KISS 108, WXKS FM Medford-Boston: one of the top radio stations in Boston. Never did I think that I would be enthralled by the crazy radio business, disk jockeys, sales and accounting executives, programming personnel, and the promotions department. The majority of my summer was spent in the promotions office with Mark Kroninger, Promotion Manager, Cara Storm, Assistant Promotion Manger, and Beverly Tilden, VP/Marketing Director. The promotions department is responsible for contests, give-aways, concerts, and special events. Their job is to build and broaden the station's listening audience.

How does a high school student get an internship at a top-notch radio station like KISS-108? I spoke with a woman at Cone Communications, a well-known public relations agency in Boston, which handles the KISS account. Excited with the possibility of being interviewed for a summer internship, I provided her with my resum" and asked her to pass it on to the appropriate person.

When I began my summer internship, I jumped into the fire with both feet. On my second day, I worked at the thirteenth annual KISS Concert at Great Woods, an all-day event featuring performances by such stars as PM Dawn, Kenny G., Marky Mark, Color Me Badd, with a finale by James Brown. Not knowing what was ahead, to my surprise I was working in the backstage press tent. I had the opportunity to meet a few of the performers like Kriss Kross, Tracie Spencer, Ce Ce Peniston, Shanice, and Right Said Fred. An unforgettable day, I must say!

Never having a "typical day," my responsibilities often consisted of organizing contest sheets from the previous day, calling winners, distributing information concerning contests such as "The Man of the '90s," giving prizes to winners coming to the station, answering promotional phone calls, and going into the studio to help out the DJs. On one particular day I had the "privilege" of cleaning and organizing the entire promotional closet where all of the give-aways were stored. Radio is not a 9-5 job. I often stayed late to help finish up a project or assignment that needed to be completed. I also enjoyed riding around in the KISS FREE MONEY VAN with Joe "Public" Mazzei, an energetic radio personality. And, what better way to see the Tall Ships on July 4th, with live music and free give-aways.

Overall, I learned a great deal about the radio business: the people, the environment, and the amount of work that goes into running a successful radio station. It is hard to imagine how fast-paced the business actually is until you are personally involved. It is a great business if you really want to get into it, but due to the intensity of the job, you must be totally dedicated to your work to become successful. Every person who works there has a unique, outgoing personality, and makes the environment an exciting, unusual place to be! It is a very fast-paced, upbeat, sometimes stressed-out environment, so I fit right in!

I have invited Bill Costa, a KISS personality, to Career Day at Tilton School, where I am a senior. He is not only one of the news reporters and host of many radio-promoted club events, but is also the backstage entertainment reporter at many popular concerts.

I love the radio business and am glad that I had the opportunity to be involved in such a positive learning experience. I hope that in the future I can make my own personal contribution to the radio business and be a successful part of the KISS-108 team! And I never got coffee for anyone! n