Why do you like being on the air?

[Nick Gerard]

Putting aside the talk about our frustrations with consolidation, absence of job security, and the diminishing lure of commercial radio, I’d like to ask this back to basics question:

Why do you like being on the air?

Whether you are an air personality on a music station, talk host, or production guy – currently working or not – what is it that draws you to this avocation?

I’ve often observed that people who have the greatest passion for something are often the least able to explain why they feel that way.

This spring I will have done radio in one role or another – air personality, PD, sales, production - for forty years (punctuated, of course by periods of unemployment). 

I can honestly say that when I open the mic here in 2010, I get the same rush I did when I was 17 years old, spinnin’ the 45s at Buff State’s WSCB or at WWOL.  The thrill is still there.

I can’t tell you why.

It might be the ring of on-air compression in the phones.  It might be the satisfaction of a well-executed backsell or a brilliant (very occasionally) bit of schtick in 20 seconds.  I’ve got economy of words down cold.

Maybe it’s a smokin’ piece of music slammed perfectly after an absolutely jammin’ jingle. (having taken the on-air software out of “auto” mode - lol)

I’m not embarrassed to say that I experience exhiliration when performing the now unfashionable skill of talkin’ up the vocal.  I know the audience doesn’t care, but I’m being selfish.

I love to listen to an aircheck after a good day on the air and I’m still amazed to think “damn, that’s pretty good.”

Perhaps it’s been to my detriment, but I’ve never been successful as a “talk about the community” guy. Nor am I of today’s creed which says “you must share your everyday life with your listeners.”  I have always felt much more at home as a presenter of music, and I believe this is a valid raison d’etre on the air – often undervalued in today’s radio. I love reading up on the artists whose music I’m playing and incorporating their stories into my on-air rap. 

Shallow as it may seem, the simple desire to “sound great” has propelled me all these years.  It does to this day.

When I’ve asked air personalities why they like being on the air, I’ve heard responses like “I really enjoy brightening a listener’s day” or “I know that something I say during my show can make a real difference in someone’s life.”  Great – and more power to you guys because you’re probably right!  I, however, claim no such altruism.  I just enjoy the rush of sounding great.  I’m more inspired by Dan Ingram than by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

I have no illusions.  I haven’t been and will never be one of those big market, big numbers air personalities, and what motivates me is unlikely to push anyone into that stratosphere.  Nevertheless, I’m a notch or 2 beyond the liner card guys, and believe I’ve always executed well in the formats I’ve worked.  For me, that’s been enormously satisfying.

Today, my primary role is production, which brings, of course, another kind of professional satisfaction. But on those days when I fill in live for a vacationing air personality, I’m smackin’ the posts, I’m tellin’ stories about George Strait and Lady Antebellum, and I’m 17 again.

Nick Seneca

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Are you kidding anytime someone wants to pay me for playing music and talking to folks on the radio and on the phone, hey that's a pretty good racket. I always said it beats working.

Then there is the perfect segue, the witty comment or in the production room the freedom to create the perfect sell for a commercial with music, sfx or just how you say a word. People who have done it will understand.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Dan Neaverth, Don Berns, Joey Reynolds, Jack Armstrong, Jefferson Kaye, Frank Benny, John Zak, Joe Downey, Henry Brock, Jim Santella, Clint Beuhlman, John Otto, Sandy Beach, Jack Kelly, Bob MacRae, Harv Moore-Bob Taylor, Steve Mitchell, Jack Sheridan, Kevin O'Connell, Jim Quinn, Michael Spears, Jungle Jay Nelson, George Hamberger, J. Michael Wilson, Larry Anderson, Randy Michaels, Bill Lacy... WKBW, WYSL, WGRQ, CHUM, CKLW, WCFL, WLS, WABC, KDKA, WBZ, WMCA, 99X, WPLJ, WPHD, WNIA, WGR, WBEN, WEBR... to name a few.

Our friend Nick has noted a good number of reasons why so many radio professionals enjoy(ed) being on the air. As seasoned professionals, over the years many of us have worked a number of different formats, refining our craft with a sense of purpose, professionalism and commitment to consistent performance, studying the works of the tribal elders all the while paying heed to the current trends and state of the art in an attempt to remain vital and purposeful.

