Tommy McFly – D.C.’s “local Ryan Seacrest”

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Tommy McFly on what teachers should do with kids who talk non-stop in the classroom –

“The kid in the class who the teacher always says, “Stop talking.” They need to be in speech and debate, because you get to channel your argument. You get to channel your ability to stand in front of the crowd where they actually encourage you to be in front of the crowd in a classroom making a ruckus.”

A Ockershausen: I’m so delighted to have a very special, young guest. We haven’t had many, Tommy. Thank God for you. The Washington Post says our next guest is a “local Ryan Seacrest”. That’s quite a tribute when the paper says that. Janice says he is cute, sweet, very high energy, and by all accounts the future of modern radio. I applaud that. Doing it the old fashioned way, making list as a member of his radio family, one at a time, Tommy McFly is doing it right. Tommy, welcome to Our Town, and welcome back to your old home at WMAL Q107 Studios.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. It’s so great to be back here today.
A Ockershausen: Now you came back as a major star. When you left there, you were just starting to …
Tommy McFly: I was a nobody. They threw me out of here.
A Ockershausen: Now, you were never nobody. When you worked with Jack Donovan, you were so popular and still are. The best part that I found out about you Tommy, and I didn’t know much because … I’m being honest with you. I’m not a listener, because I don’t even know what Fresh is anymore. I know what callers are. Somebody said, “He’s Fresh.” I don’t know what Fresh is. I don’t know when that happened. Five years ago?
Tommy McFly: About six years ago, yeah. Fresh re-launched as sort of a contemporary pop station. We play songs from Katy Perry and Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. All your favorites, Andy.
A Ockershausen: They are favorite, but they’re all over the country. Right? There’s a Fresh in every market.
Tommy McFly: There’s a couple Fresh. CBS Radio has … Right now there are two Fresh left. There’s a Fresh in New York and a Fresh in D.C.
A Ockershausen: Okay. The rest of them, they changed the formatting.
Tommy McFly: At one point, we had three. There was as Chicago Fresh. Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: You have three people in your cast too. That number three keeps popping up.
Tommy McFly: I do. I work with my two best friends, Kelly Collis and Jen Richer.
A Ockershausen: How lucky can you be?
Tommy McFly: Honest to goodness, having the opportunity six years ago to start a morning show in a major city like Washington-
A Ockershausen: Wow!
Tommy McFly: In a city that we all love.
A Ockershausen: Capital of the world.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. I completely agree that this city is more important than New York and more important than Los Angeles by far. To be able to do it here for a great company that believed in us and let us. They put me who was a yelling night jock and my sarcastic, recently divorced neighbor who lived down the street and my friend who came from news, and let us do a morning show in Washington. It was an unbelievable opportunity.
A Ockershausen: Wow!
Tommy McFly: It’s funny. Kelly, my co-host, says that sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
A Ockershausen: No question about that.
Tommy McFly: We hit the lucky streak on that one for sure. We for six years-
A Ockershausen: Luck follows hard work, which to me is speed. Your hard work was the luck, come from your hard work.
Tommy McFly: Well, thank you very much.
A Ockershausen: It’s true. It’s true in life. The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get.
Tommy McFly: We always say that we are not the funniest or best looking show, but we will outwork you every day of the week.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, you do it in so many ways. Now, let’s talk about the original McFly. When you were a child, you got involved in radio. What is your hometown? Is it Scranton?
Tommy McFly: It’s Scranton, Pennsylvania. Yup, I started very young.
A Ockershausen: You and Joe Biden.
Tommy McFly: Joe Biden, The Office and me. I’m the third most important export, because I can’t beat those guys. It’s interesting. This month start being on the air more of my life than I’ve been off the air.
A Ockershausen: Wow!
Tommy McFly: At 30.
A Ockershausen: A child prodigy.
Tommy McFly: I don’t know about that, but I started very young. My mom worked for the District Attorney. My dad was a state policeman. My mom’s intern in the DA’s office was in law school, but he was also a part-time radio host.
