From Shy Kid Behind the Glass to SonicAttention: Why I Still Believe in Radio”

Every radio pro has a story. This is mine in a nutshell. 

I was that kid calling radio shows as a teenager just to hear my own voice bounce back out of the speakers. I didn’t know what to call that little rush back then. I just knew it felt like home. The funny part? I thought I was going to be a newspaper guy. In high school I did this undercover story we called “Beerscam.” A bunch of us, all underage, went out to see if local stores would sell us alcohol without ID. Every single one did. That little school paper piece turned into interviews in the local press, then regional radio, and it eventually landed me on ABC News nationwide. 

So I headed off to Marshall University thinking I’d be the next Woodward or Bernstein. Then I met Cindy, who was out recruiting for the campus station, WMUL-FM. I walked in thinking I’d read news. I sat down, put on the headphones, opened the mic… and that was it. Game over. I was hooked. 

Off the air, I sat in the back of the classroom and never said a word. On the air, I could suddenly talk to everyone. I still remember the day a professor came down to the station, stared at me through the glass, and told me, “I just had to see for myself if you’re the same person who never talks in my class.” Radio became my therapy. In a lot of ways, it still is. 

Call letters, miles, and a lot of learning From there, I did what a lot of us do in this business: I started chasing signals and opportunities. I’ve done nights, mornings, middays. I’ve moved for jobs, been there when formats flipped, been there when the paychecks stopped coming, and been there when the ratings were hot and the parking lot remotes were billing real money. 

Over time, I moved from “guy on the air” to programming and then into corporate PD roles, overseeing multiple markets while still doing shows and being out in the community. I’ve coached talent, built and rebuilt stations, and spent a lot of Saturdays in parking lots helping local businesses pack their stores. 

The thread through all of it has always been pretty simple: Serve the listener.

Serve the client.

Serve the community. If you get those three right, the rest tends to line up. 

Where that brings me now Fast forward to now, and here’s the honest truth: I’m supposed to be on vacation as I write this. Most people unplug. I respect that. I’m just wired a little differently. Even when I’m “off,” I’m: 

• Watching videos on new tools
• Testing workflows
• Tweaking imaging
• Building out ideas and production for my Sonic Attention clients

 Not because anyone’s making me. Because I genuinely love this part of the job. After decades of working with local businesses and stations, I’ve realized the thing that lights me up the most is taking an idea and turning it into sound that actually works for someone: 

• A jingle that sticks in your head after one listen
• A spec spot that finally makes a small business owner say, “Ohhh, THAT’S what I’ve been trying to say”
• Imaging that makes a station sound bigger and more alive than their staff size or budget would suggest

 That’s why I leaned into building SonicAttention.com. 

The toolbox has changed. The mission hasn’t. We’re living in a crazy time for audio people. With a USB mic, a laptop, and the right tools, I can now create things that used to require a full studio, a budget, and a lot of patience: 

• Fully produced, modern-sounding jingles
• Multiple mix versions and cutdowns
• Sonic branding that actually matches the brand, not just “generic happy music”

 On top of that, the same tools let us help small staffs do more: 

• Smarter, tighter music logs that feel hand-crafted
• Quick-turn social audio and video
• Website content that doesn’t sound like it was written by a robot

 A lot of people in radio are depressed about the future of the business. I get it. We’ve all seen consolidation, cutbacks, and some very tough days. But I’m going to be honest: I’m more excited than I’ve ever been. Not because everything is perfect—it isn’t.

But because the ceiling on what’s possible for creative people has basically been ripped off. If you’ve got ideas and a work ethic, there’s almost no limit to what you can build now for: 

• A mom-and-pop that’s been ignored by “big” agencies
• A cluster with three people doing the work of ten
• A talent who wants their show and their brand to sound bigger than their market size

What I actually do for people So here’s what this all looks like in real life: 

• Custom jingles & sonic branding
  I write the lyrics and melody, then use modern tools to produce fresh, contemporary tracks with full usage rights, instrumentals, and acapellas.
• Spec spots & campaigns
  Especially for sellers and stations: bring me the client’s problem, and I’ll help craft a spot (or full concept) designed to get them excited and actually get results.
• Support for lean radio teams
  From imaging and promos to smarter clocks and content ideas, I love helping small staffs sound bigger and work smarter.

And yes, I hope I’m doing some version of this for the rest of my life—on the air, behind the scenes, or in someone’s headphones they didn’t even know they needed. 

If you’re still reading… You’re probably either: 

• In radio/media trying to grow revenue and keep your brand sounding sharp with a small team, or
• A business owner/marketer who’s tired of vanilla ads that sound like every other break in the stopset.

 If that’s you, I’d love to talk. You can check out what I’m doing at SonicAttention.com

or reach me directly at joecrashkelley1@gmail.com.

 I started as a quiet kid who only felt brave behind the glass at a campus station. Now I get to take that same feeling—the rush of turning an idea into sound—and use it to help stations and small businesses cut through the noise. And even on vacation, I still can’t stop.