live overnight people

[The Beave]

Name one college radio station that is run by students 24/7. I can't do it.

KDSU-FM 91.9 owned by Prairie Public Radio/TV Fargo, ND Students are the primary staffers, with professionals intermixed in the programming.

 

[trusty]

Why are so many thinking that they have a chance of getting "promoted" to a better shift at the same station? Management gets promoted within the station (or group); talent has to change stations, and mostly markets, to get "promoted" to a better time slot.

It's not the talent's fault, but it's a catch-22 for the talent. Why?

It's the "fault" of the audience.

Yes, there you are - overnights. You are good. You know you're good. Management knows you're good. Your talent and creativity has built up the biggest overnight audience the station ever had.

You think management is going to risk losing the audience you've built up? You stay on overnights and learn to like it.

Then you update your demo tape and move.

 

[MsMusicRadio]

Tampa has 3. WMNF ( Community Radio), WUSF , and CBS country outlet WQYK.

 

[The Beave]

Yes, there you are - overnights. You are good. You know you're good. Management knows you're good. Your talent and creativity has built up the biggest overnight audience the station ever had.

Trusty - The reason I do overnights, it's not the money, not the audience, It's my skillset.
I am a news type that does the job of approximately 5 paid employees IMHO.
I co-produce 2 morning shows, do ENG, internally troubleshoot problems, record feeds, and still maintain my show all in 6 hours a night... I still find time to vaccuum, make coffee and take out the trash every night.

I'll bet 9/10ths of the people here will claim they are above those tasks.. Yet I have been in radio for 20+ yrs.

THe only thing I'm not is the staff shrink/therapist.

 

[Channel Surf]

A couple more student run college stations in the Albany, NY area...

91.1-WSPN Skidmore College Saratoga (Class A)
91.5-WRPI RPI Troy (Class B1)

And what is all of this nonsense about college stations suddenly being a new training ground??? They have always been!!!

 

[SirRoxalot]

College Training

I hope that those colleges are offering training in Selector, various automation systems, and voicetracking...

 

[Kent]

And what is all of this nonsense about college stations suddenly being a new training ground??? They have always been!!!

College radio used to be a joke. Sweeping the floors at a commercial station would have taught you more about radio even five years ago! I can't speak for it now, but I wouldn't be surprised if it still is. I know they've gotten some commercial radio pros, but academia is usually 5 years behind the business world. I can't see how getting good people will make it change that much because they still have to deal with convincing the people in charge that there's a value in the campus radio station. It's an uphill climb with the top brass at most schools. It's a good place to make a tape, but I can't imagine someone getting to do something other than work weekends at most stations with a college aircheck.

 

[SirRoxalot]

College stations have generally been a mix of people. Some were there just because they wanted to hear their own voice on the air, and thought that it would impress somebody that they were "interested" in. Some were there because they were really into music, and wanted to share their "discoveries" with others. Some were seriously interested in getting into radio, either into news or music programming. Those people tended to bring experience as part-timers at local stations with them, and generally pushed their shows toward a more commercial sound. It was/is a good place to get some experience and sharpen your skills.

All of this is predicated on management that will allow creative people room to stretch their wings on the air. I know of several schools who had a carrier-current station and an FM. The carrier current was for real newbies, or those who wanted to do radio that didn't fit the format of the FM. The FM was for more polished acts, or sometimes was the college town's NPR outlet with relatively little local programming, or programming provided by local professionals with little opportunity for student input.

Nowdays, the opportunity to stream on the Internet has often replaced carrier-current because it's easier to maintain and cheaper.

So, there's still a small "farm system" for professional radio, but fewer "graduates" are interested in trying to make a living in radio. The pay sucks, respect from either management or peers is hard to come by, and job security is non-existent.

The way things are going, I fully expect that we'll be seeing a new thread soon:

"Live Mid-day People"

That airshift seems to be going the way of overnights - syndication.

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

College stations have generally been a mix of people. Some were there just because they wanted to hear their own voice on the air, and thought that it would impress somebody that they were "interested" in. Some were there because they were really into music, and wanted to share their "discoveries" with others. Some were seriously interested in getting into radio, either into news or music programming. Those people tended to bring experience as part-timers at local stations with them, and generally pushed their shows toward a more commercial sound. It was/is a good place to get some experience and sharpen your skills.

All of this is predicated on management that will allow creative people room to stretch their wings on the air. I know of several schools who had a carrier-current station and an FM. The carrier current was for real newbies, or those who wanted to do radio that didn't fit the format of the FM. The FM was for more polished acts, or sometimes was the college town's NPR outlet with relatively little local programming, or programming provided by local professionals with little opportunity for student input.

