The simple question was asked to me (Scott Walker) this week by an out of town potential advertiser with a corporate store in Rutherford County… “I hear some stations highlight the fact that they are locally owned and not part of a corporate conglomerate, so what exactly is local radio?”
Fair question. My response…
• Local radio is made up of bake sales that a church is participating in to raise money for a mission trip.
• Local radio is helping someone who lost a dog find their beloved pet.
• Local radio is the announcement of the obituary of your long time neighbor who use to yell at you as a child for cutting through their yard.
• Local radio is your family doctor telling you about the need for a flu shot.
• Local radio is a lawyer from the Murfreesboro square giving you free advice when you call in to our studio.
• Local radio is the promotion of a fundraiser for Read To Succeed, Special Kids or the United Way.
• Local radio is hearing your son or daughter hit the home-run in our weekly high school game broadcast, we even recorded the game for you to hear later.
• Local radio is the broadcast of MTSU Football or basketball.
• Local radio is your warning system when a tornado is about to touchdown.
• Local radio is your connection to your family when the phone lines are down and you visit the station to announce that you are okay.
• Local radio is where you find out who is hiring when you are in need of a career change, by the way – you got it!
• Local radio is how you found out about the thief on your street or the burglar in your neighborhood.
• Local radio is where you learned about your favorite new restaurant where you plan to take your wife for her anniversary.
• Local radio is where you heard about that Mustang you always wanted and how it’s on sale right now.
• Local radio informed you about a zoning change that will impact your subdivision, luckily you listed your house with a Realtor just in time.
• Local radio is how you learned that the county has decided to raise property taxes.
• Local radio is where you learned about the death of John F. Kennedy, John Lennon, Elvis Presley, Ronald Reagan, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.
• Local radio was THE ONLY connection for those devastated by the Oklahoma tornadoes, family members of those affected by the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, etc. when all phone lines, cell phone towers and internet (cable lines) were non-operational and people did not have power to pick up TV. All they had was LOCAL RADIO.
• Local radio informed you about the road that would be closed today because of construction.
• Local radio is where you learned about donation drop off points for victims of the Oklahoma tornado – “smile,” you donated and are helping someone rebuild their life.
• Local radio told you about the election results for county commission and city council.
• Local radio gives a birthday cake away everyday to one lucky winner and has since 1947.
• Local radio gives flowers away to one Good Neighbor of the Day, daily.
• Local radio told you about that wreck on the way into work, we saved you an extra 15-minutes by re-routing you.
• Local radio reminded you about setting your clocks back by an hour before you went to bed.
• Local radio told you about the grand opening of a new store, which is where you bought your sons back to school clothes.
• Local radio is who you call if you need a phone number.
• Local radio is where homeless persons turn for direction (as bizarre as that sounds, it just happened today).
• Local radio is where homeless persons turn for a blanket on cold nights (WGNS has collected blankets for the homeless for over 15-years).
• Local radio is where people drop off torn or weathered American flags to be properly disposed of.
• Local radio is where residents drop off old Bible’s to be recycled and re-used in our community.
WGNS is local radio. Who would not want to be a part of that? Please share on your social media page if you like local radio.
Learn more about our LOCAL audience.
–Scott Walker
