React® .:: Radio without Borders ::.

Rob Creighton

Hi there, it’s Rob Creighton, your host and co-creator of React Radio. Chris is the other half of React Radio, but I’ll let him tell you more about himself in his own bio down the page a bit. React Radio was created because Chris and I grew up listening to, appreciating and remembering the kind of radio that wasn’t hyper focused on one genre or era of music.

I remember a time when you would hear all kinds of music on different stations. As the radio industry consolidated and the web took hold it changed radio drastically. Research became more accessible to stations across the board, and a national form of charting called Mediabase became the measuring stick for what stations played. All of these things used in moderation, can help radio stations play the songs people want to hear. However, I believe radio has become too reliant on these tools, and programmers and consultants feel they can’t or aren’t allowed to use their gut and ears to create great radio stations.
What I’m trying to do with React Radio is simple. Play great pop music. We haven’t spent a lot of time over researching what we play. And we don’t spend a lot of time trying to classify what format a song would fit in. We also like to find new music that we think should get radio airplay, but because the artist is unknown, unsigned or being under promoted by their record label you aren’t hearing their song on the radio. In other words, we use our guts, look at the charts, check out i-Tunes and just have fun listening to music.

I found my way into the radio industry by studying communications at Loyola University Chicago, and have worked at some great midwest radio stations including: WLUW 88.7 in Chicago, 102.3 WXLC in Waukegan, IL, Star 93.5 in Joliet, IL, Star 96.7 in Joliet, IL, 100.7 the Bus in Joliet, IL, 100.7 WRXQ in Joliet, IL, 95.9 the River, Aurora, IL, Q-96 & 105.9 WGKC in Champaign, IL, 94.1 WVIC in Lansing, MI.

I currently reside in Lafayette, Indiana with my beautiful wife Kathy and our 3 stuffed moose children Molly, Max and Marty. Professionally I am programming 95-7 the Rocket, Lafayette’s Classic Rock. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions regarding React Radio please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at reactradio@gmail.com and don’t forget to check my blog on the front page.

Here's some more stuff about me . . .

What Is Your Favorite Word? Grapey. As in "This Grape Crush tastes grapey!"

What Is Your Least Favorite Word? No

What Turns You On? First and foremost my wife! Secondly, a great sounding radio station. If I’m with my wife and hear a great sounding radio station–orgasmic.

What Turns You Off? Rude People letting their kids run wild in the store or at a restaurant.

What Sound or Noise Do You Love? A Great Pop Song on a car radio

What Sound or Noise Do You Hate? The guy revving his car outside my window at 2AM when I’m trying to sleep.

What Is Your Favorite Curse Word? Mother-bleepers or Mother Fu***r

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Atlhletic Trainer for a sports team.

What profession would you not like to do? The Food Service Industry.

If Heaven Exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Where does it hurt, and what have you learned?


