The Producer Era: A Look Back

To be perfectly honest with you, when I took the job as Mid-Morning producer four years ago, I really didn't entirely know what a producer did. I had been friends with Jamie, who did the job before me, and I knew a few things from her stories, but when people asked me...So...what does a producer do?...I had no idea.

It just so happened that right around that time, Oprah's network ran a series of specials that I don't even recall by name now, but they peeked behind the scenes at what made her show tick. It showed all the facets of what happened off-camera, so I sat down one Saturday and watched an entire marathon of this show.

Now.

I'm not entirely sure why I thought a day of Oprah behind the scenes would help me know the ropes of producing a Christian radio talk show, but it was the closest thing I had at the time, so I went for it. The first episode I watched chronicled the  arrival of one of the biggest celebrities in Hollywood at that time. {I'm not trying to be all secretive and elusive by not giving you his name. I just don't remember who it was.} He was going to make this grand entrance, and the producer assigned to that show worked intently to get everything to work seamlessly.

By the way, when I say "grand entrance," I mean Oprah's show was on the road and they were taping outside and he was ziplining in or something crazy like that. And when the cameras rolled, something went wrong and he crashed into something and cut his eye open.

The last scene I remember was the show's producer having a meltdown, as she contemplated the weight of having a botched show AND botching one of Hollywood's golden boys.

{To be fair, the show was salvaged, although I do think they redid the beginning with a normal, walking entrance, and if memory serves me correctly, he wasn't as badly hurt as the amount of blood would first lead a person to believe.}

So that's what I went to WBCL believing a producer did: arrange ziplining grand entrances by guests who may need an EMT by the end of the show.

May I just tell you that while I did some wild and crazy things in these last four years, I have not yet had to deal with a bleeding guest.

But here have been some of my favorite moments of producer-dom. {Is that a word? Is now!!}

* One of my first events: a sticker stop in Lima, Ohio, where I washed car windows in the rain!

* My first concert: Laura Story and David Crowder...and I almost threw up on stage waiting to throw the fling rings. I was so nervous!

* My first major on-air blooper: when I really messed up the introduction to one of the first guests I ever interviewed.

* The end of my first week of Share: when I actually found myself tired of talking.

* The day I had to drive Bebo Norman from the station to a church: and I may have gotten lost and been unable to open the van door.

* The day I played Mickey Mouse and met Point of Grace in the church bathroom, holding Mickey's head in my hands.

* Getting lost with Lynne on a college campus in Granville, Ohio.

* When I let my friend and co-worker Jeri talk me into running a 10K...but all work aside, you should re-read this post just to relive the post in which I introduced Ryan to the blog world!

* Ummmmm...remember this one? SURPRISE!! Bekah gets engaged! How many girls get to claim that one in their work memories?

* The day I nailed a speaker with a fling ring and got caught by Big Daddy Weave.

* The night I stopped for coffee after working a concert in Ohio, and they gave me the senior discount.

* When Lynne says you need to visit the food trucks as part of your work day. Tough job.

* The attempted vacation day that ended with a disastrous and soggy concert attempt. Pretty much the whole key word of that day was attempt.

* All the photo shoots...Lynne just made those fun. Period.

* My first hour long interview...with the lovely Annie Downs.

* Co-hosting BLT with Ryan. We fell in love with doing radio together on this day. If God ever opened this door for us to work together like this...we'd be thrilled.

* Helping build a house: something I never anticipated being assigned while working in radio!

* Meeting some of the Women of Faith team...a delight!

While not a comprehensive list of everything I've gotten to do under this job title, it is certainly a testament to the joy and goodness this job has been. So grateful.

One week to go. Much to soak up!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, we went to church and really enjoyed the next sermon in the faith series. So many notes to take!! We were unapologetic, ridiculous bums the entire afternoon, and eventually I rallied enough to make a Dashing Dish dessert recipe to keep us fed through the first part of the week. That evening, we ventured forth to check out the wind damage down on the IWU campus from the storm that came through Saturday.

