Red Wolf Broadcasting Now Owns FM 104.1

Our Ledyard-based company - Red Wolf Broadcasting - closed on the purchase of Hartford 50,000 watt powerhouse FM 104.1 this past Wednesday. Call letters were promptly switched back to what they were a few years earlier: WMRQ, aka "modern rock alternative" Radio 104.1. Radio geeks may notice some modifications, but most listeners will just think of it as a renewed commitment to the format it has had for the past year or two, through the second half of the 90s and first half of this decade. Of course, this quickly unfolding story has not been that simple for the small number of key people who made it happen. John Fuller bought it; Brian Ram rebuilt it from scratch. My part consisted of being wined and dined to have my brain tapped for my Hartford radio knowledge and a brief guest spot on 104.1 this week being introduced by John Fuller as a "Hartford radio icon." My knowledge of modern rock doesn't go too far past Green Day, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers and some old school New Wave, but I'm sure it will expand the way my knowledge of hip hop did with sister station Jammin' 107-7 being next door. My WBMW co-host Rebecca knows more about 104.1's music, and she is on the midday air shift there covering for now. The evolution of WMRQ - the new 800-pound gorilla in the room (two doors down, anyway) here at Red Wolf Broadcasting - will continue. Stay tuned.

Terms That Make Many Men Uncomfortable

In the hit comedy movie "I Love You, Man", the main character played by Paul Rudd is getting married and is facing the dilemma of not having a best man. He has no male friends. I can't relate. I have never gotten as far as marriage, for one thing. Don't even try to analyze that one. On the other hand, I have been blessed by more than a few good and even close friends, both male and female. And guess what - we even talk about things. Like most guys, I've always hogged the remote and refused to ask for directions, but apparently I'm a rare breed. Is this the part where I profess my heterosexuality? That seems to be the case when a lot of straight males get anywhere near the subject of close male friends. It does make a lot of men uncomfortable. Calling it "bromance" doesn't help. I'm squirming a bit right now. The mere acknowledgement that another guy might be good looking can also prompt that reaction. While mentioning that Hugh Jackman's looks had a lot to do with the success of his movie "Wolverine," a TV movie reviewer had to preface it by saying, "Speaking as a heterosexual male..." The new term "man crush" is supposed to mean straight men wanting to hang out with another guy who seems pretty cool. That's all it means, but I could see how that could be misconstrued. To quote Seinfeld: "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"

Governor Rell Addresses the Swine Flu Scare

This week marked the first time Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell was a guest on the Soft Rock 106.5 WBMW Wakeup Club. You realize the priority level given to the new potential pandemic known as swine flu when it takes precedence over putting together a state budget. The budget battle itself involves some very painful measures during this lingering recession - and that would have been Topic One during our interview - but this public health crisis quickly grabbed the headlines. Governor Rell gave us an update on the state's part in preparing for and dealing with any swine flu outbreak in Connecticut. While the number of cases so far may not suggest a major outbreak yet, it is clear that the World Health Organization, federal government and Rell administration are taking this very seriously. I remember getting a swine flu vaccination during a similar potential outbreak in 1976. The epidemic or pandemic didn't materialize. Unlike 1976, we don't expect to have a vaccine for this variation of swine flu until the fall. Let's hope this scare turns out to be a false alarm, too.

Walking for Babies

WBMW's involvement with the March of Dimes and the cause of healthy babies took a two-pronged approach this spring. First, there was the very successful Diaper Derby at Mystic Aquarium. Then last weekend, Bluff Point State Park in Groton was the place for the March for Babies. It was a well attended, brisk 3-mile walk through an amazing natural preserve in the shadow of an urban area. It was a bumpy trip for folks like my co-emcee Rebecca wheeling baby carriages, but her 9-month-old Liliana enjoyed it just fine. My mistake was not bringing anything to eat along the way, and my blood sugar plummeted, but we all made it. As close as this state park may be, it was my first walk through Bluff Point. I hope it's not my last. Thanks to everyone who participated in the March of Dimes March for Babies.

Mmm... Steak

No one can ever call me a fussy eater. My taste in food is like my taste in music. There aren't too many things I've turned down. One thing I have not had in ages is steak. It's not because I'm a vegetarian or anything like that. Whenever I go someplace new, I often go for something pretty basic: a hamburger in a less fancy place, steak in someplace a bit nicer. Red meat is the standard for my first impression of a restaurant. Well, my long period of steak deprivation came to a spectacular end with a visit to the Capital Grille in Providence and a date with a sirloin. That, and the most incredible cheesecake, made for a meal far from routine. I hadn't been to the Steak Loft in Mystic in ages, so a few folks from the station decided to get together there and see our morning fill-in co-host Phred singing. Miss L from Jammin 107-7 always gets the steak teriyaki, so I went with that recommendation and was very impressed. A great steak has made for some of my best memories dining out. Maybe because it's a rare occasion - medium rare.

