Catching up

August 31, 2006
by Rodney Olsen
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One of the great things about Radiothon at 98.5 Sonshine FM each year is getting to chat to the many visitors who drop in. Those visitors range from regular listeners who take advantage of the opportunity to visit the radio station and tour our studios through to polititians, sporting personalities and representatives from other media organisations.

As I mentioned a few posts back, this year we planned morning teas for some regular morning programme listeners. So far so good with the third of the four morning teas held this morning. I’ll get to meet some more listeners tomorrow morning at our final morning tea.

Over the past week I’ve had the pleasure of chatting on-air to people like Monica Kos from Channel 7’s Today Tonight, Channel 7 news presenter, Rick Ardon, Channel 9 news presenter, Dixie Marshall, Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia, Paul Omodei, Paul Entwistle from Postcards WA on Channel 9, CEO of Gloria Jean’s Coffee worldwide, Peter Irvine as well as my regular morning programme guests.

A real delight was catching up with my regular Wednesday guest, Rev Dr Ross Clifford, (interesting to see that his extensive Wikipedia entry mentions our regular chats) who paid Western Australia a flying visit last week. Ross flew home early Saturday afternoon but managed to squeeze in a visit to our studios on Saturday morning. Even though we’ve been chatting on-air, via phone, each week for a couple of years, this was the first time we’d met face to face. The picture in this post shows Ross (centre) towering over me (left) and 98.5 Sonshine FM Breakfast Announcer and Programme Director, Arthur Muhl (right). Ross is the Principal of Morling Theological College in New South Wales and is currently the National President of Baptist Union of Australia. It was great to be able to sit together in the same studio and spend a bit of time together. Ross is a very clever guy and it’s always a pleasure to talk to him.

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Thank you for reading

August 31, 2006
by Rodney Olsen
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Every time I read a post at Fat Grocer’s Life in Redding I’m reminded of what an immense privilege it is to have people read what I write here at The Journey.

Keith finishes every one of his posts with the line, “Thank you for reading”. Even though he writes well and always has something interesting to say, Keith doesn’t take his readers for granted. He always thanks his readers for taking the time to read his posts. His humble approach to blogging is a great lesson for many of us.

The simple phrase, “Thank you for reading”, says so much to me about my own blogging. It’s an acknowledgement that no one is obligated to read what I write. I have no right to expect people to show up every time I write a post but I am so thankful that some people do.My posts can be random and at times self indulgent yet there are people who continue to drop in to read and leave comments. I am humbled.

If I’m being totally honest I’d have to admit that I would love to have hundreds, even thousands, more readers. I’d love to see my posts quoted here and there across the blogosphere. Seeing The Journey added to some more blogrolls would be wonderful. It’d be great to be quoted as a ‘prominent blogger’.

If I’m being totally honest I’d also have to admit that it’s unlikely to happen. I don’t write the kinds of posts that lead to ‘A-List Blogger’ status. I write about my work, my family, my faith and my interests. These are the things that matter to me and I’m so pleased that there is a small community of bloggers and blog readers who frequent this page.

I’m extremely thankful for every person who drops in to read any of my posts and so very grateful when readers take the time to leave a comment. I love the feeling of community that has developed here and at many of the other ‘smaller’ blogs that I visit regularly.I’m just going to continue posting stuff that interests me and hope that it grabs your interest too. I hope that people continue to drop in from time to time to share in the things that I discuss.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.

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Hello old friend

August 29, 2006
by Rodney Olsen
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I haven’t been posting for a few days because Radiothon for 2006 has been very busy.

Each year we set aside a few days to publicly appeal for funds to continue running 98.5 Sonshine FM which is a community broadcaster, relying mainly on donated funds to survive.

This year things are a little different with an extended 8 day Radiothon as we try to raise substantial funds to build a new radio station in Como. We started last Friday so we’re 5 days down with 3 to go.

There’s so much to say about Radiothon but so little time to write it all down. I’ll fill in a few more details when I get a chance but in the meantime I’ve posted the attached picture of me with an old friend who dropped in to our open day on Saturday afternoon.

Roy and I went to both primary and high school together but we haven’t seen each other since. After hearing me on air a few times, Roy decided to get in touch and renew contact. I invited him in to the station and we spent a little while talking about old times and catching up on over 25 years of life. We’re planning to get together with a few other old friends sometime soon in a more relaxed atmosphere.

I spent about seven and a half hours on air today so I’m feeling pretty fried. I’m off to bed. I’ll fill you in on some more Radiothon details soon.

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Goofy did it!

August 25, 2006
by Rodney Olsen
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Poor Pluto.

Pluto no longer has his own planet. I blame Goofy. I think Goofy has always been jealous of Pluto’s popularity and so he set out to discredit him. I think he has carried out a dirty little campaign aimed at destroying Pluto’s good name and character.

You may have won over the scientific community but don’t expect me to follow your lead, Goofy. I’ve always preferred Pluto and Goofy’s efforts will not change my mind.

So, Mr Goofy, just because you can walk on your hind legs and you wear a silly hat, don’t think you’ve won. You may have won this one, small battle but the war isn’t over yet.

I think it’s about time Mickey called in a mediator to helps resolve the underlying issues. The last thing we need is a continuation of the tension between the Disney dogs.

Don’t worry Pluto, you’re still my favourite.

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Radiothon – Building our Future

August 24, 2006
by Rodney Olsen
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98.5 Sonshine FM’s Radiothon starts tomorrow morning and runs for 8 days. Money raised this year will go towards building a new broadcast complex in South Perth to replace the aging facility in Morley.

That means that blogging may be a little thin on the ground over the next week. On the other hand I may have lots of stuff to blog and I could have a lot more to say than usual. I guess we won’t know until it all happens.

The studios, at 9 Boag Road, Morley, will be open for free tours from noon to four this Saturday and Sunday afternoon. If you’re in the Perth area I’d love to catch up with you and show you around the building. Please drop in and say hello.

As well as the free tours on the weekend, there are still places left for the delicious, free morning teas I mentioned in my last post.

Thanks to Miss Maud and Five Senses, we’re inviting 20 listeners each day to join me and my morning programme guests for morning tea on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday next week.

The morning teas will run from 10:00 a.m. to around 11:30 a.m. and should be a lot of fun. It’d be great to catch up and it’s a wonderful opportunity for me to show off my workplace.

If you’d like to be part of the fun simply click here to email me and tell me which day you can join me. If you’re one of the first 20 replies for each day you’ll enjoy a delicious, free morning tea at our Morley studios thanks to Miss Maud, Five Senses Coffee and 98.5 Sonshine FM.

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