Tag: WBJC

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How has it been 30 years?

On September 18, 1993, I got into my car and began a 900-mile, two-day journey that would change my life. Earlier that month, after a year of searching for a full-time radio job, I came home from my part-time gigs at WSUI and KSUI in Iowa City, Iowa and saw that my answering machine was blinking.

“Hi, this is Jonathan Palevsky at WBJC in Baltimore. We’d like to talk to you about a job.”

The next two weeks were a blur. My job interview took place over the phone (decades before Zoom, no less!), I flew out to Baltimore to find an apartment, met most of my new colleagues, and prepared for my solo road trip. The apartment was great even though it took a week for my furniture to be delivered and I fell in love with the East Coast very quickly.

When people ask “how did you get into radio?”, they’re always surprised that WBJC’s on-air staff give such different answers. In my case, I was sitting in a coffee shop in Iowa City pretending to study, most likely reading a novel, when I overheard a guy talking to a barista about being from Minot, ND. I walked over and said that wasn’t possible; he looked confused, said yes, he was, I continued to joke around, and the exchange continued for a couple of minutes before I laughed and said I’d also grown up there. He was a graduate student in broadcast journalism and I mentioned that I was interested in trying my hand at radio, so he said he’d try to get me an audition. I had to pronounce some composers’ and performers’ names and put together a newscast, prioritizing the order the stories should be in. My first shifts were Sunday nights, midnight-5am, which made 7am Spanish class a bit tough, but I persisted until I was allowed to work weekend afternoons. Eventually, I filled in for vacationing full-time hosts and started doing taped interviews. My position was officially a student job and I wasn’t enrolled in grad school, so I was about to be let go and things were getting tense when I got that message from Jonathan. I sent cassette tapes and resumes to every big city and university town public radio station that was hiring (and a few that weren’t) and crossed my fingers. My first day on the job at WBJC was September 20, 1993.

There have been a lot of changes in broadcasting during my 34 years in the business – one that makes me rather sad is the number of public stations that have dropped classical music or just air much less of it than they used to. Fortunately, we have the option of streaming now and anyone in the world can listen to WBJC on their PC or other device. We can’t take anything for granted, though, because there are also digital music services, so we don’t lack for competition. It will be interesting to see what the future brings and I hope I get to stay behind the microphone for a while.

Thanks, WBJC, and thanks, Baltimore, for 30 great years!

 

PS – Jim and I are celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary on Halloween!

 

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Silver Anniversary at WBJC! 🍾🥂🎉🎶

 

Today, even though I haven’t been on the air with you—this being a Saturday—I am celebrating my quarter-century with WBJC!

I like to tell the story of when I was in the process of immigrating from Africa to America and I had this seemingly outlandish fantasy of being a classical music DJ somewhere on the East Coast. Truthfully, I had no idea if any radio station in America would be prepared to take on someone who sounded the way I did. (At the same time that I applied for the position at WBJC I also applied to a radio station in Cincinnati … I have yet to hear back from them.) But I am living my dream, and I will be forever grateful to the search committee at WBJC for taking me on all those years ago. I am also so grateful to you for your open-hearted welcome. Thank you for keeping me company every workday drive-time, and for allowing me to share glorious music with you for the last twenty-five years.

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Mask maker, mask maker…

You’re probably seeing a lot of people wearing masks these days. Some are using paper ones, others are improvising with bandanas or ski masks, and those of us who sew are rejoicing because we finally have a legitimate use for all that scrap fabric that’s been driving our spouses crazy for years!

Last week, Jonathan and Kati asked me to make a couple of masks for each of them and I was happy to oblige. They kindly sent me the New York Times’ mask-making tutorial and I found it quite easy to use. So far, I’ve made a total of 16 masks for colleagues, my husband and myself, and friends.

https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-make-face-mask-coronavirus.html

I cut out a number of 9.5″ by 6.5″ rectangles of fabric, using a print for one layer and a solid color for the other. Since I had quite a stash of bias tape, I used that for the ties, stitching each piece so it wouldn’t flop open when the mask is worn.