Radio Flashback: My Brief Disco Heyday

It was June 1979. The Ayatollah had just taken over in Iran, the long gas lines were back and my still young radio career had taken me to Springfield, Massachusetts and WMAS 94.7 FM. This was at the height of the disco craze. A new station owner was determined to transform a perennial also-ran into a serious ratings contender. They figured if an all disco station could have killer numbers in New York, why not Greater Springfield? It sounded like fun, so I took the midday slot. Even with the star power of Donna Summer, the Bee Gees and the Village People - who were aired hourly - Springfield was not supporting a 24/7 disco format. The superstars had their share of duds that never crossed into the pop mainstream, so many of the B or C list artists were just plain forgettable. Some of the cuts were over ten minutes. I'd leave the show with a splitting disco headache! When they wanted to move my shift to nights I should have felt flattered, since that was the only time slot with ratings, but a month was enough of that relentless thump, thump, thump. Two songs I did like were Patrick Hernandez's "Born to be Alive" and McFadden & Whitehead's "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now." Within a year, WMAS-FM wisely jettisoned disco, increased their power and went with a more "mass" appeal format that continues its remarkable success to this day. I did return to WMAS to do fill-ins in 1988. The brief disco era is recreated each Saturday night on WMAS, hosted by a truly nice guy named Brett Provo. He plays the hits and leaves out the filler. One moral of the story: what works in one place may bomb in another. No, I did not wear polyester there. And yes, it's disco week on American Idol. Yay!

I'm All Atwitter!

First it was MySpace, the premier site for online social networking. Then that seemed so yesterday with the rise of Facebook. Now we're being told to "Twitter." Keep up with what everyone's doing in real time in "tweets" of up to 140 characters. Ashton Kutcher challenged and beat CNN in getting a million tweets. Oprah is now on Twitter with 34,000 tweets in her first few hours. You can now follow WBMW on Twitter as well at the bottom of the page on http://www.wbmw.com/. As much as I like to keep up with the latest techno-trends, I really don't know if this Twitter hype is justified. You can already text me, email me, call me on one of four phone numbers and even Facebook me. (Is "Facebook" a verb yet?) How much do I need to learn about the hour by hour activities of everyone I know? Maybe I'm missing the significance of the Twitter Revolution, but I'm already feeling pretty well in touch. Yes, I am also on Twitter, but I keep losing my password!

A Passion for Local Radio

Sag Harbor, on Long Island's East End, can hardly be called the media capital of the world, but WLNG General Manager Emeritus Paul Sidney was definitely one of the giants in the radio business. Sidney, a longtime champion of local radio, passed away on April 1st at age 69. He arrived at WLNG AM 1600 as program director shortly after its inception in 1963. WLNG FM 92.1 came along later, but the FM always maintained that 1963 AM radio sound even after the AM side signed off for good, keeping the FM stereo off and the reverb on, with pumped up audio processing unduplicated on today's radio dial. And those jingles - one for everything! They made their own rules and stuck by them to create a consistency and heritage seldom observed in this changeable business.

Back in 1982, I had the pleasure of visiting WLNG with a radio friend who used to work for Paul. There he was, at the station on a Sunday, with WLNG cranked up in his office. He told longtime air personality Rusty Potz to "put on the Connecticut jingle - we've got somebody here from Connecticut!" - and he turned it up even louder. He was so proud of what WLNG stood for. You never know where you're going to find great people in radio. Paul Sidney's loyal crew at WLNG continues to share fun with legions of listeners, providing a reliable source for local information, serving the community in countless ways, knowing everyone, getting results for advertisers and even making money along the way. WLNG's secret to success? To use Paul's operative word: "Consistency." What's wrong with that?

Crawling to Victory

Dozens of babies were entered into the Soft Rock 106.5 Diaper Derby Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. A much smaller number made it to the finish line. That is understandable, considering the biggest distraction for these crawling cuties may have been the enthusiastic crowd cheering them on, including yours truly as the flag-waving referee. We think the real winner was the March of Dimes, as we help raise awareness of the cause of babies being born healthy. Thanks to Becky and the staff at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration, key sponsor The Savings Institute, Dan from the March of Dimes and all the families who turned out to make this event such a success. Several WBMW and Jammin 107-7 staffers (Chuck, Brian and Miss L) really deserve credit for making it work so well this first time out, especially my co-host Rebecca from the Wakeup Club. Rebecca was the emcee and planner for this Diaper Derby, and her real life role as a new mom definitely helped her for this job. She was awesome! Her husband Bryan brought their now famous 8-month-old Liliana (pictured) to the Diaper Derby as an observer - she's not quite crawling yet. This event was a win-win!

Senator Lieberman on the Wakeup Club

We haven't heard too much on the talk show circuit lately from Connecticut's junior U.S. Senator, which is one reason why a call from Joe Lieberman to the Wakeup Club this past Thursday was most welcome. We did get an update on what he has been working on in Washington. Senator Lieberman discussed his involvement in addressing the growing violence among Mexico's drug cartels and how this impacts much of the U.S. We also got an assessment of the situation in Iraq. His stand on this issue put him at odds with a majority of Connecticut public opinion, but his poll numbers seem to be rebounding a bit lately. Although he supprted John McCain in 2008, he seems to be adopting a wait and see or even supportive attitude toward the Obama administration's economic stimulus package. And yes, he's been swamped by people outraged over the AIG bailout and bonuses. That issue seems to be affecting Connecticut's senior Senator Chris Dodd's poll numbers much more adversely, thanks to Dodd's committee oversight responsibilities. Whether or not you agree with Senator Lieberman, you have to admit he's managed to avoid the scandals and accusations of impropriety that have dogged many a politician. He's also a pretty entertaining and engaging guest, and long overdue for a visit to the Wakeup Club.

