by Kent Sterling
I won’t be dressed this well, but I will be smiling today in the 1070 the Fan studio.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I sat in a conference room with some folks at Emmis Communications with some managers as the decision was made to slide the WIBC news/talk product to 93.1 FM, and launch a brand new product on 1070 AM.
It was almost exactly six years ago, but a lot has changed since then.
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Today, I go back into that building to host a radio show for three hours, filling in for a friend of mine whom I hired five years ago.
Another friend asked me yesterday if that feels strange. It doesn’t. Maybe I’m nuts. Maybe I’m either emotionally retarded or emotionally so well wired that I can move forward without the residual bitterness others might feel, but I like hosting radio, and see no reason to bear any kind of ill-will or resentment toward those still at Emmis who allowed me to pursue other interests I likely never would have if not for the change in career direction.
We tend to view the immediately unpleasant as a reason for irritation, and while it’s never pleasant to be told that your services are no longer need somewhere, it’s more often than not a great opportunity for recalibration of goals and dreams.
The reason I got into radio was to create content. The reason I have written enough to become a reasonably coherent writer is because I enjoy it. To process events with the end result being either a coherent post at kentsterling.com or a passionate monologue on 1070 the Fan is the kind of fun I always dreamed of having, but the kind that my career path never allowed.
Now, I get to go back to the Emmis Building and do what I should have been focused upon all along. That should feel good, not strange.
So I’ll report to Emmis today, walk into a very familiar studio, and talk about the Colts, Indiana Football, Purdue Football, the roof being open at Lucas Oil Stadium and how those complaining about the heat have their priorities out of whack, and to friends like Rick Venturi and John Clayton because their insights are worth the time of those listening to the show.
I normally don’t take calls, but today I think I’ll give that a shot. Hopefully, the callers have ideas worth sharing. If they don’t, their time on-air will be short. A radio station is not a soap box; it’s an option for media consumers who want to be entertained. They don’t tune in to hear some nut drone on and on just because he was lucky enough to get through.
Today, I’ll try to give listeners the best segment I can 12 times, at 3p it will end, and I’ll walk out wishing I had one more hour because there is so much to talk about. The great thing about radio is its inherent imperfection. No one is good enough to be perfect for ten minutes, much less three hours.
I love sports. I like talking about sports. I like the room where I will sit and talk from 12p-3p. I like the guy I’ll be filling in for. What’s to feel strange about?