DAYS OF THE DJ.

    SATURDAY, JANUARY 20TH., 2018
                  DAYS OF THE DJ.

     January 20th is National Disc Jockey Day!
     While most of you may remember me as
a news reporter my first few years in broadcasting
were spent as a DJ.
      Those days were a lot of fun for the most part.
There was never a lot of money in it, at least
around these parts. I got to play a lot of the music
I liked. They call them Oldies these days but they
were all new back then.
       We used to have a lot of fun behind the
scenes too. Most everybody who started back
in the 60's can tell you about the time they
were reading a commercial live on the air when
one of their older colleagues set the written copy
on fire! You had to learn to ad lib back in those
days!
       I used to be able to pick up a few extra dollars
by taking our portable equipment to local schools
and dance halls for what we called "Record hops,"
Since records are making a bit of a comeback I
guess I don't have to explain what those were.
        Most DJ's drifted from station to station over
a fairly short period of time. That goes back to the
money or lack of it.
          My switch to news wasn't something I
expected or really wanted to do at the time but
it turned out to be a wise move.
           Though this is National Disc Jockey Day
the days of the DJ are all but gone. Most local
radio stations don't have local DJ's anymore.
The majority of stations are automated and, in
many cases, the voice you hear introducing
music, if you hear one at all, is broadcasting
from a major city to many stations around the
country at the same time.
             That's sad for a number of reasons
not the least of which is hearing a local voice
talking about local happenings and keeping
you up to date on breaking local news.
              There are a few members of this
dying breed around our area so give them some
credit. They work hard and I'm not sure the
money has gotten a heck of a lot better than
it used to be!
             Let's hear it for,and from, our DJ's!
Hope their, and your. NEWS is good!