• by October 3, 2003

BLOWING WIND OVER WINDY CITY. Is New York in danger of losing its status as the "First City?" Possibly, at least in terms of major league baseball media supremacy goes. Earlier this week, Chicago-based Tribune Co. chief Dennis Fitzsimmons quipped that the Tribune-owned Chicago Cubs would surmount the AOL Time Warner-owned Atlanta Braves to win a berth in this year's Fall Classic, presumably against the YES Network-owned New York Yankees. Now Fox Sports has weighed in relegating the New York metro's hometown team to a Second City status, opting to broadcast Tuesday night's Cubs-Atlanta Braves game of the Yankees-Minnesota Twins game. At least New Yorker's can take pride in the fact that Nielsen has upgraded the DMA's household coverage for the 2003-04 season, ensuring its firm grasp as the nation's No. 1 market. And need we remind you where Chicago ranks, it's not even No. 2.

BLOWING IT IN THIRTEEN CITIES. In what has to be the most expensive media sex act since Robert Redford propositioned Demi Moore in "Indecent Proposal," federal regulators have levied a $357,500 fine on Viacom for broadcasting a contest challenging listeners to have sex in public places on 13 of its radio stations. The stunt, which violated the FCC's broadcast decency standards when it aired Aug. 15, 2002 on Viacom's "Opie & Anthony Show," offered participants the chance to win a free trip to Boston's Sam Adams Brewery. The show was canceled immediately following the contest, which broadcasted couples allegedly having sex in such locations as Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral. The FCC called the incident a "transparent effort to pander and titillate for marketing purposes," upon issuing the fine, which amounts to $27,500 per station that broadcast the contest.

WHAT A RUSH. Why is the Riff not surprised by reports that delusional radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh might be using illicit drugs. What does surprise us, is that the drugs in question reportedly are narcotics like OxyContin. We would have thought hallucinogens were more likely. Anyway, Limbaugh so far is denying the allegations and the Riff believes it's only fair to give him the benefit of the doubt and not Rush to judgment. He may just behave irrationally without the inducement of mind-altering medications.