THURSDAY COMMENTARY – “HELLO ATLANTA, WE’RE ON THE AIR”

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

TODAY WE PAUSE THE SPORTS COMMENTARY – SOMEWHAT – FOR SOMETHING OF A CAREER UPDATE.

IT’S BEEN AN HISTORIC WEEK FOR THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW AS WE DEBUTED ON RADIO FOR THE FIRST TIME, ON WQEE 99.1 FM IN METRO-ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

I KNOW, IT MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A FIT AT FIRST GLANCE BUT HERE’S THE STORY: THIS SUMMER RADIO STATION OWNER RYAN O’NEAL WAS LOOKING FOR PROGRAMMING TO FILL OUT HIS ON AIR LINEUP AND THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD, HE DISCOVERED THE ROD PEDERSEN SHOW.

HE LISTENED FOR AWHILE, THEN MADE THE DECISION THAT ‘YES, I WANT THAT GUY ON MY STATION’.

WE AIR NIGHTLY FROM 7-9 ET JUST BEFORE RICK TITTLE AND SPORTS BYLINE USA. YOU CAN LISTEN TO THE STATION HERE.

(THE IRONY IS NOT LOST ON ME THAT WE COULDN’T GET THE SHOW ON THE AIR IN MY HOME PROVINCE OF SASK, BUT OUR FIRST RADIO STATION IS “THE HOME OF SOUTHERN SPORTS AND TALK IN METRO-ATLANTA”.)

WHEN I THINK OF ATLANTA, I THINK OF PEACHES, TBS, THE BRAVES AND BOBBY COX, MICHAEL VICK AND THE FALCONS, AND TIM MCGRAW (“I AIN’T SEEN THE BRAVES PLAY A GAME ALL YEAR.”)

I ALSO KNOW ATLANTA IS THE “HUB OF THE SOUTH” (I’VE BEEN THERE A FEW TIMES), AND THE CURRENT HOME OF CFL GREATS TRACY HAM AND MILT STEGALL. LAST I KNEW, DARIAN DURANT STILL OWNED A 7-BEDROOM HOUSE THERE, WITH A BASKETBALL COURT.

MAYBE IT’S A BETTER FIT THAN WE THOUGHT.

WHILE IT’S AWESOME TO HAVE MOVED INTO AN NFL MARKET AND THE POSSIBILITIES THERE ARE ENDLESS, WQEE’S RYAN O’NEAL SAID HE DOESN’T WANT ANY CHANGES TO THE SHOW AT ALL. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE KNOWS NOTHING WILL CHANGE.

THE MANDATE IS “JUST BE YOU”.

IT TOOK A COUPLE OF YEARS AFTER LEAVING THE RIDER RADIO JOB TO FIGURE OUT WHO EXACTLY THAT WAS, BUT WE’RE COOKING WITH GAS NOW.

ALL THIS HAPPENS ON THE VERY WEEK OF THE LABOUR DAY CLASSIC AND IN THE LEAD UP TO SUNDAY’S ROUGHRIDERS/BLUE BOMBERS GAME, HUMAN NATURE HAS ME REFLECTING ON CLASSICS GONE BY AND ALL THE FUN WE HAD.

BETWEEN MY SHOW AND TSN RADIO IN WINNIPEG, WE’D TRADE BARBS WITH HOSTS GARY LAWLESS AND TROY WESTWOOD AND HAVE A BALL.

NOW, WE’VE ALL MOVED ON TO OTHER THINGS AND CLEARLY THE TEAMS DON’T NEED OUR HYPE BECAUSE THE LABOUR DAY CLASSIC AND BANJO BOWL ARE BOTH SOLD OUT.

FORGET ABOUT TIM MCGRAW. THE SONG PLAYING IN MY HEAD RIGHT NOW IS TRACY LAWRENCE’S “TIME MARCHES ON”.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA, and on WQEE 99.1 FM in Georgia. Call your cable provider to subscribe. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)