Radio's "Tom Terrific"

The longtime Inside Radio editor Tom Taylor is leaving at the end of the day today to take an executive editor position at Radio-info.com.

I am proud to say I hired Tom to help us develop the original Inside Radio fax in 1990. It's hard to believe that we had to pioneer our way through thermal fax paper, non-standardized sizes and the hope that we could make a radio publication a daily thing when everyone else was a weekly. All this well before the Internet became available.

Tom and our Inside Radio President Steve Butler (now a programming exec at CBS'
KYW Newsradio in Philadelphia) worked with what we called our "dream team" that included Kyle Ruffin and Christine Burke to revolutionize the radio trades.

Inside Radio became the first daily radio publication and whether you agreed with the editorial content or not it was a must read. Tom Taylor and the team of dedicated editors made it one of the best known brands in the industry.

Tom was with us until late 1997 when he joined his friend Robert Unmacht to eventually start M Street Daily. I hated to compete against Tom.

Tom returned to become editor of Inside Radio when I sold it to Clear Channel as we settled our lawsuits against each other and Tom distinguished himself and the publication under very difficult circumstances. Under the guidance of the talented Inside Radio General Manager Gene McKay, Tom did some of his best work.

He kept Inside Radio credible when it was owned by the company many in the industry called The Evil Empire. I couldn't have done it and I doubt very few others would have the respect of their powerful new employer and the readership at the same time.

I was always proud to see Inside Radio every day and I knew it was in good hands.

Tom's nature is to be fair. He's a hard worker and he's a certified radio junkie. It always amazed me as to how he could handle the responsibilities of putting out a daily radio news publication -- almost singlehandedly -- every day. Outside of his passion for antiquing along with his wife Sharan, he loved the industry and its people.

I'm proud of his accomplishments -- not just the ones I mentioned -- but the pioneering we did to make Inside Radio the brand name that it has become.

Radio-info.com will be better because Tom is working there and the radio industry could take a lesson from Tom's style.

We're all competitors.

But we're all family.

In spite of our differences, changes in our industry or competitive pressures, we're all in this thing together. Good times and bad. Consolidation or not.

As Tom will tell you, I am a great hockey fan -- or more specifically -- a great Philadelphia Flyers fan. I love the team and the sport. I now live in Arizona and Southern California but I still have my Flyers' season tickets. One reason the sport is compelling to me is that hockey players must be smart, physically strong, graceful and play as a team.

Even when hockey players rough up competitors they will line up at the end of a playoff series and shake hands with everyone on the team they played hard against -- win or lose.

Kinda like radio, eh?

I'm proud of Tom and wish the best of luck as he turns to his next challenge.

My highest compliment is that Tom Taylor is the only person I ever trusted Inside Radio to -- and I did it twice!

Thanks for your service and your excellent example to the family we call radio people.