My Personal Arbitron Radio Ratings Diary

I am a fan of radio. I should have been born a generation or two earlier because I love listening to radio. Especially sports on radio. Not just sports talk shows, but the actual sporting event.

I once heard a story about a sportscaster from the radio-only days of baseball. He would sit in a studio waiting for the telegraph to spit out the news from a ballpark. He only received basic information like the lineups, line score, and box score. He took that information and created a broadcast for his listeners as if he was telling the story of the game live as it happened. He had sound effects for the crack of the bat! I have listened to many games mesmerized by the excitement in the voice of the announcer.

I the early- and mid-90s I spent everyone other Friday night and Sunday night picking up my boys and taking them back. The 120 minutes in the car with them is some of my best memories. I had to do a lot of fathering in just a few hours a month; I hope it made an impact. But for years I never saw a Super Bowl on TV. I would listen on the radio after dropping them off. Same with Monday night football because for many years I had classes in Little Rock and would listen to the game on the radio as I drove back to Russellville where I lived.

I’ve come to the point that I’d rather listen to a game on the radio than watch it on TV.

I love radio. Even worked in the business for a few years. I had a Southern Gospel music program. I was the “on air talent” at live remote broadcasts. I cut commercials and sold advertising. If I could have made a living at it I would probably still be involved in some way.

So with all this love for radio, I was finally selected to participate in an Arbitron survey. This is the company that monitors listening habits so that radio stations can prove they have a huge audience and justify the rates they charge for advertising.

Guess what all my listening diary contains. Sports. Sports talk. Baseball games. And a little Rush Limbaugh mixed in.

Do you have a bucket list? Mine includes calling games on the radio. The closest I’ve come is when I did the stadium PA for a PeeWee football game. I was in high school and we jocks had to work the game. Some were referees. Others made up the chain gang. I was the announcer. And I called it like I was on the radio! “Bye-bye, LeMasters!” as Brad scampered more than half the length of the field.