Susan Monday: The Fighter Remains?

SuMo's Twitter avatar...vacation pic or her
future destination?  The rumors will fly....

For long time listeners of WXDE 105.9 Talk Radio out of Milford, DE, Susan Monday has been a voice of reason over the years and endeared herself to many across Delmarva.  Monday through Friday, SuMo, as her loyal listeners and fans called her, both challenged and entertained us.  She was always there for three or four hours each day.  For awhile, she even manned the mic on a split shift.  She was our cup of coffee for two hours in the morning, breaking for an hour at noon so we could catch up on the news, then she was our afternoon tea and biscuits for two more hours.     

Her shows inspired, riled, entertained, and motivated us.  In fact, many of the articles on this blog were a result of her show segments.  Everything from The Sexual Hang-ups of Mayor Jim Ireton to Transformation Comes With a Price and Delmar Weather Guys to The Talbot Boys (bunch of articles related to or about the Talbot Boys)...and quite a few in between, were articles SuMo's shows generated in my head to share with you.  (Word of warning: some of these older articles are difficult to read.  I tended to be wordy, circular, and repetitive.  Hopefully, I'm improving.)

I promised SuMo I would let her tell her story.  Below is the mostly unedited email interview she graciously gave.  The only editing done is formatting since some files don't format exactly the same between different applications.  My email comments and questions are in bold and SuMo's responses are normal font.

I'll cut right to the chase and ask the first question I know your listeners would like to hear an answer to.

·        When radio stations make personnel changes, why do they abruptly let the on air personalities go without giving them the opportunity to do a farewell show for their fans?  Considering your listeners' reaction to Ed Tyll leaving, I'm willing to make a bet this question is at the top of their list.

I have never been given an explanation for this.  I can only assume it’s because management would not want an angry employee to make disparaging comments about the station or its management.  Radio station operators have good reason to feel this way because there have been multiple occasions where a radio personality has taken control of the microphone and ripped into the company.  

I understand it is difficult for long-time listeners to turn on their radio and find their listening routine upset and their favorite program gone.  It’s like have a good friend leave town with no explanation and no forwarding address.  

I can’t speak for all talk show hosts, but it is equally upsetting to not be able to properly say goodbye to an audience with whom I’ve had a daily relationship for seven years.

Now that the hard question is over, the easy ones:

·        How long were you at WXDE and what is your fondest memory or moment.  If there is more than one, that's fine.

I hosted my show at WXDE for seven years.  The station was brand new, and I was new to the area and had to grow my audience one person at a time.  And at times, it was challenging.  I could imagine people saying: Here comes this city slicker who doesn’t like guns, doesn’t understand chicken farming, and thinks she can tell us what to think.  What does she know about the people of Sussex County and the Eastern Shore?  Can we trust her?  Can we believe her?

I feel like I “earned” my audience.  I worked hard to earn my listeners’ respect and to keep the conversation civil.  Not an easy task because I never shied away from tough topics like race, police brutality, LGBTQ issues, censorship, and immigration.

There are so many fond memories I will treasure, but “radio magic” occurred in December 2018. After my statewide show had been cancelled, several listeners made it their mission to locate an upstate listener, Mary, who had no knowledge of what happened to my show and no way to listen even if she knew.  These wonderful listeners bought Mary an IPad so she could listen to “The Susan Monday Show” online and also contributed money toward her internet service.  With an assist from call screener Ricky, who managed to track down Mary in Wilmington, we gave her, as she said, “the best Christmas she’d had in a long time.”  The memories of all the people I’ve met along the way who’ve supported the show are what will especially stick with me, “characters” like Kathy from Lewes, Undocumented Z, Dan the Cannabis Man, Sheri from Smyrna, Kasey from Selbyville, and Truck Driver Michael.

·        If you had been afforded a farewell show, what would that show have been like?

A farewell show would have included clips of the “voices” of the callers.  That’s what made the show.  I was just the conductor.  And I would have told my listeners how much I learned from them, how this big city girl from Philadelphia learned to appreciate people whose views of the world were different from her own.  And, despite our differences, we managed to have a civil discussion on the big (and small) issues of the day.  You made me laugh, you made me cry, and most importantly, you made me think.    

·        Through the years, you loved your music.  Some of your best shows involved music.  Would you have closed your final show with a song and, if so, which song would you have used as your sign off?

Yes, I loved playing music on the show, and there’s a line from a favorite song of mine by Simon & Garfunkel that captures how I feel right now.  It’s from “The Boxer”:  “I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains.” 

(Editor's note: SuMo responded to the question with the song line in Bold to emphasize how she felt.  The bolding of her words is not a mistake.)

·        What's on SuMo's horizon?  Retirement in the wide open spaces out West?  Another show here on Delmarva?  Something entirely new?

“Stay tuned” is all I can say about my future plans.  I still have something to say, and I can’t see myself retiring.

Thank you, SuMo, for taking the time to answer these questions.  You deserve a final opportunity to express your thoughts to your devoted fans and listeners.  My blog isn't radio, but it's the best I can offer.

Many long time listeners may be wondering how to "stay tuned" to learn of SuMo's future plans.  Her faithful listeners and fans know she's not fond of social media.  Fortunately, she does maintain a Twitter account.  You can follow her on Twitter @SuMoSpeak. 

If you want to hear more of what SuMo would have liked to have said in a farewell-for-now
show, be sure to read her letter to the Cape Gazette printed the other day.  Susan Monday has always been, is now, and probably always will be a gracious class act other radio personalities could learn from.

And, yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition and began this one with a conjunction.  It's my way of showing the former English teacher she has a lot of work left to do on Delmarva.

For your listening pleasure as SuMo might have wanted:

Posted by A Drunk Redneck