Pat O'Neill's Blog
2/28
THAT was fun to watch! I think I finally understand why hockey has rabid fans. The game is fast paced, the athletes are world class, and momentum changes every few seconds. I wish the U.S. had won, but can we really be mad at a country that's given us Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall and Dudley Do-Right?
2/13
There are hundreds of ways in which Bob Bonner and I differ (he likes fresh air, I prefer Times Square) and one is food. He's more adventurous, tries lots of recipes and restaurants. Bob would probably prefer a plate of onion rings to a piece of pie (but avoids both as part of his heart-healthy diet) so it was unusual to hear him express an on-air craving for a malt. That's more my territory. Love 'em. The long-defunct "Waterfall Restaurant" on the edge of Oregon made a good one when I was a kid, and it was a treat when my parents took me there. I think Brouxnellie's is good. Whenever I'm in the Twin Cities I try to visit "Annie's Parlour" in the Dinkytown section of campus for a blueberry malt. To me the best in Madison is made at the Chocolate Shoppe on Midvale Blvd.
2/11
Good news for Bill Vancil (see 1/31 below). After a second liver transplant, he's doing better, whispered a few words to a nurse, says he's feeling no pain. Way to go, Warrior!
2/8
What a brilliant idea from David Letterman! I thought it was a technical gimic at first that made it appear he and Leno were together.
1/31
My friend, and former Magic 98 boss, Bill Vancil is fighting for his life tonight at University Hospital after a liver transplant. Bill is a "glass half full" guy, and he told me last week he was impressed with the medical team, had great confidence in his doctors, and expected a full recovery. Bill was working in radio before I was born. The concept of Magic 98 was his, and I was his first hire for Magic in 1983. Because of his vast radio experience, I gave him the nickname of "Warrior," and tonight he's earning it.
1/16
I'm with Conan. He waited for years to host "The Tonight Show." He moved his family and staff from New York to California. And within months NBC creates one of the greatest show biz blunders ever. I am confused by one point made again and again. NBC affiliates across the country have complained of Leno's small audience leading into their local news. If you watch a specific 10:00PM Madison TV newscast, I assume you're like me and capable of tuning it in, regardless of what you were watching at 9:00. When did America become so lazy?
12/31
Ray Romano can act! I always assumed his character in "Everybody Loves Raymond" was just an extension of his stand-up act, but after watching three episodes of his new show, I think I have a new favorite for the new year. Some women won't get "Men Of A Certain Age," just as us men of a certain age didn't really get "Sex In The City."
12/8
I agree with Bob Greene...there's a chill in the air when you walk by The Dakota in New York City, and I experienced it on a summer day.
12/3
With the lousy economy and everybody watching their money so closely, it would be natural to see contributions to Magic's "Holiday Wish" down this year...but maybe not. We've seen some substantial gifts from listeners and businesses already, and our annual on-air fundraising event is still a week away.
11/22
History is within walking distance of my house, and I had no clue. "Black Hawk" camped near what is now known as "Frederick's Hill" in Middleton, part of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. I took Augie to the top yesterday.
10/15
Whenever a Magic listener sends me an especially nice e-mail or note, I hang on to it. I don't have anything as dramatic as the letter once sent to the legendary Dick Biondi at WLS/Chicago. One night on his show he mentioned an unusually stunning sunset. A woman on the brink of suicide was listening. She went to the window to look, thought it over some more and changed her mind. In my file I have an e-mail from a person that appreciated our morning show in the days after 9/11. Another mentioned enjoying my on-air phone call to my daughter on the day she graduated from high school. This week I received a letter from a listener who's mom had recently died. This person had the task of sorting through some belongings, found something their mom had kept for over 20 years, and decided to mail it to me. It's a color postcard (autographed!) of the 1988 Magic 98 staff...me, Juli Hinds, Johnny Marks and Tim Brickner.
9/7
Thanks to the "O'Bros" for inviting me on-stage at "Taste of Madison" to provide the intro to the Chi-Lites/Have you seen her. I spent weeks memorizing my brief lines ("One month ago today I was happy as a lark") as was happy to not blow it.
Saw a good review recently for the Alchemy on Atwood Avenue, so we tried it over the weekend. Excellent burgers and a "BLFT" featuring fried tomato, plus live music. Cool place.
8/19
Daughter Kate was back in Madison to celebrate her 25th birthday, which we did at L'Etoile, her favorite restaurant. The entire crew there is impressive, very knowledgable about their food and wine, but Chef Tory Miller is world class. No wonder "Gourmet Magazine" saluted this restaurant.
8/7
I tried a recipe for a homemade pizza crust, but it bombed. I followed the directions carefully. My toppings (pesto, black olives, several cheeses) were excellent, but the crust was gummy. Maybe 20 minutes at 325 degrees = soggy crust? Maybe I need to toss out the standard baking sheet and get a pizza stone? Your advice is welcome at pat.oneill@magic98.com
7/31
Just back from a great vacation with my wife and daughter Kate in Washington DC. We first took Kate to DC (a day and a half by car) in the hot summer of '88, and I recall carrying my toddler up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Now at 25 she's the boss, choosing the restaurants and hailing cabs. We spent hours at the assorted Smithsonian museums, shopped in Georgetown, even found a Farmer's Market. By the way, if you plan to visit this city anytime soon, Northwest has a non-stop flight under two hours from Madison to Reagan National. A scene we'll always remember: standing near the White House one evening, we wondered where the nearest "Metro" (DC's excellent subway system) stop was. Kate spotted a good looking man walking past us and asked if he could assist. As he was pointing out the route, Kate realized she was talking to hottie actor (and now White House official) Kal Penn.
7/19
Magic is airing a brief retrospective tomorrow that recalls the Apollo 11 events of this week in 1969. For me it's a slice of childhood, as the TV was always on (and always Walter Cronkite) for the various space adventures of the 1960s. It was the summer before 4th grade, but I got up early to watch the Apollo 11 launch...then stayed up late to see the moonwalk. If you happen to see the TV coverage of the lunar lander approaching the moon, note the NASA voice calling off how much fuel is left ("30 seconds!") as Neil Armstrong is attempting to find just the right spot to touch down. His performance under pressure was amazing.
6/13
On yesterday's "8:00 Honk" we played "Summer Nights" from the movie "Grease." It was Friday, sunny, and graduation day for many. As the song played I thought of the 1970s graduates that packed the theaters to see John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, then thought let's play another song from the movie, so I put on "You're The One That I Want." The phone rang and a woman said "THIS is why Magic 98 ROCKS! I'm in the BEST mood! Thanks!" People like that make getting up at 3:30AM worthwhile.
5/9
I don't live in Madison's Hudson Park neighborhood, and the accident happened before I was born, but I think the courage displayed by Air Force pilot Gerald Stull was amazing, so I attended today's ceremony to honor him. It was very moving, and his widow and son appeared pleased by the turnout. Thanks to William White and the Friends of Hudson Park.
2/21
After 20+ years at Vilas Zoo, Nanuq the Polar Bear has left for Buffalo, New York...so here's a blog note from the past.
Magic 98 listeners once turned a sad event into something special. Early on a Sunday morning in March 1988 a developmentally disabled man walked into Henry Vilas Zoo and climbed into the polar bear compound, home of the massive bear "Chief." To save the man's life a Madison police officer was forced to shoot and kill Chief. People were shocked and sad.
A few days later we interviewed Zoo Director Dr. David Hall on the morning show and asked what it would cost to find a new polar bear. He estimated $25,000. I pledged that if Magic 98 listeners would contribute $9800 I would shave my head in public. While hardly an original radio tactic - my former boss Chuck Knapp at KS95 Minneapolis had done it when the Twins won the World Series, and several Madison personalities have tried it since - it got the needed attention. On March 16, 1988 Magic broadcast live all day at Vilas Zoo. We reached our goal by noon, and by the end of the day had raised $27,000. My hair stylist Amy took her shears to me with hundreds of people watching (and thousands more on WISC's "Live At 5.") I still have the stylish cap my wife, Lee, bought me.
What happened next was truly "Magical." Dr. Hall learned that the Anchorage zoo had taken possesion of two orphaned polar bear cubs and was searching for a home for them. A trip was quickly arranged, with the people at Madison icon Oscar Mayer contributing a corporate jet. I was thrilled to join a small group including Dr. Hall and Wisconsin State Journal nature writer Steve Hopkins on the one-day trip, 10 hours total in the air. A Vilas veterinarian cared for the cubs, keeping the airplane cabin frosty cool. As the bears slept during the flight home we couldn't resist petting them. What looks like golden retriever fur actually feels like steel wool. No surprise, since they do endure "polar" conditions, but there is not a cuter baby animal on earth. The plane landed in Madison and a parade lead the bears to their new home. The brothers were named "Nanuq" and "Norton."
Apparently polar bears brothers don't stay friendly as they grow older, so the amazing 800 pound Norton lives in Detroit these days. If you'd like to share this story with your kids, I found this great version on-line.
1/24
One TV news commentator listed the Obama inauguaration as among the top 5 U.S. historical dates of his life. I agree. What would make your "Top 5" list? Bob and I discussed this on-air, and our own lists were close but not exact matches. My wife's list ignored the space program. Here's what I came up with:
11/22/63 JFK assassination
4/4/68 MLK assassination
7/20/69 Man on the moon
9/11/01 Terrorist attacks
1/20/09 Obama inauguration
At first I listed the 8/9/74 Nixon resignation and 1/28/86 Challenger disaster. You can make a case that three other Presidents besides Kennedy were assassinated, but only Nixon resigned. That's what makes this a subjective exercise.
