EPISODE 9: Bill Welychka
Erica Ehm gets personal with Bill Welychka about his journey from behind the scenes editor to becoming one of MuchMusic’s longest serving hosts, how he manages to put himself in the right place at the right time, and how an interview with David Bowie was the catalyst to make him leave MuchMusic.
Bill Welychka has a knack for reinventing. He talks about the power of networking and how he continues to order thrive as a broadcaster in the current climate. While Bill’s latest reinvention is as a morning show host in Kingston, Ontario, he tells Erica why it was rock n' roll that pulled him there.
Show Transcript
Intro: We've got some good rock and roll coming up for you now. The guys from Kiss have arrived. They snuck in the backdoor. You spend your whole life doing the first few albums and then suddenly everybody needs your attention. Erica Ehm's Reinvention of the VJ, a flashback on the career that made them who they are today.
On this episode... [Inaudible] check it out, his name is Prince. It was the first time we actually had a live interview. [inaudible] I know I'm by myself, but [inaudible] and my dog, Marty, he loves me, right? Well, maybe not. This is Erica Ehm's Reinvention of the VJ. Now here's Erica Ehm.
Erica Ehm: Hello everyone, and welcome to Reinvention of the VJ. I'm Eric M. And today I'll be chatting with a VJ who got his start behind the scenes at Much as an editor. He became the host of the weekly country music show on Much called Outlaws & Heroes, and he ended up being one of the longest standing VJs on Much. I am so happy to reconnect with my buddy Bill Welychka on today's show.
But before we jump into our interview, if this is your first time tuning into my podcast, let me give you a little bit of background. Reinvention of the VJ podcast is my passion project. It's my weekly unscripted and hopefully meandering conversation with some of the quirky and beloved on air hosts that you probably grew up watching on Much.
I was only at Much for the first decade, so many of my guests on the show I may not have even worked with, but there is one thing that we all have in common, each of us played a small part in our country's most influential pop culture platform, and then eventually each of us left, at different times, for different reasons, each on our own next adventure.
It's that story of what happens after Much, the reinvention, the resilience, and the innovation, the luck, and the struggle that also intrigues me. So hopefully after Bill and I chat, you'll feel like you know him a little better and maybe you'll even see him differently because listen, really the show is for you, and hopefully while listening to Bill today, you're going to find some tidbits, some insight, that helps you sort of get through some tough times and to reinvent, and even redefine success so that you can apply it to your own life.
Listen, right after I finish my interview with Bill, I'm going to be sharing a phone line that we set up. We are so fancy. It's a Reinvention of the VJ phone line, so you can call in and tell us which... Hold on, my dog is making noise. Snoop, be quiet. We're doing a podcast.
Bill Welychka: Let the dog stay in.
Erica Ehm: I'm going to let him stay in, but I want to tell everyone about... Wait a second, Bill, you're not supposed to be talking yet. This is my show. All these VJs are just so pushy. What's going to happen is, I'm going to give you a phone number that you can call in and then you can tell us which Much VJ I should interview next. And you can also offer up questions, you can reminisce about an interview or something about Much that really means a lot to you, and you can give us feedback on the show, which is really important because how will the show get better if we don't hear from you?
To be honest, as Much as this show is for you, it's also a treat for me to reconnect and reminisce with people that I haven't seen in years, which brings me to today's guest. I'm met Bill Welychka in probably 1988, when he was behind the scenes at Much doing his job as an editor, and we ended up working together until 1994 when, poof. We barely have spoken since. So Bill, I am so happy to have you on my show. Look at you smiling.
Bill Welychka: I think I might cry a little bit.
Erica Ehm: Well, we're doing this interview on Zoom, so we get to actually look at each other, although in a podcast you don't get to see the smile, but there is something, there is this weird connection isn't there, between all of us who worked at Much back in the day?
