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Jimmy Lynn on what went into his decision to stay in Our Town after grad school ~
“When I was coming out of AU after grad school, a couple mentors pulled me aside and said, you think you might need to move to New York or LA? I wasn’t sure. And they said, you might be a small fish in a big pond. Why not stay here in DC where you can be a big fish in a medium sized pond.”
Andy Ockershausen: This is Our Town. This is Andy Ockershausen. And this is such, I say this in all sincerity, a great, great opportunity and a pleasure to talk to a friend for many, many years. At one time, a big part of WMAL radio. Things have changed, Jimmy. The big days that you and I grew up are gone. But to have you in this studio to me is special and Jimmy Lynn, welcome to Our Town.
Jimmy Lynn: Thank you, Andy. It’s so great to be back to see you. To see Janice. To be back at the studios from back in the 80s when WMAL and Q107 were the kings of media.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, at one time we were the kings of media and we’re still … And Janice is the queen of media now.
Jimmy Lynn: We know that.
Andy Ockershausen: But Jimmy, if you recall, and I know you do, you got started in the business here. You were fortunate at the time as I was, because I started as you did. I started at the bottom and worked my way down. And you have done so much with your life and I want to talk about it but your DC career, to me, is special. You’re a local guy that grew up here and made something out of being a local.
Doing Business in Our Town – Big Fish, Medium Pond
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah. No, that was very important to me. When I was coming out of AU after grad school, a couple mentors pulled me aside and said, you think you might need to move to New York or LA? I wasn’t sure. And they said, you might be a small fish in a big pond. Why not stay here in DC where you can be a big fish in a medium sized pond. And you and Charlie Brotman told me the importance of networking and relationship building, shaking hands, and once you look someone in the eye to do business.
So they said stay in DC. You’re going to make friends. You’re going to business together. You’re going to celebrate together. You’re going to go to funerals together. You have a chance to become the old boy network which you and Charlie were.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, Jimmy, you’re so right. And I had an opportunity yesterday to talk to a bunch of young people in something called Leadership Greater Washington. I happened to be one of the founders of the organization in 1986 and ’87 was our first class. Nothing has changed, Jimmy. That’s over 30 some years ago and it’s still networking, getting around, connect the dots. There’s no secret to be a success. Show up. Return your phone calls.
Andy O, Jr.
Jimmy Lynn: I don’t think I’ve told you this but a couple of people have told me, Jimmy, you have one of the top five or top 10 rolodexes in the DC business community. And people used to call me Andy O, Jr. I always took that as a big compliment because you were the most connected guy in town.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, because, I still use the old Rolodex. I can’t use this thing that you have, Jimmy. And Janice does it. Ken does it. But I’m a dead duck. I can’t do it. But my Rolodex is important to my life because I pop up names on there that I haven’t talked to in years and suddenly there they are in my Rolodex.
And people use me for references and I appreciate it so much. But Jimmy you learned the lesson. But learning it is one thing, executing it in which you did, your career, I never understood what a double alumnus is.
American University Communications and Marketing
Jimmy Lynn: I went to American University. I have my Communication degree as undergrad and then MBA in Marketing.
Andy Ockershausen: I went to American University myself when I was an intern at WMAL. And we called them a trainee. And Fred Fiske was my professor. Do you remember him?
Jimmy Lynn: Wow, the legend. Absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: The legend. But I learned so much from people like Fred Fiske. One of the things I learned, Jimmy, and you are paramount to me at doing it and I’ve seen your career. Attach yourself to successful people.
Surround Yourself with Good People
Jimmy Lynn: Surround yourself with good people. So very, very important.
Andy Ockershausen: That’s why I grabbed onto Harden and Weaver. I couldn’t let that go. Before that it was Jim Gibbons. You remember that name of course.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: And getting a hold of Janice made my life. Because I didn’t have a life before that.
Jimmy Lynn: We love Janice.
Andy Ockershausen: It’s been true. And Sonny became my guy because he and I hit it off. A long time ago. Way back in 1964, Jimmy. With Sam Huff. The three of us had a relationship.
Jimmy Lynn: Legends.
