Philcast Revolution Radio

No greeting for you!

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:03:30 PST

Hey what happened to the greeters?

One of the things I'll be talking about on today's PhilCast is the decision by Wal-Mart to dump the greeters.

Now I'm not really much of a Wal-Mart shopper, and I know it's easy to make fun of all the old people standing there saying 'hi' and offering you a cart.

But still, the store was kinda known for that. Seems a shame to dump that tradition.

And while they say these people will NOT be fired, will they actually be able to do other things in the stores?
We'll discuss.

Glitter-bombing, caffeine inhaling and Lips LaBelle's weekly visit all on tap today.

Later...

Weigh-In Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:06:20 PST

Most call it Hump Day, but in the months of January, February and March it's Weigh-In Wednesday.

Time to hit the scale and report in. I see on the PhilCast Facebook fan page we've got at least one listener with a great success story. You can post there as well.

On the subject of weight loss and exercise we'll talk about the Jimmy Fallon/Michelle Obama smack down on the PhilCast today as well.

And maybe we help a listener find a new puppy after the loss of a dog.

Still after Lance

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:20:16 PST

On the Tuesday PhilCast...
They're still after Lance, and it makes no sense.

The World Anti-Doping Assoc. now wants all the info gathered here in the U.S. by the feds regarding possible charges of fraud against the greatest cyclist of our generation Lance Armstrong.

On Friday it was reported that there would be no charges. The idea here was that if Armstrong had indeed lied about taking illegal drugs while he rode on a team basically sponsored by the government (U.S. Postal Service) then he and the team took money under false pretenses and could be charged.

No doping. No charges.

But now WADA wants all that info from the investigation to go to them for possible charges. What makes this ridiculous is the fact that this all dates back to the early 90's when, because of a statue of limitations, there could be no charges brought against Lance even if they wanted to do that.

It just goes to show what I said in the headline to this post--they're still after Lance.

Also on the Tuesday show...
My take on the TV show that's getting a lot of buzz today. Will "Smash" be a smash for NBC? Before you laugh it off guys, let me inform you that she's one of the stars of the show...

We'll discuss the show on the PhilCast today.

Check out the show live over the air, live on-line or later on your own time in podcast version. And as always, thanks for listening.

Later.

Super Review

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:58:30 PST

On the Monday PhilCast I pull Pack Yak star Rich Ratay out of moth balls to join me in the studio to talk all things Super Bowl in the first hour of the show.

The game.

The halftime.

The ads.

I've got one word that I think best describes my Super Sunday. Plus I'll have my personal favorite top three ads.

Madonna's halftime...am I the only one? I swear had no one told me about the 'finger' incident I would have never known it happened.

Talk to you at 3:00.

Run Rabbit Run!

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:25:00 PST

They had me at the awesome song!

Okay, I admit I'm obsessed with one of the latest viral videos on the internet. But hey, what's not to love about a Swedish sheep-herding bunny rabbit!

No, really.

I love the internet.

And there he is, Champis the sheep-herding bunny rabbit.

Put to an old "Run Rabbit Run" song to die for, this little guy actually herds the Swedish sheep.

I can't stop singing the song or watching the video.

I'll have the entire story on the Friday PhilCast show today. Meantime, since you're here and reading my blog I'll go ahead and link you up.

Enjoy...and Run Rabbit Run!

Have a great Super Bowl Weekend. We'll talk game ads on the Monday PhilCast.

Pathetic really...

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:00:56 PST

So basically February has three things to hang its hat on; President's Day, Valentine's Day and of course today, Ground Hog Day. Pretty pathetic when you have to celebrate getting up at the crack of dawn in PA to pull a big rodent out of a cage and make up some folklore about how long winter is going to last. At least he has a cool name!

Still, it's all Feb. has so why not embrace it?

Yet near as I can tell there is no 'official' Phil the groundhog in Appleton. Therefore we at the PhilCast have decided to start up our own new tradition.

You'll be able to hear a little something called Ground Dog Day today on the show. Should be fun. And as per usual on this day I will play back for you the 1990 classic bit I did with the late/great Don Vogel while doing mornings at WISN together...the two news geeks covering the assassination of the ground hog.

Also today...towel use. Is it necessary to use a fresh towel after EVERY shower or bath? We had an interesting discovery and discussion about this off the air on Wednesday in the studio so I have decided to bring it ONTO the air this afternoon.

Join us at 3:00 live on-line, over the air, or catch the podcast on your own time.

