garyomaha

I've started writing my own viewpoint on the loss of CBS Radio News, but haven't gotten very far.  The post below is from Jim Bartlett, another former radio guy, who says much of it in a way that I like, and maybe youwill too.

The Last Roundup
On March 23, 2026 By jb

It made waves within the broadcasting industry late last week, but I don’t know if it’s broken though everywhere yet: CBS News has decided to shut down its radio service effective in May. Editor-in-chief Bari Weiss issued a memo claiming that attempts were made to save the service even before she came aboard last winter, but it was all for naught.

Is that true? It could be, I suppose, although if Paramount Global were serious about preserving anything about CBS News, it wouldn’t have hired Weiss to begin with. She isn’t qualified to lead such an organization. Bari Weiss is a blogger, with less broadcast journalism experience than I have. (I ripped copy from the AP wires, called the local sheriff’s departments for their overnight reports, and assembled and delivered actual newscasts, which is more than she’s ever done. Which Paramount may see as a feature, not a bug.) If, in addition to Trumpifying CBS News, Paramount Global wanted simply to lessen the amount of information available to Americans, they’d do exactly what they did with CBS Radio.

CBS Radio was more than just the radio arm of CBS: it was the inventor of broadcast journalism. The first CBS World News Roundup aired in March 1938, in response to Germany’s threatened annexation of Austria, anchored by Robert Trout and featuring reports via shortwave from correspondents in Europe including Edward R. Murrow and William Shirer. Roundup has continued to air weekday mornings at 7AM Central; an evening edition, which is often considered to have been born after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941, aired for the last time last December. Initial reports about the shutdown last week indicated that it’s not clear what will become of the vast CBS audio archive. If we lived in rational times, it would be donated to a museum or university, but today it’s just as likely that the whole damn works will end up in a landfill.

CBS Radio was a large part of my life as listener. Decades ago, as a young radio jock working oddball shifts, I often did not want to hear music on my way to and from work. So I often listened to WBBM, the all-news station from Chicago, which was at the time owned and operated by CBS. (CBS spun off its radio stations to Audacy in 2017 but continued to operate the radio news service.) The anchors and reporters on WBBM and CBS became as familiar to me as the Top 40 personalities I’d grown up with. I’ve written before how during the summer I worked the rock-and-roll night shift, I would listen to WBBM overnight anchor Millard Hansen (a legendary personality in his own right) on my way home. I could tell what time it was by what was playing on the radio during the midnight hour, and often where I was on the highway, so precise was the station’s schedule. The CBS top-of-the-hour news sounder became as familiar as the weather.

Richard C. Hottelet was the last working member of the “Murrow Boys,” the reporters hired to cover World War II for CBS by Ed Murrow. He filed the first eyewitness reports from Omaha Beach on D-Day, and he worked for CBS until 1985. (He died in 2014 at the age of 97). For many years, he anchored the noon Eastern time CBS radio newscast. A friend of mine tells a story about being at his station’s control board one day for Hottelet’s newscast when the CBS sounder sounded … and then nothing. Just silence. “I was torn,” my friend said, “between putting something else on the air myself and wanting to hear what would happen next.” As it turned out, Hottelet was only a few seconds late, but even that was unusual for the well-oiled machine that was CBS Radio News in its heyday.

It has been many, many years since I would routinely turn on the radio at the top of the hour to catch up with CBS News. The big wheel has rolled, and we have different ways of getting information now, and different priorities. But as an old radio guy who believes in the medium’s service responsibility, I find the death of CBS Radio News a hard thing to take. Radio stations by the thousands have abdicated that service responsibility, but something like 700 stations around the country have continued to meet it with the help of CBS Radio. This week they’re left scrambling to figure out what to do now, and some will likely decide it no longer matters to do anything at all.

Months ago, I saw a trailer for the then-upcoming Superman movie.  It included Krypto, Superman's pet dog, which had been a regular character in the comic books of my youth.  At that moment, I told myself "I will see that movie!"  

(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

I did not know at the time that every bit (pun intended) of Krypto was CGI.  He was based upon the director's own dog, and the actors (doing what actors do) were pretending a dog was in their scenes.  Nor was the movie Krypto a spittin' image of the comic book Krypto.  It wouldn't have mattered.  Putting a dog back into Superman was just what it needed.  (among other things)

Viewing movies in theaters used to be the only way to see a movie, but times have changed  and there are lots of ways to watch at home,and many reasons to watch movies at home.  Most important is that the popcorn is always fresh at home!  And right up there is controlling the environment from temperature to ambient sound (i.e., people talking).  Yeah, it can be fun to be in a large room full of others, all enjoying the same entertainment, but it can be a challenge, especially to an introvert.

