Johnny J. Blair's Billtown Bus Stop Radio Hour supports local musicians

Since January 2008, Johnny J. Blair's Billtown Bus Stop Radio Hour has given local bands the chance to be heard. Blair, a successful musician himself, knows that it's hard for up-and-coming acts to get their names out there and he's trying to make the task a little easier.

"There's a wealth of music being recorded around here, but only about six radio stations in a 60-mile radius will play it," he said. "Because of the way commercial FM radio has to operate, it's easier for an independent Williamsport music act to get airplay overseas or in Los Angeles than it is in their own backyard, so I provide a small outlet."

Blair's Radio Hour, which has featured great local artists such as Ron Fleeger and the Stranger, Key of V and John Oliver and the Distinguished, airs on WVYA from 7 to 8 p.m. every Monday night. The idea for the show hatched in 2006, when George Graham and Chris Norton of WVYA-FM approached Blair about doing a radio program. "I have no idea why I got on their list but I saw it as an opportunity," Blair said.

The show began airing in January 2008 and Blair said he's happy be a part of such a talented group of DJs, featuring Fiona Powell, who "does classical, world music and local news;" Gary Boerckel, who "does a Sunday classical-crossover show called 'Music to My Ears;' " and Sascha Feinstein, "who runs a weekly jazz show." And for all of you aspiring DJs out there, Blair said, "There's always room for more programming on the station."

Blair sees the Radio Hour as a chance to create a little world in the imaginations of his viewers. "I love radio and the art of recording because you create a 'Theater of the Mind,' a phrase [popular radio personality] Gary Chrisman is fond of," he said. And while other musicians might've been nervous about making the transition from stage to radio, Blair said it wasn't a big deal for him. He said, "I've been on TV and radio countless times, so going to the other side of the microphone wasn't a brain-bender."

The musician-DJ also digs the early years of broadcasting, when radio was the only game in town. "I'm a fan of the golden days of radio from the '30s and '40s, when there were radio actors and sound effects scripted for storytelling," he said.

Even though Blair makes sure the content of the Radio Hour is local, he's interested in a global audience. "We're now podcasted on Northcentralpa.com and we've been getting responses from Poland to Japan," he said.

As far as Williamsport is concerned, Blair is excited about the changes he's seen in the music scene since the '90s. "When I landed here in 1994, there were hardly any live music venues, even for cover bands," he said. "Downtown was a no man's land. There was no studio scene to speak of."

Today, things are different. "Fifteen years later, we have a bedrock of studios and music venues. The Bullfrog opening in 1996 was a major catalyst for live music. For a small urban area, we have an international pipeline and a creative base that keeps regenerating," Blair said.

Blair sees this shift as one that's not only good for local culture, but an economic boon as well. "I did marketing for the Williamsport Symphony for six years. I read a lot of research of economic impact just from symphony concerts. We calculated that a typical symphony concert at the Community Arts Center generates about a quarter million dollars in peripheral income, infusing the revenues of gas stations, eateries and clothing stores. That's just one example," he said. "If you could add up every CAC concert, theatre production, local show, etc. and figure how they all stimulate eating, drinking, driving and wardrobe, it would be amazing. It's a form of tourism."

Even though Blair's major focus is the local scene, he still has his eyes on the music industry as a whole, which has seen a great decline in revenue in the 2000s. The NPD calculated that "there were 13 million fewer music buyers in the U.S. last year, compared to the prior year, led by a 19 percent drop in CD sales."

Blair said the industry can survive the Internet but "it depends on how you define 'recording industry' " "Until the late 1940s, the main way for musicians to make money was to gig and sell songs through sheet music. The current paradigm of recording for royalties and sales has only been around since the late 1940s. It's a roller coaster ride of corruption, serendipity and victory. The Internet is just another tool in the tool chest. Musicians need to learn how to use the tools. The industry is too busy plotting formats and planning obsolescence and it's backfiring in their faces," Blair said.

Illegal downloading is a touchy subject for the musician. "If I can't afford to pay for something, I just live without it. I know I'm barking at ants, but illegal downloading is literally stealing a musician's lunch money. I've heard people justify themselves, saying 'Well so-and-so is rich.' Maybe, but it's still their money and their property," Blair said.

"This is the culture we're in: There are millions of people who wouldn't be caught dead shoplifting an apple, but they think nothing of illegal downloads. You also have to ask why someone would even want to hoard that much music without paying for it. What's the point?"

Despite these problems, Blair is still fascinated by the industry and the effect of music. He said, "I love the science of entertainment. You have to engage people, offer them something, make them want to leave their comfy hobbit holes. It's not just introspection and art. Life is too short for going out to watch musicians with the stage presence of a geranium."