Radio's future... in the car

[Radio55]

Looks like Chrysler is going to offer internet access in their models in 2009. (a Link for the story from the LA Times is below.) Now, here come the predictions of the death of radio, but I'm not so sure. Radio is an important component to every day life. TV, 8-tracks, cassette decks, satellite radio... all have tried to kill radio, and frankly, I believed that radio as we know it was in a lot of trouble. But the key is local content. And that means local jocks. I know this is wishful thinking, but voice-tracking is going to have to go away. A live body needs to be in the studio to provide the connection between the listener and the radio station. Like I say, it's wishful thinking, because it is simply too easy for operators to voice-track. I get it. The key threat of internet radio is listening to syndicated programming live, rather than waiting for the playback on the local station. The real worry is that connection between listener and station -- do people really care about their "favorite station" anymore? It's kind of like a lot of things, there are so many choices, you can't make a choice.

Your thoughts?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wificar25-2008jun25,1,2980140.story

 

[G Thompson]

Local radio will always have the edge. We just need to be good stewards of that edge.

Stations with strong local news and weather departments will have the easiest time. I doubt your KRMG's of our industry will have a big problem adjusting.

Regardless of Wifi, people are always going to want that "local" feel. So, there will be a premium on talent that is locally known and familiar to the listener. Your long-standing shows will be even more valuable because these talents are uniquely identifiable to their markets. These are talents people grew up listening to.

For Tulsa, the names would be people like Mel, Wavy, Barber, Carly Rush, etc. There are more. But building and fostering that bond between talent and listener will become even more important. And of course, content will become even more important than it already is.

I dont think the presence of wifi in cars will imediately overhaul our industry or anything. But over time, we'll need to tweak what we're doing and take our local stationality more seriously than we are currently.

 

[Bob Oshea]

Looks like Chrysler is going to offer internet access in their models in 2009. (a Link for the story from the LA Times is below.) Now, here come the predictions of the death of radio, but I'm not so sure. Radio is an important component to every day life. TV, 8-tracks, cassette decks, satellite radio... all have tried to kill radio, and frankly, I believed that radio as we know it was in a lot of trouble. But the key is local content. And that means local jocks. I know this is wishful thinking, but voice-tracking is going to have to go away. A live body needs to be in the studio to provide the connection between the listener and the radio station. Like I say, it's wishful thinking, because it is simply too easy for operators to voice-track. I get it. The key threat of internet radio is listening to syndicated programming live, rather than waiting for the playback on the local station. The real worry is that connection between listener and station -- do people really care about their "favorite station" anymore? It's kind of like a lot of things, there are so many choices, you can't make a choice.

Your thoughts?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-wificar25-2008jun25,1,2980140.story

Don't worry 55. No one can afford an '09. We're spending all our money on gasoline. Having internet access in a car to me would be like trying to drive and play chess at the same time. Hell, why not replace the steering wheel with a mouse too? When they can get me a car that runs on hydrogen or electricity and still perform like a '68 GTO 4 speed loaded up with 3 deuces then I'll buy it. Which means my next new car won't be in the driveway for another 4 or 5 years. Until then my radio is set on 740, Star, Mix, Kool, The Sound and KBEZ. I like'em all.

The Lyin' King,
Bob O'Shea

 

[GeneSavage]

It won't happen immediately; heck, I've been waiting for this for 14 years! But it will happen. And internet use in the car (especially for listening to streaming stations) will get easier and easier.

While I fully believe local done well can and will win every time, it's a question of how well we'll do local. For comparison, look at television. How do KJRH, KOTV, KTUL, and KOKI do compared to cable / satellite channels? I'll look up the numbers if anybody doubts me, but the last reports I've heard say national cable networks are killing local stations affiliated with the big broadcast networks.

How can that be? The local stations do local news shows at 5, 6, & 10! Don't people want that local feel?

Apparently it just wasn't that important.

Sure, everybody wants to be able to punch over for storm warnings, local sports, and occasionally news (although more and more of that traffic is going to the web, too; kudos to the Tulsa World for a great local news site). However, they're punching away afterward to go see the content they want to see... WHOEVER is providing it.

The internet has the potential to kill broadcast radio only because it is a more efficient way to deliver radio to the listeners. Look at it this way: if all other things were equal and you had the chance to A) use the electricity to power a 100,000 watt transmitter plus the air conditioner to keep the transmitter cool plus the tower lighting plus the licensing costs to cover about 90 miles, or B) plug a standard computer into an outlet and plug the air board into the sound card and cover the entire planet...

