While I was in college I had the opportunity to work for the college radio station. While this station had students for it's DJ's, this was by no means a "student run" radio station. We were professional and worked hard to keep our local #1 rating.
The day before Thanksgiving in 1991, I was jolted by an earthquake. Now that earthquake in SE Washington wasn't big by California standards, but it was an earthquake nonetheless. Here's what I wrote about it:
About 5:10, I heard the walls creak like a gust of wind had hit them, and then I felt the bed shake. An earthquake! It knocked the phones crazy. I went to the radio station since I couldn't call. I'm glad I did because I spent an hour helping our news director gather information about the event. I made calls to the local police departments, the radio station in a larger town nearby, and even to friends a few miles down the road.
It was exciting to be a part of a news team that was staying pretty close
to the break edge of news.
We finally called the program director and told him what we'd done. He was impressed.
Right after I left the station, a big radio/television station in Seattle called and wanted to talk to the news director. They wanted to interview him live, but somehow that didn't work out. But that station had called us! Now if the station I grew up listening to will ever do the same thing, I'll be flying real high!
That was pretty exciting stuff for a little radio station to be contacted by a big city station regarding a story like this.
As far as Thanksgiving Day, the next day was concerned, well, we had another big storm that knocked the station off the air for about 14 hours. I was just settling in at a friend's house to watch a movie when the engineer brought the station back online - just as my shift was scheduled to begin. I begged and pleaded with him to not bring it up, but to no avail. It was one of a very few times I chafed at being a DJ - a job I dearly loved .
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