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Rusty Mike Radio

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RustyMike Radio is an Internet radio station established in 2009. The station broadcasts 24 hours, 6 days a week on www.rustymikeradio.com. The station features an eclectic mix of shows geared to the English-speaking Israeli and worldwide Jewish audience. The station was founded by Adam Mallerman, and is sponsored by the Association of Americans and Canadians and Israel and by advertisers. This Jerusalem-based station offers live and podcasted shows, featuring subjects that have attracted a dedicated following in Anglo-Israeli community and the general Jewish community worldwide. Topics include Israeli scene, social action, legal advice, psychotherapy, job advice, cooking and comedy (1). While discussions sometimes run to political issues, the station tries to steer clear of taking a political position (2).

The radio station has attracted a large amount of attention as combined listeners and podcast downloads average approximately 50,000 per month in only the second year of existence. It also attracts increasing numbers of Jews & friends of Israel around the world who tune in daily or download podcasts from the growing audio library.

The meaning of the name
Founder Adam Mallerman put some combinations into a search engine with the word microphone, and mic, and mike and came up with Rusty Mike. He then called a friend in marketing what he thought, and his friend’s reaction was, 'Bloody stupid, I think you're nuts.' However, the friend was testing some products in a phone survey and added a question to the list. He called Mallerman the next day and said that people remembered the RustyMike best.

While Rusty Mike actually doesn't exist, except as the fictional studio engineer that Mallerman blames technical glitches on, per Mallerman, it neatly encapsulates the concepts that aren't known to go together, but fit perfectly - a microphone that's rusty and a radio station that's only on the Internet. (3)

Influences
With BBC local radio as an inspiration, & Israeli Hebrew langauage stations, Galgalatz and Reshet Bet are also cited as influences for RustyMike Radio(4). In addition, RustyMike radio follows the example of other English-language radio in Israel such as the Voice of Peace launched by Abie Nathan on a ship in 1973 (5), the short-lived, Jerusalem-based Radio West in the 1990s and more recently the Ramallah-Jerusalem coexistence station RAM FM (6). Furthermore, the station unofficially serves as a sister station to Radio Kol Rega, whose Progam Director, Richard Freedman, is the afternoon drive time DJ for RustyMike Radio.

Purpose
The station serves to cater to English-speaking Israelis who do not speak Hebrew well enough to engage with the Hebrew media and follow Israeli stations. The station prioritizes its role in serving the community above that of accumulating wealth. (7)  The Station is aimed at the adult contemporary audience of the quarter million Anglos in Israel. (8)

Programming
Depending on the DJ, RustyMike Radio plays current hits, classic rock and soul, contemporary and classic Jewish and Israeli music, country music, hard rock and some classical tunes.

In addition, as the station views its purpose to serve the community, it continually provides interviews of interest to its listeners. Topics and subjects have included:


 * Anti-Semitism and the United Kingdom


 * Financial planning for Americans living in Israel


 * Car hunting in Israel


 * Interviewing skills


 * Estate planning in Israel


 * Restaurant and winery picks in Israel


 * Medical and dental information and tips

Furthermore, the station has conducted interviews with Jewish and Israeli sports figures, such as Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA, Jon Scheyer, the captain of the 2010 champion Duke Blue Devils, Wold Boxing Association champion Yuri Foreman, and Dana Jacobson, host of ESPN’s “First Take” program as well as musical artists who have appeared in Israel, for example, Paul Anka, Joan Armatrading, Gilbert O’ Sullivan and Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary).

On Air Personalities
As of September 2010, the radio staff included the following:


 * Adam Mallerman, morning drive time and J-Jam (Jewish music) host
 * Richard Freedman, afternoon drive time host who broadcasts from the Kol Rega station in Afula.


 * Mimi Borowich, host of Mimi’s mid-week music


 * Ilona Diamond, host of “Country Love”, a weekly country music show


 * Nettie Feldman, host of Afternoon Shmooze, a talk and oldies music show


 * Douglas Goldstein, CFP, host of “Goldstein on Gelt” a Monday evening show that discussing financial planning in Israel


 * Andrea Simantov, host of “Gimme a Break”, weekly show focusing on Israeli life.


 * Joop Soessan, host of “Car Talk”Michael “Maximum Mike” Somogyi, host of Rock for Rookies


 * Ami Steinberger, host of a weekly Israeli music show & CEO of www.ulpan.com


 * Jerry “Mr. T” Stevenson, host of the weekly “Music 4 the Middle Mind”


 * Sharon Wagner, formerly of Radio West

In addition, the station airs a weekly sports show that provides in-depth analysis of all sports in Israel, the United States and throughout the world.