Radio Days
(Audio Samples Below)

About to go on the air as Doc Robinson on Solid Rock 107.7 the Fox, WHFX

     During my time as a working musician over the last 16 years or so, I have had many interesting "day jobs". Some were more noteworthy than others. (Being a street and highway sign layout specialist was interesting.) One of the more fun jobs I've had was in the radio business. I started part-time as a board operator, someone who pauses the automated programming [i.e., music] so the Radio Personality out at some remote location can go live. Typically, that kind of thing happens when there is also a live jock in the studio at the same time, but nowadays a lot of stations pre-record certain shifts of the day and sometimes they just "need a warm body in the studio to work the knobs" as a pro once told me.

     Several people have asked how I managed to evolve from a lowly board operator to Program Director of a successful radio station in just a year-and-a-half. It was really through a successive series of ever more unlikely circumstances that allowed me to fall into that position, along with a strong desire to do so and a belief that is was well within my capabilities. It can be wrapped up in a brief history here, followed by a link below to 15 different commercials I made here and there during my time doing that sort of thing. [see below]

Taking a break while in the Fox studio in 2005.

     After a few months of getting familiar with the different boards in each of the 6 studios at Qantum Communications, I was asked if I would be interested in doing any voice work. I of course jumped at the opportunity and started doing a few commercials, weather promos and eventually pre-recorded [or "voice-tracked"] shifts at night on the oldies station. I was the first nighttime jock on that station in 5 years, the program director [PD] told me. After a few weeks of pre-recording, I was asked to try an hour or two live and then pre-record the rest of the shift, and I was on my way.

     This went on long enough that soon, I was going on live while the regular afternoon shift guy was out and about doing live remotes, sometimes bantering back and forth on the air. This led to more work doing commercials and promos and the like. But something unexpected was about to happen.

Several of the studios at Qantum Communications became flooded in 2005. This is WHFX.

     The PD of the one of the stations got fired for "drinking on the job", even though it was well after his shift and he was all done with working. He was just having a mixed drink while looking over some paper work before he left to go home and the General Manager, who had some prior beef, caught him doing that and 86'ed him. He was the guy who had a shift on the oldies station right before me, so they moved me into his prime spot in the afternoon on the oldies station. I had grown up listening to all that music, so I knew a lot about most of the songs from years of listening to Dick Clark and the Savannah Oldies station and the very one I was on! (Oh yeah, and I did a lot of internet research for each day's broadcast!) If you check my Nurmweb3D games section, you'll see a program I wrote for use in the radio studios, which reminds me, there's a fortune to be made with the still-infant industry of radio broadcasting software.

This is me in the Sunny 103 studio (WWSN, 103.3 FM), probably live helping a remote DJ.

     Eventually, the folks in charge decided to put live jocks back on the small rock station for 2 shifts, and I got the late afternoon to early evening shift! I was doing 2 stations at the same time and even some fill-in work on two others. I was even starting to do some live remotes of my own, since I was trusted enough to do whole live shifts in the studio. About a year later, they would swap formats on 2 of the stations, boosting the rock station from 10,000 to 50,000 watts. But once again, fate was turning the wheels of my vessel.

     The PD of the rock station (also the oldies-turned-JackFM-clone-station) decided to move out of state leaving a big talent void on 3 stations and not enough PD's to go around. I felt that with all the experience I had acquired over the previous year and a half I was ready to PD the rock station, because I knew the format on the oldies-turned-JackFM-clone station was about to change again and I knew the music and how things were run as well as how to program the station's content and more. It was perfect for the company, as I was already there, so they didn't have to hire some seasoned pro from elsewhere to do it, or overburden the now minimal staff. I got the job. I was PD of the rock station and air personality on about 3 others for over another year and a half.

This is me with the Harley I had to escort for a few months of hell in 2005.

     I eventually felt I had to leave, because I got involved with someone that made things there difficult for me, plus I was overworked and underpaid. (I got roped into salary when I attained the PD position.) Radio PD's don't get much rest or relaxation. Trust me, I didn't even take a single day of vacation for my first 3 years! When I finally did, I got a phone call on my cell my first day of vacation at Daytona Beach and had to come back, but for other reasons. On the air work was the time when the job ruled, but the behind-the-scenes of being a fulltime radio PD and air personality can really grind someone down if the circumstances are right, especially if you also sing your vocal chords off every weekend night of the year. Twelve hour days were a common thing back then, and I often had to be there every day of the week, for months on end. [Note: One year after I left, I started developing some fine wrinkles in the corners of my eyes (finally) and my first gray hairs have appeared (finally). LOL.]

I had to take this thing everywhere in 2005 and really started to hate it once everybody knew where I lived.

     On WHFX, Solid Rock 107.7 the Fox, I was known as Doc Robinson. On WWSN, Sunny 103.3, I was known as Dennis Robinson, go figure. On Fun Country 102.5 WYNR, I was known as Dylan Dixon. I also had some other names that aren't worth mentioning, but if you ask, I'll tell. My voice is still on the air if you know when to listen, but it's very fleeting. If you would like to hear a small sample of the commercial work I did, follow the link below. That ought to be good for a laugh. In summary, I'd do it all again, if I had the chance. If ever offered a part-time job doing some voicetracking, I'd probably be into it. Thanks, for reading! Here's your reward:

Doc Robinson's Commercial Sampler on Esnips

Kat the "Fox Chick" & Doc Robinson @ Golden Isles Harley Davidson Grand Opening.

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