Dave just left an awesome comment on my Bob McCown vs. Bill Watters entry. It's a list of 8 things you should do if you want to talk baseball with Bob McCown, host of Prime Time Sports of The Fan 590. I like this list because it's both well written and pretty accurate.

Want to talk baseball with Bob--this city's sports demagogue. Do the following:

1: Refer to the thirty-seven, fifty-nine, or eighty-four third basemen brought in by Ricciardi. It doesn't matter if the real number--excluding subs--is something like three or four. The higher the number, the more Bob likes you.

2: Say something like, "This guy hasn't done/brought in anyone." Bob likes that. Don't mention Lind, Hill, Purcey, Snider, Cecil, Marcum, Litsch, Accardo, Tallet, Downs, etc. Bob doesn't know who they are.

3: Say "I mean," and "C'mon." Say them a lot. Here's a template for you to use when you're talking to the screener: "I mean, c'mon, what' this guy doing. I mean, c'mon. Who's he drafting? C'mon, I mean."

4: Tell Bob that this team "has no one" and could never "make a run." Wells, Rios, Hill, and Overbay are .260/10/70 hitters. Not much they can do over a complete season. "How are they gonna compete with Wells and Hill? They got no one there at the corners. They, I mean, they got no one. I mean, they can't make a run."

5: Ignore everything positive about this team. The fact that they're third in the AL (and 6th in MLB) in team ERA? It doesn't matter. "C'mon, I mean, Wells isn't doing anything. C'mon."

6: Banish logic from your argument. The Jays lost two one-run games to Boston, and have already played ten one-run contests. Since they lost said games, they're awful. Had they won said games (by one run) they'd be a great defensive/pitching team.

7: Pretend that slumps never happen: Say something like, "Stairs is on pace to go .300/15/40 this year."

8: Say something that shows your baseball knowledge. Something like, "My buddies and me were talking baseball. Now we know a lot about the game. We follow it. We're experts, you know. But that there Jays third basemen, that...you know...that guy...oh, I can't remember his name. But I know a lot about baseball. Now I don't like him."

Now you're on. OK. Wind him up, and watch him go.

Sometimes comments are too good to keep buried. This one deserved some front page exposure.

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Freddie P had a nice little entry on his blog about MOJO Radio, which launched seven years ago this week. 640 on your AM dial, it was billed as talk radio for guys, and Humble Howard and Fred Patterson moved over from CFNY to work the morning shift.

Humble & Fred was my morning show of choice throughout the 1990s. That covered just about my entire high school and university career as well as my first full-time gig. I loved the music on 102.1 and I loved the hilarious banter between the two.

As I recall, they started simulcasting their show on 640. That meant, for a little while at least, you were hearing the exact same morning show on both CFNY and what was soon to become MOJO Radio. I should have known something was up... I was pretty ticked when I learnt Humble and Fred were leaving my radio station for some damn AM thing.

Although I tried, I had difficulty following the boys over to MOJO. To be honest, I found the whole Mojo thing to be pretty stupid. It just seemed dumbed down and annoying. Yes, Humble and Fred still had their moments, and I discovered this awesome little show by a fellow named Mike Stafford, but I refused to make time for anyone else on the station. By the time Humble and Fred left for Mix 99.9, I was already gone.

It's funny how life takes these twists and turns. I had lunch with Humble two days ago at a great little Italian Restaurant by the video production company he's working at. Then, the very next day, Humble met Freddie for lunch, their first hang time since the Valentine's Day Podcast of Love, and I was in the room with Humble, Fred and Dan Duran for that one. Speaking of Freddie P., I've been working a cool new project with him these past few weeks, something I'm hoping we'll announce next week.

They're both great guys and I like them even better in person than I did when I awoke to their voices every weekday morning. MOJO didn't work out as planned, but had it succeeded, I'd be short a couple of buddies.

Like I said, life is strange. You never know what's behind the corner...

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Chris "Punch" Andrews was 43. He was a disc jockey heard locally on Newstalk 1010 CFRB, 97.3 EZRock, and 99.9 MIX FM where his show aired on Saturday nights.

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YouTube user WNED17 recently uploaded some fantastic retro-Toronto-centric gems. These clips have brought back a tonne of memories for me, so I'm going to feature them one by one over the next few weeks.

I wasn't listening to Q107 in 1983. At that time, I was a young AM listener who enjoyed the top 40 music on CFTR. As the 80s progressed, I started listening to harder rock, and that meant discovering Q107.

There were years in the late 80s that I awoke to Q107. There was Jesse and Gene, and then Brother Jake Edwards and the Edwards Air Force Base when Jesse and Gene moved to the AM dial. I remember around the time Appetite For Destruction was released that Q107's Top Ten at Ten was essential nightly listening for me.

Here's an ad for the mighty Q from 1983.

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As I wrote last week, Humble Howard Glassman was a guest on The Debaters this past weekend. While The Debaters aired on Saturday night, Humble was devouring my wife's lasagna (not as dirty as it sounds), so I didn't get to hear the show.

