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Do You Remember Your First Time On Air?
They say you always remember your first time. In this case, it’s about radio not that other thing.
This all started on Roy Green’s show Saturday afternoon when the host recalled he landed his very first radio job in 1964 while still in high school, as a nighttime board op (remember when they still had those?) on the top rock station in Montreal, CKGM. One night, the evening guy wandered into the studio clearly blitzed out of his mind after a few too many and Green (who refused to mention the jock's name on air because he’s apparently still around) was forced to call his G.M. at home.
“The evening guy isn’t feeling well and can’t go on tonight,” he told him somewhat diplomatically.
“Who else is there at the station?” asked the G.M.
“No one,” Roy’s answered.
“Then I guess it’s your turn to do the show,” came the reply, and with that, Roy Green was suddenly on the air on one of the biggest stations in La Belle Province.
What a nervous thrill that must have been!
My first time on a live mic was substantially less exciting. I was a 15-year-old unpaid intern at CHIN Radio, and one weekend morning, a tape we were supposed to play of a pre-recorded show was nowhere to be found. We hunted all over for it, but as the time for it to be aired off of one of those giant AMPEX reel-to-reels came and went, we couldn’t find it. It was decided that they’d make an announcement on air to explain to the audience (small though it was) that it would not be on that Saturday.
Somehow, they asked me, all of 15 and still not with a big boy voice, to go on the air and say something. So I did. And I still remember every word.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, The Ukrainian Students Program, Munoz, will not be heard today. It will return next week at its regular time on CHIN AM 1540.”
And with that I walked out of the announce booth, my heart pounding, even though I was sure no one was listening. My very first time on air and almost nobody heard it. But what a thrill anyway!
Do you remember your initial time at the mic?
- mic'em
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Similar story for me. I was volunteering at a small, and I mean small 250 watt station in Summerside PEI , CJRW. The evening announcer was a fellow high school kid , we were both 17 . . I ran the board for him while he sat in the main studio adjacent to the control room, and after a few weeks, he got to the point where he was bringing his buddies in to party and I pretty much just played records with no breaks. One night, the station owner came in to find the place full of smoke, and beer bottles littering the studio. Needless to say, the kid was fired on the spot, the boss said to me can you take over, I said I've been in the chair for weeks already, and voila, I became the night announcer. My first words on air were, I think," this is Mike at night, your listening to 1230 CJRW Summerside". My last radio gig in Brampton, in the mid 80's, I used the moniker Michael Nyte in tribute.
Last edited by mic'em (December 8, 2024 9:21 am)
- Jody Thornton
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My first volunteer on-air experience was at CHMR Mohawk in September 1989. But as for a real gig, I was first on air at CIAM Cambridge (AM96), in March 1991. I was there for a one-month placement, and would be hired for overnights in April 1991. But in March, Ron Shirley (known then as Early Shirley), let me go on at around 3:50 am until 5 am. He intro'd me as, "Coming Up ... my friend ... my pal (even though he won't admit it), Jody Thornton. He'll take you through to 5 o'clock. Enjoy".
My first pop of the mic was three minutes later over the post of "Impulsive" by Wilson Phillips. I wish I could feel just like that moment once again, and I wish I savoured it more. But it's not a moment that can ever return. It was overnights, first off, plus there was physical media to manipulate, and an old McCurdy board with average-hold meters (apparently a similar board was used at CHYR in Leamington during the 70s and 80s). I even was able to spin gold selections on old 45-rpm promos. Good times!
Cheers,
Jody Thornton
- paterson1
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My first time on air was not memorable either. I was an operator at then AM CHYM in Kitchener on weekends. I read the odd live tag at the end of a spot or the weather.
My real first taste was in Thunder Bay, the first night I did my evening show. I first had to learn the board and format, so I was the op for the guy training me for the first and second night. Also on the second night I read all of the newscasts and news updates, and talked on air with the fellow I was replacing a few times per hour.
Third, Fourth and Fifth night I did the show with my "teacher" around, listening to me, correcting any errors and giving me some pointers. He did the news on the third evening and we would also talk a bit, letting the audience know that "Mike" was leaving and I was taking over the show.
The one thing that sort of threw me about the station was the fact that they had echo. The only stations that I had ever heard with echo were the likes of CFTR, WLS, CKLW, WABC etc. So in my mind this made CKPR in Thunder Bay sound a bit more major market...and a bit more stressful in the beginning.
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The late, legendary WABC DJ Dan Ingram used to say "life without echo is really no life at all."
