[Ed: Posted as a courtesty to Salt Lake City's 94.9, The Blaze, who are contributors to this website in their own way, for providing so many great shows for which our own Shauna Brock brings us her great coverage and reviews. Local radio is some of the best radio out there - because it's honest radio. Support your LOCAL radio stations.]

I’ve heard it said that radio doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve heard the laments about how it’s dying. Maybe yes and maybe no. Maybe we’ve become complacent. Maybe there are too many options out there. There’s the internet and satellite and of course – who needs radio when you’ve got all the songs you could ever need all loaded onto your mp3 player. But radio is more than commercials and DJs. Radio stations, especially the local ones, support musicians. They are the ones bringing concerts to town and the support that is given to the bands of all sizes can help to drastically reduce costs to the bands and the fans. Radio stations promote community events and bring people together on a human level.

Radio does matter.

The locally owned rock and heavy metal station in Utah, 94.9 The Blaze, has brought new music to the country and free concerts to the people of Salt Lake. Believing firmly that the world is run by people and not suits, they give power to local music and when you listen online, you do so without commercial interruption. They play music while other stations’ DJs talk. This fight isn’t just about Utah. It’s about all the locally owned stations in the country that are at risk of being lost to the fat cats. 94.9 rocks Utah’s socks, and it’s time to give back a little bit. This is about local bands who get their exposure through the radio stations that will listen to them without a major label backing them. It’s about bringing musical choice back to the people who listen to the music. It’s about being able to see concerts for less then an entire paycheck. It’s about shifting along with the paradigm. Local, independent stations are under attack all over the country and this one is just the latest in a long line. Check it out. Help save local music, and local business, before we're all zombies.

Radio is still relevant. Give it the chance to be.

For more info, please visit www.theblazeonline.com

UPDATE: After doing the impossible, and pushing through a frequency switch in four days, The Blaze has moved to 97.5. The new owners of the 94.9 frequency have all but copied the intellectual material and are attempting to make it seem as if they, the corporate station, are the local one. Be looking for my interview with Music Director/Assistant Program Director "Big Rog" for the whole story and where local radio goes from here.

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