Below
you'll find the ORIGINAL SERIES of Radio Daze columns, which ran in
"What's In It For Me" in 1997 and 1998. At that time, I was the
Program Director/Operations Manager/Morning Host at WIFM...a job which I
enjoyed TREMENDOUSLY! Thanks for all the WONDERFUL memories!
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
I love radio. Always have. Ever since I was kid, I've known one
thing....I wanted to be on the radio. I began practicing at age nine...when my
grandfather game me my first tape recorder. I still have it....top shelf of the
closet in my spare bedroom. I'm a packrat too....but that's another story.
At age 15 I decided that I had waited long enough. It was time to
actually become one of those voices on the radio. Besides, Gilvin Couch, a good
friend from school, already had a job at WIFM. I knew if he could do it, I
could too. So I worked up the nerve to stop by the station and talk to Leon
Reece...the recently retired 30 year General Manager of WIFM. Leon told me that
if I got my 3rd class radiotelephone license, he'd try me out on weekends and
see how I did. I'm certain he thought that was the last he'd see of me. After
all, in those days getting that license required taking a REAL test...including
the dreaded "element nine", full of math problems. And you know about
"these kids today".
Little did he realize that two months later I'd actually be back, license
in hand, ready to join the grownup world of work. Grown up I WASN'T....my
sixteenth birthday was still a month away....but nobody could've told me that.
I was ready to WORK. So ready in fact that nothing was going to stop me.
Including the lack of a paycheck. You see, there were no openings, so I
volunteered to do Sunday afternoons on the am station for nothing.....just to
get the experience. What small businessman could turn down an offer like that?
So the first Sunday in August of 1974 I went "on the air" for the
first time. I was TERRIBLE....but reasonably certain I wouldn't be fired. After
all...I wasn't being paid!!!!
Early in my career I was fortunate to work with others who shared...and
cultivated my love for radio. Names like Ralph Shaw, who taught me that I'd be
a better person if I just knew the call letters of at least three stations in
every city in America, to Russ Pomeroy, who first opened my eyes to the
wonderful creative possibilities in commercial production....including that the
only sexier combination than a man and a woman is a razor blade and a reel of
tape. These people, and others whose names you may not recall, inspired me. And
their thoughts still rattle around in my head.
Here I am twenty three years later. A lot has changed....both in my life
and at WIFM. My career has taken me to several stations....large and small, am
and fm. But in 1990, when for the only time (so far) I was between jobs, I got
a welcome invitation to come home...to WIFM. And here I've been ever since.
Change is an inevitable part of life. And WIFM has been through lots of
changes in the last couple of years. In fact, of all the folks at WIFM when I
began in 1990, I'm the only one who's still here. And you know what? I consider
myself the lucky one. Being "the old guy" gives me some historical
perspective. And this perspective helps me appreciate even more the incredible
growth that we've been fortunate to enjoy since FSA Broadcasting purchased us a
little more than two years ago. From lovely offices and studios on
But as much as I've enjoyed the changes and growth, the best part of my
job is my radio "family". I'm not talking about the people I work
with, wonderful though they may be. I'm talking about the people who listen
every morning. They truly are like family. Let me tell you what I mean. Upon
returning from a week's vacation recently, I got a phone call from a very
friendly lady. "Mike....I'm so glad to hear your voice. You don't know
what it means to me that you've returned home safely". How could you not
love a job like that?
Radio Daze
By Mike Walker
"Bzzzzzzzzzz" goes the alarm clock. It's 3:30am. Time to begin
another day. No matter how many years I do this, it NEVER gets any easier. .
5:30am. My wife and I pull into the parking lot of WIFM....30 miles from
our home in Boomer. I am legally blind, and haven't been able to drive for
seven years. Since then Robin has driven me to work EVERY morning. Inside she
helps me prepare for my day..
5:45am. I take my first look of the day at the "Production
Basket"...which contains orders from the sales department. As Operations
Mgr/Program Director of WIFM it is my responsibility to make sure that all on
air programming elements are ready to go when called for. Arguably the most
important of these is commercial messages. They pay the bills. I assign part of
the load to each of our announcers, and keep for myself what I think I can do.
This includes my "regulars" who request me for their commercials. A
number of clients do specifically ask that I produce their spots. Which proves
that my dad was right. Some people will buy anything.
6:00am. Dustin ends his first newscast of the day, and it's my turn. I
take my chair with no copy in front of me. The wire copy is too small and light
to read with my diminished vision. Robin magnifies and darkens the copy for me.
Just before the ABC news ends, she places the enlarged copy for my 6:05 weather
in front of me. Now I can read the forecast...and relate it to sleepy listeners
in sixteen counties whose day is just beginning.
6:42am. My first chat with Dustin. I lead into these with an unusual item
in the news, followed by my own (hopefully) funny reaction to it. Then Dustin
will add his two cents worth, and if I'm on my toes I can build that into a
bigger laugh. That's the way it's supposed to work. Now that you know what I
intend to happen, you can listen and judge for yourself whether I actually
succeed. We do this again at 7:42, and 8:42. If I have a prize to give away
during the 6am hour, I'll do it adjacent to this break...because it allows
Dustin to be included in the mix..thus increasing the chances that something
fun will develop. I consider these chats with Dustin important to the flow of
the show because they give me an opportunity to do what I've been told I do
best.....REACT. I frequently interact with listeners....putting myself into
situations that may result in some golden moment. Often they don't. Live
morning radio is not a job for the faint of heart. Risk is a part of the game..
7:45am. Time for "Name that Tune". The truth is I try to make
this contest reasonably easy...because it MUST move quickly. There are two
other sponsored segments before 8am. This morning's song was
"Y.M.C.A." by the Village People. Not great art, but also not hard..
BANG!!! The first caller nails it.
10:00am. This is the "Trivia" hour. I usually have prepared
Trivia the day before. But often I often find something when I get to work that
I like better, and will switch at the last second. My goal is to make it
challenging. I'm embarrassed when the first caller wins.
Trivia is one of my favorite parts of the show, and also one of the most
frustrating. Since it's live, it's also unpredictable. Anything you can imagine
going wrong has. But I believe a thing or two have gone right as well.. I
especially enjoy bouncing one liners off callers in a shameless effort to make
them giggle. You know us performers...always have to be the center of
attention. Like children, huh?
11:00am. I again check for new orders from the sales department, assign
these, then hit the sidewalk. Time for a brisk walk to lunch. Usually there has
been at least one commercial I'll produce when I come back that requires a
spark or two of creativity. Some of my best ideas are born on these walks.
Often I have a complete commercial written (and produced) in my head before I
sit down to my meal. All I do after lunch is lock myself in the Production
Studio, and recreate those sounds "in my head".
12:00-2:30pm. My creative time, when I produce commercials, promos, and
other programming elements that help define our sound, and ensure that our
clients are satisfied. This is incredibly gratifying work, even if the pressure
is sometimes enormous. During this time I am paid to simply "go in there
and create something". I am very much into creating "radio
cinema" as I call it. Just as with film, a radio commercial needn't settle
for being "life size". It can be as big as your imagination can make
it. A well written script, good delivery, careful layering of music, sound
effects, and other elements, tight editing, and an ear catching mix can make a
sponsor's message come alive.
2:30pm. In theory my day is done. In practice, that's often not the case.
There are duties that don't seem to fit into other parts of the day...but must
be done. Things like reviewing and modifying our music playlist each week.
Every song on our station is there because I chose it. That's an important part
of programming a radio station. I also must make sure all commercials are
programmed into the computer in the control room which plays them back on the
air. There's no tape on our station. Everything we produce is played back
digitally, at cd quality, from computer hard drive. Plus I must make out
announcer schedules, correspond with networks and other program suppliers, make
certain that all equipment is functioning properly, and ensure that we are
properly registered with Arbitron so we get ratings credit for our audience. My
last thought before leaving? I've forgotten something! Oh well, the station
will call me later.
Now you know what a typical day in a radio station is like. One of mine
anyway. Future articles will examine the history of WIFM, and predict how
technology will change the way we listen.
Radio Daze
By Mike Walker
I've gotta' have tunes. I never go ANYWHERE without a radio. And often
it's more than JUST a radio. If you also hate to travel without music, this
week's column is for you. Because this week Radio Daze examines portable music
makers that are both good AND cheap!!!
First of all...radios. Want a really good walkman type am/fm unit that
sounds like a home stereo, is small as a credit card, and cheap as dirt?
Believe it or not one exists. It's the Sangean SR-77, also sold as the Radio
Shack model 12-917. Either way the cost is just 29.95. But wait...the Radio
Shack version is on sale now for 24.95!!! This little unit actually is credit
card sized...just a little thicker to make room for the single AAA size
alkaline cell. It has no trouble picking up distant stations in clear, rich
stereo. The only thing that bothers me is that the analog tuning knob requires
a surgeon's hand to tune properly. Yes...it's analog. Remember digital tuning
is a convenience , not a performance feature. Inexpensive analog radios often
perform better than digital ones.
If your headphones lack bass response...and the earbuds supplied with the
radio certainly do, there's a "deep bass boost" switch which adds
some heft to the sound. My suggestion is to trash the supplied
"earbuds", and upgrade to a decent pair of 'phones. The Koss
Porta-Pro springs to mind. These are the only small 'phones that produce REAL
extended bass response. By "real" bass I mean the deepest tones your
ears can hear...including organ pedal tones, and the lowest notes on
synthesizer. The only catch is that the Koss 'phones cost more than the
radio....49.95. But they're good enough to mate with the home stereo as well.
And there is a less expensive version...the Koss "Sport Clip"
'phones. They're the same thing...minus the headband. They look like they'd be
uncomfortable, clipping over each ear. But they are SO comfortable you can
easily forget you're wearing them, and yank your radio off by the cord when you
stand up. They sound the same as the Porta Pros, and are ten dollars cheaper.
Headphone addict that I am, I own both.
In case you're wondering why I'd recommended a Walkman type radio without
a cassette player, it's because I don't recommend using cassettes. It's
a digital world, and the writing is on the wall for the lowly analog cassette.
A product of the 60s, the cassette was designed for DICTATION, not for music.
If ever a format has outlived it's usefulness, the cassette is it. Most
cassette players are poorly aligned, and the prerecorded tapes are not only inferior
to cds, they also come in a distant second to lps. Remember those?
So what do I use instead? Mini-discs. Mini-discs are a largely
misunderstood format. When they were introduced three years ago, many
(mistakenly) thought they were intended to replace cds. Not so. Although they
sound incredible, mini-discs record at a much lower data rate than cds, so in
theory they are not their equal. This is deliberate. Sony, which introduced the
mini-disc, is also one of the co-inventors of the cd. They had no interest in
replacing cds. Their real target was the CASSETTE. If that point had been
driven home at the format's inception, perhaps more folks would have joined me
in my love affair with these tiny wonders. Remember what I said about
mini-discs being theoretically inferior to cd? In practice it just ain't so.
With the newest units the two formats are indistinguishable. So now, on a disc
you can record yourself, you get NO background noise, NO distortion, NO speed
inaccuracies, and NO reliability problems. Think your cds, are rugged?
Mini-discs are enclosed in a plastic carrier similar to a computer
diskette...but much smaller!!! Life expectancy is WELL in excess of a
century. No kidding. The darn things are nearly indestructible. Drop 'em, kick
'em, leave 'em in your car on a day hot enough to melt your cassettes, and they
still play like brand new. Think that's cool? There's more. Mini-discs are non
linear, just like your computer hard drive. So once your discs are recorded,
you can still do some fascinating things with them. Like rearranging the
sequence of songs without re-recording the disc. Try that with a
cassette. Or editing out a verse of a song you don't like. Or even
electronically "labeling" so that the title of the album is displayed
when you insert the disc, and the title of each song is displayed when it's
playing. Can your cassette player do that?
There must be a catch, right? Actually, there are a couple of 'em. There
are very few prerecorded titles. You'll have to record you own. (I prefer to do
this anyway). The discs are more expensive than even premium blank
cassettes...a little over six dollars per disc. And you can't run out to the
corner drug store to buy them. You'll have to go to a place like
So how much are the machines? The Sony MZ-E40 that I carry with me just
about everywhere sells for 199.95 at Best Buy, and at most mail order
electronic outlets. It's a player ONLY. The portable recorders start at about
twice that amount. At two hundred bucks it's about sixty percent more expensive
than a cd "portable", but actually is PORTABLE!!!! It easily
slips in a shirt pocket, sounds at least as good as a top quality
cd-Walkman, and won't skip even if you run with it!!! Of course if you're
buying a portable player, you'll need a recorder at home. Lucky for you Sony is
now offering the "MD-Bundle", a package that includes the portable
player, and a home recorder with wireless remote for about 399!!!!! Sony is
serious about the success of this format. And finicky as I am, I can't find a
darned thing wrong with it. So buy them. If you're serious about carrying
quality music with you, you choice is clear. Mini-disc is the best portable
music carrier ever. Period.