Andy Ockershausen: But you, you did it. You attached yourself to the right people. You made a career of it. But Jimmy, and you were starting out, one of the fortunate things that happened to you was you got in a job as an intern with the right people here at WMAL.
The Importance of Internships
Jimmy Lynn: Yes, I tell my students all the time how important it is to do internships. And I use as proof, I did six internships in radio and TV. Undergrad and grad. And four were here at WMAL and Q107. And I learned so much, met so many good people and built relationships that I have to this day.
Andy Ockershausen: You know, Jimmy, and then you used that as a stepping stone to other relationships. The thing that I’ve always admired about you. To see you in a group, you’re always with important people. Very seldom do I see you not as part of a group. Moving up, down, or sideways, you were in with the right people and that’s what it’s all about.
Jimmy Lynn: Mm-hmm. Absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: Are we fortunate enough? We’re fortunate enough to have a still a wonderful feeling about the broadcast business. I want to talk to you about Washington DC and what you’ve done and what you’ve learned. And then we’ll revert into the new Jimmy Lynn. This is Our Town. This is Andy Ockershausen with the great
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Announcer: You’re listening to Our Town with Andy Ockershausen. Brought to you by Best Bark Communications.
Andy Ockershausen: This is Our Town, Andy Ockershausen and trying to find out so much as that I know about Jimmy Lynn and have the world understand. Jimmy, you’re involved so much in the community, like your work as a sports marketing, what was the group that you were instrumental in getting started here with, we were trying to bring sports events to Washington DC?
On the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and Olympics
Jimmy Lynn: Greater Washington Sports Alliance.
Andy Ockershausen: That’s it.
Jimmy Lynn: Yep. That was pretty interesting. I think DC tried to get the Olympics in 2002 here.
Andy Ockershausen: We went all out.
Jimmy Lynn: And didn’t happen.
Andy Ockershausen: Great offer.
Jimmy Lynn: And so other cities that do that have these sports alliances which help bring business leaders together. And we tried to get the 2012 Olympics as well. But I think what that did is brought the business communities of DC, Maryland, and Virginia, working closer.
Andy Ockershausen: Yeah, it was a group effort because it had to be because the facilities are so spread out. I remember, even the Naval Academy was involved. We were going to do things in the Navy and Marine Corps stadium. That effort showed me that this town is ready to stand up and the proof of it is Amazon’s coming here because it’s a great place to be.
Jimmy Lynn: I’ll say, Andy, Washington DC would be a great city for the Olympics. I spent a lot of time in London, but a lot of time in Rio de Janeiro before the Rio Olympics and they were just struggling to get things built, roads built till the last minute. And I just got back from Tokyo, 10 days ago.
Andy Ockershausen: Wow.
Jimmy Lynn: Tokyo’s going to host the Olympics next year. Just seeing, everything’s almost already ready in Tokyo. They’re just well prepared and advanced.
Andy Ockershausen: They are so important. The Japanese people. Well, you know that better than anybody, Jimmy. But to hear you talk about it, that’s what I say about you. You’re attached to the right people. To go to Brazil and go to all the places that you have gone and you’re growing up more or less in the business. But Jimmy you’ve been involved in charity work?
Jimmy Lynn: Yes.
Andy Ockershausen: And since day one, or let me say when you became a sports “celebrity”, it was always with charity work, correct?
On the Importance of Giving Back to the Community and Board Service
Jimmy Lynn: Yes. I’ll say a couple of things. I was thinking about this this morning. I mean, I learned so much about how WMAL gave back to the community. WMAL was a community leader under your leadership. And so many people were involved with … I learned what PSAs are for the first time. But no, MAL was a community and then I was fortunate enough to go to AOL in ’95. And then AOL became a huge leader in the philanthropy community here in Washington DC. And a long time mentor of mine is Ted Leonsis who was the President of AOL at the time. And I was running sports for him. And Ted impacted me. Steve Case, our CEO, impacted me. Darrell Green impacted me with his Youth For Life Foundation and Suzie Kay with the Hoops for Dream Foundation. And I think all those together made me really want to get involved so I ended up serving on the boards of over nine nonprofits.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, it cost me a lot in my life because of time, but it was well worth it. Because it did get me attached to Janice but I was on 21 boards of different things at one different time in my broadcast career, because I was out all the time, because they let me do it. ABC, Disney.
