Wave of the future

In a storefront in downtown Spokane, a pair of radio stations is opening a window to the world.

Without the benefit of visuals, radio has always been left to listener’s imagination. But a new 5,000-square-foot broadcasting facility, complete with its own Radio Cafe coffee shop and boutique, is now showing exactly what goes on behind the microphone.

“There’s nothing else like this in the country” said Christa McDonald, general manager of Pro-Active Communications, which owns the venture.

The studios, located at the site of the former Rock City Grill, house radio stations Z-107 and Live 104.5. Both boast the latest digital technology, an area where listeners can text message their favorite DJ a request, and even a bathroom that lets you know you’re “on air” when it’s in use.

And if you get the feeling you’re passing by a radio version of the “Today” show’s street-level set, that’s exactly what Pro-Active co-owner Dave Donahue wants.

When plans were being designed for the new building earlier this year, Donahue told The Spokesman-Review he was “looking for an interactive showbiz type of atmosphere.” Glass walls now look out over Stevens Street and Riverside Avenue. Disc jockeys do their shows live, waving to pedestrians who pass by. During breaks in the music, they step outside their booths and into the coffee shop, where they can greet fans.

“It’s fun to watch the people in the morning” said Toby Howell, Z-107 program director and morning co-host. “It’s like they’ve all been waiting for someone to wave to all these years.”

During the eight months it took to complete the project, the entire building was gutted, from top to bottom, rewired, and basically built from the ground up with all new digital equipment. “It really is the way stations will be built in the future,” says broadcast engineer Conrad Agte, who helped construct the new facility.

Pro-Active is hoping by that bringing the studios downtown and opening them up to the public, both stations will receive a new element of exposure.

When the new PlayStation 3 was released, the staff of Live 104.5 invited their listeners down to play video games. “When an artist releases a new CD, we’ll hold a release party down here,” says McDonald.

“My biggest kick is getting to see the people I talk to” said Steve Kicklighter, program director for Live 104.5. “It’s like being on a remote 24 hours a day.” Adds Howell, “The magic of radio really happens while you’re watching it.”

But like radio stations across the country, the company is also looking at the bottom line – making a profit. Between purchasing and remodeling the building, they reportedly spent between $8 and $10 million. By adding a coffee shop, selling CDs, and opening a boutique corner where listeners can purchase sporting apparel from their favorite local teams, Pro-Active may have tapped into another source of revenue. “It’s unlimited” says McDonald. She cites several clients who have already opted to advertise in untraditional ways. They’ve bought ad space on coffee cup insulators, and on the station’s flat screen TV’s, which face out toward the street.

Both stations switched formats earlier this year; Live 104.5 to Top 40, Z-107 to “retro Top 40,” playing popular songs from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. They’ve yet to make their presence felt in the ratings, but that hasn’t put a damper on what managers see as a blueprint for future radio stations. They’re already in the process of trademarking Radio Cafe and hope to open several others across the country.

Donahue has insisted the new broadcast cafe will be a throwback to the days of radio in the 1950s and ‘60s, when there was more interaction between DJs and their listeners, and before radio became just about the bottom line.

Or as McDonald puts it “You’ve got to take radio back to the community, where it belongs.”