KW Wxr Man..

Great story online that I found.. you just never know where you will read about a great weather fan enjoying life and doing his thing. Sounds like a great dad.

http://www.keysnews.com/315428373568011.bsp.htm

Weather kid Tyler rides a wave at WAIL

Very few people work in radio without a degree in either broadcasting or communications. I am one of the lucky few who do, having started my radio "career" by accident 15 years ago. Radio being an extremely transient business for D.J.'s, I feel extremely lucky to have found work for all but two-and-a-half years of it, right here in paradise.

Due to the fact that someone gave an untrained smart-ass such as myself a shot many years ago, I figured it would be cool to use only irregular people, (such as myself,) to work with. To be honest, there were also budgetary reasons, coupled with the fact that I'm lazy and enjoy getting people to do my work for me.

Having said that, my freak roster has included more than 20 people over the years, most of whom remain my friends, and remember our times together fondly. I've appreciated the effort that each and every one of them has put forth, not just for showing up, but also for dealing with my weirdness on a daily basis.

Miss Loretta, aka "Baroness Von Thunderpants," has been with me for eight-plus years, and seen me through many changes. For the most part her advice, friendship, and ability to put up with me has proven invaluable. So it stands to reason that she would be involved in choosing many of our regular show guests.

There's been Ed "Cowboy Timmy" Kidd, (the now dearly departed, most famous homeless person in the world;) Vern "Damn" Lapansky, the bizarre fishin' hillbilly; Scottish Joe; Luscious Lars LaRue; and many others I'd like to mention here — if I weren't so lazy.
However, my current crop includes a guy we call "The Duke," a former comedian whose voice bears an uncanny resemblance to John Wayne; and Miss Vicki, aka "Sister V," the buxom bartender from the Schooner Wharf Bar, and lastly, but certainly not leastly, the most unlikely of all our many guests: Tyler, The Morning Show Kid.

Tyler's foray into the wacky world of radio began several months ago, when my friend Anna called to tell me about a 10-year-old kid she knew who had been very impressed with the work all the meteorologists had performed during our last, crazily busy hurricane season. Anna inquired whether or not it would be all right if Tyler did the weather one time, on the show.
I figured, what did I have to lose?

I told Anna to bring Tyler to the station at 5:30 a.m. one Friday, and I'd record him doing the weather report, and that if it didn't work out, hey, at least we tried. So on Friday morning, Anna shows up with Tyler and his dad Jimmy, and by 5:45 I knew I had a rare kid on my hands.
Tyler nailed the weather on his second try.

So, I asked him to do some comedy bits for me, actually to address issues that would push Loretta's "buttons," and it worked like a charm. Tyler has become a favorite among our loyal listeners, and it had been a pleasure to get to know him and his dad Jimmy. Jimmy works for Bud's Contractor and Commercial Supply on Stock Island. He's a single father who's obviously very dedicated to his son. They spend time together playing racquetball and video games, watching sports and just "hanging out."

Jimmy and Tyler wake up at 4:40 on Friday mornings to attend our recording sessions.
Now that's a dedicated dad folks.

Now, Tyler is an "A" student who says he enjoys math and science, and wants to be a meteorologist when he grows up. When I told Tyler that weathermen were wrong a lot, he said, "he'd fix that when he gets a job." Tyler says he enjoys the feedback he gets from his "fans" on his radio performances, and enjoys all the weird scripts I write for him. He lists his role models as his dad, and his great-grandmother Isabel. I tip my hat to them, because it's quite obvious that they did a great job with him.

Not having any kids of my own, (that I know of,) it's really cool to get a kid's perspective on our world. Tyler is a smart, well-mannered, and truly fun kid, who knows what he wants to do and how to get there, (which are all qualities I don't possess.)

Tyler and Jimmy, it's been great making friends with you guys. I hope to continue to get Tyler to do some of my radio work for me in the future, and I'm currently considering letting him write this column for me.

One time I asked Tyler what he would change if he were president, and he said he'd "lower gas prices, fix Social Security, and raise the minimum wage to $13 an hour." When I asked him if he'd give everybody free ice cream, he told me to "grow up."
I'll try, but it sounds like too much work.

Key West DJ Bill Hoebee has trained numerous radio sidekicks over the years, and can instruct you in the wacky ways of the airwaves, too! For information on his new DJ schooling service, check out his show, from 5-10 a.m. Monday-Friday, on WAIL 99.5 FM.