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...