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Thread Starter- Forward Power
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CKLY Lindsay, November 1997... still on 910 AM at the time but a few months away from switching to FM. It was Take Our Kids To Work Day; I was a grade 9 student in Peterborough, and teachers across the province were on strike. While my dad was unemployed, he knew morning news anchor Don Blakely from real estate when my parents bought our last Omemee home, and he offered to let me shadow him and some of the CKLY jocks for part of the day. I was first heard on the air shortly after the 5:30am news update.
That one-day experience at CKLY would come in handy in 2000, when I began a grade 12 co-op placement at Peterborough's Trent Radio (CFFF), and learning about CKLY's then-new MediaTouch automation would prepare me for using that same system in Belleville, at Loyalist College's CJLX, when I began doing on-air slots on that station in spring 2002.
- newsguy1
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I won't count my first time on radio as being a jock on CITR UBC Radio because at the time it was just a carrier current radio station avalable only in student residences.
But my first actual on air job was a part time gig in Vancouver on the ethnic station, CJVB.
I read the news, and I mean read because it was just ripping and reading the summary from the BN wire.
But it was a legit broadcasting radio station.
I also read short intros to some of the taped shows which were recorded by the ethnic hosts. I had to cue up their commentaries and then play whatever music track they had set up for me.
But I was still thrilled because my parents even turned in to hear me read the news, and they were so impressed.
I also learned in those early times about one reality of radio.
It never sleeps, or at least it didn't back then.
I was dismayed when I was asked to work as early morning shift on Christmas Day!
I had no sleep and had to spend the rest of the day after that shift with my girlfriend at her family's place.
I was so dead tired I could barely open a present.
I remember wondering what I had got myself into.
- turkeytop
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Never had an on air job or even worked in radio. Back in the 1980s I was on CFOS in Owen Sound on an election night as part of a "Panel Of Experts." On the panel were representatives of all the parties. That was my radio career.
After all is said and done, more is usually said than done.
- Scout
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I was attending UofT Erindale and running the campus radio station in 1970 when I was hired as a stringer at 1250 CHWO. I got to drive the van and go to council meetings and get quotable quotes from Reeve McCallion in Streetsville. On weekends I ran the board for ethnic shows and the dreaded cart machine and taped shows. Screwed up large one Sunday when the replay of the Oakville Oaks was scheduled and I played the second tape with the third period first. No one seemed to notice! Lucky for the radio industry I went into 30 years as a cop but still did voiceovers for training videos.
- Shorty Wave
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paterson1 wrote:
My first time on air was not memorable either. I was an operator at then AM CHYM in Kitchener on weekends. I read the odd live tag at the end of a spot
The one thing that sort of threw me about the station was the fact that they had echo. The only stations that I had ever heard with echo were the likes of CFTR, WLS, CKLW, WABC etc. So in my mind this made CKPR in Thunder Bay sound a bit more major market...and a bit more stressful in the beginning.
When you say the station had echo, do you mean the audio effect, much like reverb? I have read this a few times here and wondered if that was what it referred to. Thanks.
- Muffaraw Joe
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I did the news on Saturdays at CKMP in Midland, sure enough as God is my witness, (to borrow a phrase), a news story that came across the wire...had the name "Mike Hunt" from Texas, thankfully Mike Monty taught us well at Seneca and I quickly made the edit to "Michael Hunt".
The last thing you want are a flurry of phone calls from upset listeners in Huronia (County).
It got better from that day on!
The world would be so good if it weren't for some people...
- paterson1
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My first time on air was not memorable either. I was an operator at then AM CHYM in Kitchener on weekends. I read the odd live tag at the end of a spot
The one thing that sort of threw me about the station was the fact that they had echo. The only stations that I had ever heard with echo were the likes of CFTR, WLS, CKLW, WABC etc. So in my mind this made CKPR in Thunder Bay sound a bit more major market...and a bit more stressful in the beginning.
When you say the station had echo, do you mean the audio effect, much like reverb? I have read this a few times here and wondered if that was what it referred to. Thanks.
It wasn't reverb like when you left the volume up a little when recording, or that you sometimes hear on a few ethnic radio stations. It was a unit that processed a slight echo chamber effect similar to what you would hear in a music recording. On CKPR it was mostly noticed during news or anytime the announcer was speaking with nothing else in the background. It gave the station a big city sound since it seemed that the only other stations that used the echo chamber effect were in larger markets. I thought it gave the AM signal a richer sound overall.
- Binson Echorec
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Mike Monty taught us well at Seneca
He sure did. Michael Monty was a good man.
I was fortunate to "debut" (after college radio) during my internship on a random overnight at Q107. Nothing serious, just bantering with the host at the time.