Why do I recommend these products? Because I use them. Every day I take
with me to work my Sangean radio, Sony mini-disc player with about ten discs,
and a full size pair of Sony MDR-V6 headphones, which I use on the air. This
all fits in a pouch so small a portable cd player wouldn't fit...by itself. If
I lost any of these items, I'd IMMEDIATELY replace them. Is there any higher
recommendation than that?
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
People sometimes ask me what I did before I went into radio. I was a
child. With the exception of the closely related field of audio production for
video presentations, multimedia, motivational tapes, and cable tv commercial
voice-overs, it's all I've ever done.
My resume'
I began working part time at WIFM in August of 1974. In the fall of 1975
Gilvin Couch left the night shift and I got my first full time gig. No matter
how easy you think radio must be...working forty plus hours a week while
attending school was HARD. But I had found my first love.
I did nights at WIFM from September of '75 until December of '77. After
graduating from the Radio/TV Broadcasting program at
Before moving to my experiences at other stations, let me slip in a few
more from the WIFM of the mid 70s. Long time listeners will remember Ralph
Shaw, Chuck Kenny, Alan Combs, and Karen Kelly. Plus Kathy Long was the Office
Manager. Sadly, a few of my co-workers from the period are now deceased...Mike
Ford, Russ Pomeroy, and Dick Paulsen.
On November 25th of 1977 I married the lovely Robin Thompson from
My predecessor on the night show on 'KBC was a gentleman named Tom Klein,
whose album rock show was very well received. At least in Winston
In the summer of 1980 I received a phone call one night at 'KBC from
Duane Cozzen at WNNC in
After a few months doing nights, I was promoted to afternoon "drive
time", and the first "Goin' Home Show" was born. WNNC still uses
the name thirteen years after my departure. But every afternoon show I've done
since has been a "Goin' Home Show". So you see the name for Paula's
show on WIFM comes from nostalgia for my "Goin' Home" days.
The growth process that began at WKBC went into overdrive at 'NNC.
Nothing less than perfection was expected..or accepted. I left work with my
stomach in knots most nights. But I did GOOD work. I'm still proud of air
checks (tapes of shows) from that period. In time I became music director, then
Program Director.
In November of 1984 I left WNNC for my first morning show...at WWWC in
Wilkesboro. Mornings are "prime time" for radio, and I wanted a piece
of that. So again I had to move to achieve a goal.
I did mornings at 3WC until November of 1988 when another goal of
mine...to break into FM Country, was realized. The format was becoming
extremely hot, and I wanted to be a part of it. When I was offered mornings at
WFMX in
My first and ONLY dry spell ended in March of '90 with an offer from, of
all stations, WIFM!! I soon became Program Director/Operations Manager,
implementing the changes in our sound that you can hear today. I also began the
third morning show of my career upon Leon Reece's retirement when FSA
Broadcasting purchased the station two years ago. Since then we've enjoyed
incredible growth. But I'm sure the best is yet to come. After all, WIFM
celebrates it's 50th anniversary in just two years. In future columns I'll
detail the stations history...dating back to it's humble post-war beginnings in
1949.
Radio Daze
By Mike Walker
The Creativity Faucet
Drip, drip, drip. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle. Water is a resource we take for granted. Turn it on, turn it off. Need a little? Take a little. Need a lot? That's on tap too. Wouldn't it be great if everything we need came so easily? Like creativity, for instance?
In my job creativity isn't something that's just hoped for. It's demanded. It's a part of the package. Often a sales person says something like this to me..."this guy's a new client, and we've REALLY got to knock his socks off. He's used WXYZ before, but our production is much better than theirs. I need you to come up with something so unique it'll make his head spin. And I need it by tomorrow".
"Whew", I reply. "For a minute there I was afraid you were going to ask for something unreasonable. Fortunately it's just the best commercial in the history of radio in twenty four hours, while other work gathers dust on my desk. No problem. And since I have some free time this weekend, can I mow your lawn too?"
When planning my column today at lunch, a question kept popping into my mind. Is there any other art form (yes...I consider radio production an art. If it's done right) where original ideas are DEMANDED on such tight schedules? Did Beethoven's boss say to him one morning "Ludwig my man, you know I dig you. Especially your early work.I can't get that number five symphony off my mind...'dadada-dummmmm'. But my employees have gotta' PRODUCE for me, Baby. So here's the deal. I need a new symphony by noon tomorrow. I SAID I NEED A NEW SYMPHONY FROM YOU BY TOMORROW. Man, you really should have your hearing checked".
This is the kind of pressure I deal with every day. Usually I come through. I'll even let you in on a trade secret. I specialize in two kinds of creative commercials. There's the whiz-bang ear popper...with lots of special effects and noise. Just what the doctor ordered sometimes. And for me, it's EASY. Write down the sponsor's message, lay down a few tracks, overlap some dialog, a snip here, a splice there, a couple of passes through the mixer and it's done. The promo we've been running recently announcing an opening in our sales department is a recent example of this brand of creativity. I wrote it around movie and tv sound bites I had on hand.
The other kind is a harder. That's the kind that's dialog driven. A situation with characters. The Jeff Johnson Chevrolet commercial that's running now is an example. With this type you must have really clever copy. So clever that it stands on it's own with no fancy audio tricks. It needs to get your attention up front, and convince you that a problem exists that only the sponsor can solve. It should take you through a couple of unexpected (perhaps humorous) turns along the way. Oh...and it needs a big finish. This kind of spot should make the listener ask a friend "did you hear...?" Once you have those elements, a production trick or two is icing on the cake. My favorite technique hopefully doesn't come across as a trick at all. If you think of the area between your stereo's two speakers as a stage, I believe in having the "actors" move around that stage as the situation demands. If it's done properly it adds realism to the situation conveyed by the "actors", pulling you deeper into the illusion of eavesdropping on real life. The reason for pulling the listener in deeper of course is so the spongy tissue between the ears can better absorb the sponsor's message. You think THIS isn't art?
When I sat down at the word processor I thought about two people talking cars. One of them is VERY confused. But who should the confused person be? Maybe an elderly man. A grandfather....giving advice to his grandson. And he just can't quite get things right. Including his grandson's name. So what's the problem? (Remember...you need a problem so the sponsor can solve it). The grandson is car shopping, but finds so many appealing choices (at the sponsor's business) that he needs his grandfather's advice. However, Grandpa is VERY confused. Time out!!! Does the thought of an elderly man being confused leave you a little uneasy? It did me too. Plus I hate writing stereotypes. So I added this twist (Remember, I said we needed one of those too). After getting the grandson's name wrong through the entire commercial, Grandpa gets it right at the end. The grandson is startled. Gramps laughs a knowing laugh, leading you to believe he was just teasing the young lad all along. Let me see...that has all the elements, doesn't it? So it's into the production room to produce this piece of "audio cinema". "Dustin, can you give me ten minutes?" I yell down the hall. My grandfather is cast. Ready for "Masterpiece Theater".
Although the specifics of my job are unique to my field, I'm sure the idea that creativity should be on tap like water extends to any number of jobs. Perhaps to yours. And I'll bet that just when you feel the well has run dry, somebody turns the #$%# faucet.
Drip, drip, drip.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Fathers
This is a difficult time for me. It's the first Father's Day with no
father figure in my life.
FEELING is important. We must feel in order to live. Pain, joy, love,
even hate. are all part of each of us. And these emotions can be broadcast
through the air with the same fidelity as a favorite song. From horror movies
that frighten, to passionate love stories that quicken the pulse, human beings
crave EMOTION...FEELING. I strive to make my listeners feel through my radio
show. Now I shall try to do it on paper as well.
My father was a wonderful man. A teacher, a mason, a shriner, deacon in
his church, and a pillar of strength and love I could always count on. He died
in 1988 two months before his 52nd birthday. It is a loss I shall never recover
from. The hole in my life left by the passing of Robert Lee Walker can never be
filled. Happy Father's Day, Dad. And thanks for the nightly visits in my
dreams. I awake from them feeling as if we've been together. And I know that we
have, and always will be.
Wilson Thompson was a unique individual. Quiet, reserved, but with a
heart full of love. Particularly for his children....Ronnie, Ramona, and my
wife, Robin. When I married his little girl in 1977 I know he didn't approve.
Why should he? I was only 19, a long haired kid who played records for a
living. What kind of job was that? And what kind of future could I provide for
his daughter? He must've consoled himself with thoughts that at least it
wouldn't last. I think those thoughts had faded by our fifteenth anniversary.
As he and I talked we even found that we actually had some things in common.
Politics for instance. Like all of the father figures in my life, Mr. Thompson
was a proud Democrat. Needless to say the election in '92 pleased him. We spoke
of that, and of many things on trips we took together. As my vision decreased,
this dear man gave freely of his time and friendship. Because of my visual
limitations, it's been seven years since I was able to drive. My father in law
gladly took me home when Robin couldn't. During these trips it became apparent
that he had come to accept, perhaps even love me. I hope so. Because I dearly
loved him. He passed away suddenly in 1993, as had my own father five years
earlier. And just as my father didn't live to meet his grandson Scott, Wilson
Thompson's granddaughter Emma missed knowing her grandfather by mere weeks. He
knew she was coming. And this knowledge gave him great joy.
Ralph Eugene Martin, my mother's father, was perhaps the best person I've
ever known. He truly had no enemies. Everyone loved him. He earned that love
with a lifetime of selfless service....to his church, his community, and his
family. "Pa" as all the grandchildren called him, never missed an
opportunity to help those in need. Which isn't to say that he was a solemn man.
Far from it. He was perhaps the funniest person I've ever known. Pa saw humor
and joy in everything, and everyone. As Sunday School Superintendent at
The last father figure in my life passed away in January. Robert Winfield
Church of Ronda, my father's dad. His stepfather actually, but love is thicker
than blood. And this kind, gentle man, though no blood relative of mine, loved
me as much as any grandfather ever loved a grandchild. His love was so palpable
I could feel it when I stepped into the room with him...see it on his face, and
hear it in his voice. Even sadder than his passing is the knowledge that he
lived his final months in pain, both physical and emotional. He suffered
terribly from the death of his wife,
To these wonderful fathers in my life, thank you. And God bless you for
what each of you meant, and continue to mean to me. Wherever you are.....Happy
Father's Day.
Please...if your father or grandfather are still living, don't wait to
tell them how much you love them. Another Father's Day isn't guaranteed to any
of us.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Question. Which will last longer....fm, or am? BUZZZZZZZ!!! Time's up! If
you answered fm, you are wrong. But then if you answered am, you're also wrong.
The correct answer? Am and fm will die simultaneously. And in the near future.
Perhaps a moment of silent meditation is in order while we contemplate the
demise of these lifelong friends.
That's enough No sense crying over spilled milk. Especially since the
corner grocery has a fresh carton...with a later expiration date.
The same principle applies to radio. Only the "corner grocery"
is that wonderful, capitalist invention we call the free market. And the
"fresh carton" is a whole new form of radio broadcasting,
characterized by cd quality sound, and virtual elimination of the familiar
forms of interference listeners take for granted. Since it's digital,
tomorrow's radio broadcasts will either reproduce perfectly...with a silent
background and no distortion, or you won't receive them at all. There will be
no gradual degradation of signal quality as you drive away a favorite station.
At some point it will simply go away. Imagine....full digital fidelity from one
end of a station's coverage area to the other.
There are a couple of caveats here, however. First, even though there are
digital broadcasting systems for both fm and am stations, am will still be at a
disadvantage. Fm radio stations are allowed to occupy many times more space on
the radio dial, so with digital radio they'll be able to broadcast a far higher
data rate...which means better sound quality and a more robust signal. Don't
fret though. The am system is GOOD. I've heard them both, and both sound FAR
better than what we're used to. It's just that, once again, fms will have an
edge. Who said life was fair?
The other problem is that before you can enjoy the improved quality,
you'll have to buy a new radio. No current radio will receive digital
broadcasts. Annoying? Sure. But certainly not too big an obstacle to overcome.
Just look at how cds all but wiped lps from the face of the Earth in the 80s.
Since most people spend far more time listening to radio than playing
recordings, the transition to digital radio should go even faster.
