Page 6A
Friday, September 20, 1996
Bird's EyeView
They are the Voices in the night
Amber The Late-Night Radio Goddess, plays music, answers the phone and introduces songs. She is the DJ on the Lazer's late-night show.
Story by Kevin Frost Photos by Steve Puppe
一
When silence and deadline pressures set in late at night, the sound of a human voice can be comforting
Mike McCracken, Overland Park freshman said he listened to radio station KLZR who he studied.
"If it's relaxing, it helps me study better." he said.
While not all students prefer the modern rock sounds of the Lazer, others did find late-night radio a beneficial tool while studying.
"Listen to the radio late at night, because it blocks out other noises and helps to keep me from being distracted by the other things in my room," said Chris Miller, Lawrence freshman.
While some students might only be looking for music when they listen to the radio, the presence of a good DJ can help to break up the monotony of a long evening. Doug Sorensen, programming director for KQRC in Kansas City, Kan., dismissed the idea of radio without late-night disc jockeys.
"The active late-night audience demands reaction and interaction, with the DJ being a companion," he said.
"To make a generalization, the late-night radio audience consists of three basic groups: insomniacs, people at work and students studying," said Bob McWilliams, jazz director and late night announcer at KANU. "The audience is smaller, more attentive, and they depend on you more," he said.
Amber The Late-Night Radio Goddess graduated from the University in 1995 and has worked at both KJHK and KANU. She now prowls
the airwaves
from midnight to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday on KLZR.
"My goal is to build a great relationship with my audience," she said. "I believe I've established a good relationship with my audience and I constantly strive to make it better."
"Most callers are looking to request something with the occasional '1-900' bit." she said.
Prank calls are rare, she said, and they don't distract her from her duties.
"Ninety-nine point nine percent of the people who call are being genuine," said Sorensen.
Late-night announcers also have to deal with the misconceptions the public has about their profession.
"When you think about it, they probably just sit there and do nothing," said Stephanie Wachs, Lawrence junior.
Being removed from the chaos of the radio station during the day, latenight announcers are removed from direct supervision from their bosses.
This leads to the stereotype of announcers such as Johnny Fever from the television show, WKRP in Cincinnati.
The scenario that is often expected is the on-air nap, made possible by playing something like Pink Floyd's The Wall in its entourage.
"If I were in there, I'd probably just play a whole bunch of songs in a row
and just goof around," said Miller.
Alas, it's just not true, Amber said.
"I never, ever fall asleep on the job," she said. "It's just like any other job in that respect.
"People think I'm always dancing around between songs, and sometimes I am," Amber said. "Only about 50 percent of what the public thinks about being a disc jockey is correct. The biggest misconception is the dollars. All I get for my paycheck is magic beans," she said.
Another misconception is that late-night radio is always a training ground for new announcers, which isn't the case, Sorensen said.
"Sure, less people are listening, but it's not about the DJ paying dues," he said. "It's about getting experience you can't get at the other times. There's less supervision and scrutiny which makes it easier on the DJ."
McWilliams chose to work the night shift, he said.
"I've always been a night person," he said. "In my case, you have the run of the station and pretty much have the place to yourself."
Even the hardest working announcers are sometimes exhausted by their schedules
"You never really get used to the time. I still don't have a routine yet, nine months later. Some days I won't even sleep at all," Amber said.
"My personal life is turned upside down.
"As a DJ you have to open your ego up and try to find what's humorous in life. There's never a dull moment, and it's never the same."
Bu Dave Breitenstein
WOMEN
go with a friend to chat
lend accessories to others
spare a square of toilet paper
do not crowd the mirrors
hurry if others are waiting
nowhere are the differences between men and women more apparent than in public restrooms.
Men shy away from people and avoid eye contact when using public restrooms, while women tend to go to the ladies' room in groups and converse more than men.
"I don't know why we go in pairs, but we'll usually talk about something that we don't want another person to hear," said Jennifer Neuburger, Salina junior. "If we're on a double date, we will talk about that."
