My First Air Shift On College Radio!

[NSPUNX]

Wow! I did my first ever air shift last night on WMWM Salem. I got there an hour and fifteen minutes early so that I could be well prepared and organized. I wanted to pull all the music for the show in advance and have all the paperwork fiilled out and ready to go. I guess the show before me did not come in last night because when I got there at 7:45 the door was locked and all the lights were off. Being so new I haven't been issued a key card to open the door. I ran around (with a laptop, headphones, and cd's) in my hands trying to find someone to let me in. Finally I was able to get in touch with one of the Dj's that had trained me and thankfully he was on campus and able to let me in at 8:45 for my 9:00 shift. Needless to say I was running around like crazy all night between breaks pulling CD's and carts and trying to figure out what I wanted to play, and keep my paperwork filled out. At least it gave me something to talk about during a break, I thought it was a good story for a first night on the air ever. I was able to figure out the board and everything pretty well. I was able to assign all the inputs and outputs on the busses properly so that I could record a phone call to the computer without it going over the air, and then play it back. I did screw up a couple times, I had trouble at first keeping track of which CD player was playing and which one I wanted to start because some of the "on" and "off" lights on the board are burned out. I did end up getting the hang of it and think I did well for the first time. I was able to talk it up and hit the "post" with songs I was familiar with. I definately got the bug now and I Can't wait until next week!

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

Welcome to the club, bud. Here's hoping next week's efforts are a bit smoother, especially in regards to the "getting in the studio" part. It is SO MUCH EASIER to do a show when you are actually, um, in the studio. Burned out lights, mislabeled pots, cue-bleed... get used to it as it happens at stations of all sizes in all markets.

;D

So what did our good friend RacoonRadio have to say about your dilemma of being locked out? At least you get props for being resourceful enough to find someone to get you in the building and on the air.

otoh: the locked door might have been an omen; a harbinger; a sign, if you will, to flee in the direction of gainful future employment opportunities and studies.

Keep those needles movin' - and don't say "booger" on the radio. look what happened to poor Dr. Johnny Fever.

 

[Erie_Lackawanna]

oh - and if you ask "Who's Dr.Johnny Fever?" out here, you're grounded for a week.

 

[Garrett]

Wow! I did my first ever air shift last night on WMWM Salem. I got there an hour and fifteen minutes early so that I could be well prepared and organized. I wanted to pull all the music for the show in advance and have all the paperwork fiilled out and ready to go. I guess the show before me did not come in last night because when I got there at 7:45 the door was locked and all the lights were off. Being so new I haven't been issued a key card to open the door. I ran around (with a laptop, headphones, and cd's) in my hands trying to find someone to let me in. Finally I was able to get in touch with one of the Dj's that had trained me and thankfully he was on campus and able to let me in at 8:45 for my 9:00 shift. Needless to say I was running around like crazy all night between breaks pulling CD's and carts and trying to figure out what I wanted to play, and keep my paperwork filled out. At least it gave me something to talk about during a break, I thought it was a good story for a first night on the air ever. I was able to figure out the board and everything pretty well. I was able to assign all the inputs and outputs on the busses properly so that I could record a phone call to the computer without it going over the air, and then play it back. I did screw up a couple times, I had trouble at first keeping track of which CD player was playing and which one I wanted to start because some of the "on" and "off" lights on the board are burned out. I did end up getting the hang of it and think I did well for the first time. I was able to talk it up and hit the "post" with songs I was familiar with. I definately got the bug now and I Can't wait until next week!

Congrats, I wish you all the best!

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Just remember:
always have something cued up, and ready to go, as a "Plan B"...

if you mean to play 1 cut, and accidently go into a second cut, let it play -
don't say you made a mistake. they'll never know...

have fun, and don't quit your day job!

 

[NSPUNX]

Thanks guys! I am sure things will go alot smoother next week. Unfortunately I don't have a day job to not quit. I got laid off from a technical job and am currently looking. I am just glad I have this to do so I dont go crazy!

 

[pqgeorge]

Congratulations on your first shift at WMWM. It's a nice college station that is well respected. I used to listen to 91.7 while living in South Weymouth (pre-WUMB days, in 1980). That 125 watt signal really made it across the bay quite well in those days. I started on 9/15/78 at sister station WSKB-FM at Westfield State College (my first song was "Jungle Love" by The Steve Miller Band). It was a blast being on the radio for the first time! Ah, yes..... those were truly fun days! Back then, when the drinking age was 18, I was always invited to the various parties on campus as soon as I got off the air (as far as I remember.......). But, I digress. Enjoy the opportunity that only college radio can give you. It's truly unique and very much needed, especially today in these days of homogenized, pasteurized and consolidated commercial radio. College radio is the only place where new and exciting music can be played FIRST. Good luck on your shift and DON'T forget to take the transmitter readings!