You may not realize it, but the nation's radio stations have been
preparing for the digital future for some time now. At WIFM we've been doing
all of our commercial and other production work digitally at cd quality for two
years now. And some of the things you'd expect to see cluttering a radio
station control room...notably various types of audio tape are missing from
ours. There still are tape machines. But they're almost never used. On my five
hour morning show I typically play tape for a total of about ten seconds. It's
a recording of applause during "Name that tune" at 7:45 in the
morning. The only reason I use tape is that the computer in the control room
can't play two "files" or recordings at once, so I play the theme
music from the computer, and the applause from tape. Every other time you hear
applause on my show it is from the computer's hard drive. Our cartridge tape
machines which used to be the workhorses of our studios now are used for
SECONDS PER DAY!!!
Other changes are taking place as well. Broadcast equipment manufacturers
are falling over themselves trying to replace everything a signal flows through
on it's way to your radio with a shiny new DIGITAL model. From microphones (yes
they're developing digital MICROPHONES) and audio consoles, all the way through
microwave links and transmitters, analog is out, and digital is in. Many General
Managers are convinced by a sales pitch as simple as "everything you
replace now is something you won't have to replace later when you go
digital".
And don't worry about not being able to receive your local stations when
digital radio arrives. There will be a transition period in which stations
broadcast both an old fashioned "analog" (fm or am) signals as well
as the new cd quality digital one. This period will certainly last a few years.
But at some point in the not distant future, every am and fm transmitter will
be turned off. For good. Knowing that does make me a little sad. I
suppose sentimentality comes with age. After all, I never parted with my old
lps either.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Passion
In life it's important to feel passion. Everyone should. That rush of
pleasure when you are with that special person, or doing that special activity
you do just for yourself is INTOXICATING.
Some people are by nature passionate. These are the ones I trust.
I can understand them. Because I'm one of them.
Passion is a necessary part of the creative process. Artistic creativity
at it's core is designed to make you FEEL something. Perhaps it's the peace of
a tranquil country landscape. The heat of a smoky, lustful song passing the
lips of a singer that can just tear your heart out. Or a commentary on the
radio from someone who knows how to push each and every button, controlling
your emotions as a puppeteer controls his "actors". Paul Harvey is an
excellent example of that. Whether you agree with his politics or not (I often
don't), you must admire the artistry with which he makes you FEEL.
Performance art (music, the spoken word, even RADIO) is more emotionally
risky than other art forms. Because the performance is happening in real time,
before real people, the feedback is often immediate. Your performance is either
accepted or rejected. And I'm convinced that a need to be accepted drives all
performers. Not JUST to be loved. That's too easy You can simply do what the
other person expects. No challenge in that. And no risk. To perform in your
own unique way, expressing points of view that aren't in the mainstream,
and convincing the audience that they should change their minds, that their
preconceived notions aren't the whole story...that your unique take on life IS
valid...now that's a challenge. To do that, AND receive love and acceptance is
ART.
Even if you hate the idea expressed in the art, if a passionate feeling
is invoked in you, the artist was successful. Even if it means that you
passionately disagree, or even disapprove, the goal of making you FEEL has been
achieved.
In performance art, because the audience is right there before you
(and they certainly are in radio...you hear from them on the studio lines
immediately), if you've taken them to one of those controversial
places...expressing feelings they may be in utter disagreement with, it's
important to bring them back. And quickly. The most effective way to do this on
radio is...with a punch line.
Here's an example "President Clinton says he's shocked at the
implications of human cloning, and believes limits on the research should be
immediately imposed. Personally, I think he's being hasty. Yes it's
controversial, but there also are some real potential advantages to
cloning......" (I've taken a very emotional topic, and raised the
temperature even higher by seemingly putting a controversial personal spin on
it. Here's how to bring the audience back around). "I mean with cloning
you could turn just one Al Gore into an entire forest!"
See what I mean? The emotional buttons were pushed, a rise was gotten out
of the audience, and then a simple punch line snaps them back...invoking
perhaps the greatest emotional release of all. Laugher.
But perhaps you didn't find it funny. Perhaps you were even offended. If
this had been the case, and you were listening, I'm sure you wouldn't have been
shy about picking up the phone and telling me. Trust me...it would hurt.
Because I passionately believe in my work, and put much of myself into
it. That's the risk of performing.The risk of PASSION. In every passionate
persuit the risk is as great as the reward. The risk of rejection.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Who are we?
It occurs to me that there are many folks reading this column who aren't
familiar with our radio station. After all "What's in it to me?" goes
to many communities that have stations of their own. You may not have stumbled
across us yet. If that's the case, allow me a few sentences to convince you
that you should. I think you'll agree that WIFM is a unique station that offers
many rewards to our listeners.
WIFM is an fm radio station. That's something of an understatement. We
were one of the country's first fm stations. Most of the fms up and down your
dial came to be in the sixties or even the seventies. Not WIFM. When fm
broadcasting got it's new home (after a brief pre-war experimental period on a
completely different band of frequencies) after World War II, WIFM was one of
the first stations to hit the airwaves. Signing on in 1949, we beat most of our
competitors to the punch by decades.
Since 1995 WIFM has been owned by FSA Broadcasting, which has brought
about MAJOR upgrades to facilities and programming. We moved into our lovely,
state of the art studios on
WIFM's signal conservatively reaches sixteen counties....Surry, Wilkes,
Yadkin, Forsyth, Iredell,
WIFM is a 24 hour a day source for music...the greatest hits of the 70s,
80s, and 90s, as well as numerous local newscasts from 5:55am though 10:55pm
each day. We also are an ABC Radio affiliate with news at the top of each hour
from 6am till 10pm, and
We've got sports too...do we ever! This fall WIFM becomes the Flagship
Station of the Appalachian
Add to that the world of Nascar Winston Cup racing on "The World of
Racing" with Mark Garrow weekday mornings at 8:05 and afternoons at 5:30.
Then there's local sports with Dustin Atkinson Weekday mornings at 7:30.
If a game was played, we'll have the score.
There are fun and exciting contests too...including "Name That
Tune" weekday mornings at 7:45, "TV Tunes" and "Bogus
Headlines" at various times during "The Mike Walker Morning
Show" and the area's original "Trivia" program weekdays during
the 10am hour.
What's important
What's most important to you? There was a time recently when I would've
told you that my career was at the top of the list. No more. Life has taught me
a couple of hard lessons recently. Deaths of cherished family members, and
problems with my own health have helped me to understand the wisdom of the old
saying "if you don't have your health, nothing else matters".
As I am writing this I am well into my third straight week of poor
health. Summer flu tuned to a sinus infection...with high fever, even fainting
spells. This climaxed in my being rushed to the emergency room at
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've had an epiphany of sorts.
I've come to realize that each day of health is a precious gift from God. Our
bodies are capable of causing us incredible torment. So when everything works
right, and nothing hurts, we should be thankful...for one of the greatest gifts
of all. The gift of health. Here's wishing good health to you and your family.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Our best friends
How do you measure the value of friendship? A friend who knows all about
you, and loves you faults and all, is a wonderful thing. In my younger days I
made the mistake of "blowing off" friends for reasons such as...."can't
stand his wife!!!", "he steals on air bits from ME. Couldn't he think
of a better source?", or even "HE USED MY HEADPHONES WITHOUT
PERMISSION!!!"
With maturity I've realized that none of these are adequate reasons for
ending a friendship, although I must confess I still don't like to share my
headphones!!! I suppose even close friendships can be weakened, even dissolved
by a variety of things. But there's one bond that can NEVER be broken. A bond
of love that truly is unconditional, and lifelong. I'm talking about the love
of a pet. Can you remember a special pet who has brought you such unconditional
love? Perhaps a dog from long ago who loved you no matter what your mood, or
how often you forgot to take him for a walk, even when you lost your temper.
Remember how it melted your heart when you blew your top at your dog, and he
whimpered in apology to you, assuming it must've been HIS fault? That's a
character trait remarkably rare in humans!
I've had pets nearly continuously since I was a small child. From my dog
"Tar", a gift to me the summer of my tenth birthday who seventeen
years later put his head in my lap, professed his love for me, and said
good-bye just before he died, to another childhood pet who survived until I was
a young adult "Gertrude", a cranky, lovable, playful goat, animals
have perpetually been a part of my "family".
There was Barry, my first and ONLY St. Bernard...all 200 pounds of him.
He was the most adorable puppy you've ever seen...like a walking teddy bear. I
still remember the sheer joy Barry got from running free in the snow. He'd
stumble and fall head over rump, get up, shake himself off, and run some more.
Barry was also a collector. On walks he picked up "treasures" he
found along the way, and brought them back to his house. Some days he would
retrieve an apple core, others a large stick. Different things caught his eye
according to the day's mood. But few were the walks that didn't also become
"treasure hunts". Barry died in the summer of 1986, just after his
sixth birthday. A stomach ailment struck suddenly early one hot, steamy
morning. By the time we got him to the "hospital" he had massive
internal bleeding, and died a short time later.
Unfortunately sad endings are an inevitable part of pet stories. But not
all of my critter stories end sadly. At least not yet! Our current family
includes Megan, and eleven year old Chow whom we adore. She's the most
independent dog you've ever seen. Her personality is quite "cat
like"...she must have her way! Or so she thinks. Fortunately we've
learned techniques for letting her think she's getting her way when in
fact she's doing what we planned in the first place. Want to take her to the
vet? Put on her leash and pretend it's time for a walk, casually strolling by
the car. When she stops and INSISTS on going for a ride, she's sure the trip
was her idea!
Also rooming at the "Boomer Zoo" you'll find Tiffany, a ten
year old shaded-silver Persian who's afraid of her own shadow! This cat was
born for one reason and one reason only...to be cuddled! She truly is a baby.
Then there's
Thanks for the many pet owners who have shared their photos of
"family members" for the special pet issue of "What's In It For
Me?" I hope you enjoy them as much as we have.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
How's your reception?
When you work in a radio station, you are asked MANY things. One category
of question I've noticed being asked a LOT over the last few years goes
something like this..."I've been listening to you guys for years, but
suddenly I can't get you clearly. There's just a bunch of noise. What's
wrong?" I always greet questions such as this with a series of questions
of my own. The first is always "what kind of radio are you using?"
What I'm asking isn't brand but type...i.e. clock radio, boom box, component
stereo, computer radio card, walkman, etc. What difference does it make?
Plenty! Each of these types of radio has a different t kind of antenna. And the
antenna of each needs to be oriented differently to achieve best results.
If the radio in use is a clock radio or walkman, I'm usually informed
that "it doesn't have an antenna...it's a clock radio/walkman."
WRONG. Every radio uses an antenna. Without it, you'd receive nothing but hiss
and static. The antenna is the single most important component in a radio receiver,
because signal lost at the antenna can never be compensated for elsewhere. A
signal is either received cleanly, or it isn't. If the antenna isn't sufficient
to capture the signal cleanly, even the fanciest receiver won't produce
adequate results from your favorite stations. What follows is information about
the kinds of antennas used in various types of radios, and how to achieve the
best results with each.
With clock radios the power cord doubles as the fm antenna. That owner's
manual you discarded without reading told you all about it (just kidding). Best
results will be obtained when the cord is extended in a straight line, with no
curling, and no knots. *If reception of a favorite station suddenly changes
drastically, it can almost always be traced to the position of the power
cord/antenna having been moved. Simply turn the radio on, and experiment with
placement until you get the best reception. In almost every case when a
listener reports that we're suddenly "gone", and they are using the
clock radio, it has been moved. Reorienting the cord is all it takes to fix the
problem.
With a walkman type radio the headphone cord functions as the antenna
(this was also covered in the manual you tossed on Christmas morning...tee
hee). You may have noticed that fm reception can change quite a bit as you move
around...particularly if you're more than twenty five miles from the station
you're listening to. This problem is exaggerated by hilly terrain...the kind we
have around here. The problem is "multipath". Ideally the radio
signal should travel in a straight line from the radio station's transmitting
antenna into your radio's receiving antenna, without being deformed, or
"distorted" by objects between the two, In reality, particularly in
our area, once you're more than twenty five miles from a radio station's
transmitter, the signal has bounced off multiple objects (mountains, hills,
buildings, your cousin Fred) before reaching the radio. Worse still, in most
cases your radio will be receiving a little bit of the direct signal, plus
increasingly smaller amounts of SEVERAL reflections of that signal from objects
of varying distances. These signals arriving from multiple paths (hence the
name "multipath") compete with one another alternately adding and subtracting
signal content, causing distortion and "picket fencing" (the nickname
for a type of fm interference that sounds like "fft, fft, fft, fft").
How do you fix the problem? 1)Move your antenna (headphone cord) until the
signal clears up, and then don't move it. Kind of defeats the purpose of a
walkman, huh? 2)Move to another location. Often moving just a few feet within a
room can make an enormous difference in radio reception...particularly if you
move nearer to a window. 3)Try getting higher. If you're on the ground floor of
a building, try going to the second or third floor. The higher you get, the
more likely you are to be in the direct path of the transmitting antenna. If
all else fails, try moving within that "magic" twenty five mile
radius of the transmitting antenna where reception varies very little with
antenna orientation.
