Radio Daze Chapter 3
While in broadcasting school, one of the exciting things was field trips. Sometimes Mr. Collins would take the students to different events, like a groundbreaking, a grand opening, or a radio or TV station. It was always interesting for Theresa. Some of it was intimidating. One such field trip was to a radio station transmitter site. In order to get a good signal a lot of radio stations transmitters and towers are in the middle of nowhere, on the top of a high mountain. That day, the broadcasting students pack up in several cars and made the pilgrimage to one of the transmitters. You had to get permission first, a person does not go exploring around a transmitter site. One of the engineers was there to meet the class and explain what each transmitter did and how things worked.
The transmitter building itself was not a large building. It had several rooms in it. There was the transmitter room that held all of the equipment, the what was called STL (studio to transmitter links) in it. This room was a lower temperture than the rest, because the equipment had to be kept cool. At the top of each of the transmitter were different types of meters. Each meter show what power the transmitter was operating, what the signal strength was. Theresa was sort of intimidated. This was not interesting to her, but she knew that she had to learn this. This would be something that would be on the FCC license exam. This also would be talked about later in class. She made herself be interested. There were others in the class as lost as she was, but they were guys.
There was a class on TV production as well. Some of the students loved to run camera. This was the age when the VCR was first introduced. It was a large machine and kind of complicated to work. Theresa had no interest in this at all. She was too timid to be in front of the camera and was lacking in skills and what it took to be behind the camera. Radio was her first love. On radio imagination was the key, you could be any way you wanted to be.
As the end of summer approached,there was once again a new crop of students in the class. Some of the ones that Theresa had started with, had gotten jobs and had quit the class. For a while she was the only woman in the class. They started letting some of the high school students in the afternoon session of the class. There was one girl that came in and really infuriated Theresa. She was a 15 year old know it all. She tried to sound sexy on the air, it was something similar to Mae West. This was interesting, because some of the guys ate this up and some laughed at her. One of the things that Theresa hated about this situation, was that she she could see through what was going on and this girl was messing around with some of the guys and getting favors. Women were supposed to be liberated, not rely on their sex to get work done.
There were two new guys who were in the class, who smoked dope and came to class high, especially after lunch. Theresa was really getting tired of the way things were going at school. She was feeling like she was getting into a rut. Then she was asked to work on one of the weekly show that was on tape. It was a show that featured R & B music called "Black Beat". This show was a once a week student produced program. She began to work on that show, she loved doing it. It took a lot of preparation, to get the show timed at 59:00 minutes and then record it. ... Maybe Theresa thought this will get me a job somewhere.. She hoped at least an internship anyway.
Mr. Collins decided it was time to get the class ready for the FCC Third Class test. The test was giving at the capital on a college campus. Some of the students had taken it and others had taken it several times. There were Elements 1, 2 & 9. Element 9 was the math portion of the test. Elements 1 and 2 were basic radio questions. Things like what types of logs are there. The answer was Operating, Transmitter and Programming logs. Someone put Oak, Pine and Spruce. The person that put that on the classroom test was on of the guys that smoked weed during lunch. He thought it was funny. Theresa knew she could get elements 1 and 2, but 9 scared her. It was math calculating power and formulas. She just hoped she would pass it. She wanted a radio job bad working weekend shifts or something. She would practice at home with her tape recorder announcing music . She also wrote facts about the artists she would play. She tried to come up with an air name, just in case.
Mr. Collins had Theresa writing commercials. He thought she would make a good copy person, writing commercials for radio. He suggested that she take typing classes and the local college. She did, but she didn't want to write commercials, she wanted to be on air. Theresa knew that she didn't work well under deadlines and a person writing copy would be under a lot of pressure... She had thought that this was settling for something else. She began to study for the FCC Third class radio telephone test. She and Dusty were still friends and Dusty had heard about this school where you could go for three months and they would teach you everything you need to get your FCC 1st class license. The first class ticket was the kind the engineers had this would open many doors. He left to get his first phone license.
Later Theresa would look back on her decision not to look into the production aspects of radio as a critical error in judgement. This would have been an easier way to get a foot in the door. Hindsight is twenty twenty....
The transmitter building itself was not a large building. It had several rooms in it. There was the transmitter room that held all of the equipment, the what was called STL (studio to transmitter links) in it. This room was a lower temperture than the rest, because the equipment had to be kept cool. At the top of each of the transmitter were different types of meters. Each meter show what power the transmitter was operating, what the signal strength was. Theresa was sort of intimidated. This was not interesting to her, but she knew that she had to learn this. This would be something that would be on the FCC license exam. This also would be talked about later in class. She made herself be interested. There were others in the class as lost as she was, but they were guys.
There was a class on TV production as well. Some of the students loved to run camera. This was the age when the VCR was first introduced. It was a large machine and kind of complicated to work. Theresa had no interest in this at all. She was too timid to be in front of the camera and was lacking in skills and what it took to be behind the camera. Radio was her first love. On radio imagination was the key, you could be any way you wanted to be.
As the end of summer approached,there was once again a new crop of students in the class. Some of the ones that Theresa had started with, had gotten jobs and had quit the class. For a while she was the only woman in the class. They started letting some of the high school students in the afternoon session of the class. There was one girl that came in and really infuriated Theresa. She was a 15 year old know it all. She tried to sound sexy on the air, it was something similar to Mae West. This was interesting, because some of the guys ate this up and some laughed at her. One of the things that Theresa hated about this situation, was that she she could see through what was going on and this girl was messing around with some of the guys and getting favors. Women were supposed to be liberated, not rely on their sex to get work done.
There were two new guys who were in the class, who smoked dope and came to class high, especially after lunch. Theresa was really getting tired of the way things were going at school. She was feeling like she was getting into a rut. Then she was asked to work on one of the weekly show that was on tape. It was a show that featured R & B music called "Black Beat". This show was a once a week student produced program. She began to work on that show, she loved doing it. It took a lot of preparation, to get the show timed at 59:00 minutes and then record it. ... Maybe Theresa thought this will get me a job somewhere.. She hoped at least an internship anyway.
Mr. Collins decided it was time to get the class ready for the FCC Third Class test. The test was giving at the capital on a college campus. Some of the students had taken it and others had taken it several times. There were Elements 1, 2 & 9. Element 9 was the math portion of the test. Elements 1 and 2 were basic radio questions. Things like what types of logs are there. The answer was Operating, Transmitter and Programming logs. Someone put Oak, Pine and Spruce. The person that put that on the classroom test was on of the guys that smoked weed during lunch. He thought it was funny. Theresa knew she could get elements 1 and 2, but 9 scared her. It was math calculating power and formulas. She just hoped she would pass it. She wanted a radio job bad working weekend shifts or something. She would practice at home with her tape recorder announcing music . She also wrote facts about the artists she would play. She tried to come up with an air name, just in case.
Mr. Collins had Theresa writing commercials. He thought she would make a good copy person, writing commercials for radio. He suggested that she take typing classes and the local college. She did, but she didn't want to write commercials, she wanted to be on air. Theresa knew that she didn't work well under deadlines and a person writing copy would be under a lot of pressure... She had thought that this was settling for something else. She began to study for the FCC Third class radio telephone test. She and Dusty were still friends and Dusty had heard about this school where you could go for three months and they would teach you everything you need to get your FCC 1st class license. The first class ticket was the kind the engineers had this would open many doors. He left to get his first phone license.
Later Theresa would look back on her decision not to look into the production aspects of radio as a critical error in judgement. This would have been an easier way to get a foot in the door. Hindsight is twenty twenty....
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