‘Voices in the darkness’: Post-Helene, Asheville radio hosts and listeners have been a lifeline to a community in need

ASHEVILLE, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Ever since Helene ravaged western North Carolina, many found comfort in the sound of familiar voices on the radio.

“Nothing outside of western North Carolina matters right now,” explained Mark Starling, the news director at iHeart Media Asheville.

There is a hyperlocal sense of perspective in the wake of Helene since it left much of the region in ruins at the end of September.

“My goal was, I want to talk these people through this horrific storm,” Starling said.

Starling and his team feel like they’re running a radio marathon.

“Well, I started last Thursday at 3 a.m., and I haven’t been home since because I can’t go home, really,” he said, referring to the damage sustained to his home.

“There’s no power, this is actually the only communication I have with the outside world, this radio station,” a listener said during the storm.

iHeart was a lifeline during the disastrous weather event, and the medium has been just as vital every day since.

The Eddie Foxx Show on 99.9 Kiss Country has become one of the outlets for assistance in many forms.

“We have a ton of people coming together, trying to make sure everybody is getting that they need,” co-host Amanda Foxx says to a caller.

“This audience in western North Carolina that just said, ‘You know what? We’ve got to take care of each other,” Starling told Queen City News.

“They were the ones putting their needs and vulnerabilities out on the air so that somebody else in our area could go ‘Hey, you know what, I can get that tree off your house,’” Starling continued. “I can come pressure-wash that toxic mud off your driveway. I can bring you a case of water, I or I can just let you cry on my shoulder.”

A local bakery sent a box of cupcakes to show appreciation for the broadcasters, with the message “Thank you! You’re the voices in the darkness.”

The station partnered with listeners like Chris Henderson to check in on folks at the request of family. Others joined him in the effort now called the Minutemen Wellness Checks team. So far, they’ve helped reconnect more than 120 people with loved ones.

“It’s a lot of emotional moments,” Henderson says. “Just the fact that you can’t hear from somebody is devastating for a lot of folks, so it’s totally gratifying.“

Meanwhile, the Chainsaw Brothers are another extension of the radio outreach. Coley Duffie and his band of unrelated volunteers cut down trees wherever needed. It’s a free service, but they do welcome donations as they continue to make the rounds.

They are often moved by the people they help.

“It’s a beautiful thing. And it’ll make the toughest man in the world emotional,” said Duffie.

“And they do it because they love their home, and they love their community,” Starling added.

He stayed strong for his audience even during the days he was uncertain that his wife was safe, until the moment she called in.

“Brandee?” he asked the caller.

“Yes,” his wife responded.

“Are you okay?” he asked, becoming emotional. “Okay, where are you? This is my wife for anybody that’s listening.

“And that was the first time I heard her voice,” Starling recalls. “And that was kind of where the waterworks came from.”

His wife is safe and staying in Atlanta for now.

Going forward, Starling says he and his crew have more work to do.

“This ends for us when western North Carolina is made whole again,” he said.

“[iHeart Radio] is just finding the needs of the community,” Henderson says of the community collaboration. “And they’re marrying folks together to take care of things. It’s incredible, I don’t know if anything’s been done like that before.”

Especially when their listeners joined in, iHeart Asheville became “we” Heart.

“I appreciate [the Chainsaw Brothers],” Henderson said, joining us for an interview with Duffie via Zoom.

“Hey we appreciate you,” Duffy says to Henderson. “I’ve been following you and listening to what you’re doing, the things that you’re doing for these families. We’re all heroes at the end of the day, we took time out of our lives.”

That moment of mutual admiration sums up vibe right now.

“There’s so many people willing to step up and help out their out neighbors,” Eddie Foxx said on the air. “Community is the answer to this crisis, western North Carolina. We cannot say how much how much we love you.”

There’s optimism that this post-Helene camaraderie is here to stay.

“My team here at iHeart Radio, we want to see this be our 9/12,” says Starling, referring to the days in the country following 9/11. “But we don’t just want it to be one day.”

Station photos courtesy iHeart Media Asheville.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.