Lots of radio news lately. Let’s start with football.
My pal Tom Erickson of the K-Jazz Radio Network secured an agreement to carry Kingman Bulldogs games on 90.7 FM, KJZK. He asked me to work on the broadcasts with him. He’s calling the action; I’m producing and running the board. It’s too much fun.
The first home game was Friday night. We had twenty days to prepare, which isn’t as long as it sounds.
One of my big assignments was to create “the open,” an exciting sequence for the top of the broadcast. The first step was finding the right music—in this case “There’s a Fire in the House,” by Steve Vai.
I don’t like using other people’s sounds, so, whenever possible, I go out and collect my own. I grabbed my shotgun mic and spent some time on the sideline, in the huddle, and in the locker room. Then I recorded Tom improvising a few calls—in a parking lot.
- Recording voice-overs in a parking lot.
Here’s the finished product:
I also wanted to create a station ID. I grabbed some drums and headed into my studio to put together a one-man drumline. Later I recorded Bulldogs coach Greg Tonjes doing the read. Here it is:
These are high school games, but our mission is to create radio worthy of bigger stadiums and bigger budgets.
Here are a couple of shots from game night.
- View from the booth.
- Shotgun mic plus wombat, up on the roof.
On Saturdays after home games we are also producing Coaches’ Corner, which features the Bulldogs’ coaches and players. We’re broadcasting from Canyon 66 Restaurant & Lounge at the Ramada in Kingman.
Here’s a look at the program in action:
- Coach Nate Grigsby is seated closest to the camera. He looks serious in this shot, but the guy is a riot. He walked in and said, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.”
And here is the first edition:
More football news soon. I love this job.