Jimmy Lynn: Well, the reason they wanted me on the boards is the same reason you were on the boards, because we know a lot of people and we have good reputation. So I actually work with 14 nonprofits at one point. I was the face of AOL in the DC business community. And they want our relationships. And that’s why we’re a key board person.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, to me AOL was three people. Jim Kimsey who I knew from the bar business. Steve Case and Jimmy Lynn. I didn’t know, I know that Leonsis at one time was an advertising guy, correct? Boy, I heard him give a speech about what they did in advertising when he was growing up in the business and I was fascinated. A brilliant man.
Jimmy Lynn: A brilliant man. No, Ted I learned so much because I mentor a couple dozen students a year at Georgetown. Now mostly minority students. Mostly first generation college. That actually comes from Ted. Because Ted came to Georgetown as a Greek immigrant from Brooklyn in the ’70s and he was lost. And he was mentored by a 75 year old Jesuit priest, Father Durkin. Father Durkin mentored Ted so well. Ted ended up graduating number one in his class in ’77 and went on to become a billionaire. Right? But this came from being mentored by the right person. So I call it pay it forward. Father Durkin mentored Ted. Ted mentored me. I mentor dozens of Georgetown students. And they, in turn, are starting to mentor the inner city youth here in DC.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, it pays all so much because you give of yourself and I was in a peculiar position. I didn’t have a lot of money. Broadcasting didn’t pay as much as AOL did, but I was able to get money from other people and that was as good as me giving it.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, we were taught those of us that are fortunate to have made money. We’re taught to give back. So I’ve actually, I’m paying the college tuition of two of my long time mentees that are Chinese immigrant family. The young boy graduated from Maryland last year and now he works for Capital One. And his sister just finished her sophomore year. So my point is, I never had kids, so it’s not just them benefiting, I’m benefiting. I’m benefiting of what it’s like to be a parent.
Andy Ockershausen: Oh absolutely. You’re always a beneficiary.
Jimmy Lynn: It’s a win win.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, we, Janice and I, did that with money. Serious amount of money that I never thought that it would be available to us for Don Bosco Cristo Rey to send kids in the program and it got very … And Janice is on the Board. We got close to them and found that it was so enlightening to do that. It felt so good to give.
Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School
Jimmy Lynn: So Janice, I didn’t know that. So a lot of the kids I mentor at Georgetown are Cristo Rey graduates.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Oh yeah.
Jimmy Lynn: From LA, Chicago, Atlanta, all over. So kids from KIPP and Cristo Rey, those are a lot of the kids I mentor are Cristo Rey kids.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: At our Don Bosco Cristo Rey in Takoma Park, we have 100% . . . goes to . . . is accepted to college.
Andy Ockershausen: The good schools.
Jimmy Lynn: It’s amazing.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: It is amazing. It’s an opportunity to share the goodness and to watch these kids benefit.
Andy Ockershausen: They work. They’re in the community, the kids are.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: And they appreciate and work so hard.
Jimmy Lynn: Absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, Jimmy, tell me what else is … Now you’ve got a new life of a new business that you’re in called Kiswe?
Co-Founding Kiswe with Jeong Kim | Mobile Video
Jimmy Lynn: Kiswe.
Andy Ockershausen: Kiswe. Tell me about Kiswe?
Jimmy Lynn: So if you ask me that I’m doing, I’m doing, I’m balancing about five things right now.
Andy Ockershausen: But you always were.
Jimmy Lynn: I’m a co-founder of a company called Kiswe Mobile. My business partner is Jeong Kim. Jeong is one of the great DC business success stories.
Andy Ockershausen: A very wealthy man.
Jimmy Lynn: He came from … But he came from, he worked his way up. Got his PhD at University of Maryland. But he sold his first start up, Uri Systems to Alcatel- Lucent for 1.1 billion 20 years ago. So he’s been a long time partner with Ted and Raoul at Monumental Sports. And he was President of Bell Labs for many years.
Andy Ockershausen: Is he on the board of Monumental with the guys?
Jimmy Lynn: Well, he’s an owner. He’s one of the, a long time owner.
