Steve Eberhart was born in Macon, Georgia, August 8, 1957.  He was the youngest of seven children of Bill and Ruth Eberhart.  He has five brothers and one sister.  Steve's father was a career military man who was killed in an accident while on duty  just three months after Steve's birth.                             
             

Bill Eberhart was buried in his hometown of Muenster, Texas and the family decided to make Texas their home.  Ruth moved to nearby Lindsay, Texas and built a home for she and her seven children.

                                            
                  Annie Ruth Eberhart                                                      William Edward Eberhart

Lindsay, Texas was a small community of about 250 persons." It was a place where everybody knew everybody.  We lived just outside of town and we had to basically create our own fun, there wasn't a whole lot to do to say the least!  Eight people in a three bedroom, one bath home was an interesting experience.  Their wasn't a whole lot of time for individual attention, and we all had to sort of take care ourselves and each other."

                                                  
       Young Steve at his First Communion at age 6.                        Steve at 17.  Hey, it was the 70's!

Steve attended Lindsay Public School and graduated in 1976.  While in Junior High, Steve became interested in radio broadcasting and set his sights on making it his career choice.  As the story goes, he was working on his uncles farm and every day would sit on a tractor with a transistor radio listening to KLIF "the mighty 1190" in Dallas.  "I thought that must be a great job, getting paid to play records!"  He decided right then and there that radio is what he wanted to do in life.  "It was funny, most kids my age had no idea what their career would be but I was already sold on radio."

As a Sophomore in High School, he went to work for the local radio station, KGAF in Gainesville. 

Steve had made friends with several of the DJ's from the local station and learned he would need an FCC license to be able to work in radio.  He studied the learning manuals in anticipation of taking the test to get the FCC license.  In late 1973 he made the trip to Dallas to take the test, passed it and received his license.  He immediately called his friends at the radio station and told them the news.  They suggested he apply for a job as a disc-jockey as they had an opening at the time.  In those days, radio stations were required to have licensed operators on duty at all times.  In smaller communities it was often difficult to find licensed personnel to hire.  Indeed anyone with a license with no experience at all had little trouble finding a starting position. 

With school behind him he felt it was time to take the next step in his career so he applied for a job at nearby Sherman radio station KIKM.  KIKM was a relatively new station featuring a Top 40 format.  The station was much better equipped and sounded it too.

Although a small market station, management knew they had to compete with Dallas area stations and set out to make KIKM a station people in Sherman-Denison prefer to the out of town stations.  

It was a station that primed itself on playing "only the hits" and keeping its programming  refined, basic, but  professional.  They hired experienced air talent who at least knew good basic programming interested in honing their skills.  It was a definite "stepping-stone" station for DJ's to get to the next level.

Steve began in June, 1976 in the mid-day timeslot, later working in afternoon drive until September, 1978. He was Music Director and responsible for selecting the new music to add to the playlist.  "We were this small station in Sherman, but the record companies in Dallas were sending us all this free product thinking we'd give them airplay.  Since we boomed into Dallas like a local, it was often their only outlet to get new music played since the Dallas stations like KLIF and KNUS were so competitive and often would wait to add a new song.  Truth is, we waited too, and only played a new song typically when it hit the top 20 in Billboard magazine.  We did, however, enjoy giving away all the hit albums they'd send our way for  promotion!"

Often times at KIKM, DJ's and Programmers from other stations would drop by to visit the station, amazed at this little station in Sherman that sounded like it could have been in downtown Dallas.  DJ's on KIKM knew that at any moment you might be heard by a major market Program Director tuning in from Dallas and thereby everyone seemed to perform at optimum at all times, just in case!  

