Community Gems: The Shady Radio

How many small cities have their own radio station? The answer is not many, but as of 2007, Shady Cove has been one of them. This 3,105-person city along Highway 62 proudly advertises their radio station on the sign-posts marking the city’s entrances and exits. According to city administrator, Tom Corrigan, Shady Cove’s radio is a great way to get news out to the people, and entertain them as well. “Every hour is something different.” He went on to talk about how the radio features everything from local cooking shows, to heavy metal nights, to comedies and political discussions. KSHD-LP, reached on 94.3FM, can be found even beyond the broadcasting limits of Shady Cove; online streaming is a great way to tune in. The station also plays music spanning from the ‘50s to the ‘70s, and even features old-fashioned logging tunes.

“It’s a very eclectic mix of programs and music, but Shady Cove is proud of it,” Corrigan continued. “There’re only a few [cities] in the nation with their own station, and we’re the only one in the state.” KSHD-LP also provides news about community events and information to city residents—as well as to the tourists who are passing through. Wrecks or emergencies can be broadcast, and select programs are featured by the generous local sponsors who have funded this “Shady Radio.”

And do the city’s residents turn up for all these broadcasted events? Most definitely. Corrigan stated that even when the city hosted a holiday event with Santa Claus—for the first time ever—nearly two-hundred people braved a torrential rainstorm to stand outside in the December chill and visit Santa. “When we did Jackson County’s ‘coffee with a cop’ over 150 people showed up.” He added that people in Shady Cove “come out and help.” Whether doing open forums or just walking down the streets visiting, people love to talk. “It’s nice.” Even when the restrooms in the park needed cleaning, the mayor got down to the task instead of waiting for someone else to do it. “You don’t get that in bigger cities, unless it’s some sort of publicity stunt. It’s just nice,” reiterated Corrigan.

Thanks to the newest addition to our SOREDI team, our SOU alum, Abigail Skelton, we will continue to feature some of the popular attractions located in our Southern Oregon communities. We consider each one of our towns and cities to be “jewels in the crown” that makes up Southern Oregon. If you have a story idea sparked by an inspiring local attraction, please e-mail our Communications Manager, Codi Spodnik and maybe Abigail will be giving you a call to follow up.  If you are a SOREDI Member and you have some great news, please e-mail it to Codi so we can share it in our newsletter.

Additional Sources:

Miller, Bill. (2007). “Shady Cove radio is on the air.” Mail Tribune. Website: http://mailtribune.com/archive/shady-cove-radio-is-on-the-air