The Whisper
From Steve Cook [steve[at]audioadrenalineinc.com]
One of my first gigs in radio was running a simulcast board for the morning show at XTRA Sports 1150 in L.A. back in ‘97. It was one of those jobs you could do with the studio door wide open and one sock-foot propped up on the console, while enjoying your favorite reading material as your fingers chased down the last few Funyons in the bag next to the cart machines. And this is exactly the multitasking I was perfecting one morning when suddenly the morning talent from the show broadcasting live from up the hall happened to burst in to say something on his way back from the head. This was highly unusual as I don’t think he had ever even taken the slightest notice of my existence before. But this morning he walked all the way up to me, put his hand on my shoulder (no, he didn’t wake me up... exactly) and whispered in my ear, “You’re much too talented to stay in this job.” And then he left. Back to his wacky morning guy antics for the FM stick two doors up the hall. A year later I had learned SAWPlus32 and taken my first Production Director job at another station in the cluster in Santa Monica.
The morning guy who took a special interest in my “career” that day?
Rick Dees.
