King of all Peanut Whistles

Talk about a peanut whistle. I worked a year at this particular 2,500 watt gem. We had local news, Southern Gospel music, a Swap Shop and daily obituaries. The news wasn't from a teletype or our own reporters. No, we read it directly from the newspaper. Verbatim. A few years before the dot com boom one of my fellow staff members commented on the state of our programming. The idea of a good ole country station was a relic of a bygone era. The world was now more accessible thanks to new technologies. I don't agree with him totally because stations such as this have their own unique charm. My friend Jim did get it right on one point though, we are a more enlightened society thanks to outlets such as CNN and other TV cable networks readily available then. It was 1992 and the World Wide Web and Fox News were a few years off. The context of his remarks was framed by people who he had observed overstating their "country" heritage by feigning ignorance, although being just as enlightened as city folks.

I was a bit of a snob then and saw this station a road block in my career.  The WBKI culture was an adjustment and was a step down from a purely business perspective. I later adopted their style and grew to appreciate their way of doing things. A few of the more countrified elements were weeded out and we became more "sophisticated." The home spun morning DJ resigned shortly after some heated debate with me. I viewed him as a local yokel. He was blissfully ignorant but the people loved him. The station fell into decline and eventually folded. My guess is that we didn't give the listeners what they wanted or maybe poor management was to blame. Who knows? Our GM saw the futility of the situation early on and probably mentally quit long before our demise. To borrow from the famous TV show WKRP in Cincinnati this guy was "town to town, up and down the dial". Success eluded David. We had worked together before. I witnessed his slow decline at my previous radio gig and now doubt my own wisdom in hitching to his star. However, I learned a lot from him and consider him a mentor. He allowed circumstances to limit him. I missed the control I had as a program director at my two previous jobs and felt the air chair was a handicap. For the first time in 6 years I was "just" a dee jay.

Stay tuned!

J900 CHR Christian Aircheck

The Spec Check

 Welcome to Gospel Aircheck! I’ve probably logged more hours in the production room than all my on air studio time and live remote appearances combined. I love the intricacy of audio production and have learned far more in perfecting a 30 second spot by tweaking all the elements that go into these sound vignettes than these other experiences. I was building a music bed and sound effects under a perfectly timed vocal track(s) into the wee hours of the morning following sometimes during my air shift. Most of these projects were aired but a few became what is known as spec spots. Spec is shorthand for speculative, a what if demonstration of what I could do, normally pitched to new clients. Most Radio and TV insiders are familiar with the term.

 Yet, I’ve created another concept that combines spec and aircheck known as the Spec Check. Having the station all to myself in the early days during some marathon session of brokered shows I decided to run some format scenarios. The most famous of these was combining then current Contemporary Christian with the popular CHR (Contemporary Hit Radio) secular format. It was a stretch for my voice talent though I had never heard this hyped sound unified with CCM. My real  J-900 shows from Savannah, GA, came close.

 Unfortunately, Christian music on the radio has had the most bland DJ’s on the planet. I wanted to change all this by making an audio presentation never intended to air kept in my personal archive. I am in the process of scoping (editing down to vocal breaks) these fake shows and will present these an episode of the podcast.

Stay tuned.

Download Spec Check Scoped Digital Dub.mp3 from FileFactory.com

Right Vs. Left

This blog is not political.  I'm not refering to liberal vs. conservative. It is said the the human brain has two hemispheres. The left reported to control the logical, analytical, pratical side of the psyche and the right the creative, artistic mind. Some individuals are more left brained while others are mostly right brained. Scientists say that the left controls the right side of the body while the right does the opposite. That explains, in part, why most left-handed people I've known, including me, are artistic. Of course a few righties break the mold. 

In the world of radio the left vs. right brain people are represented in an epic battle of control of the station. The left brained, practical are usually account exectutives (sales people) and management while the right brained are the DJ's, producers and creative talent. We creative types are somewhat resentful of the sales staff. If sales had their way content would be all commercials. More than a few salespeople have commented to me that music is "just filler between commercials." Yes, I know ads pay our salaries, but come on isn't it all about theatre of the mind, word pictures? Music, man, is the thing. Obviously, we've made creative inroads into commercials but we true DJ's love expressing our musical knowledge to listners without interuption of flow. The true talents in my mind are a meld of the two. The great talents have always been the ones who are equally comfortable in the studio and the field. They are salesmen with talent. I've know only a handfull of these hybrids and would populate a dream station with these all stars. Truth is we all need to be salespeople, otherwise, what are we doing in media?

