Blog Fail.

I know, I know. I was supremely lax in this blog recently. It was even pointed out a few times. :) I promise, it will not happen again.

Busy. Not creative, but an excellent description of life at FuseFM right now. Now that I've thrown myself into the middle of all things Fuse-related, I feel as though my head is not big enough to store all of the information I need to have. My show has gotten so much easier to deal with. Which is awesome. But. I have come to the conclusion that I will never get used to hearing myself on the radio. :) It's just not something I do well. Every time I listen I find myself thinking of ways that I could have been more concise, or witty, etc. I mean, I'll still listen (who wouldn't? I'm on the RADIO for crying out loud) but I'll just accept that cringing will be part of my evening. :)

In other news, Rick is in town and tonight I got to play "music manager" (I have no idea if that's the proper term) and rate potential song adds. It was cool. He had me listen to some tracks and then give one rating based on whether I would add it to my personal collection, and then rate it again based on whether I thought it met station criteria. Apparently, it's an art, and not an exact science. And let me be the first to say that FuseFM puts waaaaaaay more time into music selection than any other station. More than three people listen to each before it makes the cut. What I'm really saying is, you're seriously getting the best and the freshest out there.

Anyway. It was fun. I sat and listened, and never once worried if I was doing it "right." I just let myself think about what I was hearing...things I typically don't pay attention to in a song. More often than not, I find myself reacting to a song simply based on lyrics, but today I found myself listening to everything--the beat, the instruments, the fullness of sound--even the recording quality. Without flat-out saying that I'm supremely awesome at gauging music, I will tell you that I think it's something I could definitely do after some more practice. And well.

In a way, it reminded me of being a teenager. You get that new CD and you spend hours, days, weeks even listening to all of the songs, finding parts you love, and things you wish they wouldn't have done. It was fun. And it felt so good to do something that had nothing to do with taking care of my house or family--no, not even that. Just feeling respected and opinionated and an asset. My career aspirations have really only ever been parenting. I changed my mind constantly, with motherhood always being the constant. But radio is something that just gets better and more interesting/exciting as time goes on. Dare I say that I'm even a better parent now that I've got something that makes me feel confident in other ways???

I am four months in to this internship, and I have two to go. But I should warn you now that I have absolutely no intention of going anywhere. :) :)

Big Ticket. Woot!

Clearly I was not going to blog before Big Ticket. Which by the way, was cool. And awesome. And hilarious. And I wasn't there long enough. Also, I am completely aware that you can't really tell who that is. It's KJ-52. And the crowd got suddenly huge, so that's the best I've got until we see if Jim's pics were better. :)

Let's see. I ended up grossly over-estimating travel time to Gaylord, and gave myself two and a half hours, which meant I ended up drinking coffee in an incredibly busy McDonald's until it was a more respectable time. Then I helped Jim carry some stuff to the booths and set 'em up. The rock booth was practically on top of the stage, and our other booth had an excellent view of the main stage as well. So even though I wasn't in the audience, I got to hear a lot of great music. Including Remedy Drive.

Best thing that happened: This kid came to the booth, completely geeked to see FuseFM. He was sooo excited. And then he asked if there were any DJ's there. So I turn around and say, "I am. I'm Colette." And he stares at me. Having absolutely no idea who I am. I'm starting to feel sort of awkward at this point, so I quickly direct him to sign up for some prize packs and grab some candy.

KJ-52 was the highlight of my Saturday for sure. He puts on a great show and is really into crowd involvement. In fact, he was so good that what started out as a couple hundred people watching quickly turned into a huge group jumping up and down and waving their hands in the air. So. If you've long been convinced that Christian hip-hop is cheesy, you need to only to KJ-52 and know that nobody cares because we all just want to have fun. And fun it was.

It'll feel really strange this week, getting back to a regular schedule. And I'm totally looking forward to it.

Crazy Busy

This week was intense. For the first time, I felt the struggle of trying to be several things at once: Mom, wife, DJ, teacher (sort of), etc. I think that mostly had something to do with Monday....

Monday I went into the station looking forward to a day of data entry/editing. Or something like that. I always love Mondays because I know I still have five days to find enough things to talk about on-air for the weekend. On Monday, the phone rang at the station (as it often does) while I was working on some intern-y stuff, and Josh handed it off to me. It was Dice. Letting me know that he was on his way in, but also that Jen was off all next week so I'd be covering her shift.

All week. Five days. Four hours. I immediately ditched intern-y work and starting randomly writing things down using a pen I had to steal from Sara's desk--which by the way, she completely noticed. :)

Anyway. Factor in my husband's less than stellar work schedule, and I found myself constantly writing down show prep and coming into the station on Thursday and Friday in order to pull off next week.

It was fun. I don't want to say how fun it is, because Your Friend Jen is an excellent DJ and I would never want to have her shift permanently, but it was really fun to prep for a show happening in the middle of a weekday. In a strange way, I felt like I was reintroducing myself to the audience, simply because I'm so used to my weekends. Just little stuff like actually explaining who I was and that Jen WOULD be back, and then other stuff like explaining that I had two children instead of just launching into a story about them. I hope it's well received by everyone--especially the people who gave me access to a microphone in the first place. :)

So, it'll be another busy week. And then an even crazier weekend. Because (cue suspenseful music here) BIG TICKET FESTIVAL FINALLY ARRIVES!!!! I am stoked. And I have absolutely no idea what I'll be doing or what'll be going on, but I can't wait. Because I just know it's gonna be awesome. Which pretty much sums up this entire experience so far.