Bill Welychka: I've been asked before if any of the VJs ever hung out after their shift. First of all, thanks for thinking of me for this, by the way, it means a lot. I have a feeling it's going to feel like therapy, a big long therapy session, as well, but it is good to see you as well, so thanks for thinking of me after all these years.
But yeah, I've been asked before, "Hey, did any of you guys ever hang out?" And for me, sadly, not really. Only at work. I've remained in touch with a lot of behind the scenes people and I think you might have as well. I think you remained friends with a certain few as well. But I wish we had remained in touch over the years, and thank goodness for social media.
Erica Ehm: Yeah, it's true. We lurk, don't we?
Bill Welychka: Yeah.
Erica Ehm: Look where people are through social media. That's so nice. So where are you speaking from right now?
Bill Welychka: I am in Kingston at the global affiliate here. I'm actually on the news desk. I host a morning show here. And I moved to Kingston eight years ago to produce and host an hour broadcast, which we went to full global about three years ago. We created a morning show, so I've been producing and co-hosting that [crosstalk 00:05:39].
Erica Ehm: That's so awesome, Bill. Congratulations.
Bill Welychka: I love Kingston for more reasons than one. Of course, when you're a VJ, you love music and you manage to connect with a lot of your heroes, and one of the things that I've noticed over the years is always been a big Tragically Hip fan, interviewed them maybe 20 times over the years since 1995 and have had established friendships with them over the years. And to actually be neighbors with Rob Baker, consider Paul Langlois somewhat of a friend and his wife, Jo, to have Johnny Fay buy you a beer when he sees you at the bar, just these little things [crosstalk 00:06:18].
Erica Ehm: Are you telling me that you accepted a job in Kingston specifically to hang out with The Tragically Hip?
Bill Welychka: No, it's just one of the reasons why I love Kingston. One of many reasons.
Erica Ehm: Well, it's-
Bill Welychka: Prior to Kingston, I was in Ottawa. So that brings you up to date. That's what life has been like since being a VJ.
Erica Ehm: It all started at Sheridan. You were studying radio and television. Did you have an eye on being on air back in the day?
Bill Welychka: No inkling of wanting to be on air. I tell people I really wanted to learn how to shoot. I really wanted to be a camera person. But fell in love with editing to the point where I ended up editing everyone's assignments for them. Ended up being nominated and winning Most Outstanding Student, not because of based on marks, but because I ended up editing everyone's projects, and then got hired. The week I graduated from Seneca, I got hired by Much as a dubber and then became an editor.
You remember, in 1988, Music [Plus] was getting ready for their move to Montreal Music Plus. The shift was Much went live from 12:00 to 8:00, Music Plus would take over from 8:00 until midnight, and then recycle that window. So I was basically dubbing all of our library's, videos for Music Plus, so they can have their videos when they moved to Montreal. So my first job was basically pressing play, record.
Erica Ehm: Were you an intern at that point?
Bill Welychka: An intern, and then getting hired when I graduated. [crosstalk 00:07:49].
Erica Ehm: When you're an intern, does that mean you work for free?
Bill Welychka: I look at it as free information, as free education, but the cool thing is, and this is what I tell volunteers, once you're in, you keep your eye on the notice boards, you find out where there's movement going on, so it was an advantage to be there volunteering, and then when an opening came up as an editor, I jumped at it.
Erica Ehm: You know, it's interesting that you bring that up because I was going to ask you about that. It seems that you are a master opportunist. That you are always on the lookout for potential opportunities. And don't give me this look like you're insulting me, I'm not. I think that in order to succeed in life, you need to be an opportunist.
Bill Welychka: Opportunist implies out for yourself.
Erica Ehm: I disagree with that. To me, an opportunist is someone who's constantly looking for mutually beneficial opportunities, where there's a place for you where you can help out. It's a different way of looking at life, and you seem to be like that.
