Media, social anxiety, rights

Being that I am an October baby and that October is one of my favourite months, I suppose it is somewhat fitting that my media career began in October.

It was 44 years ago this month, in early October of 1975, that I made my local media debut on radio station CKCY 920 with a report from a girls high school basketball game between the Bawating Braves and Collegiate Wildcats.

It is worth noting, as a sign of the times and years gone by, that CKCY as a radio station, and Bawating and Collegiate as high schools, no longer exist.

At any rate, my media ride has had its share of thrills and spills along with the restless hands of time that certainly are a changin’.

For one, the number of people that are employed in the local media industry — radio, television, newspaper and now, digital — pales in comparison to the days of the so-called golden age.

Still, the media continues to play a major, pivotal and essential role in communities such as Sault Ste. Marie and surrounding area.

Me? I am still in radio, doing a weekly hockey show on local station ESPN 1400. And not only have I been writing a column — along with other stories — for Sault This Week since 1982, I also post with regularity for a couple of local websites, namely Hockey News North and Sault Business Matters.

One of the best parts of the writing gigs is that, as a result of modern technology, I get to work from home. Which, to me, is big, given that I do deal with a certain amount of social anxiety.

I know what you might be thinking. How does someone with social anxiety work in the media? Well, I don’t quite know how to answer that, but it is a challenge and I do try to deal with it as best as I can — and most days are better than others.

Because I do like being on the radio and I do like writing to the extent that I hope to continue doing both for as long as I am able. (I will turn 67 years young later this month, God willing.)

For example, I get a kick out of talking and writing about the exploits of local hockey players. (The majority of my sports focus is on hockey, given its extreme popularity among the young and old.) So, to that extent, wanting to be on radio and wanting to write stories serves as my motivation for trying to overcome a high degree of social anxiety.

But besides being in the media myself, I thoroughly enjoy much of the work of many who are in the industry.

I visit the websites of a number of media outlets on a daily basis, from the Sault Star to the Sudbury Star to the Timmins Press to the Sarnia Observer to the Toronto Sun to the Detroit News to the Detroit Free Press. (I even read Soo Today, though often with a grimace.)

And I love listening to local radio, particularly my three favourite stations — Oldies 93, 1230 WSOO, and the aforementioned ESPN 1400.

And having lived here for all of these years, I truly care for Sault Ste. Marie, though not all of its people.

My wife and I live downtown. We spend a lot of our money downtown and we support the downtown and its businesses on a daily basis. I am even going to act on an invitation from a member of the Downtown Association to join a committee and do what I possibly can to assist.

Anyway, it is October. And besides it being one of my favourite months, it is also an important month for all Canadians.

The federal election is slated for Monday, October 21. Those of legal age, have a right to vote.

There is no obligation to vote. But it is always nice when we can exercise our rights.

Who to vote for? Well, I am in the media and we supposedly are not supposed to play favourites.

But many of us do. (Wink.)