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« Policy and a Pint, and other news | Happy Monday » What does it mean to be authentic?July 29, 2005 I’ve been thinking about authenticity lately. That’s because this week we made a presentation about The Current to a group of very successful marketers in town. They invited us to speak to them because they said they think that 89.3 The Current is “authentic.” They wanted to hear our story. To me that’s a very high compliment. “Authentic” means something that is itself, something that isn’t contrived. When I think of authentic experiences in my daily life, I think about people and relationships, but I also think of food. Last night I baked a cherry pie with sour cherries from the St Paul Farmers’ Market. Local cherries are available only two or three weeks each year and so if you’re lucky and get to the market early and see them, a pie is in order. These local sour cherries will bake up into a pie that is better than any pie you can make with any other cherries. That’s because a local farmer woke up one morning and picked them, and then brought them to the market the next day (might even have picked them in the evening so there’d be less time ‘til they came to the market). They’re fresh off the tree. (A Minnesota tree.) No one has put them into cold storage or canned them in syrup. The complexity of their flavor – its spicy-ness – is very present. You would never mistake them for a supermarket cherry. Another thing about these cherries is that they cannot be had at any time except the time that they’re ripe. If you want a fresh cherry pie in January or even later in August, you’re sunk. Cherry pies from fresh local cherries only happen now. Bake one now and enjoy it. Or don’t, but then you’ll have to wait a whole year to get your fix. I think The Current seems “authentic” because it is made fresh, here. It has local ingredients and it’s live – neither canned nor shipped in from another place. Its seasons reflect what is here and now, what’s going on in our cities and with our musicians and in our lives. The DJs and producers seek out the best ingredients. In many ways it's a like a fresh cherry pie. One we’re very happy to be cooking up for you every day. Posted by Sarah Lutman at 09:42 AM
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Thanks for the great post Sarah. You are so right! I often wonder how tightly packaged our society has to become before people finally say "Enough" I love that I can listen to The Current and feel the sense of community that you spoke of. This will sound like such a small thing, but the other day I was so proud to be a Current listener when I heard Bill DeVille actually reading severe thunderstorm warnings. WOW! This relates directly to the meaning of "authentic", as well as the sad state of commercial radio. Bill wasn't reading the weather because focus groups, demograhics, market research or the format dictated that he had to. The Current has descided that being part of the local community is important, so warning people of bad weather only makes sense. I'm not saying that The Current isn't interested in being profitable. I'm saying that unlike the canned stations, they are interested in creating a profitable station that both employees and listeners are proud of. In that way, The Current feed my soul. You mentioned the Farmers Market, which is high on my list of "authentic" experiences. Another great authentic spot is The Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. The Riverview is like this secret hideaway from the world of "sameness" It's "authentic" because it creates a unique experiences that I would deeply miss if it ever closed. I can't say the same about my local neighborhood Burger King. Not to mention that they play MRP while you're waiting for the film to start. The Current stands out as one of the Radio Stations that are not here to please the commercials... they are here to play the music we all love and want to hear! Authentic to be true something that stands apart from the rest... If music is expressing ones feeling and emotions, The current helps fuel the feelings generated by the people who make the music...people who want to listen the music.. Congrates to this station,and the people who make it possible, May you always be true to yourselves and to the music. Let the music live!!!!! Posted by: Lee at August 1, 2005 12:35 PMI often argue we're living in the age of authenticity -- people are THIRSTING for authentic stories and interaction that aren't spun or scripted to death. That's true whether it's government or entertainment or marketing -- anything! It's absolutely one of the things that makes The Current insanely great. Posted by: Chuck Olsen at August 1, 2005 04:52 PMcherry pie is o.k., new york strip is where it's at! , but, like general jackson's arm, it's buried on some farm. dave lowery Posted by: daryle at August 4, 2005 03:37 AM"Voice of authenticity" is one of the main attributes for a successful leadership blog, whether it's they're a civic, business, or project leader. This "What's up with 89.3?" weblog is a good example of Minnesota sour cherry pie, July edition. ;-)
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I completly agree with those marketing folks. The station is authentic. You all don't pretend to be something you're not. Why should you have to when you already have great music programming to draw people in? Sometimes the best marketing strrategy is to just work hard and turn out the best product possible. I know it's not neceassarily as "simple" as that. Yet, when you have a great product to offer there's no need to try to use fillers to try to make it more attractive.
Another adjective that comes to my mind when I'm listening is sincerity. I think radio is severly lacking in sincerity these days. People are playing music on the radio for all the wrong reasons. It's refreshing to hear it played for all the right reasons at The Current.
Posted by: blank at July 29, 2005 10:51 AM