bring better coverage by I-1430! Look at these two maps:
SHOW NOTES ARCHIVES
FROM THE "MORNING SHOW NOTES" PAGE
These are "retired" notes and stories, saved here for your
trip down (short-term) Memory Lane
Week of November 3, 2008
Well, WION's morning show was visited on Friday the 31st of October by Glen Rairigh of Americana Auctions. As usual, our announcers had fun with our items being appraised, as a "preview" to last Saturday's Appraisal Roadshow fundraiser for the Ionia County Historical Society. Even with fantastic weather outside, the Historical Society did well with many interesting things brought to the appraisal event, and they thank you for your support! These events are fun, informative, and a way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
We're all waiting for the Political Ads to end, the election to take place and our lives to get back to some degree of "normal" after Tuesday. It seems from this announcer and businessman's chair that some people think the sky is falling. It's not. Stop to think about this for a moment.......You got up this morning. You probably had breakfast, went to work, did your usual routine, and...if you're in business, you had the same potential clients, the same bills to pay, the same responsibilities as before the Government bailouts, stock market issues, and the National media sensationalizing it all. Yes, we may have to work harder at our jobs. Be better at what we do than ever before. Be experts in our respective fields so we can best serve our clients and customers.....but, shouldn't we be doing that, anyway? And most of all, we need to PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE! Our town, our businesses, our county! WION is in the business of promoting...and every business that tunes-in or is in our area should do the same!
To keep it all in perspective, on the streets of Ionia County, WION is proud to add 3 new advertising clients this week, the town has a GREAT dinner theatre coming up from Ionia Community Theatre, and lots of enthusiasm from our new DDA director Linda; our Chamber Director Tina; and many business leaders. Don't give in to the National media's ability to depress the public. We have much to be proud-of and thankful-for. As you may know, WION's owners (this announcer included) are proud to be expanding to buy two more stations before year's end! Good things can happen in tighter economic times...but....its our job as business people and community members to see that we all work in positive directions. Call me optimistic. Call me naive. It's okay....IT'S MY JOB to be upbeat, and WION is, and always has-been! Now, what are you doing for your business....today?
Week of October 25, 2008
Well, it's been awhile since an update from the "Morning Host".
Sorry for the delay...much is happening at WION! Our engineers are working
on our signal expansion project. (the maps are below and also on the "signal
expansion" page of this website.) This will, in the daytime hours extend your
listening enjoyment well beyond where you usually hear it now, give you more
time to listen on I-96, add Lowell, Saranac, and Portland into our primary
coverage area, and generally strengthen the signal in all directions! We hope to
have this project completed before Winter!
WION is
growing and we thank you! It takes having loyal advertisers and
listeners for us to make this major investment in the Ionia County area.
We're also excited by the growth of our radio company. You may have seen
the articles in the Ionia County Shopper's Guide and the Ionia
Sentinel-Standard, that the owners of WION have agreed to purchase WSCG-AM and
WSCG-FM in Greenville and Lakeview! We're awaiting FCC approval, and all
is going smoothly. The sellers are great people, and we appreciate their coming
to us! What does this mean to you? It means WION continues to grow,
and no changes are planned! It means
if you travel North/South and you enjoy WION's programming, you can soon
continue to enjoy "The Music You Know, and the Information You Need" on 1380 AM
and 106.3FM as you travel! (after FCC approval.)
It means Ionia area Advertisers have the power of
three
radio stations if they wish to bring-in Montcalm County listeners to their
unique businesses, and of course, the reverse is true, too!
These will be independent stations from WION, not "relays" and not "simulcasts" of WION. Ionia has its own unique voices, and we believe that our programming here is a success! Montcalm County should also have its own unique voices on their airwaves, with the same style of programming! We're also very happy to announce that Jim Aaron, co-owner of WION and our Music Director will be the regular morning show host on the new stations and Station Manager for them as well. "Stay Tuned" for more details..and we thank you for the kind words many of you have sent to us since this information was made public. We don't have a target date yet, but....keep checking back...we've got GREAT things happening.
Have you heard? WION's signal
expansion project will soon
bring better coverage by I-1430! Look at these
two maps:
September first marks another anniversary for WION! It will be 4 years
since Jim Aaron and "yours truly" flipped the "on' button (on our
then old tube transmitter) and brought your county's radio station back
to life! I remember that morning. I was scared to death! I'm not sure
about Jim Aaron, but I'll bet it was the same for him. We always wanted our own
station, since working together in Angola, Indiana with Garry Osborn, now our
afternoon announcer and part of our team.
In 4 years, we've built many great friendships in the area. Many with
individuals, many with businesses, certainly many more yet to come. But, the
bottom line is, in this day of media competition, radio consolidation,
"cookie cutter" formatted stations owned by HUGE corporations, we're
NOT one of those. We're locally owned. We make our own decisions. We wanted to
bring back what we remember as "full service" radio. That means you
get some news, some sports, lots of great music, and many times, local voices
on our shows and on WION. It's not uncommon for our Chamber Director, Tina; our
DDA director Sara, our Sheriff Dwayne Dennis, City Manager Jason Eppler, City
Clerk Lynn Lafler; or others to drop-by the studios, call, or e-mail to be a
part of our programming. WION is real, local people enjoying what we do in an
exceptional small town that should be proud of what it offers both its
residents, and its visitors. And, when I say "small town", we can
actually extend that to all the towns we service in our area.
I won't say it was easy bringing back WION from its "off the air" status of 2003-2004. I won't say there weren't times that I wondered if we had in the past made the right decision. I will, however now honestly tell you, I wouldn't trade the last 4 years, nor the ones to come...for anything. Jim and I enjoy our jobs. We enjoy our station, and the people who listen, e-mail, call, and meet us at events. Radio IS people. Radio IS communication. Radio IS meant to be company to you.
Whether you tune-in for Jim Aaron's
music, the morning show, Garry Osborn's "On the Go with G.O." in the
afternoon, our features like the Twilight Zone, Retro Stars, the 90's show,
Renfro Valley, Dave Graveline's Into Tomorrow, Little Known Facts, (The soon to
be with us) CNN radio network news, or ANY part of WION, from me, Jim
Carlyle....and...from Jim Aaron your WION Music Director and co-owner, THANK YOU
for your loyalty...the past 4 years.....and....for many yet to come. We look
forward to our 4th anniversary being fun...and we hope to see you as we
celebrate at Bertha Brock Park during Ionia County's Fall fest 2008. For details
on that great event, contact Nicole Frost, Bertha Brock Park Manager at
522-PARK, or....just stay tuned..to Ionia's very own...WION.....I-1430.