Later....

Gabby picks Super Bowl winner

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 07:32:26 PST

Super Bowl week has arrived, and try as I might I just am not as into it this year as I usually am. I guess the giant (pardon the pun) letdown of the Packers not being there just hurts too much yet.

So in an effort to make things a little more interesting I did my own little 'pick the winner' contest today using my dog Gabby.

As you'll see from the video, this was all very high-tech and scientific.

Who would the Gabster say wins this Sunday? Will it be Eli and the Giants or Brady and the Pats?

I'll be talking about this and other Super Bowl stories on the PhilCast today, but since you are loyal enough to be reading this, YOU get the scoop first. Just CLICK HERE to watch the video for yourself right now and see which team Gabby says will win the Super Bowl on Sunday!

Get some cool PC winter gear for a good cause

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:49:44 PST

Help fund the Lawrence Academy of Music program and get yourself some cool PhilCast gear in the process.

As part of its annual fund raising, the academy has a silent auction going and we've donated this PhilCast package...

CLICK HERE to place an on-line bid now!

CLICK HERE for info on the event.

Lets get some good cash for this PhilCast prize package for them!

TV game changer

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:58:36 PST

On the Wednesday PhilCast I've got a story about how as of today you can earn points by simply watching TV. I think this is a game changer and is gonna be huge.

Also new, McBites from McDonald's.

But what's the diff between McBites and McNuggets? Well, there IS a difference they say. We will discuss.

It's "Weigh-In Wednesday" on the PhilCast too, and I've got my report for week three. How did you do? Let me know. We've gotta get through this weight loss thing together.

Speaking of that, you might want to exercise while you are in really cold conditions. It's got something to do with 'brown fat', which sounds gross, but it is actually a good thing. The story today in the 3:00 hour of the show.

Later.

You a movie buff?

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 07:55:56 PST

The Oscar nominations came out on Tuesday.
Are you a movie buff?
Think you know who will win this year?

I've only seen one of the what seems like the 50 movies nominated this year, and that would be Woody's "Midnight In Paris" which I liked very much.

Will it win best picture?
I think there is a better chance of the Packers winning the Super Bowl this year than "Midnight" winning for best picture.

It seems like the hot choice right now is "The Artist", but I prefer to have sound in my movies. After all, I'm an audio guy.

If you fashion yourself a movie person and would like to make your picks on the show today give me a call when the subject comes up. I'd like to pick one listener to go up against in selecting the big five categories:

Best Picture
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress

We'll see who comes out on top. This way it makes watching the actual Oscars program more interesting to me. And of course if you beat me out we'll come up with some PhilCast gear for you as a prize.

How's that?
You know my numbers, right?
281-1150
or toll free
1-866-887-1150

Later.

Pie Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:04:58 PST

Monday is not only Chinese New Year (year of the dragon) but for us it's National Pie Day! Wheee....

I love pie.
I'll talk pie on the PhilCast on Monday.

Also, it may be the year of the dragon but this guy is trying to make it the year of the buck, and I'll be having some fun with him and his video on the show today.

A lawmaker has made a call to legislate the singing of our National Anthem. Was Steven Tyler that bad in New England at the game yesterday?

A PFL champion will be crowned Monday too.

Do anything fun/interesting over the weekend? We'll try doing a "Howz Yer Weekend?" chat today since the days of Monday Pack Yak are now sadly over and done.

1-866-887-1150

No 'Kodak Moment' today

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:40:15 PST

One of the stories I'll be talking about on the Thursday PhilCast is the fall of Kodak, which is filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection today.

It's a pretty amazing fall. Who among us doesn't have pictures stuffed into an album somewhere...pictures we took using film from those iconic yellow boxes...a thing of the past pretty much now.

Soon there will be an entire generation that has no idea what I'm talking about here. Film? What's that?

Part of the story today includes how it all started with what was called the popular Brownie camera.

I actually have an old Brownie camera on display in my home office. There it is sitting atop my old floor-standing radio.

I picked it up at an estate sale last summer just because I thought it was cool-looking and a big part of the history of Kodak.

Funny, when you look at that photo you'll also see an old tape recorder of mine that I kept around. Tape? What's that?
Later.

Golden Yakkie

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:05:41 PST

The second-annual Pack Yak "Golden Yakkie" has been awarded to Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers.

Some of our listeners wondered what exactly this award looks like. Well, here it is, and it will be headed to Double D soon.

