03/25/2014
In an old county office off of Highway 12, in a few rooms in the north wing, a small group of Hatteras Island’s finest gathered to make something magical, and with that, Radio Hatteras was born.
When you walk in, if you ever have the need to do so, you won’t find any fancy flooring or chic wall coverings, and you won’t marvel at the non-existent prints on the walls of the musical greats that have graced the air waves in years past. What you will find, however, is a small handful of volunteers who have dedicated countless hours into making a solid radio station that Hatteras Island can be (and is) proud of, and that, my friends, is what gives that little north wing of that old county office it’s charm.
You might not realize it (I certainly didn’t), but after speaking to Mary Helen Goodloe-Murphy, writer for The Coastland Times and warrior for all things good on Hatteras Island, I quickly learned it takes a lot of time and money to start and grow a radio station. Barry Wells, Cape Hatteras Secondary School alumnus and ECU graduate has pulled several all-nighters making sure everything goes off without a hitch, creating, editing and doing all the things that those “radio guys” do. Along with a couple of other volunteers, they have pulled their skills together, each bringing something different to the table, and have made their baby fly. Why? For the love of music, and it’s a deep love indeed. When you talk to each of them, the excitement beams from their inspired faces with smiles stretching from ear to ear.
I spoke with Mr. Wells a little more in-depth about the project and what this all meant to him. His passion came from a past deeply rooted in music and a desire to pass that appreciation and connection on to a younger generation who’s obsession with artists such as Justin Bieber and Ke$ha, might seem a little off-base and distant–even to someone who is only 30 years old. This is what he had to say:
“When approached about the opportunity to do Radio Hatteras, Cassie, I was very interested. Having no experience in broadcasting, just a love for music and passion for performance and songwriting as a musician myself, I wasn’t sure I was qualified for the job. However, here I am two weeks into it and officially a station programmer and loving it. I always said that music is the universal language of the world. Now that comes in many forms. There is the poetic side with the words and lyrics, emotional in the expression of the music and lyrics combined. Basically, I think every human trait and emotion can be expressed, vented, related to in some form of musical expression and that dates back to…geez, forever really. My point is that to be able to reach out and connect with other people on these levels is the ultimate when it comes to life for me personally, and this is especially true for the younger generation where I think the music isn’t as authentic. So here I am in the position to keep the original American Blues, Folk, Rock n’ Roll, all these great AMERICAN traditions that are being lost, going, and to pass on this knowledge is awesome to me. My grandma raised me on this music and I intend to pass the torch the best I can. That was the premise of my “Vinyl’s from the Vault” show. Records are very much an art and that is re-surging, and being in the position to introduce them to the groms is quite cool to me. And then just the informational side of having the community radio, having this means of communication be it in emergencies when it is really needed or just useful information that will benefit everyone on Hatteras. What has kept me on this island, after being an implant here, leaving for school and ultimately returning has been the community sense of it, so being a part of that is definitely fulfilling as well.”
Obviously, when you take such fervor and multiply it by the handful of volunteers, the outcome is a labor of love. How could that not be something incredible? How could it do anything but succeed?
Whether you live on, or come to visit, Hatteras Island, you’re guaranteed to spend some quality time in the car getting from Point A to Point B. While taking in the gorgeous scenery, tune in to 99.9 FM or 101.5 FM and jam with the locals to the “eclectic mix” and island emergency updates provided by Radio Hatteras. They will be celebrating 2 weeks on the air this Friday and we just can’t get enough!
