WATD’s ‘Morning Tour’ closes season in town
MARSHFIELD — This summer has seen them travel to Hanover, Weymouth and Marshfield, and the WATD (95.9 FM) Morning News hosts Rob Hakala and Lisa Azizian will close out the season’s South Shore Morning Tour from the lawn of Whitman Town Hall on Friday, Aug. 28.
While the Town Hall itself is closed on Fridays, the station will be open to talking with Whitman officials, business owners and notable residents during their on-air time from 6 to 10 a.m. They’re also going to he handing out free Honey Dew coffee and cinnamon stick pastries as well as offering residents a chance to give a prize wheel a spin for WATD prizes or gift certificates from local businesses. Whitman-Hanson Community Access TV hopes to similcast the show on Channel 12.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Azizian shortly after the duo signed off their show for the day on Monday, Aug. 17.
“We didn’t start this until last year,” Hakala said of the tour, similar to the Fox 25 Zip Trips. “It’s a radio version — it’s kind of a fun thing that we do to get out on the road and see people and visit the towns of the South Shore.”
The station covers more than 20 towns in the region.
They limit the Morning Tour to one per month, the last Friday of each month between May and August, because of the work involved in setting up remote broadcasts. On Thursday, Aug.13, Azizian and two engineers met with Town Administrator Frank Lynam to work out the logistics for power and Internet connections for a day when the Town Hall is closed to the public.
“We’ll be set up right there on the lawn,” she said. “We’ll have a big tent. Rob and I broadcast from under the tent. You get to learn about the town from current events to history.”
“We’re very excited to come in,” Hakala said. “It’s fun to be on the radio and we take pictures for the website, but it’s fun to go out and meet people because we’re [in studio] four hours a day.”
The list of Whitman guests is still being finalized. While Lynam will be on vacation, Azizian and Hakala are hoping to arrange a mike-side visit with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Ruth Gilbert-Whitner on what will be the second day of the 2015-16 school year.
“We’ve been very lucky with our guest line up,” Azizian said. “It’s also a chance for folks to see what we do. We only meet listeners when we’re out on the road, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to say hi to people and for them to see what goes into a broadcast.”
That was one of the goals of the Morning Tour.
“It’s really a day for everyone to come out,” Hakala agreed. “We’re going to be out supporting local businesses.”