Art Chowder January | February 2017, Issue 7 | Page 33

MEET OUR WRITERS

Writers
Meet Our
J

A

N

I S

V .

B

E

R S

time checking out the many radio stations playing various music formats and
discovered an entirely different approach to their broadcasting styles which
I found to be refreshing and exciting, and quite a departure from the BBC’s
more guarded form.
I had made several new American friends during this trip and mentioned how
much I liked the US radio scene. One of them suggested that I come and stay
with them for a while and see if I could get a short term job at one of the stations to find out if I wanted to pursue American broadcasting. So taking him
up on his offer, in early January 1990 I packed up my belongings and returned
to Indianapolis to begin my investigations.
I put a free ad in a journal that was distributed to radio stations nationwide,
and in less than a week I received a phone call that had a very familiar ‘ring’ to
it. Reminding me very much of the call I had received 8 years earlier from the
BBC, this call was from an FM music radio station in Flint, Michigan who were
interested in my ad and wanted to meet me in person. The station’s owner was
highly amused when I asked him where Michigan was located, and he laughingly told me to rent a car and drive north from Indianapolis for four and a half
hours on I-69 and I’d be at their door. He was right on the money, and after a
very brief and convivial meeting I was immediately hired as mid-morning DJ
at Flint’s high ranking WWCK hit music station CK105. My second 50% Gemini
life and career was established!
I’ll sum up the following decade of my American broadcasting experiences
in a string of descriptive words: excitement, success, friendships, adventures,
hilarity, variety, surprises, and eventually travel, bringing with it a set of new
horizons.
My Program Director at the station was originally from Spokane, and when he
returned in 1996 to continue working in radio at adult contemporary station
KISC (98 KISS FM) he wanted me to join him. The station graciously paid for a
return flight, put me up in a nice hotel and invited me to visit the station and
try out live on air to see if I might be interested. In another familiar ‘deja-vu
all over again’ scenario I was hired once again even before I took to the air!
I enjoyed a further four very rewarding years and gained much recognition at
this station, during which time I also advanced my experience by becoming
their Production Director.
When my former Program Director left 98 KISS FM in 2000 to form an independent commercial production business with his partner he once again wanted
me to join him in his new venture as the company’s Audio/Visual Multimedia
Producer. So I too left the radio station and began a different yet closely as-

sociated career path. I produced radio and
television commercials along with composing and recording original music jingles and
scores for local and regional businesses.
In the fall of 2005 I made a decision to
create my very own independent multimedia facility and established “International
Rescue Productions.” I made a significant
investment in new digital equipment and
designed a state of the art studio facility
in my home, and almost immediately the
contracts began flowing in. As I progressed
creating and developing new and improved
productions I was approached by agencies
who offered me several new opportunities.
Four years ago I was contacted by Spokane
businessman, avid art collector, and now
publisher of Art Chowder magazine, Dea