Joe O'Brien - A Nice Guy

My father - on the left, shown here in 1947 with his brother Jack - was happy to lead a simple life. He was a second generation Irish American who grew up in the Fair Haven section of New Haven, served in the Navy during World War II, married in 1949 and moved the family to suburban North Branford in 1957. He worked contentedly at U.S. Motors in Milford for 21 years until the recession of 1969 hit. Job security was never quite the same after that. He had health issues too, but my father was never one to complain. Joe O'Brien coped with life's travails through an incredibly corny sense of humor, chatting with the neighbors, puttering around the house and tinkering with the family car. His "come what may" attitude sometimes drove my mother crazy - she was more the worrier. He never acted disappointed in me or my brother, and I often wondered what his expectations really were. It was only after he died March 27, 1978 - a few days short of his 57th birthday - that I learned how much he would brag to people about "his sons." He was the definition of unconditional love. He left us much too soon, but if he had regrets about his life they would be news to us.

Glenn O'Brien - The Style Guy

Google my name and you'll get at least three pages devoted exclusively to another Glenn O'Brien - the style writer for GQ Magazine. He also had a TV show in New York City back in the seventies which could be considered a cult classic. And yes, he has a Style Guy Blog. I first became aware of this other GO'B ten years ago when somebody I worked with at WDRC in Hartford left me a picture of "The Style Guy." It doesn't bother me one bit to think there's another Glenn O'Brien on the planet who has more fame and probably fortune, but apparently it did irk the Style Guy to find my humble corner of the blogosphere. He actually commented about me having the nerve to have his name, even implying that I was imitating him. Well, Glenn O'Brien is my real name, and it goes way back - as the Style Guy's name does - to the fifties. I also gathered he would not want to trade places with me at WBMW. I may not be jetting off to Paris, but this Connecticut "Radio Guy" is just fine as Glenn the Soft Rock local DJ. It's a riot that the other Glenn even noticed!

Wakeup Club Cast of Characters: John Devine

One morning last summer while Rebecca was on baby leave, I wondered out loud on the show whether anyone listening would like to try out as a guest co-host. I got one serious response: from John Devine, the sales manager at Valenti Volkswagen of Mystic. John proved to be a fortunate find for the Wakeup Club. You are instantly impressed at what a lover of life this guy really is. His jokes are pretty funny, and his interests go well beyond the short space I have here. John is a key ingredient to the resurgence of a downtown New London landmark: the Garde Arts Center. He provides updates on what's happening there. I also get the impression this rock n' roll aficionado plays a mean guitar himself. One of these days Rebecca and I will have time to accept his offers to be his guests at a Garde Arts Center event. I am way overdue to see something there. Would you buy a car from the man in the center of the picture? I would.

An Unlucky Time?

Here we are, sandwiched in between Friday the 13th and the Ides of March on the 15th. If you have a fear of the number 13, you have triskaidekaphobia! On March 15th in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar had a particularly crummy day. Getting assassinated sucks. March is my least favorite month, with the exception of St. Patrick's Day. It does seem to have bad connotations for me and my family. I often find myself stressed or bummed out at this time of year, with everything and everyone around me seemingly in an uproar. Then it dawned on me today - a pretty decent day allowing for a sorely needed moment of clarity. If I deserve better than some unfairness that has befallen me, then I must be good enough to be above the hurt feelings, petty nonsense and the need to win 100% of the time. After a bumpy 13th, I just let it go on the 14th, like flipping a switch, and it feels like a weight off my shoulders. Break the negative cycle or let it continue without you. If we don't think we deserve to be happy - lucky month or not - who will?

Norwich Bulletin Reflects Changing Times

The paper remains, but 27 employees do not as GateHouse, the Bulletin's parent company, decided to close down its manufacturing operation in downtown Norwich. I know one person who worked there since 1971 - basically her whole working life. The paper will now be produced in Auburn, Massachusetts. The Norwich Bulletin has been caught up in the perfect storm that has engulfed the newspaper business. The recession and the loss of classified advertising to websites like Craig's List are just the latest reasons for a massive decline in revenues. Circulation has also taken a hit, as younger readers find their news on the web and local TV stations ramp up their hours of news coverage. There's more to this story. The decline of many newspapers has been hastened by the huge debt incurred by companies snapping up properties with inflated pre-recession pricetags like there was no tomorrow. Some big broadcast corporations engaged in this acquisition spree as well. Well, tomorrow has come. These short-term business strategies have lined a few business people's pockets while a media tradition that may have otherwise survived appears less likely to do so. Have you read a newspaper lately?

Wakeup Club Cast of Characters: Our American Idol Expert

The other week while Rebecca was on vacation and Phred was filling in, we realized that neither one of us had much chance to catch what was happening on Fox's top-rated primetime show. Like a lot of busy people, we just weren't able to devote enough TV viewing time to American Idol! Well, our solution was closer than we thought. Alycia Mraz, one of our WBMW producers, has been a wealth of information on every season of the show since its start. She can also sing. We are excited to have Alycia on board giving us her take on a show practically everyone talks about. Listen at 7:25am to Soft Rock 106.5 the day after every American Idol broadcast for her American Idol Update. Alycia has also started a "We Love Soft Rock 106.5" Facebook page. Although Alycia's been helpful in everything from live remote broadcasts to compiling storm cancellations, I have a feeling she has only begun her contributions to our stations.

