It was 30 years ago (the exact anniversary is sometime in June) that I began work at WGTD FM 91.1 – a milestone which still leaves me shaking my head in wonderment. I also do not take this milestone for granted – not one little bit. The radio industry is a volatile one, and talented radio announcers are forever being bounced from the air, often for the most capricious of reasons- and often with a dismissive “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” sort of attitude, even when one has done good work with great devotion. It is common to be discarded in this business- although less so in the more civilized landscape of public radio. But with the tightening of budgetary belts everywhere, it is a precarious line of work in which to be. And indeed, my job at WGTD used to be full-time before budgetary concerns necessitated some dramatic scaling back of our operation as we affiliated with the state network. So I count it as an enormous blessing that I am still here after all these years, still doing what I love to do.
(And by the way, if you look up my blog entry titled “Ancient History,” you can read about how I very nearly was not hired for the job.)
It was more than a year ago that Carthage’s Carol Sabbar – a much valued member of the library/computer staff at Carthage – came to me with the intriguing idea of the college’s library would pay tribute to me and to WGTD’s Morning Show by gathering together a number of the books that have been featured on the program. It was an interesting idea but it came across my path at a time when I was overwhelmed with other things, so my answer was a brief “Wow- Thanks-Let’s talk about this” and not much more- and poor Carol was left to float this idea past me again and again over the subsequent months (God bless her for being persistent) before I finally had the time and the presence of mind to look carefully at her proposal and give a more emphatic thumbs up.
By the way, Carol got this idea back in April of 2014 when she heard my Morning Show interview with Howard Sounds, the author of 27: A History of the 27 Club through the Eyes of Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse. It’s a fascinating book about some of the most notable rock musicians who all happen to die untimely deaths at the age of 27. As Carol heard this interview, she thought to herself “a lot of our students would love this book! How can we get this book in their hands? How can we help them find out about this book?”
To make a long story short, what began with that small kernel of an idea eventually became a collection of 150 books that have been featured on the Morning Show over the last couple of years. For now, those books are gathered together in a couple of nice displays, but eventually they will be spread throughout the permanent collection (but with a yellow dot affixed to them to indicate that they are part of this special Morning Show collection.) And in an additional touch that I really love and appreciate, each book also includes a specially printed label with my photo, the call letters of the station, and the address of our website which will help people seek out the author interview in question.)
Yesterday, in the midst of a nasty snowstorm, the library staff hosted a special reception to publicize the collection- and by the happiest of coincidences, it was also a means to acknowledge my 30 years at WGTD. Given the horrible weather conditions, I would not have been the slightest bit surprised if five people showed up. (I was already certain that almost no one from the outside community would manage to get there. But it was so bad at 2 that I seriously doubted if even Carthage folks would willingly trudge through the wintery misery to be there.) So imagine my delight that quite a large group of people came- including some intrepid folks from UW-Parkside as well as the outside community – and an impressive number of Carthage colleagues got there as well. So rather than standing there for two hours talking with Carol and her staff, I was busy the entire time greeting various visitors and having an absolute ball!
Right in the middle of the reception, there was a short “ceremony” of sorts. My colleague and friend Dave McGrath was charged with gathering everybody together – which he did in charming fashion. Carol explained the genesis of the idea and then turned the mic over to two people who said some really lovely things about me. One of them was Todd Kelly, Vice President for Information Services – who could not have been more lavish with his compliments about my work as an interviewer. After him came President Gregory Woodward, who also said nice things about me but with the tongue-in-cheek attitude of “Greg Berg really annoys me.” It was a brilliant way to deploy some nice compliments without resorting to a tired echo of what had already been said – and I especially appreciated how the President had really nice things to say about my musical skills as a pianist, singer and composer- singling out my opera Black September for particular praise- before complimenting me as an interviewer. It was mighty nice to hear such nice things said about me – especially because such compliments are sometimes only shared at one’s own funeral.
I have to say that one of the nicest things about this event was that it really helped crystalize for me just how rich an experience the Morning Show has been for me over these many years. One way that happened was to see 150 books gathered in one place- and those books represent just the tip of the iceberg. When it’s all said and done, I have probably read more than a thousand books for the Morning Show – and how fortunate am I to have had that tremendous pleasure?!? Another way I found myself newly appreciating my own Morning Show experience was to look out over the audience and see so many of my favorite guests….. from gardening expert Kate Jerome to UW-Parkside biology professor Greg Mayer to Kenosha Public Museum staff members Dan Joyce and Nancy Matthews ….. plus all kinds of faculty colleagues like Wayne Thompson, Jerry Mast, Jeff Roberg, and Art Cyr- just to name a few. How lucky am I to get to sit across the table from such a vast array of fascinating and stimulating guests? It’s exactly why I have repeatedly said (with 95% seriousness) that I often feel like I should be paying someone to be the Morning Show host rather than being paid, precisely because it gives me such enormous pleasure.
And then, if the day wasn’t wonderful enough- I was presented with a delightful gift …. a tie designed especially for me, via a website called Personalized Mall.com. It combined the logos of Carthage College and WGTD – with a photo of me at the microphone. It was completely unexpected- and exactly right! And it made me realize once again that I’m not only so fortunate to do what I do, but also so fortunate to be part of a community that knows how to express its appreciation in some truly amazing ways. And there’s nothing like being appreciated to give one new reservoirs of energy for the tasks ahead.
And at the age of 56, I’m grateful for every ounce of extra energy I can get!
P.S. – Today, I’m told, is National Read Across America Day. I’ve read more than one study that has indicated that voracious readers tend to be among the happiest and most successful people in all walks of life. Do yourself a favor today – and grab a book off of the shelf and indulge in one of the greatest pleasures that life has to offer.
Wish I had heard about it Greg! I miss all the good stuff. Would have been a great opportunity to see you again and reminisce maybe a little. I’m sure you were busy.
It was a good time ….