You won’t be surprised to hear this: 2020 has not gone according to plan for BFF.fm. Life as we knew it was swiftly canceled and now nothing feels normal. Lucky for us, we’ve always been a little out of the ordinary. With you on our side, we didn’t let the pandemic slow us down.
Each week during our end of year fundraising campaign we're sharing the story of one BFF.fm DJ and the impact community radio has had on their lives. For our final story of 2020, here's DJ Pants aka Steve:
BFF.fm has always been both a fun, creative outlet as well as a means of being social. Cosmic Amanda (BFF.fm founder) and DJ Sanspants (my co-host) were the first two friends I made when I first started attending Salem State College almost 20 years ago. We all met at our college radio station WMWM and I guess we just never changed. Our show for me was always a way to hang out with my good friend and have fun while listening to music, typical music nerd stuff. As a bonus, we got to contribute content to our west coast friend's radio station. Very cool. Last year we won a BFF.fm award for perfect attendance, so as goofy as we are as radio programmers, we do take this opportunity seriously.
Back in February, things changed. I stopped going to the Sanspants family home for safety reasons. It took us a few weeks to figure out a good way to record our show in two separate places but we got back on track.
Somewhere in the midst of lockdown, I got an invite into a weekly video chat with Amanda and several other previously unknown BFF.fm members. It was daunting at first, being thrust into a friend circle some three thousand miles away, but after a few weeks it was normal. And now a few months later, it's also my friend circle.
During one game night I was prompted (or dared) to create a video for the first time in my life. Another daunting thing, but with some practice it no longer seemed impossible, and making short videos became a creative thing to do in an attempt to keep us all mildly entertained. Because of this, when Amanda mentioned the opportunity of a BFF.fm television program, I volunteered my time and some ideas. And now, I'm in the process of creating a TV series.
This is, quite probably, the worst year in recent history. I haven't recorded a radio show in person with my best friend in nearly 10 months. Everyone everywhere is locked down at home. Yet somehow, despite all the chaos and hardships, I've grown immensely as a person this year. And it's all thanks to BFF.fm.
This year really was the worst. But, there was still room to grow, and learn new creative skills, as well as make new friends. And that's what community radio is all about.
Join more than 1055 of your friends and neighbors who also believe in the power of community radio to bring people together, even when we have to stay six feet apart, by making a donation to BFF.fm by December 31 so that people like Dan can keep pumping out the jams.
I founded BFF.fm in 2013 because I believe in the power of community radio to play an integral role in our local music scene, and that a great Internet station can bring the Bay Area sound to the world.
People look at me sideways when I explain that one day I just decided to start an online radio station. I knew I could figure it out, and today BFF.fm is a vibrant community of talented DJs and dedicated volunteers, working together to make our mission happen!
I’m proud of the impact BFF.fm has had on the community and the opportunities it has afforded our listeners and our DJs. In 4 years we’ve hosted hundreds of bands in studio, presented dozens of local music showcases, and booked local support for touring acts playing larger venues.
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We're so thankful you share our belief in the power of community radio to bring people together.