Once upon a radio dreary, while I listened weak and weary,
Over many quaint oldies – Stones, the Who and many more,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone roughly rapping, scrapping on my friendly speaker.
“Tis some interception,” I muttered, “roughing the reception ��
Only this, and nothing bleaker.”
Deep into that RF static hearing, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no rocker ever dared dream before;
But the trance was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Baltimore!”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Baltimore!”
Merely this and nothing more.
Overhear I raised the volume, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
On there stepped a stately raven of the charming Baltimore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of Super Bowl Champ, perched above my cubicle door –
So let’s just cut to the two-minute warning…
And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the hallowed bust of Halas just above my cubicle door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the radio channel streaming him throws his sound o’er the floor;
And my soul from out of that sound that flies above the floor
Shall be lifted — Baltimore!
Do they teach Poe anymore? (That rhyme was completely coincidental, the bastardization of Poe was not.)
I doubt it.
Perhaps some might call it a demon spawn; others maybe an unholy marriage but Washington classic rocker WBIG(FM), which yours truly has listened to for many years, has announced it will be the Washington home station for the Baltimore Ravens.
Did I mention that Washington has its own high-profile football team?
The Washington area has no shortage of sports stations for the Raven to flock to (though all do have a slavish devotion to anything Redskins).
And yet they chose a classic rock station owned by Clear Channel. I don’t recall the Ravens having an official station in the Washington area before, certainly not one with a strong signal.
It might be a smart move by the team considering that the resident Redskins are in woeful shape and have been for several years while the Ravens are merely a year removed from a Super Bowl victory. The two teams share a large, and basically well-to-do, suburban Maryland audience — ripe for poaching by a successful franchise.
WBIG’s strong signal emanates from Southern Maryland and plays well into the Virginia suburbs across the Potomac River as well.
The station hasn’t announced any other sports move so this may be just an interruption of the usual repetition (and I say that with all due respect for repetition) of classic rock tunes (and iHeartRadio promotions).
