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Post by chrislc on Jan 26, 2021 18:03:57 GMT -5
I was trying to think of a way to fit this post into the intended purpose of the forum, so here we are. Casey had writers and did his own show prep and never had to ad-lib (which in itself creates the relaxation and freedom to ad-lib if one chooses to).
But, personally, I still have nightmares, as recently as last night, about being on the air and not having anything interesting or entertaining to say, or anything remotely approaching either.
This was the worst part of being on the radio and remains the worst memory, it was a daily dark cloud over my life, and for me it went on for almost 20 years, until I began doing the news instead, which eliminated the issue because news requires prep (so creating the ad-lib ability mentioned above).
I know there are some other DJs here. How did you handle this pre-internet? I know there were a lot of you who worked much harder than I did at prep, and yes I know a lot of our jobs then was just engineering our own shows and making sure the shows sounded good technically, pushing the right buttons at the right time. And not only that but saying the required things about the station and song and sponsor in a professional way. I did all that, but looking back now this part seems so replaceable and pathetic.
My dreams are never about my good technical work - only about the other part - the creative and entertaining potential that was only rarely realized. It's really a depressing thing that I know I can never go back and change or improve.
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Post by djjoe1960 on Jan 27, 2021 9:14:02 GMT -5
Chris,
I can remember many times during my 14 year career as a DJ that I adlibbed my way into a 'corner' so to speak and the best advice I probably ever received came from the second to last station I ever worked at--if you can't say what you mean in 30 seconds or less you probably don't need to say it at all. I have used that philosophy for the countdowns that I have worked on for the last couple of years--shorter is better. While I understand that may not work for everybody or in every situation, with people's attention spans seeming to get shorter and shorter--I think it has caused me to think of the best way to get from Point A to B.
Of course, as you say, Casey had some good writers but as you look at the little index cards he used for the shows, you can see that many of them are re-written, whether Casey did it himself or it was a suggestion by someone else.
By the way, speaking of pre-internet one of the funniest goofs I ever committed is a countdown of the Top 100 of 1980 for a local station I worked at in Alabama (way back in the day). When it came time to play I Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince--I thought Prince referred to a group--so I said here's a song by one of the X number of groups on the countdown--Oops. It wasn't the only mistake I made on the show but it is the one that I laugh about the most. As you say the internet is a great help on putting the shows together these days--however, it is helpful to double check sources as not every website (GASP) gets the information correct.
Joe:)
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Post by matt on Jan 27, 2021 11:56:24 GMT -5
By the way, speaking of pre-internet one of the funniest goofs I ever committed is a countdown of the Top 100 of 1980 for a local station I worked at in Alabama (way back in the day). When it came time to play I Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince--I thought Price referred to a group--so I said here's a song by one of the X number of groups on the countdown--Oops. It wasn't the only mistake I made on the show but it is the one that I laugh about the most. As you say the internet is a great help on putting the shows together these days--however, it is helpful to double check sources as not every website (GASP) gets the information correct. Joe:) I don't think you were the first person to think that Prince was a group. The first time I had really heard of Prince was when I saw his video for "1999" on MTV in late 1982 (didn't know until later that he was responsible for "I Wanna Be Your Lover"), but watching the video with his backing band and seeing the title/artist/album/label information with which MTV videos always began and ended, I assumed "Prince" was referring to the band (I will also admit my first inclination was that it might be the Time). When "Little Red Corvette" hit big a few months later, it became more obvious he was a solo artist.
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Post by chrislc on Jan 27, 2021 16:20:29 GMT -5
Chris, I can remember many times during my 14 year career as a DJ that I adlibbed my way into a 'corner' so to speak and the best advice I probably ever received came from the second to last station I ever worked at--if you can't say what you mean in 30 seconds or less you probably don't need to say it at all. I have used that philosophy for the countdowns that I have worked on for the last couple of years--shorter is better. While I understand that may not work for everybody or in every situation, with people's attention spans seeming to get shorter and shorter--I think it has caused me to think of the best way to get from Point A to B. Of course, as you say, Casey had some good writers but as you look at the little index cards he used for the shows, you can see that many of them are re-written, whether Casey did it himself or it was a suggestion by someone else. By the way, speaking of pre-internet one of the funniest goofs I ever committed is a countdown of the Top 100 of 1980 for a local station I worked at in Alabama (way back in the day). When it came time to play I Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince--I thought Prince referred to a group--so I said here's a song by one of the X number of groups on the countdown--Oops. It wasn't the only mistake I made on the show but it is the one that I laugh about the most. As you say the internet is a great help on putting the shows together these days--however, it is helpful to double check sources as not every website (GASP) gets the information correct. Joe:) Thanks for the post, Joe. I felt bad seeing no replies to my post for awhile. I know my post was Too Much Information but, well, nightmares are nightmares. I'll try not to use this forum as my psychiatrist going forward. BTW I got it into my head once that Neil Diamond had written He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother so I shared that "fact" with the audience. And once in 1990 (well into my burnout phase) I told them that Will You Still Love Me had been the #1 song of 1989 (conflating the song with Look Away, the two songs being equally meaningless to me by that point). And I'm sure there were many other occasions that I have self-protectively blocked out. Signing off now from W-O-L-D-D-D-D-D-D
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Post by adam31 on Jan 29, 2021 15:04:16 GMT -5
