While radio broadcasting has been around since the early 1900s, most of us don’t know exactly how the music gets to the speakers of our car. Imagine sitting in silence during rush hour and listening to the noisy trucks beside you, not being able to listen to your favorite song. While radio stations are commonly overlooked, they’re quite fascinating and really important. Without radios, or radio stations, music wouldn’t travel across the world as easily as it does today. Without radio providing the news and information of the day, the world would be less informed.

In December, the East High School newspaper staff visited the broadcast headquarters of a locally-owned radio station – KFBC. KFBC is actually the home of two stations – 92.9 FM The Boss and KFBC 1240 AM. Both stations broadcast throughout Cheyenne and most of Laramie County, as well as provide on-line feeds. Morning DJ’s Brenda Foley and Reece Monaco welcomed the T-Bird staff and gave them a tour of the building and facilities.

These two radio stations are perfect examples of how local news and music can be produced daily.  Having the chance to visit this media facility gave the newspaper staff a new look into all of the opportunities media holds.

A lot of people have tuned to other types of radio sources, like Pandora or ITunes radio, that broadcast through satellite to cars, cell phones or even on iPod’s/mp3’s. Since these radio sources are broadcasted through the internet, no advertising dollars are transferred to local businesses. The local DJ’s see first-hand how satellite radio has affected local broadcasts.

“What is it called that we don’t listen to?” Foley asks Monaco.

“Sirius XM,” he answers.

Brenda Foley strongly believes in locally-owned and locally-operated radio and is not a fan of Sirius XM Radio, a radio company that is very popular in vehicles. Foley believes internet-based music has changed the way radio broadcasting is supposed to work and is frustrated with what radio has become.

“It’s totally lobotomized radio,” Said Foley.

Technology has changed the world as a whole, and while it grows so do America’s resources. This includes the way everyone receives their national and local news. The internet is available to everyone, along with the alternative media sources offer. As a result, there has been more usage of media online due to the nationwide accessibility, but 92.9 The Boss and KFBC 1240AM are still thriving.

The Thunderbolt staff also visited the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle as part of their journalism fieldtrip.