Maybe it only matters to those who know the one time connection of "they are experiencing what I'm experiencing". Maybe it's part of the reason why when I was a budding personality, I had a line of people ahead of me to get an on air job, any job, where today many outlets go begging for those wanting to become part of the business. The plug and play mentality may have taken away that special uniqueness.
Bob was one of my heroes growing up. I remember with pride the Christmas morning I was listening to him on WBNS on the way to fire up WRFD and be the all day Christmas fill in guy. The thought of knowing I was "competing" with him for an audience. BC and me working on Christmas day on competing frequencies. I was in awe when I worked pt at WTVN and relieved him on Saturday evenings to do a show. Just knowing the guy who wore the headphones prior to me was the great BC. Or appearing at Eastland Mall together to do a Secret Santa remote.
As I said; maybe I'm a radio romantic. Just enough geek remains in me where this type of thing matters. Maybe for most of the population, if they know they don't care and most probably don't know but if they did it wouldn't matter.
There's a big part of me that that looks on with respectful awe that at 77 he still matters. That he has enough clout to do his show where he wants (even the Early Worm often broadcast from home in the 60's). Sure the voice isn't as crisp and clear as it once was. That he doesn't sound as hip as he used to. But he still matters. That's a testament.
And then there's the traditional part that of me that says if you want to represent the city, you need to be in the city. Maybe that part needs to silently slip away because times have changed. And hosts, for the most part, no longer matter as much as they once did.