FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS GREAT LAKES RADIO?
Great Lakes Radio is an independent radio and media network rooted in Western New York and inspired by the people, places, ideas, creativity and communities surrounding the Great Lakes.
Our programming brings together original shows, music, spirituality, philosophy, human potential, mindfulness, history, interviews, storytelling, community conversations, homesteading, gaming and independent creative work.
We're interested in good questions, interesting people and stories worth hearing.
Local Roots. Great Lakes. Global Reach.
WHO CREATED GREAT LAKES RADIO?
Great Lakes Radio was created by Reverend Chickie Haute and Minister John Collie.
Chickie and John are hosts, writers, creators and musical artists whose interests range from spirituality, philosophy and human potential to history, music, animals, gaming, storytelling and life around the Great Lakes.
WHAT SHOWS ARE ON GREAT LAKES RADIO?
Our original programs include:
Love's Church
What is a god?
The Lantern Tree
Independent Music Hour
Farm Gossip
Dungeons & Dragons Storytime
along with audiobooks, storytelling, interviews, music and special programming.
[EXPLORE OUR SHOWS]
DO I NEED AN APP TO LISTEN?
No.
You can listen to Great Lakes Radio directly through a compatible web browser from our Listen Live page.
Depending on your device, you may also be able to open our direct stream through a compatible media player.
DOES IT COST ANYTHING TO LISTEN?
No.
Great Lakes Radio is free to listen to.
WHEN ARE SHOWS ON?
Visit our Schedule for current airtimes and programming.
Because Great Lakes Radio is independently programmed, the schedule may occasionally change as new programs, interviews and special broadcasts are added.
HOW LONG IS LOVE'S CHURCH?
Love's Church is presented as a 30-minute non-denominational service.
Services center on love, spiritual reflection, encouragement, compassion, personal connection and our relationship with one another and the world around us.
You don't need a church building to join us. Love's Church is available online.
Come as you are.
DO I HAVE TO BE RELIGIOUS TO LISTEN?
No.
Great Lakes Radio explores spirituality without requiring listeners to belong to a particular religion or arrive with a particular set of beliefs.
Programs such as Love's Church, What is a god? and The Lantern Tree explore spirituality from different directions, including reflection, philosophy, consciousness, mindfulness, human potential, ancient works, history and concepts of creation.
We're interested in questions.
You don't have to reach the same answers.
WHAT IS "WHAT IS A GOD?"
What is a god? is Reverend Chickie Haute's exploration of human potential, self-help, mindfulness, self-awareness, spirituality, philosophy, consciousness, creation, personal growth, power, responsibility and divinity.
The program also features conversations with interesting and influential people whose experiences, ideas, work and perspectives give us something worth exploring.
This isn't a program about telling you what to believe.
It's an invitation to ask the question.
WHAT IS THE LANTERN TREE?
The Lantern Tree, hosted by Minister John Collie, explores spirituality, philosophy, ancient works, community history, folklore, traditions and the knowledge people have carried from one generation to another.
The program may also feature conversations with historians, business owners, craftspeople, community members, storytellers and other people whose knowledge and experiences are worth preserving and sharing.
DO YOU RUN COMMERCIALS?
Great Lakes Radio is not built around conventional advertising.
If we discover a fascinating business owner, musician, artist, historian, farmer, creator or community figure, we'd much rather sit down and talk with them than simply read a commercial about them.
People are more interesting than ads.
DOES A BUSINESS OR PERSON HAVE TO PAY OR GET PAID TO BE FEATURED?
No.
People featured on Great Lakes Radio are not required to pay for an interview or appearance, and Great Lakes Radio does not pay guests to be featured.
An appearance does not automatically mean that a person or business has sponsored us, paid for coverage, received compensation or entered into a commercial relationship with Great Lakes Radio.
We feature people because we believe their stories, work, ideas or experiences may be interesting to our listeners.
CAN YOU INTERVIEW ME OR SOMEONE I KNOW?
Possibly.
We're interested in meeting people throughout the Great Lakes who have unusual experiences, knowledge, businesses, creative work, history, community projects or stories worth exploring.
That may include:
Business owners
Musicians and artists
Historians
Farmers and growers
Makers and craftspeople
Entrepreneurs
Community leaders
Writers and storytellers
Spiritual or philosophical thinkers
and people doing something we simply find interesting.
Visit our Connections page or contact us and tell us about the person you think we should meet.
I'M A MUSICAL ARTIST. CAN I BE FEATURED?
