By Rick Kaempfer
Last week (Sept 19th), my youngest son Sean turned six years old.
(Photo: Sean, eighteen months)When he was born, I was still the executive producer of the John Records Landecker show on WJMK Radio. Like we did with the birth of my two other sons (
Tommy and
Johnny), the John Landecker show followed the pregnancy on the air. I even recorded the actual birth on digital audio tape as it was happening, and then called into the radio program with a full report live from the hospital.
His brothers were both born early in the morning (Tommy at 4 AM, Johnny at 2 AM), but Bridget was in labor DURING the show for Sean. I called into the show every hour and gave updates, some of which are referenced in the transcript below. Sean was born less than an hour after the show ended that day.
This is the transcript of the call the following morning, September 20, 2002. The show members at that time were John Landecker, Leslie Keiling, and Bonnie Greene.
John: Magic 104.3, 8:14, John Records Landecker along with Leslie Keiling, that's Sister Sledge "We are Family". Rick, our producer, are you there?
Rick: I'm here.
John: You're a brand new dad.
Rick: Yes I am.
John: Bridget are you there?
Bridget: Hello. I'm here.
John: Do you have a radio at the hospital?
Bridget: No. We had one down at labor and delivery, and we were listening. The anesthesiologist thought you were really funny.
Leslie: Oh great.
John: You mean when he called him "Shakes"?
Rick: And a heroin addict, I believe.
John: Ha! So, how long do they let you stay in the hospital these days after delivery?
Bridget: 48 hours, and I'm taking every last second of it.
John: Well you sound good.
Rick: She looks good too.
John: Do you feel good too?
Bridget: Yeah. And we got a little trooper here too.
Leslie: Is the trooper in there with you?
John: No hold on a second, we're not giving anything away here. OK, so Rick. So far you have Tommy...
Rick: He'll be seven next month.
John: And Johnny...
Rick: He's 4 1/2.
John: Now people want to know. Hit it, Vinnie.
(Music: Theme song from "My Three Sons")John: It would be my three...
Rick: Sons.
John: How big was our boy?
Bridget: 7 pounds, 12 ounces.
John: How long was labor?
Bridget: I'm not exactly sure because when we got here I was already in labor.
Leslie: That's the best way isn't it?
Rick: It really wasn't that long. I think she only had to push about ten times.
Leslie: And then went to the prom.
(Everyone laughs)John: Let's get to the tape. Now Rick, you taped this yourself?
Rick: I did.
John: Any problems?
Rick: None at all this time. I had the surgical gloves on, and was helping the doctor. I had a leg in one hand, and..
John: Now wait a second here. What leg were you hanging on to?
Rick: I was hanging on to one of Bridget's legs.
John: Oh. So let me get this straight. You're hanging on to Bridget's leg with one hand, and the microphone in the other hand?
Rick: No, I set the microphone down on the table.
John: Oh geez. I had an image in my head here...
Rick: I'm very talented.
(Everyone laughs)Rick: I did test levels.
(Everyone laughs)John: The first time you didn't even know the microphone was on, the third time you're testing levels.
Rick: Exactly.
John: OK, roll the tape.
Dr. Sabbagha: Hi, hi, there it is. Can you push a little more?
Bridget: Ugh
Dr. Sabbagha: Hi there. Push push.
Nurse: Hi pumpkin.
Dr. Sabbagha: God, you're beautiful. Say something, precious.
Rick: It's a purple baby. That's Johnny's favorite color.
Baby cries.
Dr. Sabbagha: There he goes.
Rick: It's a boy!
Bridget: It's a boy?!
Rick: My three sons. Good work!
John: Rick. Guess whose crying in the studio? Oh, look, I got two of 'em crying.
Leslie: That's so beautiful.
Rick: It was soooo cool. I really got to enjoy it this time.
John: (sarcastically) Oh, and I know how hard the whole birthing process is for
you.Bridget: I actually thought he was funny this time. He made me laugh.
Bonnie: Because you hated him the other two times, right?
Rick: She kicked me in the knutchkies the first time she was so mad at me.
Bridget: I did not.
Rick: You did too.
John: Oh come on now, you two. You just had a baby.
Rick: I'm actually really proud of her. You should see her. You'd never believe she just had a baby.
Leslie: How are the boys. Are they excited?
Rick: (long pause) Uh...no.
(Everyone laughs)Bridget: Tommy was so excited for about ten seconds. He came running into the room, held the baby, and then...hey what's in this cabinet?
Rick: And Johnny didn't even want to hold the baby.
John: Oooooooh.
Bonnie: Johnny's the middle child now.
Rick: Yup. My mom asked Johnny yesterday how his day went, and he said...Um, let's see...I went to school...I played in the park...um...She asked, 'Did anything special happen?' and he answered..."No."
John: Oh well, that will be an on-going story.
Rick: We're going to all go to a White Sox game tonight and beat up a coach.
(This was the day after the William Ligue story)John: You were gloating all morning, weren't you?
Rick: Yes I was.
John: I told you! Cubs fans are gloating all over the city. So...the name of the child is...
Rick: Sean Harrison Kaempfer
(Baby noises in the background)John: Is that him?
Bridget: Yup. I'll put the phone up to him.
(More baby noises)Bonnie: He sounds like a puppy.
John: OK, Sean. That's Irish for John, right?
