I might be landing a gig!

[nhradiochild]

I hit it off really well with one of the programmers of the AFN network here in Afghanistan, and perhaps I'll be able to land a weekly gig! (That's all I can afford because I work at my regular job 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and 6 hours on the 7th day.)

It is voluntary, but what isn't in the military anyway? lol Get paid the same whether you work 8 hours and some PT, or 12 hours, or 24, or 48...

My First Sergeant seems enthusiastic about it, so probably little opposition from my command. And it'll give a chance for some extra plugging for the 101st Airborne Division, of which I am a part of.

The tricky part is getting them to subscribe to my own personal flourishes. Of course, that will all have to be hammered out at a later time. Still, it will probably be a whole lot freer than any corporate radio station these days. Reminiscent of WPNH under Hal Close.

They have 3 stations, but appear to only broadcast live from one. (Yes, I said it! LIVE BROADCASTING!) And they have an Arrakis board which I'm familiar with, so I can jump on and give a great show right off the bat. (Pending any brain farts don't get in the way. ;D)

Wish me luck!

 

[12 In a Row]

Quote:

The tricky part is getting them to subscribe to my own personal flourishes. Of course, that will all have to be hammered out at a later time. Still, it will probably be a whole lot freer than any corporate radio station these days. Reminiscent of WPNH under Hal Close.

Best wishes to you and most importantly, THANKS for your service!

May I share some good advise I received years ago.

99% of the time, your supervisor got their marching orders from higher up.

"Don't be a trouble maker and don't piss em off" and remember the definition of a star, is a big ball of gas.

 

[nhradiochild]

LOL. Thanks. And the "marching orders" cliche definitely has added meaning in this application.

Well, naturally, I'll agree to abide by their SOP. (They are set in place by those higher ranking than myself.) It's entirely up to them if they want to try something different. It would merely be a proposal. I can't change the world with one day a week. lol

My ideas are:
Create a program with format-blocks. Sort of a more-fluent Jack format. Couldn't tell you how it would work in the states, but around here where they're used to listening to multiple formats during a day anyway, it could stand up. (Besides, we had a conversation where they asked if I was into sports because they were going to start up a Friday night sports-talk program. I told them if that were to take place in the states, I would have thought it weird, but around here that would probably work really well. He responded by saying that they have a significant amount of enthusiasm for it. Unfortunately, sports is something I don't have a good background in, but seemed a shoe-in to lend my voice to the PSAs they run and such.)

I'd like to also have a running story-line, drama-based with echoes of real-life problems and predicaments. For this, I would need additional voices and they appear pretty hard to come by around here. (So, if you know anyone that wants to do this sort of thing, and donate it to the service, shoot me a message!)

I'd also like to integrate that with true issues that surround the base and broadcast audience, sort of like a life imitates fiction sort of deal. Not sure how well that will work. Quick Q&A interviews slickly packaged and edited to drive home a point quickly with sound-bite sound to it.

Anyway, those are my ideas, so far.

 

[nhradiochild]

The Eagle has landed!

Well, I got the shift. Wasn't quite the daypart I was looking for, but they did shift another jock (willingly) to make room for me. So, I'll be broadcasting Thursdays from 2:30-6:30pm local. It starts on the half-hour most likely because this country is offset by half an hour time-wise. To meet up with "top of the hour" news, it's bottoms-up.

As for my ideas, better to work them in slow... and present my ideas after they rotate "management" in 2 months. They said it's possible I'd be pushed out with the new people. So I guess I'm just going to have to wow them into keeping me on! lol

In the meantime, their localized format is "hit radio" so that's something I can live with. They had mentioned they do the specialty shows on the weekends, which I might have taken them up on, had I any time during the weekends to do it without burning myself out.

But as with any radio job, it's a foot in the door. And I expressed no dismay in the possibility of a short term on the air... I just made a parallel to how uncertain company-owned radio can be anyway.

 

[rjoc]

Hey there NHR
Congrats on landing the shift. I can still remember the great feeling...It's hard for me to believe, but it was 30 years ago, almost exactly, that I started with Armed Forces Radio, on a very limited basis, at AFRN Adak, in the middle of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska ( 3 stations: AM 890, 250watts; FM 101.1 250 watts; and TV Channel 8 1000 watts). I loved it, and it eventually led me to part-time volunteer work at KMXT Kodiak Alaska, then Morning Edition co-host/sign-on there, and eventually PD after I retired from the service in 1990, and held onto the job for 9 years, before moving back here to DownEast Maine.
(no longer in Broadcasting, but still work in radio as police/fire/ambulance dispatcher)

Have fun. Do a great job, and most importantly...stay safe and alert over there!! Take care

 

[CrankyYankee]

Let me also give you a round of applause on "getting a gig." AFN Europe provided me with my first "real radio" job many years ago. Right now, I'm standing up at my console giving you a salute not only for getting the gig but for your service to our country as well! Much luck to you and have fun too.