Nowdays, the opportunity to stream on the Internet has often replaced carrier-current because it's easier to maintain and cheaper.

So, there's still a small "farm system" for professional radio, but fewer "graduates" are interested in trying to make a living in radio. The pay sucks, respect from either management or peers is hard to come by, and job security is non-existent.

The way things are going, I fully expect that we'll be seeing a new thread soon:

"Live Mid-day People"

That airshift seems to be going the way of overnights - syndication.

WCTY, 97.7 (Continuous Country Favorites) A CLass A FM (6kw/328 feet equivalent) in Norwich, CT (a town of 36,000 people) is live overnights.... in fact, they are live and local 24 hours a day Monday-Friday and I think they are live on Saturday and Sunday at least 8 hours a day.

 

[trusty]

I prefer live overnight people to dead overnight people.

Thank you; I'll go away now.

 

[Nova931]

Howard Stern never worked overnights. Most people I know who worked overnights never got anywhere. Their bosses didn't want to move them off the overnight shift because they'd be impossible to replace. So they'd stay there until they quit. That's what I did. I was there for a year, realized I had no shot at a full time gig, and left. Got more experience, went into a different side of broadcasting, and survived. Sort of put the car in reverse, as they say.

Same thing with weekends. I finally got a job where I was hiring people to work weekends and overnights. I hired a few dozen people while I was there. None ever did anything else. They don't call it the graveyard shift for nothing, folks. No one wants the job, and you can't get out of it once you take it. It's no stepping stone. The people we hired for top spots were successes at other stations. Not overnight workers who put their time in.

I have to agree with this one based on personal experience. For more than 8 years I was the live overnight guy on WKIT in Bangor, Maine and never got offered anything outside of overnights. After 6 years doing it 4 nights a week part-time they finally gave me full time by adding on another night and having me voicetrack morning drive on a sister station, WDME. But, alas even when opportunities arouse during the day they always went to someone who was brought in, not me or the other overnighters/weekenders who put in their time for years and years. Looking back, I can see now that management never had any intention of ever getting me off of overnights. Not once did they go over an aircheck with me, and when I gave the program director a tape to listen to all I would get is "You're sounding great, nice job..." etc. But he was never able to tell me anything specific I did on the air he liked. He didn't even bother to listen to it. Of course it's quite possible I sounded awful and he was lying. If I did sound like crap a good PD would have either worked with me or fired me. Managements intention was obviously to keep me on overnights until I quit or dropped dead no matter how good or bad I sounded! If only this thread existed 8 years ago I could have saved myself a lot of grief!

Another station where I suspect this is happening is WBLM in Portland. Ron Brown "The Red-Eyed" rocker has been on overnights for probably 15+ years now, (Live, I'm pretty sure) and is the greatest DJ in all of Portland, IMHO. Although, I've heard he actually prefers overnights so I can speak for certain in his case. But if you ever want to hear overnight radio the way it once was, tune him in some night. The "3' O clock break" is always great and perfectly executed.

 

[rick.com]

WKQQ 100.1 is a Cumulus station in Lexington, Ky. that is live overnight.

WRFL 88.1 is the University of Kentucky's full-time student-run station.

 

[KOOL Listener Lauren]

CBS Radio's 94.5 KOOL-FM used to be live overnights on the weekend with Dennis Mitchell. Live overnights, like on KOOL weekends, are great fun for any night owl or graveyard shift worker. There really was a difference! He got calls from people all the time. Especially popular among the hospitals around the city of Phoenix.

This was happening up until August this year where he fell victim of budget cuts... Now a voicetracked DJ who is extremely repetitive and whose style does not fit, took the job.

 

[Ultimajock]

Howard Stern never worked overnights.

...not strictly true; when he was brought to New York from Washington, WNBC had him do a few overnight shifts to allegedly develop the "characters" the station expected him to use on his regular shift...

 

[therealjm12]

WSEN in Syracuse is live overnights 7 days a week.

 

[TheBigA]

Howard Stern never worked overnights.

...not strictly true; when he was brought to New York from Washington, WNBC had him do a few overnight shifts to allegedly develop the "characters" the station expected him to use on his regular shift...

Technically you're correct. But that was not the job he was hired to do.

