Glow
When the announcement that a new community radio station was being formed here in the small town where I live, I jumped at the chance to join the broadcasting class with hopes of becoming a volunteer DJ. The class was fun, and there it was in a flash: my handle. I would be The Dove. I have been on the air for a year and a half now, every Sunday morning at 11:00 on KBZR.org and on 89.9 FM locally. It has become my refuge as I play an eclectic setlist ranging from indie pop & soul to international dance grooves to music from regions of Africa, South America, and the Middle East, and gems from every nook and cranny of this big, beautiful planet I can find. I like discovering little anecdotes about the musicians and facts about the recordings to relay to my audience.
I like to DJ the way I want to hear DJs on the radio when I am listening. I want to know who I am listening to, what album, and what year the track was recorded. I want to feel the love of the music in the DJ’s voice, so that is what I offer my audience. Just like the old saying, “Treat others the way you want to be treated,” I DJ with intent. The Golden Rule is the earliest bit of advice I remember from my mother, who had a poster with these words on the wall in my childhood home, and whose essence appears in countless sacred texts. I try to keep this motto at the tip of my mind’s portal as I go about my day, and it isn’t hard. It comes rather naturally, most of the time. I do have moments of reflection when I think I could have been more conscious of a friend’s needs or remembered to wish my 85-year-old auntie a happy birthday. But most of the time, I have a clear conscience. It wasn’t always like this, but now it is what matters most, and I am happy to enjoy the comfort of the DJ booth, wearing my muumuu, treating my audience the way I want to be treated, with warmth, offering interesting tidbits of info, sharing the joy of music from all over the globe, glowing through the airwaves.