Yesterday I wrote about Larry Lujack’s contribution to the art of personality radio.
As a holiday gift, here’s the 30-minute Lujack aircheck that appears on The Greatest Shows On Earth, Volume One.
It’s taken from a reel-to-reel tape Larry had sent me many years ago, to be edited down to the 30 minutes you’ll hear here.
Fair Warning: This is temporary. I’ll leave this aircheck here for a few days for you to enjoy, as a gift (and as a tribute to Lujack).
Larry Lujack died last week.
The first time I heard an aircheck of “Superjock,” I realized there’s a dimension of being a radio personality that I hadn’t been aware of.
In fact, it might’ve been that long ago aircheck that made me realize there’s a difference between a “radio DJ” and a “radio personality.”
Until then, I’d thought all of us were “jocks.” Some of us were terrible, some were pretty good, some were great. But I thought we all were doing the same job.
The instant I heard Lujack I realized two things:
1. He’s not trying to be great disc jockey. He’s being himself.
2. He’s consciously choosing which aspects of his core personality to share with the audience. He’s playing a character named Larry Lujack. The character is based on himself, but it’s a character.
The bravado, the “superjock” persona, the “I’m the greatest” proclamations…Instinctively I sensed that he knew he was good while privately retaining the insecurities that plague all performers (and all humans).
After I left radio and launched my own comedy services, I also created The Whole O Catalogue, featuring books, tapes and other resources for radio people.
The first issue of that little catalogue included Lujack’s book, SUPERJOCK.
That’s my copy. Greatest book ever written about the life of a radio disc jockey.
I don’t recall the page number, but if you read that book you probably recall his mentioning an unnamed female singer who generated her only hit record by sleeping with any DJ who would play it.
In the book, Larry didn’t identify her because, he explained, he’d only heard the stories; he couldn’t say for sure if they were true.
When I called him to ask that he send me the raw tape for my “Greatest Shows On Earth” project (see below), I asked who the singer was.
“I really don’t want to reveal that,” he said.
“Oh, c’mon,” I said.
Repeatedly.
“I won’t tell anyone,” I promised.
Finally he told me.
I wouldn’t have guessed the singer’s identity, but it made sense.
No, I won’t tell you. I promised Lar I wouldn’t.
Around the time I began my catalogue, I launched what became a series of five 2-hour cassette tapes entitled The Greatest Shows On Earth. (The title, by the way, was suggested by my late, great pal, Terry Moss.)
Each volume consisted of four 30-minute airchecks of great radio personalities. Larry was one of the four featured on Volume One.
Larry sent me a reel of tape containing an aircheck of one complete show, and I edited it down to a half hour.
All these years later, his comment at :28 of this excerpt frequently comes to mind in my daily life:
Many years later I launched PD Grad School. In its third year — when I still was producing it in Dallas (before I realized it was much easier on me if I produced it in Los Angeles, where I live), I asked Larry what I would have to do to convince him to be one of my guest speakers.
His reply:
Many people know much more about Lujack’s career and about Lujack as a person.
I’m just one of many who loved hearing him on the radio, where he belonged.
So long, Uncle Lar.
And thanks.
I heard this on a radio commercial for a hair restoration client, toward the end of the advertisement:
“We may not actually be able to take years off your life….”
Um….Guys?
Very few people are interested in a product that will take years off their lives.
I suspect they were trying to say, “…may not actually be able to make you look younger….”
Come to think of it, there already is a product that is very likely “to take years off your life”:
Cigarettes.
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A Loyal Reader Writes:
“After two years at my current radio station and two years at another in our company, I’ve noticed it’s common practice for program directors and station managers to have no regard for the On-Air light.
“They just walk right into the broadcast studio whether they need to talk to you or not. They’ll work around you and dawdle, or just sit there and wait until you’re done with a phoner or a bit.
“Personally, I think it’s really distracting and downright unprofessional. And sadly, a lot of these people used to be jocks. You’d think they’d know.
