Toronto Mike'd: The Official Toronto Mike Podcast - Mike Richard's Announcement: Toronto Mike'd #395

Episode Date: November 8, 2018

Mike Richards has a big announcement to make.

Welcome to episode 395 of Toronto Mic'd, a weekly podcast about anything and everything. Proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Propertyinthe6.com, Paytm Canada, Census Design and Build, and our newest sponsors, Palma Pasta and Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair. I'm Mike from TorontoMike.com and joining me is Mike Richards. Yeah. Welcome back. Sorry. You know what?

Did that even fit? Well, I just realized you're a Mike if you need to borrow my theme song. Yeah. Wow. I think I'm good. Not that this isn't good, but I just don't know if I fit in with that. You need more guitar. Yes, and explosions usually.

Yeah, and guys who have... TNT dynamite! Yeah, guys with substance abuse problems and marital problems. Oh, yeah. All right, well, rappers have that too, the substance abuse. I guess that is true. That, yeah. All right. Well, rappers have that, too, the substance. I guess that is true. That is true. My first question, even, first of all, you're here to

make an announcement, right? That is correct. So hold on to that, though. And I don't know what this is. I want to tell people now. Oh, I know you don't. I have ideas, but don't, I don't want to, no spoilers is what I'm saying. Yes, of course. Yeah. My first question, I need to know every time you visit, how is your health?

The health is good. I'm cancer-free, which is, I don't take that for granted. There are so many people, I'm sure, listening here on this podcast that wish, prayed that their loved ones, that their friend, the mother, their grandparents, someone would have said, guess what? I'm cancer free. So that I don't take lightly. And I know it's, it really is a gift. So that, that's, now I'm still trying to get

the ostomy bag off. So that is the hideous thing that sits on the front of my belly, just to the right of the belly. So you're wearing it right now? Oh yeah. So, okay, good. Because right of the belly. You're wearing it right now? Oh, yeah. So, okay, good. Because not good that you're wearing it. I mean, so to tell people,

what was the kind of cancer? Colorectal? So, yes, it was rectal cancer is what I had. I had rectal cancer. So in order for them to disconnect the pipes down below for the waste to go somewhere, it goes in this little bag. And it's all the rage, I got to tell you.

People love it. Just like you. I'm so glad you're wearing the Husk Me bag. No, I just had Freddie P in here. You know Fred from the Humble and Fred show? Yeah, of course. And he was wearing, during our episode, he was wearing the one for the bladder.

What's that? I guess the urine bag? I don't know what the medical term is. He had a catheter, I guess. Catheter, yes. And there was a bag, and he was telling me he had like a daytime bag, which is smaller, and then he had a nighttime bag, which was, of course, bigger, I guess, to last through the night. See, I didn't know today's show was going to be bag talk.

Welcome to bag talk. Well, if you want to hear more about Mike Richards' battle with cancer, and I'm glad you were very explicit. I think guys need to hear this stuff. I think they do, because if you believe that somehow you're superhuman and that this would never happen to you, you're going to end up like me. So the bag, or the pouch, as they like to call it in the industry, they're like, do you have to call it bag? Well, what is it? It's a pouch. Pouch is a better name, actually. It's a pouch.

So, it's I'm hoping at some point that I'll get a reversal, which means they go in, connect the pipes again, and this goes. Because the front of where this thing sticks on, and it really is something that sticks on, that's how that works, has herniated. So, it's like having a

mini football in the front of my waistline. And I gotta tell tell you, the chicks, they love that too. They really do. It works for you, buddy. I'm just glad you're cancer free. To me, and again, you're the one dealing with all this, but you're cancer free. That's like the headline. And then you can have a subline of, oh, and he's got a pouch he's going to wear.

Well, you have to, because if you start getting pissy about the aesthetics of the bag, they're like, you know, I wish my wife would have had that opportunity or my son or my, you know, it just... Because you're living a full life. I mean, well, we're going to talk later, but you're kicking some ass. So let me just tell the people listening now,

if they want to go back and hear you talk about your cancer, that's episode 150... I'm going blind, my friend. I think it was 156. And I'm going to read the description of that episode, which is Mike chats with TSN radio 1050. Oh, this is a long time ago. Morning show host Mike Richards about his years on the fan 590. The team. Oh, my friend. Every time I have a team person on, we go into that and it's crazy. We had Romanuk on here and Bronson, a whole bunch of people. Anyway, Calgary's fan, 960, and why he chose 1050 over 590. We also discussed TSA ratings. Can we go back in time and I can redo that? Because I really wish that I could. I want the hot tub time machine. And before J.P. Barry said, you know what?

I think it's a good idea to go 1050. I wish I could go, okay, let's go back. Let's go back. Well, we talked about going against Dean Blundell, and then we talked about your battle with rectal cancer. So that's 156, but then you came back for 219, and we chatted in episode 219, Mike chats with sports broadcaster Mike Richards

about what happened at TSN Radio 1050 and what exactly raw Mike Richards will be. So that's where we left it. Interesting. And we're going to get like, this is like a trilogy. Like we're going to get like a new update shortly. So do you mind,

I'm going to thank a couple of partners and then I'm going to do a fun little bit with you and then I'm going to ask you some questions about the industry and then we're going to get the big announcement. This is a great buildup. All the people are going, oh, come on. See, your fans are doing that. Here's what's going on now. This is a great build-up. All the people are going, oh, come on.

See, your fans are doing that. Here's what's going on now. There's two groups listening right now. The Toronto Mike listeners, who are, they're fine to wait because they listen to the show. And then the Mike Richards guys

who are just dropping in for this one episode to get this announcement and are right now swearing at me. I think they are, and they're good at it. Really good. From what I've seen,

Richards people, awesome in profanity. Well, let me tell you, the Richards people, you can get $10 right now, and they're good at it. Really good. From what I've seen, Richard's people, awesome in profanity. Well, let me tell you, the Richard's people, you can get $10 right now, and here's how. So you can get you back on my good side here. I'll get back on your good side. So Paytm, Paytm Canada is a proud sponsor of Toronto Mike. And if you download their amazing app, you can pay all your bills in one spot with their app. You download it at paytm.ca. And when you make that first bill payment,

you use the promo code Toronto Mike, all one word. And right away, you get $10 in Paytm cash. Like I've done this. I get my brothers to do it. I got my wife to do it because it's $10. And you can use that towards like a reward, like buying a gift card for McDonald's or whatever. Or you could apply that $10 to another bill.

So that's 10 bucks just sitting there for using the promo code Toronto Mike. So everyone should do that. And also I want to thank Census Design and Build. They provide architectural design, interior design, and turnkey construction services across the GTA. So to learn more about the possibilities for your home, call them at 416-931-1422 or go to censusdesignbuild.ca today to schedule your zoning and cost project feasibility study. Love the guys at Census Design.

Yeah, also too, I love the phrase turnkey. I can't stop. I think it's a very good phrase. Like even, for instance, later on this afternoon when I go to the House of Lancaster, I'm going to say to whatever girl comes up, hey, Mercedes, you seem nice, but are you turnkey? When I go into the VIP lounge, is it turnkey? And I think we all know what I'm talking about here.

They closed our local House of Lancaster. No. We had one at Queensway. Yes. It's gone, man. I think. Spiros, did he? Sold to some, I don't know, probably condo developers, I would guess, but it's shuttered, man.

