Radio

If flames were to reach the top of Mt. Wilson, home to the region's TV and FM radio transmitters, what would happen? Severe damage could disrupt cellphone service, as well as television and radio programming for those who receive signals over the air. It also could interrupt some emergency law enforcement communications. But Los Angeles police and fire departments do not use the tower, and neither does the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Mt. Wilson is home to more than two dozen towers that occupy its peak just north of Sierra Madre.

We instinctively grant latitude to advertisers, whether they're peddling politicians, dog food or miracle paring knives. But we do expect that an ad will not flat-out lie. Sadly, our expectations often fall short when ambitious politicians are pitching themselves. Neither major party has a lock on truthfulness. I've written about false advertising by Republicans and Democrats alike for years. Now, in the very first series of radio ads in the 2010 gubernatorial race, comes blatant baloney from billionaire political novice Meg Whitman, the former chief executive of EBay who is running for the Republican nomination.

President Bush said Saturday that religious charities partly financed with federal money have helped reduce homelessness, found jobs for former inmates and helped combat malaria and HIV/AIDS overseas. Bush used his weekly radio address to trumpet the "remarkable difference these groups have made over the past eight years." The president said he wanted religious and secular charities to compete for government money on an equal footing.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.S. Energy secretary from a swing state in the presidential race, promoted Barack Obama's energy and economic policies Saturday in a national radio address that Obama's campaign chose Richardson to deliver. "Sen. Obama will push for a second stimulus package that will send out another round of rebate checks to the American people," Richardson said in the Democrats' weekly radio speech.

THE woman on the phone with Los Angeles' top-rated morning DJ confides that she used to work as a prostitute. On the air, she sounds young and conflicted. She has tried to get out of the life, she tells the radio host in Spanish. But her current job in retail just doesn't pay, and she's tempted to sell herself again. The woman's call comes in just before 10 a.m. on a recent day at the Glendale studios of La Nueva, KSCA-FM (101.9).

SLEIGH bells rang; were you listening? Enough people did to propel KOST-FM (103.5) to fourth place among local radio stations, after the adult-contemporary outlet switched to wall-to-wall holiday music on Nov. 17, according to the fall Arbitron ratings, released Wednesday. It was the sixth consecutive year the station made the seasonal switch to all-Christmas music. Though the Frosty format was not as successful as in 2005, when it propelled the station to No.

Call it the Big Switch. Music format changes during the fall Arbitron ratings period made for some instant shifts in the numbers for some stations. Adding holiday music to its playlist in November propelled KOST-FM (103.5) from 11th place to fourth. And country music station KFRG-FM (95.1) got a notable boost in listeners after KZLA dropped that format, bringing its audience share to 1.1% -- up from .5% in the summer -- pushing it to 28th place.

The radio industry's digital efforts are getting a boost from America's biggest retailer. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has agreed to sell receivers for digital radio, becoming one of the most important supporters of the largely unknown technology that promises static-free digital audio and additional programming alongside standard broadcasts. Broadcasters are pinning their hopes on digital broadcasts, streaming Web audio and other digital efforts as listeners increasingly tune out traditional radio.

Even as the Rutgers women's basketball team officially accepted the apology of Don Imus on Friday, talk radio hosts predictably were not as forgiving in the wake of this week's stunning ouster of the radio veteran for sexist and racist comments.