Todd and Tyler Unauthorized Forums

Tuesday 9-18-01

Todd and Tyler started off this morning’s show by discussing an itinerary sent to Tyler by an airline. He recently booked a flight for his dad and with all of the recent changes in the airline industry due to the terrorist attacks last week, Tyler found that the itinerary included a list of things people shouldn’t attempt to bring on a plane. He’d never seen such a list like that included in an itinerary before and found it pretty interesting as he shared some of the items included. One of the strangest things not being allowed by the airlines now seemed to be matches and lighters. TnT discussed the reasoning behind it and agreed with it in principal but they both seemed to think that not allowing cigarette lighters on an airplane was a bit odd.

The guys received an e-mail from an Indian listener (not Native American) who had been living in the US for the last 8 years. According to the e-mail, this person (the sex of which was undeterminable) has never had a hate-related incident based upon his/her nationality until after the things that happened last Tuesday. The e-mail described how the individual is uncomfortable now and has been given the “hairy eyeball” based on his/her skin color. The guys spent some time talking about that and mentioned that taking such an attitude towards foreign born or non-Caucasian looking people is wrong.

Brian came in and did the news today which was peppered with “Urban Cowboy” references provided by Todd and, more so by Tyler. Also during the news, Donnie spent a bit of time perusing the Dictionary looking for the meanings of Xenophobe and another word that I must have neglected to jot down in my notes.

Kevin McKenzie from the Great Plains Counseling Center came in studio this morning and spent a few hours with TnT. The gang spent a great deal of time discussing things related to last Tuesday’s events. Overloading on the terrible images provided by television, dealing with the loss of control one feels in relation to the anxiety of flying, how children are dealing with the disaster and ways parents can talk to them and how one can direct and manage their anger, sorrow and worries were all discussed. The guys also talked about the various stages one’s mind goes through after a tragic event and different ways people can deal with each stage. Kevin took phone calls from listeners as well and offered up his professional opinion on how to help the people. He will be returning to the show in a few weeks. Feel free to phone the Great Plains Counseling Center at 292-7712 if you are in need of some counseling of your own.

Larry the Cable Guy checked in this morning with a commentary on the strange things one can find at a convenient store. Before he delivered this morning’s commentary, Larry and Todd spent a bit of time swapping strategies for the game “Risk”. TnT will be bringing Larry to the stage on Friday at the Royal Grove in Lincoln. I believe tickets are still available. Check your local Ticket Masters location to obtain entrance to Larry’s show.

Unexplained quote of the day from Todd: “Old guy’s boners are scary.”

Todd and Tyler spoke with Senator Ben Nelson for a bit this morning. Ben was calling from Omaha but plans to return to Washington DC tomorrow. He was actually in Washington DC when the attacks on NYC and the Pentagon took place. He gave TnT his detailed account of the events that unfolded in our nation’s capital from his perspective and also commented at great length about how the politicians in Washington, and our nation as a whole, are coming together to pull through these tough times. It was very cool to hear from Ben and I’m sure TnT will speak with him again in the near future.

The guys spent some time discussing some television from last night. Politically Incorrect and Letterman were back on the air for the first time sense the tragedy in NYC and DC. Although neither Todd nor Tyler got to see the shows, their listeners and other people in the studio did witness the broadcasts. Letterman’s show seemed to tug at the most heartstrings, while Politically Incorrect seemed to generate anger because of things said by one of the panelists.

At 9am, a commercial aired that included a 30 second moment of silence as a memorial to those who perished in the recent attack on America. At the end of the commercial, TnT came back to the air and seemed quite upset. They were not upset at the idea of having a moment of silence in general or the fact that an advertiser wanted to use the purchased airtime for such a statement/memorial. They didn’t take aim at the company who purchased the advertisement on their show, but they were mad at the fact that management allowed the sales staff of the station to sell 30 seconds of “dead air” on their show. The guys discussed the commercial for a while and said that in their 20 years (each) in radio, they had never heard of a commercial with 30 seconds of nothingness. They were mad about the fact that if a listener had tuned in at that moment and heard nothing on the station, they may have flipped to a competitor and if that was the case, the sales staff and the management basically gave a listener up to their competitors for the sake of making some cash on a commercial. I must admit that, as a listener, I thought it was a bit strange at the time as well. Anyway, the guys joked about it for a bit longer as their show progressed but then moved on.

Todd and Tyler wrapped up this morning’s show by playing an old vinyl 45 that had John Wayne doing the Pledge of Allegiance along with some other patriotic stuff. At one point, the record began to skip and John Wayne somehow turned into the world’s first cowboy rapper. It was pretty funny stuff.

Well, that’s the update for today. Tune in from 5:30am to 10am tomorrow for another show and then check back here in the afternoon for the update. Thanks for watching. Good night. -Corby-