It’s not often you see a newspaper giving high-fives to radio. Lynn Petrak, writing for the Chicago Tribune, did just that. For years we’ve heard radio executives say, “We need to tell a better story.” This may be a column you want to send to the printer, then the copy machine. Petrak does an excellent job telling radio’s story for you.
After writing what she likes and dislikes about driving, Petrak says when she’s driving through small towns, she realizes how much she loves local radio. “I’ve tuned into local talk shows that don’t mean anything to my own life, but which I find interesting. I like hearing the sounds and stories of morning DJs, who have an uncanny similarity in tone. And who can resist a special program like rebroadcasts of an entire Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 program from the late 1970s or 1980s that air on some stations on Sunday mornings?”
She goes on to say that despite all of the buzz about digital, there is still a spot for local radio in people’s lives. “It’s not that unlike the weekly community newspaper, in the sense that many of us like to hear about things that pertain to our lives in terms of proximity and familiarity.”
And she touts the many great radio stations in her home city of Chicago. “We’re lucky in our community to have access to a full radio dial, where we can tune into AM and FM radio and listen to a plethora of talented radio personalities, including those like WGN Radio’s Wendy Snyder and Frank Fontana and WLS-FM’s Steve Dahl, who reside in our area. We’re also fortunate that we can listen to a hometown station like WLTL, 88.1 FM, featuring the talents and voices of students at Lyons Township High School.”
Check out Peltrak’s entire column HERE.
This is spot on. I often hear people, in business especially, that say radio is not what it used to be. Well dah…..it would be dead if it was. I find radio more relevant today than ever before. Local radio is a vital bloodline to each and every community. When you really look people in the eye and ask “When was the last time you listened to local radio?”, that answer is usually “recently”.