Air Apparent

It's strange that I would find myself on Navy Pier twice in just over a week, but today during lunch I went there to record a humorous (I hope) commentary for WBEZ, the Public Radio station here in Chicago. The idea to submit a piece to the station came from an improv pal, an exceedingly talented writer who's had several original pieces air on local and national public radio. This is actually the second submission I've had accepted by WBEZ ... the first one aired last month and is still in their archive here.

Recording at the station is a neat experience. On one side of the desk is me with a mic, headphones ("cans" to the professionals) and my script. On the other side, behind a console that would look right at home in Cape Canaveral, sits the producer. Besides setting the audio levels, the producer provides dramatic direction like "Make it more conversational," "Try to sound really authoritative here" and, my biggest note, "Slow down!". Sometimes the instruction ran counter to my instincts, but I trust he'll select the best parts of several readings into a two-minute masterpiece that will, no doubt, make radio history.

If you're interested, the piece recorded today is scheduled to air next Monday (7/14) between 9-10am CDT ... tune in to 91.5 FM if you're in Chicago or get the streaming feed linked at: http://wbez.org/default.aspx. Thanks for checking it out!



FOLLOW UP (7/14): If you missed the piece live, catch it on WBEZ's site here. Thanks!!