Tell Me When To Laugh - It's OK!

Something's missing in prime time sitcoms: laughter! It's not because the shows aren't written as well as the average TV comedy was in decades past. In many cases, the bar may have even been raised. Watch the centerpiece of NBC's traditionally strong Thursday night lineup, "The Office." The writing, especially character development, is second to none. The comedy is generally dark, often hitting uncomfortably close to home. What's missing? The laugh track! We're taking ourselves way too seriously. The documentary style reinforces that. Laughter - live or canned - was good enough for Mary Tyler Moore, All In The Family, The Cosby Show, Cheers, Friends and Seinfeld. It's good enough for Parks & Recreation or Modern Family. I miss it.

Make or Break

As House Democrats narrowly got a health care bill passed, one night has made all the difference for President Barack Obama. This has been the cornerstone of the President's agenda, and a defeat would have been a devastating blow to the Obama legacy. The President may say it's not about him, but too much of his own political capital has been invested in this reform package to view it any other way. Assuming the Senate moves quickly on passage, the administration will need to shift the focus to jobs. That is what the American people are most worried about. Some of the extreme reaction from the opposition did not help their cause, including racial epithets at a veteran of the civil rights movement, homophobic attacks on a gay congressman and cries of "baby killer" in the House at the thought of any money going toward abortion. Did the far left get everything they wanted? Far from it. Speaker Nancy Pelosi personified that end of the spectrum, further polarizing sentiments over this very controversial set of reforms. Middle America is just that, and "my way or the highway" was not going to work. Two things give me relief as this package moves forward. First, does anyone not believe health care affordability for the middle class is becoming a thing of the past? Also, while Republicans have been united in their condemnation of these reforms, they have not initiated any clear plans to reverse the crisis since Nixon was President. Let the angry voices tone down. Let the watchdogs keep tabs on how it plays out for our wallets. Let's move on to getting back to work.

Too Much Room At The Inn?

When the AmericInn opened in Griswold back in 2002, the timing seemed especially poor as the tourism industry was absorbing a major hit in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Looking back now, those may have been the good old days. A USA Today article says the hotel/motel industry is switching to survival mode, with 45 per cent room occupancy rates across the nation. That is down from just a month earlier, when 55 per cent occupancy had marked a new low. Southeastern Connecticut, an area highly dependent on tourism, continues to see new hotels such as La Quinta in Stonington and Hyatt Place in Uncasville. Given these statistics, when will this growth turn into a glut of hotel rooms? The hospitality field has already lost thousands of jobs. Now those little extra touches may be a thing of the past as hotel operators look to cut back further. That would be a real shame for travelers. While some would criticize the offerings of "cookie cutter" hotel chains as much as those of the restaurant giants that dot the nation's interstates, there has at least been some minimum degree of consistency, cleanliness and overall quality. The freedom to move about the country has always been part of the American dream.

Radio is great, but...

I know it sounds strange, but there were many times during my years in broadcasting when I'd be looking around in a crowd of people and think, "Wow, all these people who never get to go on the radio!" As crazy as that sounds - and as changeable as the business always has been - it did feel like a privilege to communicate with people on a professional level. It's hard not to base our identity on what we do for a living. That can be especially true in broadcasting. When people talk about overblown radio egos, I really can't relate. A layoff or firing from a radio station can be a real lesson in humility. It's a lesson that I've had to learn more than once. Unless you've led an unusually charmed life with total job stability, a backup plan makes total sense for that day when you no longer get to crack the microphone. Think of the most amazing people you've ever known. Is it because of what they do for a living or what kind of person they are? Does being number one in the ratings necessarily make a person extraordinary? I know I've never liked someone just because they were in radio. It's what I find out about their character when I get to know them.

Done with WBMW

Thus ends a colorful chapter in my life known as my association with Red Wolf Broadcasting. I am no longer on the morning show at WBMW. When I was laid off from WDRC in 2002 after 8 years there, I figured that was it as far as radio was concerned. I had reached the "Big D" in Hartford that so many baby boomers like me had grown up with. It had come full circle. My direct mail advertising sales travels took me to Ledyard Center one day in 2003. An advertising trade agreement between WBMW and The Extra & The Advertiser shopper news turned quite unintentionally into another gradual resurrection of my radio career. The high point of my experience there was the Glenn & Rebecca Wakeup Club. With Rebecca's sudden departure, it was clear that the good old days were gone. That kind of on air rapport doesn't often or quickly replicate itself.

