Fostering Community With KEXP's John Richards | Rad Stories
John Richards knows a thing or two about community.
As the morning show host for KEXP, a legendary independent radio station based in Seattle, he uses the power of the microphone to help listeners who tune-in from across the globe feel a connection.
"The community of KEXP is unlike any other. There's this sense of ownership and trust. They've powered us for years," Richards told us. "This community literally holds KEXP up and in return we try to hold them up."
It's a mission the broadcaster takes to heart, especially if it helps the audience, which has been charted at over 200,000 worldwide each week, navigate difficult times.
"If you can just remember that phrase 'you're not alone' it may save your life. I try to say it as often as I can and almost every time I do, someone responds and says 'thank you, I felt alone today,'" Richards explained. "I think we can all be saying that to each other."
In his off-air time, Richards rides a RadRunner Plus, which he uses to forge deeper connections, both with his family and the world around him.
"To say this has made me more in-tune with my community is an understatement," he said. "It's really become a bonding thing with my son and me."
And, hey, if being a DJ for a trend-setting, world-renowned radio station wasn't enough to make him the world's coolest pop, the bike's certainly helping to seal the deal.
"Now I'm the cool dad sitting outside the school," he joked. "All the other parents come out and say 'oh, I should do that ... "
Tags: Watch, Well-being