America is celebrating its Semiquincentennial! It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Let’s just say “250th anniversary”. Since early this year, KCOW (that lovable, humble, radiant radio station) has been doing prize giveaways to celebrate this shindig. And in my job as Production Director I made a batch of promotional announcements about the … Continue reading A WORLD PREMIERE: U.S.A. 250–This Time It’s Historical!
I read a book this weekend that got me thinking about spin-offs. Particularly, those spin-offs which take a beloved character from a popular sitcom and plant that character in a new place and situation. The book I read was “Art Carney: A Biography” by Michael Starr. I’m saving Art Carney, and his legendary characterization of … Continue reading Spin-Offs On Parade
Look Ma, No Polyps! Or: Wenty Tries To Tell About His Colonoscopy Without Grossing Everybody Out Did you know that February is National Colorectal Cancer Month? Well, it is. So my timing in getting a colonoscopy is excelllent. (Honestly, I had nothing to do with the timing. My nephrologist (kidney doctor) told me I should … Continue reading Look Ma, No Polyps! Or: Wenty Tries To Tell About His Colonoscopy Without Grossing Everybody Out
I have not been a big fan of AI. It gives me the creeps. In most cases, whether it’s a picture or video or whatever, there’s just enough of it that’s unsettling. The AI I do like is for purely stupid purposes. For example, somebody (or bodys) has been making a series of hilarious and … Continue reading Here’s Artificially Intelligent Johnny!
“Around Dodge City, and into territory on west, there’s just one way to handle the killers and the spoilers: that’s with a U.S. Marshal, and the smell of gunsmoke!“ -Opening phrase of the “Gunsmoke” radio series. I have been a fan of radio theater from the day a 4th or 5th grade teacher brought out … Continue reading Gunsmoke!
This is going to be one of those “grumpy old man” essays. Winter tends to gin up the grouch in me, even if there’s no snow. I decided a few weeks back to plan a little weekend getaway. Three days and two nights in the Mile High City, the highlight being a live stage performance … Continue reading Does StubHub Make You Feel Like A Schlub? Join The Club!
The above Facebook post sets the stage for what was indeed a very strange evening at Radio City. (Full disclosure: It was actually only a 16-year broadcasting career at this point. I was engaging in a little bombast.) Here, as I tried to explain it to some of my Facebook friends, is what happened that … Continue reading Basketball Bloopers And Blunders
(SFX: phone rings…twice…three times..) JILL: National Weather Bureau, this is Jill, how may I direct your call? WENTY: I would like to inquire about the possibility of weather counseling. JILL: Weather…..counseling? WENTY: Yes. You see, over the last few days our town has experienced 65 mile an hour wind gusts. And as a result of … Continue reading A Foul Wind Doth Blow
On Friday January 13th, 2023 the flu was going around in Alliance Nebraska. One of my co-workers at KCOW was a strong fellow who would probably still come to work if a dog bit his foot off. But on this day, the co-worker took a sick day. This, combined with it being Friday The 13th, … Continue reading My 3rd Anniversary Of Near Death!
2025 was a pretty darn good year. Tremendous in fact! The fact that it ended with me suffering from the Annual Post-Christmas Cold (thanks sick people on the plane!) only slightly tempered my enthusiasm. So here are things I wrote and things I did. March: Hooray For Culver City! And other California locales. I had … Continue reading Wentyworld 2025: The Year That Was