Andy Ockershausen: He’s one of them. I don’t think Kimsey was in that deal, was he?
Jimmy Lynn: No, he was not. But a lot of-
Andy Ockershausen: And Joe wasn’t either. Joe Roberts.
Jimmy Lynn: But a lot of technology leaders.
Andy Ockershausen: Oh my God, they are.
Jimmy Lynn: So Jeong and I are focused on the mobile video, where the space is going and we’ve been at it for five years.
Andy Ockershausen: What kind of mobile video? Screens?
Jimmy Lynn: It’s complicated.
Andy Ockershausen: It goes over my head.
Jimmy Lynn: It’s cloud based interactive streaming. It’s where the younger generation is watching much more video on mobile devices than TV. And so we’re making the live video on the mobile devices interactive. And basically, we’re mixing everything in the cloud. So basically, we’re creating a production truck in the cloud. So the leagues and networks love it because this is where the space is going. And we’re working globally. We have clients here in the US, but we have a lot in Asia. And a lot in Europe.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, it blows my mind because you’re right, that’s the future.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah that is the future.
Andy Ockershausen: The future passed me by but it’s your future.
Teaching at Georgetown University and the McDonough School of Business
Jimmy Lynn: But that’s what AOL taught me, to push the envelope but look at what’s next. So Kiswe’s my full time day job. And my night job is I teach at Georgetown. So I teach four classes. I teach-
Andy Ockershausen: McDonough? All at McDonough school?
Jimmy Lynn: Three at McDonough. I teach sports marketing strategy. Social and digital media marketing.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, that’s amazing.
Jimmy Lynn: A class called The Principles of a Lean Start Up, and then we built the largest graduate sports management program.
Andy Ockershausen: On campus?
Jimmy Lynn: Our downtown campus at 6th and Mass. And then I work in Business Development for the school. And then a couple other things I do on the side, I’m the board chair for the National Fitness Foundation. Working on getting Americans more physically fit. And then, one of my best friends and I produce documentary films. We’ve produced five films. We’ve sold three to Netflix and one to NBC.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, you’re incredible. You’re like, honey he’s a conglomerate. Have you realized that, Janny? Our Jimmy is now a conglomerate. I knew he was successful. I recall a guy who used to own a bar downtown called The Exchange. He was telling everybody way back, invest in this business. And people would say, nobody knows what that is. I wouldn’t know what they were talking about. It was the beginning with Jim Kimsey and AOL. But you were in the ground floor almost.
On AOL Sports Team | Built Largest Internet Sports Site in World
Jimmy Lynn: Well, not the … I was on the ground floor when sports started. 1995.
Andy Ockershausen: The sports part of it, right.
Jimmy Lynn: I was part of the team that built AOL Sports into the largest internet sports site in the world.
Andy Ockershausen: Incredible.
Jimmy Lynn: And ’95 was the first year of internet sports sites. And now we’re 24 years into it.
Andy Ockershausen: That’s hard to believe that AOL. It boggles my mind, Jimmy, that it’s 24 years ago. But to hear you and to hear your accomplishments, it’s satisfying to me because we’re a part of your life, Jimmy, you can’t get rid of it.
WMAL | Tony Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, you’ve always been a part of my life. One story, being back here at WMAL, I love, I still remember the time, probably ’87 or ’88, I was going to the men’s room. And as I walk in, a gentleman held the door open, “How you doing, young man”. It was Tony Bennett. Because he was here. I was like, “oh that old singer’s here”. That was like ’87. He’s still going strong.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: He’s still going strong.
Andy Ockershausen: Oh my God.
Jimmy Lynn: I still remembered Tony Bennett. Tony Bennett was here at WMAL. Probbly with Tony Renaud.
Andy Ockershausen: 30 years.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Yeah.
Andy Ockershausen: And Tony, with Sinatra, you know how big that was?
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, best dressed man here.
Andy Ockershausen: He didn’t call him, Frank. He called him Mr. S. Tony took me down to meet Frank and it was like going to meet the King of England, of course.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, of course.
Andy Ockershausen: At the Madison. But that was an experience you had and I had with a guy like Tony Renaud. He had good contacts, didn’t he. And knew how to milk them. Tony Bennett. Who was the guy that used to come in, Janny, with Tom Gauger and play the piano?
