Well our first season of Big Z Sports has come to a close. It seems like it was all of a month long instead of 9 months. For the first time with a new format I feel the show was a fabulous success. Those of you who have listened to the show or read this blog you know I have spent a number of years in media covering high school sports. I have to say this was by far the best time I have had. The format allowed me to do more of what I enjoy, ad lib. I learned early on in this business if you take yourself to seriously it becomes a job and it should never feel like a job. As I look back on the season so many things stand out as to why the show was a success and I thought I would list a few.
First, the show doesn’t happen without the support of my boss Ed Schumaker. As I have said all along this was his idea, and what a great idea it was. Being a small business owner in this day and age, as we all know, is very difficult. Being a small, independent radio station owner is even tougher. Ed's commitment to the community and the schools is unquestioned over the years. Better yet, he is a great guy to work for. Do you think I have said enough to get a raise yet? I also need to thank the stations program director Steve Kelly. Consummate professional is the best way to describe Steve. Always willing to provide you with nuggets from his years of experience but also comfortable with letting you do your thing. That can be dangerous, especially with a creative wordsmith like me. I like the sound of that, wordsmith, maybe I will use that on air. Okay maybe not.
Working on radio is all about the guys you work with and I had three great ones. Actually four, Rick Brown started the season with us and then retired. I am still envious Rick. Rick was another one of those professionals who was always willing to provide great support and direction. When Rick retired we got lucky and brought along the brains of the outfit Nate. Now to let you know how old I am, when I was working years ago at TV-2 we used to film commercials for Parkway with Bill Smith. Well, we did a series of commercials with Bill's grandson who was maybe ten years old. Yep, it was Nate. He had talent back then and now he is even more talented. When I say he was the brains of the outfit I am not lying. All those great pictures and videos you saw on the Facebook page and You Tube Nate did for us. When my buddy Zuckerburg changed the page around and sent me into anxiety attacks Nate took control.
Now if you are on radio its all about how you sound. When you are dealing with me that can be a considerable challenge. Fortunately we had one of the best producers/board operators in the business, Big Al. I have known Al for a number of years having worked at another radio station with him. Story time; my first job in radio I thought was going to be in sales. After my interview the owner said you got the job be here tomorrow at five in the morning. So the next morning I show up in suit and tie thinking who the heck is even open now I could sell to. It was then I was informed that along with my sales duties I was the new News Director. Well lets just say my first newscast was god-awful and Al was laughing his butt off in the studio. He had to be thinking this guy wont last a week. Al was a big help then and he continues to look after me to this day. Al's carpel tunnel is caused by the years of keeping his finger on the delay button just in case I slip.
Lastly there is my co-pilot Josh. Poor Josh. Folks if you listen to great broadcasting duo's doing any show part of what makes them sound good is they develop an ability to anticipate each others thoughts. Andrea I apologize. The mental issues Josh will be experiencing over the next years of his life will more than likely be caused by trying to keep up with my mind. Shows like this can be difficult enough but when you work with someone who you have no idea where he is going is very difficult. Josh went right along and brought a lot to the show. He was the perfect partner for someone like me because he could get me worked up or calmed down, which ever the situation called for. The other big thing was Josh understood from day one it wasn’t about us it was about the kids and the listeners. He helped deliver that message each week.
There are so many others who need recognized too for which space does not allow but I do want to make a special thanks to Melanie and her sales staff. Without the sponsors the show cannot go on and Melanie and her gang did a great job. Thank you as well to those sponsors. So many of them are so very familiar in their commitment to the schools and the communities in which we live. Nothing speaks more about the area that we live in like our area businesses being active in the schools and the kids. I also need to thank all the Athletic Directors and Coaches who gave of their time to do interviews or appear in the studio with us. I said it a million times folks and I believe it, we are blessed to have great coaches in our area.
Finally the biggest thank you to the kids. They provide us with a great way to forget about the days problems. If you take anything away from this show I hope it is how important it is we support our youngsters. It doesn’t take a village to raise a child folks, it just takes one person who cares. One person who loves a kid enough to tell them no. One person who cares enough to teach a kid its not about the mistake you make, its about how you handle that mistake. If we could ever get a village of people like that they would have to call it paradise. See you all in August!
-Roger
E-Mail
Print
