New resolve, new ideas and new people. The Grassroots Radio Conference did the job that good conferences are supposed to do. It reminded us why the work is important. We remind ourselves why we do the work we do. Finally, it reminds us that we are not doing the work alone. In the workshop I facilitated (Radio and the Radiohead) , we ended on communication strategies for progressing radio programs, radio stations and the radio movement. However, we began with a simple question (adapted from the film Brown Sugar), “When did you first fall in love with radio?” Hearing our own answers to that question, is almost as reaffirming as hearing others’. As we applied communications theory to issues of messaging, development and distribution, we functioned from the basic premise that our stories are the most valuable resource we have in bringing community members to our movement, and the finding and sharing of our stories is the most valuable thing we do.
