By Corey Hickenbottom
To Lovers of Great Radio Everywhere:
I begin here to keep you updated on all the latest happenings on Fairfield’s Solar-Powered, Super-Variety, Volunteer Community radio station KRUU-FM.
Despite my above claim to keep you up on all the latest happenings, I will take this opportunity to look back on 2011. While to give a full description of all that has come to pass in 2011 would take all of this column and then some, two events seem to rise above the rest in my mind.
First and foremost, KRUU-FM celebrated it’s 5 Year Anniversary. The station has been around for 5 years and if I may say so myself that’s nothing to sneeze at. Starting up on September 30, 2006, it has run 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week from that very start. I think it is really a tribute to the show hosts, who come from all different walks of Fairfield life, giving their time to share the music and the information they care about, week after week – with many of the hosts who started that very first month still creating their shows each week.
The other part of KRUU’s success is the listeners, those who tune in regularly. I know that I think KRUU is an incredible station with excitingly eclectic programming, but I realize there’s a lot of media options out there. So a big THANK YOU must be said to all of you reading this who regularly tune into KRUU-FM. Either at 100.1 FM in Fairfield or online.
The second thing from 2011 I wanted to mention is the Dream Green Series. Now, I know it’s already been mentioned here at PeaceTownUSA.org, but it was such an incredibly solid series, I think it deserves to be mentioned again. I’d even go so far as to call it a game changer, illustrating just how good, informative, and interesting radio can be. This 20-part series documented the travels of James Moore and Stuart Tanner across our great state of Iowa ”highlighting the best practices and success stories by Iowa innovators in the field of renewable energy”. I was constantly blown away by the information I was hearing. The whole series can be listened/downloaded for free at “greeniowa.org“. If I may make a few listening suggestions: Of course, check out the show on Fairfield, but I hearitly reccomend the interview with Fred Kirschenmann, as well.
James Moore with Iowa Energy Center's Norm Olsen
Okay, I’m done looking back.
This month Mike Ragogna’s 2.0 will bring you interviews with Fred Schneider from The B-52s, Roger Taylor from Queen, J. Cole, Vince Gill, John Wesley Harding, and a whole bunch more.
Mike Ragogna’s 2.0 airs every Wednesday & Thursday at 1 PM CST. Rebroadcast Friday & Tuesdays at 8 AM CST.
Check out the website for more. You can, of course, like our Facebook page and follow on Twitter, but I still say your best bet is to regularly check that website.
With Thanksgiving coming up, I would like to point your attention to one of my favorite shows here on KRUU, Great Taste. Focusing on all things related to food, from cooking, to restaurants, to activists and on down the line, Steve Boss and Kathy DuBois have created a delightful, fascinating, and really special show. Every week, they speak with guests from around the world and are often doing the cooking right there in the studio. Once a month, Indian Hills Cullinary Students with the director of the Indian Hills Culinary School Program, Certified Executive Chef Gordon Rader whip up some delicious items that the guests in the studio get to taste. Yes, you heard that right, a live radio cooking show.
Great Taste airs live every Wednesday at 7 PM CST and rebroadcasts Fridays at 7 AM CST.
You can listen online to practically every episode in the Great Taste Archives. Also be sure to check out Steve Boss’ KRUU blog for lots of information on upcoming and past shows.
There you have it, you lovers of great radio you! Keeping in the mood of the upcoming season, I will express my gratitiude for this opportunity to let you know a little more about your local, solar-powered, super-variety, community radio station.
KRUU-FM – Giving you more reasons to listen to the radio every day!
Until next time,
Corey Hickenbottom
Corey is Station Manager at KRUU-FM and hosts The KRUU Country Music Jamboree, Tuesdays 10am-noon and Sundays, 6am-8am. He also really likes barbeque.
