"One For The Radio"
- Nov 5, 2016
- 2 min read
I’m not usually one to listen to the radio on long car rides. Mostly because I travel from Spartanburg to Sumter often, and I would have to constantly change stations to avoid static. I find it easier to listen to podcasts that I’ve downloaded or my own playlists on Spotify. The monotony of the radio with frequent interruptions for ads just didn’t do the job for me. I used to be under the impression that radio was all automated with not much thought put into it. That is until we toured Entercom in Greenville on Wednesday. With stations like WROQ, ESPN Upstate, and WYRD news, there’s no doubt that they have a variety of stations to offer. Not to mention, their employees seem to be incredibly passionate about their jobs and excited to share their experiences.
I entered the building and proceeded to be awestruck for the remainder of the tour. It was truly an unbelievable “behind the scenes” experience. Everyone was so kind and eager to show us the ropes. They were even so generous as to let us be on air twice. Believe me, I’m still trying to ground myself after that experience.
What took me the most by surprise was the array of jobs Entercom has to offer. A massive amount of work goes into running several radio stations. We met people in sales, marketing, producing, radio personalities, and even the IT department. That certainly destroyed my first impression of how radio worked. That just goes to show it’s difficult to humanize the intangible until you experience it in person.
Even though I’ll most likely stick to my playlists and podcasts, in the future, I might just incorporate WROQ into my music experience now that I’m aware of good local stations in the Upstate area. The tour this week broadened my appreciation and respect for radio. I’m even considering possible internships in this field. Radio is just another small testament to the music business being a melting pot of art and commerce.
Just for fun, all this talk about radio kept reminding me of McFly’s “One For The Radio.” Please enjoy my angsty preteen self’s favorite song, and feel free to laugh at how early 2000’s this video is.
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