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By Ragan Robinson | Hickory Daily Record
Published: March 6, 2009
GRANITE FALLS NC- Folks here can't stop talking about the loss of the town's Homegrown Radio.
"Everybody's disappointed," said Dennis Bradshaw, who owns Al's Diner, where people in Granite Falls come to sip coffee and trade local news. "That was something special that Granite had.
"It's like a death in the family. That's what it meant for a lot of people. That's what it meant for me."
Homegrown Radio, broadcasting at 104.5 in and around Granite Falls, went off the air Monday because of a licensing disagreement with the Federal Communications Commission, said Eddie Jolly, the programming director.
He said an FCC agent came to the station Friday and advised him to stop broadcasting. Otherwise, he could face a $10,000 daily fine.
"We're the Davids here and we got beat up by the Goliaths," he said.
Jolly is careful not to claim the station had a FCC license but he doesn't like the term pirate radio either.
"How can a faith-based station be a pirate?" he said.
A FCC spokeswoman said Granite Falls has only one licensed station, WYCV Gospel. The FCC would not confirm or deny shutting down 104.5 or advising the station to stop broadcasting.
Jolly said Homegrown Radio, which he calls a nonprofit and non-commercial station, would go back on the air with the help of investors and the area faith community.
It will remain a low-power FM station, Jolly said.
When Homegrown Radio was on the air, it broadcast Granite Falls church services, took requests for music and played a mix of oldies and modern soft rock.
Brigetta Ledford of Hickory said she listened at home, in the car and at work at Linda's Family Hair Salon. She liked the music, and that she never had to worry there would be cursing or off-color comments for her child to hear.
She guesses she fielded 20 calls this week from people wondering what happened to 104.5. She calls it "our radio station," with an emphasis on the "our."
Bradshaw said the music was a hit with everybody in town.
"Everybody listened," he said. "It didn't have any songs with guns and anybody dying."
The FCC agent who came Friday seemed to enjoy the music, too. Jolly said the man asked him to turn up the Phil Collins song "In The Air Tonight."
Jolly said he never charged Granite Falls merchants for advertising and often broadcast public service and event announcements for the Shriners.
Ed Sheaffer, who owns PC Paramedix in downtown Granite Falls, was the recipient of some of that advertisement but said he liked that Homegrown Radio had more music than talk.
When there were mentions of local businesses, Bradshaw said they helped.
"Ever since Wal-Mart moved in, everything's centered on the highway," he said. "He was bringing people into town to see what was going on and it created business for us.
"Eddie wasn't making anything off of it. He was doing it for the people and for the town."
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Published: March 6, 2009
GRANITE FALLS NC- Folks here can't stop talking about the loss of the town's Homegrown Radio.
"Everybody's disappointed," said Dennis Bradshaw, who owns Al's Diner, where people in Granite Falls come to sip coffee and trade local news. "That was something special that Granite had.
"It's like a death in the family. That's what it meant for a lot of people. That's what it meant for me."
Homegrown Radio, broadcasting at 104.5 in and around Granite Falls, went off the air Monday because of a licensing disagreement with the Federal Communications Commission, said Eddie Jolly, the programming director.
He said an FCC agent came to the station Friday and advised him to stop broadcasting. Otherwise, he could face a $10,000 daily fine.
"We're the Davids here and we got beat up by the Goliaths," he said.
Jolly is careful not to claim the station had a FCC license but he doesn't like the term pirate radio either.
"How can a faith-based station be a pirate?" he said.
A FCC spokeswoman said Granite Falls has only one licensed station, WYCV Gospel. The FCC would not confirm or deny shutting down 104.5 or advising the station to stop broadcasting.
Jolly said Homegrown Radio, which he calls a nonprofit and non-commercial station, would go back on the air with the help of investors and the area faith community.
It will remain a low-power FM station, Jolly said.
When Homegrown Radio was on the air, it broadcast Granite Falls church services, took requests for music and played a mix of oldies and modern soft rock.
Brigetta Ledford of Hickory said she listened at home, in the car and at work at Linda's Family Hair Salon. She liked the music, and that she never had to worry there would be cursing or off-color comments for her child to hear.
She guesses she fielded 20 calls this week from people wondering what happened to 104.5. She calls it "our radio station," with an emphasis on the "our."
Bradshaw said the music was a hit with everybody in town.
"Everybody listened," he said. "It didn't have any songs with guns and anybody dying."
The FCC agent who came Friday seemed to enjoy the music, too. Jolly said the man asked him to turn up the Phil Collins song "In The Air Tonight."
Jolly said he never charged Granite Falls merchants for advertising and often broadcast public service and event announcements for the Shriners.
Ed Sheaffer, who owns PC Paramedix in downtown Granite Falls, was the recipient of some of that advertisement but said he liked that Homegrown Radio had more music than talk.
When there were mentions of local businesses, Bradshaw said they helped.
"Ever since Wal-Mart moved in, everything's centered on the highway," he said. "He was bringing people into town to see what was going on and it created business for us.
"Eddie wasn't making anything off of it. He was doing it for the people and for the town."
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