Welcome to the newly renamed Radio Rewind. Even though I've spent a majority of my career in stations that were programmed for a Christian audience I still believe that radio is radio. I'm going to share my airchecks and speculative demos and ideas in this forum and invite you to subscribe. This is not a religious or political weblog just a chronical of my life experiences in and around the audio world I love.

A Rose by any Other Name

(My random musings on relevancy of GR)

Gospel Rewind has become a bit of a misnomer. In a way it limits what this weblog is all about. At one time the name captured what I wanted to write. Now, in order to expand my subject matter I’ve considered a new blog entirely.

What is ‘Rewind all about? Well, mainly it captures my experiences in radio and music both as a participant and observer. The problem a lot of people see the term “Gospel” differently. Gospel to the mainstream media connotes the work of African American singing talents only, while ignoring the other traditions of the genre. With the exception of the Happy Goodman family in the 60’s and 70’s and some Nashville Network (on cable in the 80’s and 90’s) I can not recall any major television network coverage of Southern Gospel.  The New York, Washington DC, and Los Angeles based news media are just unaware.

Playing the Southern format on radio has been for me an uphill battle. This form of music I learned to like as part of my job will probably never have the exposure of some better promoted artists. The one time I delved into a secular format in 1991 I was a fish out of water. I flopped and shortly left the station feeling that I betrayed the Gospel community.

The eclectic collection of music I listen to in my home and car would never work as a radio format. Most Disk Jockeys I’ve known have broad tastes just as I do and will tell you that they don’t necessarily groove to the same tunes you hear them air. It’s the same as a guy who works in a pizza place does not always dine on pizza. The problem with my career path is that I dined on too much of the same things and limited my options in radio. A lot of good Christian folks find the following notion taboo. My insistence on remaining in Christian radio limited me. When I left the business the first time 14 years ago I transitioned into retail. I didn’t sell “Christian” auto parts. I sold to people, without considering their religious leanings. Why then would I feel so guilty playing secular music? Retailing so long has given me a perspective on my former career that I never knew. Branding. Marketing. I can be a Disk Jockey and programmer who chooses to be a Christian working in a secular world. Re-branding this blog is a possibility due to the narrow focus of the name. By the way, when I was on traditional AM radio I never used it for personal music listening, only as a source for news and talk. My mix cassettes and later CD’s kept me entertained. Even then I saw myself as a hypocrite. How could I sell a product in which I did not believe? By the mid 80’s AM radio was mostly abandoned by music providers and was never the choice of audiophiles such as myself. With the exit to FM of most all Top 40 outfits all that was left on AM was religious and talk stations. Understand I love Christian music, just not amid the static and limited audio quality of AM. Plus brokered preaching shows are not my cup of tea. As a matter of fact most radio music lovers would be appalled to know the very common radio expression, “Music is just filler between commercials.” A lot of radio account executives don’t even like music! That indifference may be the cause of the recent (apparent) demise of my beloved radio.

A few have migrated to the Internet for music. I don’t think it spells the end of terrestrial broadcasting as I once thought due to the overwhelming choices and the ‘nets inability to reach the masses as AM & FM so easily does. Use the Internet as a complimentary technology when you want a VERY specific format, such as I attempted with the Classic Gospel on the GRIN.

I’ve rambled on too much in getting to the point that this blog will continue to present readers with my unfiltered views unlimited by the name. I’ll keep Gospel Rewind for now. I do promise transparency and honesty that I was never afforded before when sponsors controlled my world. More than anything, ‘Rewind is all about my coming to terms with maturity through reflecting on the past and how it affects the present and future. Many of the restrictions I learned in my developing years, often self-taught, are completely bogus and serve as an example of what not to do in rearing my own kids, for instance. If no one reads this blog but me it will have served a noble purpose indeed. My search for wisdom that transcends the temporal continues…

What's a peanut whistle?

I'm glad you asked. A peanut whistle is a radio station with limited power or listenership or both. It might have the best staff or talent but simply lacks enough umph to reach a broader audience. These media outlets are usually located out in the sticks. These are the places I've hung my hat as a DJ and programmer most often. I've led some very talented people. Some great and near great talents. 

These places are usually programmed for a rural audience. So, I'm not sure if they exist at all any more due to the consolidation of ownership permitted by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The FCC decided to allow ownership of several radio or TV stations in one market. Large corporations have gulped up these peanut whistles at an alarming rate. It wasn't video that killed the radio star, it was corporate greed. More to come. Stay tuned...