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Some Words Don’t Mean The Same Thing Everywhere …
October 26, 2021
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ALL ACCESS digital content & tech guru Matt Shapo recently helped me figure out a problem with the All Access email on my iPhone. He talked me through how to delete and reinstall it. And in typical ADHD fashion, I managed to connect his directions about what to click or not click on in settings, to moving around the country and verbal mishaps. You have Matt to thank for this week’s column.
A Lot To Learn ...
It’s never easy for air talents moving to a new town. There are new things you must learn; names of local leaders, points of local interest, saying names of places spelled the same as somewhere else but are phonetically pronounced differently in your new hometown, and some nuances you just can’t prepare for. Listeners forgive nationally syndicated shows because they fall into the category of, "You're not from around here, are you?" But if you're local and don’t say something right, you'll stand out like a sore thumb.The Day Started Perfectly...
It was a gorgeous spring day and I had hired a young lady from Los Angeles to move to Kansas City for afternoon drive. On this day, she was doing her first paid remote. I was on my way to play some golf when I turned on the radio to hear her first couple of breaks. This was in the 90s and I had consistently turned down the offer for a company cell phone. I thought they had enough access to me with a company pager. But this was the day that changed my mind on their offer.What Did She Say? ...
I heard the air personality’s first break from the client’s location and I almost drove off the road. She sounded good, great energy, warm, and friendly. But that was until I heard her say, “I’m new to Kansas City, so guys put on your jimmies and come on down and meet me.”Not Around Here ...
Apparently in L.A at that time, the term jimmies meant gym shoes, tennis shoes, running shoes, or whatever you want to call it. But in Kansas City, a jimmy was street slang for a condom. Yep, you guessed it, she was unknowingly telling men to put on a condom and come down to see her.Why …
I couldn't get off the road fast enough to find a pay phone and call the station hotline. The midday guy picked up the studio phone and was laughing, "I knew it was you as soon as I saw the light flashing." The first thing I asked, “Why was she live and not recorded? He told me that she had called just in time to do the call back and hung up right afterwards. He said he was about to call her at the remote when I called. He did not have her cell number because she wasn’t in the company directory yet.Just One Of Those Things …
He called the client’s store and talked to her. Normally the midday talent would have called the station van, but the promotions person and the van had only stayed long enough at the location to setup for the paid remote. The van and its driver had to leave and head to a station event for setup. The salesperson was running late and missed her first call back.Poor Thing ...
Even though I had recently put out a memo about contacting the studio 10 minutes before a call back from remotes and immediately afterwards to check on things, she hadn’t done so. To be fair she’d been with the station for less than two weeks and there was so much coming at her. I’m pretty sure she was just happy to have found where the remote was that day. She had to take her car because as I mentioned, the station van had to be somewhere else.Some Things You Can’t Plan For …
I waited for about five minutes and called the studio back and the midday personality told me that he told her. He said she was so embarrassed. I listened to her next break from the remote and it sounded great, minus "Put your jimmies on and come see the new girl in town." She called me at home that afternoon and was apologetic. I laughingly told her, "I can laugh now, but when I heard you on that first call back, I panicked. I was worried you might have listeners showing up at your remote with condoms in their hands!” Then I told her it wasn’t her fault. No one could’ve anticipated that would happen. But from then on, I would tell that story to new hires so they could quickly learn their new surroundings and avoid potential embarrassing situations. -
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