A Ockershausen: Your dad was?
Tommy McFly: No. My mom’s intern. My dad was always a police officer. Although my dad always does give me ideas that he thinks would be great on the show.
A Ockershausen: He grabbed you and said, “Whatever happens, don’t screw up, Tommy.”
Tommy McFly: Oh, absolutely. Oh my goodness. I got into so much trouble because I was broadcasting in my hometown of Scranton, and all of my dad’s state trooper friends would listen. They would give him heck for things that I said on the radio.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, what a great start for you to be an actor, to be involved. We had a guy that worked at WMAL I remember very well. His name was Jackson Weaver. Way before Tommy McFly. He was a child actor on radio.
Tommy McFly: Wow.
A Ockershausen: Yeah, because the radio, when they used to do drama when they had no TV when these guys started. What a great start for you to be involved, and then to transfer that ability to radio. The theater of the mind. People could imagine you before they could ever see you. Correct?
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. Absolutely. That’s where I got my start. I started public speaking very young in second grade doing reading competitions, and then I did speech and debate tournaments in high school, and actually in middle school as well. I got to go to the national tournaments a few times, which was wild. That was such an incredible start for students and for young people who are outgoing. The kid in the class who the teacher always says, “Stop talking.” They need to be in speech and debate, because you get to channel your argument. You get to channel your ability to stand in front of the crowd where they actually encourage you to be in front of the crowd in a classroom making a ruckus.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, look, I’ve been told my whole life, “You talk too much.” I haven’t heard that since my wife this morning, but it’s me, and you’re you, and as you’re you, people must like it.
Tommy McFly: I think so.
A Ockershausen: Be you. Absolutely.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. You kind of hear that too with modern stars today like Lady Gaga, and all of these artists. They say, “You should be yourself and be authentic.” Authenticity is something that I think is so important nowadays in every realm. In business, in politics, in celebrity, no matter where you come from.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, somebody told me, “You can’t fail if you’re yourself.” If people don’t adopt you and don’t accept you, too bad. That’s their fault, not yours.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: We’re talking to Tommy McFly here, a major, major talent that started in major parts of this company. Then, we all worked together at one time. Right? In the studio.
Tommy McFly: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
A Ockershausen: We’ll be right back on Our Town.
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Announcer: You’re listening to Our Town.
A Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen. This is Our Town. I’m talking to Tommy McFly. It’s such a treat because he knows where I am and unfortunately, I’m too old to appreciate him on the air, but I do appreciate him as a talent. He’s an enormously talented young man, and I hear so many great things about him. One of the things I hear about you all the time, Tommy, is wherever you go, McFly is around. That is a great, great tribute I think.
Tommy McFly: Thank you very much. Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: You work at it.

Tommy McFly: I appreciate that. It’s interesting. When we started our radio show six years ago, Kelly, Jen and I, we didn’t have a marketing budget. We didn’t have TV commercials. We grew our Fresh family as we call it. We don’t have listeners. We have Fresh family. We did it hand to hand combat style. We met every single person, and that was what was so incredible. We built it so authentically. Now, six years in, there are things that we do every year, when he help to raise money and lay the wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America, and then come out in January and pick them up. The work that we do with Best Buddies or for ovarian cancer, or with military charities like Code of Support. It’s really neat to have grown and mobilized that Tommy show tribe or that Fresh family because I feel like we built our audience.
A Ockershausen: You built it as a brick one at a time.
Tommy McFly: Well, thank you, yeah. That’s why I think it’s strong, because we have an actual connection with the people that we spend our mornings with. We don’t stay on the mountain and broadcast to our listeners. That’s not ever what we set out to do. Really, I think that’s why people who find out about our show are interested in it, and they hang around. I feel so strongly, Andy, that if you’re given a microphone, if you’re blessed enough to do the job that I get to do in a city that you love, if you don’t give back, you don’t deserve that microphone. I think the universe finds a way of taking that microphone away if you’re that kind of person.
