One of the best feel-good stories of the year originated in one of my favorite places I’ve ever lived and worked, Buffalo, New York.
You may recall Buffalo was blitzed with a snowstorm this past Christmastime that was massive even by Buffalo standards. When it was all said and done, the city absorbed 51.9 inches of snow in four days amongst hurricane-force winds. 36 of the 51.9 inches fell in a 24-hour period.
It was during this storm that Alexander and Andrea Campagna got a knock on their door and discovered 10 stranded South Korean tourists whose van was stuck in the snow outside their house. At first, they asked for shovels, but quickly realized there was no way to dig the van out. They called a towing company, the police, and the fire department, but nobody was going to be able to get there to help.
What followed was a beautiful act of generosity. The Campagnas invited the group to stay over two nights in sleeping bags, air mattresses, and in the spare bedroom. They cooked meals together (turned out the Campagnas were huge fans of Korean food and had many Korean ingredients and a rice cooker on hand). They watched an NFL game on Christmas Eve. They shared the unexpected experience together until the group could be picked up on Christmas Day.
A few weeks ago, the Campagnas were invited to Seoul as guests of the Korea Tourism Organization, where they were treated like heroes, receiving a 10-day all-expenses-paid vacation to thank them for their generosity.
Thinking about this story gives me goosebumps. And it got me thinking about the role radio stations can play in giving people this feeling.
We know from our research that attributes like “picks you up and makes you feel good” are often strongly desired by listeners. It’s not unusual to see attributes like this have some of the most mass-appeal measures, across age groups, genders, and ethnicities.
You may hear radio stations sharing feel-good stories every so often, perhaps in morning or afternoon show segments like “Tell Me Something Good”. But which radio stations or shows are making feel-good stories?
In a world with its share of negative news and a desire for feeling good and deeper connections, I’d love to hear about shows and stations that regularly facilitate feel-good stories in their community in different ways, from reuniting family members to supporting a local business that’s in trouble.
Let’s celebrate the power radio has to give us goosebumps. Share the stations and shows we should acknowledge in the comments.