* Monday I went to work with only 20 days left in my producer career. So weird to think that in a month, I won't be saying goodbye to this desk at the end of each day! It had been a relatively gloomy day, but that evening was so pretty, and we went for a run. We capped off the evening with dinner in the pirogi, with the last of the sun keeping us warm before it went down for the night.

 * Tuesday started out with a dentist appointment for me...the 9 month checkup after the dental surgery last summer. AND I got a good report! I had lunch with my friend with Elisa at the Friendly Fox cafe in Fort Wayne. It was such a pretty day and we got to sit outside...and that salad. HEAVENLY. That night, Ryan and I celebrated our 30th monthiversary with a failed bonfire, hot dogs on the grill {see the aforementioned failed fire} and s'mores!

* Wednesday I worked hard updating the producer manual at work so I can be allllllll ready to train here soon...and then after work, Ryan's sister came over for dinner. I made creamy chicken enchiladas and homemade guac, and I'm not gonna lie...it was delicious. I also bought a watermelon. This is only newsworthy because Ryan actually hates watermelon. WHAT?!?! It's his sole bad quality. LOL! But I decided I had no problem eating all of it myself, and I was worth a watermelon!

 * Thursday was my last sticker stop with WBCL. I know I already wrote about it, but it was truly a wonderful day, both weather-wise and with friends. I loved having the chance to see listener friends one more time...and working with Lynne at one last station event!! One more goodbye on the road to the new chapter!!!

 * Friday was National Donut Day, so of course, we celebrated that at work. :) After work, I drove to Kokomo and met Ryan for a delicious dinner at the Ruby Tuesday salad bar. Then we went to Western High School's graduation, where I served as a photographer for my friend Kari, whose son was graduating. I was a nervous wreck...what if my card failed or my once-in-a-lifetime photos were blurry? It's not like I can ask them to redo graduation because I missed the shot! I was so relieved that they came out okay and I'm excited to edit them for her. After that, her family treated us to coffee and dessert with the rest of the celebrating group! We didn't get home until after midnight, but we had a blast!

* Yesterday we had SUCH a fun day. We got up and drove to Steuben County, which is the top northeastern county in the state, and did a county date! We ate lunch on the waterfront of a lake, visited a beach in Pokagon State Park, kayaked on a lake, and had some delicious coffee. We had a gorgeous day and completely enjoyed our time together! {And of course, more on this soon.}

My Final Sticker Stop

Yesterday was another goodbye for me at the station. I have 16 days of work left...and now they are all officially spent at work. Yesterday was my very last sticker stop.

Lynne and I packed up the big van and headed to the north side of Fort Wayne to spend the afternoon meeting listeners, cleaning their car windows, and putting WBCL stickers on their cars.

Ummmmm....can we talk about the big van for a minute? My car is approximately a QUARTER the size of the big van. And my car doesn't have a wrap covering the windows. So I had something just short of a panic attack about getting in this giant lime green thing and driving it through the heart of the city and across town. {If I ever drive a station vehicle, it's usually the mini-van, not the big beast.}

The last time Lynne and I worked a sticker stop, it rained. Not hard, but enough to make it interesting to do our washing/stickering tasks while hauling umbrellas and big hair. So having a gorgeous warm day that warranted shorts and flip-flops was pretty great.

Oh. And I have a sunburn now.

Here's proof I really did work.

Why yes, I did roll up my sleeves on my polo so I wouldn't get a weird tan line.

Know what I love?? Seeing you guys. Tracy, it was a joy to hug you yesterday and thanks for indulging me in a selfie. :) Thanks for coming here so often and for leaving me notes now and then. So great to see you!

Lynne and Dawn. I met Dawn through the station, and she was my assistant on Daddy Daughter Date Night when I worked the photo booth! Thanks for coming to see us, Dawn!!

Janelle is the friend who put together that incredible mock interview between Lynne and me, using quotes from BLT shows of days gone by. Incredible talent!! Fun to see her!