-Jim Carlyle, Morning Host and
Manager, WION
Caption the above, anyone? (morning@i1430.com)
Phil Cloud and Smokey---hmmm
OUR LATEST CAPTIONING CONTEST STARRING
PHIL CLOUD
AND A PASTRY--ONE OF MANY, BROUGHT TO THE SHOW ON 8/15
S
OUR
WINNING CAPTION:
(GORDON BERNSTEIN WINS A WION COFFEE MUG WITH THIS):
"Ladies,
I'm serious...I can lick all the filling out of this without biting it!"
LOOK
AT THIS ONE, SUBMITTED THURSDAY:
Phil's recipe for corn, provided by friends of WION:
July 13, 2008
Well, its been awhile since we
updated this page, things have been busy on ol' Haynor Road! This summer
we've got Chris Gerard helping out at the studios of WION doing commercial
production, producing the afternoon show, and...most notably of late was
assisting with the severe weather which caused over 210 thousand electrical
outages in our state just a few weeks ago!
On that note, remember that when the power's off in your house or
neighborhood, we're on the air with the information you need....talking to
Consumers' Energy, getting restoration updates, and of course, keeping you
informed on any severe storms' watches, warnings, and the paths of the
storms! Most times, we beat the (Federally mandated and rather
inefficient) "Emergency Alert System" which automatically breaks into
your programming! We're proud of our severe weather coverage..and hope
you'll tune to us.....not just for weather and emergencies, but year-round!
We'll be bringing you updates on the "schedule of events" from this year's Ionia Freefair, so you'll know what's "on the schedule" and..we encourage you to drop by www.ioniafreefair.com anytime for their very EXTENSIVE and informative website! We enjoy our yearly partnership with the Ionia Freefair..and..we've got some tickets to give away to events at the fair, so stay tuned! We'll be broadcasting periodically from our location in "Antique Village" and we thank the Lamplight Grill and Rich Thompson for providing our broadcast trailer this year! Drop by anytime you see us out, and visit with WION's staff!
May 18, 2008
Lend your voice to our show! Got something to add? A guess on our wake up call question? An event going on? A thank-you from some organization we assisted with PSA's? Make sure you call us! During the morning show, and when you call our 24 hour answering machine, your voice can be used on the air! (unless you ask us not-to.) We love having YOU on the air at Ionia's I-1430!
May 31, 2008 from our "Myspace" BLOG page:
|
The words "thank
you" It's
a Friday afternoon at WION Radio. The week's morning shows are behind me,
Garry Osborn just left the building after a week of fun afternoon
shows�.we are welcoming 3 new clients ("Advertisers" to you,
as a listener) on Monday of next week..�.and�despite high gas prices
and So,
let me begin by saying, "thank you" to you, our listeners. You
are the ones who spread the word about While
we're addressing "Thank you", let me say it to those of you who
follow what we always say on WION: "Shop Locally, listen
locally." I'm going to risk sounding sappy, but..it does my
heart and head good to see people visiting and patronizing local
businesses that choose to advertise on our station. Twice now in about two
weeks, I have met Ionia City Manager Jason Eppler at Fred's Food Centre.
Today it was Dave Cook, former Manager of the Ionia Theatre. Shopping
on I
am often stopped in my local travels about something on WION. It can be
about our music, a public service project, or just a comment. How
nice it is to know that you rely on our station to be part of your
community. Sometimes WION is a catalyst, sometimes just company to
you.�sometimes for weather or information... But just knowing that in
under 4 years of hard work, And now, from me, the WION "General Manager" and Co-owner of WION�a thank you to our TEAM. We don't work "for" each other. We work together. We don't answer to bigger corporations and stockholders. Jim Aaron does a great job of music. Garry's afternoon show is fun, and like the shows we remember enjoying when we were younger, before every radio station became "like every other radio station." Our Summer Production Manager Chris Gerard is making miracles happen in the production room with our radio commercials, and�our Engineers soon begin work on the (signal) expansion project that will make WION's daytime signal stronger than it ever has been to Ionia, Portland, Lowell, Greenville, Saranac, I-96, and even�(if the maps don't lie)�.in Grand Rapids and Lansing. The maps are posted on our station website at www.i1430.com. The FCC granted us this opportunity to serve you better and we intend to do just that�but it takes our engineers working odd hours to make WION what we believe is the best sounding AM station on the dial. Best for variety of music, Best in personalities, variety of programming, and�best technical sound that we can deliver, too on an analog AM radio. (We do not endorse IBOC "digital" AM�it robs the majority of listeners of great AM sound.) There's
also my big thanks to our Friday morning "Round Table" team of
Phil Cloud, Leftlane, and most recently, "Big Mike."
Fridays are fun for all of us. A gathering of people like you'd find in
any coffee shop, all enjoying the beginning of the last day of the
traditional workweek. These guys don't HAVE TO get up and come in to
be on the radio, they choose to do so�and I am very honored that
they do. To the Engineers and Friday staff�..THANK YOU, TOO. And,
have you caught Randy Edwards Saturday feature the "Flashbacks?"
He's a radio veteran with a great show, exclusively produced for us at
WION, nobody else. Thanks, Randy! Your show is gaining popularity every
week! There
are more. Helene Dunn is no stranger to the Not
many people get to do what they love for a living�but, this announcer
(and BLOG writer) DOES. And, I have a co-owner (Jim Aaron) who
loves radio, this station�.and making things happen on the air!
I want to say publicly, and to show our readers that today's
WION is no single person's accomplishment�..to our team�"Thank
you. The
words Thank you go a long way. If you haven't told your business
associates, customers, clients, and supporters those two words�I hope I
have started a trend. A trend�that can help our community continue to
grow in all areas�.business included. Two
words. Two words that go a long way. THANK
YOU.... Jim Carlyle |
May 12, 2008
WION is part of your community, and we're proud to be part of the Ionia County Historical Society Historic Tour this weekend! (May 17th). We're 55 years old as a station, with the proud name of WION, which stands for Ionia. Our team had the option to change the call letters of your local station when we bought it, and for that matter, with Federal approval could do it anytime but..instead, we chose to keep the heritage and pride in our City and our County. Many stations don't do this anymore and give in to fancy "alternative names" for their stations. When you hear us say, "I-1430" the "I" stands for Ionia and the 1430: our obvious dial position. We're proud to be here, and we hope that you will visit us as part of the historic tour this weekend to see our modern technology and our antique radio collection as well!
