I am asked regularly by people I meet what it's like to be on the radio.

It's an interesting job.  Like any position it comes with it's own set of pressure.  There is a constant pressure to perform to a high level regardless of what kind of day I'm having.  I say a lot of the same things a thousand different ways.  I sit in a room (many times alone) surrounded by electronic equipment and talk into a metal and plastic stick (that would be a microphone).  I talk to thousands of people every day that I don't see although I get to talk to some when I answer the phone or e-mail.

The strangest part of my job?  The stage announcement.

If you're not familiar with what a stage announcement is I'll define it for you:  I get up on a stage or in front of what sometimes can be a very large crowd and talk into a microphone identifying myself, the radio station, and making any announcements requested by the venue.  An occasional joke comes out of my mouth.  Pumping up the crowd is usually part of it although not always.  At concerts I then announce the artist that is coming on and I get off stage.

I think it's the strangest part of my job because most of the time I don't see the people I speak to every day.  The stage announcement is one time that I do.  It's an unbelievable feeling when the folks that are there in the crowd throw a little cheer in my direction.  This job comes with a lot of long hours and rarely a day off.  It's the nicest thank you ever for all of the hard work that goes into my job.  I know when I'm there that everyone in the crowd came to see whomever I am bringing on stage but it's still a fun moment for me.

I remember the first time I ever did a stage announcement.  It was 1988 and I was working at a station in Kansas City that played hair band hard rock.  The station sponsored a concert with 1980's hair bands Warrant, Kix, and the Bullet Boys.  Over 17,000 people were there.  I was scheduled with one other DJ from the station to bring on the first band.  I was so nervous it took everything I had not to pee my pants.  I walked up and yelled hello to the crowd and announced my name and the place went bonkers.  I don't even remember what I said or much of what happened after that except when I walked off I could barely stand my knees were so wobbly.

I think every person's job has at least one unusual or strange aspect to it.  Mine is the stage announcement.  And I am glad to do it.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like looking at you from the stage... I took a couple of pictures at the Pima County Fair this past Sunday:

You looked GREAT!

The big buzz in Tucson today is the huge power outage.

The power is out in large patches from Alvernon to Camino de la Tierra east to west, and 22nd to Tangerine south to north.

I usually do work on the computer at my apartment until early afternoon and then head to the radio station.  I'm at home writing this blog right now at 12:30 p.m. and the power has been on here (I live a block from Tucson Mall) uninterupted all morning.  I'm apparently fortunate to have power considering the part of town I live in.

As I write this there are still about 25,000 "customers" still without power.  Many traffic lights are out.  I have the TV on near my computer and KVOA 4 is doing their noon newscast on generator power.  Martha Vasquez and Rebecca Taylor are doing the news sitting on a couple of stools in a nearly darkened studio and the weather forecast was done without graphics from the Channel 4 parking lot.  The normal live on-location shots they do as part of their newscast was done by holding a microphone up to a cell phone without pictures.

KOLD 13 and KGUN 9 each have studios outside of the affected areas (KOLD 13's is on the northwest side of town and KGUN 9's is near Speedway & Kolb) and they haven't had to face the adventure KVOA has trying to keep programming on the air.  Ironically, as I type this right now the studio lights behind Rebecca and Martha just came back on.

It's amazing especially in the time we live in how electric power makes our lives function.  Thanks to the addition of computers and all of the technology we have a lack of electricity can literally stop our world from functioning.  I can relate to this at the radio station.  We're not on the air unless the power is on.  All of the recorded audio we use (music, commercials, station identification, promotional announcements) are all on computer hard drive and of course our transmitters run on electricity as well.  Fortunately  we have generators to help us stay on the air during these kinds of moments.

Power is expected to be restored to most of the affected areas by the end of the afternoon.  According to news reports a piece of equipment that is part of a major power substation north of downtown Tucson failed and Tucson Electric Power crews have to be careful in how they bring everyone back on the power grid as they continue to make repairs.

If the power outage is affecting you this afternoon be careful driving.  A number of traffic signals are out.  Tucson Police are directing traffic at many of the major intersections but it still can be an adventure.  And turn on your radio.  Old School jams will make you feel better!

