As I Recall: The Value Of The Local Touch And Flavor

"Seems we just get started and before you know it...comes the time we have to say...so long" were the musical lyrics at the end of The Carol Burnett Show. That hour did seem to pass very quickly, even though in the early years of the program, when it aired at 10:00 p.m. eastern on Monday nights, I struggled somewhat to remain awake. I wonder how evident my sluggishness was to my teachers every Tuesday morning? Often, it seems that just as I am "getting in gear" in an article, I have approached my word limit. Such was the case last week as I was pondering how the technological revolutions which allow us to hear radio in an entirely different way from when I was younger could possibly co-exist with the type of radio programming which has [had] a distinctively local flavor. While I am excited that I can now access via a phone app such stations as WSM, home of The Grand Ole Opry, and the "new" WKRP and other stations across the nation and the globe, I do not want to lose sight [or perhaps better stated, ear] of the importance and value of our local broadcasters. My memories of my early years include Charlie Demming's "Gloom Chaser" program which consisted of a variety of music, local and national news, morning devotions, school lunch menus [in which Charlie deliberately mispronounced the green vegetable as "brock-a-lily'], school closings [on those wintry days when your day was made to hear that your school system had cancelled classes for that day] and a calendar of local events, sponsored by a local savings and loan association and entitled "What's Doin' In Town?" with a catchy little jingle with the same title. Charlie's program was followed by "Housewife's Serenade," which was broadcast live from a local grocery store. In my teen years, at night there was the program "Midnight Sun," which featured pop music and call-in contests in which the lucky winner [which a few times was me] could win a vinyl album. Of course, listeners could call a "request line" to ask for a particular song or dedicate a song to someone. After obtaining my first vehicle, which had only an AM radio, i alternated listening to a local station which played Top 40 hits [and which was the source of the contests in which I participated in the past] and one which had a country music format. In addition to the music, my radio "education" consisted of learning about stock, as in the kind traded on Wall Street, as well as the kind which was fed from the hay bales. While it may not have affected me directly, I was always interested when announcer Dave Hogan mentioned the "drying off" time that was important for the local farmers. Digressing for a moment, and in acknowledging my propensity to pun, it was always interesting on my commute to school to see which farmers had round bales and which had the traditional square shaped. For those who opted for the "new-fangled" round shape, were we to lament that the poor cattle could no longer get a square meal, or be glad that they would have a well-rounded diet? Ahem. With present communication technology, the following may not seem to be a big deal, but to me, at the time, it was exciting. One of the local radio stations, during the Christmas season, sent its morning host to the national network affiliate in New York to broadcast their program live from the network facilities to listeners in East Tennessee. To me, the excitement was akin to what I felt knowing that the courtroom drama I saw on The Edge of Night was being presented live from CBS in New York. Just a few years ago I enjoyed a local news and information program hosted by several different personalities who attained deserved fame and recognition in their careers and who brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table [and turntable as well]. One morning, after a time that I had failed to tune in for a few weeks, I went in search of, and it was no longer there. While I would like to think that unlike the song lyrics, I did know what I [we] had before it was gone, nonetheless it stung to realize that the program was now part of the past. While there are still remnants of the type of programming that I have described, I am concerned about its longevity. Perhaps one could argue that my inclinations to embrace out of market listening is a contributing detrimental factor. However, I would argue and hope that there is room for both. There can be a balance in indulging in listening to such as WKRP and in supporting your local broadcaster. Enjoy and embrace the privilege of hearing an East Tennessee broadcaster; maybe one morning he or she might just speak of "brock-a-lily." ••• Mike Baker is a local author.