Radio Silence

 Hey Friends,

This is Odie checking in with you. Guess what? We have survived another month in 2021. It is now May, It is so crazy how fast this year is flying by. 

The other day I was listening to Singing News Radio on my Alexa. There was a moment of dead air then the news came on. I had to laugh because it reminded me of a funny and embarrassing moment in my life. I decided to share that story with you today. I do not think it is something that I have written about previously.

The Backstory 

First, let me give you a glance into my history. It will help set up this post better for you. From an early age, I have been fascinated by all things radio. My Dad says I was the only little girl that listened to and loved the overnight radio show of the Truckin' Bozo on 700 WLW.

I was the girl trying to win all the giveaways on the Gospel stations. I was also faithful to call the local southern gospel stations, WQRP and WGNZ, to request my current favorite song or whatever happened to be The Isaacs' newest radio song. 

Later, I sent emails to DJs at one of the stations I listened to daily. It was fun building friendships with some of them. When I was 12, Dad took me to an open house at WFCJ. I was able to meet some of my e-mail friends face to face. It is still one of my favorite memories.

My love for radio continued when we moved from Ohio to Kansas. I learned a whole new lineup of radio stations. KSGL was the local southern gospel station in Wichita and I became a faithful listener and caller. The music director of KSGL, John Mills, was also the Morning Show host. 

Soon, John Mills and I were fast friends. Dad also got to know John because Dad, weekly, frequently had to pick up items that I had won from the station.

When I was in high school I sent John an email asking lots of questions about working in radio. I was interested in possibly getting into radio myself after school. He kindly answered all my questions and encouraged me to ask more questions. 

Then he opened an opportunity to me that was amazing. John suggested that I come into the station one morning to watch him work during the morning show.

Radio Silence

Dad took me to the station several mornings to observe. I had so much fun watching John work his magic on the Morning Show. He also allowed me to join him on-air. Then he suggested that we make it a weekly feature for the KSGL Morning Show. 

Wednesday became the "John and Odie Show". We always had so much fun and the listeners seemed to love it! I was there and ready to go by 6:00 AM every Wednesday. It was the highlight of my week.

John was great! He worked and taught me how to do what he did. Can you believe John even trusted me to run things on my own? That may have not been the wisest decision that John ever made, but I had fun behind the controls and behind the mic.

Time is valuable when it comes to radio. Every second of the hour mattered. You had to time the commercials and songs just right. It was challenging and enjoyable to figure the timing and make it come out correctly.

Each station was required to give the station call letters right before the top of the hour. I would give the call letters and flip a switch for the news to come from the satellite feed. John showed me how to do it just right.

Then came a morning that I was doing things on my own. John was downstairs getting other work done, but he was just a call away. I was sailing through doing everything properly and having a great time.

The 6:00 AM hour was wrapping up. I had everything timed out just right, or so I thought. I went live on the air and said, "This is Sunshine 9 KSGL", in my best announcer's voice. I flipped the news switch and I was met with absolute Radio Silence.

I was shocked, confused, panicked and embarrassed all wrapped together. I had no idea where I messed up! John had been listening closely and watching the clock. He knew where I had gotten confused. He came running to my rescue.

I felt like it was an hour of silence, but John was there to bail me out in an instant. Then he enlightened me on where I went wrong. I had not counted down to 7:00 AM like I thought. I had counted down perfectly to 6:59 AM. I was an entire minute off! 

Every second truly did matter! I am still not a fan of Radio Silence.

Thankfully John forgave my mishap and did not end my radio career on the spot. I was still allowed to be behind the control board. I never forgot my blunder and watched the clock very closely. 18+ years later, I am still laughing about my dreaded Radio Silence.

My radio time ended at KSGL when we left Wichita for the road in January 2003. I cried buckets of tears for several days leading up to our final show. I am so grateful that I had an opportunity to "work" in radio for a brief time span. 

I was able to visit John at the station a couple times after we moved. I also called regularly and we would play a little music trivia. " Can Odie Stump John", was the name of a show segment? We had fun testing our southern gospel knowledge.

John Mills now lives in Oklahoma. I still check in with him occasionally. A few days ago we were reminiscing about our great times together. I am so thankful that I got to meet John Mills while we were in Wichita. John is definitely a friend for life!

Thanks, John, for taking a crazy girl under your wing. You helped me and encouraged me more than words can ever express! I will forever treasure our friendship! My days at KSGL are some of my favorite memories while I lived in Wichita!

Somewhere in our archives I know I have a picture of John and me in the KSGL studio. I could not locate it on the blog. I did find a picture of John Mills and his wife Denise from several years ago.

Thanks for tuning in today. That is a wrap for today's post. It was fun for me to go down memory lane for a moment. I hope you got a laugh out of my blunder. See you next Saturday.

Odie