If you're  feeling like me, maybe you are overwhelmed by the past week in news. 

• The news of the May 3 tsunami which devastated Myanmar, is washing over the rest of the world in ever worsening waves of woe.  As if a death toll of 43,000 wasn't bad enough, today, that number doubled:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/may/16/death-toll-from-myanmar-cyclone-nearly-doubles/

•   The earthquake this week in China, killed perhaps 50,000 people.  News images showing flattened school buildings, stunned survivors, and recorded images of the actual quake at the moment it occurred.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24

• Here at home, tornadoes kill dozens at the start of the week

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/16238729/

• Locally, Mother's Day is marred when a father-to-be stops at a Catonsville gas station to fill his tank and pays with his life.  A 17 year old is arrested and charged in the senseless killing. It was as if the story had been written for a TV movie;  Man is stabbed to death, as his son is being born in a Baltimore hospital. On Mother's Day.

 http://www.examiner.com/a-1394150~Teen_arrested_in_Catonsville_gas_station_stabbing.html

• Video of the week award goes to Sky Team 11 News Helicopter Pilot Roy Taylor who is over the scene of an apartment fire when occupants are pulled out of the burning building.  Thankfully, they live.

http://www.wbaltv.com/video/16262042/

• A teenager allegedly beats his mother to death with a baseball bat, over his grades at McDonough School where he is on the baseball team.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_county/bal-te.md.co.homicide16may16,0,2417039.story

 So as Baltimore celebrates one of its Spring Rites, The 133rd Running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico racecourse, this year it's more than a horse race.  It's a distraction from the events of the world,  a respite from the carnage of tsunami's, earthquakes, and tornadoes.  The simple horse race, an American tradition, this time around is a welcome diversion.

 http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24455343/

 Unless of course, a horse breaks its leg, a man runs out onto the track, or the club house catches fire....Lets keep our fingers crossed!

Finally a reason to stay up late at night, watching television.  If you are tired of the same old faces on the late night talk shows, raise your hands.  Something to look forward to, NBC announcing that Saturday Night Live former cast member Jimmy Fallon will take over from Conan O'Brien who is moving to take over Jay Leno's job.

Now a look at TV Talk show ratings for the last rating period:

Talkers Strong As Sweeps Starts

Oprah, Dr. Phil Lead the Pack.

By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable

Five talk shows were up for the week ending April 27, which included the first four days of the May sweep, making talk the only genre to see so much improvement.

 CBS’ The Oprah Winfrey Show, coming off its season low in the prior week, was up 9% to a 5.0. CBS’ Dr. Phil scored his strongest ratings since the February sweep, jumping 10% to a 4.6. CBS’ Rachael Ray gained 6% to a 1.9, getting a 17% daily boost with an episode featuring King of Queens’ Leah Remini that kicked off the sweep on April 24 with a 2.1. NBC Universal’s Maury came back from its prior-week season low to climb 19% to a 1.9, tying Rachael. And Warner Bros.’ Tyra Banks improved 10% to a 1.1, with a show on women who are proud of their bodies even though they are overweight, gaining 20% to a 1.2 on April 25, the sweep’s second day.

 As for the rest of the talkers, Disney-ABC’s Live with Regis and Kelly in third place continued to languish at its season low 2.6, unchanged for the week. In fourth place, Warner Bros.’ Ellen DeGeneres also was flat at a 2.1. CBS’ Montel Williams, NBC U’s Jerry Springer, NBC U’s Martha Stewart and NBC U’s rookie Steve Wilkos all were unchanged at 1.3, 1.1, 0.9 and 0.9, respectively. Twentieth’s The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet, which has been the top-rated daytime newcomer, dipped 10% to a 0.9.

 The access magazines were solid with no show declining for the week. CBS’ Entertainment Tonight and CBS’ Inside Edition were the only two to grow, with ET up 2% to a 4.3 and Inside Edition up 3% to a 3.0. CBS’ The Insider, NBC U’s Access Hollywood and Warner Bros.’ rookie leader, TMZ, tied for third, with all three shows steady at a 2.1. Warner Bros.’ Extra was flat at a 1.7.

 CBS’ Judge Judy continued to rule court with a 4.7, unchanged for the week but up 4% for the year, continuing to be the only first-run strip in syndication to show year-to-year improvement.