12/6
It was freezing on Friday afternoon, and I was whipped after a long week. I got home by 3PM and treated myself to a rare nap. I woke to a phone call that a Magic 98 advertiser was abruptly changing stategy and needed an immediate emergency meeting. I protested that my wife and I had dinner plans. Bring her along, I was told, it'll take ten minutes.
Still tired (and now cranky) I jumped in the shower, jumped in the car, grabbed a cup at Starbucks and grumbled on the drive to the meeting. A staffer opened the door...and then colleagues and friends yelled "surprise" at a party to celebrate my 25 years at Magic 98.
Amidst the laughter, balloons, pictures and video (hope it doesn't end up on youtube) we had a delicious dinner and margaritas, thanks to Benjamin and crew at Pasquals. Next, in the style of "This Is Your Life," it was announced that since everyone couldn't make the party we'd be listening to some recorded comments. For the next 40 minutes, in a brilliantly produced montage of music and interviews, I was treated to stories and recollections from dozens of my best friends in broadcasting, capped with a "long distance dedication" from my daughter Kate in Portland, Oregon. It was incredibly moving. When it ended I stood up and tried to let everyone in the room know how special they are to me.
We all have those unforgettable days in our lives, when we said "I do," witnessed a birth, accepted a great job offer or moved into our first house. Those are all on my list. Last night is, too. It was a "magical" moment, created by some wonderful people that I'm honored to work with.
12/1
We won’t spend a lot of time on-air talking about this, because I don’t think it’s all that interesting to all our listeners, but it’s a notable day in Magic 98 history. We turn 25 today. So I’ll use this space for a few stories.
The original Magic 98 DJ line-up was, for some reason, all guys. Craig Wood handled overnights, I was on 6-10AM, “Officer”Jim Reed (formerly on WISM) was the midday voice, a Denver radio guy named Vic Martin was hired for 2-6PM, and Johnny Marks moved from Rockford’s WZOK to host 6-11PM.
I’m proud to have hosted the first Magic morning show on December 1, 1983, but I can’t really claim 25 consecutive years. In early 1985 I was offered the morning show at Minneapolis’s W-LITE. No offense to anyone working at such a station, but to me the "Lite" radio format is a yawn. My instructions were to take no listener phone calls, just open the mic and say “Here’s Whitney Houston.” (Even when playing Michael Bolton we said “Here’s Whitney Houston.”) After just a few weeks I realized my mistake, quit and accepted Magic’s offer to return. That makes it nearly 24 years hosting mornings at the same Madison station, which I believe is a record previously held by Clyde Coffee or Jim Mader.
Did you know that half-a-dozen current staffers joined Magic 98 in the 1980s? That’s unheard of in today’s crazed media atmosphere! So here’s to my talented colleagues in this exclusive club: Bob Bonner, Jim McGaw, Kathryn Vaughn, Sara Freeman and Juli Hinds.
It’s rare these days for a radio station to last 25 years with the same approach. Our company’s legendary WISM-AM (1959-1984) set a standard, and in many ways helped launch the former “Movin’ Easy WISM-FM” into what you hear today. I think our success is based on equal parts entertainment, information and service to the community.
Looking back I realize many good things seem to happen almost by accident. Tedd O'Connell had been anchoring both morning news on Magic 98 and evening news on WISC-TV, but the long days finally caught up with him and he resigned from Magic in 1988. I wasn't impressed with any of the standard "anchor" candidates that my boss offered, and I clearly remember one heated meeting about it. I suggested that we had someone in the newsroom with a colorful personality but the wrong job description, attending city council meetings and writing standard news stories ("The man displayed a weapon and then fled on foot.") Both the General Manager and News Director predicted failure, but finally agreed to a morning show tryout for...Bob Bonner.
11/30
A "Tom & Jerry" was one of my family's holiday rituals as far back as I can remember. My Grandpa Mal was especially fond of them, always heating the mugs on the stove before mixing the drinks. The kids were served an "unloaded" version. The recipe below was contributed by a Magic 98 listener back in the 80s, and it's a big upgrade from the sugary batter you find in grocery stores. If you like it, please pass it along to your friends. It's also posted in the RECIPES section on Magic98.com.
6 eggs
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cream tartar
1/4 tsp all spice
3 to 4 drops oil of clove
3 to 4 drops oil of cinnamon
Separate eggs, beat white with cream of tartar until stiff. Gradually add 3 cups of sugar, set aside. Beat yolks until thick, add remaining sugar and spices and fold together. Keeps up to one week in refrigerator, or freeze.
Fill 1/3 of a heated mug with batter, fill remainder of mug with boiling water and stir. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. For adults only add one shot of rum and one shot of brandy.
8/9
Goofy assignments are part of the job when you are starting out at small town radio stations. To promote "The Adventures Of Chicken Man" on KOLM/Rochester, I was told to dress in a chicken costume and surprise customers at local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. I didn't know of a more absurd idea until Tedd O'Connell told his story one day on Magic 98 years ago. Recalling an early job at KCHA/Charles City, Iowa, Tedd was instructed to take a tape recorder to the local Greyhound bus station and interview folks for a new feature called "Who's Coming To Town?"
8/2
I was happy to find a CD called "Robert Palmer-The Island Years" for $5 in a re-sale store. His 70s song "Every Kinda People" is one of my favorites, although the liner notes say he was best known for his 80s video "Addicted To Love, featuring a bevy of mini-skirted deadpan models. Although his public image was that of a sharp-dressed playboy, friends knew him as a down-to-earth musician, totally uninterested in the trappings of the music business." Palmer appeared on Jay Leno's show in 1994 (for more see the 3/22 entry below) and stayed afterward to chat with a group of us radio types. I remember him as unpretentious, almost shy. He was curious how his latest release was being received. Strange-but-true: the other guest on "The Tonight Show" that evening was actor John Ritter. Years later both Palmer and Ritter would die of heart attacks within a few days of each other.
6/21
I got about 3 hours sleep Thursday, but it was worth it. I knew that the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association would be inducting Jonathan Little into their Hall of Fame, but with two Magic staffers on vacation I didn't think I could break away from work. After I read Doug Moe's column in the Wisconsin State Journal (below in case you missed it) I knew I had to be there. Thanks to Jim McGaw handling morning duty for me, I was able to get to scenic Sturgeon Bay just in time. Jonathan's standing ovation was well-deserved.
If Toni Tennille isn't doing anything Thursday, she should show up in Sturgeon Bay for Jonathan Little's induction into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
Tennille might not remember Little's name after all these years, but she owes him, and she knows it. Little in 1976 was the program director at WISM-AM, a top-40 radio station in Madison. One of the iron rules of top-40 radio was that you played hits over and over again, until everyone was sick of them, and then you played them some more.
Little, who was not famous for following the rules, used to listen to tracks on albums beyond those the record companies released as singles. One day in 1976, he stumbled on a silly but infectious song on an album by the Captain and Tennille. Little played the song on WISM-AM, which was a highly popular music station in Madison, though FM radio was on the scene and soon to assume the music radio throne.
Madison listeners embraced the dopey but lovable song. They kept calling WISM asking to hear it again. Little contacted the record company and said they might be sitting on a hit. The record company disagreed. Little played it some more. "It was our most requested song," he was recalling Tuesday.
Finally the record company woke up, and released "Muskrat Love" as a single. It was a runaway success and for many years, when she introduced the song in concert, Tennille would thank the program director in Madison who recognized a top-40 hit when he heard one.
Jonathan Little has usually gone with his instincts, and they've taken him a long way, all the way to Thursday's fete in Sturgeon Bay, where, coincidentally, Little was born. I think it is fair to say the WBA Hall of Fame is long on executives and somewhat short on programmers and personalities. Since Little has done just about everything there is to do in radio, his resume includes time in management, but his passion has always been the music and the people who make it. He has been a consistent champion of Madison and Wisconsin artists. Little's Hall of Fame induction is both inspired and deserved.
"It's pretty cool," he said of the honor. Little's voice -- instantly recognizable to two generations of Madisonians -- hasn't changed much over the years and neither has his laid-back persona. His family, though, is making a big deal of the ceremony. His wife, father and daughters -- in from Phoenix and Denver -- will attend.
Retired Packers president Bob Harlan is speaking at noon Thursday and Willie Davis, the former great Green Bay defensive end, will be inducted into the WBA Hall of Fame that night alongside Little (the other inductees are Milwaukee radio executive Mike McCormick and Burlington broadcast educator Terry Havel). Davis owned radio stations in West Allis, Milwaukee and around the country.
Little grew up in Montello, and his route to the Hall of Fame began at UW-Madison in the spring of 1962, when he worked for WLHA on campus. The call letters stood for Lakeshore Halls Association and its reach -- the station was all of 25 watts -- was such that it couldn 't be heard much farther than the hall or the lakeshore.
"But it was experience," Little said.
His first paying job was reading the news at WSPT in Stevens Point. He got $1.25 an hour and when the UPS man walked through the door, Little's radio career was almost over before it started. They chatted and it turned out the fledgling delivery company was looking for drivers and paying $3.25 an hour. "I agonized," Little said, but he stuck with radio.
After stops here and there -- including one at WDUZ in Green Bay -- Little wound up at WISM in Madison. As program director and on-air personality, he distinguished himself by scoring interviews with touring artists and then incorporating those interviews into the music programming.