Some of you have commented that you like the Michigan Radio News weekday mornings. We appreciate this. News is submitted by many Michigan radio stations to this service, which keeps us in touch with happenings all around the state. Some of this news we sometimes add our own commentary-to. Mainly when this happens its because something is being legislated that probably should be handled by "common sense" of our fellow Michigan residents. Your thoughts and opposing views are always welcomed via e-mail or on our 24 hour phone answering service. Please remember, your voice may be used on the air unless you ask us not-to. We also receive periodic press releases from The Ionia County Sheriff's department and other law-enforcement and emergency organizations on local events and news which are used when submitted. We encourage all law enforcement agencies to use our contact information to keep us and our listeners "in the loop" of local happenings, so we can better serve our audience in the best way possible. Please pass this along to those who work protecting and serving the Ionia County area!
One big thing to remember as Spring and Summer storms come our way is this: There has never been a more reliable or timely WION than now. When our team came to Ionia, we invested in an automatic generator that fully powers our station in all emergencies. Remember the 2005 ice storms? We were ON THE AIR when many stations were not. Sheriff Dwayne Dennis joined us live on the air and kept our listeners "in the know." We remind you to have your battery radios ready for Spring and Summer storms, and to know that WION will be here to keep you informed and as safe as possible during weather emergencies. It's our job and our commitment to you, our community.
And, as always, we want to thank our sponsors. The advertisers who pay our electric, gas, phone, internet, music licensing, employee wages, engineers, taxes, and all the things that it takes to keep WION going and growing. We've got many new sponsors which have joined us in the past few weeks, now part of a great cross-section of Ionia area businesses advertising on WION. All we ask of you, our listeners is this, and it's simple: SHOP LOCALLY, LISTEN LOCALLY, AND SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS WHO SUPPORT WION. Or, as Ionia Mayor Dan Balice says, "Local business, Local Radio..it's a great team..and it JUST MAKES SENSE.
Please tell our advertisers you hear them on WION. And, thank YOU for listening to Ionia's I-1430.
May 3, 2008
Well, another week has gone by, and we're into May. Beginning this monday, the "wake up call" returns to WION during the morning show, with fun trivia that is (almost) "internet proof." I love bringing you questions that tease the brain, make you think, and usually cannot be "googled." By the way, while I'm on that topic, if all you're going to do is go to the computer and TRY to find the answer, please refrain from playing. Lets make trivia FAIR for everyone, and FUN, too....I've often said, "The internet will be the death of trivia"...and, in time, perhaps I will be proven right. In the meantime, you're on the "honor system" and..we hope you'll play along and maybe win some fun WION prizes as we get ready to kick off a busy summer!
Oh, and before I forget...an exciting week...as we have tickets to give away on-air to "WWE Presents Smackdown and ECW"....a live uplink telecast from Van Andel Arena for fans of the popular event! Be listening both morning and afternoon for your chance to win...from Ionia's WION...I-1430...and....our good friends at Van Andel Arena. Details online at www.vanandelarena.com
April 22, 2008 GENERAL UPDATE....FROM OUR GENERAL MANAGER
First, an apology from me, Jim Carlyle. I should update this page more often, and from our "listener survey" on the web, this is one of the more read pages we offer. I'll try to do better. There's so much going on that it's sometimes tough to get all the info into one morning show, or one afternoon show (In the case of Garry Osborn) which is why we augment our public service and our community info on this website!
We're not only welcoming many new sponsors lately, (many of you have noticed this)...but we're also adding much more music! Jim Aaron, our music director strives to add songs that we all "remember"...and works hard each week adding more...sometimes late into the night. We hope you're enjoying what you hear!
Now, if you want to skip the "general update" and get to the show stuff, scroll down to the two yellow highlights farther down on the page. Otherwise...read on!
Some things that we frequently are asked
include: "Will you be streaming your station on the web?"
and..the answer is, "We wish we could." The laws regarding this have
gotten so out-of-hand that to do so, we would have to modify our studios to
report even more information to the recording industry than we already to
our music licensing agencies of BMI, ASCAP, and SESAC. Right now, the cost
is too high for small stations, and...many larger ones are ceasing their streams
due to over-regulation, which is common in the radio (if not every) industry.
When the organization known as "Sound Exchange' relaxes their reporting
requirements and fees, it may become a reality, but not right away. Because of
this, WION looks at other ways to serve you better. One of those ways
becomes a reality this summer as we expand our daytime coverage with an expanded
FCC daytime license which you can read about by clicking here.
This signal will put us into Lansing, Grand Rapids, and much more of I-96! We'll
keep you posted as our engineers coordinate the dates this will begin...and
you'll know the improvement by the signal strength on your radios.
Please stop by our listener survey if you have not done so already. We want to know what you think of our station! We do not collect any e-mail addresses, IP addresses, or personal information...its completely safe and confidential. Oh, and WION will never ask for any personal information via the web unless we begin a subscription service of some type. Just so you know that your responses truly are confidential!
Our Inboxes have been very busy lately with your mail, and with lots and lots....and.....lots...of SPAM...so, we had to institute a very aggressive SPAM filter for our mail. What does this mean to you? It means...if you are sending us e-mail that requires a response, and you don't get one in reasonable time, please call us to verify we got the mail. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we also feel that if your event or information is important enough to contact our station, you should always follow-up with a phone call. To those of you that already do this, thank you. To those that don't, please consider this a simple procedure to follow. We LOVE hearing from you...but......please don't assume that we have your information. Always follow up important things with a call, or a fax to 616-775-5908!
Now, more "show" stuff.... Stay tuned! The popular feature "the Wake Up Call" will return soon to WION's Monday-Thursday morning show....with prizes from our local merchants and WION. Our questions have been known to run as long as 12 weeks...and yes, we give clues. Listen in May for the return of the "wake up call" on WION.
UPCOMING VAN ANDEL ARENA GIVEAWAY.... WION has your tickets for the May 13th "WWE PRESENTS SMACKDOWN & ECW" EVENT at Van Andel Arena. A limited number of tickets will be given away for this event, which will be broadcast on national TV live from Grand Rapids that night. Be listening for your chance to score a pair of tickets from Ionia's WION, I-1430.....and visit www.vanandelarena.com for more information on this and other events! Ticket giveaways will happen both on the morning show, and Garry Osborn's afternoon show, too!
WION RADIO
WION, AM-1430,
A new person also joined the ranks of
the WION team this past week, with the addition of Peter Jeff as WION sales
associate. Peter will be visiting with many area businesses, and, in true WION
style, brings a �want to promote� attitude to the team.
Please make him welcome to
March 2, 2008
As always, WION is constantly searching for ways to bring you a better product and more service in the community. To that end, we employ a wonderful group of Engineers, who each have their specialties, but all understand the growing demands placed on AM radio stations in this "interference-generating/Buzzy and static-filled" world. Seems every time a business adds more computers it's tougher for an AM radio to get a clean signal in the building in which the growing number of computers resides.