My Starbucks Stop

I've always admired the American success story that is Starbucks, but it's no secret that the coffee giant has been feeling the squeeze with its perception of price in these lean times along with a full fledged attack by Dunkin Donuts and McDonald's. Last night I stopped into Starbucks. Since it was late, I asked for a tall (which I guess is medium) decaf. They told me that it would take a few minutes, since they no longer brew decaf continuously after a certain point in the afternoon. I had forgotten about that and, since I didn't want to wait, opted for caffeine. It strikes me as strange, since I would think more people would want decaf late in the day. We're always being told to avoid caffeine after 2:00 p.m. to get a better night's sleep. I really wonder if they did their homework on this one. If it was an arbitrary corporate decision, Starbucks' troubles may be just beginning. That would be a shame, since they are neat, mellow places to meet people and even conduct business without being surrounded by Mayor McCheese and big donut posters! Oh, and they may want to knock down the $3 pricetag on the vanilla chai tea, too.

CSB Closes Its Doors

The Connecticut School of Broadcasting abruptly closed its doors March 4th, shutting down its 26 locations in 16 states and filing for bankruptcy protection. My ties to the school go back to early 1974 as a student at the Stratford branch. Back then, there were only the Farmington and Stratford schools. Tuition was $800 for a 12-week course and veteran Hartford broadcaster Dick Robinson was its president. Since Robinson sold CSB, the deepening recession has taken its toll on the school, even with broadcasting hopefuls paying $12,000 tuition. My experience at CSB was a positive one, and my connection to it did not end with graduation. The man who became CSB's longtime director, Hank Tenney, broke into the radio business in 1977 when a very young program director at WCNX in Middletown - yours truly - hired him for the afternoon airshift. Hank has since moved on to media production and sales here in New London, and we are very overdue to do lunch. I have had many opportunities to teach at CSB in Stratford, Farmington and Pawcatuck. My co-host Rebecca on the Soft Rock 106.5 Wakeup Club went to CSB, as did countless other people I've worked with. My training in radio went beyond CSB's 12 weeks, to college radio in Keene, New Hampshire and a slew of part-time local radio gigs. I still think of 1974 as a pivotal year in my life, and my decision to pursue a path through the Connecticut School of Broadcasting was one big reason why.

Winter Fatigue

Have you had it? We may have had colder and snowier winters, but this winter really stands out for so few breaks from cold and storms. We need a break! Now forecasts are calling for a messy Monday as March prepares to come in like a lion. That means more storm cancellations and delays. I deal with the cold better than many, but enough is enough. The treacherous drives into a job where lateness doesn't go over well have been too numerous. We'll be there with the information you need on Soft Rock 106.5. Rebecca may wish her vacation lasted one more day!

A Broadcasting Legend

Whether or not you were among the millions who made ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey a part of your day, there is no doubt that this man represented the best this business has ever offered. Harvey died at age 90 in Phoenix. His one-of-a-kind delivery combined with a unique ability to blend news with commentary. He was also one of the most effective advertising pitchmen in hstory. Through all the changes in formats and personnel broadcasting is famous for, consistency is really what wins. Paul Harvey delivered that like few others.

A Comedy Classic

Even though I've seen Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" a dozen times, it seemed only right to see it again on this, the 35th anniversary of the movie's release. The groundbreaking - well, windbreaking - comedy classic is fittingly my brother's favorite movie. Even with the passage of time (and yeah, wind) and the deletion of some now politically incorrect lines, this movie is still fresh. Some people may see it as low brow humor, but my advice is to lighten up. Heddy ("that's Hedley") Lamar actually sued Brooks over the use of her name in it. It may also be a "guy thing." "Airplane" from 1980 still tops my list of funny movies, but "Blazing Saddles" is up there.

Score One for Local Station Owners

John Fuller's Red Wolf Broadcasting - the company I work for at WBMW - made some big waves in the radio industry last week with a deal to purchase Hartford's 50,000 watt alternative rocker WURH. SEE THE STORY HERE. "fm104one" covers most of Connecticut and can be heard loud and clear into western Massachusetts. A radio station sale is historically nothing unusual, but broadcasting is anything but business as usual these days. With so many independent owners having sold out to the big conglomerates - and the big media companies now under serious mountains of debt - the story of John Fuller's deal is exceptional. In an era of declining advertising revenues and massive layoffs nationwide, the Red Wolf acquisition is a step in the other direction. If you remain in decent financial shape, this can be a time of opportunity. John understands this and is not afraid to take an informed chance. How will this new 800-pound gorilla in the room (in the next market over, anyway) affect our Ledyard, CT operation? John told me it will be exciting, to which I responded that working for him has always been that. He has a real pro with VP/programming Brian Ram, and one of the best staffs I've ever worked with. Will I end up back in Hartford radio? I'm comfortable with my spot on the Soft Rock 106.5 Wakeup Club, but who knows what change will bring?

Time to End Casino Smoking?

