“Welcome to the 'Problem Corner'” final greeting. Just before noon Friday, ending Alaska's longest-running live radio program after nearly 70 years on KINY-AM, the caller responded, marking a unique send-off for the program. Known for being sociable, eccentric, and outspoken.
“There are a few things I would like to talk to you about,” said the man on the other end of the phone. “For one, we still have 10- and 15-gallon aquariums with gravel, motors, etc. They haven't been used in a while, but they're free.”
After longtime host Wade Bryson repeatedly gave listeners his phone number, callers also talked about the Juneau School District's financial crisis and proposed school closures and consolidations that have surfaced in recent weeks. He said he wanted to talk. There are also other amendments being considered by authorities to correct the large deficit.
Consolidation options include transferring Thunder Mountain High School students to Juneau-Douglas High School, and the caller said he has a problem with district officials' thinking.
“Their idea was to take all the kids who could drive to school and put them in a place where there was no parking,” he says.
Bryson, who has been a member of the Juneau Assembly for the past five years and the host of Issues Corner for the past 16 years, has been given a detailed overview of the tripartite meetings of the Legislature and the Board of Education, and has been thoroughly informed about the crisis. was familiar with. A few days before Friday's show.
“Yeah, they came up with some pretty stupid answers right off the bat,” he said, but this is considerably more blunt than the harsh words he gave against the district's practices during Tuesday's meeting. It was a reaction. “That's why we're going to have more discussions so we don't do something stupid like put a high school with student drivers who need parking downtown that doesn't have parking. We can. It's a perfectly good high school with plenty of parking, but we're not used to it as a high school.”
Local First Media Group news director Jordan Lewis (left) discusses the day's top stories with Wade Bryson during the final live broadcast of KINY-AM's “Issues Corner” on Friday. (Mark Sabatini/Juno Empire)
The caller's final remarks about the show itself were a chance for Bryson to remind listeners about particularly hot topics during the hour-long broadcast. KINY plans to continue “Problem Corner” as a weekly podcast. Demand will be broadcast on Saturday, February 17th at 9am. Before the show, Bryson said this was something he and the station's management had agreed to try within the past few days.
“It looks like we'll be recording on Thursday or Friday,” he said during the show. “We'll give you an email and a phone number so you can receive voicemail. We can literally give you the same functionality. It'll be more like a podcast than a live radio show. This is what we're here to do. It’s just a more modern version of what we do in … I know it’s not the same thing, but it’s better than nothing.”
However, as some callers pointed out, this means the show is not a live call-in format, which limits the immediacy and back-and-forth conversation that characterizes the program. Bryson admits it's a drawback and will do his best to overcome it.
“I can talk to you and have a conversation, and I can ask you the questions that you need to ask, and I can give you the opinion that you need,” he said about the live show in response to a question from one woman. . expressed her issues with the podcast format. “Yeah, I like live calls, but we're going to give it a try. Like I said, we're going to go through a learning process. And we're going to create a product that's fun for everyone.” Listen and participate please. ”
“Problem Corner” will be aired live after Bakersfield, Calif.-based BTC USA Holdings Management Inc. acquired all six commercial radio stations in Juneau last year as part of a major acquisition of stations in Southeast Alaska and beyond. It was decided to end as a radio program. Cliff Dumas, chief content officer and member of the ownership group, told Empire last week that the goal is to make music from the '80s, '90s and '00s the centerpiece of the station, giving KINY “a stronger musical “It's about giving them an identity,” he said.
KINY said in a news article posted on its website last week that Bryson's “retirement” would end “Problem Corner” but that he would remain on the station's program in his role as a congressman. Bryson said in an interview with Empire that while he is indeed considering stepping down as host, he also hopes to find a suitable replacement.
Dumas, Bryson, and some fans of the show believe that modern communication, such as social media and cell phones, allows people to sell second-hand goods and send messages to relatively small villages in southeast Alaska. He agrees that this is part of the long-standing role of the “problem corner.” Where you can listen to the program.
But many people objected, including one caller who said replacing “Problem Corner” with “Robo Music” was a mistake.
“The value of 'Problem Corner' is greater than people who aren't from Alaska realize,” he says. “I tune in to Problems Corner every morning at 11 o'clock because that's what I want to hear.”
