Just a Little Consistency Please!

I'm not the type of person that flips through radio stations trying to find the perfect song to sing along to. I don't really listen to CDs while I'm driving either. I set the radio to a station and leave it there. If I hear the same song 4 times during my drive, so be it.

The only time I really actually listen to the radio is during my morning commute...and this is the only time I'm really picky about what I'm hearing. I need the perfect mixture of current music, traffic, weather, and local news. National news is ok, but I only want the big stuff. I also like the DJs to be fun and personable. They can't talk too much, but a little bit of BS in the morning is good. Political opinions and rants is one thing that will make me change the station.

I found the perfect morning show when I first moved to Sacramento. The music was a nice mixture of current and old favorites. Sean and Jeff, the DJ's, were fun to listen to and they didn't talk too much. For about a year, maybe a little longer, I welcomed them into my morning....happily listening to them while I got ready for work and sometimes sitting in my car in the parking lot to listen to them finish a story. I really really like them.

But one awful day, my first day back at work after a vacation in Mexico, Sean and Jeff were gone. Replaced by another duo. Did I have the car on the wrong station? Was it not actually Monday morning? What in the world was going on? The radio station advertised something new and different. Ok...that is what I got, but I didn't like it. I just couldn't get into the new show. My morning drives became stressful. Something needed to change. And change it did.

The station didn't keep this new show for long. They brought Sean back (yeah!) and gave him a new partner, this time a girl...a very likeable one. It took them some time to get into their groove and me even more time to warm up to them as a duo, but I did get there, and for a few more months, I was once again happily driving to work. But that relationship didn't last long either.

Next, the station brought me a trio. Two guys and girl, all with very different personalities and backgrounds. I think this was supposed to add some interest and exitement to my morning, but all it did was drive me crazy. It got to the point where I just wanted them to be quiet and play the music. They gave me a headache. But, something miraculous happened...they grew on me. And just when I accepted them as my new morning show...they were axed.

It was the last straw. I couldn't take it anymore. I heard the station was bringing in a show that would stream from Vegas. Not good enough. I needed my people to be local. So, I gave up. I wanted consistency, and this radio station just couldn't give it to me. I've heard their promises and I just didn't trust them anymore. I lived in fear of who would be talking to me every time I got into the car.

I switched stations (and muscial genres) and found what I had been missing. A new duo, Dave and Susan. It seemed, from show advertisements, that they hadn't been together for long, but I instantly liked them. These two, I could get into. And this was a new station...one, I was sure wouldn't tear my people away from me....WRONG!

For the last few weeks Dave and Susan have been gone. I falsely held on to hope that this was a temporary thing. Maybe they were on vacation and would be back. The new guy never said. Then, the other morning, I heard an advertisement that told me I had asked for more music and traffic, and no talking. What? I never asked for that? Did anyone really ask for that? Does this mean Dave and Susan aren't coming back?

I complained to Roger. He suggested that I switch to Pat and Tom...they are on a different radio station and wake us up in the morning (although they haven't needed to since we brought Kaelyn home). I do like Pat and Tom...that could work. So, this morning, I decided to switch again. Pat and Tom it is...but, something stopped me. All of a sudden it hit me that maybe it was me. If I let Pat and Tom into my morning drive, it would be the same as sealing their fate. A few months could be all they have left, and then they'd be gone too. I can't do that to them...and I can't do that to myself again. I left the station alone...and seethed all the way to work. I don't like the morning show I have, and I know, logically, that the radio station shows do not really revolve around me. I cannot get DJs fired just by listening to them. But, I'm still scared. All I want is some consistency in my morning!

Do I risk it or do I suffer through what I have so I never have to feel the stress of losing my show again? It seems I've had this dillemma before (not just with radio shows), and I think, I've always been happier when I've taken the chance. So, Pat and Tom it is! Tomorrow...