I Miss Kennie Bass

Watching the Jerry Lewis Telethon over Labor Day Weekend just doesn't carry the kick it used to. I watched some of it, but I was mostly bored. Back in the day, it seemed WSAZ really knew how to have a lot of off-the-cuff fun with the telethon, which made the show much more fun for the viewer.

Or at least for me.

After a couple of viewing hours on Monday, I realized what I've been missing these last few years: I miss Kennie Bass.

When Kennie was at WSAZ, he'd often work the telethon. And while he took it seriously, he never seemed to take himself too seriously. You could tell the guy was having fun in the gig, and that made it more fun for me to watch.

Once, I called in and offered to pledge $50 if Kennie would sing one verse of Elton John's Rocketman on the air. I don't know why I thought that would be funny, but I did.

Another year, I offered to pledge $50 if Kennie and Mr. Cartoon's Beeper--both of whom were in the studio together -- would hug.

Neither time did the telephone answer-er give Kennie the message. They said "No, we can't do that," and let me hang up without a pledge.

I bet Kennie woulda done it, if he'd been asked.

So, I miss Kennie being a part of the telethon. It's just not the same without him.

Bass does make the Tom Roten radio show more entertaining, however, when he works as the occasional guest host. Listen to him live Wednesday from 6am until 9am at this link.

And happy 45th birthday, Kennie.