Whoops

I know, it's Monday. I am so sorry.

Last week I got to sit in on a music meeting between Josh and Dice, and then later Josh and Rick. Our "Songs to Consider" list is currently 100+, and I have since learned that a typical radio station will have a list somewhere in the 30's. So, we've got a lot of music. I did everything I could to voice my opinion without talking, and they definitely noticed. :) It was really cool to see how they rate songs and determine the next Buzz Cuts, among other things. :) Honestly, FuseFM works so hard to bring so many different styles/genres to you.

Josh also let me hunt down music for our next stream. The process is completely overwhelming. The hunting is easy--it's the listening that blows my mind. Thank goodness that's Josh's job. :) In any case, it looks like the data for our next stream is coming right along. :)

Big Ticket is only a couple weeks away. I cannot WAIT to check that out. Expect a very lengthy blog that week. :) :)

The pic--more random things from artists. The piggy bank is from a band you may know--Red's logo can just barely be made out. :)

Concert. Woot!

First things first--Friday. Little worried about my weekend show, I'll be honest. I had a few things to say about some stuff (9 dollar flights, anyone?) and I spent most of the day on Saturday wondering if I came across as snippy. I hope not.

Saturday=Awesome. I went to Matt Moore's CD Release Party. I didn't realize until I got there how "big deal" it was going to be. Also: First VIP Pass ever. Looking back, I was probably too excited about that. Still...I'm totally saving that in a scrapbook somewhere.

The show was amazing. I'd had to opportunity earlier in the week to check out Matt's Album, which was great. The album is great. Truly. But I really wanted to check it out because who likes to go to a concert where they only know maybe one song? Not me. After seeing him play (w/ a full band and an appearance from FuseFM's very own Josh THO), I can honestly say he's even better live. Seriously. Check it out.

As far as being there as a FuseFM DJ goes, I hung out with Carol for a bit at the table. We were giving away CD's and whatnot--I still feel...awkward? I didn't really know what to do with myself for a large chunk of the time. I went with the idea that I wanted to be super-friendly and talk to loads of people and stuff, and then I mostly ended up hanging out with Sara, Carol, and Dice. But I'm still in the "newbie" stage. Or something. I can't really explain it--I had a blast and I'm so glad I went, but at the same time I felt kind of out of place. Not "just a fan" but not a seasoned radio host, either. Surely at Big Ticket I'll be too busy to dwell on feeling weird. Which, PS, is something that high school counselors always said would go away. Liars. :)

In any case, it was my first music event for the station and it was super cool. And in case you were wondering, the stage shot is Matt Moore, and no I couldn't really get any closer. I mean I could have, but it goes back to that whole feeling awkward thing. But please please please feel free to share pics if you went and also to identify yourself if you are standing next to him in the other picture. :) You can, of course, do all of that by emailing me at colette@myfusefm.com

Three Day Weekends Are Nice...

Today. Fun as usual. I didn't even glance around the station, I just headed to the back, where you can usually find Josh and Sara working on something. Only thing is, I didn't feel as productive this week--you have to be careful there, it's almost too much fun. :)

Today went...well? I found myself feeling a little off today--I was prepared but something didn't feel quite right. Can't put my finger on it--oh, and apparently I almost cost the radio station a couple thousand dollars in FCC fines, too. Yikes. I just happened to casually mention to Josh that I'd included a break about the super awesome CD release party I get to go to next weekend, and its cost to the public. Which apparently is a big no-no. No money amounts on-air. Definitely something I'm glad I know. :) So, it was back into the studio for a quick re-do. :)

Driving home tonight, I heard my "commercial" (for lack of a better word). It is so cool to hear someone else say your name and when your show is on and everything--just another unexpected reminder of how cool my life is right now. :)

Big fun going on this weekend as well--I'll be doing my THIRD parade in Alma at the Highland Fest tomorrow, so look for us. We'll be in an Explorer this time though, so I certainly can't make any promises about aim when it comes to throwing candy.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend. :)

Colorado It Ain't, But I Do Love Michigan

I just got back from a speedy road trip out to Colorado, so it was really nice to get back into the swing of things--especially at the station. Rick's been in this week, and the man is full of interesting conversation. Also, the Fuse 200 shirts came in and they.are.sweet. There is still time to snag one by the way! Just check out our website or give us a call.

Anyway. On Monday Josh received a random package chuck full of newspaper. From a couple years ago I think too. Buried deep inside was a gigantic seashell. Signed. By The Afters. I am not kidding. I love the random stuff that shows up there--but to be fair, it absolutely has something to do with their next single, called "Ocean Wide" so while it is still completely random, it's also very clever.