And last but by no means least, SHARI!! She has declared herself my #1 fan, and while I don't consider myself fan-worthy by any stretch of the imagination, I also think you better not argue with her because she's pretty passionate about that position! She wore her coffee shirt just for me, and it was an absolute joy to see her again. Shari, next time you're in Marion, CALL ME!

After three hours of much fun in the sun, I took the lanyard off for the last time. I remember the day I got a lanyard for the first time...it was a good little day. I'm gonna miss this guy. But I'm also excited for the future!

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday was our last day of vacation weekend...even though we were home...we still considered it vacation. :) We went to early church and then took a nap and rested and dreamed about the future all afternoon...and then we went on a 5 mile walk in the park. It was HOT but fun! And it's such a pretty park. My favorite part of the day, though, was at the very end, when Ryan read the last of the letters I wrote to "my future husband" before our wedding. It was a letter I wrote just a couple of days before we got married, and the only letter written after I knew the identity of this man I'd been writing to for so many years.

* Monday morning, my "Happy Monday and welcome back from vacation" gift was one of my worst driving fears come true: a flat tire on the interstate. Ryan had noticed my tire was low Sunday night, but he pumped it up and it seemed fine. It was, in fact, NOT fine. I was about 4 miles from my exit when I had to do the pull-over-of-shame and call for help. Yes, there was a meltdown. AND four new tires. When they said we'd need new ones before winter...they meant LONG before winter!! The car rides great now and I de-stressed that night by going on a nice long walk with Ryan. And we ate tacos. All better. :)

* Tuesday afternoon, I had to have an insurance physical...and you'll get to read all about those adventures tomorrow. I thought it was appropriate that the book I took with me was Annie Downs' new on, Let's All Be Brave. LOL! I survived it and treated myself to a latte at Gaither Family Resources on the way home. I LOVE THAT PLACE!!! Took it easy that night - though not as easy as Braeya, who followed us all around the house, napping her way behind us.

* Wednesday was a foggy, foggy day...but oh what a pretty commute! It was a long day...one that required some retail therapy on the part of this girl. I bought a new planner. I have been using a full size one and needed something that could fit in my purse. New planners always make me SO HAPPY. And I may or may not have eaten the last Cadbury egg in my possession. Braeya fought me for the milk. She is her mother's child.  And 50 extra points to Ryan for being a great husband - and supportive on a hard day. Make that 150 extra points.

* Thursday was a busy day!! I was later to work than I wanted to be, thanks to the never-ending train on my way out of town. I hosted Mid-Morning for the second time in my life - sharing the BLT day with Jim Barron, since Lynne was on vacation. I think it went pretty well! And then Thursday afternoon, I headed back to Marion early and worked one of our Sticker Stops along with Lori, our Promotions Director. It was fun to see so many people I knew! And it was fun that Ryan came for the last hour of it and got to be part of the stop too!

 * Friday night was DATE NIGHT! We were pretty worn out {mostly in our minds} from the long week, so we headed to Ivanhoe's for dinner and strawberry shortcake! The line was OUT the door, so we got our food to go and took it over to Taylor University's campus, and ate there. Perfect night for a picnic! Before we left, we stopped by their prayer chapel, because I'd never seen it. Beautiful building. We called in our strawberry shortcake order and stopped to pick it up on our way home. Apparently getting it to go means you get about 1/5 the normal amount of whipped cream, so we stopped at the grocery store on our way home to get more of that!!

* Ryan worked yesterday, so I stayed home and did work around there - and then - we went to a wedding! Our good friends Mike and Angie, that we've double dated with before, got married at this beautiful mansion in Kokomo, and Ryan and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the wedding. It was a small wedding, and it just felt like one big family party! A lot of the people there work with Ryan, so it was fun to get to meet more of his work buddies! And did I mention the wedding favors were coffee themed?? I was in heaven.

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, it was POURING when we woke up - and I think it was the hardest rain we'd ever walked to church in! I put my hair in a pony for the walk...to try to keep it from going all Monica Gellar on me. By the time church was over, it was such a nice day, and we had a wonderful time of rest at home. I ate the other half of the omelet-the-size-of-earth I got at breakfast the day before...and Braeya cleaned up what I couldn't.