...which would you do?

We need to start thinking of the bands as AM / FM / ISP.

Right now a radio would NEVER leave off FM... but there was a time that we never thought a radio wouldn't have an AM band, but they're all over the place now. You can still buy AM / FM radios, but many of the portable radios especially are FM-only.

If stations start dropping their transmitters in favor of a crystal-clear global stream, could we someday see radios that are ISP-only?

It's something to consider. And the big boys are ALWAYS looking for ways to cut costs... that's quite a savings!

Also keep in mind that if it becomes a level playing field (or nearly level; you have to pay for cable or satellite yet they beat up on NBC / CBS / ABC / Fox that are free), you're no longer competing with 15 or 20 other FMs, or another dozen AMs, you're competing with hundreds of thousands of stations from around the world.

We've always found a hole in the market and filled it... are you prepared to compete when there are 1,500 other stations (some likely with more money) doing your EXACT format?

It's a brave new world, friends... the hurricane warnings are being issued years in advance... will we be ready?

P.S. - Just because you CAN reach the world doesn't mean you have to PROGRAM for the whole world; there's no reason not to create a highly-focused local stream and clearly cover every office building and home in the valley in your survey area.

When KRMG started their audio stream, suddenly you could pick them up in north Tulsa county at night... over the web. Shamrock has started an internet-only station called TULSA original music. These stations may have some interest outside of the area, especially for homesick natives, but mainly they serve the Tulsa area... and of course, cover them perfectly anywhere you can get an internet connection.

No multipath, no adjacent channel interference, no static, no whine, no fade, no hiss, no switching to mono, no losing the signal if you leave town for the weekend (or at sunset)... what's not to like?

 

[jackd]

I'll admit...I'm not a huge fan of voice tracking BUT you can still be local & connect via voice tracking. VT jocks have a tendency to get lazy but if done right it can & will give you the same results as live.

Personally, both internet & satellite radio is only a MILD threat to local radio. The biggest threat is that stinkin' iPod. The listener has the ability to program their own radio station & listen to whatever they want whenever they want.

Gary said it best...we need to be good stewards of our edge (local).

 

[Hung up]

...we need to be good stewards of our edge (local).

I don't think that "local" is as important as being relevant. A story/event of national or international origin can be much more personally impactful than a feature story about a nearby high school. You gotta know your audience.

 

[Bob Oshea]

...we need to be good stewards of our edge (local).

I don't think that "local" is as important as being relevant. A story/event of national or international origin can be much more personally impactful than a feature story about a nearby high school. You gotta know your audience.

