Hard to believe I have found this old blog. And on this old computer we use for VOBB radio, my old email and password still exists. Imagine that!!! Thanks to Trevor Lloyd for his encouragement! He runs a great blog called Boat in a Bag! Check it out! A Boat in a Bag – An Inflatable Adventure
Well this year my trio The Sharecroppers of Newfoundland, took a break for the summer after 32 years of doing coach tour and cruise ship shows. Of course that was unintended - taking a break, I mean. Covid 19 held all those cruise ships and coach tours captive. We didn't do any shows at all. If you go to our web site at www.thesharecroppers.net you'll see all the shows that were lined up for us! Sure we would have well passed the 120K cds sold over these 32 years. Sounds like a lot, but if you do the math and ever play on board a cruise ship where they line up after the show, it all makes sense. We're pleased although lately with the people on coach tours, they say to us, "Well, I would but my new car doesn't have a cd player!"
So summer 2020 I put my attention into our radio show on VOBB radio out of Bonne Bay Gros Morne Nat Park Newfoundland!
Kathy, my darling wife, and I have been volunteer Wednesday hosts for about the last 6 years. VOBB radio at www.vobb.org is a 24 hr station, and from Monday to Friday, the flagship show on VOBB called "Bonne Bay Morning with (put in volunteers name here like Anita Best, Gary Noel, Wayne Parsons, Steve Galliot and Charlie Payne, Gene Bellows, Mike & Kathy Madigan and many more....!)" is the main show from 9-11am.
I try to get interviews - or chats, as we call them, with authors, musicians and just about everyone else! From Lawrence Hill to Buddy Wassiname's Wayne Chaulk, Kathy and I enjoy chatting and discovering all sorts of neat radio stuff.
And we have gone international! I mean VOBB radio is always heard around the world through the internet, but we have a 'sister station' in Cape May NJ. WCFA Radio 101.5FM picks up our Wednesday morning show and airs it "LIVE" but at their time of 7:30am-9:30am. www.capemayradio.org
Kathy and I normally "winter" in beautiful Cape May New Jersey and about 3 years ago I bumped into a man on the Cape May promenade who stopped to say hello to our Golden girl and dog SCOUT. When he said he detected an accent in my voice, I told him we were from Newfoundland. The man said he had been to Newfoundland but only once in his life! And he shocked me to say he was the 3rd JUMBO JET to land in Gander during the infamous 9/11 when 9000+ passengers descended on the small town of Gander.
As you know many planes were diverted to Newfoundland airports and he was on one of them. But "BobBass", as he is called on facebook, proceeded to tell me he was treated ROYALLY and so many of the stories he told me were like right out of the musical COME FROM AWAY! And when I asked Bob if he had seen the musical on Broadway NY, he said, "What musical?"
So I knew there was a story to be told and I approached the good people of WCFA radio and asked if I could interview Bob. David Mackenzie and Hope Gaines were pleased about this and so we all went into studio and had a wonderful chat with Bob about his amazing experience in Gander Newfoundland and about Newfoundland itself.
The rest is history. Now WCFA radio airs our Wed morning show as we at VOBB air a Thursday night show from them. Yes, international radio!!!
So I have been putting my creative juices in radio land! It's fun but hard work too preparing for each two hour show. The music I play has more of a Newfoundland or Celtic flavour which many people enjoy! We have lots of listeners each week and it's almost like interactive radio as we have an OPEN PAGE on facebook at: Mike Kathy Madigan. Like I said, it's an open page so you can say what you want to us, put a photo there, or just tell us you are LISTENING!!!! It all helps us be more creative during our live broadcast!!!
Check us out at www.vobb.org and check out our other hosts.......Bonne Bay Morning is a great station!!! Cheers for now ~ Mike Madigan
