Tom and Joe latest victims of SNTS.

We Winnipeg radio listening folks suffered another huge loss today at the hands of SNTS.  Yes folks that’s right, Shiny New Toy Syndrome has struck again.

Tom, Nesta, Bubba and Joe at the Garage Giveaway we attended last week.

This morning as I arrived at work and enjoyed my morning coffee before my shift I as always perused the local newspapers and found that the morning show at Power 97 had quit en masse in a contract dispute with Corus Radio the parent company of the station.  Tragic as this seemed I took it with a grain of salt, if three reasonable adults choose to better their situation in live and quit over contractual issues more power to them.  In reality it would have little impact on my life as I have been a life long listener of 92.1 CITI FM.  The station that sent Darlene and I to New York and started my blogging hobby.

Things were going well at work until a great co-worker of mine bounded in with i-phone in hand asking me if I had heard the radio news?   Sure I said the Power 97 staff quit.  No, that’s not all he said they are taking over the morning show on CITI.

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

In a heartbeat, a morning team that had been in my life for the better part of 20 years was over.  That great morning team, already handicapped by the loss of Kathy Kennedy casually discarded less than a year ago.  The loss of K.K. was tragic enough, but now Tom and Joe are gone too, turfed for a shiny new toy in the form of Wheeler, Philly and Rena.   The friendship, the loss of Joe’s wife Alana to cancer, hearing about Tom’s many children growing up all flushed down the shitter with the promise of  crappy phone gags and toilet humor.

Colour me not impressed.

I guess that’s what executives in flashy suits like though, shiny new things they can brag about to their friends.  Fuck history, fuck on air friendship. We got us a bunch of potty talking radio jocks.

OH JOY! I can hardly wait, talk radio here I come.

Comfortably Furious

Ok.  Buckle up this is going to be a bumpy bumpy ride. I am off on a rant here, and you can be sure that is full of furious anger and righteous thunder.

Last night as I settled in to watch the evening news I was alerted that two of my family had been cut away from my morning routine.   Frank Andrews and Kathy “KK” Kennedy had been let go from my go to radio station.

For what reason, of course the radio talking heads were not at liberty to say.  Cost cutting, discipline reasons, conspiring with Alien Resources yet unknown to man?

Give me something give me a reason, I tuned in as a matter of course dutifully on my way to work this morning. Tom and Joe had nothing to say, the banter remained the same.  I do not blame them.

They are tried and true professionals. But when it comes to Kallously Kanning KK Please.  She’s just as much a legend as the boys. Hell she’s Miss Bingo Winnipeg.  She is the one who uttered EFF YOU CANCER on air.

The publicity and honor to sell  a metric ton of T-Shirts in honor of Joe’s late wife was in part hers.  I know this for a fact because I think that as a family we have bought a great deal of those shirts personally.  I have distributed them from the far end of Ontario to the end reach of Alberta.

If not for her  a great deal of money would not have been raised in Alanna’s name.

Now I am not a crusader, business is business. But if your going to can a person as iconic as Kennedy then at least give her a farewell.

These are not people we have taken into our hearts easily, we gradually accept them into our homes, our cars and then our hearts.

To Winnipeggers they are family.

Mr Rogers you and your company would be foolish to mess with a Winnipeg family.

I await your reply.

Robert Ogden

Authors Note: If you are with me COMMENT.  Even if it is a YES, or Hell YES.  Numbers mean one thing but adding your voice means something else entirely.

Winnipeg a big city with a huge heart

Well I was going to baffle you all with a April Fools day post today but circumstances this week have turned my attention to something else entirely.

This week two things happened in Winnipeg, we lost one of our own to cancer and we came together and rallied as a community should.  On Monday you could practically hear the city gasp as life slipped away from Alanna Hogue Aiello.  Now I will say from the start that I did not personally know her but to say that I was not acquainted with her would also not be correct.

Confusing I know, but in Winnipeg everyone knows everyone else somehow.  Yes, it’s a city.  But it’s got a small town attitude, when you need something done, you don’t look in the yellow pages, cause your friends know a guy, or you know a guy.  Like neighbourhoods back when we were kids, people are tight here.  When someone gets married the call goes out.  People will start asking, when is their social?  I can’t wait for the silent auctions!  I hope I win!  ( Manitoba socials are large parties held in community halls where family and extended groups of friends spend large amounts of money on raffles and dance drunkenly to Mony Mony while eating cubed cheese with rye bread.)

Alana worked for many years in the local television business, and was married very happily to her husband Joe Aiello, local morning disc jockey on 92 Citi fm.   Together through thick and thin they never turned away anyone in need.  If you had a charity or an event that needed promotion you could be sure that they would support the cause in any way that they could.  Such was the love that they shared with Winnipeg.

When Alanna lost her long battle with against cancer this week, as I mentioned you could almost hear the city gasp. In unison we all cried out “Oh No”.   She had been sick for many years but she fought bravely and with great dignity.

It was then that the crew at 92 Citi picked up the torch and the rest of Winnipeg followed.  Wednesday morning at 8 am they started a radio-thon that lasted a day and a half.  In Jerry Lewis style they defied sleep and hunger to get the word out to the city and the world, and we answered.

Eff U Cancer in memory of Alanna

For a minimum donation of 50 dollars you could dedicate a song to the memory of Alanna.  The list grew and grew and grew.  Kathy Kennedy, news anchor read a touching poem, in sadness and anger proclaiming “Eff U Cancer!”  Thus a  t-shirt was born, from her grief and rage against this heartless killer.  Like the song requests, the shirts were printed en masse and sold out, not once or twice but again and again and yet again.  Still the stores are stocked and the shirts vanish within minutes.

Winnipeg the little city that cried, and raged against this horrible monster managed to raise close to $120,000 dollars.  Fifty dollar donations were taken by the handful, citizens stepped up with memories of their loved ones and donated by the thousands.  Pay cheques and musical instruments were gifted.  People such as I bought “Eff U T-Shirts” in bulk.

Eff U Cancer T-Shirt

It may just be a drop in the bucket and life will go on, but for two days the city, my city, gave back to someone who had given all of us so much.  We remembered our own losses, I toasted the remembrance of my brother, Brent struck down by cancer.  I rejoice in my daughter’s ongoing victory over her leukemia.

We all stopped, we all cared, and we all gave.

Today Alanna’s life was celebrated in a service, I was not there but I know people who were.  That’s just the way Winnipeg is.

Authors note: Donations are still being accepted in Alanna’s name through 92 Citi fm.  “Eff U” shirts are still on sale at all Winnipeg Marks locations for only 20 dollars.  100% of  donations go to Cancer Care Manitoba.