The FISH Tour

Today, we toured Salem Music Network, the station home of 94fm, The FISH here in Nashville.  For my northern friends, it's pretty much like "Family friendly...WBGL!".  

This Station of the Year award is in the lobby, along with several images of recording artists (and a couple strange girls as well):

Next, we toured the "guts" of the station, which is very different from anything I saw in my radio class back in college as a mass communications major.  Well, the On Air signs are pretty much the same...and there are microphones, that was similar too.  Everything else: DIGITAL.  Not a tape or reel to be seen anywhere...but we knew that, right?

Wade McShane, both the Operations Manager and an on-air personality, was a great tour guide, and talked to us about everything from advertising to the future of radio. At the end of our time together, he even showed us all how a commercial is produced in-studio.  He's a great guy who has been in the radio business a long time.

 Next, we moved in-studio with C.J. McKay where we learned a bit about what happens in the studio...from the timing of commercials and news to the playing of some of our favorite music.

As we were talking in the common area between different studios, another on-air personality, Doug Griffin, joined us and chatted with us awhile.  Another great guy who was fun to talk with.  If I wasn't a loyal listener before the tour, I will be now!

Too bad my girls look creepy in this picture.  They are cute and all, just, well, the glowing eyes give me the heebie jeebies.

This is the wall of important looking stuff that, er, um, well, looks important and has lots of buttons and flashing lights.  :) 

So, DJ Jazzy McShane had the moms on the station tour help him demonstrate how commercials are made in the studio.  Two questions: first, who else gets tongue tied the minute they are asked to speak more than three words into a microphone?  Everyone, right?  And second, who loves to listen to recordings of themselves?  No one.  So with that out of the way, I offer this video of my radio debut:

 

A good time was had by all, and in fact, I'm pretty sure that we'll be having Wade and his family over for dinner real soon and we'll hopefully be getting together again with another family on the tour! 

Have I said lately how friendly folks are around here?  It's awesome.