Luckily for me, Humble had a buddy record the whole thing to MP3 so he could share it on his site. Here it is in all its hilarity.

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Between 5 and 5:30 I'm often in my car. Usually when I'm in my car, I'm listening to the radio. I go old school and listen to good ol' terrestrial radio. You know, that AM / FM stuff you've heard your parents talk about.

On the AM dial, I listen to Bob McCown's Prime Time Sports on The Fan 590. Love him or hate him, McCown puts together an intriguing radio show. There's no one better on the entire AM dial, if you ask me.

Recently, a little to the right at AM 640, Bill Watters got his own sports show to compete with McCown. I tried it out, returned when my buddy Fred co-hosted, and gave it another ten minutes earlier this week. The fact is, I find it sloppy and boring and about 10% as good as Prime Time Sports.

Is anybody listening to Watters over McCown?

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Now that both Humble and Fred have publicly stated it, I can finally write this entry. There will be no 18th Annual Humble & Fred Christmas show. Not on the radio or in podcast form. After 17 years, this annual Toronto tradition has come to an end.

Fans of the show will tell you this streak wasn't really in tact anyway. Back in 1991 Humble was at CKFM-FM while Fred was still at CFNY and in 2005 the show went on without Fred who had been relieved of his duties at Mix 99.9. Still, we all got together for the 18th annual show last December, against all odds, and it felt awfully special.

That's right, I said "we". I was invited to Dan Duran's house that Saturday morning we recorded the podcast and I took a bunch of pictures. Although I've known there would be no 18th Christmas show for some time, I had no idea I was witnessing the end of an era on December 16, 2006. At the time, I assumed we'd be doing it all again in December 2007. I was wrong.

As a fan, this truly sucks. The on-air chemistry between Humble Howard and Freddie P was awesome. They complemented each other so well, and watching them do their thing was like watching a long-time married couple complete each other's sentences. As a fan, I think it stinks that I can't hear another podcast and laugh my ass off.

On a personal level, it saddens me. I've grown quite close to Howard, we chat often about a variety of subjects and hook up whenever possible, and lately I've spent more time chatting with Fred and getting to know him. Both guys are solid citizens with unique talents and it would be a treat to watch them share a mic one more time. I root for both in their post-Humble & Fred careers, but it's tough when you think they're better when they're together. Like a long-time marriage, it's not necessarily forever. They've moved on, and so must we.

As I mentioned last month, I secured a complete backup of the old humbleandfred.com and I'm hosting it for posterity's sake. You can revisit the 17th Annual Christmas Show web page and listen to last year's podcast. You can stream it from that page, subscribe to the podcast or download the MP3. I covered all the bases. Trust me, it's a year old, but it's still hilarious. And now, it's bitter sweet.

Below is me, Bingo Bob, Fred Patterson, Dan Duran, Scary Bald Headed Pete and Humble Howard Glassman after we recorded the 17th and final Humble & Fred Christmas Show on December 16, 2006.

For waking me up every weekday morning of the 90s, for making me laugh and for helping me through both high school and university, thanks...

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When people learn I'm friends with both Humble and Fred, I'm almost always asked what they're up to. The fact is anything I'd be allowed to share would probably already be on their respective blogs, but it's a fair question and I do my best to answer it. Humble and Fred were the morning guys throughout the 90s on the radio station of choice for most of us born in the 70s, so there's naturally a great fondness for them and a genuine interest in their whereabouts.

Humble, who I'm hanging with on Saturday, will be appearing on an episode of the CBC radio comedy show "The Debaters". He'll be taping that in Saskatchewan and he'll be debating Judy Croon who worked with him on Mix 99.9. Fred will host the Bill Watters Show on AM 640 tomorrow and Friday. That starts at 4pm and runs until 7pm.

Another question I'm often asked by fellow fans of The Humble and Fred Show is whether there will be another podcast. Humble and Fred recorded three podcasts following their departure from radio, starting with last year's awesome Christmas show. I was lucky enough to be in the room while two of the three were recorded at Dan Duran's house and I was responsible for making sure you guys could hear it online. I don't know if the guys know I did this, but I grabbed a copy of the old humbleandfred.com and archived it at http://www.torontomike.com/humbleandfred/. You can actually go there and hear all three hilarious podcasts and then you can wonder why the hell these two no longer have their own show.

My answer to this podcast question isn't really an answer but a suggestion they ask Howard or Fred. If it were up to me, there would most definitely be an 18th Annual Humble & Fred Christmas Show. Unfortunately, it's not up to me.

Now get over to http://www.torontomike.com/humbleandfred/ and enjoy some great Humble and Fred from the past year. It's uncensored, cocked and loaded. And it's hilarious, dammit!

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Are you happy? Do you love the city you live in? Are you proud to be a Torontonian?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you might want to disable the AM band on your radio. I caught ten minutes of John Oakley this morning on AM640 and I wanted to move as far away from Toronto as possible. It's all doom and gloom with a horrible mayor, an incompetent council, no hope, no chance for a bright future, the city of Toronto is going downhill, getting too expensive and becoming a violent pit of despair where only the evil rich can wallow in this cesspool of greed and corruption. It's bad people, and if you live in the 416, you're not only an idiot but you're going to die very unhappy.

