One day, I learned the value of always having music cued up. I was filling in on a Sunday morning radio shift, playing mostly prerecorded financial, inspirational, and international shows. A show on cassette that was supposed to run 30 minutes ended unexpectedly after 15 minutes.
"Looks like the show wrapped up early this week," I ad-libbed. "Let's hear from Duke Ellington with 'Warm Valley...'"
"Warm Valley" was an incongruous segue with the program that ended abruptly, but it--and the music I chose hastily after it--filled 15 minutes better than silence.
You never know when you might need to prevent dead air.
