About 4:30 PM CST on New Year's Eve, I tuned in to the Internet stream of "the hottest radio station" in Bavaria, Germany. Like a lot of other European radio stations, they play 'Auld Lang Syne' just before midnight, and after airing the sounds of church bells at midnight, they play 'The Blue Danube Waltz'. (It was always a tradition in my family growing up to play these two songs around midnight.) In the half hour leading up to the playing of 'Auld Lang Syne', I didn't hear any DJ speak. So, I took a look at this station's studio webcam. There was no one in the place. It was on computer! Just before midnight, three people walked into the studio, looked at the clocks on the wall, shook hands at midnight, and left. They could have been cleaning people for all I know. Yet, Paul Marx did KBON's program on New Year's Eve live.

This morning (1/2/09) I heard Paul Marx still talking about the fun he had doing a live radio program on New Year's Eve. Then, it dawned on me. Just as many people in Acadiana with "real jobs" get together to play music, Paul Marx likes to put on a good radio program for a hobby. This is such a rarity today, for there are so few people who have the keys to a radio station and can walk in and do what they love to do without getting permission.

Could this show get any better? Have a live audience. Except you can't drink in a radio station studio. Perhaps KBON should explore running cables over the rooftops to Nick's on 2nd Street. There are now party DJ's who use laptap computers to playback recordings at a social function. Back to the Future - radio broadcasts from a hotel ballroom or restaurant on New Year's Eve.