Epiphany!!!!

As a Radio Programmer, you never know where your programming epiphanies are going to come from. I've always tried to view all life experiences as applicable to my radio life. Sometimes this lead me to radio concepts. At other times it lead me to motivational tools to inspire my staff.
This morning while reading the USA TODAY, I was reminded of an example of the latter.
Back in 1978, I went to see the movie American Hot Wax, a biopic of pioneer Cleveland disc jockey, Alan Freed, who introduced rock'n'roll to teenage American radio audiences in the 1950's.
(Arguably the man who coined the phrase Rock 'N Roll)
Overall the movie captured the boundless spirit of early Rock Radio. Not a bad movie at all.
There was one scene in the movie, though, that stayed with me for the last 30 years and that I have retold numerous times to my airstaffs, other PDs and stations that I have consulted.
In the scene Alan is on the air. He's playing a record really loud and is totally into it. His engineer comes in to the Control Room and says to Alan, "Why do you always listen to the music so loud?" Alan turns to him and says, "THEY KNOW WHEN YOU'RE LISTENING."
Epiphany!!!! No truer words have been written or spoken. When you're on the air, do not turn the monitors down and work on something else. BE "IN THE MOMENT" with your listeners. THEY KNOW WHEN YOU'RE LISTENING!!