The balloon print fabric originally came to me as gift wrap, and guess what it contained? A vintage sewing machine! Once friends find out you sew, they have a tendency to offer or just give you cool old machines. The newer models may have a lot of computerized bells and whistles, but I love the “action” of their elders and the fact that they’re made of metal, not plastic. I now own 6, dating from the early 1920’s to about 1990. There’s a reason many sewing machines that are over 100 years old are still in use – they’re little Sherman tanks! The sort of “stained glass” print is African cotton that I got in New York a couple of years ago – most of it became a sundress – and the purple, William Morris-esque one is from my current project, yet another 50’s style dress.

Sewing is one of the things keeping me (somewhat) sane in the present circumstances; another is writing the occasional virus-related song parody. Here’s today’s effort, sung to the tune of “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” from “Fiddler on the Roof”:

Mask maker, mask maker,

Make me a mask

Cut up some cloth

Get to the task

Mask maker, mask maker

Thread your machine

And sew me a perfect mask

Mask maker, mask maker

I cannot sew

Help a friend out

So I can go

Off to the grocery store and to get gas

Wearing your awesome mask!

Your fabric

Is kind of loud, but

It’s free, so

What do I care

If I’ve got birthday balloon print

All over my face and some strangers stare?

Mask maker, mask maker

Make me a mask

One day, we’ll all

Get our lives back

Til then, stay healthy, be safe, and be smart

And make me a matchless mask!

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Meet My New Colleagues!

Okay, OUR new colleagues. WBJC’s on-air personnel are the only humans coming to work at this point, but we have some exciting new staff members who have been working super hard to keep us all safe. Aren’t they photogenic? They get quite a workout several times a day disinfecting countertops, door handles, the sound board, phones, and other equipment.

We’re not taking COVID-19 lightly around here. The office staff is working from home, or WFH, as it’s often abbreviated online, and the announcers are scrupulously observing the “6-foot rule” while we’re here. We’ve had a number of kind and supportive Facebook messages, emails, and phone calls from listeners thanking us for being here, but hey, it’s what we do! We’re always glad to be here for you, now more than ever.

At home, my husband and I have been making the best of the situation – going running together in the morning, re-bingeing “Boardwalk Empire”, and spending a lot of time snuggling our cats, Fabrizio and Ava. I’ve been working on a sewing project or two – trying very hard to “stash bust” rather than succumbing to online fabric and pattern store temptations – and have gotten reasonably good at making homemade soup stock since that’s been one of the harder-to-find grocery items lately. We’re trying to limit our takeout orders as we’d like to come out of this a bit thinner, or at least the same size, but we also want to support beloved local restaurants.

Music has always been tremendously important in my life. When I was a kid, my family took a lot of road trips, and the radio was always on, or if the reception was spotty, my parents would pop an 8-track tape (remember those?) into the car stereo. At home, I had my own collection of 45s and LPs from an early age and also made off with my older sister’s records when she was out with friends. As technology moved on, so did I, to cassettes, CDs, and various portable devices that could play them. Music is a friend – a source of comfort, wit, joy, and so much more – that’s never let me down. I hope WBJC’s programming always meets your needs, but especially now. If you’ve heard something on the station that’s meant a lot to you recently, we’d love to know what it was. Thanks again for your kind words and support. Please stay safe and stay tuned!

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Topsy-Turvy Summer Fun at Young Vic

It’s probably no surprise to our listeners that all of WBJC’s announcers have off-air performing experience as singers, actors, or instrumentalists.With that in mind, I’m delighted to announce that our evening host, John T.K. Scherch, will be singing the title role in The Mikado at Young Victorian Theatre Company this summer. Earlier this week, I chatted with Music Director Chris Cicconi about the production.

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Koo koo ka choo, indeed!