With a boom box the fm antenna is the silver rod that extends from the
top or back of the unit. Fully extend and rotate it around the horizontal axis
of the radio until you achieve the best results. It's tempting to just pull the
antenna straight up and forget about it. But this will almost never bring you
the clearest reception. With the antenna tilted at an angel, it becomes
directional. Rotating a direction antenna helps maximize signal quality, and
minimize interference. In the "straight up" position, it will receive
signals equally from all directions, allowing the bad to mix with the good.
Improper orientation of the antenna again is almost always the cause of poor
reception.
On a home component stereo system you have the opportunity for the best
results of all. Since the receiver is stationary, the signal isn't constantly
varying as is the case with a walkman or car radio. And since home
installations are usually at least semi-permanent, you are free to erect a much
better fixed position antenna system. Best of all is an outdoor antenna on a
rotor, just like the ones used for tv. If you still have one, you're already
ahead of the game. Buy an "antenna splitter" from Radio Shack, and
run a cable to both your tv antenna terminals, and those on your receiver. If
fm reception is still poorer than you expected, it's possible that your antenna
has an "fm trap" designed to keep strong local radio stations from
interfering with tv reception. Depending on t he antenna this can be either
removed, or switched out of the circuit for best results.
If you don't currently have an outdoor tv antenna, and simply want to
listen to fm, there are dedicated fm antennas that have a slight edge over the
"all in one" tv/fm combination units. Radio Shack has an excellent
unit that sells for only 19.95, and is claimed to receive fm signals from as
far away as 110 miles. Ratings such as those should be viewed with a healthy
dose of skepticism however, because reception distance can be affected by many
factors. Terrain (as mentioned), height of the radio station's antenna (and to
a lesser degree the station's transmitter power), height of your receiving
antenna, presence (or absence) of other stations on an adjacent frequency, etc.
If a proper outdoor antenna isn't feasible, here are a couple of other
solutions which may work. The first is proper orientation of the "T"
antenna that came with your receiver. You know the one...it looks like a piece
of tv lead-in wire, because that's exactly what it's made of. If you've simply
dropped it on the floor behind your stereo system, you may be amazed at the
improvement you get from fully extending it, and tacking it (horizontally) to
the wall behind your system. Better, buy a second one of these units, plus an
"a/b" switch from Radio Shack, or the electronics store of your
choice, and attach one to the "north/south" wall of the room, the
other to the "east/west" wall. By selecting either a or b on the
switch, you'll be able to choose the antenna that's positioned best for receiving
your chosen station. If signals are still too weak (hissy), an "antenna
amplifier" may help.
A simpler, though more expensive solution is to purchase an indoor
"amplified fm antenna". These usually take the form of a small
square, or rectangular box with a couple of knobs on them, and an ac adapter
that plugs into the wall. Most electronics stores sell some kind of amplified
antenna. The best of them produce results falling roughly midway between the
basic wire "T" antenna, and a good outdoor rig.
I hope some of these reception tips prove useful. Perhaps you've thought
of some that I neglected, or have some personal experiences you think might be
useful. If so, I'd love to hear from you. Write to me c/o WIFM Radio..
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
How good is fm stereo?
Fm stereo has been with us for thirty five years now...since 1962. We
enjoy it in our cars, at home, on walkpersons and boom boxes. But just how good
is the sound quality? Well, as one who listens to fm through high quality
headphones for five hours every morning I've got to tell you...it's better than
you think.
With the introduction of the cd player in 1982 we all became aware of the
potential (though not always realized) advantages of digital audio. No
background noise...nary a tick, pop, or hiss in sight. No audible distortion.
Sound quality that's identical from the beginning of a recording to the end
(Unlike phonograph records which sound far better at the beginning of an album
side than the end because as the stylus travels toward the center of a disc,
music must be compressed into far less linear space than at the beginning of a
side. Think about it, and the reason should be obvious. With the record
spinning at a constant 33 1/3 rpm, there is a much greater distance around the
disc at the beginning of a side than the end. So there is greater room to
encode all the nuances of music.) Plus there's the undeniable coolness factor
of cds. They're just plain fun to use!!! (If you think cds are cool, you ought
to try mini-discs. Cds seem like 78 rpm records in your hand after you've used
them. But that's another story.)
Fm radio can sound nearly indistinguishable from a cd. That's not just my
opinion. Drop by the station sometime and I'll let you compare the sound coming
straight from one of our cd players with the signal that has passed all the way
through our signal chain, been transmitted through the air, and received on a
tuner at our studios. The similarity between what goes in and what comes out
might just surprise you. The major differences you hear are actually
deliberate. We purposely "compress" our audio slightly to even out
differences between loud and soft passages. This accomplishes two things. It
keeps average audio levels high in comparison to the noise level...effectively
extending our coverage area. And it takes into account the actual conditions
under which people listen to radio... noisy cars during rush hour, at low
volumes in offices, and while doing other things at home. Notice that you can
turn the volume on your radio to a very low level and still hear everything.
This is a result of our audio "processing". Try it with a cd on your
stereo and you'll quickly understand why it's an important (probably
indispensable) part of broadcasting. If done properly, the effect is quite
subtle. I should know. I can easily compare "before and after" just
by pushing a button in the control room.
If fm is do darn good, why do we hear so much noise and interference
sometimes? Because fm is only that good (close to digital) when
conditions are ideal. And in the real world of radio reception, they often
aren't. Probably the worst possible environment for radio reception happens to
be the place where a huge percentage of it is done. Moving cars. Reception
conditions constantly change from good to horrible and back again, as signals
bounce off mountains, buildings, you name it on their way to your antenna.
Interestingly, for all it's virtues, plain old am radio has some real
advantages in a moving car. It can be quite noisy of course. But there are some
kinds of distortion unique to fm reception that just don't affect am because
the frequencies used in fm broadcasting are a hundred times higher. The
much lower am frequency spectrum simply isn't as terrain sensitive. I guess we
had to give up something for a medium with low noise, frequency response as
wide as the hearing of most adults, and that easily accommodates stereo while
leaving room for even more information to be transmitted. These
"extra" transmissions take the form of background music, paging
services, talking books for the blind, and other uses that some fm stations put
their extra "subcarriers" to. My only experience with s.c.a. (or
subsidiary communications authority...the legal term for these fm
"extras") was rather bad. A station I worked at in the late 70s had a
background music service. And these transmissions interfered with the main
stereo music programming by producing high frequency noises that could easily
be heard. These are called "birdies" because they sound vaguely like
birds chirping. They're quite disturbing to anyone who cares about sound
quality. I know that equipment manufacturers have improved performance in this
area quite a bit. But still when someone says "s.c.a." I think
"birdies".
So if you have assembled a quality stereo system, but don't have a lot of
money for cds, don't fret. Fm radio is a treasure chest of free music,
entertainment, news, sports, etc. with audio quality that need not apologize to
any other medium. So transparent is the sound quality of fm that the
improvement when we upgraded the cd players in our control room a few months
ago was immediately apparent to everyone. Listeners even called to comment. And
if you can hear (through everything a signal goes through) the quality
differences between cd players, the basic quality of the system must be
quite high. It is. Especially with a quality tuner or receiver and a good
antenna. I'd recommend a good pair of headphones too...my favorite way to
listen. Enjoy!!!!
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Mid-life already?
I know everyone is supposed to go through a mid-life crisis. That time in
our lives when the reality of our own mortality hits. And we realize that a
large percentage of our time on Earth is behind us. Which brings us to ask the
unavoidable (though hardly original) question "What have I done with my
life?"
On balance questioning our choices, re-evaluating our lives, and making
changes based upon what we discover from that evaluation is important. We are
capable of emotional, spiritual, and intellectual growth. All we have to do is
exercise the old "muscles". But the unfortunate fact is that, instead
of growth, this self-examination can lead to self pity, and much time wasted
wallowing in the past. Not that a little wallowing is such a bad thing.
God knows I've done my share of it lately.
Strangely enough, my latest excursion into mental (backward) time travel
has been brought about by the reunion of Fleetwood Mac. These five people were
such a part of my youth that I feel I know them. I know it's silly, but through
their music, interviews I've heard/watched/read, it feels as if they're friends
of mine. Listening to the new cd "The Dance" actually brought tears
to my eyes (what can I say, I'm a sentimental fool anyway). After hearing them
again (in excellent voice, playing very tightly as a unit...and having a ball
doing it), and hearing how the years had matured, and changed them, I couldn't
escape images of my own past. The first time I heard "Say You Love
Me" on the am radio in my black '72 Chevy SS. What a car. What a song.
What a wonderful time to be alive. And young.
After Fleetwood Mac finished, the cd changer switched to "Dreamboat
Annie" by Heart. WOW. What a trip. I had such a crush on Ann
Wilson. Still do, I must confess. Her voice oozes passion. What wonderful
pipes! Without question the most powerful female voice in rock and roll. And
those songs bring such a flood of memories. Hearing "Magic Man" on
the car radio (same Chevy) on the way to a "hot date". Ummm. It's
like it was yesterday. As I listen now I'm hearing "Soul of the Sea".
Great tune. Heck, I may even pull out "Court and Spark" by Joni
Mitchell and complete the "lonely teenager locked in his room"
experience.
Don't get me wrong. I have no desire to return to the past. Unlike many
people my age and older, I believe things are getting BETTER. It's only the
fact that we must lose so much to get where we're going (the future) that
breaks my heart. Friends. Family. Our youth. Innocence. All of these fade to
memories. But what sweet memories...so easily triggered by something as simple
as a song on the radio. Which is one of the things I so love about my
job. Knowing that this emotional connection that music has to each of our lives
can be SHARED....beamed invisibly through thin air. And reminding me that, no
matter what I lose, I am not alone. You're there. And for that I am more
grateful than you can imagine.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
We didn't know them
The tragic death of Princess Diana has brought to mind a curious
phenomenon. Most everyone this week has mourned Diana, prayed for her children,
and wondered about her family's future. But there's something else most of us
have in common. We feel as if we knew her. Just listen to your friends
and co-workers talk about Di. "She was such a good mother", "She
didn't deserve the treatment she got from Charles", "She only wanted
to do good things with her life", "She sought publicity only to
further causes she believed in, and to help others". Oh yeah? How do you
know? Think about it. All of the typical "quotes" above are things we
could really only know about someone we actually know. Was she a
good mother? Only her family and close friends really know that. We saw
only glimpses, and then only when she knew she was being watched. Was she a
helpless victim in the demise of her marriage, or were her (destructive)
contributions equal to Charles'? Before you answer remember the question that
must be asked. How do you know?
I think the truth is that we don't know. Because, in truth, we didn't
know her. The false sense of intimacy created by constant media coverage
merely made us feel as if we did. But whether through attention sought by
Diana, or created by the press without her consent, none of our
"knowlege" of her was unfiltered (by others' points of view) in a way
that input from a real friend is.
Of course Princess Diana isn't the only public figure we feel we knew.
From Harry Truman to Princess Grace, J.F.K. to Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis to
Marilyn Monroe, we all have images of certain famous people's
personalities/likes/dislikes/character traits that are nearly as vivid as those
of our real friends. Those whose words we hear, whose thoughts we share,
and whose flesh we touch in real life.
Is there an exception to this "Don't assume you know them"
rule? I believe there is. Radio. REAL radio involves a personality putting
himself/herself on public display, warts and all. If after "visiting"
with a personality day after day you don't know their spouse's name, political
affiliation, taste in music, favorite movies, sense of humor, kind of car they
drive, etc. then they're not really a personality. It doesn't take a
private investigator to determine if a personality is really being
straight with you, really sharing their unique perspective on life, really
including you in their world. All of us have built in b.s. meters. If we're not
getting the real thing, we can tell. From Paul Harvey to (wash my mouth out)
Howard Stern, real personalities give you a "piece of
themselves" every time they open the microphone. As is their sacred duty.
Because anyone can pop in a cd or cassette and play music. If that's all radio
offers, then it's superfluous. What radio is better at providing than any other
medium is intimacy. A favorite radio show should be like a daily visit with a
friend. Accept nothing less, and we who enjoy this most intimate of media, will
all be better for it.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Righteous Indignation
I have a theory. When we are most passionate about something, when
we most believe we are right, when that righteous indignation has a good
head of steam, that's when we are often most wrong.
Have you ever been so convinced that you were right about something that
your mind couldn't even entertain the possibility that you might be
wrong, only to discover that you you were wrong? Short of zippers and
buttons that aren't positioned as you'd thought, isn't that the most
embarrassing thing possible?
