August 28, 2024 • 41 mins
Episode Summary: In this episode of the Within Range Coaching Podcast, Ranger Kielak sits down with Ranger Rhys, a radio personality from Socorro, New Mexico, with a global reach.
They dive deep into the vital role that local radio plays in connecting and supporting rural communities. Ranger Rhys shares his journey from a consulting engineer to a local radio station owner, highlighting the importance of local radio in promoting local artists, supporting businesses, and providing crucial information during emergencies.
⛰️ Learn more about Within Range Coaching and how I can help you reach your next peak: Within Range Coaching
Key Topics Discussed:
- The unique role of local radio in rural areas and its impact on community connection.
- Ranger Reese’s background and how he transitioned from engineering to owning a radio station.
- The importance of promoting local artists and how radio serves as a platform for them.
- The challenges and responsibilities of being a local radio host, especially in emergencies.
- The blend of local and international content that makes Rio Grande Valley Radio unique.
- How local radio can bring together diverse communities through shared music and stories.
Connect with Ranger Reese:
- Show Times:
- Morning Shows: Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 AM (Mountain Daylight Time)
- Special Show: Wednesday Night at 6:30 PM (Mountain Daylight Time)
- Recorded Show Playback: Saturday Morning at 8:30 AM (Mountain Daylight Time)
- Email: Email Ranger Reese
- Listen Live: RioGrandeValleyRadio.com
Join the Never Peak community:
https://www.skool.com/never-peak-2760
Support the Walk Across America:
If you'd like to donate to the fundraiser for Ranger's Walk Across America, please visit:
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1697455590792485/
To learn more about the walk, go here:
https://withinrangecoaching.com/walk-across-america/
Acknowledgements:
Intro/ Outro Music: https://pixabay.com/users/vivaleum-855230/
Instagram: Instagram.com/WithinRange_Coaching
Facebook: Facebook.com/WithinRangeLifeCoaching
Website:WithinRangeCoaching.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everyone and welcome to the Within Range Coaching podcast. I'm Ranger, a certified
(00:09):
holistic success coach, and in this podcast I break down the journey entrepreneurs face
as they start their organizations, overcome roadblocks in their way, and create an impact
that lasts. We talk with entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and purpose-driven community members
just like you. Together, we learn how to grow our impact and develop ourselves as the people
(00:29):
behind the mission. My intention is to help more people, help more people. And remember,
if you're curious about expanding your impact, growing a community, or defining your mission,
vision, or values, we can chat off the record. You can find my info in the show notes or at my
website withinrangecoaching.com. We're also looking to build our sponsor community with
(00:52):
organizations and individuals who align with our values of fearless innovation, social responsibility,
and courageous candor. If you're interested in helping us highlight individuals doing great work
in the world and share these values, reach out to me directly at ranger at withinrangecoaching.com.
I know you're just as eager to get started as I am, so let's jump right in. Good morning,
(01:19):
good afternoon, and good evening everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Within Range
Coaching Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Ranger. And guys, we're still in the middle of my Walk
Across America series where I'm interviewing the folks that made my walk across this country
possible. Today, we have a very special guest, Mr. Ranger Reese, a radio personality from
(01:42):
Socorro, New Mexico that has a global reach. Ranger Reese, as we all mentioned in the episode,
helped me out when I was passing through the middle of the states through New Mexico,
just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a small town called Socorro. And in today's episode,
we'll be exploring the unique role that local radio plays in connecting and supporting our
(02:03):
communities, especially in rural areas. From promoting local artists to being a vital source
of information during emergencies, radio has an impact far beyond what we often realize. So grab
a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and settle in as we pull back the curtain on the world of
community radio. Good afternoon. Good to see you, Ranger. Awesome. Good to see you too, Mr.
(02:27):
Ranger Reese. This is gonna be a little bit confusing for everybody. Two Rangers on a podcast.
Ranger one and Ranger two, which one do you want to be? I think that you have done a bit more stuff,
so I'll let you have one for this recording. Awesome. Well, no, Mr. Ranger Reese, how's it
(02:47):
going today over in lovely Socorro? It's going well over in Socorro. We got some cloud,
we might get a little rain, we'd kind of have warm temperatures, but nothing like what you've been
through out there. Yeah. Yeah, it's been a lot of a lot of temperature and weather issues. So,
but for those that are listening, Ranger Reese is one of the host family folks that got me through
(03:11):
New Mexico. Oh, what guys are kind of like in the center of the state for the most part. Yeah,
yeah, it's kind of almost almost the heart of that. But we're at the junction also the 25 and the
city the old hoof highway. And I think the 360 that goes out to the smoky, smoky the bear forest
over there in Lincoln County. So yeah, we're we're we're at a good nexus here. And I met you up on
(03:32):
the 60. Yes. And yeah, so we're right in the heart of things. Yeah. And you guys are just south of
Albuquerque. So yeah, pretty much right in the center. But it was right after once I got past
you guys in the New Mexico area is when I started getting hit by the monsoons a lot more. So I got
like my last just hot having to deal with the hot weather for a little bit. So but no, I really
(03:58):
enjoyed my time over in Socorro hanging out with you learning a little bit about the radio. And I'm
excited for today's conversation. So can you go ahead and introduce yourself what you do and share
what your intention for today's episode is? Thanks, Ranger Keelak. I really appreciate it. I'm a
pleasure to get to talk to you again. The episode today, like I said, we're just going to talk a
(04:19):
little bit about local radio. I run a little a little I run a little radio station in Socorro,
New Mexico with a global reach. And we have we have a really good time with that we've got some
really great talent comes in. We do some live shows where I'm a host. But I also work with a
lot of the community I reach out to a lot of the mental health programs here, reach out to
four H and FAA. My goal with a cowboy in Western country radio station is to try to help promote
(04:46):
rural lifestyle and and agriculture the agricultural community. I think it's important
for kids in four H and FAA to hear songs that are about their parents lifestyle, their lifestyle,
that lifestyle of a working rancher or working farmer. And we focus on that here in New Mexico,
as I said, we're in the heart of New Mexico, a lot of our farmers are 40 acres or less. But we do
(05:08):
have some of the best chili in Lemontar. And so yeah, I hope to maybe give people who want to
understand a little bit. I think I think a lot of people just assume local radio happened, we take
for granted how much it means to have a local personality, a local presence, somebody keeping
their pulse on the heart of the community, and communicating with people both during regular
(05:31):
times and during emergency times and during tragedies. And that radio, especially like it
says, whether it's broadcast radio, and it comes through on your FM radio, or today, many people
are finding with Bluetooth and mobile phones, you can listen to the radio station online. And
it's been a real surprise for me, because I started out with a local radio focus, and I found myself
(05:51):
with an international audience. And that's changed my perspective as well to be a little bit more
broad, since I know that I'm talking to people around the globe and mixing mixing music for
different people. In fact, people from Ireland and Europe send me, you know, artists lists. So I
hope people get a little appreciation for that. And take a little thought on your local community
(06:12):
radio station and and what radio, both internet and broadcast mean to you. So hopefully I can answer
a few questions of Ranger Keelex discussion and tell you a little bit about what it's all about.
Yeah, and I was in our little pre podcast discussion, or even when you and I were hanging out
in Socorro, it made me think of in one of my networking groups, there was a guy that owned a
(06:37):
cleaning company. And I was chatting with him one day, one of our one to ones and he was saying how
with with the cleaner, his job is to be invisible. Like, their only reason that somebody would think
about him would be if there's something wrong. And I feel like that's when those things with
companies like that, like they're so pivotal and so backbone ish of a community or business that
(07:03):
people would only really think about the radio or think deeper about it if there was something wrong.
If something happened, if something bad happened to the radio or if it was not on or, you know,
something weird. So that's why I was so excited to have you on because I feel like you'd be able
to kind of give that behind the scenes, you know, pull the curtain to the side and say, Hey, this
is what's all going on behind the scenes and kind of give folks like a positive reason to learn about
(07:27):
what's going on. Does that kind of make sense? Yeah, I think the biggest thing for people to
understand like in 20 in 2018, we lost our broadcast radio station for over a year. During that time,
we had some severe flooding that took place, we almost had a train track that was washed out.
