A publication of Bowles Rice llp Summer 2019 Broadcasting a Positive Image of the Mountain State Larry Groce, Artistic Director, Co-founder and Host

Larry Groce is the Artistic Director, This is an article about Mountain Stage and Turns out the guy I spoke with lived in the Co-founder and Host of Mountain tourism, but please indulge me Charlotte, North Carolina area, so I welcomed Stage, the live performance music program produced by for a moment if you would. A few weeks ago, I him to West Virginia, and he said he loved it West Virginia Public Broadcasting went fishing on the New River with my friend here and visits often. “As a matter of fact,” he told and distributed by National Public Teddy Queen, a rafting guide who owns and me, “I’ll be back next week.” When I asked what Radio. Recorded in front of a live audience, each two-hour runs The Swiftwater Café in Charleston, and his was bringing him back, he said, “I’m going to episode of Mountain Stage can friend Billy Bright. We had a beautiful day on the Mountain Stage.” be heard every week on more river, even if the smallmouth weren’t cooperating than 240 stations across America like we’d hoped they would. However, about He didn’t know I was host of the show, so I and around the world via NPR Music and mountainstage.org. 45 minutes before we pulled out, I hooked a identified myself and told him I’d see him there. Groce is also the Founding 22-inch walleye, and that made the day even It was a fun moment for us both. He then asked Executive Director of FestivALL, more beautiful. about where to eat in Fayetteville and I gave him Charleston, West Virginia’s 10-day several suggestions. He seemed most interested celebration of the arts. Now, I’m not just telling you this so I can put in the ones that included local craft beers. a picture of me and that fish into print (well, maybe that’s part of it). After we pulled out, My point is this: folks often visit here for more and Teddy and Billy had gone to get the truck, than one reason. It might be for the natural beauty, I began to talk to some folks who pulled their a festival, outdoor recreation, food and drink or a raft out after us. They were two dads, one with sporting event. But it’s more likely a combination a young son and the other with a daughter, who of these. The more reasons to come, the more likely had bought the raft after taking float trips with we’ll see them. Think about why you visit a place. Adventures on the Gorge. They were enjoying a day on that lovely river surrounded by the These days, almost everyone can travel, not just sweetest mountains in the world. the well-to-do. They may not stay in the same

Larry shows the 22” walleye he caught on the New River

12 SUMMER 2019 Clockwise from top left: Audience waiting to get into Mountain Stage at the Culture Center in Charleston, WV (Photo Credit: Mountain Stage); Larry Groce holding poster printed by Base Camp Printing (Photo Credit: Brian Blauser); Mountain Stage final song (Photo Credit: Josh Saul); River Whyless Band on Mountain Stage (Photo Credit: Josh Saul). hotels (or campgrounds) or eat at the same places, but they can all Some folks have mixed feelings about tourism because they think play in the same rivers and hike in the same mountains. Even the of certain places as their own private retreats. But if it’s intelligently thriftiest visitors will add something to our local economies, and planned for, it won’t spoil anything, and tourism dollars are many spend substantial amounts of money. undoubtedly a very important element as this state begins to diversify its economy – which it must. We should aim to attract Because Mountain Stage is broadcast over 220+ stations and is the best kind of visitors, those who respect and value what’s here downloaded 60,000 times per show, we reach nearly a quarter naturally and culturally. of a million listeners per week all over the world. Our largest radio audiences are , Boise, , Birmingham One of the most important things Mountain Stage does is help to and Anchorage. Attending a live Mountain Stage is often a change the image of our state among those who have a mistaken bucket list item for longtime listeners. We’ve had audience idea – or no idea at all – of who we are. Tourism also does this. members who have planned family reunions, vacations and Everyone who deals with visitors can tell you that it may be hard even bachelorette parties around the live taping of Mountain to get folks here, but once they’ve been here, most of them want to Stage and we try to give them a special, personal experience come back. They love the West Virginia experience, as I did when when we know they’re here. I came here 47 years ago. I loved it so much I stayed. I’m sure glad I did. In 2018, we had over 13,000 people see Mountain Stage live, and 8,000 were at our home base in Charleston. More than half Oh, one more thing: did you check out the photo of me and the of those Charleston attendees come from at least an hour outside fish? the city. The great majority spend money here on food, gas and merchandise, along with their tickets. From near or far, tourism is tourism.

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