 

[grampagonzo]

Hey, Radiochild,

Congrats on the gig, and thanks for setting a good example for the rest of us. May you arrive home soon, save and sound, and ready to challange the rest of us here

GG

 

[louiemanno]

NHRC

I would also like to thank you for your service.

You are getting a lot of great, well meaning advice… All I can add is have fun! Getting back with a mic after being away for a while… Well it’s kind of like running into an old and true friend… You just kind of pick up where you left off with out even trying to. Plus the older you get the easier it is to appreciate a good time for what it is… Heightened appreciation along with frequent urination is apparently a side effect of the aging process. (For example, I am deeply appreciating the ability to post on occasion right now) But I digress… The point is… welcome back dude!

Will your show be streaming or podcast?

Hazah!

Louie Manno

 

[nhradiochild]

Thanks to all of you for your support and kind words!

Louie, it does not appear that this station streams, but some very basic information can be found at: http://myafn.dodmedia.osd.mil/Affiliates.aspx?b=1&c=49. I will broadcast from the top listing. Additionally, I believe this station simulcasts to Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan.

I also intend to record the show, so if anyone wants a copy, I'll send it out. Shouldn't be any trouble, I think that size DVD-ROM would still qualify for free postage.

 

[12 In a Row]

On behalf of all of us, BEST WISHES NH and remember Louie's words to live by:

"Have fun & Pee often." ;D

 

[radiotony]

Congrats!

 

[argytunes]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if ALL of the non-employed (BUT TALENTED) broadcasters reading this thread could be in your shoes?

Echoing the earlier comments...CONGRATULATIONS!

argytunes

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if ALL of the non-employed (BUT TALENTED) broadcasters reading this thread could be in your shoes?

Echoing the earlier comments...CONGRATULATIONS!

argytunes

for NHRC - unlike Casey Kasem's oft-repeated closer - keep your head down and your feet out of your mouth. be safe over there, and thanks for your service. be careful to read the fine-print if they offer you DINFOS School - it's a 6-year hitch (or it used to be).

for argy - re-read the original thread. i know your Congratulations are heart-felt, but your opening "wonderful" sentence is a bit misplaced here.

 

[nhradiochild]

Schedule change

Seems they did a bit of retooling of the schedule, which to follow suit meant I had to retool a bit of mine. My first show (and probably subsequent shows) will be Monday afternoons from 2:30-6:30pm local.

Luckily, I don't have guard duty on those days (at least thus far). LOL

Thanks again for the congrats, and I'm pretty sure that unemployed broadcasters might not necessarily enjoy being sent to a combat environment for a show one day a week for free. :-* But your heart's in the right place, as is mine.

In the meantime, a little more about the station. The slogan is "Freedom Radio - Hits from the Homefront" but is described by both myself and others on the station as a "Jack" format with a lot of talkups. However, we do "trip the live fantastic", so it'll be interesting to see how it all works out. I've never had to do so many talkup breaks before, so I'm hoping that I can make it all flow smoothly. We do have a lot of leeway regarding the playlist... just so long as we keep our substitution track in the same genre, there's no harm, no foul. I just think I'm going to be way to busy to worry about music flow all that much. :'(

And like any other station these days it seems, they run programming off the AFN-provided satellite service after my show's time slot on most days.

 

[argytunes]

Wouldn't it be wonderful if ALL of the non-employed (BUT TALENTED) broadcasters reading this thread could be in your shoes?

Echoing the earlier comments...CONGRATULATIONS!

argytunes

for argy - re-read the original thread. i know your Congratulations are heart-felt, but your opening "wonderful" sentence is a bit misplaced here.

Erie...my opening sentence was a personal opinion. I thought message boards were supposed to be made up of personal opinions? ???

argytunes

 

[12 In a Row]

Me thinks he was simply pointing out the obvious, under the circumstances we wish em well but don't want anyone in harms way.

Besides, I have three reasons for not wanting to be in his shoes:

1. I'm too old
2. I'm told I'm talented but I won't work for nothing.
3. I'm too old

God Bless You, be safe and have fun!

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Erie...my opening sentence was a personal opinion. I thought message boards were supposed to be made up of personal opinions? ???

argytunes

Argytune - the original note from NHRC is as follows:

" I hit it off really well with one of the programmers of the AFN network here in Afghanistan, and perhaps I'll be able to land a weekly gig! (That's all I can afford because I work at my regular job 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, and 6 hours on the 7th day.)
It is voluntary, but what isn't in the military anyway? lol Get paid the same whether you work 8 hours and some PT, or 12 hours, or 24, or 48...
My First Sergeant seems enthusiastic about it, so probably little opposition from my command. And it'll give a chance for some extra plugging for the 101st Airborne Division, of which I am a part of. (snip)"

So - if your wish is for ALL of the non-employed fellow broadcasters to be in those shoes, enlist. the recruiting station is open for business. however - you won't be paid for your ideas or creativity. you will be paid for doing what you're told, when you're told, and exactly how you're told to do it. he/she with the most stripes wins.

