BRAINS TO THE BACK!

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 I remember the day I had the Man to Man talk with my Son Curtis(pictured). You know the one where you have to explain that the free money has dried up. But I told him that if he ever wanted to try and better himself though with a little more education or maybe some special training Dad would gladly pick up the tab. I asked him if he given his future any thought yet.
He claimed he had been thinking about it a lot lately ’cause he kinda suspected this talk was coming. I was surprised by his words and decided to press on by saying …That’s great Son, have you come up with any ideas yet about what you would like to do with your life? He said yeah … I just wanna hang out!

It doesn’t take much to change around who ranks where in Arbitron. Hell I remember when all they did was change the question to what Radio Station did you hear instead of which one did you listen to. That little move took some #1 stations down to #10 and few #10 stations up to #1. Now we have PPM! Good luck to us all cause I think they are going to tinker with it forever which means the listening wont change but the rankings will all the time..

Why do we all look so happy in pictures.

Shortly after launching KVIL we had a nice little gain in the ratings and at the rating party I remember Ron Chapman whispering in my ear “George exactly what page in Arbitron are we celebrating”

The only moment that may be as exciting as great sex is hearing Jimmy Darin introducing your new record on the Radio.

I was told by Jamie Gold that she discovered talented people love me but a lot of the rest tend to dislike me. What do you mean the sales folks don’t like me, how can that be true. Hey whose more sales friendly than me. Enough already!

I remember once attending the CNE in Toronto and watching the CHUM jocks do their thing on the front porch of a huge broadcasting vehicle but all the girls were lined up to meet the board op while ignoring the talent. Seems the sweet young things only like the guys who touch the music.

Radio only needs to say what it means and mean what it says.

I just read that a pretty face will get old, a nice body will change but a good woman will always be a good woman. According to Ron Chapman the definition of a good woman is one who attentively listens to your stories again and again and again. Here’s to Good Women!

I can handle good and bad reaction it’s no reaction that really brings me down.

Coach Vince Lombardi said There is only one way to succeed at anything and thats to give it everything.

I’m not a real big fan of most Women but I am a huge fan of some!

If it’s true that Women don’t do as well as Men financially how come there aren’t more of them on street corners begging for money like men do.

Survivors may be more self centered than ego maniacs.

It’s much easier to react to stuff than create stuff.

Candis used to tell me when she was singing and writing with her band “The Tortured Poets” and she broke up with a guy it was good for at least 4 songs. I totally understand what she means, hell when I just have a little disagreement with the Hunny Bunny it’s good for 4 or 5 lines on my Blog.

Some folks have a Maid, some have a Handyman, a Driver, a Gardener, a Pool Man or maybe even a Butler. I have my own professional Bartender.

Easy to to be cruel and hard, hard to be soft and warm.

Cris Conner and I once created a program in Indy on WNAP called “Fantasy Park” which had the whole town crazy. I thought it was bad enough when some syndicater just ripped it off and started selling it, but when he tried to sell it to me was the all time worst. Can you say “Trademark” baby!.

Walt Disney didn’t worry much about copy writes and trademarks nobody wanted to spend the amount of money he was spending to create the quality stuff he was creating.

Sometimes the only thing that needs fixing is you.

When I was at CFRA in Ottawa we had a TV news clip that had the Prime Minister getting out of a limo and answering a news mans question with “Well all I know about that is what I heard on CFRA this morning” How often do you think we ran that.

When I was a PD I spent a lot of time keeping Management and Talent away from each other because they both scared each other to death.

Most of the time when I went into a radio station I was mostly ignored by all the young pretty receptionists. But time was on my side because I knew that any day now I was going to hear these wonderful words … Mr. Johns I’ve been told that you are the one who picks all the music we play. I love music and would love to be involved in it in some way here at the station. I was wondering if we could we meet somewhere soon and discuss my future. There is a God!

As John Huston used to say … Air talent just needs to be sincere and if they can fake that there is beaucoup bucks waiting for them in Hollywood.

People really don’t know what they like but they sure like what they know don’t they.

Is it still true that once you take a gig as an oldies jock, you just became an old jock. I remember telling that to Don Bleu years ago which kept him from leaving K101.

Sometimes just being different for different sakes is reason enough.

Without death there would be no reason to live.

I’ve recently reconnected with a great guy George Derenchuk who was the only teacher who ever gave me an “A”. I was in the 10th grade at TCI and he was our Science teacher. He went on to become the schools Principle and later the Superintendent. One day early in the year he says to the folks sitting up front in his class … Alright you brains, you’re moving to the back and I want Quail, Johns, and Ringach up front. OK guys he says to us, listen up, here’s how it works. I need your undivided attention for 20 minutes each and every class. During that 20 minutes I’m gonna teach you just what you’ll need to know to pass the exams. But here’s the good part, once the 20 minutes are up we talk Football. Do I have a deal? My Daughter Candis claims I got the “A” because he was the only teacher smart enough to give me one.

8 thoughts on “BRAINS TO THE BACK!

  1. Hey George, I was one of those CHUM board ops in the mid 60’s and I spent a fair amount of time down at the CNE, how come I didn’t get any…ooops, wait a minute, I did have a two year relationship with one of the CHUM chicks.

    Never mind old friend.

  2. I was always told that sitting up front made you smarter, quicker, as it took the teacher’s voice a little longer to reach the back and truth be known – sometimes it never even made it, period. The fact that I consistently sat in the back should in no way prejudice one’s opinion regarding my intelligence or lack there of.

  3. My dad had that talk with me when I graduated college next thing I know I am on my way to somewhere in Central Florida..nuff said.
    Talented people know you will nuture their talent and make them better then they think they are. For that I am very grateful.

  4. My favorite board op story also comes from Canada, although I had some great ones while working for Jim Hilliard at WFIL Philly. While I worked on air at CFTR Toronto for your brother Reg, I had two amazing board ops, “Gord Wilkins” and “Carlton Ramparshard.” Talented both with their hands AND their creativity and passion for the job. I remember bringing my wife Mike into the studio for the first time. After a few minutes, she said “I don’t know why they’re paying YOU all that money. That guy on the other side of the glass is doing all the work!”

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