Alternative Famous Firsts
Nik Rivers
Operations Manager
WZNE (94.1 The Zone), WRMM & WFKL/Rochester, NY
Part time weekends at WNKI, the mighty WINK 106 in Elmira, New York, while I was finishing up my Senior year at Ithaca College.
Well, the first show that I purchased a ticket to was Guns n' Roses, with Public Enemy opening. But the show wound up being canceled because the promoter hadn't paid the Gn'R for a previous show, so they pulled out at the last minute, and I was out the $75 I had paid a scalper for the tix the week before the show. So, instead my first show I went to was The Steve Miller Band, with Eric Johnson opening. Not nearly as bad ass as Gn'R + PE, but still a solid show.
Men at Work - Business As Usual on vinyl. Still have it to this day.
I'm not 100% sure on this...The first one I remember doing was Tim Reynolds (of Dave Matthews Band fame) when he was rolling through Ithaca with the TR3.
I don't remember my first dead air experience, but I do remember my first fopaux with a touch screen automation system. I was working at WPXC (Pixy 103 - Cape Cod's Rock) when I had a sneeze that I just couldn't hold back during a talk break. I didn't turn away from the touchscreen as I was talking, and when I sneezed, my snot rockets fired off about seven elements at the same time....talk about panic...I didn't know how to shut off the touchscreen feature to clean the screen, so I had to let them all play out.
Leslie Fram
The Morning-X with Barnes & Leslie
WNNX (99X)/Atlanta
In High School I worked at WABF in my hometown of Fairhope, Alabama. I ran the board for the Sunday morning religious programs and did afternoons. It was an MOR Station (remember those)....My first big radio job was in college at WABB in Mobile, Alabama. The format was AOR, we put our own music together and my first shift for many months was Midnight-6am and I went to school from 7a-Noon. I remember the first song I played was “In The Court Of The Crimson King” from King Crimson!
My mom took us to see the Stones in Mobile, Alabama in 1972 and the opening act was Stevie Wonder! I remember Stevie being incredibly energetic and playing multiple instruments. I found out later that they referred to that tour as the “Stones Touring Party”! The Stones solidified my love for rock n' roll after experiencing that concert and now, after all these years, continuing to be one of the greatest live bands ever!
The Beatles Abbey Road. All I ever wanted for Christmas as a kid were albums! One year all I asked for was “Mad Dogs & Englishmen” from Joe Cocker! My older brother turned me on to Zeppelin, Heart, Black Sabbath and The Eagles.
While working at WABB in Mobile, my first interview was with Bonnie Raitt. I pinch myself thinking about that now-she was so gracious. My interviews went full on alternative when I moved to Atlanta in the 90s!
I was working 7-Midnight in Mobile when WABB was an AOR station. I had the monitor turned down and accidentally played the unedited version of Ted Nugent's 'Wang Dang Sweet Poontang”. Needless to say, the hotline rang with my PD screaming on the other end. Dead air followed.............
Scott Rizzuto
Morning Show Host
KPNT (105.7 The Point)/St. Louis
Promo Intern at WXRK / K-Rock, New York City.
First real concert was April 7, 1995. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
I got a couple tapes from Columbia House for a penny. Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction Motley Crue - Dr. Feelgood Def Leppard - Hysteria
Was asked to interview the actor Ryan Phillippe because nobody else was available to do it. I was nervous as all hell and it was terrible. At the end, I was relieved to get it out of the way.
When we were still doing the carts and CD thing, thought I had plenty of time for a bathroom break (I believe it was a long Tool song playing). From a bathroom stall I heard the silence alarm going off. When I returned to the studio, the hotline was ringing and there was an angry program director on the other end.