I, along with my fellow Mega DJ's, get a lot of questions about a lot of things while working the phones in the studio.  This week it's been a lot of questions about the upcoming Pima County Fair and Sunday's (April 20) Super Oldies Concert and Car Show presented by Mega Oldies.

I thought I'd try and answer some of the questions that I've been getting.

What time is Sunday's concert?
7:30 p.m.  There are no assigned seats so if you get there earlier than that you can stake out a piece of ground closer to the stage.  FYI - the Fair opens at 10 a.m. Sunday and continues until around 11 p.m. (I think).

What time is the car show?
That goes on throughout the afternoon.  You might try going to the fair early and see the car show, ride some rides, stuff your face with cotton candy and deep fried candy bars, see the bearded lady (if they have one) and farm animals and then enjoy the concert at the end of the afternoon.

Will Mega be there?
Yes.  I will be doing a live broadcast right near the stage from 3-7 p.m.  And gosh darn it you're more than welcome to come by and say hello and talk to a real live radio dj type.  Or just point and laugh.

What can I bring to the fair?
There are no "seats" in front of the stage so you might bring a blanket or something semi-cushy to put your butt on.  Although the Pima County Fair website does not specifically mention this... most venues of this type do not allow lawn chairs (so you don't block the view of the people behind you).  You'll either have to stand or sit on the ground.  And, they don't allow video cameras to tape the concert for your own use (the concert performers own the rights to their own performances so if you tape them you're stealing from them essentially) but still cameras (like digital still cameras or 35mm still cameras or your Grandma's Polaroid from 1977) are allowed.  If you'd like a full list of what is prohibited click here.

How much is it to get into the concert?
This has been the most common question.  Your admission to the Pima County Fair (which is $7 for anyone 11 years of age or older, $2 for kids 6-10 and free for kids 5 and under) gets you into the fair for all of it's glorious attractions, the concert, and the car show.  Also, it costs $5 to park.  A special Ken warning:  Make sure you roll up your car windows.  The parking areas are dusty and your car will get a dusty little layer on the outside by the time you leave and you don't want the inside to match do you?

Can you give me directions to the fairgrounds?
Why yes I can.  I-10 to exit 275 (Houghton Road) then head south.  There are signs directing you where to go once you get onto Houghton Road south.  The best way to get there is by car or truck.  It's a long way out for bicycles, walking, pogo sticking or roller skating.

How are the acts?  Will it be a good show?
Someone called me today and asked me this.  I've previously seen Evelyn "Champagne" King, Debbie Deb, and the Dazz Band live (at separate places and times).  We'll get to experience Carl Carlton and Al Wilson together this Sunday.  But I can speak for the artists I have seen:  Total fun!  Awesome!  Kentastic!

Where do I buy advance tickets?
You don't have to buy advance tickets to the fair.  It's a big place and can accomodate a kazillion people.  Or a lot anyway.  You can buy advance ride tickets if you wish and pay with a credit card if you don't want to take a wad of cash out to the fairgrounds.  You just need a printer on your computer and your credit/debit card.  Click here to buy advance ride tickets.

Will it be fun?
Heck yeah!  Unless you're a naturally crabby person.  And, since no crabby people listen to Mega you don't even have to worry.  You'll have a blast!

If you have any more questions that I didn't cover... e-mail me and I'll try and help or visit the Pima County Fair website by clicking here.  And don't forget to listen to Mega Oldies this week to win a four pack of tickets from us!  For the times we're giving away tickets click here.

Rosemary has this bumper sticker on her ride and I couldn't resist posting the picture:

This sticker is in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  An awesome cause if there ever was one.

I got a tip on the air from traffic reporter Pete McNair that Mega Old School artist Young MC may be living in Tucson!

Young MC is the genius behind "Bust A Move".  He was a student at UCLA when he wrote that song and hadn't gotten his degree in Economics yet when that song became a sensation back in the 1980's.  I did a search on Wikipedia and there is a reference there that he "now lives in Arizona".  Holy crap!

