On that note, I'm interested in Webb's future. Next year marks his 50th anniversary on the air, though the chances of that happening at WFLA look grim. His contract expires in late December, and there's no indication that management will renew it.
Times have changed dramatically since he got his first job in radio at 13,enticed by the promise of air-conditioning and very little heavy lifting, and even since 2001, when he watched the Twin Towers fall while on air with his old buddy Beck. After spending an afternoon with Webb, toward the end of our hang, I ask about some topics that we sorely disagree on — like a woman's choice — and in the process, I get some the best insight of the day into to his outlook on the broadcast industry.
"All we have left, and that's still pure, is life at the beginning," he says. "We've lost respect for life at the end."
Chris Faraone can be reached at cfaraone@phx.com. Follow him on Twitter @fara1.
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