LIBERADIO(!)

… Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When.

A new decade can bring with it many changes as people take stock, revaluate, and re-focus. We have not been left out of this phenomenon, and as we move into the summer of 2010, after long and deliberative thinking and discussions, we have decided to end Liberadio(!) with Mary Mancini and Freddie O’Connell.

As of Monday, June 7, Mary will be the new Executive Director of Tennessee Citizen Action, a public interest advocacy organization, and Freddie’s new inbound marketing agency, SearchViz, is growing at the same time as some of his other civic interests and responsibilities. We both feel that now is the time to focus all our energy and productivity towards these endeavors.

Before we go, however, we have a few final words. Most of which are “thank you!”

For the last 6 years you, our faithful listeners, have turned your dial to WRVU-FM on Monday mornings or pointed your browser to liberadio.com to allow us do our best to entertain and inform you. You’ve listened, called in, shared your thoughts and ideas, and heeded many calls to action. You are the embodiment of a deliberative and participatory democracy and for that, we can’t thank you enough.

We’d also like to wholeheartedly thank each one of our many talented, knowledgeable, and dedicated guests who took the time to share their expertise and passions with us. It’s not easy getting up at the crack of dawn and yet week after week our guests (especially the ones in time zones West of us) did just that. You are the spark that lights the fire beneath a participatory democracy, and for this we thank you.

A special guest acknowledgement goes out to Liberadio(!) team members, Elbert Ventura and Karl Frisch, purveyors of our weekly Media Matters for America Smackdown. Thank you for bringing your on-point media criticism—and the funny!—to the show week after week.

Behind the scenes, we also had tons of help. First and foremost, thank you to Teddy Bart and Karlen Evins, who reawakened Mary’s love for radio and taught us, by example, that words really do matter. And to Jim Ridley, an early and tireless Liberadio(!) cheerleader and Mary’s own personal guardian angel.

And because a show like ours can’t produce itself, big ups to Andy Finley, who shared his audio recording, editing, and podcasting expertise with us in the early days to make our recordings sound really, really good. Also, we’ve had two interns who became full-fledged producers over the years, and both were rock stars. A big “thank you” to Krystal Long and Nat Howry, who volunteered their time and skills to help us produce the show and the podcast each week. Again with the getting up early on cold, wintry mornings. Not easy but you guys were good at it and ever-hopeful that your humble hosts would actually make it to the studio with the equipment before you did!

To all our advertisers, but especially Barbara Moutenot with Village Real Estate, Bill Fletcher and FRR Media, Darek Bell, Pam Kidd & Keri Kidd Cannon, and the Bongo Java Roasting Company. You chipped in when the chips were down, and we thank you!

And though we give a nod to WRFN (Radio Free Nashville), WAMB-AM, and WNSG-AM, other stations that provided us a temporary home through the years, we have to say a huge thank you to our permanent residence: WRVU-FM. We met so many great radio neighbors—like occasional guest hosts Ashley Crownover and Lonnie Atkinson (who became much more than a fan and neighbor), Father Parthenios, and Angela Lin (may she rest in peace). We’d also like to thank the Vanderbilt Student Communications staff (especially Jim Hayes and Chris Carroll) and Board of Directors (especially Bruce Barry, Vanessa Beasley, and Kevin Leander), as well as all the members of the WRVU senior staff we’ve seen come and go through the years, all of whom have been have been more than accommodating to Liberadio(!). And a special shout out to Carl Pedersen of WPLN and long-time WRVU DJ John Brassil, neither of whom ever said “no” to one or another of our special requests for guidance or help. Thank you!

Also, to Sitemason, Nashville’s premier content management system and shared web hosting company (and our friends), who graciously provided us with gratis website and podcast hosting for 6 years without fail and without complaint, thank you!

Finally, to our dear family and friends, you can now all stop fighting over who is our “biggest fan.” With all the support and encouragement you have given us since we started the show, you absolutely must share the title. And for that, we thank you.

Once more with feeling, THANK YOU all so much!

And who knows. We might find that after a long summer on beaches all around the world (Wait. What? – Ed.) that we just can’t tear ourselves away from the microphones forever…

Our love, and till some sunny day,

Mary Mancini and Freddie O’Connell