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West Central, Michigan

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Win on Wednesday...quick "Midweek Eve" thoughts...

Another Wednesday show is just a few hours from now as I write this. Many quick thoughts, many links to things going on! Enjoy!

I look forward to Wednesdays....we hear from SO many people locally and those listening on our web stream, too. E-mail, our forum, and our phones are always fun as we bring you the "wake up call." Local winners get a large 2-item pizza from Northside Party Store along with a burger of the week from the Lamplight Grill.  Distant winners, like we had last week win a $10 gift certificate to an online retailer.

We'll also be closing our friendly competition between Penny and I, as we both have been collecting and lobbying for your donations of peanut butter, or jam and jelly, all of which goes to local food pantries.  As always, every little bit helps....and it's kind of a reminder that this autumn, the community food network will again run the "county-wide food drive!"  Donations will be welcomed through end of business at WION and at Promoprint & Stitches-2 in Ionia on Main Street.

Want to have some fun?  Grab one of the new "Don't think and drive, just LISTEN" T-shirts from Vicki at Promoprint, too! Only $10!  It was born last week when a report aired on WION from the CBS network telling us not to use our minds to think of what we're going to say while driving!  The shirts look GREAT, and are just fun.  We hope you'll buy one and listen as you travel.  

A fun Wednesday is ahead, please join Penny and I "on the radio" for the fun.....and make WION a habit!  We think you'll enjoy being part of "America's Biggest Little Radio Station."






Friday, April 26, 2013

It's Friday Evening...

One week since the deluge of rain and our flooding.
Things are slowly returning to normal in Ionia and our area.

Our Friday morning show was a lively one....Phil, however missed it as he was sent (again) to a new "sensitivity school" in the UP of Michigan. We wish him the best.

Bill and I were first joined by Branden, our production manager, who found that Stonehenge, (yes, Stonehenge) is hiring a new manager, and wanted a reference letter. I'm sure his years of experience with us in radio will help.....would YOU want to be the first Manager of that place in thousands of years???

Mary Cusack stopped in to visit, had news of tonight's resceheduled "Band Aid" performance at Watt auditorium, along with great news that for the first time ever, "Young People's Theatre" is having a summer camp, and putting on the show, "101 Dalmations." What a great program for our young people.

Mary also spoke about Saints Peter and Paul having a sesquicentennial celebration, including an Art Prize event, and was very enthusiastic about that as well, details from the church's website which you can google.

The show was VERY lively when we pulled out a 1973 Ionia County Shoppers' guide and chose an item, playing "Name that Item" which was on sale for $2.99 in March of that year. The phones went nuts, lots of e-mails, and we had fun...with Annette from Printing and Office Essentials being our winner!  Congratulations to her, the item was a set of jumper cables. Probably not the best ones in the world for that price, even in 1973, but....still fun to reminisce.

On the weekend, WION welcomes a Michigan group for a tour, called "M.A.R.E." or, Michigan Area Radio Enthusiasts to tour our station and visit our town. They chose to come here, after one of their members learned of WION being an independent station broadcasting in AM stereo, too!  We're proud to be chosen as a tour destination, and to bring these folks to our town for lunch at the Lamplight Grill.  I hope that each and every one of our business community can do the same sometime (bring folks in because of WANTING to meet them)....it truly is a compliment, and something that helps our local economy and our local pride, too!

Enjoy your weekend, see you Monday.....and thanks for all the fun that you, our listeners provide to we, the radio "family" of WION.

We're glad to be part of your community and your lives!

-Carlyle


Thursday, April 25, 2013

Catching up.....(again.)

It's no surprise to anyone that everyone's normal schedule has been anything BUT normal lately.  The flooding in our area turned everyone's attention to protection of property, businesses, and thankfully, to helping others.  

