• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Bikes or Bust: Who Is To Blame

KarsonWithaK

KarsonWithaK

I love to read this board every once in a while to check on radio in Dothan and Huntsville, both cities where I have hung my headphones.

Bikes or Bust was the brain child of someone is Georgia. I believe the station was called B100 in the late 80's or early 90's. My PD at WZYP in Huntsville (Bill West) was either a part of that promotion or had a friend that was on the morning show there.

Bill came to me (I was on nights) in the fall of 2000 with a video tape of the promotion and the idea that we could recreate it in Huntsville. I think he even had the morning guy come in for a market visit to explain how the promotion should be put together. The original promotion was done with a small mobile home hung 100 feet in the air by a huge crane, with the mobile home being anchored to Marine Humvees.

We were unable to secure the crane in time to put together the promotion as we were planning the event for Thanksgiving weekend and all of the crane operators wanted thousands of dollars to be on 24/7. We scaled it down to me 50 feet up (in a 12 x 6 lift with a porta-potty), in the parking lot of a car dealership and we collected about 150 bikes.

In 2001 I was hired for mornings at WZND in Dothan and in December I did the promotion again, this time with my new co-host Kelly.

In 2002 I left for Tallahassee and Kelly ended up on our sister station Rock 102.5, not long after. Kennedy (my current co-host) and I put together Bikes or Bust again, this time in Tallahassee and Kelly continued the tradition at Rock 102.5.

In 2004 Kennedy and I moved to Memphis and have just finished our 4th year of Bikes or Bust (my 7th year overall) by bringing in almost 700 bikes in 72 hours.

I'm very proud of the hard work we all put into this promotion. It's now running successfully for the 7th year in Huntsville, 6th year in Dothan and 5th year in Tallahassee. I figure since starting this promotion in Huntsville that the four cities have probably donated close to 6,000 bikes!

Happy New Year,

K~
 
What's up Karson?

Hey, Bill West was the best!! He and I revived Bikes or Bust my first year here in Huntsville (2003) that year we raised 600 bikes the next year we got 1004. In 2005 we raised 1,486 bikes then in 2006 the numbers were the best ever at 2,446. this last year (2007) we raised 2069!! This is by far the biggest promotion we do and it is so rewarding to know just how many kids are helped each year!

Have you talked to Bill West as of late? I"ve not talked to him in a long time, but that guy was a great influence to me.

Mojo
 
Hey Mojo, good to hear from you! I spoke with Bill about two months ago and he is doing great. I think you can find him at FM100.com.

I saw that your co-host left? Did you replace her?

K~
 
Karson, You did very well with the promotion. And it was me that did the promotion in Albany GA for B100. Bill West was there at the time that we put it together but left prior to it being done. We had great success with the promotion for the 2 years that I did it. Unfortunately, with all the liability, alot of stations are getting away from promotions like that and to me that is taking away alot of things that made radio great. Bill was a great guy to work for. I worked for him in Albany and also for a short time in Huntsville. Hope you keep doing the Bikes or Bust promotion. It is in my opinion was of the great promotions left. The Jock formerly know as "Mustang" Mike Kelly
 
Mike,

I'm glad to hear from you and that I was relatively close on some of those details. Having spent the past seven years living in a porta-potty, the details are sometimes foggy. Are you still working in radio?

K~
 
Karson, Unfortunately not at this time. Have been out for about 2 1/2 years now. Not alot happening radiowise here in Columbus, Indiana. Still looking to get back in the biz sometime soon I hope.
 
Karson,

Dana left for Cinnci. about a month ago...she was great and we miss her here! We have not yet found a replacement but we are searching.

What about you? How's the Biz treating ya.? You still in Memphis?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom