Sunday, February 12, 2012

What happened to the Cow?

Our local radio station, C-103, home of the cow, used to be a great way of getting local news. They would do anything 'breaking' local, then area news, then state, then national. (Plus obituaries and sports) Now, the only local news they give us is what is picked up by the city stations, which is a disappointment. After all, if I wanted to know what the city has to say, I'd be listening to the city stations, wouldn't I?
There's been a lot of things happening locally. Fires, car accidents, flood, road closures. I really do care more that a student rolled his car and was killed than I do that the Lady Warriors beat the Lady Something-elses three days ago.

The station has a website. It used to be updated every other day, at the least. They would put up the local news, and the scores, and offer items from their radio-swap-shop program. Now, of course, they no longer carry local news until it is stale and citified. They update possibly once a week, and the Trash'n'Treasures offerings are few and far between. Even the obits are brief and outdated. And nothing is archived anymore.

I know what happened. Anyone who lives and listens can probably make a good guess. Somebody retired. Somebody died.

The radio station was run by a man -- I think his name was Ted Foster, but I can't even be sure of that. He really turned the station into something special. He got them into the 21st century with the website, he helped to organize the programming, he did the news. He did a LOT. He did the work of three men.

They've hired one young man to take this man's place. Now, Matt is very good. He does a lot of work, a lot of appearances, and is easy on the ears.
But he's one person, and he's still learning.

I hate to see Ted's legacy withering away, and so soon after his departure. The station is sinking into the small-town, small-time category that it was so steadily rising above. The Cow was reasonably competing with the city stations.
Now it has become a mere echo of them, faint and failing.
I wish we in Adams County could have our voice back.

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