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Gremlins & Apologies

by gregbell 11/17/2008 6:14:00 AM

Okay, folks for all of you who caught the channel over the weekend and notice changes, there has NOT been a format chance on XM Radio Classics 164, but rather a large computer glitch! I promise you I would never create a schedule that played 8,10 even 16 minutes of commercials all in a row, even if that meant the rest of the two hour block was commercial free.

Here is a not-so-secret fact; I actually am not at work over the weekend but rather put all my trust into a very sophisticated computer system. That system is very good, but not perfect. For some unknown reason; a glitch caused it to default all of the commecial breaks to the beginning or end of the 2 hour blocks. So what many heard was 15 minutes of non-stop commercials followed yes by 1 hour and 45 minutes of commercial free but out of synch shows.

I do apologize and have folks far more technical than I looking into what happened in an effort to make sure it does not occur again.

Greg.

Currently rated 3.3 by 8 people

Currently 3.25/5 Stars.
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Ah glitches and gremlinsJerry is 83, Celebratin' Saint Patrick's Day and Bogie as Fred C. Dobbs!

Comments

11/18/2008 10:59:24 PM

Phew! what a relief. Who knows what Mel will do.

Mark Robinson

11/19/2008 2:26:07 AM

I was really surprised to hear a long block of commercials when I tuned in at 1 PM Central yesterday...I thought something really funny was going on. I'm glad to hear things aren't changing like they are on the rest of the service. Your channel is one of the reasons I keep paying for radio.

Jay Maynard

11/19/2008 2:34:14 AM

I was windering wgat was going on. Thanks for the explanation!

Jeff

11/19/2008 2:36:54 AM

BTW, I finally got around to setting it up...LiveJournal users can add this blog to their friends list as the LJ syndication feed gregbellblog.

Jay Maynard

11/19/2008 3:17:07 AM

Thanks for addressing the issue.. I had been out of the country for a couple of weeks and was craving some Normalcy (164) and after having checked this Blog saw we still had our channel (YEAH!) BUT wondered in what form (or I was more tired than I thought).. SO THANKS GREG.. Keep up the great work that we all love so much..

Cheri

11/19/2008 4:12:17 AM

If anything positive came out of it, I now know that back on November 17, 1973, the speed limit was reduced nationwide to 55mph, AT40 was playing a song that the record company never thought would be a hit, and Richard Nixon gave his "I'm not a crook" speech. Lets all pray the computer is fixed!

scott

11/19/2008 5:05:11 AM

You do a great job I thought some thing must have gone wrong keep up the good work and please dont change. One suggestion is there a way you could list some of the more frequently heard actors with a small bio?

john

11/19/2008 6:09:27 AM

Jay- Thanks for the LiveJournal RSS feed -- I'll add it to my friends page.

Kevin Nagle

11/19/2008 9:00:35 AM

I think the Sirrus computer and XM Computer are not being friendly yet.
I printed out new guide and have it in my car for a whille
Your doing a great Job Greg.

One Qestion: is Dick Powell, who does Richard Dimond, the same Gentelman who does the The Thin Man? I love the Humor in that show

Duncan McPherson

11/19/2008 11:13:02 AM

Gee, Greg, I thought you were trying something innovative without warning us, then would ask for our opinions!

Bogie Austin

11/19/2008 12:30:57 PM

What a relief! I get this service mostly for the old time radio. Keep up the great work!

jim

11/19/2008 12:42:25 PM

Great news! I was afraid it was part of the "improvements" of the XM/Sirius merger. I haven't been impressed with many of the other "improvements" (Lucy 54 and America 10 were 2 of my other favorite channels, and the Sirius replacement just aren't the same!), so I figured this was just par for the course. It's too bad the commercials can't just be replaced with another 15 minute show in each block. I have to admit that the >10 second break was fabulous!! Thanks, Greg!

Kim

11/19/2008 12:48:18 PM

hey greg, i love radio classics and its great that youre here still,keep up the good work!

11/19/2008 3:26:50 PM

Duncan:

William Powell is the "Thin Man". Dick Powell
is radio's Richard Diamond. David Jansen was
Richard Diamond on TV, with Mary Tyler Moore as
his secretary.

I learned from a 1944 Jack Benny show that the
National speed limit in World War II was 35 mph!

Oh thank heaven for Greg Bell....

james sills

11/19/2008 8:19:42 PM

Thanks for explaining. We were on a LONG drive and couldn't figure out what was happening, but we hung in there and enjoyed the shows just the same! Keep up the great work.

