In my post-radio retirement, the closest I come to the business anymore these days is staying in touch with my cronies still in it or those who also have thrown in the towel and bask in 'life after radio'.
Plus, I serve as the sound coordinator at my local church. Usually I'm introduced to visitors from elders or deacons as 'Ken is in charge of our sound each Sunday.'
Sounds simple enough, right?
If I were to describe me in that capacity, my job would be to worry excessively, obsess over every minute detail and be afraid to leave town on the weekends, thinking of the major meltdown that would only happen in my absence.
Yeah, that's what I do.
While some may think I simply make sure the volumes are at a reasonable level for our pastor, liturgists and musicians, I only wish it was that simple.
I have to make sure all wireless microphones are in full working order, and fix them if necessary. Make sure our wired mics are working likewise. Upon taking the job, I spent about a month with Weller, my trusty soldering gun, to repair broken solder joints in microphone cables. That was also the time I discovered that I no longer could see these small joints with my natural vision.
So I have reading glasses now.
There's also unexplained 60 Hz 'hums' that suddenly arise in our audio chain and I have to not only find the source of them, but find a way to get rid of them. It's times like these that make me wish I paid more attention to broadcast engineers surrounding me for so many years.
I did learn this though...ground loop isolator speaker cables can be your best friend. Good luck in finding any that are reasonably priced, though.
Yes, I do have to prepare and adhere to an annual budget, too.
Despite my obsessiveness, I am comforted in knowing that those who trust the church sound system in my charge appreciate the job I do for them.
And I return the favor by keeping them in the loop on what I'm doing to address any problems that crop up. That their concerns aren't just being heard, but acted upon.
And every once in a while, I hear things like this:
"You're a gift to the church."
That makes it all worthwhile.
NEXT WEEK: Hockey Talk
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Second Helping
I usually try to not use this column as a platform for self-promotion, but I hope you'll indulge me this week.
Ah, whom am I kidding? I was in an ego-driven business for 26 years, and it's probably become one of my defining characteristics.
In the spring of 2011, I officially became a mainstream published author, when "Chicken Soup for the Soul" published my first contribution, "I'm Pregnant" in their "New Moms" edition. The story chronicles a new mother's journey through the eyes of her husband. Namely, Margie and me.
Prior to this, I had several broadcasting trade articles published under my on-air sobriquet, "Ken Hawk", sharing my ideas with other radio decision-makers on how to make their stations better.
Just recently, I announced my second contribution to "CSS". This one is called "Love Lives Here," which will appear on page 155 of the "Home Sweet Home" edition due to hit bookstores later this month.
The first story was a very big honor. This second one is even bigger.
For years, I've written about murders, robberies, car accidents, and local politics on a daily basis as a means to earn a living. This is all part of radio people 're-inventing' themselves to continue to try and fit into a medium that continues to evolve and change over time. Nonetheless, the needs of broadcasters changes over time as revenues shrink and staffing levels need to be adjusted accordingly.
Sometimes, radio people simply 'age out' of a profession geared more towards younger unmarried people without families. The demands of radio are not family-friendly, and radio families either learn to deal with it to the best of their ability, or they succumb.
I'm proud to say I've chosen my family over my past career. I've found that I have more to write about because of my wife and daughter. There's also my extended family.
Today I write more about what I want to, rather than what I have to. I find I don't have to dig as deep to write a good story that inspires others. Other broadcasters have also inspired me to write the memoir that hopefully I'll have completed in this lifetime.
Whether that goal is reached is unimportant, because I'm in no hurry.
I'll spend this valuable time watching my daughter grow.
And celebrating on this Mother's Day today, the woman who brought her into this world.
Thank you Margie, for giving me this precious gift.
And for everything else.
NEXT WEEK: Sound Off
Ah, whom am I kidding? I was in an ego-driven business for 26 years, and it's probably become one of my defining characteristics.
In the spring of 2011, I officially became a mainstream published author, when "Chicken Soup for the Soul" published my first contribution, "I'm Pregnant" in their "New Moms" edition. The story chronicles a new mother's journey through the eyes of her husband. Namely, Margie and me.
Prior to this, I had several broadcasting trade articles published under my on-air sobriquet, "Ken Hawk", sharing my ideas with other radio decision-makers on how to make their stations better.
Just recently, I announced my second contribution to "CSS". This one is called "Love Lives Here," which will appear on page 155 of the "Home Sweet Home" edition due to hit bookstores later this month.
The first story was a very big honor. This second one is even bigger.
For years, I've written about murders, robberies, car accidents, and local politics on a daily basis as a means to earn a living. This is all part of radio people 're-inventing' themselves to continue to try and fit into a medium that continues to evolve and change over time. Nonetheless, the needs of broadcasters changes over time as revenues shrink and staffing levels need to be adjusted accordingly.
