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 Listen Live
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OK, now you're signed up to go on Nite Owl, except that you don't have any idea what it's all about? Well, here are some thoughts by our Nite Owl staff. Note that we don't always agree! That's good - diversity of opinions is healthy, and it just simply shows that there is more than one way to tackle these problems.
Random thoughts on:
(Peter Choyce)
Just show up around an hour before Nite Owl starts, or as early as you can and pick some songs from the immense WMBR library. You don't have to have all your music written down, but it is good form to have stuff pre-picked.
You should think about how you want to execute a radio show, either having "sets" of 4 songs in a row, or top 40 style, talk down one song, up the next. (I do shows this way.) It's up to you to find your style, tho.
We will show you the engineering and give you philosophy on how to construct a show - but we then step back and let you be in control. It should be easy and fun.
We don't mind whatever genre you play in, but if it is rock, please keep in mind WMBR is non-commercial and purposely avoids the big FM hits. We like to give a healthy variety of all the other things that are out there, so keep that in mind when putting your music together.
A good show is one that gears toward the interesting and new while engaging the listener. Segues are important as good songs to keep a show hot, and keep dials from turning.
(Peter Choyce)
We've had music that was, shall we say, "pedestrian." As long as you have fun and learn something, hey, that's fine, but if you seriously want to get involved with WMBR, you'll have to realize that WMBR doesn't play commercial music.
Nite Owl is a free-for-all, but we still would like to have an emphasis on non-commercial music. If you don't know non-commercial music, then perhaps you should come down to the record library and do some investigating, prior to going on the air. I don't want us to be perceived as music "fasicsts," but you should know the "real deal" before you apply for a regular show at WMBR.
(Joan Hathaway)
WMBR does have an established mission statement. The final word goes to the Program Director/Program Board, but we as the Nite Owl "mentors" do have to convey WMBR's mission. What's the time for the crime? Most likely no radio show and certainly not a prime spot! Does this sound harsh? Probably, but WMBR's mission is "To provide unique, innovative, quality radio programming as an alternative to that which is found on commercial radio stations" (from the WMBR Constitution). This is our service to the community.
It is our responsibility, as Nite Owl mentors, to "veer" new DJ's away from the commercial radio tunes they grew up with. This won't happen overnight, and I'm not saying don't let a new DJ with a playlist full of commercial hits on the air, but it's not a difficult thing.
One way is to "dig deeper" into artists you know, read linear notes, listen to other not-so-known artists they performed with, and so on. You can use familiarity to get to the obscure and hidden gems our community will enjoy. I'm sure there are other suggestions, but you get the idea.
(Peter Choyce)
I don't think it is a good idea. It is not how a real show is done and it can't help in the development of good habits. I propose that you have an idea of what to play, but scripting out the entire show is an anathema to what a radio show is. If you script out your whole show, then of course, you are going to put down only stuff you know, and you'll never make a library or a current selection.
(Joan Hathaway)
Playlists should be prepared. If you want to veer off the selected playlist, by all means, you can, and if you feel comfortable, you should. You can think of the playlist as a backup. It is not written in stone, but it provides more time for the new DJ's to focus on air proficiency.
As far as scripting breaks, it's up to the new DJ's. Some will want to do this and I don't agree we should discourage it... when they are new. Everyone's comfort and skill level is different and many people know their own "best way of self-instruction." Of course we want to encourage each DJ to express themselves (or in some way, trust themselves) on the air.
As an aside, I would also make the new DJ's fill out a WMBR playlist for record tracking, since most DJ's will have a regular piece of paper with their selections and it's a good time to explain how to fill out the WMBR playlists and why we do it.
(Tani Chen)
We'd like you to have a complete playlist, meaning you should have their songs (CDs, records, etc) ready and you shouldn't have to go running around in the library during Nite Owl when you're on the air (I've seen it done before! And after you've been running around and are all out of breath, you don't sound too good on the air, either...).
Altho I agree, scripting things out verbatum is not good either, you end up reciting instead of talking. However, if I were going on for the first time, I'd probably (and I think I did) write things out verbatum.
I think in Nite Owl, you'll see a lot of that, even if it's not required. Personally, I think it's one of those things that many people do initially, then drop once they feel more comfortable. I think the take-home lesson is that you shouldn't go on the air completely unprepared.
You should have an idea of what you want to do, whether formally written down or just a list in the back of your head. I think you should get away from scripting as soon as possible (since you'll sound more natural), but I think some people will need that stepping stone until they feel ready.
(Peter Choyce)
Just a thought concerning on air breaks. That seems to be the hardest thing for new people. It's the thing that sounds easy, until they try it themselves. I always tell the new DJ's to make notes, and jot key words on the the playlist margins, as I still do that myself.
Rapping on air is like skating. Sometimes it's on ice, sometime's it's water, and you never know till you get there. I suggest taking a breath and try to not be too overly thought out. Talk as if you are telling your friend something on the phone. If you set up a break in your head, with a couple of notes on paper, the trick is to get into the natural state of conversation, where one thought follows another naturally as you think and talk at the same time.
New DJ's always fear sounding stupid, because they hear themselves talk, instead of thinking of what they are saying while they are saying it. In nature, we advance to the next thought without a problem, but on the air, we stand naked to the world and get self-concious about every utterance which boomerangs through our headphones.
The single most difficult thing about broadcasting, which takes years to polish, is how to adopt your natural personality to this concept of skating on air. I encourage DJ's to pause, and think on the air. It's not "dead air" if you're taking a second to compose, and feel the great power of the airwaves.
Once you go with it, it's exhilarating, and it can surpass natural conversation if you learn how to channel it to exploit the best parts of your personality. Technical things like learning the board are easy, it's trying to translate your natural personality to the air which is the real challenge.
(Tani Chen)
In early 1997, one Friday afternoon, I dropped by WMBR to talk to Andrea Sochett, the then-head of the Program Board. At that point, I had been engineering for the Rhythm of Taipei for a number of years, but I was interested in broadening my horizons and starting up a show of my own. The only problem was, I didn't have a clue about what.
I had gone thru my (somewhat eclectic) music collection at home to see what I had, to see what I could do on WMBR. Something new and different. And non-commercial. Hmmm....
Well, after some thought, I decided to try my hand at new age music. It was something that you didn't find on the commercial stations, and it was something new to the WMBR schedule. I had a few new age music CD's, and I sort of thought I kind of liked the music....
So Andrea and the Program Board OK'd my idea and I started my first broadcast of Dreams of a New Age on March 3, 1997, with a grand total of 5 CD's and absolutely no idea of what new age music even was. You can't start out more humbly (or more clueless) than that! And yes, it was something of a struggle that first hour, talking about a style of music that I knew absolutely nothing about....
Well, that first year, I managed to teach myself about what new age music was (the Internet was a big help here). It turned out to be a lot bigger (and a lot more interesting) than I had first thought. I managed to contact a few producers and artists and even got a few of them to send me some free stuff to play.
The take-home message to the story is this: Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things. There's a lot of great stuff out there which you'll never even know about until you start poking your nose around. Nite Owl is designed to let you poke around into new things, without the pressures of engineering or weekly schedules. Please, experiment and don't be afraid, that's what we'ere here for!
For more information, contact Ken, the Nite Owl
Coordinator, at
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