Change is inevitable. CD92.9 FM has had their share of change over the years and has proven their endurance, adaptability, and roll-with-the-punches mentality as they continue to broadcast for their loyal followers, new listeners and those channel surfing for something a bit different.
Starting as CD101.1 then moving to CD102.5, the long-time home of CD92.9FM is listed on their website as their “final move.” Randy Malloy is the current owner of CD92.9FM and while attending The Ohio State University in the 90s, landed an internship at CD101.1 and has been with this alternative rock radio station through all the ups and downs and transitions of the last three decades.
A New Jersey native, Randy graduated from high school and then worked a few “regular” jobs to see what life was all about. From lifeguard to one-hour photo lab technician to ambulance driver, he discovered he loved the adrenaline rush of being an ambulance driver, but people weren’t always happy to see him – glad he showed up, but not excited for the visit.
“Driving an ambulance was just one of those things I had to do. You have to pay it forward. You have to be part of society, and you can’t be an outlier. You can be a rebel, and you can be wild and crazy, which I probably am a little bit to most people, but at the same time, doing good things and being a good person is not mutually exclusive to being different or fun,” admitted Randy as he explained why he has respect for his formative positions of his twenties. After graduating college in New Jersey, he decided that was not the path he wanted and sought to further his education finding The Ohio State University an accepting home for further education.
That move to Ohio would prove monumental and would additionally pave the way for a career path that Randy would have never envisioned. That internship would lead to a full-time job offer after graduation and then a promotion to director of promotions and marketing. Finally, by way of a random envelope pushed across the desk at him with instructions to read the contents later, he became the director of operations which would later morph into general manager. “It never felt like work,” added Randy. This is why he’s lasted so long in the radio world of concerts, weekend events and continual evening appearances. Not an easy schedule, but one that he quickly became accustomed to and regarded as simply part of the mix.
Randy and his team would survive one transition from CD101.1 to CD102.5 but knew that in 10 years his ability to use the call letters CD102.5 might end in October of 2020. He had a limited time lease for this dial location, and he would need to buyout the lease, but what he didn’t plan on was a COVID-19 pandemic adding a layer of complexity to an already difficult situation looming on the horizon. Randy and the team decided to not worry about the lease renewal, as a buyout plan did not materialize. Plan B was a transition to digital, which took place on November 1, 2020.
A day later, through a friend, Randy was presented with several options that could make it possible to return to the FM air waves. One option appealed to him and over the next several weeks, Randy investigated and researched this option, and only several weeks after leaving the FM dial, they would be announcing the change to CD92.9FM. With barely a week to prepare, Randy improvised with a spray-painted logo resulting from some possible, previous experience. This represented their brand and was clearly of significant importance for visual identification as all of their other distinguishing traits were captured in sound waves. The spray-painted logo will stay around for probably a year or so and eventually will make a complete transition to the new version that is definitely a twin to the previous one.
Moving back to the local FM lineup (which included two AM locations of both 1550 and 1580) was priceless. Local is the key to this radio station’s success. Radio is a connection to the community, to advertisers and local events with promotional opportunities. According to Randy, “It’s that human connection that matters. As a local company, we want to work with other local companies, like Heartland Bank - when I needed someone to understand the business and not look at it like a cookie cutter company, we sat down and Heartland learned about us, looked at what I had and then said we can figure something out. The tie-in is great…a community radio station and a community bank.”
Randy’s community commitment gave him the drive to survive two separate dial-location changes, a worldwide pandemic and many other hurdles inherent to independent, local radio stations. Heartland Bank is proud to offer financial assistance to companies like Randy’s and comforted by his ability to succeed when times get tough. If you’re looking for a bank that offers more than a cookie-cutter relationship, come on over to Heartland and feel the community bank difference!