RADIO: THE EARLY YEARS

On the heels of several unsuccessful attempts to secure a token weekend stint at the local radio station, I resorted to the old "stand-by"-a "free sample". That's right friends, I decided that the only way to stand a chance was to stand out. I prepared a (less than professional) rough demo taped on a dime store tape recorder in our basement, and dared to present it to Station Manager Jim K. Jim was a gruff man with a reluctant soft spot for the underdog. Though the recording would have probably sounded better had it been taped at the Grand Canyon, Jim graciously afforded me the courtesy of a listen. Although my delivery was alright, my voice was shaky at best. A few weeks later, Jim contacted me to see if I would be interested in being a "fill-in" on weekends. Trying not to sound too excited, I downplayed the offer while tenatively accepting second fiddle until someone left or was terminated. As fate would have it, my chance to shine came much sooner than expected. Another young man, who had been hired just a short time before, was given his walking papers because of his inability to read when his mike switch went to the "on" position (commonly referred to as "stage fright"). I felt bad for "Bob" (the termin-ee), but not too bad to man the newly-created vacancy.....