Not sure what your nose is out of joint about in regards to the "opinion" thing here. I wasn't questioning your intention on the well-wishes to NHRC. I most certainly AM questioning your wishes to other unemployed broadcasters.

Yes, we wish NHRC well, and above all else, safety while serving in harm's way. Working for AF(R)N (Armed Forces Network Radio) is the single-most restrictive thing you would ever do in radio, but it's an invaluable proving ground. But Argy - you of all people would be aghast at the restrictions about what you can and can not do on the air. It's a military tool, and is designed to be used as such. In this case - NHRC is in Afghanistan, and may God, and his comrades-in-arms, keep a watchful eye out.

Wishing that same fate upon others (unemployed broadcasters)? You may go first. I did my time for Uncle Sam years ago.

Also - Argy - are you really that angry that you need to put the uber-scowling "triple-question-mark" smiley in every post? make's it look like you're steamingly ticked at everyone here. if you're curious, a single question mark should suffice. it worked for Rudy Martinez.

 

[nhradiochild]

Well, Erie, I'm sure it ain't like it used to be.

Just like any other radio conundrum stateside, AFN Radio here has a lot of trouble getting listeners, so they are willing to "push the envelope" a lot more than they used to. Admittedly, you won't ever get a Howard Stern type show on there, but double-entendres flourish wherever they can. This atmosphere might be exclusive to Air Force-run stations (and particularly in-theater, where there are no children listeners), but we have a song in our playlist that apparently is on Current Rock charts that in the first line very obviously suggests someone "going down on" someone. Can't remember the tune or artist right now, but if you follow that format, you've probably heard it.

On the flipside, however, I have heard of a story where an officer's wife (in Italy) decided that even the edited version of Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" ahould get the axe and did because of the obvious intent of its lyrics. Again, that's in a family environment so the restrictions become dictated by those in authority.

I myself decided to open the show with "This is the NH Radiochild show. Brought to you by [units I'm associated with]." This, after repeated hourly mentions prompted, someone regularly involved with the station to tell me I shouldn't say that because my unit and division are in no way physically affiliated with the operation of the station. I told him that it was a play on words as I am actually "boots-on-the-ground" here because of their orders. So, suffice it to say, I explained such on the air at the end of the show, and will be retooling my intro to say "infused with Black Dragon pride" as "Black Dragons" is my unit motto. They also didn't really want to be imaged as an "AFN Afghanistan" station, but simply "Freedom radio". That's no biggie, really. I just kind of used it as a way to mix up readers a little bit, because they don't really have any other catch phrases other than "Hits from the Homefront". So, I'll adjust fire for the next show. I also open up the show with "...the BIG show with the LITTLE stick." Yes, I know that dwells in radio-lingo land, but for the audience they can get a kick out of the double-entendre.

Other than that, for those who did listen, (mainly the staff that I can tell), thought I did a good job, which surprisingly already got back to my OIC in my own shop. So at least the word is spreading I guess.

 

[argytunes]

Also - Argy - are you really that angry that you need to put the uber-scowling "triple-question-mark" smiley in every post? make's it look like you're steamingly ticked at everyone here. if you're curious, a single question mark should suffice. it worked for Rudy Martinez.
[/quote]


Erie...

Does it REALLY bother you how I end my posts? I'll repeat my original answer:

Message boards are an individual's way of expressing his or her opinions. If this includes 3 question marks or an icon or two, SO WHAT? ???

And I'm sure very few posters and/or message board readers could care less about Rudy Martinez?

argytunes

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Erie...
Does it REALLY bother you how I end my posts? I'll repeat my original answer:

Message boards are an individual's way of expressing his or her opinions. If this includes 3 question marks or an icon or two, SO WHAT? ???

And I'm sure very few posters and/or message board readers could care less about Rudy Martinez?

argytunes

yes - it does bother me, much in the same way it took "a whole village" to remind you of net-iquette in regards to typing in all CAPS. you adapted, learned and moved on.

i'd like you to consider the input you get from MANY (intentional caps) posters here who try to politely tell you "your fly is open." you more often than not put your foot in mouth and find a way to wrangle the other size 10 in as well.

and to Rudy Martinez - i offer my apologies on behalf my broadcast brother who seemingly has misplaced the minutea that the enigmatic one, he with the Foster Grants, is better known in the "#1 Club" as "Question Mark." as in ... ? & The Mysterians who reached rock's pinacle chart position in 1966 with "96 Tears."

that, argy, was an attempt at humor.

your fly is open. (that is statement, not a question)