1. My Life in Radio (revised) By Bob the Producer Berry
My name is Bob Berry. You may know my voice; you
may know me as Bob the Producer. My voice. I’d always
HATED my “distinctive” voice.
When I started, radio was dominated by that ballsy,
announcer, voice of God. I’d get “you wanna be in radio
with YOUR voice?”
Like Ted Baxter, MY LIFE IN RADIO started at a small
station in Washington CourtHouse, Ohio. I started,
working Sundays. I was first one there; only one there.
Signed WCHO on & I was excited!! Sunday mornings
were a religious experience to me. A parade of one
‘radio preacher’ after another.
One standout was the Reverend C H Detty. Every week
he’d start in with “you don’t see the cats with the dogs!
You don’t see the giraffes goin with the hogs!” He was
consistent. Not sure why this was his message cuz in
1970 in Washington Court House, bi-racial couples
weren’t an issue, but he’d start in, the hotline would
ring & the GM would say “Bob, take him off the air.” He
was consistent too.
Reverend Detty wasn’t the most memorable though.
One of God’s ‘messengers’ showed up, worked himself
into a frenzy, & left behind more than his message.
There was a big puddle where the Rev had been. And it
wasn’t Holy Water. Think he was possessed by the Holy

2. Ghost, who might’ve scared the... let’s just say he was
like my lil cocker, who piddled when she got excited.
Flash forward thru a few more stations, including
WMOH in Hamilton to 1979 when I was hired to write
“funny” commercials for 55 KRC & Q 102. I even ended
up winning ADDY Awards...
After a decade, I get a call from Randy Michaels,
asking “ How’d you like to write & produce funny bits
for the Dawn Patrol?”
Dawn Patrol? That was WEBN’s morning show; was
dominant in Cincinnati for a few decades. And you
probably could tell we had carte blanche to not only
push the envelope, but to shred it.
The Dawn Patrol featured Robin Wood, Eddie Fingers, &
sports commando Wildman Walker. It was originally
Robin’s Dawn Patrol & WEBN was a family owned radio
station. Robin was the first female DJ in Cincinnati; one
of the first in the country. I remember seein her in a
Playboy piece “The women of radio.” She was laid back,
sexy, sultry, classy.
Eddie Fingers was brash, quick, funny, irreverent; in
your face. Robin’s brother, Bo hired & paired Eddie with
Robin in 1985. That same year Wildman eased in, like a
bull in a record store. Wildman was Brute Force sports.
Loud; obnoxious!
Late 1988, enter Bob the Producer. I was hired to
produce the morning show-- book guests; write &

3. produce “bits” for Eddie & Robin. I was supposed to be
behind-the-scene; invisible. I knew them by reputation
only. I was excited to join the Dawn Patrol, but a lil
intimidated. They already had a great chemistry (fire &
ice). Here’s a quote from the Cincinnati Enquirer’s radio
critic, John Kiesewetter; “ Bob’s put-upon nerdishness
has been a perfect fit for the roguish Fingers & the
sultry Wood.” He also quoted me saying how generous
they were, shining the spotlight on me.
One problem; By now, Robin had young kids & wasn’t
too keen on hanging around the station all day. I’d come
in with ideas & Eddie’d say Why don’t YOU do that? I
saw where Skipper from ‘Gilligan’s Island’ died & I
eulogized him like we were best buds. “This is the
hardest one of all” & ending with “he died in my arms.
I’ll miss him. He owed me five bucks.” It was the first of
many.
Started doing phone bits, like calling nursing homes,
wanting to stash my mom. When they asked about her
finances, I said ‘do you have a part time job mom could
work off the tab?’ They asked about her health; I said
‘mom has a walker, but we don’t encourage her to use it
cuz it scuffs up the floors. We have linoleum.’
So... I was interacting on the phone & on the street.
First time I went out during the Dawn Patrol was a
Good Friday. EBN was in Mount Adams then, close to
the Immaculata Church, where it was tradition to
“climb the steps”. Took forever cuz of the long lines,
who’d stop & pray on each step. I cut in & asked “Mind