I for one sure hope Donald is still in green and gold next season, but at this time it seems unlikely.

It's sad but true, and how pro sports work now. It's really a business first.

Donald is a first-class guy and as I said on the PhilCast on Tuesday, probably the second-nicest sports figure I have ever met, behind only the great Bart Starr.

Last season Aaron Rodgers won the first-ever Yakkie, and it was delivered in person to A-Rod. But since the team unexpectedly lost and has already cleared out of Green Bay we'll have to mail Donald the coveted award made by SuperFan Judy!

....

Looking forward to my interview with the man from Oshkosh who was on that Italian cruise ship that took a dump thanks to that goofy captain's actions.

Passenger Mike Kajian joins me to recount his story right after the 3:00 news at the start of the show today.

Later.

I've Got Her Number

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:13:27 PST

I refuse to be totally brought down by the Packers' horrible performance on Sunday. I'll mark my weekend with a victory by Miss Wisconsin, the new Miss America.

But will Laura call us back now that she has obviously gotten the "PhilCast Bump" to victory?

I'll play back the win as it happened in my living room on the show today.

We'll see if she calls us this week.

Congrats to her for sure. You did us proud this weekend, which is much more than I can say for the beloved Green Bay Packers.

Now, I've got a theory about what went wrong in that game and I will share that and plenty of other stuff on Pack Yak today with Rich Ratay, the final Yak of the season.

It wasn't supposed to end this way of course, but that's the thing about the NFL...it takes so darned much luck to actually win it all...which is why you really have to savor it when it happens.

Thanks to Pack Yak sponsor Insta Print Plus in Appleton. We appreciate your support and look forward to doing it again next season.
Meantime, for all your printing needs, please do support them for supporting the PhilCast.
Thanks.

Later.

"The Clock"

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:11:31 PST

Welcome to Friday the 13th, a day that has always been lucky for me. If you haven't heard me tell the story before I'll be telling it again on the Friday showgrum. This dates back to when I was 16 years old, and that's a hint.

But even today my luck is running high.

There is quite a story behind this old clock of mine...

I'll explain it all on the show and you're welcome to call in and share your similar stories...the topic?

Things you own that have lasted forever.

For me this was/is one of them. What happened? How did it all play out? I'll have the story and we'll chat Friday afternoon on the PhilCast.

Don't forget to go to thephilcast.com and "Like" us at our Facebook page because we could be talking about you this afternoon on the PhilCast Friday Facebook Friend of the Week feature. (and you win something too!)

And the other news today is that Miss Wisconsin finally got back to me from out in Vegas where she hopes to become the next Miss America on Saturday night.

I guess the rather dramatic voice mail I left on her cell phone Thursday got to her.

Turns out she...oh wait...I want you to still actually LISTEN to the show!

Check it out on the Friday the 13th PhilCast show.

Later.

SNOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:32:46 PST

I'm so glad it's FINALLY snowing around here.
I was really sick and tired of not having to put boots on every time I walk out the door.
I was really sick and tired of not having to strap on three or four layers just to take the dog outside every night.
I was really sick and tired of not worrying about driving conditions at all so far this winter.

I was also really sick and tired of not slip-sliding away down my driveway as I dodge snow ruts and patches of ice.
I was really sick and tired of not shoveling.
I was really sick and tired of missing those gross ice/snow/slush globs hanging from the wheel wells of my car.
I was really getting sick and tired of actually being able to see what color my car is because of a lack of salt dust.

I was sick and tired of not watching a plow driver grin as he fills up the approach to my driveway.
I was sick and tired of not being able to feel the stinging blowing snow affix itself to my face.

Yeah, I was really sick and tired of it not looking like winter around here. I'm so happy it's all back at last.

(Don't miss the start of the PhilCast show today. And if you do, catch the production on the podcast version.)
Later

da "Buzzer"

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:48:45 PST

Coming up on the "Weigh-In Wednesday" PhilCast today...

Maureen Wallenfang of the Post-Cresent will be in the studio to talk about what's up in Appleton.

Feel free to join our chat via the Red Ox PhilPhone...

281-1150
or toll-free at
1-866-887-1150

She'll be joining me for a PhilCast "What's the Buzz" segment today right after the 4:30 news.

NYPD (too) Blue?

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:01:25 PST

Today on the PhilCast one of the stories I'll be covering is about the Supreme Court taking up the case of how the government still regulates 'swear words' and 'naughty stuff' on prime-time, over-the-air TV.

