|
strom and Evans, both 43 and born a day apart, also distribute an "Ask the Motor Medics" column to newspapers. • The hosts say they've worked hard to build personal relationships with their affiliates, which has helped them steadily add and retain stations. • KBJM-AM in Lemmon is a longtime "Under the Hood" affiliate, but the station's Mike Schweitzer seven years ago was considering switching up his Saturday morning lineup and wasn't sure if anyone was listening. • When he called the hosts to cancel, Evans asked what they could do to change his mind. Evans and Nordstrom made the 400-mile drive to the ranching community along the North Dakota border in Perkins County to host a table at the town's Farm and Home Show. • "People couldn't get in and out of the building because there was such a line," said Schweitzer KBJM's president and general manager. "I just sat there and I looked at it and said, 'Well, maybe I guess they do have some listeners up here.'" • The show has aired on the station ever since, and Schweitzer said he'd love to one day add the show's second hour of the show if he had space in his lineup. The hosts' technical knowhow draws in the car geeks, but the chemistry of the personalities extends their reach to regular folks young and old, he said. • "They're able to do the show and be very knowledgeable very professional and do it with a hint of humor," Schweitzer said. "I think that's probably the key to the success of the show." • Virginia "Ginny" Peterson, 73, said she's been listening regularly from her home in Boyd, Minn., for a couple of years. • "They're just kind of jokey, and I just really enjoy looking to it," she said. "And I figure it's helpful for me on my car."
(Continued on page 19)
|
|