A pal of mine listens to CFRB 1010 and he hears pretty much the same thing over there. I think most talk radio on the AM dial thrives on bashing this city and getting listeners all riled up about how much better things used to be and how bleak the future of Toronto is with fools at the helm.

After ten minutes I started to wonder what's wrong with me that I'm actually happy, love my city and am proud to be a Torontonian. And if I disable the AM band on my radio, how the hell will I ever hear Leaf games when I'm stuck in my car?

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As a long time fan of the Humble & Fred morning show, I was poised to dislike their replacement on my favourite radio station. A quick search of this blog for the term "blundell" gives you an idea as to what I think of The Dean Blundell Show. I've never liked it.

I'm not a fan of his radio show, but Dean Blundell also writes a column for Eye Weekly that I do enjoy. I find his radio persona moronic and insulting yet I find his columns bold and titillating. Earlier this month, he wrote about his wife, and I actually read it out loud to my wife because I couldn't believe the honesty he committed to print. His most recent column for Eye Weekly calls out Toronto radio personalities. He doesn't name names, but most of the identities can be guessed fairly easily. It makes for one hell of an interesting article.

My friend Fred Patterson, one half of the aforementioned Humble & Fred Show, posted Blundell's article on his blog and invited readers to guess who's "the paranoid ageing huckster who's ego is the bruised by years of abuse" and "the guy who tells you how awesome he is before he tells you who he is" and the "guy and gal with fake names who's radio careers have more miles on them than Pamela Anderson's knees". It was a highly entertaining entry, but Fred unpublished it. You'll no longer find it on his site. Apparently, Blundell's article is causing some trouble for Alan Cross and The Edge and Fred didn't want to get in the middle of a shit storm.

As it turns out, Dean Blundell makes a great columnist. There's a guy who seriously needs a blog. I know I'd check in daily to read what he's got to say.

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Here's a Toronto Mike exclusive for ya. One of my radio friends just told me the morning guys at 92.5 JackFM have been let go. I checked around and nobody else has this massive news bomb. Ben and Kerry are best known for those ads with the two grown men slipping out of a giant egg, which you'll see below.

I never heard a second of the Ben and Kerry morning show, but maybe you did, so this exclusive report is all about you.

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Fred Patterson, or Freddie P as he's often called, is best known as one half of the Humble & Fred morning show. I met him through Humble Howard and helped him with his popular blog, FreddieP.ca.

Fred's a gracious guy, and he was nice enough to grant me an interview. Here's my interview with Freddie P.

Q: How did Fred Patterson get his start in radio? Tell us about breaking into the biz and that little yellow house in Brampton.
A: After leaving Seneca College in 1978 I took a job at CKFH (now the Fan) writing traffic reports for the morning man who at the time was Brian Barker.

I worked three hours a day for $2.50 an hour. I had to walk half a mile from my house in Scaborough to the bus stop at Birchmount and Eglinton at 4:30 in the morning. CKFH was basically at Yonge and College.

I went all that way to earn $7.50 a day but it was worth it because it put me in the environment of a radio station that leaned heavily towards sports.

Before long I was working the board for Blue Jays baseball and helping out on Bob McCown's original sports talk show, "Talking of Sports."

It was great but I wanted to be "on air" at the folks at FH thought I was too young and green, so at McCowns urging I started to look around and that's how I ended up in Brampton at CHIC 790 - a disco station that needed a news and sports announcer.

It wasn't long before David Marsden hired me to do sports on CFNY (CHIC's sister station) and that's where I stayed for 22 glorious years.

Q: We're missing your voice on Toronto radio. What's next for Freddie P?
A: I have no idea. I'd love to get back into radio but I'm a realist. It's a different business today with less competition and way more interest in bottom line. Ideally I dream of having my own talk show in Toronto, but so do four thousand other people.

I miss the radio station environment and the interaction with people. I'd love to get up each day and have a show to create and present in my own way.

People might laugh at the comparison, but my website has been great therapy for me and in a way constructing it is much like you would a radio talk show. Take a subject, analyze it, give your opinion, piss off a few people, and then wait for the response.

Q: People my age are particularly fond of Mr. Goohead. I want to know the origin of Mr. Goohead and when we can expect a major motion picture featuring the character.
A: When someone makes me an offer. Fat chance.

Mr. Goohead was a real spring board for me. It was his creation that led to my move from sportscaster to morning show co-host. It showed that there was another side to me.

The first episode happened in 1987 with the "Time Change" episode on the Steve Anthony morning show. The clocks and just changed and something inspired me to call a Chinese restaurant and screw with the guy. The voice just came out and the name came from my brother in law who used to call people gooheads.

It got such a great reaction I just kept thinking of concepts and doing them.