Bill Welychka: I think that is fair to say. I like to think most people are. And when you say helping people out, that's really all I really wanted to do. Whether it's been on the air or whether it's been behind the scenes. Whether it's endearing yourself to a community that you've never lived in before. Whether it's working with a bunch of people you've never worked with before. Helping and assisting and elevating people around you and all the while you're elevating yourself, hopefully. And it's been such a cliche, we're all in this together, especially in 2020. I've said that from day one, years ago, we're all in this together.
Erica Ehm: I agree with that. And I think part of your success is that you're a nice guy.
Bill Welychka: I've heard that before, and my response is, it's not hard.
Erica Ehm: Let's go back to the editing bay. I have very strong... You're wagging your finger at me. I have very strong memories of hanging out with you in the editing bay.
Bill Welychka: I have a funny story. It was late at night. I don't know, sometime in 88, maybe 89, I was editing something that you had worked on, and I was working nights, so I rarely crossed paths with the VJs and with you. You're going out with some guy, some artist guy.
Erica Ehm: Doug.
Bill Welychka: Was that his name?
Erica Ehm: So talented. Yeah.
Bill Welychka: I was editing something, and you popped in the editing bay to stick your head in, you said, "I'm Erica." "I know who you are." Then you said, "Well, can I see what you're doing?" I was smoking at the time, and that's when you could smoke in public places, especially a TV station. And I was smoking in the edit bay. I remember. And you said, "Can I see what you're working on that piece?" I go, "Yeah, it's almost done. Do you mind I'm smoking? Is that okay?" And you went, "Yeah, it's okay. It's gross." So you allowed me to smoke, but you let me know that you didn't like it at all. I just thought, I love this honesty. Good honesty there.
Erica Ehm: I think that's part of who I am, is I'm the blunt one. I just am. I'm unabashedly myself, and I think that when those who were successful on MuchMusic had to be the same, because, at least for me, there was no script, we were basically put on air and chosen because we had something to say. Which brings me to you sitting in the edit bay and watching hundreds of hours of interviews and learning all the time, taking it in. Did you decide that you wanted to be on air when you were looking at all these amateurs like me, and going, man, I can do so much better, just because you've seen so much.
Bill Welychka: Not really, because the people I were watching were seasoned freaking pros, you, Christopher Ward, Denise Donlon. I had some great teachers. They didn't know they were teaching me at the time. And when your job is to watch hours and hours of raw interviews, of course you pick stuff up, what works, what doesn't work. One of the things you inadvertently taught me without knowing is an interview is not a question and answer, it's not an interrogation, it's a conversation. And you might go in with two or three questions that you really want to know, or that the fans want to know, but it can go this way, it can go this way, all because you're listening and engaging and reacting.
To me, the best interviews were always conversations where the artists didn't even know they were being interviewed, they're just giving you stuff, and inside you're going, oh, yeah, oh, yeah, That's good. And as an editor, I'm editing an hour special in my head as I'm going along, going look, I could use that there. I can put that.... A video clip would be good there. All the while having a conversation. So yeah, I had really good teachers. I was very, very fortunate that way.
But didn't want to be on air. That was with the country show, when I was really passionate about country music at the time and helped create that show, Outlaws & Heroes. Some guy last week, Erica, you'll get this for the rest of your life, I used to say, when I'm 50, I'm still going to get it, I say now when I'm 60 or 70, "Hey, MuchMusic. Hey, Bill."
Some guy actually said, "Hey, Outlaws & Heroes." That was 1994 that show went off the air. But yeah, I was a huge country fan at the time. Still am. But we had all these country music videos coming into the station and no real avenue to play them, and John Martin, our Director of Music Programming at that time, thought, like I did, let's put a country show on the air. It was Canada's first country music video show.
Erica Ehm: Wait a second, you said to John, let's put a country show on the air?
Bill Welychka: I submitted a proposal.
Erica Ehm: Out of the blue?
Bill Welychka: He didn't know me.
