Talk To Me

On a day when iconic and pioneering talk show host Tom Snyder died and Barry Bonds had one less career home run than Henry Aaron at 754, I finally went to see the movie "Talk to Me". The movie is about DC Radio Legend Petey Greene, and his obsesson with WOL a bigtime AM radio station in Washington DC. "Talk to Me" was set in the late 1960's and early 70's. Seeing "Talk to Me" by myself, in a theater where most folks were not by themselves, is somewhat liberating. I laughed at all things funny, even if degrading to all but me. Most couples (or families) have to mentally respect their guests enough not to laugh at something that bashes their guests. I often found myself laughing in harmony with the few others in the theater that also viewed the film without company. In fact, a fella in the roll in front of me was 20 years older than I, and seemed to have grown up listening to Petey Greene in the 1960's at WOL The fella recited all of Petey's familiar lines and quips during his radio show. Don Cheadle was hilarious in his portrayal of WOL's popular radio host Petey Greene.

There have been many radio movies --and I have seen them all. Movies about radio that come to mine are:

1. Talk Radio
2. Play Misty for Me
3. Howard Stern's movie (forgot the name of it), and
4. 24/7 Radio

While Talk Radio was the best movie amongst these said movies, none of these movies could touch "Talk to Me". I happen to have been in college radio in the late 70's and began my Broadcast career in the early-80's. Radio did not change to what it is today until the early 90's, so I could somewhat relate to what you will see in the movie yourself.


Radio through the early 90's was more community-based and superserved its audience personally. The jocks were viewed in a greater light than just jocks. DJ's or hosts would prepare their own music versus having music prepared for them. The difference here is the person on the air entertained you in the way that he or she felt, and would compliment their feeling through the selection of the music. A listener can then vibe with the DJ. You cannot do that today in the selector and powergold scheduling days of 2007. I think that every radio person reading this blog now should see what I am talking about by seeing the movie "Talk to Me".

Community leaders, entertainers, and messengers were what DJ's were before consolidation. And Petey Greene was the best at all three said categories. Don Cheadle nailed those aspects of not just Petey Greene, but what Air Personalities used to be. Today, the community "leader" aspect of the DJ is gone and pre-selected music takes away the real on-air spontanity from the DJ.

"Talk to Me" will not only take you back in time, but will also show radio folks and listeners exactly what radio used to be in its' heyday.