It's gone. Well, that's terrible news for me. Awful news for me. So we're going to do an all-killer, no-filler hour here, but we would have done longer if you arrived at the scheduled 8 a.m. time. So was it traffic? Streetcars. So you, on Lakeshore. Streetcars are evil.

They're terrible. No one should use them. The street car drivers are sociopaths who take pleasure in ruining everyone's start of their day. The fact that John Tory wanted to have that for street cars only, that's like saying, okay, so we're going to have a park for people who like Hitler only. Let's have a Hitler park. That's what you did. You know it.

Street cars are evil. They're disgusting, and they have ruined our lives. What about the ones where they have that island where the people, so they don't- Even worse. Oh. Those are better, because then the cars can- That's like the island of Dr. Moreau. Have you seen the people who get on those things?

No, it's like wrong turn. No, we should, they should be a limit. Subways. Anyone who wants public transit, because I'm not a fan, but maybe it should all be subways so we don't have to see anybody ever. My understanding is the subways are rather expensive.

Oh, they are. I say pay it. We need a triple land transfer tax, is what you're saying. Go to Bell Media and say, you really want to help people instead of all the horrible things you do? Just make subway's Bell. Do that. Of course, they charge a lot of money and then they fire everybody,

so it'd be no good. But I'm just throwing these ideas out there. Just throwing it out. So at like 10 minutes to 8 this morning, I'm like, oh, Mike Richards is coming over. And I got like this feeling. I got a feeling. It moved, okay?

I was thinking, I love, I was thinking, I've had like 400 episodes. Mike Richards is one of my all-time favorite guests. I think it's because you're a straight shooter. You're a, you called yourself a good time Charlie. Oh, it's, yes. Fits you to a T. Totally, yeah, absolutely.

But Brian Gerstein, he tweeted this, and I said, Brian astutely nails this. He's at propertyinthesix.com. He said, there are no, with you, he's referring to you, there are no sacred cows and you're an open book. And I was thinking, yeah, there's no sacred cows in your world. Like, you'll slay whatever needs to be slayed and tell it like it is. And that's refreshing.

I think that in choosing the name Raw Mike Richards, that's one of the reasons I did it. So people said, okay, so it's going to be raw, so you're going to go on the internet, or you're going to have a webcast, and you're going to be dropping F-bombs. The reality is that after dropping F-bombs, maybe on your first sprinkle of shows, it just, it just, I'm not enamored by the fact that I can just go on the air and, and, and swear. So I kind of stopped, but the raw part comes from exactly what Brian is talking about. I think people just want a little bit of honesty just as i said someone that you're sitting down at a bar or a pub or at

someone's house and you're just saying it as honestly as you can so that's that's what i think that's what the raw part means do you ever are you ever concerned about uh well a lot of people come on this show and they'll be a little careful when they talk about their experience at their former employers because you know what they're careful when they talk about their experience at their former employer or stuff because you know what they're thinking? They're thinking about their next gig and they're worried about burning a bridge and then they're like,

well, if Bell Media blackballs you and then Rogers blackballs you, you're not going to get a kick at the CBC right now. They're in cost-cutting mode. What's that? Everybody is in cost-cutting mode. I would say that, I mean, I have no intentions of ever working for Bell ever again on any level.

I'm mad that I have Bell as my internet provider. Like, I turn around, I see the logo, I'm like, Jesus Christ! You can stitch that. I get mad. But for Rogers, for instance, I have a great relationship with, and I see no reason why that would not continue.

They've done nothing to me, and I've certainly worked my ass off for them, and it was reciprocal. I think that you do have to, at some point, choose, how do I put it? I just want to be on the right side of history. And I would say that with TSN 1050 and Bell, that's the one that I'm embarrassed about.

I'm the most embarrassed about having chosen, knowing that historically it was the worst move that I could have made. Now, I didn't, in all fairness. But you were well compensated, right? Well, yeah, you get it. I mean, in this day and age, yeah, they pay out the rest of your salary or whatever,

but the fact remains the kind of money, which was outstanding money, the best money I've ever made. Right. They decided that they would rather not pay that, have a station that collectively has an overall rating of probably 0.9, except for overdrive.

It's the only thing they've done right. It's the only good thing about it. And tank an entire station and ruin people's lives and careers. I don't get that part. You're answering a question. In fact, I would ask this question, but I'm just going to press play here and let Milan

ask you this question. So let's hear from him. Hey Toronto Mike. It's Milan from Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair. Hello Mike Richards, big fan of yours dating back to the fan 590 days and the Victor Newman impressions.

I wanted to know in your opinion, after all of these years, what is the one major reason TSN radio has failed to make any sort of ratings impact on the fan? And what would you do if you were in charge of TSN radio for one year to make a Toronto's premier choice for sports radio? Thanks again, Toronto, Mike. I mean, Len, it's a, it's a great question. Number one, I think when you get into sports radio, you have to realize it is labor intensive. So there are lots of people that need, or that the station actually needs to work. Once you do that, you have to really understand, because it's a little bit of a hybrid.

So it's not just radio and it's not just sports. So sometimes they fall into a bad category of being one or the other. Most of the time, it's just, well, we know a lot about sports. Yeah, you're a nerd. We get that. We can hear that. We can see that. And what they really needed to do and what, and Milan's asking me.

So for me in that format, I really need to understand. And again, about the honesty part of it, that the, that the people that are on the air are likable, number one, and that you leave them alone, that they're allowed to develop. Even Nelson Millman will tell you that it takes five years just to get one show together. Five years for a morning show. And I don't disagree with Nelson on that at all. Like it takes five years just to go, okay, now we have the team. Those that have the biggest numbers in radio in almost any other city have longevity. So if we look in this market, I'm looking at Roger and Marilyn.

I'm looking at the great John Derringer, and I'm looking at Bob McCowan. These are the kinds of names that have lasted because they have left them alone because people have understood they know what they're doing doing and they're all very good at it. Bob's great at it. John Derringer is maybe one of the best at it. Roger and Marilyn, that team, what they have captured, whether you're in their demo or not, you have to recognize excellence and it's what they have. It's why Wally Crowder, when he was on the air for 900 years, it didn't matter if he made mistakes, stumbled, whatever.

People got up in the morning and he was their guy. That was the routine. And, and, and instinctually, you know, that was just something that people were drawn to because everyone liked Wally. Everybody, like who doesn't like John Derringer?

Who doesn't like JD? I mean, they talk about John like they know John. Sure. That's, that is what having someone in management who understands. So for me, and okay, so, so if, if, if all of a sudden there's a sports station TSN and I, it's

blue sky, so I can do anything I want. So immediately, uh, I'm just looking at some of the, the major shifts and personalities. So I want myself and Dave to do mornings. The overdrive, overdrive guys can pick where they want to be. Uh, Sid and Tim, get on that station somewhere. Get them on there because I like that.

So poach them from Rogers. Yeah. So like I said, you have to kind of, you know. No, it's blue sky. This is what I want you to do. If you're, as we say, king for a day or whatever. Those are the kinds of personalities that I like. Because no one poaches.

Have you noticed that? Well, it gets a little tricky now with human resources. Like HR has become a major part of anyone's business in radio it's the same thing and you can be real careful but i would have those kinds of people because they're they're honest people and i also like you know want to see that it is it's a show that also appeals to under 35 year olds which right now right now in this city none of them do. None of them do. Because right now,

at 10.50, it's Landsberg. Does he have a co-host over there? Do you know? Carlo Colovacchio, yes. Oh, right. That's right. So they should put a sign on TSN 10.50 that says, we don't care anymore. We know that you know that we don't know what we're doing. Next

week, it will be Chris Christopherson. I'd listen to that. And Himmler. I don't know why I'm doing Nazi stuff today. It's because I watched a weird show yesterday. Oh, it's in your head. I saw how the Mossad tracked down Eichmann. It's called Operation Final.

