It’s that time of year again – where we kick back, get some last-minute shopping done, and review more than 200 blog posts from the past year. We look at the data – specifically, page views – but we also check to find blogs that generated comments from a wide variety of readers. And then there’s the subjective part – did we simply like the post and does it represent the overall flavor and vibe of the blog?
Today’s post qualifies on all fronts. It was widely read and discussed. And we like it because it tapped into neurological quarters we don’t claim to understand, but nevertheless find fascinating. This post ran back in March, and also blew up on Facebook and Twitter. No one can claim we’re asleep at the switch.
We’ll be republishing a number of the “Best of” blog posts all next week, before returning January 2nd with fresh content for your reading pleasure as we kick off 2018. – F.J.
Strange, isn’t it? If you’ve worked on the air in radio for apparently any length of time, you may be experiencing something that can only be described as a surreal, communal, shared experience.
Like the school dream. Most of us have probably had that dream – or nightmare. It is somehow finals week or the day of a big test, and in our dream, we don’t remember having ever gone to class. I’ve talked to many people who’ve had this dream, or a variant, so it seems to affect pretty much anyone who’s ever gone to school. (Do kids who are home schooled have it, too?)
As a former smoker, I’ve also had “the cigarette dream.” That one’s crazy because even if you haven’t smoked in decades, it can sneak up on you. In the dream, you think you’ve started smoking again. Crazy, right?
But then there’s “the radio dream,” something I was reminded of yesterday after reading this Kelly Hammer post on Facebook:
So, in Kelly’s case, it’s an on-air CD or a cart that’s running down, and you can’t find the elusive one you’re supposed to play next. There’s a rack of shelves of CDs nearby, but you somehow can’t get your gears moving to retrieve it. And all the while, the dream clock is ticking, and you’re fighting against the perils of DEAD AIR.
In my version of this dream, there’s floor to ceiling albums against the back wall of the studio, the record is running down, and I somehow can’t put my hands on the album I want to play next.
I wonder if today’s version of the nightmare is a blue screen on the main computer in the studio. Or is it a mouse that somehow won’t work? Or some kind of software glitch?
The weird thing is that my time as a DJ was limited to campus radio and a few odd shifts here and there, filling in for my airstaff. And yet, I have “the dream” every couple of years or so.
Based on Kelly’s post and anecdotal conversations with radio people, I’m betting that many of you do, too. And if that’s the case, can we surmise that anyone who’s been on the air at a music station for any length of time has had “the dream?” And maybe it keeps recurring for all of us in some form of weird dream rotation (hopefully, it’s not a “power”).
And that would also mean that Bob Pittman has “the dream.” And Scott Shannon, And Jarl Mohn. Whether you’re a corporate exec in New York or a weekender in Anchorage, chances are the one thing we all have in common in radio is “the dream.” It’s a strange and unusual bond to be sure, but I’m thinking it’s shared by thousands of former and current radio people.
They say that radio isn’t brain surgery. But it would probably require the expertise of a neurologist to explain this phenomenon – how an entire group of people in the same industry can have virtually the same nocturnal dream experience. Then again, I wonder what dream brain surgeons share. It’s very likely a lot scarier than that Bob Seger record running out.
Pleasant dreams.
To see how pervasive this is, leave a comment below with your version of “the dream” or acknowledge you have it. I’ve also posted “the dream” on my Facebook page as well as Twitter, so you can post a comment there as well.
Thanks for the reminder, Kelly.
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#Deadairnightmare. Does this effect broadcasters who never did music shows? And, to all…a Good Night.
I’m thinking “no,” but have yet to hear from a talk host. The “dream” probably is about there are NO phones lit up and the host can’t think of a thing to so. But that’s just a neurological guess. Happy holidays, Clark.
i am a traffic reporter, and i’ve had the dream that i’m unprepared for a hit because i got busy doing something else. i’ve also done music in the past, and have had that one too. it’s all an anxiety dream…like the school ones we all had….something in our life is making us feel anxious or insecure, and this is how it manifests in our dreams–an attempt to make sense of it.
Jill, I think that’s right – it’s anxiety based, and the activities we care about the most – and don’t want to fail it – end up in these crazy dreams. Thanks for commenting.
OH yes, STILL have this one from time to time. Funny thing for me is, it’s always at past stations, not where I currently work. It’s always older equipment, like you said, with no carts in the cart rack or maybe there’s one or two but they’re all years outdated that you can’t use–stuff like that. But it’s always the same, you’re in some sort of slow-motion where whatever the obvious solution is, you just can’t seem to do it! Funny!
Apparently, whatever you do for a living, there really is some version of this that taps into our fears and insecurities. I just saw a clip a couple weeks ago of an interview with Paul McCartney saying he STILL has dreams where he’s performing with the Beatles in some huge stadium and everyone en masse is getting up and leaving, and he’s saying to the others, “Quick! Quick! Play a big hit! Quick, everyone! Hey Jude!” How funny is THAT? If Paul McCartney–PAUL MCCARTNEY–is still having dreams revealing his insecurities and fears of the public rejecting him, what HOPE do the rest of us have???!
David, I had not heard that story, but it checks out with all these other comments. We all have some form of stage fright or pressure panic, whether we’re a member of the Fab Four or just someone on the air in Anywhere, USA. Thanks for the comment.
Definitely still have that dream even though I haven’t done a regular airshift since the Reagan Administration. I was always the PD, so I never once in 44 years did an overnight. Falling asleep on the air is another of those radio dreams. I had an overnight guy fall asleep in the wee hours multiple times and had to fire him. His response floored me. “It’s not like I was goofing off or anything, I was just taking a nap.”