Here at the station, we've also been busy behind the scenes.  Most "events" like flooding escape very few people in the affected area, and we're no different.  Phone service was disrupted by damaged lines at the station, and fixed promptly by our local AT&T repair man, Anthony.  The slight inconvenience meant using only one line at a time, and not doing the "usual" morning things some days.  Well, things are pretty much back to normal.  We hope for as normal of a week as possible next week and a fun "end to the week" this Friday.

Phil has the day off, but regular co-host and WION client care specialist Bill Lynch will join us, and maybe a cast of others. At present, we're re-negotiating a contract with Leftlane, and it's at the point of, "have your people call our people."  Let's hope we can get him back "on" soon. Perhaps if we started a Leftlane fan club?  Nah, scratch that...it would go to his head too fast.

We ARE very happy to say that our first "out of state" winner on the wake up call last week, listening on the web, and this was a first!  It's fun involving people from far away who are choosing WION as a favorite station?

Do you realize how many choices people have in audio entertainment? There's plenty. That's why we watch with great interest the growing locations in which Ionia's very own station is heard via the web!  See that map by the link on our main page at our website!

More to come...gotta run, after all, it IS 92-7 nite at the Lamplight Grill....
Join us Friday morning!

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

FUN AND BUSY WEEK, LONGER FRIDAY SHOW COMING!

Welcome to the morning show blog, if you're just joining us.

On our usual Wednesday visit with Penny Beeman, we re-named the show for this month (WED only) the "PB&J Show" for "Penny Beeman and Jim." Why? Because a nationwide effort is underway this month to collect peanut butter and jelly for the needy in local (food) Pantries.

We're having a friendly competition, and asking that you bring what you can of Peanut butter or (commercial) Jam/Jelly for donation to Vicki Kennedy's store in downtown Ionia, "Promoprint & Stitches-2" in the armory block.  Please put a label on your donation of "J" for Jim, or "P" for Penny, as we will count at the end to see who was supported more in this effort.  Me? I think Penny will win. She's online and "connected" with volunteers all the time so "her people" may just win, and that would be fine, because the REAL winners are those who receive your donations.  I would however ask for a good showing.  I'm already cashing in some favors from listeners, like Dawn at Dial a Ride in Ionia who LOVES the fact we now stream the station. Hopefully we can get some dial a ride clients and employees to help us in this effort, and some extra "J's" in the collection. We'll be doing this through month's end.

On another note, don't forget this Friday is an extra hour of the morning show, just for fun! Glen from Americana Auctions is our guest at the round table, and will appraise items brought by our staff. We always enjoy getting updates on what he sees as the trend in antiques and things that people collect, and we'll happily take questions via e-mail, our forum, and on the phone.  Oh, and since we always broadcast in "color" you'll always enjoy the fun.  Yes, we'll use the webcam this Friday as well so you can "watch" from home.  (the audio's much better on OUR main stream, however, so use that if you need-to.)

So, see you on the morning show.....please donate for our local food pantries (peanut butter and jam or jelly) at Promoprint downtown, and.....thanks for checking on the (morning show) blog. If you want, leave a comment, or...read the other blogs available about technology and "thoughts in general" found in the "Carlyle Corner" on our website.

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Don't Miss Friday this week!

In recapping last week, we had a great deal of fun on the morning show.

We had visitors from 4-H dairy programs including some youngsters on Tuesday, who joined our show with Larry Listerman and talked about dairy involvement at this year's "Ionia Freefair."

Wednesday was extra fun, as we got a winner to last week's "wake up call" 

...."Researchers found that in Denver, Colorado, when there's humidity over 80 percent, this happens more than when the humidity is below 45 percent. What happens more with higher humidity?"  Answer: The frequency with which youngsters are punished in school for acting up increases!

Then, we were asked to do a second one, for members of satelliteguys and our forum who tune-in regularly on our stream.  "This alternative use of peanut butter has been proven.  We, however do not recommend it."   Answer:"Peanut butter is a darned good shaving cream" say researchers, and said republican Barry Goldwater years, and years ago.


