Hello? Are you listening?

Since we've moved back to the area of my youth I find myself recalling those days with more frequency than before. It's not unusual to visit a place, see an old friend, or come across a piece of trivia that jogs the memory, with one thought leading to another and another until I become lost in the past.

Last Friday night was Homecoming at my old high school. I wasn't even aware of it until my wife was scanning through the radio stations in the car and happened upon the broadcast of the football game. We grew up in a community that was large enough to have a radio station, but still small enough for the townfolk to get excited about Friday night football. For as long as I can remember the games have been broadcast, so if you couldn't attend in person you could at least listen in on the action.

I didn't listen to many broadcasts back then, I was too busy playing the games rather than following along on the radio. A few times there were delayed broadcasts, and we would all get a hoot out of listening to the play-by-play of a game we had just finished. The one thing I do remember, however, was the professional way in which the radio announcers called the games. They were prepared. They knew the players and the opposition's players, and during the halftime break the time was spent delivering the stats and commenting about the game and the players.

Friday night we listened for an entire quarter, and didn't learn of the score until the half. The play-by-play consisted of reporting the result of the play, no names of the opposing players, no set-up of the formations, and no reason for me to stay tuned except to get the score. Well, I thought, perhaps the half-time activities would be announced along with a recap of the game, wrong again. The station cut away to air some national sports updates and scores instead. I turned it off.

I still believe that there is an aura of "local radio" that needs to be preserved. Promote your local businesses, highlight the local events, and make Friday night football broadcasts special.

My grandmother lived 60 miles away, and could pick up the games on her radio. She didn't drive, and rarely left her house. The radio was her lifeline to the outside world, and to her grandson's football exploits. I know she never saw me play, but she listened to every game on her trusty radio. One week during the halftime break the announcers sent out a "big hello" to my grandmother, and let everyone know that she made a point to listen to every game. It made her day....not national news....but great local radio.

I have to believe that even in today's world there's a grandmother or grandfather out there listening to the radio in hopes of hearing more than just the score. But as always, what do I know.