Air check elements

As a PD I always liked when I got a demo that was a complete "show" and not a best of tape.  It's real easy to take out all the screw-ups but a PD is going to want to hear how you handle them.  Some of the best announcers in the Charlotte, NC market where I PD'd and did the morning show last where decidedly not "perfect".  

You're having a conversation with someone when you're on the air... there's just a bunch of equipment and 100,000 Watts between you and them.  Communicate, be natural.

Jon Ramer

Oh, and more than a second of any song or spot (unless you voiced it) is to much... we're very busy.

Very good point! I've heard the guys and gals on the station I want to work for screw up! We're all human and dispite voice tracking where you can edit those out - live radio brings out the "person" in radio personality! I know I've done both. To me VT is fine, but I love live anyday/ The last station I worked at I done a lot of VT and fell into the trap of trying to get it perfect. When in reality I should have just cut the VT and went on unless there was a major screw up. Now I'm unprogramming myself from all the VT. I think it makes the person sound better when they do screw up. Shows they are human and not a robot.

I hear ya' man.  I don't like listening if I know it's voice tracked... even if it's me!

Hey, I used to work near y'all in Charlotte at WRCM.

Jon Ramer

I think it makes the person sound better when they do screw up.

In that case, I must sound like I'm god's gift to radio.

I think it makes the person sound better when they do screw up.

In that case, I must sound like I'm god's gift to radio.

That maybe pushing it, but at least you're human!    This could be a whole other topic. What was your biggest screw up on air? For me there are too many to list. I do recall giving the wrong frequency and call letters one time as I came out of a song. That one is probably common especially if you chnged stations or work at cluster stations.

I don't mean constantly making big boners like wrong call letters and frequency (although you're right it does happen).  I just think that if you spend all your time making sure every word is perfect then you forget about communicating and entertaining.  Listen to Rush.  

Jon Ramer

I don't mean constantly making big boners like wrong call letters and frequency (although you're right it does happen).  I just think that if you spend all your time making sure every word is perfect then you forget about communicating and entertaining.  Listen to Rush.  

Jon Ramer

This Is true I agree. If you focus too much on the perfection then you won't seem like a human that the listener will want to listen to.

That maybe pushing it, but at least you're human!    This could be a whole other topic. What was your biggest screw up on air? For me there are too many to list. I do recall giving the wrong frequency and call letters one time as I came out of a song. That one is probably common especially if you chnged stations or work at cluster stations.

So far?  Um...it's either using another station's liner or the fact that I accidently didn't bring my mic off of Program when I recorded a call.  At least nothing finable was said... :/

Oh man, that's the worst.  Everyone's done that one.

Funny how we look to see if the mic is on after every cuss word said in the studio...

Jon

Leaving the mic on is defintely the most embarrassing thing  

I also remember the day the other guys came into the studio, all smiling, one said. "Who are you talking to?" I said "What do you mean?" and he said "We've been off-the-air for the last 45 minutes!" ha-bloody-ha! I had been particularly good those 45 minutes too, shame the only person who heard it all was me.

HA That's a good one BFM! I guess you didn't have the air monitor on! I guess that's easy to do. I have heard other jocks who left the mic on as well. I fortunately (to my knowledge) have never left the mic on. I have a good question for all. All of the stations I worked at did not use any profanity delay. How do you do a live show and deal with the delay. I know it would drive me nuts! To talk then hear yourself 7 seconds later saying what you just said. Do you just monitor from the program side of the console rather than the air side? If this is the case then that's how you didn't notice you were off the air! Also how do you "delete" the bad word before it goes to air?

I prefer to listen off-desk than off-air ... but don't tell any engineers I said that OK?

There is an art to using delay systems, and it's probably better done when you're not the one also driving the desk, not self-op. For instance, the guy driving can start a 60 sec jingle whilst you simultaneously start talking, but only the jingle goes to air, and your bit will be heard 60 seconds later. It can be much slicker and more complicated than that. I don't understand the finer points of it myself, the couple of times I have been in delay it's been driven by someone else. I still don't get it myself. Spooky stuff really, and remember you are not in delay when you're driving a car.

I know what you mean! The first time I voice tracked I was also working at a major retail store and we had the radio on to my show and it was very spooky to hear yourself on the radio and you know you did the voice track the day or two beforehand so I know it would really be strange to work with a delay and work the board at the same time. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the next job becuse I know delay is now used quite a bit.

Luckily we're not running a delay here, but our sister talk station does, and the announcer runs his own show.  I watched him one day, and then I went and laid down for an hour to clear my head.  

I think I saw a side of the space time continum that no man was ment to see.

You have just been in the twilight zone!