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BROADCASTING ON CHRISTMAS MORNING!

M

markoni

Guest
Wow, can't believe it has been almost 40 years! Will never forget being the morning DJ for the first Christmas on WKOR in Starkville! It was 1968!

I can remember we had wall-to-wall Christmas music planned, which I'm guessing ran from the 6AM sign-on until noon. Most of it played from LPs. All of it carefully pre-selected and planned. In fact much of it was the same music we had been using for all the commercials in those weeks leading up to Christmas day! Seems like there was at least one hour of religious music scheduled.

I was a Junior at Starkville High and it was my 4th month working in radio. I actually spoke very little, if at all, during the broadcast, I was basically a board op.

Anyway, as most of you know, the Christmas morning broadcast is always unique. As I was checking this board the memory hit me so I thought I'd lay it on ya!

So, do you remember doing a Christmas show in the past?

Mark Shands
 
Many moons ago I did CHristmas morning on WXXX in Hattiesburg. We would put all of the Beatles, Stones etc... music back and become beautiful music for all practical pruposes. Those were the days!!
 
Oh yes it was quite a switch from our usual Beatles, Doors, Sly And The Family Stone, Pigmeat Markham, Otis Redding, Creme, Archie Bell And The Drells music!

Just remembered, one of the big features of our Christmas Morning show was Handel's Messiah!
 
My first Christmas as a married man was at WSSO in Starkville. Ten degrees and sleet falling at sign-on. Like I really thought someone was awake! Loading those reels of Christmas programs with sponsored spots included on the reel. Some of the spots were the same for years,so they had voices of dj's past on wonderful wesso.
 
When I was at WRVR in Memphis on Christmas 1986, the entire morning was sponsored by one company. I forget who it was but I do remember that all of the Christmas music was loaded up 180 degrees out of phase. The client complained and NO CHARGE!!! Boy, was management HOT! We had two production rooms... one normal and the big bad room with all of the bells and whistles. Guess which one they dubed the Christmas music in. Yep, something was switched wrong in the big room. I don't think anyone from the station was listening and so it went unoticed until the day after when the client sayed something sounded funny. OH!!! That's what that extra MONO VU meter on the board was for. It never moved before!!!
 
I heard WHJT Clinton one christmas run a church Christmas cantata at the wrong speed. It made the soprano's sound like men. And the tenors and basses were just low rumbles. Nobody notice because they played the entire program like that.
 
One Christmas, I was working at a particular Memphis radio station where they actually paid us double on holidays. I came in, and rode the board for something like 6 hours, pushing a buttons three or four times an hour. Heck, I was 3/4 alseep most of the morning. Needing the money, though, I was happy to do it.

Back then, I made a pretty good rate for PT work. I understand that at the end of the pay period, word came down to never EVER have me pushing buttons at double time again. A silly waste of money.

DE
 
pobryan said:
Many moons ago I did CHristmas morning on WXXX in Hattiesburg. We would put all of the Beatles, Stones etc... music back and become beautiful music for all practical pruposes. Those were the days!!
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Yeah, I remember that Christmas. I was doing the same thing at WHSY and that David Blair fella was on WFOR while you were doing the Christmas thing on the X .....remember we would all conference all each other ........
 
markoni said:
Wow, can't believe it has been almost 40 years! Will never forget being the morning DJ for the first Christmas on WKOR in Starkville! It was 1968!
Mark Shands
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Is that you J Mark?? I knew you sister.....
 
Doug, I remember that Ted used to sell the heck out of Christmas morning. One hour blocks sponsored by Hercules etc... Hey, do you remember that old lady that used to call up at night and you had a BIG 15 minute cart you would stick in for her? Oh, and remember taping into the toll free line with the cord running down the hall? WHAT A PLACE!!!
 
pobryan said:
Doug, I remember that Ted used to sell the heck out of Christmas morning. One hour blocks sponsored by Hercules etc... Hey, do you remember that old lady that used to call up at night and you had a BIG 15 minute cart you would stick in for her? Oh, and remember taping into the toll free line with the cord running down the hall? WHAT A PLACE!!!
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Oh yes, Mrs Harrelson. 15 minutes of Andy Williams, etc. As for the toll-free line, it was great while it lasted. Nearly got busted when they hired a new administrative assistant and she started questioning were all the calls were going. I had been paying off the old admin with record albums, food coupons and an occassional.......er, you know. Anyway, we had to scale back our use of that line. The trick came in handy later in my career, but, I'll save those stories for another time.
You got to work for Marshall Magee and I got Charlie Holt. Is there no justice in the world!?!

Thanks for the memory jolt. And for the rest of you..........you should be so lucky......
 
I stop and see Marshall every week or so. He's at WJNT here in Jackson. He's still the same cheerful Marshall. There will never be another one! MR RADIO!! I ran into Ted Tibbet in Hattiesburg a few months back. He has gained a lot of weight. Otherwise, he's the same old Ted.
 
pobryan said:
I stop and see Marshall every week or so. He's at WJNT here in Jackson. He's still the same cheerful Marshall. There will never be another one! MR RADIO!! I ran into Ted Tibbet in Hattiesburg a few months back. He has gained a lot of weight. Otherwise, he's the same old Ted.
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Give my regards to Marshall, he won't remember me. As for Ted, what's he doing these days?

Respond here if you wish, or email me at [email protected] if the rest of the folks here get bored with our conversation....

Thanks...
 
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