An Open Letter to Radio

Dear Radio,

You aren't dying. Despite some opinions, you are still very much alive. You may be evolving, but you're still important.

Last Friday marked a monumental day for you, Radio, as Entercom and CBS Radio merged to create a radio giant, becoming the number two radio operator only behind iHeart Media. I didn't end up being on the team of the radio giant, but instead my cluster of stations (minus one) ended up being a part of the divestiture needed to comply with FCC regulations. I am now working for a company that is operating in a trust operated by Bonneville International. I am looking forward to my new adventure and watching this evolve.

I'm not going to lie, Radio. This year has been stressful. I think anyone you ask that was apart of CBS Radio or Entercom would admit that this year was full of uncertainty about the future. Uncertainty isn't exactly a comfortable place to be, but it's necessary for change and progress.

During this time of uncertainty, I thought a lot about my relationship with you. I must have been about eight years old and woke up with the stomach flu. My mom and dad were caring for me as I was trying to get back to sleep. I remember my dad deciding to turn on the radio to try to calm me and lull me back to sleep. I slept with the radio on every night for the rest of my childhood.

In high school, my love for you evolved and I fell for your sports formats the hardest. I used to purposely be late to my first period class because I had to listen to the rest of an interview or hear who won Jim Rome's Smack Off. I started bringing a portable radio to all the Kings games I would attend because Gary Gerould's voice was so magical as he called a game winning shot. (Yes, that dates me a bit because the Kings used to win when I was in high school.) I still bring a radio to the games today, but that's mostly to have Gary calm me down during a frustrating performance.

These were my guys during high school. For the record, they were robbed in 2002 and although it's been 15(!!!) years, I am not over it and I don't think I ever will be.

In college, you helped me battle bouts of homesickness. When the wind was blowing right, I used to be able to catch Sports 1140 Sacramento in my college town of Rohnert Park and hear some familiar voices. College also marks the first time I actually worked in your industry, dear friend. I spent a summer working on Sports 1140's morning show, The Rise Guys. I woke up every morning at 4 AM, while all of my other friends were catching up on sleep they missed from cramming for finals, to work in a non-paid internship. It was the best job I ever had. I learned so much about you! I learned how to screen calls, run contests, edit audio clips, how to memorize six people's Starbucks orders and that when you wake up that early, you can eat any food you want at any hour of the day.

" I woke up every morning at 4 AM, while all of my other friends were catching up on sleep they missed from cramming for finals, to work in a non-paid internship. It was the best job I ever had."

After that summer, I moved across the country to attend the University of Minnesota where I scored a paid job at the college radio station, Radio K. Radio could provide me a paycheck? You could. I worked in the underwriting department in which I learned about the hard fought battle a public radio station has to stay operational. I also learned that there were a lot of other people that love you too because there were a large number of generous donors that put up money to keep you around. Now that's love.

This is the Rarig Center on the University of Minnesota campus that houses Radio K. Their marketing department was smart not to show what this building looks like in January.

After one more internship back in Sacramento in the promotions department, I graduated college and we went our separate ways for a while. Don't get me wrong, I missed you and I missed the people who also liked being around you. You see, you seem to attract some of the best people around. Definitely an eclectic group, but that's because you touch everyone you meet. You're just that special. And that's why you'll be around for a long, long time.

I'm sorry to be so up front with you, but what are friends for? There are plenty of critics out there that talk about why you are the dinosaur of broadcast media, but I disagree. You are powerful, my friend. You are immediate. Do you want to know where everybody turns to when there is a disaster? They turn to you. Every radio DJ in the country, no matter what the format, became a news reporter on 9/11. You are impactful. 2017 has been burdened with more than its share of natural disasters from hurricanes to fires. My new company came together to raise money for Hurricane Harvey victims in Houston in a big way. Almost a half a million people will benefit from your generosity and ability to reach and rally a community. You are local. You are the fabric of the communities that you are a part of. Your personalities are local celebrities and role models in the community. It's cool to wear a t-shirt with your favorite radio station's call letters and logo across the front. You are creative. You entertain people with just sound. Whether you are playing the new hit single by an up and coming artist, telling me the score when my favorite team is playing and I am stuck in traffic, or one of your DJ's is opening up about a funny anecdote in their personal lives, I am engaged. I feel like I know you and you know me. I don't feel that connection with a TV anchor or a newspaper columnist. Most importantly, you are resilient. You are the oldest form of electronic mass media ever created. Over 90% of the public listens to you each week. You've been counted out time and time again. Video was supposed to Kill the Radio Star. Then Pandora was going to replace you. Who needs terrestrial radio when there is satellite? Everything is going digital now. But you're still here.

I mentioned before about all of the amazing people I get to work with that also believe in you. I think that what separates us from the rest is that we have a chip on our shoulder. Everybody keeps telling us that we are old news and outdated. People think there is no money in radio, that our jobs aren't secure. Nobody realizes how much success is to be had and how much fun we have doing it. But that's OK because we know the truth. We are scrappy and that is why we are able to survive.

I am excited to be entering this next chapter with you, Radio. Thank you for always being that familiar voice in our lives that enriches us. I'll never count you out. This is only the beginning...

Love Your Listener,

Courtney in Folsom