This was a surprisingly good show. I say surprisingly, because I had little clue going in how Mary would be as a guest. Plus we didn’t have a guest for the second hour.

           After a number of last minute calls, we re-visited Ken Wickes from Unique Gifts and Games. If we were just getting the information from him, it would’ve been a 10 minute segment and we would’ve been more or less stumped for the rest of the show. Fortunately, we were very casual and conversational, going wherever the tangents were leading us. Since we were talking Halloween, the topic of candy came up. Not only do things like that allow listeners to get to know us better, which is probably more important than anything else we do (as far as getting and retaining listeners is concerned), but it’s also a lot of fun for us hosts.

           The topic lent itself well for people to call in and share their own opinions. We got – get this – TWO calls! Granted, one was from one of our correspondents and the other was our lovely regular caller, Carol from Kansasville, but still, seeing the phone lines light up made it feel like a real show for a bit. I have no idea how many people are listening, but I have a lot of confidence in the show we are promoting and the content we are creating. Dobie Maxwell, Mr. Radio, keeps us grounded, reminding us that “this could all end tomorrow,” but even so, our archived shows will be online for at least a year or two, continuing to entertain and inform people. Still, I hope the show has a long life and that we start getting picked up by other radio stations. I wouldn’t mind if the stations were all tiny ones as long as there’s a lot of ‘em!

           On Wednesday the good folks over at “Tom and Lisa Mornings” on 95 WIIL ROCK welcomed me on their show for their “Ask a _____” segment. Since it was me, it was “Ask a Ghost Researcher.” The lines were CONSTANTLY lit up. Color me envious. Literally, for the entire 90 minutes two callers were either on the air or on hold. They kept their other two or three lines off the hook entirely. Great for them too. I did the show last year (you can listen to it here) and I don’t remember that being the case. They’re already a popular show, but maybe they’re growing too.

           I’ve always taken the show and my job as Board Op seriously, but last week I approached it like a make-or-break audition and the little snafus that happen from time to time were eliminated. It still wasn’t perfect, but I’m well on my way.

           Anyway, back to the show, which ended up being very full after all. Mr. WLIP, Lou Rugani called in to share some of his paranormal experiences – his involved flying rocks going through his windshield, coming from no visible source. Interesting stuff I had never heard of before. I’m in the process of doing some investigating.

           Mary Sutherland has so many great and interesting guests lined up for her Burlington Vortex Conference that she didn’t have to be a good guest at all (she was perfectly fine, it’s just a little tenuous if I hadn’t talked to a person prior to going on the air with them). I really cannot wait to attend the Vortex Conference Halloween weekend. My Halloween plans fell through, so, short of a paying gig, I’ll be spending a lot of time in Burlington. Hope to see you all there.

           Also, I think I’ll be attending at least one of the events that Ken Wickes is hosting at his shop. I think it’s gonna be the screening of “Poltergeist.” For those interested, the event schedule is below and here’s the link to his site: uniquegg.com.

           I generally don’t preview shows, but next week is definitely the highlight of the month: Ursula Bielski, a GREAT ghost researcher/writer; Stanton Friedman, one of the most influencial sources on UFO; and Mary Jo Pehl, a long time cast member of “Mystery Science Theater 3000 will be joining us. I can’t wait!