We first brought you the story of a return to radio by one of the area's most familiar radio personalities. Now, we continue our listening session with local living legend, Jonathan Little, as he shares his current efforts to rectify radio.
"It's one of those things that gets in your blood, so it go in my blood in 1962, when I was a student, and it's still there."
On April 19th of this year, the blood, like the music, began pumping again for Jonathan Little. "Really enjoy the opportunity now on 93.1 The Lake to be back on the air," Little continues.
The longtime frequency fixture of Madison's airwaves returned to radio with a new program called, "Lunch With Little," on 93.1 "The Lake."
It features more than just music, it features a "Music Missionary."
"If there's any attraction, at all, on the part of an announcer, who can tell you interesting things about the artist, about when that person met them, interviewed them. That makes radio, I think, an extra, added attraction when there's that additional information," Little says.
Little explains his history of attending just about any and every area music performance for more than 20 years helps him to create programs which are pertinent to the people who love the music.
"There are surprises. People like to be surprised. I think they tune in for variety, they don't tune in for sameness," according to Little.
With its dwindling number of listeners, Little says radio, in general, has hurt itself by making programming decisions which he calls irrelevant.
"Research comes right down to asking people two questions, 'How are we doing?, How can we get better?,' so you ask them what they like, you ask them what fits, and you can find out," he says.
And, while he says radio broadcasting could use its share of rewiring, Mr. Little still thinks pretty big of the biz. "I think great radio, good radio, like Magic 98 'n' JJO, and The Lake, and so on...will be around forever," he concludes.
Just like Jonathan.
You can catch his "Lunch with Little" program from Noon to one weekdays on 93.1 The Lake.