A Ockershausen: Yeah. They’re find out.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: Audience will figure you out.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. We’re get up early, boo-hoo. We love what we do. The hardest part of my day is getting in the shower. My alarm goes off at 3:45. If I can just get to the shower, it’s going to be a great day.
A Ockershausen: You know, you train your body too. Now, you’re waking up on time. Think of all the years that I grew up and Janny grew up in radio. We always had some duty in the morning. Now, we’ve got a major duty in the morning. It’s to get up, get dressed, and get out with a dog. If you don’t take the dog out, you’re in trouble.
Tommy McFly: Ruin your whole day.
A Ockershausen: We’re on the street by 6:00 a.m. We like to be in the street earlier, but that’s the tough part. We get up and do it. We get up, get dressed, and get out. You’re a living example of that, Tommy.
Tommy McFly: You were saying that too. That’s what, you know. What is it? 70% of success is showing up?
A Ockershausen: Absolutely.
Tommy McFly: Kelly and Jen, the same way. We hustle everyday because we don’t take for granted the opportunity that we have.
A Ockershausen: Many years ago, Tommy, a very dear friend who’s presently dead, said, “The secret to life is get up, get dressed, and get out.” His thing was show up and return your phone calls, because most people don’t.
Tommy McFly: Yup, absolutely.
A Ockershausen: That’s the success. I’ve lived with that. Even people I hate, I return their phone calls.
Tommy McFly: That’s why you keep calling me back. Right?
A Ockershausen: Not you. Tommy, you’re special.
Tommy McFly: I’ve gotten really bad at that recently. I carry in my wallet, I carry everyone that I’ve met recently, their business card, who I still have to return an email to.
A Ockershausen: Wow.
Tommy McFly: Honest to goodness, I really shouldn’t have big of a stack.
A Ockershausen: What’s that M for? Metro Media?
Tommy McFly: M.
A Ockershausen: I recognize that M. Microsoft, the Kennedy Center.
Tommy McFly: That’s great.
A Ockershausen: The Hill, Monumental. I met Mr. Leonis. Ted Leonis at an event around the inauguration. I hold him about the work we’re doing with Best Buddies. He’s on our international board of Best Buddies, and he wanted to help.
Tommy McFly: He’s a fabulous guy. He’s got the tiger by the tail with these two teams because both of them look like playoff teams.
A Ockershausen: Honest to goodness.
Tommy McFly: Isn’t that great for Our Town?
A Ockershausen: Absolutely.
Tommy McFly: That’s why we keep referring to it. Maybe our baseball team is going to do something. I don’t have much to look forward to with the Redskins because they look like they’re in a little bit of disarray, but the baseball team should be coming along pretty good.
A Ockershausen: I think the Washington Nationals are so … They’re right there. I was at every home playoff game. Maybe I should stop going because whenever I go to the home playoff games, we lose.
Tommy McFly: Stay away.
A Ockershausen: I should watch it at home. When Jayson Werth hit that walk-off, I wasn’t there. Maybe I should bow out. Maybe we’re on to something.
Tommy McFly: Do it publicly. Say, “I’m dedicating myself to the team to win, and I’m not going to the game.” That would be a great promotion for Fresh.
A Ockershausen: I like that.
Tommy McFly: I’m serious. It’s a great promotion. Of all these things, do you have favorites? Do you have any charities that lead you to other things, business-wise, or is this strictly you give and don’t expect anything back?
A Ockershausen: You know, Andy-
Tommy McFly: You always get it back, Tommy.
A Ockershausen: You really do. If you set out doing charity to get back, you’re doing it wrong. It’s not why you should do it, but I … The reason and the story that I got involved with Best Buddies, which is my main charity. I’m chairman of the board here in the region, is really wonderful. It happen by accident. I get asked to do a lot of events. Emcee them every year. They have their second or first I believe. Eunice Kennedy Shriver fun run and bike ride on the National Mall. They asked me to do it, and I didn’t know much about Best Buddies. I’ll be honest with you. I’m 24 years old. I showed up late and hung over that day. I was the last person to start off on the 5K up Pennsylvania Avenue, looking at the Capitol, just trying to get through the run.
