Radio: “Think It Over”

            In the early eighties Gene Lively came to Cedar Rapids as a news anchor for one of the television stations.   Gene was from Texas, but he had eliminated his Texas drawl in order to be able to speak to people from all kinds of backgrounds on radio and television.  Gene and I had a lot in common even if we didn’t talk the same.  We were both sociological rednecks, but Gene knew the ins and outs of broadcasting.

            His television station produced daily devotional thoughts as a public service.  A couple of times each year they would ask me to present a week of these programs.  During the first few tapings Gene went into the studio with me, and helped me to learn how to speak in front of a camera.  He taught me how to sit, look into the camera, and stuff like that.

            When I shared my ideas about producing regular radio spots, he helped me put together some pilot tapes, and we made the rounds of the radio stations.  He also knew negotiate with the business personnel in media outlets.   We settled on the local country music stations.  They were not only open to our ideas, they were enthusiastic about them.  Eventually they began to treat me as if I were a member of their staff.

            Gene suggested that I work to eliminate my Texas twang, on the air at least.  Most broadcast people use a general American speech pattern, which is what is probably spoken by two-thirds of the people in the country.   I tried really hard to make the switch, and Gene helped me with it.   I actually knew how to do it.  I had studied phonetics in college, and I could get the Texas out of my voice if I wanted to and worked at it pretty.   The truth is I really didn’t want to.  After airing my first few spots, the people a the radio station said, “We want you to leave the Texas in.”   Today my Texas speech isn’t really the West Texas country boy that I grew up with.  It’s more like Metroplex Texas accent.  I had the same experience when I talked with people at the television station.   The guy who coordinated my television broadcasts has lived in Kentucky.

            The format proved to be quite successful.   We called it “Think It Over.”  I used the human interest stories, tied them to a Biblical text, and then ended each spot with a scriptural application.  When I completed the Biblical reference,  I would pause and end each broadcast by saying,  “Think it Over.”   An amazing thing happened.   I would meet people in a business or social context, and they would recognize my voice.   When I would tell them my name the might say, “Oh, yeah. ‘Think it Over.’”   I think we achieved our objective which was to make people aware of the Central Church of Christ.   The lead in to the spots, which was recorded by the folks at the station always mentioned the sponsor.  One morning, I closed the spot with, “If Christ be for us, who can be against us.”  The DJ followed with, “There you have it from Norman Bales. ‘If Christ be for us, who can be against us.”   DJ’s have lots of responsibilities.  They don’t usually listen when music and commercials are playing, but this one did.

            Once Ann was working in the operating room.  The surgeons sometimes listened to the radio, and they would choose the stations.  One of the most outstanding surgeons in Cedar Rapids stopped in the middle of an operation and said, “Wait a minute.  I may want to take issue with that guy.”    At that point someone in the operating room said, “Did you know that’s Ann’s husband?”   He didn’t say any more about taking issue with me.

            In time I learned how to work the board.   Had I been so inclined I probably could have gotten work as a DJ.  I could do just about anything but work on the transmitter.