1 of 1- Old Codger
- Unregistered
Your very FIRST 'show' at a real radio station?
Sorry...I'm not including the campus radio 'thing'. This is job one...one that paid $...day one.
For me...it was the all-nighter...mid-night to 6:00 am in a city of 50 some-odd thousand people. AM radio was king. There was a 2nd station...an FMer, independently owned there as well. I was scared and then some. First thing I had to do? Read the news/sports/weather at 12:00. I could hear the pages of the script rattling in my headphones as my hands shook. I KNEW full-well that the audience could hear it too. That only made things worse. First song out of the newscast at 12:05? WAR/Cisco Kid. I stumbled and bumbled my way through the 6 hours. I felt entirely drained, disappointed and questioned myself as to why I had ever decided [at the age of 10] that radio would ultimately become my profession. I was actually ashamed more than embarrassed.
Day 2 [OK...night two...] was a complete 180. Nailed it. Ultra relief. The POSITIVE adrenaline rushes had begun. I guess I realized that the initial problem [stage fright?] was something which I had 100% control over. That first show though? I'll never forget it. Having a PD who understood opening night jitters was also REALLY and TRULY helpful.
I still enjoy the 'zing' of doin' 'it' live.
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Geez. It just occured to me...It was the Friday night/Saturday morning of the Victoria Day weekend 43 years ago tonight. Timing. Needless to say I was too pumped to sleep before show one. THAT didn't help. My time spent previously operating shows at a REAL radio station elsewhere did nothing to help. Turning on your own mic is a whole new ballgame.
Last edited by Old Codger (May 20, 2016 3:12 am)
- Mike Cleaver
- Member
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Re: Your very FIRST 'show' at a real radio station?
CKOV, 630 in Kelowna, BC in 61. Produced and hosted a 15 minute weekly show with students from the Radio Drama Club at KHS. We taped it Friday afternoons and it ran on Saturday. My first real show was when John Tanner left to go to CFUN in Vancouver, I think in 63. Previous to that, I'd been the operator for his summer remote shows from the Aquatic and studio operator in the evenings running recorded and CBC programming.
- John D
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Re: Your very FIRST 'show' at a real radio station?
CKLB in Oshawa. I would find out years later that many jocks went through there. Close proximity to Toronto I guess. However I lived in Courtice with my family. Cheap rent.
Started as an op for the legendary Ron Morey; who did the all night show. When he l ft got the job. Morey never told them he would let me go on air a couple of hours a weekend. Never got paid; until I got the all night show. $75.00 a week; but boy did I learn and yes that's where I could make mistakes.
Later went to evenings playing top 40 from 5-9 pm. Then The World Tomorrow with Garner Ted Armstrong. After Armstrong; then back to me. I convinced management that R&B was the current rage and did 80 minutes of Soul till 11 pm. Those 80 minutes got me into Toronto and CKFH. Later on to CHUM-FM. Wonderful years.