How To Get Into Radio

(Big Wave Dave and I wrote this for a radio industry website.  All the good stuff came from him, and I did the rest.  :-)  Enjoy!)

If you’re in radio, chances are at some point you’ve gotten the call, email, text, or note on Facebook saying something like this: “People tell me I have a great voice. How do I get into radio?” Your first instinct might be to encourage them to go into another field, or at least beg them to stay in school and get as much education as possible, but we’ve seen enough hard-working youngsters come through our office over the past few years with a passion for radio that we always try to answer this question with some helpful advice. Advice that you can now copy and paste and use to save some time! We didn’t get into internet radio or podcasting, as that is another whole article (or maybe even a book), so this is just for the peeps interested in getting on a terrestrial station. At the end of the day, there is no way to get around the fact that hard work and persistence are involved, but we hope that these offer a bit of direction.


Move to a tiny market, where folks have time to train you. This is what happened to Lara, who was living in the bustling metropolis of Bend, Oregon, when a friend dared her to call the local Top 40 station and see if they were hiring. They were, and they were so desperate to have someone (anyone) keep the station on the air overnight and on weekends and holidays that they showed her the basics and then turned her loose on the air. She cracked the mic and promptly forgot her name, the name of the station, and had tons of dead air when she didn’t have three songs playing at once. But she was on the air, and improving (very slowly) with every shift. The same holds true for Big Wave Dave. BWD worked Friday nights at the college station, and then while everyone was recovering from their Friday night escapades, Dave would get up at 4am Saturday morning and drag himself to WLAC and produce a talk show about gardening from 5-10. Summers, he did everything from taking out the trash to reorganizing filing cabinets for stations in Derry and Milford, NH! He also played the “morning show” lackey: fetching coffee and donuts to washing the station R.V.

If someone is not afraid to cold call or email PDs, the small market station is a great approach. You freely admit that you have no experience, but let them know that you will work the shifts no one wants and do whatever needs to be done if they will give you a shot, whether that’s loading voice tracks from a bigger market or running the board during remotes. A strong work ethic seems to be a rare thing these days, and it’s exciting for a boss to encounter someone who has passion, even if they don’t have experience or knowledge (yet).

School. This could be radio school, or a regular two or four-year college. People always seem surprised that a degree doesn’t seem to count for much in the real world of radio—we’ve seen folks with experience and no degree get hired over folks with fancy degrees and no experience time and time again. And certainly, when it comes to radio schools, you must encourage people to do their research and make sure it is a credible institution. We always tell anyone planning to go the school route that the most valuable things they will get out of it will be relationships (with other students that might go on to work in radio, and teachers, who are usually working radio professionals), experience on a school station (getting comfy behind the mic is essentially the same process everywhere, whether you have 100 people or 100,000 listening), and an internship at a local station (where you will meet more people and get practical experience). It’s also great to ask the school for contact info for former students, who will be brutally honest in how and if the school helped their career. The important item to stress here is that you have a command of the language and know how to use it. That’s where a two-punch combination of classes like English, Creative Writing, Drama and/or Voice are worth their weight in gold. Once you have a working knowledge of the basics, you can learn how to run a board, operate a microphone and run software just about anywhere.

Starting off at a station (in any size market) in an off-air capacity, such as the street team, receptionist, or sales assistant, and then shifting to the programming department. We’ve seen street teamers put in a few months of washing the station van and helping listeners spin the prize wheel and then move up to a board op position…and they didn’t have to move to a new town or go to school for that. Plus, you’ll be getting free training! The important thing is to get a foot in the door, be nice to everyone you meet, and volunteer to stay late or come in on the weekend if someone is willing to train you on the board or help you do an aircheck in the production room. The off-air jobs usually don’t require any kind of experience, so if you are fresh out of high school or college and desperate to get in with a station, this might be the way to go. Did we mention that you should be nice to everyone at the station, and cheerfully go above and beyond the entry-level job you’ve been hired for? Plus, most jocks love to hear themselves talk (or maybe that’s just us), and sharing their thoughts on radio with an eager youngster sometimes helps us remember why we got into the biz. Check your sense of “entitlement” and pride at the door. Ask permission to use the production room at 2 o’clock in the morning and work on your hand and vocal skills. Be engaged and self-motivated. Believe us when we say, someone will notice.

