DFW Radio – Retooling

Since 2001 we’ve been doing this … thing. After all this time I still don’t know what to call it… my hobby… a “passion”… a second career, maybe?  It sort of feels like all three, except, as a career… it’s certainly cost more that it’s earned.  I know this because it hasn’t earned a dime. DFW Radio has always been the “Odd Man Out”… which is genuinely strange because it certainly has skin in the game. 20 years of skin. Probably a pimple or two as well. I dunno.  Through it all, though… whether we had 8 listeners or 200… it always had its place firmly in my heart… and I never once thought it would ever break me to keep it going. And then the budget got tight and the laws changed regarding the costs and legalities of running an internet radio station, 24/7.  So, yes, there was a time, several years ago when i said to myself: “self… this is gonna eat you alive… maybe we should stop while we’re ahead”.  I didn’t want sponsors… I didn’t want endless commercials about dishwashers and the most absorbent brand of tampons on the market.  I just wanted to play the music I loved and grew up with. And I never wanted to be the station manager, program director and sole deejay.  I knew DFW needed help to forge a future if we were going to survive.

Then came Charme, and Sharon, although not necessarily in that order. Suddenly we had a variety that extended beyond the 80’s, and production assistants who doubled as engineers. It’s interesting that DFW was originally a “Pittsburgh” thing… and then, when we relocated, it was done exclusively in Honey Brook. But now, Charme and Sharon are both New Yorker’s, originally, and you might be surprised to learn that this does actually change the sound of the station, somewhat – alas, for the better. This year we’ve added more new talent from across the pond, Mr. Glenn Mitchell, who has the 60’s on his side, fer sure.

There’s been some misconceptions regarding the station over the years as well. Let me take a minute to dispel some of the most glaringly obvious ones:

1. No, DFW has NOTHING to do with Dallas/Fort Worth. We’re still located in Honey Brook, PA.

2. DFW Radio goes back to the days when Internet Radio stations were known as “ongoing webcasts”.  And since it was initially for my family and friends… the name stands for: “David’s Family Webcast”.

3. Only 3 shows out of the entire lineup are actually “live”, these days. The rest are pre-recorded a day or two prior to air-date and sent to us via a filebase on the Internet.  This will change again, once the pandemic is over.

Over the last 20 years, the station has relocated 4 times and has burned through no less than 9 servers. But we have never re-tooled the station with new microphones, mixing boards and equipment until now. It’s long overdue, and the overhaul is almost complete. We’re proud to be with you, all these years later. We’re still commercial-free, we’re still doing what we love, we’re still finding ways to make a nickle scream until it begs for mercy… and for the first time ever, we also have an advertising budget. So thanks for tuning in, and if you haven’t yet… wtf, dude!!??? Do it! You won’t regret it.