KIKM actually showed up in Dallas Arbitron ratings from time to time making it possible to receive some agency advertising business.  Agency commercials usually had superior production value, thus giving KIKM even more of a professional sound.  Interestingly, in Sherman-Denison, the biggest local competition was from station KDSX.  They had been the long-time leader in the market and were as old fashioned as you could get.  Very un-professional sounding and very small market sounding.  When KIKM went on the air in Summer 1975, they literally stole all of their listeners.  KDSX revenues plummeted.  KIKM was the clear number one station in the market and began acquiring all the big bank, grocery store,  and car dealership sponsors that had long belonged to KDSX. One of the reasons that KIKM was able to destroy the competition locally was because they simply showed advertisers that listeners in the area heretofore preferred Dallas stations until KIKM came along.  Now many were quite happy with their "Dallas sounding" station right here in Sherman.  KDSX claimed ownership to the "older" demographics and KIKM was all to happy to let them.  KIKM appealed to the desirable younger 18-49 audience and captured almost all of the 12-17 teen market.  

One of the interesting notes about KIKM's programming was that during the day, the station was Adult Contemporary in an attempt to appeal to adults at work while the children were at school.  In the evening, the station was full-blown Top 40 featuring the hottest rock, disco, and teen oriented music.  Since the station was AM and FM simulcasting the same thing on both stations, it was able to pull the listeners in their cars (many of whom still only had AM at the time) and the discriminate FM stereo listeners at homes, offices, and businesses .

In early 1978, Steve arrived to work at KIKM and noticed a phone message from a Program Director in Fort Worth.  Steve called and it was the Program Director of Top 40 station "Z-97".  They wanted him to do overnights and offered a salary which was lower than he was making in Sherman.  That job wasn't the right move so he stayed at KIKM for a while longer.

After a couple of years at KIKM, Steve set his sights on his long-term goal, KVIL in Dallas.  Ken Barnett, a former KIKM DJ who went by the name of John Paul Stevens at KIKM, was already working at KVIL.  Steve had been listening to him never realizing it was the same person.  He called him up one night and made the connection and Ken informed him they had an opening and suggested he apply. 

Steve got what he thought was his best audition tape together and headed to Dallas.  This was the day before the 4th of July, 1978.  He simply showed up at the radio station and since it was a Monday between the weekend and the holiday, there was no staff in the office.  Steve let himself in and looked around.  Program Director and Morning DJ Ron Chapman was still on the air and Steve could see him down the hall.  At one point Chapman came out of the studio and greeted Steve.  Steve told him he was here to see him and apply for a job.  Chapman rather abruptly told him, "I'm still on the air, you don't have an appointment, so you're going to have to wait on me!"  Steve said told him that was fine, he'd be happy to wait.  Two hours later, Chapman approached Steve who had been sitting on a sofa in the stations reception area.  Steve played his audition tape for him and Ron stopped the tape after four DJ breaks.  "My first thought was that he must have hated it and not wanted to hear anymore of it", said Steve.  At that point Chapman said, "this is good, really good, and I don't need to hear anymore to know that."  Steve remembers his disbelief at what he was hearing from the man that inspired him to get into radio in the first place and the DJ he admired and imitated most.  After some discussion, Steve was hired to begin the following weekend at KVIL on their AM station.

Through the summer of 1978, Steve worked on KVIL AM on weekends only while maintaining his fulltime job at KIKM in Sherman.  At the end of the summer, Chapman hired Steve fulltime to work on the FM side of KVIL.  He began September 15, 1978 at KVIL fulltime.  First he did weekdays on the AM and weekends on the FM.  Then a shift which proved to be one of the most difficult of his career.  KVIL FM overnights was a 6 1/2 hour airshift every night.  11p.m. to 5:30 a.m.   It was a long grind and not exactly the position Steve had imagined for himself.

In addition to being a tough time period, every morning Chapman followed Steve's shift.   Nothing, absolutely nothing, went unnoticed by Chapman.  The slightest, very slightest, aberration from format or station philosophy was met with the full brunt of every ounce of Chapman's anger.  He could take a minor problem, which for anyone else might require a passing comment, and make it seem life-threatening!  

One thing was for certain, he could  bring out the best performance possible from his employees if you had it in you.  Anything less to Ron seemed like a personal attack on his integrity.  It is perhaps why, during his reign of power at KVIL, the station ranked number one throughout.  

It was an incredible radio station for sure, had tremendous ratings, the benefits were super, and the staff was the best one could assemble at the time in literally every position.  You just knew you were part of something very special and far above the norm at the time.  

