An unpublished draft at the moment: National talk show host has a 'Good Day' in the Hills
Before he died last year, I had offered to play tour guide to retired talk show host Tom Snyder and "The Companion" if they ever headed East in an off the beaten path cross-country trip in the RV he was just about to buy. It's an unusual but gratifying experience "playing tourist" where you live, particularly when the novelty of giant presidential heads or exotic animals has become a "been there, done that, bought the T-shirt with 'the back of Mt. Rushmore'" state of mind. 1380 KOTA AM played recently welcomed not just one such traveler, but three million visitors to the area; including guests from Vermont and New York to Australia and Singapore. And while only three pairs of feet trod through Art Alley, the rest got an earful. Doug Stephan may not be a familiar name to most in the area, but for twenty years he's been waking up the nation on what now tops 400 stations with the four-hour "Good Day" program and more recently the one-hour "Talk Radio Countdown," which KOTA airs live weekday mornings from 3-4 a.m.. While he usually broadcasts the entire show from his dairy farm in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Stephan's visit here grew out of a school reunion planning session that ran more days than expected. And since his pride and joy, an 8-year-old English bulldog named Charlotte, had an appointment in Los Angeles, he decided to visit several Midwest stations carrying one or more of his broadcasts by car. Heading in from Fargo, "all flat and snowy, in and out of cell phone service" Stephan wound up comparing the bright lights of the area seen on the way into town at night to both Las Vegas and "Lost Horizon's" mythical Shangri-La. In an era where all the equipment needed to do a national show can be contained in a laptop, Stephan was thrilled to be in what he considers a "real" radio studio with the same 2-track format cart machines that have been there to play commercials for decades. The one major nod to the new millennium, an overhead webcam, wound up giving him a well lit bald spot (in a case of Al Gore Syndrome.) While KOTA runs local programming during most of the morning when Stephan is on the air, the "Countdown" has gained a dedicated following in the area. Since 2002, Rapid City callers have frequently spoken their minds on the national news and opinions spouted by a cornucopia of AM talkers on Stephan's clip show. One week it's a janitor in the Black Hills, another week a truck driver. It's also a favorite of downtown artist Jim Stevens. Guests on the national "Good Day" broadcast from 4-8 a.m., included historian David Strain, Jewel Cave's Rene Ohms, Mount Rushmore Superintendent Gerard Baker, mayor Alan Hanks and Chamber of Commerce president Linda Rabe. Spur of the moment appearances were granted to both Deb Jensen, following a steamed bagel and energy bar delivery at 5:30 a.m.. And morning radio news anchor Marnie Cook, likely didn't plan to have "Mile and Miles," the album from her moonlighting career as a folksinger to be given a national spotlight. What keeps someone going at a talk show for over two decades with no end in sight? Stephan says that his show isn't work as the additional six voices in his headphones are all his friends. The morning coffee talk is a positive chat with producers, contributors and staff laughter from across America in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. The show, he says, distinguishes itself from shock jock competitors with the stated goal of "better living radio." The Rapid show offered pet advice from his staff veterinarian, and he routinely chats with mentalist-turned spiritual guru Uri Gellar. "It's about families staying together, and starting the day feeling good about themselves, and this show is my family." How did Rapid City stack up to this VIP tourist? The region impressed him "with its community pride" and is "one of the healthiest communities he's ever visited." All five hours of Stephan's "Good Day" spent here can be located as podcasts on iTunes. Thomas Allen Heald would sing on a record album, but is not sure whether he's in a rut or a groove. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "World News Now Discussion List" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/wnndl?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
