I guess this is where I should write about how i started in broadcasting/podcasting.  before I get into that though let me tell you a little about myself and how I came to this point.

A little about me:

I was born in 1977, so figure out how old i am from there.  I'm married to a wonderful woman who puts up with all the computer crap i do and live in Springfield, Illinois (for those who don't know that the capitol of Illinois, not Chicago).  I work for the State and runRadical Thinking along wth Nate as a side business.  The side business doesn't make millions, but it's getting better and really something I enjoy.  My wife has 2 boys from a previous marriage and I have a daughter from a previous relationship.  First thing you should know is that my wife is significantly older than I am so that accounts for the next statement.  My wifes older son also has a child of his own, so around the holidays the house is quite packed.  On this page you'll find pictures of my house, car, dogs and anything else that flips my flopper.  I hope you enjoy everything and I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about myself or the show.  the FAQ section to the left will hold all the Q and A I get send so check it first, just email your questions to shaggy@ptrradio.com. 

The facination begins:

I have been interested in radio since i was in the 5th grade.  My elementary school had a station that I volunteered on every chance i got.  In addition they had their own tv station too and while not in front of the camera i did assist in the background with it as well.  Granted it was only time & temperature along with some classic symphony stuff, but it made an impression on me none-the-less.

I went to Western Illinois University for 1 1/2 years and thats really where I became enthusiatic about being a radio personality.  I hosted my own music show there for a year, nothing really special but it did teach me how to run a board and deal with callers.  Flash forward 4 years living on my own after coming back to Springfield and a canadian show on the web caught my attention.  The name of the show was DHBIT (Does Humour Belong in Technolog, that how the canadians spell humor).  Funny enough, Mike Ellis of NHB fame also happen to listen to this show and I even have a clip of them reading an email from him to their show asking about a team up effort.  After a year of listening to DHBIT they went off the air and it wasn't until 2 years later that I found a suitable replacement.  NHB was my listening habit for the next year. 

Begin the broadcasting story:

Once i was comfortable with all the people involved in NHB, damon openned up the channel for show submissions.  Some i remember were good and others really blew.  It was a long month of wondering if I had what it took to do a show, but finally I took the plunge and sent an email asking for a trial run.  I knew that being by myself would not be terribly entertaining and I also knew the schedule was tight already at NHB.  I went about convincing my friends that changing our normal monday night ritual dinner to include a one hour show would be cake and wouldn't require any work on their part.  Basically the plan was to just invite NHB listeners in on the conversations we all had while having dinner.  By "all" there were a lot of people. 

In the begining the show stared Shaggy (myself), Nate, Colin, Porno Nick, Janet, Mike (not the apeman another Mike), Carrie and whomever else came to dinner that night.  Eventually it included two somewhat regulars Robin and Jamie as well.  It only took about 3 months for the toll to wear on everyone involved and they wanted to get out of the show.  During that time we would travel around between 3 houses doing a 1 hour show on NHB mondays from 7 to 8.  I caught a lot of crap from Damon and Mike Ellis because of the one hour, which still to this day gets brought up.

I guess I ended up being the straw that broke the camels back for weekly get-togethers.  What started out with a ton ended in 3 hosts (Porno Nick, Nate and myself).  Really it could have been 4, but Colin and Nick were like oil and water cause Nick had a tendancy to go a little to sexual for Colin's taste.  In addition to that the show went from one hour to two.  About a year later and Nick was ready to hit the door as well.  Nick's comment to me was "I didn't think you'd keep interested in this for this long, I figured you'd get bored with it and move on".  It was a shock to everyone the dedication I had to the show and the network.

With Nick leaving Colin returned to the show, although never really saying much during a show.  Colin, Nate and myself continued the show although now with a slighty changed format for over 2 years.  Along the way helping NHB grow to a functional network and attending several function.  Nate atteneded both New Years Eve at J-Squared and we both attended the 2004 staff picnic.

Meeting the Apeman:

It really all happened at the picnic, although we'd been emailing and talking to each other for a while.  Mike had become a regular co-host on NHB and being around the same age and places in life all three of us clicked right away.  It was also at this picnic where we met everyone else from the network including Dune Jumper of The Dune and Bob Show (www.theduneandbobshow.com).  He too was a kindred spirit during the picnic and we all got along great.  Don't get me wrong we got along with everyone from Sloan to Damon, but we were all the elders of the group and tended to gravitate toward each other.  Once back fromt he picnic we all kept in close contact and even did bits about one another.  I produced several Pinkies Pleasure Palace commericials and a Host Spotlight on Apeman and he retorted with a YMCA parody and a Host Spotlight on yours-truely.

The long vacation:

After two years on the network the pressure of a weekly show; changes in lifestyle due to marriage, work, etc; and internal problems within the network finally came to a halt.  Ending with PTR leaving NHB and going into hiatus.  A few months later Apeman left as well, neither if us really looking back.

The Ape rises and interest brews:

Soemtime in late October of 2005 Mike started podcasting.  Deciding to do his own thing and tell his side of the NHB breakup.  After a couple shows I found out about it and started tuning in.  The idea of doing a podcast appealed to me cause I could do it when I had time and without to much trouble.

The idea's flow:

After talking to Apeman for a while and seeing how his podcast was doing we both decided that we missed the live show and both of us could use a co-host, even if only part time.  The idea came to us to do a podcast and live show.  I was enthralled and quickly talked to both Colin and Nate about doing it again, this time with Mike coming along for the ride.  I was hyped and ready to get back on the digital waves. 

It becomes a reality:

We picked a date and started the feed in August, initially runnign re-runs of old PTR shows to get interest again.  We started live shows in September of 2007 and I loved it.  We picked every other week to start and it gives me a chance to record a podcast "solo" style in the odd weeks.  This has been the most enjoyable times I've had in years.