Radio Memphis Turns Four

On this date in 2011, we went live. It was a big day for us. Our biggest fear at the time was whether the design of the station would even work. During the months of May and June of that year, we went through extensive testing of the system that Ric Chetter had designed. The question of the day was, “Will it work?” The next question would be, “Now what?”

Cobbled together with equipment never designed for usage under the system he created, Ric put everything he had on the line. The technology had always been there. Internet radio was the future and he knew it.

In the early 1990’s there were those who dabbled in bridging the internet with terrestrial radio. Most of those experiments failed. Not from lack of effort but from lack of audience. Today, times are different. Smart phones, personal computing moving almost entirely to mobile systems, changing attitudes of the public and the overall demise of the AM/FM world. It was a perfect storm. It was THE perfect storm to launch.

From the back room of a house in the famed arts district of Cooper – Young in Midtown Memphis, it happened. It was a rough start for sure. You don’t just take the world by storm the second you go.

Eventually, with constant attention, labour and care it grew. It got the attention of those who thought it would never last. Bets were made and lost (and won) and Radio Memphis kept going and growing. It was laughed at (out of fear), feared (by massive broadcasters), ignored (to some degree), hated (by some), loved (by others), discovered (by so many), vilified (by hatred), celebrated (by the rest) and most importantly, remained.

Radio Memphis became a virtual ship. Loosely patterned from the much vaunted Radio Caroline to expose to the world the beauty and magic of the Memphis sound, she set sail on the web. Her crew, like many ships, went through difficult changes. She saw many hands who came to help and help they did. As any ship needs a hand, the crews she has had have all been beneficial in their own ways. Some of those people have moved on. Some have stayed. They all sacrificed.

To sacrifice is to give something that can never be paid in return. For that, we are grateful.

There are those who gave unknowingly. Some unwillingly. Some with every fibre of their being. Some couldn’t do it any more and some still do. Yet, Radio Memphis is still under a full sail and this day is celebrating. She stands tall on the waves of the world wide web and she is formidable.

Her current crew is proud and shares the same vision as her Captain. The vision is the same. The delivery of Memphis music to the world. Although there have been those who have tried to copy everything Radio Memphis does, tried to duplicate her every move they can’t do it. The reason? Her Captain and crew.

Please join us Friday, July 3, 2015 for a very special fourth anniversary special. It is when we will officially celebrate our birthday, of sorts. We are in a new home, with a fantastic crew, the artists who have made this possible with some very dear friends and allies who have been there when we needed them the most. We will celebrate and erect monuments to all those who made it happen.

It all starts at 9AM CDT with Ric and Kate and continue into the late night hours.

Scheduled to appear: (in no particular order)

Josh Mclane, Richard Douglas Jones, Mason Jar Fireflies, Joey Killingsworth, Tracy Ruble, Brad Dunn, Boo Mitchell, Zeke Johnson, Mandy & Sturgis Nikides, Pablo The Poolboy, Chris Nichols, Cierra Ouellette, Ryan Royals, Full Devil Jacket, Artifas, Jay Daskreet, Accidental Field Trip, Select-O-Hits,  Eric Sommer & The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Mark Caldwell, DJ Twinkie, Nutbush Superstar and an open house jam.

Ric Chetter, Dianna Fryer, Brother Doug, Kate Lucas, Jeff Janovetz, Joel Martin, Tundrea Lyons, DJ Bay, Lisa The Diva, Averill Conway, Edna Donald, Stephanie Johnson-Terry and Jaeci King.

To the fans:

Thank you for all your support.

To the world:

“From here, stars are made and to the stars we hope to follow.”