Little interviewed Jimi Hendrix between 1968 shows at The Factory on Gorham Street (a poster from that concert once sold for $25,000). He got 15 minutes with Elton John, and in 1976, after Little interviewed Harry Chapin, and told Chapin how much he admired the way he ended his shows with the sing-along "Circle," Chapin invited Little on stage at the Dane County Coliseum to participate in the song.
After WISM, Little worked at several other Madison stations and is proud of having helped launch WMMM-FM in 1991. Today, he is still active, as an executive with Troy Research, a broadcast and movie market research firm, and as personal manager for a number of artists.
Toni Tennille may not make the induction ceremony Thursday night, but, hey, Willie Davis will be there. "It's nice to be going in with a defensive end," Little said.
2/24
It was well below freezing at 7 this morning when I walked Augie past a neighborhood bakery. We all know those places stategically place their vents to entice potential customers, and the aroma of fresh doughnuts was in the air. I took Aug home, headed back to the bakery, bought two chocolate rings (one for my sleeping wife) and consumed mine while walking home.
"Like a true nature's child...we we born, born to be wild"
2/8
Just read an article that claims when it comes to music we all have some guilty pleasures. Songs we secretly like. Since you're visiting my blog, here's my confession:
* Herb Alpert/This Guy's In love with You - I ridicule "Tijuana Taxi" every Friday on the "8 O'clock Honk," and this great trumpet player was hardly a great vocalist, but the melody of this song is Burt Bacharach and Hal David at their peak.
* Glen Campbell/Witchita Lineman - same thing: a great writer (Jimmy Webb) outshines an OK singer.
* Mocedades/Eres Tu - Not sure why. I don't speak Spanish, although Oregon High teacher Anna Anderson sent me the lyrics to this 1974 hit.
* Rick Derringer/Teenage Love Affair - I was 14, the lyrics were racy, etc.
1/3
I'm taking advatange of a few days off-air by staying up past 9PM! My wife and I were out the other night, and drove past Kromrey School in Middleton. The streetlights barely illuminated some animal slowly limping across the athletic field. Figuring it was an injured dog, we called Middleton Police. Minutes later an officer arrived, drove his car to the edge of the field and used his heavy duty flashlight to investigate. Then he said to us (I am not making this up) "That's not a dog, that's the three-legged Coyote." Turns out this animal has been spotted around town frequently, but remains a fugitive.
12/28/07
JD Barber hosted Madison's top-rated morning show of the 1980s on Z104. When I learned of his death this morning, I instantly thought of Monday November 28, 1983. I had moved back to my hometown after 10 years, ready to host mornings as the new "Magic 98" would take over from WISM-FM that week. It was bitterly cold in Madison. All my belongings were in boxes in a cheap apartment. As I drove to Lums for some breakfast I scanned the radio dial. "Peter B" was on WIBA. Jim Mader was playing Sinatra on WERU. But JD and his crew (Ralph Cohen, Judy Newman) were far and away the best in town. I recall thinking "this will be formidable competition"...and I was right. While Magic 98 was successful from day one, JD would continue to host the #1 rated morning show for years to come.
10/31/07
My Minneapolis radio reunion was great fun, a lotta handshakes, hugs and pictures. The turnout was strong. I think most everyone that worked there realized what a special radio station we had. I especially enjoyed introducing my daughter to this great group of professionals.
10/23/07 (warning: longest blog entry ever)
I got an early start in radio, working part-time during my high school years when my family lived in Rochester, Minnesota. When I was 16 I discovered an interesting FM station in Minneapolis. Most kids my age were listening to rock and top 40, but this particular station stood out with it’s mixture of pop, jazz and whatever. It was not unusual to hear Joni Mitchell next to Spyro Gyra next to a Chicago album cut. The announcers were personable, funny, very connected to the Twin Cities. Even the call letters were legendary: WCCO-FM. I listened to it constantly.
Joan Kutner was a Rochester-based actress and voice talent who occasionally recorded commercials at my station. We got to talking about Minneapolis radio one day and she mentioned her occasional recording projects with WCCO-FM personality Tim Russell. She said “Why don’t I ask Tim to give you a tour?”
March 8, 1978. I skipped a day of my senior year and drove the 80 miles to Minneapolis. For a radio geek like me just walking into the station was a thrill. The studios were on 11th street, with picture windows looking at the downtown skyline. This was big-time radio! I watched as Tim finished his show, then he introduced me to station manager Paul Stagg. I told Stagg how much I liked the station and how much I’d like to work there someday. I also took the opportunity to give him a demo cassette of me on-air in Rochester.
Six months later I was surprised by a phone call from Paul Stagg. He said “How'd you like to work here?” I moved to Minneapolis!
For the next four years I worked my way up the on-air ladder at WCCO-FM. Weekends, then overnights, evenings and finally afternoons. I met my future wife, Lee. I thought we’d be in Minneapolis forever.
But Twin Cities radio was changing fast. Other stations offered bigger contests, fewer commercials, and marketed themselves constantly. CCO-FM management didn't respond. Listener loyalty eroded. In September 1982 the station flipped formats to Top 40 and fired most of the staff, including me.
WCCO-FM floundered with it’s new sound, eventually changing names, formats (again) and ownership, but I enjoyed my time there and will always remember what a great station it once was. All the talented people I worked with went on to new things, and this weekend most of us are gathering in Minneapolis for the first reunion in 25 years.
10/8/07
Just back from a fun weekend in the Twin Cities, which included a performance of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion." My wife and daughter enjoyed the music and comedy, while I (as "Radio Dork") paid close attention to the technical requirements, timing, equipment, etc. The mellow, gentle, warm sound of this radio program is a contrast to what happens in St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater, where the production feels more like a complicated Broadway play. Keillor is clearly the boss, constantly whispering to technicians during the musical numbers and sometimes makes changes to the actor's scripts during a sketch.
10/2/07
My generation remembers Danny Bonaduce as "Danny Partridge," although he's been working in radio broadcasting for years. When a Magic 98 salesperson left Madison for a job at WLUP in the early 90s, Danny Bonaduce was their afternoon host. I gave her a gag gift CD of "The Partridge Family's Greatest Hits." A few months later it was sent to me, inscribed "To Pat O'Neill...I think I love you...Danny Bonaduce."
9/17/07
"Bruce The Carpenter" died over the weekend at age 91. Listeners to Magic in the 80s will recall his Friday morning appearances, dispensing home project advice as his theme (a piece of classical music punctuated by a handsaw, as created by former bandleader Edmundo) played in the background. That description doesn't sound like entertainment, but I thought it was a riot. Bruce was a modest, quiet man and an excellent carpenter, but I'm not sure he ever noticed that each week's question came from "Ed on Sycamore Avenue," in reality my uncle.
8/11/07
Sometimes visitors to the Magic 98 studio say it doesn't appear as they imagined. I'm sure everyone has a different version, if the thought even occurs to them. We're in our third building in the station's history, a beautiful new complex on the west side, minutes from restaurants, the Beltline, etc. The studio is big, bright, comfortable. Large windows look to the west. We're surrounded by state-of-the-art equipment. But I doubt it would have impressed me more than our company's original WISM studio, which I first saw as a teenager. (Yawning? That's OK. Only radio geeks will read further). The building was on rural Syene Road, selected because the transmitting towers could stand in the nearby swamps. That meant mice and snakes were frequent visitors. The studio was maybe 10x10 feet, one tiny window. (60s WISM DJ "King Richard" claimed morning man Clyde Coffee had the window open one early morning and found a curious horse peaking inside). There was a tremendous energy because of the one (AM mono, remember) large, always-blasting speaker that occupied most of a wall. The low ceiling had multi-colored track lighting, a mod look for the time. The personalities played music from turntables, choosing 45s from a waist-high wooden record rack in the back of the room. (For some reason I was intrigued by that piece of furniture and later had a carpenter build something similar for me. It remains in my basement to this day. My wife knows we will never get rid of it). Beyond what was in the room is what came out of the room...the music, the entertainment, the life-long memories created by the 1970s WISM crew. It was Madison's original "Magic." Since my friend Jonathan Little spent many years there creating his popular afternoon show, I've asked him for some recollections.
Pat, the WISM studio you refer to was cozy like a closet. Most of the announcers worked with the door open year round. The AC would ice up on a hot, humid summer’s day. You’d have to turn off the AC for 30 minutes or so to defrost it. It was cold in that studio in the winter months. However, with a big 5,000 watt transmitter right down the hall you could warm the studio with the door open. My first shift in that studio was a Sunday morning 7am – 12 Noon more than 40 years ago. I was working full-time in the WISM sales department, but really wanted air time in that little studio whenever possible. I didn’t do Sunday mornings long. PD Jay O’Day decided I should be on Saturday night from 8pm until 1pm and Sunday night from 7pm until 1am. Unbelievably exciting, even though it meant I was working seven days a week….every week...playing the hits on Madison’s most popular radio station. The phone rang constantly with requests and I did my best to get them on. Since we couldn’t have a phone ringing when we were talking live on the mic, the engineers had hooked a big light to the phone lines. Whenever a phone line rang, this bright light came on. When I worked Saturday and Sunday nights, I don’t think the light was ever off. Back in those days the WISM phone line was Alpine 5-1234. Here’s a story with synchronicity. The very first 45 rpm single I ever bought was “Young Love” by Sonny James, a hit in '56 while I was in high school. One Saturday while I was on the air at WISM in 1966, a tall man dressed in black and wearing a cowboy hat came in the back door and walked down the hall to the WISM studio. You can imagine how shocked I was to have Sonny James step into the studio and greet me. He was actually looking for another radio station, but he saw the WISM tower and decided to stop in. I asked if he was up for an on-air visit and he obliged. I did my very first interview of a major recording artist with Sonny James, the Country Gentleman. During my 13 or so years with WISM I conducted dozens of interviews with major artists. Some artists you hear on Saturday at the 70's who stopped by that cozy little closet in the 70's were Harry Chapin, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Dan Fogelberg, Tim Weisberg, Charlie Daniels, Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon and many more. So many aspects of my radio career were launched in that little old WISM Studio at 3220 Syene Road.
