Senior Project- Mix 98.5/Boston

LaSt PoSt! :(

2008-05-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

Weekend Post
Sunday, May 25, 2008

I am sitting at my computer at home, going through all my pictures and looking at my final project and cannot believe three weeks have gone by. Only one week away from graduating high school and it feels like I was a freshman yesterday. I am so happy I had the opportunity to work at Mix 98.5 and get a feel for the broadcasting industry.
My final week seemed to fly by. It was sad knowing on Monday that Friday was my last day. I was just starting to get to know the morning crew very well and get into the routine of things and not feel so much like the intern. I learnt so much over the three weeks that I have to thank Creepy Steve for. When Lander, Kelly, and Alicia were too busy to show me how to send clips or move furniture for food drop off’s Steve was always the one who showed me all the ropes of the studio. I learned that cheez-its at 7:45 AM is okay and three cups of coffee in a two hour period is also okay.
It was a sad goodbye on Friday, but it ended on a great note. Alicia and Lander did a successful Nutcracker and we all left the studio with smiles. I was very happy when Lander and the crew asked me to come back this summer. I know I will defiantly stop by the studio and would love to help out whenever they need help. I know I won’t miss the early mornings, but I will miss that hilarious morning crew that could put a smile on my face at 5:30 AM.

PEACE!

LAST DAY! :(

2008-05-23T22:25:00.002-04:00

Wow! I really cannot believe three weeks have gone by. I have learnt so much and met so many great people. I am so thankful I had the opportunity to have a senior project and work at Mix 98.5.
Today was a normal FRIDAY, beat the bomb in the six o'clock hour and callers begging for BonJovi tickets. The rule is caller 18, today the caller was very excited and claimed she would have done anything to get on stage with Bon Jovi, looks like her dream came true!
In the back studio it was sad to work on my last nutcracker (which was VERY successful) and say good bye to the morning crew which I have got to know very well. The entire crew was very kind and asked if I could come back this summer. I loved the industry and will defiantly be visiting 1200 Soldiers Field Road this summer!

Until my weekend post ...

PEACE

ThUrSdAY!!!! *

2008-05-22T16:37:00.002-04:00

One of the first things that I learnt while working at Mix 98.5, and the early morning radio show in general, is eating routines becomes way out of whack. Today at 8:15 AM DJ's at the Garden brought in food for the crew to sample. I never thought that I would be eating mashed potatoes, ribs, and french fries at 8:30 in the morning, but according to the regular crew your body adjusts. When DJ's arrived it was my job to move all the tables into the main studio and carry all transport the food as well. The food was very good. Steve explained to me having connections with restaurant like DJ's is good for the studio. The radio gives DJ's shout outs while DJ's gives the station Celtics tickets and gift certificates. You give some you get some.
I decided to wear green today, because it was BIG MONEY THURSDAY. The station gave out more than $1000 to winners AND Bon Jovi tickets. The big talk on the show today, of course, was American Idol. David Cook won, and most of the callers I spoke with today were very happy. It is pretty clear that David A will also get a record deal and both did a great job. The show closed with Lander giving a teaser for tomorrow's show, more Bon Jovi tickets!
In the back studio I helped Lander prepare for two more Nutcrackers. One was successful and will air later next week. I got more information from both Alicia, Kelly, and Steve, I find it pretty hard to get a lot of info from Lander himself but I have enough information to make my project complete.
Tomorrow is my last day, and I really cannot believe it! It will be sad to say goodbye, but an experience I will remember forever!

WEDNESDAY ( x 3!!!!)