Those, like Steve, who worked for Ron gained an invaluable education and knowledge, but certainly at a deep personal cost.

"Although it was a difficult situation, I, like most at KVIL, felt like it was the best place to work.  I actually thought I'd work there forever.  As the years went by it became increasingly obvious I was not going to be able to do that."  

Steve worked at KVIL from 1978 to 1984 working in various shifts over the years.  During this time he attended North Texas State University working toward a degree in Business.  Along the way he became associated with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and served as its President for one semester.

In 1984, after several offers to move to stations in other cities, Steve accepted an offer to join Dallas station KLUV.  It was, at the time,  an Adult Contemporary formatted radio station attempting to lure the same audience as KVIL.  The stations ratings were quite low, but Steve was offered a chance to do the afternoon drive airshift at a nice increase in pay.  This would offer him the chance to continue college courses in the morning and work in the afternoon.  Steve left the station of his dreams for a new challenge.  Chapman understood and wished him well in this memo to the KVIL staff:

Steve moved to KLUV, and the station was a clear "step down" from KVIL.  "They did not even offer medical and life insurance benefits when I started", says Steve.  That changed soon thereafter as did many things.  The Program Director who hired Steve left only a month later.  New personnel were brought onboard.  "This would have scared most away but  my only real choice would have been to move to another city and since I only had a short time left with college, I decided to stick it out for a while."

A few months later, KLUV abandoned the Adult Contemporary format in favor of "all Oldies".  This proved to be a great move as the station finally began to move up in the ratings.  "Suddenly I was no longer on a station few knew about!  We started getting recognition which felt a lot better."

Steve was at KLUV from 1984 to 1988.  Personal appearances were plenty and profitable.  KLUV paid him well and during the first three and a half years, several Program Directors came and went.  One of Steve's favorites, Dave Van Dyke, was hired away to Boston.  Legendary WLS DJ Art Roberts came and left.  "Art was a terrific guy but unfortunately during his tenure, ratings dropped a bit."  Art left and in came Chuck Brinkman. 

 Chuck had been a longtime DJ in Pittsburgh.  "I had a lot of respect for Chuck and what he had done in his career.  He cleaned up a lot of the stations programming and targeted it a little better but he had  one problem. 

After about six months, Chuck initiated a scaled-back presentation.  Basically eliminating much of the personality oriented programming on the air in favor of a "less talk" format.  Steve found this very frustrating since that was the basis of what his show contained.  Brinkman made an offer to Steve to switch to mornings and continue doing personality radio but it was not to be.  "I had filled in doing mornings for three months a couple years before and just hated getting up so early."  

Steve opted to leave without the luxury of another job.  "In retrospect,  it was  a mistake.  I should have hung on until I found another job."  Steve had a no compete clause with KLUV which prevented him from working on another Dallas Fort Worth radio station for six months.  For three months he did nothing but send out audition tapes.  A solid offer to do afternoons at WQSR in Baltimore was turned down.  "I just didn't want to move.  Again, probably another mistake."  

KEGL, a Top 40 station in Dallas, offered Steve part-time work.  A deal was negotiated with KLUV to allow this since KEGL was not in competition with KLUV.  Steve did weekends at KEGL for about four months.    "This was a straight ahead Top 40 with a rock edge sound.  I remember my first time on the air at KEGL.  The top of the hour I.D. was this smokin' liner card to be read in a very uptempo, hyped-up delivery.  The song I did it first over was Poison's 'Talk Dirty To Me'!  This was one of the 80's 'hair bands' bordering on heavy metal.  I did it perfectly, pushed the button to turn off the mike and started laughing hysterically.  It was just  so ludicrous, me, doing this 'heavy metal' radio thing.  It was so opposite of  everything I'd ever done in radio!"

One of the more interesting career stories followed Steve's brief tenure at KEGL.  Tom Watson, a local  radio consultant, had just signed a new client in Hawaii.  He contacted Steve about moving to Hawaii to program this station.  Steve went over and checked it out and decided to take the job, at least for a while, until something back home opened up, and his no compete ran out.