At the same time, it was one of those things that after 15 years I grew tired of. Morning shows changed and so did the Humble and Fred Show and prank calls simply didn't inspire me any more.

I still have over a hundred episodes and feature them on my website. freddiep.ca

Q: What happened to that BBQ show you hosted on television? Admittedly, my memory is a little hazy, but I remember you giving grilling tips. Was that a cool gig?
A: The money and the experience were fantastic. The product wasn't so great.

I was hired with the understanding that CTV wanted Fred Patterson, the down to earth every day guy who worked on CFNY. I was going to do a relaxed presentation, very casual and off the cuff.

But then the sponsor got involved.

Chinette plates decided they didn't want that image. They made high class paper plates so you couldn't have a guy sloppin' stuff on and off the barbeque. You know, reality.

Instead it turned into a formal and stiff segment that I wasn't especially proud of.

Q: You've done quite a bit of podcasting since you left radio. There's the work you do at beer.com and those awesome Humble & Fred podcasts we did from Dan Duran's house. Will there be another Humble & Fred podcast this Christmas?
A: They were well received so It would be a shame to let the tradition die. But who knows what will be happening by Labour Day let alone Christmas.

Q: What's your favourite movie?
A: The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Call it timing. The right movie at the right time for me and nothing has surpassed it.

Q: I've noticed a conservative slant at freddiep.ca. When did you sell your soul to the devil?
A: How does the saying go. NDP at 20, Liberal at 30, then you grow up and become Conservative at 40. And I know of what I speak because I've voted for all three parties over the years.

Believe it or not, I'm not partisan. Just give me good honest government. Like that rat Mike Harris who did nothing but do what he said he was going to do. Some of it backfired, but nobody can say he lied to them.

It absolutely amazes me that after 13 years of corrupt Liberal government at the federal level, and four years of Liberal deceit at the provincial level that anyone could even dream of voting for that party.

But people seem to be so anti-conservative they're willing to forgive and forget anything.

Q: I'm a little young to remember Pete 'n Geets, but I hear amazing things. What was it like being a part of that genius?
A: Pete and Geets were fantastic. They were Canada's pioneer FM morning show, and here's what I mean by that. In the early days of CHUM-FM they changed the way morning radio was done.

Less music, more talk, irreverent instead of corny and they didn't yell at you like the am morning shows did. When they came to CFNY in 1980, it got even better.

I often find it amusing how much credit Howard Stern gets for bringing a different style of morning show to radio, but his "style" was being established by Pete and Geets before Stern was even out of college. But without the tits and ass.

And of course, Pete and Geets never got the credit they deserved, mainly because they never had huge ratings. But as we've learned over the years, ratings doesn't mean quality.

The current ratings system is a joke and has robbed Toronto of a lot of good radio over the years.

Q: Is there anything else you want to share with the Toronto Mike crowd?
A: Yea. You don't know what you've got till it's gone. Don't be sad it's over, be glad it happened. Eat lots of fibre and teach your children well.

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AM 640 is making some changes. Their Leafs Lunch show did well, so they're throwing The Bill Watters Show with Jeff Marek in the afternoon slot to try and steal some of Bob McCown's Prime Time Sports audience from the Fan 590.

I'm bummed about this move. I don't listen to much AM 640, but their current afternoon drive guy is top notch. When they move Mike Stafford to make way for The Bill Watters Show with Jeff Marek, they're moving him from the rare block of time I actually listen to AM radio. Others sing Stafford's praises, but there's a publicly declared bias that may mute the sentiment. That doesn't mean the praise isn't justified, because it is.

I've never met Mike Stafford, so when I tell you this guy is the best in show, I mean it. He knows a lot about a lot and tempers that with a good sense of humour and a sensitive touch, but not too sensitive. Also, his knowledge of Simpsons trivia is second to none, although the current format at AM 640 (whatever this current format is) doesn't give him much opportunity to flex that muscle.

If only the AM 640 nerds would give his blog an RSS feed...

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No, you didn't miss me on CBC radio last week. A week ago Olivia contacted me to appear on Metro Morning while they discussed Crocs. This entry has made me an authority on the subject. That's how things work in the world of Web 2.0 dontcha know.

Toronto Mike will not be part of this debate. Here's what Olivia told me earlier today.

Hi Mike,

It's Olivia from Metro Morning...we spoke last week about setting up a Croc shoe debate on our show.

Just wanted to let you know we are running the interview tomorrow. It was short notice because of an article published in the Toronto Star this morning about Crocs being banned in certain hospitals...instead of saving it for a rainy day like we originally planned, we decided to run it ASAP so it doesn't look like we're stealing the story.

We have two guests - a local shoe designer versus a nurse who wears Crocs to work. Because we're pressed for time, I have to cancel a couple of different angles (a podiatrist, two retailers) including yours. I apologize for that - but appreciate that you took the time to talk to us.

The interview may run at 8:15 tomorrow depending on, once again, time constraints. Tune in to see what happens!

Could this be the end of the Ceeb as we know it?