This little boy named Matthew who has Down’s Syndrome, kicked a soccer ball to me. I kicked it back, and I kept running, and then he came up again. He kicked it back. We’re playing soccer all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue. I emcee the student dance afterwards, which was really cool. In Best Buddies, our best buddies have intellectual disabilities and our peer buddies are people who don’t, and they form one-on-one friendships. I left thinking, wow, that was really neat, and they brought me back the next year.
Tommy McFly: That’s a fabulous, Tommy.
A Ockershausen: Thank you. The next year they brought me back, and I really focused on the peer buddies, young people without intellectual disabilities, who are the whole swath of high school. You’ve got student council kids and basketball and nerds and freaks and goths and geeks and cheerleaders and everybody. All who have stood up and said, “I want to do this.” They were all so much more courageous than I was when I was in high school. I wasn’t a bad kid in high school, but I just never would have done a charity like that. From there, I thought if I could make it even just a little bit more cool on the radio, then I’m going to do that to get more peer buddies.
Tommy McFly: You bring more people with you, Tommy. That’s so true, and you got a great platform to educate people about what you do and what they do. It’s so great to hear you because your enthusiasm is much more important than anything you do. Being enthusiastic.
A Ockershausen: Thank you.
Tommy McFly: It shows.
A Ockershausen: I never thought that I’d be a disabilities advocate, but our executive director, Karen Glasser, saw that, and she hooked me in. She drug me in as fast as she could, and so the next thing I know I’m on the board. Now a group of young professionals and I, my friends really, we came together and started Best Buddies Prom four years ago, and wait until you hear where we are this year with it.
Tommy McFly: Dying to hear it. We’re going to take a break now, and we’ll come back with Tommy McFly to hear the rest of the story.
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Announcer: You’re listening to Our Town with Andy Ockershausen, brought to you by Best Bark Communications.
A Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen. I’m talking to Tommy McFly about Our Town and what things goes on. We brought up the subject, and Tommy jumped on it real quick. He saw the movie The Founder, which is about the guy that started McDonald’s.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: He didn’t start McDonald’s, but he made it into a big company. Correct?
Tommy McFly: You would not know that he didn’t start McDonald’s. Absolutely. That’s why this movie’s so neat, because it talks about the two brothers who have the one store, and Ray Croc comes in and he wants to franchise it, and he makes the whole thing happen. He bought the dirt as you were saying.
A Ockershausen: Your enthusiasm is so good because the story was told to me about Wendy’s. That the people that own Wendy’s, the guy, he’s presently dead, but he never had a real estate section. His plan was to find out where McDonald’s is building and build as close as you can.
Tommy McFly: Yup.
A Ockershausen: True story.
Tommy McFly: They did all the research.
A Ockershausen: Absolutely. Why should I try to out-research McDonald’s? Build me a building.
Tommy McFly: I’m just following your plan, Andy. That’s what I’m building my career on.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, you’re amazing.
Tommy McFly: You did all the research.
A Ockershausen: We just think so much. I want to finish the story about the prom.
Tommy McFly: Thank you very much.
A Ockershausen: Janice was prompting me, Tommy. I’m sorry. I get enthused and get away from it.
Tommy McFly: She’s an incredible producer. We’re talking about Best Buddies Prom, which started to help people with intellectual disabilities to get now to have a school program of friendship, to have a jobs program in the real world. We’re trying to raise a quarter million dollars this year to fund a citizens program where adults with disabilities can have one-on-one friendships with other adults, because after you get through the high school and college, that time when the government programs end. Then, life gets really quiet. That’s where Best Buddies steps in. Four years ago, a couple of friends, young professionals and I wanted to have a prom where we raise some money. The first year was in the upstairs Pinstripes in Georgetown. The second year we were at the Howard Theater and completely filled that. Last year we were at the Carnegie Library and totally filled that.
