In order to explain what happened in today’s podcast, you need to know a couple of things. First, I always got bored reading newscasts. And as a matter of fact I had a tendency to yawn while reading them. But along with running the control board and the transmitter when I was “Platter Pappa” at that little station, I had to do the news, including the sign off 15 minute newscast, which was the one the station owner always listened to, to be sure you didn’t sign the station off early. I had already given Mr. Big Shot my resignation because graduation time was here, and it was time to put some real pork on the fork.
Madeline, the Lord’s Favorite Receptionist knew all this. She also knew that I tended to nod off doing a newscast. And she decided my last newscast would be different. So just as I started my fifteen minute struggle with the day’s news, she appeared at the window looking out on the transmitter room. She looked me right in the eye, licked her lips, smiled wickedly, and started a very slow strip-tease. Now remember Mr. Big is listening, and watching his clock to be sure he gets his full fifteen minutes worth. I did all right for about five minutes. But when Madeline got down to her underwear the newscast came close to seriously blowing apart. Never in the history of radio up till that point was there such a screwed up newscast. As I hit the sports scores, Madeline stood there in all her considerable glory. Then she did one memorable bump and grind, picked up her underwear, put it in her purse, slipped on her dress, and as I was stumbling all over the weather forecast, she blew me a kiss, and disappeared into the parking lot and out of my life. I was going to say I never saw her again, but as I’m telling you this, there she is in my memory, smiling and stripping just like she did all those years ago. I never got to thank her then. So in case you might be listening Madeline, I want you to know that your memory has warmed me through many a lonely night.