Maine Dj's serving the state for over 26 years!
Trust The Entertainer is a proud
member in good standing with the
National Association of Mobile
Entertainers
I have been told that I am a classic over-achiever, putting my all into everything I do. For example I became a Boy Scout at age 11 and by my 13th birthday I had completed all the requirements for Eagle Scout. Awards cerimonies are not held imediately and I didn't get the medal until I was 14 but all the requirements were done before my 14th birthday, a trait I have to this day.
My attraction to radio began as a young boy, in the late 60's & early 70's. I would listen to the Dj's on the radio and then try to imitate them. My parents found it quite annoying, but the other children would pester me to "talk like a Dj". Around 1973, when I was about 15 years old, I had made friends with the program director at WPOR AM & FM in Portland, Maine I was allowed to practice in their production studio and with a little persistence I landed the Sunday morning 6 am to noon shift, this is the time where most stations run various pre-recorded shows, but it gave me a chance to operate the huge on-air mixing board and gain experience.
At the time all full-time air staff was required to work one shift per weekend. One Sunday, the morning Dj didn't show up at noon to take over for me after the pre-recorded shows were over, the only on-air experience I had was doing the weather reports during my shift. So I played the top of the hour ID and began to follow the music format that all the air staff had to follow, but I didn't speak because I had been told not to announce more than the weather, within a few songs the program director called and asked me why I was still on the air and had not been replaced? I told him I did not know where my replacement was or when he would get there. This was the chance that changed my life. The program director told me to follow the format and to Dj the show! A country Dj was born.
Needless to say I jumped at this chance and I must have impressed the management because I got another actual weekend airshift every week on a regular basis. I left my part time position at WPOR for a full time airshift from six to midnight at WCOU AM & FM in Lewiston, at the time also a country station, where I was known as the country giant. These were my first professional radio days.
In 1975 education called and I stopped working full time to attend the University of Maine in Gorham to get a higher education. {I eventually earned a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and an Associate’s Degree in Paralegal Studies and Accounting}. But I had Radio in my blood and couldn't get it out! I joined the college radio station WMPG FM, which at the time I think was 10 watts; however I met and became friends with many of the future popular Dj's of the day. In late 1978 or early 1979, I got a call from another popular Dj who was working at a 1000 watt daytime radio station in Auburn, WPNO AM, where I did the morning show for just over a year, then I moved back to Portland to work at one of the stations I grew up mimicking Dj's at, WLOB AM & FM, I had the 7 to midnight shift and was often used to fill in on the FM side then known as FM-101, Portland’s Best Rock.
In 1980 I was hired part time at WBLM, within a few short weeks later I found myself at the controls of the "Rock & Roll Blimp" filling in for Mike Bushey, who was the program director, who had more administration duties than his time allowed, doing the mid-day 10 am to 2 pm airshift, after this I was full time air staff. During the next five years I was assigned to every shift at one time or another, including almost (5) months in the Morning Show with Radio Legend Mark Persky, just before Mark Matzel took over the morning show from me {remember re-markable radio with Mark & Mark in the Morning?}, the stations I worked at on a part-time basis are impressive but far too many to list.
MY DAYS AT WBLM:
The WBLM I worked at was a legend in its own time. The owners Bob Fuller & J.J. Jeffery, two former legends in radio, themselves, were the reason WBLM prospered and had its unique sound. My second week employed at the station they gathered all the air staff in a meeting to key us in on the secret of the "Blimp". Simply put they explained that special element of etherealness that separated WBLM from the other stations, first was theater of the mind, WBLM was everywhere for everyone. You never were to say its 47 degrees here in Lewiston, (which is where the studios were located at that time) the announcer was never to locate the station. Instead you picked towns and stated the temperature there. We were trained the more you could project that "The Blimp" was flying above you, an actual air-craft with different decks and controls, and the more you could play theater of the mind the better you would portray one of the best rock & roll radio stations that ever was. This philosophy led WBLM to the highest ratings of any Maine radio station in 1983. Ratings that are unlikely to be exceeded. Even with all this fame and the related revenues that came with it, management refused to pay the air staff a living wage. When I left some guy named Herb Ivy took over my shift, giving me the biggest raise I had ever received from WBLM, the chance to work for myself on a livable wage.
Instead of raises, the station allowed on-air staff to participate in the hire a WBLM Dj program. The entire time I worked at WBLM they ran a commercial advertising to the public to hire a Dj from the station for their wedding or event, and as the dozens of calls came in there was a rotation developed so that each air personality would get equal access to provide private entertainment for Wedding Receptions and similar parties. In 1982 I began Private Entertainment while still employed at the blimp, and have continued to this day.
I also worked for WXGL 93.9 FM in Lewiston, an oldies station, from 1989 through 1993. From 1991 through 1993 WXGL had me host a a live radio show broadcast from the Ramada Inn in Lewiston every Sunday night from 8 pm to midnight. This is over 400 hours of live radio, no time delay, and a live show with only me controlling the content; few entertainers have this live radio experience.
Finally on radio, did you ever wonder why many stations in Portland and central Maine recently sound lifeless or dead? The reason for this is many stations, are only live during the morning shows, or at certain times of the day they choose. An announcer at WBLM, WCYY, or Q-97.9 (and likely other stations) pre-record their shows. They are given a log or script to follow and record their voices and what they are going to say, which is later compiled and used by a computer at the time of broadcast, this is called voice tracking.
In 1982 I was employed as a full-time Staff announcer at WBLM radio; at that time the "Blimp" had a "Hire a WBLM Dj" advertising program in which the full-time announcers were allowed to participate to augment the salary they made at the radio station. WBLM ran a "Hire a WBLM Dj" advertisement on a frequent basis, staff announcers who wished to participate were put into the rotation. In 1982, with the heavy schedule of Dj advertising running at "the Blimp" there was a shortage of Dj's available, a powerful radio station is an excellent source of business (in 1982 the internet was not used as it is today) there was a demand that needed to be filled, so I observed Jose Diaz & Mark Persky each do a reception, the rest of the story is history, and I have never looked back there is no substitute for experience to bring complete customer satisfaction, which is the Prime Directive at Trust-The-Entertainer.com.
Needless to say, and in my personal opinion, protected by the First Amendment of our Constitution; I worked for a radio ledged during my employment at WBLM, when I worked there we employed theater of the mind, not computers, I distance myself, and my company, from today’s WBLM and its new owners. Please don't judge me by what you hear on WBLM today, that's all I ask. The differences are like day & night. The WBLM I worked for was a ledged in its own time; the WBLM of today is a legend in their own minds.
Frank FM, beats WBLM and they are not even trying, at least they sound alive.
This means gone are the days when I, or any Dj, would go into the stations main on-air studio and spin records or compact disks live and do an airshift. This has removed the personality and sole of what use to be...
Being a Maine Dj and radio and announcer has been the passion of my life, I
have just one outlet for it now and that is being a Maine Dj providing live
entertainment. That is why I put every ounce of my life long
experience into each event Trust the Entertainer does.
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