Some of the restaurants equipment, local restaurants equipment actually flooded and washed
(07:49):
down the street a little bit. We had all this activity going on without local radio. We didn't
have an ability to communicate with the public and to let the public know what was going on. Where
was the crew working with the county to remove some of the mud? Where was deep mud? Where was
the flooding on I-25? So we find that a lot of times, like you said, it's invisible. As long as
(08:11):
we're just listening to our music, we're fine if it's got our favorite song. But we don't realize
how pivotal having somebody like myself who has contacts in amateur radio and in public safety,
you know, to get that information out to the public and to not just be a nine to five kind of
job, but to be kind of a job where if something's happening, somebody gets on the radio and you can
(08:35):
turn on your radio, you know, they'll tell you what's happening. And it'll help you make plans
of how to get to work, how to get groceries, what is open, what isn't, you know, what isn't open.
And it's a real vital thing in our community that we don't think about until something happens.
And we've seen this in arguments before with the FCC, you know, talking about the lack of local
(08:55):
radio in emergencies and stuff like that. Because it's more than just getting a broadcast tone to
give you a maybe one, two-minute message. It's about having someone that knows the community
well. I mean, we've had issues here where people have been abducted. And there was nobody that
actually knew the community well enough in that communication. And they didn't find the person
(09:18):
in time. But if somebody had been communicated with that knew the community and was communicating
information, they might have been able to save that person because they are local. They were local
to the region and they knew it. So there's a lot of things you don't really recognize you need as
long as things are good. And again, aside from that, even like you said with the cleaner,
radio is there to help promote local businesses, to bring local people in.
(09:42):
Artists, you know, I tell people all the time, you're a musician, but you see some of them more
than others. But they're trying to run a small business. And they're trying to make a living
at it. And what we can do to bring local musicians on radio and give them some airtime and playtime
with some of the great national artists that everybody loves is really important to them,
helping drive album sales, drive people to their events, getting other venues and establishments
(10:06):
to play music, to call them up and say, hey, we'd like you to come play for us. So what radio does
is a pivotal role of connecting us in emergencies, connecting us in good times, connecting us with
businesses, connecting us with resources. And you really need someone, in my opinion, local,
that's connected to the community to do that well. Yeah. And that makes complete sense to me that
(10:27):
it would be somebody that is local, that they know the environment, they know the community,
they know the people to really, because it sounds like really the role of, in your opinion, and I
mean, I agree, of a radio host in a local region is kind of like the center of the spider web.
Like you kind of have a feel of what's going on in all different parts, the different businesses,
(10:49):
you know, in the case of an emergency, like you're very interconnected to the community.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you go back, if you go back to ancient times, the position was called
the town crier. And he was the one that sat on the corner or sat on the steeple and yelled out,
or the balcony and told people what the news was and what was going on, you know. And radio is just
(11:13):
a different way to do that. We call it the coverage contour of our radio broadcast. And the hard part
was in 2017, the FCC changed the home studio rule. They changed the rule that said, if you have a
radio station in an area, you have to have a studio in that area. You need a studio in that area.
Well, with the internet and the capabilities and everything, and instead of, you know, we don't
(11:34):
know, we no longer need a studio to do records, to go down and inspect the station records. But
so the FCC decided, well, we could do that online. So nobody has to be local anymore.
We can, we can use the internet and I could run a radio local radio station out of
Socorro from Bangladesh because of internet or New York City. And I can, and I can run
(11:57):
thousands of them that way. And I don't have to have people there. But that doesn't allow you to
do the local sports. It doesn't allow you to do the local businesses. It allows them to get national
advertising dollars and make a great revenue stream. And it's, and it serves their bottom line. But
having that town crier, that person on radio, who's there, who's listening, and it's a dangerous
(12:18):
position as I found out, because you have to be able to challenge the politicians. And they don't
like that. But the public needs to know. Yeah. So it's interesting, because there's not a lot
of protection for DJs or station people. It's amazing with the FCC that, you know, you don't
have to have any technical knowledge to own an FM or AM radio station, you can hire someone to
(12:42):
do that, you don't have to know it yourself. And you don't have to have any psychology degrees,
which I find amazing, because, you know, radio can really affect people's psychology quite
immensely when you consider saying that includes internet radio, both of them, and being sensitive
to that. So I take it as a big public responsibility to not only entertain my guests, inform them,
(13:02):
but to consider the mental state and the emotional state of people in what I'm doing. It's not just
for me to go on and have a tirade about things because I have a microphone. I have people that
I'm serving, and then I'm concerned for as my neighbors. And I always start my radio shows,
a good morning, friends and neighbors, you're listening to Rio Grande Valley Radio, because
you're friends and neighbors. And that's my heart. Yeah. And I mean, I'm not going to sit here and
(13:28):
argue about laws and regulations. And I've worked in code enforcement before. And it's
for two guys on the podcast, I don't know how much we can change. But in terms of that
whole running a radio station remotely part, it totally makes sense with the capabilities
(13:48):
of internet and what we have technology wise, etc, etc. But like what you were just saying in
terms of the emergency preparedness, what happens when the internet goes down, or like you're saying
someone's abducted or sports games, you know, like the really great local things or the very
(14:10):
terrible localized events. It sounds like that's what it still makes the most sense for a local
radio station to be hosted by a local personality. So that's that's really interesting that you've
been so willing to take on that, I guess, I'll pick up that helmet and say, yeah, I'll do or
pick up the headphones or the microphone more appropriately. Hey, everyone, just a quick message.
(14:37):
You know that my mission with this podcast is to share stories of influence and impact
so that we can help more people help more people. But to do that, I need your support.
Please rate, review and share this podcast. If I could ask for just one favor,
it's to just leave a review. It takes about 10 seconds and a few clicks,
but it means the world to me and could inspire someone else to make a difference.
(14:58):
Thank you so much. Now back to the show.
What is your background in terms of radio or broadcast or
speaking to a whole bunch of people at once? Like what made you get into this world?
Well, I think it's I think it's going to it's going to be interesting, Ranger Keelig,
because again, my background is a consulting engineer. And I traveled everywhere from
(15:22):
Kodiak Island, Alaska to help the US Coast Guard with their emergency radio systems,
Florida, and the United States. And I think that's going to be a really interesting
experience for people who are in the United States. I've been there with their emergency
radio systems, Florida, Maine. I've been all over. And sometimes when you're out there,
you have this and again, no, we can't we the big thing about the regulations and things is
(15:44):
for people to try to understand that this is a machine, this is an instrument that we created.
And it needs to be more human. It needs to be less machine and more human. So just state that
and I've traveled quite a bit. You know, number one, you go to karaoke, you go to you go to live
local music events, you hear artists that you don't hear on the radio, you see that you hear
(16:08):
and experience the local talent that doesn't have national radio exposure. And you listen to a radio
and a television radio specifically, but radio where it's kind of like one of those movie
backdrops, no matter where you are, it never changes. It never changes. You know, I mean,
I've been on a terrible prop air flight from from Anchorage, Alaska to Kodiak with the band
that was flying out there to play. And I got turned on to some music I would have never heard
(16:32):
otherwise. And so it was always kind of a it's like even me being in the southwest, it's like,
why isn't there music here that reflects the culture that I'm in? There should be music that
when I turn on a radio here, it should there should be something that reflects this place where I am.
And I just went through Sholo and everything over there. But if you go up north a little bit more
(16:55):
there, there's a Navajo Hopi radio station that you can hear local Dine language on that radio
station. And you know where you are, because that's the only station that broadcasts Dine and Hopi
language. You know, and so as an engineer, as a consulting radio engineer, and that's the other
(17:15):
reason I can do this is because I can do my own engineering. But you go to all these places, you
travel all these places, and you've got this continual drumming of these things that are out
there. And these people who choose what you do and don't hear. And there's all this other local
flavor, there's all this local culture flavor that's not there. So it was always my ambit,
(17:36):
you know, basically, what happened to me was I was working as a National Radio Astronomy Observatory
in the world, I was working on active hydrogen masers and other very high tech stuff, and a radio
station came for sale. And it was something that I'd always dreamed about, but never thought
it could actually happen. And so it was like, wow, that I can do this, you know, and I can
(18:00):
express what I'm expressing to you now, that hey, let's have some local artists on the radio
station. I put a local group here called the Cowboy Way. I started broadcasting July 1, 2017.
And within days of putting them on the radio, I had people emailing the station and prior the
person who sold it to me, who was that? We really love that we hadn't heard that before. That I
(18:22):
mean, within a week, that's amazing. Yeah. I had I had I had affirmation that my dream and my ambition
of having local artists and doing something that reflected the Southwest culture where I was at
had value to other people than just me. Other than that, it was a gamble. I mean, I don't have a
long career in broadcast. I mean, if you most I mean, I'm never qualified for half the stuff I
(18:45):
attempt. According to the according to the people who qualify, you know, but there's there's a
there's a there's a there's a heart of someone who's traveled the country quite extensively,
who wanted to do something that was local, the opportunity presented itself. And I'm
a radio engineer. And I as a radio engineer, it's great, because the biggest expense little radio
(19:10):
stations have is the engineering and I could go to local businesses like Tractor Supply Company,
I could put the cowboy way a live performance a cowboy way boom right there on the air and
brought people down to Tractor Supply Company for the one of what they consider one of the best
grand openings in New Mexico. You know, and and so it's do I have a lot of experience that I have
(19:31):
going to college and learning broadcast radio and studying entertainment? No. I'm a consumer person.
