Hometown Radio
There is something comforting about clicking on the radio
and hearing the local station fill the silence.
Every morning JP and I awake to our alarm clock radio. As we
slowly leave the dream world and reenter the world of reality, we listen to
music, local and world news, and a run down of what is happening in our
community that day.
Throughout the morning, our local station plays the upbeat,
popular music of today. But it does something else as well. Something that is
becoming harder and harder to find. It connects with its listeners on a
personal level.
Local radio has an opportunity to tune into its listeners’
wants and needs in a way that big city stations simply can not. While many of
the bigger radio stations in the bigger cities surrounding us do have flash and
pizzazz, they are missing the one ingredient that makes our hometown station
special: customization.
When my birthday rolled around, I tuned in with excitement
as I listened to the Happy Birthday Voicemail segment of the morning show.
Listeners are able to call in, leaving a happy birthday or anniversary
voicemail for their loved one. What an exhilarating feeling it was to not only
hear my name on the radio, but to hear my sweet friend’s voice and well wishes
tool.
Obituaries are also read on air. Those that were born, lived
and died in our community are given their last mention on air, informing their
friends and family as to when and where services will be held.
The Community Calendar is also a highlight. Any local group
or organization can receive free publicity about their upcoming event. I enjoy
hearing which church is having their spaghetti supper, which VFW is having their
fish fry, when a local Boy Scout of Girl Scout meeting will occur, what classes
are being offered at the library, etc. That information helps me plan my week.
On any snowy, icy or foggy morning, our Little Bug listens
with eagerness to the lists of delays and closing that are read on air, hoping
to hear her school mentioned.
Our local radio’s news team does a superb job of reporting
on the happenings of our area. They spend many hours attending meetings, making
phone calls, researching stories and double-checking facts to ensure the
listeners get the most up-to-date coverage of news in our area.
While many of the bigger stations have turned to solely
voice tracked playlists, our local station still uses real, live DJ’s. They run
their own contests, do their own show prep work, and answer their own phones.
Our DJ’s are a very real presence in our community, living in, working in, and
truly caring for the area that we all call home.
The customizations. The attention to detail. The belief that
local radio is here to give the listeners what THEY want. All of this adds up
to good radio.
While I am no expert in the radio business, I do know what I
like. I like to be able to switch on the radio and hear of what is going on in
the world as well as in our sweet little rural community. I like to know that
there is a real, live person on the other end of the air waves. I like to know
that our community is celebrated for what it is and who we are.
Today, as you go about your day, take a moment and tune in
your local station. Perhaps you will find, as I did, that it gives you a
feeling of comfort, of happiness, of home.
As Bob Edwards said, “With radio, the listener absorbs
everything.”
~Annie
I hear you there!! I listen to Indiana 105 daily!! And when my son went with dad, on the road, to Dallas, TX: he listened to it on his Kindle Fire. So love that they have streaming, so i will be able to hear them whenever I want!!!
ReplyDeleteOur station has online streaming as well! I love tuning in while away from the area!
DeleteLove this - in college I interned at a tiny local radio station. It was one of the last "real" stations in the area with real DJs and local news. They couldn't afford to pay me but it was the best experience ever - I did everything from co-hosting the morning show to recording commercials to ad sales, and it was so much fun. I miss it! So glad you have a local radio station to enjoy. :)
ReplyDeleteFred,
DeleteI am sure that WAS an awesome experience! What an amazing opportunity! I hope you were able to put that experience and knowledge to good use. :)
I'm just now starting to get back into the groove of listening to the radio. Lately, I've been tuning in solely to 93.3, Republic Broadcasting Network ("Because you can handle the truth!") Though they have shows aired from other areas, there are local shows on occasion that document the happenings of our area. Could you recommend a good station for me to try out?
ReplyDeleteRobb,
DeleteMy station of choice is WKVI, 99.3 FM. I find it to have all of my local happenings. You may like it as well. :)
Nice to read and see that there's still a few stations like that around. Sadly, though, very few, thanks to the corporate clowns that now run the biz. With most radio, today, there's a good chance you won't hear about the tornado warning in your area, but at least you can take comfort knowing that you can listen to another bland Ryan Seacrest show, while getting blown away.
ReplyDeleteMike,
DeleteI totally agree!