Daily Dose of BS July 12

I know a guy who gave up his smart phone since he couldn’t not look at his phone while he was driving.  I think that if you know you can't not look, this is a smart thing to do.  I am not sure how many times throughout the day that I notice someone texting while driving, and it is both men and women, young and old.  I am often looking at my phone when I am stopped but have been tempted to look at it I am not going to lie.  I heard on the radio yesterday morning that there is new technology out there that will stop your phone from being able to text while driving but only if you are the driver.  I like this, I think that this kind of technology will be a good thing for our younger drivers and heck even the more seasoned drivers like myself who are tempted to look at the phone while driving.  The only thing is how does the phone know that you are the driver and not just a passenger.  I was making a phone call the other day from my phone in my car and the guy who was in the truck next to me laid on the horn, at first I was mad, but then realized that he assumed that I was texting, and I was still mad, but I got over it and understand why he was upset.  

Daily Dose of BS July 11

Are you as irritated as I am when you call a business to talk to someone and they come on with a recorded voice saying we are trying to make it easier on you by streamlining the process by automating?  I call BS I do not recall a single time in my life that the automated phone answerer has made my life or anyone’s life easier.  How can listening to an answering machine telling me to listen as our options have changed possibly make it easier for me to get my job done?  I called a huge business that every one of you have heard of the other day a number that I had memorized as I have talked to these people for many years, only to end up 7 minutes later still trying to navigate their stupid time saver, the only saver of time that was saved was the person on their end of the line answering the phone and putting me thru to the person that I wanted to talk to.  This reminds me of another Midwest business that has a generic number out there, and the listing for you to talk to this department push this etc and I thought I would beat the system and push zero to get the operator, guess what that just repeated the message and then I was on a mission to find the operator number so that I could voice my opinion on how I loved the system, it was a double digit number and when I hit it I was transferred to a full mail box and hung up on.  Needless to say I voiced my opinion next time I visited the store; the voice mail however is still the same.  Damn. 

Daily Dose of BS July 10

I had the most surreal week last week.  I always wanted to have a 3 hour long morning talk show, I have been doing radio for much of the past 25 years, and in that time I have had a 30 minute talk show for about 5 years and produced a talk show for over 15 years, and filled in for that talk show many times., but the past week was one of trial and error, more error than trial.  I learned a lot, for example you cannot walk in to a new situation thinking you are able to BS your way through an hour if someone was not available to talk.   I also learned that a billboard is huge, especially if your mug is on it.  It is so surreal to look at a 12 foot high mug shot on a billboard.   It is also weird to have people be totally blunt with you, for example someone said you are horrible on the radio and I am glad you got fired from your last job, another person told me I have the face for radio, I have also heard that I love your voice and I think you are funny.  I guess when you have a media job and you are in the public that you can expect the unexpected.  But when you are totally blunt with someone try to remember that we do have feelings, and maybe try to tone it down a bit, and I know I got the face for radio and the voice for newspaper.

Daily dose of BS July 9

We have all heard someone we know say I long for the good old days when things were much simpler.  Heck I bet that many of you have said it at a point or two in your lives.  Now correct me if I am wrong the good old days meant black and white tv, only am radio, no remotes, cell phones, microwaves, or dvd players and dvrs.  It also meant getting on your hands and knees to trim grass around the fences, washing dishes by hand and hours and hours of research done at the library.  I guess we all love having a hot and humid home especially after last week, and love to cut wood, and stack it only to be woke in the middle of the night to add wood to the fire.  And who can forget the ice cold outhouse seat at 2 in the morning with no lights.  I for one am glad that we have the modern conveniences, and for the every once in a while that I think otherwise, there is nothing stopping me from getting rid of the modern convenience that have made our lives easier and more productive.  If ya don’t like it try spending a day living in the past, winding up your record player, having your phone in your kitchen and having to open your garage door by yourself, oh yea remember men you have to wear a suit to work, with a fancy hat.

Daily Dose of BS July 5

Hot enough for you? I hate when people say that but have been finding myself saying it within the last few days. The temperatures around La Crosse have been unbearable and as I am getting older I am not as tolerant when it comes to heat and humidity. I was thinking that I have had the air on in my house for the past at least 10 days and maybe even longer. I even gave up going to my cabin on Tuesday night because there is no air there, also didn’t go to Riverfest Tuesday night because of the same thing. I did spend much of yesterday there and also will be walking a mile in her shoes for prevention of domestic violence tonight, come down to the fest grounds to cheer us on and to look at over 300 men wearing high heel. And when we are done doing the walk, I expect that the La Crosse Jaycees Beer tent will be full of men with high heels…the picture of that is just scary and disturbing. Daily Dose of BSweekday mornings on Today's Talk 1490 and weekday afternoons on Magic 105

Daily Dose of BS June 25

I have been in radio for most of my adult life; I have worked in many different formats meaning music genera over the past 24 years from top 40, to oldies, from active rock to talk and adult contemporary to country.  I have worked all shifts starting out overnights in Mason City Iowa, moved to Scottsbluff Nebraska and over the 2 ½ years there, worked all the shifts mornings, middays, afternoons and nights.  I have spent the last 20 years here in La Crosse Wisconsin.  Most of that time working in radio; one break I took ,the other was a layoff.  I have been with the La Crosse Radio group since about 6 months after my layoff, I have been here almost 3 years, working in news and doing the afternoon shift on Magic 105.  About 6 months ago I was asked if I wanted to help switch the format of Adult Standards 1490 WLFN to Today’s Talk 1490.  Would I?  It would be a dream come true, as working talk radio was always my favorite.  The dream is getting closer as I will be taking over the morning show calling it BS with Bob Schmidt, 6-9 Monday – Friday.  I have never been part of a format change before, and I am sure some will be upset, hopefully more will love it than hate it.  You know as a person with over half my life on the radio, I am surprisingly nervous as I type this out.  It is getting closer and closer by the day.  I am asking you to please join me when you can weekday mornings on Today’s Talk 1490 and then again weekday afternoons here on The Best Variety Magic 105.  And to all my team members at La Crosse Radio Group thank you for believing in me, I won't let you down.  Daily Dose of BS 

Daily Dose of BS June 22

I did not write this, I don’t know who did, I tried to find the original author, I couldn’t, but I liked it so am sharing it.  Me, behave/normal?  Seriously?  As a child I saw Tarzan almost naked, Cinderella arrived home after midnight, Pinocchio told lies, Aladdin was a thief, Batman drove over 200 miles an hour, Snow White lived in a house with 7 men, Popeye smoked a pipe and had tattoos, Pac Man ran around to digital music while eating pills that enhanced his performance, and Shaggy and Scooby were mystery solving hippies that always had the munchies. The fault is not mine!  Also don't forget that Elmer Fudd didn't practice gun safety.  Fred & Daphne used to head off alone together.  Captain Caveman was a throwback raging on 'roids.  There were like 99 Smurfs, but only one was female....and they lived in shrooms.  It's still unclear what George Jetson did for a living.  A dune buggy had a speech impediment.  And somehow the Harlem Globetrotters ended up in all of the cartoons mentioned.  Captain Kangaroo could see us thru the tv, there was sexual tension between Mr Skinner and Miss Krabapple , the Simpson kids always disrespected their parents, how am I to know any better. As I said I don’t know who originally wrote this, but thought I would share.  It’s just not my fault.