The Amazing Thing That Is Northern Community Radio & The Top 10 Songs I've Heard Since Starting For Them
The volunteer training is really cool. You meet a lot of people who will help you out with stuff later down the road and you get to see one of the studios depending on where the class is (for me it was Bemidji). You also get to get a playlist ready and after that's reviewed you're all set for volunteer shadowing. I got that done as well in late July, and was on the air by the end of that week, and the next three weeks before I left for Fargo. It was a nice way to spend a Friday morning with the drive down to Grand Rapids being so picturesque and then the beautiful views of the Mississippi River out the window of the studio, and that little tidbit there is actually why the show I appear on is called On The River. Interesting name for a show that's really catchy when you think about it.
Through several shows, quite a few interesting things have happened, and since we don't admit mistakes I won't dwell on them here, but there have been a few to say the least. I live and I learn from them though.
All in all, it is really cool to be able to be on a live radio station, sharing music and weather with the audience as well as reading underwriting cards for businesses. It's something that comes more naturally with time, but you definitely find your groove down the road and get settled into things.
You might ask: "What goes in to your playlist creation"? Well first it's worth noting that NCR plays several different genres, including folk, rock, blues, jazz, world, and some new age funk. We also try to play as many Minnesota-based artists as possible and try to give evenly distributed spotlight to male and female artists. Some of my fellow volunteers plan out their shows in advance, whereas I often find myself "flying by the seat of my pants". That being said though, I still like to keep a few things in mind when plotting out what I'll play next. Those things are....
- There could be anyone from age 1-100+ listening, all with different music interests
- Music that is current and possibly topping a chart somewhere should be played alongside the older albums in the library.
- There's always room for a familiar rock song (Beatles, Van Morrison)
- The more variety the better
And when all that's said and done you pack up and head out for the day/night. But keep in mind that's just 2-3 short hours of programming, and there is so much more in a day than that.
You see, Northern Community Radio is something truly amazing that we don't see very much of anymore. It's local community driven and funded radio, meaning that the community is heavily involved with it by either producing segments of programs, hosting programs, or just by being members. There's a lot of work that goes into making sure there are always real live people behind the mic when there is the opportunity for there to be one, and the volunteers really put a lot of effort into their shows, which is so amazing to see.
NCR also has the privilege of producing and airing The Great Northern Radio Show, which is hosted by Aaron Brown, former Cherry graduate and professor at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids. The show has around 4-5 airings every school year at various locations, most recently at Fortune Bay Resort & Casino in Tower back in September. The people who make this really put a lot of heart into it, and I'm looking forward to being able to attend one somewhere down the road.
There's also the pledge drive, and their Fall one is going on right now. It's called "What's For Breakfast?" and the pledge levels are named after various types of food. It's not too late to pledge, as the drive ends today. You can find links on my Facebook page on how to sign up for a new or sustaining membership. Some of them don't cost much at all to sign up for, and knowing that you're sponsoring locally produced radio programming that's so appealing to all ages is a great feeling in my mind, as I just pledged myself last week.
Check them out at kaxe.org, and find out about their next volunteer training session if you're interested in becoming a volunteer. You don't necessarily have to go on the air, there's other stuff to help with too :)
I hope you enjoy NCR if you choose to listen. In the meantime, here are the Top 10 songs that I've heard and absolutely loved since the first play on the radio. As a matter of fact, all 10 of these have been played at least 3-4 times by me. They're really good songs.
#10: Michael Franti & Spearhead: Crazy For You
#9: Ages & Ages: They Want More
#8: Eric Clapton feat. Ed Sheeran: I Will Be There
#7: Florence & The Machine: Wish That You Were Here
#6: The Monkees; You Bring The Summer
#5: Wiyaala: Tinambanyi (Here We Come!)
#4: Chance The Rapper feat. Kanye West & The Chicago Children's Choir: All We Got (First 3.5 minutes of the video, I could only seem to find the full album for this song)
#3: Laura Gibson: The Search For Dark Lake
#2: Caveman: All My Life
#1: Oscar: Feel It Too
Have you heard any really cool songs on Northern Community Radio? Share them in the comments!
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