"We sometimes go to the bathroom in pairs to talk about the people we are with and get a feeling of how things are going for the evening." Tuggle said.
Courtney Tuggle, Concordia senior,
agreed.
Women, as well as men, have noticed several social norms relating to proper bathroom etiquette.
Women try to help each other in the restroom.
In addition to the buddy system, Tuggle said women frequently hold conversations, borrow lipstick or hair brushes, and ask opinions on clothing.
She did not know why women took so long in the bathroom, but women usually do not become impatient. They often cooperate with one another. Tuggle said.
"Sometimes, if you run out of toilet paper, you can yell to the person in the next stall and ask for more, and they'll just pass it to you," she said. "That's one of the reasons we use the bathroom with a friend."
Tuggle said there was also an unwritten
rule involving the use of a mirror.
"The girl in front of the sink has priority to the mirror. Sink equals mirror," she said. "But we also share."
Neuburger said women acknowledged
one outer and started conversations in the bathroom, but men were just the opposite. Staying as far away as possible from another restroom user is the most widely practiced norm, said Khoa Pham, Overland Park senior. He said eye contact and idle conversation were no-no's.
Jason Smith, Shawnee graduate student, said he noticed a variety of customs men practice in the restroom.
"You have to spread out in the bathroom," he said. "If one guy is on the left side, you automatically go to the right side."
"I have noticed many different rituals when guys use a urinal," he said. "I saw one guy look up at the ceiling, down at the floor, bounce on his toes, spit, and then look up again when he started to use the urinal. Certain people do certain things every time they use the bathroom."
Although Smith has no ritual, he does observe rules for urinal spacing. He said it was an important social norm that every male must obey.
"Men have a small defensible area, and when people invade their space, they tense up.
"It is definitely considered a faux pas if I use a urinal next to someone," he said. "It's a breach of contract involving space requirements."
"It's called shy bladder syndrome."
Chris Crandall,
assistant professor
of psychology
Chris Crandall, assistant professor of psychology, said spacing in men's restrooms was one of many social norms that influence behavior.
"Social norms are rules for
social behavior, and if we all agree upon them, life goes more smoothly," he said. "Life becomes predictable with norms."
Humans learn behavior by watching others, and in the bathroom situation, no one tells us how to act, Crandall said.
"We do whatever our peers are doing," he said. "Whenever we see people acting like they know what they are doing, we will imitate them."
Crandall cited a study in which men's bathroom behavior was observed. When another person is near a man at a urinal, it takes seven to 10 seconds longer to begin urinating because of anxiety.
"Men have a small defensible area, and when people invade their space, they tense up," he said. "It's called shy bladder syndrome."
A space problem for males occurs in crowded restrooms, where there are troughs instead of urinals.
"The trough aspect is pretty disgusting because you're watching everything flow by when you're standing there urinating."
Pham didn't like troughs either.
"We're humans," he said. "We're being treated like animals herded around a trough."
"That's totally disgusting if they don't wash their hands," he said.
Pham said another negative aspect of the bathroom experience was observing some men's blatant lack of personal hygiene.
"If I see someone not wash their hands before they leave the bathroom, I always wonder where they are heading after they leave," he said. "Are these the same people that are making my Big Mac?"
Smith agreed.
In a survey conducted by Worthin Worldwide, 39 percent of men and 26 percent of women did not wash their hands before leaving the bathroom. Bayer Corp. and the American Society for Microbiology sponsored the survey.
Smith said the lack of bathroom decorations could also bring down the overall experience of using a restroom.
"Bathroom graffiti gives you something to look at, but sometimes it is very offensive," he said. "I love it when there is something on the wall, like a newspaper. It gets boring just staring at the wall over and over."
smith said that although most men do not talk in the restroom, some situations necessitate a few brief words.
"Once in a bar, this guy bent over the toilet and started puking, and another guy yelled, 'We know how you feel. We've all been there.'"
MEN
maintain widest possible spacing at urinals
stare straight ahead at the urinal
don't make eye contact
don't talk
wash hands
spend as little time as possible