Brian Taff

In my younger days, I always considered myself lucky to have a St. Patrick’s Day birthday - because it meant everyone would want to go out.
I never could have imagined how truly lucky I’d one day be, when I’d choose, instead, to stay home. 💚
May the wind be always at your back, and may the sun shine warmly upon your face! ☘️

“I’m not really a dog person,” she used to say 😂

Happy Valentine’s Day to my one and only, even though I now question if she loves our new-ish pet more than me 😉

Watching her fall in love with this dog has made me fall even more deeply for her — ever more evidence of just how selfless, empathetic and caring she is.

I love you, lady, even more today than the day we said “I do.”

You amaze, motivate and re-center me, every single day.

❤️❤️❤️

Perhaps you’ve seen a few posts from my colleagues over the last few days paying tribute to the man in this picture, as he heads off into retirement. You’ll forgive me if I drop in from some long-ago planned time away to add another.
In short, I wouldn’t be where I am today were it not for the effort Bernie Prazenica made to find me many years ago, and the faith he has put in me every day since.

Being the leader of a station like 6abc is hugely daunting — rising to and surpassing the expectations of an audience that sees its staff as extensions of their own family, while navigating the dynamics of a business that change ever faster with each new day. Bernie has done this job with vision and grace — and with a tender boldness that at once pays tribute to our heritage, and blazes the trail for our future. In a business where the product is trust, he created and nurtured an atmosphere that fueled his employees to come to work each day as the best, truest version of themselves, to fully and honestly serve our audience with diligence, integrity and compassion.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that, in a job where many decisions instantly become public fodder, he handled the often wild and (sometimes purposeful) social media fueled speculation with a quiet humility. He didn’t answer noise with noise, but trusted the audience to know what his employees already did — that each decision was made with the best interest of the station, its audience and staff in mind. He was always guided by the desire to make 6abc better tomorrow than it is today — a challenge in itself given this station’s storied and treasured legacy.

Lastly, in many ways, I owe Bernie not just for the professional situation in which I now find myself — but also for the personal joy that I now know. Were it not for him, I wouldn’t have met my now wife on that first day of work nearly 17 years ago (though I do think the universe would have otherwise conspired to bring us together). Countless are the ways my life would be different had he not brought me here.
I’m eternally grateful for that.

Bernie, though I’m sad not to be in the building today to toast you, I’m lucky to call you more than a (soon-to-be-former) boss — you have become a valued friend. How many people can say that about their employer? I’ll be eager to see you flourish in your new full-time leadership role — captain of the family boat.
May the seas ahead be calm and inviting.
May you find joy in knowing the happiness you’ve brought to so many.
And may you be blessed with peace and contentment in the legacy you’ve guarded, and upon which you’ve so generously built.

Congratulations, my friend!

Each year, we assemble a concoction of sugar and sprinkles to spread across the front lawn on Christmas Eve, with the hopes of attracting an early visit from the reindeer.
Our lucky streak continues!
Every year we’ve done it, they’ve dropped a set of pajamas to get the boys excited for bed — and for what awaits when they awake in the morning.

There’s just nothing better than this night ❤️💚

From my family to yours, we wish you the very Merriest Christmas!

SIX - SEVEN!

Happiest of birthdays to my littlest man, who went to bed last night as a 6 year old, and woke up this morning one year older.

He is pure joy personified, and lifts the mood of every room he enters. He is caring, kind, smart and funny — and I thank God every day that I get to be his Dad.

I love you, bud. To the end of space and back again.

Thanks for making our world immeasurably better, brighter and more fun, exactly 7 years ago today. 😍

Congrats, partner!

I often pinch myself when l stop to think about how fortunate I am to have the career I dreamed about as a kid. What I couldn’t have known back when this work was just something to which I aspired, is that I’d be even luckier to form a professional family with some truly remarkable people.

On that front, they just don’t come any better than Sarah Bloomquist, who we celebrated today for having reached an extraordinary milestone — 30 years of service to ABC.
(23 of them at 6abc!)

Sarah is exceptionally kind, generous, genuine and warm — and as dedicated as anyone I’ve ever met to serving her audience, and standing beside them. And, her laugh can light up a room — a characteristic often appreciated in a business that can take a tough emotional toll.

Sarah - thanks for your partnership. But more, thanks for your incredible friendship. It’s my absolute honor to sit beside you at 4pm everyday, and to walk this journey with you!

Congrats, my friend - and here’s to many more!!

