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I originally did this for my Mom so she could see some of the
"characters" I ran across in the over 20 years I worked in Broadcasting.

Join me now on a stumble down memory lane...

 

MARCH 1980-MAY 1982, JANUARY 1983-DECEMBER 1983
STATION TECHNICIAN, PRODUCER & AIR TALENT
Hoopa, CA

This was my first radio station. The first one I built, the first time I worked
as a jock.I worked all day parts in the many formats we offered as a Public
Radio station: AOR, CHR, Alternative, Classic Rock, Country, Oldies, Big Bands
and Show Tunes; Produced, engineered and hosted news and public affairs talk shows;
Engineered 250W FM transmitter, and RPU and two studios, all built by Rich Green,
Lee Schrader and myself. I left to work at a commercial station.

I came back to this station after a bad first experience in commercial radio. Unfortunately, it was too late:
Radio was in my blood. After 8 months, I had to get out and live in a city. The city I chose was Eugene, OR.
Too bad there were no jobs for a Boy Production Genius there...
JUNE 1982-JANUARY 1983
PRODUCTION DIRECTOR /AFTERNOON AIR TALENT
Arcata, CA

This was the first station I know of to program DIRECTLY
at Baby-Boomers. It was just like "WKRP In Cincinnati."

This was the first job I got for my Production talent, the only
radio job that fired me. I was young and worked too hard helping
out the engineers during the format/ownership change, rather than
worry about tryingcovering my ass. I learned some valuable lessons here:

One, don’t compromise your On-Air persona and sense of humor to please a PD; and two, Never trust a Hippie.
And there's no better time spent than hanging out at a radio station with your work family. I worked with
some good, young Air Talent there.

Drug deals and shady business practices took down the owner, and as far as I know, only one person from that
station was still working in radio... But it wasn't me.

JANUARY 1984-JANUARY 1985
PART-TIME AIR TALENT & BOARD OPERATOR
Lebannon, OR

It's hard to believe I left a perfectly good Engineering job for this, but
it was important to me to get some real-world experience under my belt.
This was the first AM radio station I worked at. It sat way outside of
town, next to a cow pasture. I had a chance to get a look at the place
back in the late 90's, nothing had changed. The equipment was different,
and they were completely automated, but it had the same bright orange
paint on the doors and the same brown carpet on the floor.

And my ex was working there, hating every moment of it. It comforted me, somehow. This is the place that taught
me everything all the stations I’d previously been at DIDN’T. I board op'ed Portland Trailblazer games on Fridays,
pulled an afternoon shift on Saturday, signed the station on Sunday morning and did graveyard on Monday morning.
And every Monday morning I’d drive back to Eugene, anticipating the next weekend.

I learned so much there about being a jock, it's a shame gigs like that no longer exist.

JANUARY 1985-MARCH 1987
STATION TECHNICIAN & AIR TALENT
Lebannon, OR

This was the first station I got to REALLY get into production.
When my friend Gary quit KGAL and became Program Director here,
I jumped at the chance to do something more than weekends, part-time.

During my time here, I became the "voice" of Woodstacks Pizza and was specifically requested by clients
to do their production. I also rebuilt the transmitter after it melted down.

MORE   updated 1/11/2013   Michael Anthony