New Whitefish radio station will only be available on the Internet

The Daily Inter Lake

A new Flathead radio station will debut next week with local programming and "positive hits" music. But don't strain your index finger searching for it on your car's radio dial: The Big Fish is only available on the Internet.

"It is a radio station in every way, shape and form, except there is no antenna," said Ross Strauser, owner of voice-over production studio Reel Montana Inc. Strauser, who has more than 20 years' experience in the radio industry, is heading up the venture.

"After being in radio so long, I wanted to try something new and exciting," he said.

The industry is moving toward the Internet, he said, which is why he opted for an online station rather than a traditional, terrestrial station.

"It is the next big thing in radio," Strauser said. "It's cutting edge, the new way radio is heading."

Many larger markets have already introduced Internet radio, he added. And while a few Montana stations are available online, Strauser says the Big Fish is still the first of its kind in the state.

"A few in Montana are trying this, but they can only service a few listeners at a time," he said. "Big Fish can serve as many people as can log on."

Eventually, listeners will be able to listen to the station wherever they go, he said.

"The ability to listen to Internet radio in your car is coming," he said.

Even though the station can potentially reach a global audience, Strauser intends to "keep it small-town radio." It will discuss local news, local business and local sports, he said - the happenings around Big Mountain and Whitefish.

"Thus the name the Big Fish," he said. "It's a way for people who leave the Whitefish/Big Mountain area to stay in touch with their hometown."

It's also a way for local businesses to reach a global audience. Consider Big Mountain, Strauser said. The ski resort will have its own Saturday show, which may attract skiers and snowboarders from across the United States and Canada - and beyond.

Other planned programs include a Friday afternoon entertainment show with local musician John Dunnigan, and weekend music and programs for children. Shane Dowaliby, a senior at Whitefish High School and Strauser's nephew, will host a weeknight evening show to "attract the younger crowd."

Strauser will host a local show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Those are the hours with the most listeners, he said, because most people who listen to Internet radio do so at work.

Jack Hanna, host of "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures," will make a weekly appearance on the Big Fish. In "Where in the World is Jack?" listeners will have to guess where Hanna is.

Those trying to decide where to go for dinner in the Flathead will receive a little help from "Father Pat's Restaurant Review." Others who wonder which DVDs are appropriate for family movie night might benefit from "Mom's Movie Review."

One of the Big Fish's first big programs will be a live radio version of Charles' Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol." It will be held in conjunction with and serve as a fundraiser for the Alpine Theatre Project, said Strauser, who will act as the story's narrator.

"It will be like the old-time radio shows you used to hear, with the sound-effects man and a couple of mics on the stage," he said.

In addition to programs, there will, of course, be music. The Big Fish will play "positive hits," meaning songs with offensive lyrics won't make the lineup. It will also feature crossover songs from the Christian music charts.

"That fish kind of has a Christian connotation to it as well, but we're not a Christian station," Strauser said.

The station has more than 3,000 songs in its digital music library, and the station will add some Christmas songs to the mix as the holidays draw near.

"This will go back to the fun music of the late '70s all the way to the present," Strauser said.

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On the Net: http://www.whitefishradio.com

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Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com