From February 23-March 4, Dundalk Community Theatre is presenting Terry Johnson’s stage adaptation of the iconic 1967 film “The Graduate.” Recently, I spoke with director Todd Starkey about the play’s exploration of family dynamics, intimate relationships, and the huge societal changes that took place during the 1960’s. I have the honor of portraying Mrs. Robinson in this production, so hope you can attend!

 

 

 

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6/24/14 – Baltimore City Community College Board of Trustees meeting

The next Baltimore City Community College Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24th, 2014, in the Business and Continuing Education Division’s Corporate Training Room # 30, located on BCCC’s Baltimore Harbor Campus, 710 E. Lombard Street. WBJC will be included on the Agenda for the Finance Committee meeting, which will begin at 3 p.m.  There is also an Open Session meeting of the Board beginning at 4 p.m.; followed by the Closed Session meeting at 6 p.m.

Please note that the process to address the Board or its committees at a scheduled meeting requires that the individual or group submit a written request to the President at least 48 hours before the scheduled meeting.  The request shall be acted upon by the Chair, who may, at his or her discretion deny it, grant it or grant it subject to limitations on the scope or [or] time of presentation.  No individual or group shall be entitled to address the Board or its Committees unless the subject is deemed appropriate by the Chair and the duration of the presentation does not exceed limits imposed by the Chair.  The Chair may refer the request to the President or a standing committee for follow-up and recommendations.

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If You Have To Ask, You Probably Want To Learn Something

The 33rd Baltimore Summer Antiques Show is being held at the Baltimore Convention Center this Thursday-Sunday. Once again, WBJC’s booth will be set up at the show so that members of our staff can meet and greet listeners who have a passion for gorgeous retro items as well as classical music. Some find antiques intimidating, and I can’t say I blame them. There’s so much to learn, even within a particular specialty – china, glassware, furniture, or my personal obsession, jewelry – that it can take years to learn the intricacies of period style, manufacturers or designers’ names, and – very important! – how not to pay too much for an item or buy a fake. Even after nearly two decades of  spending quite a bit of time around dealers and collectors, I don’t consider myself an expert; perhaps an aficionada, but even that’s a pretty generous term.

In a way, antiques have a lot in common with classical music. You don’t need to know what  was going on in Brahms’ life when he composed his German Reqiuem in order to enjoy the piece. It’s perfectly fine to hear the music, think “Wow! That’s gorgeous!” and have that be the end of it. Same goes for old jewelry. Do you care that the vinaigrette (a pomander locket, folks, not a salad dressing) I’m wearing was made in the late 19th century and might once have hung on a chatelaine brooch alongside a mechanical pencil, notepad, sewing scissors, and other useful items? Perhaps. You may just prefer to say “Nice necklace!” and go on with your day.

Should you, however, hear an amazing piece of music or find yourself faced with an intriguing antique object and want to know more about the provenance of either, go ahead and ask! Most people in either business are more than happy to share their knowledge. The important thing is to appreciate beautiful things on whatever level(s) you wish to do so.

Jane Fletcher's booth at the 2008 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show

The above pic was taken at the 2008 Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, but it’s representative of what one might find in Jane Fletcher’s booth (among others!)

If you happen to attend this year’s Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, please stop by WBJC’s booth (#2417) and say hello to us. Don’t forget to wear comfortable shoes – this show is huge! Here’s a schedule of host appearances:

Thursday,  8/22:

Jonathan Palevsky, noon-3pm

Kati Harrison, 3-6pm

Friday, 8/23:

Jonathan Palevsky, 11am-2pm

Kati Harrison, 2-4pm

Dyana Neal, 4-7pm

Saturday, 8/24:

Jonathan Palevsky, 11am-1pm

Mark Malinowski, 3-5pm

Judith Krummeck, 5-7pm

Sunday, 8/25:

Jonathan Palevsky, 11am-1pm

Judith Krummeck, 1-3pm

Dyana Neal, 3-6pm