A New Chapter: Page 1

It was just a few short months ago that my daughter, Kayla joined me to present a checque to the CHEO Telethon on behalf of the Doc and Woody Fund.

She was gearing up for exams for the final time at Notre Dame High School. She was graduating. Mrs. Woody and I had seen the last of our parent-teacher interviews and would soon observe with pride as Kayla would walk across the auditorium stage to accept her awards and diploma.

The summer went by all too quickly for all of us and, before we knew it, Day 1 at Ottawa University was upon us.

This summer was the first vaction my wife and I ventured out alone. Our two older kids, Bob and Angie, were bound by their full-time jobs. Kayla, for the first time ever, stayed behind to keep her commitment to her newfound summer job at Bell Canada. With her tuition taken care of through scholarship money, she wanted to make it through her first year debt-free. Who would argue with our young fiscal conservative.

Last week, we made a date to have a bite at Don Cherry's on Rideau. We sat together talking football, school, clothes, finding a job and just about anything else that came up. She has a passion for life; a joie de vivre. Her mother has always marveled at Kayla's innate positivity. As she grew, her self confidence developed and, combined with her creative nature, she became a natural communicator. With the direction of her Theatre Arts teacher, Amy Lenser, excellence was achieved in Drama. She scored 100% for the semester. It came as no surprise that she would major in Theatre at U of O.

A favourite memory of mine will always be her performance with me on the 2005 CHEO Telethon when I handed the microphone over to her and let her shine before the cameras. She's a natural. I have little doubt that she will excel in university and apply her skills and her passion to something she loves to do.

After lunch, we strolled up King Edward to the campus where she took me on a walking tour. Ottawa U is a village unto itself; a world within a world. It's her next step in defining the life that will be all hers.

I couldn't help but feel the bittersweetness of it all. Our roll as parents has changed for the last time. She's the last one. We're no longer sole providers, disciplinarians and value setters. We're more like consultants and advisors to all of our kids now. They will always seek our counsel and support for decisions they make in their lives. But they will be their decisions to make. I feel no less important in their lives. I just feel..... different.

We're proud of you! All three of you!!!

Idol Boy Is Rarely Idle

I just spoke with him on the phone about an hour ago. I was confirming his phone interview for tomorrow morning at 8:40 on CHEZ 106.

Canadian Idol is over for another season and Jon Dore is still going to be packing in the appearances and projects for another month or two yet before he can put the brakes on.

Tomorrow we'll be talking about Saturday's "Pump Idol" for the Cancer Research Center.

Jon will blast into Ottawa on Saturday before the event, which promises to be a wild time. More details here!

The Hits Just Keep On Comin'

It's encouraging to note that the braintrust at CHEZ are becoming more serious about externally promoting Doc & Woody nowadays. I'm not at all sure how the thought process works but, when the show was struggling to get "over the hump", it just seemed we couldn't by a break. Doc & Woody advertizing was sparse at best for a couple of years. I was beginning to suspect that they were embarrassed by us.

Admittedly, we're not the cleanest-cut kids on the radio and I'm sure we've caused a blush or two in the big corner offices. Still, we managed to get over that so-called "hump" in our listening share and the management proved their own patience to be wise.

Although, the kind of push we're getting these days we could've used back then. I guess the "spend money to make money" philosophy doesn't apply to renegade "white knuckle ride" morning shows. But, then again, these people know what they're doing. It's a large company that takes its business very seriously without being impersonal - a fine line to walk when you're that big.

I'll tell you this, though. I never want to see that damned "hump" again!

Speaking of external publicity. Chris Day and the CJOH-TV news crew were in the building this morning, taping footage and interviews for a 'radio wars' series tentatively scheduled for the week of October 17th. I meant to shave for the event but I've misplaced my shaver. Hope I find it by Saturday.

That's okay. Doc forgot to wear pants.

