Having KGOU as part of his daily news consumption is important to listener Doug Simpson who visited our Norman studios recently.
Q: Please tell us about yourself.
Doug Simpson: I'm originally from Dayton, Ohio, but I grew up in Illinois as well. I've been here in Oklahoma for about a total of 13 years -- almost 10 years this time. I live in Moore. I'm retired from the Air Force and now work for the Oklahoma Blood Institute.
Q: What are some of your primary interests or favorite pastimes outside of work?
DS: I'm a chorus singer and pickleball player. Those are both things that I do because of the community of them, the social aspects, the enjoyment that I get out of them. And Public Radio and KGOU and NPR they all are part of the same line of thinking, where you're together with other people and you're all participating.
Q: Why do you listen to public radio/KGOU?
DS: NPR's presentation of the news appeals to me because it just seems more straightforward. Other information sources don't seem so. I think because of their audience they have a lot more types of stories that are trying to appeal to as wide an audience as they can. And of course KGOU wants to do that as well but it seems to me that KGOU focuses more on doing honest stories and presenting information without as much "feel good" stuff. And I get those from my other sources for news and information. But I go to KGOU for a more distilled version and a more to the point type of presentation.
"I've always been taught that you prioritize your resources -- time, money, whatever it is -- to the things that are important to you. And I finally decided to prioritize a little bit of my money towards something that I had already been getting benefits out of for so long."
Q: Where, when and how do you do most of your listening?
DS: It's all in my car. Morning drive and afternoon drive. To get my day started on the way to work -- to find out what's coming up. And then on my way home to catch up on what's happened while I've been at work. I guess I'm a captive audience in my car on the commute to and from work.
Q: How did you first discover public radio?
DS: It may have been in college, but I'm sure it was after I graduated, and was in the Air Force and moving from place to place, where I learned to be adaptable, having to learn new jobs every few years and live in new places every few years. But being able to listen to the public radio station wherever I was, was nice to have one thing that stayed the same.
Q: How does KGOU contribute to your daily life or the community as a whole?
DS: Personally it just gives me another source, another way to hear another side of any given story. People always say there's two sides to every story but it always seems to me there's more than that. So I think it's important to have multiple different sources so that you get them all.
Q: What motivated you to make your first contribution to KGOU?
DS: The first time was actually last year. Because I've always been taught that you prioritize your resources -- time, money, whatever it is -- to the things that are important to you. And I finally decided to prioritize a little bit of my money towards something that I had already been getting benefits out of for so long.
As a community-supported news organization, KGOU relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online, or by contacting our Membership department.
