By Mark Wilson 1/24/14

It was déjà vu all over again.

For the first time in six years, there was a “Parker and The Man” show at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). It was like we hadn’t missed a beat.

I don’t know how many auto shows we’ve done in the quarter century existence of the current NAIAS format, but it’s a lot. Between being there for FOX 2 in my TV days and then doing radio sports talk hosting, you’d think they would reward me with a brand new (insert hot concept car here).

No such luck.

On Thursday, we brought our podcast to a “live” set courtesy of the new Premier Sports Talk Network (PSTN). It’s an online multi-level platform concept devised by my former sales manager at ESPN Detroit Weston Silver and chief engineer Ray Templin; all part of Brian Dailey’s Woodward One Media.

Weston and Ray had a professional set up and had other talented individuals doing shows such as Detroit radio gurus Bob Bauer and Art Regner. Damon “The Dog” Perry and Rob Wise, also a part of the ESPN Detroit 1090 project, are going to do shows on PSTN as well.
The last time Rob and I were down at the auto show was 2008.

We were working at WCHB 1200, Radio One, and we went “live” all week from “radio row” on the Cobo Hall concourse. Prior to that, we did the NAIAS every year during our run at WKRK 97.1 FM. I don’t recall if we did shows there in our time at WDFN.

Everyone wants to be down there. It’s outstanding exposure and gives people a chance to see the shows from ALL radio stations. Much of the time it’s the first vision Metro Detroit peeps get of the folks they hear on the air day in and day out.

No doubt it has become a winter gathering place.

Oh yeah, they have CARS there too.

As soon as we arrived at Cobo, Rob got a glimpse of his notoriety since his departure from ESPN’s “First Take.”

Near our broadcast position at Cobo, just outside the show’s doors at the Detroit north alcove facing the old Marquette Building, Radio One had its set up. We got to see some of our old co-workers from the three stations in that urban cluster.

On the air at the time, was national host and actor/comedian D.L. Hughley.

Hughley now has a syndicated program through Cumulus Media heard around the country. He’s been in a lot of movies; done tons of television including his own show, “The Hughleys” which aired four seasons on UPN.

He’s kind of a big deal.

I knew Rob would run up to D.L. to buddy-up with the dude but… before he could, it was HUGHLEY that yelled out to Parker.

“Hey, Rob!” he said. “I miss you on TV, man!”

Parker would never write this, because he has a very tiny ego (insert laugh track here), but even I was impressed that D.L. had recognized Rob so quickly. They had never met so it was a surprise to R.P. that D.L. knew who HE was.

Thanks Robert Griffin.

Once we got past Hughley and a tour of the hospitality room and the many food wraps and soup, it was back to our broadcast position where Regner was now on doing his thing.

The set-up from PSTN included a two-camera webcam shoot streamed on the website. Bob Bauer had already done two full days at the auto show with his popular Outdoor World program and soon it will air on WDFN Saturday mornings starting in February.

At 5:00 sharp, Ray played our old “show open” (which you can hear at the start of all our podcasts on our website) and the Parker and The Man Show had returned after five and a half years away.

Officially, we ended the run the day the Red Wings celebrated their fourth (of this era) and most recent Stanley Cup Championship downtown in June of ’08. At that point, we went separate ways to work on other projects.

Rob was back and forth to New York a lot and I spent most of my time in Las Vegas.

I may be stupid… but I ain’t dumb. If you’re going to do “other projects” there are few places better than Southern Nevada.

Back in Detroit for the ESPN Detroit radio deal, Rob came on a few of the shows by phone but only once did he show up in studio. We did ONE reunion program on my solo show, for all that have asked, and that was in April of 2013.

In August we started doing the podcasts which led us to PSTN and the auto show appearances.

Thursday turned into a “TV Theme song Thursday.”

It was a re-hash of what we used to do at DFN, KRK and CHB. No, we didn’t bring back “Sports-a-Cution.”

We thought about it… but no, didn’t happen.

Ray was quick enough to find some old themes on YouTube or somewhere and played them in and out of breaks.

I had flashbacks. If I had been cool enough and old enough in the 60’s, I would have sworn that psychedelic drugs were involved.

Everything OLD is NEW again.

Parker and I sitting there on the webcam doing a radio show was like a comfy pair of shoes. They sit in the back of the closet all smelly and stuff and you put them on after not bothering for years and voila! They feel real cozy.

Ok, now I definitely seem like I’m on drugs.

Very nice of people to come up and “welcome” us back with some kind words. It would have been alright if they had said, “You dorks again?” We would have understood.

Regner stuck around for the first hour of the revamped (insert head shake here) Parker and The Man program. It was like DFN re-visited.

Revamped… re-visited… add any “re” you like.

We got into the Pistons a little, some college hoops with the big MSU-UM game coming Saturday, Tiger baseball, Lions’ coaching moves, etc. The usual compliment of sporting activities in this fine city. Even Local 4 anchor Guy Gordon stopped by and we gave him all the time he wanted to promote his WDIV late morning show with Karen Drew, “Live in the D.” Good to see Guy who is close to being Mr. Auto Show!

When it’s all said and done, we have always centered on raw sports talk during our radio shows.

“No fluff— the REAL stuff,” as Rob likes to say.

I always laugh at that one. Makes me giggle.

He said… giggle.

In this day and age of “guy talk” we have never strayed from what the sports fan in Detroit wants. This city is more than unique. People are mostly born here, or come here for school; something like that, and remain here. It’s NOT a transient town for the most part.

There are no better sports fans in the nation than in Detroit. I’ve been enough places to know that flat-out.

Motor City people don’t like phonies.

Others have come here to do radio talk shows and have been shown the door post haste. They don’t understand the community and they suffer for it. The landscape is littered with those that thought they could CHANGE the perception but the only thing that changes is THEIR address.

Be it good or bad, that is the way it is.

We like doing the podcasts and we like this new project.

PSTN is how it’s going to be in the future. Multi-level platforms (MLP) with digital content through internet websites in conjunction with mainstream radio and TV, is the ONLY journey to success. Those tracks are now oiled with twitter, facebook, Instagram, tumblr and the like.

Basically, the future is NOW.

It’s already happening more and more and a failure to hop on the MLP train will leave you at the station huffing and puffing.

I like when new things take shape. It’s easy to hammer it but those that do, aren’t into reality. No, it’s not easy making money but if it were easy… everyone would be doing it.

Everyone probably should.

My main mantra is this— I can make you a guarantee. If you DO NOT try… you WILL NOT get.

The Premier Sports Talk Network is worth the try.

Brian Dailey, of the law firm bearing his name, is ahead of the game; an innovator and visionary. His radio law show is successful and he was part of what we had going on at KRK when CBS had it as FM Talk before going to the mega-successful sports talk outlet. Bringing in PSTN is just a bonus.

So, we do some shows, have some fun, let it fly and hopefully you check it out and like what there is to offer. Art, Damon and Bauer are seasoned pros who are more than relevant in 2014. “Chef” Rob Wise and Theo Gridiron, of Lions’ singing fame, are new voices on the sports talk scene that you should give a listen to.

Rob and I?

We’re just a couple of slappies that can’t seem to break away from our thing but are more energized and charged up than ever. We showed that again at the auto show; TV themes and all.

Oh man, that old cliché IS true.

The more things change… the more they remain the same.

They just change/remain on different modern media.