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.