A Ockershausen: Wow!
Tommy McFly: This year we’re starting off a three-year partnership. On April 28th the prom will be at the Ronald Reagan Building.
A Ockershausen: Wow. Big time. A big haul.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. Trade Center Management Associates is helping to basically underwrite prom for us.
A Ockershausen: What is your target for how much you think you can raise in place like the Reagan Building? Do you have target?
Tommy McFly: I hope to raise a quarter million dollars, and we are well on our way. We’re working on sponsorships and getting people to buy tickets and silent auction and the whole deal, which is wonderful how we’re bring everyone together. Right now, Andy, we are at about-
A Ockershausen: That was your budget, a quarter of a million dollars. Wasn’t it?
Tommy McFly: No. That’s what we’re trying to raise. If we raise that money, we can open a citizens program.
A Ockershausen: I got you.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. For Best Buddies.
A Ockershausen: That will put you on easy street.
Tommy McFly: That will, and it helps to fund the programs we already have going on. What’s interesting in the Capitol region, Maryland Best Buddies does a great job and that’s because of Governor Hogan and Governor O’Malley and Governor Ehrlich and on the State Legislature, they fund the program really well. In Virginia, they’re really bad at it, like 40th in the country or worse.
A Ockershausen: That’s awful. How about the city? Has the city stepped tall for you?
Tommy McFly: The city does what they can and there’s little grants, but it really comes to the community to …
A Ockershausen: I got it.
Tommy McFly: People like business owners and those people who really believe in Our Town and to stand up for people with disabilities. It’s been wild to talk about it and to get out there, and to let people know how important this is.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, what you’re doing is incredible. Obviously a quarter of a million dollars is a tremendous amount of money, but it really isn’t.
Tommy McFly: Right.
A Ockershausen: In this big city. This is a rich, rich city, and we hope that people are going to stand up and help you. I can tell you this. For what it’s worth, Janice Ockershausen will help you. She’s the biggest helper I know of when it comes to raising money. We lived for years about raising money. We did it on the air, and we did it with So Others May Eat. We did it with Children’s Hospital. Never asked for dime, and people started sending us money.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: They knew we were involved with Children’s Hospital.
Tommy McFly: That’s what’s incredible about the Fresh family, our audience on the radio.
A Ockershausen: They already know you.
Tommy McFly: We bring these things up to them. We talk about Best Buddies all the time. They come and they help with Wreaths Across America and the other organizations that we’re able to help. It’s so wild that you just pose a problem, and people get involved. Whether it’s something big like a quarter million dollars, or it’s helping out Girl Scouts. I think you’re going to love this story about the Girl Scouts.
A Ockershausen: More than cookies.
Tommy McFly: Well, yeah. Cookies involved. A couple years back, there were Girl Scouts who were selling cookies in Waldorf, and they were robbed. Somebody stole the Girl Scouts cookie money. Talk about low of the low. Right?
A Ockershausen: Yeah.
Tommy McFly: All the news stations in town, they talked about it, and they gave them coverage. Everyone kind of thought, wow, wasn’t that terrible? How bad is that? It was right at the deadline for sales too. We heard about that, and we got on the air and we just said, “Oh, hell no. No one messes with our Girl Scouts.” Jen, one of my co-hosts, Jen Richer, who you know well from her days here. She is a retired Girl Scout. She was a Girl Scout growing up. She went to the uniform store, bought a sash, and we sent her down the next morning. She broadcast live from the place that they were robbed, and we told our audience what was going on, and we had a line around the block, to the point that the TV stations showed up. Also, they had to control traffic. You know in radio when you do something, and they have to control traffic?
A Ockershausen: Hit the jackpot.
Tommy McFly: That’s the win right there. Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: Absolutely. That’s great. You get your periphery, a promotion without even asking for it. That fact you did it.
Tommy McFly: Right.
A Ockershausen: The TV stations will show up. That’s a good story.
