The Downside of Live Radio

I think that almost all of us can agree that there are many benefits to live radio, i.e. when there is an actual human body in the studio:

• Someone to answer phone calls
• Requests handled quickly
• Up-to-the-moment information on local happenings

I'm a big fan of live radio. In fact, one of the things that bugs me about Maverick Media here in Eau Claire is that of the six stations they own, five of them are almost entirely automated using voice-tracking*. However, until now I failed to realize the one major downfall of live radio--there needs to be someone in the studio.

In case you're not following me or got lost, let me give you some context. Normally on Monday nights I work from 7PM - 12AM, then the next jock comes in and works from 12AM - 5AM. Radio shifts are short because it's actually a very draining job. You might only hear us for a fraction of every hour, but we're putting a lot of energy and effort into that time, as well as stuff behind the scenes. Anywho, my replacement hasn't shown up... SOOOO, I'm basically working 7PM - 5AM. Ten hours. Without caffeine.

Check that. He just called. I'm outta here ASAP ;)

*Voice-tracking: This is the professional term for pre-recording a talk break. Using specialized software, this allows the voice track to fit seamlessly into radio programming and give the illusion that there is actually somebody in the studio. Commonly used by large radio corporations to save money.

Being a radio personality

It just occurred to me after the last post that people probably don't realize the depth of the profession that is being an on-air radio personality. There are so many different levels to it that it's kind of hard to nail them all down, and when you start listing them, they seem overwhelming. For example:

• Proper enunciation
• Conversational tone
• Energy

I'd go into the specifics of these three big things, but those are each posts unto their own, so I'm not getting into that. Because I'm getting extremely tired. So I'll just leave you with the following little tidbit: radio personalities may only talk to you for 10-30 seconds at a time... but they are focusing the energy of a short conversation into that small timeframe; they're putting everything they have into those 15 seconds.

Update

Almost a month and a half in the books. Khasa and I have only really had one fight, and we both laughed about it a couple hours later. So no worries there. =D Mostly I'm just waiting for our sub-leaser to move out at the end of the summer. 'Cause... well, plain and simple because he's a slob and dumb as a rock. Honestly, I knew my way around a kitchen when I was in middle school than this dude does--and he's older than I am. o.O Khasa and I have already told Sparks that she owes us big time for [at the very least] the mental anguish of living with this guy. In other news I've kind of been working full-time making minimum wage. I say "kind of" because I'm putting in 16-25 hours at 2 different jobs, one paying $6.50 (WI minimum wage) and the other paying $6.76. I guess it wouldn't bother me so much if even one of the jobs was at like $7.50 or something... or if it was just one job full-time, so I'd have regular hours... *growls* It's been particularly rough the last couple weeks at WAXX-FM because I was getting trained and then working overnight on-air shifts (midnight-0600). Not really a problem because I'm a night owl anyways, but when I'm also working at Wilson's it can get a bit hectic. And let me tell ya, it's hard to sound professional when you're tired.

Phase 1 Complete; Commence Phase 2

Well, finally everything is moved out of my old apartment into the new apartment. So after two days of lifting and moving and sweating that is all done. Now I'll be spending much of my free time at home unpacking everything and sorting through it all and organzing things. Khasa and I also still need to grab what remains of her stuff from the dorms on campus and move it down into the apartment. Goal(s) for tomorrow include:

• put together the entertainment center
• assemble my new desk and Khasa's new desk
• get as much of Khasa's stuff from the dorms into the apartment
• get the bedroom organized and sorted
• get the kitchen organized

It might only be five things, but it'll be a full day's work. Aer will probably fire up the grill tomorrow night and throw on some venison and other great grillin' goodies as a celebration of our new living arrangements.

It was nice sleeping in the new apartment for the first time last night. Just that nice sleep feeling you get when you sleep for a short time but wake up feeling like you slept for 12 hours. Awesome. Khasa and I both were smiling most of the morning at the realization of the fact that we've taken a big step together... and we're both looking forward to taking more steps. :)

Happiness, Business, and Busy-ness

Ah, happy days again. No class. No homework. No asshole professors. Just gorgeous days, and the opportunity to spend time with my wonderful girlfriend. We got a queen-size mattress earlier this week, and I absolutely love it! It is so comfortable you should be jealous. It's just fabulous. It'll be not-so-fabulous to move to the new apartment in a couple weeks, but that'll only be a couple hours of non-fabulous-ness.

Boy has this last week been busy too. I lucked out in that I only had to worry about two finals--unfortunately they were the two finals that mean to the most to my college career. I'll find out next week how well I did... Still busy though. Even with only the two finals, I was still working at either Wilson's Leather or Maverick Media--or both--just about every day this week. The only day I wasn't working was Wednesday, and that day was spent working on one of my finals and the budget for WSRI. Today was equally crazy. I had to work 1200-1630 over at Wilson's, and then I thought I had to be at MM before 1700. But I actually didn't need to be here (I'm typing this while I'm at work) until 1730. So I was a whole half-hour early. *Shrugs* Oh well, it gave me time to eat the McDonalds I grabbed on my way here.