Wedding Songs, Christian Music Style

Hi,

I would love recommendations for contemporary christian songs that would be appropriate for my wedding.
Thanks in advance for any tips!
Krista/Aliso Viejo


Hi Krisat!
These are all just beautiful, and I hope that one of them will work for your special day :-)
CONGRATS!!!

God Gave Me You by Dave Barnes


Bless The Broken Road by Selah


You and Me by Lifehouse


Because You Loved Me by Ana Laura


Love Song by Third Day


In Your Eyes by Jill Parr


When God Made You, He Must Have Been Thinking About Me by Newsong with Natalie Grant


Maybe I'm Amazed by Bryan Duncan
(If YOU think of any others, let me know and I"ll add 'em to the list!)

Why I Love My Job

Here's a quick blurb I wrote for The Fish's sister station, KKLA.  KKLA is celebrating 25 years of being on the air (whoo hoo!), and this will be in an upcoming issue of KKLA Magazine.  Everything that I say about KKLA is also true of The Fish.  I listened to KKLA in the car, and then would plug my headphones into my computer when I got to work and rock out to The Fish.  :-)  I would love to hear what YOU love about YOUR job!  lara@thefish959.com 

I am blessed to have the greatest job in the world.




I was a KKLA listener before I started working here! I discovered the station after I rededicated my life to the Lord. I literally just started scanning around the radio dial, and stopped when I heard someone talking about the Bible. From that point on, every morning and afternoon in the car I listened to Dr. J. Vernon McGee, John MacArthur, Chuck Swindoll, and Frank Pastore (who taught me everything I know about politics).



I began to come to a deeper understanding of God's Word through these programs, and really grew as a Christian. I had a lot of bad habits from years of living life on my own, but God transformed my life and gave me a new start. Four years ago, I got a job at KKLA's sister station, The Fish, and then added my night shift at KKLA two years ago.



I feel very fortunate to be part of a station that God is using to change lives! To think that someone out there is hurt and angry and scared (just like I was) and might find hope in Christ through a KKLA program is just the best thing ever.

World Vision Video. Watch this, sponsor, and save a life.

Why should YOU sponsor a World Vision child?

Chances are money is tight, and you have expenses that you need to take care of every month.

Why give $1/day to World Vision? Please take one minute and 9 seconds and watch this.



You can sponsor by calling 1-866-819-hope (4673), or by clicking here. Thank you for your heart for children!!!

Unleashing Your Inner Homemaker: Chocolate Pudding With...Avocado?

Is it weird that I enjoy eating my son's baby food?

Let me back up.

I was a little (okay, a LOT) intimidated by making food for Dallas.  Maybe because the fanciest thing I"ve ever done in the kitchen involved adding some honey and sea salt to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and telling my hubby that "it was made with a special ingredient: love." 

Baby D had been enjoying his Earth's Best rice cereal and jarred fruits and veggies for a few weeks when my  mom-in-law came to visit with a book called Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young. 

I left it on the counter, but kept opening it and browsing through different recipes.  One Sunday, we had some fresh blueberries in the fridge, and I decided to just try that recipe and see what happened. 

First of all, Dallas looked like he was wearing blue lipstick.  And second of all, he gobbled up the homemade stuff in about two seconds. 

That was all the convincing I needed.  My inner homemaker was unleashed!

I made apples, avocados, and sweet potatoes.  Yum!   I started boiling eggs and mixing in an egg yolk every other day (for brain development, one book said).   He got whole organic yogurt (cream on top!) with finely ground flaxseed and mashed kiwi mixed in.  In fact, I spent fifteen minutes a night planning D's meals for the next day, and then comparing them against previous days to make sure he was getting a variety of foods.

