Radio Stations Are Not Stationary

          Only decades ago the radio was a staple item in every house. Families would set aside time to huddle around the radio and listen to their favorite program or baseball game. Radio jockey’s (D.J.’s) were celebrities to many. Now with the iPod, television and online radio, such as Pandora, it seems like the radio has been put on the top shelf left to rust. Yet, the Radio is still thriving by those who listen to it on their way to work instead of plugging in their iPod. There still are D.J.’s whose lives and paychecks are centered around the radio, and it all starts with the station.

            The physical location of the radio station tends to be overlooked by most people. Yet, that is where your favorite music is aired from, and the back bone of that station. Most radio buildings, like the one for Static Radio and KNKT, which is located on the Calvary Chapel Albuquerque campus, are not open to the public. I say this because to get in you have to have a special magnetic card that opens the doors after you swipe it. When you walk through two doors you see a small guest area, and lot of thought was put into where every item should be place; yet it still seems a bit awkward considering one of the huge black sofas sits halfway into the walkway with a fung shway paper room divider. To your right of the guest room there is an extremely small kitchen area with a sink, a few cabinets, and an old fashion water jug with small plastic cups to drink from. There is a small table usually adorned with food like muffins, donuts or danishes. When you walk past the divider to your left there are cubbies for all of the staff, to the front a conference room and to your left a door with a long dark hallway usually with no lights on.  After the cubbies on your left there is a hallway that leads into the actually station part itself. Walking through it on your left there is a wall full of gizmos and gadgets going from floor to ceiling.  It almost feels like something from a science fiction movie with TV screens covered with paper and so many contraptions. Then you see a circular shaped room with a total of five extremely small rooms. Each room has a purpose, one is an office of sorts, one is for tracking, one is for live radio, another is a media room for all the music and setting up playlist and another is a technology type room. Tracking is when the D.J. says things like you were listening to blank band and song. It is so they can be on the radio without having to be in the studio. That is how someone is talking on the radio at two in the morning. Each room has its own set of buttons and contraptions.  

Pastor Scott Thom

The room I am most familiar with is the one I use every Saturday morning with my father. There is a table jetting out of the wall with four microphones that my dad said reminded him of Doctor Octavian, and headphone set for each mic. Since the majority of the jockey’s are men there are multiple comic book action figures and marvel movie posters as décor.There is a telephone and two computer screens. Our show is called No Other Doctrine.  It is a live ask the pastor show.  From nine to ten people can call in and ask my dad, Pastor Scott, any question pertaining to the Christian religion and doctrine.

Radio is more than just the buttons and gizmos to the jockey’s and to me. I know my life has changed, granted not dramatically, but in small ways. I have been on television because of the program. My father and I were interviewed on the show God Answers Prayer, and it was televised nationwide. We also had our show on stations in a total of five different states with a potential of four and a half million listeners. I have had a few moments when someone said, “Are you Pastor Scott’s daughter from the radio show?” It has made me more outgoing and a more confident public speaker. Even just my few minutes on air with my father every Saturday has impacted my life, and it all started with a building and the station KNKT.

Matt Gentry and Steve Jeter

Imagine what that means to the guys who have dedicated their lives to radio. Like Steve Jeter and Matt Gentry who are the main two jockeys on the other station in the same building Static Radio. Static radio is a Christian music radio station. But every weekday morning Matt and Steve have a talk show called The Old Man and The Steve. They have a wide range of listeners from teenagers to grandmothers who enjoy their silly antics. The two men feed off each other well comedy wise.  They have people recognizing their voices all the time and wanting to meet them. They get to meet bands that come through and play shows in Albuquerque. Gentry and Jeter have a platform on the radio to guide and lead people. The amount of influence they have must be intimidating.

My suspicion was confirmed by Matt Gentry when I held a brief interview with him. I asked him how he got started in radio. He replied telling me he was going through the police academy and it just didn’t feel right so he got an internship with a studio, and received a job shortly after. When I asked him how he got involved with the stations at the Calvary Campus he replied simply, “It was 1993 I applied, I got the job.” His short response comes from his very sarcastic humor. During the interview I asked him what it was like to be on a Christian radio station, and he revealed to me that working in a ministry can have the greatest rewards and at the same time the biggest difficulties. There is a lot of drama in radio according to Matt. In my final few questions I asked him how being on the radio has changed or influenced his life, and he told me that radio has allowed him to be himself, which is goofy and outgoing. My favorite response I received from Gentry was what do you wish to accomplish on the radio? He replied with a serious tone, “My goal is to be awesome!” Of course I knew he said it to get a reaction from me, but in seriousness he said he wished to make an impact on someone’s life. To have someone tell him you have really helped me or changed my life because of your ministry. I truly do believe he has influenced the lives of many.

The influence of jockeys on these particular stations is affected by the location of the stations. Since the stations are on the campus of Calvary they are reaching people on more of a spiritual level. People are always walking in and out of the doors of Calvary and they learn about the stations. As well the jockeys promote Calvary so there is a mutual relationship. With having the campus at their disposal they have been able to have outreaches that have allowed the gospel to be shared, and people can meet their favorite jockeys. Being that it is a Christian campus and stations each ministry comes with its own set of difficulties. They hold different standards from other stations, they have to meet spiritual expectations and can be judged by the listeners for the spiritual context. Some Christians might not agree with an approach they take to a particular issue and may complain, but that is why there are different denominations. There are separate troubles they face, but like Matt said the rewards are sweeter.

Lives changing and being impacted, whether in big or small ways, is an everyday occurrence through the radio all because it starts at a physical location of a station. I know my life personally has been changed because of radio and I am forever grateful. Radio to some maybe old fashioned, but it still plays a big part in many people’s lives.

Work Cited

Drown Out the Noise. Static Radio. Calvary of Albuquerque, 2011. Web. 23 October. 2011

KNKT. Calvary of Albuquerque. 2011. Web. 23 October 2011

No Other Doctrine. KNKT Radio. Calvary of Albuquerque. 2011. Web. 23 October 2011