I'm thinking I should start seriously looking for a job to replace Wilson's Leather as well. It just occured to me that I'm making $6.76 at WL (after a year and a half) and $6.50 at MM... and my girlfriend is making like $12 at her job. I suppose part of it is just that I'm tired of working for minimum wage and struggling to pay bills and everything--but regardless I'm going to talk to some people and see what I can find. Hopefully something in the range of $8-$9 but I'd be happy with anything above $7.

Waste of My Money

College is a waste of money. Now don't tell me, "Oh but you make it up with the extra money you make after you graduate." Bullshit. Only if you are in a specialized field. We need to realize as a culture that we are pricing our educational institutions so high in this country that soon only the elite will be able to afford it without incurring a massive debt. I mean the average 4-year college student graduates with something like $20,000-30,000 of debt. Now I'm sorry, but you can't tell me that a teacher or the average accountant or whatever can pay that off quickly enough to really enjoy the benefits.

These numbers also fail to take into account two other very important factors. First, many college students are taking longer than 4 years to get through college. I myself will have at least $25,000 of debt if I graduate in my fifth year--and I'm at one of the more affordably priced colleges in the state. Second, many people continue higher education beyond just a bachelor's degree. How much more debt do these people (which includes would-be teachers and professors) incur? And after a bachelor's degree it can be much harder to get federal or state aid to help pay for education costs, thus they must resort to loans from bank and credit institutions with higher interest rates and stricter payment plans.

You might think that I'm bitter or jaded because of my situation at college. Maybe you're right, maybe you're not. But the better question that you should be asking yourself is: Is your education worth what you're paying for it?

Transitions

Classes are finally winding down for the semester. And by winding down I mean intensifying for the last couple weeks. A good analogy for it would be if you were driving a car, and you saw that up ahead there was a steel wall--so you put the gas pedal to the floor to see how fast you can go before you crash. I never understood the concept of structuring courses like this. Make the first month or so real lax and then increase the amount of work until you hit a fever pitch with the final. It's certainly not a psychologically healthy way of doing things, and certainly not how things operate in the workplace.

I'm still dealing with my pride. Money is tight and I'm asking my parents to help me out, and every time I'm hesitant about asking for it and feel guilty about it afterwards. What I can't quite pin down is whether I feel this way about it because I feel indebted to my parents, or because it makes me feel dependent on them--like I can't make it on my own. /end_thought

And I'm just so anxious for June. A new apartment... a new set-up... no class... Primarily will be the fact that Khasa and I will be really living together; not only sharing an apartment, but a bedroom. We're even doing mattress shopping right now since my full-size bed has seen better days. It's just kind of surreal. I mean, we've been dating for six months now, and sharing a bed for almost as long--either sharing my full-size or her twin in the dorms--but there is something uniquely different when it's not my bedroom or her bedroom, but our bedroom. It feels very much like another step towards a life together; a change to something that I have only imagined before but now have the courage and a willing partner to experience it with.

blah

So I logged in because I was going to post something. And now my mind is a complete blank. So I guess I actually have nothing to say.

The longer I live the more I begin to realize that I may be one of the biggest fools on this rock we call a planet. The more I realize that the world I wish for will never be more than a dream.

Perhaps that is why I find myself daydreaming and meditating more often in my moments of solitude. Then I can still feel the cool grass between my toes... the touch of a gentle wind on my face... the smell of the sea hinted at in the air...

Yet again, too, am I in conflict with my instincts. I have a wonderful woman, a partner that I never could have hoped for in my wildest dreams, a soul so bright it makes mine feel as black as the darkness from whence I came. Why then, do I question her? Why do I doubt her sincerety in wanting the same things I myself desire? Because I love her so. I want to know that she enjoys things as much as I--and not because she is with me, but because she desires doing such things as much as I do. Perhaps I am simply all the more a fool for even doubting her as such.

Todd once said, and I quote him often, that "humans aren't worth the flesh they're printed on." I have to agree that the vast majority of them are not. I don't consider myself very human, so I feel as a third party to the quote. But I think about it and I wonder... what am I worth?

Well I'm back. Sorta. At least I'm not giving up on this blog because I do really enjoy the interface and the fact that only my good friends know about it--so I don't have any totally random comments from Joe Shmoe.

In other news, I hate money. Boo on money. When you have it, you have to spend it on things; when you don't have it, you need it to spend on things. Boo. Also, college. Why does it need to cost so damn much? I wonder how much of higher education could be paid for by the government if we cut the defense budget?