- DaCosta
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Hey mic'em! Fellow S'sider here. Many a night was spent listening to CJRW waiting to tape my favourite songs! I had no idea there were such shenanigans going on in that little studio!
- DOPEfm
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I started my radio days at 13 years old, at CHRY 105.5 FM, originally located in Vanier Hall (now Vibe in a very well way utilizes a space in the Student Centre)
At 16, I was commissioned to do some noon and 5:00 news casts in spring 1994 under direction of a nice gentleman named Pedro Sanchez (I also remember hearing this guy's presence at CKLN prior, very professional and all around cool guy). I stuck around til 1997 (20 years old at the time) and did a short lived open format Tuesday overnight in summer of '96.
So, we wrote our own news and casted it. I was a little nervous the first week, stumbled some but was very fluent going forward for almost a year intermittently to earn co-op credits.
So, now I'm 35 years into radio (almost 50 years old), currently producing under the on-air name Daddy J through both CFMU 93.3 (Hamilton - DOPEfm - Hip-Hop since April 2004) & CFAJ Classic 1220 (Niagara - Amplitude - Disco, Funk, Pop, etc weekends since March 2024)
DOPEfm:
Amplitude:
I have other projects in the works through DOPEfm Media in 2025. Stay tuned!
Last edited by DOPEfm (December 9, 2024 3:28 pm)
- Dial Twister
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When you say the station had echo, do you mean the audio effect, much like reverb? I have read this a few times here and wondered if that was what it referred to. Thanks.
If people think AM Radio is rare, these days, imagine how rare AM Radio with the reverberator option was in some Ford and GM cars in the early-to-mid-60s...never mind now.
Last edited by Dial Twister (December 9, 2024 5:56 pm)
- ig
- Iain Grant
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It was February 10, 1981—just three months after the devastating MGM Grand Hotel fire—when the Las Vegas Hilton (now the Westgate) went up in flames. The clock had just ticked past 11, and the CP printer in the newsroom started dinging like a slot machine on a lucky streak. Everyone’s nerves were still raw from the MGM fire that claimed 85 lives, so no one was about to take this lightly.
I held the lofty title of "Night Assignment Editor" at CHUM, which, in truth, was a fancy way of saying "the guy who updates the Club & Concert line at midnight and makes sure the wire machines don’t drown in paper overnight." I also had to write Smyth's 5:30 am, and there's another excellent story there 
.
Anyway...CHUM-AM was on autopilot at that hour, but Larry Wilson was live on FM. Larry was a news guy, and I figured he’d want to know about the fire. So, I prepped some copy, grabbed a couple of audio clips, and channelled my inner Bucky the Newshound as I headed into FM control.
Larry Wilson was one of those rare people who managed to be both incredibly talented and genuinely kind. He always had time for the newsroom keener (me) with a million questions.
As I walked in, he was finishing back-selling a record and heading into a commercial break. He waved me over to sit at the broadcast table to the console's left. We chatted briefly, and I handed him the copy and carts. I was ready to bolt—getting caught in there could mean serious shit—but Larry gestured for me to stay. “Hang out for a bit,” he said. I didn’t need to be asked twice.
Coming out of the stop set (it was a Beckers spot if you’re curious), Larry turned on the mic. He read the intro about the fire and then, without warning, said, “From the CHUM newsroom, here’s Iain Grant with more details.” As he flung the copy at me, and to put it mildly, and without hyperbole, my heart stopped. I have never been so terrified in my life. But somehow, I got through it. My voice didn’t crack, and I didn’t fumble the details. The moment I finished, I stood up and my legs gave out—the adrenaline crash was real.
The next afternoon, I walked into work, not knowing what to expect. The AM News Director was PISSED. “Blah blah.. Nobody goes on these airwaves without years of experience, blah blah” he bellowed. “This is CHUM, not some college station!” I braced for the axe to fall. I'm sure if you were ever within 400 miles of 1331 Yonge, you heard the speech, complete with how "just being able to say you worked at CHUM was good for 60% of your paycheque" at some point. (Landlord didn't see it that way).
Ick.
He didn’t know that I had tried to call the on-call reporter that night. He was at the Ports, completely hammered, and never returned any of my frantic pages. I figured my broadcast career was about to end before it even started.
Then, just as the News Director’s rant was reaching critical mass, Brian Thomas, FM News Director, walked in. He clapped me on the back and said, “Thanks for being on top of things last night. Really appreciate it.” It turns out he’d heard the broadcast, and Larry had called to give him a heads-up about what had happened.
Just like that, the storm passed. Well, someone who didn't know about politics would have assumed that, anyway
I didn’t last much longer at CHUM, but that’s another story for another time. Still, that night in FM control with Larry Wilson? It’s a memory I’ll never forget.
