By: Melissa Schultz

Every week, Emerge Magazine will feature the experiences, stories and lessons learned from our writers as they work to complete their internships at media outlets across Toronto, the GTA and abroad. 

I was nauseous with nerves and sweating from the packed subway. After being 10 minutes late because I went to the second floor of the east building instead of the west, I made it. My first night shift at Newstalk 1010’s Friendly Fire show is set to begin. A fast paced tour and a pre-recording later, I sat in the control room watching the show I had first discovered three years earlier. With little training on my first shift, I screened calls. I put my headset on and anxiously anticipated the first caller. After little time the lines lit up. I was doing pretty well. As 8:30p.m. approached and the pre-taped interview started, I asked Andre, the technician, about what to tell callers if they wanted to speak to a guest who wasn’t there. He explained I should thank them for their comments, and to tell them we will pass their comments along. It sounded easy enough. The pre-tape ended, and we cut to a commercial. The phone rang, and I did as instructed. I told the caller that “I’ll be sure to pass your comments along to the guys,” and hit the cancel button.

Abruptly, and in an urgent tone, Andre, shouted: “No, no! We want callers to talk to the guys about that segment now!” As fast as the next words pierced in my ears, my stomach dropped. “I can hear what you’re saying, I’m still on the line!” The caller was still on the phone, and even worse, in my ear! I turned to Andre searching for a life preserver. Andre must have known what was going on because as I blurted out that the caller was still on the line, he proceeded to tell me that I didn’t end the call properly and was shouting at me to hang up! Naturally, three other lines started ringing and the enraged caller was shouting in my ear that he could STILL hear me and knew that we were talking about him. With no other options in sight the only words I could muster were, “Hold please!”

After getting through the next four callers, let’s hope every night is that exciting. On second thought, maybe not.