Greetings, fellow earthlings.
It's been a very long time since I visited this blog and for that I must apologize.
If the truth be known, I didn't actually think there was anything new to write about given that we have been working from home since a year ago March.
Think about that...a year ago March. Wow.
It honestly feels like I haven't touched broadcast equipment in a decade and the fact of the matter is the end is nowhere in sight.
Now, don't get me wrong. The gig with live broadcast and well used equipment comes with its own issues. First of all, there are the nerves before going live, wondering if you will find the right words in the right order and if the players will trigger when you ask them to. I used CDs for the better part of my tenure as a programmer and let me tell you, love them as I do, I never knew if they would actually behave in the last couple of years. Then there was the issue with replacement in the face of rapidly changing technology. Gotta tell you I fought long and hard to have at least 2 at the very least to make sure there was a backup to the laptops in the event of a system crash. (Also, I liked doing transitions on them. Such a nerd, right?)(I used to use vinyl but that is for another time)
And then there was the whole co-hosting thing. To bring guests into the studio, interview them and cue them, insert music, do the PSAs and ads in the right order at the right time and try to do something on social media was, well, let's just say it was chaotic and stressful. It always turned out great, the guests to a person were gracious and excited to be there and the end result was, from what I understand from listeners, entertaining, even the mishaps. Honestly, I never thought I could be a host, tech, interviewer and programmer at the same time before doing community radio and somehow it happened.
But back to the present.
My dining room is my studio. I have had so much screen time doing this (now on three stations) that I had to have my eye ware updated during the height of Covid. It is a 5 day a week job now and all for the love of music. Crazy? Maybe.
We are all doing our best to keep making shows that you, the listener, wants to hear. It can be hard to sound excited when you can go back and fix mistakes by doing as many takes as you want. It is never easy to try and level out the audio portion, particularly of music files, when so much of what alternative radio plays is by new artists operating on a shoestring. Most of the time it is really good and who are we to try and remaster someone's project that they poured their heart and soul into? Still, when you are at home and spending at least three times as long to make a show worth listening to, every glitch, drop in volume and delay in the start of a track is noticeable.
I will confess I am self taught in all of this. With gentle guidance and mentoring by my family I have tried (and failed) a handful of software before landing on the one I use now. I am not perfect or professional but I can tell you (and I speak on behalf of everyone doing this from home for the love of it) no pro could ever try harder than we do to keep community radio on the air in the face of this extraordinary situation.
It is lonely being here. I can reach out to my radio peeps when I have a problem or need encouragement after an epic fail on one thing or another. The tech folks at the stations are always ready to help when I paint myself into a corner.
But I miss the immediacy of live broadcasting. It is a totally different energy when someone is listening in real time and a real thrill when the phone rings in the studio with feedback or to ask who the last artist was.
So, if you care about community radio, please send an email, comment on a playlist or donate a little when the membership drives roll around. We all miss you and knowing you are still there and we are in this together makes all the difference in the world.
Stay safe and always be kind
Thanks for listening.
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