The Radio Announcer
And
The Horse Dovers
(Hors D’oeuvres)
A True Story
Copyright 2011
By
Robert Alan Chapin
Smashwords Edition
I was introduced to broadcasting in an ironic and unusual way. My appointment with the licensing department of the FCC at The Federal Building in Boston was at 11:00 AM where I would take the exam for my First Class Radio Operator’s license. It was something I studied for months and when the day finally arrived, I was ready - so I thought! The easiest way to travel was by Greyhound bus which stopped in our small town on the Old Boston Post Road through the Brookfield’s (Mass) and eventually into Boston.
It was one of the roads that was well traveled by the early settlers, and of all the places George Washington and Benjamin Franklin either slept or trekked, this was in all liklihood a road they frequented.
We had a local radio station in a nearby town of Ware, Massachusetts (WARE - 1250 on the AM dial). In my formative years I would listen like clockwork to a broadcast personality by the name of Dick Robinson. He had the “golden throat.” Most small town radio announcers don’t often make it out of the little farm community, but there are those who do succeed and in the case of Dick Robinson, he made it big in the industry.
The test was, to a certain extent - tough for me. Somehow I recall the passing rate was 75 out of 100 questions. I was the only person taking the test which was administered by a very polite gentleman who unfolded the test paper and indicated in which area I would have to concentrate more than others. The radio station I planned to work for required that announcers have either a third class or first class license. I would be required to travel several miles to the towers and perform a series of pushing buttons and flipping switches shutting the system down until morning. Working with the transmitter required a First Class License.
I had about one hour to complete the test and when I passed my paper in, it was only a matter of minutes before the instructor informed me that I was two questions shy of getting my license. I was crushed, and he could see that I worked so hard on getting it right. In an unusual move, he asked me to stand behind him and he would tell me where I had made mistakes. However, he must have wanted to get this ordeal over with and just as I thought I was doomed, he pulled out a transparent answer sheet placing it over my printed sheet actually showing me the correct answers. It was a exercise I am certain he did not often allow.
He handed me the test sheet and I sat at the desk and was allowed to erase the wrong check marks and affixed the right answers. I am thankful to the gentleman for his kindness and within minutes he said what I had been wanting to hear for months.
“Congratulations! You’ve passed!”
That was the beginning of my career in broadcasting.
I was drained of energy and remember eating at a small deli in downtown Boston thinking how I was going to be like Johnny Carson or Ed Mc Mahon. I was going to make it big in the business.
As I waited for the Greyhound bus to leave the station, I was still numb from the satisfaction of knowing that I finally passed the test, with the assistance from the supervisor, and how it could have turned out differently.
The bus departed about 6:00 PM and it was a two hour trip to my hometown. As I stepped off the bus at 8:00 PM, there was a group of people and an ambulance caring for an elderly woman who had been struck by a car. The local radio station had a standing offer that anyone who called in with a tip would win $25.00 cash. I ran to a phone booth and called the station and within minutes they were on the air and dispatched a reporter to the scene.
The next morning was a Saturday and I received a call from the radio station manager verified my name and address and where to send the $25.00. While we talked I asked if there were any openings and shared with him that I had just received my FCC radio Broadcaster’s license yesterday in Boston.
He hired me on the spot!.
When I arrived for my first day of work, I got to meet Dick Robinson and was in awe that my shift would follow his. He had a great following and when he was on the air the phone lines never stopped ringing. This is the kind of career I wanted. My first day on the air was exciting but nerve wracking as well. One of my duties was to “rip and read” from the news service machine. I finally got the hang of it and within several weeks I was somewhat of a personality with my family and high school friends.
I recall being at a remote site for an afternoon. It was an A & W Root Beer stand where I was to announce the specials and greet patrons once they parked. The radio station had several hundred ball point pens that I was giving away and the A & W people gave me 75 certificates for a free hot dog and a mug of their famous root beer. It was a wonderful experience and when I returned to the station, the manager was pleased with my performance.
* * *
It was now March of 1970, and just out of the army, I would fulfill another lifelong dream. I enrolled at one of the most prestigious schools of broadcast journalism in the country. The Connecticut School of Broadcasting. It was owned by Dick Robinson, the former DJ with whom I worked. He made quite a name for himself when he interviewed The Beetles, Diana Ross, Tom Jones, The Rolling Stones and Cher’ to name a few. I have always had the desire to become not only a broadcaster but a TV anchor and possibly a celebrity talk show host.