I've become the resident "Indie/Acoustic" lover at FuseFM, so Josh asked me to compile a list of random songs we could include in a future stream this week. Which was so cool, and I had quite a few until I realized that acoustic music, especially in the secular world, almost always hovers on that line of being too sad. This led me to question why I loved that sound so much (if you've met me you know I'm pretty much the opposite of sad), and also to start seeking out some great artists that might be playing more positive music--and I don't mean music with a blatant Christian message necessarily, but happiness would be good. "Positive music" has lots of meanings. :)

Friday was Show Day, as it's come to be known in my mind. Let me just tell you that working on show prep while staring at the mountains is both inspiring and distracting. It was strange to work on the show while on "vacation." It left me feeling discombobulated and a little fuzzy-headed when I went in today. Hopefully that doesn't show too much. I also took a risk by not fixing everything on each break--there were breaks that were great but I fumbled on a word at the end, and I just couldn't ditch the whole break and start over. Hopefully that all gets ironed out soon. :)

Oh, AND. Got signed up for my THIRD parade this week as well. :) I will be sitting on a car in Alma next weekend for the Highland Festival Parade. Wooo hoooo!! :) :) Come say hello if you can. :)

Third Time's the Charm

First things first: The picture shows each piece required when making an excellent radio show. You need--a mic, a studio (it's there), show prep (the papers), a computer, and of course, a gigantic pop (Diet Mountain Dew).

Today was fun. It could have been the caffeine, though. :) Josh and Sara were hanging out in the conference room watching something on YouTube, so I hung with them for a few minutes. Josh had his guitar, and eventually we heard an interesting rendition of the Blue's Clues Theme Song. Awesome. :)

Working in the studio today felt...natural. I had confidence--real confidence. It was easy to get started. Sure, I stopped and re-did some things, but I felt really good about my show this week. It isn't perfect, but feeling like I'm getting closer to "great" is a really good feeling. I've come to the conclusion that my shows are infinitely better when I spend a good chunk of time prepping for them. I had everything laid out this week--what I was saying and why I was saying it.

So I did the first hour and then the beeping started. I had no idea what it was, but even with my limited background in radio, I was pretty sure it wasn't good. And more importantly, it would definitely be picked up on the mic. So I did what any intern would do: I yelled for help. Dice sent me to Josh, who came into the studio, pushed a couple of buttons, and then took us off-air for what felt like an eternity but was really only a couple of minutes at most. The beeping, I learned, was coming from a battery that was designed to prevent us being taken off-air in the event of a power flicker. I also learned that if we lost power, it had the capacity to keep us on-air for roughly twenty minutes. Not a whole lot of time. Here's hoping it never, ever happens to me while I'm there. Ever.

Today was so cool. I cannot believe the free stuff that pours into a station. DecyferDown sent a "brick" of CD's (I don't have any idea what that entails but I promise to look it up for you soon), and two skate decks. One of which was signed. Awe.Some.

Today was great. I felt comfortable there--really. Dice listened to some of the breaks this time through, and while I found some things to nitpick, they really are getting better--more natural. Except for when I'm trying to be funny. I had a break that involved a punch line that came to me while thinking it up, but when I delivered it on the mic, it ended up sounding rehearsed. And that's not good. So...I guess that once I'm completely comfortable, the punch lines will hopefully just happen spontaneously. :)

Monday is cleaning day at FuseFM. And I am not even dreading that. :) I think I'm really starting to love this whole radio thing.

Have a great weekend! :)

Second Show Down

Friday...was. It was fun. I had a pretty decent head cold, so it made perfect sense to me to just go in early and help out with FuseROCK intead of going home to think about how yucky I felt. I had a blast. Editing music feels tedious but not when you're hanging out with Josh and Sara (who, by the way does not spell her name with an "h." I apologize for the typos).

When it came time to record my show, I realized that the paper detailing all of my show prep was still on my kitchen counter. Josh graciously offered to share his with me--which included a story about Korea genetically engineering glow-in-the-dark pets. I am completely serious. Google it. I was able to remember most of what I wanted to say though--in the future, I plan to use GoogleDocs for all show prep. :)

The show went well. I think. I couldn't really hear myself. Or much of anything else. But it was fun. And it's getting easier and I am gearing up for next weekend's already. I do plan on listening to this week's show, but not in the creepishly obsessive way I did last week. I need to listen to it to see where things are improving and where they could be better.

I wish I could accurately describe what it feels like to be there. It is such a mellow atmosphere--but fun and buzzing with excitement at the same time. Unless it's just me doing the buzzing. It has been really cool getting to know both radio and the amazing DJ's I had listened to and admired for so long. They're even starting to feel like regular people to me now. :)

So, I'm holding my breath only a tiny bit for this weekend's show. And surprisingly already looking forward to Monday. :)

Manic Monday.

Yeah. I stole the title from a song. And the band was kinda lame, too (sorry Bangles). Moving on....

Listening to your own show might not be the best idea. :) I completely avoided Saturday as I had conveniently made plans before finding out my show was debuting a week early. I managed to catch most of Sunday, including the part where I talked about the amazing weather and also developed a slight lisp. :) I ended up hanging out in our basement like a creep listening and cringing--okay, and also playing Bejeweled Blitz. It's hard to listen. Mostly because I see all the parts where it could have been better. Like, being accurate on the weather. Or a few pauses. Or other things that most people probably didn't notice.

In the end, I'm okay with it. Actually, I'm pretty proud of myself. My first show was the moment in which my dream was realized. It may have taken a few years to hear where God was calling me, and I certainly didn't go about it in any sort of traditional way, but there it was. And that was a pretty incredible feeling. I am really looking forward to next weekend's show as well. As cocky as it may sound--I really do hear a difference and it can only get better. Right?