2008-05-21T20:03:00.002-04:00

It has officially been confirmed, the official voice of the Red Sox, DON ORSILLO, is from our very own NEW HAMPSHIRE! Today was the big day that our favorite Red Sox representative called in and gave Boston the update on the Sox. I answered the hotline and asked him where he grew up. He told me he grew up in North Conway, New Hampshire and was very nice. He filled us in that both the team, himself and of course Manny Ramirez are waiting for the 500th homerun and hoping it happens at Fenway. The station is still waiting for Manny to hit the 500th to give away the two Manny autographed baseball bats.
The show today was jammed packed, we didn't even have time for Beat the Bomb or Pop Culture SAT (the one that Hillary won last week)! The phones were ringing off the hook with callers commenting on American Idol, which David is going to win??? Tomrorow will be even crazier with calls because tonight is the final show and America votes for their IDOL!
In the back studio we attempted three nutcrakers, two were unsucessful and the other one worked but the entire crew felt guilty, we made the victim cry! At 12:45 we got a call from DAN IZZO, the Patriots player with an update on the team. They are all working hard and still recovering from the Superbowl upset, which nobody wanted to talk about.
Tomorrow is big money THURSDAY! Double the Money on BEAT THE BOMB! In the 8 o'clock hour we will be giving away CELTICS' tickets when you hear the air horn. Keep your radio's on and try to win those tickets along with a $100 gift certificate to DJ's on FRIEND Street.

PEACE!

:.* TuesDay :.*

2008-05-20T14:54:00.002-04:00

Today was another jammed packed day. Lander started with beat the bomb again early in the six o'clock hour followed by new music by Natasha Beddingfield. I learned from Steve today how much the change from CD's to all inter net (i.e. i-tunes) has impacted the radio industry. Representatives of artists are able to send their client's singles via e-mail rather than snail mail which saves a significant amount of money for the record label.
This not only makes the process easier for the artist, but also the radio stations. It is much simpler to manage and organize music in an electronic format than hard compy, takes up less space in the studio, avoids shelves of old CD's and eliminates the requirement to categorize large volumes of music.
During the show Lander asked Steve and I to transfer a recording from last night's Jay Leno show with Simon Cowell, one of the judges from American Idol. I learned how to transfer the audio from the TV to the computer then send it over to Lander and get it on the air all within a ten minute period.
At 7:15 Lander and the crew announced the times to call in for Bon Jovi tickets and the opportunity to get on stage with Bon Jovi himself!
In the 8 o'clock hour, caller 18 won Celtic's tickets and a $100 gift certificate to DJ's restaurant and bar on Friend street. I started my interview sessions with most of the crew today which will appear in my final project. I think I will have a tough time getting an interview with Lander as when I asked him, he told me he has never given an interview in all the years he has worked in the industry. I will have to try and determine simple facts from him in an informal way to add to the project.
Tomorrow the official voice of the Red Sox, Don Orsillo is calling in with an update on the players. I am looking forward to answering the call!

PEACE!

JuSt AnoTheR MaNic MonDaY!

2008-05-19T13:40:00.005-04:00

Augustana getting set up to play in the back studio

Just another manic monday indeed. The morning show kicked off with beat the bomb early in the six o'clock hour. The show worked a little differntly today because the show was more topic based rather than random subjects and talk. The topic of discussion was the high school seniors in a town in Massachusets. Every senior wants a t-shirt to walk away with weather it be " SENIORS 08' ", "BOW DOWN TO THE GREAT 08' " or another catchy phrase. One of the high school seniors t-shirts was " Class of .08', we push the limit." The phones were ringing off the hook with parents and students alike. The opinions varied, but the overall outcome was about 50/50. The kids are just having a fun shirt and they are not promoting drinking, and the opposite the kids aren't taking drinking seriously and this is why there are so many deaths amoung teen's drinking and driving. I won't say my opinion but it was very intersting to hear the opinions of all ages. Lander wanted to hold off on giving away the Bon Jovi tickets to help hype the show up when the date gets closer. We had our winner from Friday morning call in to thank the crew for her Celtics tickets, her voice was pretty much gone but she got her point across. Tomorrow we will be giving away tickets, Lander is going to announce sometime in the 7-8 o'clock hours. At 10 o'clock AUGUSTINA came into the studio! It was so cool. They were very down to earth guys and they played two songs, their hit single, BOSTON and their new song called Sweet & LOW which was great. I got a copy of the interview and recording of the song that I will have for the senior project show. The band is playing at the Paradise tonight and offered us tickets but due to our early mornings, we all thought it would be best to get an early night instead.

