And They Still Remember Me..

It's been over 8 years since I've played Dusty Music on the radio in Chicago. Before I started playing Gospel music I was on the turntables playing Dusties. The reason why I am writing today is because I must have done something good as a Disc Jockey because several on-airs at the radio station tell me of how some of the listeners still recall - "Reggie Miles" playing music. And that just blows my mind.

Here's how it started. I was finishing edits on my research paper, I opened Facebook and a chat message appeared. It was from a DJ who I remember listening to the Dusty Show I hosted many years ago. The conversation was a written exchange of respect for both past and present.

The gentleman informed me that a listener stated she just loved the way I played music. I was amazed that after all these years a person still remembers the way I played music. And it made me wonder if I was just that good or is radio just that bad? And let me make this point clear, I'm not referring to the personality that informed me of the inquiry. As a matter of fact the gentleman is outstanding as a personality and a student of Dusty Music.

When I manned the tables and controlled the microphone -- Radio was different. Today with radio listeners have to digest what is served there are no choices on the air. Radio sounds the same across the nation. How boring. Back in the day, I was a "free form" DJ that tried to structure a presentation that was different from the rest. Man I hated to be a follower on the box. When I started playing Dusties, Richard Pegue and Herb Kent ruled. And I wanted a place among them. I had one mantra and that was to be Lottie Dottie able to play something for everybody. DJ's are not like that anymore they are specialist in specific styles. Entertaining a group from 6 - 60 is no more. You have to be one or the other. And I prided myself on being able to play something to move anyone whether if was Disco, Steppers, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Gospel or Blues.

What really separated me from other jocks on the radio and in the streets was not my knowledge of music but my ability to dance and party. I could dance with the best of them. I knew what it took to keep the party going. My mother was my biggest fan and teacher. I played the music that she liked even as a young child. The experience taught me how to read people and feel what they are feeling. Every now and then I would break a hit but that was not my strong suit, I played the hits on the box and kept the floor packed at sets. I tried to reach and connect with people (the ladies) that were in the set. First!

During the early days as a "steppers jock"and a radio personality, I was never intimidated by other personalities. As a matter fact, I would get fired up at the thought of being paired with the best of best. I loved being on box and in control of the party. People that did not know me, went around telling stories about me being "arrogant." Reality is I'm a kind person who can be a bit focused however some people did not want to understand that I was all about focusing on my craft and touching the individual. I put my heart into every moment of playing the role as a radio and DJ personality. There is a difference between a DJ and Personality. I am Blessed to be both.

So being remembered is such an awesome thing to me because out of sight means out of mind. And to have someone remember what you've done when someone else is doing the same thing. My God what a tribute.. To God Be The Glory.

My Love Letter to Disk Jockeying

I recently viewed one of my favorite films. I love the movie "Brown Sugar." Each time I see it I get misty eyed at the end when the main characters find their way back to each other. This time while looking at the movie "Brown Sugar", I kept hearing the question "When did you fall in love with "Hip Hop?"

Of course, I do not know one thing about hip hop today. The greatest rappers to me were the early radio announcers who talked or rapped skillfully to the beat of the music and the "Last Poets." At least when they cursed and said the "N" word there was something in their poetry that led a person to think about the social and cultural conditions of Black people as a whole. Wait a minute, before you dismiss me as a "Hater." I'm not making a judgment on the Hip Hop art form today. I've learned to live with it. Reality in music for me though is the Temptations, The Dells, The Impressions, The Emotions and other great groups. I do not have a frame of reference for Hip Hop other than the early artists like Kurtis Blow, Rappers Delight, and Kool Moe D. Now back to the movie.

I wondered why I kept hearing that question then it dawned on me to change the words from "Hip Hop" to "Disk Jockey" And the question became When did I Fall in Love with Disk Jockeying? As I watched the movie I began thinking of what attracted me to radio and the life of a DJ. I also thought about why I no longer listen to the radio. And just like the way the main character quit his job working for the record company. I compared his feelings to my feeling of why I don't listen to radio. As in the movie the main character thought the company that he worked for was not being true to what "Hip Hop" really is. And that's how I feel about radio today. Radio is not true to the people and DJing has become mixing to the beat of beats as opposed to mixing to the beat of life.

Radio is not true to what radio really is. And the Disk Jockey's too, if they are called that today? The DJ's certainly are not true to what Disk Jockeying really is/was. Well what is a Disk Jockey? According to professor Gilbert Williams, The radio disc jockey wakes us in the morning, puts us to sleep at night, and in between, his time, weather and music announcements take us through the day. But the black disc jockey has been more than an announcer. He has transcended his job as a radio station employee and becomes in many cases, a cultural hero, an individual admired and respected for his work in the black community, his concern for his fellow man, and his ability to effectuate changes in society.

