I’ve been told that most radio DJs come up with an alternative identity. During my brief experience on Y106, I decided that Project Paige was cool enough.I was actually kind of nervous rolling into the radio station’s parking lot. I have never been live on any form of media.
Believe it or not, I am heavily edited on Project Paige. I am used to saying whatever comes to mind and the stuff that sounds stupid or jumbled gets cut out.
So, I sat at home the night before listening to radio shows and working on my diction (which a source once told me is excellent).
I also was nervous about my enthusiasm.
I had met my DJ mentor, Buzz McKay, about a week before my debut and realized just how mellow I really am. Buzz has a really fun, loud and outgoing personality — how would I match that? I am not easily excited and I have a very hard time being loud.
This is the plan I came up with to sound like a legitimate radio DJ:
Live, on the radio, I would have to act as if I was experiencing the most spectacular moment of my life and express my overwhelming joy in my loudest voice to everyone in Columbus.
But, once on the air, I fell back to the old Paige and just talked. I probably sounded really boring compared to Buzz.It was so much fun, though.
I read the weather, the Lyrical Nonsense trivia question of the morning and talked a lot about Project Paige.
I did not, however, choose which songs would play or when. The computer system that organized all of that was so complicated that I knew if I tried I would blow the thing up.
The weird thing about the whole experience was that I have no idea what I sounded like on the radio. I wish I could have been in my car and in the studio at the same time so I could have heard myself.
Oh, and for those of you who listen to Buzz, I know the secret of his Jungle Juice but I will never tell.
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