Really good. But anyway, so yeah, I think essentially it's to understand your audience, which they did not at TSN 1050. After four and a half years, that's all I got. They'd switch Dave in and out twice because Claude Faye came in.

Matthew Cause came in. I finally got everyone back, put the band back together, and that's when we had our biggest number. Now, I know when I come on the show, it's just so weird. When I mention what these ratings are, these numbers are, there's a couple of people out there, and I don't necessarily go through and read all this stuff, but if Richard's Army, as they call themselves,

go through and see it, they want to send it to me. They want to, look what this guy said. Look what he's saying about you. And people have to understand, when it comes to ratings, it's not like uh golfing with a guy who cheats so when you get back and he goes what'd you shoot uh i'm 80 81 okay what am i gonna say i've seen him go on the water he was swimming in the water most of the day in the sand he broke some clubs he shot an 81 you just leave it alone right you can't do that i can't come on because

publicly you can see these, you can see the numbers. So people said, there's no way you had to. So what I did today and what I'll do when this podcast goes up. Right. I brought that particular time. So the time I'm talking about is 2014, the three

years just when TSN lost hockey and they threw us all under the bus. That number that I talked about, they don't believe it. So I've got the actual numerous numbers. It's both the fan and TSN 1050 at that time. And you know what is really frightening? It's not, I mean, my numbers,

but I had an expectation that I was going to do well. So you had Macko and Coz and Bob, unfortunately, you know, had to take that leave. And so never really came back. But at that point, their number now, which was probably the smallest, was always the smallest number. Sorry, Matthew. You know.

Don't lie. It was the smallest number. It would be probably their biggest number on the station right now. It'd probably be. I think it was over a two at some point, 25, 54. I think it was. Or at least a one eight. Okay.

But I need to ask you about, to clarify something. Because in ratings, radio ratings land, it's all about like the demo right because you're not talking adults 12 plus you know because that's so tell us the specific demo that you're referring to so when i talk about those numbers those numbers are 25 54 males okay and that's where the industry uh lives so but i just i just uh i understand because i'm a little slower than you i'm just it's very early Are you suggesting that you had Bigger numbers than the 590 morning show?

Okay, so no, no I never had bigger numbers than the fan In fact, the number That I have that you can show people today Was when it was Brady and Walker It was Brady and Walker And see, I don't even know why they broke that up.

That to me, I never understood. Well, it's a Blundell thing. Somebody must have wanted that 14 share that Blundell once got at the 102.1. Well, see, I think they thought, and because I, look, Scott Moore and I have gone back many, many times. I'm still amazed that we haven't actually worked together.

And I thought, honestly, that that was what was going to happen. But once again, Scott has left the company that I thought I would go to. So, you know what? But, you know, look, he likes to build. He doesn't like to take down. And guess what's going to happen? You cannot spend that kind of money like they did on hockey and think that everyone's just going to go home in their BMWs.

Ain't going to happen. There's going to be another bloodletting. And it gets tougher and tougher to actually get a gig, certainly in that part of the industry, in that genre, because I got to be honest, there'll be less and less jobs. Less and less jobs. By the way, do you know where Scott Moore is going? No, he never tells me. I know he went to Amsterdam or something like that. No, like Australia. Was the way, do you know where Scott Moore is going? No, he never tells me. I know he went to Amsterdam or something

like that. No, like Australia. Was it Australia? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, usually someplace good. He's coming, by the way. On December 7th, he'll be sitting

in your seat right there. Well, I should come on that show too. That's a cool house. I got five. You know, I got five. I don't know what I'm going to do. I look around my table here.

I got, I just, Shorali, who's a producer at Hockey Night in Canada. Okay. He's on that bill. Ashley Docking, who's a up and coming, who's a producer at Hockey Night in Canada. Okay. He's on that bill. Ashley Docking, who's a up-and-coming, she's on the fan right now at some time slot. But Sofia Yurstukovic is also on that bill. So if you include me, that's five people.

I only have three right now. I'm getting a fourth mic. Actually, you said Blue Skies earlier, right? Yeah, Blue Skies. Blue Skies Agency in Liberty Village is actually buying the show a fourth microphone. This is happening. Isn't that amazing? This is what you come to expect in New Toronto.

Well, Liberty Village is buying it for New Toronto, which is wonderful. So I'm going to name that microphone the Blue Skies Agency microphone. That's amazing. But all this is to say, I only know how to put four microphones into this mixer I'm pointing to,

and I'm going to have five voices. This is another story. But we're talking about Scott Moore. So he is coming here December 7th. My belief, and he hasn't confirmed this, my belief is he's going to end up working for the Seattle NHL team. That's interesting. And would be a good gig and I think a good hire, to be honest, I think. I think it's happening.

And I saw a twinkle in his eye. He was on the show recently, and I told him that's what I think is happening. And his eye had a little sparkle. So that's what I'm going by here. Because he likes, as I said, he sees himself as someone that likes to build rather than take down. And you know who's there right now? Some guy named Tim Lewicki. You ever heard of this guy, apparently?

So I think it's all lining up to happen. Well, at least it's a franchise where we can't take down pictures of teams past because they didn't have one. Were you doing the whole weekday lineup? You said you're going to be the morning show with Dave. Dave Bastille? Do I say that correctly? That is correct.

I was going to say Bastille, like we're in France or something. Someone said that a producer at Chum said you should pronounce it, you should pronounce it best. He goes, what the fuck are you talking about? It's my name. It's my name.

And you should be Mike Richard. Well, you know what? Depending on where I go, sometimes it is. Sometimes it is. That's funny. So you would have, you're the morning show, obviously, and then you like this overdrive show,

so you're going to keep it. Oh, I like all three guys. And it sounds like you're going to do the one to, whatever it is, the one to four or whatever, that's going to be Tim and Sid because you're going to keep it. Oh, I like all three guys. And it sounds like you're going to do the one to, whatever it is, the one to four or whatever, that's going to be Tim and Sid because you're going to poach them.

So you need something between your show and Tim and Sid. But see, what I would do is, because the Overdrive numbers when they did Leaf Lunch in the middle of the day

were great. They had the biggest numbers they've ever had. The reality is, when Dave Naylor was doing the afternoon drive, as much as people kept comparing him to Bob,

but you're comparing yourself to McDonald's. Why are you looking at that number if you're a new restaurant? Just concentrate on what you do. His show was good. His numbers too. His show would have had right now for sure. In fact, I'd have to go back and take a look

because they're hiding them now. It's hard for me to get the numbers not being on the inside. Well, imagine how hard it is for me. Well, well, I would,

I would. But you're going to give me some, so is that right? You're going to share some kind of a proof that, of your ratings in that demographic before 1050. Yeah,

so basically what you'll look at, I think it actually goes up to 2015, but that's right when I got cancer and was sort of taken off the air and that's kind of where everything loses. But yeah, you can see, not only can you see

every shift on the station, but you can see every shift from the fan by comparison. That's what Numeris provided us. And then you give it to me and I'll post it

on the permalink for this episode. What is this? 395, right? 395. I will include that in there. So the two numbers. You get it to me

and I'll put it in there. The 2554 and then for me it's always about trying to get those under the age of 35. So the bottom part of the demo is 2534. I show those numbers. And that's where I had my biggest. That's where I had the rounded off number I had that month. Sorry, the last

day of that book, which is May. So it ends in May. That was the number that was a 20. But when you rounded it off, it was an 18. And someone said, there's no way he had that. Well, they're not understanding. And, you know, not being mean, but if you're not in the industry and can't really see the

numbers or understand what they are, then sometimes you're talking out of your ass because you really don't get that industry, the jargon, if you want to put it that way. Do you think that you would have been let go at 1050 had you not got sick with cancer? Like if you never got cancer, this is impossible to answer. No, no, that's a good question.