I know the power of music because I have my favorite artists that I go to when I need healing
and when I need reflection. And I know the power of music. And I know the power and I know I know
that the local musicians are small businesses, and they're trying to make a success. And it doesn't
(19:54):
mean they have to have a platinum or a gold record and do it. They just need to be able to support
their family and their lifestyle and keep making music. And that's such an interesting thing.
One of the other big things that I love to see out of businesses or nonprofits are the
the organizations that help other organizations thrive, kind of like the venture center in
(20:20):
Little Rock, Arkansas, like as a entrepreneurship hub, like they help entrepreneurs, you know,
with marketing or sales or business plans, etc, etc. And it sounds like you're very much in that
same vein of not just the like you're saying, like the local ACE Hardware grand opening,
I don't know, sales at the beauty salons or boutiques. Like it's also like you're it sounds
(20:40):
like very unique in the way that you're able to not just say, hey, go to these people's live show
at the downtown theater, five bucks a ticket or free or whatever. It's like, here's their music.
Enjoy. It's right here. Listen to it. Consume it. These are your neighbors, too.
Yeah. And it's really special when you take those those neighbors and you put their name,
(21:03):
their music against national artists. And it sounds just as good. You know, it sounds just as
good. I mean, they don't have a big label. But it's it's not like screeching breaks on the radio.
You know, it's good music. It's great music. It's music that makes people turn their heads go,
wow, I haven't heard that before. And it's important because there there's, you know,
(21:25):
there have been historical situations where by hearing songs, by hearing stories, people
get a broader perspective of the world around them. And they and it can open them to other
people that they may not encounter in their day to day life. And and and I think that's important
to making us more compassionate for one another when we see that our our our our our our our
our own. And seeing that our our our our our our own. And when we see that, you know,
(21:50):
when we see that our our struggles are the same and when we hear things that make us aware of
different groups that may not be familiar to us. Yeah, that's so interesting. Like what you're
saying with you said the there's a Navajo area that has the radio station they play.
I was like, man, I wish because I haven't personally listened to a whole lot of radio on my
(22:13):
middle of nowhere South Carolina versus in the city versus Alabama, Mississippi, like what that
difference even just on that straight line through the country would have looked like,
let alone completely different cultures like you're saying the Navajo. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, and it's interesting too, because even what you just said there, I mean, like I said,
(22:33):
when you take Georgia, and you take some of the places in the South, the struggles that go on in
the urban environment and the art that comes out of the urban environment are different than the
struggles that go on in the rural environment and the music that comes out of the rural environment.
There's commonality certainly, but there's different tempo. There's a whole lot of
different grittier things based on, you know, whether you're in the city or whether you're in
(22:55):
a rural environment that's come out. And it's kind of neat because like I said, I just played a mix
today of some country and some rock because yeah, one of them is from the city and one of them is
from the country, but there's a common human struggle that's rooted in both of these songs.
That's so interesting. Like you were saying that it shows the differences in a, I guess,
(23:18):
in a way that brings people together is kind of what I was getting from what you're saying before.
Yeah, it can. Like I said, it can. It can be difficult because like I said, I'm like,
I'm going to pick on rap. I'm sorry, rap. I'm going to pick on you. But it's like, you know,
some of that city stuff can be very hard and very aggressive. I mean, it's one of the things that
(23:40):
that threw me, like I said, sometimes you're in the middle of the Southwest and you're hearing
this very hard rap thing coming from New York or Chicago or something like that. And it's like,
it just seems so dissonance from where I'm at that it's hard. But sometimes, you know, like I said,
I think there, I don't know, I'm still researching a lot because I think there's
interest, you know, like I said, I do Americana to Western swing, but I'm definitely more folk,
(24:05):
more country, more Westerns. I'm more people and I'm definitely agricultural focus, ranching and
farming. I live in an agricultural environment here. But I also live in an environment in
Socorro where we have international scientists that are measuring glacier movements in Greenland
that are, you know, giving us radio images of black holes right here in Socorro. So it's an
(24:32):
environment. But again, if you try to get down to what the human condition is and the human struggle,
it's universal. And people may express it differently. And they may use different
instruments to express it. But it's the same struggle. That's so interesting, too. Yeah. I
mean, I'm sure that's a whole other episode there just talking about how, how music and cultures and
(24:54):
all that's kind of intertwined differently. But I guess to kind of focus in on your station and what
you do. What we do here right now, like you said, I do everything from the fresh country, which is
some of the latest country that's coming out right now. And there's some really good artists, but
I'm the one selecting. I'm not getting it from anybody naturally. I listen, I enjoy the music.
(25:16):
And I also listen to my constituents here when I'm in the grocery store, when I'm walking around.
I read concert t-shirts, I pay attention to what people are enjoying. And I also put my New Mexico
artist in there. So we've got fresh country, we've got old school country, which is classic
country, vintage country, your Johnny Cash's, your Dolly Parton's, Tom T. Hall, you know, some of the
(25:39):
stuff that made country and what it is. And then like I said, I do my cowboy and Western country
on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And that again, that's working ranchers in most cases, working farmers
in most cases, but also just artists who find that subject in the history of America, because cowboy
and Western has a lot of songs about history in it, which is a big thing. Because again, talking
(26:02):
about culture, the cowboy songs tie back to the Irish and Scottish ballads of Europe. And a lot
of that tradition carries forward and into cowboy culture. And of course, Spain, Spain bringing the
horses over. So there's... And down here in New Mexico, I mean, you can't help but have
Spanish-English mix in music because that's the culture. And so it reflects who we are. It
(26:25):
tells people like FAA, it tells kids like FAA, 4-H that, hey, this stuff is cool. And Lainey
Wilson, you know, her latest album out, Whirlwind, you know, country's cool again. People are getting
back to this blue collar, getting back to working and looking for songs that celebrate not the rich
guy running around playing party boy, but the people who are out there living a hard life,
(26:48):
but enjoy it because it's their choice, it's their freedom, and it's their expression of their life
on the land that they live. And it's kind of cool to see that because like I said, I've seen
when I started out, there was only one other country radio station in Socorro. And now I think
we're up to four. I actually converted one of the radio stations from Classic Rock to country to
compete with me, which I thought was quite an honor. How funny. That's so cool that it like,
(27:13):
it sounds like it's still there also between stations a bit. It's cooperative. Is that kind
of fair to say that you guys are all there's still that competition, but it sounds like there's also
might be some working togetherness. Is that fair to say or I think there could be the New Mexico
Broadcasters Association. I've had some difficulty there because like I said, there's a lot of the
(27:36):
broadcasters feel like the FCC license is the creme de la creme. And the rest of you guys are
just a bunch of whatever is in your in your basement. You know, but like I said, it's changing.
The world is changing. I mean, the difference between a podcast and radio stream station is
number one, like what you and I are doing right now. This is a live conversation between you and
(27:58):
me. You are somewhere else and I am somewhere else. But at this point in time, we are together.
And people will play this back anytime they want to and it'll be a podcast. But real live radio in
the morning says, Hey, I'm up with you. I see the sun coming up and I'm let's get our morning
started together. We're gonna have coffee together. We're gonna talk on the place and songs. I'm gonna
try to put you in a good mood. I'm going to be aware that it's Monday and you're kind of groggy
(28:21):
and not wanting to get to work. I'm going to be aware that it's Friday and hey, let's get excited.
It's the weekend. It's going to be live because it's like my show Wednesday night with Doug Viggs
and I we connect with people from Carolina to California on Wednesday night. And we're all
sitting around on what I call the ranch house couch. It's not a podcast. Because it's live.
We're all doing this at the same time. We're getting interactions on text and messaging,
(28:42):
you know, and I think it's important for a radio DJ to bring that community together that it's
streamed that it's live, that this is our moment right now. And I when I started out, I was really
anti recording because I was like, No, you either at that moment or you're not, you don't deserve it.
And I was pretty arrogant and ignorant in that. And then I started having some really great
(29:05):
historical interviews that I didn't record them like, Oh, I can see where my arrogance
is wrong. And I need to start and I did. I did because it the podcast is important.
