It is hard to believe - 35 years almost to the day since I first went on the radio! "Where did you start" is a common question for broadcasters, so here goes. The week leading up to July 4, 1974 was when I first got on the air. It was at WKBK/Keene, New Hampshire (AM 1220 then, 1290 now), doing "Mobile Lifesaver Reports" from a two-way radio in a big red station wagon with WKBK emblazoned all over it.
We did traffic reports - basically two or three intersections were the only busy spots - and holiday safety tips with local sponsors I remember to this day. I was terrified, not being the most extroverted person to begin with, but found it pretty cool to get so many people driving by honking their horns at me. My week there ended doing a busy Sunday signoff shift, when I probably made more mistakes in 4-1/2 hours than I have since! After that week, I concluded that radio wasn't as easy as some broadcasters make it sound on the air. That fall, when I got on the Keene State College radio station, WKNH, I felt like I had the advantage over most of the other staffers who had no commercial radio experience. Little did I know that I had opened the door to a profession that takes more than a week to smooth over the rough edges.
It is hard to believe - 35 years almost to the day since I first went on the radio! "Where did you start" is a common question for broadcasters, so here goes. The week leading up to July 4, 1974 was when I first got on the air. It was at WKBK/Keene, New Hampshire (AM 1220 then, 1290 now), doing "Mobile Lifesaver Reports" from a two-way radio in a big red station wagon with WKBK emblazoned all over it. 
We did traffic reports - basically two or three intersections were the only busy spots - and holiday safety tips with local sponsors I remember to this day. I was terrified, not being the most extroverted person to begin with, but found it pretty cool to get so many people driving by honking their horns at me. My week there ended doing a busy Sunday signoff shift, when I probably made more mistakes in 4-1/2 hours than I have since! After that week, I concluded that radio wasn't as easy as some broadcasters make it sound on the air. That fall, when I got on the Keene State College radio station, WKNH, I felt like I had the advantage over most of the other staffers who had no commercial radio experience. Little did I know that I had opened the door to a profession that takes more than a week to smooth over the rough edges. 
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