By that definition, that is why I fell in love with being a DJ. I thought that I would be able to make a career. When I feel in love with DJing and radio, my dream did not include syndication, deregulation, consolidation, and concentration. All I wanted was to help my fellow man and effectuate changes in the society. When commercialism takes center stage you can forget any lofty ideals. If it doesn't make money! Well it ain't happening! - Back to the question When did I fall in Love with Disk Jockeying?

I guess for me it was when I heard 1450 AM WVON and a talented man on the microphone named Herb Kent. Of course Herb was not the only DJ on the station he was just my favorite. Herb was the "Pied Piper" to the teenagers. I couldn't wait to get older and go to high school and attend one of those "Sock Hops" and a set at the "Times Square." Herb Kent gave the teenagers something to do at night. He would always tell the time like this It's 17 Tilden Blue Devil minutes after 8 o'clock. He gave the time like that with all the High Schools in Chicago. He also gave the teenagers entertainment, recognition, laughter, and encouragement. Who can forget the battle of the Ivy Leaguers and Gousters, the Wahoo Man, the Green Grunchin, the Gym Shoe Creeper and the Rib Supreme Commercials.

Before the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Banks and Company, Bob Wall and a host of others there were the "Electric Crazy People." Rudolph Browner, Orlando Reyes, Little Miss Corn Shucks and many other characters. Mr. Kent ruled the airwaves at night in Chicago. He made an evening show sound like a well produced morning show of today. Then suddenly technology entered radio and FM became the norm and with FM, a storm moved quietly across urban stations all over America.

Cathy Hughes after visiting a conference at the University of Chicago discovered "Lifestyle Psychology" and came up with the idea that "slow music" is what people want to hear at night. And at Howard University's radio station WHUR the "Quiet Storm" format was launched starting with the classic song "Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson. Needless to say, the rest is history and I stopped listening to radio after 7 pm. I was not and still am not a fan of the Quiet Storm format only because good slow music should be played within every hour not just at a specific time during the evening. A good party is combination of fast, medium and slow music.

Back to when I fell in love with Radio and DJing, on weekends at WVON, Richard Pegue who took radio to another level with a style and combination that no one other than WKKC's "P.J. Willis" was able to duplicate. Richard performed a unique combination of the classic golden era of radio with contemporary radio. Pegue's "Scandal Report" is often imitated through many of the television news magazine shows. His signature Be, Beep, Be Beep Beep lines and sound of the teletype in background imitated the golden age announcer Walter Winchell. The Scandal Report was filled with entertainment information of celebrities and local heroes. People could not wait for the weekend Scandalous Scandal report by Pegue.

The Quiet Storm format and the superior sound quality of FM along with other variables led to the end of Night Time Morning Style Radio of Herb Kent. The late 70's saw the beginning of the end of WVON, the Good Guys and WGRT/WJPC. Losing AM Radio WVON and WGRT/WJPC was my first heartbreak. I stopped listening to commercial radio and set sights on being my own DJ at WKKC. It wasn't until WBMX surfaced as the front runner in Chicago under the programming leadership of Lee Michaels that I began to listen to radio. FM radio really had good sound and it was competitive. The WBMX vs WGCI FM radio wars were great for Chicago radio. Today the same owner of multiple stations won't allow the stations to compete against one another and ultimately the listeners loose. What's the difference between WGCI and WVAZ?

Like the main character in the movie Brown Sugar, I wanted to "start my own" station because the industry has jilted me several times and forgot about what radio and the DJ really mean to the people. Unfortunately the American Dream was taken from me also and many other wanna be station owners with the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. One must have major capital to start and own a radio station and to compete in the industry today one needs at least to own 10 stations. Where will I get the capital I mean millions to start a station in Chicago? I've always thought I could program a station with the best of them. And now technology affords anyone with a desire to start a radio station on the Internet to do so. The problem is that there are so many available one doesn't know which to choose. It's like a DJ and radio has become a dime a dozen.

Forgive me, I'm just not as excited about all the choices. Many people are reveling in their efforts as owners of an Internet Radio Station however for me it's nothing like the thrill of a real time experience of answering a live phone call, sharing some advice and telling listeners what time it is, the weather or about something that is happening in the community. There is nothing like breaking a new song watching the phone lines light up and people asking "who is that, who is that?" The Internet is great but the thrill is gone/delayed. I like my thrills in real time. The fun is not there for me. Internet radio is a lot of work. And being a DJ is/was something that came natural to me.

So I fell in Love with Disk Jockeying at the home at a very young age when my mother taught me how to play her favorite records on the ancient stereo console. I quickly learned how to operate the 45 spindle and keep the red and yellow record disks available. My mom was truly a party person and I mastered the art of reading her and what she wanted to hear that was the only way I could stay up late past my bedtime anyway. We all know that is a child's desire to stay up late. I took that experience of learning to read my mother and worked that in the Clubs.

