Freddie P's Blog

We issued these back in 1998 when people still used pay phones. Hey, they were cutting edge at the time.

Thanks to Christopher Moloney who sent this along with a note "How long has it been since my last shot? I found a Humble & Fred calling card inside my Immunization Record"

Does anyone have a picture of a Humble and Fred condom?

Category: Radio

It's been a bad month for Howard's on Toronto radio. First of all my bud and former colleague Humble Howard got the bag, and today it happened to Howard Berger at the Fan 590.

Berger had been on the Fan as a hockey reporter since 1988 but today they decided he was no longer useful.

I'm not going to beat around the bush, Howard Berger was one of those love him or hate him type of guys. It seems for every fan he had, there were as many or more detractors. I don't know why, I liked the guy, and I still do.

Who knows, maybe part of the problem was jealousy. I mean really, the guy's job was to go to every Leaf game, home and away, for the past 23 years. (insert joke here)

But you know what I mean, while the average Joe had to pull on his boots and sweat out a long day, Howard's job was to watch hockey games and talk about them... and oh yea, he got the summers off.

Now tell me that isn't every man's dream job.

I don't know if it was Howard's style, his delivery or what he said, but he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and that's being played out today on twitter as a pack of weasel goofballs piss all over the guy on what has to be a tough day.

I don't understand it because I liked what Howard did, and whenever I listened to the Fan (which I do rarely now) I liked it when Howard did his thing. I liked what he had to say, I liked his perspective.

I liked how he treated me when I did the sports beat and our paths crossed.

But now he's gone. After 23 years what seemed like a good idea all of a sudden turned into a bad idea.

I would have thought with Rogers hot on the trail of Maple Leaf rights; Howard's job would have been solidified. Instead he becomes expendable.

Hang in there Howie. Who knows, maybe somebody else will give you a call? But then again, speaking from experience, maybe they won't.

Category: Radio | Sports

Mike paid a wonderful tribute to Pete on his am640 talk show this morning.

Category: Friends | Radio

Category: Friends | Radio

Winnipeg Jets and Peter Griffin.

Category: Radio

I love you Pete Griffin

Category: Radio

Peter

Category: Radio

Back in 2008, I did this interview with Peter Griffin from his home in Ottawa.

Peter Griffin is considered a pioneer of Toronto radio. He was the first morning man at CHUM-FM when it became rock, and it was Peter who first put David Haydu on the air in the mid 70's to create the Pete and Geets Show, which was the first FM morning show of its kind in Canada and set the tone for the rest of us.

Pete and Geets came to CFNY in 1980 and the show ended in 1987.

Category: Friends | Interviews | Radio

I've been regretting this day. I just got a call from Kevin O'Leary who got the call from Geets Romo, the great Peter Griffin has passed away.

I have to put the word great before his name because that's exactly how I feel about Peter Griffin, who through the 70's and 80's provided Toronto with some great morning radio.

I had the pleasure and good fortune of working on the Pete Geets Show from 1980-87 at CFNY.

They had made the move from CHUM-FM and put CFNY on the map. It just so happened that I had been hired to do sports on the Spirit the year before so it was the ultimate case of being in the right place at the right time.

And it was a great time.

I did sports, Mike Stafford did news and we worked with two pioneers who were the first real comedic FM morning men in Canada, if not North America.

Pete and Geets had a unique style that was brilliant. For the times, these guys really pushed the envelope but did it with class and a whole lot of clever. No poo poo, pee pee or naked chicks.

Howard Stern gets so much credit for his act, but believe me, long before there was Howard Stern, there was Pete and Geets revolutionizing morning radio and they did it when the rules were a lot tougher.

Pete Griffin's infectious laugh and irreverent sense of humour is something I'll never forget. He was the ultimate set-up man and his chemistry with Geets was wonderful.

Pete was quite the fella, he came to a new rock / alternative station when he was 50 but his brain was a lot younger than that. He fit right in and quickly became one of the guys, hangin' out with all of us 20-somethings.

He played on the station ball team, went on all the road trips and never missed a party. He was a very funny guy.

Over the next few days, I'll write more about Peter Griffin because I can honestly say I loved the man. I'm not in the best frame of mind right now because this news comes to me as a king sized bummer.

However, I can't help but smile when I think of something he used to say quite often when something pissed him off.

"Fuck it, soon we'll all be dead."

RIP my friend.

A couple of years ago, Mike Stafford wrote this about Peter Griffin on Canadian Thinker.

"Nobody has been able to make me laugh harder than this man in my radio career. He was the straight man of the duo but, with all due respect to Geets Romo, he was why everything about the two worked.

Stafford.

Category: Friends | Radio

Travellin'.

Category: Radio