Until tomorrow --
:)

Dan Layus, Chris Sachtleben ,
me, and John Vincent!

.. WeEkeNd PoSt!*

2008-05-18T17:39:00.004-04:00

Heater's kitchen & puppy STAN!

*Its a rainy Sunday but I am so excited for tomorrow to meet my first band- Augustina. This past week went very well, I thought, and I enjoyed every minute. I learned so much from the basic stuff, how to send a fax, to doing a nutcracker. I think Lander asked me to do a nutcracker because he trusted me to not laugh and gather enough information and to get the full experience of working at not any station but especially Mix 98.5. I realized how unique this station is though conversations and comparing other stations. Mix really cares about their listeners and tries to do anything for them. I felt as if I got full exposure to the being on the air this week with my update with Lander on air, interview with Dave Navarro, and doing a nutcracker. My first week I got the feel for more behind the scenes, answering phones, running paper work, and prepping for upcoming stories. I tried to think of a favorite and I decided I liked it all. I love listening to the callers, weather it be good or bad, feeling the rush of finding a great story and giving Lander and crew a quick over view, and the excitement of being on the microphone. I think after these first two weeks I will know not to totally freak out when I meet Augustana an tomorrow. The

people that work at the station are so relaxed about meeting these artists I think it would be beneficial to me knowing this because I wont stick out as the intern ... hopefully. I am doing my interview with Lander and the crew this week in the back studio and I will be preparing more questions to go along with my initial questions stated in my proposal. Unfortunately the station will not allow video cameras, so that part of my project won't be included but everything else will! I cannot believe I am starting my last week. It really has been a great experience and I love the industry.
Until tomorrow's post.

P E A C E

Above: El casa de Heater!

FRidAy! :0) *

2008-05-16T13:51:00.003-04:00

Another week, GONE!
I can't believe just one more week left, I also can't believe I got to work on time today. My alarm didn't go off and I woke up to Stanely the dog scraping at my door. I managed to throw on some clothes and make it to work one minute early! I think today was the BIGGEST give away day we have had so far. Lander started with $200 right off the bat for beat the bomb and pop culture SAT with Kara from Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua who also won $200! One of Kara's questions was " What is the most popular graduation present?" Some may think a car (Patty Danserau...) but the correct answer was MoNEy! After Lander cued Bon Jovi telling the listeners to call in to win not only tickets to his show, but to get ON STAGE I have never seen the phone lines so jammed. Steve helped me deal with some unhappy callers who claimed they deserved the tickets more than our winner, but Creepy took care of them! Following the BON JOVI tickets Lander played the air horn which cued the listeners to call in for CELTICS TIX, another thing that callers would do ANYTHING for. " Mix is going GREEN!" Lander says. In the back studio we hooked up the TV and recorded some of Ellen's show. She made her announcement she will be getting married. This has made big news, and the morning crew will be all over it on Monday morning. I can't wait until Monday because the hit band " AUGUSTINA" is coming in to the mix lounge to play and I will have the chance to meet them and hear some of their new music. Until THEN ...

Have a great WEEKEND!

JuVes! (Thursday x2!)*

2008-05-15T14:24:00.002-04:00

I’m back at my little café in the center of Dedham, feeling exhausted. Another day gone by and its Friday again tomorrow! Before I know it my internship will be over and I will be missing the creepy sound of Steve’s voice. Today was kicked off with callers begging for Red Sox tickets that were generously given to the station from the president of the 99 Restaurants. Lander announced when he re-played the interview with Don Orsillo it was the cue to call. The phone was ringing off the hook, for a good reason too! Along with giving away tickets, the station will be giving away Manny Ramirez baseball bats when he hits his 500th homerun! I hope I will be able to get a peek at one of those bats! Because it was big money Thursday (I chose not to wear green today) callers won DOUBLE the money. I was pleased, once again, when we got a winner from Nashua! In the back studio the star from my favorite Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe called in, William Moseley, who plays Peter. Unfortunately his phone connection wasn’t great and we might not be able to air the interview. Lander threw me a curve ball when he asked me to set up a Nutcracker. I called one of women who had sent in an e-mail suggesting to do one on her soon to be husband. I played the receptionist at Mr. Tux and had accidentally sent his tux to Atlanta, Georgia rather than Massachusetts. Unfortunately he knew right away because his fiancée had told him she was thinking of doing a prank on him. It was still very cool to know that Lander trusted me with one of his world famous Nutcrackers. Tomorrow’s Friday and another week has flown by!

