What You Say Over The Air Matters …

Over the years many music stations have had a hard time dealing with current events. The listeners come for music, but with the Coronavirus crisis, audiences also want to know the latest information. People believe what you say. Do not make jokes about important information. Some people may not know you were joking, and they are desperate for help and guidance.

How I learned …

Although my story is not about anything as serious as the current pandemic, it taught me a valuable lesson that people do listen and may not understand where the truth ends, and the jokes begin.

When I was doing evenings on the radio in Chicago, I used to do a nightly bit called “Magic on The Radio.” I used sound effects, magic words, and the imagination of my listeners. The premise came from a PD who shall remain nameless, who had a magician do tricks over the airwaves during a live broadcast from a club.

It Was Strange …

It wasn’t meant to be a joke and the PD did not have any air talent telling the listeners what the magician was doing. The only thing listeners heard were oohs, aahs, and applause. I thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. However, my internal light bulb went off and that’s how I came up with “Magic On The Radio.”

Theater of The Mind …

Magic On The Radio was a 60 second bit with sound effects and my commentary on everything I was doing. I painted the picture for each trick and even had magic words; “my mother knew the 3 Stooges, well.” Corny as hell, but effective and got a reaction of some sort from everyone, which was the whole point of it. Adults and teenagers would call up and ask what was wrong with me or at appearances laughingly inquire about my mental health. But I found out that many young children actually believed I could do magic on the radio.

Some of the tricks were: giving a pigeon the ability to tap dance, disappear form the studio and reappear on a Chicago bus, turn a German soldier into a German chocolate cake, and one night I made a chicken turn into a bowl of chicken soup.

A little Kid Called Me …

About a half hour after the chicken soup trick I got a call from a little kid who asked me for the directions on how to turn a chicken into chicken soup. I asked why and he said, “because when I put the chicken in the water, it tasted yucky.” He told me he was 9 years old and that he had taken some chicken wings out of the package his mom had brought home from the store and put them in the water as he had heard me do over the air. He told me the magic words didn't work for him and wanted to know what he did wrong.

The incident taught me to be more careful with things I said on air. It also made me realize many people believe everything they hear over the radio, especially the vulnerable and the young.

Credible Sources …

Coronavirus is an infectious virus without a vaccine right now. It’s important not to air misleading information; this is how conspiracy theories and half-truths spread. People are anxious in dealing with all the issues resulting from this pandemic. Be careful with what you say because for the moment too many have lost their way of life. This is a time radio stations and air personalities can connect emotionally with the audience. Focus on using information from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), credible scientists & health officials, and objective media outlets; it will help you determine what to tell listeners.