– Advertising, podcast production space now open!
– For a limited time, buy a newspaper ad, get a radio ad FREE!
Eagle Grove’s local radio station, Eagle Grove Classic Hits, was set to open an office and broadcasting space on S. Lucas Street, when the owner of the building was made an offer to purchase the building. “That sent me scrambling for a new location,” said station owner Edward Lynn.
But a conversation with Lynn’s boss at his “day job” as Editor of the Eagle Grove Eagle, Mid-America Publishing and Printing CEO Matt Grohe, put an end to the search. “He said, ‘just put it in the newspaper office,’ and I wasn’t about to argue with that,” Lynn said.
The move has resulted in a new partnership between the streaming radio station and the newspaper. “Since I manage one business and own the other, it just makes total sense to house them in the same location,” said Lynn, noting that is just what Grohe had pointed out. And because the location, at 304 W. Broadway St. in downtown Eagle Grove, is already the home office of the Eagle Grove Eagle and Wright County Monitor newspapers, “this sort of cements the office as ‘The Wright County News Center’, and THE place for advertisers to reach a local audience.”
“And ironically,” Lynn said, “the same space was once used for local radio broadcasts. So, historically speaking, it’s kinda like the space has come full circle. Put it all together and it really just makes it the perfect space.”
The station now has a podcasting studio set up, and a vocal recording booth. “The vocal booth is set up with an audio isolation shield, a pop and wind filter, and a high end condenser microphone,” which, Lynn explained, “which will allow advertisers to record their ads quickly and easily, with the best audio quality.” And the podcasting studio “is set up around a comfortable conference table,” Lynn said, “using wireless microphones on desk stands, making group interviews possible in a comfortable, conversational way.”
Lynn said he envisions local focused podcasts being recorded in the studio, after regular newspaper hours. “I think something like a ‘coaches round-table’, or a ‘chamber chat’ kind of podcast would be great for the community,” said Lynn, “so I wanted to make the facility to do those sort of things part of the office. And since I invested in the equipment, and set-up the studio. And now we’re ready to record them.”
“The audio booth will let local business owners and community leaders, or really anyone who wants to record an advertisement or announcement do so, in the highest possible quality,” said Lynn, “and conveniently, they can do it right here in our downtown location.
And, Lynn announced, “for a limited time, anybody who buys a newspaper ad of any kind gets a free radio ad too!” The station is offering the free ads “to give the newspaper a shot in the arm,” said Lynn, as a way of repaying Grohe for his generosity.
The radio station has received strong interest from national and statewide advertisers, including big companies, Lynn pointed out. “If you listen, you’ll hear ads from businesses all over the state who want to reach our local audience,” Lynn said, noting that, “we’ve had ads from McDonalds, from Home Depot, from Amazon, and from Iowa businesses as far away as Des Moines.” And “while that’s awesome,” Lynn said, “we really want the station to be a LOCAL, Eagle Grove focused station. And so we want ads for our local advertisers to be very affordable.”
“The ads are extra-affordable for locals right now, since they’re free,” Lynn added, with a chuckle.
Classified advertisers will get a free 15 “or so” second ad, consisting of reading the ad text, will play on the radio station daily, Lynn Explained, and display ad buyers will get a free 30 or 60 second ad played twice daily. Display ad buyers get 30 seconds of airtime a day with the purchase of any display ad in the Eagle Grove Eagle or the Wright County Monitor, and get an additional 30 seconds per day for every $30 they spend. Advertisers can submit ready-made ads or the station will produce them.
“Basic audio production, which involves our voice talent recording the ad and can include basic sound effects, is included,” Lynn said, “and advertisers can also use our vocal booth at no cost if they want to speak directly to our listeners themselves.” More advanced or time consuming audio production is also available at an additional charge.
To order ads in either The Eagle Grove Eagle, The Wright County Monitor, and/or on Eagle Grove Classic Hits, contact Chase Quintus by email at sales@eaglegroveeagle.com or sales@wrightcountymonitor.com, by text or phone at (515) 832-0604, or call the office line from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, 1 515-448-4745.
To listen to Eagle Grove Classic Hits on any smart speaker, just speak the trigger phrase “play Eagle Grove Classic Hits on Tune In”, following the speaker’s wake word. So, for example, “Alexa, play Eagle Grove Classic Hits on Tune In” or “OK Google, play…” or “Siri, play…”, etcetera, depending on the maker of your smart speaker.
To listen on your smartphone and other iPhone or Android devices you have two choices, using either the Live 365 app, or the Tune In apps, whichever you prefer.
To listen through your web browser go to https://live365.com/station/Eagle-Grove-Classic-Hits-a80785 or https://tunein.com/radio/Eagle-Grove-Classic-Hits-s323143/. Or go eagle.radio.fm and click the “listen now” link.
