All Arlington, all the time” has long been the personal and business mantra of Mark Joeckel, founder of the community advocacy organization, “Arlington, Texas – Proud to Call It Home, “and now he has his own radio show to spread the word via the air waves.
“The Mark Joeckel Show” on BizTalk Radio spotlights Arlington citizens and events and offers advice for small businesses in a variety of areas, including social media marketing, Joeckel’s personal area of expertise.
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The show began airing a month ago, Monday through Friday, from 3 to 5 p.m., and is the only Arlington show on the station. It airs on 870 AM and online at http://player.warpradio.com/BizTalkRadio/index.php?t.
BizTalk Radio is a syndicated radio and television broadcast network with 189 radio stations in the U.S. and is owned by KFJZ radio, long a familiar name in the Metroplex media market. BizTalk reaches about 3.6 million area residents.
“It is unbelievable asset to have this media giant in Arlington,” Joeckel says.
Each day of programming on the show takes a different, but always Arlington, spin. On Monday programs, owners of small, local businesses are interviewed and on Tuesdays, a community roundtable of citizens talks about a variety of issues that impact the city (for example, recent elections, including the vote for a new Texas Rangers ball park). Joeckel’s station intern, Linah Mohammed, recently talked about diversity on the UTA campus.
Also on Tuesdays, retired Arlington Star-Telegram publisher and columnist O.K. Carter is a regular guest on the 4 to 5 p.m. segment. Carter and Joeckel discuss the next and most recent Arlington On Tap programs and other urban issues. Arlington on Tap is a monthly event in downtown Arlington featuring local speakers talking about Arlington issues.
Wednesdays, high school football games are previewed and experts make their picks for winners. “After football season, we’ll focus on good kids in Arlington and interesting things going on in the high schools,” Joeckel says.
Thursdays, Joeckel focuses on how to market small businesses. He also shines the light on a local non-profits. So far, those have included the Arlington Life Shelter and the 4th of July Association. Fridays are devoted to the music scene in Arlington. David Conant, founder of Arlington Nights, a local organization that promotes musicians (performing in Arlington and the top five places to hear them). The show also includes an in-studio performance by a musician.
Recent guests have included UTA political science professor Allen Saxe, president of the Arlington 4th of July Association Kevin Donovan, Dance Theatre Arlington director Persis Ann Forster of Dance Theatre Arlington and Yoko Matsumoto, director of Arlington Libraries.
Joeckel’s goal is to build Arlington’s presence on the station to 8 to 10 hours a day of programming.
Radio is a new gig for Joeckel, an Arlington High graduate who is an ordained minister and has a degree in radio- television. “I’ve learned that in radio you have to just be yourself,” he says, “but the harder part is selling all the hours you want to be on the air.”
Joeckel, who has lived in Arlington since 1977, says building an audience so that listeners can call-in is a challenge, but he thinks the mix of topics will grow the listener base.
The radio studio at 808 E. Abram St. makes it one of the newest additions to the downtown Arlington business district.
Anyone with an idea for an individual, event or organization for the show (“or to advertise,” he quickly adds) should contact him.
The show’s website is Biztalkarlington.com, and he can be reached via email at mark@biztalkarlington.com or mark@markjoeckel.com.