Chris, I wanted to respond to your post when I first saw it, but wasn't quite sure what to say You talk about Casey always knowing what to say. Yes he did, part of it was he had everything written out in front of him and as many times to get it right as he needed. A larger part of it, was his special talents of communication and voice. Most importantly though was his true caring that showed through for those who wrote to him and his millions of fans like me that just listened each week. I don't care if the dedications were written or not, he truly sounded like he was speaking from his heart. I was lucky enough to be a Radio DJ off and on for 14 years, many of them before evil automation took over. Two of the best pieces of advice (at the time, this was a different era, no computers/no automation) I received from my former PDs were: 1. Pick out one person in your audience and talk to them like they are your only listener. 2. A lot of stations play the same songs, it's what you say between the songs that make the difference. Yes, like all DJ's, I've said things I wish I wouldn't have said, backed myself in a corner, made factual errors, made mistakes, played the wrong element, wrong taped call, put someone on the air live I shouldn't have, had dead air, fell asleep on a coupled of overnight shifts. Even got suspended once in my career for a week for pushing the envelope so to speak. Through it all, even after being forced out of the medium (local monopolies, not enough jobs to go around), I still feel fortunate for getting to have experienced and to have been a part of radio like it used to be, like it should still be, that intimate medium where you are in a studio by yourself, sharing time and great music with your friends, and getting paid to do it! There's nothing like being in the studio on air live, by yourself but yet with so many other people. Watching those phones lighting up with requests and fans knowing they are calling to talk to you and are listening to what you are doing. People in the industry today don't truly have that feeling. Even the ones who talk for a living don't put real people on the air anymore. They talk to experts, preplanned guests, or just talk to hear themselves. DJ's are forced to voicetrack on multiple stations. Even the ones who get to still do a local morning or afternoon show mostly have no one coming on after them. Sorry if some of this sounds like sour grapes. I highly respect those like Ken Martin and Bill Benjamin who are trying to do radio proud in this tough corporate ownership times. Chris, I'm sure you were a fine air talent and just the fact you are questioning what you were doing and saying means you care. Thank you for sharing!
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Jan 29, 2021 19:35:06 GMT -5
Thank you to all who have shared. There's nothing wrong with spilling the beans here, so to speak. I enjoy reading everyone's stories, especially ones about radio. While I had a decent-sized interest in radio, I never pursued it, and part of me is sad about it, but a bigger part is thankful I didn't, for the very reasons mentioned. Radio has changed so much since we grew up. I sort of lived that part of my dream through a friend of mine, and I even sat in on one of her college classes. Sadly, she, like many others we know either on here, in person, or from afar, were the unfortunate victims of all the changes.
Reading all this, and also Pete's and Rob's AT40 books, greatly details what went on behind closed doors that many of us didn't know at the time.
The advice of "being the next-door neighbor telling you a story" is the best in the biz, IMO. And Casey was among the very best at that. Even though I listened to his shows from over a thousand miles away from where they originated, it felt like he was right there with me. It doesn't feel like that with Ryan, but that's not a knock on Ryan at all, because I think he does a very good job. It's more the target audience and what radio has become in recent times. That's not Ryan's fault...at all.
Keep the stories coming!
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Post by chrislc on Jan 29, 2021 20:53:13 GMT -5
Chris, I wanted to respond to your post when I first saw it, but wasn't quite sure what to say You talk about Casey always knowing what to say. Yes he did, part of it was he had everything written out in front of him and as many times to get it right as he needed. A larger part of it, was his special talents of communication and voice. Most importantly though was his true caring that showed through for those who wrote to him and his millions of fans like me that just listened each week. I don't care if the dedications were written or not, he truly sounded like he was speaking from his heart. I was lucky enough to be a Radio DJ off and on for 14 years, many of them before evil automation took over. Two of the best pieces of advice (at the time, this was a different era, no computers/no automation) I received from my former PDs were: 1. Pick out one person in your audience and talk to them like they are your only listener. 2. A lot of stations play the same songs, it's what you say between the songs that make the difference. Yes, like all DJ's, I've said things I wish I wouldn't have said, backed myself in a corner, made factual errors, made mistakes, played the wrong element, wrong taped call, put someone on the air live I shouldn't have, had dead air, fell asleep on a coupled of overnight shifts. Even got suspended once in my career for a week for pushing the envelope so to speak. Through it all, even after being forced out of the medium (local monopolies, not enough jobs to go around), I still feel fortunate for getting to have experienced and to have been a part of radio like it used to be, like it should still be, that intimate medium where you are in a studio by yourself, sharing time and great music with your friends, and getting paid to do it! There's nothing like being in the studio on air live, by yourself but yet with so many other people. Watching those phones lighting up with requests and fans knowing they are calling to talk to you and are listening to what you are doing. People in the industry today don't truly have that feeling. Even the ones who talk for a living don't put real people on the air anymore. They talk to experts, preplanned guests, or just talk to hear themselves. DJ's are forced to voicetrack on multiple stations. Even the ones who get to still do a local morning or afternoon show mostly have no one coming on after them. Sorry if some of this sounds like sour grapes. I highly respect those like Ken Martin and Bill Benjamin who are trying to do radio proud in this tough corporate ownership times. Chris, I'm sure you were a fine air talent and just the fact you are questioning what you were doing and saying means you care. Thank you for sharing! Thank you, Adam. That was very nice of you. It sure did change a lot in the 26 1/2 years I was on. Today is actually the day in 1979 I started, and it was all records where I was (no carts yet except for spots). The four hours before I went on each night I was doing production and changing the TM Stereo Rock reels. Sure wish I could go back and start again and work harder.
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