I mastered a unique blend of radio DJ and club/tavern DJ. The secret was my voice. I saw "DJ Scotty" perform one evening and when I heard him use his voice as an instrument to make the party. I was hooked on seeing a packed danced floor and people bobbing their heads to the music. DJ Scotty sounded professional and he could relate to people in the Club that was amazing. I fell in love with creating and maintaining the flow of the evening. 25 years of my life I partied not realizing the terrific cost of the journey. I tried to make my life a party.


So today I look at the craft very differently. I respect those individuals that took the craft to another level by making the "turntables" an instrument. More power to you. I can mix but I choose not too. The guys that inspired me used their voices as the instrument. I learned to use my voice as the instrument. I like the combination of good music and good conversation. When a Disk Jockey is on top of his game he makes the party not only with what he plays but also with what he says. As much as some people complain about DJ's talking the reality is Black folks like to be talked to. It's not what you say it's how you say it. Check out the Rappers? That's all they do is talk! And to be on the real some of the very first Rappers were the legendary DJ's of the 60's. Part of my technique on the box has always been talking to the rhythm of the music.

Finally, despite how the art of DJing and Radio has changed in my heart I realize. I miss her, still love her, and if I had the chance I would go back to her.

Real Radio that's what it is all about.

Learning By Experience Put the Students on the Air

It's a new year and I will be more aggressive writing about issues that touch me. After 12 years of teaching, I have learned and experienced enough about teaching to have something to say about what is a good education in media communications. Here is my first issue of the new year. Why aren't more students on the air at WKKC FM?

WKKC FM is licensed as an Educational Non Commercial Station. According to the FCC, 73.503 Licensing requirements and service. A noncommercial educational FM broadcast station will be licensed only to a nonprofit educational organization(City Colleges of Chicago) and upon showing that the station will be used for the advancement of an educational program. What that means is WKKC meets the FCC requirement by serving as a laboratory for students to gain practical experience that will benefit them in their careers. What students lack in ability should not be judged it should be the basis for the training program.

A college radio station is the place where the students can discover both freedom and responsibility in broadcasting. If students are not on the air how is WKKC FM meeting the FCC license requirement of an educational non commercial station advancing a program?

Here is what happens for students Howard University. Each year the General Manager of WHUR manager and the Faculty Adviser of the Department of Radio Television and Film chair a committee that selects student managers to run the station. The selected students are then trained during the summer in the operation of running a radio station. Each student manager is mentored by a professional counterpart from the station benefactor WHUR 96.3 FM, the 2009 Winner of the NAB "Urban Station of the Year" Award. The selected student managers are paid during the summer internship and receive a stipend for each semester.

At the beginning of the academic year the student managers select from a pool of over 125 applicants the personnel to man the station. This procedure though not perfect keeps the mission and purpose of the station in line with the mission and purpose of the Department of Radio Television and Film in that the student station is dedicated to embodying professional, ethical and legal standards while promoting a leadership experience for its students and providing broadcasting services to the Howard University campus and the world via the Internet.

The student managers along with the professional mentor and Howard University faculty work together in training the student managers to run the student radio station. Students run the day to day operation of the station and are accountable to the faculty adviser. Instructors who teach audio production classes assigns projects to produce content for the student station. Exceptional audio production students also are given extra opportunities to create and produce content for the HD radio stations of Howard University. There is a commitment to encourage students in the classroom to be "content" creators. In media today, the mantra is "content is king."

Student policies and procedures vary from school to school but educators agree that the student need is the most important. Every effort should be made to educate and train media communications students through hands on experience with an emphasis on leadership and critical thinking. The beauty of College Radio is that it is a place where desiring students can learn, stumble, fall down, and get up with the assistance of academicians and professional staff that care. Not the cold shoulder of the industry that will consolidate, downsize, voice track and syndicate operations closing doors of any opportunity. Teaching radio is more than preparing the student for a board operator position. There is still a need for communicators. It is the job of the academic institution to educate and train the students.

College radio may be the only place where a student can develop into a personality. Niche radio is for commercial radio stations. College radio can be eclectic. Why not encourage the desire of a young student or any student for that matter? Put students on the air and connect the faculty with the station to assist in teaching them. It's about teaching and "learning" the art of being a good broadcaster.

Here's a historical fact. Students in the early 70's at the old Wilson Jr. College worked together with faculty and petitioned the FCC to obtain the license for WKKC FM. Students wanted a radio station to learn and practice radio broadcasting in the program. Over the 35 year history of WKKC FM, the students desire to learn and participate on WKKC FM has not changed just the people and philosophies of those that run the station.

Thank God, that the Local Community Radio Act was passed and more "community stations" can surface in the area. Maybe some other schools will get a chance at owning a LPFM station.

Just my take.