Another caller began asking, “What the hell are they thinking? … It's part of history.” He said he first approached the show in the 1980s when former Juneau Mayor Dennis Egan hosted it for 30 years, which ended in 2010, and Bryson has hosted some shows since 2007. started.
“When I was selling weightlifting machines, Dennis Egan answered my phone. And as soon as he hung up, he said, 'I don't like this stuff, it's a lot of work. That’s too much.’ I thought, ‘Oh my God.’ He’s denying my weightlifting machine,” the caller said.
Callers rarely say more than a first name or nickname, but even when they do, Bryson says during a commercial break that he knows almost everyone who they are. Told. This is just one of the ways he's had this show built into him over the years.
“It will probably take me a month to get over this situation and reset my body and mind,” he said. “I physically know that I'm supposed to be here at 10:50 every day. I don't even have to guess what time it is, like my body reacts and tells me, 'Oh no! It's time to leave,' and every time I look at my phone, it's 10:50.”
Among Friday's callers was “Jeff,” who began the show by saying he was looking for a wooden rocking chair. A woman then sang “Happy Trails” to Bryson. Another man said he would sell his collection of 200 records (LPs without specifying the type of music they contained) for $100. Before the first commercial begins, Bryson reads an email from “Sarah” wishing his cousin Royal Jackson III a happy birthday.
In addition to the regular callers and topics, there were send-offs from Bryson and other notable people who have been associated with Problem Corner over the years.
Among them was former KINY stationmaster Dan “Dano” Ondrejka, who sometimes hosted “Problem Corner.”
“I loved connecting with people in the Southeast,” he told Bryson. “I loved Problem Corner, with all the products for sale and all the stories you hear. It's just connected to the community. You can sit in that 'air chair' and learn about the history of Problem Corner. It was an honor to be a part of it.”
Bryson's former business partner at Bike Doctor Shop, Ken Hill, who had been listening online during a visit to Key Largo, Fla., also called and likened the idea for a new podcast to New Coke.
“It's never going to be the same, just like New Coke wasn't the same,” Hill said, adding that among the current topics where daily live conversations could be useful are He noted that some people are trying to clear snow from their homes after a record-breaking January. snowfall.
The most notorious person to ask for a send-off may be U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who was not aired on Friday's show for technical reasons. He recorded a 90-second memorial in which he attempted to sing the old theme song. A song that matches the program.
“It's hard to even think about KINY without 'Problem Corner,'” she said. “When I was in junior high school in Juneau, you'd drive into town from the valley and there would be a 'problem corner' on, and people would talk about things for sale, trade, or just kind things. Diverging. We would do things, drop off bags, and talk about whatever the issues of the day were. But that was just part of the drive-in. It was something we always looked forward to hearing.”
Among the show's regulars are the “Cowboys of Angoon” who have been calling in for the first time in a long time, wishing Bryson well and visiting the community for a party to celebrate the host's recent 50th birthday. I suggested. This was followed by another “typical” call from a woman trying to sell her two studded snow tires.
“Hey, I really appreciate this more than you know,” Bryson told her. “The joke in Problem Corner is that we used to have used mattresses and used tires. We've come a long way since then, but we had another tire handed to us that we just finished this week. thank you very much.”
The final comment from a listener during Friday's show was an email “Kim” sent to Bryson thanking him for the memories and expressing hope for a new podcast.
“The new management is trying to make a compromise that will allow us to continue at least once a week,” the email said. “That’s a great idea. I’m looking forward to the new format and hope it’s great. Good luck. PS: How do I convince all the other listeners that change is a good thing? Is that okay?”
“Change starts now,” Bryson concluded on Friday's final live broadcast.
“People who are successful in life are those who can accept change and follow it,” he said. “I think that if we resist change, things will only get harder. So, you know, let's move forward together…This may be the end of 'Problem Corner,' but this is our is just the beginning of what you choose to do next. ”
“So remember, first of all, I love each and every one of you. You shaped my life, you helped me grow, I helped you grow too. I hope you'll grow with me too. And I look forward to seeing you in the community. And finally, if you didn't learn anything more from me… Then remember that there are no problems, only solutions that we have not yet discovered.”
“I love you all so much. And I'm going to miss you. I'm Wade, I'm out of here.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
