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| HOOAH!!!! Radio News |
| December 26, 2005 | | | HOOAH!!!! Radio: Internet station is a conduit for messages, music and support for troops overseas | | | By Tim Clodfelter
Journal Reporter
Winston-Salem Journal |
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When
Rick Bradley was serving overseas in the U.S. Army during Operation
Desert Storm, he felt a disconnect from his family back home.
Fifteen years later, he and his wife, Pam, came up with a way for
people to send a quick message and a tune to loved ones serving their
country.
Hooah!!!! Radio (www.hooahradio.com), a free Internet radio station,
is devoted to soldiers and their families.
The name of the station comes from a common exclamation in the military
that has a variety of meanings.
"It can mean 'excellent,' 'roger that,' 'I'll get it done,'"
Bradley said, "but it never means 'no.'"
The station started in November with a staff of volunteer disc jockeys
who are military veterans or family members of soldiers. The DJs are
given two-hour blocks of time to program.
"They need no experience," Bradley said. "Basically
we spend the time training them. All they need is music."
The training usually takes about three hours, he said.
The station is looking for more volunteer DJs. An application form
can be found on the station's Web site at www.hooahradio.com.
Bradley lives in Denver. He works with MissionMode Solutions, a division
of InterAct Public Safety Systems, based in Winston-Salem. He frequently
takes business trips to Winston-Salem. His oldest son, Steven, 19,
is in the Army and was recently deployed to Iraq.
Hooah!!!! Radio carries a variety of music, including country, hits
of the 1980s and classic rock. The music is up to the individual DJs,
though there are some general guidelines.
"It's a family radio station," Bradley said. "You don't
have to worry about vulgar music, and children can listen to it."
One of the key elements of the station is the opportunity for people
to give a "Shout Out," a message of support and a dedication
of a favorite song to a loved one in the military.
The station follows Operational Security (OPSEC) guidelines and won't
announce a soldier's last name, unit, dates of deployment or other
such information. But even with just a first name, the station strives
to give soldiers stationed overseas a personal note from the people
back home.
For example, when Steven Bradley was deployed, his kid brother, 6-year-old
Ricky, sent a shout out that said "Steven, this is your little
brother Ricky. I love you, hope you come home safe, God bless you,
I miss you already."
"Soldiers in general are often left wondering 'What does everyone
think of what I'm doing?'" Bradley said. "One of the things
we really wanted to centralize on was letting those troops know that
we support them, whatever our political beliefs are.... It's very
important for morale, keeping their spirits up so they'll go out there
and give 120 percent like they did the day before."
Tim Clodfelter can be reached at tclodfelter@wsjournal.com
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HOOAH!!!!
Radio is BMI, ASCAP, SESAC and SoundExchange licensed through
LoudCity
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