2014 was quite a year for creating fun radio stuff.
It was KCOW’s 65th anniversary year, and our big anniversary push that summer featured a contest based on the notion that Kalin Krohe had built a working time machine out of a ratty old pair of bunk beds. (Another story for another day.) We also produced a series of “retromercials” for old Alliance businesses, which were previously shared on this blog.
At Christmastime of 2014, we were bringing back “The Cinnamon Bear”, that beloved-by-some-hated-by-others serial which has aired on KCOW most Christmases going back half a century or more. And I decided, to fill that little dollop of time in-between its two daily chapters, that I would write and produce our own 13-chapter serial. Oh, the unbridled hubris!
This era of KCOW was very special…Kalin had not taken on the role of News Director yet, so we had lots of time to concoct radio fun. So I cast him and me as two radio announcers challenged with a unique quest.
I narrated the beginning and end of each chapter in a very “Cinnamon Bear”-esque style. I’ve hosted the Bear many, many times so I knew the style.
For a long time I put all my creative energies into Christmas stuff…and this was the last big project. A couple of years later we did a Bob S. Bestos Christmas special which was much simpler…and that’s pretty much been it. A few years ago we started doing Halloween specials–easier to do because it’s a less-busy time for the “paying work” (commercial writing and producing).
My favorite parts of this:
-the late Jim Joule as “Rand McNulty”. He was Scrooge in my “Alliance Christmas Carol” radio special, and before that we shared the stage in the Main Street Players production of “A Christmas Carol”.
-Christmas music is piped in everywhere at Santa’s Workshop EXCEPT the toy factory, where songs like Edwin Starr’s “25 Miles”, “No Time” by the Guess Who and The Miracles “Going To A Go-Go” keep the elves moving.
-“Thoughts From Santa”, a gentle spoof of “Thoughts From Terri”, a regular commentary series our then-manager Terri Friesen was doing at the time.
-Kermit doll and Talking View-Master are actual presents I received as a tiny tot.
Our cast, in order of appearance:
Wenty. Krohe, Terri Friesen, Bob S. Bestos, Brad Williams, Kelly Crawford, Dave Pearse, Greg Carter, Cathe McCaffrey, Jennifer Schmid, Jim Joule, Mike Glesinger, Jaycee Nason, Jason Hager, John Forsee, Brandon Bell, Kevin Horn, and Santa Claus as himself.
The saga is currently airing, one chapter a day, on KCOW’s “Cinnamon Bear” broadcast weekdays at 3:30pm. Or you can get instant gratification: