Many of us have stories revolving around Radio & Records Magazine which has announced that this Friday’s issue will be their  last. The R&R website has already sent the hamsters home and is redirecting people to the Billboard Magazine page. R&R magazine launched over thirty five years ago and focused on the Programming side of radio and, well, records.

My first issue of R&R was attained while living in Germany. I had become friends with a guy who worked for AFRTS (Armed Forces Radio & Television) and I convinced him to give me a tour of the studios one afternoon. I tried to act as nonchalant as possible while touring the facilities as this guy had NO IDEA that I was a radio groupie and was plotting my way into the industry. On the counter next to the old school board with round pot faders was an issue of R&R. I recall it looking so official with lots numbers and letters that read like a Top Secret military code.

+750 WHTZ, XKS, KIIS, KRBE, WPOW

What the hell were all of those numbers and codes and how could I crack them for a gig at a station? Who were these people deciding the fate of DJ’s and music? Why the HELL did this magazine have to cost hundreds of dollars for a subscription ensuring that I could never receive the magazine at home?

I spent the next few weeks combing every inch of that R&R Magazine and even built up enough nerve to call a station back in Florida that had an add posted for an opening. Imagine that, an actual job opening in radio? I know it seems like a thing of the past. I called the Program Director of WIRK in West Palm Beach and I’m sure he heard my nerves from across the Atlantic Ocean. Quickly, I was informed that they didn’t have an interest in my services but that I should look into training at Connecticut School of Broadcasting just up the road.

Here I sit about fifteen years later having just landed a great gig in Boston and to that I owe a small thanks to Radio & Records Magazine. Kudos to any of you that were awarded an R&R Personality of the Year award as it sadly just became a bit more exclusive.

K~

Here is how it works for stations with the same format.

Station A in NYC, Station B in Dallas, Station C in Miami, Station D in LA all play the exact same music at the exact same time with the exact same radio personalities prerecorded voice. So, if you were to drive between cities it would sound more like satellite radio, as they are using local stations as a national network with one show.

I’m not sure how this serves the local community needs, which is why the FCC controls radio licensing. Radio is required by law to serve its area of broadcast, I think. Sure, I hope that at some point down the road (if our company follows suit), that our show becomes one of the chosen few selected for the national programming BUT I’d much rather see radio get back to live and local 24/7.

You should read this blog and please support the advertisers who support radio stations that are live and local. Otherwise, we may hear Ryan Seacrest on every station, in every city, in every format and that’s just mean.

K~

Kate Hudson: Audio

I also kept my promise of not mentioning the fact that I had a severe childhood crush on her mother, Goldie Hawn.

K~

Welcome To Boston!

My last post was December 16th 2008 and while on the calendar it was only three weeks, it felt more like three years. Not only did my wife and I move to New England for a new job with CBS Radio in Boston but we spent almost a week with family in Ocean City, Maryland (Ocean Pines, actually) for the holidays!

Stumbling around Boston has not been as difficult as we feared, mostly because of the GPS (Love This: Garmin Nuvi) we bought on the drive from Memphis to Massachusetts. Boston city streets, so I’m told, were once trails that farmers used to bring their livestock in to town for grazing. Thus, the roads are pretty haphazard in their layout. Forget trying to learn your way around using North, South, East & West. In fact, the roads system is so askew, you rarely go somewhere then return using the same route.

My wife has yet to drive since we arrived and that’s something that I think I’ll let her experience on her own.

K~

DeAngelo Williams Old House?

It’s kind of sad, too.

K~

But alas, the Bonneville died a valiant death. Poof went the engine. It needed oil?

Mom and MF The Salesman (ex-step father #4) had hinted that I was getting a new car for my 18th birthday. I was attempting to convince them that a Suzuki Samarai was perfect for a teen that enjoyed life on the beach but it was just my luck that in 1986 these type of stories were popping up all over the news. My mom mentioned a BMW they had seen that was too expensive but they had found a small Nissan truck that was in really good running condition, it just need a fresh coat of paint. I chose blue.

It was a sunny Boca Raton summer day on July 31st 1986 and I had just come home from school. School in July? Yes, summer school was as much a ritual for my vacation as was going to visit my dad. It was a habit to check the underground parking garage of our building to see if Mom was home. Things were pretty good financially at that point for our family and she was more apt to stay home and enjoy the life of a condo on the beach in Boca then go to the office. As I peered around the corner in the garage, there was a car in her assigned spot but it wasn’t hers. In Boca, parking in someone’s assigned spot is akin to the most heinous of crimes. I walked over to see if I recognized the vehicle but it was unfamiliar. In fact, I don’t think I had ever seen this type of car before. It was a 1976 2002 BMW and it smelled of fresh blue paint. That’s when I realized I had just accidentally stumbled on to my birthday present. I spent the next half hour examining every detail of the car. I opened up the trunk and smelled the new carpet then cracked open the doors and practiced turning the steering wheel while adjusting the radio’s volume. It had a cassette player and a stick shift! I learned later that it also had a car alarm, the first on my block with such a strange device that chirped when set.

Four Times When Turned On: chirp-chirp-chirp-chirp and Twice When Turned Off: chirp-chirp.

1976 BMW "2002"

Mom had driven to work with MF The Salesman that day as her car was being detailed. After dinner, Mom mentioned that her car had been parked in front of the building in the guest parking by the detailer. She asked if I would move her car into her spot in the garage and I knew that she was setting me up to discover my present. It was tough to contain the excitement in my body but I had a plan. An evil plan. I was sure to take my time, knowing that my mom figured I would find the car and then run right back upstairs jumping for joy. Instead, as I returned and entered the front door of the condo, I acted as if I was completely miffed.

“Mom”, I said  ”you’re not going to believe this. Someone was parked in your spot. So, I went to Bernie at the security desk and he is having the car towed right now.”

I’ll never, ever, ever, ever forget the words she uttered back at me, “asshole, that’s your birthday present!”

Gotcha Mom!

K~

Jennifer Aniston is GQ

Jennifer Aniston and I are the same age and trust me when I say that she looks much better wearing a tie, naked, than I do. You can see all the pictures right here and I am glad women are still being seen as sex symbols as they age. Men like Sean Connery always seem to “get better with age” like a good box of wine, but women carry the cross of aging disgracefully.

I completely disagree.

A woman aging gracefully is just as enticing and sexy as any man. Have you seen Candice Bergen on Boston Legal? Grrrrrrrrr

K~

Baby Caylee Anthony

It’s being reported by FOX News and other media outlets that skeletal remains of a small child have been found near the home of missing Orlando toddler Casey Anthony. Casey Anthony has been charged for the murder but finding the body would give the state a much stronger case. Apparently, someone doing meter readings a line worker in the area picked up a plastic bag and a skull fell out and on to the ground. Officials say that the area where the remains were found, about 45-65 feet away from a road, may have been underwater during much of the search.

This poor little girl deserves a proper burial and if her mother is found the have committed this heinous crime then she deserves a burial too!