And I am still doing this!  And liking this!  To quote a previous post:  Who AM I?!  :-)

The great news is that the hubbs and I are feeling better because we are eating all of this fresh food, too.  You can just eat it straight, or have a little fun with what's left of the blended food after baby dines.

Important note:  Baby gets the straight fruit or veggie...don't give them any of these creative concoctions!!!!  You definitely want to check out some good books (like Blender Baby Food or Super Baby Food) to find out specifics on how to prepare each food (blueberries need to be strained, etc.) and for all kinds of info on kitchen hygiene and safety.

For example, the avocado can be turned into chocolate pudding!

No, I am not crazy.  :-)

Add some chocolate or cacao powder, a little maple syrup or agave nectar to taste, and voila!  It's really creamy and doesn't take like something you should be dipping chips into.  And, it's much better for you than the traditional stuff. 

Or, you could just smear the plain avocado on your face and settle in for a few minutes of relaxation. 

Or how about those leftover blended apples? 

Add some butter, a little pumpkin pie spice, the agave or maple syrup, and you've got....apple pie in a bowl!

What about blended cauliflower, you ask? 

Stir in some butter and sea salt, and chow down on...what tastes like mashed potatoes!

I would love to hear about YOUR creative adventures in baby food. 

P.S.  We are talking about how the Harvest Crusade changed  your life!  Hop on over to our Fish Facebook to join the conversation.  I was blessed to be a part of the Harvest broadcast on The Fish on Sunday night, and had the privilege of meeting Cathe and Brittany Laurie (seriously, could those two be any cuter and nicer?!).  They have started an AWESOME ministry that encourages more seasoned women to reach out to younger women and teach them what they've learned.  Plus, Brittany has a section where she shows some simple sewing projects you can do for your family.  Check it out at http://www.virtue.harvest.org/.  Wait 'til you see the adorable lace-trimmed bloomers!

Thousands of Free Coloring Pages For The Kids!!!

Last night, I was feeding Baby Dallas his yummy beet/winter squash/rice cereal entree, when he started crying every time the spoon came near him  He seemed hungry, though, and kept opening his mouth, but obviously had some issues with the spoon.

Then I remembered that he had been watching longingly earlier as I ate cereal for breakfast and a kale salad for a snack.

He wanted to feed himself! 

What's next?  Marriage?  Moving away and leaving Mommy?

I gave him his little melt-in-your-mouth baby cheerios, and he starting gurgling and going "doodoodoodoo"
and using his hands and newfound pincer grasp to chow down all by himself.

Do I even need to tell you that (shocker!) that made me cry?  :-)

He can't say "I do it myself!" or "Mom, I"m booorrrreddddd!" yet, but I see what's on the horizon, and it looks exhausting, lol.

My friends Jack and Erin found some awesome links to help keep your kids busy with free coloring pages, so fire up the printer, grab your nontoxic, soy-based crayons, and enjoy!

Over 1000 coloring pages at Crayola.com


Veggie Tale coloring pages at BigIdea.com

Disney coloring pages at Disney.com

Reading The Bible

We are reading through the whole Bible!  It's one chapter a day, and today is Genesis 35.  Jump in and join us!  Every week, I"m blogging about something from the past week's reading.  I am not a Bible scholar, but I"m just sharing my impressions and things that I have heard over the years that might relate to it.  Please feel free to email or leave a comment on what speaks to your heart!  I hope that you find yourself falling in love with God's Word. 

We really got into Jacob's story this past week.  He was quite the schemer in his younger years, wasn't he?  We also learned that Esau means "hairy."  :-)  Esau was so hairy, in fact, that when Jacob pretended to be him (You know, when he stole Esau's blessing?  Right after he traded Esau some stew for his birthright?) he had to cover his arms with goatskins so that Isaac (who was nearly blind at the time) would think smooth-skinned Jacob was his firstborn.

