RadioRadioX so far… by Art Fredette

2018 started off as a promising year. I was working for a radio station that I was programming, sales were coming in and the future looked bright.
Then the Empire crumbled.

By April, everything I had worked for since June 2017 had ceased to exist. What do I do now?

Drink? Ok, a little. Get pissed off? A lot! Get going and do something about it? Damn straight!

I decided I would not give up on the format I had worked so tirelessly to bring to the area. People liked what we were doing and I believed in the power of good music.

The answer…. RadioRadioX.com.

First thing you do is throw a funeral… The old station was gone. There was nothing we could do to change that. So, why not throw a party?

As always, the local music community stepped up and helped out. The Funeral for the “X” was not only a way to say goodbye to a beloved, if short lived, station, but a chance to let everyone know the would be a rebirth! No group of old style “Radio” guys were going to stop this format. They were/are the problem with what radio has become and we were/are the solution, the answer to 300 song playlists, heavy repetition and mindless on-air drivel. The idea that radio should be more than a spot vehicle, radio should be exciting.

RadioradioX.com began “broadcasting” on July 15th 2018, keeping the format alive and taking it to a new level. Local music is a staple in what we do. Every hour features at least two local artists and the lunch hour weekdays is devoted to only local music. The rest of the format is comprised of great songs by artists both familiar and obscure. The mission is a simple one, provide something to listen to. Break the corporate stranglehold on radio and do it without begging for contributions. NO EASY TASK!

The stream has been running and there have been hiccups, but we soldier on. Working on the technical problems and striving to get better at what we do every day.

In October, RadioRadioX held a series of concerts collectively called, “The October Explosion”. The shows featured The Plimsouls, The Split Squad, The Fleshtones, Trailer Park Moonlight, Knock Yourself Out, Smittix, Blackcat Elliott, The Jagaloons and The Lawn Sausages. It made for a hectic and amazing month of great music.

On December 7th, we hosted a concert with Big Frank and The Bargain Bingers, Blasé Debris and Joe Mansman and The Midnight Revival Band. A great night of celebration to kick off the Christmas season. Every band involved played a stellar set to a great crowd and helped spread the gospel of live, local music and the abundance of talent right in our area.
The following week RadioRadioX presented “Xmas Strings” with Michale Graves, Ike’s Wasted World, Bad Mothers and The Tradition. A benefit concert and food drive, this show delivered on every level. Food was donated to help the hungry, money was raised for veterans suffering with PTSD and once again, local musicians were the key.

On the programming side we have been very fortunate to be able to offer not only a unique and varied format but some amazing specialty shows. Jim Barrett has been kind enough to throw his years of knowledge and talent into the mix and host Kaleidoscope every Monday night from 8 to 10 pm. Kaleidoscope in many ways has been the inspiration for RadioRadioX. The longest running show of its kind, over 51 years, it is a musical journey that is always enlightening and entertaining. Ralph Renna came on board early and is our production director, afternoon on-air personality and every Friday night Ralph brings us Shuffle. Shuffle is a genre blending 3-hour tour of all the things that get Ralph fired up. With over 30 years of radio on his resume Ralph never disappoints.

Tuesday nights, I host Tuesday Tributes, a show that devotes a full hour to one particular artist. We have featured Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix, The Buzzcocks, The Smithereens, The Grateful Dead, and John Cale to name a few.

In early 2019, RadioRadioX will be turning things up on Thursday nights with The Loud Hours featuring a healthy dose of metal, punk, hardcore and everything LOUD.

Weekends on RadioRadioX features Sassy from 10 am – 2pm on Saturday and Sunday. Sassy is a former sports talk radio host who is thrilled to be back on the air talking about one of her true passions…. music. A true woman for all seasons, Sassy is also a blogger, model, fashion expert and tattoo culture expert.

We continue to add content to the website and are very proud to have local author Liam Sweeny as a Blog Editor. Liam’s approach to a band interview is anything but same old same old. If you haven’t checked out Liam’s work on our site, do so, then go buy his books.

It has been an eventful year to say the least. The work put into RadioRadioX by myself and Ralph has been a labor of love but above all the culmination of a dream. We realize this a completely different approach to local radio. We realize that old habits are hard to break and that listening on-line is new to many, but we believe in RadioRadioX and above all, we believe that music lovers are starving for something different.

I would like to thank our sponsors for sharing that belief. I also want to thank all the local bands that have shown us so much support and most of all, I am deeply indebted to our listeners. You guys make it all worthwhile.

2019 is going to be a huge year for RadioRadioX and we promise to keep true to our word and never be boring radio! Stay Tuned!

Art