Jason Becknell is a lifelong radio geek. The Tucker resident began his broadcasting career as a teenager in his native South Carolina, doing odd jobs for the local radio station. Eventually, he graduated from the University of South Carolina and would get into a career in television production. After spending a decade working at WXIA and WGCL as a news producer, he is currently producing at The Weather Channel.
Yet last year Jason decided there was an itch he just needed to scratch.
“I got my start in radio and I always missed that,” Becknell explained. “I thought that Tucker would be a great town to have its own community radio station. But, I thought it would be impractical to launch an FM radio station in a market like Atlanta, and it is. So, I found out about internet radio broadcasting, which allowed me to launch RadioTucker.com.”
Radio Tucker is Becknell’s baby. An online radio station that plays music from the 60s to today, Radio Tucker is a little piece of DeKalb County that can be heard all around the world. Becknell proudly promotes local bands, as well as Georgia staples ranging from R.E.M. to the Allman Brothers and Drivin N Cryin.
“We have local Tucker weather at the top of every hour from Tucker-based meteorologist Ryan Davidson. We also have local information like our ‘What’s Up in Tucker’ segment, telling our listeners what’s happening in the City of Tucker,” Becknell said. “We also allow members of the community to be a guest DJ on Radio Tucker on our guest DJ show that airs Sundays at 6 p.m.”
After its launch, listenership for the station quickly grew into the thousands. That got the attention of companies looking to advertise at the hyperlocal level. Becknell now has paid sponsors across industries like roofing and home repair, mortgage services and personal fitness.
While Radio Tucker has operated exclusively during the pandemic, Becknell has ideas on how to grow the company when things get back to normal. He expects to be a fixture at city events like Tucker Day and the Tucker Chili Cook-off, doing live remote broadcasts and meeting new listeners.
“I want Tucker to have its own radio station where people can get local weather, local music, and we can come together as a community and just have some fun.”
You can stream Radio Tucker 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.RadioTucker.com.