Sometimes the obvious is hard to see. I am probably the world's worst at seeing the forest for the trees. Embarrassing really. The "local" vs "relevant" is so true. It's the now decades old idea that made USA Today a huge success story. In fact, if you go back far enough, it's what made Mad Magazine a success story. As inane as Mad's story lines were, they were relevant and topical. While local news and weather have always been important, people aren't in love with the local radio personality anymore because today's audiences have been taught not to care about the DJ. He simply exists to play music and communicate pre-programmed information. News rooms have been decimated by cutbacks. They're really just a rehash of the evening and morning tv news stories. Did they catch the guy who carjacked a woman's van full of children and raped the eight year old girl who happened to be a passenger in the van? Yes! Is he the same guy who raped and left a five year old BA girl naked and lost on a country road last year? That's what I'd like to know right now. But who's asking these questions? Who's reporting on them hourly? Why isn't every news outlet in Tulsa at police headquarters standing outside locked doors waiting for hourly updates? Answer, ain't in the budget. We're in a crazy world of "I'll get back to you as soon as I get word." Well, we can't depend on them getting back to us with breaking news. Local won't save radio. Relevant will and frankly it's the only thing that has. If you don't believe that, listen to the words of the songs people are listening to. New or old, music is relevant to every age group at some level. Local doesn't mean crap if its not relevant. As a DJ from a different era, I hated it when I heard a programmer tell me "it's about the music stupid!". He wasn't trying to insult, but when personality was programmed right out of radio and became a taboo, save a smattering of morning shows, relevance became the battle cry. Personalities, the great ones, always understood this. If they were topical, they were relevant. And I've got news for you, they weren't talking about the flap jack dinner at the downtown YMCA. They were talking about Sick Mick's "Jumpin' Jack Flash" being a "gas, gas, gas, at $5+ a gallon!" Forget your local crap. Four alarm house fires don't pique my interest anymore. A four alarm house fire where all lives including the family dogs and cats were saved, now that's relevant. But I don't care whether it was in China or in Turley as long as it's relevant. The Shriner Circus came to town. Big deal! The Shriner Circus came to town and rasied $500,000 to help children get medical help. Now that I care about! But I couldn't possibly care less if it was Tulsa Town or Chi Town. It's the relevance of the information that hits home with me. Truth be told, unless I can get streaming headline news in my car, I don't listen as a rule. The big AM's are just a bunch of crap talk propaganda by a bunch of narcissistic pricks, interrupted periodically by news of varying degrees of relevance. Otherwise, what's left to listen too? Repeated playlists over and over by every radio station in the market! I can program and burn cd's of all the songs I like from my computer. I play them in my car. I can wait until the 6 o'clock news on six for the latest local and I can get the national on the net, cable or on headline news. But to hold my interest it must be relevant. Local? Whos gives a shit? I'm paying hundreds of dollars a month in fuel prices, juggling medical bills, dealing with sick loved ones and keeping the bills paid by working at three, sometimes four projects at a shot and people keep whining about local! Screw local. Give me something I can sink my teeth into. Make it interesting. Anybody ever wonder why Coast to Coast with George Noory is the #1 rated radio program in America? For the same reason the same show was #1 when Larry King was at the helm. Relevance godammit! Be "good stewards of our edge" absolutely, but make the "edge" RELEVANT! And stop whining like a school girl over "local radio's" perceived demise. Demise is when it goes completely away. The "golden era" occurred when there were only a handful of competitors in each market. That is forever changed and what is now is also changing almost overnight. Change with it or get the hell out of it and let the youth of this industry take a shot at it. We might be surprised.

O'Shea

 

[jackd]

...we need to be good stewards of our edge (local).

I don't think that "local" is as important as being relevant. A story/event of national or international origin can be much more personally impactful than a feature story about a nearby high school. You gotta know your audience.

I agree totally & thanks for pointing this out. It has to be a combination of the two. You have to combine both & know WHO you're talking with (not to).

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

I over-use the term "Think outside the box" but I am going to use that image. Some of you guys are looking at a box that is far too small!!!!

A lot of radio has been built "around the car" for listeners. In 1975 or so people were leaving the keys in their Broncos and Blazers in hopes someone would steal the gas hog. Here we are 30 something years later and once again people are panicking about gasoline availability and pricing. I can tell you that circa 1977 my car buying habits changed and never went back. Another generation is getting ready to go through that process and this time the answers may be more draconian.

This may be the time when urban sprawl comes to a crawl and they finally convince us to live in dense housing along the bus line and the rail line.

As I read this thread I see a trend toward thinking radio's problems are solved if we can just upgrade the technology to deliver the sound to cars.

Where is the future of the radio business if there is no future in cars?

Get a bigger box, guys, and think more organically.

How do we reach joggers, people on bicycles, people in public transportation, people in office buildings where radio does not penetrate. And what do these people want to hear that people in the house, in the car, and on the tractor never thought to ask us for?

 

[GeneSavage]

Bob,

You nailed it on the head, but in GThompson's defense, if you're doing the story about the earthquake in China and 100 other sources are doing the story about the earthquake in China, why should they listen to YOU?

Sure, yes, you're far more entertaining than any other personality out there... but for the REST of us, how do WE get people to listen to our version of the relevant story?

A long-term way obviously is by consistently providing relevant information so people are less likely to punch away in the first place... but that's a big risk.

An immediate way is to provide a local angle on the relevant event. For example, did anybody tie in the story of the China earthquake with the recent rumblings in central Oklahoma? Compare the loss of property and life to the loss of property and life in some of our worst tornadoes? Try to find anybody locally with family or friends in China to interview (especially because they might be able to get you on the phone with somebody IN China without having to pay for a reporter)?

I wouldn't think any of those three things would cost much for a station to do, perhaps some legwork and that could mean some payroll expense but hopefully it could be knocked out during a regular shift.

Rule #1 IS be entertaining, be entertaining often, be entertaining to the extreme. Rule #2 is be entertaining in a unique way, which is a tall order made much easier with a local angle.

