Every morning the three of us who make up The Big Show on Free-FM host a Tailgate Party.
That’s the name of our promotion that sends us into different businesses that ask us to come. We arrive bearing goodies like Free-FM swag, London Knights tickets and pizza and goodies from Pizza Hut. It’s really been a lot of fun and it gives us a glimpse into what’s happening at the other end of the radio.
This week we visited a federal government office where a 22-year-old employee is our faithful listener. Candace is the only classic rock fan (and one of the youngest on staff) among a few dozen workers. She had emailed me directly and asked us to come out and show her colleagues why we have such a great radio station! So that’s what we tried to do. They’re a fun bunch and really got into the football cutouts and the givaways.
A manager came into the boardroom where we had our ballot box and freebies set up and asked each of us in turn, “Do you have a power of attorney? If not, get one!” We both do. Her reason for being so adamant? Their office looks after the finances of people who have been declared incompetent and haven’t chosen to give anyone their power of attorney. That means the government governs their lives. They tell them they have to give up a pet they can’t afford and dole out their money for them. No one expects to become incompetent and this is why you prepare for the worst and then forget about it by getting a will and Power done. It could have been a depressing place but they were all fun and lively. I think it takes a certain kind of person to do that kind of work.
We have been to so many interesting places. I was a little chuffed by the level of security at a water treatment company we visited on Friday, actually, until I saw the size of the grounds. It’s like a theme park for water filtration with beautiful wooded areas and winding pathways. The people we visited in the production building said they have deer come up to the huge windows in the boardroom while they’re meeting. Beautiful.
We’ve seen how sports jerseys are made, had some of Honda’s finest factory-trained technicians pose with the cutouts and visited corners of our city we never even knew existed, where hundreds of people make their living. As a relatively new radio station, we need to build our listenership at ground level, by meeting people one-on-one and creating a moment we hope they won’t forget. Who knew it would also be so educational?
If you work for a company in the London area, you can sign up for a Tailgate Party at 981freefm.ca