Reflecting On The First Year Of Aimee+Shawn & 102.7 VGS
It’s unbelievable, but true. Today marks one year since the launch of Aimee+Shawn and the on air staff at 102.7 VGS. I speak on behalf of everyone when I say thank you. We are blown away by the amount of love we’ve received in our first year. This staff filled with longtime Las Vegans is beyond proud to be a part of your day, every day.
Considering I am totally in my feelings right now, I am recounting the path that got me here.
My 102.7 VGS origin story…
“There are many talented people who haven’t fulfilled their dreams because they over thought it, or they were too cautious, and were unwilling to make the leap of faith.” That’s a quote from Titanic and Avatar director James Cameron. I haven’t really cared much for either film, but for whatever reason that quote was calling out to me. So I printed it out and put it underneath my computer monitor at home.
I had been seeing a lot of that computer monitor lately. While my schedule was always pretty full with a television show in the morning and an afternoon radio show, I was burning the candle at both ends a bit. But when COVID hit, forget about it. I would wake up at 9am and get the kids dressed up for the day. The TV show, which used to be an hour live, turned into three hours of recorded Zoom calls. I was lumbering out of bed, putting on a dress shirt and… no pants. Doing the show from home.
Taping for the TV show would end, I would get less than an hour to grab a bite then start doing my radio show. I was doing a daily internet talk show during said show usually. But in the COVID era, using home internet, I had to wait until the radio show ended. Hour to see my kids, then back upstairs to do Free4All. Then get the kids bathed and in bed, and head back into the office to start preparing for and recording a radio show in Boston. In bed by 1am. An 18 hour day, filled with work, barely seeing my family. People were losing their jobs all around town, and I was desperately trying not to be one of them.
Burning the midnight oil…
It had been nearly 12 years since I had a “new job”. I had been the afternoon show “across the street” for over a decade, and with the company for 15 years. Still doing the same thing I always had. Opportunities would be flashed before me, but nothing seemed to materialize and I felt stagnant. I loved my television show co-host but the show was no longer fulfilling to do. You can only do the same segments so many times.
COVID really put everything into perspective. In a moment, everything could be upended, and we were witnessing it. My opportunity to “record” a radio show in my birthplace of Boston was super fortunate… but it came at the misfortune of another. A host that was with the station for nearly 40 years lost her job. The industry can be brutal.
While I avoided the ax and pressed forward, it was becoming incredibly unfulfilling. Once I was “out of the house” and out of the masks, I was going to start making moves to improve my life.
Time for a change…
It was time. After years of working at “the station across the street,” I gave my notice. It was time to “Seek Discomfort” in the words of YouTube stars Yes Theory. Soon after, I gave my notice at Channel 13. So came the end of an era, and hopefully the beginning to more of a work life balance where I could be more fulfilled, better rested, and most importantly play a larger role in the lives of my boys Colin and Mario.
Starting a new station… 102.7 VGS
When the opportunity arose to help launch a new radio station, I was blown away. It’s a huge risk… I was leaving a station with decades of history. Starting something new can be a huge challenge. But it was something I looked forward to.
Monday, June 28th, 2022 was a huge day, and something I had dreamt about since I was a kid. After years of listening to legendary morning radio shows, I would get to join Aimee Thomas who was “coming over” from Coyote Country.
The first show went off mostly without a hitch (with the exception of a competing station suddenly following all of our Instagram followers out of nowhere). We were dressed to impress, but we are all scared to death in this video. Aimee left her best friend and co-host at Coyote. This is Sammi’s first full time on-air gig. I can’t pay my mortgage if this doesn’t work out. We got out our nervous energy and worked hard to get the station to where it is.
A year later… and I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for making the choice to give our show and station a shot. Whether it is in your car, on the app, or watching your YouTube videos. It is incredibly humbling when people stop us saying they listen, and recalling something we had said on the show recently. Without you, we are just talking to ourselves.
Thanks to everyone here at Beasley Las Vegas that believed in me enough to bring me over, with a big thanks to Cat Thomas in particular. Thanks to his insane idea, we are celebrating an incredibly prosperous and fun year at 102.7 VGS. And the best is yet to come…
Sincerely,
Shawn Tempesta
