Matt’s Text

KCRW's longtime producer, host and cheerleader, Matt Holzman, who died Sunday, only texted me once about my reviews.

p.m. was important because it meant that Matt had listened to it live. My pieces are on air at 4:44 p.m. and usually last about three and a half minutes ... so 4:48 p.m. meant that something so struck Matt that he texted immediately.

He knew what it meant but he also knew good radio copy — and that wasn't it. So he'd sit with me and make me make it better. That's what he did for a year.

I'd never worked in radio or with a producer so I didn't know how special this was. I thought this was just the way it was done. Matt made it seem so simple that I didn't really recognize what an extraordinary gift I was being given — every week.

p.m., I panicked.