Area radio stations hope to create community connections

The four Fort Smith radio stations owned by Clear Channel have created a local advisory board designed to connect the stations with the needs of communities in the Fort Smith metro area.

Newstalk 1320 KWHN, KMAG 99.1, KZBB B-98, KKBD Big Dog 95-9 will increase their public service activities by working directly with Arkansas and Oklahoma community leaders, add to the number of available public service announcements and help connect the unemployed with potential employers.

“The purpose of the LAB is to get information that will help us, at our local radio stations better serve communities in the region, by assisting them in accomplishing the tasks at hand in order to meet their needs in dealing with pressing issues,” KWHN Program Director Gary Elmore said in a statement.

Members of the LAB are:
• Poteau
Traci Barnes
Karen Wages, Poteau Chamber president

• Sallisaw
Sallisaw Mayor Shannon Vann
Judy Martens, Sallisaw Chamber president

• Greenwood
A.C. Brown (tentative)
Rosanne Sterling, Greenwood Chamber president

• Van Buren
Maryl Koeth, director, Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission
Jackie Krutsch, Van Buren Chamber president
Janie Simmons

• Fort Smith
Dr. Paul Beran, chancellor, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
Dr. Arlene Breaux, University of Arkansas at Fort Smith
Paul Harvel, Fort Smith Chamber president

“After our first meeting, it’s clear to see that these people truly understand and appreciate the fact that there is no ‘Great Wall’ between Arkansas and Oklahoma, Fort Smith and Van Buren, Greenwood and Fort Smith, Sallisaw and Poteau, nor any other cities or towns in this area. We are a region and we must work together,” Elmore said.

Elmore said the radio stations soon will air interviews with members of the advisory board and leaders representing their communities on a weekly public affairs program, “Arklahoma Affairs.”  The show airs each Sunday morning from 7 to 7:30 a.m. on all four of the stations.

A “Radio Resume” program is also underway. The program allows people to record a message that is then played on the stations. Ideally, a potential employer will hear the message and contact the radio station for info about that person. The message will also be available through the stations’ Web sites.
    
“Bottom line … We, the radio station employees live, eat, work, sleep and play here. We are affected by the problems and we desire to be a part of the solution,” Elmore said.