I would also argue the most under-used resource at almost all Tulsa radio stations (and I assume stations throughout the United States) is the LISTENER. I know of six stations without even thinking about it who leaves all their phone lines on hold so listeners get a busy signal... some of them even all day, even with warm bodies in the station! I expect others do this too, I just haven't seen it with my own eyes.

Somebody needs to tell radio people, you are not the end-all be-all when it comes to good ideas. Why would you knock your head against the wall trying to figure out what to put on the air (music and content) when you can harness the power of thousands of people just by PICKING UP THE PHONE?

I'll never understand it. The listener can be eyes and ears when & where you cannot. You want to do breaking news? Teach the listener to call you when they see something. You don't have to confirm it as fact when they call in, simply put them on the air and report that this listener is reporting this or that. For an extreme example, Coast To Coast puts people on with CRAZY ideas. He never says, "what you're saying is fact," nor does he usually contradict them, but simply says, "this is what this person says." In a way, it shows a respect for the listener, to be able to sort out for themselves the fact from the BS.

 

[Bob Oshea]

Night & Everybody-
My rant on the topic of local vs relevant was not directed at GThompson. GT is a smart guy and I believe he understands where I'm coming from. Yes local is our edge and on the over all, at least in the Tulsa market, we are fairly good stewards of the local edge. I'm just sick to death of people complaining about local today vs local 35 years ago. When you had four stations dominating the market, music and personalities made the big difference. Local? Yeah they were local but the really good ones were also relevant. Today we have 26 signals in the Tulsa market. I'm listening for music alone. While I defer to great morning success stories like Phil & Brent, after them who's left? There are no morning shows that truly compel me to listen anymore. The other day parts are pretty much forbidden to reveal any personality. So why do I still listen? The music. Well, because I personally know Wavey, Andy, Mel and a lot of the other guys and gals, I will listen to them. And wince when I listen, knowing that what's coming out of the radio is just some written spew from promotions that these great talents make sound original everytime they read it. Relevance is going to win out in the end. You want local? Put the newscast back in programming. There's your local. You want people to feel compelled to listen to your station? Then give them a reason other than the music to listen. Relevance and topicality can be local, national or intergalactic as long as your listener can relate to what your saying, hence the problem; the personality isn't allowed to be a personality anymore. So the only thing left is the music and when almost every station in town is playing the same goddamned music, what's the point?!

 

[GeneSavage]

Bob,

Sorry if I made it sound like you were attacking GT; reading back over my intro, that's EXACTLY what I did... whups. 8)

I think most of us are on the same page on this one.

I admire the professionals & veterans (and professional veterans) we have around town like Wavy, Mel, Andy, and so many others who have had to take their incredible capacities to entertain and stuffed them deep down inside so they can continue to get paid. I am also constantly amazed (and mildly afraid for their jobs!) when I hear one of them sneak in an entertaining aside to one of the liner cards they're stuck reading.

More amazingly (and perhaps something I could learn from), I don't hear one of them complain, at least publicly. Perhaps they go home into an insulated safe room and scream at the top of their lungs for a half an hour every night, but when I've talked to some of them about it they agree but shrug their shoulders and go on.

One local pro I really admire one time told me, "my biggest fear is that somebody would put me back on a station with no rules and say, 'be creative.' I don't think I could do it anymore."

He's wrong, of course...

 

[Bob Oshea]

Bob,

Sorry if I made it sound like you were attacking GT; reading back over my intro, that's EXACTLY what I did... whups. 8)

I think most of us are on the same page on this one.

I admire the professionals & veterans (and professional veterans) we have around town like Wavy, Mel, Andy, and so many others who have had to take their incredible capacities to entertain and stuffed them deep down inside so they can continue to get paid. I am also constantly amazed (and mildly afraid for their jobs!) when I hear one of them sneak in an entertaining aside to one of the liner cards they're stuck reading.

More amazingly (and perhaps something I could learn from), I don't hear one of them complain, at least publicly. Perhaps they go home into an insulated safe room and scream at the top of their lungs for a half an hour every night, but when I've talked to some of them about it they agree but shrug their shoulders and go on.

One local pro I really admire one time told me, "my biggest fear is that somebody would put me back on a station with no rules and say, 'be creative.' I don't think I could do it anymore."

He's wrong, of course...

