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REMEMBER "VACATION RELIEF" TALENT?

E

Early Byrd

"Back in the day", when radio stations had live talent staffs, very often someone would be hired for the summer months to fill-in as needed when the full-timers took vacation weeks. This was extremely common at small stations, but the majors did it too. For example, in 1969, the summer relief guy on WBZ (then primarily a music station), was a guy named Mike Davis. He was an engineer at a few of the local Boston recording studios (Ace on Boylston Place and AAA on Dorchester Avenue) and had worked at various radio stations as well. When he got the WBZ gig he had been doing a show on then-WTBS (now WMBR) 88.1, Cambridge. He later went to work as a programmer for cable TV systems.

Anybody remember some of these "vacation relief" personalities on other stations, large or small?
 
Thats my "gig " now. I fill in for vacationing talent.
 
Ah yes, I remember being hired at a place that allowed me to be Their "Vacation Relief" in addition to my other off-air duties (Production mostly)...Then the PD got fired, and the New PD implimented the so-called "7 Hour Rule" that expanded everybody's airshift whenever someone went away, leaving me in the dust. I ask them about it, and they claim it's "everything to do with the consistency of the station's sound, besides, we need you at your other post anyway". Dont'cha just love it when promises are broken?
 
Not really same thing but I recall how WRKO would have someone do the 2 wk period at end of yr for Jerry Williams, someone he got to know from Nat Assn of Radio Talk Hosts like Mike Siegel--or Tom Leykis who later would get a show on WRKO

During Howie's contract controversy Todd Feinburg became a regular host for awhile, in for him. Jeff Katz also did an ext. period fo Howie, but can't now since he's at Rush Radio

The Feinburg for Howie was about 2 months, Sep to Nov of 07
 
I was a high school/college student and my job was to run the Sunday morning church programs, run the sweeper and mow the front lawn. But as a perk, I got to be on the air for real on Thanksgiving and Christmas day. Since it was a daytimer, I only had to last for about 10 hours. But I was "on the air" in a top 30 market.

I remember driving to the station on Christmas morning and listening to one of the top hosts working on a competing station on the way to the station. That was before most stations had the canned tape or automation shows that air on virtually all stations. I remember thinking I was competing against the top talent in the market for the Christmas morning audience. Well, ok, in my dreams.
 
I was vacation relief awhile back..i'd actually take a vacation from my work in brookline, so i could fill in for whoever was on vacation at the radio station. A ride from Weston to New London every day for a week, i'm pretty sure i lost money that week just in gas.
 
Erica, I hear ya, my "regular job" pays so much better, but radio is in my blood. I take my vacation to match up with our full timers vacations to fill in.
 
That is one of the "benefits" of being self employed. I can make room for radio. Any P.D.'s looking for a vacation cover at your station, give me a shout
 
EricaKay said:
I was vacation relief awhile back... A ride from Weston to New London every day for a week, i'm pretty sure i lost money that week just in gas.
Click to expand...

New London? Was it one of the Hall stations?
 
Yea, it sure was fun watching major market TV stations, for example,
putting the 4th or 5th string people on the air, as anybody
who was anybody had the day off! :D
 
MarcB said:
Clear Channel Hartford is too cheap to do vacation relief in morning drive. On KISS 95.7 they run "The Best of KISS in the Morning." On Country 92.5 they run "The Best of Bosh & Corey". I think KIX 97.9 in Springfield runs "The Best of" their morning show too.
Click to expand...

They do put relief in middays, Wendy Steele was out last week, and they had John Saville on. Wonder why they wouldn't do the same in AM drive.
 
MarcB said:
Clear Channel Hartford is too cheap to do vacation relief in morning drive. On KISS 95.7 they run "The Best of KISS in the Morning." On Country 92.5 they run "The Best of Bosh & Corey". I think KIX 97.9 in Springfield runs "The Best of" their morning show too.
Click to expand...

TV stations show repeats...I can watch hours and hours of Two and a Half Men, Family Guy or Seinfeld repeats. What's wrong with running a best of...as long as it's GOOD content??
 
One thing you sometimes saw BITD was the jock who was hired by AM daytimers to cover the time from 6P until local sunset. That sort of thing provided lots of work for young kid jocks during the summer. 'JAB in Westbrooke did that and as did WKBK in Keene--where I handled those duties in the summer of 1968. That was when Ted Nixon and Bill Moyes were "interning" there while going to Dartmouth.
 
Dusty Dale Brooks said:
One thing you sometimes saw BITD was the jock who was hired by AM daytimers to cover the time from 6P until local sunset. That sort of thing provided lots of work for young kid jocks during the summer. 'JAB in Westbrooke did that and as did WKBK in Keene--where I handled those duties in the summer of 1968. That was when Ted Nixon and Bill Moyes were "interning" there while going to Dartmouth.
Click to expand...

Back in the late 1960s the daytimer on 1410 AM in Brockton supposedly had an Emerson student who would do a shift that started at 4pm and would last until sign-off. In the winter the guy would only work for half an hour!
Talk about doing anything to get on-the air experience!
 
I did that for a while on WOKW 1410 Brockton - 1980-81.
One-man-band, 1KW transmitter down in the basement.
All for a very small hourly wage, and some experience...
 
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