KSQM-91.5 FM plans to produce an original one-hour radio mystery drama and is issuing a call for actors, musicians and production volunteers for the program.
"Our station has new production facilities and we know the Olympic Peninsula is loaded with talent," said Jeff Bankston, who serves as KSQM’s station manager. "We’ll need 19 different voices, ages 20s and older, male and female, and folks with backgrounds in radio production, including sound effects, studio recording and control room engineering."
The project is designed to appeal to the station’s older listener demographic as well as attract new listeners from younger generations. "So many of our listeners grew up in the golden age of radio, listening to radio shows like ‘The Shadow,’ ‘Gangbusters’ and ‘Dragnet,’ and we think this will be a perfect fit," Bankston explained.
"We’d been looking for opportunities to expand our in-house programming and whenever "radio mystery drama" was mentioned, people’s eyes lit up. Like so many of the contributions that have come to us, the script is from a KSQM listener John Grissim."
Journalist and author Grissim, a former editor at Rolling Stone who moved with his family from the Bay Area to Sequim in 2001, is a life-long aficionado of radio theater. He approached KSQM with an idea for a show modeled on the format of vintage radio detective dramas but set in current North Olympic Peninsula settings. With KSQM’s encouragement, he wrote "Adrian Cross for Hire."
The radio drama tentatively is slated to air some time this fall, said Bankston.
"We’re looking at this project as a way to test the waters, but if our listeners like the show, we’ll consider a weekly radio drama," Bankston said, "perhaps mixing in old-time radio shows with new ‘Adrian Cross’ episodes. We think this project is an excellent way to get talented locals involved and holds promise of being a lot of fun."
Anyone interested in learning more about volunteering for the production is encouraged to contact KSQM-FM during business hours at 681-0000 by July 29.