I brought a cake with me into the station today, and Josh ended up hunting down some comedy from Bill Cosby in order to set up a joke in which he changed the words to the song just to add my name (something about chocolate cake?). In a strange way, it's almost flattering that he would spend that much time on it just to make sure I (and Sarah) got the punchline. And also...not. Because surely I could have found the humor in it without the five minutes of Cosby stand-up. I love the way that everyone at the station seems to spend so much time building each other up--the jokes are never mean, and it's more than evident that everyone cares about everybody else. It's so refreshing to be in an environment like that. And sooooo good for the ego. :)

Today I got to edit music. I learned how to use a program and pull out dead space and clean up the intros and outros (Uhm. That's possibly not a word). It's pretty cool, and I felt really tech-y but it's a little time consuming. And I really wish you could have to opportunity to hear Sarah and Josh "discuss" how Sarah edits music. She doesn't like to waste air space. :)

Radio Lingo of the Day: We have a list of songs (the top 37 as of today) which start out at the bottom and work their way up to number one. When they hit number one, you will hear it once every two and a half hours. Hence feeling like we "always play" certain songs--they're huge hits so they get lots of air time. Once they leave the number one spot, they become part of the recurrents--you'll hear a recurrent about once every other song or so. And then there's another confusing process that determines which recurrents you hear and when. More on that in another blog. Possibly. :) Also--don't quote me on the spelling of that either, because I'm pretty sure I just made it up. Any corrections will soon follow if necessary. :)

See you Friday!

Surprise!!!

I had a little extra time before heading into the station today so I sat down at the computer and planned for two days worth of shows. I carefully organized everything and felt pretty good. I was looking forward to this last practice session before my "official" debut. And then. :)

I was chatting it up with Carol and Jim when Dice walked out of the studio and said, "Yeah, there was a typo on the date, so your show actually starts this weekend." Apparently Laine and Tower had been talking about it all week. :)

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Awesome. I panicked for a few minutes. The news stunned me, and while I was very excited I was also completely freaked out. I kept repeating something about my first show ever, and then finally Dice set up the back studio for me and I got to work. It isn't as distracting in the back. It might be simply that there aren't any windows, but either way I didn't feel as self-conscious. So in two hours I finished my first weekend show. Ever.

My show debuts tomorrow. My show. Two months-ish of preparation, and ta-da! I left with a huge headache and completely psyched. It was strange--I couldn't stop bouncing around while we were going through a few of the breaks and I couldn't wait to get on the phone. :) I finally-finally-feel like a "real" DJ. I've told people that I'm interning at FuseFM but now I can tell them I'm also a DJ and not feel like a liar. :) It's really cool.

The con to not knowing it was this weekend was that I didn't have time to prepare. That was also the biggest pro. I think if I had too much time to dwell on that first weekend, I would have had a hard time meeting my own expectations. In the end it worked out quite nicely, which things have a way of doing. :)

Did I mention yet that my show debuts this weekend? You can listen to it on your radio at 101.7 FM, 96.7 FM, or stream it online at MyFuse FM.

It's not perfect, and I do have a lot to learn despite my progress over the past two months, but it is something I'm pretty excited about. I hope you are too. :)

Oh--no Lingo today, but I wanted to let you know that I'll be hanging out in the parade at the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival on Sunday at 2:30. Make sure you come by and say hi!

Buzzcut-itis

Yeah. Uhm, it's really hard to take yourself seriously when you're in the middle of playbacks and someone notices you mispronounce "artist." :)

Today was a good day. It was a milestone actually. I completed an entire two days worth of show!!! It is possible!!! Thank goodness, because I was starting to get worried.

Being comfortable in front of the mic is improving too. It really is hard to talk to yourself, and I'm always worried about what I'm going to say, so there tend to be a few awkward pauses where I don't want them to be. It's also getting a lot easier to identify my "outs" and how to tighten up my breaks--it's doing it on the first try that's proving to be the challenge. But I do feel like I'm getting closer to being ready and building some confidence. It is so easy to tell myself to relax, it's the doing it that is difficult. On the drive out to the station there were a few things I really wanted to say and I had it pretty well planned in my mind. I just still trip up a little bit when the time comes to actually do it.

I'm sure you've figured out by now that today's pic is the FuseFM staff. I have no idea why, but I love it. Maybe it's because everyone looks so happy to be there, or maybe it's because I'm in it and it's like having proof of being an actual member of said staff. :) I don't really feel like a DJ yet--probably because I have yet to start my own show, and because the past few weeks have been thrwarted by toddler illness so I haven't been on the regular schedule. I know the DJ part will come. There are still days--today even--when I think to myself, "Holy cow! I am actually a DJ!!!" Pretty cool.

The thing I find most surprising is that the breaks where I'm sharing personal stories or how I feel about life and God are the ones I think I mess up the most on, and yet those are the ones Dice seems to like. I guess there's the added feeling of vulnerability that makes me question those breaks so much. But music is more than just a beat to me--it's about life and mistakes and learning and love and happiness and joy and a whole host of other adjectives. It is so important to me that you know that and that I make sure to share it with you in my breaks. It is yet another reason why I love what we do at FuseFM. We play songs about struggles and relationships--being a Christian doesn't make you immune to heartache. If I had a goal as far as being a FuseFM DJ, it would be to share with you my heartaches so that you know you're not alone in yours.

Radio Lingo of the Day: Buzzcut-itis. Since I'm a "staff member" I figure it's only fair that I am allowed to add words to the English language. From now on, "buzzcut-itis" refers to an overabundance of new and amazing music. It may sound funny, but being overwhelmed by new music is not a laughing matter. This condition can best be cured by popping in Joey Lawrence's debut (and final?) album. Or even voting at myfusefm.com :)

See you Friday!!!

