Hey, I’m the “new guy” here at 100.5 The River. We’ll get to hang out for part of your workday and the drive home while you’re listening to Today’s Best Mix without the rap. Some people asked “why would you move HERE?” when I started. I answer that question with disbelief and realize that people in GR simply don’t realize what a great city they have. Grand Rapids is just a fantastic city. The people, the downtown, the festivals, the philanthropy of our ‘famous families’ … the list goes on and on. The VIBE of this city is just incredible. Those who say “why would you move HERE?” clearly don’t realize how crappy most other similar sized cities are compared to GR. We moved here from the vibrant and clean city (#sarcasm) of Toledo, OH where I was the Operations Manager for six radio stations. Before that, I was on-air or programming stations in Philadelphia, New York City, Milwaukee, Madison, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) and Waterloo (Iowa). My wife and I met in Madison and were married four days after 9/11. We have two “furry kids” named Ollie (yellow lab/bassett/corgi) and Chester (bassett). I’m also the Program Director for Channel 95-7 and 100.5 The River, so if you have any comments, suggestions or complaints (I welcome compliments, too), just email or call me!
Tom Cook
Where Do Millennials Still Mostly Shop? Well, the Mall, Of Course
We constantly hear about how online shopping is making things simpler for everyone, and how shopping local is almost passe.
For those uber shoppers -- young women -- that is definitely not so.
How do I know this? Well, I only need to ask the experts at Teen Vogue.
Are Any of These Books on Your Shelves or Wish Lists?
Amazon today announced its best-selling books of 2014, just in time for you last-minute Christmas shoppers.
What luck!
"The Invention of Wings," by Sue Monk Kidd, is the best-selling book overall; and John Grisham’s latest novel, "Gray Mountain," is No. 2.
"The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus," by Rick Riordan, is the best-selling kids' and teen-ager
Tom Cook’s Workday Dog Break – Shelter Dogs Melt Your Heart in ‘Puppy for Christmas’ [Video]
I don't know about you, but I love puppies.
And shelter puppies coupled with a Christmas song? C'mon!
Device Addiction Grows with Mobile Internet of Things [Video]
Well, this is interesting. Maybe not the reality of it, but its depth, breadth and reach.
According to a new Deloitte survey on mobile consumer trends, we -- as in us U.S. consumers -- are becoming more and more obsessed with our electronic devices. Just call it device addiction.
Some of the facts: Nearly 90 percent check their phones in the first hour of being awake and 23 percent look at their d
One Direction Named Billboard’s 2014 Artist of the Year [Video]
With the top grossing tour of the year and a No. 1 Billboard 200 album ("Midnight Memories"), One Direction claimed honors as Billboard's 2014 Artist of the Year.
One Direction's "Midnight Memories" included the hit "Story of My Life." The English-Irish group includes Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson.
‘Frozen’ Soundtrack No. 1 Top-Selling Album On Billboard’s 2014 Chart [Video]
No surprise here, but the "Frozen" soundtrack from Walt Disney Records was ranked the No. 1 best-selling album on the 2014 year-end Billboard 200 chart.
It is the first movie soundtrack to reach No. 1 on the year-end chart since "Titanic" in 1998 and is the first Disney soundtrack to top the chart since "Mary Poppins" in 1965, according to Billboard.
VoicePlay, Street Corner Symphony Part of NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off’ Live! Tour Hitting Grand Rapids on March 19 [Video]
Three a cappella groups which gained notoriety through NBC's "The Sing-Off" are coming to Grand Rapids for a March 2015 concert at DeVos Performance Hall.
The second national "The Sing-Off" Live! Tour comes to Grand Rapids at 7:30 p.m. EDT March 19.
NASA Awakens New Horizons Spacecraft Ahead of Pluto Encounter [Video]
NASA's doing some crazy things this month.
First, it launched its first spacecraft in three years since the space shuttle.
Now, the U.S. space agency has awakened its New Horizons spacecraft for an encounter with Pluto -- which is still a planet to me.
And the Survey Says: Wine Beats Beer for Christmas
Much has been written about pairing wines with whatever you are serving up for dinner, or whether a stout or an IPA would best accompany that stew on your stove.
But when it comes to alcoholic beverage choices for American adults, how much does when factor into the type of drink one chooses?
Apparently, quite a bit, according to a recent Harris Poll.
President Gerald Ford’s Colorado Ski Home Is For Sale
The Colorado ski home built and owned by President Gerald R. Ford, Jr., and Betty Ford in their retirement is for sale.
The 11,849-square-foot, seven-bedroom, 11-bathroom Beaver Creek neighborhood residence in Avon, Colo., has an asking price of $8.5 million.
NASA’s Back in Space Flight Game with Orion [Video]
NASA reached a major milestone Friday as the Orion spacecraft completed its first voyage to space, traveling farther than any spacecraft designed for astronauts has been in more than 40 years.
Bottom line: NASA's back in the spaceflight game for the first time since the space shuttle program ended three years ago.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Brings Holiday Spectacle to Grand Rapids on Sunday [Video]
If you've never seen the Trans-Siberian Orchestra perform, don't even bother imagining what might unfold.
It is something seemingly beyond the realm of reality that is being brought to Grand Rapids for Trans-Siberian Orchestra's performances at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in Van Andel Arena.