Saturday, Oct. 14, 2006 12:07 pm
Layoffs and celebrations
Yesterday was one of those interesting, terrifying, exciting, anxiety-filled days. I'm getting better at them, I would say. I didn't take any anxiety relieving drugs until last afternoon when I drank a beer.
The station celebrated 60 years on the air. All week long I've been taking calls from our music celebrities in the city and recording those calls to play during my show yesterday. Yesterday I had to spend a lot of time placing them and arranging everything on the log to flow well. It all did, I suppose. I enjoyed listening to the former employees that were on the air earlier in the day, but I appreciated not having them in on my show since I don't know them and really wouldn't know what to ask them.
I got some nice compliments from listeners yesterday that came to enjoy the open house. One man pointed out how he liked how at ease I made the guests on my show and never was confrontational with them. That's what I attempt to do, so I'm glad when that is noticed.
The day got off to a really rough start, though. I had dreamed the night before that one of our two engineers had quit and I was worried and wondering how we would replace him. I told the engineers that and they said that, no, neither one of them was leaving, but that three of our co-workers were axed yesterday. Shocking. One has been on our station in the past and now works for a sister station and does TONS of things. I think this is just more evidence that the more indispensable you try to make yourself, the more they will prove you wrong. More reasons NOT to spend 14 hours a day at the station trying to make sure that everything is functioning flawlessly. I know he does a lot of things (maybe some that he does on his own without having too) and I've heard him complain a lot lately about some of the duties he does that really don't fall within his realm. But I feel so sorry for him because I know this is his only gig and I don't know where he might land after this.
The second one to go is on the air, but he has other parttime work and this has only been an hourly job for him without benefits. I will miss him because he is witty and sweet. He came into my studio after I won my Sweetheart of the Radio and said "You have TOTALLY got to order the banner, like TOTALLY!" and that was fun. I saw him yesterday afternoon and he is going to be fine.
The third was a sales manager and I was shocked because I thought she surely did her job well. She was one of the mothers of the four little babies we had for a year at the station a while back and I loved her little boy and I loved her. She's always been very good to me with live endorsements. She is pregnant now, but she is in sales so I know she'll be able to get something (and maybe she won't want to with two kids). Her husband has a good job.
So that news yesterday did have a dampening factor on the whole celebration although I continued to keep my game face on and do my thing. Our promotions assistant got mad that I have turned up my nose at a lot of the interviews she has set up for me. She has a point, she has been working hard, but her idea of who is hot and needs to be touted is very different from mine. And, of course, I know who does good interviews and has the enthusiasm that we need on the air and who doesn't. She had one call in that I really really hate to have on the air. He's in one of the hottest bands going, but he is just not that adept at an interview.
The day dragged on and we had the usual assortment of prize whores, and freaks, and wierdos, and wonderfully nice people, too. I thought about bringing up the stars of the movie Prize Whores, because three of the four were on hand for the remote and the free food. What a weird weird life they lead.
After I was through with my show I had to go do many of the things I usually handle while I'm on the air. The weekend logs' commercials didn't fall in the right places so I had to rearrange and fix and fuss. The gospel show voice tracking was goofy for some reason, but I saw the producer soon after and was able to tell her how to do it. My favorite intern stuck his head in at 7:45 with that question that drive me crazy: "What are you still doing up here?" I'm working!! He wanted me to go to Opal's and have a beer with him, but I refused. He was persistent and I was irritated, but he finally took no for an answer. I still didn't get home until after 9 pm. With my nephew here I really wanted to get home. Mark was still here when I got home, but he soon left to go set up gear for a show in Shiner for today.
I woke up this morning at a crazy early time and couldn't go back to sleep. So I got up and took something and did some emailing and THEN, as I was getting sleepy, I realized that we hadn't moved my nephew's car into the drive. A neighbor called last night to say she was having some tree work in her yard and wanted us to protect that car by moving it. I waited until past 6:30, still crazy early, and then went and asked my nephew for his keys and I moved it. Then I did manage to go back to sleep and sleep until 11 or so. I think this will be a pretty lazy day.