I Ain’t Going No Place!!!
In my capacity as a speech teacher at Ivy Tech Community College I give my students an assignment for their impromptu speeches. I tell them to take a situation that started out as a negative and turned into a positive. It’s amazing the stories that they tell me. I give them the assignment for two reasons. First, it helps them with their delivery skills, secondly, it’s a reminded in life that everything happens for a reason and you have to be either smart enough or patient enough to figure it out. The same applies with yours truly.
As you likely know by now, Friday will be my last day on WXNT-AM in Indianapolis. My morning radio is being canceled (a decision made by my corporate bosses, not locally). The reasons are simple the economy and the need for cost cutting measures. I don’t take it personally. In fact, when I originally came to Indy in 2004 I wasn’t expecting to be here this long. I figured 2-3 years tops and that would be it. However during that window, the girl I was seriously dating in Springfield called me to tell me my services as a boyfriend were no loner needed and we broke up. Of course I was a bit broken up over it, but shortly there afterward a good friend introduced me to the woman who eventually became the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz. The story of the Abdul life has been a series of turning lemons into vodka lemonade. Losing my government job back in 2003 gave me the kick in the rear I needed to go into talk radio which eventually led me here.
I don’t regret my time at WXNT-AM. We weren’t the biggest station in town, but I like to think we helped changed the dynamics of local and state politics. And I could not have done it without the help of great people like Andrew Lee, Chris Spangle, Gary Hummel, Tom Hervey, Bob Horner, Devon Scott, Scott Sands, Scott Roddy and Jenny Skodjt. You may not know them, but they were the people who helped make all this possible. I also have to thank my brother Jamil for all his support for the past 7 years. And no one tops the Lovely Mrs. Shabazz, the most awesome supportive wife a man could ask for. Of course after about an hour of consoling me, she started making a list of things I could do around the house in the morning. God love her.
Unfortunately for her, I plan to stay engaged. I still plan to continue my work with RTV 6, writing monthly for the Indianapolis Star and writing Indiana Barrister. I’ve actually got some plans in the works to expand what we do here. I’m working on a business model that will generate revenue and local content that is really needed in this town. I will keep you posted. Most importantly though is that, in the immortal words of my Uncle Richard, “I ain’t goin’ no place!!!!” So for all the people who thought, or hoped, this would be the end of Abdul, sorry to disappoint you. I am going to be here for a while. After all, if I left, where would you go to find out what’s going on this town?
Thanks again for all the support. See you on the next media platform and thanks for all the fish!
Editor’s note: August 25 was originally set for our Cocktails & Conversation at Champs at Keystone at the Crossing. I’m going to turn that into a leaving radio and doing something else party. Come hang out.