Thursday was our monthly visit with the Ionia DDA and Linda Curtis.  We hope to have a "major announcement" from the DDA soon on WION. "Stay tuned" as they say.

Now, looking ahead to this week, Friday....as we've noted on our Facebook fan page and our own forum, please join us for the extended version on Friday of our round table, as we welcome local antique appraiser Glen Rairigh of Americana Auctions to our show.  We'll have on-air appraisals of items from our announcers, and hopefully, some pictures and descriptions of items sent by our forum members as well!  We always learn more about what's becoming valuable, what kind of items are losing value, and more when Glen joins us.  Please spread the word, we're doing an extra hour on Friday...6-10AM EDT on April 12th!

More to come, "stay tuned" to WION on Ionia County's FM 92-7, AM Stereo 1430 and on our apps and web streams!

-Carlyle

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

TWO WINNERS THIS WEDNESDAY!

During our usual visit with Wednesday Co-Host Penny, we got an answer to the "held over" wake up call from last week, asking, "Reearchers found that in Denver, Colorado when there's humidity over 80 percent this happens more than when the humidity is below 45 percent....what happens with higher humidity?"

The answer, provided by Laurie G. of Ionia was, "Children in school get punished more often for acting up! Obviously this study could take place almost anywhere!

Then, by request from our online forum we started and completed a second question! "This alternative use of peanut butter has been proven. We, however do not recommend it."  

The answer was, "you can use peanut butter as a shaving cream"  As a matter of fact, this was said years ago...."Peanut butter is a darned good shaving cream" by Republican Barry Goldwater.  There's a name from the distant past!!

Would Democrats say and believe the same?  Our morning show is convening a panel to do this study, hopefully funded by the United States Government....and our panelists doing the study hope to be well paid for it.  (heheheheheh)

Thanks for all the fun on the phones, on e-mail and on our WION EXCLUSIVE FORUM.... join us for more fun each Wednesday...and of course each day of the week brings it's own surprises on the coffeecrew morning show.

-Carlyle

Monday, April 1, 2013

Another Week, Another Month...April Fools!

Well, we've all entered April. Traditionally "April fools' day."

E-mails "flew in" this morning asking if "The Tooth Fairy" feature was a joke.  My answer to you, "Was it?"  It's all in how you take it!  You have to admit, it was a great date to start this series!   Yes, it's a series!  Join us mornings just after the 8AM news, and again in the evening after the 6PM news for each day's episode.

We thank one of our sponsors, Dr. I. Canfield Pullem, DDA member in downtown Ionia. Listen for his "secret" location during the show.

On another note,  thanks for the mound of e-mails of late. Even the ones that "complained" you had to click (3) ...count 'em THREE times to see our online listener map.  We've added the map to our front page as well for your convenience....and hope you find this easier for your "clicking-tired" fingers.  If you're a first-visitor to the map, you'll be amazed at how many places are tuning in.  If you're a frequent visitor, you won't believe how quickly WION is growing in listenership across the entire stat and NATION!  Check back frequently.

WION also welcomes back Renucci's Tavern as an advertiser this April!  Good to have you back on board, and we hope that your sponorship of our weather forecasts is a good omen of GREAT Spring and Summer weather!  Thank you, and welcome back!

Also of note is Edlin Automotive, joining our "Streaming sponsors" on WION.  Streaming of the station is not inexpensive, and we appreciate the growing enthusiasm and growing list of sponsors who help us make this possible!   If your business wants to be a streaming sponsor, please contact Dan Ferguson or Bill Lynch quickly....the introductory $143/month rate ends with tax day 2013!

Join us Tuesday for representatives from the Ionia Freefair on the morning show, and on Wednesday our Wake Up Call, then on Thursday this week, Linda Curtis joins us from the Ionia DDA!

Until our next visit...

-Carlyle