Erica Ehm: Wait a second.
Bill Welychka: He didn't know me from a hole in the ground.
Erica Ehm: Right, so you're "just an editor." How old were you at the time?
Bill Welychka: Probably 20.
Erica Ehm: And you had the audacity to put together a proposal for a TV series for a national music network.
Bill Welychka: I made a career of questioning every single one of my moves and how I do it, but not necessarily why I do things. Does that make sense?
Erica Ehm: Well, it has to make sense because that's what you do.
Bill Welychka: John Martin ended up putting one on the air, Christopher Ward and Denise Donlon hosted. I just wanted to be along for the ride, editing.
Erica Ehm: How did you frame this show that made him want to do it?
Bill Welychka: To was a letter that I sent. And I only worked nights, so I never saw him during the day. But I wrote him a letter and said, "Hi, I'm Bill. I work nights. I'm a big country fan. Every week we're getting in these country [inaudible] on the new music. I think it's time we jump on this huge chart making, money selling venture in terms of country music."
I think one ended up going on the air in a couple of months, but I'm also smart enough to not say he stole my idea. I'm sure he had that idea for a while.
Erica Ehm: Yes, Bill, good one.
Bill Welychka: We've lost John Martin. We lost John Martin in 2005 or 2006. One of the smartest guys I think I've ever met.
Erica Ehm: When you went on air, was that you asking to be on air? How did that happen, that the guy who worked nights as an editor, who came up with a show, is still sitting smoking in his edit bay, how is it that you eventually, quite quickly, actually, became the host?
Bill Welychka: Denise Donlon was the original host. She went on mat leave, went away on mat leave, so she actually said, "While I'm gone, why don't you host the show for me from the edit bay?" Here's this editor taking care of the show while the host is gone. I thought, okay. Did that for close to a year, I think, and then when she came back, we continued to cohost, and then she soon became the Director of Music Programing, took over John's role, and basically left me to host the show.
By that point, I think the viewers were familiar with me. And did that until they canceled the Outlaws & Heroes, the country music video show, where she moved me to regular flow veejaying.
Erica Ehm: I was gone by that point.
Bill Welychka: Sadly, yes.
Erica Ehm: I left in 94, which is right probably when, in a way you might have replaced my time on air at Much because I left in 94. You filled another spot. It's an interesting thing. I think when Moses Znaimer, who hires people for on air, when they were hiring people, they sort of slotted people in and sort of defined their personalities, in a way. Do you know what I mean? So what role did you play at Much?
Bill Welychka: Absolutely. And looking back, you don't really say, well, I'm this guy, I have this to offer, because you don't really know. I was never the cute one. I was never the political one. Hopefully people just saw a fan who loved music, loved all kinds of music, knew about all kinds of music, and was passionate about interviews and giving the artists a chance to shine. That's all I think I've ever done and still continue to do.
But Moses, yeah, you're right, he stopped me in the hallway one time and said, "Your nose is to the camera. I don't like that." I thought, well, what? Everyone's nose is to the camera. They're talking to a camera. Moses speaks in codes. He doesn't give you stuff. Man is brilliant. I still tell people to this day, one of the most groundbreaking, ahead of his time, broadcasters in the world. Nothing but respect for Moses. But I had to sit and think about what he meant. And what he meant was, well, if I'm an editor, do the show from the edit bay.
Then I started to develop doing an interview, and then in the edit bay, stopping the interview halfway through so the viewer could see the paused tape, and then rewinding, and then saying, yeah, but if you said that, then, then how do you feel about this video now? Play a little bit of the video. So basically editing the show as I went on. And it's never been done before in television and that's a testament to Moses.
Erica Ehm: And it's also a testament to, not just you, but to the people that Moses hired because he demanded innovation from each of us. And I think that those who couldn't cut it fell away, and it forced all of us, I think, to challenge ourselves in ways we never thought we could.