6/10/07
It will take a long time to process everything from "The Concert For Gilda's Club." There was an energy and excitement at Magic 98...sometimes close to a controlled chaos...that I've never seen. Even with months of planning (What kind of incentives can we offer listeners? How do we obtain them? Where are all the "live" CDs? How do we feed the volunteers? Where can the Channel 3 crew set up for multiple "live shots" each day?) it was a tidal wave of surprises and non-stop activity. Dozens of Gilda's volunteers answering phones. Hundreds of calls responding to a genuine community need. We all heard amazingly candid on-air appearances. Gilda's brother Michael phoned from Detroit and told us of the positive impact a "Gilda's Club" has had in every city lucky enough to have one. Badger leaders Barry Alvarez, Mike Eaves, Lisa Stone, Bo Ryan and Brett Bielema showed their unified support. (It was fascinating to be around these people in-person. They all are warm yet direct, have a tangible confidence and upbeat, winning attitude. It's no wonder that the young men and women at the UW respond to them so well). WISC-TV's Toni Morrissey explained how upsetting her initial skin cancer diagnois was and how a "Gilda's Club" will support future patients. Listener Suey Starcyznski told us what a stage 4 patient deals with. Magic artist (and breast cancer survivor) Meslissa Etheridge e-mailed us a recorded endorsement for airing during the show. The late Mike McKinney's mother, Barbara, explained how much having a Madison Gilda's Club would mean to Mike. A lovely young mom, Kim Feller, and her two children Alyssa and Ben, stressed how helpful Gilda's Club had been as husband and father Mike fought cancer.
5/25/07
After the graduation celebration, my wife and daughter boarded a plane for Paris, a city Kate has dreamed of visiting for many years. I knew they would enjoy the art museums, cafes and shopping (and that I'd go nuts if I went along) so I volunteered to drive Kate's car home. I did it in one day, Boston to Madison, 20 hours. I could have gone faster, but I hopped off the interstate in Springfield, MA to see the "Basketball Hall Of Fame"...which was closed! At least I had a radio. I doubt one person has listened to more stations in a single day. Here's a partial list: "Mix"/Boston, WFAN/New York, WTIC/Hartford, WSYR/Syracuse, WJET/Erie, Q104/Cleveland, WHAS/Louisville, V98.7/Detroit, "The River"/Toledo, the legendary Dick Biondi on oldies WZZN/Chicago...and, finally, around 2AM, Magic 98.
5/22/07
Our family spent the weekend in rainy Boston, where Kate O'Neill received diplomas for her art history and journalism degrees. As much as the long hours of study have helped her decide the kind of career she'd like, I could tell from watching her hail cabs, pack her apartment and generally navigate life in the big city that these past four years have prepared her to be on her own. In a few weeks she's off to Minneapolis for an internship at the Walker Art Center.
5/17/07
My daughter graduates from college this weekend. Our friends say that it seems like Kate just left high school. To me it seems she was just born. Wonder why this milestone reminds me of that? I remember like it was yesterday. July 31, 1984 was humid in Madison. My wife had a rough final week of pregnancy. Dr. Price decided a C-section was needed. I was told I could watch, provided I get into some hospital scrubs. Nurse Kris Clary gave Kate her first bath, wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me. It was after midnight as I carried Kate up and down the hospital halls. She had beautiful blue eyes and was very alert. When my wife awoke after the surgery she asked what happened. I said "Kate O'Neill is here." (A few years earlier we were visiting Duluth, saw a store named "Katy O'Neill's" and instantly decided on a name if we ever had a daughter). Everyone fell asleep around 4AM. I headed home...then discovered I was still wearing the hospital scrubs. I still have them.
5/2/07
I think the Donny Osmond you heard on our morning show interview is "a regular guy." (If you missed it, we'll be re-playing portions in the next few days and post a segment on Magic's website). The "pre-interview stuff" you don't hear on the radio is sometimes interesting. Will a representative call on behalf of a celebrity? Are certain questions off limits? Not with Donny. He called us himself (on-the-dot of the 7AM scheduled interview) from his home in Utah. He's been in show business for so long it's hard to ask him an original question. When Bob asked he if he regularly "hung out with Marie" he said no, he "prefers LaToya."
4/17/07
I would guess the ultimate reward for a teacher is knowing that they had a positive impact on kids. (I know they don't pursue the profession for money). Even though I started working on-air in radio while still in high school, I was a bit intimidated by the kids that had the talent and courage to get on stage for the high school musicals. Finally, in my senior year, as the school was getting set for Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," my music teacher Gerald "Smitty" Smith suggested I audition. I told him there was no way I going to sing in a roomful of people. He said, "come back here after school...you can audition for me." While he played piano I sang (or whispered) a few lines of "You're the top." I got a part in the play, had a great time...and have never forgotten his kindness. Smitty died on Monday in Arizona. Hundreds of his students have been e-mailing one another, each of them recalling their own experiences with this special teacher.
9/11/06
Most of us have moments from 9-11 permanently etched in our minds. Like many, I first heard from Bob Bonner that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. After his bulletin we turned on a TV in our studio and watched the surreal scene of the second plane crash. At that point we decided Magic listeners would best be served by wall-to-wall information, so for the better part of two days we broadcast CNN audio. It's dark in September when I arrive at Magic, and I will never forget seeing a huge, brilliantly lit American flag on the Beltline as I drove to the station the next morning. We opened our show with Paul Simon's "American Tune," with it's reference to the Statue of Liberty. Then, caring and concerned Magic 98 listeners took over, phoning in thoughtful observations. One of Bob's friends is a psychologist, who joined us on-air with helpful information on dealing with kids during such a stressful time. Production Director Paul Blair brilliantly captured audio from New York and Washington for Magic's audience. I wrote this piece for the Magic website a year later.
It was my first visit to New York City. August of 2001, just a month before the terrorist attacks. My wife and daughter and I did the things visitors to New York usually do. Broadway shows, a sandwich at Rupert Jee’s deli just around the corner from David Letterman’s studio, a drive through Central Park. While my family was occupied in the garment district, I toured NBC. On our way to hop the ferry for the Statue of Liberty trip…and doing 50 mph, thanks to our New York cab driver…we zoomed past the World Trade Center complex, never dreaming what would happen on that very spot a few weeks later.
Our vacation ended way too soon, as most vacations do. We loved our visit and we discarded our stereotypes of New York. The energy and excitement of this city is found nowhere else.
As we watched the attack a month later, it was eerie to think…”I was just there.”
A year later, August 2002, the three of us piled in the car for a long drive east, this time to look at college opportunities for my daughter. We toured several schools up and down the East Coast, then drove into Manhattan…an experience in itself. We arrived late afternoon, checked into our hotel, hailed a cab and headed to Ground Zero.
The cabby said nothing…clearly, he’d made the drive hundreds of times. He dropped us off in front of St. Paul’s Chapel, the oldest public building in New York. George Washington attended services there. It’s surrounded by a beautiful wrought-iron fence, about 12 feet high. Every inch is covered with a child’s artwork for a missing parent, a friend’s poem, pictures. Ballet slippers hang next to fireman’s boots. There’s a T-shirt sent from the Reedsburg, Wisconsin fire department.
My family joined the dozens of other people taking the emotional walk around this memorial. Ground Zero is bigger than it appears on TV. Hundreds of people are there around the clock. We introduced ourselves to a young policeman. His name was Chris, and he spent an hour telling us about September 11th.
He was testifying in a nearby courtroom when the first terrorist airplane hit. He raced to the scene, assisting a woman suffering an apparent heart attack. Concerned that buildings were in danger, he argued with a reporter to leave the scene…but the reporter, working for the Wall Street Journal, was on-the-air with CNN and refused to leave his vantage point, locking himself in an office.
I asked Chris to do an interview with us on Magic 98, knowing he might feel awkward doing so. As a police officer, he’s not allowed to comment on-the-record. Unofficially, he’s another example of the people that served above and beyond that day. He would be uncomfortable with the label “hero.”
What for him was just another conversation with a visitor to New York, was for my family a moving and meaningful visit with someone that was there. As this officer wondered out loud whether people thousands of miles away from New York cared about what had happened there, we let him know that this place was close to our hearts before all this happened…and it’s even closer now. We will never forget.
5/30/06
I mention Augie, my Golden Retriever, on-air occasionally. My wife and I love this dog and are guilty of treating her like a baby, now that our only child is well into college. I grew up with a lot of different dogs (ranging from Russian Wolfhounds to a Chihuahua) but it had been more than 20 years since I was around one. Augie became family immediately. Some dog experts say the Golden has a sense of humor, and translated to humans would be the "lampshade" guest at the party. I think it's true.
