Often, when I am out visiting businesses in Butte, I am told “I only listen to satellite radio,” or, “I like being able to pick my music, so I listen to Spotify or Pandora.” Last week, I talked to Mr. Maloney’s business class. It was no surprise to me when the teenagers in the class told me the same thing. This time, I decided to take a moment to educate them on the importance of listening local. Maybe, today would be a good day to remind us all of that lesson.
We all know that basic economics lesson about shopping local, right? The one that says a dollar spent in our community will stay in our community? Well, just in case it has slipped your mind- here it is: Let’s say you buy flowers from Schalk’s Posie Patch. Diane (the owner) takes that dollar and uses it to pay her power bill. That specific dollar gets paid out to Paul at Northwestern Energy. He then takes that dollar and spends it with a local business, and the cycle continues.
What happens if Paul spends that dollar online, or drives to Bozeman to shop? That dollar doesn’t stay in our community, which means our economy loses that dollar forever. While that dollar doesn’t seem like much, multiply it by 35,000 people, and it can definitely add up!
The same concept applies to local broadcasting. When you lend your ears to Pandora, or Sirius XM, you take more ears away from your local radio stations. When you watch your next episode of Grey’s Anatomy on Hulu, you take eyes away from your local TV station.
Why does that matter? Because we are your LOCAL broadcasters! When was the last time Hulu gave you a Butte weather report? When was the last time Pandora broadcasted a local sporting event? When was the last time anyone except you local broadcasters HELPED you get the message out about your fundraiser?
The money that advertisers spend with us is money that goes back into the community. We donate time and money to local charities. We keep you up to date on the latest local information, and we live here- just like you! So the next time you decide to turn on some music, or flip on the TV- stop and think. Listen local, watch local, and help our community survive.
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