Still...some movies are meant for BIG screens, and having been a Superman fan (in all incarnations) all my life, I was looking forward to the current movie.  So we bit the bullet, bought the pricey tickets, even opted for IMAX, and went to a theater to see it.  This is the first movie we've seen in a theater in several years and the first stsrt-to-finish movie we've stayed in our seats for.  Yes, we're THOSE people, the ones who stay through the credits, especially if the music is good or there's talk of a good extra scene after the credits.

Speaking of the music.  I am a big fan of John Williams; his movie music is among my favorites, and the 1970s Superman movie theme is my personal Williams favorite piece.  So.  When I heard he would not be doing the music for this movie, I was a bit concerned, but I reasoned that time marches on, Mr. Williams is in his 90s, and I should have an open mind.  I was more than pleased that the music arrangers for this movie chose to use a lot of themes on Williams' previous Superman music, as well as new stuff.  Most of the music used was just fine, some actually great.  I keep repeating to myself "I am not their target audience..."

Some of the scenes were filmed in Ohio, including the former Cincinnati train station with architecture I love (recognized it immediately) and that felt special to me.  We weren't quite sure where the Smallville scenes were filmed, especially considering the (almost comical) southern accents representing Smallville (ahem) KANSAS. 

Director James Gunn, who also wrote the film, chose to tweak the Superman origin and narrative.  Not that others have not done this, and I understand some of these things need to be kept fresh.  There were characters added, characters changed.  We had a feeling that a lot of film landed on the cutting room floor, because several actors showed up with little to do and just made for a bloated cast.  Did they have scenes cut?  Perhaps we'll find out when the "Director's Cut" shows up. 

We noted that some shots appeared to be made for 3-D and that got annoying as we were not watching a 3-D version.  It pulled the focus (at least for me) and pulled me out of the action, no doubt that somebody or some thing was flying out off the screen in the 3-D version.  We've tried 3-D and it doesn't make us happier.  The jury is still out whether the IMAX upcharge was worth it -- there was a whole lot of screen that wasn't needed much of the time.  (Maybe that's what years of watching on the home screen does to us.)

Call me cynical or out of touch of just an old man, but much of Superman flying just didn't give me a "wow" factor.  Maybe it was because he was my first Superman, but even today, watching old 1950s "The Adventures of Superman" TV shots of George Reeves as Superman flying are just as thrilling as many of the shots in this film.  No, not as sharp and sometimes not even in color, but just as inspiring.

Best actor in the film?  Rachel Brosnahan, who played Lois Lane.  She seemed to escalate the art of acting in many of her scenes while many others, particularly the bad guys, were more into "chewing scenery" than acting. 

Worst thing about the film?  Nobody who knows me well will be surprised when I say, TURN DOWN THE SOUND LEVEL!  I imagined a volume control and mute button in my hand.  I wonder why they haven't invented such a device where everyone can control their own volume levels?  Oh yeah, it's called watching at home.  The sound levels go hand in hand with too many battle scenes (remember again, not written for my age group) and not enough character development (remember again, these are comic book characters!)

Overall did I like it?  Yes!  The film was fun and I recommend it.  Unfortunately, the popcorn at the theater we visited was not all that great.  Need some of that good at-home popcorn.

There are too many people with "A" first names in this story so I'm going to change my convention this time and use real first names.

I have been reading about Adam for years. Adam is a young man (do I sound particularly old using that term?) who is the Significant Other to Anne, who is a young woman who is the daughter of Anita, who is a long-time friend and one who is a kindred spirit of mine.

I'm one of the many people around the world who have befriended Anne and have watched her grow and become a talented person in many ways, someone we are proud to know. For a while, Anne was a world traveler in her business life, affording her the breadth of experiences that most of us can only dream about. She eventually landed in the UK and continued her studies there. She and Adam found each other and live in the UK.

They have been making plans to move to the US for various reasons. I recently found out they are not doing so -- not for the time being and likely not for the next four years at least. I had been looking forward to seeing Anne again and finally meeting Adam. I had hoped to attend their wedding in the US.

But Adam is afraid to come to the US as a person from another country. And from some of the crazy news stories that have flowed since the US presidential election, I can't blame him. He's worried he'd be deported to some prison somewhere for doing...nothing. Just for being an immigrant. Most of the time, that would be out of the question, but these days? Again, I can't blame him.