Here is an example of how I've been completely wrong when I was
sure I was right. How often have you heard that the new millennium is coming up
in just three years? January 1st of the year 2000...or so we're told. A couple
of years ago a listener began arguing with me on the air that the new
millennium began in 2001, not 2000. "That's ridiculous" I
replied, certain that nobody could possibly believe that and be sane. Then the
station's private line rang. It was the General Manager, who pointed out to me
that Christ's first year on Earth was year ONE, and that 2000 years from that
is 2001, not 2000. Since there was never a year ZERO, the new millennium in
fact CANNOT begin in 2000. The listener was right. And I was self righteous.
And loud. And WRONG!!! The worst part was that I had to admit it on the air and
then proceed with four more hours of programming. I know the average listener's
attention wasn't frozen in time at that moment when I'd been proven wrong...but
mine was. And my confidence was badly shaken. Which is one of the worst things
that can happen to an on air performer.
We hear others being loud, passionate, AND wrong all the time. From the
poor talk show caller expressing ridiculous opinions with absolute conviction,
to members of a group representing only a small segment of the population who
are convinced that because of their beliefs all of
What's the point? Why am I hung up on this particular subject? Because it
seems to come up and bite me at regular intervals...and without warning. And,
as Murphy's law would have it, it always seems to happen when I think I'm doing
my best work. A recent example...one day last week I did a (I thought) stupid,
harmless joke that was really just a play on words....which I often do because
I enjoy playing with words. "Did you hear about the dyslexic
traveler?" the joke begins. "Went to the store to buy maps, but kept
coming home with Spam." Short, silly, and harmless...or so I thought. A
listener disagreed. "Mr. Walker" the caller exclaimed, "don't
you realize that dyslexia is a REAL learning disability, and that many people's
feelings were just hurt?". "Well....yes and no" came my
reply. "Yes I know that dyslexia is a real problem. But no I
don't think many people's feelings were hurt. The line was obviously done in fun.
The pun was a wordplay, not a slam at dyslexic people."
It seems obvious to me that 1)-I meant NO harm, and 2)-MOST humor is at
someone, or something's expense. From The Three Stooges and Burns and
Allen to Seinfeld, listen and see if some person or group isn't the butt of
almost EVERY joke. Particularly the ones that are funny. And there's nothing
WRONG with that. Especially if the group was used only as a setup device to
explain the premise, and facilitate the punchline.
We all need to lighten up. Geez....I'm visually impaired (legally blind),
but certainly not above blind jokes. I'm a Democrat, but not above taking a few
stabs at them too. If you can't recognize and shine a light on the absurdities
of your own group, (in my opinion) you have no integrity. The other morning to
give "time off from blonde jokes" I did stupid man jokes. I'm definitely
one of them. But pointing out some of the foibles of the masculine gender
didn't hurt me (or anyone else I'm sure) a bit, and (in my opinion) was FUNNY.
A joke that puts down someone for the sake of it IS offensive. But a joke that
singles out a particular individual or group to offer a unique twist, and
facilitate laughter is fundamental to humor. And I'm convinced
that it can't exist without it. Certainly not on my show. I'm absolutely
certain that I'm right. But then, so was the caller. And you know what? One of
us isn't.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
The 70s
The seventies was an important decade for me. I got my driver's license,
had my first date, first kiss, first girlfriend, first broken heart, got
married, graduated from high school and college, and voted in my first
presidential election all during the decade of country rock, southern rock,
disco, and punk. My radio career began in the seventies too, in August of 1974,
here at WIFM. Since my part-time position became full-time in 1975, my senior
year in high school I also somehow squeezed in a fifty plus hour work week. I
didn't sleep much that year, but I sure had fun.
In 1974 WIFM AM was the "primary" station....the big money
maker. It was the station that played rock music, hosted Open Mike, Paul Harvey,
and the races on Sunday afternoons. The FM station was kind of supplemental to
the AM. It simulcast part of the time (carried the same programming), and
switched over to become the "primary" station when the AM wasn't on
the air....such as early mornings and nights. WIFM AM was a daytime station,
only authorized to operate between local sunrise and local sunset. The FM
filled in for the AM when it was down. This was not unusual in small market
radio. In those days the majority of radio listening was still on the AM band,
with FMs left to "nibble at the crumbs" so to speak.
A typical broadcast day at the WIFM of 1974 began at 5:58am when radio
silence was broken (on FM anyway) with the national anthem, followed by ABC
News. At 6:05 "The Good Morning Show" began with Leon
Reece...segueing into "Open Mike" at 6:30. For the first few years of
it's existence "Open Mike" was a half hour show....from 6:30-7:00am.
Twenty five minutes actually. Ralph Shaw did the local news at 6:55. "The Good
Morning Show" resumed from 7am till 8. At times ranging from 6 to
7:45amdepending on the time of local sunrise) the AM station signed on, and
simulcast
At 8am Alan Combs took over the microphone on WIFM AM. Simulcasting ended
at 8am with rock music programming continuing on AM, and country(!) taking over
on FM. The country music came from hour long reel to reel tapes. Alan ran both
stations. In the unlikely event that a commercial was scheduled on FM, he would
run into the FM studio, interrupt the taped country music, and play it. Pretty
slick, huh? NOT!!! But remember, FM was the, er, illegitimate child of
the radio industry. It wasn't until the early eighties that FM and AM reached
audience parity nationally.
At 12 noon Chuck Kenney's show began (on AM), and Wade Chappell began a
live five hour GOSPEL music program on FM. At 5pm the gospel listeners got a
rude awakening as rock music blasted from the same radios that only minutes
earlier had played their favorite hymn. Sound like a weird mix? It WAS.
I thought so at the time. BUT since there were fewer stations in those
days, small market outlets tried to offer something for everybody with so
called "block" programming (a block of one thing, followed by a block
of another). Today's more sophisticated listeners expect a station to
"make up it's mind already", decide what it's image is, and stick
with it. This formula is followed not just in large markets, but in small ones
as well. Finally station owners as well as programmers learned that
"block" programming annoys EVERYONE!!!
At 5pm either Gilvin Couch (prior to 1975) or I (1975-1977) took
the microphone until 12 midnight. I was a part-time announcer prior to Gilvin's
departure in '75, taking the night show full-time after he left. There was some
variation in this....for a time I worked 7 to midnight on and worked in the
office on Saturday mornings for the brief time we kept Saturday office hours.
Gilvin, by the way, is now the Chief Engineer at ABC 45 TV in Winston
In 1976 Chuck and Alan left the station, and a husband and wife were both
hired. Russ Pomeroy and Karen Kelly were dear friends of mine. Karen, now a
minister in Greensboro remains close, as was Russ prior to his death several
years ago.
Karen lead our sales effort, and was a natural....warmly received by
everyone she met. Russ did the 8am-12noon slot on the AM station, and sold and
produced commercials in the afternoons and evenings. Russ was a guiding light
to me, opening my mind to the possibilities of audio production. In those days
WIFM had no dedicated production studio, so commercials were produced in the AM
studio in the evenings after it signed off. This made for some long days, with
various staff members filing in each evening to produce commercials that had
been sold. But it also made for a spirit of great fellowship. We all got o know
and love each other, becoming great friends in a way that I think is rare these
days. Some evenings I was on the air doing my show, Karen was in the "live
studio" voicing a commercial that was being produced by Russ, Ralph Shaw
was in the newsroom digging up stories, and a couple of friends/girlfriends
(his, mine, or both) were chatting in the corner somewhere. These were FUN
DAYS. Days I shall never forget, nor (sadly) likely repeat.
In future columns I'll write more of my recollections from the 70s, and
other former employees will share their own experiences dating back to the
station's birth in 1949.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
The way things sound
Some people are visually oriented. They study the lines, angles, and
colors of all that surrounds them. They observe the motion of objects in
nature....leaves in the wind, clouds sweeping across the sky, flocks of birds
flying overhead. They look for patterns...for visible evidence that their world
isn't random, but has some meaning.
Others are more captivated by sounds they hear. I count myself in this
group. Although I have spent much of my life obsessed with the visual (a
filmmaker from age 12, my diminished vision forced me to put my camera away a
few years ago), today it's sounds that most catch my attention. I listen
intently to everything. When I walk to lunch I sometimes close my eyes, and
concentrate on the sounds of the cars passing by. I can stand facing the road
and, in busy traffic, keep track of how many and what types
(large/small/car/truck) of vehicles are approaching. I'm usually quite good at
it...as I confirm by opening my eyes to verify what my ears have told me.
As I walk I count footsteps, and pay careful attention to how different
they sound on different surfaces...cement sidewalks, asphalt parking lots,
gravel driveways, lawns littered with newly fallen leaves. Each has a different
texture and sound. Each door sounds different when opened, each knob squeaking
and scraping in it's own unique way. I store these sounds in my memory to use
as reference points when doing audio production work. If you is going to try to
recreate sound "effects" in a commercial, it's crucial to be familiar
with the sound in it's natural state. Then you may either choose to capture it
accurately, or (more often), enhance it....bringing out some particularly
interesting characteristics, while suppressing less important ones. Sounds are
routinely "shaped" and "colored" during production to
ensure that each occupies only the intended "space" in the final mix.
This is what a record producer does when recording your favorite musicians.
Today's audio equipment can capture sound with incredible accuracy. Not
just in "spectral" terms.....from the lowest bass to the highest
treble, but also in "spatial" terms...by which I mean placing sounds where
they belong....in front of and to the left, straight ahead of, behind, or
swirling around the listener. These "spatial" treats are run of the
mill stuff for Dolby Pro Logic equipped theaters and home theater systems.
Movies have been encoded with this "surround" sound information for
more than twenty years. Now an increasing number of tv and RADIO programming is
surround encoded as well. Producing this area's first surround sound
commercials has occupied much of my time in our production studio. I
know...most listening is still in stereo or (even) mono. But the sheer number
of home theater systems....virtually all with fm tuners...causes something in
me to scream "GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO LISTEN TO! AND DO IT BEFORE THE
COMPETITION FIGURES OUT HOW!"
So with all this technology, reproduced sound is coming closer and closer
to reality, right? Truthfully (and much to the dismay of audio purists), the
answer is NO. Instead of using audio advancements like noise and distortion
free digital recording, and spatially engulfing surround sound to more closely
simulate real life, the majority of audio producers instead choose to create
"virtual" environments which they consider to be BIGGER, LOUDER,
BASSIER, CRISPER, MORE FULLY SEPARATED, even BETTER than real life. They think
most of us prefer it that way. And my hunch is that they (we) are right.
If you've gotten into home theater, or seen a film lately in a state of
the air cinema (such as some of the ones in our area with digital sound), you
know that when a truck drives by (for instance), the bass rumble will massage
your tummy. I just returned from a long walk down
A commercial with Dustin Atkinson's voice just played on my radio. His
voice was BIG, and FULL with powerful bass...yet crisp, with every syllable
clearly defined. Dustin and I had a conversation a few minutes ago. And he
didn't like that. Sure, you could tell it was the same voice. But that BIGGER
THAN LIFE sound was obviously the result of deliberate "enhancement"
in the production process. You should see what I do to my voice when producing.
Of course if you did, I'd have to shoot you.
Among the most "doctored" of all audio media are the popular
music recordings we hear on the radio, and buy to listen to at home. Every
recording of rock, country, electronic jazz, contemporary Christian, southern
gospel, easy listening, or any other type of music recorded on a
"multitrack" recorder, and mixed down later is HEAVILY
"enhanced". Individual voices are tweaked for maximum impact. The
tonal quality of musical instruments is tailored to prevent their competing
with voices for the same sonic "space". No thought is given as to
where performers stood during recording sessions. Instead a virtual soundstage
is created by the engineer as he/she manipulates knobs to place the lead
singer, bass drum, and kick drum front and center, harmony voices spreading out
to each side, and accompanying instruments in a 180 degree arc behind the
vocalists. None of these spatial relationships existed in real life. But all
are quite vivid when heard on the radio, or your cd player. Only purely
acoustic music such as classical and acoustic jazz routinely escapes these
"enhancement" techniques.
Is electronically manipulating sound wrong? I don't think so. No matter
how much we like to close our eyes and fantasize while listening, live and
electronically reproduced music are different experiences. So different
that accurately recorded sound would probably appeal to us far less than sound
that takes into consideration actual listening circumstances. But whether you
are involved in production of recorded sound, or simply want to achieve the
best results in your listening environment, it's important to remember the way
things sound in real life. Otherwise, how can you fully appreciate the quality
of sound reproduction made possible by today's technology?
