WIXY's Gone Bananas

During the holiday season, I get to be thinking about family members who have passed on. I lost my sister, Bev, in March, 1997, my dad in September, 2000, my mom in April 2004, and my brother, Allen, in July of 2009. Most people who have read this blog, remember my writings about my brother, Ricky, who passed away in March, 2008. Ricky suffered from neurofibromtosis. He had seizures and had other developmental problems. But he always loved a good joke and had a very memorable laugh. I was really thinking about Ricky this afternoon, as I watched the Cleveland Browns drop their final game of the season to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ricky was a big sports fan. He became one when I became one. As I posted before, he was my shadow. And being blessed with living in the Cleveland metropolitan area, we rooted for the Cleveland sports teams, primarily the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers. And whatever hockey team represented the area. Ricky became a human sports encyclopedia. Right after his ...

Cliff Note: A week and a half ago, when I was in the WIXY 1260 Online studio, I was being interviewed by Lisa Jordan. We were talking about WIXY Superman, Larry Morrow. Lisa mentioned his book. Here is a repost of the review I had written about the book. The area of the country I live in has seen many talented people come and go in television, in radio and on the athletic field. Most of these people feel the need to take their talents elsewhere. The book I'm reviewing for this post is about one of the unselfish few who stay and use their talents for the betterment of the community. One of the media friends I have made since I started blogging is Sue Wilson, who happens to be the program director of Akron, Ohio country music station WQMX and morning show co-host. Sue had told me that Larry Morrow was one of her positive influences during her career in radio. This is Larry Morrow...My Life on and off the Air  is the autobiography of one of the classic good guys of the Cleve...

Cliff Note: In honor of my recent visit to the WIXY 1260 online studios, I'm reposting this. I originally posted it September 17, 2007. I know, I know.  Tim Lones  is the classic media expert, but I've had the 74WIXYgrad moniker long enough to be able to post about one of the all time classic top 40 radio stations. Next, a shout out goes to  Ray Glasser , webmaster of the  unofficial WIXY/1260 tribute site , where I got the header for this post. Ray was kind enough to leave a message for me in my comment section last weekend. I think all of us baby boomers had our own personal stations when we were growing up. Me, I had several. First station I can remember listening to was  KYW/1100 , then  WKYC  or  KY11 , Power Radio. When I was about 12 years old, I discovered the station which would provide the soundtrack for most of my teenage years- WIXY/1260. It was 1967, and I had gotten a transistor radio for Christmas, which was a big deal f...

Been there, done that, and got the t-shirt. Literally.  I achieved a goal that I thought never would happen. I was a guest on WIXY 1260! The current incarnation of this classic radio station is available on the internet at wixy1260online.com . This is a work of love by Ray Glasser and Gary Schmitz, a couple of guys who have a passion for classic radio. This station is streamed 24/7, mostly automated with a playlist of over 4,000 tunes, which is more than 13 times what any commercial station has. WIXY 1260 also has some disc jockeys who love to play the hits live. And the word is getting out about this classic! And this past Sunday, the special guest of Lisa Jordan and Majic Mike was Poetry Man himself, Cliff Feightner. Ray Glasser, aka Ray King, one of the Bosses Of course those who have followed this blog from the beginning know about my internet handle of 74WIXYGrad, that I took the name because I was a 1974 graduate of the WIXY School of Broadcast Technique. And one of...

For the customers that come inside They will see theft locks on the Tide From the way that it looks It's to thwart dirty crooks The rest should just take it in stride Catch Poetry Man during the Jeff Kinzbach Morning Show, weekday mornings 5:30-10 EDT on 97.5 WONE-FM, The Home of Rock N Roll or stream live at wone.ne t.

Been more than three months since I've posted anything here. Like many others, most of my creative efforts have been posted on Facebook page. Since, at last look, I have 439 "friends", the posts are seen by quite a few people. And even more people see them when I post on the groups I belong to. Of late, I've also gotten the audience of a local radio veteran, whom some, including myself, consider a legend, Jeff Kinzbach. All you folks removed from Northeast Ohio remember him as the head of the Buzzard Morning Zoo for many years in the 80's and 90's on WMMS. He is now the highly rated morning show host on 97.5 WONE, Akron's Home of Rock N' Roll. I have wrote in the past how our paths crossed as high school marching band announcers. Jeff came looking for me at a band show where, the school he announces for, Medina Highland, my alma mater, and the school I announce for, Rittman, were appearing together. That evening, we became friends. Jeff also sent me ...

Nowadays since my poetry is becoming well known, I decided to dedicate a Facebook page to it. No need to have a Facebook account, you can just go there and check it ou t. If you do have an account, find it and like it. the page is called Random Acts of Poetry . Hope you enjoy!

There have been blog posts, which I have written in the past, that I write to work out a bit of grief. This is one of them. This morning, I had to make the decision to have our 12 year old cat, Goober, put down. It was not an easy decision, and I left the vet's clinic in tears. Never thought a 57 year old man would do that over a cat. But I have been told several times today that a pet is still part of the family. And in the 12 years that Goober was around, he was pretty special. First point of I'd like to make is that Goober was not named after George Lindsay's character from the Andy Griffith Show .  I named him Goober because his mother's name is Peanut, named so by my daughter, Sylva, after she ate a peanut M&M. My reasoning was that another name for a peanut was a goober pea, hence the name. Peanut came to us as a stray, and I was talked into keeping her because my family loves animals. Before we could get her spayed, she brought a litter into the world...

