A lot of my friends exist outside of the radio world and
their questions about what it’s like on the ‘inside’ are fascinating. Most
wonder what their favorite personalities are like in ‘real life’ (as if we
exist in another dimension).
A favorite recent tale of describing a radio personality to
a friend surrounds a morning show that is just on fire in the Los Angeles
market. The Woody Show (ALT 98.7) is by far my friends’ favorite to listen to
and they quote verbatim the jokes, stories and information shared by the team. “Maggi,
have you ever met Woody?” I work during the afternoons so although we share the
same building our schedules rarely coincide to chat. I have, however, met
Woody. I was with my boss who introduced us in the hallway and this is how it
went.
Me: Nice to meet you finally, Woody. All of my friends just
love you and your show. High praise!
Woody: (Vending machine sandwich in hand and clearing his
mouth) Well, you can tell them how unimpressive this was.
This is generally what it’s like to meet most radio people. We
are hungry for attention and grateful that you pay attention. But if you catch
us with a vending machine sandwich in hand, well, the smoke and mirrors of our
wanna be rock star status are revealed. The point is…we eat vending machine
sandwiches too. We aren’t any different than most of our listeners.
What people don’t think to ask is all about the regular
callers. The people who call almost everyday to chat about…nothing it feels
like sometimes. Our voices come through their speakers and we become their best
friend without knowing it. These are the people that are far more fascinating!
Recently, a woman called asking for Mark, my boss. She
wanted to ask him a question. Well, it’s my job to field these kind of callers
so as not to disrupt the ‘process’ of our oh-so-talented host. Reluctantly, she
began to ask me her question.
Listener: How many days belong to a year?
Me: Oh, well, 365.25?! Leap year…am I right?!
Listener: No, only 325. The other 40 are Lent.
Me: Crickets.
Listener: You don’t get it. See….can I talk to Mark please?
Mark picks up the phone and she repeats the riddle. I’m
laughing in the background because I know he won’t get it either. She gives the
punch line and he politely laughs.
Listener: See, you get it Mark. That other girl on the phone
didn’t get it.
Mark: Oh, well, that’s probably because she’s Jewish.
Listener: (Laughing) Oh, well, she didn’t sound Jewish on
the phone.
I’ve never been more tickled by a listener, than I was with
her!
Stories like this are just one of many regarding the super
radio fans. You are excited or nervous to meet us radio people…trust me, we are
just as excited and nervous to meet you.
Buggles-Video Killed The Radio Star
Think of all the times you met a radio person in 'real life' and they look nothing like you imagined. Well, now with social media, radio people are quite available. Our listeners on the other hand, we have no idea what they look like until they show up to a live broadcast.
