Jacob Barber
Troy University Public Radio’s own “Community Focus” was named the Best Medium Market Talk Show by the organization at the seventh annual “Best in Broadcasting Awards,” also referred to as the ABBYs, which were hosted in the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham on March 23.
Program manager Kyle Gassiott said, “It’s a very tremendous honor for the station, for the university and for the staff.”
“There’s a lot of hard work that goes into putting a show on every day. Even just the 15 minutes of talk that our listeners hear on the radio takes a lot to edit, produce and, of course, find somebody to come in and talk with you.”
Gassiot also praised the work of the show’s host, Carolyn Hutcheson.
“She an expert at what she does, and is one of the most skilled interviewers that I’ve come across.”
“Her warm presence on the air and with her guests is part of the reason why Troy Public Radio is successful and part of the reason why people continue to come in and speak with her on a daily basis.” Though, he adds, the show is a “team effort.”
“Carolyn obviously does the interviews and does some editing and producing,” Gassiot said.
“I produce and sometimes substitute host, and we have a variety of other people that contribute to the show in different ways. But it’s not only just opening the mic and talking to somebody; it’s also scheduling an interview; it’s also getting it into the automation system and getting it ready to be heard every day or just being in the studio to make sure that a live interview is proceeding as it should.”
He said that it is everyone coming together to accomplish a job that cannot be done without a team.
According to Gassiot, the show’s success is dependent upon its audience.
“What we want everyone to know is the most important element is our listeners, because if people listen to the show, it obviously means we’re reaching who we want to,” he said.
“They also then in turn become a part of the show. They either come to the studio and talk with us or it’s really a conversation. The motto at Troy Public Radio is ‘we’ve been starting great conversations since 1977’ and when we produce a show like ‘Community Focus,’ that’s really what we have in mind, is actually starting a dialogue with our listeners.”
Regarding the future of the show, Gassiot said listeners can look forward to some exciting changes, including an expansion of the format, more time for interviews and more time for segments.”
“These are really a new way to have more of the voices from our community on the air.”
Listeners can tune in Monday through Friday to “Community Focus” at 12:10 p.m.
Troy University Public Radio broadcasts on three stations—WTSU, 89.9 FM in Troy and Montgomery; WRMA, 88.7 FM for Dothan and WTJB 91.7 FM for Columbus, Georgia and Phoenix City.
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