Over the weekend, we had an engineer here in the late night hours making some audio adjustments which are part of the "bigger picture" for 2008. As you may recall, or have seen elsewhere on this site, we have a signal expansion project planned for this year, likely late in the summer or early Autumn. We're constantly in preparation for the upcoming projects that will benefit our listeners in the long run, and did some of the preparation over the weekend of March 1st.
This is why we're interested especially now in hearing from our regular listeners both near and far! How do we sound? Are we as strong as ever? Stronger? How is the sound? Full? Clear? Clean? Crisp? How would you describe it? Do you hear a difference since the weekend of March 1st? It all helps us to know how our technical adjustments, additions, and plans are progressing. We're by no means done with our plans, and that's why WION, specifically yours-truly wants to hear from you. Please do e-mail the station, and use my personal e-mail, to "carlyle@i1430.com" which will directly come to me, so I can hear how you like the quality of sound WION puts out, and how our signal is doing in your neighborhood. I'd really like to hear from you.
I'm a bit of a geek myself, and at times, I wish I had gone into radio engineering, but...I get my engineering "fix" by hanging out with our knowledgeable and creative engineers when they visit WION. If I had it to do all over again, I'd be a weekender on the air, and a full-time engineer, but...that's not what I was meant to do, I guess. I hated math and formulas....which is needed in these computer-based radio years.
No comment is to silly, small, insignificant, or absurd in this request...(Much like the old "wake up call" that we do now and then on the morning show.)...and I hope to hear from you soon......
-Jim Carlyle
WION Manager and Morning Host
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
My how time flies! Seems like just yesterday we were attempting to bring you live coverage of Groundhog Day from Pennsylvania, and here we are closing in on the end of February! Those of you who have passed our station have noted that our sign reading, "6 more weeks of winter, unlimited weeks of music" has not changed. Its because nobody has wanted to trek out TO the sign in the yard. I'm considering putting up, "sign closed for the winter, radio station always open!" (so we don't have to change the sign in bad weather.) Other nominations for sign slogans are welcome, just e-mail me at the address on our main web page and we'll see what YOU have to say about WION!
In the meantime, stay tuned...this Thursday and Friday we've got tickets to the Blue Man Group concert in Grand Rapids for Sunday night. It'll be a great concert, with your chance to win twice on Thursday and twice on Friday! Garry Osborn's afternoon show on Thursday, and the morning show both Thursday and Friday have your tickets to win....and we hope you're a winner! Its going to be a "high energy" show....and a very interesting one. Learn more about Blue Man Group on the main page of our website by clicking on their picture. And, click on the link to Van Andel Arena to learn more about upcoming concerts and events! We thank Van Andel Arena for partnering with WION for the first time!!! Nice to be working with them!
We also had multiple requests on Wednesday morning for the information on the "Pothole" contest going on statewide. Get details at www.drivemi.org and you can submit your own digital photos from camera or phone, and have a chance at winning $318. But DO be careful....WION wanted to host a contest like this, but...it can be dangerous taking pictures IN the road.....but....because so many asked about this link and this contest as posted in the Michigan Radio Network news this morning, now you have it. BE CAREFUL....we need you around!
Groundhog Day, 2008
(February 2nd, 2008)
We all have a few disappointments that stand out in our lives. The kind that kids usually have when something they really want doesn't happen. There have been 3 major personal disappointments I can remember in my life. The first is hard to admit. I was a youngster, probably all of 7 years old or so.....and a big fan of "Star Trek" and.. in Detroit, Leonard Nimoy of "Mr. Spock" fame was making an appearance at a Detroit-area function. My parents planned to take me....then came the dreaded..."Michigan Winter Weather" and that trip was off. The second disappointment came many years later, when Garrison Keillor of NPR's "Prairie Home Companion" was to do his show live from Purdue University. I had friends at Purdue, and even though it was a "sold out" show, I could have been an usher at the show to see it, and I would gladly have done-so! That show was not meant for my eyes, as my father, then advanced in years, was hospitalized, and I worried that I couldn't leave him to go to that performance (It would have been a long drive from Southern Michigan) though he would have wanted me to enjoy myself! I didn't go to that show. Dad did survive that hospitalization and we enjoyed a few more years together before he died at age 91. Then...the third major disappointment......this weekend...where I had hoped to bring two "new" broadcasters to a National event, and report it for local radio because...well...nobody does this on a small-town station! (pause, sigh..) Enter Mother Nature...and ..........(insert dramatic music here...)
Well, I had hoped around this time of Groundhog Day morning to be wandering the streets of Punxsutawney, PA with broadcasters "Leftlane" and Russ Martin. Our usual FOX news radio update at the top of the hour has brought Ionia listeners the news that "Phil" the Groundhog did indeed see his shadow.
The trip this year was just not meant to be, I guess.....we had a daunting forecast which included first a "winter storm watch" which then became a "heavy snow warning." Even with that, our team had our rented all-wheel drive vehicle loaded and ready to go! We left on Friday morning, and headed out across a snow-covered and slower moving I-96, to a much worse kept I-69 South. The farther South we got, the worse the road, until packed ice was more common in the better of the two lanes, a snow-covered passing lane was treacherous, and the decision was made that a usual 8-hour drive would turn to 12 to 16, along with frayed nerves and the always present possibility of an accident.
Had my father been alive to worry, he probably would have been calling to check in on us constantly. So, after 2 and a half hours of travel only getting us down to U.S. 12, we decided to err on the side of caution, and called off the broadcast and the trip for Groundhog Day this year.
We'll try again next year, and...having personally attended Groundhog Day in 2007 for WION along with "Tech Nick" and Devin, I can tell you it is worth the drive when weather cooperates and is a shining example of American small town festivals....that is tough to rival.
To the sponsors who signed-up, we thank you for your confidence in us, and hopefully next year, we can count on you again......if Mother Nature cooperates. And, we hope that at least the talk of the trip on behalf of our sponsors created some buzz in their businesses. If it provided some free advertising and helped folks to talk about you, this is a good thing!
The groundhog reported six more weeks of winter at Gobbler's Knob this morning. Lets all get through it, thinking Spring, and....looking forward to all the fun broadcasting yet to come in 2008 on Ionia's radio station...WION....the local station that thinks....BIG!
-Jim Carlyle
WION Morning Host and Manager
( Archived 9-29-07) WION encourages you to take in the 2007 Ionia County Fall Festival, September 15th at Bertha Brock Park. It's just west of Ionia on M-21, and great family fun! There will be food vendors, organizations and clubs "showing off" what they do, and all in a celebration of Autumn. And, you may just see WION's staff enjoying this with you! For questions, call the Park, and Nicole Frost, Park Manager at (616) 522-PARK!