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680 Traffic and Weather - This is actually pretty handy to have around. It's the most recent 680 News traffic as an MP3. This one is for locals only.

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I received a voice mail this morning from Olivia, a producer of Metro Morning on CBC Radio One. Metro Morning is the top morning show in the city, and even though Andy Barrie is on vacation, I returned the call.

Metro Morning wants to discuss Crocs, and they found this entry via a heavily promoted article on Slate. That makes me an internationally renown Crocs expert and a potential guest on Friday morning's show.

Blogging is strange. You never know which entries are going to explode. I wrote about the Croc conundrum off the cuff and spent about two minutes on it, and now it's most likely the most read entry on this site. Yesterday alone 9,000 unique visitors came to read that entry, and Olivia was one.

I'll let you know if I'll be on 99.1 on Friday. It should be good for shits and giggles.

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CFNY Edge 102 is playing 90s music all weekend. I've been listening here and there throughout the day, and it's got me wishing they'd keep it going long term. I was 15 when the 90s arrived and 26 when they left. Those are everyone's core music adoration years and the songs you love during this period never leave you.

Bring on the Nirvana, bring on Alice in Chains, bring on Oasis, bring on Beck. Another from Pinkerton, something from Naveed and a gem from Ten. This is my music, turn it up.

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A couple of years ago, I wrote about my Toronto morning radio show history. I've listened to a few different morning shows throughout the years, but it all started with Tom Rivers and the Rivers Air Force on 680 CFTR.

Tom Rivers passed away a few years ago, but I'll never forget my first favourite DJ. Checking my RSS feeds this morning, I found a great entry from Shane Alexander sharing a clip of Tom Rivers doing his show back in 1988. I might have left Rivers for Jesse and Gene on Q107 by this time, but it's that same show I loved complete with Rusty and the Unfriendly Giant. If you remember Toronto radio in the 1980s, you'll love this clip.

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I've always enjoyed Quirks & Quarks with Bob McDonald. It airs Saturdays on CBC Radio but you can hear archived shows here. Bob McDonald has a way of explaining complex aspects of science in a way dummies like me can understand.

This afternoon I caught McDonald on CBC Newsworld's Mansbridge One on One. Peter Mansbridge was hitting him with viewer questions and one was about male baldness. Bob was asked why we go bald and whether it was completely hereditary or not. Bob stated it was hereditary, usually from the mother's side, and there seemed to be a link between particularly hairy people and baldness. The more often you need to shave and the more hair you have on your body, the more likely it is you will go bald.

I loved that answer because I've always had a hell of a time growing a beard. If I go a few days without shaving, it just looks bad. The hair grows, but it's not full and bushy and there are bald spots. I've complained about this before, but now I'm glad I can't grow a decent beard. It's probably the reason why I still have a thick head of hair on my head.

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CFNY Edge 102 is right now counting down the top 102 Canadian new rock songs of all time. If you don't live in the Greater Toronto Area, you can listen online here.

If you know me at all, you know this kind of thing is right up my alley. When the list is complete, I'll post it here and throw my two cents in the mix. We'll definitely hear the staples like Our Lady Peace, The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies and Sloan, and we'll probably hear new comers like Arcade Fire, The New Pornographers, Death From Above 1979 and Billy Talent, and let's hope we hear a little Treble Charger, Killjoys, Headstones, Watchmen, Rusty, The Pursuit of Happiness and Grapes of Wrath.

This should be interesting...

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I bumped into an old friend the other day told him to contact me through this site. I got an email from him later that day in which you remarked that it's pretty cool I'm working in radio.

I've never written about my career in radio because I've never worked in radio. I've listened to a lot of radio, but that's not quite the same thing, although I hear the pay is similar. The confusion probably derives from my involvement in the Humble & Fred podcasts, but that's web based "radio".

I got this message through my site yesterday, from somebody else.

hey i have just tuned into your station and i am loving it, the only problem is once you get to scarborough travelling on the 401 to ajax the signal cuts out. is there another station i can switch to in order to get the same relaxing music. Kay

It turns out Kay was asking about 103.9, Proud FM. My interview with Bingo Bob confused her and she thought it was my station.

I'm the leader of the show, keepin' you on the go, but I know I can't live without my radio.

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I wrote about my old stereo, recently resurrected and now bringing me much enjoyment on a daily basis. She's got twenty FM station presets on her, and I use every one.

At night I'll browse through the twenty stations and hear what's cooking in the city. I recently taught James how to do this and his new favourite pre-bed ritual is cruising the dial himself. He's right at home at the controls.

You're probably wondering what Toronto radio stations I've programmed into the twenty presets. No? Well, I'm going to share this information anyways, if for no other reason than to have it documented in case I need a quick reference one day.

Here they are, in ascending order.

• 88.1
• 88.9
• 89.5
• 91.1
• 92.5
• 93.5
• 95.3
• 96.3
• 97.3
• 97.7
• 98.1
• 99.1
• 99.9
• 102.1
• 103.5
• 103.9
• 104.5
• 106.5
• 107.1
• 107.9

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The Sun has an article today about Mike Bullard. It's all about how happy he is working at XM Satellite Radio, hosting his own show Mike Bullard Uncensored. Here's an excerpt from the article.

