Dan McNeil: End of the run far from end of the line

Subject:

Comments:
: End of the run far from end of the line : After eight years at MVP, it was time -- but the relationships will live on, and I won't be off the stage for long : January 22, 2009 : BY DAN MCNEIL : Time is a medium of exchange. We can waste time or spend it wisely. Usually, when we reflect on time spent earlier in our lives, we recall mostly the good times. : I made the most of the almost eight years I worked at WMVP-AM (1000). It's not overstating it to suggest I got everything I wanted out of it -- revenge, ratings, money and relationships. : And now it's over. Station general manager Jim Pastor fired me Friday. : There has been much speculation about why I got whacked. I wish I could enlighten you, but the truth is, I didn't ask why. : It doesn't matter. It was time. Time for both parties to change the backdrop. : I relished my time with on-air partner John Jurkovic, who had been a regular on my shows on WSCR-AM (670) when he was hunkering down in NFL trenches in the 1990s. ESPN 1000 was willing to roll the dice on the self-anointed ''Good Kid'' when I requested his services when the project began in May 2001. : Jurko and I became fast friends and developed trust, something neither of us passes around liberally. I think there's a chance we will share a studio again. I'll keep Lysol nearby just in case. : The MJH show: It worked : Contrary to perception, the dynamic I had with third wheel Harry Teinowitz was mostly good. Because I landed in the penalty box thrice after Tiny spats, it's silly to deny rifts existed, but the Tiny One brought a lot to the party. When he stopped resisting his role as a part-time punching bag, the show ascended to higher levels. : The MJH show broke the local mold. Three opinionated guys, all with divergent interests and from diametrically opposed backgrounds. I was the edgy radio lifer, Jurko the jolly jock and Harry the worldly, failed actor/comedian. : That's what made it work. Listeners may not have liked all three, but there was at least one personality that people found polarizing. : After a couple years of finding our way, people would say, ''You guys are like my buddies and me sitting at the bar, busting each others' stones.'' So I began referring to the show as ''The Afternoon Saloon,'' a handle ESPN 1000 will continue to use until an original thought is unearthed. : My run on the Afternoon Saloon forever will be a highlight in my radio life. It justified my resignation from the Score in October 2000 and shifted the balance of power between the two sports stations. ESPN 1000 had been a rumor in this town before our arrival. My showmates and I -- including producers Adam Delevitt, Jeff Dickerson, Ben Finfer, Scot Bertram and Danny Zederman -- altered the landscape. I feel satisfied. : This doesn't reflect well on my Christian upbringing, but I find revenge is one of the sweetest tastes imaginable. I got my pound of flesh. : Radio lives, however, are measured by increments of time. About a year ago, I started feeling that our shelf life was nearing its expiration. Becoming too comfortable is a terminal disease in entertainment. : I'm not sure if Jurko or Harry would agree, but I think Pastor pulled the plug at the right time. And I don't begrudge him for not affording us a ''goodbye show.'' I've heard those before. They're ugly. Neither management nor talent wins. : Given stricter guidelines at a brand-sensitive outfit such as ESPN, all of us felt oppressively shackled. The fabric of what made us popular -- the bathroom humor, sexual innuendo and colorful language -- was never acceptable. : That's fine. Their bat and ball, so they get to make the rules. But it's no fun feeling like much of what you say may come back to bite you. I wanted to be far away from that. I am now. : Nothing is permanent : The most satisfying commodity with which I depart is the relationships. You're lucky in life if you work somewhere just once and discover a culture in which everybody pulls on the same end of the rope. You even see each other outside of work. I've been fortunate to experience this twice: the first few years at the Score, and the last 18 months or so at ESPN 1000. : When word of my exit spread, I heard from every producer, reporter and host. The consensus was disappointment and thanks for whatever leadership I exhibited. I will miss those guys, the ones who rolled up their sleeves and churned out a respectable product. : I also know nothing is permanent and some circles will intersect again. They invariably do in radio. The free time I have now will be spent being a better father, husband, friend and writer as I eagerly await the next stop on the tour. : This is not a predictable life. I signed up for that. It's exhilarating when one has a chance to re-invent himself. : Time to be the frontman for a new band. Produce some new songs. And before most have struck a Titleist in anger for the first time this year, I'll be back on stage. It will be my time all over again. : Borrowing from immortal disc jockey Alan Freed, to whom all of us who open a microphone owe a great deal of gratitude, ''It's not goodbye. It's just good night.'' : Dan McNeil is former host of the ''Mac, Jurko & Harry'' show on WMVP-AM (1000). : : (Chicago Sun-Times)

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:

Enter verification code: