Re: College radio streaming (was Re: XTRA)

[Jeremy Mixer <mixer@zoso.net>]

On Fri, 7 Sep 2001, Dan Billings wrote:

> I have always been skeptical of broadcast schools generally and the New
> England School of Communications, in particular.  I worked with a few
> graduates of the school who could barely run a board.  I was wondering, as a
> proud alumni of the school, if ypu knew of any of the school's graduates
> have made it big in the business.  I don't mean to insult you, but I have
> always wondered how a broadcast school with a dubious reputation in Bangor,
> Maine could survive so long.  Who are the alumni they brag about?  Maybe I'm
> missing something.

Personally I heard from a guy who went to tyh New England School of
Broadcasting a few years before I went that they were a horrible school.
But I went anyway, althopugh when I fianlly went was three years later
when I discovered the world of radio. In High School, I was planning to go
into video/TV production.

In just the two years that I went there, teh school improved immensley,
and are continuing to do so from what I have seen. Especially with their
new facility.

The number one thing you need if you are a student there....I'll just
point out in radio and audio engineering- is an interest, a committment,
and a love for what you are doing.

I would not, if I were a program manager for a radio station, hire someone
because they went to NESCom...... there were five groups of people that I
went to school with there:

A) Naturals- the people who somehow had radio in their blood and while
like everyone just starting out, they need work, however practice can go a
long way

B) High potential- These are the people that are slow at the begginning,
but their progression throughout their stay at the school is amazing- I'll
use my roomate my final semester as an example. He started when I did. He
screwed off, flunked out.....meaning he was not alklowed back the next
semester, but was invited to re-apply for the semester after that. And he
straightened himself out quite a bit- became a very dedicated student. He
was afraid to get on the air however I and others encouragesd him to read
news and sit in on some shifts. We all knew he had the voice......and many
of us encouraged him. His first airshifts he sounded completely
non-confident and shaky, but after about a month he got a grip on it and
suddenly was amazing on the air, and a great radio personality. He has two
semesters and I really think he has a decent future ahead of him as long
as he keeps striving.

C) potential but lacking- There is one guy I know that works for Clear
Channel up here.....and his biggest problem is his ego. ran into him one
day and he's giving me the ol "you working for a local company with only 2
stations and doing overnights, even though you're live, you don't get
exposure. Yes I am voicetracked, but I am on so many stations, not a
person in the Bangor area has not heard my name, and everyone knows who I
am" He is the one who will whine and complain and try to screw over others
just so he can try to do whatever he wants, and anyone I've talked to who
works with him can not stand his attitude and really don't trust him. His
announcing style is decent with some formats and horribe with others, but
he is someone who will most likely not go to far. If he lost the huge ego
and attitude problem he might have potential.

D) Interest but no potential- There was this one guy from San Francuisco-
very anti-social and angered very easily, deeply religeos, and very closed
minded. VERY dedicated to the radio station...... he got the Broadcaster
of the month award over Christmas break because he put about 50 hours a
week into keeping sthe station on teh air while everyone was home for
vacation. His first year he came in and when he talked- you couldn;t
understand a word he said, he'd mumble... et-ine poi thee efem
dubyaysessen (meaning 89.3 FM WHSN). Over the summer between his first and
second year they were tring to get him to work on pronounciation since he
was living in Bangor.....by the time everyone returned for the third
semester, he sounded more like this "EIGHT-ee NINE point THAREEEE EFFF EM,
Dubbel-HUUUUUE aitchessen." He was in the radio practicum class where you
have aa duty along with on-air work in the station- his was the WSHN-
Hotline, a live PSA for a non-profit club group opr organization in teh
air that is used as a live-read at the bottom of every hour. He'd fill a
3X5 index card to it's maximum and you'd read it and it would all be one
sentence. This is a guy that was banned from board-opping Husson sports
games because he just couldn't grasp the concept. I am not trying to rag
on the guy, he probably has some problems of his own that he unfortunately
can't overcome.

E) The people you wonder why they were even allowed to go to the school in
the first place. These are the poeple that go on the air and just don't
care. DO what they want, say what they want, and really make no effort to
improve themselves

Out of the people I went to school with, I'd say 40% fell into the first
two categories- only 10% of tehm decided to stick with radio. And most who
are out of school now have jobs. 35% fell into the D category, and the
rest fell into the E category.

Who has made it big? Well it depends what you mean bby big. As for people
I went to school with that are on-air talent, Cooper Fox (who is on this
lsit) is the weeknight guy on WWBX. Damien Brown also works at Clear
Channel and is working at several different stations there, and does a
great job. Another girl, Kim, from Old Orchard Beach, interned at WRED in
Saco/Portland over the summer and was doing on air work by the end of the
summer before she returned to school this week to do the four-year
program. There is another guy who got a job at Clear Channel and he is
doing a lot of different things there and has a lot of potential...then
there's the guy I mentioned above who is so full of himself without really
anything to be fuill of himself about.....

And the majority of the people I went to school with are moving on to the
4 year program....

As for graduates- there was one guy who graduated a few years back as an
Audio major and his name has been on Limp Bizkit's latest album, as well
as Kathie Lee Gifford's latest album- forget his name and what studio he
works at, but he's making quite a name for himself in the NYC music scene.
Another guy is the one who does (did) the Jay Leno and COnan O'Brien web
pages, although I beleive he left there because he had a better job offer.

As for Mainers- Bill Donini who does the weeknights on WBLM- he is a
graduate. I beleive Kiss 94.5's Brett Slater is, but I am not sure. At
WKIT "Guru" Glenn Simpson, newsguy Al Jackson,  Jason Roberts, Scotty
Moore, Dave Isaac, Val Evans, Tony Randazzo and myself are all former
Nescommies or NesB's. Clear CHannel there are a few but not many that I
know of, then again I never worked for them. For Cumulus, the Q's Paul
Dupuis is (and now teaches announcing and production at the school), Adam
who does the evenings is, I beleive newsgirl Allison Bankston is, Mike Dow
from the morning show is, there are several others too. At WZON Clem
Labree is a graduate, so is Chris Shorrette, TOby Nelson graduated from
the 2 year program and is going back for the four year....so there are a
lot of people who are big in the bangor area that alol come from the
school...as for other areas I really don't know. I do know several people
on the WTOS air staff were graduates too.

At least the school is honest about the radio industry- they tell you how
it is, this distracts many people away from being air talent, but usually
they find something else they are interested in and excell at that.

So the school has produced a fair amount of air talent, not tons by any
means, but it seems that it's presence in the bangor radio market, as
smmall and insignificant as this market is, is very prominent, and many
people are going to mvoe on to bigger and better places if they choose to,
at the same time there are many who would want to stay here....... I'd
personally say that the only station that is not going tyo be different
air staff widse in 5-10 years (providing no ownership change or drastic
formnat change) is that of WKIT's.....the fulltimers there are happy where
they are, and that goes probably for a few other stations too, however
probably less for corperate stations....but I've been wrong before.

Sorry this was so long!

Jeremy