Freddie P's Blog

January 5, 2012 @ 21:21

I really feel weird about this. The last time I posted something on Canadian Thinker it was November 19th, over a month ago.

Every time I post something I do it with the intention of getting back to the regular routine and keeping the site up to date.

I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. When I was Program Director of the two Corus Radio stations in Peterborough I was on the jocks all the time to keep their blogs current.

I used to say, "If your blog isn't up to date, you might as well take it down because it makes us look like we're out of it."

But I will qualify that slightly. Radio station websites are revenue generators so it's important to keep them up to date so that potential sponsors feel like they're buying into something relevant.

This blog is not a revenue generator so the commitment isn't quite what it is for a radio station website. Having said that, I still don't feel good about letting Canadian Thinker sit day after day while people continuously e-mail and ask me what gives.

And further to that, those people who post on the site and tell me to shut it down can piss off because it just doesn't make sense. There are lots of non-revenue generating websites that post monthly.

You don't have to pay to read Canadian Thinker and I'm not selling any products on Canadian Thinker so I really don't owe anything to anyone. I just owe it to myself to write more frequently to keep my writing skills sharp.

Now that that's out of the way, let me say this. It was quite the year.

It was the best of times and the worst of times. I learned a lot this year. I learned how one person can destroy part of you and then I learned about shaking it off, moving forward and doing things for yourself.

In Peterborough a wonderful job turned sour through being micro-managed and force fed things I knew were wrong.

I went from feeling great about the company I worked for to feeling profoundly confused and let down. But most of all, I felt betrayed.

Do you know what it's like to have someone pull information out of you in apparent good will and then have them use it against you? I hope you don't because it ain't pretty.

Voicing my opinion was like putting a gun to my head.

But enough of that shite, let's look forward. Literally the day after I left Peterborough Humble and Fred Radio was born.

Humble had been let go from Boom and I couldn't get back to Brampton fast enough.

One phone call and we were mapping strategy for the next few months. Both of us had severance packages we could lean on while we planned what any jock worth his salt would want to do. Create a show that you're completely in control of.

This internet thing is wonderful and it's opened up a whole new world to a couple of guys who still think their brand has some legs. And you know what? It does.

Since doing our first show on October 15th we've had fantastic response with download numbers well beyond our expectations, media acknowledgement that's been extremely flattering and fiscal rewards that we thought would take a lot longer.

It's the first thing that people ask, especially radio people. How do you monetize it?

Well here's how you monetize it. You offer a ready made brand, which we had, then you create a good product, which we did, and then you have the good fortune of a legendary Toronto radio sales manager liking what you do and wanting to hitch his horse to your wagon.

Bill Hurz has been a wonderful addition to the team and has us in great shape for what should be a solid year. In the next couple of weeks, Humble and Fred Radio be making an announcement that will catapult us to the next level.

It's a great opportunity, so great we actually turned down a regular radio gig to pursue it.

At this point it's all about being in control of our own content and not answering to those who claim every move they make is in support of talent and product while in reality they're knee jerking to the latest quarter or PPM / BBM frenzy. It's not their fault necessarily, it's how they make their living and they're comfortable with it. You have to be a certain type.

There are exceptions however, and I'm happy to report that Humble and I met one, but again, more on that in the next week or so.

In the meantime we've got to keep workin' hard, pump out the shows and make sure they get better and better.

We've been blessed with the help of so many people. Like Peter Cugno who's offered his boundless talent on spec, Jason Kinder who's producing the show out love and passion, and Toronto Mike who built the site and made sure everybody could access the audio. Kelly Cutrara comes in a couple of times a week to help out, and people like Alan Cross and Nick Kypreos have answered the call every time we've sent one out.

We'd also like to thank three of the big radio players in Toronto for helping us out.

Astral Media and John Moore for embracing our project and allowing us to yap about it on Newstalk 1010 every week.

Rogers Radio and Bob McCown for giving us a whole half hour of his show when we first launched.

And thank you Corus Radio for wanting five thousand dollars for the trademark Humble and Fred. The buzz that created from a WTF standpoint was amazing. People are still talkin' about it. You can't buy that shit and Dave Farough was a good sport through it all.

And one more. Thanks to Gary Slaight of all people. Talk about irony, the guy who hired us, then fired us from The Mix, became the first major sponsor of Humble and Fred Radio, and I mean major. His faith in our product was displayed through his generosity on a sales contract. He helped legitimize us.

On a personal note I'd like to thank Ross Winters for teaching me a lot during my stay in Peterborough. It all made so much long term sense given the new landscape of that market...... oh well.

That just about does it for now. Other than wishing the remaining readers of Canadian Thinker a very Happy New Year, all I can offer is another promise that I know will probably ring hollow.

I promise to spend more time with this blog in the New Year. Post more often and service those people who obviously love this website when it's functioning properly.

Lovin' yuz, each and every one of ya.