Bill Welychka: And ways that no one else ever had to in any other market or any other station. That's what was one of the beautiful things about 299 Queen, and you were at 99 Queen East, is that sense of creativity and love of music, and to combine both those things and doing it with some great people. Morgan Flurry, Sherry Greengrass, Simon Evans, [Deno 00:18:34], some amazing behind the scenes people as well, that also had this vision and everyone worked on their visions together. And I think the audience knew what they were watching and that you would never see this anywhere else in the world.
Erica Ehm: It was like a family. And when it comes to family, there are disagreements. At least for me, there were. How did you deal with the constant stress? There is pressure, you can go ahead and not deny it, but to be live every day for four hours with virtually no script and chaos all around you, how did you cope with the daily pressure?
Bill Welychka: I honestly, you'll disagree, maybe, I didn't really feel pressure. I looked at everything as an opportunity and as knowing what I was doing. I knew day one, I was being given an opportunity that would change my life and I appreciated that. To this day I still appreciate it, and to this day I still tell people those are days I'll never get back.
[inaudible] Switzerland, spend a few days in Switzerland, or LA, or New York, or Australia, England interview Sheryl Crow, interview Shania Twain, interview Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, interview Robert Smith, interview someone that you grew up loving and appreciating and have pictures on your locker. Interview David Bowie. Interview Mick Jagger. You go do an interview and you come back and I'm editing an hour special with these artists. I'm getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it. I'm sure you look at it as those days can never, ever be replicated or repeated.
Erica Ehm: I also feel that it-
Bill Welychka: You in Switzerland with Glass Tiger.
Erica Ehm: And Tina Turner, in Switzerland.
Bill Welychka: I have all those interviews at home. I watch all of them.
Erica Ehm: You have them?
Bill Welychka: No, I wish I did.
Erica Ehm: I don't have any of them. This is something that's so weird, is that when I was working at Much, I was there for 13 years, three years before we went on air and then 10 years on air.
Bill Welychka: Erica, in those early days, was a receptionist in the background.
Erica Ehm: That's right. Well, no, well, I was booking the shoots for Jeannie and JD for the new music and for MuchMusic. I was even there way before there was a MuchMusic. But for me, when I was there, I didn't collect any video because I never thought it would end. And now I have some photos, but I find my old interviews on YouTube. I'm guessing you must have quite a collection at home because you know how to edit, so you fricking were able to pull the tapes and keep copies at home.
Bill Welychka: I have hour specials that I worked on with the artists that I absolutely love, I did save those, maybe 15 or 20 of those. At the end of each year we would do a best of the year, so I have best of shows. So for instance, we just lost Eddie Van Halen, and I interviewed Eddie twice, both with the band, once at his house in West Hollywood, once live on Much. I don't have those. What I have is maybe 30 seconds to a minute from that year in the year end wrap ups.
But yeah, there's oftentimes where I wish, oh, I wish I had that special or that interview. And I've heard from some people that a lot of those interviews have been turfed and never heard from again, which is really sad because Iggy Pop interviews from the late 70s on the new music, priceless. You're not even going to find that on YouTube.
But luckily, yeah, there's a lot of people that have saved stuff that they watched and have thrown it up on YouTube. I've seen stuff that I had forgotten about, which is amazing. So yeah, it's not until someone brings it up to you or it's out on YouTube now that you can relive some of those moments. But yeah, you, especially, some groundbreaking interviews. Peter Gabriel.
Erica Ehm: Love that.
Bill Welychka: Live on Much. Yeah, that was the first time John Martin... I remember this. Peter Gabriel was live on Much, I think it was like 2:30 in the afternoon, just for like a half hour, I think it was. We played some music videos, we came back, talked to Peter Gabriel, and John Martin said, this is the first time we'd ever done this, says, "That was great. Let's repeat it in the evening. Let's repeat it tomorrow." It was the first time we actually had a live interview. We took live interviews for granted, you know what I mean?