That's a good question because I think one way or the other, they wanted just to get rid of that salary. I mean, before I got back, they got rid of Ankh, our producer. They were really hard on him, and he was a great guy. He got the prime minister. He got us the prime minister, and hard on him, and he was a great guy. He got the prime minister. He got us the prime minister, and they told him he didn't do a good job. He was gone. They put in Sean Levine, and Sean will tell you, he never got me a guest.

Not one. They usually came from a guy named Aaron Bronstein. Oh, I know Aaron. Yeah, he came and kicked out the jams here. He's a fantastic guy. And so anyone that was coming on TSN television, he skirted them into our studio. Yeah, he was an interesting guy.

I liked him quite a bit. And I really appreciated what he did for me at that time. So that was important. And then, of course, Dave gets let go. And then it was just down to me. And then they pushed me. So Landsberg must make a pretty penny because he's been there 100 years too, right?

No, I don't. Look, we all know what we do for a living. For what Michael's doing now, that's not what he does. I'd say it to his face. It's like Dave Naylor coming down to do a morning show. Are you mental? Why would you do that to Dave? Dave Naylor is probably one of the best, if not the best, football reporter on either side of the border.

He's an interesting guy. He's a cool guy. He's a soup. I just saw his parents at my, I was with his parents on a weekend. I mean, this, this guy has a lot to offer and you put them. It's six in the morning to nine. And now what is he going to do? Like you don't make the linebacker necessarily the quarterback.

You don't make your, your corner, don't make your corner an offensive lineman. That's what they did. They took people and put them in the wrong places. But remember, remember the caveat to that? They don't fucking care. They don't care. Remind me again, is this some kind of like the producers where they need a tax write-off?

Like what is the... Well, see, people ask me that. I said, I don't know what the end game is. So if you're a professional franchise, So if you're a professional franchise, so if you're a professional franchise, you tank, which they obviously have done a very good job of,

but you tank to get what's coming next. Yeah, there's a reason because you want to get a good draft pick. There's a generational player. There's a Connor McDavid. There's a whoever you think

that player is. None of this makes sense. It doesn't make sense to me as a guy who's never been in the industry. It doesn't make sense. Why would TSN, Bell Media, massive conglomerate, why

would they want to tank the ratings of their sports radio station in the biggest city in the country? So they have, I think Colin Coward or Dan Patrick. No, Dan Patrick I think. So recorded. So free. The middle of the day, they put on their broadcast. Was it Leaf Lunch? Oh God's lunch oh it i don't you don't need uh guantanamo bay for for the terrorists to break

you just have to make them listen or watch to leaf's lunch for about 15 minutes and they'll they will tell you everything you need to know. Dave Poulin? Okay, here's the one thing about working that weird one to four. I got to know some people better, and I got to get really close to those that maybe I didn't know and really did. Dave Poulin's one of those guys that that was one of the great things that came out of it because he's a smart, articulate, really interesting dude. I just have just a world of time for Dave Poulin. Craig Button, who I've known for years,

is always one of my favorites. But Gino Retta, we used to do this thing every day at three o'clock. Right. And we'd play the Somerset Lake and Palmer thing and we would just talk. We got to know so much about Gino Retta, including being born in London.

Born in London, comes over here and he starts talking about how bullied he was. The prejudice at the time of being Italian, wearing the quote unquote Guido boots as a kid. Right. He starts telling these

really heartfelt stories and of course, then it became, you know, I don't know the version in Italian of Spanglish, but we started, you know,

half Italian, half English and people loved it and I loved him, still do. And those are the things that I took away and that's the painful thing. People go, boy, you must be really angry. Like you come across like you're angry.. And I loved him, still do. And those are the things that I took away.

And that's the painful thing. People go, boy, you must be really angry. Like you, you come across like you're, no, I'm angry about what they did to me. And I'll never forget that. The word they'll use is bitter. That's the word they're going to use. Well, I'm certainly bitter about my choice going there.

I mean, I mean, as I said, I always want to be on the right side of history and it's hard for me to know that I can never change that. I was on the wrong side. But also don't confuse my feelings for TSN 1050, which has almost literally nothing to do with TSN. I mean, they left us, the moment they dumped hockey, we were the stepchild that they never wanted to have

and we were gone. What they do for television, what they do for hockey, when they haven't, what they do for CFL football, what they do with the world juniors, on and on. They are the top professionals, I believe, in this country at what they do for hockey when they haven't, what they do for CFL football, what they do with the world juniors on and on. They are the top professionals. I believe in this country, what they do and the on-air personalities, almost all of them to a man when I had cancer sent me emails that

when it was really hard for me, um, you know, James Duffy guys like sweetheart, Chris Schultz sent me the most moving ones and he sent them often. Cause I know it's in his family. I didn't know at the time. And he was just a beautiful guy doing that to me. And he held my spirits up high. Most of these people on air personalities are embarrassed.

They're not going to come in here and tell you that, but, but they, they, they knew when they had that one show where I'm doing the mornings overdrive. It wasn't overdrive. It was Leafs lunch, and you had Dave Naylor. That was, you know, I talked earlier in the show about leaving it alone. They just should have left it alone. You can do what you want with one to four and what comes after. There's slots where you're going to try to figure out something,

but your station doesn't rely on it. But what they did was just take a machete to the bank account. But the bank account also comes with people who have families, who have feelings, who have careers, and they killed it all. But again, Landsberg must be making some real money here. Well, he certainly made decent money, but I wouldn't be in my category what that was. But my thing is, even if it's a savings, let's just say that Landsberg and Friend is saving you $200,000.

But your ratings are zero. You're not making it up on the other end. So if you're a wash, I don't know how it's still going on. I don't get it. How many years did they give you at 10.50? Remind me. How many years of? How many years were you at 10.50 before they moved you to 1 o'clock?

So we were there four and a half years. Okay, but how many years in the morning? Four and a half. Sorry. No, four and a half. Okay. And then I did one year of one to four, and then they just bought me out

for the final part of that year. And it is your opinion that they should have given you more time, like you needed more time. And of course, there was an unfortunate health interruption here, but had they given you more time to kind of cultivate your audience?

I don't know if they would have or not. I can't say, oh no, if I... No, cancer gave them, and this is why I think it's particularly bad, an easy out. All of a sudden there's a health issue and... because I know, like I said, I did, I don't know if you saw it, but I

did a breakdown of what happened. Of course I saw it. It's my job to watch this. Okay, so that was a 20-minute breakdown. And again, people are like, those aren't the numbers. Yeah, okay. Okay, we'll just call up Numeris and ask them to bring them up, and they will tell you. You can't make the numbers up, folks.

You just can't. And it said, it wasn't just me that went down. Well, what is supposed to set up overdrive? Scott McArthur's a great guy, known for years, was a baseball guy. And really, that's probably fine, one to four, but you need to have a station that builds momentum. Sometimes it comes from the morning all the

way up. If it doesn't now, it's all of a sudden overdrive. It's the only thing that they have. And that, to me, because two of them, two of them are TSN TV guys. Leafs Lunch is just TSN TV personalities. Right, right, right.

