Comments from listeners during RFPI's 10th Anniversary "Fiesta on the Air"

RFPI's traditional Fiesta on the Air was extended to a marathon six hours in honor of the Tenth Anniversary. Calls from listeners were received nonstop during the six hour special broadcast.

"I've been with you since you started, as you may well know. I've been listening since the day you first hit the airwaves." Nobel, Tennessee

"I'm sitting here in my apartment by myself and yet just listening to y'all I can literally feel the energy, like I'm part of something really big and it's really cool to be a part of this...I appreciate the mix of political and spiritual programming. I find that in a lot of left-wing media there seems to be this sort of artificial split that happens and the spiritual people don't really deal with the politics that much, and the political people vice versa. It's really refreshing to be able to notice that y'all are covering that whole spectrum...As far as the next ten years, I'd say definitely keep the interactive stuff going. Maybe more talk programming if possible to sort of strengthen that sense of community worldwide. I think one of the difficulties in the corporate cultures around the world is that there are a lot of us out there who feel particularly isolated and it's wonderful to be able to hear programs - it's even more wonderful to be able to talk to people of like mind...You're human on the air and you're not really stilted like a lot of people - you laugh. It's like sitting in my living room with some friends." Pete, Wisconsin

"I've been listening since the beginning - at least since the first week or month. I have something I'd like to say particularly to the new listeners. Most shortwave stations - be it Voice of America or BBC, or some of the private stations in the U.S. - if a part blows they call up Continental Electronics, they call up RCA, they call up Harris and say, "send me a final tube," "send me a relay" or "send me a capacitor." Or they call up the antenna tower people and they say get out here and fix that tower. But when something blows at Radio For Peace, James and Joe and the rest of them get the circuit books out and try to figure out, "How can I hand wire this part for the transmitter?" Or James and Bobby get up on the antenna. It's all the same people who sit and talk who do the repair and there is nobody to call up. There is no transmitter company to come and fix it. It's done by all of you who sit behind the microphone and I'd just like everyone to know that...Looking forward to the next ten years I would like to see Radio For Peace's audio on the internet." Tim, Alabama

"I would just like to say I really enjoy your local programs - news of the region, of Latin America. I really like that kind of thing." Doug, Ohio

"Congratulations on your tenth anniversary. I think you do a great job, have lots of great programs - and keep on doing what you've been doing." Grace, Florida

"I was just calling to let you know I'm a first time listener and I heard you guys on the air and to let you know you're coming in loud and clear in Wichita, Kansas." Kirk, Kansas

"I appreciate your persistence and your dedication..." Nancy, Alabama

"Apart from the mundane stuff that you guys of course know that you need - backup a.c. and a little bit more mechanically robust array like a curtain array - what I'd really like to see in the future, and I've heard it being bandied about in the last couple of weeks, is dual streams. I can really see us being able to fill more than one stream with programming." Kris, Montana

[Note: dual streams refers to broadcasting different programming on separate transmitters at the same time or "parallel programming"]

"Congratulations on ten years. I feel like I've missed out. I've only been listening for about 15 months and I feel like I've missed out on 8 years...I was camping one night and decided to buy a shortwave radio because I was out of the city. I bought it, tuned in your signal, loved what I was hearing, and to be honest, I've only programmed two buttons on this thing. One's for 7.385 and the other for 15.050. I haven't tried to get anybody else...I'm counting on you. Keep it up." Mark, Ohio

"My whole family has grown accustomed to hearing the station on. Even when we listen to some of our local public radio stations it's not unusual for me to be following some issue, and - even when I'm listening to the local station - just walk over to the amplifier and hit the RFPI button and switch over to something more rational...Thank you for bringing some real discussions to us and something we can rely on." Jerry, North Carolina

"I receive you well and I listen to you virtually every day and try to keep up on all your weekly programs. To me having a community radio station that is global and that digests and broadcasts just the best of what you can hear on public radio everywhere and, you know, all the other things you broadcast that you can't really hear anywhere else - this is just an indispensable service for everybody." Mark, New Mexico

"I've listened to your show for the last two years or so...[I'd like to see programs on] more indigenous peoples issues if possible, whether its in the Americas, Asia, or Africa. Also endangered wildlife issues. There's a nasty wildlife trade out there for parts - like bear parts, tiger parts, rhino parts - in Asia and this country. Its an awful trade and its more profitable than the drug trade...You people are doing a great job. You're such a welcome relief from the right-wing I sometimes run into on other stations..." Bill, Massachusetts