BACK TO THE "BIG APPLE"

While in New York City a couple of weeks ago, it was clear that in the year since our last visit, change had come. You are struck with it as you start down Broadway. They have closed it as the sign indicates, created ped and bike lanes, and put out the table and chairs. Wow! And no, we saw nothing strange when we walked by the Late Show - the announcement had not been made yet.



Anytime you go to NYC, you have to be prepared for seeing what you don't usually see anywhere else. Broadway is like a magnet, it draws the unique and those who come out and take their pictures. Yes, I'm guilty too.
We saw a group of delightful clowns taking a break and enjoying their coffee on a wonderful fall afternoon.


Then there is the now-famous "Naked Cowboy." I don't get it, but you should have seen all of the young ladies hanging on to him while friends took their pictures.


The "silver" man was also out, demonstrating the fundamentals of American capitalism - put some money in his bucket and he moved. I think I also heard him humming "God Bless America!"



Also working the tourist were "Dora the Explorer" and "Mickey Mouse." They both had "tip" bags and waved to you when you put something in their bags. If you just took their pictures and provided no tip, you earned their ire.






But there is no substitute for what happens when night falls on Broadway - you see THE GREAT WHITE WAY in all of its splendor. You can't help but love THE BIG APPLE!

WCHL (A WCHL Commentary)

WCHL is my hometown radio station and I’m a big fan. I got hooked when we moved here in ’94, so count me among those who were upset when WCHL was sold to Curtis Media in 1995 and moved to Durham. Jim Heavner repurchased the station in 2002 and returned it to Chapel Hill with a commitment that WCHL would remain a local service to the community and would provide a daily news and programming service that is heavily local in character.

WCHL is our community voice and has demonstrated time and again its commitment to community. Therefore it really doesn’t matter to me a whole lot who owns the station; what matters is how it remains committed to being the voice of our community. I wish Barry Leffler well as he takes the helm as CEO and Managing Partner.

So please use all of your experience in broadcasting and be a leader who will creatively efficiently to take WCHL to the place where it represents, informs and supports our community better than any other medium. You also need to prepare folks when you decide to make changes and maybe even do some listener testing before implementation.

Again, good luck to you and to WCHL as we embark on a new chapter, and oh, we won’t hold it against you because your degree is from Miami. GO HEELS AND GO WCHL!