"When I got depressed -- and I got depressed -- I just said I am not going to give up," he said. "I decided I wanted to do something where I could become a known entity in the United States."

He has found it in satellite radio. With Sirius and XM about to merge he doesn't know what the future holds, but says, "If I did this the rest of my life, I would be happy."

Looks like the magician has reappeared and once again he's a comedian.

It sure sounds like Mike's a happy camper. The Sun went to print with this article this morning, but check out what Judy Croon has to say on her website.

Unfortunately, due to budget constraints at XM, Mike Bullard Uncensored has been cancelled. On behalf of Mike, Lawrence and myself, we would like to thank our listeners for their support. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, or call XM at 1-800-XM-RADIO (USA) or 1-877-GET-XMSR (CANADA)

Just so you know, the three of us agree that this is the most fun we have ever had on a show and we are going to miss you :(

That's right, on Friday Mike Bullard Uncensored was cancelled and today the Sun has Mike beaming with glee at his new found success.

Timing is everything.

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I met Bingo Bob for the first time when we all showed up at Dan Duran's house to record the 17th annual Humble & Fred Christmas Show. He used to produce the Humble & Fred morning show and recently scored a cool gig producing the morning show at 103.9 Proud FM, the first radio station in Canada catering to the LGBT crowd. I just Googled it... LGBT means Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, in case you didn't already know that.

When I threw these questions at Bob, I thought Proud FM had already launched. It turns out I was just hearing a test of the signal. Nevertheless, here's my interview with Bingo Bob.

Q: People know Bingo Bob from The Humble & Fred morning show. What went down in July of 2006. Spill the deets...
A: July 2006 was the end of a very significant part of my life. It had already been a strange 11 or 12 months...as Fred was let go a year earlier...leaving Humble Howard and myself the last two left from way back at the Edge days working together. But on July 15th I got a call from the assistant to the GM at Standard Radio Toronto at about 3:30 in the afternoon asking me to come in to the station at 5:30...yikes. I knew exactly what was coming. It was one of the worst feelings in the world. I had never been fired from anything, never mind something I cared so much about. Humble's explanation of how it felt in his article in the Post was very accurate. It's quite surreal. I wasn't even married a year yet, and it was the day before a planned two week vacation in London and Paris...talk about putting a damper on the festivities. I got to the station, my GM told me they are "going in a different direction in mornings"...and that was that. They walked me out...told me I could come back and get my stuff if I wanted...but I didn't...I stopped off at the morning show office and took as many office supplies as possible.

Q: How did you get the nickname Bingo Bob?
A: When I first walked into The Humble and Fred Show @ Edge102 to become an intern, Humble asked me what I did...and lucky me I was a bingo caller/runner/manager. So I immediately became Bingo Bob.

Q: Congrats on being the first Morning Show Producer for the new Proud FM. How is it working with Ken Kostick and Mary Jo Eustace?
A: They are terrific...very nice people who have a great chemistry...I can't wait to get on the air with them...and they cook! It's awesome.

Q: The launch of Proud FM was awfully quiet. You're the first gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender focused station in the country. Shouldn't you be bringing the noise?
A: Well, we aren't launched as of yet. If you do happen upon 103.9 while in your car, what you are hearing is merely a test of the signal...we don't launch until Mid-April.

Q: I'm a heterosexual male. Am I allowed to listen?
A: We are an inclusionary station, we don't JUST cater to the LGBT crowd, we are for everyone.

Q: Who's funnier? Humble or Fred?
A: Hmmmm...actually neither of them. I find them both to be quite serious and somewhat melancholy.

Q: In some quarters, Proud FM is probably a little controversial. Have you had any negative response? Do you receive homophobic email?
A: I haven't yet, but I know some people who were involved in the CRTC application have received death threats.

Q: The Proud FM website has been coming soon for a while now. Do you need a little help with that?
A: Let me ask around...I like your stuff...so we will see!

Q: I live a little west of the downtown core. I get 103.9, but it's a little fuzzy. Any plans to boost the signal so you come in clear throughout the 416?
A: Right now our signal is one of the smallest in Toronto...depending on where you are in the 416 you might have a hard time picking it up on a home stereo...but if you are listening in your car, we are coming in quite well all over the place. My dad called me the other day to say that he was listening while working in Brampton.

Q: Is there anything else you want to share with the Toronto Mike crowd?
A: Not that I can think of...Just that they should keep checking your site as often as possible, anybody who loves Humble and Fred, Pearl Jam and The Simpson's can't be half bad. (Those too are three of my favourite things) And of course to check out my blog too: http://blog.myspace.com/bingobob I have to admit I have been a little light on the postings as of late...who knew building a radio station from the ground up would be so much work?

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When I was dating my wife back in '95, there were two sleeping quirks she had to deal with. I slept all night with a fan on, no matter what season it was, and I fell asleep each night to the radio.