One of the elements that motivates many of us is "being there when we're needed." The Blizzard of 77 personified this, as WGR, WBEN, WEBR, WYSL, WWOL and WKBW answered the call with news, information and consolation delivered by local professionals who were committed to providing a service to listeners in their community. The "October Snow Storm" of 2006 is another good example, wherein radio people made their way to their prospective stations to "be there when needed." The same applied a year ago when Colgan Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence, as radio people lead the vanguard (notably Barbara Burns from WBEN and reporters from WNED-AM) reporting from the scene, providing interviews with family members, firefighters and rescue workers who were in many ways affected by the crash.

Regardless of the format, from Top 40, Progressive, AOR, Classic Rock, Country, Adult Contemporary to News-Talk, even (and perhaps especially) ethic programming, doing "good live, local radio" combines the elements of theatre, psychology, humor, community awareness, public service and science, the sum of which cannot be duplicated by a steady diet of voice-tracking or "playing what we want" formats. The art and science of communication on the radio changes constantly, but the one remaining constant that differentiates and denotes quality and service is the element that contributes to radio being a personal medium: The professional in front of the microphone.

Oh, one more thing. A pro never talks up to the vocal to Papa Was A Rolling Stone or Go All The Way.

 

[Savage]

Or Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted." Although I confess both Greaseman and I did this. But it wasn't talking for the sake of talking. There was content there; it was a Bit related to the subject matter of the song. IIRC the lyric begins with the title.

I also talked up "Stairway to Heaven." But it was part of the ersatz-religious show I hatched out of boredom at 6am one Sunday on CKLW ("Radio Bob's International Ministry Of Hits!!") I exhorted listeners to "put their hands on the radio, and be saved!!" We'd play Godpsell, "Put Your Hand In The Hand," "God Only Knows" etc.
Essentially it was the same CKLW Drake format with a bunch of goofy borderblaster sermonizing ad-libbed over hit song intros.

We did it for a bit one Sunday to keep awake. Much to our amazement, the next week, the show appeared on the official CRTC Program Log as an official religious program! There was no memo and no advisory from management - so we kept doing it. The tag for Motor City Weather was: "In Cleveland it's 76, in Holy Toledo it's 72 - and in the Motor City, it's time to be saved!!" When I left The Big 8 Mike Kelly took over as "Minister Mike." I tuned in years later and the show was still on, with The Big 8 presumably still claiming religious credit every week.

 

[Debaser]

Oh, one more thing. A pro never talks up to the vocal to Papa Was A Rolling Stone or Go All The Way.

Unless that pro was Jack Armstrong.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

There's not a jock alive who hasn't tried to talk up Go All The Way, Papa, What Becomes..., Radar Love, Billy Jean, Stairway, More Than A Feelin' and so many more songs with intros of 28 seconds or more (mea culpa) so upon further review, the caveat probably should have been "A pro doesn't step on the vocal."

 

[diamondj]

One never talks over the birds at the end of "Layla" either...
A phone call to my show summed it up for me saying, "I was having the worst day and turned on the radio and heard the music you were playing and it made everything ok." Alas, not something I did or said on the air, but just radio touching a listener that way. I also ALWAYS believe in thanking the listeners for choosing the station. Once, in knowing the station was being sold (public knowledge) and format in doubt, I thanked the advertisers for their support.

 

[SirRoxalot]

I always looked at being on the air as a chance to make somebody's life a little easier. Sometimes it was by giving them some information that they might want or need. Sometimes it was by offering them a moment's respite from everyday life by giving them a laugh. Sometimes it was by giving them an idea that has merit. And, of course, the music was - and is - key. Dont' get in the way of the music. If you can enhance the meaning or the moment, then go ahead. If not, get out of the way.

What has evolved is the jock as huckster, expected to shill for whatever management is trying to sell. What are the chances that you're really playing "The Most Music"? After a couple of years, are you really "The New Ersatz 93-point-1"? Nobody goes into radio to be a liner card jock. Some people hang on in radio because management wants liner card jocks, and they either do it well, or cheap. It's tough when the canned promo voice gets more time and better lines than you do.

If you're lucky, you work where talent is appreciated, or you have enough juice to entertain in spite of the formatics. Radio's recent collapse put a lot of talent out of work because even stellar ratings weren't enough when the money coming through the door won't even pay the interest on foolish loans negotiated by management, let alone pay down the principle. We've seen a serious revaluation of radio properties. Citadel was the first of the big boys to collapse. Clear Channel, Cumulus, and others still aren't out of the woods. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out, and who survives.

