Bert Show listeners send out 190K letters to troops for 9th annual Big Thank You

Bert Weiss kibitzes with Athena, a young volunteer. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Bert Weiss kibitzes with Athena, a young volunteer. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Posted Thursday, November 9 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk

For the ninth year, Q100's the Bert Show will be sending enough hand-written letters to U.S. personnel overseas during Thanksgiving to guarantee each service person will receive at least one.

The total: an estimated 190,000, about the same as last year.

Over the past two weeks, dozens of volunteers poured over each letter to ensure they fit all the size and content qualifications. A core committee has become like a well-oiled machine, helping Bert Show producer Tommy Owen with a bulk of the logistics. On Thursday afternoon, 230 boxes of letters departed from a spare office across the street from Bert's studios off I-400 and I-285 for distribution to military outposts all over the world, from Guam to South Korea, from Iceland to Italy.

As usual, the collection was touch and go. But Bert listeners came through as they always do, with tens of thousands of letters pouring in at the last second from all over the country.

Bert himself was in good spirits. His morning show is pulling in stronger-than-ever numbers in Atlanta despite persistent competition. His show in October ranked No. 1 among 18 to 34 year olds and 25 to 54 year olds and No. 3 overall. Despite being a syndicated show, he creates enough content just for Q100 so local listeners hardly notice.

 Kristin Klingshirn, who has had several family members in the military, joins long-time volunteer Jen Angier to help pack up letters. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Volunteer Monica Ricci (right) placing letters in a box for another volunteer. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 The core group of volunteers for The Big Thank You with the Bert Show. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Tommy Owen helps put in the first boxes of letters into the post office containers. Brian Moote is on the left. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Tommy Owen placing boxes into a post office container. CREDIT: RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Fox 5 interviews Bert Weiss about the Big Thank You. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Shawn Murphy, who is in property management, said his dad and his grandfather have been in the military and felt this was a small way for him to give back as a volunteer. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Brian Moote, Bert Weiss and Kristin Klingshirn. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

 Volunteers on the final day of 2017's Bert's Big Thank You campaign. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho

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Credit: Rodney Ho