Has It Been Eight Years?

Rob, Bill Bloxsom, and Dave Stewart

I almost forgot about it but memories are splashed all over the socials these days.

Eight years ago this morning, I nervously got in my car and drove to New Canaan, CT. Though I still worked as a (s*itty) reporter for the Wilton Bulletin, I had quietly been involved in a project and this was to be the soft opening.

Prior to that morning, I'd had a conversation at a softball game, seen equipment get purchased, and practiced in a closet at the Wilton Bulletin office in Ridgefield. That, of course, brought questions and scrutiny and even straight-up nosiness* about what I was up to. In fact, I was under instructions to not even tell my editor at the Bulletin, which also brought my grief.

*My former co-worker Patty Gay just somehow opened the door to the closet one day and played dumb. Sorry, Patty. I knew it then and I know it now. People were talking and you decided to just stroll in to see what I was up to. All good.

Ah, but back to the morning of 11/21/13. In truth, I was heading up what was to be a company-changing venture. Me and my dumb idea would galvanize, divide, exhilarate, and frustrate everyone. Me included. 

I'm still blamed for things, sadly.

I was ushered into a conference room in the New Canaan Advertiser offices that day. I organized the equipment, tested everything, and got ready for a huge broadcast. Huge to me, that's for sure. The big idea -- Hersam Acorn Radio -- was ready for its debut.

Up until that point, our broadcasts had consisted of going live from that closet in Ridgefield and one football game at Brunswick that almost nobody knew about. Each broadcast was heard by maybe five people. In the case of the Ridgefield shows, it was just me talking to make sure people could hear me and that the quality was good. At Brunswick, Paul Silverfarb -- instrumental in helping guide me to make this happen -- joined me for a true football broadcast that I've since published and has been heard for real.

Now it was time to go live. Dave Stewart and Bill Bloxsom joined me as we broke down the upcoming FCIAC football championship between New Canaan and St Joseph. That game would be played the next night at Trumbull High School and was the true grand opening. Paul, Chris Kaelin, and I called it and we held on for dear life as the internet gave us issues and we received a few harsh reviews for that.

I thought for sure I was destined for a life of board of education meetings in Wilton. To be sure, I could do those and report them well but, let's face it, this broadcasting thing -- especially sports -- was supposed to be my strong suit.

Our show on Nov. 21 is otherwise unmemorable and I mean that in the best way humanly possible. I nervously posed for pictures that ran in some of the papers and online as we began to promote the new radio station.

I have other memories of the day, but most memorably was the end of the show. I wrapped up and turned the microphones off when applause broke out in the office. 

Bill and Dave stood up and left the room.

I sat there, almost anchored in my seat as the adrenaline drained from me. I think I hugged Tracey Iaizzi when I finally emerged from the room. I remember watching Marty Hersam -- the namesake of the company -- pacing nervously as the broadcast went on as he listened.

In short, it was a success and, internet issues aside, Hersam Acorn Radio -- later HAN Radio and the HAN Network -- was a reality. It became my full-time job roughly six weeks later. Around the same time, I also slept in the Ridgefield office for coverage of a big snowstorm that we carried.

The stories are plentiful through my departure in July 2016. I feel sad for the way it ended and the things that happened over roughly the ensuing year. For my part, I'd love to go back and fix that. I'm sad that it all ended by 2018 as Hersam Acorn was purchased by Hearst.

But like with any story, there were lots of good and bad. 

For a stretch, I'd rarely, if ever, been happier.

So tonight isn't about whatever nonsense happened. Tonight is about those great early moments of the first show, which led to the first game, which led to doing a show on the night before Thanksgiving and looking Susan in the eye for the first time (all of our previous conversations had been over chat). Then came the football playoffs and hockey and basketball and this whole thing became a reality.

That's what I want to bask in tonight. It's part of whatever legacy I have and I helped start it.

To be honest, it was my idea. I lament what could have been. I marvel at what was.

It became real eight years ago today.

The "A-Team" eventually became the go-to duo for football