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Marvin Hamlisch?
Andy Ockershausen: Marvin Hamlisch right here. Whenever he was in Washington, he’d come to WMAL.
Jimmy Lynn: No, but that’s an amazing thing because before like cable networks came out. And before the internet and all these mobile applications, I mean WMAL, it was the media leader. It was the leader.
Andy Ockershausen: I tell people about meeting Colonel Harland Sanders, right here in our studio. Roy Rogers.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: How about Charlton Heston coming in without an entourage.
Andy Ockershausen: He came in alone.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: By himself.
Andy Ockershausen: That was us, Jimmy. That was you. This is Andy Ockershausen, we’ve had a wonderful conversation with Jimmy Lynn. And we’re not finished yet, Jimmy. I’m not going to let you off the hook. This is Our Town.
Announcer: You’re listening to Our Town with Andy Ockershausen.
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Announcer: You’re listening to Our Town with Andy Ockershausen. Brought to you by Best Bark Communications.
Andy Ockershausen: This is Our Town and Andy Ockershausen. We’re having a wonderful conversation with a very dear and well respected friend who’s one of the big, big guys in Washington because he’s involved with the right people. Jimmy, like I always said, it’s not what you are it’s who you know. If you know the right people, you’ll go a long way. And you’ve done so well to start your own business. That, to me, is fantastic. Now well me about the awards. I know, I see you, and your name all the time as winning an award, Jimmy.
Community Service and Mentoring
Jimmy Lynn: Oh, thank you, Andy. I tell people the reason I like the awards is because I’m always stressing the importance of community service and mentoring others. And so, I’ve been fortunate enough to win an award from Mayor Fenty for my work in the Asian Pacific Islander community. I’ve been fortunate to Greater DC Cares gave me award. Europe gave me an award. I received a couple of awards from Georgetown. Dean’s Leadership Award which is really about community service and giving back.
Andy Ockershausen: Getting involved, Jimmy.
Jimmy Lynn: That’s what it is.
Andy Ockershausen: I tell young people the more you give, much more you get back for it.
Jimmy Lynn: Oh yeah, I tell people there’s four way to give back. You can give time. You can give money. You can give time and money or you do nothing. A lot of people don’t have money. But your time is just as valuable as the money.
Andy Ockershausen: In a lot of cases more.
Jimmy Lynn: Right. And so that’s, when I post frequently on social media. I’m just trying to get more people to get involved. Like this morning, I just posted. This is one of my favorite things. So the last two years for the Georgetown Women’s Basketball Camp, they’ve asked me if I can help raise some money so we can send young girls from lower income communities to the camp. And it’s the-
Andy Ockershausen: Is it McDonough? They do their own camp?
“Playing It Forward” Georgetown Hoyas’ Women’s Basketball Day Camps
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, we have a women’s basketball camp. So a couple years ago, we sent 30 young girls from low income families to the camp for three days. And last year, we sent 50. And I’m telling you, it changes the young girls’ lives. Because not only are they learning basketball, I take them to the business school and they meet the Dean, who is African American woman, first generation college. And they can see themselves. They don’t know what the Dean is but I’m like she’s like the principal, right? And she’s so happy. And then, some of these kids, I meet and now I’m like these are the next couple of kids I want to get to college.
Andy Ockershausen: They’re going to … These kids are going to grow up to be women and to be great athletes, probably.
Jimmy Lynn: Absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, I preach that. Because I got involved with the police Boys and Girls Club and our camp and some in our camp, the thing that blew my mind. We had kids that had never seen green grass.
Jimmy Lynn: Exactly.
Andy Ockershausen: Come to that camp. And as far as seeing the water, they were boggled for the first few days.
Jimmy Lynn: Well, Andy, you know that. I mean I remember the Hoop Dreams Foundation when Susie Kay used to tell me, some of these kids from AC Woodson have never been to Georgetown, have never spoken to a Caucasian person at 18. I didn’t believe her. But I see why because a lot of the kids from our Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy that come to the women’s basketball camp, they live in Ward Seven and Ward Eight. And they just have not been to the other side of DC. So it’s great to expose the kids to being on a college campus. Seeing students that look like them. And the being in the classroom.