Sunni DeNicola

11/20/2008 3:25:07 AM

Greg does a great job and the shows are excellent. Just wondering why Radio Classics airs commercials but the other XM Sirius stations do not. Why will no one answer this?

Dave

11/20/2008 4:29:27 AM

I believe XM-Sirius promises "100% COMMERCIAL FREE MUSIC." When I first got XM, I was confused by this too, thinking that every station was commerical free, but if you think about it, for the live shows like Opie & Anthony or Ron & Fez, it would be tough to go 3 hours without taking a break. I don't mind the commericals on stations like 164, 163 or 165. They are so much shorter then regular radio that I can totally deal with it.

Now to make matters even more confusing, there are some stations that converted from XM to the new Sirius-XM merged stations that DO have commericals. These channels are grouped in the category of "MORE MUSIC" on the Channels Guide that Greg sent last week. These have commericals because these channels are owned independantly be Clear Channel, which owns a ton of terrestrial stations. I found it ironic that Clear Channel fought so hard AGAINST the merger when they had a stake in XM. So apparently we are stuck with some music stations with commericals, but only a handful.

Matt Pelc

11/20/2008 4:57:24 AM

Matt,

You are correct, and back when XM was just XM, they fought very hard to try to get the Clear Channel Channels to remove the commercials or leave the platform altogether. I believe it went all the way to an arbitrator who ruled in favor of Clear Channel. XM countered by creating similar commercial free versions (for instance commercial free Flight-26 and Hit List 30 were similar to Clear Channel's Mix and Kiss 21, respectively).

So, yes there still are a few music channels on the Sirius XM platform with commercials.

Greg.

gregbell

11/20/2008 11:32:18 PM

Since I do a lot of my recording on my INNO I thought it was great. One change if possible is to put all the commericals at the end of each program and run the program commerical free

Frank

11/21/2008 11:28:31 PM

What a relief!!! I could have gotten use to it, but really glad that I don't have to. Radio classics is the main reason that I bought the unit years ago. I am thankful that it will not change. ( At least for now anyway.) Love all the background. Thanks Greg for all you do.

Phillip Peeples

11/22/2008 6:02:26 AM

Hi, Greg! What a nice way to end a long day on my feet...listening to Ch. 164 on the radio. Just heard "Hopalong Cassidy." I have a new job - I'm a sales associate at the new Yankee Candle outlet. I love it but my feet HATE it. I'm just happy to be working. I was out of work from May until Nov. 9. I probably won't stay there forever only because I'm a diabetic and I can't stand on my feet for long periods of time. It's bad for my circulatoin and, frankly, my feet actually BARK at the end of my shift. But I love the job. Go figure...
BY THE WAY ... have you read "Raised on Radio" by Gerald Nachman???? I have it and I'm reading it and oh, how I LOVE it.
Thanks for playing "Made for Each Other" and "Fort Laramie." "Made for Each Other" was a real romantic treat and "Fort Laramie" starred one of my all-time favorites, Raymond Burr. Did I also tell you I love "Miracle in the Rain"? Finally, thank you for the 2-hour John Dehner special. He's another whose voice is absolutely dreamy!
Take care, Greg. You are doing such a terrific job! To quote Red Skelton..."God bless" - R.

Rosemary

11/25/2008 10:23:45 AM

Hey Duncan!...Were actors William Powell and Dick Powell related?...No, they were not. William Powell was born in Pittsburgh in 1892. He began his acting career on the Broadway stage and made his film debut (as Professor Moriarty to John Barrymore's Sherlock Holmes) in a 1922 silent. Dick Powell was Richard Diamond on radio and Philip Marlowe on TV.

If you Google Dick Powell, there's lots of great info on him. Ditto for William Powell. The Thin Man series is one of my all-time favorites. I own all the DVD's. Can't beat William Powell and Myrna Loy for mystery splashed with comedy, shaken, not stirred.

Cheers!
PS: Glad my Canadian XM didn't change at all.

margolane

1/1/2009 7:33:51 AM

Hi Greg I am SO enjoying your comments after each old broadcast--make them longer if possible. I had the pleasure to meet and talk with Orson Wells about his radio days before he passed away while he was living in Arizona (same town as me), so have enjoyed hearing his broadcasts or interviews. I also love Fibber McGee and Molly, so keep them coming. I do alot of traveling, and really LOVE all the selections, especially The Whistler. Your Christmas programs were wonderful, especially the Blue Bird last Sunday. Keep up the good work!
Gail

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