Public radio is a beautiful thing. It connects with the sights and sounds and people from around the world, it fills our cars and homes and sprits with music, it connects us with our community, and it can even be a reminder of home.
One day last week, John Wooley, producer and host of Swing on This, forwarded the Public Radio Tulsa staff an email from a listener who was travelling down the Amazon! The Amazon, how cool, is this?!
We had to find out more. We asked him: “Tell us more about these fans! How has the capability of online streaming changed or enhanced the listener experience? And what does it mean to you?”
Here is what he has to say:
As a confirmed Luddite, I'm naturally suspicious of any kind of electronic communication beyond land-line telephones (and what exactly was wrong with dial phones, anyway?). But I have to admit that my life and the life of SWING ON THIS would be poorer without the World Wide Web. For instance, the show's great friend -- and inveterate traveler -- Sam Barrett was able to pick up a recent broadcast while he and his wife, Paula, were floating down the Amazon River in Brazil! Even Bob Wills himself, broadcasting on that famous flame-throwing station KVOO in the '30s, never reached that far with his western swing.
When he's home, Sam also pulls us in on the computer, as he's a Maine resident. Californian AP McQuiddy, who contributes mightily to SWING ON THIS's playlists, does the same, as do many others from all over the country. And those within range of the Public Radio Tulsa signal, like our longtime listeners Bettye and Gary, keep us posted when they're traveling, often sending postcards from the road. They go above and beyond, too. A few years ago, for instance, they designed and printed cocktail napkins promoting SWING ON THIS. (Or maybe they just wanted 'em for the glass-lifting portion of each broadcast.) I can't imagine any show having a better or more intriguing group of listeners!
Radio fills our lives, our homes, and cars with enrichment anywhere, anytime. And that is a beautiful thing.
Stay connected with Public Radio Tulsa through online streaming at publicradiotulsa.org, apps such as NPR One, and your smart speaker.