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is leading another effort to phase out smoking at the state's casinos. While there are legitimate issues of tribal sovereignty involved in this issue, I hope the Mohegans and Mashantucket Pequots will step up to the plate and institute their own ban on smoking. It is a public health issue, especially for casino workers exposed to the dangers of second-hand smoke for prolonged periods. They don't have a choice now. I remember when Dunkin' Donuts started a chainwide ban on smoking. People who came to Dunkin' for a caffeine/sugar/nicoteine combo somehow managed to cope without the latter, and business is as brisk as ever. Who would have thought bars could survive smoke-free? Most bars survived, even with the unfair loophole allowing private clubs to let their clientele light up. Will Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun take a hit at a tough time in the economy? Perhaps, but it is the right thing to do. It will not affect business very much in the long term if the examples of other public places prove valid.

UPDATE: Attorney General Blumenthal called in to the Wakeup Club this week (2/25) to discuss his stand against casino smoking. He agreed with my contention that the tribes should take the initiative in banning smoking, but elaborated on his plans to pursue legal action.

Super Bowl One Week - Steroid Scandal The Next

Alex Rodriguez - perhaps the greatest player in baseball today - is the latest player to be tarnished by performance enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, with 103 other players on the list, that doesn't make A-Rod unique. Nor is it fair to have his name leaked just because of his $250 million salary while others stay anonymous. The issue here isn't even the use of steroids between 2001-2003 and the message it sends to the youth of America. Baseball players shouldn't automatically qualify as role models. It has everything to do with telling the truth. That's what athletes, actors, politicians, CEOs and others who find themselves under public scrutiny too often fail to realize until it's too late. They owe us that much. Spare us the denials. Take a cue from President Obama when he took blame for a nominee not working out, saying, "I screwed up." That was refreshing, and Americans get that. On the other hand, if we are looking for heroes at a sporting event we need look no further than the Super Bowl and presence of the crew of the "Miracle on the Hudson" who crash-landed Flight 1549 and the leader of our troops in Iraq, General David Petraeus. Let's hope A-Rod makes up in a big way for his lack of candor. Americans are a forgiving bunch.

Do Something!

The entire workforce of Circuit City is getting pink slips. That's close to 40,000 people - the size of a small city like New London or Norwich. This shock to the economy reverberates well beyond that to thousands of others who dealt with the bankrupt electronics retailer. With stories like this out there for all to see, you still have to wonder whether our representatives in Washington get it. The President is trying to reach across the aisle to get bipartisan cooperation on a stimulus package. While not perfect, most economists say drastic action is needed. Not one Republican voted for the package. In all fairness, there were a lot of items in the stimulus that had nothing to do with emergency measures, and Republicans had every right to point that out. $50 million in arts funding is pork barrel spending, at least when it's attached to this emergency funding. People who are hurting are not going to stand for inability by Congress to work together or the tacking on of special interest pork, and I hope this President won't either.

Big Day at the MGM Grand

Soft Rock 106.5 WBMW and Jammin' 107-7 have been presenting Women's Health, Beauty & Bridal Shows for close to ten years. This past Sunday's show was held at the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods. The attendance and sponsor participation were excellent. I'm sure our boss would say there's always room for more, but it was reassuring to see this kind of turnout at a time when the economy is on everyone's minds. The interest is still there. Life goes on. Let's hope this kind of success becomes more the norm in 2009. It's also not every day when WBMW people get this dressed up!

President Obama

This was definitely the most exciting Inauguration Day since the sixties. President Barack Obama was sworn in at 12:06 p.m. this past Tuesday. The country is in tough shape. People are hurting, and expectations are high. After years of partisan bickering and rigid ideology, Americans know that the credit cards we've rung up are now past due. I am encouraged by his confident and pragmatic attitude. He understands the need for consensus over catering to one group of like-minded citizens. I hope he gets the chance to fulfill much of the promise. As a baby boomer, I can recall enough history to realize the fact that Obama is President is a huge accomplishment in itself. This change is good.

All Downhill from Here!

A week or two ago, after one of our many snowstorms, I was driving past the Norwich Golf Course on New London Turnpike and saw the parking lot by the Caddy Shack restaurant packed with cars. I knew the crowds weren't there for the golf. They were there for sledding. It really surprised me that so many people - kids and adults - were still into sledding. The simple pleasure of walking up a hill or two and then letting gravity do its thing was one of my favorite things to do as a kid. The empty and sloping cornfield behind our house provided the perfect hill when the snow got deep and powdery enough. The walk up was rewarded with the rush of a fast and hopefully smooth descent. The time after school and before supper would fly by. Now there are more options like snowboarding, snow tubing and those plastic saucers, but give me a Flexible Flyer sled anyday. My brother and I found Flexible Flyers under the Christmas tree more than once. Skiing and skating are all well and good, but sledding beats them all!

Not Necessarily the News...

I wondered at a few recent news items, if you can call them news. The other night I saw a promo for the CBS Evening News telling us we could see how they made Brad Pitt look like an old man for his latest movie. Is it that slow a news night? I know it's a ratings thing and a lot of evening newscasts segue into tabloid shows anyway, but would Walter Cronkite have let that story get on? Here's my pet peeve about what is usually a fine news operation. WFSB-TV 3 has this habit of naming every wave of unsettled weather that comes along. If Channel 3 calls our latest 4 inches of snow "Storm Carlos" does that mean Channel 30 can call it something else? It's a winter storm - a natural pattern we survived with few problems. Imagine my surprise last night when comedian D.L. Hughley hosted a show - on CNN! At least Comedy Central calls their Daily Show the "fake news." They're apparently not the only ones doing that. Rent that 70s movie "Network." It saw the future of TV news.

