I’ve always loved radio. I grew up in the era when the world shifted from AM to FM and it was possible to hear some amazing stations if you happened to be in the right place at the right time.
When I was a kid, on a small farm in the top northwest corner of Arkansas, it was possible to listen to the Chicago CBS Affiliate station every night. At 9 p.m. (bedtime for me) the CBS Radio Mystery Theater came on and listeners were treated to some amazing radio dramas.
Sometimes I could get lucky and pick up a station from Mid to Western Kansas that was running Old Time Radio shows on Sunday. Fibber McGee and Molly. Jack Benny. George Burns and Gracie Allen. The shows were fabulous even though the reception wasn’t.
In our corner of the world, radio stations played a lot of Top 40 songs or focus on specific genres, like Country & Western or Rock & Roll. Granted, this wasn’t unusual across the country but genres and playlists changed depending upon the area and the station.
I had a friend who would lay in bed every night and listen to the big talk shows that were on the air from the large markets. This was LONG before talk radio and shock jocks were a Thing.
Radio has evolved over the decades. One of the more interesting evolutions has been Internet Radio Stations. These seem to have opened space for aficionados to create stations themselves. They have managed to provide life for those genres, like Old Time Radio, to be available to listeners who love them.
We were recently hit by several major storms which knocked out power, and the Internet, for several days. One of the unexpected side effects of this was a return to listening to actual radio stations.
Wow!
I rediscovered a couple of favorite local stations. I realized how much I had forgotten what it was like to listen to music I hadn’t heard in years (!!!!), to listen to disc jockeys who were in tune with their area, to hear local news – real local news.
All it took was a small portable radio and some batteries. Oh, and the curiosity and courage to roll the dial and see what was available.
In a world that seemed to have been silenced when the power went off, the sounds from that dial were a reminder that other folks were out there, too.
As much as I enjoy Internet radio and the ability to listen to radio across the globe, the intimacy of the local radio station was balm during a stressful time. A touchstone providing comfort and information.