So there really aren't any. So Brian, so Brian does an excellent job. He's kind of left on his own to an island. So you definitely can't be unfair to him. Look, he's a real talent and of course the Hayes

family, I'm obviously a huge fan. Well, you mentioned John Deere and you're already a couple of times. His brother Billy, I mean. Bill who's been on the show.

You know, these are talented, that is one talented family. Right. But I feel bad for Overdrive at times because I feel like, geez, sorry boys, I'd love to help you out

and I can't. Oh, for those who don't know, sometimes people are actually surprised to hear this, but Brian Hayes is John Derringer's nephew. Yeah. It's weird.

Yeah. It is weird. Because Derringer decided he wouldn't be a John Hayes, he would be a John Derringer, which has worked out fine. I think he's done okay. Derringer is just fine. Do you have an opinion of the current

Fan 590 morning show, which is Greg Brady, Hugh Burrell is in there, but it's Elliot Price, so those are the threesome, that's the trio. Do you have any thoughts on that one? Well, I listen to them sometimes. It's just so different than the show that I did. Actually, the interesting thing is

the one thing I always say, and I've said it before, and I've said it on the interesting thing is the one thing I always say, and I've said it before, and I've said it on this show, is that likability factor. When you listen to that entire station, all right, I'll turn it around on you. Maybe you've had some of these people on. All of those three have been on. But the whole station. I'm saying the whole station.

Okay, I've had a bunch of them on, but yeah, talk to me. Do you think people listen to the station and go, boy, I'd like to have a beer with these people, with that guy? Who are they? Maybe just Brunt. Okay. Well, and you're correct. Because Stephen Brunt, also one of my favorites.

See, look, it's just people's tastes. You're a Hamilton guy, right? You got Hamilton? No, well, my parents, my mom is, but I'm a huge Ticat fan. Huge. Well, because Brunt's a Hamilton. Oh, no, we know. Oh, yeah, we can commiser'm a huge Ticat fan. Huge. Because Brent's a Hamilton. Oh, no. Yeah, we know.

Oh, yeah. We can commiserate over the Ticats, who, unfortunately, are going to lose against the BC Lions. That's embarrassing. But, no. See, most of us in the industry, most of us, are friends. And if we don't know each other, there's probably a chance, and at least for me, I'd like to be social with everybody and you sort of get along. Greg Brady, I don't know.

I don't know, but you know what's really funny about that? Because I saw that he had like a Celtic thing on his Twitter or something like that. It's possible because, of course, Mr. Ireland, I tell people I was born in Cavan. I'm a liar, a liar. But in that area, I know his people probably from Cavan, and there's a part of it, Brady's and my real last name, the Irish last name, which I don't

use, probably are related. There you go. I think Greg and I are probably related, and he doesn't know. Greg's actually, you'd get along great with Greg. Greg's a great guy. And his wife was even on the show recently. His wife writes for the Globe and Mail.

Oh, is that right? Yeah, I didn't know that. Rachel Brady. You know, but Elliot, I know mutual people. Jeff Lumby, for instance. Well, Elliot Price, by the way, he's I know mutual people, Jeff Lumby, for instance. Well, Elliot Price, by the way, he's got an ex-post background,

so he's from Montreal. But he was, I mean, to be honest, maybe that's the reason they said yes to coming to my basement and fielding all my questions. But all of those guys are actually pretty nice people. And Hugh, I played golf with. He's a sweetheart, right?

Yeah, yeah. No one doesn't like Hugh Burrell. Yeah, but again, it's the nature of the show. That's why I thought when it was Brady and Walker or Mike Richards in the morning, so myself and Dave, two different tastes. So do you like beer or do you like rye? I mean, they weren't the same at all,

but they were both, as in that case, alcohol. It was a choice for the city. It was a choice for the style that you like so if you like more locker room so that's why overdrive yeah fits in and and uh sit and tim and those kinds of guys sit in with you know sort of what we do and then you had the other side which was more the x's and o's and they want to argue about you know some guy on the fourth line or whatever i don't that's not my i i can't think that i want to drive in from curtis or from acton or from oakville and God, okay, what are they going to talk about?

You know, at some point, because the radio side of me says, you got to do a show. Do a show. Give us something fun and interesting and then all the other stuff. And that's why I thought the insiders. So you go to a guy like Pierre Maguire, who sometimes is very polarizing for people. But the most common thing I got about Pierre Maguire was, God, I can't stand him on NBC. I can't stand him. But I really like him on your show.

I get that for some personality. So the reason is when Pierre's on TV, they pump him up a certain way. They want American television wants Pierre Maguire to come across a certain way. Right. When Pierre Maguire is talking to me, whether it's on that show

or if I called him in an hour, then you're hearing Pierre Maguire, the multi-talented athlete, the guy who was for Letterman Sport. And of course, he's in between the benches, knows all the coaches, coached himself. I just don't think you can do better than him. We're going to come back to this in a moment,

but I want to play you a question from Brian Gerstein from propertyinthesix.com. So here is... It's not about Hedo Turk or Lewis. It might be. It might be. Ball, right? Ball.

Propertyinthesix.com. Hi, Mike. Brian Gerstein here, sales representative with PSR Brokerage and proud sponsor of Toronto Mic'd. You can call or text me at 416-873-0292 if you are planning to buy and or sell in the next six months. As Raptors devotee on Twitter and a huge fan from day one, I have had to endure way more lows than highs. Having said that, this current incarnation of the Raptors is capable of winning it all,

and I just came back from Vegas and backed it up with a bet on them to do just that at 10-1 odds. Mike, is this the year? Can we make the final, as Vic Rauter says, and win it, likely against Golden State? Mike, I have to ask you a second question, and this is a personal request. I was there in 2011 when you were our master of ceremonies for a Jewish softball league's 25th year banquet. You repeated again in 2016. So Mike, can we count on you to be our master of ceremonies for the third time for a 35th year banquet in three years time?

the third time for a 35th year banquet in three years time oh i would be honored to do that what a great i loved that night oh did i and that we oh we had some fun that was a of course brian i would be honored to uh to uh to do that um as far as the raptors question oh i think they they more than likely i think something would i mean look it's so early. What, they're 11-1? I mean, we barely got this in. 11-1. Think about that. So that's, and Kawhi's sort of, as he says, he doesn't really understand the offense yet. He does, you know, there's certain things he wants to do.

He wants to maybe give Kyle some time. I heard, you know, it's in the bench. Now there's Kyle MVP chatter because of this outstanding start to the season. Okay, so that stuff is I don't hear it. And if I do, I just, you know, sit down. Sit down. Can they go to the final? Absolutely. I mean, there's no... Look, if you're

looking for the year where it kind of opens up for you a little bit because you might have one of the... You might have the LeBron version in terms of best player in that conference in Leonard. So you've got that. You never had that before. I like DeMar DeRozan.

These are two different universes. I never felt that anyone was afraid of DeMar DeRozan in a playoff game, that he was going to take it over and drop 57 on you. I never got that feeling. Kawhi's that guy. So that, you know, it's like any other sport. When a phenomenal positional player comes over, the guy who was previously the best guy, now he's got some room.