The podcast is important, but coming together over the power of radio over the power of internet
coming together and sharing that time wherever we are is a cool thing. Yeah, I love how it's also
(29:29):
that acknowledgement that there are so many different types of media or forms of communication
that we have. And they're all important for very different reasons. Yeah, whether it's you know,
like you're saying like, hey, I'm your local radio host, I'm drinking coffee from the same
shop that you are right now. We see the mountains that the sun is coming up behind right now,
(29:49):
like at the same time. And then also that being able to share those conversations, like what you
said, like you and I are having right now, like anybody anywhere, like I have people, I have,
I have people in Germany listening to my podcast, too, which is always kind of funny to see, like,
all these people from all across the world. So it's just all about the different types of reach
(30:12):
and the messages that you're able to promote and facilitate and cultivate on your show.
Yeah, I mean, I've gotten Christmas cards from North of Frankfurt, Germany. I've got a good friend
in New Forest, England, who's a musician out there. And I've gotten requests from Irish, Irish and
Scottish stations that listen to my stations. And one of the reasons I realized recording was a good
(30:33):
thing to do, because of different times of day. But that's been the amazing thing about what I do,
because like it says, there's a thing in the radio business that says once the population gets over
a million country radio stations go away, you know, usually country radio, country music usually,
you know, fits a very small demographic. I mean, in the heyday of Alabama and the 90s,
they were maybe pushing 12%, 14% of the population in their coverage contours
(30:57):
for a broadcast radio station. What I've learned as an internet radio station is all those little
small populations anywhere that you've got cell phone coverage, you can go on your mobile phone
and you can listen to my internet radio station. So I found up connecting, I'm going to say hundreds,
but it's probably more than that, little communities all around the globe, the farmer in Frankfurt,
(31:19):
Germany, who listens into my radio station, because he likes the country music, the agricultural
focus that I have, the ones in Scotland and Ireland, because we all have that, it's all there.
There's ranches in Hawaii. You know, and it's it and when you start celebrating that all those
(31:39):
little cultures and you celebrate them on internet radio as one of the medium, I was blown away.
And I'm still trying to figure it out. That you know, how many of these little communities
turned in and listen because they could hear songs about the way they live.
And artists celebrating it from Canada to England. You were here. You really like the song by Andrew
Ferris called Drifting. That song was from Australia. So it's neat because now this rural
(32:08):
community, these little rural communities scattered everywhere have a format in internet radio
to connect and listen. And where my ignorance was, I'm not going to record things and I'm not going
to record things and I'm just focused on local radio. Suddenly I had to realize, oh my gosh,
you know, when I real wow, I have an international audience. I have people in Brazil that listen.
(32:32):
You know, it's like, okay, so I'm going to change my focus. It changes things a little bit.
Well, a lot, actually, because like I said, I don't want to talk about nationality in my shows. I
want to talk about human being, because that's what's important to me. The nationalities are
distinctions or higher level of distinctions that if we're milk and a cow in Germany, it's the same
(32:53):
as milk and a cow here. If we're raising agriculture here or there, we're all trying to do the same
thing. We're all fighting the weather, fighting the soil, fighting environmental changes,
struggling. It's hard work, but this defines who we are. And like Keeper of the West by Ryan Fritz,
the song, we want to be able to pass this down to our children. We want them to have the same
opportunity that we have. And it's important to share the songs that celebrate that. That's so
(33:17):
interesting. I love that. Welcome to the mountaintop. Are you an entrepreneur or non-profit
leader ready to make a bigger impact in the world, but aren't sure how to do it or even where to
start? Then join the NeverPeak community on school, where bold movers, shakers and magic
(33:39):
makers come together to achieve their dreams and support others on the way to theirs.
Our goal is to help leaders change the world by first focusing on themselves. By fostering
your community rooted in support and learning, my goal is to help you be more effective in your
organization, achieve your biggest dreams and make time for what really matters in your life.
(34:04):
In NeverPeak, you'll find weekly book club meetings, engaging courses, weekly mastermind calls,
monthly Q&As with industry experts and networking opportunities that span the globe.
Our courses and discussions cover essential topics like personal finance, work-life balance,
goal setting, relationship building, business topics and so much more. Each course is designed
(34:28):
to support you to holistically grow yourself as the person behind the mission.
Oh yeah, one more thing I forgot to mention, that at the time of recording this, the community is
completely free. That's right, you can get started for zero dollars down, but it won't last for long.
All you need to do is to go to school.com forward slash NeverPeak or hit the link in the show notes
(34:55):
to claim your spot on the mountain. Again, be sure you get in now. I can't wait to see you
there and witness the peaks you'll reach in just a few weeks.
(35:31):
Be willing to change and acknowledge for yourself.
Yeah, I think the biggest thing people, I don't know, for me the biggest thing is I'm here to
serve others. While I'm here, I'm here to serve others. And one day I will die and who's going to,
somebody, we need to serve one another. That's where our value and our connection come from
(35:53):
in serving one another. We often talk, you hear thrown around the word spirit and the word soul.
And for me, soul, when we talk, like it says, when we talk about soul, when you hear like
soul, it really is how like you and I like our relationship, right? I mean, I didn't have to
reach out and help you. I didn't. But now my reality and my character and my personality has
(36:17):
been influenced by connecting with you, as well as you has with me. And that is a soul extension.
Because when I go that change in you is still going to be there. Maybe. You know, depending on
the impact, depending on the impact that we have on others lives by looking out for their needs and
caring for them. And how we're able to do that. You know, that's, that's what's going to, that's
(36:42):
what's going to go further than my own life is servitude and servitude is really the root of
things because I, I, when I play music, when I do DJ, I mean, I don't, I don't do it for the money.
I do it because people are suffering right now. They're struggling. And if I can play music that
makes people happy and I can see joy come over people's faces, I, I, I'm done. That as much
(37:07):
suffering as people are going through right now, struggling, everything going on in the world.
If you can have an hour or two of enjoyment and joy, that's, that's the most I could hope for.
Yeah, no, I, that, that whole idea of serving humanity that resonates extremely deeply with me
and, you know, the community that I want to build, whether it's here or school or whatever
(37:28):
platform that I'm, I don't know, posting things on. So, and that was something that I was so when we,
we had our conversations in Socorro, when you would pick me out, that I kind of was like, wow, this
guy, like we're aligned on a lot of deeper level stuff, not just that we have the same name, but
it goes a lot deeper than that. So, but no injuries. I think that that's a fantastic
(37:54):
outlook and a fantastic focus. But if folks wanted to listen to your show, to check you out,
learn more about you and connect on the interwebs, what would be the best way for them to do so?
Well, I basically right now I do, I do three morning shows a week on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday right now on Rio Grande, and that's an E. There's an E on the end of the gran, Rio Grande
(38:16):
Valley radio.com. And I do, I do, you know, three morning shows right now on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, between seven a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. That's here in New Mexico. So it's based on New
Mexico time. And we do that Monday, Wednesday, Friday. And then of course, Wednesday night,
we have a very special Wednesday night at 630 p.m. It's not going to happen next week, but it
(38:36):
will happen the following week. Doug Figgs, he's a 2023 IWMA New Mexico, West, entertainer of the
year nationally. He's got a resume with a songwriting award to go back to 2014. And we have a
very fun show on Wednesday nights at 630 p.m. when he's in town. He does a lot of performances all
around, travels quite a bit. And we have that on Wednesday night at 630. We also play back the
(39:00):
recorded show on Saturday mornings at 830 a.m. And that's good for our European listeners over
there to get in because it's about 330, 430 in the afternoon their time. They let us know. And
so that's that big given. You want to listen in, you can listen in seven days a week.
We do everything from Americana to Western Swing, but we do have theme days on Mondays
(39:21):
are our fresh country and Tuesdays and Thursdays are traditional. Some of the old school country,
classic country from the last century. And then of course, we do our unique blend of cowboy and
Western country music on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which celebrates agricultural ranchers and
farmers and the cowboy and the cowgirl nonetheless. Cowboys and the cowgirls and the FFA and the 4-H.
(39:43):
We'd love to see it. No, that's awesome. Ranger Reese, thank you so much for taking the time to
hang out with us today. All that information I will compile into the show notes to make it easy
for folks to find. But other than that, I just want to say thank you again for not only your help
getting through the land of enchantment, but for sharing some of your information and your
(40:04):
expertise on our show today. Well, thanks for having me. And remember,
Socorro was named for a place of help when the Spaniards came through. So proud to extend the
spirit of the Piro Indians and help you through Socorro. And I'm so grateful for all the people
who have helped me through this. And I'm glad to see your journeys going well and you're meeting
a lot of new great people. And thanks for taking the time from your journey to share my journey.