This blog has often been about WBMW, but I also found it to be more of a journal for posting my take on what's going on. As I focus on those "little mailers that could" - The Extra & The Advertiser - and put the 4:00 AM wakeup calls happily behind me, I look forward to continuing these ramblings and musings through www.theextralive.com.

Another Major Announcement

Again, we didn't have to go beyond the walls of Red Wolf Broadcasting to find Teresa Berry's replacement on the Soft Rock 106.5 afternoon show. Shawn Murphy has been here all along, hosting two weekend slots, appearing at remotes and filling in at our sister station Jammin 107.7. Shawn's broadcasting credentials include WKSS 95.7/Hartford and WTIC-FM 96.5/Hartford and KC-101/New Haven, plus a long run in southeastern Connecticut at WQGN Q105/Groton. If you're an early Saturday riser, you can even catch Shawn on a public affairs show on Ion TV Channel 26 in New London. He's a bigtime sports and music fan, and seems to have a lot of ladies posing with him on his Facebook page. Welcome Shawn to afternoons 3-7 on WBMW!

A Major Announcement

When the search began for a new WBMW morning show co-host, we didn't have to look far. Teresa Berry has moved from the afternoon slot here to sharing the wakeup duties with me on Soft Rock 106.5. Teresa is no stranger to morning shows. You may remember her doing mornings here at WBMW in the nineties before moving on to mornings at Hartford's 105.9 WHCN. She's been back with us in other shifts since 2003. We've both done solo morning shows - and we both agree that two is better than one! I think the fact that Teresa knows this area - and we know her - gets this new arrangement off to a good head start.

Kids in the Control Tower

A 9-year-old child's voice could be heard for a short period in the recent release of a control tower recording at New York's JFK Airport. The 9-year-old was a child of an air traffic controller. The controller was suspended, since this was clearly against regulations. Taking your child to work for a day is a good idea, but how involved should they get in their parent's job? The kid was cute, smart and under supervision, but the incident does make light of a very serious job where people's lives are on the line. Air traffic controllers have just as vital a role in air safety as the pilots. The issue drew lots of calls to our show on Thursday, with the prevailing opinion somewhat sympathetic to the control tower employee. While few callers thought putting a child on with a pilot was a good idea, no one really thought the father should have been fired. My audience was a bit more lenient than I was, but I think a suspension is enough.

National Procrastination Week

A teacher of mine once said, "He who procrastinates is lost." We'll analyze that in a moment. I read where there is a National Procrastinators Society that was supposed to have had their meeting in January but put it off until this month. This past week was designated National Procrastinators Week, and in keeping with that I put off discussing it until the week was over. On the procrastination scale, I'm somewhere in the middle, but I'm often putting some important things on the back burner while being relentlessly efficient at other things that may not even be so essential. Why? I just like doing some things more than others. Maybe it's the time of year, but lately I wonder if I'm putting things off more than usual. My program director is the least procrastinating person on the planet, so anyone would pale in comparison to those standards - even someone who prides himself in being a "go to guy." I do know it was a good feeling to have a day off from work, a good night's sleep and beautiful weather to get things done around the house yesterday. That was a step in the right direction, clearing the mind by realigning priorities. On the other hand, I refuse to beat myself up for not coming through every day like that. My mother has said more than once, "If you want something done, ask a busy person." That's true, but even busy people have to lower the bar from time to time. In that sense, procrastination may have gotten an unnecessarily bad name when it means stopping to smell the roses.

What's Not To Like?

The Winter Olympics saw host country Canada take the most gold medals. The United States earned the most overall medals. To most Canadians, the hockey gold seemed to be a must win, with the very reputation of the nation at stake. Last Sunday while the gold medal game was underway, I was watching it in a local restaurant and noticed a lot of interest from fellow Americans as well. With the score 2-1 in favor of Canada and less than a minute to go, I left the restaurant figuring the game was a foregone conclusion. By the time I got in my car and turned the radio on, there was the Westwood One announcer ecstatic over Team USA's game tying goal with 24 seconds left. It was anybody's game in sudden death overtime. Canada ultimately prevailed with Sidney Crosby's goal. Many Americans may have been disappointed, but I wasn't one of them. While hoping for a USA win, if anyone else deserved hockey gold it was Canada. I admit to being a major fan of many things Canadian anyway. It was high hockey drama. And what NHL team does Sidney Crosby play for? The Pittsburgh Penguins.