Tucson does pretty well in the celebrity sighting department in my opinion.  Oprah Winfrey visits occasionally (she loves loves loves Miraval Resort!)  Adam Sandler's sister used to work at Olive Garden as a server while she went to school at U of A and I'd get calls when people would spot him gettin' some grub at Olive Garden while she was working (the one at Tucson Mall if I remember correctly).  Mega Old School artist The Floaters own Larry Cunningham moved from Detroit to Tucson in 2007.  He has visited us at the radio station a couple of times.

Diana Ross got her infamous DUI while staying at Canyon Ranch a handful of years ago.

The Baldwin brothers have occasionally popped up here as well.  I have a friend who worked at a Subway restaurant in Oro Valley and said one of them came in one time and he made him a footlong with everything on it.

If Young MC is now a Tucsonan maybe he'll be kind enough one day to pay us a visit.  I'll bet he's a totally cool guy! 

I thought I'd do you a favor and warn you:  The newest red light camera in Tucson is about to go online.

I live near Tucson Mall and when I'd drive through the River and Oracle intersection for the last couple of weeks I couldn't figure out for a while why construction crews were working there (and causing traffic backups because they'd have lane restrictions).  I finally found out it was because the new red light traffic cameras were being installed.

I moved to Tucson in 2001 and red light cameras are relatively common in northern California (where I lived prior to moving here).  Apparently Tucson is growing up as a city because we have them now.

Here's a warning for you :  I found out today that there are other things that can be added to your ticket besides running a red light.  If you are in the intersection when the light turns red the motion detectors are activated and the picture taking starts.  You not only can get a ticket for running the red light but also if your registration is expired, if you were speeding when you went through the intersection, and even if the picture it takes shows you didn't have your seat belt on you'll have that added to the ticket you receive in the mail.  Basically any additional infraction that the camera can catch you can get nailed for.  Wow!

If I was the adventurous type I'd try something fun if I ran the red light at one of those camera equipped intersections.  Like sticking out my tongue, going shirtless, hanging my head out the window, wearing a bucket on my head, something like that.  However I have a feeling the Tucson Police wouldn't find it as funny as I did when they'd review the picture later.  Maybe they have more of a sense of humor than I think.

The four intersections that now have red light cameras in Tucson:

River & Oracle (it'll be activated Saturday 3/29 at 6 a.m.)
Wilmot & 22nd
Tanque Verde & Grant
Valencia & Nogales Highway

If you're going to run a red light at one of those intersections you probably should be ready.  Hair did, makeup on, wearing a nice outfit, car washed.  It's like the paparazzi in Hollywood.  Celebrities don't go out knowing their picture is going to be taken without looking like a star!

I'm about to tell you something you already know:  Driving in Tucson is a headache.

The downtown I-10 widening project seems to be on schedule but has been a pain.  The construction project downtown on Toole and the 4th Avenue underpass has also been a pain.

I wish every day there was a freeway or expressway that runs east/west through Tucson.  It never gets approved by voters because nobody seems to want it in their neighborhood.  Yet, we seem happy or at least tolerant of the ever increasing brown cloud that hangs over Tucson whenever the weather is warm thanks to the pollution caused by so much city driving.  But the powers that be keep trying to make driving easier for all of us the best they can.

A new pain is going to begin in May.  Oracle is going to be widened in Oro Valley from Calle Concordia (that's about a mile north of Magee) to Tangerine.  It's going to be expanded from two lanes each direction to three.

I remember in 2002 when Oracle was repaved and I lived in Oro Valley at the time.  I'd go home late sometimes from work and there would be traffic jams at 11 p.m.  It was a headache.

If you have to drive that route get ready.  It's about to become a whole lot tougher.

I read an article on www.azstarnet.com today about Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and "Peeps Jousting".

I think considering the scandal that has rocked the New York Governor's office this week (Eliot Spitzer and his trysts with high priced prostitutes... and his subsequent resignation) it's nice to have a fun lighthearted story involving our own Governor.

I have never met Janet Napolitano but I am told she is really cool.  After the Peeps Jousting story I totally believe it!

During her weekly press briefing today she told reporters she has a personal familiarity with Peeps Jousting.

Apparently this is what Peeps Jousting is:  You take Peeps (you know, the brightly colored marshmallow treats that seem to appear every Easter at a grocery or drug store near you) and you stick a toothpick in the front of two of them.  You then arrange them facing each other and put them in the microwave.

