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August 31, 2019 8:57 pm  #1


22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

I had to share one of the most memorable experiences I had in Radio...I had a part-time gig producing Alan Mayers Mr.Destiny talk show on then Talk640 (Toxic 40)...we were broadcasting this "Self Help" talk show on a Saturday night of the Labour Day weekend. 

I was the producer/call screener, I was like Ros was to Fraser Krane...but for Alan Mayer. I made $20 to produce, but I loved the show and the gig...and it wasn't my full time position, so the money didn't matter

But on that sleepy Saturday night in the middle of an interview with relationship expert Barbara D'Angelis (from California), BNN was reporting an incident. 

Gary Bell who was our technical producer at the time, confirmed the news at 11 pm that Princess Diana had been killed in a car accident.

We had 2 hours left in the show that night, but Alan, in his infinite wisdom asked if we could stay on air until 3 pm...and boy did the phones light up like a Christmas tree when the story broke.

As a call screener, I had to console, listen, deal with emotions that included rage, to deep profound sadness...it was incredible. 

We did 4 more hours of calls that night and got through everyone of them. It was pure radio magic to be there when a big ass story like this broke. 


The story didn't stop when we left at 3:15 am that night, it went on all week, for several weeks in fact.

The kicker was the week after when we went on air again with the Mr. Destiny show, I was chatting with Gary (Spaceman) Bell at the time, he informed me of the "Conspiracy" involving Princess Di's death, that it was a "hit job"  by the Royal Family...but that is another story and probably it was that point of view that Gary had then that got him on air as the host of "A View from Space"...until it got taken off the air.

But that sleepy Saturday night, was truly electric and quite about divine timing of being a part of that story in some way or another.

I felt so fortunate and when I left 640 (They were at Yonge and Norton back then)...I left fulfilled, grateful to help people/callers find their voice on a sleepy Saturday night on the Labour Day weekend...


What was your most memorable moment on air, be it on T.V. or Radio? Feel free to share...Happy Labour Day Big Yellow!

 

Last edited by Muffaraw Joe (August 31, 2019 9:12 pm)


The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
 

August 31, 2019 9:42 pm  #2


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

Mayer, no S, and a really nice guy.  https://www.alanmayer.com/


Madness takes its toll.  Please have exact change.
 
 

August 31, 2019 11:41 pm  #3


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

"Royal hit" is considered a conspiracy theory? TIL... 

 

September 2, 2019 12:44 am  #4


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

Great story Muffaraw Joe. I still remember seeing the Princess Di story break on the tv news...

The biggest moment I had on-air as a DJ was working during Live Aid July 13, 1985. Our station broadcast the whole kit and kaboodle. My show was noon to six, and I remember thinking how amazing it was, to hear the bands play their hits live in front of the crowds, which were very loud, and for the rest of the world. (I seem to recall that squeezing in station ID's wasn't easy.)

Having to listen so closely, we found out which bands needed, or sure could have used, cosmetic help with production to make up for lack of skill.

Even then we knew the experience of bringing the concert to the radio listener was one of a kind.

Last edited by betaylored (September 2, 2019 4:00 am)

 

September 2, 2019 5:59 pm  #5


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

I was finishing a shift just before 12 AM at CKEY, which was then located on the 25th floor of the Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge St. It had an absolutely astounding view of the city and the night of Nov. 10, 1979 was no different. There was a clear sky and before I left, one of the guys in the newsroom pointed into the distance and asked me what I thought that weird light was. 

No one had any idea but just seven minutes before, a train had derailed in the city of Mississauga, setting off a massive emergency and leading to the then-largest peacetime evacuation in history. It was a long way from downtown Toronto, but you could see the wreckage burning from that spectacular vantage point. 

Little did we know what was to come in the next few days and weeks, but we were one of the very first to see it. 

 

September 2, 2019 10:40 pm  #6


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

I was in Miami attending a Dolphins game on Sunday Nov 11th. While waiting in line for beer at halftime, one of the tv monitors had a network news update with a map of Southern Ontario displaying a giant X beside Toronto. I thought oh,oh, something big has happened back home for the U.S. networks to notice. Ironically, that weekend there were train derailments in Holland, Michigan and Molino, Fla.

 

September 2, 2019 10:41 pm  #7


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

I was working overnights at CFPL in London on April 25th 1980. During the 1am news (yep, live and local) I took a call from a very upset caller. She told me that she had been listening to a US station, she said that three  US air force jets had been shot down in Iran. I told the caller we hadn't reported on that and I would put her through to  the newsman (Brian Bourke) who was just finishing up the news. 

I rolled into the first song after the news and about two minutes later Brian came on the intercom, he said he needed to get back on the air right away. I got out of the song and introduced Brian with the news bulletin.  The US military had attempted to get the hostages out of Iran and the first reports did indeed say that US air force jets had been shot down. 

Listeners started phoning the studio immediately and were scared shitless, as were we. It was about quarter after one in the morning with most people asleep and this was going on half way around the world. A lot of the people calling in were convinced we were on the verge of war.

I continued with my show and made reference to the situation but I tried not to be overly dramatic and remained calm, assuring listeners we would pass along any information as it became available. I didn't want to scare people anymore than they already were.  About half an hour later we went live to NBC radio with the latest update.

By 3am Brian had called in the morning news crew, and more information was coming out what happened. By about 4:30am it became apparent that the military was attempting to get the hostages out of the US embassy in Tehran and the mission had been aborted after three of the eight helicopters became unoperable in the desert and the mission was called off. Returning to the base one of the copters crashed into a transport plane and sadly eight soldiers were killed.

It was a crazy night,  scary for a while but we really were providing a service to whoever was listening overnight. Also a big lesson that often the first reports are not totally accurate and what really happens in all the confusion takes a little time.

 

 

September 3, 2019 12:02 am  #8


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

mace wrote:

I was in Miami attending a Dolphins game on Sunday Nov 11th. While waiting in line for beer at halftime, one of the tv monitors had a network news update with a map of Southern Ontario displaying a giant X beside Toronto. I thought oh,oh, something big has happened back home for the U.S. networks to notice. Ironically, that weekend there were train derailments in Holland, Michigan and Molino, Fla.

And of course there was the infamous moment on the CBS Evening News when Walter Cronkite pronounced the name of the affected area as 'Miss-aga.'

 

September 3, 2019 2:44 pm  #9


Re: 22 years ago, on a sleepy Saturday Night in radio...then this happened

A radio station I worked at for many years signed on the air officially on the morning of Sept 11...2001.  The on-air feed hadn't been wired into my office yet, so as I was sitting there at about 8:45ish, someone came in  and said..."A plane just hit the WTC." My first thought was it must a small prop job or something like that. It wasn't until I walked into the newsroom and saw the footage on TV that the reality of what had happened really sunk in.  Needless to say, that station will NEVER officially celebrate the anniversary of signing on the air.