CPR Promotional Check-Up - Apr 17, 2012

The True Meaning Of Radio

Yes, I'll admit it. I went into Radio to meet girls. (And I have. When Caballero Home Video finishes their treatment of my novel "Prize Closet Hotties ", my journey will officially be complete.)

Somewhere along the line I've had brief glimpses of what we as an industry can actually accomplish when we put our mind to it. And yes, there are certainly still some idiots out there. These are the same people who didn't want to break format after 9/11. Or who treated Oklahoma City as a news story.

Yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of the Virginia Tech killings was a historicmoment in the life of our nation. And there were just enough outstanding stations who acknowledged the tragedy and the pain the nation was in, to give me hope for the future. For a few days.

There were, of course a few who responded with "I'm not feeling it." "We're in ratings. I don't want to break the music flow."

But then, you had stations like Jamz in Albany where they suspended their big cash contest for a day? Why? It just doesn't seem right or appropriate.

Or the night guy Wazz from KDWB who went and did his show at a dorm at the University of Minnesota. Put kids on the air and let them talk. Which they needed to do.

Or Q-107.5 in Memphis where they organized a candlelight vigil on campus that night.

We were licensed to serve the public. We have been given the privilege to be broadcasters. To be doing Battle Of The Sexes that morning and giving VT eight seconds in the news qualified you for an exciting career in the fastfood industry.

All the stuff we do. The contests. The features. The remotes. The stunts. Those are the fundamentals. This was the intangible and was the thing that would cut through all the clutter. Witness this e-mail to the staff of WBLI on Long Island that they got the morning of the 17th last year. You generally don't get this kind of correspondence after running a contest:

You guys are doing a wonderful job and thank you and the station for taking the time for all of your listeners to express their horror and sorrow for those who are suffering in the wake of the Virginia Tech killings.

There will never be a way to explain or excuse the actions of this person or persons involved in the taking of vibrant souls, but this is certainly a measure of the state of our country over the past eight years. There is fear, lack of understanding and compassion, and general distrust in those that are suppose to be leading us into this new century. We don't need terrorists from other countries, we are breeding our own due to the strangle-hold most of us are experiencing, in some form, because of our involvement in world events.

I have never contacted any media association to express my views, but in the wake of yesterday's events, as a wife and mother, I needed to post my thoughts about this unimaginable event. Our love, hopes, and prayers are with those that are in need of our support, and although it will never bring their loved ones home they should know that they have touched us forever.

The station and the DJ's should be commended for taking time from their schedules to allow it's listeners to express their feelings.