Houston.BloggersPub

Best Buy seems to have a large market on electronics, now it is trying to do the same with musical instruments and other related stuff:

The company will have music centers at one store each in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Harlingen and two in Houston. They will boast guitars, keyboards and DJ equipment by some of the top manufacturers in the music industry, including Fender, Gibson and Roland. READ THE REST

85 stores will get the music thing going. No word on when this will happen.

The new name will be Sirius XM Radio Inc. Sounds like the subscribers get to pick what they want to hear.  Here is more from the official press release:

SIRIUS XM Radio broadcasts more than 300 channels of programming, including exclusive radio offerings from Howard Stern, Oprah, Opie & Anthony and Martha Stewart, among others. SIRIUS XM Radio will offer these expanded options to consumers through arrangements with the world’s leading automakers and its relationships with nationwide retailers.

As a result of the merger, SIRIUS XM Radio will also be able to offer consumers new packages in audio entertainment, including the first-ever a la carte programming option in subscription media. In addition to two a la carte options, the new packages will include: “Best of Both,” giving subscribers the option to access certain programming from the other network; discounted Family Friendly packages; and tailored packages including “Mostly Music” and “News, Talk and Sports.” The first of the new packages will be available in the early Fall.

“One of the most exciting benefits of this transaction is the ability to offer subscribers the option of expanding their subscriptions to include the Best of Both services. Given the respective popularity of exclusive programming on both SIRIUS and XM, we expect many subscribers will upgrade their current subscription,” said Karmazin.

“The upside potential for both consumers and shareholders is huge. Consumers have the ease of adding premier programming without purchasing a new device. For shareholders, this kind of organic growth is a key part of the company’s future and the success we expect to see,” said Karmazin.

As promised when the merger was first announced, existing radios will continue to work and every subscriber has the option of maintaining their current service package.

READ THE REST

Russ Martin is back on the Dallas - Fort Worth airwaves at 105.3 KLLI.  This after his arrest concerning an alleged assault.

More from Dallas/Fort Worth media:
Radio host Russ Martin back on the air after assault arrest
Talk show host Martin returns to the air

Houstonist has news on the big Bennigan’s Grill & Tavern and Steak and Ale restaurant shut down.

MORE:
Company-owned Bennigan’s, Steak and Ales close
Plano-based Bennigan’s chain closing, managers say

Rock The Bayou was nice enough to let me be one of the first to report that the Houston rock music festival now has more than 100 bands playing, plus a rumored Don Dokken and George Lynch mini reunion:

“Where else can you see so many hard rock legends in one place?,” Sultan asks. If Sammy Hagar, Alice Cooper, Bret Michaels, Queensryche, Twisted Sister, Lita Ford and Yngwie Malmsteen weren’t enough, then consider Warrant, Ratt, Skid Row, LA Guns, Dokken, The Lynch Mob, Great White, Lillian Axe, Black ‘N Blue, Jackyl, Britny Fox, Broken Teeth, Dangerous Toys, Slaughter, Enuff Z’nuff, Little Caesar, Jet Boy, Bullet Boys with Steven Adler, Bang Tango, Y&T, Faster Pussycat, Gilby Clarke, and numerous other bands all converging in Houston over one sizzling, rock ‘n roll weekend.

Ex-Runaway lead guitarist Lita Ford will play only her second concert in 15 years. And the original, multi-platinum selling Warrant lineup is taking the Rock The Bayou main stage, news that’s sure to be “Heaven” to fans of that classic MTV staple. There are even rumors of an encore song reunion between vocalist Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch – at least that’s what Dokken said in a recent interview with the Monsters in the Morning radio show.

“When you love music as much as I do, it’s just hard to stop,” explains Ali Fazeli, president of The Fazeli Group, which is promoting and producing the event. “The word is out on Rock The Bayou. So many agents are calling us, asking if they can bring their bands. For a music fan like me, the response has fantastic.”

See more at http://rockthebayou.com/.

UPDATE
Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens, former singer of Judas Priest and Iced Earth, will be singing with Yngwie Malmsteen.

Small markets have a rough time.  Most likely they have a small inexperienced staff and old equipment.  So when they try to do big live events it can turn into a a crash and burn situation. Of course live TV can sting anyone from large markets to the network.

It didn’t look like a good day for KMID when the station decided to do it up live for the  Midland Rockhounds and Oakland A’s game.

WATCH HERE

(Thanks ED)

Ever meet that someone who just rubs you the wrong way? Send them a greeting card. No better yet, send them an e-card from URAjerk.com!

There are categories like Any Jerk!, Work Jerk, Jerk Neighbor, Jerk husband/boyfriend or Jerk wife/girlfriend. Get one? Then you can Jerk ‘em back!

Most likely all that will happen after this post is that you will send these to me!  

(Thanks to Lina who left tip for us in my comments section - is this a message for me? Nah.)

Murdock found the following, sinfully delicious gift:

The Dallas Morning News featured a report on how the arrest of 105.3 KLLI-FM talk show Russ Martin has taken a lot of his fans by surprise.  Now they wonder who the real Russ Martin is?  The guy on KLLI or someone else?

Through his career, weatherman Ed Brandon who sent me this next video, knew how to get attention during his weather segments, but it looks like he was not the only one.  So did WSPD in Toledo:

Here’s a REAL rare clip of the late Paul Lynde, doing the weather at Toledo’s Ch. 13, WSPD, in 1978!!

WATCH THE VIDEO

A few weeks ago I was telling my coworkers that we should hire someone like Paul Lynde to sit in our office and make snide remarks the entire day.

For those of you too young to know Bewitched or Hollywood Squares, Lynde has been recently channeled in the alien Roger character on American Dad.

(Thanks Ed!)