Behind the scenes with radio

I unlocked the door to the studio, flipped on the lights and was greeted by a brief neon flicker. The noise and the smells of the deli below faded as the door swung nearly closed behind me. On a desk to my right, a radio softly played an old folk tune; good, that meant we were broadcasting.

I paused to pile my field jacket and pack on the long conference table before flicking on the light in what at one time was most likely a walk in closet, but which now serves as the tiny broadcast studio for KVRF.

As I walked around the desk, I could hear the music rising faintly from the master headphones hanging from a hook under the desk.

The control board, small as it is, sat next to three computers, which are the backbone of the operation. It is amazing these computers coupled with the control board can run the whole station. This night a silver laptop sat between the control board and main computer. I would use this computer to link the mobile unit crew at the school with the studio.

Station manager Mike Chmielewski, the host of many shows on Big Cabbage Radio, asked me to come into the studio that cold Saturday night to complete the link for the second live show of a Colony High School radio play. I had run things before for him on the Tuesday morning show when he was on vacation, but this would be a bit different.

The show was “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens; my favorite Christmas story of all time. All I had to do was slide levers at the appropriate time to connect the school to the station. Simple.

At 6:50 p.m. the studio direct line began to ring. I punched it up.

It was Mike. “Well, I see you made it. Did you find the note with the instructions on it? I replied with a yes.” OK now it is getting close to that time. Go ahead and begin the link up,” Mike said. “OK,” I said to myself, “let’s do this.” I clicked on the “meetings” stream and slid down the lever that controls the regular broadcast. At the same time I slid up lever No. 4, in theory linking the school broadcast to the radio for everyone to hear. But the results were nothing but static.

Mike asked me if it was working as I flew out of the studio to that little radio. Yup, just as I thought nothing. I picked the phone back up.” Whoops! I got nothing. I’m going to try again.” I was just a little shaken. I hoped he didn’t pick up on it. I slid everything back to square one and tried again. Nothing. “Engage panic mode.” Mike’s voice was giving me instructions to correct the problem. But it became just background noise as I slid the levers back, resetting everything. I took a deep calming breath. It was now or never the time was counting down to 6:56 p.m. Tuning everything out I clicked and slid the levers, one up — one down.

I could hear something. Very faint Christmas music. “Hold it! Mike I hear something. I’m turning up the gain now.” The sound level lights began to climb from green to yellow and peaking at red. I checked the little radio. It was playing the Christmas music loud and clear. I ran back the studio grabbing the phone. “Everything OK now Dan?” Mike asked. “Yeah I got it now. It was faint and I turned up the gain and it is coming loud and clear. Everything is working.”

As I was talking to him I twiddled with the controls, taking it down a notch or two, fine tuning it as the clock turned to 7 p.m. The announcer came up the real show was about to begin. Disengage panic mode and engage major relief mode.

“Well, Dan I think you got it. Just remember to reset everything when the show is done. Enjoy it!” Mike hung up and I went back to fine tuning everything, checking the results on the head phones and that little radio in the main office. It was perfect.

The play started and I was transported into the world of Charles Dickens.

Radio plays are the theater of the mind. Those talented young people of Colony High School gave a very good performance in this fine old tradition. The sound effects and dialogue were excellent. They performed it before a live audience at the school as well as being broadcast on air.

And the story itself? They nailed it. For about an hour I was taken back to England of the mid-19th century as a bitter old man by the name of Scrooge who was at first mad at life but later finds redemption and the true meaning of the season with a little help from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and the future. But only after a dire warning from his dead partner’s chained spirit that is.

I enjoyed every bit of it. But all too soon for me it was over. I could hear the audience applauding madly as the show faded out on their end. The Christmas music was being cued up. Now it was my turn. I slid lever No. 4 down and brought the main lever up, returning control of broadcasting back to the machine. My part was over. After making sure everything was OK. I grabbed my gear and suited up for the dark and the cold only Alaska brings in the winter. I stood in the doorway for a moment then flicked off the lights and shut the door. In spite of a minor goof it went over well. This was community radio at its best. My part in this was small and I enjoyed helping out those talented young people in this way. Besides it was cool, too.

Waddling across the ice to my car I knew I wanted to learn more about the workings of a radio station. Safely inside my car, I turned the key and music from the KVRF studio above played though my car speakers.

“Yeah I want to do that again real soon,” I said to myself, as piloted my car through the dark night and back toward home.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.