I received a very interesting Facebook Message this week. One of the viewers/listeners to the Pete Braley Show told me that she was at Dollar Tree the other day and while she was talking with the cashier about something we do on the show, she mentioned my name. Let’s pick it up there, heres what the Message said:
“Meanwhile a sweet elderly lady behind me asked ‘Pete Braley? I thought he had died.’ I assured her that you were very much alive and enjoying your life with your children, grandchildren and wife. I asked her if she knew you from church or the community and she replied ‘No just from his radio show. I’m so happy to hear that he didn’t die because he was always pleasant and cheerful on WBSM. I’m so happy to hear that he is enjoying his life. It’s the best news I’ve gotten in a long time’. I told her about your book and she’s going to ask her grandson how to order one. I also told her that I’ll be sure to tell him that a fan was grateful to know that you were still among the living.”
To say I was surprised by that Message would be an understatement but, yeah I’m still ticking! Feeling pretty good actually! Then I started thinking, how could she not know I’m alive? I do a daily show on YouTube with my son Matt and I post a lot on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and I’m even on Tik Tok!
I’m actually not allowed to post on Tik Tok. Matt takes care of that. I’d probably screw up their algorithm…if that’s even a thing you can do.
That’s when I remembered that a portion of the radio audience I had is not online. They don’t know a Tweet from an Instapost or a MyFace Instant Massage or whatever! I remember when the station was trying to drive people to the website and listeners would say, ”I don’t have a computer just tell me now!”
Do you have someone in your life who has no computer or just uses their iPhone to call you? I have a cousin who is in her mid-80s, in fact she just celebrated her birthday yesterday. She used to read my columns in the Standard Times and when they downsized (I like saying that instead of ”I got fired”) we told her about my website but she doesn’t do computers. She said something like, ”I’ve never had one and I’m not going to start learning something new now.” Judging from the lady who thought I was dead, I guess a few other people feel the same way.
I guess there’s not much I can do about that unless you can help me out. If you have an older family member who used to like the radio show, could you at least tell them I’m still above ground? If they are online maybe you could show them where the show is. We’ve tried to make it easy.
Just go to The Pete Braley Show YouTube page, hit Subscribe (please point out it doesn’t cost a thing), and then push the bell and they will be notified whenever we go live. What has become second nature to us, (the internet, online shopping, social media) was not and is not for everyone I guess.
At least I don’t have the same problem a man in California had recently. We had the story on the show Monday. A man from Fresno was declared dead by the Los Angeles County coroner. He showed up to the DMV to renew his driver’s license but they wouldn’t give him one because they had him listed as “deceased.” They had a copy of his death certificate with his driver’s license number, signed by the LA coroner. The registry says he’s been dead since October of last year. He’s now trying to prove to the DMV that he’s very much alive. “Hello! Look at me! Breathing!”
One positive note is that the lady at Dollar Tree basically had good things to say about me I guess. Sometimes we do wonder what people will say about us when we’re gone, but….NOT YET! There’s still so much to do!
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