When we came on the air at WCVS in January there were people out there that said we wouldnt last three months.

I just want to point out that as of April 7th we blew by that predicted date of doom and guess what....

WERE STRONGER THAN EVER!!

The Ray Lytle Show is a blast to host everyday. The show in my opinion is finding its legs and gettting better every day. People said I was crazy bringing in these no names back in January. Well I think you would be hard pressed to find anybody that listens who doesnt know the names Missa, Pickett, Turtle Boy Roy, and of course Hillbillie Joe! Shaner was somebody knew but what they didnt know is that we would actually find a way to utilize Shaners uncanny ability to turn any group of people in a room drinking into a gigantic party. We now have the Friday Night parties that Shaner Hosts that are insane!!

The mobile unit has been fun. The staff has gotten along for the most part and when there is conflict we have gone ahead and aired it which might have pissed off some show members but has been pretty interesting for the listeners. SPeaking of the listeners. You guys have been big contributors. Your phone calls have been some of the highlights of the show.

People said that my insistence of integrating internet with FM radio was stupid. Well we are the most watched TV show on USTREAM.TV in the mornings. 50,000 people watch the Ray Lytle Show on the internet. You can check it out live every morning on www.chubbyray.com or on ustream. Our replays of every show also are available on www.chubbyray.com too. My internet stations www.disasterradio.net and www.throwbackrock.com continue on as well which by the way many predicted would die once i moved to wcvs.

People also said that my old cast would have nothing to do with the new show... Well that is ridiculous considering Shaner is on daily, Jon Lamb has served as head writer of the show since day 1 and has recently actually started appearing on the show as himself as well as some characters (something he said he wasnt interested in doing by the way, i knew hed come around and realize thats what hes great at) RTQ calls daily, Shawn Balint always calls in and shows up on Fridays to party with us. Mikey joined us for the St Pats day party and is preparing to start booking the ITCHY PICKLES again considering he never stopped being my bands agent. Mychelle is still one of my best friends who I speak to almost daily and will be on the show soon. Brando is often in the chat room making comments even though he is not supposed to be there  with his job he now has. Doran is still a friend and Im sure will also be on the show ... in fact with the exception of Bodine pretty much everyone who has been on previous versions of the Ray Lytle hosted morning shows will be making appearances. The door is always open for Marvin whenever he is ready. He has a job and a busy life but we will definitely hear from him soon even if its a replay. By the way the Chubby Ray live classic Ray stream features hundreds of great Marvin bits for those of you fans. you can listen to that station live 24-7 at www.chubbyray.com through your windows media player or on your Capitel Communications ATT windows mobile phone.

I am having a blast doing the show. Every single Day is a blast. The people are still getting along with us and dare I say I actually consider Bondsy, John Spaulding and Sammy Madonia friends. So those of you who prognosticated that I would have trouble with my fellow morning guys you were wrong.

We continue to bring in new advertisers everyday. Just ask Jeremy or Josh at Green Dodge and they will tell you what its like to have those Ray Lytle Show fans go in to your business and spend thousands of dollars. They know as we have had listeners buying up some of those great deals they have had at GREEN DODGE and GREEN subaru Mistsubishi. Ask Hamburger Dan what its like when a bunch of crazy Ray Lytle show Fans show up at your business to eat lunch because we had a lunch special. Ask the bar owners who have had record nights at their bars when we show up and host the Friday Night parties. I do want to thank the listeners who listen close to our commercials and visit our advertisers when its time to make purchases. I always tell the advertisers that the Ray Lytle Show audience will give them a chance. In other words, if its time to buy a product they will at least give the advertiser who they hear on the Ray Lytle Show a chance to sell them the product. Its up to the business to offer the deal to make the listener buy it. But we will get them in the doors. I do thank all the listeners who support the show by doing that. You guys are the best.

Now that were in our fourth month I can think of only one thing that isnt perfect and that is the fact that not everyone in springfield knows were here. All I ask of fans of the Ray Lytle show is to SPREAD THE WORD. If anyone asks tell them you listen to the show on WCVS. Hell even if they dont ask just tell people. THere are stil poor folks that are forced to listen to that horrible piece of garbage "Free beer and hand jobs" show on WqueerLZ. We have to help these people come on over to a good show. Every day we get another phone call from someone telling us that they just found out were over on WCVS and weve been there over three months. So help us out a little suckahs!!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE NAY SAYERS THE DOOM AND GLOOM FORTUNE TELLERS WHO PREDICTED THE DEMISE OF THE SHOW BEFORE IT BEGAN WERE INCORRECT.  REAL FRIGGIN WRONG! I imagine many of those who made the predictions were those that are now being affected by our success after three months. All I can say to those people who said we would fail is BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH. SUCK IT SUCKAHS!!

Ray Lytle Blogness

todays blog : HOW DID I GET HERE aka(How Ray Lytle finally found happiness)

i want to thank everyone for tuning in and spreading the word. it is amazing how many people have welcomed me back to town. that is strange to me because you see I NEVER LEFT. in fact with the exception of a brief flight to Miami and a couple of calls to some dream cities I never had any intention of leaving.