I have watched all the terrible, backwards, ignorant decisions being made by the current US administration. I watch them systematically change (for the worse) what I've known to be good rules into very bad rules. Many of those decisions have annoyed me, some have worried me, but this issue that bothers a person I kinda, sorta know, to the point he's afraid to come here, is ludicrous. Among a few other issues, this is one that's helped tip the scales for me.

Yes, many MANY other recent decisions (and others said to be coming soon) also are quite troubling. I've tried to see the other side but rarely can anymore. I've watched many people and things I love as they have been changed, perhaps forever. And now Adam -- the friend I've not yet met -- has chosen, for his personal safety, to delay our meeting, possibly forever.

Perhaps this sounds minor to you, compared to wars and incarceration and reductions of freedoms and fewer government programs and loss of jobs and more. Perhaps it is. But for me, it's a clarifying moment.

New userpic/icon of Sophie (left, 3 months old) and Charlie (right, 3 years old) is here!  No way I can get them to lie quietly together to have a picture taken -- yet.

My friend Warren died this week.  He was 86 -- a good run for anyone.  Unfortunately, he was more and more ill over the final few years.  His passing was not a surprise -- his husband kept anyone who asked up to date on the situation.  It was clearly downhill, especially recently.

When I moved back to the Omaha area in the early 80s, I was one of a small group who started an LGBTQ chorus.  (It's since grown into a major arts force in the area, I'm pleased to say.  Took a while, here in red-state Nebraska, but it's become pretty successful.)  Shortly after the chorus started, Warren's partner Roger joined the chorus as a singer.  Roger has a fine singing voice and happened to be next to me in the tenor section.  We got along and became friends, and over time I met his then-partner, now-husband Warren.

Some years later, when I was in a fulfilling job under maniacal management, I was chatting with Warren about it.  Warren owned a small marketing company that had previously taken over a product which was already successful, and he was in a position to expand and add staff.  Knowing I enjoyed doing what he needed to have done, and also knowing I was at the ends of my wits with the honchos at my present job, he offered me a job and I took it.  That's the first life-changing event Warren handed me, but not the only one.

A few years later, with his firm still growing, Warren needed some technical expertise for an in-house computer system.  A friend of his recommended someone who was working at the Red Cross.  Warren interviewed that person and hired him.  Shortly thereafter, I met that person...who I have now been partnered with for over 30 years and married to for nearly 12 years.  Yes, Warren introduced me to M.  That made Warren, without a doubt, one of the most influential people in my life.

Aside from those life-altering events, Warren was a wise businessman and a good friend.  He and I were not entirely alike -- for one thing, he liked to change vehicles fairly regularly and I tend to hold onto my cars for a very long time.  His life story is interesting (he was once a pastor yet had little use for religion now), and he was once married and had two children, though he's now been with Roger for 50 (!) years.

I, along with many others, will miss Warren.  But I, along with others, have many memories of him still with me.

In 2000, M and I traveled to New Orleans as part of a business trip by the company M worked for.  At the time, M's friend and co-worker Jay Lake was employed at the same company so also joined the trip.  This was the first time Jay and I met in person.  M had described me as "a writer" to Jay, and of course Jay was curious.  Unfortunately for Jay, M's definition of "a writer" wasn't quite what Jay was expecting.  Nonetheless, Jay and I became friends.

Many things transpired during that trip, but those are not the purpose of this post.  At the airport as we were leaving to return home, I was scanning the bookstore for something to read on the way home.  I asked Jay if he might suggest something.  (Silly of me to presume he wouldn't.)  He asked a few questions about my interests, what I like to read, and quickly went over and selected a book for me.  It was the paperback of "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," originally published in 1995 and written by Gregory Maguire.  I read the synopsis -- and immediately thought two things: (1) HOW did Jay figure out so quickly what would be a good book for me and (2) OH BOY, this could be fun to read.

I thanked Jay.  M and I went to our gate and Jay to his.  We boarded our plane, and I immediately started reading.  Within a few pages, I thought to myself, "this is not necessarily going to be fun; it will be a difficult read."  Lots of words I did not know (or were made up by the author) and lots of long sentences.  This was not a "Wizard of Oz" sequel; it was a major challenge!  I was up to the task but would have to concentrate.  The book was definitely one of the toughest reads for me since college. I finished it, but not during that flight.  It took me nearly a month of stop and go reading to get through it!

