The other day, after catching up on the phone with my very successful nephew, Jamie Boychuk, I realized that we have at least four things in common.
We’re both from a small town in Canada called Transcona; we started at the bottom of our chosen profession, we both had a mentor (Jamie’s was Hunter Harrison, mine was Jim Hilliard), and both of us ended up in America, where we kicked ass. (Jamie and I are pictured above)
Jamie became the COO of CSX railway, and I ended up owning a few radio stations.
Both of us, I believe, became successful because we didn’t learn how to do things; we experienced them.
In the beginning, we probably did so many things wrong that all that was left were the right things.
In my case, every market I worked in taught me something, but one of the most memorable things I learned about radio came from my wife, Lana.
At the time, I was the PD of CKSO in Sudbury, and things were going very well. I had a talented lineup that included Bill Drake and Dal Ross doing mid-days.
I loved Bill’s style; he talked about and played music for the ladies doing laundry on Monday, Tuesday was ironing day, and so on, but Dal only talked about hunting and fishing.
Because we were a female-oriented radio station, Dal’s show always drove me crazy.
Anyway, just before driving to Indianapolis for a mini vacation to Jim and Barb Hilliard in Indy, the rating book came out.
Can you see this one coming? Dal kicked Bill’s ass.
WHAT!
Anyway, as Lana and I were driving out of town for our mini vay-cay, we got to hear the end of Bill’s show and the beginning of Dal’s.
Still freaked out that Dal had killed Bill, I took the opportunity and asked Lana what she thought of Dal.
She replied, “Well, he talks about a lot of stuff that I don’t care about, but he’s just being a man, so it’s okay.”
However, when I asked her about Bill, she said, “Oh, I hate him; he knows what I look like without makeup.”
GEO’S LIFE-LINERS
Have you ever noticed that they’ve got lots of live people trying to sell you something on the phone, but later, when you need their help, all you get is a bot?
Everybody needs an agent to sing their praises; you can’t do it for yourself. Hey, without his Disciples, Jesus would’ve been a nobody.
It is said that if you don’t ask for it, you’ll never get it. However, a better approach may be to offer your help to the person who can give you what you want.
For whatever reason, rich guys like to invest in show business, probably because it’s sexy. However, very few want to invest in radio. Hmmmmm!
My friend Billy Bob Harris claims that one day, somebody is going to say something that everybody else is thinking.
The words: easy-to-follow instructions horrify me.
Did any NFL coaches go to college, or do they just coach there?
Nobody has the right to be racist.
There are only two ways of altering a situation: alter the situation or alter yourself.
When you finally do something, all that’s left is waiting to see if you have to face the consequences or enjoy the benefits.
I still believe in radio, but I don’t believe in the way they do it now.
Speaking of radio, it needs to be done for the listener first and then the client.
What NFL Team Would be interested in having Jerry Jones as their GM?
Sometimes, you gotta save some answers for questions.
The need for variety is shrinking.
To become successful, you need to walk your talk.
What if an owner owned several NFL teams? Would the teams get better or worse? Of course, it’s a radio question.
If women listed the things they get being women and what they don’t get because of said same. What list do you suppose would be longer?
According to the bible, man’s worst swear words are ok with God.
Is there any better experience than being in love?
Even though I understand that things are how they are and not how I wish them to be, I still only give a shit about how I want them to be.
I wonder how far along we are going green; it took twenty years for the internet to click.
You can choose your destiny; you don’t have to leave it to chance.
I just realized that Taylor Swift is bigger than her music. Even though I’m very aware of her, I’m unable to hum any of her tunes.
The more mistakes you make- the smarter you become.
COMMENTS
Jerry Baker: George…You da man. I had back surgery on Tuesday with a fusion of a couple of vertebrae. I bought the deluxe package. Just put my ass out and wake me up before we go-go. All in all, it was not a lot of fun, but not much worse than waiting for the next book to come in, which, thanks to you, we were never overly concerned about. (They’re Gonna Stab Me)
Geo: My procedure took about 15 minutes, Jerry, but I won’t know for about another week if it worked well. It feels pretty good at the moment because they also injected me with pain medication.
As far as a new rating book on the way, our only concern was how big to make the rating party. We were the best man. What a lineup.
Randy Kabrich: I’m telling you that the odds are that one leg is a few mm shorter than the other, as it is with almost half the population. #1 cause of hip replacement and sciatica, but as your column proves, most Doctors don’t even consider it. It’s pretty easy to correct as well to start healing. But you need someone to look for it first.
Caveat. I’m not a Doctor, and I have had no professional training in college (sort of like most radio jobs). I just have a very good memory, and I’ve had weird medical issues – if it can happen, it will happen to me, is my motto. My opinions are my own and should be taken as that and nothing more. (Stabbing me)
Geo: I’ll be going back to Dr. pain for a follow up, so I’ll bring it up, Randy, thanks for the tip and the read.
Radio Geo’s Media Blog is a politically incorrect inside look at Radio, TV, Music, Movies, Books, Social Media, Politics, Religion, and Life, primarily written with men in mind.
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