In the Spotlight

For some, being a radio DJ is a lifelong goal, but for Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Berksteiner, from Savannah, Ga., it’s just another day at the office. Sitting behind a massive soundboard, Berksteiner queues up songs during his broadcast and comes over the radio to talk about current world affairs with a smile.

“My daily work routine involves a lot of pre-planning for the radio,” said Berksteiner, who works for Armed Forces Network (AFN) Sigonella “I usually come in and work on what I’ll be talking about for the day. Also, I work on different media assignments throughout the day.”

Berksteiner starts his radio broadcast at six a.m., but his day starts much earlier than that.

“When I’m running the morning show, I usually try to get to work 15 to 30 minutes ahead of time, which means I usually wake up around 4:30 a.m.,” said Berksteiner. “Coffee is a major component for a successful show. At six a.m., I switch the board over to live and begin. The first hour of the morning is dedicate to events from different organizations around the base. The others hours are free for me ton choose my own subject if there is no live interview for the hour. I like to choose some songs to play and many days, I switch musical genres between hours, and it certainly helps that I have an eclectic taste in music.”

While waking up at 4:30 a.m. may not be ideal for most people, Berksteiner enjoys his job at AFN Sigonella.

“My favorite part of doing a broadcast is playing all the great music we have in our database,” Berksteiner said. “I’ve worked at two other AFN’s and this is the first station I’ve been to with Earth, Wind, and Fire.”

While that may sound fun, a lot goes into ensuring a broadcast runs smoothly. Training is required to learn how to work sound boards, and to be comfortable