* Monday night was HAIR OVERHAUL NIGHT FOR THIS GIRL. I'd not had it cut since November, and it was 37 kinds of straw-like and unhealthy. And I had about an inch of white all over my roots. So I spent 3 hours in the chair and came home with chopped off hair and - well - almost black hair. And I may or may not have completed the experience with a frappe. Ryan worked much harder than I did...mulching projects at the Greentown house!!!

* Tuesday night we went for a run and mine was a miserable failure. My injured knee, which had not hurt since Saturday DID NOT LIKE running. So I walked along and thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous, full hanging baskets on the path. We went home and made quesadillas for dinner, and my friends Ronda and Katy joined us for dinner before watching the Beth Moore study with me. My heart was THRILLED with the messy kitchen - because it meant we were showing love in our house, and I loved that. :) And at the end of the day, I threw together a quick beach themed mantel. It's kind of sparse, but I still loved it.

* Wednesday, Lynne and I worked a sticker stop in Fort Wayne, as you already saw. We had pretty much all the weather Indiana has to offer - except snow - and had a great time mingling with listeners and cleaning off windows! And I was a good girl and didn't defect to the Hobby Lobby clearance aisle.

* Thursday, we had CUPCAKES at work! How happy did THAT make me!?!? Ryan and I had a relaxing evening at home; I worked on my Beth Moore homework, which includes writing out the entire book of 1 Thessalonians...and I did my nails! Fancy pants new shade of pink that I got for my birthday! It is also possible that I was a major Miss Crankypants that night, but we will just thank Ryan for his grace and move on about THAT.

 * Friday was, as the picture said, a complete waste of makeup. Good GRIEF. I left home for work and forgot my medicine and had to come back, which made me late, and Ryan's truck wouldn't start, which messed up his plan for the day. Happy full moon!! We should have gone back to bed, but we went to work, and whilst I worked, I watched that house fire in Texas - of the house falling off the cliff into the lake. Some people watch bird nests - apparently I watch random house fires. That night, we didn't have a full date, but we did have our first frozen hot chocolate from Dairy Queen. It was AMAZING.

* Saturday was a LONG day, but a great one! I got up early and went to work with Ryan...did some scrapbooking while he worked. We scurried to Indianapolis after work and went on a fun date to Buffalo Wild Wings and through a park on a walk. Then we made our way to Ryan's cousin's graduation open house. Lots of good food and laughter and fun!

Sticker Stop...Hobby Lobby Style!

Wanted to take a break from my back-in-the-day story to catch you up on some real life stuff. You might remember from last year that at the station, we do sticker stops during the summer! {If you missed that and have no CLUE what a sticker stop is...it's where we take the van to a location and set up camp for a few hours, meeting listeners, putting WBCL window stickers on their cars and letting them sign up for a prize!}

Lynne and I worked one yesterday afternoon...in the parking lot of a Hobby Lobby. The mother ship. The mother ship with a FRESH supply in FOUR AISLES, marked 80% off. And I was in the parking lot. Oh my.

Not only was I separated from serious clearance, but it was a bit...rainy...for a while. Despite the weather and the distance from the clearance aisle, we had the BEST time. It was such fun! Want to take a peek?

We took this picture at the station before we left. We wanted proof that we had normal looking hair before rain and humidity got the best of us. HA!!

 I think we look 82 kinds of tired.Well...it was pre-iced tea. So, you know, maybe!

Secret: I am petrified to drive the station van. I'm always scared I'll wreck it. Took this one after arriving safely at the Hobby Lobby.

We set up under the back hatch of the van - safety in the rain!!

When we go out on our sticker stops, we call back to the station to check in with the on-air person...and Lynne had the first shift of that!

And then....the rain. Blue sky all around us...and over us?

Oh Indiana. Sun and rain all at once.
 




Lynne and I ran around and put stickers on people's cars for them.

See? I really did clean windows!!

