Location: 119 W. State St., Hastings 49058
Phone: 2699453414
Cell: 2698381066
About Me
I am a second generation radio broadcaster and ideabank member. My father, Kenneth Radant, spent a lifelong career in radio, having started during his college years at WOAP in Owosso, Michigan. He and my mother Marjorie moved to Hastings in 1959 and he soon was promoted to GM of WBCH Radio and president of Barry Broadcasting Company. They bought out the stockholders over time and became sole owners around 1970.
My two sisters and I grew up around the radio station and I began working part time with a provisional license when I was 15, took the FCC test and got my 3rd class license at 16, and continued working weekend shifts at WBCH while I was at Western Michigan University where I earned a bachelor's in Electrical Engineering. After college I stayed in the business and assumed engineering duties, learned to sell, learned PD/MD/news skills and learned from my dad all the management duties.
My wife, Sue, is my partner in the business, handling traffic and managing the office. We have two daughters who have never been interested in working in radio.
WBCH has been a member of the Idea Bank since 1989. Mike McDaniel sponsored my dad, Ken, who was the voting & reporting member until his semi-retirement in 2010. He became an Emeritus member and I was promoted to the reporting and voting member. The first Idea Bank gathering I attended with my dad was a 1994 "mini-bank" in LaPorte, Indiana hosted by Ken Coe.
My Market
Hastings (City population is 7,500) is the county seat of Barry County in west central lower Michigan. County population is 62,000. We are in a rural area/bedroom community between 4 larger cities (Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Lansing) and approximately 60% of our county workforce commutes to one of those larger metros to work.
My Stations
WBCH-FM is a Class-A 3kW at 100.1, format is Country - "World's Best Country Hits", programmed locally 6a-10a with national (ABC) news and sports, state news from Michigan Talk Network, local news at the top of most hours and longer news blocks early morning, noon, and 5pm. Remaining hours we use the Mainstream Country format from LRN. High school sports play by play, Michigan State University football and basketball.
WBCH-AM, 1220 with 250 watts is local news and syndicated talk, farm reports from Brownfield Ag Network. ABC national news, Michigan Talk Network news and morning show, local news headlines. Syndicated talk, mostly from Radio America.