I long for the "good ole days" when I could traverse the am dial and
listen to a different talk show host on nearly every frequency. Even
as a youngster I was familiar with the hot issues of the day in every
city I could pick up on my radio - Omaha, Chicago, St. Louis, San
Antonio, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kansas
City, Denver and whatever other signal I could nab during the night.

Thanks to Herb Jepco, Jim White, Jack Wheeler, John Cigna, Bill Barker
and myriads of others whose names have been forgotten I felt that I
had a friend in all those cities. And you would become so familiar
with the regular callers that you would worry about them if they
hadn't called for awhile.

Syndication has destroyed all that. Now all scanning the dial from end
to end yields is know it all gasbag right wing errand boys, sports
talk screamers with their double digit IQ callers, ufo and conspiracy
loons, and of course the bible thumpers who will save your soul for a
donation.

There are still a few local night time programs but they are few. And
the ones that are there are pale comparisons to the forerunners of
days of old.