And still it will rise!!!....Radio taking on a new medium...the Internet!!!

I have asked many preachers and pastors how did you know you were called? They all agreed on this one point...."You know beyond a doubt that there is a calling on your life!". As vague as that may sound...I am a firm believer of knowing of a "call on your life".  Others have told me that there is a call on my life to preach the gospel...but I tell them that the way my relationship is set up with the God I serve...He can tell me personally...until then....well, you know!
     But back to a "call"....I actually asked the Lord..after seeing and feeling grieved at the condition of of my community, both locally and at large..what could I do to bring back the spirit of togetherness that we experienced when AM1480WCIN  was  the go to station for news, sports and entertainment pertinent to our interests. It came to me..plain as day to "gather the folks together that once did it..and do it again." I got confirmation when I visited a former employee at the radio station that is now positioned on the 1480 spot on the dial...how ironic! She said I ought to put a gathering together and it became my mission.
     Here's how I know it was a "calling"...I couldn't sleep at night...it was nothing odd for me to wake up at 4am with the name of another former employee on my lips and I had to immediately write it down and put things in place to make sure the "Family" was able to get together and collectively give me what I needed to move forward with the next steps..and they did!!

     On Saturday, January 16, 2016...over 60 old friends gathered for the "Former Employees of WCIN Family Reunion" at the Community Action Agency on Reading Rd. We hugged, reminisced, laughed, cried together the majority of the evening.  Thanks to Robert Humphries for providing the same music we played as background music for the night. Food was provided by D & G Homestyle Cooking and a special candy bar set up by the W Experience. One of the many highlights of the evening was the arrival of John Thomas, former owner of WCIN, which was met with a standing ovation...a recognition for his taking on the challenge of keeping the icon alive. Thanks to Michael Mitchell for capturing the night digitally...
     I told the crowd about the "call" that was put on me to keep the spirit of WCIN alive...and I received the blessing of the family to carry on....
     This story has had many twists and turns as I take on the Next Steps in this journey! 
I have conferred with many people regarding the latest method of communication, especially when it comes to how radio is done today...it is not the wave of the future...it is the way radio is done now. There are internet radio stations coming to the cyberworld by the hundreds. They are, for the most part, affordable to operate because they don't require the overhead of the brick and mortar radio stations.
     Part of this trek had me on a path that required me being housed in a location that was financially restricting...but doable with committed sponsorship. A person who was greatly influential in helping me gather funds for the location was called home to be with the Lord just before we were able to secure the financing....Rest In Peace...Robert B.Lane...my mentor...
     This news, which I received on a Monday...devastated me and quite honestly discouraged me and I was in a true funk all the day...not knowing if this was an end to my quest.
      Well...the very next day..at a weekly breakfast gathering I have with some progressive brothers known as Just a Few Good Men of Cincinnati..(most of whom have pledged financial support for the internet radio effort)..there was a gentleman in attendance who brought calm to the storm in my mind..he is part of a group that makes internet radio for anyone...a reality.
     At this point in time....there will be an internet radio station that will revive, relive and rejuvenate the Spirit of WCIN...it will be a station that focuses on information that positively impacts the community. Information that will be culturally uplifting and bring hope once again...with a path to solutions.
    I am gearing up for the launching of the rebirth of an icon....but I can use your help...I have a gofundme account that I'm asking those that believe in the cause..to contribute..
.....the Website is currently under construction...but coming soon!
gofund.me/rmwrnhhd

A Rebirth of WCIN?...it's a new day!

It's been a number of years since WCIN went dark. Gone are the days of the huge tubes in the transmitter room, the logging of the measurements every six hours, the reel to reel tape machine, the carts, the multi-channeled boards and in many cases..gone are the brick and mortar buildings that housed the radio stations. The realm of entertainment has expanded to hand held devices that can link one into this thing called the internet....yes, the World Wide Web.  There is no longer the restriction of wattage on an AM or FM band...just tap into the internet and the world is your audience. We now have Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, Snapchat and many other platforms that links us all together.
.....As the "Chosen One" to keep the memory of WCIN alive, it has been put in my spirit to utilize all the platforms that are available today to rebirth the "Spirit of WCIN". It's a charge I have been given and its a goal that I plan on achieving.
     Technology has made it possible to bring the same...and sometimes better...quality of entertainment and information to a much larger audience..THE WORLD! It is a much more refined and less expensive way to do the business of fulfilling the needs of a community. It has made it possible to maximize the talents of individuals who aren't necessarily in the same state or even the same country.
...CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT IMPACT WCIN WOULD HAVE IF IT HAD ALL THE TOOLS THAT ARE SO READILY AVAILABLE TODAY??

I still have the letters from the side of the building on Glenwood

....Well, I have...and I'm doing something about it....I have done a lot of research on making that imagined thought a reality.
.....It requires the proper equipment...and I intend on utilizing the best, a space to house the equipment, which is optional depending on the size of the operation...and I have that in place, a team who shares the dream of the "rebirth" and wants to make a positive difference in the community and the world. This effort is going to take funds to acquire the equipment, maintain the space and take care of the royalties that I will make sure the artists receive fairly for the work they have done.
To help in this effort, I am calling on the community to contribute to a gofundme campaign that I have started to get this dream for an internet radio station that will be programmed to fulfill the health, wealth and cultural well-being of the community. Just like WCIN did during it's time...this will be the drumbeats of the community.  Music, news, information that we can actually use for unity and growth of the community. The campaign page is listed below...click on it to donate.  If you know me you know how passionate I am about that which was once ours and can be ours once again.

Lets' do this...gofund.me/rmwrnhhd

You can donate anonymously if you so desire...

The future is bright!!!.....Keep your head to the sky!!!

OOOhh Wee...It's Warren G. That's Pastor Warren G. Brookins

You never know where being behind the microphone will lead
 

Life is a journey which sends us on various paths. Paths are no more than opportunities waiting to happen. In the fall of 1985, I began walking the path of a broadcast career in radio, one of many things I inspired to do in life. I grew up listening to WCIN 1480 AM from 1960 through its last chapters. As a board operator (a producer the modern day terminology), I used what I had learned while studying communications at the University of Cincinnati. I was silent in my early days just running the board and dubbing spots. After a short run of a classical format, R&B returned to WCIN airways. A slot was open for the weekend late evennings position. Everett Cork ask me to fill the position in January 1990. Thus the character OOh Wee Warren G. was born and introduced to the Cincinnati market. I held the position until May of 1993. Today I still stand behind the mike as the Pastor of Berean Experience Church, Hamilton, OH. Here's a little known fact: Many of WCIN DJs left radio to pursue ministry or preaching. Things that make you say Hmm. <><