MIDDLETOWN – The freeform musical offerings of Brookdale Public Radio may be what 90.5 The Night is most celebrated for, but this independent operation is more impactful than the sum of its playlists.
During an April 4 interview in the basement of the ATeC building on the campus of Brookdale Community College, Rich Robinson, program director, is recounting a meeting between he and fan outside of a small Italian restaurant in downtown Bradley Beach, an encounter that provided the longtime radio veteran some perspective.
He had just finished a meal when a man approached frantically shouting his name. Robinson was caught off guard when he spun around and was met with handshake, a hug and sincere “thank you.”
“You saved my son’s life,” the man proclaimed, tears welling in his eyes.
Robinson learned that during one of his broadcasts from the Lincroft studio, a show that featured an interview with the head of a local organization dedicated to helping those suffering from opioid addiction, a young man in desperate need of help had tuned in hoping to hear the station’s patented mix of local musicians, artists on the come up and legendary hits.
But he received much more than anticipated.
What he heard was real conversation about the demons he struggled with. What he got was the inspiration to shrug off the stigma of addiction and to make a phone call. That call led to detoxification, treatment, sobriety and the opportunity to live a full and fruitful life.
“There’s people who won’t necessarily identify with all of the music that we play, but they continue to listen because we’re about more than just the music. We want to be part of a community, and at a times, a resource to the community,” said Robinson, a Manasquan native who began his radio career at Brookdale, before venturing to New York City where he was named program director of FM 106.3, an influential alternative rock station, among other industry stops.
Injecting the human element into their broadcasts is an approach that appears to be working, according to Tom Brennan, station manager, who said ratings show that some members of the 90.5 The Night audience average upward of 6.5 hours of listening time per day.
“When we first started using the rating systems, we thought there was a mistake,” said show host and music director Jeff Raspe, a 25-year Jersey Shore radio industry veteran. “But then we started getting emails from listeners asking us why were playing a certain ‘new song’ twice in a day? All we could do was laugh, because they really were listening.”
On Saturday morning at a deli in the Port Monmouth section of Middletown, the eclectic sounds of 90.5 the Night are coming through the radio when local resident Jack Palermo is reminded of the days following the devastation of Super Storm Sandy, when his neighborhood was without power for more than two weeks.
“We were on generator power. And the township gave us specific days we were allowed to go and fill up our gas tanks. And I was waiting on a gas line one night, sitting on the shoulder of Highway 36 at 2 a.m. to fill up at the Wawa station. It didn’t wind up opening until 10 a.m. I had (90.5 The Night) on the entire time,” Palermo said. “Those guys were on a lot during Sandy.”
Though the work of a DJ is often solitary, one person with a microphone inside a dimly lit studio, weekend host and traffic coordinator Anthony Fox said he and his colleagues always try to maintain a sense of who they are communicating with over the air waves.
“Independent community radio allows us to have an intimacy with our listeners that you’re not going to get anywhere else. It’s a lot like a friendship. And when the community is going through something, we’re experiencing it with them, because we’re part of the community,” Fox said.
April 15 marks the start of Brookdale Public Radio’s annual membership drive, a vital source of funding that allows the independent station to continue its unique, community-focused programming.
Membership with the station offers exclusive live music opportunities, a limited release of annual in-studio performances and much more.
“Our listeners don’t view us as auditory wallpaper,” said Brennan, a 20-year radio industry veteran and educator. “There are a lot of stations out there that are background noise. But listeners gravitate to us because they want to be in the know about what’s next. Whether that’s the next big artist, an event or something else happening in the community. That’s why they support us, and we can’t thank them enough for that support.”
For more information about Brookdale Public Radio, 90.5 The Night or acquiring a membership visit 90.5thenight.org or call 732-224-2492.