.. Until tomorrow ......PEACE!

OHHH, WERE HALF WAY THERE! (BON JOVI!)

2008-05-14T19:03:00.002-04:00

Big day in the studio, as always! With Lander giving away Bon Jovi and and Celtic tickets, the phones were ringing off the hook and Steve and I were very busy. I spoke to the official voice of the RED SOX again, Don Orsillo, who grew up in our own New Hampshire. Although it was brief, it was still very cool. In the back studio we worked on editing for the show tomorrow and I learned more about quick editing tips from Alicia. I found on on Monday afternoon the band Augustina will be preforming in the Mix Lounge and I will have the chance to meet them. Look them up on youtube and listen to their big hit, "Boston." Until tomorrow!

PEACE

MaRtEs (2)

2008-05-13T15:35:00.002-04:00

It was so crazy to drive to work and hear my voice on the radio. It aired around 6:10 AM, and I got a caller today who said I sounded good on air. I was very happy to hear that, and I think Lander was too! The interview with Dave Navarro aired around 7:10 AM, and Hillary winning her $200 on air was around 7:45. The show was packed full today. The main give-away was Bon Jovi tickets AND passes on stage with Bon Jovi himself! The winner was ecstatic and claimed I was an angel from God, I don’t know about that! Mix 98.5 is sponsored by McDonalds and one of their sales reps dropped by this morning with about ten of McDonald's new breakfast sandwiches along with fruit cups and iced tea, even the intern got the chance to enjoy it! In the back studio all was calm, we had no interviews booked and just did some promo’s for tomorrow’s show. The big give-away tomorrow are the Celtics tickets, which people are going crazy for!
Until Wednesday (with Don Orsillo of the Red SOX!),
PEACE!

LUNES..* (week TWO!)

2008-05-12T18:23:00.003-04:00

Wow! Another Monday and lots of exciting things happened. My day started out with me being locked out of the Mix building because Creepy Steve (who usually lets me in) was working on the technical aspect of the show because Alicia Love was not there. There was a lot of chaos by the time I was let in and a sigh of relief from Kelly so she could take care of her job and I took care of the phones for the first time without Creepy. I was happy when I got a caller from my hood, NASHUA and he won $200 for answering one of Lander’s trivia. I think I am really starting to get the hang of things at the studio and starting to love the fast paced broadcasting industry. After the morning show wrapped up I headed to the back studio, as usual, for interviews and recording for tomorrows show. Kelly had to run to the Celtic headquarters to work on promotions for the station, so it was just Creepy, Lander and I in the back studio. I was very nervous when Lander let me know I was going to be in the six o’clock hour. I wrote down everything I wanted to say which includes Sex and City, Celtics, and the interview with Dave Navarro. Steve helped clean up some of my nervous comments with the beauty of editing and it sounds great, so listen around 6:15 am (if your awake) to hear the intern! After we recorded the six o’clock hour the fun did not stop. Dave Navarro, who started out with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and his now ex-wife Carmen Elektra had their own reality show on MTV, "Till Death do us Part", called in and I got to talk to him on the phone and take part of the interview. He was very kind and that will air in the seven o’clock hour tomorrow morning. At 11:45 I got a call from Proctor Academy’s very own, Ms. Hillary Creed who played SAT pop Culture and won $200! Hillary playing will air tomorrow at 7:15 AM, listen to her get all the questions right and hear her comments on Hillary Clinton. Tune in tomorrow at 98.5 or on the web to hear Hillary win $200 and my interview with Dave Navarro & chat with Lander & Creepy!
ADIOS!!!

