Public Radio

Radio has been an intimate part of my life. Since the first grade, living near Montgomery, Alabama, music was present in my life. My father was in a quartet that sang in area Baptist church congregations. My mother sang in church with a clear soprano voice. It was obvious she liked to sing. She was still pretty young at the end of the sixties and had diverse tastes in music. Whille riding in the car she would sing. I discovered I could sing along too. Music became fun. I tried to make up songs in my head. When there was a piano in the house I tried to compose my own songs and play from songs on the radio. My favorites were popular rock and roll and country rock. Yes, Chicago, Beach Boys, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and of course the Eagles.

It was in an art class in college that an art professor made a remark, strongly suggesting that students might have more knowlege of what was going on in the world if they would listen to more than hard rock on the local radio station. Where was that? Public radio. As an older student with a daughter in grade school, it was easy to tune out inclusive remarks made about students' habits, but I listened to the very station he had sneered at. This particular professor was not one I respected, but this time his tone made me feel insulted. What was so wrong with my radio choice? On the ride home I tuned in a public radio station that didn't play primarily classical music or head banging rock. It was KRCC out of Colorado College in Colorado Springs. I did it for no real reason but to reinforce my feelings that this was just an egotistical professor, an over educated, slightly better than average, elitest artist. He was all that but he was also correct.

Public radio was an acquired taste for me. Quickly I realized how the news was some how more fresh and current. The music was unfamiliar. Violence in Bosnia and Kosevo was escalating at the time. The news was stunning. Before switching the radio dial, I had no idea how bad life conditions were in a war torn country, now present in my lifetime. The news articles were gripping and insightful. The music could be strange, KRCC from Colorado Springs was dedicated to playing obsure music not played elsewhere. There also was a good dose of guitar and blues. I learned be patient and listen through the other stuff. Instead of using the radio as an instrument to forget the day, I was becoming more informed. My music sense was expanding. How grown up of me.