[quote name=\'clemon79\' date=\'Dec 23 2003, 10:32 PM\']
No, that is not why DJ's wear headsets. DJ's wear headsets because the monitor speakers in the studio can't be on (and in fact, are automatically muted) at the same time the mic is live, or else you would get feedback. Therefore, the jock wears headsets so he can still hear what the hell he's doing with the mixing board while the mic is live and the monitors are off.
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One of the other reasons why DJ's wear headphones, at least at my radio station back in the days (1980s), was to hear the radio station as everyone else heard it over their radios.
In other words, if a storm knocked out power at the transmitter, we would only know about it if we had the headphones or a standard AM radio on.
Otherwise we could be doing our entire 4 hour program and the only one who would hear it was the person(s) in the studio.
And then there was the night when a rare February thunderstorm took a direct hit on our overnight programming satellite. I got to do 2 weeks of nearly commercial free, all request (mostly by me) music shows. Ahhhh....Those were the days, my friends...