On the Mary Tyler Moore show, Ted Baxter is an incompetent shell of a man. He's selfish, inflated, overblown, egotistical, insecure, and very very dumb.

Baxter's role model is Walter Cronkite. Although devoted to his wife, Baxter has reproductive "issues." We're never told but my guess is, he's impotent. Baxter is the proverbial talking air-head - no one respects him.

So why did we enjoy following Baxter's antics?

It's simple. His idiocy made us laugh. He was the quintessential clown; the court jester; the fool.

I'll miss our amateur radio version of Ted Baxter. In less than two weeks his license will expire, and although he'll undoubtedly try to get his license renewed, there's a huge doubt as to whether we'll ever hear another original "broadcast."

I often wonder if Baxter, like another tragic clown, Pagliacci, is crying on the inside. The comedy is nearly ended, and we may never know.

This has been an editorial by John Johnston.