Picture Time

The Words of Shakespeare

I was in my hometown's local grocery store last night picking up some consumables and the new book about KSHE caught my eye. It's funny, even yesterday, someone said to me..."aren't you the Randy Raley from KSHE?" It's been almost twelve years since I left there, and STILL, to this day, that added phrase has seemingly become my last name. I spent a great 13 years at Real Rock Radio. Not all of the time was good. The physical confrontation I had with a drunk superior after he kept repeatingly sticking his finger in my chest wasn't fun. And, when I left, getting a urine and feces soaked headshot in the mail was not fun, especially after having opened it in front of my daughter. Her comment was..."wow, somebody really hates you, don't they dad?" It didn't end well would be an understatement. I made mistakes that, knowing what I do now, I probably wouldn't make again. But still, it seems to me that if JC Corcoran and all his baggage could make it back there, then what was their problem with me? A few years ago, I got a call from the program director there. It seems that they were putting together a "Hall of Fame" portion on their website and would I be willing to donate some items? Sure. How much fun is that? So,I drug a couple of milk crates full of stuff and they were returned in fine shape after being scanned. Not too long after that, I heard that KSHE was having this big 40th reunion with all the old jocks joining Sammy Hagar on stage at The Fox. I kept waiting for my invitation which, sadly, never materialized. I guess my stuff was good enough to be included in their Hall of Fame, but I wasn't good enough to have one last 10 seconds of glory when they call your name and the crowd cheers your work. No dice. I guess what happened at the end erased the 13 years of working my ass off. So, having not been invited to the party, I stopped taking stuff for them to use, which gets me back to the original point. While flipping through this new book, I noticed that nowhere was my name mentioned in the book. They had everyone else but me. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to be in the book because I never heard from the author, but my ego took a huge fall when that fact was confimred. During my time there, I was the ONLY person to top KMOX in the 12+ ratings. In the spring of 1986, I had a 13.6 rating, KMOX had a 13.3. I was number one or two(25-54 adults)in the market for a nine year consecutive run. I still hold rating records and yet, it's as if I never existed there. Why the cold shoulder KSHE? I gave you the best years of my life. Now everyone who's ever pissed any one off over there returned (JC, Woody), but I can't even get my calls returned. It was once a family. My family. Now, we are all estranged with NO hope of ever even being civil. Grudges are easy to hold and hard to let go. I won't say it doesn't bother me, obviously, it does. But, with writing all of this down, it lets it all go. Shakespeare once said .."living well is the best revenge.." I must have the greatest revenge ever. I haven't been this happy in years. So...Emmis, what gives? It's true pride goes before the fall. Now, radio is in the worst shape ever, Emmis is struggling and cuts are being made(or will be made)everywhere. The Chicago stations are being run from St. Louis (which the Chicago people REALLY love)and there's trouble everywhere. Thank God I'm away from that, and my ego would like to think it's karma. It's just bad management.

Deaths in Threes

Arnold Stang

Arnold Stang, voice of several favorite cartoon animated figures including Top Cat has died at age 91. Stang was a staple for several animated features in the 1960’s and starred as comic relief in any number of movies with stars like Milton Berle and even Frank Sinatra. He was also the voice of one of Popeye’s sidekicks “Shorty”. He reportedly succumbed to complications from pneumonia in a Massachusetts Hospital on Sunday.
This writer remembers Stang best from his role in the film “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ” from 1963, which any of us “Boomers” saw more than once. As for Hanna-Barbera’s Top Cat, this was once of my favorite cartoons, but I never actually knew who did the voice of the too cool cat. Interestingly Arnold Stang starred in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first film Hercules In New York in 1970. Stang is survived by his wife JoAnne, to whom he was married for over 60 years, as well as their two children. We are sure he will be sorely missed, as it takes a special person to be the one behind such well loved characters.

