In this era when people ‘assume everything is fake news,’ it’s impossible to pull the April 1 pranks that were once staples in media circles
Have you ever Googled yourself?
I had not. Turns out I’m glad I didn’t.
Let me explain.
My editor got a voicemail asking if I would come speak at a community gathering.
Being in media, it happens every once in awhile.
I reply to the caller who asks if I would speak at their April 1 meeting.
My mind begins to race.
I wonder what subject they want me to talk about? Maybe it is about Elvis (which is my favourite topic). I can talk about him all day long.
Or maybe they want to know about how I prepare a weekly column.
What else could it be? Do they want my take on gas prices, the Strait of Hormuz?
The woman says: “We’d like you to speak on April Fool’s.”
I’m quite sure there was an awkward silence.
“Yes,” she says. “I Googled April Fool and your name was right at the top.”
I think I giggled and said: “Well, that tracks!”
I found this hilarious. The thought my name was synonymous with a fool just cracked me up.
I was still not quite understanding, but she explained that my column from last year about April Fool’s Day pranks we pulled over the years when I worked in radio.
It was slowly starting to come back to me.
Back in the day, pre-COVID, April Fool’s Day was a big deal in radio. The morning show lent itself to creating fake stories that you would hope the public might fall for. The announcers would set up the prank and then, throughout the morning, it would roll out with the help of news reports and staged interviews.
Sometimes, we could get politicians to take part in the jokes to give it credibility.
Barrie had many mayors with good senses of humour, up for a laugh.
It was never meant to be mean spirited.
It was usually a story that could possibly be true yet seemed unbelievable.
It worked best if the listener hadn’t checked the calendar yet.
The ruse continued through until noon when the staff would come clean and admit it was all just a joke.
I remember the one where it was suggested a new bylaw had come into effect and Barrie residents needed their Christmas lights removed from the house before noon or face a fine.
Yes, people went out, with a ladder, and removed their decorations early in the morning.
No, they were not pleased at being punked.
One year, the phone company suggested we needed to unscrew our telephones (land lines) and vacuum out the cords. We had a fake official do step-by-step instructions.
And yes, some did it!
There was a time the circus had just been to town and the radio station reported an elephant was on the loose.
This may have been the most successful stunt.
Radio is theatre of the mind, and by using phony zookeepers giving elephant taming hints, fake on-scene reports and some creative sound effects, the search was on for the elephant all over Barrie.
People started to see the beast in various neighbourhoods.
I remember CTV (then CKVR) gave chase and followed the story, and later having to admit on the 6 p.m. news they had been duped.
All in good fun.
As I reminisced about the funny times, it struck me the media can’t do this any longer.
People assume everything is fake news.
Somebody would want to sue because they were traumatized.
With social media, someone would inevitably ruin the joke, online, by reminding folks it was April 1.
It just wouldn’t work now.
That makes me really sad.
I hope my little speech this week can remind people of a simpler time when we could all take a joke.
We do take ourselves a bit too seriously, don’t you think?
As for me, I will embrace my new-found status as an April Fool’s “expert.”
Thanks, Google!