2/28
THAT was fun to watch! I think I finally understand why hockey has rabid fans. The game is fast paced, the athletes are world class, and momentum changes every few seconds. I wish the U.S. had won, but can we really be mad at a country that's given us Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall and Dudley Do-Right?
2/13
There are hundreds of ways in which Bob Bonner and I differ (he likes fresh air, I prefer Times Square) and one is food. He's more adventurous, tries lots of recipes and restaurants. Bob would probably prefer a plate of onion rings to a piece of pie (but avoids both as part of his heart-healthy diet) so it was unusual to hear him express an on-air craving for a malt. That's more my territory. Love 'em. The long-defunct "Waterfall Restaurant" on the edge of Oregon made a good one when I was a kid, and it was a treat when my parents took me there. I think Brouxnellie's is good. Whenever I'm in the Twin Cities I try to visit "Annie's Parlour" in the Dinkytown section of campus for a blueberry malt. To me the best in Madison is made at the Chocolate Shoppe on Midvale Blvd.
2/11
Good news for Bill Vancil (see 1/31 below). After a second liver transplant, he's doing better, whispered a few words to a nurse, says he's feeling no pain. Way to go, Warrior!
2/8
What a brilliant idea from David Letterman! I thought it was a technical gimic at first that made it appear he and Leno were together.
1/31
My friend, and former Magic 98 boss, Bill Vancil is fighting for his life tonight at University Hospital after a liver transplant. Bill is a "glass half full" guy, and he told me last week he was impressed with the medical team, had great confidence in his doctors, and expected a full recovery. Bill was working in radio before I was born. The concept of Magic 98 was his, and I was his first hire for Magic in 1983. Because of his vast radio experience, I gave him the nickname of "Warrior," and tonight he's earning it.
1/16
I'm with Conan. He waited for years to host "The Tonight Show." He moved his family and staff from New York to California. And within months NBC creates one of the greatest show biz blunders ever. I am confused by one point made again and again. NBC affiliates across the country have complained of Leno's small audience leading into their local news. If you watch a specific 10:00PM Madison TV newscast, I assume you're like me and capable of tuning it in, regardless of what you were watching at 9:00. When did America become so lazy?
12/31
Ray Romano can act! I always assumed his character in "Everybody Loves Raymond" was just an extension of his stand-up act, but after watching three episodes of his new show, I think I have a new favorite for the new year. Some women won't get "Men Of A Certain Age," just as us men of a certain age didn't really get "Sex In The City."
12/8
I agree with Bob Greene...there's a chill in the air when you walk by The Dakota in New York City, and I experienced it on a summer day.
12/3
With the lousy economy and everybody watching their money so closely, it would be natural to see contributions to Magic's "Holiday Wish" down this year...but maybe not. We've seen some substantial gifts from listeners and businesses already, and our annual on-air fundraising event is still a week away.
11/22
History is within walking distance of my house, and I had no clue. "Black Hawk" camped near what is now known as "Frederick's Hill" in Middleton, part of the Pheasant Branch Conservancy. I took Augie to the top yesterday.
10/15
Whenever a Magic listener sends me an especially nice e-mail or note, I hang on to it. I don't have anything as dramatic as the letter once sent to the legendary Dick Biondi at WLS/Chicago. One night on his show he mentioned an unusually stunning sunset. A woman on the brink of suicide was listening. She went to the window to look, thought it over some more and changed her mind. In my file I have an e-mail from a person that appreciated our morning show in the days after 9/11. Another mentioned enjoying my on-air phone call to my daughter on the day she graduated from high school. This week I received a letter from a listener who's mom had recently died. This person had the task of sorting through some belongings, found something their mom had kept for over 20 years, and decided to mail it to me. It's a color postcard (autographed!) of the 1988 Magic 98 staff...me, Juli Hinds, Johnny Marks and Tim Brickner.
9/7
Thanks to the "O'Bros" for inviting me on-stage at "Taste of Madison" to provide the intro to the Chi-Lites/Have you seen her. I spent weeks memorizing my brief lines ("One month ago today I was happy as a lark") as was happy to not blow it.
Saw a good review recently for the Alchemy on Atwood Avenue, so we tried it over the weekend. Excellent burgers and a "BLFT" featuring fried tomato, plus live music. Cool place.
8/19
Daughter Kate was back in Madison to celebrate her 25th birthday, which we did at L'Etoile, her favorite restaurant. The entire crew there is impressive, very knowledgable about their food and wine, but Chef Tory Miller is world class. No wonder "Gourmet Magazine" saluted this restaurant.
8/7
I tried a recipe for a homemade pizza crust, but it bombed. I followed the directions carefully. My toppings (pesto, black olives, several cheeses) were excellent, but the crust was gummy. Maybe 20 minutes at 325 degrees = soggy crust? Maybe I need to toss out the standard baking sheet and get a pizza stone? Your advice is welcome at pat.oneill@magic98.com
7/31
Just back from a great vacation with my wife and daughter Kate in Washington DC. We first took Kate to DC (a day and a half by car) in the hot summer of '88, and I recall carrying my toddler up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Now at 25 she's the boss, choosing the restaurants and hailing cabs. We spent hours at the assorted Smithsonian museums, shopped in Georgetown, even found a Farmer's Market. By the way, if you plan to visit this city anytime soon, Northwest has a non-stop flight under two hours from Madison to Reagan National. A scene we'll always remember: standing near the White House one evening, we wondered where the nearest "Metro" (DC's excellent subway system) stop was. Kate spotted a good looking man walking past us and asked if he could assist. As he was pointing out the route, Kate realized she was talking to hottie actor (and now White House official) Kal Penn.
7/19
Magic is airing a brief retrospective tomorrow that recalls the Apollo 11 events of this week in 1969. For me it's a slice of childhood, as the TV was always on (and always Walter Cronkite) for the various space adventures of the 1960s. It was the summer before 4th grade, but I got up early to watch the Apollo 11 launch...then stayed up late to see the moonwalk. If you happen to see the TV coverage of the lunar lander approaching the moon, note the NASA voice calling off how much fuel is left ("30 seconds!") as Neil Armstrong is attempting to find just the right spot to touch down. His performance under pressure was amazing.
6/13
On yesterday's "8:00 Honk" we played "Summer Nights" from the movie "Grease." It was Friday, sunny, and graduation day for many. As the song played I thought of the 1970s graduates that packed the theaters to see John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, then thought let's play another song from the movie, so I put on "You're The One That I Want." The phone rang and a woman said "THIS is why Magic 98 ROCKS! I'm in the BEST mood! Thanks!" People like that make getting up at 3:30AM worthwhile.
5/9
I don't live in Madison's Hudson Park neighborhood, and the accident happened before I was born, but I think the courage displayed by Air Force pilot Gerald Stull was amazing, so I attended today's ceremony to honor him. It was very moving, and his widow and son appeared pleased by the turnout. Thanks to William White and the Friends of Hudson Park.
2/21
After 20+ years at Vilas Zoo, Nanuq the Polar Bear has left for Buffalo, New York...so here's a blog note from the past.
Magic 98 listeners once turned a sad event into something special. Early on a Sunday morning in March 1988 a developmentally disabled man walked into Henry Vilas Zoo and climbed into the polar bear compound, home of the massive bear "Chief." To save the man's life a Madison police officer was forced to shoot and kill Chief. People were shocked and sad.
A few days later we interviewed Zoo Director Dr. David Hall on the morning show and asked what it would cost to find a new polar bear. He estimated $25,000. I pledged that if Magic 98 listeners would contribute $9800 I would shave my head in public. While hardly an original radio tactic - my former boss Chuck Knapp at KS95 Minneapolis had done it when the Twins won the World Series, and several Madison personalities have tried it since - it got the needed attention. On March 16, 1988 Magic broadcast live all day at Vilas Zoo. We reached our goal by noon, and by the end of the day had raised $27,000. My hair stylist Amy took her shears to me with hundreds of people watching (and thousands more on WISC's "Live At 5.") I still have the stylish cap my wife, Lee, bought me.
What happened next was truly "Magical." Dr. Hall learned that the Anchorage zoo had taken possesion of two orphaned polar bear cubs and was searching for a home for them. A trip was quickly arranged, with the people at Madison icon Oscar Mayer contributing a corporate jet. I was thrilled to join a small group including Dr. Hall and Wisconsin State Journal nature writer Steve Hopkins on the one-day trip, 10 hours total in the air. A Vilas veterinarian cared for the cubs, keeping the airplane cabin frosty cool. As the bears slept during the flight home we couldn't resist petting them. What looks like golden retriever fur actually feels like steel wool. No surprise, since they do endure "polar" conditions, but there is not a cuter baby animal on earth. The plane landed in Madison and a parade lead the bears to their new home. The brothers were named "Nanuq" and "Norton."
Apparently polar bears brothers don't stay friendly as they grow older, so the amazing 800 pound Norton lives in Detroit these days. If you'd like to share this story with your kids, I found this great version on-line.
1/24
One TV news commentator listed the Obama inauguaration as among the top 5 U.S. historical dates of his life. I agree. What would make your "Top 5" list? Bob and I discussed this on-air, and our own lists were close but not exact matches. My wife's list ignored the space program. Here's what I came up with:
11/22/63 JFK assassination
4/4/68 MLK assassination
7/20/69 Man on the moon
9/11/01 Terrorist attacks
1/20/09 Obama inauguration
At first I listed the 8/9/74 Nixon resignation and 1/28/86 Challenger disaster. You can make a case that three other Presidents besides Kennedy were assassinated, but only Nixon resigned. That's what makes this a subjective exercise.
