I'm not bragging, but I was feet away from Mother Teresa. I've interviewed Joe Biden and Bill Clinton. I shook hands with George H.W. Bush. There were senators, governors and congressmen-- including Jim Wright, when he was Speaker of the House, one of the most powerful men in the country. Meeting Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo was a treat. Don Imus. Actress Debbie Reynolds. Major league baseball players, football stars, past and present, NASCAR drivers. I worked at WARM, alongside broadcasting legends. There were a few network news correspondents. My voice has been on network dramas, network news shows and documentaries, movies, and network radio. Bishops. Cardinals. Cabinet secretaries.
I am grateful and thankful for every opportunity. As I have said here many, many, many times before, I am luckier than I deserve to be.
I tried to take all those "brushes with greatness" in stride.
I broke my stride Tuesday morning. I became star struck.
Our chief engineer was giving a couple of gentlemen a tour around our building. They stopped by my desk to say hello. One of them was Scott Fybush, and I lost it.
Scott Fybush is in the station brokerage business. He's also a broadcast consultant, writer and historian. His hobby is traveling the country, taking photos of radio and tv studios, transmitters, and towers. His web site, Fybush.com, is a must-read for broadcasters, and I check it every Friday morning. He publishes a calendar every year, with some great photography. A feature a couple of years ago was the spectacular WEJL tower, high atop the Scranton Times building.
Fybush is one of those guys who appreciates the history of the business, when radio was something special. Big towers, blowtorch AM's, live and local. Major personalities. News. Individuality. In fact, one of my coworkers and I were discussing an item on Fybush.com just shortly before he arrived, an amazing coincidence.
It was just a major kick to shake his hand and converse for a few minutes. Scott seemed very happy that I was familiar with his site and his work. It certainly made my day, and I really needed the boost.
We swapped business cards, so I hope I've found a new friend.
