In the pre-dawn darkness on a frigid Friday morning, a small group of people began gathering at a county-owned building in Buxton.
The folks were all board members and volunteers who have been working as hard as they possibly could for months now to bring us something really special for our community ? Radio Hatteras.
Shortly before 6 a.m., Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, president of the Radio Hatteras Board of Directors, gathered everyone in the lobby of the red-brick building that was at one time the offices of the Cape Hatteras Water Association, located just under the water tower on Highway 12.
?It?s been an amazing journey,? she said, ?and we did it because of you.?
Just a few seconds before 6 a.m., the familiar melody of the national anthem drifted loud and clear through the studio and offices and hallways as Radio Hatteras went live.
The ?Star Spangled Banner? was followed quickly by the Everly Brothers with ?Wake Up Little Susie? and the Beatles with ?Good Day Sunshine.?
All of the folks who had played such a critical role in the moment crowded into the studio and stood at the doors looking on. There were even a few teary eyes.
And thus began the first day of WHDZ-FM, 101.5, and WHDX-FM, 99.9, our community station.
The station is broadcasting now to Avon, Buxton, Frisco, and Hatteras village. It will soon be available in Rodanthe, Waves, and Salvo.
Richard Marlin, one of the indefatigable volunteers, noted that a community station has been a dream of some of the local radio folks for several decades. The idea was resurrected by Jim Kinghorn about six years ago when he was general manager of the Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative. He thought the station would be especially valuable during and after storms.
A Buxton property owner who lives in Arlington, Va., David Wilson, sold the license to Radio Hatteras for a nominal fee.
The Federal Communications Commission granted approval in October for the existing commercial license to be transferred to a nonprofit license.
Then the work got seriously underway to make it all happen.
Jean Taylor, past president of the board, led the effort until Goodloe-Murphy became acting president and then president. Other board members include vice president Dan Oden, who is also on the CHEC board, treasurer Carol O?Neal, secretary Kathy Tawes, and Richard Marlin, Lou Browning, Mike Hennessey, and Kenny Brite.
Hennessey of Avon, who has decades of radio and television broadcasting experience, led the studio technical team. His sidekick Barry Wells was actually at the computer pushing the keys as Hennessey looked on this morning. Marlin and Lou Browning were the ?outside-the-studio? technical wizards.
Linda Browning created and oversees the Radio Hatteras Facebook Page and provides other support to the group. Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies teacher, Randy Ratliff and one of his students, sophomore Gavin Kehler, worked on the layout and formatting of the station?s website.
Goodloe-Murphy, Wells, Mary Ellen Riddle, and Andrew Tawes are the program committee.
The station was facing an FCC deadline to be on the air by midnight tonight, so the programming for now is pre-recorded music, along with public service messages, and an After Midnight show of ?edgier? music, hosted by Barry Wells from midnight until 3 a.m., beginning tonight.
However, that will be changing soon.
Radio Hatteras will present a special music program at 8 p.m. each evening. The two that are scheduled so far include Vinyls from the Vault on Sundays with Barry Wells, starting March 16, and The Bluegrass Hour, on Tuesdays with Wes Lassiter, beginning April 8.
Down the road, Goodloe-Murphy says, the station envisions a mix of live and pre-recorded programs such as news, interviews with newsmakers, surf and fishing reports, a cooking show, and shows that focus on school news and civic projects.
Carol Busbey will host the monthly Electric Beach Party, starting on March 31. GeeGee Rosell, owner of Buxton Village Books will present ?Hatteras Reads,? focusing on a different book each quarter, beginning in the fall.
The programming committee would love to see old-time radio shows, featuring the old favorites such, as ?The Lone Ranger? and ?The Shadow.? That one, however, will depend on cost.
Much of how quickly Radio Hatteras moves forward on its ambitious plans and goals will depend on funding.
Dare County provided $20,000 in start-up funding, and the station has the free use of one wing of the county building for its office, studio, and production area. Another $10,000 is currently included in the county?s budget for the next fiscal year and, the board hopes it will survive the inevitable belt-tightening through the spring.
The Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative provided tower space for the station, which can be very costly and is a huge savings for the station.
However, the community non-profit station will have to be supported by the community. As Goodloe-Murphy notes, the station will have members, donors, and underwriters — not advertisers.
Underwriting opportunities are currently available for businesses and nonprofit groups. A corporate level underwriting opportunity will cost $600 per year and will include four 15-second messages ? two during the day and two at night. Nonprofits that want to become underwriters will pay $300 per year for two 15-second messages ? one during the day and one at night.
Memberships cost $50 for a family, $25 for an individual, and $10 for students. Other pledge levels and membership gifts are eagerly accepted from residents, visitors, non-resident property owners, and other island supporters.
Goodloe-Murphy says the station?s goal is to raise $45,000 this year. The board is learning the ropes and figuring out what the costs will be.
Right now, she says, the board figures it will take $15,000 to $20,000 to operate Radio Hatteras. And board members would like to raise $30,000 for an equipment escrow account. The fundraising goal for the first year is $45,000.
The goal is for half to be in memberships and donations, 10 percent in major donations, 30 percent in underwriting and 10 percent for ?in-kind? services.
Folks who don?t live on Hatteras really want to see the broadcasts streamed, but that will have to wait until more funds are raised.
Eventually, the board hopes to have a part-time station manager, but for now it?s all about volunteers. You can volunteer for office work, broadcasting, or other opportunities.
Radio Hatteras is getting good reviews for its music selection today on Facebook.
Now, we all need to pony up ? join as members, donate more if we can, sign on as underwriters, and volunteer our time.
It was indeed a good morning on Hatteras Island.
But as Mary Helen likes to say, ?Every day is a great day on Hatteras Island.?
MORE USEFUL INFORMATION
Radio Hatteras memberships are $50 for a family, $25 for an individual and $10 for a student. Mail memberships and other contributions to Radio Hatteras, P.O. Box 339, Frisco, NC 27936.
E-mail info@radiohatteras.org or call (252) 995-6000 for information about underwriting opportunities.
You can read more about Radio Hatteras on its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/radiohatteras.
The new Radio Hatteras website is http://www.radiohatteras.org. There?s information on memberships, underwriting, and programming, among other things.
Radio Hatteras wants to publicize community events. You can send them at least two weeks in advance to psa@radiohatteras.org.
If you have a special request for a song, you can e-mail it to studio@radiohatteras.org.
If you have news, you can send it to news@radiohatteras.org.
