Random Takes

Im enjoying a nice Monday off... no early morning sports, morning show, and no Monday Night Meet the Broncos and BP's. Chancey boy will host Keegan Dansereau and Levi Nelson tonight at Boston Pizza... go down and say hi between 5-7pm.

It's a pretty busy time of the year right now with all the sports coverage in our family of four radio stations based in Swift Current and Shaunavon. Between Broncos games, "AAA" Legionnaires and Wildcats broadcasts, and provincial high school 9-man semi-finals, it's been quite the challenge to our staff. A lot of people have stepped up to do these games and make them successful. I think we rival CKRM on the amount of sports we broadcast annually. Someone counted 120 sports broadcasts annually between Broncos, Indians, "AAA" hockey and whatever else is in season. We have great sponsors and that allows us to pull these things off and I thank all of them.

My love for all things newsy gets revisited this Wednesday night. I'm being posted at Brad Wall's Sask Party's election night headquarters for our in-depth Goldenwest Radio Election coverage. I've been thinking about how the night is going to go over at the Stockade building. It'll either be outright jubilation following a Sask Party election victory and new government where Brad becomes the premier of Saskatchewan or the complete opposite. It won't be pretty in there if the Sask Party is defeated again. Either way, it will be my job to convey those feelings and present them in a professional manner. Politics is like sports and this is the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup final of the provincial political world all wrapped into one night. I can't wait.

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Shootouts in the WHL.... lets get rid of 'em! I'm done with them, honestly. There isn't a worse feeling than losing in a shootout in hockey. It gives you a bad feeling in your stomach that is hard to shake. Sure they are exciting for fans but has the novelty worn off already? Maybe it's just me.

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It looks like Rod Pedersen in Regina is taking some heat recently for comments made on the job. Except for a few anonymous jackasses on Rod's site in the comments section after he posted the transcript of my chat with Kelly Mac, I've stayed pretty clear of that stuff lately. The anonymous cheapshots through the internet is a pet peeve on mine. Some guy in Medicine Hat feels just because he has a cpu and a made-up name, it gives him the green light to take runs at me constantly. Funny, no one has ever said anything to me in person. I'm always open to chatting.

Do I cheer for the Broncos? Absolutely. Do I want them to win every night? You bet. No apologies there. It's impossible not to want the best for the team you cover. You go and spend six hours in a quiet, dark bus ride home from Brandon after a loss and get back to me. More importantly I like this group of kids and the coaching staff and I want them to succeed.

Here his latest remark which I didn't bother to post: "your incredible Broncos lost again Keener. I'm shocked, you guys should be playing in at least the AHL, maybe NHL. As far as my username goes "Bobby Orr" it's out of respect for one of the greatest hockey players that ever lived. I'm sure you will say RJ Larochelle is though by ur blogs. See you in the Hat, Jon".

I'll never see this guy... he will be like a ghost. If he thinks a comment like that is going to change my approach to this team... good luck. It will only solidify my thoughts about this team and community. Keep 'em coming.

There was a time on the Eagle 94.1 FM morning show when Kim Johnston and I would get a e-mail complaint almost weekly from a listener offended in some way. That doesn't happen very much anymore... and that's good and bad. Ryan and I get pretty quirky some nights in the post game show yet no one seems to mind. I think there's an attitude of "Oh well, that's just Jon being Jon and Ryan being Ryan." I thank our listeners who chalk it up to that.

The thing with some of us radio guys is that we are live on the radio sometimes six hours a day... four or five times a week. A lot can happen in that time. Something can come out wrong, your choice of words may be ill-timed, whatever. There's always that risk no matter who you are. Multiply that risk with the amount of live broadcasts and that's what you get.

I've had a lot of things I wish I didn't say over the years yet only have one career expletive on the air in 9 years partly thanks to a solid opp back at the radio station watching my back.

At the NHL draft in Vancouver I was sending draft reports back to our station and affiliates when I messed up halfway through a report and threw out a "sh*!". I quickly picked up from there with a quick in 3-2 and 1... and started again. The opp at the station missed the edit and sent the report across the network as is. Oops. The streak was over.

My point is, it's bound to happen and people will be offended. Just try not be offensive most of the time and know your audience. It's a start.