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
An act of faith
Doing a daily radio show is an act of faith. Thousands of people may
be listening. And the Earth's rotation may have reversed, then corrected itself
while I slept last night. As I sit at my computer I can prove neither. But I
have faith that one is true, and the other isn't.
An air personality must make a leap of faith each time he/she
opens the microphone. The personality must believe that not only are people
listening, but that he or she has some special insight into what they are
listening for. What would please them, fulfill some need, amuse, excite,
or even incite them? The intuition of a gifted radio personality guides
him or her toward the target (pushing the listener's emotion
"buttons"), as surely as the guidance system in one of Uncle Sam's
smart bombs flies it through the window of an Iraqi building BOOM!!! A direct
hit. Nothing is more satisfying. At least nothing it would be polite to
discuss.
I'm often asked by young people considering radio as a career what they
can expect from the business. The truth is (and it's seldom believed until
experienced first hand) years of sacrifice for very little financial gain, and
a payoff (for a fortunate few) in the form of a job where your talents are
appreciated, and for which you are fairly compensated. Most who enter
broadcasting never find such a job, and leave the business for something easier.
A bitter pill for a fresh faced youngster to swallow? Indeed. But it is
the truth. Let me share with you some of my experiences, which I believe are
fairly typical of those (few) who've actually stayed in the business, and never
given up their dreams, even after decades of abuse.
In 1974 minimum wage was 2.35 an hour. That's what I got. And if they
could've paid me less, they would have. For this princely sum I worked
weekends, every holiday (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc.) In
fact, of the 23 years I've been in radio, I've worked about seventeen
Christmases. And I didn't mind. It was an act of faith. Faith that the path I'd
chosen was the correct one for me, and that the sacrifices were worth it. After
all I got to go on the radio every day. I'd probably have done that for
nothing.
It took several years on the air before my salary level reached that of a
first year school teacher. But at the time it seemed no sacrifice at all. Robin
and I had all the money we needed. We had a roof over our heads, cars
(though sometimes old ones) in the driveway, food in the refrigerator, and
faith....that what we were doing was right. We had money to go to dinner when
we wanted, to see movies, even take modest vacations. For a young couple
to desire more than that would be selfish, wouldn't it?
As my career took me to various stations, and made me a part of various
communities, I discovered that I had "family" wherever I went. I had
faith that if I gave of myself on the air, that gift would be rewarded. And it
was, time and again, with the love and friendship of people I sometimes had
never even met. They truly were, and are my radio family. My
faith that SOMEONE was there was well placed. Those who were
there were kind, generous, and loyal in ways I never deserved...but for which I
shall always be grateful. This generosity was expressed in numerous gifts of
home cooked meals, t shirts and caps from various businesses, cds of music I'd
mentioned on-air that I liked, balloons and cakes on my birthday, cards on
anniversaries and when I'd been sick, sympathy cards at the passing of loved
ones, and many boxes of heartwarming letters. If I never make another dollar,
or speak into the microphone of another radio station, my faith has been
rewarded many times over by the only people I've really ever worked for.
My radio family.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Magic
Imagine that you live in a world where electric lights and indoor
plumbing are cutting edge technology. A world in which the weekly paper, with
stories older than a week by the time they're published, represents the state
of the art in the dissemination of information. A world in which most children
are born not in hospitals, but at home. In this world telephones are those
fancy things rich people use to talk to each other, because nobody else has
them. What you've just imagined is the world our grandparents grew up in. A
world not from another century, but from early in this one.
Our grandparents world one of isolation. So many of what today would be
news events happened completely without their knowledge. After all...there was
no CNN. Peter Jennings didn't visit their living rooms for a half hour each
evening to explain national and world events. In fact the results of
presidential elections were often not known till many days after the fact. But
if the twentieth century has had one theme, it has been change. And an
important one was about to take place. Into the lives of those fortunate to
have witnessed the transition from horses to automobiles, the invention of
motion picturea and manned flight, was about to come a truly magical
invention..
Sometime in the decade of the 1920s (earlier in large cities, later in
rural areas) most Americans were first exposed to the magic of
"wireless". Magic? Certainly. The first broadcasts broke the silence
with voices of new "friends" we'd never met, speaking to us from
great distances, through glowing magic boxes called RADIOS. These voices
traveled through thin air...no wires...no hard connection to the
voices on the other end at all. To a generation still marveling over the
automobile, this was indeed magic.
Suddenly the isolation ended. Information retrieval from great distances
was instantaneous. There was even talk of newspapers becoming obsolete. Even
daily papers contained, in comparison to instantaneous news delivery on radio, history,
not news. This instantaneous information from anywhere on the planet is
still one of radio's greatest strengths...one with which newspapers can never
compete, and with which even today's television broadcasts have failed to catch
up. A recent example...the verdict in the O.J. Simpson case. It came at a time
when almost everyone was at work, with no access to television. More
importantly, radio delivered the news BEFORE tv, and took this information to
it's audience where they were (work, car, outdoors), rather than
requiring they come to it (as with tv).
World War Two forced a new level of maturity upon this still new medium.
From news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt's announcement
of a Declaration of war in 1941, all the way through
For me the Gulf War proved that radio is still a vital pipeline
for information during times of crisis. Each day I spent my lunch hour crouched
over the table in my favorite restaurant, headphones on, listening breathlessly
for each news bulletin. And chilling as these bulletins were, I was incredibly
proud of my profession. Far from being spoiled by modern technology, radio
networks used digital audio and satellite transmission to put the sounds of
battle in our radios with shocking clarity and detail. Bombs whistled,
then exploded, Jet Planes soared through the skies overhead, and Scud missiles
were stopped in mid-air before they could rain death upon the people below. For
all the nightly reports on CNN, and in depth summaries in the morning papers,
it was radio that made the war real to those of us back home, and brought the
news to us.. Just as it's always done. And shall continue to in the
future.
The voices and sounds of real life, beamed to us from anywhere,
through thin air, in real time. Now that's magic.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
I love you, Punkin'
Saturday October 25th was a big day in Elkin. A brand new festival was
begun..."The
Home Recording
In one of the columns that has brought the most comment from readers, I
recommended some of my favorite portable audio equipment. A couple of the
pieces were quite inexpensive. And the inexpensive ones were the ones our
readers actually bought, and reported back to me that they loved...including
the adorable little Radio Shack model 12-917/Sangean SR-77 credit card sized
AM/FM "Walkman" style radio, and Koss "Sport Clip" clip on
earphones (also available at Radio Shack under the "Optimus"
banner.). The most expensive thing I recommended in the article was the one
thing no reader has yet reported buying as a result of it....the Sony MZ-E40
mini disc player. At 199.95 (about 70 percent higher than a good cd portable)
it may not seem like a bargain. But consider the case I made for the mini disc
in my original article
"I don't recommend using cassettes. It's a digital world, and
the writing is on the wall for the lowly analog cassette. A product of the 60s,
the cassette was designed for DICTATION, not for music. If ever a format has
outlived it's usefulness, the cassette is it. Most cassette players are poorly
aligned, and the prerecorded tapes are not only inferior to cds, they also come
in a distant second to lps. Remember those?
So what do I use instead? Mini discs. Mini discs are a largely
misunderstood format. When they were introduced three years ago, many
(mistakenly) thought they were intended to replace cds. Not so. Although they
sound incredible, mini discs record at a much lower data rate than cds, so in
theory they are not their equal (although the conceencus of most is that the
latest generation of recorders sounds identical to cds). This is deliberate.
Sony, which introduced the mini-disc, is also one of the co-inventors of the
cd. They had no interest in replacing them. Their real target was the CASSETTE.
If that point had been driven home at the format's inception, perhaps more
folks would have joined me in my love affair with these tiny wonders.
Look...with mini disc you can record with NO background noise, NO distortion,
NO speed inaccuracies, and NO reliability problems. Think your cds, are rugged?
Mini-discs are enclosed in a plastic carrier similar to a computer
diskette...but much smaller!!! Life expectancy is WELL in excess of a
century. No kidding. The darn things are nearly indestructible. Drop 'em, kick
'em, leave 'em in your car on a day hot enough to melt your cassettes, and they
still play like brand new. Think that's cool? There's more. Mini-discs are non
linear, just like your computer hard drive. So once your discs are recorded,
you can still do some fascinating things with them. Like rearranging the
sequence of songs without re-recording the disc. Try that with a
cassette. Or editing out a verse of a song you don't like. Or even electronically
"labeling" so that the title of the album is displayed when you
insert the disc, and the title of each song is displayed when it's playing. Can
your cassette player do that?"
Since I wrote those words a few months back, the mini disc picture has become
even rosier. Until recently Sony, which originated the format, had been the
only company offering it to American consumers (although several other
companies offered professional machines to the radio the broadcasting and
recording industries.).
In my own studio I use a professional multi track mini disc recorder to
produce radio commercials and other announcements, soundtracks for cable tv
commercials, motivational tapes, audio for video, and music recordings. My
customers rave about the sound quality.
In the last few months Sony has been joined by Sharp, Aiwa, Denon,
Pioneer, Casio, Yamaha, and several other companies in producing products for
an ever expanding market...which now includes boom boxes, car stereos complete
with multi disc changers, shelf and rack systems with cd players and mini disc
recorders (in some systems in addition to cassette, in others in place of it),
home decks, and more.
Sales of mini disc systems to consumers have skyrocketed by 400 percent
from last year. Major electronics chains such as Best Buy are devoting entire
display aisles to the format (including elaborate interactive video
demonstrations). And prices are plummeting. Blank discs are now as low as 4
dollars when bought in five packs (about the same as premium blank cassettes...you
don't use the el-cheapos, do you?). And home decks with sound quality superior
to any cassette deck at any price (including those two thousand dollar
Nakamichis) are just $299 for the Sony model 510 (available for this exact
price at so many dealers that one might wonder if Sony has been dabbling in a
little price fixing).
299 dollars is kind of the jumping off point for cassette decks....where
they begin to aspire to better than pedestrian sound quality. It's about the
minimum that someone serious about home recording would think of spending.
Which is why a full featured mini disc recorder at this price point is such a
milestone. In a side by side comparison, anyone with reasonably good hearing
will immediately recognize the superior quality and VALUE of the mini disc
format. So if you're thinking of buying a new recorder for a music lover on
your Christmas list, please see what mini disc has to offer. He (or she) will
thank you. And if you live with this special person, you'll thank yourself...each
time they play a recording in that most cherished gift from you.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Real Radio
We've grown up in a century with more change than any in history. So much
of what we take for granted in this modern world would simply astound a visitor
from another time. But have we become so indifferent to change that we accept
it even when the new is less satisfying than the old? Take radio
for instance. I've previously discussed the "magic" of radio. Voices
from everywhere, connected to NOTHING. Completely wireless. Compare that with
newer services claiming to be "radio". Distributors of those cute
little mini dish systems are touting them as delivering "radio"
signals at "cd quality". Let's examine those claims and see if they
hold up under the "microscope of truth".
(*Warning: the following is the first and only technical paragraph in
this column.)
Let's start with the claim of "cd quality sound". I'm going to
throw a few numbers at you, but I'll keep it simple. Honest. Trust me. Are you
ready? Here goes. Adult human beings are capable of hearing a frequency range
of approximately 20 hertz (extremely low bass) to 17,000 hertz (treble so high
it vanishes if you turn your head slightly). Cd players are capable of nearly
perfect response from below five hertz (lower bass than our ears can hear) to
20,000 hertz (higher treble than we can hear). In a digital system, the highest
audio signal that can be accurately recorded is slightly less than half of the
sampling frequency. (If you'll grant that that's so, it really isn't necessary
for you to understand the nature of digital sampling to follow my argument.)
The sampling frequency used for cds is 44,100 hertz. That's plenty high enough
to record sound up to 20,000 hertz, higher than the limit of human hearing. But
the so called "cd quality" digital satellite systems use a sampling
frequency of 32,000 hertz. Not only is that not high enough to broadcast
everything we can hear, it actually isn't high enough to exceed, or even meet the
audio fidelity possible with the best fm systems. With a 32,000 hertz sampling
frequency, the highest audio frequency (treble tone) that can be broadcast is
about 14,000 hertz. That's more than half an octave less than cd is capable of,
and slightly less than half an octave less than fm radio. (I could
simply end the argument here, having already proved the claim of "cd
quality audio" to be false. But for argument's sake, let's go a little
farther.) The best fm tuners are capable of receiving audio right up to the highest
frequency we can hear...about 17,000 hertz (even higher in models that use
"pilot tone cancellation"). In addition to falling short of being
able to broadcast the highest tones we can hear, satellite delivered audio uses
"data compression", which deliberately throws away quiet
sounds the system thinks you can't hear. Why does it do this? To allow room to
offer more channels in less space. Let's give the designers the benefit of the
doubt and assume we really couldn't have heard the sounds they deliberately
threw away. Still since cds use no data compression, and record
every sound (including those we can't hear) faithfully at all times,
satellite delivered "radio" broadcasts are demonstrably, and
measurably inferior not only to cd, but in some respects to current fm radio.