DOMINGO ... ( SUNDAY!*)

2008-05-11T18:07:00.001-04:00

I can’t believe that my first week is over and tomorrow begins my second week in the broadcasting industry! I have learned so much in just one week. The first thing I learned when I stepped into the studio was caffeine is a necessity. With the help of Creepy Steve I learned how to man the phones and computers to relay messages to Lander, Kelly, and Alicia. Through the week I made some “typical” intern mistakes according to Steve, like hanging up on somebody and confusing the phone lines, but I learnt from my mistakes and am prepared for my upcoming week. The radio industry is one that every person relies on for quick information, a good song, or to brighten up your day. Knowing this, I found out it was my responsibility to be aware of all current news stories from politics, world events and sports. I must have a full understanding of events as well as reasons to support my opinions on certain subjects. The morning show is fast paced and requires multi-tasking. I have to be prepared to answer questions from callers and sometimes deal with complaints, which requires quick smart thinking. I learned through observation in the back studio what is required to prepare for a good interview. The first and most obvious is preparation. Both Lander and Kelly write out questions and read up on who ever the interviewee is. The second is have questions prepared in case the interviewee is not talkative or short on answering questions, which luckily did not happen in the past week. Steve helped to teach me what goes into designing the daily website and sending clips from the show to either people who called in or businesses. I have learned the basics of editing before the show but starting tomorrow will learn more of the editing aspect. I am very excited to continue in learning more about the broadcasting field in the next two weeks of my internship.

... FRIDAY!

2008-05-09T16:31:00.002-04:00

Whoa! My first week of my senior project is done, and I made it in one piece. The start to my morning was a little rocky, I misplaced my keys and my trusty GPS had trouble finding satellites, but I still made it to work one minute early. Today seemed to fly by with more callers begging for Sex and City tickets, and Lander made the new announcement, Neil Diamond at Fenway Park this August, and Mix 98.5 has your hook-up! I had a surprise call in from Ms. Hillary Creed early this morning on the request line and Lander was kind enough to put Hillary through and got her on the air! That brightened up my morning, along with the hilarious question from Lander, “What is today’s six year anniversary of a Boeing-727 flight from Miami to Cancun?” Well I wasn’t surprised when I found out the answer because I knew it would be crazy with Lander and the crew’s sense of humor… the answer was the first flight ever to transport naked passengers on a round trip. After the show ended I helped Lander and Kelly in the back studio to look through requests for Nutcrackers (Lander’s world famous prank phone calls). I helped Lander prepare for the Nutcracker by gathering information from the caller and witnessed my first Nutcracker, LIVE! My first week had ended, and I loved every second! Until Monday … ADIOS!

:. ThUrsDay = $$$$$$$ .:

2008-05-08T16:44:00.006-04:00

****Big money give-away THURSDAY!****
Thursday’s are the morning shows busiest day. Yesterday Steve told me to get pumped up for big Thursday everybody in the studio wears all green. I left the house in the morning sporting green flip-flops and a green tee shirt. To my surprise nobody in the studio had even a hint of green on, and I stuck out as the intern even more, but it was all in good fun. The Celtics are on tonight and the station gave away $1000, so green was defiantly appropriate. The station is promoting the Sex and the City movie by giving away 4 pack tickets to the premiere in Boston. I spoke to some die-hard fans of the show begging me to some how sneak them a pair. Celtics fans were going wild today claiming they would do anything for tonight’s tickets. After Lander gives prizes away I then pick up the phone and take all their information (full name, address, phone number). It’s always great to hear how a four pack of tickets to Sex and the City or Celtics tickets can change their day, week, or even month! In the back studio after the show we received two celebrity calls, the first from Wanda Sykes (a standup comedian and actress) who informed us about her comedy tour coming to Boston. The second call was Christina Ricci, who is starring in the new movie Speed Racer. Kelly and Alicia helped to show me how to prep for an interview. Looking up recent accomplishments online, in magazines, newspapers, and write them down for quick conversation. Tomorrow the interview with Ricci will air. Lander would rather wait to air the Sykes interview until next week because he has tickets to her show, which is next week, and backstage passes! Tomorrow = TGIF!

