Exposing Corruption, Injustices and the Truth.
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| O'Fallon Watchdog |
Exposing Corruption, Injustices and the Truth.
‘Fish and Ships’: Ex-O’Fallon Officials Take To The
Airwaves
By Mary Ann O'Toole Holley
Mid Rivers Newsmagazine
They’re not quite Hannity and Colmes, and nothing like Bill O’Reilly or Chris
Matthews, but the new duo of the St. Charles County airwaves are certainly
piquing interests around these parts.
Former O’Fallon City Attorney Rick Fischer and former O’Fallon Ward 2
Alderman Lyn Schipper have taken their uncensored opinions to the
airwaves.
Each Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., their outspoken voices resonate from
radios throughout St. Charles County and beyond via station KFAV 99.9 on
your FM dial.
Their 15-minute “talk show” comically dubbed “Fish and Ships” (a takeoff
on their names) brings to the light of day a more radical or humorous look
at issues of national, state and local importance.
There’s always at least one debate per show. Schipper takes the
Republican conservative side, and Fischer takes the Democratic liberal
side.
But the two agree wholeheartedly on one thing: they want to keep it fresh.
“We battle back and forth. I hope it’s fun; I hope it’s informative. We’re not
going to pull any punches; we’re not going to make friends, but there are
some things we need to say because people aren’t getting it in any other
media,” Schipper said. “We’re certainly not professional radio guys; we
stumble over things, but it’s real. It’s two guys with concerns about things,
and know enough to get people to think. If we irritate and agitate people
along the way, that’s good too.”
Although the two have roots in O’Fallon, their issues spread far beyond.
There was an issue in Lincoln County about development recently, so the
two discussed the importance of not allowing developers to ransack an
area without long-term plans, Schipper said. On a national level, they have
fun joking about how the country is 18 months out from the presidential
election, and they’re already holding debates.
“Sometimes we joke about things, like the time we decided we needed
‘development warning sirens’ to let residents know they’re about to get
blasted by a storm of (building) developers,” Schipper said.
One week their topic was Dardenne Prairie annexation agreements and
the pros and cons, and another week the duo debated the Wal-Mart issue
and growth in St. Charles County.
“Generally, we’ll talk about two or three topics each week, covering a mix of
things,” Fischer said. “A lot of times Lyn and I agree, sometimes it’s more
of a debate between us because we do have differing views.”
Fischer said they have no idea what they’ll talk about from week to week
until they sit down in front of the microphone.
The Wal-Mart issue came up after the controversy that surrounded the
development in St. Peters. The Dardenne Prairie annexation and the city’s
plans for growth spurred that topic, Fischer said.
“Dardenne Prairie officials were talking about taking some of the same
steps O’Fallon took in the early days,” Fischer said. “A news story
mentioned that the city could work out a pre-annexation agreement with
some property owners, and they would be exempted from certain
ordinances. It was kind of like O’Fallon’s tap on fees, where the city gave
away the house, and the residents ended up paying for it.”
Schipper said the decision to join the radio waves was born during a
luncheon with another former alderman, Randy Hudson. Hudson, owner of
Randy’s Jewelry in O’Fallon, said he had some advertising money and
thought the two opinionated acquaintances should bring their traditional
lunchtime bantering to a broader audience.
Rick came up with this name “Fish and Ships,” Randy thought about it for a
while, and decided it was a good idea, Schipper said. The three of them
sat down with the radio station managers, Hudson bought some
advertising to sponsor the show, and that’s how it all came about, Schipper
said.
“It’s a blast. It’s a lot of fun,” Schipper said. “I only I wish we had just a little
more time. It’s a 15-minute show, and we break into three five-minute
sessions. We go over on some of the time, but what we’re trying to do is
look at issues in the news that are topical, and put our own take on it. Best
of all, the station manager knows what he’s getting and is in full approval.
We told him we might make some enemies or stir up some ire. He said
‘great,’ he has no problem with that.”
KFAV 99.9FM is a country music station serving over 500,000 people
spanning St. Charles, Lincoln, Franklin and Warren counties, primarily, but
if the skies are clear, the show can be picked up as far away as Clayton in
St. Louis County.
