Bernie Borges [00:00:00]:
Joe Weaver, welcome to the podcast.
Joe Weaver [00:00:02]:
It’s wonderful to be here with you, Bernie. Thank you for deciding to invite me on.
Bernie Borges [00:00:06]:
Thank you for inviting me into the studio. This is a beautiful facility. Salem Media Group, you guys run multiple radios. In fact, I’m going to ask you to tell us what you do. You run this place. You are the boss here. Tell us about that. Let’s start there.
Joe Weaver [00:00:21]:
I’m the. I am a boss here. The general manager is Carolyn Cassidy. She’s the. I call her Grande because she’s the big boss and we love her. She’s fabulous. You may have met her at the event, but I’m the operations manager and the program director. We run out of this facility.
Joe Weaver [00:00:36]:
We run four full time AM stations and four FM translators that follow off of those AM frequencies. And so my job as the operations manager is to make sure that all of that stuff is functioning correctly, technically, that the sound gets from where it’s supposed to originate from to where it’s supposed to go. And then my job as the program director is to make sure that stuff sounds the way that it’s supposed to sound. So there’s two elements to it. It’s making sure that it gets there and it’s making sure that when it gets there that it’s the right format and sound quality and all, and content wise and all of those things. And blessedly, I’ve been able to do this for a long time. And I’m happy and thankful every day that I have a place to come to.
Bernie Borges [00:01:14]:
That long time is going on 20 years almost.
Joe Weaver [00:01:17]:
Yeah.
Bernie Borges [00:01:17]:
And Joe, I think where I want to start the conversation is if you look back 20 years ago, would you say this is where you would be? Would you think you are in this role? If you look back 20 years ago?
Joe Weaver [00:01:30]:
That’s a great question. The short answer is I would have never thought that I would be able to do what I do. By which I mean, when I first started working here, I consider myself like a Neanderthal. I really didn’t know how to do anything technically. I could barely send email now. This is 0506. We had just moved down to Florida after living in Ohio where I had done a lot of menial jobs. I was in construction, I was in a restaurant business.
Joe Weaver [00:01:54]:
I, my whole family had done flooring, installation, and I learned how to do a lot of different types of work. And so I moved down here in 2006 and the first job that I had was installing tile for a. It was a. It was a retirement community for retired officers. In Sun City. So I’m in there in this bathroom, and I’m setting down tile, and commercial comes on the radio in the room next to me. Now, normally, I was one of the guys that had a little AM radio on my work belt every day, listening to all the AM radio shows. I’ve always been a conservative, not gonna get political, but that’s always been my.
Joe Weaver [00:02:31]:
My point of view. So I would be that guy that was listening. But on this particular day, I did not have a radio. So the guy that was in the room next to me had his on. And this commercial comes on and it says, hey, are you tired of the same old job that you’re doing as I’m on the ground? And I tell myself, I’m like, yeah, I do don’t like this job done doing. And it says, do you think that you could be on the radio? And I’m like, yeah, no, I don’t think I could be on the radio. People tell me I got a voice and stuff.
Bernie Borges [00:02:54]:
I’m sure you’ve been told that, Joe.
Joe Weaver [00:02:55]:
Right now there’s an opportunity at. It was at the time the Connecticut School of broadcasting. So 1-800-TV- radio. And I pull out my Sharpie and I write on the floor, 1-800-TV radio. And so I end up calling. And what my. My. What I like about that story is that somewhere underneath somebody’s tiles in Sun City is still written 1-800-TV-RADIO.
Joe Weaver [00:03:15]:
But I call and I go through course and completed the course. And when I completed the course, they told me, go ahead and get a job in radio, but then come back a year from now because everybody gets fired when they get into the radio business. So I went out into the world and expect Ohio. No, this was down here. This is right after we had moved down here.
Bernie Borges [00:03:35]:
Down here is in Florida for those listeners that are all around the world.
Joe Weaver [00:03:38]:
Correct, Correct. And specifically in the Manatee county area when we first moved down here. So we’re in Tampa right now. So I start working here. I got the. The position here, which I was very grateful for. It was not a flamboyant position by any stretch. It was a very menial job.
