One Thing Never Changes. Life is Always About the Kids & Pets

I remember when I was a young and considerably more hefty radio talk show host wanna be a thousand years ago. In fact I was most certainly a big fish in a small pond....literally. Oneonta, New York is a small community in every way. You could run into the Mayor on the sidewalk, talk to the chief at the police station and know every family having dinner at the Italian restaurant on the railroad tracks. As a young and, obviously, soon-to-be-famous radio star, my job was my life.

Local government issues, national politics, local sports, tons of interviews, fundraising, all of it. I was awarded the key to the City one winter because I was the only idiot dumb enough to stay at the radio station during a 10-foot blizzard (I still have that key by the way).

I was prepared, organized and ready to inflict my opinion on anyone who would listen. And with only 2 radio stations in town, the other on a static-handicapped AM dial, I had a 50-50 chance people would hear me.

In the winter every kid in town would pray to the weather Gods that there was enough snow to cancel school. And, after they were done praying they would pick up the phone, every last one of them, and call the radio station. "Is my school open, is my school open? Of course I was the big fish so they all assumed I knew which school they attended. They showed very little concern about my one-way ticket to stardom. I was creating art people.

The second most popular phone call we received on a daily basis was about lost dogs and cats. Kids, neighbors, residents in tatters after losing the family pet, begging for us to make an announcement that their Beagle had broken through the fence on East Street. Or the neighbors cat was stuck on a telephone pole clinging for his life.

Fast forward 20 years. Local Radio is being replaced by the web and e-mail. People get their news and information on their phones within 30 seconds, no commercial interruptions. And, my daughter says she'll hologram me when she grows up, enough of this texting stuff Dad.  Thanks to Pete and Cindy Doragh for saving Lucky from the traffic on Gateway Boulevard and calling me at home last night. Thanks to all of you for responding to our e-mail and helping us find Lucky's family.

Some things will never change. The most important things in life are still kids and pets...........

We'll see you all tonight at the Pack it for Piper Hockey Game