New Blood

Wil Hansen dropped by the station yesterday just in time to hear the latest birth announcement--Baby Boy Ahlfeld had arrived, son of Shelly, our operations manager, and our occasional sports maven, Bob. Wil reminded us of an NCPR newsletter cover photo from more than twenty years ago that bore the caption "We'll do anything to increase our audience!" It showed staffers Ellen, Martha, and Jackie, all with their new crop of kids. We're audience building again, with a new generation. As we speak, NCPR baseball commissioner, bilingual music host and reporter David Sommerstein is sweating out extra innings with his wife Lisa. And while much of the rest of the staff are reaching the age where we are unlikely to be doing cannonballs into the gene pool, Kelly, our development assistant, has become the first to don the grandmother hat (like Queen Elizabeth's, only not made of diamonds). It's all pretty exciting. Even Joel, whose home sports a pillow labeled "We had to get rid of the kids; the dog was allergic," has been heard to say repeatedly: "Children—they ARE our future." I’m not quite sure what to make of the WC Fields accent he puts on when he says it. So the future looks bright at North Country Public Radio, even if it is a little bald and smelly.