On the Air!

I managed to prepare and deliver my first solo effort yesterday. I thought I'd have enough material, but I fell a little short. Lucky for the musical pauses! I'll have extra stuff ready for next week. I think it went ok, but I haven't had much feedback yet.

The mic is a powerful force, even in community radio. You go through training and preparation and hope to one day get an opportunity to create something of your own. I know commercial radio will be a very different environment, if I ever make it there. But I can't change the past or control the future - all I can do is work on the present.

When I was at radio school, several people ended up interning at some local commercial radio stations. I know they spent a lot of time at the stations, mostly doing behind-the-scenes stuff, but also made some on-air appearances. I didn't have an opportunity to intern on commercial radio while I was at school. And in all honesty, my work schedule was just so terrible... I couldn't have managed it if I had gotten the chance. I also felt it better to wait until I finished the six months before I took on anything else.

So I took an opportunity to volunteer at the community station I have already mentioned a million times on this blog. I was only able to manage one hour a week as a tech for the longest time, but eventually I was able to expand my duties at the station. The main point is that with every new opportunity came more of a chance to learn hands-on, and with every new opportunity to get on the air, the comfort zone would increase.

I'm not going to pretend that I'm a seasoned veteran by any stretch of the imagination. What I do believe is that the direction I took was the best one for me at the time, especially since leaving town was not much of an option. Someone else might be better off going in an entirely different route. It's great to be able to have nearly complete creative freedom on my show. Still, I would never have thought that a half hour show would require no less than 10 hours of preparation!

Radio Discussions

People seem to love talking about radio. There are some great outlets out there where Montreal radio is being scrutinized by insiders and listeners alike. The busiest place to vent seems to be the Radio in Montreal Yahoo group. It has been around for over a decade. It isn’t unusual to see familiar “radio” names posting there…

Steve Faguy’s popular Fagstein blog is also a gathering point for local radio discussions. In fact, the discussions there can get quite intense! It is also a must-visit destination for local radio industry news.

On the French side, Radioforum Montreal is a good place to gauge what people are thinking about local radio. There is even a section dealing with english radio stations.

There are many sites and Facebook pages dedicated to radio discussions, and to specific programs or stations. Some are creations of the stations or programs themselves, but others are fan-driven.

Not all comments on these forums are going to be complimentary… Clearly, some people in the industry are more sensitive to criticism than others. It doesn’t matter if they like you or they hate you - it’s when they become indifferent that you might be in trouble.

Yesterday's News

I found out today that I will be getting my own show as of next Saturday. I knew that I was in the running, but it was by no means a sure thing. To have it happen is a huge deal for me. Just about everyone who wants to get into radio dreams of having their own show.

Being involved on community radio gives you the opportunity at creative freedom that you rarely get on commercial radio. Of course, there are rules that you have to abide by, but within those rules, you are able to construct a program that reflects your own vision. For the past year and a half, as a co-host and technical producer, I have watched how others have been able to do it, through a lot of hard work and dedication. I hope that I will be able to put all I have learned to good use.

The show will be a combination of newscast and look back at history. It will start off with a recap the past week's news, and then move on to history and nostalgia. Hopefully, I will figure out the show’s “rhythm” quickly, and people will find the program informative and entertaining.

Yesterday's News will air every Saturday at 2:00 PM on Radio Centre Ville 102.3 FM in Montreal.

When The Expos Could Still Be Heard

Some people are shocked to discover that there was a time in Montreal when Expos talk was at the very least on-par with Canadiens talk on the english airwaves. It may have been the depth of winter, but the Expos were always a hot topic of conversation. That was especially true when their survival was usually at stake more often than not from 1990 on.

I first heard a new era of english-language sports open line show in Montreal in early 1990. It was Mitch Melnick's first of many incarnations as the number one sports talk voice on Montreal radio. If I remember correctly, the show came on after 11PM on CJAD. At the time, there were no other english sports open line shows in this town.

I can't remember what the show was called, but I can distinctly remember the Miles Davis theme Music. That program really took off after the Expos began their season. CJAD had acquired the rights to the team in 1989, but only broadcast two seasons before the Expos returned to CFCF. Melnick's show would become the Expos' post-game show, and that made for some great radio, especially when the program came to you live from Olympic Stadium.

When the Expos returned to CFCF in 1991, there was a brief attempt at a pre-game show, but post game reaction had become a magic memory... You had to turn to 800 and listen to Melnick. CFCF became CIQC not long after, and 600 became a short-live country music station.

In 1993, CIQC made an attempt to compete in the english news/talk market. One thing they set out to do was to dramatically increase their Expos coverage. Ken Singleton had already been hired by the Expos as Dave Van Horne's broadcast partner. Mitch Melnick and Terry Haig left CJAD and joined the new format. The chemistry between Melnick and Haig was fantastic. The Expos post-game show became Haig's "Play-at-the-Plate". It started after Dave and Ken signed off, and ended whenever Haig felt like going home.

Never before, and not since had fans been given a chance to interact with Expos players the way they were able to on Haig's program. Indeed, 1993 was a magical year, when the Expos overcame a huge late season deficit to nearly catch the Phillies.

Unfortunately, the Expos' front-office were not keen on Melnick and Haig's frank assessments of the franchise's situation, which led to a confrontation that would see most post-game shows handed to an Expo employee by 1994. Ted Tevan's show would eventually take over the post-game slot and sometimes broadcast from the stadium.

