Meet Morgan Haynes, Programmer & Marketing
Morgan (AKA DJ Momcore) is the host of My So Called Radio Show which airs Thursdays 4-5pm.
How did you first get involved with Royalton Community Radio?
I saw an ad in the White River Valley Herald that the station was looking for help with their social media. Being new to SoRo, I was looking to get involved in the community and thought this was the perfect opportunity. Having a deep love for music and an affinity marketing, not only do I manage the station’s socials but also create all of their graphics for print and digital.
What’s your role at the station, and what do you love most about it?
After doing the marketing for a couple of years, I decided I was ready to have my own show and share all the mixes I make myself anyway. I am also a member of the board.
How has being part of RCR impacted you or your connection to the community?
This station is so magical. All of us programmers are so different from each other but we have the common unifying element of our passion for music, which makes us family. Being involved with the station has also gotten me out in the community more by volunteering at various events and attending concerts with fellow DJs.
Any fun behind-the-scenes stories from your time on air?
Thom Healy and I subbed for Duffy one week during Hannah Handy and Me and it was my first time cohosting a two hour show. We had an incredible time and really created this spark of inspiration and magic that still makes me smile.
If you could describe RCR in three words, what would they be?
Family. Magic. Connection.
Morgan recently penned an ode to Royalton Community Radio for the Upper Valley Newsletter, Daybreak:
Dear Daybreak
When I walk into the Royalton Community Radio studio, it feels like stepping into the beating heart of Vermont. Perched high atop Magic Mountain (Daycare) in South Royalton, the station isn’t flashy. A patchwork of equipment, shelves cluttered with CDs and vinyl, with a few signs reminding the programmers about the station’s call letters: WFVR-LP South Royalton. Everything is held together by the hands of volunteers who believe in non-commercial, community produced radio.
From the booth I can see out over the Vermont Law & Graduate School parking lot to the rolling hills that stretch beyond the White River. The snow from last night’s storm clings to the trees, softening the edges of the world. Vermont winters are unforgiving, but there’s a quiet solidarity in them, much like this station. We hold each other up, in the cold, on the airwaves, spinning stories and songs for the people scattered across these mountains and even across the country.
The station’s DJs come and go at all hours, some with stacks of vinyl tucked under their arms, others arrive with nothing but a playlist in their head and anecdotes to share. Whether it’s rock, blues, jazz, bluegrass, americana, classical, world music, etc, each DJ brings something different to the airwaves, the common thread being their love for this place and the people who listen.
Among them is Jim Rooney—legendary producer, Grammy winner, and recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Americana Music Association. He could be anywhere in the world, yet he’s here, in this modest little studio, sharing songs and memories on his weekly program, “In It for the Long Run”.
It’s the kind of magic that only happens in a place like Vermont, where fame and legacy don’t separate you from your neighbors—they just add to the story. Vermont winters are long, but here in the Royalton Community Radio studio, we hold each other up, spinning stories that remind us we’re all part of the same song.