1) Our "myspace" page has been updated with event pictures. Some are different than the ones on this site, so visit our myspace account now and then....feel free to leave a comment, and..we'll do the "add friends" thing as time permits. If you're on the friends list, we can also send out "bullitens" of our events and programming changes to you! WION is showing up on some listener's "myspace" account as a favorite music/listening activity! Feel Free to make active links to this website! We appreciate your endorsement of our radio station...and are working to make WION "Your" station!
2) Thank you to everyone who attended the Ionia Classic Car and Truck show downtown on Saturday June 2nd. Tom Millard was our remote broadcaster, and did a fantastic job of bringing all the excitement of the event to your radios, right up to the time that Mother Nature brought a severe thunderstorm our way.
3) Speaking of weather, you shoud know by now...that...when it looks like there is threatening weather outside, tune your radio to WION, 1430 on the AM dial. Our staff is experienced in bringing you complete up-to-date weather information, and is part of the Emergency Alert System for West Michigan. We announce only the facts, in a clear, concise manner for your information and safety. And, even if YOUR POWER goes out, we're always ON THE AIR with our backup generator, keeping WION At FULL POWER during any emergency. When the "out of town" stations are off the air or not addressing Ionia, we always do. Oh, and...would you buy some batteries right after you read this, or at least put them on your shopping list? It really helps if you can hear us...(without having to sit in your car during severe weather.)
4) WION welcomes new sponsors regularly.....If you're a fan of Dave Graveline's "Into Tomorrow" feature weekday mornings and in the noon hour, you'll want to know that the morning edition is sponsored by "Ionia Host Dot Com"..visit them online..(but spell it the way you spell a web-address in your browser.) We thank these good folks for coming on board and sponsoring part of WION's great programming.
If you have not "poked around" on our website, please DO! Our summer is getting busy before it even starts! We've got a full schedule of remotes and appearances for WION, and, as they become available, we'll add them to our google calendar page. The google calendar is convenient, and can integrate with YOUR personal google calendar, too! We encourage you to try this online scheduling feature for yourself! (and join us at our broadcasts throughout the area!)
WE RECORD CALLS TO OUR STUDIO....And, we appreciate your lending your voice to our airwaves! Listeners love to hear each other, and we give you many chances to be part of our shows....with the Wake Up Call in the morning, Phil Cloud's Midday Mischief Show, and...with Garry in the afternoon, too! On the weekends, Call Jim Aaron and let him know what you enjoy most about the music on WION! He's our Music Director, and host of the Saturday "Radio Extravaganza" from 9 to 12 Noon each Saturday. If you would prefer to not have your voice recorded, we will respect your wishes..however, when soliciting calls for opinions, contests, and feedback, unless you tell us otherwise, you will be recorded for possible airing! Thank you for being part of our programming with your voices on the phones!
Questions have recently been sent to us about our music, and in the form of compliments. Why DO we play things the out of town stations and FM's don't? It all goes back to the entire philosophy that Jim Carlyle and Jim Aaron, owners of WION have regarding this station....we do things BECAUSE WE CAN! This radio station is unique. It exists in a small town, where we also still have our own town's print media alive and well. We bring local information. Music. News. Road Conditions, and we're "company" to you in your home, place of business, or car 24 hours a day. There is no "corporate" entity telling us we can't do something, or that we HAVE to only play these 279 songs over and over. We have combined announcer experience of over 100 years behind the microphone if you add it all up...(that way we don't individually seem as old...) and, we work very hard to make Ionia and the surrounding areas a better place to live and work. In that spirit, we're glad you have stopped by our website, we're glad you listen to our station, and..we encourage you to do 2 things for us:
1) Thank our sponsors. They are the ones that pay the bills for WION with their advertising dollars, and keep us improving our service to you.
2) Encourage local businesses to advertise locally. Our listening business list is growing, you'll find it on our main page. It proves that WION is a force in the business community not only here in Ionia but well beyond.
3)Keep checking in with us, calling and e-mailing. Exciting things for WION are on the horizon and planning board for 2007, all of which will contribute to this being the BEST WION you have ever known. So, in closing this part of the show notes, WE THANK YOU!
Every Weekday:
WION salutes and thanks businesses that are listening to us! Its called our "Listening Business of the Day" and actually, we have grown to having so many folks tuned-in at work that we now salute more than one per day. What a nice situation to have! If you have not yet let us know you are listening in your place of business, please do! E-mail Jim Carlyle at carlyle@i1430.com or you can fax us at 616-775-5908, (local to Ionia) or just call us! We'd love to have you as a listening business. And remember, businesses are listening to your ads on WION! You can download a copy of the listening business list from our main page at www.i1430.com or get there by clicking on the banner at the top of this page! We appreciate all our listening businesses!
Birthdays and Anniversaries: every morning at 7:15 and during the Garry Osborn afternoon show. Send your birthdays to us to a "New for 2007" e-mail address of "birthdays@i1430.com" and we'll get that special event (birthday, anniversary, retirement, etc) "on the air" at Ionia's I-1430!
Spam bothering you? It was keeping us busy, too. We ran across a piece of software to try called "Spambully 3. " It is free to try, and inexpensive to buy once you see that it works. It can monitor multiple e-mail accounts (like WION has) and...will send what you teach it as spam to a special folder. It can also put some in a folder for "un-sure" so they don't go to the "bad" folder..and..it learns your habits, e-mail contacts and more. It's worth a try. go here for a trial of Spambully 3, and if you like it, return to their page and buy! Just make sure you tell 'em WION sent you! (Properly used, this should help your spam level if not your blood pressure....please refer to them for all technical support as WION is not affiliated with this company and does not offer support for use of the software. We just LIKE it! You can also learn more about it by clicking on their link below.
WION was a proud sponsor of the March of Dimes walk in Ionia on Saturday, May 18th. Many walkers who came by our Cleveland Street checkpoint registered for a drawing for a pair of free Cedar Point Tickets. Ms. Bush from Big Rapids was the winner, and glad to be a part of the March of Dimes walk each year in Ionia. Congratulations from WION!
Make sure you're up to date on our remote locations where we'll be broadcasting from this Spring and Summer! June 2nd we're in downtown Ionia for a classic car and truck show......and there are more locations and celebrations on our google calendar page on this website. Visit us on location, and enjoy the summer...with Ionia's I-1430!
