Snow Patrol "Chasing Cars"

Snow on the ground usually meant a school closing or delay and, since it was the 1980s, we had to turn on the radio to learn of these cancellations. Since I grew up in a small Indiana town, our school district included two neighboring towns which helped to increase our odds for having a weather-related delay. The weather might be fine in one town, but icy or foggy in the next town. Any time there was snow, ice or fog, we'd nervously turn on our kitchen radio to WJOB-AM to learn whether our day would include watching cartoons in our pajamas or solving math equations while donning our Catholic school uniforms.

Located in nearby Hammond, Indiana, news/talk WJOB-AM featured a morning show hosted by a guy named John Baranowski. The show also included some lady who read horoscopes and a guy named Irv who gave commentaries (I recall my late grandmother complaining that she didn't listen to WJOB because she didn't want to hear Irv complain). The station epitomized local radio and played a big role in my fascination with the medium. This radio bug also caught my brother who, in turn, played radio. He launched and hosted his own version of WJOB known as WC-1 The Tower from the confines of his bedroom. Amid a fight between brothers, I quit my "job" as host of "Talk With Todd" at The Tower and ventured off to start my own radio station in my bedroom (after purchasing a double cassette player from Service Merchandise). This birthed WCLX-FM ("C103") which consistently lagged The Tower in the ratings (that my brother conveniently drew up).

WJOB's John Baranowski didn't seem to enjoy being the messenger for school closings (though I can't blame him); I recall him urging children not to call into the radio station to ask if they have to go to school. "Yes, you have school today," he would begrudgingly tell us young listeners when there was an inch of snow on the ground. In response, we would groan and then head to the shower in hopes to not miss the bus. WC-1 The Tower lasted a couple years whereas C-103 played on until the late-1990s when I got a real job working in radio.