Ever Been On The Radio?

[Chas]

Every week, from 10 til noon.

 

[TCameron]

I had a Monday morning radio show for a year from 9-noon here on campus, if that counts!

 

[Chad Sanborn]

I was on the radio once. I had made a newspaper headline prediction for a charity event. The prediction was sealed in a glass box and was held onto by the charity coordinators. They opened it live on the air and my prediction was right! (Thankfully)

Chad

 

[Michael10]

IT'S SHOWTIME!

In college, I was an on-air disc-jockey. Afterwards, I have done voiceover work on TV and Radio. I've been interviewed many times on radio and tv.

Two years ago, my cousins and I were the media darlings for a few weeks. You may have read or seen us in your newspaper or on TV shows like the Today Show, Rita Cosby, CNN, Paula Zahn, ABC's Medical Mysteries and others. We are the group of 11 cousins that had our stomachs removed. AHHHHHHH!

We were found to have a mutated gene that causes stomach cancer that had affected our parents and grandmother to a lethal end. All but one of the cousins was saved. The only cure was a total gastrectomy. They found active cancers cells in me and 8 other cousins at the time of the operation.

I wake up everyday and thank God I'm alive. I could just as easily be 6 feet under.

 

[Luddite]

Not impressive at all (unlike most of the other posts) but I used to have a bit of a thing about late-night 'phone-ins, the more 'local radio' the better. I have a large back-catalogue of wind-up calls to these shows which seemed hilarious at the time, but would probably be just plain embarassing now. I did once manage to get a feature on the telly though, on the local news programme. Sadly it was on the same night that the whole local news area was blacked out with a power cut. I'll get my fifteen minutes yet.....

 

[Pilgrim]

I started working in radio at 18 on a local country station - simply was there at the right time in the right place when a DJ quit. 18 months later I decided to major in Broadcasting at Washington State University (the school where Edward R Murrow and sportscaster Keith Jackson learned their skills).

During college I worked on-air at a 5,000 watt campus regional station, had a show on the carrier current student station and worked at various commercial stations in the area.

After college I went into Radio sales but also did news and some air work, including a month-long stint at KAAT radio in Denver (those call letters are now in use in California) as a replacement for a vacationing host.

Problem was that radio just didn't pay very well unless you were in a top 100 market, and also working for one of the better-rated stations in that market. Of all the things I've done, I like live radio best - but I can't pay the bills doing it.

After I earned a Master's degree and got into university work,, I produced radio news that was distributed over a six-state area in the west, got into video production, and during the 80's and 90's produced a series of national educational teleconferences delivered by satellite. I really enjoy hosting live TV, as it requires planning and quick wit similar to that demanded in radio.

While in Texas at Texas A&M (1985-98) I hosted a weekly talk show called Tech Talk on KAMU-FM in College Station - every Saturday I took questions about anything having to do with audio or video, and sprinkled informative spots and what I called "stupid and gratuitous" movie sound bites throughout the program. You haven't lived until someone calls and asks you on live radio "How deep does a grounding rod have to go into the soil in this area before it contacts the water table and you get a really good ground?" I just threw the question open to my listeners, and had an answer within 15 minutes: for College Station, 6 ft.

I've done a lot of interviews for radio and TV on both sides of the mike, and I've recorded and shot a lot of them for news and educational programs. I keep advising faculty who are going to be interviewed for news programs "Take your time and think over your answer before you speak. They're not going to use the dead air, so you can take your time to get it right."

I lament the demise of local radio as it used to be. Satellite technology and the marketplace approach the FCC has taken has led to radio becoming a monopoly of a few key ownership groups. I doubt that a green kid like myself at 18 could still find the chance to get on the air in most local markets. Commercial radio has been Satellite-ized and Clear Channel-ized. Everything pretty much sounds like everything else, except for those fortunate larger markets where stations can afford to hire their own professionals. And even then, on AM stations I tend to hear mostly hyper-conservative talk delivered via satellite. I wish they'd dump the satellite neanderthals and hire their own local people, as that makes the best talk radio...regardless of their political bent.

 

[dundeedavie]

have been interviewed a few times on music programmes ....apparently the scottish accent lends itself to it , well so the ladies tell me

 

[koopkooper]

Everyday for the last 10 years! Been working in commercial radio in the rural country for seven years and now the last two years in the largest market in Australia..Sydney. I also host a lounge music podcast which whilst not technically radio is still radioesque! It's called the Cocktail Nation and you can hear it by heading to myspace.com/loungelothario.com.

I can't imagine doing anything else for a job, best job in the world. Sure I could earn more money outside of radio but money isn't important to me.
I'm well paid and comfortable and I love everyday I go to work, I don't think you can beat that.

 

[panamag8or]

I was the Music director for my college AM station, and had a daily airshift for 3 years, then I went into commercial radio as a board op for a legacy country station(a cheap channel group). We had 6 stations in the building, and by the time I left, I was doing weekends on the AC station, and wx breaks for all six. I also produced news pieces for the NPR station at my college, and participated in local panel shows for them.

I loved radio, but if you don't have the golden voice, it doesn't pay squat.

