Party Of One Has Its Final Mic Check presents:

Dustin Party Of OneExactly 12 years ago this week, Dustin Richardson started volunteering at WRIR 97.3 FM. At that time, the station was in its infancy. Christopher Maxwell was walking around Richmond with a sign board talking to anyone who’d listen about having a truly independent radio station in Richmond. The FCC had granted WRIR its license as the first low power FM radio station in a city the size of Richmond. They were under tremendous pressure to get on the airwaves. James Hickman called Dustin and asked him to be a project leader. With three months left to put WRIR on air, Dustin’s instructions were simple: “Get something done.”

Dustin did — and has not stopped since.

Dustin helped put the transmitter online. He rigged the antenna on the roof of the studio where it still stands today. Using a ADC map, a dollar-store protractor and a compass, he and the other volunteers aligned the transmitter dish in the back of The Camel with the Galaxy 5 satellite floating in space. As of Jan. 1, 2005, WRIR was on the air.

Dustin served as the station’s first news talk director. He planned the original schedule of news programming. Democracy Now, LeShow and This Way Out are some of the founding programs that he scheduled and are still heard on WRIR. When he was the producer of WRIR’s Richmond Independent News, he even interviewed a young senator named Barack Obama.

But it was on July 4, 2005 when the world of WRIR listeners heard Dustin as we know and love him. At 1 a.m., he cranked up the volume of Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner and yelled the station I.D.

Party Of One was born! Dustin says, “I always wanted to be a DJ. I loved the overnight. My show was from one in the morning until six. For five hours I played hip hop, blues, so many genres. I got calls from restaurant staff, the third-shift workers at Dupont, taxi drivers and guys working at the airport.” After a while, Dustin turned over the overnight to other DJs and, after a stint on Tuesday nights, started hosting his show on Saturdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., where it remains for one more week. Paul’s Boutique will move from Thursday nights to Dustin’s time slot.

He’s ready to let another DJ take over his slot, but not his show. Party Of One will always belong to Dustin. The legacy he leaves is an excited energy, a wealth of illuminating and (always) spirited playlists, and memories of his rocking theme song: “Party Of One! You’re the only one! For me!” We’ll all shed a tear when we hear the Muppet Show song for the last time.

Not every DJ yells like Dustin into the mic, but the station’s voices are, as he describes it, “no longer talking like whispers in the library.” Throughout the years, he has mentored other DJs so they could improve the quality of their programs, offering sound advice like keeping an eye on the volume levels and wearing headphones, plus the finer points of playing vinyl in a largely digital age.

We’ll also remember his fund drive stunts. He ran 9.73k through the Fan’s streets while asking listeners to donate. He broadcast from the mountains of Virginia and while riding the UCI bike course. Best of all, he got married on air!

Although he’ll now have his Saturdays free, Dustin promises: “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still work to keep the bar raised for the quality of WRIR’s programs. I hope to host an episode of Cause and Effect, too.”

On Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dustin hosts his last episode of Party Of One. You can honor him by making a donation to WRIR’s 2016 Fall Fund Drive. We are raising $40,000 by Oct. 25. That is the money necessary to keep the station on air for the next six months. Show Dustin that you appreciated all the years he dedicated to WRIR. You can call (804) 622-9747, or stop by to say goodbye while he’s in the studio at 1621 W. Broad Street, 2nd Floor. Give online at www.wrir.org

Playlist:

Playlist temporarily unavailable.

    October 20th, 2016

Posted In: Music Shows