Aliases

One thing about working in radio is very often, the person you are talking to is not the person you are talking to.

Case in point, you can have a deejay who's real name is something like Charlie South. Now, that isn't the world's best on air name now, is it? So Charlie decides to make a better image for himself he's going to change it. Now if he were in a country format he might go for something like "Chuck" or "Shane." If he were in the alternative market he might swing toward "Alex", "Dex" or "Ian." Adult Contemporary he'd want something that rolls off the tongue. Maybe "Shawn South" or some other name that fits in well with alliteration. Now for a rock station he wanted something a little more hardcore like "Drummer" or something to that effect. But he'd want it to be something memorable.

Now in addition to creating his own name, he would then work on making a persona to go along with it. Now this is where it gets confusing. So let's say he goes by "Rustic Chuck" on the most popular country station in the market. (aka-the most listened to country station in the city.) Now, when you bump into him at the station building he's most likely to do a few things. He could either A) introduce himself as "Rustic Chuck" and only answer if addressed as "Rustic Chuck" B) introduce himself as "R.C" when listeners are around but then talk to others as "Charlie" or C) conduct himself as "Charlie" at the station but when he goes to on air remotes off site then refer to himself as "Rustic Chuck" The question then rises, who is he and what is he? Should you call him "Chuck" or "Charlie"? And what does he call himself? Because at the end of the day, whatever and whoever he is on air, he still goes home as "Charlie South."

That raises another question, how did he get the name "Rustic Chuck" anyways? You'd be surprised how some people come up with their names. Some don't have a choice. They are hired to be a deejay on a station and that station tells them, "You will now be known as.....fill in the blank." Some are able to come up with their own names and carry them from station to station. What I've noticed recently is some deejays keep their first names and give themselves a different last name for their on air work. For example, if your first name was "John" and your last name was "Peterson" or something like that-you may go by "John Smith" or "Johnny Appleseed" or something to that effect. Make sense?

Then there's me. My friend and I were teasing the other night about how I should have an on air name. (Even though I really have no aspirations to be on air. It's fun the handful of times I've done it, but I wouldn't make a career out of it. Besides, I'm just the "cute" distraction if you were. Anyways, we were throwing names around and I suggested "Tess." She replied that I didn't look or sound like a "tess." So I mentioned it to one of my friends at work and he suggested I just keep my regular name as it is so unique anyway. I guess that my name will come in time. I'll keep you "posted" no put intended. HA!!!

Oh btw-happy turkey day and GO UTES!!

C