Part of the springboard to all this kicks back to an episode of the old detective show NYPD Blue, one in which a naked butt was full moon on the full screen. Unheard of stuff at the time!

Now I recall that the cutting-edge show once did show the cranky Det. Sipowitz's butt, BUT it was actually a scene with actress Kim Delaney that is at issue here.

Remember she played Det. Diane Russell on that show?

One word: HOT!

That was a great show. I never missed it. And just working on this story for the PhilCast today brought back all kinds of memories from that show.

I'm not sure there is anything like it on TV now, although I admit I don't watch much any longer.

Gist of what the court has to decide here is whether or not the government should continue to have the right to sensor in prime-time when there is already so much 'naughty' stuff on cable and elsewhere in plain view all the time.

My take....coming up on the show today.

Playoff time baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:33:07 PST

The opening weekend of the NFL playoffs saw every home team win. Lets hope that holds true this weekend in the divisional round as the Giants return to Lambeau Field on Sunday.

We'll break it all down on Pack Yak today with Rich Ratay, who by now may have changed his legal name to Rich RaTebow.

Who would have thought that among all the wildcard games this past weekend the wildest one would have been Tim Tebow and the Broncos knocking out last year's Super Bowl loser Pittsburgh?

Love him or hate him, the guy draws attention and sure is fun to watch play.

Not only did I edit together a rock-solid football open for the PhilCast on Monday, I also have a little something special in store to play for my Pack Yak co-host today. So don't miss the start of the show after the 3:00 newscast.

Rough start to getting back in shape

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 09:17:16 PST

Well it has been a rough first week on the road to getting back into living my usual healthy lifestyle after letting that all go south during the holidays.

If you have been listening to the show you know that I added a new app to my phone in the hopes it will help me called "My Fitness Pal". Now I'm not so sure I'd call this thing my pal, but it sure is interesting to see how quickly the calories add up.

My goal (and you're welcome to join along by emailing me for "Weigh-In Wednesday's on the PhilCast with YOUR weight loss progress) is to lose 10 pounds by early March. To do this I start riding my bike indoors on the trainer and eating smarter than I have been over the holidays.

Goodby Christmas cookies...so long chocolates...farewell wine and champagne.

This past week of drying out has been tough on me because of the nice weather. I hate the snow and cold, so these mild winter days with dry roads are just begging me to ride outside. But not only could I not ride outside, I couldn't even ride inside either. Bad wheel this week. I've been limping around with a bout of gout in my left foot, leaving me with too much swelling and pain to ride anything but the bench.

So I was left to sitting around entering my food intake into my new app. They've got me at under 1,800 calories a day to make my 10-lb. goal. I made it the first few days, but already failed on Friday when the day ended with a late dinner out. Pulled pork and fries ain't exactly diet food, but I was in no mood to eat a salad for dinner out. I'll leave that to the rabbits.
...

In other news...
Again my apologies for the phoned-in show on Friday. Behind the scenes you should have seen the scramble trying to get "HBY South" back up and running as the clock ticked closer and closer to 3:00.

When the gear we would normally use in my studio failed for some reason we went to "Plan B" in the magic rack of electronics. Of course we also then found out that "Plan B" failed as well. "Plan C" was to just phone it in.

We hope to figure out the issue this weekend when crack HBY engineer Evan visits HBY South.

I'll admit it will be sooo nice when we finally have our cape cod sold in Tosa and are all settled in for good in Appleton.

Until then we're trying our best to keep you entertained and informed in our daily three-hour chats known as the PhilCast as we shuttle the broadcasts between locations. Thanks for your patience and support.

Later.

Butt rub

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:45:14 PST

On the Thursday PhilCast one of the things I talk about is the story of a woman who got in trouble for, well, rubbing her butt up against a fancy painting in a museum, doing thousands of dollars of damage to the work of art.

Work of art?

My question is how could you tell?

Yup, this is the painting....

Ahh, Florida

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:18:44 PST

I love Florida.

Well, to be more exact, I love the beach. Take that away from Florida and there really isn't a whole lot there. Heck I was married on Sanibel Island, Florida and we try to visit there at least once a year still.

But as much as I like the beach, you have to admit, from the "Hanging Chads" to the retirees' bad driving, Florida can be flat-out weird.

Case in point: I give you Lego Man

Somehow this thing just washed up on shore, just one of the many bizarre stories that came out of that state last year.