4. if I pray through?” Got a chuckle. Years later I revisited
the crime scene & this time, at the bottom, I said “The
FIRST STEP is... admitting you have a problem”. Held
my cell phone up for the response. Nothing! Glares. No
chuckles; but I was gang-shushed.
I was having a blast! Not so much for my family.
While in Washington Court House, I married my high
school squeeze, Mary Jo or JoJo. She was a school
marm, teaching in parochial schools. We had 2 kids,
one of each, also Catholic, in parochial schools. I used
‘The Boy’ in some of my bits, like Biker Bob. Can you
say “you suck Biker Bob?”
In my first few years, I was ‘frozen alive’ for 48 hours at
a car dealership, got an on-air vasectomy, did a remote
broadcast from Paradise Gardens Nudist Camp.
I imagined naked sorority girls playing volley ball; what
I got were fat, seniors playing cards, wearing only sun
visors. It was members only so I figured ‘when in
Rome’... & ditched my clothes too. Finally, one young,
hot woman, where naked looked good on her
approached.
I said “I’m sorry; That’s just a reflex response.”
Nothing happened. But it got the desired effect—a
laugh.
Around that time, the play ‘Oh Calcutta’, known for its
nudity was coming to Cincinnati. Their people
approached EBN. They GOT well known radio peeps to
do cameos to generate interest. My boss volunteered

5. me. They said “Of course we won’t ask him to do a nude
scene.” My boss said “Well, we don’t’ want to do it
then.”
In the big finale, the whole cast comes out buck naked.
I figured I’d get lost in the crowd, be on & slink off
before anybody noticed. We all come out, me trying to
hide in the back, blinded by the lights, when I hear a
huge “BOB!! BOB THE PRODUCER!!!” It was the worst
moment of my life.
That’s when my wife asked me to promise not to do any
more naked appearances.
I was featured on a billboard parody of the Vanity Fair
‘Pregnant Demi Moore’ cover. Great photo-shopping
produced a pregnant Eddie & pregnant Bob, following
Demi’s lead, very naked; very pregnant, under the
Headline “Morning Sickness.” Get it?
The response was HUGE, much of it negative. The
‘Citizens for Community Values’ targeted sponsors, like
Kroger’s, threatening to boycott if they continued to
advertise on WEBN.
There I was for all OF CINCINNATI to see—pregnant &
naked. My daughter was 16 & a junior at Mother of
Mercy. Mercy conducts religious “Retreats” in Milford.
Each student has to get up & talk about their family.
Melissa volunteered... her mom was a teacher at St.
Bart’s & her brother was at Our Lady of Lourdes. The
moderator asked “What about your father?” She said

6. “he’s in radio.” ‘Which STATION?’ “WEBN.” The
moderator screamed ‘He’s not one of those on that
billboard?’ “He’s the one on the right.”
A priest I’d known for years was assisting the bishop.
They were in a car together & passed one of “the
Billboards.” Father Barry said “See the guy on the right?
I know him; he’s a parishoner at Our Lady of Lourdes.”
If the family went out to La Rosa’s & the waitress said
“I know that voice!” Melissa would roll her eyes & act
like I came in yelling “Do you know who I am?!” which I
hardly ever did.
The billboards went up in 1995. Later that SAME year,
we did a remote broadcast, promoting the Aronoff
Center’s opening. Somehow I fell 20 feet into the
orchestra pit. The remote was Friday. Sunday I woke up
in UC’s trauma center.
I arrived in critical condition; Broken... ribs, clavicle,
fingers, nerve damage to left ear, scull fracture;
traumatic brain injury.
After a week in intensive care at UC, a stay at Drake
REHAB Center, & two months off the air, I was READY
to go back to my “dream” gig.
BUT, ONE Drake rehab therapist had concerns. SHE
visited EBN, talked to Eddie, EBN GM Jaqui Brumm, &
Production guru Joel Moss. She TATTLED THAT we
always met in the same room & I always had trouble
finding it. THAT I always said stuff nobody knew what
the hell I was talking about. They all laughed. “That’s

7. how he’s always been!! How he was before the fall;
That’s Bob!!”
That was then. I was able to go back, did my thing for
another 15 years. I’m 65 now & a goofy... grandpa. The
irony is my ‘distinctive voice’ I’d always hated, turned
out to be a godsend for the Bob the Producer weasely
persona & got me out of a lot of speeding tickets!!!