After two years and sixteen podcasts, SenderSmash Radio will be temporarily calling it a day, closing its BHS offices and moving to the next broadcasting base: Case Western Reserve University. No, there hasn’t been a merger, and no, the company hasn’t sold itself at top dollar to foreign investors, unlike our favorite craft coffee chain. Rather, it’s time for the program—in its present form, at least—to come to an end as I graduate and go on to attend a little thing called college.
One thing’s for certain: recording, hosting and producing the show has been one of my favorite parts of high school, and it feels bittersweet to let it go. Before the school year is over, stay tuned for a final goodbye episode, filled with reflections, plans for next year, and maybe even a few bloopers. But for now, this is what I feel is most important to say:
First and foremost, thank you. I realize that any successful radio program, whether small or large-scale, would not be possible without the support, listenership and appreciation of its fans. A huge thank you goes out to the students and faculty who listened to my work, agreed to interviews, provided feedback and helped market content. Thank you to those who had the patience (and also to those who did not) to put up with my ceaseless Facebook posts, website e-blasts and advertising plugs. Indeed, I know that at times, they were a bit much.
Furthermore, thank you to everyone in my sophomore health class, especially Jake and Woo, for inadvertently coining the term SenderSmash and inspiring me with a permanent name and logo—which I have trademarked, thank you very much—to embrace.
The primary purpose of SenderSmash was obvious—to help students better relate to their teachers—but there were, and still are, many layers behind that. On some level, what I really aimed to convey was that people are just people. The individuals who teach us math, science and English all have childhood stories, families, idiosyncrasies and hobbies just as you and I do. In general, we humans have so much more in common with each other than we give ourselves credit for, and we easily allow those shared attributes to get lost behind facades of age differences, social standings and daily realities. On another level, with SenderSmash I hoped to champion the idea that if you really believe in something, the best thing you can do is take a chance. Originally, SenderSmash was nothing more than an epithet, maybe a joke at best. In truth, I pursued the project not because it amassed any profit (which it didn’t) or because I intended to do something for the school (which was completely unforeseen), but because I tremendously enjoyed audio production.
From the making of SenderSmash, there are many anecdotes I wish I could share. There’s a unique feeling I got after hours in my teachers’ classrooms—sometimes even getting locked in the building—listening as they kicked back and turned off their professional personas. You’ve heard the tales in condensed form, but if you only could’ve listened to the interjections in between, pictured the people telling them, and chuckled when catching a few casual words I could never publicly release. There are so many stories from people I’ve interviewed, and also so many still waiting to be told.
SenderSmash is leaving BHS, but in name only. Old podcasts will stay behind on the Beachwood Schools website, and new content will still be created as the program undergoes a makeover, changes its name, and integrates with the Beachcomber in the future. It is my intention that teacher interviews continue, and as the high school’s student and staff populations gradually turns over.
What about SenderSmash itself? If I’m lucky, next year it just might become a completely different program, broadcast at obscure hours over Case airwaves. If I’m really lucky, maybe one day it will become a record label, based in either Chicago, L.A. or N.Y.C., with publicly-traded stock. The possibilities are endless, and I’m grateful to you for having given me the tools to find them.
You can check out more of Jon’s work on the SenderSmash’s website.