It's been good to intersect at this point. Of course. Thank you.
(40:29):
And that's a wrap for today's episode of the Within Range Coaching Podcast. A huge thank you
to Mr. Ranger Reese for sharing his insights and experience with us. It's clear that local radio
is more than just a medium for music. It's a lifeline for communities, a promoter of local
culture and a vital part of our daily lives. If you enjoyed today's episode, please be sure
(40:50):
to subscribe and leave us a review as it'll only help us with our mission of helping more people
help more people. And don't forget to tune into Ranger Reese's station Rio Grande Valley Radio
to experience the unique blend of local and global content that he curates.
Until next time, remember to have fun, stay safe and be yourself. I'll catch you in the next one.
Hello everyone and welcome to the Within Range Coaching podcast. I'm Ranger, a certified
(00:09):
holistic success coach, and in this podcast I break down the journey entrepreneurs face
as they start their organizations, overcome roadblocks in their way, and create an impact
that lasts. We talk with entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and purpose-driven community members
just like you. Together, we learn how to grow our impact and develop ourselves as the people
(00:29):
behind the mission. My intention is to help more people, help more people. And remember,
if you're curious about expanding your impact, growing a community, or defining your mission,
vision, or values, we can chat off the record. You can find my info in the show notes or at my
website withinrangecoaching.com. We're also looking to build our sponsor community with
(00:52):
organizations and individuals who align with our values of fearless innovation, social responsibility,
and courageous candor. If you're interested in helping us highlight individuals doing great work
in the world and share these values, reach out to me directly at ranger at withinrangecoaching.com.
I know you're just as eager to get started as I am, so let's jump right in. Good morning,
(01:19):
good afternoon, and good evening everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Within Range
Coaching Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Ranger. And guys, we're still in the middle of my Walk
Across America series where I'm interviewing the folks that made my walk across this country
possible. Today, we have a very special guest, Mr. Ranger Reese, a radio personality from
(01:42):
Socorro, New Mexico that has a global reach. Ranger Reese, as we all mentioned in the episode,
helped me out when I was passing through the middle of the states through New Mexico,
just south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a small town called Socorro. And in today's episode,
we'll be exploring the unique role that local radio plays in connecting and supporting our
(02:03):
communities, especially in rural areas. From promoting local artists to being a vital source
of information during emergencies, radio has an impact far beyond what we often realize. So grab
a cup of coffee, sit back, relax, and settle in as we pull back the curtain on the world of
community radio. Good afternoon. Good to see you, Ranger. Awesome. Good to see you too, Mr.
(02:27):
Ranger Reese. This is gonna be a little bit confusing for everybody. Two Rangers on a podcast.
Ranger one and Ranger two, which one do you want to be? I think that you have done a bit more stuff,
so I'll let you have one for this recording. Awesome. Well, no, Mr. Ranger Reese, how's it
(02:47):
going today over in lovely Socorro? It's going well over in Socorro. We got some cloud,
we might get a little rain, we'd kind of have warm temperatures, but nothing like what you've been
through out there. Yeah. Yeah, it's been a lot of a lot of temperature and weather issues. So,
but for those that are listening, Ranger Reese is one of the host family folks that got me through
(03:11):
New Mexico. Oh, what guys are kind of like in the center of the state for the most part. Yeah,
yeah, it's kind of almost almost the heart of that. But we're at the junction also the 25 and the
city the old hoof highway. And I think the 360 that goes out to the smoky, smoky the bear forest
over there in Lincoln County. So yeah, we're we're we're at a good nexus here. And I met you up on
(03:32):
the 60. Yes. And yeah, so we're right in the heart of things. Yeah. And you guys are just south of
Albuquerque. So yeah, pretty much right in the center. But it was right after once I got past
you guys in the New Mexico area is when I started getting hit by the monsoons a lot more. So I got
like my last just hot having to deal with the hot weather for a little bit. So but no, I really
(03:58):
enjoyed my time over in Socorro hanging out with you learning a little bit about the radio. And I'm
excited for today's conversation. So can you go ahead and introduce yourself what you do and share
what your intention for today's episode is? Thanks, Ranger Keelak. I really appreciate it. I'm a
pleasure to get to talk to you again. The episode today, like I said, we're just going to talk a
(04:19):
little bit about local radio. I run a little a little I run a little radio station in Socorro,
New Mexico with a global reach. And we have we have a really good time with that we've got some
really great talent comes in. We do some live shows where I'm a host. But I also work with a
lot of the community I reach out to a lot of the mental health programs here, reach out to
four H and FAA. My goal with a cowboy in Western country radio station is to try to help promote
(04:46):
rural lifestyle and and agriculture the agricultural community. I think it's important
for kids in four H and FAA to hear songs that are about their parents lifestyle, their lifestyle,
that lifestyle of a working rancher or working farmer. And we focus on that here in New Mexico,
as I said, we're in the heart of New Mexico, a lot of our farmers are 40 acres or less. But we do
(05:08):
have some of the best chili in Lemontar. And so yeah, I hope to maybe give people who want to
understand a little bit. I think I think a lot of people just assume local radio happened, we take
for granted how much it means to have a local personality, a local presence, somebody keeping
their pulse on the heart of the community, and communicating with people both during regular
(05:31):
times and during emergency times and during tragedies. And that radio, especially like it
says, whether it's broadcast radio, and it comes through on your FM radio, or today, many people
are finding with Bluetooth and mobile phones, you can listen to the radio station online. And
it's been a real surprise for me, because I started out with a local radio focus, and I found myself
(05:51):
with an international audience. And that's changed my perspective as well to be a little bit more
broad, since I know that I'm talking to people around the globe and mixing mixing music for
different people. In fact, people from Ireland and Europe send me, you know, artists lists. So I
hope people get a little appreciation for that. And take a little thought on your local community
(06:12):
radio station and and what radio, both internet and broadcast mean to you. So hopefully I can answer
a few questions of Ranger Keelex discussion and tell you a little bit about what it's all about.
Yeah, and I was in our little pre podcast discussion, or even when you and I were hanging out
in Socorro, it made me think of in one of my networking groups, there was a guy that owned a
(06:37):
cleaning company. And I was chatting with him one day, one of our one to ones and he was saying how
with with the cleaner, his job is to be invisible. Like, their only reason that somebody would think
about him would be if there's something wrong. And I feel like that's when those things with
companies like that, like they're so pivotal and so backbone ish of a community or business that
(07:03):
people would only really think about the radio or think deeper about it if there was something wrong.
If something happened, if something bad happened to the radio or if it was not on or, you know,
something weird. So that's why I was so excited to have you on because I feel like you'd be able
to kind of give that behind the scenes, you know, pull the curtain to the side and say, Hey, this
is what's all going on behind the scenes and kind of give folks like a positive reason to learn about
(07:27):
what's going on. Does that kind of make sense? Yeah, I think the biggest thing for people to
understand like in 20 in 2018, we lost our broadcast radio station for over a year. During that time,
we had some severe flooding that took place, we almost had a train track that was washed out.
Some of the restaurants equipment, local restaurants equipment actually flooded and washed
(07:49):
down the street a little bit. We had all this activity going on without local radio. We didn't
have an ability to communicate with the public and to let the public know what was going on. Where
was the crew working with the county to remove some of the mud? Where was deep mud? Where was
the flooding on I-25? So we find that a lot of times, like you said, it's invisible. As long as
(08:11):
we're just listening to our music, we're fine if it's got our favorite song. But we don't realize
how pivotal having somebody like myself who has contacts in amateur radio and in public safety,
you know, to get that information out to the public and to not just be a nine to five kind of
job, but to be kind of a job where if something's happening, somebody gets on the radio and you can
(08:35):
turn on your radio, you know, they'll tell you what's happening. And it'll help you make plans
of how to get to work, how to get groceries, what is open, what isn't, you know, what isn't open.
And it's a real vital thing in our community that we don't think about until something happens.
And we've seen this in arguments before with the FCC, you know, talking about the lack of local
(08:55):
radio in emergencies and stuff like that. Because it's more than just getting a broadcast tone to
give you a maybe one, two-minute message. It's about having someone that knows the community
well. I mean, we've had issues here where people have been abducted. And there was nobody that
actually knew the community well enough in that communication. And they didn't find the person
(09:18):
in time. But if somebody had been communicated with that knew the community and was communicating
information, they might have been able to save that person because they are local. They were local
to the region and they knew it. So there's a lot of things you don't really recognize you need as
long as things are good. And again, aside from that, even like you said with the cleaner,
radio is there to help promote local businesses, to bring local people in.