Andy Ockershausen: And you’re a leader down at Georgetown, but you’ve done it so many ways and everybody that you work with. I mean Ted has been a great advocate of that. Getting these young kids going.
Jimmy Lynn: Oh yeah amazing. Ted’s amazing.
Andy Ockershausen: And before Joe died, he was in deep. He and Kimsey had that Foundation with Donald Graham and they were all working together.
Professional Sports in Our Town Involved in Community
Jimmy Lynn: And you know why I love what Ted’s done. He also has his teams involved. The Wizards. The Mystics. The Capitals. They’re all involved in the community. That just makes it better for everyone.
Andy Ockershausen: I’m so happy for Ted. It only took him four or five years, poor Abe was just fifty something. Couldn’t win. He won one time.
Jimmy Lynn: I mean just think, it was a year ago the Caps won the Stanley Cup and it energized the city but you saw the diversity of the fan base. It was amazing, right?
Andy Ockershausen: Absolutely. Well, growing up in Washington, we didn’t do hockey because it wasn’t here. But now a whole group has come along and they found out about hockey and Ted’s exploited that.
Jimmy Lynn: And every game’s sold out for what? 10 years. It’s the most exciting live sports experience.
Andy Ockershausen: Since Michael Jordan. Remember when Michael was here, they sold out every day.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, that was because of Michael, of course. Jimmy, tell me what else you’re doing with Kiswe. When you talk about the young people, and this whole generation of everybody is now operating and I’ve said to people the telephone now rules the world I think. Social media and the telephone.
Interactive Mobile Video | Kiswe
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, if you think about how like your producer over here. How you use an app, your thumbs are always, whether you’re texting, you’re on the phone, you’re typing. But the one thing you don’t do is with video. Video, it’s more a lean back experience and you watch the video. The TV networks will take their linear TV feed and just slap it into an app.
So we wanted to change it. We wanted to make it so that the video is interactive. So that’s what we’ve done. So, for instance, we did a KPOP, Korean Pop is really popular in Asia. So last year, there was a concert. We took 21 different camera feeds, ingested them in the clouds and then brought them down to 12 different pictures in pictures. So if you’re a consumer, you can pick your favorite KPop member or look backstage. So it’s a different way to experience a concert. It’s not just a one feed the TV Director is giving you. You can also-
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Is there a camera on each person? Each different person?
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, it’s actually just the regular TV feed. We’re just taking the TV feed. And then we’re mixing it all up in the cloud.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: So it would be the cloud would be like Ken sitting here under control, but it’s up in the cloud. So instead of being in a room, it’s being operated and mixed in space.
Jimmy Lynn: Absolutely.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: And that space is infinite?
Jimmy Lynn: Infinite, right.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: So you don’t have-
Andy Ockershausen: Would you all mind speaking in English because I don’t understand these foreign terms. Jimmy does.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Well, there’s so much space. You’re limited often people are limited by the width of the band, right?
Jimmy Lynn: Right. So if you think about a sports event, there’s a big 18 wheeler. It’s a production truck. And all these people staff. And so, basically what we’re doing is we’re becoming more and more, that production truck in the cloud. We’re using the latest technology to do that. So that’s going to bring.
Andy Ockershausen: It’s up there, you might well do it?
Jimmy Lynn: That’s going to bring the production cost down significantly.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: Wow, that’s impressive.
Jimmy Lynn: You know what? I don’t understand the technology. I just know a lot of people.
Andy Ockershausen: That’s what it’s about, Jimmy.
Jimmy Lynn: I can get us in to meet almost with any league or sports property in the world, but the technology, I can’t do that. Those are our brilliant, my partners, and our engineering team?
Andy Ockershausen: But you bring a special talent to that, Jimmy.
Jimmy Lynn: I know people.
Andy Ockershausen: And that works. You knowing people is a talent.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: And you’re a good communicator.
Andy Ockershausen: Having that Rolodex is a talent.
Jimmy Lynn: Yes it is. I learned from you.
Andy Ockershausen: I go through that with Brotman all the time. He’s got a list that you won’t believe.