Edging Ever Closer...

After enjoying Good Friday off from my internship, I came into the station today with plenty of show prep and ready to get back to business. Or something like that. I am somehow suffering from a cold this week, and I feel completely scatter-brained.

Today went well. It started of with a political discussion between Dice and I during which Sarah mysteriously disappeared and Josh occasionally chuckled to himself. :) I did some "practice" stuff in the studio, and then we went over the breaks.

I am really getting much better at identifying where I could do better and how to tighten up a break. Dice even labeled one of them "great" today, so that was pretty cool. I am still slightly hindered by feeling self-conscious, but it really does get easier and easier every time I'm behind the mic. I have even felt confident enough to record a break on the fly based on the song we just played or the one coming up next. And it sounds like the debut of my own show is getting closer and closer, which is very exciting.

There are things I need to improve on. There will probably always be things I will hear played back that I wish I had done different. The real difference between now and when I first started my internship is that I am no longer scared and overwhelmed to start my show. The very thought used to keep me awake at night in the beginning. Now I am just...totally excited. And it just gets cooler and cooler every day.

I love being somewhere that is so interesting and so much fun I am unable to see it as work. I have truly-finally-found my niche. Here's hoping the FuseFM Staff agrees with me. :) :)

Radio Lingo of the Day: Once again, this isn't a term but instead some information. Radio stations classify themselves with all sorts of letters. For example, we are considered a CHR station (or Hot CHR, depending on who you ask). CHR simply stands for Contemporary Hit Radio. That is, we play the hits across all the various genres be it hip hop, rock, pop, etc. Asking this question today led to an interesting discussion with Dice and Josh. Dice commented that he sees us as more of a Hit CHR station since we play agressive, up-tempo music, and yet somehow "Christian" music has been classified as it's own genre, despite all the characteristics it may share with other genres. For example, Pillar is obviously a rock band. However, because they are signed with a "Christian" label, they are a "Christian" band. It's sad to me a little that groups are pigeon-holed for positive lyrics when the musicianship is clearly mainsteam-worthy. It's one of the reasons I love working at FuseFM so much--we clearly have a desire to change the way that people view positive hit radio.

I apologize for the blog being a day late--I have crazy kiddos sometimes. ;)

Monday was cool. Different, but cool. I recorded three PSA's (public service announcements) with Sarah showing me the ropes--it was waaaay more fun that it had any right to be. Everyone kind of pitches in and helps with those, so it was fun having a chance to do something that made me feel a little more connected to the station--even if I was just reading information from a piece of paper.

After that I went to work helping Josh get things ready for the launch of FuseROCK, our first online station. I got to help catolog the music we'll play, which sounds a little bit cooler than it actually is. I am still so shocked by how many things are done "by hand." Every song must be typed in along with artist and a bunch of other distinguishing characteristics. So it mostly involved a lot of data entry, which I happen to love for a reason I can't fathom. But it was fun, and there's always laughter there, and a tendency to over-share. At least on my part. :) I worried a little bit that I was hindering more than helping, as I hadn't heard of many of the bands I was dealing with. When you catalog music, they catergorize things by gender, sound, genre, etc. In FuseROCK's case, songs are catergorized by "hard," "medium", and "light/indie" also. Having never heard many of the bands before, I had to ask Josh for a lot of that info. before I could put it into the computer. Still fun, though. :)

It was neat to see the non-DJ side of the station on Monday. I wasn't holed up in the studio recording--which I love--so I got to interact with people and see what else has to happen in order to make a station like ours as awesome as it is. :)

It feels weird, calling it "ours" instead of "theirs." I really am starting to feel that way--that I'm part of it. Not just pretending, which has been the case previously. There is still the element of that and the insecurity that goes with it, but I feel it ebb more and more every time I'm there. It has been a struggle mostly becauseI am used to feeling so competent, and so dealing with insecurity has made me feel a lot younger than I am--and not in a good way.

I must also apologize for the lack of Radio Lingo today. I was so busy working on Monday :) that I forgot to grill everyone for random radio facts. There may just be two next time...

I have no idea what Friday will bring. But I promise to let you know in a more timely fashion. :)

The Experiment

So. I tried the experiment (recording four hours without playback or re-recordings). It went...:) I certainly accomplished a lot more. For the first time, I actually finished an entire show!! HOORAY! On the downside, I recommended a DVD filled with explicit content, mispronounced two band names, and if you're wondering what the picture is, it's a medieval watch tower--but you kinda had to be there for that. :)

I re-recorded a total of six breaks, including one where I just kinda lost it and made a few random sounds. On the drive home today, I was wondering if maybe I had taken a couple steps back during the little experiment , as far as content and sounding "natural". It certainly wasn't my best. :)

I've come to the conclusion that while it may be somewhat true, I actually gained a lot of confidence. And a way to get my show together without getting hung up on one break. Instead of struggling for sixteen minutes, I could hear them all together at the end, and by then I had a few more ideas and I was certainly more relaxed. I think practicing and then recording my breaks without allowing myself to nitpick every single second before moving on will ultimately make it easier for me to get completely comfortable behind the mic.

All in all, I am looking forward to trying again on Friday. While I may not feel completely confident at this point, I am certainly gaining more each time I head into the studio.

Enjoy your week!

