The Loneliness of the Long Distance Broadcaster

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.

Another membership drive, bartender!

Hey everybody!

Wow, times flies when you are fighting a pandemic!

Actually, I can't blame Covid for neglecting this blog although it seems like everything gets blamed on the virus these days and I can't lie, it's tempting to do so. However the truth of the matter is I just plain forgot about this blog in all the hubbub of everyday living.

Well, then, this is the update from Gawd only knows how long ago.

The station has weathered a move by the government to cut off student funding and in response the listening community rose to the occasion with a record membership drive. Then the funding cut was appealed. THEN, by gum, the university shut down and everyone stayed home to finish their courses from the safety of somewhere else so once again the money issues reared their ugly heads. Yikes.
Of course, there arose the issue of how to keep content on the air that was current and fresh when no one except the station manager could enter the building. To date he has been at CIUT 105+ days with one day off and that was the day the computer decided to "make changes" to the broadcast schedule. Clearly separation anxiety on its part if you ask me.
However for the rest of us it has been a "jump into the deep end and swim" situation with many of us learning how to put together a show from home to export to the station in time for the usual time slot.
I personally went through three, count em, three different software applications before landing on Garage Band (which, in retrospect, I should have really started with) to build Ruby Slippers and try to keep it listenable.  Fun fact, when we are live to air, it's one and done. Sure the playlist takes time to figure out and in my case, I burn it to disc and run it from old CD players (not quite Old Skool but getting there) with an identical playlist on Spotify in the event of an equipment failure. Been know to happen, I'm not going to lie. The most stunning example of that was when the players quit on the night that the show after mine didn't have anyone coming in (Surprise!) and I had to program on the fly. Not one of my finer moments. Likely never going to live that one down, particularly as I pleaded on air for someone to at least call and tell me if they were coming in. Turns out it was just a miscommunication between the scheduler and the hosts. Actually, my heart is racing just writing about it even now.

Where was I?

Oh ya, teaching old dogs new tricks. So, week after week it has been a 4-5 hour commitment per hour of programming (not including picking and arranging the music) to try to level the volumes, filter the tracks to homogenize them into a listenable product without destroying the actual tracks (no one should mess with an artist's baby, I just mean eliminating hiss and such)  plus of course the usual posting of playlists and social media.  How ironic that the pandemic that shut down our access to the station freed up the time to do all of this?  Closing door, opening windows, etc etc.

So that's where we were up to last week. Moving on, when it became apparent that nobody was coming in to man the phones and do live pitches for a membership drive the whole kit and kaboodle was prerecorded and slotted into the prima donna computer. Despite that the listening audience (Yes, you, I'm looking at YOU) came through and generously donated the money needed to keep the transmitter humming.  We couldn't give you tshirts or trips or anything this time, and you STILL dug deep to find money to help out.

That, my friends, is community and why we keep showing up to do this stuff week after week after week.

So I guess what I have to say is a big thank you on behalf of the folks on the air, behind the scenes, staying in the studio for months on end without even a soccer ball named Wilson, and other listeners who maybe couldn't help with funding but still support the place by listening.

In my books, you are all radio stars.
 
Stay safe and thanks for listening.

Gratitude

Hey everybody!

Been a long time. Not going to lie, I have meant to post here but every time I think of it, I promise myself I will do it tomorrow which as the song says never comes.

Anywho, here it is, an update on the here and now.

It has been 7 years since I started at this place. The vast majority of that time has been an overwhelming pleasure and despite rampant anxiety even the cohosting and interview shows have been great. Introverts have a tough time with that you know. I'm not telling tales out of school when I say each show, even 500 plus into this journey, has started out with a case of nerves and a little doubt before opening the mike. Had it not been for the support of the listeners and artists I doubt I could have done it. Note to self, never consider TV or public appearances.(LOL: face for radio!)

It was in recognition of all of this unseen support that the decision was made to do a show entirely devoted to thanking everyone. I'm calling it the #Gratitude show and I would hope folks are on board to pick a track that is a personal favorite and submit it. Honestly, I feel truly lucky to be here and although some weeks I question the hours spent in front of a computer screen as the show comes together, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the right thing to do.

Community radio is truly a means for everyone to be heard. There are no profits to chase, no political gains to be had, and the only agenda is giving people a voice.  If not for community radio, how would new and exciting bands share their story? This type of place provides a platform for connecting listeners and musicians in a way no other station does.

Well, much to do it seems. If you are reading this and want to be part of the show this week (August 2 2019) please shoot me a line. I know I speak for everyone at CIUT in saying you are always appreciated and never taken for granted.

Be safe and always be kind.

carolB

Bless me Father (or Mother) for I have forgotten this blog

Well, well, well.

I am sure you all know how life gets in the way when what you really want to do isn't what you end up doing.  Such is the case with this blog.

I can't even remember the last time I felt compelled to write here (lazy, really, could just check the postings) but I am sure there has been at least one membership drive, a bunch of cohosts on the show and countless hours spent trying to pull together playlists. Anyway, here I am at least for a little while checking in with the lot of you.

One of the most gratifying thing about community radio is that artists who have not had airplay at this point in their careers can reach out and know we will be supportive. I can only imagine how amazing it sounds to hear something you put your blood, sweat and tears into coming out of your car radio or streamed in real time online. If I ruled the airwaves and had a much much longer show, everyone would get a run at this experience. Unfortunately with only an hour, despite trying my hardest, there might only be one tune played per band and maybe only once. It's not ideal but it's a start.

