A SPECIAL HERO OF THE DAY!
Name: you
Age: you know better than me
Occupation: "
Last Seen: "
Bee-otched For: keeping this site going
-Age: you know better than me
Occupation: "
Last Seen: "
Bee-otched For: keeping this site going
It was 20 years ago today that the World Wide Web changed forever.
Out of my bedroom in a small house on a dirt road in Antrim County, Michigan, a little WebTV website was born. It was called "Bring Howard Stern to Northern Michigan Radio and TV". The site had a list of all the radio stations up north and I listed which ones should carry the show. Living in the boonies, my local cable company didn't carry E! and the station that carried his Saturday night show, WWTV 9&10 canceled it for infomercials. One of them was for the National Rifle Association.
As for local radio, I felt that it sucked that stations in Grand Rapids and Detroit had Stern affiliates. Yet, northern Michigan was one giant joke. The most-extreme morning show was Bob and Tom on local classic rock station The Bear. I listened for a few weeks when it debuted in 1998, but was quickly turned off by the lame guests and repetitive and unfunny jokes. Personally, I suggested that WKLT picked up the show. However, the station's North Dakotan owners are all in it for the money, which means that they want the cheapest, crappiest morning show possible.
Well, 20 years later, I'm still at it. Yes, Howard's radio show is now on SiriusXM and yes, even his TV shows are on the internet now. Locally in northern Michigan, even the dial has seen some improvements thanks to Rock 105 and 95-5, which is now neck and neck with the seriously bland WKLT. Hell, I think Rock 105/95-5 is BETTER than WGRD here in Grand Rapids! At least they don't play a ton of shitty 70s butt rock like GRD does now.
Let's not forget that I moved to Grand Rapids in 2002, though a huge part of my heart's still in northern Michigan. Even though I was in Heaven with KLQ, shit hit the fan thanks to good 'ol Matt Hanlon and how he treated Stern and especially the jocks. Thankfully, karma really hit him hard when he was fired when Cumulus bought out Citadel, which he helped bankrupt. And when he went to Townsquare, he got shitcanned again for getting into a drunk driving accident. True, he's running Entercom's stations in Charlotte, NC, but better there than here.
Of course, 99% of the time, the part of the site that's updated often is Bee-otch of the Day. I know, other parts of the site haven't been touched in 10 years, maybe more. But then again, this is my baby and maybe - just maybe - I'll actually have the time and patience to update those parts of the site.
If I had to look at the good, the bad and the ugly, well, I think the best part is that I've learned about one thing in life and that's karma. Not just with the aforementioned Hanlon, but others who have all tried to shut me down or make me look like the Antichrist. I've seen karma hit their sorry asses, too, especially with their failed marriages and money woes.
But at the end of the day, I'm thankful for the fans and readers I do have. I love relating to those who love broadcasting like I do, especially those who never worked a second in the medium. Yes, I have many fans in broadcasting, too, past and present. One person who always stood behind me was the late Dave Barber, who died three years ago this July 4th.
Even though I don't talk about Stern that much anymore, I still listen. This past week, he talked about the fact that he's embarrassed about his past, talking about strippers and such. I kinda feel that way too. I used to have a page on this site that I definitely got rid of, though it still survives on the internet archive. I created it because I was not happy with my teenage years, being anti-social and being used by so-called friends. Thankfully, after I deleted it, I found better ways of finding those who, well, don't think that I'm some jerk after all.
But yes, I'm not done yet. There's still assholes out there. The media itself has gotten worse thanks to Fox, Sinclair and the like and yes, Drumpf. But nowadays, I don't just talk about the media, I talk about life in general.
So, here's to at least 20 more years, or until I find a wife. From the bottom of my heart, thanks.
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Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
Bee-otch of the Day Archives can be seen on http://beeotchoftheday.blogspot.com
Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
CHUCK69.COM IS ALWAYS ON!
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