Now he's got a little bit. I think that this is a team that will go to the final, but, you know, in beating Golden State, a healthy Golden State, that would be a big push. I think they go to the final, but in beating Golden State, a healthy Golden State, that would be a big push. I think they go to the finals, but I don't think they win it. The city would be ecstatic if we lost in the finals.

I think just going to the final, I hate to say it because sometimes it's like what they used to say in the Olympics about our athletes. Our athletes used to say, I'm going for the jacket. I just want to get the jacket. But I think that to get to a final, because to me, very often, I don't mind seeing teams go to their pinnacle and lose and then come back.

I mean, it reminds me of, you know, and here's the scenario, TFC. So they shouldn't have lost that championship game. I mean, you know, goes to penalty kicks. But then the next year, they were, they might have been one of the best teams I think the league's ever seen.

Yeah, and everyone always, in fact, this is going to tie in nicely to this next segment I call Remember the Time. But the Edmonton Oilers, they had to lose that first year, right?

They got to the finals. They lost to the Islanders, I guess, and Gretzky and Messi and all these young kids kind of, Curry was there, called Coffee.

They had to lose before they could win. Even Crosby had to lose that final before he could win. It's very common. And if you got to the finals, we'd all be very happy. Yeah, I don't think it's... I'll put it this way. I don't think it's uncommon. I mean, sure, are there teams that all of a sudden,

like the freaks from Vegas last year going all the way to the final? I mean, anyone who told you that they saw that coming is lying. I mean, it was remarkable on what they did. Now, sort of, and here's a little tease, the way in which they did it and the way that they perceived themselves is sort of the way that in my next job that I am telling them, right now, look in the mirror

because you are the Vegas Knights. Time has come today. Time has come today. Time. Mike Richards, remember the time. On this day in 1991, Paul Coffey set the NHL defenseman scoring mark with his 311th goal.

He all is. Aren't you proud of yourself with that little nugget? I got a few more just to tell you since I'm talking about Paul Coffey. He also had the season record. He has the season record. So he had 48 goals in 85-86. And what's funny, in that

season, Paul Coffey racked up 138 points and didn't come close to the team lead because some guy on that Edmonton Oilers team had 215 points that season. So I'm glad we got to work in more Edmonton Oilers. I loved

those 80s Oilers teams, man. They were fun. Well, to me, even still, so if you watch ESPN Classic or where you happen to catch, if you go to YouTube and watch all the clips, you just see how different. Not only was the hockey, the mechanics were different, the equipment was different, but the one thing that is the constant, the one thing that always amazes me,

Paul Coffey skating. That ability to look like he's not even trying. It's like the Ernie Els drive. He's not even trying. How does that you know, we get out there, especially Dave Bastel. I've never seen a faster drive. It's like a hummingbird. He jumps out of his shoes. It's like Charlie Brown

you know, when he used to try to kick the football and Lucy would pull it away. That's every drive of his. Ernie Els looks like he's just letting the club head drop, and it goes 325 yards. Well, Paul Coffey, how he got that speed up, that ability to pull away, just beautiful skating, and it looked so easy. It's a thing of beauty.

That was only two empty net goals away from 50 for a defenseman, which is nuts, of course, or had the old record of 46, a mere 46 goals in a season. But I want to tell everybody that Remember the Time is brought to you by Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair. They've been doing quality watch and jewelry repairs for over 30

years. Mike, you might remember the watch repair place inside Sears when you went to a Sears. Oh, yeah, sure. Totally. That's them. Oh, cool. All right. Sears wouldn't let them call themselves by their name, Fast Time. They made them call themselves Sears Watch Repair or something. But then Sears, of course,

left the country, and now Fast Time, with over 30 years experience, is sort of like a phoenix. It's rising from the ashes. That was Milan, right, who asked that question? Milan. Milan, right, right. Yes, I know.

Milan, that's a city in Italy, which later you're going to get a gift that reminds us of Italy. But Milan did ask the question, and he's the gentleman behind Fast Time. And I want to tell everybody that this is kind of awesome because they never do this, but if you want 15% off any regular priced watch battery installation, just mention Toronto Mike

when you go to a Fast Time location. And if you want to know where is my nearest Fast Time location, go to FastTimeWatchRepair.com. Find out what location is closest to you. They just opened a new one in Richmond Hill. Do you think now is the time? Like, do you think we've made the Richards Army wait long enough? Yeah, probably. Okay, so I don't have a drum roll because that's kind of cheesy,

but I am now going to learn for the first time what's next for Mike Richards. Well, as many might know, for the last 18 months, have done Raw Mike Richards on Well, as many might know, for the last 18 months, have done Raw Mike Richards on 234 King Street out of the Pacific Junction Hotel. It was a one-hour webcast.

It was more or less, I mean, obviously consumed as a podcast, but I always told people, watch the show. And the most we ever got up to probably was about, we averaged towards the end about 10,000 views a week.

So 40,000, and now that's just views. That's just YouTube. That's not the podcast numbers. But that's a big number. I thought it was decent, but boy, when you told me, I had all these ideas. Oh, Mike, you won't believe what I'm going to do. I'm going to have this big studio,

and I'm going to have all these sponsors, and helicopters will be dropping like Taylor Swift in. And you're going to be rolling. None of that happened. Oh yeah, Drake was going to drop by. Yeah, Drake. Did Drake drop by? No, but I've been by the Drake.

I've seen the location. You had brunch there. Yeah, I mean, it is hard. Talking to Howard Glassman about it. And Humble and I are talking. He goes, holy shit, now you see what the universe is. He goes, it's hard. Has Drake done their show yet?

Yeah, well, Drake, okay, we'll get to that. I should tell people, though, Drake is on Toronto Mike next week, so stay tuned. Oh, is he? No, the guy who works at the Drake, I'm sorry, one of the waiters. What, he worked for Bell? Lobby outliers. So that was real hard,

and so in the meantime, in talking with guys like Scott Moore, I just thought, well, I want to insinuate myself back into a company that I have at least a resume with, and they understand what the reputation, and they know what I want to do. So I thought for sure it was going to be Roger Sportsnet. I was convinced.

And so therefore, I was sending out portions, like about a half hour, 15, depending on it. So Calgary, the fan 960 has been playing raw Mike Richards on the air. So if the Calgarians are listening, uh, I certainly give it a shot. So that was like six months of this, but unfortunately it just isn't moving. When Scott stepped down, I have no idea who's coming in. Uh, you know, Rick brace is still going to be there. But the reality is, after being out of mainstream radio for almost two years,

and the morning show, the morning slot for three, which is just shocking, I had to make a decision and a choice. I'm excited. Can I just tell you? This is amazing. I'm on pins and needles here

for what's coming next. Well, here's the weird part. As I'm dealing with uh rogers and calgary mike bullard who i don't know starts to give me these private messages the direct messages on twitter and said hey buddy you know you got a you know there's something coming that you might be interested in now i don't know what he's talking about and and here's the other thing too mike Bullard and I would know each other to walk by in the street and say hi, but I don't know him at all. And I hadn't known him at all.

So eventually, I get this call from this... He's turned out to be a blind man. He's blind. I don't know if that's a thing. And he starts to say, I have a radio license, and this family has owned it for eight years.

And now Elliot Kerr, the owner of the OHL, Mississauga Steelhead, says, you know what? I'd do anything to get you here. So upon going back and forth, officially I can say that Raw Mike Richards, in keeping that name and with David Bastl are the new morning show in probably around the 21st of November on News Talk Saga 960. There we go. Radio, radio return. So this is 960, is that the frequency?

