From 1987 to 1989, I was the rabbi in Lancaster, California. While I was there, I was on a talk show regularly with Dennis Prager called “Religion on the Line”. Dennis is a nationally syndicated talk show host, and the author of Why The Jews: The Reason For Anti-Semitism, and The Nine Questions People Ask About Judaism. He is a hero and a role model of mine. At any rate, I became addicted to doing talk radio. When I decided to leave California, I knew wherever I went, I would try to get a show just like “Religion on the Line” on the air, where a minister, a priest, and a rabbi talk about issues, and compare and contrast their religious perspectives. The Reverend Doctor David Capes and I met at Congregation Beth Israel at their Clergy Institute in February of 1991. I struck up a conversation with David as we ate lunch together that day. I thought he would be the perfect guy for the radio show. I asked him, "David, would you want to be on a weekly radio talk show where a minister, priest, and rabbi compare their religions' perspective on issues?" I think that he thought I was a little weird, but hey, what did he have to lose, so he said he would definitely want to be on with me. To be honest, I don’t think he ever expected anything to come of the question or our friendship. He was wrong on both accounts. That’s how I met David.
As the Houston Hillel Director from 1989 to 1995, I was often on the podium for interfaith dinners and other programs. One annual program was the Sportsman of the Year Banquet, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic men's organization, with the B'nai Brith, a Jewish men's organization. I would either do the invocation at the beginning of the meal, and the priest would do the benediction at the end, or this was reversed. Often, I sat on the dais with Father Frank Rossi, now Monsignor Frank Rossi, who was the Chancellor of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. Every time I saw him I reminded him that he had promised to be on the radio show with me and a minister if I ever got us on the air. Like David, I don’t think Father Rossi ever thought it would happen. But he was too nice to burst my bubble.
As far back as 1992, we sent letters to a few of the talk radio stations in town, notably to Dan Patrick of KSEV, but no station ever showed any interest. Then one day in March of 1997, I noticed a very small article in the Houston Chronicle, that Roger Gray, a well known Houston T.V. and Radio personality was beginning his own talk radio station here in Houston. It was to be the only FM talk station in Houston, 97Talk. I called him up, pitched the idea for my show and he immediately liked the idea, and said we would do it!
I called up David, and we met with Roger Gray at his office. There, Roger asked both of us who would be moderating, and David pointed a finger at me and said, "He will!" I am quite sure that David regrets that, to this day, but that is one of the reasons I run our show. I have always loved running our show because it is like a child of my efforts, after bringing the idea for the show from California and pushing for it to be on the air.
David came up with the name for that first show "FaithMatters." It was a different format than “A Show Of Faith.” On “FaithMatters,” we did not have to limit our topic to an event in the news, but we could choose to discuss anything, comparing our faiths with each others' on any topic. The show aired weekly on Sunday evenings for two hours, just like our current show.
Because the priests were so busy, Frank Rossi asked two other priests to alternate with him. Even today several priests alternate on “A Show Of Faith.” The three “regulars” (we called them “the usual suspects”) on “FaithMatters” were Monsignor Frank Rossi, Father Troy Gately, the Vice-Chancellor of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, and Father Michael Barrett, a priest of Opus Dei who was then its Delegate Vicar. It was harder back then for the priests, because they were not assigned to a single church, but rather had to run from church to church. Whoever was on the air with us on Sunday would finish our show, and would then leave to go to his 4th or even 5th Mass for that day.
We were on 97.1 FM for 17 months out of the 19 months that 97TALK was on the air (May 1997 to October of 1998). Unfortunately, the others who owned 97TALK with Roger Gray, voted to sell the station, and the new owners made the station into one with a Rock-and-Roll format, so all the hosts were dismissed. After our last show, I waited until I was in the car, away from David and the priest, before breaking down and crying. I had come to love and appreciate them. I truly enjoyed their company and the conversation, even when we agreed to disagree.
In late June 2001, once again I read about a new owner for a talk radio station, 950 KPRC, which was to be with Clear Channel. The article stated that Ken Charles was to be the Program Director. I called him up the moment I read that article. Just like Roger Gray before, Ken liked the idea from the very beginning and wanted to meet with David and me. Unfortunately, that meeting had to wait until I came back from my annual July 4th family reunion. Soon after I returned, my wife, Lisa, passed away. The meeting was put on hold until August 2001 when we finally met, and Ken was going forward with the planning for the show until September 11, 2001 when the terrorists struck. After that, absolutely everything was put on hold at the radio station because of all the coverage. My idea for a radio show felt like it was losing its momentum.
I did not let my dream of getting the show back on the air die. At every opportunity, I would call in to 950 KPRC's talk show hosts, I made sure to be at such things as the Annual 950 KPRC Birthday Bash every year, and I would make sure that Ken Charles saw me, and knew who I was. I would even email Ken and the talk show hosts at holidays. I did as much as I could to keep my face and my name noticed, so that maybe someday we could get the show on the air.
Then Talk Radio 950 KPRC decided to have a Talk Show Host Idol contest. This was based on the popular TV show American Idol. Those who wished to be a talk show host had to email in a letter of application, explaining why they should have their own talk show. So, I emailed in a letter of application, explaining why our show should be on the air. I wrote that we have all been told that in a polite society, one does not discuss politics or religion. I wrote that since KPRC already violates this rule of social etiquette by having so many shows that discuss politics, KPRC should also violate this rule with a show about religion. I went on to remind the judges that we had the show on the air before. It was not so much a religious show, but rather it was a show about religion; it was a time when good friends model friendship despite the fact that sometimes we had to agree to disagree.
Two days after I emailed in my Talk Show Host Idol contest application, Ken Charles called me and said that we didn’t have to compete, he was going to put us on the air years before anyway and so we were in. We finally were going to be on the air!
Thank God! We have now been on the air since the last Sunday in March of 2004!
I love the show. The time we spend together are some of the best hours of my week. On and off air we are good friends. We eat together, pray together, work together, serve together and sometimes argue. But at the end of the day, we’re still friends.
One day, I’d like to see “A Show of Faith” syndicated across this great land of ours. There’s no show like it anywhere.
“Keep us in your prayers, you will certainly be in ours.”
© 2008