Tommy McFly: That Girl Scout troop from Waldorf raised enough money and they sent the whole troop did Disney World.
A Ockershausen: Oh my God. In Waldorf.
Tommy McFly: Yes.
A Ockershausen: That’s great.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: You got nothing but success stories because you worked at it, Tommy. It didn’t just happen.
Tommy McFly: There were plenty of failures. We’re not talking about those. No.
A Ockershausen: If you never failed, you don’t know what it is to win all the time.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. 100%.
A Ockershausen: The thing I win all the time is coming to work everyday. As I said to you before, get up, get out. We have to get out because get our dog on the road, so we have something in common. That’s our dog.
Tommy McFly: Yes. What kind of dog do you have?
A Ockershausen: It’s a mutt.
Tommy McFly: Perfect.
A Ockershausen: Four things. We had him … What do you call it? Called … DNA testing, and he’s a mutt, and he’s beautiful. I think he’s the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen, but Janice thinks he’s great.
Tommy McFly: Pointer, Doxin, short-hair. Wow. All those things.
A Ockershausen: German short-hair, Pointer. Yeah. Active family life somewhere. We know that. People stop us, and admire the dog. I can’t see it, but they do. Tommy, you do that with your pets. Right?
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. Chrys, my fiance and I-
A Ockershausen: Big part of your family.
Tommy McFly: Yeah. We have two dogs.
A Ockershausen: Let’s talk about Chrys.
Tommy McFly: Okay.
A Ockershausen: Chrys is your partner.
Tommy McFly: Yes.
A Ockershausen: Chrys is wonderful guy, and he ran for Senate. Correct?
Tommy McFly: Yes, in Maryland. Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: In Maryland. He’s going to do it again because it takes one time to get known. I told him that when we talked.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: Chrys, you got to keep going. He’s got a great mind, a great intellect. You can’t say Maryland won’t ever elect a guy. They will. Hogan came from nowhere.
Tommy McFly: 100%. I think he might be taking a break for a minute. Campaigns are tough work on everybody, but I think you’re right. If the opportunity were to come along, and the timing is right. We learned so much, and I learned so much about politics.
A Ockershausen: Wasn’t that a great experience.
Tommy McFly: How much it involves money and how much it involves timing, and how the stars have to align to have that overnight success, because is no overnight success in politics, in any business really, but it was wild to be a part of. What was really cool is we went to every single nook and cranny of Maryland. I have been there for 10 years, and I’ve spent a lot of time all over Montgomery County and all over Anne Arundel County and Prince George County and Frederick County. Going to Cecil County and going to eastern shore and going to Cumberland.
A Ockershausen: Up in the mountains.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: Different world. Right?
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. Maryland is so neat because it’s such a little … I think it’s a little America. You’ve got urban centers. You’ve got beaches. You’ve got mountains, and you’ve got forests. You’ve got farming.
A Ockershausen: Got a good ethnic mix too.
Tommy McFly: Totally.
A Ockershausen: A lot of ethnic mix in Maryland.
Tommy McFly: I had only spent time in Montgomery and Frederick and love it, and Anne Arundel County. To be able to get around all the state was really, really cool.
A Ockershausen: That is giving you a great basis. Given him a basis too. Consider running again.
Tommy McFly: Yeah.
A Ockershausen: He’s got to consider it. He’s getting known. Getting known. Hogan’s victory is not going to hurt him either.
Tommy McFly: No.
A Ockershausen: Hogan winning shows that people can win if they work hard.
Tommy McFly: Definitely.
A Ockershausen: Chrys will find that out.
Tommy McFly: Was endorsed by the Baltimore Sun, which was so cool.
A Ockershausen: Unbelievable.
Tommy McFly: After a year of watching him, because I really couldn’t do much obviously because of my job. I was sort in the behind the scenes, but watching him toil at this with team, and his team has become family. His team who were there and stuck with him, we will be friends with the rest of our lives. To watch them just blood, sweat and tears.
A Ockershausen: Great learning experience.