Erica Ehm: It's interesting that you say that because I have probably some PTSD trauma from my days that Much, because I started with zero skills. I was considered, yes, now, historically a trailblazer, but back then, people did not like my style. I was learning on the job. I didn't have what you had, which are role models, really. I had no one to copy. I was making it up.
But I wonder, did you have a difficult time transitioning from being the guy behind the scenes, to the guy on camera, internally, like from the crew. To go, "How come he gets to be on air?" Did you get that sort of frustration from the crew, that you shouldn't be on air?
Bill Welychka: I didn't experience that. And if they did feel that, thankfully they never expressed to me because I would have started crying or something. But I always got along great with the crew, because we worked with the crew. As an editor, you work with the crew, so you know everyone. And like I said earlier, I still keep in touch with behind the scenes people more than I do with the on-air people.
One of the things that really freaked me out is when I was doing the country show and they brought it to an end and Denise wanted me to move over to regular flow VJs, I think that second day I had to interview... It was a Manchester band. Stone Roses, huge Manchester band. And I thought, okay, if anyone watches Much at all, if they flip around, "Wait, isn't that the country guy who for two years went on about how much he loves Garth Brooks and Michelle Wright and Marty Stewart? Now he's interviewing the Stone Roses? I'm not going to buy that."
But hopefully by those interviews people watched and realized, okay, this guy, isn't a one trick pony. He knows about country, yeah, but he knows about classic rock. He knows about modern rock. He knows some hip hop. He knows a little bit of everything. And I think that was tough for me to swallow, realizing if the audience was going to get it.
Erica Ehm: Is there an interview that you conducted over your years at Much that transformed the way you think? That affected you really deeply sort of philosophically or emotionally?
Bill Welychka: Depending on the artist, you learn something new every time. But one of the things for me is when it really, really hit me, it's happened a couple times, it's happened a lot of times, but the first few times it really hits you, and that is, I remember listening to my older brother's records in grade one and grade two and David Bowie and Rod Stewart and led Zeppelin, and having a chance to... I loved Bob Seger in high school, grade nine and grade 10. I think I went through Night Moves three different copies, album, tape, and eventually CD. And The Cure will always be one of my favorite groups of all time.
Then in the middle of an hour interview, and it's going good, it's going really well, in fact, there's bonding going on. And you'll notice, you know this, the artist actually knows that you know what you're talking about because you're bringing up stuff that's not in the bio, that they've never said before. And to themselves, they're thinking, okay, this person knows what they're talking about, therefore I'm going to respect them, kind of thing.
But it happened with Robert Smith and, like I said, a few others, where it hit me, it's like, man, this is a perfect circle. This was the music that I went to bed to. Music was a badge when I was growing up. I'm sure it was for you. But when you go to a bed to an artist's music and you go to sleep and you wake up to that music, it's part of your life in a way that friends can't be, or family members can't be, but when you bond with an artist who has been in that situation for you... Music, it's not just entertainment. I believe music, it touches the soul. It can save people. And to bond with these people years later, to me, is a huge thrill that you couldn't pay me enough to experience that, or I couldn't pay enough to experience that, yet I was getting paid to do all this.
Erica Ehm: I think most Canadians would have died to have been in your situation. And then things changed and you ended up on MuchMoreMusic, which was romantic rock. What the heck was that all about, Bill?
Bill Welychka: I got to the point where I was turning 30 and I thought, I don't want to be Sporty Spice for another [inaudible 00:27:28]. I love producing and editing our specials. With MuchMoreMusic it was more about the music. It wasn't about the presentation of it as much. So I asked Denise, when she launched MuchMoreMusic, "Think I can go over upstairs a couple of floors up?" And she says, "Well, what shows would you introduce and create?"