(09:42):
Artists, you know, I tell people all the time, you're a musician, but you see some of them more
than others. But they're trying to run a small business. And they're trying to make a living
at it. And what we can do to bring local musicians on radio and give them some airtime and playtime
with some of the great national artists that everybody loves is really important to them,
helping drive album sales, drive people to their events, getting other venues and establishments
(10:06):
to play music, to call them up and say, hey, we'd like you to come play for us. So what radio does
is a pivotal role of connecting us in emergencies, connecting us in good times, connecting us with
businesses, connecting us with resources. And you really need someone, in my opinion, local,
that's connected to the community to do that well. Yeah. And that makes complete sense to me that
(10:27):
it would be somebody that is local, that they know the environment, they know the community,
they know the people to really, because it sounds like really the role of, in your opinion, and I
mean, I agree, of a radio host in a local region is kind of like the center of the spider web.
Like you kind of have a feel of what's going on in all different parts, the different businesses,
(10:49):
you know, in the case of an emergency, like you're very interconnected to the community.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, if you go back, if you go back to ancient times, the position was called
the town crier. And he was the one that sat on the corner or sat on the steeple and yelled out,
or the balcony and told people what the news was and what was going on, you know. And radio is just
(11:13):
a different way to do that. We call it the coverage contour of our radio broadcast. And the hard part
was in 2017, the FCC changed the home studio rule. They changed the rule that said, if you have a
radio station in an area, you have to have a studio in that area. You need a studio in that area.
Well, with the internet and the capabilities and everything, and instead of, you know, we don't
(11:34):
know, we no longer need a studio to do records, to go down and inspect the station records. But
so the FCC decided, well, we could do that online. So nobody has to be local anymore.
We can, we can use the internet and I could run a radio local radio station out of
Socorro from Bangladesh because of internet or New York City. And I can, and I can run
(11:57):
thousands of them that way. And I don't have to have people there. But that doesn't allow you to
do the local sports. It doesn't allow you to do the local businesses. It allows them to get national
advertising dollars and make a great revenue stream. And it's, and it serves their bottom line. But
having that town crier, that person on radio, who's there, who's listening, and it's a dangerous
(12:18):
position as I found out, because you have to be able to challenge the politicians. And they don't
like that. But the public needs to know. Yeah. So it's interesting, because there's not a lot
of protection for DJs or station people. It's amazing with the FCC that, you know, you don't
have to have any technical knowledge to own an FM or AM radio station, you can hire someone to
(12:42):
do that, you don't have to know it yourself. And you don't have to have any psychology degrees,
which I find amazing, because, you know, radio can really affect people's psychology quite
immensely when you consider saying that includes internet radio, both of them, and being sensitive
to that. So I take it as a big public responsibility to not only entertain my guests, inform them,
(13:02):
but to consider the mental state and the emotional state of people in what I'm doing. It's not just
for me to go on and have a tirade about things because I have a microphone. I have people that
I'm serving, and then I'm concerned for as my neighbors. And I always start my radio shows,
a good morning, friends and neighbors, you're listening to Rio Grande Valley Radio, because
you're friends and neighbors. And that's my heart. Yeah. And I mean, I'm not going to sit here and
(13:28):
argue about laws and regulations. And I've worked in code enforcement before. And it's
for two guys on the podcast, I don't know how much we can change. But in terms of that
whole running a radio station remotely part, it totally makes sense with the capabilities
(13:48):
of internet and what we have technology wise, etc, etc. But like what you were just saying in
terms of the emergency preparedness, what happens when the internet goes down, or like you're saying
someone's abducted or sports games, you know, like the really great local things or the very
(14:10):
terrible localized events. It sounds like that's what it still makes the most sense for a local
radio station to be hosted by a local personality. So that's that's really interesting that you've
been so willing to take on that, I guess, I'll pick up that helmet and say, yeah, I'll do or
pick up the headphones or the microphone more appropriately. Hey, everyone, just a quick message.
(14:37):
You know that my mission with this podcast is to share stories of influence and impact
so that we can help more people help more people. But to do that, I need your support.
Please rate, review and share this podcast. If I could ask for just one favor,
it's to just leave a review. It takes about 10 seconds and a few clicks,
but it means the world to me and could inspire someone else to make a difference.
(14:58):
Thank you so much. Now back to the show.
What is your background in terms of radio or broadcast or
speaking to a whole bunch of people at once? Like what made you get into this world?
Well, I think it's I think it's going to it's going to be interesting, Ranger Keelig,
because again, my background is a consulting engineer. And I traveled everywhere from
(15:22):
Kodiak Island, Alaska to help the US Coast Guard with their emergency radio systems,
Florida, and the United States. And I think that's going to be a really interesting
experience for people who are in the United States. I've been there with their emergency
radio systems, Florida, Maine. I've been all over. And sometimes when you're out there,
you have this and again, no, we can't we the big thing about the regulations and things is
(15:44):
for people to try to understand that this is a machine, this is an instrument that we created.
And it needs to be more human. It needs to be less machine and more human. So just state that
and I've traveled quite a bit. You know, number one, you go to karaoke, you go to you go to live
local music events, you hear artists that you don't hear on the radio, you see that you hear
(16:08):
and experience the local talent that doesn't have national radio exposure. And you listen to a radio
and a television radio specifically, but radio where it's kind of like one of those movie
backdrops, no matter where you are, it never changes. It never changes. You know, I mean,
I've been on a terrible prop air flight from from Anchorage, Alaska to Kodiak with the band
that was flying out there to play. And I got turned on to some music I would have never heard
(16:32):
otherwise. And so it was always kind of a it's like even me being in the southwest, it's like,
why isn't there music here that reflects the culture that I'm in? There should be music that
when I turn on a radio here, it should there should be something that reflects this place where I am.
And I just went through Sholo and everything over there. But if you go up north a little bit more
(16:55):
there, there's a Navajo Hopi radio station that you can hear local Dine language on that radio
station. And you know where you are, because that's the only station that broadcasts Dine and Hopi
language. You know, and so as an engineer, as a consulting radio engineer, and that's the other
(17:15):
reason I can do this is because I can do my own engineering. But you go to all these places, you
travel all these places, and you've got this continual drumming of these things that are out
there. And these people who choose what you do and don't hear. And there's all this other local
flavor, there's all this local culture flavor that's not there. So it was always my ambit,
(17:36):
you know, basically, what happened to me was I was working as a National Radio Astronomy Observatory
in the world, I was working on active hydrogen masers and other very high tech stuff, and a radio
station came for sale. And it was something that I'd always dreamed about, but never thought
it could actually happen. And so it was like, wow, that I can do this, you know, and I can
(18:00):
express what I'm expressing to you now, that hey, let's have some local artists on the radio
station. I put a local group here called the Cowboy Way. I started broadcasting July 1, 2017.
And within days of putting them on the radio, I had people emailing the station and prior the
person who sold it to me, who was that? We really love that we hadn't heard that before. That I
(18:22):
mean, within a week, that's amazing. Yeah. I had I had I had affirmation that my dream and my ambition
of having local artists and doing something that reflected the Southwest culture where I was at
had value to other people than just me. Other than that, it was a gamble. I mean, I don't have a
long career in broadcast. I mean, if you most I mean, I'm never qualified for half the stuff I
(18:45):
attempt. According to the according to the people who qualify, you know, but there's there's a
there's a there's a there's a heart of someone who's traveled the country quite extensively,
who wanted to do something that was local, the opportunity presented itself. And I'm
a radio engineer. And I as a radio engineer, it's great, because the biggest expense little radio
(19:10):
stations have is the engineering and I could go to local businesses like Tractor Supply Company,
I could put the cowboy way a live performance a cowboy way boom right there on the air and
brought people down to Tractor Supply Company for the one of what they consider one of the best
grand openings in New Mexico. You know, and and so it's do I have a lot of experience that I have
(19:31):
going to college and learning broadcast radio and studying entertainment? No. I'm a consumer person.
I know the power of music because I have my favorite artists that I go to when I need healing
and when I need reflection. And I know the power of music. And I know the power and I know I know
that the local musicians are small businesses, and they're trying to make a success. And it doesn't
(19:54):
mean they have to have a platinum or a gold record and do it. They just need to be able to support
their family and their lifestyle and keep making music. And that's such an interesting thing.