Joe Weaver [00:03:52]:
But I loved it. I really wanted to do more of it. And this is a wonderful company. So every time they asked me to do something, my answer was yes, before they got done asking the question. And as a result, they kept asking me to do more stuff. And it turned out that in after several years of doing a variety of different things, worked in production, worked in what’s called the traffic department, where, like, contracts and that sort of thing are done. So I learned the business part of the operation, which was really important. And after doing enough of that, this opportunity came along, and I had worked my way up to it.
Joe Weaver [00:04:24]:
It just so happened that one of the first people that was in my team left. Working here, working on my team, and she ended up going to become the head of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, which is where I had graduated from originally.
Bernie Borges [00:04:38]:
That’s right.
Joe Weaver [00:04:39]:
After she had done that, she invited me to come talk to some of the students, because from her perspective, hey, this is a guy that graduated here. Now he’s running this place. He’s a success story. So I was happy to do it. I’m like, what do you want me to talk to these kids about? She’s like, I don’t care. Tell them anything. So I basically told them the same story that I just told you. And then I asked all of these students who are about to get into the broadcast industry.
Joe Weaver [00:04:57]:
I said, okay, now you tell me what you think the most important part of that story is. So I’m going to ask you this question right now, Bernie. Everything that I just said to you, what do you think I would take away as the most important part of that entire story?
Bernie Borges [00:05:11]:
For me, thank you for flipping the script on me, Joe. I love that. For me, it’s the point you made about how you said yes to everything that was put in front of you before they could even finish the sentence.
Joe Weaver [00:05:21]:
I think that’s important, but that’s not what I take away is the most important part. Do you want to try it again?
Bernie Borges [00:05:27]:
That, to me, that was the most important one, because that showed initiative, that showed your attitude about just doing whatever it takes, learning whatever is put in front of you, and being a team player. So that was my biggest takeaway, and.
Joe Weaver [00:05:41]:
I appreciate all of that. And when I asked the students the same question, they had similar answers. They said something along the lines of, you persevered and you showed dedication and you worked really hard at it and you adapted and you learned and all. And I said, that’s all great. All that is all great. But how good was that commercial? Because it literally changed my life. I heard a spot, it said, hey, do you want to change your life? And I said, yeah, here’s how you do it. And I went after it.
Joe Weaver [00:06:09]:
And they looked at me like, what’s the point? I said, look, you’re getting into this business. You are walking into it. And what I’m illustrating to you is the power of what it is that you’re actually going in to do that one 30 second spot that somebody produced. Not for me. It changed my life. It has the power to do that. Yeah. All that other stuff is very important.
Joe Weaver [00:06:27]:
And I. And from a micro standpoint, from what we can do person to person. Yeah, that’s all very important. But big picture wise, what are we actually here to do? What’s important? What’s going to be important for you to be successful if you’re going to have the same sort of career path? And the answer is understanding what it is that you’re actually doing. And what we’re doing here is reaching hearts and minds. And also when it comes to radio, which is a little bit different from other venues, of course, now we’re on video and we do everything else, but it’s really about painting mental pictures with words and entering into the theater of the mind. And so that has a certain elements and components to it that make it effective. And that was what I was attempting to illustrate with that story to those kids.
Joe Weaver [00:07:06]:
But in the process, now, you know.
Bernie Borges [00:07:08]:
What, now you kind of fascinates me, Joe, is that everything you’re saying rings true for podcasting as well.
Joe Weaver [00:07:13]:
I bet.
Bernie Borges [00:07:13]:
Because podcasting is really radio on demand.
Joe Weaver [00:07:16]:
That’s right.
Bernie Borges [00:07:17]:
On my drive over here, I listen to a podcast episode. And of course it’s through Bluetooth, which means I’m listening through it through the car radio, on the speakers in my car radio. But I’m not listening to a radio show which would be a live broadcast. I’m listening to a prerecorded podcast. And so everything that you’re saying, I think, is also true of podcasting.
Joe Weaver [00:07:36]:
And.
Bernie Borges [00:07:37]:
And that’s one reason that I love podcasting. I got into podcasting in 2012. So the early days of podcasting.