One of the benefits of  my award winning personality is that I have many friends who are around the same age as my kids or younger. One of my friends where I work is a young lady who shares a name with an MTV veejay from the 1980's. Her name is Julie Brown. Julie's issue is not specifically with the name. It's with people who who constantly ask, "Have you ever heard of 'Downtown' Julie Brown?" She can't wait until she marries her boyfriend and can change the surname. I guess one of the reasons she likes me is that I never asked the stupid question. Cliff Note: There are times when one knows that there's an obvious obnoxious question that begs NOT to be asked. I find that it's better to have the same name of someone who isn't famous, but is somewhat high profile. I have shared the story before about "the other Cliff", Cliff Feightner , who lives in Florida. When I was working as an electronics sales associate in the Akron, Oh...

In the coming week, I will be learning about infertility issues. My friend, Charlese Smith, has invited me to announce for a benefit 5K run that takes place in Copley, Ohio on April 27, 2013. The beneficiary of this event is the Giving Birth to a Dream Foundation. Charlese and David Smith started this foundation when their daughter, Tashia Mingle, an RN with the Summa Health System, and her husband, Christopher, realized that they were facing infertility issues. They also realized that, in the views of the State of Ohio, infertility treatments are elective and very expensive. Charlese and David, in starting the Giving Birth to a Dream foundation, wanted to give their daughter and son in law, and others who represent 10% of the population, a better chance to conceive children of their own. there has been other fund raisers and donations from local businesses. This Saturday, the 5K will give many a chance to give to this very worthy organization. There will also be s...

I have mentioned in the past my little routine when I go into any retail establishment. I always end every transaction with "Thank you for working at...." I'm always amazed at the reaction I get. And those who are used to my routine are disappointed when I fail to say that. I've been stopping at a certain convenience store lately to get a snack and soft drink. There are a couple of employees there who have a different reaction to the way I end the transaction. One person, an older gentleman and curmudgeon of sorts, tells me that he doesn't work for free. Another employee, a young lady, has a quite different reaction. One day I was there getting a Coke Zero and pack of crackers. I was in line to pay the older guy when Mae told me that her register was open. I went over to her side, paid for my items and thanked her for working at the store. Next time I stopped there, I went to Mae's register. She told me that she enjoyed my positive attitude and my smile wh...

Cliff Note: I originally wrote this poem a year ago for my poetry blog. It got some great response, so I'm posting it here. Enjoy! Today's a birthday Can't you see And I will tell you Now with glee I know you want To hear some more This birthday man Is Theodor Who is this man This Geisel guy He now writes poems Up in the sky I will tell you It is my plan I will tell you About the man Growing up You heard his rhymes They are the greatest Of all the times All the rhymes Wrote by the man We all did read them A dandy plan But if you're puzzled And need a clue You might be stumped And wonder whoo                                                                                                    ...

When I was more actively blogging, I used to write these post quite often. Matter of fact, I was informed that one of them was printed and posted in the mail room at the Akron Radio Center. The subject was WQMX morning show co-host and program director, Sue Wilson . The informant was fellow band announcer and WONE program director, Tim Daugherty. Tim proposed to Sue on the air this morning. Congrats to them both. My subject today is another radio veteran. Jeff Kinzbach is an area radio legend. For years he, and newsman Ed "Flash" Ferenc were part of the highly rated Buzzard Morning Zoo on WMMS. As all good things, this came to an end. For awhile, the duo had an afternoon talk show on WTAM. Once this ended, Jeff and Flash went their separate ways. Jeff's route took him, and his wife, Patti, to Dallas, where among other things, Jeff established himself in business and raised cattle. Jeff had sent me a very detailed response that I attached to the comments to a post I...

Cliff Note: This is a limerick I posted this morning on my Random Acts of Poetry , formerly known as Whattville is on the Other Side of the Tracks, blog When dealing with internet trolls You know they are there to fill holes When they're raiding the fridge Just go over the bridge Ignoring them defeats their goals © 2013 Cliff Feightner

It's been awhile since all my non Facebook have heard from me. So since I have a few extra minutes waiting for a doctor's appointment to end, I thought I would give my index finger a workout while starting this post on my iPhone. I will edit when I get back home on my laptop to make sure my auto correct didn't do any incorrect thinking for me. First, a follow up on a previous post . Late last summer, I wrote a post about Bonnie, a Walmart cashier . Her general attitude and smile made me want to go through her line whenever possible. I had seen her in attendance at the Rittman football games. After halftime of the second game, I approached her. I told Bonnie that I thought she had looked familiar. Turns out that she has been a band mom for several years. Bonnie had not realized that I was the Rittman band announcer. She now  introduces me to her coworkers at Walmart as the best band announcer around. Just more of a reminder to be nice to those you meet. You never know whe...