JayMac: The time for talk is over

DISCLAIMER: The following is an opinion piece and does not necessarily reflect the views of KSL Newsradio or its ownership.

I’ve been gone the past couple of weeks and my listeners want to know what I’ve been doing.

I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching and traveling back east. I’ve been trying to figure out what the next chapter in my life looks like.

This is the last time I’ll be here as a host at KSL.

I will miss the listeners at KSL the most.

It’s been nine years in this room, behind this mic.

I was looking at our text line, and amazed at our ability to share an opinion and get instant feedback — people who agree with you, people who disagree, people who wish bad things on you. That daily feedback I’ve realized over the past couple of weeks has been a source of energy for me.

But more than anything I will miss the people in this newsroom. These are some of my best friends in the world. Incredible professionals and that’s going to be the hardest thing for me.

What I’ve said from this chair over the years, I have believed it — with all my heart. It’s never been about ratings. I’ve shared some of my most personal, heart-rending experiences on the air.  We’ve laughed together and cried together. It’s been amazing.

I grew up listening to KSL. I used to drive around when I was managing restaurants and listening to Doug Wright. I would call him up and give him a hard time. I thought then, you know, I’d like to do that someday, work at KSL and be on the air. I’ve had the pleasure to do that, sharing my opinion every day, for almost 20 years.

My greatest pressure over that time is not just to have an opinion; I wanted to be right. And that involves a lot of work, research. You have to consider other thoughts.

I can’t tell you how many time I’ve been sitting here and I knew I was right, but then, I’d get a text message. And it was something I’d never considered. It would rock my world for three days.

I’m not here to tell you what you want to hear, to spin you up or get you frustrated. I was here as a matter of principle — my own principles. I can’t tell you how much I’ve evolved in my thinking and my viewpoints as a direct result of my listeners who email, text this station, post on social media every day.

You have shaped me into the person I am today.

People say I never change my opinion, but I’ve been debating in the public arena for almost 20 years. So there’s not a lot I haven’t heard before. But there have been a few times when I have received a well thought-out email from someone who said: “Have you ever thought of this? And this is what happened to me.”

That single email changed me. And that is what we’re missing in the public arena of ideas right now. We can’t get past the insults and believing the other side is corrupt and evil. We’re not having those personal moments. That is one of the reasons why I think it’s time to move on.

I love to share my thoughts, get feedback and hit people with something they haven’t thought of before. I loved to come in every day and turn on the microphone because I knew it would have an impact on someone.

My favorite thing to hear from listeners is “You know, Jay Mac, I don’t agree with everything you have to say, but I understand how you got there.”

And that’s all I ever wanted. That’s what we’re missing.

I love to be in the newsroom when breaking news happens, and you get to see people perk up. Things start to move. What a vehicle, a tool radio and a news team can be. We have changed legislation. Helped people find loved ones, brought comfort to them in times of trial. But my greatest memory will be working with this incredible staff.

People are wondering what’s next for me.

All I can say is the time for talk is over. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is. Time for me to fight for this country and to do something that I believe is terribly important before it’s too late.

I don’t have any announcements right now, but stay tuned and follow me on Facebook and Twitter.  I will let you know what my final decision is in a couple of weeks. But I’ve got to dive in. I’ve got to do something.

It’s been an honor and a privilege. Goodbye.

Jay Mcfarland hosts the JayMac News Show, weekdays from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on KSL Newsradio, as well as the fictional podcast, Hosts of Eden. KSL Newsradio is part of Bonneville Media and based in Salt Lake City, Utah.