Joe Weaver [00:07:43]:
Yeah.
Bernie Borges [00:07:43]:
And this podcast show that I have right now is my third podcast show. I love it in my little home studio, which pales in comparison to what we’re sitting in right here.
Joe Weaver [00:07:53]:
But you have a home studio. That’s not.
Bernie Borges [00:07:54]:
I do, I do. And I have a nice microphone. And a lot of people comment on the microphone when we’re on a video call or doing a video recording for the podcast. And I always jokingly say, yeah, this microphone is like an appendage because I’ve had it for so long and it’s just always there. And I use it literally every day. But the point I’m getting at is everything you just said is just so similar to podcasting. Where I want to go next because your story is fascinating to me. You’ve been here.
Bernie Borges [00:08:19]:
Let’s just round it up. Let’s call it 20 years.
Joe Weaver [00:08:20]:
It’s close enough. Yeah.
Bernie Borges [00:08:22]:
And so along the way, I’m sure you’ve met a lot of people. Maybe some of those people are no longer here. I don’t know. Don’t know. What are some stories that you can share that are just meaningful connections with people that have had some impact on you in some way? Whatever that impact might be, Joe, it doesn’t have to be career related. It can be non career related or career related. But along the way, you must have met a lot of people, both people who work here as well as maybe people coming into the studio for a recording.
Joe Weaver [00:08:55]:
Yeah. Wow. There’s a lot of. There’s a lot that I could get into with that. I was just actually talking with one of my associates today about the relationship that we used to have here with Tony Duny.
Bernie Borges [00:09:04]:
Yeah.
Joe Weaver [00:09:04]:
But actually, the way that you ask this question reminds me of. I actually had an opportunity one time we had a program on Saturday night called Higher Praise with the ambassador of praise, the Honorable Stephen, a nun of Trinity United Church. One of my favorite people ever. Haven’t seen him in a while. Love you, Pastor Nun. He brought in his friend Leroy Selman. And if you don’t know who Leroy Selman is, he was a. He was the first Tampa Bay Buccaneer hall of Fame player.
Joe Weaver [00:09:33]:
And he actually was also. I. It just so happens that I’m in Ohio in 1995. I went to the hall of Fame game, which was the first game ever between the Panthers and the Jaguars. Leroy. Someone was inducted into the hall of Fame that day, and I was there to see that. And then one night I’m in here and he comes. And so I got to meet him.
Joe Weaver [00:09:50]:
And what’s substantial about that is it was maybe about six or seven months later, he actually passed away. He wasn’t just a popular player. He was also something of a spiritual warrior in this area. He was very well loved. And that was very cool because it was somebody that. You know how sometimes you’re told that you don’t want to meet your heroes because you’ll find out who they are?
Bernie Borges [00:10:13]:
You might be disappointed.
Joe Weaver [00:10:14]:
And that was nothing close to that. Like, he was everything that I would have expected him to be, just gracious and loving, and it was nothing wrong with him. He looked like a perfectly, wonderfully healthy guy. And then he went down quickly. But I’ve had a chance to. I’ve been blessed to to work with and around a lot of people. And when you’re in this line of work, you may think that the highlights are like the famous people. I had a chance to speak with President Trump before the 2016 primary and that was, that was pretty cool.
Joe Weaver [00:10:44]:
And I’ve had a chance to interview like Marco Rubio and other different politicians and whatever and that type of stuff when you’re coming into this, you’re like, that’s the, the big deal. And then anything else when you are in this business just becomes work. It’s just, okay, this is what we’re here to do now.
Bernie Borges [00:11:01]:
Right?
Joe Weaver [00:11:01]:
So realistically, the people that have actually meant the most to me and those experiences that have meant the most to me have been the people that I’ve had a chance to work around. People like Bill Bunkley, who’s our afternoon host here, who’s been with me for almost all of the 20 years. He’s not somebody that’s as well known nationally, but just a wonderful guy that, you know, people like Barb Yoder, who was the general manager here for about 10 years, and a lot of really just wonderfully good hearted people, guys like Ace Andrews, who nobody would ever. People, definitely people would know about him. He was here. He was one of my, we don’t call him board ops. We have a policy here at Salem because that’s a pejorative in the industry. They’re on air studio engineers.
