September 2004

Rio Rancho is moving forward with its sinister plot to build an arena and steal Albuquerque's hockey team!

"We are being very careful with this. We don't want to be like Albuquerque, where an announcement is made and then you find out that the infrastructure or a key piece of land isn't in place. [Ouch!] We don't want to make the formal announcement until all of the signatures are on all the dotted lines."

The announcement could mean a happy Thanksgiving for Rio Rancho hockey fans, who will get their own team as part of the deal. Kozuback said previously that the guarantee of a certain amount of dates was a must for an arena, and said Tuesday he hopes to have a new arena and team in Rio Rancho for the start of the 2006-07 season.

Kozuback had said, and confirmed it again Tuesday, that studies show the Albuquerque-Rio Rancho metropolitan area could not support two hockey franchises. That means the New Mexico Scorpions, who play at Tingley Coliseum on the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque, would be coming here..

Who will be first to build an arena? Which arena will be more powerful? Where will they get the ice for the rink? Who is this man? Will Elton John play their arena or our arena? What about professional wrestling?

Leanne Potts, author of the excellent Appearances on 'Cops' May Not Aid City's Image, is leaving the Journal!

She says her new blog will be online by October 1.

Good luck, Leanne!

A collection of Central Avenue neon sign photos, imparting "the feeling of yesteryear on the Mother Road."

You know, the more I look at these pictures, the more I really think I can feel the feeling of yesteryear. Yes, I definitely feel it! Wait. No. It's gone. The feeling of yesteryear is gone.

KUNM is asking for money again. This is not out the ordinary for a public radio station, except that they're saying that they need it to finish the renovations they started on their offices.

Which begs the question, "Why didn't they make sure they had enough money before they started the renovations?"

My wife and I give money to KUNM, usually once a year. We even donated our old car. We do it in the hopes that someday KUNM will air something we want to listen to.

Which begs the question, "Why are we such suckers?"

OK, maybe that's a little harsh. Let me put it in a different way. Other college radio stations encourage students to have their own shows. It makes for interesting programming. You might even call it "community" programming. KUNM doesn't seem to do this. Their schedule is made up of large blocks devoted to programs that have a certain staid quality to them. There's the NPR stuff. There's the classical show. The jazz show. The blues show. And the classic rock show. And the reggae show. And the alternative rock show. And the salsa show.

Sir! All forms of popular music accounted for, SIR!

Except country music, sir!

So anytime I get in the mood to find out what's going on in the world of classic or alternative rock, there it is. Please help me to contain my enthusiasm.

My wife is even less with the program than I am. Whenever I get into her car, the radio is always tuned to The Peak. "We're community radio listeners," I tell her, again and again as I tune back to KUNM. "We listen to KUNM. Remember how we gave them our old car? Here we go. Here's the reggae show you enjoy so much."

OK, OK, let's be fair to KUNM. We should be nice to them. They're a volunteer organization. They are nothing if not diverse. And they do a good job of serving the community, hence the classic rock show.

I have nothing against any particular programming. (Except the classical show. I hate the classical show. And Bioneers.) But like I said before, I just wish they would air something I want to listen to. Besides Home of Happy Feet. I love Home of Happy Feet. Thank you, KUNM, for Happy Feet.

When I give money during the next pledge drive, I hope they use it to hire an accountant who can tell them if they can afford the next renovations or not.