In these Radiowaves-exclusive articles, legendary presenter Pat Courtenay shares his views, ideas, experience, and tips with our visitors…
This time around he gets something elseoff his chest…
LOSER JOCK
I’ve been stewing on this one for a while.
I found these comments on an Australian Radio-website and the guy really pissed me off. I’ve left in most of his inability with the English language. [Well, he is Australian- Ed.] but check his shite attitude! It’s about automation.
With thanks (insert sponsor here) depending on location. Most major capital cities are now automating their mid-dawn shifts as well. For the listener most automation talk breaks contain “the best of” that was coming up and this is” to a jock automating a shift is another task, it’s like doing commercial reads in production and we know how much jocks love running straight down to production after a shift (insert laugh) The truth is for most of us troopers in the front line of radio we wanna get to work, get the job done right and go home. It’s like person who wants to spend more time in the studio (doing commercial reads for Mudgee via Albury) anyone who wants more time in the studio is an idiot, get it done right the first time and go the beach. After all the beach is a nice place.
What a slacker!
Get outa Radio, buddy!
We “run straight down to Production” to do V/Os because it’s so cool to practise and practise and practise our V/O style till we start to sound like we know what the client needs. If we get really good, the client might insist on our voice and our style because it helps his business and I bet you, he’ll give us the odd bit of “payback” if we ask him. Everyone wins.
Besides…Production is fun! Tell me you don’t like it. Beeeeeep. Time is up!
Getting “the job done right and go home“: Um, yeah…and spending time with your mates on-station, getting involved with the Station’s objectives and having fun and prepping…what about that? Having fights. Helping Sales. Just sitting round talkin’ shite. Having a pint with The Lads on the way home. Paying attention to The World on your way home. Is that a sin? Does the Archbishop of Tuam “Urge Caution,” against this?
“Anyone who wants to spend more time in the studio is an idiot.” Excuse me? You insulting bastard! Why do we do this in the first place? We like studios! And 9/10ths of the World’s population can’t be in them! We can! That’s what makes us valuable to everybody else. The biggest money-spinner in the Great Depression of the ’30s was Hollywood…escapism. That’s what we do!
Yeah, “the beach is a nice place.” So spend enough time at work to earn your time at the beach, or whatever areas of relaxation might be available in various parts of the planet.
Radio has seen me broadcasting live to Dublin from Sardinia, Rome, Seville, New York, Irelando and Atlanta. Football had me broadcasting live from the back of Eamon Doran’s pub on 2nd Avenue, with punters coming in saying, “We heard yez on the way to Dublin Airport and here y’are sitting with Mick McCarthy and Elaine and Our Man Aidan Cooney,” doing it all for real!
Are people like this weak Australian that I’ve quoted loo-hoo-sers or what???
If there’s no joy in it, get out. You give the rest of us a bad name.
© Pirate Radio Limited & Radiowaves. First published March 8th 2003