DaY .TrEs

2008-05-07T14:31:00.001-04:00

I am sitting at Panera Bread with an ice-cold lemonade enjoying the beautiful weather. The good thing about leaving so early for work in the morning is not having to deal with the Boston commuters and I get out early enough to enjoy sunny afternoons like today. I arrived at work with the phones already ringing and listeners begging for more Celtics tickets for tomorrow’s game. My skills with the phones are improving everyday and it’s making Creepy Steve’s life much easier. The big give-away on today’s show was the Spirit of Boston cruise on mother’s day. After we had given the tickets away I heard the wrath from several women who claimed to have needed the tickets much more than the winner.
When a big celebrity is calling in to the studio there is a special hot line that they call and a flashing light goes off to alert all the crew on the morning show. I learned today when the light goes off, put the person you are currently on the phone with on hold, and go right to the hot line. Apparently the celebrities don’t have much patience. I saw the light, put my caller on hold, and spoke to my first celebrity. Don Orsillo, the official voice of the Red Sox, was calling for his routine Wednesday update with Lander and crew. I introduced myself as the intern and he was very kind. Although it was a mere thirty-second chat, if I can even call it that, it was magical.

... DOS

2008-05-06T15:02:00.004-04:00

Kelly, Katie Winter,
and Lander after the interview in the back studio!
I was happy I went to bed last night at 9:00 because it was another early morning. The crew at the station tells me my body will adjust soon enough. Today started with the trivia question, “ What do Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jessica Simpson all have in common?” I actually did get some callers that thought the answer was the “J” in their names, but they soon found out it was that all those “J’s” dated John Mayer. During the second hour of the show the phones were ringing off the hook because Lander was giving away Celtic tickets to tonight’s game at the Garden. The morning show wrapped up at 9:00 am and Erin O’Malley took over. I helped Steve with the Mix website and learned how to send clips from the show via e-mail. I headed to the back studio to listen in on an interview with Mary Hart, the host of Entertainment Weekly, which will air tomorrow morning. At 10:15 Katie Winter, a competitor in College Jeopardy from Tufts University, came to the studio for an interview. She filled us in that the show will air on channel 38 on Thursday but wasn’t able to tell us if she won the $100,000. Tomorrow we will hear from the official voice of the Red Sox, Don Orsillo!!

Click here to tune in!!

Day UNO

2008-05-05T14:21:00.004-04:00

* Lander & Creepy Steve prepping for tomorrow!*
CINCO DE MAYO!
HOLA! My first day as an intern went better than expected, to be honest.
On Saturday afternoon I moved into Carolina Heatley aka "Heater"'s house in Dedham, MA and on Sunday my parents came down with tons of food to help minimize my cooking (defiantly a good thing) and I spent the rest of the Sunday hanging out with Heater and getting to bed very early for my 4:15 am rise.
I was on the road at 5:00 am to arrive at 1200 Soldiers Field Road, Boson at 5:30. Steve, who is lovingly called “Creepy Steve” by the morning crew, greeted me. He helped show me the ropes in the studio. Covering all the hallways in the studio are signed posters of various artists and photographs of Lander and the crew with celebrities. Within ten minute I was answering the phones with anxious callers eager to get on the air to talk to John Lander or win the money give-aways. The theme of the show was Cinco de Mayo; my Spanish was not very helpful though. Two major topics on today's show included: What is stolen the MOST at home depot??? A lot of the guesses included: bolts, nails, gift cards, and tape measures. I was surprised to find out it was copper! The second subject of discussion was horse racing. Yesterday a horse's two front legs broke on the racetrack and they put him to sleep right away. I spoke to many callers who were against it, and others who thought they started racing the horses’ way to early.
After the show was over the morning crew and myself went to the back studio and did some pre-recording for tomorrow's show. Lander told me to always have my camera with me because, " You never know when a celeb will stop by!" So I have my camera with me at all times. Until tomorrow ... ADIOS!

check out the website & listen online ... mix 98.5

sample post!

2008-05-01T16:31:00.002-04:00

SAMPLE POST!