Radio Redirection

Wednesday November 26th, 2008 - Chicago, IL

Radio is a game of musical chairs. Everybody moves around from job to job and station to station and it’s very unpredictable. Today I had two scenarios develop I didn’t plan for and they happened at two different stations. One was pleasant and one was bittersweet.

The pleasant surprise was getting a call from Jerry Agar asking me to join him in studio live on WLS tonight. He filled in from 7pm to midnight and looked to keep it lighter as it really doesn’t need to be news oriented on the day before Thanksgiving. People are tired.

I always love hanging out on the air especially when it’s with Jerry and on WLS. That’s a legendary radio station and at night it goes to about 38 states and much of Canada. I will bet more people heard us in this one single hour than saw me perform live the entire year.

That’s the power of radio. I wish I’d been able to plug Uranus Factory Outlet but that’s not ready yet so I didn’t. We just riffed a little about stuff Jerry had prepared and it went well. Monica DeSantis is the news person at that time and she added to the mix as well.

It was just plain FUN to be on WLS for an hour at night riffing with my friend Jerry. It isn’t often the airwaves of a major radio station open up like that so I’m thrilled he called. He didn’t have to do it but since he’s off the air and still being paid for a short time longer he thought it was smart to keep his name out there and I agree. This was good business.

He basically had a five hour commercial for himself and that never hurts. He received a lot of calls from listeners wishing he was back on the air and he handled it all with class. I don’t know of many people who could have done that but Jerry did and it only looks good for him even though he doesn’t have an actual job. Stuff like this will help to get him one.

The bittersweet news was getting a call from my Mothership Connection co-host Scott Markus telling me he got a job in L.A. and this Sunday will be his final week on the air. I think he may have thought I was going to be upset with him but not at all. It‘s a big break.

That kid is very sharp and I was lucky to have him as a co-host for as long as I did. He’s 28 and has a brilliant future. He’s a film maker and a published author and has done more things in his 20s than most people do in a lifetime. He’s got success written all over him.

It’s sad he won’t be an in studio co-host every week but that doesn’t mean he still can’t be part of the show. He can be on the phone or do recorded bits or whatever he wants if it fits into his schedule. He and I will meet up on Sunday and decide where to go from here.

This is how radio works. I expected Scott to be around for a while and he’s gone. I had thought Jerry was off WLS but now he’s back on - for a night anyway. That’s how it goes and I’m glad I’m able to roll with it. I’ve seen it happen too many times to let it get to me but a little stability would be nice at some point. I’m sure not doing it for the money. Now I have to rethink the whole Mothership Connection show and see if it’s worth my time.