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TapDetroit Internet Radio Detroit Style
The Plankman Show is hosted LIVE every Thursday night by Plankman and Ted Eberly. It's a music of local music, sports talk and whatever else Plankey and Ted come up with. It's a show that meanders along like two confused owls asking WHO WHO WHO's job was it to pick the music. Join in LIVE and you can even chat along with Plankey and Ted via our chat room!
Well I’m not one for talking about myself but here goes. When I was as young as maybe 11 or 12 me & my friend would record songs off the radio then play then back & record ourselves as the DJ’S of some radio station. Who knew this is where it would all begin for me.
In my Mom’s & Dad’s basement. Pretending to be a DJ. Then fast forward to my 20’s and my job was downsizing & either I lost my job or moved to Cincinnati Ohio. Yeah that Cincinnati Ohio. Well I figured since getting into “real” radio meant you were going to have to move eventually anyways I moved away from my Home, family, friends, everything in Detroit Michigan & headed to Cincy. My favorite show as a kid was WKRP in Cincinnati so only seemed fitting to have a go at Radio in Cincinnati.
So, I went to a school for radio & TV broadcasting in Cincinnati & eventually got an internship at a radio station & even a couple TV stations. I was working a fulltime job, working at a radio station & a TV station. ICRC sport in Cincy was a great way for me to be a camera man for local high school sporting events. Being a camera man was fun & something I truly enjoyed. When I started my radio internship at WNOP AM 740 I couldn’t believe I was finally in radio. It was a Jazz & Blues station & I knew absolutely NOTHING about either type of music. Only thing I knew about Blues was my Uncle Bill listened to it.
So, it had to be cool. The camera operating gig was about to end & I was asked to stay on & even got paying gigs for local township hall meetings. I was getting paid to do something I enjoyed. It was crazy. Then the internship with WNOP was going good. I was putting music into the system at night when I suddenly decided I was going to play around & record some stuff I had though of as a teenager. 1 thing in particular. A fake commercial. I recorded it thought nothing of it then the next day I got a call from the program director and he said “Hey we’re gonna play your fake commercial today so tune in.” I couldn’t believe it! My voice would be on the air in Cincinnati Ohio. He also informed me that from now on whenever I would be on air at Realjazz 740 I would forever be “Don No Deal”. A character he created long before I ever came to WNOP. He said my voice fit the part. He had a lot of commercials already written so I was now Don No Deal.
So I did the commercials & it was great BUT who doesn’t want to have their own show? So, 1 day 1 of the normal DJ’S couldn’t do his show & he asked if I wanted to fill in for him. Of course I said yes & even better it was my birthday. My first “ON AIR” Show filling it on my birthday in a place I never thought I’d never get a shot. After the success of that I was given my own time slot on Saturday afternoons. I even got to pick my own music. They don’t let DJ’S do that nowadays! I also ran other shows as their board operator & even engineered some Cincinnati Cyclones games for WNOP. Life was great! Then as we were making strides to turn the little station around the owner sold it. We were on the way out.
No more Jazz & Blues in Cincinnati. In such a short time I fell in love with the city & its music & local musicians. I was heart broken. Had my 15 minutes of fame & it was over. Just like that. Then a call from a friend back home, my pal Tiny says” I work for a sports station here in Detroit & can get you a job as a board operator.”. So I went back home, checked it out & had some thinking to do. I wanted to be in radio & especially in Detroit my home town. So, whatever it takes! I moved back home & worked at WXYT 1270 as a board operator for many shows & even got to work Red Wings games, Tigers games, Lions game & much much more.
“I can see much clearer now I’m blind.” ~ Dream Theater
When I saw I’d never get “on the air” I decided I was done. So, I left radio & went back to a real job. The tapdetroit.com came along & the owner wanted my pal Tiny(Who had worked in Radio In Detroit for WRIF) to do a show on his internet radio station. I was like only way I see him doing it is if I come along. That was The Tiny & Plankman Show. For 5 years on tapdetroit.com.
Nothing better then doing radio with your best friend. Probably the best time a guy could have & I enjoyed every minute of it. Then it to had come to an end. What to do now? I had a conversation with my pal Norman from Murder FM & now As Strange As Angels & he convinced me to carry on. I couldn’t give up! So I started “The Plankman Show” and asked my pal Ted Eberly to join in the fun. Then something I could have never imagined happened.
The Owner of tapdetroit.com didn’t want to do it anymore. So, he said basically your the only 1 who seems to want to keep doing this you want the network? And that’s where we are now. Owner, Show Host, Program Director, Music Director and just a guy who loves music from anywhere in the country or around the world.
So, catch us Thursday night from 8-10 pm. Thanks.
