Radio Daze Chapter Twenty One - New Horizons
The next few years went very quickly. New staff was added to both stations and new equipment as well. The new equipment was designed to make the job easier. Change is not easy. Theresa found that out with the introduction of the DCS (Digital Commercial System). Management went to several other radio stations to see how it worked. It was the latest thing in broadcasting, you could put the commercials on computer and some music on computer. This would save space in the control room as well as time dubbing in music and commercials. You could put multiple commercials under one number, all you needed to do was date the information according to when you were going to use it. This was handy for clients like McDonalds who advertised a variety of items and specials.
When the DCS was installed Theresa was on vacation and it wasn't for the AM side. The AM side was to keep using the carts and dubbing in music the way they always did, so the FM got the DCS. Theresa wanted to learn to use the DCS, because she didn't want to be left out of the loop. There was always the chance that he might have to do something on the other station and she needed to know how to use it. There were only a few people she would ask, becuase the others would treat her like she was stupid and they also acted like it was beneath them to teach someone who worked for the Christian format anything. Theresa often came up on Sunday afternoons to work with a young staff member who they had hired as a part time person. His name was Wayne. Wayne grew up in West Virginia, but was working took broadcasting at the Fayette County Vocational School and ended up working out of state. He had worked at a small station in Wyoming. Not Wyoming County, Wyoming the state and they had a DCS. He taught Theresa how to use it and dub things into it. This knowledge came in handy during the winter months, there was a big ice storm and the station was off of the air for several days, because of the ice. The engineers worked around the clock to fix it. One Saturday evening, the manager told the FM people they could leave since the station was off of the air. Later that evening it came back on and Theresa was there alone and had to call someone in to run programming. She wasn't familar with the DCS enough to run it. The worst part about all of this was that she had to interupt one of the co-workers who was on a date. Dates for people in radio are hard to come by at best. You either attract fans who just want to go out with you, so they can tell their friends that they had a date with you, or crazy people who want to use you to make themselves look good. Angela had to come in from her date and get the programming set up. From that day on they made sure that Theresa could learn all she needed to know about the DCS
Then there was the move of the AM transmitter site. The transmitter site had been in the same place for over forty years , the land around it was being bought up to make a school, and industrial park. They offered the owner a good price for the land and it was sold. So the next thing that needed to be done was to find a new location for the transmitter. This became known as the project from H---. The reason being that there was a very complex directional system for night time broadcasting and a grounding system that had to be installed. It was going to be quite expensive to do. Most places that attempt this usually hire it out to an out of state engineering company. The owner and managers felt that the engineers that they had and some of the staff could handle the job. Part of the job was taking field strength reading using the stations coverage map. So they rented the meters sent staff out in pairs and took readings. Theresa would give updates on the air about the stories. One person was chased across the field by a cow, another ended up hanging over the side of a cliff with a field strength meter in one hand and hanging onto the cliff with the other. Someone got a case of poison oak, and someone enter a compound that was called "Vietnam". There was a Vietnam War vet who lived out in the woods. From the way he was described it reminded Theresa of the guy in Tremors, Burt Gummer. There were many stories like this. One day Theresa went to look at the new site. The new transmitter building was going up and things were coming along. It was in the middle of this project when the staff was told that the orignal owners were selling the station to the current manager. It was a scary time for some of the employees. The project continued.
About a year later the project was finished. It made the station sound better. Other problems persisted. The was a problem getting someone to work some of the evening shifts and the weekend shifts. It was also realized that the DCS wasn't being used to it fullest capacity. One of the guys was sent for training on the DCS. When he came back, he got with Theresa to show her how to set up to automate some of the evenings. Since the AM did not have a DCS it was ran out of the production room using a patching system. The only problem with that was that while the DCS was being used in the evenings the production room was tied up. It got to the point that a lot of time was spent not being able to use the production room and the new owners decided to get a DSC for the AM control room. This made Theresa's job much eaiser.
When the new owner took over the station, there was a change in staff. Theresa also found out that one of the engineers looking to make some extra money wanted to learn the equipment. He wanted to work a Sunday shift. So Theresa began to work with him. His name was Lee, she found out he was a really nice guy. She began to have feelings for him, but she just couldn't let him know. In the meantime someone tried to fix her up with someone she had met in junior high. Back then they had a crush on each other and the younger sister thought what her brother needed was a good woman. Plans were made to fix Theresa up with this man who was a drunk. People thought that she would be good for him. It was a disaster. He would call Theresa only when he was drunk and Theresa finally got tired of him and asked him not to call her again and he didn't. Theresa began to do as she always did, busied herself with work and covering gospel sings with Terry. There were things that Terry did that hurt Theresa. He would get on stage and joke about Theresa being single. Theresa would come home from one of those events and cry. She wanted a relationship, but the right kind of relationship. One that God would be pleased with.
