In other news...I am now unemployed.

I try not to get too personal in these postings, as it is primarily aimed at promoting the arts in Niagara and beyond, but occasionally something happens and I feel the need to share it with you.  This is one of those times.  So bear with me as this could be a long one.

Here are the numbers:  40 years in radio; just over 32 at CKTB Radio in St. Catharines; about 8 years producing and booking interviews for the morning show with Tim Denis; 15 minutes on Thursday morning as it all came to an end.  Now, if you are expecting a venomous tirade from your humble scribe, sorry to disappoint you, but this is neither the time nor the place for that.  I prefer to celebrate my time there and the wonderful people I have had the honour and pleasure of working with for so many years.

Since I arrived at the station in May of 1981, the last hire for the outgoing Burgoyne family that owned the stations for many decades, I have weathered no less then seven ownership changes, each time learning a new corporate culture and adapting to the new reality.  The latest change that saw us under new corporate ownership yet again was worrisome to me from the very beginning due to my length of tenure and the nature of the corporate business model being followed not only in broadcasting but in many businesses today.  But I remained hopeful and optimistic, remaining a team player both on the local and the corporate level.

Still, new ownership brings changes and that was the case this week barely a month after the new corporate ownership was in place.  Thursday morning, myself, Joe Cahill, Promotions Director Michelle Williams and Promotions head for Hamilton/St. Catharines Dave De Rocco were all told in private meetings our services would no longer be required.  About 15 minutes later we were all done, trying to come to grips with this new reality.

I understand the need to adhere to a bottom line and the fact new ownership brings with it inevitable change, so I know this is always difficult both for those let go and those who remain.  I can't speak for the others, but for me, I was hoping my experience, knowledge of the local market and desire to produce a winning product might count for more than it obviously did.  And although I accept the reality of the situation I and the others now find ourselves in, I cannot accept the swiftness of the decision and the assumption the local product will not be in some way affected by these moves.

The radio industry is a funny business, really.  I have in all my years seen much worse scenarios played out in stations across the country than what we saw here, of course.  For me personally I remember the late 70s working in Oshawa as morning show host on the FM station and returning from vacation only to find someone else doing my show.  I was given a place in the lunchroom and was expected to find something to do.  I did.  I found a better job about a month later.  So here, I can certainly keep things in perspective and know it can be and often is worse for others who suffer the same fate we did on Thursday.

For those of you not familiar with what I have been doing for the past 32 years at CKTB, I was hired by the late Bob Reinhardt, one of the radio managers I learned to respect more than many I had worked with up to that point, along with Program Director Bob Johnston, who offered the evening music programme "Niagara by Night" from 7 to 12 midnight.  From there I added other shows I hosted over the years, including nostalgia shows to an entertainment-based interview show where I interviewed everyone from professional circus clown teachers to legendary dancer Ginger Rogers, with whom we discussed everything from modern movies to breakdancing.

In my time I also produced every sports broadcast imaginable from baseball to hockey and football to basketball, all the while not knowing a thing about any of the sports!  I had a brief stint hosting a radio call-in show without benefit of a producer to screen calls for me, taking each call as it came in - talk about working without a net!  Also for awhile I worked morning and evening split-shifts producing both talk shows for the late Doug Hobbs and John Michael, a period I always referred to as my "chuckles and knuckles" era.  And of course, there was the long stretch I was producing a string of ethnic programmes each evening ranging from Italian to Hindi.

But perhaps my most rewarding time was spent hosting my long-running classical-music show "Classically Yours" which had two runs, both in the 80s and then again in the early 90s when management at the time begrudgingly allowed me to play what they referred to as "that classical crap" on the air.  I forged many friendships while hosting that show and still know people who remember it fondly.

What won't I miss?  Certainly, the early mornings that saw me rise about 3 am to start researching stories of the day online and the long hours searching out and booking interviews, often long past my expected bed-time in the evening.  Oh and the occasional call-back about 11 pm from people wondering why I was in bed already!

Okay, that was then and here we are now.  So where do we go from here?  Well, in the short term I plan to try to keep my online music business going, which you can find at www.finemusic.ca as long as people want to buy hard copies of recordings of every description.  I also plan to continue writing my blog in this space, and in fact after a brief rest period this month I hope to increase the frequency of my postings come September now that I have more time to devote to it.  In fact, since the local arts scene has more or less been my chosen beat for many years now, I plan to increase my reporting on same in this space come the fall as well.

But longer term, we still have to see.  The reality of the situation is I still have bills and a mortgage to pay, and the settlement I received only goes so far.  I am looking at any and all opportunities I can find out there at the moment, and keeping my fingers crossed this veteran broadcaster, communicator and digital ink-stained writer might find a new home at which to hang his hat.  While I would love to continue in the radio broadcast field, I'm certainly aware of the fact my next position likely will be outside that realm, and that is fine with me.  As they say, a change is as good as a vacation.

My resume certainly will be updated this week.  I think the last time it was updated we were still using chisel and hammer on stone tablets.  And yes, I will be looking for professional help with my job search.

But  I want to impress upon everyone who happens to read my message today two things.  First, I am open for business.  I am looking, and I am eager to contribute and make a difference for another organization no matter what it is.  There is still lots of creativity and desire in these bones just waiting to be utilized.  So if you hear of anything, please keep me in mind.  Second, I harbour no ill will towards anyone involved in this present situation my esteemed colleagues and I find ourselves in.  What's done is done and it is time to move on.  It was a great ride and I for one consider myself lucky to have been a part of it for 40 years.

Finally, I want to thank everyone I have had the pleasure and honour of working with over the past 32 years at CKTB.  Rather than sound like an Oscar thank-you speech that goes on too long, I will simply say you all know who you are.  There have been many, both past and present who have been friends, confidants and trusted colleagues.  The family I have known at 12 Yates Street will do anything for you whenever the need arises.  That's just how they are and I for one am humbled to have spent so many years working alongside them.

I have gotten to know a lot of wonderful people over the years, both personally and professionally, and I will miss those relationships.  So please don't be a stranger.  You can comment through my blog post of course, but it might be better to email me directly at music@vaxxine.com or call me at 905-682-9303.  I will always look forward to hearing from each and every one of you!

The last couple of days I spent quietly coming to gips with this new reality, working through the shock, the hurt, and yes the anger.  Although I can't promise I won't feel twinges of any of those again in the future, my sister reminded me this week when one door closes another will open, and I am ready to pass through that door for my next Great Adventure.  Come with me and let's share it together!

August 11th, 2013.