The Power Of Radio, With Vicki Vergolina

Photo Credit: Michael Isabell

Vicki Vergolina is a radio professional who co-founded a Beacon-focused internet radio station called The Ground, which aired from 2015 to 2020. In this episode, she talks about that experience as well as her years making radio for WBAI, Air America and SiriusXM.

Vicki believes audio-based media – talk radio in particular – has the power to build community and bring people together in ways visual media can’t. At the same time, she says, the saturation of podcasts has created a need for show creators to identify and inhabit a niche that meaningfully serves a well-defined audience.

“It’s one of our five senses and it’s a really strong one. Visually you can get distracted, but when you’re listening… it’s a skill, and it’s a skill that you can hone,” Vicki says. “There’s also a real intimacy to audio storytelling. There’s many ways to make beautiful art, but that intimacy is something that is really lovely and connects to the human spirit.”