One of the other big things that I love to see out of businesses or nonprofits are the
the organizations that help other organizations thrive, kind of like the venture center in
(20:20):
Little Rock, Arkansas, like as a entrepreneurship hub, like they help entrepreneurs, you know,
with marketing or sales or business plans, etc, etc. And it sounds like you're very much in that
same vein of not just the like you're saying, like the local ACE Hardware grand opening,
I don't know, sales at the beauty salons or boutiques. Like it's also like you're it sounds
(20:40):
like very unique in the way that you're able to not just say, hey, go to these people's live show
at the downtown theater, five bucks a ticket or free or whatever. It's like, here's their music.
Enjoy. It's right here. Listen to it. Consume it. These are your neighbors, too.
Yeah. And it's really special when you take those those neighbors and you put their name,
(21:03):
their music against national artists. And it sounds just as good. You know, it sounds just as
good. I mean, they don't have a big label. But it's it's not like screeching breaks on the radio.
You know, it's good music. It's great music. It's music that makes people turn their heads go,
wow, I haven't heard that before. And it's important because there there's, you know,
(21:25):
there have been historical situations where by hearing songs, by hearing stories, people
get a broader perspective of the world around them. And they and it can open them to other
people that they may not encounter in their day to day life. And and and I think that's important
to making us more compassionate for one another when we see that our our our our our our our
our own. And seeing that our our our our our our own. And when we see that, you know,
(21:50):
when we see that our our struggles are the same and when we hear things that make us aware of
different groups that may not be familiar to us. Yeah, that's so interesting. Like what you're
saying with you said the there's a Navajo area that has the radio station they play.
I was like, man, I wish because I haven't personally listened to a whole lot of radio on my
(22:13):
middle of nowhere South Carolina versus in the city versus Alabama, Mississippi, like what that
difference even just on that straight line through the country would have looked like,
let alone completely different cultures like you're saying the Navajo. Yeah.
Yeah. Well, and it's interesting too, because even what you just said there, I mean, like I said,
(22:33):
when you take Georgia, and you take some of the places in the South, the struggles that go on in
the urban environment and the art that comes out of the urban environment are different than the
struggles that go on in the rural environment and the music that comes out of the rural environment.
There's commonality certainly, but there's different tempo. There's a whole lot of
different grittier things based on, you know, whether you're in the city or whether you're in
(22:55):
a rural environment that's come out. And it's kind of neat because like I said, I just played a mix
today of some country and some rock because yeah, one of them is from the city and one of them is
from the country, but there's a common human struggle that's rooted in both of these songs.
That's so interesting. Like you were saying that it shows the differences in a, I guess,
(23:18):
in a way that brings people together is kind of what I was getting from what you're saying before.
Yeah, it can. Like I said, it can. It can be difficult because like I said, I'm like,
I'm going to pick on rap. I'm sorry, rap. I'm going to pick on you. But it's like, you know,
some of that city stuff can be very hard and very aggressive. I mean, it's one of the things that
(23:40):
that threw me, like I said, sometimes you're in the middle of the Southwest and you're hearing
this very hard rap thing coming from New York or Chicago or something like that. And it's like,
it just seems so dissonance from where I'm at that it's hard. But sometimes, you know, like I said,
I think there, I don't know, I'm still researching a lot because I think there's
interest, you know, like I said, I do Americana to Western swing, but I'm definitely more folk,
(24:05):
more country, more Westerns. I'm more people and I'm definitely agricultural focus, ranching and
farming. I live in an agricultural environment here. But I also live in an environment in
Socorro where we have international scientists that are measuring glacier movements in Greenland
that are, you know, giving us radio images of black holes right here in Socorro. So it's an
(24:32):
environment. But again, if you try to get down to what the human condition is and the human struggle,
it's universal. And people may express it differently. And they may use different
instruments to express it. But it's the same struggle. That's so interesting, too. Yeah. I
mean, I'm sure that's a whole other episode there just talking about how, how music and cultures and
(24:54):
all that's kind of intertwined differently. But I guess to kind of focus in on your station and what
you do. What we do here right now, like you said, I do everything from the fresh country, which is
some of the latest country that's coming out right now. And there's some really good artists, but
I'm the one selecting. I'm not getting it from anybody naturally. I listen, I enjoy the music.
(25:16):
And I also listen to my constituents here when I'm in the grocery store, when I'm walking around.
I read concert t-shirts, I pay attention to what people are enjoying. And I also put my New Mexico
artist in there. So we've got fresh country, we've got old school country, which is classic
country, vintage country, your Johnny Cash's, your Dolly Parton's, Tom T. Hall, you know, some of the
(25:39):
stuff that made country and what it is. And then like I said, I do my cowboy and Western country
on Wednesdays and Saturdays. And that again, that's working ranchers in most cases, working farmers
in most cases, but also just artists who find that subject in the history of America, because cowboy
and Western has a lot of songs about history in it, which is a big thing. Because again, talking
(26:02):
about culture, the cowboy songs tie back to the Irish and Scottish ballads of Europe. And a lot
of that tradition carries forward and into cowboy culture. And of course, Spain, Spain bringing the
horses over. So there's... And down here in New Mexico, I mean, you can't help but have
Spanish-English mix in music because that's the culture. And so it reflects who we are. It
(26:25):
tells people like FAA, it tells kids like FAA, 4-H that, hey, this stuff is cool. And Lainey
Wilson, you know, her latest album out, Whirlwind, you know, country's cool again. People are getting
back to this blue collar, getting back to working and looking for songs that celebrate not the rich
guy running around playing party boy, but the people who are out there living a hard life,
(26:48):
but enjoy it because it's their choice, it's their freedom, and it's their expression of their life
on the land that they live. And it's kind of cool to see that because like I said, I've seen
when I started out, there was only one other country radio station in Socorro. And now I think
we're up to four. I actually converted one of the radio stations from Classic Rock to country to
compete with me, which I thought was quite an honor. How funny. That's so cool that it like,
(27:13):
it sounds like it's still there also between stations a bit. It's cooperative. Is that kind
of fair to say that you guys are all there's still that competition, but it sounds like there's also
might be some working togetherness. Is that fair to say or I think there could be the New Mexico
Broadcasters Association. I've had some difficulty there because like I said, there's a lot of the
(27:36):
broadcasters feel like the FCC license is the creme de la creme. And the rest of you guys are
just a bunch of whatever is in your in your basement. You know, but like I said, it's changing.
The world is changing. I mean, the difference between a podcast and radio stream station is
number one, like what you and I are doing right now. This is a live conversation between you and
(27:58):
me. You are somewhere else and I am somewhere else. But at this point in time, we are together.
And people will play this back anytime they want to and it'll be a podcast. But real live radio in
the morning says, Hey, I'm up with you. I see the sun coming up and I'm let's get our morning
started together. We're gonna have coffee together. We're gonna talk on the place and songs. I'm gonna
try to put you in a good mood. I'm going to be aware that it's Monday and you're kind of groggy
(28:21):
and not wanting to get to work. I'm going to be aware that it's Friday and hey, let's get excited.
It's the weekend. It's going to be live because it's like my show Wednesday night with Doug Viggs
and I we connect with people from Carolina to California on Wednesday night. And we're all
sitting around on what I call the ranch house couch. It's not a podcast. Because it's live.
We're all doing this at the same time. We're getting interactions on text and messaging,
(28:42):
you know, and I think it's important for a radio DJ to bring that community together that it's
streamed that it's live, that this is our moment right now. And I when I started out, I was really
anti recording because I was like, No, you either at that moment or you're not, you don't deserve it.
And I was pretty arrogant and ignorant in that. And then I started having some really great
(29:05):
historical interviews that I didn't record them like, Oh, I can see where my arrogance
is wrong. And I need to start and I did. I did because it the podcast is important.
The podcast is important, but coming together over the power of radio over the power of internet
coming together and sharing that time wherever we are is a cool thing. Yeah, I love how it's also
(29:29):
that acknowledgement that there are so many different types of media or forms of communication
that we have. And they're all important for very different reasons. Yeah, whether it's you know,
like you're saying like, hey, I'm your local radio host, I'm drinking coffee from the same
shop that you are right now. We see the mountains that the sun is coming up behind right now,
(29:49):
like at the same time. And then also that being able to share those conversations, like what you
said, like you and I are having right now, like anybody anywhere, like I have people, I have,
I have people in Germany listening to my podcast, too, which is always kind of funny to see, like,
all these people from all across the world. So it's just all about the different types of reach
(30:12):
and the messages that you're able to promote and facilitate and cultivate on your show.
