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LONG DISTANCE PART-TIMERS BACK "IN THE DAY"

E

Early Byrd

When it was fun to be in radio, people used to commute crazy distances to get a break as a part-timer at small stations. I heard of one guy who would travel from the Plymouth, Massachusetts area to central New Hampshire very early on a weekend morning to sign-on and do a shift on a station up there. That's at least 150 miles...probably closer to 175 ONE WAY!

Another person went from downtown Boston to the Brockton, Massachusetts daytimer on 1410 back in the 1960s to work for a half-hour in the winter time, because the airshift began at 4:00 PM, and the station would sign-off at 4:30 or so. General Managers and Program Directors would let people do things like that back "in the day".

Any similiar stories out there?
 
I remember back in the early 1990s, when Al Levine "On the Scene" - now the PM Driver at WBLI/Long Island - used to commute from New London, CT to do the Saturday afternoon shift at WPRO-FM/Providence and then the Saturday late-night shift at WZOU/Boston.
 
before I had to decline a weekend overnight gig at a 50KW I figured out it was going to be 150 miles round trip from home.

Wasn't it last year when Travis was working at some station down on the cape and I remember at the time it was some distance away from his home.

I think people are still doing it to get major market and even minor market experience for the resume
 
Way back when, I was doing weekends at Fun 107 when I got a fulltime gig at WERZ/Portsmouth. For awhile I juggled both gigs. I worked Saturday mornings at Fun, then would drive up to NH for afternoons. On Sundays I'd occasionally cover 4p-8p on Fun, then it was back up to WERZ for the overnight shift. Luckily I lived roughly halfway between the two stations, but I couldn't pick either of them up at my house!
 
MRBIboredop said:
before I had to decline a weekend overnight gig at a 50KW I figured out it was going to be 150 miles round trip from home.

Wasn't it last year when Travis was working at some station down on the cape and I remember at the time it was some distance away from his home.

I think people are still doing it to get major market and even minor market experience for the resume
Click to expand...

pixy was about an hour or so from my house...not bad...my buddy travels from Salem Nh to the cape for a shift every weekend...that's dedication
 
Back in the day...Winchester to Portsmouth twice a week...and more if they needed fill-in work. Was awesome during "state of emergency" winters...I claimed "essential personnel" and got my own plow escort to the state line. That Dodge Omni got me through serious snow.

I drove from Winchester to Amherst for an on-air audition in 1994. Still haven't been paid for it.

Just flew to Columbus OH for an on air audition for mornings...

And recently finished up two weeks of driving KC to Topeka every day to ISDN a PM drive gig for a Talk station in Palm Springs, CA. Which didn't pay enough to live there.

...the search continues. :)
 
Back in the early 90's I did nights in Atlantic City...saw the writing on the wall and got blown out...got part time at Kix106 in Providence, RI...did Sat. and Sun 10-3p...still living in Atlantic City, drove up every Fri afternoon through NY traffic...back Monday. Stayed at my grandparents house. Recently, I worked in Pittsburgh for 16 years, got blown out, now I work in Erie, Pa...about 2 hrs from Pittsburgh(and a little smaller)...wife, kids, house still in Pittsburgh. I go back on weekends and once during the week(who would have guessed voice tracking is a benefit to me now). Luckly when things were better I built a place on the lake in Erie, so I have a place to live up here, but it has made me question my choice of DJ as a career...but at a certain age, you're kind of stuck in it.
 
I drove from Worcester to Nashua N.H. to do 6-mid SUNDAYS at WOTM FM for 5 BUCKs...no kidding 5 BUCKS
 
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