Yes. And you'll be live, what is it, like 7 to 9? 6 to 9. 6 to 9. So all those commuting in. The signal itself is weak because it's relatively small. But on the west side of the city, for instance where you are here, it just booms in. When the weather is right, you can get it all the way up in Acton or up in Uxbridge.

You can get it in Bowmanville. But this is for the commuters. This is for me to be back in your car. So I agreed to it, and after talking, because I turned them down about two or three times beforehand because it just sounded too WKRP-ish.

It just sounded nuts. And then I talked to Mike Bullard. Here's another interesting thing. Please. Getting to know Mike a little bit, so I talked to him on the phone And he says to me And remember we really don't know each other that well

He said Mike I really got to take this Because the industry and most people won't hire me Because of what happened with Cynthia Mulligan And I said well Mike The one thing you have to know about me is I don't like gossip in other people's lives So I would not be watching E Or reading about someone's

tumultuous, you know, sort of relationship. He said, have you ever been in a crazy relationship? I said, I specialize in that. That's my forte. And he said, look, it was just one of those things, and look, I'm telling you here today, I don't know the details one way or the other, and so I'm not making judgments.

No, so it's not your job to apologize for Bullard. You're Mike Richards. Or for Cynthia. Like, whatever side, I'm sure, as we all know in our relationships, there's a lot of things that happen and some of it we're not proud of.

But the one thing he told me back then, he said, the one thing that really hurt was them saying that I used to park in front of her house. And he said, I'm telling you, I never did that. I never did that. But here's, people say, okay, sure, you can bring Boulder, whatever.

The Toronto Star, this past week, put in a retraction saying, oh, and by the way, the thing that has ruined that man's life, the thing that has made people not hire him, it wasn't true, and we printed it. I retweeted that correction notice, or whatever the star calls it with the phrase, because it's so true, that the correction will never travel as fast or as far as the original story. And I would guess about 10% of the people who read the initial stalking story in the star,

about 10% of those people, and I might be being generous with that, will be aware of the correction issued by the Toronto Star. So no, neither of us are apologizing or speaking on behalf of Bullard, but the fact is, the Star did publish this last week, and they do admit that they printed

falsehoods in the original story that made Bullard look worse. It ruined a man's life. It made him the next, or the pre-Bill Cosby or the Harvey Weinstein of the world. And I just think that... Well, let's be blunt here. It made Bullard appear like a creepy stalker. Yes. Yeah. And that's how

he's been portrayed. And so I feel, you know, I just think it's bullshit. I think if you're going to go after someone because you think that they have been a certain way in a relationship that you don't approve of, I certainly get the world on that. Look, basically we all have moms. Some have sisters. We have daughters. We wouldn't want to see way in a relationship that you don't approve of. I certainly get the world on that. We look, basically we all have moms.

Some have sisters. We have daughters. We wouldn't want to see anyone in a, in a, in a situation that would be that damaging and that hurtful. But on the other hand, if that thing, that one thing didn't happen again, I mean, so what if it was a crazy relationship? We've all had them. No one has come to his right.

There, there is no round table on News Talk 1010. There is no... And now let's talk about Mike Bullard. The last station they're going to have that discussion on will be News Talk 1010. Oh, yeah. So only Mike's can work at this Mississippi station. Apparently that's the thing.

So Bullard is the afternoon guy. Yes, that's correct. But most important for us right now is that we're announcing to the world that Mike Richards and David Bastl will be the morning show on 960. News Talk 960?

Yeah, so it's still Saga because that's the name of the mascot for Elliot Kerr's team. I still don't understand that. You're a steelhead, so it's got to be Steely. Right? Steely. He goes, no, hey, my name's Saga. No, it's not. It should be steely. Shut up. But this is 2018, right?

So I would say more exciting, this is exciting because people, especially in the west end of the city, can turn a dial in their car and get you live, which is, we haven't had that since you were on 1050. That's correct. That's fantastic. That's correct. But also, I'm certain that this station will stream live online. Yes,

they do. They will. And most of us have this thing called data, or data if you prefer, on your smartphone. So even if you're east of Yonge, let's say even if you're in Oshawa, you will be able to listen live to Mike Richards via the internet. Also, there's a massive call that we got out of California and Chicago

that happened in the last 48 hours. And it is a platform that I officially can't announce, unfortunately, today. But in a week, you're going to know. And it will make it even easier for it. It will change my life. Put it that way. It's huge. Am I allowed to guess or would you rather I didn't guess?

No, don't guess. Okay, I won't guess. I'll guess as soon as I press stop. We'll all get in trouble. Oh, by the way, Anthony Petrucci. Okay, well, okay, well, yes, okay, well, let me bring down. I was going to play a little tiny bit in the background, a little return

of the Mac because this is, that's you. You're returning to the radio. So, am I to understand that Mike Boone is a yo-yo-yo hip-hop person? I have a Public Enemy t-shirt on the wall. I am a rock. My favorite band is the hip.

My second favorite band is Pearl Jam. I love rock. Always have. I love certain, lots of hip-hop I love too. Well, the reason, I mean, you know, you look at Public Enemy because they kind of are the rock stars of that time. They're my favorite by far. Beast you look at Public Enemy because they kind of are the rock stars of that time. They're my favorite by far. Beastie Boys, Public Enemy.

But I mean, I was always down with like Big Daddy Kane or Eric B. Rakim. I got lots of hip hop I've enjoyed through my life. So I wouldn't say I'm a hip hop head, but I definitely listen to a lot of rap. So you say Big Daddy Kane and I think Christmas. I know it doesn't relate. I'm just telling you, I don't know. Well, here, let me give you some gifts. You've made the announcement. I want to

give you some gifts because I think you've earned it. And thank you, by the way, thank you for making the announcement on this show. It meant a lot to me that you wanted to do that. This was your initiative. May I ask why you chose Toronto Mike to make the big announcement? Oh, that's easy. And I think people who listen

to this regularly will echo these sentiments. In our industry, there was a time where radio personalities were like gods. They were a rock star of that medium. They represented anything that was kind of cool and they were called DJs. You're a DJ. But then the whole video killed the radio star kind of did sort of have a

play into it, but it is a industry that becomes smaller every year. It is an industry where truly gifted and talented people become less and less or told, quote unquote, they're going to be retired or bought out. And therefore, those that are coming into the industry, there's very few places that they can learn their craft. They have no small radio stations anymore. Those that want to be sportscasters and they think that would be great,

well, there are companies like Bell who eliminated local sports from coast to coast, even in places like Calgary. And all those overnight shifts where guys like Strombo and Merrick would get on. You remember these guys at the Fan 590? Of course I do, because Strombo looked like the Greek Jesus.

His hair, he freaked me out. But all that's gone now, the syndicated programming and re-rolls, right? Like there's not really any place to have that. It comes from one place, and they would, for instance, Bell would like to see everything come from TSN, so here we go with sports, no local sports.

