The Voice on the Other Side of the Game

There is something about Friday night in a small town.

The lights come on at the football field. Cars begin filling the parking lot. Students gather. Parents find their seats. The band gets ready, the players take the field, and for a few hours, much of the community seems to know exactly where everybody else is.

But everybody can’t be in the stands.

Someone may be working a second shift.

Someone may be at home caring for a family member.

Someone may be driving.

Someone may simply be unable to make it to the game anymore.

And that’s when another familiar part of small-town life comes alive.

Around here, when high school sports are being played, there’s a good chance you’ll hear the familiar voice of Lynn Keller bringing the game to people who couldn’t be there themselves.

I’ve thought about what that really means.

He’s not simply announcing scores.

He’s helping someone sitting at home see the field without being there.

A name is called.

A play develops.

The crowd erupts.

And somewhere miles away, somebody leans a little closer to the radio.

That’s connection.

Local radio has been doing that for generations.

Long before we carried the entire world around in our pockets, the radio sitting in the kitchen, workshop, tractor, car, or beside the bed connected us to what was happening right where we lived.

And it still does.

Weather alerts matter differently when the storm is headed toward your neighborhood.

A school announcement matters when it’s your grandchild’s school.

A ball score matters when you know the young person whose name was just called.

A community announcement matters when you recognize the organization behind it.

Local radio understands something technology can sometimes make us forget:

I know that connection personally because radio is part of my own weekly rhythm. Through Faith Alive in 5, I have the privilege of speaking into homes, cars, workplaces, and wherever someone happens to be listening.

You don’t always know who’s on the other side of a microphone.

That’s part of the beauty of it.

Someone may be getting ready for church.

Someone may be driving home after working all night.

Someone may need five minutes of encouragement before facing another week.

You speak, and you trust the message will find whoever needs to hear it.

That’s why I don’t see our local newspapers, radio, community organizations, businesses, churches, or Around Town with DrFaye as competing voices.

We’re different parts of the same conversation.

One tells the score.

Another reports the news.

Another announces the meeting.

Another tells the story.

Another offers encouragement.

But together, we help people remain connected to the place they call home.

And perhaps that’s especially important now.

We can know what’s happening thousands of miles away within seconds while having no idea what’s happening three streets over.

Technology has given us access to the world.

So the next time you hear that familiar voice calling the game, announcing the weather, sharing community news, or simply saying good morning, listen differently.

There’s a person behind that microphone.

And on the other side are neighbors listening.

That’s more than broadcasting.

A strong community needs places where its stories can be heard. Sometimes that happens around a table. Sometimes it’s printed on a newspaper page. Sometimes it’s captured through a camera. And sometimes it travels through a radio signal. The medium may change, but the mission remains: keep people informed, encouraged, connected, and reminded that where they live matters, and so do the people who live there.

Know someone whose story should be told—or good work our community should know about? Visit AroundTown.DrFaye.com.

And if you haven’t listened to Faith Alive in 5, I invite you to join me. Visit FaithAlivein5.com to connect with the broadcast.
DrFaye
Chief Fundability Officer — The Fundability Institute™
Host, Around Town with DrFaye | Faith Alive in 5
TheFundabilityInstitute.com | AroundTown.DrFaye.com | FaithAlivein5.com
compliance@drfaye.com