The other day I was thinking about how easy my job was for the decade that I was involved with WIBC /WNAP in Indy. The on-air talent along with the support staff at Fairbanks Broadcasting was simply the best and I'm very proud to say that we just ruled Indy. WIBC was always #1 but when that rating book came in with 19.4 rating, not only did it produced a lot of revenue, it also produced a hell of a rating party. Oh, and did I mention that WNAP was tucked in right behind "Big Mama" in 2nd place?
Shockingly though, very few of the incredibly talented people who toiled at the two-story brick during those wondrous days are in the Indiana Radio Hall Of Fame. Whereas most of the KVIL staff, our radio station in Dallas at are in the Texas Radio Hall Of Fame. Hey, and they had to compete with the talent from Houston, San Antonio, and Austin, we just had to be better than Muncie and Fort Wayne.
I can only shake my head in wonder why Jim Hilliard who was the GM of WIBC/WNAP, the CEO of Fairbanks Broadcasting, and the President of the Indiana Pacers is not in there? You can't get much more "Hoosier" than that. Speaking of industry giants how do they ignore Gary Todd, Orly Knutson, Jerry Baker, Bob Lamey, Paul Page, Chuck Riley, Lou Palmer, Harry Andrews, Buster Bodine, Big John Gillis, Mike Griffin and many others? These guys were not only great on WIBC & WNAP, some of them were also part of the worldwide network coverage of the Indy 500.
I think it's fantastic that Cris Conner and Tom Cochran are deservedly in there, but unfortunately, Tom was inducted for his TV stuff, not for the great news work he did at WIBC & WNAP. However, even though a few nasty words come to mind about the why of it all, the thing I find even stranger is that the HOF is funded by a trust that our owner Mr. Fairbanks set up before he exited the planet. Hell, it's even called the "Richard M Fairbanks Indiana Broadcast Hall Of Fame." How Bizarre!
Life always feels like you've been going against the wind. However, when you're young it only feels like a slight breeze, but as you age you grow weary of it. Especially when it begins to feel like a hurricane.
The client is not always right, but our job is to never let him know.
Working hard does not always get rewarded, but working smart sure does.
The thing I liked about Reagan was that he allowed the middle class to get rich but they put a stop to that the moment he left office.
Traffic reports on the radio sound better when you do them for the folks who aren't driving.
When National business was 40% of the radio station's revenue, the GM's secretary took care of it but now that it's minuscule it somehow has become a V/P position?