I've got a list of goofy things from Florida as one of my stories today on the Wednesday PhilCast show.

Wow, they had no shortage of goofy stuff happening in Florida in 2011.

...and so it begins

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:54:44 PST

This feels like a Monday.
This feels like a new week.
This feels like a new year.
...and so it begins.

After the college bowl games whether or not all the Christmas cookies and candy are gone (they're not by the way) I immediately go into cold-turkey mode when it comes to eating.

Gone are the days of slamming cookies, chocolates, chips, dips and all the fun stuff that I only eat from Thanksgiving to New Year's. No more.

For the past decade I've seen the same pattern, although it is harder to achieve the goal each year. I put on about 8-10 pounds from my riding weight over the holidays, but lose it as I start to once again work out and eat smarter at the start of the new year.

Notice I only said eat smarter. This is no diet really. It's just a change in lifestyle back to being active and not routinely eating unhealthy but tasty things. It's a slow process losing this weight and getting back into shape. And it's always funny how difficult it is to start each year.

Like today...
A whopping stretching session with 15 sit ups and 5 push ups as a preamble to 30 minutes riding on the trainer at a simple and steady pace.

You have to start somewhere, then track your progress. So for the months of January and February it becomes "Weigh-In Wednesday" when we see how things went the previous week.

Last year I actually failed for the first time. The goal was to drop 10 pounds by March. I dropped eight and then just sort of got stuck there. I think it is more difficult to lose the weight with each passing year. Rather than doing a separate riding blog this season I think I'll just post riding stories here throughout 2012.

We'll see how it goes this year.
All I know is that I've just entered the most-boring and dull time of year for me. The next two months are tough, and March is no peach either. At least I have the Packers and the NFL playoffs to soften the blow through the Super Bowl on the first weekend of Feb.

Later.

Hello 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:53:06 PST

I gotta think that if indeed somehow down the road called my life that if I murdered someone and was sentenced to death, the last meal that I would order before I'm walked to the 'big squirt' would be what we prepared for our last meal of 2011 at home on New Year's Eve.

Sandy and I whipped up a dandy. I can't remember the last time I felt that full and satisfied with a meal.

Sicilian shrimp was the headliner. You peel them, butterfly them, dredge them in egg and coat with Italian bread crumbs. They're then drizzled with a sauce made up of melted butter and cooking cherry.

As the shrimp bakes you prepare some angel hair pasta, then toss it into a frying pan where olive oil, garlic and scallions are waiting to soak into the pasta.

On the side was a fantastic from-scratch Italian salad, the ingredients so fresh that the entire kitchen smelled of a vegetable garden as Sandy whipped up her grandmother's recipe from Palermo.

A fresh loaf of Italian bread with butter completed the perfect meal.

And there was dessert too, a chocolate cannoli the size of Maine was washed down with the last of the bottle of champagne we had opened for the occasion.

I haven't eaten anything since. When I do, no matter what my next meal is it will only be a letdown from last night. The ultimate.

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Sora) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:01:09 PST

It's the last day of 2011 so it seems only fitting that I write a quick blog that both looks back and forward to the new year.

I have always been one to focus forward and not spend much time looking back. Been there, done that as the saying goes. The future is much more interesting to ponder.

I expect 2012 to be a big year, being the first full year of the PhilCast show on the air on NewsTalk 1150 WHBY. We started in October and in three short months have helped the station to a #1 spot in the ratings. The station has a very talented pool of professionals who have made me feel right at home there. And I've been blessed to have been teamed up with a very hard-working and talented producer in Reggie, who has already become a friend and not just a co-worker.

On my PhilCast 2012 'bucket list' is another listener trip. Our adventure to Ireland was so much fun. Just ask anyone who came along. We know how to do it right, and I look forward to putting some sort of a listener trip together in the new year.

2012 will be a year of big change as well. By this time next year I hope to be writing a blog from my new home office in my new house located in my new home city, Appleton. Moving is never fun, let alone selling and buying in this housing market, so I'll be happy when we can finally settle in. The time I have spent in Appleton these past three months has been great, mostly due to the fact that people are so friendly and welcoming. I can tell there is a lot of pride in the area when I talk to long-time residents...and I can see why.

So to close out the old and bring in the new I'd just like to once again thank WHBY management, including PD Dave Edwards and GM Greg Bell for believing in the PhilCast and thank those of you who listen and make the show a part of your day. That relationship is what I believe radio is all about.

Happy New Year!