Also, Jacob was so in love with Leah that he worked for her father for YEARS for the honor of having her as his wife.  I can barely get my hubby to pick up his socks for me, lol.

I"d like to focus on a passage from Genesis 28 today, and focus on something that a pastor named Jeff Pruitt shared in a sermon.  In this passage, Jacob is on the run from Esau, who he feared would kill him.  He has come to this place called Luz, which was not a very desirable area to be.  I believe that today we might refer to it as a dump.  It was certainly not anywhere that one would want to linger. 

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway [d] resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it [e] stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."



16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
What Pastor Jeff said is that our situation might not be so different from Jacob's.  We are in a desolate place, and we are depressed or angry or grieving...we are in our Luz.  But God is right there with us, working on our behalf and promising us a beautiful future, even if we can't see it.  God sees it--He knows the end from the beginning.  That's another cool way that Scripture works, because we read about how promises were made and fulfilled all those years later.  If we see God being faithful there, we can trust Him to be faithful to us. 

I also love how Jacob (whose name means "heel," btw) is another deeply flawed individual who was used by God to bring forth a great nation.  I think there is a tendency to look at people that we hear about in the Bible as being perfect (none were, with the exception of Christ), or having superhero powers, etc., but when you really get to know their stories you realize they were just like you and me.  And you see, too, that God spoke to Jacob when he was still a mess!

"Surely the Lord is in this place!"

Isn't that wonderful?

"I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Isn't that comforting?

This reminds me of the song "Before The Morning" by Josh Wilson.  He talks about how life is not a snapshot, and that someday we'll see the bigger picture.  We might see it on this earth, or we might see it in Heaven, but we will see it. 

Would you dare to believe, that even now in your Luz, God is with you?  And that there is great joy in store for you?

Empty Frames

I recently realized that I am homesick for home. Which is strange, because I have a home and a wonderful family. I think it's really the idea of a place that is comfy and cozy and filled with wonderful smells and food that has captured me. For so long, home was simply a place to sleep, shower, and wolf down a bowl of fiber cereal before running out to start a 17-hour workday. Most of my life, I have barely had more furniture than a bed and one small couch, although we have now added a table and chairs and another small couch, plus a crib, to that. :-)




Do you know what I mean, though? It can be a cold, cruel world, and I want to have a place where my son can relax and know that he is loved and accepted for exactly who he is. A place that maybe he will long for one day when he is older and I am crying every night when he is at college. A place where not only baby Dallas can be nurtured and grow, but where that's a possibility for my hubby and me, too.



It's funny, because my first house came somewhat close to this in feeling, if not in furniture. I got into Shabby Chic, and spent countless Sundays at the flea market looking for empty frames (to be hung on the walls like artwork), benches (to be used as coffee tables), pitchers (to be used as vases for flowers), and white peely-paint anything. There is something warm and inviting about pieces that have a history, although it always made me kind of sad as I browsed at markets, wondering why their owners would let them go. I wanted to take all of them home! :-)



When my hubby and I got married, he said that he could not handle being surrounded by pink and seafoam green, so I gave away all of my treasures (yes, I cried) and we started over with a modern, minimalist approach (where having only a bed and a couch works FOR you). And while our house is pretty (and now covered in baby gear!), it's never made me feel like it represents my heart.



Anyone else tried to completely change who they were because of a man?



So, last night, as I paged through a book called Vintage Vavoom, I told my hubby that I"d like to move back toward Shabby Chic with the house. He looked up from his stuffed baked potato, and immediately said, "Do we have to have white peely--"



"YES!"



I can't wait to go find some empty frames. :-)

P.S.  I have also been overcome with the urge to Scrapbook!!!  Do you scrapbook?  Would you be interested in doing a Scrapbooking party with me?  I"m trying to see if we can put one together.  You can leave a comment or email lara@thefish959.com.