the outer and inner edges, but not well bonded over the dye
area. The top layer of the CD-R is a protective acrylic layer and sometimes a
printing layer. Resistance to damage of the mirror layer varies greatly
between brands with a couple of brands claiming theirs is better.
If you write on the disk, it is important to use a pen that will not scratch
through the top surface. I use a Sharpie, but some people say that is not a
good idea. There are pens designed for CD's that are supposed to be safe.
Never use a ball point or hard tipped pen.
The shelf life on unrecorded CD-R materials is relatively short, perhaps 5-10
years. Once recorded, the life in good storage is 50-200 years depending on
the dye and mirror material. It is possible that CD-Rs may outlast commercial
CD's, which use aluminum for the reflective layer. Aluminum is the poorest
material but the cheapest. Generally CD-Rs are made using gold or silver,
some use copper or aluminum.
With good care, CD-Rs have very long life. Keep them in a protected case. Do
not use them on front loading slot type automobile loaders. Keep them away
from light. Do not try to remove adhesive labels. If the data are important,
put them on two CD's and put one away for a rainy day.
If you have important CD-R disks, it pays to understand how they should be
stored. There is an ANSI standard on storage available from Global
Engineering Documents. See [removed] and search for ISO 18925, IMAGING
MATERIALS - OPTICAL DISK MEDIA - STORAGE PRACTICES.
Don Shenbarger
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:47:08 -0400
From: Dan Hughes <danhughes@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: Lone Ranger / Brace Beemer Day
Brace Beemer was born in Mt. Carmel, Illinois, in the southeast corner of
the state. The town will celebrate Brace Beemer Day on Saturday, May 3.
Perhaps some of us who live within driving distance can help fashion this
annual event into an OTR-type convention in years to come. The organizer
sent me this note (paraphrased a bit):
"Here is the schedule for Brace Beemer Day. To be honest with
[removed] year's event may be a little thin for you to drive 4 hours
for. We would REALLY like to have you to attend and see what we are
doing down here in Brace's birthplace. But, we are still in our first
year of what we will make an annual event and haven't been able to put
together a lot of things we want.
General Mills has supplied us with Cheerios and a local cafe - Hadley's -
is making their cafe available to us for the breakfast. Free Cheerios
for all the kids. There will be a drawing for two bicycles for the kids,
and I will be giving wagon rides with my team of Belgians.
Dick Fuss, with one of the largest Lone Ranger collections in the world
will have a display set up. John Stelzer, who grew up here - is quite a
historian and third cousin to Brace Beemer will be in the character of
"The Old Ranger" and tell stories and history of Brace Beemer/Lone
Ranger. By the way, Barbara Beemer Danial (Brace's daughter) will be
in attendance. No "live" radio broadcast this year.
Dan, we are making this an annual event and working on a project aimed at
erecting a statue of Brace Beemer as the Lone Ranger and a museum here in
Mt. Carmel. We would certainly like to get the "OTR" people involved.
Please stay in touch and let me know if I can answer any more questions
you may have."
Phil Stallings
E-Mail: RedRyder@[removed]
There are some great pictures of the Mt. Carmel Museum and Brace Beemer
at these web sites:
[removed]
[removed]
Hope some of us can attend and report back to the group. And if anyone
can forward this information to Fred Foy and Terry Salomonson they might
appreciate knowing about this.
Hi-Yo Silver, [removed]
---Dan
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:47:33 -0400
From: "Bob Burchett" <haradio@[removed];
To: "[removed]" <[removed]@[removed];
Subject: Cincinnati Convention
X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
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Next years dates: April 16-17, 2004.
Everything worked out well with the Best Western
hotel. Hoping when the word gets out about the
new hotel we can get back some of the people
we may have lost from last year. Being down only
3 from last year means we did have some new
faces. If we can get back some of the missing
ones plus keep the new ones we should be assured
of continuing the convention. Sometimes we take
conventions for granted, and say we can't make it
this year, but I'll go next year. There may not always
be a next year if you don't attend. Block off next
years dates now, and plan to attend. Make sure
your daughter doesn't plan to get married that
weekend.
Thanks to everyone who attend this year.
Bob B.
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------------------------------
Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2003 12:47:57 -0400
From: "Dave Meredith" <dmkinetics@[removed];
To: [removed]@[removed]
Subject: National Lampoon Radio Hour
First off, my apologies in advance to the group for straying chronologically
just a bit outside of the focused time era of this discussion group for this
one and only posting. I appreciate your indulgence.
Some of you may be aware of the National Lampoon Radio Hour comedy radio
series which was broadcast during the years of 1973 and 1974. For those who
might be curious and are not already familiar with this series, you can
check out my preliminary episode log posting for the series at Mark
Simonson's website, http:\[removed] (click on the "Radio
Hour" link at the left of the page).
As a fan of this, and curiously only this, "old-time" radio show, I am in
the process of collecting resource material in order to author a book on the
subject from the perspective of an avid listener. Key to the success of
this endeavor will be the thorough documentation of the contents and episode
logs for the show. In order to do this, I first must be able to determine
"who did what" for each episode in the series.
Reliable production information on this series, now 30 years on, is no
longer available at the Nat Lamp offices, so I am forced to rely upon
concentrated listening to the original broadcast reels in order to be able
to identify the individual voices of each of the performers in the series.
And that's my reason for this posting to this group. In the hope that a few
readers of this digest may have worked in radio during the early 1970's, and
might have or know where I can locate original copies of the 1973-74
broadcast open reel format tapes for this series as issued to the
broadcasting radio stations, would you please contact me privately off-list
at: dmkinetics@[removed] (please put "National Lampoon" in the subject
line).
That's it for now - Many thanks to all! Cheers - Dave Meredith
... and now, we return you to our regularly scheduled program, which is
already in progress ...
--------------------------------
End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #173
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