C95 Saskatoon - Rambling Dave's Last Day on Thursday

[DASDAS]

Rambling Dave is moving on

By Cam Fuller, The StarPhoenix, April 4, 2011

He's living up to his name.
Radio personality Rambling Dave Scharf is pulling up deep roots in Saskatoon to start a new life with his family in Ottawa. He made the announcement this morning on air at C95.
"The best explanation is that there's just a restlessness between my lovely wife and I, and a real powerful feeling of needing something new and fresh, and Ottawa is what we came up with," Scharf said.
His wife Heather, a physician, will be working at two clinics in Ottawa. But they had decided to move even before securing employment. Scharf hopes to get another job on-air.
"I'd really like to have one more go-around with radio," he said. "The big players in Ottawa have all been willing to sit down and have a chat, so hopefully something will come along."
The couple has two sons, Arthur, 14 and Oliver, 11. Getting them used to the move was the couple¹s only big concern, said Scharf.
"That's our only worry, is the kids."
Also moving is Scharf's father Alan, 80. That means selling the house that's been in the family for 70 years.
"I probably wouldn't go if Dad wouldn't have come with us. I'm pretty close to him."
Why Ottawa? There are some friends and family there, but it just seemed like a good place for a fresh start, said Scharf.
"I've spent all of 11 days there in my life. But it feels like a likable community. Everybody says you're going to love living there."
The moves brings to a close a stellar two decades on air at C95. Scharf has a law degree but realized before taking the bar exam that it wasn't for him. He was working at The Keg when an ad writing job at Rawlco Radio came open. He started doing "rambling" commentaries on the air and was soon a regular in front of the microphone in the mornings, first with Pat O'Brien. The C95 morning show has been #1 with 25- to 54-year-olds every ratings period since Scharf started.
"The secret to my success was that I was not a radio person, initially. I didn't grow up wanting to do it. So when I started, I think I was kind of refreshing on the radio. I wasn't copying anybody. I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do," he says.
The current line-up with Rob Suski and Shauna Foster has been together a decade. Both were surprised when Scharf announced his plans.
"We just didn't believe him," said Foster. "It's weird. There's a lot of emotion. This is a marriage of 10 years between three people."
"It's a sad day all around for the community and for radio," said Suski, adding that Scharf is "the most interesting guy you're ever going to meet."
The hardest thing to leave, said Scharf, is the C95 Radio Marathon for Breast Cancer Research. It has raised $2.5 million over 11 years.
"I feel really proud of that, and it's hard for me to recognize I won't be a part of that."
He has an edgy sense of humour but the fund-raiser showed Scharf's sensitive side, said Foster.
"If you really know him, you know he has a ton of emotion and a ton of heart and feeling."
Scharf's final day is April 21. He just hopes there won't be too much attention focused on him.
"I don't want my colleagues Rob and Shauna to listen to a month of 'Oh, Dave is so great.' Because they're great. I just would like to slip quietly into the night, truthfully.
"I've heard people say, 'It won't be same without you.' Well, you know what? It will mostly be the same without me."
There are no plans to replace Rambling Dave, "but it gives us a chance to interact with more callers and possibly have more people on and fill the seat with Saskatoon," said Foster.

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Ramb ... story.html

[SKradiophile]

His show has the biggest audience so this will make for some interesting battles. This could shake up the very stagnant radio biz here where nothing much has changed in terms of ratings for a few years. Well you know, we don't like to change too much here including the time.