She not only learnt to live with the fan, but she now requires the fan for a good night's sleep. We've had a fan blowing on us every night of our marriage. The radio habit, however, had to go. My night time ritual of cruising my station presets and falling asleep with the sleep timer on ended when we got married.

Last night I decided to dust off my good 'ol Sony mini-system and set her up in the bedroom. I cruised the dial and added 20 FM presets, just as I did as a teenager. This stereo is about fifteen years old but everything works great except the CD player. It was sweet hearing her and seeing her again.

I wonder if there's room for three in this marriage. We'll soon find out!

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Yesterday I wrote about my evening at CFRB. I promised I'd actually share the Humble Howard interview with Jim Richards, and here it is.

Here's part one...

And here's part two. This is the one you want to hear because the first 32 seconds are all about yours truly. Top of the world, Ma!

And just to be a completist, here's part three...

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"Wanna come to CFRB with me? It might be good for shits and giggles". That was Humble Howard's offer yesterday afternoon. As luck would have it, my Monday night was open and I was in the mood for shits and giggles. We agreed to meet outside 2 St. Clair Ave West at 7:45pm.

We burned an hour having coffee at the joint across the street before we entered the domain of Standard Broadcasting. This was his office before he was canned, so there was that extra element of awkwardness. We were met in the lobby by Richard the producer of the Jim Richards show and I was introduced as the embedded journalist. I love that title.

I got a tour of the on-air section and met Freeway Frank who was on the air at 99.9 MIX FM and a genuine nice guy. He's commented on this site before and even knew Toronto Mike. He was working in the studio where the Humble & Fred show was broadcast from, which made it even more eery. There was also EZ Rock 97.3, but we didn't go into their studio, and then there was 1010 CFRB.

My mother tells stories of my grandmother working at Laura Secords at St. Clair and Yonge and CFRB personalities like Gordon Sinclair and Betty Kennedy dropping by all the time, but I digress. CFRB has been a big time radio station in this market for a long time, whether we kids like it or not. It was very cool meeting the producer and board op and watching them to their thing while Humble was on the air. Dean, the board op, even answered my many questions about this crazy new medium called radio.

I took pictures, and you can see the photoset here. Jim Richards, who I sincerely think is a very funny man, was laid back cool, although we didn't get a chance to chat long. He was sorta busy workin'. The interview itself seemed to go well and Humble managed to drop a promo for this very site, which was cool. I'll share the interview here later.

At the end of the day, I enjoyed a lot of shits and giggles, and that was the point, wasn't it?

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I'll be at CFRB tonight for a live thing at 9pm on The Jim Richards Show. I'll be at CFRB, but I probably won't be on CFRB. I'm accompanying a friend who's promoting his Slime book.

As a guy who's not in the radio biz, this is kinda exciting. It's not a station I'd ever listen to, but I remember Jim Richards from The Fan 590 and I remember thinking at the time that he was damn funny.

I'll snap a few pics and let you all know how this radio thing works. Maybe, just maybe, I'll get on the air and plug this site. You'll have to listen to 1010 at 9 to find out.

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I did this once before. Earlier today I copied the list of songs played on 102.1 in the previous twelve hours and I've added little notes to each one.

People seemed to like that entry from September, but this kind of thing is a little more labour intensive than I like. Still, I'll try to do this every few months or so. Here's the second instalment of Twelve Hours of Edge Analysis.

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I used to listen to a lot more radio. I've been a fan of the medium forever, and I've written extensively about radio here, but lately I've had less time for her.

For one thing, I rarely drive anymore. I used to commute to work and spend a great deal of time in the car, but now I'm strictly a TTC or walk guy. Not driving means less radio. Also, now that my music collection is digitized, it's so accessible and convenient, I'm listening to MP3s more and radio less. It really hit home how little radio I hear when I realized I've only tuned in three station in the past three months.

Those three were...

CFNY 102.1 The Edge - I still tune in my old favourite quite a bit for a dose of Billy Talent, Incubus, The Raconteurs, Modest Mouse or whatever. It's currently my shower station.

CBC Radio One - I tune in 99.1 periodically, mainly for the news. No Toronto station does the news like they do. There are other great programs, like GO or Definitely Not the Opera, that deserve more ears.

The Fan 590 - When I need a sports report or if I just want to hear what people are saying about the Leafs, Jays or Raptors, I visit good 'ol CJCL. I've been tuning in CJCL since the 1430 and Music of Your Life days.

There you have my three coins in the fountain. Not long ago, there were closer to ten coins in the fountain. There was also more time for radio in my life.

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I wrote about a CFNY for grownups following a comment from Doug, but he was quick to remind me that we're talking about two different CFNYs. Last week Humble Howard made a comment about three different groups of CFNY / Edge102 listeners that can be grouped by morning shows. This concept has been bouncing around my head all week so I'm going to try and make sense of it all in this entry.