And I took my turn calling back to the station...

Biggest question of the day to me was...aren't you blonde? I was! But not now!! :)



So it was a great day - and we were thankful the sun finally came out!! So great to see all of you who stopped by...now to pick on the morning guys for praying for rain to fall on us. {Okay so maybe they didn't pray for it...but that doesn't keep me from picking on them about it!}

The Shafferland Shuffle

* Last Sunday, after church, Ryan had to finish helping Adam and Sara pack their van to move, and I stayed home to do some writing. And that night, we watched {along with many of you, I'm sure} Nik Wallenda's tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon. I had cold sweats for that. MAN he makes me nervous. But it was so cool to watch!

* Monday night we had a bunch of errands to run and chores to do around the house. One of our errands took us to Lowe's {imagine that!} and we ended up leaving with a new tool box for Ryan! His old one broke and he had quite a mess on his hands. Dorky as it may sound, I was so excited for him to get a new tool box!! I imagine it brings the same kind of joy I experience when opening a new scrapbook....

* Tuesday was blessed hot, and I spent most of the afternoon outside working another Sticker Stop - this time in Marion! This is the first time I've ever worked an event in my hometown and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. I got to see some friends I don't normally run into, and working with Amy and Annie was a blast!

* Wednesday night I had a big ole surprise tucked into my commute. One moment I was scooting down the interstate like normal and all was well, and the next, I was in a complete downpour that made me pull over and sit still and pray hard! I honestly couldn't even see enough to know where I was on the road. God bless the inventor of the rumble strip; I felt that under my tire and that's how I knew where I was!

* Thursday I had the chance to go to a food truck lunch for the first time in my life! Apparently they have a line of food trucks every Thursday in downtown Fort Wayne, so Lynne and I went to check it out! SUCH a fun time! We felt like trendy city girls. :) And I do love a meatball sub, thankyouverymuch.

 * Friday I took another 1/2 day vacation and attended the retirement party for my former boss from IWU. Her name is Gaytha and she was one of my closest friends at the office. I'm excited for her that she gets to retire! Then I went to see my friend Sandee, also retiring this week...and then Ryan and I went on a date!! Our first trip to Outback!!!

* I realized I probably SHOULD be ashamed to admit this...but I'm not. Yesterday Ryan had to work, so I spent most of the day scrapbooking. I started our wedding album and finished 72 pages by the time I went to bed. I haven't cranked out that kind of work since before I got married!! We also got to have dinner with his parents - and unplanned but very wonderful addition to our day!

Sticker Stop: Hello, Marion!

I know, I know. I just worked a sticker stop a couple of weeks ago. A hot, sunny afternoon parked in front of the trifecta of goodness: Hobby Lobby, Cato, and a Christian bookstore. But yesterday, the WBCL van set out with a destination of MARION!

Hey wait! I live there! :)

So I joined up with Amy and Annie and we parked in front of another store of goodness: JuJuBerry!

 Can you believe I stood outside a Hobby Lobby for a whole afternoon and never went in to shop AND stood outside a frozen yogurt shop for a whole afternoon and never went in to eat? I must be ill.

No, seriously.

Worked with my good buddies Amy and Annie!

 And because I was on my home turf - I had the chance to see a lot of friends throughout the day!! Faith stopped by with her kiddos. {We are often accused of being sisters, but in fact, are not! Just good friends!}

 And a bit later, Kerri and Kathy stopped by. Kerri is, hands down, one of the funniest Facebookers I know. Between the funny conversations she has with her husband and her hilarious kiddo - my WORD she cracks me up!! And I'm not gonna lie - really wanted to steal her dress!

 Since it was so close to home, my parents stopped by, too! {Did you notice how this time I got smart and rolled up my shirt sleeves so I didn't repeat the unfortunate tan line!}

 Dad sported the new hat Ryan and I gave him for Christmas. I had to explain to him that was really more of a winter hat. He remained unconvinced.

There were many more that passed through...and we loved meeting all of them! What a fun afternoon - and a surprisingly quick commute home for once!