There's exciting news for WION and its listeners! On April 30th, WION's Federal application for a better coverage area was granted by the FCC in Washington, D.C. Read more by reading the whole story and the details by clicking here. This permit allows WION to make modifications to improve our signal and service to area towns, the I-96 corridor, and more. Be patient.....it will take some time to make it all happen, but be assured, we're working every day to make I-1430 the best WION you have ever known!
There's a couple new programs coming to WION that we know you'll enjoy! Be listening Sunday mornings at 9AM for our new show, "Retro Stars" with Dave Stewart, also known as "The Nineties Show!" Its two hours of 1990's music, news, events, audio clips, and more..that will take you back to where you were when the music being played was popular! Jim Aaron, our music director has carefully selected from MANY choices in music programs before adding this to our growing station, and we hope you enjoy it! Please let us know by sending us e-mail from the front page links on this website. We hope you'll tune in each week for "Retro Stars" on Sundays, from Ionia's I-1430! Web-visitors here can get a preview of what the program offers by going to www.retrostars.com
A second new feature program is being added in the noon hour Monday through Friday. Its called, "Little Known Facts" with your host Chaz Allen. It's True stories of Americana, and an interesting feature exclusive to WION in this area! Tune in just after Dave Graveline's "Into Tomorrow" and enjoy "Little Known Facts" on I-1430. And, of course, all day and all night, it's the "Music you Know, and the Information you Need!"
Thanks to our web-readers for your patience as we update our site. More pictures of the "heave on the eve" have been added on a second page dedicated to our recent event on the library lawn. There are some excellent pictures on the site, and more to be added from our friend "Goose", soon....please check back often.
If you have not "poked around" on our website, please DO! Our summer is getting busy before it even starts! We've got a full schedule of remotes and appearances for WION, and, as they become available, we'll add them to our google calendar page. The google calendar is convenient, and can integrate with YOUR personal google calendar, too! We encourage you to try this online scheduling feature for yourself! (and join us at our broadcasts throughout the area!)
WION has a basic "myspace" page. As mentioned on this page in the past, some of you have included US in your myspace pages, mainly complimenting the music we play and that you enjoy listening. We thank you for this! Our myspace page is simple, but...by your suggestion it is up and running. Drop by www.myspace.com/I1430. We'll update it whenever time permits. Please remember that the official online home of WION is right here, on our own website!
Something crossed my desk this early morning of
April 11th...here it is:
First thing in the morning after breakfast, what do you do ... you look for
the weather, right? Now you won't have to! A college kid has designed a
toaster that will burn your forecast directly into your toast! The toaster connects
to the Internet, downloads information, and then changes the burn pattern on your toast
depending on what the forecast is... rain, sun, clouds, snow, etc.
So, here's MY question....aside from a toaster, where would YOU like to see your "instant forecast?
THE BATHROOM WALL?
THE BATHROOM MIRROR?
THE SIDE OF YOUR COFFEE MUG?
e-mail us your ideas to: morning@i1430.com
Look for WION out and about this Spring and Summer! Remote broadcast dates are already filling up, June is a busy one with a car show downtown, the Ionia Car Dealers' event at Michigan One Community Credit Union and more! If you are contemplating having WION broadcast from your business' event, please contact Tom Millard, Sales Manager of WION at 902-6204 soon!
On behalf of the Ionia County Historical Society, thank you to anyone who brought an item on March 21st for appraisal by Glen from Americana Auctions. The fundraiser was a huge success, with people coming from as far as Caro and the Mackinaw City area! Your support of events like this help the historical society sponsor things like this Spring's Home Tour in Ionia, and the upkeep of the Blanchard House Museum in Ionia. WION is also spearheading an effort for local businesses and individuals to sponsor "a week of heat" for the Blanchard House next winter. Even at a barely safe 55 degrees, keeping this beautiful Ionia attraction heated in the winter costs the society around $600 a month. Americana Auctions has stepped up with the first week's heat donation for 2007, and we'd like your help. Listen on WION for how you can adopt a week in the Winter of 2007, and watch here for details, too!
For those of you following the "Daylight Savings Time" saga and its effect on WION and similar (AM) radio stations, Last week (March 5-11th) the FCC gave back permission on a temporary basis for WION to broadcast with increased power, known as "Pre Sunrise Authority" beginning at 6AM with the morning show. We have also temporarily been allowed to "power up" the station at 7AM, the time usually reserved for April Daylight Savings time. The FCC is re-evaluating its decision and correcting errors made in the original decision which, adversely affected our signal to you in the morning. We all await the new FCC rules which will be imposed due to the new Daylight Savings Time arriving earlier this year. We also thank Congressman Vern Ehlers' office for expediting our concerns to the FCC. They were most helpful in expressing our concerns and we want to publicly thank his office.
The "Wake up Call" question started on January 2nd of this year FINALLY got answered, with Dawn Ketchum of the Ionia Area Chamber of Commerce successfully figuring out the answer! Dawn, Congratulations from WION! There are many people thankful to you for getting the answer, and we hope you enjoy your prize package. As I said on the radio, it seems appropriate...we always say, "Shop Locally, Listen Locally", so what could be more local than our Chamber Director winning the prize package? Please take time to congratulate Dawn, and drop by the Ionia Chamber's website at www.ioniachamber.org to keep up on local events. (or to send Dawn a note of congratulations!)
WION apologizes in advance for any difficulty you may have in receiving our signal during the morning hours in the next few weeks. It's a difficult situation to explain, but in a nutshell, due to what is known as the "U.S. Energy Policy Act of 2005", (the act which moved Daylight Savings Time to March this year) The Federal Communications Commission, in addition to causing our "power up" times to be delayed in March under the earlier switch to Daylight Savings Time also re-calculated the power we are allowed to transmit at certain "critical" hours. Thus, our transmitted power will be lower during the Morning Show than it has been. (As I-1430 we had received authorization to raise power slightly at 6AM which is now null and void.) This change has affected many AM stations, not just WION, and we are working diligently with our FCC attorney, our Engineering Firm, and even our U.S. Congressman's office to see how soon our pre-sunrise power may be restored. Rest assured we are working as fast as we can, and will keep you posted. Thank you for your patience, stay with us....Exciting things are planned for our signal this year...and we'll keep you posted! If you feel this change adversely affected your ability to listen to local information, I encourage you to contact us for a copy of a letter you may send to the FCC and to your Congressman.
Please join us at "Ionia EXPO 2007" at Ionia High School on Saturday March 10th! We'll be broadcasting from our booth, bringing "The Music You Know and the Information You Need" to EXPO, and...highlighting some of the businesses, (old or new) that are exhibitors! As of this writing, booth space is still available by contacting the Ionia Area Chamber of Commerce, and...our Ionia EXPO Advertising Package is only $99 per business and..just for having us help promote your business on the air, you get a bonus as well! Call Tom Millard at 902-6204, or Jim Carlyle at WION for details! You'll want to "Think Spring" when you hear how WION can help kickstart your business before Springtime! (and remember, its an early Spring according to the Groundhog...)
