There aren’t too many people to look up to in broadcasting anymore. Thousands who thought Jian Ghomeshi was all that sure got a slap upside the head in the past year or so. And the business is less stable than ever. Even some of the well-liked, long running hosts find themselves at the wrong end of a pink slip. Take Jennifer Valentyne. She was let go from CITY-TV after 17 years simply because they found a cheaper way to do what she does.Â
In Canada, unless you love someone on the CBC, you have to look to the US for national radio stars. I always admired Scott Shannon. He finds a way to make himself and his station popular and relevant, regardless of the trend of the moment. Imagine my delight when our CHML morning show went to Universal Studios in Orlando to broadcast for a week in the late 1990s, and in the next studio was Shannon’s show, The Big Show, with Scott and Todd (Pettengill).
Universal had a beautiful set-up for radio shows. They would fly you down, put you up in one of their hotels and pay for everything but fancy dinners and souvenirs. In exchange, the team would host their show live from one of their state-of-the-art studios, and talk up the attributes of visiting the park. We also signed an agreement to not visit nearby competitor Disney, but no one – including us – ever honoured it. Note: I was in a phase where I thought wearing clothing one size too big was slimming. Instead, I now think I look like I was wearing pyjamas. But I digress.
During songs or other breaks in our broadcast, I would peek next door into the big studio and watch Shannon and his team do their thing. They were topical and had energy. Going back to our sleepy show with Bob “I know what happened in downtown Hamilton in 1946 and you don’t” Bratina and producer/weather guy Brian Wood and myself was a lunchbag letdown.Â
Two years ago, when Scott Shannon launched a new morning show on WCBS-FM, New York’s Greatest Hits, he was #1 within one ratings period. That’s an incredible feat in one of the most competitive radio markets in the world.Â
Perhaps I’ve told this story before, but it’s one of my favourites from the on-location show at Universal. The studio would set out a continental breakfast for the announcers. One morning I emerged to refill my cup and grab a muffin only to find a tray of only muffin stumps! A peek inside the big studio told the tale. There was Scott Shannon, and before him, a selection of muffin tops. Even though it meant I would only have a stump I thought yeah, that’s about right!