Steve packed his clothes in two trunks and flew to Honolulu.  "I really liked the radio station, it was much like KVIL and heavy on personality, my specialty."  Steve settled in with the staff and after one week, several unsettling things began to bother him.  "First of all, my Father died in Hawaii at Schoffield Base.  I went there and saw the exact spot where it happened.  I am the only one in our family to have done that.  It was a very strange experience. 

 One of the other things that bothered me was that Honolulu was a very crowded city.  There literally was no parking at the radio station.  Employees basically parked illegally every day and got a parking ticket every day.  It was explained that the parking ticket was cheaper than actual parking fees!  The other thing is that housing was a premium.  The cost made the nice salary they offered seem like nothing.  I knew I was not going to be able to afford anything!  

After one week, Steve finished work and arrived back at his temporary hotel quarters.  "There was a large picture window and as you looked out to the left you could see Diamond Head, to the right - Waikiki Beach.  As I stood there, I experienced something I've never before or since.  I had an overwhelming feeling that I needed to leave, and right NOW!!!  I threw my belongings in the two trunks and drove directly to the Honolulu airport.  I bought a one-way, no-advance ticket to Dallas for a flight leaving in thirty minutes.  It cost $750 and I put it on my American Express.  I had left many things behind in the rush.  I got on the plane and ordered two drinks and drank them quickly.  I was surrounded by members of a College basketball team on their way to the final four in Kansas City.  I started a conversation with one and told them what I was doing.  They thought I was crazy.  As soon as the plane lifted off the ground, the tension eased, and I felt tremendous.   All I knew was I had to leave and right away.  

It was an all-night 'red-eye' flight.  I landed at DFW at 8 a.m. and called my brother.  He couldn't believe what I was saying.  I was back and needed him to come get me.  I went outside to wait for him.  It was then that I realized I was wearing only a T-Shirt and cut-offs!  In Hawaii, it had been in the 90's.  The temperature in Dallas was in the 40's.  

I ended up going home with no job, no car (I had sold it before I left), and no idea what to do.  People were in disbelief at what I'd done, most specifically, Tom Watson, the consultant who hired me.  He was screaming at me on the phone.  I was holding the phone about a foot away from my ear and could hear him perfectly!  It was ugly, and I knew I deserved every bit of it.  I figured I'd probably never get another job in radio.

After talking with people about this, I've come to realize I had a classic panic attack.  Perhaps it was 'island fever' and chlosterphobia, maybe my Father's death there had something to do with it.  I still don't know what caused it, but I have no regret for leaving.  I really felt like I would die if I stayed.  It was weird, to say the least."

The story started making the rounds in Dallas and after three days back, Steve got a call from his longtime friend Chuck Rhodes, who was at KVIL as Program Director.  "Chuck and I had worked together years before at KVIL so he and I knew each other well."  Chuck offered Steve some part-time work.  Steve's no compete had expired by this time so their was no conflict.  "I really never imagined myself going back to KVIL, but I really needed a job, and KVIL was second-nature to me and always seemed like a second home."   

Steve worked weekends and vacation relief for several months and then was hired fulltime to be Music Director.  "I knew KVIL as well as anyone having worked there for so long.  I was someone they could plug in and immediately know the philosophy of the station."  Steve's days were spent scheduling the stations music on computer, listening to new music to add, meeting with record promoters, and maintaining the stations library of songs.  Steve also did a weekend air shift and occasionally filled in on other shifts.  "I enjoyed being Music Director and was happy  putting my on-air skills to use."

After a couple of  years, he was nominated by Gavin magazine for "Music Director of The Year" at their annual convention in San Francisco in 1992.  It was there Steve became engaged to Susan, the girl he had been dating for only three months.  "I knew a good thing when I saw it!"

Not too long after that Steve left KVIL again.  KVIL's ratings were slipping and Ron Chapman was on a mission to right the ship.  Ron's style of management was not one that I responded well to.  Up until then, he had been overseeing programming but not hands-on.  He decided to take over daily programming duties of the station himself again and  I knew I could not work  in that environment anymore.  

