Columns

IT WAS JULY 27th .. when Moose Jaw radio station CJRM signed on with 500 watts at 665 KHz. It was later moved to Regina and became CKRM …. When Steve Allen (pictured) began a local late-night TV talk show in New York City that the following year went national on NBC-TV as ‘The Tonight Show’ …. When a summer replacement series “Dean Martin Presents The Bobby Darin Amusement Company” debuted on NBC-TV… .. and when NBC-TV removed the daily Dinah’s Place from its programming roster. The move brought Dinah Shore’s 23-year association with the Peacock Network to a close. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

Being more empathetic requires you to be careful not to invalidate their feelings and experiences by diminishing or ignoring them. We may not share the same views or opinions but it doesn’t make another person’s any less valid. To them it is their reality and therefore it can’t be wrong. It may be wrong to us because of how we experienced the situation or maybe we have more information available to us to help see a different picture, but it isn’t wrong to them. If you dismiss their thoughts or views because they don’t reflect yours, you’re not coaching you’re managing (and maybe not even managing that well).

IT WAS JULY 26th .. when the Abe Burrows Show premiered on CBS radio, as the comedy writer got his own 15 minute program… When UBC radio station CiTR was approved for operation on 650 KHz via AM carrier current, to cover the Point Grey campus only…. When the ABC-TV daytime soap General Hospital taped its 7,000th episode… ..and when legendary radio personality Don Percy (pictured) did his last morning show on Vancouver’s oldies station CISL AM 650, before returning to Winnipeg. ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS JULY 25th … when the Canadian Marconi Company made the first trans-Atlantic two-way radio broadcast from Signal Hill, Newfoundland, to the S-S “Victoria” 1200 miles away… When 2XAG in Schenectady, NY (later known as WGY) became the first radio station in the U.S. to broadcast with a 50,000-watt transmitter…. When in pre-WWII New York City TV station W2XBS presented television’s first musical comedy.The show was Topsy and Eva …. ..and when NBC-TV’s “Midnight Special” featured songs by Neil Sedaka, Janis Ian, Jessi Colter, and Kraftwerk. Hostess for the week was Helen Reddy (pictured). ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS JULY 23rd … when the Telstar communications satellite made possible the first live TV broadcast from the US to Europe… When Toronto-born rocker Neil Young (pictured), at age 17, held his first recording session in the studios of Winnipeg radio station CKRC… When the FCC approved the AM stereo radio system; KTSA in San Antonio was the first to go stereo… ..and when the three-year old television network FOX-TV topped ABC, NBC and CBS in the ratings for the 1st time, thanks to “America’s Most Wanted.” ALL the milestones for the date INSIDE. Also, on this day in 2011, Amy Whitehouse died.

IT WAS JULY 22nd … when the British sitcom that gave rise to CBS-TV’s ‘All in the Family’, ‘Till Death Us Do Part’ debuted on BBC-TV… When a UK floating pirate radio station, “Swinging Scotland”, shut down for lack of funds… When The Doors were guests on ABC-TV’s American Bandstand, performing “Crystal Ship” and “Light My Fire”… .. and when a license for Kelowna’s second radio station CKIQ-1150 was approved by the CRTC. ALL the milestones for July 22nd INSIDE.

It’s the date that gave us Marshall McLuhan, Don Knotts (pictured), Robins Williams and Kay Starr. The CRTC gave approval to the Global TV network, “I Walk the Line” started 8 weeks atop the Country Music chart, Queen played the Montreal Forum, and Entertainment Tonight’s Mary Hart insured her legs for $2 million. Leaving us on July 21st were actors Basil Rathbone and Robert Young, broadcaster Dave Garroway, singer Dorothy Collins, and musician Long John Baldry. Scores more milestones for the date INSIDE.

IT WAS JULY 20th … when NBC radio debuted ‘G-Men’ as a Saturday night feature. For most of its 20-year run the title was ‘Gangbusters’… When “The Arthur Murray Party” premiered on ABC TV, featuring the man behind a nationwide chain of dance schools and his wife Kathryn. As it continued its 10-year run on the tube it would move to DuMont, CBS, & NBC… When UBC’s student-operated radio station CiTR-FM broadcast in stereo for the first time…. ..and when Vancouver-born actor James Doohan (pictured), best known for playing Scotty on Star Trek, died at his home in suburban Seattle at age 85. ALL the milestones for July 20th INSIDE.

Our connected world is a huge distraction to us. We all know that. We all know that we have become addicted to knowing what is happening in the world. Many of us get anxiety at the thought of being disconnected. We need to invest in ‘quality thinking time’. Time where we can be alone with ourselves and our thoughts. Clarity comes in these moments — our mind is able to surface the deep thoughts that are usually suppressed by the noise generated by our connected world. When we have time alone with our thoughts we are able to do deeper problem solving and creative work. High performance requires some time alone – disconnected from the world – to focus on the important tasks at hand. Plan some time each week, often early in the day and at the start of the week (cause our energies are higher after the recharging that takes place on the weekends). During this time turn off all distractions.