(*End of technical paragraph.)
So satellite delivered audio clearly isn't "cd quality".
Not let's examine a perhaps even more fundamental question. Is it RADIO? Well,
how would you define radio? Perhaps a service that offers not only your
favorite music, but also a friendly voice when you're lonely, weather forecasts
when you need it, national and local news, ball games and sports scores
from your favorite teams, plus contests you can play for prizes? Does
that sound like radio to you? Of course to be able to enjoy these services anywhere
at any time, REAL RADIO must be completely portable...able to
receive programs at home, in the car, outdoors on the walkman or boom box, on
your desk at work, even in the shower. Wouldn't you agree that real radio
must be capable of delivering all of the above? Well conventional radio
can do all of that and more. But how many items on the list can our cute little
mini dish provide? By my count only ONE. Music. And even that is
sequenced not by a human being that knows which songs sound good back to back,
and certainly not by your requests, but by a bank of cd players playing cuts randomly,
without even a clue as to what song you're hearing. I ask you, IS THAT
RADIO????
Don't get me wrong. I love mini dishes. They are light years head of
conventional tv in technical terms. But the audio services available on them aren't
cd quality, and they aren't radio, exactly what are they?
Er.....cheap?
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Thanks
When I first started in broadcasting in '74, the "Christmas
Rush" pretty much referred to the period between Thanksgiving and
Christmas. I've been keeping (approximate) track each year of when the first
advertisements begin to mention Christmas. This year I produced several
commercials mentioning Christmas Shopping well before Halloween. Now I
don't mean to criticize advertising, and certainly not advertisers. They have
kept a roof over my head and food on the table for many years. But I do
think that pushing the Christmas season back too far is a mistake. In doing so,
something important gets lost. That something is Thanksgiving.
I have such warm memories of Thanksgiving as a child. Sitting around the
big table in the dining room/den at my grandparent's house...everyone laughing,
and catching up on new developments in our lives. After lunch, the men (and
boys) would do something as a group. Usually it involved target shooting in a
big field below the house. Never mind that I grew up in Ronda, and that discharging
firearms in the city limits was illegal. On Thanksgiving nobody seemed to mind.
The passage of time brings about so much change. As Joni Mitchell puts it
in "Both Sides Now" "Something's lost, but something's gained in
living every day". The trick to appreciating the gifts in our lives is to
concentrate on what's gained, and accept the losses gracefully. After all, each
of us are blessed. There is so much right in our lives, and our world
that giving thanks is important. Even for someone without a strong religious
faith, the appreciation of what's good and right in the world should bring
peace and comfort. With this in mind, I'd like to share with you some of what
I'm thankful for.
I'm thankful to live in a country where I am free to live my life as I
choose, and where control of my destiny rests almost entirely in my hands. I'm
thankful for the love of my mother, and the powerful memory of my late father,
whose presence in my life is felt each day. Dad, you'll live forever in my
thoughts and dreams. I'm thankful for the strong moral leadership and
unconditional love of my grandfather, the most devastating loss in my life this
year. I'm thankful that almost exactly 20 years ago, November 25th 1977, a
brown eyed beauty named Robin became my wife. Sweetheart, you've changed my
life forever. I have no idea what I'd have become without you, and no desire to
know. I'm thankful for my sister Lisa, my brothers and sisters in law...Ronnie,
Patricia, Ramona, and Greg, and for the wonderful nieces and nephews they've
brought into my life.....Alicia, Emma, Calvin, and Scott.
I'm thankful that I have an outlet for my ideas and creativity. Two of
them in fact...my on air work on WIFM, and column here in 'What's in it for
Me?' I'm thankful for a radio family that has been so loyal to me through the
years, even going to bat for me when I needed it. Whenever I don't do my best
work, I feel that I've let them down. I vow to do everything possible to keep
those times to a minimum.
I'm thankful for good friends with whom any thought can be shared without
scorn or judgment. I'm thankful for Dustin Atkinson, whose help at work makes
it possible for me to continue functioning at my (declining) peak, despite the
creeping progress of my disability (R-P, a degenerative retinal disorder that's
slowly robbing me of my vision.) Dustin, I thank God for you, but don't thank you
often enough.
I'm thankful for our home. Humble though it may be, it's kept us safe and
warm through good weather and bad...including a blizzard and even a hurricane!
Stresses clearly not envisioned by those who built it.
I'm thankful that my dog Megan survived her recent surgery. In lieu of
children, she, our cats Tiffany and
I'm thankful for the love of God, whose presence I feel in my life, and
whose guidance I must learn to follow more closely.
And I'm thankful for your patience in reading my column. I'm a
"radio man" through and through. Although much of my leisure time is
spent reading, prior to the advent of this publication becoming involved in
print media never crossed my mind. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement.
I hope in time to actually earn them.
Happy Thanksgiving. And may God bless you and your family.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Two reasons to listen
Ok, here's a radical idea. Advertising is good. Even helpful. And we all
benefit from it in ways we don't even realize. It's fun to criticize, and
everyone does. But without it we'd be largely lost. Think that's an outrageous
claim? Good. Then changing your mind should prove a challenge. And I love
a challenge.
When you're looking for a car, what do you do? I'll bet you listen
carefully to the radio commercials, drool over the shiny new models on tv, and
check for deals in your local paper. You probably do the same when shopping for
a computer, tv, refrigerator, furniture, or any number of other things. Without
thinking about it, you use the advertising we've all complained about as a tool
to help you.
I can think of many times when a commercial on the radio or tv caused me
to purchase an item I'd been thinking about, eat at a new restaurant, see a
movie, or attend a concert or other event. The most recent example was just
last week. The vcr in our bedroom died for the second time in a year. Enough
already! The last repair was a hundred bucks! Then I remembered a radio
commercial I'd done for a client. They had a hi fi stereo vcr for $199! A new
vcr for the price of repairing the eleven year old one twice. Seemed like a
great idea. What clinched it was hearing that spot on the radio. Even
though it was my voice, the argument seem persuasive, so I bought it!
Radio commercials have helped me make up my mind in elections too. Not
that I consider myself gullible, but those little 30 or 60 second
"speeches" by candidates, which by law cannot be edited without
their consent, are valuable, if not necessarily truthful.
Of all advertising media, radio commercials have a special place in my
heart. In part because they (in the hands of a skilled producer) can be wired
directly into the listener's imagination. Well chosen words, and careful
layering of sound effects and music can actually create pictures in the minds
of listeners. And since these pictures are the product of each individual's
imagination, they are automatically customized into a form with optimum
aesthetic appeal to each. No tv commercial or print ad can do that. Once an
image becomes concrete (on the page or screen), then it looks the way it looks,
rather than how an individual would like it to look.
So what's the point of all this? I'd like you to think of advertising on
radio in a different light during this Christmas season. Think of it as a
shopper's guide. And unlike print or tv, radio advertising actually reaches you
when you're in your car on the way to make a purchase. What could be
more ideal than a guide to what to purchase at the exact time you're
making the decision to purchase? If you think that's overstating the
case for radio ads a bit, try this. Next time you're on your way to shop,
listen...really listen to a commercial break. I'll wager that at least
one of the ads in the break will give you an idea of something to purchase. Try
it and see!
Plus there's another reason to listen to radio, particularly WIFM now.
Again this year we're offering more Christmas music than ANY OTHER STATION ON THE
RADIO. We know this time of year is special, and that Christmas music is
crucial to the mood and spirit of the season. Since the other stations don't,
and apparently never will "get it", aren't you glad that we do
at WIFM? So lock your radio on 100.9 fm. If you haven't given us a preset yet,
DO IT NOW!!! And enjoy two great seasonal services.....Christmas music, and
a "talking shopper's guide".
Radio Daze
By Mike Walker
The Dark Side
One my primary goals in writing 'Radio Daze' has been to give you an
accurate picture of what life in a radio station is like, from the perspective
of one who's worked in them daily for all of his adult life. I've told you how
much fun being on the air can be. I've told you how rewarding long term
relationships with listeners can be, and how good it feels to be recognized,
appreciated, and even paid for a job I'd probably do for free. But there is
definitely a dark side to being a radio personality. And the inside picture I
paint for you wouldn't be complete without it. So....here goes.
We all have a need for privacy. Parts of our lives are not for public
consumption. But I've long since accepted that allowing listeners access to
parts of me that ordinarily would be shared only with close friends is a part
of my job description. Real life experiences, thoughts, joys, and
disappointments are things that a successful radio personality must
share. And they must be truthful...from the heart. Because listeners can tell
the difference. Radio is the most intimate of all media. To a listener, a radio
show should be a daily visit with a friend. Friends share things with each
other. Personal things.
This bond of friendship is largely real. Over time I have come to know
listeners and interact with them regularly. And they have come to trust me.
They know that if they call me on air, I won't take advantage of them. It's
very easy for one in my position to make a caller look bad. After all, I have
total control over where the conversation goes, who gets heard, and when it
ends. If a caller is scoring points against me, or if I simply don't like what
they're saying, I simply pull back a fader on my audio console, and their voice
fades behind mine. Remember, when you call a radio show the relationship
between you and the host is never equal. Callers are never in
control. This is another reason why trust is so important.
However the friendship bond is at least partially illusion. No
personality knows, or ever will know, most of the people who listen. But even
for the vast majority who never interact with a radio host, the illusion
of a relationship (between host and listener) can be quite strong. Songs
have been written about this. "Pilot of the airwaves" by Charlie Dore
springs to mind.
"Pilot of the airwaves,
here is my request.
You don't have to play it,
but I hope you'll do your best.
I've been listening to your show on the radio,
and you sound like a friend to me"
Letting strangers into my life (through my work) has caused
problems. Some were small and annoying, but others were large and scary. My
life has been threatened several times by anonymous callers. The most
frightening of these incidents came about seventeen years ago, when a caller
said he was watching me, and that I wouldn't leave the station alive. My crime?
I didn't play his request! Since both my movements and the control room could
be seen clearly from outside, I took this threat quite seriously. Especially
since it came at about 1am...when I was alone in the building. I turned off all
the lights, and called the police. Fortunately the caller was wrong. I did make
it home safely.
I've received obscene phone calls in the middle of the night.
Consequently my phone number has been unlisted for a years. However, even an
unlisted number is no guarantee that a determined caller can't reach you.
Friends, family members, and even co-workers have given out my number without
thinking. As a result strange, accusing phone messages have been left on my
answering machine as recently as last week. Police are investigating. We
already know where the calls have come from.
Odd letters have been sent to my wife....with words spelled from
characters cut from newspapers and magazines, just like on tv.
Anonymous angry complaints have been phoned, or mailed, to employers.
Fortunately most experienced station owners ignore them. After all everyone
should be able to face their accusers. Even disc jockeys.
The truth is that complaints to employers are (for me anyway) far
less troubling than those that come to me directly. Callers can be really mean.
And, contrary to what you may believe, radio personalities as a group are
sensitive people whose lives, livelihood, and self image depend upon the
approval of others. Nasty, antagonistic phone calls are painful.
Consequently they're also errective at attacking that most essential on
air tool....self confidence.
So there you have "the dark side" of my business. And my
experiences aren't unique. Friends of mine who also have enjoyed long careers
tell remarkably similar stories. Don't get me wrong...radio is a
rewarding, satisfying career. I don't regret choosing it for a moment. But
there is a price paid by those of us who've been on the air a long time. Is it
worth it? My answer to to that question depends largely upon when it's asked!
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
I remember
I've been obsessed with radio since I was a kid. Voices that came out of
the "magic box" seemed somehow more important than those that didn't.
I knew that one day my voice would come from there too. Because of this lasting
passion for radio, my memories of the way things used to be are as vivid as the
pictures in an old photo album. And as sweet as those invoked by the image of
any old sweetheart found there.
I remember when tubes in the family radio glowed a magical gold/orange,
and produced the warmth of a space heater. I remember when the only
place to hear the latest hits was am, because all the fm band had to offer was
elevator music. I remember when WTQR was WSJS fm, and played jazz. I
remember when Barney Hall was a disc jockey at WIFM, and had never done a race.
I remember when a young man named Rick Dees worked for 150 bucks a week at WTOB
in Winston Salem, and WCOG in Greensboro...before his first taste of fame at
stations in Memphis (where he worked when he recorded the number one hit
"Disco Duck"), and eventually Los Angeles...where for nearly two
decades he's dominated mornings on KIIS.
