Local, Local, Local by Al Sikes

I was once a radioman. First station, KLGT, Breckenridge, Colorado. KLGT, “The Light At The Summit” was not just a radio station, it was also the town crier.

Yes, we played music; it was day parted. We spun records for adults until school was out and then pivoted to 1980s rock.

We did news. Everything that was not local came from the Associated Press (AP). There were no Rush Limbaugh types. News was straight up and our audience relied on local information and news.

We also monitored Citizen radio bands. There were young people living in the mountains and they used amateur radio bands to try and reach their families. It might be: “This is John, living northeast of Breckenridge. Please let my mother know that I will be home for Christmas in St. Louis.” We relayed the message and then friends would hear it and send it on. I don’t recall any need to edit the messages.

Weather was really important and we bought the best weather services available and again took calls within our broadcast range and relayed “weather on the ground.” Ski conditions led the list. We were local, local, local. People talked about KLGT. Our on-air personalities were small-town celebrities.

On my first trip to KLGT after gaining Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval to complete the purchase, I noticed quite a few skis leaning against the several studio and sales office walls. Those weren’t around during my initial due diligence. KLGT had traded with the Breckenridge Ski Corporation advertisements for lift tickets. When I questioned the practice, I was warned off. It was a much-valued perk; even then, lift tickets were expensive. So I just concluded that skiers were better employees.

Now, too often, our news comes from elsewhere brought to us by people who live elsewhere. And now mostly there aren’t local newspapers either. And if there are they are, as we would say, “paper-thin”.

We are not going to reverse the loss of local without ingenuity and commitment. The Spy is a leader in ingenuity. Mostly it is local information, news, and opinions brought to us by people who “live around the corner.”

I am also encouraged by my initial inspiration: radio. WHCP, 91.7, whose slogan is “The Voice of the Mid-Shore,” states that “We obsessively focus on local news, marine weather, non-profits, local businesses, and upcoming community events”. The new WHCP can also be streamed—go to WHCP.org for the application.

Yet, much of our news today is delivered by people and studio links that begin in big cities and seem to me light on common sense. When performance art leads, common sense rarely follows.

Yes, I know. I write and hear from you, the critics who think I am light on common sense. And that is just the way things should work.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.