According to Governor Napolitano at the very least both Peeps puff up.  Sometimes one Peep's jousting stick (a.k.a. toothpick) will fly into the other Peep and make it appear to blow up.  The end result:  Peeps Jousting!

I was thinking it might make a mess of a microwave.  And then I wondered if this really is popular.  So, I typed "Peep Jousting" into the search box of YouTube.  There are numerous videos of Peep Jousting.  Some with ominous music, some with just a minute or so of their Peeps puffing up and not really doing anything spectacular, and one video that had the Peeps so overcooked they turned rock hard.  I ended up killing fifteen minutes of my evening watching Peep Jousting videos.

I've decided since it's already been done I won't waste my money or time trying it.  I mean, what did those poor helpless Peeps do to me besides wait patiently to be eaten.  However, I do wonder if there is such a thing as Peeps Jousting armor or safety goggles!

I am constantly amazed at how quickly technology is changing my life.

My roommate purchased a new cell phone early last week.  I hadn't purchased a new cell phone since fall of 2005 and after seeing his I decided it was time to get with the times.

My old phone worked just fine.  It dialed numbers and had a camera phone and did text messaging.  Even though it was only 2 1/2 years old it was already old school.  It was big and bulky compared to a lot of the new phones I'd seen my friends use.  I felt it was time to make the leap into 2008 with my phone.

I visted the Sprint store at Oracle and Roger (I am not endorsing Sprint by the way, I am just a customer) to see what kinds of phones I could get.  Holy crap!  There are dozens to choose from.  Internet, e-mail, music players, dozens of colors, crazy names like "Blade" and "Razor", phones where you could make your own ringers.  It was almost overwhelming.  I quickly realized the two year old phone I had in my hand was roughly equivelent to having one of those old school 'brick' phones.  You know the ones that were out in the early 1990's - that had about a thirty minute battery life, weighed about five pounds (or maybe more), and cost about thirty cents a minute to use.  Zack Morris on "Saved By The Bell" looked so cool using one back in the day.  Now they are laughable!

The staff there was quite helpful.  I ended up choosing a phone called "Rumor" that has a slide out keyboard to text with (like a typewriter on my phone) in pearl white.  It's been total fun.  I can send pictures from my computer to it, make my own stupid ringtones (there is nothing more annoying than hearing me say "Ken Carr... you have a text message" when I get a text message - according to my friends), it's an MP3 player (although I mostly listen to the radio so that probably won't even get used), and then there's the Bluetooth thingy.  I drive a little six speed stick shift sportscar and I bought the wireless gadget that goes in my ear with the microphone and can answer the phone by tapping the button on my ear.  I don't have to hold the phone while I'm driving... it stays in my pocket!

At the rate cell phone technology is going (and technology in general) there will be a day when I have a phone that can read my mind.  I'll think, "Hmm, I should call my dad" and it dials him up automatically.

I just wish there was a phone that would tell telemarketers where to stick it if they tried calling me.  I can always dream!

It's been all over the news.  We're having a flu epidemic.

I got it a week ago.  At first I thought I was just a bit run down because I was a little achy and tired.  Within a day I started getting a little bit of a sore throat, got really achy, and started running a slight fever.  It progressed to a point where I ended up staying home from work on Monday and Tuesday and returned Wednesday after my fever was gone.

I still am having the last effects of it eight days later.  The last two days it progressed into a major head cold.  Congestion, runny nose, a little bit of a cough.  That is starting to subside now finally.

Mega's own Rosemary had it far worse than I.  Her version of the flu progressed into bronchial pneumonia.  She's been off all week and hopefully will return on Monday.  There have been many of my co-workers behind the scenes at the radio station that have also been out with the flu at various times over the last three weeks.

I read that the flu has been at epidemic levels in 49 of the 50 states in the U.S.  Apparently people living in Florida have been the only ones that have managed to escape.

I have never gotten the flu shot when it's been offered each year (paid for by our company by the way).  I'm not making that mistake again.  If the flu shot gives me any chance to avoid the week I just had I'll be the first in line for next year!