 

[Moodle]

When I was in high school a radio station had a contest to win concert tickets where the best sob story would win them. I phoned in and delivered a lengthy explanation of how I had an eardrum condition where if I couldn't hear this particular band, my head would explode, all the while faux-sobbing as melodramatically as I could. I didn't win the tickets (my talent was WASTED in my hometown, just WASTED!), but several busloads of my classmates that morning heard me on the radio, so my social capital got a bit of a spike that day.

Oh, and friends of mine have a morning show at Cambridge, and they had me on as a guest once. I managed to curse within about ten seconds of going on-air. It's a gift, really...

 

[TraderRic]

When I was a trombonist in the Army Band in Germany we were on the radio and TV all the time. One time I was interviewed for one of the programs on AFN Berlin. I don't even remember what it was about. i think it had something to do with our upcoming events.
When I lived in the great state of Texas I used to call in to the Shannon Burke Show on KJFK out of Austin quite frequently.

 

[DeaconKC]

Many years ago worked for a radio station and every Friday night we did a show about the old Golden age passenger trains and would take an imaginary ride along the route describing it. man, was that fun........

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Years ago I worked at a Television Station in South Florida - oddly enough as a stills photographer. (That was back in the days before small format video when most local ads were Photomatic slide presentations). I never got any air time while there and I foolishly turned down the opportunity to be a studio cameraman. (I was a stills guy!..and a dumb kid!)

All the years since have had me on the phone. Every third call someone says, "did anyone ever tell you you should be on radio?...great voice man!" While once making a page at the airport (from a ticket counter) a guy yelled from across the concourse, as he ran by, "you've got a great voice!"

In all that time, I've never been on the radio (or been asked to be!). Perhaps with new internet media developing, my day will come!

-dixon cannon

 

[Brian Sheridan]

When I started in journalism (late 80's), I did radio news. It was just like in the old days where I had a small booth and the jock flipped the switch at the top of the hour and I was live.

The place (WJET-FM, Erie, PA) was one of the nation's first rock n' roll stations. We even still used typewriters to write our copy. It is a shame radio news has gone away from most local music stations.

I also tried my hand at talk radio but I didn't suffering the fools who called. My co-host and I tried to be civil to each other but no one wanted to hear two men, from different political sides, finding common ground. This was the day of Rush Limbaugh. We were quickly cancelled.

 

[DblCoronaMS]

When I was 10 I decided that I wanted to be the voice coming out of the radio. I got my first on air job at the local AM station right out of high school in the late '70s. I've been lucky to have been on the radio more on than off for the last 30 years or so. I was part of a popular morning team on a New Orleans oldies FM for a few years and have won awards for commercials I've produced.

I'm out of radio at the moment but was just contacted by a New Orleans radio group about the possibility of coming back and producing comercials, which I enjoy more than being on the air.

Airchecks if you're interested.

 

[RockBottom]

I hosted a classical music show when in grad school. Now, I'm interviewed every once in a while on NPR.

 

[Flash Gordon]

Among the other things I do to make money, I'm on the radio in New York. I'm what's called a "relief announcer" at the classical music station and fill in for the full-time musical hosts when they're ill or go on vacation.

It's fun because I'll work different shifts, and it's every once in a while so it never gets boring.

Also, I'll do an occasional voiceover now and then.

 

[panamag8or]

Among the other things I do to make money, I'm on the radio in New York. I'm what's called a "relief announcer" at the classical music station and fill in for the full-time musical hosts when they're ill or go on vacation.

It's fun because I'll work different shifts, and it's every once in a while so it never gets boring.

Also, I'll do an occasional voiceover now and then.

Relief or not, you're still getting air time in the #1 market. Not too shabby.

 

[funneman]

Well since you asked!

I got my first big break in radio around 1970 at
fifteen playing Benny Goodman records on a
thousand-watt AM radio station in Fort Pierce,
Florida.

Moved to Miami, Florida in 1979 then on to
Norfolk, Atlanta and Phoenix. Then back to
Miami in 1991. I’m primarily in the production
end of things these days but I was on the air
this morning.

I’ve been on the air in New York
(Z-100 with Scott and Ross) and Philadelphia
and I’ve done shows from New York, Nashville,
Cleveland, Nassau and the Dominican Republic.

Some of my favorite on-air, in person radio
Interviews include Charlton Heston, Bette Midler,
Cheech and Chong, Julio Iglasias, Tiny Tim,
Dwight Yoakim, Keith Urban, Kenny Rogers,
and Dan Ackroyd.

My radio commercials for CBS Sportsline.com,
Pet Supermarket and Spitzer Auto Group currently
play in various markets across the country.

 

[kowalskt63]

Living vicariously...

I've never been on, but my wife is a singer who had a few big dance hits back in the 80's. She goes by the name of Debbie Deb.
Not sure how many of you are into that genre of music, but more info here:
http://www.myspace.com/debedeb1
http://www.debbiedeb.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Deb

She's on the radio all the time! Also been in talks with XM radio to have her own show. If so, I'll make sure I get on there and do a few minutes each week talking about hats and such!