I have not re-read "Wicked" since then, but the memories that stick with me are: yes, it was a tough read.  Yes, it was somewhat up my alley, and ohmygosh, this was a dark novel.  I thought about it a lot afterwards (which, for me, means it was impactful).  I also mispronounced some main characters' names in my head as I read (according to how they were pronounced in later incarnations of the story). 

I contacted Jay and shared I had some challenges reading it.  He was not particularly surprised since, as he put it, I was not a regular reader of speculative fiction and it can be a difficult read for those not accustomed to it.  .  As I later read some of Jay's own novels (which can have their own challenges to be read) I often thought back to "Wicked."

Later, I read that "Wicked" was being adapted into a stage musical, and shared that with Jay.  Here's our exact first email exchange about it:



(Jay's later responses were part astounded and part profane.  He was not amused with the thought of such a thing.)  I was intrigued about this potential new musical, but only to a point -- I had been disappointed in other shows that had come out, based on "The Wizard of Oz."  Why would I think this one, based on such a dark novel, would be any good. 

Time passed, and the stage musical "Wicked" premiered in 2003 to much glitz and many awards.  I heard some of the music and was pleased and interested.  I bought the cast album CD.  In 2006, a friend and I traveled from our respective homes in Omaha and Columbus to Chicago to experience the show in person.  Wow, it instantly became one of my favorite shows (and if you know me, you know it usually takes a while for something to become a favorite of mine).  Most interesting, very little of the musical was anywhere near as dark as the book, and many of its songs are downright joyful. 

M and I have seen "Wicked" on stage three (I think) times since then, all in Omaha.  Seeing a show again means for me the opportunity to focus on different things -- such as orchestration one time, lighting and set one time, and special effects (if appropriate).  And always there's the opportunity to hear its glorious music live and in person again.

Now, in 2024, the movie version of "Wicked" has just come out.  I have not yet seen it but am wary because of a long history of the movie not being as good (for me) as the stage presentation.  I will see the movie eventually (and, if you haven't heard, the full musical has been broken into two parts, the first released this year and the second scheduled for 2025.  Yes, otherwise the movie would be very long, but it seems silly since the stage version has been out so long.  I'm sure it's to make more money).  Still, the reviews I've seen seem to indicate the songs are there (at least in the first part) so I'm not TOO worried.

The burning question is, What would Jay think of all this?  Sadly, Jay died in 2014 so we'll never know, but based on his initial reaction about the novel becoming a musical, it wouldn't be pretty.  (Just as I also wonder regularly What would Jay think? regarding today's world of politics.)

I was asked if I have a favorite part of riding trains.

Oh, yes!

When I was a child, we took the train regularly from Iowa to Missouri and back again.  The Iowa end was a fairly standard train station.  But the Missouri end was the magnificent Union Station in Kansas City;  Built for many trains with many tracks, many services, and space for many passengers.  When I was a child, it was still quite active.  We'd arrive at Union Station early, perhaps have a bite there, perhaps pick up something to read during the trip, and wait in the magnificent waiting room.  So much to see already.  We'd eventually be called to our train, and that involved going downstairs to the train shed and the many tracks, finding and getting aboard the train, and finding our seats.  Then...the anticipation.  Watching out the train window.  Where's the train next to us going?  Where's that train over there coming from?  Wait...are WE moving or is the train NEXT to us moving? 

Then the moment came.  Slowly, very slowly, our train started moving, past the adjacent trains, past baggage carts, past railroad workers and other passengers.  Eventually out from the train shed into the open air with sunlight and sky and Kansas City skyline and...we were off!

Today's analogy, most of the time, is when we take a train from Chicago.  The station there is one in the US still with much passenger service because it's a major transfer point on the east-west railroad.  So there's waiting upstairs (with all its drama), boarding and waiting on the train downstairs (with all its drama), and the excitement of the train finally starting to move (almost always on time, at least leaving Chicago). 

I have been known to go to Chicago by other means (car or plane) and then make it a point to take a train back home mainly to experience that favorite part for me of riding a train -- pulling out of a great railroad station.

I've been following a bit of the uproar over Wisconsin Public Radio (WPR) about to change a number of their statewide stations between music and news.  (If you're a Public Radio listener, as am I, some states maintain partially separate networks, one for music and one for news.  WPR has kinda sorta done so for a while, and for reasons not totally known to me -- I don't live there so I don't have the inside scoop -- they are rearranging what many stations across the state will be doing, effective next week.)

