The passion fades, gives way to new interests

My passion for radio waned like a hit single that drops quickly off the charts. It was not supposed to happen that way.

I walked with my class even though I stood six credits shy of a degree. One summer school class and a Communications internship awaited me before I could get my diploma. When the class was over, I moved to the Lincoln Park neighborhood on the North Side while I did my internship and worked part-time at SportMart.

My friend David helped me get the internship at US99. I am not a country music fan so I did not look forward to that but I thought I could live with it if I could improve my radio skills. I did learn some minor editing and news reporting techniques. I even produced a Jewel grocery store ad that ran on one of the station’s information phone lines.

Unfortunately, I spent the majority of my time as US99 doing media surveys. I would take a phone list from an area code in Greater Chicago and randomly call numbers on the list. I felt like a telemarketer. Many people did not give me the chance to explain that I was not trying to sell them anything. Sometimes, I wanted to give up but I needed the hours.

As I looked all around me, most of the station’s employees worked in sales or some other behind-the-scenes job. While I do not usually mind that type of work, I like to see instant rewards in media that are more evident in newspaper than radio. I should have done my research better because my passion in radio did not extend very far past DJing or sports broadcasting. My horizons could have expanded if Moody had been able to provide better production equipment (Jazz drives-yuck!) and software. I wish more of the money that funded WMBI and the Moody Broadcasting Network would have been channeled towards improving Moody’s radio station and production equipment. Moody Campus Radio could have with the ability to impact more than just the MBI campus.

After I returned home from college, I sent tapes of my work to a couple radio stations but I never heard back. Since I needed to earn a living, I moved on and hardly looked back. If I could get back into radio, I think I would like to try a sports-by-play or color analyst role. I love listening to high school basketball games and Chicago Cubs baseball games on the radio. I enjoy the research that is necessary to keep a listener’s attention. I helped announce a college women’s basketball game on television once but I was so nervous I could barely talk. The play-by-play announcer was a veteran who took over. The game never aired so I was spared the embarrassment.

Radio continues to capture my imagination. If it is done well, I find myself swept away like no other medium out there. I learned the importance of preparation, practice and persistence. These important qualities have improved the quality of my work, hobbies and friendships. God used radio to prepare me to serve Him in other areas. How are my current passions preparing me for upcoming responsibilities? I am excited to find out.