Hmmm. I just noticed something in that picture. Take a close look at Doc's back. That's ..... that's not a "hump" is it?

Sometimes It's Just Better To Laugh Than Cry

It's the power of Photoshop at your service, folks! What's more of a joke is that there are people that actually believe the photo is REAL! Somehow, About.com saw the need to explain it to the simple ones.

And, though I am a Conservative, even I had to chuckle at the following:

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to change a light bulb?

A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; it's conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom? Why don't you support our troops?

I saw a bumper sticker, once. It read, "Don't take life too seriously. It's not permanent!"

Woody The Geek: 3 For 3 On Record For NFL Week 1

Okay! I got lucky.

With little time to research the facts, I went ahead and circled my Week 1 NFL picks. I picked the obvious favourites and played more hunch than crunch on the close ones. Few would have picked San Francisco to upset the Rams (although you can never rationalize a divisional tilt), so I knew I was safe there. More would have dared the Bucs to beat the Vikings but the majority would side with Minnesota, so no great compromise.
Same said for Miami/Denver.

My gut said Atlanta and Mike Vick. It also belched, "Pennington's not ready! Take K.C.!". But I must've hit a pocket of bad gas when I felt Seattle over the Jags and the Chargers to beat Dallas.

Still, I wound up in the first week elite with a 10-6 record, tied in a bundle for 2nd place. My eliminator pick was Washington and, while I heard the bullet graze my ear on that one, I was proven right as I witnessed 14 of 22 poolsters fall in the first week. What was I right about? Let's recap:

BTW. Skins can be the only lock in a week where there are no locks. Brave money takes the Saints. Their hearts maybe broken, but it only proves they have heart. Lions will exploit the Pack's suspect secondary to open the season with a win.

Yes, I said "brave money". No, I was a coward. This princess picked Carolina. At least I'm up front about it. Now, leave me alone. I have to replace the night-lights in my bedroom and the bathroom hall.

Go, Mighty Lions, Go!

About "Getting It Wrong"

It must have been a giddy time in the bowels of the CBC/Radio Canada this week when CTV NewsNet had to make a retraction for prematurely eulogizing former Bloc Quebecois Leader Lucien Bouchard. Suffering from their own internal labour strife, they must be frustrated to watch the world go by and not put their leftist spin on everything that crosses their blotter.

There's no question CTV messed up big-time. I just found it humorous when I Googled the story that the first to offer up NewsNet's retraction on a platter was CBC's website which, on any other occasion, would post:

CBC is currently experiencing a labour disruption, which means some of the information we normally offer you is unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.
In 30 seconds, you will be automatically redirected to the CBC.ca homepage.
Or, you can:

1. Go to the homepage now
2. Send your feedback to CBC Audience Relations
3. Click here to view on-air schedules for all CBC services
4. Click here to go to the CBC negotiations site

But, damm, if they weren't right on the ball that day. If it's a big enough story ... to them ... you can bet they'll cover it.

What's truly interesting is that CTV accredited the source to Radio-Canada, an allegation the french CBC vehemently deny. One call to the CRTC from either side to summon the audio records alone will solve that one. Was CTV trying to deflect their ineptitude? Is Radio-Canada covering something up?

Being in the media for over 25 years, I've been aware of and been witness to the scalping and trolling that goes on between competitors. Everyone wants to get the scoop. Everyone wants the edge. When someone, however, gets too close to their competitor via the lazy route, it's not uncommon for the competitor to troll something erroneous to trip 'em up. It's a risky game but it's usually under the radar of the watchdog.

There's a strong possibility that what NewsNet said is true. CBC has denied it with a vengeance, but CTV is wise enough to let it go because, in the end, they did not confirm the Bouchard story with another source - and that's what CBC is likely banking on. Besides, trollers cover their tracks quickly.

Still, I'd just love to have someone comb those tapes or trace the website archives. I just wonder, though, why NewsNet is scalping a dilapidated and decimated lockout version of their competitor.