Ever since I was little I had a very unique love for music and radio. I would always be listening to music no matter what I was doing, and when I grew up and started to learn how to drive my love for music and radio grew even stronger. No matter what time it was, or what my mood was, I would always play music in my car, blasting the volume, and even started to talk over intros and extras to songs, pretending I was already a radio personality. That’s why when it was time for me to apply for school, the radio and broadcasting program at BCIT caught my eye almost instantly. I signed up, got accepted, and of course completed the courses this year which led me to practicum. When I saw that I had a personality on air job I was delighted but also nervous for the week to come. Here is my week in review running evolution 107.9.
Sunday night came around and I had prepared my material. However, the whole weekend I had been suffering from a terrible upper respiratory infection. At times I couldn’t go two seconds without terrible coughing and as much as I looked forward to being on air, I knew waiting a day to recover was for the best. Disappointed, I spent my day Monday lying in bed, listening to my classmates do a great job running the station.
Tuesday morning I felt better but still had a bit of a raspy voice. Being on radio itself wasn’t too scary for me, but the fact I was going to be doing it with a tiny cold was a little worrying. I didn’t want to slip up and have a lingering cough on air, as I knew a lot of close friends, family members, and professors would be listening to me. However, I remembered the teachings I had learned so far throughout the term, and remembered that freeing my naturals voice was one of the most important parts. I tried to be as relaxed as possible and when it was my time to go on air I cracked the microphone, sat back in the chair to help myself relax, and just talked as if I was talking to my best friend. It was one of the more enjoyable moments of my life, and I cherished those first three hours. I knew Tuesday would be my day to make mistakes, and boy did I make mistakes, but I figured this was natural on my path to becoming a potential radio personality in my future.
Wednesday came around and I decided I was going to act the part today. I cant confirm or deny looking up radio hosts on Pinterest and taking outfit inspiration from them. I arrived two hours early to prepare for the day, and my voice was feeling much better, leading me to believe it would be smoother sailing. Once I got into the station and sat down in the chair I was once again filled with happiness and I feel as though that’s was conveyed every time I cracked the microphone. I wanted to be there, and I wanted the audience to know that every time I talked. In between talking parts, when I would sit back in the chair, music in the studio up to the max, I thought to myself, “yeah, I could do this the rest of my life.”
Thursday was for sure the hardest day of this process. After feeling very confident on Wednesday I thought Thursday would be more of the same, but I had what one would call an off day. I felt as though their were multiple stumbles in my script and talking, I made some mistakes when clicking music, and even my stories felt a little dull. I couldn’t seem to understand why, as I was just as excited and motivated as Wednesday but just couldn’t put it all together. I decided for Friday I would need some help and advice if I wanted to close on a strong note.
Friday morning I showed up three hours early for my shift, and went to go see Todd Hancock, my mentor for the week and practicum. I asked him for advice as he had been in the business for a long time and I really respected his opinion. What he shared with me was a half an hour of amazing knowledge and a dive on how I could do better on air. He talked to me about how to hook a audience, how to engage for every quarter of the hour, and so much more. I took this advice to my script and when I took to the air on Friday I had never felt better. Friday was my favourite day of the week, as I had fun trying to tease the audience at stories coming up, I was dancing to the music in between talking points, and felt constant serotonin every time I cracked the microphone. When I was done at the end of the day, I felt sad, however, I knew that this week was a great chance for me to practice what I love to do.
It was nowhere near a perfect week, and I still have lots to improve on. I want to be in the radio industry in my future and I know to do that I have to take the advice of my instructors very seriously and account for everything they say. However, this week felt like a good start and I cannot wait till I get to do it again. Ill close this article with how I closed most of my on air shifts. “This has been Ryan Plessl and you’re listening to Evolution 107.9!”