12/6
It was freezing on Friday afternoon, and I was whipped after a long week. I got home by 3PM and treated myself to a rare nap. I woke to a phone call that a Magic 98 advertiser was abruptly changing stategy and needed an immediate emergency meeting. I protested that my wife and I had dinner plans. Bring her along, I was told, it'll take ten minutes.
Still tired (and now cranky) I jumped in the shower, jumped in the car, grabbed a cup at Starbucks and grumbled on the drive to the meeting. A staffer opened the door...and then colleagues and friends yelled "surprise" at a party to celebrate my 25 years at Magic 98.
Amidst the laughter, balloons, pictures and video (hope it doesn't end up on youtube) we had a delicious dinner and margaritas, thanks to Benjamin and crew at Pasquals. Next, in the style of "This Is Your Life," it was announced that since everyone couldn't make the party we'd be listening to some recorded comments. For the next 40 minutes, in a brilliantly produced montage of music and interviews, I was treated to stories and recollections from dozens of my best friends in broadcasting, capped with a "long distance dedication" from my daughter Kate in Portland, Oregon. It was incredibly moving. When it ended I stood up and tried to let everyone in the room know how special they are to me.
We all have those unforgettable days in our lives, when we said "I do," witnessed a birth, accepted a great job offer or moved into our first house. Those are all on my list. Last night is, too. It was a "magical" moment, created by some wonderful people that I'm honored to work with.
12/1
We won’t spend a lot of time on-air talking about this, because I don’t think it’s all that interesting to all our listeners, but it’s a notable day in Magic 98 history. We turn 25 today. So I’ll use this space for a few stories.
The original Magic 98 DJ line-up was, for some reason, all guys. Craig Wood handled overnights, I was on 6-10AM, “Officer”Jim Reed (formerly on WISM) was the midday voice, a Denver radio guy named Vic Martin was hired for 2-6PM, and Johnny Marks moved from Rockford’s WZOK to host 6-11PM.
I’m proud to have hosted the first Magic morning show on December 1, 1983, but I can’t really claim 25 consecutive years. In early 1985 I was offered the morning show at Minneapolis’s W-LITE. No offense to anyone working at such a station, but to me the "Lite" radio format is a yawn. My instructions were to take no listener phone calls, just open the mic and say “Here’s Whitney Houston.” (Even when playing Michael Bolton we said “Here’s Whitney Houston.”) After just a few weeks I realized my mistake, quit and accepted Magic’s offer to return. That makes it nearly 24 years hosting mornings at the same Madison station, which I believe is a record previously held by Clyde Coffee or Jim Mader.
Did you know that half-a-dozen current staffers joined Magic 98 in the 1980s? That’s unheard of in today’s crazed media atmosphere! So here’s to my talented colleagues in this exclusive club: Bob Bonner, Jim McGaw, Kathryn Vaughn, Sara Freeman and Juli Hinds.
It’s rare these days for a radio station to last 25 years with the same approach. Our company’s legendary WISM-AM (1959-1984) set a standard, and in many ways helped launch the former “Movin’ Easy WISM-FM” into what you hear today. I think our success is based on equal parts entertainment, information and service to the community.
Looking back I realize many good things seem to happen almost by accident. Tedd O'Connell had been anchoring both morning news on Magic 98 and evening news on WISC-TV, but the long days finally caught up with him and he resigned from Magic in 1988. I wasn't impressed with any of the standard "anchor" candidates that my boss offered, and I clearly remember one heated meeting about it. I suggested that we had someone in the newsroom with a colorful personality but the wrong job description, attending city council meetings and writing standard news stories ("The man displayed a weapon and then fled on foot.") Both the General Manager and News Director predicted failure, but finally agreed to a morning show tryout for...Bob Bonner.
11/30
A "Tom & Jerry" was one of my family's holiday rituals as far back as I can remember. My Grandpa Mal was especially fond of them, always heating the mugs on the stove before mixing the drinks. The kids were served an "unloaded" version. The recipe below was contributed by a Magic 98 listener back in the 80s, and it's a big upgrade from the sugary batter you find in grocery stores. If you like it, please pass it along to your friends. It's also posted in the RECIPES section on Magic98.com.
6 eggs
6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cream tartar
1/4 tsp all spice
3 to 4 drops oil of clove
3 to 4 drops oil of cinnamon
Separate eggs, beat white with cream of tartar until stiff. Gradually add 3 cups of sugar, set aside. Beat yolks until thick, add remaining sugar and spices and fold together. Keeps up to one week in refrigerator, or freeze.
Fill 1/3 of a heated mug with batter, fill remainder of mug with boiling water and stir. Sprinkle nutmeg on top. For adults only add one shot of rum and one shot of brandy.
8/9
Goofy assignments are part of the job when you are starting out at small town radio stations. To promote "The Adventures Of Chicken Man" on KOLM/Rochester, I was told to dress in a chicken costume and surprise customers at local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. I didn't know of a more absurd idea until Tedd O'Connell told his story one day on Magic 98 years ago. Recalling an early job at KCHA/Charles City, Iowa, Tedd was instructed to take a tape recorder to the local Greyhound bus station and interview folks for a new feature called "Who's Coming To Town?"
8/2
I was happy to find a CD called "Robert Palmer-The Island Years" for $5 in a re-sale store. His 70s song "Every Kinda People" is one of my favorites, although the liner notes say he was best known for his 80s video "Addicted To Love, featuring a bevy of mini-skirted deadpan models. Although his public image was that of a sharp-dressed playboy, friends knew him as a down-to-earth musician, totally uninterested in the trappings of the music business." Palmer appeared on Jay Leno's show in 1994 (for more see the 3/22 entry below) and stayed afterward to chat with a group of us radio types. I remember him as unpretentious, almost shy. He was curious how his latest release was being received. Strange-but-true: the other guest on "The Tonight Show" that evening was actor John Ritter. Years later both Palmer and Ritter would die of heart attacks within a few days of each other.
6/21
I got about 3 hours sleep Thursday, but it was worth it. I knew that the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association would be inducting Jonathan Little into their Hall of Fame, but with two Magic staffers on vacation I didn't think I could break away from work. After I read Doug Moe's column in the Wisconsin State Journal (below in case you missed it) I knew I had to be there. Thanks to Jim McGaw handling morning duty for me, I was able to get to scenic Sturgeon Bay just in time. Jonathan's standing ovation was well-deserved.
If Toni Tennille isn't doing anything Thursday, she should show up in Sturgeon Bay for Jonathan Little's induction into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
Tennille might not remember Little's name after all these years, but she owes him, and she knows it. Little in 1976 was the program director at WISM-AM, a top-40 radio station in Madison. One of the iron rules of top-40 radio was that you played hits over and over again, until everyone was sick of them, and then you played them some more.
Little, who was not famous for following the rules, used to listen to tracks on albums beyond those the record companies released as singles. One day in 1976, he stumbled on a silly but infectious song on an album by the Captain and Tennille. Little played the song on WISM-AM, which was a highly popular music station in Madison, though FM radio was on the scene and soon to assume the music radio throne.
Madison listeners embraced the dopey but lovable song. They kept calling WISM asking to hear it again. Little contacted the record company and said they might be sitting on a hit. The record company disagreed. Little played it some more. "It was our most requested song," he was recalling Tuesday.
Finally the record company woke up, and released "Muskrat Love" as a single. It was a runaway success and for many years, when she introduced the song in concert, Tennille would thank the program director in Madison who recognized a top-40 hit when he heard one.
Jonathan Little has usually gone with his instincts, and they've taken him a long way, all the way to Thursday's fete in Sturgeon Bay, where, coincidentally, Little was born. I think it is fair to say the WBA Hall of Fame is long on executives and somewhat short on programmers and personalities. Since Little has done just about everything there is to do in radio, his resume includes time in management, but his passion has always been the music and the people who make it. He has been a consistent champion of Madison and Wisconsin artists. Little's Hall of Fame induction is both inspired and deserved.
"It's pretty cool," he said of the honor. Little's voice -- instantly recognizable to two generations of Madisonians -- hasn't changed much over the years and neither has his laid-back persona. His family, though, is making a big deal of the ceremony. His wife, father and daughters -- in from Phoenix and Denver -- will attend.
Retired Packers president Bob Harlan is speaking at noon Thursday and Willie Davis, the former great Green Bay defensive end, will be inducted into the WBA Hall of Fame that night alongside Little (the other inductees are Milwaukee radio executive Mike McCormick and Burlington broadcast educator Terry Havel). Davis owned radio stations in West Allis, Milwaukee and around the country.
Little grew up in Montello, and his route to the Hall of Fame began at UW-Madison in the spring of 1962, when he worked for WLHA on campus. The call letters stood for Lakeshore Halls Association and its reach -- the station was all of 25 watts -- was such that it couldn 't be heard much farther than the hall or the lakeshore.
"But it was experience," Little said.
His first paying job was reading the news at WSPT in Stevens Point. He got $1.25 an hour and when the UPS man walked through the door, Little's radio career was almost over before it started. They chatted and it turned out the fledgling delivery company was looking for drivers and paying $3.25 an hour. "I agonized," Little said, but he stuck with radio.
After stops here and there -- including one at WDUZ in Green Bay -- Little wound up at WISM in Madison. As program director and on-air personality, he distinguished himself by scoring interviews with touring artists and then incorporating those interviews into the music programming.
