Maria asked me to go be her “assistant” on WBTN this morning (1370 a.m., 96.5 FM) in Bennington, Vt., they wanted one or both of us to talk about the Open House this weekend around 10 a.m.
That station is a community radio station, as anti-corporate a media as you will find anywhere, and the perfect place for me.
I was supposed to be on for 10 minutes, Maria was anxious about not coming, she was afraid I would end up talking about dogs, my blog, my books instead of the artists she wanted to talk about.
She was right. The host went right to dogs, and we hardly skipped a beat. I love the place right away, it is crowded, musty, dirty and in desperate need of some new equipment.
I’ve thought about doing a community radio show for some years, but it somehow never seemed to come together. This time, I think it has.
The station is in desperate straits, it was shut down a year ago but refused to die. It has no money, hardly any staff, and is desperate for volunteers. I think I can help, and it is the perfect thing for me to throw myself behind.
It has nowhere to go but up, and there is a dedicated fanatic fighting to keep it going. People always tell me my posts ought to be in the New York Times, but that is the last place I want to get published (and probably the last place that would want to publish me.) WBTN is the kind of place I want to be, and I love the Fish Fry trailer parked out in front. I have to ask what what’s about.
Community media is an important cause for me, it is the only answer to the corporate media that has become so obnoxious, polarizing, greedy and destructive.
While I was on the air, I got talking with host Tommy Toscano, a conductor and composer, about everything but the Open House (the show is being replayed at 5 p.m. tonight) and quickly got fired by text as Maria’s assistant, even before I got into the car to go home.
Don’t mess with Sicilians.
That was a disaster, but it turned into a joy.
Tommy and I worked it out in about five minutes.
I signed up for my own weekly radio show, “Talking About Dogs,” a two-hour call-in that can be streamed anywhere in the country, you can download a free app, and the station has a 1-800 number that can be called from anywhere in the country. All you need is a browser.
Tommy is, as near as I can make out, the morning announcer, station manager, maintenance staff and chairman of the board. If WTBN survives, he is the hero.
Tommy said he was fired from the board a year ago, and the station was closed, but then he was asked to return and clean up the big mess.
The station is hanging on by its fingernails, it is trying to get an FM transmitter but was just given an AM transmitter, a Godsend. How has it survived,I asked?
“I don’t know,” Tommy said, “I just refuse to give up.”
One or two volunteers come in for an hour a day, the equipment would be shamed by any local high school – the mike topples right off of the arm if you touch it, and you have to speak with it up against your nose.
This is the place for me, for sure.
Community radio is revolutionary and has been almost totally marginalized by corporate media and government regulators.
This kind of non-profit media is rare in America, and always struggles. It happens when local people produce and broadcast their own programs and participate in the operation of the station.
It is meant to be a community space for people to meet and collaborate.
It can be uplifting, fun and transformative for communities, it can also be a community space for people to meet and collaborate in a time when media and technology exclude ordinary people from being heard or participating.
Corporate advertisers care nothing for me or you, they seek only to reach the country’s prime spenders, the population from 18 to 34.
If you are not in that cohort, you do not exist, except on Fox News, where the average viewer is male and 65 and over. And they don’t care about anyone else either.
Community radio is a global movement, really, its roots date back to a labor strike in Bolivia, the workers wanted to have their say and were ignored by other media. Needless to say, this is a movement that functions on the edge of life, with little money or corporate support.
Americans are increasingly isolated from one another, even from their neighbors, as it obvious if you watch the corporate news channels. I hope I can help WBTN, there isn’t much time, they need volunteers, some sponsors, donations.
And selfishly, I think my own two-hour call in radio show will be something I will love. I did a dog show on WAMC, Albany Public Radio, with co-host Joe Donahue for several years, he got promoted and the show just stopped. But it was fun, we did well with it. I enjoyed it got a lot of amazing calls.
Dog people like to talk and share and argue.
i like the call-in format, it is a conversation with dog lovers and a chance to rationally speak of the many issues facing dogs and the animal world, from training, to animal rights, to the work of the rescue movement.
It would also be great if I could help WBTN get back on its feet. More than ever, this country needs local voices on non-profit radio. Stay tuned, I hope to be on the air within a week or so, I’m thinking about a Thursday afternoon slot.
Audio: Talking About Dogs
This is so exciting, Jon. One of my great passions is our local Community radio station WOMR.org 92.1 in Provincetown. It is an all volunteer organization (I do think the program director is pd) and is on air 24 hrs a day. There is the most amazing number of DJ’s who come in each week and bring their personal collections of so many wonderful selections of music. There are also informational programs with call-in. I think you will be a huge boon to your station. We have health practitioners who talk about alternative care options, and so much more. They offer a plethora of ways to support the station and it works well….I have been listening since they were in a tiny room with a very squeaky chair. Now they own a beautiful building where they can hold fund raising events. Your show will be a big hit!! BRAVO!
Marcia, I love that station, I used to listen to WOMR all the time when I was on the Cape, which was every summer. It personifies the idea of community radio. THe audience her is very small and the station is very broke, so I’m keeping my expectations low, but I am excited and thanks for the note. I always loved Provincetown, although I see all the many changes there. I appreciate the message. I hope I can replicate some of the feeling of WOMR.
Well, I fired up Tune-In radio, looked up the station…and there you were, just beginning (a replay)of your interview. (Of course your interviewer wanted to talk about HIS dog…lol). I like Tune-In radio so much that I just started to pay for the premium version. There are about a dozen old-time radio stations that I listen to all the time…so now I can add you to Fibber McGee and Molly and The Great Gildersleeve. Good luck in the new venture.
Jon, You have a clear, listenable voice and plenty to say and share. I think this is a great idea!
Perhaps there is someone in each of the groups you write about in your blog that would like to do a show?
And don’t you think someone should be representing the cats in our lives?
I used to listen to KPFK when I lived in northern Cakifornia decades ago. Even though I was many miles from where it was broadcast it gave me a sense of community in the larger sense.
Hurrah! Jon. I grew up in Bennington and WBTN was our home’s channel of choice. I’m thrilled to know that it’s signal remains, albeit a tad weakened, and that you will help strengthen it! With gratitude for all that you do to make our world a more wonderful place.