Possibly — and we'd like to hear more than just your song.
Great Lakes Radio prefers to introduce listeners to the person behind the music.
Selected independent musicians may be invited to join us for an interview or conversation about who they are, what they create, what inspires them and the stories behind their music.
Their original music may then be considered for use as part of that conversation or other Great Lakes Radio programming, subject to any necessary permissions and licensing.
CAN I JUST SEND YOU A SONG FOR AIRPLAY?
We're much more interested in artists than anonymous tracks.
Rather than building a library of songs submitted simply for rotation, we'd like to know who created the music and why.
If you're an independent musical artist, visit our Music page and introduce yourself.
Tell us about your music, your story and where we can hear your work.
DO MUSICIANS HAVE TO PAY TO BE PLAYED?
No.
Great Lakes Radio does not charge artists to be considered, interviewed, featured or played.
Guests are not paid for interviews or appearances unless a separate arrangement has been expressly agreed upon.
Music featured by Great Lakes Radio is subject to applicable permissions, licenses, agreements and other legal requirements.
Artists and music are selected according to Great Lakes Radio's own programming and editorial decisions.
No pay-to-play.
ARE CHICKIE AND JOHN MUSICIANS TOO?
Yes.
Reverend Chickie Haute and Minister John Collie are musical artists and creators themselves, and their original work is part of the creative world behind Great Lakes Radio.
Their music may be heard throughout the network alongside music from other independent artists.
CAN I REQUEST A SONG?
We love learning what our listeners are listening to, but Great Lakes Radio isn't structured as a traditional request-driven station.
When listener requests, music suggestions or special request programming are available, we'll let you know how to participate.
CAN I SEND YOU A COMMUNITY EVENT OR STORY?
Absolutely.
Tell us about interesting events, people, businesses, projects, organizations, history, places and unusual things happening throughout the Great Lakes.
We can't promise that everything submitted will become part of Great Lakes Radio, but we're always interested in discovering something new.
CAN I HAVE MY OWN SHOW ON GREAT LAKES RADIO?
No.
Great Lakes Radio is built around programming created, hosted and selected by Reverend Chickie Haute and Minister John Collie.
We're not selling airtime and we're not accepting applications for outside-hosted programs.
Interesting people may, however, be invited to join us for interviews, conversations and special features within Great Lakes Radio programming.
WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU PLAY?
We aren't limiting independent music to one genre.
You may hear rock, hard rock, metal, alternative, progressive, acoustic, pop, vintage, singer-songwriter, experimental, spiritual, instrumental, electronic music or something that doesn't fit comfortably into a category at all.
We're interested in original music and interesting people creating it.
WHAT ARE THE AUDIOBOOKS?
Great Lakes Radio presents selected public-domain books, stories and spoken-word works.
That gives us room to explore classic literature, strange forgotten stories, adventure, philosophy, mystery and other works worth hearing again.
WHAT IS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS STORYTIME?
Dungeons & Dragons Storytime, led by Dungeon Master John, turns tabletop roleplaying into an unfolding audio adventure.
You don't need to know the rules or play Dungeons & Dragons yourself.
If you enjoy fantasy, characters, humor, adventure and collaborative storytelling, just pull up a chair.
IS GREAT LAKES RADIO ONLY ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES?
The Great Lakes are our home and an important part of our identity.
You'll hear Great Lakes people, places, businesses, history, music and community stories throughout our programming.
But listeners and interesting ideas can come from anywhere.
Rooted here. Heard everywhere.
IS GREAT LAKES RADIO CONNECTED TO OTHER PROJECTS?
Yes.
Great Lakes Radio is part of a growing creative network that includes:
Quantum Inspirations
Love's Church
Great Lakes Games Network
Reverend Chickie Haute
and other projects as they develop.
Each project has its own identity, but ideas, stories and creative work can move naturally between them.
Great Lakes Games Network focuses on connecting tabletop gamers, gaming groups, game stores, venues and others who help make in-person gaming communities possible throughout the Great Lakes region.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT GREAT LAKES RADIO?
Listen.
Tell somebody about us.
Share a program you enjoyed.
Support an independent musician you discovered here.
Visit a local business whose story interested you.
Tell us about somebody we should meet.
Explore the other projects.
And keep coming back.
Independent projects grow one connection at a time.
STILL HAVE A QUESTION?
We'd love to hear from you.
Whether you've discovered an interesting person, have a community story, want to introduce yourself as a musical artist or simply have a question about Great Lakes Radio, visit our Contact page.