Day #90 - 1/12/98 - 6:40AM

I've been working part-time at Lite 98 in Richmond. This is not a high-profile job. As a matter of fact, its probably the lowest profile position I've ever done on the radio. You only have a few breaks-per-hour and the general demeanor of the station is soft and easy.

But, I've had great feedback on my performance. I told the PD, Tony Florentino, that I guess I was like a chameleon. He said my adaptability was the sign of a real pro. I appreciate his compliment. Look: I've been in this business long enough to understand that if your job is "Air Personality", you do the best you can to be a "personality" within the environment you've been hired into. Lite 98 is no place for me to go "Hot Dogging" and I would never think of abusing my employer's trust.

Some Air Personalities would scoff at doing this part-time work. They would say, "Hey, that's not what I do. I'm a funny, topical guy and I don't play THAT kind of music." Hey: get a grip!. Look, I'll be the first to admit I have a BIG ego...but I know when to keep it in check. It's one thing to be confident in your skills and bullish in how you see yourself. It's another to be so enamored with who you think you are you can't function. I'm unemployed and need to function. I need money and I need to be on the radio. My hours at Lite 98 help to do that.

This is a simple radio station that is #1 in adults, 25-54 across the board. I say simple because the formula is very uncomplicated: Play the music they want, play a real variety, provide nice-sounding announcers, give away some stuff. That's it - and they're #1. In return, the listeners are loyal as hell and Lite 98 is a first choice, not second or third.

When I'm on the air, I have to do all sorts of stuff I haven't done in years: take meter readings for Lite 98 and the AM sister station (mostly automated), change the AM pattern at sunset, read some liner cards, update the recorded weather for AM and little things like that. Working at Lite 98 has helped to re-awaken a part of me. It sometimes feels like it used to feel when I was first starting out at small stations where I had to do everything. Back then, I was glad to work anywhere and didn't mind doing anything because I was in radio and that's all that mattered.

It's the simplicity that surrounds me. Ya see, no matter how little I'm doing on the air, the fact remains: I LOVE being on the air. It's what I do.