Vacation!

Like the Go-Gos Awesome 80s hit, is "Vacation all I ever wanted?" And how can we get away, anyway? I thought of visiting a friend in Florida after the holidays, but then I decided to try and pay off my car and not owe anything. That's not to say I won't go anywhere this winter, but first things first. Being debt-free is the best reason to celebrate I can think of these days. To me, a week of no 4am wakeup alarms qualifies as vacation. It's about not having to answer to some of the demands of the normal routine. I'll try to catch up with a few friends who might otherwise fall off the planet, see a movie or two or three and disable my email alerts on my cell phone. The Go-Gos may be having a wilder time, but if it's "all they ever wanted" then that's a bit too much pressure to put on one week off from a job I enjoy anyway. Rebecca's on her own for one week on WBMW. She's perfectly capable of yakking for a week without me! This blog began six months ago - my last vacation - and I'm sure this will provide an alternative to the Wakeup Club radio forum for a week.

HD Radio

Let me loose in a store's electronics department and I'm like a kid in a toy store. When a new gizmo comes out, I like to think I'm riding the wave of technology. Sometimes that serves me well, while other purchases gather dust. I got a digital SONY HD radio like this one for Christmas last year. The jury's still out on HD radio. It works fine, with rich sound and even an input for CD, iPod and even my old FM/AM stereo Walkman from the 1980s. The Hartford FM stations, which come in well here in Colchester, promoted HD Radio quite heavily and I really enjoyed getting the HD-2 "stations between the stations." Since then, I noticed a certain lack of enthusiasm on the part of several big corporate broadcasters. The smooth jazz HD-2 channel on one frequency has gone silent. Another has shut down their HD-2 classic hip-hop, although I didn't know hip-hop was old enough to have that many classics. When the corporate cost-cutters pull the plug on something you bought into, there's a letdown involved. AM HD is supposed to sound like FM, but Colchester is not a great place for AM reception in the first place. The only station I get with some consistency in HD is Sports Radio 66 WFAN. Even WCBS-880 doesn't quite make it here in HD. At night, some AM stations will sound awesome for a few minutes - like WINS, WBZ or WOR - only to fade badly. I also don't count on FM HD-2 stations to wake me up in the morning, because the stations disappear completely if the HD signal falls even slightly short. For all its promise, I get the impression that HD radio may be too little too late. The two stations I listen to the most on this radio are not in HD at all: Public Radio and Soft Rock 106.5 WBMW. As a radio geek, I want every station to have HD. As a listener, HD hasn't made its case - yet.

A Look Back & Ahead

While I shudder to think of the disaster my IRA accounts have become for now, I can't say '08 was a bad year. That seems to go against the prevailing attitude about a year many would like to forget. And no, I won't look back at it with rose colored glasses nor delude myself into thinking 2009 will bring us quickly back to the economy of 1999. While all the pundits say we're still in the middle of a bumpy ride, we all have to examine our own situations first. A lot of people felt the crunch firsthand this past year, but 2008 was one of the best years I've had. Factor in health, friends and family, and regrets are few. That's something I won't take for granted as we head into a challenging year. Happy '09!

The Most Unusual Thing I Did in 2008

It had to be the Morning Show Sumo Suit Wrestling Challenge June 20th at Dodd Stadium in Norwich. I'm normally a peaceful person and haven't been in a fight since age 12. The person who issued the on-air challenge - our program director who also hosts the Jammin' 107-7 show next door to Soft Rock 106.5 - isn't exactly Hulk Hogan either. That's why the smackdown hype on both stations before this minor league baseball halftime event was especially ridiculous. Even though I'm in my mid 50s and Brian "Body Slam" Ram was 30, I figured I had the weight advantage. That really didn't help much since those heavy sumo suits would weigh anyone down. These getups aren't as light and marshmallowy as they look! "TKO'Brien" - yours truly - won best two out of three falls, for whatever that is worth. It was a unique experience and has been good for lots of inter-station trash talk between "that punk" and this "senior citizen." As Brian said immediately after, "There's one for the bucket list!" Yes, once is enough! Will a morning show dance-off be next? I issued that challenge, but don't hold your breath.

I'll Never Know

Most past relationships at least have the benefit of closure. I can think of one that barely got started and ended before I knew what hit me. It was about this time of year back in college, a snowy day in New Hampshire at the end of the semester. There was a long line in front of the dining hall when a big snowball fight broke out and scattered everybody. A girl I hadn't seen around campus before had become separated from her friends and ended up next to me and my roommate. She immediately struck up this very deep conversation with me. I was terminally shy back then, but our talk was so intense over dinner that I remember my roommate being totally excluded from everything. I don't know if you can find a soulmate that quickly or if there can be love at first sight, but it was different from anything up to that point and I dare say anything since. She told me she would be leaving school the next day, but I figured I'd see her again. Hey, I had her campus address. Well, I went there only to find she had already left. At the time, I told myself that was just the way it was meant to be. Ever since, I've wondered whether or not I let the best thing happen to me walk out of my life. It was a very short chapter in my life, but remains the biggest "what if?" since that snowy day.