In watching Television recently, I see that the "tube" does have one thing that radio does not. The ability to "resurrect" the dead. Have you seen the Orville Redenbacher commercials with him and an mp3 player? When I first saw this, I thought it was a cruel joke, and a bad "skit" from some cable channel. It's not. In fact, there is an article on it calling Orville a "Pitch Zombie"...read the article by going here: http://adage.com/columns/article?article_id=114421 I was waiting for a punch line, or something similar. Apparently not. The man died in 1995. Seeing him "brought to life" in a new commercial to me is creepy. I'm interested in your thoughts. Share them with us by e-mailing to: morning@i1430.com . The commercial video can be downloaded at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVBGUo2qz-o
(Archived Feb 13, 2007) Well, we DID it! We successfully took our WION microphones (well, headsets, anyway) to Gobbler's Knob in PA for Groundhog Day. It was great fun for this week's crew of "Tech" Nick, Animal, and yours truly. The thing about a trip like this is that you never know what may face you when you get there....like, Will the special phone line work? Will your neighbors' equipment interfere with yours? (we were next to KDKA in Pittsburgh, and just 2 booths from ABC radio and Jim Hickey, reporter.....) Will the batteries hold out? How many interviews will we be able to get? and...other things.....There's also the factor of our timing in PA meeting up with timing back at the WION studios. Looking back on this weekend, I'd say the trip and the broadcast were a huge success. With FOX news to get the announcement on, and with our coverage of events leading INTO the actual prediction, and now with many pictures and interviews on our radio station website, we hope that you have enjoyed the efforts of many people..including Jim Aaron and Phil Cloud, back here in the WION studios. We also hope you will remember, as you spread the word about Ionia's I-1430 that we do these things BECAUSE WE CAN..and...that nobody else in Michigan made the trek! Your local radio station provided reports to the Michigan Talk Radio Network, along with WCSR, WGDN, and..even to a syndicated morning show aired in Michigan, (though they called us, interrupting our breakfast and with our cellphone batteries weak...we did our best to "phil" them in before needing to recharge.) I think another interesting thing of note is that ABC news, and KDKA seemed impressed both with our presence at a National event, and...with some of the technology we brought with us to secure the interviews and audio that is now part of this website. Proof that local radio is still creative, fun, and innovative. YOUR community's radio station helped put Ionia on the map! We enjoyed our time with our broadcasting associates at Gobbler's Knob who now know that Ionia, Michigan exists! In closing our Groundhog Day thoughts... as in all things you enjoy on I-1430, please THANK OUR SPONSORS you'll find on the Groundhog Day pages (now two pages) and...remember as you are out and about....even ONE mention to a sponsor that you appreciate them being on the radio helps WION to grow, and helps cement the "buy locally, listen locally" creed by which we try to operate WION! On behalf of "Tech" Nick, Animal, and me, Jim Carlyle....thank you for listening..and please enjoy the Groundhog pages at www.i1430.com.
Archived on December 20th...
( Sunday September 30th, 2007) Remember the phrase, "I'm bored!" It made your parents angry at you when you were young..and you know what? It still irks some people today. It irks me. I get told sometimes, "There's nothing to do in Ionia!...small towns don't offer entertainment!" (insert obnoxious game show buzzer here!) We're ending up a busy month of September and entering October with a plate FULL of events in the area.
In September we had the Ionia County Fallfest at Bertha Brock Park! We celebrated WION's 3rd anniversary as Ionia County's radio station...(with big expansion plans in place and federally approved for Spring 2008!)
October brings another antiques "roadshow appraisal" to Eclectic Gallery, Main Street, Ionia on September 21st...where for only $5 per item, you can find what your dusty, ugly, old antiques are worth...and... at the same time....be helping the Ionia County Historical Society! It's entertaining just to attend.....and...at a wonderful venue....the Theatre inside Eclectic Gallery! Americana Auctions Owner Glen Rairigh is your appraiser, and you won't believe how entertaining this event can be! Listen to WION on Friday, October 19th for Glen to join us on the morning show with some "radio appraisals"...(items will be posted on this website so you can see what he appraises!) Mark your calendar to be at Eclectic Gallery on October 21st for this event. Speaking of which, Ionia Community Theatre's presentation of "A series of One Act Plays" will be held there, too....early in the month on October 4th-7th. Please attend these events, and thank Celia of "Eclectic Gallery" for offering her store for these events.. which includes this very neat theatre.......in fact, why not look around while you visit?
Then, on October 25th, a Thursday, it's the "Chili Dawg Challenge" in downtown Ionia. You say you love Chili Dawgs? BE HERE...for this event, which benefits Big Brothers, Big Sisters! Once again this year, Jim Dreyer, famous long-distance swimmer will be here, on the radio and at this great event. The Chamber and area churches also help fill up almost all of Main Street with events, making October 25th a truly family day on Main Street, Ionia. If you're new to town, don't miss this. If you've never attended, (with all due respect) GET OFF YOUR DUFF and come to the celebration. You can see how much fun it is by visiting the videos of the past two years, links to them are on our main page of this website.
WION will also again this year be broadcasting live from Portland on October 14th! We've got tickets to the famous Portland St. Pat's Fall Festival & smorgasbord, and we're very proud to be invited to broadcast from this yearly Autumn event. Truly a part of Portland, and it brings people from all over the Ionia County area. Join us...and, as with all our advertisers and events we cover, please make an effort to thank the people who invite us to their events, their stores, and those who you hear regularly as sponsors on the radio. We tell you this frequently, and we hope you will: "SHOP LOCALLY, LISTEN LOCALLY"...we all win when you do this!
So, in October, I, personally don't want to hear the words, "I'm bored" and "There's nothing to do in Ionia".....On the contrary....the big city should be so lucky to have the events we do, and it's our job to spread the word, and to bring more attention to Ionia..which hosts so many neat events for everyone.
A few thoughts of Thanks from the WION Team...
It's 3 years since our team pushed the "on" button to the old tube-transmitter at WION, and gave new life to the call letters, "WION." That morning, Jim Aaron our Music Director and Co-owner co-hosted the morning show, to we don't know how many people! We were visited on that morning show by (then) Ionia Chamber Director Dawn Ketchum who is now Ionia Dial-a-ride director. We also had a visit from Bill Weisgerber, welcoming our new team to Ionia on behalf of the Ionia Freefair.