Joe Weaver [00:11:38]:
And Ace was one of those. He then left here and became a pastor. And I’m very proud of him for that. And I’ve had people that have been on the team that have gone on to do other things. One gentleman went on to start his own podcast, fixing up cars and stuff, doing great with that. One of them went on to be like this champion realtor guy up in Tennessee and so forth. And, and all along the way. And I’m happy that more than anybody that I’ve had a chance to be around or meet or anything like that.
Joe Weaver [00:12:06]:
I’m very grateful that all of the people that I’ve had a chance to work around here in the time that I’ve been here. I don’t really have any bad relationships. I don’t really have anything that I can look back on and say I just. That relationship I had with that person wasn’t right because I did something that I’m not proud of. I’m. I am proud to say that I don’t have that going on. Yeah. It doesn’t mean I’ve been perfect on everything certainly, but I’VE tried to be good to people and I, I feel like there’s not too many people that hold me against me.
Joe Weaver [00:12:34]:
Any other on the other direction on that.
Bernie Borges [00:12:36]:
Okay, so Joe, this podcast is all about fulfillment. And so let me, let me give you my definition of fulfillment and then contrast that with happiness and then I’ll give you my next question. So first, happiness. Happiness is a great emotion. We all want to experience happiness. It can be a fleeting emotion and it’s usually associated with feeling good for whatever reason it may be, but it’s an emotion and it can be short lasting or sometimes long lasting. Fulfillment is deeper. It’s usually associated with some kind of an achievement that gives us that sense of fulfillment.
Bernie Borges [00:13:10]:
It’s a little bit deeper. I actually say soul level deep. And the thing about fulfillment that makes it different than happiness is that it’s immutable. Meaning once you have experienced fulfillment for something, nothing can take that away. Nothing. So with that context, give me your thoughts on how you experience those two emotions in the context of your 20 year career running operations here at Salem Media Group and loving what you do and being here again for 20 years, how have you experienced both the emotion of happiness and the emotion of fulfillment?
Joe Weaver [00:13:43]:
Yeah, so you wouldn’t really have any way of knowing that. The question of happiness is actually something that has been almost a class that had been taken here at Salem Tampa. But also if you, if anybody has been a connoisseur of the Dennis Prager program, every Friday at 1 o’ clock for the last 30 years, he does an hour about happiness. And I am something of a disciple of his point of view on this. His point of view when it comes to happiness is, you’re right, it is an emotion. It also is a choice. And his perspective, and I’m borrowing his perspective only because I agree with it.
Bernie Borges [00:14:13]:
Sure.
Joe Weaver [00:14:13]:
From his perspective, happiness is one of these things that is a choice that if you choose not to, you can impact other people in much the same way. For example, we all have body odor, right. If we don’t do something about that, it has the ability to offend the people that are around us. So we take steps to make sure that is not going to impact other people the same way. If you are unhappy and have a bad and dower attitude, that can also impact people in an, in a, in an offensive way, but not like people being offended, but just in a way. That’s it. It draws people away from you. So if you go about trying to be as happy as you can be, and even if you don’t mean it.
Joe Weaver [00:14:55]:
What can end up happening is, number one, you’re going to impact the people around you. But also if you are acting like you’re happy, you’re eventually going to get there. So for me, happiness is one of these things that’s a choice. And I try my best, that is a long winded way for me to get to. I try my best to choose happiness as much as I possibly can. And hey, we are doing that all within the rubric of stress and work and family and you lose people. One of the great paradoxes of life is that if we all want to live long, happy lives and what is the source of happiness when it comes to living a long, happy life? It’s relationships, right? If you’re going to live a long, happy life, that means you’re going to acquire a whole bunch of relationships over a long period of time. What’s the entailment of that? You’re going to lose people.