 

[Neanderpaul]

Make sure you roll tape so you can laugh at your accent ten years from now

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

Yes, by all means, tape every show that you do. Go home and listen to those
tapes over and over, and over again. Practice, practice, practice. You may
have thought you were really slick while you were doing your shift - but tape
does not lie, or suck up to you! ;D ;D ;D

 

[djflash]

NSPUNX ...this smacks of my first shift at 91.7 WHUS (whus.org) at UCONN. The previous shift had not shown up and so before the days of the calling emergency fill-in list,the Opie and Anthony wannabes, just shut the station down and left at 2am. Also before the days of access cards, I had to find somebody to let me in as in those old days the campus police were not the friends of the station they are now...so I found a janitor, who spoke only Spanish, convinced him to let me in and at 4:30am had to reboot the transformer! Ugh...how? Where's the manual? Stupid Newbie Dork...call the general manager at home! <blush> a VERY nice man who got me started. Now HUS is all state of the art digital, streams 24/7 on the net and is one of the premier college/community stations in the country IMHO and a moving force at helping other such stations get started, get better, especially through IBS and other such conferences. HUS is still and never has been automated, even in the summer. Although we are still growing and going!

Enjoy the ride Brutha...

 

[SonicOverload]

post a playlist... I'd love to see what you played. WMWM was my intro to punk rock back in '77...

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Burned out lights, mislabeled pots, cue-bleed... get used to it as it happens at stations of all sizes in all markets.

And sometimes things may become intermittent too... you never know. It keeps you on your toes.

Make sure you roll tape so you can laugh at your accent ten years from now

I think you'd be better off burning to CD. You may not be able to easily find a tape player ten years from now.

Seriously, congratulations on your first journey onto the airwaves! I still do a show on a college station (WMBR) after 26 years. The freedom to do the kind of show that I want to do can't readily be found anywhere else these days. Have fun, that what it's all about!

 

[SonicOverload]

what Eli said!

 

[NSPUNX]

I recorded my whole show onto my laptop with "Audacity" and then used it to edit the three hours down to 00:31:20, just my breaks in and out of songs, my live reads, and "boardwork" (out of song one, drop in an ID Cart, into song 2).

Its funny you mention the transmitter readings, After being locked out I was scrambling to get everything ready and I found the playlist log, and program time sheet, I searched everywhere and could not find a transmitter log so I just wrote it down on a napkin (the only scrap paper I could find) and then copied it over the next day!

I had to turn in my playlist so I dont remember what I played from the "core" music library. I do remember what I played for my choices;

The street dogs- Not Without A Purpose
Blood For Blood- Livin' In Exile
Dropkick Murphy's- Fightstarter Karaoke
Reach The Sky- April Showers
Social Distortion- Bad Luck
The Ramones- Rockaway Beach
The Clash- I Fought The Law

I also played a production piece I put together in Audacity as the opening to my show. It is the Dropkick Murphy's "Cadence To Arms" with a clip of the Clashes "this is radio clash" saying "Interupting all programs" then Joey Ramone saying "Hey Kids This Is Joey Ramone" Then Al Baar from DKM saying "This is Al Baar" then Rob Lind from Blood For Blood saying "Whats Up Fellow Low Lives?" then it goes into another DKM piece "For Boston" which I use as a "bed" to talk over for the beginning of my show. as I have guests come in I will add more band members saying something like "this is so and so from some band and your listening to sean on WMWM" or something.

Yeah, the impression I get is that WMWM is on a mission to re-build its listenership and relationships with the college and the community. It seems to have a new direction, some new funding, and some great leadership. We are going to be doing a live remote from the colleges new baseball field for its dedication, and the first game of the season. We are also going to provide the PA for the event and before and in between innings the crowdn will be able to hear our broadcast, we will turn the speakers off during play though. The college TV channel is going to simulcast our audio with thier video, we are going to piggy back onto thier WIFI antenna to get our signal back to the studio through the college network. This is possible because one of our DJ's volunteers as our Engineer and he is using all of his won equipment for this mics (wireless and wired), Board, CD Decks, Laptops, PA Speakers and amp, etc...

