Is there a radio station dedicated to Sun City? About a dozen years ago I landed in The Villages, Florida for a brief time. That massive 55+ community has it's own AM radio, cable TV station and newspaper. It seems as though Sun City should be able to support such a station. Perhaps I should back up a bit and specify what I'm suggesting. As a young man growing up in the farm country of southwest Iowa I knew farming was way harder than I cared to work. Through some accident of fate I ended up in radio. My first job was at a 10-watt FM station on a Missouri college campus. It was located on the 3rd floor of the centrally located administration building. I could raise the window and yell across the campus and reach more of an audience than did that station. But hey, I was ON THE RADIO. I then worked my way out to California through small town radio (I was a DJ at KRML when Clint Eastwood did his "Play Misty For Me" at the station) and then into the major markets as a news correspondent on a number one rated San Francisco blowtorch. So what's all this got to do with Sun City? Years ago a Canadian literature professor turned media philosopher wrote books on radio and tv. Perhaps you've heard of Marshall McLuhan. He theorized that radio had become "the tribal drum". A medium that drew members of the tribe together, a central system of "belonging". That's what has always attracted me to radio. Not the major corporate radio where I ended up, but the small town, community oriented stations that not only were listened to by residents (members of the tribe) but the station would "listen" to community members as well. Shouldn't there be such a facility for Sun City (Sun City West/ Sun City Grand)? Is there such a facility? I could envision a station with diverse programming from music to news to talk. All of it reflecting the tastes, needs, wants of LOCAL people. We first think of broadcast radio on AM or FM but those available frequencies are likely taken.In today's world it could also be on the device your using right now with streaming, pod casts etc. and could originate from someone's den. This web site is an example of the "tribal drum" concept. It's where we meet to talk about things of common (sometimes not so common) interest. There are many people who just don't read and write that much but they might listen or talk given the right medium. Just some thoughts on possible resources for Sun City residents.
Hey R, good to see you are still kicking about. What's shaking on your end? But to your question about a radio station. If you are ever at the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum on Coggins, simply walk out the front doors and immediately across the street is a one big-assed radio tower. For years it was the voice of Sun City, but alas, it was sold and resold as programming needs changed. I've read the history of it at the museum as they have kept files on those early days. Unfortunately they are buried in the files where access is limited. If I get a chance, I'll stop by this week and pull out some of the information...if memory serves me, it was a good read. There is good news though, Sun City West now has it's own radio station. They started a club for it and while it has struggled with some equipment issues, they are working through it. Here's the link for them. Until you asked, I hadn't looked; always amazing what's out there we have no clue about eh? One last question: Vikings or Denver tonight?
CARDINALS today. Supposed to be on Channel 10-Fox about 1:25. Last time I tried to watch, it was blacked out. Even tho I lived in the state of Washington for many years, I am NOT a Seahawk fan.
Denver - - - More important, my Bengals are now 4 - 0...Who Dey! Back to the radio station. Since SCW already has one, wouldn't it be "Grand" if the communities could come together and have programming for all 3 communities? I did some radio and TV in college, it was a crowded major at my school.
You should have been in pig heaven then yesterday eh R? As far as the communities working together, don't hold your breath V. Two quick stories: John Meeker's vision for SC and SCW was for a more cohesive working relationship between the two. When SCW opened, the first rec center wasn't done and he hoped SC would open their arms to the residents there coming over to SC to use ours. The reality was wholly different as many of the buyers who purchased in SCW had been Sun City residents who wanted newer and nicer. This caused friction and no one opened their arms to cross-utilization. It's gotten a little better with some reciprocal agreements with clubs, but not much. The second story is far more recent. In 2010, our 50th anniversary, we (the Del Webb Sun Cities Museum) developed a good working relationship with the Pulte Corporation. They came to the museum 5 times that year to show both their marketing and sales people the museum and the community. I suggested to one of the higher ranking members of the management team Pulte consider buying a home in Sun City to have a place to immerse their people in the community for short term stays. I felt getting their head around the community and how it started would be a plus as they went forward. I also mentioned the idea of marketing the Sun City properties collectively; rather than a structure where once they were sold out, they acted like they didn't exist. That went over like a fart in church, but my thinking was akin to the Christmas movie where Santa Claus told shoppers they could buy it at Macy's if Gimble's was sold out. What the heck was the name of that movie? The point being, every community tends to see itself in competition with every other age restricted community. The funny thing is, there's more than enough boomers coming of age to fill all of our communities, but the tendency is to promote "ours" as the best. It's why I argue, there's something for everyone out there. While they all have the same concept, each and everyone is unique in one way or another. I think it would be awesome to have a joint venture radio station for the three Sun City's; unfortunately history isn't on our side when we look for that to happen.