“What’s your feeling about this? Do you have anything I can print off and stick in their mailboxes so they get the hint?”
If you’re smart, you won’t print this because it would harm your relationships with your higher-ups.
Also, you haven’t indicated that you’ve expressed those feelings to them directly.
Rather than getting upset because they can’t read your mind, explain to them that their actions are preventing you from doing as good a radio show as you can for your (and their) audience.
Yes, it’s unprofessional of them. And thoughtless and rude.
Tactic #1
“Uh, boss? I really can’t concentrate on my show while you’re in the studio.”
Tactic #1 with Response and Retort
YOU: Uh, boss? I really can’t concentrate on my radio show while you’re in the studio.
BOSS: What’s the matter? You can’t do your job just because I’m sitting here quietly, minding my own business?
YOU: That’s right, boss. When I’m on the air and you’re in the studio with me, it’s distracting. Even when you’re not speaking, it distracts me.
Tactic #1 with Response and Retort
+ a Heavy Load of B.S.
YOU: Uh, boss? I really can’t concentrate on my show while you’re in the studio.
BOSS: What’s the matter? You can’t do your job just because I’m sitting here quietly, minding my own business?
YOU: That’s right, boss. When I’m on the air and you’re in the studio with me, it’s distracting. Even when you’re not speaking, you have such a magnetic personality that your mere presence distracts me.
Tactic #2
YOU: Did you need something urgently?
BOSS: No, no. Just thought I’d come visit you.
YOU: That’s really nice of you, boss, but I can’t concentrate on my show with extra people in the studio. How about if I stop by your office after the show, and we’ll have a nice long visit?
BOSS: After your show? No, I’ll be busy then. Got things to do.
YOU: Oh, okay (as you open the studio door for him). Some other time then. Oops, record’s running out. See you later….
Tactic #3
“Boss, you really have to leave. I can’t do my show with people just sitting around in here” or “…with you talking to me.”
Tactic #3 with Response and Retort
YOU: Boss, you really have to leave. I can’t do my show with people just sitting around in here
or
…with you talking to me.
BOSS: I have to leave?? But I’m the boss around here!
YOU: That’s true, boss. But while I’m on the air, I’m the captain of this ship. During my show, I’m the boss of this studio. You can fire me if you want, but for as long as this is my radio program I’m in charge inside this room from 2 until 6 each afternoon.
(Note: I said those very words to a major market GM a long time ago. He got the message, and he left the room. Did he fire me? Well, yes. Eventually. But that’s not the point.)
Tactic #4
(You enter the GM’s or PD’s office, sit in chair.)
BOSS: Yes?
YOU: Hmmm?
BOSS: You wanted something?
YOU: Oh. No.
BOSS: Then….?
YOU: Hmmm?
BOSS: Why are you here?
YOU: Just thought I’d come and hang out. Go on with whatever you were doing. Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt you.
BOSS: Are you crazy? I can’t do my work with you just sitting there for no good reason.
YOU: Oh. Yeah, that makes sense. I’d better remember to explain to other radio station staff members when they come to the on-air studio to hang out during my shift.
A Loyal Reader Writes:
“We air some local radio imaging liners on some of our stations, i.e., ‘Radio X, Today’s Best Music.’ They air between two songs. One song ends, the liner starts and the next song starts underneath.
“I’m being asked to air things other than image liners in that position, e.g., ‘Radio X: Listen for Today’s Newsmakers weekdays at 9.’
“I think you’ll agree that it’s wasting the listeners’ time to drop in this ‘program promo-type liner’ between songs instead of a quick image liner. If you agree, how would you defend my case? I’m having trouble finding words to articulate my position.”
Yes, I agree.
People listening to music on a music radio station don’t want to hear about your News programming — at least, not in the middle of the music.
That’s why when TV networks run promos for other shows within, say, a sitcom, the other shows they’re promoting also are comedies.
You won’t see CBS running a promo for The CBS Evening News in the middle of The Big Bang Theory. I wonder why that is?
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