I heard something that broke my heart a bit today.

During our staff meeting today, Nikki and Joe were presenting their information from this year's St. Jude Radiothon Convention in Memphis.  Every year, the hospital gathers radio people to learn how to better raise money to support St. Jude's lifesaving work.

This year, they need our help more than ever.

In a lot of other cities, radio stations have fired their entire staff and went with satellite programming in "cost-cutting" measures.  They've dropped their support of the Saint Jude Country Cares for Kids Radiothon because they don't have the staff to do it anymore.  Others have dropped the program because they see it as a risk to their ratings.

In all fairness, the Saint Jude Country Cares for Kids Radiothon may not be a ratings winner.  Stories about kids who are dying from diseases that you and I may not be able to pronouce aren't exactly good time happy ha-ha fun radio.

So why does WDEZ still do it?

This is why:

It's 2 days, once a year FOR...THE...KIDS.

Do we take a ratings risk?  Sure.  When you get down to it, everything you do on the radio is a ratings risk.  (Especially my show.  Have you listened to that mess lately?  Sheesh.)

I believe that it's only when you dare to fail that you'll achieve your greatest success.

Unlike big, corporate radio stations that would rather cut corners than give up a measley 48 hours of airtime to save kids' live, we're daring to help the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital.  We hope you'll join us.

For more info about St. Jude, click here.

Your Blog Keyword for today is "dare2fail".  It's good for 250 WDEZ Club Points until 1700 on 1/21/2010.

Your TTPK Clue for last night is: "not bad".

In other news, part of the requirements for having a license to broadcast on an AM or FM frequency in this country is "Serving the public interest".  I fail to see how firing thousands of local broadcasters, taking a satellite feed from California, Atlanta, New York, Austin or wherever and spamming it all over the rest of America via unstaffed radio stations qualifies as "Serving the public interest".  Sweet Christmas, am I glad that I work for a radio company that believes in local radio.  Thanks for listening to it.

Be Cool,

TS