Radio Lingo of the Day: This really isn't a phrase, so much as a little tidbit of advice--when researching a band for info. to use during a break, you're going to want to definitely check out the band's website and lyrical content before recommending an album or DVD that would guarantee phone calls and emails to the station from angry listeners. :)

Thank the Watchmaker

...is pretty much the greatest song ever. At least for this week. I'll let you know when (if?) that changes...

Friday was better. And frustrating. I actually walked out of the studio after two hours of recording breaks because I just couldn't talk anymore. That has never happened to me. :) I actually spent 16 minutes recording and then re-recording one break. That is way too much time. I ended up completely abandoning another when I couldn't get it "right," and then erased a decent-ish one on accident.

But. It is easier. It's easier to talk to you in front of the microphone instead of giving mini speeches. I haven't been able to avoid all wind-ups, but I'm getting better at getting to the point. At the end of my two hours, Dice gave the breaks a listen and he said that he is definitely seeing an improvement. However. My desire to have everything perfect (resulting in sixteen minutes being spent on a forty second break) is paralyzing me. So we're running and experiment on Monday. No re-recording. Just breaks and moving on. I hope it frees me up a little bit and makes it easier to avoid over-analyzing every single thing I say. :)

In other intern news, Josh gave me a few new projects and I'm pretty excited to get started. I will be maintaining our Facebook and MySpace pages, and also helping out with the Street Team. I am really looking forward to keeping you all up-to-date with what's happening at the station through them. We'll be adding more pictures and even setting it up so that YOU can add your own images from FuseFM events and concerts.

It looks like I'll be spending the weekend prepping for another show on Monday. I am setting my goal at having enough content for two four hour shifts--now that I feel more comfortable with the content aspect it's a lot easier to come up with things I want to share with you. Eight hours is totally doable. :)

Oh! I almost forgot! Josh also set me up with an email account. Which means that you can now comment, ask questions, etc. by emailing me at colette@myfusefm.com So please do. Seriously. Right now it's just spam in there.

Have a great weekend! I'll see you Monday! :)

Radio Lingo of the Day: Cold Intro: A "cold intro" refers to a song that does not have an instrumental introduction--it just goes straight into the vocals. As a DJ, you want to be aware of which songs have a cold intro--otherwise, you'd be talking over the singing and that's just sloppy and sounds weird. :)

Two Turntables and a Microphone. Minus the Turntables.

Happily frustrated. That is the best way to describe my day at the station. I came in this afternoon with an entire spreadsheet of show prep, and I was feeling pretty proud of myself. Exceedingly, even. I had personal stories, I researched a few bands, looked up some really cool "buzz worthy" news, and I was ready. Honestly. Dice asked me to do four hours, and I thought that for sure I'd be able to pull it out in the time I had left. I actually practiced in the basement this week (this mostly involved talking to myself and using my iTunes library as a playlist).

At least I managed to finish two of the four hours today instead of just one. When I was halfway through, Dice came into the studio to listen to what I had and go over it with me. I hate that part. I cannot get used to hearing my own voice come back at me over speakers. I'll either get used to it, or I'll get so good at this, that I won't even have to bother with the playback. :)

Anyway, to make a long story short I have a really hard time talking to myself. I got so caught up in telling the story and trying to sound like a "DJ" that while it wasn't at all bad (and Dice said it, so again it must be true), it wasn't exactly me either. And I don't get it. I mean, I can have a conversation. I am so good at this that most of the time I drive my husband crazy with the constant chatter. I've even been known to talk to myself in day to day situations before. Putting a mic in front of me completely trips me up. I feel so awkward.

The great thing that came out of today was listening and then being able to identify my "wind up words*." The downside would be that occasionally I have wind up paragraphs. But. All is not lost. After Dice helped me with the first few, I could easily identify how I should have said something to get to the point of the story. So, I get it. I really do. It's all about the headlines and the outs (you have to wait for another blog on that one). On the drive back, I thought of a thousand ways I could have said something and added things to make all of my breaks (even the ones that weren't really about me) relevant to my life and even yours. I'm pretty psyched to try again on Friday, even.

It's just the doing. I walked around tonight after the kids were in bed (and after I kicked it with the family on Rock Band 2) coming up with other things to talk about or how I could say them--and I can hear it all in my head. Exactly how I want it to sound. Therein lies the frustration. Hearing it one way in your mind and having it come out completely different when it's spoken out loud.

I know it's a practice thing. Or at least I hope it is. There's this insecure part of me that really wonders if every now and then someone at the station is wondering if maybe they should have chosen someone else. That trips me up a little too, and is completely a "me" thing. They have been incredibly helpful and patient and reassuring. It makes it a lot easier to want to try.

I will be the next great FuseFM DJ. I can see that I've already come pretty far and learned a lot. It's just having the patience to see it all come together--something I've always struggled with. :)

Radio Lingo of the Day: wind up words refer to words (obviously) or even phrases like, "alright," "yeah, so" "the other day," etc. These should be avoided as much as possible.