Airwaves
By Mary Ann O'Toole Holley
Mid Rivers Newsmagazine
They’re not quite Hannity and Colmes, and nothing like Bill O’Reilly or Chris
Matthews, but the new duo of the St. Charles County airwaves are certainly
piquing interests around these parts.
Former O’Fallon City Attorney Rick Fischer and former O’Fallon Ward 2
Alderman Lyn Schipper have taken their uncensored opinions to the
airwaves.
Each Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., their outspoken voices resonate from
radios throughout St. Charles County and beyond via station KFAV 99.9 on
your FM dial.
Their 15-minute “talk show” comically dubbed “Fish and Ships” (a takeoff
on their names) brings to the light of day a more radical or humorous look
at issues of national, state and local importance.
There’s always at least one debate per show. Schipper takes the
Republican conservative side, and Fischer takes the Democratic liberal
side.
But the two agree wholeheartedly on one thing: they want to keep it fresh.
“We battle back and forth. I hope it’s fun; I hope it’s informative. We’re not
going to pull any punches; we’re not going to make friends, but there are
some things we need to say because people aren’t getting it in any other
media,” Schipper said. “We’re certainly not professional radio guys; we
stumble over things, but it’s real. It’s two guys with concerns about things,
and know enough to get people to think. If we irritate and agitate people
along the way, that’s good too.”
Although the two have roots in O’Fallon, their issues spread far beyond.
There was an issue in Lincoln County about development recently, so the
two discussed the importance of not allowing developers to ransack an
area without long-term plans, Schipper said. On a national level, they have
fun joking about how the country is 18 months out from the presidential
election, and they’re already holding debates.
“Sometimes we joke about things, like the time we decided we needed
‘development warning sirens’ to let residents know they’re about to get
blasted by a storm of (building) developers,” Schipper said.
One week their topic was Dardenne Prairie annexation agreements and
the pros and cons, and another week the duo debated the Wal-Mart issue
and growth in St. Charles County.
“Generally, we’ll talk about two or three topics each week, covering a mix of
things,” Fischer said. “A lot of times Lyn and I agree, sometimes it’s more
of a debate between us because we do have differing views.”
Fischer said they have no idea what they’ll talk about from week to week
until they sit down in front of the microphone.
The Wal-Mart issue came up after the controversy that surrounded the
development in St. Peters. The Dardenne Prairie annexation and the city’s
plans for growth spurred that topic, Fischer said.
“Dardenne Prairie officials were talking about taking some of the same
steps O’Fallon took in the early days,” Fischer said. “A news story
mentioned that the city could work out a pre-annexation agreement with
some property owners, and they would be exempted from certain
ordinances. It was kind of like O’Fallon’s tap on fees, where the city gave
away the house, and the residents ended up paying for it.”
Schipper said the decision to join the radio waves was born during a
luncheon with another former alderman, Randy Hudson. Hudson, owner of
Randy’s Jewelry in O’Fallon, said he had some advertising money and
thought the two opinionated acquaintances should bring their traditional
lunchtime bantering to a broader audience.
Rick came up with this name “Fish and Ships,” Randy thought about it for a
while, and decided it was a good idea, Schipper said. The three of them
sat down with the radio station managers, Hudson bought some
advertising to sponsor the show, and that’s how it all came about, Schipper
said.
“It’s a blast. It’s a lot of fun,” Schipper said. “I only I wish we had just a little
more time. It’s a 15-minute show, and we break into three five-minute
sessions. We go over on some of the time, but what we’re trying to do is
look at issues in the news that are topical, and put our own take on it. Best
of all, the station manager knows what he’s getting and is in full approval.
We told him we might make some enemies or stir up some ire. He said
‘great,’ he has no problem with that.”
KFAV 99.9FM is a country music station serving over 500,000 people
spanning St. Charles, Lincoln, Franklin and Warren counties, primarily, but
if the skies are clear, the show can be picked up as far away as Clayton in
St. Louis County.
Click the box below to go to the Fish & Ships Page.