Tommy McFly: Totally. Then, a week before the election, two weeks, the Baltimore Sun, the biggest paper in Maryland, endorses him. That was really the crown jewel for sure.
A Ockershausen: One of the great newspapers in the world incidentally. I hope Chrys … I didn’t mean to interrupt you with Chrys, but I think that’s a great story. Deserves to be told. Tommy McFly. Maybe McFly for Congress next time. What do you think of that? Your name is very big, Tommy.
Tommy McFly: You know what? When DC becomes a state, I’ll run for governor. How about that?
A Ockershausen: I don’t think we’re going to live that long.
Tommy McFly: Well, there you go.
A Ockershausen: Tommy, your career has been something, and I feel so good about it because you did spend some time at WMAL-Q107.
Tommy McFly: Of course.
A Ockershausen: Then, Fresh has really taken off because of you.
Tommy McFly: It has, and thank you very much. It was something that no one really expected, and no one really saw coming. There were a lot of-
A Ockershausen: Maybe that’s why it was so successful.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely. We came out of nowhere.
A Ockershausen: You fooled people.
Tommy McFly: We knew.
A Ockershausen: These guys are going to make something.
Tommy McFly: Yup.
A Ockershausen: Was nothing before you.
Tommy McFly: Thank you very much. We knew in the beginning, Kelly, Jen, myself, our boss Steve, Derek our afternoon host, and Christie and Taylor and Dana and everyone who worked there, we knew.
A Ockershausen: Team, big team.
Tommy McFly: Absolutely.
A Ockershausen: Well, it takes a team, Tommy. Nobody does it alone. Your calls letters are great. I don’t know what Fresh is, but it sounds good to me.
Tommy McFly: WIAB, which is not the airport.
A Ockershausen: IAB is not a bad idea. Tommy McFly, this has been so special. Whatever we can do in our little bit with Our Town, we’ll do it for you. We always want you to know in spite of everything that happened, you’re always welcome back to WMAL.
Tommy McFly: Well, thank you.
A Ockershausen: We won’t be here, but you’re always welcome back.
Tommy McFly: It’s been an honor to be on Our Town, Andy. You’re such an important piece of the media, of the vibrancy and the culture of this city.
A Ockershausen: History.
Tommy McFly: Thank you. Yeah, but you’re not historic yet.
A Ockershausen: That’s right. I’m not.
Tommy McFly: I’ll be the one to raise the monument. Don’t you worry.
A Ockershausen: Janny O was the one who put us on the map. I look forward every day. As I told you, Tommy, there was never one day in my life in broadcasting I didn’t get up and say, “Here I am, world. I’m going for it.”
Tommy McFly: What’s your secret?
A Ockershausen: You have that same attitude.
Tommy McFly: What’s your secret to staying young?
A Ockershausen: Janice.
Tommy McFly: Okay.
Janice : I’m taken, Tommy.
A Ockershausen: She keeps me young. My mother and father went into their late 90s, and my brother died two years ago, going to be 101.
Tommy McFly: Wow.
A Ockershausen: The genes have … A doctor told me the best thing can happen to any young man is to be born with parents with good genes. It’s better than any doctor in the world. That’s happened to you. Your parents must have good genes.
Tommy McFly: I think so.
A Ockershausen: You look great, Tommy.
Tommy McFly: Thank you very much.
A Ockershausen: Thank you so much for Our Town, and congratulations to you, and we’re here of you 24/7.
Tommy McFly: Right back at you.
A Ockershausen: Thank you, Tommy. Andy Ockershausen. This is Our Town.
Announcer: You’ve been listening to Our Town, Season Two. Presented by GEICO, our hometown favorite with your host, Andy Ockershausen. New Our Town episodes are released each Tuesday and Thursday. Drop us a line with your comments or suggestions. See us on Facebook or visit our website at ourtowndc.com. Our special thanks to Ken Hunter, our technical director, and WMAL Radio in Washington, DC for hosting our podcast, and thanks to GEICO. 15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance.