By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Earlier in 2020 Josh David had to take a few days off from work. He had symptoms that indicated he may have COVID-19. He didn’t.
David did catch another bug though.
During his time off he downloaded music with the idea of launching an internet radio station. He’d had a dream of starting an FM station, but that was financially out of reach.
But the more he learned about the available equipment for internet radio and what it cost – the more feasible it seemed. “Yeah, I kind of stumbled across it, and it happened,” he said in a recent telephone interview.
He realized there was a market when he saw the number of people in Grand Rapids, looking for outdoor respite from the pandemic on the shores and waters of the Maumee. They should have music to listen to.
He launched Towpath Radio, named for the popular path between the village, and the river. Now residents and visitors can listen to a steady stream of hits from the 1950s through the 1980s, with a few headlines and news of local events mixed in.
He bought automation technology, the same used by commercial terrestrial stations, that allows him to organize the music he wants. He hired someone to give a “big voice” to Towpath’s signal.
David found out that the automation software he purchased also allows him to set up remote stations. So, he put out a call on Facebook, and soon he heard from fellow radio folk, who wanted in.
Like David, they were veterans of local radio. The 2002 Springfield High School graduate worked for about 15 years in radio. He was already working for Star 105 when he graduated.
The weekend voices – Mark Elliott 10-3 on Saturday. Shavon 3 until 7 on Saturday. Ben 3-7 on Sunday – should be familiar to listeners from their time on the airwaves in Northwest Ohio, he said.
They all have their distinctive takes on the music and local happenings. David is still looking for a few more volunteer DJs.
On Saturday nights at 7, the station run the nationally syndicated “America Hit List with Machine Gun Kelly.”
The news comes from local sources and culled from meeting minutes.
David said that the station is not a money-maker. He just wants to make enough to cover expenses. Advertisers such as Village Orchard and Panda Technologies help him do that.
The focus of the station is the hits David remembers from his childhood, driving to school with his mother—the sounds of Motown and more. He loved that music then and still does. No one has anything bad to say about the pop music of that era, he said.
“I just wanted to get the most popular music I could find that that would match up with the audience that likes that traditional sound of radio where the music is already there for them, and they don’t have to pick the song like on different streaming services.”
It’s a selection of music listeners won’t find on terrestrial radio, and it comes to them from right around the corner.
The station is a celebration of his adopted home town. Growing up in Holland, he spent a lot of time in the summer at his grandparents’ campsite in Grand Rapids. It was his second home.
When he returned to the area after living away for a few years, he decided Grand Rapids was where he wanted to settle. “This is one of the most beautiful towns in the country.”
Now when he goes around town and stops in shops, he gets to hear his own Towpath Radio providing the soundtrack for the village.
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Check out how to listen at Towpath Radio’s website.