❤️

Maybe it’s the comfort of the world my parents worked so hard to give me as a kid, or maybe it’s just the innocence hard wired within every child, but growing up I had the acute feeling that “they have it figured out.”

They, of course, being the grown-ups. The unknown ones out there making the world work.

When things didn’t make sense to me, I rested in the confidence that the adults understood it all — had answers and solutions to every question and concern. And, I joyfully wrapped myself in the warmth that comes with that confidence.

And then, I became one of the grown-ups. One of the ones out here, trying to make the world work.

Turns out, we have neither all the answers nor the solutions. But, what we do have is the agency to seek them, and to fortify that bubble around our kids with at least the contentment that comes with the effort we put in to make the world a better place.

There may be no better example of that than the one here. David Fajgenbaum’s story is one worthy of Hollywood (and, in fact, it soon will be). Stricken with a rare disease that had no known cure, he set about finding one for himself.

AND HE DID.

And then he set out to do more. Today, he’s giving the same hope to others around the world, stricken with illnesses and without the comfort of knowing that “they have it figured out.” Thank God, he is working to be their “they,” dedicated to figuring out as much as he humanly can.

I’m proud to call David a friend, and hope you find the same inspiration in this remarkable story that I have.

It doesn’t have to be as dramatic as curing a disease, but surely in ways big and small, we can all be someone’s “they” — and give someone else the warmth and confidence that comes in knowing they’re not in this alone.

How Nearly Dying Helped Me Discover My Own Cure (and Many More) | David Fajgenbaum | TED Physician-scientist David Fajgenbaum was dying from a rare disease that didn't have a cure — until he discovered a lifesaving drug that wasn't originally int...

RIP, Pierre Robert.

What a kind, genuine and joyful soul you were.

Thanks for the soundtrack you gave to this city, and the passion you poured into your work.

May the citizens of Heaven greet you as warmly as you greeted your audience each day, and may the rock block of the Great Beyond bring you eternal peace.

Legendary 93.3 WMMR radio personality Pierre Robert has died Pierre Robert, a fixture in Philadelphia radio for more than 40 years, has died.

A dog finds you, they said.

Well, this one surely did.

Several weeks ago, thanks to both a twist of scheduling fate and Cecily Tynan’s loving stewardship of 6abc’s “Shelter Me” animal adoption segment, this little guy found himself first under my desk, then at my side — then very quickly in my heart.

A few days later, Chip was at my house meeting my wife and sons, who were just as quickly smitten.
A couple weeks after that, against all odds, he became a member of the family.

I say “against all odds” because we were quite convinced that a dog was not in our immediate future, what with busy lives and busy kids and …. all the reasons one tells themselves when they try to rationalize such things. But, some things can’t be left to reason alone, as Chip now reminds us daily with his tail-wagging, couch-cuddling, paw-must-be-touching-you, all consuming love.

A sincere thanks to the huge-hearted people at 3 Husketeers Rescue, who work relentlessly and selflessly to give dogs without a home the best shot at the best life — and who gave our Chip both a pretty great name and a pretty great start. Toni, who runs the rescue, is a living patron saint of puppies.

Chip, a German Shepherd/Siberian Husky mix, is 19 weeks old now, and a truly amazing, super smart pup with a very sweet demeanor. As you might glean from these pictures, my boys are over the moon about the newest addition to the house. Mom and Dad could use a little more sleep, but we are, too.

We’re glad you found us, Chip!
Welcome home 🐾🐶🐾

This is the thing about kids:
They always manage to reset a grownup’s perception of what matters.

Like you, I went to bed last night feeling pummeled by some stinging losses.

But, this is what I woke up to.

My youngest son wasn’t solely focused on a brutal loss. Innately and without his parents’ urging, he decided to do what kids do, and simply draw what was on his mind — his love for this team, this game, this raucous ride we all take together.

When I went to bed, I thought there might be some tears this morning in our house filled with baseball obsessed boys. Instead, I found this on the counter.

Here’s to next year’s ride, wherever it takes us.

As a Catholic, I’m reminded that, through Mary, we learn the beauty of Motherhood comes in many forms.
Perhaps it’s my own naivete (as I’m sure many will gleefully point out), but it’s hard for me to see surrogacy as anything other than a most selfless, beautiful, life-giving gift, given from one human to another.
That seems entirely worth celebrating, rather than meeting with even an ounce of scorn.

Catholic school teacher on administrative leave after informing leadership about her surrogacy