Ten years ago Hound Dog Radio first went on the air when Frank (The Hound Dog) Coon flipped that switch and went live. Hound Dog Radio is primarily an Internet radio station that for the first seven years came to us from Stone Mountain, GA. The radio station did have local frequency access on AM. Three years ago Hound Dog moved the station to Loganville, GA. Recently Paige Turner sat down to talk to Frank about the day he started the station, the ups and downs of running a station and the satisfaction and enjoyment that has come from it. Here is what Frank had to say.
Q: Frank why did you start a radio station?
A: Because I really like radio and I was tired of what FM Radio had become. The singles the stations were playing were so cookie cutter. I had always been a radio buff and I have always loved and been involved in music.
Q: Did you go to school for broadcasting?
A: I did get my broadcasting license years ago. I don’t know if people have to do that anymore. I was in bands
Q: I know your wife Cat hosts a weekly show. Did you start the station together?
A: Cat was working a full time job at the time that I started the station so yes and no. She has always been a support and always been behind the station but the first day we went live I called her at work screaming, “We are on the air, we are on the air.”
A: She has been doing the show since the beginning. She had a show called “Silly Love Songs” for years but she thought that she might be limiting herself to playing just love songs so she changed the format of her show to open it up to all kinds of music. She now hosts Friday Night Freedom. I am very proud of her. She has one of the biggest listening audiences on our show and she does a great job.
Q: How much time do you spend running the station?
A: In the beginning it was round the clock 24-7. As time has gone on it is not a constant 24-7 but I am on duty 24-7 incase the stream goes down on something.
Q: How many D.J’s do you have that have shows on Hound Dog Radio?
A: We have several D.J’s and have had some that have come and gone through the years.
Q: Are there bio’s on the website?
A: Yes. You can read the schedule and the bio’s on our website.
Q: June 6th is the Birthday Bash. What do you have planned?
A: We have a great line up of folks coming in to help us celebrate. We have Kristen Tinsley, The Grant and Moe Show, Silver Rock Band, Silver Bird Duo, The Luxury Kings and The Nolan Wilson Project. It is going to be a great time and we are going live with the Birthday Bash Celebration at 2:00 p.m.
Q: Your station features the Indie Artists. Without paid advertising and sponsorship how do you keep it running?
A: Recently we merged with Dixie Stream so things are changing a bit. We have opened up the format and have a wider audience but we will continue to feature the Indie artists. The merger is enabling us to do more and bring our shows to a larger audience. We will be offering ad space and sponsorships to help pay the expenses but we will try and stay true to our roots as long as we can and still keep the doors opens and stay on the air. We do accept donations as well but that is not something we push but we will never turn them down.
A: There are instructions on the website that give all that information for where to submit CD’s. We do not accept MP3’s in email. We need hard copy CD’s in order for us to consider adding someone’s music to our server.
Q: So ten years is a long time. Why do you keep doing this not-for-profit project?
A: Simply put. For the love of it and if I can stick it to the majors and help promote Indie artists at that same time, that is always a good thing.
Hound Dog Radio’s 10th Birthday Bash will go live on June 6th at 2:00 p.m. You can tune in and listen at http://www.dixiestreams.com/hounddog/