Jimmy Lynn: Yeah, absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: But it’s all in there and then getting it out is something else.
Jimmy Lynn: Yep. Absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: But, Jimmy, I’m so proud of what you’ve done and you’re doing, WMAL Heritage. I mean, I’d wear that as a banner. I can tell people Jimmy Lynn is one of our guys. He taught me everything I don’t know about the internet. It’s hard to believe, Ken. He was talking this way – we’re talking 25 years ago – I don’t understand it.
Jimmy Lynn: One of the other things I’m really proud of is after I left radio, I went to Home Team Sports, where I saw you all, right?
Andy Ockershausen: He followed me all over.
Jimmy Lynn: I had to follow you.
Andy Ockershausen: We’re Schwaubie
Always Innovating – From Home Team Sports to AOL
Jimmy Lynn: We’re Schwaubie. So one of the things I did was I was actually pushed AOL to be the first regional sports network to have an internet site. So we actually launched in January ’95 with Jody Shapiro and Bill Aber. And we became the first regional sports network to have an internet site. And so, when I left HTS to join AOL in the Spring of ’95, one of the first things we did, we did an Orioles baseball game. We did a cyber cast where I actually took the laptop in the broadcast studio and we took questions from the member. And then they asked Jim Palmer and John Lowenstein and Mel Proctor.
Andy Ockershausen: Right there, live.
Jimmy Lynn: And that’s the future.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, it is. Was it Bill Brown. Was he involved?
Jimmy Lynn: Oh, absolutely.
Andy Ockershausen: Remember little Bill?
Jimmy Lynn: Oh I loved Bill Brown.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy this has been a great, great conversation. I cannot re-emphasize how proud I am of what you have done and what you have been through and what’s in the future for you. I will do my best to understand your future. Too difficult for me. I have still difficult time answering the phone.
Jimmy Lynn: No, you don’t.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, so good. Is anything that we haven’t talked about that you’d like to … It’s about you, Jimmy. Not about me or WMAL. You’re the man.
Jimmy Lynn: No, I think it just ties back to arc of working at WMAL to working at AOL and working now at Georgetown.
Andy Ockershausen: The people.
Jimmy Lynn: How important it is to give back to the community and it’s more important than ever right now with all the political indecisiveness going on that to help other people. And I think the more we do that, the better we are.
Andy Ockershausen: Well, Jimmy, you’re a living proof of that. And I do what I can. And thank the good Lord that Janice has found me and made it possible for me to have a life.
Jimmy Lynn: So this is going to be interesting, Janice will show you. But we have a couple photos. So I’m going to post photos of this. I’m going to put it on my social media right now for this.
Andy Ockershausen: The whole world will be watching.
Jimmy Lynn: But you’re going to see how many people are going to comment. People that love Andy. They’re going to be so many great comments about Andy O.
Andy Ockershausen: Except from Charlie who can’t see.
Janice Iacona Ockershausen: This is going to be way beyond when we air this. This will be a couple months from today when we air this in September. But I must tell you that one of the great things that’s going to happen tonight at Clyde’s Restaurant is going to be a reunion of the 4400 Jennifer Street Gang. And it’s going be people that have gone, sales people, personalities from WRQX and WMAL. So it will be a real wonderful event. A tear jerker, I’m sure with a lot of good memories. But I hope you can join us.
Jimmy Lynn: All right. Thank you so much. And thank you. Great to see you. Good to be back.
Andy Ockershausen: Jimmy, it’s wonderful. I mean, I have always admired your progress, but you’re bigger than I knew. But you’re never too big to be a part of us Jimmy.
Jimmy Lynn: I’m always here for you, Andy. You know that.
Andy Ockershausen: This is Our Town. Andy Ockershausen with the wonderful, fabulous Jimmy Lynn.
Announcer: You’ve been listening to Our Town, Season 5, a Hometown favorite with your host Andy Ockershausen. New Our Town episodes are released every Tuesday. Special thanks to Ken Hunter, our technical director, and to WMAL Radio in Washington DC. Follow Our Town on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. If you haven’t yet, go to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and don’t forget to rate and review our podcast. Join us next Tuesday for another Our Town conversation. Thanks so much for listening.
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