07/13/2026
An open letter to my RDU community:
A few people have recently and rudely criticized RDU Vibe for using AI-generated artwork in some of our promotional materials. I understand that people have different opinions about AI, but I also want to offer some perspective on what this station and Sunday Reset truly represent.
My love for radio began when I was about 10 years old, when I created my own little pirate radio station. Even then, it was never just about equipment, music, or being behind a microphone. It was about connection. It was about community. It was about the magic of reaching another person through the airwaves.
That passion is still with me today.
Every Sunday from 7–9 p.m., I host Sunday Reset because I genuinely love old-school radio and the human connection it creates. I love hearing from listeners, meeting local musicians, sharing their talent, and giving people throughout the RDU area a place to connect with one another through a classic, geniune, and nostalgic type of platform.
I am not paid to do this. I have a full-time career that supports my family, and I dedicate a significant amount of my personal time to keeping RDU Vibe running. I'm also going through a divorce and money is tight so I also don't have money to pay others to take on delegated work for this station. I do all the work as a volunteer. To that end:
I serve as the station’s chief engineer, managing the entire streaming pipeline in the cloud and at my cost - nobody contributes to this, and nor do I ask for donations. I maintain and develop the website. I produce and host the programming. I handle the technical operation, promotion, outreach, and communication with the musicians in the community who generously share their creativity with the show, and thus its audience.
In other words, I wear a lot of hats to make this happen, without asking for anything in return.
AI-generated promotional artwork is simply one tool that helps a one-person, independently operated station manage that workload. Using AI to generate promotional material allows me to dedicate the bulk of my available time to aspects of running the show that my talents are better positioned for. I am not a graphic artist, nor a marketing professional, and as this is a hobby effort by ONE MAN, there is NO budget for hiring out this work when the station has no financial support from the community. It does not replace the musicians, the listeners, the conversations, the creativity, or the relationships at the heart of this project.
The music is created by real people. The voices are real. The conversations are real. The community is real. The human connection is real.
RDU Vibe and Sunday Reset are labors of love. They exist because I care deeply about radio, creativity, community, and connecting with my fellow RDU neighbors. Unlike many mainstream commercial stations, RDU Vibe DOES NOT use ANY automation in the audio chain - all mixing and baord operations are done "old school" and manual by the host's own hand, each and every show.
Constructive conversation is always welcome. Personal attacks and unkind judgments are not.
I hope people will consider the time, commitment, and genuine passion behind this project before reducing it to the method used to create a promotional poster.
Real radio. Real humans. Real connection.
Sunday Reset
Always streamed live, Sundays, 7–9 p.m.
RDUVibe.com
252.510.5150