Dick remembered me and in a way took me under his wing. This was in 1970 in Hartford and he was also one of our instructors. Although I was familiar with the operation of a radio station and spinning the discs, his main concern was on air presentation and reading of script and live copy. He was also so instrumental in placing students in many of the TV and radio stations throughout the country. He knew many people in high places in the industry and has a keen eye for talent.
I was able to attend the school through the GI bill, and later used it to earn a degree at one of our local community colleges. I excelled in every aspect of the business and when it came graduation time I had little problem finding employment as Dick placed a few calls to local area stations and I was actually hired before graduating.
It was also the philosophy of The Connecticut School of Broadcasting to start small and make all of your mistakes locally. No one ever got to start their career at one of the larger stations in New York, Chicago or L.A. I had the chance of a lifetime when I was hired by a small AM radio station playing country music in Springfield, Mass: WMAS - an all country station.
Little did I know that I was about to be come a local personality. We had an amusement park in a nearby town which eventually became a Six Flags and earlier on in my career I had the opportunity to meet some of the greatest country performers. Most of these performers traveled by motor coach. There was a superstition about flying. The majority of country singers today travel by coach. So many of them like Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, and a host of others died in plane crashes.
Loretta sent me Christmas cards every year for about 5 years, and Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Willie Nelson, David Houston, Jeannie C. Riley, Tom T. Hall, and Hank Williams, Jr among the too numerous to mention were some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Most were Christians and George Jones, Tommy Overstreet and Tammy Wynette were always willing to take time to sign autographs and give each of us autographed albums. It was a wonderful time in my life.
On one particular occasion, I was visiting a coin shop in our town and being a young dad with two toddlers I was also a coin collector and as I was salivating over a complete set of uncalculated set of Franklin Half Dollars, Johnny cash walked into the shop and recognized me from the night before. He played the Springfield Civic Center and was to perform again that night. He recalled the promo he made for me and several of the DJ’s and asked what I was doing in the coin shop.
The owner told him that I was interested in the Franklin’s and without hesitation, Johnny Cash asked to have them packed up and given to me. He paid the man $400.00. He thanked me for promoting his records, purchased some high quality Lincoln cents - asked that I continue to play his records and walked out of the shop. I have been truly blessed, not because of the monetary value of the coins, but from the genuine kindness and Christian beliefs of these wonderful people.
The title of this story has to do with reading live copy. There were a number of radio station clients who did not want their copy to be recorded on a tape, but preferred to have it read live on air. Radio stations are equipped with monitors in each office in an effort to be certain that commercials are played at the properly scheduled time, and also to identify whenever a “goof” was made. It was not uncommon for a manager to enter your “On Air” “Off Air” studio and discuss the error or problem.
On this particular occasion I had to read live copy for a country club hosting a gala dinner for a local politician. The copy called for me to read the menu, time of the event, who would be in attendance and make an attempt to give the customer bank for his buck. I was prepared to read a copy in front of me when the advertising salesman ran into the room grabbed the copy I was going to read and replaced it with an updated version.
I was already on the air and never had time to familiarize myself with any difficult words or phrases. I got through the menu, guests, time of the event and then I came across this very strange word that I could only guess at. The word was Hors D’oeuvres and I instinctively knew I was not going to pronounce the word correctly and when I came to the word I said
“They will be serving horse dovers - but something in the back brain quickly brought about the correct word and I ended up reading the copy like this:
“They will be serving horse dovers ( a pregnant pause) along with Hors D’oeuvres.”.
The manager entered the studio busting a gut asking me what horse dovers were. He was quite impressed that I recovered so well and quickly. He saved the blooper and when the local TV station was airing a show about mistakes my blooper made it to the nationals.
So now you know how we got the title The Radio Announcer & Horse Dovers
I have written a number of true short stories for your entertainment. If you are pleased with the writing style or if they bring back memories of days gone by, may I suggest you post a review. I also have two full length novels for sale, but these “shorts” are free. The success of the short stories and ultimately the 2 novels I have published are in need of your comments. Thank you! Bob