There were a lot of changes in Theresa life during this time. She changed churches and began to work out of another church, teaching Sunday School, VBS and singing in the chior. The call on her life began to get stronger and stronger. Theresa began to run from it. The pastor of the church was single and Theresa's mother thought that maybe they would make a good match. Theresa was half way interested, but she just couldn't deal with being a pastor's wife especially after dealing with Nate all those years ago...Things were about to change and go in a completely different direction.
When the DCS was installed Theresa was on vacation and it wasn't for the AM side. The AM side was to keep using the carts and dubbing in music the way they always did, so the FM got the DCS. Theresa wanted to learn to use the DCS, because she didn't want to be left out of the loop. There was always the chance that he might have to do something on the other station and she needed to know how to use it. There were only a few people she would ask, becuase the others would treat her like she was stupid and they also acted like it was beneath them to teach someone who worked for the Christian format anything. Theresa often came up on Sunday afternoons to work with a young staff member who they had hired as a part time person. His name was Wayne. Wayne grew up in West Virginia, but was working took broadcasting at the Fayette County Vocational School and ended up working out of state. He had worked at a small station in Wyoming. Not Wyoming County, Wyoming the state and they had a DCS. He taught Theresa how to use it and dub things into it. This knowledge came in handy during the winter months, there was a big ice storm and the station was off of the air for several days, because of the ice. The engineers worked around the clock to fix it. One Saturday evening, the manager told the FM people they could leave since the station was off of the air. Later that evening it came back on and Theresa was there alone and had to call someone in to run programming. She wasn't familar with the DCS enough to run it. The worst part about all of this was that she had to interupt one of the co-workers who was on a date. Dates for people in radio are hard to come by at best. You either attract fans who just want to go out with you, so they can tell their friends that they had a date with you, or crazy people who want to use you to make themselves look good. Angela had to come in from her date and get the programming set up. From that day on they made sure that Theresa could learn all she needed to know about the DCS
Then there was the move of the AM transmitter site. The transmitter site had been in the same place for over forty years , the land around it was being bought up to make a school, and industrial park. They offered the owner a good price for the land and it was sold. So the next thing that needed to be done was to find a new location for the transmitter. This became known as the project from H---. The reason being that there was a very complex directional system for night time broadcasting and a grounding system that had to be installed. It was going to be quite expensive to do. Most places that attempt this usually hire it out to an out of state engineering company. The owner and managers felt that the engineers that they had and some of the staff could handle the job. Part of the job was taking field strength reading using the stations coverage map. So they rented the meters sent staff out in pairs and took readings. Theresa would give updates on the air about the stories. One person was chased across the field by a cow, another ended up hanging over the side of a cliff with a field strength meter in one hand and hanging onto the cliff with the other. Someone got a case of poison oak, and someone enter a compound that was called "Vietnam". There was a Vietnam War vet who lived out in the woods. From the way he was described it reminded Theresa of the guy in Tremors, Burt Gummer. There were many stories like this. One day Theresa went to look at the new site. The new transmitter building was going up and things were coming along. It was in the middle of this project when the staff was told that the orignal owners were selling the station to the current manager. It was a scary time for some of the employees. The project continued.
About a year later the project was finished. It made the station sound better. Other problems persisted. The was a problem getting someone to work some of the evening shifts and the weekend shifts. It was also realized that the DCS wasn't being used to it fullest capacity. One of the guys was sent for training on the DCS. When he came back, he got with Theresa to show her how to set up to automate some of the evenings. Since the AM did not have a DCS it was ran out of the production room using a patching system. The only problem with that was that while the DCS was being used in the evenings the production room was tied up. It got to the point that a lot of time was spent not being able to use the production room and the new owners decided to get a DSC for the AM control room. This made Theresa's job much eaiser.
When the new owner took over the station, there was a change in staff. Theresa also found out that one of the engineers looking to make some extra money wanted to learn the equipment. He wanted to work a Sunday shift. So Theresa began to work with him. His name was Lee, she found out he was a really nice guy. She began to have feelings for him, but she just couldn't let him know. In the meantime someone tried to fix her up with someone she had met in junior high. Back then they had a crush on each other and the younger sister thought what her brother needed was a good woman. Plans were made to fix Theresa up with this man who was a drunk. People thought that she would be good for him. It was a disaster. He would call Theresa only when he was drunk and Theresa finally got tired of him and asked him not to call her again and he didn't. Theresa began to do as she always did, busied herself with work and covering gospel sings with Terry. There were things that Terry did that hurt Theresa. He would get on stage and joke about Theresa being single. Theresa would come home from one of those events and cry. She wanted a relationship, but the right kind of relationship. One that God would be pleased with.
There were a lot of changes in Theresa life during this time. She changed churches and began to work out of another church, teaching Sunday School, VBS and singing in the chior. The call on her life began to get stronger and stronger. Theresa began to run from it. The pastor of the church was single and Theresa's mother thought that maybe they would make a good match. Theresa was half way interested, but she just couldn't deal with being a pastor's wife especially after dealing with Nate all those years ago...Things were about to change and go in a completely different direction.
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