I'm curious of who you all consider to be the worst DJ's in portland- and why?

Are you sure you want to make them feel bad? Besides, best and worst are sometimes in the eye of the beholder.

No, with respect, Deane, I don't think it's making them feel bad. If you are on the air, then you are on public airwaves, and you then should be judged. Personally, that's something that I think is missing ; checks and balances from the public.

Otto. Man, that guy works for cheap and a lot of hours too. Too bad he's got no soul.

Otto has lots of brothers in the biz don't he? Seagate, Western Digital, Maxtor, and Quantum! Boy those guys are sure boring, worst DJ's I ever done heard! They sure are "Driven" though!

Living in a market where a lot of talent gets their start, I know the worst ones can sometimes surprise everyone and turn out decent.

Those of us who were around to hear a two-hour interview with Bill Walton on KINK at the time of his leaving the Blazers couldn't have imagined he would someday become a sports announcer. While Walton is a different kind of "jock," this kind of thing does occasionally happen in radio if someone wants it bad enough to work hard overcoming obstacles.

Randy - WOW...Amen to that! The comparison is the difference between night and day! Amazing...

Goes to show you what you can do with a little motivation...

"Besides, best and worst are sometimes in the eye of the beholder."

True, which is why all of us "beholders" (in this case, listeners with interest/knowlege of the business) are being asked our opinions.

and so.... after a day of the thread being cussed & discussed, there's still no names being offered-up as "the worst".

Deane's right: it's just not a good thread topic. Yawn. Next.

Besides that....it's not the talent but more than likely lame playlists, to much spot loads and liner cards, and uncaring management as to a radio host developing their on-air personality....easier to sub with "Otto" that way! IMHO

Worst DJs? Those unwilling, or unable to keep a listener interested enough to keep from station hopping. Now the question is is it the station and PD micromanaging talksets, or a jock who actually has nothing more to say than the cards and last nights American Idol?

Please excuse my sarcasm...but there are no bad personalities in Portland. (As evidenced by the responses here).

That statement, of course, is extremely daft. But, in the end, there is no reason to criticize. Those with less talent will be weeded out eventually, and that is what free-market radio provides. Let the process play out, at that point we can take great pride that we have not attacked anyone in particular for unnecessary and spiteful comments.

I can't even think of ONE name to list here.

I don't want to list anybody because I think everybody tries.

(well, maybe not Newport, but there is a case for him actually trying, but being very naive.)

Wow. This is hilarious. I’ve seen a lot of people on this board rip and chew people apart like vultures, and now that there is a thread dedicated to your opinion of the worst DJ’s in Portland, no one wants to speak up.

The reason why I started this thread, FYI, is because I do some consulting and wanted to get a general consensus.

So let's put it another way.

There are enough constraints on permissible actions so as to make differentiating worst difficult...

"The reason why I started this thread, FYI, is because I do some consulting and wanted to get a general consensus."

And do what with it? Pass it along from a message board to someone who will make decisions based on what someone here said?

Seriously, I'm not asking it that way to try and be combative - but would that be the desired end result; To collate this thread and submit it for consideration to a client of yours?

Mirel at 93.1 El Rey, she is the worst

no serious consultant would do that, chickenjuggler. real consultants know that internet discussion boards are not the place to find a broad representation of a market. this board is especially skewed. i would guess, based on the comments posted, that most people here are: male; older than 30; and employed in the radio industry. there is no way to get a usable sample here.

Well that would have been MY guess - but heck - I've been wrong about 64 times today already. So I was just asking as directly as I could.

If you look at seasons for Baseball, Football, and Basketball they are usually something like 10 of 20 12 of 30 etc. In the history of my marriage and the arguements along the way I have a perfect record "0 fir"! 0 (being me) fir all of the arguements we have had and I have won (none of them)! In the words of Bill Ebgvall every arguement tends to end with "Whatever"! She's gonna win anyway so "Whatever"!

Recommended listening....Bill Engvall 15 degrees off Cool!

"i would guess, based on the comments posted, that most people here are: male; older than 30; and employed in the radio industry."

I dunno about that . . . the top two posters here aren't technically in the business (drawing a salary).

Worst DJ?? Its gotta be Eve. Yep hands down, its Eve.




(just kidding about Eve though.)