Yeah, I mean, I've gotten Christmas cards from North of Frankfurt, Germany. I've got a good friend
in New Forest, England, who's a musician out there. And I've gotten requests from Irish, Irish and
Scottish stations that listen to my stations. And one of the reasons I realized recording was a good
(30:33):
thing to do, because of different times of day. But that's been the amazing thing about what I do,
because like it says, there's a thing in the radio business that says once the population gets over
a million country radio stations go away, you know, usually country radio, country music usually,
you know, fits a very small demographic. I mean, in the heyday of Alabama and the 90s,
they were maybe pushing 12%, 14% of the population in their coverage contours
(30:57):
for a broadcast radio station. What I've learned as an internet radio station is all those little
small populations anywhere that you've got cell phone coverage, you can go on your mobile phone
and you can listen to my internet radio station. So I found up connecting, I'm going to say hundreds,
but it's probably more than that, little communities all around the globe, the farmer in Frankfurt,
(31:19):
Germany, who listens into my radio station, because he likes the country music, the agricultural
focus that I have, the ones in Scotland and Ireland, because we all have that, it's all there.
There's ranches in Hawaii. You know, and it's it and when you start celebrating that all those
(31:39):
little cultures and you celebrate them on internet radio as one of the medium, I was blown away.
And I'm still trying to figure it out. That you know, how many of these little communities
turned in and listen because they could hear songs about the way they live.
And artists celebrating it from Canada to England. You were here. You really like the song by Andrew
Ferris called Drifting. That song was from Australia. So it's neat because now this rural
(32:08):
community, these little rural communities scattered everywhere have a format in internet radio
to connect and listen. And where my ignorance was, I'm not going to record things and I'm not going
to record things and I'm just focused on local radio. Suddenly I had to realize, oh my gosh,
you know, when I real wow, I have an international audience. I have people in Brazil that listen.
(32:32):
You know, it's like, okay, so I'm going to change my focus. It changes things a little bit.
Well, a lot, actually, because like I said, I don't want to talk about nationality in my shows. I
want to talk about human being, because that's what's important to me. The nationalities are
distinctions or higher level of distinctions that if we're milk and a cow in Germany, it's the same
(32:53):
as milk and a cow here. If we're raising agriculture here or there, we're all trying to do the same
thing. We're all fighting the weather, fighting the soil, fighting environmental changes,
struggling. It's hard work, but this defines who we are. And like Keeper of the West by Ryan Fritz,
the song, we want to be able to pass this down to our children. We want them to have the same
opportunity that we have. And it's important to share the songs that celebrate that. That's so
(33:17):
interesting. I love that. Welcome to the mountaintop. Are you an entrepreneur or non-profit
leader ready to make a bigger impact in the world, but aren't sure how to do it or even where to
start? Then join the NeverPeak community on school, where bold movers, shakers and magic
(33:39):
makers come together to achieve their dreams and support others on the way to theirs.
Our goal is to help leaders change the world by first focusing on themselves. By fostering
your community rooted in support and learning, my goal is to help you be more effective in your
organization, achieve your biggest dreams and make time for what really matters in your life.
(34:04):
In NeverPeak, you'll find weekly book club meetings, engaging courses, weekly mastermind calls,
monthly Q&As with industry experts and networking opportunities that span the globe.
Our courses and discussions cover essential topics like personal finance, work-life balance,
goal setting, relationship building, business topics and so much more. Each course is designed
(34:28):
to support you to holistically grow yourself as the person behind the mission.
Oh yeah, one more thing I forgot to mention, that at the time of recording this, the community is
completely free. That's right, you can get started for zero dollars down, but it won't last for long.
All you need to do is to go to school.com forward slash NeverPeak or hit the link in the show notes
(34:55):
to claim your spot on the mountain. Again, be sure you get in now. I can't wait to see you
there and witness the peaks you'll reach in just a few weeks.
(35:31):
Be willing to change and acknowledge for yourself.
Yeah, I think the biggest thing people, I don't know, for me the biggest thing is I'm here to
serve others. While I'm here, I'm here to serve others. And one day I will die and who's going to,
somebody, we need to serve one another. That's where our value and our connection come from
(35:53):
in serving one another. We often talk, you hear thrown around the word spirit and the word soul.
And for me, soul, when we talk, like it says, when we talk about soul, when you hear like
soul, it really is how like you and I like our relationship, right? I mean, I didn't have to
reach out and help you. I didn't. But now my reality and my character and my personality has
(36:17):
been influenced by connecting with you, as well as you has with me. And that is a soul extension.
Because when I go that change in you is still going to be there. Maybe. You know, depending on
the impact, depending on the impact that we have on others lives by looking out for their needs and
caring for them. And how we're able to do that. You know, that's, that's what's going to, that's
(36:42):
what's going to go further than my own life is servitude and servitude is really the root of
things because I, I, when I play music, when I do DJ, I mean, I don't, I don't do it for the money.
I do it because people are suffering right now. They're struggling. And if I can play music that
makes people happy and I can see joy come over people's faces, I, I, I'm done. That as much
(37:07):
suffering as people are going through right now, struggling, everything going on in the world.
If you can have an hour or two of enjoyment and joy, that's, that's the most I could hope for.
Yeah, no, I, that, that whole idea of serving humanity that resonates extremely deeply with me
and, you know, the community that I want to build, whether it's here or school or whatever
(37:28):
platform that I'm, I don't know, posting things on. So, and that was something that I was so when we,
we had our conversations in Socorro, when you would pick me out, that I kind of was like, wow, this
guy, like we're aligned on a lot of deeper level stuff, not just that we have the same name, but
it goes a lot deeper than that. So, but no injuries. I think that that's a fantastic
(37:54):
outlook and a fantastic focus. But if folks wanted to listen to your show, to check you out,
learn more about you and connect on the interwebs, what would be the best way for them to do so?
Well, I basically right now I do, I do three morning shows a week on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday right now on Rio Grande, and that's an E. There's an E on the end of the gran, Rio Grande
(38:16):
Valley radio.com. And I do, I do, you know, three morning shows right now on Monday, Wednesday,
Friday, between seven a.m. Mountain Daylight Time. That's here in New Mexico. So it's based on New
Mexico time. And we do that Monday, Wednesday, Friday. And then of course, Wednesday night,
we have a very special Wednesday night at 630 p.m. It's not going to happen next week, but it
(38:36):
will happen the following week. Doug Figgs, he's a 2023 IWMA New Mexico, West, entertainer of the
year nationally. He's got a resume with a songwriting award to go back to 2014. And we have a
very fun show on Wednesday nights at 630 p.m. when he's in town. He does a lot of performances all
around, travels quite a bit. And we have that on Wednesday night at 630. We also play back the
(39:00):
recorded show on Saturday mornings at 830 a.m. And that's good for our European listeners over
there to get in because it's about 330, 430 in the afternoon their time. They let us know. And
so that's that big given. You want to listen in, you can listen in seven days a week.
We do everything from Americana to Western Swing, but we do have theme days on Mondays
(39:21):
are our fresh country and Tuesdays and Thursdays are traditional. Some of the old school country,
classic country from the last century. And then of course, we do our unique blend of cowboy and
Western country music on Wednesdays and Saturdays, which celebrates agricultural ranchers and
farmers and the cowboy and the cowgirl nonetheless. Cowboys and the cowgirls and the FFA and the 4-H.
(39:43):
We'd love to see it. No, that's awesome. Ranger Reese, thank you so much for taking the time to
hang out with us today. All that information I will compile into the show notes to make it easy
for folks to find. But other than that, I just want to say thank you again for not only your help
getting through the land of enchantment, but for sharing some of your information and your
(40:04):
expertise on our show today. Well, thanks for having me. And remember,
Socorro was named for a place of help when the Spaniards came through. So proud to extend the
spirit of the Piro Indians and help you through Socorro. And I'm so grateful for all the people
who have helped me through this. And I'm glad to see your journeys going well and you're meeting
a lot of new great people. And thanks for taking the time from your journey to share my journey.
It's been good to intersect at this point. Of course. Thank you.
(40:29):
And that's a wrap for today's episode of the Within Range Coaching Podcast. A huge thank you
to Mr. Ranger Reese for sharing his insights and experience with us. It's clear that local radio
is more than just a medium for music. It's a lifeline for communities, a promoter of local
culture and a vital part of our daily lives. If you enjoyed today's episode, please be sure
(40:50):
to subscribe and leave us a review as it'll only help us with our mission of helping more people
help more people. And don't forget to tune into Ranger Reese's station Rio Grande Valley Radio
to experience the unique blend of local and global content that he curates.
Until next time, remember to have fun, stay safe and be yourself. I'll catch you in the next one.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.