 

[raccoonradio]

Brian's doing a great job w/ our equipment, etc.
College radio can be fun and "live and local". Last Sunday morning Joe Baglio (cousin of Sal "Stompers"
Baglio) was on our Sun morning local show playing live (Brian helping out w/ sound mixer) and it sounded
great. Even had someone down reading poetry with Joe's band backing him up

If I ever get a laptop I could record my show on it but for now I use AudioRecordWizard3 at my home
(it has a timer; I don't know if audacity does). If necessary I cut the files with mp3 Direct Cut

NSPUNX, I have been with WMWM since the fall of '80 (first show Mar of 81) and I do Sunday afternoon
blues show (20th anniversary of that next month) and I do the station's site. Let me know your
timeslot and show name so I can update the schedule (either here or email me; the name I use here,
@ gmail )

See parts of my anniversary party from '06 at http://www.youtube.com
Just type WMWM or WMWM Bob Nelson into search

Juke Joint promo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJy1VvbXt2g

 

[TravisWMLN]

you'll never forget your first shift...my first college shift went horribly out of control by about 3 am, and listening back now...I laugh at the fake name i used so no one would recognize me (if anyone was listening) and my first commercial airshift I was so nervous I forgot the frequency of the station....oops....

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Its funny you mention the transmitter readings, After being locked out I was scrambling to get everything ready and I found the playlist log, and program time sheet, I searched everywhere and could not find a transmitter log so I just wrote it down on a napkin (the only scrap paper I could find) and then copied it over the next day!

That also may happen everywhere. Even at my paid job at a professsional Public Radio station, I keep a copy of their transmitter log sheet template in my mailbox so that I can make copies when I start a shift, in case I find that there are no more left that haven't already been filled out.

 

[ZRXOA 5248]

Does it bother anyone else that a station let someone on the air with little or no training?

Do you know what a public inspection file is? Do you know where it is kept? Do you know under what conditions anyone can walk in of the street and ask to see it? The answers to those questions are the difference between someone who is trained and someone who just cost the station a few grand in a N.A.L.. Do you know what a N.A.L. is? Do you know under what conditions you are allowed to record a call? Do you know when you can air a call live? Failure to know the answers to that have cost stations big and small big money fines. Do you know the air chain? If something went wrong could you get back on the air? Is that station part of the E.A.S. notification system? If so do you know what to do if it goes off? Same for Amber Alerts.

These are the things you will need to know to do real radio, among other things such as transmitter lights, who to call at the F.A.A. and the location of your antenna structures latitude and longitude.

Sometimes I miss the days of the Third Class license with the Element 9 endorsement.

 

[TravisWMLN]

Does it bother anyone else that a station let someone on the air with little or no training?

Do you know what a public inspection file is? Do you know where it is kept? Do you know under what conditions anyone can walk in of the street and ask to see it? The answers to those questions are the difference between someone who is trained and someone who just cost the station a few grand in a N.A.L.. Do you know what a N.A.L. is? Do you know under what conditions you are allowed to record a call? Do you know when you can air a call live? Failure to know the answers to that have cost stations big and small big money fines. Do you know the air chain? If something went wrong could you get back on the air? Is that station part of the E.A.S. notification system? If so do you know what to do if it goes off? Same for Amber Alerts.

These are the things you will need to know to do real radio, among other things such as transmitter lights, who to call at the F.A.A. and the location of your antenna structures latitude and longitude.

Sometimes I miss the days of the Third Class license with the Element 9 endorsement.

it doesn't bother me...you have to learn at some point...why not on a college station run by students? makes sense to me...The best way to learn is to be hands on, and since it is a college, it's part of the curriculum...should people in the nursing program be allowed to work on patients? as long as there is some type of supervision, that's fine, it's educational.

how many people actually know where the public file is kept? I couldn't tell you, but if someone actually came into a radio station (commercial or not) you just point them to your pd who should have it on file...

you really don't need to know most of that stuff, and why should you? to prove that you do? oh god, what would happen if audiovault were to crash? or what if the transmitter went off the air?....find a cd, correct the music log accordingly, and call the engineer...that's why stations have them...

all you need to know is how to sound on the air, most of that other crap sorts itself out

 

[NSPUNX]

um... actually yes I do know all of that stuff. Anything else youd like to quiz me on? I had to take and pass an examination before I was able to be on the air. If you would like to come down and do the required training and pass the test I am sure they would let you on the air too.