(Copyright 2008)
The WALTHER REPORT
By Tony Walther
A former editor-boss of mine e-mailed me a story about how a television station in Cincinnati adopted the call letters WKRP in a promotion that references the TV situation comedy popular in the 1970s about a small time mid-western radio station, WKRP in Cincinnati.
The reason he would send it to me is in reference to the character Les Nessman who was the newsman for WKRP and loved to do his farm news, reporting, among other things, the price of hogs. Old Les was a geeky-looking fella, wearing a bow tie, who took his news, to include the farm reports, quite seriously.
Maybe my former boss thought that fit me. Maybe it was the fact that my job at his newspaper was that of the “farm editor”.
And maybe it was the fact that, strangely enough, not long after leaving that job, I found myself portraying a real-life Les Nessman at a small-time radio station in the town where I went through high school. I even did my own farm report, among the rest of the news.
In a show I created myself, I did regular interviews with farmers and others connected to local agriculture. I simply used a tape recorder, gave a little intro, did the interview, and then closed it out, all off the cuff, no script.
In fact, the best one I ever did was at the nationally famous Red Bluff (Ca.) Bull Sale, where I interviewed an auctioneer. I asked him to explain what he was actually saying in the chant he did and why it was done that way, along with other such questions. I closed out by asking him to give a demonstration, and he did. Not a flub in that tape, as smooth as can be. The owner of the radio station gave it a rave review and then told me I had no more job. They decided to change their format and cut down on personnel.
I had hoped to last long enough to beat out Les Nessman for the coveted annual Silver Sow Award.
