I cannot remember what brought it about, but at some point in my TMS relationship with newsman extraordinaire Bill Zimpfer we collectively decided to take a detour on a Friday. Each weekday at 7:35 AM (EST) we rely on Bill for a national or international story of note. Bill is the best. He is always ready for my stupid questions and always prepared to offer a deeper look.
Still, sometimes you just need a break - grizzled newsman, bedraggled host - and Friday was the logical choice.
We tried it once and it was such a hit with listeners it became a thing and, therefore, I had to name the segment. As I searched my mind for just the right name I considered Bill as a newsman's version of Gary Larsen. I imagined an office/studio full of file folders. Discarded microphones hang by their cords on the walls. Paper crumpled in wads in the trash can. A garlic bologna sandwich sits half-eaten as if the snack time was interrupted by a breaking news alert.
Cabinets litter the room...this is a newsman's space. There is one special file cabinet, though. It's dinged up, rusted in a few spots. It's nondescript. You have to open the top drawer just so far to gain entry to the second drawer and there it sits. In the middle of all kinds of files.
"Beethoven's 2nd (Accordion)" ... "So THEY Think We Don't Know" ... "Killer Kielbasa" ... "Bologna or Baloney?" ... "Animal Stories" ... "Ill-advised Passes By The QB."
Then, I see it. A special folder, dog-eared, with "other" stories, ideas, and observations...it's curious contents are contained inside "The Bill Folder."
Today, we needed a look inside that treasure trove of mystery more than ever - inside "The Bill Folder."