Timbo Radio

Save the date, radio fans, Timbo Radio takes to the airwaves Saturday, July 31st from 9:00 to 10:00 PM on 97.1 FM.

More precisely, it is Timbo and Jimbo Radio. Jim Tudor, a close friend and radio vet from the 7.625 watt station serving most of the Webster University Campus will be joining me as co-host.

Actually, a case could be made that I am joining him. I am the history and political analysis guy, and Jim has the more interesting knowledge of pop culture. Jim reviews movies, reads comics and listens to music. He has his finger on the carotid of what the kids are all nuts about. I'm the curmudgeon trying to wrap his hands around its throat.

How, might you ask, did Jim and I get a gig like this? Glad you asked. 97.1 Talk has a contest, 97.1 Talk Survivor. They invited listeners to send in a demo of themselves hosting a radio show. On a lark, I made Jim spend an hour tethered to my PC by short wires droning on about what an ass Michael Moore is, and how cool Walt Disney was by comparison. I trimmed out all the "Ums" and "Ahhs" and sent the final product into the station for their review

Today Mark Anthony called from Cleopatra's Palace (I hope that's the right "Anthony" I'm cracking wise about) to tell me that they wanted to schedule Jim and I to take a turn in the contest. Needless to say, I was thrilled, and can't wait to get cracking at it. We will compete to win a four-week radio show of our very own, the winner determined by audience voting (hint!).

Jim and I will probably practice, doing mock shows down in the Batcave (what I call my basement office) trying to polish our style. For Jim, it'll like be riding a bike. His shows were quirky and fun, and I imagine he'll get right into a groove. I'm the one who needs the work. I'd like to be able to make a point verbally without all the hems and haws endemic to the amateur broadcaster.

Mark Anthony made it very clear that we'd have to pledge to not use any profanity, an easy pledge to make, but perhaps harder to keep. The FCC has gone all medieval on the broadcast medium. I think TV and radio needed to clean up their act, but simply enforcing the rules already in place would have been sufficient. Fines of tens of thousands per incident are draconian. Typical of a bureaucracy. They refuse to use their flyswatter, and demand a shotgun when the flies get out of hand.

Well, there you have it. I imagine Jim and I will let the events of the day drive the content of the show, and I guess we'll see if we have the chops to beat out the other contestants for the coveted four show run that twinkles in the distance as the grand prize.

Tim McNabb