Leaving Town ...

... There was some serendiptiy the other day when I was driving home from work on I-75 through Buckhead and heard Dexter Freebish's "Leaving Town" on the radio.

It seems like just yesterday we were getting ready to live in the ATL, yet in a matter of two years, we're packing and heading for frozen Minnesota and excited about every minute of it - especially when your mother-in-law cries because you'll be a short-drive from her house in Waunakee, Wisconsin.

I arrive at MSP on Sunday night in time to report for duty at K102 (KEEY-FM) as General Sales Manager on Monday morning.

Jen and the boys will transition to the Midwest over the next couple weeks, stopping to spend some time in Madison and Milwaukee.

While we weren't planning this move, we are very excited. It is a great professional opportunity and an even better personal opportunity. It puts us closer to our families where 6-month old grandchildren need to be.

It also keeps my wonderful, charming, beautiful, and sexy wife out of Mendota with relatives within a short drive to provide a breather from the world of baby twin boys.

It's also a great opportunity professionally and I know I'll succeed.

I remember walking into Z104 (WZEE-FM) almost 16 years ago as a college kid with a love for media. I knew right then that I wanted to capture the energy of the radio pros and channel that into a career in media. I didn't get that vibe at a newspaper. Radio was it.

So far, so good.

And, K102 is one of the top 5 country radio stations in America. Since my days with 93Q (KKBQ) in Houston, I have a passion for country music (Thanks Judy Lakin, Alana Thomas, Caroline Devine, and Jaymie Kosina).

Once you get it, you get it.

Let the fun begin.

We're jazzed to live in MSP with our friends from the University of Wisconsin nearby. While I've spent plenty of weekends around the Twin Cities, I've never been a resident.

Now, I'll be able to call myself a Minnesotan.

I may not be able to cheer for the Gophers, the Vikings, or the Twins (Go White Sox), yet I'm excited for State Fair and all the other events around The Cities especially hockey.

It's also with a heavy heart that Jen and I bid farewell to ATL.

We were just beginning to set roots and friendships.

We loved being 4 hours from Destin, Florida and within an hour of the North Georgia Mountains. Plus, we'll leave a great cast of friendships that were just beginning to blossom. The beauty of living in 2009 is Facebook, phones, email, and more.

It's also with a total sad face that I leave WSB Radio in Atlanta. It's a first-class organization and this is the place that invented the NBC chimes (you know the Duhn, Duhn, Duhn that NBC plays during primetime).

It's like playing in Yankee Stadium everyday.

When they say in sweepers "The home of Boortz, Clark, and Hannity" - they mean it. Plus, the morning drive has a 20+ share rating - unheard of in 2009.

Broadcast magic happens everyday in that building on 1601 West Peachtree Street and I'm a better broadcaster and media professional because of it. I would never trade my two years in ATL and at WSB/KISS/RIVER (et. al) for anything. It's a little sad that it will end so quickly.

Yet opportunity knocks and we know all good things come to an end.

Looking ahead, 11-years from now, we'll be able to bring the boys for a drive down Peachtree Street to see the hospital where they were born (Piedmont Hospital) and where they lived for their first 6 months. And, I might come back for a visit and a beer at Fado over the next few years.

'Til we meet in MSP!

And, for the serendipity of the Dexter Freebish reference, when Jen and I moved from Austin to Houston, this was a record we made a hit at KHFI. The band broke up shortly after that. Long live the "Live Music Capital of the World."

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