Live with ME!

This past week I was given the opportunity to be a news reader for 92.9 KICK FM, the Red River College Students Association's radio station. I was thrilled to have the chance to work with real radio equipment, and to have my voice broadcasted on air. I was also very anxious, as I had never done anything like this before and had no idea what to expect. I am one of those types of people who thrive on throwing themselves into uncharted waters in as attempt to wade through the unknown towards success, so I was determined to do the best job possible.

Monday morning, 5:04 a.m. The alarm forced me into a half-aware consciousness, and I instantly hated the radio station. Arriving at school early enough to compleate the news reading meant taking the early bus, which left at 6:04 in the morning. I despise you, Whyte Ridge.

I arrived at school around 6:50 a.m., ready to go, minus the fact that I was still half asleep. Tony, the security guard at RRC who works until 8 a.m., kindly filled out the radio access log for me because he could obviously see that my mind hadn't yet turned on for the day. He's a really nice guy. I think i'm going to buy him coffee.

After a few moments, I was on my way with the card to access the radio edit suites burning a hole through my hand. Determined to wake my butt up and not make a mess of the opportunity bestowed on me, I purposely marched towards the edit suites. My speedy gait lasted all of 30 seconds, as I quickly realized I could not, for the life of me, remember where the edit suites were located on campus.

What a STUPID problem to have a 7 a.m. on a Monday morning when I had places to go, things to do, and a quickly diminishing time constraint in which to accomplish everything. I walked up the stairs, then down the stairs. Up another flight of stairs, and down another flight of stairs. I had been shown where the suites were, but really could not remember where to go. Getting frustrated, I remembered I had printed out steps to record the news the night before. Maybe that would help...

I plopped down on a bench and tore apart my binder (the same one I admitted to throwing down the stairs in an earlier blog). Sure enough, halfway down the first page it was written exactly which rooms could be used, and where they were located on campus. Idiot.

Once I actually sat down in the edit suite, everything came naturally. Writing the news for the day was no problem, as I love to write and already had an idea of the format I would use. Reading was a bit more challenging, mostly because I hate the sound of my recorded voice. The early mornings were the worst part, yet thankfully my parents took pity on me and drove me to school a few times. I recommend anyone who has an opportunty to read news for a radio station does it, because it is an interesting experience you can add to a resume.

Now, the only thing I need to work on is the early morning part... Still not a fan...