Erik's insane career in radio began while attending high school in western Arkansas. His after-school job consisted of driving to radio stations in nearby towns to work an afternoon shift, since his hometown didn't have a local station. He was a natural for these initial jobs since he had spent most of his high school years honing his skills on his own makeshift "studio" in the bedroom of his home using a couple BSI turntables & a Radio Shack "Disco Mixer"! The summer of his college freshman year, his hometown finally got their own radio station, KJON 92.1FM. It was only on the air for a few years before being sold to an out of town businessman.
Hometown Radio
College Radio
Erik graduated high school & headed off to pursue further education at Arkansas State University. There, he worked at the University's 100,000 watt National Public Radio station, KASU, hosting a 2 hour classical program. He also studied personnel management along with his broadcasting courses, focusing strictly on radio, specifically. He graduated 4 years later with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Station Management.
Artist Interactions
Erik has frequently been asked to fill the role of Master of Ceremonies or have an on-stage presence at various live events. For over a decaade, he was booking artists to perform at a popular Christian teen center in western PA where he also filled the role of being the MC of those shows. He has appeared on stages around Central PA, including Penn State's Bryce Jordan Center for Winter Jam Tours & other out door events in the area.
Erik has had the opportunity to meet & become friends with a variety of artists & noted personalities from musicians to politicians. He has interviewed bands such as Switchfoot, Disciple, Jars of Clay, & Third Day. Also artists such as Kerry Livgren (Kansas), Larry Norman, Mylon LeFevre, as well as John Cooper (Skillet). He's interviewed US Senators & Governors for various news events as well.
One memorable event came when Erik booked a "garage punk" band from Williamsport, PA at a teen center in western PA. He was so impressed with their music & their live performance, he asked them to come on his radio show show. They spent the entire 3 hours on the air & Erik recorded the pandemonious broadcast for the group to take home. He told the A&R rep for a California-based Christian rock record label about the band & was asked if he could get a demo to the label to check out. That resulted in the band being signed to a national distribution contract will a professionally recorded album. And on that album was a "bonus" track that featured outtakes from the very radio show that Erik had recorded for them a few years before.
Live Concerts
Insane Erik Lanes' Stupid World Podcast