	Rob Creighton Hi there, it’s Rob Creighton, your host and co-creator of React Radio. Chris is the other half of React Radio, but I’ll let him tell you more about himself in his own bio down the page a bit. React Radio was created because Chris and I grew up listening to, appreciating and remembering the kind of radio that wasn’t hyper focused on one genre or era of music. I remember a time when you would hear all kinds of music on different stations. As the radio industry consolidated and the web took hold it changed radio drastically. Research became more accessible to stations across the board, and a national form of charting called Mediabase became the measuring stick for what stations played. All of these things used in moderation, can help radio stations play the songs people want to hear. However, I believe radio has become too reliant on these tools, and programmers and consultants feel they can’t or aren’t allowed to use their gut and ears to create great radio stations. What I’m trying to do with React Radio is simple. Play great pop music. We haven’t spent a lot of time over researching what we play. And we don’t spend a lot of time trying to classify what format a song would fit in. We also like to find new music that we think should get radio airplay, but because the artist is unknown, unsigned or being under promoted by their record label you aren’t hearing their song on the radio. In other words, we use our guts, look at the charts, check out i-Tunes and just have fun listening to music. I found my way into the radio industry by studying communications at Loyola University Chicago, and have worked at some great midwest radio stations including: WLUW 88.7 in Chicago, 102.3 WXLC in Waukegan, IL, Star 93.5 in Joliet, IL, Star 96.7 in Joliet, IL, 100.7 the Bus in Joliet, IL, 100.7 WRXQ in Joliet, IL, 95.9 the River, Aurora, IL, Q-96 & 105.9 WGKC in Champaign, IL, 94.1 WVIC in Lansing, MI. I currently reside in Lafayette, Indiana with my beautiful wife Kathy and our 3 stuffed moose children Molly, Max and Marty. Professionally I am programming 95-7 the Rocket, Lafayette’s Classic Rock. If you have any comments, suggestions or questions regarding React Radio please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at reactradio@gmail.com and don’t forget to check my blog on the front page. Here's some more stuff about me . . . What Is Your Favorite Word? Grapey. As in "This Grape Crush tastes grapey!" What Is Your Least Favorite Word? No What Turns You On? First and foremost my wife! Secondly, a great sounding radio station. If I’m with my wife and hear a great sounding radio station–orgasmic. What Turns You Off? Rude People letting their kids run wild in the store or at a restaurant. What Sound or Noise Do You Love? A Great Pop Song on a car radio What Sound or Noise Do You Hate? The guy revving his car outside my window at 2AM when I’m trying to sleep. What Is Your Favorite Curse Word? Mother-bleepers or Mother Fu*r What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? Atlhletic Trainer for a sports team. What profession would you not like to do? The Food Service Industry. If Heaven Exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?** Where does it hurt, and what have you learned?

Rachel I’ll keep this short and sweet. After going from a “smart kid” to a crazy , rebellious teen, I was glad to come out alive and decided to move to my own planet. Radio became a part of my world when I got an internship at The Loop, a rock station in Chicago. Thanks to Rob Creighton, I got my first on air gig at a Classic Rocker in the burbs. I then moved around a bit, and somewhere along the way realized that I had an inner production nerd dying to be unleashed. Being the voice girl for an awesome station with its own unique personality like React is way cool. Here’s some more... Favorite Movie Quote: “Get busy livin or get busy dyin”, Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption. God I love that movie. Favorite Color: Pink Biggest Pet Peeves: Bad customer service, slow drivers, people who pronounce words incorrectly, and people who take themselves seriously. Favorite Food: If it swims, I’m all over it. And Pizza, but only in Chicago. TV I Like: The Office (NBC), Family Guy (Fox), and Intervention (A&E) (who can resist watching people shoot up heroin?) Guilty TV: America's Next Top Model (CW), and The Bachelor (ABC), so mindless it's good. Dream Car: Hot pink Lamborghini, suicide doors, spinners, black leather with pink accent interior. Yes.

Chris Reed While Rob's busy programming, I make sure the lights stay on, by crossing every "T" and dotting every "I." Although formally trained as a lawyer, I remain a "radio guy" at heart, having grown up in Denver listening to heritage pop stations like KS-104 and Y-108. I conceived the React concept in 2003 after reading an article in which a programmer described the state of radio as "spoon-fed generic junk." Not one for being spoon fed, I embarked on a mission to create a new kind of radio station that destroyed the status quo, rejecting the conventional ideas of "good radio" that have become so dominant in our industry. The result is React, a radio station that, believe it or not, plays what our listeners want, and more importantly, in a way that our listeners want it. React truly is a radio station without borders. Since Rob started it, here are a few odds and ends about me... Favorite Movie Quote: "I could have joined the CIA, but I found out my parents were married." - Robert Redford as Martin "Marty" Bishop in Sneakers. Favorite Food: The fajita quesadillas at Chili's. They're amazing. Best Way to Kill an Evening: Listening to React, of course! Guilty Pleasure TV Shows: Desperate Housewives (ABC) and Grey's Anatomy (ABC) TV I Never Miss: House (Fox) and Boston Legal (ABC)