Bridget: Yes, technically it is. S-E-A-N.
John: Harrison, I've got to guess, is...
Rick: Let's just say it's not for Harrison Ford.
John: It's for George Harrison, isn't it?
Rick: Yes it is.
John: I knew it!
Rick: But I didn't pick Sean. That was Tommy's idea.
John: And Johnny wanted to name it...
Rick: Johnny abstained.
(Everyone laughs)John: Johnny threw his headphones down and walked out of the Security Council meeting!
Rick: That's right.
John: Well congratulations everybody. We now have Sean's first on-air performance on tape too.
Bonnie: Are his eyes open yet?
Leslie: He's not a kitten for Pete's sake.
Rick: Blue eyes.
Bridget: He's kind of dozing right now.
Bonnie: Poke him. Wake him up.
Leslie: Isn't it good that Bonnie doesn't have children? Have you taken him out for a walk yet?
Rick: We've got newspaper all over the floor...
John: Bonnie, it's a baby.
Bonnie: Sorry...
John: Well thanks for procreating.
Rick: My pleasure.
John: I'll bet it was. And now we have the vasectomy next.
Rick: Yes we do.
Leslie: And then we'll hear Rick making baby noises.
(everyone laughs)
John: Sean Harrison Kaempfer. That's a cool name. You'll have to change your answering machine message you know.
Rick: I'll do that today.
John: Cause it says, Rick, Bridget, Tommy & Johnny can't come to the phone. Well thanks guys, and congratulations.
Rick: Bye.
Bridget: Bye.
Bonnie: Of course, it will be awhile before Sean can come to the phone.
Leslie: Whoa.
John: The next time we do anything with children, you don't talk.
Bonnie laughs.
Robert Feder leaves the Sun Times
CLICK HERE
Major Media Outlets fight FCC on ads
Judge rules Dan Rather can sue CBS
Billoreilly.com is hacked
Chicago Radio Spotlight interview: Alan Cox
.JPG)
Alan: I definitely never thought I'd be on the air opposite him. Even though I'm not even in the same strata as Johnny, it was a complete thrill to be working down the hall from him. When I walked into his studio about a month after I had been back on the air here, his jaw dropped. He hadn't made the connection that the guy he sent to pick up hookers with a hidden microphone 15 years ago was the guy hosting mornings at Q101. My career goal was always to be doing drive time in Chicago and everything I know professionally, I learned from Johnny- drive, work ethic, creativity, stamina, perspective- everything. For a guy to still be at the top of his game and so creatively relevant, when so many others have flashed in the pan, is proof that he's unparalleled.
Alan: The original Morning Fix wasn't a victim of its timeslot; more a combination of a other things. We were replacing Mancow, which would have been a daunting task for any kind of show. Plus, I think there were too many moving parts and the audience couldn't get their arms around the sum total. Some listeners loved its frenetic pace and comedic tone; other people felt like it didn't give them time to breathe. Plus, radio is an interactive medium at its best. People want to call and be part of the fun. The original show was very self-contained. It's one thing to do a funny radio show; it's quite a dicey proposition to do a show that's working very hard to be funny in a specific way. The idea was sound, but it simply didn't resonate with enough listeners. The Q101 core audience is primarily into the music and wasn't really sure what to do with our show. I think it would have been more successful on a station that skewed a bit older.
Alan: I'm proud to have been a part of it. It was (former PD) MIke Stern's baby and it brought me back home. For all of the times people say, "Give us something different on the radio!", we did. We had immensely talented people in that incarnation, and it was a LOT of work, but the bottom line is- it's still radio. It's very difficult to change people's habits. In a market like Chicago, where you have legendary personalities up and down the dial, being an upstart show of ANY stripe is very difficult. Even more so when it's an entirely new concept.
Alan: At the very beginning, they just wanted us to babysit the music. Between Mancow (photo) and the old Morning Fix, they hadn't had music in morning drive for almost ten years and they wanted to regain that position with the Q101 audience. Understandable. But I walked into management and said, "if we're keeping the seat warm for a new show, tell me now." I'm a pro, I get it- but be upfront if we're just leftovers. They assured me that we had a shot, and I believe that they at least wanted to see what we could do. So we played more music and slowly introduced more personality pieces into the format. We had lots of callers, lots of sports, lots of good guests, lots of solid quirky comedy- we were gunning for that male 18-34 demo, and getting it. We had a fiercely loyal audience, with no marketing and no promotion. It was word- of- mouth. But the pressure to deliver overnight is so immense, albeit completely unrealistic. My regret is that our show only got seven months, and we were at the top of our demo. That's why I chalk it up to a financial decision.
Alan: I'll be trying my hand at voiceovers to pay the bills, but I love the medium of radio. I reject, on principle, the notion that it's a dying ART form. Commerce dictates that music formats seemingly regard talent now as a necessary evil, but I've always felt particularly suited for talk radio. I think there is a big hole in that format for a younger, politically savvy, edgy, engaging personality like myself. I've also been a columnist and a PBS TV contributor during my radio career, so I've never been content to have a limited skill set. I grew up listening to Larry Lujack and Steve & Garry, Brandmeier and Bob Collins. I'm a big Roe Conn fan. And, though I disagree with them on many things, I admire guys like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck for successfully crossing over as talk hosts who understand it's still entertainment. I want talk radio to be my next thing.