Joe Weaver [00:15:36]:
So it’s a paradox because we want to live long and be happy, but in order to do that we have to have relationships, which means we’re going to lose people. So all of that sort of coalesces to the sense of fulfillment. What is fulfillment? From my point of view, what we do here for broadcasting is meant to be a. From an advertising standpoint, it’s a three way win. Hopefully we are working with good businesses and they are supporting the radio station with their partnership with us. And then we’re also giving that, that information to our audience who now has access to those great businesses and then the businesses have access to those great customers. And we go the, the extra mile to make sure that the people that we’re working with are worth working with. Because we’re telling our audience that you have to work with these people.
Joe Weaver [00:16:26]:
So if all of that works, then that means that we’ve benefited and that is incredibly fulfilling. Now, what we do here, as far as the content is concerned, yes, there’s a political component. And when I think when I first started in all of this, that was what I was most oriented towards. That was what mattered to me the most. I really didn’t even know anything about Salem or what we did here. But what we do here is the gospel. And that is very important to me. And so that ended up becoming, as time went by, the thing that was more gratifying to me, that was more fulfilling to me, the fact that as imperfect as I am, and I promise you, but as imperfect as I am, and however as I fail in anything that I may fail at doing.
Joe Weaver [00:17:07]:
At least what I am attempting to do is worth attempting to do is something that is a credible effort to attempt. Maybe what, maybe the message that we’re putting out isn’t going to reach everybody, but we’re trying. Maybe what we do is not going to ultimately end up being effective and successful for everybody. But we can at least say at the end of all of this, we did what we can do. And I think that if you do what you can do and whatever that is, then I think that fulfillment and all of that, it follows. And as much as I can try to be a good person to somebody else and try to impact them in a positive way, that’s fulfilling. But more than that, if I know that at the end of whatever the day is, the life, the career, whatever, however you look at that, if I can at least look it back and say, okay, I didn’t hurt anybody, I didn’t do anybody any harm, I can accept that, I can live with that.
Bernie Borges [00:18:00]:
Okay, so what I hear you saying my short version, Joe.
Joe Weaver [00:18:04]:
I know I’m fairly prolific.
Bernie Borges [00:18:07]:
I appreciate that. I appreciate that because you give us a lot of detail. What I hear you saying is that you experience both happiness and fulfillment in the context of your career. So where I want to go next is. And as you know, this is pre planned. So I’m just thinking as we’re having this conversation.
Joe Weaver [00:18:25]:
Extemporaneous.
Bernie Borges [00:18:26]:
Extemporaneous, exactly. My favorite kind of speech. Think back to your youth before, before you went to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, if I got the name right.
Joe Weaver [00:18:34]:
Yep, you got it.
Bernie Borges [00:18:35]:
And you heard the ad, which got you there. So if 21 or 22 year old walked through this door right now and in conversation he or she said, haven’t figured out what I want to do and you decided to metaphorically put your arm around that individual, metaphorically speaking, and coach or guide them, what would your approach be to the conversation?
Joe Weaver [00:19:00]:
I would say first off, you don’t have to finalize your decision on this today or tomorrow or next week. You got some time on this. Now, having said that, you really should, if you know what it is that you want to pursue, you really should attack it as soon as you can. But don’t procrastinate. But there’s a balancing act there, right? You don’t need to jump into something that could be a bad idea. How many people are going to college and getting degrees for things that they ultimately don’t end up using. So now they have have all this massive debt in order to learn Something that ultimately isn’t really benefiting them. And I’m not blaming them or college or anything.
Joe Weaver [00:19:41]:
You’re making these decisions when you’re a young 20 something, hasn’t really lived enough life to really have that sort of. Of context to know what you should pursue. So that would be the first thing that if you really know, and sometimes people do, sometimes, you know, from the time that you’re 10 years old, this is what I want to be. And if that’s what you got, then go for it and attack it.
Bernie Borges [00:20:00]:
Yeah.
Joe Weaver [00:20:00]:
And if it’s not, then it’s okay to take some time to figure that out. But while you’re taking the time to figure that out, the thing that I think that you should figure out, again, because you’re asking me, right, if you’re asking me what I think that you should do, the thing that you should do more than anything else is find out what your talents are. Find out what it is that you’re really good at. And I’m not saying here, find the thing that you really enjoy doing. I think that there’s people that I maybe miss, I’m going to say mistakenly, but may I think that there, there’s potentially some disappointment that occurs when people do the thing for work that they love. They’re like, we’ll never have to work again. And they find out that thing, no, actually is work. And so you end up not loving the thing that you love because it becomes work.