I learned a long time ago as a PD that what you hear on the air and then surmise to be the truth can often be cleared up (or redefined) by a DJ who has a very different version of the story. But that’s what I’ve never heard! Thanks for the comment.
It’s been a long (long) time since I last did a music shift, but every once in a while I have that dream. Always, the vinyl record is ending, with nothing on the other turntable and all of the album jackets are empty.
Wanna bet I’ll have that dream tonight? Thanks, Fred.
I hope not, Steve, but as we know, it happens when it happens. Thanks for the comment.
I’ve had this dream several times just in the past year, but with some odd variations which I will happily share with everyone:
** The entire studio record library has been replaced by books.
** All the reels on the automation are running out and I can’t find the tape library.
** I can find lots of records, but they are all by unknown artists with song titles I never heard of.
** The turntables are set to only play at 33, and all I can find is 45s.
** I back-time an instrumental to network news and when I pot up the net it either isn’t there or is gibberish.
** Not only can’t I find anything to play, when I turn back around to face the board, the record that was running out has also disappeared.
Now that I’ve shared that, I will probably have that dream again tonight. Thanks, Fred.
KM, for me, it’s #3 – every time. Thanks for all these variations, and pleasant dreams!
Haven’t had it in years, but the way mine plays out, the log calls for a specific commercial, and it HAS to fire first in this break, but it’s nowhere to be found. It’s not in the cart rack, it’s not on the shelf, it’s not cued up in any of the decks, it’s not sitting on TOP of the decks, it’s not on the desk anywhere… it’s just GONE. And for whatever reason, I know I can’t just move on to the NEXT spot, this one HAS to air NOW or else NOTHING else can happen. I usually wake up with two seconds left in the song. That never ACTUALLY happened to me, but that’s my version of the dream.
LOL Josh! Reminds me of another variation I have, where I look at the log and realize I HAVEN’T looked at the log for HOURS–and suddenly I have to figure out how on earth to get all these spots in without doubling up any in the same break and with only a very limited time left in the shift. Too funny, thanks for sharing!
Fascinating, David.
Interesting that for you, Josh, it’s rooted in commercials. For many others (myself included), it’s the inability to find the next song (record).
Here’s why I think we have it. Fear of failure.
Becoming an announcer is literally a life changing event.
1) We are taught from day one that operating an officially licensed radio station is a public trust.
2) We are taught that dead air is the bane of our existence. WE, are the ones in that little room who are entrusted with this huge responsibility affecting potentially hundreds of thousands of listeners (or more of course).
3) So we learn right away the necessity of keeping the content flowing.
4) We are performers and getting it right takes years of training. And it freaks us out for a while until we get used to it.
So we get anxious in the beginiing. We don’t want to screw up. I agree that every profession has rules that need to be followed and we spend our formative years learning how to tame that beast. Especially brain surgeons. They dream of screwing up your brain. That’s an even heavier burden of course, but these dreams are born of a desire to NOT to fuck up; To do our jobs in a seamless manner. And we take it SO seriously it registers on our brain as a major moment in our learning. I think thats why we get those dreams.
Probably a lot of truth here, Max. Based on hearing from people in other professions (pilots – now there’s pressure), much of this dreams are attributable to that fear of failure. I think that’s why many of us have the school/finals dream (somehow the entire semester has flown by, the final is today, and you haven’t attended the class). Somehow, it’s your sleep function that expresses those pressures – while you should be getting rest! Thanks for the comment.
I must admit…in 44 plus years of working in this business, I can’t remember ever having such a dream.
Wow, you’re obviously an exception, Kevin, and many in radio are jealous.
For me, the radio studio always looks like it’s in the garage of a hoarder. I’m surrounded by piles and piles of boxes. Can’t find the music library. Can’t find the microphone. Can’t find a PSA to play to fill the dead air. In my case, these reoccurring dreams started when my doctor put me on a statin drug. I thought I was the only one with this side effect until I googled “statin drugs and dreams’. Hundreds of people report having the same dreams about different parts of their life over and over. If you’re on statin, grab a bag of popcorn when you hop in bed. Never know what’s showing next!
Michael, interesting timing with the statins. But as you can see in the comments, many, many people are experiencing the dream without the aid of pharmaceuticals. Good to hear form you.
My variation of ‘the dream’ reflects what I did for years in ‘the biz’; the news. I’m sitting in the booth, the clock is ticking and suddenly my news stories are all messed up, in the wrong order, or the words aren’t on the paper or the carts won’t fire or they’re the wrong ones. I start ad-libing ( nearly always a treat). The sweating begins, the dread, the embarrassment. The relief when I awake and realize it’s a dream is palpable. I’ve asked other news people and they tell me they’ve experienced the same dream, with slight variations.
Crazy, Murray. It is clearly related to the jobs we try so hard to excel at. Thanks for the comment.
LOL! Brilliant article & thread. As you said it’s like the radio version of the math test dream.
During high performance scenarios our brain releases fight or flight chemicals & recent research re. PTSD and memory shows that the more emotional & intense an experience – the higher likelihood memories about it are retained.
So all of you probably have radio station induced PTSD.
I worked in a dog kennel when I was around 19 locking up dogs all day after I cleaned out their cages & dog runs. I would have dreams that angry packs of dogs were chasing me down the street like the villagers in that mid 20th c. Hollywood Frankenstein film.
It IS a weird form of PTSD. Thanks for digging into our blog.