So if you are interested in being on the show, there are a few things to consider.

The production level of the track should be as clean as possible. Not saying you have to spend big bucks on mastering and such, but with all the tools available on home computers, please make sure it will translate well to radio airplay. Unless it's the effect you are looking for  make sure the lyrics are not buried in the track by much louder instruments. Ditto with making sure the instruments are in tune. Live recordings are OK as long as the music is at a level that isn't drowned out by crowd noise and clinking glasses. I will do my best to give you a spin, but I also don't want listeners to tune out because it's hard to hear.

Don't assume because your track didn't get on the air immediately that it won't. It can be hard to find time for everyone but your turn will come. And when it does, please help the station out with spreading the word about your part in the playlist on social media. If we both do it, we will reach a lot more people.

When sending emails to the station, try and send to as many shows as you can that play your style of music. That info is on the station website and means that you value the contribution community radio makes to independent music. We all won't be able to air your cut, but generally someone will. I have met and played the music of some really amazing people through this kind of outreach. We are all working for a common goal and that is to offer an alternative to commercial radio.

And finally, I try to answer all emails. If after a while you don't hear back from me, poke me with another one. Sometimes life gets in the way (see the beginning of this post) and things get missed.

Glad you stopped on by. Hope to post to this blog again sooner than later.

In the meantime, support your music scene and remember to support your community radio as well.

Thanks for listening.

Keep on keeping on

Here it is, another day after a no sleep night.

Had all these grand plans of things to do today but instead am nursing a headache and upset stomach while trying to get some work done at home. At least it gives me a chance to listen to the playlist for the upcoming show.

Festival previews are a real bugger to do. There, I've said it. When you are faced with hundreds of musicians to pick from, many of whom you've never heard before, the tendency is to go with the familiar. However on an alternative station the whole point it to offer something new, so there are hours of listening to Bandcamp, looking up band websites, trying to find music that isn't going to break the bank (we don't have a salary or a budget, remember?) and then making decisions. Generally the first pass at all of this is just writing down a bunch of names, making sure there is a lot of Cancon of course. Then doing the search, downloading tunes, pulling from one's own library in a pinch and starting the painstaking process of  putting things together so that it flows and also represents as many different types of music as possible without it sounds strident or weird. Tall order? Yup.

Now I am not unhappy with this. Nosiree. The excitement is palpable with the young musicians who have been invited to the gig. The venues get a much needed boost to their sales and once again show that Toronto is indeed a music city. And in the heart of it is media coverage which I am proud to say includes the community broadcasting sector.

So I guess headache, upset stomach and all the hard work not withstanding, it's just good to be part of this in some small way.

Go support independent music. It's an investment well worth your while.

Long time, right?

Hi kids,

You know, blogs are started with the best of intentions and this one was no different. So many people have kindly shown me a ton of support in the years I have been involved in alternative community radio and I felt it only right to share some of the stories, frustrations and silliness that go on behind the scenes. But, like so many things, life just got in the way. So here I am again, picking up where I left off.

If you listen to the show, you will know that the cancer scare was just that. I still have a voice, and of all the things I could lose to various problems that would have been the most crushing to me. Like it or not, it would seem there is life in the old girl yet and on this very soggy grey day, I am grateful that there can be a couple of hours to listen to new material and hammer out a show I hope you will want to hear.

Weirdly enough, despite being knee deep in amazing new talent, I have found myself surfing the net for old favorites. The Three Steves are one example (Howe, Hackett and Hillage) and yes, I am proud to say my credit card has had a good workout for all three this month. And then there are the Zombies, classic Pink Floyd and Abbey Road. I have in short been indulging in comfort food for the soul which will no doubt sneak into future playlists. Know why I love community radio? I can do that and no one will scold me for not following a formula or prescribed playlist. HA!!!!!! Take THAT, commercial radio!

Anyway, the next big thing for this girl is getting her head around the whole Podcast thing and who knows maybe even branch out to other  stations. Have just had an hour rotated through the schedule for one internet station (Bombshell Radio out of Toronto) and have a standing invite to be a regular DJ on another out of Baltimore (RadioCrown.com) This is pretty exciting stuff for someone who has spent life flying under the radar. (Face for radio, and all that LOL)

Of course, none of this would be possible without like minded programmers and listeners.

So, for all of you who spent your formative years listening to live broadcasts with your earbuds firmly planted after the lights went out at night, or never drive the car without singing along tunelessly to the radio, I salute you.

Let's just keep this party going and thanks for listening.

Friday is Show Day is Friday

It has been a very long time since I posted here. I have to say the air totally went out of my tires not because of the station or the music or anything like that, but personal stuff can suck the breath out of any project and drain whatever energy and intentions one might have have.

Well, there it is.

In an effort to think of a way to make the whole show more interesting and expansive, have submitted a suggestion to move to a longer time and include a much more eclectic playlist. You know, longer cuts later in the evening, cohosts and guests more often. Theme nights. Classics (within reason) jazz, more instrumental stuff. Tangerine Dream. (There I said it)

Anyway, it doesn't look good, at least not for now. That's the discouraging reality. But on the plus side, there are about 100 new faces in the place and many of them have show proposals. Fresh energy is a great thing and it's always cool to discover a new voice on the dial.

In the meantime, I will carry on tweeking the hour without resorting to 10 minute cuts.

Stay tuned my friends, and thanks for listening.