it was a madhouse up at divaville last night.
the phone was ringing off the hook... people calling in requests (easily 4 times the usual number), calling just to chat, or calling to tell me how much they love the show. i felt like i had the phone glued to my ear for two hours. (all the while trying to pick songs, deal with the finicky CD players, and run a birthday tribute to jimmy durante.)
whew.
one call was particularly interesting, though. a woman named beth, who had phoned for the first time a few months earlier, was calling back to tell me of her attempts to get WUNC to air the show. apparently she'd talked to a producer and the program director, with varying degrees of success. beth wants me to make a demo tape for them.
i was stunned by her initiative, and told her that there may be a big stumbling block in that i work full-time for a "competing" public radio station. she would not be dissuaded, though.
more than a few listeners have told me that they'd love to see divaville become a syndicated show. that's immensely flattering, but the notion terrifies me. i mean, it would be a hoot to have my own national show, but i don't consider myself an expert on this music the way a nationally-syndicated host would have to be. i just love the music... i don't claim know everything about it.
what's funny is that in my current full-time position, i am actually heard world-wide every day and i don't consider myself an expert in this field, either. yet somehow my own national show makes me more nervous than my current world-wide show.
go figure.
Posted by xta at February 11, 2005 11:55 AM | TrackBackHmmm..I wonder if the prospect of your own national show makes you more nervous - because it would be *yours*? The content would be more personal to you.
It would be SWEET to get you on WUNC.
Posted by: pinky at February 11, 2005 12:54 PMi think from a listener perspective, enjoyment of listening probably matters more than comprehensive knowlege of the subject. so in other words, the average NPR listener isn't going to be disappointed because you're not a leading national expert in jazz and pop vocalists from a particular era. they're just going to like (or not like) the music.
Posted by: lisa at February 11, 2005 2:39 PMHaven't I seen a variety of collaborative efforts between "competing" stations? Ex: WRAL's David Crabtree hosting The State of Things for a while. Or if that isn't enough for you, consider the fact that NPR programs run on WNCU and WUNC, both of whom are trying to solicit Durham and Chapel Hill listeners for All-Things-Considered drivetime dollars.
The world needs more Divaville. Bring it on! Hyaaaahh!!!
Posted by: Phil at February 13, 2005 11:46 PM