Right, well Joe Tilly was just here, so I got the whole spiel. Yeah. So he obviously would understand something like that. I mean, even you look at City TV and they have, you know, people, I think they pay by the hour that do it now. But there's still, you know, here's Tommy. He's our athlete of the week. It might be a kid who's going

to get a scholarship, a full ride at like Duke or something one day. It might be the next R.J. Barrett., are really fun for the community and people who like to advertise, you know, like guys like Brian and, and, and Milan and, and guys like that. Those are the sponsorships you used to get because they, they, they lived in that

community and it was a cool little story and people got better at it and then went to bigger cities. Now it's like, do you got an iPhone? Can you, can you read? You're on in five minutes. Like it just, it is, it is, it is horrifically bad. And so someone like yourself who takes the time to not only have us talk about the industry,

but talk about ourselves, to talk about our, our relationships, our relationships with others that you even have on the show is, is rare. And, and I think amongst ourselves cherished. And so I think on behalf of all those, the, the Howard Glassman's, the Jeff Lumby's, the, the, you know, you name it, the Duffy, whoever happens to come in here, we thank you for that because you make us feel like there is a relevance still. You make us still feel relevant in a world and an industry that doesn't make us feel that way.

So, so to come on and to be able to share with you and, and, and your, your fans, your listeners and those that, that, uh, subscribe to the podcast, this to me was an obvious choice. Also why the bigger platform that I'm going to be on, uh, I'm not announcing it because they very much wanted to have this as their broadcast.

And I said, I can't do it. I can't do it. I'm not going to undercut and take away what should be only on Toronto Mike because that's what relationships do. So that's what you have with us in this industry. So to me, there was no choice that I was not going to do this.

I love that, man. Thank you. with us in this industry. So to me, there was no choice that I was not going to do this. I love that, man. Thank you. That was amazing to hear. I got some compliments from Andy Kim the other day, and I told him I was going to extract it and use it as my testimonial file, but I'm going to do that for you instead. Well. That was great, buddy.

And now that you've said such nice things about me, I'm going to give you some great gifts here. You mentioned the sponsors. Well, here's a couple of family-owned local businesses that are thriving because they focus on quality and they're just really solid citizens, like good people. So these are two companies I love working with. Great Lakes Brewery. They're a fiercely independent craft brewery located here in Etobicoke. Did you know, Mike, that 99% of all Great Lakes Brewery. They're a fiercely independent craft brewery located here in Etobicoke. Did you know, Mike, that 99% of all Great Lakes beer remains here in Ontario?

I didn't know that, but look, I've had the product. I like it. It's very good. It's very good. That six-pack in front of you is yours. I think there was a time where you came in and would drink it on the show, and today you've slowed your roll. You're going to bring that home and enjoy it responsibly.

But that's yours, man. Enjoy. There's a pompous ass in there for you. Well, it's because I know that's the one. That's what you gave me last time. I get the point. I got it. So take that hint.

Enjoy that. Great Lakes Brewery, brewed for you, Ontario. And you mentioned earlier Anthony Picucci. But the whole Picucci family, they're at Palma's Pasta. You're going to be on the air in Mississauga. Well, Palma Pasta, most of their locations

are in Mississauga. Yeah, so someone might want to sponsor or buy some time. Fratello. Oh, como va? He's a big fan of yours. Andiamo. Let's go.

But he can't poach you. So just so Palma knows, they need to sponsor both of our shows. Well, you should come on. I would like you to come on our show. Oh, I'd love to. I mean, it's not far from here, right?

I'll bike there, man. I biked to Streetsville yesterday from here to Streetsville. You say Streetsville. I only think of junior hockey and the stick fights and the spitting. So Palma's pasta. So that's Mississauga's best fresh pasta and Italian food. Oh, I actually wanted to play a little bit of... Just to set the mood.

Have you ever been to Italy? Oh, have I been to Italy? Yeah. Oh, I love it. It is... And it's why... Like, my audience is filled full of Italians. That's why when I used to do the Roberto Luongo The Bobby Lou It was filled full of Italian profanity

And someone in Vancouver Said you know what he's saying I'm going to call the CRTC Oh this is like Stugatz or something like that Is that Stugatz? What is that? Like an asshole But mine were worse than that

And Anthony came to my defense Because someone was going to do something He said I'm from a very Italian family. My friends are Italian. You know, everything in my life is Italian. My car is Italian. He goes, Mike represents a sense of humor for our people that we like, that we use. He's not belittling us.

He is embracing kind of how we talk to each other. It's far from racism. That's the other thing, too. Racism. But anyway. So you're right. Anthony does love you, loves your show, loves your show. Will be definitely listening to you on your news station 960.

He also wanted you to take home this lasagna. Oh, the lasagna, as they say, is mint. It is amazing. And they do it right. So you people know what I'm talking about. It's the thin pasta in there. So the little thin multi-slices and lasagna, that's how you know it's good.

And they make it perfect. Visit palmapasta.com to find out which location is closest to you. But I do want to give a special shout out to their new location, Palma's Kitchen. Mike, if you haven't been there, you've got to check it out. It's near Mavis and Burnhamthorpe, not too far from where I biked yesterday,

but Mavis and Burnhamthorpe is the closest major intersection. You really like to drop that bike thing. You're really kind of bragging about it. Yeah, because I've never

biked to Streetsville before and I bike every day for years and I never bike there so it's like I'm proud. I'm like a peacock over here. When's the last time I was on a bike? Oh, yeah, it was just 30 years ago.

Is that right? I hate them, too. Get those bike lanes out of there. It's not bad enough with the streetcars. It's not Paris. It's not Milano. Get rid of the bikes. I'm sick of them, too.

I was going to say, you know, the streetcars are not nearly as annoying if you can just kind of ride that bike trail past them. Like, they're less annoying. These bikers, they weave in and out, and all of a sudden you have your indicator on, but if they go through you, then they flip. When they flip me the bird, those bike guys, I just, you know. Don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. There are some things out there. I want like an Uzi.

Like, I would just like to strafe. Strafe him and say, see? See? So when's your first day on the air at the news station? Okay, so they're working on brand new studios. Yeah. So Mike Bullard is currently working in, I believe it's a bomb shelter. Like that WKRP episode.

Remember? They had to go to the. It's not as good. It's not as nice. Mike goes, I don't know why I did this. I said, I don't know why you did either. So it will be, yeah, brand new studios, everything sort of fitted. And I will say this, it will remain a three-camera shoot with 1080p cameras.

And it's still a podcast? It will still be a podcast as well. Okay, so this is like you just added an extra layer of accessibility here. This is fantastic. Yes. Yeah, a content provider See what I am? Yeah. A content provider is what I am. Another, yeah, distribution platform, if you will.

Something like my 1999 car that you parked behind. It really only gets AM, FM, right? So I will benefit from this. Absolutely. You know, I'm going to ask you this now while we're still recording. Would you come back around the time you launch or whatever, maybe after you record, you come here to kick out the jams with me? I've wanted to do this for years.

I know, because mine is very eclectic. I want to hear it. People would be very shocked at some of the things that they would think that I wouldn't listen to and do. And if you come back, I'll get you more Great Lakes beer and another lasagna from Palma's sponsor. Oh yeah, Palma's pastor, the new sponsor of Ron Mike Richards.

And I'll see if I can get the Fast Time guys to cough up a watch for you. You know what? I'll just lose it. You know? No. But he had a, you know what? Really appreciated Milan's, yeah, his question today. I thought it was excellent.

And that brings us to the end of our 395th show. You can follow me on Twitter. I'm at Toronto Mike. Mike, you're at Raw Mike Richards? Yeah, so the Twitter is at Raw Mike Richards. Our friends at Great Lakes Brewery are at Great Lakes Beer. Property in the 6.com is at Raptors Devotee.

Palma Pasta is at Palma Pasta. Fast Time Watch and Jewelry Repair is at Fast Time WJR. And PayTM is at PayTM Canada. See you all next week. There's a thousand shades of grey

Cause I know that's true Yes, I do I know it's true Yeah, I know it's true