Yes, our common friend was being a bit melodramatic, but shall certainly remain anonymous. I stay in touch with all of them throughout the course of a year since I retired from radio. I miss them. I don't miss radio. Good people all. Like any garden, occasionally needs weeding. The Tulsa market reminds me sometimes of the man-eating plant in "Little Shop of Horrors". Whenever morons come along the market swallows them whole. Nothing left but a red mist. Ah yes....I do miss the violence.

The Lyin' King,
Bob O'Shea

 

[cooptulsa]

Internet in our cars? WOW! Now O'Shea can climb into the back seat and manipulate his mouse.

Local is great...but GOOD and RELEVANT trumps local. Do all three and you kick too-kus. In our world now, local is not in this city or state. Much bigger landscape we all observe daily. We need to get used to that accept it and adjust. People have a TON of choices for where to get everything in media now...we're all narrowcasting, so find your niche, excel at it and dominate it.

Oh..how many shares of <$10 GM stock should I buy? Incredible, huh? Maybe I can do a swap for that with my Penn Square shares...

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Local is great...but GOOD and RELEVANT trumps local. Do all three and you kick too-kus. In our world now, local is not in this city or state. Much bigger landscape we all observe daily.

I know how to define local.

But "GOOD" and "RELEVANT" are like the old adage about "BEAUTY": It is in, it is according to the EYE of the beholder.

I literally live where the "kuntree" butts right up against "The City" If I go in toward town and step into the Starbucks where the young up and comers are parking their BMWs, your statement is Right-on-target! They want to listen to something Good, something Relevant. And their world sees beyond the city limits, beyond the state line, maybe beyond the national border. I have friends who travel on business every 2nd or 3rd week to England, China, India, etc. They may be the choir you are singing to.

Let's step out of Starbucks and get on the city bus or the local rail transit. Take a look at the people on their way to work as housekeepers at the hospital. Look out the window at the UPS lady stepping out of her van with a package; look at the sanitation worker tipping a roll-out into the truck; look at the guy unloading his equipment to do a "mow and blow" of the lawn of my friend who is in India this week. Tell me what is relevant to these people. Tell me what is good: is it Bach or is it Garth Brooks? Is it weather news or is it lottery results? Is it traffic reports or some shock-jock who wants to be this generations George Carlin.

Or let me take you the other way from my house to the "kuntree". Meet the folks who have never been out of state. Meet Grandpa who has never been out of the county. Meet the grandmothers who a raising their second set of kids, dumped on them by divorced children and jailed sons and daughters. Tell me what relevant.... that isn't local. Tell me what's good that isn't local.

And going back to the origin of this thread... isn't it wonderful and convenient that ALL these people are sitting in their cars just waiting for our IP stream.

 

[G Thompson]

Can I just say how much better and more interesting this room is to read since Bob, Coop and Nightaire have started regularly contributing? Just an observation. This board used to be much more "arm-chair."

Thanks, all, for adding your brain cells to these discussions.

-Removing my cranium from your collective colons,

GT

 

[Bob Oshea]

Local is great...but GOOD and RELEVANT trumps local. Do all three and you kick too-kus. In our world now, local is not in this city or state. Much bigger landscape we all observe daily.

I know how to define local.

But "GOOD" and "RELEVANT" are like the old adage about "BEAUTY": It is in, it is according to the EYE of the beholder.

I literally live where the "kuntree" butts right up against "The City" If I go in toward town and step into the Starbucks where the young up and comers are parking their BMWs, your statement is Right-on-target! They want to listen to something Good, something Relevant. And their world sees beyond the city limits, beyond the state line, maybe beyond the national border. I have friends who travel on business every 2nd or 3rd week to England, China, India, etc. They may be the choir you are singing to.

Let's step out of Starbucks and get on the city bus or the local rail transit. Take a look at the people on their way to work as housekeepers at the hospital. Look out the window at the UPS lady stepping out of her van with a package; look at the sanitation worker tipping a roll-out into the truck; look at the guy unloading his equipment to do a "mow and blow" of the lawn of my friend who is in India this week. Tell me what is relevant to these people. Tell me what is good: is it Bach or is it Garth Brooks? Is it weather news or is it lottery results? Is it traffic reports or some shock-jock who wants to be this generations George Carlin.

Or let me take you the other way from my house to the "kuntree". Meet the folks who have never been out of state. Meet Grandpa who has never been out of the county. Meet the grandmothers who a raising their second set of kids, dumped on them by divorced children and jailed sons and daughters. Tell me what relevant.... that isn't local. Tell me what's good that isn't local.

