Before the Radio Show...

I try to arrive at the station an hour in advance for my radio shows.  That gives me plenty of time to get my music ready, complete all the pre-show procedures, and get the proper mindset for the show.  If I were to arrive very shortly before the show, everything would feel rushed, and that would translate into the listening experience.

The first thing I do upon arrival at WTIP is to bring in my collection of music.  I have a combination of compact disks, long play records, and digital recordings that I use on the air.  I have used cassette tapes in the past, but find that can be way too time consuming for the middle of the show.

My Dad and I made boxes for my compact disc collection.  They work a lot better than the plastic bins I used to use.  We made them so I could lay them on the floor, and prop the hinged tops against the wall.  I organize the artists alphabetically, and the compilations by genre.  It is extremely important to keep everything organized for the show, as I don't want dead air while I am searching for a recording.

These are the CD boxes my Dad and I made.
The one on the left is all individual artists,
and the one on the right includes individual artists and compilations.

I can also pull music from the station library.  When I do the Polka Time show, I use a lot of music from the library, and some of my own.  For Classic Country, I use mostly my own collection, and some of the library recordings.  When I do the Thirsty Boots, Women in Music, or Monday Night Mix shows, I pretty much exclusively use my own music.

WTIP Music Library

Going into a show, I know what many of the songs will be in my music sets.  Prior to arriving at the station, I will preview new music, and write down ideas for sets.

During a show, I know how much time I want to spend on a particular genre.  For instance, during Thirsty Boots, I might play an hour of Celtic Music, twenty minutes of Bluegrass, and forty minutes of American and Canadian Folk Music.    The genres and individual music depends on my mood, or cultural holidays.  Many great hosts plan out every bit of their show in advance, but I like to leave a little bit of wiggle room for requests, and other unforseen circumstances.  The nice thing about community radio is that you get to hear a wide variety of host styles (and music) so there is literally something for everyone.

The next thing I do is to turn on all the CD players, and the record player.  If the previous show is coming out of the other broadcast studio, I will do a microphone check at this time.   I also look over the sound board to make sure all the correct buttons are lit up. 

We have two main broadcast studios (A and B), and two production studios (C and D).  I broadcast most of my shows out of the smaller Studio B, since it provides a more intimate atmosphere.  When I have live music during my show (usually during a pledge drive), I will go out of Studio A.

Studio B

Studio A

I next pull up the weather for the Grand Marais, and inland areas (like the Gunflint Trail).  It is important to reference both places, since, due to the massive influence of Lake Superior, the weather can be different.  Over the years, I have fluctuated on the amount of detail to be included in my forecast.  I have settled on printing out the Grand Marais forecast, and writing in the differences for the inland areas.  Then I read weather for the night of the show, and the following two days.  When talking about the night of the show and the following day, I go over temperatures, wind, and precipitation.  The last day of the forecast (the least accurate day), I just mention the temperature and precipitation, but leave out the wind.  If the temperatures for the two areas are close, I average them out.

I'll also note what the temperatures are around the region.  If the readings are similar from Duluth to Thunder Bay, I will say that the temperatures on the North Shore are ...., and the temperatures in the inland areas are .....  I could list every town along the way, but I would rather play an extra song, since people are tuning in to my shows for the music.  Each host is a little different in their forecasting style, which is a good thing, because it keeps everything fresh.

The next thing I do is to bring up our pre-recorded promos on the computer, and pull out the underwriter cards..  We are given a specific list of promos and underwriter cards to read during a given show, and we stick to that list.  If I see any new cards, I practice reading them aloud before the show.

I next pull up our online playlist page, and sign in.  At this time, I usually enter my theme song, and the first set.

Shortly before the show, I make sure my water bottle is full, and head to the bathroom.  There is not much time to take care of those things once the show begins.

I try to be completely ready for my show at least five minutes to the hour, since the pre-recorded shows prior to mine might end early.  It is also good to be ready early if someone is broadcasting live out of the other studio.

When the time comes for my show, I take over the signal, do the station identification, play my theme song, and make announcements, including the weather.

In a later article, I will write about what goes on during the show.