Love for RCI can start in the strangest places

John Vercellino’s romance with Radio Canada International began with a chance meeting in his parents’ Chicago garage back in the summer of 1965 when he was 11 years old.

Something clicked. A summer fling blossomed into a life-long affair.

Vercellino, now a very successful executive with SunGard Insurance in his hometown, is a man who makes radio work. He is a terrific audience.

Radio, let’s remember, is about engagement. Both the person in front of the mic and the person in by the radio need each other. At its best, radio is a dialogue. Or, what’s the point?

I owe John Vercellino a debt of thanks. Just knowing he might be listening in Chicago made me a way better broadcaster.