Sometimes, radio people simply 'age out' of a profession geared more towards younger unmarried people without families. The demands of radio are not family-friendly, and radio families either learn to deal with it to the best of their ability, or they succumb.
I'm proud to say I've chosen my family over my past career. I've found that I have more to write about because of my wife and daughter. There's also my extended family.
Today I write more about what I want to, rather than what I have to. I find I don't have to dig as deep to write a good story that inspires others. Other broadcasters have also inspired me to write the memoir that hopefully I'll have completed in this lifetime.
Whether that goal is reached is unimportant, because I'm in no hurry.
I'll spend this valuable time watching my daughter grow.
And celebrating on this Mother's Day today, the woman who brought her into this world.
Thank you Margie, for giving me this precious gift.
And for everything else.
NEXT WEEK: Sound Off
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Police Story
Good cop, bad cop. "F*** da police". Police brutality. Rodney King. "The Boyz in Blue".
They're in the news, but often their perps are the ones who get the media attention. Those who are in the news are often so because they've been charged with using excessive force.
I didn't think much of this until my daughter said "bad policeman" one day. After my jaw hit the floor, I gathered it up and asked her to repeat herself.
Yep, that's what she said.
Having heard this from someone not even five years old worries me.
There's always been bad cops. But I've always tried to teach my daughter that police officers help people. Even the bad ones usually start out with good intentions.
My dad became a part-time police officer with the Allegheny Township Police Department in Westmoreland County in the spring of 1979. Definitely not because of the paycheck, but rather what he was witnessing firsthand...young people succumbing to a growing drug problem in the Alle-Kiski Valley which could impact others coming of age.
He graduated from the Kiski II Regional Police Academy, sanctioned by the Crime Study Center of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Greg Adams (whose killer, Donald Eugene Webb, has never been apprehended) was his instructor, and Leonard Miller (one of the victims in the infamous "Kill for Thrill" murder spree) graduated from the class ahead of his.
This will give an insight to this rather dark period of violence happening in our own backyards.
I made it a priority to prove to my daughter that policemen are the good guys.
I showed her a picture of her then 34-year-old grandpa in uniform, whom she immediately recognized, his badge, and he gave her the department's "Officer Bob" coloring book.
"Officer Bob" was a product of Collinsville, Illinois-based Scott Publications, which distributed the book for kids in neighborhood departments, paid for my local merchant advertisements on the back cover.
Then one day "bad policeman" was replaced with this:
"I want to be a policeman when I grow up."
My cousin Steven today is an officer with the Allegheny Township Police Department, thus making him a second-generation cop. I could only be too proud to see my daughter be part of the next generation of fine lawmen and women.
Many of my friends uphold the law in squad cars, uniforms, and courtrooms. And our armed forces uphold the law of the land...we call it the Constitution.
You know who you are, there's too many of you to mention.
Thank you.
NEXT WEEK: Soup's on!
They're in the news, but often their perps are the ones who get the media attention. Those who are in the news are often so because they've been charged with using excessive force.
I didn't think much of this until my daughter said "bad policeman" one day. After my jaw hit the floor, I gathered it up and asked her to repeat herself.
Yep, that's what she said.
Having heard this from someone not even five years old worries me.
There's always been bad cops. But I've always tried to teach my daughter that police officers help people. Even the bad ones usually start out with good intentions.
My dad became a part-time police officer with the Allegheny Township Police Department in Westmoreland County in the spring of 1979. Definitely not because of the paycheck, but rather what he was witnessing firsthand...young people succumbing to a growing drug problem in the Alle-Kiski Valley which could impact others coming of age.
He graduated from the Kiski II Regional Police Academy, sanctioned by the Crime Study Center of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Greg Adams (whose killer, Donald Eugene Webb, has never been apprehended) was his instructor, and Leonard Miller (one of the victims in the infamous "Kill for Thrill" murder spree) graduated from the class ahead of his.
This will give an insight to this rather dark period of violence happening in our own backyards.
I made it a priority to prove to my daughter that policemen are the good guys.
I showed her a picture of her then 34-year-old grandpa in uniform, whom she immediately recognized, his badge, and he gave her the department's "Officer Bob" coloring book.
"Officer Bob" was a product of Collinsville, Illinois-based Scott Publications, which distributed the book for kids in neighborhood departments, paid for my local merchant advertisements on the back cover.
Then one day "bad policeman" was replaced with this:
"I want to be a policeman when I grow up."
My cousin Steven today is an officer with the Allegheny Township Police Department, thus making him a second-generation cop. I could only be too proud to see my daughter be part of the next generation of fine lawmen and women.
Many of my friends uphold the law in squad cars, uniforms, and courtrooms. And our armed forces uphold the law of the land...we call it the Constitution.
You know who you are, there's too many of you to mention.
Thank you.
NEXT WEEK: Soup's on!
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