Fast-forward 3 years! WION has a new solid-state transmitter and sound processing, giving you the BEST sound you've ever heard from WION. We have made some great friends, and wonderful partnerships with area organizations like the Ionia Theatre, Historical Society, Freefair, United Way of Ionia County, March of Dimes, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and even with other media...The Sentinel-Standard and Ionia County Shopper's Guide. To make a long story short, we are proud and thankful for these, and all our friendships and ties in our community, extending well beyond the Ionia City and County lines.
As you may know, in 2008 we have even more great things planned. The Spring of 2008 will bring a signal expansion project that will give a cleaner, stronger signal to everyone, and cover areas this station has not been able-to since it began. (see our signal expansion project page on this website.) When this project is done, Lowell, Saranac, Portland, and much more of I-96, even into Lansing and Grand Rapids will be able to tune in WION! It will take some time, and we'll certainly keep you posted. but the growth and re-vitalizing of your local station is well underway because of your support, and a team of dedicated radio professionals.
As owners, Jim Aaron and I both want to thank you for your continued support! Our listeners are important to us, and..probably more-so than in larger cities. We SEE you on the street. We MEET you at events, and we are part of your community. We are proud to be here as WION's owners, and we are grateful for being here.
There are some people that you may never see who make what we do possible, too. A big thank you goes out to our engineering team. Ed Trombley, Don Baad, and Wayne Reese of Munn-Reese, Inc. Coldwater have helped with all our planning. Ralph Haines works behind the scenes to keep us "tuned in" when he's not on the air and working at his own station in Gladwin, WGDN. And, Chris Arnaut, Engineer--(our good friend for many years before Jim and I bought WION) helped get us "on the air" and is a great consultant to us! These folks, and the close friends who have encouraged both Jim Aaron and I to own, operate, and grow WION have all contributed to our success as a station and as a business.
And, from me, Jim Carlyle....a personal thank you to my closest friends who are always "there" when I need ideas, encouragement, and so many times...just a visit at the studios! I hope that all small business owners have such wonderful friends as I have been fortunate to have in my life..and in my career.
We look forward to more years at WION as your local radio station....and hope to meet many more friends as we begin our 4th year in your community, and from Jim Aaron and I, a sincere "Thank you" to you all.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE SOMEONE'S DAY? Nominate them for the "Sid's Super citizen" award of the week on WION! All it takes is telling us WHY you'd like this person to receive the award. It could be for someone who always smiles at the grocery store....a bank teller who was kind...someone who helped you start your car...etc..etc..etc...Make sure we know WHO they are...and how to reach them, and you. Fax, e-mail, or call us with all this information...and on Friday mornings in the 8AM hour, we'll award someone the "Sid's Super Citizen Award" of the week...from Sid's Flowers and WION! There's a special E-mail link on the top of our main page on this site! Let us know who does nice things for you...today!
WION's "Myspace" site is available for you to enjoy.....search myspace for WION RADIO as the name...and you'll find us there. This, however is the site where our most important things are put on for the world to
ARCHIVED JANUARY 23, 2008
December 20, 2007
Things have been busy for our WION Family......we're working in our own homes on getting ready for the Christmas Holiday......and, at the studios, we are excited about the new year! In 2008 we'll begin a project in the spring which I've written about before, which will provide a stronger signal in all the area. To the South, you'll hear us longer on I-96! Our signal should be strong enough for good radios to hear us in Lansing and in Grand Rapids! We'll be bringing our friends in Portland, Saranac and Lowell all into our primary daytime coverage area, and...this allows us to better serve you, our listeners and friends. The project begins in the Spring of 2008 and will be the biggest improvement to WION in over 50 years!
To loosely quote the 1930's Christmas Carol that we bring you on Christmas Eve each year (substituting our call letters for their sponsor) , "As the old year draws to a close, we at WION feel a bond of warmth and Gratitude to you, our friends, sponsors, and listeners."
To our listeners, who tune in each day at work, in cars, and at home...two words: "Thank you." To our clients whose confidence in us translates to growth of your local radio station, two words: "Thank you." And...to everyone who has been continually spreading the word about the unique qualities of WION Radio here in Ionia, those two same words: "Thank you."
We know that you have many choices, not only in radio listening but...in general time spent with your entertainment! It is truly a compliment that you choose WION amongst the choices of stations, internet, local and satellite/cable TV, and other human "diversions."
From all of us, our on-air staff, Sales, engineering and everyone who helps us on a daily basis to bring WION to you, we all say, "Thank you"...and..."Merry Christmas!"
Jim Carlyle, Manager and owner,
Jim Aaron, Music Director and Co-owner,
WION
THE
WAKE UP CALL ON THE MORNING SHOW WAS ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, MAY 20:
IN LOS ANGELES, BACON STRIPS WERE USED IN SUCH A WAY THAT THEY LOST AN
INDIVIDUAL A PUBLIC PRIVILEGE. WHAT DID THE INDIVIDUAL DO WITH THEM?
THE GENTLEMAN USED THEM AS BOOKMARKS IN HIS LIBRARY BOOKS. THE
LIBRARIAN FINALLY REVOKED HIS (LIBRARY) CARD AFTER NUMEROUS TELEPHONE CALLS,
LETTERS AND FACE-TO-FACE PLEAS TO STOP DOING THIS! CONGRATULATIONS
TO MARTY THALISON, OUR WAKE UP CALL WINNER FOR THIS QUESTION!
THE
WORLD'S FIRST ELECTRONIC WHAT WAS INVENTED IN THE YEAR 1978?
CLUE # 1:THIS ITEM COULD BE USED
ALMOST ANYWHERE!
CLUE #2: THIS
ITEM WAS AROUND BEFORE 1978, BUT NOT "ELECTRONIFIED"
CLUE #3 "MUSICAL."
GUESSES: Pocket Calculator, e-mail, cordless
phone, fax machine, LCD screen, cell phone, Video disk player, Satellite TV,
Rechargeable battery, Electric Can opener, Electric knife, Sony Walkman,
Electric Typewriter, Artificial Heart, Vehicle Electronic Ignition, Cat
Skinner, bionic inventions, Electric Piano, Electronic camera flash, Electric
car speed control, Water softener or purifier, Catalytic converter, Humidifier,
Photocopy machine, Magnetic video tape, Black light, Stopwatch, Pacemaker,
Electric car brakes, Solar energy systems, LCD displays, Hot melt glue gun,
Electric toothbrush, Electronic gas gauge,watch with electronic chime, push
button telephone, Texas instruments speak & spell (had one years ago),
electronic language translator,accordion, harmonica, kazoo.
THE ANSWER: ELECTRONIC BAGPIPES!