Most Memorable Mediated Experience: LOVE SHACK!

LOVE SHACK!

Roxy Haji

 

  It was very early in the morning when my alarm clock awoke me to the sound of my favorite radio program. It was on FM station 96.1, San Antonio, Texas’ most popular radio station. Though not a big fan of waking up early at that point in my life, I loved awakening to the Deb and Dean morning show on 96.1. However, that particular morning I didn’t groggily lounge in my bed, gradually waking up to another ill-anticipated day of middle school life whilst listening to boy bands and The Goo Goo Dolls. That morning was different, for Deb and Dean were giving away free Britney Spears tickets. The year was 2000, and it would be a long time before Britney Spears popped out K-Fed’s babies and shaved her head. She was still hot.

            I jumped out of bed. I reached for the phone. All I had to do was call the radio station and tell Deb and Dean that the song they played a short clip of was the B-52’s Love Shack. It seemed simple enough. I was super excited. I was going to see Britney Spears!

            I couldn’t get through. 45 minutes had passed, and I was still in my pajamas with a cordless phone to my ear. Meanwhile, I had the radio on and everybody who was getting through to take a stab at naming the song clip was wrong. Michael Jackson? Matchbox 20? No! It was the B-52s!

            Another hour went by. I completely forgot about my obligation to middle school hell. My mom was asleep downstairs so I kept trying. People continued to not guess the song correctly, meaning I still had a chance at winning Britney Spears tickets.

            Another hour went by, and I finally realized that I was not going to get through and perhaps I should go to school. I accepted defeat, put on my awkward, dorky clothes, and woke my mom up. Since I missed the bus, she took me to school. I missed the first two classes. Oh well.

            After school, I turned on 96.1. I could not believe it. After all this time, still nobody had guessed the song right! I tried calling in, but to no avail. Finally, somebody called in and said “The B-52s! Love Shack!” They were going to see Britney Spears, not me.

            This was my first interactive media experience. It was exhilarating and infuriating all at the same time. Not that I was bummed at missing those two classes, but one could argue that staying home and missing school to call a radio station in hopes of winning tickets, especially since the attempts were in vain, was a waste of time. But I thought it was fun.

I haven’t called a radio station since then. Perhaps my confidence has been shattered. Actually, I haven’t even listened to the radio since moving to New York City.

            As trivial as it may seem, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that radio experience. It connected me on some levels to the large city of San Antonio and my fellow San Antonioians. We were all listening to this one radio station at the same time and we were all competing together, without even seeing or knowing each other, for the exact same thing. It still boggles my mind, however, that it took almost twelve hours for somebody to guess the B-52s. How can nobody know the song Love Shack?