 CBS’ Judge Joe Brown, in second place, scored its highest ratings in five weeks, hitting a 2.5, up 4% for the week. Warner Bros.’ People’s Court, which had dropped to a season low the prior week, came back 5% to a 2.3. On the other hand, Warner Bros.’ Judge Mathis dropped to a new season low, dropping 11% to a 1.7 and tying Twentieth’s Divorce Court, which was flat. Twentieth’s Judge Alex slipped 6% to a 1.6. Sony’s Judge Hatchett and Twentieth’s Cristina’s Court each were flat at a 1.2. Sony’s Judge Maria Lopez was flat at a 0.9, while Sony’s rookie, Judge David Young, slid 11% to a 0.8. Radar Entertainment’s Jury Duty trailed, unchanged at a 0.3.

 CBS’ Wheel of Fortune remained the top-rated game and overall syndicated show, inching up 1% to a 7.2. CBS’ Jeopardy! dipped 2% to a 5.9. Disney-ABC’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire slipped 4% to tie the show’s season-low 2.7. Debmar-Mercury’s Family Feud eased 6% to a 1.7. Program Partners’ newcomer, Crosswords, was flat at a 0.8. Twentieth’s rookie, Temptation, fell 20% to a 0.4.

 Warner Bros.’ rookie, Two and a Half Men, continued to lead the off-net sitcoms, unchanged at a 5.0, followed by Twentieth’s Family Guy, flat a 4.2. Sony’s Seinfeld fell 5% to a 3.7. CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond remained at its season low 3.4 for a second straight week. Warner Bros.’ George Lopez climbed 3% to a 3.2. Sony’s King of Queens dropped 10% to 2.6, tying Warner Bros.’ Friends, down 4%.

Today's edition  of "b" focuses on Mother's Day (this Sunday by the way in case you hadn't heard) but in a way that leaves a bad taste in one's mouth.  The paper is aimed at young, hip, single men & women, people who, you may think after reading today's edition, are so distant from their real life Mother, that the paper offers up some of the best "make pretend" Mothers.   

Marge Simpson, Peg Bundy, Claire Huxtable, moms who were "with" us every night, on the television screen, probably while the REAL moms were at work, making dinner, or picking up groceries for the family.  These were the moms who, according to the author, gave "unconditional love" as opposed to that conditional love our real moms demanded.

The writer might have easily described REAL young, (or older) hip (or "lame") moms who are finding ways to combine jobs, children, and making a home for their family, instead of falling back on fake TV moms. As easy way to write an article that feels shallow, hollow.  Baltimore is full of moms making ends meet, moms who run errands all week, and run marathons on the weekends. Moms who take care of their own moms, or take care of their daughters who are moms, or who aren't able to become a mom themselves, so adopt others children and make themselves a mom! 

The worst part of the article talks about MILFS, an offensive acronym used by men to describe a hot mom, or "Mothers I'd Like to ****"   Now, people use coarse terms and nasty slang to talk about women in various and assorted ways, and unsavory descriptions come along every day. But is Mother's Day the time for a publication to outline the MILFS in our lives?  Why go there at all?  For the shock value, for a way to get noticed,  for a few minutes of free publicity?

Mothers are sexy, and of course they do have sex, otherwise how did we all end up here?  But the reason we celebrate Mother's Day is to honor and respect those women who pushed us out into the world, without resorting to the current trend toward what I call the "pornographication" of pop culture.  That is, looking at everything thru smut-colored lenses.  It's an easy thing to do, and easy, to some in the publicity game, like "easy". Easy is cheap, easy sells, easy is sleazy.

For this mom, it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. "b" careful this Sunday, and don't let your mom learn acronyms she doesn't need to know about.  That would "b" an odious way to celebrate a day dedicated to the women who brought us into the world.   

Some days when it rains it pours.  New newspapers are flying off the printing press faster than readers can keep up.  In Baltimore alone, we have seen the launch of "b"  the free Daily tabloid-style paper from the publishers of the Baltimore Sun, (Baltimore Sun Media Group).   May 1st, The Daily Record spin-off, "Exhibit A" a free legal publication. hit the streets. Then there's Baltimore's "Original Freebie" The City Paper.

So we have the a, the b, the c (City Paper) all free. Let's see, what about the E?

The Examiner announced its expanding too, bringing Baltimore an expanded Sunday edition:

People who enjoy reading the Sunday paper will finally now have a second choice in Baltimore. Not only  the Sun but now the Expanded Examiner will be delivered right to your doorstep in just a few weeks (starting in July)

How is your favorite radio station doing in the ratings?

Radio and Records has the breakdown from the recent book  (winter 2008)

Click here and go to "Baltimore" or whatever other market you'd like to know about.

ARBITRON is the company which mails out diaries and measures listeners radio habits.   

Here's where the Baltimore market stacks up compared to the others in the top 25 of the country: