Thanks so much for the kind comments. They really do mean a whole lot. Over the past several years, I've managed to build up a pretty successful Media Brokerage firm. A little over a year ago, though, I decided that I wanted to get back into ownership, and bought my two stations, which didn't do nearly the job I try to do serving the community. I moved to Southeastern Kentucky and actually put the brokerage business on the back burner, because I wanted to truly live the life of a small-town broadcaster. I get a bit long-winded when I tell my story, but I love to tell it, because it demonstrates clearly why I have such a love and passion for small-town radio and those "boonie stations" that Fred doesn't like.
When I took over the stations, we had ONE hour per day of live programming, which was simulcast on both stations. Transmitters didn't make full power, and the equipment was in shambles. The phone might get answered, and then again, it may not. Outside of the one hour per day of live programming, the stations were on "the bird". The automation was sloppy, and the local commercials made me want to barf. The stations made payroll and kept the power on, but just barely. Advertisers were scarce, and I really think nobody listened.
I had an idea in my mind of what I thought would be a successful business model for a local radio station. I had some deep-rooted beliefs about what made for good small-market radio, based upon my career experiences, and I decided to risk my livelihood to find out if I was right. My idea of "good" radio involved professional-sounding programming, a responsive staff, no satellite automation, news, and even something as simple as a smiling receptionist to answer the phones. I rolled up my sleeves and started ripping things out. I cleaned house and got rid of most of the stagnant staff, because they weren't doing radio the way I thought it should be done. Boy, did I ever rock the boat. I replaced practically every piece of equipment at both stations, from the microphones to the transmitters. I put in new automation, threw the satellite dishes in the dumpster, and built three brand-new studios from the ground up.
Quite a few of my friends thought I had gone crazy. Yeah, The Broker had finally brokered one too many stressful deals and gone right off the deep end! He was in an itty-bitty hick-town in Kentucky pouring tens of thousands of dollars into two little 1kW AM stations, while turning down brokerage business left and right! I mean hey, we all know that once AM stations, even heritage stations, die, the listeners never come back, right! Not only that, but those little stations he bought are right in the shadow of Knoxville, with a dozen huge FM signals. Oh yeah, I had lost my mind...I'd be bankrupt and in the looney bin in six months.
I hired a talented, professional staff and started making connections in the community. I made the stations sound like real radio stations, and did what practically no operator does these days...I added more live programming. Each station has a live/local morning show. We do extended local newscasts and obituaries five times a day. If there's a bad storm on the way, we are live on the air to cover it and give folks up-to-the-minute information. We stay on the air until the storm passes, and folks know they are safe. When wild fires threatened a couple of our communities this summer, we were on the scene covering it. Election night, when nobody else would cover the returns, we were there so that folks didn't have to wait until noon the next day to read the results in the newspaper. All these things may sound miniscule and even hokie to large-market programmers, but we truly deliver the things our community members want to hear.
Now, fast-forward a year. The stations sound, in my humble opinion, great. Everybody not only listens to the morning show, but talks about it all day. It never fails to choke me up when people stop me at lunch or on the street to say "thank you" for bringing local radio back to our community. My two little "boonie stations", which once had no listeners and few advertisers, have truly blossomed. Soon after we started making our improvements, something profound happened...people started calling to ASK for advertising. Now, we stay close to sold-out on our little piddly "boonie stations". Go in to the local bank or hardware store or Shell station, and you'll hear one of my stations in the background.
I've started doing more brokerage work again, and I feel like I'm better at what I do, because I have an even stronger love and appreciation for what great radio can do for a community. Soon, lord willing, I'll buy a few more stagnant, almost-dead little boonie stations, and try to turn them into true voices for their community. Sure, I'm making great money, but to me it's truly not JUST about that. Call me old-fashioned or corny, but I just get a warm-fuzzy feeling knowing that I'm doing radio the way it "should" be done, and that it DOES still work. It humbles me when folks like you guys who post here compliment me. It makes me think that just maybe I might be doing something right and good. Thank you again for all the kind comments.
