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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 1987-NOVEMBER 1988
PROGRAMMING/PRODUCTION/ENGINEERING
& AIR TALENT
Ellensburg, WA

I refer to this period as my "eXiLe", but what I learned there as an
engineer was almost worth all the pain and the snow.
I REALLY learned to hate snow there.
I took the job to help out my friend Gary Wolcott and to get away from a bad relationship. Designed, built and installed
an analog recording studio and rewired the equipment in the main control room. This was also my first exposure to a PC
(An XT as I recall), and I learned a lot about DOS and PC hardware maintaining and programming the Format Sentry
automation system; Got a good grounding in the Installation and maintenance of digital and analog satellite receivers
used to run network talk programming; My first AM station as an engineer.

NOVEMBER 1988-SEPTEMBER 1989
DIRECTOR OF GROUP ENGINEERING
Kenniwick, WA

At the time, I saw it as a better opportunity than Ellensburg. I didn't realize
it would lead me to hit the Reset Button and move back to Eugene.

I built all the studios, fixed all the automation, did all the remotes. I
learned a great deal about running a Talk Radio station, coordinating satellite
feeds and news breaks from multiple sources.

On the Country station, I did my first Rodeo remote as an announcer. Got to play
Roy Orbison and the Travelling Wilbury's. It was the first radio station I've
worked at that used a CD Player On-Air.

Truely a learning experience, in every meaning and connotation of that phrase.

OCTOBER 1989-SEPTEMBER 1992
ASST. ENGINEER & WEEKEND AIR TALENT
Eugene, OR

Probably the best time I ever had in radio for the first 3 years - but when the
station flipped formats, it became one of the worst times I'd spent in broadcasting

I Learned the most here as a producer and engineer. I Produced, engineered and hosted
news, public affairs and sports talk shows in the studio and on the road. Got to Build
aradio station from the ground up. Built my first 8-track studio here, worked with
real Pro Audio gear: We made it work, you could actually produce decent radio
spots out of my room.

My most enjoyable stint as an AM
operations Manager, first time I actually
got the recognition. Produced one of
the best public affairs shows no one ever
listened to. First station to use DAT tapes
to master production, almost all my stuff
from this gig is on DAT.

We were a Current-Oriented AOR
that played Nirvana and Pearl Jam,

KLCX was a great place to work if you were in radio in the early 90's. Too bad it had to end.
SEPTEMBER 1992-OCTOBER 1995
PRODUCTION / AM OPERATIONS & AIR TALENT
Eugene, OR

Not my first Top 40 station, but the one that made me hate the format
and the little monsters who listened to it. For every cool TLC song,
there was a one-hit wonder like Snow to ruin it all. This was the
first station I had NO problem transitioning away from an On-Air role.

Putting the kids station on the AM was fun
for a while... And it would've worked if we
hadn't been the only sports station in
town. We ended up flipping the AM back
to sports talk.

My first station with a hands-on
owner. Better than a corporation...
Not.

They looted the place and devalued the station
to the point where they ended up giving away
the AM... To KRVM.

The biggest problem I faced was hundreds of hours of board-op shifts
and no authority or power to get the part-timers to fill shifts, since
they would bail on me to go work over on the Top-40 side. So I ended
up having to hit the Reset Button again, freefall into nothing w/no
job prospects...

And it wouldn't be the last time THAT happened.
MORE   updated 1/11/2013   Michael Anthony