Anyone who has endured my show to the bitter end knows that I like to sign off by saying: “Be safe, Have Fun, Shop Local, and keep it on Cruisin KCFI.”. You also know that I like to jump on the soap box around the holiday season to remind to to spend some of your holiday money at local small businesses. I don’t just say those things to hear myself talk… It is extremely important to visit those shops often, and tell your friends about what there is to offer here locally. Never fear, soon, there will be a blog entry or two about this topic, so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Right now, however, I want to talk to you about a local business that is dear to my heart – Locally owned radio. I was recently talking with a group of friends that are not in the radio industry, and they were bemoaning the fact that some of the stations that used to broadcast right here in their back yard have abruptly moved out of town and migrated to Cedar Rapids. They said that it was nice that they could see their favorite DJ at the grocery store, or generally out and about in the community, but now, they are gone. Even though the listeners can still hear their stations, they say they feel abandoned by what they considered old friends. Yes, it was a wise business move to go to a larger market, but I wonder if the overall ramifications outweigh the move. It is a moot point at best, but it did get me to thinking. Local is important in every aspect of life. The company I work for (Coloff Media) enjoys stations in Forest City, Mason City, Charles City, Manchester and Cedar Falls. They are run with one philosophy: Service to the Community. Our stations are fully staffed with people from the community thar serve on committees, boards and community betterment foundations. Our people understand the communities we serve and take great pride in every success. That is what local is all about, and I am so proud to have spent the last 19 of my 30 year career associated with Coloff Media, And I am going to tell you – We are not going anywhere. With that in mind, I will start adding one thing to my sign off…. “Be safe, Have Fun, Shop Local, LISTENÂ local, and keep it on Cruisin KCFI.” because when we support all local business, we all win. Thanks everyone for your support, and be sure to tell your friends that local radio is alive and well, and you can hear it every day on Cruisin’ KCFI
