“Noon on Saturdays is the perfect time for a food preparation show,” I said to Anne Fischer-Silva. I had an obsession with certain time slots being programmed with specific content: weekdays, six, noon, and six for a few hours should be news, talk, and light music. Saturday mornings were for local history, seniors updates, and food shows. I convinced three chefs, over the years, into trying the Saturday noon time slot:
2007 “Healthwise” put on by Anne Fischer-Silva
2008 “Helena’s Kitchen” with Helena Gustavson Giesen
2009 “Non Pompous Food Talk” with host Maria Vieages
Talk about preaching to the choir; I was so on to Anne Fischer-Silva’s wavelength when it came to her approach to nutrition and a healthy life-style in general. I switched to the alternative side 35 years ago when I faced cancer surgery and declined medical post-op therapies in favour of a year of holistic healing at a clinic in Mill Valley. Now I may have strayed over the intervening years – that’s how I grew to 180+ pounds, but I didn’t stray that far – even my masseuse training was at a holistic school. I listened to Anne’s Healthwise program at least once a week, sometimes twice since I was initially there at recording time and playback time.
Healthwise was a phenomenal success. It was Anne’s sincerity about sharing her knowledge of healthy food. One hour wasn’t enough – the listeners wanted more; and she didn’t take calls! I recorded all thirty episodes and replayed them after she moved away from the River. There were still constant call-ins about the program. Listeners taped it themselves, just to listen a second time and take notes. It was that kind of show that should have been published in a thirty chapter book. Visit Anne on http://www.linkedin.com
Like each of the food hosts, she hated the noon on Saturday time slot. Most of our KGGV radio program hosts lead lives that are far too comfortable. KGGV maintains equality along gender lines, but the other social-economic factors indicate a white, upper middle class, artistic and aging group of volunteers. This is an exact reflection of the west county river residents, so no one complains, except for the hosts themselves, who do complain about time slots. Of the hundred hosts who passed through the doors on my watch, 90% of them wanted to be on weekdays between 7:00 and 9:00 pm, so as to not upset their other schedules. This was not a group of radiophiles waiting for any chance to be on-air.
Helena tried, as many of our novitiates do, to integrate her radio show with her restaurant business, Charisma. KGGV didn’t mind this, in fact, I encouraged it, the implication being that it was a local business and our mission was to stimulate the community. We didn’t let it get commercial; we were a nonprofit and had a restrictive LPFM broadcast license.
Helena was the perfect food show host. She had recently opened her restaurant in Guerneville; her life-long dream. She was thoroughly well trained in cooking schools across the continents. She and her hubby, a computer design artist, moved up here from San Francisco to actualize her dream. Over her first year in town, she cultivated relationships with other chefs and restaurateurs. Helena was non-threatening because of her Swedish background and accent; so besides chefs, she grew to know the local food and wine purveyors. When her radio show was at its peak, she had segments from John Haggert at Sophie’s Cellars, and interviews from chefs up and down the river. As only a foreigner could, she spoke of European recipes as they related to American tastes. Helena did take telephone calls and some of the fusion which took place in mixing, matching, and merging recipes was awesome. Helena ran her radio program, like her restaurant, with the energy and drive of three people, each working twelve hour days. Unfortunately, that adds up to thirty-six hours in a twenty-four hour day; she burned out ! – flamed out – trying to do it all. When she first came on board, I was so happy to have a food program again at noon on Saturday, I dedicated my best spot in the new Church garden to Helena as an herb garden. She seemed interested in having a spot in town to grow her own herbs and maybe vegetables. After a few weeks of fighting off other growers in this new Church/KGGV garden, I began planting herbs for Helena, hoping she would pick up the scent and utilize the space. It didn’t happen. Reality for Helena was time. Time to cook, time to plan, time to serve, time to buy, time for hubby, time to grow, time to advertise. This is part of the human condition in this day and age of internet time and global reality. The restaurant didn’t make it and Helena was off to Jenner and now beyond. Onward and upward, check out her website.