Joe Weaver [00:20:44]:
So this isn’t necessarily the thing that you love, although it could be. But find the thing that you’re good at. And I think that one of the most brilliant observations came from Albert Einstein. Not surprising it would come from him, but it didn’t have anything to do with the things people normally associate his genius with. What he said was that if you judge a fish by its ability to ride a bicycle, then it’s going to spend its entire life thinking it’s an idiot. And what I love about that is I think that particularly for those of us of a certain age, you can grow up believing that things have to be a certain type of way. And then if you don’t really fit into that way, there’s something wrong with you. That could be true, but it could also be true that you’re just wired a little bit differently and there’s a different way for you.
Joe Weaver [00:21:30]:
And what I love about the world is that there are people that get up that are ready to just aggressively and enthusiastically pursue accounting or ditch digging or science or whatever it is, whatever law, whatever it is that people are into. I love that there is that desire that exists on the part. I don’t have it. Like the thing that I’m passionate about is what I’m here doing. But I don’t have the passion for other stuff, but other people do and I love that. So I would say to somebody, you know, find that thing that you’re good at. Find that thing that just naturally comes to you, because that’s the thing that you’re going to be able to market yourself with, that you’re ultimately going to be able to cash in on. Because look, you’re going to end up doing something for a lot of your life, you might as well be good at it.
Joe Weaver [00:22:19]:
And you might as well. As you’re doing whatever it is that you’re doing, you’re going to be, you’re going to be exercising that muscle. So exercise the strongest muscle that you have and keep doing that. And also it’s okay if after a while of doing that, you decide, you know what, maybe this isn’t my best muscle, maybe there’s another one. So I know there’s a lot there.
Bernie Borges [00:22:39]:
Okay, now let me give you my answer, please. Okay. I would say two things. One of them is exactly what you just said. Understand what you’re good at. Ignore the advice that says, follow your passion. Because if you’re passionate about something you’re not good at, that’s not good advice. Learn what you’re good at.
Bernie Borges [00:22:57]:
Totally agree with that, a thousand percent. And unfortunately, I don’t think that advice is given too often enough to young people. What are you good at? And if you don’t know, discover it. Which leads me to point number two, and that is talk to as many people as you can about this topic as well as engage in groups, communities, different communities across the spectrum of anything to understand, like where you feel like you fit. If you go into one community that might be science based and you don’t fit there, go into a community that’s about writing literature and maybe that’s where you fit. I’m just totally making that up. There’s two opposite ends of the spectrum just for a young person to understand, like where their talents lie. And then as you talk to people, even as a young person, he or she can reach a point where they go, these seven people, their advice was not good.
Bernie Borges [00:23:47]:
The advice I got over here from Joe, that really resonates. But if you only talk to Joe and you don’t talk to the others, then you don’t have that comparison. And that understanding in their head. So with all that, now that we had this part of the conversation, we’re getting close to a wrap point here. Pull out a crystal ball, Jill. Tell me what’s in store for you in the future. Whether it’s career or otherwise. You’ve given me a.
Bernie Borges [00:24:12]:
You’ve given me and my listener a great glimpse into your humanity, your passion, your talents. What’s in store for you?
Joe Weaver [00:24:19]:
I’m pretty well dedicated to the task that’s in front of me right now. I’m perpetually aware that life can change and other stuff can happen. I’m probably unique in the sense that I don’t really have any designs to ever not be active. I don’t really ever tend to retire. I plan to work until. Until my time is up here. And I have my own reasons for that. Whether or not it’s continuing to do what I do now, that all remains to be seen.