 I will say this, although I had my differences with Ron, we have remained friends in the ensuing years.  I no longer feel the need to impress him and I still respect his work but I also know it would probably be best not to work for him again.  I hold no real regrets.  I learned more from him than I would have from anyone else and as a broadcaster am better for it.  I always felt equal ends could have been achieved with less intimidation but I finally convinced myself to leave it behind and move on.  Take the education and experience gained and abandon the rest.  I know he realizes the mistake he made with me and he has in his own way reconciled it with me. We remain cordial friends.

For the second time in a few years, Steve was again without a job and no prospect of getting one.  "I sat at home for three months  that time and contemplated a career in radio sales.   I realized pretty quickly that wasn't for me."

Chuck Brinkman called from KLUV offering some part-time work.  Steve worked about a month doing various shifts but realized he felt no different about working at KLUV as he did when he left there previously.

ABC Radio Network had offered Steve a job a year before which he declined.  He contacted them and was offered a position part-time.  KDMX Mix 102.9 also offered some part-time work.  Steve worked at both places for some time.  Mix ended up making him fulltime with a position on the morning show.  

In November of 1992, Steve got married.  "Susan married me even though I did not have a fulltime job.  I think that speaks volumes!"

"I really enjoyed working at Mix, learning the dynamics of doing a morning show.  Mix was an interesting place.  The first two years I worked with Program Director Pat McMahon and felt very comfortable.  I was the third wheel on the morning show and really enjoying it, first with Bobby Mercer and Karen , then Karen left and it was Anna DeHaro replacing her.  We became good friends and had such a fun time doing that show.  

Then Pat left and in came a man named Rob Roberts.  Rob hated everything about the station and set out to remove every trace of anything there before him.  Rob fired Bobby and Anna and left me to fill in until he replaced them.  He hired Johnny Edwards from Boston to host the morning show, paying him incredible bucks at the time!  I worked with Johnny and quickly became friends and ended up enjoying that experience as well.  He was just a crazy guy and funny.  I thought the show was great but too "edgy" for Mix and their mostly adult crowd.

Other longtime air talent were subjectively fired, some left on their own, and after a year I was the only remaining member of the air staff from prior to his arrival.  

One day out of the blue, it was announced Rob was gone.  Officially it was reported he left on his own, but as time went on, word circulated that he had been fired.  

Rob was replaced by Russ Morley, a longtime Programmer and air talent with the corporation that once owned KVIL.  "I knew I'd fare better with Russ since he understood the KVIL way, which I was always associated with."

Russ toyed around with various roles for Steve and for a while had him share the morning show with former KVIL DJ Terry King.  "The funny thing is, I never wanted to be the anchor of that morning show, despite some suggestions to me from time to time, and because I was always the one to fill in when they ended up firing the host.  I probably did a quarter of a year of the shows myself over one year."  

Russ finally made the call to put Steve in the stations helicopter and assigned him traffic reporting duties.  "I had done fill-in in the chopper at KVIL for years when I was there, so it wasn't that big of a deal to me.  I actually liked it a lot.  I had to work three hours in the morning and two in the afternoon, but had weekends off.  Russ upgraded my salary and he and I got along fine.  He really appreciated my work in the chopper."

Shortly after Steve started in the chopper for Mix, KDFW Channel Four television called.  They were wanting to have live traffic reports for their live morning news show and asked if Mix would provide their reporter for their reports.  They would help pay the salary and give Mix an on-air logo identification on each report.  Russ knew a good thing when he heard it and immediately agreed to the arrangement.

Now Steve was being heard on Mix radio and Fox 4 Television.  "We had windows of opportunity for each stations reports.  Inevitably, one would run short and one would run long and sometimes I'd do a report for Mix and five seconds later would be live on television!  It was incredibly hectic!"

Flying twice daily took its toll.  In the winter it was bitterly cold in the chopper and in the summer brutally hot.  "We also had a few 'near-misses' I'd like to forget.  That happens a lot more than most realize. 