http://www.chefhelena.blogspot.com/
Maria blew into town on the hurricane winds of Katrina; she could handle any sort of man-made storm. Maria has that same energy Helena had, but it’s very focused – laser focused. Maria is in control and apportions her time as to which might be more profitable to her. Maria has an infectious personality. It’s subtle but: you have to love Maria; you want to love Anne and/or Helena. In the end, you love all three of them, but for different reasons. Maria has, by maturity, established a wonderful balance of community service with her personal aspirations. I think KGGV has finally struck a working balance between programming interest and community goals. Maria has fun with her show, and it seems, with her life. She’s the consummate party girl for Sonoma County – she enjoys her food and wine. Maria’s web site is http://www.mariasmrc.com/Maria_s_Bio.html
2007 “Healthwise” put on by Anne Fischer-Silva
2008 “Helena’s Kitchen” with Helena Gustavson Giesen
2009 “Non Pompous Food Talk” with host Maria Vieages
Talk about preaching to the choir; I was so on to Anne Fischer-Silva’s wavelength when it came to her approach to nutrition and a healthy life-style in general. I switched to the alternative side 35 years ago when I faced cancer surgery and declined medical post-op therapies in favour of a year of holistic healing at a clinic in Mill Valley. Now I may have strayed over the intervening years – that’s how I grew to 180+ pounds, but I didn’t stray that far – even my masseuse training was at a holistic school. I listened to Anne’s Healthwise program at least once a week, sometimes twice since I was initially there at recording time and playback time.
Healthwise was a phenomenal success. It was Anne’s sincerity about sharing her knowledge of healthy food. One hour wasn’t enough – the listeners wanted more; and she didn’t take calls! I recorded all thirty episodes and replayed them after she moved away from the River. There were still constant call-ins about the program. Listeners taped it themselves, just to listen a second time and take notes. It was that kind of show that should have been published in a thirty chapter book. Visit Anne on http://www.linkedin.com
Like each of the food hosts, she hated the noon on Saturday time slot. Most of our KGGV radio program hosts lead lives that are far too comfortable. KGGV maintains equality along gender lines, but the other social-economic factors indicate a white, upper middle class, artistic and aging group of volunteers. This is an exact reflection of the west county river residents, so no one complains, except for the hosts themselves, who do complain about time slots. Of the hundred hosts who passed through the doors on my watch, 90% of them wanted to be on weekdays between 7:00 and 9:00 pm, so as to not upset their other schedules. This was not a group of radiophiles waiting for any chance to be on-air.
Helena tried, as many of our novitiates do, to integrate her radio show with her restaurant business, Charisma. KGGV didn’t mind this, in fact, I encouraged it, the implication being that it was a local business and our mission was to stimulate the community. We didn’t let it get commercial; we were a nonprofit and had a restrictive LPFM broadcast license.
Helena was the perfect food show host. She had recently opened her restaurant in Guerneville; her life-long dream. She was thoroughly well trained in cooking schools across the continents. She and her hubby, a computer design artist, moved up here from San Francisco to actualize her dream. Over her first year in town, she cultivated relationships with other chefs and restaurateurs. Helena was non-threatening because of her Swedish background and accent; so besides chefs, she grew to know the local food and wine purveyors. When her radio show was at its peak, she had segments from John Haggert at Sophie’s Cellars, and interviews from chefs up and down the river. As only a foreigner could, she spoke of European recipes as they related to American tastes. Helena did take telephone calls and some of the fusion which took place in mixing, matching, and merging recipes was awesome. Helena ran her radio program, like her restaurant, with the energy and drive of three people, each working twelve hour days. Unfortunately, that adds up to thirty-six hours in a twenty-four hour day; she burned out ! – flamed out – trying to do it all. When she first came on board, I was so happy to have a food program again at noon on Saturday, I dedicated my best spot in the new Church garden to Helena as an herb garden. She seemed interested in having a spot in town to grow her own herbs and maybe vegetables. After a few weeks of fighting off other growers in this new Church/KGGV garden, I began planting herbs for Helena, hoping she would pick up the scent and utilize the space. It didn’t happen. Reality for Helena was time. Time to cook, time to plan, time to serve, time to buy, time for hubby, time to grow, time to advertise. This is part of the human condition in this day and age of internet time and global reality. The restaurant didn’t make it and Helena was off to Jenner and now beyond. Onward and upward, check out her website.
http://www.chefhelena.blogspot.com/
Maria blew into town on the hurricane winds of Katrina; she could handle any sort of man-made storm. Maria has that same energy Helena had, but it’s very focused – laser focused. Maria is in control and apportions her time as to which might be more profitable to her. Maria has an infectious personality. It’s subtle but: you have to love Maria; you want to love Anne and/or Helena. In the end, you love all three of them, but for different reasons. Maria has, by maturity, established a wonderful balance of community service with her personal aspirations. I think KGGV has finally struck a working balance between programming interest and community goals. Maria has fun with her show, and it seems, with her life. She’s the consummate party girl for Sonoma County – she enjoys her food and wine. Maria’s web site is http://www.mariasmrc.com/Maria_s_Bio.html
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