Meet Lauren Hunter. She’s a very talented radio announcer and visual artist and creative bundle of joy. She paints brilliantly and then sells her work for charity causes, she creates Halloween costumes that are so out there, it’s impossible not to smile and remember and share. And Oh ya, Lauren is a terrific communicator.

No she cannot save radio on her own but if every radio station in Canada had a few Lauren’s on staff, our medium would be talked about a whole lot more. Like the old days. “Have you heard what these guys are doing or said”?

I don’t care if some people think radio isn’t cool anymore.

Doing cool THINGS never ever goes cold or out of style.

It would be like radio’s rebirth of the glory days.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately for some reason and it keeps coming back to all the fun things that radio did, NOT tied to music or formats.

There are of course many very talented radio people behind microphones across the Country and I know and love many of you, but I point out Lauren mostly because I don’t know her at all personally, I just see and absorb the stuff she does on-line and has been doing in Edmonton at Sonic 102.9 for the last several years. And it’s for that reason that I FEEL I know her. It’s also not coincidental that everything that Lauren does is about Edmonton. She lives, eats, sleeps Edmonton, just saying. 

She’s super smart, super funny, super natural, quick witted, prepares like an astronaut, is a great interviewer (of stars and listeners) and is always smiling. She also has shown much vulnerability on-air talking about anxiety and bravely sharing her experiences in the hope of helping others deal with things. I will never forget George Johns formula about how to be a successful announcer he said  “live an interesting life and talk about it on the radio” That’s Lauren. She’s amazing.

It doesn’t hurt that she is at a great station that has been #1 forever (anyone see a connection there?) and that she has always had the support of a great PD Al Ford, he himself a gem of a guy and radio genius. However he’d be the first to tell you, he supports her but stays out of her way.

So, how can Lauren save radio? She’s just one person. True, but Lauren should be used as an example to our industry that THIS is the type of personality and behaviour we need between the records, out on the street and on Social Media.

Here’s the challenge. Yes, find great on-air announcers and use them wisely. Sure, I suppose they can VT from out of market and do 10 midday shows on a format to save money. I don’t love that but I get it. However we have to find CREATIVE people who may or may not even be on-air. The most memorable people in radio are not necessarily even announcers. Maybe our first interview questions are asking if candidates can paint, sketch, play music, sing, write stories or poetry, work with wood, cook gourmet meals or even make arts and crafts. Save the “can you intro a song”? For later.

I find Creative people don’t make excuses. They have a passion for what they do and they find a way to do it. Period.

Let’s find more of them and have them help save radio, like Lauren Hunter does.