I remembered that I'd written down which radio shifts I'd worked each week during the Fall semester of 1992. Until recently, however, I'd forgotten that I'd tallied them up. According to my notes, I worked 44 hours on-air at KBIA that semester and 124.75 hours on-air at KCOU.
Today, I grinned when I read that total of 168.75 hours. Thirty years ago, that felt like so much time. It was, in a way. During a semester when I was also a student, that was a lot of time to spend doing what I love--introducing and back announcing Classical, new age, and smooth jazz music on KBIA and choosing, introducing, and back announcing music from multiple genres on KCOU.
I made no money for working those 168.75 hours over four months. Back then, however, that didn't matter. I was doing what I loved in the company of interesting people and interesting music.
If you're a college DJ who fights the Winter blues, as I do annually, savor the hours you spend on-air and off-air with the interesting people and music you discover. It'll feel as though it all goes by too fast--and yet, if you're at the right station(s) with the right people and the right music, the memories you make will make you smile, even 30 years later.