Little interviewed Jimi Hendrix between 1968 shows at The Factory on Gorham Street (a poster from that concert once sold for $25,000). He got 15 minutes with Elton John, and in 1976, after Little interviewed Harry Chapin, and told Chapin how much he admired the way he ended his shows with the sing-along "Circle," Chapin invited Little on stage at the Dane County Coliseum to participate in the song.
After WISM, Little worked at several other Madison stations and is proud of having helped launch WMMM-FM in 1991. Today, he is still active, as an executive with Troy Research, a broadcast and movie market research firm, and as personal manager for a number of artists.
Toni Tennille may not make the induction ceremony Thursday night, but, hey, Willie Davis will be there. "It's nice to be going in with a defensive end," Little said.
2/24
It was well below freezing at 7 this morning when I walked Augie past a neighborhood bakery. We all know those places stategically place their vents to entice potential customers, and the aroma of fresh doughnuts was in the air. I took Aug home, headed back to the bakery, bought two chocolate rings (one for my sleeping wife) and consumed mine while walking home.
"Like a true nature's child...we we born, born to be wild"
2/8
Just read an article that claims when it comes to music we all have some guilty pleasures. Songs we secretly like. Since you're visiting my blog, here's my confession:
* Herb Alpert/This Guy's In love with You - I ridicule "Tijuana Taxi" every Friday on the "8 O'clock Honk," and this great trumpet player was hardly a great vocalist, but the melody of this song is Burt Bacharach and Hal David at their peak.
* Glen Campbell/Witchita Lineman - same thing: a great writer (Jimmy Webb) outshines an OK singer.
* Mocedades/Eres Tu - Not sure why. I don't speak Spanish, although Oregon High teacher Anna Anderson sent me the lyrics to this 1974 hit.
* Rick Derringer/Teenage Love Affair - I was 14, the lyrics were racy, etc.
1/3
I'm taking advatange of a few days off-air by staying up past 9PM! My wife and I were out the other night, and drove past Kromrey School in Middleton. The streetlights barely illuminated some animal slowly limping across the athletic field. Figuring it was an injured dog, we called Middleton Police. Minutes later an officer arrived, drove his car to the edge of the field and used his heavy duty flashlight to investigate. Then he said to us (I am not making this up) "That's not a dog, that's the three-legged Coyote." Turns out this animal has been spotted around town frequently, but remains a fugitive.
12/28/07
JD Barber hosted Madison's top-rated morning show of the 1980s on Z104. When I learned of his death this morning, I instantly thought of Monday November 28, 1983. I had moved back to my hometown after 10 years, ready to host mornings as the new "Magic 98" would take over from WISM-FM that week. It was bitterly cold in Madison. All my belongings were in boxes in a cheap apartment. As I drove to Lums for some breakfast I scanned the radio dial. "Peter B" was on WIBA. Jim Mader was playing Sinatra on WERU. But JD and his crew (Ralph Cohen, Judy Newman) were far and away the best in town. I recall thinking "this will be formidable competition"...and I was right. While Magic 98 was successful from day one, JD would continue to host the #1 rated morning show for years to come.
10/31/07
My Minneapolis radio reunion was great fun, a lotta handshakes, hugs and pictures. The turnout was strong. I think most everyone that worked there realized what a special radio station we had. I especially enjoyed introducing my daughter to this great group of professionals.
10/23/07 (warning: longest blog entry ever)
I got an early start in radio, working part-time during my high school years when my family lived in Rochester, Minnesota. When I was 16 I discovered an interesting FM station in Minneapolis. Most kids my age were listening to rock and top 40, but this particular station stood out with it’s mixture of pop, jazz and whatever. It was not unusual to hear Joni Mitchell next to Spyro Gyra next to a Chicago album cut. The announcers were personable, funny, very connected to the Twin Cities. Even the call letters were legendary: WCCO-FM. I listened to it constantly.
Joan Kutner was a Rochester-based actress and voice talent who occasionally recorded commercials at my station. We got to talking about Minneapolis radio one day and she mentioned her occasional recording projects with WCCO-FM personality Tim Russell. She said “Why don’t I ask Tim to give you a tour?”
March 8, 1978. I skipped a day of my senior year and drove the 80 miles to Minneapolis. For a radio geek like me just walking into the station was a thrill. The studios were on 11th street, with picture windows looking at the downtown skyline. This was big-time radio! I watched as Tim finished his show, then he introduced me to station manager Paul Stagg. I told Stagg how much I liked the station and how much I’d like to work there someday. I also took the opportunity to give him a demo cassette of me on-air in Rochester.
Six months later I was surprised by a phone call from Paul Stagg. He said “How'd you like to work here?” I moved to Minneapolis!
For the next four years I worked my way up the on-air ladder at WCCO-FM. Weekends, then overnights, evenings and finally afternoons. I met my future wife, Lee. I thought we’d be in Minneapolis forever.
But Twin Cities radio was changing fast. Other stations offered bigger contests, fewer commercials, and marketed themselves constantly. CCO-FM management didn't respond. Listener loyalty eroded. In September 1982 the station flipped formats to Top 40 and fired most of the staff, including me.
WCCO-FM floundered with it’s new sound, eventually changing names, formats (again) and ownership, but I enjoyed my time there and will always remember what a great station it once was. All the talented people I worked with went on to new things, and this weekend most of us are gathering in Minneapolis for the first reunion in 25 years.
10/8/07
Just back from a fun weekend in the Twin Cities, which included a performance of Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion." My wife and daughter enjoyed the music and comedy, while I (as "Radio Dork") paid close attention to the technical requirements, timing, equipment, etc. The mellow, gentle, warm sound of this radio program is a contrast to what happens in St. Paul's Fitzgerald Theater, where the production feels more like a complicated Broadway play. Keillor is clearly the boss, constantly whispering to technicians during the musical numbers and sometimes makes changes to the actor's scripts during a sketch.
10/2/07
My generation remembers Danny Bonaduce as "Danny Partridge," although he's been working in radio broadcasting for years. When a Magic 98 salesperson left Madison for a job at WLUP in the early 90s, Danny Bonaduce was their afternoon host. I gave her a gag gift CD of "The Partridge Family's Greatest Hits." A few months later it was sent to me, inscribed "To Pat O'Neill...I think I love you...Danny Bonaduce."
9/17/07
"Bruce The Carpenter" died over the weekend at age 91. Listeners to Magic in the 80s will recall his Friday morning appearances, dispensing home project advice as his theme (a piece of classical music punctuated by a handsaw, as created by former bandleader Edmundo) played in the background. That description doesn't sound like entertainment, but I thought it was a riot. Bruce was a modest, quiet man and an excellent carpenter, but I'm not sure he ever noticed that each week's question came from "Ed on Sycamore Avenue," in reality my uncle.
8/11/07
Sometimes visitors to the Magic 98 studio say it doesn't appear as they imagined. I'm sure everyone has a different version, if the thought even occurs to them. We're in our third building in the station's history, a beautiful new complex on the west side, minutes from restaurants, the Beltline, etc. The studio is big, bright, comfortable. Large windows look to the west. We're surrounded by state-of-the-art equipment. But I doubt it would have impressed me more than our company's original WISM studio, which I first saw as a teenager. (Yawning? That's OK. Only radio geeks will read further). The building was on rural Syene Road, selected because the transmitting towers could stand in the nearby swamps. That meant mice and snakes were frequent visitors. The studio was maybe 10x10 feet, one tiny window. (60s WISM DJ "King Richard" claimed morning man Clyde Coffee had the window open one early morning and found a curious horse peaking inside). There was a tremendous energy because of the one (AM mono, remember) large, always-blasting speaker that occupied most of a wall. The low ceiling had multi-colored track lighting, a mod look for the time. The personalities played music from turntables, choosing 45s from a waist-high wooden record rack in the back of the room. (For some reason I was intrigued by that piece of furniture and later had a carpenter build something similar for me. It remains in my basement to this day. My wife knows we will never get rid of it). Beyond what was in the room is what came out of the room...the music, the entertainment, the life-long memories created by the 1970s WISM crew. It was Madison's original "Magic." Since my friend Jonathan Little spent many years there creating his popular afternoon show, I've asked him for some recollections.
Pat, the WISM studio you refer to was cozy like a closet. Most of the announcers worked with the door open year round. The AC would ice up on a hot, humid summer’s day. You’d have to turn off the AC for 30 minutes or so to defrost it. It was cold in that studio in the winter months. However, with a big 5,000 watt transmitter right down the hall you could warm the studio with the door open. My first shift in that studio was a Sunday morning 7am – 12 Noon more than 40 years ago. I was working full-time in the WISM sales department, but really wanted air time in that little studio whenever possible. I didn’t do Sunday mornings long. PD Jay O’Day decided I should be on Saturday night from 8pm until 1pm and Sunday night from 7pm until 1am. Unbelievably exciting, even though it meant I was working seven days a week….every week...playing the hits on Madison’s most popular radio station. The phone rang constantly with requests and I did my best to get them on. Since we couldn’t have a phone ringing when we were talking live on the mic, the engineers had hooked a big light to the phone lines. Whenever a phone line rang, this bright light came on. When I worked Saturday and Sunday nights, I don’t think the light was ever off. Back in those days the WISM phone line was Alpine 5-1234. Here’s a story with synchronicity. The very first 45 rpm single I ever bought was “Young Love” by Sonny James, a hit in '56 while I was in high school. One Saturday while I was on the air at WISM in 1966, a tall man dressed in black and wearing a cowboy hat came in the back door and walked down the hall to the WISM studio. You can imagine how shocked I was to have Sonny James step into the studio and greet me. He was actually looking for another radio station, but he saw the WISM tower and decided to stop in. I asked if he was up for an on-air visit and he obliged. I did my very first interview of a major recording artist with Sonny James, the Country Gentleman. During my 13 or so years with WISM I conducted dozens of interviews with major artists. Some artists you hear on Saturday at the 70's who stopped by that cozy little closet in the 70's were Harry Chapin, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Dan Fogelberg, Tim Weisberg, Charlie Daniels, Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon and many more. So many aspects of my radio career were launched in that little old WISM Studio at 3220 Syene Road.