I don't know if he's a "DJ" but the most annoying voice is the one that does the Dick Hanna (Vancouver automall) spots. He sounds like Adam Carolla (annoying enough) with a cold.

...Rather than use the term "worst" how about rephrasing that to most likely for a listener to tune out due to material and/or delivery.....

The term worst is too subjective. Maybe they have a great delivery, but no material to work with. Maybe they are a recent promoted intern obviously out their league in the market. Maybe they get 7 seconds to read the card with no other content....

...Or is part of the problem here that air staff are so de-emphasized in radio today that they are easily ignored? I'm sure that over the years, we have all heard many:

* Air personalities whose voices don't sound pleasant
* Air personalities who stumble when operating equipment (primarily on college/volunteer stations)
* Air personalities who don't sound articulate or stumble a lot in their speaking (primarily on college/volunteer stations)
* Air personalities with poor microphone technique
* Air personalities who don't seem to have anything interesting or compelling to say

I can't think of names for people with the above problems, primarily because I don't listen to a lot of college radio these days. Many of these mistakes are committed by novice DJs who either improve or don't make it into professional broadcasting. In my opinion, voice tracking and the elimination of turntables has eliminated most of the on-air flubs in music radio (DJs leaving mics open, records being cued up on the air, records being played at the wrong speed).

Maybe the radio industry is hard enough on all of us these days that we don't need to turn on some of our own, or eat our young.

And having worked closely with many of the best consultants in the biz, from Bill Drake to Lee Abrams, I can't imagine any of them collecting or using a list of "bad jocks" from a radio insiders website.

Amen, Terry!

The biz was crazy then, and even crazier now. I'd rather lend a helping hand...because we could all use all the help we can get!!

KBOO has some "DJ's" who sound pretty unprofessional.

Guilty as charged (35-40 years ago). I did best when board-opping, playing intriguing mixes after midnight, and keeping my mouth shut.

When I relieved Dave on Saturday afternoons so he could run essential errands (this was when he was on-air about 75% of his waking hours and I was just 14), I'd feel greatly embarrassed to stumble over the classical music titles and composers. But he urged me to slog on, probably finding my phonetic mangling privately amusing as well as relieved to have someone keep the schedule while he had a chance to run his laundry and whatnot.

For some reason, in my car or in the shower I can easily do that "deejay" from-the-gut voice just fine ("It's sixty-two degrees in the city!! Ayem and Effem, twenty-four hours a day!!!"). I could even do a "reasonable" version of it over the ship's 1MC--but that was hand-held, and I could hear my echo--or over the marine bands, where I had a pretty vivid mental picture of what was going on out there, and knew clarity was essential.

But when confronted by a real on-air broadcast mike, I'd always revert to an oddly toned, somewhat hesitant speech.

There must be a mental trick to it, like imagining the listeners out there at some certain distance, or perhaps visualizing the cosmos, or simply a resonant well or barrel. I dunno. And I kinda wonder what works. (One I've read is, imagine a good friend sitting across the table.)

Oh, wait, I just figured it out. When making "pipes" on board or handling comms, I knew what needed to be said (even when thinking fast and winging it). The equipment was arranged (for whatever reason) such that we usually stood up to transmit.

Most of it was probably because I was personally anonymous, "the voice of the command" (for gawd's sake, sound alert but not excited, authoritative but not pompous, and most of all, project calm confidence while the rescue controllers are frantically pulling out charts and on the hotline), rather than just me-myself. While the clarity of VHF encouraged use of a much less stilted speech than shortwave required (and tended to baffle boaters on the other end), we still adhered to a fairly terse and strict "operating procedure."

But when broadcasting, I was out there all on my own--stymied by trying to think of what I should say while saying it.

One droning winter weekend afternoon, I read a weather advisory oh-so-carefully in my "broadcast voice," tying up the calling channel over 300 miles for more than two minutes. When the next district put up the flags, the operator thataway tore into it like a polished top-40 DJ, crisp and clear, and got through it in under a minute. I was humbled.

Thanks JeffreyKopp. Enjoyed the read. Humble pie comes with the territory. Sometimes self-inflicted others times simple ego.

....the worst DJ's in portland.....

No one said DJ FREEEEESH....

While composing that ramble it occurred to me (though it's certainly obvious to the old pros on the board) that the true artists among DJs are those who can connect with the audience who are listening intently while not intruding on those who are using the radio for background.

