25 MAY 07: CONTINENTAL DRIFT

An old cliche (are there really any new ones?) says "everything old is new again." That certainly can be true in broadcasting - although I'm still waiting for 24-hour disco music to make a comeback on radio....

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Your blog has learned a radio station which faded away ten years ago is planning a comeback. It's moving from AM to FM, will provide the Columbus area a second station in Spanish and will have no commercials. Perhaps that last item is why it failed on AM in the first place.

You may remember "Radio Continental," which was on 1270 AM from 1993 to 1997. The Spanish music it played faded away - and then that dial position became Contemporary Christian, then Big Band and "easy listening," then ESPN Radio sports talk. It's currently WSHE, playing "Southern Gospel" music as if it's repented of backsliding about eight years ago.

The people behind Radio Continental are preparing to return to the air, taking an open FM dial position. It will be called "Tropical 88.5" - and if enough of the Columbus area becomes tropical, it will be one more sign of global warming.

The new FM station is taking the old Radio Continental call letters of WTMQ, and already has set up a web site. Since it's a non-commercial station, it has a bank account established for donations. The donation phone number on the web site led to Wachovia voice mail -- so we don't know yet if this Spanish-language station is accepting pesos.

Yet while WTMQ has a Columbus bank account, I'm not sure anyone in Columbus will be able to hear the new station on FM radios. The station is licensed to Lumpkin, and a coverage map I saw online doesn't even show the signal hitting Fort Benning. Will homes along Victory Drive suddenly have 40-foot-tall antennas?

But of course, this IS the Internet age - and the WTMQ web site allows you to listen to the station online. There's no music playing right now, and the web site gives no clue about when the station will go on the air. So perhaps "Tropical 88.5" is waiting for the high temperature to stay above that level.

By calling itself "Tropical 88.5," I'm assuming this new station will play mostly salsa and merengue dance music. WHAL-AM "Viva 1460" tends to play Spanish pop songs, and even mixes in a little English. But Kanje West's rap during Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" is only one song.

If the new FM station's signal has trouble reaching Columbus, Viva 1460 probably has nothing to worry about. But I'm hoping to hear Tropical 88.5 in town, because my Spanish music taste is more on the salsa side. The music can be hot, but please keep my tortilla chip dip to mild.

BLOG UPDATE: Our 6 May entry mentioned the problems a Columbus homeowner had with renovation work by Liftech. Our entry apparently rocketed to the top of the Google chart, and brought us two more complaints. The first came by e-mail several days ago:

I was searching "Liftech" and yours was the first on the list (3:12 PM CST May 18th). I had just left the BBB site and they said 7 but, they had been settled. I would sure like to meet the "7" and review their complaints. After a bit more consultation, I will probably be filing one myself. Their salesman, Rodger, has a "silver tongue"! This man could sell a large bottle of laxative to a person with a severe case of diarrhea and have him believe it would relieve him. He'll say that the cracks will close when the house is leveled but, fails to mention the new cracks that will appear and a good possibility that your house may separate from the foundation almost the full length of 1-2 sides. The "lift holes" were only a few feet deep and what dirt wasn't spread down the sides, to obviously hide some of the lower cracks was piled over the holes with the idea that the rain would settle it back level ... not! House definitely not level, 1+" in areas. I believe they must have come from the Carolina's where the "Tip Off Artists" come from and rip people off on driveways and siding jobs.

I'd rather you hold this letter for a bit, IF you think of running it. I would like to know if you got anything from any of those who filed complaints. I can definitely guarantee a better letter when I see what they plan to do. I'm 64 retired/disabled and served the public for 40+ years running an auto repair shop. I could never stand a liar and a thief. This is probably being done on every job they do and, if it is, they need to be stopped and each job checked for quality.

Thanks,

Jim Kimbrough

Little Texas

P.S.

If you'd like to look at the present "mess", I'll be glad to give you directions.

I'm assuming Jim's "7" refers to complaints on file with the Better Business Bureau office -- and not some quality ranking, like on "Dancing with the Stars."

I have NOT made the trip to the Lee County community of Little Texas, to see Jim Kimbrough's house. But he makes it sound like Liftech looks at cracks the way other people do opportunities -- when one closes, another opens.

It's a shame that Mr. Kimbrough's home isn't level. And assuming what he wrote is true, it's also a shame that the Liftech staff isn't "on the level" either....

We decided to post this letter today, because someone else has complained to us about Liftech. A man on Sue Mack Drive called the other evening, claiming the company did $100,000 worth of work on his house - but didn't do the job right. Now he might feel like he's come face-to-face with Sue Mack poison.

The man named Roger told me Liftech began a three-part renovation project on his home last September. The crew reportedly declared the work finished in late December, even though his roof was damaged. Roger says he wanted a new "sunroof," but done the proper way....

Roger apparently has filed a civil suit against Liftech - and he's wondering if other people have had problems with the company, so they can join forces in a combined case. If you have, e-mail the blog with a phone number and we'll pass it along to Roger. If you're an attorney looking for a cut of the settlement, we make no such guarantees.

There's one other rumor involving Liftech which we need to clear up. Columbus attorney Alfonso Whitaker told the blog Thursday he did NOT drop Liftech as a client, because of all the customer complaints. While he no longer represents the company, he said: "I think it was mutual...." So they went separate ways - a bit like those floors and foundations....

Alfonso Whitaker explained he's no longer an attorney for Liftech because he couldn't provide the proper amount of time to serve the company properly. This could mean Whitaker is busy with other clients. Or it could mean Liftech needs a large-sized team of attorneys from Atlanta.

Now for other accurate facts (and possibly misleading punch lines) from the Thursday news:

+ The Muscogee County Library Board leaned toward turning land around the central library into greenspace. Republican Party Chair Josh McKoon told WRBL he's not satisfied, and will urge Columbus Council to require a park on the land. Excuse my ignorance, but what's the difference between greenspace and a park? Does the Library Board want to buy artificial turf?

+ Roszell Gadson anchored his final newscast on WXTX "News at Ten." I'd take what co-anchor Deborah Singer said, and go one step further - he's probably the most good-looking male news anchor in Columbus. If Phil Scoggins simply would drop those glasses....

+ The "Cash Flow Generator" seminar came to Columbus, promising tips on making big money through buying and selling real estate. Isn't it a little late to learn how to ruin people's life savings, through sub-prime mortgages?

+ The Opelika City Schools ended their year, with officials saying a "character education" program at Opelika High School has improved behavior. I guess the two children caught carrying guns at other Opelika schools should learn to turn them over to police politely.

(If character really is improving in Opelika schools, why did the district create a "safety committee" with proposals for school uniforms and mesh book bags? Did "belt" somehow become a character word of the week - and if so, how?)

+ Instant Message to Golden Corral: I'm assuming your new "Greenhouse Select" salad bar does NOT include broccoli. After all, we all want to avoid those greenhouse gases....

(BLOGGER'S NOTE: Because of Pentecost Sunday at church and the Memorial Day holiday, we're going to take a three-day weekend off. We hope YOU have a nice one, and will come back when blogging resumes on Tuesday.)

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