…and you smell like one, too." So goes the old "alternate" kiddie version of Happy Birthday. Admittedly, my three-year old finds that version much funnier than most adults….but that probably goes without saying. (Disclaimer: Research has indicated that the self-esteem of the general monkey populous has been in no way compromised by the "you look like a monkey/smell like one too" line. Here at the Mountain, we have nothing but the utmost respect for the monkeys of the world. So there.)

May 15, 2003, was the 1st birthday of our little radio station. Kind of a landmark, you know?

I always figure that radio stations are just like any small business in that most of them probably fail within the first year. I don't have any research to support this theory but let's just go ahead and pretend I do and move on from there.

At this time last year, 99.5 The Mountain, was little more than an idea in someone's head. There was no air-staff, no promotions department, no CD's, nothing to play the CD's on, and perhaps most significantly, there was no Mountain Community.

In broad strokes, the basic idea was built around the premise that radio used to be something really special, but at some point, it had just completely lost its way. Somehow, the Music had become something of an afterthought and lost valuable air-time to any number of the following: gimmicky 7th caller contests, remote broadcasts from used car lots, 25 minutes of commercials per hour, and disc jockeys whose prime directive was to offend rather than inform and/or entertain. At the rare moments when you could actually hear music, it was the same songs over and over and over again. Next time you hear another radio station doing 7th caller contests or 25 minutes of commercials, ask yourself if there isn't something you'd rather be hearing instead. Like, oh I dunno….music maybe?

In lieu of any kind of alternative, this "style" (for lack of a nastier word) of radio began to rule the airwaves. Make no mistake, radio stations continued to make money, so they didn't really lose anything in the process. The folks who got rooked were the listeners - the people who had supported radio and made it great in the first place.

So then along came this slightly radical idea that eventually became 99.5 The Mountain. A place where music is the focus, and a place where most of the people on the air had been contemplating leaving radio or were already out of the business altogether. (And believe me, few people are more passionate about radio than people who have made a living in it. If they're ready to throw in the towel, that gives you some indication of just how bad things had gotten.)

Everybody who works at The Mountain is committed to the ideas behind the statio. Every member of the team watches each other's backs to make sure that every single thing we do, from the music we play to the concerts we support, from the ads we run to the interactions we have with the Mountain Community are all in the interest of serving the listener... and all within the confines of the promises we made to you when we signed on the air last May.

Thanks for everything you've done to make this a successful year for our upstart radio station. Without you...things would be awfully quiet…on The Mountain.

Thanks for reading!

Mike Casey
On-Air Mountain Guide
9a-2p