Live television was an interesting experience as well.  In radio, it's basically a one man show.  In television, it takes maybe 10-15 people to pull it off.  If one person in the chain makes an error, it typically ends up making the person on the air look bad.  Not only that, but the number of viewers on television is so enormous.  I've worked for the number one station in Dallas for years, but nothing compared to the recognition form being on television for a year.  A number one radio station may have 60,000 listeners.  A fourth place television station still has over 150,000 viewers!"

All of this while continuing to work weekends at ABC Radio Network.  Steve did a Saturday and Sunday airshift on the network which was fed by satellite to 115 stations nationwide.  "For four years, I worked seven days a week, twice on Sundays.  I did a shift on Mix from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., would drive across the street, literally with the headphones around my neck, and go on the air at ABC after the three minute top of the hour newscast!    Fortunately the two facilities were near each other, or I don't know what we'd have done.

In 1996, ABC offered Steve the job he had been waiting for.  The afternoon shift on the network.  "I really was enjoying the Mix and Channel 4 jobs, but the chance to do what I really wanted to do and do it at only one place, versus three,  was of great appeal.  I accepted the job immediately without reserve.

The ABC job was great.  I worked the afternoon shift.  By then, Susan and I had a daughter, so I dropped her off at the babysitter and Susan would pick her up.  The routine worked great.  I thought I would work at ABC forever.  The job offered a chance to do what I liked most, personality radio, do it for a large audience on the network (we were heard by the same amount of listeners as the number one station in New York), not have to deal with local radio negatives, and enjoy the benefits of a large, stable organization which ABC was. I enjoyed the people I worked with and management appreciated my work."

In late 1997, Steve's wife Susan had a job offer from out of town.  This one was not to be dismissed.  She had been working in advertising in Dallas for several years and had been doing very well in her career.  An agency in Austin wanted her to come to work on one of their premiere accounts, Wal-Mart. It was the offer one can't refuse.  

Susan accepted the job and their home was placed on the market for sale.  The market was light but it was decided to have Steve and daughter Jennifer stay behind until the house sold and then move down to Austin to join Susan.  Corporate housing would be home for Susan until that time.  It was thought at the most a month or two until that would pass.  As it turned out, the market was even lighter than thought and it ended up taking five months to sell the house.  Susan and Steve took turns commuting to and from Austin and Dallas on weekends.  

In addition, at the same time, Susan's father suddenly passed away.   A short time later, Susan's boss was tragically killed in an auto accident in Austin.  Steve and Susan had just visited with her at the Company Christmas party.  Things were not going as planned.

When the house finally sold in February of 1998, Steve and Jennifer officially joined Susan in Austin.  "It had been a difficult few months with Susan's dad dying, her boss dying, the house not selling, the uncertainty of a new job, and the separation from each other during the weekdays.  We were so glad to be together again as a family."

Steve had always loved visiting Austin and upon arrival took a job working weekends at the local Oldies radio station.  "It was local radio again, and I quickly realized why I had liked the network so much."  

Weekdays, Steve was "Mr. Mom", taking care of 1 1/2 year old daughter Jennifer.  "It was a very special time.  We were still living in a 900 square foot apartment after living in a 3000 square foot house, but we made the best of it.  Jenny and I would go out every day exploring Austin while Susan was at work.  Zilker Park became a daily adventure at Barton Springs.  All the mothers with their kids gave me a puzzling look everywhere we'd go!

When we weren't exploring around town, Jenny and I were looking at prospective houses to buy.  We must have looked at over 100 homes.  We knew what we wanted and the realtor kept showing us homes with either no backyard or a backyard on a 90 degree hill.  It got to the point that I could tell within 30 seconds if this was the right house or not.  Finally after months of looking, we found a great home in the Lost Creek neighborhood.  Rolling hills, secluded, great neighborhood, and a large flat backyard.  We moved in shortly thereafter.  It was a great house.  Deer would come into our yard in the evenings!

About this same time, Steve heard about a new network of sorts starting up in Austin.  A friend of his from his days at KVIL was working there already.  Steve was not enjoying working at the Oldies station and was anxious to get back to work full-time.  

He applied for work at this upstart network called "Starsystem".  This company provided programming for stations via a computer wide area network.  Air talent in Austin recorded station breaks on the computer and they would playback in various parts of the country on a local station.  Much like ABC, except it wasn't live.  It was called "voice-tracking".