And going back to the origin of this thread... isn't it wonderful and convenient that ALL these people are sitting in their cars just waiting for our IP stream.

Dear Goat-
The first half of your crowd is the majority of the listening audience regardless of format. I know a lot of rural people driving high end vehicles. The second half of your crowd can't afford cars with a radio. ;D Come to think of it.....if fuel prices keep going up, I won't even be able to buy a car with doors on it!

O'Shea

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

The first half of your crowd is the majority of the listening audience regardless of format. I know a lot of rural people driving high end vehicles. The second half of your crowd can't afford cars with a radio.

The first half of my crowd can also afford satellite radio, the finest in iPods (and may have a subordinate who can do the tedious work of cultivating the contents and planting new content). If indeed the Internet in our cars is to become affordable and give traditional radio stations the ability to put content in the car via streaming, traditional radio is still faced with strong programming options for competition.

Now that Wal-mart is coming to urban America, we have this opportunity to do a safari in such stores to see what the population that does not live in the rural "kuntree" looks like, acts like, and what they buy. Look in the parking lot and size up the cars they drive look like.

In preparing for retirement, the advisers have tried to tell me that 50% of the adults who reach the age retirement cannot on that day lay their hands on documents showing that they have $10,000 in savings. I consider my nest egg embarrassingly small and anemic, and yet 90% of the population is at my level or below.

Just my guess. Just my prejudice.... but I am guessing that the crowd we observe when we sit down in the Starbucks where the BMWs are parked may make up no more than 15% of the radio audience. I seriously doubt that any survey or reputable study is available that will prove or disprove my statement.

Tomorrow I will attend a parade of old farm steam-engine tractors. Subconsciously I will be listening for hints from the conversation around me: What would this family and that family over there listen to on the radio? Tomorrow night I will go to an outdoor concert of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Again, my mind will not be able to ignore the question: What would the person sitting in front of me listen to on the radio. We will ride some kind of shuttle vehicle from the parking lot to the amphitheatre. I will be sizing up the shuttle driver. What would he/she tune to driving home tonight.

And on the drive home I will punch up some stations in MY CAR and on each station I will ponder the question: Would any of the people I analyzed today listen to THIS?

 

[Bob Oshea]

Goat-
It's your kind of dedication to detail that made for great programming down through the years. I'm glad to know there are still people around who know your technique.
Years ago....eons ago when I was living in Dallas, I got to know just about everybody at the Mighty 1190 KLIF. The PD at the time was Michael O'Shea, (no relation). He told me the story one time about a famous DJ who used to frequent a variety of night spots and garner the subject matter/content for his shows. Now this guy didn't use the new material the next day everyday, but at some point in the future he would get around to finding a place for his material/content. This guy would have his pulse on what everybody was talking about and was always the most topical and relevant guy to listen to. He carried a little notepad and would jot down great ideas for liners, bits, gags or just tragically hip stuff to say on the air. He knew his music inside and out, he knew his listener and he knew his market. I think he had everbody on that station doing the same thing. KLIF was the 'LS of the South. Damn those guys were good. By the way, I think Robert W. Morgan was the guy or one of the guys he pointed to when describing this content gathering technique. Charlie Van Dyke was another guy who used to do the same thing. Don Imus was another guy who used the same technique. Well, I did too until I got sick and tired of being out late every night. Anyway, I guess what I'm getting at is, you're pretty much describing the same old tried and true formula for success that worked then and should work now regardless of the medium or delivery of the medium.
Good luck with everything and I do hope your retirement is a happy one with lot's of money.

The Lyin' King,
Bob O'Shea

 

[cooptulsa]

Serious thanks to G Thompson for the kind words about the contributions of three of us...

Didn't sense your cranium in my colon...but be careful. Those of us who contribute regularly realize the production of our crania and colons are often identical!

By the way...was reading about Jerry Giordano on another forum...almost refreshed that story hasn't made it to this one...altho I guess I'm guilty of bringing it in...and hope for the best for the guy. There was a lot of negativity and hammering on the other forum. A lot of speculation and jeering. I've never done what he's accused of, so I don't know what that's like. I don't know the man, and know no more than what's been reported. All I want is for this to end up in a way that's positive and productive for everyone involved. Let's shed more light than heat on everything from this point on, OK?