One thing I do know is that there are a lot fewer young people coming into the business than ever before.

 

[JimMcGrath]

Actually since I worked overnights I enjoyed the idea of being "company" for someone. But I think the main rush for me was turning someone on to new music whether old or new it was new to them. The best calls to me were the ones that asked "Who was that?".

 

[TheBigA]

Oh, one more thing. A pro never talks up to the vocal to Papa Was A Rolling Stone or Go All The Way.

Unless that pro was Jack Armstrong.

Dan Ingram's talk up for Go All the Way was "What do you call the wife of Papa Yo?" At which point, Eric Carmen shouts, "Mama Yo." Then Dan says, "Thank you very large."

 

[Bob1370]

At the start of any career the sheer thrill of being on the air can be a rush. As you mature, it changes to a sense of satisfaction that you've served your listeners well, either by informing them (if you're in news), entertaining them (if you're doing a music or humor show) or getting them engaged and involved (if you're doing a talk show). We all get feedback from listeners by e-mail, or by phone, or sometimes from people who recognize you by voice or face and come up to talk to you in the supermarket or yout favorite sports bar. That feedback, if it's positive (and it will be if your act's good enough to give you an enduring career) will not only encourage you, it'll help you stay focused on what people want and expect.

 

[MediaBoy4Radio]

Guys,

You can be as poetic as you desire. You can claim to be doing it as a public service. You can explain it as being an artist with sound on the boards of the "Theatre of the Mind". You can say you are facinated with the medium and that you have been inspired by all the great talents who have sat in the air chair before you. You can say that you love entertaining.

But you all know that being on the air is a legal addiction.

 

[Jim Santella]

There is something about radio in the nighttime that has always provident me with a transcendental grasp of the world around me. I would often get off the air at one or two o'clock and go DX-ng around the dial and if I was lucky and the sky wave ws good I might pick up WOWO or WABC...maybe even WLS.

The quality of music, talk and even the news seemed to be magical, mystical, personal and private. Nowdays, I seldom drive or ride at night but when I do, I still feel the cocoon of sound around.

I digress now to shave a link with you passed down to me by a great radio friend of mine whose laugh alone cracked me up. You will recognize the "usal suspects" if you haven't already met them

http://j.mp/MLOmk

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Wow! Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame member Jim Santella! Welcome to the board.

Oh, one more thing. A pro never talks up to the vocal to Papa Was A Rolling Stone or Go All The Way.

Unless that pro was Jack Armstrong.

Dan Ingram's talk up for Go All the Way was "What do you call the wife of Papa Yo?" At which point, Eric Carmen shouts, "Mama Yo." Then Dan says, "Thank you very large."

Nicely done, Keemosabe!

Big Dan, workin' the posts (that one comes at :05) The intro of Go All The Way has more posts than a picket fence. Just opened it up in Cool Edit Pro and it brought back a flood of memories. I'd stop at :14 when the growling guitar kicks in... unless I had a good phoner that I pre-produced and limited in Cool Edit Prod/Adobe Audition.

Eric Carmen, the lead man of the Raspberries, like Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere & the Raiders, was a studio rat. They were good musicians who loved to tinker with the dials in the control room and pump up the sound technically and instrumentally in the studio.

Years ago, I had a great conversation with Mark Lindsay when he was in for a show. I'm not a musician, but we talked about production and music, Selmer saxophones, the sound of a Les Paul guitar vs a Stratocaster and Telecaster, limiters and microphones. At the time, Lindsay had a recording studio in a small town near Albany not far from my brother's home (small world) and he was looking for an RCA BA-6A tube type limiter that was SOP in AM radio stations in the 60s and 70s. WMMJ Lancaster had one in line and KB had the very same unit as a studio back-up.

I asked Lindsay how the hell the group derived the great running bassline on "Hungry." Listen to it on a pair of medium sized JBLs. (Stop me if you heard this.) He told me the group augmented the string bassline with foot pedal bass from a Hammond B3. That baseline isn't overdriven, but its totally there.

Eric Carmen grew up listening to songs on the radio, most notable WIXY 1260 in Cleveland. He knew the jocks needed intros to do their acts and "sell" the song titles and artists as well as the station features. He would keep this in mins when he went into the studio. Go All The Way is a perfect example of a hit song that's made for radio in the early 70s when rockers could be heard "side by each" with songs from Motown, Memphis, British Invasion and Nashville.