6/10/07
It will take a long time to process everything from "The Concert For Gilda's Club." There was an energy and excitement at Magic 98...sometimes close to a controlled chaos...that I've never seen. Even with months of planning (What kind of incentives can we offer listeners? How do we obtain them? Where are all the "live" CDs? How do we feed the volunteers? Where can the Channel 3 crew set up for multiple "live shots" each day?) it was a tidal wave of surprises and non-stop activity. Dozens of Gilda's volunteers answering phones. Hundreds of calls responding to a genuine community need. We all heard amazingly candid on-air appearances. Gilda's brother Michael phoned from Detroit and told us of the positive impact a "Gilda's Club" has had in every city lucky enough to have one. Badger leaders Barry Alvarez, Mike Eaves, Lisa Stone, Bo Ryan and Brett Bielema showed their unified support. (It was fascinating to be around these people in-person. They all are warm yet direct, have a tangible confidence and upbeat, winning attitude. It's no wonder that the young men and women at the UW respond to them so well). WISC-TV's Toni Morrissey explained how upsetting her initial skin cancer diagnois was and how a "Gilda's Club" will support future patients. Listener Suey Starcyznski told us what a stage 4 patient deals with. Magic artist (and breast cancer survivor) Meslissa Etheridge e-mailed us a recorded endorsement for airing during the show. The late Mike McKinney's mother, Barbara, explained how much having a Madison Gilda's Club would mean to Mike. A lovely young mom, Kim Feller, and her two children Alyssa and Ben, stressed how helpful Gilda's Club had been as husband and father Mike fought cancer.
5/25/07
After the graduation celebration, my wife and daughter boarded a plane for Paris, a city Kate has dreamed of visiting for many years. I knew they would enjoy the art museums, cafes and shopping (and that I'd go nuts if I went along) so I volunteered to drive Kate's car home. I did it in one day, Boston to Madison, 20 hours. I could have gone faster, but I hopped off the interstate in Springfield, MA to see the "Basketball Hall Of Fame"...which was closed! At least I had a radio. I doubt one person has listened to more stations in a single day. Here's a partial list: "Mix"/Boston, WFAN/New York, WTIC/Hartford, WSYR/Syracuse, WJET/Erie, Q104/Cleveland, WHAS/Louisville, V98.7/Detroit, "The River"/Toledo, the legendary Dick Biondi on oldies WZZN/Chicago...and, finally, around 2AM, Magic 98.
5/22/07
Our family spent the weekend in rainy Boston, where Kate O'Neill received diplomas for her art history and journalism degrees. As much as the long hours of study have helped her decide the kind of career she'd like, I could tell from watching her hail cabs, pack her apartment and generally navigate life in the big city that these past four years have prepared her to be on her own. In a few weeks she's off to Minneapolis for an internship at the Walker Art Center.
5/17/07
My daughter graduates from college this weekend. Our friends say that it seems like Kate just left high school. To me it seems she was just born. Wonder why this milestone reminds me of that? I remember like it was yesterday. July 31, 1984 was humid in Madison. My wife had a rough final week of pregnancy. Dr. Price decided a C-section was needed. I was told I could watch, provided I get into some hospital scrubs. Nurse Kris Clary gave Kate her first bath, wrapped her in a blanket and handed her to me. It was after midnight as I carried Kate up and down the hospital halls. She had beautiful blue eyes and was very alert. When my wife awoke after the surgery she asked what happened. I said "Kate O'Neill is here." (A few years earlier we were visiting Duluth, saw a store named "Katy O'Neill's" and instantly decided on a name if we ever had a daughter). Everyone fell asleep around 4AM. I headed home...then discovered I was still wearing the hospital scrubs. I still have them.
5/2/07
I think the Donny Osmond you heard on our morning show interview is "a regular guy." (If you missed it, we'll be re-playing portions in the next few days and post a segment on Magic's website). The "pre-interview stuff" you don't hear on the radio is sometimes interesting. Will a representative call on behalf of a celebrity? Are certain questions off limits? Not with Donny. He called us himself (on-the-dot of the 7AM scheduled interview) from his home in Utah. He's been in show business for so long it's hard to ask him an original question. When Bob asked he if he regularly "hung out with Marie" he said no, he "prefers LaToya."
4/17/07
I would guess the ultimate reward for a teacher is knowing that they had a positive impact on kids. (I know they don't pursue the profession for money). Even though I started working on-air in radio while still in high school, I was a bit intimidated by the kids that had the talent and courage to get on stage for the high school musicals. Finally, in my senior year, as the school was getting set for Cole Porter's "Anything Goes," my music teacher Gerald "Smitty" Smith suggested I audition. I told him there was no way I going to sing in a roomful of people. He said, "come back here after school...you can audition for me." While he played piano I sang (or whispered) a few lines of "You're the top." I got a part in the play, had a great time...and have never forgotten his kindness. Smitty died on Monday in Arizona. Hundreds of his students have been e-mailing one another, each of them recalling their own experiences with this special teacher.
9/11/06
Most of us have moments from 9-11 permanently etched in our minds. Like many, I first heard from Bob Bonner that a plane had struck the World Trade Center. After his bulletin we turned on a TV in our studio and watched the surreal scene of the second plane crash. At that point we decided Magic listeners would best be served by wall-to-wall information, so for the better part of two days we broadcast CNN audio. It's dark in September when I arrive at Magic, and I will never forget seeing a huge, brilliantly lit American flag on the Beltline as I drove to the station the next morning. We opened our show with Paul Simon's "American Tune," with it's reference to the Statue of Liberty. Then, caring and concerned Magic 98 listeners took over, phoning in thoughtful observations. One of Bob's friends is a psychologist, who joined us on-air with helpful information on dealing with kids during such a stressful time. Production Director Paul Blair brilliantly captured audio from New York and Washington for Magic's audience. I wrote this piece for the Magic website a year later.
It was my first visit to New York City. August of 2001, just a month before the terrorist attacks. My wife and daughter and I did the things visitors to New York usually do. Broadway shows, a sandwich at Rupert Jee’s deli just around the corner from David Letterman’s studio, a drive through Central Park. While my family was occupied in the garment district, I toured NBC. On our way to hop the ferry for the Statue of Liberty trip…and doing 50 mph, thanks to our New York cab driver…we zoomed past the World Trade Center complex, never dreaming what would happen on that very spot a few weeks later.
Our vacation ended way too soon, as most vacations do. We loved our visit and we discarded our stereotypes of New York. The energy and excitement of this city is found nowhere else.
As we watched the attack a month later, it was eerie to think…”I was just there.”
A year later, August 2002, the three of us piled in the car for a long drive east, this time to look at college opportunities for my daughter. We toured several schools up and down the East Coast, then drove into Manhattan…an experience in itself. We arrived late afternoon, checked into our hotel, hailed a cab and headed to Ground Zero.
The cabby said nothing…clearly, he’d made the drive hundreds of times. He dropped us off in front of St. Paul’s Chapel, the oldest public building in New York. George Washington attended services there. It’s surrounded by a beautiful wrought-iron fence, about 12 feet high. Every inch is covered with a child’s artwork for a missing parent, a friend’s poem, pictures. Ballet slippers hang next to fireman’s boots. There’s a T-shirt sent from the Reedsburg, Wisconsin fire department.
My family joined the dozens of other people taking the emotional walk around this memorial. Ground Zero is bigger than it appears on TV. Hundreds of people are there around the clock. We introduced ourselves to a young policeman. His name was Chris, and he spent an hour telling us about September 11th.
He was testifying in a nearby courtroom when the first terrorist airplane hit. He raced to the scene, assisting a woman suffering an apparent heart attack. Concerned that buildings were in danger, he argued with a reporter to leave the scene…but the reporter, working for the Wall Street Journal, was on-the-air with CNN and refused to leave his vantage point, locking himself in an office.
I asked Chris to do an interview with us on Magic 98, knowing he might feel awkward doing so. As a police officer, he’s not allowed to comment on-the-record. Unofficially, he’s another example of the people that served above and beyond that day. He would be uncomfortable with the label “hero.”
What for him was just another conversation with a visitor to New York, was for my family a moving and meaningful visit with someone that was there. As this officer wondered out loud whether people thousands of miles away from New York cared about what had happened there, we let him know that this place was close to our hearts before all this happened…and it’s even closer now. We will never forget.
5/30/06
I mention Augie, my Golden Retriever, on-air occasionally. My wife and I love this dog and are guilty of treating her like a baby, now that our only child is well into college. I grew up with a lot of different dogs (ranging from Russian Wolfhounds to a Chihuahua) but it had been more than 20 years since I was around one. Augie became family immediately. Some dog experts say the Golden has a sense of humor, and translated to humans would be the "lampshade" guest at the party. I think it's true.