Joe Weaver [00:24:46]:
And that can shape shift over a period of time. We didn’t really get talking about right now, but radio, spoken word format and the way that has melded into podcasting and live streaming and other things, the Internet world that we’re living in right now compared to what it was 20, 25 years ago, it’s really metamorphosized in a way that I think that those of us living through it haven’t really fully appreciated yet. But be that as it may, I think that the spoken word format and the proliferation of information and content is always going to be necessary. It’s always going to be in vogue. It’s always going to be a profitable venture to be into. Maybe perhaps not the same delivery method, but all that stuff is going to shape shift over time. As far as I’m concerned, as long as I’ve got my faculties about me and as long as I’ve got, like my dad used to say, if I got two arms, two legs and a brain, you can pretty much do anything. And I try to approach every day with a sense of gratitude.
Joe Weaver [00:25:42]:
I think that’s very important. And I think that people that are grateful are. In fact, this is another Dennis Pragerism. People that, that are grateful tend to be happy. In fact, gratitude is one of those things that is a common trait amongst both the happy and the good. Good people. And happy people both tend to be grateful for their circumstances. And I try to be grateful and I try to.
Joe Weaver [00:26:05]:
To put a bow on this. If I’m. If I’m talking to somebody, if I have a chance to influence somebody, in addition to everything else that we’ve already talked about. The thing that I would also say is, and this is giving myself advice as I would be giving somebody else advice, and that is don’t let comparison steal your joy. We live right now in maybe the most ostentatious period in all of human history. Certainly what’s known human history. We have access to richness and largesse that human beings would not even understand to be possible. Not that long ago, you got a good situation.
Joe Weaver [00:26:44]:
Probably. Certainly people, depending on where they are, can have less than stellar circumstances. But for the most part in the modern society, stuff is really good. So if you look at somebody else that’s doing really well, don’t compare yourself to that situation and then therefore conclude that your own situation is lousy, you probably got it better than most people that have ever walked on the earth. Right? If you really compare it, take that. And for myself, I take that and I say, all right, then whatever hardships that is that I have to deal with. Look, if I go back 100 years ago, I’m not pulling a plow on my shoulders trying to have basic living circumstances. Most of human history have been about people trying to get in for food, right? We don’t have that problem.
Joe Weaver [00:27:27]:
We have the ability to pursue anything that we want in ways that’s never been done before. So I hope you know that what my future is is that I remain grateful and that as much as I possibly can, that I can be a benefit and a blessing to others and or at very least not be a detriment or a harm. So if I got that going for me, then I’m doing all right.
Bernie Borges [00:27:49]:
So gratitude and being a blessing to others. Fantastic. Love that. Joe. Thank you for sharing that. Joe, if someone wants to learn more about Salem Media Group or connect with you, what’s a good way for people to connect and get into your world?
Joe Weaver [00:28:02]:
Yeah, Salem, we’re. We’re everywhere. Salem Media is the largest provider of Christian and conservative theme content on the air, on the web, and in print. And we, we do a lot. If you just look up Salem Media anywhere, then you’ll be able to find everything that we do. We have radio stations and clusters all across the country. We also digital marketing. We also do podcasting and all of those things.
Joe Weaver [00:28:26]:
I work for Tampa. I am not hugely involved in, but if you want to find me on X at Weaver, Joe radio is my handle and I’m on there. But generally speaking, I’m not really about. I. When I got into this, I thought maybe I could be like the next Rush Limbaugh, something like that. I thought maybe I could be, like, a show host, and I’d say that couldn’t have happened. But what I found out is that in order to do that, you have to have a mindset that’s all about being a constant sponge of information and news and that sort of thing. And that’s just not me, at least in the sense of promoting it.
Joe Weaver [00:29:00]:
So I say all that to say I’m happy to interact with everybody, but I’m more about just the friendship than I am about the notoriety and so on.
Bernie Borges [00:29:06]:
Your interaction and engagement is authentic, and it’s enjoyable. So I want to thank you not just for being on the podcast and sharing your story, Joe, but I want to thank you for inviting me into your studio and recording this episode right here. In the studio. We’ve got both video and audio. Also, make sure we’ll get a nice photo or two that we can share. So thank you, Joe. I really appreciate our time together and look forward to staying connected.
Joe Weaver [00:29:30]:
Yeah, and best of luck with you and everything that you’re doing, Bernie. And I hope that the podcast continues to blow up and be successful.
Bernie Borges [00:29:36]:
Thank you, Joe.
