Bubba: Well, it went down about 30 days prior to that...there was about a month period or so where we were actually in this limbo stage where we had been told really really clean it up and go pretty much political at that juncture. And so at that time I got into a huge anti-Bush tirade because I - in my opinion - felt as if what I was going through was Republican-generated and obviously F.C.C.-based. So, I got into a huge...for that 30 day period right after the Janet Jackson deal and my NAL issue I had that 30 day period and then I kinda’ knew I was done.
Corey: So you saw this coming...
Bubba: Absolutely. And I think at that juncture - in my opinion - they were trying to get me on a technicality in my contract. I think they were trying to say hey just listen: “Here’s what ya gotta’ do and if you don’t do it, you’re fired” and I did what they what had asked me to. Then I think at that juncture once they had the Senate hearings and the Congressional hearings and then John Hogan went in front of Congress and at that juncture they had to get rid of me - but I saw the writing on the wall. It had nothing to do with how successful or with how well I did...
Corey: You were sort of in the wrong place at the wrong time. I thought you were a sacrificial pig.
Bubba: Absolutely. I’m so honored that you feel that way because I was. They had to offer the government something to get them off their back and I was it. "Here’s Bubba now don’t hold up our renewal on all of our Florida licenses." That year was the year everyone of their Florida licenses were up for renewal and the government was playing bullshit games with them in regards to their license renewals in Florida and one of the things was to get rid of me.
Corey: So you sat around for - what was it - about a year-and-a-half?
Bubba: Yeah..little bit longer than that. Almost two.
Corey: Did you think it was over - as far as radio went?
Bubba: Absolutely Corey. You know, I didn’t have anybody terrestrially at all.
Corey: Nobody would touch you.
Bubba: No. Nobody. I mean for free - I could have said “Here I’ll give you a wonderful show, a ratings winner, been proven for free! Let me pay you!”. Nobody.
Corey: No calls, no Program Directors, no nothing.
Bubba: Obviously, I’d spoken...I had an ongoing open dialog with SIRIUS...and then after I met Howard [Stern] on November 30 of ‘04, Howard told me to my face - man to man - “Trust me. It’ll work out. I’ll make it happen.” And it did. It took another almost nearly a year to get the deal done. About another 8 months. It immediately opened up conversations with SIRIUS - a lot higher conversations than we had because we kinda’ had, for lack of a better term, Howard’s endorsement. And from that point forward it was a lot - my mind was a lot more at ease.
Corey: How did you wind up meeting Howard?
Bubba: Actually, my producer, Brent Hatley called up Don [Buchwald, Howard’s agent] and said, “Listen: we don’t know what you guys are gonna’ do or what Howard has in mind but Bubba would love an opportunity to meet Howard.” And Don expedited it within five days...
Corey: You know it’s almost like Stern has reeled in all these radio refugees: you’re doing afternoons on Howard 101. I just saw that Danny Bonaduce is doing a show on Howard 100. Red Peters has a countdown show...
Bubba: Ya know Corey, he saved us for one, being able to work again and but two, he saved us in the fact that now that I’ve obviously done both and I’ve only been here about a month but oh my God, I’m gonna’ be honest with you Corey. If someone offered me double the amount of money I’m making now to go back - and I swear to you - my son’s in this room and he’s the most precious thing in my life - I swear to God with my right hand on my son they could offer me double the amount of money to go to regular radio and I would tell them to go get fucked. There’s no way in the world I would ever go back. I would do Internet Radio...
Corey: Before terrestrial...
Bubba: Yeah. I’m having so much fun and I absolutely love coming to work. I love opening the mike. I love doing what I do now and towards the latter part of my terrestrial career it was just absolutely miserable - and Howard had to go through a year of that misery.
(Continued...Part 2)
(A companion Podcast of the entire interview is available at RadioRadioShow.com)