I have been in town and on the internet broadcasting live on www.disasterradio.net the show started with me and Jim the photographer, Jon Lamb, mychelle and marvin doing various shows in the fall of 2005. that show which was done from my basement led to the creation of the disasterradio network and eventually led to a studio in Chatham with a full slate of shows and alternative rock music and a classic rock station called www.throwbackrock.com

I had been looking for an FM outlet to return too just because i had some fire left in me and I had a couple of grudges i needed to settle plus to be honest i though springfield rock radio sucked after i left.

when the neuhoff media group bought the clear channel group and kevin odea had complete control of the property and smash was the program director it was a natural fit. So i started talking to the guys a while ago and we were gettin ready to go and then WHAM. I was hit upside the head when Jimmy died.

you see jimmy wanted this. he felt he was done dirty by QLZ when Glen Fired him. i mean the guy had an accident on the job and was injured and they fired him. he was calling in and still doing bits on the air with us and he couldnt even go to the bathroom properly. then after they fired him they fought his unemployment. i was a witness in his unemployment hearing and i told the truth. which was he was fired while injured and he was NOT written up nor was their provocation for his termination. jimmy won his unemployment. now i dont know if glen found out what was said in that hearing or not. all i know is my life became hell after it happened.

i tried to quit in the summer of 04 by telling them i was unhappy. i went out and found another job and then was told i had a contract i had to honor. smash had taken over as PD and talked me into attempting to be happy. that worked for a while when we brought Jon Lamb in and Marvin but after a while nothing could make me happy. marvin even told me that i needed to see his shrink.

Finally it came to a head in 05. i had gone on some interviews to work in some other cities. my wife meanwhile had moved up in her company and she really loves her job and the people she works with. my daughter was getting closer to school age... in other words moving was not something we were looking to do. however there was no other rock station. Qlz was too strong from almost ten years of the morning disaster and great music we had been soo strong for anyone to take us on. i was a victim of my own success.

it was july of 05 and i went to go see the fantastic four movie with my daughter bella and Jon Lamb and his kids austin and hannah. we watched the movie and i turned my phone off as the kerasotes ask you too before the movie starts. when i got out in the parking lot i turned my phone on. i had a message from nick rogers and jason piscia from the SJR both asking for return calls regarding the press release that they recieved from glen gardner and wqlz. i asked "what press release"... they had sent a press release that announced my leaving the station and Val Knight coming in to replace me.  now all i knew about val was that she was fired from wymg/wdbr and that she had never done mornings before. i also knew i didnt turn in any kind of resignation letter. next thing you know its august and i am without a job. it was time for a vacation and then figure it out from there

i started blogcasting on my web page and hundreds of people were downloading it and thats when i realized the internet had become a legitimate outlet. along with my uncle and business partner steve padron i started ip radio and the last two years have been filled with hard work and learning. i have learned so much about the web and the cool things we can do with it. my family life was better than ever since i got to spend time with my daughter in the mornings but i was still unhappy. it had a lot to do with the way it ended at qlz.

finally in summer of 2007 steve told me to get happy again and try to get back in FM if i wanted too. i certainly didint want to give up all i worked for with the internet though. so i started talking to some stations. most of them said i would have to give up the internet stuff if i wanted to go back. then i met with kevin odea who not only said i could keep the internet stuff but was willing to embrace the technology that i had learned. smash who i hired to come to qlz when i was running it and who was one of my few friends when i left had a plan to make CVS into a rock monster. mr neuhoff came to town to meet with me and he was awesome. nothing like the corporate boards i had to deal with from wisconsin. this was a guy knows springfield and allows his local people to run the show.he is also a real forward thinker who understands the future. i had definitely found the people i wanted to get into business with.

in november jimmy died and i thought maybe that it was time to find a state job in public relations or go to UIS and finish up my bacheleors and teach broadcasting. then i had a conversation with Jimmys dad and brothers who told me some things that jimmy said about me and about how important it was for him to teach a certain rock station in springfield a lesson. i decided that it had to be done. smash and i spoke at jimmys funeral and we knew that he would get his wish. i decided i would bring in the internet team of missa, dippa, grant, bdp and joe as my fm show with the addition of shaner from the old disaster and pickett as the producer and we hit the airwaves january 7th. i also have an amazing writing staff that i am part of that includes jon lamb, fluff, nate, gweedo, dippa, grant, bdp and roy. plus a group of guests that pop in from time to time. and the best part... all the listeners calling in and making me laugh every morning.

it feels like the late 90s again I am finally happy! not since before my brother died and tom kushak left qlz have i been this happy. i realize that money is nice but time is short and happiness and true friends and laughter are what really matters. i also cherish the feeling i get when i work really hard on something and it ends up working out just like a planned. i also feel like jimmy is getting his wish in a way. missa and i had a conversation the other day when the mobile unit had joe going through a carwash. we felt like someone else was in the studio even though it was just the two of us. we felt like someone was there saying  "ha ha im not the one on the mobile unit, i am in the studio" i also felt like whoever was in there was saying "good job buddy, im proud of you" well for once i am proud of me too.

i am proud to call THE ROCK AT 96-7 WCVS my new home!!!

Ray Lytle Blogness