All kinds of people with all kinds of backgrounds volunteer at WERU. We recently asked one of them, Dr. John Hunt, about his involvement at WERU. Here’s what he had to say…
What do you do at WERU Community Radio?
“I host and produce two radio programs: Let’s Talk Animals: From Aardvarks To Zebras (call in show every fourth Thursday, 10:00-11:00 a.m.) and Pet Sounds (short feature every Sunday morning, 7:30-7:35 a.m.). I also formerly served on the WERU Board of Directors.”
What was your career outside of WERU?
“I was a small animal veterinarian for 33 years. I owned the Bucksport Veterinary Hospital for 27 years until I retired in 2015. I was also a school track coach at Bucksport for 18 years.”
How did you first get involved at WERU and what was your motivation?
“As a practicing veterinarian in Bucksport I was always looking for ways to educate the public on pet care. I wrote a book some years back called Ask The Vet, and I published a weekly article on pet care in the Bucksport Enterprise. For years I visited the Bucksport elementary schools and talked to the kids about pets and brought in my own pets at times.
One of my technicians volunteered at WERU and told me about the station and how nice everyone was. That is when I got the idea of offering my expertise in a radio format. Members of the station’s staff were super-supportive and eager to have me do something. That is how Pet Sounds started. We decided a short prerecorded weekly piece would best suit my schedule and the station’s programming needs at that time. I have been doing Pet Sounds for over 7 years. One thing led to another and now I’ve been hosting the hour-long Let’s Talk Animals (formally Pet Sounds 2.0).”
Why do you think WERU is important and valuable to the community?
“WERU is a diamond in the rough. Avid listeners appreciate what they have in WERU, and they can help WERU by sharing with other people what WERU has to offer. It is the only radio station that I am aware of that provides such a wide variety of music, news, social commentary and entertainment. It’s a people’s station not a conglomerate owned entity. WERU reflects the conscious of the area because it is run by people who live here.”
What are you passionate about in your community?
“I want our community to preserve family values, help our neighbors, support our schools and conserve natural resources.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our listeners and readers?
“Spread the word about this great station! WERU is trying to up with the changing listening habits of the public so let’s fit this wonderful station into the 21st century by supporting it by listening and donating.
In closing, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the WERU staff and volunteers. I want to thank them for their help and patience.”
To learn more about volunteering at WERU please email [email protected] for more information or read more here on our website.