Friday Questions

Wrapping up October with Friday Questions.  What’s yours?

DBenson starts us off:

How accurate was "Frasier" in presenting a radio station? In retrospect, it seems a little odd that they'd have so much original and seemingly unsyndicated programming (Did they play music at all?). Recalling a WKRP episode where Venus was recruited by a station that just needed a local voice to plug into nationally programmed playlists, that being the expanding reality back then.

Radio was mostly local in those days, which is why radio was soooooo much better in those days.

As for the technical aspects of the radio station, FRASIER was not very accurate but they were way better than WKRP in that department.  FRASIER at least was modeled after a real radio station — KABC in Los Angeles.  

Engineers are not also producers in large market stations like Seattle.  Normally there is a producer in a separate booth who screens the calls.  The engineer plays the commercials and controls the volumes. 

The host has a computer screen that tells him who the callers are, where they’re from, and a thumbnail of what they want to talk about.  It was that way back in the '90s.

Rarely does the engineer go on the air as often as Roz did.  If she did she would have to be AFTRA and the station would have to pay her as an announcer. That wouldn't happen.  

The host can’t just break whenever he wants.  He has a log that tells him when commercial breaks or other format elements need to be introduced (like traffic and news).

All that said, no one other than radio people might be bothered by these minor inconsistencies.  Creative license is certainly justified.

Now WKRP was ridiculous.  No headphones, the way they played the music — bore little relation to any real radio station.  But like you, I enjoyed the show.  So what if it wasn’t accurate? 

Do You Do any Wings? asks:

Do former (or current) radio broadcasters make better podcasts?

On the whole I’d say they present themselves better.  Content is king in podcasts, but broadcasters have more polish.  Speaking for myself, when there are episode where I just talk for a half hour it sure comes in handy that I’ve had many years of hosting talk radio shows and doing baseball play-by-play.  I’m comfortable just turning on a live mic and talking. 

Subliminally, I suspect audiences feel more comfortable knowing they’re in good hands. 

But harping on a point, if the subject matter isn’t interesting, the most polished broadcaster in the world can’t make it worth listening to.

Curt Alliaume wonders:

What did you do during the early years when you were breaking into the industry and looking for writing work? How did you search and how much time did you dedicate daily to finding jobs?

Originally, I was still a disc jockey.  I was working in San Diego and would drive up to LA every weekend to write with David Isaacs. 

When that job ended I moved back to Los Angeles and looked for a day job.  I would have taken anything that didn’t require nights or weekends.  I landed a job at the KIIS Broadcasting Workshop, a broadcast school.  The money was crappy, but it allowed me to keep my head above water and write with David several nights a week and every weekend.  I would have worked at Sears selling car batteries if that was the only job available.  Writing was my main job. 

David had a daytime job at ABC in the (now obsolete) film shipping department. 

And finally, from Kendall Rivers:

As you may already know there were two streaming reunions of Frasier and Everybody Loves Raymond two shows which you were involved which I thought was funny and was wondering what you thought about them if you've seen them.

Well, since they’re usually fundraisers for Democrats, I LOVE them. 

But seriously, they’re fun, and it’s great to see these casts together again.  It’s also a nice way to thank the fans of these shows. 

I wonder how much money a BIG WAVE DAVE’S reunion would bring in? 

And on that note, VOTE.  Thanks much.