The really skilled are those who can work both levels simultaneously: entertain (and hold onto) those who aren't paying much attention, while actually communicating something to those who are, and expecting something.

My father was a skilled (graphic) artist who was too humble to make a big splash, but worked and was friends with with many others, so I could compare the various stripes among them. I have always marveled at the ego structure of artists and performers, puzzled over the combinations that resulted in success, and pondered the widely varying flavors of "success": fame, money, critical acclaim, peer recognition, or accomplishment in obscurity.

One has to be confident while carefully avoiding the pitfall of presumptuous conceit, yet still make the audience believe even more than one can get away with actually believing in oneself.

To last long in the biz, it appears one had to be comfortably mediocre (to which the modest Hugh Downs more or less attributed his longevity), or seriously underplay one's hand. (Imagine waking up to Robin Williams daily for over a decade...) Because radio and TV are so close in the audience's personal space, I am coming to realize the talented have one foot planted firmly on their brake all the time so they won't wear out their novelty or barrel through the audience's tolerance. The gifted know how to lob zingers and bon mots over the heads of the distracted majority for the appreciation of the closely attuned.

The cool thing about this board is getting to know some of the guys who kept me company (out in the rain on my paper route) for no more than the price of nine-volt batteries (69 cents, lasted about a week) and learning they were working in an insecure business, usually underpaid, flying without a net mostly because they simply loved to do it. And watching the back-and-forth here I am impressed how many appraise themselves critically and appreciate each other's work.

well put and a brilliant observation

Never got into radio to be rich or famous, which of course is why I am neither today. Everybody in the biz (usetabees included here) are/were in it because of those that came before.

Can you describe the moment you chose radio as your career? I can. Spring 1975, waking up with the sun coming through the window and "Crystal Blue Persuasion" playing on 11 KING. Certainly I had been thinking about it, thought it might be fun and all, but this was a religious conversion for me! I get the same feelings hearing that song today. That's the power of music!

From that moment forward, I was determined to be the guy that played the music that made people feel the way I felt at the moment of my epiphany. Had no idea how it would happen, never been to a radio station, was far too shy to ever consider calling a DJ.

Went on to do it, but I wasn't a "success", until someone who came before showed me the ropes.

Jeffreykopp, this speaks to your point. Those more seasoned professionals (the ones who made it look easy) helped me to understand that all I was doing was an ignorant impersonation of what I thought a DJ sounded like. Within two weeks of being shown the basics, I went from bad DJ impersonator to actual DJ, one that could even get a paying job!

To this day, I'm a big fan of the basics, but I agree with those that believe you should always try to be compelling. And Jeffreykopp, your point about communicating simultaneously on two levels is absolute genius. Worked for Warner Bros cartoons all those years.

Who's teaching this stuff to the dwindling numbers of people entering the biz. To those that want to throw out all that came before because you can it better, I say you can’t do it better until you understand what came before. Then you can build and improve upon that foundation.

Ron - You've said it all in your last paragraph!

It is hereby declared "required reading" for ALL of us...

In fact, read it over several times...And then come back tomorrow and read it again, just to make sure you've got it down...

I keep doing radio because one day I'll get it right.

I keep doing radio because I fancy pork & beans and macaroni & cheese.

I keep doing radio because I know that I'm confident in my abilities and I'll be in a better place than the full-time employer I was just laid off from.

Mikel...don't forget about Top Ramen.

And, Mikel doesn't need the job, so he told me.

And who might "BC53" be? Is that Bill Crawford?

...and the crowd starts to gather....

If we all snap our fingers this could be just like West Side Story.................

To answer the question asked in this thread...

Based on the number of applications and lack of responses, I would have to say the worst DJ in Portland would be me. I might even be the worst DJ in any market with the exception of Newportradio.

I hope this finallly answers this burning question.
Now, on to the next thread!

>>And who might "BC53" be?

To the right of each poster's screen name is four little icons. Click on the lower left one to see a poster's profile, which will answer your question.

I'm in radio 'cause even when you're waiting for your next radio gig, it's better than doing a regular non-radio gig.

Speaking as a guy who has had to do other things besides radio: when you're out, or working part-time...get a different job. You will gain perspective and it will help you WHEN you get back in!

Miss you Lander! Call me sometime kid!

