[BC] How we got our first break in radio....

[Kevin C. Kidd CSRE/AMD]

I have always been interested in electronics and radio.  CBer for a few
years then got my ham licensed as a sophomore in high school
electronics.  A good friend in high school was a DJ and I hung out with
him at WDXE.  I never met any station management because I wasn't
supposed to be there.

Mine first break came soon after college.  I was working full time at a
2-way shop and doing tech/engineering work on the side for a local
recording studio.  I was a ham, 21 years old and not quite 2 years out
of college.

Somewhere in 1983, an acquaintance who worked for the power system
dropped by the recording studio and asked if I was interested in
engineering WCMG.  He was currently their engineer but was going back to
school to finish his EE for his day job (the power system).

I responded that I might be interested and he invited me down to the
studios to look things over.  I arrived at the WCMG studio, was shown
around the building, introduced to the owner, received a set of vague
directions to the transmitter, received a set of keys and instantly
became a broadcast engineer.

To this day, I don't recall telling anyone that I would take the job.  I
had never been to the transmitter.  Somehow the term  shanghaied keeps
coming to mind.

I remained as the Service Manager for the 2-way shop until 1994 when I
moved to the Directorship of our local 911 district for 3 years and then
began doing radio engineering work full time in 1998.

That little 500w daytimer grew to 2 then 5, then 12, and now is hovering
around about 30 stations in the TN, AL, NC, GA, MS area.  Not to mention
building, inspecting and repairing an avg 20 towers worth of AM ground
systems per year.

Unlike many, I was the engineer for WCMG for a couple of years before
making my entrance into the on-air arena.  When WCMG received approval
to run low power at night, I worked on-air a couple nights per week
there and later the weekend shifts at another local C3 FM client.

I still do the occasional voice over or voice track shift but have not
been on the air for a live shift in at least 10 years.

Craig Bowman wrote:
> I'm still waiting on mine!
> 
> Craig Bowman
> 

-- 
Kevin C. Kidd, CSRE/AMD
http://www.kkbc.com
http://www.amgroundsystems.com
Local:        931-766-2999