Madness takes its toll. Please have exact change.
- mic'em
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Hey mic'em! Fellow S'sider here. Many a night was spent listening to CJRW waiting to tape my favourite songs! I had no idea there were such shenanigans going on in that little studio!
My time there was 1974-75. You likely remember the name Ray Arsonault , if you were around at that time. He replaced me when I moved to Ontario. I also was morning man on Chtn Charlottetown for a year after returning to the Island in 1977-78.
- mic'em
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I did the news on Saturdays at CKMP in Midland, sure enough as God is my witness, (to borrow a phrase), a news story that came across the wire...had the name "Mike Hunt" from Texas, thankfully Mike Monty taught us well at Seneca and I quickly made the edit to "Michael Hunt".
The last thing you want are a flurry of phone calls from upset listeners in Huronia (County).
It got better from that day on!
Muffaraw, I did mornings on CKMP for a year in 1981-82. When were you there ? Perhaps we crossed paths back then.
- Shorty Wave
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My first time on air was not memorable either. I was an operator at then AM CHYM in Kitchener on weekends. I read the odd live tag at the end of a spot
The one thing that sort of threw me about the station was the fact that they had echo. The only stations that I had ever heard with echo were the likes of CFTR, WLS, CKLW, WABC etc. So in my mind this made CKPR in Thunder Bay sound a bit more major market...and a bit more stressful in the beginning.
When you say the station had echo, do you mean the audio effect, much like reverb? I have read this a few times here and wondered if that was what it referred to. Thanks.It wasn't reverb like when you left the volume up a little when recording, or that you sometimes hear on a few ethnic radio stations. It was a unit that processed a slight echo chamber effect similar to what you would hear in a music recording. On CKPR it was mostly noticed during news or anytime the announcer was speaking with nothing else in the background. It gave the station a big city sound since it seemed that the only other stations that used the echo chamber effect were in larger markets. I thought it gave the AM signal a richer sound overall.
Thanks for this excellent explanation paterson1, I know what it is now, remember it from the 70s on some stations!
- DaCosta
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Hey mic'em! Fellow S'sider here. Many a night was spent listening to CJRW waiting to tape my favourite songs! I had no idea there were such shenanigans going on in that little studio!
My time there was 1974-75. You likely remember the name Ray Arsonault , if you were around at that time. He replaced me when I moved to Ontario. I also was morning man on Chtn Charlottetown for a year after returning to the Island in 1977-78.
I would have been 10 during your time, just before music started to mean something to me. The memories are there but just a little foggy. LOL
- betaylored
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I was an actor who'd had a year of a seriously good theatre school only to quit once I realized I wasn't cut out to wait tables and "starve for my art."
I'd always loved music and records having grown up listening to CKGM and CHOM when we lived in Beaconsfield Que. so I found a full-time job in a record store.
Every week someone from CHUM called the store and we'd talk about what singles were selling well, selling out, which ones were starting to slow down and the songs and bands kids were asking about.
After a few months of these chats, David Wolf called me and invited to the CHUM station to tape an audition to be the midnight on-air personality on CHUM AM. I went in, mimicked the jocks I'd listened to all my life and got the job. David was surprised and thrilled I'd hit the post on the Toto song. I just remember thinking why on earth would I talk over the vocals.
A few nights later I walking into the booth with the guy who'd been doing evenings. Getting the Reader's Digest version of how to run the board, how to rip and read the news, turn the mic on etc was a weird out of body experience.
He left me alone in the big deserted building at 11:56 pm and I remember pushing many many buttons, following the computer printout and praying until ten after midnight when I turned on the mic, announced that that had been Lionel Richie "Dancing On The Ceiling" gave my name, and said and here's Eddie Grant and Electric Avenue on CHUM.
It was a buzzy feeling being live on-air, but nothing like being on stage in front of a live audience. I was an actor acting like a disc jockey.
I lasted about a month listening to music I loathed with the power of a thousand suns until I couldn't take it anymore, thanked David for the opportunity and resigned.
It wasn't until the next gig came along a few months later and I became the midnight jock at an FM rock station that I felt like I'd found my home, cueing up records, doing mixes from one song into the next, show prep, all the exacting things that made FM radio a heck of a lot of fun and fascinating work.
- Carl Patrick
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In the summer of 1983 I was about to start part time at CHNR while still a student at Mohawk and was at the station for an orientation when the Saturday morning guy asked if I wanted to read the sports. 20 years later, I was lucky enough to leave the business on my own terns. Like most, I made no money but enjoyed the ride and made friends for life. I still have the tape.