Women Take Over the Charts

From Natasha Bedingfield to Alicia Keys to Kelly Clarkson, women are taking over the adult contemporary charts like never before. The last time I saw this phenomenon must have been back in the early 70s when female soloists - many songwriters themselves - saw unprecedented success. Carly Simon (pictured) was a prime example. Her hit "Haven't Got Time for the Pain" from '74 remains a favorite of mine, even if it wasn't her biggest song. The Carpenters brought great songs written by others to millions of listeners back then, including one written by Carole King called "It's Going to Take Some Time." For some reason, I still turn that one up. Back then, I didn't think it was too cool to admit liking some of this. I was as much of a fan of hard rockin' supergroups as any 20-year-old guy was in the 70s, but the women of that era left a lasting impression too. The more recent version of "Killing Me Softly" by the Fugees is great, but Roberta Flack added a special touch to that tune. Sheryl Crow seems to bridge the gap between that earlier time and now. Maybe she started this latest wave, but enjoy it while it lasts.

Might As Well Face It!

I'm addicted to mobile email! It's gradually crept into my life to the point where I feel I have to check it every couple of hours. My cell phone feeds the need, giving me alerts when I have new messages. The first not-so-subtle sign of this addiction - maybe affliction - came during my vacation last July. Once a day, I get some show prep material that only I receive at the station. Being the efficient, conscientious fellow I am, I forwarded it to other people who use the info at WBMW. That gave them the mistaken impression that I can't get away from work. It's actually all about email. When my next vacation comes in a week, I resolve to shut off that message alerts feature and check it when I'm good and ready. We'll see how that goes. Gotta go... I just got a new email!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve is normally the time when my family observes the holiday, so Christmas Day is usually a very quiet day. That's fine with me, since life can be a very hectic rollercoaster the rest of the year. All in all, Santa's been good! As WBMW gets set to wrap up our own holiday music marathon, I'll keep things as simple as this day is to me: Merry Christmas!

Secret Santa Shown the Door

The phones on the Wakeup Club were definitely lit up like a Christmas tree when we gave the news about a Secret Santa in Walmart at Lisbon Landing. The unemployed man was shown the door when he attempted to give out $1300 worth of $10 Walmart gift cards he had just bought inside that same store. Apparently he never got his idea of good will toward men approved in advance by Walmart. Whoever told him to take his generosity outside was obviously mindful of liability in the wake of a tragic trampling incident at a Long Island Walmart on Black Friday. Store management certainly deserved to be in the loop about his intentions - good as they were. They treated him like a solicitor, but he wasn't soliciting anything. We may have had the famous "failure to communicate" for things to go this way, but Walmart also could have made this right. Target offered to let him give away Target cards in one of their stores. Walmart should have stepped up and made this appearance that "we're big enough to play by our own rules" into "we're going to make this right." Hey, I shop at Walmart myself and the company can weather some bad press, but this negative publicity in our community is just totally unnecessary. Step up to the plate, big guys!

Holiday Central!

WBMW is eastern Connecticut's Christmas music station. There's no doubt about that. But it's not just about the holiday music. You'll find Soft Rock 106.5 in the many holiday parades, from Putnam to Old Saybrook to Groton. The enthusiasm is obvious in the faces of everyone crowding the streets on a cold night. There are so many people in need in our community, and it is very gratifying to be a part of the many efforts to make sure more of our neighbors have a happier holiday. The Gemma Moran Food Drive is one great example of neighbors pitching in. That's what the holidays are all about - not whether or not retail sales are up from last year. It's a lesson the kids should learn.

Extreme Makeover: Voluntown

When a TV crew and 3,000 volunteers descend on Voluntown for a week, that's news. I had a decent, if rain-soaked vantage point on December 11th to witness the arrival of the Girards at their newly constructed home - castle is more like it. Even though WBMW was in the process of giving away $5,000, the phone calls coming in were really centering on the ABC Extreme Makeover Home Edition unfolding in the northeast corner of New London County. This will not erase the series of tragedies that brought the Girard family to the attention of a primetime hit show, but it did show how this region rallied to help. It was worth the time I spent in the Voluntown mud waiting for them to "move that bus" just to see a community come together. Did ABC exploit this for ratings? Probably, but thousands of people who contributed to the cause can be very proud. Thanks to The Day for the closeup picture.

$5,000 - One Winner!

Trudy Richardson from Ledyard was the winner of Five Grand this week just by asking the right person the right question! Olde Mistick Village was overrun one day at noon with people following the clues as to the whereabouts of the $5,000 man (pictured). Trudy was working that day at the Silk Road store in the Village shops. Rebecca and I felt like the prize patrol people you see on TV, right behind the man with the money to catch our winner's reaction and share in the excitement! She told us she's never won anything before, but I'd say she made up for it on one December day.

Making a Big Production Out Of Everything

Appearances here aside, life isn't always a day at the beach for Jeff Branch, production director for Soft Rock 106.5 and Jammin' 107-7 here in Connecticut and Eagle Country 97-5 in Vermont. The production director job has become more central to the operation of a radio station than ever. In addition to most of the commercials you hear on our stations, Jeff's work can be heard on many of the "spec spots" that salespeople play to prospective advertisers. Both in-house air staff and outside voiceover pros are used in making commercial production second to none in this market. You can also hear Jeff's handiwork on other local stations. It's a high-pressure, deadline-driven job. That becomes readily apparent to the rest of us whenever he has a day off! Jeff relaxes by following NASCAR and going to Happy Hour - not necessarily in that order.

