Category Archives: Personal History

Survey of radio newsrooms (1988)

Posted on by

A big part of my job during my early days at Learfield was affiate relations. Periodically, I would survey the stations to learn more about how they used our news and sports. Here’s a snapshot from 1988.

  • 2/3 of stations had a full-time news person (I’ll bet it’s not 1/3 today)
  • I was insensitive or stupid or both in asking about sex. It was a different time.
  • Almost half had a wire service?! Amazing. Can’t be more than 10% now.
  • “Cassette recorders” – Ah, my favorite. A world before digital recording.

Back in those pre-web days, we also did a newsletter each month. One page, front and back. I typed it on a typewriter, made copies and put them in the mail. Example: Missourinet newsletter – Jan87

The whole process now seems … quaint. Typewriters and envelopes, once a month. But there was a simplicity that seems appealing in retrospect.

There is no 26 Year Pin

Posted on by

Today marks the beginning of my 27th year at Learfield, the company I work for. There’s not much to say that I haven’t shared here already. On my drive to the Coffee Zone, I made a mental list of those who have been with the company longer: Clyde, Clarice, Joyce, Roger, Greg, Charlie, Bob… that’s about it.

The nature of our business has changed a good bit but the culture is –remarkably– still pretty much intact. No small feat, given that we now have hundreds of employees in offices scattered throughout the company. But our senior managers make a real effort at sharing the best of who we are as a company with new employees.

So this is one of those “If you’re happy and you know it, grab your ass!” posts. And if pushed to finish with a bit of wisdom, it might be that the company you work for and the people you work with are as important as the work you are doing.

The Log Cabin

Posted on by
“The Log Cabin was famous for its barbecue sandwiches and curb-service beer. You simply pulled into the pot-holed parking lot surrounding the tiny building… tooted your horn… and a waitress could come out to the car and take your order. If it was dark enough or the waitress was in a good mood… it was possible to buy a beer before reaching legal drinking age. I have no idea what kind of license allowed them to do business this way.”
Wow. This is a rare find, indeed. I have never seen a photo of the Log Cabin. I’m not sure how someone got this one without getting a serious ass kicking. The Log Cabin parking lot was dark! If the Log Cabin fry cooks didn’t invent curly fries, they perfected them. [Photo courtesy of Dennis Dean]

The president and my First Lady

Posted on by

Earlier this year, Barb attended an event for President Obama in St. Louis. I’m pretty sure you only got a hug if you wrote a check but it’s still a nice picture.

I’m not thrilled with everything our president has done (or not done) but if I were, someone else would be pissed, so…

I wish him well.

“Miss Perry, take a letter, please”

Posted on by

One of my mother’s many talents was shorthand transcription. A skill she used during her early working career. In those ancient times, people would dictate a memo or a letter and mom would write it down using something called Gregg shorthand.

I assume she took her “steno pad” back to her desk where she’d roll some typing paper and carbon sheets into the old manual typewriter and bang out a few copies which, I assume, got marked up with corrections, and she’d do it again.

I was reminded of this painful process recently when I heard Barb dictating a memo on her iPhone using Dragon Dictation. I’m just not sure how it gets much easier (but it will).

In a few years we’ll look at our huge 3-ring binders and drawers full of paper and shake our heads in wonder. But some folks just have to hold the paper in their hands. The numbers/words are just less real if not printed. One wonders of the iPad and similar future devices (digital paper) will change this.

One of my next projects is to convert the few remaining paper artifacts in my desk to PDF. I think I can get pretty close to paperless in my work life. I’m close.

Speaking of paperless…

I’m nearly finished with my first ebook. It was a very good experience. My beloved paper books will undoubetedly go the way of my vinyl LPs. Alas.