Used to like watching the mod monitor when Go All The Way was playing. Damn needle didn't move more than 1.5 dB if the station processing was bypassed. Put the Audimax-Volumax, Sta-Level or ModuLimiter back in line and the mod monitor needle was locked on 100% and the modulator tubes in the transmitter had cherries on them.

The song is compressed but not flat topped like some of the stuff that's produced today (for example, Who Says You Can't Go Home, the monster hit from Jon Bonjovi) and it still sounds pretty damn good on FM stations that play it... and it goes out with that big sustain and cold ending snare-kick drum combo.

Shotgun double sing uptempo to down jingle.

 

[TheBigA]

I recently had a chance to speak with Ted Cohen, who was Capitol's head of pop promotion in the 70s, and worked that song at radio. A lot of people wondered why radio has changed, and a lot of it happened when the "Hit Men" like Cohen and Frank DeLeo left the record business. The synergy that existed between the two industries helped both of them. Too bad those days are over.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Actually since I worked overnights I enjoyed the idea of being "company" for someone. But I think the main rush for me was turning someone on to new music whether old or new it was new to them. The best calls to me were the ones that asked "Who was that?".

Overnight is the best shift in the world. People up listening are really paying attention to what you are doing on the air. I have never felt as close to the listener on any other shift. It's a shame that just about all the overnight radio these days is voice tracked, if that.

I was lucky to have a lot of freedom when I worked overnight. I used to play comedy records, and some light jazz on a station that had an MOR format. For some reason I always related well to people older than I was. That's not such a good thing now since there are fewer people older than I am every day.

I like what Jim said, and as usual he said it well. If I had stayed in Buffalo I don't know if I would have had the guts to go near that heavy list of personalities! South Florida where I worked had some good jocks but nothing quite like the pros in Buffalo.

 

[OldNumber7]

Lots of great responses here. I was in the business for 20 years, 8 as a jock and 12 in news (my first best destiny), and I guess the kick for me was always knowing that maybe my listener would learn something from me and think of me as the go-to guy for cool knowledge. So, yes, it's an ego thing, and I suppose it was colored by the fact that I am a natural introvert. It was far easier for me to communicate one-to-one on the air than I could in real life. So when I was a jock, it was about sharing my knowledge of the music -- and when I was a newsman it was about sharing my knowledge about what was going on in town and in the world. I was never the wacky entertainer type, but I sure admired the greats (Ingram and the rest).
I think I knew a lot of this from an early age. I remember fantasizing at age ten, when I'd read the newspaper aloud and intro my 45s and record it all on a home tape deck.
Lastly, my own experience, in some ways, is a analogous to Bull Durham. Kevin Costner plays the aging minor-leaguer who keeps playing because he loves the game. but he recalls his 21 days in the majors as the best 21 days of his life. I spent my entire career in medium markets, but for a few weeks a year in the 90s I did vacation fill-in news at a major market oldies station and worked with a couple of legendary jocks (you know their names). They were the best weeks of my life.

 

[Call Me Sherlock]

Oh, one more thing. A pro never talks up to the vocal to Papa Was A Rolling Stone or Go All The Way.

Haven't posted in awhile, but I've been lurking. Couldn't resist this - while I don't have an aircheck of my friend, Mr. Savage (affectionately known as the "Egoman"), I do have the "Greaseman" talking up "Stairway To Heaven", "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" and several other hits & LP cuts of the day (1973?).

If you like, you can download the 8+ minute file at this link, go to the very BOTTOM of the download page to make your move.

Enjoy! It's only there for a limited time! (I'm still looking for tape of Savage on "The Big 8.")

http://www.sendspace.com/file/2plfcb

Larry

 

[Dave Beck]

I once worked with a guy who shall remain nameless (but his intials were Jay Meyers). He once talked up "Hotel California". I asked him why and he said, "just to prove I could do it."


Big Daddy

 

[Radknowski]

All this yippin' about talkin' up Hotel California and Stairway. Blech! Wouldn't waste my time on down and mid-tempo songs. You wanna talk up them bouncy numbers like "Who Stole the Kishka" ... 15 second intro and you better not step on the vocal, dammit!