In 1989, when Humble & Fred started their morning show on CFNY, I was starting grade nine. I listened to that morning show throughout high school, through university and up until it moved to AM in 2001. Humble & Fred were followed by the Dean Blundell show. Here are entries in which I used the expression blundell. It's not my morning show. Although I tried, Lord knows I tried, I just can't listen to it. I just don't find it funny.

If we reach for our history text books we'll learn about Pete & Geets who did mornings from 1982 to 1987 on CFNY. I never heard a minute of their show, but for many this was their CFNY, the spirit of radio. From 1982 until today Toronto's youth with a taste for new rock can be grouped by their morning show: Pete & Geets, Humble & Fred or Dean, Jason & Todd.

Some overlap, but most are in one of these three camps. There are Dean fans who never heard Humble & Fred on 102 just as I had never heard Pete & Geets. Which morning show belongs to you?

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I was lucky enough to be a little slice of broadcast history this weekend. Regular visitors to this site have seen me write about The Humble & Fred radio show. It began in 1989 on CFNY-FM (later renamed Edge 102) and was the morning show I awoke to until it moved to Mojo 640 in April 2001. The team was broken up in the summer of 2005 when Fred Patterson was relieved of his duties at Mix 99.9. In July 2006, Humble Howard experienced the same cruel fate.

For many a Humble & Fred fan, their annual Christmas show was a highlight of the season. This Christmas marked the first time in seventeen years that neither was on the radio. The Humble & Fred Christmas Show was dead... or was it? I received a call on the QT from Humble on December 8th in which we discussed the logistics of recording a Christmas show and sharing it at humbleandfred.com. On December 10th I wrote a plan of a attack and received a late night call from Humble indicating it was a definite go. I threw a temporary countdown page at humbleandfred.com and was told to be at Dan Duran's house on December 16 at 10:30 in the morning. I was going to be the embedded journalist as history unfolded.

It had been well over a year since the two conversed on the mic as they had daily for over sixteen years, so I knew this was something special. I was also a fan of their folksy charm and humour that never failed to make me laugh. I charged the battery of my digital camera and made the short stroll to Dan's house yesterday morning unsure of what to expect but certain I'd be witnessing something extraordinary.

In addition to Dan Duran who was producing the show in his home office, his wife and son were mingling about when I showed up. Soon thereafter, Humble Howard arrived with his daughter Spencer, followed by Fred Patterson, Scary Bald Headed Pete (who is no longer bald) and Bingo Bob. Dan, Pete and Bob were all former producers of the Humble & Fred show making me the one person in the room who had never appeared on the radio show. My plan was to not pollute the process, take it all in and snap a ton of pictures.

The first thing I noticed was how natural and genuine it all seemed. There was some discussion about how it would all unfold, some audio checks and arrangement of the non-live material and then it was show time. It was all so slick, Humble and Fred anticipated each other so well, it was like watching a couple that's been together so long they finish each other's sentences. Even better, it's totally organic. No scripts, no second takes, just a natural flow that's both endearing and hilarious. The warm and fuzzy nature of the hour long show is perfect for this time of year. The Baileys Irish Creme in the coffee didn't hurt either. By the end of the show, Dan's wife was literally preparing martinis. It was the most fun you can have on a Saturday morning without taking your clothes off.

The show itself included a frank discussion about what transpired since Mix 99.9, a recollection of Christmas shows past, some great performances by The Doo Wops and Barenaked Ladies, the annual favourite "Snow Removal Machine" and a number of great Humble & Fred exchanges that make you scratch your head and wonder why these two are still out of work.

On the morning of December 22, the 17th Annual Humble & Fred Christmas Show will be available at humbleandfred.com. You will be able to stream it from the site or download the MP3. If you were ever a fan of the Humble & Fred morning show, or if you're just curious what all the fuss is about and in the holiday spirit, you're going to want to check this out.

Throughout the broadcast yesterday morning I was overwhelmed with this tingling feeling that had nothing to do with Baileys or Jackie's martinis. A large media company forced Humble and Fred off of their airwaves ending a seventeen year run in Canada's largest market. Without a time slot on terrestrial or satellite radio, the Christmas show survived. Think of the Grinch stealing all the Christmas trees and presents in Whoville. The Whos' holiday spirit could not be crushed just as Humble and Fred's voice could not be silenced. You can take their jobs, but they belong to us.

Take a moment to check out my Humble and Fred Holiday Reunion photoset. Witness history in the making for yourself. I was honoured to be a part of it.

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The S4 2006 radio ratings are out. All BBM will give away for free is this top-line report (pdf).

Here are the ten most listened to stations in Toronto when sorted by share percentage.

1. CHFI 98.1
2. CHUM-FM 104.5
3. CBC RadioOne 99.1
4. Q107
5. EZ-Rock 97.3
6. 680 News
7. Classical 96.3
8. Edge102
9. Z103.5
10. AM740

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I mentioned that I've been enjoying the last twelve hours of Edge music, the best thing to happen to the official Edge site in forever. Shortly after noon today, I copied the list of songs played on 102.1 in the previous twelve hours and I've been adding little notes to each one througout the day. Here's what I've got.