So I told her, and I ended up doing MuchMoreMusic, and by then the programming had shifted a little bit. They were allowing a little bit more edgier music, more of a reflection of VH1, which is, it started off as singer songwriter music, and then it morphed into something else. I think the producers at the time just didn't know really how to present a triple M format, and then eventually they figured out, but like anything in that building under Chung, it just sort of petered out, sadly.
Erica Ehm: What happened? You were at Much, you were there for how many years? Like 14 years altogether. How many years?
Bill Welychka: 88 to 2000 with Much, and then MuchMore from 2000 to 2005. I was just done with entertainment. I remember doing a Bowie special, amazing David Bowie interview, and the Director of Music Programming at the time said, "Is he going to get ratings?" I think I'm done here. I don't want to do this anymore.
Erica Ehm: Did you walk away. You walked away from this dream job? Or did they package you? What happened?
Bill Welychka: No, I found another job and then gave them some notice.
Erica Ehm: Bill, ever the opportunist. This is fascinating as I get to [crosstalk 00:29:05].
Bill Welychka: You bring up reinvention. I was scared shitless. All I've ever known is television, yes, but all I've ever known is entertainment and music television. An opportunity came to go to Edmonton to host a morning show. I thought, okay, well, that's not going to be so different. It's talking. It's being current. It's engaging the audience. It's live. [crosstalk 00:29:28].
But then to realize at that point that I just missed Ontario. Nothing against Edmonton. I just, I missed friends and family. I thought I could handle it and I didn't. But at the end of that year, serendipitous opportunity came to be a weatherperson in Ottawa for [crosstalk 00:29:48].
Erica Ehm: Stop right now. First of all, serendipitous, that implies luck, so tell me the truth. Was it luck or did you cast a net? Did you open yourself up to more opportunity? What happened?
Bill Welychka: I had heard from the Director of News Operations in Ottawa that they were looking for a personality.
Erica Ehm: And there he is.
Bill Welychka: He heard that I wanted to leave Edmonton. I don't know. Managers talk, I guess.
Erica Ehm: Bill, everybody talks. Isn't that sort of the secret of networking? Keeping everyone that you've worked with close so that your tentacles spread and the opportunities multiply.
Bill Welychka: You can call it luck. You can call it where I was supposed to be, where fate wanted me. I don't know. I'm grateful for that opportunity. [crosstalk]
Erica Ehm: But Bill, I'm going to interrupt you. I'm stopping you right here. A weatherman?
Bill Welychka: Talk about reinvention.
Erica Ehm: I mean there's university or college programs where you learn to be [crosstalk 00:30:53].
Bill Welychka: Meteorologist. Yeah. I tell people I'm not a meteorologist. I'm a weather presenter. One is a degree. One is basically giving the highs and lows, explaining why a system is moving in. And I basically read a book before I started there and learned on the job and I loved it. And you talk about reinvention. Again, it's about shitting pants and it's about overcoming.
Erica Ehm: It's about shitting pants.
Bill Welychka: And realizing, okay, this is a challenge. I can do it. I'm up for it. And then realizing years later, I love it. So now I get to do a little bit of everything. It's almost full circle. I can pick and choose artists that are coming to Kingston. I can pick and choose any concerts if there's any interview opportunity with music artists. So I still do that. I do the weather. And I do lifestyle programming. And it's a little bit of everything. So anything that happened in my life up to now has paved the way for me to do from here on end, if that makes any sense.
Erica Ehm: You have accomplished so much in your life, how does it reflect in your private life? Because the minute you go on air and you become open to people having a perception of you, how did that affect, or does affect, your personal life? When you meet people, can they see you, who's not the guy on air? How does that work?
Bill Welychka: I think one of the greatest compliments I've ever received is, "You know Erica Ehm?" Being told that I'm part of people's families at the s6:00 dinner hour. And I've been told that "You bring something that is honest and approachable," which, again, I don't know any other way. And I don't know who you've been watching where they're not honest and not approachable, but thank you, I guess. It's a huge compliment.