A Wakeup Call

My last New Year's resolution never seemed to take hold. I'll never see 50 again, so I figured my age had a lot to do with being so set in my ways that I couldn't easily modify my diet. Then came the rude awakening. Back in March, after a winter of bad eating and exercise habits, I began to experience an extreme thirst and unusually blurry vision that came on very quickly. There were some mornings when I shouldn't have driven to work. I googled the symptoms and "diabetes" came up right away. A visit to my doctor showed a blood glucose level of 465. That was enough to make me start seeing food as the enemy, but that wasn't the way to manage Type 2 diabetes. For the first couple of weeks, I avoided sweets entirely and drastically cut my consumption of carbs. The salad route worked quickly, with a 25-pound weight loss - the biggest drop in my life. I was amazed at how many people commented on my diminished dimensions, but more impressed at how a daily pill and keeping the house less stocked with baked goods have kept my blood sugar levels in check. Does that mean my diabetes is gone? I won't assume that, but I do feel better and look forward to a healthier winter than the last one. Diabetes is such a common condition today, and it's important to take care of it before it results in other health complications.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The first Thanksgiving was a simple affair. I find the simplicity of this holiday as the reason why it is my favorite. You give thanks. You visit some friends or relatives. You get stuffed. Unlike Christmas, there's very little pressure. It's a one day thing before we plunge directly into the fray that is the holiday season. I hope people use the occasion to think about what's really important in these troubled times when it's not about having it all. It's about appreciating what's really important.

National Geography Awareness Week

Last week was National Geography Awareness Week. Maybe you weren't aware of that. Finding out about places on this planet - and the people who live there - has always been a fascination for this self-admitted geo-geek. Some listeners managed to stump me when I issued the geography challenge. That's OK, since some people think I need to get taken down a peg or two when I claim some absolute expertise on the subject. Ever since I got a state capitals game in second grade, big and small geography facts have stuck like glue to me. That never made me the most popular kid in class, or out of it for that matter, but it did give me an appreciation of an often misunderstood subject. Americans are a small minority of the world's population, yet people in most other developed countries have a much greater awareness of us than we have of them. That may explain why so many Americans are at a loss to know, understand or care about the perception the rest of the world has about the U.S.A. Knowing the capital of Michigan (Lansing!) may not be the key to success in your day to day life, but a majority of citizens lacking the most basic information about geography - and social studies in general - can spell a disadvantage as we compete in a world market. On a lighter note, it can be fun. I figure if some people can fill their brains with baseball players' batting averages and the plots of every primetime "reality" TV show, then I can cram a few "where in the world" facts into my head. So I'll take State Capitals for $2000, Alex!

Riding the Ferry

Last weekend I visited a couple of friends in Riverhead, Long Island. I've taken the ferry from New London to Orient Point many times, since it beats the drive via New York City. This past time, the ride home was an unexpected adventure. It was a sunny but very windy Sunday afternoon. The whitecaps in the race between Orient Point and Plum Island were very impressive. Coming back on the New London - one of the smaller car ferries, shown here - made the waves and the resulting bumpy ride even more unsettling. I didn't see anyone get sick, and the chances of being ditched on Gilligan's Island were remote (thanks to the courage of the fearless crew). Even so, every conversation I overheard was about the rocky ride. Thankfully, the rolling waves died down a bit during the second half of the trip. I suppose it still beats the long drive around, the visit was great and any thoughts of a career as a fisherman in the seas off Alaska have been permanently put aside.

Gas War!

Colchester is a great town, but it has seldom been known for low prices. Now my town can boast the lowest gas prices in the state. With the reopening of the Sunoco station on Route 85, the Citgo and Phillips 66 at the same intersection had to meet the new guy's cheaper prices - and they did. I never thought I'd see prices like $1.79 for regular again. I hope these lower prices don't lull us back into our old gas guzzling ways, but any relief for the budget today is very welcome.

Update: Just a couple of days later, the price dropped again to $1.75 per gallon and it was a mob scene.

Veterans Day

John from Montville, a 26-year military veteran, was kind enough to share his thoughts on Veterans Day. He wanted us to remind everyone what Veteran's Day is all about. It has NOTHING to do with furniture or car sales. It has EVERYTHING to do with Honor, Duty, and Courage under fire. It is all about doing what is right because it IS right, not because it is "politically correct" to do so. He also passed along these thoughts from Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC:

The Soldier
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

End of the Line

Even in bad economic times, people still have to eat. That doesn't make a supermarket recession-proof. Montville - already hit by the Rand Whitney judgment and the suspension of the Mohegan Sun expansion - got a rude awakening a week ago with the announcement by Beit Bros. that the family will be closing their supermarket in the Uncasville section of town. This brings an end to a 100 year-old family tradition. The Beit Bros. Dayville store had just closed in July. Sure, there's still Stop & Shop or Shop-Rite a few miles away, but Beit Bros. was a unique landmark that helped define what the town was all about. Its loss will leave a distinct void, but perhaps another independent grocer can try and fill the anchor spot for the Midway Plaza. For now, it'll mean one less discount card on my overloaded keychain and one less place to pick up a decent apple pie.