community radio

@ the Radiator: impromptu mic repair

A  couple of weeks ago when I arrived at the Radiator for my show I found the main mic dangling from a neatly tied piece of twine. Must have been some failure in the mic stand over the weekend. It happens occasionally with some of the well-loved, mostly donated equipment in the studio. Also typical is the obvious care someone took with the limited resources at hand, to install a temporary fix. Sure, it made it difficult to adjust into any fixed position, making for something of a moving target for talking. But it worked. Likewise with the clear packing tape holding the headset together – peeling away on one side, assuring the extraction of a few hairs with each use, but carefully mended and completely functional if not too pretty.

I’ve worked in a lot of different situations over the last couple of decades in radio. From low-power and college-affiliated radio stations to independent, community licensees; from stations built on little more than a mission to those with stable funding and strong budgets. It’s made for a wide range of differences in facilities, equipment, and engineering capacity. I’ve found though, regardless of the externals, the people I meet in radio do it for the simple reason they love the art. That goes for those on both sides of the mic, the hosts and the support staff, as well as the unseen/unheard volunteer forces that have been an important part of the experience at EVERY station where I’ve worked.

This Monday you’re invited to come on over for a visit and meet some of the folks behind the eclectic mix on Burlington’s all-volunteer,  low-power community station. The Radiator will be hosting the last of the three “Mondays with Mozart” events planned this summer, in partnership with the Vermont Mozart Festival. Bassoonist Andrew Schwartz will be in the Burlington Yoga Studio for an open house live performance starting at 4:15pm. (We might even get a preview of the rare work Andrew’s playing with the Festival later in the week: Mozart’s only bassoon concerto.) If you’re in the area – stop by for the live music!

(The Burlington Yoga Studio is on the 2nd floor at 215 College St. downtown. The Radiator’s on the floor above it.)

@ the Radiator: impromptu mic repair

@ the Radiator: mic twine

@ the Radiator: headset

@ the Radiator: jacks