ON THE AIR

I helped a friend produce a musical show around Christmastime many years ago.
We had three stages adjacent to each other,
with the spotlight directing the audience's attention to each as appropriate.

One stage depicted a family living room,
complete with a fireplace mantle sporting an old-fashioned radio.
Mom and Dad gathered their four children to listen to a Christmas Eve radio show.

A second stage was set up as the deejay booth,
manned by our producer, a real-life radioman from days gone by.

In between was the stage on which our live musicians played,
while various singers appeared on the living room stage.

The deejay booth was equipped with a back wall covered in dials, switches, and lights,
which we built largely from equipment that had been retired by a local TV station.
The desk prominantly featured this typical "ON THE AIR" lighted sign.

After the performance, most of the equipment "went the way of all the earth."
However, I kept a rack full of some of the units for decorative purposes.
In the long run, the only one I held onto was the on-air indicator.
I found it a great prop for live performances, plus a glaring reminder to myself:

When I turned off the lights in my studio, it would alert me
if I failed to turn off the power to the sound system!

~ FURTHER READING ~

Although fairly specialized, "on the air" or "on air" sign designs are numerous.
Kinda like "for sale" sign designs.
On the other hand, "off the air" signs are rare,
whereas "not for sale" signs are quite popular.