27 Years and Counting

Every April Fools' Day, I'm reminded that way back in 1983, I was granted a broadcast license from the FCC.

Can you believe there once was a time when you had to take a test before you could be on the radio? Based on the current condition of radio, perhaps we should consider bringing back the test.

For me, I just mailed in a form and a few weeks later I was offically licensed to communicate on the airwaves. It was an exciting moment when I received my license with the seal of the Federal Communications Commission. For me, I'd dreamed of being a radio announcer since I was 7 years old.

Nonetheless, while I didn't have to take a test, I still learned the correct way to figure direct and indirect power. There once was a time when I could even figure out the antenna base current ratio.

Time have changed. Radio keeps evolving. So, do I.

Now as a station owner, I realize the last 27 years have been more exciting than I ever imagined. Of course, exciting would not be the adjective of choice to describe the past 2 years, but as I said, "I'm evolving!"

So on this April Fool's Day, I can't help but remember it was back in 1983 that someone at the FCC office in Washington, DC granted me a radio telephone operators license.

It was a day that changed my life, but the fact that it happened on April Fools' Day has always made me chuckle.