Well, it has been a rough couple of weeks here in SWMO…2 stations on and 2 stations off…does anyone else ever wonder why they bother? Is it to satisfy some sick urge to broadcast? Or, is it to provide otherwise non-existant services to those who listen? It seems that when I get two or three up and going, one is down for whatever reason…anyone else ever struggle with this? I thought the hardest part would be programming content…
Dave
KSOL All Solar Radio 92.1 FM
KSOL All Solar Radio 1000 AM
KUSA Liberty Radio 840 AM
KTGR Tiger Radio 88.1 FM and 1600 AM
Carl Blare says
The Creative Impulse
Dear AMRadioMan:
Your question of “why we bother” is important, and we should ask it, and I’ll tell you the answer I have for myself.
As human beings we are social and social beings want to communicate with other social beings. There are many ways to do this, and radio broadcasting is one of those ways. Painting art works for public display is another way, and composing and performing music is yet another.
With radio, a lot of creativity goes in, and the public is enriched for having the cultural resource of radio to include among all the good thiongs in their lives.
It is the exact opposite of being “sick”, it is very, very healthy.
amradioman says
Thanks, Carl. I needed that…
Please forgive my rant. I was a little bit discouraged. I enjoy broadcasting, even to a fault. Sometimes I just need to take a step back, so to speak.
Carl Blare says
Stepping Back
At times when I began to think I was wasting my time with part 15 radio, I stepped back and found several things…
If my radio station stopped, I would be stuck with the most boring radio dial… nothing to hear but repetitive sermons and completely meaningless sports jabber. It would be absolutely dull.
And I would have spare time, so the question is, how do people spend spare time? As far as I can see people go shopping just to shop, go to movies even when the movies are terrible and the crowds in theaters have no manners, and they spend fortunes to waste a day at the sports stadium watching the same game they watched every other time, where after all those hours, one team wins and the other loses. Who cares?
So, I need radio so that the above situations never happen. If women weren’t so interesting I’d marry radio.
Rob Veld says
Sharing
I have a simple answer, no I don’t bother. The reason why I broadcast is sharing things. It could be music, news, sport and lots of other things. I see this as a part of radio making. But I think I understand your drive very well.