Steve went to work for Starsystem in the summer of 1998.  Daughter Jennifer went to a private Academy.  Steve's schedule was flexible so he could drop off and pick up Jennifer every day.  

"Working at Starsystem was one of the more challenging things I've done in my career.  I recorded eight shows for different radio stations across the Southwest and beyond.  Each one was individually different. Some were  Adult Contemporary, another Oldies, others  Country and Top 40.  I definitely used every bit of experience from my various past during that time.  

Voice-tracking was a grind.  For the first two months my voice was completely ragged out and hoarse.  At a regular radio station, you do one break, play a song or two, then do another break.  At Starsystem, you did a break, and immediately did another and another throughout the day for six hours straight.  It took a while to get used to it.  The one thing I liked is that you had the opportunity, unlike live radio, to do a break over if you didn't like it.  You could virtually do a flawless performance every time.

I worked with a great group of people at Starsystem and enjoyed it immensely.  Again, it was the type of job I thought I could work at forever.

After a year and a half in Austin (two years for Susan), out of the blue came a call to Susan from her old boss in Dallas.  They needed someone to run the entire department and he felt Susan was the person to do it.  We had no intention of returning to Dallas and leaving Austin, which we had begun to love!  In addition, we had just learned we were expecting our second child.  There just was no reason to leave and the timing was just not right.

The offer to return persisted.  They continued to court her. Once again, Susan received an "offer you can't refuse".  It would give us the opportunity to return to Dallas, live in a nicer place near work, allow me to stay home with the newborn (after it's born), and to advance Susan's career even more.  Still, the decision was difficult.  We did not seek this, we enjoyed the life we had, we were preparing for another child, but deep down, knew it was the right thing to do.

Susan accepted the job and we placed our home on the market again.  Fortunately, Austin's market was significantly better than Dallas and we sold our home in three days for a substantial profit!  

Susan looked at a few houses in Dallas while I stayed behind in Austin for a couple of weeks.  She found one and we bought it without my ever having seen it.  As it turned out, it was perfect.  We moved in a few weeks before Christmas in 1999.  

I called my old boss at ABC and told him I was back and offered my services for part-time only.  The plan was for me to become a "Mr. Mom" again. ABC  hired me back and I settled in to my old shift of Saturday mornings.  It was as if I never left.  

I even occasionally fill-in for Channel 4 television in their helicopter again.  That too, is as if I never left.  That is the only local Dallas exposure I get anymore but I don't miss it.  I have been offered as many as four full-time jobs in radio since we returned.    I'll return to work in radio full-time someday, but right now, I am content on playing my "Mr. Mom" role as long as I am needed.

In February of 2000, Susan and I became the proud parents of a son, named John.  Becoming a parent the first time was my proudest moment, and having a son the second time was a dream come true.  I had always hoped we'd have one of each.  My reaction upon my sons birth (we didn't know the sex prior) is captured on video, and even I'm surprised, if not somewhat embarrassed,  by my enthusiasm.  I truly consider my family as my finest assets and accomplishments in life.  

Steve, Johnny, Susan, & Jenny

These days I still attend to my "stay at home Dad" duties in addition to my part-time work at ABC.  I do a couple of live radio shows, one recorded show, and freelance voicework from my home studio.  I am the voice of several radio stations and a television station.  Today's technology allows me to sit down at the computer and record audio tracks that I send as an MP3 file by email which arrives at its destination within minutes vs. the old method of recording on tape and mailing it.

           Jenny and Steve at Disneyworld

Any day of the week can find me doing things like rising at 6am, helping get the kids up and fed breakfast, dressed,  off to carpool, recording audio at the computer, doing the laundry and grocery shopping, running into ABC to do a shift, back home for a quick lunch, and back to one then another carpool, and home to finish up the days recording for clients, shuffle off to gymnastics classes, back home to prepare dinner, give the kids baths, and  await Susan from work who I could not do it without! ...and I used to think a 5 hour airshift was a bit much to ask of someone!!!