 

[mleach]

Howard Stern never worked overnights. Most people I know who worked overnights never got anywhere. Their bosses didn't want to move them off the overnight shift because they'd be impossible to replace. So they'd stay there until they quit. That's what I did. I was there for a year, realized I had no shot at a full time gig, and left. Got more experience, went into a different side of broadcasting, and survived. Sort of put the car in reverse, as they say.

Same thing with weekends. I finally got a job where I was hiring people to work weekends and overnights. I hired a few dozen people while I was there. None ever did anything else. They don't call it the graveyard shift for nothing, folks. No one wants the job, and you can't get out of it once you take it. It's no stepping stone. The people we hired for top spots were successes at other stations. Not overnight workers who put their time in.

I have to agree with this one based on personal experience. For more than 8 years I was the live overnight guy on WKIT in Bangor, Maine and never got offered anything outside of overnights. After 6 years doing it 4 nights a week part-time they finally gave me full time by adding on another night and having me voicetrack morning drive on a sister station, WDME. But, alas even when opportunities arouse during the day they always went to someone who was brought in, not me or the other overnighters/weekenders who put in their time for years and years. Looking back, I can see now that management never had any intention of ever getting me off of overnights. Not once did they go over an aircheck with me, and when I gave the program director a tape to listen to all I would get is "You're sounding great, nice job..." etc. But he was never able to tell me anything specific I did on the air he liked. He didn't even bother to listen to it. Of course it's quite possible I sounded awful and he was lying. If I did sound like crap a good PD would have either worked with me or fired me. Managements intention was obviously to keep me on overnights until I quit or dropped dead no matter how good or bad I sounded! If only this thread existed 8 years ago I could have saved myself a lot of grief!

The fact that a lot of overnight folks never really for the most part get a chance to other dayparts is interesting and sadly so true even though there are exceptions. A great example of this is Washington DC's WRQX MIX 107.3's Cindy McGuire. At first WRQX hired Cindy as a part time weekend overnight announcer. Then within a year WRQX promoted her not only to full time status but WRQX also made her a part of the popular Jack Diamond morning show as well. That lasted a few years and then then out of the blue Cindy ended up doing the weeknight 7 to midnight shift at WRQX and stayed there for a number of years.That ended earlier this year due to budget cuts at Citadel ( WRQX ). I knew some of Cindy's family and according to them she was making damn close to six figures doing the 7-midnight shift at WRQX and I am pretty sure thats why she was let go since she was replaced by another jock who I think its a safe bet to assume is making FAR less than Cindy was making. Interesting ( will maybe not ) all this talk of radio cutbacks, downsizing and the like...rare do I hear the term "hiring freeze". Anyway Cindy McGuire is a very rare exception.

I can think of off hand two overnighters at the stations I worked at who did end up on other shifts though in both cases it was running the board for the syndicated morning show and both of them continued to do overnights anyway..only now their shift was voiced tracked. When I was doing 7-midnight at one station one time we had a midday position open up and I suugested to the PD/GM about moving our overnighter to that shift since she had been to the same late night shift for so many years. I remember both of them telling me that they "were not allowed due to company rules" to move someone out of THAT shift to middays. I had often wondered if what they were telling me was fact ( that some companies havie this rule against moving overnighters to other live shifts ) or if they were just blowing smoke?

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

I can think of off hand two overnighters at the stations I worked at who did end up on other shifts though in both cases it was running the board for the syndicated morning show and both of them continued to do overnights anyway..only now their shift was voiced tracked. When I was doing 7-midnight at one station one time we had a midday position open up and I suugested to the PD/GM about moving our overnighter to that shift since she had been to the same late night shift for so many years. I remember both of them telling me that they "were not allowed due to company rules" to move someone out of THAT shift to middays. I had often wondered if what they were telling me was fact ( that some companies havie this rule against moving overnighters to other live shifts ) or if they were just blowing smoke?

They were probably blowing smoke.. I can't imagine why "company rules" would prevent them from moving someone from overnights to mid days.

i was overnights were still around at many stations, i'd gladly take overnights and stay there for as long as they'd let me im a night owl and it'd be quiet, workin' alone.

 

[DJRadar]

I completely agree that a company won't move the overnight jock because it is the hardest to fill. Any time I offered to fill in, I was turned down and they brought in a part-timer instead.

I'd be happy to take an overnight shift if it meant getting off the beach.

 

[Chance Cali]

I completely agree that a company won't move the overnight jock because it is the hardest to fill. Any time I offered to fill in, I was turned down and they brought in a part-timer instead.

I'd be happy to take an overnight shift if it meant getting off the beach.

Funny. I will take one to get ON the beach. lol