Busy Week

It was an incredibly busy week at FuseFM, so I guess I'll just start with the parade. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in Clare's Irish Festival Parade. There were a ton of people out there, the weather was chilly but absolutely beautiful, AND I even saw the coolest Leprechaun costume ever. I also got to spend some time getting to know Carol, Jim, and Gary B a little better too. :)

If you listened at all last week (and I'm sure you did), you know that FuseFM was hosting its annual Fun Drive fundraiser. That was quite an experience. FuseFM chose a pretty agressive goal of $50,000. I spent a couple hours each day on air, my first being with Tower who I hadn't yet met. It was a pretty powerful week. This station is sooo much more than music. We got to hear a lot from listeners about how the music we play has touched and even changed people's lives--including mine. There were stories and moments that brought tears to my eyes--including once on-air. By Thursday though, it was pretty apparent that we weren't going to reach our goal of 50 thousand dollars, so we geared up for a final day of fundraising on Friday.

The last hour was truly incredible. We had hit the halfway point and pretty much decided that our goal for the end of the day was going to be $30, 000. I finished up my shift and stuck around, hoping to answer phones. They starting ringing, and it was crazy. I took quite a few pledges in just a few minutes and they were substantial amounts. I can't accurately describe the atmosphere in the station at that point--it was intense, emotional, spiritual--truly aweinspiring. The last few pledges, along with those who pledged earlier in the week pushed our total in the course of one hour (pretty much) over $30, 000.00. Honestly, that was an experience I will never forget.

Spending so much time at the station last week reinforced my position as an intern and as part of an amazing team--every single person in that building offered help, support, and a wealth of knowledge tirelessly. Having Rick around this week was beneficial also--he is incredibly knowledgeable about the music industry and will most likely forget more than I will ever learn. Josh taught me a little bit about what goes into organizing the music we play as well. I helped catalog our playlist for FuseROCK, an online radio station we are launching pretty soon.

These week was all over the map for me. I loved being a part of it, and also found it incredibly overwhelming trying to balance my internship, work, and family--and I was only there for a few hours a day! :) The adjustment is getting easier though, and it certainly hasn't stopped being fun. I've spent the weekend compiling ideas for show prep, and hopefully this week will see me "practicing" a little bit more as we head towards the goal of launching my very own show...:)

Friday=Fun Day

After realizing I completely misplaced my car keys two minutes before I was supposed to leave the house this afternoon, finding them in the bathroom (don't ask) and then speeding down the highway, I arrived at the station exactly on time. :) However Dice did not, so I got to spend some time chatting it up with Sarah, who by the way, is extremely cool.

Today was pretty spectacular as far as this internship goes-When I got there, Sarah pointed out the mp3 player sitting in my mail slot (hooray!) which was already so kindly loaded up with songs (thank you!) and then I met Rick (the big boss :)) who was very friendly and not nearly as scary as I had pictured him.

Training for the afternoon focused primarily on the board and the technical side of recording breaks. The board is scary. There are a million buttons, but Dice carefully went over each section and explained them to me. The most important thing I learned about the board is that if I hit "program" anywhere on that board (and it's in a LOT of places) I am completely disrupting what you're hearing on your radio. Which is apparently a very bad idea. I also learned how to identify where my break will go during the hours of my show, how to record them, and how to add beds (background music). As you know, DJ's will talk over the the intros of music--the trick to this is to make sure you're hitting the post*. I somehow managed to pull it off which for now I will call beginner's luck/raw talent. Pretty cool. And not nearly as complicated as I thought--although I did manage to completely forget when the time came for me to put it into practice.

My assignment for today was to record two hours worth of breaks. I spent several minutes freaking out about how best to plan my breaks as far as topics, until Dice came in and pointed out that for today he was much more concerned with me learning the program. Then they left me alone in a studio to get to it. I'll be honest, I had a few problems remembering to turn off the speakers before I turned the microphone on. I also heard a couple of chuckles coming out of the office when this happened, though I think it may have been due to the "Sorry!" and even the "Seriously?!" that soon followed each flub.

The down side of the afternoon is that I spent so much time re-recording that it ended up taking me fifty minutes to record one hour's worth of breaks. I guess I just need to remember that it won't always be perfect, and it's something I will get much better with as I continue to learn and practice. The hardest part for me is picturing my audience. I end up feeling like I'm talking to myself and then feeling sort of ridiculous for doing it. I am seriously considering bringing in a picture to talk to for next time. :)

I have a very busy and Fuse-filled week coming up. Tomorrow is the Irish Festival Parade in Clare. It starts at noon, and I'd love to meet you so please stop by!

Also, the Fuse Fun Drive begins Monday morning, and I'll be hanging out for a couple hours every day. I've never been a part of the Fun Drive before and I'm pretty excited to see the station and its listeners come together to continue this ministry.

As someone who is also a listener and a fan of FuseFM, I honestly cannot tell you how much my life has been impacted by this station, and I don't just mean this contest. When I first learned I was pregnant, my husband had just started his bachelor's degree. We were poor college kids in way over our heads, and I had absolutely no idea how we were ever going to make things work. I drove home from my first doctor's appointment completely overwhelmed and just happened to tune in to 101.7 The Fuse. I can't remember who the DJ was by name, but I remember very clearly that he said, "God doesn't make mistakes." That was my first experience with FuseFM, and I cannot tell you how much that little comment brought peace to my heart. God has always spoken to me through the Fuse, even before I was ever really listening. You'll hear lots of stories all week about how Fuse FM is impacting its listeners. I feel so blessed to be a part of Fun Drive both as a listener AND a DJ this year.

Have a great weekend!!

I cannot believe I almost forgot my Radio Lingo of the Day:

The post refers to the best place to stop talking during a break. This usually means right before the vocals start. According to Dice, DJ's really pride themselves on being able to end their break at exactly the right place for a flawless transition into the next song.