That is causing quite a scene in listener comments, even before they've heard the changes.  Okay, granted, many people do not like change.  As I've felt for most of my life, radio can be a person's best friend and for that best friend to change personality can be a shock to the system.

But I do not understand why all the people complaining cannot listen to their favorite station(s) over the Internet rather than (or in addition to) over the air radio, if necessary when the change occurs.  Admittedly, I am an outlier on this issue -- I spend most of my waking hours listening to radio, most of it not local, and most of it noncommercial.  Essentially, Public Radio from coast to coast, depending on the day and time.  I have several Amazon Echo devices throughout the house and/or hooked into our whole-house audio system, and I have computers around that can also pick up the Internet signals.  Yes, of course, that's much more than the average listener, but that's me.  Anyone can use a smart device/computer and listen to any Internet station if one has a signal. 

Does it always sound as good as a stereo FM radio or digital HD radio?  Nope, but in most cases it will do, and if one wants to go high-end (and has the resources to do so) it is attainable.  Will it work in the car?  For newer cars, almost always, but for older cars it can be a challenge.

It's just that so many of those comments -- particularly because the change doesn't happen until Monday -- come across as so hurt, so sad to be losing that "best friend."  I suspect WPR will do some tweaking, or better educating about how to use alternate ways to receive signals, or partner with some other media, or something.  Wisconsin (I think) is one of the nation's oldest Public Radio systems, if not THE oldest.  They haven't stuck around this long just to throw it all away at this point.

The big tornadoes that were in the area on April 26 did not enter central Omaha -- they mostly stayed in the general areas of Lincoln (to the southwest), Gretna (to the west), various northern suburbs, and off to Iowa to the east.  (Though I quickly add central Omaha has historically been hit by tornadoes so we're not immune.)  M and I live in the west-central city; we and our property are okay.

But some work associates of M, scattered about the region, are not.  Some friends of mine from cnurch are not.  And, from the media, we know that many others were touched by the events of yesterday afternoon.

Those who know me well know I'm a weather-watcher.  We had multiple TVs on multiple stations yesterday (plus of course weather radios and various Internet sources and those helpful but oh-so-intrusive-if-you-already-know-what's-going-on phone apps that send LOUD tones, beeps, and (gaaah!) sirens in case you're not paying attention or are asleep.  The coverage was excellent in my opinion, though the (national) Weather Channel scooped our local weatherfolk more than once -- what was that about?

A friend who moved away sent me a text saying he was watching one of the Omaha TV stations streams on his phone.  Although the coverage was excellent, he missed the "flailing arms and oh woe is me" style of a former local meteorologist.  Never fear, I told my friend -- though the fellow is no longer on TV, he maintains a blog and still shares his unique style of "the sky is falling!" weathercasting. 

We've had a few mild weather years.  The events this week (which may continue over the weekend) have reminded M and me, and many others, that we are still in a part of "tornado alley."

When I was young, my parents liked the music of the singers of what we today call The Great American Songbook.  I -- probably because kids are supposed to rebel -- stuck with the pop tunes of the day, from the Beach Boys to the Beatles, but including the occasional hanging-on pop songster because that's how radio was programmed back then -- a variety of music.

One of the holdover singers was Steve Lawrence.  I liked his stuff but had to be careful not to be too uncool because my parents loved* Steve's music along with his wife Eydie Gorme -- together and solo.  In fact, one of the first records I ever purchased was Lawrence's "Poor Little Rich Girl."  Not his biggest hit, but the timing was right for me.  (* I'm sure our family's Jewish heritage helped connect us to Lawrence.  But hey, he was a great singer, period.)

I spent way too much energy putting down the musicians loved by my parents, but over time, I came to appreciate all of them.  Today I have Sinatra CDs, lots of Big Band music, plus my grandparents' collection of 78s and early 45s (my parents never did collect records, so I made up for that).

As I said, from my earliest record purchases, Steve -- and later Eydie -- were included.  More of their recordings were added over time.  Near the end of my mother's life, she was visiting from out of town when a Steve and Eydie concert was scheduled in Omaha.  For whatever reason, we chose not to attend.  I regret to this day not taking Mom to that concert, because she would have enjoyed it so much and I would have enjoyed the memories even now.  (Not unlike when M and I neglected to attend a Simon & Garfunkel concert in Omaha.)

Yesterday, Steve Lawrence died.  (Eydie Gorme died in 2013.)  It's another moment of musical sadness for me.  Boy, do I appreciate their music now.  Thank goodness for recordings!