Friday, July 3, 2009

WCLU Radio - A True LOCAL Radio Station

When I moved to Glasgow in 1991, I was a dedicated Public Radio listener. In moves from Nashville to Bowling Green to Lexington I developed a routine of listening to the local NPR station in the mornings and on commutes. My mother in law, Zara Alexander, told me early on that I simply must listen to WCLU Radio to know what is going on in and around Glasgow and Barren County. I resisted at first, considering myself a sophisticated listener and not yet fully engaged in the community. When I finally did succumb and tuned in to WCLU, I realized that she was right and my morning routine for the last 18 years has included Henry Royse and WCLU.

We sometimes get complacent and comfortable with our local assets and don't appreciate them until they are gone. A great local asset for Glasgow and Barren County is WCLU Radio. Henry Royse and his crew focus on local news and activities and help to create a real sense of COMMUNITY. If something is going on in "The Barrens" it will be reported on WCLU. Public Service Announcements, obituaries, local, county and state government news, school news and announcements,local features, and local history are all part of the fare along with some eclectic music choices. When you listen to WCLU, you get a sense of the place where you live and a connection to those who share that place.

In his seminal book "Deep Economy" Bill McKibben wrote a chapter about the benfits and charms of local radio versus canned radio produced distantly. Here in Glasgow, at WCLU, we are blessed to have just what McKibben was writing about - a local radio station that thrives on and with the community it serves. Local radio is a great example of successful local entrepreneurship.

WCLU has been a great supporter of the Bounty of the Barrens Farmers' Market. Every Friday just after 7:30AM they offer a spot for a live interview (simultaneously shown on EPB cable channel 6) with our musical performer(s) of the week. At the market we are presenting local/regional musicians a stage to demonstrate their talents and support our local farmers. Henry is offering them a platform to discuss their performance and how music fits into and impacts their lives. It is great local radio - be sure to tune in. Henry's interviews with our musicians are always fun and engaging.

I appreciate how WCLU local radio enhances the quality of my life as a citizen of Glasgow/Barren County. It is part of our "bounty" here in the Barrens, not to be taken for granted. Kudos to Henry Royse and his crew.

1 comment:

Billy Ray said...

Excellent post! I totally agree and am always amazed that people can be so oblivious to the events happening right around them when we have a wonderful resource like WCLU which is determined to keep them informed.

Few communities have a real radio station anymore. Try getting stuck in traffic and using your car radio to get some news about what is going on. It is impossible because 95% of the programming is canned blather running off of a computer programmed by some distant corporation in another state. Not the case with WCLU!

Thanks for reminding us about this aspect of localism.