Day One

So the internship officially began today. I have to tell you that I love the atmosphere around the station. I spent the first few minutes trading barbs with Josh, Sarah and Matt Moore, which was pretty cool. Despite the fact that I'm the newbie, I feel as though I've known them for a lot longer than a couple weeks.

This blog is hard to write tonight simply because we went over soooo much. I guess the main subject we covered during my afternoon at the station was how to create a show that you'd want to listen to- its content. Dice and I had a meeting to kick off the afternoon which went something like this-"content-avoid changing the tone of your voice-buzz-pop culture-some people bring a picture in to talk to-show prep-station breaks*-newsboys switched lead singers..." I didn't get scared until he told me to be aware of my verbal crutch without becoming so obsessed with avoiding it that I am unable to function on-air. Or in general.

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Being completely new to radio, I don't have to tell you that I had absolutely no idea where to focus after our little chat about show content. Thank goodness for assignments. :) Dice gave me a spreadsheet and had me come up with two hours worth of breaks (that would be the time in between songs when DJ's chat it up) focusing on four-ish content areas: Buzz, News, Music, Life. I had ten slots to fill on my spreadsheet, although two were already set aside for the Buzz Cuts. At first, this was incredibly difficult. I sat there for a few minutes wondering what I could possibly have to talk about that would be worth listening to and whether or not I would sound like an idiot. Then I picked a person to talk to and it got a little easier after that (thanks, Emi!). I was feeling pretty good on top of it after Dice looked it over--and then he mentioned that during my weekend shows, I will do 80 breaks. Wow. When you put it into numbers like that, it's just...overwhelming. But exciting. I found myself watching my kids play tonight and laughing at their antics and thinking "Show Prep!" You're going to have to wait until my show to hear the hockey puck/bee story, though.

Knowing what to talk about before you actually say anything out loud is pretty important. My audience is you. As in one person. To me, that's the key. Talking to you as though we're sitting in the living room (or preferably on the front porch) talking about our lives. Dice warned me about getting caught up in creating a radio personality. Apparently, they chose me because they like the personality I already have. And yet somehow I think I may have to actually practice being myself. So strange. :)

After our meeting and my show prep exercise, I got to spend some time watching Josh do a little voice-tracking (recording). I also discovered an entire side of the builiding (literally. Like an entire hallway and rooms) I didn't know existed until today. He made the whole DJ thing look a lot easier, even if I was surrounded by a bunch of equipment I didn't understand. He makes that look pretty easy too.

The equipment is a little scary, but mostly it's just really...cool. I have no idea how to use it or what most of it even does, but I am really looking forward to understanding the technical side of radio.

I've come to the conclusion that this radio thing is going to be pretty easy when it comes to the talking. It'll take me a little while to get comfortable in front of a mic, but I talk a lot anyway. I usually have a harder time getting myself to let someone else get a word in than I do thinking of things to say.

This post is pretty long-winded, so despite the fact that I could continue for another thousand words or so, I'll close with our Radio Lingo of The Day (the little phrased asterisked in the second paragraph):

A station break refers to a break in which I will focus on Fuse-related information like skate nights, upcoming concerts, and other fun events. For example, next Saturday Clare is continuing their annual Irish Festival with theIrish Festival Parade. Look for me on the back of a convertible and come say hi! :)

Picture me saying that out loud, and you've got a station break. I think. The definition came from Dice himself, so I can only assume that he knows what he's talking about.

See you Friday!!!!

There's a first time for everything...

So if you haven't heard by now, I recently entered a "Be the Next Great Fuse DJ" contest hosted by FuseFM, which I subsequently won. Hooray!!! I went in last Tuesday to hang out on the air and meet Sarah and Dice. I got a phone call on Friday morning to let me know that I won. Which was epically awesome. Truly. And I couldn't believe that somehow, through the grace of God, this dream that's been nagging at me for a while was going to come true.

There were so many emotions streaming through me on Friday morning--excitement, joy, nervousness, and even fear (which I hadn't actually been expecting, so I was kinda surprised by that). In fact, fear actually prevailed for most of the weekend as I thought about the responsibility and commitment I was about to take on. And then something happened...

During church, I gave a testimony to this awesome thing that God has done in my life, and how I'm excited and overwhelmed--and so grateful--to be a part of the Fuse Family. And the excitement was all I could feel again. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched a young girl's face light up when she recognized my name from hearing it on the radio all week along with the other finalists, and it hit me that I get to be a part of her life--by playing music I love and having fun. Pretty awesome. And even though there is a huge responsibility that comes with being the next FuseFM DJ, the reward will always, always outshine the sacrifice. And that's the beauty of God--when you do things in His name it's joyous, and awe-inspiring, and you get to connect with people in a way that otherwise may not happen.

On Monday, I met with Dice to go over some of the finer details of my internship-like when it starts, for example (next Monday!). My internship will also consist of approximately one month of training where I get to learn how to do all kinds of cool DJ things. I'd love to tell you about them but it's still a mystery to me, so you'll all have to wait for those details too. :) Eventually I will...wait for it....have my VERY OWN SHOW on Saturday and Sunday night!

And that kind of sums up where I've been this past week--afraid/overwhelmed/inspired/excited. I hope to lose most of the fear as I get used to working with people I've been listening to on-air for a couple of years now. Feel free to stay tuned--'cause I can't wait to see what happens next...