After my last post I went out and pushed the reel mower around the yard, did some pondering. With the cowgirl picture and my status update, I may have been a little too cute with my message. The truth is that I am deeply humbled and grateful to everyone who has contributed toward making my radio dream a reality once more. When I found WBCN in the early-mid 1970s, I intuitively knew there was something special happening and it was happening on the RADIO, not only in Boston, but in San Francisco, and Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, and eventually in smaller markets all over the U.S. I was in the right place at the right time to find the path that I was born to take, that of communicating through music, on the air, what was in my heart and in the hearts of those who listen. Radio is a two-way communication, but how it works cant be explained really. I lost track a long time ago how many times listeners called me up on whatever station I was working for, to tell me how I just played the song that they were going to call and request!, or how I said something about a song being good to walk the treadmill to, or bake a pie to, or give yourself strength with when you really need it, and that person was just experiencing that very thing. Im a good friend on the air and put together a respectable set of music, but in order to do both of those things, a good radio station is required. Ive had the good fortune of being on the air at some GREAT stations throughout my career, and Ive hit a lot of dry patches too, where there wasnt a radio station to be found that wasnt completely controlled and/or corporatized, where those that were in charge just didnt get it. From my last San Francisco program director Thom Ohair (at KOFY-FM), I was reminded of the responsibility we as broadcasters carry: to serve our community, those that depend on us to be their link to the rest of the like minds that are listening. On the day we launched the station, he gave me only one note: show em your heart. I did that; Ive always taken that risk and the reward has been that Ive been as energized as those like-minded others who Ive been privileged to have listening. After KOFY-FM was over, Ohair, who didnt know me until he hired me, sent me a note that said, Montana: I took the biggest risk hiring you; only you knew how good you really were. Now we all know! I hope we Ozone Rangers get to ride together again someday. Thom Ohair is gone now, along with many other members of our radio tribe, but the embers of what great radio was and what it is are still glowing, theyve never died. What a surprise it was 5 years ago for me to find that those embers were being fanned into a flame by none other than Sam Kopper, the original program director at the station that lit the flame in me: WBCN. Free Form BCN is only on the air on HD-3 in Boston, but its now available to a world-wide community online, something we couldnt have foreseen back in the 70s, 80s or even the 90s. To be part of this great adventure, to be able to do live radio for the higher good the way Ive always known it was meant to be, to do it from my home studio here in Montana for my mentor station in Boston, for an audience who is anywhere and everywhere in the world - the feeling is beyond my ability to describe. Sam is giving me an opportunity that on the surface may not look like much - its not full-time work, doesnt pay much and in order to do it, I have to buy my own equipment - but I know like I know my own name that its the RIGHT thing to do, and Im excited to see just how its going to work in this modern, 2014 form! The possibilities are endless! Thanks to you, I almost have enough in my Return to Radio fund to get the rest of what I need to be able to open up the mic for the first time and say, Youre listening to WBCN Free Form Rock at WBCN and 100.7 HD-3, Boston. Less than $1000 remains for me to be able to do that. Please donate what you can and I will be grateful if you will also please share my GoFundMe link with others. gofundme/d8e9vs I still believe in the magic of radio and the power it has to uplift, inspire, and affirm the goodness in all of us. Do you still believe? Thank you for your support. It means so much.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 01:25:46 +0000