I remember when Jay Thomas did mornings at 61-BIG WAYS in Charlotte
(before becoming a tv and movie star), and when Morton Downey Jr. was a kind,
soft spoken talk show host at the same station.
I remember when hearing the hits in this area at night meant listening to
clear channel am stations from many miles away. As a teenager names like John
'Records' Landecker and Larry Lujack (WLS/Chicago), The Spiderman
(WLAC/Nashville), and even Wolfman Jack (XERB/Tijuana, and later WNBC/
When I was young, the hottest stations in
I remember the real "Murphy in the Morning"...Robert
Murphy from WAYS/WROQ in
Most of all I remember radio. REAL RADIO. The kind that's
loud, fun, and not afraid of stepping on toes. The kind you just can't forget.
Even today, when everything's quiet,
unforgettable jingles echo through my mind. "89....WLS
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Bittersweet Christmas
"It's the most wonderful time of the year". At least the song
tells us so. And when everyone in the family is healthy, home, and safe, it's
true. But the holidays can also be the loneliest, saddest time of the year.
I've heard people say that before. Now I know what they mean.
Ten years ago (1987) it was a Christmas much like any since childhood.
Yes, it was sadder since my mother's parents had died, but the rest of my
family was intact. As always we celebrated Christmas at my parent's home on
As fate would have it, this joyous Christmas celebration in 1987 was the
last my father would ever see. He died less than three months later....at age
52. Nobody ever loved Christmas, or me, more than my dad.
Three years later the retinitis pigmentossa that had been diagnosed the
year my father died had diminished my vision sufficiently that I couldn't
drive. Ever. At age 32 I learned that I would never again be able to travel
without relying upon someone else. Since then my vision has decreased with each
passing year. My latest battle is to retain the ability to read. Eventually
I'll lose that one too.
The 90s were no kinder to my family. The decade claimed the lives of both
of my aunts, my only surviving uncle, my wife's father, and most recently both
of my father's parents. This was the first Christmas without my grandfather,
whom I've spoken of previously in this column.
So what's the point of all this? That I'm wallowing in self pity, and
that I suffered through Christmas? Absolutely not. Far from it. I loved
Christmas this year, as in all the years that came before. There is new life in
the family to celebrate. This was the first Christmas for my two month old
nephew Calvin, named for my wife's late father. And again this year seeing
Christmas through the eyes of my nephew Scott, and my niece Emma (ages 7 and 4)
made everything else worthwhile. As always these sweet, loving feelings
dominated my thoughts. It's just that they never again will be the only
feelings. I know that for all the rest of my life's Christmases I'll also think
of what's been lost. So forever Christmas, and life, will be bitter as well as
sweet. That I suppose is a lesson that can only be taught by time.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Loopholes and such
I love loopholes. I love them so much that I perhaps should've been a
lawyer. Or an accountant.
In radio, as in other fields, there are certain things you just don't do.
Like mentioning on the air that an Arbitron rating period is going on. In fact,
stations that break this rule are "delisted". Their station's ratings
are removed from the list of those rated, regardless of how well they did. The
most you can legally do is say something like "Our frequency is
100.9fm, our call letters are WIFM, our name is 100.9, WIFM. Write it
down". When you hear stations say things like that what they mean, but
are forbidden to say, is write it down accurately in your Arbitron diary (if
you're one of the people chosen to keep one) so that the station will get
credit for the time you spend listening. We have run announcements like this in
the past, as have many other stations. So here's what we are forbidden to say
on the radio.....if you keep an Arbitron diary, write down 100.9 for frequency,
and WIFM for call letters WHENEVER you listen to us. We appreciate you
listening. But also NEED credit for the time you spend listening. It helps us
sell advertising time, particularly to ad agencies. And it also helps insure
that the programming, and people you enjoy will continue to be heard. Including
me.
Music and the savage beast
I love music. That's not an absolute requirement in my job, but it sure
helps. I listen to a wide variety of music, not just the type we play. My
career has taken me to stations with a variety of formats, and exposed me to
artists and songs that I probably wouldn't have come across otherwise. Like
country, for instance. Although country music is hardly exotic around here, it
wasn't played in my home growing up, so I simply wasn't exposed to it until
marriage and work took me away from home. In 1978 I was promoted from the
9pm-2am slot on fm album rock station, to afternoon drive time on the sister am
country station. Suddenly my headphones pounded Dolly Parton, The Kendalls,
Emmylou Harris, Dave and Sugar (anybody remember them?), and Dottie West into
my brain for four hours a day instead of Styx, Kansas, Steely Dan, Little Feat,
and Boston. Once past the initial shock, I found that I liked it. Really liked
it.
After that brief exposure to country, it was back to "playin' the
hits" on a pop/rock station in another market. But the country experience stayed
with me. When I wasn't on the air, I often punched up WSOC-FM (
Anyway, in the fall of 1988 I again found myself at a country station,
this time doing the morning show on a 100,000 watt fm powerhouse. I loved the
experience. And because of it my interest in country music flourished. By the
late 80s/early 90s my music purchases were split roughly 50/50 between pop and
country. And that's true to this day. It isn't that I prefer one over the
other. I have a strong appetite for both. As an example, I'll tell you
what's been spinning in my cd changer at the house recently.
For Christmas I received the new Shania Twain cd, "Come on
Over". It is so much FUN. If you're a pop/rock fan who's been drawn to
Garth Brooks because of the energy level of his performances, you might want to
check this one out. Shania may not be a great songwriter. Oftenlyrics are kind
of clumsy. And she certainly doesn't write the most memorable melodies I've
ever heard. But IT DOESN'T MATTER. She sings with such pure joy and passion
that you can't help but listen. Nothing grabs my attention like a musician who
really loves what they're doing. Shania Twain does. And because she does, so do
those who listen. This album is FUN!!!! It's sequenced very much like a disco
album (I mean that as a compliment.) Just as many of the best dance-music
albums of the late 70s were a continuous program rather than a collection of
unrelated songs, so is this album. The songs were created and crafted to sit
next to each other...even bump into each other. Usually there's no break at all
between tunes. And there's a full hour of music on this disc....SIXTEEN SONGS!
What a great value! If you're looking for a disc that'll make you feel good, or
one you can put on and dance to all the way through, this is it! Listen for
yourself and see if you don't agree.
For Christmas I also received a remastered copy of perhaps my favorite
album of all time...."Court and Spark", by Joni Mitchell. This is one
of the most admired, and imitated pop/rock/folk albums ever. I still hear new
songs on the radio and think "they learned that from Joni Mitchell".
If Shania Twain is a little clumsy lyrically, Joni Mitchell is just the
opposite. Her lyrics stand on their own as poetry. When married to the
haunting, richly textured song structures of "Court and Spark", they
are simply magic From the hits "Free Man in Paris", and "Car on
a hill", to album cuts like "Just like this train", and the
unforgettable "People's Parties/Same Situation" which has echoed
through my my mind since I first heard it at age 16, this is an album to both
inspire and intimidate each new generation of songwriters. If you own this
album, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, you should buy it. Even
if you do own "Court and Spark" on cd, or especially lp, you
should buy the newly remastered version on the DCC Compact Classsics label.
It's about 30 bucks, and worth every cent. The original cd of "Court and
Spark" was mastered and released in the early 80s. Like many of the early
cd reissues, the sound quality wasn't what it should've been. In fact, my old
lp sounded better. No more! The DCC version was lovingly transferred from the
original stereo master tape using only the finest equipment....including a reel
to reel tape machine with tube electronics. It sounds exquisite. A night and
day improvement over the original cd release. Finally my favorite album is as
rewarding sonically as musically. Now my 24 year old lp can take a much needed
rest.
What are you listening to? I'd love to hear from you. My e-mail address
is RadioGiant@aol.com. Or you can write to me here at WIFM/What's in it for me.
Radio Daze
by Mike Walker
Experience has it's advantages!
I'm a bit of a showoff. That someone in my line of work has this
character flaw probably comes as no surprise. I like to put my own stamp on
things. And having been in the business for 24 years, I'd like to think I've
learned a trick or two. It's fun to pull one of them out now and then, as kind
of a demonstration of my own self worth. Does that make sense? Let me give you
a recent example.
I've previously written of some of my adventures in audio production. One
of our account executives recently brought me another challenge that I found
particularly rewarding to meet. When other members of the staff told me what
was asked was "impossible", I smiled. That others perceive it this
way would make accomplishing the task even more satisfying.
The account exec. turned in an order, attached to a tape of a commercial
produced by another radio station. This was a fully produced spot with sound
effects, etc. On it was a conversation between a man and a woman. My
instructions were to replace the man's voice with my own, while preserving the
woman's voice. The goal was for it to sound as if I'd produced the commercial with
our friend from the other station, while leaving her former companion on the
"cutting room floor".
I played the tape for Dustin. The voices were NOT separated in time.
Often the man and woman on the original commercial spoke at the same time,
their voices overlapping. Dustin said "there's no way to separate them. It
can't be done". The more of that I heard, the more satisfaction I knew I
could take in the eventual outcome. The job WAS done. Not only that, the
finished product is in vivid stereo (the original tape was in mono), and has
sound effects that are far more realistic than before. I not only accomplished
the task, I improved the spot. Here's how.
First I copied the tape into our Trakstar digital workstation (a computer
designed for audio production/editing/manipulation.) This device has a
"scrub" function, which allows you to run audio forward or backward
just by clicking on either the right or left mouse buttons. I took advantage of
this by copying JUST the woman's voice from the Trakstar onto one track of our
reel to reel multitrack tape recorder, line by line. Each time I copied one of
her lines, I'd go to another tape track and put down my corresponding line.
Little by little it sounded as if she and I actually had been in the room
together. What about the voice overlap on the original tape? How did I remove
all traces of the original male announcer's voice at the transition points?
Ok...here's the "big" secret. I DIDN'T. It wasn't necessary. Since
all that was left were tiny fragments of words, the only thing necessary for
his words to (apparently) disappear behind mine was for me to say the exact
same word at the exact same time. The mind of the listener will then focus on
the complete word, so the fragment seems to disappear. I'd done it before, so I
knew it would work. And it did! Listening to the combined tracks through my
headphones at very high volumes, I no longer heard his voice...just mine and
the female announcer's. (Of course if you subtracted my voice from the mix, the
remaining word fragments could be very clearly heard.)
So two things had been accomplished. My voice had effectively replaced
the original male announcer's voice, plus I had the male and female
voices on separate tape tracks, so they could each be placed anywhere between
the two speakers I wished in the stereo mix. Since the original was in mono,
both voices came from dead center. In the commercial the man and woman are in
two different cars at an intersection yelling at each other. So having both
voices come from the same point in space is hardly realistic! I had in my mind
a rough idea of where everything would go, but the final decision of course
would wait for the mix....the final step in producing a commercial (or a music
recording for that matter), when all of the tape tracks are combined into one
stereo program. It's kind of like cooking, actually. This much of this, that
much of that. This knob makes it sound "fuller", that one makes it
"crisper".
The next step was to deal with the sound effects. As I said, the original
commercial had sound effects....traffic noises, horns, etc. In separating the
male and female voices from the original tape, I'd punched MANY holes in the
sound effects. Every time the female announcer spoke you heard traffic noise,
but when I spoke there was dead silence. This is another reason others thought
this project was "impossible". But again, experience had taught me a
couple of tricks about "covering my tracks", so to speak. I knew the
way to mask the holes in the original sound effects was to add another layer of
more vivid, stereo sound effects which were continuous. These were
copied onto two more tracks of the reel to reel recorder. At times when there
was a risk of hearing the holes chopped in the original, I'd increase the
volume level of my new layer of sound. In a couple of places I inserted car
horns and screeches to mask my edits. Again, success was achieved! The original
sound effects had effectively been replaced by a new, realistic sounding layer
of stereo effects. At this point all tape tracks were full, so it was time for
the first "sub mix". The tracks of voices and stereo effects were
mixed down to a single stereo file in the Trakstar, making adjustments to the
tonal balance (bass/treble/midrange), along the way. Also at this point, the
placement of both people in the mix (between the left and right speakers) was
decided.
The combined stereo mix was then copied BACK onto two tracks of the reel
to reel to allow the addition of a final element....a nice music background.
Since the original commercial had no music, I was convinced this would add an
extra layer of polish to the final spot. A music bed was selected, and copied
onto the reel to reel, then the final mix pass was made, combining the pre
mixed voice and sound effects tracks with the new music tracks into the final
stereo commercial. The result? The client (and account exec) were happy, Dustin
was amazed, and I was, er, able to show off. Something I've been known to do
now and then! You may not be able to "teach an old dog new tricks".
But don't discount the value of the old ones he may have learned along the way!