book-radio

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It was around this time I began calling a sports talk radio station in Philadelphia. I always listened to WIP Sports Radio since back in the mid-80s ,when they switched from music to sports on the AM dial. Finally, a 24-hour forum about one of my favorite topics, especially Philly sports! I especially loved the Phillies and Eagles, so it was cool to catch interviews with local athletes and hear opinions from the hosts and callers from the Philadelphia area.

Soon, many callers became local celebrities. Their voices were welcome. after a long week of life. There was serious sports comments from everyday guys,  funny remarks, as well as  outlandish predictions. It was like  stopping into a bar, like the TV show "Cheers," sharing a cold brew with your buddies for a while, forgetting real life problems, then going on your way.

Everyone had an opinion, and it didn't matter if you were right or wrong. It was refreshing to have a forum to express your sports knowledge and share a common bond with others.

I never thought I would become a part of that community, but I did.

I started listening to the overnight show on weekends and found a host name Steve Trevelise. Steve had been in radio a long time. He was around my age. He worked as a disc jockey, traffic reporter and  update news guy. He also worked as a stand-up comic, mostly in his home state of  New Jersey.  He struck me as a regular guy, with a wife and twin boys. He was funny as hell, had a thick Jersey accent, lovingly spoke of his family often, and knew his sports. He was a terrific interviewer, and usually  had some kind of sports-related guest on his program, be it an author or retired athlete.  He grew up and remained a New York Giants football fan, but he was still all right in my book.

So, on nights I couldn't sleep, especially from pain, I would try to relax while listening to Steve and his regular group of weekly callers. Often I would drift off to sleep and other nights I stayed awake until dawn when Steve signed off.

For years this went on. I looked forward to weekends because of Steve and his show. I would be dead tired, especially returning to work on Monday morning, but I couldn't miss the Trevelise show.

Not only did we share a love of sports, Steve was also the biggest Beatles fan I ever knew (He named one of his sons Lennon). I grew to appreciate the brilliance of the Beatles as I aged. Admittedly, I wasn't a huge Beatles fan as a kid, yet I remembered the 60s and Beatlemania, the night  when John Lennon was killed, and listened to their music more and more.

One weekend Steve gave out his email address, and, on a whim, I sent him a brief note, telling him how much I loved sports, the Beatles and his program. He wrote me back and thus started a friendship which continues even today.

After numerous emails about sports, Steve encouraged me to call his show sometime. I always hated my voice. It was too high and too soft. Even going back to my C.B. Radio days in the 70s and 80s, I hated my voice. A James Earl Jones or Ricardo Montalban I wasn't.

So I resisted calling in, preferring to just listen as I had been doing for years. I did tell Steve about my disability, not that it would matter on a radio show, and he was cool with that. He persisted with every email- "When are you gonna call in?" I knew he wanted me to branch out of my comfort zone and test the waters.

Gathering what little courage I could muster, I picked up my landline and dialed. It was around 3:30 in the morning, so I had convinced myself that no one would be listening, anyway.  I forgot about listeners like myself, people who couldn't sleep, or people working overnight, folks in their cars, or sports fans in hospitals. There were literally thousands of people always listening, even in the wee hours of the morning, as I would soon find out.

Surprisingly, I didn't freeze during that first phone call to WIP. I tried not to think about all the people who may be hanging on my every word. It was just like talking to a friend on the phone.

Soon my confidence grew, and I became a "regular" on Steve's show, every Friday ( and sometimes Saturdays ) overnight. Even now, I tend to call around 3:30 a.m., still talking mostly about the Phillies, Eagles and Beatles. But now the WIP 94.5 FM  audience has expanded, thanks to the internet and mobile phones, to millions of listeners.

Sometimes I still  get comments about my voice. "I liked what your last caller said about the Phils," is  a typical comment. "She made some good points."

So,  every weekend, I pull up a bar stool and check in for about 10 minutes of weekly fame. I still don't care for my voice, and sometimes my sports views differ from other callers, or even  but it's all in good fun. And disability doesn't matter. We are all equal on the radio, as it should be.

I have met other  callers at sports events in the city. It's always fascinating to hear the familiar voice coming out of a strange body. Usually they never look like I imagined they would look in person. But imagine what they think of me!

As for Steve, he still hosts his show on the weekends. After about 10 years, I finally met him when I attended one of his comedy gigs in Jersey. I'm proud to be his "Beatles connection," still emailing him related articles and exchanging Christmas  cards and gifts.

For his kindness,  for  welcoming me into his family of special callers and loyal listeners, I am indebted to Steve. He is a good friend  and I'm glad he encouraged me to not just sit on the sidelines, but to get involved and make a difference.

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