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Connie Hines
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Actress Connie Hines, who played Wilbur's wife on the popular 1960s television show "Mister Ed" has died. She was 79. Her "Mister Ed" co-star Alan Young told the Los Angeles Times that Hines died Friday at her Beverly Hills home from complications of heart problems. Hines was best known for portraying Carol Post on the show that featured a talking horse. She wrote a book in 2007 entitled "Mister Ed and Me and More." Born in Massachusetts, Hines also appeared in the 1960 film "Thunder in Carolina" and such TV shows as "The Millionaire," "Johnny Ringo" and "Riverboat." Hines was married twice, the last to Lee Savin, an entertainment lawyer and producer. Savin died in 1995. A lovely woman who was, vicariously, a part of my childhood. I got to meet her in 1984 and she was as beautiful then as I remember in childhood fantasies.

Alaina Reed-Amini

Actress Alaina Reed-Amini, best known for her long-running roles as Olivia Robinson on the children's program "Sesame Street" and Rose Lee Holloway on the comedy "227," has died.
Reed-Amini lost a two-year battle with breast cancer at St. John's Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, on Thursday, according to reports.
Reed-Amini, who changed her named from Alaina Reed Hall after she married Tamim Amini in 2008, turned 63 last month. In 1976 she joined the cast of "Sesame Street" as Olivia, a professional photographer and the kid sister of Gordon the teacher. She left the program in 1988 for a role on the NBC sitcom "227."
The actress married her "227" co-star Kevin Peter Hall in 1988. With art imitating life, their characters were married in the final season of the show in 1990. Hall died in 1991 from complications from the AIDS virus that he acquired through a blood transfusion.
Her stage credits include productions of "Chicago" and "Hair." She also appeared in the inspirational one-woman show "Alaina at the Bijou."
Her movie credits include "Cruel Intentions" and "Death Becomes Her." She guest-starred on television shows such as "ER," "NYPD Blue," "The Drew Carey Show" and "Ally McBeal."
Reed-Amini is survived by her husband and two children from her marriage to Hall.

Sorry to see her pass. Who didn't have Olivia in some way as a part of their past? Those who watched Sesame Street as a kid, and those who had kids who watched the show. Say hey to Jim Henson

Hello Blogosphere

Wow, Christmas is upon us already. Each year, I try to get into the spirit early and often but this year, like last year, I am late to the party. Don't know why, but I'm just starting to feel the Christmas spirit now. I am reading at Christmas Eve mass at church again. I am proud they ask me to read God's word on the most important day of the year. The boy is home, looking well and rested. I am so very proud of him. In Captain's school, he is the youngest by far. Although mama can't understand why he is going back early, I know and her name is Lauren. This is about time that the women trade places in his life. he'll always love his mother but someone new has his heart, as it should be.
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A few snags on the internet station but we still should be up and going on the first. I have to go back and rename all of the tunes that weren't "renamed" before. I guess when I cleaned up the titles, I only changed the "outside" names of the mp3's, not the "code" name. So, I have a downloaded program that allows me to do just that. I have the scheduler ready to schedule and I will network the program that actually "plays" the songs with what is scheduled sometime later tonight. If Dr. Frankenschteen's machine doesn't blow up, this should be pre launch test number number one. Here's a new graphc design from someone I don't even know. (Thank you).



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I was doing some thinking in the suana last night after basketball while listening to "She's The One" by Bruce. AS we go through life, there are certain things we NEED. Food, shelter, etc. But when it comes to music, I think the same thing holds true. When I was 19, I NEEDED "Born to Run" and "Night Moves". At 22, I NEEDED "City to City" by Gerry Rafferty. I needed to hear "The Pretender", "Reminiscing","Every Kinda People", Dan Fogelberg, etc. That's when the power and the glory of what God has created when it comes to music is certainly and sorely needed in our lives. I'm sure there are those releases in your life that have done the same for you. God bless all of those composers, writers and players who affect our lives and know our works better than we do. "Save Your Love" by the Jefferson Starship just popped into my head. I needed that one in 1982.


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Wow, what a team of sellers I have. At this moment, we are sitting at 110% of goal for the month and for the quarter, it's 102.6%. According to the publisher, this hasn't happened for at least three years. And we still have a day and a half to wrap it up. How high can we go? And yes, I get a bonus. Enough to take my staff out for dinner. On me. The one thing about my business is that once December is over, we start at zero and wind it all again.