By 1997, things were changing, and not for the better. After Ken Singleton left the Expos, the writing was on the wall. The ownership squabble continued unabated for the final years of the franchise's existence and it led to the virtual dismantling of both radio and television broadcast deals. By 2000, CIQC had ceased to exist as the entity it had been, and the Expos were left without an english radio home. The Loria fiasco was just beginning and it had a profound effect on potential broadcast deals. There were no takers among other radio stations. They were not willing to pay anything to broadcast Expos games.

Van Horne was still under contract, and was faced with sitting out the season opener for the first time since he joined the franchise. It was a painful blow for Expos fans. A french deal had only been reached with CKAC at the very last moment. There would be no games on television. In the end, Van Horne would broadcast most of the season on the Internet and leave for Florida after the season. Ironically, his last broadcast was aired by CJAD.

In 2001, sports radio came to Montreal as part of a wider national network of CHUM Team stations. Most would flop, but Team 990 beat the odds and survives to this day. Along with some very civic-minded sponsors, 990 acquired the right to the Expos from 2001 until it was all over. In their final seasons in Montreal , the Expos were once again covered very thoroughly by their flagship station. Unfortunately, by then the franchise was on life-support and the only thing fans could do was to vent their pain.

iTunes and AM Stereo...

It's really something to browse through iTunes' offerings. There is no shortage of radio representation, including some vintage classic radio programs. A lot of it is free. Now when you have the ability to choose exactly what you want, when you want it, you start to understand why traditional radio might be having a bit of a hard time competing.

It was made clear to us back at radio school that a lot of younger people have literally no connection whatsoever to the AM side of the dial. FM still seems to be on their radar. Everyone is walking around with an MP3/I-Pad/I-Phone/whatever nowadays. The future of media is pretty clear because we are living it.

Of course there is so much to be gained by getting your radio product on iTunes. In some cases it may prove a very good way to be discovered by those who might not otherwise have a chance to know about your show. I have heard people refer to getting on iTunes as crucial in terms of exposure...

Still, FM continues... It's free, but you are not in control. Music on AM is a pretty bad idea, as a lot of stations have discovered in recent years. The sound quality for music on AM is just not there. Interestingly enough, sound seems to be a lot better on the Internet feeds of some AM stations than on the stations themselves. We can also remember something called AM Stereo, although I've never actually used an AM stereo receiver. How well did that work? It did little if anything to hurt the FM dial, that's for sure.

Community TV and Radio in Canada

What exactly is community radio and television in Canada supposed to be all about?

Access to the airwaves is a big deal. If you believe that there ought to be room on the air for anyone who wants it, then you have to turn to community television and radio. I've posted about some of my experiences at a community radio station. There is always room for volunteers who want to get involved either on the air or behind the scenes. Even though there may be limitations and guidelines that you must adhere to, you will probably have far more creative freedom than you will ever get at a commercial radio station. You may be able to deal with subject matter that may not otherwise have an outlet available for broadcast. That is the case with a lot with multicultural programming.

Of course, it's not easy. When commercial radio struggles during hard economic times, you can only image that it isn't much easier for non-profit radio. Even though they may not have big staffs or salaries to pay out, running a radio station is very expensive. Advertising revenue is limited, so you may have to find some creative ways to raise money to keep things going. Having said all that, community radio seems to work very well, as long as community stations keep to their reason for being and the programming remains local.

What about community television? Even with what the Internet has become over the past decade, television remains the single most influential media source we have. Broadcasting transmits messages, events and entertainment to the masses.

There seems to be far less "community" involvement on television than there is on radio. Obviously, you want a certain amount of quality on the air, otherwise you may find yourself watching an old SCTV sketch... With cable companies now owning television stations, community TV sometimes becomes an outlet for cross-promotion, or for cable company / station employees to take to the airwaves. There were CRTC hearings held a few weeks ago to discuss the future of community television in Canada. It was also discussed on the May 1st edition of The Digital Life Show. It's a very interesting topic given the changing landscape of media and the relevance of old vs. new.

Learning the Ropes

I'm always checking the media job sites for any possibilities. It seems every operator job I see on the Milkman board is part-time. It's a great way to get your foot in the door. You already know your best shot is a small market and the pay won’t be very high to begin with. What becomes problematic is the prospect of leaving town for anything less than a full-time job. I find that particularly true if you don’t know anybody who lives there who can help you out in advance.

So I’m doing my best to gain experience in Montreal at Radio Centre-Ville. There is no pay, but you get to do a bit of everything. It’s a great distraction from the cruel routine of everyday life. You can at least allow yourself to dream that one day you might be able to do what you love and actually get paid for it.

It isn’t any fun when you make mistakes. When I first started working the board, I made a bunch of them until I became comfortable. The biggest adjustment is the varying “directing” styles of the hosts you find yourself working with. If you have not worked with someone before, it takes a while to get to know their way of doing things. At that point, you may even find yourself instinctively knowing the flow of the program. On the other hand, if you are replacing someone, and you have never done that show before, that is where it can get tense.

It is not too different on the air either. If you are doing a show with someone, it may take time to feel comfortable working with them. That is especially true if you didn’t know them at all to begin with. It seems better not lose patience too quickly, and to give it time. Sure, it’s not always possible... Having said that, I can imagine that with some people, you instantly know you have zero chemistry. I’ve been lucky enough to deal with people that I’ve gotten along with very well. I hope that continues for the foreseeable future - it makes things a lot easier!