Hey baby!!! Call comin' in!!

>>And who might "BC53" be?

To the right of each poster's screen name is four little icons. Click on the lower left one to see a poster's profile, which will answer your question.

Hi, I'm Sly Stone-

Thank you (falettinme be mice elf again)on this message board. God Bless!

Hey Sly, nice to hear from you. How's the family?

Author: Eugenebob
Monday, May 28, 2007 - 10:19 am


Wow. This is hilarious. I’ve seen a lot of people on this board rip and chew people apart like vultures, and now that there is a thread dedicated to your opinion of the worst DJ’s in Portland, no one wants to speak up.

The reason why I started this thread, FYI, is because I do some consulting and wanted to get a general consensus........

No, what's REALLY hilarious, is how you seem peeved that no one has offered enough opinions to suit you, who has yet to offer an opinion of your own.

How 'bout this: Who's the biggest dilhole on pdxradio?

Eugenebob is da runaway winner.

Or is that weiner?



Worst DJ in Portland? Anyone on Jammin'

Best DJ in Portland? Is there such a thing?

Best Dj in Portland. Hands down Jay Letterman, the overnight guy on K-hits. He has a set of pipes that will blow you away.
By the way, is he related to David Letterman??

I spent 21 years doing Partime over here in the tri cities. Before I came here I knew the basics. After I got here I was taught the refinements by mentors , PDs and other friends in the biz.

Eventually going to Oldies I was allowed latitudes with something that I am not sure is even in a Radio Host's lexicon now ..." Show Prep"
As a partimer, with a 40 hour a week full time other job, I was allowed to use show prep that was "station availiable and appropriate" for the station I jocked everyday. Avialiable for live shifts through most of the 90s and eventually just voice tracking assigments. No problem for a guy who knows the music and programming parameters and has been around awhile.

The difference came up when about 2 years ago management started locking up the 'show prep'. And they changed the station I was working on as well. Show prep was only for those of the deserving classes ie the PDs or Morning drive people. A lot of folks that knew me over here, and they were listeners , not in the radio biz, noticed that I didnt have the depth on my breaks any longer, I wasnt as interesting as before. All I did was.. you know... "that was" "next up" and maybe a weather once an hour ( and I was even discouraged from doing that ! )and occasional promo (Big WOW).

So, it looks like 'who is the worst DJ' can be a blink or an aboration in time or just a function "of the moment",or circumstances something akin to rejoicing over the fact that Jack McCall snuck up behind Wild Bill Hickock in Deadwood S.D and shot him in the back of the head and then went around bragging how much of a man he was.

CONTENT APPROVAL.....

OTherwise stick to this is /that was /coming next.

Even a solid creative announcer can be made to suck... just depends what they want from you.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC.... (bull.) IT 's all about the presentation. Otherwise it's someone elses i-pod with interruptions!

I cannot speak for now, but the worst Portland area DJ I ever heard, at least that I can remember, was Dazzling Dale Diamond on KGAR-1550, in the summer of 1969, a daytimer in Vancouver, Wash. I still have a recording of his 5-6 a.m. Monday morning show.

Because Eugene doesn't count, I didn't mention the female DJ on KASH-1600 from about the same time. As a DJ, she was probably OK, but the Newscast I heard her read was the worst I have ever heard. I've mellowed a bit in my judgement of her in recent years. It was the 6 a.m. Newscast and I think she was the all-night Sunday night DJ. My guess is that the A.M. Drive DJ and/or News announcer was/were late, and she suddenly found herself ripping and reading. But, still, I don't care who you are: who ever heard of it taking three reads to pronounce DMZ? They are just three letters of the alphabet.

I can tell you from reading wire news copy during the Vietnam war...There were two or three different ways to pronounce placenames like Phnom Penh, Cambodia...I'd hear at least TEN ways that other newsreader/deejays actually said it, even on network newscasts.

It was no picnic, believe me...

Roger--
"No one said DJ FREEEEESH...."

I heard him on the radio a coupla weekends ago. First thing that occured to me: "tis guy talks just like he writes what yall tink bout dat....." ;o)

*laughing*

HEY ZAK......Same Zak I assume as before.....Welcome Back!!! People round here been talking bout you. Everyone wondered if you bit it on some Gnarley jump or something!

PK is the worst Dj in portland