Erica Ehm: Yes. And I think that that may... I'm always interested to see the connection between who we were at Much and how we were trained and how that thread may or may not stay consistent throughout our lives. And so I ask you, were you, at Much, encouraged to stay Bill, or did they try and soften the edges a little bit or make you a little more professional? And how is that consistent with where you are today?
Bill Welychka: I've been lucky, recently. I've been lucky back there. No one has ever said, wear this, don't do that, say this. Even recently, Jay, my boss, he's the Director of News here in Kingston, I've been given a lot of freedom to the point where sometimes he might have said, "You know Bill, showing your picture at the Gord Downie Pier on the weekend, maybe wasn't a good idea on the morning show," but I didn't get in trouble. Yeah, I was at the Gord Downie Pier on the weekend swimming. Here. Here's my bare chest.
Erica Ehm: You have had, and are having, a really wonderful career.
Bill Welychka: Well, thank you.
Erica Ehm: Proudest moment to date, Bill.
Bill Welychka: I'm sure as an on-air person, you've been asked many, many, many questions and have been interviewed as well as doing interviewing. No one's ever asked that before. So I would like to think the proudest moment, it's like being asked who was your favorite interview? Robert Smith. I love the guys from Oasis. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin. Well, what about Madonna? Talk about Madonna. Yeah, that was good, but these are people-
Erica Ehm: No, I want to know for you. I don't want to know who you interviewed.
Bill Welychka: For me, the proudest-
Erica Ehm: Because that's outside.
Bill Welychka: The proudest moment-
Erica Ehm: But I want to know for you, what has been the proudest moment in your career to date.
Bill Welychka: I can think of two things. One is being hired by Much full-time with a salary the week I graduated. Huge. I'll never forget that feeling. And number two, still being able to continue to do what I have chosen in my life to do, doing it, and still doing it, and continuing to doing it, continue to still do it, and continue to reinvent myself.
Erica Ehm: Bill, you mentioned the word luck before, and I'm going to disagree with you because listening to you, what I hear is someone who is incredibly hardworking, who's easy to get along, who is an opportunist at every turn, and I mean that in my definition, and you are appreciative of and grateful for what you have. And I think that these are great lessons for anyone listening right now, because if you are looking to change careers or enhance your career, do what Bill does.
Thanks again, Bill, so much. For those of you who have been listening, remember that you are such an important part of the show because without you, there would be no show. So as I mentioned in the top of the episode, I've set up a phone line for you to call in to leave a voice message, so that we can include you in future episodes. The number is (833) 972-7272.
I'm going to repeat the number in a few seconds, but here's a question, why should you call him? Well, you can call in to suggest who I should interview on a future episode of Reinvention of the VJ after Bill Welychka, or you can also share some stories about really any of us, any of the on-air people that you have watched over the years. Maybe you met one of the on-air people in real life, or perhaps you remember a specific Much segment that made you laugh, made you cry, that meant a lot to you, or you may have a burning question that you'd like me to ask a future guest who would answer it on one of the shows.
You can also share feedback about this episode, or any episode, of Reinvention of the VJ. The number once again to call is (833) 972-7272. And if you're not a phone type of person, or if you don't want to have your voice included in the show, you can always reach me on my social platforms. On Instagram, Erica Ehm. On Twitter, it's Erica Ehm. On my Facebook page, guess what, it's Eric Ehm. And I'm also on LinkedIn.
Thank you so much Bill Welychka for being a part of the show. Thank you so Much for listening. I will see you next week with another episode of Reinve.ntion of the VJ here's to living a life filled with music, meaning, and many reinventions.
Outro: Thanks for listening. Follow Erica Ehm's Reinvention of the VJ podcast. Subscribe and follow more episodes. Click to reinventionofthevj.com. Podcast produced in collaboration with Steve Anthony Productions. Editing and coordination, [inaudible] Communications, Inc. Copyright 2020.